The sun was on the horizon in Old Yharnam, as Gaile laid back under one of the many trees planted in the square, the shade it provided a blessing on the blistering hot summer day.

Gaile peeked open an songle golden amber eye as rapid footsteps approached him, "Gaile! Come on lazy bones, Granddad and Gascoigne are waiting for you!" The seventeen year old girl said firmly as she glared at him her face set in a pout.

Gaile groaned aloud much to the girl's annoyance, "Five more minutes Fey, its hot and the shade is cool... Plus I really dont feel like getting my ass handed to me by Gascoigne today." Gaile said as the image before him cracked like a pane of glass and shattered leaving him in a pitch black void as a hellish visage stalked toward him.

It was someone he knew all to well, "Fey..." Gaile muttered as the battered thing that used to be his sister walked toward him on shaky legs fetid seed of a beast dribbling down her inner thighs, her bloodied yellow sundress torn open exposing her generous bust, and finally, her throat torn out, still gushing blood as if her body was producing an unending supply of the ruby red liquid, she was just as he had left her that night during the blood moon, her lips didnt move but her voice invaded his mind, "Why... Big Brother why?" She asked, "Why did you... MURDER ME!" She asked as she rushed at him with inhuman speed, her lifeless, broken, gold amber eyes locked onto his own as he let out a cry mixed with terror and anguish.

Nerco awoke with a start as she felt Gaile's thrashing form bump into her, "Mmmmmn... Gaile?" She said as she blinked slowly but quickly woke the rest of the way as she could see he was sweating profusely, "Fey... I'm sorry..." He mumbled in his sleep, "Forgive me... Please... I-" Gaile's eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright with a feral yell that mixed with a roar from his inner beast as he firmly grabbed Nerco by the neck and pinned her down on the bed roll as gold amber met cool violet though one of his eyes had the split pupil of a beast.

Nerco held his gaze but soon relaxed in his grip, whatever happened in this moment, she wasnt going to fight him, nor would she hold his actions against him, "Its okay Gaile..." She cooed softly, "It was only a dream, you're safe now, whoever she is, Fey cant get to you now." She said as he calmed down and released his hold on her, a faint trickle of blood seeped from her neck where his claws had nicked her.

Gaile looked down at the ground when he saw the cuts on her neck and reached into his coat for a blood vial, "Nerco, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you." He said as the needle of the blood vial slid into her thigh, with a nod from her, he depressed a button on top of the injector and the contents of the syringe drained with a sickening hiss.

Nerco winced at the feeling, but once the blood entered her system, the cuts on her neck glowed with otherworldly light and started to close up, Nerco felt the stinging of the cuts fade away as if they had never even been there, "T-Thank you Gaile, but you didn't have to do that for me... I mean, I still have your vials from ten years ago after all." She said with a light blush as she laid back down, looking up to see Gaile wasnt settling down, "Gaile? Are you-" she started to ask but he spoke up, cutting her off, "I'm not going to be able to get back to sleep Nerco." He said as he stood up and pulled on his undershirt and waistcoat before pulling on his three tailed duster coat.

Gaile started to walk away, but not before he made sure Nerco was comfortable as he pulled his blanket over her and gave her his pillow, "Always looking out for me, aren't you Gaile?" She said with a small smile as she laid her head down and drifted off to sleep.

Nerco awoke several hours later as dawns early light shown on her sleeping form, as Gaile returned to their campsite, she leaned up and stretched before greeting Gaile with a warm smile that he returned with a nod as he sat down next to her she laid her head down on his shoulder as she had done the night previous, "Gaile, can I ask you a question?" She said as Gaile looked down at her, "Ask away." He said quickly as she thought about what to ask him, "Last night while you were dreaming you said a name even aplogized to that person begged them to forgive you even..." She paused as she locked eyes with Gaile, "Who is Fey, Gaile?" She asked but he did not answer, not immediately anyway.

Gaile looked at her, "My younger sister." He replied quickly and Nerco's eyes widened as she remembered what he had said the night before, "...I killed my sister with my own two hands because I lost myself to my beasthood..." And as she came back to the present Nerco interlocked her hand with Gaile's own, "You must despise me now... I know I would in your position." Gaile said bitterly, to which Nerco shook her head, "Would I be holding your hand if I despised you Gaile?" She asked as he looked at her while she rest against him again, listening to the calm beating of his heart.

