Fandom The Night Unfurls [Bloodborne]

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Probably just your poor luck. Ada wanted to say, but somehow found the control to stop herself before getting vocal. It wasn't like she felt the need to defend Iosefka of all people, her reputation did that for her -- but Ada just assumed that Briar only said that because of a poor first experience. Albeit, that poor first experience might well have cost her her life, but that was besides the point. It was just a shame that Iosefka of all people might have been on the last frayed ends of sanity. Yharnam needed more good people like her, perhaps less of the blood, though.

Ada didn't know how the mob hunter had completely escaped her senses. They were usually loud and intimidating, rather than sneak buggers. It could have been that she was deeper in thought than even she knew, or was just plain distracted for one reason or another. Regardless, a lone mob hunter got the jump on the two of them and went straight after Briar. If Ada were that hunt, she'd have probably done the same. At face value, Briar certainly looked like an easy target; she was smaller than Ada, walked in Ada's shadow and even apparently looked unarmed had cursory glances. Thankfully, Ada didn't even need to lift a finger, as by the time she realized what was happening, Briar had put a quicksilver bullet right between the man's eyes, coating the both of them in an unpleasant splatter of brain and skull bits.

"Nice shot," Ada raised an eyebrow, giving the crumpled hunter an extra poke with the end of her cane. Dead as dead could be. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a fresh quicksilver bullet and tossed it to Briar. "The bullet works plenty fine as a reagent. Just shove the thing down the barrel all the way. Let's hope you don't need it -- we're nearly there anyway."

The tiny church cache was no more than a diminutive stone structure no larger than a tool shed, really. It was dimly lit by a pair of lanterns and had enough incense for no more than an hour or two. Past the locked door was a bench, a few stacked stools, a basin of water and a chest of supplies. Ada lit the intense vase and shoved it outside before shutting the door behind them, then went straight for the chest.
Kicking it open revealed a handful of bloodvials, a pouch of bullets, some stale crackers, a torch and some various junk.

Taking a towel and soaking it in the water basin, Ada wiped herself down as best as she could, knowing it would only get worse as the night dragged on. After rinsing it down again, she handed it off to Briar along with the package of crackers. Attached to the crackers was a tiny note tacked on, looking like a child had written and drawn on it.

"Thank you for protecting us hunters, huh?" Ada read the note out loud before pocketing some of the extra supplies. "Guess mine being your escort for the night sure is paying its dividends." For the first time,
Ada gave an honest chuckle at her joke, a tiny smile forming on the corner of her lips.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Catching the bullet and loading it into the pistol as she had seen Ada herself do, she she would’ve continue to follow although much more silent now.

Reaching the church cache Briar was able to relax somewhat, having been tense ever since the mob hunter had jumped her. As the door was closed behind her and the scent of incense began to clog the air, she would take a seat on the bench while the hunter began to search through the supplies.

“Looks as if I’m not the only one who’s thankful.” Briar responded, accepting the rag and package of crackers. While cleaning herself off, she would hear a small chuckle escape Ada’s lips as well as a small smile. Unlike before it sounded genuine, the first time this night.

Smiling slightly herself she would finish with the now stained rag, setting it back on the side of the basin before slowly opening the package and setting one of them into her mouth. While it was stale, dry, and a bit salty the act of focusing on chewing was doing wonders to take her mind off of the entire night.

Swallowing she would open her mouth to speak but pause as a similar howl to the one before sounded out, much closer now. Letting it fade, Briar would finally say “What I was thing to ask earlier... why did you go to the clinic tonight? As I’m sure you know as well I do what would’ve happened without you showing up.”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada grimaced at the howl that pierced the night once more, not only because it was an altogether unpleasant noise, but that she knew that someone she had likely known was still out there wreaking havoc in the body of a beast. She remembered her training, so long as she kept in the proper state of mind, the blood was no threat -- as the church ministers repeated over an over again. Either they were wrong, or whoever that was out there had forgotten their training. Would she also one day forget her training and turn into a worse monster than she already was? She couldn't bear put much thought into it, as the thoughts made her skin crawl.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know?" Ada shook her head, taking the opportunity to shrug off her outer jacket and toss it to the side. She withdrew a sewing needle and a spool of thread from her small bag and sat at the corner of the cache room, relishing in the small heat that the lantern gave off. "During the Hunt...I just wander. Sometimes I have a goal in mind, and I think I just wanted to see the clinic tonight. It probably wouldn't have given me peace of mind even if Iosefka was in one piece doing her thing and saving everyone she could, but who knows? It's hard to say..."

