Fandom The Night Unfurls [Bloodborne]

[Coin]

The Night Unfurls
A Bloodborne-inspired Roleplay







Authors
Coin , StoneWolf18

Characters
Ada Genevieve Larkin
Briar Evelyn Cowen​

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Clang!

Ada's cane rang out in the now-silent streets as she hit the hidden lever near her thumb grip, transforming her cane-whip back into its rigid cane form. Flecks of fresh blood and entrails from the scourge beast she had just slain splattered across her garb and face as the cane snapped into place. Between her heavy panting, she tugged off one of her lightly armored gauntlets and wiped the blood and sweat from her across her scarred face in a single messy stroke. She had not been injured, but the scourge beast had certainly caught her off guard. The beast had been hiding under a dark stairwell and pounced from its hiding place only when Ada had almost passed. Were it not for the loose iron railing of the stairs, Ada would surely have ended up as its dinner.

Another slaughter for the Hunt, and seemingly no closer to the promised dawn.

With a sigh, Ada slipped her gauntlet back on and continued on. She had a destination in mind, but no certain purpose. Was it the curse of the Hunt? To travel by one's own curiosities, slaying every beast along the way until every hunter, and beast, and Yharnamite had fallen in between? She could not stomach such reality, and so Ada simply did not -- putting one foot in front of the other for no other reason than because she wanted to. Perhaps this was the beginning of beasthood?

Not long after her encounter with the scourge beast, Ada had finally arrived at Iosefka's clinic. Iosefka was a kindly woman when the Hunt was not on. She treated her patients with care and fairness, her only concern was that of the well-being of her patients. That was why Ada's heart sank when she creaked open the wrecked door to the clinic with her cane. The interior was trashed. Gurneys and supplies were in disarray, broken glass crunched with seemingly every step and not a single lantern nor incense was lit. Ada lit the small lantern at her side for light and made her way through the clinic as quietly as her limping gait and cane could, preparing for another ambush that never came.

On the one of the undisturbed gurneys lay the only patient in the sickroom. A young woman, frail and unmoving. Ada could not tell if she was dead or not, even as she approached. With much care, Ada stood over the other woman and slowly removed her gauntlet once more, holding her index finger just above the woman's upper lip in attempt to determine if she still drew breath. In the freezing cold, it was far too difficult to tell if the patient was breathing still, so with the same finger Ada shifted and pressed under the side of the woman's jaw, trying to find a pulse.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Her luck was almost unfathomable, but it was most likely her own fault for being so trusting. Briar had never been too fond of the thought of blood transfusion, even when she had began to grow rather ill, but once it was certain that it wasn’t going to be leaving her anytime soon, she could’ve either chose to waste away to nothing within a trash heap, or, cure herself and move on with her life.

Her choice was obvious.

At first things seemed too good to be true, completely cured after the initial procedure. She was skeptical of course but seeing as she didn’t want this potentially waste this opportunity she took it as it was until things began to go downhill. She couldn’t exactly describe what she felt, but it wasn't… right. Of those she spoke to about her thoughts about a possibly botched transfusion, most told her to seek treatment at Iosefka's clinic. Briar had heard of the woman, a kind-hearted soul willing to help those who required it. Taking up their advice it didn’t take long to find, but upon entering and inquiring about potential aid… things were taking a strange turn. The woman she assumed to be Iosefka seemed a bit anxious and almost rude at times, quick to push her further into the clinic without asking what it was she needed help with. She couldn’t do so much as protest before the world went blank.

An unknown amount of time later, Briar was slowly becoming conscious once more, but she soon wished she wasn’t. Her entire body ached and mind throbbed, this combination enough to set a naushous pit in her stomach. Though those were dwarfed by how drained she felt, as if having every single ounce of energy removed leaving little more than a corpse behind.

Breathing shallowly, she laid like this for awhile, unable to will her numb and stiff limbs to move. She could, however, open her eyes. Her vision was unfocused with there appearing to be a haze in the air. A muted groan escaped her lips as she blinked a few times before partially shifting her head to see... snow?

