Word count 8,548
Going down the passage which was opened previously, I came down the stairs, and immediately smiled at finding two Tempering Blood Gemstones on a nearby body.
More stairs, a dead beast, more stairs, a few Antidotes (My first!), some Pungent Blood cocktails, and then finally!
A Lantern!
I activated it, waving cheerfully to the Messengers, and then I was back in the Hunter's Dream.
I smiled, before going to the messenger bath close by, and purchasing the Hand Lantern, which I put to my waist.
Fear me, Ô Creatures of Darkness, for I Bring the Light! Mhahahaha!
I coughed, before going to say hello to the Doll.
She'll be happy to know that Violetta is doing well, or as well as can be, at least.
"Hello, Doll!" I declared, a grin on my face.
"Hello, Good Hunter. I take it that, by your obvious good spirits, things are going well?" she asked, a small smile at my exuberance on her face.
I sighed, my smile slipping off for a second.
"Yes and no." I replied, before explaining what happened since we last spoke- which naturally included Violetta's expected breakdown at the news of her parents death, me escorting her to the Chapel... and the discussion we had there.
"I'm not entirely sure what to make of her speech, honestly." I admitted.
The Doll, however, was smiling.
"I see no reason to worry. You tried your best and went out of your way to protect her. It is only natural that she is thankful for it." She pursed her lips. "As for your thoughts on the current state of Humanity... Your sympathy for the plight of a people that is not yours is to your credit, since as far as I know you are not from Yharnam-" I nodded "- and you have already decided on a course of actions. Take her words as yet another source of strength and determination in your desire to End the Hunts, Good Hunter. That is the best thing that you can do."
I mused that for a moment before nodding.
Then I decided to broach a certain subject in specific...
"She also went on to pray to the gods, for while recent events and the state of Yharnam have made her distrustful of gods in general... She wishes to believe that somewhere, a truly benevolent god exist- if only for my sake."
The Doll stared at me for a moment.
"Do you disapprove?" she eventually asked.
I pursed my lips, frowning.
"Not necessarily... It was her choice to do so, and it is not mine to judge her for such choices. I, myself, was once an Atheist- a man who did not believe in the existence of gods." I explained.
The Doll keep staring at me, head titled slightly.
"Interesting. I have heard of men and their gods... It was my understanding that humans believed in gods and their love in general?"
I chuckled.
"In these lands perhaps... where I come from, there were no gods- or at least, none who showed themselves to Humanity in a long time." I declared, thinking over the fact that my very presence here implied interesting things about my former reality.
"As such, while religions still existed in great numbers... There were a great numbers of Humans who also never believed in the existence of such beings- like me, before all this."
The Doll mused that for a while.
"And they were happy? With a life without gods?" She eventually questioned.
I nodded. "Indeed. Life had it's up and down, but to us Atheists it didn't matter whether gods existed or not. We had our life, our loved ones, our Dreams and Hopes for the Future- and it was enough."
She blinked, nodding slowly. "Fascinating. I would dearly love to hear more of your past and the lands that you come from, Good Hunter. It is... very different that what I am used to, but in a good way- it intrigues me greatly."
I smiled. "Then I shall tell you more later. But back to the previous subject... The gods of these lands... I can't help but think that, while gods obviously exists... They may not be worthy of worship. I have heard it says that little separates Gods from Demons, except that the first wish the best for us mortals, while the other wish for the worst- but what happen when the gods brings only pain and suffering? In what ways do they differs from Demons in truth, then? If the gods the locals worship truly exist, then they have only brought pain and suffering, whether out of malice or sheer lack of understanding of Mortal kind. Either way, the result is the same- they are a threat, and one that needs to be dealt with for the good of all. Still, few, if any mortals are capable of facing gods and win, so..." I trailed off.
"So?" The Doll prompted, staring intently at me.
I stayed silent for a long time, my gaze facing upwards and into the Stars above.
"So..." I began slowly "What Mankind needs then... is a protector. One powerful enough and long-lived enough to stand as the Guardian that Humanity needs."
I let the words echo in the air for a moment, before finishing softly.
"What we need... is a godslayer... but also our very own God. And we have neither right now."
The Doll's gaze bore into me, so intense it was.
"And where will you find such a Being, Good Hunter?"
My gaze fell from the Heaven above to the Doll's own gaze, and for a long moment we just stared at one another.
Then I grinned slightly.
"Now that is the question, is it not?" I replied softly.
Neither of us said anything for a long time, silently staring hard at the other, before I relaxed.
"On another matter, may I use the Echoes of Blood that I hold?"
The Doll's form relaxed back, having leaned towards me at some point in our discussion, the usual aura of calm and peace that had previously disappeared and been replaced by an unseen pressure around us reappearing as if it never left in the first place, and her usual kind smile returned.
"Of course, Good Hunter."
I had a whooping twelve thousands Blood Echoes in me, and I quickly put it all in (Gun Wielding Mastery).
From level (43), it became an impressive level (65), which actually made it a level higher than my skill with an Axe.
I was basically a Veteran with guns now!
Stepping back, I grinned, again rather happy with my progress.
Bowing to the Doll in thanks, I then made my way to the Hunter's Workshop.
