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It was several Celsius below zero, but the young trainees didn't know that because Celsius was never born in this age..

The snow was about half meter deep and painfully cold. The suit which they wore, although gave quite good isolation, still didn't protect completely. Southwest wind was like needles poking their faces. In other words...

..it was freezing...

The scenery of white and sometimes black was painful for the eyes, the moonlight was reflecting in the snow. But one of the most annyoing parts was the ranked warrior which came to give them orders - as he was skimpy dressed and seemed to not care about cold, he was actually quite amused that anyone could have been bothered by it.

"Greetings, I am Number 20 Rabant sent by chief Rimuto on a simple mission for those of you aspiring to be a Claymore soon." From his mouth, the white fumes were coming out, just reminding the trainees how cold it was

"Your objective is to clear off the mountain pass here, which was most likely infected by yoma - the neighbourhood town will pay organization well if the problem will be solved. In addition to the payment, they asked us for additional thing" Rabant pointed on medium size backbag which was just behind him "We are to transfer this bag to another city - it consist of medicaments which should not be in contact with water".

Rabant then pointed the track they were going take, heading north, having the mountain on their east side and big fall on west.

"Both objectives needs to be accomplished - you will meet another watcher on the end of the path.If you have any questions or requests, you might do it now. Happy hunting"

OCC : One of you will take the bag. Decide between yourself.
OCC2 : The ledge is wide enough for two claymores to go hand in hand..for now
OCC3 : It's night - 20.00 o'clock. It's rather dark

"Iris here. Rabant, sir, is there a specific path to follow? And also, may I ask the distance to the town so we can compensate in our plan?"

The claymore, wrapped in a bearhide cloak, eyed her officer intently. She ignored the cold, it would be pointless to let it distract her. Her senses lingered on the cold air, its frosty bite rendering long-range detection ineffective at this point. She hoped that this would slow down yoma as well.

Rabant closed his eyes a little, like he was calculating something

"About half day by normal walk, so it's not that far - and you will find your way around, the path was human made and even with snow covering, it's the only way to safely pass it - the village is directly north from us"

Rabant took a while, trying to remind himself something - maybe he already was in this area ? He kept his eyes closed and then again started to talk

"I don't believe there were any places to "stay" nor I would reccomend you to - keep on pursuing - this isn't normal mission organization would take on so we won't lose much if you won't succeed, the village we were sent request from isn't one of wealthiest so organization decided to send trainees for that"

“….trainees for that” This accursed bastard sure had some self-confidence, standing in front of them, not even twitching an eye-brow in face of the icy cold, while Alan was shivering.
As no one seemed either to be brave enough or to have come up with another suitable question to use this last opportunity to gain information, Alan stepped forward raising his human arm trembling with coldness and saluted the trainer half-heartedly.
How he hated that complete of an arm failure.
He had already thought that he finally had grown used to control his yoki in a way to brave the elements, but he hadn’t considered his most vulnerable point and whenever he gathered enough energy to affront the freezing temperatures and the biting wind, that somehow seemed to penetrate every leakage he found, the literally shaking arm would disperse his concentration making all his endeavours be done in vain.

“Alan, sir.I, actually, do also have a question. Are there any reports, eyewitness accounts or mere assumptions about the strength of the enemy forces? I don’t have any objections encountering an opponent outnumbering us, but I, at least, would like to have even the slightest clue of what is awaiting us. Furthermore I would also like to know, if we have to reckon on flying yoma, who posses a significant advantage in this kind of territory and if any of the tasks, in case we should have to suffer heavy casualties and may not be able to fulfil both accordingly, is granted any sort of priority.”

Hoping to have shown himself as an interested and dutiful warrior and satisfied with what he said, he stepped back into the ranks of the other trainees, merging again with the silent mass of the flittering cloaks, the small white fumes, rising in unison and the silver glances, that were as cold as the ice they were surrounded by, being the only signs of life.

