The wretched beasts hallow against the cold and heartless Yharnam night. The misery of the countless years of being a hunter of hunters has taken a toll of my weathered body. My bones creak, my skin tarnishes, my eyes grow weary, and my mind, oh my mind.
I am a proud member of the crow hunters. Constant reminders of the true calling of the hunt. But I am only one of few in my lineage. The blood lust grows strong in the Yharnam night. Hunters have become beasts, laying fear on the innocent who only wish to see the morning sun. Hunters who were once proud assassins of the scurrying monsters that roamed the land all around now have become the unwanted, the feared, and the hungry.
My blade has brought mercy on the suffering but despicable monstrosities. Blood has skimmed around my crow feathered garments with the foul stench of corruption. But I do not feel remorse for the blood thirsty hunters, only exhaustion.
I do not dream anymore, but I wonder if I walk inside a nightmare in my current predicament. Memories of my past are only fragments of what I once was. The force of hunting hunters is only what keeps me going through the chilled night. I am old I know this, the elderly of a profession of the young. But yet I still wield with barbarity. Why am I not able to dream anymore? What sworn oath have I partake into never venture into the hunters dream ever again? I do not fight anymore with the same reckless abandon as I once have, but of a cautious lion on his dying breath. Yet I do not yield from my duties, and it in this deplorable of nights where I must continue on my hunt.
The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst, a hunter who masks as a righteous being but only succumbed to the blood lust. He is my mark and probably of my undoing. He is fast in which I am slow, he is strong in which where I am weak, but he is young in which I am experienced. I do not care anymore of the motivation for the hunters anymore, I only see traitors for the cause and the Bloody Crow is no different. But yet I am still intrigued in his lore.
A little girl I had passed in Yharnam had told me a tale of her father. It seems she was the daughter of a hunter and hoped for his safety during the frightful night. I did not want to break her heart with knowledge that her father had most likely had fallen to the blood. But I only gave her comforting words as she told me the whereabouts of where he might be. "My mum had gone searching for him, my father sometimes prays at the tomb of Oden before he goes to hunt. I do pray you find him safe and sound" she told me sheltered behind the window of her home. "You only worry of your safety" I told her. I was a hunter not a priest. Mincing words was not my line of work, it was to take down hunters who screamed, cherished and obsessed for the blood. I do pray the little girl is safe, she does not deserve this sort of life, and there are not many in Yharnam who don't deserve this.
When I reached the Tomb of Oden a hunter was waiting. It was Henryk, an apprentice of Father Gascoigne. Another befallen to the hunt. He was fast and ready with a saw cleaver and pistol. Waiting patiently to split the flesh of whomever came his way. As I laid eyes on him he had yet seen me. I pondered if it was best to announce oneself before the duel. Would he do the same if the terms were turned? My morality had grown weaker over the years, seeing the dying eyes of so many has given me less willingness to stand in the form of goodness. But alas, old tradition had beckoned me otherwise.
"Henryk, I am Eileen the Crow. Lay down your arms and leave Yharnam. If you choose not to do so prepare for a swift death. What is your answer?" I made sure every word came loud and clear. My ultimatum was not for debate and demanded for an answer.
Henryk answered by readying his weapon without any words. I pulled out my blades of mercy and made a quick prayer before the battle was to be waged. Let this not be the night where I never dream I said lowly to myself. And my opponent dashed towards me with fierce attention.
He was quick but I was cunning, he was strong but I was durable. I was going to gain scars in this battle but I knew I was going to finish this battle without meeting my mortal end. I pierced his torso with my blade and he answered with a shriek, I can see the leather garments stretching from my sharp weapon but he answered quickly with pointed blow in my shoulder. I didn't know if I wanted to curse his quick reflexes or my own slow ones.
Foot work that's always best, that's the sign of an experienced hunter. Henryk seemed to not have any use for remembrance in his placement as I staggered him with more careful blows. The small memories of my teacher Gerhman of what was taught to me came ringing inside my brain. Know your surroundings old girl, don't trip on the countless tombs ridden in this environment.
I was kicked in the torso by Henryk and I fell fast on my broken down back. Henryk stood above me about to place a final bullet between my eyes but a swift kick between his legs interrupted his plans. When his spirted dissatisfaction came from his lips I stabbed far inside his belly. He fell on his side and I knew the battle was mine to be won. But first I needed information.
"Before you enter the dream, I am looking for a hunter. The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst. Tell me where he is and I swear you will reach a quick death." My back creaked, my legs cramped, and my head pounded, how was I ever going to take down the Bloody Crow with my old body?
Henryk's bloodshot eyes looked at me desperately, showing the small humanity he once had. "My teacher, my teacher, he dead" He cried. He must have meant Father Gascoigne. I wanted to pity his loss but I felt now was not the time for such compassion.
"I asked a question on your dying breath. Answer me!" I knelt down and rubbed my blade of mercy against his dirty neck. His bloodied face finally came my way.
"The Grand Cathedral" was all he answered. It was good enough for me as far as I was concerned. I did not expect anything more.
"Thank you, and I hope you dream well" I said before my blade swiped hard against Henryk's neck. The blood curled against him and his eyes turned white from death. Years ago I would pray for the sad souls they had become. But after so long seeing the disgusting actions of the blood lust hunters I have become weary on spiritual actions.
