"No, we stay here."
Corelia sighed as, right on cue, Kogero shot her suggestion down without a second thought. The Dark Mage tutted at her Ochimusha compatriot, "Come now, Kogero. It's been ages since we've all gone out together. Why don't we have a little fun while we're out?"
The Ochimusha, her plain glamored dress accentuating her rigid movements, scoffed at her fellow Mamono, "We are on a mission. Our Lady is counting on us to investigate this strange human and discover if she has imprisoned the Dhampir. 'Having a little fun' would distract us from that goal." She turned to the Kunoichi to her right, "What can you see from here, Akuri-sama?"
Akuri, her knees bent as she stared at the target's home, narrowed her eyes as the four humans shut the door behind them. She looked up at Kogero, uncertainty plain on her face, "This is certainly the woman's house. She brought those two children into the manor with her before she fought Dhampir. But the young man and woman are unfamiliar. They could be acquaintances or unknown third parties."
"Either way, they are not why are we are here and the human has yet to return. It would in our best interest to remain hidden and attack her when she does," Kogero's hand goes to the blade hidden beneath her dress.
Akuri stared at the Ochimusha with raised eyebrows, "I'm surprised you're so ready to fight, Kogero-sama. Did you forget what I said about our opponent."
"I have not, Akuri-sama," the undead bowed to her friend, "However, no matter how skilled she is, I have no doubt she will fall if all three of us attack her at once. Even a mighty bear can be brought low by a pack of wolves. And the quicker she is defeated the quicker we can learn the whereabouts of La...I mean, the Dhampir."
Akuri nodded and prepared to set up for the night, then jumped in surprise when Corelia grabbed her from behind. The Dark Mage groped her comrade's breasts with aplomb while giggling, "Now, Akuri~. You know you can't lie to me. Tell me you weren't thinking about what you would do to those two if you had them all to yourself."
Making no moves to stop Corelia, Akuri had to speak in between gasp as the Dark Mage continued her assault, "W-well, I, um, ah, ok yes. But, oh, but we can't."
"Why not?~"
"Because," Kogero shoved the Dark Mage away from the Kunoichi, steely gaze black eyes locked on Corelia's light brown ones, "we. are. on. a. mission."
"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport," Corelia stood up while walking to stand between her two fellow Mamono, "The human we're after is probably off doing something important and time-consuming. Why else would she leave two children and her home to these two? I say we go down there and have ourselves some fun. I especially want that young lad with the red hair. Rough guys like him set my heart all a flutter~."
Corelia let out a happy little sigh while Kogero scoffed in disgust. The undead looked to Akuri for support...then found her palm hitting her face as the Kunoichi stood up rubbing her chin.
She knew what that gesture meant and dreaded it.
"You're not incorrect Corelia," Akuri says slowly, "and it would allow us to enter the stranger's home, giving us a better chance at taking her by surprise. And we could still look for the Dhampir while we're inside ."
Corelia shot a smug grin at Kogero, reveling in the fact that the Ochimusha was outnumbered two to one. Kogero shook her head in defeat, "If you believe it to be a sound plan, then let us go. However, I refuse to take part in whatever you two have planned for the two humans."
"You say that now," Corelia sauntered over to the undead, placing her arm around her shoulder while poking her in the chest, "but I know you'll come around once the fun has started."
She used her magic to pull Akuri over and place her free arm around the Kuniochi's shoulders, as she giggled into the night sky, "Trust me, girls. You won't regret listening to your dear friend Corelia~."
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Corelia severely regretted stepping into the house before their target came back.
In truth, she only half-believed Akuri's account of the battle. She had heard of humans who could resist a lust spell fired at point-blank. She had even fought a few in her time. But what Akuri said sounded less like resistance and more like total negation. Which obviously couldn't be true. No matter how resistant to Demonic Spirit Energy they were, all humans would be affected to some degree. And all humans had a limit to how much they could resist before they succumbed to the passion roaring through their bodies.
