Frostborne

The Citizens of Central Yharnam

Next... was a large gate, separating two areas apart. Normally, this road would have all manner of traffic, but right now? It was sealed. In the center of the large road, there was a massive pyre, in which a dark furred beast had been strung up, clearly meant to be tormented before death, if it was still alive when captured. The townsfolk chose to burn away the corpse. Perhaps a preventative measure, against an unyielding foe, perhaps just pure, unadulterated sadism against the miserable creature. Either way, it was dead. The true threat lay within the massive crowd currently watching the beast burn. There were far more than those patrolling the streets. From what Alina could view from here... there were two armed with breech-loaded rifles, several with mere tools, be they axes, sickles, or pitchforks, one with an actual cutlass, similar to those favored by western militaries many years ago, and one with a shield, wooden... and pointless against the beasts' inhuman strength.

Still, this group was in the way. There was an open gate on the opposite side to herself, so that was where she must venture. Carefully, she walked along the upper path... before a man yelled, leaping out from behind a stairwell. Ambush! Perhaps that's how these Yharnamites hunt? Either way... Ducking under the swing, she cut upwards, the blade of the saw cutting through the weak fabrics, and spurting out a spray of blood. Another hit... and his neck was severed roughly. Falling to the ground, the blonde walked past without even sparing him another thought. Continuing on... she followed a man dragging an ax on the floor... not yet realizing that some of the large group had already noticed the commotion.

As he fell to the floor, the clacking of shoes on the stonework grabbed her attention, pulling it to the group of three rushing at her. Just melee units... but they could be dangerous in larger groups. Tensing, she dodged back, out of reach of the jab from the front runner. A good choice, due to his sabre, missing and only cutting through the air as she already primed an attack. A horizontal swing, all while gripping the latch, causing the saw to open wide, hungry for blood, which it gleefully ripped out of him. She didn't just swing for range, but also because of the other two tailing him. They too ran right into the swing... and the third almost made the swing stop, but she still tore the saw back out, before reversing the swing, having the cleaver chop all three of their necks open with the mostly clean blade.

It was satisfying to see them crumple to the ground. With no other adversaries arriving... Alina took stock of the situation. The gate on this side was closed. The street's gate was barred shut, with something large banging against it. On the other side of the street, though, there was the entryway that passed beyond. That was where the platinum blonde needed to get to, the simple matter of getting there...was difficult. Many of these accursed Yharnamites still stood around the pyre, completely unaware of the four now lying dead at Alina's feet. One in particular, wearing a top hat, stood atop a parked carriage, rifle in hand. He'd be the most dangerous, potentially peppering shots of quicksilver bullets from a distance. Looking back towards the door, there was another gunner, hiding between an abandoned carriage and the raised path she currently stood. I must get to the other side... but charging in would be suicide... hm...

As she walked back towards the way she came from, she accidentally stepped on something small and hard. It hurt to do so, and so she checked what it was... and got an idea.

A mere pebble... well, there was the old story of David and Goliath, not one known in these lands, of course, but a rock is still useful. Even small and round as it was...

Hiding out of view, behind yet another carriage, she tossed the pebble up slightly, testing its weight. Enough to get someone's attention, yet not enough to do damage with a mere throw. That's fine. All she needed to do was thin the herd... aiming at the head of one of the closest Yharnamites, Alina calculated the angle... and then let it whirl. It hit right on the mark, or rather the back of his head. Stumbling forward a small bit, the Yharnamite turned back, growling to themselves as they stalked closer. They wouldn't take that offence lying down... but they didn't quite realize what they were dealing with. Neither would they ever know, too... since the cleaver smashed down right on their head, killing them quickly. Stepping past the corpse, Alina looked at the others. With their current numbers, she could theoretically run past them. There wasn't much worth in killing all of them, and on top of it, there was a high amount of risk to herself. As much as throwing stones at them seemed like a good idea... the blonde was running out of time. There was a lot to do, and so little time to do it. Taking a deep breath, tensing... she bolted towards the closest set of stairs. The weapons in her hands acted akin to anchors, itching for a fight and weighing her down, but she didn't dare drop them. Losing these gifts would be an insult to the small beings who gave them to her. Still, the man with the rifle shouted, before aiming his gun at her fleeting form. Without thinking, she just continued to run... and managed to bolt past where he predicted she would be. It, like her, bolted along its vector, passing just behind where her head used to be, and hitting the wall in a small scraping of sparks. Due to the nature of quicksilver bullets, it didn't make a lasting impact on the wall, but it still would have perforated the young blonde had she been hit by it.