The streets of Yharnam...

Central Yharnam is filled with people who were as crazed as the previously ones mauled by the wolf beast. I watched as beasts with claws and sharp fangs burst out of alleyways and houses only for the mob to hunt them down savagely with pitchforks, axes, daggers, and sickles. Dogs would find the beasts and they coordinated together with torches to push the beasts into a corner and then tear into it like mad men. Some laughed and cheered while doing it. I tried a few times to speak to them only for them attack me just as quickly as they would a beast. It's as if they can't see the difference between us. In doing so it forced me to stay hidden, faintly exposing myself for a moment to move into another shadow.

A few of Yharnamites that dwelled blocking my way several times. I waited in the darkness for them to pass by. They walked in lines. Staggered lines but lines regardless. I waited until the last past me before grabbing his neck and dragging him into the darkness. I'd grab whatever weapon they held and execute them quickly and quietly. It wasn't too hard. The ambient sounds of bestial roars and blood curdling screams drowned out much of the noise I'd make during my takedown. With each kill I felt… something. Like something was entering me or maybe I was taking a piece of the people I killed. I'd kill someone and suddenly assaulted with a memory, an expression, or an emotion. Most of the emotions range from rage to desire. Rage towards the beasts and foolish foreigners that caused this plague of beast or the desire to spill more blood and languish over the kill.

I slipped a sickle across the neck of another Yharnamite to keep him from screaming out then stabbed him with his weapon in the back through the heart. The handle of the weapon broke just like many others. I cursed under my breath for I've yet to find a viable weapon for me to use. I take one of theirs but it breaks on a single kill as if I'm too strong for the farmer's tools these people use for their hunt.

It's bloody annoying.

Worse so are these clothes I'm in, nearly soaked in blood. I can smell it everywhere to the point I'm nearly sick of it. The coppery metallic taste in my mouth, the scent of oxidized iron, and the grimy feel dirt and bloodily fluids spawned a putrid sense of disgust within me… and yet mind it. Instead, I don't feel wrong about it at all. I found myself licking my lips at the thought of drawing more blood. I remember a time I never was able to stand being covered in blood like this, but now I feel nothing. No, I feel something. I feel like it's not enough, and that frightens me a bit.

That fear is drowned whenever my next kill walked by with a torch and hatchet. In the faint sunlight above from the dusking star in the sky the shadows created shielded me from view. Those torches simply turned these men into a beacon in which I could track their movements to plot my next move. This one though I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him into the wall into the very same shadows the shrouded me. I grabbed his torch before anything. He growled and turned around only to see the touch thrust at his face. It landed square into his mouth. With my strength I slammed him back into the wall hard and watched him choke on the end of the torch; he couldn't scream for help. He slid down the wall pathetically reaching for the shaft of wood to pull it out. I took my time grabbing his discarded hatchet and testing it's weight. The man reached out in a attempt to halt me until I stomped his arm down and grabbed the torch still thrust into his throat to hold him steady.

I leaned in with ease looking him dead in his blood red eyes. "Trash," I snarled, hissed, or maybe growled at the Thing below me. Something I stopped seeing as human after the 20th kill. They want me dead, but I refuse to die today. Not until I find out who I am, what I am, and how I came to be in this God forsaken city.

'Kill!' I heard in my head.

Took only a few more deaths before I realized this voice is the side of me that finds thrill in the hunt. It's a voice getting louder with each kill.

'Kill.'

I rose the hatchet up and brought it down upon the man's head, but it didn't kill him. He rose a hand up weakly. I snarled yanking the hatchet out making a slow sound as bine and flesh gave way and repeated again and again. The wooden shaft broke with the axe head stuck in his head nearly reaching his mouth by the time I was finished. The body went still and his blood slithered like a slug up the broken wood to paint my clothes a darker shade of red.

I held up the wood shaft looking at it in disgust.

"Tssk," I clicked my tongue before discarding it away.