Pursing her lips, she dropped her gaze to her stomach and began to sew up the sizable hole the dagger had made in her clothing. A fruitless show, like washing herself so early in the hunt, but Ada couldn't just sit and do nothing -- not tonight.

"I've been doing this for a few years, but...the nights never get shorter. Feels like I've been doing this my whole life now. Can't imagine how it must be like for you and...the others. Do you have a family waiting for you at home, Briar?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar would listen to Ada as she took a seat and began to try and sew up her clothing, the idea of it not being all that strange. You’re goal is to simply kill beasts and men who had succumbed to the disease, not think or do much else for the night. “I believe you.” She’d respond. “Can’t imagine there’s much else to do aside from wander and hunt.”

Shifting in on the bench, she would set the package of crackers beside her while the hunter continued to speak. “Truthfully it feels as if this night has gone on forever…” Briar confessed. “Normally I somehow am able to tune it out and fall asleep in a blissful ignorance, waking the next day as if it hadn’t happened. Normally the incense from the Cathedral Ward was enough to conceal the stench that was left behind. But now I’m not sure I’ll have that luxury anymore.”

At the mention of family, she would suddenly grow rather silent, a saddened expression taking over. “No… I haven’t for awhile now. I arrived here in Yharnam when I was eighteen with by older brother, and after a few months he took an interest in the Church, left, and simply never returned. Its been ten years since then.” After a brief pause she would avert her gaze downward, forcing a small chuckle. “My guess is that he got too in over in head, being the eager person he is.”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada continued until she was satisfied that the cloth would not tear again,
save for another jab of a dagger perhaps. She wrapped up her sewing supplies and packed it all away for the next inevitable blunder. "Nowadays, who doesn't have interest in the Church? People come from every corner of civilization to witness Yharnam and her miracles." Ada raised her arms up as to enunciate the last few words of her tirade, as if she were presenting some grand spectacle. All Yharnam had to offer was ultraviolence, zealots and hedonism.

Ada sighed as she picked herself up and placed herself in the far side of the bench from Briar, peeking out the window to see if their insence was still lit. She lounged a bit with her cane and pistols close by just in case. "Your brother. He have a name? I might have seen him around if he spent much time around us ecclesiastical folk."

It was a long shot and the odds were not good, but Ada could tell the girl needed some closure. She could at least try.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

“Believe me... I’m aware. It’s the main reason we came here in the first place, yet it seems only it’s praises get outside its walls and not much else.” Briar wasn’t going to say that their work wasn’t a miracle... but it still was what got her into this mess in the first place.

“His name was Everett Cowen.” Briar stated as Ada asked. “He took more of our mother’s looks with blond hair but his height surely came from our father. He towered over me and might’ve been your height or a bit taller.” In speaking about him, the small smile she wore lingered, possible pleasant memories warding off ill thoughts.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada pondered for a moment before responding. She didn't recognize the name, and even trying to picture someone as Briar described, Ada didn't see anything. It took a little while before she realized she was staring straight at Briar as she was lost in thought. With a rub of her nose, Ada averted her gaze before it got too terribly awkward.

"Nope, doesn't sound familiar in the slightest," Ada played it off cool. "Plenty of people in the church, but I guess it was worth a shot. If he's anything like you, the church'd be lucky to have a man like him."

Ada was careful with her words, being sure not to use Briar's brother's name in the past tense -- in case she still had hope that he was still kicking somewhere in Yharnam.

"We've still got a ways to go," Ada said finally after a moment of silence and checking out the window at their incense once more. It was lit, but dimming. "Are you ready to move?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Nodding Briar would sigh, absentmindedly scuffing the dusty floor with her boot. She had kept some sort of hope that he was still alive, but as much as she wanted to believe that, she still knew it was rather unlikely after so much time had passed.

Being tore from her thoughts once more by Ada saying they should move, she would stand. Blinking she would look up towards the hunter. “I am. No use in delaying any longer.”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Without another word, Ada gathered all of her things and patted herself down to ensure all of her items and trinkets were in place. Satisfied, she donned her cloak once more and slowly opened the door to return to the streets once more. As she stepped outside, she smothered the lit flame of the incense in her palm as she passed and inspected the contents of the urn. It was running on fumes already, even if they had not left when they did, the dying incense would have them driven them out not minutes later.

