Chapter 7 - A Surprising Encounter

Nearing the nightfall, a few hours past Neo Kyiv. Well, Neo Kyiv is not exactly a proper city yet. There are still no permanent residents in the city and the city was walled to keep the threats contained inside rather than defending from external enemies. At least, that is what was explained to him.

Kyiv is rather close to the red zone which is around the Carpathian Mountain as the Collapse radiations are brought by the clouds and clouds gather around mountains and higher elevation ground. That's why, even if Ukraine is far from the Black Zone, a Red Zone can form here.

"Kyiv was the capital with around five million population and most of them got caught in the radiation and mutated. You can imagine the amount of ELID crawling in there and how much effort it is to retake this city and without the assistance of the military Assault Artillery, it would take forever to clear the millions of ELID in Kyiv." The random man sighed before drinking his beer and ignored Hunter and Isabel on the next table who were listening to his drunken rambling.

"So, this is the reason why mercenaries are gathering at Kyiv." Isabel mutters.

When they reached Kyiv earlier, they were surprised to find all the roads leading to the city were blocked off and guarded by the Neo Ukrainian Army.

At that moment, Isabel asks for the Hunter's decision whether he will continue driving through the night or taking a rest at the outpost outside of Kyiv, he chose the latter which leads them to the present.

The outpost was established months ago by the Neo Ukrainian Army dispatched to reclaim the capital city to restore the local government. However, after seeing the state of the city and how resources intensive it was to reclaim, the Neo Soviet Union decided to abandon the old capital and choose to rebuild Odessa as the capital of Neo Ukraine due to its strategic location with access to the Black Sea and its connection to the Intercontinental Railway that connect the entire European continent and the Russian.

But of course, the Ukrainian people objected to this and wanted to restore their capital even if it's on their own effort. With the rapid expansion of purification zones, the businessmen and big companies are more willing to invest in the reclamation of Kyiv. Thus, the recruitment of Mercenaries to this outpost.

There are over three hundred mercenaries gathered in the outpost and each of them are making preparations for the reclamation.

Most of them gathered in the tavern opened by an opportunistic business owner that heard about the mercenary recruitment. The outpost is very safe since it was guarded by the military and the people in the evening flock to the tavern to drink and spend their night.

The Hunter and Isabel were sitting in one corner enjoying their meal and alcohol while listening to the rumors and talks people share.

"I heard the Neo Ukrainian Army got a hold of some big guns to compensate for the lack of Assault Artillery."

"Yeah, I heard about it too. They bought it off China since their military is trying to dispose of old military equipment from WW3."

"No wonder the market lately has been flooded with old surplus equipment. Turns out it was the Chinese."

"Hey, did you all hear about the story about villages and towns being attacked by Sangvis robots? I heard it myself from the survivors that escaped alive."

"Wait. I thought those settlements were destroyed by ELID?"

"No! It's a lie spread by the government. When will you ever learn to never trust the news? Didn't you remember about the KCCO and Griffin PMC? I bet you Anna's left tits, those two are fighting Sangvis robots instead of ELID on the Romanian border."

"I mean, it's that obvious. The government tried to cover it up from the media but to us folks that get our source from black market pretty much know about the truth anyway."

"Yeah. Let's go to the whorehouse. It will take a few more days before we're gonna work anyway. I hope Anna is still available."

"Dream on. Anna is the most popular girl. Even if she is free, can you afford her?"

A group of mercenaries left after drinking enough beers and headed to the whorehouse according to their conversation.

"Hunter, do you think we should still head west? With the presence of the army, I don't think it's wise for us to be involved." Isabel advised but when she turned to look at the Hunter, he looked distracted and staring off into the distance.

"Sir Hunter?" She called and he turned to look at her before he nodded.

"I understand." The Hunter said. "However, I still want to get there. I can feel something is beckoning my presence. Something that felt quite familiar." He furrowed his brow with a frown which Isabel noticed but didn't point it out because he didn't look like is in the mood for a talk.

