Word count 9,286
After an... enjoyable time kissing the Doll silly, I decided against going back to Yharnam quite yet.
First, I wanted to catch up Gerhman on my latest adventures.
I found him outside the Workshop, looking at the Moon, at least until I arrived.
Then he turned, smiling at me.
Well, smirking, really.
"Had fun with the Doll, Good Hunter?" He declared, looking much too smug.
I snorted, thoroughly unashamed.
"I did, as a matter of fact." I replied, grinning, which made Gerhman's smirk grow.
Then I sighed. "Still, I am here to catch you up on my latest hunt- things got...interesting, to say the least." I said, scowling darkly at the memories of Yahar'gul- and the One Reborn.
He frowned at me, pursing his lips.
"Coming from you, that must really have been bad, after all you went through already... Very well. What happened, Good Hunter?"
I sighed again, and then told my story once more- up until the fight with the One Reborn.
By the end of it, Gerhman too looked disturbed, frowning heavily.
"And you are certain that summoning that Great One required...?" he trailed off, looking disgusted.
I nodded grimly. "Yes. Boiled infants- a great many of them."
He scowled. "I see."
Then he let out a deep sigh, looking up at the stars for a moment, and he most definitely looked old and tired right then.
He nodded. "You did well, Good Hunter, to rid the world of that... abomination."
Then he looked thoughtful, before turning towards me.
"Come, let us go to the Workshop- I have one more lesson to teach you on the Hunter's Arts. If your foes keep growing stronger, then I will do my part helping you grow stronger too."
I nodded, and we went to the Workshop.
Once there, Gerhman instructed me on crafting better tools out of Blood, whether it was more potent Blood vials, Blood stones or even Blood Gems.
By the end of it, I had a new Trait:
(Blood Artisan Plus): You have been granted an experienced artisan's knowledge on crafting things out of blood. This is basically an overall improved version of Blood Artisan, allowing you to craft more potent Blood Vials, larger Blood Stones and even Blood Gems. Blood Gems are supernatural gems formed from blood that can be slotted into weapons to give them a variety of special abilities. Some Blood Gems can make an edge sharper, or a tip pointer. Other gems can bathe a weapon in fire, poison or electricity to make them more effective against certain enemies. Some gems can even increase your strength or dexterity while wielding the weapon it's slotted in. Their magical powers can be stacked, to an extent at least. This means you may slot up to three different Blood Gems in the same weapon, though no more. Blood Gems can be slotted and removed with special equipment.
I smiled. With that trait, I was effectively a master of all Hunters' equipment.
There were still more traits from the jumpdoc I did not have, some of which I wouldn't be able to acquire during my time in Bloodborne, but all in all, I was pretty happy with myself right now.
Especially since it allowed me to create Blood Rocks! As in, the highest grade of Bloodstones in Bloodborne, required to upgrade a weapon to (+10)!
Sure, it still demanded an awful lot of Blood Stone Chunks to just create ONE of those Blood Rock, but considering how useful those rocks were, it was well worth it.
Quite satisfied with my progress, I thanked Gerhman, who grunted and waved me off- though he was smiling as he did so.
"Don't worry about it. It is my duty to help all Hunters of this Workshop, after all. Besides..." He fell silent, before looking up at me with respect in his eyes.
"The foes you face are much stronger than what most Hunters pass their entire life fighting, and dying, against. It is only right that I give you all the tools that I can give you to help you on your Hunts, Good Hunter. You... have proven to be a spectacular Hunter and student of this Workshop, quickly grasping all that I have to teach you. There is little else I can do for you, now- beyond listening to your tales and discussing with you what went right and what mistakes you made. So with all that being said..."
He leaned forward, and I could feel the emotional storm raging within him- Pride, Sadness, Hope, and more besides, all at the same time.
"Go forth, Good Hunter- For a Hunter must Hunt. And remember, always, as you proceed- Fear the Old Blood." He declared solemnly.
I gave him a Hunter's Bow, replying with an equally solemn "Fear the Old Blood".
Though I rather preferred it as he put it- to not Fear the old blood fully, but merely "as you proceed."
Indeed, I had good reasons to fear the blood as I proceeded towards Godhood, considering all the trouble and pain it brought me and Yharnam, but once I was a God...
Well. I would no longer need to fear it anymore.
And neither would Humanity, if I had anything to say about it.
I straightened, nodding one last time respectfully at Gerhman, before making my way to the Tombstone.
I did notice that I was now at (90/100) Rep with him.
A small increase of only (+5)... But I had a good idea of what was required to get to (100).
The Hunter's Nightmare was something that I was both looking forward to... And the utter opposite.
Because there would be a great many important- and extremely difficult- fights within it…
I also took notice that I had achieved (75) Arcane, and thus got a new Trait out of it!
Arcane (75): Master of the Arcane: Your mage sight is now even more accurate at seeing and helping you comprehend any Arcane phenomenon, allowing you to more easily manipulate Arcane energies! Furthermore, your Arcane spells are now 75% stronger than they should be, and you gain a 75% bonus speed of learning when Arcane matters are involved!
I shook my head. For now... The Upper Cathedral Wards awaited.
I arrived back at Oedon's Chapel, and almost immediately got hugged by Violetta.
"Mister Aeon!" she shouted happily.
I smiled, happy to see her in such good spirits.
"Hey, Violetta. Doing alright?"
She smiled. "Much better since sis is here, yes! Thanks again, by the way."
"Indeed."
I turned, seeing Vanessa looking amused at her sister holding unto me like a limpet, before looking up at me with a smile.
From what I was feeling through Empathy, both sisters had had time to mourn together the death of their parents. That was good, though I idly wondered- once I returned to Yharnam as a god, I would have the power to bring their fallen family members back.
