By the Blood

After some more time spent wandering the halls, occasionally dispatching the odd beast you came across, you finally made your way to what looked to be the front door of the castle. It didn't budge when you tried to open it, but sure enough the key you found off that 'pony' fit the lock perfectly.

As the massive doors slowly creak open, you find yourself at the top of yet another staircase, this time leading down into the neighboring city. It looked just as bad as before, and from here you could see more than a few beasts milling about.

While you're heading down the steps, something gives out a massive screech, but when you look around, you can't pinpoint the source of the noise. Whatever it was, it sounded big.

You arrive at the bottom of the steps just in time for some messengers to bring up a lantern for you, so you light it. You refrain from returning to the dream for now, however.

The town looks no better from within, as the streets are covered in rubble, corpses, and blood. Interestingly, you see the corpses of other creatures, as well, namely a select few that appeared to be half eagle, half lion. Must be a new kind of beast, though strangely they were covered in a similar armor to the guards within the castle, albeit more ornate; or, at least, it was more ornate at one time.

Of course, live beasts were not in short supply here, and your searching was often interrupted by attackers, though you just as often picked fights with unaware beasts that were in your way. While the usual beasts were present, you also caught sight of other, non-corrupted ponies, but the moment you looked again, they would be gone.

That is, until you decide to search the inside of one of the relatively untouched buildings, looking for either supplies or information. The house was dark, but the lantern on your side proved to cut through the darkness a bit, though the inside made you pause. It was a couple of ponies, one with the same shape muzzle as the one you fought earlier and the other with a more rounded face; probably female, then.

However, what gave you pause was the fact that they both had bloody bandages over their eyes, though despite this, they looked right at you. Not only that, but while their mouths were agape, you could see hints of growing fangs.

The silence continued for a moment, before the male cried out and picked up a nearby kitchen knife, charging you. It was a simple matter to meet his swing with one of your own, making him falter in his attack as you carved him away.

The other was not docile, however. Just as quickly as the other, she let out a scream and charged you with another, bigger knife. Unlike her husband (if you had to guess), she managed to land a hit on you, but it was no issue to step back before returning the favor.

When all was said and done, you had two dead ponies in the process of turning into beasts, and you were down one blood vial.

You've had worse house calls.

The rest of the house didn't provide any other supplies, though you did find evidence of other pony corpses stashed in one of their closets.

You shake your head as you leave the house, a morbid sense of mild amusement coming over you. Seems like beast plagues at least follow a pattern, then...

This cycle continues for some time, with you dispatching beasts and almost-beast ponies alike as you searched through the town. The air was thick with ash and blood, but you had long since gotten used to such an environment; Old Yharnam will do that to you. Regardless, you pull your face scarf up a bit more, hoping to keep more ash out of your lungs. After all, it would be unbefitting of a Hunter to die from something as simple as smoke inhalation.

Every once in a while, you would hear that screech come from overhead again, though you were still unable to find the source every time it happened.

Your thoughts are interrupted as, while searching through a back alley, you spot a window with lights on within. Your curiosity piqued, you go forward and knock on the window.

At first, you hear nothing, but then there's some shuffling from inside, and the light goes out. This tells you a couple of things, namely the fact that someone who isn't turning into a beast is inside, and that they were frightened by your knocking.

Still, you wanted some answers, so you knocked again, taking care to do so softly and rhythmically, entirely unlike how a beast would strike at the window.

After a moment, you hear a soft voice speak up from the other side. "H... Hello?"

Female, then. You ask them if they are okay, first of all.

"Uh, yeah, I'm... I'm unhurt, if that's what you're asking. Who are you? Don't you know what's going on out there?"

You state that you do, and let the implications hang in the air.

"...I see. So, you've been killing..." She pauses, then continues. "Tell me, are you a Hunter?"

Remembering how the pony in the castle reacted, you think before answering in the affirmative.

She's silent for some time before she speaks. "...well, I've heard the stories, but I figure you're at least a step up from the beasts."

Seeing your chance to figure out more about this world, you ask where exactly you were, and what happened.

"...you're in Canterlot," she says, "or at least what's left of it. Ever since the Plague hit, it's been abandoned almost overnight. Those who weren't lucky were devoured by beasts... and the even unluckier ones turned into them." She lets out a dark laugh. "They haven't gotten me yet, but I know it's just a matter of time. They got my husband a week ago..."

You give her time to let out a choked sob, before you ask just how long the plague had been happening.

"I honestly don't remember," she states. "I'd say maybe a few weeks, now. Long enough that Canterlot was considered a complete lost cause."

She lets out a sigh. "Hunter, tell me, do you know of anywhere, anywhere at all, that would be a safe haven?"

You regretfully inform her that you do not know of any such places.

"Damn... well, I suppose I can't fault you for that. I'd count it a blessing if there's any safe place left at all."

