Bloodborne - 157 Guinea pig

The forbidden forest at night had an eerie atmosphere. Growls of beasts in the distance, coupled with faint footsteps, were the only sounds that could be heard. A huntsman patrolled the area around the village near the entrance of the forest. His job was to make sure that no intruder entered the place. Traps were carefully implemented on the way to the dilapidated hamlet.

The huntsman no longer cared about going around the road that led to the village. He only stood by the big gate. It had been such a long time that intruders came seeking Byrgenwerth. The huntsman even forgot why he stood by the gate. His mind was focused on one command: pull the lever as soon as a foreigner shows up. That would close the gate and alert the dogs.

The dogs on the other hand just lay on their cages. They also seemed to forget the reason why they were put at the entrance. They were surrounded by the stench of blood and decaying corpses. No new smell could arouse their attention anymore. One whimpered, then another. Soon most of the dogs were slaughtered before they could even stand up.

The huntsman, noticing that something was amiss, peeked around the gate, nothing. He got back to his only duty then stood next to the lever. ‘Smash!’ the huntsman’s skull was bashed and reduced to a pulp. ‘I love this hammer. As long as I keep my distance, I can easily dispose of any threat.’ Surgit silently walked through the village, slaughtering his way through.

Dead huntsmen, dogs, and even an unsuspecting kidnapper, were scattered all around. Surgit managed to kill them all silently before reaching an area that led to the roofs. ‘This is where that bastard shot Molotov cocktails at me. When he stepped on top of the first house, Surgit saw five huntsmen. Some were wielding pitchforks while others had curved swords on their transformed hands.

Surgit put the hammer on his back, unsheathing his sword in the process. The design of the weapon was ingenious. It’s a sharp sword that could be sheathed into the pommel of a large hammer.

The huntsman that targeted Surgit earlier with Molotov cocktails was on the furthermost roof from where he stood. ‘Those men-beasts have surprising accuracy. I gotta move fast.’ By the time the farthest hunter heard the screams of his dying brethren, Surgit was already moving his way. Surgit’s executions have become fast and effective.

The huntsman threw the first Molotov that Surgit nimbly evaded. By the time the huntsman reached for the second bottle, Surgit was already within attack range. “What do you think you’re doing?” asked Surgit as he held the beast’s throwing arm.

One punch to the face was enough to destabilize the huntsman. Surgit kicked the staggered beast, throwing him on the shallow river below. “Let’s see how your trap works.” Surgit threw ignited the cloth on the bottle then threw it down on the huntsman. As soon as the bottle broke, flames engulfed a radius of three meters. The huntsman died screaming. Surgit’s eyes widened. “The forest of traps. They could’ve added some snipers around to hinder my movement. That would’ve been more effective.”

Surgit sighed. ‘These beasts were definitely humans who succumbed to some kind of disease or curse. Given the healing properties of the blood in Yharnam, I would assume that it was some kind of mutated disease.

‘These beasts at least have an excuse for being an easy target for me. They gained strength but lost their sanity. What’s my excuse for taking an item from a stranger?’ Surgit sighed again. No matter how hard one fights against their curiosity, they’d still make a stupid mistake at some point. He looked at the tonsil stone he received from that dubious character. ‘Step lightly round the right of the cathedral ward. It sounds like the place where I got the lead elixir. I mustn’t go there!’

After dealing with the patrols on the roof, Surgit took his time to analyze the situation he just got himself into. He did his best to remember all the mistakes he’s done and learn from them. Curiosity was the only thing that led him to perilous situations. He dropped his guard since he met so many people in the city. He didn’t expect someone to fool him in the forest.

‘How stupid could I be? This forest is teeming with beasts trying to get my hide. How could a sane person live around here?’ Anger built up inside but Surgit quickly suppressed it. ‘My anger will lead to me wanting revenge. If I look for whomever gave me this stone, I might find myself in a situation I’ll regret again.’ He sighed once more and decided to forget the matter.

Moving through the roofs proved to be an effective way to go around the oily river. Surgit found other huntsmen on the way who tried to fire Molotovs at him. They were quickly disposed of. During that small trip through the roofs, Surgit had made quite an impressive haul. He could hold five bottles at a time. But whenever he got more, he’d summon the little messengers and give them the Molotovs.

That was something new he’d learned about the little ones. They could carry his weapon and any excess items he collected. Weapons found in the waking world, as the doll put it, would need to be unlocked later on using echoes. However when it came to items, he could keep what he finds.

Surgit soon reached the end of the shallow stream. He was welcomed by a large huntsman that was swiftly disposed of. “Click!” Surgit dashed forward to avoid a gunshot. ‘Damn you Surgit! Why did you have to think of snipers? You just jinxed it now.’ Among all the enemies in Yharnam, Surgit hated snipers the most.

The sniper was on top of a small wooden house, away from the residences that were stuck together in the village. On the way to the roof, Surgit disposed of two lowly huntsmen then jumped behind the sniper. He didn’t just cut the beast down. He snatched the rifle from its hands and emptied it on its brains. From that roof, Surgit noticed that he was very close to the second windmill. ‘Only one avenue left.’ There was a large avenue that split a row of houses in two. There were wooden road blocks scattered on the road. ‘There must be more snipers around, hidden in the distance.

Surgit could only see the large building in front of him. It was already late at night. Darkness enveloped the place, making it hard for him to make out how many enemies patrolled the area between him and the windmill. ‘Fuck it, I’ll just take it slow and use darkness to hide and execute.’

He jumped down and moved towards the large avenue. Silence put Surgit on edge. He knew that the village was well guarded, that traps were waiting for him at every turn. He took his time observing the wilting houses on each end of the street. ‘Gotcha!’ He ran inside one house and disposed of two sleeping huntsmen.