(A.N, alright, this should be it for the introduction, next chapter is Maria time, also sorry this one's a bit lengthy with less love, mostly action and story, but either way enjoy.)
"Hunter, what's this?" Was the first thing he heard as returned from the waking world, only to find the doll holding out a yellow, fermented, cloudy eye.
"Looks like the eye of a blood drunk hunter, seen a couple after helping Eileen." He grabbed it, it was so soft, it must've been decades old.
"The doll gave me a message, the truth lies next to the chapel, whatever that means." She said looking at him.
"I'll be back." He said simply as he teleported to Oedon chapel.
"Oh, please be safe." She said as he left. When he left she sat down quietly fiddling with her fingers, hoping he knew what he was doing.
Oedon chapel was still as quiet as ever, the old woman and skeptical man arguing about god knows what, the dweller and Ariana talking about their lives, and Adela waiting in the corner to be noticed by her sweet hunter. But he skipped all of them and headed out the left of the chapel, killing the white church hunters outside and starring up at the side of the chapel. "Well, time to see what this was." He said. When he started the hunt he had picked up a fancy looking hunters set, and as he was picking it up a giant void came down to grab him, he narrowly avoided it, but he felt now would be a good time to see what it was. He took a deep breath and walked where he had been the first time. "Come on void bitch, I'm not scarred of you." He said. As he said that, the void had clasped around him and he could faintly see this giant, lanky, and terrifying creature, before he was crushed in the void. Only hearing faint whispers about cursing the fiends and their children. He couldn't really make it out as the void swallowed him and he awoke back in Oedon chapel, but something was wrong, it was daytime for one, all the inhabitants were gone, and stone blocks the back entrance. He saw a lamp and walked up to it, slowly lighting it, praying to every great one he knows that his beloved still awaits him. He knelt at the lamp and teleported back to the dream. While he was still reeling from what happened, the Doll's signature rib cracking hug embraced him as she shouted about how worried she was.
"You shouldn't do stuff like that without full knowledge of what was gonna happen. I've been lonely for so long." She cried into him, clearly worried.
"I-I was only gone half an hour." He said looking confused.
"Half an hour my ass, that was at least three days." She said, still crying.
"WHAT!?!" He shouted out. "It only felt like a couple minutes, I'm so sorry." He hugged her back tightly realizing how long he really was away.
"S-So what'd you find?" She said looking down at him.
"I think an alternate universe." He said.
"W-What, that's impossible, are you sure, no one but the great ones have such easy access to those." She looked at him.
"I'm not a hundred yet, but it's either that, or a different place in time." He said letting go of her. "Whatever it is, I have to go back, I have to see what's up with this place." He said looking back at the headstone.
"I-I understand, but please, don't take so long." She said hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek.
"I'll come back whenever I visit another lantern, every lantern I see I'll come back." She smiled at her and kissed her lips. She smiled quietly and let him go back into the mysterious area.
When he arrived he left the chapel and made his way around the even more twisted Yharnam, old hunters who've lost their minds ages ago destroy beast and hunter alike, after each brawl the winner turns on the young hunter. The psychosis left the old hunters reckless and he hunter could easily dispatch of them. He made his way to the grand cathedral where two old hunters opened the door, only to be greeted by a giant church hunter with a void for a face, and the void sprouted tentacles. It easily killed the old hunters and the young hunter was too scared to fight it, so he left through a tunnel that brought him face to face with rapid fire turrets, he sighed wondering if the place would ever let up.
After a long grueling journey through this hell he managed to make his way to a safe place, a small mausoleum with a lantern, and while he promised his love he'd visit, he really wanted to unravel the mystery of this area. He lit the lantern and left, hoping she'd forgive him later. He made his way through the murky waters only to make it to a tunnel full of corpses, he turned around and saw a small crevice with a lot of carrion crows, he threw a Molotov in the middle of the birds and let them burn, revealing an old hunters bell, unsure of who left it he rung it, and who popped out he could not be more relieved about. "Valtr, you're here too!?!" He said so happily.
"Aye lad, well, more so I'm from here." He said. "But that's a story for later." He cut off the hunters many questions. "Right now, Ludwig awaits." He said and walked into the tunnel.
"W-wait, Ludwig, the founder of the church hunters, The Holy Blade?" The hunter said, fearing to see what was on the other side of the tunnel. Valtr said nothing as he led the hunter through. As they exited a giant room of blood and corpses was all to see, and a giant lump of something in the middle. As they stood there the giant beast hulked up and turned around revealing...
"An unsightly beast." One of the corpses said with his last breaths as the beast, looking like a horse human hybrid with more grossness on other parts of its body, chuckled with one head, the more human/horse one, and then screamed with the mouth of eyes.
"Th-this is Ludwig!!!" The hunter screamed looking at the intimidating figure.
