Still more than three weeks to publish a chapter, far from the two weeks I thought I would have, but I think you'll get used to it by now.

This chapter was a pain to translate and to write because of the particular vocabulary around the fights and the insects, but finally I got to the end. A particularly interesting translation experience between English and French.

Chapter 1 has finally been rewritten and re-translated correctly by removing the mistakes (A Stranger in the Shadow). I'll start correcting chapter 2 soon.

Reminders:

-I am not English and therefore do not write it fluently. So if there are any mistakes, please let me know, I'll be glad to correct them.

-I accept and respond to all constructive criticism that helps me to improve.

-Finally, I am an amateur writer, doing fanfiction on my free time, for free and voluntary. So I don't owe you anything and have no reason to force me to publish more or to impose constraints on my writing.

Enjoy reading !

Chapter 13 : Where it all started again.

All the previous floors had been relatively easy to descend, after all, they had already been through them and knew their workings as well as their approximate plans. Despite the regular movement of the floors, they still followed a sort of general pattern that greatly simplified their journey.

But, by all the Great Ones from Kos to Oedon, he didn't think he would ever hate a place so much! When he had passed through this floor to go back up when he arrived in this world, he was so tired that he had only kept vague memories of what he had gone through. More like flashes of light marked by blood and flesh.

This floor, he repulsed it in the depths of his being! Insects everywhere, of various shapes and colors. They were not difficult to kill but the smell and the blood that it projected was of a rather sickly disgust.

This meant a lot coming from a hunter who had literally lived in blood for many years.

His cleaver sliced through the carapace of a one-and-a-half-meter long cockroach, spurting greenish blood. The hunter felt his face twist as he smelled the smell of carrion coming from the monster's open wound.

A pain shot through his leg, he looked down to see that the beast had managed to impale his leg with one of its mandibles.

Backing away when threatened and striking where he knew he would have the advantage, Ashton made the most of the poor visual and auditory abilities of most insects to shoot them down.

The carcass fell heavily to the ground as the hunter hurriedly searched one of his pockets. He pulled out a small purse and slipped one of the white pills in, crunching it, feeling the particles circulate through his body.

Antidotes were a necessity on this floor, and he had done well to ask Ryuu about what he might encounter. One of the few advantages of Yharnam was the simplicity of making some of these tools, of which antidotes were one.

He had barely had time to write down the new information in his notebook. The hunter looked around, checking to see if any monsters were around to sit on one of the lifeless bodies and start writing again.

"The 19th to 24th floors are known as the Great Tree Maze (information taken from other adventurers, to be verified). The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of wood, making it feel like you're inside a giant tree. Instead of the phosphorescent light of the upper floors, radiant moss grows on the floor and gives off a blue light. Many insectoid monsters occupy the place and use an absurd number of poisons to neutralize their prey.

Note: The vials of blood are unrecoverable from the monsters on the floor and cause a reverse effect producing severe poisoning. *See the bestiary for more information."

He heard in the distance the slapping of the thin legs of the insects coming back towards him. He didn't know if this whole charade would last until the 24th floor, but one thing was already certain, he hated with all his soul this cursed place lost to humanity...

Ashton gasped as he rolled to his left, narrowly avoiding the acid shot from one of the insects. The ant-like creature roared, once again calling out to several of its fellows.

Smaller ants rushed at him in an unbroken wave. Pieces of pink chitin and flesh flew in all directions under the blows of the cleaver-saw. It was soothing and reminded him of the blessed days in Yharnam when he cleaned the streets of the crazed militia.

Widening his eyes and raising his eyebrows for the third time in five minutes, he swung his body forward, freeing himself from the stream of insects to reach their leader.

The creature soon seemed to realize his opponent's intentions and let out another scream, this time of pain as the cleaver blade struck true. The ant seemed to understand its fate as it roared in pain and in a last ditch effort, threw itself against the ground to impale the hunter on its own weapon. A beautiful gesture, but useless when he freed himself from the insect to fall to the ground in a roll.

It would have been almost beautiful, if all this had not happened in the middle of a fight to the death situation...

How long had it been since he left? He didn't really know... It must have been around noon if he kept track of time. Already more than fifteen hours that he had gone down. But he couldn't find what he had come to look for.

