C10: Clearing Central Yharnam Pt. 1
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I take a few deep breaths as I get a chance to calm down after that massive scare. Afterall, what could he do when a beast that effectively one shot him was not locked to it's arena anymore.
"I was feeling pretty cocky after buying those skills but the gap is just too wide." I mutter to myself as I take a proper look back at my own memories of the beast.
'The arena itself was janky as hell but that doesnt matter anymore. But the beast had blood on its mouth…Wait what the system say before'
[Warning: Tempered Cleric Beast has undergone Evolution due to consuming Cursed Blood.] I pull up the system message logs as I frown at that part which somehow feels linked to my clothes and axe.
'Did it eat my body and somehow evolve?'
'If that is the case, I can't let myself die anymore lest it eats more of me and somehow grows stronger. Level 20 is already absurd since it took it just a few seconds to find and reach me from the great bridge. If that was a single jump' I shake my head at the possibility. I lower my head as I know I can't handle that beast at all with my current self, it's even worse than that nightmare world which I believe is the dlc of the game.
I hug myself near the tombstone shrines. Feeling where the cleric beasts claws had torn straight through my clothes and arms. I take off my coat and find that I indeed have new scars on my body but they don't hurt on the same level as the ones on my chest from before my coma.
"I need to properly grind. That or get past the mainstream boss to get to Cathedral Ward. The incense there might be able to keep me safe but not for long, it's 'free roam' ability might even allow it to ignore the beast repelling incense. "
'System, are there stealth based abilities in the store?'
[Here you go host: Minor Stealth Steps (active): 8k BE., Scent Masking (passive): 4k BE., Moderate Stealth steps (active): 40k BE…..]
'What is the difference between the minor and moderate?'
[Skill evolution]
'So when minor stealth steps reach max level it becomes moderate?' I ask in confusion.
[Incorrect, Skills that reach the potential to evolve are given appropriate bonuses as they grow to synergize much more with the host.]
'So that means if the name itself doesnt change but it's rank does then I can hold multiple of the same type of skills like the stealth steps even if it's different grades like this minor and moderate and whatever is higher grade?'
[Correct]
'That is so broken if I put enough effort into it. Hypothetically, there can be an {evolved}-minor Stealth Steps and a newly bought moderate stealth steps active at the same time.' I get a little giddy at this but then I remember that I'm currently trapped and poor too since all my echoes are currently on the bridge.
I look through my inventory and quickly find something I can work with. I use my frenzied coldblood (8) to get 3k BE and then with the conversion system of the shop. I turn 1 piece of my remaining 2 insights to get the 4k [Scent Masking] skill.
[Scent Masking level 1: User is able to suppress 45% of their scent, making them harder to track. ]
Good, it's not much but it's progress. I then change out of my clothes since it is literally described as having blood seeped into it. Even if I can't smell it at the moment, I'm sure it must stink.
"Good Hunter, would you like me to wash your clothes for you?" The Doll nearly jumpscares me again as I'm internally monologuing my next course of action.
"Uhhhhhhhh, surrrrreeee" I choose to awkwardly accept her help and hand over my clothes. I see her walk off into the workshop. As for myself, I go to the insight 'bath messenger' merchants which i call my store as I use my remaining insight to effectively buy bundles of Molotov before using the nugget-man title to get a bunch more until i have more than enough to clear most enemies in Central Yharnam.
It certainly helps that my system is able to store them for me so I technically have access to everything unlike the game which stores it all in the hunters dream here. I then get dressed in my dumb village outfit that is super itchy for some reason.
I then am about to use the shrine to appear at the clinic when the system shows me a pop up.
[Update: Tempered Cleric Beast has returned to it's arena]
"Ok that saves me a few seconds of effort" I double check to see if the {scent Masking} skill is working and it's showing up that it's still suppressing 45% of my general BO (body odor). I then flex for a second to test my body after my previously bought skills and how they primarily increase 2 of my stats by 1 point each (tough body and lesser Endurance).
After finishing my check, I return to Central Yharnam where I take off running to the right side. It's time to hunt.
I begin clearing out the first portion of the building and street, netting me a few hundred echoes before arriving at the fire pit. With it's roughly 10 or so huntsmen. I climb up the side path by the sitting gunman where I take care of the ambush idiot as well as the gunman up there. I am soon spotted but it's to my advantage as it's only a group of three that comes up.
Taking out my newly acquired molotov, I easily take care of them with one each. I waft the scent on myself to hide my natural one. Even grinding myself on the huntsmen burnt corpses, very awkwardly i might add.
From there, I throw a molotov to get another gunman who is closest to the gate.
