A long time since there was an update eh? Was busy I'm sure you understand.

Been trying to do too many things and failing at them so I'm a bit burnt out. Oh yeah, I also have what I assume is a cold so that's cool too (it fucking sucks so much dammit.), hopefully it's not the new Covid strain or something, that would suck so much.

Although I said I was excited to write this chapter in the previous one, with the state I've been in I lost that excitement quite a while back. Sure I'm happy to be back in writing a new chapter but with all the stuff that's happening I just can't spare the energy to feel happy. Anyways, this chapter is a bit of an info-dump which is... well annoying since I don't want to just explain the lore in just dialogue form alone. But hey, with how I am currently this is the best I can offer.

Good news is that I will be uploading another chapter tomorrow. Bad news is because my holidays will be over soon and I probably won't be writing for a long time after two more chapters after this.

Nonetheless, I just hope you enjoy this chapter.

" You plague ridden rat!" – Memory/Blood Echo Memory

"Away! Away!" - Yharnam

"You fiend"- Remnant

Quietus in Sleep: Rhododendron (Beauty/Energy | Danger)

Rage, bloodlust, vengeance.

All of that radiated in a swirl of deep scarlet from the blonde man in white that kneeled before a shrine of sorts, presumably praying to it before. Laying against the shrine, was the same weapon that Jaune currently wielded, the Kirkhammer, its blade sheathed into the giant hammer.

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he tried to calm his shaking hands at sensing such hatred that the man gives off. He takes deep and calculated breathes but keeps his eyes trained onto the man.

"What's it to you?" He replied to his earlier question.

The man stood up, his back still facing his fellow blonde with no concern. In fact, Jaune could tell that he wasn't afraid of him in the slightest nor was he cautious around him. He can imagine the smirk that he had behind the head that looked up at the shrine.

"I knew it. That's precisely how I started out!" He said in a cheerful manner. The man then turned around to reveal an unnaturally happy smile. "Oh, beg pardon, you may call me Alfred. Protégé of Master Logarius, hunter of vilebloods."

Jaune raises a brow. Already, he began to analyse the unfamiliar terms that Alfred threw around.

'Master Logarius? Is he a hunter too? And what are vilebloods? Could they be a type of beast?' Jaune pondered, giving Alfred a once over. 'He's wearing white overalls and was praying to the shrine… he must be a member of the church, that must mean that this Logarius is one too… and a high ranking one from his title of Master.'

"Hmm, you must be a foreigner, judging from how you seem unfamiliar with these terms, even as a hunter." Alfred hummed. "Well, that's no issue. For me. A hunter is still a hunter after all."

"So, what say you? Our prey might differ, but we are hunters, the both of us." He said whilst extending his hand. "Why not cooperate and discuss the things we've learned?"

'… I can't trust him just yet.'

Jaune looked at the opened hand and back to the smiling hunter in white.

'But… if he is a member of the church then… maybe I will cooperate. If only to see what I can get out of him.' Jaune thought. 'Worst case scenario he kills me and then I kill him. Problem solved.'

He took the hand and shook it.

'He has a strong grip.' He mindlessly thought.

"Oh-hoh! Very good! Very good indeed!" Alfred laughed. He reached into his back and slapped three pieces of parch paper. "Take this. To celebrate our acquaintance."

Jaune pulled his hand away from him quickly, surprised by his action. He kept his eyes on him for a few seconds before taking them away and studied the papers after he felt safer.

"What are these?" He asked the hunter.

"Fire paper. The fear and weakness of the beasts." Alfred explained. "Quite effective too. They wouldn't dare to attack you if you have a large source of fire."

"Useful." Jaune stated, eyeing the paper with intrigue before storing them in his coat. "Thank you."

"No need. Beast hunting is a sacred practice." Alfred waved his hands. "So, tell me, would you like to discuss anything before you head off?"

'Discuss anything huh?' Jaune thought. 'I guess this is where I take as much advantage of him as I can.'

~~AMONGST US~~

Two figures can be seen traversing downwards from the grand cathedral through the rooftops, their speed, almost unrivalled and their presence, unknown to those below their feet.

The two stopped and hid behind one side of the roofs of the buildings, to keep themselves out of sight of two others. A crow. Said crow, looked at their direction for a few seconds before heading off to another direction.

"That was close." One of the figures in black muttered, their voice muffled behind a metal helmet. "What is she doing here?"

"Looking for her next target probably." The other, larger figure replied curtly. Their voice was also muffled behind their metal helmet, yet one can tell that the voice was gruffly. "That or training her so called apprentice if what the previous Birds told us were correct."

