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Author's guide:
This is narration
This is a character's thoughts
"This is a character speaking"
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"Poor poor child", a woman's voice muttered.
...
In an unknown location, at an uncertain time, Ijin Yu awoke from his blacked-out state, surrounded by death and darkness. His vision revealed a room filled with countless corpses, and as he examined himself, he discovered that his left arm had been amputated.
What in the world?, where the hell am I? Didn't I die?
Despite his broken leg, he was determined to escape this gruesome place. With only one arm, he began crawling through a floor covered in a peculiar sticky, foul-smelling yellow liquid, reminiscent of honey.
Crawling toward a faint light in the distance, he reached a small crack in the wall. Peering through it, he witnessed a disturbing scene – beast-type Anomalies dragging lifeless bodies into another room.
The door suddenly swung open, and a figure entered. Ijin quickly hid, observing the newcomer. The man had blonde hair and one deep blue eye, while the other gleamed with a scarlet red hue.
That man looks inhuman, he looks more like an Anomaly if anything.
"Hurry up!" a voice from outside urgently demanded.
"I will!" the blonde man responded, grabbing a corpse and dragging it out before sealing the door.
Realizing where the exit was located, Ijin began to investigate the vicinity of the room, eventually discovering an unlocked door. Upon opening it, he found himself in an abandoned factory. Following a trail of blood, he made his way to another room.
Crawling and limping with great effort, Ijin reached the room, only to discover an assembly area within the factory. Numerous tables were littered with the lifeless bodies of both people and Anomalies, primarily of the beast variety. Each corpse was covered in the same foul-smelling, sticky yellow substance he had encountered earlier.
"Disgusting!" a man exclaimed, entering the assembly room. Ijin swiftly hid under one of the tables, remaining out of sight.
Inside the dimly lit assembly room, two men engaged in a conversation.
"What did you think you were getting yourself into?" one of them inquired.
"I didn't know it would be this awful," the other responded.
"Come on, it's not that bad compared to your last job, isn't it?"
"My previous job being way more disgusting doesn't justify my new job being less disgusting. It's still disgusting."
"Hey, just be thankful you're not out there with the live beasts. At least we're not dying like those bastard hunters."
"Whatever you say," one of them conceded, and the other departed.
Those two... they're without a doubt human, but... I doubt they're trustworthy. There's something strange about them. What did they mean by job? What are they doing here? What is this place?
Ijin pondered as the remaining man examined one of the corpses and retrieved a medical tool.
Ijin, with utmost stealth, inched closer to the man, then grabbed his left leg with all the strength he could muster using his single arm. The man fell to the ground, bewildered.
"What th—?" the man began before his head connected with the floor, rendering him unconscious.
Ijin cautiously scrutinized the man, estimating him to be a physician or doctor in his early thirties. The silver medical tools in his possession, including a scalpel and a silver rod resembling one used for lobotomies, piqued Ijin's curiosity.
These are silver, could they be operating on Anomalies?
Ijin deduced, seizing the silver scalpel and pick before proceeding into an adjacent room.
Upon entering the next room, Ijin found himself in a storage area filled with various medicines and chemicals.
Perhaps I can find something useful here, something I can use on this shattered leg of mine.
He meticulously searched the room, eventually uncovering some bandages and gauze that he utilized to tend to his amputated arm. Continuing his search, he came across a chemical named Stillnight, which he used to alleviate some of the pain while reserving the rest in his coat pockets. He also discovered a splint that he applied to his fractured leg. Among his findings were a few bottles of Movoey, which could potentially be employed to induce sleep in others.
After healing and cleaning himself up as best he could, Ijin cautiously made his way back to the assembly room. It was there that he heard a man approaching, calling out for someone named Joe.
Quickly, Ijin ducked down and concealed himself beneath the tables once more, carefully observing the man's search for his comrade. As the man passed near Ijin's hiding spot, he seized the opportunity, emerging from his cover and limping toward the man. With precision, he pushed the man to the ground and placed the silver scalpel he had found against his throat. The man, perhaps underestimating Ijin due to his injuries, raised his hands in surrender.
"Whoa, whoa, wait," the man implored.
"What are you doing here?" Ijin inquired, his tone authoritative.
The man appeared confused. "What?"
"What are you folks doing here?"
"Are you from Geralt's red guard? I swear we didn't do anything wrong. The operation is going well, just as he wants," the man explained, visibly anxious.
Ijin fell silent for a moment, allowing the man to plead his case.
"Is it me and Joe? Did we say something to offend Geralt? Please, we're sorry, it won't happen again," the man practically begged, his eyes welling with tears.
