Amogus, sussy bussy Amogus. Lord help me, the amount of Amogus reviews are lining my brain with the wrong eyes. Love it though.
Was a bit hard to write this chapter. I was so focused on the planning for my other story I got stuck on this one. Late upload but at least it's uploaded.
Lots of set up hints and foreshadowing, all for developing the plans for Jaune I assure you. Getting to ending was what motivated me to keep on going though since meeting Alfred is an introduction to a huge, HUGE change to the universe of Bloodborne in this story and in turn, to Remnant.
This chapter is more light-hearted, er... "light-hearted" in bloodborne terms as in there won't be any mind breaking or deaths, just a casual (the most casual you can get anyways) bloodborne experience. I.e stat upgrades, weapons, and just some bonding. Probably loads of mispelling and shit, I'll check later.
Anyways let's get into it.
"You plague ridden rat!" – Memory/Blood Echo Memory
"Away! Away!" - Yharnam
"You fiend"- Remnant
Quietus in Sleep: Basil (Good Wishes)
Location: Yharnam, Tomb of Oedon
The tolling of a bell shook him awoke.
His back ached as rose from the course ground, standing from the large tombstone he laid against. Jaune rubbed his nape as the aching spread from his back to his neck.
He took a moment to scan his surroundings as he ponders in thought.
'What happened? Why am I here?' He wondered.
He doesn't remember going to sleep or unconscious in anyway. This confuses him more as he tries to remember what had caused him to travel into Yharnam once again.
'I was fighting some guys that invaded our home, I was fighting off a group while dad handled another group.' He thought back to when he was awake. 'We were talking and… I was shot?'
His eyes dilated as the memory slowly came back to him. The sudden revelation hit him like a truck, and he stumbled under the weight of the thought. He reaches out with scarce strength to hold onto something, before his hand found its grip on a random tombstone, stopping his fall.
"Calm down, Jaune." He muttered shakily. "Calm down! You may not be dead. You might just be unconscious from the injury. Mum is in the church, and she knows first aid so… I should… I should be…"
He crashes against the tombstone and slides down to the soil.
He holds his forehead and shuts his eyes as he attempts to even his breathing. After a few seconds, he calms himself down as he continued to reason what happened to him in Remnant.
He takes one huge breathe and stands from the ground once more.
For now, it matters little. He is here in Yharnam now, that means he should continue his journey. He nods to himself and begins to make his way back to the chapel.
He pauses before the stairs as the sense of something causes him to look back to the landscape of graves, particularly the large tombstone he slept against before. The longer he stared, the more something felt off. He decided to ignore it and continued forwards.
'That sounded like an echo.' He thought to himself.
~~AMONGST US~~
Location: Yharnam, Oedon Chapel, Cathedral Ward
He climbed up from the ladders and reaches the small library.
"Jaune." A familiar voice called.
"Oh Violet." He responded as he sighted the little girl, who was seated by a table in the small library.
She stood, ran towards him and hugged him with her left arm, her only arm.
"I thought you were asleep. What are you doing here on your own?" He asked softly, kneeling.
She shook her head and looked back to her spot. Jaune raises his head to find the apprentice of Eileen, Lie Ren, leaning against a wall, his mask and hat off, letting his long raven hair flow out behind him.
He raises a hand to greet Jaune and he nods back to the crow disciple.
"Ren was just reading some stories with me in the library." The little girl said.
"I was doing some reading in this place until she woke up." Ren shrugged. "I told her you were resting somewhere else, and she got bored waiting."
The girl hummed in agreement and looks back to Jaune.
"Ren is a foreigner like you, and he was telling me stories about his land." She said with a hint of excitement. "Did you know, in his land, hunters mastered the art of the arcane to combat beasts?"
"The arcane?" Jaune parroted.
"Magic, in simple terms." The crow disciple said. "Although in my homeland, people called it something else."
"I see. Magic huh?" Jaune mused. "Well, I'm glad you're learning something new."
He stood and made his way towards the chapel.
"Where are you going?" Violet asked.
He halts by the stairways and turns to the girl.
"Out. I'll need to do some hunting after all."
He feels a small body crash into him, and he turns to find Violet holding onto him. She was holding onto him for dear life and burrowed her face into his leg, as a sense wetness spread over his leg.
"Don't go…" She whimpered. "Don't leave me alone."
