A Hunter's New Home

A Midnight Stroll

Normally, when the Huntress attempted to sleep, one of two things would happen. Either she would enter the Dream, speak to Eve, tend the graves a bit, possibly buy more supplies from the Messengers, then return to the Waking World. Or she would simply sleep and wake up once the sun rose. This was how it had been ever since she purchased her house in Pran and began actively attempting to sleep.

But tonight was different.

Tonight her sleep was plagued by nightmares.

The sounds of her victims screaming as she bled them dry. Ghost of dead Hunters lamenting why she killed them, asking why she got to survive and they did not. The pungent smell of blood constantly filling her nostrils until she could feel bile rising in her throat. Beasts jumping from the shadows and eating her innards while she was still alive.

They were varied, but all horrid. However, one stood out among them. One where she would return home and find her children devoured by Beasts while their voices asked her why she wasn't there to save them.

That was the one that woke her up in the middle of the night. And the reason she went out for a walk through the silent city streets. The moon was in its half phase, only some light shining down on the streets below. It was dark enough that the Huntress needed to turn her hip lantern on to see a few feet in front of her.

Well, she didn't need to. Ever since her time in Yharnam her eyes had a much easier time adjusting to dark environs. Whether this was a result of having to traverse through the perpetually dark Yharnam, or another side effect of the Blood she couldn't tell. She would not doubt its usefulness, though.

Her shoes muffled her steps, so the only sound outside were the chirping of insects and hooting of owls overhead. A sigh escaped her lips as she walked down the empty streets. It felt strange to walk down a darkened street and not constantly feel on edge. To be able to trust that there wasn't a monster with the head of a dog and body of crow waiting to rip her innards out. And instead, while she knew that the city wasn't entirely safe at night, to simply walk through the street as the cool night hair blew across her skin. However, it did little to ease her worries. The things she learned yesterday were at the center of her thoughts her entire walk.

What was she to do? The fact that she wasn't fully involved with the war meant little. War saw no difference between active participants and simple bystanders. It envelops all things in its choking grasp, stifling every aspect of life from beginning to end. She couldn't simply pretend the war wasn't happening and had nothing to do with her. It would reach her sooner or later, and force her to get involved.

But how could she get involved if none of her current possible decisions sat well with her? The Mamono were a threat, that was an undeniable fact. But were they enough of one to warrant the death of their whole species? Even those who wished to remain uninvolved and live their lives in peace? What about the humans who have forged genuine relationships with Mamono? Are they to be put to the sword as well?

And what of the Order? They're meant to be humanity's defenders, yet they've shown her nothing to prove they deserve the moniker. If they were triumph over the Mamono, could it really be called a victory? Would they truly create something worth fighting for once everything was said and done?

She rounded a corner with her head hung low and hands balled into fists, until her musing was interrupted by the sound of a girlish giggle coming from behind her. She stopped walking and turned around only to see nothing save the empty cobblestone streets. She heard it again and let out a sigh of frustration. Rather than turn around once more, she called for the Messengers to bring her the Burial Blade. She knelt to the ground and gripped the familiar wooden shaft. She stood up and shouted to the air, "Whoever you are, reveal yourself! I am in no mood for games this night."