The scourge has started to take hold of Yharnam but the church and citizens are fighting back. Young hunter, Auna, sets out on her first hunt to prove herself against the beasts that plague her city. However, she finds that not everything is black a...
Auna slipped out of the strange bed, careful to not wake the sleeping Alfred. She looked at his naked form and blushed before getting dressed herself. In the hall, she made her way to the next room where Arianna was staying. The door, to her surprise, was ajar.
"Arianna?" she whispered, opening the door with great caution. The room held no one inside and the bed showed no sign of use. Auna spun around and went down the steps to the foyer. It was empty. The stable as well was empty, not even the horses and carriage. Arianna had fled.
Auna scurried back up the stairs and into her room. She placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder, jostling him awake. He sat up groggily and then smiled at her presence. He leaned in for a kiss but she pushed him back
"Arianna is gone and so are the horses," Auna informed him.
His eyes widened and he ripped himself from the sheets. "Where is she?" He clumsily pulled on his clothes.
"I don't know," she replied, sitting back on the bed. "She didn't want to go back."
"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me?" he yelled, his voice frustrated and cold like the first time she met him.
"I didn't think she would leave," Auna exclaimed.
"I'm going after her," he said, grabbing his weapons and heading for the stairs. Auna followed after him to the foyer. "She is my only hope of getting to Cainhurst." He grabbed his pack, digging through and seeing that many of his rations had been taken. Alfred growled and threw it closed before putting it on his back. Opening the door, he stepped out on the porch looking over the quiet city. "Come on, we can track her."
"I'm not going," Auna replied, still inside the house. Her eyes looked painfully at the floor.
"What?"" he asked, stepping back inside.
"I have my own path. I need to..."
"Please, don't leave me," he said, taking her hand. "We can do this. We can stay alive together."
Auna took her hand away and gazed up at him. "You said so yourself. Don't become attached."
Alfred turned away, his face growing white from her words. Auna didn't know what to say. Nothing she said would change his mind. She did not want to go back to Cainhurst but she knew even if he accepted the trust would not deter him.
"Arianna was right, Cainhurst is doomed and everyone inside," she said. One final attempt to make him see reason.
"Don't say that," he murmured, looking back at her in furtive frustration.
"I have a path that I have to take. I have deviated too much," she finally said after a long silence. "I can't become attached."
He brought himself back to her, his sullen eyes unable to meet her own. "When you have finished what you have started, come find me."
Auna felt a tear escaping her eye and couldn't find any words to say. She nodded, the muscles of her jaw clenched to keep from crying.
Alfred placed a hand on the back of her head, bringing his lips to her forehead. He kissed her, lips quivering. With a quick motion, he disappeared down the steps and into the dark streets.
Auna was alone, once again. She stayed in the house for several hours, staring at the wall. Every ounce of her being wanted to go after him, give up her dream of becoming a true hunter, going to Byrgenwerth and finding Valtr. But Alfred was obsessed with an idea and Auna did not want to see it destroy him.
Once she resolved herself to stick to her path, she packed up her belongings and drifted into the night. More infected citizens appeared, meandering aimlessly through the streets. She did her best to avoid bringing attention to herself, choosing only to kill in the dark shadows. The Grand Cathedral loomed in the distance, a bright moon illuminating its steeple. The bell struck three times. The Woods of Yharnam would be close, along with her path to Byrgenworth.
As she rounded the corner towards some stairs, she heard a guttural howl behind her. It didn't sound anything like a dog or even beast that she was familiar with. A heavy footstep could be heard behind her and pulled her saw into her hand. When the intruder was close enough she spun around, unlatching the weapon. Auna froze, seeing the ragged clothing of the tall gangly creature. All skin and bones and shrouded in black garb. A large heavy sack swung around knocking her to the stone ground. A large foot pounded her into the cobblestones as the creature let out a triumphant screech. Auna tried again to stand but something smashed her head back down. Everything went blank and she drifted into nothingness.
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