I decided to write this after playing Bloodborne again. Enjoy.

...

-Kos, or some say Kosm. Do you hear our prayers?-

...

It was the ringing of bells that awoke me. From my slumped position against something hard, I raised my head from its hanging position and let it rest against my support. Opening my eyes, I immediately closed them as burning rays from the sun batter my eyesight. As the invisible spots passed along the insides my eyelids, I took a much more cautious approach, slowly opening my eyes to adjust for such brightness.

It was at this moment that I beheld the sunrise. Like a slowly forgotten memory that was suddenly brought forth of thought, I basked in the glow of the sun like it was a long lost friend. I could not contain myself as my body sagged with relief, an invisible tension released into the air.

This… this was my journey at an end. For all that I had gone through, slaying beasts and madmen alike, I had finally made it through to the end and like a whisper on the wind… I thought of the Doll.

"Farewell Good Hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world."

Ah, if only you could see me now. Better yet, if only you were here with me, I could show you the world. Yet, I know it is not to be. Made in the likeness of Maria, Gehrman's once and true love, you were brought to life by his mania and immense sadness. There is simply no place in the waking world for you, as sad as it may seem.

And Gehrman… ah Gehrman. I know... I know what happened that night, in the fishing hamlet. Oh how greed could turn men into savages and savages into beasts. That night, when the old hunters were yet to be, terrible and despicable things happened, and a curse was laid upon us all. I wish I could save you Gehrman from such a horrible nightmare, but if I could not save myself, then however could I hope to save you? I let my own weakness hinder me...

I'm sorry Gehrman, the First of all Hunters, my mentor.

Lost in my own thoughts as I was, I could not tell you how long I had sat there bathing in the warmth of the sun and forgotten in melancholy, but the low murmur of voices and a cacophony of sounds alerted me to the waking world. I glanced about the area, trying discern any point of interest.

I was rested up against a wall of an apparent building. There were other buildings all around, creating a scenery much similar to Yharnam, but the style of building was quite contrast. Instead of gothic arches and statues about, buildings were void of decoration and lacking in faith of the Healing Church, the central power of Yharnam. A trickle of doubt wormed its way inside my mind. Was I really in the waking world? Was this really Yharnam, and if not, where am I?

The area in which I had awoken was small and barren of people, but if I could trust my eyesight, in between two of the buildings that had encircled me, I spotted movement. Focusing my eyesight, from the gap between the buildings, I watched as people passed by. Figures obscured by cloaks, those in armor and carrying weapons, and the seemly plain townsfolk. Yet…

Bracing myself, I gathered my feet beneath and stood up, legs wobbly and feeling weak. With a hand on the wall nearby to help balance my steps, I made my way forward to confirm what my eyes had beholden.

One step with my right foot, another step with the left. With each movement, my strength and stamina seemed to recover, bit by bit. Within moments, I was hidden in the shade of the buildings, my hunters outfit effectively hiding me in the shadows.

From this distance, my worst fears were confirmed and yet, I couldn't help but think of it as a blessing in disguise. The truth of the matter was simple. There were humans walking the street, seemingly in good health and not a hint of madness and insanity among them, though it was hard to tell with how big the crowd was. And mingling amongst the humans were beings I could not tell you the name of. Women and men with exceptionally long pointed ears walked about, often making a point to not touch any other but another of the same race. Children ran about, some with cat and wolf ears, others with boars and rabbits. Short men and women, boasting impressive facial hair, walked with heavy armor that did nothing to slow them down.

Too much. It was simply too much. I turned away, back towards my tiny and secluded area, and stopped dead in my tracks. There, in the center of the clearing, was a spot of bubbling blood. It seeped through the cracks of the cobblestone at a fast rate, creating a small puddle within under a minute. And from that puddle, a small grey and withered hand arose, grasping at the edge of the puddle as if it were a ledge, and pulled itself up.

Before my very own eyes, as if I had never left the dream, a messenger appeared before me. His misshapen head sported a top hat, and upon his left and slightly larger eye, a monocle. He was a hideous sight to behold, as all messengers were, but they were oh so very friendly. I knew I had nothing to fear from the being in front of me. Moving until I was in front of him, I took a knee and held out my palm, and asked "What do you have for me, little one?"

