Disclaimer: Bloodborne is the property of Fromsoftware
Note: This is a story of what happens after the game if the Hunter does not complete the DLC. I've also attached several rules, like, for example, you can never die permanently in the Hunter's Nightmare, at least so long as you are already dead.
Chapter 1
If there had ever been any consequence to being a hunter who saw the church for what it was, Oliver Grey didn't know it. At least, until he and his brother were locked in the Hunter's Nightmare for 30 years.
The Hunter's Nightmare shone brightly. It was never nighttime in this dream reality, and there were many hunters trapped in its hold. Many had simply succumbed to the inevitable Blood-drunkenness that was the inevitable fate of all Hunters. Others, however, like the Harrowed, had managed to keep their sanity. They instead hunted the Blood-drunk and investigated the nightmare. However, in an open plaza, Hunters, sane and blood-drunk alike, were coming to blows. Oliver, clothed in a scorched version of the hunter attire, wearing a top hat (a hunter must keep all sense of fashion, even in a nightmare), crashed with a White Church Hunter he knew from days long past. The Church hunter wielded a threaded cane to demonstrate that the bloodlust would never reach their soul in their past life. An irony, Oliver reflected, considering what they had become of them. The White Hunter flicked his wrist, transforming his weapon into a bladed whip. He swung it at Oliver, who instantly dropped to the ground and rolled through the attack, finishing the roll with a blast from his piercing rifle. The White Hunter's protective garb was punctured and its wearer was momentarily stunned. Oliver dashed forwards and, without hesitation, thrust his hand into the heart of his adversary and tore it out. He readied his chikage once more, and the White Hunter fell weakly to the ground, where he dissolved into the essence of dream all those in the nightmare were familiar with. Oliver, sweating but euphoric with the smell of Blood, switched to his church pick, and turned to his next adversary, a hunter with a boom hammer.
Another hunter clothed in the attire of the Old Hunters, his brother Arthur, battled a Yahar'gul hunter wielding a tonitrus. He side-stepped a heavy swing from the electrified mace, responding with a quick and merciful swing to the neck with his Hunter Axe. As his adversary's headless body dropped to the ground and dissolved into dream essence, Arthur weaved his way dodging, hacking and slashing through the fray until he reached his brother. Oliver had just dispatched two Old Hunters, and as the Blood-drunk lunatics dissolved at their feet, he turned to Arthur.
"Well, that finishes these hunters. Let's move on." Oliver observed.
"Agreed", Arthur stated bluntly. "The stairs are next." As the two brothers began to kill again, they reflected on what catapulted them into this nightmare realm.
Greetings esteemed students,
We are impressed with the work you have done at prestigious Byrgenwerth,no matter your earlier wrongdoings. We would like to hold a meeting with you in regards to becoming hunters in combating this beastly scourge. Meet us at Olivia's Diner in Central Yharnam,6:00 PM.
Sincerely,
Vicar Laurence & Hunter Ludwig
Oliver looked up from the letter, he noted the look on his brother's face. It was clear that he was excited about this chance, and why shouldn't he? Ludwig and Laurence were two of the best to come out of Byrgenwerth College. Many had followed their lead in leaving the college, though for different reasons. However, the brothers had been expelled before Laurence came to Yharnam with his discovery of had been hired to take forbidden blood to Cainhurst when they had worked up quite a reputation. In fact, Laurence had encouraged them to take the job, excited to test what the blood could do from his research, without Master Willem learning. Of course, he had learned about it anyway. "Evolution without courage would be the ruin of our race" Master Willem had oft-repeated,and said to them one final time. While some students turned their backs in disgust, others appeared thoughtful or sympathetic. Oliver was fairly sure that the master meant that the scholars should study insight instead of blood, but it didn't matter anymore. They were no longer students of Byrgenwerth, and blood could now cure all ailments.
That was not to say, of course, to say that the brothers weren't impressed with Laurence and Ludwig for their discovery of the use of blood. "Well, what do you think?" Oliver asked, though he well knew the answer.
"We should go, and help our fellows of the college." Arthur proclaimed. Oliver wasn't surprised. Arthur had always found himself loyal to his compatriots. He was a brown-haired, burly man, who took pride in the whiskers that he had, sporting a beard and mustache. He was a good ally to have, so Oliver could see why Laurence would send for him.