The occasional adventurer was not enough to hinder him in his descent. The big question was, which floor did he have to reach for another black monster to appear?

He sighed as he continued his descent unabated. Each floor of the ''Great Labyrinth'' had its own peculiarity, making it unique in its own way. The poisonous forest of the 21st, the toxic plain of the 22nd, they reminded him in part of the swamps surrounding Yharnam which gave a pleasant sense of familiarity.

The smell of slime and rotting carcasses, the greenish half-ton on the ground reminded him of the dangerousness of the environment, the only thing missing was humanoid beasts instead of insects to have the perfect reproduction.

His wandering thoughts did not prevent him from hearing a whistle in the distance. Ashton immediately took up his position, drew his cleaver and dropped his bag on the ground, he looked around. Again, it sounded more distinctive. It was not a clang, but more like a bell from a small chapel.

"Clong..."

At a steady, gentle pace, playing a quiet, sonorous melody, it kept shuddering through the air.

"What is a church doing here?"

A legitimate question to ask himself. It wasn't a feature of the dungeon, where he would have heard of it before, it probably wasn't his mind, which seemed perfectly sane. Or as healthy as a hunter's mind could be.

The time for action was wasted on idle guesswork, better to go right away. He hurried across the swamp. Surprisingly, the monsters were no longer trying to block his path, they were backing up, leaving him the road clear.

What was going on?

The swamp gradually disappeared, returning to a flat area. It was a plain on one of the edges of the floor, an empty and wide area where no one should pass. Whatever had drawn him here wanted him to remain discreet.

Following the strange, distant call, he walked faster across the plain. If he wanted to, he could turn around and leave, run away from it all. But he felt he could not, at least not now.

"There." muttered Ashton from the sidelines.

Like the Goliath, a wall of smoke had covered a vast circular area around it. No one could enter, but Ashton could not leave.

The difference was that the hunter didn't feel the hint of a dream in front of the monster, no smoke on the ground or supernatural cold. Purely and simply the dungeon. It seemed to have adapted to the foreign element it represented, and without the help of the dream that had provided the way, it produced monsters that would give him what he sought but could also kill him.

A double-edged sword in short, Ashton could die or improve.

A toothy grin appeared on his stoic features as he grabbed his cleaver and dropped his bag to the ground. The preparation was quick, vials of blood, paper and bullets, everything was now good for a victory.

It didn't matter what was in front of him now, there was no turning back, no waking up and even less chance of running away. Deep inside his body he felt that instinctive thirst for blood and battle, it told him to hurry, to go for it and get the precious liquid flowing.

His cold and brutal logic claimed the opposite. In view of the previous fight with the infantile dragon, he was more likely to turn to the second idea. As much as he was thirsty, he should not let that control him.

A hunter of hunters had to be above the instinctive need of the old blood. Stifling the blood lust, moving with slow steps, he observed the area where he would have to fight.

Wide, three hundred or four hundred square meters, very open and with few obstacles. Perfect for quick movements but boring to take advantage of his stealth abilities.

Realizing that nothing would happen until he moved to the center of the arena, Ashton moved slowly in a concentric circle checking the details of the environment.

Finally, he decided to approach the middle. A sudden hissing sound, followed by a sudden shaking. The hunter looked up and watched in awe as a huge mantis came out of the ceiling.

It dropped directly into the center of the arena. Its claws were enormous, two meters long, as was its body, which was over four meters long, its green skin reminiscent of oxidized copper.

The creature let out a new hiss of challenge to the hunter who slid his cleaver in his hand in a lively gesture preparing himself.

Leaving him very little time to react, the big creature jumped forward and raked its claws horizontally to catch him. A classic but devilishly effective method of cutting a person in half, it was difficult to dodge for the unwary.

Ashton reacted in the moment, rolling forward on the ground to get closer to the monster. He knew that the length of his pincers was a flaw for the beast that would prevent it from hitting him at close range.

Opting for a completely different strategy than he originally thought, Ashton swung his cleaver towards the monster's shell looking for a gap between the plates.

"SCHLING!"

