Chapter 27

"She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her."

- Proverbs 3:15

The tune was surprisingly calming. The hefty music box's noises swirled through the air, filling the streets with cheer. It seemed out of place, other worldly in fact. The pitchy chirps were in stark contrast to the gloomy city, whose streets were lined with corpses, alive and otherwise, garbage of empty jars and otherwise, and whatever else and otherwise.

The small ceramic animal danced within the confines of the box. Fredricx was unsure of the species of animal. It was bipedal and covered in texture with what was likely the artist's rendering of fur. Despite this, the Hunter gave no mind to the sautered inscription. It was small and written in jagged cursive. The very thought of observing it seemed trivial in comparison to everything else.

Without much option, they left Eileen where they found her. Her two sickle blades hidden well in the folds of her feathered cape. She did not threaten them with her weapons, but they were ready to threaten if the situation called for it.

Regardless, they backpedalled away from the enclave and its moonlight and backed into the streets before descending further into Yharnam's belly.

They passed by several empty apartments. The doors were locked secure, and the incense lanterns were still lit, but no one was home. No fervent praying or pleading could be heard. There was no shushing of children or the clatter of drunken stupor. It was unsettling. If it was not for the locked away more than dogs, but not quite wild creatures, it would be chilling. Instead, they growled and scratched, attempting to free themselves. There was one exception. In the throng of it all, a dog, regular in all its glory, shivered about itself within its jail. It did not have the displeasure of transforming like the others. This was just a dog, rather large with brown and black fur and pointy ears.

Fredricx neared it, and it neared away. It tightened the already impossibly small knot it made with its body. Fumbling around with the slats, he pride free a few of them, creating a gap for the dog to slide through. However, the animal was too intimidated by its potential freedom and remained completely breathless.

"Come, dog," Fredricx insisted.

It stared at him for many moments with glass eyes. Fruitlessly, Fredricx and Lucas continued their way, leaving the cowering creature behind. They left the cobblestone and transversed the stairs. Yharnam might think to swallow them, and Fredricx hoped whole.

XXXXX

Fredricx was almost never thankful for his job at the shipyard. It was always either too cold or too hot. The work made his back ache with no reprieve. He was often underpaid and undercut.

However, standing over ankle deep in this murky, feces filled water, cured his lack of gratitude. What were they even doing down here?

Then, they saw one. It was over decuple the size it should have been. One of the regular portions was not much of a problem, an annoyance. This had bulging, clouded eyes and a deep grooved nose. Its fur, gnarly and gangly, was a practical tunnel system for bugs. In fact, Fredricx thought he gleaned the scuttle of a too familiar brown many legged, long tentacled species.

"Well," Lucas said, "This was not what I expected."

Fredricx shook his head in agreement, but the creature must have agreed as well. The most substantial rat with its tail that measured in about a meter instead of centimeters rushed them. It had to have been easily knee height. It was not gentle either.

Once within jumping range, which was surprising too far, it did just that. It leapt into the air and landed on Lucas' torso, scratching furiously. He cursed and swore, reversing with vigor until he collided with who knows what jutting out of the water and fell.

Fredricx skewered the rodent through. It protested and wiggled, but this only worsened its predicament. Lucas used the moment to shove the creature away, and Fredricx finished what was started.

Attempting to shake off the droplets, Lucas scrambled up and vibrated like a soaked dog. He swore some more, "Queen's grace. Queen's speed. Queen's handmaiden. Queen's crown. Queen's stockings." He took a breath before continuing, "I'll never be clean again."

"You never were," Fredricx snided.

Lucas swiped at his face with the only slightly dry, clean spot on his shirt. After doing so, the whole shirt was no longer clean or dry. Both of his elasticless suspenders had fallen from his shoulders and the saw cleaver was lost somewhere in the filth. In true aristocracy, Lucas kicked around the slush until he clutched the unhinged blade. The wrappings were likely permanently stained. Water dripped off the teeth with tears heard like rain by more than Lucas and Fredricx.

A pack of these rats scampered dividing and sending ripples about the water, which lapped around their calves.

The cane was traded for its threaded whip and was slashed seemingly with blindness. The metallic silvers banged the walls on either side and further stirred the water, whipping and parting them.

The rats riled themselves up in confusion, rearing their heads and noses up and around. These creatures were blind or at least mostly. The darkness down here was intrusive, only fit for scent smelling, water moving hearing rats and Hunters, whose senses were obviously distorted by the blood.

"Allow me to assist," Lucas insisted transforming his cleaver as to have a long handle. He stood beside Fredricx and slashed about the creatures. The whip exchanged itself for a cane, and its owner used it to pierce through the rats, who were now less inclined to be so aggressive.