While she was rather numb due to the cold and snow she was lying in, Briar forced her stiff self to sit up, it taking more than enough effort. There looming over her was a massive castle, it’s gate not far ahead covered in layers of frost. With a frown she slowly managed to stand, wrapping her arms around herself and taking a few steps forward, trying to reach the entrance...

Her eyes blinked open suddenly, she unable to see the room’s ceiling due to the face of a woman filling her view. Briar’s eyes would’ve widened, the shadows cast due to her lanturn and the scars lining her skin make her wonder if this were yet another nightmare.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"Napping on the night of the hunt, are we?" Ada's stone-cold voice hushed as the woman finally breathed to life and came to.

As if she were not tiny enough, the other woman seemed to shrink as her eyes widened seemingly in utter terror. The poor thing was probably frightened out of her mind, and judging by the empty blood vials around her, it looked as if she'd just received a blood transfusion and just awoke. Odd, Iosefka usually tended to the patients even when the blood became too much for the conscious mind to handle, yet the nurse and her orderlies were nowhere in sight. Ada could only imagine what might be going through the woman's head, but she couldn't help but play off her horror for a moment longer. She raised her gauntleted hand and suddenly splayed her fingers inches away from the woman's face as if she were about to grab her face in an attempt to scare the daylights out of her. Before her hand touched the woman's face, Ada pulled away as quickly as she had sprung, and following her little stunt with a series of dry chuckles.

"Now hold on, I'm not gonna hurt ya," Ada raised her hands innocently in front of her in a disarming manner, in case the girl decided to up and sprint out of the sick room, if she hadn't fainted on the spot already. "I'm Ada, I'm a Church Hunter -- I can keep you safe. I'm just gonna ask you a few questions, alright? You got a name?"

Ada positioned herself adjacent to the gurney, leaning up against a few stacked up crates and her cane resting beside her. Other than that, her black church attire was more than visible, along with her brace of pistols along her chest. While she certainly may have looked intimidating with her scars and battle regalia, some Yharnamites looked up to figures like her as saints during the Hunt. As for what this poor lady thought of her, Ada's guess was as good as any's.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

The woman seemed to linger there for an eternity, watching with a grotesquely amused expression upon her face after speaking. The night of the hunt... she had been lying here for an entire day? She had come in the prior evening.

Briar momentarily lost her train of thought as their hand was brought up close, it almost appearing as if she were going to be grabbed. Her hands gripped the sides of the gurney, knuckles white as she seemed to pale further, it being more than effective in scaring the already terrified woman further as she touched her face.

As she chuckled and said that she wasn’t going to hurt her, she didn’t exactly relax. The situation was enough to keep her tense with her current condition and the other woman’s actions not helping all that much. But as she introduced herself as a church hunter, she couldn’t help but feel a bit more relieved. If she had to be caught abandoned and in such a state on the night of the hunt, she’d much rather be found by Ada than alone.

Ever so slowly Briar would force herself to sit up, but doing so a bit too fast. Mumbling curses beneath her breath she would take a moment to collect herself before responding to her question. “Briar.... it’s the night of the hunt already?” Even thought she was already told, she couldn’t help but ask, wanting to be sure that she wasn’t being fooled with yet again.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada hummed before responding, reaching up to scratch the back of her head as she pondered for a moment. Briar, as she introduced herself, must have been out of it for a long while if she didn't even know the Hunt was on. Most denizens of Yharnam would be cowering under the sheets at this time, not taking leisurely strolls to the sick ward to curb a cough. Someone especially as harmless as Briar looked certainly should have no business walking the streets with all sorts of beasts and unsightly horrors prowling about.

"Well, Briar, you won't like what I'm about to say, but I'd wager your chances are not too good tonight if I am being honest," Ada deadpanned, an eyebrow arched as she shifted ever so slightly against the crates she leaned against. "The Hunt is especially bloody tonight, and it's only a matter of time before a beast sniffs down this clinic. Plenty of blood everywhere, I'm surprised you're not minced already, really."

Ada's duty was to hunt, not to babysit citizens. Though her methods seemed merciless, she knew that each beast she felled would save the lives of a dozen Yharnamites. Taking her time out of the Hunt to chivalrously walk a lady home would not fair well for either of them.

