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shooter-nobunagun · 3 years

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A Hunter’s Nightmare [Bloodborne AU]

//Gonna head into DLC territory before the ‘finale’ so to speak...

“So, yer really doin’ this?” A nod from both hunters, so steadfast the surgeon could only heave a sigh in resignation. “Well alright, should’ve known it’d come ta this...”

“Please Hunter, we could really use your help,” those large maroons fixed in a straightforward gaze, “and also...there’s nobody else I’d trust to ask at this point.”

One more glance, before Hunter nodded in agreement while Sio and Adam gave each other a small grin. Though he loathed taking any unnecessary risks, Hunter also knew sticking with them was his best chance for survival at this rate; especially with Mirza now proven to be dangerous, and it wasn’t as if he was particularly close with any of the other hunters—not even his old classmate Vidocq.

“So, where’re we off to then? And I take it nobody else’ll know ‘bout this?”

“Well, I mean is there a point? It’s not as if any of the other hunters really care about what we’re doing...” Sio gazed warily at the headstones which transported them to other locations. Mirza still hadn’t returned from Cathedral Ward since they’d left him with Nostradamus, but Sio had a feeling he’d be lurking around regardless. Geronimo left to accomplish whatever mission she’d been on since before joining them, with Vidocq (interestingly) tagging along—’for research’ he’d claimed when they gave him a questioning glance. That just left Beckham and Tell, both of whom seemed content to take a break around the workshop; even still, the huntress was not keen on explaining any more than she had to.

“No, don’t bother; like I said earlier, most hunter have their own agendas. People come and go all the time. If it doesn’t concern them, we should just leave them be.” Adam finished adjusting his equipment. “You mentioned going back to Cathedral Ward, yeh?”

Sio nodded, gulping uneasily as she reminded herself that Mirza could very well be waiting them there, ready for an ambush. But somehow, instinct told her that he was much more interested in seeing her go on this strange and twisted journey first, instead of murdering them outright. Slowly she reached into her pocket, pulling out the vial he’d tossed at her.

“Best be going, then. We don’t have that much time.” A hand rested gingerly on her shoulder, Adam’s change in tone not having gone unnoticed by the girl. “C’mon, Cathedral Ward it is.”

As soon as they arrived though, Sio suddenly realized she didn’t know what the next step was. The church was the same as always, with the strange man/creature still sunken into the floor (although his mutterings seemed to have become much more dire since the last time they saw him) and a handful of villagers who actually heeded their warnings to take shelter, though that didn’t stop them from shooting disdainful glares at the trio.

“So...now what?” Adam cast her a curious glance and Sio felt herself blushing in embarrassment.

“I-I, uh...I’m, not sure...he didn’t say much after that, but....” The vial with its grotesque eye sat in her palm, as if silently reminding her of her fate. “I guess...it wouldn’t hurt to take a look around. I mean, it must have something to do with this, eyeball...otherwise he wouldn’t give it to me...”

“Ye sure it isnae a trap, lassie?” Hunter glanced warily at the vial. “Nae sayin’ I dinnae trust ye, but that Mirza...after hearin’ what he did te ya...”

Sio shook her head. “No, I know it sounds crazy, but I just know...he’s not lying about this. I’m going to go look around outside.” With that the huntress turned around, exploring the misty graveyard.

There didn’t seem to be anything aside from the usual crows that haunted the tombstones, but as they neared the gate the huntress fell to her knees, a splitting headache pounding her temples not unlike the kind she got whenever frenzy was induced...

“Oy lass! What’s wrong?”

“Is it the frenzy? But there’s nothing there—”

The entire party gasped as the Amygdala appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The Stakedriver did nothing to dissuade it as its bony fingers snatched the hunters into the air, and everything was dark after that...

...

“...Oy, what th’ fuck...” Groaning, Adam propped himself up with the Stake Driver, head still spinning from...whatever the hell just happened. He stood up unsteadily, eyes taking in the scenery: it appeared they were outside the church, but certain details looked...off. For one thing, the sun seemed to be shining again, if in a somewhat strange color even though they’d been in what felt like perpetual night forever. The ground also felt different; looking around, he noticed it was oddly warped, with undulations and roads that seemed to dead-end and lead to nowhere, small cliffs and hills inexplicably juxtaposed with the brick paving.