Baalthazar approached their campsite with his beta, and wedded wife before they were taken by the Scourge and even now their bond has stood strong, Gaile looked up and spoke, "We know, we'll be gone by nightfall." Gaile said swiftly to which Baalthazar waved him off, "Gaile... I came to apologize, my previous statement was one made in the heat of the moment, you and Nerco both, can stay as long as you wish." The old beast said as he left with his mate following behind she stopped for a moment and offered a respectful bow to the two before turning to continue following her husband and mate.

Gaile smiled at their retreating forms and stood up, offering Nerco his hand, she took it and was helped to her feet, "Seeing as Baalthazar changed his mind, would you like to see where I grew up, Nerco?" Gaile asked as she thought for a moment, "If it is of no bother to you, considering your past. Wouldn't that just open old wounds?" She asked, and in response, Gaile shook his head, "I go there from time to time to pay respects to my family, Fey included." With a nod, she started to follow him as he walked, "Very well then, lead the way" she said as the two went on but not before stashing his pack among a pile of rubble.

The two walked for roughly fifteen minutes before Gaile broke the silence, "You might have guessed already, but I grew up here in Old Yharnam though I wasnt the healthiest of children growing up." Gaile said as she nodded, "You started out as a commoner, fate has a strange way of choosing how one will start." She said with a brief pause, "I am...was of noble birth. This brand, it is the only thing prior to my ascension as Keeper. The symbol is an ancient dialect, it means, exile, the scorpion tail, a taint, a poison if you will." She said as she explained the meaning of the angry red marking that plagued the right side of her face.

Gaile stopped to look at her, "You were Nobility?" Gaile asked as she nodded, "Key word being, were." She said, "Imagine that, I had several theories on what you started out as before you chose this life... Turns out I hit the nail on the head." Gaile said with a smile that she returned a light blush tinging her cheeks.

The two walked a bit more before Nerco spoke up catching Gaile's attention, "You said that didn't have the greatest health as a child, what did you mean?" She asked, and with a sigh Gaile answered, "I had always been sickly as a boy, at age seven, my condition had been diagnosed as consumption, the doctors told my parents that if I stayed in Yharnam, I might live another five years." Gaile said as the two came upon a house made of old cobblestone, "This was Ms. Arilla's house, she was a sweet elderly woman that used to grow some of the loveliest roses in the city, she died a few years before the Scourge hit." Gaile said as he picked a few of them and slid them inside his coat lining as the two walked on.

Nerco sped up her pace to walk next to Gaile rather than follow behind him, "I'm sure she lived a long and fulfilling life Gaile, though I'd like to know more about you." She said as he looked over at her, "I spent every year after I was diagnosed thinking I would die at age twelve, maybe sooner, but I ended up fighting the disease for ten long years until I was seventeen... The doctors gave up on me... My parents gave up on me, the only one who never stopped believing in me was Fey." Gaile said as the two reached a set of stairs. That rest on the opposite side of an iron gate, "We're here." Gaile said as he pushed open the gate that gave an audible metallic groan from many years left sitting in place without use.

Inside the gate was a stairway that lead to a raised stone plateau, and next to the stairs embedded into the smoothed out walls of the cliff face the stairs had been carved into was a brass plaque that read Gaile's family name, Arkenmire.

The two reached the Manor proper at the top of the stairs down a short walkway, and started towards the front doors to find one splintered apart and ripped from its hinge, "That doesn't bode well, Nerco, keep your guard up, whoever did this may still be here." Gaile said knowingly as the two silently walked inside.

The once pristine hardwood floors and mahogany furnishings were absolutely ruined, scored deeply by the claws of beasts looking to make a den for themselves, "Prepare yourself Nerco, we have vermin to kill." Gaile said angrily as he extended his Beast Cutter into a whip and Nerco drew her Rakuyo from its scabbard when a mass of black matted fur with glowing blue eyes rushed them from the shadows, Gaile disappeared in a tuft of yellow smoke and dust as the creature pounced on Nerco who tried to get it off by kicking her legs against its chest and stomach.