Their pitchy squeaking made Fredricx's ears ache, but this was probably trivial in comparison to the rats' predicament. However, the rats did not accept their fate passively, but instead, lunged with dinner knife sized teeth. A set of these teeth took hold of Lucas's shin. Naturally, this drew blood and resulted in a string of cursing, which ended with him vehemently spewing, "Son of the Queen."

Lucas killed the last one. It wriggled against the blade, worsening its own and determining its fate. The Hunter dug his blade around the creature for good measure. A sickening noise erupted when he pried his blade free, dragging up tendons and ligaments with it.

Fredricx observed Lucas observing his wound. His own blood sprung freely from the teeth imprints, streaming down his leg and spilling and discoloring the water around them. The solution was becoming easy: another blood vial, and that's what he did. The gashs faded before their gaze, leaving a trail of red for no particular reason. The user gave a sigh of relief.

"Let's get out of here."

XXXXX

It would have been of easy agreement. Most of their trudging was uneventful. There were a few more rats and crows of unusual size. They had sprinted through at one point to avoid gunfire from above. Before them, the sewers narrowed dramatically and the roof became only slightly taller than Fredricx by a half a meter or so. It was even darker.

It would have been of easy agreement to take the ladder up and be dumped somewhere onto Yharnam's streets. However, the ladder was broken, seemingly sawed in two with the needed portion who knows where. Fredricx had even hoisted Lucas to maybe even grab the lowest rung. This was far unsuccessful and ended in tetering. The two Hunters knew not to back track as there was nowhere to ascend, so they continued despite the increasingly humid air and a windy like noise in the distance.

The decision was not regretted immediately, but it would soon be regretted. It was lucky that there were two of them. At least, they would die together. This would not bode well for Ettie. She would at least get a partial treasure for his effort. Hopefully, she would leave this sick city and flee to London to be with her parents. They would take care of her. Sure, she might get remarried, but she has good judgement. Fredricx decided he would return as a ghost if she remarried someone less than satisfactory.

As if the rats, crows, dogs, and werewolves were not enough of a problem, Fredricx and Lucas were about a dozen centimeters from the snout of the largest creature they had ever seen. They could feel the droplets from its exhale on their skin, and it stunk. Lucas started gagging almost immediately as its skin was coated in the worst of what was on the ground. The eyes were comically small and were darker than the inky darkness around them.

Then, it squealed, which was piercing as it reverberated every direction in the close throwing its head sideways, Fredricx was knocked to the ground and rolled to avoid being squashed by cloven hooves.

Lucas' weapon did almost nothing to the creature's hide. It would surely act as toothpick after they were eaten. Fredricx clambered to his feet. Water and whatever gunk dripped inside his boots. Throwing out the whip, Fredricx prayed for the cane. His prayers were not answered. It stayed loose as he jerked it back and forth violently.

"Please," he grunted.

Lucas was struggling dealing with the front end. His cleaver extended, and he thrashed the teeth around with just as much zeal. The beast did not so much as flinch. Once Lucas had dealt a damaging blow, the creature did not take too kindly. It charged, and thank the Queen, that Lucas had enough luck to throw himself flat against one side.

Feeling particularly useless, Fredricx abandoned the whip and jumped on the creature. It bucked him as he held onto the slippery thing's long ears. If he were to live past these next few moments, his whole body would do him in from shere exertion.

He surprised himself with what happened next. He released the loosening grip of one of his hands, and in the single second before being thrown off, he brought his fist down with as much momentum as could be spared by whatever laws of science. His palm connected with the target, smashing into its not so impregnable eyeball. It buckled and surpassed its jelly container, leaving trace amounts of slime.

This was too small of a victory as the beast did not forget the follow through. It gave an abrupt stop, causing Fredricx to continue forward. He fell in front of the angry hog, who reared up on its back legs and brought them back down again on the center of the Hunter's chest.

XXXXX

"Welcome home, good Hunter."

Fredricx was panting, expelling breath from his lungs faster than his lungs could draw it in and at a pace his heart was uncomfortable with. He clutched his undented chest, eyeing the Doll for a moment.

"Lucas!" he shouted.

"Rest your sickly spirit, good Hunter."

Now, he did not have time for this fantasy, for this dream. "I have to wake up. I have to go back." He was shouting.

There was a chuckle from the inside of the house. "Stay a while. The Hunt will wait for you."

His thoughts were red. His vision was red. His words were red. "I do not have the patience for this. Now." He was all, but shaking. On the contrary, he was shaking. "Now!"

"Your headstone," the Doll gestured with her jointed hands.

The distance was made up with such quickness that Fredricx did not hear her words.