“...Alright, where the hell are we.” He gingerly shook the other two awake, Hunter moaning about whether or not this was a trap, as the huntress drank in their surroundings.

“Wh, where are we...is this still Yharnam? But why does it look so...strange.” The huntress felt around for the vial, which somehow was still miraculously in her hand. “The Amygdala snatched us...and took us here? Was that what Mirza wanted...”

“Tha’s it, this place’s bound ta be a trap of sorts,” the surgeon bemoaned, shaking his head. “If it is Yharnam, it isnae the one I’m familiar with. But it seems too...off to be real...maybe we’re all having a mass hallucination.”

“We can figure that out later. If it even matters at all,” Adam muttered, using the sighting lens to look off into the distance. “There’s a building of sorts in the distance; seems to be the Cathedral...or, similar anyway.”

As they walked along a strange and narrow walkway, Sio couldn’t help but shiver as she noticed its peculiar design. Warped architecture aside, she didn’t like the way it seemed to be funneling them in tighter, as if purposely forcing them up this path...her eyes trailed up the stone bridge, which seemed to be leading to a grand doorway.

“Careful—trouble ahead.” The huntress pulled out her weapons on instinct as the familiar shouts of a mob grew louder. Diseased villagers with torches and pitchforks were hardly a threat at this point, but the narrow bridge made it difficult for them to dodge around—as Sio narrowly missed a sharp tine in the face, a faint rumble turned her eyes towards a giant stone ball being set aflame, before being pushed off.

“Watch out—quick, get into the nooks!” Without any more explanation Sio grabbed the two men and pulled them into a small side crevice, right as the giant ball of fire steamrolled its way down the bridge—and taking much of the mob with it, to their relief. “What the heck...I knew that bridge was a trap...”

“At least it took out the rest of them,” Adam scanned at the doorway where the rock had rumbled down from. “Hmm, have a feelin’ we’ll need to be ready for something rather nasty at the top...” As those words left his mouth, the same two hunters who dropped the boulder opened the door, only to be immediately slaughtered by a monstrous executioner wielding a giant axe.

Sio shuddered as she caught a glimpse of the giant’s face. “Oh man...that thing, its face...what’s, what is it...”

“Is it a kin? Yer nae feelin’ ill are ye, lass?”

The huntress shook her head. “No, I don’t think so...I don’t sense or hear anything, so that’s good...but still, we can’t be careless. For such a large creature, it’s surprisingly fast...and that, face...”

The trio slowly trekked up the steps, careful not to catch its attention—though the second they ascended that invisible threshold out burst the creature, swinging its axe and roaring in fury.

“Ugly mug you’ve got there—!” A single shot to bring the creature to its knees, then charge up a shot with the Stake Driver; Adam expertly dodged another swing to move in for the final kill, until...

“Umph!”

“Is that magic?!”

Some sort of energy shockwave forced him to his knees, Adam bracing himself with the stake against the attack.

“Adam be careful!” He only heard the girl’s shout right before something grabbed him, restraining his limbs all the while continuing to fire off bursts of arcane magic. That grotesque face...it seemed those tentacles were for more than just looking menacing after all. Struggling to breathe, his fingers just managed to brush the pistol’s handle and Adam summoned all of his remaining energy to pull it out and fire a single shot. A sharp pain as he was dropped unceremoniously to the stone floor, Sio and Hunter moving in to finish it off while he regained his senses.

“Adam! Adam, are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t think those tentacles could reach out like that...” A sharp pain as the huntress dabbed a nasty cut on his lip, though otherwise he didn’t seem any worse for wear, luckily. “Are you wounded anywhere else? You didn’t break anything did you?”

“Nah...I’ll be fine.” He gave a cough while Hunter bandaged up his remaining scrapes. “We’re lucky there was only one of ‘em...for now, anyway.”

“Hey, what’s this...” Sio bent down at a small object that had rolled down during the fight. “It’s...ugh, a human skull...” She shuddered and pulled away, but Hunter pocketed it. “Uh, Hunter? Why are you...”

“Might’ve come from some unfortunate soul tha’s lost his head or some such; maybe we can return to ‘em. Or if not, at least give it a proper burial.” The huntress nodded in agreement, though personally she wouldn’t go near dead body parts with a ten-foot pole unless she had to. Perhaps being a surgeon made Hunter more inured against such things, but she was glad his compassion hadn’t disappeared.

