Author's notes:
So, thanks to vacations I was able to write that one here in basically one go. It's taking a turn that I hope will surprise you, but not disappoint you.
And again, thank you for the reviews!
Enjoy!
Chapter 9 – A mad scientist's thesis
Two years had passed since the hunt on Luciela had taken place. To the Organization it was a black day because they had lost number 1 and number 2. The number 6 who was with them had not returned either, but her corpse was not found. The Organization believed that Jacqueline had awakened, basically giving them another monster with the strength of an Abyssal One to deal with.
After having learned in an unpleasant way that an Abyssal One was nothing to easily mess with, they decided to not interfere with them as long as they would not make a move. Since they also had no means of going after the supposedly awakened Jacqueline, they also did not care for her.
A lot had to be changed and rearranged in their ranks, but due to them having many young talents at hand they were able to maintain their power as the fourth strong fraction on that island beside the three Abyssal Ones.
Everything else had been like it had always been. Warriors were sent on jobs, some awakened and some died. Life just went on as if nothing had happened.
###
"Reporting in!" the man's words echoed through the Organization's meeting hall were Rimuto and the elders of the Organization were residing.
The words barely caught Rimuto's attention as he was busy looking through a few records, but still he let an unmotivated hum out to signal that he had recognized the man speaking to him.
"It has happened again" he began his explanation as Rimuto stopped short for a moment and then looked into his subordinate's angular face that was shrouded in shadows by his cloak's black hood. "Liara informed me that, yet again, the target of her hunting party was killed before they arrived."
Rimuto creased the reports in his hands a bit as he tightened his grip around them, before asking: "And the culprit would be?"
"Again, the warriors have sensed nothing" he had to admit.
After thinking for a moment his grip loosened again as he calmly spoke: "This has become a big deal here. If someone else finishes the requests we have taken it doesn't matter as long as we get the money. However, the number of requests has declined noticeably despite our best efforts. Someone out there is killing Yoma and Awakened Beings who should not do so."
"Well," one of the other Men in Black wearing a black hat and darkened glasses in addition to his black clothes joined the conversation, "you may not like to hear it, but there is only one possibility."
Making sure to catch both of the other men's attention he stepped towards the center of the room and, facing Rimuto, continued: "We can preclude the idea of it being the doing of an Awakened Being, because also a former number three was killed easily. Also, an Awakened Being would be easy to spot if it were to go around killing Yoma and other Awakened Ones. So the only thing that is left would be another warrior."
"Don't spout such nonsense, you have nothing to prove that," the elder right to Rimuto berated him but got silenced by a small gesture from Rimuto, who stated: "Let us hear what he has to say."
"Thank you, chief Rimuto. Well, as I said, an Awakened Being can't be the culprit, as well as I doubt that the humans have found a method to get rid of those monsters. Hence, a warrior is the only possible culprit. 'Who?' is the question remaining. The only warrior that not is part of the Organization but that would be able to do something like that, is Rafaela. However, her interests lie elsewhere. To her there would be no benefit in taking away our jobs" he thoroughly explained.
Orsay, who stood next to Rubel, was pretty sure on what he was playing. Besides Rafaela there were neither expelled warriors nor known deserters at that time. The only one left was...
"Jacqueline," Rubel stated convincingly, making the other attendees mutter a bit.
"Blankface..." Rimuto whispered more to himself than to the others, before speaking to everyone again: "You are right in respect thereof that she would definitely be able to pull something like that off without being discovered. Her senses still lack comparison as well as her special skill. However, as you have stated yourself, Awakened Beings should have no interest in getting in the way of our business."
Many murmurs, most of them sounding approving, were to be heard again.
"Look at the facts, Rubel," Orsay began to argue, "she killed of former number 1 and former number 2 and let Luciela escape. Why in the world should she do that if she had not awakened back then? Not to mention that the Doublefingers were two of our strongest warriors in history."