"May you find your worth in the waking world."

XXXXX

The smell must have woken him from his slip of consciousness. His entire body was soaked, which added significant weight to the coat. For once, the cane was conveniently close. Fredricx grabbed it before clamoring.

Lucas had advanced several feet deeper into the tunnel. Keeping to the now blind side, he darted around and only bothered with small swings. Its hide was not so impenetrable. Cleaver scratches covered the flank of the beast.

Fredricx approached slowly. He was not quiet, but the duo was preoccupied. With as much force as he could muster, the cane shot forward and deeply embedded the beast, who roared in displeasure.

Lucas took the chance to give a vicious slash to the creature's face, making easy work of the good eye. It was no longer so good.

The creature charged at Lucas, but it must have been less keen on its other senses as he avoided it easily and drug his blade down the entire length of the creature.

Fredricx was close behind, using the whip to urge it forward and forward again. Lucas joined the line, and the two of them cornered the hog.

There was no place for it to turn on them as they continued their wailing. They had struck it about a dozen or so times before it reversed and knocked both of them down.

Regardless, it did not take much more, and the two Hunters found their exit, a hidden room with a long ladder, so they climbed.

Nearing the top, Fredricx could see a troll. It cried and with the help of another, knocked forward a flaming ball of who knows what down a long descending walkway. Fredricx silenced Lucas with a dismissive hand, telling him to wait just a moment as the creatures meandered off.

They snuck the opposite direction and up a fight of stairs onto a small plateau with more stairs on one side and a bonfire with beasts huddled on the other side. Fredricx and Lucas downed them as a precaution before taking the additional stairs.

It finally dawned on Fredricx where they were. They were back in Odeon's Cemetery. It was a large gated courtyard with stairs leading up to the Great One's tomb.I was where Adullam and himself had the painfully awkward meeting with Gascoigne. There was no Gascoigne, but there was commotion.

A woman, wearing a middle class lady's church best, burst from the tomb and through the gate at the top of the stairs. She was yelling and running with injury streaming down her face. She was followed by a gaggle of Hunters. If clothes were an indication, they were just that with their long, protective coats and all manner of weaponry. Their hats and masks concealed their cowardice.

The woman made eye contact with Fredricx and screamed, "Help!"

Gehrman and Adullam's cautionary words meant nothing at this moment. He took with full gumption, leaping over the headstones and taking entirely too many steps at one time. Lucas was not far behind. The cane became a whip, and sliced the air in a sort of warning.

"Go." Fredricx offered or commanded.

There was a huff and a roll of the eyes from one of them. "She will be dead anyway." He gave a sharp breath before turning completely away and sauntering back toward the tomb.

The others gave threatening jerks with their metal before following. "Watch yourself."

Fredricx glared at them till they disappeared completely, and then stared a little while for good measure. Lucas, on the other hand, was kneeling beside the woman, who clutched his forearms with weak fingers. Her wounds were insoluble. The head trauma was just that, but that did not account for the puddle forming on her dress around her stomach. She was gasping and hiccuping as if she was trying to take in as much air, but her body was not cooperating. She coughed and sputtered. Blonde hair was not quite so blonde.

Lucas emptied his pockets, turning out every blood vial and piece of lint. The woman gave much protest as they hurriedly injected every drop from every vial. Lucas gathered her into his arms, encouraging her softly to hold on. Unluckily, this did not have the desired effect.

For the first time, Fredricx saw it. It was pinned to her chest, the ruby brooch. A larger stone was set in gold filigree. It glistened and shined, proudly polished. This was the little girl's mum.

"Do you have a daughter?" Fredricx asked, digging around everywhere for the music box. It was heavy in his hands, but when she saw it, her dimming eyes sparkled ever so slightly. She nodded. The Hunter opened the box toward her and spun the knob until it began to play.

The woman muttered incoherently.

"What?"

She died.

She died in a rotten way. She died in this rotten city. She died on the night of a rotten Hunt. She died inflicted by a band of rotten Hunters. She rotten died without her family or friends and hardly in the comfort of strangers.

The calming tune grinded to a halt. The mechanics inside flickered and strained. For the first time, Fredricx read the inscription. He read it out loud to Lucas, "Happy birthday, Viola. Love, Gascoigne."

Whether disrespectful or not, Fredricx freed the brooch from her dress ever so delicately before dropping it into his coat. His hand embarrassed from even touching her skin. Lucas seemed frozen in place.

"Viola!" A male shouted. "Viola!" There was confusion and then, intense anger. Gascoigne came barreling through the courtyard below. He made up the distance faster and shook. His ax swung.

Author Note: Thanks to Echoclonet and Mreagle789 for your reviews.