The inside of the chapel was dark, save for a few torches that were lit (though who lit them, nobody could figure out). A large alter, with a skeletal creature lying across it motionless, its corpse inexplicably smoldering still.

“Oh, my...” Sio cautiously walked up to it, but there was no reaction from it. “Is it...dead? It, looks like a cleric beast...and somehow, it’s still burning...” A sudden rustling noise made all heads turn towards Hunter, whose pack was jostling even though the surgeon wasn’t doing anything.

“Egads—what in blazes—!” The skull they’d picked up was now rattling about, and suddenly the creature on the throne, which had been quietly smoldering away, started blazing anew. “Nay...it cannae be, tis your skull...”

“Next time Hunter, let’s just leave things be, yeh?” Adam commented dryly as the creature came roaring to life, a wave of heat washing over them as the flames soared high. “Oy, we came to return your head—an’ this is how you thank us?”

The heat coming off the beast was intense; more than once Sio had to back off just to breathe without burning her lungs. It seemed weak to firearm shots; the group easily staggering it to pull off visceral attacks, but the more damage they did the more the flames seemed to spread.

“Careful! This whole area’s ‘bout to burst into flames!” Hunter leapt back as molten lava pooled on the ground. “This creature...it seems to be creatin’ these magma pools...” Dragging itself on its forelimbs now that its bottom torso had been severed, it seemed no less keen on incinerating them: swiping and grabbing if they were close enough, as its severed body seemed to pour out magma at will.

“Ouch—” The huntress tried to avoid the fire, but it was nearly impossible when cinders continued to rain from the sky. The acrid smell of burnt hair and skin filled her nose, but they couldn’t let up; ignoring the many burn marks, she fired at its head, the beast howling as it clutched the wound, Sio using the opportunity to spear it literally head-on. “Now! Adam, Hunter!”

The two men dove in parallel, landing their attacks as Sio kept it immobilized. Gushes of what appeared to be fiery blood arched through the air, the body sagging as the lava drained out and cooled, the entire creature now hardening into a blackened lump as the fires finally burned out.

“All right fine, there’ll be no more ‘returning things to the grave’,” Hunter muttered, brushing away the singed ends of his goatee. “Happy?”

“Yes.” Adam replied flatly, just glad none of them had ended up bursting into flames. “Compassion is one thing, stupidity is another...”

“Oy now—”

“Hey, it’s a, name...” Both men stopped their quarrel at the girl’s voice. “La...Laurence. That’s what’s written here on this plaque.”

“Laurence...as in, the First Vicar of the Healing Church?” Adam blinked; that was a name he hadn’t heard of in a long time, save for the history and legends of the past. “What’s he doing here...and as a cleric beast, no less.”

“‘I tell you, I will not forget the old adage. Fear the old blood.’” Small fingertips traced the worn carving; maybe they were made by someone else, or maybe even Laurence himself. “The old blood...that’s what Nostradamus was talking about, how the Church ended up using it and turning people into monsters...maybe that’s what happened to Laurence, as well.”

Adam shook his head. “The irony of it all. There’s a reason the Church isn’t what it used to be...not that they were ever that good to begin with...serves them right, if you ask me.”

The Healing Church, and the old blood...they all ended up becoming the thing they feared the most... Shaking her head, Sio tried not to think too hard about all the implications she’d come to learn so far. Was it really her destiny to become one of those wretched creatures? Just for being a hunter and following her own path?

“Oy, rookie? Er, sorry...Sio?” She looked up to Adam’s sheepish face, smiling a bit as she heard him correct his misnomer. “Your burns...we should probably at least take a look before moving on.” She looked down at her shirt, dotted with scorch marks and burned fabric that stuck to her skin from the dried blood. “Here, let me help...”

“Nngg...” She couldn’t help but wince when Adam had to literally tear the melted fabric from her skin, before dabbing on antiseptic to disinfect it. “Ah! It stings...”

“Sorry...here, this should help with the burning.” Gentle hands applied a soothing salve, Sio sighing as it eased the burning somewhat. “Um, Sio?” She looked up at his face, which was slightly pink for some reason—and it wasn’t from the heat. “Er, d’you mind...I’m sorry, it’s just, I need you to take off your, uh,” he gave a slight cough and his cheeks turned pinker, “chest bindings... You’ve a bad burn running along your back.”