This is becoming a trend by this point. I searched the body finding of course more blood. My satchel for blood vials was full fitting only twenty. Something I discovered though is once I gather more than twenty the vials fade away in my hands. I checked thinking maybe they fell around the area to nothing. It's happened five times now and the same for my bullets. I stopped questioning and just accepted it as one of those "Strange Yharnam Occurrences" that I've been experiencing as of late. From crazed bloody fever dreams to a lantern with small humanlike figures at the bottom; the fact these consumables of mine disappeared when I'm topped out isn't too strange.

After what felt like hours of searching, I've still no weapons I can use or a gun that fits me.

Gradually, I maneuvered past a massive mob, drinking what I can assume is bloody red cocktails, surrounding a crucified wolf beast in the middle of a bonfire. More "Strange Yharnam Occurrences" to add to my nonexistent journal. The people all seemed to celebrate with an almost savage veal at the burning of that poor creature. They only held my attention for a moment until I noticed something past them. It looked to be the corpse of a Hunter. I know it's one by the strange garbs he wore and died in.

All these hunters I've found dead in dark corners of this accursed city appeared dressed the same with a mask over their noses. This poor man was hidden behind a set of barrels. He probably got attacked by the mob and hide here to rest. Unfortunately, he didn't have any blood on him. He more than likely succumbed to his wounds and like the others I've comes across without weapons. The mob probably pillage their kills just as I do. I noticed something strange about his head though. The fact it glowed in my sight tickled my curiosity. I past by a few of the raging blood drunk mob and reached the hunter without much issue. It seems that sneaking around in the dark isn't anything new to me. Maybe I was more than a military veteran then I first thought.

The head of this hunter glowed all the brighter once I reached him. I dropped down to his head and pulled his hat off. His head was intact and the glow didn't fade. I felt the sudden urge to touch his head. Tentatively, I reached for his skull. The result of my actions born of curiosity was instant. Suddenly I was assaulted with memories through the eyes of another. One that saw monsters I've yet to see. One so massive that it dwarfed the rest I've seen. He fought it but was picked up and thrown of a bridge. Her survived if barely and crawled his way to here. The memories ended there providing knowledge that's crucial for the future I hope. From the mind of a man driven mad by the blood and the hunt; a Madman's Knowledge.

I closed his open, dull grey eyes, and rendered my respect to him for his knowledge. To include the knowledge of his partner and how he died from a blow to the head with a set of clothes ripe for the picking. It's what appeared to be the sewers though and the way to get there is from that same bridge he was thrown from.

Another one of those "Strange Yharnam Occurrences" to add to the list. I can touch something and gain knowledge or insight into the unknown. Unknown to me I believe.

I left the body in its placed and proceeded further through Central Yharnam.

Bash!

"By the gods!" I jumped turning with a start. What I saw shocked me. It was a massive man. Maybe it'd be more accurate to call it a troll. Its back was to me and wasn't aware of my presence wielding a massive stone in the shape of a brick. By the look of the dents on that massive door leading to the fire mob, that stone is strong enough to crush bones alone. In the hands of this troll, it'd probably shatter my body. I wasn't afraid though but oddly calm about my stance. It's back was too me giving me a clear opening to press a delicious advantage. The blood thirsty beast within me had guided me well. It told me how to fight with stealth and not with might. I need to lay into the back of a creature with all my might in a certain spot to stun the beast. Then… I can take its blood as my own.

Slowly, I stalked up to the troll, hugging the wall as I approached. It suddenly stopped hammering on the door and turned with a start. Some of these beasts have the same instincts as me. As we share Yharnam blood it only makes sense it's aware when another is near much like I am. My senses are all working in a manner unfounded to the point I can practically see everything around me. It's almost as if I've an overhead view but that view narrows when I'm moving.

The troll whirled around swifter than one of it's size should be capable of. My back hit the wall out of sight. I dropped. My sight down and focused on my other senses instead. The troll took a single step forward. The sounds of it sniffing the air came next. After a minute it whirled back around towards the large gate. I slipped from behind the corner and waltzed up to the troll. I pulled my hand back and curled it into a fist. I round it back then threw my first landing center mass at its spine. The troll quaked and fell down to a single knee. I shoved my hand into it back and grabbed hold of the source of its blood within. I heard the voices of many it killed almost as we became one. As quickly as the voice came, they left once my hand too left its body. The troll slammed into the gate, and then fell to the ground, dead.

