Chương 175: Shadows of Yharnam
Surgit walked back towards the man-eating boar, he could smell its rotten flesh miles away. The boar's was walking around in circles, patrolling the area. The hunter waited in the darkness for the disgusting creature to walk away. He silently walked behind it, eviscerated it then moved forward. Those beasts could easily be disposed of with visceral attacks.
Surgit slowly forgot about his resolve. Not using visceral attacks meant not inviting the beast to come out. But the hunter had been in one tight spot after another that visceral attacks became necessary. He was tired of this foreboding forest. He wanted to get out of the place as soon as possible. First there were the huntsmen and their traps. Then there were those snakes and snake men. Now he had to deal with man-eating boars and some strange alien creatures.
The Forbidden Woods were bigger than he expected. He was sure that there were other important places he hadn't explored yet. But he didn't care anymore. He wanted to reach Byrgenwerth. He was tired of exploring an open area where gruesome things awaited him in the dark. He was ready to move on and put the place behind him.
Surgit move forward. The smell of roasted flesh attracted his attention. It didn't smell good though. It smelled like burnt hair on skin, like when someone got accidentally burned while trying to light a stove with matches. The smell of burning hair on skin, mixed with something rotten he couldn't identify.
He reached yet another branching path. One of them led upwards, while the other one led the opposite way. Surgit looked up, he wasn't willing to investigate the area above him. The path that took downwards was the one that led to the academy. He could clearly see Byrgenwerth's dome in the distance, peeking from behind the tall trees.
Up in the hill, Surgit saw a big fire though. The smell emanated from there. His curiosity took the best of him. He walked upwards, following the smell. He soon reached a clearing where a gruesome scene welcomed him. A snake man stood beside a large fire. Around the pyre stood two large wooden pillars. Another log was horizontally positioned, connecting the two pillars. The log had been inserted inside a man-eating boar, going from its anus and exiting from its mouth.
The snake man used a large stick to turn the enormous log, roasting the dead pig. Surgit watched from a distance, unable to make heads or tails of the situation. 'From all things, I could never have imagined this happening.' He slowly retreated, leaving the snake man to his roasting. 'Who'd the food for I wonder?' the hunter thought as he walked down towards the foot of the hill.
Surgit soon reached a clearing in which three hooded men sat, munching on something below their black hoods. Surgit couldn't see their faces. It was like looking at darkness. Their faces were either too hidden underneath those hoods, or they didn't have faces at all.
"Shadows of Yharnam," his insight kicked in and informed him of the three men's title.
The three noticed his presence as soon as his insight informed him of their title. The three quickly stood up, threw the food aside and dashed towards the hunter. "How worse can you be? Compared to that beast I just slayed earlier?" he shouted at the three shadows that ran at him.
The first shadow to reach him wielded a katana. Its attacks were unexpectedly fast. Surgit saw the pointy end of the katana miss his eye by a hair's width. He kicked the shadow, pushing it backwards. He then swung his sword at his opponent. Sword met with sword and metallic clang echoed in the clearing. The second shadow had reached Surgit and blocked the sword that was aimed at his companion.
This shadow also wielded a katana but had a candle on his other hand. The candle burned bright, then fire was hurled at the hunter. Surgit dodged at the last minute. That blast could've burnt him to a crisp. He lunged at the first shadow that attacked him, tackled him then placated him on the ground. He didn't have time to finish the shadow on the ground as the third one rushed at Surgit, a large pole in his hand. The weapon reminded Surgit of the Tonitrus.
'Shit, I have to separate those three from each other.' Surgit jumped to the side, avoiding the third shadow's attack. He immediately ran away from the trio, he had to put some distance from them then devise a plan of attack. Surgit finally had some time to observe his surroundings. The clearing was actually some kind of old ruin. Large marble pillars were scattered all around the place, indicating the place's decay from its former glory.
Surgit hid behind one of the pillars, sure of what the other three will attempt. Surely enough, the shadow wielding only a katana reached him first. This one attacked from Surgit's right. With the corner of his eye, the hunter could see the second shadow, the one using the candle, approach from his left.
The first shadow attacked, swinging vertically at Surgit. The hunter quickly advanced towards the shadow, the enemy's sword missing him by inches. That was the first technique he learned when he was training at the academy. Use your ennemy's momentum against them. A vertical swing will only leave them open for counter attacks, given the opponent knows how to properly move for the counter.