“O-Oh...s, sure, uh, give me a second...” Fortunately Adam was sharp enough to turn around, giving her a little bit of privacy as the huntress gingerly shed the wrap. The cold air caused her to shiver, though as she hunched over with arms clasped tightly around her chest while Adam cleaned the wound, she couldn’t help but also shiver from his touch; his fingers were calloused but warm, as they rubbed the ointment in. It felt good to be touched, especially so gently... She felt her own cheeks flushing, and prayed fervently Adam wouldn’t notice.

“Here, if you wanna give me a hand with the bandage...” Silently she nodded, grabbing the clean linen and winding it around her petite chest as Adam helped tie it up in the back. “That should do.” Taking a deep breath, Sio forced herself to maintain a straight face as she got dressed again. Getting distracted by all her newfound feelings and desires was a surefire way to get killed on the battlefield, no matter how tempting they were to indulge in.

Poking around, they discovered stairs descending into a cave of sorts, which were anything but deserted. Hunters wearing strange clothes and wielding even stranger weapons ambushed them, including one that looked like a giant hammer that caused explosions with each blow, and another that could only be described as a giant, whirling circular saw. Before she could even figure out how the weapons functioned someone tackled her to the ground, right as a hail of bullets exploded above their head. ‘A turret?! I’ve never seen one of those before...!’ Yet there it stood, being manned by another hunter, automatically sending suppression fire their way and making it difficult to take out the other hunters, let alone get close.

“Adam! Hunter!” Sio grit her teeth and forced herself to just take row of bullets at point-blank, sacrificing her left arm in order to get close enough to turn the turret into scrap metal before doing the same to the opposing hunter. Blood dripped down her arm, the huntress ignoring the pain as she backed up the other two men. The strange whirligig saw clashed violently against the blade of her spear, Sio’s teeth chattering from the endless metal-on-metal gnashing until Adam ran a stake through the other’s throat.

“Blast, what in the name of...” Hunter shook his head, too exhausted to continue. “Nivvermind; I’m just glad we made it out all in one piece...mostly.” The surgeon grimaced as he picked the shrapnel out of Sio’s arm, dropping them one by one into a basin. “Swear t’ god, yur almost as bad as Muirhead these days,” he jerked his head towards the other hunter, who was patching himself up. “Adam, quit influencin’ the lass. Yur teachin’ her some dangerous habits...”

“I am not—or have you forgotten about the first battle where we met?” The hunter snapped back peevishly, though secretly he was bit pleased that Sio looked up to him. But Hunter was right, it wouldn’t do for both of them to be charging so recklessly into battle all the time. Especially now... he glanced at the huntress, who was finally wrapping up her arm after all the bullets were picked out.

If anything happened Sio now, Adam wasn’t sure what he’d do. Or not do.

“Don’t worry about me, Hunter. I know my limits...mostly,” she wilted a bit under the surgeon’s stern glare. “B-Besides, sometimes you have to be willing to make sacrifices...otherwise you won’t get anywhere...”

“Well, I’ll pray none of those sacrifices are yur life.” Hunter sighed and packed up his bags. “Up an’ at ‘em, I suppose.”

A back door of sorts led them out of the cursed chapel, though Sio wasn’t sure if this was any better. The scenery before them could only be described as something from one of the circles of hell: a blood-red sky that was mirrored in the river of blood that poured out into the streets, littered with skeletal remains of corpses both human and non-human. Even worse, she could make out several hulking figures patrolling the area, just like the one they fought earlier.

“What...is this place? It’s like a nightmare...only worse.”

“Hell if I know. At this point, it doesn’t really matter,” Adam kicked off a skeletal figure that was trying to claw at his boot. “Bugger off!”

“Adam!”

“What! I’m not lettin’ that thing touch me! Who knows what they are.”

“Yeah but, it’s still alive...” Sio muttered, creepy as they were it didn’t seem like they could do any harm. “It’s like they’re...suffering, somehow...” She hugged herself, trying not to stare at the twisted bodies and skeletons that came to life whenever they approached, splashing through the river of blood.

