Crack of dusk,
All is lost,
Except the will to be.

Now they shall see,
What is to be,
The Blooded eyes doth see.

The bell tolls, its hollow ring announcing the tenth hour of the night. The silver faced moon high over the city of Yharnam bathing the rooftops in pale light; the darkness of the city streets and alleys too deep for even the sun to pierce at the height of noon.

A Hunter stalks the streets, his footsteps silent in the night air. A pall has fallen over the town, the hunt has come again; and the Hunters are called forth to slaughter once more. Fear is as rampant as blood this night as the Hunter Kath patrols the neighborhoods. A scream escapes into the night air, a scream followed by the roar of death, a Beast's death knell permeating the stillness.

Panicked feet run towards Kath: light in weight, fast in pace, out of breath, without composure or poise. Not a Beast nor a Hunter, a Human. A woman in muddied white robes ran towards Kath, who turned to face the Healer's assistant, his hand gripping the twin barreled pistol in the holster on his belt. "Kind Hunter! Please, it is Sister Freid, she's needs help."

The assistant lead Kath to a nearby clinic, where the staff had gathered to wait out the night and to treat any who were harmed in the Hunt. These were no Healers, they were not trained to do much but set bones and aid the Church Healers in their duty. The Head Nurse showed Kath to a locked door, explaining along the way "Sister Freid was administering Blood Ministration when a patient attacked. She and one of our Nurses tried to restrain the man, but Sister Freid locked the door after the man killed Nurse Sachren. She said that she will not open the door unless a Hunter is here."

Kath dismissed the Head Nurse with a glance as they reached the door. His right hand went to the sheathed long sword on his hip as he rasped his gloved knuckles against the old door. There was no response. Kath turned his head, lending his ear to the door; a woman –no doubt Sister Freid was alive inside, sobbing. With a swift kick the door was broken from its hinges, and Kath stepped into the dim treatment room, only now it looked more like a butcher house: blood spattered about the floor, the walls, the ceiling. A few drops fell onto his cap, resting over his hooded hair, the room reeked of death. Kath's eyes adjusted to the darkness; one corpse was a Healers Assistant –Nurse Sachren, the other had been beaten into a bloody mess and stabbed repeatedly. The latter looked to be a typical citizen. And hunched over the bloody mess on her knees, embracing herself in fear, as if in a trance, was a Church Healer: Sister Freid.

She caught the sound of his purposefully heavy step, snapping her awake from the nightmare she had been entrapped, turning to face him. Kath struck a match against a sheet of match paper; flaring to life, the small fire showed the bloody tears streaming down Sister Freid's face –and the collapsed pupils of her eyes, it was too late for her. Kath stood over her, placing the tip of his sword to Sister Freid's breast, it's point sharp and edges serrated and trigger built into either cross guard.

A single short motion stabbed the blade into Freid's bosom, just deep enough to puncture the woman's heart.

The Healer's eyes went wide. Weak hands gripped Kath's weapon, urging it deeper into the woman's chest, and soaking gloved hands fresh crimson; how desperate her silent cry. The Hunter granted this last wish, running Sister Freid through with his blade. With her last ounce of strength; the doomed Healer grasped his collar, pulling the two close as if to an embrace "Thank… You…" she whispered with her final breath before going limp

Kath stood again placing a foot against the corpse, ripping his blade from the Monster. There was no ceremony, no grief, or remorse. She was just another lump of flesh now. Wiping the blood from the sword's edge on the corpse' robes, Kath left. Ignoring the wails of the Humans he passed, dismissing the demands for answers. Sooner or later: each of them would understand his actions. Each of them would eventually beg for the same end he had granted the Healer.

When had he become numb to the bloodshed?

oo00oo00oo
Note from the Author

Good evening, and thank you for joining me for this night. This story is the sum of many complicated emotions, as many good stories are. I only hope that this story can be called good. This night should leave you with questions, so feel free to ask them in the comments, I'll get to them as often as I can.