One month to publish the chapter, more than I expected, but well, nothing can be done about it.
The usual reminders, I'm not English, only practice it as a second language, if there are mistakes, tell me, I will correct them.
The answers to the questions of the previous chapter:
Yes, one day I would correct the first 4 or 5 chapters, but I never find the time to do it.
As far as my stories are concerned, for the moment, I will only keep the two active stories, Another Day in Hell and The Hunt Beyond the Dream. I won't publish any other real story until at least one of them is finished (I'm already struggling with only two, so three?!). At best it will be One-Shots like "A Terrible Banality of the 41st Millennium".
And if I must publish anything else, I already have enough ideas for fiction, some of which have already been written for thirty to forty thousand words, that there is no need to give me any idea.
Other than that, sorry for the inconvenience of this writing slog. I wish you a good reading and we'll meet at the end.
Chapter 12 : Before The Descent.
It was still early in the afternoon, going back down to the dungeon at this hour would make him come back much too late for the next morning and going back so early to Hostess of Fertility made him feel like he was wasting precious time.
Boredom was something the hunter had never experienced, always too busy surviving and fighting, allowing him to make the most of the rare breaks to prepare for the next hunt.
As he wandered the streets looking for something to do, he passed a store. A simple store set between two larger, stately buildings with magnificent facades.
He went inside, intrigued. On the shelves were musical instruments of all kinds: Violins, guitars, flutes, heavy and light drums.
It had been years since he had touched an instrument since he had arrived in Yharnam if he remembered correctly. The lessons of his father and mother came back to him as he stopped in front of one of the violins.
"Ashton, one day you will succeed us in the Imperial Orchestra. The best is not enough, you must offer your whole self."
He smiled to himself before running his hand against the wood of one of the violins. The little store had that special aura of calm that the hunter loved, that reminded him of his training sessions with his family.
"Sir!" greeted an older man as he came in from behind the store. "Are you looking for a particular instrument?"
Ashton was about to shake his head before he stopped mid-gait.
"For now, I'd just look around. I don't know if I'll buy yet."
The old man smiled before moving back behind the counter resuming his work.
"Call me when you decide!"
The Legato, the Staccato, the careful learning of each method of playing remained etched in his mind. How many times had he repeated the same gestures repeatedly, read the scores and taken lessons from his mother to learn the orchestral manners perfectly?
The position of the fingers, of the hand, the arms bent in such a way for this type of music, slightly more tense in other cases. Pavlov's dog was not far behind at this stage of rehearsal. He didn't regret it, liking to remember the sessions he'd had.
"Can I test one of these?" he finally asked the salesman in a soft voice.
"Go ahead," he smiled, inviting him to take one of the violins.
Ashton grabbed one of them. It was light, his grip was good and soft, activating the muscular memory of the musician who took the bow in hand. Gently, he slid the tool along the strings causing a soft musical squeak.
In an instant, a music came back to his mind, the famous Hymn of his native country. The feeling of sliding the bow back and forth, moving his hand, adjusting the instrument, everything was so relaxing.
Without realizing it, about thirty minutes had already passed. When he reached the last note, pulling the strings, he heard a clap of the hand.
The salesman was clapping and smiling.
"Bravo! That was excellent!"
The hunter smiled as he put the instrument down.
"Thank you." he said softly, the discomfort was noticeable in his tone of voice. "I haven't played in a long time."
"My boy, you have talent."
"I had a good teacher," he indicated.
"It shows.
Without knowing it, his smile had grown wider, becoming more than it had been in years. He felt a strange feeling that he didn't know, but it wasn't unpleasant.
The hunter ran his hand over the wood gently, as if he were touching something of value.
"How much?" he questioned, indicating the instrument.
"It would normally be 4500 Vali, but I'll give you a price. It's been a while since I've had customers this young, so let's drop it to 3500."
"No!" refused the hunter. "It's a very good quality instrument. I'll pay the price!"
"But..." the salesman was about to rebut.
"No buts, sir, this violin is well worth the price, and I would pay it.
This vehemence reminded him a bit of his father's reactions when he spoke with his maker. Always pay the right price for a job well done. It was a rule that Ashton had always tried to respect.
The salesman shook his head with some amusement.
"Musicians and their ways," he huffed. "Let's go with 4500.
"That's better," muttered the hunter happily.
