Bright_Ops

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

The marching orders given by Stefan to make a break for the elevator past the giant were somewhat hard to ignore for Draco... however, his 'job', such as it was, required that he took care of the various civilians to the best of his ability. If they were going to be making a mad dash to the elevator, a little bit of preparation was going to be required... and a humorless smile grew on Draco's cloth covered face because this had been something that had been bugging for a while now.

Taking a moment to light the torches hooked up to his weapon, he looked at the gathered crowd of people that he was now in charge of as he made a commandment of his own to go with the hunter's. "Right. Anything that you can't carry with you at a dead sprint, dump it over there. No bitching, the beasts don't give a shit about that kind of stuff and anyone crazy or desperate enough to roam the streets on a night like tonight has other things on their minds. Odds are it'll still be there in the morning, so the question is if you'll still be here to reclaim it."

There were protests and complaints of course, but Draco would have his way. When put in a situation in which ones life was actually on the line, the value of material goods in comparison tended to put things into proper perspective. Plus Draco was very much armed and clearly knew how to use his strange weapon of choice while they weren't, which as a diplomatic move was remarkably effective.

The process of dumping the junk and items that they could live without took precious time... and while Draco was keeping an eye out for more immediate threats to himself and his little group, he could see what was happening with Stefan in the distance. As much as he wanted to rush offer and try to help the hunter in his dire situation, two key facts made him stand his ground. The first was the humbling truth that by the time he actually managed to get even halfway to where the combat was, the fight was going to be long over one way or the other; His attempted involvement would not change the outcome for Stefan.

The second was worse in its own special way: Beasts tended to travel in packs. Just because there was one actively fighting a hunter didn't guarantee that there wasn't a second one lurking in the wings... or making their way towards Draco and the civilians, because who knew how the mind of a beast truly operated in relation to things like 'loyalty' and other such high ideals. Moving to add Stefan might give an unseen enemy the opening it desired to strike at a defenseless target.

So all Draco could do was watch and wait for the civilians to lose their baggage and start running before he could somewhat bravely follow at the end of the pack, prepared to try and slow down anything chasing after them.

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Streets of eastern Central Yharnam, just south of the plateau elevator

Having shifted a little in order to allow people to have walked past him so when the group got moving again, he could step into his position as rearguard, Draco finally got a glimpse of the giant ahead and the fact that it clearly seemed to be in combat of some kind, through against who or what exactly couldn't be seen from this distance. The look on Draco's face at the sight suggested a degree of uncertain distrust; Even after over four years of living in Yharnam proper, there was something about the Church Giants that was unnerving to him. They were monstrous things... and while the Church claimed that they were tame, one couldn't help but doubt.

It was as Stefan moved to lead the group towards its detour that things went horribly wrong. Unlike before, when the howls and screams were far enough away that they were background noise (and far enough away that even if they were inclined towards trying to help their fellow man, they would arrive far to late anyway), the sudden outcry of screaming, sudden silence and then more screaming that rose up was far to close to walk pass in good conscience. The screaming of children in particular made it even more distressing.

Draco wasn't a fool; Unlike some, he was painfully aware of the difference in strength between himself and those who had fully been consumed by the scourge of the Beast. If his brothers had been alive and with him, he might have been more inclined towards rushing towards the screaming himself, but the sad truth was that the only person there who had a hope in hell of changing the outcome of whatever was happening was Stefan... and with a gulp Draco barked in a no nonsense manner to the Hunter "Get going! We'll stay here, but right now those people need you. I'll keep watch here. Go!"

Taking responsibility for the civilians was not in his job description, but leaving innocent women and children to be torn apart by beasts was something Draco couldn't do. While unable to go and help himself, he grimly pulled out a torch and slid it into the holster on his weapon, not lighting it just yet as he reached back into his pack for the second one. Turning towards the scared civilians, he tried to keep a professional, commanding air to him as he said "If anyone has anything on them that can be used as a weapon, now is the time to bring it out."

