Fear the Old Blood

Izuku sighs as he watches Katsuki walk off to the area he had chosen to explore. He listens to the footsteps fade away as he turns towards the large doors of the Grand Cathedral.

Even just looking at it made him feel uneasy. He bites his lip and looks around, feeling the full gravity of how alone he really was. A single footstep seemed to echo on forever in the Cathedral Ward. He shakes his head, looking towards the path he's chosen. Round to the right of the Grand Cathedral.

He sighs, walking forward. Izuku looks around as he walks forward. Looking upwards he tries to see the top of the Cathedral, finding that it spans impossibly high. The clocktower standing atop the holy place, the bell toll echoing throughout the Ward. He hums to himself, looking back down to the eye level world.

As he walks along the stone path, he sees man statues huddled together. Carved out to reflect the misery of the world. People draped in stone clothes, faces unseen hold out hands that either contain small, barely lit candles or a plea of help. Other statues look towards the cosmos, seeming to pray to gods that offer to answer to their cries. Other statues merely hold themselves in an attempt to comfort themselves in their world of despair.

"What compelled people to carve out statues like this?" He asks himself, trying to fill in the silence. Now that he thought about it... "Why are there so many of these statues anyway?" Another question. With no semblance of answer, other than his personal speculations.

"Was it just something that became part of their culture? But why would they want to make that part of the usual customs of this city? Is it just something that became preferred over the years?" He begins to mutter to himself, the verbal rambling of is thoughts taking his mind off of his objective at the moment.

It wasn't until he almost fell down the stairs he snapped out of thoughts. Catching himself and clinging onto the stair railing, gathering himself and reminding himself what he was supposed to be doing. Reminding himself that he had to focus.

He sighs and takes a moment to refocus himself, taking in his surroundings. He was halfway down the stairs, leading to an area that has a rather straightforward path leading downwards. He takes a few steps forward, seeing a rooftop that can be reached easily. Off to the left there's a break in the railing, looks like somewhere he can drop down. He walks over, looking down the fall, on the top of one of the roofs was a body.

"That seems unfortunate..." He mutters to himself as he backs away, the fall doesn't seem that far looking at it. It seemed that the man who fell to his death had lost his footing and met the roof face first. He hums to himself, seeing an item of some kind next to the body. He'd get it later, right now he was more interested in seeing what was down those stairs. He sighs as he walks towards the stairs hearing a few dry leaves crunching under his feet, the only thing really cutting through the silence.

He stops at the top of the steps, looking down at the path set before him. A narrow set of worn down stairs leading to what was probably a courtyard. As he makes his way down the stairs he hears something that sends his mind into full alert. A sharp crackle, like lightning, cuts through the quiet air.

Izuku pulls out his saw spear and blunderbuss, looking ahead as he hears slow, calm footsteps slowly making their way towards him. He makes himself take another step forward, only stopping when he sees a masked, hooded figure making their way towards him. Izuku makes note of his weapons as the figure catches site of him, walking towards the teenager with a much more brisk pace.

A wooden shield in their left hand, it looks old and worn down. Only held together by small bits of rope and sheer luck. In their right hand was a small staff like objet, a metal sphere at the end that seems to be the source of the electricity.

Izuku slowly backs up the stairs, his mind going high speed as he analyzes the weapons.

Calm, controlled. The staff would probably do more blunt damage than anything. Considering how the hunter held it, the sphere was rather heavy and would most probably hurt, when he was hit with it. Not to mention that the electricity would probably stun him for a good few seconds, he couldn't quite determine what the voltage could be from where he stood. He readies himself as the man dashes towards him, swinging the weapon in a wide arc; making Izuku jumps back, the carckling orb barely missing him by a few centimeters.

He's quick, well so is Izuku.

He grunt as he presses the trigger of his spear, thrusting forward and catching the wooden shield in his attack. He hurriedly pulls the spear back and shoots the blunderbuss, the bullets catching the shield. He notices how the man tensed up with the second attack, drawing the shield in closer.

Alright, three hits might break his guard and stun him a moment. Giving him the opportunity to get a few good hits in. An easy pattern to recognize, but that meant getting in close and the possibility of him getting tazed was high. Considering how quickly the man could move around...although, if he used One For All...

Izuku dodges and swipes at the man as a plan forms quickly in his mind, there are a lot of holes and possible pitfalls but it was fine for now. He yells as he knocks the man back a bit, making him stagger but keep the shield up. That was fine, it gave him the small window of time he needed to focus his energy and send it rushing through his body. Green lightning crackling and sparks around his body. He sees the man seem more attentive, for a moment thinking he had heard him mutter something under his breath.

Izuku rushes forward, unsure how long his quirk would stay with him. He has to make the best use of it while he can, he dodges to the side and swings a fist at the shield that came up quickly.

One

Another swing, he felt the shield slightly give under his punch.

Two

He grits his teeth as he feels the strength of One For All begin to drain away, the green glow around him starting to dim. His mind races in mild alarm and worry, not a lot of time really given towards his power.

In his moment of dropped guard and little attention he swung his fist mindlessly, not expecting the man to dodge to the side. Izuku watches the man raise the small staff, unable to react fast enough to move out of the way. He's only able to twist his body to plant his feet on the ground in a futile attempt at escape. He tries to jump away, only to feel what felt like a hard punch to the gut. He would have fallen to his knees if he could, his limbs stiffen up and don't allow movement.

His breath catches in his throat as he feels the violent lightning course through his body, a scream of pain and surprise wants to escape, only to stay frozen in his chest. Izuku watches the man run at him and kick him down the stairs, the electrocution finally wearing off. He yells in pain as he's sent tumbling down the stairs, struggling to regain his balance as he rolls to the foot of the stairs.

He groans, slowly getting to his feet.

That was sloppy, really sloppy. Aizawa would surely have his head if he had seen that. Right after he kicked the guy's ass, but he most certainly would scold Izuku for that one.

He looks up, hearing the crackling of energy of the staff. Alright, now he knew better. The guys was most definitely fast, and may be just as observant as him. Looks like skill and brute force is going to solve this one.

As he presses the trigger of his weapon, putting it back into the full form. As he's about to go up to face the man he hears the sound of a gun going off, and quicker than he could register it he feels a bullet bury itself into his back. He whirls around, seeing another hunter beside a well. He held a strange gun, it was pretty interesting build; too bad he couldn't really admire it as he presses the trigger again and the man from before came running at him.

He ducks down, narrowly avoiding a bullet. He hears a grunt of pain as the bullet buries itself into his friend. He dashes away as the man brings the weapon down with a yell, cracking the pavement beneath him.

Two against one, perfect. One who seemed to favor range and the other was very good at close range. Perfect, simply perfect.

He jumps back with a yelp, ducking down and running over to the side of the well. He saw how the second hunter kept his distance jumping away whenever Izuku came within a few feet of him. He fired off the gun again, the bullet embedding itself into the well. His friend dashes past him, running around the well and swinging his weapon at Izuku. Izuku took the moment fire fire off his blunderbuss, flinching when he heard that strange ringing noise.

He took the chance rush forward and dig his hand into the hunter's abdomen, gripping the innards tightly and ripping them out. Stunning the hunter and making him fall back. He looks up as he hears the click of a gun, moving to the side as a bullet grazes his cheek. He watches the man begin to walk to the side, gripping what looked like a spear tightly in his right hand. Izuku looks to the recovering hunter and fires the blunderbuss at him.

Izuku rushes forward, watching the man back up hurriedly as he sheathes the gun. What he hadn't quite been expecting was that the spear could also shoot bullets. He discovered this when he was about to bring the saw spear down on the man, only to feel the breath knocked from his lungs as yet another bullet lodges itself in his chest.