She concluded that the stranger who beat the Dhampir simply had a higher than average limit to her resistance. All it would take is the three of them hitting her enough times and she'd be putty in their hands.
That plan has completely crumbled upon getting a single glimpse of the true nature of their foe.
What she was looking at was not someone with "No Mana". Nor someone with a than average higher resistance.
This was someone who could eat Mana.
The closest thing she could compare it to was an ambush predator. A monstrous growth that latched on to any Mana that got near and devoured it whole. The...creature (there was no way she was human) stood in defiance to every law that governed the world. That she could walk without tearing the air around her asunder was a miracle in and of itself.
There was no way they could win. Nothing they did could harm her. She would never be monsterized. Their entire plan had come undone the moment they set out to fight this woman. There was nothing they could do. Nothing she could do.
Except run.
As the glamors around their bodies shattered along with her concentration, Corelia reached into her open robes while falling to the floor. She ignored the pain in her backside as she hit the rug didn't concern her as she hit the floor and pulled three vials from clothes. Purple mist swirled within the cool glass as they fall into her open hands.
The ringing clash of steel followed by an exclamation of pain drew her eyes up to see Kogero being thrown backward. The undead landed on the rug, scrambled to keep her balance, gripped the handle of her blade with both hands, and stomped her feet down regain her balance. She went into a defensive stance, but her arms soon drooped to the ground along with a surprised gasp from the revived warrior woman. Corelia shared a look with Akuri, who's eyes were just as wide with shock, as they both realized what had happened.
The stranger had hit Kogero with enough force to not only push her back but make her arms go numb.
Corelia called out the names of her companions as she threw two of the vials in their directions. The last one tossed to the ground, the purple mist encasing her body as the vial shattered against the floor. Akuri and Kogero reached out their hands, only to pull them back as two arrows flew past where their limbs once were. The vials broke mid-air as the arrows pierced them, causing the mist to scatter uselessly.
Corelia called out her friends' names but could do nothing as the magic mist caressed her body and quickly made the image of their faces disappear with the sound of wind rushing through an open window. The last thing Corelia saw was an arrow coming straight towards her out of the corner of her eye before her environment violently shifted to a pitch-black forest.
She sat among the foliage with her heart beating rapidly in her chest for what felt like an eternity.
Then she shot up and started running towards the largest cluster of Corrupted Spirit Energy she could sense.
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The Huntress was angry.
Extremely angry.
However, she knew that allowing that anger to control her would be foolish. Rational decision making would elude her and allow her opponents an advantage. That's without mentioning how they were all still within her home, and Nick and Maggie were still in the room. She understood how the mere presence of a Mamono could rob a human of their reasoning. Sentinel had explained it before they set off to complete the job. It would stop her from rushing headfirst into combat, even though she knew better than that thanks to Yharnam.
It was highly likely the two of them had been seduced by the power of the Mamono. The fact that Horace and Gloria weren't in the room was both proof that this had happened after the four of them made it inside, and that the children were likely upstairs in their rooms.
The two humans were innocent victims.
They didn't deserve her wrath.
The two remaining Mamono however...
Frowning at the escape of the third Mamono, nocked another arrow and swiftly fired towards the one still sitting down. The strangely dressed creature paused from drawing the twin blades on her hips as the arrow came flying at her. Her dodge was stifled by the dazed human still sitting in her lap. She cried out as it pierced her shoulder, Maggie falling to the floor as the monster failed around in pain and agony.
The sword-wielding monster, blue flames rising from the skull attached to the bones on her right arm, screamed, "Akuri-sama!" as her comrade struggled to pull the arrow from her shoulder. Despite the hate filling her eyes, the Huntress knew her drooping arms were still numb from blocking her attack.
The Huntress let the bowblade drop to the floor, as she closed her eyes as she recalled what she had done while chasing the cupid. Many Trick Weapons were made to inflict as much pain on their victims as possible. But Simon's was made to kill Beasts as quickly and painlessly as possible. And, at this moment, that wasn't something the Huntress wanted to do.
