AN: If you're going to the this chapter because you saw the update, I'd just like to mention that I threw up three of the chapters from sufficient velocity up here at once. Thus, this might not be where you stopped reading from

Chapter 8: First Instinct and Reaction

Eva, Number 13, was a queer girl. When she talked with us I got the impression that she wasn't really talking with us. This only got stronger when she stopped talking to us to start talking to a wall. She eventually resumed interviewing us, but by then we knew that she found us silly, found the pay as a warrior extremely lackluster, and wished to go visit a tiny hole-in-the-wall food wagon in a village beside Crannog.

Aside from enraging Evelyn, though, it was a fairly harmless and innocuous round of interrogation. I would not even bother remembering the event except I managed to shake hands with her at the end. When I did this I used Teresa's power to copy my first set of memories from a ranked warrior.

She immediately detected it and began a not so subtle conversation about my invasion of privacy with the wall before concluding I had no idea how rude it was and probably would not make a good friend given how callous I am.

She also began referring to me from that point on as the "uncouth Mistress of Ceremonies."

Still, it was worth it for the copy of her memories. I have found, when using Teresa's power, that the balls of light are like condensed expressions of a memory. From there it was logical to experiment and see if I could replicate Teresa's feat of copying and condensing the memory of every notable warrior in her generation and several more before and after it.

When I'd practiced with my peers the copying part was not difficult once I got the hang of it. I imagined a clothesline and taking down the clothes, claiming its shadow, and then replacing them back onto the line.

It felt very natural, and Teresa had spent a long time studying every step of this before trying to move on to preserving and condensing memories. Leaving aside issues of speed and completeness came in time, the bigger problem was they never lasted longer than 6 hours.

The key was learning to condense and seal them into balls of bright memory like Teresa had. This wasn't something she actually learned until after she became a warrior, and I knew her original inspiration was two-fold-a scene of a blacksmith's furnace as he refined an iron ingot, and a beetle that rolled manure into dense spheres.

It confused me. I could see she'd studied both of these carefully before making her first breakthrough, but I couldn't see the importance of them.

Thus, after copying Eva's memories, I immediately retreated to an old storage room I'd found where I figured I'd be undisturbed for at least half the day. I needed to get all the use out of her memories that I could before they faded.

Fortunately, I'd found through my experiments with my peers that entering a memory I have copied first-hand is as easy as entering Teresa's memories. There's no reflection within a reflection like with the memories copied by Teresa.

The first thing I saw were two lines of unarmored warriors in an abandoned side-village. This was Eva's graduation test. She'd killed two other trainees that day before switching targets to taking out the Yoma that had secretly been introduced into the test.

Seeing her skills firsthand unsettled me a bit since they could only have gotten better, and she saw me as an unfriendly, uncouth power user.

In any case, things got even weirder when I saw the event that caused her to Awaken her power. That day she'd participated in an Awakened Being hunt as filler material for their team. She'd only been saved by the sacrifice of her friend. A friend who'd once beaten and abused her.

It was complicated.

I saw then what she'd been speaking to and I'm fairly sure even in the real-world, in that isolated closet, I yelped.

It was a giant ball of eyeballs. Not just a giant eyeball, but a giant conglomeration of eyeballs.

When it spoke it whispered the secrets of everything and everyone around her to Eva. It even communicated secrets it didn't seem to fully understand.

I directed her memories to the conversation we had just had. It would be easier to check their accuracy since I had first-hand memory of everything. It could tell Anna that Evelyn wanted to drink when she remembered the events of that day. It didn't seem to understand emotions or human traditions. It merely noted our desire to go and retrieve Elise's body, but could not connect it to the importance behind the act.

It was an interesting limitation. For the first time, I wondered about the source of our powers. With warriors there is a simple explanation. Yoma flesh and blood have made us both more and less than human.

These powers, though, of us so called "god-touched" make little sense at all. How can a person fly or another person generate a swamp? Even with youki involved I would find the whole thing mystifying. Perhaps there is a God at work.

If there is one and he looks like what Eva sees everyday I have to wonder what his intentions are. Does he eat humans just like Yoma and Awakened Beings? Perhaps he just consumes the power user. Maybe we're buying up our powers with our lifespans.

I suppose it doesn't matter. Warriors have infinite and terribly short lifespans. Warriors cease to age shortly after the hybridization process finishes. For some that is as quickly as six months after the procedure and for others it takes several years.

Regardless, longevity wasn't a limiting factor. Warriors tend to live no more than three years once they begin actively hunting, because the usage of youki stimulates it and eventually causes it to grow out of control.

We are ticking time bombs, and as long as my powers don't plan to stab me in the back in the next three or four years I should just take it and appreciate it. Besides unlike other warriors I couldn't even hold out a tiny bit of hope. Desertion and a quiet life never touching my youki couldn't offer me what I wanted.

I spent the rest of my time analyzing her toughest battles, her training regimen, and the styles and abilities she witnessed during her career.

I realized midway through that lately her workload has been drastically lightened. They're trying to preserve her. They don't want to waste her by sending her after an awakened being when a more disposable piece can be used instead.

