Chapter 1: Blood Reign
Astral Clocktower
Needless to say, she was exhausted. The female hunter had recently made another visit to the Plain Doll, and planned on getting some rest after offering the Plain Doll 90,000 blood echoes from her veins.
She was now stronger, faster, and one step closer to completing Simon the Harrowed's quest. He had briefly informed her that she needed to rid herself of Lady Maria of the Astral clocktower in order to uncover the rest of the dirty little secrets the Hunter's Nightmare still caged in from others.
It had been a brutal, bloody, yet prideful battle when the huntress had finally unlocked the Astral Clocktower with the key.
Every creak and groan the heavy brass doors gave out sounded much like a death knell to her ears, yet she courageously pressed onward with reverent pride in her heart raised high like a flag of triumph that was yet to come.
She had every bit of confidence that she would beat Lady Maria, and she wouldn't back down without a good fight.
She walked mellowly inside the Astral Clocktower, gazing up at the dark, magnificently large bells that hung from the rafters above. Her neck hurt and she had to eventually crane back downwards as she walked towards the front of the room.
Strange.
The huntress had expected blades and gunshots to already have befallen her, yet the Clocktower remained silent.
Before her sat a wondrous set of gears and mechanisms that were partially dusty and rusted due to their age. The huntress spied some rays of light from the beyond ahead of her, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy; nothing ever was in this realm.
She braced herself as she advanced cautiously towards a chair and a small table at the front of the room just before a small staircase littered with lumenflower petals scattered evenly about.
As empty as the Clocktower was, there was something "homey" and stilling about it, yet the huntress couldn't put her finger on the specific origin of the feeling.
She put it aside and instead donned her deadly chikage by her side, raising it slightly and pointing it at a seemingly lifeless corpse seated at the chair before her.
The floorboards of the Clocktower creaked as if whispering their bets as to what was to transpire next, and the huntress gazed plainly down at Lady Maria's corpse.
This had to be a trap to lull her into a sense of serene calm; she wasn't naïve to it.
She carefully reached back and her long, wavy platinum blonde hair that was tied up into a ponytail danced backwards with the movement of her shoulders and swayed in the wind seeping in through the open door and gaps within the floorboards below.
The huntress carefully raised a gloved hand towards Maria's corpse. There were no visible signs of her breathing or moving, but she had to be certain.
She inched closer and closer, and paused briefly when she heard a faint 'tap' 'tap', 'drip' 'drip' below.
She peered over at Lady Maria's left hand, which hung loosely over the arm rest of the chair, fingers pointed almost accusingly downward, as a steady, slow stream of blood dripped onto the floorboards.
So she was deceased indeed.
The huntress scoffed, wondering what the other hunters and what Simon in particular had been madly raving about. Lady Maria was dead. The secrets would soon be uncovered, and all hell would break loose about the experiments on the patients in the research hall, and the curse of the blood-drunk hunters eternally condemned to the nightmare would reach the ears of all of Yharnam. She had won! She would soon reap the rewards, and the rewards would be freedom, and knowledge.
She praised herself internally as she reached for Maria's right gloved hand which rested on her lap.
That was when the corpse sprung to life; the left hand reaching up and digging into the forearm of the huntress, Maria sitting up, and yanking the huntress down to her level so they were face-to-face directly.
The huntress froze, her pale blue eyes going wide, her red-lipped mouth forming the shocked shape of an "O".
"A corpse should be left well alone."
If there was one thing the huntress hadn't been expecting, it was how gentle and soothing Lady Maria's voice was. It was as if she had been reading poetry instead of dishing out a warning.
The huntress froze, feeling her hand going cold in Lady Maria's, despite the fact that she now felt warm and very much the opposite of how a corpse's hand should feel.
Feeling uncomfortable and wishing she could retreat, the huntress gently and very carefully eased her hand out of Lady Maria's, eyes never leaving the pale woman's as she carefully straightened her posture, and took a few steps backwards, chikage tapping against her thigh like the beat of a steady drum.
Lady Maria also stood, standing at least a head taller than the huntress.
"Oh I know very well, how the secrets beckon so sweetly." She explained as if she were merely discussing a topic of familiarity with a companion.