But why Oliver? He was different. He was a darker-haired, more cynical man than his brother, and always preferred guile, manipulation, and style over brute force. He didn't have the physical strength nor the patience for hunting. Laurence would have no need to send for him.
Still, it had taken Oliver little time to agree,in spite of his reservations. Ludwig was an old friend, and the leaders of the Healing Church were good men, and the two brothers decided to meet with their fellow scholars, leaving their small house in Old Yharnam at 5:30 PM.
"What is our place in the church hunters?" Oliver asked later,at the diner. He needed the answer to this. It gnawed at him.
"What would we be equipped with?" Arthur added. He seemed to be quite interested in the arsenal a hunter gained.
"Your role as hunters,aside from hunting beasts,will be surveying the dungeons below Yharnam," Ludwig replied. "As for you, Arthur,you will choose from one of the three mass-produced workshop weapons,as well as a firearm, but you can either forge or earn weapons if you distinguish yourselves as hunters. However, you must meet us in the Cathedral Ward,for one last necessity in your role as Church Hunters,should you prove your worth. Meet us in a few weeks,and we'll see if you live up to that reputation of yours."
They had accompanied the leaders of the church afterward to the workshops,to gain their weapons. Oliver had chosen the Threaded Cane, a gentleman's weapon,but Arthur, preferring a stronger weapon,chose the Hunter Axe,playing the part of the beasts' executioner. Both took the attire of the Tomb Prospectors.
How foolish we were then. Arthur contemplated as he slashed clean through a hunter's beast cutter chain. He then buried his already bloody ax into the madman. I was even more so.I trusted that our fellow scholars hadn't changed, and we both suffered for it.
They moved past a congregation of beasts. No point in killing them,especially since the hunters in the plaza had been tormenting them for a long time. Years?. Decades? Time was hard to tell in the Hunter's Nightmare. The beasts fled anyway.
A bell tolled as they moved further up, dispatching a pair of hunters carrying piercing rifles. More beasts fled as the brothers dodged aside a flaming ball of tar sent rolling down the stairs by a pair of huntsmen. The culprits then ran further up the stairs.
A creaking noise began to be heard as the brothers reached the end of the stairs. The huntsmen,the fools,were opening a set of thick metal doors. The two brothers took an active step back. In their experience as hunters in the nightmare, nothing good was ever hiding behind large doors,and they were right: A hulking monstrosity,face lined with tentacles and a purple aura,body covered in the robes of an Executioner,roared,and charged towards the two huntsmen. It easily disemboweled both huntsmen, and turned towards the Hunter brothers. Arthur snarled back, lengthened his axe,and charged,uncovering an old memory at the sight of the executioner robes.
They were a couple of weeks into their time as hunters, when Arthur made,in his own opinion, a terrible mistake.
He was taking in the euphoric smell of the blood from a freshly beheaded beast in Central Yharnam when he heard the clanging of weapons down the street had come to his attention. He had raced towards the source of the struggle,expecting hunters fighting beasts,but instead found hunters,familiar and unfamiliar, clashing in a courtyard.
He saw several hunters wearing gray robes and golden conical helmets emblazoned with the symbol of the Healing Church,with the exception of their leader, a large, brown-haired man wearing a hunter's jacket and trousers. He was over 6 feet tall,wielding a scythe and a sword in tandem with some sort of blue arcane magic. He growled at who the unfamiliar hunters were battling. Cainhurst Knights. What were they doing here? He had severed ties with them after the job,but maybe they were looking for their former mercenaries. Though that didn't seem to be the case,as a child,a little girl, was near the scene,and they had brought a lot of men if they were only looking for him and Oliver,outnumbering the hunters in gray and gold.
He stepped back uncertainly. He had gone on a hunt by himself because he wanted to do good for Yharnam,and had left the bodies of plenty of beasts in his wake. While a potent duo when together,the brothers' interests differed. While Oliver wanted to help the Church and Ludwig in their efforts more frequently,doing whatever jobs they required, Arthur sought more independence,and aimed to help Yharnam as a whole,hunting beasts as often as he could. What to do though? He did not want to risk accidentally angering Cainhurst,but at the same time,he had wanted to help what he believed to be his fellow Church Hunters. After some deliberation,his loyalty overcame his desire not to anger his former employers. He was not going to let his comrades die. (he greatly regretted this decision as his career as a hunter progressed).