"I'd say you have two realistic options that don't involve your immediate death, Briar," Ada leaned in a little bit as she unfastened a blood vial from her belt and set it next to Briar's gurney. "You could stay here and hide, pray that even if a beast does sniff its way into here that it doesn't smell your stench. Second option, you ought to run as fast as you can to a safer shelter, be it your abode or maybe even Cathedral Ward if it hasn't been overrun -- anywhere with lots of incense burning. You hear me?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Well... shit.

Briar didn’t need Ada telling her how low her chances were at the moment, a grimace overtaking her features as she cast her gaze away. Normally when she would know the night of the Hunt was drawing near, she would already be home. Trying anything to drown out the sounds of howling, shouting, and other such things associated with the massacre that would take place. But now that she didn’t have that option, and was more or less being left on her own...

She tore herself out of her thoughts as the blood vial was placed beside the gurney she was still sat upon. Blood... this all was happening because of the damned blood. Even if she hadn’t gotten cured she still could’ve found herself a spot in the cathedral ward for the night. Yet, she didn’t want to make her chances slimmer. And so with clear reluctance, Briar would reach for the vial and gently tug up her left sleeve, her right arm being sloppily bandaged already. After taking a quick breath, the woman flinched as pressed down, gaze not leaving the vial as it drained.

It was a wonderful feeling, she unable to hold back a sigh as she would return the vial to where it had been originally placed, rolling her sleeve back down and easing herself off of the gurney. It was now that she realized how tall Ada truly was... the way she towered over her not making her all that inclined to stick around.

Silently Briar would move towards the door, reaching it before pausing. As soon as she would leave, she was dead. It was that simple. Even though she wanted to believe she could rush home, with it being so far away, she doubted she would make it even half way there.

“My home is nearly on the other side of this damned town.” Briar would begin, facing the Church hunter. “The ward being even farther away... so I’m curious as to why you simply don’t end my life now, save the beasts the trouble.”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada merely watched as Briar drained the sole blood vial she had offered as a good luck for the journey ahead. She had meant for the girl to use it if she had gotten injured, not to find some shallow courage at the bottom of the vial. As the last of the blood disappeared, Ada gave a soft chuckle and grabbed her cane, rising to her feet as Briar did as well. With all of her leathers and equipment, her standing up gave quite the hefty rattle of equipment.

Still, Ada only watched as Briar made her way to the exit. She did not pass the precipice of the door however, only pausing in apparent thought and then calmly asking for Ada to simply kill her instead of becoming beast-bait. As if Ada was not amused enough already, she gave a much louder half-scoff, half-laugh at Briar's request and slowly made her way over to her.

Rhythmically the sound of her boots and the soft clack of her cane echoed in the sick room as she now stood before Briar. Ada did not act right away, but just as quick and suddenly as a viper, she unholstered a pistol from her brace, cocked the hammer back and pressed the barrel under Briar's chin. She was forceful, but only to maintain her intimidation, not to jostle the poor thing around.

"You choose to die by my hand, then?" Ada hissed, using the pistol to make Briar look directly up at her. Her lip was curled into a sinister scowl and a flash of rage sparked in her eyes. "What a fool you are."

Ever so slowly, Ada shifted the barrel of the pistol up Briar's chin until its cold iron was harmlessly caressing her cheek. Ada held the pistol there for a moment then let it drop, giving it a twirl before returning it to her holster. Just like that, Ada's expression cooled from a seering blaze, to its icy cold once again.

"You're a fool because a hunter hunts beasts, and you have the eyes of a woman yet, Briar," Ada practically teased in her tone. "I'll kill you once you turn, not a second sooner. Now if you will pardon me, I must rejoin the Hunt. Perhaps I may generous enough to bring my slaughter in the direction of Cathedral Ward, hmm?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

As if the night couldn’t get any worse...

At first it seemed as if Ada was going to take up her offer, standing before her for a moment before pressing one of her pistols beneath her chin, jerking it upwards as she spoke. She wasn’t able to conceal the fear she felt nor did she try, if she was going to die here, so be it.

