Post by kimcora on Nov 14, 2021 19:46:40 GMT -5
Rosalind heard Antony call out to her, allowing her to rise from the muck and give the beast a heartier look. Here went nothing. She lit the Molotov she had, tossing it straight for the creature as it flailed. It caught Ludwig in the leg, bursting into a mist of fire that consumed him completely. The ungodly screams that Emirates from the creature as he burned made Rosalind’s stomach churn, especially when some of the shouts sounded less animal and more human. As it burned she ran to Antony’s aid, watching as the large blade shrunk back down to size and slammed into the muck, still glowing faintly. As she checked him for injury, she was caught off guard when the head of the great beast wiggled nearby. The horse like visage whinnied and gurgled, somehow still surviving despite being officially vanquished. She gave Antony a small look before prepping her spear and approaching him. Fear pounded in her chest as she came level with the head, flinching when a large eyeball flicked in her direction. The head stopped it’s weird noises and focused on her, flicking up and down her person.
“You…Good hunter, have you seen the thread of light? Just a hair a fleeting thing, yet I clung to it, steeped as I was in the stench of blood and beasts.” Rosalind’s eyes flicked to the sword, her face falling as she saw the glow fading now that it was away from Ludwig. That blade, it must have done something to him, no doubt more mess or some cursed object from these Great Ones everyone here was so fascinated about. It consumed this once great man, a hero of his people in Yharnam…A hero that fell and slaughtered them all, the people he loved and protected with everything her had. “I never wanted to know what it really was. Really I didn’t.” Rosalind was shocked by the humanity in its voice, her throat closing with effort not to cry. As Antony approached, no doubt seeing her distress, Ludwig’s strange eye flicked to him.
“Ah Laurence, tell me, good hunter of the Church, have you seen the light?” Rosalind’s brow furrowed at him but Ludwig only gave a grunt of pain. “Are my Church hunters the honorable Spartans I hoped they would be?” The people he trained, the townsfolk he trained to fight the scourge…the ones who now lumbered around as blood crazed beasts and blood drunk hunters…Rosalind felt her chest tighten at the idea of telling the dying man the horrid truth.
“Yes…we are trying to be better.” She said softly and Ludwig gave a sigh of relief.
“Ah good…To know I did not suffer such denigration for nothing…” His eye shut, leaving Rosalind to tremble slightly as he gave a heavier breath. “Thank you kindly…Now may I sleep in peace?” His request for death hit something in her, this humanity something she wasn’t used to with these monsters. For her…they were better as evil vile things, villains that destroyed this world for selfish power and “the greater good”. But this beast was still a man, still hoping he helped someone in some way despite the death and destruction around him. She couldn’t do it, couldn’t kill him and so Antony had to, leaving Rose to collect herself nearby.
As she wiped away at the blood on her face, she noted tears were mingling with the blood. Foolish…if she couldn’t handle some stranger’s death how would she face more of these creatures. Ones that no doubt knew her mother…ones that were like her mother…if her mother was even still in this nightmare like Antony’s family.
She shook it off and turned her attention to a door on the far side. “There. It must lead to the tunnels…towards the clocktower and whatever is causing this perpetual nightmare…” She went towards the door, refusing to let Antony see how Ludwig rattled her.
The door opened with some force, leaving Rosalind to peek in curiously. Light from lanterns on the wall glowed dimly, but illuminated bars and cells. A prison? In a church?
She walked into the room and froze when she heard odd whispering, like a prayer to her left. She looked at the door, raising a brow when she saw a man there beating his head against the wall in a cell, emaciated and looking like he'd been in there a while. His torn and tattered clothing was falling apart on his thin dirty frame.
"Shrouded by night but with steady stride. Colored by blood, but always clear of mind." The weird figure huddled in the cell ranted, drawing Rose only a little closer.
"Hello? Are you...Are you sane?" He paused only briefly, seeming to acknowledge her with the faintest tilts of his head that shifted some of his stringy brown hair.
"Proud Hunter of the Church. Beasts are a curse and a curse is a shackle. Only ye are the true blades of the Church." She blinked not understanding what he was getting at.
"Sir, turn so I can talk to you." He stayed there, beating his head, leaving her to draw back.
"Ignore him. He's lost his marbles ages ago." Another voice called from down the hall, making Rose jump slight. "Ah ah, but mind the warden, love." The warning came a bit shy of a shot coming from the darkness, forcing Rosalind to duck in a door frame to avoid another shot. As she and Antony made quick work of the beasts in the hall, she noted she could hear someone chuckling further down a hall.
