Fandom The Night Unfurls [Bloodborne]

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

It was surprising how civil Mr. Terning ws being, Briar confused as to why he was so… calm about the idea of Ada being a sapient beast. As far as they both knew, this hadn’t happened before.

Instead of trying to find answers she didn’t have, she did as her employer asked and recounted all that had brought them here.

She would’ve paused a few minutes after she finished, a sheepish grimace graced her features as she avoided his gaze. “I… sound insane, don’t I?”

Appearing thoughtful momentarily, he would give a chuckle, shaking his head. “Not at all. I’ll have you know I was once a blood minister of the church but some of their… deeds didn’t sit with me all that right so I left. This tale compared to others I saw second or first hand is more than believable.”

Gesturing for Briar to take a seat on a nearby high-backed chair, he would do the same, the door wide open to still keep Ada in on the conversation. “At least you are feeling better. I was rather worried that it was uh…” He glanced between them, sighing a bit. “Beasthood is, uh... brought about by use of the healing blood. I was worried that you feeling ill after receiving the initial transfusion was early signs of this. It’s why I told you to go see Iosefka, as some people have been spreading rumors that she’s been working on a cure. She’s a kind, good natured woman… I can’t possibly think what would set her off like that.”

Briar’s eyes widened as he said all of this. It certainly made much more sense as to why the church hunters could be turning and why most of Yharnam was afflicted. But the thought that she could’ve possibly succumbed to the same fate was rather terrifying. “I suppose… I have Doctor Iosefka to thank then.”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"Seems ol' Iosefka's gone mad if you ask me," Ada growled, shaking her head back and forth. "One madness for mine, and I get to keep this wretched body. I'll take that trade any night, if you ask me -- even if it means I'll be hunted down like an animal. At least, I'll die a human." Ada's tone was somber, despite its corruption as it passed through her lips.

Ada looked to the minister, sticking her muzzle into the door now, while the rest of her body was prone in the alley so she could better join the conversation, "Say, Mr. Terning, you said you've seen some things during your time in the church... Do you think this is something I could ever possibly recover from? Will I go mad eventually after all?"

The old man pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin and looking to the floorboards as if he were wracking his brain for clues to Ada's question, "I wish I had a definitive answer for you, Ms. Larkin. Unfortunately, the beasthood is a terribly strange affliction. The way it grasps onto our bodies is both unique and unpredictable. What I can tell you, however, is that it will be a battle for your mind. You will have the best chance of retaining your true self is by holding onto the things you treasure most. Family, friends, someone you care for -- it may be your last thread before you cross the line, never to return."

Ada's ears drooped as the minister's answer was far less optimistic than she was hoping for. She shouldn't have expected any more, but there was just a glimmer down the dark well that she held onto that hoped she would see herself out of this one day. She'd wake up in the distant future, and all would be as it was before that cursed night. Before the Hunt.

"Briar," Ada nudged towards her companion after a moment of silence. "Why don't you tell Mr. Terning why we're here? We've still a whole night ahead of us, and I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

While Ada’s situation seemed rather hopeless, Briar couldn’t help but wonder what would occur if they did make it till dawn. Beasts, except those strung up on pyres, weren’t seen around Yharnam expect on this night. So would she have to hide from prying eyes, or could it be her only chance at returning to normal?

Nodding as Ada spoke to her, she’d face Mr. Terning. “Yes, as I explained before I was given a blood transfusion. Well it’s proving to be even more effective than the healing blood when used. Perhaps you could help us vial some?”

The blood minister frowned somewhat, but eventually released as sigh. “I can, however you won’t be moving for a few hours afterwards.”

He would leave for a few moments after this, returning with some equipment and vials in tow. Gesturing for her to sit back on the chair completely, he would take her arm and roll up her sleeve, working skillfully. Before long her blood was flowing and entering the vial he had attached to the end, sitting back down across from her.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada backed out of the doorway when Briar sat to have her blood extracted. She didn't want to see Briar's blood if she didn't have to, just in case the beast inside of her decided to take over again and rip the poor girl to shreds. Again. Ada wandered back and forth in the cramped alley, stretching her limbs and continuing to keep guard. She was going to have to get used to her new body, and quickly. She faster, stronger, bigger -- culminating to be an apex predator, but it would be no use if she didn't know her limits and capabilities. Ada was only just starting to make sense of her heightened vision, smell and hearing, only imagining what she could do when the adrenaline kicked in.

"Ms. Larkin?" Mr. Terning called back from the doorway of the clinic, knocking Ada free from her thoughts and causing her to whirl around. The minister didn't flinch at all.