He charged forward in the defense of the gray-robed hunters. He cut into the arm of an oily-haired man who was pulling some sort of refined sword out of the body of a Church Hunter. The man's scream of pain was abruptly silenced as the ax swiftly left his head rolling on the ground. He gazed at the sword. A rapier, though this one has a gun attached. He looked around. Looks like they are all using this thing, though some are just using ordinary swords.
He turned to his next victim, a sharp-faced woman who was aiming the pistol part of the rapier towards a Church Hunter's back. He quickly transformed his ax and lodged it into her sword shoulder. The woman staggered backward, drawing the attention of her compatriots.
Damn it. Arthur thought, but thrilled at the challenge as two more of the knights began to move towards him,working himself into a blood frenzy. While there were certainly a great many students willing to spar with him at Byrgenwerth, few could match him in a fight. He quickly dashed forward and she barely managed to raise her sword to his overhand strike,but to no avail: The axe had easily overpowered her weakened block and buried itself into her heart. He spared a glance at the leader of his new allies as he began to block the offending hunters' slashes. The remaining knights were preoccupied by the leader of the hunters,who appeared to be managing fairly well,despite dealing with them with only two remaining Church Hunters. Seeing an opening in their stance he took a swing at one of his attackers, a slightly built, brown-haired woman.
That was his first mistake. He hissed as pain flared into his arm ,making his blow miss and strike the cobblestones. He cast a baleful look towards his would-be victim's ally,a well built,middle-aged man with long black hair,holding an eastern sword. He made his second mistake in ignoring the pistol function of the weapon, only noticing it too late when he transformed,then slammed his axe down,but finding himself staggered from a quick gunshot to the leg from the woman. Though he didn't know it at the time,this would be the first time he had experienced a taste of what Dream Hunters endured,screaming from the pain as he was thrown back when they plunged,then withdrew their rapiers from his body,heavily injured. He groaned,feeling like there was a hole in both his chest and leg, dropping the axe and fumbled for a blood vial in his prospector's cloak,but the man grew eager and rushed to finish him.
Arthur, ax no longer in hand, used the only other weapon he held, a pistol, and discharged it into the fool's chest. Never underestimate a man who still had a weapon,no matter what their position was in a fight. It was one of the first lessons he had learned when training at Byrgenwerth.
The man staggered backward, and Arthur rolled forward, seizing up his ax. This opportunity was too good to miss, even if he was heavily injured, and he sunk his blade into the man's chest, then ripped it out, sending him flying.
That takes care of him, Arthur thought. His hand finally found a blood vial in his belt and he rammed the needle into himself immediately,sighing from the pain's sweet release as his wounds closed.
The woman screeched in fury and charged towards him with an overhand strike. Arthur shook his head. While he respected the power that anger could give,it was incredibly self-destructive, especially if one was using a weapon that relied on skill. He blocked the attack easily,then used his axe blade to hook her weapon out of her hands. He grinned in satisfaction. He had chosen the axe because it pertained to his experience in Byrgenwerth,using larger and longer weapons. He had preferred the range and damage that he would deal with an opponent when his attacks connected. While some complained about a lack of finesse in his form, he could use a weapon with brutal efficiency, as he usually could recognize the kinks of a weapon when he saw them, even if he was no fencer like his brother. He actually let the complaints get around,figuring that his enemies underestimating him would let him win many fights. This tactic,as well as honing his skill in these areas had paid off,and he lunged forward,axe falling,already smelling the sweet, sweet, blood…
Only to howl as his right shoulder flared in pain,dropping the pistol and barely keeping a hold on his axe. Glancing over, he saw a blade tip protruding from his shoulder. He had made a third mistake. He forgot to make sure the other man was dead. The only thing that had saved him from getting stabbed in a more vital area was that he was already bringing his blade down,but the woman had dodged easily. He switched hands and whirled around, cleaving the man in the chest…
Only for the man to smirk as he drew the blood on the ground into his wound with a gesture, healing it, then withdrew his blade. Arthur snarled in both pain and rage, noticing that the man's other wounds had healed. They really shouldn't have taken that job. He realized that he was in a tight spot, fighting two knights who could heal instantaneously, but he wasn't going to back down.