I did notice, however, the message informing me that the (?) bonus of Reputation with the Doll was now(?)...
Naturally, I did not know much about what exactly that meant, but considering it was considered an upgrade...
In any case, Gherman wasn't there, though there was a message about the Holy Chalice we spoke last time, basically repeating where I could find it.
That message put into Inventory, I then used the Workshop, eventually figuring out how to use the Tool for Gemstones to put two Tempering Blood Gemstone into my Hunter's Axe (+3).
With that done, I hesitated, before using a bit of the Loot I had gathered to get enough Blood Echoes that I then used to buy the Hunter Chief Badge.
Satisfied that everything I needed to do was done and over with, I then waved to the Doll- which got me an answering bow- before returning to Yharnam.
Time to go to Old Yharnam- and get shot at by Djura.
Great.
Reading the message on the door, I sighed- that was nice of Djura, but I had stuff to do over where he was.
So I opened the doors.
And if my memories did not fail me...
A few seconds later, I stood smirking over a dead beast which dropped five Stone Blood Shards.
Those sneaky bastards that disappear may be quick, but knowing where to expect them- and keeping my gun in hand- makes it easy to kill them.
I then walked forward, falling from balconies to balconies- killing beasts and getting loot- until I went up a ladder and then came back to where I started... Before, with a sigh, walking towards the left of the entrance.
"You there, Hunter! Didn't you see the warning? Turn back at once. Old Yharnam, burned and abandonned by men, is now home only to beasts. They are of no harm to those above. Turn back... Or the Hunter will face the Hunt..."
I resisted- barely- the urge to throw something witty back at him. He might shoot me sooner if I did.
As it is, I had a few seconds of rather fast and brutal combat with a swift beast on the bridge before me, whose corpse dropped an Adept Blood Gemstone.
Smiling at the sight of it, I kept going- my regeneration from [Blood Saint] proving it's worth against the very fast beasts of this place who got a few hits in against me- before Djura's voice returned.
"...You are a skilled hunter. Adept, merciless, half-cut with blood. As the best hunters are. Which is why I must stop you!"
I stared at Djura's form from up his tower, before deciding to say "Fuck it".
I gave him the middle finger.
And then I went right, down into the protection of the buildings.
Kill some beasts, run like hell to behind some walls.
Kill more beasts, run harder behind walls.
Again and again.
[Hunter's Intuition] ended up saving me several times, warning me when to start running and when NOT to.
Thank you, dear Perk. I am so thankful to have bought you.
Oh, and I found a Bloodtinge Gemstone.
Yay.
More beasts and walls and then finally, I was safe!
At least until the mad hunter down at my level took exception to that and decided to come attack me.
Dick.
Stupid dick, since he got out of Djura's gun range of fire to get at me.
Which meant that I could fight him one on one.
I smiled at him, looking at the Saw Cleaver he held.
That would look much better in my arsenal...
He introduced himself by shooting at me, and I politely replied by dodging and shooting back.
For several moments that was the perfect summary of our fight, both of us dodging and shooting, before he got impatient and rushed forward.
Saw Cleaver met Axe, and we glared at one another over our locked weapons, human looking pupils staring into beastly "collapsed" ones, before a brutal exchange of strikes, counter-strikes and more followed.
Deciding eventually to change things up, I tried to shoot him while his Saw Cleaver began to come down on my head, but his impressive instincts made him dodge at the last second.
Slowly circling one another like wolves, he broke our ensuing glaring contest by trying to shoot and rush at me. but I got the better of him by doging, blocking his strike and then headbutting him over our once again locked weapons.
Having obviously NOT expected that, he staggered backward, and I rushed forward, shooting him in the right shoulder and distracting him just enough that I was able to visceral attack him.
I then revealed my capability to spam Blood Bullets by repeatedly shooting at his body, until he looked more like a puddle of blood and gore than a man.
Nodding once in satisfaction, I then took hold of his Saw Cleaver (+2), grinning widely, before putting it in my Inventory.
New Weapon, get!
Oh, and I got some Bone Marrow Ash too. Nice.
Then I took a deep breath, stared at where I knew a path existed beyond the courtyard where that mad hunter was... And then ran like hell.
Again.
Good news! I successfully made it (and got hit only once by Djura, which my regen took care of).
Bad news! I was now staring at a room with half a dozen beasts within.
I pursed my lips... and then grinned.
I took a Pungent Blood cocktail out of my Inventory, threw it in the middle of the room, quickly took out two Molotovs, waited until the perfect time where all the beasts would be gathered... and then threw them.
And then proceed to cackle gleefully at the screaming and dying beasts currently on fire.
Beasts now very dead, having won (+10) Int for such a perfect multi-kills to boot, I then got more loot- including some Gemstones- before going up the stairs.
Where I quickly found the Rifle Spear.
Putting my second newfound weapon in my Inventory with a wide smile, I then kept going, finding a note about the burning of Old Yharnam...
Followed by finding theCharred Hunter set.
Outright laughing by now at how much I've found and how quickly, I put that in Inventory too.
And quickly found my way back to the original path I was on, which lead deeper into Old Yharnam. I didn't go talk to Djura- this wasn't the time.
A few hooded beasts later, and I found the Screaming hooded one.