"You gotta be kidding me..." He mutters sofly, darting side to side as the man keeps trying to shoot him. By the time the first hunter had recovered and gotten back to his feet Izuku was already halfway up the stairs, dodging the swipes of the spear. He looks up when he hears the familiar crackling of lightning, seeing the first hunter heading towards him. Izuku quickly steps back from another swipe, about to rush forward only to have more bullets pierce into him.

He grunts and runs up the stairs, stabbing himself in the leg. He couldn't fight them in close quarters, and with such little space to move around. As he ran up the stairs he noticed the first hunter, the one with the lightning staff was more than eager to follow him, and the other one began to retreat back down the stairs. So one was more conservative, and preferred to stay in familiar territory; while the other was willing to come forward.

Izuku retreats back to the top of the stairs, trying his best to summon One For All again, only to feel deflated and empty. He heads into the slightly more open area, the man rushing after him despite his injuries. Izuku took note how he struggled to stand up straight, probably in immense pain after having his innards ripped out. His shield also looked worse for wear, so hopefully he could at least break through that.

The man came running towards him, lightning sparking at the edge of his weapon. He tries to Izuku with a hard swipe, only to receive a bullet for his troubles. Staggering for a moment, unable to recover fast enough to dodge the green-nette's quick swipes from the saw spear.

One

He tightened his grip to the shield, tensing up and trying to keep balance.

Two

The wooden shield almost gives way under his fist, hearing the wood splintering. He fires the gun so he keeps the shield up, staying on the defensive. He draws the spear back, pressing the trigger to give him reach. He thrusts forward.

Three

The shield breaks under the hit, it's lifespan seeming to come to an end. If he could have seen the man's face, Izuku would expect a shocked expression in crisis. Oh, and in crisis he was.

The man brings the small staff down in an attempt to hit Izuku, as he was right in front of him. Only to fall to his knees when a bullet is buried into his chest, Izuku takes the moment and repeats the first attack. Driving his hand into the already bleeding wound, and ripping out whatever was left. He hears the man scream and fall back, his body fading into a blue mist in death.

He takes a shaky sigh and look back down the stairs, then around the area. He looks to where the hunter's body had disappeared and sees three strange papers lying on the ground. Curious, he walks over and picks them up. As he takes them he feels some kind of electric energy humming from the papers, similar to what he was struck with.

He pondered what they could be for a moment before stuffing them into his bag, his mind going to the second hunter.

Izuku walks over to where he saw the body on the roof, peering down to look at the man. In all reality, it was hard to see the man from where he stood, he blended into the environment pretty well. He was only able to see the man when he shifted a bit, seeming rather nervous and skittish.

"He's probably expecting me to head down from the stairs, and with how loud the man yelled he probably knows I killed him..." Izuku mutters to himself, feeling a small pang of guilt. He shakes his head and pushes it down, no. Can't focus on that right now.

"As soon as he sees me he's going to fire like crazy, he had pretty good range. And if I get in too close he's going to impale me or shoot me blank point, and that does a lot of damage." He looks down to his chest, his hand unconsciously going to where he had been shot by Henryk. He wasn't sure why, but he swore the rough, stinging pain that he had felt then, never really left. It felt like that quicksilver bullet was still in his chest.

"But if I came from behind..." He looks at the man, seeing how he seemed to keep his gaze trained on the stairs. "Maybe I can take him by surprise, and hopefully I can take it from there." He looks down to the roof, yeah he could easily make that.

He keeps an eye on the hunter as he jumps down onto the roof, landing away from the body. Izuku looks to the body and to the item next to it. There were stab wounds and the clothes were torn up. So the man might have actually been thrown down onto the roof, by what? He didn't really care to guess, he just grabs a strange squishy lump of blood and stuffs it into his bag. He looks around a chimney, the man still not paying any kind of attention to him.

Izuku walks to the end of the roof, dropping down between a wall and the natural rock wall. He stifles a yelp as he almost get's caught in the branches of a tree, almost landing face first in the dirt. Graceful as usual.

He slowly walks out, still going on unnoticed. He creeps around, slowly treading towards the man. He stands behind the man, a strange anticipation welling up inside of him. He takes his stance and brings the saw sleaver back. He hears the soft ring, and the pale light appear at the edge of the weapon; and brings it down on the man's turned back. He hears a yell of pain and surprise, watching him fall to his knees and doing the couresy of ripping out his innards.

He feels hot blood spray onto his face and clothes s the man falls forward, groaning as he tries to get to his feet. Struggling to push through the pain and shock. Izuku presses the blunderbuss against the man's head, pressing the trigger and hearing another yell of pain.

Surprisingly the man had been able to scramble to his feet faster than Izuku thought possible with those injuries. He sees the man jump back a bit and fire the gun, narrowly missing him. The man was heaving, seeming to struggle staying on his feet.

Izuku looks oer the man, he's fast too, and likes to keep his distance. If he could just close the space fast enough, he could probably get a few solid hits in. Maybe if he hits the man just right, he can finish him.

He huffs and dodges to the sideas more bullets come shooting towards him. He runs behind the well and grits his teeth, feeling One For All course through his body again. Good, hopefully it would last him long enough.

He waits for a moment before the gun goes off again, jumping up and rushing towards the man. Jumping from side to side, avoiding bullets that whizz past him. He gunts as he jumps above the man, landing behind him.

"SMASH!" He yells, driving his fist in the man's side, he hears a loud crack and the man goes tumbling away. Hitting the base of the stairs with a yell, he coughs and holds the area where he was punched. There was probably some internal bleeding if Izuku had hit his ribs hard enough to break them, probably a pireced lung. The man struggled to get up, his body not obeying his commands to rise.

Izuku rushes over and finishes the man off, hearing him yell and disappear into a blue mist. As the man disappears a few bullets clatter to the ground. He feels his quirk drain away and he gathers the bullets. He looks around, seeing to way to go. There seemed to be a pathway that led behind a stack of large boulders, and another set of stairs. Leading further downwards.

Izuku looks over his options, humming after a moment. He hums and walks towards the boulders, stairs seemed to lead to death and very hostile creatures.

He walks to the edge of the cliff, looking around. From where he stands he can see the courtyard where he just was, and stright ahead there was another pace to drop down to. And yet another bloodied body that looks like they had been trying to escape. Izuku drops down next to it, raising aneyebrow in confusion. It was a nicely dressed man, a look of fear and terror immortalized in his carcass. There weren't any stab wounds or large gashes, but instead what looked like bullet wounds.

"He was shot, and porbably bled to death since there's no bullet wounds in his head. It was probably that one hunter with the gun." He puts his hand on his chin, his gaze turning upwards. "But what is it they were trying to keep hidden, nobody would just stay here for no reason. Maybe they were posted here by a superior, but then who would that have been? And that asks the question, why are they trying to keep it hidden?" He mutters to himself, beginning to list off a few possibilities until he hears a wheeze and a cough from down below.

He looks around before walking forward, carefully looking over the rocky ledge. Down below are two gunmen, each on their own respective ledges. They seem to be watching over an open area further down below. Izuku tries to see what was ahead, only to almost fall forward and gain the attention of the man below him.

While Izuku regains his balance the man loads his gun and shoots uselessly at hit, the bullet only hitting the stone above and rendering itself harmless. The man growls, and as about to reload, Izuku jumps down and quickly kills off the man as quietly as possible. The less of these people know about him most certainly the better. He creeps to the edge and the last gunman down below still hasn't taken notice of him. Instead watching over two large, armored brutes that carry even larger axes.

Oh great...

Izuku tries to think about how he would deal with them, until he reminds himself that he still has the last man to deal with. He quickly drops down, swinging the spear downwards and pinning the man to the ground. The man yells in pain, and growls at the teenager, only to perish a moment after. He ducks down and looks over the edge, biting his lip when he sees one of the brutes had heard and taken notice. He stopped patrolling and stares up where the noise was made.

Izuku waits for a moment, feeling the stare of the beast. After a moment the brute walks away, resuming it's patrolling, growling and stomping away. Izuku hums and watches the one leaving, seeing it go up some kind of hill off to the side. It walks back down and back to the wall, then repeats it's patrol route.