As it turned out, he didn't have to, as both of his opponents were blasted by blue arcane energy. The man was sent flying into a wall with a loud CRACK, while the woman was thrown down the street. He turned and saw the Church Hunter band leader.
"You have my thanks." Arthur panted, plunging a second blood vial into his arm. This man had saved his life.
"No, the pleasure is mine, Hunter of the Church." The tall man beamed, and Arthur realized that, though torn and bloodied they were, he still wore the tomb prospector attire. Now that Arthur had a closer look he saw more features of the man. He had a scarred face, lined with many cuts. He also had a short, graying beard, and his scythe blade glowed blue. "You managed to divert enough of those pompous Cainhurst nobles to allow my hunters to win the night. At any rate, what brought you here? I thought the Church assigned us specifically to deal with the Vilebloods."
"For the first part of your question, I had heard the sounds of your battle with the-Vilebloods," Arthur tested the word on his tongue. "-When my hunt brought me here. I recognized your assailants and decided to join my fellow church hunters in battle. As for the second part of your question, I have no idea. I am new to the Church's politics."
"Ah well, it matters not. My name is Logarius, leader of the Executioners." The band leader introduced himself, as his men began to search for the wounded among the fallen, as well as taking care of the child. "My Executioners were tasked by the Church to stamp out the Vilebloods, who have somehow established a presence within Yharnam."
Arthur stepped back in shock. If hunters battling each other in the streets meant what he thought it meant, he was surprised that Logarius had introduced himself so readily. However, he was not well versed in a conversation, preferring to let his ax do the talking, which left him in a conundrum. He knew enough about common courtesy to know that Logarius probably expected him to introduce himself, but this could possibly alienate him from the leader of the Executioners. Eventually, he decided on a poorly executed feint that grossly underestimated the reputation that he well knew about. "I think I know the reason why the Vilebloods have established a presence in Yharnam. My brother, Oliver, and I had been hired by the Cainhurst nobles to take forbidden blood from Byrgenwerth to their castle."
Logarius had made the connection at once. "So you are those two former Byrgenwerth scholars, the Grey brothers." He didn't react as Arthur expected him to, however. He sighed instead. "Well, it matters not. You have redeemed yourselves in joining the Church, though your actions may distance my followers from you. I was once a scholar myself, you know."
"However, you can redeem yourself completely by joining us. You can correct your mistakes." Logarius proposed.
Arthur may have been inept socially, but he was no fool. These Executioners were an unknown quantity. "Let me think about it." He approached each of the remaining bodies in the courtyard. Most of the Vilebloods were all dead, but he found something that suspiciously looked like bloody sperm in one of their hands. He also found one living Vileblood, the man whom he was fighting with the woman. Now that he wasn't in the thrill and bloodlust of the fight, he recognized the fellow as the man who employed him and his brother.
"Well, well," The man coughed at the sign of recognition in Arthur's eyes, back broken. "The brute finally recognizes me. I knew the queen should have ordered you and your brother killed."
Arthur growled. "I'm not the one on the ground with a broken back."
"Don't twist your coattails into knots. The queen is going to order your heads anyway, once she finds out about this. We have informants throughout all of Yharnam."
"How did you manage to heal so quickly?" Arthur asked grimly, though he had already guessed the answer.
"Blood magic derived from the blood that you had given us." He wheezed, confirming Arthur's fears. "The queen would have me killed for this,but I'm dead anyway."
"What was the child and this for then?" Arthur lifted the sperm in disgust.
"The queen wants a child, an heir to the Cainhurst line. The child is-was to be raised as a knight of Cainhurst "
Arthur scratched his beard. "I don't follow you. Why do you need more Vilebloods? Why do you hunt hunters? Why were you fighting the executioners?"
"Still don't get it?" The man scorned, then coughed up blood. "You see, very few of us knights are related to the queen. Those who are become the royal guard of the queen. The blood dreg that you are holding would produce an heir to the queen, which would be her guardian. That is why we hunt hunters. However, we can't get by on-" He retched. It was clear he wasn't used to prolonging the pain. "Blood dregs alone, so we abduct children to serve as knights. The executioners are determined to stop us." The man's eyes flicked up to him with grim finality. "Finish it, I've told you all I know."
Arthur shrugged. He'd make it quick. He really didn't have any grudge with the man,and he had fought well. His ax rose, then fell, severing the man's head.