"I'm sorry…" The huntress whispered in her youthful voice, holding up her hands in fear and backing away a few more steps.
Lady Maria had made her mind up. She grabbed the long, deadly Rakuyo from the side of the chair and raised it slowly before herself.
"Only an honest death will cure you now," She raised the weapon up higher, her cap slowly sliding down her face and partially covering her enchantingly haunting eyes which held more than fire within them.
She separated the weapon in the middle right then, a loud "CLANG!" billowing between the two women and bouncing off the high walls of the Clocktower.
"…Liberate you from your wild curiosity."
She held the two bits of the Rakuyo firmly in each hand, standing tall and open to the dance of war that was to begin.
The huntress swallowed thickly, and reached for her chikage, unsheathing it.
Before she knew what had happened, Lady Maria raised her right hand strongly to the side in a horizontal position, and with a good, clever use of the old hunter bone, she dashed forward and rammed the blade against the huntress's chest.
The huntress screamed and fell back, feeling the pain burning along her chest.
She stood quickly, looking up to find Lady Maria already preparing for the next attack.
The huntress rolled to the side and quickly injected a blood vial. It was a bit late, and unfortunately in bad waste, for Lady Maria raised her dark brown Evelyn, crest and symbols shining in the evening light mixed with the dimly lit candles in the Clocktower, and she fired once at the huntress.
The bullet pierced through the abdomen of the huntress, knocking her back a few feet.
This was no ordinary foe, the huntress thought. She internally cursed her youthful arrogance and lust for power, knowing it had caused her to charge forth with nothing but foolishness and inquisitiveness in her mind, and she wouldn't last if she fought on with her pride bearing forth.
The huntress knew that the only way she would be able to finish Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower off, was to fight her like an equal.
The huntress knew she wasn't as skilled as Lady Maria, but she still held a few tricks up her sleeve.
She reached into her Old Hunter's garb, gingerly stroking the Augur of Ebrietas hidden within. All she had to do was time this appropriately.
The huntress dug a pin into her left leg, obtaining 5 extra blood bullets for extra strength and good measure. Though she did indeed have plenty of faith in her capabilities, she preferred teetering on the edge of the 'safe' as opposed to dead and sorry.
Lady Maria swiped at the huntress with both sharp blades, scratching the Old Hunter's cloth that was already torn up for decorative and aesthetic purposes, leaving longer tear marks.
The huntress hissed in pain, feeling the bite of the Rakuyo slide along her skin and scratching the surface open.
Before Lady Maria could take another swipe, the huntress grabbed the old hunter bone, and flew backwards in a flurried cloud.
Lady Maria followed suite, but the huntress was able to keep a track of her. They dashed about evenly until Lady Maria broke out of her cloud and put the Rakuyo back together and slammed it down with all her might and fury on the floorboards of the Clocktower.
It had just barely missed the huntress.
She ran forward and the cold blade of the chikage sliced away at Lady Maria's back.
The huntress was more so amused to note that Lady Maria grunted once, but otherwise didn't let out a cry. That would soon have to change.
The thrill of the hunt coursed through her veins now, and the huntress boldly rolled and ducked forward, then when she was close to Lady Maria, she swiped upwards with the chikage and then gathered it together while she still had enough stamina to dig it deeply in Lady Maria's thigh.
The cry Lady Maria emitted was a bit louder this time, blood flying everywhere and covering the huntress's pale, moonlit face.
That was more like it.
Lady Maria backed up, the force of her movements breaking the table and the chair she had been resting on.
What was the meaning of this? Why back down now? Hit me!
The huntress ran forward, anger flying in her heart as she raised the chikage and began stabbing Lady Maria with it repeatedly.
Lady Maria broke the Rakuyo in two once more, but rather than attack the huntress, she held the blades up, and…
She stabbed herself?
What was the meaning of this?!
The huntress stopped attacking for a moment, gazing curiously at Lady Maria.
Lady Maria hunched over, wheezing out in pain, blood kissing the blades of the Rakuyo and bathing the blades in the crimson flow.
Finish her off, NOW!
