C27: Intelligent Beast: Amelia
Happy new years everyone - 1/1/26
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I began my travels to the right side where I am led to some stairs where below I see a few buildings with lamps and barely spot two 'hunters' randomly standing below just beside these houses.
Originally I was just gonna go down the stairs and take them one by one as expected of me but then I saw an item on the roof of one of these houses but it requires me to drop down beside one of these hunters. So I do so I get some actual feedback from the system about how my [Silver Cat Reflexes] had mitigated some of the damage I just took from the fall to zero.
I then collect the frenzied cold blood (7) here before activating my sneak skills and dropping down. Another notice of mitigated damage and I slowly but surely creep up behind this 'hunter'. I charge up my weapon and slam him in the back which sends'em on their knees where I plunge my fist through their spine but it's a touch bastard who somehow doesnt die from that.
Instead I change to my Tontritus as this guy in thick gray clothing takes out his own Tontritus and shotgun. He keeps his distance even as I rush at him, shooting me repeatedly but not really doing much damage thanks to my better clothing compared to the rags I originally woke up in and had worn for quite some time.
I soon stop and hide behind the tree here as I measure the ability of this hunter, though I soon realize I'm on a short timer as my lock on skill allows me to do so on the other hunter which was a bit farther away but closing in soon.
So when the first hunter closes in a bit to lure me out, I instead get Gerald out and ambush this hunter who is pinned by the vileblood beast. My saw cleaver decapitating this one as the other which has dual spears aka the rifle spear approaches.
I charge up my Tontritus as this Yahar'gul Hunter dodges the first blow by rolling in my direction but leftish. I simply spam my attacks and get a solid three hits on him which only takes him halfway down but that is still a meaty chunk of damage for a +4 weapon.
Another three hits took him down though I did get hit after my first three hit combo on him, but the second combo on him helped me heal back up. Both hunters drop items, the dual spears user gave me ten bullets while the other dropped 5 bolt paper which tops me up and increases further as I do not share the original ten paper limit as the game.
Of course there are also the 3,420 echoes from each of these hunters which I heavily enjoy. I'd love to grind these guys as it's a hassle to get here with no nearby lamps (at least not until Amelia dies).
After clearing the area, making sure it's safe, I approach the two houses with lamps and the voices inside only repeat a single line twice, "....Bless us with Blood…".
"Ummm. I refuse as you say that is just super creepy. I'll just be on my way if you don't mind" I respond casually as I go up the side path which leads me to a kidnapper I quickly stun with my gun and then take down with a chest bursting punch.
As I am currently at the top of a cliff, I only have a few sections I can drop down to, so I closely take in the scenery and drop down to the first ledge which has twin blood stone shards x 1. 'Nice, another to the pile' I pocket the shard and continue making my way down, taking out two rifleman huntsmen before arriving at the bottom, or rather the top of a hill connected to these cliff sides but it's still technically the bottom layer of this area.
Walking a bit further down, I spot the executioners. With Gerald by my side, he grabs their weapons as they are starting the beginning of their swings while I circle around back and stun them for a riposte. It's quite impressive he has the strength for that, though i supposedly have similar strength…wait.
I look up the pet system status for Gerald and find that he still gains xp when I don't summon him. That or he just got a ton from the two hunters before this because it's now about 1.5x my own (29 currently = 44 ][43.5 rounded up] ). That certainly makes me look forward to slapping these guys around when I reach a similar state through whatever method I choose to level up through.
Taking both these executioners out gives me three more pungent blood cocktails while another gives me a few vials when I notice out of the corner of my eye, something was moving around. Turning around, I spot one scurrying beast which I take down before spotting a second. Rushing towards this one and smacking it lightly to reset its escape counter. I collect twin blood stone shards from each of them. I might have enough now to upgrade my Tontritus to +5.
Heading inside the building here, which in the entrance hallway has three lead elixirs which I just pocket but have never really used before in game but maybe that will change now that it's reality for me.
