Where the Blood Falls?
By Bubbajack
Editor/coauthor: Icysnowsage, Old man of the mountain/Darklord331
Disclaimer: We don't own shit that shows up in this fan work! So sayeth our legal team suction cup man!
Ch.2: Orion Answers the Call.
Mason and Mabel were on their way back to the Mystery Shack when suddenly Mason stopped, causing Mabel to almost bump into him from behind. "Broseph, something wrong?"
"Not wrong exactly… I just remembered there's something I need to take care of," patting her head like an elderly man indulging a child he said, "You head on back to the Shack okay? I'll be back in a bit."
Swatting his hand away, Mabel said, "Nothing doing Bro! Last time I left you alone something bad happened so now I'm gonna stick so close to you, people are gonna think we're conjoined twins!" Mabel told him as she clung to his stump of an arm.
"Gross," Mason replied goodnaturedly, "But suit yourself." The Hunter replied as he took off along the treeline.
"Where are we going anyway?" Mabel asked, keeping a hold of his armless sleeve.
Not turning around, Mason replied, "I think it would be in my… our best interest to take care of a certain Shapeshifter."
Mabel stopped walking, causing her younger twin to stop when he felt the tension in his jacket sleeve, "Wait, you mean like… kill it?" She looked at him squeamishly, "Is that the right thing to do?"
"Would you prefer to risk it potentially thawing, escaping the bunker and going on a murderous rampage without us being able to tell its on the loose and who its impersonating?" Her brother questioned.
Mabel thought about it, the idea of a killer with no set face, fingerprints or anything like that, who if discovered could just become someone else. 'Yeah I'd need a whole lotta Mabel Juice to forget that mess if it ended up happening,' She thought before saying, "Okay I see your point."
Mason nodded and kept walking towards the Bunker, after a few minutes of silence he said, "Good, I'm glad… are you sure you wanna come along? I'm used to death, you're kinda… not."
Mabel gave her brother the biggest grin she could muster braces and all. She knew he was trying to give her an out, but she wasn't gonna take it. After all, what kind of big sister, nay twin would she be if she couldn't handle even a fraction of the same things her other half, her 'little brother' could? "Nah I'm fine."
"You sure?" He asked, clearly not believing her.
Mabel took a deep breath, "Yeah, I may not've been to crazy happy blood people town,"
"Yharnam," Mason corrected.
"That's what I said," Mabel continued, "But I've been through some stuff too! Remember the Lilliputians? They tried to cut me open, remember?"
To which the Hunter nodded, "After you ate that dumb sticker they wanted but yes, I recall."
"Potato, potato," Mabel replied, "Anyway the point is I've been in a few scraps myself."
Scratching his brow with a single finger Mason pondered aloud, "I distinctly recall bailing you and Pacifica out by jury rigging a golf cart?"
"I-uh- Yeah okay, you got me there," Mabel admitted. "But we were holding our own before you showed up, believe me."
Chuckling the Hunter indulged her, "I have no doubt the two inch nothing golf ball headed fiends were quite terrifying."
Poking him in the back with a finger, Mabel questioned, "Are you mocking me bro-bro? Cause I feel like I'm being mocked."
Holding his good arm against his chest, Mason replied, "Who me? No never. Wouldn't dream of it sis."
"Uh-huh," Mabel replied, clearly sounding unconvinced.
"We're here," Her brother said.
Indeed, in what felt like no time, the Mystery Twins had reached the bottom of the staircase and were heading into the Bunker proper. It was just how they'd left it a couple of weeks prior. Strange contraptions lay scattered about, trash was everywhere, past the security room and into the cryogenic freezing lab.
Thankfully he was right where they had left him, frozen solid in a glass tube. Readying his cane Mason glanced behind him and said, "Mabel look away, I'm serious."
Needing no further prompting, Mabel closed her eyes and looked off to the side. That was when Mason stuck. The thick point of his Threaded Cane went right through the Shapeshifters heart. Cracks spread out from its frozen form before it shattered into so many pieces.
Not satisfied with that though, Mason pulled some fire paper out of his coat pocket and ran it along his cane before he transitioned it into a whip and proceeded to beat the shards of the Shapeshifter out of existence. By the time the flames had been snuffed out, the only reminder of the Shifter was the scorch marks on the bottom of the freezing tube.
