C12: Monster Mash.
----------------------------------------------
As I return to the dream. I look over my current echoes. Up until I had reached the 'warehouse/docks', I had gained 1,865 but then clearing that area along with the elevated space with the crows and brutes net me another 974 after another ill fated debuff. For a sparkling total of 2839.
Pretty nice. I would love to get my echoes from the bridge but not sure if the cleric beast would immediately detect me if I showed up there since it is still a boss arena. My remaining 3 bold hunters marks are also a last minute resort to escape and unless I find a way to kill that beast, I cant get more…Which is very bad.
'Oh well. Time to upgrade'. I think to myself as I step into the workshop, not finding my foster father there but I ignore it as I approach the work bench itself. Taking out the necessary shards (3 and 5), along with some echoes. I upgraded my saw cleaver to +2.
The process of how this upgrade is done is somewhat ritualistic. I take the shards and essentially cook them till they turn liquid. Then using a brush, I dip it in the blood liquid only to smear it firstly on the special symbols portrayed along the hilt of the weapon before unlocking a few pieces off of the saw cleaver so that they can be dipped or rather marinated in the blood sauce.
This allows the special blood energy within the shards to seep into the serrated blades as the liquid cools down and sticks to it like gel.
The blades are taken out and then chipped away with a knife to regain it's original sharp shape, the excess gel taken off before proceeding to the last step. Heating and Grinding.
I'm not new to this type of thing as I've used the hand held grindstone to sharpen Gehrman's signature scythe every night before a hunt. I first set up the remaining parts of the saw cleaver, essentially the stick and flat blade into the fireplace so that it can get warmed up.
When it is, I dump out the rest of the gel like blood within the bowl onto the blade and handle of the weapon. The sappy blood drips onto the open fire, only to turn to smoke that seeps into the wood while the gel blood itself seems to take on the same black steel hue of the blade itself.
🎵"Tell me, what do you see when you look into my eyes?
Because all I have left is the demon deep inside
Evil blood in my veins is the reason I'm alive" 🎵 I begin to hum to myself a song I liked that was actually about this game though I first heard it long before I actually got it myself.
While the blade was warming up, I got to grinding the saw blades. Like using sandpaper on wood, I slowly but gradually allow the dust formed from the coagulated mutant blood to turn the blades of my saw cleaver a slightly higher shade of red. The blades gleam in warm terror as if alive while I take out the piece within the fireplace and begin grinding that down.
🎵"Now my darkened heart beats" 🎵
The handle turns a bit more smokey but with minor tests, it proves more durable to handle greater force without snapping off while the blade length turns a light shade of red. I clear off the excess gel that has lost all color before sharpening this blade and re-attaching the serrated blades.
double check the weapon once more to make sure it is all prop.
Click SHING
I activate the trick effect of my cleaver, extending it for one examination as I finish the chorus of the song.
🎵"And I know it won't be over when I die"🎵
[User has learned the bad singing skill, level 1: User is a beginner singer that playfully chops up lyrics so that it fits your own narrative and style. The type of person who would willfully gather the chorus from multiple songs to create the greatest youtube poop song. This must be rectified before someones ears bleed. Effect- +1% greater vocal harmony when singing]
I click the trick weapon again and it retracts. I put it back in my inventory before waving away the screen. I walk back around to the top half of the area to the doll who is kneeling before a grave. Yet before I speak up to her, I look through my system store to see if anything new has popped up.
Surprisingly there is, some sort of system exclusive things that I have never seen in the game before.
[(New) Blood-Letting Coin: A coin soaked in blood. Dated to the early days of Yharnam Blood Ministration.
It was originally believed to be a suitable offering for an audience with a Great One. The experiment failed but they are considered good luck by the healing Church.
Effect: When broken increases the chance of dropped items for a short duration. Cost - 1k BE.] (Item discovery increase)]
[(New) Blood Drained Bead: An archaic tool to hold blood for blood ministration by the healing church.
A priest had accidentally consumed this knuckle sized bead and succeeded where the Blood-Letting Coin failed. What this priest had learned is unknown as life departed them shortly after and all methods to replicate this event failed.
Effect: When consumed, host gains Blood burning debuff ( -5 hp per second) but double echo gain for a short duration. Cost - 1k BE]
My eyes nearly pop out of my head like a looney tunes character as I reread the descriptions.
'I can farm better now.' I think to myself as these things are both affordable and super useful. The first a bit less so than the second but it's still good for small bits of echoes gained from selling items. Yet I don't know of any immediate areas that are good for grinding materials, at least early on here. Maybe something like the chalice dungeons would be good but only assuming those still work.
For now I purchase one each with my insight but am disappointed to find the price doubled to 2k each.
[System warning: System does not wish for host to abuse the insight conversion aspect. As such the prices will increase the more user buys specific items with insight but will reset when bought with echoes]
'I see. That certainly makes sense as but…isnt there a point when I just gain hundreds of thousands of echoes easily, at that point this will be dirt cheap.' I muse to myself though I do remember how the systems blood vials and other items all cost so much and can only shiver if it's prices increase just like the bath messengers.
