Ch.4

Waking up at the lamp with a huff, I walked over to Gilbert.

"Gilbert, you there?" I asked. I just needed someone to vent to. Dying in any way was awful but what had just happened to me was something no one should have to go through.

"Yes good hunter, I'm still here no matter how much my sickness tries to prevent that. How can I help you?" He responds.

"Are you afraid of dying? I am... I have died too many times as it is." I said my voice cracking, I was on the verge of breaking down. You may think that you wouldn't be, but having your own body cut in half... it'll put fear in you that you've never known.

"I... I used to be afraid of dying. That's the whole reason I came to Yharnam, the healing that was offered here. But I've come to terms with it now, I believe my life is at it's end... Did you say you've died too many times? What does that mean?!" He spoke softly at first, until what I had said kicked in.

"Hunters connected to the dream are trapped to live in this night of horror till we end it. I have died so many times on my path and the night is still young. Death scares me but not ending this night does so even more." I responded.

"What keeps you going other than your job to end the night?"

"The fact that I get to go home... but death even if it doesn't effect my body still messes with my mind." I said slowly.

"Do you have family?"

"I do... my brother and I... my mother" I had started crying at this point. I knew that once I defeated one boss I'd be able to wake up in the morning and no one would know what I had went through but the deaths were so horrific already. I'd only died twice so far but I knew that was just a small amount compared to what was to come.

"Fight for them, you must desire to save them no?" Gilbert said.

"I do," standing up I wiped my tears away, " I must be off now. I need to return to the hunt, thank you for listening to my childish woes."

"Of course good hunter, good luck tonight." He said.

Cutting the madmen down until I got back to where I had recently died, I confronted the hulking man that had killed me before. I knew that this was my first hurdle in the night and if i could overcome this I'd be one step closer to waking up.

Charging at him I decided to use he attack against him. Extending my axe to its full length, I cranked my arms back till I heard a small bell like noise and swung. The swing was so powerful I spun around until I hit him a second time, like I said I was going to use his attack against him. Doing so cause him to collapse on one knee so I ran in and preformed a viceral and ripped out his guts. The massive man fell on to his back groaning before trying to stand back up, even though I was huffing and out of breath I knew I couldn't let that happen so I ran up dropped my axe on his neck...

I'd killed him... it wasn't easy and if I'd missed my heavy attack I'd be dead right now in his place. I knew that from now on I must learn from every encounter I have, this world and the waking world were not kind to screw ups.

It had been hours by now, of constant exploration. I'd found madmen in a large group around a crucified beast, that was freaky, I found a new type of thing or being that could kill me, easily 8 foot tall, hunched over, and carrying a brick, fighting him was the first time I used my pistol if you can believe it. He charged at me with his brick held high above his head, making him a very easy target that I took advantage of, right after I shot him in the head he fell on one knee opening himself up for a viceral that killed him immediately. I'd say my skills at fighting are growing quite well, I'd even say if I fought the minotaur again I'd have a way easier time.

the weirdest thing I did find in the area was a skull that had a bunch of crows around it... did I let it be known that the crows here bark like dogs? And that they viciously attack you? Well they do and their beaks are very sharp. Anyways when I picked up the skull I didn't think much of it, dropping it back on the ground broke it though and a white mist rushed out of it into my head. Immediately I felt something change, I didn't want to trust Gehrman ever since he lied to me but I felt it was time to go back to the dream and maybe find out what had just happened to me.

Getting into the dream I found the doll from before standing infront of me, walking over a gave a quiet "Hello?"

"Hello, good hunter. I am a doll, here in this dream to look after you. Honourable hunter, pursue the echoes of blood and I will channel them into your strength. You will hunt beasts and I will be here for you, to embolden your sickly spirit." She responded, to be honest it startled me.

"How would I do that?" I asked. I knew in the game you could level up, but I didn't remember this.

"Let me stand close," as she walked towards me and held my hand," now shut your eyes. Tell me what you would like embolden, your strength, to increase your speed and physical strength. Your endurance, for prolonged physical movement. Your skill, to improve your weapon handling. Bloodtinge, which determines health gained from blood and viceral attacks. Health which increases how much damage your body can take. Lastly arcane, your connection with the arcane increases."

As she explained everything I could increase, I wondered if increasing my connection to the arcane would enhance my connection to my dad's power. There was no way to know before hand so I just said, "I would like to my strength, skill, and lastly my connection to the arcane."

As soon as I said that I felt power, I felt unstoppable, like I could lift a car with easy. The most notable change though was that I felt like I could call up a hurricane with ease, i felt like I could cause storms and call down lightning, create gales so strong they would flip cars, it made me realize that I was going to out class Percy in terms of abilities, whether they metaphysical or physical, with ease. I wondered how strong I could get, would I be able to stand on the same level as my father? Would I be able to level countries? I knew that in the Percy Jackson world there had been demigods so strong they changed the world by themselves.

Then it all went away. The feelings of being stronger than a giant, the feeling of being able to cause storms in an instant, all of it gone. I realized it was a side affect of increasing my strength so rapidly and that while I'm for sure still way stronger, I'm not nearly as strong as I'd felt before.