Rosalind recognized it as the voice that gave them their warning, drawing her down to the cell door cautiously.
"Thanks for the tip." She offered the man there, one that sat on the floor shrouded in what looked to be a strange pelt. At first, she thought he was a beast, until he looked up at her in the fire light to reveal the scarred face of a man.
"A pleasure..." He stated sweetly, the words making her skin crawl. The man lifted his head, seemingly sniffing the air near her. "Hmmm, you smell like death and blood. Both of you...Are you a hunter?" She didn't respond, but he took that as an answer. "Well, that's very odd." The statement was matter of fact, just odd enough that it drew Rose back from the bars. "Odd? This place is chock full of hunters. We've run into at least 5 just being here."
"Those hunters are mad, blooddrunk beasts. Not the sort of company one should keep..." He lounged back, revealing a small bell in his grasp that had been hidden by his cloak of fur...the fur of a beast. That frightened her slightly, clearly because it was a beast like that of Antony's mother...Was...was he wearing the skin of a fallen hunter? "Tell me. Do you hear the toll of the bell?" He gave it a shake, but no sound came out.
Rosalind gave him a funny look, shaking her head. "No. Why?" She asked and he simply gave a 'hmph' to her questions.
"Very well..." He turned as if to leave her but Rosalind didn't feel like stopping. Maybe he knew something about the curse. Maybe he could help them?
"Wait! Don't go! We're trying to find an end to this. The cure... to go home." Her plea made the man pause his attention flicking back to her. He watched her a moment, those eyes strangely predatory. "The beasts you seek will not be found here. Go back to your hunt, and if you have the chance, put this night behind you." She gave an annoyed growl at his answer just placating her, telling her to go back to business as usual and forget her task.
"We seek the clocktower! The strange power hidden there. The one that created the nightmare. If you know anything help us and I'll get you out of here!" Her angered demand for answers he gave her a shake of his head, one that was condescending.
"Places better left untouched, secrets better left alone..." He paused making sure she heard his next words. "Only a fool would so brazenly roam..." She heard the threat there but chose to ignore him in her anger. What could this scruffy man do behind bars?
"Fine! Stay behind bars. Freak." She turned on her heels and stalked up the stairs.
"Such pettiness will be your undoing." She heard him state, ignoring the fact that under his strange chuckle she could hear the distant tinkling of a bell, one that echoes oddly in the chamber...
It faded as she returned to Antony, pushing past him to go further down the hall. "We should leave. Only psychos left in these cells." She said, angry and confused by these strange men that were wasting her time. As they made their way into the catacombs where the dead rested, they eventually came upon a strange statue in the far back of the hall. A statue of three people standing over a strange disfigured humanoid creature on a table. The chains at its side hinted that it would take them somewhere but she wasn't sure she trusted that lever...
“You…Good hunter, have you seen the thread of light? Just a hair a fleeting thing, yet I clung to it, steeped as I was in the stench of blood and beasts.” Rosalind’s eyes flicked to the sword, her face falling as she saw the glow fading now that it was away from Ludwig. That blade, it must have done something to him, no doubt more mess or some cursed object from these Great Ones everyone here was so fascinated about. It consumed this once great man, a hero of his people in Yharnam…A hero that fell and slaughtered them all, the people he loved and protected with everything her had. “I never wanted to know what it really was. Really I didn’t.” Rosalind was shocked by the humanity in its voice, her throat closing with effort not to cry. As Antony approached, no doubt seeing her distress, Ludwig’s strange eye flicked to him.
“Ah Laurence, tell me, good hunter of the Church, have you seen the light?” Rosalind’s brow furrowed at him but Ludwig only gave a grunt of pain. “Are my Church hunters the honorable Spartans I hoped they would be?” The people he trained, the townsfolk he trained to fight the scourge…the ones who now lumbered around as blood crazed beasts and blood drunk hunters…Rosalind felt her chest tighten at the idea of telling the dying man the horrid truth.
“Yes…we are trying to be better.” She said softly and Ludwig gave a sigh of relief.
“Ah good…To know I did not suffer such denigration for nothing…” His eye shut, leaving Rosalind to tremble slightly as he gave a heavier breath. “Thank you kindly…Now may I sleep in peace?” His request for death hit something in her, this humanity something she wasn’t used to with these monsters. For her…they were better as evil vile things, villains that destroyed this world for selfish power and “the greater good”. But this beast was still a man, still hoping he helped someone in some way despite the death and destruction around him. She couldn’t do it, couldn’t kill him and so Antony had to, leaving Rose to collect herself nearby.