To his surprise, the mantis had brought its claws back finely parrying the edge of the toothed blade. The beast responded with a sinuous cry and defied the hunter's strength in a violent and brutal contest. Ashton knew he didn't stand a chance with his simple cutter, so he quickly withdrew it, causing several sparks to fly, and swung his weight forward to get through.

The beasts were afraid of fire and it was not necessary for him to be sparing with his life. He grabbed one of the fire papers and swung it over his cleaver, covering it with burning flame. The mysterious appearance of heat surprised the creature, which moved backwards.

The opening he needed, his saw unsheathed itself in its open form and passed along the first leg, brutally raking its flesh with a hellish squeak of flying chitinous flesh. The wound healed painfully under the biting heat.

Opting to find safety by spreading out, Ashton immediately stepped back. At least not fast enough for the mantis' remaining paw to shatter his leg. A painful groan escaped the young man's throat as he noticed the heavy wound.

All of his skin had been removed in a flawless scalpel movement revealing the pink color of his meat. He leaned on his leg feeling the tug of his muscles contracting under the effort.

"Get out of range," he thought in a rush.

He retreated, chased by the beast that would not let go of its weakened prey. Grunting, Ashton drew his short pistol firing his projectile at the mantis's face. The hope of slowing it down was good and he was able to inject the vial into his leg.

"Schurlp, schurlp."

The usual sound of the pulpit closing in on itself caused the hunter to be more cautious. Unlike the Goliath, this beast was more violent and had the right means to hollow it out.

The mantis landed dead center with a grunt. Surprise and doubt spread as the creature picked up its own severed limb. As the hunter looked on in amazement, it spat out a kind of slime that stuck to its body. Not knowing what to expect, he promptly put a bullet in his gun.

"Shit, he can take care of himself," he finally noticed.

Brought back to reality, the hunter fully understood the dire situation he had just landed in. The newly reset blade was thrown at him.

Ashton gritted his teeth as he barely managed to avoid the monster's strike by bending his body backwards, the advantage given by the dodge allowed him to throw his own weapon. His remarks about cunning and swift attack made during training were not merely proud boasts.

The teeth found their marks between two protections. Although the mantis roared in pain in the same way, it had immediately turned around and counterattacked the still trapped Ashton vertically and physically. With nowhere to dodge, Ashton found himself widening his eyes and eating the powerful attack head on. Despite a makeshift parry with his arm, the slice sent him sailing and spinning through the air.

He looked up to see that the mantis had already closed the distance. Endless and ferocious sparks were the only thing that protected Ashton. With both arms clutching his weapon, he refused to take the blow and this time answered the duel with force.

His broken ribs from the impact told him that he probably wouldn't last very long, but long enough for his next blow.

When one had lived a life as special as his, one should be even more surprised to be alive than dead, and yet it was surprise, tinged with disgust that was on the hunter's face as he closed his hand completely on his pistol.

Death was coming for him, and it could always wait to get to him. The bullet made its way and exploded in one of the mantis' legs, making it roar with pain. The balance it had lost took its toll on its strength and Ashton was able to take advantage.

He pushed back the blade-covered legs leaving the insect's guard wide open. Green blood spurted out as the monster's torso was torn open. The hunter forced all his weight forward causing the mantis to stumble backwards.

Despite the missing bones floating freely in his torso, Ashton was still capable of this type of near-suicidal action.

The blades closed to within inches of his face, but he did not let go, moving his cleaver to do maximum damage. The creature's screams began to fade under the steel embrace.

The edge of one paw struck his cheek, tearing away part of his flesh and showing his white teeth, a second fell on his arm which he moved in time not to lose, the blade of the beast planting itself badly in his shoulder, like a pickaxe. When the creature pulled its paw out, it left a gaping hole.

The pain was nothing he hadn't already experienced. Finally, the mantis went down with a final roar of defiance.

Ashton collapsed backwards onto the ground, exhausted and defeated. He did not expect such resistance, such a fight of skill and pain. He will be the teeth feeling the blood flowing from his shoulder.

Slipping the vial into his leg, the sound that came from the reenactment was even more sickening than before. His air-permeable mouth closed abruptly and he felt the shreds of flesh reconnect with each other painfully. No screams or noise, after a few moments, all that remained of the wounds of the fight were memories and a muscle memory too sensitive for his taste.

