Omake Week 2018, Day 7: And we end where we began, back in Yharnam, where the cyclical nature of the Night of the Hunt reflects the cyclical nature of posting these stories for the Week of the Omake. Or something like that...
~X X X~
"Um…yeah, sure, I'll spare the beasts of Old Yharnam."
The old hunter in ashen gray smiled widely at Balyn.
"Yes, very good." He clapped the younger man heartily on the shoulder. "I no longer dream, but I was once a hunter, too."
"Yeah, I kind of figured that from the stake driver and the blunderbuss, and…did you say dream? Like, the Hunter's Dream? Do you remember a talking doll, about this high?" Balyn held one hand well above his head. Djura just looked at him, then shook his head sadly.
"There's nothing more horrific than a hunt."
Wait, is he saying that he thinks I'm hallucinating under the strain?
"In case you've failed to realize…" Djura went on. "The things you hunt, they're not beasts. They're people."
"Um…I'm pretty sure that they're beasts. I mean, yeah, they obviously started out as people, but right now, they're definitely beasts. People would not be clawing my face off anywhere near as often as has happened here in Yharnam."
Djura shook his head again.
"One day, you will see…"
"If you say so?"
"Hmm, it's time you got going…"
"Yeah, probably." Balyn wasn't quite comfortable hanging around folks of dubious sanity who had access to giant Gatling guns. "Er, see you at the next Hunter's Dream reunion? We could get Eileen, too…Ah, well, maybe not. Anyway, bye. I have to keep looking for Byrgenwerth, anyway."
"But first, a farewell gift."
"Hey, that's nice of you."
With a shrug, Djura added, "I have no use for it anyway."
"Eh, still nice. Oh, hey, is this a badge? And it's the Powder Kegs, neat! I love that rifle spear they designed that I found in that building over there. You know what they say, if a weapon ain't got kick, it just isn't worth it!"
Djura rolled his eyes, or at least the one not bandaged over.
"What is it? Surely I need not repeat myself. Go, I say. You have the whole night to dream. Make the best of it."
"All right, all right, I'm going. Yeesh, don't get so huffy."
Djura pointed to the ladder…with the point of his stake driver.
"Right. Going now."
Balyn scampered to the edge and slid down one ladder, then the second, until he was back outside the Ritual Hall. He felt good about himself; it was nice to make a new friend, even if the old fellow seemed to be a bit of an odd duck. And in all fairness, it wasn't like the beasts of Old Yharnam were climbing up into the city or across into Yahar'gul to attack people, so maybe sparing them wasn't the wrong thing to do.
His train of thought was derailed by the pain of a saw spear ramming through his back. A boot slammed into his spine, kicking him off the spearpoint. Balyn grunted when he hit the filthy cobblestones, then pushed himself back upright.
"Okay, you know what, I said that I would spare the beasts of Old Yharnam," Balyn said, pulling out his saw cleaver and blunderbuss, "but at no time did I make any promises about jerkass hunters!"
~X X X~
A/N: Djura's Ally is such an annoying twink. Though maybe not as much as Djura's Disciple with that Gatling Gun in the Nightmare. Splicing in Balyn's dialogue with Djura's game speech was a fun little exercise, though.
I wonder if the Doll remembers Djura and Eileen, and what she thought of them.