That would certainly make both of them very happy... But I could hardly reveal that part of my plan without also mentioning my eventual divinity.
I mentally shook those thoughts off- for now, I should focus on the present.
"Just doing my best to help as many as I can tonight... That, and who could say 'no' to that adorable bundle of cute right there?" I declared, grinning as I messed up Violetta's hair.
She stepped back and away from me with a shout, trying to protect her head, before going to hide behind her sister and sticking her tongue out at me.
I snorted, grinning widely, and Vanessa looked even more amused at the antics of her sister- who was currently mock-glaring at me from behind Vanessa's back.
"Indeed. She did talk quite a bit about you... Including the fact that you like to mess up her hair."
I smirked. "It's not my fault she makes the most adorable of pouting faces at me whenever I do!"
Violetta's eyes narrowed at me.
"Do not!"
I smirked wider. "Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not-"
"Sister, really?" Interrupted Vanessa, looking unsure whether she should be embarrassed or amused at the childish antics... Though the look she gave ME made it clear I was to blame too.
Which I totally was, but fuck it. I was dealing with literal Eldritch horrors for... who knows how long it has been since I first arrived in Bloodborne now.
If I wanted to be childish, I damn well will be!
Thus, I looked back at Vanessa without a shred of shame, looking proud instead.
She rolled her eyes at me, while Violetta used the time her sister wasn't looking to stick her tongue out at me again.
Naturally, being the mature individual that I was, I stuck mine right back at her.
Then I tried to look innocent when Vanessa suddenly looked at me with narrowed eyes, her sister doing the same as me when the Elder Sister Judgmental Stare of Doomᵀᴹ turned towards her.
For some reason, I had a feeling Vanessa was not fooled by either of our innocent looks...
Still, eventually I was able to talk quietly to only Vanessa.
"So tell me, really- how are you doing? Considering everything that happened tonight..."
She looked at Violetta for a moment, who was currently listening to the music box's song with a far away look in her eyes- probably lost in old memories- before sighing.
"I could be better." She replied, smiling weakly, before looking up at me.
"Still, it could be worse- if you hadn't escorted my sister here, she told me that she would have most likely tried to go here by herself. Which..." She sighed. "That would most likely NOT have gone well, and if she had died, too..."
For a moment, Vanessa's blue eyes turned dead, and I could see a hint of madness and despair in them.
Then they refocused back on Violetta, and to my relief Life returned to them.
"I've said it before, but thank you, truly, for going out of your way for us both. If you hadn't..." She trailed off, before looking up at me, a small blush on her cheeks.
Then she kissed me on the left cheek, her blush growing, before she quickly turned around and went back to her sister, a hint of red still visible on her face.
I smiled at them both, happy to see they were doing well, and rather amused at the obvious crush the eldest sister was apparently developing for me.
Well, the youngest sister too was obviously no better, I didn't need my Empathy to notice her feelings, but she was too young for anything more for a while yet.
Once I was a god though, well I literally would have all the time in all the universes for this kind of thing.
I did notice that Vanessa's Rep was now at (80), and that her (-10) for killing her family was now (-5).
Apparently, having time to talk- and grieve- with her sister helped.
And once again going out of my way to check on her did, too.
Also, the fact that my Charisma stat made me look like a Noble Foreigner of some sort wasn't exactly helping her crush, either...
I snorted. Considering how sheltered I suspected the girls to be, and also the usual... Yharnamite idea of "friendliness", I wasn't overly surprised that, by comparison, I might as well look like a hero in shining armor to them.
Even if I did tell Violetta I wasn't.
I sighed. Again, I didn't consider myself a hero, but compared to the locals, well, my soul might as well be white as snow really...
Shaking my head from those ultimately useless thoughts, I went to Arianna, who still looked rather pale.
I took out a sedative and presented it to her.
"For if the pain becomes too much- but only then, alright? This is strong stuff." Considering it could stop Frenzy in a Hunter, it damn well was.
She smiled weakly, if with genuine gratefulness.
"You have my thanks- yet again. Keep going like this, and I might well decide to make my services free for you, you know..." She said, trying to tease me at the end.
I snorted. "I'm afraid you'll need to talk to my girlfriend first about that." I replied, grinning slightly.
She smirked slightly. "Protective?" she asked.
I snorted again. "Enthusiastic, in this case, rather."
She blinked, before giggling. "Gotta admit, I did not see that answer coming. Well, you know where I live, so don't hesitate to come. I must admit, even for me a couple like this would be a new one, but for you I wouldn't mind... Experimenting, so to speak..."
I grinned. "Noted."
Giving one last nod to her, and after checking on everyone else in the Chapel, I made my way back to where the tower in which the "true" Hunter's dream can be found, went to the top of it, and came across some closed doors.
Using the keys found in Yahar'gul, I opened the doors...
And there I was, in the Upper Cathedral Wards.
I took up the stairs, killing some enemies along the way, before coming across a Lantern, that I quickly activated.
There was the Choir building beyond, but for now the shortcut to it was closed by two great steel gates, so I took the path on the right.
Killing some slug-like enemies, I found the Great Lake Rune.
Well, more damage resistance was always good!
After killing more enemies, I finally entered the Choir building, swiftly throwing a fireball to kill the brainsucker in the first room and finding the Choir Set of clothes.
Then, after entering the next room, I quickly found a madman's knowledge (now at 85 Insights!).
And yes, the beast who tried to get a jump scare on me when I walked away by jumping from the nearest window and into the corridor I was in had just the time to look in shock at the gun pointed to his head before I blew his brain out.
Surprise! As it turns out, trying to ambush someone who has empathic abilities when one is a bloodthirsty monster doesn't work out so great!
Who would have thought?