The huntress normally didn't attack an opponent who wasn't prepared, but she was willing to make an exception for Lady Maria.
She dove ahead, slicing as quickly as she could, eating away at Lady Maria's arms and shoulders, but Lady Maria suddenly reared up, and the blades of the Rakuyo were pulled forth from her body.
The force of the blood hit the huntress like a cart and horse all at once.
She flew backwards and slammed her head onto the rough wood of the Clocktower, blood coating her entire body.
She barely had time to catch her breath when she heard Lady Maria's footsteps closing in on her.
She got up quickly, her lungs about to explode from exertion of taking breath in and out. She put the pain at bay and trained her eyes on Lady Maria.
Lady Maria suddenly twirled upwards, and she was airborne. She flew up towards the ceiling like a twister, and she swooped down with the Rakuyo bearing down hard on the huntress.
The huntress leapt to the right just in time, but bits of Lady Maria's powerful blood smacked the back of the huntress's legs, and she fell forward on her hands and knees.
This wouldn't do. Lady Maria would finish her off within minutes, and she was almost out of blood vials!
She ran ahead towards the front door which she had entered, pausing at the nightmare fog for a brief second, healing up twice rapidly.
Lady Maria held the Rakuyo at her side and with a war-cry, she slashed forward, the blood acting on her behalf and slicing at the huntress.
The huntress was thrown back down onto the floor and she held back the tears that threatened to spill forth.
Equals. Fight her like an equal!
She flipped up on her legs and dashed away before Lady Maria closed in on her at the door.
Lady Maria's blades with the flow of blood which accompanied them slammed against the spot where the huntress once had been.
The huntress stood facing lady Maria's back, shaking slightly on her legs.
Lady Maria turned, with grace and a deadly promise of death. She looked ahead at the huntress, walking calmly with the blood-soaked Rakuyo held together in her right hand.
Before Lady Maria could bestow another deadly blow, the huntress dug the chikage in her own flesh.
She grimaced in pain, but her weapon began soaking up her blood rapidly.
Lady Maria didn't seem phased by this. She brought the Rakuyo down and crouched on the balls of her feet, raising the Rakuyo forward slightly, and then with a loud scream, a long, thick stream of blood jutted forth from the tip of the miraculous weapon.
The huntress dashed closer towards Maria but kept to the right. The stream of blood missing, splattering against a candle-lit shelf, breaking it down into pieces.
That could have been me, indeed!
The huntress felt the chikage draining her life away as she flung her own bloodied blade at Maria, not backing down from the streams of blood that still showered her over as Maria fought back.
Blood met blood as the vicious women dueled.
Each huntress landed an equal number of blows on the other, and the huntress felt that victory was within sight, when Lady Maria suddenly ceased attacking.
She stood rigidly still, like a marble statue, and all over the Clocktower, her splattered blood began rising like a spell and they flew towards Lady Maria as she levitated herself high above the floor. She appeared almost god-like; her arms raised high on either side of her, her eyes coldly looking up at the walls behind the huntress, and her boots dangling with blood droplets dripping down to the floor.
The huntress knew from their last encounter not to approach. She waited patiently at the far end of the Clocktower until Lady Maria grunted again, and the blood that had gathered and circled her suddenly exploded like a wildfire being fed with fresh wood and fuel.
Lady Maria carefully and slowly lowered herself back onto the floor of the Clocktower.
The huntress approached carefully, when Lady Maria took a strong swipe, and both blood and fire suddenly burst forth at the huntress, singeing the shoulder of her garb.
She screamed from the intensity of the heat, and held steadfastly onto a blood vial, then injected it.
Now she had fire and blood attacks to watch out for?
What other tricks did Lady Maria hold?!
The huntress quickly moved away as Lady Maria dove forward madly and slashed both her arms to the right then once right ahead in front of the huntress, the red-caked flames flying and missing the top of the huntress's cap as she ducked down and dug her chikage into Lady Maria's legs.
Lady Maria didn't back down, but she turned a half circle in front of the huntress with her weapon held high, and she turned a deadly slash at the sides of the huntress as she panicked and tried moving out of the way.
More flames followed, marring the huntress's soft, pale skin.