The hunter reached into his pocket and pulled out the amount he had asked for before taking the carrying case containing his violin.
"I'll be back for the interview," Ashton simply announced, carrying the instrument.
The sun was still high, but this time he knew what to do.
Resting on his bed, the violin lay. All the adjustments had been made, the checks for proper functioning. His request to Mama Mia had been rather well received, he could practice his violin during the day, if it did not exceed eighteen hours, so as not to disturb the customers. She seemed strangely conflicted about this arrangement. Not that she really refused it, more that she seemed to be bothered by a hand that had pushed her backstage. A little extra might have been necessary to quell the last bits of her annoyance, but nothing that would bother Ashton, given the amount of money he had accumulated from his first two runs.
His coat had been entirely removed leaving him in his simple gray shirt, of which he had reassembled the sleeves not to embarrass him.
He tapped his foot on the ground taking the rhythm before starting to throw his bow.
From the first floor, Mama Mia and Syr were talking animatedly.
"A month since he arrived? Has he ever talked about where he came from?"
"For the fourth time, Miss Freya, I don't know! He never talks about it and the only one who has a friendly contact with him is Ryuu... "
"Ryuu? I could use that." she muttered with a satisfied smile.
From upstairs, the sound of music escaped.
"What is it?" asked the disguised goddess. "I didn't know you had hired a musician."
"No..." said Mama Mia. "You told me to leave him at the maximum. So I allowed him to practice his instrument in his room."
The music accelerated in rhythm becoming more brutal. Freya was a goddess, she had known the most magnificent music in Heaven from her many courtiers. One thing she had learned from all the music gods was that each piece of music contained a story. The violence, the sound, the type of notes chosen, even the content of the position of the instrument, all told a story.
The violent music seemed to tell a morbid tale. Then it became softer and more distant, a softer and more melancholic part of the sound piece. Suddenly it switched to a kind of resonance, similar to a church, the religious theme had arrived.
Mama Mia and Freya stayed for several dozen minutes listening to the choir that was playing above. They could only hear a small part of it, the manager had isolated the rooms well after all. But it was enough to understand part of the story being told.
A story of pain, blood and sadness, in which the protagonists had left nothing behind, choosing violent combat over abandonment.
"If you do not wish..."
"You did well." cut the woman with silver hair by regaining her senses.
She stood up as she prepared to leave.
"Miss Freya. May I ask what you see in the boy?"
"A riddle." the goddess replied. "A riddle I seek to decipher. Too insane and mentally broken to continue living yet fighting to keep his soul in the right place."
The manager couldn't understand her goddess, she couldn't see the souls of her customers. The one thing that was certain was that Ashton was broken, as were many of the employees of this inn.
She had seen him under the stoic mask, someone alone looking for a place. Mia Grand was sad, but she was not worried, she saw him trying to go on and knew that he would eventually find a place in Orario, it was the right thing to do.
He seemed to be getting there already, little by little. Only time would tell if it would work.
He stood up a little surprised.
"Good evening." she said in a low voice. "You didn't come down to eat so Mama Mia asked me to come see if you were okay."
The hunter raised his eyebrows before looking out the window at the dark night over the city.
"Ha..." he huffed. "I didn't realize what time it was..."
"Humpf." the elf let out with a slight sigh. "What were you doing?" she asked as she approached the papers.
She gently picked up one of the sheets examining it calmly.
"Sheet music? I didn't think you for a musical person."
Embarrassed, the hunter of hunters looked toward the table in question.
"My family has always been made up of musicians, so I went with the flow."
"Surprising." remarked the elf, "Notes and rhythm are new to me."
"You know music?" questioned. "In the same way, I didn't think you had any musical knowledge."
Ryuu sighed.
"Living among the elves makes you know the basics of art."
"Which doesn't seem to have gotten you more..."
"More like the teachers."
Ashton noticed a slight mark of discomfort on the woman's face and decided to brush the subject off.
"I see, let's not talk about what's problematic. Still, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
"That's good, Mama Mia wanted me to bring you a meal."
He finally noticed that she was carrying a bag in her hand.
"Thanks, but you shouldn't have... I mean, not that I'm against it, but she forbids eating in the rooms."
The green-haired waitress gave an ironic gasp.
"From what I understand, she runs the inn, so if she says you have permission, I think you do."