"Huh? Oh, yes, what is it?" Ada tilted her head as she spoke. "Is Briar well?"

"She will be fine, only a little light headed and confused for a little while." He nodded, stepping out into the alley now. "Ms. Larkin, you know full well that when dawn comes, the full weight of the Church will be able to see your sins if you are still in Yharnam. You wont survive. It is a miracle you are still alive on the night of the hunt."

"I know this," Ada bowed her head.

"Then why do you stay?" Mr. Terning mused. "You should be using the precious darkness to flee from Yharnam -- go to a place where you can live. Someone like you shouldn't have to die because of the Church's failings."

"Briar," Ada said plainly. "I'm staying for Briar."

"You'll be dying for her. But, who am I to ask such menial questions?" He shrugged. "You have my well wishes regardless, Ada Larkin."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

After about three medium sized vials had been filled, Mr. Terning remover the needle from her arm and allowed her to rest. Briar wasn’t that large of a person, so she was stuck in a dazed stupor for nearly an hour, the blood minister getting her to eat and drink so she could recover a bit quicker.

Once she was somewhat stable although still somewhat foggy and pale, they said their goodbyes and were on their way again, hoping the journey to the castle would be swift.

Yet of course they weren’t the most lucky duo, as soon as they neared the cathedral Ward there was a commotion occurring beneath the overwhelming scent of incense.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada and Briar had started a small fire in a far-removed alley near Cathedral Ward once more. Ada was teaching Briar how make quicksilver bullets with nothing but her own blood, withdrawing portions smaller than a blood vial from her thigh and distilling it until only quicksilver remained in the bullet mould. It was a fancy trick, not great to pull off in the middle of a fight, but great for long hunts. Briar held the distiller over the fire as Ada supervised. For some reason, Ada was captivated by the fire. It sent her heart rate through the roof just seeing it and being near it, but she was not necessarily scared of it like other beasts.

Were it not for Briar's occasional comments and questions, Ada would have easily missed the clatter of several footsteps nearby. In the middle of an explanation, Ada suddenly stopped and brought her nose into the air. She sniffed the blood-saturated air and strained her hearing as her head snapped back and forth.

"Hunter," Ada hissed. "Close, and more than one. That can't be good."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

The process of making of blood bullets was interesting to say the least. Watching them from in the mold as the blood was distilled away. She had gathered quite a few when Ada mentioned the presence of hunters, she taking the last one and slipping it into the Evelyn she hadn’t loaded. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to use it.

“Should we run?” Briar asked softly, although she knew they could be tracked rather easily with the previous church hunter’s hulking size.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"We should have ran a few minutes ago," Ada growled as she extended a paw for Briar to grab onto. The hunters had fanned out to look for them, as their footsteps diverged and Ada could clearly sense four distinct sets of footsteps and scents. Four hunters against a beast and a woman with a pistol wasn't great odds. "Get on, I'll make a break for it."

From the shadows, behind Ada's peripheral view a shot rang out and a quicksilver bullet tore into her back. She flinched and hunched over to shield Briar from a follow up shot, letting out a grunt of pain.
Ada then scooped her up and glanced behind her. A hunter clad in red and white ribbons on their normal Yharnam hunter attire had climbed atop a tall roof and had a large rifle trained on Ada. With the shot and Ada's growls, there was no doubt that the other hunters would be on them in moments. Ada, with Briar in her embrace, darted into a side alley surrounded on both sides by tall buildings as to avoid more shots by the rifle hunter.

"Dammit..." Ada hissed, looking down to make sure Briar hadn't been wounded. "Think they'd listen if I tried to talk them down?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar hadn’t been fast enough, unable to climb onto her paw before the first shot had been fired, hitting the beast square in the back. Not protesting when she was then picked up, shrinking back into her bulk as they tried to flee.

Thankfully she hadn’t been wounded, the hunters focusing on the much larger threat. “They-“ she tried to begin but was cut off as she saw another hunter step out from a branching alleyway to block their path. He was armed with a flamesprayer in his left hand, and a saw-cleaver in his right. Extending the latter, he would take a few steps towards them, clearly about to ignite the pair.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada tried her best to both shield Briar from the hunter in front of them and back pedal at the same time, but her forward momentum was far too great to control. The hunter, bless his suicidal courage, didn't even flinch as a raised his flamespitter up to Ada's face. Knowing a collision and a subsequent conflagration was inevitable, Ada hugged Briar off to the side and extended her other arm, reaching for the hunter in front of her as she carried her momentum in a pounce.

This was going to hurt.

