The Night Unfurls / Tropes O to Z

This page covers tropes found in The Night Unfurls.

Tropes A to D | Tropes E to N | Tropes O To Z |

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O

• Official Couple: Sanakan and Hugh are acknowledged by the narrative plus any character that notice their dynamic (including The Protagonist Kyril) to be a definite item.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Any moment that involves Kyril in some way. Especially so when any friend or foe realises that the infamous fiend in the tricorne hat and grey coat is sprung to action, saw and gun in hand.
  • Original version:
    • Celestine, when she gets to meet Kyril face to face, the same man she saw in her visions, envisioned as either a saviour or destroyer of her land, the latter most likely. Described further in detail in the remastered version, where Celestine hears the sound of the ocean roaring, waves crashing against the shore which shakes her to the core when she feels his presence. The worst thing is that she is the only one who can hear this rumbling sound, due to her having higher Insight than the others.
    • Chapter 22: Shamuhaza and Hugh respectively, when they become one of the first people to get a glimpse of Kyril's power as a great one. For the former, it is an ironic one and the result is obviously not pretty. For the latter, he is thankfully unharmed thanks to his power not being directed at him, but the very fact that Kyril defeats Shamuhaza by simply staring at him leaves Hugh mouthing the word "Boss" over and over again.
    • Chapter 26: Grishom panics as his cathedral is in flames. Bonus points for him and the rebels being inside said cathedral.
    • Chapter 29: The reactions of the traffickers when the door of their meeting room is suddenly kicked open, and they realise that the entire five-hunter band is out for their blood.
    • Chapter 29: A guardsman who is working for Mandeville in secret does a Loud Gulp as he witnesses two of his friends having their lives sucked out of them as an animated doll wills it so. He quickly draws his sword, only to have his leg bent in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, Grace reacts appropriately in a Terrifying Rescuer situation.
    • Chapter 30: Mandeville, thinking that Soren is at his limit, has his sneer wiped off when Hugh pulls a Big Damn Heroes, finding himself cornered by the two hunters.
    • Chapter 31: A grief-stricken Olga is angered at Kyril for saying how there's nothing she could do to help her servant Chloe, so she slaps him. A moment later, she realises that she just slapped someone that vastly outclasses her in any way, and hyperventilates as Kyril raises an arm. Olga, clearly thinking that he's going to hit her back, has "I'm screwed" written all over her narration. It doesn't happen, and she receives a Cooldown Hug instead.
    • Chapter 31-32: What about that time where both Celestine and the assassin responsible for Kyril's first death witness how he comes Back from the Dead?
  • Remastered version (exclusive):
    • Chapter 6: Olga and Kin's reactions when Kyril summons star-fire in his palms, as well as what he intends to do with it.
    • Chapter 9: Brandon gives this expression when he realized Kyril knew about his intentions of selling Grace and Anna out to Morgan of the Black Dogs.
    • Chapter 9: Morgan of the Black Dogs later has this expression when The Rat bargins with Kyril over Morgan's soul.
    • Chapter 13: Soren and Fredrick realise they are screwed as Alicia suddenly draws her sword to attack the former while the latter flees.
• Oh, My Gods!: Occasionally used by the characters of the story. Examples include "Goddess" (invoking Celestine's status as God-Emperor), "Gods above..." (because monotheism is not present) or simply "Gods...".
• Older Than They Look: Three instances:
  • High elves and dark elves in this story have a long lifespan but do not suffer the effects of old age, a common trait of elven species shown in a fantasy setting. For example, Celestine and Olga are stated to have indirectly fought each other for centuries. Grace has lived for 300 years, with Anna being 20 years her senior.
  • Half-ling commander Shalala looks like a little girl, but her true age is in her thirties.
  • Kind of true for Kyril. Whenever one notices Kyril lowering his bandanna, they are often surprised at how young he looks. While he has the appearance of a young man somewhere in his twenties, the story has not confirmed his real age. At one point during a conversation with Olga in the original version, Kyril tells her he's not over a hundred years old like her. If we consider his true nature, as well as the unknown time-skip between the Childhood's Beginning ending and the beginning of the story, we can safely assume that he is in fact quite old.
    Kyril: You have a question?
    Olga: No, I just... did not expect someone so young.
    Kyril: I assure you, I am older than I look.
• The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: The ending of Chapter 10 of the remastered version presents the readers with a group of nobles and clergymen scheming in the darkness of an undisclosed location, only lit by the flames of a torch. Whatever they are planning seems to lean towards supporting the Black Dogs' plan to "live like kings" via restarting the slave trade and initiating a War for Fun and Profit, with the forces in the Black Fortress and Kyril himself as valuable assets. Contrary to usual depictions of this trope, they are NOT omniscient, and NOT everything is according to plan, namely: the end of the war between Celestine and Olga is not accounted for; and that Vault did successfully take over the Black Fortress, but they don't know he was Killed Off for Real by Kyril afterwards, which may or may not put a wrench in their plans.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: Kyril downplays this when wielding his Holy Moonlight Sword. The transformed mode of this weapon (where it turns turquoise and can shoot beams) is normally wielded in both hands, but he occasionally uses it one-handed either to cut down his foes, rid it of blood, or to lean it against its shoulder. The normal mode of this weapon can be wielded in one hand like a bastard sword, so he would have one hand free to wield a gun.
• One-Man Army: The Good Hunter, in spades. He made his name by slaughtering numerous orc bands all by himself, including high-value targets that would be a pain to anyone who is not the Good Hunter. Deconstructed as this messes up his psyche, and he has to cope with it by being Conditioned to Accept Horror. Besides, he cannot be everywhere at once, so he, a One-Man Army, fights with an army to achieve victory more effectively.
• Only a Flesh Wound: The closest instances of a major injury that Kyril sustains in the original version are a punctured lung from a crossbow shot, and a sword wound to an arm and a leg from his duel with Vault. Both of them are received in the Liberation of Ansur Arc. Being a Bloodborne hunter, it would not be surprising to see him shrug off said injuries without trouble.
• Only in It for the Money:
  • Kyril, in the beginning. He has been working as a freelance sellsword since arriving in Eostia, hunting down numerous orc war bands by himself not for heroics, but for a living. In fact, this trope is the sole reason why he gets involved in the quest to bring Olga alive back to Ken. His insistence on the completion of his mission, hence getting paid, is made more prominent in the remastered version. Later on, he gradually grows out of this mentality when he gets more involved in the war against the Black Dogs. In particular, the moment where he decides to defy Bystander Syndrome marks his Character Development.
  • In Chapter 25, Kyril claims himself as this while interrogating a clergyman who follows Grishom. The clergyman takes the bait and frantically reveals that he knows where Grishom is, culminating in the climax of the Rebel Scum Arc.
• "Open!" Says Me: Happens in Chapter 29 of the original when the five hunters hit a warehouse where Mandeville's associates are meeting. Kyril kicks a door off of its hinges, brazenly interrupting their meeting. Cue slaughter.
• Opposites Attract: Sanakan and Hugh. She's a Hot-Blooded cynic while he's a mute idealist. This is reinforced in the Four-Temperament Ensemble, with Sanakan as the choleric and Hugh as the phlegmatic respectively. The result? Puppy Love!
• Orphanage of Love: Soren was raised in one of these, named Little Angel's Orphanage. Accompanied by Lily, Soren later visits the old building that was once his childhood home to reunite with the caretaker and the children. It turns out that this place was once in dire straits, which motivated Soren to obtain money via thieving to support the orphanage.
• Orphan's Ordeal:
  • Sanakan and Hugh. Forced to fend for themselves in the streets via pickpocketing due to Parental Abandonment. Forced to bear scars should they get caught. All because their respective parents are not there to protect them. And then the Black Dogs invade the village they are residing to Rape, Pillage, and Burn. The two kids would not survive past Chapter 4 if Kyril, who would later become their mentor and grant them strength, arrived late for one second.
  • Hugh deserves special mention, as the story later reveals more details about his family. His mother, now a minor noble, married another man to have another son and daughter, which culminated in Hugh's abandonment. Before his apprenticeship under Kyril, Sanakan was the only person to show him genuine affection, being a fellow Street Urchin like he was. To end it off on a peculiar note, Hugh has made peace with the fact that he doesn't want to see his mother or his mother's family ever again, yet he is badgered by these people to come back and become their heir, letter of forgiveness and all.
• Our Demons Are Different: There is no specific "demon" race, but some beings are referred to as "demon".
  • The term "demons" is sometimes used to refer to any "barbaric" Standard Fantasy Races within The Horde, like orcs (the word "orc" derives from an old word for "demon"), goblins, or mutants (which may overlap with the former two).
  • Kyril isn't a demon, but the guy is so inhumanly strong and fast that he is rumoured to be a demon wearing a man's skin. He's actually a great one, but no one knows this.
  • The remastered version introduces The Rat, an entity that draws power from the souls of the survivors, the desperate, and the ambitious. He has made deals with mortals before to gain such souls, and now he seeks to accompany Kyril as a means to gain more souls. He compares himself with "the Gods", but he is later revealed to be one of the many "lesser known entities" whose influence faded away due to the presence of Laurendau and Garan, the two prominent goddesses. On a humorous note, he seems to be a bit perturbed when someone calls him a demon.
    Claudia: Demon! You dare make your presence known to the Goddess Reborn?
    The Rat: Demon? Oh... you small-minded little things are so unimaginative.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Subverted. The word "dragon" is mentioned twice in the original version of the story — a quote from Beasley saying how he "could have spent less on a blasted dragon" rather than some guards to kill the Hunter, and Grace's narration on how Kyril isn't a fairy tale hero who "slays the evil dragon". In addition, dragons are a common ingredient in a Standard Fantasy Setting, like the Kuroinu 'verse in this fanfic. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect dragons or any Dragon Tropes to appear, and yet, they don't.
• Our Elves Are Different: Due to the story's Low Fantasy elements, the depiction of elves is more mundane compared to how they are usually depicted. Putting the Pointy Ears and the immensely long lifespan aside, elves are hardly any different than humans. Notably, the "smugness" factor is absent, and not every elf is depicted as in tune with magic^note e.g., Grace, who becomes an Action Survivor at one point; and Chloe, who uses daggers and archery. Variety-wise, dark elves as a whole are more intertwined with the plot than the other two groups (high elves and half-elves). At first glance, these elves live in Garan, a Mordor located in the Grim Up North. They are also more fluent in the sibilant tongue of Garan, which sounds like "the whisperings of a murderer at the bedside of a dead man" (in other words, a Black Speech -esque language). Closer inspection reveals that dark elves tend to get the short end of the stick. For centuries, they have faced enslavement by human slavers, as well as orc attacks from chieftains (all the more ironic when the dark elves and the orcs are teamed together). The former part serves as the catalyst for the Forever War between the South and the North, with Olga the Dark Elf Queen as a core belligerent. Alas, this only caused the dark elves to be seen more negatively, worsening the Fantastic Racism between dark elves and humanity. Really puts the "contemporary" depiction of dark elves (the grim-dark elements) in a different light.
• Our Ghosts Are Different: The remastered version has ghost-like beings named wraiths, described by the narrative as "the essence of the restless dead who resented the living". Cloaked in white, they are intangible beings somehow able to rend living beings with their claws. Wraiths are vulnerable to Olga's magic field that dispels their inherent intangibility, as well as Kyril's melee weapon (which is practically effective against anything).
• Our Gods Are Different:
  • The main setting has multiple gods that can be worshipped by anyone, even the unsavoury folk^note e.g., the goblins using a Human Sacrifice for their dark gods (Chapter 6, original ver.), the Malys clan dabbling with less sympathetic gods (Chapter 22, original ver.), the orcs ululating to their dark gods around a cooking pit (Chapter 9, remastered ver.), etc.. However, only two are regarded as the most prominent: gentle Laurendau, who reincarnates in her descendants to hold her power for generations; and haughty Garan, Laurendau's polar opposite (though her "cruelty" is merely an Informed Attribute). Celestine Lucross is the current inheritor of the former's power, while Olga Discordia is the current inheritor of the latter. Both have engaged in warfare for centuries.
  • Examples exclusive in the remastered version:
    • During a conversation between Kyril and Prim, Kyril mentions that he has seen gods far above mortal, indicating that he equates the great ones with gods.
    • The Rat notes that The Old Gods are waking, and they may need Kyril during some future war. Though this merely falls under Vagueness Is Coming rather than meaningful lore.
• Our Orcs Are Different: The traditional kind. Dumb, green-skinned, bestial/barbaric to the point of Always Chaotic Evil, little to no culture/character outside of organizing war bands and committing Rape, Pillage, and Burn... the orcs are Tolkienesque alright. There's also how other groups like goblins, trolls, and ogres are typically counted as "orcs but smaller or larger".
• Outside-Context Problem: Suffice to say, anyone and anything related to Bloodborne is this to the Kuroinu 'verse. Especially Kyril Sutherland, the protagonist of this story. To the people of Eostia, he is a mysterious outsider clad in nondescript clothing and a weird hat. No one in the country knows where he comes from, and the stuff he uses is completely foreign. The awe, mystery, and suspicion only increase tenfold when compounded by his secrecy, as well as his talent for slaughter. On the other hand, readers who have played Bloodborne are familiar with his origins, his abilities, and his motives. Throughout the story, he is the Godzilla Threshold to Celestine, ruler of Eostia and leader of the Seven Shields, who has no choice but to find this elusive, yet dangerous agent in hopes of possibly ending the Forever War with his help, which it did. The monsters and the Black Dogs simply don't stand a chance against this blasted Nigh-Invulnerable Lightning Bruiser that came out of nowhere. Even though he is on the side of Eostia and its people during the war against the Black Dogs, they can only pray that he doesn't murder or turn on them for no reason, not that they can do anything anyway should he decide to do so, implausible as it may seem. The kicker? Kyril himself will make sure that he is always two steps ahead by keeping Yharnam and his two biggest trump cards — his Resurrective Immortality and his nature as a great one a secret, with the positive side-effect that no one would suffer from the madness of Yharnam. At one point, he even outright states that fear and deception are useful tools for him to move if everyone knew almost nothing about him.

