Chapter 78: The Hunt.

In front of me stood a tall young lady, even taller than me and I stood at 6'3. And she... resembled Priscilla a lot. To an uncanny degree even. Still, she was one of the most beautiful women I have seen in my life, up there with Priscilla and Gwynevere.

She had ashy white hair and blank green eyes. She wore a Russian-like dress that was seemingly made for winter and looked very comfy, with a long skirt that reached her ankles and a piece of cloth was draped over her shoulders. Seeing me she bowed and spoke in an almost robotic voice.

"Hello, good hunter. I am a doll, here in this dream to look after you. Honourable hunter, pursue the echoes of blood and I will channel them into your strength. You will hunt beasts and I will be here for you, to embolden your sickly spirit."

Hearing her words a portion of memories visited my hollowed mind once more as I remembered her. The plain doll, basically the firekeeper of this game with the purpose of leveling up the player, or in this case me. Although I should be able to do it myself after some practice. Regardless I nodded.

"I see, thank you for your assistance doll, I hope we can get along from now on."

What? I can have manners too you know.

I can absorb a portion of memories when I completely absorb souls so I have some royal etiquette myself. Plus my very being is fused with Manus' own, so I have experience in that regard.

When she heard my words she sported a ghost of a smile on her face.

"I see, good hunter, please see Master Gehrman, he stays in the Hunters Workshop. He should be awaiting your visit now."

Nodding I offered a bow and left, these aristocratic clothes are really making me act up. Purging my retarded thoughts I went up the stairs and pushed the doors open. Inside was the coziest house I have ever been in, books were littered everywhere, giving off a nostalgic smell as the fireplace burnt.

There was also alcohol.

...Oh yeah there is also an old guy in a wheelchair who turned to me the moment I walked in.

He looked like a frail old man with a peg leg and ragged clothes. And for some unknown reason was using a cane while on a wheelchair.

But he couldn't fool me. The guise of the old man hid behind a seasoned and powerful hunter behind it. Like a finely sharpened blade that was sheathed. From what I could tell with my instincts he was pretty damn strong.

If I were to compare him to myself. If I fought without relying on any of my godsouls and we fought, nine times out of ten he would most likely win. Strong, incredibly skilled, good intuition, a true hunter.

I would be willing to bet that he could butcher demons with ease. In fact, he could probably hunt every boss I encountered in lordran that aren't lords. Maybe he could even kill Kalameet thanks to his unique skillset. As I was plunged in my thoughts he spoke.

"Ah-hah, you must be the new hunter. Welcome to the Hunter's Dream. This will be your home, for now. I am... Gehrman, friend to you hunters. You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it...

This was once a safe haven for hunters. A workshop where hunters used blood to enhance their weapons and flesh. We don't have as many tools as we once did, but... You're welcome to use whatever you find. ...Even the doll, should it please you..."

That was all the confirmation I needed before nodding and bolting it to the alcohol shelves and taking everything but a few bottles under the dumbfounded gaze of the G man. Taking a big swig of the first bottle of hard alcohol I found, I went back to the tombstone I arrived with and requested the messengers to wake me back up where I came from.

And so I awoke from the dream back to the nightmare. Finding myself back on the bloodstained streets of Lon- Yharmam, the bloodstained streets of Yharmam.

Appearing back at my natural habitat I was faced with two directions that branched out from the lantern, on the left was a gate which, seeing as this is a soulsborne game, is definitely locked, and the other path led to what I could only assume was the rest of London.

Having decided to check left first because left is always right I walked over to the gate and, rather predictably it was locked. But I made a discovery, there seemed to be someone here inside the building as the light was on. And seeing how I didn't want to wander around like a headless chicken I knocked on the window.

*Knock* *Knock* After a few light knocks I heard a shuffling sound before the voice of a man rang out.

"Oh, you must be a Hunter, and not one from around here either. I'm Gilbert, a fellow outsider. You must have had a fine time of it. Yharnam has a special way of treating guests.