He looked at the lying carcass and decided to get his due. The black stone that lay between his fingers was close to that of the Goliath, though larger and less shiny.

The discomfort and pain caused by his injuries had evaporated. He looked around, the mantis dissolving into a cloud of black smoke. The arena formed by the mist evaporated at the exact moment the last part of the monster's body disappeared, proving that the two events were entirely related.

Listening to the sounds, he did not hear any monsters around. A slight pang of fatigue hit his battle-sore muscles and he pulled himself to a quieter corner of the dungeon to breathe for a few moments.

The black stone he'd just secured in his bag was far too valuable to use here and risk leaving himself at the mercy of any monster.

"Go on." he muttered as he stood up.

A background of headache pierced his mind, discomfort at the highest point in the dungeon. Heavy wound repairs always did that, his brain had trouble processing all the information from his body and responded to it in its own way.

"Let us pray, let us wish... to partake in communion..."

Sometimes a simple prayer was enough and put his mind back in place.

He had gotten what he wanted, but it wasn't enough, gone for two days, and he was probably only on the first. More, again and again, so that he wouldn't have to see the unacceptable.

Stinginess was in this case a defect that he was more than ready to take, he decided to continue his descent. Who risks nothing, has nothing as the saying goes, although in this case it was more a physical danger than anything else?

For a moment, he felt the idea of going back up.

"No..." he grunted heavily, strengthening his will in a dark resignation. He had come here for more; he would return with his due.

In the dark corridors of the dungeon, the macabre symphony of a lonely hunt was playing. No turning back, no calm before the storm or hope for the monsters, only the relentless will of a hunter in search of more power.

The smell of coagulated blood reeked through the corridors and the macabre scent of abandoned corpses made the atmosphere almost unbreathable. This was it, a reproduction of the Yharnamite methods. No escape or hope, only the primal will to outlive and constantly evolve through the lives and deaths of others.

The huge crab-like beast shrieked as it tried to break away from the attack, receiving a violent blow in the shell, knocking it to the ground. The bloody bite of the cleaver fell, severing the skull in a final blow.

Ashton took a long-ragged breath, regaining his strength.

Twenty-seventh floor, the monsters were getting tougher and more resistant. Especially the huge black monster that had taken him by surprise. Only his sharp sense had prevented him from ending up broken against a wall or in the huge waterfall that flowed from the twenty-fifth floor. And even then, the fight had been tough simply because of the constant lack of space in the area surrounded by water.

The slightest mistake and he would end up in the water, forcing him to take the blows head on so as not to lose the advantage of dry land. From his elevated position, he looked down at the pool below, a group of five adventurers had gathered, facing the same type of crab, only less violent.

They didn't recognize them, but they seemed competent. From the looks of three cages behind them and the fact that they were trying to disable the monster, they must be from the Ganesha Familia.

In itself, this suite of floors was beautiful, but beauty hid the monsters better: the water snakes in particular had been a purge to kill, taking refuge in the water and striking at the most unexpected moments.

He picked up the black crystal and the barriers came undone.

His quest had been long enough, he began to climb back up. Three crystals were more than enough time to use. It must have been two days? No... Yes... Maybe...

Then... He didn't care, his gain had been made and he felt he had to go back up. A kind of inexplicable feeling.

The bustle of the Ganesha Familia reminded him that the Monster Feria event was coming up and honestly, he wanted to attend.

This feeling of duty came from a sense of knowing that something was going to happen. That strange sixth sense that every person had that allowed them to deduce and predict what was going to happen.

Some called it instinct, others luck, for a hunter it was an impulse of the future moment.

"A-Ashton?" asked a small voice interspersed with a sob from an adjacent alley.

The hunter stopped, looking toward where the sound came from. The small hooded form was visible between the shadows. For a few moments he did not recognize the person, then he saw him reach out and grab the bottom of his coat.

"Karl?" he asked in a surprised voice.

The young boy he had seen last time, although injured, was certainly less than now. Quickly, he approached him and slipped into the alley. From the boy's eyes, there was nothing cheerful about it, and that was serious. His only concern was what was going on.