Waiting for an answer he took a look around and started to wonder how many of them would return from their first mission. Training in the east sure was hard, but nevertheless it was nothing compared to a real fight, facing the enemy eye to eye, knowing that each wrong step might cost you your life, and that every successful blow would end in blood. He doubted that anyone of them had ever experienced the intoxicating, yet dreadful pleasure to kill. Clenching his left hand to a fist, immediately stopping the annoying trembling, he thought to himself, smirking. I had…


OOC: Sorry -.-"

"As far as this area is concerned, you will be the first claymores who had visited this place for 6 years...yeah, I guess it would be six years. Also humans reports are not to be trusted, as no one had returned alive from this area to tell anyone about it but trust me..."

Rabant stretched his arms, making a net of his fingers and his bones made a strange noise, proving that Rabant wasn't doing anything lately.

"..there are yoma there - and most likely more than one"

OOC: Exar, what did I tell you about using paragraphs? A new line, not one directly below another.

Iris found herself intrigued at the way the other warrior tried to hide the violent shaking in his arm. Then she sighed, swiping the backpack of the ground and shouldering it without a word. She turned to face the mountains ahead, the gaping valley at her feet like a pitch-black void in the twilight, feasting on the little scarce light that straggled over the horizon.

- Approach -

Another mysterious trainee appeared, he only talked with Rabant and didn't talk with other Trainees. He..or she, covered his face with cloak and there were lots of fur covering every part of her body. Seems that one won't be cold at all..

- Rabant -

So the trainees assembled - about damn time. He will be taking the longer route to see if there is anything that trainees can't handle by themselves so he will keep a track on them.

"Decide on your formation, decide who takes the back and move out"

Said Rabant as he went different path, upwards, not by the ledge as the trainees were instructed to go. The path upwards look like really dangerous and almost impossible to climb but then again, Rabant was number 20 - he most likely knew what he was doing

- Path -

The Path before them would allow two huntress walk hand by hand, doesn't match two male claymores thought and also if there were any fight to emerge, two claymores next to each other would be only troubling each other.

The path was covered by snow although the snow was kicked in deeper than other - meaning that road was used, althought because of Yoma raids, it wasn't used as much as it used to be..well, many merchants still risk going through it despite the rumours - if all humans were so scared of yoma, they would just lock themselves in their houses...

...and in the houses it wasn't the safest either. All trainees gathered here knew it, some from their past, some only from their training.

Rabant left and leaved the backpack on snow. A backpack was big enough to cover the whole back of one trainee but without hindering her movements with swords - yet she would need to decide to have her sword always in arms as it would be bothersome to take it out from her back when her backpack is already there.

- Night or not -

Although it was night, it was really bright. It was 2 P.M and light from moon was reflecting on the snow.

"Alan, do you mind taking the front? Or you could take the back if you want the bag, either way's fine with me," Iris called out impassively.

It's...so serene...yet malignant, she thought, gazing out into the dull silver snow whose rounded hills twinned with the moon.

Looking after Rabant, who was now slowly disappearing into the white glow of the ice, he turned to his fellow comrades. Alan examined the strange trainee, hidden under numberless cloaks and furs, that didn’t even left one piece of skin to the biting cold and his measuring gazes. Suspicion arouse within him, although it was cold, there was no reason to totally conceal oneself, but to hide some obscure, nasty secret. He decided to keep an eye or two on “it”, if he could spare them.

Suddenly the voice of the warrior next to him wrenched him from his thoughts. “Erm….no it’s fine, I shall take the front, if our mysterious friend has no objections…”, but he didn’t really expect an answer from that guy, who was just standing around silently since his conversation with Rabant. Observing the narrow path that meandered into the dark, he gasped contemptuous.
He had a bad feeling about this.

“Erm….no it’s fine, I shall take the front, if our mysterious friend has no objections…”

From the other trainees a loud laughter was heard from the back, though the ones in front did not seem to know who it was. From among the others a small, but well build fellow with a lots of muscles and a fur robe, who had his claymore on his shoulder, made his way in the front and started speaking arrogantly toward the one who just wanted to take the medicine bag.

"Don't tell me that the guy who was scared by some mere enemies wants to show some guts? If were really strong you wouldn't have cared about the number of our enemies or their type. They are mere cannon fodder to me and they don't even represent a real threat."

