"Explain that to me again"
The blonde apparent doctor that he had yet to
learn the name of looked at him. Not a look of annoyance that he kept asking her questions but, a look of confusion of her own. She was out of her depth regarding this to it seemed.
"You are in a dream, you have fallen asleep in whatever strange place you hail from, and a part of you has ended up here?"
"I got that part… but, that doesn't make any logical sense"
"I am not an expert on the subject myself but surely you have heard whispers about hunters, dreamers, the like"
He thought about that for a moment, of course he knew what a hunter, was what a dreamer was , but he did not know what they were in this strange context she was talking about them.
"I'm sorry I never heard anything of the sort?"
"Well the hunters they hunt,"
"Yes…" He wanted to facepalm right there.
"The hunters of yharnam and the surrounding areas, those who protect us from beasts big and small. They dream"
To say he was confused by this would be an understatement.
"What do you mean?"
"From what I understand they sleep they dream then they hunt. Connected to the dream"
He still had no idea what that meant.
"What about me though? Im not hunting."
"Perhaps you an exception to the rule.. perhaps you are a hunter and don't even know it yet…" The woman paused lost in thought
"Well, nevermind that how do I get out of here?"
"That I can not answer, a hunter is trapped here, but as you said you are no hunter certainly not a traditional one anyways"
"What are you?"
"Im just a doctor looking after those who have not fallen to the pestilence of beasthood…"
"What do you mean by Pestilence of Beasthood… is it like an infection?"
" Beasts at least many beasts were not always beasts they started as human or animals, until they inherited the plague of the beast, not an infection a virus. An endemic that has ravaged this city and many surrounding places" The doctors eyes looked up searching for a memory " For... well the time frame is lost on me but a very long time"
"What year is it?"
"Year?" The doctor said the word year like he just spoke in a language no one understood…
"A year is a a period of time like every 365 days is a new year starting january 1st…"
The doctor continued looking confused.. Though then there appeared to be a eureka moment after a few moments of thought… "I have heard of this practice, but long ago as a child, when this scourge of beasts was much more maintained… I believe we did away with that means of measurement."
They've done away with the calendar… Hunters that are not hunters, dreams. This place felt so real, he knew he fell asleep before he ended up here, hell even the one person in this dream is telling him it's a dream, but this place it feels far too real to be a dream. He's lucid dreamed and had sleep paralysis a couple of times in his life. It never felt this real or concrete. Even sleep paralysis the strange limbo it exists in between being awake and asleep. At the moment it feels real but afterward, you realize at least he realized that it wasn't actually real… But this place this woman. Despite the bizarre and fantastical nature of some of what she said it just seemed far too in-depth for one of his dreams. The woman seemed like her own person where in dreams normally he could tell that every person or being within is simply an extension of himself in some way. His dreams never had an extensive lore like this place seemed to visually they were interesting… but
"What is your name?"
"My name is Adam." he said
"I Am Iosefka…" The women paused, looked up into her head for a few moments, "Iosefka, possibly the only sane doctor left in this foul place "
"What is this place exactly?"
"This is my clinic"
"You own this place?"
"Well no in truth, well it belonged to another, a man who was long passed when i arrived I suppose i took his practice over."
"So you are not a doctor?"
"Well no I am, I did never take the general eds I suppose… though that was due to the school and the church slowly dissolving into a cold war. I never received my degree or my bestowation but I did pass all the classes I needed to take for proper medical knowledge."
"Oh… " He was at a bit of a loss the words strangely familiar for such a strange place, well up until the part about the school, the church and cold war. Though judging by her accent and the general state of furniture in the women's stolen clinic. He appeared to be in some nighmarish version of 18th century england or something. But how and why…
*CRASH* *Thud*
Panic shot up through him, he imagined the worst of the worst that it could be. He felt quite certain this place was real but even if it was not his dreams did have a tendency to turn to nightmares after a calm, this dream so far if that truly is what it was, has been quite calming overall after that initial rush of adrenaline of the women trying to attack him things calmed down quite a bit, this place was terrifying but if what Iosefka said was true this place is quite fascinating, not a place he'd want to stay but a dream he would like to recount, so he hoped beyond hope he'd remember such a thing.