He tilted his head upwards, looking at me as he revealed a smile, showing off rotten teeth and bleeding gums. With a raise of his hands, a handle broke the surface of blood, and I recognized it. With one hand I grasped the pommel of my preferred weapon and pulled it free as I stood. It was a silver and steel Greatsword, about the size of a fully grown man, decorated with effigy and likeness in the style of the Healing Church. It was completely pristine, as if the blood had never touched it at all.

With a twist of my wrist, I pulled out a much slimmer but just as sleek sword, revealing the greatsword to be a trick weapon. With just a glance, I admired the engravings and effigy of the church's style, and then slid it back into the sheath, locking it into place with another twist of my wrist. Swinging it around so I could place it unto my back, I adjusted for the additional weight, but was happy to have some form of protection.

Feeling a tug on my pant leg, I glanced back at the messenger, surprised to see him still here. With another raise of his hands, another weapon arose, much smaller in nature. Taking the elegant and seemingly pristine pistol in my hands, I ran my fingers over the decorative art of Evelyn, my favorite side arm that I had retrieved from Castle Cainhurst.

It too was stored at my side, set to hang off my left waist. Remembering the messenger this time before he felt the need to touch me, I turned my attention back to him, but he was gone. In his place of bubbly blood, was a small satchel with a note pinned to it. I hesitantly picked this one up, fearing at worst another hunt had begun and I was to seek out paleblood. Instead, it read as…

"A Hunter should never be without their tools of the trade."

No name had been signed and I was left wondering who. All I knew for certain was that it had to be somebody with a connection to the dream… that is if I had actually left it. Glancing up at the sky, I tracked the movement of the sun from when it had first arisen. Once more taking a moment to bask in the warmth of the sun, I felt slightly reassured that I was actually in the waking world and not in the dream, but I remained wary.

Stuffing the satchel inside of my jacket, I pondered what to do. What exactly was a hunter of beasts supposed to do in the waking world? I had nothing to ply by trade except the slaughter and killing of beasts and monsters. If this had been Yharnam, I might have sought out the Healing Church, but with the evidence of this not being Yharnam… I simply just did not know.

Glancing back at the still bustling street, I gathered my wit and courage. I had fought monsters of immense strength. Beasts of fright and madness. Horrors that should have never been seen nor thought of. I, Roman the Good Hunter, had made it to the end of the Dream. With that last thought, I moved to step into the crowd, finally moving out from the darkness and into the light.

...

...

I had almost lost control as soon as I entered into the crowd of ever changing people. Being surrounded by so many people had the unintended consequence of making me very anxious, so I kept one hand on Evelyn at all times. These crowded streets reminded me of the roaming packs of plague infected townsfolk in Yharnam. How many of them had I cut down? I couldn't remember, nor did I ever care to count. Just these striking similarities kept me on edge.

Despite the amount of people around me, no one was out for my blood. No sudden melee attacks and no firearms discharging in the distance. It was actually quite… peaceful. The tension in my shoulders lessened, but I would be ready. After all, a hunter doesn't get to live long if he's careless. Old Henryk could attest to that with his terribly long lived life, in which I helped cut short.

Eyes roaming, I glanced at everything I could. Stalls and shops alongside the road, peddlers yelling out for attention, and people in groups making conversation. In fact… my eyes landed on a trio walking right in front of me, two of them wearing some form of armor and the third in robes, holding a staff of some sort. Speeding up just a bit so I would be close enough to eavesdrop, I strained to pick up any sort of knowledge they might drop.

One of the armored ones sighed, rolling out his shoulder, as if to work out an knot in his muscles. "Another day in the dungeon, another day collecting whatever meager Valis we can. Will it ever change?"

The other one, a woman of fair hair with light leather armor, clicked her tongue. "Not like we can do anything to change that, afterall, we're only level 1's."

The armored man, wearing light plate and chainmail though it missed quite a few of his vitals, waved her off with another sigh. "You don't need to tell me what I already know. Hopefully we'll be level 2 within the year."

Finally, the third member of the group spoke up, his swishing robes, pointy hat, and wooden staff reminding me of a Byrgenwerth scholar. "Both of you should focus. The dungeon has a nasty habit of getting the better of distracted adventurers. Wouldn't do for some random monster to rip out our throats, now would it?"

The other two grimaced and apologized, but my thoughts had moved past these three, as if they had already been forgotten. Instead I picked apart their words. A dungeon? Was it much like the tomb of the Old Gods, with horrors unknown inside, and these adventurers were traversing them? For what reason? Treasure? Glory? Perhaps for more personal reasons like revenge? I could only speculate.