It was also disappointing that the being Eva communicates with has only a superficial level of understanding of the styles and techniques she sees. It can interpret he form and function, but it misses the mindset and potential. When it sees a technique executed twice with different levels of strength it sees only improvement or regression. The pulse of the world around their youki is imperceptible even to her high-class knowledge power.

Eva's memories only captured things Eva sensed. Perhaps if she was able to feel the side effects her power would be able to tell her something useful.

I turned to see what memories Eva had of the current single digits. I knew their nicknames like "God-eye Galatea," "Heat-Haze Hilda," "Kujira of the Nothingness," and so on. But, the records on their current abilities and techniques was not accessible to trainees. She hadn't seen all of them. Especially the new ones or Priscilla. Still, this was a treasure trove I waiting to be looted.

Dozens of copies swarmed an awakened being. Each attack that appeared about to take it down instead speared a rock or a tree or the Being's own body. It was insane because even my own youki sense couldn't discern where she was. Every copy felt the same. A second later it was over. The being's two remaining tentacles hit duds and the warrior's blade sank into its neck. The two other warriors in the party leapt forward simultaneously to sink their blades into the falling head's eye sockets.

...

"I have no reason to fight you. A duel won't change our rankings."

"I don't care. You're strong. I need stronger opponents."

I'm bored of this farce.

The single-digit pauses. "Fine. But we got to the first blow only. We must not let ourselves get injured for what amounts to a game."

"This isn't a game to me."

"I know. But is to our masters. By the way, you've already lost."

Huh? On the cheek of her challenger a line of red appears. I turn back to the single-digit's blade. It is clean. But on one of her nails a curling swirl of...what looks like distorted space is vanishing.

...

Nothing. She did nothing. She didn't attack or defend. She didn't run or talk. She did nothing. At last in frustration the awakened being leapt forward at her. I tried to attack the swinging tail to keep it out of the picture for the others. My blade sank home but it had retracted at the last second. I only cut off the tip and the rest of it uncoiled and sent me flying back.

The other two warriors faired similarly, but we halted its advance. Just a little more time. Jezebel lost an arm, which was then stepped on during the fighting. A stray spray of needles almost blinds me in both eyes. I preserve one of them.

Finally, she moves. She takes one step and the being begins to shrink. Each step it becomes smaller and smaller while her aura grows vaster and deeper. It tries to flee. A vain attempt. We are not so uselessly we can't slow it down and soon it is tripping over its own feet dodging us in a midway form between awakened and human-form.

She raises her arm and the youki coats her blade in a terrible darkness. Then it is over.

...

There is nothing for me to do. I'm not even sure why I'm here. Is it really that important to have four warriors if two of them are doing all the work. Ave suggest the full team was formed in case multiple awakened beings are lying in wait for an ambush. It also whispers that she's grandstanding.

Ignorant of my thoughts, my leader continues to bombard the awakened being from half a kilometer away. Solid starlight smashes down from the sky. Most of it misses. She does not seem to be aiming for accuracy. Those that do only blast watermelon size holes into its form. These regenerate quickly. Clearly a defensive type given how long the battle has been going on.

It is a challenge of endurance. Will our leader's bombardment cease first, or the enemy's regeneration reach its limit. Her face is pale. The veins around her eyes throb wildly.

A cloud of mist appears around us. The awakened's youki disappears. It has done this once before. It reappears no more than five meters from us. Belle charges through the mist at it. She doesn't bother with her sword. Belle just uses a shoulder charge. The enemy almost dodges it, but is still knocked back five or ten more meters.

We all leap backwards. We need to regain our distance. Belle can take the rain. It starts again, but the bombardment is weaker this time. The mist also begins to disperse giving us our first glimpse at it nice it moved. It's laughing at us, but it comes out as more of a croak. It hasn't fully regenerated its throat.

It's holding Belle above its frog-like head. I am starting to get scared. Can Hailey keep this up?

It charges at us. It must need more time before it can move like it did before. I try to catch Belle when she's thrown at our leader. Belle is delirious. Hailey's rain peter's out.

Number thirty jumps in the way, and has her blade thrown aside and her head smashed like a berry. One last burst falls from above. Thrice the size of all the previous ones.

Something must have warned it because at the last minute it raises its arms above its head. This saves the monster.

Hailey collapses. The limitless awakened does not move. It is too damaged. My sword? Where is my sword? I find my blade but by then it's stirring. Why didn't I think to just use Belle's?

"We need to get out of here." I scream.

I throw Belle over one shoulder. Hailey has risen to her feet.

"Run Eva." Says Hailey. She sounds exhausted.

I take off, but Hailey doesn't follow. Behind me I can feel Hailey bringing her youki up to 70%, 75%, 79%. I don't ask. I don't want to know.

"That's why we should learn to be less reliant on our powers." I said to Jacklyn as I tried and almost dodged her blade.

She sent a jolt of laughter down it that distracted me long enough to bring it to my throat.

"It seems to be working just fine right now." She said with a smirk.

"I know," I said scowling, "but when we get out there fighting Awakened Beings we'll be fighting enemies with a lot longer range than our Claymores. Each of their blows could be fatal, and with such a long reach you can't rely on your ability even being a factor in the battle. That's not even counting the various archer class powers."