Who Screamed before I killed it.
Because of course it did.
Which, naturally, put all the beasts around in a frenzy.
Pursing my lips in thought, I quickly went to stare down at the room below me, took a look at my Inventory... Before repeating the same trick as before.
One dropped Pungent Blood cocktail and a few molotovs later, and I grinned proudly at how simple dealing with almost a dozen beasts turned out to be with proper application of Tactics.
I then got down myself, smiling at finding one more Madman Knowledge.
This one wa about... Oh, Kos again!
... Or was it Kosm?
Either way, I was now at[Insight: 16]!
Out of 99!
... It was work in progress.
Anyway, I stared at the massive beast bound in the middle of the room, pursed my lips, and then went through twists and turns to get all the loot around.
Including finding yet another Madman's knowledge!
Yay!
Which gave me a headache!
Not Yay!
Ah well, [Insight: 17]!
Worth it.
More jumping around and-
I found the Bloody Messengers Head Bandage!
... Yay?
I quickly put it in my Inventory and decided to forget about it.
Forever.
I then made my way down from the rafters I found myself in, and then went to the Altar to find-
Ritual Blood!
My very first Ritual Material!
And of course it has to be Blood...
Ah well. Par for the course considering that this is Bloodborne.
Several dead crows later (sweeping attacks works great!), and I had a new shortcut opened which will lead me from Djura's tower to behind the whole building I went through.
Then I killed more beasts, found more loots, and I found myself in the "second" part of Old Yharnam, full of old houses, broken streets... and scourge beasts.
The big, ugly ones that jumps.
Thankfully, Divide and Conquer is more than a military saying- it works for a Hunter too!
A few steps more, and I stopped, staring at the scourge beast thinking itself Spider-Man, who was holding itself up on the front wall of a house.
I snorted, rolled my eyes, and then shot the idiot before decapitating it with my Axe while it was on the ground.
And quickly found myself some Beast Blood Pellets.
Now, I knew that some Hunters used those, and for what I'm sure are really good reasons, but one look at those things made me want to throw them away in disgust.
I could feel my [Hatred of Beasts] Trait howling in rage at their very existence.
Taking a DEEP breath, I put them in my Inventory.
Waste not, want not, but it was really fucking hard to stay pragmatic when a part of you burned with contempt.
Either way, I kept going, before stopping, staring at the door to my right with gun in hand-
And then I shot the very surprised beast who thought to be able to ambush me by jumping through it.
Heh. Superhuman senses can come in handy, especially against an enemy that just can't control how loud it can breath.
Oh. And the scent of Blood on it, too.
I entered the newly opened building, going up the stairs and opening a barred door.
Massive shortcut get!
Considering it basically allow me to go straight from the Lamp- and the Hunter's Dream- to deep within Old Yharnam, it will certainly be handy!
Speaking of, I glanced at my impressive twenty thousands Blood Echoes, and decided to go up my skills some more.
Two minutes later, and I knelt at the Lantern-
-And returned to the Dream.
Waving to the Doll, I went up to the Workshop.
First thing first, I upgraded the Saw Spear, Rifle Spear and Saw Cleaver all to (+3).
I had the loot for it, so why NOT do it?
I even put what Gemstones I had into them for good measure.
Oh, and I did the same to the Hunter Blunderbuss, Flamesprayer... and the Hunter Torch too.
That certainly made me almost lose all my remaining Blood stones, but oh well- with my Luck Stat, it won't take long to get my stockpile back up and then some.
And hey, it was there to be used anyway.
That taken care of, I went back to the Doll... and blinked, stopping as I stared at her sleeping form.
Huh. She must have drifted off to sleep when I was busy.
Pursing my lips and throwing a glance at my Blood echoes, I sighed- I really should put them to good use.
Coming next to her, I put an hand on her right shoulder and shook her gently, a soft smile on my face.
She blinked awake, staring at my smiling face for a few seconds before gasping.
Jumping to her feet, she bowed.
"Welcome home, Good Hunter. My apologies, I must have drifted off... What is it you desire?" She asked.
I waved it off, smiling kindly.
"It's alright. I'm pleased to know that there are still people who can sleep peacefully tonight. Alas, I find myself with a rather significant stock of Echoes of Blood compared to usual, and I wanted to use it before continuing the Hunt."
She nodded. "Of course, Good Hunter."
I had actually gained a few levels with my Axe and Gun, making me level (69) and (68) respectively, so I decided to use ten thousand Blood Echoes on both.
(Axe Wielding Mastery) became Level (82) and (Gun Wielding Mastery) Level (81).
I smiled. I was now more or less a master with Axes and Guns, so needless to say I felt pretty proud.
I bowed to the Doll, who bowed back, before leaving the Dream and returning to Old Yharnam.
Taking the newly opened shortcut, I then went up the stairs, finding several Fire Papers.
Then I went back down, killing the beasts, and going further in the street of Old Yharnam.
A Hooded Screamer and scourge beast later, I found a lot of bullets and ran to kill one of those disappearing beast who gave a lot of loot.
That done, I turned, before staring at the scourge beast who was doing it's own Spider-man impression up a house ahead.
"You know, that didn't work for the last guy, it won't work for you either." I pointed out in amusement.