Isabel didn't say more after the Hunter insisted on going. After all, she cannot forget that he isn't exactly normal. Or even a human with how he could take an injury like a gunshot and didn't flinch and heal very fast too.

After that, they returned to the jeep and rested for the night. For Isabel, a T-Doll doesn't require sleep but they do have sleep mode which turns on during charging. As for the Hunter, once Isabel went to sleep, he wandered off toward the inner city and evaded the patrolling soldiers around the city edge.

The Hunter can feel the sound of the bell intensified as he approaches the city. He didn't rush and took his time, admiring the city for what it used to be, a illusion of it's past, an once bustling city but now abandoned and turned into a sand and dust filled ruin overrun by mutated corpse that prowl it's street not much different than the blood drunken mobs that prowled the street of Yharnam except these ELID are more bearable. They do not talk and only groan occasionally until they are provoked which then it would growl and howl.

Once he reaches the roof of a tall building, The Hunter looks at the moon up in the sky. Not quite full yet. Perhaps in another week and a half. But that's not his focus.

When The Hunter turned around, he saw another person standing behind him, dressed quite similarly to him with a mask covering his face and eyes that stared dagger at him filled with bloodlust yet also fear at the same time.

"What are you? You do not look like a Beast. But your true form is too inhuman to be a Hunter." The unknown Hunter aimed his firearm at The Hunter in a threatening manner, demanding an answer.

"Me? I am a Hunter and the current Caretaker of the Dream." The Hunter replied cordially but the other Hunter let loose a shot which he easily dodged.

"It seems I cannot get an answer out of you. I might as well eliminate you pretender lest you try masquerade as a human amongst men and bring them harm." The unknown Hunter denied The Hunter's explanation and refused to be reasoned with due to misunderstanding.

The Hunter braced himself as the unknown Hunter equipped himself with Threaded Cane and sprung into battle immediately, swinging the Threaded Cane which elongated and its body turned into sharp blades fragment connected to the sturdy steel thread, sweeping towards The Hunter like a deadly whip.

The Hunter saw the Threaded Cane swung towards him and his body swiftly dissolved into silvery mist before reforming a few steps back.

"Quickening?!" The other Hunter growls with a frown and slight confusion that The Hunter could use Arcane Arts exclusive to the Old Hunters, Quickening.

"How did an abomination like you could use an Old Hunter's Arcane Art?!" The other Hunter snarled, visibly angrier than before then it suddenly lunged forward again even more aggressively.

"First. I am a Hunter just like you. Second. I learned it from a tome in the Hunter's Workshop." The Hunter replied as he used Saw Cleaver to push aside the bladed whip.

"Lies! You might fool anyone else but not me! I can see through your disguise, you vile abomination." The other Hunter snarled and about to attack again but suddenly came to a halt.

"Well, I understand now." The Hunter stood still and sighed. "It's rare to find another Hunter with such high insight. Are you perhaps a scholar of Byrgenwerth? Also, it explains how you could see through the veil around me. But rest assured. This body is my own. I stole it from no one."

"Do you expect me to believe your words just like that?" The other Hunter had a ridiculous look on his face as if he just saw a Beast dressed and acting like a man and expecting to be trusted like one.

"Perhaps this would be more trustable?" The Hunter summons a Messenger Lamp.

"A Messenger Lamp?! What? How? Who are you?" The Hunter fumbled his questions and was still in disbelief after what he just saw. "I could understand if it's the Messengers. But even the Lamp? The only gateway that connects the Dream to a physical world!" The Hunter moved up close to investigate the Lamp and found it to be as genuine as it could be.

"Did you perhaps succeed in seeking the paleblood?! How? How did you do it? Please tell me!" Gone is the hostility, evaporates away and replaced with insatiable thirst for answer.

He is definitely a scholar of some sort, The Hunter thought before he calmed the Hunter down and then he explains that the Paleblood were in fact Flora or Moon Presence, the key and also obstacle towards the ascension.

"So I was just one step away from unraveling the truth. I was actually that close but I died to Gherman and was sent back to the waking world!" The distraught self proclaimed Seeker of Truth said while tearing his hairs in frustration.