"Splendid job on extracting information from him." A voice commended, and Arthur turned around to see Logarius walk up. "Have you come to your decision?"
Arthur nodded. If the Vilebloods were after them, then he would take the fight to them. "I will join you"
I suppose we both got in over our heads. Oliver thought as he watched Arthur fire the repeating pistol he had scavenged in their travels through the Nightmare like a madman, staggering the abomination in the middle of its swing. Working with the Church Hunters and Tomb Prospectors had taken a toll on me mentally, but that was nothing compared to what had happened to Arthur and what he saw that day. It's a wonder we aren't both insane. Or maybe we are and are too stubborn to recognize it. Oliver reflected as Arthur thrust his ax into the monster's exposed chest and tore it out, killing it. Strangely enough, its blood was black, and it dissolved into dream essence.
"Well, that takes care of that," Oliver said leisurely, maneuvering his church pick around his fingers, sheathing it on his back.
"Big help you were," Arthur complained, putting his own ax into the sheath on his back. "You didn't even help me out in the fight."
"Come now, we both know that thing wouldn't be much trouble for you, even if it refused to go down," Oliver replied suavely.
Arthur grumbled, but Oliver knew Arthur would see that he had a point, as he always did. "Whatever. Let's just find whatever the hell this thing was guarding"
Now that their view wasn't obscured by that creature of the nightmare, they had a clear view of a twisted parallel to the Grand Cathedral. The sound and smell of burning hair reached their senses.
"Oh no." Oliver stepped back, putting his head into his hands, "I think I know who we will see." There could only be one thing that this nightmare hell would punish him with.
"I'll go ahead if you want." Arthur offered with a sympathetic look, but Oliver shrugged him off. He could not free him, but perhaps it would help his conscience, his mind if he saw Laurence. He had always feared seeing whatever punishment had befallen his fellows, but he would no longer have to deal with that guilt and dread.
Together, the two brothers walked up the stairs, faced with a burning Cleric Beast, sitting on the altar of the grand cathedral, its face staring up at the ceiling, inert, with its claw over its face. They both knew who it was.
"Oh dear," Oliver whispered. "So this is what happened to you? You disobeyed Master Willem, and you became a beast. You died as Old Yharnam burned, and the nightmare cast its flames onto you and turned you into a cleric beast."
Why? Oliver thought. Why does this hell exist? It was a question he had asked himself many times. Why punish all the hunters? He partly knew the answer at least. The Church had committed every atrocity in its madness for power and enlightenment, striving to act on Master Willem's words as Yharnam descended further and further into the plague and the madness. It was only fit to see them and their hunters punished. The only question was who. Who had cursed the hunters?
He walked forward, hoping that there would be something worthwhile on the altar, and the beast's claw twitched, and he slowly rose out of his place on the altar. His flames burst to life.
Well hell. Oliver thought. Laurence was going to be a very dangerous opponent, he barely killed him last time with Brador and Ludwig. The heat alone radiating off of the beast was unbearable.
"REEE!" Laurence screeched. He covered his face with one hand, and Oliver saw that he was blind in one eye. Oliver looked back at the stairs and saw Arthur drinking a blood cocktail as well as a beast blood pellet.
"Oliver," Arthur warned, reaching for the other weapon on his belt,a Bloodletter mace. "Stand back"
Oliver turned his gaze back to Laurence, who was reaching out toward him. He immediately stepped back to Arthur's side, readying his church pick
Arthur made the first move, sidestepping Laurence's first attack, an overhead slam, hand brimming with flames. He seized the advantage to attack Laurence's arm when his hand seemed to get stuck in the ground, but Laurence suddenly tore his hand from the ground, releasing a massive wave of fire that threw Arthur a few feet away from the fiery beast, his old hunter attire doing its work in preventing him from getting too badly burnt, and allowing him to heal his injuries by himself.
Taking a lesson from Arthur's failed attack, Oliver fired his piercing rifle at Laurence's face. To any other beast, the rifle would have staggered them, or at least severely injured them, but Laurence was no ordinary beast. He shrugged off the attack, and swiped forward, forcing Oliver to roll under him. He slashed at Laurence's larger arm, lava flying out like blood, but Laurence paid no mind, punching the ground twice, releasing a pair of small shockwaves of fire.