The blood on my hands faded away as always but the blood that splatters after this technique showered over me joining the blood of dozens I've hunted so far. With the way clear now I looked down to search its body.

Blood vials only.

I was about to leave until I spied a corpse against the wall. His skull was crushed splattering his blood on the stone, but his Hunter's attire couldn't be missed. I dropped down to the ground and looked over his body. He was missing his weapon but underneath his body against the wall was a torch. I reached down and snagged it same with a flint and wick he must've used to light it. The torch this hunter was nothing like the one the Yharnamites have. They wielded wood made from sticks, table legs, and other pieces wood they could scrounge together. This one felt strong enough to be used as a weapon and won't go out any time soon. The incense on this thing smelled good too. Maybe this attracts as many beasts as it wades off.

I placed my hand on the fallen Hunter's shoulder and bowed my head in respect. Part of me felt compelled to give him at least this. Maybe it's the war veteran in me.

I left the corpse in its place and made my way towards the sight in the distance. Looking downwards I could see tunnels, the sewers I believe. I just need to find the bodies with the clothing intact and a weapon from them.

The way down into the sewers weren't difficult to find. I simply had to follow the putrid stench of death and waste mixed together. It was past a set of wolf beasts on the bridge to the Cathedral Ward that Gilbert told me about. I slipped down into the sewers after a couple drops but stopped at the last drop. Best give the area a good survey before jumping into uncertainty.

The men below were much more beastly compared to the Yharnamites above. They were taller, covered in fur, and yet still patrolled as if not beasts. They held their large cleavers and torches through the darkness making spotting them all the easier. They moved in the same back and forth making this all the easier. Rats larger than life scurried further down at the end. I could see something shiny around them. I dropped down behind one of the beasts and repeated what I've done to destroy my enemy one at a time. I grabbed its spine and dug in past until I touched the jelly like substance within. I pulled it out and nodded.

GRRR!

I nearly jumped out of shock. Normally this would kill this thing instantly but not this time. I pulled my torch from my side and stomp down on its back. "Can't you be a good beastie." I lift up my torch. "And die." I stabbed the torch into the back of its neck. The beast cried out with my foot keeping it planted on the stone. Once still I put out my torch and continued on. I repeated the same foe the beast on the opposite and dropped down to some rafters above the rats. I saw another corpse of a Hunter below, well chewed up by the rats. For a time like this I just needed a little molotov cocktail I've acquired from a couple bodies. I crouched on top of the raft and sat down so I didn't have to keep my balance. I dropped a couple pebbles down below me and waited.

The rats sniffed the area but soon approached the area after dropping a couple more pebbles. I grabbed my flint and lit the rag over the bottle and a second. I dropped one off and it shattered spreading fire to the rats. A couple died but not all. I threw the last and they followed the others soon enough. With that done I dropped down to check out the corpse.

Like I suspected it was another hunter. This poor bastard was run through with a spear by the looks of it. He's chewed up pretty bad by the rats bit these things were easy to kill. He was probably stabbed and discarded here by one of. The beasts with a spear. One that's down here. On the body of this man was another belt but this one held knives.

"Throwing knives." I recognize them instantly when one was pulled out. One edge is straight but the other serrated. Useful on the beasts I'm sure. With a lack of weaponry, a girl can't be too picky. I gave the fallen hunter one last look before taking his holster belt of knives. "Rest now my brother." I closed his eyes as I have the others and continued on down the sewers.

Any other rats I missed I silenced with a throwing knife in the head. The water of this sewer was getting in my shoes. I stepped in something that made a loud squelch.

"Ew," I shivered. Oh God I wanna cry right now.

'Don't think about it.' I told myself. Talking about both crying and whatever I stepped in. I pushed onward to the end of this tunnel. I stopped just short of passing the corners. My thoughts went back to the death I learned from the hunter corpse a time ago. I listened in carefully first. These beasts may be savages but they're not without some sense. They can hide and ambush you. I've been stabbed in the back already by two of them because of loot. I won't make that mistake now. I reached into a small pouch and pulled out a pebble. I tossed it to the center of the walkway.