She wanted to make her enemies hurt. Make them regret stepping foot into her home...while not causing too much collateral damage to the living room. The Burial Blade was too large to avoid hitting the walls of the room, and while she could use the Rakuyo she had another weapon in mind for this battle.
A shout made her backstep to dodge a two-handed downswing from the sword-wielding Mamono. The curved blade was similar in design to the Rakuyo and Chikage. Under normal circumstances, the Huntress would question why this was. But right then her only interest was in defeating the monsters that broke into her home.
She backstepped again as the Mamono followed up her attack with a diagonal slash, kneeling as she heard the telltale sound of the Messengers groaning. She placed her right hand on the rug as the Mamono swung down at her again, hoping to take advantage of the Huntress current position. The Huntress felt a familiar wooden handle press against her gloved palm, gripped it, then swung it up into the path of the Mamono's blade. Sparks flew as her curved blade met the silver of the Mamono's, knocking the purple-skinned creature off balance.
The Huntress quickly stood, the transformed Beasthunter Saif shining in her right hand. The Trick Weapon was in its shortened form with the second thinner blade behind the first and facing the wooden handle. The Huntress smiled beneath her bandana as she dashed forward, lunging at her foe with her new weapon.
To her credit, the Mamono recovered quickly. She parried the lunging strike and followed up with a stab, then a horizontal cut when the Huntress dodged to the left. The Huntress blocked the blade with her own, dashing forward to lessen the monster's combat effectiveness. The purple monster's eyes widened as her weapon was rendered useless when the Huntress was but a few inches from her. With practiced ease, the Huntress slashed across the Mamono's stomach, followed up with a diagonal cut down her chest, and ended with one last cut across her vulnerable left arm.
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The monster winced as blood scattered from the wounds across her body, backpedaling while sending a swipe which the Huntress ducked under. She tried to keep the pressure on but dashed back as a smaller blade passed right in front of her.
She watched as the second Mamono, blood dripping from her shoulder, stepped in between the two of them with her teeth grit. Her left arm cradled her injury while her right arm held a single blade in its grip.
"Akuri-sama!" the sword-wielding Mamono stepped to the left to keep the Huntress in her field of vision while yelling at her comrade, "You need to run! I can handle this!"
"Kogero-sama," the Mamono, Akuri, replied through grit teeth, "Corelia-san wanted us to run in fear the second she saw this woman. She's too dangerous. We can't let her get away, lest she threaten our Mistress!"
"But you can't...watch out!" Kogero jumped in front of the Huntress' attack, blocking the Huntress' first attack with one hand while the other pushed Akuri out of the way. The Huntress took note of how the wounds she had inflicted seemed to be healing themselves before her eyes. Specifically, the cut that ripped through the bandages covering the Mamono's breast had stopped bleeding as badly. The Huntress let out something between a growl and a groan. If there's one thing that annoyed her, it was enemies that could heal themselves. There was a method to slow this, but she wasn't sure if she could call the Messengers now that the second Mamono had entered the fray.
She pressed her attack her swift strikes easily bypassing many of the Mamono's defenses. If Kogero blocked one strike, a second would move too fast for her to stop. Also, getting in front of her comrade had forced her to forgo dodging lest she put the other Mamono in danger. A disadvantage of her own making. Akuri was currently making a strange hand gesture. Her mask wrinkled as her mouth moved in ways difficult for the Huntress to read while she was in combat. Eventually, the Mamono's eyes widened as she shouted, "Kogero-sama! Let's go with that combo!"
Kogero's eyes lit up in confirmation as she jumped back, dodging a horizontal swing from the Huntress. She landed next to Akuri, who dropped something on the floor that exploded into a cloud of white smoke. The Huntress closed her eyes as the thick fog surrounded her. She knew she wouldn't be able to see the two while they hid within it, so she focused on her hearing rather than sight. She could hear two pairs of soft footsteps circling her position in the fog, never once staying in the same place.