The small muscular fellow started grinning after he had finished his words. Though he had some protection against the freezing cold he was showing off his muscles and his chest and didn't seem to be affected or actually he didn't care. His muscles seemed to be something which could protect him better from the freezing weather than the fur robe.

"You, the one with the bearhide cloak. Do you have what it takes to keep this bag safe? I have more than enough manpower to protect it and this guy seems to be quite the thinker to plan our moves. He's first since he wants to show some guts you second and I'll just guard our back and interfere if there are any problems. What do you say?


OCC: hope this is good enough for my first post.

Iris' cold silver eyes, glinting like spearpoints, gave her answer before she spoke.

"Of course. Do you imagine that I might be one of the more timid warriors who have nothing to show but a talent or two and talk? Let me tell you now, I have no doubt that I can and will complete this mission. Anything otherwise would be unacceptable. And I have no objection to that formation, perhaps it will suit us. For me, I have the gift of a strong foundation, a versatility of strength rather than a focused ability. I'd rather have a hut built on stone than a castle on sand."

Trying to ignore the offensive and provocative words Alan rose to speak. He began to dislike the short guy instantly.

“I really appreciate your self-confidence and obvious ‘manpower’,” he spit that word out in disgust, “just make sure you don’t get in my way, as you already pointed out correctly, my swordarm is trembling with fear of the enemy’s numbers and I would be really sorry to injure you with this jerking blade of mine.”

After he had finished, he already began to regret his words as he had given in to this primitive urge to simply bash everyone’s head, who opposes him, in. It was this kind of attitude that always had gotten him into difficulties, whenever there was a chance to. Grinding his teeth, he swallowed down the invidious responses, which were on the tip of his tounge and started an attempt to talk in a more cultured and refined way again.

“…but as the formation already seems to be determined, I don’t think you’ll have to worry that this happens, so I suggest we just get going before we strike some icy roots.”

Alan drew his sword and slowly without deigning to look at the muscle freak once more he headed for the path.

OCC : Alan at front, Iris at back, Males in the middle. Iris has the bag.

- The path -

The path was quite..boring. As it was rather difficult to move because of the snow and constant curves and some holes and also the concept of 50 meter fall (slope fortunately, 20 degree angle) which even a half-yoma would have a problem to survive, all three trainees accustomed to it quite quickly, although the coldness and hardship of terrain made it quite tiring.

It was about an hour of walk and the ledge seemed like it was never to end. Suddenly Alan felt a distortion of this quite pleasant surroundings - other trainees, being in meter and half distance of each other (and not very willing to shorten it considering them quarrelling before) have been alarmed by Alan sudden change of movements, yet they have yet to understand what was happening.

As ridiculous it looked, Alan saw a yoma who was trying to climb almost straight flat wall of rock..and although at the beginning it looked rather pitiful, he was advancing - although the walls of this ledge had nothing to support yourself on. Seemingly, the yoma was using his hard claws on both legs and feets to climb..also his colour was grey white, quite annoying to look when the wall he was climbing was absolutely the same colour - one can see his motion but brain needs to additionally adjust to describe the difference for the eyes.

The yoma was..well, it was rather hard to say whatever he was aware of them or not since he seemed rather occupied on getting on top, which was about 10 meter up. While the distance between them was quite big - in straight line it would be simply 15 meters, but this part made a curves which looked like letter U but rotated by 90 degrees, with trainees being at one end and yoma at another. To sum up, the road was about 45 meters. The ledges were about 2 meter wide and the strong east wind was blowing which was pushing them to the wall..

Milles stopped as soon as he Alan drew his attention. While taking a glance around himself and then looked back he started speaking.

"Hey you, bearhide cloak, you fell behind. Did the cold already got to ya? Better keep moving since I don't like wasting time with slackers and we're already behind schedule. Now come back to your place!"

Milles took another look around himslef, this time analising things more carefully but all the holes and paths looked the same to him. Nothing caught his eye even for a second. He turned his sight towards Alan and seeing as he was not moving he started talking with him.

