16 The Hunter's Nightmare, part 1

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Returning to the Hunter's Dream, the first thing I did was go find the Doll.

After kissing her, we spent some time together, with me telling her about all my experiences in the Chalice Dungeons.

I followed that up by writing in my journal, and then I unlocked some skills, such as (Knife/Dagger Wielding Mastery) and (Knife/Dagger Throwing Mastery).

Using the Blood Echoes I had, I then maxed both skills.

Oh, and I got my (Meditation) to level 90.

I then went into the Workshop, and putting both Gehrman's lessons and the loot I collected to good use, I upgraded ALL my weapons to (+10).

Because really, if I could, why not do it?

Nodding in satisfaction, I then returned to castle Cainhurst.

I had something I wanted to try helping the Queen with.

Once back in the throne room, I knelt, and Annalise greeted me.

"Sir Aeon. Thou hast returned. What news does thou bring Us, this time?" She declared, a hint of amusement in her voice.

I chuckled, well aware that the kind of "news" I tended to bring was pretty shocking, and then proceeded to tell her all about my latest adventures.

The news about the Bloody Crow made her sigh, and she informed me that he had been the one tasked by her with the hunting and killing of any members of Cainhurst who needed to be put down for one reason or another- whether it be betrayal or madness.

Nodding, I then talked about my fight with Ebrietas- the news of which made Annalise grumble something about "Yet another dead Great One… Seriously, who has ever heard of such things before this night?"- which I politely ignored, and then I told her of my time in the Chalice Dungeons.

I could have told her about Arianna… but I did promise to let the woman in question handle that herself.

As for the Queen's reaction to my adventures in the Dungeons, well…

"Thou hast done WHAT?!" Exclaimed Annalise.

I blinked. "Err… I fought and killed Queen Yharnam?"

She stared at me.

Then, throwing away all sense of decorum out of the window, she facepalmed, falling back gracelessly into her throne.

"Of course thou did. After killing madmen, hunters, beasts and gods alike, why NOT also kill the Pthumerian queen herself?"

She let out a deep sigh.

"During the glory days of Cainhurst, if anyone had done even a fraction of what thou have already accomplished, they would have been honored beyond anyone else for it. For half of what thee did? Cainhurst would have been hard-pressed to give them enough rewards for their accomplishments. But thou?"

She shook her head. "We cannot imagine any rewards worthy of thee. In this latest tale alone, thou have told Us more of the Tomb of the Gods that We ever learned before."

She stared at me again. "As a child, We were told legends of heroes, of individuals successfully doing the impossible. None, Sir Aeon, come close to what thou hast gone through."

She sighed again, her emotions a complex mix of joy and sadness.

"Cruel is destiny indeed, to give Us the greatest Vileblood to ever live only after the Fall of Cainhurst."

She nodded at me. "Be assured, Sir Aeon, that We are proud and happy beyond words that thou hast chosen to become a Vileblood."

I smiled. "Thank you, Queen Annalise. With all that being said, however- there was actually one more reason that I came here, beyond just catching up with you on my latest adventures."

She tilted her head. "Indeed? And what is it?"

My smile widened. "With your permission… I'd like to see if I can take that mask away from you, Queen Annalise."

She froze, staring at me for a long moment.

And then, she let out a long, shuddering breath.

"If it had been anyone but thee… We would think such an effort doomed to failure. But…"

She trailed off, looking at me for several long seconds, before nodding, hope burning bright within her.

"Thou hast achieved the impossible time and time again, Sir Aeon. If thou wishes to try thy hand at freeing Us from this wretched mask… We will allow it, and pray for thy success."

I nodded, rising up and stepping closer.

Then, I put a gloved hand on the mask, Annalise staying utterly still as I did.

My eyes began glowing as I used Mage Sight to better comprehend what Arcane powers were used to create the mask… before letting out a deep breath.

It was a good thing my (Arcane Theory) skill was at max, and that I had max Insight, because the Arcane enchantments in that mask were nothing short of breath-taking.

The Executioners really went all out in creating this thing.

Unfortunately for them… I was even more bullshit than what was, arguably, their greatest work, which took all sight away from the Queen.

Letting out small, careful pulses of Arcane power at several very specific parts of the mask, the results were inevitable.

The mask suddenly shattered to pieces, and Queen Annalise inhaled sharply as, for the first time in a long time, she could see again.

Then, she slowly turned her head… And for the first time, our eyes met.

I grinned. "Greetings, Queen Annalise."

She blinked at me.

"You're even more handsome than I thought." She declared.

Then she blinked. Blinked again.

And I finally had the utmost pleasure of seeing what Queen Annalise, Ruler of Vilebloods, looked like when she was blushing brightly.

"That! I mean...!"

She froze, and I smirked. "No royal 'We,' my Queen?"

She stared at me… and then cursed.

"Dammit. No. After all that thou hast done, no royal 'We.' For once, I'll let myself speak not as queen, but merely as Annalise. And so, with that being said…"

She got up, and then bowed before me, a hand over her pregnant belly.

"I thank thee, Sir Aeon, for all that thou hast done for Cainhurst- and myself. I may never be able to fully repay you all that I am in thy debt for, but I promise, I will do my best to try. This, I swear, both as Annalise, and as Queen of Cainhurst."

I nodded. "If that is your wish… then so mote it be."

She straightened up, nodding thankfully. "Then my Honor is satisfied this day."

After that, I stayed a bit longer, but eventually took my leave.

It was time to go into the Hunter's Nightmare, at long last.

Though not before Annalise bid me a fond farewell.

"I eagerly await thy return... This chamber was made not for one alone. For the honour of Cainhurst."

And with that, I returned to the Hunter's Dream.

Once there, I confirmed that I was now at (100/100) Rep with Annalise.

Which actually gave me a Trait:

Royal Approval: You have a way of gaining the trust of Royalty. Gain immediate (10) Rep with any Royal, and a (+5) bonus Rep each time your Rep increases with one.

Nice!

Well, what was truly nice was the confirmation, from Annalise's own mouth, that she was attracted to me. Not something I was going to act on right now, but once I return to Bloodborne as a god…

I shook my head. Considering my plans, from my point of view it might as well be an Eternity later.

