The art of quickening... One of the more useful hunter arts Izuku could have, but also one of the hardest skills to learn. The deaths Izuku had suffered due to it had been some of the more painful ones. An arm, phasing into a wall. An inch too close to a hit, tripping halfway and fusing with the floor. It reminded Izuku of one of the second, becoming third years at UA. Mirio Togata had the quirk Permeation, one of the cooler quirks… Other than the fact it caused his clothes to fall off. One mess up with quickening and he would phase into some material. Unlike the Permeation quirk, quickening didn't have the failsafe of throwing its user out of the material they phase into on accident.
Another difference between the quirk and the skill was that Izuku could still breathe while quickened. It had been during one of Mirio's interviews after the second year's sports festival. He had said that he couldn't see, hear, or breathe while using his quirk, which meant that every time he attacked, it was more prediction than anything. This, however, caused Izuku to have an epiphany. The hunter arts were almost like stronger versions of quirks in a way. Some of the skills, like quickening, reminded Izuku of quirks he had read up on in the past. Basic elemental control, phasing, precognition, enhanced body, hyper regeneration, healing. The only differences were the drawbacks. For a hunter, they were minimal or took lots of training to get used to the skill. But for quirked people. It took years to master or even get close to becoming proficient with their quirk. But here, Izuku was nearly at the skill level of a second year at UA with their quirk, with one of the more basic skills.
It almost felt like he was cheating. He theoretically had all the time in the world to get stronger. He wasn't aging, so if he escaped a hundred years from now, he could still be a hero… But, what is the time difference between this world and his own? Was it the same day; was it years into the future? If he escapes… will he ever see his mom again?
—
If it was not for Gerhman… Izuku would be so lost. When he walked out of the chapel and saw the porcelain faced… people? Izuku had no idea where to go. He had upgraded the sharpness of his cane and whip, as well as the caliber of his gun. And yet… he was fucking so confused. Cathedral Ward was a cluster fuck of chaos. It had the porcelain-faced people, these GIANT fuckers with axes eh would so be stipping down for metals, and the fucking crows and hunchbacks. OH! And some asshole giant with a GIANT FUCKIN BALL.
But that is neither here nor there. Thanks to some tips, and a map, from Gerhman. Izuku was on his way to Old Yharnam. Down a set of stairs. Through a small crowd of the mob and their demon dogs. And Izuku was in the Church. The only path down to Old Yharnam… however, a man was praying at an altar. Just outside the chapel. So in typical Izuku fashion, he walked up to speak with them… cautiously.
The man near-instantly heard Izuku's footsteps as he grew closer to him. Quickly he stood up and turned around to greet him. Whilst also taking a glance at Iuku's attire and weapons. "You're a hunter, aren't you?" He spoke with a voice much like that of a hero Izuku had researched once, quickly diverting his thoughts. Izuku responded with a quick, "O-Oh! Yes, I am a hunter."
The blond-haired man grinned happily at the answer, "I knew it. That's precisely how I started out! Oh, beg pardon, you may call me Alfred. A protege of Master Logarius, hunter of Vilebloods. So, what say you? Our prey might differ, but we are hunters, both of us. Why not cooperate, and discuss the things we've learned?"
"I… I don't see why not? I-I'm a bit new to Yharnam. Can you tell me anything important?"
The joyful grin only grew as they continued to speak, "Oh-hoh! Very good, very good indeed! Take this, to celebrate our acquaintance." In the man's hand was a coarse paper. A closer inspection of the course paper reminded Izuku of the sanding paper his dad had left at their home… as well as the unfinished toy he was making Izuku… But this paper reeked of burning and, he remembered reading about it in the books. It was fire paper! It worked like magic by rubbing a weapon in it. It set the weapon ablaze for a certain amount of time.
"There must be oodles for us to share! You mention you were new to Yharnam? Well since you're new here there are lots of topics we could talk about! So I'll start us off with some topics! There are the Healing Church, Byrgenwerth, and the wretched Vilebloods!"
The man was... enthusiastic to say the least, "W-what do you know about the Healing Church?"
"As you know, or don't, the Healing Church is the fountainhead of blood healing! But... Well, I'm a simple hunter, quite unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the institution. But I have heard that the holy medium of blood healing is venerated in the main cathedral. And that councilors of the old church reside in the high stratum of the Cathedral Ward. If you seek blood healing, and the Church is willing, you should pay them a visit. Other than that though… I'm not quite well informed about them."
That was some useful information… Alfred seemed sane enough from what he could gather too! Maybe he would see more of him while on the hunt! "T-That is good to know… but you mentioned a place called Byrgenwerth? Is- is that how you say it?"