"Also, what is the state of your body?" The Hunter pointed out and asked for clarification.

The Hunter explains that this is the ascension that the Church had seeked for. After consuming the Umbilical Cords and defeating Moon Presence, he blacked out and found himself transformed. Or rather, ascended to become a Great One.

One mental breakdown later, the Hunter finally calmed down enough to answer questions.

"I am Finn Cromwell, first and foremost a Truth Seeker and then a Hunter at your service." The Hunter made his gentlemanly and civil introduction.

"I cannot recall my name. So, just call me Hunter." The Hunter offered his hand to Finn and performed a handshake.

"Alright. So, what is the question that you wanted to ask about?" Finn spoke while tidying himself and put away his weapons under his coat.

"I want to ask how long you have been in the waking world."

"Around two years. Give or take. I didn't keep a tab of time that much. But since I was awake, I found myself in these irradiated wasteland zones and had been wandering around looking for my home but found it had been destroyed by a war and then I had been wandering along by the wind ever since."

"I see. Then, have you ever encountered another Hunter?"

"Another Hunter, you say? I can't say I did. You were the first I'd encountered in these two years. But, I can't deny I had my suspicion that there are other Hunters out there in the world." Finn said and explained that sometimes he could hear the rings of the Beckoning Bell but often they were too far away to answer.

Hearing the answer, he frowned deeper and suspected that his assumption was true after all. However, that didn't matter for now.

The Hunter thanked Finn for his information and about to return when Finn stopped him.

"Wait, Hunter. I actually have a request." Finn said and looked a little troubled by his own request. "Since you are now a Great One, I wonder if I can get some of your blood? I swear I need only to enhance my weapons and nothing else! I will definitely not misuse them. In fact, I can use them here right now in front of your eyes."

"Of course. However, I have something I need your help for." The Hunter agrees in exchange for helping him.

"Definitely, as long as it is not an impossible task." Finn replied eagerly.

The Hunter took out his mobile phone and opened the map before showing it to Finn. He pointed at the area around the Carpathian Mountain and the area along a few borders where the mountain stood on.

"I could sense odd Cosmic Energy like that of a Great One or a Kin around this area and I need some help to investigate this place. Since you have two years of experience with this world, I hope you could assist me."

"Wait. Are you telling me there is a Great One or a Kin hiding somewhere in here?" Finn looks shocked and horrified by the repercussions of the existence of cosmic life forms like a great one lurking in this world.

"No wait. This actually makes sense maybe." Finn suddenly changed his tone and in deep thoughts as he related the existence of Relic which he learned about to the possibility of correlation to what the Hunter sensed. Perhaps not the Church. Perhaps it is the ruins like the Chalice Dungeons found around Yharnam that contain secrets about Pthumerian.

"Alright. I will help." Finn agreed at the prospect of satisfying his adventurous spirit and his desire to uncover truths about mysteries.

The Hunter is glad to receive help from another Hunter and then took off his glove and prepare a goblet before he cut his wrist which blood poured out and filled the goblet before he hands it to Finn who thanked the Hunter immensely before initiating the Alchemy ritual to create Bloodstone and then enhance his new firearm which is a semi-automatic rifle apparently and he enhanced it a few times with his own blood before his blood loose effectiveness to perform higher level of Enhancement which requires more concentrated Old Blood to perform which is where the Hunter's blood come to play.

Once it's done, Finn thanked the Hunter.

"I will keep you updated with my progress through the Messengers. You can rest assured that I will get to the depth of this matter without fail." Finn saluted before he left and the Hunter waved him goodbye as the eccentric Hunter left.

"There is still quite some time before the sun rises." The Hunter said as he walked to the edge of the roof and loomed down at the ELID filled street, prowling and wandering aimlessly.

"Perhaps an exercise could keep me occupied for the night." He requested the Kirkhammer from the Messenger.

He rather not use Saw Cleaver even if it's better at chopping up the ELID's tough skin because sharpening them again later is a pain. Thus Kirkhammer becomes his weapon of choice considering he will be dealing with a big horde rather than just a few dozen.

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