"There, it's done," Mason said as he slammed his Cane on the bunker floor, forcing it back into its original state.
"Cool. Now what?" Mabel asked, looking at the scorched floor where the Shapeshifter once stood.
"Now, let's head home."
Mabel seconded that notion, "Sounds like a plan brother man."
Rolling his eyes yet smirking regardless, Mason replied, "Never change Mabel, never change."
"So, sugar lemme see if I got this straight," Lil Giddeon began as he spoke to what looked to be the life-sized Japanese doll in front of him as he held up a black straw doll with a red string tied around its neck. "I pull this string and you send Dipper Pines to hell lickety split? Real quick like?"
The girl pale as a ghost wearing a black kimono with hair as black as night that went down to the small of her back nodded, her crimson eye unblinking before she nodded, "Yes, you pull the string and I take the source of your grudge to hell… but be warned, you will follow when your time is up on this plane."
To which Gideon gestured around himself, "Well… I've already lost it all anyway… because of him! I mean look at where I am! Lil ole me! Here in jail while he gets to walk free!" Looking down at the straw doll, he said, "Ah sure don't feel like I got much left to lose miss spirit."
"Then I suppose, you've already made up your mind," She spoke in a detached, measured way.
Clasping the crimson thread between his finger and thumb, Gideon said, "Yeah, I reckon I have."
Mason and Mabel had just finished climbing the stairs out of the gloom of the bunker, the air felt good in their lungs compared to the stale air in the confines of the Bunker. The sun was just setting as the two ascended the final stairs… only to find they weren't alone.
Waiting for them on the top stair was a young girl, Japanese by the look of her, dressed in a black kimono, she was unusually pale, so much so Mason thought he was looking at another living Doll. Then he noticed her eyes…
Red. Like twin pools of blood… Like a paleblood sky. Holding out a hand to stop his sister he called out to the girl. "Can I help you?"
"You are… Dipper Pines?" The girl questioned. Seemingly detached from the situation.
"Yes… and you are?"
Instead of answering, both she and the Hunter were teleported away in a sudden burst of smoke.
"Wha~! Bro-Bro? Mason!" Mabel called in shock before she dashed back as fast as she could to the Shack. Silently praying Maria or one of the others would know what to do.
"Urd, what the Hel?" Skuld said as she stomped up to her half-sloshed sister.
"What's got you all riled up now?"
Pointing a finger at her accusingly, Skuld said, "You know what you did! That boy I was supposed to go see just got sent to Hel!"
Holding up her hands defensively and spilling her martini in the process, Urd replied, "Don't look at me, I may like my pranks but I don't think sending someone to Hel is in any way funny."
Skuld pouted for a moment before she said, "Sorry… could your mom have done it?" She pondered aloud.
Urd thought it over as she poured herself another martini, "Unlikely she knows better than to cross dad," Holding out her hand she said, "Show me the paperwork?" Taking the folder from her little sister Urd narrowed her eyes as she scanned it and she quickly found something. "Skuld, it says here he got sent to Naraka the Buddhist Hel."
"What? Nonono! They are not poaching one of our wish grantees from us." Rolling up the sleeves of her robe as she scowled determinedly, the Norn of the Future headed to the World Gate, gavel in hand, and her guardian robot Banpei followed in her wake, intent on saving her charge.
Mason awoke to the sound of water, and the rocking of a boat. Sitting up he found himself on a small skiff, its oar being handled by that girl from earlier. The sea they were on was dark and choppy covered in a thick gray fog. Yet despite that, Mason could see a simply gigantic tori gate looming in the distance. Turning back to the girl he said, "Alright, I'll bite, where are we headed?"
"I am ferrying your soul to Naraka as per my agreement with King Yama," The girl replied stoically, her eyes fixed ahead.
"I'm being shuffled off to Buddhist Hell… I'm Jewish! Or I was…" He said to himself, before he gave his head a shake, "Anyway, I demand a fair trial, or at least to know why I'm being sent to hell."
In response, the mist thinned on the port side of the skiff and showed Lil Gideon, of all people. The girl spoke again then, "He bore a great grudge against you. So much so, he was willing to consign his own soul to hell after death to send you there forthwith."
"Yeah no," Mason said flatly, "I'd like to file an appeal with the court."