If nothing else, I now had direction. A purpose for being here, something that I could do with no problem. If there are beasts here that are in need of slaying… Well, a hunter must hunt.

With a newfound resolve, I trailed after the trio, this time making a point to examine all sorts of passersby. What kind of armor did they wear? What sort of weapons did they carry? How did they walk, with confidence or meekness, with a slouch or straight shoulders? These types of observations would reveal little facts to me, but all things had to be considered.

Eventually, the trio lead me into a large clearing, and I stopped to look up… and up… and up… until I had lost it amongst the clouds. There, in the center of the clearing, stood a massive tower unlike any I had ever seen before. The walls were smooth, lacking the distinct pattern of cobblestone or brick, as if it were made out of one continuous stone. Unfamiliar markings dotted these walls, some creating effigy and decoration, others no doubt telling a story of some kind. Every once in a while, the smooth stone would taper off, and there would be a pane of glass, or more simply a window. What a marvel of engineering...

I had forgot to breathe for a moment and sucked in a breath full of air. Such was the magnificence of the tower before me, a sight unlike any other. It seemingly glowed with saturated power, a promise of safety and strength, as if the gods themselves had made the tower in their likeness. With the sheer height of this tower, I wonder how I never once spotted it as it must of towered over perhaps the entire city, though I knew not how big this city actually was.

In my amazement of the sight before me, I had lost the group I was trailing after, but it seemed to be of no consequence. In this open area, it seemed many other adventurers, those armored or not, gathered for one specific reason. They all approached the base of the tower, entering through a wide set of doors, those most similar to the doors of the Grand Cathedral in Yharnam, and disappeared from my sight.

I approached those wide and towering doors, inspecting the carvings set into them. I could make out some shapes, those of beings descending from a seemingly vast heaven, or perhaps the cosmos itself. Disregarding that for the moment, I passed through those doors, and beheld the inside of the tower. Many of the adventurers were descending a giant spiraling staircase, perhaps into the dungeon I believed lied below. A few outliers, those going up rather than down, gathered into a rather lavish lift, gilded in gold and silver. A few moments later, a door closed and the lift ascended, taking all those people up.

I eyed the lift with curiosity, but it was not what I came here for. Instead, I descended the giant spiraling staircase alongside many of the other adventurers. I received a few curious looks as eyes roamed over my attire. Some of those nearby whispered to their companions, taking note of my dark clothing, the feathered tricorn hat that covered the top of my head, or even the cloth mask that I wore, revealing only my eyes and nothing else about myself. I wondered how strange of a place this really was, if they found my attire to be more interesting than the weapons that I carried.

As I descended, the natural light of the sun disappeared and was replaced by lights on the nearby walls, casting a slight shadow across all the adventurers moving downwards. Glancing at a light as I passed by, I took note of how it wasn't powered by gas, but a single crystal that sat in the center of the chamber. Once again, something familiar but completely unknown to me. A faint feeling of excitement bubbled within me, and I was even more eager to descend into the dungeon.

Finally, after the long journey downwards, I had arrived. The staircase ended at a wide cavern, the rocky stone walls a faint blue color with little lights scattered about, reminiscent of starry night. From this central area, I observed no less than 13 different paths, some wide enough that a column of 10 men could march down it with no difficulty, others so narrow that it was only safe enough for people to walk single file.

With no real reason, I picked a random path and walked down it. It was barren of people as they had moved in the direction of the largest path, perhaps heading for a lower floor. I would descend for deeper floors later, but for now I wanted to explore this first floor, as it represented a new and unknown factor.

It took awhile for something to happen, but when it finally did, I got my first look at these monsters and beasts. Stone shifted and bulged on the walls, cracking as the pressure grew, and with a burst of shrapnel dropped three monsters in front of me. I inspected them critically, looking for weak points of defense, and for sharp claws and teeth.

Truthfully, they weren't much to look at. Two of the monsters were small green humanoids, perhaps 2-3 ft in height, and had no obvious defense besides sharpened canines and claws. The last was much more interesting, but only by a little. It stood at 4 ft in height, another humanoid, and was covered in fur with a wolf's head. Its teeth were sharp looking and his claws even fiercer, but failed in comparison to some of beasts I had already seen and slain.