Growl…

Yeah, he's over there. The pebble didn't work on him. I tossed another then another and another.

Shriek!

The beast shot from around the corner and faced me. In its hand was a spear. "So it was you that killed those hunters huh." I pulled my torch out and slammed my flint to it. I pulled a throwing knife from my belt. "Come at me."

The beast roared and presented its spear before me. I threw a knife and it avoided it well. This thing has killed hunters so of course it learned a thing or two. I pulled out a cocktail and tossed it at the ground the moment it tried to charge me. It stopped and roared. Being stuck down here in the dark I'm sure fire is a bit surprising. None of these hunters I found had a torch. I shot over the fire and tackled straight into the beast. This turned out to be a very bad idea because the bastard was heavier and stronger than I gave him credit for. It grabbed me by the neck and threw back into the sludge and shit, probably literally, below me.

"Oh God! Disgusting!" I scrambled out of the sludge and turned tail. All confidence I can fight it head on was gone. It can avoid throwing knives, face fire, and I've no element of surprise.

Nope. I can't fight it head on.

"Gah!" I stopped to my knees hitting the gross shit below me. Pain, damn this hurts. By this it was the spear sticking out of my stomach right now. "Fuck!" I cried out. The pain... by the gods this hurts. My senses came back when my instincts flared to life. I dove forwards landing straight on the spear. My wound stung to hell as the spear pulled out a bit. I felt it leaning against my spine a bit keeping it stuck in my back. Worse was the fact that the sludge got into my wounds. Shit, piss, and other stuff I dare not admit to myself. I shifted to the right to my side and the spear dropped out of my back.

ROAR!

I glanced up and the best was in front of me somehow. It must've tried to take my head with a swipe of those claws. "Damn." I cursed. I snagged another cocktail and smashed it to the ground. The fire of the cocktail spread in front of me. The beast roared with its hands shielding its face. It took a second but eventually I dragged my body up and limped away back in the direction we came back to the end of the sewers. I found the body of the hunter with his clothing in good condition enough to use. He appeared to be my height as well.

"ROOARRR!"

"Fuck," I coughed. That damn beast is after me and probably has that hunter killing spear in hand too. I grabbed the body and looked down to a small slope leading downward to the other part of the sewer below. Only one way to go and that's down. I couldn't see anything down there anyway.

I hesitated for only a moment before dropping down towards slope below with the body in hand.

BOOM!

"AHHH!" Left my lips. My shoulder was on fire. I landed hard on my arm with the body right next to me. "Fuck," I cried out.

SCREECH!

Despite the pain blurring my vision I had enough energy to look up to the place above the body and I fell from. The beast with the spear had it over his head, screaming at me angrily. I felt a bit of satisfaction at the fact he couldn't add another hunter to his list. I reached for my transfuser and jammed it into my leg. The blood entered my body and did its work. The miraculous properties of this blood baffled me each time I used it. I was impaled by a spear, beaten down, my neck rung, and broken several bones in that fall but this blood healed me quickly. My bones cracked back into place and pain in my torso faded. Instantaneous pleasure riveted my body replaced the pain I previously suffered.

CRACK!

I'm sure the feeling of my shoulder snapping back into place should be painful but couldn't feel a thing. I reached for two more vials and refilled the transfuser and repeated. By the gods this felt so good right now. The closing of the wounds on my body are horrible. Nearly as bad was when the wounds happened. It's overshadowed by the pleasure of having the blood flowing through my body. I breathed out easy and leaned up out of the sludge. I looked left and right to fix my eyes on the body of the hunter in dirty but Hunter's attire in one piece. Even the hat survived the fall and remained on top of his head.

"Sorry about this." I grabbed the body and pulled the clothes off his body. I'd rather not put them one while I'm a mess or while these are just as dirty. I may be a fighter but also a lady. I think the days as a Lady are resurfacing a bit in this body. I need to get clean and clean these clothes. Then I can change and step out. I wrapped the Hunter's Garbs together with the many buckles already making up the outfit with one left out to act as a sling. I placed it over my chest and climbed up to my feet. Looking down at the Hunter that fell to the beast above I glanced back up a bit impressed. It had the body visible for any other hunter to see, waiting in ambush for another to pass by. "I'll avenge you… just as soon as I find a weapon."