“We’ve got little time to waste here, lass. I understand how you feel, but there isnae much we can do fer ‘em at this point.” Hunter gave her a pat on the head. “Maybe when this is finally all over, they can rest in peace.”

Sio nodded in silence. It was true, there wasn’t much they could do. As the group marched on through the blood, they were careful to avoid the vicars, although some encounters were inevitable. Armed with their newfound knowledge however, it was much easier to avoid their grabbing attacks, though Sio still felt herself creeping on the edge of a frenzy burst throughout the fights. Not to mention the speed at which they swung those axes; more than once she narrowly avoided getting cleaved in two, though the resounding shockwave still stunned her momentarily.

“Sio, you holding up alright?” She clutched her head as a wave of nausea passed through, Adam looking worried but she waved him off. For the time being there were no more executioners in the area, though they were by no means safe. Even the enemies they encountered in this place seemed to be warped from what they were used to, and often with the threat of frenzy as well.

The group now made their way over to the entrance of another ruined hall, this one with stairs leading down to an ominous chamber. “I’ve a feelin’ we’re in for somethin’ down there...” Hunter shook his head as they crept downwards.

She gulped and nodded. There was just something about the opening that made her shiver, more than the blighted landscape already did. She was a lot stronger now, but so was the nightmare, it seemed. A wave of unease ran through her body. It wasn’t fair; why was it when she finally felt like she was making some headway, some thing or other would come along and make her feel vulnerable and weak.

It didn’t take any special insight or heightened awareness for all three hunters to sense that something awaited them inside. Sio gulped as they slowly descended into the corridor with torches in hand, trying not to let her nerves overwhelm her.

“You seek nightmares, and the secrets within, do you not?"

Sio’s heart leapt to her throat, her spear inches from the the man who had spoken. Somehow none of them spotted this man, despite their senses, though it could be due to the fact he seemed to blend in with the very wall itself.

"Who th—wait, Tell?!”

The mysterious hunter who invited himself into their group. Who knew about Nostradamus and the past, and always preferred to attack from a distance with his specially modified Bowblade, now inexplicably awaited them in this dingy dungeon; even though Sio was sure he’d stayed behind. “Wh, what are you doing here? I thought you were back at the Hunter’s Dream...?”

“Ogura, Muirhead, and Hunter. So, you decided to seek the truth?” Tell didn’t answer their question. “Then follow me.”

“Uh, what about my question...” Sio muttered as they followed him down the dank steps. They mostly trusted him by now, but still, after what happened with Mirza... Sio made sure her Blunderbuss was within easy reach.

“What is this place? You know something, don’t you?” Luckily, Adam was less subtle. “You’ve known all along about this ‘Nightmare’ or what have you, even before you joined us...”

Their companion gave no notice to their words; if he did, it didn’t seem to bother him. “This Hunter’s Nightmare, where veterans who go mad with blood are destined to wander for eternity, in a never-ending hunt...you’re serious about bringing it to an end, aren’t you, Ogura?”

Sio wasn’t sure what to make of that statement, or the way Tell seemed to be avoiding their gaze. “W, Well...I guess? I mean, you heard Mirza back at the Cathedral; I don’t really trust him to tell the truth, but this place...it feels like there’s something here that will make things clearer.”

“This place is usually only for those who have long lost their sanity; yet here you are, with your minds intact. That in and of itself is quite an achievement. Perhaps, you might actually...”

“Do what, Tell? Why don’t you just drop it with this ‘mysterious benefactor’ act and tell us what’s really going on?” Having run out of patience, Adam planted himself firmly in the path, much to Sio’s surprise. “You know. The truth of what this place is: the hunts, creatures—hell you knew of Sio’s condition before she even told you...”

Tell’s face remained as impassive as ever, which annoyed Adam to no end—but there was a shift in his body language. “...I suppose. As you are a seeker of the secrets...and after being with your group for some time, I have to admit you have exceeded my expectations.” The group stopped to the side, Tell sighing and propping the Bowblade into the stone floor.

“Long ago, before I became an Executioner, or anything like that...I was part of the Church Hunters, formed by Ludwig, the Holy Blade—I’m sure you’ve heard of him. Back in those days, the Church Hunters truly believed they were doing good; Ludwig sincerely believed in trying to erase the scourge before it could threaten ordinary citizens, and for a time we were rather successful. But of course, you all know what happens in the end to those who become mired in blood.” Sio shivered as a gust of wind seemed to come, along with the change in Tell’s voice.