They're strong and fast, and their weak points are behind them; but they can react quicky. I'm not sure I can stun them mid attack, my bullets miight not be strong enough.

Izuku keeps looking around, he could possibly use the environment to his advantage. He'd lose that the minute he jumped down for a surprise attack, and looking at the distance between the two brutes surely the second would see him and come after him. So it'd be a two versus one, the one at a complete loss of advantage. The only upper hand he might have on them is agility, but it can't help him if they're fast enough to slice him in two.

He began muttering to himself again, going over what he could possibly do. The option of just running past them coming up again and again, but the possibility of them following him was just too great.

I can maybe lure one away up to the courtyard, giving me more space to work with and only having to take on one. Once I finish it off I can deal with this one and I'll have the entire area to myself.

He repeatedly goes over the plan, making sure he has most possibilities planned out. Such as if they both run up after him to the courtyard he could possibly go around and jump off the small ledges and run like hell to what was ahead. And if it was a dead end...well it would be safe to say he would fucked.

He waits until the brute turns from the wall before jumping from his perch. He yells as he swings his weapon down, getting the attention of the beast. It wasn't able to react fast enough to counter in any way, the weight of the teenager slamming down onto him as the teeth of the saw spear roughly cuts into the armor. He hears something break as he jumps off of the collapsed beast that slowly gets it it's feet.

He turns to the brute and yells as he sees it running at him, recovering faster than he thought it would. Izuku races towards the hill, the beast growling and roaring hot on his heels. Much to his relief the second one didn't take notice, leaving him with just the one to deal with. He hears the stomping footsteps getting closer and closer as he runs into a narrow tunnel. He grunts as he falls over, a strange creature covered in a bunch of faces hissing at him skitters past him.

He only had a moment to process what the hell that thing was before the beast came barreling towards him, managing to get through the narrow opening. He scrambled to get to his feet, only to drop back down again as the beast tried to swing the large axe in a small arc; seeing it embedding itself into the wall. He watches the beast struggle in the narrow pathway, not having enough room to fully utilize it's strength and free the axe.

An idea comes to Izuku as he scrambles to his feet, running towards the beast and clamoring over it to get to it's back. And as if the beast knew what the boy was planning it had begun to try harder to get the axe free.

Izuku draws the saw spear back and brings it down on the back of the beast, forcing it to it's knees. He saw the armor had given way under the attack, looking weaker and more worn than the front of the armor. Izuku grunts as he drives his hadn into the beast, the armor breaking under the force but the metal cuts into his hand and arm. He says nothing as he forces the innards out into the open air, dropping the bloody bits to the ground as the creature collapses.

"Okay, one down." He says to himself, getting two blood vials for his troubles. He takes a moment to look oer himself, a few bullet holes and a little scuffed up, he could feel a major bruise on his abdomen. He quickly uses one of the blood vials and huffs as he feels himself recover, it still felt strange and kind of hurt with how everything just righted itself so suddenly. It was nice, certainly saved recoery time, still was a bit hard to get used to though.

He sighs to himself as he walks back down the path, taking a moment to wonder how the others are doing. What if they're already finished? How likely is that? Are they alright? If he finishes up here before them should he go after one of them and help them out?

His mind goes to Kacchan for a moment before completely snuffing the idea out, his tempermental friend had promised some kind of punishment should anyone follow him. That threat had been mostly directed to Izuku though.

Todoroki was probably fine, he was more than capable of taking care of himself and probably didn't need any kind of assistance. Same thing for Kacchan, except the threat of being blown up was there, where was Todoroki might be more accepting of the company.

Izuku shakes his head and looks ahead, they're fine. They don't need him, they can take care of themselves. He looks up and finds the second brute staring him down across the way, so much for his element of surprise.

He watches the armored creature begin to run towards him, the axe raised in the air. Izuku rushes towards the brute as well, watching it jump up and quickly ducking to the side as the heavy weapon was brought down. It slammed to the ground, it rang out as it struck stone.

Izuku grunts as he swipes at the beast twice before jumping back, the axe nearly cutting into him. He watches the beast hold up the weapon defensively, slowly stalking over to the teen who was backing up. He jumps when he hears another vicious hiss at his feet. There was another one of those strange creatures covered in faces, some grinning, others weeping, and a few look like rotting skulls.

Out of surprise he had shot it, killing it. His attention went back to the brute as it had spun around, missing him once but catching him the second time. He yelled as he crashed into a tree, feeling blood seeping from the wound. Lovely.

The beast came running at him and he ducked down, dodging to the side and hitting it again. The beast whirled around and slammed it's head to the ground, forcing the boy to the ground as well. He yelped as the axe was almost brought down on his head, quickly avoiding it by rolling to the side. He feels the ground tremble under the force the axe was slammed to the ground, he looks up as the beast quicly raises it's axe to bring it in a wide arc.

As he swings it Izuku fire the blunderbuss, catching it as the axe slammed into him. He yelled in pain and went tumbling, a deep laceration on his arm, a bit above the elbow. He yells and holds the wound, his arm was barely hanging on. He looks up and sees the creature on it's knees, momentarily stunned.

He forces himself to his feet and rushes towards the beast, unconsciously channeling One For All. He yells as he forces his fist through the intact armor, feeling it shatter under his fist. He forces his hand into the body of the creature, roughly grabbing whatever rotting organs are inside and pulls them out. As the beast's blood runs down his face he feels the wound from earlier close up, recovering instantly.

He steps away and watches the beast fall to the ground, whatever power it held inside was now his. He pants as he wipes a bit of blood off his brow, then stabs his leg. He feels whatever injuires he had before fade away. He sighs and looks ahead, seeing a strange room up ahead. From where he stands he can see a large room up ahead.

He slowly makes his way into the open doorway, looking around the circular room. He lets out a small 'wow' under his breath as he circles around. Tall pillars reach upwards, seemingly endlessly. He can't even see the ceiling, there's no logt that reaches that far up. He turns his gaze downwards and looks around his immediate area.

In the middle of the room was a strange tub, a large bath. He walks over, kneeling down and putting a finger in the water. Pleasantly surprised when he feels it's cold, refreshing water. He sighs and cup his hands, taking some of the water and rubbing his face. He feels some of the grime and blood wash off, feeling refreshed as he shakes a bit of the water off. He would wipe his face on his sleeve, but that is covered in blood as well.

He looks to the small cloth he keeps around his neck, knowing it goes over his mouth. He sits down cross-legged and takes off his hat and the mouth cover, then taking off his gloves and running a hand through his hair. He couldn't really stand hats, he wasn't too sure he had put that one on though.

He grabs the hat and shoves it in his bag, as well as the cloth. He didn't really care for them, he felt they weren't really necessary. He sighs and looks straight ahead, seeing a large set of doors. He stands up and sighs, putting on his gloves real quick.

"So this what they were guarding?" He mutters, walking forward and standing before the tall doors. He walks forward, putting a hand to the doors. A sick feeling crept up his spine, it wsn't like the door of the Cathedral that made him want to run away. Like there was someting lurking inside that had practically dared him to open the doors.

With these doors, it was just a feeling that he shouldn't be there. Like it was meant to be forgotten and unknown. He put his ear to the door, trying to listen for anything.

Silence.

He couldn't hear anything, like there was nothing but the void on the other side of the door. Something nonexistent and never meant to be. He looks at the doors, grunting as he tries to open the doors.

He stops after a moment and seps away from the doors.

"Nothing, there's nothing here." He mutters, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It had been a meaningless effort, there was nothing. He huffs and starts to walk away, suddenly freezing when he thought he heard something. He spun around and jumped back when he saw a dark vortex heding towards him, threatening to consume him. He gets a bit of distance, running to the entrance and looking towards the sealed doors, seeing the vortex disappearing.