"When it's said like that, it makes me sound like an idiot..."
He took the package from her hands, taking special care not to touch the elf's skin. Of the uses and customs of this world, that of the elves was particular and he was careful not to offend anyone.
Ryuu noted the movement and smiled slightly at the respect the young man had given her. She looked at the moon outside and yawned.
"I won't stay any longer," she said. "Tomorrow I'll get an early start."
The hunter answered her with a wave of his hand.
"Understandable and note. Sorry for the inconvenience, I won't make the mistake a second time."
Ryuu's stoic features broke for a moment displaying a smile that soon disappeared.
"See you tomorrow at the same time, I guess.
The hunter shook his head.
"There's only one early bird customer, it seems."
"Was that an attempt at humor?"
"Yes, though unsuccessful." noted Ashton wryly.
"Humor is not for the stoic. We're more about cynicism and irony, or at worst a very strong second degree.
"Right... I won't delay you any longer, I've bothered you enough already," said the hunter.
"No more than any other customer," replied the elf, "For a friend, that's not much.
The two separated. Ashton suddenly became aware of the last sentence.
"Friend?" he muttered. "Was he really a friend?
He didn't really know what the word was, the best he could think of as such was Archibald, the young man of the same age as himself... But he was half-crazy, almost giggling permanently and blowing everything up in great bonfires and was a heretic of the powder keg.
He didn't understand, he couldn't really understand what had led to this. Yet nothing had been given as an equivalent exchange.
Ashton shook his head. How did this work? He only knew the concepts of money, the idea of equivalence in honesty was unknown to him.
The night was full on Orario, and Ashton felt more and more confused by it all.
"I heard you saved a supporter."
Ashton stood at his usual table calmly looking at Ryuu.
"Yes... It happened. Karl, if I remember correctly, a supporter of Apollo Familia."
The questions from the day before had been buried, as always.
"Apollo Familia? Surprising that their members died in the dungeon... Their god tends to be very protective of his 'favorites'.
"Not in any case, both of them were going to be excluded for not living up to the hype."
The elf huffed in disdain before continuing.
"What happened? Did the two members die in the face of overly powerful monsters?"
"No. Ambushed by bandits."
The elf froze slightly.
"How?" she asked with a tinge of venom in her voice.
"Four people, in a hallway, they went behind their backs and shot them before they could react. I got there after, only the supporter was still alive. The rest is pretty obvious..."
"None of them got away?"
"No one had a chance... They were distracted, so it wasn't particularly problematic to catch them off guard and purge a few more of his people. Although I'm surprised the kid got the job done."
The green-haired elf had calmed down and resumed his stoic face.
"As long as you're not hurt, this is for the best."
"Let's just say I have... some knowledge of these types of people. The ones I came across having a more pronounced inclination towards blood and death. These bandits were just a duty and a boring chore comparable to a simple scuffle."
"You seem used to it."
Ryuu now trusted Ashton enough to know that he was no particular danger. He was a peaceful person and was respectful and perfectly calm as long as he wasn't bothered. One question that remained about the elf was where he came from, obviously different from his general knowledge and contacts with the gods.
She knew the price of the pain and she had paid it in her way. The memories of her Familia remained engraved in her mind.
"I don't wear the oath and mark of the hunters of hunters for nothing." He pointed to the inverted trident. "Our role is to clean up those who selfishly lose themselves and hurt others for their own gain."
She looked at the symbol and saw it glow with its usual dim light. There was magic in there, Ryuu could feel it.
"If I may ask, what does this symbol represent?"
She doubted it was a simple inverted trident, that was too easy.
"You're the first person to ask me," he said.
"If this is too awkward, that's okay." she interjected.
"No, it's not a big deal, but do you really want the whole explanation?"
She nodded, wanting to better understand his reactions and where he was coming from. It was a request from Syr, the other waitress who was interested in him, but a personal curiosity about the strange customer who looked like her.
"The hunter's mark of a hunter symbolizes a man hanging upside down with his hands tied behind his back," he began. "This is a very abstract drawing from the tarot card 'The Hanged Man', the Hanged represents an original path, a way of positioning oneself in life about one's personal philosophy and ethics. It is an attitude that focuses on the bottom line and helps to better understand the meaning of what is happening. In its dark side, The Hanged Man is a restrain, an undergone inaction which can go until the imprisonment in front of a situation. It is a loss, material or moral. The Hanged Man is what represents us as individuals, we have made our choice based on our actions and have taken a path that sometimes leads us to the dark side.