After that, there were some beasts waiting for me, but the fact that, for some reason, their eyes glowed blue instead of the usual red didn't change the fact that beasts REALLY don't like fire.
At all.
More brainsuckers later, who had a really annoying binding spell on top of... Magic missiles? Basically Magic missiles, and I found the Orphanage key from one of their corpses.
Then I found some items, like the Blindfold cap and (+2) Insights (now at 87!), before killing the last brainsucker in the area and finding the Cosmic Eye Watcher Badge!
Gods that's a mouthful...
Shaking my head and wondering how the hell they came up with that kind of name, I went ahead and opened the doors to the outside on the first floor, coming across a corpse standing up which got me the "Make Contact" Gesture.
Which was useful for later on, in order to get (level max of) one of the Rune.
Then I went back, opened up the doors which allowed me to open up the closed gates before the Lantern, and returned to the Hunter's Dream.
I had a Boss fight coming up, after all...
Once back at the Hunter's Dream, I smiled at the Doll, who smiled back.
"Have you found your prey, Good Hunter?"
I nodded. "I did."
"Then close your eyes, and let the Echoes of Blood become your strength..."
I did as requested, and focused.
I had (50000) Blood Echoes...
Which allowed me to upgrade my (Multi-strikes) skill to level 69.
I mentally sighed. That skill, much as it was worth it, was truly a glutton for Blood Echoes...
Thanking the Doll, I went back to Yharnam.
I had a god to kill.
True, it was the equivalent of a minor deity compared to a regular Great One, but minor deities were still DEITIES.
I wasn't going to underestimate it.
I went back to the entrance of the building, beyond the gates, before taking a sharp right.
A minute later, and here it was.
Celestial Emissary.
Level 90.
I hummed. That was the first time I actually saw the level of a Great One- though I suspected them of being level (100).
Either way, that Boss was somewhat unique in that, at first, it looked no different from any of the other Celestial mobs in the area.
Of course, that wasn't a problem for me and my (Insight) skill.
I also noticed that it was...
Well, weak as fuck when it comes to HP.
Like seriously, I had more HP than this thing did!
That was certainly something of a first, to have more HP than a Boss…
Bringing out the Flower from my Inventory, I enjoyed it's scent and beauty for a moment, before putting it back to safety and stepping forward.
BOSS BATTLE
CELESTIAL EMISSARY
I hummed, noticing the mobs already charging at me...
And shrugged.
Might as well go big or go home, right?
So I unleashed my new Black Hole spell on top of the bastards.
THAT certainly cleaned up the place nicely of enemies, and even the Boss was more than half-way dead by that alone.
Then it suddenly turned into a giant version of itself.
Which proceeded to throw fucking lasers at me.
I found myself thankful for my Luck perks for allowing me to avoid -some- deadly attacks, because DAMN did this Boss turned out to be a glass cannon!
That poor wall who -once- was there behind my back could attest to it...
It then charged at me, but I quickened out of the way, throwing some lightning spells- which it was weak to- at it.
Then it summoned dozens more celestial mobs.
Which, naturally, is when I used the SECOND new spell that I created, which consumed my enemies Arcane powers/Life force to give me my MP back!
The Emissary, apparently unamused by the death of its friends, promptly threw over several dozen magic missiles at me (not to be confused with Arcane Novas).
I was pretty happy about my Insight perk, since it allowed me to more easily keep avoiding the missiles- especially those who tried to attack me from behind after I dodged them.
Still, being the polite, friendly man that I was, I decided to return its hospitality.
With a Lightning-infused cannon-ball to the face.
Which blew it up in a rather spectacular shower of gore.
I blinked, staring at it's corpse.
PREY SLAUGHTERED
... Okay?
Already?
I mean, I remembered it being weak in the game, and it was an over glorified Celestial mob really, but still...
I shrugged. I certainly wasn't going to complain about an easy win!
For a moment, I wondered if my own senses of what is considered "dangerous" was, perhaps, a bit...
Biased.
Most people don't fight giant monsters as big, if not bigger, than entire houses, covered in lightning, or fire, or capable of throwing dozens of spells at the same time...
Or capable of summoning dozens, if not hundreds, of lesser monsters without ever tiring...
... Nah. Surely other heroes and hunters would be just as capable of facing these guys, right? Sure, they -might- need some help, but really, how hard could it be to dodge a couple dozen spells for a hunter?
Or the claws of dozens of monsters focusing on you alone?
I shrugged.
I guess that boss was just that weak.
In any case, I got (+2) Insights for killing the Boss (but no insight for finding it. Huh.), so I now was at 89 Insights!
Ten more and I would have maxed that Stat!
I also got (+75) and (+15) from killing a god- weak as it may have been.
*Ding!*
Vit (500): You now have a body as tough as Diamond. Reduce damage taken by 60%. 60% increased to total HP amount. 60% increased learning speed to physical related skills.
Bloodtinge (75): Your Blood is a powerful medium of power. Any weapons or skills which make use of your Blood (such as guns or the Blood Arts) gain 75% bonus damage.
… Well, that was certainly very nice!
I furthermore got a skill book for the Magic Missiles (well, Arcane Missiles, really) spell and... A skill book (+20) for Arcane Theory?
Well, I guess it makes sense, considering this boss was used by the Church as an intermediary between themselves and Ebrietas...
Either way, the skill was now at level (90).
As for Arcane missiles:
Arcane Missiles: Create a number of Arcane Missiles. The Higher the level of this skill, the higher the number of missiles, the damage caused by said missiles and the length of time they will keep following an enemy. Current level: (01)
I also got an upgraded version of the Communion Rune, (30000) Blood Echoes, and four levels!
Meaning I was nowlevel 78!
... Only four levels for killing a Great One, huh? Guess he really was that weak.