Or several Eternities, actually.

Well, whatever. It'll happen when it'll happen. Considering my true long-term plans, what was an Eternity or two in comparison to what I was trying to achieve?

A mere blink of an eye, that's what.

Still, with that done, the only "side-quest" I had left was Valtr's.

Which meant…

I sighed. A certain smug goddess was going to be SO SMUG about this...

I went back to the Chapel, where I quickly checked on everyone.

The girls had taken to talking with Eileen, apparently curious to learn more about what it was like to be a hunter from the point of view of a Hunter of Hunters.

I could tell that Eileen wasn't too comfortable talking about her line of work with both girls, especially to the 13-year old Violetta, but she apparently ended up convinced.

From the slight embarrassment in Eileen and the feelings of smugness from Violetta, a certain someone used the dreaded puppy-dog eyes technique to get her way.

The amused look that Vanessa threw her sister when the subject came up confirmed it.

I also took Eileen away for a moment to ask about Arianna, but Eileen confirmed that the new mother and her child were doing well so far.

I could tell that Eileen was a bit bewildered by it all, but there was no judgement in her voice towards Arianna or anything, so after nodding, I left it at that.

And then, I went out of the Chapel… and stared at Amy.

Who naturally stared back.

I sighed. "Alright. You wanted to send me into the Hunter's Nightmare to kill the Orphan of Kos, right? Well, let's do this."

APPROVAL? Replied Amy, perking up.

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, yes, APPROVAL indeed." I answered.

GREATER SMUGNESS, she sent back, tentacles twitching in APPROVAL/SATISFACTION.

I rolled my eyes again.

"I had my reasons to delay, okay? I didn't wait because I was being a silly human." I declared, my voice filling with dry amusement at the end.

Somehow, I felt like it was Amy who rolled her eyes at me, this time.

I shook my head. "Let's just get on with it."

APPROVAL, she sent back, taking me in her hand and creating a hole in dimensions that sent me into the Hunter's Nightmare.

GREATER SMUGNESS was the last thing I felt before being sent there as her hand closed.

I swore. "Oh yeah? Well, this insect kicked your ass twice you overgrown-"

"Curse the fiends, their children too, and their children, forever true."

I woke up.

Not in the Hunter's Dream, but the Nightmare instead- the broken down, alternate version of Oedon Chapel I was now in confirmed it.

I grunted. "This isn't over, Amy, mark my words!"

Then, after grumbling about smug goddesses and righteous divine spanking, I activated the nearby Lantern, and went outside.

The first thing I did, besides blinking at finding myself in the middle of the day after so long at night time, was look up at the sky.

Three seconds later, I turned away.

Okay, the creepy sky in the game was creepy.

In reality?

IT WAS WAY WORSE.

It felt as if the very sun was GLARING at me!

Full of hate, pain, rage and more!

Note to self: don't look at the sun, the sun IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!

The Dark Souls memes lied to me!

… In any case, after getting the loot nearby, I took the nearby stairs and met my first Old Hunter armed with the Beast Cutter.

A few fireballs later, and I was the one with the Beast Cutter, which I put into my inventory for now.

I then found the nearby Old Hunter Cap, but since it provided overall less protection than my current Hunter Hat, I just put it in my Inventory.

The Old Hunter Gloves I found soon after were better, however, so those I put on.

I then kept going, killing the next beasts and old hunter, until I came across the Nightmare plaza.

Called as such because of the beasts and maddened hunters in the area, fighting it out.

Of course, a few dozen earth spikes suddenly coming out of the ground to impale everyone made quick work of the situation.

And hey, I got the Boom Hammer too!

With that done, I kept going, going up the nearby stairs and killing anything on my path and getting my hands on the Beasthunter Saif!

Then I went down the left path, killing the beasts and the red eyes mad hunter.

Whose death got me a Vermin.

I swiftly crushed it, smiling- both at it's death, and the fact that I now had five dead Vermin to my name.

Which meant I was done with the Side-quest for Valtr. Now, all that was left was to go see him again.

That was for later, though. For now, the left side being done I went to the right side, killing a few enemies, getting some loot (including the Old Hunter Trousers) and then killing some crows to open up a shortcut to the Chapel.

Then I moved on, going up the stairs (and avoiding the massive ball of fire thrown at me) in order to come at the entrance to the Grand Cathedral, Nightmare version.

Which actually looked in better state than the real one, as a matter of fact.

I snorted. When even hell itself can't measure up to me in terms of damage…

I shook my head, taking the nearby Old Hunter Garb and then going further up.

And encountering my first Nightmare Executioner. Tall, angry, with a massive Axe…

And purple glowing tentacles where his face should be. Oh, and did I mention that he could buff his Axe with Arcane to create some kind of sound-based attacks?

Needless to say, I went "nope!" and proceeded to apply sufficient amounts of Fire to my newfound problem.

It worked great!

After that I entered the Grand Cathedral…

And there he was. Laurence, the First Vicar.

Or, to be specific, his (Cleric) Beast self.

For a long moment, I stared at him, my grip of my weapons tightening.

Then I took a deep breath, exhaled, quickly took the Eye Pendant, and left.

It wasn't yet time to fight him.

It wasn't yet time to kill him.

But soon, soon…

I would.

And I was looking forward to it. A part of me wanted to punish him for all that he had wrought, all the pain and suffering and death he has unleashed on humanity.

The rest of me… it sought to grant him peace. Eternal torment was too much. No matter the sins of someone, they should still be able to move on eventually.

And it had been what, decades? Centuries? Since his soul remained there.

He didn't even remember WHY he was here in his current state, so what was the point to punish him for things he didn't even remember doing?

I shook my head, going into the nearby cave and then out of it.

All those thoughts were for later. For now, I needed to focus on the present.

Of course, pretty much the moment I got out of the cave, I got shot at by turrets put there by a madman.

After teleporting to him, killing him, his hidden friend and destroying the turrets, I kept going, coming across several hunters that died when a dozen lightning bolts left my hand and electrocuted them all.