"Poor hatchling stuck with such an old crow. I almost feel bad if it weren't for the fact that they accepted her training." The smaller figure chuckled. "Say, you think they're also one of them? Should we take them back to her?"

"Next time." The larger figure grunted. They pointed towards a peculiar area. "See anything?"

The smaller figure pulled out a monocular and zoomed into the area where their partner pointed at.

"I can see him. He's there." They replied. "Someone's with him though. A hunter from what I can make out. It seems he has a fellow blonde."

"Tch. A companion? This might be tough." The larger figure fussed. "Wait. Is the hunter wearing black?"

"They all do." The smaller figured joked. "Hmm... but yes, they are indeed. You don't think?..."

"Yes, I do." The other said quickly. "It may be them; it may not be. Best case scenario we take them back and confirm their identity."

"And if they aren't?" The smaller figure asked, storing away their monocular.

…

"Then they shall serve as a source of blood dregs."

~~AMONGST US~~

'So, the vilebloods were a sort of… mutant human being that was born after the traitor took the blood to some foreign nobles?' Jaune pondered. 'Odd…'

He and Alfred had been discussing about some things. Or rather, Alfred has been sharing with him some of the past events that occurred in Yharnam. The healing church and of course, the vilebloods. Of course, during this, he obtained information on where he must head off to for his next destination in order to seek his form of escape from this nightmare, that being the grand cathedral.

'I don't even know how to get there yet though.' He thought. 'Besides that, there's also the… executioners.'

A group of hunters formed and trained to specifically hunt and slaughter the vilebloods. It went against everything that Jaune knew of the hunters and their goal. Instead of slaughtering beasts, they slaughter humans. Because what? They received healing blood?

It was a disgusting act of pettiness in his opinion. But what can he do? It's in the past.

"So, the executioners raided this Castle Cainhurst then?" Jaune asked, continuing the discussion. "I assume that they succeeded?"

Gone was his eagerness to share information and came was a sorrowful and angry face. Alfred's fist tightened at hearing the question and he turned, his back facing Jaune once again.

"Although, in his time, Master Logarius did indeed lead his executioners into Castle Cainhurst to cleanse it of the Vilebloods… all did not go well." Alfred sighed. "Master Logarius… he became a blessed anchor that guarded us from evil… tragic, tragic times… that Master Logarius sacrificed himself."

He walked over to the Kirkhammer that laid by the shrine. Jaune's body tensed and backed away slightly without realizing.

"It… it was all because of that bitch… that nobody… that Bloodminister!" Alfred roared not too dissimilar to a beast. "It was because of her that everything was ruined! That my master was abandoned in that accursed domain of the Vilebloods!"

Alfred held onto the handle of the Kirkhammer, his grip on the church trick weapon, tight as a rock as he seethed.

"W-who is this Bloodminister?" Jaune asked with a trace of fear.

Alfred's whole body snapped towards Jaune; his face filled with a hollow look that was filled with nothing more than pure hatred. A feeling not so dissimilar to what he radiated when Jaune first met him.

"The… Bloodminister." Alfred snarled, almost like he was making an effort to even mutter that title. He took laboured breathes but calmed himself, before speaking in a calmer voice. "She was a nobody."

"You've… already said that." Jaune stated hesitantly.

"Yes… yes I did… but she wasn't just any nobody." Alfred's fist tightened. "She seemingly appeared out of nowhere during the raid of Castle Cainhurst. From the tales I've heard from on-looking Church members, she fought unlike any of the nobles and opted for the most efficient way to kill the executioners."

He grabbed the handle of the kirkhammer once more.

"At first, many thought she would be killed as she was a lone woman in the fields." He growled. "But just as she was about to be killed by an executioner, she apparently grabbed a weapon from a fallen Knight and killed him within seconds. And the next thing they knew… the executioners were the one being… hunted."

"The church… they sent spies after the failed raid… after Master Logarius was sacrificed and had them collect information about her." Alfred continued, lifting the Kirkhammer with ease. "But it didn't take long before they were discovered. All we knew was that she was a foreigner and that she was promoted soon to a Knight Captain and soon… to the personal Bloodminister of the Queen."

Alfred turned and faced a sweating Jaune, the smile on his face hollow and radiating a sense of murder, a need for it.

"Which is why I must avenge him, Master Logarius." Alfred said. "So that he may be honored in martyrdom… and I will start by killing her. The Bloodminister of Cainhurst."

"Wrong."

The statement came from above. But so did the presence of death.

A large black figure descended from the roofs above, like a black bird of death. A ping sounded from Alfred and the burly black figure as the hunter deflected a strike aimed for his head with no issues, almost as if he was expecting it.