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• Paper Destruction of Anger: Having a dislike for paperwork, Kyril does this sometimes with irritation. The one time he does this with Tranquil Fury is when he has enough of a spreading rumour claiming he slept with Maia. Cue the feeble piece of parchment on his table being crumpled into a ball and abruptly thrown into the fireplace.
• Parental Abandonment: Sanakan, Hugh, and Soren are confirmed to be orphans. Only Soren is lucky enough to end up raised in an Orphanage of Love. Sanakan and Hugh... not so much.
• Parental Substitute:
  • While Kyril sees Evetta as a very close companion rather than a mother figure, she did take care of him when he was transformed into an infant great one.
  • It is implied that Sanakan and Hugh see their mentor Kyril as a father figure, as he gives them a home, food, and strength, despite having every right to turn them away. A bartender even asks him if the two kids are his.
    Varo: And these two kids? Are they yours?
    Kyril: They are my... squires.
  • Soren's foster mother, Sister Ramiel, serves as this to the children under her care in the old orphanage that serves as his childhood home.
  • Olga became a surrogate mother to Chloe after saving the half-elf from slavery and raising her by herself in the Black Fortress. As Chloe grew up into the loyal vassal Olga wanted and needed her to be, the two of them would later become each other's Living Emotional Crutch.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Zig-zagged.
  • The very premise of the story is the Good Hunter dishing out gory deaths, torture, and the occasional Mind Rape unto the Black Dogs, an Army of Thieves and Whores who Rape, Pillage, and Burn. There are times when he punishes Black Dog members legitimately or in a "less cruel" manner (e.g. executing traitors via hanging and burning their corpses afterwards in Chapter 19 of the original), but those are exceptions.
  • As a result of Eostia's enslavement of the dark elves, Olga believed that Humans Are the Real Monsters and declared war against the country. The war went on for centuries, and the situation has not improved since then.
  • Kyril's methodology becomes a point of discussion in the Rebel Scum Arc and onwards, where the Hunter and his men crack down a rebellion by force (in other words, this trope Played Straight). Claudia is a vocal opponent of this trope, but the fact that Kyril and his associates have been delivering results with callous efficiency during the war means she is practically a minor obstacle. Other characters (e.g. Celestine, Lily) do not fully endorse it, yet, for the exact same reason, have to bear with it.
• Perma-Shave: Chapter 7 of the remastered version reveals that Kyril invokes this trope via a minor shaving montage. He admits that he never expected himself to do something as banal as removing facial hair.
• Perpetual Frowner:
  • Downplayed for Sanakan. Her default expression is a scowl, but sometimes grins if she feels like it.
  • Subverted for Kyril. He's a Consummate Professional who leans towards The Stoic with the emotionless visage, giving the impression of seriousness or mild annoyance all the time, but he does give a thin smile underneath his bandanna more than once.
• Pile Bunker: The Good Hunter pulls out the Stake Driver on two occasions in the original version — the attack on the Malys Estate, and the hunt for Mandeville. A heavy gauntlet with a large stake strapped to it, it is strong enough to reduce a mutant to Ludicrous Gibs. The resulting explosion from this trick weapon can also stagger nearby foes, making them vulnerable to any incoming attack.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse:
  • Princess Knight Luu-Luu has a child-like body frame, but she is strong enough to lift her huge axe. Her combat prowess is best shown in Chapter 16 of the original, where Luu-Luu, as a husk, manages to keep up with the Good Hunter in speed. She also has enough strength to push him back and throw him aside a considerable distance.
  • This seems to be a common trait of Half-lings. Like Luu-Luu, who is also one of them, the half-ling fighters barely stand at Kyril's shoulders, yet they bear weapons that are longer than they are tall.
• Pistol-Whipping: The Good Hunter bludgeons his prey with his pistol and blunderbuss just as often as he shoots them. This is necessary because his firearms need to be reloaded after firing a shot. Thanks to his very strength, a strike from his firearm used as a blunt instrument can kill as well.
• Pitiful Worms:
  • Both versions of the story feature a few moments where the uber-powerful Kyril compares other people to insects, making him a rare heroic example.
    • In the original version, Kyril encounters Shamuhaza a second time and calls him, now as an insectoid Eldritch Abomination, "small and insignificant" in his Badass Boast, as if he is mocking Shamuhaza for turning into an actual bug to fight him. Not that it matters anyway, as Kyril himself is a great one with far more power and experience. The following narration says it all:
      And all the while, a great eye stared down upon him, watching his agony with callous disinterest. As if watching a bug pinned to the table by a needle.
    • In Chapter 4 of the remastered version, Kyril internally remarks that he doesn't bother sparing Hicks, one of Vault's compatriots, any attention because he sees him as an insect.
    • In Chapter 6 of the remastered version, Kyril is reminded of vermin upon witnessing a group of Black Dogs molesting Chloe, their depravity being similar to how tainted Yharnam's people were.
  • In the remastered version, The Rat, a demonic entity, sees the existence of Alicia, Maia, and Kaguya (all humans) as lower than an insect's.
• Placid Plane of Ankle-Deep Water: The final confrontation against Shamuhaza as a scuttling insect takes place on the waters of a great lake. Sanakan and Hugh note the surreality of the location they are in.
  Sanakan and Hugh were silent, both in awe of what they were standing in.
  They stood, how it was possible neither knew, on the waters of a great lake. Underneath the waters were plant roots. In the middle of the lake was a large Lumen flower that Kyril recognized.
  He could hear its displeasure cleanly in his mind. The poor thing would probably feel right at home in the gardens of the Hunter's Dream.
• Platonic Life-Partners: The Good Hunter and the Plain Doll. He sees her as his dearest companion and confidante, willing to live out the rest of his life to repay her kindness. She sees him as her dearest Hunter and Only Friend, willing to take care of him and soothe his sickly spirit for as long as he lives. Their intense loyalty to each other aside, the two have a lot of similarities, share several moments of intimacy, are comfortable in each other's presence, and have been living together in the Dream since the Night of the Hunt. The fact that he can set time to flow differently than in the Waking World means it is theoretically possible for him to spend virtually every waking moment with her. Nevertheless, they have no romantic or sexual interest in each other whatsoever, to the point where the concept of UST or Relationship Upgrade is simply absent between the two. The both of them value the well-being and the company of their dearest friend, without feeling any passion or the need for pretension.
• Platonic Prostitution: Chapter 7 of the original features Kyril visiting the Rosie and its mistress Shani, who is said to have connections with one of Alicia's wayward knights. Rather than for sex, he's here to gather the intelligence needed to strike back at Arc Villain Beasley and his forces, as well as to get a place for his apprentices to rest at (that is, to sleep under a blanket).
• Playing with Fire:
  • If mages are present within armies, 99.9% of the time they will be using fire spells, either to burn their enemies or to get rid of surrounding objects. They can also control how the fire spreads to avoid burning themselves.
  • Fire manipulation is Olga's speciality. Throughout both versions of the story, she is shown to use her flames via a variety of attacks, like fireballs, flaming enclosures, airstrikes, or literally making her appearance known with a blaze of glory.
• Pocket Dimension: Kyril and Evetta's humble abode, the Hunter's Dream, a place tied to his will and they are free to enter and leave it if they wish. Reading Kyril's journal gave Celestine and Olga a loose connection to this place. Thankfully, they decide to refrain from prying any further.
• Politically Incorrect Villain:
  • The Black Dogs are a mercenary Army of Thieves and Whores set on building a No Woman's Land regime where every woman is a Sex Slave confined to the kitchen by law.
  • As a result of the Fantastic Racism between dark-elves and humans, it should be of no surprise to see these people on both sides. Olga Discordia, the dark-elf queen, despises humanity, while John Mandeville is a prominent figure of the dark-elf slave trade.
• Power Fist:
  • Sanakan has a heavy bracer which protects the arm/wrist instead of the fist, but works pretty much in the same way as a gauntlet. One blow is strong enough to break the opponent's neck.
  • Kyril's Stake Driver is a heavy gauntlet that works like a Pile Bunker.
• The Power of Blood: Naturally, as a result of being a Bloodborne fic. Kyril's Blood Vials can heal any ailment. Moreover, Kyril's Alien Blood, Blood Gems and Blood Stones (the latter two used for enhancing trick weaponry) are responsible for enhancing the apprentice hunters' combat capabilities. In particular, Hugh's Chikage has a blood rite with a Cast from Hit Points ability, feeding on the blood of both the user and anyone on the receiving end of the blade.
• The Power of Friendship: Inverted, Russian Reversal style. In universal media, having friends gives you strength. In The Night Unfurls, having strength gives you friends. Best showcased by Sanakan and Hugh, who started out as lonely orphans and pickpockets, barely noticed by peasant or noble. It is when they trained hard and kicked a lot of asses as apprentices of the strongest knight in Eostia that they start to find companionship with said knight's two other apprentices, Lily and Soren. The four of them don't explicitly say that they are friends, comrades, or any of that cringey stuff, but it is clear that the camaraderie is there. Moreover, Sanakan says to Kyril outright that they are a big happy family of misfits, even though Kyril is the mentor. All because the two wastes of skin asked him to help them become strong. The mentor gave them strength, and with it, the opportunity to have friends.
• Praetorian Guard:
  • The Dawn Templars are a non-villainous example, being paladins who swore to defend Celestine, the Goddess Reborn. Throughout the series, the cadre has only been in a fight once: at the climax of the Rebel Scum Arc. They are also a part of the five-thousand-men army that is sent to Thorn for a potential Big Badass Battle Sequence, which is yet to be featured.
  • According to lore, the influential Malys clan had its own household guard called the Malys Royal Guard, who were infamous for seeking out slaves to "give over to the Malys's curious appetites".
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
  • Original version:
    • Chapter 8: Kyril to Beasley, right before he hacks him apart systematically like a butcher chopping up a fresh piece of meat.
      Kyril: So ends another traitor. So ends another villain.
  • Remastered version:
    • Chapter 5: The One-Liner Olga says to Kyril as she tries to immolate him would've been a pre-mortem one. Emphasis on "would've".
      Olga: Die as you lived, human. Brave, but foolish! [encloses flames upon Kyril]
      Kyril: [dispels the flames with a Beast Roar, no-selling it]
• Prepare to Die:
  • Original version:
    • Chapter 16: As the hunters and Shamuhaza face off the first time, Kyril says he's just going to go up there and kill him. He doesn't get to do the deed, because Shamuhaza sends Luu-Luu to fight him, forcing Kyril to deal with her instead.
    • Chapter 19: Sentencing Commander Berol to death by hanging, Kyril tells him, "Deal with it. Or pray, seeing as the hangman's noose waits for no man."
    • Chapter 26: Kyril bellows "I HAVE COME FOR YOU!" to the fleeing rebels as he slaughters his way through their ranks.
  • Remastered version:
    • Chapter 5: Olga says "Die as you lived, human" to Kyril before summoning flames to burn him to a crisp. Unfortunately for her, he is no mere human.
• Pride:
  • Shamuhaza represents the "romanticist" type of pride — experimenting on helpless civilians in order to exploit the Eldritch Truth. He gets transformed into an arthropod for his troubles, sitting on a lake with nothing to do but wait.
  • The Hunter has faced many a person who think that they can one-up him or take him on despite knowing who he is, so many that it gets him to muse on the method to fight an arrogant enemy. He answers his own question with the following, a piece of advice in dealing with the prideful.
    "When a man or woman thinks themselves invincible you show them how wrong they are. You destroy them without hesitation, without remorse or pity.
    
    Show them just how... "human" they are and the facade fades pretty quickly."
• Prison Rape: A rare instance where the victims are female, whereas the men-on-men variant has yet to be shown.
  • Happens to the dark-elf prisoners in the Black Fortress, after the Black Dogs take over. It's not just the mercenaries though — the orcs in the fortress are also shown "helping themselves" with the captives. In the remastered version, this revelation is what causes four of the Black Dogs to defect.
  • Also happens to the nuns in Chapter 7, who were taken hostage by the Black Dogs beforehand. After Feoh is surrendered, they are thrown into the dungeons to be ravished by red imps. By the time of their rescue, two have already succumbed, having long bled to death.
• Private Military Contractors: It is safe to infer that many of these exist in Eostia, given how the remastered version notes that mercenary work is a booming business. Though, the only prominent one in the story is the Black Dogs, the most famous mercenary group in Eostia. With Vault as the leader, the Black Dogs have had a close partnership with the Seven Shields during the war against Olga's forces. They then decide to go rogue and start another conflict to create a Sex Empire after taking over the Black Fortress.
• Properly Paranoid: Heaps of combat experience accumulated in Yharnam has taught Kyril to be as vigilant as possible, for he would be slain by even the lowliest of beasts should he spare one moment of complacency. This attitude is all but one of the reasons why he is Strong and Skilled, even granting him the upper hand when he is ambushed or surrounded as shown in Chapter 6, Chapter 28 and Chapter 29. Him getting shot by an arrow meant for Celestine during an assassination attempt Gone Horribly Right proves him correct.
  Kyril: A Hunter does not celebrate the end of one conflict. He just gets ready for another one.
• Puppy Love: Sanakan and Hugh have been in love with each other since they met each other as orphaned pickpockets. Then, they grow as hunters and literally make out in Chapter 18.
• The Purge:
  • The enactment of this trope is not seen, but several clues and events heavily imply that John Mandeville attempts to do this during the Hunt for Mandeville Arc, after Kyril makes his move in targeting the slavers associated with him. This is shown by the revelation that the Black Dogs are securing secret routes from Garan to Ken, together with preemptive assaults on the Lord Executioner, his band of hunters, Claudia, and presumably all the people inside Celestine's palace that are against Mandeville's efforts, courtesy of traitors masquerading as guards ready to act on his orders. Whether there are any casualties is unknown, but at the very least, all named characters within the palace are unharmed, thanks to Kyril's precautionary measures, as well as the intervention of Bergen's skeleton crew and Evetta.
  • Technically speaking, Kyril and Celestine's efforts to eliminate the Black Dogs (who stages a Military Coup against Eostia) plus any traitorous, rebellious elements count as a gradual, story-wide, non-villainous example. They may be the main characters, and anyone on the receiving end of this purge certainly deserve it, yet at the end of it all, they are consolidating power by removing threats to the country.
• Pyrrhic Victory:
  • The Good Hunter obtaining the "Childhood's Beginning" ending in Bloodborne is revealed to be this. He Surpassed the Teacher, slain the Moon Presence, ended the Night of the Hunt, and ascended to the status of great one while retaining his mind. Unparalleled, none can stop him. Pretty cool, except his psyche has become so, so battered — the horrific memories of Yharnam automatically emerge whenever the guy is idle. Since Kyril is immortal, the Hunt is never going to go away any time soon. Even more, he befriended several survivors and fought with his fellow hunters, with high hopes that they would all triumph, only for him to witness every single one of them dying or losing their minds. As for Yharnam, the city itself is ruined beyond repair, but it would certainly be not the last region to be condemned to the same fate.
  • Ansur Arc: The Seven Shields Alliance successfully repels the Black Dogs from Ansur and regains control over the territory. Besides, its criminal elements are expected to diminish for Kyril has offed the criminal families responsible. However, the high death toll and property damage means that relief efforts are going to take quite a while. Maia, technical ruler of Ansur, suffers a Rape as Drama, and even though an interim council of nobility had been established to rule over the city, it remains in a precarious position.
  • Rad Arc: The most severe one. Kyril and his men manage to prevail against the mutated Elite Mooks while averting a possible case of Redshirt Army. Rad is retaken, which would be good if not for the fact that the fortress city is so ravaged that it's considered cursed. The majority of civilians were mutated into Elite Mooks, so they end up mercy-killed, all of them. Those who are lucky enough to come out in one piece would lose their home forever. Luu-Luu's death strikes a blow against the Seven Shields, while Shamuhaza, the one responsible for what happened to Rad and its people, escapes retribution, which definitely causes more problems in the long run. The very fact that he gained knowledge from The Eldritch Truth means that the threat of a Beast Plague 2.0 or similar Apocalypse How is still looming.
  • Hunt for Mandeville Arc: John Mandeville, the major sponsor of the rebellion in Ken, plus other cronies are in chains, expected to be executed in the near future. With the reveal that House Mandeville is heavily involved in the slave trade and trafficking of dark elves, the current patriarch being under arrest means the protagonists have made substantial progress in combating slavery and eliminating traitorous elements. On the other hand, the capital of Eostia suffered horrendous damage due to the rebellion, as per the scribes' records, with the eastern district still in a state of chaos. Chloe is unresponsive as a result of her Cold-Blooded Torture at Mandeville's hands, while her liege lady Olga is suffering a serious Heroic BSoD because of this.