A swirl of emotions overcomes his body and paralyzes him momentarily. Memories of past events and the confrontation with the echoes of Violet's family speeds by, his hand bawling into fists.
"Okay." Jaune muttered softly, kneeling, facing her and patting her head. "I'll stay for a bit."
"Only a bit?" She continued to whimper.
"I… I'll have to head out eventually, Violet." Jaune replied. "I'm a hunter. I have to hunt, otherwise… more people will end up like you – us."
He could see her hands tighten into fists as her eye watered at what he said. This sight brought pain to his heart, and he held her close.
"I can't have any more Gascoignes." He whispered into her ear. "I can't have any more Henryks, and I can't have any more Viola's."
"Okay." She said with a shaky voice, barely holding in her tears.
In an attempt to comfort her, Jaune pulled away from Violet and pulled away his mask to show a smile.
"Don't cry now. I'll come back now and then." He reassured. "Come on. How about I tell you some stories of my own homeland while I'm here?"
She wiped her tears and nodded.
"Come on. Let's take a seat."
With that said, the two took a seat by the original spot where Violet was. The third person in the room, the crow apprentice finally spoke and made his move.
"I'll give you two some time alone." Ren said, putting on his hat and mask and whispering into Jaune's ear before he left. "Meet me by where you met my master last time, after you're done."
Jaune eyes him for a moment but nods in affirmation.
Now comfortably seated. Jaune took off his hunter's cap and places it on the table before he faces Violet.
"So, what do you wanna know about my homeland?" He said with a smile.
Violet looked down in thought for a moment before speaking.
"How about the hunter's in your land? What were they like?"
"The hunters in my homeland?" He said in surprise. "Well. Where I come from, they weren't really called hunters."
~~AMONGST US~~
Location: Yharnam, Cathedral Ward (8 mins later)
After he was done talking with Violet about his… world. She suddenly felt the urge to fall asleep and after she did, he carried her back to the chapel and placed her by the entrance to the library. He obviously quickly silenced the red dweller in the chapel before he… it could disturb them.
After then, he made his way to the spot that Ren spoke of. During the quick walk, Jaune thought back to that dweller. Honestly, he was still suspicious of that… whatever that thing was. He could still be a threat to Violet, even if it wasn't a beast. But it wasn't all that bad, that thing seemed more lonely than threatening if anything.
He exited then chapel and turned to his left to spot the master and disciple duo. Although, it was hard to tell who was who as one was sat by a bench and one was eying the same spot that the old lady did one time. And once again, their was the same dead person in white robes to his right.
"Don't worry he won't come back alive." The crow on the bench, who he now confirmed as Eileen said. "They ain't beast but they're still threats to us. Speaks much about the church."
She crossed her legs and spread her arms over the bench as she eyed something in front of her. He followed her gaze to find a large stairway leading up to a closed gate.
"Jaune." The now identified Ren spoke up.
He moved over to him thus began their conversation.
"Here, I'm here to give you this." The disciple said, handing him a badge in the form of silver sword.
"A… hunter's badge?" He asked, taking it. "What for?"
"Well, while I was here. I found this by the great bridge just on the ground, before I came here with Violet." Ren explained. "I didn't know why it was there but when I showed it to master after the fight, she said to give it you."
"I see. Why?"
"Well… there were traces of a battle taking place on the bridge. It was obvious that it was you that was fighting there." Ren shrugged. "It seems this came from the beast you slayed. It's only right you claim it's bounty, no?"
"I guess that makes sense." Jaune replied eying the badge. "Thanks for this, but I'm not sure how this will be useful to me."
"I wouldn't either." Ren nodded. "But my master insisted on giving it to you. She said that it'll be useful since you don't have a weapon. It seems she knows something that I don't."
Jaune soon realized what the disciple meant as he looked back to the old lady, who was tapping their feet, eying the gate intensely.
'Does she…' He shook the thought away. 'No. No way that she knows. The dream is… supernatural after all."
"Well… thank you again?" He said, feigning ignorance. "I guess I'll find a use somehow."
"I would hope so." The disciple nodded.
"Apprentice." Eileen suddenly called out. "Are you done over there? We should go now, if we aren't making progress in this hunt."
"Understood!" He called back "Well, it seems that we must go now. I would hope that our paths would cross once again in the future."