With my right hand, I grabbed the handle of my sword and with a twist, pulled free the sleek base blade. Spreading my legs just a bit, I settled into a stance, blade forward and left arm brought back. Better to see how vicious and ferocious these things were now rather than later.

The larger beast, the one with the wolf's head, let out a growl and took the lead. It briefly descended to all fours to gather speed, and within a moment had crossed the clearing between us. It rose from its crouched position in a flash, it's clawed hand rising up from underneath to swipe at me. I leaped back quickly to dodge and before the beast could recover, took a quick step forward, sword gleaming as I went for a overhead swing, hoping to dig my weapon into his neck and collar bone.

I had hoped the beast would dodge, to prolong our fight, but was sorely disappointed. My speed must have far outstripped its because in a blink of eye, I have cleaved it from neck to groin in an instant, my blade meeting no resistance whatsoever. Blood splattered the ground, some even spraying onto me, but that was nothing new. Slaying monsters and beasts is a bloody job after all. The monster, now in two parts, died without a peep of sound from him. In a surprising move, right as its corpse hit the ground, it burst into a could of black smoke with hints of red intertwined. All that it had left behind was single crystal, about the half size of my index finger.

Glancing at the crystal laying the floor, I moved back to fight the other two monsters. They were much slower than the first one, and moved with even less grace, taking uneven steps and tumbling over one another. I sighed, sensing that these might be the weakest of all monsters. With a swipe of my blade, I cleaved both of their heads from their necks in a single moment. They also disappeared in a burst of black and red smoke, leaving behind even smaller crystals than the first one had.

With the threat gone, not that it had been much of a threat at all, I scooped up the three crystals. Pinching the biggest one between my thumb and index finger, I eyed it in the light of the dungeon. It was a dark blue, almost black, and in the center was a small mote of light, creating a faint glowing color. Thinking back onto the lights he had seen in the stairway, those powered by such similar crystals, these might of had some sort of use, so I pocketed them for later. Maybe the lower floors would yield stronger beasts?

Blade still in hand, I backtracked towards the central cavern and then took the larger path that still had people traversing it, heading for the lower floors. And so, I descended deeper and deeper into the dungeon, all in search for stronger beasts to slay. I had purpose here.

...

...

Along my journey downwards, I discovered numerous more beasts and monsters, all of them slayed by my own hand. Strange lizard creatures that had a stinging bite. Bloated amphibians with a single large eye that attacked with a rather long tongue. Ethereal humanoid shadows that moved with elegant grace and razor sharp claws. Ants the size of dogs that swarmed the unwary in hordes. Purple insects that spread poison wherever they flew. These are just a few of what I had seen so far.

I had probably gone 6 or 7 floors down from when I had first started and I was growing wary. I had not physically tired in any sense, but I had only come down to the dungeon out of curiosity with the eagerness of slaying monsters. I've had my fill for today, having slayed countless monsters, groups of them counting 10 and up. My pockets were weighing heavily with all these crystals, the biggest one being the same size as my palm, a rare sight I am led to believe on these floors. And it wasn't just these strange crystals, but bits of these monsters such as claws and teeth stayed behind. I gathered those as well, but still had no idea what to do with them.

Adjusting the brim of my hat, I set forth for the surface. I had descended in the early morning, alongside countless others, but I had seen many already break for the surface, and I wonder if my sense of time was wrong. I suppose being stuck in a never ending dream, one where death results in only a reset, would do that to you. Only two floors up and a commotion had caught my interest. A deep roar echoed throughout the nearest tunnel to me, closely followed by a high pitch scream. So someone was in trouble huh?

There wasn't much to think about, so I moved to help. I had to follow the sounds of screams, roars, and navigate several twisting paths, but I ended in the right place just in time to witness the beast slam a fist into a wall, the adventurer cowering in a fetal position below it. Inspecting it carefully, like all other beasts, I noted its peculiarities. For one, it was much larger than anything else I had seen so far today. Standing at roughly 6 to 7 ft in height, it towered over the much smaller adventurer, who looked to be only a child. It stood on two legs, having hooves like a farm animal instead of feet. A light brown fur covered its body, where patches of condensed muscle bulged out in an intimidating fashion. Its body was humanoid, a trait plenty of other monsters and beasts share with it, and its head was that of a bulls with two horns jutting up and outwards.

