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The holy Blood had made its first appearance. Those of the Church distributed them across the land free of charge as to show the people the miracles they are capable of producing
With it, the people of Yharnam enjoys a sharp decline in mortality
The sick have their illness cured.
The old seems as though they'd regain their youth.
The disabled can now enjoy the sensation of their new limbs regrowing in ways that could only be described as a miracla.
It was everything Laurence could have asked for
It was everything he could have asked for
Thus only worries plague the heart of the old hunter Gehrman as he ran through the silent street of Yharnam, Buial Blade gripped in hand
His ears strained for the slightest of noises. The chattering of people. The snoring of children. The faint growls of beasts who'd have began their first sign of infection
All those who injected the blood in their veins all benefitted from it. But such luxury does not simply comes without a cause.
First comes the feral howl
Then...the scourge spreads
A scream resounded in the darkness.
The Blade left his hand as he whipped it into a great scythe. The hunter stopped on his track and dashed to the source of the sound
Shadows passed by on the street as more young blood join him. Hunters of the Church armed with their war picks, Hunters of the Workshop equipped with Saw Cleavers and other armamaments blurred across the valley
They chased after the first prey with renewed vigor. A pack of wolves starving for the taste of their first blood
Another hunt begins
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The moon looks red tonight
A lone hunter stood amidst what remains of a beast
Before him, a girl cowered
The carriage lays in ruins beside them. Her parents torn to shred, and the animal who caused it lies dead in front of him. He flicked away the blood on his weapon
"What's your name?"
"V-Viola"
"Run to the Oedon Chapel. Stays in the shadow and carry these incense with you- they'll help ward against the beast" He threw the items at her
The Hunter did not wait. He stepped forward and faded into the darkness, only the glint of streetlight reflecting off his weapons indicates of his presence
On one hand, an ornate pistol crafted by Cainhurst residents
On the other, a noble blade that had slain countless beasts
Both have tasted their respective share of blood. Both hungers for more
The night is indeed beautiful, and the red moon enveloping it still there
But the scent of the hunt wasn't as evident as he thought it had been
He once again looked at the beast's corpse
Almost all of the one slain look humanoid. The buildings still look pristine clean and not rundown like the ones from his memories. Gone was the ashen beast, gone was its burnt buildings. The people are still alive, and most importantly, most fo them are still sane
The Hunter wasted no time in locating the other beasts. Most of them were only in their first state of transformation, and thus was easily taken care of
A couple of beast wolves jumped on him. They were sliced midair as he sheathed his Chikage, not looking back
"You there! What are you doing out here at this hour?"
As he gazed at the slaughtered prey, a voice rang in the darkness. It was that of a man's, carrying the rough undertone of a hardened veteran - most likely not his first hunt, then
The shake of the lantern got closwer. He turned around and disappeared before the person's field of vision could detect him
"H-hey!"
A shot rang out. Standard Hunter Pistol judging from the sound if he could guess. The Hunter easily dodged it with a quickstep to the side
"Help me!"
Thankfully, the little girl Viola serves as a distraction. She called out toward that figure who skidded to a stop just beside her
"Little girl, are you alright?...."
Their voices dissolved into the background. Soon after, the lantern's light faded around the corner. The girl was most likely lead to a safe place by the other hunter - possibly to the Workshop if his weaponry is any indication
"Good grief" A sigh escaped hunter's mouth "I almost got caught there"
This is not his timeline. Other Hunters are prowling the streets - including those of the Church - in order to look for people with early signs of infetion. To be caught would only spells trouble for him
The first night passed
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The light of dawn grace Yharnam, signalling a new day ahead of them
Up upon the highest tower of the Healing Church's main building, a man and his friend overlooked the rising sun above Yharnam.
The scholar and the Hunter shared the moment of respite between nights to discuss what transpired the same Hunt. The types of beast that appeared. The progress in finding a cure to the blood. The spread of the Ashen scourge
"Were there no casualties last night?"
"None"
"And the beasts?"
"Taken care of, but mostly not by us"
The night passed over in peace, with almost no casualties from their force - a fact that made Gehrman frown.
He himself has been the first to take up to the hunt, others followed, but most of them are only qualified for brief patrol the streets.
More capable men often than not are from the Church, or those who willingly take part in the blood infusion and join the Workshop.
Needless to say the presence of a third party deeply puzzled him
"Then I see no reason to bother. Whoever they are, the threats have been taken care of" His friend waved a hand in dismissal
Laurence could not be said to of the same mind. The man is pragmatic in nature, and from that pragmatic point of view, nothing should be worried about as long as their progress are not hindered
"We still can't identify him. For all we know the man, or woman, that occupy these streets could be having an ulterior motive in dealing with these beasts"
A hunter's paranoia cannot be overlooked
Often time, it can be on the spot even without them knowing it
"And what do we know about him?"
"Someone of high stature, just shorter than me but that might be due to their outfit" He paused "From the words of those who sight him, they wears a leather coat, a tricorn hat, and their weapon consists of strange armaments that are quite ridiculous to believe"
"Such as?"