The inner chamber has a primarily 'empty' room, just some dust bin in the center with a locked door on the opposite side of the entrance. As for why I'm not actually going there to check to make sure or try to break it down. Well the OG Amygdala is guarding said door. Yahar'gul is on the other side of this door and I'm definitely not ready for this, though I could certainly come back after I get the required item…whatever it is since I for some reason don't remember.
As such, I begin to move away in the opposite direction, totally to get to the central chapel and not because I also flipped off this Amygdala, totally not what happened, you must be seeing things due to your high insight. You must be hearing things, there was no explosion behind me from a giant skeleton like hand crashing down as an old one attempted to crush me in recompense. That was an illusion of the mind, me going crazy from lack of sleep.
Using the staircase back up, I return to the two houses with lanterns before taking the main pathway all the way back to the Cathedral with giant staircases and equally large doors. Along the way, I had realized that as long as I don't try to actually grab at whatever is inside of the enemies chests, I don't need the Solar Halo except to level it up. So I reactivated my lesser energy Flow skill and it takes just slightly less than what the halo does, all of which is flowing into my physique now.
'I wasted so much time on this, I could have already been halfway to the next level maybe' I sigh in regret before shaking it off as I can't afford to be distracted at this moment.
Vicar Amelia. The next key boss, there is a summon to fight her, by the shortcut gate but if multiplayer is any indicator, bosses health increases with each character count. If I planned to do any higher difficulty plays then I can't really afford this since my helpers don't scale with the boss but via playthrough…maybe not even that since I don't really do NewGame + all that often. Which is why I have a completionist mentality so that I experience everything I can in one playthrough or just restart from the beginning to do it all again but different paths or choices.
"Now that I'm stuck thinking about it, I think there was only one game really that actually had me play through it three times but due to locked choices and different endings and play styles, it really only felt like one entire playthrough." I think about Armored Core IV which I had actually played shortly after beating Dark Souls one remastered.
Slap slap
I raise my hands and slap both my cheeks at the same time to finally focus before I go on another rant or discussion about random things i've done before.
[Host is approaching the location of a new boss: Vicar Amelia. Would you like to activate challenge mode and raise the difficulty in exchange for higher rewards? Please select a difficulty if you wish to do so.]
"Since she is a key figure, I should keep it relatively low. But I also wish to challenge myself since I do have a new physique which currently has me at a status higher than where I should be in the world. My weapon is the only true lacking feature in this scenario while my stats are pretty high.
"Set to new game + 7" I finally make a decision as I have my shadow step to make long distance escapes if i really need it. It also only takes one bullet per use and I don't really plan to use my gun in this fight, not sure I can even riposte her.
[Setting boss difficulty to new scale: one mutation applied] I don't immediately see a fog gate come up until I push open the giant door itself.
I activate my stealth skills and begin walking in. It takes a while to get up the giant steps…which are built this way for whatever reason when they could have just made it a multilayered building for any sort of storage they wanted but instead it's all gone to waste when the building is already taller than any surrounding building.
I spot the vicar in prayer but with my skills active, it doesnt spot me immediately. So I get to steppin and keep placing shadow markings all over the floor, though keeping enough distance between them as otherwise it's just one large shadow and could teleport me randomly if I'm not careful.
Once I am content in creating over 500 shadow step markings on the floor, I approach the still untransformed Vicar. She has been in the midst of prayer this whole time.
'Shouldn't she have transformed by now. Wasn't it a vicinity type thing or was there another reason…' I scratch my head thinking about all sorts of theories that I watched until I remember something I saw on the fandom wiki pages.
'Oh right, wasn't it mentioned that she was praying to concentrate and stave off the beast transformation ... .so she is essentially stuck in that position until I make a sound and break her concentration but with my minimal scent and sound when walking, she can't actually hear me.' I nod my head in acceptance of this fact as I ponder on how to deal with this situation.