"Denied," The girl said flatly. "Your sentence is to be carried out forthwith."
"On what grounds?"
For the first time, the girl stopped rowing and looked at him. There was something akin to sorrow in her crimson orbs, "The grounds of Equivalent Exchange."
"I demand a retrial due to lack of evidence condemning me to hell. I am allowed a fair trial," Mason argued.
"I… you don't… I can't…" The girl began it as if she were fighting with herself. Then she became completely stoic once again, "I can't help you, I'm so sorry."
Despite her stoicism Mason could tell she meant it. 'Something not adding up here,' So he tried a new tactic. "So can I at least know the name of my chauffeur?"
"Enma. Enma Ai. " The girl replied.
"And you work for King Yamma of your own volition, Enma-san?"
Once again her crimson eyes locked with his and this time she looked angry, "Of course not!"
Taking to his feet, he inched towards the girl only for hands to come up through the skiff, trying to pin him in place… it would've worked, if he were a normal human.
"You shouldn't move Yama doesn't like that,"
"Like I give a damn what some asshole god who won't even judge me properly thinks," Mason replied as he lifted his legs destroying the pinning hands as easily as a human would a fly. Approaching the girl he placed his good hand on her head and asked, "Would you like to get out of here so we can talk properly?"
"How did you? We can't leave Yama won't let us…" Ai was silenced when Mason held a finger to her lips.
"Yes or no?" He asked.
"Yes," The Naraka Kings ferrrywoman replied on impulse.
Mason nodded, "Right then! Fella's, I need a lantern."
Seconds later an old lantern was sitting in the middle of the skiff, held up by a bunch of…
'Are those damned souls of infants?' Ai wondered as her guest bent down and lit the lantern. Its flames gave off a blue-white light and a heady scent of some kind of herbs filled the air and caused Ai to relax just a little.
Taking her hand in his, Ai felt an unusually warmth in his hand and for the first time in so long she too felt warmth, or rather she realized how cold she was by contrast.
'Am I… cold?' Ai asked herself as she felt her palm get pressed against the lantern that was giving off a subtle heat.
"Let's go somewhere a bit more comfortable shall we? And if Yama wants me so bad, he can come get me himself."
With that said the Hunter and the Hell Girl disappeared, leaving the skiff empty sans a single lit lantern.
And thus, did Yama rage when an empty boat passed the Tori Gate. For something had taken his Hell Girl. He would have retribution for this!
Ai gasped! For a moment she felt like nothing at all. Even less corporeal than a spirit. Then she became solid again, and found herself on a cobblestone path leading to a charred church. "C'mon Ai, do you mind if I call you Ai? I'll give you the grand tour, sorry about the mess in advance."
"It's fine… and you may call me whatever you wish," The girl replied in a slightly broken manner at her would be savior. As he pulled open the charred door for her. She quietly walked in and looked around. The workshop was a mess, being covered in ash like it was, but the kettle was fine and the fireplace still worked. So Mason busied himself by dusting ash off a chair telling his guest to sit while he put the kettle on.
Ai made herself comfortable in a slightly charred armchair, brass rivets kept it in place and the leather had been stained by smoke but it was still perfectly serviceable. Her host soon appeared with a silver tea set, placing it on the ash covered table. He poured her a cup and asked, "Sugar, cream?"
Not used to western teas she replied, "Whatever you recommend."
"One sugar and two creams it is then," the Hunter said, adding just that amount before handing her the cup and making one for himself. Taking a sip of his drink, Mason sat there in silence with his guest for a time before finally locking eyes with her and asking, "Right then… So, what's the judge of hell got on you?"
"Are all Westerner's so… forward?" Ai asked.
Smiling a bit as he refilled her cup, the Hunter replied, "Only when we want to help a lady in distress such as you."
Ai shook her head in disagreement even as her cheeks rosened, "You can't help me, no one can."
"Don't be so sure. I won't know if I can do anything till I know what's going on," He prodded. "At the very least I can listen to your troubles. How long has it been since someone's been able to do that for you?"