Soon the pistol was resting beside her cheek before being reholstered, Briar leaning back on the doorframe. Ada would briefly explain that she only killed those who had already scummed to the disease, although her tone held teasing notes that simply drilled into Briar further.

“Then go rejoin your hunt.” Briar would mutter, moving to exit the building without another word. If her death was to occur tonight, she’d rather it be sooner rather than later.

But as she exited the clinic, moving through the small courtyard, she managed to reach the metal gate before the howl of a nearby beast sounded. Even though Briar wasn’t aware of how close it was, it still began to cement her current reality. The scent of blood, burning flesh, and ash hung in her throat, not assisting as she gripped the gate. Becoming unsteady upon her feet, the woman would lean on it enough to cause its hinges to shriek in protest.

Briar’s breathing quickened as her eyes appeared unfocused, being absorbed into her thoughts. After she had tried to save herself, fate was still going to come back and bite her, taunting her with death once more. Was she unable to escape it now? Had her time come with no more delay?

While stuck trying to comprehend her possible demise, one thing still stuck out in her mind. Ada. Briar found herself resenting the woman but also her seeing her as her best chance of survival. She was letting her pride get the better of her, and despite how she didn’t want to grovel for help, she valued her life a bit more.

When Ada would exit the clinic, she would see Briar still clinging to the gate heavily, clearly reluctant to continue moving into the beast-prowled streets.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"Hmm," Ada shrugged, then tossed up her free hand in a small wave as she headed the opposite direction. "Suit yourself. May the good blood guide you."

It took Ada all the willpower she had to not tack on a soft chuckle to add insult to injury. Best not torment a dead woman walking, after all. As Briar made her way out of the building, Ada trekked deeper in, heading past the sick bay and towards the main offices. Much to her surprise, the door leading up to the rest of the clinic was tightly locked. A few quick knocks yielded no such response and Ada wasn't sure she wanted to barge through the door, just in case there were more patients hiding from the Hunt on the other side. After that, there was really no reason to stay in the clinic, other than perhaps to catch her breath.

As Ada crossed the sick bay once again, she froze in her tracks at the piercing beast howl. It was no ordinary scourge beast that had such an ungodly wail, it could be nothing else but a cleric beast. Even for a seasoned hunter as Ada, the shrieks still rippled fear down her spine. A beast of that size was no ordinary Yharnamite turned monster, it was one of the Church's own that had folded to the scourge of the beast.
Was it Johast? Bailey? Perhaps Gascoigne? Whichever poor soul had bought the farm, Ada could only pity and be thankful it wasn't her that turned.

"Feh," Ada spat as she shrugged off the thoughts that plagued her and pushed her way out of the clinic.

Much to her surprise a familiar figure was still just a stone toss away. Briar, the girl who had been so brave to embrace her certain death only a few minutes ago was clutching onto the wrought iron fence as if it were the only thing keeping her alive. With a curious tilt of her head, Ada approached from behind Briar and softly tapped her on the shoulder with her free hand, trying to get her attention. Had the girl lost her nerve? Maybe she never had it to begin with.

"Eh? Briar?" Ada hushed. "You lose your way home or something? Or perhaps it was that beast you heard -- headed in that direction?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar would jump slightly at Ada’s unexpected touch, turning to face the hunter. “I...” trailing off the woman tried to think. How was she going to even try and get help from her? She hasn’t seen any sort of emotion on her face aside from when she had tried to scare her and then again when she drew her pistol.

Swallowing Briar would simply be honest. “All I wish is to get home, but on my own that seems more than unlikely with beast such as the one that howled skulking around. I know you have better things to be doing, for instance killing that beast, but... please, even assisting me half way there would increase my chances and- and I might be able to provide some form of compensation for your efforts...” What the hunter would want was beyond her but tugging on her apparently nonexistiant heartstrings alone wasn’t going to work.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"Yharnamites are all the same," Ada sighed, shaking her head a bit as she leaned on her cane. "Have one taste of the blood, and suddenly everyone's an emperor. Good thing the beasts and hunters are here to put fear of death back in your sullied hearts."