[The boss Vicar Amelia has gained the following modifier as a result of the enhanced difficulty: Intelligent Beast] I simply stop and stare as my eyes glaze over momentarily, before a feral look overtakes my face.
'She is in human form right now and she is on the frailer side of things. Meaning that she doesnt benefit from this supposed intellectual boost. Should I just try to take her out in one blow, how would I go about that anyways?' I think and think until I get an idea.
Slowly and gently walking just behind the praying Vicar. I take out a poison knife but don't throw it. Instead I hold it in my hand like a normal knife as I bend over over the Vicar and directly slit her throat and throw a numbing mist on her after backing off.
"Hoooowwlll"
The poison immediately enters her blood as she loses concentration and begins to shape shift. Yet that same poisoned blood is now being mutated to greater potency but since the numbing mist is active, her mutating body and immune system cant 'fight back' against this poison as it ravages her from the inside.
Even as the transformation comes to an end with long silvery hair gracing her whole body and her robes somehow also growing to cover her entire bestial body of now over 10 feet tall, covered in thick purple veins of poison.
The intelligent beast attempts to use its natural condition and clerical skills to rid itself of poison but I throw another numbing mist at her which immediately ruins its attempt. It's health has already reached halfway from the poison and continuously chunking it.
Finding it's efforts for naught, it instead charges at me with bloodshot eyes filled with wrath. It hopes to kill me quick and rid itself of this horrible mist and poison.
Unfortunately for it, I have a free hand, So with a peace sign out, I vanish to a shadow spot behind said beast.
It slides on the ground a bit as it turns around to charge at me again. I give a peace sign again and vanish. I repeat this process a few more times to instill a factor that if I make that sign. I'm gonna vanish. 🎵Pavlov was it's namo. 🎵
Then when I take out a weapon, specifically my saw cleaver while gascoigne's axe was on my back to help channel the shadow-ports. I use a paper fire on my cleaver, reducing my stock to 4 left while this boss only has 1/3rd of it's health but that third hp is still more than a base level bosses pool.
I throw an extra dagger and numbing pot to keep the poison fresh while reducing the probability that it's physique could somehow nullify the poison at any moment.
Amelia sees my burning weapon but it's mind it's been intentionally frustrated and thus doesnt care about it as it berserk charges at me with its claws. I continue the shadow-port handsign lie by not immediately teleporting away but rather dodging naturally under its arm and swinging a few times. I can feel a few cracks from my blows but nothing to break the brittle arm.
Crack "GRAAHHHH"
After a few more cycles and uses of poison knives and numbing pots, im down to my last pot but the beast still has 1/5th of it's health left when I finally break it's arm. I immediately switch to the other arm while it roars and bemoans it's agony from facing me and my treachery.
CRACK "WHOOO"
The second arm goes down a minute later as I stand before the beasts head, the poison has been mostly worn down by now and while I've applied it. It seems to have adapted at this point, only left with 1/8th of it's hp left.
I heavily smack the so called 'intelligent beasts' stupid fucking head and it falls over from the blow. I deactivate lesser energy flow as I set up the Solar halo and shove my fist into the beasts chest. I know my target, I know it will hurt.
But this is also my best chance to kill it in one shot, completely disregarding the skill stat.
I grab at the unknown mass that is predominantly bigger than all other beasts I've fought till now and felt.
Because of the halos protection, I'm not immediately repelled on contact. I can actually feel it, caress it even. It's seemingly gelatinous but tough even to not just sink in.
I grabbed it.
It burns me. I heal
I pull, it burns me more. I heal but slower and less than it's damage.
With little choice, I activate the berserker skill as well as stab myself with a vial. Recovering my lost hp while the spiritual damage takes me down slowly but surely as I jam my other hand inside.
I am now firmly stuck inside the beast as it recovers to simply loom over me stuck to it.