Ada let out a bloodcurdling screech as she collided with the hunter, but not before he let out a burp of fire from his flamespitter. Flames raced up Ada's arm and upper torso, singeing her fur and searing her flesh. The hunter fared much worse as Ada's paw collided with his face and forced him into the ground. With a few sickening crunches and a wet splatter, his body gave first and left only a gored smear on the pavement as Ada continued to barrel through the alley. The flames and sheer pain made her lose her footing and caused her to trip a few steps later. She tumbled several times, Briar still in her embrace and finally came to a stop a few dozen yards away from the gored hunter.

Briar was tossed forward just a bit more as Ada voluntarily let her go. Meanwhile, Ada shrieked, rolled and jittered trying to get the flames that crept up the right side of her body from spreading. After a few seconds of agonizing thrashing, she managed to reduce the fire to embers and charred skin. Most of the fur on her arm was gone, and patches of burned flesh reached across her upper torso and even scarring part of her lower jaw. She had already seen better days.

"Briar..." Ada coughed as she regained her footing, inching towards the other woman to ensure she wasn't hurt.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

While Ada's recklessness was effective in taking out the hunter with the flamesprayer, it was't so much for keeping a hold on Briar. When she charged down the alleyway, it didn't take long for her to be tossed into one of the walls, the breath being knocked from her lungs due to the force.

Dazed, she wouldn't been able to respond to Ada as she spoke her name, struggling to return air to her lungs. Yet while she was leaned up against the wall and on the ground, the third hunter began to walk up the alley towards the hulking beast. Not wanting to let the other woman take a beating for her, she would raise her pistol and fire in the direction of them.

The result was... a bit more than expected.

After the initial sound of the shot, the hunter was forced back and onto the ground himself, laying still. Slowly she would stand with the support of the wall behind her, now getting a better look at the damage with wide eyes. There was a gaping hole where his chest should've been.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada was so wrapped up in the searing pain and Briar's welfare, that she hadn't noticed yet another hunter creeping up behind her. She was beyond surprised when Briar appeared to raise her pistol right in Ada's direction, and with the burns and adrenaline acting against her senses, she was certain Briar was aiming to kill her. Ada half backpedaled, half stumbled one step back as the pistol went off. However, it was not her who fell, but someone behind her. Ada whirled around to see a very dead hunter with a massive hole in his chest -- something a cannon could have easily done, not a meager knight's pistol.

"What?!" Ada turned around again in shock, drooping down to Briar's level to ensure she was not too heavily wounded. Ada even scanned their surrounding once more in several jerking glances to make sure a third party hadn't joined the fray. "That was you?"

Sure enough, the pistol in Briar's hand was smoking and there was no longer a bullet in the barrel. Ada had only heard one shot... was Briar's blood that potent? She swore she had smelled something strange during the distilling process but Ada had chalked it up to merely her new beast-form.

The clack of boots from further behind them snapped Ada out of her momentary trance, causing her to snarl with teeth bared, "Explain later. Can you move?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar was just as surprised as Ada. How potent was her blood exactly? “I don’t-“ she tried to state but was cut off by a harsh snarl. When asked if she could move, Briar would nod. Having taken a few moments to right herself, she would move towards the beast, placing herself almost beneath her as the footsteps on the roof fell silent.

Another shot from the rifleman was fired.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Ada heard it now, the click of a hammer locking back and leather squeezing against wood and metal. It was so distinct that it could only be one thing. In one fluid motion, she scooped Briar up once more with her good arm and dove out of the way at the same moment a loud crack could be heard from the roofs above. Where Ada had been a heartbeat ago, pavement and stone shattered, splattering into the air. Ada skidded to a halt once more to look to the roof, seeing the rifle hunter enveloped in a halo that was a full moon.

"Stop!" Ada called out, trying to talk the hunter down and fully aware one more hunter was on the prowl out of sight. "Let us go! We don't want to harm any more of you!"

"Oh?" The rifle hunter raised his cap, enough for Ada to glean that he had only one good eye, the other covered by a simple eyepatch. He sounded young, but much like Ada, he seemed to have seen plenty of hunts and beasts before. "How peculiar. A beast that talks. Unhand the girl, so I may kill you without harming her too."

"I can't do that," Ada snarled, backing off a bit and getting ready to sprint away once more. The rifle hunter loaded yet another bullet into his gun, and the look in his eye told that he didn't quite care at all if Briar was hurt in reality.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar was nearly used to all the jostling around, but she still was caught a bit by surprise as Ada took hold and dove out of then way with her in her large grasp.