As the man continued to cry, Ijin realized that he could no longer extract useful information from him under the guise of being a member of "Geralt's red guard," whatever that might be.
Ijin climbed to his knees and compelled the man to face his direction, forcing a bottle of Movoey into his mouth. The man struggled for a brief moment but soon succumbed, falling into unconsciousness.
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Geralt's red gaurd?, who the hell is Geralt?
Ijin pondered before rising and limping toward another room.
Inside the room, Ijin found himself in a stairwell. Observing his surroundings, he spotted a sign indicating "sewers" followed by stairs leading downward.
The sewers may be disgusting, but it might be my only way out.
Ijin mused to himself, deciding to descend the stairs.
After a minute of descending into the depths, Ijin entered what appeared to be a sewer. Glancing around, he discovered an iron door, which he opened, leading to another section of the sewers.
Limping onward, Ijin had no clear direction to follow but hoped that wherever he was heading would be a safer place than the one he had left behind.
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Relentless Slaughter
Chapter 4: Though death still lingered...
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Ijin limped through the sewers of Eichenheim for what felt like an eternity, encountering the occasional beast-type Anomaly or just the oppressive silence of the underground tunnels. Exhausted and out of Stillnight, he eventually collapsed onto the cold, wet concrete ground, struggling for breath.
He would lay there for an extended period, summoning every ounce of his remaining strength to crawl toward a distant door. When he finally reached the door, he stood up and grasped the handle, attempting to open it. However, the door had been sealed shut for a long time, and it proved difficult to budge.
Surveying his surroundings, Ijin spotted an iron pipe and used it as a makeshift crutch. He then began kicking the door with his left leg, the one that wasn't fractured. Each kick resounded through the echoing walls of the sewer, and after what felt like an eternity, the door finally burst open, revealing a ladder behind it.
Climbing the ladder with his limited mobility, Ijin had a few close calls but ultimately reached the top. Emerging into a dark, foul-smelling room without any source of light, he felt his way along the walls. His hands found a latch of some sort, and he pulled it open, discovering himself beneath a bridge in Eichenheim's slums.
Tsking in frustration, Ijin scanned the area and located a set of stairs leading to the streets above. As he made his way up the stairs, the eerie silence of the deserted streets enveloped him. He attempted to move toward a nearby house but, weakened and fatigued, he collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness...
...
At an unknown time, in the slums of Eichenheim, a brutal scene unfolded. A battle-hardened man was savagely beating a scar-covered boy, unleashing his fury with ruthless strikes. The boy tried to defend himself, but the blows were too swift and vicious to block.
"I'm sorry, sir!" the boy pleaded, coughing up blood.
"Respect your elders damm brat!" the man roared, delivering a powerful kick to the boy's face.
The boy lay on the ground, gasping for breath and clutching his wounded body. The man, satisfied with his cruelty, turned away and began to leave.
However, the boy's eyes burned with anger, and he seized a nearby rock, hurling it at the back of the man's head. The impact knocked the man unconscious, and he collapsed to the ground.
The boy, filled with rage, retrieved the rock once more and mercilessly bludgeoned the man's face over and over, until it was no longer recognizable...
"Good job boy", a voice of a woman whispered.
...
The heavens wept on the cold morning of June 19, 1789, as Ijin Yu stirred from his blackout. Groggy and disoriented, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar room, swathed in bandages. His coat and shirt rested neatly on a nightstand nearby, and he quickly dressed himself.
With an uneasy limp, Ijin approached the room's exit. His hand hesitated on the doorknob before he mustered the courage to open it, revealing what appeared to be a dilapidated apartment. His weakened legs gave way, and he tumbled to the wooden floor.
Startled by his fall, Ijin Yu's eyes darted toward a soft-spoken voice. A dark-haired woman with deep blue eyes stood nearby, her gaze concerned.
"Oh... sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she whispered gently, moving closer to offer a helping hand. Ijin accepted her assistance, and she helped him onto a sofa before leaving the room briefly.
As he gazed out the rain-soaked window, the woman returned, bearing a tray with two cups of tea. She set them on the coffee table before him.
"I suggest you drink it; it's cold this morning," she urged softly, sipping her own tea.
Ijin hesitated for a moment before taking a sip. The woman's kind words touched him, and he remained silent.
Its dark outside, but it doesn't look like it's night time. It seems to be artificial, this darkness.
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard, mister. I understand you're a hunter, but still..." she continued, concern in her voice.
Ijin looked down, his thoughts heavy.
This woman... she seems friendly, but I feel scepticism at her kindness towards me.
"My brother was a Black Heart hunter too, not the best, but he was pretty good," the woman shared.
"What happened to your brother?" Ijin inquired, his gaze fixed on the rain.