Oh well. I had more bosses waiting to be killed.
Including some -proper- gods to challenge me.
Besides, I came here, right now, to gain levels. Four levels were pretty good for killing only one boss!
Speaking of, I had 20 Stats points, so…
I grinned. Well then…
I put (5) in Luck, (5) in Dex and (10) in Str.
*Ding!*
Luck (500): You are spectacularly lucky. It is truly incredibly rare for you to lose at any games of chance, and you will incredibly easily find an impressive quantity of Loot in your travels. Furthermore, three times per battle you will be able to avoid a killing blow and turn it into a glancing strike, whether it is through you dodging at the last second, your enemy tripping over themself or something else.
Str (500): Congratulations! You are now the equivalent of a heroic Spirit with an A-Rank strength stat! Every physical attack now does 60% more damage. Your increased learning speed towards physical related skills is now of 60%.
I nodded, very satisfied. All I needed was a few more Stats gains/points, and I would reach All (500).
Thus done with my gains, I first activated the Lantern, then I broke the window close by.
Looking down, I jumped, setting foot on a balcony which overlooked the Grand Cathedral and...
Hm. Interestingly enough, I couldn't see the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst. Maybe the fight between it and Eileen hadn't happened yet?
Well, either way, I quickly picked up an item that I had been looking forward to getting my hands on- A Call Beyond!
A Call Beyond: This Skill summons several small Arcane Novas which acts as multiple homing projectiles which explode on contact. Current level: (Level 01)
That glorious spell that SO MANY of my enemies just keep using against me...
IS NOW MINE! MWAHAHAHAHA!
I coughed, rather happy there was no one around to witness my sudden bout of...
Ecstatic joy. Yes, that was a good way to put it.
With that skill now mine, I returned to the Lantern- and the Hunter's Dream.
I had no intention of confronting Ebrietas- for now- so for the time being...
I had a Nightmare-and a Lecture Building- to investigate.
Going to the Doll, I used my newfound (30000) Blood Echoes to upgrade A Call Beyond to level (75).
... I also took a moment to properly appreciate the difference in trying to upgrade a Legendary skill and a more "regular" one in terms of Blood Echoes.
Then I thanked the Doll, and went back to the Lecture Building in the Nightmare of Mensis.
Opening the doors from the first room, I then went left to find one of the notes saying "Master Willem was right. Evolution without courage will be the ruin of our race."
Which was... Interesting? Probably a reference to how horribly wrong everything went for... Well, everyone, really.
A note further ahead declared "Hunt the Great Ones."
Which was… Okay, confusing, much?
Weren't these people worshipping them?
I shook my head, before killing some slime-people… Monsters… Things.
Yeah, I had no idea how to best describe Humanoid slimes in students' outfits.
There even was a sneaky one hiding just ABOVE one of the doors, trying its best "Spider-Man" impression!
Until it took a bullet in the face, that is. My new perk made my firearms pack quite the punch, so it got really messy…
I also came across one of the more important Lore Notes in the Game: "The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood."
Needless to say, that was pretty important, considering the whole point of the Game was to find "Paleblood to transcend the Hunt".
And they just all but told us that "Paleblood" and "The Moon Presence" were, in fact, one and the same.
And then, to make it UTTERLY clear what the way to godhood was, there was a second note in the same room saying "Three Third Cords".
Subtle, much?
A bit more searching around, and I came across yet another Communion Rune.
And with that, I was done "clearing up" the second floor of the Lecture Building.
Now, time for the first floor!
I took the ladder down…
And what do I find, but Patches the Spider, Scumbag extraordinaire!
… Yeah, I remembered enough of the guy in the Lore/Game to know that I was going to kill him. Not yet, he had still some use right now, and he didn't, technically, do anything to me yet…
But considering he was the one who gave me the Tonsil stone in an effort to use me as a human sacrifice to Amygdala, I wasn't exactly feeling impressed with the guy right now.
Just because Amy and I got along great didn't change the fact that he still tried to set me up to die, after all!
I waved away the message informing me that "finding" him got me(+2) Insights (now 91!) and then cleared my throat.
The man… spider… thing quickly turned around, staring at me with wide eyes.
"Oh, this cannot be, you cannot be... No, you didn't… How did this come to pass? Hmph! Now, wait just a moment... Do you think ill of me?"
I grunted. "No."
I sure did, but no reason not to lie to the murderous liar… Until it was time to kill him when HE will try to kill ME.
… Again.
"Indeed, I should think not! I shared with you a thing most secret. Now you're witness to a miracle, and all the stronger for it! You should appreciate it, if you've a grain of gratitude in you! Heh heh... yes, appreciate it! Hah hah hah!"
And then he started laughing madly.
Then again, I can't imagine turning into a literal spider does one much good to one's sanity…
The opposite, really.
"No matter. Such details are trifling. We're fast friends by now. Let this express what words cannot."
He gave me an Anti-Clockwise Metamorphosis rune.
I gave him a look.
"Oh, doubt me not, sweet compeer. What is friendship, but a chance encounter? In any case, my apologies, but I feel a profound thought occurring... On the good grace of a certain god, and the way he meted out his love."
And then he started laughing madly. Again.
Right…
You know what? I got what I was here for. Time to go.
I left the room, opening up the one in front of me…
Which granted me (+2) Insights.
… Okay then. Either way, I activated the Lantern, and then quickly entered the main classroom.
Taking a step to the right, I avoided a falling humanoid slime and then shot him in the face.
Nodding at its corpse, I found the Lecture Theater Key on the teacher's corpse, before finding the Student Set nearby.
A room later, after dealing with yet another Humanoid Slime trying to do its best Spider-Man impression by staying on the ceiling of all places, I found (+2) Insights (now at 95!).
Then I opened the doors of the Theater.