"That I may have an answer for," a man, having his right hand rest on the staff that he always had with him, chimed in, instantly having everyone's attention as he stepped a bit closer to the hall's center, continuing: "It has been bothering me for a while now. Someone with such magnificent control over Yoki awakening so easily, it did not make sense to me. No matter, if I was eating, sleeping, dissecting or creating a new warrior, it did not leave me alone. What exactly is what we call the Yoki limit? Of course, you could state that it is a line that one must not cross or he'll never be able to go back again. We also know, that keeping one's body and mind in check gets harder the more Yoki is released. However, there is a thesis that I came up with and if this thesis is correct, we may be a huge step closer to our original goal – the controllable Awakened Being."
More men had entered the hall in the meantime and were all eager to hear the scary scientist's theory. Even Rimuto seemed interested and patiently waited for Dae to finish.
"As you see, we are taking the Yoki limit as a naturally given thing. Our thinking about it is black and white: stay below it and remain human, cross it and become a monster. However, as stated before, the release of Yoki is gradual as well as the strains it puts on one's body and mind. So why should we think of one's limits as a line separating black and white rather than a gray field that one can step on and leave afterwards? I am saying, that, if my thinking is correct, every warrior has a range, even if it is small, where she is able to use powers that only an Awakened one would possess but is able to keep her human mind. Also, body and mind are no unit. If a warrior is about to awaken, she gives her all to keep her senses together what will lead to her losing control over her body's movements. However, as long as she is still in the gray zone, even if her body disobeys her for a moment, she might be able to return. In other words: Jacqueline did not awaken. She went into the gray zone, lost it and then returned. Knowing her powers, she might simply have scared Luciela away. Luciela might be an Awakened Being, a completely inhuman monster, but her desire to stay alive will prevent her from going against someone stronger than her if not necessary."
Everyone was silent, trying to process what Dae had just stated. And that was, in fact, that every warrior might be able to use an Awakened One's power without awakening.
"I see" a highly interested Rimuto stated. "How likely is it, that your thesis true?"
"That I can not answer yet. I need more data. But to put it in words, I consider it possible."
"Tomorrow morning I want a report, including your theory, how you propound to verify it and what you need for that. You are dismissed," the Organization's chief scarcely replied.
Dae just bowed down slightly, turned around and left. To him it felt great that the chief seemingly approved of his thesis. He did not like him that much, but he needed him to be able to research to his heart's contend. Also he wondered about Jacqueline. If he was right, she actually forced an Abyssal One away, even though she had not awakened. "My, what a very interesting subject" he flimsily whispered while leaving the hall.
###
After a while only two men were still left in the hall since it already was late and most of the men had only come to hear what Dae had to say. Even though he looked like a monster himself and had something creepy about his way to talk and to act, he was a genius without comparison. He was the one who was able to find the ultimate weapon – and therefore allow the Organization's men to finally leave that island they were bound to.
The ones remaining were chief Rimuto and Ermita. The former still sat on his seat, musingly staring nowhere. Ermita was leaned against a wall near one of the entrances. He had closely followed the conversation as well as anyone else. Actually it made him feel at ease to hear that Jacqueline may have not awakened. In a wicked way he was the father of all the warriors, because most of them were brought to the Organization by him or his men.
He was aware that he was taking them away from their parents but he knew that it couldn't be helped. He saw nearly every warrior as a child, as a teen and those who made it as an adult. Even though he was not human anymore, even though he had turned into a monster during his time in the Organization, he still was human once and still had not forgotten about feelings like parental concern. To him all of the warriors were his children.
Yet there was Jacqueline who, if she had not awakened, basically had deserted the Organization. Normally that would lead to her being executed by her comrades. However, after hearing and analyzing what Dae had said thoroughly, he had thought of an idea that might have been able to ensure Jacqueline's survival.
He stepped towards the room's center before asking elder Rimuto: "So, if Dae is right, what are we going to do about Jacqueline?"
Rimuto did not change the direction of his gaze nor the expression in his face. Indeed, what to do about her? Rimuto knew very well that Jacqueline, if she did not want to be found, would not let herself be found.
