The Hunter of Chaldea

Chapter 11

"Do you remember anything before this mess?"

"Yes." Saber followed him as they walked out from the Church "Regrettably, I can't recall anything after that"

Memory blockage, just like Archer. Considering Saber has high Magic Resistance it couldn't be ordinary Magecraft that sent them here

"What's your most recent memory?"

"I was searching for blood when I got into a fight with that assassin" She stopped "...I was killed. The next thing I knew, I was standing in the summoning circle"

"That matches up. Well, explain why you're in the middle of the rampage when Serenity found you. You must have been quite hung up about that"

"I found myself deeply comforted by it...however disturbing it sound" Saber hung her head "I lost control of myself"

It was wrong and yet she'd enjoyed it. The sickening pleasure wasn't one to be forgotten easily, etched deep inside her psyche the moment she get her first taste

Even standing beside her Master, the Servant dared not look in his eyes

Ritsuka was silent as he observed her

"None of the men I knew has survived the blood infestation" the Hunter began

This accursed disease is something that corrodes your sanity. Even the purest samatarian would not eacape from it. A Servant is no exception

He don't want her to be tortured by something she has no resistance to. No, that would be like chasitising a child for smoking pot

"You know, I used to work with other hunters in the city. Nice folks they were if you get over their obsession about cleansing blood" he chuckled "Some of them were like you"

Being a foreigner in Yharnam wasn't easy. People don't take well to new blood. Amidst those horrible days, the Hunters of the Workshop were the ones who took him in

They taught him the trick of the trade. How to navigate the complex structure of the city. How to wield their bizarre weapons with which they used to hunt

He was one of their own, indistinguishable from a Yharnamite.

"You said "Were"?" Saber looked at him

"The blood started corrupting my colleagues. They saw others and thought they are beast, no longer aware of friends or foes. They prowl at night looking for people wandering about and killed them in brutal ways. Drinking their blood...gobbling at their sickened flesh...Before one knew it, they themselves become the very thing they hunted"

Ritsuka sported a grim smile

"Naturally, someone has to hunt them down"

Gehrman were proud of him. Ecstatic, even, as he found a Hunter who would complete his duty with no hesitation

Eileen were understanding. She herself had went through what he did. But what sympathy could someone like her offer?

Shaky hand left her shoulder as the hunter took a deep breath

"I don't want you to wallow in self-hatred like I did. That would end up in you being more miserable" Ritsuka swallowed "So from now on you should use the Mana I have as sustenance. Kept the blood corruption at bay. Do you understand?"

"I do" Her reply was short. That was all he need, however, as Ritsuka released his grip on her

Saber wasn't sure she could imagine going through the same thing as her Master. As a knight, she considered loyalty the most important thing a person can have

Failing your fellow hunters, then forced to kill them. What horrible thoughts it must have been

She settled into silence and followed behind him