I did get my hands on their Delayed Molotovs, though they weren't very useful to me.

I had full-blown fire magic, after all.

I then went into the nearby house, clearing out the enemies, getting the loot, including the Old Hunter Top Hat, before taking the door that led me to the crazed hunter using the Beast Claws.

That madman, I cleansed with fire. I didn't even bother using weapons- I literally turned the ground under him in lava, and put a stop to the spell only when he had completely disappeared.

I could respect those who used the beast blood pellets as long as they remained sane. Sure, I vehemently disagreed with them, but I could still respect their choice to put their very humanity on the line for the sake of protecting the innocents.

It would be hypocritical of me not to, all things considered.

Once they go mad, though? Cleanse with fire, until nothing was left.

People who turned their body into beasts willingly could get no other forms of "burials", as far as I was concerned.

Let their impurity burn with their body, that their spirits be cleansed in death.

I shook my head, turning around. At least I did get the Firing Hammer Badge.

After that, well.

It was time to go into the River of Blood.

Called that because it was a LITERAL river of Blood.

For a moment, I stared. Even me, after everything I saw and went through in Bloodborne, couldn't help but just… stare.

Here I was. Ankles deep in a river of blood, surrounded by corpses as far as I could see, the sounds of bloodthirsty abominations howling all around me...

I took a deep breath. This… this was the truth of Hunter's Work, in all its unholy glory.

I could only find some comfort in the fact that such a sight could still affect even me.

For how long, though, I wondered?

For how long, will that part of my humanity remain? How long will it take, before I adapt to even that?

How long, before I could walk in rivers of blood and be surrounded by literal hills of corpses… and feel nothing?

I sighed deeply.

Then I stepped forward.

I was Aeon, the Good Hunter.

And I have long since made the choice of doing and becoming whatever it took to save Humanity.

No matter the cost.

The hills of corpses all around me were a stark reminder of what I was fighting to stop, after all.

I quickly came across the bloated bloodlickers which were all over the river, and discovered something.

Those things in the game were an incredible threat, dealing massive damage with every blow.

But for someone who had Blood magic, fighting them in the middle of a RIVER OF BLOOD?

It was a complete curbstomp.

I literally just calmly walked through that river of blood, while spears made of blood rose from the river and shot out to my enemies by the dozen at every step.

Thanks to that, it was pretty easy to make my way down to the caves at the end of the river, swiftly impaling the mad hunter with his gatling gun on a dozen spears of blood coming from all sides before he could even start firing.

And that gave me the Gatling Gun!

I smiled widely.

I wouldn't use it for the time being, it needed to be upgraded first, but once it was…

Well. I was looking forward to actually using a Gatling Gun to mow down my enemies!

Stepping further in the caves, I tried not to look too much at all the corpses everywhere while looting the place, before having to deal with several beasts.

Including a less powerful version of the Blood-Starved Beast.

A swift (multi-strikes) put it down quickly, though.

Which allowed me to loot the place in peace.

Including finding the Amygdala Arm!

I stared at it.

Then I snorted.

"Talk about using a smug bitch to smack some more bitches." I declared, amused.

Then, after shaking my head in amusement and putting my new "weapon" into Inventory, I backtracked, going up the river of blood instead of downward.

Coming up at a bridge, I went on it, killing the maddened hunters there, before finding Simon the Harrowed!

Who looked at me with curiosity.

"You're a hunter with your sanity, aren't you?" He questioned.

I nodded. "Few of those around here, to say the least."

He chuckled. "Must've taken a wrong turn then, eh? Well, we're more alike than you think."

"This is the Hunter's Nightmare, where hunters end up when drunk with blood. You've seen them before. Aimless, wandering hunters, slavering like beasts. This is what the poor fools have to look forward to. So, don't be brash, turn back before it's too late. Unless, you've something of an interest in nightmares?" He explained, before tilting his head in curiosity.

I grinned. "You could say that, yes. Though to be fair, I didn't get lost. Amygdala sent me here."

Simon jerked back at the name, but I only rolled my eyes- I was too busy going into a proper rant to notice. "She really was insistent about it, too. I mean, yes I know that the origins of the Curse of the Hunter's Nightmare lies within its depth and needs to be slain for the sake of all the souls bound to this place, but I had a lot of work to do first! Great Ones to kill, dark cults to slay, and more!"

I shook my head.

Simon stared at me.

"... What exactly did you get up to, before coming here?"

I frowned at the question. "It's kind of a long story…"

"Well, time is something we all possess in abundance in the Nightmare." he pointed out, which, well, fair enough.

I shrugged. "Very well. You see, it all started when I made a deal with a shady-looking guy…"

I told Simon a lot of what I went through the Night of the Hunt.

After I told him what I did during the first quarter of the Night, the guy looked like he wanted a stiff drink.

Three quarters done, he looked like he wanted to change that stiff drink for his warm bed.

By the end, he just… stared at me.

We stayed silent for a long moment.

"... Well then." He finally said, sounding rather stunned. "That was… a lot more than I expected, in all possible ways."

He let out a long sigh. "Right. Well, I take it you probably have a good idea of what, exactly, lies ahead?"

I nodded.

He shook his head. "Then I won't hold you back any longer, Good Hunter Aeon. As for me… I think I'll just stay here for a moment. I… need to think over what you just told me."

Then he sat down, a far-away look in his eyes.

I shrugged, then opened the nearby doors which opened straight into the Chapel- and the Lantern there.

Shortcut get!

After that I went back, found the Constable Gloves, returned to the river of blood to kill more bloodlickers and get the Constable Trousers, before going up the nearby cave that opened into a new area, full of dilapidated buildings amongst rivers of blood.

Seriously, the ground was just blood, more blood, and then even more blood, with the occasional hills of corpses along the way.

A charming place, to say the least.

As further proven by the warm welcome I received, as dogs, bloodthirsty crows and a mad hunter came to try to kill me.

They failed.

When I was done, I looked around, noticing that all the corpses that were everywhere?

Yeah, some of them were actually still alive.

For a definition of the word. Certainly, they still moved and moaned in agony.

I sighed, then kept going.

I was already working on taking this place down, after all.