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Draco would have sighed softly to himself, but the situation required silence... or at least as much silence as could be claimed when one was traveling with a pack of idiotic civilians who did not seem to grasp the concept that they were in a dangerous situation... or at the very least, didn't understand that they themselves were in direct danger. Talking far to loudly, carrying personal belongings that only served to slow them down further... Truth be told, he suspected the presence of Stefan was causing some of them not to take the situation as seriously as they really should have been.

Then again, it was his own fault that he was in this situation. He should have been back at the apartment that he shared with his father and sister, but he had been halfway through a delicate piece of metal work for one of the simpler trick weapons employed by hunters and had he abandoned it just because the sun was starting to set it would have been ruined and thus, he would have needed to start the process from scratch again. Delays may have been a fact of life, but the Hunters and the Healing Church tended to start getting snippy if you let the good metal go to waste.

So instead of going home in a timely manner to settle in for an incense scented, somewhat restless night he had stayed at the forge and gotten the job done. He would still need to finish the weapon proper the following day, but the hard part was over with and he wouldn't need to redo it. Of course, the payment for his diligence was even more work as he found himself wielding his pitchfork at the back of a traveling group of civilians, helping to shepherd them and make sure no one got lost or fell behind as the Hunter guiding the group walked at the front to find the safest path he could.

The group could only move as fast as its slowest person and so Draco, one of the few in the group with any combat experience and had the presence of mind to actually be armed, had naturally taken up a rear guard position. His job, as he justified to himself, was a combination of making sure no one got lost or fell behind while also keeping an eye behind the group to make sure they didn't have anything tagging along, trying to sneak up on them. His senses and ability to detect threats likely weren't up to the same levels as Stefan's likely were, but having a second pair of eyes and ears who actually knew what to look out for as far as something trying to sneak up or approach with haste never hurt.

Couldn't trust the Civilians to do it properly. They flinched and nervously started murmuring among themselves at every little thing; Sure, the animistic howl of what was likely a giant, terrifying creature somewhere in the distance was a noise that should inspire some degree of caution, but it was clearly a loud, public and far away noise and thus wasn't their concern. It was the local, quiet sounds nearby, such as that of stealth betrayed, that were likely to be their problem.

Of course, they soon came to a stop. As much as Draco would have liked to have gone to the front of the group to get a look at whatever danger was ahead, experience told him that now was the time to keep on high alert since the group had come to a complete stop and if anything was planning to leap out, now would be the time. When it failed to manifest, he simply answered softly "Lead the way. I'll continue keeping a rear guard."

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Take your time man.

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

@Dark Jack
Okay. So how are we going to be doing this opener then?

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

The relationship would be professional. The hunters and people they send his way are good business and in return he'll be polite and know how the basics of the Healing Church faith work to keep them happy.

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Oh, I can add stuff but... well, Draco and his dad managed to survive by employing their talents as blacksmiths. With the surge of hunters, weapon creation and maintenance were in high demand and thus anyone with the right skills could easily find employment. While the massed hunters also meant a reduction in the need for huntsmen, the Russ' also developed weapons for them (through not trick weapon hunter grade, they still did solid work) and outright offered tactical advice from their experiences in fighting the inhuman so that the new huntsmen weren't going into their first hunts blind.

While the Russ' fought witches and the Mad Ones rather then beasts, they do impart good solid tactics like how to mask ones scent, the value of picking your fights, using the terrain to your advantage, how to spot an ambush before its too late, why blind panic will get you killed but feeling fear will save your life and most important of all: Why you need the element of surprise on your side and how to make it count.

The Russ family as a whole only managed to take down two Mad Ones during their engagement with the Witches of Hemwick. The first Mad One alone killed most of Draco's brothers between the initial engagement and the avenging ambush afterwards, but the second one was killed without a single loss due to better understanding of what it could do and luring it into a trap where they dropped a number of heavy stones on it to stun and cripple it before rushing in to finish it off before it could recover.

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Oh okay. Sorry just... It didn't click before. Draco would be a Huntsmen then. A pretty good one too in order to have survived as long as he has, considering he and his family were in Hemwick during the hag occupation from start to finish (even if the family Christmas card list was massively reduced doing so).

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

@Dark Jack

Oh. I guess he would be a Yharnamite then. But I do have to ask... what's the difference between a Paleblood and False Paleblood hunter and a normal hunter?