I then proceeded to put fact to words by killing it.
The look on it's face as I shot it from where I stood with the Rifle Spear really shouldn't have been as funny as it was, but the wide-eye look of almost betrayal it threw me was just too much to hold back my chuckles.
Didn't stop me from killing it, though.
I found some Bold Hunter's marks, then made my way to a field full of burning beasts up on several crosses... with more beasts very much NOT burning or dead.
A fact that I proceeded to rectify with extreme prejudice.
That and gathering the loot around done with, I then stood before the church, staring hard at what awaited within.
Frowning, I put my gun in my Inventory, took the Flamesprayer (+3)... and then took out the Flower the Doll gave me.
Enjoying it's scent and beauty for a moment, I then put it back in my Inventory.
"Wish me Luck, dear Doll..." I whispered.
And then I entered.
Waving off the message informing me that I had gained (1) Insight, I walked towards-
BOSS BATTLE
BLOOD-STARVED BEAST
-That.
Blood-Starved Beast.
Level 50.
Well, at least I was much closer to that than in my last two Boss Fights.
The beast screamed at the sight of me, before charging.
I awaited the right moment, and then dodged to the left, stepping underneath it's hand before quickly using the Flamesprayer.
It screamed in agony, and I smiled widely at just how much damage he took from even a few seconds of fire.
It was REALLY weak to fire.
It then jumped back, and I pursed my lips- weak to fire certainly, but it was FAST, too, so [Hunter's Intuition] and mad dodging skill will be my best weapons to survive here.
It ran at me, and I dodged, though sadly it ran too fast for me to attack it.
We stared at one another, circling slowly across the room, before it charged again, and this time I was able to set it on fire some more.
For a few passes, that was how it went- it charged, I dodged, sometimes I could set it on fire, sometimes I couldn't.
Then I hit, it stumbled... and then strengthened, and my eyes widened before narrowing, and I rushed forward.
It screamed, and screamed even harder as I sprayed fire on it, before I ran like hell- The second stage of the Boss fight has arrived.
If the first was simple, with all I had to do was dodging his charges, now things got more complicated- while he still charged, he also tried to hit me with his claws a lot more than before, as if it was in frenzy.
Oh, and it started to blast poison around every so often, too.
I dodged, I attacked, I dodged some more- and then I got a face full of poison.
Even with the Hunter clothes covering my mouth and nose, it still got into my eyes and disoriented me- certainly long enough that I got hit and thrown into a pillar.
I groaned, not dead but certainly feeling the hit, before dodging like hell when my Instincts flared.
Stepping back cautiously, I threw a look at my HP, and decided to use a Blood vial for once.
Well, at least I got a (Poison Resistance) Skill out of this...
A few more careful hit-and run attacks then happened, before once again it stumbled, strengthened and screamed.
Again, I was ready- but this time, I had something else in mind. I quickly took an Oil Urn and then threw it at the ugly bastard, smirking when it hit.
That was going to make the fire hurt even more and last longer on him...
This time, the poison being sprayed around was non-stop, and I frowned- could it do that in the game?
Well, whatever the case it was doing it, and it did not take long for it to hit me.
I threw a quick glance at my HP, did some maths about the damage done by the poison compared to my regen, before deciding it was within tolerable levels.
That, and it was leveling up my (Poison Resistance) skill something fierce, which was good for me. A few Blood vials from time to time to keep things controlled, but otherwise it wasn't a major concern.
This time around, as the third part of the boss fight happened, the beast was in obvious frenzy, charging and slashing MUCH more aggressively than before.
My counter point was, as before, my Flamesprayer, with the added bonus this time of the Oil still on him making him burn much harder and longer than before.
For a while, my hit-and-run tactics kept working, steadily decreasing his health, but my luck eventually ran out.
By that I means that he successfully got both his hands on me.
I grimaced at the pain, before snarling in rage. I was so close!
[Hatred of Beasts] and (Calm Hatred) have been activated!
"You want to eat something? Fine! EAT FIRE ASSHOLE!"
And then I put the Flamesprayer in his mouth and activated it.
We screamed, in pain and rage both, and it quickly devolved in a contest of willpower, of who break first-
And, as it turns out, it did.
The next thing I know I was sent flying through the air, and I crashed painfully on the floor.
Snarling in hatred, I got up, my eyes lighting up in vicious glee at seeing the beast all but dead on the ground, and I quickly changed the Flamesprayer to the Rifle Spear before firing at the beast's head- or what remained of it- each of my step, as I went closer to the abomination, echoing with the gunshot of my rifle.
I only stopped half-way to it when it finally disappeared like both bosses did when killed.
PREY SLAUGHTERED
I grinned widely.
Yes, Yes it IS.
Then I let out a slow breath, relaxing at last.
A glance at my HP made me wince- I was at 8%. And that was AFTER a few seconds of regen.
So, in conclusion-
Infinite Fire for the Flamesprayer through my [Blood Saint] is bullshit, as expected.
Gilbert, if your watching over me right now, be proud- your weapon literally saved my life on this one.
Probably several times over. The sheer amount of damage I could do with it to that Boss was frankly just shy of obscene.
It was like I was playing on hard mode and then suddenly playing on easy instead!
