C37: Witch of Hemwick. 128 Insight
A clear reminder that any pictures will be saved for after the chapter as I do wish to show one for this chapter. They will also be on discord if you wish to go there and see all the monsters we have killed until now
-------------------------------
I run down the maze as the three creatures give 'chase' to me. Naturally the bird is the slowest but I make some good progress as I stun the toucan man but when I reach the end, I get locked in place as I found out the buff bird can teleport when I'm too far from him. So he is now at the very exit of the maze, toucan rushing at me and the skeleton spider crawling up next to me too.
I stun the toucan but spot the spider's claws coming at me. I can't dodge out of the way so I stick to the riposte by plunging my fist into the toucan man's back, essentially ripping his spine out as he vanishes while the spider claws from earlier weave right through me thanks to invulnerability frames.
I then shoot the skeleton away as I turn my attention to Big bird and mimic the toucan by trying to slide under him which I do make but nearly get crushed as the bird tries to sit on me with it's swole ass.
Finally entering the clearing. I immediately thought of running up the stairs ... .except. The broken body of the strange Toucan man is lying just in front of the door. Like a pet that was kicked out after making a mess in the house. Instead I climb up halfway and 'jump' to the outside railing I grabbed last time around.
On the balcony here, I try to take a proper look at the door but for some reason, with the masks on, I can't see anything inside. It's like a literal cloud of black smoke has filled up the insides. I take the masks off but it is still there but I just can't see the creatures hunting me.
Putting on the mask, I find a crack has appeared on the flooring beneath me. A heavy thumping just below. As soon enough.
BANG CRACK SNAP
"FUCK" I curse aloud in surprise as big bird 'jumped' and had broken through the flooring of the balcony to now grab my leg. Dragging me through the gradually expanding hole. I am thrown away to the side of the hedge where the spider laid in wait.
I activate chaos step and find the spider skeleton has been a now dead sheep. Still filled with organs that now begin to spill out like it was held in stasis. I heard a soft "ba." begin before it was cut off as the entire lack of skin and muscles immediately killed the sheep.
"Well thats one way to polymorph" I comment as I get back up. I now have a small limp before it's healed though my leg still hurts. I eye the bird man as he still power walks towards me like my name is Jojo and he has an over hundred year enmity with me.
I make a brisk jog around the clearing of the house to lure the bird away as I dash to the door and for good measure, smack the dead toucan man. For some reason the sheep skeleton with its organs still pooled up around it lying here too.
I eviscerate it's skull down to ash with my foot, get a good handful of leftover brainmatter on my shoes but I'm in a hurry. I begin taking off the masks one by one and putting them in their respective slots. It takes a few tries for each but I also keep double checking the location of Big bird and the other two haven't respawned yet or anything like that.. I soon get the first mask onto the door, that of the toucan.
I then try the skull mask which I'm able to narrow down to one 'area' of the door as the other is filled with long holes which I naturally assumed was for the Hummbird mask, specifically it's long narrow beak.
It's only a shame that some grabbed my leg again. Unfortunately I can't see what it is. I only know that it isn't Buff Bird since he is still a bit far away. It has to be either a respawned toucan or skeleton. That or…another creature has shown up and I can't see it at all. I can only point my gun at where I feel it grabbing me from. Hoping I hit the wrist of whatever it is. I shoot and immediately divert my attention back to the skull mask and it finally clicks in place.
Unfortunately I don't feel that whatever was grabbing my leg is actually doing anything, especially since either my shot missed or I can't interact with it at all.
What I do see is that the buff bird has only just reached the steps and climbing up even slower than before, giving me ample time to hopefully get the third mask in as I take it off. Jamming it into one hole after another, I try different angles and holes one after the other until I feel something grabbing the back of my head.
BANG. My face is bashed into the door itself, once, twice. But I hear the click I needed. I grab the door handle and swing open before a third head bash is done to me. Instead im pushed inside the room and I take in the sights before me as I jam a vial into my leg, helping me recover.
"Woah" I feel my vision swoon and wave as I find myself back in the 'house of horrors', yet I'm not in the entrance to the boss arena like I was when I first entered the maze. As I'm thinking of this, I feel like two parallel images flowing through my head. One of the maze i went through and the other of the actual hallways of the anomalous house itself.
Going forward, turning left. Finding a new summon creatures of various size and shape which 'I' took down in a daze before randomly stopping at the first intersection and killing an enemy here. Yet I don't stop in just killing the summon, I tear off it's head and then use my Tontritus to crack the skull in half, using the front as mask which I had initially pocketed in my inventory but it's a summon so it was temporary before a mob smacked me a bunch, inflicting some sort of purple haze on me that locked me down while they brought me back to the entrance again. Forcing me to go through this again.