'Several hundred years,' Ai thought to herself. "I was born a long time ago…" She began. She told him everything she'd buried in her heart so long ago. How her village had condemned her as a 'cursed child'. Despite that, her parents and best friend and cousin Sentarou Shibata hid her in the forest with him bringing her food for years… until they found her… until Sentarou betrayed her, by burying her alive. She then rose as a true evil spirit and destroyed everyone in in the village as penance for their sin against her. For this, she had been made the Hell Girl; her parents' souls were kept on the bank of Naraka by King Yama and should she ever fail in her duty to ferry souls Yama would send her parents souls to Naraka along with her own.
"So basically, the judge of Buddhist hell is a dick?" Mason summarized.
"Yes," Ai nodded, as she finished off her fourth cup of tea. The tea felt oddly invigorating and brought her peace almost as the warmth circulated her body.
Suddenly Mason held up a hand, moment's before his Cane materialized in his hand as he headed towards the workshop doors.
"What's wrong?" Ai asked.
"Someone's here who shouldn't be," the Hunter replied as he stalked towards the door. Throwing it open suddenly, he struck out with the tip of his cane, causing the person on the other side to yelp in pain.
"Oww! That hurt! Why did that hurt?" A dark-haired girl with brown eyes asked herself as she rubbed the red spot on her head right where a hollow blue teardrop tattoo was. She was wearing a white robe with a red shawl around her neck, with an overly large gavel in her hand, with white gloves and shoes.
"Who…" Mason asked, minorly confused, at meeting another mysterious girl today, "Are you, and what're you doing in my Dream?"
"Banpei, help me up… can't believe he hit me, what a terrible first impression," The girl muttered. Taking to her feet with the aid of an automaton the girl coughed into her hand before she introduced herself. "Hello I am Skuld from the Goddess Relief Agency, and I'm here to grant your wish.
"I… I'm sorry?" Mason said, blinking at the sure audacity fo what this girl just said, "Did you just say wish?"
"Yes, might I come in so we may speak of this properly?" Skuld asked.
"Fine… but the robot stays outside," Mason replied.
"Of course, Banpei, stand guard."
The robot beeped and started to patrol the area. That is until it found the messengers and started to play with them.
In short order, Mason had Skuld set up with her own cup of tea, giving her his chair while he sat on a half broken stool propped up on charred books.
"Are you alright like that?" Skuld asked. She'd mellowed out quite a bit in her big sis' absence and it just felt wrong taking a chair while her host was forced into a stool, balancing a teacup and saucer on his knee.
Yet the boy didn't complain, instead saying, "I'm fine, anyway you said something about a wish?"
"Ahem, yes. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Skuld, Goddess First Class Unlimited License. Meaning I can do anything, and I do mean anything to grant your wish."
"Skuld… that's norse isn't it? The Norse Norn of the future unless I miss my guess?"
Skuld beamed. These days outside of pagan circles most people didn't know who she was. "That's right! I'm here to grant you your heart's desire, whatever it might be."
Pointing to himself the Hunter asked, "Why me?"
"You… you're kidding right?" Skuld deadpanned. "Mason, can I call you that? You singlehanded defeated a major threat from one of the outer gods obtaining physical form, stopped a cult from taking over the world, and slayed another outer god that was trapping people in a relentless nightmare for at least a few centuries. If anything you've earned three wishes. But we can only give you one, we're not genies after all."
"Ah… and I can wish for anything?"
"Anything," Skuld confirmed, "Destruction of the universe, godhood, world peace, whatever you want."
Mason looked at Ai, as he said, "I can wish for anything…" He smirked, I think I know what to wish for."
"Mason, what are you…" Ai questioned before she suddenly understood, her crimson eyes widening in surprise, she stood, dropping her tea cup to the floor. The shattering went missed as she almost pleaded Mason to not waste his wish on her. "No! Don't do it, I'm not worth a wish."
"I wish… that the souls of Ai Enma's parents would be removed from the bank of the Sanzu River by achieving Nirvana."
Skuld looked to the ceiling before a beam of light shot forth from her forehead shooting through the roof.
Mason glanced over to see Ai had fallen to her knees, staring at him in shock as tears streams down her eyes in mini rivers. "You… actually did it… Why? I don't understand. You don't know me, you… I was taking you to Naraka! Why would you use a wish to help me?!"
"Because you needed help," Mason said with a shrug. "I tried so hard to help people before… before all of this… and the harder I tried, the more I failed… and you know what? I'm sick of it. So just this once I want everything to go right. Besides, how many people can say they screwed over a god?" He finished with a smirk.