The Huntress knew they were preparing a powerful attack. She prepared to dodge...then stopped as a question entered her mind.
Did she truly need to fight like this?
The Mamono were dangerous...to the average person and Heroes due to their corrupting influence. Their use of Mana to corrupt opponents was nearly impossible to avoid as Mana was the life force of everything in the world. If it had Mana, it was vulnerable to Mamono Corruption. Thus the reason most Mamono weapons were made of Demon Silver. The metal didn't cause any actual harm to foes. It instead filled them with Demonic Spirit Energy, increasing their lust and making them susceptible to transformation.
But she had no Mana. Not only that, but any Mana that entered her body was immediately destroyed.
Meaning the monsters couldn't turn her.
Meaning their weapons did not affect her.
Then why would she need to dodge, block, or parry any of their attacks?
The Huntress let her defenses drop. She kept her eyes closed and listened for the attack. If she was correct then...
The footsteps stopped.
She heard the sound of energy gathering in two places at once.
Then the voices of the Mamono shouted in unison, "Secret Art: Bushin No Ryu Strike!"
The Huntress felt two blades pierce her body at the same time. One had pierced her heart, while the other had hit one of her lungs. She prepared for the embrace of temporary death...but like when the cupid shot her, it never came.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked down at the figure of Kogero, standing in front of her with her blade through her chest. The Huntress nodded, "Just as I thought."
She looked Kogero in the eyes and said with no emotion in her voice, "You can't hurt me."
Her blade slashes down and severs Kogero's wrist from her arms.
"Kag-," Akuri's shout is cut off by the Huntress' elbow smashing her face in. Her hand released the short blade stuck in the Huntress' lung to cover her bleeding nose. She stepped back in pain only for the Huntress to turn and grab her by her ponytail. She threw the Mamono to the floor then stomped on her uninjured arm. Her scream was drowned out by the crack of her bones snapping in half.
The Huntress pulled the two blades from her body as Akuri tried to crawl her way to the hallway. She dropped both to the floor and lifted the crawling Mamono by her collar. The monster writhed in her grip, her legs kicking out in an attempt to knock the Huntress off balance. She stopped when she heard the sharp, snapping sound of the Huntress transforming her weapon.
The Huntress placed the elongated Saif at the Mamono's midriff. Blood dripped down the blade as it bit into Akuri's side. The Huntress let the blade stay there for a few moments before pulling it back to cut the Mamono down. She kept her eyes firmly pinned to the whimpering monster before her, tensed her arm, and prepared to strike.
"Stop...please," the Huntress, her body ready to move at a moment's notice, looked at the other Mamono out of the corner of her eye. She was on her knees, the stumps at the end of her arms held close to her severed hands. The purple skin knit itself back together but not as quickly as earlier. Indeed, all the more recent wounds the Huntress inflicted were still leaking blood onto the floor. She stared up at the Huntress, breathing heavily with eyes filled with a pleading dread. She spoke between the gasp of pain she let out, "Please...let Akuri-sama go. Take...take me...instead. I will do...whatever you wish. Just please...show mercy."
The Huntress' eyes moved between the Mamono in her grip and the one kneeling before her. Her grip on the Saif tightened as her emotions warred within her. These Mamono had come into her house while her children were there, and tried to seduce and possibly transform two of her acquaintances. And, while she didn't know the exact reason they were here, she could infer it had to do with her. An ambush or assassination attempt, most likely.
She shouldn't be hesitating.
She should kill both of them, now!
But...she had sworn she'd be different. That she'd make things different. If she let her emotions rule her now, she'd be right back to square one. Back to her old self, to the machine that had painted Yharnam red with the blood of its inhabitants.
She couldn't keep doing that.
She had to be better!
But if she let them go with no punishment, they'd come back with better tactics and more firepower. They had to learn that attacking her house wasn't something they ever wanted to try again.
