Author's Note: Hiya, fellas. This is a new story from one of my favorite games. It is mostly adventure with horror but I'll be adding some romance down the line.I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1
To a Darker Place
With winter approaching it was no wonder that the streets of London started to get chilly during the night right after a downpour, the fog had risen from the water on the streets hiding the ugly parts of the city and painting the air thanks to the light of the light posts.
Although London was maybe the center of industrial and technology progress in the world, the light of knowledge did nothing to hide the dark corners, there were people starving, steeling, kids in the prostitution business and killing, there was a lot of that too.
Arthur Guillen was born in a little village in Spain but had lived most of his life in London so he knew the city like the palm of his hand.
Sitting next to a dumpster in an alleyway he was patiently waiting for his next target to show up, but of course he needed bait first.
And sure enough, a beautiful woman with a lot of makeup came walking through the alleyway, she was wearing a dark dress that, for a person unknown to fashion, might look elegant. But Arthur knew it was a cheap imitation to lure men, a common practice for the prostitutes.
The woman passed by him without even noticing him but she sure turned around once a shadow came to view on the side she came from.
A man with a dark coat and tall hat made the silhouette of a specter against the light. The woman gasped and started to run to the opposite direction, the man was faster and he sure had caught her if Arthur hadn't stood up between the man and the woman who finally managed to go out of the alley.
"Hello Jack" Arthur said smiling "I had been following your work closely, very sick stuff you have pulled off for the last month"
"Who the fuck are you?" Jack said angrily "You just made me lose a nice piece of-"
He didn't have time to finish when Arthur punched him square in the face, breaking his nose.
"I lost your track last time, Jack. But I was pretty sure I was following the right man, not a particularly smart one, but any serial killer would look like a genius if compared to the London Police Department."
"You son of a bitch!" Jack pulled out a long knife and tried to swing it towards Arthur's neck, but he was fast and he dodged it easily. Arthur dodged a second strike and then with a quick and precise strike with both hands he broke Jack's arm.
The man screamed in pain and terror.
"There is a nice reward for your head, Jack. But knowing the way the courtroom works, it will take a while for me to see a rope around your neck. So I'll skip the formalities just for my peace of mind."
Jack barely had time to make a terrified look just when Arthur plunged the knife on the man's knee, making him tumble to the ground.
Arthur then kicked Jack's head against the wall, then again, and again, and again, until the man's face was only a bulk of meat, blood and skull.
"What a shame" said Arthur "Another anonymous unfortunate victim of the evil Jack The Ripper."
He wetted his bloody boot in a puddle of water washing away the red off the leather.
Arthur walked away leaving the deformed body of Jack the Ripper in the alley.
-o-
The sweet smell of beer and ale was mixed with the hodor of the sweat of men spending their earnings on a Saturday right after work. A typical mix in The Silver Plate, a small bar near the docks and the only one where the smell of fish and smoke seemed to never penetrarte inside it's doors.
Arthur was making a few notes in his notebook, scratching Jack's name and seeing with a heavy heart that he was out of targets for now.
A big glass of beer slided on the counter towards him, he caught it right away. He looked up at the bartender, a young woman with scarlet red hair and green eyes, her humble dress at least had a good style and ran over her soft curves. Her name was Lydia Bellhouse.
"You know I don't have any money right now" Arthur said.
"The first one is on the house" she said not paying him much attention "Seems like you need it"
Arthur smiled and drank some beer, slowly so it could last a few hours.
"I guess the job didn't go well" she said while cleaning the counter, there were only two guys at the other side drinking with flushed faces.
"Al contrario, el trabajo fue como la seda" Arthur hurried to correct when he saw Lydia's confused face. Sometimes his native language slipped through his mouth "Sorry. The job went smoothly, although I won't be able to get paid since it would be impossible to identify the man."
"And why is that?"
"Well, I didn't want to see his ugly face in the papers making a big fuss about the killings, the man was already famous enough."