Maybe he wasn't the best socially, but he had a sense of morality that made him want to help a child in such a bad state.

"Karl... Look at me and calm down." The boy covered in welts obeyed trying to calm down. "Explain to me calmly and gently."

"Apollo." articulated with difficulty the supporter.

His jaw was badly bruised. "He... He said it was my fault they were dead. That... that I should have died instead of them. He asked the others to hold me and... I ran, then..."

He started to cry again. That god... Such a scumbag. Of the few gods he had ever met, he had never felt hatred, only a marked distrust. But now? To the god of the sun, death seemed all too sweet. It took all the control in the world for the hunter not to immediately go and slit the throat of the prideful asshole.

Ashton wasn't a particularly warm person at first glance, but he had had a little brother and knew ways to appease him.

He wrapped his arms around the boy.

"I understand, I understand."

The injuries were enough to explain the situation.

Ashton froze slightly as he felt presences approaching, they were hostile, their violence seemed to point directly at the supporter.

Apollo was not going to let his dark secrets slip away...

"Karl." he said in a soft voice. "You're going to close your eyes, put your hands over your ears and hide behind the crates right there."

The hunter held out his carving knife to the young porter. He seemed to understand what was about to happen and nodded, his eyes still full of tears.

"Y-You're going to be okay?"

"Yes, don't worry. If someone comes near you and it's not me, scream loudly and prevent him from reaching you.

Karl obeyed after a slight hesitation.

The boy was small, just enough to disappear completely between two crates. At least he wouldn't have to worry about being disturbed by a random element.

"You!" ordered one of the presences that had appeared.

The hunter rose to his full height, letting his gray cloak float, hiding his body. His right hand was embedded in the fabric lining, holding the butt of his pistol, while the second just at his belt, under the thick folds of his cloak prepared to feed his sword.

"Did you see a kid walk by here?!"

The man in front spoke with a rarely achieved arrogance, his look was one of clear superiority.

The hunter shrugged his shoulders with indifference.

"What if I did ?"

The member of the Apollo Familia prepared to answer for more threats.

"Chief." a woman behind him immediately interjected, approaching as quickly as she could. "That's one of the guys Master Apollo told us to watch."

"Isn't that the kid with the white hair?"

"Yes, but there's that one too..."

A vicious smile played on the man's lips. His thoughts were clear as day to read, he was thinking of taking him down to please his god. How ironic that someone so foolish should be in charge of a team.

"Come on, come on..." said the leader as he approached. "We're off to a bad start. We're just looking for one of our friends."

Seeing him reach for a knife on his belt, the hunter swung his sword, making a sound of steel that stopped the assassin's advance.

"I don't think we've left at all," Ashton informed him stoically. "If I remember correctly, tracking down a former member of his Familia, especially a supporter, doesn't exactly make you 'friends'.

His smile faded and was replaced by a deep disgust.

"I don't even understand why the lady Freya is interested in you. Lord Apollo is clearly better for her."

Ashton gave a half laugh. There was no amusement, only an even more intense poison that the group could emit.

"I was wondering why a god was after me... Another self-esteem thing? You want to make me disappear and clean up the stain I represent to the arrogant road of your 'God'?"

The honest and cold answer surprised the chief who stepped back. He tried to answer and saw the two bright blue dots behind the scarf. A beast, those were the only words that came to mind when he saw the young man. The shadows seemed to dance in the street, just like the lights, a coldness ran down his back.

He thought of running away, but held back. Apollo wouldn't tolerate failure, he didn't want to go out of his favor and suffer the same fate as the supporter.

And... they had every chance. After all, there were four of them, the hunter was alone.

"Get ready." he whispered, hoping the hunter wouldn't hear him.

Ashton sighed quietly and put his foot forward and was the first to attack. Taking the initiative during a multi-fight was always best, especially when he was alone and unsuited to a multi-fight.

They didn't expect it, the idea of a single person attacking a larger group was stupid in itself, but not for the young man. His sword found its way into the side of one of the men, he didn't have time to move as the blade went clean through the flesh. The blade slid under the ribs and rib cage and up into the intestines, digging into the man to inflict as much damage as possible.