Also, my joke to Gherman that our dodging skill was the true mark of a Hunter was even more true that I believed it to be previously.
[Hunter's Intuition] was truly worth every fucking points I paid for it.
Oh, and an honorable mention for my [Hatred of Beast] Trait and (Calm Hatred) skill, who helped out at the end.
That aside, I took a deep breath, released it, and then took a look at what I gained from this fight.
First, I was now Level (43). That means that my [Novice Hunter] Trait has now become [Hunter of Yharnam]!
And all it took to officially become a proper Hunter was to kill a Boss.
... Actually, that was pretty fitting, honestly...
Well, in any case, I'll certainly enjoy the flat 25% bonus damage to all attacks.
That aside, I got a skill book for my (Poison Resistance) skill.
Using it means I now had an impressive Level 45 for it. Which, considering I basically just got the skill, was pretty mind-blowing.
I'm not complaining though.
I also have a skill book for...
Huh. (Poison Infusion) was an active skill that basically allowed me to use magic to create poison that I could use on my weapons for additional damage.
Awesome!
Furthermore, I-
Oooooh I liked that one!
So apparently, for having killed a boss on my first try, I got (+25) Stats!
To ALL my Stats! Yes please!
Well, except Arcane and Bloodtinge. Those, I only got (+5).
Then again, (99) was the max stats for those, so that's fair.
Beyond all that, I got (3) more Insight for killing the Beast (I was now at Insight: 21), and (6,600) Blood Echoes.
Oh, and I got the Ptumeru Chalice too.
All told, I'm very happy with myself right now!
Especially since I DIDN'T die a horrible, painful death this time!
Honestly, that alone was a strong proof that I am getting more powerful.
Even if I still almost died, and won in great part because of the Flamesprayer.
Thinking about things for a moment, I then decided to put my (25) Stats points from my levels up into my Dex Stat, bringing it up to 150.
With all that done, I activated the Lantern, before making my way to the Altar.
If I remembered well...
My lips thinned and I frowned as I caught sight of what I was looking for.
That is to say, several gold embossment depicting my Moonlit Benefactor.
I stared at them for a few seconds, before turning away, getting what loot there was in the room before going back to the Hunter's Dream.
I was done here.
Returning to the Dream, I smiled at the Doll, but first went to buy some stuff.
More precisely, since I had (21) Insights, I bought the available clothes from the Insight messengers bath.
For 6 Insight, I bought Gascoigne's set.
That left me with (15) Insights. Ah well, I'll get back up pretty fast.
Losing Insights felt weird, though.
Kinda like when you are trying to remember something really hard, and you can almost remember, it's just on the tip of your tongue... but no matter how hard you try, you fail to actually remember.
I frankly didn't like it.
But I had little choice on the matter if I wanted to get all that the Insight bath had to offer.
That taken care of, I then went on to talk to Gherman.
"Good Hunter. What news do you hold this time?" He asked when he saw me, leaning forward.
I grinned... and then took out the Holy Chalice he told me about.
His eyes widened, before he grinned.
"Well now. Swift work indeed, Good Hunter." He praised.
I chuckled, nodding. "That it was. Though it was not easy to get my hands on it- it was guarded by a rather fearsome beast, you see..."
I explained everything that had happened since the last time we talked, Gherman nodding from time to time.
By the end of it, he looked... thoughtful.
"Hmm, that hunter who you met, the one with the gun... I wonder..." He shook his head. "No matter. Either way, you did well, braving the dangers of Old Yharnam and not dying once to the bloodthirsty beasts of it." He nodded at the Chalice in my hands. "There will be worse foes before this night is over, I fear, but so far, you have done well."
I grinned, feeling rather proud of myself- admittedly, in no small part for having successfully killed a boss on my first try.
Not painfully dying, I felt, was always a good reason to be happy.
"Will you go to the Tombs of the Gods now, Good Hunter? Or would you rather wait until later?" Gherman questioned.
I thought about it for a moment, before nodding.
"I might as well. No point waiting until later. Besides..." I smirked. "A Hunter must Hunt, should he not?"
The First Hunter chuckled, nodding.
"Indeed. Then go forth, Good Hunter- And may the Good Blood guide your way."
I bowed, before leaving the Workshop, smiling at the notification that I had gained (+10) with Gherman for the combo Killed Boss + Found Holy Chalice.
However, before going into the Chalice Dungeon, I had one last thing to do- catching up with the Doll.
I smiled at her, the Holy Chalice in hands.
Her eyes widened at the sight of it, a proud smile spreading across her lips.
"Good Hunter, welcome back. I see that your latest Hunt was fruitful?"
I grinned. "Indeed it was! Come, let us sit- I have much to talk about."
And so I did; I told her of Old Yharnam, of it's dangers (Telling her of the Hunter who tried to kill me with his gun made her thoughtful like Gherman was, which made sense- Djura once Dreamed, too) and, of course, of the Beast I met at the end- and the Chalice it guarded.
By the end, the Doll was smiling proudly.
"I see. Your Hunt was indeed fruitful." Her gaze fell on the Chalice, before returning back to me "Will you go to the Chalice Dungeon now, Good Hunter?"