"That's...that's just like the one by the chapel!' He says. A violent chill runs down his spine as he feels something turn it's eyes on him. Something tells him to run far away and not to return, and he listens. He races from the strage building, running past the dead bodies of the executioners and racing through the courtyard. He flies up the stairs and runs to the stairs of the Great Cathedral, only stopping after he tripped over one of the wooden crucifixes carried by the black garbed men.

He grunts, falling over and smacking his face on the stone stairs. He groans and sits up, holding his bleeding nose. He looks around, seeing he's sitting on the steps of the Grand Cathedral. He sighs and looks down wiping away and blood and looking at the ground.

You're useless Deku!

He groans and rubs his eyes, trying to push down that annoying message he's been told time and again. Even if it's true.

He just turned tail and ran away from nothing, nothing! There was nothing there, just a bad feeling. Why on earth did he run away, what was there?

He rubs his temples, his head starting to hurt.

There's nothing to be scared of, why should something so trivial as a bad feeling send you running?

Because you know something is wrong, you know something bad is in there. Whatever made that dark vortex is not good.His mind came up with no argument, going blank for a moment. It felt like his fear had been justified, yet it felt like he was just being a coward. He sighs and looks at the doors of the Grand Cathedral, his mind going back to that moment where he had first touched the doors. That feeling of absolute fear, the strange presence that shook him to his core.

What is there to be scared of in there?

I don't know..

He sighs and stands up, walking down the stairs and away from the cathedral. His mind running a million miles a minute, most just scolding himself and trying to convince himself to open the doors to the Cathedral.

What was there to be afraid of?

Everything.

He sighs as he heads to the chapel, trying to find a way to distract his mind. Trying to shove down the quiet words that keep plaguing him.

He argues with himself in mumbles, subconsciously avoiding the bodies on the ground. He keeps a tight grip on his weapon, a small anchor to keep him form getting too lost in his own mind. He mildly debates about looking into one of the other areas the others went to, just to see how they're doing. Maybe they could use a hand...no, he already went over this they wouldn't need him there.

"Mister Deku!"

He looks up, finding that he's already made it to the chapel. He couldn't help but find a smile on his face when she ran up to him, she looked relieved to see him there.

"Mister Deku, did you find mommy or daddy?" She asks, unable to hide the anticipation in her voice.

Izuku struggles to keep his face impassive, his mind going back to the promise they made...or rather the promise Katsuki made for them. Even Kacchan didn't have the heart to tell the girl they essentially murdered her father, and her father killed her mother. In all reality could anyone be able to do that?

Pro heroes do it all the time idiot, grow a pair.

"No, no I didn't. All I really found was a dead end, but maybe Kachan and Todoroki might be able to find them." He answers, forcing a small smile on his face. "I was...actually going to go see somebody back in Central Yharnam. Maybe he's seen them?"

The girl deflated a bit at that answer, then looked at him; or rather his chest.

"Does it still hurt?" She asks, pointing to his chest.

"N-No, not really. Not anymore." He answers.

She fiddled with her hands a bit, unsure what to say.

"Is Miss Eileen okay?" She asks.

"I'm sure she is, I can go check if you want." He offers, receiving a small nod in return.

He sighs softly and starts to head towards the tomb, stopping when he feels a small hand grab his.

"Mister Deku?"

"Hm?"

"...thank you." She mumbles softly, clinging to him for a moment before letting him go and going back to talk to the Chapel Dweller.

Izuku stays there for a moment before moving forward again, going down the stairs and walking past the bookcases, pushing in the stray chair and heading down the ladder.

He drops down, water sloshing around as he walks forward. He quickly goes through the narrow passage and walks down to the tomb. Passing through the once locked gates and down the old stone stairs.

He mind began to wander as he walked through the graveyard, stepping over shattered graves and remains of statues. He looked around for the crow hunter, not too sure what she had looked like, he had only gotten a quick glimpse of her when she questioned him then dashed off.

He saw a figure resting against the large statue, arms crossed and head down.

Looked like she was resting, maybe he could talk her after he checked on Gilbert. If she was awake, he shouldn't disturb her.

He hears the bell chime in the distance, echoing throught the silent city.

The silence was what bothered him, it was aways there no matter what. Even with the multitudes of enemies that came barreling at him, once they were gone nothing was there to break through the deafening silence, even a little bit. Nothing to distract his mind, leaving his thoughts able to rampage everywhere and nowhere.

He put a hand to his chest as he stepped over the idiots that were killed by their own ball of fire.

His mind begins to replay the events as he cuts down another stray enemy that decided it would be a good idea to attack him.

He ran, no he bolted. He screamed at him to stop, not sure why he had expected the hunter to heed his plea.

He saw the fear she was in the paralyzed state that sent the fight or flight instinct out the window. His own sent him fighting, he felt himself unconsciously tap into his power.

Green lightning met crimson when he jumped in front of her, grabbing the barrel of the gun and forcing it down. He heard him press the trigger and he remembered screaming in pain, for some reason it hurt like hell. It hurt more than the regular quicksilver bullets the citizens attacked him with. He had been shot in the chest, he had felt the got quicksilver pass between his ribsd hit something vital.

On instinct he drew back his fist and punched the man to the ground, whirling around and grabbing Victoria. He heard her yelp as he picked her up, dashing up the stairs.

That's when things had begin to go blurry and whatever leash he had on his temper had temporarily vanished. He heard hurried footsteps chasing after him, some kind of yell that prompted him to turn around once more.

Henryk had made the mistake of chasing after him. He had turned around and grabbed the man's collar, using the great strength his quirk blessed him with and slammed him into the wall.

He heard a crack that felt so sickeningly satisfying, he wanted this man to hurt, to suffer.

He had felt a manic grin across his face before he had seen Katsuki and Shouto run up the stairs. Once he caught a glimpse o them he felt his temper deflate, no. He couldn't unload there, he couldn't lose himself then. Not when there was a scared little girl in his arms.

He felt a pang of guilt, he shouldn't have taken out what little rage he let out there. But it was justified right? He had almost killed Victoria..

But what little he let out was not all directed at the man, no.

There was a good amount of that directed towards that one villain, what was his name again? Shigaraki right? Yeah, yeah that had to be it.

Izuku had a lot of patience, one would say infinite. But there's always a limit for everything, but he could never find a good way to really let it out.

His mind would sometimes go back to the time when he was small, when he had felt frustrated at Kacchan. He had been beaten up again for being a 'Quirkless Deku'. He knew he had no power to stand up against his friend. None at all, so he shoved that frustration deep, deep down into the dark where it didn't need to be seen. And he continued to forgive him, that frustration beginning to be directed at himself.

It felt right, like he did deserve to be frustrated at himself. He couldn't even muster the courage to stand up to Kacchan, to tell him to stop. Not that he would.

But with that Shigaraki bastard...

He was scared at first, absolutely terrified. Then Aizawa-sensei had gotten hurt, then Tsu was almost killed.

Everyboy was in danger, everybody could have died.

He had hurt the people he cared about, and it had just been a game.

A game.

It was only a game when he had hurt Kacchan and Todoroki, who could have died. He could have decayed right before his eyes.

It felt like an insult in all honesty, and the thought made him want to beat the villain to the ground.

He wanted him to hurt.

Hurt, no suffer.

Yeah that sounded about right.

What if he had gotten sucked into this place too?

Oh what a thrilling thought.

He would be as powerless as them, his Quirk would be rendered useless by whatever strange force that kept their quirks away from them. That left them feeling empty and helpless.

Would he have infinite lives like Izuku and the others, or would be be so unfortunate to have not gotten any of the miracle blood that bounded them to the Dream?

He didn't know which would be better.

Making him suffer infinitely, or just the one chance to get rid of him once and for all?

It felt like his teeth wre vibrating as the darker thoughts began to rampage through his mind.

He felt something warm splatter onto his face, a beast's blood for sure.