I went up a nearby ladder to get on the rooftop of the buildings, before clearing them out of mad hunters and loot, finding the Constable Garb.

I did get yet another Vermin from the local mad hunter, so I was now at six crushed Vermin.

Then, I arrived into another area, where I encountered yet more tentacled Executioner- one of which was armed with a cannon, too.

Unfortunately for them, the river of Blood kept going, so it was simple enough to turn the blood surrounding them into Blood Spears.

I then found the Butcher's Set, though I had little interest in it, before making my way into the passage nearby leading into a building with a downward path and a Lantern!

Which I immediately activated, before taking the path down, where I killed the mad hunter waiting in ambush (and got yet another Vermin to crush), killed the crows in the river of blood, took the loot, kept going up the river, found more loot…

And then I stopped, as a snail woman fell down from the sky just in front of me.

Now, see, that enemy had a whole theory behind HOW exactly, she appeared there.

Because that enemy is only found in the Fishing Hamlet.

Which is MUCH further beyond this part of the Hunter's Nightmare.

So how did she show up here, falling from the sky of all places?

Because the Hunter's Nightmare is actually composed of layers- kind of like the Christian Hell.

And the "sky" where I was… might actually lead directly to the layer of the Fishing Hamlet.

Which might actually imply that the "higher" one was in the Hunter's Nightmare, the closer one was to its origin.

A theory even more probable when, later on, while coming in the Fishing Hamlet, you can almost see buildings through the sea.

I shook my head. As curious as I was, it didn't matter right now.

So I kept going, finding the Whirligig Saw.

Valtr's weapon of choice!

Still, compared to the weapon that I was about to get not much further ahead, it didn't really interest me.

Because, after backtracking to come back where the Nightmare Executioners were, and killing the sneaky Witch of Hemwick that waited not much further beyond, I came to a new area.

A large room, covered in blood and with hills of corpses on the sides.

One of which was still "alive."

""Ahh, ahh, please... help us... Ah… An unsightly beast… A great terror looms! Ahh... Ludwig the Accursed is coming! Have mercy... Have mercy upon us..."

Certainly enough to talk, at least.

Holding tightly on my weapons, I mentally prepared myself to face the next boss.

Loud sounds of inhuman footsteps echoed in the room.

A hulking, deformed beast appeared, growling threateningly.

And here he was.

Ludwig, the Accursed.

BOSS BATTLE

LUDWIG, THE ACCURSED

I stared at him, before using (Insight).

Ludwig, the Accursed.

Lvl 94

… Well then.

I smiled.

"Let's do this, Ludwig."

Sword in hand, I charged.

Ludwig roared, before charging too.

Quickening at the last second, I cut a trail of blood into his side, before Quickening again as his hooves came down where I was.

I then unleashed A Call Beyond on him, before dodging swiftly as his heads came up and a blast of Arcane energy exited his mouth towards me.

I replied by sending a wave of fire at him, one big enough to go wall to wall, leaving him no way to dodge.

And as he screamed in pain, I took the time to send a (Multi Dark Cloaked Dimensional Slash) at him.

Bad news- the crazy bastard dodged that move by Quickening out of the way just before I unleashed my strike.

Good news! I still got him well enough to make him crash on the ground! And-

Oh. Well, shit.

"Ludwig, the Holy Blade…" I whispered.

He turned around, staring at me.

"A hunter. You have come far indeed, to fall into this accursed place. Tell me, you who appear sane, how did you arrive here?"

"... Amygdala sent me here- I am to put an end to the Hunter's Nightmare. That is my purpose in coming to this land of the Damned."

He tilted his heads.

"Interesting. Tell me your name, please?"

"Aeon, the Good Hunter- as I've been called." I replied, some measure of shock in my voice.

When I saw Father Gascoigne fall to the beast within… it was without a doubt one of the most horrifying things I saw during my time in Bloodborne.

Not just his physical transformation- I saw his very soul be sent screaming into Damnation.

Here, though… It had been the opposite.

The moment the Holy Blade's light entered his view, instead of the beast within tearing its way out from the depth of his soul...

It had been his humanity, instead, who came out of the abyss, refusing utterly to submit to the beast until finally…

His humanity won.

I could still see the tight grip beasthood had over him…

Yet, at least for now, his humanity refused to so much as give an inch to the madness threatening to consume him.

It was… awe-inspiring.

To see such strength of will overcoming the beast within, after seeing for so long only those who fell to it, or worse- embraced it…

I straightened. If I had any doubts, they were now gone- I stood in the presence of a Hero of Humanity. A legend in his own right, having achieved a miracle by sheer Willpower alone.

And damn, but I was impressed.

"The Good Hunter..." Whispered Ludwig, studying me intensely.

"An interesting name. A good name." He declared.

Then, he nodded. "In that case, I have a request, if you would allow me."

"I'm listening." I immediately replied.

I could feel his satisfaction… Alongside his determination.

"I have but one last wish. I seek to die in combat. Let me, one last time, wield my mentor in an honorable battle, that I may die as a warrior, rather than as a beast. Allow me, one last time… to be Ludwig, the Holy Blade, proud warrior of the Church... and protector of Humanity."

I stared at him for a long time.

Then I gave him a hunter's bow, deep and respectful.

"I promise you, Ludwig, the Holy Blade. I shall fight- and kill- you, not as a hunter hunt beast… but as a warrior fighting another warrior worthy of respect." I replied, voice soft, but firm.

I straightened, taking the thoroughly appropriate Ludwig's holy blade in my right hand, and letting my other shine with magical energy.

"Are you ready, Sir Ludwig?"

He nodded. "I am, Sir Aeon."

I smiled. And then I charged, Ludwig doing the same, his eyes shining with eager anticipation.

With a thought, my sword began to glow with Arcane might, and Ludwig's eyes widened before he let out a booming, gleeful laugh as my Arcane-empowered blade met the Holy Moonlight Sword.

"Impressive, Good Hunter! But please, show me more of the skills of modern hunters!" He joyfully declared, breaking the sword lock to try a swift couple of sword slashes.

I grinned, and Quickened to his side, the majority of my body turning into fog.