And stared.
The several dozen Humanoid Slimes inside stared back.
I raised a hand in the "V" sign, did my best Kakashi Hatake "eye-smile", and declared
"Yo. Mind if I join the party?"
Naturally, they all proceeded to charge at me while screaming for my blood.
I grinned. "I'll take that as a yes!"
And then there was a whole lot of Fire, Lightning, gunshots and dying screams.
Five minutes later, I walked out, singing to myself.
"I don't bring forgiveness. I don't bring peace. I've come to slay you. Come to kill the beast…"
… I blinked. I got a (Singing) skill? Really?
Well then.
I shrugged, then kept on singing.
"Gotta cut you down… Gotta cut you doooown…"
I opened the chest found in the next room and smiled at what I found.
Augur of Ebrietas: Causes a number of large tentacles to extend from the Hunter's hand, which deal Arcane damage and knocks enemies over- or pierce through them at higher levels. Current Level (01)
Yes, this will do nicely!
I hummed, before making my way to the nearest Lantern.
Might as well upgrade that skill, before progressing forward.
I smiled at the Doll, who smiled back.
With close to (50000) Blood Echoes, I was able to upgrade my new skill all the way to level (95).
Needless to say, I was pretty happy about that!
Deciding to make a quick stop into a larger one, I sat next to the Doll, and I began telling her of my latest adventures.
Naturally, while speaking of them, the subject of the last boss came up- and the fact that, as far as I could tell, the Celestial mobs -and boss- were originally children from the orphanage.
To say that I wasn't very pleased with that fact would be putting it mildly.
"If the Healing Church had focused only on willing adults for their human experiments, I would be more accepting." I explained. "But children?" I shook my head.
"Yet another sin on top of all the others…" I said, sighing, not even surprised by this point, more resigned really.
There were only so many horrific crimes against humanity that you could come across before becoming numb to it all.
Not that I still didn't want to stab some people repeatedly in the face until they no longer HAD a face, but most of said people were beasts now, so that outcome was a given anyway.
"I'm sure even the Great Ones would agree, in their own ways, that children should be protected, cared for, not used and discarded through horrific experiments." I continued.
The Doll nodded. "Indeed. Children are important to Great Ones… Even if fate seemed to conspire to cause only tragedies for all whenever it seems that they would finally, successfully have a Child."
I hummed. "On that, I… might have an idea on how to go to ensure that Great Ones would be able to… Procreate and have Children- without risking losing them, that is."
The Doll suddenly stared at me intently, leaning forward.
"Truly?" she asked, and I could feel a storm of emotions within her.
I smiled. "Indeed. By all means, my idea SHOULD work without issue."
Considering it involved Multiversal travel and truly Godlike Power to effectively "link" the Lovecraftian universe(s) to this one, and "change" the Cosmic Laws such that Great Ones were no longer doomed by Destiny to lose their children, it wasn't something that I could do anytime soon… But there was no reason why Eldritch Gods from the Lovecraftian Mythos could have children without fear of tragedy and not the ones from Bloodborne.
And considering some of my Long-Term plans… Getting as many Eldritch Gods on my side as possible was important.
The Doll kept staring at me, before she smiled.
"I can tell you are serious… Interesting. Very interesting…"
I looked at her, but she just smiled brightly, eyes twinkling.
"It's nothing, Good Hunter. Please, keep talking about your travels- they are fascinating."
I nodded and did so, though I could tell the Doll was distracted by something.
Eventually, I finished, before going to the Tombstone and back to the Lecture Building.
And all the while, my 360° vision allowed me to see the Doll staring intently at my back…
Before her eyes started glowing, and I could feel a very faint burst of Arcane power from her.
Small enough to not be noticed by anything… If I hadn't been staring at her at the time.
I hummed. I wondered what that was all about. I had some theories, but nothing more…
Ah well. For now- I had a Nightmare to investigate.
I went back to the Lecture Building, before going to open the doors at the end of the main corridor.
And the next thing I know, I was now standing in the entrance of a small cave, a Lantern close by- which I quickly activated.
Going out of the cave, I swiftly killed one of the loot-dropping disappearing beasts, before going up a small hill…
And then I took in the Nightmare Frontier.
… It was as depressing and gloomy-looking as I expected.
Still, I found (+1) Insight nearby, so there was that.
A dead beast later, I looked down at my right, staring at the cave in which a shortcut can be found…
But not one I could make use of for now, unfortunately.
I needed to go unlock the elevator of the shortcut first.
In any case, I kept going, coming up and across a stone bridge of sorts… And the two hunters waiting behind it.
Considering the only way for them to be here is if they were connected to the people of Yahar'gul, I wasn't feeling very merciful, and neither did they if the fact that immediately tried to kill me was anything to go by.
I scowled, deflecting the axe of one before burying my sword in his throat, and then Quickening behind the second and cutting his head off.
I snorted. Level 100 with a sword was glorious bullshit, and so was Quickening at 100.
Or, for that matter, having (500) in most Stats.
With that done, I kept going, quickly finding the Fading Lake Rune.
Which granted Fire resistance bonuses.
To a guy who was immune to Fire.
… Well, my inner completionist was happy, at least?
I then found a madman knowledge (now at 97 Insights! Almost max!) before taking the small cave opening nearby…
And coming across a bunch of Yeti-look alikes who promptly started throwing literal boulders at me.
Quickly Quickening out of the way, the next few seconds consisted of a game of cat and mouse where both sides were doing their best to kill one another- they with thrown boulders, me with Lightning spells.
After winning that not-so-little death match, I swept the area for items and kept going, taking a moment to create a shortcut by way of putting a large tombstone over a hole between two cliffs.
And then I stared ahead.
