The Powder Keg

Always a Hunter

"Well come on then? We got ta' hightail it outta here," Henryk said to Father Gascoigne. He was busy cutting apart a corpse. Henryk looked disgusted at the unnecessary brutality. "Gascoigne, come on! We got ta' mooove!" Henryk whined.

Father Gascoigne sniffed the air. "Beasts, I found them," he snarled out. He ran up the stairs. Henryk looked back at some Yharnamites setting up a trap. Priestess still clinging onto his back.

"Fookin' idiot, we could die out here!" Henryk grumbled as he chased after Father Gascoigne. Priestess holding on for dear life.

The two reached the stairs and saw Yharnamites charge at Father Gascoigne. Henryk set Priestess down in brush. He transformed his Saw Cleaver and brandished some of his signature knives.

They made quick work of the beasts. With one falling onto it's back, with a knife sticking out of it's head. Father Gascoigne was dismembering a corpse repeatedly. "Uhhhh, Gascoigne? We can go now. You can stop now. Gascoigne?" Henryk tried to talk with him. "Oh sweet blood, how it sings to me!" Father Gascoigne repeated.

"Welp, he lost his rocker. Guess I got ta' put the poor sap out of his misery. Shame, about the family," Henryk raised his knife. With one quick movement it pierced Gascoigne's head. He stopped midswing and took ripped the knife out of his head. Blood splattered the floor. "Oh fu-" Henryk was interrupted by Gascoigne charging at him.

He swiftly dodged away, and sliced his abdomen. Gascoigne stabbed one of his few remaining Blood Vials into his leg. His wounds closing up, and roared as he charged his former friend.

This continued for a bit. Priestess was in awe at the way they fought. Two graceful warriors fighting with everything they had. Fighting until exhausted.

They stood apart from each other. Blood Vials gone from their inventory. Exhausted from their duel. "Come on Gascoigne, you remember me? You're ole' pal Henryk? Tha' badass sonuva gun tha' fights beasts with fookin' knives? You're tried aren't ya? You want to stop eh? Come on, buddy pal! Let's go home ta see ya wife'n kid," Henryk tried to reason with Father Gascoigne.

"H-H-Henryk?" Gascoigne snapped out of his bloodlust. "What happened to me?" Gascoigne tried to reason with himself.

"Yeah, there ya go. Let's go home now," Henryk got closer to his friend. He embraced Gascoigne, and pat his back.

"Honey!" It was his wife. Her red brooch dazzling all who see it. Henryk tried to stop her by holding out his hand in warning.

She didn't listen she came closer and held Gascoigne's hand. He flinched at the contact. Gascoigne looked at her and embraced his wife. Kissing her, and Henryk stood off to the side smiling under his mask.

Priestess hobbled up to him, also smiling at the sight. Yet, all good things must come to an end. Gascoigne gripped his lover's waist tightly. Drawing blood, and causing her to wince in pain. "Sweetie?" She looked at his clouded eyes.

"Blood, it sings to me. It's enough to make a man mad," Gascoigne stated as he bit her neck. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Henryk cried in anguish. He threw knives at Gascoigne to get his attention. He bought the bait, tackling Henryk. "Run! Now!" Henryk snarled out, before Gascoigne raised his axe and slammed it on Henryk.

Priestess grabbed Gascoigne's wife by her hand and sprinted as fast as she could. She fell down the steps, blood covering her. She saw two Yharnamites by a fire. She looked towards where Gascoigne's wife should be. In Priestess's hand, was a bloody, and dismembered woman's hand.

She threw it instinctively, but it alerted the Yharnamites. Who glared at her, and stood up. Two knives pierced their hide, Priestess thought it was Henryk. Yet, it came from a different direction.

The sound of an explosion blasted the two Yharnamites apart. In front of her, were Powder Keg and Goblin Slayer. They seemed unfazed by the carnage caused.

"G-G-Gascoigne! We need to help him!" Priestess sputtered out. She was punched in the gut by Powder Keg. "Take her home Goblin Slayer. I have a job to do," Powder Keg said. Goblin Slayer nodded as he took two Bold Hunter Marks out. They faded as they saw Powder Keg climb the steps to Gascoigne.