Therefore, he had to admit: "She is a problem, indeed. Having her senses no warrior will be able to get close to her. Not only that, she seems to be suppressing her Yoki since neither Elda nor Teresa could find her. And even if we were to find her, it would take at least the Top 5 to kill her. She already has shown what she is capable of – and the Doublefingers were amongst the strongest forces we ever had."
"I would not kill her" Ermita stated blankly, earning him a disbelieving stare from Rimuto.
"If Dae is right, she might be the perfect subject for him. She might be the key to the ultimate weapon we have been searching for. As you said, we can't kill her easily anyways. Why not offer her a full pardon and let her return?" Ermita tried to convince the chief.
Rimuto weighed up the pros and cons. Having Jacqueline return indeed was preferable. After all it was not unlikely that she was the strongest of the living warriors at that time. In addition to that Ermita might very well have been right. If there was a way to pass the limits and return, she actually might be the one to know how to do it. Still, there were two things that bothered him...
"You may be right," Rimuto admitted blankly, "but how do you propound to find her? And why do you think she would return?"
"About her reason to return... she is a defensive type. She is afraid of dying. Even though it would be hard for us, we have the forces necessary to kill her, and she knows that" Ermita answered to the second question first.
"I see. Still, there is the other matter" the Organization's chief replied sceptically.
"Well, about that... she has returned from her last job."
"Oh? Has taken her long enough."
Rimuto arose and instructed Ermita: "If that is the case, find Blankface."
He then left the hall to go to sleep himself. Ermita also turned around and left the hall for it to be empty for the next few hours.
###
Deep in one of Toulouse's many forests the figure of a warrior as well as two dark shapes were sitting. They were located around a small fire that calmly was devouring the firewood piece by piece. From time to time Orsay, one of the Men in Black sitting there, threw another stick in to keep the fire burning. Ermita, the other one, was just sitting at the opposite of the fire, waiting for the second warrior that job would take to arrive.
With them there already was a warrior who, having her eyes closed, was leaned against her blade that was impaled into the ground. She had her arms folded and her legs were resting in front of her, slightly bent and slightly spread. Most of her straight hair fell down her back, but due to her having her head bent forwards a little the two strands that she always had run down over her shoulders and collarbones were then just hanging in the air, being slightly rocked by what little wind was blowing. She wore the standard warrior's uniform, only her three-ply pauldrons that marked her as a Top Rank differentiated her from most of the other warriors.
Nothing much had happened between the three of them. Ermita and Orsay never got along very well, Ermita and the warrior did not know each other and since a certain incident had occurred also Orsay had no means of getting through to that woman anymore.
A short glance from Orsay over to her told him that she was not asleep but pretended to be in order to avoid any unnecessary conversation with either of them. 'Ever since that woman disappeared...' Orsay mused as suddenly the woman opened her silver eyes and looked up.
Just moments later a rather tall woman of average build arrived at the small campfire, too. Orsay seemed to be startled by the woman's look a little: The sleeves of both her arms and legs were missing completely, her abdomen and lower back also were completely exposed and her pauldrons as well as the cloth beneath it were missing completely. In a rather worse condition was her face, though: the skin and flesh of the right third of her face, including her right ear, pericranium and eyelid were missing completely. Between the skinned area and the area were there still was skin there was grotesquely looking, shriveled flesh. What remained of her once straight hair messily fell all over her head and face.
Without paying attention to Orsay's disgusted facial expression, she greeted: "Ermita, Orsay." She then directed her gaze towards the warrior unknown to her to introduce herself: "I am Vectra, currently the Organization's number 2. We will be on a mission together."
Hitomi regarded the woman in front of her for a while. The way she looked she probably had a rather unpleasant encounter with someone... -thing. She scarcely introduced herself: "Hitomi, number 5."
As Vectra had impaled her blade and leaned against it, too, Ermita handed a package over to her. Without a word she took it and slightly bowed her head down to say 'thank you'.
"South of here there is a storage room. Get yourself new pauldrons there afterwards," Ermita instructed the woman, who nodded slightly, before he added: "and your wound looks better" what earned him a smile, even though it looked rather creepy coming from Vectra's distorted face.