"He pushed himself too hard and was killed by one of those creatures."
"Why did you help me?"
"Well... it's the right thing to do, isn't it?" she replied.
Ijin examined his bandaged body;
This seems like professional work, is she a doctor?
Ijin turned to the woman.
"Are you a doctor, ma'am?" he asked, curious.
"Yes, I am," she confirmed.
"And you work here, in the slums?"
"Yes, I do."
Ijin contemplated this, then asked, "What's your name, miss?"
"It's Adelaide."
"I'm Ijin."
"Pleasure to meet you, Ijin," she responded.
Ijin clutched the place where his arm used to be, realization dawning.
"Is this place safe?" he asked with concern.
"Well... we're safe from the Anomalies, but..."
"But?" Ijin pressed, awaiting Adelaide's explanation.
"We are in the Kingpin quarter," she confessed.
Just as I feared, this forsaken place... I did not want to come back here but it seems like fate has a different plan for me. But how have the beasts not overrun this place yet? I understand it's walled off from the rest of the city but Anomalies can easily climb those walls, no matter how tall they are.
"The Kingpin quarter... How have the beasts not overrun this place?"
"Since the Anomalies started their slaughter, the Silverbloods have been holding back the horde."
The Silverbloods?, how is she I wonder?
"The Silverbloods... How are they doing it? Even us hunters with guns couldn't hold them back. How are the Silverblood gang managing with just knives and daggers?"
"There aren't many Anomalies within the slums. Most of the attacks happen in the city center and the industrial district."
Ijin Yu ran his hand over his face and sank back into the sofa as Adelaide took the teacups to the sink.
"Rest up, Sir Ijin."
As Adelaide left for work, Ijin noticed a bookshelf laden with books. 'Matters of Darkness' caught his eye, and he immersed himself in its pages for hours.
At 8 AM, Adelaide returned to the room. "Sir Ijin, I must go to work. I've left some food in the freezer; use the steamer to cook it," she said softly.
"Alright."
"Please rest and stay safe. Farewell," she bid before departing.
A few minutes later, Ijin would muster the strength to leave the apartment.
Looking around the Kingpin quarter, Ijin Yu couldn't help but think:
Still a dump like all those years ago, it hasn't changed at all.
The streets of the Kingpin quarter were shrouded in darkness, as the towering buildings and tightly packed houses blocked out most of the light. These narrow streets were so constricted that only one person could traverse them at a time. Every step Ijin took, his injured body squeezing past others, only intensified the feeling of suffocation.
After navigating the labyrinthine streets for a while, he stumbled upon an open area where a group of men sat. "Turn back!" one of them barked at Ijin.
I wish I could say I missed these folks...
"I'm here to talk to Kuro Ryu," Ijin responded calmly as the men closed in around him.
"What do you want with our boss, Mr. One-Arm?" one of the men asked, brandishing a silver dagger.
Ijin pointed to the spot behind his neck. "I have the mark," he declared with authority.
The men exchanged hushed words before one of them approached Ijin to examine the mark.
"He has it," the man announced, stepping away from Ijin.
"Let me through," Ijin demanded as the men observed him.
"Mike, go get the boss."
"But..."
"Just go!"
One of the men disappeared into a building while Ijin and the others waited.
"Welcome back, Ijin Yu," a woman's voice resonated.
Ijin and the men turned their attention to the source of the voice. A young woman, adorned in a sleeveless eastern attire, her tattoo-covered arms showcasing intricate dragon designs, her captivating dark eyes, and her hair tied into a ponytail almost reaching the ground, stood before them.
"What happened to you?" the woman inquired, wielding a silver sword.
"I suppose the weight of the world came crashing down on me," Ijin replied, attempting to bow.
"Don't bow; you might worsen your injuries," the woman warned, pointing her silver sword toward Ijin.
"It's good to see you again, Aiko," Ijin greeted her composedly.
"Can I say the same, I wonder?" Aiko responded with composure.
"Come in," Aiko invited Ijin, gesturing for him to enter a building.
Two Silverbloods assisted Ijin inside, guiding him to a room strewn with scattered papers. They seated Ijin in a chair, and Aiko pulled up another chair to face him.
"So... what do you want?" Aiko inquired assertively.
Ijin surveyed his broken leg, amputated arm, and pitiable state, contemplating in silence with a solemn expression. He realized how perilously close to death he had come and breathed a sigh of relief, though the specter of death still loomed.
Though death still lingered...
Ijin Yu gathered himself and began discussing his demands with Aiko. "I wish for an exchange of action, I will do you a favor and you will do the same for me"
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Relentless Slaughter
Chapter 4: Though death still lingered...
Chapter end
To be continued