"Yo mister thinker... care to move? This place is the best one to be resting and we're already late thanks to your slow movement. Care to pick up the pace as well or is it a bit too much for me to ask of you?"

The bossy voice contained a special warning for all of them, as if this was not a very good spot to stop, no matter what happens, especially in the middle of the night with only the moonlight to guide their steps in a narrow path with dangerous holes nearby.

Iris only acknowledged the obnoxious comment with eye contact, and continued to move on. Perhaps he was too dull to notice that with each step she searched the ground for traps or traces of previous travel that could be well hidden in the snow. She studied each slight denture in the white, powdery surface in search for a hint as to how many yoma or others might have passed by earlier. Yet she found little indication, only the fading scraps of yoki from the yoma that was climbing the ledge ahead.

So she quickened her pace, and spoke out to Milles, "Care to take that yoma, or no?"

"Care to take that yoma, or no?"

"Huh? you got to be kidding me." said Milles dumbfolded. "There is no yoma near us or anything that could pose a threat. There is no reason to scatter or split. The best way to finish of this mission faster is as a group and not taking unnecessary risks. So what now mister fearless leader?" said Milles while turning his head towards Alan and noticing the yoma on the wall.

He had not noticed it before but now that he was warned and scanned the area better he found him. It was a bit hard to spot in the middle of the night with very little visibility. Also the yoma blended in the enviroment perfectly with his gray color as the wall he was climbing.

“Care to take that yoma, or no?”, the voice of his female comrade reached his ear.

Finally Alan awoke out of his lethargy and managed to avert his gaze from the bizarre spectacle taking place in front of him. Turning around halfway, he raised his hand, clenched in a fist and hoped that his comrades would understand this as a sign to stop and be silent. Although he doubted that the yoma could have heard anything through the howling curtain the wind had laid upon this ledge, he would prefer to avoid unnecessary risks.

He had realized that Iris was searching the ground for traces of other yomas, but he knew that this would be futile, as the snow beneath them due to the heavy gust, divulged no information older than a few minutes, but he did not care to advert her to this, rather he thought about taking out the yoma and after thinking for a moment, he turned to Miles, pointing at the yoma.

“Show us what you’ve got.”

“Show us what you’ve got.”

"Very well fearless leader." said Milles while grinning. "I could take the short path and finish it fast, but there is also the second way to do this by taking the long way... I don't like either of them so I think I'll make come to me at the half of the road.

Milled started running along the U path and as soon as he turned at the first corner and when he was at the middle of the path he taunted at the yoma who was on the wall.

"You freaky monster on the wall... Yeah you the over there." yelled Milles with all his breath. "There's a juicy lunch for you over here... That is if ou can get over here...you piece of s**t"

- Milles -

As Milles shouted and taunted the yoma, the yoma - who didn't look like he was smart nor intelligent, simply shouted back at him

"YOU IDIOT, DON'T SHOUT SO LOUD OR ...Fuck"

There was a great tremor that could be felt by everyone - not only Yoma and Milles but probably for all who were on that mountain.

Something big was falling down at great speed, yet the trainee had yet to see what it was. The yoma wasn't waiting for it thought, he jumped off the wall on the legde and started to run..

It was a cloudless night...

Damn...what the hell was he thinking? For all I know the whole mountain's coming down...

"Milles, Alan, get back! Possible avalanche!"

"Milles, Alan, get back! Possible avalanche!"

Milles thought a bit about what Iris said. The ground was shaking and this didn't look well.

"Guys what is an avalanche?" shouted Milled towards the others, but soon his eyes glimpsed on a large mass of snow mixed with ice detached from a mountain slope and sliding suddenly downward. As soon as he saw this he didn't hesitate to run with all his might.

"Bearhide protect the bag and run! Don't wait for me!" yelled Milles at Iris.

Still looking after the fleeing yoma in disbelief, Alan tried to comprehend just why he allowed a guy like Miles, who bore a strong resemblance to a sledgehammer in terms of accuracy, to handle a situation that required the precision of a dagger.