This town is cursed. Whatever your reasons might be you should plan a swift exit. Whatever can be gained from this place, it will do more harm than good. I don't think I can stand if I wanted to, but I'm willing to help, if there's anything that can be done."

Huh, this is one of the only times a stranger has offered to help me right off the bat. And since I could really use his help I appreciated the offer. Scratching my head I pulled a note I had written prior that was slightly stained with alcohol and poorly written in scribbled blood.

"Yeah uhh, thanks, man. Say, do you know anything about... the uhh 'Pail blood' thing."

Oh yeah, I am also completely and utterly fucking WASTED. I may have gone overboard with the alcohol as with my resistance I couldn't really get drunk so I wanted to savor the few moments I would be able to spend drunk before my body retrained poison resistance. Thankfully I made a habit to make notes due to amnesia from hollowing.

"Paleblood, you say? Hmm... Never heard of it. But if it's blood you're interested in, you should try the Healing Church. The church controls all knowledge on blood ministration, and all varieties of blood.

Across the valley to the East of Yharnam lies the town of the Healing Church, known as the Cathedral Ward. And deep within the Cathedral Ward is the old grand cathedral. ...the birthplace of the Healing Church's special blood, or so they say.

Yharnamites don't share much with outsiders. Normally, they wouldn't let you near this place, but... The hunt is on tonight. This might be your chance..."

When I heard his speech only a few words stuck in my drunk mind, the rest was for sad and sober me to contemplate. My drunk brain summarized it as "Something something, east, church place have blood." Now the only question was.

Where the fuck was east?

...Yeahhh Im completely fucking zonked out of my mind. Maybe 20 bottles of alcohol was one bottle too much.

.

Nahh. I thanked Gregory and summoned yet another bottle of alcohol as I walked to the path right to the lantern. Going down the stairs I noticed even more indistinct and unmarked sacks of something and yet another chained coffin just laying in the streets. But my mood was instantly lifted when I saw a loot spot.

<You have found +8 Pebbles>

'...'

The next enemy I encounter will certainly not appreciate this drop.

I kept walking right as I encountered several stacks of crates and coffins before a British man wielding his signature knife(cleaver) shattered some crates to get to me, unknowingly making himself my next prey. Stretching my hand to the side I summoned my pistol on my left and my hunter's axe on the right.

When the enemy got within 2 meters of me I loaded a quicksilver bullet into my pistol and just as he raised his cleaver-wielding hand up to chop down on me I aimed and blew his hand off at the wrist with precision thanks to my cracked instincts and general combat experience.

<You have acquired the skill {shooting lv.1}>

The moment he staggered from having his goddam hand blown off I dashed forward with inhuman speed by replicating deadman style and unsummoned the gun, with the freed up hand I grabbed his face, twisting my whole body I used deadman blow to chuck him at the wall.

Before he could attempt to get up I transformed the axe into its double-handed version before hoisting it over my shoulders and bringing it down on his legs, chopping both of them off like carrots. I knelt down, grabbing his arm, and twisting it before kicking it, shattering the arm.

I picked up the broken human figure that was unable to resist like a helpless slab of meat. Cocking my arm back I plunged my hand into just below his neck, barely not killing him. I was about to do something worse.

Ignoring the pained groans I grabbed his clavicles and gripped firmly as I put my left hand on his shoulder to brace. Calling forth my inhuman strength with the remnants of deadman style I brought all the force my flesh body could afford me and tugged down, with such might I ripped an entire half of his entire ribcage off of his body, as I did so he released the most guttural sounds I had ever heard. Music to my ears.

To end his misery I grabbed his heart and ripped it off, his flailing was stopped like a puppet with its strings cut.

That's what you get for getting my hopes up and giving me goddam pebbles.

As I went down the stairs another of the vicious "British" townsfolk attacked me with a sickle, this time I just chopped his head off swiftly. Same with the one holding a plank shield. Walking up to the ledge I peered down onto the streets of Yharmam which were packed full of Yharmans.

This was going to be a long night.

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