Surgit moved quickly beside the sword that aimed at his head. It took perfect timing and acuity to see through the attack and counter it. Surgit reached stood at the shadow's face when his katana hit the air. He thrust his sword in the shadows' chest. Surgit sword pierced the black clothes. Surprisingly, Surgit didn't feel any resistance from the shadow's body. His body went inside the chest and came out the back with no resistance at all.
The shadow screamed at the top of his lungs, if it had any that is, then jumped back. Surgit was puzzled. That attack should've finished him. He cursed, he thought that he was dealing with human beings. There was no such thing as human in Yharnam after all. 'What are those things anyway?' he thought as he charged after the injured shadow.
He didn't know how his attack injured the shadow, but the thing was clearly suffering from the thrust attack. A fireball halted Surgit's advance though. He had to jump back to avoid being roasted alive. 'Damn it! They won't allow me any time to punish their open attacks.' Surgit had to act quickly in order to dispose of the things that attacked him. He couldn't allow them to sward him either. Their attacks were fast, hard to read through if they attacked in unison.
The hunter performed a somersault, avoiding the second shadow's attack. In a fight, one must keep track of their enemies lest they surprise them and cripple them. Surgit landed behind the candle wielding shadow and immediately slammed his Kirkhammer on him. The shadow crumbled against the marble slab's weight. He fell face first on the ground, getting a taste of the Forbidden Forest's rotten earth.
Surgit immediately slammed his Kirkhammer on the shadow once more. He needed to weaken the thing before the others caught up to him. A second blow was all he was allowed. The other caught up to him, one hurling fireballs at him while the other tried to open him up. Surgit shot the katana wielder, staggering him on the spot.
He regretted not being able to finish his attack. He had to avoid the annoying fireballs. The candle wielding shadow stood up and joined the offensive. Surgit ran away again, going for one of the crumbled pillars while fireballs chased after him. Their heat as they exploded behind him made him sweat. Two shadows followed Surgit while the third remained in the distance, hurling fire at him.
'That fire thrower is annoying! I must take care of his first.' Surgit thought as he hid behind the pillar. Sweat covered his body then. He took the cloth he used to cover his face and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Fireballs exploded against the pillar behind which he hid. 'I can't keep running away forever. They'd corner me eventually.'
Surgit ran left, this time targeting the candle wielding shadow. He slammed his shoulder against the shadow's chest before it could attack him. He then slashed with his sword bringing it from the shadow's feet towards its head. The sword cut through the fabric, revealing only darkness underneath it. With a swift motion, Surgit brought his sword towards the hammer's pommel. He merged the sword with the hammer then slammed it again on the injured shadow.
Against great obstacles, Surgit's quick-thinking always brought the best of him. He was focused on beating the fire caster first. He needed to reach him though, while the other two did their best to block his way. Surgit had to improvise, his unorthodox fighting style evolved in the process.
As he brought down the Kirkhammer on the second shadow, Surgit used the momentum to evade the three fireballs that targeted him. The weight of the hammer was essential in this evasive manoeuver. He used the large swing of the hammer to create momentum. The moment it slammed down on the shadow, his body was arched forward, his feet almost in the air.
He used that momentum to leave the hammer in place, holding the shadow on the ground, while he jumped forward, performing a dive roll. The fireballs landed on the hammer and the shadow in pinned on the ground. Surgit landed and ran towards the fire caster. He shot the shadow on the face, staggering it just enough for him to close the distance.
He reached the annoying caster, snatched its weapon away and bludgeoned him with it. The round mace-like weapon had no edge to it. Its blunt attack, combined with Surgit's strength, had its effect on the thing though. He was allowed three strikes at the shadow. The first one, katana in hand, reached Surgit to halt his offensive.
Surgit danced around the katana's swing then pushed the shadow against his injured friend. With the mace he borrowed from the shadow, he proceeded to pummeling them both. The katana wielder quickly regained his composure and blocked Surgit's attack. Fire was thrown, as if a dragon had breathed on Surgit's face. He jumped to the side, avoiding being roasted alive.
The other shadow struggled to get out from under the Kirkhammer. It still had some life about it. Surgit shot a quick glance at the shadow, dismissing it after a short assessment. The shadow was too weak to get out of the trap. The katana wielder attacked again. Surgit shot it, eviscerated it then moved towards the fire caster.