[Host has acquired new skill: Throwing level 1]
"Ooohlala, show me them deets" I comment as i switch to the skills menu.
[Throwing level 1: User is able to throw more accurately by 5% and further by 10%.]
"I guess that's pretty good, more distance means more time to throw molotovs." I grin at the good news as I quickly get to work on this by finishing off the remaining 8 huntsmen and 1 dumb rabid dog.
As I finish up, there is somehow another group of three that comes up from the alleyway I came from. It's nothing that a single fire bomb cant handle.
[Host has gained the pyromaniac title]
"Sounds good. More fire is always good as long as it's not touching me. Burn baby burn"
[Pyrmoniac: user has a special set of skills that spontaneously light things on fire. +5% chance for your weapon to automatically be ignited as if fire paper was used, when swinging. This fire lasts for 10 seconds. Other sources of fire also grow stronger by 1% of skill stat.]
"Growth scaling and fire. Very nice" I do my best Borat impression on the 'very nice' part as I resume my hunt. With the majority of huntsmen taken care off, there is only another group of two by where the carriage standing gun man was, on the other side of the elevated steps. I had already burned the gun men all down so there were just the two of them left. With a single well timed and thrown molotov.
Profits all around except the curse stealing 1% again from me from my kills. 787 is my new total of echoes. That can maybe get me a small bundle of molotovs but I'm pretty much getting those for free, just a small brain ulcer here and there but it's nothing new at this point. Might as well grind more.
I go on my path and am about to head up to the bridge so that I can take care of the scourge wolves before taking the side route.
[Warning: Cleric Beast has caught your scent]
"Fuck" I curse and quickly break through the respawning barrels and boxes to drop down to the kennels. I hide amongst the barking dogs when I sense it.
Rumble
The ground shakes as I can feel the heavy presence of the beast above me where I'm hiding amongst the gathering of cages. It sniffs around and maybe because it's annoyed by the dogs howling and barking but it comes down and kills all 6 of the ones here, shredding their metal cages too. Those wisps flow into me with bright but terrified expressions as it's claws had broken the cages above me, dropping them on me.
I cover my mouth as I lie down with those metal bar pieces scattered on me. Thankfully the beast could not tell the difference in sound as it just continued sniffing.
Seemingly losing my trace or it's nose is blocked by the horrible scent of the dogs, it jumps up, claws stabbing into a building as it returns to the fire pit area to continue it's investigation.
"Hah hah hhrrrgh"" I pant a little and grunt as I get those metal chunks off and go back to the side path with the house, taking care of the 4 in here with my saw cleaver. Collecting a few vials and bullets, adding them to my rising collection. The fire pit area had provided me with at least 8 bullets and 5 vials there too. Now I got another 2 bullets and 3 vials. Higher odds for some reason not that it matters.
I then return to the side route near the other side of that gate where the lamp is. Taking care of that huntsman and then the two brute minions. Thankfully I have plenty of cocktails in store, otherwise this would not have been possible.
Collecting 2 more sets of 2 vials. I head up the other path and find the other side of the kennel area. I take down the last dog of that area and get the cold blood dew (3) before I go across the bridge there and find another dog barking at a door with an incense lamp near it. Taking it down submits my current final tally.
I've collected 884 echoes from the dead dogs, house huntsmen and the 2 brutes. My luck was better now as it increased this time and I got 972. Combined with my 787 from before, I now had ~1865 echoes with the final dog dead. Just enough for one 'possible' level.
I consider knocking on the door but with the beast hunting me, I don't have time. I'll come back later at least, I have a few houses I can visit from what I remember but haven't gotten a chance to yet. Maybe they will be nice like those party ladies who gave me some alcohol.
'I've never gotten drunk before in my past life but I'm strangely craving it now.' Shaking my head of the thought, I walk past the house and into what looks like a church but the smell is the opposite of what is expected from one.
Walking down the stairs, i realize what is actually going on, "it's the fucking sewers, ugh" I go back up the stairs, not to find some way to go around but because I spotted two hanging bodies up higher that I want from their corpses, probably more blood vials and bullets but I cant consider myself a gamer if I just ignore the obvious shiny object beckoning me with an obvious way to get to it.
I quickly find the side path and gently step on the molding boxes, luckily they don't break and I step on the rafters. I go along the two stick length paths to collect the items without having to drop the bodies inside them. It was literally just 3 vials and 2 bullets and a cold blood dew (1),.
Shaking my head, I spot a suspicious spot, a gathering of boxes that hides a small section that leads out. With curiosity in my veins. I break the boxes and step through. Leading to an elevated section of the building where a single hunter rests against the moldy wooden railing.