R

• Rage Against the Mentor: Sanakan and Hugh's flashback in Chapter 7 of the original subverts this trope. The two apprentices want answers from their Mentor in Sour Armor Kyril regarding the contract they've taken to become hunters. It is then Kyril hints that he himself has "changed beyond all human reasoning", or rather, he's not even human. Worried that they may turn into something worse one day, Sanakan is just about to call him out, only for Kyril to stop her from doing so. He then reassures the two that such an outcome would not come to pass, explains the reasoning for taking the two as his students, and last but not least, opens up to them about his motive to fight against the Black Dogs. The end result is that Kyril gains Sanakan and Hugh's trust as a kind and honest mentor.
• Rain of Arrows:
  • During the Battle for Navarus Village, Maia and her company succeed in reclaiming the mayor's estate. This gives her archers a good position to rain arrows at the Black Dogs beneath.
  • A squad of goblin archers pulls off this trope to ambush Kyril and his company during the Battle for Oren. However, it is not effective due to their inaccuracy, as well as their targets being under cover. As such, the goblins are dispatched from a distance rather quickly.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Played With.
  • Those who commit rape are generally portrayed as either Always Chaotic Evil or crossing the In-Universe Moral Event Horizon, which explains the prevalence of The Women Are Safe with Us to distinguish which side the readers are supposed to root for (the Eostian armies) and against (The Black Dogs) in a war setting. Bonus points for the latter, whose goal to create a Sex Empire essentially combines the heinous aspects of both rape and slavery. On the other hand, the narrative seeks to avert the notion that rape victims are either Defiled Forever or suffering a Fate Worse than Death. Namely, both Lily and Maia find themselves on the receiving end of Rape as Drama, but the two do manage to recover.
  • The instance where some characters indirectly allow rape to happen is portrayed just as bad as directly committing rape. For example, Olga once permitted the orcs to Rape, Pillage, and Burn one of her cities, Loraine, in exchange for them joining her ranks. This action makes Olga lose a chunk of sympathy In-Universe, judged by how the people of Loraine still feel betrayed to this day, with some (e.g. Grace) even considering Olga to be Beyond Redemption.
  • Another example is Shamuhaza. A supporter of the Black Dogs, he invokes Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong as part of his experiments on Innocent Bystanders. This one is downplayed, because the action is considered equally as evil as his other crimes, like the experiments themselves and causing an Apocalypse How through his pursuit of the Eldritch Truth.
• Rape, Pillage, and Burn:
  • The Always Chaotic Evil fantasy species, like orcs, are really fond of attacking villages, abducting townsfolk, raping them, and/or razing said villages to the ground.
  • Essentially the Black Dogs' modus operandi during their conquest to build a Sex Empire, taking whatever and whoever they wish in every attack. Special mention goes to their assault on Navarus Village in Chapter 4, where the men are taken to be executed, while the women, children included, are rounded up in a church for an orgy.
• Rated M for Manly: Tough, brutal, unkillable male protagonist resembling typical anti-heroes from the '90s hunts, rips, and tears apart an army of rapists and slavers while leading the charge in a war. Features guns and a variety of cool-looking mix-and-match melee weapons, particularly a large serrated cleaver and a BFS. Gorn galore. Paradoxically, this guy inverts many "manly" stereotypes (e.g. lean physique, Cold Ham, celibacy, etc.) and still remains a stoic, level-headed Cultured Badass resilient to the heaps of trauma he faced in his life. As for the cherry on top, he even sheds Manly Tears in the very first chapter of the story^note during a flashback.
• A Real Man Is a Killer: No, Kyril does not adhere to this trope, as his conversation with Grace in Chapter 13 of the remastered version succinctly shows. Rather than a sacred calling or a way to prove one's manhood, to Kyril, killing is not something to be glorified, but a chore meant to be endured. Grace remarks that this sort of thinking is what separates him and her deceased husband, who plays this trope straight.
• Reality Warper: Implied. When Kyril goes into an Unstoppable Rage after his "assassination", he pursues the target responsible. As he walks, objects shake and bleed. Portraits shifted briefly into things out of a Surreal Horror movie. Darkness envelops the target, leaving a small circle of light around him. Makes sense, for Kyril is a great one. It is unknown how much control he has over reality, and whether the "warped" environment goes back to normal after a while.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • Chapter 7, remastered version: Kyril gives one to Chloe to show his disappointment towards her.
    Kyril: You forget your place. You are a prisoner here, not an equal. You are here because your liege lady beggared for your presence here in exchange for her surrender to me. But your incapability to cooperate is becoming a liability. Do not continue testing my patience by antagonizing another member of this camp or I will rescind my amnesty.
  • Chapter 12, remastered version: Kyril gives a scathing one to the Seven Shields after curb-stomping Alicia and Maia in a Trial by Combat, furious at being accused of conspiracy against the Crown.
    Kyril: I overestimated you. Vault didn't even get the chance to beg for mercy. I simply destroyed him, do you want to know why? Because he tried to kill me when I told him no. I finished my job but you refused to see the truth of it, instead making a childish accusation that I would conspire against the crown. You seem to think me so craven. If I had chosen to do so, I would have severed your Goddess's head from her shoulders the moment I walked into that throne room. None of you would have been able to stop me. The only reason you're still alive is because I still have business to attend to. And you are all not even worth killing. Especially you (Alicia). Weakling.
• Reconstruction: Has its own page.
• Recruit Teenagers with Attitude: Reconstructed. Sanakan, Hugh, and Soren are the Kid Heroes of the main cast who fight against the Black Dogs, but they aren't the only ones "saving the day", nor they are thrust into the conflict head-first without guidance or training. Qualified, trained adult professionals are present in the battlefield as the Men of Sherwood, while the latter three (along with Lily, who is implied to be a young adult) are considered to be the heavy-hitters due to being under the apprenticeship of Sir Kyril, who is coincidentally the main protagonist.
• Recruited from the Gutter: Many cases involve the Good Hunter, due to his sympathy towards the poor and the desperate.
  • Before becoming apprentice hunters, Sanakan and Hugh were orphaned pickpockets. Lily was a victim of the Black Dogs' predations, while Soren was a thief working for a street thug owning the streets.
  • Losing her job and being financially in trouble, Grace asked Kyril for a place as his retainer after the Liberation of Ansur, instead of the other way around, wanting to repay him for saving her and her friends' lives. Since he could use a helping hand for paperwork and gathering information about the nobility and the Church, he accepts.
  • The remastered version introduces ex-Black Dog members, whom Kyril decided to lead back to the capital due to their conscience, even though he could have left them for dead. As he declares that he is responsible for their safety, all of them choose to follow him.
• Recruitment by Rescue: Kyril's apprentices are taken via this method.
  • The first two, Sanakan and Hugh, were rescued from certain death by Kyril when the village they resided in was hit by the Black Dogs.
  • Lily, the third, was saved from further abuse by the Black Dogs by a three-person team consisting of Kyril, Hugh, and Harriet.
  • Soren, the forth, was freed from the beatings of his thug superior by Sanakan and Hugh. He is brought to Kyril because Sanakan wanted another team member.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over:
  • Not evil, but Kyril is still an anti-heroic Terror Hero whose eyes blaze red occasionally (in the remastered version, they are always red), garbed in dark grey attire. The "red" part is more pronounced whenever he is covered in gore, head to toe (which often happens due to his inclination towards Gorn).
  • One of his apprentices, Sanakan, is an inversion. Assuming that the Old Hunter Set she wears looks exactly the same as that in Bloodborne, her Badass Longcoat is a case of dark on the outside and red on the inside. She's actually one of the heroes.
• Red Baron:
  • Kyril Sutherland is best known as (Sir) Kyril the Bloody due to his brutal actions in the battlefield, but different people have referred to him by a number of recognisable nicknames. "Hunter" is what he's known as and the one he preferred at the beginning, though it becomes less prevalent due to his increasing titles. "The Saint of Killers" is a name given by people deep in the red light district of Ken, for he is a man so terrifying that even the most cold blooded murderer on the streets stayed home if he was around. One Black Dog prisoner calls him "The Reaper", a new one Kyril hasn't heard of. He later hears talk about him being "the Left Hand of the Goddess" as he continues to bring results for the Goddess via brutal methods.
  • Due to her status as God Empress, Celestine Lucross is better known as "The Goddess Reborn/Re-incarnate", or simply "The Goddess".
  • Maia has the moniker "Queen of Mercenaries" due to being the technical ruler of Ansur, a Wretched Hive where the children born there are said to be destined to become mercenaries when they grow up.
  • The remastered version introduces a rat-looking entity named The Rat. It is not confirmed whether it is the forest creature's real name. Kyril even assumes it is a made-up name. Celestine, on the other hand, refers to the Rat as "Lord of Plagues", "King-Spawn of All Vermin", "He Who Feasts On Ambition", "Eater of Men", and "Foul Taskmaster".
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Dreaded Anti-Hero Kyril is a hunter, a killer, an inhumanly fast and strong entity that constantly exudes Killing Intent, even when he's not holding his serrated cleaver. His originally-dark eyes turn crimson when he wants to visibly show others that he's deadly serious. The remastered version switches his eye colour to permanently claret red, like spilled blood, just to amplify the sinister vibe.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni:
  • Kyril's stoic, brooding nature means that he is the Blue Oni to many characters depending on the dynamic between any two. In terms of commanders, Drill Sergeant Nasty Bergen is the Red Oni. In terms of knights, his rival, Claudia (Alicia in the remastered version) is the Red Oni. In terms of his band of hunters, the choleric Sanakan and sanguine Lily are Red Onis. In terms of people who delved into the Eldritch Truth, Evil Sorcerer Shamuhaza is the Red Oni.
  • Childhood partners in crime Sanakan (Red) and Hugh (Blue). Sanakan is The McCoy, loud and tactless. In comparison, Hugh is The Spock, a mute who can only emote so much.
• Red Pill, Blue Pill: Offered to Sanakan and Hugh twice in the original version. An uncommon variation where the main protagonist, Kyril, is the one offering this choice.
  • In Chapter 5, the two kids have passed Kyril's test by returning proof of their kills. In response, Kyril proceeds to the next step of their apprenticeship: a contract. An oath to serve under his command. After giving them a "disclaimer" of what being an apprentice hunter entails (e.g. the burdens they bear, experiencing the hell that is war, and essentially becoming a Child Soldier at worst), he gives them the "blue pill" option — not signing the contract. The two sign the contract ("red pill"), obviously.
  • Comes up again in Chapter 7. Kyril clarifies that the aforementioned contract is a mere formality, and that they are free to leave if they wish. This time, however, he emphasises on the consequences of choosing the "blue pill" — be normal and defenceless until the Black Dogs either kill them or take them as a slave. Again, they pick the "red pill".
• Redshirt Army: Subverted and defied in the original version. The Rad Arc builds up the threat level of Shamuhaza's mutated monstrosities by having Kyril's soldiery, who are previously shown as competent Men of Sherwood, struggle for the first time, taking more casualties than usual. However, these people go to great lengths to avoid being expendable, such as securing the flanks in battle, planning their next actions, freeing the other scattered forces, and replenishing their strength. As the battlefield moves to the Fortress City of Rad (i.e., the climax), Kyril opts to lead a band of twenty to sneak into the fortress city rather than putting all his eggs in one basket. In order to minimize casualties, he diverts the troops to a less problematic area while he and his apprentices press on towards the hornet’s nest. In the end, the hard-fought battle is won, but the narrative treats the losses sustained in Kyril’s company seriously by putting emphasis on the burials, the mourning, and the rebuilding process.
• Rejected Apology: A rather common occurance.
  • During the Feoh/Ur Arc, Alicia surrendered to the Black Dogs and their army, allowing them to take over the fortresses. Among the victims are a number of nuns, including Lily. When the two meet at Chapter 9 and Alicia apologises for her actions, she received a slap in the face from Lily, saying that she will never forgive Alicia for leaving her sisters to their fates.
  • Before that, she also apologised to Prim for the same thing, because those nuns were Prim's friends. This leads to a downplayed example where Prim patiently states that there is nothing to forgive, though she acknowledges that the Black Dogs have pressured her cousin to surrender.
  • Prior to the story, Olga sacrificed a city to the orcs to recruit them and augment her forces to fight Celestine, leading to Grace losing her home and husband. While Olga tries to make amends with Grace at the end of Chapter 20, Grace explicitly states that if she were Sir Kyril, she would not hesitate to kill her, and hopes that he does the same if he knew what happened.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Kyril quotes the trope's title while addressing the noble class at Ken to dispel the rumours of his "death" due to an attempted assassination.
  I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.
• Reputation Apathy: One of Kyril Sutherland's defining characteristics is that he is indifferent to how people in general think about him. In fact, he prefers being treated with apprehension while minding his own business instead of spending time trying to look good. Upon being knighted in the original version^note not featured in the remastered version as of now, Kyril makes it clear that he does not care about maintaining his reputation as a knight. He doesn't care if people see him as a violent, brutal, ruthless and unchivalrous killer, as long as they stay out of his way in achieving his objectives. His behaviour irks a lot of people, especially those from the nobility, but as the story progresses, more people gradually either respect his strength begrudgingly, or figure out that it is best to get on his good side if he has one.
• Rescue Arc: By the time the war between the Seven Shields and the Black Dogs has begun, later arcs have the Good Hunter, his company, and The Cavalry striving to defend or retake fortresses while fending off the Black Dogs. The ruler of said fortresses (often a Shield), together with their citizens and soldiers would need help most of the time, being either trapped or captured. To be more specific, there are two arcs that are like this. The Feoh/Ur Arc involves taking back Feoh and Ur while bailing out Alicia and Prim. The Liberation of Ansur Arc involves taking back Ansur while rescuing Maia.
• Rescue Romance: After being saved by Kyril, her co-worker, from Michelle's clutches, Maia developed feelings for him, to the point where she is in desperate need of his presence and comfort from the trauma she faced beforehand. The affection is one-sided due to Kyril's celibacy (though Maia initially suspects that he is hooked up with Grace), but he did have Lily help her recover.
• The Rest Shall Pass: This is what Kyril does whenever a stronger threat suddenly appears, or whenever he senses that the Arc Villain is near. The reason is either because he puts a more personal stake in the act, or more pragmatically, he aims to quell the larger threat as quickly as possible, for the sake of preventing unnecessary casualties in his company (defying the Redshirt Army trope).
• Resurrective Immortality:
  • Just like in Bloodborne canon, the Good Hunter cannot be permanently killed. This revelation shocks Perdita, the one who "succeeded" in assassinating him, and Celestine, a witness.
  • In the original version, Kyril internally remarks how nothing would be able to kill the Plain Doll when he's pondering if his allies are well-prepared against Mandeville's preemptive strikes, implying that she retains her canonical ability to resurrect after being struck down.
• Retcon: In Bloodborne, whenever a hunter connected to the Hunter's Dream dies, they simply respawn with no further impediment. However, in Chapter 32, Kyril is seen missing an eye after being shot in the side of the head by an assassin, experiencing his first death while protecting Celestine. This is never explained, due to the original version of the story being discontinued.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
  • From Olga's perspective, waging war on Eostia and sending marauding orcs to its lands equate to justified vengeance for the enslavement of the dark elves, her kind. Consequently, Eostia responded in kind and both sides were unwilling to compromise, leading to a war that lasted for centuries, as well as a deep-seated prejudice between Eostia's people and the dark elves.
  • Discussed in Chapter 4 of the original. Indriga speculates about the possibility that the upstart, anti-heroic knight Kyril lost a loved one to the orcs and goblins, which explains why he displays brutality and intense hatred while fighting a greenskin, as the rumours say. These claims turn out to be incorrect, because Kyril just happens to be an insanely strong, stoic fighter who leaves much Gorn behind, never motivated by hatred or revenge in any way. Moreover, while he did lose many friends and loved ones, none of them are confirmed to be dead at the hands of orcs/goblins.
  • For another discussed example, several P.O.V. characters are absolutely certain that Kyril will rain hell on anyone who touches a hair on Evetta's head, something that is outright confirmed by Kyril himself during his narration in Chapter 28 of the original. Though Evetta will do that herself and spare him the effort.
  • In Chapter 30 of the original, Olga unleashes a Tranquil Fury variant on John Mandeville's goons by reducing a good chunk of them to ash, as revenge for Mandeville's abduction of her servant Chloe and House Mandeville's involvement in the dark elf slave trade.
• The Ruins I Caused: Happens in Chapter 26 of the original. Soren, Lily and the mages of Kyril's company burn down Grishom's cathedral. They then discuss how ugly this piece of architecture is as the building is in flames.

S

• Sacred Hospitality:
  • Kyril may not be a nice person to hang out with in general, nor does he give a crap about honour, but he is surely a hospitable host, as shown from his interactions in the Hunter's Dream with his guests, Celestine and Olga. This is despite that both have them have entered his abode without his permission, albeit unwittingly, due to them peeping in Kyril's journal.
  • Anna references this trope when Grace and Soren visit her home.
    Anna: Well, come in the both of you. It's cold out and I won't let it be known that Anna Florence is a terrible hostess.
• Sadistic Choice: The Rebel Scum Arc features Celestine making one of these upon bearing the news of a rebellion in Ken backed by the Church and numerous Black Dog supporters, aimed at denouncing her rule. Either she sends Sir Kyril the Bloody to put it down by force while alienating a large portion of the people, or makes peace with the rebels while fighting a war with the Black Dogs on multiple fronts, not to mention the unknown price the rebels would ask for. She chose the former.
• Scientist vs. Soldier: Shamuhaza versus Kyril. The former delves into the Eldritch Truth and conducts inhumane experiments on innocents, while the latter leads an army to go clean up the mess.
• Screaming Warrior: A common occurrence, for the battlefield is typically a noisy place where armies of both sides bellow a war cry as they surge out into battle, grunting, roaring, and snarling all the while. Sanakan, in particular, is very vocal during combat. The more barbaric mooks like orcs and trolls are this as well.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • Salazar Mundus decides to renounce his criminal ways by severing ties with the now-defunct Mundus Criminal Family, and taking his family away from Ansur. In other words, he's exiled, but this spares him from the Good Hunter's "tender mercies".
  • The first chapter of the remastered version features a mook orc fleeing from the Hunter after the remaining nineteen are slaughtered. The Hunter is impressed — discretion is often the better part of valour after all. Alas...
    Unfortunate that the orc was running so damned slow...
  • The orc ambush during the next chapter ends with the surviving orcs losing their nerves, opting to flee from the Hunter's butchery. They are successful, unlike the unlucky one above.
• Seize Him: In Chapter 19 of the original, Commander Berol is ousted as a traitor by Kyril and his company. Both parties try to use this trope on the other, to no avail for the former.
  Kyril: Commander Berol, by the authority vested in me by the Goddess Incarnate, you have been charged with dereliction of duty and have been sentenced to hang at dawn. Sergeant Roland, seize this man.
  Berol: Y-You can't do this to me, you upstart foreigner! Sergeant Roland, detain this man!
  Roland: *shakes head* I don't follow the words of a traitor.
  Kyril: You have been relieved of command, Berol. Deal with it. Or pray, seeing as the hangman's noose waits for no man. Farewell, Berol.
• Serial Escalation: Until the end of the Leaping Lizards Arc, the Good Hunter goes from fighting standard fantasy foes (e.g. orcs, goblins) and traitorous mercenaries to mutated Elite Mooks complete with Body Horror, complete with two eldritch abominations as a nod to the game this fanfic is based on.
• Serrated Blade of Pain:
  • Kyril's Saw Cleaver is infamous for its absurd design and brutal effectiveness. One of the many reasons why its user is The Dreaded. Luckily, its user is just not nice rather than outright evil.
    Luu-Luu: Well... that is a rather disturbing weapon. What kind of demented arsehole decides to forge something like that?
  • Sanakan, Lily and Soren all use the Saw Spear Kyril gave them (which works similarly to the aforementioned Saw Cleaver) when they begin their training as apprentice hunters. They have to learn the aggressive fighting style the Hunters cultivated to combat the Beast Plague.
  • The Beast Cutter makes its debut in Chapter 12 of the remastered version. Another brutal, heavy and serrated cleaver under Kyril's possession. It is used to fend off Alicia and Maia's simultaneous attacks from their Force and Finesse dynamic. He severely overestimated them, however, for the duo struggles against the Hunter's uncompromising aggression.
• Sex Slave:
  • Vault and the Black Dogs aim to build a regime named the Sex Empire, where the women would "cook, clean and fuck" whenever they are told to. They plan on starting with Olga, Chloe and the dark elves after they take over the Black Fortress, moving on to the women in the south.
  • It turns out that Vault and the Black Dogs are not the first group of people to think of this idea. When Lily was preparing to be ordained, she had heard tales of slavers picking the "choicest" women to sell people rich enough to purchase them. And since slavery was a crime often went unpunished in the country even before Vault's conquest...
  • Implied for Grace, who became one of the slaver Morgan's "products" after being displaced from her homeland, later tossed aside when she had fulfilled her uses.
  • Chapter 24 reveals that House Mandeville practises dark elf trafficking, particularly dark elf slaves waiting to be transported to the Grim Up North for Vault's taking, so sexual labour is obviously involved.
  • Chloe, conceived via a human male raping a dark elf female. The father is later revealed to be John Mandeville, whose house was involved in the dark elf slave trade centuries ago, the reason why Chloe, her mother, and many other dark elves were taken as slaves to be entertainment. And then Mandeville manages to have Chloe in his grasp once more...
• Shady Lady of the Night: Chapter 7 of the original features Kyril visiting the Rosie and its mistress Shani, who is said to have connections with one of Alicia's wayward knights. Rather than for sex, he's here to gather the intelligence needed to strike back at Arc Villain Beasley and his forces.
• Shipper on Deck:
  • Olga is the "shipper with a crush" type, often gleefully teasing Celestine about her feelings towards Kyril, while harbouring feelings to the man herself.
  • Lily ships Sanakan/Hugh, though this is more of a case of wanting the two to make their relationship official, instead of getting the two together.
  • There are street plays (shows In-Universe) that depict a supposedly blossoming romance between the Hunter Kyril and The High Queen Celestine. It turns out that even non-named characters engage in shipping as well. And then there are the rumours about how Celestine paid several of those bards to write down their sagas (aka. Fanfics) for her own private entertainment...
  • At one point, Lily and Soren discuss the idea of Kyril/harem. Soren finds the scenario where Kyril would be swimming in women should the war be over amusing. Lily is confident that their mentor could handle more.
    Lily: What's so funny this time Soren?
    Soren: I dunno. The fact that the Boss has a string of women at his door.
    Lily: A string? That string would probably reach all the way up to the North if you let it. The Master already has his hands full with Her Holiness. I'm sure he could handle a few more.
• Shotguns Are Just Better: Compared with the Hunter's Pistol, the Hunter's Blunderbuss has the advantage of wider spread, meaning a higher chance to hit the targets in the front. Vera from the remastered version internally notes that it "looked more like a cannon than anything else".
• Sibling Yin-Yang: Cousin Yin-Yang, to be exact. Alicia and Prim had been raised together since childhood, making them as close as siblings. In the remastered version, Alicia strives to become a Knight in Shining Armor but proves to be a bit elitist, while Prim aspires the image of noblesse oblige and thus an approachable Princess Classic.
• Silent Treatment:
  • Lily, upon seeing that Torture Is Ineffective on a thug during interrogation, suggests isolating the thug in his cell for a day, nary a sound or any kind of interaction.
  • In the remastered version, Kyril is briefly given this treatment by Alicia and her knights due to their disapproval of the Hunter being in close proximity to Prim. He finds it a tad awkward, but is otherwise fine with that.
• Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Kyril plays with this trope like a juggler does with their balls. He firmly believes that victory triumphs honour in combat, while calling out anyone who believes otherwise. Not surprising for a shell-shocked, mangsting cynic like him, but all the more shocking when he notably refrains from mocking Princess Classic Prim for her idealism, together with his belief that Humans Are Flawed instead of Humans Are Bastards. Then again, he is the same hunter who lied to Ludwig, the Holy Blade about the fate of his Church Hunters as a final solace.
  Prim: I prayed for the comrades we lost on the road. I grieved but now that the Goddess has a plan to end the war, surely such sadness will cease? I certainly do hope so.
  Kyril: May it be so.
• Single-Stroke Battle: Michelle faces off against Hugh, Kyril's apprentice, during his Trial by Combat at the end of Chapter 11 of the original. While the fight does end in one strike, it is not as showy and flashy as it sounds. Only one person lunges towards his opposite target while completely focused. The other person, garbed in ill-fitting armor, seems more concerned about crowing rather than preparing for the fight itself. Perhaps unsurprisingly, said other person ends up being stabbed mid-sentence, right in the unprotected belly. Oh, and the loser of the battle doesn't even get a clean death, or a cool one for that matter. Instead, he writhes on the grass, screaming all the while, and is ultimately silenced after the winner decides that enough is enough and beheads him. Take a guess which person is which.
• Sink or Swim Mentor:
  • Kyril notes that during his time in Yharnam, he had no formal instruction, for his mentor Gehrman believed that the best way to hunt beasts was through practical experience on the field of battle (i.e. to "git gud" by dying over and over again, just like in the game).
  • One of the assignments Kyril has given to his apprentice Kid Heroes Sanakan and Hugh is to hunt down a large hobgoblin, wipe out its band, and return with proof of the kills. The "sink" part is emphasised with Kyril internally stating that he has confidence in them, otherwise he'd "end up with two dead apprentices" and "that would be bad". The two succeed, but not without being bloodied and battered, their clothes torn up.
• Situational Sociability: Kyril is an example that doesn't involve shyness. During typical conversations (if he engages in them), he speaks in a serene, distant, and impassive tone. He is notably more commanding when playing the role of a Four-Star Badass.
• Slashed Throat:
  • Hugh miraculously subverts this trope by surviving such an attempt on his life prior to his introduction^note Truth in Television as there have been cases where victims survive this. It does render him mute, though.
  • One of the hunters' myriad of ways to kill a mook, either by a sneak attack, or when the strike does not cut off the head entirely.
• Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: A sentiment held by many named characters in the story, including those who have experienced slavery first-hand (e.g. Chloe, Grace, etc.). Narrative-wise, the enslavement of dark elves in Eostia was the root cause that sets in motion the centuries-old feud between Celestine and Olga, with Olga making the declaration of war to show her discontent towards this issue. Fast forward to the present and the situation barely changed for the better — slavery remains a crime that was often went unpunished in Eostia, and dark elf trafficking still runs rampant. From Chapter 17 of the original and onwards, hunting down the slavers, dismantling the slave trade, and subsequently freeing the slaves become the focus of the story.
• The Sleepless: Thanks to the eldritch blood flowing in his veins, Kyril has no need for sleep. Since sleep never does anything for him, he would work all day instead.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Has its own page.
• Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter: Olga falls ill during the journey back to Ken, and Chloe gives a Death Glare to Kyril as though it is his fault that her liege lady is sick. Kyril proceeds to mock this trope.
  "What else was he supposed to do? Yell at the gods to make them feel better? Like that ever worked."
• Snow Means Death: Luu-Luu, who dies as herself, is laid down on the snow-covered ground by Kyril.
• So Proud of You: After sparring with all four of his apprentices, Kyril says he is proud of all of them, clearly pleased with their progress. In response, Sanakan assures her mentor that the four of them are getting better every day.
• Soiled City on a Hill: After experiencing this trope first-hand that is Yharnam, which collapsed due to misuse of the Old Blood, hence the Beast Plague, the Good Hunter is determined to prevent this outcome from happening to Eostia, only using his Blood Vials on himself.
• Soldier Versus Warrior: The Night Unfurls favours the Soldier over the Warrior. The main character, Kyril Sutherland, appears to be everything a Warrior dreams of, being this single mighty individual who stomps everyone, advances relentlessly, and wields any kind of weapon (melee or ranged) with mastery. However, his philosophy is full-on Soldier — he believes that there is neither glory nor honour in combat, only a task to be fulfilled, as well as a chore to be endured. The only reward is to live another day. Apart from that, in the original version, Kyril emphasises training, discipline, and doing their job over "foolish" things like glory or bravado when leading his subordinates to battle. Meanwhile, characters with a Warrior mindset are either antagonists or otherwise punished by the narrative. Vault (later revealed to be a bad guy) is characterised as someone who likes to compete and conquer. Antagonists tend to be disorganised, lustful, and/or mindless pillagers. People who espouse honour and chivalry underperform.
• Spell Blade: The Holy Moonlight Sword that Kyril wields, just like in Bloodborne, can channel arcane energy to enhance its slashing and thrusting power. Said energy can also be released in the form of waves or explosions, which makes this BFS the most potent weapon amongst Kyril's arsenal of trick weaponry.
• Spell My Name with a "The":
  • Kyril has five of such titles: the Hunter, the Good Hunter, the First Hunter, the Saint of Killers, and the Reaper.
  • "The Goddess Reborn", for Celestine.
  • "The Dark Queen", for Olga.
  • "The Silent Hunter", for Hugh.
  • "The Pristine Hunter", for Lily.
  • Several orc war chiefs are named like this. There's "the Defiler" and "the Arsonist" in the original version, and there's "the Arch-Arsonist" and "the Eater of Men" in the remastered version.
• Spin Attack: In Chapter 14 of the original, Hugh decapitates a goblin sorcerer by whirling around, bowblade in hand.
• Spiteful Spit:
  • When Kyril indicates he is performing his mission by bringing Olga and Chloe to the Goddess, Celestine Lucross, Vault spits on the floor at the mere mention of her name, which indicates how much respect he has for his employer.
  • Done by Chloe twice in Chapter 6 of the remastered version, when Kyril, the one who defeated her queen, approaches to deliver her to Olga's cell.
  • During the same chapter, Boris recounts to Kyril about him killing a fellow Black Dog for hurting a dark elf prisoner. She cursed and spat at him before succumbing to her wounds, despite his efforts of assistance.
• Squishy Wizard:
  • Lampshaded by Lieutenant Bergen, right before the attack on the Malys Estate.
    Bergen: Mages, you will get your assignments but some good advice to follow: stay with your groups. You guys are squishy, the guys in armor are less so. So stay with them.
  • Subverted for Olga in the remastered version. Playing with Fire aside, she can augment her body with her magic to enhance her agility, as well as Deflector Shields to protect herself from harm. However, this gets Double Subverted when she faces the Good Hunter, who is faster, stronger, and tougher than she is. Within a couple of moments, he shatters both her barrier and her staff, immediately followed by a kick in the torso. She's pretty much done for.
• Staged Populist Uprising: Between chapters 23 to 26, Eostia has to contend with an uprising that publicly denounces Celestine as a false goddess, exhorts men to join the Black Dogs, and demands submission under the will of the self-proclaimed "King" Vault. The uprising is later revealed to be sponsored by Archbishop Grishom of The Church (the "fall guy"), House Mandeville, and their cronies.
• Standard Fantasy Races: Played With. All common races exist in the setting of the fanfic. Humans are, well, humans — the race for many POV characters and antagonists. Elves (high, dark, or half) have a longer lifespan than humans, but aside from that and the Pointy Ears, they otherwise don't seem to be any different from humans. Nevertheless, Fantastic Racism is prevalent between humans and dark elves, which explains the segregation between the South and the North, together with the Forever War between the two races. Dwarves are replaced by halflings, being industrious Little People who swaps the beard and accent for a more adorable look. Orcs serve as the primary enemies, Always Chaotic Evil as they are, with goblins being secondary in comparison. The former, in particular, is often portrayed as disorganised groups of war bands, each with a war chief as their respective leaders.
• Star Power: The Lovecraftian sort. Its otherness is shown where even the two most skilled arcane users, Celestine and Olga, do not have this magic in their arsenal. Only two people are shown firing streaks of starlight at the enemy — Kyril (via A Call Beyond) and an unnamed goblin sorcerer. This attack is strong enough to tear through armour and the walls of a fortress.
• The Stoic:
  • The Hunter hardly emotes^note that is, to express emotion in an obvious way. He often speaks in a way that conveys disinterest and detachment. He often reacts with a blank look, a measured voice, minor irritation, and maybe a sigh or two in situations where it would be reasonable to behave more emotionally (e.g., in a stenchy place, in a festive party, in a fight against 300 people, finding someone who ended up in his private abode, getting kissed, etc.). Most of the time, his visage is obscured by a wide tricorn hat and a bandanna, making it even harder for people to discern how he truly feels. This, along with his talent for slaughter, invokes an image of a cold, merciless killer. The Hunter refuses to be ruled over by emotions in order to do his job better, always bouncing back to his normal, impassive self even after the rare occasion of briefly smiling or being Not So Stoic, but there are a few times where he blandly tells people how he feels to get his point across (because not showing emotion doesn't necessarily mean lying about one's feelings). The Hunter's stoicism complements his other characteristics, namely his uncanny effectiveness in combat, his status as a feared enigma, and his inclination for serene solitude.
  • Just because Evetta is a living doll doesn't mean she is an outright Emotionless Girl. While it's true that she almost never changes her facial expression or tone, her stoicism comes off as unruffled and peaceful, something that differs from her Good Hunter's aloofness.
  • Invoked frequently by Olga]], who often attempts to put on a brave face. In practice, her "stoicism" is a facade as fragile as glass, making her more of a Tin Man than anything.
• Stopped Caring: The last page of Kyril's journal has the owner declaring that he's "honestly just too tired to care anymore" as dawn was coming in Yharnam, showing how thoroughly battered he is during the Night of the Hunt.
• A Storm Is Coming: Used in the cliffhanger in Chapter 13, remastered version, as Soren, one of Kyril's companions, lays injured because of Alicia's aggression, and the roaring of the ocean that only Celestine can hear grows ever stronger. Next chapter's not looking good.
• Storming the Castle: Reconstructed. Yes, a direct assault on properly built and manned fortifications is impractical at best and suicidal at worst, but for a series that puts decent weight on the importance of pragmatism in warfare like The Night Unfurls, it does manage to make this trope work somehow.
  • The infiltration of the Black Fortress is the focus of the first arc, with a few differences in how it's played out compared to instances that plays the trope completely straight. Rather than going through the main gate, a fact that Kyril lampshades to be a bad idea, the Black Dogs enter the fortress via a secret passage/culvert that they can access thanks to their resident mage Kin. The remastered version expands a bit more on this plan, noting that the manpower they have is only enough for a surgical strike to the Dark Queen, which explains why they don't opt for waiting to starve the enemies out. Other differences include how the one residing in the fortress is actually not the Big Bad, and that the whole event does not takes place during the story's climax (assuming that there is one). As for other reasons/assumptions on why the "sit through The Siege" tactic is not used, Garan's foul climate would put the Black Dogs at a disadvantage should they stay for a prolonged period. Meanwhile, said fortress is mentioned to have superior supplies and resources, making this option more obsolete. On the other hand, the Black Dogs have a One-Man Army on their side, which obviously makes infiltrating the fortress an easier, more viable task.
  • Chapter 22 features the attack on the Malys Estate, which essentially boils down to "good guy army attacks bad guy's home base"... except that the "home base" is an estate, NOT a castle. Sure, there are Elite Mooks defending the place, but they are insane mutants who only know to rush towards people. With a good formation, good morale, experience, and three heavy hitters, everything within the Malys Estate is wiped out, and said estate is stormed with little trouble.
• Story Arc: The original version is separated into these:
  • Chapter 1-3: Assault of the Black Fortress Arc: Kyril is recruited by Celestine, the Goddess Incarnate, to end the war with her former friend Olga, via launching an assault alongside the Black Dogs, a mercenary group that the Seven Shields heavily rely on. At this point, the Black Dogs' ambitions are laid bare, and another war is imminent when one ends.
  • Chapter 4-5: Interaction Arc 1: Transition between the Assault of the Black Fortress Arc and the Feoh/Ur Arc. As the Black Dogs suffer a heavy blow from Kyril and his company, people are getting to know more about this seemingly bloodthirsty legend, praying that they won't die by his blade in the process.
  • Chapter 6-8: Feoh and Ur Arc: Kyril and his company free Feoh and Ur, home to Alicia and Prim of the Seven Shields respectively from the Black Dogs' clutches.
  • Chapter 9-11: Liberation of Ansur Arc: Kyril turns Ansur's criminal underworld upside down to root out any Black Dog supporters.
  • Chapter 12-13: Interaction Arc 2: Transition between the aftermath of the Ansur Arc and the beginning of the Rad Arc. As Celestine and Olga discover that the rabbit hole that is Sir Kyril goes deeper than they thought, he finds himself dragged into an ordeal out of his league.
  • Chapter 14-16: Tragedy of Rad Arc: The appearance of a sorcerer meant that Rad and its people are beyond saving. While Kyril and his company head to Rad in hopes of cleaning up the mess, he cannot help but feel the familiarity of its atmosphere.
  • Chapter 17-22: Leaping Lizards Arc: While Kyril and his company continue hunting down another group of Black Dog supporters, the Leaping Lizards, as well as any remnants of the sorcerer's forces, it is clear that traitors exist amongst Celestine's kingdom, and it paves way for future scandals and political intrigue.
  • Chapter 23-26: Rebel Scum Arc: In order to prevent a war of two fronts, Celestine has no choice but to put down an uprising by force.
  • Chapter 27-30: Hunt for Mandeville Arc: The political intrigue set up in the previous arcs heads to a climax as the trails of Mandeville are exposed.
  • Chapter 31-33: Hunter's Secrets Arc: Transition between the aftermath of the Hunt for Mandeville Arc and the "discontinued" Thorn Arc. Certain people are lucky enough to proceed one step closer to the Kyril's secrets, for better or for worse.
• Story-Breaker Power: Several characters have abilities that qualify for this trope in theory.
  • Celestine can see visions of the future like a prophet, a valuable asset for a thousand-year-old ruler such as she. The whole story could've ended immediately if she were to receive a vision foretelling the Black Dogs' betrayal, thus arresting and executing the entire PMC group for treason. Nonetheless, she is not omniscient, and the visions may not be indicative of what would exactly happen in the future. The following quote from the remastered version sheds light on this issue.
    Celestine: I wish I had the answers. But the Goddess gave me sight, not the wisdom to see the meanings.
  • The Good Hunter is essentially unstoppable due to his unlimited revives and being head and shoulders above the rest in terms of speed, strength and durability. This guy is guaranteed to win any fight that he gets into while being hardly serious. As if he cannot get even more broken, the fact that he obtained the Childhood's Beginning ending from Bloodborne means he is a great one posing as a man^note though this is only implied in the remastered version. Both versions of the story go around this via the following methods: putting the Hunter in situations where he is disincentivised to use excessive force^note e.g., defeating Olga and bringing her back to the South unspoiled; putting him in situations where he demonstrates skills besides combat^note e.g., choosing to stealthily enter a building instead of wasting time killing things in order to complete his objective faster; making him Willfully Weak^note i.e., he uses his Combo Platter Powers as a great one sparingly because he wants to conceal everything related to Yharnam and prevent collateral damage; having him experience setbacks in spite of his sheer power^note e.g., the Good Hunter is able to stop the Arc Villain, but fails to save everyone in time, leading to a Pyrrhic Victory; giving the spotlight to other characters^note e.g., in Chapters 17-22 of the original version, the Hunter is in Scathlocke hunting down the current Arc Villain, while other characters like Lily and Soren are gaining intel to deal with a future Arc Villain; NOT making the story hinge on some Protagonist - Big Bad confrontation^note e.g., conflict is present due to the Hunter being an enigmatic, Good Is Not Nice Anti-Hero, characters learn about themselves and each other, etc.; and giving the Good Hunter Hidden Depths.
  • The Plain Doll cannot be killed permanently like her Good Hunter, as well as being the only character confirmed to have Mind over Matter in the story, to the point of averting Just Hit Him. Readers have no idea how much control does she have with this power, together with whether she can do this without immunity. The reason why she is not shown rending enemies in the battlefield is because this would heavily contradict her established personality in Bloodborne canon.
• Straight for the Commander: Deconstructed, because merely taking out the enemy leader is not guaranteed to achieve the "instant win" condition.
  • Kyril and the Black Dogs make use of this tactic during the assault of the Black Fortress — defeat and capture the Dark Queen Olga to end the Forever War. They do succeed, but then the leader of the Black Dogs, Vault, decides to betray the country that hired them. Taking advantage of the resources and the Decapitated Army of the Black Fortress, the Black Dogs start another war.
  • In the remastered version alters the above scenario, where Vault gets killed before he can put his plan into motion. However, several characters (Kyril, Boris, The Rat, etc.) are skeptical towards the prospect of the war ending. Meanwhile, from how Morgan is assured of Vault's popularity amongst the nobility, as well as how The Omniscient Council of Vagueness notes that "the war's end means more opportunities", the story is cynical about the notion that Vault's death would put a halt to the Black Dogs' conquest.
  • Another instance is during Chapter 4 of the remastered version, where Kyril intends to strike directly at the orc chieftain of an encampment, while the others would "strike hard and fast" after the deed is done. Ideally, none of the greenskins escape and the Black Dogs would not be bogged down when the enemy sounds the alarm. In practice, Kyril does curb-stomp the chieftain, temporarily silencing the battlefield, but he later observes that the enemy forces have yet to dwindle, even fighting back fanatically. Evidently, the tactic does not go as planned.
• Street Urchin: Sanakan and Hugh deconstruct this by showing how unlikely for orphaned pickpockets like them to thrive in the streets and be satisfied with their life. They manage to reside in a village as shelter, only for it to be attacked by the Black Dogs. Hugh ends up getting stabbed in the eye by an orc, left to bleed out; Sanakan gets taken by a group of those mercenaries to a church, rounded up along with the village women for an orgy. Were it not for Kyril cleaning up the entire village of the Black Dogs and finding the two by chance, the two would be doomed. They won't even survive one chapter in a Crapsack World that's Harmful to Minors.
• Strictly Professional Relationship: Inquired about his relationship with Maia by Mikhail, Kyril replies that their relationship is strictly professional. Subverted however, as Kyril isn't attracted to Maia, so he really means it when he says this.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality:
  • Kyril Sutherland comes across as an apathetic and unfriendly person due to his brusque, impassive and brooding demeanour, something expected for a hunter experienced with bloodshed from the Night of the Hunt. However, simply be a decent person instead of a jerk, and he will return the favour with kindness and, surprisingly, loyalty. Even if it's just a little, the Hunter would really appreciate someone who shows a useful skill or two (e.g. sneaking around, doing paperwork, or even making delicious food!) instead of picking a fight for no reason. Towards his subordinates, he is a stern leader, but never callous. Starting out the story as a tight-lipped man who opens up to no one but his doll confidant (who sees the Hunter as kind even if he doesn't show it), he gradually develops sympathy towards the weak and the downtrodden, even providing solace to the traumatised. It is worth mentioning that in spite of the above "sugary" moments, Kyril does not become more expressive or buddy-buddy — the "ice" part is an integral, persisting part of his personality, neither a shell nor a facade.
  • Olga Discordia. "Ice" to the world (ironically, she uses fire magic), "sugar" towards Chloe. Celestine and Kyril are later included in the "sugar" part.
• Super Mode: Any time where Kyril eats a Beast Blood Pellet turns him into a Lightning Bruiser cranked up to eleven. As his blood sings and boils, so does his beast-like ferocity. Visceral attacks are used more often, and a swipe from the butt of his gun is enough to shatter a man's face. Of course, this is hardly his final form.
• Super-Scream: Kyril's Beast Roar works like this, unleashing a roar that can repel nearby foes while damaging them internally if they get too close, as shown in Chapter 2 of the original. It makes a return in Chapter 5 of the remastered version, with Kyril deflecting Olga's fire attacks via this method.
• Supermodel Strut: Shani slowly walks towards Kyril with a little sway in the hips as she convinces him, a tired individual, to "relax". Kyril is unfazed by this.
• Swamps Are Evil: To further elaborate on the horrid environment of Garan, Chapter 8 of the remastered version has Kyril and the escapees from the Black Fortress trek through the Dead Marshes. The wet, humid terrain there gives them a lot of trouble, often involving the mud, the odour, and the fog. Moreover, they are attacked by wraiths along the way, which would have been a problem if it weren't for Kyril's might and Olga's magic.
• Swipe Your Blade Off:
  • One of Kyril's habits is to swing his Saw Cleaver or the Holy Moonlight Sword down to flick the blood off of the blade.
  • Combined with Victory Pose, Hugh rids his Chikage of the blood of Michelle after their Trial by Combat ending with a Single-Stroke Battle. A bit ironic considering that the katana consumes blood, but it still works.
• Sword and Gun:
  • Kyril generally uses his Saw Cleaver and Hunter's Pistol together.
  • Leaning towards a Cainhurst style, Hugh's setup is the Chikage and Evelyn, a katana-pistol pair.
• Sword and Sorcerer: Chapter 8 of the remastered version has such an arrangement with Kyril and his Great Escape party when they are surrounded by wraiths. Olga, a Lady of Black Magic, is the main mage, using an anti-intangibility enchantment to allow the other fighters (Boris, Soren, Fredrick, Chloe) to take out the wraiths properly while providing her cover. Kyril, on the other hand, is obviously the main fighter, being the only one that can one-shot wraiths with or without the enchantment (he likens them to those Bound Widows that reside in Cainhurst Castle, all of which are susceptible to physical damage).
• Sword Beam: Kyril's Holy Moonlight Sword is able to take out crowds of enemies at once from a distance by erupting beams of energy.
• Sword Plant:
  • While addressing the recruits of his company in Chapter 13 of the original, Kyril has his hand on the hilt of the Holy Moonlight Sword, which is stabbed into the snow.
  • Chapter 9 of the remastered version has Kyril leaning on the Holy Moonlight Sword stabbed point first into the ground, as Morgan is dragged off by the Rat to have his soul taken.
• Sword Pointing:
  • Hugh points his Chikage at a goblin shaman in Chapter 6 of the original during his first Tranquil Fury moment, angry at its cronies for using a Human Sacrifice.
  • Kyril points his Saw Cleaver at a big orc as a Draw Aggro in Chapter 1, remastered version.
• Sympathetic Murder Backstory: Kyril has one in the remastered version. In response to Vault's question regarding how his first kill was like, Kyril recounts the time he had to kill a farmer in self-defense, how he was stabbed by the farmer with a pitchfork, how he retaliated by spilling the farmer's guts out with his cleaver. The backstory is then subverted as Kyril admits that he felt nothing for killing him.

T

• A Tankard of Moose Urine: As Kyril and his apprentices set off to Talon Bar for Chloe's whereabouts, Sanakan remarks that she'd be surprised if the drinks are not made of rat piss and cat shit. There are no complaints from the five of them, though.
• Taken for Granite: A number of statues can be found in what remains of Rad. They look like panicked people, either raising their hands to shield their eyes, or attempting to run away from... something. As if the Yahar'Gul motif is not all the more evident already.
• Taking Up the Mantle: Kyril discusses this trope with the Doll, pondering on the decision to take up the mantle of First Hunter, which was held by his mentor Gehrman, should the conflict in Eostia take a turn for the worst. Played Straight in the original version, where he accepts the mantle the moment he resolves to hunt down his enemies and save the people of Eostia from the Black Dogs. Taking a step forward, he starts training multiple apprentices at once instead of one at a time.
• Taking the Bullet: Or rather, "Taking the Arrow". The end of Chapter 31 has Kyril doing this for Celestine. Shot in the head by an assassin, he experienced his first death in the waking world. He's pissed.
• Tear Off Your Face: With Super-Strength, facial destruction couldn't be any more creative.
  • Original version:
    • Chapter 4: Kyril rips a mook's eyes and tongue out with his bare hand, destroying the face in the process.
    • Chapter 10: Kyril rams his Saw Cleaver into a mook's face, ruining it beyond recognition with a crunch.
    • Chapter 11: Kyril slams the butt of his pistol into a mook's face, with enough strength to utterly shatter it.
    • Chapter 20: Sanakan caves a mook's face inwards by punching him in the face with her metal bracer.
    • Chapter 34: Kyril shatters a mutant's face via a punch while giving an order to Bergen.
  • Remastered version:
    • Chapter 5: Kyril blasts an orc in the face with his Hunter's Blunderbuss, its face being destroyed by the shot.
• The Tease:
  • Downplayed for Olga from the original version, who occasionally makes flirtatious remarks towards Kyril, but this merely overlaps with being The Gadfly, and she doesn't behave this way towards other people. Neither has she done anything drastic. His inevitable reaction would be to bluntly talk through her attempts to flirt.
  • Shani is the mistress of the Rosie, so this behaviour is to be expected. She doesn't hesitate to Show Some Leg or walk in a suggestive way towards Kyril when the two meet. She even offers Kyril to relax, though he politely declines.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Happens a lot.
  • Original version:
    • Kyril and Claudia, due to their opposing philosophies, as well as how Claudia's husband is put under protective custody by Kyril for being a potential traitor. Despite this, they are still on the same side fighting against the Black Dogs.
    • Inevitably happens when Olga and the Seven Shields cooperate. Just because she is a former Evil Overlord that goes through a Heel–Face Turn doesn't mean that she's Easily Forgiven. There's also the begrudging alliance between Olga and the former dark elf slaves from Loraine (Grace especially), the city Olga sacrificed to the orcs to Rape, Pillage, and Burn in exchange for them fighting for her cause. The reason why both parties don't try to kill each other is the fear of incurring Kyril's wrath.
  • Remastered version:
    • For an example involving two groups, the dark elves and the orcs. Chloe's P.O.V. reveals that there are occasions where orc chieftains go rogue and attack the dark elf soldiers, despite being on the same side. Considering how the orcs are depicted as Always Chaotic Evil greenskin savages, as well as the origin of the "alliance" between the two groups (mentioned in the above entry), this is understandable.
    • Alicia and Kyril. Mainly on Alicia's side, because of his sinister appearance, his dangerous reputation of hunting down orc war bands by himself, his disrespect/apathy towards authority, his dispassionate attitude, and the fact that her cousin Prim is somehow on cordial terms with him. Kyril, on the other hand, admits that he doesn't appreciate Alicia's barbed words from his internal P.O.V., though he sees her as a minor irritation as time passes. In spite of this, the two are on the same team since Alicia has to fulfil Celestine's task of bringing her skilled agents, and Kyril happens to be the one.
    • Among the Great Escape party, Chloe has a hard time working with... anyone who is not Olga. Chloe and Fredrick, especially, are itching to insult and draw their blades to each other. The Fantastic Racism between humans and dark elves doesn't help matters.
• Tempting Fate:
  • Woe betide anyone who says something along the lines of "He's Just One Man!" or any line that indicates Kyril can be beaten somehow.
  • Also applies to whoever says This Cannot Be! and its related variants (e.g. "You cannot do this to me!"), moments before they are screwed.
  • Original version:
    • Chapter 13: An inversion happens when Soren yelps "Eh!? He's gonna kill me!" after Sanakan offers to lead the way to Barnum Bailey, who runs a group of thugs and "owns the street" that Soren lives in. He doesn't get to do the deed, as Barnum himself is later beaten up by Sanakan, Hugh, and a mob.
    • Chapter 26: Grishom has this trope written over his face after he fails to anticipate his cathedral being lit ablaze. First, he thinks that "such an inferno would cause untold damage to the city" (the flames are being controlled, so this doesn't happen). He then declares that "he would face the demon himself and triumph" (he doesn't), as "Vault would reward him with plenty of women should he bring Sir Kyril's head" (this doesn't happen either). Lastly, Grishom has this gem right before the rebellion is at its end.
      Grishom: Damnit, where the hell is Mandeville!? He had pledged the support of his house for the rebels' cause. Surely, this was supposed to be their finest hour!?^note It wasn't.
  • Remastered version:
    • Chapter 4: When Chloe meets her liege lady, Olga, she wonders, "Who could resist such wiles?" Well yeah, there is, and he is coming for her. He even curb-stomps her in the next chapter too.
    • There's also how she indicates her confidence in the defences of the Black Fortress, even capping off with "Who would dare brazenly strike at the Black Fortress?" Cue Kyril and the Black Dogs successfully Storming the Castle in the next chapter.
    • Chapter 13: Celestine notes that Alicia "was a little better" than Maia regarding them coming to terms with their defeat at the hands of Kyril during his Trial by Combat. The readers would later see Prim and Alicia's P.O.V.s, with the latter clearly not in a good mood (an understatement) due to her pride being hurt.
    • Chapter 13: Just as Kyril's Trial by Combat is about to begin, Alicia internally remarks that Kyril is a fool for agreeing to fight her and Maia together. She says in her mind, "What fool would willingly face them at the same time? Today it seemed they would find out." They do find out, the hard way, that is.
• Terrifying Rescuer:
  • Kyril is a lean man in dark attire, has a saw-cleaver thing as a weapon, and a fearsome reputation. To his rescuees, he looks less like a saviour and more like a monster unleashed upon other monsters. The fact that Kyril's prey tend to be killed in a messy way further exacerbates this.
  • Hugh's reaction when Kyril saves him and Sanakan by staring Shamuhaza to an agonising death. He is very lucky that he is not in the vicinity of his master's eldritch power.
  • Lampshaded by Sanakan during Chapter 6 of the original, when she takes out some hobgoblins trying to smoke out a nun guarding children in a hut. She notes that, from the look of fear the nun gave her, she probably looked menacing when swinging a large hammer that has a sword as its haft.
  • Grace is spooked after she is saved from three traitorous guardsmen thanks to Evetta having two of them stop breathing and the other maimed due to her Mind over Matter.
• That Liar Lies:
  • In Chapter 30, John Mandeville exclaims "Liar!" after being told by Kyril that the assets of his house are used to fund the reconstruction in the capital's Western District, and that the house itself is being disassembled.
  • In Chapter 11, remastered version, Maia screams this at Kyril upon hearing his accusation that Vault was a traitor.
• That Was the Last Entry: A rare inversion happens when Celestine and Olga are reading through Kyril's journal. Rather than finding a "last page" that serves as an abrupt end, it is the two characters who discontinue reading and GTFO, lest they lose their minds due to prolonged exposure to the Artifact of Doom. After the pair bolt out, the journal itself opens to the definitive final page, with the author expressing how he Stopped Caring and needed to "end things", "stop it once and for all" and the like. He's still alive.
• That's an Order!:
  • Celestine plays this trope for laughs twice. In hopes of fostering solidarity and support from the nobility, as well as looking for anything suspicious, Celestine orders Kyril, a humanoid Black Knight, to attend a party. It works. She would later pull this off again by asking him whether she has to order him to come to her chambers for tea. It also works.
  • As Kyril and his company arrive in Rad, Kyril orders Indriga to go rendezvous with half-ling commander Shalala, while he and his apprentice hunters will press on towards the central estate to confront Shamuhaza. Indriga responds with a With Due Respect, but Kyril insists that his order would not be questioned ("Was my order unclear?"). To his credit, he clarifies that her courage is noted, but he also wants to mitigate risk amidst the deteriorating situation. He even says "please" when reiterating his order.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: There are times when Kyril uses more force than necessary to kill something.
  • He finishes Beasley off by pinning him down and systematically chopping his body up, instead of killing him in one hit like he usually does to his prey.
  • In the remastered version, Kyril needs to bring Olga back to the capital alive with Chloe in tow, only to find Vault, Kin and thirty men blocking his way. What does he do? Simply shoot the leader? No. Hack them one by one with his cleaver? No, no. He blows them all up to kingdom come via A Call Beyond.
• These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: The Eldritch Truth. Any person, organisation, or region who attempts to harness it merely paves the way for their destruction and/or loss of sanity. Eostia would repeat the history of Yharnam should Shamuhaza's handiwork is left unchecked, and Kyril is dead set on averting another Beast Plague or any kind of Apocalypse How that would ensue. Speaking of Shamuhaza and Kyril, both have seen it: the former ended up being transformed into an arthropod without much to do; the latter ended up being put through the ringer, being Conditioned to Accept Horror, and ascending to become an Eldritch Abomination with the mind battered, but functional.
• Think Nothing of It:
  • Kyril often downplays his exploits when others take note of them. Unlike many others of similar prestige who put in much effort in building up their reputations, he dislikes fame, hero worship and generally being in the centre of attention.
  • In Chapter 11 of the original, Alaric thanks Sanakan and her company of soldiers for saving him from being stuck in the town of Muriel. She replies, "No problem."
  • In Chapter 24 of the original, Celestine thanks Lily for her advice in coping with the ongoing, escalating warfare. Lily's response is to merely say that she lives to serve.
    Lily: *bows* I live to serve, your Holiness. If you wish to speak to me or Sir Kyril you only need but ask.
• 13 Is Unlucky: Applies to the 13th chapters in both the original and the remastered version.
  • For the original version, it features The Good Hunter dealing with the most troublesome issue he has ever faced: the aftermath of a rumour claiming he slept with Maia.
  • For the remastered version, it features Alicia throwing a tantrum due to her loss against Kyril during his Trial by Combat, which leads her to lash out at Soren, putting the young man in critical condition. As if this does not piss off Kyril any further.
• This Cannot Be!:
  • Original version:
    • Chapter 6: An unnamed Giant Mook is in disbelief after Kyril hacks off his arm.
      Unnamed Giant Mook: You... you weren't supposed to do that.
      Kyril: Aye. [beheads him]
    • Chapter 8: Beasley, during his Villainous Breakdown, exclaims, "No! NO! I WON'T DIE, NOT LIKE THIS!"
    • Chapter 13: Barnum Bailey, after he and his thugs get beat up by Sanakan and Hugh.
      Barnum: You can't do this to me.
      Sanakan: Yeah, you're right. I can't. But they can. [nudges head at a mob of angry townsfolk] Well, see ya I guess.
    • Chapter 19: Berol's reaction when Kyril orders his arrest.
      Berol: Y-You can't do this to me, you upstart foreigner! Sergeant Roland, detain this man!
    • Chapter 20: An unnamed thug, during Chloe's Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique.
      Chloe: Well? Are you going to keep blabbering on and on about your rights?
      Unnamed thug: You can't do this to me, you damned monster!
    • Chapter 30: Mandeville, after Kyril reveals that his assets are being used to fund the reconstruction of the Western District, his house disassembled.
      Mandeville: Liar! My wealth isn't something to banter with! My line will not end here!
  • Remastered version:
    • Chapter 12: A non-villain example. Alicia sees Kyril's cleaver seemingly about to fall on top of her head. The phrase is not said outright, but her internal narration expresses this sentiment.
      Was this how it ended? She was going to die? How?
• Thousand-Yard Stare:
  • Being a Shell-Shocked Veteran hunter, Kyril does this a lot in front of almost anyone or when in deep thought, something that disturbs the people around him.
  • During Maia's narration in Chapter 12 that shows her coping with the Rape as Drama from the previous chapter, she at one point gazes emptily ahead while doing a Troubled Fetal Position.
  • Olga stares blindly ahead while drinking for nights as her loyal servant and surrogate daughter Chloe is in critical condition, and she could do nothing but hope that she wakes.
• Throne Room Throwdown: Olga's throne room is the site of the climactic battle between Kyril and Olga. It is played out differently in both versions of the fanfic. For the original version, no such fight occurs despite the build-up; for the remastered version, it is Played Straight. It is worth noting that this is hardly the last fight in the story, unlike common examples.
• Time Skip: In order to advance the plot, the training montage of Kyril's 4 apprentices are cut short into a couple of lessons and combat scenes, in order to avoid describing the "gitting gud" process one is expected to experience when playing Bloodborne.
• Tin Man:
  • Olga is often said to have a stoic/expressionless facade, but she is more proud and passionate than she thinks she is, especially regarding the well being of her kind, the dark elves. Celestine, once a close friend of hers, noted that Olga "had always been a passionate creature" in the remastered version. Given that she has to put on a brave face as queen of the dark elves, this is understandable.
  • While Kyril really is The Stoic, his inner P.O.V. professes to have forgotten a specific feeling — empathy. At the same time, he also regrets that he couldn't save anyone in Rad.
    He had long since forgotten empathy, but he was human enough to feel regret that he could not save anyone.
• Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Kyril and Evetta are a platonic example. Kyril is by no means "tiny", being Tall, Dark, and Handsome, but he is shorter than Evetta by a few inches.
• Token Good Teammate: Compared with the original, the remastered version is rather fond of introducing decent characters that stand out amongst the group they are in.
  • From the Black Dogs, there is Boris, Fredrick, Soren and Oliver. All of them do not approve of how their comrades treat the dark elf prisoners, as well as Vault cooperating with the orcs, which is contradictory to what they have been fighting for. They end up joining Kyril, Olga, and Chloe in their Great Escape, abandoning the Black Dogs along the way.
  • From the council meeting in Chapter 11-12, we can see that Prim and Kaguya can be counted as such among the Seven Shields, seeing that they choose to abstain from making any accusations against Kyril, who not only killed their greatest champion, but also accused him of being a traitor, alongside his companions.
• Token Immortal: Among the five hunters, the Good Hunter is the only person to have Resurrective Immortality. Conveniently, he is also the mentor of the remaining four, so no occupational hazard for him.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl:
  • Kyril's female apprentices, Sanakan and Lily, have such a dynamic. Sanakan is a Hot-Blooded Screaming Warrior with shorter hair, while Lily is a peaceful Combat Medic with longer hair.
  • The cousins Alicia Arcturus and Prim Fiorire from the Seven Shields. They are both Princess Knights, but Alicia is more of a knight than a princess, while Prim is more of a princess than a knight.
  • Celestine Lucross and Claudia Levantine are an almost straight version of Lady and Knight, with Celestine being The High Queen and Claudia being the armoured paladin sworn to defend her. It's clear which one is the girly girl / tomboy.
• Tongue Trauma: During one of Kyril's killing sprees in Chapter 4 of the original, a mook has his eyes and tongue taken by the Hunter shoving his hand into his face.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Lampshaded by Soren on how clever of the Black Dogs to piss off someone as unstoppable as the Good Hunter, as if they have a death wish. Then again, only the readers know about Kyril's Resurrective Immortality as well as his true nature...
  • The aftermath of the Hunter's Trial by Combat against Maia and Alicia in the remastered version has some unnamed, hot-headed knights and errant warriors challenging him, because they think the Hunter's skills are just a sham. The predictable conclusion is either to be killed or to be maimed.
• Torn Apart by the Mob:
  • Implied to be the fate of Barnum Bailey, who roughs up anyone that fails to pay protection money. He is last seen being beat up by the fists and boots of angry townsfolk.
  • During the Rebel Scum Arc, several reports indicate that some of the rebels are on the receiving end of this trope. Aside from the classic sight of "carrying dismembered body parts on pikes", one particular aristocrat, named Lord Sherrin, is forced to eat hay and beheaded after choking. Two of his heirs are trampled by horses when they are caught trying to escape the peasants' vengeance. All of the above are quietly approved, even encouraged, by Sir Kyril's company as punishment for supporting the Black Dogs / not supporting the crown.
• Tortured Monster: Among Shamuhaza's legion of mutant Elite Mooks, a considerable part consists of all the people of Rad that are experimented on beforehand. As Kyril and his three apprentices are cutting them down in Chapter 16, he notes that he can catch a glimpse of who they once were in their eyes. Nevertheless, they are beyond saving, akin to the Yharnamites afflicted with the Beast Scourge, and the only thing they could do is to respond to their pleading cries of mercy.
• Touch Telepathy:
  • Chapter 8 reveals that Kyril can do this via wrapping his tendrils around one's head. An efficient ability that saves a lot of time that would've been used for interrogations, but he refrains from using it whenever people are nearby.
  • Shamuhaza is able to sift through the minds of his beast-like scouts in order to know the good guys' plans.
• Training from Hell: Justified.
  • Training as an apprentice hunter under Kyril is strict, but not outright demoralising. Best exemplified by how the four plus the Good Hunter spar — they rarely hold back, and they do get hurt, but the fact that wounds heal quicker in the Dream means that there would be no life-threatening injuries. In particular, Chapter 32 informs that Kyril's apprentices have to face their trials in the Chalice Dungeons to further hone their skills. Yeah, including the Defiled Chalice Dungeon, presumably. Then again, it is assumed that in real combat, people fight to kill, especially in a Crapsack World like the Kuroinu 'verse and any sort of battlefield, so such training is justified.
    Kyril: It (becoming a Hunter of Monsters) is a commitment many make, but few actually uphold. This is not a promotion, it is a burden that you and you alone will shoulder. You will fight, you will struggle, and you will fall. You will see the worst things a man can do to another living being. In this war, that is the truth you will know.
  • If the way how Drill Sergeant Nasty Bergen treats his recruits is of any indication, this trope is Played Straight for military training in Eostia. Tired recruits galore, but Kyril and Bergen intend to weed out those unsuited for combat or any trace of liability. Makes sense.
• Training Montage: The limitations of this genre means that no music or soundtrack is played, but several chapters of the original open with training sessions between Kyril and his apprentices. In all occasions, they are shown sparring against each other, and they don't have to worry about any long-lasting injuries, thanks to their wounds healing faster in the Hunter's Dream. Not every single moment of their training process is shown, in order to avoid long-winded training arcs that are unrelated to the main plot at large.
• Tranquil Fury:
  • The Hunter is devoid of expression whenever he is swinging his heavy serrated cleaver in arcs meant to maim, sever, and kill on a daily basis.
  • Hugh has one of these moments during Chapter 6 of the original, upon witnessing the sight of a group of goblins alongside several female corpses, one of them used as a Human Sacrifice. Internally declaring that the greenskins are Always Chaotic Evil, he brandishes his blade with a cold look overcoming his features, intent on tearing the shaman responsible apart.
  • Olga's face does not show emotion when she suddenly appears to scorch the rebels under Mandeville's command, but she is in fact incoherently furious about Chloe being seriously wounded. Even Kyril and a few of his soldiers, all of them hard fighters, are momentarily taken aback.
• Trash Talk: Several of Kyril's opponents do this. He doesn't care.
  • Original version:
    • Chapter 6: After Kyril is Lured into a Trap with his two apprentices, the guards let an armoured Giant Mook through.
      Giant Mook: Heh, so this runt is Sir Kyril the Bloody? I'm gonna crush you flat, runt. Then I'm gonna have that boy and girl you brought with ya sit on my cock while I play with them.
      Kyril: [shrugs, exchanges Saw Cleaver with Holy Moonlight Sword]
      Giant Mook: Nice sword. Maybe I'll take that too.
      Kyril: [proceeds to curb-stomp him]
    • Chapter 11: Michelle Pantielle, during his Trial by Combat.
      Michelle: What!? Is Sir Kyril too scared to fight me!? Fine then, I'll wipe the floor with one of his mutts and- GAAAH!
  • Remastered version:
    • Chapter 3: Vault's duel with Kyril starts off with Vault boasting that he would draw first blood, hoping that the Hunter would be prepared to eat dirt. His jab is ignored.
    • Chapter 13: Alicia's narration indicates that she intends to hurl an insult right after the beginning of Kyril's Trial by Combat. Alas, the advancing Kyril does not give her the chance to do so.
• Trial by Combat:
  • Chapter 8 of the original version has Claudia demanding Kyril this, after Celestine and Olga read Kyril's journal out of curiosity. Chapter 12 of the remastered version has this featuring Alicia and Maia against Kyril, due to him killing Vault, Eostia's greatest champion. Guess who wins?
  • There's also Hugh VS Michelle Pantielle at the end of Chapter 11 of the original. Naturally, Hugh ends the fight with one strike.
• Two Girls and a Guy: Grace, Anna, and Ian. In an unusual spin of this trope, no Love Triangle is present, since Anna and Ian are already married. Their dynamic is more established in the remastered version, where all three of them work in the same Fantasy Tavern.

U

• Underestimating Badassery: Take a shot for every time someone thinks they can either best or kill The Good Hunter, especially at the beginning of the story (or the whole remastered version).
• Undying Loyalty: Has a lot of examples.
  • Platonic Life-Partners Kyril and Evetta take this trope to the Logical Extreme. The two cannot die (or rather, be killed permanently), and their relationship is characterised by trust, respect, affection, devotion, and reciprocity towards each other. Evetta stays by his side so long as he's alright, while Kyril expresses his gratitude by making time for them together.
  • The contracts Sanakan, Hugh, Lily, and Soren sign to become a Hunter of Monsters also count as oaths to serve under Kyril's command, invoking this trope. The fact that they are more than willing to train and fight alongside their master goes on to show how much loyalty the four of them have to their Mentor in Sour Armor. Lily, in particular, admits that Kyril, for all of his morally questionable actions, has earned her loyalty.
  • Kyril's consistent asskicking in battle not only earns him the opportunity to lead, but also inspires loyalty among his company, so strong that his men would follow him to hell if he had asked. This also generates high morale, bolstering the army's effectiveness. In one instance, Kyril has to say "please" and order Army Scout Indriga and those under her command to stay behind and support the others while Kyril and his apprentices press on into the hornet's nest that is the central estate of Rad — Indriga is unwilling to leave his superior out there because of her loyalty, while Kyril cannot allow his subordinates to follow him because he is very invested in his men's safety and they will not be a Redshirt Army.
  • Any Lady and Knight dynamic in the story tends to have the "knight" (Claudia, Chloe) exhibit this towards their "lady" (Celestine, Olga). Besides their protective instinct, both Claudia and Chloe are not Yes-Women, as they won't hesitate to question their liege's decisions, especially when they feel like their liege's well being is threatened due to said decisions. The latter situation is also why they are willing to call out Kyril for his supposedly negative influence towards their lieges, even if it means Bullying a Dragon.
  • Claudia's loyalty to her husband Klaus is such that when he is put under protective custody by Kyril, she dares to challenge the uber-warrior to keep Klaus safe (i.e., Bullying a Dragon).
  • This trope also applies for the villains / mooks as well, thanks to Vault's status as The Ace and Villain with Good Publicity. Not even the threat of laceration by a bloodied Saw Cleaver is enough to deter them into fighting for the Black Dogs' cause.
  • In the remastered version, Kyril declares the "protective instinct" variant of this trope towards the small company who joined him in his Great Escape, vowing to lead them out of harm's way should the meeting with the Seven Shields Alliance go awry. In return, the members of the band each resolve to stand with him no matter what.
    Kyril: There is no doubt that you have done all that has been asked of you, and more besides. Regardless, I will do my utmost to protect you. You are all my responsibility. I led you out of the desert. I will lead you out of these halls if our fortunes turn ill. *bows his head*
    Soren: I'll stand with you Boss. Wherever and whatever happens.
    Boris: I will as well. You could have left all of us for dead but you didn't do that. It would be shameful if I didn't keep following you, Boss.
    Soren: Fred? You gonna say something too?
    Fredrick: Yeah, what they said. I don't trust you, Hunter. I'm only going along with this because someone has to keep these two idiots safe.
    Kyril: As you wish.
• Unskilled, but Strong: The Inane One is like this, thick with power but less intelligence. A target so large that it is impossible for three hunters to miss any of their hits, but it can simply tank them like they're nothing. Its raw strength is demonstrated via its surge of power that launches the three back, incapacitating two of them in the process.
• Unstoppable Rage: Happens during the aftermath of the assassination attempt against Celestine Lucross. She goes through a Heroic BSoD after seeing Kyril taking an arrow meant for her, only to come Back from the Dead. What follows is a Not So Stoic moment from Kyril who goes on a relentless pursuit out for the assassin's blood.
  "Rage was one hell of a painkiller.
  Death didn't come for him. Not now, or ever. Instead all he felt was an all-consuming rage as he punched the stone floor hard enough for it to crack."
• Unwanted Harem: As the original version of the story progresses, Kyril finds himself with at least 4 women of high status who either have a crush on him, or are actively seeking for his affections. Soren has joked that, had Kyril knew that he would "end up with a string of women in front of his door", he would definitely get an aneurysm. Justified, as he is a brutal hunter from Yharnam, as well as a Humanoid Abomination.
• The Usual Adversaries: The Black Dogs, with Tolkien-esque Orcs and mercenaries being the most common enemy type.

V

• Vagueness Is Coming: Happens in the end of Chapter 9, remastered version. The Rat, after being given Morgan's Soul by Kyril, tells the Hunter that another war is imminent, "The Old Gods are waking", and they may have in need of him in the future. It is unclear what all these mean specifically, and Kyril doesn't even question The Rat further. The chapter even ends off with the Rat saying, "I hope the Goddess is ready...", with little elaboration.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Justified. A couple of villains are able to teleport away when things go south for them, right before the heroes can land the killing blow. They include Vault (during his fight with Kyril in Chapter 11, original version) and Shamuhaza (after Sanakan has him in her sights in Chapter 16, original version).
• Villainous Crush: A common trait or motive for those who side with the Black Dogs. To them, the prospect of their crushes loving them mandatorily under the Sex Empire is very alluring.
  • Prime Minister Beasley wants to do as much as he pleases to Alicia.
  • From how Beasley intends to "give Prim over to the Mordatella Brothers", it looks like the two pigmen want Prim for themselves, though this is merely an Informed Attribute.
  • Michelle Pantielle has a crush on Maia when she was recruited by Celestine as a Princess Knight. He is so persistent that he is willing to grasp every opportunity to woo her, from throwing an extravagant party, to "joining the winning side" that is the Black Dogs, never mind that Maia has stated crystal clear that she doesn't want to be with him. Michelle eventually forces himself onto her after she's captured.
  • In the remastered version, Morgan believes that Grace should be his, much like the entire town that he and his cronies "protect".
• Villains Want Mercy: Begging for mercy is a common act amongst thugs or Black Dog mercs on the receiving end of a Trick Weapon, especially when Kyril is involved or they are being interrogated. Generally not granted.