While Ada certainly seemed cruel, she did have a heart. She could tell Briar was terrified, and while other hunters might have left her for dead or even struck her down where she stood to be better safe than sorry, Ada couldn't leave the poor thing alone out on the street in good conscience. The line between man and beast might be blurred on the night of the Hunt, but that was no justifiable reason for Ada to abandon the shreds of humanity she still had left. She'd be no better than the beasts she killed if she refused Briar.

"Tell you what, Briar," Ada began. "I'll take you ba--"

The hunter stopped dead in her tracks as every one of her senses kicked into overdrive. Her nostrils flared, eyes darted and ears twitched as she flew into fight mode. As quick as a flash of lightning, she grabbed onto Briar's shoulder and nearly dragged the girl from their vulnerable position out in the open against the corner wall of the clinic. In case Briar decided to pipe up in protest, Ada's gauntleted hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"Don't make a sound," Ada hissed as she pressed Briar flat against the wall, melting next to her as soon as she was sure Briar wouldn't go off running.

Just one street over, the sounds of dragging metal, burning torches and chittering voices grew louder as they approached.

"I think I heard somethin' over here!" One voice shouted clearly over the rest.

Ada looked directly at Briar as a mob of a dozen Yharnamite hunters down the street came into view. At first glance, it might have been a welcome sight on the night of the Hunt, but a closer squint from their hidden position would reveal that the Yharnamites were human no more. Their eyes were dazed, arms elongated, bodies hairy and teeth sharpened as man began to become beast. The Hunt was certainly on,
but for them, any flesh would do. Ada controlled her breathing and even her heartbeat as best she could, praying that Briar could keep her composure as the mob turned onto their street.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

At first, it seemed as if Ada was going to refuse, Briar preparing for her to spit in her face. But to her surprise, she began to speak as if she were, yet never got to finish that sentence as she suddenly cut herself off. Unsure what was going on, she was about to ask but was pulled back away from the gate faster than she could react, pressed up against a wall. Opening her mouth to speak, she was only silenced by a gauntlet over her mouth and what sounded like an order to remain quiet.

Then she heard what was causing Ada distress, a mob slowly inching in their direction, appearing much more beast than human.

Briar shut her jaw tight, pressing herself further up against the wall. So… the night could get worse. Would they be able to hide or could the mob sniff them out before too long? The sheer amount of them made it so she wasn’t even sure if the hunter could take them all on and hope to get out unscathed.

While all of this was clouding her judgment, Briar knew better than to cause a scene as it would only draw them closer. And so she simply hugged the wall in a mute terror, wishing that this was all nothing more than a bad dream she would soon wake from.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Pitchforks, rifles, torches, swords and shovels. For an unruly beast lynch mob on the Hunt, they were about as adequately equipped as Ada would expect. While the mob would have cut Briar and even a fair number of scourge beasts to shreds, they'd stand no chance against something the size of a cleric beast. With enough luck, that was the mob's prize, and not the two of them.

Slowly and deliberately, Ada unfastened one of her pistols with her thumb on the hammer, ready to cock it back and shoot if any of the mob caught wind of her or Briar. Thankfully, the woman at her side kept as quiet as she did. It felt like hours, but the mob finally passed the clinic and turned onto the next street, but Ada was wiser than that. She carefully holstered her pistol again and set a calm, but firm hand on Briar's shoulder for a minute longer as to let her know that the danger had not passed. Once the mob had all but disappeared from sight and sound, Ada finally unfroze and let out a diminutive sigh of relief.

"We're in the clear for now," Ada peeled away from the wall and gestured for Briar to follow. "Come, let's get far away from here before that mob -- or something worse -- shows up. Where is it that you live?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar kept silent, fearing that they would be found. As Ada would holster her pistol and set a hand on her shoulder, she remained as still as possible until she finally sighed and moved away from the wall.

She would do the same although still remain tense and worried while listening to the hunter speak. Clearly relieved that she wasn’t going to be abandoned out here, she would be quick to respond. “Near the edge of town by the Cathedral Ward. The amount of incense they burn along with the little I have is normally enough to keep me safe on nights like this.”