"Your wish has been granted… By Asgard Mason, what've you done?" Skuld said, sounding horrified as she looked at him.
*Brring… Brring… Brring* Before he could answer, a phone ringing made an unmistakable sound around the Workshop.
Looking around Mason found it. It was an old rotary dial telephone covered in brass and copper. It looked both like it belonged in a museum and that it shouldn't be working since it wasn't plugged into anything.
Despite that it rang again, and this time the Norn moved to answer it. "Hello? Yes. Yes, that was his wish. Yes… Yes, I understand," She hung up the phone and sighed as her shoulders sagged a little.
"Who was that?" Mason asked.
Smiling wanly, Skuld replied, "The Almighty One… he told me I'm trapped on Earth due to granting your wish as punishment."
"What, why?!" Mason and Ai said at the same time.
"It was the compromise The Almighty One and King Yama came to. Since King Yama lost his Hell Girl it was only fair that the Almighty One lost someone as well."
"That's… that's bullshit," Mason said.
"It was the only way to prevent a war between the Norse and Buddhist Pantheons," Skuld replied.
Mason marched over to the phone and picked up the receiver. "What're you doing Mason?"
"Giving this Almighty One a piece of my mind!" He replied.
Tyr, or as he was better known these days, The Almighty One, did not expect to be called back so quickly but suspected it might be his now mortal youngest daughter. 'Skuld always did call me when she didn't know what to do,' He thought. So thinking he answered the call. Yet the voice on the other end wasn't that of his youngest child.
"Is this The Almighty One?"
Surprised though he didn't let it show, Tyr asked, "Yes, who is this?"
"Mason Orion Pines. One of your Goddess' just granted my wish and I'm very keen on knowing why you're abandoning her. I do hope your reasoning is satisfactory."
"Mason! Don't talk to my da- The Almighty One like that!"
"Oh great not only are you a useless deity but your also a worthless father, one who so easily abandons their-"
"SILENCE!" Tyr boomed, tired of this… human's impertinence.
"Daughter," The Hunter finished.
"Human, you do not understand what a precarious position your wish put us in."
"Explain it to me. Quite frankly I was surprised that in one day, I was kidnapped by a Buddhist Grim Reaper and was then approached by a Norse Goddess to have a wish granted. I'm Jewish for God's sake!"
"I do not have to explain anything to you mortal…" Tyr said.
"Yet you haven't hung up, so you must have something you wanna say," Mason said after a moment of silence.
"Well, to be quite frank with you Mason Orion Pines, we that is to say the Norse Pantheon are in no way capable of fighting the Buddhist pantheon now. Our twilight has long since come and gone."
"You're talking about Ragnarok," The Hunter surmised.
"Yes… we lost much in that twilight… too much, should it come to conflict, we would be wiped out entirely by the Buddhist pantheon. For unlike ours, their religion is cyclical."
"So in order to protect yourselves you sacrificed Skuld… I don't like it. It stinks of political maneuvering," Mason replied, "I'm a Hunter, a simple man of a simple profession. I hunt. Leave the politicking and the speeches for the Church hands and the Scholars."
"We both know you're lying to yourself now Mason Orion Pines. If you were just a Hunter as you say, you wouldn't have hunted so fiercely for an answer to everything that plagued you… you weren't just Hunting Beasts in Yharnam… you were hunting answers to the questions that plagued your mind," Tyr told him as he looked over the events that lead to Mason getting a wish.
"Perhaps I was, perhaps I wasn't but that's neither here nor there. Regardless it doesn't give you the right to just… leave Skuld adrift on Midgard."
"Neither she nor Ai Enma are adrift. It has been agreed between Yama and myself that since your wish caused this mess, it is your duty to look after them both."
"Is it now?" Tyr could hear the edge to the boy's voice. "You know, for a god, you lack… insight."
As he said this Tyr felt a sense of vertigo overcome him, his vision flickered for just a moment, and for a brief instant he saw not the puppet he had cocooned himself in after Ragnorok but a mass of fleshy eyes staring and winking at him listlessly. It passed as quickly as it came, but it was enough. Enough for Tyr to understand that he wasn't dealing with a mere mortal.
"What… What are you?"
"Beyond your kenning, Get of the Fenris," The boy spoke as one twice if not thrice or more his age. "I am he who hast lifted humanity into its next childhood. We shalt become as gods, and henceforth have no more need of thee."
