66 (Un edited)

we made our way through the highway and into what seems to be a graveyard. I could make out a silloute. a man doing something in the graveyard. from this distance he hasn't notice that we're here.

"There's a man in the graveyard. prepare for combat." I said, pointing at what's supposed to be father gascoin.

"Wait, wait, maybe this is my time to shine, make way." Yoshida said that and he makes his way towards the man.

the man notices Yoshida's step and stops what he's doing as he looked at Yoshida.

"Beast... Beast everywhere...."

"Fine gentlemen, may I have a word?"

The man turned around, locked eyes with Yoshida, and now his towering figure stood straight. and he's a good head taller than me.

"Foul beasts, you smell like one of them."

at this point me and Sojiro is making our way towards Yoshida's flanks, with our weapon ready.

"I was wondering if there's anything we can do here to help?"

"Help? hahahahahaha..... Sooner or later you'll be one of them, might as well Die for me"

"Holy shit! he's comming at us!" Yoshida screamed, so much for his time to shine.

he rushes towards us with an axe in hand, and slammed down on Yoshida, Seeing the axe coming towards him Yoshida shakes in fear, but Sojiro act fast as he kicked him away from the axe's trajectory.

I heard a clicking noise from his Axe, as it extended. I use this chance to swing my hammer down on top of the axe. as now it's firmly embeded into the ground.

*click*

I heard a voice of a pistol getting primed, and this man has quick reflexes as he already ready his gun, aiming at my head, then *boom*.

The shot grazed my cheek. as I replied with one of my own, I shot him squere on the chest with my arquebus. he staggered back, as Sojiro followed up and uses his whip to slice off the gun in his hands.

"Are you prepared to talk now?" Asks Sojiro as if he had already won.

"Talk? ahahahaha" suddenly his form grew a bit larger and now he's become a bipedal wolf with sharp claws.

he immidiately leap towards Yoshida aiming to rip him apart, but luckily for Yoshida, I'm infront of him. in the middle of his leap, I puch him straight in the ... well I was aiming for the solar plexus, but because of some miss calculation I may have just burst two eggs and one... well you know what I mean, I ended the thing's life.

and now the warewolf is howling in pain, on the ground... near Yoshida. I saw both Sojiro and Yoshida's face. pale from the fright. as they can clearly see the black blood flowing...

I ended up picking my sword and finishing it off with a hammer to the face...

---

After the battle my mind wonders... is that little girl there. we didn't plan make camp in the cermentry, but Sojiro apperently touched the lantern and is now passed out, and Yoshida, well he's still there staring at Sojiro worriedly. so in the end I find what I can and set up camp.

"I'm going to scout out the perimeter. can you watch your surroundings?"

"But.. but... I'm not a fighte--"

"You made your choice. I don't know what kind of trip you're hoping this to be but one thing's for sure, you need to choose you'll be a burden till the end or you'll hold your weapons and fight."

I handed him Father Gascoin's blunderbus.

"Here, I think this is more suited for you than that saw blade."

---

For this 'scouting' purpose, I observed a corpse on top of a roof in the edge of the cermentry. and loo and behold it's that little girl's mother's brooch.

shit. I felt... nauseus...

The questline for this girl is simple, you find the father and mother of the little girl... well, you see, the mother is here... lying dead... and I just killed her father... how do i do this then. because in the game no matter what you do, the girl dies.. or worse, turned into a lovecraftian horror creature.

so I wonder around central yarnm to find a dimly lit building amast the buildings with broken doors and windows, and I couldn't belive how the girl would've survived even after all that.

"Who... are you? I don't know your voice, but I know that smell... Are you a hunter? Then, please, will you look for my mum? Daddy never came back from the hunt, and she went to find him, but now she's gone, too... I'm all alone... and scared.."

"...."

I wanted to say something but it's stuck in my throat...

and then from the window a face reveals itself... she's a cute little girl with a red ribbon, she has short blonde hair and is wearing a white dress...

I've seen this figure many times before inside the game. usually mutated or killed off... her eyes widen as she saw the brooch in my hands...

"Mister Hunter... was it really her?...Mummy...mummy... Don't leave me alone..."

she weeped her heart out on the window.

"... Can I come in little one?"

I heard a click on the door. as I steeled myself and open the door.

inside, I can see that the house has seen way better days, as laundry are everywhere and the kitchen is a mess, it's a proof that this girl has tried her best to survive throughout a few nights at least. the poor girl is now by my side still crying, so I just carried her up by my arms, and whisper to her slowly

"You may not believe me but I can bet that your mother is in a better place right now..." any place is better than this hell hole.

"Do you have anything you want to bring with you little one?"

"*sobs sobs*" It looks like that she still can't hold a proper conversation, so I looked around to find something resembling a music box, in her questline this item is one of her key items. I found it by the table by the window, I grabbed it, along with her, and I make my way back to where the party was.

---

As I made my way back, the group seems suprised that I'm carrying someone with me.