Jaune was surprised when Ren held out a hand, prompting him for a handshake. He snorts at this and pockets the sword badge before taking his hand.
"Allies, eh?" Jaune mused.
"Ha. I would like to say friends, but yeah." Ren laughed. "Allies."
With that said, the two crows made their way towards the gates. As they walked, the discussion between master and apprentice began to fade as they walked further away from the chapel.
'I should go too then.' He thought, before taking out the sword hunter badge. 'But first.'
~~AMOGNST US~~
Location: Hunter's Dream
"Ah, welcome home, good hunter." A familiar voice greeted him as he materialised.
"Doll." He replied as he stood. "It's uh… it's been a while."
"For you perhaps." She- It! It, nodded. "Now, what is it you desire? Perhaps a… new set of armaments for yourself?"
"Ah… right." He scratched his nape. "About that. What can I get with this?"
He shows her- it, it the sword hunter badge which glinted off the moon's light.
"Ah, the badge of a church hunter." Doll nodded. "Just show the little ones and they shall provide you the right arms."
"Right. Thanks." He quickly said as he made his way towards a nearby fountain.
The messengers noticed his presence they clasped their hands together with a look of interest. He was about to show the group of little white beings the badge before the doll stopped him.
"Before that, would you like to channel your echoes?" It suggested. "It'd be of great help, and you can always acquire more echoes for a proper weapon. However, the choice is yours."
He pauses in thought.
'Doll's right. Maybe I should do some channelling. But a weapon would be better right now.' He pondered. 'I should buy a weapon now but… what if the messengers take their echoes?'
The thought of losing the echoes of Violet's family, struck him with an indescribable pain. And he decided that he were to channel the echoes into his body.
"I would like to channel some echoes." Jaune replied. "But before you do though. Is there a way to… channel specific echoes?"
"Any reason to that?" Doll asked.
"Well… it's just. There are three people, whose echoes I possess right now. And they're really important to me." Jaune explained. "I… the thought of selling away their echoes just… hurts me. And I thought that if I were to channel their echoes into me, in a way, they're beings would be ingrained into me, right?"
Doll gazes at him for a moment before smiling.
"Of course, if that is what you wish for." It chuckled. "You're the only other person who's ever asked such a thing. It is not impossible, although it will be a bit hard."
"Thanks." He breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Let me stand close. Now shut your eyes." The servant of the dream guided as it kneeled down.
He follows its guide and gives the servant his hand.
The ethereal feeling spreads throughout his body and the sound of an other worldly sound notifies him of the process beginning.
"Now, good hunter." Doll addressed him. "To channel specific echoes, I will need your help in this process."
"A-alright." He replied. "What should I do?"
"The echoes are more than the memories; they are the wills of the dead." Doll explained. "In order to channel the echoes, you wish for, you must not only focus on ingraining them into your body, but you must also guide them."
"Guide them?" He parroted.
"I cannot show you how, the best I can do is help you guide them." The servant said. "You will understand what to do soon."
He doesn't reply, prompting the doll to continue.
"Now, I will need you to focus on your breathing." Doll commanded.
He does so, and begins to even his breathing until each breathe, he takes are equal, or as equal as he can get it to be.
"Good." The servant comments. "Keep this up for a bit, you should feel something soon."
And he did. The feeling was cold and foreign, it was almost chaotic and swirled in his chest like a storm. It didn't hurt him, but it was sure odd. The surprise broke his focus slightly on his breathing though.
"Focus on that feeling." Doll said, feeling the same thing he does. "Even your breathing."
He keeps silent, following the servants command.
"Good It'll feel like you may not be able to control that chaotic feeling in your body, but there is a way." The servant says. "That swirl of feelings is a bundle of echoes that you've absorbed overtime, becoming almost like a chaotic storm in your body. In order to find the echoes, you're looking for, you will need to focus on the feelings and memories similar to the echoes you wish to channel."
'Focus on the feelings and memories?' Jaune thought to himself.
"The echoes you're looking for, you already have some sort of relation to them when they were alive no? Or at least some connection to them." Doll commented. "Focus on those connections, it'll be easier to guide them that way."
'Focus on my connections to them?'
A sense of dread hung off Jaune's shoulder, but he powered through.
He thought back to the fight with Gascoigne and Henryk, the death of Viola, losing Violet, the joy he felt when he saw that she was alive, the music box, anything connected to them. And then, he thought back to his burning village, when he encountered them outside the gates.