Before any more conversing, or movement for that matter, could be done, a small ruckus would sound from inside the clinic, a somewhat bloodied man rushing out. “She’s gone mad!” He screamed, trying to quicken his pace but only ending up losing his footing and tumbling out of the doorway. As soon as he was outside, the door would suddenly slam behind him, the sound of a lock being turned heard barely beneath his crazed shouts.

“Is he going to draw them back?” Briar asked softly but nervously, not wanting to bring attention to themselves seeing as he hadn’t noticed the pair standing nearby.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Damn, Briar lived quite the trek away.
It might have been worth it just to drag her out to the Ward at that point and see her off there. As Ada was in the midst of formulating the best and safest path to their destination, a sudden ruckus broke her concentration from the clinic behind them. An absolute madman had burst from the clinic and his ravings were echoing the otherwise quiet street. While Ada could have easily shot him to keep him quiet, it would have only drawn more attention to their street.

"I don't bloody well want to find out," Ada muttered under her breath as she broke into action again and began to peel away into the street, away from the clinic and in the opposite direction the mob had disappeared off to. "Stay close behind and out of sight. I've had enough of this place."

As swiftly as Ada could, grunting through her minor limp, the two of them made it a few streets over from the clinic before Ada lead them into a side alley. Things did not look good. Distant, but closing in on them were the barking of hunter's dogs and scouts from the mob. Trying to triangulate exactly where the mob was approaching from, Ada grabbed Briar once more and tucked her into a dead end courtyard, its only entrance and exit the way they came in. There, Ada listened and watched from the shadows, keeping Briar close. This time, their luck did not give them a free pass. One lonely scout had wandered their direction and slowly made his way through the hallway to their courtyard. Unless the Yharnamite suddenly decided to turn around, the two would be found for sure. Ada lightly pushed Briar behind her and gestured for her to back up as Ada readied her cane, poised to strike as soon as the man broke through the hallway.

He had a torch in one hand and a long knife in the other, slowly running the metal of the knife against the stone hallway as he approached, "'ello? Anyone out 'ere?"

Once the poor man came into striking distance, Ada slashed at him from his blind spot with her cane, connecting with his upper chest. He began to give a howl of pain as he was staggered, but Ada shut him up with a jab to the throat. As he tumbled backwards and out of reach, Ada transformed her cane into its whip form and lashed at the Yharnamite as he tried to regain his balance. The whip's serrated sections found its soft mark as it sliced his throat open with ease. His scream died in his throat as he dropped both his knife and torch trying to seal the massive gash across his neck with his hands as he fell to the ground.
Ada gave a slight running start as she delivered the final blow -- a swift stomp to the side of the head to shut him up for good.

Another sigh and Ada righted her whip back into cane form, droplets of blood splattered against her coat, and Briar as well if she was close enough. "Go on and pick up his knife. He won't be needing it anymore."

Ada was a hunter. She'd kill and not think twice of it.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar did as she told, sticking close to Ada and not making any unnecessary sounds as they moved through the streets, keeping as out of sight as possible. But it seems as if they weren’t going to have much luck now, running into more bloodthirsty Yharnamite.

Moving behind the hunter and shrinking as far back into the crevasse as possible, she would’ve closed her eyes as the man neared, the sounds of him being slaughtered more than enough to get an idea of what was happening.

Once he was finished, she would move out from her hiding spot and retrieve his knife, although as she straightened up and look to the courtyard’s entrance, it took nearly all her willpower to not cry out as more shadows neared.

“Are you sure you heard something this way?” One of then asked, another grunting a ‘yes’ in response.

Gripping the knife’s hilt tightly, Briar would’ve moved back behind Ada once more, worried that they would come investigating as the man turned corpse had.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada cursed under her breath as more mob hunters approached the hallway into the courtyard. There was hardly any time to react as Ada turned to Briar and unholstered a pistol, this time twirling it until the barrel was pointed towards herself, free for Briar to take.