Lydia drank from his cup "You don't say. One of those girls was my friend, hell, if I was still in the business I might had been one of the victims"
The woman used to be a sexual worker when she was younger, in fact Arthur had lost his virginity with her back when both of them were sixteen. Their relationship was strictly platonic since then and the thought of Lydia mutilated beyond recognition like Jack's five victims made a cold run through his spine.
"Well I might not get pay, but at least the killings will stop"
"And just because I appreciate your work, you can come here for the three meals of the day, don't expect more than overcooked meat and boiled vegetables"
Arthur smiled "Better than molded bread, that's for sure"
Lydia refilled his cup and revived payment from another customer just before the door of the bar opened.
A man with a brown long coat arrived, he was a few years younger than Arthur, he had a barely visible beard and mushroom hat. His name was Reginald Deacon, or just Reggie for short. He was Arthur's partner and best friend.
"Hiya mate!" he said cheerfully tapping Arthur in the back and sitting next to him. "I assume little Jacky is as cold as a turkey right now"
"Not thanks to you, of course. I lost him yesterday because I needed extra help, he could have killed somebody during that time you know?"
"But he didn't, and he is dead now. Thank you love" He said when Lydia passed him a beer.
"You two don't work the same since Master Morris passed away"
"God rest his soul" said Reggie "He was the bone that kept us together. I strange guy came to the office with a letter from his wife"
Arthur raised an eyebrow "A strange guy?"
"Yeah, I couldn't catch his assent. Might be french or german and skin as white as a nun's ass. Anyway, he came from America and brought me the letter. Quincey's boy is already two years old and they are discussing bringing business here to Europe. They are talking with another family from Spain, you might know them Arthy. Their last name is Lecarde"
"Never heard of them. They are probably very distant relatives. Quincey had a very interesting lineage after all"
Reggie smiled raising his cup, Arthur did the same. "To Quincey Morris"
"And to hell with Dracula"
They drank in honor of their fallen comrade.
"Now to a much interesting topic" Reggie said "I received a interesting proposal from a man today"
"Reggie if you're going to prostitute yourself you can always try the high class ladies. I know we are tight with money but you don't have to put your butt in jeopardy because of it"
Lydia almost choked on her glass of beer before bursting into laughter.
"It's good to hear you still have a sense of humor, mate. But it's actually a contract to hunt some monsters that are infesting a city. It's an open contract so there's a lot of other hunters going there."
"Mmm, we haven't killed monsters in months. How reliable is this contract of yours?"
Reggie took out a small envelope from his coat, it had a black seal broken, the symbol looked like a strange claw upside down. The back said it was addressed directly to Arthur Guillen and Reginald Deacon. So they were truly asking specifically for the two of them.
Arthur took out the letter, it had the drawing of a map of Europe, the place marked in red was a small chunk of land to the north of Germany just to the south of the Denmark Islands.
"Yharnam?" Arthur said "Never heard of it"
"Me neither, apparently it's some kind of capital for pharmaceutical development."
Arthur read the letter.
Greetings to both Mr. Guillen and Mr. Deacon.We hope this letter finds you in good health, and we accompany you in your pain for losing your companion Quincy Morris, God rest his souls.Master Morris always spoke of you two in the highest regards. Taking notice of his recommendation, we had decided to invite you to participate in our annual hunt ritual.Yharnam is a land with a very peculiar wildlife, in some cases unruly and violent, sometimes they even make it into the city.In order to keep the wild population in check and care for the safety of our people, an annual hunt is organized where we invite strong beast hunters from all over the world.The payment would be the equivalent of seventy five thousand pounds for each of you.If you decide to accept the offer please go to the place marked on the map on the last day of November, there will be a boat on the dock to take you to the island. Present this letter along with the seal on the envelope to the captain.Sincerely,Gherman The First HunterHunter's Dream Workshop
"Seventy thousand?!" Lydia exclaimed "Those guys must be loaded if they can pay that amount to each hunter!"
"It seems that this Gherman fellow knew Quincey" said Arthur, still inspecting the paper.