The phone call ended with a click as the line went dead, and for the first time since Ragnarok Tyr felt well and truly afraid at the THING's care he had left his youngest daughter in.
Slamming the phone down on its receiver so hard the phone shook, Mason took several deep calming breaths as he glared at the archaic apparatus as if his gaze could set it aflame. "Fucker," Mason said to no one in particular before turning back to his guests. Seeing Skuld looking aghast he said, "I don't like your dad."
"I-I can't believe you just said what you did to my dad!" She seemed more shocked at the act itself than the language used.
"What can I say? I'm a rebel," Mason said with a shrug. Before turning to Ai and saying, "Enma-san, I was told to tell you you're stuck on earth with me for the time being."
Ai nodded stoically then bowed at the waist. "Then please take good care of me."
Returning her bow with one of his own, the Hunter returned the gesture, "And me as well."
"Me too!" Skuld said bowing hastily. She'd been in Japan long enough to pick up on the customs.
Mason nodded. "Of course…" He then placed his hands on his hips and thought aloud, "Now, how am I going to explain you both to my Grunkle Stan without him having a brain aneurysm."
"Grunkel?" The two asked at the same time.
"Ohh boy, this could get messy," Mason said to no one in particular as he led the way outside heading back to the headstone that would lead the way back to the Shack. "Well, we'd best get it over with." As he stood in front of the headstone, he told his guests, "Ok, the upcoming situation is going to be… tense. Let me do the talking and… try not to die."
"Not a problem, I can't die again," Ai stated flatly.
"Um, excuse me, but why is your family going to try and kill us when we show up?" Skuld asked, going bug-eyed at the idea.
He gave the Norn the short and vague version, "It's been a rough couple of days for me so my family is a bit protective of me… then someone went and kidnapped me right Enma-san?"
"Sorry?" The Hell Girl apologized stoically and seemingly not really sure what she was apologizing for in the first place.
"You aren't yet, but you're about to be," Mason said forebodingly as he took both girls' hands in his remaining one before pressing his stump to the headstone.
Earlier, Mystery Shack
Mabel burst into the shack shouting "GRUNKLE STAN!"
Hearing her frantic cry the shady businessman came rushing in on slipper clad feet. "What, what is it, princess? Where's your brother?"
"Mason, girl, kidnapped, ghost!" Mabel got out through gasps for air.
Taking a knee and putting his hands on her shoulders, Stan said, "Slow down sweetie and try again. Now, what happened to Mason?"
Doing as he said, the preteen took several breaths and began again, "Mason and I went back into the Bunker. He didn't feel comfortable leaving this Shapeshifter guy frozen down there so he smashed his frozen body into little tiny bits."
"Okay I have a lot of questions that can wait, go on," Stan urged as he silenced the others who had come down from the roof with a look when they heard Mabel's despair shout.
"Well when we were coming up from the Bunker and there was this girl waiting she looked like Cindy. She was asian, maybe Japanese? She was wearing a black flora pattern kimono with straight black hair, red eyes. She asked bro for his name, and when he confirmed who he was… poof, they just disappeared like they were made of smoke!" She accompanied the sound effect with hand gestures, moving her arms out in an explosive fashion before she continued. "She could be a teleporter or something, Mason could be anywhere now."
"No," Abigail said, shaking her head as she seemingly stared off into space. "He is… In the Dream at the moment… He is… upset, yelling at someone."
"Hic, how can you tell?" Mabel asked with tears in her eyes as she looked at Abigail.
"Mason and I have a… special connection," Abby said proudly as she stood as tall as she could, "I'm the legal wife after all."
Wendy poked her in the side of the head when she said this, saying, "You're not legal enough to be his legal anything shrimp."
"Rude!" Abby said, glaring up at her.
"Jealous," Wendy corrected.
To which the Puritan scoffed, "Pff hardly I can do without the back pain thank you very much."
Wendy opened her mouth, then closed it, "You win this round, shrimp."
Maria cleared her throat, "I do believe we should be going and checking on Mason should we not?"
Abigail shook her head, "No, he'll be here soon…" She then frowned as if she'd taken a sip of sour milk. "He's also bringing more guests with him," Crossing her arms and pouting, Abigail muttered to herself loud enough for the others to hear, "Who does that Mason think he is? Solomon himself?"