“Dammit” he thought to himself while he slowly turned his head to the right and caught a glimpse of the incredibly huge, thundering avalanche that made his way down the slope. Without thinking his feet started to move and followed his comrades.
It was difficult to keep a firm foothold on the shaking ground. Alan had to concentrate totally on setting on foot after the other in order not to stumble and be devoured by the beast consisting of ice and snow, that was approaching them fast.
Being unable to grasp a clear thought, he acted more out of instinct and the will to survive than his rational mind.

"Come on, just get out of here!"

Iris turned tail and dashed with all her might across the snow, planting each step deeply to keept a firm grip on the violently shaking earth. Despite being farther, the vibrations till became tremendous, rippling out from the base of the mountain.

Should've known better, dammit...

She caught her foot once upon a hard-packed mound and tripped, crashing into the snow face-first. Despite the frost that bit into her skin as it entered beneath the cloak, she rose and kept on, not glancing back for fear of slowing down.

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- Milles -

There were really not many places to run actually - from all the sides a great mass of snow was falling. He was hit by a wave of snow and felt like was punched by a horde of elephants (Milles propably doesn't even know what elephant is since it wasn't mentioned in claymore training, but still it didn't make him feel any better).

It was rather .. white...

As he felt he was moving with great speed down he was hitting randomly things - he felt like each part of his body was somewhere else...

A trained claymore, although not as strong as ranked one, did not lose conciousness - although he felt like doing it and for a moment that idea looked really nice. Milles looked around seeing that somehow he menaged to fall into some kind of hole and there was a lot of snow above him.

To make his day even better, it seems his left arm was broken and his back was scratched (something was bothering him while falling down) and there wasn't much of air left here.

- Alan -

As far as everything is concerned - when Avalanche starts, everything falls. Alan tried to not fall and escape the grasp of snow but it looked quite fruitless. Firstly his legs were caught by a wave of snow and then his whole body.

It was rather.. white...

As he was rolling on the slope with all the snow, he bounced up few times because of the terrain irregularity - yet the mass of snow kept him down. A double pressure force , looked like extreme massage over all his body that was slowly crushing his bones.

Alan lost conciousness only for second as he woke up when his trip stopped - and mostly because he was suffocating, his arms and head were deep in snow but somehow his legs were above the surface of snow - yet it wasn't really much of help since he had quite a trouble to move their legs. One of them was surely broken, the other was simply numb.

- Iris -

Running from the claws of white horror - something that looked so beautiful for Iris just few minutes before. As she run the path, she tripped before the white snow could reach her. She was bouncing on the slope hitting random rocks on the path .. and then the snow reached her.

It was rather ... white...

For a second Iris head surfaced from wave of snow and somehow she grasped some tree which grow. She was holding hard yet the tree itself didn't menage to keep up with the pressure of snow. Iris right arm got dislocated when the tree lost to the snow and a pressure of snow was hitting that arm.

Iris woke up with only her head above the snow..also she felt there was something lacking...

Iris gasped until she regained her breath. She felt a hollow knot in her right shoulder, it felt like it was in an impossible place to reach. She attempted to dig out a little cave around her left hand, which was pressed to her side by the snow. Then the pain came in her right shoulder, in fiery stabs of white. She clenched her teeth through the process, eventually making enough space to wiggle up a bit, and eventually resurface her left arm. Yet still, the rest of her body save her now useless right hand was buried in snow. She couldn't turn her head properly, and saw no sign of the others.

She began to delicately dig away some snow around her right arm, and her left side to try to get some wiggle room.

- Iris -

As she was trying to get outside, she successfully got her left arm out. Her right arm wasn't functioning as it should but with some effort she was halfway done digging herself out.

Then she felt she can't feel her right foot at all. And that at her back, there was no bag - only her sword.

Damn...how the hell am I going to find that bag. Ah hell, it was an extra request to begin with. We're not delivery people, jeez...but it was an order so it looks like I'm screwed...

Iris tested her right arm a bit, and found it was indeed dislocated. She began to prepare her shoulder to push the bones back into place. Being a claymore, it should work well enough even if she was a bit off, it would heal. The problem was the pain...

She breathed in deeply and began the process.