Ada was mostly silent as she lead them through alleys and courtyards. Her senses were keen on detecting everything around her, careful not to let her guard down at any point. The challenge was parsing through the cacophony of the night, determining if there were indeed stalking footsteps in the shadows nearby over the wail of beasts and echoes of ultraviolence. Not too far one of the city's many slums, Ada paused and knelt on an assuming splatter of blood of the many they had passed. She ran her finger through the splotch and watched it smear against the paved road. Her nose flared as her expression turned into a scowl.

"It's human blood -- not beast blood. And it's fresh," Ada declared, looking back and forth in an attempt to find the origin and course of the blood. "Stay close, and have your wits about you."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Following after Ada, Briar would already be walking in her shadow, keeping a tight grip on the pistol at her side. It was still unnerving, walking these streets, thought she didn’t feel entirely unsafe with the hunter ahead of her. Based on her previous actions, she clung to the idea that she was going to make it home tonight in one piece.

Pausing behind her as she inspected the blood, Briar would nod. An injured human? Could it be a member of a human mob or perhaps even a hunter? Not really sure which conclusion to come to she simply did, continuing to follow while trying to be as alert as possible.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

It wasn't until about the second time she heard it, did she stop in her tracks and snap to her right. To Briar, it would have appeared that Ada suddenly froze in place, like she had seen something. However, what Ada heard was so terribly quiet and diminutive that she simply dismissed it the first time. It was like the sound of cloth or leather brushing up against stone wall. She could only discern the direction of the noise and not much else, other than it had to be somewhat close. Her eyes darted back and forth across the other side of the street. Several tall buildings, a shop and some houses were there, providing plenty of places to hide or remain hidden.

Though she did not see anything through her squint, she reached back and ushered Briar into a nearby alley on their side of the street. Ada didn't quite have time to explain, so she just hoped that Briar understood and followed her without a fight. Ada had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach and her senses, even being that of a hunter's, told her to move from their location. As they took a different route from the street, Ada heard the noise again from behind them -- closer.

"We're being followed," Ada said plainly, turning now to face a seemingly empty alley and stepping to put herself between Briar and whatever was tracking them.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar nearly ran into Ada’s back when she had stopped suddenly, following her gaze and looking around to see if she could figure out what was distressing her. She couldn’t see any except, and the only thing she could hear were distant sounds of beasts and bloodshed. But seeing as she could was trusting of Ada enough to know when something wasn’t right, she didn’t protest when being ushered into the alleyway.

Finally when she announced they were being followed and stepped before an another alleyway, Briar grew a bit nervous. There could be any number of things following them, and not having the information the hunter did, she wasn’t sure what it could be.

Swish. Step.

This was all she heard, the sound originating from behind her rather than the other alleyway. Turning around and stifling a small cry of surprise, she was about to raise the pistol she held when she paused.

It was a man dressed in church garb not unlike what Ada wore, although he was noticeably drenched in blood both of beasts and his own from visible wounds. At first it seemed almost like a welcome sight, but that soon changed as he lifted his head a bit more. It was disfigured as if struggling to remain a human-esc shape. His mouth was slightly parted to reveal a few sharpened teeth, and the tips of the gloves he wore were torn away to make room for sets of claws.

Briar would take a step back, trying to put Ada in front of her as she originally intended. But instead of being outwardly hostile, he would fall to his knees, weapons falling to the street as he would try to staunch blood flowing from his wounds with his hands.

“Please...” He would rasp. “Would you... happen to have a spare vial or two...?”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

The hunter that had stepped out from the shadows was familiar, but not too familiar. He was a passing face at the healing church perhaps, and obviously a fellow church hunter. Even so, Ada was cautious to approach, noting full well that the hunter before them could turn into a full uncontrollable beast at any moment. If he turned in such close proximity to Briar and Ada, there would be no guarantee that either would survive the encounter.

"Odric," Ada called out, her tone still as commanding as ever. "Found yourself in a bit of a bind, have you?"