More specifically, I stared at Patches the Spider, hanging from a cliff, having created a "trap" by putting a bunch of shining coins leading to an item… Right in front of a cliff.
And below? A poisonous swamp.
Which he pushes you into in the game.
I sighed, gripping my gun tightly… And then I took the other path.
For now.
I was going to let this bastard have just enough rope to hang himself with… And then? Well.
After he -does- try to kill me, I'll track him down eventually… And remove one more murderous asshole from this fucked up world.
For the time being, I took the other path, killing one more beast and finding one more Clockwise Metamorphosis Rune.
A bit later, I found one more Insight (now at 98!) and then the Stunning Deep Sea Rune!
Which granted resistance to poison!
Which I am immune to!
… Again, my inner completionist was happy, at least…
Then I went down, into a swamp full of poison- and monsters, including some of the "yeti" throwing more boulders at me.
And some… "Things" that I could only describe as "Eldritch Squids."
A whole lot of dodging and spells throwing later, I found yet another insight- now at 99!
Go me! I had maxed one of my Stats!
Hooray!
No new trait though- but then again, I was at 99, not 100, so I expected it.
I'll probably gain another trait once I become a Great One.
After that I found another Clear Deep Sea Rune, who gave more poison resistance, swept the area for more loot, and then went all the way back to the "trap" by Patches.
I went in, took the item (which can be used for the Chalice Dungeon ritual) and then…
Well. I got pushed in the poisonous swamp below.
"Don't dally, you lucky scamp! The gift of the godhead cometh!"
And then he scampered off, laughing madly all the way.
I looked up, noticing the various beasts, before looking upwards at the cliff.
"Next time, I'll kill you, Patches." I declared bluntly, rather unamused at the murder attempt.
Especially when the REAL murder attempt is to try and have me killed by Amygdala.
AGAIN.
In any case, I went ahead and killed the beasts, eventually making my way back on the proper path.
I did find the Messenger's Gift, which… Basically allowed me to create an illusion which would make it look like I could turn into a messenger.
That was… Something?
This whole thing was pretty useless… If not that, as planned, I found the true "face" of Patches- a murderous bastard throwing people to their death while laughing about it.
And the Messenger's Gift, too.
Either way, I came across one of those frenzy-inducing monsters who stared at me.
I stared back, thoroughly unimpressed behind the protection offered by (Gamer's Mind).
And then I killed it.
One thing I did take of note, however, was the clothes that monster lady wore.
They… Well they looked like the Doll's.
Which was creepy as fuck.
Shaking my head, I kept going.
Once again, Gerhman's old wisdom shone true: "Don't think too hard about all of this", indeed.
Then I came across another poisonous swamp which opened on a number of caves chockfull of those Eldritch Squids monsters.
I also found more Madman's knowledge, which…
Well.
Gave me human skulls now.
Ones that I can put into my Inventory.
Which, needless to say, I quickly DID.
Then I stopped, and considered that I had just put actual HUMANS SKULLS in my Inventory without so much as a blink.
I sighed, before grumbling. This place REALLY was getting to me…
In any case, I kept going, finding the Great Deep Sea Rune.
Which increased ALL resistances types, such as Frenzy, Fire, Lightnings…
Right.
I kept going, finding and activating the Shortcut elevator and returning to the Hunter's Dream.
I had the Amygdala Boss Fight coming up, after all…
The Doll, as happy as ever to see me, welcomed me with a smile and a bow.
"Welcome home, Good Hunter."
I smiled. "Happy to see you too, Doll. The Hunt is going well- but I fear a strong foe lies ahead of me, so I have need of your help, dear Doll."
"Of course, Good Hunter. Come closer and close your eyes. Let the Echoes of Blood give you strength…"
I did as requested. I had (80000) Blood Echoes after essentially clearing out the entire Nightmare Frontier, so I was going to level up quite a few things.
First, for (4900) Blood Echoes, I finished leveling up the (Augur of Ebrietas) Arcane spell to level (100/MAX).
Then, for (22000) Blood Echoes I did the same for (A Call Beyond), getting it to Level (100/MAX).
I hummed, and decided to use (45850) Blood Echoes to level up (Mage Sight) to level (100/MAX).
That left me with only (7250) Blood Echoes left…
I shrugged, and upgraded my level (50) (Empathy) to level (62).
Right. With that done, I thanked the Doll, went into the Workshop to upgrade my weapons to (+8) or (+9), and then returned to the tombstone.
Time to fight Amygdala.
Returning to the Nightmare Frontier, I took the newly opened shortcut, took the stone bridge which led to a vast area at the end of which stood a tower, and looked up.
And there she was.
I quickly did my little ritual with the Flower, before focusing back on the Great One which just jumped down the tower.
BOSS BATTLE
AMYGDALA
Well then, here we go…
Then I frowned. My (Empathy) skill was high level enough to pick up some of her emotions, and…
ANTICIPATION/HOPE/DETERMINATION.
… That wasn't what I expected. It almost felt like she was actually… Hoping for me to win?
She was determined to fight, yes, but I didn't feel any actual desire to truly WIN- just to fight against me until her defeat.
That was weird.
I shook my head. It didn't truly matter- I had a boss to kill, everything else could come after.
Thus, I started the fight by using my Black Hole spell on her.
As expected, that did a LOT of damage to her HP, and I used the time where she was stunned to bring out the Cannon- and then fired.
Yet another scream of agony rang out (which felt weird to hear, considering the lack of mouth on Amy's part) and I quickly recharged.
And shot again.
Except this time she was ready, as one of her hands came up and one of HER black holes formed before it, catching the cannon ball and making it disappear.
I pursed my lips, trying again- to the same result.
Right. Good news, she was heavily wounded.
Bad news, cannon balls were now officially useless against her.