His mind began to wander, what would Shigaraki's blood feel like, drenching his shirt in bitter, coppery crimson. Getting his just deserts, getting everything everything he deserved.

It would certainly feel satisfying right?

Of course, but how should he do would be the question.

Should he hack him to pieces with one of the weapons of Yharnam? Or should his rip him apart with his own strength?

His teeth chatter as he allowed bright green lightning to spark around him, feeling great strength course his veins as he roughly rips out the innards of some kind of creature. More hot blood splattering, excitement bubbles up.

What if it it had been Shigaraki?

That would have disappointing, he wouldn't have seen his face, the way way it would have been twisted in absolute agony. How everything that belonged inside would instead be exposed to the light of day. How the hot blood would run over the cool cobblestone of the city. He would gladly bring the body back home, only to throw it in front of the villains and show them how powerless, how worthless they really were!

Wait, what?

No, he just...it's just Shigaraki right? That's the only person he would...

By why just get rid of one when you can get rid of them all?

But that's not what a hero would do right?

You're not a hero, you're a hunter.

That doesn't mean anything does it? There's still a moral ground, still an entire world of right and wrong.

Except here, where blood must be spilled to survive. There is no such thing as right and wrong.

No that's a lie

He felt his body trembling terribly, his mind was still racing. It was like an immovable object met an unstoppable force, he was trying to stop these violent thoughts...where had they come from? Why would he...never. Never he would never do that so why, why did it seem like the most desirable thing in the world.

Stop it!

He reached out for something, something to ground him, to bring himself back to reality. He felt something hard and metal in his hand, it was attacked to something bigger. Okay, that's okay.

Where was he now? What happened?

His grip tightened on the bar, he couldn't focus. Everything felt wrong, everything felt dizzying. What was going on?

"Young man...I would appreciate it if you didn't break the rung to the ladder." A woman's voice broke through his thoughts.

He gasped and looked around, finally free from the mental cage. He felt himself panting, it felt hard to breathe at the moment. He looked at the source of the voice, seeing a slightly taller figure right beside him. Her cloak was covered in blood, he was suddenly aware of how much everything hurt.

He groans as he falls to his knees, letting go of his grip on the ladder.

He felt so confused, where was he? What happened?

"You certainly put yourself through the ringer little hunter." The figure with the crow's mask knelt down, looking him over. "You have more blood vials yes?" She asks.

Izuku wordlessly nods, stabbing himself in the leg. He felt whatever wounds he had sustained fade away, as if they never existed.

"What, happened I thought I was heading over to..." He gagged, oh god he felt nauseous.

He forced himself up and ran to a stone railing right next to the ladder. Ah, now he remembers where he was, the sewers. Where Victoria had run through and went up the ladder.

Damn he didn't make it very far.

He leaned over, emptying whatever could possibly be in his stomach. It felt like there should be nothing, he hadn't eaten in...how long?

That was a good question, how much time had passed. It was still a late afternoon in Yharnam...but time didn't feel real there. How long has it been afternoon? How many days has passed since they were taken?

How long has his mother been worrying about him, wondering where on earth her dearest son could be? How many sleepless nights have passed for her? How many new gray hairs has he caused her?

Guilt didn't make his already queasy stomach feel any better. Leaving him feeling even dizzier and more nauseous.

With shaking knees he collapsed again, his hads still on the railing.

"You were mumbling to yourself when you left the tomb. Something felt off and I followed you." She says, watching him closely. "You visited some person, keeping your words brief, you seemed a tad bit aggresive. You had taken something from him then, much to my own surprise, you headed towards the beast. You made awfully quick work of them, and they almost killed you off plenty of times. For some reason you didn't use your blood vails, just taking the hits."

She raises an unseen eyebrow to the boy's shocked face.

"I take it you don't remember any of this?"

He shakes his head, getting hurriedly to his feet; only to stumble a bit.

"What! How long has...Are Kacchan and Todoroki back already? I shouldn't have-"

"Hardly any time has passed." She stops him, grabbing the back of his coat to keep him from scrambling up the ladder.

He turns to her. "Huh?"

She stares at him, sending chills running up and down his spine. She waits for a moment before letting go of the coat.

"Your mind is fraying awfully early little hunter. Night has not even set in yet." She gestures him to step to the side, then motioning for him follow her as she climbs up the ladder.

Izuku watches her climb the ladder before numbly climbing up after her. He felt his head spinning in confusion, when had he talked to Gilbert? What had he taken? Why did he go after the beasts? What was going on?

He began mumbling questions to himself, trying to wrap his mind around what happened. All he could really remember was...wanting to hurt someone.

No, he he wouldn't do that, he would be so brutal to the villain. That wasn't right, he doesn't deserve to die but...

"You seem to favor mumbling to yourself." She sighs, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah...it's a bad habit of mine." He says quietly, following her back to the tomb.

He looked around, stifling a gasp when he saw the torn up bodies of beasts. Blood and body parts scattered all over the place, the walls and ground was painted red. With what was probably both his blood and the beast's blood.

"Did I-"

"Yes." She said, already aware of what he was going to ask.

They climb the stairs in silence, a tension hanging in the air. The teenager couldn't help but feel like he did something wrong, what he did, he's not too sure.

They walk into the tomb, up to the leaning statue. She leans her back against the statue, crossing her arms and stares at Izuku for a moment.

She sees him sweating up a storm, he looks nervous as hell.

Good, if there's one thing she feels she should instill into him it's fear. Not of the beasts, or of blood. But of her. If this boy could possibily be close to anything she's seen in the streets, maybe this fear could keep him on the right track.

"You lost yourself." She says simply, earning confused look.

He opens his mouth to speak, only for he to keep talking.

"Your mind went to a darker place, and you let youself get lost." She tells him. "It's not uncommon for hunters to mentally lose themselves, it can often help them fight back the fear they have of the beasts. But you...you lost track of yourself. You let yourself fall into that dark hole of sadism we all have, especially towards those who hurt us."

"I..."

She held up a hand, making him stop.

"You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, you're responsible and seem trustworthy." She tilts her head. "Are you aware of what my occupation is?" She asks.

He shakes his head, of course. The only interaction they really had was just her running up to him, asking what was going on, then bolting away.

"I am a hunter like you." She felt a small smile play on her lips. "But my prey differs from yours."

"Your prey?" He asks, a bit of apprehension rising in his voice. She took note how he quickly scanned her, his eyes darting to the blades, her gun, and her mask. He was observant, seemed clever, and with how he fought he was very strong, and brutal. From watching his fights with the beast it was clear he would take the most brutal way out if it meant clearing everything out quickly and getting out alive.

Just what Yharnam needed, a strong hunter with a dash of mental instablity. Perfect.

"Is it safe to assume you hunt...hunters?" He asks, planting one foot behind him. He was expecting a fight, and he hadn't seen her fighting style. So he would either run away or dart forward for a strike.

She nods, still not moving from her comfortable position. "As I said, a good head on your shoulders. Do you know why I have to hunt hunters?" She asks.

"Because all of them turn into beasts at some point? Because some are more dangerous than others?" He responds, it came out more like a wary question than a confident and definite response.

She nods. "Both correct answers. Are you aware what category you fall into young man?" She asks, her eyes darting to his hand when she saw it twitch. He was scared, reasonable. But he was most likely still disoriented. He was still pale, and he was probably still stuck in his head somewhat.

"I would hope neither."

She chuckles. "You are dangerous, but you're not unhinged like so many are here. You're aware of what you're doing and like the sensible side of you said, there is and right and wrong." She stands up straight, walking over. She sees him back up a bit, trying to predict her plan, only to be surprised when she merely put a hand on his cheek. She bit back a laugh at the surprised look on his face.

She let the sharp fingertip of her glove leave a small cut on his cheek as she removed her hand after a moment.

"Don't make me kill you little hunter." She hums softly before patting his cheek lightly.