With one quick flourish, she covered her store of blood vials over her belt with her cloak and grabbed but one lonely vessel. Taking two steps forward, she rolled the vial across the street to Odric's feet free for him to take. No way was she going to walk up and hand deliver the vial. On the other hand, if she were to deny him help now, she could not predict where his mind could end up. Ada needed to prevent him from turning into a beast at all costs.

"M-my thanks," Odric would rasp as he collected the vial with two hands and breathed a sigh of relief, yet his beastly features did not change. Words hung like poison on his lips. "Ada Larkin, huh? Didn't think that you would be my savior, of all hunters in the Church. Who is your tail? A new pet?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

So his name was Odric. By the way Ada had rolled him the vial of blood, Briar guessed she was as weary of approaching him as she was. But for him to be so sane surprised her somewhat, not having seen someone almost so far gone but still in control of themselves.

“Pet?” Briar echoed with a bit of annoyance, although she couldn’t say she wasn’t surprised that Ada hadn’t simply left her for dead in the sickroom or by the gate.

“Aye.” He would grunt while standing, casting the empty vial aside. “Why else would she be traveling these streets on the night hunt with you?”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"She has a name," Ada sneered as she backed off, tightening the space between her and Briar. "Her name's Briar, and I'm escorting her to safety -- she's not a pet. What happened to you, Odric?"

The other hunter composed himself, breathing steadying once the blood vial. He scooped up his saw cleaver and blunderbuss, attaching both to his belt and rising to his feet. His hand still clutched a nasty looking wound over his abdomen that tore the cloth and leather of his garb to shreds. Whatever hit him, nearly killed him in that one swipe alone. Judging by the size of the wound, Ada figured that the fresh blood in the street also belonged to Odric. She was surprised that she didn't hear the ensuing fight.

"Ahh..." Odric groaned as he shuffled towards Ada. She held her ground. "So you don't know? Emilia's gone and lost her mind -- she's turned."

Ada's expression still did not falter. Emilia and Odric were close, it was probably the beasthood that kept him so well composed. He might lose it at any moment. "I'm sorry, Odric. Is she...?"

"No," He gave a weak chuckle, turning into a series of painful coughs. "She gave me this, and I went off running for help -- then I found you. She was heading towards Cathedral Ward, Ada. If you're headed there with your...Briar, perhaps you should steer clear."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

A small smile lingered on he lips when Ada spat back at him, but it was almost instantly wiped away when he began to speak of a woman who had apparently turned. It sounded like a cruel irony, hunters becoming the beasts they hunted... but were all of the church affiliated at risk? It was clear Odric was struggling based on his appearance, yet her mind was drawn back to the fight in the courtyard and how Ada had massacred the scounting party. Yet she pushed these thoughts aside.

No, she was most likely thinking too deeply about it.

Then he spoke that the beast was heading towards the Cathedral Ward, Briar’s heart sinking enough to ignore his remark towards her. That’s exactly where they were headed...

“What’s with the look? Hoping you could get to safety?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Killing you now might fetch you some peace, unless you do want to be Emilia’s next meal and have wasted Ada’s time.”

Briar couldn’t help but take a hesitant step back from him, keeping Ada between them. While he seemed to be functioning coherently there was surely something wrong with him...

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"Stay your blade, Odric," Ada nearly growled. "Forget not that it was my mercy that saved you just now. Briar is my responsibility, and of my own volition. Now run off and get yourself fixed Odric, I could smell you before I heard you."

With that, she turned her back on him and walked back towards Briar, gesturing for her to follow. They didn't get far before Odric called out once more, "Wait! You're headed for the Ward aren't you?" Odric shuffled on his feet, attempting to catch up to the two of them. A series of wet coughs that sounded almost like laughs sputtered from his mouth as he stopped them. "I'm headed there too -- I've got to take care of Emilia...Why don't you let me come along?"

Ada glanced over to Briar at her side before turning to face Odric once more. She gave the other woman a blank stare, and a very slight nod after a pause. Ada could practically feel Odric grinning from behind her. She turned around to address Odric again, "Alright, fine. We're not headed to the Ward, but we've got to pass it. You can tag along, but no more hiding in the shadows. Walk where I can see you."