She tried to speak to him, but it seems as if he wasn’t here to talk. Rightly so, as not many hunters would give any sort of beast a second thought reasoning or not.

As the rifleman aimed, preparing to fire once more, the two would’ve quickly fled, but not before the second tried to get a shot off as well. He was only using a pistol and aiming for the beast’s back, but with the speed she used to turn faster than expected...

It grazed Ada’s arm but managed to lodge itself into Briar’s righr shoulder.

Thankfully their blood wasn’t nearly as potent as Briar’s, but she still recoil into Ada’s bulk, a somewhat muffled cry of pain escaping her lips.

No, they really didn’t care.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

There was no way the hunters would let them escape so easily, not since they'd already drawn their comrades' blood. Ada really wished that it didn't have to be this way, but she'd have to fight. The tiny sound of muffled pain against her abdomen of Briar being shot was enough to send Ada into a blood rage.

With her gnarled and burnt arm, she scraped up a handful of wooden debris -- crates and planks -- and chucked it at the hunter who'd shot at them with her pistol. Even a quick backstep didn't help her dodge the sheer amount of debris and she was staggered under the many chunks of wood. Ada used this opening to dash in and snatch her up in one paw, then slamming her into the concrete wall hard enough to crumple her body in a series of wet crunches.

In that time, the rifle hunter had once again fired and Ada was so preoccupied in killing the other hunter that there was no time to dodge or brace. The rifle bullet lodged itself into her left knee, flooring her as her body gave out. Ada let out another piercing scream as she carefully set Briar down once more. She'd have to finish this now.

Ada dug into the side of the building, yanking and pulling against the brick as she climbed up the building mostly using her arm strength as one of her legs was almost beyond function. Seeing that Ada was trying to reach the rifle hunter on the roof, he slung his rifle on his back and tried to flee. Despite being critically wounded, Ada managed to catch him before he could get too far,
claws catching his back. He fell face first onto the roof, and was unmoving at first, but Ada began to slip as the roof tiling crumbled under her weight. She tried to catch herself, but to no avail. The last thing she saw before she fell the several stories back to the ground was the rifle hunter stagger to his feet and begin to flee.

Ada crashed to the ground on her back, a few yards away from Briar. She was coated in rubble and blood, and her entire body ached as she wheezed in pain. She was burned, bleeding badly and overexerted.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar was in a daze.

After Ada had taken a arrow bullet to her knee, she was tossed down the alleyway. Because of how disorientated she was, when she was set down by the beast, Brair almost instantly slumped to the ground.

Shots fired rang in her ears accompanied by growls and snarls then a debris began to rain down upon her as Ada scaled the building. The last thing she heard was the building caving under her weight before silence.

It took her a few minutes to work up the motivation to stand, fighting back whimpers as her wounded shoulder was moved about. Pressing a hand up against the bullet’s entry hole she would move towards the now removed door to the building. Upon entering she slowly approached Ada’s massive form. Taking one of her blood vials, she would plunge it into her flank, allowing it to drain.

“Ada?” Hopefully it would remain as effective has it had previously.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"Briar?" Ada mumbled as she approached her smoldering form. "You're injured, don't push yourself."

They were loft and chivalrous words for a beast who had suffered critical wounds, but such was Ada's nature. It was her last vanguard of humanity. As the vial of cursed blood entered her body, Ada felt immediately rejuvenated as before. It made her dizzy and lightheaded, but she could feel her wounds closing up and the charred flesh falling away, being replaced by new skin and fur. It was amazing what the Vileblood could do, and perhaps that is why the Church wanted them dead. Ada shuddered as her body recovered, she shoved the remaining bits of rubble off her and carefully sat to examine their surroundings.

"He got away," Ada shook her head. "The one with the rifle and ribbons on his garb. He's bound to get more help, especially with a monsters like you and I roaming about in the heart of Yharnam. How bad is your arm?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar couldn’t fight back a sigh of relief as she watched Ada heal, listening to her speak. Her being with Ada was already suspicious enough but a beast being capable of speech? That was sure to garner some unwanted attention.

“I haven’t checked yet...” she’d reply, almost muttering as she lowered her hand, the entry wound visible against her jacket. Pain was consuming her entire shoulder with the most acute it being an intense burning sensation, almost as if a hot iron was forcing its way out of her flesh.

And in a way it was.

Ever so slowly the wound knit itself back together, the bullet whose exit had been blocked by Ada was shifted close to the hole it had made. After a minute or so, the silver sheen was visible, allowing her to reach up with her undamaged arm and remove it. From there it would finish sealing, but the pain still remained.