Oliver dodged around one, but Laurence turned with his next sidestep, knocking him flat on the ground and burning him. Laurence raised his arms, hands clasped together, but Oliver rolled to the side at the last second, groaning. He might have fractured a shoulder from getting hit by the second punch. 40 years of being a hunter and a long time spent in this nightmare gave him a lot of pain tolerance, but none of that prepared him for how hard Laurence hit.
He would still have to fight, of course. He transformed his blade, and a blood-red aura swirled around it. On the flip side, however, Oliver felt the blade biting at him, or rather, his essence. It wasn't going to matter now, but it would be drastic in the long run. He would have to end this quickly. He slashed at Laurence's arm three times, hissing from the pain of moving his shoulder suddenly, but still utilizing his technique with the blade. This time, the beast registered the pain and tried grabbing Oliver.
Unfortunately for Laurence, Oliver anticipated a maneuver like that, and he dodged backward, then began striking Laurence's large arm again. Another figure entered the corner of his eye. Arthur had rejoined the fight and had transformed his weapon in the time that Oliver was battling Laurence. Their efforts were rewarded, and Laurence screamed as his arms suddenly burst wounds with lava flying out, staggering to the side.
Arthur nodded at Oliver, and they transformed their weapons. Together, the two brothers fired their guns at the First Vicar's face. This time, he was staggered and fell to the ground. Arthur moved toward Laurence to finish him, but Oliver gazed at the piteous shape of the First Vicar, then realized that this was the same position he originally had when he transformed into a beast and that these were the same movements Laurence had used when he first became a beast. I couldn't save him. He stepped back as memories he'd buried for so long resurfaced. No, no, no, you can't let your past distract you! Not with him! The logical part of his mind screamed, but his mind flashed, and he found himself fighting that foul beast again, covered in fur with its back split open. He fell to his knees, the change finally exacting its toll on him.
"Oliver, what the devil are you doing!" Arthur shouted as Laurence began to recover. What the hell is he thinking, letting this opportunity go? "Finish it!" He dashed forward, preparing to do the deed by himself, but Laurence glowed a red aura, and pounded the ground, leaping back at the same time, throwing both brothers to the floor.
"Damn it!" He hissed and rushed back toward Oliver, who looked utterly lost. His trauma is worse than I thought. He banished the aura of the Chikage, putting it back into its sheath, then pulled his brother back to his feet, ramming one of his blood vials that they kept for emergencies into Oliver's arm. We have to fall back.
He rushed back to the stairs, but Oliver didn't follow. Arthur looked back and saw him still standing there, in shock. Laurence grabbed him, and Oliver screamed as the fire surrounding Laurence's hand burned him. Arthur shook his head, then charged again. In the nightmare, if you showed weakness, there was a good chance you died. Of course, it was never permanent, but Arthur charged anyway, gritting his teeth as he stabbed himself once again with his mace, then jammed a blood vial into his torso. When he was finished, he now held a 6 feet long, deadly mace covered in blood and viscera. He rammed the Bloodletter into the ground, making an explosion that hit Laurence's legs before he could slam Oliver into the ground, making the First Vicar stagger backward. He then gathered his strength, and the mace grew as he smashed into Laurence's kneecap, making him recoil and drop Oliver.
Unfortunately, Oliver was still critically injured, while Arthur was beginning to frenzy. Fortunately for Arthur, however, the presence of his brother helped clear his mind. He was very lucky that Oliver dealt as much damage as he did to Laurence before he joined the fight, or the brothers would be dead already. Not like we're better off though. The damn heat alone is almost enough to make a man scream.
He transformed his bloodletter back into club form and pulled his brother to his feet, supporting him as they began to run. He moved as fast as he could, but Laurence was beginning to recover, and Arthur took another beast blood pellet. He'd need the energy if he wanted to get them out of this place. Even if they would just reform elsewhere, he did not want to get pounded to a pulp by a flaming beast.
They reached the stairs, and Arthur made the mistake of looking back once again; Laurence was beginning to use his massive arm to easily gain distance on them, and he jumped. Arthur barely managed to put on an extra burst of speed before Laurence crashed down right behind them. Fortunately, Oliver was beginning to get some of his lucidity back, and ran by himself, while Laurence crashed to the ground due to his crushed kneecap. Together, the brothers escaped the nightmare church.