"Keep this and stay absolutely out of sight, you hear me?" Ada checked over behind her shoulder and around the corner. The mob was definitely getting closer and judging by the voices and clatter, it could easily be half a dozen of them. "Use this only if absolutely necessary. Pull the hammer back all the way until it clicks and squeeze the trigger. After that, drop it and run."

Ada said nothing more as she broke the corner in a dead sprint through the hallway, drawing a fresh pistol and firing at the first mob she saw. Her target crumpled to the ground before the rest knew what hit them, quicksilver bullet lodged in his temporal lobe. Ada's goal was to stop anyone from entering the hallway to the courtyard where Briar hid. That was just about the last thought she had until her instincts, training and reflexes kicked in. Lashing and tearing, she ripped through the hunters, uncaring for stealth nor grace as she herself let out a primal noise or two as she began the slaughter.

Just as quickly as it began, it was over. The last mob hunter gave the last sputters of life as Ada peeled away from his corpse. She had impaled his abdomen on a nearby collapsed iron fence, on a spike meant to keep pigeons and crows from resting. Her breathing was haggard as she collapsed onto her knees, letting her cane clatter beside her. In the melee, someone had driven a dagger hilt-deep into her stomach. With one swift motion, she grabbed the dagger with both hands and yanked it from her body, grunting and giving a single whimper of pain as warm blood oozed down her garb.

As if by second nature, Ada then reached to her belt and unfastened a blood vial, jabbing herself in the thigh with it an injecting herself with the contents. The blood worked quickly and sealed her wound in a matter of seconds -- the very staple of Yharnam at work, and the cause of this nightmarish hunt. Ada grit her teeth as she stumbled to her feet, mind glazed over from combat and a fresh blood vial. She was alive, but she was absolutely soaked in blood.

Thankfully this time, it seemed that nothing was left alive to hunt them, in that singular fleeting moment.

"Briar?" she called out, looking about for her lost companion.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Dropping the knife and taking the pistol from Ada, she would once again force herself into the corner, it being enough to keep her out of direct view of the entrance... but that didn’t mean she didn’t see the slaughter.

Briar’s face paled as she watched the hunter work, almost as savage as the turned men themselves as she tore them apart. It wasn’t long before Ada was the only one left standing, soaked in blood. Yet upon finishing, she fell to her knees with a grunt, possibly wounded based on how she began to use a vial of blood.

Once she had healed and called out her name, Briar slowly moved out of her hiding spot, eyes nervously flicking from the gore on the ground and to the hunter herself. The pistol, while at her side, still had her grip tighten around it somewhat, though only for a brief moment before a sort of guilt took her terror’s place. The woman had saved her life... so why was she so afraid?

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada was silently thankful that Briar was entirely unharmed. However, Ada's initial goal of not letting the woman see her do her job had already failed -- quite spectacularly and much earlier than she expected. The Hunt was no pretty sight, nor clean sight. Ada knew that it wasn't what Briar needed to see, but there was no way around it now. Reaching up, she wiped stray streaks of blood off her face with one of the few dry patches of clothing remaining.

"You know, it's not often people look at me like that," Ada couldn't help but jest now they were relatively safe. "Stop or you'll make me blush."

It didn't take long for the pain to melt almost entirely away, and by that time Ada had properly gathered their bearings. "Looks like we're still between Riverside and Holmesarn Street -- if my memory serves me correctly, there ought to be a Church cache nearby. Let's keep moving, I need some more blood vials and to clean up a bit."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar didn’t respond to Ada’s joke, rather she had already tried to ignore the woman’s odd sense of humor ever since waking in the clinic. Yet despite how strange it was, she couldn’t help but find it somewhat calming that she was still able to jest even when they were literally standing in the bloodied remains of those she had just slain.

Then Briar heard some better knews. Nodding she would glance down towards the pistol she still held. She wasn’t sure how many Ada had used during the fight, but it would clearly be pu to better use in her hands. “I believe I should return this before we go.”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada bit her lip and shook her head as Briar offered her pistol in return, then pushing it lightly back in her direction, "You had better hold onto it for now. Give it back when I get you someplace safe, it'll give me peace of mind to let you out of my sight while we're prowling the streets. Plus, I've got plenty more."

