The two walked side by side as they walked down the streets of the village, Seth sneaking glances at her side profile.
She is undoubtedly a beautiful woman.
"So I never got your name before..."
He realized he hadn't asked her for her name the whole time and took the opportunity to ask.
Though, he was met with silence as she continued walking at a leisurely pace.
"…"
At least react a little…
Seth felt slightly offended at being ignored and so he switched tactics.
Since it seems she won't react to normal words—
"I'll call you stone-face, until you give me your name that is." He grinned as he side-eyed her.
Her eye twitched in response to his provocation but she seemed particularly determined to not acknowledge his presence.
Seth's grin widened as he continued.
"So stone-face, you're pretty strong, huh. Where did you learn to use a sword? You mentioned an organization…what does it do exactly? Monster hunting—like a guild…?"
He fired a barrage of questions, back to back, at her making her brows twitch with each question but she remained strong.
"…"
"Huh? Stone-face? Did you say something? I didn't manage to catch that," He leaned in closer, cupping his ears, teasing her.
She still didn't acknowledge him as her walking speed increased but this only served to motivate Seth.
"Hey, stone-face…"
For the next few minutes of the walk, he hounded her with questions. Still, he received no answers.
But upon closer inspection, you could see the veins popping on her forehead as she gritted her teeth.
Soon, they reached the exit of the village.
"By the way, stone-face—"
As Seth was about to annoy her with yet another question, he paused as he spotted a man dressed in black suit and hat, sporting dark sunglasses as if waiting on someone.
A faint smile adorned his face.
"So you managed to survive eh?" The man in glasses spoke.
His words obviously aimed at the girl as both of them walked towards the man.
"The job's done. Go collect the money for fi—three yoma," She said, composed.
"Hmm…" the man's eyes narrowed slightly.
Although he immediately picks up on the unusual verbal slip of hers, he shrugs.
"…So you've fought three of them?" He nodded.
He then shifted his attention over to Seth who was following closely behind her.
"And who is this?"
"Who? You mean me? I'm Seth Donovan, a traveler."
Seth pointed at himself as he grinned, pearly white teeth flashing.
The man looked him up and down, noting his well kept appearance and attire before saying:
"It's not safe to be traveling around these parts alone, you know. People who travel alone become easier targets for yomas. To them, doing so is no different than an open invitation."
Seth chuckled, "Well, I would say I'm quite capable myself, so I'm sure I'll be alright."
He had already seen how dangerous a yoma is, and if that's how strong they all are gonna be, then he has nothing to really worry about.
Plus, he can't die.
"Oh! By the way…"
"Hmm?"
Seth drew nearer to the man and whispered, "Since you seem to know her and all, would you mind telling me her name?"
"There's no need for you to know my name. It's of no use to you."
Off to the side, the woman immediately spoke up in a cold and detached tone as she then added:
"…You'll forget soon enough."
"Haaah!? Why would it not be? We'll be traveling buddies from here on out!" He patted his puffed out chest and straightened, "so of course I need to learn your name."
"…Or do you like Stone-face? You're a pretty weird girl."
She frowned at his words.
"Who decided we'll be traveling together?"
"I did."
After all, his strength growth is on the line here.
"I refuse!"
"Refusal denied! So are you gonna tell me your name or what!?"
Seeing the two going back and forth in banter like old friends and seeing a claymore showing a rare hint of frustration, the man's lip curled in amusement.
"Young man, I'm sure you're already aware that she's a silver-eyed witch, right—monsters, as normal people would say…"
Seth blinked, then shrugged casually, looking straight at the woman.
"…Yea? Well, I have to say, she's one beautiful monster."
The three stood in silence as the man actually froze for a second as the words lingered in the air, before he slowly adjusted his glasses on his face.
"…I see." He said. His smile never leaving his face.
The woman—though Seth didn't know her name yet—turned her face away slightly off to the side, avoiding his eye contact.
Totally unaffected. Obviously.
The man gave a small, amused hum.
"That's not the reaction one usually has when referring to a Claymore."
Seth crossed his arms over his chest.
"So that's their title…? Claymore, is it? Yea, Well, I guess I'm not part of the masses."
The man studied him for another moment, then chuckled.
"Indeed."
He turned toward the silver-eyed warrior.
"What you do with your life is up to you, Clare."
There it was. The name drop.
Seth quickly registered it into his files.
CThe woman, Clare, didn't respond. She just turned and began walking away without ushering a sound.
The man tipped his hat.
"Good luck on your travels, young man."
Seth grinned. "Thanks. See you around then, old man!"
Seth quickly ran after her.
The man's smile twitched at being called an old man, but he didn't refute it. Because at the end of the day, he knew how old he was.
He simply stared at Seth's back, watching as he chased after the girl. In his mind, he already pitied Clare.
How long will it last, I wonder…
He gave it a few seconds of consideration.
Days? Perhaps a week, if the boy was lucky.
Either the next yoma would tear him apart once he got too close… Or Clare herself would eventually decide he was a liability.
Or—
More likely—
He would soon realize what it meant to travel alongside a claymore and leave on his own.
They always did.
Normal people weren't meant to form relationships with beings like her.
His gaze lingered on Clare's back for a moment longer.
…Poor girl.
***
As she had slowed down, Seth caught up to her in a few stride
"So your name's Clare, huh?" he said, walking beside her again. "Pretty name."
She still gave no response.
"Pretty name for a pretty woman. Deadly combo."
Her pace didn't change.
But if you looked very closely—
Her eye twitched.
With nothing to do for now, he decided to ask about something he saw earlier.
"By the way. Earlier, while facing those yomas, I saw your eyes and teeth change before you shot down the flying one, what's that about?"
This time, instead of ignoring him, she answered.
"…It's called Yoki."
Seth's eyebrows shot up. "Hmm? That energy?."
She glanced at him. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Please continue."
"…"
His insistence initially drew her suspicions, but she didn't dwell on it for long.
"When we release it, our bodies partially awaken."
"Awaken how?"
"Our eyes change. Our physical abilities increase."
"So like a battle mode?"
"If that comparison helps you understand."
"Okie dokie."
She exhaled quietly, like she was already regretting explaining anything but since he'll be tagging along, traveling beside her, she might as well inform him on what to expect in the upcoming future.
"We are humans who took yoma flesh inside our bodies, becoming half yoma. By doing this, we receive greater physical abilities along with the ability to use the yoma's energy, Yoki. The more Yoki we release, the closer we become to the latter."
Seth listened intently as she explained.
"So, my guess is that there's some kind of limit to the amount you can release, right?"
"Yes."
"And if you go beyond it?"
A few seconds passed before she answered.
"We lose ourselves."
Her tone stayed calm. Flat. Like she was talking about the weather.
Seth scratched his cheek. "Like…becoming one of them?"
"Yes."
"That's buns." He commented softly.
She didn't react.
"So you're basically walking around with a 'do not exceed' warning label built into your body."
"You speak strangely."
"That's what too much internet does to you."
He glanced sideways.
"And you're just cool with that?"
"It is my duty."
Straight answer with zero hesitation. It was as if she was a programmed machine.
I guess that's what's expected of soldiers.
Seth stared at her for a second then turned away.
"…You're kinda intense, Clare."
But I can fix her.
No response.
But at least she was talking now.
Which meant he was winning.
Chapter 6 end.