“I can’t decide if I should be glad or horrified.” Briar sighed while tossing the bullet into a pile of debris, trying to keep her other arm as still as possible unsure how fragile the newly constructed flesh still was.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"I'm more glad than horrified," Ada huffed as she righted herself. "I'm sorry I let you get hurt. I thought the bastard didn't have a clear shot at you."

Ada backed off a few steps, then shook like a wet dog, getting all of the bits of rubble and seared flesh off of her well away from Briar. She shuddered at the sheer amount of orphaned blood sealed off from her body's closed wounds. Ada couldn't help but worry about some unforeseen repercussions for both of their accelerated healing.

"Let's get going -- stay close just in case this building comes down..." Ada moved a few chunks of rubble out of the way as she dug her way back out into the streets. "It'll be too many times in my life if I have to do that again before I die."

She extended her arm for Briar to grab onto again, "Shall we?"

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

After climbing back onto Ada’s arm and allowing herself to be carried, things seem to pass in a blur of pain, doggish panting, and the distant cries of other less sentient beasts.

Briar still wasn’t sure what to make of all of this. Part of her still wanted to believe that the entirety of this night was nothing but a bad dream and that she’d wake in Iosefka’s clinic after having passed out. But the rest found all of this rather... exciting. A welcome change of pace from her previously mundane life.

Sooner than expected they had arrived at Hemwick, stopping before the bridge that connected them to the castle looming in the distance.

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

Hemwick was not a particularly inviting place. Ada had climbed up an old stone tower at the edge of the charnel lane, far enough away from prying eyes and blood-crazed Yharnamites. They could see everything from here -- Yharnam, Cainhurst, and even Hemick below. It was grim at best. The stench of burning corpses was assailing Ada's attuned senses, the smoke was irritating her lungs and played hell with her sight and smell. Even though she had just acquired her sharpened perception that night, she felt nearly blind in Hemwick already.

After finding a sturdy edge at the top of the tower, Ada set Briar down and rested, trying to slow her ragged breathing to a normal pace before they set out again. Ada, in truth, could have pushed on but the bestial panting that her own lungs were producing was unsettling to even herself. She couldn't imagine what Briar was feeling.

"We're really going forward with this, huh?" Ada turned her muzzle to face Briar. "It smells like a trap -- a convenient way for the Queen to off us in person. Maybe she was bluffing in the dream, maybe she couldn't harm us at all."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

Briar felt sore, mentally exhausted, and the throb of her shoulder was consuming her thoughts. She knew bruises littered her body due to how tightly Ada held onto her and being tossed around so much, but thankfully the bullet wound she had hadn’t reopened itself.

After being set down, Briar was able to catch herself as she fell, simply remaining in a sitting position on top of the tower while listening to Ada.

“I’m not sure what else we can do.” She sighed, her gaze focused on the forsaken castle in the distance before glancing in the beast’s direction. “If you aren’t fond of assisting the Queen you have no obligation to continue forward with me. But it seems as if I’m stuck, so trap or not I want to finish this errand and then sleep until this damn night ends.”

 

[Coin]

Ada Larkin​

"No way," Ada said flatly, clicking her maw filled with razor-sharp teeth shut. "If you're going, I'm going. There's no way I'm letting you deal with those lunatics alone -- no after what we've already been through together tonight. We're seeing this night out, the both of us."

Ada stretched, laying down as far as the tower would support her. Briar didn't have to worry about death in the slightest if what the Queen said was true, but it just didn't make sense for her to go off and march to her death needlessly. Worse yet, the Vilebloods could realize they couldn't kill her for good and keep her prisoner, either in a prison cell or in their accursed dream.

"Plus, the Queen has no idea what kind of beast I turned into," Ada let out a distorted chuckle. "Whatever stragglers the Executioners might have left their first time sweeping this place up, I'm sure I could handle. As for the Queen herself, she doesn't much look like a hunter if you ask me."

 

[StoneWolf18]

Briar Cowen

She wouldn’t respond, conflicting thoughts beginning to creep into her mind. Briar was glad that Ada was going to come with her, but it also made her wonder why she was so willing. Yes the had been extremely strange but wouldn’t that just make her want to make her separate herself even more from the supposed cause?

Her eyes traced the bridge to the castle ugh her gaze, it seemingly in perfect construction. After looking at it for a long while she would eventually shift to face the beast’s face and ask “Why? When we met you could hardly stand the thought of doing something as simple as escorting me home but now you’re willing to risk your life? Even though your current condition is unfortunate it still doesn’t make sense...”