C30: Out of Bounds Pt3, RuneStones
1/10/26
sorry for the late post. got held up with something which took me 24 min into the new day before I could even get home to post this.
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The father is unperturbed by my 'rush' nor desire to identify myself as he simply nods, "of course, make your worries known."
"What are shades?" I ask the first question which is likely a principle one that would explain so many other questions or give me hundreds more.
The father does take a while to answer this as he rubs his scruffy beard before formulating an answer for me. "Shades and their essence is the residue left behind by beasts from your side of the city. When a beast forms, a part of them is left behind and naturally flows towards this time side of the city, inhabiting the people here as well as inanimate objects like statues that used to resemble their original forms" he states and that kind of resembles the knights and I assume that is also the balrogs which are actually gargoyle statues that got set on fire or learned it themselves.
"Oftentimes, this transition comes at a strange cost where the possessed suffer from a mutation that changes their entire biology into something that resembles humanity. Burning or being set ablaze is the most common one, others can have metallic skin or weapons as their bodies rearrange."
That certainly explains the balrogs and burning skeletons as it seems even natural corpses are viable for such creatures. While the metallic skin could be statues transforming pieces of their clothing and other decorations into their weapons or shields while their skin oxidizes.
"Then what is the pestilence spreading around this area?" I give a followup question as I feel my first question was thoroughly answered.
"The pestilence is something shades give off which can infect those that are not shades into becoming one. And no, they do not become half beasts and half shades but full and proper shades. Likely due to them not being split but the residue and body staying as one, they are far stronger than all other shades but they are also fiercely territorial which means we are only required to stay away from those areas."
"I see." I simply respond as I go about and process some of this information when Father Norbert speaks up once more.
"As you have been able to cross over to this side for an unknown reason, might I possibly hire you to slay a few of the shades in this area? I'm sure I have a few items that might interest a hunter such as yourself"
I'm essentially knocked out of my contemplation at the prospect of loot as I look up at the scruffy priest before being careful and asking, "may I see the items first to know what they are?"
My question does not upset him as it could essentially be understood that I would only take the job if the items interested me but I would likely do it anyways since im a completionist at heart.
Taking me down the elevator, we arrive at a workshop, not quite the same as the dreams as this one is more….alchemical. It's a chemistry class's wet dream as spinning centrifuges filled with vials, beakers flowing into other test tubes as they refine…something.
Entering a side room of the workshop, I see a multitude of items up on display.
"Come take a look around, im sure there are quite a few things of interest to you, even if in limited supply." Father Norbert says to me as I walk up and examine the items. As the system describes it to me, the priest also does it since he assumes I don't know anything about these items…which is true but since his own words also detail the hard work that his parish had been putting forth to cleanse the negative aspects, he is still talking about it even as I finish reading.
[Greater Mutagenic essence: essence of a great creature that had been alchemically condensed into a safe alchemic drink: +15% resistance to Pestilence]
I nod my head and then move onto the next item.
[Power runestone: A solid stone reforged from the heart of a greater shade, blood extracted, flesh melted, all to be compressed, distilled and refined through alchemical practices, these runes share a small portion of the original shade's strength. Crush the rune to be granted this strength. Gain Power Skill]
Father Norbert who had still been talking about the mutagenic essence finally opens his eyes and spots me standing over the power rune in a daze as he grins, shuffling closer to me as he asks with a pleased tone.
"Find something you like?" I snapped out of my shock as for some reason I was entranced by the runestone. Like something in my body was calling to it.
"Kind of, not sure. But quick question. If I slayed one of the greater shades that are around this area, would you be able to make a second one of these?" I say pointing to the runestone.
"Yes we could, it takes a bit of time but it is possible. Though I must inform you that it won't be the same type as this one. Each heart which is used to forge these runestones have different properties and the end result is always different." Father Norbert informs me and I nod in acceptance of this seemingly obvious fact.
"If I can get this as an advance payment, I'll go hunt whatever creature you want." i give my word which seems to please the priest as he smiles with a type of cheshire styled long grin, showing all his pearly yellow teeth before he motions for me to take it.
I do so and then the priest has us go back up so that he can show me a map of Yharnam but reflected, like a mirror. Similar enough so that both sides could visit the other with minor trouble navigating but different enough to make it unique. He points to four different sections of the city, pinpointed by needles he sets into it. That being Oedon chapel, Cathedral Ward, Old Yharnam and Central Yharnam.