In one swift movement, Ashton released his sword and pulled a second cutting knife from his coat, severing the throat of the Apollo Familia member. He screamed, struggling, feeling his vocal cords being severed, he couldn't scream.

That was the point, in the middle of the city, even in an alley, Ashton didn't want to draw more attention than necessary. The assassin's body convulsed on the ground, gasping for air. The hunter turned around and withdrew his sword in a spray of blood.

No need for cruelty, dodging the blow between the second assassin, he moved to position himself next to his first target. He raised his sword and spoke in a calm voice.

"You have made the choice to raise your weapon against your own kind for your own gain, may you find peace away from the torments of life."

The blade slammed into the wounded man's throat, ending his suffering. A peaceful rest from what he should have inflicted on an assassin. But then again, he was not a judge and even less a priest, he was a simple executor of his lowly task.

"We get our hands dirty to keep the world clean," he said softly, turning back to the second assassin.

"Stay away!" he roared as he tried to walk away.

The Silent Walker maintained a calm walk toward the group, which was at a loss for how to react.

"Attack!" the leader shouted as he ran forward.

If he outnumbered them, they could kill him!

While the earlier one attacked from the left, the woman went to the right, the leader ran forward to the sword. Reaching the hand would be enough he thought.

"Bang!"

An intense pain quickly cut him in his momentum. His head was pushed back by an intense shock, followed by the sensation of falling to the ground. As his mind processed what was happening, he saw a smoking tube in the hunter's hands. Wasn't that the weapon Lord Apollo had said to be wary of?

His eyes closed with a sharp pressure, why did it hurt so much?

Discretion had been compromised from the moment the man had shouted. No one was approaching at the moment, but it was only a matter of time. But Ashton didn't have it and couldn't afford to fall into the view of the more-than-necessary gods.

The one on the right had been the smartest, or the most reactive depending on the point of view, narrowly managing to get out of range, she had the presence of mind not to continue her assault. Her comrade was not so lucky and felt it bitterly through the piece of steel planted in his heart.

"No..." he barely managed to articulate before he felt the blade come up, completely detaching the vital organ from the rest of his circulatory system. Death had been instantaneous the moment the sword had moved.

Nothing was going to stop it now, not even the escape of the last survivor.

Ashton's sword slid down the woman's spine. The pain was so great that she could not scream, feeling only the coldness of the steel. She managed to raise her eyes to fall in front of a scene that chilled her blood, in the eyes of the hunter, there was only a ferocious hatred, it was as if his very existence disgusted him.

In a despair having reached its paroxysm, she tried to reach her dagger, to feel her hand being held. The hunter's violent grip closed, breaking her bones and blocking her breath.

Her last sight before her life was extinguished was that of a face covered behind a gray scarf.

Ashton looked at the four bodies lying in the street. He had been quick enough not to attract the attention of the people on the street, but he knew for sure that it would only take a few hours for everything to be discovered.

It was better for him to be far away at that time, especially with the city's security forces meddling in the matter. The hunter walked over to the crates where Karl was hiding and found him hiding, eyes closed and hands over his ears.

"Let's go." he said simply to the boy who had reopened his eyes when he felt the familiar presence approaching him.

"Don't look." he ordered, putting his hands in front of his protégé.

He knew what such images could do to someone so young.

Calmly, moving away from the bodies, he headed for the place where he could best apply first aid, the fertility hostess.

When he passed the door of the still inactive inn, the few customers glanced around before looking away from the adventurer in the dark cloak as they resumed their occupations.

"Ryuu," he called calmly to one of the three waitresses present. "I could use some help."

Surprise followed by concern was enough for Ashton to know that he had made the right choice in going to her.

Chapter conclusion on a successful dungeon expedition. Still more mysteries to solve and understand with the black monsters, the dungeon, the relationship between the dream and Orario.

Arc 1 of this story has finally come to an end with this chapter, we have finished the introduction of who Ashton is and what he represents.

We finally get into the thick of things with arc 2 and FINALLY the beginning of the relationship with Aiz (it will still take a few chapters and won't be rushed, but there will be more interactions between the two starting in the following chapters).

Until the next chapter, take care of yourself and your family!