"Ah, Quickening! Very good!" Ludwig shouted, deflecting my sword strike.

I jumped backward, and unleashed a Lightning storm at him.

His eyes widened, before his sword came up and cut THROUGH the storm, dispersing it.

"Lightning, now? My, you truly are resourceful!" He declared, his joy and approval easy to pick up in his voice.

I grinned. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet!" I replied, before unleashing the REAL powers I held.

Storms of Lightning were joined up with spears of Blood and Darkness or Light, the Earth rose up, cutting blades of Wind surrounded him, the ground turned to Lava, Arcane Stars were followed up by Eldritch tentacles, the water in the air turned to deadly spikes of ice, and I unleashed every bit of sword skills I possessed to get the better of him.

And in the midst of all of this, Ludwig's eyes sparkled with delight, his soul filled with awe and his booming laugh only grew ever more gleeful with every new ability I unleashed against him.

Not to say it was a one-sided fight by any means; Not only was Ludwig somehow able to Quicken even in his new form, allowing him to all but ignore the lava on the ground, his swordplay was a thing of true beauty to behold, and Arcane attacks were used liberally against my magics, as he cut through Storms of Lightnings, deflected elemental spears with masterful skill, sent Arcane blasts towards my Arcane stars to make them prematurely explode and answered every strikes of my sword with equally impressive counter-attacks.

And as we fought, our eyes met, reflecting the same thing- sheer joy at a good fight, and immense respect towards the one who gave it to us.

In the end, it was not his skills with the blade which cost him the battle; nor was it lack of skills with the Arcane, as his sword more than made up for it.

It wasn't even any trump card of mine, for his relentless assault did not even give me the time to use another (Multi Dark Cloaked Dimensional Slash) against him.

No, it was simply his beasthood which cost him the fight.

His massive body was much easier to hit than my human one, allowing me to slowly, but surely, win the battle through a death by a thousand cuts.

And eventually, the outcome we both knew was coming happened, as he was just a second too slow, allowing me to Quicken next to his head- and cut it off.

Thus did Ludwig, the Holy Blade, collapse on the ground, his body disappearing in an explosion of silver mist.

Leaving behind only his head.

And me standing victorious over it.

PREY SLAUGHTERED

But Ludwig wasn't dead yet. Even as naught but a head, he was still alive, such was his sheer willpower.

"Ah, Good Hunter… This fight was everything I could hope for and more besides." Ludwig declared, utterly uncaring of his lack of a body.

"Thank you kindly, for giving me this one last chance… to fight with my mentor. It was an honor to fight this battle."

I smiled. "The honor was mine, Sir Ludwig. In this darkest of Night… In the depth of this terrible Nightmare… I did not expect to find an honorable warrior. A surprise to be sure, but a welcomed one."

He chuckled. "You flatter me, Kind Hunter. To fight a warrior such as you… Never in all my life have I seen anything like the abilities you have displayed. To think any hunter could reach such height of powers… Perhaps, there may yet be hope for the people of Yharnam, if hunters like yourself exist…"

I looked at his sword. "Ludwig, The Holy Blade, you were called. A fitting name. That sword… I feel the power of the cosmos within it. The Arcane is strong in that blade…"

He sighed. "Ah… My true mentor. Tell me, Good Hunter, have you seen the thread of Light? Just a hair, a fleeting thing, yet I clung to it, steeped as I was in the stench of blood and beasts. I never wanted to know what it really was. Really, I didn't."

I gently took the sword, before staring at it.

I could feel… something, within it.

I could almost see the Cosmos, in all its glory, contained within.

The more I look at it, the more I feel as if I could barely see stars and galaxies moving through the void of space…

It whispered to me…

Of the cosmos, of its secrets, of its beauty...

I held it tightly.

"Sir Ludwig…"

"Take it." he declared, looking at me intently. "I can see that you have a connection to it, as I do… My time is over now, and I do not want my mentor to remain in this accursed place, if possible. So please, take it. Wield it proudly, as I did in my life. Wield justly, as I tried my best to. Let the world, once again, be under the protection of the Holy Moonlight Blade, and may its light never again be cast out in the darkness that I unwilling brought it into…"

I looked at him for a long moment. "Would you take it again, should the opportunity come? Would you be willing to return to a world of Blood and Beasts, and all the horrors within? If you could fight again… Would you choose to, despite all that you have gone through, and all that may yet await you?"

"I would do so gladly." Immediately replied Ludwig, firm conviction in his voice. "No matter what horrors I would have to endure again… No matter the pain that I would have to shoulder… I would gladly take up my mentor once more, to fight for all that is right, all that is just. To be able to protect the people once again, wielding my mentor into battle to protect the innocents from the dangers of the world… Nothing would please me more, even if I were to fall in battle or in this wretched realm again. For the good I would be able to do during that time would remain, and the lives I would save would go on, free to live on thanks to me. And that, that would make it all worth it."

I stared at him again for a long moment. "You deserved better." I finally declared softly.

He chuckled. "Perhaps. There certainly were people, during my time, who thought otherwise, who thought me naught but a fool. And perhaps I was, to have ended up in this cursed realm. But in the end… All I ever sought... was to do good. To protect people. Tell me, Good Hunter: Am I wrong, to seek such things? To believe that I could make the world a better place, if only I kept fighting for what I believed to be right?"

I chuckled. "There are those who would say that no one man can change the world. That only fools would ever believe that to be possible."

I shrugged. "But what do I know about such things? I am only a man, who seeks to save Humanity as a whole from the scourge of beasts. No matter how impossible the task before me may appear to be. So, in the end… I suppose that I am naught but a fool myself."

We chuckled.

"Still, if fools rush where Angels fear to tread… Then, I suppose that makes us the greatest of fools. But if it requires one to be a fool to be able to Dream of Paradise, then I can only say I will gladly become the King of Fools, if that would allow me to lead Humanity into a bright, prosperous future. Let the world call us mad, Sir Ludwig. If we need to be mad to believe in the possibility of a brighter tomorrow, then I would rather be mad and hopeful, than sane and devoid of hope."