Staring at the map, I realize that it's likely the same locations as normal Yharnams bosses, specifically: the Cleric Beast on the bridge, Father Gascoigne at the chapels graveyards, Vicar Amelia at the main temple and Blood starved beast in old Yharnam.
"Where should I start?" I ask as maybe they have ways of judging the strength of shades to start from easiest to hardest. Yet my expectations are quickly subverted.
"Optimally, we would like you to clear the resting place just outside the alchemy room down below as my parish has to regularly worry about the greater shades snapping out of their typical behavior and abnormally wandering inside there or even somehow using the elevator to come in here." He gives his first objective.
"But in contrast, the best would clearing out the greater chapel just up the hill as that building has far greater resources than us to make more alchemical tinctures and other products to help the citizens but Grand Knightress has been corrupted and slain many a priests already, leaving me as one of the few sole experts in these formulas. We would be far more secure as well."
"As for the other two, they are well enough far away that except to make the runestones, they offer no benefit to our small group." He explains his remaining worries and exemplifies the needs of his people, how he is feeding them, giving them bed and shelter as compared to the other side, they don't have incense here to ward off shades.
"Then how do you keep the shades out?" I ask and the priest takes out a hammer from underneath his desk, holding the heavy looking hammer with one tense hand, smacking it into the palm of the other. "We do what we must" he simply states like a prayer to the heavens as he puts his hammer away.
"Hmm, ill first hunt the ones around here a bit more to get a feel for them before coming back and trying my hand at the greater shade down below." I present my offer and the priest accepts as we shake hands before he escorts me out and back to the main parish building where I take my leave.
My first task is to crush the runestone. Upon doing so, the symbol engraved onto the center of the runestone flows into the palm of my hand, branding itself there. It's the shape of a trident with eyes.
(A/N: behold my ascii art since I didn't wanna do any ai for it as im sure it would screw up the eye part, get some sort of Soulcalibur type items which is not what I wanted)
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O O
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The symbol positions itself in the center and the system responds with a prompt while I feel a flow of energy seep through me.
[Power rune obtained: Lesser Sprint. Collect 3 power runes to merge skills into a greater Power rune. Synergy found with Blood-Hunter Physique. + 5 Vitality, +5 strength]
[New title gained: rookie Rune Mage I]
"Oh, a new title. Speaking of, didn't I also get an achievement a few minutes ago?" I talk to myself as I bring up the achievement first and then the title.
[Mirror man: Travel to the other side of Yharnam where a different type of curse is running rampant. +1 level to Curious George Achievement]
"Wait, I got an achievement that buffs the power of another achievement? Well okay then, that certainly explains why I felt stronger shortly after passing the bridge, I thought that was just me getting used to the weakness, since it wasn't all that long ago that I was already super weak. "
[Rookie Rune Mage I: A purveyor of runes, as you study them, you are able to harness more of their power and that of the creatures they represent. Passive: +2.5 to vitality and strength with every rune branded on you. Current Runes: Hunters mark, Lesser Sprint (power rune). Active: +5 levels to all runic skills. Evolution conditions: Runes 2/5]
"Oh, thats nice. I certainly don't feel the strange pressure on me as I do when I buy my skills from the system store. Do the rune marks treat it externally or is there some other gimmick about the system I don't know about. Oh well, let's get to hunting" I praise the new title and then use the newly obtained skill for the first time, Lesser sprint.
"Woah" I exclaim as I cross the entire 'main path' section with the well in just two seconds with the sprint skill. What previously took me at least a few seconds to run across, even with my newly taller physique.
"If I'm that fast with the equivalent of a level 1 skill, what's it like at level 6?" i ask as I switch to the rookie runic mage title and zoom across the courtyard, nearly tearing my own arm off on the well since I underestimated my control as well as the speed I found myself at. I was thankfully able to just barely turn my body whilst in motion to prevent the loss of limbs but I truly had to sit down and properly process this all.
"That was crazy. Runes op, plez don't nerf" I meme to myself as I catch my breath. Having calmed myself down, i changed my title back and then just kept 'dashing' back and forth to get used to it all when I suddenly got the ping.
[Lesser sprint has leveled up]
"Noooo, my poor minutes of effort just to get used to it." I am discontent but only because I'm not used to having rich people's problems. Having a surplus of something is something I rarely have a problem with.