His head spinning, and his body feeling like what happened would be fine to last a little longer Milles woke up in a small hole with very little space and little air. Milles's back hurt, but not as much as his left arm. Enduring the pain he looked around and found no way out so he tried to take out his sword but to no avail. The compressed snow was restricting him too much so with all his might he started digging above him in order to get his sword out.

- Milles -

As he was digging, he thought it was already few meters he did but the surface was nowhere near his sight. He was getting tired, there wasn't much oxygen and there still wasn't so much space..also his body was getting really cold..

..then he heard a scream...

- Iris -

It was really painful - although she was trained to never let her emotions let out or never show pain, considering in how pitiful state she was being trashed around the slope, that one couldn't be done with some noise - although half-muted, to not create any other avalanches.

As she dig up herself, she noticed that she lost her right boot and..few fingers from her feet. Two middle fingers of her foot were gone, it would be quite troublesome to move now..

..there were some movements of snow few meters from her and some kind of yoki, yet Iris couldn't see anyone there.

First of all, don’t panic, he thought to himself, being surrounded by darkness and tried to control the convulsions that agitated his body, which wanted to cough and desperately breath at the same time. He probably had just a few moments left before he would lose his consciousness again.

His arms were aching and his broken foot turned even the slightest movement into agony. He could turn his head a bit to the left and right, but all that he could see were obscure shades of the structure of snow. Completely disoriented and confused Alan spit and as the salvia dropped back on his forehead he realized that his head was actually pointing downwards.

Clenching his teeth he gathered about 50% of his yoki-energy in his arm and began to dig like a lunatic. Ignoring, denying the constant pain that flowed through his entire body he continued to push the snow aside. Inch by inch he tried to thrust his way through the masses of snow above him, but soon the air got short and a new sequence of cramps shake his body. His mind was on the verge of fainting and his arms began to feel heavy and numb.

At least he was now able to straighten up a bit using his abdominal muscles and thus was able to see his crushed knee. Just a few moments longer…, but the urge to simply let go was overwhelming and there was only one thought in his mind, ordering him to move on

“If I get out alive, I will kill Miles, I will kill him, I will definitely kill him”

- Alan -

Alan maximized what a male claymore could normally do. He went for it all - do or die. With 50% of his yoki released, it was easy to ignore the pain and to dig...

He dug up at last, he almost suffocated and few times felt like loosing conciousness, but he dig his body up...

..now he felt like he couldn't move his body at all and his yoki level was falling down drastically..

The snow was really comfortable. Alan felt asleep

OCC : Since Alan released a lot of yoki, you all are aware of his location.

The first thing that alerted Milles was a screan and then a masive amount of yoki that was dropping like crazy. Those two had to be his comrades or a comrade and the yoma.

"Why didn't I think of that?" he said to himself. "I won't cross the limit here so I'll just use 30% and then all the way up to 50 if I can't breathe properly." thought Milles, but he was feeling a bit cold. He took his fur robe and wrapped it nicely around himself to warm himself.

With a deep breath he released 30% yoki and started digging faster towards the direction of the scream. When he felt the yoki was close enough to him he took his claymore out for some extra digging power.

"No yoma would have such a voice nor would it scream like crazy... he would most likely swear if possible. That must be the bearhide woman."

- Milles -

Already tired, Milles tried to reach the surface by giving his last shot - the only one he had too.

..the moment he released his yoki he was in pain - the sudden warmness of his blood with surrounding coldness of ice was a mix that might his brain almost explode (or at least he felt that way) and his sight go blurry instead of sharper, but Milles didn't take that in account. It was about surviving now.

He fought long battle with snow, digging himself up when at last, his arm emerged from the snow and some air came to his lungs. With sigh of relief, he lied in the hole he dig up, although he wasn't on the surface, it was good enough to at least breath.

Also he felt some familiar yoki nearby..yet his body was too exhausted.

No human would survive that.