Everyone stared at her in shock and confusion as she said this. The silence was so poignant that the creaky sound of the door opening was like a car crash. They all turned to see two unknown girls enter the shop followed by a beleaguered looking Mason himself.
A pink missile slammed into the weary Hunter, nearly bowling him over as a worried Mabel snuggled into his chest. Bro-bro! You're okay!"
"Hey Mabes. Yeah I'm fine. Sorry didn't mean to worry you," He said as he ran still remaining hand through her hair.
Looking at the other two, Mabel gasped, "Wait, Mace, isn't she the one who kidnapped you?"
"She…I… it's complicated. Lets just say there stuck with me now since I kinda almost started a war between the Norse and Buddhist Pantheons,"
"Dude, do I even wanna know my Pterodactyl bro?" Soos asked.
Rubbing his eyes Mason said, "I'm tired bro, so if you wanna know, ask them," He replied while waving at the two girls. I am going to bed. See you all in the morning," He said as made his way towards the stairs.
"Dear Hunter?" Evetta called, making him pause and turn back briefly to look at her. "Are you truly well?" She asked, concerned.
"I'm annoyed, tired and have half a headache but I'll live Evie," He said, giving her a half smile before turning away before continuing up the stairs.
"I'll bring you some tea," She told him before she hurried off into the kitchen
"Appreciate it," He called down.
"So…" Wendy said after Mason had left the room. "Whatdaya say we do with them, boss?"
Stan grinned, as he rubbed his hands together, "I can think of a couple of things… around here, we have ways of making you talk."
"All I ask is that if you plan to kill me, that you not bury me alive," Ai requested, "Once was enough thank you."
Running a hand down his face the proprietor sighed, "Mashugna, why does Mason keep showin' up with all these crazy dames," Stan said under his breath. In a louder tone, he said "Okay you two, start talking or else. Yeesh I haven't felt this bad except when I was selling camera's to the amish."
"Or else what?" Skuld inquired wondering why she felt a similar feel from this mortal that she got from Mason.
"Or else I'll do what all Jewish folk do and bring up the vagueness of existence, religion, and human greed."
"Not gonna work old man, I'm an actual deity, and she's an onryo," Skuld said grinning triumphantly.
Stan snapped his fingers. "Darn, I… got nothing."
"Start talking or I'll get my ax," Wendy said, stepping in for her boss with a look of grim determination on her face.
"You can't hurt us. She's divine, and I am already dead," Ai said flatly remembering the words of warning Mason had given her earlier.
"You'll tell them what they want to know," Evetta said, coming out of the kitchen holding a steaming cup of tea, "Or neither of you will be fed during your stay here." She warned before she ascended the stairs.
The two shared a look at the thing that just walked up the stairs to give Mason tea of all things, "I think she's serious," Skuld said.
"I agree," Ai said with a nod.
Sighing, Skuld said, "Okay you start and I'll come in when I show up."
The Hell Girl nodded, "Very well."
Stan snapped his right hand first to catch their attention, "Popcorn first. This is like one of my soaps. Anyone else want snacks?"
Soos, Wendy, and Mabel nodded all feeling a little peckish.
The Hell Girl spoke up, "If you wouldn't mind yes please."
Skuld then piped up, "If you have any ice cream I'd love some, but no alcohol my sister does that enough for this entire state."
"Your sister sounds like my kind of lady," Stan laughed as he walked into the kitchen.
Evetta tapped on the door before she let herself into her Dear Hunter's room. In the dim light of the moon she could tell it was a mess with clothes strewn about and bits of children's games thrown here and there. 'Oh dear, I'll have to clean this up tomorrow for my dear hunter,' She thought to herself as she trapezed around mounds of dirty clothes and discarded books before she made it to her Hunters bed.
He was lying on his back staring blankly at the ceiling. He glanced over at the Doll when she stood above him offering a cup of tea and a smile of solace. "What is on your mind my Dear Hunter?"
"I just don't know if I'm even doing the right thing anymore Evie. Before, during the Hunt. It was easy. I hunt beasts, look for a way out of that Nightmare… do what I can to help people along the way. But now I'm out and… Well I kinda feel like I'm just going through the motions you know?" He sat up and accepted the tea, taking a sip before he continued. "Now I'm out and I'm not sure what I should be doing, or if what I've already done is the right thing."