She turned away and went back to her resting place, snapping him out of his shocked daze.

He opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again. Not sure how to respond.

"What's wrong?" She asks after a moment. "Still lingering about? Unnerved young'n?" She gives a small laugh. "It's no matter, without fear in our hearts, we're little different from the beasts themselves."

"Without fear..." He mumbles softly.

Yes, fear. And with how he seemed wary to even walk past her now, she was sure she put in some of that much needed terror into him.

"What are you still doing here?" She asks, seeing him jump. "Enough trembling in your boots." She points to the stairs that lead to the Cathedral Ward. "A hunter must hunt."

He nods, walking briskly past her before running up the stairs.

She listens to his footsteps echo and sighs.

He would make a good crow...

Izuku feels the small cut on his cheek as he walks through the small study, minor, hardly drew any blood. It was more of a tactic to terrify him, and terrify him it did. He thinks over the old crow's words as he walks up the stairs.

"Mister Deku!" He looks to see Victoria running up to him.

She was about to run over to hug him, stopping when she sees he's covered head to toe in blood. She stops in her tracks and looks up at him, blue orbs meeting green.

"Hey, uh, how are you doing?" Izuku asks, kneeling down. She looks so relieved to see him.

"I'm doing better, are you alright Mister Deku you're..."

"I was hunting, and I might have gotten a bit carried away." He answers, a small smile on his face.

She nods. "Daddy would come home covered in blood sometimes..." She mumbles softly.

Izuku stands up. "I'm going to head towards the Grand Cathedral, maybe I'll find your mom or dad over there." He says, a false promise that sends his stomach churning.

She fidgets, seeming uncomfortable with him leaving again. Izuku noticed and gives her a reassuring smile.

"I won't take long, I promise. I'll just go inside, look around, and then come back. I don't think there will be much in there." He says, trying to both convince himself and her.

"But what if it does take long?" She asks, full of concern.

"Then...uh..."

"I'll look for you!" She says, not a suggestion but a promise.

"But what if Kacchan and Todoroki come back? They might not want you to come looking for me, and what would they think if you weren't here?" He asks.

"They can help me look for you, but what if they don't come back though?"

"Then I'll look for them, but they'll be fine I promise. Kacchan and Todoroki can take care of themselves." He assures her, seeing her look down and pout.

"That's what mommy said about daddy...then he never came back. Then mommy went looking for him, and then Grace said she'd be okay...then she left. None of them came back...and what if...Mister Deku what if you or Mister Kacchan or Mister Todoroki are hurt? What if you need someone to find you? Like mommy and daddy?" Her face was riddled with concern and determination. She wasn't willing to lose someone else.

Izuku looks at her for a moment before sighing. "I won't be long, I promise. If I'm not back in another clock chime, you can come looking for me." He tells her, hearing the clocktower ring out again. An hour, that gave him an hour.

She nods. "Okay..."

He stands up and heads out of the chapel, his mind made up. Practically willing himself to head to the Grand Cathedral. Something about what Eileen had said, just kind of stuck with him, and helped make up his mind about the cathedral.

Enough trembling in your boots. A hunter must hunt.

Enough trembling, just push the bad feeling down.

Izuku takes a deep breath as he steps in front of the large doors, that awful presence that made him want to flee was still as prominent as ever. He made himself walk forward, putting his hands on the giant doors.

He grits his teeth as he pushes against the heavy doors, they seem to rumble in protest with being moved. They open ever so slowly, until they finally give way and open. they don't open all the way, just enough for him to get through.

As if it wsa like magic, that bad feeling had just gone away. He could feel some kind of presence in there, but it wasn't overwhelming like in the beginning.

He takes a deep breath and walks inside, the noise from outside fading away. He looks around in awe, looking up to see the statues carved in the cathedral. Strange creatures with holes riddles in their heeads sit across from each other, in their are they hld what looks like are giant harpoons that cross paths.

He noticed off to the side are lit candles, they sit next to a paper of some kind. He walks over, raising an eyebrow as he picks up the paper.

Heir to the ritual of blood, purveyor of ministration.

Place you hand on the altar's sacred covering, and inscribe Master Laurence's adage upon your flesh.

"Master Laurence?" Izuku asks aloud, his mind running through the names of those he's met, and those who've been mentioned. Hardly any at all, that gave him nothing.

"He has an adage but...what does it mean to inscribe it upon you flesh?" He mutters. His mind immediately jumping to someone carving words into his skin with knives.

He's about to go over the possibilities when he hears a voice echoing from farther in the cathedral. He looks up the stairs in shock, listening to the voice.

"See the old blood. Let us pray...let us wish...to partake in communion. Let us partake in communion...and feast upon the old blood."

A woman's voice, she sounded like an adult. Probably in her late 20's.

He began thinking about what Gilbert had said when they initially met him. Someone here was in charge of blood ministry, and to seek them out of he wanted answers on 'Paleblood'.

And if there was one thing this place didn't have enough of, it was answers. Now maybe he could get some.

He begins to climb the stairs, hearing her speak further into her prayer.

"Our thirst for blood satiates us, soothes our fears. Seek the old blood...but beware the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young."

He thinks over the words, mostly wanting to know why and where the hell someone came up with such a verse. But something in those words echoed with him, making his hair stand.

Beware the failty of men

He makes it to the top of the stairs, seeing the source of the voice. A woman in a raggedly white garb sits in the middle of the room on her knees. Her head bowed as she cluches something tight to her chest.

"The foul beasts will dangle nectar and lure the meek into the depths. Remain wary of the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, their minds young."

He steps forward a bit, but waits. Not wanting to interrupt her prayer.

"Were it not for fear, death would go unlamented..."

He waits a moment, not hearing her speak anymore. She stayed where she was though, not moving. Her raggedy breathing echoes throughout the building.

He begins to walk forward, seeing her perk up a bit. She looks at the item in her hands, then up to the altar. Her breathing started to become erratic.

Izuku froze, that dark feeling returning. That feeling that told him to run as fast as he could, he felt himself rooted in place, watching the woman.

She brought the item close to her chest, then throws her head back and begins to convulse as a scream rips from her throat.

Izuku watches in horror as the woman's bones begin to break, her flesh expanding and forming into something grotesque. Her clothes rip as she grows in size, fur replacing what was once skin. He listens as the screams of agony slowly turn into guttural roars as large horns burst from her skull.

He trembles as he feels her blood spray onto him, watching the large white haired beast roar loudly as she clutches whatever precious item she has in her claws.

She slams one of her claws to the ground, growling as she turns to the boy. Her eyes covered by bloody, raggedy robes from when she was human.

Oh no...

She screams loudly as she jumps towards him, slamming her fist down where he was standing a moment ago. She looks around in confusion for feeling a sharp item dig into one of her hind legs.

Izuku keeps his weapon in it's closed form as he cuts into the beast's leg, jumping back when he saw her dragging her claws in a circle around her. He jumps away last second, barely avoiding the attack.

He backs up, watching her prowl towards him. He makes note of how she only attacks with her right arm, in the left is whatever she had been holding before. Her strong hind legs gave her the ability to jump and close long distances. Yet whenever she was attacking she hand to balance on her hind legs, and she seemed very reliant on her right for balance.

He watches the woman turned beast growl at him before she clasps her hands together. It had taken him a moment to realize what she was about to do, he darted to the side. Only to hear the loud pounding of the ground and feel himself get caught in the violent whirlwind she caused. He feels himself crash into a pillar, looking up as she jumps forward. Not to be directly in front of him, but enough for her to reach forward and dig her claws into him, dragging him across the tile.

She has long range and short range attacks. My bullets won't do anything to her, so it's going to have to be blunt and striking attacks. I have to get her right arm, injure it enough so it'll stagger her and hopefully I can go on from there...