"Certainly, certainly," Odric began hobbling towards them. He gave Briar a twitchy smile and nearly ravenous glance as he passed her. "After all, two hunters are better than one, yes?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar couldn’t help but keep close to Ada’s side and away from Odric, feeling extremely uneasy around him. It could’ve just been paranoia along with his unwelcome comments, but his beastly features set her on edge as well. For the entire time she had lived in Yharnam, beasts had lost their minds and were killed... so seeing him so strangely calm and coherent was unnerving.

They walked in silence for awhile, it soon occurring to Briar that the town surrounding them was oddly... quiet. The only sounds being their footfalls on cobblestone, breaths, the occasionally swish of fabric, and pained grunt from Odric. Maybe it was just her lack of keen senses, but she could’ve swore that there should’ve been more happening this early into the hunt.

Yet because of the lack of sound, Briar was able to hear the other hunter muttering nonsense beneath his breath, his eyes darting wildly around the alleyway, nostrils flared.

“Burning...” he mumbled to himself. “Ash... my Emilia...”

The scent of ash was strong in this direction... But what was wrong with him?

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada smelled it too. Ash, and a lot of it. Her thoughts drifted to Old Yharnam, and how they razed it to the ground to snuff out the beastly scourge. Fire was the great cleanser of Yharnam, to wipe away the sins of blood and beasts, and to start the sinning over again from the top. Fire was still commonly used in the Hunts because of its effectiveness against the beasts, but the only thing that would cause such a burning stench was a great pyre of many beasts or one very large beast. Either way, danger could be very close. Grumbling to herself, Ada glanced back and forth between Odric and Briar as they walked. That was two more people than she was used to keeping an eye on. In the event of a fight, it would be easy to lose track of either, or both of them.

"It's nothing, Odric," Ada assured. "Keep walking -- we haven't got all night."

She let Odric go on ahead for a moment, so she could hang back and lean in closer to Briar, "Are you holding up? We may be able to stop and rest once more at Cathedral Ward, if Emilia is not headed for it after all."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

As Odric was left to walk ahead and Ada asked if she was okay, Briar would nod, though be unable to take a worried gaze off of the male hunter. “I’m alright, though a short rest would be nice.” Pausing for a moment she would add “If it’s going to be too much trouble to get all the way to my home I would be find spending the night at the Ward. But if Emilia is heading that way-“

She was cut off by an inhuman anguished wail originating from up ahead, Briar looking past Ada to see that it had come Odric. He was now gripping the railing of a small bridge, eyes wide as he looked on something far below.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Snapping into action, Ada sprung forward with pistol and cane-whip in hand, catching up with Odric. Unsure what was happening yet, her gaze followed Odric's down below towards a mass of twenty or so mob hunters and a great inferno in the middle of the street. At the center of the fire was a great beast corpse, easily four times taller than a man and as wide as a building. Its fur was burning away and charred bone began to show as the flames licked away at the corpse. Scattered about the pyre were dismembered corpses, destroyed wagons and signs of a prolonged battle, but one shining object caught Ada's attention.
It was the glint of a silver sword, cast aside and forgotten by the mob -- Emilia's hunter sword. Ada swallowed hard as she slowly approached Odric, his grip had bent the wrought iron railing as his body twitched.

If he lost it here, not only would Ada have to contend with a hunter-turned-beast, but it would also draw the inevitable attention of the massive mob gathered below. Ada made the decision to end it before it could begin, planning to kill Odric and get away before any of the mob could find them. She inched closer behind Odric, and leveled her pistol to the back of his skull. Just as she was about to pull the trigger,
something in Odric snapped and he let out another bloodcurdling scream as his body stretched and contorted into a bestial form. The force of the scream and his sudden burst into a beast knocked Ada off balance and backwards onto the ground, but not before Ada managed to fire a reactionary shot as she fell. The bullet caught Odric in his lower jaw as he turned to face Ada, tearing bone, flesh and muscle. The beast let out another gurgling wail, with half its remaining. It towered over Ada on the ground, claws as long as sabers and piercing crimson eyes.

Though Ada could not see the mob below, she knew they heard it all. They were in trouble now.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Following behind Ada Briar wasn’t as fast as her to reach the entire scene, but she stopped dead in her tracks as Odric’s body tore itself into a much larger beastly version. The still sane hunter managed to get a good shot on his lower jaw, but was still clearly in danger.

At first she raised the pistol she held, aiming to fire at Odric when she paused. Her heart raced, the gun swaying madly in her hands, she unable to make herself pull the trigger. Paralyzed yet struggling to tear her gaze from the sight, Ada’s pistol fell from her grasp, hitting the bridge.