He thought in that moment he would reawaken or some such thing, but that is not at all what happened opposed to reawakening he simply was still standing here in the worn down ancient clinic with the women, who seemed quite a ways more tense than she was before. Though far less than she was during their initial confrontation some minutes ago,. "How much time has passed?" he wondered. Though that thought only passed his brain for a moment as the increasing tension of Iosefka begin to reach him, if she is scared this must be a danger. Of course the women was scared of him perhaps it is simply another visitor similar in nature to him. Though something he could not put into words in him told him this was most certainly not the case.
*Clang* *Scruff scruff*
This sound sounded much closer than the initial explosion of noise earlier. Adam opted to do the logical thing and back away from the sound, though it seemed the alleged doctor had other plans, she was heading not directly in the direction of the noise but close to it in a way. She begun walking forward down the hall towards the left wall, which brought her close but also farther away from the source of the noise, oppose to just walking back down the halfway. Like any sane person would. "Dont you have to be smart to be a doctor?"
But he supposed she did give herself the title, it was not awarded to her and honestly from the way iosefka talked about the world outside this place, there was much more to fear. Despite this he still found himself walking towards what he perceived to be an exit, though after taking another glance at the nurse, he instead opted to do something hed possibly regret, which was follow said nurse. If this was some weird situation where he was trapped in another world hed rather not be alone, and even if it was just a dream as even the nurse said, in the moment things still seemed far too real. The women may have left a very powerful and somewhat scary first impression, but he did not desire her death. "When did i start thinking like this?" Strange, i mean morally its correct but when did he ever entertain such thoughts so… Weird with such unique word choices... Why am I. Nevermind just focus follow the "doctor".
As he followed her the wood creaked more and they got through the winding hallway, which he had to admit was quite grand looking despite its worn state. Though something did feel uncanny about it, it was very beautiful but it was also creepy in some way, perhaps just the nature of the moment, but just something about the way the hallway was bothered him, he felt odd, too big or perhaps not big enough. It felt as though he was walking through a place that shouldnt be. THe doctor turned down a hallway, and he heard a voice, it was british accented similar to hers, but sounding less proper, more slurred. "Ive been looking for you teacher… "
"Emily…" Iosefka said shaken " How did you find me, the choir are you here on their behalf"
"The choir, haha that silly group far too little for me they squashed true potential"
"Im on rough waters with Amelia, though I see now what she is what all our vicars have been, they are not great beings, but mere beasts ."
"... what do you mean?"
"Even you teacher all you have taught me you do not see the truth… It is fine though I will show you… I found the key the key to true acendance, not the lie of the choir or the blasphemy of the school."
".. I have no interest in ascendance of any kind anymore I saw the horrors of our group, and the others first hand, it seems you have seen horrors of your own"
"No interest in ascendance , teacher. It seems the chatter is true.. Ive heard that youve secluded yourself to the beggar beast infested streets of yharnam. Working with hunters..." *SPits in disgust*, ."I also hear you are working closely with those infected with the pestilence of beasthood… its sad to see.. I fear you are infected to."
"NOO. emily I promise I am not infected I have been studying the beasts both as a choir member and as a doctor, for nearly as long as you have been alive. I promise I would know if i was infected, and even if I was. The old hunter would surely kill me before i would truly succumb."
"The old hutner has lost his spark and the hunters are cursed.. Beneath the glory of the church and the knowledge of the school, and all our beneath the truth I have found, teacher it is so sad to see you succumb to beasthood, but I will save you do not worry, you will be a great being, what better way to show my thanks."
"NO emily I have no interest in ascendance ive already said"
"Your plague ridden mind is confusing you but don not worry soon you will understand.."
"WHo are you?"