Ludwig laughed. "An interesting speech, Good Hunter. But perhaps, one does need a measure of madness to believe that they can challenge the world- and win against the odds."

He sighed. "Go on then, Good Hunter Aeon. You are here to put an end to this wretched realm, yes? Then go. Do what you came here to do and accomplish. As for me… If you would, please finish what you have started. I can only hope and pray that I will find a peaceful rest waiting for me, now."

I raised the Holy Blade. "It was an honor, Sir Ludwig. Farewell. Fear the Old Blood."

He chuckled. "Fear the Old Blood. Ah, even in this darkest of nights, I see… The Moonlight…"

The Holy Blade came down.

And Ludwig, at long last, breathed his last.

For a moment, I stared at him, before giving him a deep, respectful Hunter's Bow.

"Goodbye, Sir Ludwig. If all goes as planned, we shall meet again one day- when the time of my return to Yharnam as an Eldritch god will have come."

Then, after checking the gains I got from that fight- The Guidance Rune, an impressive amount of Blood Echoes, and of course the Holy Moonlight Sword- I activated the nearby Lantern…

Before I kept going.

The next lantern wasn't that far ahead, anyway.

Entering the nearby corridor, on my immediate left was the locked cell with Old Hunter Yamamura.

Who was… well, completely insane.

"Shrouded by night, but with steady stride. Colored by blood, but always clear of mind. Proud hunter of the church. Beasts are a curse, and a curse is a shackle. Only ye are the true blades of the church."

And he kept mumbling that over and over again.

While hitting his head on one of the walls of his cell over and over again, too.

If the bloodstains are anything to go by, he was at it for a while.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the key to his cell.

Fortunately, I had fire magic.

Against a door made of wood, needless to say it didn't last more than a few seconds.

Once inside, I tried to talk to the guy, but he was obviously too far gone.

With a sigh, I decapitated him, ending his mockery of a life in this cursed Nightmare.

Then I made my way through the corridor, getting the loot and killing the madmen within.

I did find the Fist of Gratia, which was… nice?

Then I took a side-passage to find the Church Assassin Brador, hidden behind a locked door.

Brador is a Church Assassin, who killed his compatriots and wore their beastly remains as attire, going into hiding in the deeper cells of The Hunter's Nightmare. The Church provided him with a single, soundless bell of death to ensure their secrets would be kept, allowing him to Astral Project himself to anyone who discovered… "problematic" secrets of the Church.

He was, effectively, an immortal assassin. As long as his true self was alive, he would return, over and over again until he succeeded at killing his targets.

I came before his door, watching him from between the bars of the window in the cell door.

"Are you a hunter?" he questioned. "Well, that's very odd. Do you hear the toll of the bell?" he asked me.

I hummed.

And then I kicked in the locked door with all my strength, before Quickening in, sword raised-

I stopped, blinking.

… Oh, he was already dead.

I mean, I knew that he was old, but I didn't expect him to die simply because I kicked the door at him! I thought he would actually dodge or something!

I stared at the mess of gore he turned into, and at the caved-in wall from where the door embedded itself in it, so strong was my kick.

Right. I guess having Max strength was no joke, heh?

I shrugged. Well, not having to worry about him trying to kill me again and again later on will certainly help.

And hey, that way I was sure that Simon wouldn't die from him, so that was good too!

Then I stared at where the Bloodletter was.

… Yeah, fuck that thing. That abomination was a masochist's wet dream incarnated in a weapon, and I wasn't interested in that at all.

I had nothing against masochists, but I LITERALLY died a whole bunch of times.

Frankly, I was pretty sure I was a lot more sided with Sadism instead.

You couldn't be a proper hunter without at least some measure of it.

Especially when, like me, you could die a bunch of times against something before successfully killing it.

"Murderous intent" was a polite euphemism describing what I felt against, for example, That Damn Fire Demon Dog.

Capital letters fully deserved, I felt.

In any case, with the corridor taken care of, I kept going, going up the stairs and then turning around.

I stared at the giant rats with glowing yellow eyes.

… Okay then.

(Multi-strikes) took care of them swiftly, and then I had to deal with the two people at the end of the room, where an altar stood.

Though to be fair, I didn't really give them much chance to fight back, since I teleported behind the woman praying and decapitated her before she could react, before electrocuting the other.

And with that, I was free to use the Eye Pendant with the Altar, which revealed itself to work like a massive elevator, rising up and towards the next area.

Of course, I instead jumped out, and stepped up the secret altar beneath the other one, getting the (human) Skull of Laurence, the First Vicar.

Required to wake up his beastly self and get his boss fight.

I also found the Church Cannon (my what, third cannon now?) before, finally, going up and coming at the entrance of the Research Hall.

Before going there however, I activated the nearby Lantern and returned into the Hunter's Dream.

I had a few things to do before going any further.

Once I was in the Hunter's Dream, I first unlocked the (Hammer Wielding Mastery) skill, and then leveled it up to max thanks to the Doll and some Blood Echoes.

Then, I upgraded the Holy Moonlight Sword to (+10), before using the Rune altar to learn what might very well be the last rune of my time in Bloodborne: the Guidance Rune.

I saw a younger Gehrman, teaching who I recognized as Lady Maria.

I saw him, older, teaching other hunters about weapons, beasts, tactics, and strategies.

I saw the rise of the Workshops.

I also saw humans learn from the Great One Ebrietas about the secrets of the Cosmos and the Arcane.

Again and again, I saw visions of the past, where individuals learned under the guidance of those wiser than they are.

Eventually, I saw Ludwig, when he was still human, meditating with his sword in hand.

I saw him close his eyes, saw him be cleansed of his fear, of his doubts, as he fully immersed himself into the Arcane power of his sword- and in exchange, I saw his skills with a blade rise, his fear vanishing, as whispers consciously- and unconsciously- guided him from hunt to hunt.

But the frailty of Man could not be denied forever- the Blood, the Beasts, the death and madness of it all- in the end it was all too much, for even a pure soul such as he.

And thus, the guidance he received fell out of his sight, and he fell into darkness.

But his mind and soul remembered, remembered the Guidance, and as the Holy Light shone once more, so too did his Will and Humanity return.