He gets to his feet and jumps back as she slams a fist to the ground, ducking to the side as she tries to claw at him again. While she takes a moment to rebalance herself Izuku dashes to her right, yelling as he raises the spear and brings it down on her arm as hard she he can. It hardly budges, he raises the spear and cuts into her arm again.

The weapon hardly cuts through the tough skin and reformed bone, hardly doing anything to stagger her. He runs to the side, getting behind her as she made attempt to grab him. He began to slash at where her Achille's tendon should be, finding less resistance in that area than the thin arm.

She screams as she begins to slam on the ground repeatedly, the floor trembling under the force. He stumbles, but maages to keep his balance. He looks up to the beast as he turns towards him.

He dodges to the left to avoid a right swipe, instead to dodge right into a swipe that sends him crashing into a pillar.

He yells in pain, feeling something break from the collision. He sinks to the ground, only to force himself to his feet as as stabs himself in the leg.

"So she's also willing to use her left...damn it.." He mutters, wiping some blood off his brow as he charges forward. Watching her take another right swipe at him. She reverts to using her right arm, almost catching Izuku as he had momentarily expected something from the left.

Still favors her right, so using her left must be a knee jerk reaction when I was too far from her favored side...

He keeps to the right, contually dodging her wide swipes and sharpened claws. He notices how she screams whenever she's about to attack, like a person yelling whenever they bring down a weapon with great force.

He jumps put of the way of a whirlwind caused by her slamming the ground. He feels the rair rushing past him, nearly catching him in the violent torrent. He sprints forward as she jumps towards him, her fist crushing the ground where he stood a mere moment ago. She was about to turn around until she felt something slam into her right arm.

Izuku grits his teeth as he hears something crack loudly as he slams his body into the beasts arm. She screeches loudly and falls forward, her arm no longer supoorting her. He quickly dashes to her face, seeing her look up and growl at him. She opens her mouth to take a bite at him, only to have two fists clasped together slam down on her snout, making her scream even louder. Izuku pants as he feels his power slowly fade away.

He grits his teeth as he forces his body to retain whatever fading energy is left from One For All, he yells as he forces his hand into her skull. Feeling her struggle and trying to pull against him, but her injured arm won't give her the support she needs, and the left hand is still desperately clutching onto her item. He feels as if his entire body is on fire as he struggles to keep One For All with him, also feeling trying to lose control like it wants to immediately jump to 100%.

He roughly wrenches his hand hand from the inside of her skull, ripping out something, not too sure what. He backs up as she shakes her head, blood pouring down her face. She lets out a low, guttural growl as she lunges forward quickly.

It surprised Izuku, and he jumped back, momentarily losing focus and feeling the burning built up power leave him quickly. He gasps and tries to force that power back to him, only to be grabbed by the beast.

He yells and struggles, trying to break free from the beast's strong grip. Before he could free himself he's slammed repeatedly into the ground, he screams in pain as he feels his body breaking harshly under the slamming force. She growls at him and tosees him across the room, watching him crash at the foot of the altar.

Izuku groans, half of his efforts going into trying to draw upon One For All, and the other half goes into trying to recover. He grits his teeth, biting back a yell of pain as he forces himself to grab two blood vials, paling when he only feels a small handful left.

Damn it!

He stabs himself twice, grunting as his bones reset themselves and whatever internal bleeding her had heals.

He gets to his feet dizzingly and looks at where the beast now looms over him. She screams and slams down a fist, narrowly missing him. Izuku pulls out his saw spear as he dashes to the side, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness. He raises the still closed spear and brings it down on her right arm again, seeing it cut deeply into bony appendage. He pulls it out and stumbles back as she begins to pound on the ground again.

Still a bit disorientated he falls on all fours, trying to regain his balance. He looks up, seeing her right arm barely supporting her. She was hesitantly leaning on her left, that precious item still clutched tightly. His eyes dart between the arm as he gets back to his feet, rolling out of the way as a claw raked across the floor. Injuring her left arm might be worthwhile, if it makes her possbily drop the item that might send her into a panic and give him the time he needs in order to stagger her again.

His eyes look across the room where tiny shards of glass and a small puddle of blood sit. So much for getting his vials back.

He pants, tightening his grip on his weapon as he runs forward. He hurriedly rushes forward, ducking under a swipe and raising his spear to strike at the beast's arm. Before he brings the weapon dow the beast swipes at him with her right. He was unable to dodge in time, feeling himself crash into a pillar and lose his grip on the weapon.

He hears her scream loudly, her pounding footsteps heading quickly towards him. Eyes dart around to look for the weapon, he tries to grab the weapon; only to see it was smashed under the beast's large fist. Izuku looks up, seeing the blood and unforgiving face of the creature staring down at him.

He lets out a yelp as he rolls away from a snap of her jaws, scrambling away to get to his feet. He looks to his now shattered weapon, useless.

He grabs his remaining weapon, the cane heavy in his hands. He feels for his blood vials, feeling only three left, well two now. He forces himself to jump away as the creature leaps towards him, once again trying to crush him under her fist. He keeps dodging her quick swipes, and harsh claws. Growing more and more aggressive with what seems like each passing moment.

In a moment of peace he presses the trigger on the cane, transforming it into the serrated whip. He waits until she charges at him and dashes through her swipes, striking at her across the face with the whip. He hears the serrated edges tear into the thick fur and flesh of the beast. He hears her roar at him and take another swipe at him, desperate to end his life.

Izuku keeps up with the swings, dodging to the side or through them, striking at the already injured arm. He hears the sickening cracks as she forcibly moves her arm around, pushing through what must be agonzing pain.

He grits his teeth as he felt a bit of the ground under his feet give way when he tries to jump back.

I can't dodge this!

He yells as bloody claws impale him and drag him across the floor, he then feels her slam a fist onto his body. He screams as he feels something in his right leg shatter, swearing he feels bone protrude from his flesh. He's about to try to get to his feet until he's grabbed and flung across the room.

The air is knocked from his lungs as he slams into the altar, a few of the candles being knocked over and falling to the ground. The strange skull that sits at the altar doesn't seem to be affected at all.

He gasps and cough as he sits up, feeling blood run down his face. He grabs the two remaining blood vials, stabbing himself with the foreign blood. He feels most of his injuries recover, flesh sewing back together and bones reshaping themselves into proper form. Much to his dismay though he feels whatever shattered in his leg was still broken. He discovered this when he tried getting to his feet, and once he put weight on his right leg sharp pain was shooting all thoughout the wounded leg.

He swears he hears the beast laugh at his condition, slowly prowling over.

Nothing I'm coming up with is working...

The ground trembles under her heavy footsteps.

I'm out of blood vials, and I only have the whip left. That hardly does anything!

She snarls softly as she draws nearer and nearer.

I don't know how much she has left in her, how far am I going to get with how I am right now?

His mind was racing, trying and failing to come up with some sort of concrete plan.

If I'm going to end this I have to end it quick. If only I had One For All...

One For All, his mind momentarily goes back to the moment he somehow forced his body to retain that great strength. It had taken a lot out of him, both mentally and physically. It required a lot of focus, and pain tolerance...well he had one of those things down.

He grits his teeth, trying to draw on that power again. That empty feeling fills his chest, the indicator that his quirk can't answer his demand for it's power.

Can't or won't?

He forces himself to focus, trying to drown out the noise of the terrifying footsteps that slowly stomp towards him. He clenches his eyes shut, bowing his head. Trying to shut it all out, trying to force himself to bring out his last chance.

It's like a thread of light, it's right there and so close. Yet as he reaches out to grab it, it retracts. He get's closer and closer and it goes farther and farther away. He chases after it, the only bit of light in the darkened space, what didn't belong.

He wants to scream as he chases after it, the dark space growing what feels more and more perilous. A desperate reach for that tiny thread of power. He hears another loud stomp, shaking his head and forcing himself to focus on the tiny thread of light.