"This is what he became, not what he was!" Valtr yelled back as the beast charged them. Valtr drew his Whirligig saw and dodged deftly revving up the saw and slicing the beasts leg as it passed by causing it to recoil and buck kick Valtr away. The young hunter seeing this primed his hammer and ran to the beast and jumped slamming the hammer into the mouth of eyes, causing some squished eyes to gush fluid and splatter on the hunter. He actively wretched as some of it hit his face, but he maintained his composure, but only after the beast angrily picked him up and threw him against a wall. Both him and Valtr injected themselves with blood, but the young hunter had another trick up his sleeve.
"Catch!" He said as he threw Valtr a vial of Arianna's blood. They both injected it and felt invigorated as they rushed the beast with new courage and strength. The rushed the beast as the young hunter primed his hammer and slammed it into the knee of the beast, while Valtr drew the saw across the beasts side. This went on for a little bit, they sustained minor damage and the young hunter felt bad and almost cheated he didn't get to fight Ludwig at his full strength. Eventually the beast fell, and out from it a dirty looking sword, and as the sword tumbled out of his back. It ignited in a cosmic blue, stars shimmering in the blade itself.
"Ahh, you were by my side this whole time..." Ludwig finally spoke, pushing himself up and picking up the blade, putting it in front of his face, covering up one half. "...My guiding moonlight." He finished as he flourished it around and looked at the hunters, regaining his sense and dignity, rushed them, this time not of recklessness, but of grace. He held his blade out and attempted to take the hunters heads off, when they dodged he would bring the blade back and across their chest, never missing, each time forcing them to take a second to heal. As they recovered they'd retaliate with hits that would land, but not appear to hurt, forcing the pain down Ludwig would quickly retaliate as well, clashing with the hunters. But as Valtr landed a strong blow on his back leg he stumbled forward, and held his blade up pointed at the ground, neither hunters knew what was happening, but quickly moved out of the way, seeing a bright blue circle appear on the ground they dived out of it just as Ludwig slammed the blade into the ground, shooting out moonlight, when the blue disappeared the blood and bodies that had been there originally had now turned to ash. Both gulped as Ludwig gave a hearty chuckle and charged them again. This song and dance went on for a while until Ludwig raised his sword in front of his face again, raising it higher causing an explosion of moonlight, powering up the blade and slammed it down where the young hunter was standing. In a flash the young hunter stood up to see Valtr clashed with Ludwig, his whirligig just barely keeping him from being crushed and disintegrated in the blast. "VALTR!" The hunter shouted as he ran over to him.
"No lad, not me, get him, get him, I'll be safe if I fall here, don't let Ludwig regain his strength by falling as well!" The man shouted as he released an animalistic shout as the blade crushed onto him, turning him to dust. The hunter looked visibly angered.
"That was a mistake." He said as he primed his hammer and rushed at Ludwig, arching the hammer down slamming it on his head and then priming it as he drug the primer on the ground, shooting the hammer up, hitting ludwigs chin with the head of the hammer and throwing flames in his face. As Ludwig recoiled the hunter had already primed another strike and slammed his hammer back down on Ludwig's head of eyes, soon enough the beast could not take anymore punishment and exploded into a mess of blood and death, with only the head falling to the ground. Without even thinking or caring, the hunter limped towards the lamp, realizing how best he really was, with no more vials.
"Wait valiant hunter." Said the head of Ludwig. The hunter looked stunned but knew this was a once in a lifetime change to talk to someone like Ludwig, even if it was in this form.
"Yes sir?" He turned and bent down to the head.
"You are a hunter yes, and you've fought alongside my church hunters?"
"I am a hunter yes, but I'm a lone hunter of the dream, I do know a lot about your church hunters."
"Tell me hunter, are they the honorable Spartans I hoped they'd be." The head said solemnly.
The hunter knew the answer was no, the church hunters committed more crimes than the beasts themselves, but this man deserved peace in death, and decided to lie. "Yes sir, more honorable than Gerhman." He smiled weakly.
"Ahhh, incredible, simply marvelous, I knew my sons and daughters would be great hunters." The head said and smiled. "I can rest easy, and please hunter, take my blade, it served me well, now I want it to serve my honorable successor as well." The head said smiling at the hunter.
"Thank you sir, may you rest easy, umbasa." The hunter said, walking over to the sword that had now gone dirty and rusted again. He picked it up and swooshed it around, he slowly placed his hand on the blade and drove it across the flat of the sword.
"Focus Good hunter, focus on the moonlight, on your own insight, on the arcana running through your blood." Ludwig said.
The hunter focused, coursing all arcane he had picked up through his blood and ignited the blade in moonlight, shooting the blue through the blade. "Simply marvelous, my successor is true now." Ludwig said contently. "Now Good hunter, don't let me live like this, deliver me to Oedon with that blade, please." Ludwig said starring at him.
"A-aye sir." The hunter said and walked up to him, breathing in and out, on his exhale thrusting the blade into the head. "Rest easy sir, rest easy." He said as he took the blade out and the moonlight disappeared. He weakly walked over to the lamp, snapping it and going back to the dream. He could see the doll bounding for him and for once in his life held his hand out to stop her, taking heavy breaths, dropping the blade, and sitting on the tombstone.
"G-Good hunter, what is wrong?" The doll said looking at him.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He simply said before passing out.