Fighting summons which give no currency, tearing off the heads of three different ones and wearing them on my own face like masks until I reached the end. A building inside of a building. The summons had kept me off and away and the door was not actually locked but I simply couldn't muster the power to turn the lever before and assumed it was the 'masks' fault when I was actually covered in the weight enhancing haze covering me.
Smacked unconscious again, I was returned to the entrance where I did far better. Each time clearing the summons better, more fluid and not getting hurt or cursed by the strange haze at all. Yet at the end, I was just bashing the humanoid skulls of the summons I killed against the doors in a crazed state. The hand I felt was one of the slowly dying creatures grab my ankle. I had shot it in the dead, killing it but whatever rigor mortis style scenario the creature had, the arm stayed where it was before an executioner reached me and bashed me against the door..twice. Before I finally opened the door.
"AGH" I cry out in pain as insight flows into me once more.
[Host has broken through the Forest Illusion, reaching the final boss arena of this region. +10 insight + 2 Greater Sense .]
[error: insight limited to 100, Activating counter measures.]
[Nugget man title doubles insight gained]
[Error: insight limited to 100, Activating counter measures]
[Nugget man title…]
[Error: Activating Counter Measures]
I am stuck rolling on the floor as the system fights against itself. Meanwhile in the room is a figure who has been watching me since my initial arrival.
With clearly Fair but pale skin, black eyeliner and hair along with red lipstick. A black outfit accentuating her ascension born, young and vigorous body that paints her in her early adulthood. A silver moon symbol on one necklace while a second has an eyeball symbol or perhaps an actual eyeball coated in silver to make this ornament. The Witch of Hemwick observers her new toy.
"How peculiar, what a poor boy. I foresaw that he would have fallen another dozen times with that second illusion but it would seem he proved me wrong. How interesting, escaping my prediction like this." She licks her rosy lips as she eyes the man who originally would tower over her like the Soldiers of Mensis that regularly captured the citizens of Yharnam and even sometimes her own people.
Yet that same individual is now rolling around on the floor, helpless as they too undergo the inheritance of knowledge.
"I do wonder if they will succeed?"
"Too much of an understanding of such arcane knowledge with no foundation in it. Most certainly is not good for anyone unless you are prepared for it. I certainly was not but that does bring up the question…Perchance they are the one who brought about this change in me and this form of mine? I certainly don't mind but the tidbit of arcane prowess I had witnessed from you that exceeds the scope of the great majority I had borne witness to through the infinite wealth of knowledge imparted to me."
She remains confused as she is still processing the bits of information ever flowing through her mind until it settles down. It is precisely because of this that she had chosen the nonaggressive method with her summons, too unfocused to properly concentrate on eliminating intruders and sacrifices for their eyes. Not that she needs such a thing anymore.
The black eyeliner brings out the details of her newly reborn bright eyes appearing with a contrasting set of black Iris', a pure white circle outlines the iris' and a reddish wave like pattern along her pupil, akin to solar flares contained within her pupils. In regards to her Iris, she has two of them, taking the shape of having PseudoPolycoria, as such, it does not negatively affect her with double vision or blurriness but instead acts as a secondary conductor to absorb in fleeting knowledge around her.
"If you truly are the one who gave me this blessing, then a blessing I shall impart in return, to help even the odds of your present misery. If not then I shall simply reclaim it" The witch waves her arm, shooting out floaty wisp of energy that lands on my head.
I feel a strange sensation pass over me, like a gentle warmth or set of hands massaging my head as the system finally decides on a course of action.
[Mental Apotheosis successfully passed. The Nuggetman title has evolved. Cancerous Hive title obtained. The low level limit on insight has been negated due to the effect of the new title. Current insight: 128]
The pain finally ends as the foremost thought in my head was that I'm still in a boss arena. I quickly scamper up as I dash to the closest corner with my weapon out, pointed forward. My left hand is still on my head as the pain dulls down.
"Welcome…dear Guest. Care to join me for Dinner? It has been quite some time since I had a sumptuous meal and possessing some company would be wondrous in a place like this."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Word Count = 2177
Passing through the painting after a hard fought battle only to be lambasted with a new situation that leaves both the lord of this land and the intruding hunter in a state of confusion.
Reference pic for eyes here.
Enjoy
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
Patreon.com/Xanok to find me.