The tension around the three combatants was palpable. What felt like an hour passed before the Huntress finally broke the silence. Her head nodded while her gaze remained locked on Akuri dangling from her grasp, "Very well. She may leave, while you remain here."
A relieved smile came over Kogero's face. The Mamono bowed deeply to the Huntress, "Thank you, merci-"
"However," the Huntress interrupted as she let Akuri drop...only to grab her wrist before she hit the floor.
By the time the two Mamono realized the Huntress' intention, her Saif was already in motion.
It cleaved through Akuri's upper left arm, severing it from the shoulder in a spray of blood. Crimson coated the Huntress, Kogero's face, and part of the wall to her right. The Mamono fell to the ground while grabbing the stump that was once her arm. As she flailed about on the floor in pain, the Huntress walked over to where Kogero was crouched.
She placed the still dripping blade of her weapon over the Mamono's right thigh. Kogero looked up at her, relief replaced with a rage that smoldered within her black eyes. The Huntress paid the glare no mind as she lifted her Saif and said, "As punishment for entering my home uninvited, attempting to seduce my guest, and doing it all while my children are home, I shall take a limb from each of you. An arm from her and both legs from you. I'm certain you can see how this is fair, considering how quickly you can heal your wounds."
Kogero turned her head to the floor, hissing out with as much vitriol as possible, "Just...get it over with."
"I'd suggest you bite down on something. It helps dull the pain," the Huntress waited to see if the Mamono would take her advice. When she didn't the Huntress shook her head and brought her weapon down. There was little resistance as it cleaved straight through the Mamono's right leg. Even less when she did the same to the left leg. And, surprisingly, the Mamono had managed to muffle both of her cries by planting her face firmly in the rug. She did beat her since reattached fist against the carpet though.
The Huntress transformed the Saif back to its shorter form and picked up the severed legs. She turned to regard Akuri, who had since stopped writhing and regarded her with an expression of pure terror. The Huntress stared her down with uncaring eyes, saying in a stern voice, "Your comrade has made a noble sacrifice to ensure you're spared. I'd suggest you not waste it by remaining here. The door is still open. Leave. Now."
A jerk of her head towards the hallway was all it took to get the Mamono to her feet. She stumbled away, blood still dripping from her stump of a left arm. The Huntress didn't take her eyes off her until she heard the door slam shut. Only then did she let the tension-filled sigh she was holding in out.
She tossed the limbs in her arms onto the sofa along with the Saif, told the remaining Mamono not to move, and turned her attention to the two she had ignored this entire time.
Nick was a corner of the room, eyes wide with fear as the Huntress quickly walked towards him. She wasn't surprised at the gaze he gave her. It was the same one Blitz had when they were walking away from the Werewolf den. A combination of suspicion, worry, and fear. She didn't blame him. While he likely had an inkling of what she was capable of after he saw her return from the slums covered in blood, now he had a front-row seat. He got to witness the brutality of a Hunter first hand.
She would've been more worried if he didn't look at her that way after seeing that.
But Nick wasn't who she was worried about at the moment.
It was his sister, Maggie, held in his arms that truly concerned her.
The Huntress quickly knelt by Maggie's left side, examining her body. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as her hands kept moving up and down her own body in erratic motions. Her face was red as a beat and her thighs kept rubbing together, wrinkling her green dress as she tossed and turned in Nick's grasp.
"What's wrong with her?" Nick broke from his stupor to see to his sister's well being. His eyes shook as he tried to puzzle out what was wrong.
"Demonic Spirit Energy," Nick's gaze shot to the Huntress as she laid out the answer, "Your sister was around three Mamono in an enclosed area for an extended period. She's likely taken in a lot of Corrupted Mana, making her lust rise exponentially."
As if in response, Maggie moaned erotically while her hands started to maul her chest. She bit her lower lip with her eyes screwed shut. Nick looked from his sister to the Huntress in horror, "Wait...doesn't that mean she's...gonna turn into a Mamono? But then...why are you and I fine? I was around those three for just as long, and you just fought two of them on your own!"