She nodded. "I know. This power is much more effective in duels where me and my opponent have similar ranges. Still, I don't think we really need to be planning for Awakened Hunts. I kind of just want us all to survive to graduation and I still feel I'm not nearly good enough with my power to stop exploring and working at it. Maybe if I keep working at it I can increase my range even further."

I'm...not as optimistic. Having seen a dozen warriors with powers in my memories, I know just how rare it was that she could even expand her range to her sword.

The issue with powers is that unlike youki it doesn't have the potential to grow stronger. Warriors get more skilled at using it overtime, but it was usually a dead end.

"You might be able to request a non-standard weapon to increase your range, but I don't think you're going to get much further. Developing a signature technique or style may not payoff in the short-run, but you're probably going to be pushed to graduate early. I can still improve a lot just focusing on the basics, but you need to start working on something special right now for Awakened hunts."

I thought again of #30. Of number #24, #19, and of #34. Of Anise, Georgiana, Irina and Zoe. Those were just the ones Eva saw with her own two eyes die. She had also never been involved in an Awakened Being hunt that was a complete disaster. Those had no survivors.

"You know what they're calling signature youki applications now, right? They're calling them minor powers or even fake powers."

"Only elitist power users are calling it that, which neither of us are." I retort. It's not entirely true, but I refuse to give in.

"You really feel strongly about this don't you. Alright fine." She said with a grin. "I said I'd take your advice about my weaknesses under advisement. I suppose it would be pretty silly disregarding it after only a week."

I can see a part of her wanted to switch to this anyway. We were after all raised on stories of the heroic and loyal warriors doing the implausible and improbable time and again with their Claymores.

She began a series of stretches. Back, abdomen, and then moving on to deltoids and trapezius.

"So how do you want to do this?" Asked Jacklyn.

Unfortunately, my problem was I had too many ideas and methods. Nothing had been standardized, but generally there's two parts. A unique youki manipulation you can do in your sleep, and...something else. I think it's like an image in your head, a pocket of megalomania, or an impenetrable will. Something you strictly adhere to and strive for.

"First, we need to figure out what your first instinct is. What you do when all the chips are down and you either win or die. Can you remember what you were thinking and feeling when we had those power users attack our team and our plan fell apart."

"Yeah." She said holding her stretch longer and longer. "My emotions are always weird, so I don't think it's a good indicator of my 'instinct,' but I just knew things were going to get worse and yet I felt relief."

"Relief?"

"Yeah, I already knew things were going to go wrong, and that the power users could flip our ambush over onto us." She said scratching her head. "When I saw Elise go down I hated that I wasn't good enough to have avoided it, and I hated that I was so relieved Elise was dying and not me. That I caught the other one in time and this one wasn't targeting me."

That wasn't what I'd expected. In my memory Jacklyn was a brave leader who charged to the defense of her comrades. It answered my question, though.

"That's fine. I don't think warriors should be judged by their self-preservation instinct, but by their willingness to ignore it. You sent me away, and went directly after him. You defied your fears. That's important too. It's what you're striving for."

I began to count on my fingers. "Alright, there's three things we need to do." I said. "We need to compile a list of what you're skilled at physically, what you're most skilled at in terms of using your youki, and then take into account your 'first instinct' and how you responded to it."

"If your instinct is to protect yourself but your response is to fight in the most dangerous place for the sake of others you're probably going to be most suitable for a defensive skill that encompasses your whole body or skill that takes into account the enemy's moves and reacts to it."

"I'm sort of good at thrusts and short-range dodging." She added matter of factly. She paused to consider things. "Hey, maybe it would help if you gave me an example. I doubt you'd be telling me all this without having first given it a try yourself. What was your 'first instinct?'"

I knew this question was coming. I tried to calm down my heartbeat.

"To kill, and my reaction was to use my own body as bait." I said. There was more to it than that, but I didn't want to tell her about my vow. I think, comrade or not, she'd laugh at me if I told her that.

"Also, the most suitable youki manipulation I found for me is a way to preset instructions in my limb's youki to move my body at a later time."

"How is that useful for combat?" She asked.

"It's not. You need to combine it with an image to strive for. A movement that encapsulates your instinct."

"And what move is that for you? The ultimate taunt?" She was probably thinking of my power.

"I'll tell you when I finish it."

«***»

AN: Clare has a problem. Alright many problems, but the one in regards to her memory shard this chapter is she doesn't have an instinctive understanding of how Teresa's powers work. She has only just begun to grasps how unique it is that Teresa could just transfer her power. Of course, she also doesn't even meet the minimum requirement to start working with long-term memory, which is going to require her to embrace conflict some more.

Current Known Ranked Warriors:

1. Priscilla (unknown epithet)

3. Kujira of the Nothingness

5. God-eye Galatea

8. Heat Haze Hilda

13. Eva

Ophelia is probably in there somewhere between Galatea and Hilda, and may or may not have developed her rippling sword technique yet.

Storm Rain Hailey and Belle were also alive in the flashback. It is unknown if they are still alive.