"That sounds very philosophical and cruel." she remarked.
"Right, but that's what we're all about as hunters of hunters.
Ryuu went back to thinking. Wasn't she the same as she was in front of Evilus, hadn't she chosen vengeance and blood to the point of going into the dark side of that same map?
The hunter stood up, his meal finished.
"It seems that my words have touched a nerve. He tipped his hat forward. "I am truly sorry, that was not the intention.
Ryuu shook his head.
"It's not your fault, but it did give me pause about my past actions."
The hunter who was heading for the door just turned to her.
"The past is past. We shouldn't forget, but sometimes you just have to let it slide and think about what's next."
Back at the guild, Ashton and Aiz made their way to the training grounds.
"How are your bruises from the day before?" the hunter inquired.
"Better, Lefiya to use her magic to keep me in shape."
Ashton nodded contentedly.
"The fitter you are, the farther I could train you."
They arrived at the field.
"Yesterday I taught you to counterattack by taking your opponent by surprise. This case is useful for those who have only one weapon or do not have good reflexes. But in cases where the enemy has a good parry or defense, you have to use another method to break the armor."
One of the advantages was that Aiz based his fighting methods on raw power, so he didn't have to worry about her lacking strength. On the front lines, she was excellent giving him perfect control of his own fighting abilities.
"Now we're going to see something you might already know, but differently."
He showed her a dummy covered in a simple breastplate.
"I suppose like most swordsmen, to break the armor you hit the sensitive points or an unprotected part?
"Yes, or I break the armor with enough force."
"That is the classic and good method if you want to stay on the simple fact of overcoming the defense. The problem is that if you fail, it leaves you as open, forcing you to retreat or parry."
Aiz nodded.
"To avoid it, the best approach is to simply hit where you least expect it. The weak points of an armor are known by its wearer, but for all that, he can't protect them all."
"I already know that," she said.
"The hard way, but sometimes it is necessary to be deceitful. Some enemies are too powerful to be disarmed or brutally defeated, so you have to be more cunning. Take the example of the Obsidian Soldiers on the lower floors. Their natural defense is a hindrance that proves annoying, but it can be circumvented by hitting their main weak points between the rock gaps that make up their bodies."
The sword princess understood the meaning, on their last expedition they had encountered difficulties with the obsidian monsters. They had proven to be particularly resistant to damage and physical harm, which had worn out their expedition on the three floors they occupied.
Their assassins and thieves had been particularly helpful in bypassing and hitting the creatures' weak points.
Ashton continued.
"Using your magic, Ariel, you should be able to hit on an area effect that will break and hit all the weak points as well. Especially by releasing it at the precise moment of contact."
The swordwoman did as he said and covered her weapon with the usual wind enchantment, moving into attack position.
Although he was not an expert in magic, far from it, he literally did not know of its existence a month earlier, Ashton some knowledge of the arcane of Yharnam. Different in many ways, the effects produced by certain arcane-like tools, such as papers, had given him a good understanding of how it worked.
"Humpf." she breathed as she hit the target.
"Try it on me."
"No." she replied immediately.
Ashton was surprised.
"Why?"
"I wouldn't use Ariel on you, I might hurt you."
Ashton let out an amused chuckle.
"First of all, I'm a lot tougher than I look, and second, if you hurt me, my vials of blood will be enough to fix me up."
Aiz struggled with the idea. Using her magic against another human being was the limit of what she considered necessary. The fear of injury or death was too great. While she was still struggling with it, Ashton forced her hand.
He drew his saw cleaver and threw it at her without warning. The swordwoman may have been focused on other things, but she was far from helpless. Still concentrating on her training, the air gathered around her blade and her body covering her entirely with a thin green shroud protecting her.
In one swift and expert move, he disappeared in a white cloud reappearing behind her and swinging his cleaver in a closed position towards her back. Sliding on the ground, identically to what he had been practicing for five hours, she passed on her side and moved to her back.
Her sword went quickly towards the open back of the hunter. By the time she realized what she was about to do, it was already too late, her weapon was gone and she could not stop her attack.