"Byrgenwerth is an old place of learning. And the tomb of the gods carved out below Yharnam, should be familiar to every hunter. But you did mention you were new so I'll tell you some of what I know!" Alfred seemed to think for a moment before he spoke, "Well, once a group of young Byrgenwerth scholars discovered a holy medium deep within the tomb. This led to the founding of the Healing Church, and the establishment of blood healing. In this sense, everything sacred in Yharnam can be traced back to Byrgenwerth. But today, the college lies deep within a tangled wood, abandoned and decrepit. And furthermore, the Healing Church has declared Byrgenwerth forbidden ground. It's unclear how many of its scholars remain alive...but only they know the password that allows passage through the gate."
"Y-you also mentioned Vilebloods? What are those? Wh-why are they wretched?"
"Ah, there's something I want to tell you. A bit of wisdom from the eminent Master Logarius!" Alfred spoke excitedly as they got on this topic, "Once, a scholar betrayed his fellows at Byrgenwerth...and brought forbidden blood back with him to Cainhurst Castle. It was there that the first of the inhuman Vilebloods was born. The Vilebloods are fiendish creatures who threaten the purity of the Church's blood healing. The Ruler of the Vilebloods is still alive today. And so, to honor my master's wishes, I search for the path to Cainhurst Castle."
"You seem to know a lot about Vilebloods… do you know any more about them?" Izuku's interest peaked at these other blooded people.
Alfred seemed to think for a moment before he spoke, "In his time, Master Logarius led his executioners into Cainhurst Castle to cleanse it of the Vilebloods. But all did not go well and Master Logarius became a blessed anchor, guarding us against evil...Tragic, tragic times...that Master Logarius should be abandoned in the accursed domain of the Vilebloods. I must free him, so that he may be properly honored in martyrdom."
—
Information gathering was one of Izuku's strong suits. He had seventeen books filled with quirk analysis, even though a few had gotten destroyed. He had always been good at it, whether it was essays that needed analysis that he aced or his spare time, filling his notebooks, the words needed to figure out a quirk were never far away from him, so finding the components to fire paper? Easier than expected… that and he had all the time in the world.
Fire paper was incredible. Its property to bind to any weapon without an element. Its ability to cauterize, and burn the recipient. Which both slow down the enemies due to the ripping of their now cauterized flesh. And the burns themselves. The only flaw was the strength varied on the creator of the paper. Most of the fire paper seemed to be made by amateurs of the craft. It was brittle, and the flames it created only heated up so much. After, a quick dive into the hunter's notebook. And some other texts on hunter weapons Izuku had found the components of fire paper.
A coarse sheet of paper, much like sandpaper, or multiple sheets of normal paper. The creator's blood and a hot furnace. Thankfully he had a large amount of paper in supply thanks to the messengers.
The first step was easy, bathe the paper in the blood and put it to a boil. The smell is horrendous but, once the blood had evaporated, the paper would take on the arcane and blood-tinged properties of the wielder's blood. Next was heating the furnace to nearly one thousand degrees and placing the bloodied paper into a steel container. Then as the soon-to-be fire paper heats. Pepper the papers in bloodied gunpowder and coal (also thanks to the messengers).
The final step in the creation of fire paper was letting the paper cool in any form of flammable substance. Thankfully the lanterns of the townspeople held Kerosene.
The final product was a much sturdier form of fire paper, most likely due to his tie to arcane… or his blood tinge. Whatever it was, did not matter. The flames of the new fire paper burned nearly double in heat and twice as long.
—
Old Yharnam stunk. It smelled like charred earth and seared flesh and hair. It almost made Izuku gag as he saw the flaming corpses of the beasts. Then suddenly a voice rang throughout the city.
"You there, hunter. Didn't you see the warning? Turn back at once." The voice was angry, and he did see the warning. But beasts were beasts.
"Old Yharnam, burned and abandoned by men, is now home only to beasts. They are of no harm to those above. Turn back..." Was- was this hunter a lunatic? No harm to those above? As long as the beasts plagued Old Yharnam they were a threat.
"...or the hunter will face the hunt."
Izuku really did not like the sound of that. It had been… what? Two months since he was thrown into Yharnam? It felt like he was going crazy with all the stress and bloodlust that battered his brain. But he had persevered against thousands of the mob as he went throughout the city of Central Yharnam. And this… this hunter wanted to spare beasts? Did they deserve remorse for the people they had killed? The families they had destroyed? They were worse than villains from his world, and they deserved worse.
Izuku cleaved through waves of the beasts, their claws layered in poisons and blood. But that did not dissuade Izuku's whip from slicing them to bits. "You are a skilled hunter. Adept, merciless, half-cut with blood. As the best hunters are… Which is why I must stop you!" And with that final cry of anger, constant gunfire filled the city.