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Draco Russ

Name:
Draco Russ

Race:
Yharnamite.

Appearance:
Standing at around six feet, four inches (give or take) results in Draco normally being the tallest in the crowd (Through he has encountered several people taller then himself). He has often been told that he has the broad shoulders and slim physic to be a natural born swimmer. His white skin is quite pale due to his somewhat nocturnal lifestyle, through it does match his blue eyes and brown-blonde hair rather nicely.

There was once a time where Draco was a handsome young man that could make a young woman's heart swoon; That ended the night he first took up a pitchfork in order to drive one of the local hags off his property and discovered just a moment to late for vanity but just fast enough to save his life that the crazy bitch had a meat cleaver. A missing nose and an ugly scar running across the middle of his face horizontally are a constant reminder of the night he first took a life.

Weapon:
Draco isn't an officially recognized hunter and doesn't have access to the workshops that produce trick weaponry. However, he was training to be a blacksmith and as Hemwick grew more and more dangerous he tried his hand at developing a weapon for himself. Not trusting himself with actually using a sword, he favored the pitchfork since it gave him some reach (and thus distance from things trying to kill him), three sizable prongs to stab the target and it was pretty simple to use. Of course, the standard garden variety pitchfork, while helpful in a pinch, was not up to the task and thus he created a weaponized variety.

Draco's creation is effectively a military fork, reinforced in order to take a charge from the beasts without the threat of snapping from the pressure. The 'blunt' bottom part at the opposite end of the prongs is carefully designed so that it can be planted into the ground, allowing the ground itself to aid Draco in holding his ground in the face of a lunge or a charge from something bigger then a human. Interestingly, Draco's weapon is further modified in order to allow it to hold torches; This is to help him see in the dark since properly using the weapon requires two hands, but the torches are secured in such a way that the flames from both torches can overlap with the prongs, heating the treated metal slightly while also actively burning anything that happens to be stabbed by it.

Worse case situation, the shaft of the fork can be used as a solid blunt weapon akin to a metal studded quarter staff. Not so good against giant beasts, but against things more human sized can be life saving.

Backstory:
Draco's family has lived in Hemwick since shortly after it was established since... well, the tools of Execution required maintenance and a proper blacksmith was required for the task.

During the dark days of the Hunt leading up to the Blood Moon, Draco had been a teenager who was actively working alongside his family in order to try and defend their home. Not from the beasts that plagued the rest of the city, but from the coven of hags and witches that had moved in and risen to power in Hemwick. Their defiant stand and refusal to convert or flee was done as much out of desperation as bravery; With the beast plague running rampant in Yharnam and nothing but the wilds between them and the next city or town, where could they flee and hope to escape the horrors before the beasts ran them down in the open?

Their fight against the witches of Hemwick was a brutal and harrowing affair. They had some success against the hags with carefully planned hit and run attacks, ambushing small groups of the coven... but every night their ranks seemed to swell further then before and the Russ family only had so many people who couldn't be replaced when their lives were lost. Not to mention the unnatural, unholy magics the witches could call upon to bolster themselves and their forces further. Draco lost all of his brothers, all by one of his sisters and his mother to the hags before, during the night of the Blood Moon, the coven's back was broken.

The Russ family never did find out the name of the Hunter who plunged the knife into the Coven's black heart and tore it out, but they hold that if the Hunter ever comes to them for aid the family is indebted to them for saving their lives and home from the witches that had taken so much from them.

For a time things were good... but with the Hags dead and gone, the beasts moved in to fill the void with hunters soon to follow. The rise of the Vilebloods only worsened the situation, turning Hemwich into a slaughter ground akin to a war zone. While a proud family, the Russ knew when to fold; They had held their home against the coven but they had lost too much strength to even attempt to hold their home against the fresh wave of bloodshed and madness to enter Hemwick so soon afterwards. With Yharnam now relatively safer then it was in the bad days when it was a choice between fighting the Hags or outrunning the Beasts, Draco and his remaining family fled to the city proper, seeking shelter and safety.

But Draco fully intends to reclaim his home of Hemwick again.

Hope you enjoy. @Dark Jack