Blood vials were the only thing occupying Paul’s mind. So far he had collected four of them which he filled with blood from fallen foes. He had tasted what Yharnam had to offer and his body thanked him for it. In fact he felt more powerful than ever. After he heard a bell ringing in the distance, he noticed that all the monsters he had slain before came back to life. He was thrilled by the idea of having a constant challenge at his disposition. Such a strong body needed a continuous flow of enemies to slay to remain in good shape.

He had already made his way down the city canals. The darkness in these lower parts of the city provided him with a great advantage. After two dozen injections, he noticed that he could see clearly in the dark. The little creatures in the streets and in the canals were no match for him. He was walking by the water channels, making as little sound as possible, when he heard a sound in the distance.

“Why are we leaving the safety of our house again? This is insane!” said a woman’s voice. It sounded as if she was pleading to whoever was beside her. Paul hid in a corner and decided to stalk the couple.

“I assure you Eleanor. If we reach the Cathedral Ward, we will be safe from these monstrosities. How long do you think we have until those scents wear off? The beasts will swarm us then!” another female voice said. “But do you know which way we must take to reach that damned Cathedral? Cordelia, I beg of you, let us return to our home.” Eleanor was clearly uneasy at the idea of walking around in a city full of monsters. “Oh shush! Once we reach the ward, you’ll thank me for dragging you out here. There are hunters in there who will keep us safe. Not some lantern with a strange smell that’s “supposed” to ward off evil!” Cordelia was getting agitated. “Alright, then which way should we go? You seem to know your way around these parts so by all means; I’ll follow your lead while you get us to safety!” Eleanor’s tone veered slightly towards sarcasm. “I’ve been through these canals so many times. Don’t you remember that my late husband was one of the engineers looking after these dirty parts of the city?” Cordelia had a haughty air about her while talking about her husband’s occupation. “And if your husband didn’t drag mine out in his attempt to save the city, we would both still have men to protect us.” Eleanor was upset and started shouting. “And if it weren’t for the church shutting the door from the Great Bridge we would all be safe in the upper part of town” retorted Cordelia. “Now lower your voice and follow me, we don’t want to attract any unwanted attention.”

There was obviously some bad history between these two women. Paul followed them as they tried to navigate the canals and the sewers. It was like getting inside a maze. It was easy to reach a dead end or go full circle. However, finding your way out of them without prior knowledge of the general layout of the maze was almost impossible. Paul had faced that predicament but he was enjoying killing all the creatures he met that he forgot about getting out.

Once he heard the women talking about getting to the Cathedral Ward, he remembered his first objective. If injecting himself with beast’s blood had given him this much strength, what would it feel like if he ever received blood ministration? After all, he considered himself worthy of becoming a hunter. A splashing sound was heard beyond the two women and Eleanor gasped in fear. Cordelia produced a kitchen knife from her blouse and stood with Eleanor huddled to her back. They were both terrified from what would come at them. The splashing sound got louder and louder and Paul saw it before the two widows could. A werewolf was slowly approaching them, probably stalking them before it jumping and devouring them.

He saw this as an opportunity to test his skills. The only time he had encountered a werewolf was with that mysterious man. They used fire to kill them but this time, Paul had no intention of using Molotov Cocktails nor did he have them. He ran towards the werewolf and the widows started screaming in unison. He jumped over them and brought his axe down on the wolf. The beast dodged the attack and started running towards the ladies. “Picking on the weak are we?” shouted Paul as he ran after the beast. He took some throwing knives from his pocket and threw them at the monster’s posterior.

The werewolf let out a howl and slashed Eleanor’s shoulder as it wriggled in pain. Paul jumped on its back and swung at its back. Blood came rushing as the beast howled and fell to the ground. Its spine was broken and Paul made his way towards its head. He took his axe in both hands and with one strong motion, brought it down at its neck. The lycanthrope’s head rolled down and blood flowed and mixed with the water that flew down the canals.

The women looked at Paul in amazement and relief. “Are you a hunter?” Cordelia asked. She turned towards Eleanor and exclaimed “I told you we’ll be alright!” Eleanor however, was looking at Paul with fear in her eyes. The man that had just saved them was smeared in blood. Eleanor couldn’t avert her gaze from Paul. He looked frightening and somewhat crazed.

He was in fact getting an unusual urge fill his body with that woman’s blood. The werewolf had wounded her after Paul threw his knives at his posterior. Now after seeing her blood, he couldn’t stop but feel the urge to cut her throat open and indulge in her blood to his heart’s content.

When Paul came to, both women were dead his mouth was filled with a coppery taste.