He then turned his view to the campfire again and arose to start his explanation: "Since everyone is finally here, I will introduce the upcoming mission. Your objective is to find a certain warrior and return her to the Organization. You are to offer her a full pardon that will be granted to her if she accepts to work for us again."
Hitomi's eyes widened. 'A warrior... who has gone absent?'
"The woman I am talking about," he continued, before facing Hitomi for a bit "and I am sure you remember her especially well, Soundcutter," and finally speaking to all of them again: "is no one less than Blankface."
Through gritted teeth Hitomi let out: "Jacqueline."
Ermita turned towards her again and asked: "Huh?"
"It's Jacqueline!" she shouted angrily, shooting a lethal stare into Ermita's direction.
"Hitomi!" Orsay exhorted her, sighing heavily.
"Tsk" was the answer he got as Hitomi sunk deeper into her position and began to stare into the campfire with a cloudy expression.
After a moment of silence Ermita asked Orsay if he had prepared what he had asked for. Nodding, Orsay also handed a package over to Vectra who took it, sent a questioning look over to an already nodding Ermita and opened it.
Inside there was a cloth uniform as every warrior wore them. Concluding, that it had to be Jacqueline's, she lifted the cloth towards her face and began to nose it, what earned her bewildered stares from Orsay and Hitomi.
She memorized every last fragment of the cloth's scent and began to compare it with every scent she has ever scented before. As she thought to have found a match she also licked the uniform at several spots to also compare the taste of it.
As Hitomi saw that her expressions went blank. She rose her right arm and pointed towards Vectra. As everyone had her attention, she scarcely said: "Hentai."
"I know that scent" Vectra suddenly said while putting the uniform back into its package.
"I've smelled it time and again. This one here is really faint, most likely has been four years or more since she has last worn it. But I know around three places where the scent, if I remember correctly, was fresher, maybe a few months old. I have a rough idea where she might be" she stated according to her memories.
"So she is alive...?" Orsay quietly said in surprise. For a moment his thoughts got carried to a certain pigtailed warrior that for sure would flip if she were to hear that.
Hitomi bit by bit got was going on: Vectra seemed to have a very fine sense of smell and taste, as well as a surpassing memory. She seemed to need a sample of her target's smell and then just had to look for a place where that smell was fresh to tail her target.
Suddenly Hitomi's eyes narrowed, as a thought hit her: Jacqueline was their target. Vectra needed a sample of her targets smell, therefore, in that case, Jacqueline was the one Vectra needed a smell sample of. So, if that cloth uniform was the smell sample of their target, then it basically was...
Hitomi arose, went over to Vectra, roughly ripped the package out of her hands, emphatically saying: "Mine!" before she returned to her blade again where she sat down again, tightly pushing the package against her chest.
As she noticed everyone's questioning stares she blushed a little but tried to change the topic: "I got it, Vectra is here to find Jacqueline, but what role do I play?"
Silence. Awkward silence. Still, everyone kept shooting puzzled as well as skeptical looks at her. Squeezing the package with Jacqueline's uniform more tightly she sheepishly said: "I'm not going to give it back!"
"Whatever," Ermita broke the silence, "your job in this is simple: it is known that you and Jacqueline got along well. Since we want her to return we thought that you most likely were the person most suited for talking her into returning."
Hitomi did not comment on that and just stared into the campfire again.
"However," he continued to make things clear: "if she has awakened or is turning our generous offer down, she is to be killed immediately."
At that Hitomi had to snicker. She tried to hold back her laughter and started to giggle as she looked over to Ermita for a moment.
"What is so funny?" he asked, sounding annoyed.
While her giggling slowly turned into laughter she somehow managed to get a few word groups out: "is to be killed", "generous offer", "too hilarious!"
Dark thunderclouds had formed in front of Ermita's face. Energetically but with a lowering voice he asked Hitomi exactly what was so hilarious.