As I step closer, the hunter seems to sense my presence as they turn around, I tense up but gradually relax as I spot no weapon.
"Oh, a hunter, are ya? Don't look to be an outsider? Yet you certainly don't dress like one. What a mess you've been caught up in. And tonight, of all nights… Here, to welcome the new hunter."
Prepare yourself for the worst. There are no humans left. They're all flesh-hungry beasts, now." A feminine voice within the crow get-up greets me and gives me 4 bold hunters marks.
I finally calm down and even cheer up a bit as these marks will be instrumental to my grind should I never get a chance to kill the cleric beast. She sees me smile at the simple tool.
"I know, I've been on these hunts before, only recently came back from a coma." I explain with a more somber tone that I'm not exactly new, just rusty is all.
"Ah yes, I've heard of you. You're one of the old hunters. I thought most of you gone mad." She comments and I just shrug in response.
"Probably would have, my coma might have been my saving grace in that case. That or I'm already insane in the membrane." I passed off a simple joke. She scoffs in return as she states.
"If you have the time to make jokes then run along and return to your hunt, after all, a hunter must hunt"
"...." I try to decipher what she just said but her accent is a fair bit thick.
"...um Okay…Hoot" I put my hands over my mouth and become the bird she wanted me to be.
"What in the blazes are you doing?" She nearly yells at me in the strange situation we both find ourselves in.
"What? I thought with the bird mask, didn't you just tell me a hunter must hoot?"
"Hunt, hunt" "I said. Goodness me, riling me up in my old age" Eileen the Crow reiterates the word for me and I blush in embarrassment as I look away from her. My only desire to bash my head in like I did the clinic when I woke up. Though frankly, it still sounds like she is at most saying 'Haunt' instead of just hunt.
"Ummm. ill just go now since I have more pressing problems to worry about. By the by, be careful of the wandering beast, the big one with blue eyes. It has it's target set on me but might go after you in misunderstanding." I explain to her how it had already torn me apart once and how I learned that it was tracking me to the kennels just below.
She nods in response, saying "ill be careful. It's your duty to kill it anyways" the hunter of mad hunters states as I truly walk away. Making my way back to the sewer raptors. I gently climb up the boxes and get back to the staircase where in the game, these boxes would break and then have to take the plunge to even leave.
Slowly growing used to the horrible scent, i make my way down the stairs and take care of the three 'Large' Huntsmen and one gunman.
I get 2 vials, 3 bullets and 1 blood stone shard.
I then find another cold blood dew (1) by the walls. I then analyze the area. I find a crank on both sides which leads a bit lower to the next level of this warehouse sewer space.
Adjusting the cranks and their chains. I have them reach all the way down to the bottom area, I do this on both sides before I lower myself down. On the side with the stairs I came from. There I immediately found one sewer rat I took care of with my saw cleaver. Getting a nice 62 echoes from it.
In the neighboring space, I find 3 more rats and a dead body between the two. Ignoring the body, I deal with each of the rats in two or three strikes before taking the glowing orb and getting the saw spear.
I examine the weapon and find it essentially a perfect copy of the saw cleaver with the exception of a few small points, those points specifically adjusting the weapon to be an actually viable spear with it's saw teeth etched on. Now I don't find anything else here and typically I would be forced to jump down to the very bottom and then get up via a ladder which leads back to this building but I'll save that for later.
I begin my climb back up the chains which is very tiresome, my muscles are fairly strained from that since my past self effectively never exercised, luckily my new life was full of training so i have similar experiences as this climbing, so while im still weak. It was more of a hassle than an actual struggle.
Regardless i take a breather as my scars heat up once again under my amplified pain senses. I then climb down on the chain on the other side. Where I come down is two rats facing me, They scrunch up about to jump me until a Molotov burns them to ashes. I collect the blood stone shard they were guarding before taking care of the last rat in the neighboring space. I find nothing else here and so I climb down on the broken rickety boats.
I find two more rats I take care of with my saw cleaver before finding a madman's knowledge .I store that away for now as emergency funds for skills since it's more lucrative at the moment.
"Hmm, maybe this isn't the sewers but a river area that was dried up?" I ask as I look at the boats that have been damaged by beasts. Disregarding the useless thought, I press forward into the rest of Central Yharnam.
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Word count is mid average this time around.
Whether you like the chapter or not, drop a comment. I can't be letting myself get complacent in my writing. I still have plenty of growth in all forms.
Usual reminder (take out hyphen): patr-eon.com/Xanok
discord channel still has the next chapter preview like usual: