9,783
Once more, the serenity of the Dream welcomed me, an island of peace in a world of madness.
I smiled, before making my way to the Doll, who was waiting for me where she always stood.
She smiled.
"Welcome back, Good Hunter. Was your hunt fruitful?"
"It was." I replied with satisfaction, before launching into a recounting of all that had happened since the last time I told her of my journey through Yharnam.
By the end of it, she was looking... thoughtful.
"Hunters have told me about the church. About the gods, and their love. But... do the gods love their creations? I am a doll, created by you humans. Would you ever think to love me?"
"Of course!" I replied without without hesitation.
She blinked in shock at the passion in my voice, and I blushed, but looked into her eyes firmly nonetheless.
"Of course I do love you. You, Good Doll, who has been by my side since my arrival into Yharnam... You, who has been naught but kind to me, comforted me when I required it, supported me from the very beginning... You, who is so very kind..." I gently took her chin with my left hand, my eyes staring straight into her own.
"You, who is so very beautiful..." I stepped closer.
"Yes, Dear Doll... I do love you. And I always will." I declare softly, but firmly.
The Doll stared at me with wide eyes, frozen, and I decided to show her the truth of my words with action rather than words.
I kissed her, softly, lovingly, and her eyes widened further... before closing, a soft moan escaping her as she all but melted into the kiss.
I deepened the kiss, my left hand going from her chin to the back of her head and my right into the small of her back, pressing her closer to me, and her moan grew louder, her hands going up to grip at my clothes tightly.
... Mmh... She was warmer than I thought she'd be. Softer, too, so very much like a human despite her Doll-like body...
Eventually, we broke the kiss, the both of us panting slightly and staring straight into each other's eyes.
The Doll then removed her right hand from where it was griping at my clothes, bringing it to her lips, a surprised look on her face.
"This was... It felt... I've never..." She blushed slightly, before looking straight into my eyes again.
"Was that your first kiss?" I wondered.
She nodded. "I think a few Hunters in the past thought of doing such things, but the call for the Hunt and the Blood always ended up consuming them before it went beyond throwing me looks of desire from time to time. Even so, I've never felt..." Her right hand went over her heart, and her beautiful eyes held a storm of emotions in them.
"Ahh, Good Hunter... This feeling in my chest, could it be...? I've felt Love before, you humans created me to feel it towards you Hunters, but it feels... Different. It burns in my chest, through my body..." She fell silent, before looking up again at me.
"Good Hunter... Aeon... I..." She swallowed, before her eyes turned firm. "Kiss me again, Dear Aeon. I want to feel like that again." She declared, and I smiled.
"Gladly." I whispered back, before taking her in my arms again and kissing her passionately.
She moaned in the kiss again, her eyes fluttering shut in pleasure, and for a blissful moment, here in the beauty and serenity of the Dream, the wider world and it's concerns disappeared from both of our minds, lost as we were in the peace and joy we had found in one another.
Eventually however, we had to break the kiss again, leaving both of us out of breath, bright blushes on our faces, but equaly bright smiles being sent towards one another.
She leaned into me, and my arms came around her to hug her tight against my chest.
"Aeon..." She whispered.
I smiled. "So... I am not sure what pass for courtship in Yharnam... And I'm not sure you know either... But does this means we are officially boyfriend and girlfriend?"
She looked at me with a bright smile, eyes almost twinkling with joy.
"I do believe so, Dear Aeon."
"Good." I purred, before kissing her again.
Needless to say, it took... some time before either of us were ready to "return to normal", since the Doll seems to be quite interested in experiencing this whole "kissing" thing more, and I was equally happy to "teach" her all about it.
The fact that I had unlocked the (Kissing) Skill and was steadily leveling up- making the whole thing even more pleasurable for her as time went by- was not exactly helping, either.
(Kissing): The act of kissing someone. The higher the level, the more pleasure and joy the kissed individual will feel and the longer the effects of the kiss will linger. Current level: (10)
All good things must come to an end eventually, however, and while I certainly wouldn't have minded passing many, many hours enjoying leveling up my (Kissing) skill until I could leave the Doll a blissfully passed out mess in my arms, I had beasts to kill, Godhood to claim, and Bloodborne as a whole to finish, so I eventually cut short our kissing sessions.
Though if the look the Doll gave me was anything to go by by the end of it, I certainly wasn't the only one who was looking forward to the next time...
That aside, I did put the Blood Echoes I had to good use, leveling up my (Sword Wielding Mastery) to level (42) and my(Fire Infusion) skill to level (44).
Smiling at my progress, I then pursed my lips, before looking at the Doll with a thoughtful frown.
She titled her head curiously at my look.
"Good Hunter?" She questioned.
Holding back a smile at how utterly adorable the Doll looked right now, I took out the Tear I received when she had cried in joy from my Inventory, her eyes widening at the sight of it.
"This is..." She muttered, looking at it closely.
"Indeed." I declared. "I... wanted to ask you. I believe that I could turn it into a Gemstone, one with healing properties. I... am not entirely sure how to feel at the idea of using this for my weapons, but-"
"Yes." The Doll interrupted, smiling widely. "As touched as I am for your consideration towards-" She waved at the Tear "-this, I would rather it'd be put to good use. If it can, indeed, heal you and help you on your Hunts... Then I would be glad, and honored, to be of help to you, in whatever way I can, Good Hunter." She said warmly.
I smiled back. "Very well then. In that case, if you would excuse me..." I bowed, the Doll bowing back, before making my way to the Workshop.
Noticing that Gherman wasn't there, I took a deep breath... and then began silently cheering and jumping around like an excitable idiot at the fact that me and the Doll were officially "a thing".
I was, needless to say, REALLY FUCKING HAPPY right now.
I only stopped my personal "celebration" when I started doing cartwheels around the Workshop. I didn't want to accidentally damage anything, after all.
After quite thoroughly making a fool of myself (thankfully with no one watching), I finally got to work using the Tear as a Gemstone and putting it in my gun.
Which I also upgraded to (+4) while I was at it.
With that done, I went to write in my notebook everything that had happened to me since I last wrote in it, then Meditated until I reached level (35).
I also took notice that, with the latest gain in (Int) and (Wis), I actually reached 250 with both those Stats!
Int (250): You now have a massive affinity to Mana/Arcane! Furthermore, you have now gained Eidetic Memory! Never again shall you forget any precious memory of your life! 50% Increase in Mana Recovery Rate. 50% Increase in total MP. 50% Increase to Magic/Arcane Attack damages. 75% learning speed increase to MP related skills.
Wis (250): Massive W̨̅̉̆̐̚o̟̱̫̠̹̼ͭ͐̇̕r͐ͩ̽ͤ̅̑̒͏ĺ̶̪̘͙̝͙̞ḍ̷͓̪͎̞̄̍ Affinity. You are wiser than the massive majority of people in the way of the W̨̅̉̆̐̚o̟̱̫̠̹̼ͭ͐̇̕r͐ͩ̽ͤ̅̑̒͏ĺ̶̪̘͙̝͙̞ḍ̷͓̪͎̞̄̍. 50% Increase in Mana Recovery Rate. 50% Increase in total MP. 75% Increase to Elemental Attack. 75% Increase to Elemental damage resistance. 75% Increase to learning speed for (Science) and (Mystical) related subjects.
I blinked, blinked again, before focusing-
Yup, I could now remember every moments of my life in perfect clarity if I focused.
Though thankfully not EVERY moments; I couldn't remember my birth or anything -too- far back, probably because my brain was still developing.
That, or it was an unseen protective measure against trauma from the Gamer system.
I was thankful either way.
I did take a moment to compare my memories of the Game to what I went through so far, quickly noticing that I was right to be suspicious: The Bosses so far had, indeed, been stronger in reality than in the game.
While it made sense, that didn't mean I was exactly happy to be proven right- especially considering what that meant for my future Boss fights...
In any case, with all my preparations complete, it was time to return to Yharnam- I had new areas to explore, after all!
Though not before giving one last kiss to the Doll.
I had my priorities straight, after all.
Finding myself once again in what was left of the Grand Cathedral (and taking the time to once again boggle at the sheer destruction around me), I had to admit that it felt weird to not immediately talk with Violetta upon my return to Yharnam.
... Shaking off that thought, I exited the Cathedral, finding a Bloodshot Eyeball not far from the entrance.
I let out a sigh. I swear, ritual materials in Bloodborne were just...
I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the fact that, one day, I wouldn't even blink at handling such things.
... In any case, I did took a moment to just... stare at the night sky.
After all this time in Yharnam, with an unchanging sky, having said sky change so suddenly felt weird.
I looked at the stars above, shining brilliantly, their beauty untainted by pollution like in my world.
... I had to admit, the sight was truly incredible.
I extended a hand towards them, a soft smile on my face.
"Mine." I whispered, my dark eyes reflecting their lights within.
One day. One day, I would be a god. I would travel the stars, enjoy their beauty from up close, and personally witness the wonders of the Cosmos with my own eyes.
One day.
"Wait for me. I'm coming." I whispered again, my words a quiet but firm promise, an oath of what the future will be, before turning away from their lights and back towards the path to Hemwick Charnel Lane.
The stars above twinkled brilliantly, quietly dancing in the void.
It was not yet time to sing of the Greatness of their Lord, after all.
I quickly pushed forward, and soon enough I was pushing in the doors open to the actual Charnel Lane.
Sure, there were a few madmen and dogs on the way, but they weren't a problem.
I did switch to Ludwig's Holy blade, though- I wanted to keep improving my swords skill, after all.
That done, I activated the Lantern, though I didn't go back to the Hunter's Dream- no point, I didn't really make any actual progress yet.
Then I took a look at the area beneath me, staring at all the madwomen down there.
With a shrug, I took out my rifle-spear, and began sniping them one by one.
(Gun wielding mastery) level 100 was no joke, after all.
With the area now clear of enemies, I went down and looted everything.
I did find a Madman's knowledge, so I was now at [Insight: 43]!
Then I pushed onwards, killing anything on my path up to when I found the Elevator shortcut.
Going back up, I kept up my murder-hobo ways, swordsman edition, until I came across the Troll on the bridge.
The troll stared at me.
I stared at the Troll.
He screamed, raising his stone brick high to crush me.
I, meanwhile, smiled widely like an idiot, waited just the right moment-
And then quickened up to him, right foot forward and kicking him in the gut.
"This! Is! YHARNAM!" I screamed, before cackling when he fell to his death on the rocks below.
I used 21st century, Earth reference!
It was super effective!
Snickering to myself over the Power of Memes, I kept going, finding one moreMadman's Knowledge (now 44!) in the house up ahead, before next pausing when I reached the building facing the sea.
The sea. It had been... years since I last saw it.
I took a moment to enjoy the scent of it... before wrinkling my nose.
Of course the smell of Blood was still present here.
Of fucking course it was.
I sighed. Can't even get myself lost in memories for a few seconds without this bloody reality forcibly imposing itself once more...
With a scowl, I kept going. grimly slaughtering madwomen, dogs and eventually Executioners on my way to the next boss.
I did find some Gemstones and other interesting loot along the way, at least, so there's that, I thought while opening the Shortcut Gate.
A few minutes later, I found something much more interesting- the Lake Rune.
I stared at it, and-
-Consciousness is a Lake-
-Go beyond the Bulwark. Seek what is Yours-
-I blinked, then blinked again.
... Huh. That had been... Something?
How strange. I could've sworn that I heard two different voices...
The second appeared familiar, even...?
I shook my head. Crazy Eldritch weirdness is weird, as expected.
I kept going, killing anything standing in my way, finding yet another Madman's knowledge (now 45!) and then-
Boss fight time!
Then I stopped, looking at the (35000) Blood echoes that I had on me.
... On second thought, it would be better to put those to good use before the Boss fight.
With that being said, I turned, going back to the Hunter's Dream.
And it totally wasn't because I wanted to go kiss the Doll again.
Of course not.
...
(Okay fine, it totally was. I was in love and had a wonderful girlfriend, why WOULDN'T I want to kiss the living daylights out of her?!)
I returned to the Dream, smiling at the Doll.
She smiled back.
"Welcome back, Good Hunter- Mph?!"
Naturally, the first thing I did was kiss my wonderful girlfriend silly.
Again, I had my priorities straight.
Eventually, we broke the kiss, and I most definitely enjoyed the sight of the Doll's panting, blushing and looking slightly "out of it" face.
When she recovered, she gave me her usual greeting smile, though it was noticeably brighter than usual.
"Good Hunter... Aeon. Is the Hunt going well?"
I chuckled. "Indeed it does. I am, in fact, about to confront one of the more deadly beast that Yharnam hold. Speaking of which..."
She nodded. "Of course, Good Hunter. Close your eyes, and focus on what you desire..."
I did as requested, focusing on my (Sword Wielding Mastery) which was currently level (46).
After spending a good chunk of my Blood echoes, it was now at level (72).
I then used the rest of my Blood echoes on my (Fire Infusion) skill, which was level (48) right now.
After upgrade, it was now at level (73).
I nodded. That was pretty good, and that on top of the heavy weapon that is Ludwig's Holy blade should do some nasty damage to anything I hit.
Speaking of, I thanked the Doll before going to the Workshop, upgrading the Holy Blade up to (+5).
With that done, it was time to go back- and kill one more Boss.
Though not before kissing the Doll silly again, of course.
I made my way back to the Boss, helped by the shortcut I had opened previously.
Once again, I stood before a Boss room, and once again, I did my little ritual with the Flower.
Then I took a deep breath, exhaled... and entered.
BOSS FIGHT
WITCH OF HEMWICK
I waved the(+1) Insight message away, and took in the room.
As expected, there was no Boss in sight, just two Mad Ones.
I hummed, throwing some fireballs their ways to swiftly kill them.
Then I shrugged, and began throwing more fireballs all over the walls, where I remembered the witch liked to hide close to.
Sure enough, I eventually found her, and I quickly threw Fire Blasts after Fire Blasts at her.
Though I did tag her with (Insight) too.
Witch of Hemwick
Level 65
She screamed at the pain of her flesh cooking under the heat (which let me tell you, was not a pretty sight to see. Thank you so much for those images, perfect vision...) before disappearing.
I grumbled at that. Disappearing beasts, seriously, as if regular beasts weren't bad enough...
Still, I killed more mad ones, then kept blasting around for hopes of finding her.
Whenever I did, I kept blasting her with fire while quickening my way to her, slashing once or twice at her body with my sword before she disappeared again.
Eventually, I actually killed her, and I blinked- that had been easy, even if that was only part one of this Boss fight.
And then the next part of the Boss fight began.
And it went to hell pretty much immediately.
Because the second witch wasn't playing around.
At all.
Screw summoning a few Mad Ones from time to time and hiding in wait;
Instead, the crazy bitch summoned two DOZENS Mad Ones as her opening gambit!
So I was already boggling at the sudden number of beasts in the room... and then she appeared behind her minions and started throwing spells at me!
I started quickening all over the place, eyes wide as binding spells, tentacles spells (that combo, gods!), fucking Arcane Novas and more flew everywhere!
And then ANOTHER twenty Mad Ones appeared!
To my credits, I lasted for nearly a minute after that.
Then a Mad One got me in the neck, another in the heart, and...
Well. let just say things got messy after that.
I woke up.
Shuddered at the memories of my last death.
There had been far too many sharp objects, flying limbs (MY limbs) and glowing yellow eyes as the last thing I saw for my liking.
Shaking my head to banish those horrible memories, I went to the Tombstone, waving at the Doll as I passed.
Then I returned to the Boss Room, and once again began blasting and slashing at the first witch.
Once more, the first part was easy.
Then the second part of the fight began.
This time, I was more mentally prepared for that Witch's bullshit, so the moment that the Mad Ones appeared I starting blasting magic spells at them.
The Witch naturally didn't take me killing her minions well, and I swiftly ended up in a spells slugging match.
"Eat my Fire Novas, bitch!" I hissed, as Arcana Novas and Fire ones began flying between us, explosion rocking the entire room over and over again.
I readied my next spell... and then froze.
Binding spell! I mentally growled.
The surprisingly cunning monster of a woman had hidden it behind an Arcane Nova.
So here I was, staring at the incoming one that she threw at me the moment her binding spell hit.
This is going to hurt, I thought, grimacing.
The nova hit.
I was right.
It did hurt.
I woke up.
Grumbled about 'em damn magic casters.
Took a moment to appreciate the sheer irony of my words.
Went back.
And then got killed by a Tentacle spell going through my chest.
... I was so looking forward to getting my hands on that spell.
Mostly so that I could do it to OTHER PEOPLE!
I refuse, you hear me, Bloodborne?! I refuse to go back on my love of Hentai! I was a proud (former) member of Questionable Questing!
THE LEWD SHALL LIVE ON! PORN FOR THE PORN GOD! HENTAI FOR THE HENTAI THRONE-
I woke up.
Grumbled some more about Hentai and Tentacles.
Waved at the Doll.
Went back in.
Killed the first Witch.
Began trading spells with the second (making damn sure she wouldn't pull off the spell hidden by another spell trick again).
And then died again.
Because she revived the first one at some point, and she successfully sneaked up on me and began pulling out my eyeballs from behind.
Ow.
I woke up.
Closed my eyes tightly, wincing in phantom pain.
... Well, it was a good thing that I literally couldn't get traumatized, because I sure as hell wasn't going to forget THIS death anytime soon.
I idly wondered what kind of treatments could exist for someone traumatized from dying painfully again and again.
Somehow, I doubted most therapists could handle my case...
Then I sighed, put on my Big Boy pants, and then went back to fight the Boss.
Again.
THIS time, I didn't make the mistake of not keeping an eye out for both Witches.
Which meant that, when the first witch tried to sneak up on me again, she took a face full of Ludwig's Holy Blade.
Which was on Fire, because (Fire Infusion) is awesome.
Her screams, needless to say, were SATISFYING.
My owns, when I lingered on the same place for too long after killing that bitch, weren't.
I killed the first witch.
Began fighting the second (and her waves of minions).
Killed the first witch (again).
Focused back on killing the second.
Again, waves after waves of spells were exchanged.
This time, however, there was something I wanted to try.
My own take on one of her own strategy, in fact.
Thus, I waited for a good moment... Then unleashed a massive blast of fire.
And then quickened THROUGH the fire.
The witch, having obviously not expected me to be crazy enough to go through my own fire spell, froze in shock at the sight.
Her last mistake.
Ludwig's Holy blade came down.
She tried to dodge at the last second.
Failed.
And got cut into two.
There was a moment of stillness.
And then the two halves of the witch fell and disappeared in moonlight and mist, taking with her all remaining summoned Mad Ones.
PREY SLAUGHTERED
I breathed out.
That... had not been the worst Boss fight I've been in, but it certainly had been memorable nonetheless.
I was really, REALLY looking forward to finding the items I needed to use Arcane spells.
That aside, I WON!
Woohoo!
I took a look at my gains from this victory, noticing first that I was now Level (54).
My (Fire Resistance) was also now Level (100/MAX), so that was VERY good!
Mostly because I no longer needed to fear heat of any kind!
Take that, you bastard Demon Fire Dog! I am immune to your tricks now!
Mhahahaha!
... That aside, my (Fire Infusion) skill did level up to level (85), and my (Fire Magic) to level (88).
My (Art of Quickening) skill leveled up to (43), and (Sword Wielding Mastery) skill to (79).
And of course, my (Magic/Arcane Damage Resistance) skill went up by a lot, from all the spells that hit- or outright killed- me, to level (47).
As from the Witch herself, I received a (+10) Stats points bonus for Arcane, which was... Not as good as actual spells, but I certainly wasn't going to complain about more Arcane power!
The (15) Stats points from Level up, I decided to put them in one of my Stat which was lagging behind the others- Luck, to (190) Stat now.
Beyond that, I gained another (+2) Insights for killing the Boss, so I was now at [Insight: 48].
Oh, and (4) Bloodshot Eyeballs on top of (14160) Blood Echoes.
Done with checking my gains, I quickly activated the Lantern, before going down to get the Rune Workshop tool.
Taking one look at it, I grimaced- I could already tell this was going to be painful...
I sighed. No pain, no gain, as the saying goes...
Finally done with the area, I went back to the Dream.
Once back into the Dream, I made a beeline to the Doll, a rather proud smirk on my face.
The Doll took one look at me and smiled proudly back.
"I take it your Hunt was successful, Good Hunter?"
I nodded. "Indeed! One less beast to worry about in this world. Come, let us sit- I shall catch you up on my latest adventures in Yharnam and it's surrounding."
We proceeded to do just that, the Doll listening intently as I told her of my latest Hunts, before I took out the Rune Workshop tool by the end of my tale.
She looked at it with interest.
"Indeed, it is a tool of this Workshop, used to inscribe the Eldritch Runes found by Men in the minds of Hunters. Would you like my help in using it, Good Hunter?"
I nodded slowly. "You know how to use it?"
She smiled. "Indeed."
... For once, her smile did not fill me with joy.
Instead, that smile makes me feel only dread.
We went into the Workshop.
It did not take long to find out that, indeed, I was right to be fearful.
Gods be good, I discovered fully just how terrifying the Doll could be this day.
That smile should NOT be as gentle as it was when she held me down while I was busy screaming my lungs out!
The first Rune was the Lake Rune, which was...
There was a Lake. It was deep and calm, and so massive that I could not see it's shores. It's surface was calm, peaceful, tranquility incarnate.
Beneath the surface however, the deeper one delved, the more strange, unnatural beings one could find.
And deep, deep within, I could feel...
Something sleeping. Slumbering. Young, weak, and yet... And yet, it could easily become so much more.
It Dreamed, yet, this infantile being. Dreamed of the Heavens, of the Stars, of the Wonders of the Cosmos.
For now, most of it's attention was taken by a nightmare. A nightmare it sought escape from.
But one day... One day, the Nightmare shall be slain.
And then, there would only be The Dream... And Reality.
And all the wonders of the Cosmos.
Three Chains For Greatness... A Link forged, Two left...
Two left for Greatness.
I blinked, then blinked again.
I remembered the Lake, but... wasn't there more? I could have sworn...
Ah, never mind.
Two more.
Two more Runes.
I took a deep breath.
Communion.
A dreamer slumbered, shackled to a Nightmare he sought escape from.
Above and around, Great Beings watched, with curiosity, with interest, with Hope...
With Love.
The Moon Watched, The Blood plotted.
The Gods waited.
Will the Dreamer Honor the Wishes... Or will a new Childhood begin?
Only Time would tell...
I blinked again.
That one, I barely remembered anything of.
Something about... Watching something?
I shook my head.
The last one-
Formless Oedon.
Long as it waited.
Long as it hoped.
Long as it prayed, much like those below.
A Child, it sought. To Love, To care about, to cherish.
And yet, only Tragedy was found.
Pain. Heartbreak. Despair.
But it was patient. Determined. It had a goal, a Dream worth all the pain in the Cosmos and more.
Then a proposal was made, and it was... intrigued.
It accepted.
It learned much because of it. Understood much, in a way that even it's Great self could not have before.
From the new perspective it now possessed, it now created a new plan.
Always, it's Dream of a Child drove it forward.
Before, it sought to Create a Child born with Greatness.
Now, however, it wondered... Could Greatness be claimed? Could it granted?
Could Greatness come from that which others might think as Lesser?
So, it tried. Again and Again, it tried to find the one, which would have the potential for Greatness.
And, Again and Again, for all it's Love, for all it's hope, there was only failures.
It loved them, still, these failures. It was sympathetic by nature, and even more so from it's new perspective.
But for all it's love towards them, none were that which it sought.
None were a true Child.
But it was patient. Well-used to waiting, to hoping, to praying.
The Pact still held. So long as it did, it would be there, trying.
And then, things... changed.
A new hope, one driven by ambition like few it met before.
Kindness mixed with ambition, gentleness mixed with fierceness.
Could it be?
... A Link forged, Two more for Greatness...
It smiled. It laughed. It exulted, as long fragile hope burned brightly once more.
Not yet, it knew. Her new Child was not yet ready to claim it's place...
But soon. Soon, it would.
It was patient, after all. What was one more night when it had lived through so many?
Seek the Echoes of Blood... Seek Greatness... Claim that which is yours, my Love. As for me...
It smiled brightly.
I shall await you. You told me, before, that you loved me... And I love you. Be strong, beloved. The Night ahead is long, and full of Terrors... But I have faith in you.
Claim that which is yours, Beloved. Claim your Greatness!
I blinked.
The Doll stared at me, a soft smile on her face.
I stared back... Before smiling softly back.
"Did I ever tell you that I love you, Dear Doll?" I asked.
Her smile grew.
"You did."
"Then I shall say it again, because I do not believe there is such a thing as saying the words enough in all of Time. I love you, Doll."
She blushed, before smiling even brighter.
A very familiar smile.
"And I love you, Dear Aeon."
We kissed again, a softer, more gentle kiss than our last ones- with less passion, and more gentle love instead.
I eventually broke the kiss, taking a deep breath and nodding.
"Right. We should... probably take care of my Blood Echoes, and then I have other stuff I need to do..."
I trailed off, the Doll looking rather amused at me being the one out of it this time.
Coughing slightly, I gave her my hand, the Doll taking it with even more amusement.
Then I focused- I had upgrades to do!
I hummed, before deciding to use my Blood Echoes to upgrade my (Healing Magic) skill.
Level (52) Healing Magic, here I go!
Considering that I was about to go fight Henryk, a veteran Hunter, and more importantly- with an actual ALLY this time (Eileen, that is) I felt it wiser to be ready.
Just in case.
With that done, I nodded at the Doll (and gave her a quick kiss), went to write my latest adventures in my notebook...
And then returned to Yharnam.
I had an Old Crow to help, after all.
I stood in Oedon Chapel, taking a moment to appreciate seeing it again after my time out and about.
Then I blinked, and made my way to the Old Woman, who was holding her head and crying.
"Oh, How did we ever get into this mess..."
And then she started sobbing.
I looked around, noticing the Skeptical man looking away from us, Arianna grimacing, and Violetta biting her lips.
I sighed, then walked closer to her.
Time to put my charisma stat to good use. Surely it can help with crying women?
I knelt close to her, gently rubbing her back and whispering soothing words.
It felt kind of weird to do that to someone I didn't know, especially when said person had been so distrustful in the past, but, well, it was the end of the world.
I could sympathize with her.
Eventually, it seems to work, because she calmed down.
... Oh. She fell asleep.
Well, okay then.
Long day, huh? Yeah, I knew all about that.
I got up, going to hug Violetta, who gladly hugged me back.
She broke the hug, smiling softly at me.
"Thanks for helping her." She said. "I..." She frowned slightly. "I don't really like her, she was mean to you before... But having her just break down like that was..."
She looked away, obviously uncomfortable.
I nodded.
"Yeah. I get it." I stayed silent for a moment, before smiling at her.
"I haven't been away for too long, I hope?"
She shook her head.
"Not really. It hasn't been that long since I last saw you."
I hummed at that. Considering all that I did since the last time that I was here, that was surprising.
Well, okay, not really. I knew that Time was screwed up, it was just yet another example of it.
I nodded.
"Alright then. No problems so far on your side, right?"
She smiled. "Nope. I'm doing fine... As fine as I can be, at least." She finished softly.
I held back a sigh. Honestly, it was kind of hard to keep in mind that, for her, it had only been a few hours, at most, since she became an orphan.
Speaking of which...
"Say, beside your sister... Is there anyone else in your family? Or friends of your family? You'll need someone to go to after tonight, after all."
She grimaced at the reminder of her status as an orphan, before nodding slowly.
"Well, there is my grandad Henryk, I don't think I mentioned him yet? He should be out hunting right now."
I stared at her.
"Henryk." I said flatly.
She blinked. "Yes? Did you meet him, Mister Aeon?" She asked, voice and wide blue eyes full of hope.
Damn it, Violetta...
"No, Violetta. I did not." I replied tonelessly, thinking over the fact that I was about to go KILL HIM!
Bloodborne. Fuck this place with a serrated weapon where the sun doesn't shine, I swear...
She blinked, but didn't have the time to say anything before I shook my head, strengthened, and then nodded.
"Right. If you'll excuse me, I need to go..."
I gave her a hug, before leaving for the courtyard where I fought Gascoigne.
Time to go kill yet ANOTHER member of Violetta's family.
Did I mention yet just how much I HATED this place? Because I did.
I swear, once I'm a powerful enough God, I'll return to this world and fix this place.
Because Fuck Grim darkness. It was about time someone brought some Noble bright in this mess!
And with that cheerful thought in mind, imagining myself squeezing the literal representation of the concept of Grim darkness' neck with both hands, I went to go kill Violetta's Grandad.
... Shit. And there goes my good mood...
I went down the stairs, staring at where Henryk was.
There wasn't a message about Boss battle, but...
Well.
Old Hunter Henryk.
Level 70
Yeah.
Level fucking 70.
That was just...
The highest level enemy I'll be fighting against, this far.
And the worst part is, I felt like I owed it to Gascoigne, Violetta and her sister to TRY and calm him down.
Because seriously, if he wasn't there to take care of the two girls, who will?
As far as I could tell, there truly was no one left to take care of those two.
Except the man who was radiating Bloodlust in front of me while panting and snarling like a beast.
... Fuck.
Alright. I took a deep breath, readied myself... And call out.
"Old Hunter Henryk!" I shouted, and he immediately turned towards me, snarling like a beast.
Oh, and he was standing before Gascoigne- and his wife- graves.
Double fuck.
He immediately charged at me, weapons raised, and I grimaced.
"Come on, Henryk! Stop this! Don't lose yourself to the Beast within! You've got two granddaughters who need you, you stupid old man!" I shouted, dodging his attacks while holding my weapons tightly.
I wasn't the same man I was when I fought Gascoigne. I've killed too much since then.
That, and there was the risk of Eileen dying if I wasn't there to help out.
So I wouldn't, couldn't risk dying in this fight. A novel feeling indeed, to fear death, if only for the sake of others.
It wasn't one I appreciated, however.
Especially when he kept shooting me!
"For Goodness sake, man! Stop and think! Think about Violetta and Vanessa! Who's going to be taking care of them if you die here, you fucking Idiot?!" I shouted, still dodging like crazy.
The bastard was FAST though, fast and skilled, and most of the reason I was capable of not being hit was my (Quickening) skill.
Henryk snarled at my words, before letting out a Beast's Roar which almost allowed him to kill me when it sent me flying back and into a tombstone.
Barely deflecting his weapon away with my sword while kneeling, I snarled back.
"One last chance, Henryk! Stop this madness or I WILL kill you! Think of your own Granddaughters you selfish asshole! They've already lost their parents today! Don't make me kill their grandfather too!"
As I feared however, he didn't reply with anything but the desire to kill, and I could see his eyes- full of bloodthirst, madness, beastly savagery...
There was no humanity left in there.
Only insanity- only the desire for Bloodshed.
I snarled in rage, rage at him for falling to the beast within, rage at the fact that I was going to need to kill yet another member of Violetta's family, rage at this entire fucking universe, rage at myself for failing to perform yet another fucking miracle...
And rage at the Beast who was staring back in my eyes from the body of a once family man.
[Hatred of Beasts] and (Calm Hatred) have been activated!
Yeah, I had a lot of reasons to rage right now.
So I did. I raged against the beast who had taken Henryk's body as it's own, finally fighting back with such brutal hatred even the Beast in front of me seemed shocked at first.
Then it's bloodthirst returned, as I knew it would, and we began fighting in earnest, with me infusing my weapons with poison and him mixing attacks with his Saw Cleaver and Hunter Pistol.
And that, of course, is when Eileen made her move, a poisoned dagger finding itself in Henryk's back, swiftly followed by her suddenly coming down from somewhere above, blades drawn and ready to slash at him.
To his credit, beside flinching at the dagger suddenly in his back, Henryk didn't waste time dodging Eileen's attacks, the two quickly exchanging some truly vicious blows.
Then Henryk's gun came up, and he shot Eileen in the shoulder, making her stumble back, while he readied himself to charge-
Until my own shot took him in the left knee, making him collapse on the ground.
Again, the might of a level 70 Hunter showed, as he successfully dodged the majority of her attacks and returned to his feet in an impressive flurry of movements.
Most were not all, however, and more than a few bleeding wounds stood as proofs of Eileen's own skill.
By then, I had decided against trying to throw poisoned daggers myself- I didn't even have the Dagger Throwing skill, so there was no way I could hit a level 70 hunter- and instead charged right in, poisoned sword and gun at the ready.
I may not have the skill to throw daggers, but shooting poisoned bullets will do just as well!
I did throw a quick healing spell at Eileen, who jerked back in surprise, Henryk trying to use this as an opportunity- until he took a blast of poison in the face for it, at least.
I ruthlessly exploited the opening, throwing Poison spells after poison spells at him, sometime adding my sword and gun to the mix for good measure, with Eileen staring at me for a moment before joining in the fight again.
Fighting against a high-level hunter makes things pretty wild, needless to say, and the sheer barrage of bullets- and knives- Henryk could shoot/throw with deadly precision was frankly awe-inspiring.
Sure, I could, and did, much the same with my (Gun Wielding Mastery), but I was a Gamer with a level MAX skill for goodness sake! I was supposed to be bullshit!
Henryk's capability to dodge like a fucking monkey on crack was NOT helping things, either, and I was pretty sure the only reason I hit him at all with my shots was that my own Skill was complete bullshit at max level.
Pulling off actual skips with the tombstones and trees around the courtyard which would allow my bullets to hit him in the back was actually something I could- and did- do, after all!
Not that Eileen was all that less bullshit in her own right, mind you- The skill she had with those blades of hers was impressive, too, and there was times I could have sworn I saw actual freaking afterimages.
Henryk still found himself hard-pressed to fight against both myself and Eileen however, especially when I was "cheating" by throwing a lot of poison magics at him, and despite Henryk's sheer speed and impressive skill with his gun/knives, eventually-
There!
-I lunged, my sword going through his back and back out in his chest, before I put my gun to his head and fired.
His headless body collapsed.
Both Eileen and myself stood heavily panting, for while the fight didn't last long it had been beyond fast and brutal every step of the way.
Note to self: Level 70 Hunters were scary bastards, and I threw some healing magics at both myself and Eileen yet again, because we both got hits several times in that fight.
Henryk had been REALLY good with that pistol of his, I thought with a groan, feeling the pain of one of his good shot on my shoulder disappearing under the soothing warmth of my healing.
I took a quick look at my gains from this fight. While it might not have been an "official" Boss fight, it was still a really difficult battle, one that I only won without dying once because I had Eileen to help out.
First, I had gained two levels (presumably less than the usual three because Henryk hadn't been a true "boss", just a very powerful Hunter. That, or it was Eileen presence in this fight showing it's side-effect.), so I was now level (56).
A second proof that he hadn't been a Boss was the amount of Blood Echoes I got from him- only (6280), which was half of what I got from the Witch, and no Insight gain.
My (Art of Quickening) skill leveled up to (50), and (Sword Wielding Mastery) skill to (84).
My (Poison Infusion) skill went up to (57), and my (Poison Magic) was now at (48).
As for my (Healing Magic) skill, it was now at level (59), while my (Physical Damage Resistance) skill was up to (54).
I quickly put the (10) Stats points of my levels up to my Luck, smiling at finally coming up to (200).
The last thing I gained was the Heir Rune, which was-
A Hunter must Hunt. And remember: Fear the Old Blood.
- I blinked.
For some reason, I saw... I wasn't quite sure. There was a number of faces...
Gascoigne? Or was it Henryk? But no, there were more, and also...
A familiar warmth?
... I shook my head. Eldritch Runes were always tricky, though I had some theories...
No matter. More importantly-
Eileen turned towards me, finally mostly done catching her breath.
"That wasn't necessary of ya... But you have my thanks." She declared, nodding in thanks. "We made it with our lives... You're not bad at all." She praised.
I smiled. "Yeah, I've come a long way from when I first arrived. Still got a long way to go yet, though."
She hummed. "And those Arcane spells of yer... Never heard of anyone like that before."
I shrugged, smirking. "I picked up a few things here and there, that's all."
She snorted. "Well, that's one way to put it. Same with that healing of yours..." She shook her head, before giving me what I was pretty sure was a considering look.
"You must have killed Gascoigne as well then." She theorized. I grimaced, and she sighed. "He was falling apart... I'm sure it had to be done."
Her voice turned soft... but firm.
"But try to keep your hands clean... The Hunter should hunt Beasts. Leave the hunting of Hunters, to me." She turned away, laughing softly.
"Eileen." I called out, making her pause before turning slightly my way.
"Be careful out there, will you? Things are about to get even worse before they get better. so don't go and die before you get to see things actually getting better. So just... Take care, alright?"
She stayed silent for a moment, before turning fully towards me, scoffing loudly at my words- though not unkindly.
"Didn't I tell you before to stop trembling in yer boots? Don't worry so much about this Old Crow. I've seen many a night of the Hunt through, and my old bones will see me through many more, I'm sure-"
"Eileen." I said firmly, eyes narrowed, and she paused.
"Don't try to lie to me." I said softly. "There are several times in the last fight that Henryk almost got you if I hadn't been there to stop him. I've got the Dream, but you don't. If you fall, that's it. No retry. No second chances. So I mean it. Things are about to get worse before they get better- so be careful."
She stared at me in silence for a moment, so I grinned.
"Besides, I still don't even know what you look like under that ghastly mask of yours! You said you're old, but for all I know you're actually a twenty-something beautiful woman who just is cynical and grouchy as all hell! It would be a damn shame if you were to die before I find out the truth, and I'm stuck wondering about it for the rest of my life, you know?"
She snorted loudly, before laughing.
"Hahahaha! It's been a VERY long time since I've been a *twenty-something beautiful woman*! And really, you're going to flirt now, of all time?" She exclaimed, amused.
I shook my head. "Flirt no- I've already got a beautiful girlfriend, so I'm taken, I'm sorry." I declared with a proud smirk, before continuing. "But poke fun at the gruff, grouchy *old* woman who's obviously trying to keep people at arm's length because of all the death she witnessed and dealt herself?" My smile turned soft and sad. "How long as it been, Eileen, since you've last laughed? Truly laughed? How long since you've truly relaxed? How long since you last made a friend?"
She stayed silent, and my smile turned even more sad.
"This city has taken it's toll on you, hasn't it? And with your duties as Hunter of Hunters... It's probably worse, because even hunters are ultimately potential targets for you. Most civilians would distrust you for being an outsider, most hunters for being their potential killer. So who's left to be friend with?" I questioned.
I stepped closer to her, and she tensed- before tensing even further when I put my right hand on her shoulder.
"How long has it been, Eileen, since you even got a hug?"
She stiffened, but wasn't fast enough to stop me from hugging her.
There was a moment of silence.
Then Eileen grunted. "I take it all back. You're the worse Hunter I've ever seen." She grumbled.
I chuckled. "Sorry, but there is no way in hell that I can go back to the Dream and tell the Doll that her dear Eileen is breaking apart at the seams and that there was nothing I could do to help. You may be fearsome, but the thought of seeing the Doll's sad and disappointed face is FAR worse."
She grunted again. "There is no way I'm getting out of this one, is there?" She wondered, sighing.
I snorted. "Take the damn hug already, Eileen. I'm but a pale shadow of what comfort the Doll could give you, but I'll damn well try my best. Don't make me use a binding spell to keep you there, you hear me?" I threatened, though I sadly didn't actually have any of those yet.
No reason to tell her that, though.
She sighed again, and for a moment we just stayed there, before Eileen tilted her crow mask towards me.
"Kinky." She declared drily, and I bursted out laughing.
I did NOT see that coming!
I ended up breaking the hug, the two of us snickering hard for a few moments, before we both calmed down.
Then she stared at me, before sighing deeply.
"Fine, then. I suppose I'll be extra careful out there, if only so that I can say *I told you so* the next time we meet and I'll stand there, completely fine." She decided.
Then she tilted her head, and I could almost FEEL the smirk thrown my way.
"Besides, this *twenty-something beautiful woman* should keep you guessing what she actually look like. Don't you know every girl has her secrets?"
And then she turned and left.
... Wait.
Is she... Is Eileen the Crow swaying her hips at me?!
What.
WAT.
I stared, half in awe, half in shock, 100% dumbfounded.
... No, seriously, wat?
I slowly shook my head.
Women. No amount of Insight can help me with them.
Speaking of, a quick look with (Insight) at her retreating back made me frown.
Eileen The Crow, Hunter of Hunters
Level 72
That was... pretty good, certainly better than most things out there, but I knew all too well that tonight, one needed to be much stronger than that to hope to survive.
I had no idea how strong the Vileblood in the Grand Cathedral would be, but I couldn't help but feel that he will be more than what she can handle.
Even if she is *Extra careful*.
I sighed. That was a problem for later. For now, I looked at the messages informing me that I had gained (+25) Reputation with Eileen the Crow for helping her with Henryk and-
Hm.
"Making her feel young again"?
I stared at the other message, a (+15) Cha for "successfully putting the move on Eileen"?
Wat?
... So... I tried to imagine the Doll's reaction to learning I sort of... accidentally... while trying to help Eileen... flirted with her.
Successfully.
... I honestly had no idea if she will be annoyed or amused.
Shaking my head again, I decided to put away all thoughts of women in favor of a much more important task-
Digging a grave for Henryk.
For some reason, in the game when you kill him, he disappeared like he was a Boss.
Except he wasn't a boss, and thus his body was still very much there, laying on the ground.
... I took a moment to consider the fact that I had just flirted with a woman while standing a few meters away from the cooling corpse of a man we both worked to kill.
Truly, if I needed any more proof that I was becoming a very different man than the one who first arrived in Yharnam, it would be this.
I idly wondered if the locals hunters, too, flirted with one another while killing madmen and beasts.
It wouldn't surprise me.
Honestly, considering this was Yharnam, an orgy of Blood was probably what hunters considered the height of romanticism.
I shook those thoughts away, putting the finishing touches to Henryk's grave before nodding in satisfaction at my work.
Then, I sighed and made my way back to Violetta.
Time to tell her she lost yet another family member.
It really was a wonder she didn't hate me by this point, with all the bad news I brought her.
At least there was still her older sister. I was going to be DAMN thorough in slaughtering everything that could threaten her, because I was genuinely worried that Violetta would go mad if she died too.
Not on my watch, I thought with determination.
I returned to the Chapel.
The moment I saw Violetta, I knew that something was wrong- she was sitting back to the wall, holding her legs close to her chest and face buried in her knees.
Oh, and I could hear soft sobs coming from her, too.
Several possibilities flashed through my minds, each potentially worse than the last.
Unfortunately, I had a good idea of what might have her break down like this.
I knelt by her side, putting a hand on her left shoulder, and she froze, before raising a tears-stained face at me.
"Violetta..." I said softly.
"I saw." She whispered. "I was concerned at how you reacted to me mentioning Grandad's name and..." She sobbed. "I followed after you. I saw and heard what you told Grandad, and... and... He didn't stop trying to kill you, didn't even say anything, I... I..."
She bursted into tears.
I hugged her gently, her tears falling into my Hunter outfit while I tried to comfort her the best I could.
What was I supposed to say? Sorry to have killed your Grandad, who went mad?
Who might have turned into a beast like Gascoigne, in time?
I was a hunter. I killed.
I didn't believe that beasts were people, not like a certain powder keg hunter I knew of, but they certainly WERE, once.
Every beasts I killed were once fathers, mothers, sons or daughters.
What could I say to the family members left behind? What WAS there to say, really?
As always, there was only the Weight of Duty.
I was a Hunter. I Hunted.
A Hunter Must Hunt, after all.
Fear the Old Blood, indeed...
Eventually, Violetta calmed down, and I gently held in my arms.
"I'm sorry." I said. I wasn't, wouldn't feel sorry for killing beasts... But I could certainly sympathize with the family of the victims who lost themselves.
Violetta shook her head. "Don't be." She whispered. "I... I saw and heard everything. You tried. You really tried to bring him back..." She closed her eyes, her features twisting in grief.
"But he wouldn't listen. That thing you fought was just..." She shivered. "It looked like Grandad, but it wasn't. I've never heard him snarl like he did, so... so..."
She fell silent.
"Like a mad beast." I finished grimly.
She nodded. "Yes." She whispered back.
I hugged her tightly, and she hugged me back just as hard.
For a while we remained silent, the nearby Dweller and Arianna occasionally throwing quick looks of pity and sadness towards Violetta, before I saw her shift in my arms and looking up at me, her wide blue eyes sad but... determined?
"Mister Aeon... Can I ask you a question?"
I nodded.
She swallowed hard, before looking me in the eyes.
"My Daddy... He didn't die fighting a beast, did he?"
I froze.
"It was you, wasn't it?" she finished softly. "My Daddy... He lost himself like Grandad did, didn't he?"
For a moment, I silently stared at her... Then I nodded.
"Yes. He did." I looked sadly at Violetta.
"I'm sorry." I said, yet again.
Violetta's head fell on my chest, her hands griping tightly at my clothes.
"I knew." She whispered tonelessly. "I knew that Daddy was getting worse and worse. I knew that Mommy was scared... we all were. Even Grandad, whenever I saw him, looked worse too. I just..."
She fell silent, blue eyes staring lifelessly at the floor.
"I just hoped I was wrong. Daddy always seemed so strong... He used to say he would always protect me and my sister and mommy from all the beasts, that there was none who could best him..."
Her lips quirked into a humorless smile.
"Guess he was right. No beast could best him... Instead, he became one himself."
"I'm sorry." I replied softly.
"Don't be." She replied, shaking her head. "You're a Hunter. Hunters hunt beasts. That's what they do. I know that. And... If it wasn't for you, my Daddy would still be suffering. Still lost. Same with Grandad. At least now... Now they are at peace. Mommy, and Daddy, and Grandad... They are all at peace now." She finished softly.
I said nothing- I knew of the Hunter's Nightmare, after all, and what that meant for her Father and Grandad.
Her grip tightened on me.
"Can you promise me something, Mister Aeon?" She whispered.
I nodded.
"Please never abandon me, okay? I..." She close her eyes, tears silently falling like streams. "I've only got my sister left, and I have no idea if she is still alive. You're... You might be the only person I know who's still alive. I know that you have to go back to the Hunt, but please, just... Promise me you'll always come back, okay?"
She hiccupped slightly.
"If you died too, I... I don't think I could..." She trailed off.
I hugged her tighter.
"I promise." I said. "I'll always return eventually. It might take some time... But I'll always return."
She smiled slightly, a spark of life returning to her blue eyes. "Good. Can you... stay for a while? I just..."
I smiled. "Of course."
Time had little meaning in this place, after all- so what was an hour or two passed comforting Violetta when I had all the time in the World to return to the Hunt later?
I shifted slightly, getting myself and Violetta more comfortable, before relaxing back against the wall.
Violetta looked up at me and asked "Can you tell me about some of your Hunts? Daddy used to tell us some stories about them. I don't think he told us everything, but..."
I looked at her hopeful face, musing on her request. I would have to edit some parts, but...
I smiled.
"Of course. You see, it all began when I ended up signing a contract given to me by a rather shady-looking guy..."