As she wiped away at the blood on her face, she noted tears were mingling with the blood. Foolish…if she couldn’t handle some stranger’s death how would she face more of these creatures. Ones that no doubt knew her mother…ones that were like her mother…if her mother was even still in this nightmare like Antony’s family.
She shook it off and turned her attention to a door on the far side. “There. It must lead to the tunnels…towards the clocktower and whatever is causing this perpetual nightmare…” She went towards the door, refusing to let Antony see how Ludwig rattled her.
The door opened with some force, leaving Rosalind to peek in curiously. Light from lanterns on the wall glowed dimly, but illuminated bars and cells. A prison? In a church?
She walked into the room and froze when she heard odd whispering, like a prayer to her left. She looked at the door, raising a brow when she saw a man there beating his head against the wall in a cell, emaciated and looking like he'd been in there a while. His torn and tattered clothing was falling apart on his thin dirty frame.
"Shrouded by night but with steady stride. Colored by blood, but always clear of mind." The weird figure huddled in the cell ranted, drawing Rose only a little closer.
"Hello? Are you...Are you sane?" He paused only briefly, seeming to acknowledge her with the faintest tilts of his head that shifted some of his stringy brown hair.
"Proud Hunter of the Church. Beasts are a curse and a curse is a shackle. Only ye are the true blades of the Church." She blinked not understanding what he was getting at.
"Sir, turn so I can talk to you." He stayed there, beating his head, leaving her to draw back.
"Ignore him. He's lost his marbles ages ago." Another voice called from down the hall, making Rose jump slight. "Ah ah, but mind the warden, love." The warning came a bit shy of a shot coming from the darkness, forcing Rosalind to duck in a door frame to avoid another shot. As she and Antony made quick work of the beasts in the hall, she noted she could hear someone chuckling further down a hall.
Rosalind recognized it as the voice that gave them their warning, drawing her down to the cell door cautiously.
"Thanks for the tip." She offered the man there, one that sat on the floor shrouded in what looked to be a strange pelt. At first, she thought he was a beast, until he looked up at her in the fire light to reveal the scarred face of a man.
"A pleasure..." He stated sweetly, the words making her skin crawl. The man lifted his head, seemingly sniffing the air near her. "Hmmm, you smell like death and blood. Both of you...Are you a hunter?" She didn't respond, but he took that as an answer. "Well, that's very odd." The statement was matter of fact, just odd enough that it drew Rose back from the bars. "Odd? This place is chock full of hunters. We've run into at least 5 just being here."
"Those hunters are mad, blooddrunk beasts. Not the sort of company one should keep..." He lounged back, revealing a small bell in his grasp that had been hidden by his cloak of fur...the fur of a beast. That frightened her slightly, clearly because it was a beast like that of Antony's mother...Was...was he wearing the skin of a fallen hunter? "Tell me. Do you hear the toll of the bell?" He gave it a shake, but no sound came out.
Rosalind gave him a funny look, shaking her head. "No. Why?" She asked and he simply gave a 'hmph' to her questions.
"Very well..." He turned as if to leave her but Rosalind didn't feel like stopping. Maybe he knew something about the curse. Maybe he could help them?
"Wait! Don't go! We're trying to find an end to this. The cure... to go home." Her plea made the man pause his attention flicking back to her. He watched her a moment, those eyes strangely predatory. "The beasts you seek will not be found here. Go back to your hunt, and if you have the chance, put this night behind you." She gave an annoyed growl at his answer just placating her, telling her to go back to business as usual and forget her task.
"We seek the clocktower! The strange power hidden there. The one that created the nightmare. If you know anything help us and I'll get you out of here!" Her angered demand for answers he gave her a shake of his head, one that was condescending.
"Places better left untouched, secrets better left alone..." He paused making sure she heard his next words. "Only a fool would so brazenly roam..." She heard the threat there but chose to ignore him in her anger. What could this scruffy man do behind bars?
"Fine! Stay behind bars. Freak." She turned on her heels and stalked up the stairs.
"Such pettiness will be your undoing." She heard him state, ignoring the fact that under his strange chuckle she could hear the distant tinkling of a bell, one that echoes oddly in the chamber...
It faded as she returned to Antony, pushing past him to go further down the hall. "We should leave. Only psychos left in these cells." She said, angry and confused by these strange men that were wasting her time. As they made their way into the catacombs where the dead rested, they eventually came upon a strange statue in the far back of the hall. A statue of three people standing over a strange disfigured humanoid creature on a table. The chains at its side hinted that it would take them somewhere but she wasn't sure she trusted that lever...