I get a second of both trinkets and keep them stored while the price jumps up to 4k for each that I will have to pay with echoes to reset back to 1k.
I finally tap the Doll on the shoulder which snaps her out of her 'sleep'.
"Oh, Good Hunter, Welcome Back, I must have been distracted. How may I be of service?"
"I quickly increase my vitality by 1 more point with my remaining 2k echoes after spending a few hundred for the reforging. As I'm level 16 right now, it takes me 1880 to get me to level 17. Luckily my points were not stolen this time around. I feel a surge of pleasure throughout my body as my blood runs hot.
My skin feels ignited even after the Doll's puppet hand departs from my own. With only 206 echoes left, I can't very well stay longer. I quickly rush off before I embarrass myself, hopefully the cold Yharnam air would help cool me down.
Returning to Central Yharnam, I quickly run down the left side and take out the two hunter minions (brutes) before entering the Kennel and killing the 7 dogs there as the last one in front of the door by the bridge doesnt respawn. I bypass the door by the bridge with a lamp as I'm not in a mindset to talk to anyone right now.
Since I'm still being hunted, I'm rushing to the next region. Going through the warehouse area, I only go down one side which means only one gunman and large huntsman. The other 2 don't spot me. Exiting the warehouse, I hug the right side of the blockade and carefully step around the sandbags to get to the other side (possible in-game). I kill the two crows there before hopping down onto the portcullis besides the bridge, it's where I got one of my blood stone shards. I then drop down without getting hurt.
I finally returned to where I had the previous split choice of which direction to: up or down. I went up last time and got the shortcut back to the fountain but I haven't gotten an update that 'it' had moved on. I can only hope that it didn't touch that young girl as otherwise no matter how many times I would die and be devoured, I would slay it by my own hand.
I don't immediately go down the ladder to the lowest level of this waterway area. Instead I naturally notice the concentrated group of what looks like corpses gathered around a single glowing item in the center of them all. I toss over a molotov or two and that wipes out most of these rotted corpses.
[Throwing has leveled up. 1->2: +5%->7.5% accuracy, +10%->15% distance]
I happily jump down and take care of the remaining enemies, hitting the remaining corpses once or twice and collecting my 10 bullets. The corpses themselves drop 1 vial in total. Six of these monsters were bunched up together guarding the bullets while another two were on opposite sides of each other in this square shaped area which suffered under my molotov while the remaining 2 were a small distance away from this main group.
One was near the group of 6, seemingly guarding a short tunnel that had nothing in it while the other was on the other side of this box which I took down easily with my cleaver. These corpses are very fragile which allows me to make them flinch or be staggered with every one of my attacks.
[+1 bold hunters mark]
"Oh fuck, im gonna cum" I gently pocket the piece of paper with the rest for quick use. My previous heat from the vitality upgrade was replaced with a bloodlust to slaughter these creatures using the coin for increased drops so that I can farm the marks without major hassle.
Each of these corpses also provides 56 echoes each, there are already 8 of them here and I can see a few more down the sewer-like pathway which I remember has a pig at the end.
That means I can easily afford the 1k base price needed after paying the 3k to reset it with my current marks.
My only complaint would be that it's so far from a lamp. For now though, I'll at least clear the area, going down the ramp to kill 2 more corpses on the right side tunnel that was crawling out from an empty side tunnel. Another 2 corpses near some rubble with 2 sets of two crows watching from a high up space that I couldn't reach but they're just watching over the area. They do jump down into my cleaver for some quick cash. The last corpse is in another tunnel that holds another blood stone shard. Two the birds drop 1 antidote each which will be useful later and then pretty much never again.
I then look down the final tunnel ahead of me. Beside is a Ladder leading very high up, but im going for the pig first. Walking down it, I soon spot the outline of the pig and it also notices me, beginning to walk in my direction.
It has to be noted that this is one giant swinular bastard. Its fat pale snout is even height with my head, which means it technically towers over me, but I'm not letting my new locally sourced hotdogs take me down.
Running forward, I entered a square shaped room inside this tunnel, running a circle around the pig as it roared and tried to charge me and only hit the wall. I clench the muscles in my arm as I swing my cleaver and smack the pig on its ass which knocks it off its feet.
"This is gonna suck, I better get a sponsorship from fruit-by-the-foot for this" I store my weapon away as I shove my fist up the pigs ass. Grabbing hard, I pull out its intestines like a pile of soggy noodles. These ropes disappear like an illusion but the pigs pained squeal was music to my ears
[This is why you have the bad singing skill]
"Bitch im fabulous" I comment as bits of pig shit land on my town folk clothes. I wave them off with my nose scrunched up like I just witnessed a crime against god.
Thankfully the pig is dead with no hassle and a bunch of echoes richer. In the same room, I find the Saw Hunters Badge as well as Cold Blood Dew (2).
"Nice, my first badge." I store it away and go further down the tunnel, finding a dead end drop and a strange side tunnel.