Allthough Milles had a new fresh breath of air his entire body was aching with pain and he coudn't move not even one inch. His sight was not helping him either. This was not good enough so he tried channelling his yoki(about 5%) to slowly keep him warmer and to heal his left arm. Since his mind was cloudy and he couldn't do a thing he started speaking, but not too loud so as not to cause another avalance, hoping that someone may hear him and dig him out. Fat chance that would happen since it was his shout that caused the avanlance. But that thing gave him another idea, though not a very good and bright one something that could save his skin and most like would get him killed once he gets out of there, if he would ever get out. So without a second though he opened his mouth.

"Hello! Some help here... either get me out or I start yelling again. I can feel your presence so don't try running away." This sentence was told on and on so that he may be heard properly and persevered until he would be heard.

OCC: sorry about the post. I know it's funny but I couldn't think of any other way, since shouting would just get us killed.

Iris stood, her vision slightly dull at the edges, her arms wearily grasping her sword. Upon the sudden explosion of yoki, she recognized that it was one of her allies, and quickly ran towards the source. The awkward sensation in her feet from the loss of toes nagged at her.

Damn...at least they'll grow back...

She found Alan's body lying facedown in the snow before an open hole, probably dug out from where he was buried. She knelt down, and confirmed that he was breathing. She took a quick look at her surroundings, and then detected another yoki release, probably Milles. She lifted Alan's body, shouldering it, and walked over to where Milles lay, probably in a similar condition. Even being a claymore, she had to keep her speed to normal walking with the extra weight.

- Mountains -

A huge roar appeared from far away. Made everyone wide awake.

What could that be ?

The beastially screech was something like of a bear, but stronger, deeper and louder. It was just now that Iris noticed there was a great amount of yoki on south, north and west from them, each in different distance from them yet thankfully - none really close by to have visual contact. Thankfully, because none of them was in mood for such fight..

Damn...more trouble...

Iris stood up from checking on the regrowth of her toes and pulled her sword from the ground, where it was stuck upright. She glanced back over where twenty meters away, Milles and Alan rested inside a ring of snow, where inside the ground was bare. It was a makeshift dugout that Iris had created quickly.

"There's several sources of yoki, to the north, south, and west," she called out, "We're gonna get moving before mid-morning. That gives you an hour and a half, so rest hearty."

Iris looked up to the distant mountains, where the sky had brightened. Dawn was passing.

The avalanche had moved more than just snow, as the small band of trainees were about to find out. That horrible cry wasn't that of a yoma, it was creature beyond such pests, the waking hours of which had just been intruded upon by the commotion these warriors had just created. It moved with great haste in their direction coming into Iris's view on the dull horizon, the yoki she'd felt earlier had been snuffed out. All she could feel was that of her teammates and the obsidian-clad warrior that grew closer by the second; the yoki of which easily overshadowed theirs combined.

'I was having a happy dream too... Your gonna pay for that.'

Claymore coated with fresh blood in hand and a familiar bag she'd come across on her warpath in the other, she came to a dead stop naught but thirty meters away from the exhausted group. Holding out her blade at neck height towards Iris, the only one who could actually lay eyes on her at the time, she addressed the warrior with a stiffled yawn.

"The local Yoma just told me you just brought down part of the mountain."

Flicking the blade clean, Nyskrte dropped the medicine bag at her armored feet to remove her half-helmet which shortly followed the bag to the snow. There was sleep in her emerald eyes that ran down the contours of her pale cheeks, the awakened one's hair was a long hideous mess of burgundy knotting into itself. If there was a bed involved, from the looks of things, she had just fell violently out of the wrong side.

"You woke me... Your gonna pay for that.

Damn...what the hell is the organization thinking...sending trainees against an awakened being...

Iris raised her claymore, motioning to those behind her to get into a stance. Thirty meters ahead, the awakened being removed its helmet and spoke, "You woke me...you're gonna pay for that."

Iris tensed, watching not the being's eyes, but its plateskirt, which was intermixed with fabric. Any movement by such a creature would definitely be given away in the plateskirt, which she could already tell ruffled with the slightest twitch. She felt a slight urge to release her yoki, already the strength from her opponent excited her instincts as a warrior.

"I guess there's nothing more to say then. It looks like I get to see if our seniors live up to their ranks."