The Grand Cathedral, an abhorrent establishment. So many whispers of where the terror started in Yharnam. I wish I knew myself where and how such misguided attempts for power and blood started, but I am only a hunter of beasts and hunters themselves. My main mission is now to stop a former compatriot of the crow hunters, I must not think of anymore distractions that will push me to take my final breath. I would become a liar if I said that every battle now was of fear. To know that I will never dream, to never see my blessed teacher ever again has become too appalling to think about.
The cathedral is of architecture that gives the public a mind of madness. Promises of a better life has been preached from men like Laurence who only became a beast himself. I wonder why my mind was never succumbed to the madness of so many. How come I see with such a clairvoyant view of Yharnam? Or is this speech of madness itself? You must have a clear mind Eileen. It is you're most dangerous weapon because surely your back will never catch up to its younger self.
Inside the arcane establishment statues of indescribable beings met my eyes with wonder. It has never reached my recollection as to why anyone would consider this Cathedral a place of comfort. The large stairs reminded me of my creaking knees that was cracking against one another in pain. I released my blades of mercy from my person in preparation from an immediate battle
As I reached the final step I saw my designated opponent. It was the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst waiting fully for my entrance. He wore a mask that was adorned from the designs of Vileblood emblems. A power hungry family that does not wince away from its evil doing. He dressed in the same fashion as my own garments. The crow jacket was what was adorned by the crow hunters. I wanted to spit venom on his dressing for continuing to wear our uniform with so many innocent blood on his hands.
"I am Eileen the Crow. Lay down your arms and leave Yharnam. If you choose not to do so prepare for a swift death. What is your answer?" I exclaimed. I knew a battles was to be fought.
"You are old and you are weak. You have no real fight against me" his grumbled voice bellowed.
"How dare you call yourself a hunter...you are a beast just like the rest of the lot. Death is the only answer for your crimes."
The crow nodded slowly, my words were juvenile in his ears.
"Your words are like Djura of Old Yharnam. He too thought hunters like me should be hunted. What utter madness" He laughed. How dare he laugh with such confidence.
"When the frail of heart join the frey...the hunter becomes the hunted." I yelled losing what little patience I had.
"Such wise words from an experienced warrior. It will be all for naught when you enter the dream."
Why must he remind me of the dream? The place where I will never enter once again, I had to take such unpleasant thoughts from my mind. I readied my blades of mercy to show the battle was now to commence. He pulled a saw cleaver just like Henryk and came at me in a quick dust.
"You are old, and your time to die is now" were his words as he exerted his whole body against me before I was to defend myself. The wind was knocked against me. I have never encountered such ferocious quickness from any hunter. My old bones felt nothing but pain, but I gathered myself as quickly as I could to leap myself away from his next blow.
"Why are you doing this old hunter? Are you to think you will stop every hunter?" He whispered confidently to me. He means to mock me even in battle, how I hated myself right now. I did not want to have a war of words as well as arms with him. I made sure to lay a striking blow across his face once he was close. My blades only met air and was hit with a striking knee that broke my nose.
"This nightmare will always continue. It is the will of those who control us." The crow said. And he sliced my stomach with his large cleaver. I screamed in pain, I immediately tended to my stomach and realized the spurt of blood running down my legs. This was only the beginning. The start of the unrelenting pain I was going to endure. I threw one of my blades at him as a measure of desperation but the spot of smoke showed that it was only a feeble attempt.
"How sad you to not perform your duty anymore" the crow laughed and he stabbed straight through my shoulder. He could have made a killing blow by now, I was now his plaything to make suffer. How shameful we as hunters are at this moment. I bloodied and tortured and the crow only mocking me in pain. Did we not make an oath to anyone?
"I would like to give you comfort as you-"
"Just do it you bloody bastard!" I said interrupting his nauseating raving. He was close as he made a dashing piercing blow inside my chest. I saw a flash of scattered memories run across me. A doll whose comforting words gave me wisdom at my most dire of need. My teacher who showed me patience in teaching, but nothing more. Why can I not remember more?
I coughed blood and knew my time was to come. I looked at the Bloody Crow and knew he was finished torturing me. "Your time for hunting is over old hunter. Go in peace" was all he said and walked away from me like a dead dog in an alley. I was shamed with dying wounds and an old heart. I was never prepared for this fight. My elderly bones were just no match.
I crawled outside of the Cathedral with bloody streaks marking behind me. I could only make it just outside the large doors and laid my back close to the stairs. I started to count my breaths to wonder which will be my last. I thought as a hunter that I knew what fear actually was, horrible beasts and monsters are what make humanity shake in trepidation. But this...this was so much different. I will never dream again, only blackness no that is incorrect. There will be no color. I will be just another dead carcass in Yharnam, I knew this day was to come but why now? Why ever?
It's was cycle I hoped to break. That's why I will not dream. My age has made me tired of the cycle of butchery I had to deal to so many. But oh how I miss my doll. The shining moon that gives me joy. I miss that. Maybe I will just rest for now. Yes, just close my eyes and rest. I am a hunter, I have always recovered from such horrible injury, and this will not be any different. I will only close my eyes...to just...rest.