"Was this always here?" I comment as I pass through and find a ladder leading up. Out of curiosity I start climbing,when I reach the top, I find him at the end of another bridge but here there is a huntsman with a torch and shield who upon my arrival lights a rock while a brute kicks it down only to get blasted in the face with fire.
The rock goes tumbling down, netting me 290 from the various huntsmen on the bridge itself that got run over by it.
As for me, I step up to the huntsman holding the shield and torch and snap his neck before shooting the brute once which causes it to topple over, netting me more echoes.
"Phew, thats interesting" i say as I walk down the bridge and collect a few bullets and vials before finding the previous ladder next to the tunnel where I fought the pig in.
"So this is where it would lead me." I look around and find a side path to the left of the ladder itself should I have climbed up it or simply wanted to go up the bridge. I enter this shack and find some sort of floor block. I step on it an the room closes behind me a metal grate as I hear gears shift, bringing me upwards.
"Oh right, this is the final shortcut before the next boss." I remember now, even more so as the elevator stops and leads me out to the two corpses of brutes still lying there on the floor where I took them down.
I choose to return to the hunters dream and get 1 more point in vitality which costs me 2114 echoes.
Up till now I had gathered 2,606 echoes and due to good luck that was increased to 2,866 on account of the 1% gamble. That leaves me with 752 that I keep for now as I reach level 18.
I then return to central Yharnam but I freeze upon what I see. The Cleric Beast has his back turned to me as it sniffs around on the right side area leading to the bonfire region.
I make sure my sneak skills are active as I begin trekking down the left yet upon my first step the beast's body twitches as it turns around.
I nearly shit myself as it seems to gain a happy expression upon spotting me. A hollow smile promising great torment.
I book it to the left, running past the huntsmen and even two brutes to reach the elevator. It shuts behind me as the beast nearly shatters the entire building and even drop the elevator but thankfully that doesnt happen. I lean against the wall as I catch my breath before booking it down the bridge. The beast spots me once more and jumps down to chase.
[Lesser Stamina has leveled up. Level 1->2: +10->+20 stamina]
I ignore the screen as i run past the group of huntsmen that the cleric beast happily tears apart with it's claws before chasing me. The huntsman up top soon sets fire to the rock which the brute kicks down. I jump to the side and barely dodge it as it collides with the cleric beast, setting it on fire.
[Lesser agility has leveled up: level 1->2: -5%->10% less stamina drain on sprinting/dodging]
I resume my run, going past the brute and huntsman as the cleric beast in rage tears the rock apart before shredding the two beings that injured it before chasing me.
I run up the stairs as I go past the two large huntsmen which notice me and charge at me only to get crushed by the foot of the cleric beast.
[Ding: Challenge mode option activated: Ahead lies the boss arena of Father Gascoigne. Would you like to partake of the challenge?]
"Level 25, lock it in, NOW" [Challenge accepted, Father Gascoine has been empowered to New Game + 25]. I frantically yell as I skip through multiple sets of stairs at once. A shimmer passes through the world as a fog door appears before me before I collide with it and wade my way through.
I find myself in a giant graveyard area with scattered tombstones. A giant pillar of stone akin to a monument in the center and beside is a single figure who is chopping his hunter axe on a corpse.
While fear is still flowing through me I call out to the figure.
"Teacher, I need your help" The chopping stops as the figure slowly turns around, sniffing at the air. It was about to comment about how I will eventually turn into a beast and how it will stop me before I can but my words reach it before it could.
"Teacher? I'm a teacher?, hehe, only one person is crazy enough to call me that….heh…thats not all I am. Im a father…a hus. No. nonoooooo. VIOLAAAAA" A guttural voice initially speaks as a trace of fondness appears in his expression as he momentarily loses his madness but then he flows from one connection to another that serves as the foundation of his being before a trace of fear replaces the clarity and even madness as he loses himself to his grief.
ROOOARRRR
The cleric beast lands in the arena with a triumphant roar as it feels like it finally trapped me but it actually loses sight of me as I jumped in between a group of tombstones, at least the ones behind a giant pillar. Double insurance for it to not find me.
"YOUUUU. It is because of beasts like you that made me like this. ILL KILL YOU" The rage coursing through Gascoigne's body manifests his latent power as he charges at the empowered Cleric Beast with his own modified Hunters Axe. Said Axe becomes covered in actual shadow as it strikes the head of the beast, knocking it flat on its back from the shockwave of it all.
[Father Gascoigne, level 25 has awakened three abilities due to being in the 20-30 level range. The three abilities are: {Shadow Mastery}, {Greater Agony}, and {Phantasmal Rage}].
-------------------------------------------------------------
Word count is above 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.
discord channel still has the next chapter preview like usual: https://discord.gg/ rE6gtg28XH
Patreon.com/Xanok to find me.
If this chapter is read through paid services on Patreon then the P-Hunter message changes to 'kindled'. That will earn a different type of discord role where I will proactively take suggestions from you all or even create custom characters based on you/that you make. This code will change when it is released for free to create a proper distinction between a paid reader and a free reader.