"Off to another hunt again?"
'That was-!'
A woman and a man stood by the entrance to their home. The woman was wearing a purple dress with a white apron over it and the man was garbed in odd clothing. The man towered over the woman and had a menacing look about him, but there's also a gentle aura about him.
"Well, there has been high activity of beasts nearby the bridge." The man addressed the woman. "Many of the church hunters are needed elsewhere."
"Just… come home safe." The woman said, hugging and burrowing her face into his chest.
"Of course, I will, I always will." The man reassured, patting her head. "Don't worry Viola, I'll come back before you know it. Focus on taking care of our little flower girl, okay?"
Viola nodded and pulled away from him.
"Just don't break your promise okay, Gascoigne?"
"Hah! Any day I break my promise is a day where our family breaks apart!" He laughed. "Don't worry, besides, Henryk will be with me. Aren't you worried for him?"
"Well, yes! But father can handle himself." She pouted. "Besides, you've only just settled in properly."
Gascoigne patted her once more.
"It'll be fine." He says one more time. "I have to go now. Those beasts aren't going to hunt themselves."
Yes that was right. This is for their sake. His families sake. As long as they lived, he would forever be strong, they are his Strength.
The scene was cut off before another one quickly replaced it.
The bridge to the healing church gate was painted red as corpses of scourge beasts and carrion crows decorated it. Alone together on the bridge, were two bloodied figures. Gascoigne and a man in yellow.
"And that's that." The man in yellow said. "Ugh, all that effort to keep meself clean."
Gascoigne was kneeling by a corpse of a scourge beast, his hands clasped in front of him as his axe and gun laid by his sides.
"You know that prayin' ain't gonna make this better, eh?" The man said.
"I know." Gascoigne replied. "But I hope that at least it'll offer their souls some peace."
"Peace, eh? If only that truly exists here in Yharnam."
"We just need to keep to our duty, Henryk." Gascoigne said, hand still clasped together. "It's the only way."
"Yeah, yeah whatever." Henryk waved off. "You done yet? You're not gonna conduct some weird ritual are ya? No need for us to conduct anything of the arcane now do we?"
"No… just let me say my final prayer for them." Gascoigne replied.
"Whatever." Henryk snorted. "Prayers are nothing in a fight between beasts, all we need is Strength and Endurance to beat them and that's it."
"I know father, you've said several times before."
"Don't call me that. Kosm curses, that still bothers me." Henryk shuddered. "Just… get it over with."
Gascoigne only nods.
"Sick creature, may you rest in peace." He recited. "Um-"
"-basa." Jaune muttered, a lone tear flowing down his face.
"It appears that it worked." Doll stated, standing once more.
"Y-yeah." Jaune wiped the tear from his face. "It did, didn't it."
"You seemed to have a knack for guiding echoes. Almost like you have a specialty for it." Doll commented. "Or rather, an affinity to it."
"Well… when I was back in remnant I uh…" Jaune ignored the memories of both the echoes and before his death. "I saw them you know. They were talking to me, well less talking to me and more berating me. I even saw the people that I killed."
He looks back to find a rare sight. Doll's fake eyes widened and displaying an expression of shock.
"You… saw them?"
"Uh… yeah? Why are you asking? What's wrong?" He asked with a hint of concern.
"And you said they spoke to you?"
"Yeah, and they talked back to me when I spoke to them." Jaune elaborated. "I knew they weren't hallucinations because well, they sounded and felt like echoes."
"I… see." The servant muttered.
"Doll? Are you… okay?"
"Ah, it's nothing to worry about, good hunter." Doll replied. "Just surprised. Why don't you go get that weapon of yours and head off now?"
"Um okay I guess."
With that said, Jaune headed off the fountain and was presented a new arrangement of weapons and tools. With whatever remaining echoes he had left, he purchased the Kirkhammer, a trick weapon of the church which transforms between a sword and large hammer.
Jaune left Doll to its thoughts as he noticed the look it had on its face and left for Yharnam once again.
Once disappeared. Doll wandered towards the workshop's back garden. And in that garden, was the first hunter, Gehrman, who watched the moon with a weary and tired look.
"Gehrman." The servant greeted him with a hollow demeanour.
The first hunter didn't say anything, but he did turn his head slightly to acknowledge the doll.