"He traveled a lot, he had been to some weird places." Reggie intervened. "To be honest I think this Gherman was supposed to send for Quincey but now he has to settle with us"
It was a painful truth but the both of them weren't nearly as well known as their fallen friend. This might be the golden chance they had been waiting and it would not only save their business but maybe it would make it even bigger.
"It's a long trip," Said Arthur.
"Come on mate, we had been to China once, this is barely half the distance. We need the money and the advertisement, it's not like you have anything better to do"
Arthur let out a sight and took one last gulp of his beer "Well, we better take a boat to Germany and then rent a stagecoach there. We will need to transport all our weapons and ammunition. That will surely eat up the rest of our savings"
"Well, just like the Americans said. You gotta spend more to earn more"
"Go get the tickets then, right now"
"In the middle of the night?"
"I don't want to spend two hours on a ticket line tomorrow morning. You have the means to get them before sunrise. Now go get them"
Reggie drank the rest of his beer and stood up "Bloody hell" he said before leaving the pub. Arthur noticed that the clients had already left, the tip jar was halfway filled and the unpleasant smell of sweat was starting to fade.
Lydia started to put the clean glasses on the shelf "You don't look so thrilled about this whole adventure"
"You know how I am, always overthinking things. Maybe that's why our business hasn't really taken off yet."
"There's always risk in any business, but you two not only play with your money in your line of work, you also play with your lives, so it's completely fair for you to be a little more sceptical."
"I just hope we really get something good out of this"
"What would you do if the business goes under?"
"I would probably go to the mountains a hunt beavers"
Lydia turned to him with a smile "You know you can work here, right? It's not much but it would be enough while you find new footing. You can even stay with me."
"And risking falling for your amazingly built body again? No thank you. You might be a great friend but you and me, together would be like a ticking time bomb."
"Frankly the sex would be good enough, I'm not looking for a husband you know?"
"Tempting"
They both laughed and Arthur prepared to leave.
"Don't you want to have one more round for good times sake?"
Arthur bit his lip and let out a breath. He locked the door to the bar before following her to her bedroom upstairs.
He was indeed a weak man.
-O-
In the end they managed to pack everything in one big box and took a train as soon as the landed in Germany. They almost ran out of money to get a stagecoach to the town were the dock was, but Reggie managed to make a deal with the driver by selling some of their weapons.
The only thing that wasn't in the box was Reggie's pistol and the metal cane Arthur carried. It was the last gift Quincy Morris ever gave him. They were both wearing long black coats, everyone though they probably were businessmen going to every city they could advertising their new product.
The cold was setting in the north and Arthur could see his own breath while they were going through a forest, the moon illuminated the dead trees in a scene looking like an Edgar Allan Poe poem. That thought made Arthur pray that they didn't have such a sad ending as the author.
He decides to start some conversation.
"By the way, had you heard anything about your brothers?" He asked Reggie who was smoking a cigarette in the seat in front of him.
"Well little Joseph is probably graduating college next month and Maggie just got a marriage proposal, the wedding is in July."
"Did they invite you"
Reggie let out a sour laugh "Pops wouldn't want a bastard walking around the party, exposed to all his high class friends to see. No, I will send her a present."
"I'm sure she will appreciate it"
It was something both of them had in common, Reggie was the son of a maid then worked in the mansion of the owner of a metal factory, he was also his father. Problem was, the English lord was married.
Reggie was born and raised as the butler's apprentice, he learned to read, mathematics and two different languages. Of course it was only a matter of time until the lady of the house found out about her husband's little bastard and sooner than later, when he was twelve, he and his mother were thrown to the street.
But that didn't stop him from visiting his half brother's in secret who he loved very much even though he never admitted it in public.
Arthur, well his case was a little more complicated, still they were both outcast to their fathers and very smart, so they knew how to get by while watching each other's back.
That's why Arthur felt guilty for the situation they were in, their hunting business in ruins and penniless and their spirits always tapped with a dark atmosphere because of Quincey Morris' death, their mentor.
Arthur prayed that this could be a new beginning for both of them, as fellow hunters and friends.
It was already dark when the carriage stopped inside a small town with no more than thirty houses.