Although shocked and surprised, Jaune wasted no time and charged the figure, his own Kirkhammer sword pulled back to deliver a heavy thrust.

"Ah ah." A second, more mocking tone came from above as Jaune was kicked in the jaw and was sent backwards, away from the two. "Your fight is with me boy."

Quickly getting to his feet, Jaune spotted a second figure that dressed identically to the larger one, albeit smaller.

The figure wore black overalls covered by a large black cloak riddled with feathers, resembling the feathered cape of Eileen and Ren's attire. However, what stood out was the metal helmet that contrasted the entire outfit.

'Who are these people? Hunter of Hunters?' That was Jaune's first thought. 'But we're not even blood-drunk!'

The smaller figure drew forth an eastern sword from a hidden scabbard and held it in front of themselves. They then gestured for him to attack him using it.

'Tch. Condescending fucker.' He cursed.

He fell into a stance and glared at them.

The figure tilted their head curiously and let out a muffled chuckle.

"Alright then. I guess I'll come at you." The figure taunted.

In that moment, they appeared in front of him in a blur of black. His enemy's metal mask was so close that he can hear their breathing, before he was struck through the chest and kicked away once again.

He grunted when he hit a wall and held onto a stab wound to his gut. All the while, the figure stood still and watched him in the most arrogant way possible. Leaning against their sword and staring with a tilted head.

'Bitch.' Jaune cursed internally. He gazes behind the figure to find Alfred wrestling against who he assumed was this smaller sword-wielder's partner with a crazed and manic grin. 'They're mocking me since I can't beat them… shit I need to get to Alfred.'

"Concerned for your friend?" The sword-wielder asked in a taunting tone. "Don't worry, he'll be heading off to the nightmares soon… or will be if he isn't struggling so much." They said looking back.

As soon as they turned to look at the fight behind them, Jaune dashed in with as much speed as possible, sword held back to deliver a thrust attack.

He expected the sword to be parried or dodged. Instead, it struck something, that something being the eastern sword's guard.

"Quite rude of you hm?" They mocked.

Now that he was closer to them, he could hear their voice more clearly behind the mask.

'It's… a woman?'

The swordswoman struck his neck with lightning speed, forcing him to double over. She then kneed his face and delivered a 360 kick to the abdomen and knocking him towards a wall.

"I can tell that you're not used to fighting human opponents. Or rather, skilled human opponents anyway." She chuckled.

Tears plagued his eyes as he massaged his throat. He gazed behind her to find Alfred in a losing battle as his weapon was knocked to the floor, now resorting to grappling his own enemy.

"This will all end soon enough." She stated, standing in her spot. "Don't worry. After this is over, we'll see whether or not you are worth keeping. If not… well… I guess you'll serve the Queen in another way hm?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jaune coughed.

"Oh nothing." She waved him off. "We'll explain when we get back. That is, if you allow us too."

He clicked his tongue.

'She's strong, but so is her partner.' He thought. 'Alfred looks like he needs help, now. He's my only source of information right now and I can't have him die dammit!"

He tenses his body once more and holds the kirkhammer sword with both hands.

"You're not making this any easier, are you?" She sighed dramatically. "Well… at least I'll have something to do while he takes out our little False Attendant."

'He huh?' Jaune mindlessly thought.

He shook his head and concentrated.

He dashes towards the lady and holds the sword over his head to deliver an overhead swipe. A telegraphed attack.

The swordswoman visibly shook her head on the approaching hunter and raises her own eastern blade at the last minute to block the attack.

What she didn't expect though, was for Jaune to let go of the sword and tackling her to the floor. His own height and weight, supported by the hammer of the Kirkhammer, allowed him to topple her with ease as he wrestled the sword away from her.

They grappled and tussled, each fighting to gain dominance over the other. Jaune's superior strength however, allowed him to overpower her in an instant, and with no weapon by his side, he resorted to choking the swordswoman out.

She grabbed hold of his hands in an attempt to stop the hunter from strangling her but to no avail. Mustering as much strength as she could, she kicked him in-between his legs, forcing him to keel in on himself.

Jaune was pushed off the swordswoman and was sent towards another wall when she sent a punch that struck his right eye, her glove fist, scratching it hard.

'Oum's asshole!' Jaune cursed once more as he cradled his bleeding eye.

He prepared to dash towards her once more but stopped when she pinned him to the wall with the blade held against his abdomen, her elbow pinning his neck.

"Smart, but not smart enough." She snarled. "Quite a fierce way to fight, I think she'll like that."

"Who… are you even talking about?" He choked as she applied more pressure. "The… Queen?"

The swordswoman paused for a second and laughed.