For the Guidance would always lead him true…

Even in this darkest of Nights.

I blinked.

Then I let out a long breath.

That had been… something.

"Is everything alright, Good Hunter?"

I smiled. "Don't worry, dear Doll. I'm fine. Though I believe I should talk with Gehrman- I've got a few things I'd like to talk to him about."

She smiled back. "Very well. Does it have anything to do with your new weapon?" she asked, looking with interest at the Holy Moonlight Sword.

I hummed. "In part."

Nodding at her, I then went to find Gehrman, who was in the garden behind the Workshop.

"Gehrman." I called out.

His head turned to look at me.

"Good Hunter. Come, tell me of what brings you to me this time. It has been some time since we last spoke." he declared, smiling.

I did as requested, and told him all about everything I went through since we last talked with one another.

When the topic of the Hunter's Nightmare came up however, his features twisted in shock.

"That place…" he whispered. "I have never been there, but I have heard of it. The curse of the Hunter's Nightmare…"

He fell silent, mood grim.

I nodded, equally grim, before launching into a recollection of what I went through in there.

The news that Laurence was a Cleric Beast on Fire in the Hunter's Nightmare came as quite the shock to him, too.

"And you are absolutely certain it's him?" he questioned.

"I am." I replied firmly.

Gehrman closed his eyes, sighing deeply, seemingly aging decades in seconds at my words.

"By the Gods… even you, Laurence?" he whispered.

I frowned. "From what little of him I've learned… Isn't he the Founder of the Healing Church? As the man who, more than any others, is responsible for Yharnam current state- and that is to say nothing of all the horrors I am WELL aware the Church has done in the name of "progress"- I can't help but feel only a lack of surprise at finding him in there, Gehrman." I replied.

He looked at me for a moment, before sighing.

"Let me guess. You hold him accountable for everything you, and Yharnam, has gone through?"

I nodded. "It makes sense- who else to blame but the man who caused it all?"

He sighed. "I suppose that I should have seen that coming. Truth to be told, though… We never wanted this- ANY of this- to happen. We… we just wanted to help Humanity, Good Hunter." replied Gehrman, looking every bits of his advanced age- with the regrets to match.

"We, all of us, Laurence just as much, only desired to make the world a better place. The Old Blood, Laurence believed, was the answer to that. No longer would diseases plague Mankind, no longer would wounds be as debilitating as they once were, no longer would humans be shackled by mortal frailty... The Old Blood offered so many promises, back then! We all had so many hopes for the future..."

He fell silent.

"And then it all went wrong." I pointed out. "And not only did it go wrong, the actions that the Church took, the horrors they committed… Was it truly for the Greater Good? Look at what you achieved- Beasts in the streets, civilization collapsing, good men-" I took out the Holy Moonlight Sword, and Gehrman's eyes went wide at the sight of the Legendary weapon- "and women condemned to damnation… Truly, what success the Church achieved!"

Gehrman kept staring at the holy blade in my hands for a long moment, before looking up at me.

"You found Ludwig." He whispered.

I nodded grimly. "I did."

I explained to him what had happened, and Gehrman looked at me with mixed pride, approval and sadness.

"You did well by giving him peace… And his blade will no doubt serve you well." he declared.

I nodded. "Thank you. But don't try to change the subject, Gehrman- we were talking about the Church and the horrors it committed."

He sighed deeply, sagging in his wheelchair. "What do you want me to say? We believed that, as you put it, it would serve the Greater Good. Once Humanity had Ascended, or even just a few… Can you imagine the wonders that could be done, then?"

"Except it didn't work that way. The end justifying the means is all well and good… But you didn't even get anywhere close to the end."

He nodded grimly. "Yes. We didn't. We failed, Good Hunter. We all did. Every member of the Church, every hunter that has ever lived… We all failed, in the end. All we did was delay the inevitable. We just…"

He sighed deeply. "Perhaps we were arrogant. Perhaps, we were only fools, seeking an impossible goal. None of us had anything but the best of intentions for all Mankind, Good Hunter. We just… we just failed. And now, it is up to people like you, outsiders of Yharnam and its sins, to clean up our messes. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Aeon. No one, including Laurence, wanted any of this to happen."

I sighed. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Gehrman. I know that. It's just…"

I shook my head. "It's hard to remain objective about all of this, after everything I have seen and went through."

I hummed. "Tell me about Laurence. About how he was as a person. What were his hopes? His dreams? Was he arrogant and proud, or humble and kind? Tell me, you who knew him, what was he like?"

Gehrman stayed silent for a moment, before nodding.

Slowly at first, then more and more, I got not only everything he knew about Laurence, but a full telling of Yharnam's history as seen through the First Hunter's eyes.

It was, as expected, a dark story, growing only darker as time went by.

But there were still good moments, light-hearted and fun, where once there were only Gehrman, Laurence, Willem and a few more close friends who had a dream- a dream, where Humanity as a whole would rise greater than it ever had.

Before the weight of responsibility took its toll, before things turned darker and darker, before there was only fear and madness and death- there were only people, who sought to create a better world for all.

By the end of it, Gehrman looked both nostalgic and peaceful, as if talking about everything he went through helped him lighten the burden on his conscience.

As for me, well it certainly left me thoughtful, to hear such a tale of a civilization's rise and fall, straight from the mouth of one who was in the middle of it all every step of the way.

Still, I eventually thanked him and took my leave.

I still had work to do, after all.

First thing first: I needed to go back to Valtr…

Rising from the ground near the lantern within the Forbidden woods, I Quickened out of the way of an attack as I was almost immediately attacked by a hunter that I had expected the presence of.

After all, in the game, once you get the cane from Valtr, you also end up having a hunter show up to try and kill you- whether he was an enemy of the League or a jealous fellow confederate didn't matter.

In the end, he died all the same.

And once I killed him, I got the Madaras Whistle.

True, at this point it wasn't exactly useful to me, but at least I had it now.

That done, I went to talk with Valtr.

"Hello, Valtr." I said, smiling.