They unloaded the big box right on the dock, immediately they noticed something strange.
The whole dock was devoid of any life or boats for that matter. The place was shrouded in a thick fog that barely let the moonlight pass through.
The houses were made of black wood and just a few lights on the street could be seen through the fog, it was just six in the afternoon and there was nobody on the street.
Arthur paid the driver the other half of the payment and then the driver drove out of the place, Arthur noticed that he was going a little faster than when they came.
"I guess he prefers to drive during night, not the smartest idea in the woods" Reggie said, shrugging at the driver.
"Let's go"
They took a small dollie from the dock, there was nobody on the ticket counter but there was no close sign either. They loaded the box on the dolly and got near the small boat.
It was a steamboat with two tall chimneys, it didn't seem to have any sleeping quarters, just a lot of wooden benches and a little cabin where the steering wheel was.
Just when they finally reached the dock, the fog was thin enough to see a tall silhouette with a top hat. It was an old man with an old coat. The old man turned to them.
"You must be the two hunters, right?" his voice was deep and rough, like a sick person.
"That's right." said Arthur, giving him the letter. "Arthur Guillen and Reginald Deacon. We were invited by Gherman."
The man took it and boarded the boat. "I will suggest you two arm yourselves with at least one or two weapons, the beasts like to wander the outsides of the city."
"Will do, thank you. Are we waiting for somebody else?"
"Not that I know of. Come now lads, I don't have the whole night."
The finally board the ship with the box. The opened it and took out a few weapons while the boat started moving.
Reggie took two pistols, American Colt Single Action Army, he had spent two months of salary to buy two originals. He also got a Winchester rifle. Arthur always suggested he at least take a sharp weapon so he took two combat daggers.
Arthur was more traditional, he took his saber and a Smith and Wesson revolver and of course the cane from Morris, Arthur pressed a trigger on the handle and waved it.
The metal rod turned into a long razor sharp whip for a moment making the wing whisper, as soon as he let go of the trigger the whip straightened itself into the cane. Smart design.
Reggie smiled "Quincey loved those kind of weapon"
They closed the box and Arthur was about to sit in one of the benches when he saw Reggie make a weird expression.
"Hey mate, were we that close to the city?"
Arthur arched an eyebrow and turned towards the front of the ship.
Arthur felt his blood turn cold, it hasn't been even ten minutes since the boat started moving and they already have a colossal island in front of them.
A juggernaut of a city, with tall buildings and cathedrals put together, the sharp roofs and artistic facades were so compressed on top, between and next to each other that the whole city looked like a giant castle.
And then he noticed, the moon, the moon was bigger than before and illuminated the whole city along with the water.
Then Arthur something strange, as if a cold hand was squishing him hard, it was hard to breathe and he fell against the floor. Reggie also fell next to him.
"What the fuck!" Reggie said, his throat choked like a dying man.
"I-can't-move" Arthur struggled, he tried to raise his head towards the city, he saw thousands of eyes, yellow sick eyes all looking at him while the moon turned into a blood shape of red.
The last thing Arthur heard before passing out was the voice of the old boat man.
"Welcome to the dream...hunters"
-O-
Author's Note:Yes, you saw Castlevania references, it is still a work in progress but I'm planning to make a big crossover event between Bloodborne and Castlevania for a future fic, but that's a story for another time.For the history geeks like me, yes I'm aware that Quincey Morris died in 1897 in the Dracula novel and the Jack the ripper murders were almost a decade before. I'm just playing around with the dates on this chapter only, starting next one it will all be Bloodborne lore.If you like this chapter please do t forget to leave your review, I have another two stories, one complete story of Final Fantasy XV and one still in progress from Fire Emblem Three Houses.If you are one of my followers on the Fire Emblem fic, don't worry, the next chapter is coming soon and is going to be awesome. I hope this chapter serves as an appetizer and if you haven't played Bloodborne, please stop whatever you are doing and go play that game. It's a Masterpiece.Okay, enough with the overly long Author's note. Thank you for reading.