Only for Gaile to behead the monster with an underhanded swing from his weapon spraying blood in all directions as he reappeared to Nerco's right and quickly helped her to her feet and into a protective embrace, "You alright?" Gaile asked her and she nodded with a blush as she rest her head against his chest as another beast charged at him, only to be met with a quicksilver bullet to face that blasted the black furred beasts had apart as its lifeless body slumped under its own dead weight and skidded to a halt, stopping at Gaile's feet as he calmly walked past it as the third beast of the night pounced on top of Gaile, its jagged claws digging into his shoulders as the beast bit into and ripped his throat out with a spray of blood, only to be enveloped in a firestorm of arcane heat that burned the massive werewolf to ashes and bone.

Hearing a chorus of growls behind her, she turned around to find seven more were gathered behind her, "A Keeper's work is never done." She said as her eyes began to glow ember orange as her blade came to life with arcane fire.

The first of the seven beasts lunged at her with a roar and was instantly cut down as her blade met it's shoulder in a spray of blood and viscera that spilled onto the floor, and as its bisected form split apart, she staked her blade into the head of the beast for good measure.

Two more took the place of the first, as a comet of fire struck the one to her left blasting away a large chunk of its body in a blast of flame, embers and gore that painted the hall with blood and viscera, "Come on then! Is this the best you animals can do!?" Nerco shouted as she broke apart her Rakuyo into a dagger and saber and went on the offensive.

After killing the last of the beasts, Nerco wasted no time in attempting to aid Gaile as she crouched next to him injecting a blood vial into his thigh, to no effect as Gaile's life slowly pooled out on the floor around him, "Its okay Gaile... Close your eyes, its just another dream, you'll see..." She said sadly as Gaile fell still and rapidly deteriorated into ashes and dust, and so it was that the heartache Nerco had experienced before returned, even though she knew Gaile would return to her it still hurt her to watch him suffer the way he was, "Have patience Nerco, He'll be back before you know it." She said as she found a chair and made herself comfortable.

Gaile awoke in the Hunter's Dream with a gasp as his hand shot to his neck, "What am I doing here?" He wondered idly, "We need to talk." A female voice spoke much to Gaile's annoyance, she usually left him to his own devices what did she want now? "Go on." Gaile replied, "Are you aware of that Woman's significance?" The voice asked him, "In the event that you are not I will educate you, she is the Maiden of Prophecy, and the one who partakes of her blood will know strength like no other." The voice paused, "Furthermore is has been said that the one who beds her and has his seed take root within her shall be blessed with a child that the Great Ones, my Brothers and Sisters will covet above all else." The voice paused, "So do exercise caution if the two of you decide to have intimacy, I can offer sanctuary but only for so long, Gaile." The voice finished as his vision was lost in a haze of light.

Gaile awoke next to a newly formed lantern that appeared at the foot of the steps leading up to the manor, "Damned mutts, I'll have to be more careful, that was my most painful death to date." Gaile said as he walked into the foyer to see Nerco's handiwork on the pack of beasts, "Well... Seems like she had a grand old time in here." Gaile said as he walked into the manor, "Now where would I go if i had nothing but time on my hands?" Gaile wondered as he walked the halls only to smile as he noticed the library door slightly ajar, walking in quietly, thankful for the carpet masking his footsteps he spotted Nerco seated at a table reading, Gaile looked just a bit disheartened as he walked forward as the soles of hit boots on the uncovered floor near the table served to break Nerco from her reading, she looked up at Gaile and slowly stood up, Gaile half expected her to slap him again but was pleasantly surprised when she hugged him tightly, "Be more careful please, I know you cant die but ...watching you choke on your own blood was heartwrenching." Nerco said as she tightened her hold on him and in response, Gaile closed his arms around her returning the hug.

Their moment was cut short when Gaile heard a crash coming from the third floor, "That came from upstairs" Gaile said as he took off dead sprint to the second floor, Beast Cutter in hand as he went with Nerco keeping pace behind him with her Rakuyo drawn from its scabbard as the two moved through the abandoned manor.