I lock my legs against it's chest as I pull harder, deadlift that shit. The beast is stunned. An entire 1/16th of it's health is immediately torn off as I pull. And pull.
AND PULLLL!!
[Solar Halo has gained the required experience: level 1-> level 2. Faster spirit healing and minor increase to spiritual damage resistance]
The system essentially breathes new life into me as I now take less damage while healing more, evening me out so I don't get hurt as much but one damage is one damage.
Soon a giant opening is gradually made as Amelia's blood shoots out covering me from head to toe, practically drowning in it as plenty of blood gathers in my Yahar'gul Black headpiece and my current angled position.
SPLURT "AGHHHHHHH"
The burning sensation can't really be felt at this point as my arms are completely numb and this tingling sensation continues further along my body.
I feel hollow but I can finally see the tip of the thing I was pulling. It's like a crystallized version of the former non-mutated vicar, but without clothes. Kinky in any other situation.
Fwoop
Ah, there goes all sensation in my left arm. Yet I keep pulling with my arm even as the Beast seemingly is sucking this thing, whatever it is, back into its body.
[Physique has gained the necessary experience: Level 2->level 3]
"HAHAHAHA" The pain maddening me as my body suddenly recovers a good portion from my skill growing stronger. I regain sensation in my left arm but still struggle to lift it all.
"GRAAHHHHHH" The beast roars as only the tip of the 'statue' still exists outside it's body, Im barely holding on even with my newfound strength.
"FUCK YOU BITCH, IF I CANT HAVE IT, THEN NEITHER CAN YOU"
BANG
In my left hand, I spawn my pistol which is barely held up due to the weakness as I fire the bullet. My gun proficiency comes in clutch here as it just barely nicks the 'statue'. Doing so actually blew off one of my fingers but I don't notice this in my adrenaline and spiritual damage.
Crack
Like the tiniest of whispers as the 'statue' is coated from the blood of my finger, the tiniest of hairline cracks appears from the shots' damage. One damage is one damage and this 'thing' seems exceptionally fragile to outside sources even though i've been trying to crush it this whole time whilst dragging it out.
Crack crack
The hairline damage begins to spread from her head, to her neck, then to her shoulders and upper chest. Continuously, without end until the whole statue is covered in these hairline and not at all deep cracks.
I don't really know what happens next as the original place I shot soon emits what seems like a sonic boom. I am blown away while I see the boss's health shift back to full and then empty over and over again until it just collapses lifeless while the statue fully slides out and shatters into dust.
[YOU DIED]
"NUH UH Motherfucker" I am barely able to spawn a vial in my mouth as it stabs my Uvula and let's flow the putrid blood. I can choke on the vial later. I just need this bitch to die before me.
Somehow my will persists even as I feel a great emptiness take me. A hollow feeling that I had experienced coming from my chest. Like worms devouring me from the inside. I mentally shift to the Cursed title, entering a state of beatification while berserker is still active.
I will survive this longer than Vicar Amelia. I see the beast's body fall over, its body graying out, transparent until it dissipates into motes, only for those motes to flow into me with great vigor.
[PREY SLAUGTHERED]
"HAHAHAHAHA, FUCK YOU" I finally undo all my buffs and negate all titles as I well and truly die from swallowing that vial, gagging, I finally die. The massive amount of echoes lay where I had just perished.
[YOU DIED!!?!]
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Word Count = 3512 (big one, enjoy)
Enjoy
Exploring the rest of this location before fighting the boss. Being all sneaky sneaky with my bag of tricks before going full retard and dying.
Whether you like the chapter or not, drop a comment. I can't be letting myself get complacent in my writing. I still have plenty of growth in all forms.
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If this chapter is read through paid services on Patreon then the P-Hunter message changes to 'kindled'. That will earn a different type of discord role where I will proactively take suggestions from you all or even create custom characters based on you/that you make. This code will change when it is released for free to create a proper distinction between a paid reader and a free reader.