Having run out of things to ask, you go to make your leave, but she stops you. "Oh, Hunter, if I could ask something of you... if you find my daughter, could you tell her that... that I probably won't make it? I know she must be worried sick about me, but I would hate to break her heart with hope. You should know her when you see her; if I remember correct, she's in charge of fixing this entire mess."

You pause before telling her you'll do so. After she thanks you, you leave, your steps echoing through the alley. This wasn't the first favor you've been asked by sane bystanders, but you were still set on fulfilling her wish as best as you could.

The town was becoming much less dense now, as did the ash in the air, thankfully. You must be reaching the outskirts.

Only a few beasts later, you came across a railway station, though the train seemed to have derailed long ago. The ground was completely covered in bodies, bones, and blood, no doubt from innocents hording around in an attempt to escape.

As you step closer to the station, you can't help but notice how eerily quiet everything was. That's never a good sign.

Sure enough, once you were halfway through the station grounds, that ear-piercing shriek sounded again, this time from directly overhead. You looked up just in time to see a bright orange and red giant bird descend, landing in front of you. You could see what looked like fire licking away at its wings every once in a while, and its eyes were a beastly shade of red.

You unfold your spear, and assume a fighting stance.

The hunt was on.

The bird screeched again before lunging forward and taking flight, its wing sending a wave of flame at you. You barely dodged out of the way in time, your coat getting singed in the process.

The beast went back into the air, before flying back down, divebombing you. Acting on instinct, you got as far from its apparent landing point as possible, shielding your eyes as the impact shoots up a wall of flame.

You were about to proceed forward and begin attacking, but a gut feeling told you to stay back, and as you do so, the bird wails again, sending another spray of flames around it.

You were used to your instincts telling you such things; remnants of previous lives, the exact memories purged from your mind. After all, true Hunters never die; they simply reawaken, as if it were all a bad dream...

The bird screeched once more as more flames shot out from it, before it stopped, lurching over as its color became more dull. You knew this was your chance, so you ran forward, laying into it with your spear. It wailed in pain from your attacks, before curling up into a ball. Again acting on instinct, you back off just as its color returned, a wall of flame with it. It once again took to the skies, hovering above you as it started spitting fireballs.

You dodged left and right, avoiding them as best as you could. However, you were still caught in the blast of the last couple, but it was nothing that a blood vial couldn't fix.

Still hovering low, the bird started to land again, but you beat it to it with a lunge from your spear. Once more, the color drained, leaving it open to your attacks.

Soon, it started writhing in place from your blows, and you backed off once more. This time, the bird became completely ignited, letting out a massive shriek as it did so. You were able to see some of its flesh falling away just before it took to the air, leaving a burning wake behind it.

Honestly, the sight was somewhat beautiful, in its own twisted way.

It flew overhead, raining down large jets of flame. You had to put everything you had into sprinting away to avoid being roasted.

The entire battlefield began to light up as the buildings around you caught flame, bathing you in orange and yellow light. The bird stopped to hover overhead, and you could see that as its flesh was being cooked away by the flames, it was regenerating just as fast, only for the cycle to repeat.

It spit out a jet of flame towards your direction, and you had little choice but to run through a nearby building, the flames coming withing hairs of you.

You manage to make it back out into the courtyard, quickly putting out a fire that started on your hat. The bird looked to be struggling to stay in the air, and you could see why: as the flesh on its wings kept burning away and regenerating, it started adding various extra extremities, namely what looked like pony legs and tentacles. The extra weight was taking its toll, and soon the bird was forced to land, no longer able to take flight, your intuition told you.

Seizing the advantage, you get behind it and attack with your spear, taking care to not get too close to the flames coating its body. Each hit ripped off burning flesh faster than it could regenerate, but the beast was still able to make clumsy attempts to hit you.

Unfortunately for you, the combination of massive wings and flames made it impossible to dodge in time, and you were thrown aside and set ablaze in a single motion. Thankfully, your rolling on landing put out the flame, and it only took a few blood vials to bring you back from the brink of death.

The bird was now very skeletal, though which parts of its skeleton were revealed varied as the flesh burned away and was replaced. The smell of burning flesh was pungent, and you fought to avoid choking on it.

As the bird continued to throw fireballs at you, you ran towards it, dodging left and right to avoid its projectiles. Once you were in range, it tried to hit you again with its wings, but you were able to dodge aside and strike with your spear, tearing yet more flesh away. This continued until almost no flesh remained on the creature, leaving it as little more than a burning skeleton.

Despite this, the flames intensified, and you backed off to avoid being cooked alive. The bird let out one last scream, before collapsing in on itself, snuffing out its flames in the process.

Cautiously, you walked up to its remains, poking the steaming ashes with your spear. When nothing happened, you backed away slowly, just as a gust of wind came and blew the ashes away. In their place, you saw a bright blue stone of some kind, so you pocket it.

As the city burns around you, you spot the messengers bringing up a lantern for you on the station platform. Heavy with echoes and light on vials, you light it and return to the dream.

You doubt that was the last you'll see of that bird...