"Ah, no, not her majesty at all!" She continued to laugh as she applied even more pressure to her elbow. "I'm sure that False Attendant has told you about our captain, Bloodminister R-"

A sudden large figure flown in from the corner of his only working eye and carried the swordswoman off of him. Her partner was thrown against her, and they both struck a wall.

"Ha ha! Close, but in a contest of strength, I still outmatch many of you!" A maniacal laughter came from his right and Jaune looked to find Alfred, his face bloodied and body with several cuts on his body.

The hunter of vilebloods injected a vial into his thigh and all his visible wounds healed themselves. He then picked up a dropped Kirkhammer and carried it over his shoulder.

"Hunter Jaune! I see that you are alright?" Alfred asked.

"Better than fine." He grunted, injecting a vial himself. Jaune picked up his sword and moved to his fellow hunter's side. "You know these people?"

The two hunter of hunter lookalikes got off each other and pointed their blades at the hunters.

"Black Birds." Alfred replied immediately, seething as he did so. "The Bloodminister's assassins that she trained herself. Although there are few of them, they are… strong."

"They called you a False Attendant." Jaune said, the two Black Birds approaching cautiously. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing you need to know off." Alfred replied.

The so-called Black Birds charged at them both, swapping positions as they did so. The larger, burly swordsman taking Jaune whilst the smaller swordswoman took Alfred.

"Surrender." The swordsman replied in a gruff voice muffled by the helmet.

"No." Jaune responded curtly, buckling under the swordsman's strength. "What do you want with me?"

"It'll be explained when we take you." The swordsman said, rearing his head. He then butted heads with Jaune, knocking him backwards. "If you can make that easier for us."

'Why do they keep saying that?' Jaune grunted.

The two clashed once more, closer to the shrine that Alfred was praying to.

'This isn't working! The space is too small for us to fight, and we can't use the hammers properly here!'

Buckling under the swordsman's strength, Jaune let the larger man force him down as he ducked through the swordsman's legs.

He delivered two slashes and a thrust that caught him off-guard. The swordsman swung in a circle which Jaune avoided. He then thrusted and pierced into his arm, forcing his weapon off his hand and to the floor.

The swordsman backstepped to the stone fence of the platform and Jaune capitalised on the moment of weakness. A moment which he paid a price for as the swordsman pulled out an unusually long pistol and fired point-blank into his chest.

'What the fuck?!'

In that moment where he was exposed. Jaune's face was grabbed by the swordsman, and he was thrusted down to the floor, cracking it slightly, and possibly the back of his own skull.

"A clever move indeed." He congratulated in a curt manner. "I see why my partner had a little hard time. That and her sadistic nature."

His world was slowly fading into darkness, black shadows surrounding him as he began to lose his grip on the world.

"Good. Sleep." The larger man said, injecting a vial into his shoulder. "Once we kill the False Attendant, we'll take you back."

'No… I can't… I can't let them kill him!' Jaune thought, mustering as much strength to get up but to no avail. 'D-Damn it! Not now!'

The swordsman regained his sword and approached the battle between his partner and Alfred, intending on finishing the fight. He was stopped when Jaune grabbed his leg.

He looked back to the fallen hunter, a small pool of blood seeping out of the back of his head. His eyes were hazy as he glared at him.

The swordsman sighed and shook his head. He cut the boy's hand and shook it off his foot and turned back to assist his partner.

But when he did so, he was welcomed with a high-pitched shriek, and a bloody black figure, pummelled into pieces unrecognizable.

"So…" Alfred laughed menacingly.

In his right was the kirkhammer sword, little splots of blood over it. Meanwhile his left held the actual hammer of the trick weapon, all bloodied and with bits and pieces of flesh, guts and brain matter scattered hanging and scattered around the hunter of vileblood.

"I assume that you are next?"

OCs? DISGUSTING FILTHY CRREEATURESS! What in the name of the World's arse are they doing here? Yes, this is satire. Don't worry, they won't be here for long, I mean I literally killed one of them already. And yes, we have another Remnant character that was spiritually transported to Yharnam, or well... Castle Cainhurst. Reveal is in next chapter.

Don't wanna say too much here, but! To answer a review I saw recently. I never said anything about a certain event that occured in the story. I just gave you guys a possibility for you to think about. I'm sure some of you know what I mean. Besides, you'll know the result after a bit so *shrugs*.

See yall in the next chapter.

WAIT WAIT! Just looked at another recent review. The one about the bandit with his neck being pierced and shit! That guy's totally dead, it's impossible for him to be alive after what Jaune did! The one that shot Jaune was a completely different person! Sorry, should've clarified that.