"We are born of the blood. M̲̚ad͠ẽ͠ ̛̫̊m̸͌ẻņ ̵̬̔b̷̭̊yͥ ẗ̷́h̛̚e̤ͬ͏ ̰͝b͙ͧ͏l̇́o̞̓́ǫ̱ͦd͘.̸̗̅
̗ ̷̳̅  Ŭ̢̨͋̾̀̃̌̄̀́͜͜͝n̴̡͚͋̀̀͏̶́͘d̴̴̻̟̻͑̾͛̐ͧ̐ͨͧ̏̀͟͟͟͟͜͝͡o̻̜͇̦͖͓̣̳͆ͣ̓̉͑n̴̛̟̐͒͒̾̈͒ͩͪ̃̚͏̵̶̢́͘̕͝ḙ̗͎͓̘̣͠͏ ̧̝̭͔̲̙̬̙̻̿̆̔͑͋̔ͧ҉̨̕͟͟b̝͍͔̹̯̳̳́͏͞͏y̷̴̷̘ͭ̏̋͋ͥ͋͂ͬ̕͞ ̵̵̛̛̞̝͓͈ͬͥ̾͗́͑̀͘͟͡ͅt̲͑ͪͫ̉̎͗̈̑ͥ̿͞҉̷̷́̕͞h̴̶͇̯̮ͬͫ͐ͥ͘͠ę̸̵̴̡̩̗͓̳̫̐͑̕͢͝͠͠ ̬̺̱̱̦̗͇̱͌͗̒͒͗̒͆̚b̶̷̲͈̭̼͖̣̈́̑ͦ̿͋ͫ̌̕͢ͅľ̷̬͉̟͉̹͕͕ͬͪ͊̒̇͝ͅͅ͏̢̧̨͘͢҉̢ô̴̡̗̫͈̬̔͒ͧ̀͘͞͏͠o̧̢̙̫̬̻͉̫̹̻͖̊͡ď̵͚ͯ̏.̧̙̦̣͍͕̘͓ͮ̂̇ͦ͌ͨͨ͆ͅ F̨̢̡̨̛͉̮̹̫̱̺̦̗̤̹̺̬͚̦̝̩̼ͩͮ̇͌̀͟͝͡͞ͅ҉̴̛e̥͔̮͕͕̹̭̖͎̪̬͉̙̯͎̓͂͑̽͐ͅͅ҉̶̶̵̨̢͘̕͞͡͡͏̶ȧ̴̡̨͙͚̩̲ͣ̌ͨ̋ͤ̽͋̌͋́͗ͫ̈͂̈́̔̃̀̚͘͢͜͢͡͝͠͏͢͜r̷̼̄ͩ̒͐ͥͣ̐͊ͫ̆̉̂̑ͭͮ͑͆ͯ͏̸̧̧́͘͢͟͟ ͕̗̞̭͈̫̰̹͚̙̋̓ͤͣ̂ͅ͏̷̴̴̶̧̀t̷̷̨̢̛̹̳̘̹̼͉͎ͭ̾̆͆ͯ̓ͧͮ͗̽̍̇̿ͫ̀̚̕̕͟͢͟͞͡͞͝͠h̜͓̭̦͇̯͕̥ͭe̸̴̵̢̨̧̛͈͔̗̭̝̞̯͕̪̠̞̝̔̐̃̄̈́ͯ̈́ͨ͊͘͟͠͝ ͈͙͕̑̃ͪ̎̀̓̾ͦ̃ͥͫ̉̈ͦͬ̀ͅ҉͏̴̸̷̷̨́̕͡͠͞Ö̠͇̪̼̜͌̈͡l̢͚͈̦͖̓ͫ̽̽̓ͬͯ̒̌̉̄̒́̾ͧͩ̈̀̚ͅ҉̶̴̷̷̸́̀̀͜͜͝͠͡͞d̵̶̷̸̸̴̷̡̨̖͇̬̤̲̱̭͔̫͔̞͈͖̲͎͈͙̮̘ͯͦ̓̾ͮ̒ͯͧ̊̇̀͡͏̶̢̡̛̕͡ ̛̻̙̖͕̫̣͔̖̥̣͔ͨ̇̐̋̽̿ͥ͑̈̈́ͮ̆̏ͧ͐͌ͩ͊ͩ̀͞ͅB̭̣̙̪̠̥̥̳̞̟̙̘͙͕l̬̈́͞͏̛͘͏̧͠͞͏̵̴̡̡͜͜o̟̻̖͇͚̞̘̘̺̭̖̦͑͛ͤ͐̔ͯͅo͚̾̔̋̎ͦ͑͌ͬ̀̚͜͠͡d̩͙̞̝͇ͫͦ̆̆̇͂̑ͭͨͨ͌̆ͤ͛̃̒̊̆ͫ͏̛͘͜͜͞.̶̴̶̴͓̥̮͚̤̝̦͈͙̜͉̱͖̺͖͚̖̗̠̑̈́ͬ̿͗̔ͫͣ̑͆̂͂̓̂̾̚̚̚""͚͙̮͕̹̞̟̭͚̰̼̟͔̲̲̥̬̻̜ͫ̆͛̌͂ͯ̕͢͏̨͡͡҉̸̴́͢͜
̨̧͖̲̝̳̼̜̠̞͍͎̪̥̼͇͖̠̭͚̆̆͌͛ͬͪ̓̓ͣ̂̎ͬ͢͏̸̨̢̧̀͡ ̷̨̨̹͓͔̲͔̥͕͍̙͕̰̱̤̟͎̹̜̠ͮ̃͌ͨ̇̐͐̅̇͜͝ͅͅ҉̴̷̡̡̢̨̕͟͜͞

Those were the words spoken by the Powder Keg.