Hiding the ground at just the right angle, the weapon went off.

The bullet didn’t hit the beast, but it came close enough to get his attention, he looking up from the hunter and giving a guttural snarl, deciding the advanced upon her instead. By this point, Briar’s mind had fallen blank, she almost entire deaf to her surroundings even though the mob below was shouting and shooting up towards them.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada was dazed after hitting the ground, enough so that she was barely comprehending that a gunshot very nearby had gone off -- and it was not her's, nor was it the clang of rifle fire from below. Her gaze drifted from the snarling visage of the beast to her right. There, in her hazy vision, she saw Briar shaking in her boots. A smoking pistol lay at her feet, and bullets whizzed over her head. That, whatever had happened, had drawn Odric's attention from finishing Ada off to stalk towards Briar. Worse yet, Briar was absolutely paralyzed. Even as Odric stomped towards her -- easily double Briar's height in fur, talons and teeth, she did not move. If Ada didn't act quickly, Briar was finished.

There was no way Ada could muster up the words to get Briar to react in that moment, she was simply too dazed. If Briar didn't get to cover, she'd end up riddled with bullets in a matter of moments. Thinking on her feet, Ada kicked a nearby empty barrel directly towards Briar with enough velocity that it would knock her off her feet. From there, all Ada had to worry about was Odric. Unholstering another pistol, she stood with the help of her cane and shot at the beast once more. The round tore a hole into his shoulder blade, cracking bone and twisting muscle. Once more the beast howled and turned towards Ada. Just as planned.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar was convinced the beast was going to tear her to shreds, until the barrel that Ada had kicked in her direction slammed into her. It was enough to force her off the bridge and back by a wall, the solid wood nearly knocking the wind out of the small and already stunned woman.

Still stuck in her daze, she simply could only watch the events unfold on the bridge, having a front-row seat to whatever would ensue.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada grimaced a little bit at the sound of the barrel colliding with Briar. It would hurt later, but it wouldn't kill her. That was the goal after all -- stop Briar from dying and Ada had accomplished that much. With enough luck, Briar might just think that she was knocked out by a stray barrel, and not intentionally by Ada. Regardless, Briar was safe enough for now and Ada still needed to handle Odric before they could make another escape.

For the faintest moment, Ada thought she saw a flash of humanity left in Odric's eyes. One of sorrow and regret, but it had disappeared just like that. The eyes that locked onto her saw her as food. Plus, what was Ada to say to Odric, if she were to try to snap him out of beasthood? Sorry I shot your face off?

Ada steeled herself as Odric charged at her with claws spread wide, poised to rip the top half of her body from her legs in one vicious swoop. With more finesse than was apparent for a woman like Ada, she waited until the very last possible moment before ducking under his swipe and jabbing the end of her cane upwards, aiming for his heart. While she definitely pierced his hide and flesh, she did not find her target and Odric merely stumbled away, rearing for another charge. This time, before he could come at her, she transformed her cane into its whip form and lashed at him from afar with the serrated segments.
Much to her surprise, Odric snatched a length of the whip out of midair and gave it a forceful yank. Caught entirely off guard, Ada stumbled forward, her whip flying out of her hand. Before she could react, Odric had pounced again and drove his claws directly through Ada's right shoulder until his claws pierced out of her back and lifted her into the air.

Ada could only manage a soft gasp as Odric raised her up into the sky. She had been outmaneuvered, by a beast no less. However, even at the precipice of death, Ada was still prepared to fight. With her good arm, she reached into her jacket and pulled out one pistol and fired -- the bullet just barely took the fur off of Odric's face, but, she was already going for her last pistol. With the last card in her hand, she lined up her final weapon and fired, knowing life or death was in that one trigger pull.

The bullet tore through skull and brain-matter, splattering out of the back of Odric's head and onto the street. Ada, along with Odric's corpse toppled to the ground. She lulled in and out of focus in the next few moments, managing to free herself from the claw that impaled her and injecting herself with several blood vials before hobbling to Briar. The voices of the mob were getting closer, and she knew they were running out of time and that she was in no condition to fight until the healing blood repaired her battered body. With her good hand, she yanked Briar up and half carried, half tugged her back across the bridge to safety.