“Ludwig, like most other members of the church, became a beast himself. And the Church started taking on more extreme methods of extermination—including stalking citizens even before signs of the scourge manifested; as you realized with Mahesh Mirza. He is one of those who came into the employ of the Church later, with no scruples or morals—allowed to kill for even the flimsiest of suspicions.” The dark-haired hunter shook his head in disgust. “I left after that; took to wandering around for a while, trying to gather information about what the Church was up to, and what happened. Ended up joining the Executioners for a time—but again, it was more as a means to gain information; rather than really adhering to Logarius’ teachings.”

“So that’s why you weren’t interested in killing Queen Annaliese...I always thought that was a bit odd for an Executioner,” Adam commented. “So what is this place, then? Why did you follow us?”

“This realm...as you might have guessed, it isn’t ‘real’; at least, not in the normal sense of the word. It is quite literally a nightmare, being dreamt by a creature that’s not human. A Great One; so even though it’s only a dream, to us mere humans it seems as real as the world we just came from.”

“A...dream...?” Sio’s head spun, though in hindsight it made sense. Things were never what they seemed, ever since she started the hunt. More and more lately she found herself questioning what was actually real, what could be believed, and what was just in her own head... “So then, that’s what Mirza meant by defeating the Nightmare...he’s talking about the Great One who’s in this dream, isn’t he? And the one who’s dreaming, I guess.”

Tell nodded. “I’m fairly certain, but again, I can’t guarantee anything. But for sure, at the end of this Nightmare...there will be an answer. At the very least, I can confirm this nightmare is hiding something the Church wanted to keep secret.”

“That...is good enough for me, Tell. And, thank you for your strength.” Sio shook hands with the marksman, the man giving her a small tip of the hat.

It was a group of four that walked into the dank, dripping cavern, filled with corpses and creatures that were seemingly dead yet not-dead. They undulated and writhed, acting as if they were in an endless suffering.

"Ahh, ahh, please... help us... Ah... An unsightly beast... A great terror looms! Ahh... Ludwig the Accursed is coming. Have mercy... Have mercy upon us..."

“Ludwig? What?” The living corpse that uttered the warning flailed its arms, before dissolving into mad cackles. Sio only had the briefest of moments to scan the room, looking for anything that might even remotely resemble the legendary hunter. “He’s still...alive?”

“Likely not as a human; there can be no doubt Ludwig is no longer the hunter I once followed,” Tell grimaced. “He’s no different from the rest of those creatures, now. And no doubt extremely dangerous; when he was human, his skills were legendary. I don’t want to know just how much that power has become warped and twisted now that he’s given into the blood...”

Among the fetid water and up the disintegrating staircase, a grotesque skull atop legs that seemed much too small eyed them with a glaring eyeball as they approached. At first glance it looked like a man, but then Sio noticed the strangely elongated mouth, filled with rotting and gnarled teeth. Eyeballs so numerous she had a hard time figuring out which were real and which were the result of the mutations; a terrible mish-mash of strangled limbs and cloven hooves scraped the floor. Then a horrible, ear-splitting screech as the creature leapt into the air, the hunters jumping out of the way just as the monstrous clawed slammed into the stones.

“This is it, prepare yourselves! Ludwig, now as an accursed beast...careful, this fight will not be an easy one!” Tell warned the others as they regrouped. “Make sure you keep your guard up!”

“Easy fer ye t’ say...not all of us can keep our distance!” Hunter shot back, narrowly dodging a wild swing from the horse-man beast. “Blast, this one’s fast!” Ludwig’s deranged attacks were wildly unpredictable, and more than once Sio found herself flung into the stones, coughing as she scrambled to get out of the way. That, and the constant screaming, were more than enough to drive her bloodlust up; but she willed herself to remain composed. Ludwig was a dangerous foe; not only did he clomp along those deformed, gangly legs with shocking speed, but he could spew a torrent of arcane fluid at them, which dissolved everything it touched. Even Tell only narrowly avoided an untimely death, due to Hunter’s last-minute strikes which caused the creature to teeter off-balance.