I nodded. "Indeed. But first, I have Echoes of Blood to use."
She smiled. "Of course, Good Hunter."
I actually had an respectable Thirteen thousands Blood Echoes, so I decided to use half for my skill with my Axe and Half for my guns skill.
My (Axe Wielding Mastery) now reached Level (89), and my (Gun Wielding Mastery) was Level (88).
Heh. A few thousands more Blood Echoes, and I'll be max level for those two skills!
Of course, I did have a few new weapons I recently got my hands on, so...
Well. The path to the top of Hunter Mastery was still pretty far.
And that was without going into my Stats...
Ah well. I was, what, a tenth done with Bloodborne? Honestly, I was doing pretty well.
Nodding to the Doll in thanks, I went to where I needed to go to open the path to the dungeon, quickly did what was needed to be done, and then stepped back.
The full Chalice now ready, I concentrated- and then I disappeared from the Hunter's Dream.
I woke up, quickly looking around at my first "Dungeon".
It was, well, a dungeon. Stone walls, some plants... Though at least there was some wall mural on my left.
Taking a deep breath, enjoying the important moment that was entering one's First Dungeon when I was a Gamer, I took out the Flower in my Inventory, breathed it's scent, held it up as if it was a sacred artifact to whom I was praying to (not that far from the truth), then put it back in the safety of my Inventory.
I also quickly activated the Lantern close by.
Then, weapons in hands, I stepped forwards.
Opening a door, I saw another Lantern.
Shrugging and activating it too, I kept on moving forwards.
I quickly found giants rats, more rats, and even more rats.
Well, some more shining coins and bullets and the like, but mostly rats.
Rats fucking EVERYWHERE.
I know this is my first Dungeon, but still...
Then I fought some skinny assholes with molotovs cocktails.
Well, at least that was useful to grind some (Fire Resistance) levels...
Then I had to deal with traps!
And more assholes throwing stuffs at me! Some of them poisoned!
While I had giants axes swinging by around me!
Needless to say, [Hunter's Intuition] was VERY useful in making me aware of when I needed to DODGE.
That was followed by me using my Strength Stat to good use.
That is to say, by running, jumping UP the wall where that bitch who kept summoning more enemies was, and then shanking said bitch on my Axe.
Being a Gamer was AMAZING. It let you do stuff like that!
Then I took one look at the Fat bastard beyond, went "Nope!" and threw molotovs at him.
There were a lot of those around, anyways!
Then I was free to unlock the device which will allow me to progress further.
Followed by, you guessed it, BACKTRACKING!
Yay!
Going through the previously closed door at the beginning, I paused before opening the doors before me.
If I remembered well...
I opened the doors, rolled like hell, and then stared at the Abomination who jumped where I was standing seconds ago.
Undead Giant
Level 35
I blinked. Huh, that was weaker than I thought.
Then again, I was at the first Dungeon's first Boss- not even it's true Boss.
Quickly recovering from my surprise, I charged, getting some very good hits before swiftly rolling away when the boss tried to back-hand me.
Then I threw a molotov at him while he was off-balanced, rushing in to get a few more hits while he was distracted-
And then he died.
I blinked.
Really? Just like that?
... Huh. I mean, I am almost max skills with my weapons (which meant I hit like a truck), and higher leveled beside, but...
Never mind then.
I shrugged, noticing the lack of level up.
Yeah, even the Game agreed it was too easy.
Honestly, the feeling of being over-leveled for once was so strange...
At least I got some Adept Blood Gemstones? And some Insights?
Oh, And I got (+10) Stats points (for all my stats, except Arcane and Bloodtinge who had only +3) for beating the boss on the first try!
That was nice.
Shaking off my weird feeling of disappointment, I kept moving forward, quickly activating the nearby Lantern on the way.
Then I went down, with more doors, more Lanterns, and skinny dudes coming out of nowhere to try and kill me.
Except I had (Sense Danger) and [Hunter's Intuition], so it never worked!
Hah!
One dead summoning bitch and Fat bastard later (who thought rolling around would save him from thrown molotovs. Spoiler: it didn't.) and I activated the device.
Then I took a side path, killed a few dudes... and found a treasure chest!
With Ritual Blood in it!
... Of course my first treasure chest on my first dungeon would give me Blood. Of course it did...
MORE backtracking later, I opened the door towards the next boss.
Took a moment to stare at the three massive dudes going down the stairs to meet me.
And then threw molotovs after molotovs at them while they were on the stairs.
Fifteen Seconds later, I sighed.
News flash: Massive people going down some stairs with heavy armors are slow, immobile targets.
Who burns VERY well.
Again, I couldn't help but feel... disappointed.
... Was I becoming some kind of battle junky? Shit, I very well might...
I shrugged. In my current profession, that was basically the norm.
At least I got the Ptumeru Root Chalice and some more Insights, on top of the Blood Echoes and Stats points.
One activated Lantern later, and I went down deeper, seeking either good loot or an actual challenge.
I could do with either, at this point.
The first room had a pretty big hole in the middle, and a few thrown Molotov's took care of what was down there. Then down I went, to find-
A fortress? Really?
Well it certainly looked like one.