Izuku quickly took cover from the fire and watched in astonishment as a constant rain of bullets cracked and shattered the statues he was hiding behind. But the gunfire didn't last forever. So heading down the only path available, he came face to face with a beast much bigger than the beasts before. It towered over him in size, but much like its smaller counterparts, they did not last long.
Izuku was a path of destruction in Old Yharnam. Through a destroyed room filled with explosives. And through a large throng of beasts whilst also hiding from the constant gunfire of the crazed hunter. Once he finally made it to a place of calm, he took a breath. The bloodlust was pounding in the back of his head, constantly there like an itch he could not scratch when a hunter jumped him. They carried on them a pistol and a saw weapon… and yet they walked among the beast without being attacked.
He should have been more conservative during the altercation with the hunter. He had rushed in like a blood-drunk fool. But using the gunfire from the other hunter to kill this one did the trick. But he was much too far in the plateau of burning corpses to dodge the gunfire. He had taken too many shots and he was being chased by the massive crows. He was next to an edge, the crows on one side, the gunfire carving through his defense and a few beasts were skulking to his other side. So he took the easy way out and dived off the edge and then everything went black.
—
When he woke, he was not back in the dream. He was still in Old Yharnam, specifically down the pit he jumped down. Grabbing a vial he jabbed it into his leg, watching the mangled limb stitch itself together and twist bones back into place. As well as a shot of pain filling his entire lower body… which had been numb before he injected himself. Had he snapped his spinal cord?
Slowly standing up, with the help of a wall. The young hunter entered the doorway he had landed near. The room was dark and massive. But in the darkness, he could hear the shuffling of beasts. As well as the nauseating smell of death. A quick flick of a match and the hand lantern on his side was blazing golden light through the room. From the light, he saw a large number of beasts. Shifting his weight off his cane and onto a wall he got ready for the small hoard to charge at him. And that they did. The largest of the group made it to him first, its arms benign sliced off and its head launched across the room. Another injection and the pain in his body ceased. Two more hands drew near and met their demise before they could even touch the young hunter. Three down… way too many to go.
His walking was more of a stumble as he made his way through the building. His clothes damp and sodden with blood. He had collected all things from the building by the time he was done. The most important was the spear he had gotten ahold of. He would look at it at a later date. He crossed through a broken window, his back screaming at him as he found himself back at the plateau of burning corpses. The blood was incredible for patching up wounds, but nerve damage was much less healable.
—
The daylight burned into Izuku's retinas as he stared at the slowly darkening sky. The burn wasn't registering in the young boy's mind as he laid in the damp grass of the afternoon. Kaachan had been extra vicious that particular day. The roaring insults that carved deep to crack his bones and his resolve. The heat of explosions seared deep within his brain. It was a blessing he had lasted as long as he had going through this torture. He had no one. The teachers were no better than their students. The students took after Kaachan and copied his acts to the T whenever they could… it was a surprise he did not have nerve damage yet.
Perhaps he had been too optimistic as he stared up at the sky. Perhaps, if he had expected the scalding water and hate-filled eyes of the rest of his classmates, it wouldn't have ended like this. What did he do to deserve this? He had stopped writing in his notebooks, but that seemed to make Kaachan angrier. He stopped mumbling and speaking entirely at school. He sat there and took every beating and every insult in hopes that it would just end. Whether it be by them having mercy on him… or finally killing him. Izuku didn't care.
—
The height of the clock tower was intimidating. Not because of the height itself. More of the fact that there was a crazed man with a minigun on the top. He had originally attempted to speak with the man, but any semblance of diplomacy the man had was used to insult and belittle him.
It was beginning to piss him off.
He had been stabbed, beheaded, shot, bisected, and thrown from the top of this damn clocktower many, many times. It was starting to become irritating. Was there no diplomacy in Yharnam?
On the final steps of the ladder, Izuku pulled out his gun. If he could be shot off, then why not the other way around? Pulling himself to the top he fired the moment he could see the other hunter. Once, twice, three times and, the other hunter had fallen off the roof. Mere moments later, he was met with a sickening crack of a body hitting a wooden bridge.
—
Holy shit this took way too long for how much I wrote. The combination of school ramping up due to the year ending soon and some personal projects have kept me busy. I had most of this written the same week ch5 came out but wanted to fit all of old yharnam... But that didn't go as expected.
I'm sorry it took so long. That one guy who wants Izuku to shoot some poor fuck with a cannon… yes. And to the other who asked how I was doing, I'm well. Just exhausted recently and busy. The next chapter will be longer. Double the length to make up for this one and will likely have some new tinkered with tools!
Also! Thoughts on if I should put some future flashbacks? Like.. IDK what they're called… scenes of after he gets out? The main part of the story will be this for now but it would be fun to give a bit of the future. Idk i love all your guy's feedback and predictions! Hope I finish ch7 within this month!