“Damn it...!” Another terrible shriek from the monster, before it leapt forward faster than the eye could see; Adam grunted as his Stake Driver blocked the brunt of the blow, but not follow-up kick that knocked him into the girl.

“Ugh!” The huntress didn’t even notice before Adam was flung against her, the two of them thrown into the watery floor. “Ow...I swear, this freaking Ludwig...haven’t been able to get a clear shot in at all.”

“You alright Sio? Sorry...I should’ve been paying more attention.” Adam winced as he pulled her up, Ludwig mercifully being kept busy by the other two for now. “Tell wasn’t kidding when he said this Ludwig’s extremely dangerous...if we get caught in even one of his attacks straight on, we’re done for. We need to fight cautiously and watch his movements, instead of rushing straight on.”

As much as she prided herself in her newly-found skills, the huntress had to admit Adam was right. Not only were Ludwig’s attacks fast and hard to read, but he could leap from anywhere in the room—even from the ceiling, such as right now as he dove straight down, Sio narrowly avoiding the fatal slam and getting splashed with a wave of bloody water instead. Hit-and-run tactics seemed to fair slightly better, as evidenced by Hunter’s constant weaving amongst the limbs—but the rate at which they could damage him was too slow for her tastes.

‘That head though...’ It was so grossly misshapen she had a hard time discerning which part was man, which part beast. The long snout, combined with the hooves and buck teeth, and that screeching whinny... ‘Is he a horse...?’ Despite the equine features, his main eyes were still staring straight ahead, like that of humans. ‘He probably can’t see his flanks very well, with such a head...’ She tested her theory and successfully sank the spear into the left, Ludwig rearing up from the attack and kicking her away—but as the huntress spat out a mouthful of blood, it had been worth it.

“Got you now, you bastard...” Plunging a blood vial into her arm, Sio fired her blunderbuss the second Ludwig turned away, forcing the creature to his knees. Hunter and Adam immediately understood her intentions as they swooped to his exposed flanks, while she ripped into him directly.

“Get back! Ogura, Muirhead, Hunter! Something’s happening!” Their archer shouted from a distance, Sio only just noticing a strange glow before the creature righted itself—but it was more than just picking itself up. Limbs creaked and groaned, shifting and merging until it seemed to have evolved, almost. Now Ludwig stood atop his horse legs, the head righted itself somewhat; and a glowing, ethereal blade grasped in his hands...

"Aah, you were at my side, all along. My true mentor... My guiding moonlight..."

Sio suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. A strange power emanated from the sword, then Ludwig swung it with tremendous force.

“Where did that sword come from?!”

“Not important here, squirt!” Adam grimaced as he barely parried the blow. Great, just what they needed—a creature that was capable of transforming into an almost entirely-new monster before they were through with it. Even though the blade didn’t make contact, the shockwave of arcane magic did; all four hunters were knocked down in an instant, and only a desperate molotov from Adam saved them from certain death.

“Shite, we really need to watch ourselves,” Hunter bemoaned as they all plunged vials of blood into their bodies, some more than others. “How th’ bloody hell can we even get close enough? There’s no way Tell can shoot ‘im ta death a’fore he kills us!”

“We can get close...it’s not impossible, you just have to time it!” The huntress had been using her recovery time to watch the fight, her eyes focusing on the blade in particular. The magic was deadly, that was for certain—and with her weakness to frenzy, she’d likely take more damage than the others. But as another jet of pulsing green light sliced her way, she noticed only the edge of her cape was cut; the rest seem to just pass through.

Before any of the others could realize it, she was rushing towards Ludwig head-on—much to Adam’s dismay.

“Sio! What do you think you’re doing?! You’ll get killed! Blast it all to hell...!” Not for the first time, Adam cursed the girl’s penchant for just throwing herself into danger; even if her instincts were usually correct. Without even a glance back he ran after her, determined to make sure she didn’t just rush to her death.

Left. Right. To the right again. The huntress seemed to be in a trance of sorts, almost floating as she deftly sidestepped the waves of magic. The timing was tight, that was for certain—more than once she felt the heat from the blade as it just grazed her skin, or sliced off bits of her hair. Slowly but surely, she was getting closer though; Ludwig now distracted by her other companions as she finally rolled to his side, those disgusting horse-man legs still twitching about.