Deeper and deeper into the dark space, until he smacks into a wall. A thick, seemingly indestructable barricade that had the small thread waiting for him. His breathing picks up as he feels the ground tremble beneath him, thinking he feels hot breath on him.

He beats against the wall, wanting to scream and cry in frustration. It's right there in front of him just waiting.

A loud ringing fills his ears as he claws at the wall, panicking when he sees the small thread beginning to fade. He feels his body slowly begin to break as he contiues to try to break to the wall, feeling someting give. He screams as he pounds on the wall, hearing it slowly begin to crack apart, piece by piece.

He feels the ground tremble again, this time it's right in front of him. He was going to die, he was going to die! A violent rush to fear coursed through him as he a loud guttural growl rings out in his ears. Shaking him to his core.

He yells in desperation, feeling something break as he forces an outreaching arm, and grasps the fleeting thread tightly.

The beast watches the boy as she draws nearer and nearer, watching him tremble and shake. She growls at him as she sees something sparking around him, it was time to end this. She raises both of her fists, clasped together to crush the boy.

The beast seemed startled when a loud, savage scream tore through the cathedreal. The beast less expecting to receive a harsh blow to the face.

The boy roars as he drew his fist back and slammed a fist in the monstrosity's face. He felt himself grin when she staggered, backing up for a moment to eye him and charge forward.

Hold the thread, hold the thread...draw in more...

He was nothing but a bright bolt of green lightning darting around quickly and hitting even quicker. He heard her roar loudly, swiping in random directions to try and catch him. She eventually gets frustrated and begins to slam the ground with her fists again, before thrashing wildly about as she was being smacked by one blow and another and another. As she had been looking for him on the ground, he slammed onto her head; grabbing on of the large antlers and trying to tear it off.

He managed to succeed, hearing a loud splintering noise as the antler clattered to the ground. The beast screamed in agony and slammed her fists on the ground in frustration and pain, giving Izuku the perfect moment to dash away and recollect himself.

He bit down all the pain that was shooting through his body, ignoring the protests as his body begins to ache and burn painfully. It feels like fire under his skin as his bones try withstand the ever growing power of One For All. He only freezes for a moment as he feels hot blood dribble down the side of his face, following up with a violent cough of dark crimson. He stands there, dazed for a moment before jumping out of the way of a whirlwind.

I don't think my body can take much more...

He yells as he tugs on the thread harshly, feeling more power shooting throughout his body. He feels violent winds rush around him as his coat is ripped apart, exposing the glowing red lines that spread across his upper body and face. He braces himself, seeing the beast barreling towards him. He bites back a scream as he feels something in his right leg shatter again.

He waits until she's upon him before he brings his fist back, feeling a smile on his face as she tries to bite him in two. He shouts as he drives his fist into her maw, hearing a loud crack. She wails and shakes her head, falling forward when her right arm gives away.

Izuku rushes forward, slamming his fists down on her head when she tried to roar again. He watched her bow her head, trying to recover.

He doesn't give her the chance as he slams a fist into her skull, bone shattering under his fist. He hears her roar in pain, struggling against the boy. Roaring again when he forces his other fist into the other side of her skull. With her damaged right arm she tries again and again to back away and rip herself from the painful grip of the bloodthirsty hunter in front of her.

Izuku sends yells as he gives the thread one last pull, gathering up as much of it as he could, before ripping out the inside's the beast's skull. He watches her writhe and convulse in pain before her large body slams onto the ground, explosing into a fountain of blood that stains the wall of the holy place. He watches the small item she held so dearly clatter to the ground before him.

He kneels down to pick it up, only to suddenly collapse onto the floor. He pants as he lies there for a moment, feeling One For All slowly fade away from him. Leaving him with an aching body and dozens of invisible needles stabbing into him, grinding his nerves. He gasps, and cough as waves of pain wash over him, ignored as he forces himself to sit up. He reaches out for the item, hands grasping a pendant of some kind.

He brings it to himself, looking at it through blurry vision. There was some kind of design decorating it. His fingers ghost over the design, pinpricks of chils racing up his rembling fingers.

Theres a loud hum that prompts him to look up. To his right a lamp had appeared in the middle of the room. The unlit candle welcoming him with a promise of safety. To his right was the altar he's crashed into so many times, his eyes widen when he sees the strange skull on the altar humming with energy glowing brilliantly in his blurry vision.

He's not sure what it is, but there's a small voice in the back of his mind that tells him he should go over to the altar.

He groans in pain, managing to get to his feet, putting his weight on his left leg. Gritting his teeth when he feels it creaking, like it'll give away any moment. He slowly limps over to the atlar, inhaling sharply every time he has to put any kind of weight on his right. He begins to see dark spots coloring the edges of his vision, his heading pounding. He wants to pass out, but he feels as if he has to obey the strange voice.

He almost falls forward, catching himself at the edge of the altar. With shaky arms he steadies himself and looks to the skull, it's vacant eyes staring deeply into his own. The humming from the malformed skull turned into a loud painful ringing, high pitched and painful. He slowly reaches out a trembling hand, reaching out to touch the source of the strange ringing.

As soon as he makes contact with it it felt like he was pulled into another reality, forcibly dragged from his own body as his vision goes dark. He wants to scream as a loud, deafening roar fills his ears, until there's nothing but silence.

"Master Willem, I've come to bid you farewell."

He gasps as he opens his eyes, breathing heavily as he tried to look around. Only to have his vision still painted by darkness. He tries to move around, to speak, only to find he couldn't. He had no body, and he had no voice.

Slowly his vision begins to come back, and he finds himself looking at a rocking chair. An old man taps a staff of some kind as he speaks.

"Oh, I know, I know. You think now to betray me."

Suddenly he's looking at the back of the rocking chair as another voice speaks,

"No, but you will never listen."

A younger voice.

"I tell you, I will not forget out adage."

His vision goes dark for a moment before he's staring at the old man. Watching his lips move.

"...We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open..."

"Fear the old blood." They say in unison.

His vision goes dark again.

"I must take my leave."

He hears footsteps walking away, the creak of an old door opening and thudding shut a moment later.

He's suddenly looking above the rocking chair, on a stairwell of some kind. Watching the old man, Master Willem, rocking back and forth.

"By the god, fear it, Laurence."

His vision goes dark, as he feels himself being pulled back by some strange force. The words echo in his mind.

Fear the old blood

He yells as he's suddenly slammed back into his body, feeling like he was blasted backwards as he came to. He tumbles to the ground and focuses on trying to breath, his breath only coming in short gasps. It felt like his lungs refused to take in precious oxygen as he held his head, the words bouncing around painfully in his mind and echoing relentlessly.

He opens his eyes, seeing the lamp sitting there patiently, waiting for him. He tries to will himself up to get to the lamp, his body refuses to comply. He tries to focus on controlling his body, his mind instead going back to those words that won't leave him.

Fear the old blood

Fear the old blood

Fear the old blood

He lays there for a while, until his exhaustion and injuries drag him in the dark world of sleep.

As his consciousness fades he thinks he hears the ringing of the bell.

-HotN-

Wowie this took me a while.

My school year is almost over so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently. Also, I'll be updating this fic every other chapter since my other fic Shadows of the Past, Light of the Future did really well for it's first chapter. Unless the chapters are really short (read maybe less than 10K words MAYBE)

Fun fact- I actually had two other versions of a Blooborne and BNHA crossover before I started writing this one.

The first version was an amnesiac Izuku trying to find his way through Yharnam while protecting Victoria. His memoires leave as soon as they come and he's left with only bits and pieces of his memory. He's constantly struggling to remember the little things, like his name and what he's trying to accomplish. Victoria would often help remind him.

The second version was during the events of USJ where the teleporting quirk had gone wrong and Aizawa wakes up in Iosefka's Clinic, having to find the entire class. They would be scattered throughout Yharnam, and the nightmares.

And then this version came

Hurrah!

Well, have a good day/night everybody!

P.S. I don't know Bloodborne or BNHA