"Mister Hunter*sob sob*... Are they your friends?"

I nodded towards the girl.

Sojiro keeps looking at me with a strange look on his face while Yoshida is suprised.

"We'll keep moving, I hope you've prepared yourselves."

"Sure thing Maou-sama. but what about the girl?"

she hugged me tightly when Sojiro said that.

"Well, she's comming with us. out of this god forsaken place."

"*Sigh* this is no place for little girls that for sure, Yoshida I'm sorry but can you please handle the girl, me and Maou-sama will be the vanguard."

Yoshida just nods. while Sojiro stares him down with condecending eyes.

I handed the girl to Yoshida. as suddenly Sojiro handed me clothes.

"I got them from the dream. it's way better than walking on what we have right now."

"What about me?"

"You'll be in the rear, don't worry, we won't let you get surrounded."

"But--" another glare from Sojiro shuts the man up.

---

as we leave the tombs of the graveyard we found ourself ascending a stairwell into a chapel. we emerge from a study with a treasure chest. I simply ignored it and opened the door towards the main chapel hall.

"Ah a hunter are ya? My apologies, but the incenses must have covered your scent."

"Good day to you dweller." I said to him

"The hunt have everyone locked up inside, waiting for it to end, but I fear that this time is a bit different. Yharnem's done for I tell ya."

"..."

everyone else seems repulsed by this seemingly blind and disabled men in red robe.

"there was a pair of hunter that passes by the screams, the stench of blood, and the screams of beasts follows them wherevever they go."

"that could be one of ours" shouted out Yoshida.

"They left in a hurry as well"

"maybe they're still near lets catch up!" Yoshida excitedly runs forward

"Sigh" Sojiro sighs loudly

"Anyway dweller, is this place a safe place?"

"yes, if you found anyone who still have wits about them, send them here. we shall wait here until the hunt is over."

---

POV SOJIRO:

we're currently just outside a chapel. that's right behind the graveyard. Maou-sama told me that the man we killed is this girls father. I sometimes wonder wether or not fate is a cruel mistress. but it would certainly appears so.

"Maou-sama!"

"Iwae!? Why are you wearing those ridiculous robes?"

"ah well you see...."

it seems that unlike us who came from the 'outside' he was already here wearing those ridiculous white robes. he's also using a similar sword with a hammer as a sheath...

"did you find anyone else?"

"OH! I Actually found Doctor Tae. but she's.... let's say that she's enjoying the hunt right now. as she's cleaving those undeads left and right."

as soon as he said that I saw a figure in the far distance with black robes and a plague doctor mask. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Now that the majority of the team's together, we just need to find those 2 and then we can make a plan of attack."

"have you seen Mifune and Sae, Sojiro? "

"No we're currenlty missing Mifune and Sae."

"Oh we're not worried about those two, they can take care of themselves, I'm more worried about this Sojiro." Tae joins the conversation as she drags a creature with her, it's dead, but the grotesque corpse makes everyone with a weak stomach throw up.

"Whats wrong with it Tae-san?"

"Well you see..."

It seems that Tae-san somehow found that her poisons doesn't work as intended, she tried using a sedative but the creatures just shrugg them off, thus her inner doctor screams at her to dissect the corpse, which she did, and lo and behold, it seems that internal organs of these creatures are totally different from ours, especialy their blood. it seems like their blood has a special property.

after a brief explanation we agreed to make the chapel our temporary base as it seems that the area is somewhat secure. I need a few moments of rest. I'm not worried about Sae as she is quite the fighter, Mifune on the other hand...

*sigh*

"What's wrong Sojiro?"

"It's been a long day I'm not gonna lie."

"True, and Sojiro, I'll there's something I need to tell you."

his voice is soft, I think he's trying to have a private converstaion.

"Tell me."

It seems that the boy from before told him a lot about this world, where dreams are forcing itself to reality. and then he told me about the importance about the lantern that I touch, and I shouldn't believe anyone except our own. and he told me something about the more I fight, the more likely that I'll go insane. I scoff it off at first, but I suddenly realize that somehow I'm enjoying the fights, I know we've been fighting for quite some time but I never once felt tired.

"Is this the side effects of being chosen?"

"Unfortunately for you it's one of the side effects."

"There are more?"

"sadly yes."

it seems that the more i fight the more likely I'll go mad and hallucinate.... damn... if so then are those figures in my dream.. the doll and the old man also a hallucantion? but I can bring the items out...

"If you're thinking about wheater something is real or not, there's no way to tell easily, especially when you yourself is not in the right mind, however, since it come to this, I'll be moving by myself."

"Maou-sama? are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Trust me, the less you had to see in this place the better. I've been briefed, and both me and Nobi-san has taken precautions against going mad, but it seems that you've been chosen instead, so you need to keep that sanity of yours in check... "

"Then what should I do?"

"explore the place, but don't step into there before I return..."

he points towards a hallway towards an empty town... I can also feel something calling for me from that side... so this is the madness he's talking about.

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