"First, yes she will, unless what I'm about to do works," the Huntress removed the white glove from her right hand as she spoke, "Second, you're fine because you're a male, and didn't have intercourse with one of them. Your Untainted Mana is already replacing the Tainted Mana faster than it can corrupt you. She's gathering Mana from the environment, leading to her current condition."
The Huntress wasted no time in grabbing Maggie's left hand. She squeezed it firmly, remember what had happened between her and Sen but a few days ago. If her hunch was correct then...
"As for your third question. I'll answer that at another time. For now, hold your sister tight and don't let go," the Huntress said before closing her eyes.
At first, nothing seemed to happen. Maggie's breathing and groping continued as Nick held her, completely in the dark as to what Lady Cynthia was doing.
Then it happened.
Maggie's breathing hitched for a moment. Her body shot ramrod straight, her eyes shot open wide as dinner plates, and her left hand turned into a fist. The relief Nick felt soon gave way to dread as the color in his sister's face began to drain. He placed his ear to her chest and could hear her heartbeat slower and slower.
His eyes shot up and he shouted at the Huntress, "What the fuck are you doing to my sister!?"
"Saving her life," was the Huntress answer as she opened her eyes and let Maggie's hand go. Before Nick could say anymore, she placed a hand on his shoulder and stared him dead in the eye, "I'll explain everything later. Take her your sister upstairs, now, and place her in my bed. My room is through the double doors at the end of the hallway. Go! Quickly!"
Caring more about wanting his sister safe than arguing with a noble, Nick settled for a grunt of disapproval before rushing out of the room. He turned left into the hallway and soon his feet were heard going up the steps.
The Huntress let out another sigh, this one of relief, and turned her attention to the remaining Mamono. She quickly jogged over to the, now legless, monster. Kogero shot her with a defiant glare that didn't deter her in the slightest. She wasted no time kneeling and grabbing the downed Mamono's left hand in her right. If that had worked and she managed to stop Maggie from turning into a Mamono, then maybe she could...
She closed her eyes and repeated what she did on Maggie with Kogero. Kogero didn't make any attempts to resist, at first. But as she realized what the Huntress was doing to her, she struggled anyway she could. She through punches with her free hand tried to pull her left hand away, even tried headbutting the Huntress' arm.
But, no matter what she did, the Huntress did not let go.
And her strength was fading by the moment. Eventually, Kogero simply closed her eyes and waited for it to be over.
The Huntress opened her eyes when the assault had stopped. She started looking for any signs that her skin had gained a normal pigmentation, that her body had become less sexualized, anything that would point to a return to her human form. Unfortunately, she found none.
With a dejected sigh the Huntress tried to let go of the Mamono's arm...but couldn't.
Her eyes narrowed questioningly, as she tried again. She still couldn't let go.
She turned her gaze to the Mamono's arm...and gasped in shock at what she saw. Her hand was no longer holding a cold, purple-skinned arm of monster flesh.
It was holding bones.
The process rapidly progressed along the Mamono's entire body. First her arm, then her shoulder, then soon her entire left half had lost its skin. In a panic, the Huntress continued to try to remove her arm but her attempts were fruitless. She briefly considered chopping off her arm but dismissed the idea. As powerful as the Blood was she didn't think it could bring back lost limbs.
She kept trying and trying to let go of the Mamono, but her efforts were for naught.
She stayed attached to the Mamono until it's entire body was nothing more than a skeleton.
Only then did her hand finally release its death grip on the Mamono.
The Huntress didn't move. She stared at the skeletal remains in front of her, then at the pale skin on her palm. She opened and closed her hand, the cold feeling of the Mamono's hand still there.
Then she closed it into a fist and hugged it to her chest.
She sat there in the living room. No one to keep her company.
No one, save for the corpse, the severed limbs, and all the blood.