The latter took a while to calm down but after she had finally managed, she arose, looked into Ermita's eyes and thoroughly explained: "Let alone the generous offer, are you serious? About killing Jacqueline? The one who can manipulate everything that has Yoki freely? The one that miraculously was the sole survivor of a battle against an Abyssal One? The one who may possibly have chased Luciela of the south away? Honestly, you Organization's people have some strange ways of thinking sometimes, but let me tell you, since you most likely could not figure it out yourself: One. Can. Not. Simply. Kill. Jacqueline."
Ignoring Ermita's grunting she added: "If she has awakened, you will soon have to replace two of your four Top 5 warriors. Just saying."
Completely ignoring the meanwhile boiling Ermita and Orsay that had, through gestures, tried to silence her all the time, Hitomi took her blade and walked by Vectra, stating: "Come on, Hentai, we've got a job to do."
"Certainly" the taller warrior replied, took her blade, too, turned around and started walking, just to stop short for a moment, thinking: 'Why did I respond to that?' but then caught up with Hitomi and the both of them left the fireplace.
After having watched them both for a while, Orsay in sheer disbelieve of what just had happened and Ermita in slowly chilling rage, the latter berated Orsay: "You should take better care of your girls. That one has a way too big trap."
"To be honest," Orsay answered, "I did not know that side of her up until now, either."
###
There was hustle and bustle in the port town Escala that was located at the border between the western lands of Lautrec and the southern lands of Mucha. Not only were there ships to load and unload as well as goods to bring to the market, there also were a lot of people packing their things in order to leave.
A while ago suddenly a lot of people had started to die, roughly ten every night. Even though Escala was rather big, even three thousand civilians would sooner or later vanish. Five hundred already were gone, half of them eaten by Yoma, the other half had left the town in panic. So the town's population kept decreasing, by roughly fifteen people each day.
To the travelling merchants and the owners of ships that was a great, even if dangerous, opportunity to sell food, covered wagons and carts as well as horses at horrendous prices. Of course, some of them also fell victim to the Yoma, but still a lot of them became rich men during that crisis.
It was during that time as a sole wanderer arrived at the gates of that town. A drawbridge functioned as a way to cross the water between the mainland and the small island the town was built upon, as well as protection against attacks, but it had proved utterly useless against the invasion of Yoma that Escala had to face at that time.
The wanderer's tall figure crossed the bridge without looking around that much. A place to stay was all he was looking for, but also his hunger had to be fought. Both of them were things that were not that affordable to the wanderer at that moment, but he was positive to find enough work to pay for his expenses.
After having passed two thirds of the drawbridge he looked at the huge gate tower in amazement. It could even compete with the rabonese cathedral in sheer grandeur.
As he wanted to enter the town two guards placed themselves in front of him. Being clad in a brown cloak that covered every part of his body and draped his face in shadows he of course called up suspicion. The object on his back that was shrouded in cloth and more than a meter long did not make him less suspicious.
"Excuse me, mister, but please show us your face and the object you are carrying around" one of the guards politely asked of the wanderer.
"Mister?" a rather deep but still feminine voice asked offendedly. She lifted her hood a little to reveal her silver eyes to the suddenly stunned guards. "That is rude, don't you think?"
"I... I'm sorry! You are finally here!" the guard apologized.
"Huh?" she wondered, "It's not like I came on a request," leaving the guards even more puzzled.
Before she got an answer, she continued: "But since you seem to be in a distress here and most likely have sent a request to the Organization, I would like to talk to the one who sent it."
Taking a moment to overcome perplexity he finally answered, bracing himself and saluting: "Yes ma'am, please follow me!"
While already turning around he instructed his subordinate to get someone to replace him for the time being. The other guard saluted, shouting: "Yessir!"
At a smart pace the guard led the warrior through the streets and alleys towards the bastille of Escala while roughly introducing himself and the situation: "I am Oberst Stark, head of this town's guardsmen. A month ago, overnight, corpses that had their intestines eaten started to show up in frightening numbers. Only a few days after we requested a Claymore to take care of them but we never received a reply. You said that you are not here on a request, so I assume that they are not going to help us."