As she walked, Ada began the tedious process of reloading the rest of her pistols with quicksilver. Ada had no idea how some hunters got away with carrying a single pistol or blunderbuss. Even in small skirmishes, Ada found herself getting more than a little trigger-happy. A fellow cleric that had specialized in bloodtinge once told Ada that her blood was especially potent, even compared to other hunters. Bullets drawn from her blood were especially effective against beasts, and Ada simply could not ignore a key strength during the Hunt. Sometimes, even four pistols wasn't enough for her, but carrying any more would have slowed her down.

"Say, Briar," Ada looked back as they walked down the dim streets to check if she was indeed still alive. "What were you doing in Iosefka's clinic alone on the night of the Hunt? And what of that lunatic that burst out just as we left? Did you know him, or see him at the clinic?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

She felt a bit relieved that she could keep the weapon, for now at least. It providing a small sense of security that she hadn’t had when simply following behind Ada and hoping nothing would sneak up behind her.

Following the hunter as the left the small courtyard, she watched on with a bit of curiosity as she began to reload her pistols. Briar found it interesting how the munitions simply were drawn of their blood, as it certainly allowed them to have a constantly supply.

They would’ve walked in silence until Ada finally spoke, asking her why she had gone to the clinic in the first place and if she knew of the man that had rushed out. “Some time ago I had received my first blood transfusion to cure an illness I had been suffering from, but as the days went by afterwards I began to feel strange. Fearing something had gone wrong I was told to go to the clinic to see if Iosefka could assist me.” Her lips would be drawn into a frown as she continued to explain. “I had heard nothing but praise for the woman, she said to be kind and willing to help. Yet it was quite the opposite. She was hasty and rude as I tried to leave, dragging me deeper into the clinic towards the sickroom. I don’t remember much after that…” Briar would trail off, being reminded of the horrid nightmare she had experienced before waking. “I… had a rather awful dream before waking up and seeing you leaning over me. But that is it, I don’t know anything about the man-- or what was done to me other than possibly another transfusion.” She would gesture towards the bandages on her right arm with a slight grimace, they having been put on sloppily and not all that securely, making her begin to unwind them and discard it in the street which they walked on.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"You heard right," Ada hummed in agreement. "They say Iosefka's got two hearts -- one for her and one for all her patients. I never knew her personally, but I knew many that had their first ministration there."

Cautiously, Ada withdrew one of her pistols and peeked inside a shattered window, checking for any beasts waiting in ambush. It was empty, but might have housed a small family when on normal days. It was now reduced to dried bloodstains and sundered furniture. When she was reasonably satisfied that the building had been long ransacked and abandoned, Ada continued down the street. Yharnam was like an entirely different city during the Hunt. It was a shame that every Hunt, the place was reduced to its barest and most primitive urges leaving only violence and mayhem behind.

"Anyways, as I was saying, none of it fits the bill," Ada muttered, pressing onwards. "The madman, your experience at the clinic -- it doesn't make sense. But, what else can be said during the Hunt? Even the kindliest of folk are not immune to the scourge and madness. You're lucky to still be alive, if you're asking me."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

“Many I know said I should’ve gone to her for my first ministration, but I don’t think it would’ve turned out in my favor either.”

Pausing behind Ada while she checked the building, Briar couldn’t help but wonder how Yharnam was even functioning still seeing how often their hunts were and how broken and bloodied the town and it’s people were left afterwards.

As the hunter said she was lucky to be alive, Briar would sigh. “It doesn’t make sense no, but I am rather thankful for your help or I wouldn’t be alive right now.... speaking of which, wh-“ She was abruptly cut off as out of a nearby alleyway they were crossing in front of, a huntsman stepped out and brandished a blade in Briar’s face. Without thinking she raised the pistol she held and fired, gore from his head exploding spraying all over her face and torso.

Silent she would’ve lowered the weapon and ran a sleeve down her face to rid it of the brain matter and shards of his skull, her face almost completely expressionless. A small grimace was upon her face as she let out a low breath, stepping over his corpse.

The night would simply feel as if it were dragging on forever if she cowered at every threat. At least this way, she’d be one less mob closer to home.