A shriek that literally shook the building echoed throughout the chamber, as Sio stabbed her Rifle Spear into Ludwig’s haunch. The beast sagged, allowing everyone to rush him. The air was thick with crimson and gore, the huntress choking from the stench but dove forward anyway. Just as she pulled her spear out something kicked her in the side, and she turned just in time to see Ludwig prop himself up and raise his sword to the heavens.

“I’ve got a bad feelin’ ‘bout this...’tis nivver gud when they get all posturing like that--”

The sword was charging up with arcane energy, everybody’s hair standing on end and crackling with magic. “We can’t retreat now! We’ve got him on the ropes—if we don’t press the attack, he might get us first!” Sio wiped the blood from her mouth, eyes glancing at the sword.

“But that’s too—” Adam started to argue but Sio shook her head.

“Trust me, the safest place to be is next to him! His attacks are far-reaching, but he’s no good when you’re right up between his legs—well okay, he’ll probably kick you—but it’s better than getting blasted with...whatever it is he’s charging up now.” She grasped the other hunter’s arm. “Adam, you said you trusted me with your life, right? Then I’m asking you right now, to do so.”

“I...” One look, and he knew it was pointless to argue. “Alright. Just let us know when, Sio.”

“...Now! Don’t hesitate!” Even if it seemed like rushing into hell itself, the huntress dove towards Ludwig, spear thrust forward. She interrupted his charge, allowing the others to sink their attacks as she herself continued to rip whatever parts of the beast where within reach. Even as the ominous glow started up again, and shouts of warnings from others reached her ears, she didn’t stop--couldn’t stop. Not even the state of her own wounds could shake her, critical as they were.

‘I’ve almost got him...we’re so close, I can’t stop now...!’

There was no dramatic cry or any grandiose posing; the charge attack never came, Ludwig instead heaving a long sigh before he slumped over. His holy sword faded and clattered onto the stone tiles with a dull thunk, before the horse-body vanished into thousands of blue particles.

“Th, that...that’s it? Oh thank goodness...” Exhaustion swept the huntress, Sio tempted to sink into the ground herself. The room was silent once more, save for the drip, dripping of water and the still-flailing undead. All that was left now was the grotesque horse-head, still twitching and moaning despite everything.

“Is that...thing still alive?” The surgeon side-eyed the horse head. “Ugh. What I wouldnae give ta run it through wit’ me blades and silence the damn thing once and for all...”

“I-I don’t think it can hurt us anymore...oof...” Sio sucked in a breath as Hunter patched up all her wounds, including a nasty gash across her left shoulder. “Not gonna lie, I seriously thought we were done for a few times...”

“You mean like when you charged straight ahead?” Adam chastised, using his teeth to wrap a bandage on his arm. “You’re seriously going to give me a heart attack or something at this rate, Sio...”

The girl winced at his statement. “S, Sorry Adam...I didn’t mean to make you worry...b-but I can say the same about you! Always jumping in like you’re invincible—which you’re not, by the way—”

Hunter rolled his eyes as the other two started bickering over who was more reckless. “Aye, how ‘bout we just all try ta’ get outta here in one piece? Speaking ‘o which, where’s our intrepid marksman?”

The archer was, in fact, examining Ludwig’s head; and from the sound of the voices, it seemed the horse monster could still talk, as well.

"Good Hunter of the Church, Have you seen the light? Are my Church Hunters the honorable spartans I hoped they would be?”

“Um...” Sio wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for her to answer. None of them were Church hunters after all—at least, not anymore.

“...No, Sir Ludwig. I’m sorry to say, but the Church...is no longer what it once stood for,” answered Tell stoically.

“Oh, my. Just as I feared. Then a beast-possessed degenerate was I, as my detractors made eminently clear. Does the nightmare never end?!"

Once again the horrible, shrieking whinny filled the air, Sio plugging her ears in despair. Not just from the horse’s screams, but Ludwig’s words—‘does the nightmare never end?!’—what if it that was true? What if she was doomed to be trapped her forever, just as Mirza taunted?

“...I’m sorry, Master Ludwig.” Without another word Tell swung the Bowblade, silencing the monster’s wailing at last. “I hope you find peace...and the light which you sought, all this time.”

#documentation #hunt or be hunted #//wow #//finally updating all my fics

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