"It seems Flora have selected another one with a gift of sorts." Doll continued. "It seems that he has a particular ability to manipulate the echoes around him. It's not so dissimilar to me when I channel echoes, perhaps he could even do more."
This seemingly piqued his interest as his head turned more, just enough to let the servant see half of his face.
"He's still young and innocent even after the experience with losing a close one." Doll continued speaking. "But with more time and more knowledge he acquires, I fear that he may end up like… like them."
Gehrman only sighs and turns back towards the ocean of mists. Unknowingly to both the hunter and dream servant, the doll's hands bawled slightly.
"I was not created to have feelings, but… I don't wish for him to end up like them." Doll lamented. "If the new hunter after him were to also have a gift, then perhaps things would take a turn for worst."
…
…
"I apologize. I shouldn't have mentioned anything besides his abilities." Doll said emotionlessly.
The servant turns to leave but was stopped by a sudden statement from the first hunter.
"I would advise that you do not develop any attachment to them, particularly that Jaune boy." Gehrman said. "I've been watching and… I've seen how you treat him almost like a mother."
Doll held her hands towards its chest, an unfamiliar feeling arising. The first time they've ever spoken in so long, and this is what the servant hears from him.
"You are to take care of hunters, not be their surrogate. Stop this." He stated with a voice of regret. "For you own sake, so that you wouldn't need to end up like me."
Doll thought about what he said.
Perhaps he's correct. One part of it's being told it that. But… a sense of responsibility overwhelmed the servant and she rejected what he said, even if it may cause more issues to arise.
And with that, the doll left the old hunter to himself.
~~AMONGST US~~
Location: Yharnam, Cathedral Ward
Jaune crushed the dogs with unnatural strength using the hammer from his new weapon, the Kirkhammer. He purchased this weapon as he was already training with a sword in remnant. He figured that it would help him when he wakes up, that is, if he is still alive in that world.
The thought was enough to distract him from marksman who fired a shot, hitting square in the shoulder and causing him to fall down the stairs.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance and jabs a vial into his thigh.
With that, he rushes the marksman, climbing the stairs with monstrous speed.
The marksman fires another shot, but he snakes through it with ease. And when he reached the top of the stairs, he swung the Kirkhammer knocking the marksman away and crushing several bones. Without a waste of breathe, he raises the weapon and untricked the Kirkhammer, sword in his right and hammer now in his left.
Before the marksman can recover, he lets the momentum created from the weight of the hammer to smash down on the enemy, using strength to keep the weapon from going off target.
"Finally." He muttered to himself.
He then hangs the hammer on his back and reaches to his waist only to grasp at hair. He blinks a bit before sighing.
"Right, not enough echoes for a new gun."
He proceeds through a nearby door and enters the upstairs of the chapel.
This place was located down to the bottom left of where Oedon chapel was. He fought the new enemies he'd never encounter before which were the pale men and robes and a hideous giant. There was a locked gate that needed an item to unlock which he saw the messengers held.
He explored but didn't bother with the opposite side of the locked gate as there were several enemies, he rather not deal with, so he wrote it off for next time.
When he went back to the area that the pale men wandered, he found a hunter's corpse with an alternative of the outfit he wore. He figured he'd loot him as he could use the echoes after selling them to the messengers, but something told him to back away from the corpse as soon as he looted it. There was an unknown presence near the corpse that scared him.
In the end, he reached this place after and killed a few Yharnamites and the bastard bestial dogs.
He proceeded through another door and was exposed to the brightness of the setting sun on the opposite side of the church.
"Ah. And what do we have here?" A voice came from his right.
He looked to see who called to him and found… an odd man. An odd dangerous man.
"You… You're a hunter. Aren't you?"
Very excited for the next chapter of this story. IF I WAS GOING TO BE WRITING IT! Damn this rule that keeps me from breaking, holding me back my excitement! DAMN ME!
Anyways, you know the drill, me go to other story to write 3 chapters, me come back, comprendo? Of course.
Will be even busier as of the next coming week tho. Went on lockdown for two months (I think) and now we good or some shit. Still sus about the info frmo the gov but it just means I need to not break down during Maths WOO!
I uh... I really need this holiday. The hallucinations got a bit too frequent, nothing too serious, just a trick of the light in the corner of the eyes when I was working on my stuff.
I'll stop now, cya yall next time.