The two arrived into the loft that branched off into the house's absolutely massive attic space, "Stay back until I know its safe, I cant die. You can, and I don't want to lose you." Gaile said as he pressed his lips to her forehead making her blush as she nodded, "Right, at least let me provide support from a distance if things go south." She said as Gaile nodded and walked forward.

As Gaile passed the third set of support rafters a massive figure dropped down in front of Gaile in an attempt to scare him, though Gaile had no reaction he did tip his hat in greeting to the intruder, "You're a big one... You'll be hard to digest." The gigantic ape-like beast of a man said as he sized Gaile up, "I'd hate to be such a nuisance." Gaile said making the giant let out a bellow of laughter, "I missed you in Hemwick." Gaile said as the giant of a man laughed again, "No you bloody did not!" He said pausing to flex his arm showing where Gaile had blown a large hole through it, "You got me good." He said a Gaile huffed in mild annoyance.

Lord Jakob Irons, you are wanted by the Association for the murders of twelve men, six women, four c-" he started to say but Irons beat him to the punch, "Four children, three goats, and a rather nasty massacre of poultry." He said as he walked towards Gaile, "So... You're John's little boy aren't you?" He said as Gaile looked up into Irons' coal black eyes, "And you're a deranged psychopath." Gaile said as Irons took a long drag of a cigar, one of his Father's vintage 1850 specials and blew a smoke ring into Gaile's face, "We've all got our little problems." He said before putting the cigar out on his tongue and eating it much to Nerco's disgust.

Nerco's eyes began to glow as Irons listed off his atrocities to Gaile, who had also grit his teeth in anger beneath his mask as the two continued to speak, she was furious yes, but she would wait for Gaile to make his move so as to retain the element of surprise, "Lord Irons, The Association would like for me to bring you in alive so that they may extracate your better half..." Gaile started to say as he dashed past Gaile standing behind him as he statched up hos weathered wide brimmed hat, "I bet they bloody would." Irons said as Gaile was at his absolute limit, "Personally I'd rather just kill you and call it a night, but let's make that your decision shall we?" Gaile asked as he turned to face Irons wh had his hand on his chin in thought, "Hmmmn... Do let's..." He said as if in thought then backhanded Gaile into the far wall where Nerco was standing, "Okay. Plan B." Gaile said as he rest on one knee letting outca wince as he feels a few of his ribs are broken from the brutal hit Irons had just delivered.

Nerco stopped Gaile standing with a firm hand on his shoulder, "Allow me, Gaile, This bastard deserves to experience the fires of hell for his crimes." Nerco said as she walked forward.

She dashed forward ducking under Irons' massive fist and delivering a deep fire imbued slash to his back making him spin on a heel to try and crush Nerco only for a bullet empowered with black ash to strike Irons in the back staggering him, and as Nerco rose to her feet and turned to face Irons who spit on the floor in front of her feet, in response she snapped her fingers and he burst into searing flames that had his skin melting off of him like molten slag as he burned in the short lived flames that had died away as quickly as they had appeared, Nerco followed slowly behind the burned giant that was attempting to crawl away as she willed arcame heat into the blade of her Rakuyo making it glow white hot as she staked the blade into his chest and twisted, Irons screamed in agony and soon fell limp as the pain proved to be too much for him to handle.

Nerco was shaking with emotion as she looked with satisfaction over Irons' corpse, "To hell with you, goddamn monster." Nerco said as she turned to walk away as Gaile stood with a groan of pain as he held a hand over his three broken ribs, "Hold still, Gaile, let me help you." Nerco said as she rest her palms on his side and willed gentle heat into her palms easing his pain, letting out a sigh of relief, Gaile pressed his forehead to her own, "Thank you Nerco, you really are too kind sometimes." Gaile said and in response, Nerco shook her head, "Only to those I hold dear." She said as the two left the attic and walked into the back lot of the manor where two of an original three memorials stood, the first one erected for his father had been smashed to bits, "Likely Irons' doing." Gaile thought to himself as he placed a rose in front of the destroyed marker, and one for his mother, Iris, who perished from Ashen Blood Sickness when Gaile was eighteen and lastly he stopped at the most extravagant of the three markers, the brass plaque on its surface, read the name, Fey Arkenmire, Born 1873, Died 1900, and with a heavy sigh, Gaile knelt at the grave and placed the last rose rose he had taken from Ms. Arilla's garden, and folded his hands in prayer for his younger sister's departed soul Gaile soon stood up after, and walked away from the graves.