She screamed in agony and anger, which fed her chikage with more power than she could ever wield without her blood attacks.
She brandished the weapon high and the blade kissed Lady Maria's cheek, and cut deeply, nearly hitting the bone.
Lady Maria cried in shock, and she leapt back, then swung forward again.
The huntress ducked to the right again, missing the flames and blood that threatened to engulf her and snuff out her life.
Once she had her back turned to her, the huntress raised the chikage high and prepared for a charged attack.
Lady Maria however was also charging an attack. She pounced forward on one foot, and a stream of blood met with the huntress's arms and chest, and she almost obediently feel down on her right kneecap.
Damn her.
The huntress froze in her parry, eyes wide as she knelt down before Lady Maria, stunned and open for a visceral attack.
Lady Maria didn't need the invitation; she lunged forward and with her right hand, she broke through the huntress's ribcage and clutched her heart.
Lady Maria's left hand came to wrap around the huntress's back and waist, and before she could realize what had happened, the huntress was met face-to-face with Lady Maria in a gentle embrace.
Lady Maria looked dully down at the huntress; her eyes betraying no feeling or emotion.
She gathered the huntress close to her chest, and then she removed her right hand from the huntress's chest, calmly and softly lowering her back onto the hard floor of the Clocktower.
The huntress felt she had turned to a pile of goop, as she fell down, trying to catch her breath.
The attack had left her with a sliver of health left. She had to act quickly.
She stood up quickly, and moved as far away as she could from Lady Maria, her breath entirely gone.
As Lady Maria rounded on her with double speed, the huntress injected the last blood vial she had left.
She turned away from Lady Maria just in time before a nest of flames descended upon her.
Running as quickly as she could with her rejuvenated strength, she headed up to the little staircase at the front of the room where she had intended to go all along.
Lady Maria followed swiftly with the old hunter bone at her aid.
All the huntress could do was watch as the little cloud that was Lady Maria flew up towards the steps, then Maria's form solidified out of the cloud, Rakuyo held before her in an attacking position; the left blade at Maria's cheek with the right was held up by her ear on the right side of her head.
The huntress closed her eyes, and she raised her right hand.
The tentacles of the Augur of Ebrietas shot forth from her clenched fist, and pierced through Lady Maria's chest.
The loud and suddenly welcome chime of the parry hit the huntress's ears.
She opened her eyes to find Lady Maria knelt down on one knee, fire and blood ceased.
Lady Maria gasped, looking up at the huntress with a shocked expression, then one which followed resembling a fearful look that pleaded for mercy.
The huntress took the last bits of energy the blood vial had provided her with, and she raised her right hand and took the visceral.
Her hand was brought back to life as the warmth of Lady Maria's chest and blood wrapped themselves around her fist that she buried in Lady Maria's body.
Lady Maria groaned in pain, and the huntress pulled her close until they were inches apart from one another.
The huntress's eyes met Lady Maria's, and the huntress smiled a deadly, pearly white smile, teeth pointed and bare at Maria.
"May the good blood guide your way, Lady Maria." She spoke softly, her breath hitching on the last word, before she depleted Lady Maria's last bit of energy and life.
She flung her backwards and in complete opposition to how gently Lady Maria had lowered her onto the floor after she delivered her visceral attack, but the huntress found she couldn't care about airs and graces or an honorable duel anymore.
Lady Maria was tossed backwards down the little steps and she fell onto the her back, reaching up to cry out to the skies one final time before she turned to a clear dust and melded away into the wood of the Clocktower.
The huntress panted, never taking her eyes off where Lady Maria had perished. She wanted to immortalize the thought and the memory forever.
She had beaten Lady Maria, student of Gehrman, descendant of Queen Annalise of the Vilebloods.
"You're free, Maria."
The huntress limped over to the common refuge of the little blue-purple lamp that had emerged up from the floorboards of the Clocktower. She trailed her eyes along the empty Clocktower, feeling her life depleting with every step she took. It didn't matter; she had won and she would soon obtain every last secret the hunter's nightmare withheld from her.
She knelt down with a shaking hand raised at the lamp, heading over to the hunter's dream before darkness and madness could consume her.