He nodded. "Hello, confederate." He hummed, tilting his head. "Your eyes say it all. You've crushed vermin time and time again... You've seen the filth that varnishes the world of man... Yet you are unbroken, you've got the eyes of a hunter. You have blessed the League with your presence. This was my last, most pressing task…"

I bowed slightly. "Thank you, Valtr. I merely do what needs to be done to try and make this world a better place."

He chuckled, nodding, before turning… solemn.

"My confederate. Promise me you'll crush all vermin, to rid us of our impurities. For the sake of our fellows, all blood-stained hunters of the League... My confederate, promise me that you'll crush all vermin, to rid us of our impurities."

I looked him in the eye. "I will certainly try my best."

He nodded grimly. "That is all that we can ever do, my confederate. Try our best, to help rid this world of every last one of this foul vermin."

He sighed. Then, he took off his helmet, and gave it to me.

"Here. Take this. I am getting old- it is time for a new, younger leader to take my place."

I respectfully took his helmet, putting it under one arm.

Then, I made the League's gesture of respect.

He returned it, smiling.

"Go forth, now. There are still many vermin to crush. Glory to the League."

"Glory to the League." I replied solemnly, before nodding and leaving, putting the helmet in Inventory.

When I return as a god, I'll give it to him back- alongside a job, if he's interested.

My future empire could use a man of principles and true loyalty, after all.

For now, with Valtr's side-quest done, it was time to return to the Hunter's Nightmare.

I still had a certain Orphan to kill, after all…

Returning to the Hunter's Nightmare, at the entrance of the Research Hall, I blinked when I saw Simon there.

Still, I nodded at him.

"If you are here… You saw Ludwig, then."

He grimaced. "A tragic figure. But he will shame himself no longer. He died with his ideals untarnished. He was a true hero, and earnt that much, at least."

I nodded, thoroughly agreeing. "Indeed. A better man in all of Yharnam's history, there are few indeed to be found- if any."

Simon snorted. "Aye. And that's the problem, isn't it? I've thought about all that you told me. Even I hadn't know all of it, and trust me, I've had an interest in secrets and Nightmares for a long time now."

He shook his head. "Do you know why the Hunters are drawn to this Nightmare? Because it sprouted from their very misdeeds, things that some would rather keep secret. A pitiful tale of petty arrogance, really. High time someone exposed the whole charade."

He gestured to what awaited beyond. "Not a pretty sight, is it? The true face of the blood-worshipping, beast-purging Healing Church. But that's not all. You seek the secrets held by the Nightmare, do you not? Then here's what you must do. Climb the Astral Clocktower, and kill Maria. She hides the real secret..."

I raise a hand. "I actually know the secret? I mean, I didn't actually mention that part last time, but basically…"

I proceeded to explain to him all about the fishing hamlet, Kos, and of course- her child.

And what the Old Hunters did.

Then I began to explain that I was going to go fight, and kill, the Orphan, in order to break the curse, and-

He raised a hand, looking… tired.

"You… are going to fight the infant Great One, who might or might not kill you… with PLACENTA." he said slowly, putting emphasis on the last word.

I shrugged. "Hazards of the job?"

He stared at me.

I blinked slowly.

Staaaaare.

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

He blinked. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about all of my life choices, because obviously I made some wrong ones at some point. If you would excuse me, I think that I'm going to leave this place and retire from being a Hunter. Maybe take up gardening, too. Yes, that sounds like a fantastic idea."

And then he went to the Altar to go back downstairs.

I shrugged. At least this way he'll very likely survive the rest of the night, so he'll still be alive in the morning to enjoy his retirement.

Good for him!

Then I looked back at the altar, frowning in thought.

I did need to deal with Laurence, after all. It shouldn't take too long, but it probably was better to take care of him now, rather than wait for later.

Besides, it seemed fitting, considering my recent talk with Gehrman…

Nodding, I returned to the Hunter's Dream, then went back to the beginning of the Hunter's Nightmare, before making my way to Laurence once more.

Entering the Nightmare version of the Grand Cathedral, I once again stared at Laurence's Fire Cleric Beast self.

This time, with me having his human skull, he began to awaken, slowly but surely coming to his senses…

In as much as a beast could, at least.

I could feel… Confusion, pain, regret, and… an immense feeling of loss and guilt from him.

As I stared at his beastly self, I couldn't help but wonder- was the fact he was on fire a reference to the burning of Old Yharnam?

Had that event left such a mark on him, that in this hellish nightmare, his beastly self has turned into a fire version of the cleric beast, as a way of showing his guilt for the numerous life he ordered put to the pyres?

Or was I simply seeing too much into this, because of Gehrman's words?

I supposed it didn't matter, in the end.

I took the Holy Moonlight Sword in both hands.

The man he once was no longer existed- the sense of loss and confusion I could feel from him, combined with the item description of his human skull, confirmed that his beastly self had no memories of his human life.

Thus, I wasn't here to punish a man for his sins.

I was here to put a beast down.

Nothing more.

And I had no intention of dragging this fight longer than absolutely necessary.

Laurence's beastly self finally focused on me, and roared.

And then he leapt at me, seeking to feast on my blood.

It was the last thing he ever did.

"Multi Dark Cloaked Dimensional Slash. "

And just like that Laurence, the First Vicar, died, his severed body parts falling all around me after taking several hits which, combined, could kill a Great One.

I let out a sigh. This was hardly a boss fight, more of a mercy killing really, but then again at my level of power beast-type of enemies were just…

Not capable of being a threat. They were too big for one, which allowed me to hit them easily- even Ludwig, for all his skill, could only delay the inevitable in the end, so Laurence had no chance in hell to fight against me. Besides, his unique ability was being on fire. I was immune to damage by fire/heat.

The math was clear on the outcome, to say the least.

That, and with the powers I held nowadays, any opponents I fought against who didn't have their own esoteric bullshit were just…

Well, they might as well be mooks for all the good it'll do to them.

Looking at my rewards, I dismissed the message about the Beast Embrace Rune, before nodding at the Blood Echoes I received.

Then I activated the Lantern that had appeared nearby, before returning to the Hunter's Dream.

It was time to enter the Research Hall… And meet Lady Maria.