I turned on my heel and hit something headfirst. "Ahh!" I rubbed my head.

"UGHHHH!"

I froze. Something was in front of me. Slowly, I rose my head up and was met face to face with a long and disgusting face. One covered in sludge and other refuse. I glanced down to its body only to see it made out of the same sludge it must've came from. The smell of it forced me to cover my nose and step back only to hit something else. I looked back around and found another just like it.

SPLASH!

I heard more and more of these things appearing from the sludge and surrounding me.

"Oh, god…. EWW!" I pulled out a molotov cocktail and threw it in front of me into the first sludge beast. It roared and cried back away from me. I pushed past it towards the rafters away from these things. I scrambled up the ladder away from the things. I saw a lever and didn't care what it did. I pulled it and a ladder dropped down. I didn't care where it went. It goes up and that's what matters. I climbed faster than I know was possible until I touched the top.

"No, no, no, no, no!" My body wouldn't stop trembling. I ran around the side and saw a brick troll next to another ladder. I didn't waste any time reaching it and did it is as I did many others. It started to get back up and a throwing knife later it was dead just like the other one. I shot up the ladder. The higher the better I feel by this point.

Chime. Chime chime….

Music?

My body stopped just one more step from the top of the ladder. The music was… soothing in a way despite sounding off tune. I climbed up to the top to see a gate that looked familiar to me. It was familiar because in the distance was the body of the brick troll I killed before the last one. This was the gate I passed by before that was locked with a lever to open it on this side.

"H-Hello." I heard from the other side of the window I saw from the distance. I walked up to the window, hugging myself in the process.

"G-Good evening," I responded. The chill of the night air and being dirtier than the sewer I've just climbed out of has that effect on a lady like me.

"Who... are you? I don't know your voice." I was about to responded until she followed with, "but I know that smell... Are you a hunter?"

How does this little girl by the sound of it knows I'm a hunter? I'm covered in everything bad and nothing nice right now. "Y-yes young girl. I'm a hunter." 'If a horrible one by this point,' I thought without saying. I've been beaten by a single beast and ran like a little girl away from a bunch of sewage monsters.

"Then, please, will you look for my mum? Daddy never came back from the hunt, and she went to find him, but now she's gone, too... I'm all alone... and scared..."

Well, that gave me a lot of information. This little girl is the daughter of a hunter. I hope it's none of the hunters I've found throughout Yharnam this night with the sun still showing a bit over the horizon of the towers. Something told me that this wasn't the case though. Still, the wife of the hunter went out during this night with crazed maniacs stalking the streets and people worse than me in the shadow of this city. She's probably dead, but if she has a Hunter for a husband maybe she can survive and find her husband. This sounds common enough it mentioned in such a way.

"Okay, I can do that." I spoke with a shrug.

"Really? Oh, thank you!"

"Wait a second young lady," I stopped her before she could get to far in this. "I need something from you if you want me to search for you parents. I'm sure they taught you that nothing is free, yes?" I questioned her.

"I… I suppose miss hunter. What do you want?"

"I want to come inside, wash up, and get my clothes clean. Can you help me like that?" I tried to keep my desperation from resounding in my voice.

"That's easy. I can do that." I heard a window being unlocked and it opened revealing a black hard girl in a blue dress and white bow on her head. She was cute and a breath of fresh air after what I been through. "Come in."

"Thank you, child." I jumped into the house thankful to have a place to rest for once.

My new Hunter's Attire felt damn good on my body. It fit very well on my body and that many belts allowed for adjustments for my size. I think hunters designed these garbs for anyone to wear. The males are close to my height, so the pants length worked enough to tuck into my boots. The hunter wore my boot size as well thankfully. The young child named Pricilla helped me get cleaned up, wash my garbs, and even get dressed. She's well versed in this probably from helping her father get dressed for hunts himself. Unfortunately, this father of hers that apparently wears a funny hat doesn't have extra tools or weapons.

If only.