Surgit threw the mace at the fire caster which hit it on the face again. The shadow would've shown anger if it had a face. It snatched the weapon that fell on the ground and prepared to rain fire at the impudent hunter. Surgit had quickly reached the hunter before it could cast anymore of its fire. He punched the shadow. His fist went through its body. It felt like punching water, empty. Surgit cursed, the shadow swung its mace at the hunter. He shot his pistol, then eviscerated the thing.
'Aaaah the thrill of the hunt!' a murmur inside Surgit's head suddenly said. "Shit, that thing again?!" Surgit shouted as he picked up the mace and beat the living hell out of the shadow that was just eviscerated. The katana wielder reached Surgit again. The stress of the fight had Surgit on edge, ready to react at any moment.
The fire caster remained on the floor, unmoving, as Surgit prepared to counter the katana wielder. The shadow that quickly approached abruptly stopped. Surgit was taken aback, the fight suddenly stopped flowing, his momentum broken. The shadow under the Kirkhammer let out a deafening scream. The other one, paces away from Surgit, held its head and seemed to struggle with something inside its head. It reminded Surgit of the snake men, before snakes came rushing out of their heads.
Surely enough, the shadow had a snake that peeked from behind its cloak. The other shadow, the one under the Kirkhammer, gained new strength and got out of the marble slab's grip. "Shit! What now?!" the hunter shouted at the two remaining shadows.
The candle wielder was quickly advancing as the other had already reached Surgit. He quickly eviscerated the katana wielder then moved to the next. 'I can't allow them to use those snakes on me. I'd better finish them quickly,' he thought as he dashed to meet the other shadow halfway. Half a dozen snakes came out of the shadow's extended arms, baring their sharp fangs at Surgit. The latter jumped high above them. He was running towards his trusty hammer.
Surgit quickly unsheathed the sword from the hammer's pommel then threw the large slab behind his back. 'Hunters sure have outstanding technologies.' The strap on his back could easily withstand the hammer's weight. That was at least something off Surgit's mind during tedious fights like the one he was in.
Surgit turned around, the two shadows were slowly walking towards him. Their black cloaks were torn at different spots, suggesting the sorry state they were in. 'Only one more offensive and I'll be done with this shit.' Surgit dashed towards the weakest looking shadow, the one that had just disentangled itself from underneath the hammer. He had but a second to act, the other shadow was dangerously close.
Surgit didn't want to extend the fight longer. He suspected the shadows had another trick up their sleeves, literally. He threw three knives at the katana wielding shadow. He had kept those in case he ran into a similar situation. The knives allowed him another second. His pistol shot echoed through the clearing, the candle wielding shadow was on its knees. Surgit eviscerated the thing, uncertain of what he was grappling inside its body.
The shadow lay motionless on the ground after Surgit was done with his visceral attack. The last remaining shadow let out a low growl. Surgit could feel something staring at him from behind the cloaked head. Two shining eyes glowed in the darkness. They were snake eyes. Surgit had dealt with too many snakes in the dark forest. They were easy to identify. 'What kind of sorcery is this? Snakes possessing people?' he thought as the shadow's growls intensified.
Surgit couldn't make his move. He was unsure of the beast's next move. The ground suddenly grumbled. Surgit's heart tightened. He had a very bad feeling about what's about to happen. From behind the shadow, a large body appeared. Surgit could only run for safety. He ran as fast as his feet could take him towards one of the pillars.
He barely reached a pillar, hid behind it, when an enormous mouth bit the crumbling marble stones. The pillar was reduced to dust. The giant snakes looked at Surgit with bloodshot eyes. 'What the hell have you awakened?' the hoarse voice echoed inside Surgit's mind. The snake quickly retracted, as if pulled by insurmountable gravity. It quickly vanished, as it quickly appeared in the first place.
Surgit realized the golden opportunity he'd just received and followed the retracting giant snake. Its large head obstructed all vision. As soon as the snake vanished behind the shadow's body, Surgit was upon his enemy. He thrust his sword in the shadow's body then proceeded to bludgeoning it with his hammer. One hit, two, three, the shadow took each hit with a silent grunt until it finally stopped moving.
Surgit took a deep breath, sweat dripping over his eyebrows. A low growl echoed inside his head. The beast had no need to come out. The fight was over.
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