Jumping up the wall, I quickly killed the woman summoning more skinny dudes, before looting some more Ritual Blood out of nearby corpses.
Yes, please!
I then took a moment to actually fire the cannon that was on top of this fortress, feeling quite happy with myself at following one Napoleon Bonaparte's example in using cannons against my enemies.
Needless to say, my inner French citizen was proud.
It was even more proud when I spotted some more beasts and monsters down the fortress, and used my newly found cannon to good use against actual targets.
Going down, I found more loot- including some Arcane haze- before activating a device that let me use a cage as a makeshift elevator.
Killing some more skinny ones later and... I found some Tomb Mould in a treasure chest!
... Yay?
Ah well. I hardly expected to find mountains of gold in a Bloodborne dungeon.
Going further in, I eventually found the device and a fat bastard in the way.
Ten seconds later, I used the device.
Followed by, you guessed it, more backtracking.
Finding my way back to the door leading to the Boss, I opened it... and then went to the passage on the right rather than straight ahead.
That side passage did get me some more Ritual Blood and Tomb Moulds, after all.
And then I was finally standing before the True Boss Room.
Taking a deep breath, a part of me actually hoping for a challenge this time, I entered.
And then I stared, stared some more, before cursing.
Loudly.
BOSS FIGHT
WATCHDOG OF THE OLD LORDS
I used my (Insight) skill, wincing at what I was seeing.
Watchdog of the Old Lords
Level 65
Yeah, I got my wish for a challenge alright...
I quickly took the Saw Spear (+3) and gun (+3) in my hands, before infusing both with Poison for extra damage.
Time to put my new skill to good use...
I also switched my outfit for the Charred Hunter set, because that Fire damage protection is going to be NEEDED.
The massive dog obviously decided that we both waited long enough, because it promptly jumped where I was standing.
Rolling to my left, I quickly got back on my feet, before dodging again as it tried to bite me in half.
Rushing forward, I got a few hits in before running back when it threw a wave of fire at me.
Walking slowly around the room, we both kept our eyes on the others, before I charged towards him.
The Fire dog tried to eat me in one gulp, but I slide beneath his head, ruthlessly using what seconds I had gained to hit him several times.
Then it was back to dodging for my life.
A few hit-and-run later, and it decided to switch strategies- mostly by deciding to become a bunny on fire instead of a dog on fire.
By that I means he started to try and jump on me, over and over again, trying to crush me beneath it's bulk.
Oh, and each jumps led to waves of fire spreading out from him, too.
At that point, I decided to switch my weapons for the Rifle-Spear and used the fact that I had effectively unlimited ammo to keep firing at him- in between dodging for my life.
That proved effective enough, that eventually I managed to bring down his health to half... which was when he decided to get serious.
Which explain why he went from jumping at me to just rushing at me, leaving trails on fire behind him.
And he proceeded to show me just how very deadly that could be, when he cornered me between two and then crushed me.
My last thoughts were on that one boulder on fire I had avoided a while back in Yharnam, and on how much dogs were obviously a secretly Evil Species all along.
And then there was only pain, fire and sweet, merciful darkness.
I woke up.
For once, I wasn't in the Dream- but back in the Dungeon.
I spent a moment just staring at the stone ceiling, before loudly and creatively cursing every dogs in Existence, their ancestors and any and all Gods who may or may not have a hand in their creation.
Humanity's best friend, my recently incinerated ass!
I then made my way back, thoughts of glorious vengeance on my mind.
Again, the first part went well.
The next went well too.
And then the bastard added fucking Lava to his arsenal of bullshit.
News flash: Lava is hot.
Lava is very hot.
I now knew what my flesh dissolving from being drenched in Lava felt like.
I would have preferred never finding that out, thank you very much!
I woke up.
Spent more time cursing, both the dog, the species named dog, and myself for getting cocky with my latest victories.
I went back. Fought some more.
And then the asshole started literally creating explosive shockwaves of fire around him every so often instead of just when he jumped somewhere.
Being flash-fried, at least, had the merit of being quick, I suppose...
Went back. Fought. Got killed.
Went back. Fought. Got killed.
Went back. Fought. Got killed...
Went back. Fought some more.
By that point I was quite literally sending blasts of poison back at him, in between dodging his blasts of fire, having learned how to do that once my Infusion skill was high enough.
My own Fire and Poison Resistances skills, at the very least, were leveling up like crazy, which was good because I frankly needed both immensely considering just how much of the stuff there now was in the Boss Room we were fighting in.
The damn demon masquerading as a dog was by now outright gliding on the lava all over the room, moving with shocking speed, but I was slowly but surely winning-
And then the damn thing created Fire Magic Missiles at me. One who could FOLLOW me for a few seconds.
My last action before my death was to give him both middle fingers.
Because seriously, FUCK dogs.
I woke up.
Went back to the Demon of Fire with Hatred in my every steps.
Used both Blasts and Magic Missiles of Poison and everything else I could think of against the bastard.
And finally, finally I managed to put it on it's last leg, as it collapsed heavily on the floor.
I rushed the bastard, Poison now waving off me like a shroud, and stabbed.
And stabbed.
And stabbed some more.
Until it finally died, disappearing as all vanquished Boss do.
PREY SLAUGHTERED
I laughed.