Evetta cocked her head to the side for a moment before she spoke, slowly deliberately, "I may be just a Doll my Dear Hunter so perhaps I do not understand; but I think you did well in choosing to help that poor girl. You could have wished for anything… even that your time in the Dream had not taken place. Yet you chose to help someone you did not know, and that is admirable. Or I think so at least."
"I couldn't wish away the Dream Evie, if I did that, Gherman would still be trapped, I would never have met Abby, or you… or the others…" Mason shook his head, "No despite how… horrific it was a lot of the time I still wouldn't wish it away," Downing his tea like a shot of whiskey, he handed her the cup and said, "Now I'm going to sleep, I suggest you do the same."
"Of course," On a sudden impulse, Evetta leaned down and kissed her hunter on the cheek. "Pleasant dreams my Dear Hunter."
"Yeah, you too Evetta," The Hunter replied as he snuggled down into his sheets, letting out a yawn as he said, "Night."
"Good night my Dear Hunter," The Doll said as she gently shut the door behind her.
Mason was almost asleep when he felt something creeping its way across his bedsheets. Racing more on muscle memory than malicious intent he grabbed whatever it was flipped beneath him pressing his body weight against it, and grabbed a throwing knife he'd hidden under his pillow. All in one smooth motion. The only thing that stopped him from staining the sheets sanguine was Abigail's voice calling out, "Mason! Mason it's me!"
"Abby…? By Oedon, I almost gutted you like a fish." Mason sighed through his nose before he rolled off of her and asked, "Are you okay?"
Under the dim light coming through the triangular window the hunter could tell his close friend was wearing a white cotton nightgown with her golden tresses all bundled up under a nightcap. On full display, hanging from a slender chain around her neck was a ring pitted gold capped by a massive diamond. He found it in the Chalice Dungeons beneath Yharnam and was given as a form of betrothal and blood contract between the Great Ones and Pthumerians to birth a special child.
Between himself and Abigail however, it was a simple promise between a man and a woman however young they may've been at the time, sworn in the Cathedral Ward that they would stay together come what may. Be it sickness, health, blood-crazed fiends, madness or death. "I'm quite alright Mason…" Abigail reached out and placed a hand on his tensed trembling one saying soothingly. "And so are you, dearest," She pulled him down onto the pillow with her stroking his head, running her hand through his hair, all the while saying, "You're safe, we're both safe Mason. We made it out," She assured him. "We can leave the horrors of Yharnam behind,"
Taking several deep breaths, the Hunter said, "Thanks Abbs, I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you and Evie. He said as his eyes began to grow heavy again now that the adrenaline had left him.
"Nor I you dearest," She said softly.
Pulling her close Mason asked half asleep, "How long have we known each other now Abby?"
"Counting dreamtime, about forty years, why do you ask?" She looked up at him only to see that he'd nodded off. She smiled, kissed his cheek and whispered, "Goodnight my dearest Mason, sweet dreams."
She then pulled the covers over both of them before snuggling into his side. It was where she belonged as his wife after all.
Yet as Mason Dreamed, he Walked amongst Dreamers…
Word Count: 6,550 Number of Pages: 16 Date Completed: 9/22/2022
AN:
Hello everyone, this is Bubba here to welcome back to chapter two of Where the Blood Falls? I do hope you all enjoy, and I apologize for the late updates, but this month has been hell for me. So, I'll do what I can to update again but I can't promise anything. Family has been having a hard time of late. One niece went to the hospital due to appendicitis and my chronic health condition has been flaring up of late. Still, I'm a stubborn bastard who can sleep when he's dead. Anyway, here's Snowy Everyone.
Snowy: I am honestly exhausted. My new job is killing my free time but Bubba trucks on. Honestly it is one of the few good things I got going for me is this writing gig with Bubba. It's tiresome, doesn't pay, but damn is it rewarding. Have a great day everyone, pray to Buddha for Bubba.
Hassan: Like Bubba said he has been going through a lot which was affecting his writing but even while all the odds he still writes despite his situation. Give him some credit for keeping his determination as a writer, and never giving up. Keep up with your patience and soon you will be rewarded. That is all I have to say, (Turning around while blue flames surround Hassan before disappearing)