Chapter 92: Definition of a Beast (Patreon)

---[3rd Person PoV]---

He looked at the THING, in front of him. 

He had lived a long life. Saw many tragedies, witnessed the countless sins that humanity had committed. He had seen and regretfully slain many beasts. He was an old man where almost all died young.

Yet he had never seen anything like this.

He couldn't even call it a beast.

Djura believed even beasts deserve life. That those who are somewhere where they cant pose a threat to anyone do not deserve to die. In his eyes, beasts weren't just formerly human, they were still humans, just stricken with an affliction beyond their capabilities.

That's why he couldn't refer to the thing in front of him as a beast.

He saw the absolute nonchalance, disregard, and ease with which he killed. Even after his warning he didn't even freeze up for a second, he didn't contemplate on the nature of beasts. He just seemed mildly amused.

Even after hearing him, he still brutally slaughtered them. With such ease as walking or breathing.

Even the most veteran of hunters such as himself did not have that.

Even they would feel the slightest of emotions when their serrated blades ripped away the flesh of beasts as they cried in pain and agony. They would have to think about what they were doing. Seeing dozens of beasts, even for a moment they would hesitate.

That thing didn't.

To him it must have been like the beasts weren't even things that were even breathing. His eyes looked at the beasts like one looked at pebbles or fallen leaves on the street. He just saw them as obstacles.

Seeing him slaughter these people Djura, having already warned him did not hesitate to shoot. A giant machine gun the size of a man capable of easily ripping apart any beast. As the hail of bullets left the barrel, Djura finally saw the thing masquerading as a man shed the false skin.

As the moment it heard the noise, the thing grew over 10 centimeters, its figure bulked as moved faster than the machine gun could track. Even as one of the few hunters to make it to this age Djura could barely track its movements as it moved from cover to cover every time he blinked.

IT moved faster than any beast should. Faster than any speed a human could reasonably reach without quickening or relying on astral arts. He saw how it destroyed the world around it with every step it took. Not even a single bullet had hit it.

He didn't even know if it could bleed.

He wouldn't be surprised if it couldn't. 

The moment he heard the machine gun run out of bullets he braced, and soon he felt the shadowy figure blur all the way over he deliver a kick toward his head. The moment he blocked the blow he felt like had been tackled by a giant werewolf.

As he skid across the clocktower rooftop he saw his attacker's face.

A monstrous figure cloaked in shadows with glowing purple eyes boring into his very soul.

It seems like the Grim Reaper had finally come to claim his soul.

But he wouldn't go down without a fight.

---[1st Person PoV John]---

Is this old man fucking monologuing?

He has been staying still in that one spot after I kicked him for a few seconds now.

Is he trying to blend into his surroundings by standing so incredibly still? You aren't Drax pal. Was that his name? I dont remember. But just as I was about to say something about his apparent inaction he suddenly pulled out a giant brutal-looking stake machine and a blunderbuss.

But unfortunately for this old timer, I wasnt really in the fighting mood. So under his fearful gaze, my figure blurred as I used Deadman Style: Vanish Step to appear before him my fist moved like a whip before landing on the arm wielding the machine and brutalizing it. He raised the blunderbuss but I kicked it away.

I gave him literally every chance to run away and he didn't take it. Besides I can rely on insight to find my way out. So before he could even feel it my hand moved like a whip and shattered his neck.

<You have slain {Djura} +875 Blood Echoes +1x Powder Keg Hunter Badge>

Oooh, he was a named NPC? Why is he so broke then? Broke ass. But at least now that has pushed me to 10k echoes which means...

< Evolve {Parkour lv.5}(max) to {Agility lv.1}? Req: 10 insight 10,000 Blood Echoes >

Yes, that skill better be good or the beasts of Yharmam will be cursing this system for the next millennia.

As I accepted I felt my cripling headache recede a bit which was nice. Also, the screams of children recede too which was a plus.

<Agility>

You are unnaturally agile, always landing on your feet and almost never losing your balance. Parkouring comes as instinct to you. Cats envy you. All movements carry that unnatural grace.

___________________________________

Immediately I felt the difference. It felt like something fundamental about me changed. The very way my existence interacted with the world around me was altered. To test it out I threw myself off the tower.

And landed on my feet without the slightest of efforts. Weird but definitely worth it. But now unfortunately I have to explore the rest of Yharmania.

...

You know, it is actually pretty scary how used to the smell of burnt corpses I am. 

PROBABLY BECAUSE HALF OF FUCKING YHARMAM SMELLS LIKE IT.

You can't turn a motherfucking street corner without seeing someone burn someone alive. This place is somehow worse than most depictions of hell I have seen. 

...I miss lordran...

At least everything wasnt sewers or burning corpses, or burning sewers or corpse sewers, or sewer corpses, or corpse sewers or burning sewer corpses or-

You get the point.

I saw someone charging at me after I moved over a pile of flaming corpses and I just couldn't bring myself to hesitate before showing my hand through their face. 

On that note, I think my system and existence is starting to fracture. My physical stats have reached 30.

The blood echoes for the next level keep changing.

I get fewer blood echoes but I get stronger from killing things somehow. I think I have awakened a skill that is automatically using my blood echoes to enhance me with greater efficiency than the doll.

On another note, agility makes Bloodborne baby easy to traverse. So I was easily able to traverse the ghettos of downtown London. And the monsters here were barely an inconvenience seeing how I can slap them so hard their brain matter scatterers across the 4th dimension.

And I must say.

Deforestation must be a huge issue in this world.

HOW ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO SUPPLY THAT MUCH WOOD TO BURN THAT MANY PEOPLE HUH?

I CAN BUILD LIKE 80 DARKROOT GARDENS WITH THE AMOUNT OF WOOD HERE JUST USED TO BURN PEOPLE.

JUST FUCKING BURY THEM HOLY HELL.

I definitely hate this place so much. Its filthy, disgusting, bloody, creepy, unsettling, dark, SEWERS WOOOOOOOOO, death, decay, confusing architecture, BURNING CORPSES WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, smelly, and everything else in between. 

Am I going mad? Of course, I am. Sane people dont just randomly see eyes after all. I hear random noises, see things that aren't there and not see things that ARE there.

Anyway, my heavily questionable mental state aside I eventually reached a religious-like building. And inside I saw the next poor sod on my murder list.

The blood-starved beast.

...Is this a joke?...

They saw me humiliate one that wasnt starved when I had half my stats. Did they pit it against me in hopes that I would go easy on it?

It was a malformed and emaciated quadrupedal beast with its skin peeled off that hung from its back. The moment it sensed me approaching it charged at me as I stared at it in disappointment.

I didn't even need weapons for this "Boss". This was the equivalent of getting charged at by a starving homeless as you are getting out of the grocery store. 

As it was about to reach me I channeled my bolt infusion through my arms before punching the thing so hard it made a shockwave and sent it flying back.

I feel like I am getting the hang of it now. I just used something similar to Deadman style and still took no recoil. My hand was incredibly hot and steaming but my Deadman style was changing. But as I was marveling about my achievement the beast charged me once again.

Electrifying my leg I hit it with a high crescent kick, slamming it against one of the stone pillars. Before it could get up again I vanish stepped before it and used deadman's blow to obliterate its head. It wasnt a boss and it wasn't supposed to be.

[PREY SLAUGHTERED]

These were just prey. No, I had real enemies. Beings whose might couldn't even be compared to these mere mutts.

I stared up at the roof and yet I saw beyond it. A black sky filled with eyes.

My true enemies were THOSE.