"What another a visitor how could I not sense.. Hmm.."
"A dreamer like a hunter but not a hunter. But a dreamer who does not hunt what..?" "Is he are you?"
"You must be my new acolyte sent by the formless oedon itself.. You must witness "
"ADAM Help"
Adam was never one for bravery he could be brave if a situation really demanded for it but he never really saw himself as the type to really do anything. Though in this moment, it felt as though what was there to lose.
So he grabbed a book from the nearby shelf and threw it at her hand where she had a strange syringe filled with some liquid. The book did not seem to deter her but it did knock the syringe out of her hand. Which it then proceeded to shatter all over the floor coating the wood in a strange aura that… it was like stars. In a way it was beautiful it gave him a migraine to look at but he couldnt stop. The womens foot was caught in the aura and she seemed to be sucked up by it and it was fucked up and he knew it should be fucked up but it was beutiful there was something great about it amazing, he couldnt look away. He craved more of seeing things likt that, the womens skin erupted into strange shimmering shaking almost jello like substances, the floor continues to sparkle like the ever expansive cosmos, and he begun to hear a whisper of something something he couldnt quite understand, he was scared but there was some desire within him to walk forward into the aura and be consumed by it, what could it hold what beauty he needed it… he started to take a step forward. But then was held back by someone "STOP" Iosefka yelled.
"I need it.." i tried to fight against her the whispers became still unintelligible but somehow more comprehensive, and then he felt something hard hit the back of his head and then ...
—-
He fainted he felt his head hit the floor he even heard a creak and a mild gasp from iosefka, but then as soon as his head hit the floor for a instant there was nothing just white and maybe a hint of something. And then just as the white disappeared his eyes opened not in the clinic but in a setting more familiar but still quite foreign, he saw green walls and white and gray tiled floor. He heard a beeping.
His bones and skin and muscles they al felt so worn and sore, like he just had the workout of his life, but his teeth had the familiar tenderness that happened when he slept for too long. It all came together in a feeling of particularly immense pain
After taking a minute to recover from that, he came to the realization that he was in a hospital he saw a woman, in green hospital wear (Scrubs?) and upon her noticing him,
"You're awake… I'll grab the doctor now."
"PAMELA WATCH HIM" I heard a scratchy voice yell. This was not the way I felt someone who just woke up in a hospital bed should be treated, but thinking about it for a few more moments he realized the nurse or whatever the women's official job was, was probably startled
So hes in a hospital… thats so bizzare. Granted his dream did feel quite long. But for him to be in a hospital well he had to have been asleep for quite awhile. Hes fallen asleep for 15 hours before, its rare but it happened a few times. The few times it did his family was worried and inquisitive when he got up. But they never resorted to calling the hospital even renee, who tended to be in particular quite extreme with her worry for him. She never called the hospital, so he couldnt imagine charlie or even bella resorting to such a thing. Unless it was particularly worrisome. It had to have been at least a day…
His thoughts were interrupted by the formation of an intense headache yet again, For a moment he forgot what this feeling was until he remember. His powers. Or well whatever they were. He could tell the doctor was right in the room looking at him but he did not have the ability to look right now, far too much is happening in a short period of time…
He appreciated the respect the doctor gave him. Leaving him to silence. And not speaking to him right at this moment.
That respect was quickly replaced by a voice speaking though.
"Hello Adam... "
"Hey"
"Do you know where you are?"
"Um a hospital…." I thought for a minute about what was happening the days before my dream.
"In forks right?"
"Yea. this is Forks Hospital. And im Dr. Cullen"
"... so why am I here?... what happened?"
"You have been asleep for 5 days… and we are trying to understand why?'
What the hell is going on….?
N. Its been awhile hasn't it let me know what you think of the new chapter and predictions on what you think it might mean. Also let me know what you think of my characterization of emily (Who was supposed to be the imposter iosefka from Bloodborne btw if that wasn't clear) did the backstory and personality seem believable?