W

• Wait Here: Upon noticing a corpse of a little girl dumped from the metal grate above, which triggers him, Kyril tells Grace to "stay here", in the Absurdly Spacious Sewer. Unlike typical instances where the person left behind is somehow trouble, nothing out of the ordinary happens to her.
• Walking the Earth: The Good Hunter has been travelling the world before being granted an audience with Celestine, with mercenary work being his source of income.
• Wall of Weapons:
  • The Hunter has a wall of Trick Weapons in his Workshop of the Hunter's Dream, all of them scavenged during his time in Yharnam, emphasising his mastery over weaponry and combat.
  • Chapter 15 of the original features an arms shed in Tarsus, an old mining town, with racks of weapons inside. Kyril then begins to distribute the new weaponry to his company to ensure they are well prepared, fully armed and all.
• War Arc:
  • The whole point of this story is Kyril being involved in the war-torn country of Eostia. With his help, it marks the end of the Forever War between Celestine and Olga's forces, as well as the beginning of another war thanks to the betrayal from the Black Dogs. Suffice to say, every Story Arc counts as one, with detailed descriptions about people on both sides leading armies into battle.
  • Chapters 4-6 of the remastered version focus on the war between the Black Dogs and Olga Discordia. Compared to that of the original, this event shows a bit more detail and changes one major event (Vault ending up dead rather than alive).
• War Comes Home: There are occasions depicting a number of Eostia's strongholds (e.g. Feoh, Ur, Ansur) getting hit by the war against the Black Dogs, with the civilian casualties and the recovery of said strongholds that ensue. However, none could match the time where Rad is fallen. The unprotected populace gets wiped out due to Shamuhaza unleashing his newly-bred Elite Mooks upon them. If they are not dead, then they would find themselves either getting a Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong, or being twisted into the very horrors that ravaged them. Furthermore, the situation becomes extra personal from the perspective of the Seven Shields (because Luu-Luu, one such member, is in deep) and The Protagonist Kyril (because something from the Night of the Hunt have followed him here and he's not about to let a Beast Plague 2.0 happen).
• War Crime Subverts Heroism: Just because the "good guys" are not prone to rape like the "bad guys" do doesn't mean they are immune from this trope. Kyril's tendency to Leave No Survivors, as well as how torture is sometimes used for interrogation, are prominent examples. On one hand, these instances are portrayals of Pay Evil unto Evil. On the other hand, there are people who don't approve of such actions. Then again, The Laws and Customs of War don't exist in the story's setting.
• War Fic: The original version of the story has Kyril and the Black Dogs, the most renowned mercenary group in Eostia, being tasked with ending the centuries-old war against Olga, which they do under 2 chapters. However, said mercenary group proceeds to stage a Military Coup against the country. The rest of the plot details how Eostia, the "good" faction, has to contend with enemies from the outside (the Black Dogs) and the inside (traitors working for the Black Dogs).
• The War Has Just Begun:
  • Celestine quotes this trope at the end of Chapter 3 of the original, signifying the reality that Eostia has Won the War, Lost the Peace.
  • A variation is present in the remastered version, as Vault reveals his Evil Plan to Kyril, who insists that the war against Olga is over.
    Kyril: We have won the war, have we not? The Dark Queen is being brought to justice. Surely that means we have our glory don't we?
    Vault: You are not that naive. It won't end with Olga because this is just the beginning. The Black Fortress is a treasure trove. With it, the orc clans united under our banner, we can take the South as well, Hunter. We can make a new world order, with people like Celestine and Olga under our heel while every man lives like kings.
• Warrior vs. Sorcerer:
  • Lightning Bruiser Hunter of Monsters Kyril Sutherland versus Lady of Black Magic Olga Discordia, though the trope is played differently for both versions of the story. The original version subverts it, as Vault has brought Chloe with him as his hostage before they can even fight, ending with Olga's surrender. By contrast, the remastered version plays it straight, with Olga being on the receiving end of a Curb Stomp Cushion.
  • Chapters 16 and 22 of the original both feature Kyril and his apprentices, all hunters with enhanced physical abilities, fighting through Shamuhaza's Elite Mooks born of Black Magic, later confronting the Evil Sorcerer directly.
• Waterlogged Warzone: The venue where Kyril, Sanakan and Hugh team up to fight Shamuhaza as an insectoid Eldritch Abomination is a lake.
• We Hardly Knew Ye:
  • The Mortadella brothers are killed off in the same chapter they are introduced (Chapter 8).
  • In the remastered version, Oliver, one of the rogue Black Dogs joining Kyril's Great Escape, succumbs to his crossbow bolt wound in the back one chapter after his introduction. Besides showing that the Great Escape is not a 100% smooth operation, his death serves to fuel conflict between the the whole crew, especially Chloe and Fredrick.
• We Used to Be Friends: Celestine and Olga. The enslavement of dark elves by human slavers caused the former's Fantastic Racism towards humanity. Although the latter tried to convince the former that there is still good among the group she hated, it was all for naught, and they broke off their friendship due to their conflicting views, as well as the resulting Forever War between the two. Fortunately, they get better later on.
• Welcomed to the Masquerade:
  • Sanakan, Hugh, Lily and Soren are introduced to the hunting aspect of Bloodborne by Kyril Sutherland, who becomes their mentor.
  • Celestine and Olga unwittingly gain access to Kyril's Pocket Dimension, the Hunter's Dream. They would eventually understand several breadcrumbs of Kyril's Dark and Troubled Past in Yharnam, something that he conceals so that no one knows anything about Yharnam.
• Wham Line: Chapter 2, original version, the Dark Queen, Olga Discordia is defeated. Kyril is impatient at Vault and the others for staying at the Black Fortress. He proceeds to break her and Chloe out of prison, unfortunately bumping into him on the way. It is then Vault, a character the readers know as The Ace of The Alliance, unveils his agenda.
  Vault: Think about it! If you want you could have her right now! This, this is the start of a new nation, Hunter! The Sex Empire, where any man could live as a king! Those Princess Knights? They should be doing what a man should be telling them, not the other way around. They'll cook, clean, and fuck whenever we tell them to.
• Wham Shot:
  • Chapter 8: Typical Kyril approaching a heavily injured man and interrogating him of course... wait, why does Kyril have tendrils out of his hand?
  • Chapter 14: Luu-Luu, under Shamuhaza's mercy.
• What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Near the end of Chapter 31 of the original, Kyril comes to the conclusion that love is a frustrating concept to deal with. He truly believes he's better off slaughtering beasts in Yharnam than manoeuvring through the affections others want from him, for hunters like him are not supposed to love — they hunt, fight, and kill. Kyril's internal monologue reveals that he asked himself in private many times on whether he was in love with either Celestine or Olga. He admits that he came to care for the both of them^note it is worth mentioning that caring and being in love are not necessarily synonymous, but he considers himself too broken for having the affections of other good people.
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Kyril is a walking defiance of this trope. Indifferent to whatever fantastic race one is, he believes that character is the only thing that matters. Human or non-human, they bleed and die all the same, should anyone choose to cross him or join the Black Dogs.
• What the Hell, Hero?: It is not uncommon to see people calling Kyril out for inflicting brutality towards his foes, in addition to disregarding his reputation and concepts like honour and chivalry. By the Rebel Scum Arc, the criticism against him only strengthened when Kyril and his company decide to put down a rebellion by force, with some even believing that he has stooped to a level lower than the Black Dogs. Kyril, on the other hand, believes that this is necessary for ending the war with the Black Dogs quickly, not to mention the rebels are supporters of the Black Dogs who intend to spread chaos across Eostia.
• When He Smiles: Kyril is The Stoic, plus his face is covered by his hat and bandanna nigh-perpetually. It shouldn't be a surprise that a number of women who like him would like to see the Hunter smile towards them.
  • An inversion occurs in Chapter 8. When asked by Celestine about his Dark and Troubled Past (due to her peeking into his journal three chapters ago), Kyril smiles, in a way that conveys sadness instead of happiness. As he recounts how he tried in vain to keep his past companions safe, ultimately deciding to bear the memories of the dead as best as he can, Olga and Celestine see him as a woobie In-Universe.
  • Chapter 10 has a straight example. Grace notices Kyril smiling thinly as the Hunter talks about how he has the company of his apprentices and his dear companion who soothes his mind, thus he's never lonely. She internally notes that Kyril looks nice, though she quickly crushed that thought down.
  • Another inversion happens in Chapter 21, where Olga sees Kyril's solemn, yet warm expression on his face. Except that he is not currently showing this expression to her, but to his Not Love Interest Evetta. The later parts of Olga's P.O.V. describe how jealous she feels (because she's not the first/only one to witness this side of Kyril), admitting how "unfair" this line of thinking is (because Evetta knew Kyril way longer than she has), and reminiscing how Kyril had been the only man to show her and her servant Chloe kindness. And then Kyril gives Evetta a smile and let her go on her way, only for it to gradually fade into the stoic visage everyone is familiar with, hidden beneath his bandanna.
  • Another straight example occurs in Chapter 31, after Kyril reluctantly obliged Celestine's request to kiss her. He smiles, which causes Celestine to blush, internally noting that it is "the warmest expression" that he has given her. Contrary to many straight instances of this trope, there's no Love Epiphany, no Love Confession, for Kyril is a Celibate Hero who doesn't dwell on supposedly "warm" feelings.
• Whip Sword:
  • Hugh's Threaded Cane is able to transform into a whip, its blades sharp enough to tear through orcs' skin and cause them to bleed profusely.
  • Kyril's Beast Cutter (exclusive in the remastered version) is able to switch from a heavy Serrated Blade of Pain into an exaggerated variant of this trope — a ponderous whip with bladed segments. Although there isn't a scene depicting him actually using this mode to hurt his foes, the fact that the whip creates a large gash when it hits the ground is enough to strike fear into Maia and Alicia's hearts.
• Why Won't You Die?: The creature that was once the sorcerer Shamuhaza proves to be so tough that Kyril, Sanakan, and Hugh's flurry of blows seem to have no effect. Naturally, Sanakan gets frustrated by this, eventually slamming her Holy Blade onto its back repeatedly, cursing "Just fucking DIE ALREADY! DIE!" Hugh cannot speak, but from how his internal narration remarks that "the blasted thing's not dying", the readers can feel that he is getting impatient as well.
• Willfully Weak: Played Straight for Kyril, which overlaps with Fights Like a Normal. He's an Eldritch Abomination in human form, but if he wants to prevent people around him from going insane AND conceal the Eldritch Truth, he has to fight using the skills as a Bloodborne Hunter of Monsters. This doesn't stop him from curb-stomping his opponents in battle, though.
• With Due Respect:
  • The phrase is used by Indriga to show her disagreement with her superior Kyril about leaving him and his apprentices to face off Shamuhaza and his Elite Mooks in the central estate of Rad alone. Kyril acknowledges her concern, but he insists.
    Kyril: Go and rendezvous with Shalala at the dungeons. My Hunters and I will press on.
    Indriga: Sir, with all due respect. I'm not going to leave you out here to face off against whatever shit is in here alone.
    Kyril: Noted. I will be proceeding with my apprentices.
  • Kyril, the Black Knight, uses this phrase in a deadpan way towards Celestine, The High Queen, after the two kiss.
    Kyril: With respect milady. If I were not the same man that stands before you today, I would have had my head cut off if I were caught.
• The Women Are Safe with Us: Played Straight, considering the main antagonist of this fanfic is an Army of Thieves and Whores. Any time the mercs or orcs overrun a village, there will always be imagery of naked, defiled women being either dead a while ago, or are currently raped by them. On the contrary, this never happens for the military of Eostia.
• Won the War, Lost the Peace: Essentially the premise of this fanfic. The advent of the Good Hunter leads to the defeat of Olga Discordia, hence the end of a centuries-old war. However, Olga is revealed to be the Disc-One Final Boss, with Vault immediately seizing the opportunity to rally the Black Dogs and the orcs in the North and declare war against Eostia. There is also the implication that Vault has spent an ample amount of time garnering support from prominent members of the nobility and clergymen within Ken, even during the centuries-old war. Securing long-lasting peace in Eostia has never been more difficult than ever before.
• Workaholic: It says a lot about Kyril when he has to literally be ordered to rest, relax, or join a party, since he's very dedicated to the war effort, hunting in general, or doing paperwork (which he hates). Ironically, he often says he is tired, yet finds it difficult to rest (not that he needs sleep, but still).
  Maia: How have you been? You... look tired.
  Kyril: I am tired. But, I suppose I can wait for a bit while I am at it.
  Maia: [frowns] You should rest.
  Kyril: I will rest when the war is over.
• The World Is Not Ready: This trope is Kyril's justification for concealing the Old Blood, plus anything related to the Great Ones. Initially, he is also reluctant to interfere in Eostian affairs, because he doesn't wish for the madness and depravity that arises from the Eldritch Truth he holds. His words carry a lot of weight when readers who played Bloodborne before know how Yharnam was ruined beyond repair as a result of people misusing and exploiting the gifts of the Great Ones (and later on in the main story, Shamuhaza's actions would prove him correct). This makes his goal to prevent history from repeating itself a more noble one than other instances of this trope in fiction.
• World's Strongest Man: Even if we discount his inherent eldritch tricks up his sleeve, the Good Hunter can certainly contend to this title amongst the Bloodborne-Kuroinu 'verse, given that he is an unkillable hunter of beasts and otherworldly beings who is stronger, faster, and tougher like no other.
• Worth It: A couple of non-comedic examples.
  • Chapter 3, original version: Celestine muses how she and Olga came into blows over the fate of humanity long ago, which resulted in a centuries-old war, plus the shattering of their friendship. At present, the war is finally over, and a new one would begin soon courtesy of the Black Dogs, but Olga is by her side now — it is ultimately worth it in the end^note Her narration remarks, "She would not had it any other way", but the context remains.
  • Chapter 2, remastered version: Kyril recalls the time where he defeated Ludwig, a Knight In Shining Armour who went through a Face–Monster Turn, and is bequeathed by him the Holy Moonlight Sword. He believes that lying to him during his last moments was worth it.
• Worthy Opponent:
  • Shamuhaza sees Kyril as this, knowing that he, like himself, made contact with the Eldritch Truth. While he is certainly excited at the prospect of facing the Good Hunter, Kyril shares no such sentiment, however, seeing him as a madman needed to be exterminated by any means necessary. Deconstructed in Chapter 22, where we find out why the feeling is not mutual. Shamuhaza's reward for facing his perceived "worthy opponent" is neither a gratifying victory nor any reconciliation upon defeat, but rather an ironic parting gift, that is, a glimpse of his true power. It goes on what you would expect. Be Careful What You Wish For indeed...
  • After his match with Vault in Chapter 3, remastered version, Kyril remarks that he is prey worthy of hunting, respecting Vault's skill as a Master Swordsman. It is a rather half-hearted remark, however, as he notes that compared with his two seniors, Lady Maria and the First Hunter, Vault is basically nothing.
• Would Hurt a Child:
  • Whoever inflicted that nasty wound on Hugh's throat is definitely this. Goes on to show that the life of a Street Urchin is anything but good.
  • Even children, especially little girls, are not spared from the predations of orc war bands and the Black Dogs.
  • Meanwhile in Eostia, most of the dark elf slaves that died at the hands of their masters are children.
• Wowing Cthulhu: A couple of characters accomplish this towards the humanoid great one that is Kyril Sutherland.
  • Chapter 4 of the original features Sanakan being the first few people to do so. Trapped with the other village women, who are being used as toys for the Black Dogs, she has just witnessed Kyril tearing the Black Dog mercenaries apart while slowly advancing through the church she is trapped in. While the others can only behold the monstrosity unleashed upon the lesser ones with fear and despair, her response is to stare up at him defiantly, demanding that he take her first and leave the others alone. Amazed, yet saddened by her plight, he decides to take her and her friend as apprentices to take care of them.
  • In Chapter 30 of the original, Kyril is momentarily taken aback by Olga suddenly appearing in front of him to check on her vassal Chloe's condition, incinerating the approaching rebel forces all the while. The fact that Olga was Chloe's Parental Substitute makes this a potent Mama Bear moment. He internally describes her fury as "exquisite", and for a brief moment, he found Olga to be truly beautiful.
• Wretched Hive: Ansur is described as a criminal underworld where crime is rife in spite of the periodical cleanups from Maia and other mercenaries.

Y

• You Are in Command Now: After Indriga's death in the Rad Arc, her second-in-command, Sharl, has to fill the void she left behind and become the leader of the scouts.
• You Are Not Alone: For a man who prefers solitude, Kyril notably inverts this trope, painting a more nuanced take of the "loner" archetype: rather than having someone say to him that he is not alone, it is Kyril himself who says to someone that he is not alone.
  Grace: Why tarnish your reputation that way? You're a knight aren't you? Don't you get...lonely?
  Kyril: Not really. I have apprentices, and a wonderful friend who keeps me from going insane. As for my reputation as a knight... I don't care.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
  • At the climax of the Feoh/Ur Arc, the moles Beasley and the Mortadella brothers are thrown under the bus immediately by the Black Dogs after Kyril successfully infiltrates the Arcturus estate.
  • On the flip side, the good guys occasionally off captured mooks or thugs, who are obviously not associated with the heroes, after interrogating them for information to be used against the Black Dogs. For a couple examples, there's Hugh snapping a thug's neck after obtaining the whereabouts of the Gadsden Gang; Kyril leaving a man to bleed out after ripping the info needed out of his mind; etc.
• You Monster!: Often directed towards the anti-heroic protagonist of the story.
  • Original version:
    • Chapter 8: Kyril notices an anonymous mook he eviscerated, barely alive. He calls Kyril a monster as he approaches the mortally wounded man to interrogate him. His statement proves to be spot-on, given how Kyril suddenly has tendrils coming out of his hand...
    • Chapter 20: A thug is on the receiving end of Chloe's Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique. Now a wailing mess tied to a chair, he screams, "You can't do this to me, you damned monster!"
    • Chapter 23: Claudia is appalled at Kyril's suggestion that the prisoners taken from Scathlocke are to be executed. She highlights that he has become a monster via a rhetorical question ("And so you would become a monster in order to win this war?"). Kyril replies, "I am a monster, Lady Claudia, in case you haven't noticed."
    • Chapter 25: Claudia, livid about Kyril putting her husband Klaus under protective custody due to suspicions about Klaus being a traitor, calls him an "insolent cur". Kyril insists that this measure is for Klaus's safety, in case he gets silenced.
  • Remastered version:
    • Chapter 2: Kyril is called a "knave"^note an archaic word meaning "deceitful person", practically the same as "monster" by Alicia when she sees Prim and the Hunter together, angry that a dangerous person like him is with her cousin. As he makes his way back to his own campsite, Kendra, one of Alicia's seconds, says behind his back, "A monster. No way around it."
    • Chapter 2: After fending off an ambush from an orc war band, Kyril suggests that Alicia's group should head to a safer area as soon as possible, having no time to pay respect to their dead. Vera, one of Alicia's seconds, calls him out.
      Vera: You are a heartless bastard! Let us grieve our dead, for pity's sake!
      Kyril: The orcs will come back. If we're still here we all die. Who will grieve then?
    • Chapter 7: Olga calls Kyril "an unfeeling, accursed wretch", believing that Kyril is indifferent to the fate of her people. Kyril agrees.
    • Chapter 9: Morgan calls Kyril a bastard when he notices his camp is attacked by the Hunter.
• You Remind Me of X:
  • After giving Sanakan and Hugh the choice to either quit or continue being a hunter a second time, Kyril tells the two that the reason why they were taken in is because they remind him of himself — young, desperate, starving, poor.
  • As Kyril observes the captive clergymen who joined the Black Dogs in a blubbering mess, he internally remarks that they are the same as he once had been — fearful of death.
• You're Just Jealous: As a case of how Evil Cannot Comprehend Good, Morgan from the remastered version thinks that Kyril is trying to start a Cock Fight with him over Grace, so him criticising how Morgan and his men get the privilege of whatever women they want in exchange for the coin is because he's jealous.

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