Ashton, who had expected this turn of events, took a step to the side and aimed his own slotted blade to take the full force of the blow. It was strong, one could feel the power of a level six trained sword fighter.
He was sent flying backwards two meters, landing in a roll before recovering without injury.
Sword Princess looked at him, her eyes wide with fear.
"Are you okay?!" she blurted out in panic as she approached him quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
She was cut off when Ashton held up his hand, showing her that he had nothing.
"You just used your attack perfectly," he said.
She opened her mouth to retort but closed it when she realized he was right.
" Was it really necessary? " Questioned she with annoyance.
He had a small laugh.
"Certainly, it proved that I could resist your attacks and that you didn't have to worry about hurting me.
She nodded defeatedly before backing away. The fatigue of overusing her magic was being felt throughout her body.
"It looks like it's still time. There will be no training tomorrow and the day after, so you should be able to pick up what I taught you on your own.
"Yes, but why? Did I do wrong?" she worried.
"Nothing to worry about," he assured her. "I plan to go deeper into the dungeon and leave over several days.
Ashton went back to the inn to prepare for his complete descent. He gathered all the material he would need: sharpened stone for his cleaver, powder, bullets.
The two elements he was missing the most were bolts paper and fire paper as well as bones marrow ash, which he had not been able to find in Orario until now. The three of them were particularly useful to enchant his weapons with elemental effects, and the seven he had left from Yharnam would certainly not be enough in the long run.
He decided to take his last quicksilver bullets with him in case of absolute necessity. His only goal was to find a black mana stone to verify some of his theories. He closed the bag and hung it on his back before going down the stairs.
"Are you leaving for the dungeon?" asked Ryuu when he saw him prepared.
He nodded his head.
"Going down for two days."
"Wait there."
The elf's ears twitched before she left for the kitchen. A moment later, she returned with a box, which she handed to him.
"What's this?"
"Meals for the dungeon." informed the waitress.
"Thank you, but it wasn't necessary. I'll go back upstairs and get my purse so I can pay."
Ryuu cut her off.
"No need, Mama Mia agreed to put it aside, you're one of the best customers so she agreed to provide the leftovers from the night before."
The hunter was surprised for several seconds not daring to move, he took the steel box and positioned it in his bag before looking at the elf.
"Thank you, I didn't know I was such a good customer..."
Ryuu wryly raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously? You sleep and eat every day, you've become a set for the hostess of fertility. Most of all, you pay on time and correctly." she added.
He sighed.
"Put it this way, yes, I am a good customer..."
This familiarity between the two had come naturally. The stoic, withdrawn elf had a surprising ease in expressing himself to Ashton, while the cold, violent hunter had this sense of being able to talk to him without Ryuu judging him.
"Be careful coming back." she blurted out. "Mama Mia would be sad to foolishly lose such a good payer."
"Touched the purse? I'd almost feel sorry for her."
The exchange of ironic jabs had become a little habit when they exchanged, and it always seemed funny to outsiders to see the two stoic people mocking each other without humor.
Ashton was gone, Ryuu let out a worried sigh.
"Worried about him already?" asked a mocking voice behind her.
She turned to face Syr.
"Hehehe! I know you asked Mama Mia to work mornings and evenings to meet him!"
"Maybe." she muttered.
The two of them walked behind the counter settling in and waiting for customers.
"So... Can you tell me about him?"
"In what way?"
"Who he is, where he's from."
"Any interest?" the elf asked with a slightly drier tone than Syr was used to.
"Yes, his abilities are interesting."
Ryuu seemed to relax slightly.
"He's... strange, for lack of a better word. How to explain... He's a friend, probably the only person who would be able to understand what happened to me when you found me that night. He's same as me in the vision of god."
A chapter of a few thousand words, still interesting in my opinion because it develops Ashton's relationship with Orario and its inhabitants enormously (I am finally starting to really write Aiz).
The relationship with Ryuu is fixed, two friends with similar experiences, very identical in their behavior and able to understand each other.
But above all, the development of Ashton's past before Yharnam and Orario, so information about what led him to the cursed city.
Considering itself, I think that any story should present the passions and things that the characters do in their free time to humanize them and show that they are more than just heroes or killers.
The chapter is finished, we'll meet in two or three weeks for the next chapter.
Take care of yourself, your family and your loved ones!