Seeing this beast, no doubt the strongest I have seen all day, brought forth a chuckle from my lip. My laughter got the beast and the poor adventurer it was trying to kill attentions. The beast turned to face me while the child peeked his eyes through the gaps in his fetal position. With a flick of my sword, I prepared for battle, a grin spread underneath my mask.

For a hesitant moment, the beast and I locked eyes, and then it charged with a roar. It was fast for its size, but I had fought faster, and while it tried to smash me into the ground with an overhand fist, I dashed to the side and swung my blade into its flank. It sliced into the beast easily, but unlike all the other monsters, I could not cleave it into two. The beast roared as blood sprayed from its wound, coating more than half my body with it. My overcoat was surely a nice deep red now.

Pulling my sword free, I rolled under its frantic swings, and now completely behind it I swung for its vulnerable legs. Striking true and easily, I cut its hamstrings, and it fell to its knees. In just a few moments, less than a total of two minutes, I had cut the most fearsome beast I had seen all day down to size. With a shake of my head, I stabbed forth, the tip of my blade easily piercing the back of its head. It died with a pitiful noise in its throat. Upon hitting the ground, it burst into the now familiar smoke, leaving behind quite the sizeable crystal. Picking it up, I rolled it around in my left hand, feeling its heft and weight.

"T-Thank You! F-For saving my life."

Caught off guard as I was, I turned to face the child whom I had just saved. Of course, in the heat of battle with the strongest beast I had faced today, I had forgotten about him. Taking a moment to inspect him, I had to wonder if he really was an adventurer, or if he fully knew of the danger that he had been in. White hair, as pure as snow, with red eyes like rubies, he looked to be a child of maybe 15 years. Despite being covered in some blood, a lot less than me, he was wearing a pair of boots, brown pants, and a patched brown jacket. He lacked any major defense in armor with only a chestplate to defend his vital organs, and only a single dagger for attacking. Once again, I had to wonder what made him delve into such a dangerous tomb full of monsters. Still, I had better reply as I didn't want to make the boy any more uncomfortable than I had already.

Crystal still in my left hand, I slid the sleek base form of my trick weapon into its sheath, letting it rest there for now. With my right hand now free, I walked up to the boy, and let it rest on his shoulder, startling him from his low bow. "Are you alright?" I asked, taking a knee so I could better level with him, letting my gaze search for obvious wounds. Hmm, a few cuts and scrapes but nothing vital. Would have to look into getting the cuts looked at though. Having monster blood seep into wounds could have all kinds of nasty side effects.

"I-I'm fine!" squeaked the boy, squirming in place from my inspection. I glanced up, right into his eyes, trying to discern the truth behind his words. Spotting no lie, I nodded and stood, withdrawing my hand from his shoulder. Immediately, the boys eyes shifted to the ground, as if he were against viewing me. I tilted my head in confusion, had I scared him to a point where doesn't want to look at me?

I cleared my head of these pointless thoughts. All that mattered was that I had saved the boy from an early grave. Still… "What's your name, child?" I asked, my gaze still concentrated on him.

"B-Bell Cranel, Sir!" He replied, once more taking a low bow. Definitely of the meek type.

I nodded, committing the name to memory. "Well, Bell Cranel, today is your lucky day. It seems that you've just avoided an early death. Why don't we vacate the premise and head for the surface."

The boy hesitantly nodded, and together, we aimed for the surface. I let Bell take point, trailing just a bit behind him, and as we rounded the corner, I glanced back at the blood splattered area. A fearsome fight had just occurred there and none would be the wiser.

Still, feeling the distant gaze of someone upon me, I locked eyes with a pair of molten gold hidden within the shadows of another passageway, the faint sparking of interest shown deep within them. For the split second we had locked eyes together, I committed them to memory, and then I was gone, once more trailing behind the boy I had saved, Bell Cranel.

Covered in blood as I was, ladened with crystals and bits of beasts, I couldn't help but grin beneath my mask.

...

-The Sky and the Cosmos are one. The Choir-

...

I haven't written in a long while and you can probably tell, but I was aiming for a first person perspective sort of story. The Good Hunter you see in the story is actually my most current character in Bloodborne. Down to the weapons he fights with and what he wears, this is my character that I play as.

Hope you enjoy'd it. Not really sure if there will be more, but I desperately wanted to write something Bloodborne related.