Getting back into it, I am once again shocked by my speed as I quickly realize that level 1 doubled my standard running speed and level 2 is now tripling it. Which means when I used the title, it was at septuple speed (7x) if the same formula continued with each level as it has shown so far. I'm actually quite excited by this as it means that travel distance is pretty much nonexistent to me now. All boss runbacks after dying are just a few seconds of running not a 30 second slog now.
After another few minutes and not getting a second notification, i get some rest before properly hunting again. As I never actually rested at a lamp, for a while now, no monsters came back so I have to explore further, my primary hunting location is the cathedral ward. There I find a few more balrogs, I get their attention one at a time as I slay them.
It actually goes much easier and faster than before as I no longer needed to dodge roll to escape an attack but simply jump backwards while the sprint skill is active and I'm zooming out of the way. And since that keeps me out of range of the monster, I can recover my stamina by standing still for a bit before dashing back in to hack a few times and then dash out. Rinse and repeat and down one goes and the other follows shortly after.
I soon enough explore the location, finding multiple shade essence fragments which I consider to be equivalent of cold blood dews as well as two shade chunks which is comparable to thick coldblood. I do find some strange essence along the way.
[Blessed knowledge: Understanding of oneself leads to self enlightenment, a pilgrimage of ascension to a greater cause. A cause that grants one the ability to see anew…for better or worse. -1 insight]
"Ugh ... .yea no..not using that unless insight hurts me in some physical or spiritual way" I at the very least pocket it as no stone left unturned. But then I run in my first new creature standing where the bloodsucker does in the side path of this area.
It's like a stone golem, kind of like a statue but less cthulhu verse styled as the tentacles are replaced with spikes, lots of spikes. With a blue body and white orb that acts as its waist as it has segmented spiraling spikes acting as its legs, stabbing into the ground. (imagine a sea urchin flushed with yugioh Drilago, only it's legs are drills)
"Woah there drillsaw man, i mean you no harm" I raise my hands towards the shade but it simply releases a hollow roar as it's spikes seem to turn a shade of red as if my chainsaw man reference somehow pissed it off as it charges at me. I dodge out of the way and start bashing it from behind. It's pretty durable but it still gets stunned like all other beasts and soon falls over dead.
"hooo" I let out a breath of relief as I explored the rest of the area. I even met a few residents who I directed to the chapel in hopes that they would find safety there. Though they should also bring whatever food and other necessities too.
Continuing on my hunt, I find a few shade crystals from well, the shades themselves. From the system, I learn they are fragments of the shades of crystallized hearts…but the one I pulled out before was a mass of nothing but ya know, that could have just been an uncrystallized mass. It wasn't old enough or it had to die before it crystallized. Doesnt manner, still dead. I pocket the crysal and move on.
The path to the forbidden woods is open on this side too but no skeleton here. Going back, I finish my exploration by going up the stairs. Would have thought that it would be down just like every other reflection but I guess they kept a few key locations to help all citizens be centered.
Going up, I find non burning versions of the Balrogs or gargoyles technically. They are also bone skinny with giant heads and giant scythes. At least one of them has a giant scythe, the other has a fooking cannon.
Just like normal. I rush past all other enemies to take out the ranged one as he could get annoying very quickly if left alone. Once he is dead, I kill the other non burning variant before fighting another proper balrog.
'How they are balancing on the small steps', I think to myself but then realize, I have no clue so it's not my problem as I do my usual stun of dodge in, slay slay, dodge out and repeat before it goes down.
Heading to the next level up. I find two more of the lesser gargoyles except the two here have giant shields instead of weapons. I analyze their movement before dashing in to get behind one and attack it and then dash away to either dodge it's attack or recover stamina.
Rinse and repeat about 10 times and both are now dead.
[Intermediate stamina has leveled up. Level 1-> level 2]
"Ugh, nice ig. Oh it actually is good, I have a bunch more stam now. A whole 3 points. Woohoo" My sarcasm overflows as originally I got hyped by how much stam I got from the level only to remember I'm in the nerfed part of town so with my current 15%, that still only leaves me with around 46 stamina for all my actions. Far less than even the weakest hunter has with one point in endurance.
"Such a drag" I channel my inner shikamaru as I huff. Exploring the nearby regions, killing a few more monsters before making my way back to the chapel to ask another question.
"What can I do with the shade essence I've collected?"
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Word Count = 3133
Enjoy
Continuing from last time, we find out what shades are, what the so-called pestilence is, gain a few new tricks and return to the happy hunting cycle we know and love.
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.
discord channel still has the next chapter preview like usual: https://discord.gg/rE6gtg28XH
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