"Fuck yeah it was!" I screamed, holding my bloodied weapons high.
Then I took several deep breaths, my [Hatred] Trait disappearing at last.
... Alright, time to check out my gains from this hell of a fight.
First, I was now Level (48).
Which means I was getting closer to half-max Level!
Go me!
Second, my (Poison Resistance) Skill was now Level 90, so I was basically immune to poison- considering just how much of the stuff I ended up throwing around, that was no surprise.
My (Poison Infusion) skill was now Level 50, which considering how much I used it was, again, no surprise.
I did gain (Poison Magic), which was a catch-all skill for all the magic having to do with Poison I threw around, at level (40).
My (Fire Resistance) became level (70), and the (+20) Skill book from the Boss brought it to Level (90).
I also, and this made me smile WIDELY, got the (Fire Magic) (+10) skill book, meaning I was now level (10) with (Fire Magic).
And I now had the (Fire Infusion) skill for good measure.
I then put my (25) Stats Points into Arcane... before blinking, as apparently (25) regular Stats points were worth only (5) Arcane Stat points.
Probably because the max level was only (99).
That over with, I looked at what loot I got.
The Central Ptumeru Chalice was expected, but I also got (5) Blood Stone Shards and (5) Fire Blood Gemstones.
I was most definitely going to be putting some of those on my weapons.
Oh, and 9000 Blood Echoes too. Which, with the rest of what I had, was now an impressive total of (23000) Blood Echoes.
And with all the Insights I had gained, I was now at [Insight: 27]!
Second Go me!
I then activated the Lantern and left this place behind me.
Which I was quite happy to do, because that last boss fight had been brutal. Rewarding, oh yes, but damn...
I returned to the Dream.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and just... enjoyed the peace of this place.
...
I breathed out. Enjoyed the peace for a moment more.
Then I went to talk to Gherman.
"Good Hunter." He welcomed me, a wide grin on his weathered face. "How was your first time in the Tombs of the Gods?"
I stopped, considering the question for a long moment.
"Any sudden Insight?" He questioned, leaning forward.
I stayed silent, then nodded slowly.
"One in particular. I had doubts before, but now I am certain." I replied, an aura of Wisdom surrounding me, as if I had discovered a Great Truth of Reality.
Gherman rose an eyebrow in interest. "Oh?"
"Dogs are Evil." I declared bluntly, my voice grim and eyes hard.
Poor Gherman almost fell out of his wheelchair out of shock at my Revelation, and I patted his shoulder in shared commiseration- indeed, such Great Truth could shake even the First Hunter himself.
I then took out the Chalices, put them in the Hunter's Workshop for safe-keeping, and then went to talk to the Doll- I needed her soothing presence after confronting such a Great Evil as the one I had just slain.
The Doll rose from where she had been sitting at the sight of me, a greeting on her lips.
"Good Hunter, how went your Hunt- gurk?!"
Her eyes went wide as I hugged her hard, finally relaxing in her arms.
She blinked, staring down at me with concern.
"Has your latest Hunt gone wrong, Good Hunter?" She questioned softly.
I shook my head. "I succeeded, slaying all that stood in my way and acquiring the Holy Chalice required for the next ritual, but..." I trailed off.
"But?" She asked gently.
"But the last Beast was Evil." I deadpanned. "Dogs should NOT be this big. Or on fire. Or capable of spitting Lava! Or GLIDING on Lava!" I complained loudly.
The Doll blinked, before chuckling.
"Your latest Hunt was interesting, I take it?"
I groaned. "It wasn't that bad, indeed until the very end it was almost easy... but that last beast was just..." I shook my head. "Well worth the trouble, I'll admit that much, but I haven't met a Beast capable of giving me as much trouble as this one did since the Cleric Beast! Beasts shouldn't be on FIRE! That's just wrong." I complained.
The Doll laughed, traitor that she was!
I gave her a betrayed look, and she calmed down quickly- though there was still a grin on her face.
"My apologies, Good Hunter. It's just... I don't think that I have ever seen you act so... childishly before." She teased.
I grumbled under my breath, before sighing.
"I know. Truth be told, it was mostly a way for me to blow off the last of the frustration I hold against that beast more than any real anger. As... frustrating as that beast had been, I am much stronger now than before, so I can't really complain."
I paused.
"That, and it gave me a good reason to hug you. That too." I finished with a smirk.
The Doll blushed, before hugging me back a bit tighter.
We stayed like that for a moment, before she leaned over to whisper in my right ear.
"You know, you need not come up with excuses if you wish to hug me... Dear Aeon." She declared with a grin.
I stiffened, and she chuckled.
"Oh, my dear, brave Hunter, did I not already tell you? I am here, in this Dream, to look after you... And I do so with pride." She rested her head on my right shoulder, smiling softly. "So you do not, nor will you ever, need excuses to come to me. Especially when..." She trailed off, before her soft voice turned even more gentle. "When I, too, find your presence... Soothing."
... Well, there wasn't much I could say to that, now was there?
So instead, I just hugged her back harder.
There will be time to go back to the Hunt later.
For now... For now, I'll let myself be Aeon, the Human being, instead of Aeon, the Good Hunter... for just a moment.
Just a moment...