They had arrived at a plaza in front of Escala's bastille. All around there were recruits training their skills with the sword, bow and arrow and the lance, under the discerningly looks of their instructors.
Some stairs later Oberst Stark, without asking, entered the General's office, who was sightly angered by that rudeness because he was in a meeting: "What are you thinking, Oberst? You can't simply barge in here..."
He was, however, cut off by the Oberst, who, saluting, stated: "I apologize, but this is more important! A Claymore is here!"
With that the General hastily arose, shouting: "Finally!" He then apologized to the ones with him and said that the meeting was cancelled and delayed until the next day.
Murmuring they took their belongings, folders and papers and wanted to leave the room the same moment the Claymore was entering. A cold stare from her sliver eyes made them step back and open a path for her. She then calmly entered the room and placed herself next to the Oberst.
The other men left the room and one of them, an elderly man dressed in a fine red robe, shouted: "You actually did it! You are insane, I tell you, insane! To hire such a monster!"
At that she turned around and gave him a marble-piercing look, scaring him stiff and making him hurry away, slamming the door behind him. The warrior turned towards the General again afterwards.
The latter walked around his desk to approach her and, reaching out his hand, introduced himself: "I am General Stark. Thank you so much for having come here!"
Even though she hesitated at first, she removed her hood, revealing her silver eyes and black hair, and then shook the General's hand, introducing herself: "I am Jacqueline, the Organization's former number 6."
"Former?" the General wondered, but after a short pause added: "Well, let us talk about business while sitting, won't we?"
Jacqueline closed her eyes for a moment and then said: "Normally I am fine standing, but my journey was long, so thank you for the offer."
Jacqueline then leaned the package she was carrying, which contained her blade, against a wall and removed her cloak to put it onto the cloak hanger. Beneath she was clad in comfy navy cloth trousers, black leather boots as well as a simple, sleeveless navy shirt. Around her waist there was a cloth belt as raven as her hair and over her left shoulder and around her back she had bound a black leather belt as a fitting for her blade.
The three of them took their seats; the General behind the desk in his armchair and the Oberst and Jacqueline on the chairs in front of it.
Out of a drawer of his desk the General, a man around the age of fifty, having short, pepper and salt hair as well as an already gray moustache, clad in formal white cloth trousers as well as a white suit coat, he took three whiskey glasses as well as a bottle of lautrician whiskey, something he always had up on his sleeve for situations like that.
So he poured everyone a Whiskey and then said: "Now let's get to the important things, shall we?"
Neither Jacqueline nor Oberst Stark had objections, so General Stark began to explain the situation yet again: "I don't know how much you have heard already from my son, but we are in a really big pinch here. For about a month we have an escalating Yoma problem at hand and, even though the major was against it, I myself requested a Claymore to come here to take care of the Yoma. However, we did not receive a reply but still you are here, telling me, that you are a former Claymore, if I got it right. Don't get me wrong, we are glad that you are here, but what exactly do you mean by former?"
"Well," she began, took a sip of her drink and continued: "I am only stating that I am not part of the Organization anymore. And, by the way, it normally takes a week, ten days at most for them to reply. It has nearly been a month for this town now, so they most likely won't send anyone. In addition to that it is a little strange that so many Yoma arrived here at once. Something smells fishy here. You may not have done something to anger the Organization?"
"We never had anything to do with them as of now," the Oberst replied, "and what do you mean by many?"
At that Jacqueline closed her eyes to take a close look at her surroundings again. There was no mistake in the number of lights, as always. She just liked to double check things.
She opened her eyes again and calmly said: "23."
That left the two military officers shocked. To think that there were that many of those monsters hiding in their town was nothing they had expected.
Carefully the General asked: "Will you... be able to defeat that many?"
The tall woman emotionlessly replied: "It is not a question of ability. I'm just not that nice of a person to help random people. I demand payment, of course."
"I see," the General replied, "what is it that you want then?"
"Ten thousand Beras per Yoma, 230,000 all in all. As prepayment I'll take a room and a meal" she stated.