I frowned, before my eyes widened and I quickly Quickened out of the way of a massive laser.
Laser which caused delayed explosions wherever it hits.
Right. Note to self: Avoid massive lasers of DOOM.
Frowning harder, I decided to use one of my new skill- A Call Beyond, which allowed me to create a rather impressive number of Arcane Novas which all targeted Amy's head.
Naturally, Amy proceeded to use her many arms to create several lasers directed at the incoming Novas, making them prematurally explode.
Still, one lucky nova did hit, so it hadn't been completely useless.
Then it was Amy's turn to bring out the glorious bullshit, as all those lasers suddenly turned against ME.
Eyes widening, I quickly Quickened out of the way of the dozen lasers suddenly hitting my previous position, massive explosions echoing behind me.
I grunted, readying myself to throw some Lava at her head, see what she makes of THAT-
When she brought out the crazy bullshit attack first.
As in, Black Holes. Black Holes EVERYWHERE!
… I might have given her ideas with my first spell.
Ooops.
Well, at least I could now add *Died by Black Holes* on my Personal List of Deaths.
I challenge any heroes in all of Human History to try and top THAT death!
I woke up.
Took a moment to properly appreciate the fact that I could now say with a straight face "I died by Black Holes".
Then I grunted, and got up.
And I went back.
Again, the massive combo of damage I could unleash at the start of the fight only made certain that she would take me seriously from the start.
Still, though…
I stared at where I tried to throw my lava spell at.
Amy -had- been right on its path.
And then Reality fucking GLITCHED and the next thing I know, she had dodged the spell with ease by…
Well, taking Physics in a dark alley and making it her bitch was a good description of what happened.
I looked at Amy in frustration.
"Glitching fucking Reality to dodge better? Fucking REALLY?!"
SMUG was the only answer I got from (Empathy).
I gave her my middle fingers in answer.
And then the hardcore goddess of Hardcore tore off her own arms and used them as clubs.
I died by literally getting smacked like a bitch.
Ow, my pride and dignity…
I woke up.
Grumbled about fucking hardcore goddesses being way to hardcore, plz nerf!
Then went back.
SMUG came as the only emotion I could catch from her.
I gave her a glare.
"Amy, I rather liked you before this, but I'm going to say this bluntly: REVENGE SHALL BE MINE!"
GREATER SMUGNESS was the reply.
My eyes narrowed.
"Did you really just did the Eldritch equivalent of *Come at me, bro?*"
GREATER SMUGNESS
"Oh, you're ON!"
And then I died by Black Holes.
Again.
… This was going to be a pain in the ass, wasn't it?
I woke up.
Grumbled about *Cheeky Eldritch Gods with way too much SMUG*.
Went back.
And then got crushed to death by her arms-clubs again.
I swear, I almost could FEEL the "concept" of an insect being crushed from her SMUGNESS...
I woke up.
Went back.
And died by lasers of DOOM.
Ow.
I woke up.
Went back.
Got crushed by a thrown Tombstone.
The sheer irony of being killed by a tombstone wasn't lost on me…
I woke up.
Went back.
Used the Void Black Hole spell.
Used the cannon.
Used a Call Beyond.
Exchanged spells fire for a while.
Managed to break one of her limbs- which was harder said than done considering how she could glitch Reality to turn guaranteed hits into complete misses.
Then, using the seconds where she was stunned, I quickened to her and unleashed the second new Arcane spell that I had gained recently- the Augur of Ebrietas- to pierce her chest with Ebrietas tentacles.
… That sounded like something straight out of Alien when put like that…
Then, when Amy collapsed, I Quickened to right in front of her head…
And smacked a bitch- through Visceral attack!
Aha! Take that, Amy! I TOLD YOU THAT REVENGE WOULD BE MINE!
PREY SLAUGHTERED
Amygdala, like all dead bosses before her, disappeared in an explosion of silver light/mist.
And I… I pursed my lips.
At the end, despite the pain she was in…
It wasn't fear, or anger that Amy felt- it was SATISFACTION. Maybe even APPROVAL.
In fact, the times where I came close to kill her, a feeling of… ANTICIPATION was always what I felt from her.
Okay, there definitely was something weird about this Boss fight.
Why did Amygdala try to kill me, when she was friendly in Yharnam?
Why did it feel like she was rooting for my victory in this fight, instead of wishing to win herself?
Why was she HAPPY to have me kill her?
Sure, Amygdala was an unique Great One, in that her mind was spread out over many bodies- so the death of one of her lesser bodies, like what happened here, was ultimately no great loss.
But even so…
I shook my head, deciding to heed Gerhman's advice once more, and to not think too hard about all of this.
For now, at least.
Instead, I wanted to look at my gains!
First, I was now Level 83!
Which meant I was now a Master Hunter!
I also gained (+75) and (+15) for Stats, since I did kill a god, which meant…
Dex (500): You have awe-inspiring grace, possessing spectacularly refined control and coordination, displaying supreme elegance in everything you do. 500% increase to movement speed. 100% increased to Attack Speed. 80% Increase to Evasion. 60% Increase learning speed to physical related skills.
Cha (500): Aura of Kings. You have the aura of a true King. No matter what you do, even in the midst of battle, you will always look perfectly refined to all around you. Any Noble will look at you with both immense respect and envy for your aristocratic features/Aura, and any non-noble will immediately recognize you as someone worthy of respect. Gain (+40) with Nobility, (+30) with any non-noble from a nation with Nobility, and (+20) with non-noble from a nation without Nobility. Furthermore, you now have an instinctual understanding of politics, letting you navigate even the most cutthroat of Noble/Royal Court with ease.
All (500): Fourth Step To Glory. You are the better of the vast majority of Yharnam's Hunters. 60% increased learning speed for All skills. 60% increase in all exp/Blood Echoes gain.