"You look so pretty miss hunter," Priscilla clapped. I felt my cheeks flush a bit under my mask. I got a good look of my face thanks to the mirror she had and found my face to be quite pretty and unblemished. It was the face of a noble more than a war veteran than I first suspected. These garbs felt very…. official. Like something a man would wear to a ball missing the mask and hat. Belts I needed before this attire helped me mitigate the large number of holsters I needed in my last set of clothes. I had only my torch, a couple knives, two molotov cocktails, and a few pebbles left on my body and nothing else. I still have nothing that could be seen as a conventional weapon.

"You're missing an axe like daddy has though."

Even the little girl noticed my lack of weaponry. I sighed hard. "It's hard out here Priscilla." I smiled down at the girl regardless of how hopeless I felt. "I'm gonna be fine. I've a goal to find your parents and nothing will stop me."

At the mention of that the girl smiled up to me. She walked away from me to a small stand and grabbed a music box on top of it "If you find my mum, give her this music box." She presented it to me which I took without hesitation. It's probably the origin of the tune I heard before. "It plays one of daddy's favorite songs. And when daddy forgets us we play it for him so he remembers. Mum's so silly, running off without it!"

"When daddy forgets?" I asked the girl.

"Yes, miss Hunter," the young girl nodded. "Sometimes daddy forgets who we are after hunts but that's okay. This helps him remember and drown out voices. That's what he told us."

"I see," I gulped. I know the voices she's talking about. I hear them myself with each kill. This man probably has many more kills than I have meaning the voices are louder for him than me. The voices are already screaming in my ears to hunt, kill, and abide in blood like the blood-crazed fiends I've hunted. Hunters hunt beasts and transfuse blood in the manner I've been force too it's only a matter of time before they lose themselves to the stench, the sensation, and the blood. I feel the need to shoot another round into my leg even though it's not needed. This man is probably on his last leg. And if this woman went out there without this box, I can only imagine what might happened to a man addled by blood.

"Do I have anything too look out for?" The girl tilted her head a bit. "Does she have a way for me to identify her… outside of having a face as pretty as yours?" I lightly pinched her cheek earning a giggle from her.

"My mum wears a red jeweled brooch. It's so big and beautiful. You won't miss it."

"A red brooch… got it."

"Oh, and if you find her, give her this music box. Please, I know you can do it."

I placed a hand on top of the young girl's head. "Thank you, sweetie. I'll find them… and do what I can once I do." That's the best I could promise this girl. This city is cursed as Gilbert told me. I can't see a good ending to this man or the woman that left out without the only protector she has again her husband. The Yharnamites can't distinguish me from the beasts they hunt. For a hunter that's fallen it's probably worse than this.

"Thank you miss hunter. Follow me!" The young girl grabbed my hand and pulled toward a room in the back past the bathroom. Inside was darker than the street I just trailed through but that didn't stop me from seeing it; the thing I think this girl wanted to show me. "My daddy didn't like this thing of his but miss hunter needs something!"

"Indeed." I walked up to the weapon that rested a dresser. A hammer of sorts with a sword next to it. "What is this."

"Daddy called it a… a…. Kirkhammer I think." The girl said.

"Kirkhammer." I reached for the weapon grasping the bottom portion of the hammer and slung it on my back. "It's a good name for this." Looking over the weapon I noticed that the hammer had an opening for the sword. I placed it in and found that it fit perfectly. This is a weapon that can act as a hammer and a sword once out of it's sheathe. I twisted the sword and the hilt locked in perfectly. Once in the sheathe the sword becomes a hammer. It fits the strength and dexterity requirement I need so desperately desired. Perfect for the beast both large and small.

"Daddy has this too." The girl grabbed something from the back of a bed and presented it to me. A pistol of all things was in her hands. A pistol perfect for the bullets in my satchel. I took hold of it and the holster it rested in.

"Will these help you miss hunter?"

"Yes Priscilla," I held up the pistol out of its holster. "These are… perfect." I placed the holster on my waist and slung the cross strap for the kirkhammer over my shoulder and waist. The slot of the hammer fit into the ring and hugged itself to my back. The weight of the weapons felt amazing on my body. Like a part of me was missing until this very moment.

'Now we hunt…'

That voice in my head spoke softly, almost soothingly. The beast within me wants to hunt and now we can like never before