That left the General as well as his son flabbergasted. Even a Single Yoma would have been more expensive if they had actually gotten help from the Organization. However, both of them decided to keep quiet and the General agreed, ordering his son to take the Claymore to the best inn in town.
###
The "Crafty Trader" was Escala's flagship-inn. It offered the most comfortable rooms in town as well as food from all over the continent – at a handsome price, that was. However, since Jacqueline, Escala's savior to be, demanded something to eat and a place to stay, that was the least the military could offer her.
After Jacqueline as well as Oberst Stark had ordered something to eat and drink and their drinks had arrived – a "Black Overman" for him and an "Arnean Stout" for her – they continued their conversation.
"It is interesting to be able to casually talk to a Claymore. You hear the stories from everywhere, but I bet that none of them who tell them ever had the chance to actually get to know one of your kind."
"To finally make that clear: Claymore is a term made up by the humans. We do not possess a name. Just call me Jacqueline, would you?"
"I am sorry, I did not know. However, as the rumors say, you once were human. It may be rude to ask, but does it feel much different to be a half-human, half-Yoma being?"
"It has been a while, I don't remember that much of my time as a human. All I can say is that we are pretty much soldiers in a war. We go out, kill and return, or get killed and don't return. There is not much more to it."
She took a sip of her beer after having said that. During the time she was not part of the Organization she had learned that alcohol is a very useful thing when you want to get rid of unwanted thoughts or emotions, but also that it was something that could taste really great if drank the right way.
The Arnean Stout had become one of her favorite beer types. It combined the things that she liked about beer: A slightly dry taste, a refreshing touch that arose from the ten percent alcohol by volume and the big head the beer had if poured into the glass correctly.
After having taken a sip of his own drink, too, Oberst Stark continued the conversation: "I wondered about it, why did you leave the Organization?"
Another swig of beer went down her throat before she stared into her beer mug musingly while slowly tossing her beer in circles. She then took another sip and met the Oberst's gaze: "I guess talking about it won't do any harm, so why not. Two years ago I was on a job together with two comrades. Due to my fault the job failed and my comrades died. I felt myself responsible and was afraid of doing such a mistake again. So I decided to dive into the shadows – and stay there. I did not want to endanger my comrades anymore."
"I see" Oberst Stark musingly replied. "I guess your withdrawal was not official?"
"I deserted" she scarcely replied.
"I see. And now you basically are a freelancer?"
"Well, whenever it is necessary. Most of the time I kill whatever inhuman creature I run into, but now I am basically broke, so I came here. I can demand money of you without having to fear to ruin the town, you see? A lot of merchants are here, the business is brisk – so I thought that charging you a little would not hurt the town's economy that much."
"So that is why your offer is so much more affordable that the Organization's services. What do they need that much money for, anyways? Is a warrior's payment that high?"
"Payment? Can't remember to ever have gotten any."
That left him puzzled: "You are doing it on a voluntary basis then?"
Her left eyebrow rose: "You retarded? Who would voluntarily let himself being turned into a half-human, half-Yoma being to run around and risk his live every day, being hated and feared by everyone?"
"So... you were forced to become what you are?"
"Yes..." she replied after a short pause. With that their conversation basically had ended. There was a lot for the Oberst to think about and a lot that Jacqueline suddenly had to think about but didn't want to.
After they finally had gotten and eaten their meal, Jacqueline told him that she would got to bed for a few hours and then take care of the Yoma, since they would not show themselves before dusk anyways.
Oberst Stark watched her ascend the stairs to the rooms. 'And yet... after what humans have done to her... she's still helping us. What a magnificent person.'
Author's notes:
I guess no one saw that time skip coming – me neither! It was a sudden idea that turned out to be way better than the one I had before – and again I am satisfied with what I wrote down here and I hope you lot were, too.
Spoiler for next time, let me see... pretty sure that I will continue what I started here and that a certain pigtailed warrior will get some screen time again.
Until next time!
By the way: Who got the chapter-titles song reference?
kstefan88