"From various account: A Cainhurst Chikage and Reiterpallasch, their firearm Evelyn, a shield, tentacles, a cannon, a cannon but bigger, a buzzsaw, a candle, a cauliflower, a sword that turns into a bigger sword with its sheathe, and meteor blasts"
"You lost me at Cainhurst"
"I know. That's quite hard to believe"
Gehrman decided to leave out the rumor of a sword that reflects the moonlight, wielded in the hand of that Hunter
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The second night comes
As usual, the men gathered around to talk before the start of the Hunt. It is a way to brace themselves for the terror of the scourge, and to restrain their excitement toward a new moon of beasts
"Where's Henryk?"
"He has something to do. Got himself an orphaned girl named Viola or something last night. Said he has to take care of her"
"Tch. It's not like him to miss out the fun"
Already some of them were addicted by the scent of blood. The old hunter secretly marked them down for future targets of elimination
He usually do the job, but recently there has been many other springing up over the place. Maybe it's time to take in someone for the job of hunting hunters
"Tonight, there's a new mission for us"
His words silenced the bloodthirsty Hunters
"A stranger was spot hunting on this side of the town. Those that see him, either capture him or report on anything you can gleam, engage in combat if possible"
"Is that fucker the reason why we haven't got any blood lately?" A hunter growled, anger growing within his eyes as he brandished the serrated cleaver on his hand "I say we string him on a cross and butcher that guy to make an example out of, what say you?"
"I say we him to a horse and let it drag him across the shit-stain stable, then set him on fire, ha ha!"
"Why not the old way? Just throw him to those man-eating boars in the sewers to feast on"
Laughter and excitement danced in the air
"Well, I'm glad you think so highly of me gentlemen"
Then, those very same eagerness died down, as if a cold bucket of water had been poured on them
Gehrman reached for the blade at his side. The more experienced, level-headed Hunters did the same with their weapons
Click
Click
Click
Out the darkness behind them, a figure clad in black walked out. A silence descended on the area.
Even with their minds intoxicated on blood, none dared to move forward
The primal instinct of a beast may have eclipsed the human subconscious for survival, but all they did was dull the fear in their blood
When faced with a predator that are so out of their league their chance of victory was in the negative, even the maddest of hunters can experience the feeling of fear
"A fine night, won't you say?" The figure, which is clearly male, tipped his tricorn hat forward
Through it, crimson iris narrowed. Immediately, Gehrman gestured for the others to hold down their weapons
"I'm just here to send a message, a friendly gift from a Hunter to another, if you will"
A small splat echoed. Blood spattered on the pavement
"For a peaceful cooperation between us Hunters"
He made a small bow toward them. In the illumination of the surrounding torches, the Hunter's shadow warped warped into a terrifying visage. The darkness resembles that of a wolf baring its fang in a sick smile
When one of them blinked, he was gone
The second night passed without much bloodshed
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"Welcome. Please enjoy your stay"
Day had arrived. With it, comes the flow of foreigner setting down in Yharnam in search of the all-curing blood, either for their ailment or a business much more profitable
A figure walked down the bustling road, blending in with the people around her. She wore a
Eileen, a young woman who is searching for a second chance, considers it to be her new home
Now exiled form her city, there was nowhere she could go without the brand of a murderer on her head
Assassinating a king tends to do that to people, she supposed. Fortunately, nobody here seems to care
As she boards a random guest house, a whistlingsound caught her attention. Eileen turned around, her eyes coincidentally found that of another man beside her
He is of a tall stature, and a muscled physique - not particularly bulging in size like those brutes who fought using their fists, but of a leaner, more practical kind often used in combat.On his head lies
A...crow. He has a crow lying on his head
"A convict, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?"
He smiled, a charming gesture that would have made a normal country girl blush up a storm. However, she only raised an eyebrow
"Those marks around your wrists and feets. Though you tried to hide them with thick fabric you forgot to account for the brand of sin on your nape, which, by the way, is partially exposed right now. Maybe cover them up"
The young woman touched her neck. On it, the rough burnt texture of the damned thing could be felt, prickling underneath his gaze. Her face soured
"Tried to sneak a peek on a woman? How shameful"
"I can assure you it's just an accident"
She sighed. She know it was the truth. It was her who forgot to account for it and he just coincidentally look at her at the wrong moment
"You have my words of secrecy, miss. It's not my habit to rattle out another's secret- especially one so sensitive as yours"
Even when she didn't know the man personality or have any prior experience with him, something about his sincerity just resonated in the young woman.
Somehow, she knows he is telling the truth
"Thank you" She nodded "Who are you?"
"Just a regular customer at this inn. They don't ask for identification and couldn't care less about one, so it was more a matter of convenience than anything. Anyway, you can call me whatever you want"
He didn't say his name. Her eyes narrowed. Does he not have any, or he does not want to share?
"I'm Eileen. A pleasure to meet you"
The man leaned back against the wall, humming thoughtfully
"Tell me, Eileen. How old are you now?"
"Nineteen" She flicked her hair back
"Kind of young. Have you had any thought about becoming a hunter?" At her confused look he gaped "Oh...so they didn't tell you"
"I would appreciate it if you can elaborate on that"
"It doesn't matter. You will see it for yourself when night comes" He turned around and walked away, leaving the young woman in front of her room stuck with several questions in her head.
"Ouch, Edgar, don't stuff your beak into my head!"
The image of the crow looking back at Eileen stuck with her for the rest of the day
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(Unfinished. Will update later)
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