Nerco wordlessly followed Gaile up to the second floor residential wing as he turned a doorknob and walked into the room leaving the door ajar slightly, "Are you coming Nerco?" Gaile asked as she nodded and walked into what she discovered was a bedroom with a large bed that could fit him and her plus two others, "This was my old room, and to my surprise its exactly as I left it..." He said as she shut the door behind her and turned the lock for good measure, she had made up her mind about Gaile, she could deny the feeling in her chest no longer as she walked up to Gaile and captured him in a tight hug and buried her head in his chest.

Gaile was surprised but still enclosed his arms around her, "Whats going on why is she...?" He thought to himself before the deeper pitch of his darker half spoke up, "Did you forget Gaile? She said it once already... She has feelings for you she just wasn't sure what they amounted to... But now, I think she's made up her mind." His inner beast spoke out, and for all his malice he was not without his occasional wisdom as Gaile lifted one arm away and tendrly stroked Nerco's head in a loving gesture.

Gaile let out a long yawn and let Nerco out of the embrace as she started to work on the clasps of her armor as she pulled away the form fitting Bone Ash Cuirass that became a featurless chest plate when she pulled it from her form. She set it aside to reveal she wore a black skin tight tunic underneath the armor as she undid the clasps that held her gauntlets tightly to her forearms and set them to the side with her armor.

Gaile soon learned that what resembled billowing coat tails was just an apparel accessory thats worn around the waist and is covered partially by the Cuirass, next she worked on the armored leggings she wore revealing that underneath she wore black mid thigh high stockings and a pair of simple, black under wear to cover her maidenhood.

She laid down next to Gaile once again curling up into his frame as the two drifted off to sleep, Gaile once again found himself in another memory of his past before he killed Fey, he knew what was coming but he could not deny his terror at seeing her but then he felt a firm hand rest upon his shoulder, he turned expecting to see Fey, and there she was but she was not the nightmarish walking corpse that always tormented him, here was his twenty-five year old sister as he remembered her, "Fey..." Gaile said as she walked toward him, "Its alright Gaile... I'm here." She cooed softly, which made Gaile's heart ache, "No, you're not, I killed you and these nightmares are the cross I have to bear for my sins." Gaile said as Fey frowned at him, "You cant change what happened, Big Brother, but you can still move forward." She said as she waved her hand, and the black void parted to reveal the waking world, "Look at her Gaile, see how she sleeps so soundly next to you?" Fey paused, "She loves you Gaile, she truly does." She said as Gaile looked for a moment longer before the view was sealed off by the void once more.

Fey was roughly five feet away from him now as she seemed to fade away, "I have forgiven you Brother, now you must forgive yourself." She said as her form disappeared completely, "Wake up." Feys boice faded and was replaced by Nerco's, "Gaile wake up, please wake up!" She said as she rest over him with tears welling in her eyes, she had woken up from a quite strange dream to notice Gaile was warm as though still living but he was not breathing nor did he have a heartbeat, "Gaile... Please..." She said as a tear fell and hit his cheek, he began to stir and cracked open a single eye, "Please don't cry Nerco, I promise you here and now, I'm not going anywhere unless you send me away yourself." Gaile said as Nerco's lips crashed into his in a fiery kiss that neither wanted to come to an end.

Breaking from the kiss, Nerco stared into his eyes, "For so long now... I've kept my emotions bottled up and stopped allowing myself to feel, simply knowing that I would outlive anyone i might have fallen in love with was torture and I couldn't stand it." Nerco said as she looked into Gaile's golden amber eyes, "But I can't deny the feelings on my heart any longer... Gaile, I told you last night that I felt something for you but i was unsure of what it was." She said with a pause, "Gaile, I know my own heart better than anyone... And I... I love you, Gaile." She said with a deep crimson blush burning on her cheeks as she leaned in to kiss Gaile again.

Breaking from the kiss, Gaile held her gaze, "I love you too Nerco." He said as the two shared another kiss that could could set the room ablaze with passion.