I smiled widely.
Between this and the fact that nowadays, I died less during boss battles- even against gods- I was actually starting to feel powerful.
Now, that didn't change that I was still almost twenty levels from the top, which meant I had a long way to go yet.
Indeed, in terms of Stats, (500) was what I was pretty sure was only the half-way point to godhood.
Still, progress was progress!
Speaking of, I looked at my skills.
First, my (Empathy) skill was now at level (80), my (Multi-strikes) was at level (83), my (Physical Damage Resistance) was now at (81)- and the same for my (Magic/Arcane Resistance) skill.
I also received (30000) Blood Echoes and the Ailing Loran Chalice.
Oh, and six human skulls with [Insights] within.
Yay.
I looked at my Stats, noticing that I had maxed the Arcane Stat- and was close to doing so with the Bloodtinge one.
Humming in thought, I put my Stat points into the latter- and now both Stats were maxed.
I smiled. No skills book, which was disappointing- I REALLY would have loved that skill which allowed Amy to "Glitch" Reality in order to avoid blows which should have hit- but oh well.
I was still pretty satisfied, needless to say.
Activating the Lantern at the center of the tower, I returned to the Hunter's Dream.
I was done with the Nightmare Frontier.
Once back at the Dream, I naturally first went to the Doll, smiling brightly at her.
"Your hunt was fruitful, I take it, Good Hunter?" she said, smiling at me.
"Indeed it was!" I cheerfully replied, before sitting by her side and telling her all about my latest adventures.
By the end, the Doll was smiling proudly at me, looking rather impressed.
"That is yet another Great One who fell to your might, Good Hunter. And by your own words, that fight was easier than those before?"
I hummed. "It certainly wasn't EASY, don't get me wrong, but I certainly died less, yes. I believe that my own growing skills and strength is to thank for that- I am fast enough, nowadays, to avoid most attacks that would have overwhelmed me before."
I shook my head. "I still have much left to learn, though. And much strength to gather before I can truly consider myself amongst the Greatest Hunters to ever live. Still, I am getting there- slowly but surely."
I smiled at the Doll. "And it is in no small part thanks to you, dear Doll, that I have become so strong so quickly." I bowed. "Thank you for always supporting me, my love."
She smiled, but shook her head. "I only did what I could to support you on your Hunts, dear Aeon. It is you who chose to stand up and fight for what was right- you who faced all the horrors that this Long Night of the Hunt has thrown at you without flinching, or losing sight of why you first started fighting in the first place. I am… truly impressed, Good Hunter, that neither men, beasts or Gods were able to crush your spirit. Only what happened with Gascoigne broke you, and you ended up turning a tragedy into a source of strength and determination to do better, which is something that I can only be proud of you for. So, with all that being said…"
She stood up, before kissing me lovingly.
I kissed back, and when we broke the kiss, panting slightly, she smiled brightly at me.
"Be proud, Aeon. You have done great things… And I know that you will do greater things yet in the future. I believe in you."
She hugged me. "I love you, Aeon." She whispered.
"I love you too." I whispered back, hugging her close.
We passed a good, peaceful moment together, just the two of us, though eventually the call of the Hunt made itself known again.
I had done much, but there was much still to be done before the Night could end.
Thus, I used (25500) Blood Echoes to level up my (Multi-strikes) skill to level (86), before putting the rest into my (Empathy) skill to level it up to (85).
Then, I went into the Workshop, upgrading all of my weapons to (+9).
After that, I (Meditated) up to level (70), before continuing to write my adventures into my journal/Notebook.
That done, I made my way back to the Tombstone.
The Doll bowed at my passage. "May you find your worth in the Waking World, Good Hunter."
I smiled. "Thank you. Though the first thing I will do is track down a certain backstabbing spider…"
The Doll pursed her lips, eyes narrowing.
"Ah yes, you told me of this… Patches, which sought to bring about your death…"
I tilted my head. Was the Doll… angry at Patches?
Now that I thought about it, the guy was the first… "Sane", for a certain definition of the word, person who actively tried to get me killed through manipulation and lies…
Huh. After everything, it took a literal manipulative, backstabbing human-spider to bring out the Doll's protective instincts towards me.
Though then again, he was also the first being who tried to kill me that I hadn't killed myself yet…
I smiled, a bit touched and amused both.
"Don't worry. He won't harm anyone ever again by the time I'm done with him."
She looked at me, before nodding.
"Good." She declared firmly, and I shook my head, smiling.
To be fair, if someone had tried to kill the Doll, I would be the first to hunt them down and kill them for it myself.
Slowly and painfully.
It said something that I considered an attempt on my life as completely normal and expected, and considered one on the Doll's as rage-inducing…
Ah well. For now, I had a spider to crush…
I went back to the Lecture Building.
Took the ladder down- silently.
And there he was. Patches the Spider.
I took my Axe, stealthily made my way behind him…
And then cut his head off.
I looked at his corpse for a moment, gaining (7000) Blood Echoes and (+2) Insights (or skulls containing them, at least) from his death.
Then I burned the body, and made my way to the doors out of the building, feeling rather satisfied.
It was a quick death, but then again it was hard to hate the guy for trying to kill me when pretty much EVERYTHING in Bloodborne wanted to kill me.
And sometimes SUCCEEDED.
… I was rather jaded about that kind of thing nowadays, wasn't I? Most people took murder attempts a lot more seriously and personally, I think.
Oh well. I opened the doors out of the building, finding myself in a new area- the Nightmare of Mensis.
Not to be confused with the Hunter's Nightmare- they were two different things entirely.
I took a deep breath, exhaled, and then stepped forward.
I had a certain madman with a cage on his head to kill.
Best get on with it.