A/N: Well, as the title suggests... yeah, it's happening. I started playing Bloodborne once again and damn that game is frustratingly fun. After playing a few hours, and getting tilted by One Reborn and the absolutely hardest area in the entire game, I wondered if there was a crossover between Bloodborne and Fairy Tail. So I did a little research, and it surprised me to see no such thing, but now it is a thing! Also, I'm supposed to be writing the next chapter for my other stories, but noooo my brain tells me to stop and create another one.
Anyway, enough of my rambling and let us begin!
"Cursed Beast!"
"Away! Away!"
"You fiend!"
"You plague-ridden rat!"
"It's all your fault!"
"What's wrong, my hunter? Don't you hear the hunt calling? Hm, look at you, that glint in your eyes. You, boy, are insufferable."
"Ahahah, ohhh! Majestic! A hunter is a hunter, even in a dream."
"You're not hunting beasts, it's you... you're the beast, just think about what you're doing - it's utter madness…"
With a grunt, he plunged his sword deep into the Great Ones abdomen while he heavily panted. He stood above a pile of bones and skulls while gripping the hilt of his bloodied weapon, watching the Great One drop its black tattered wings and numerous arms. A white mist surrounded it and just mere seconds after the Great One exploded in a mixture of the white mist and black feathers, the burst of wind causing the black cloak draped over his legs to flutter. He soon heard the beckoning weeps of a child echo around him for a moment before relaxing, followed by a raspy breath to signify that it had fallen asleep. Then there was silence, a silence that he had longed for since the very beginning of the hunt, the moment he signed that contract and woke up in that clinic to begin what was the night that fully tested his humanity.
It was over. The hunt, the loss, the beasts, the source of the scourge, the nightmare… it was all over. After spilling so much of his own blood in the most horrific ways possible, he can finally leave this godforsaken town and go home. He no longer cared about Paleblood or transcending the hunt. All he wanted was to go home and forget this twisted nightmare.
His head twitched once he heard the whispers echoing within his mind, feeling the knowledge of the slain Great One granting him great insight of the Eldritch truth. He always hated that. Receiving such cursed knowledge that humans do not deserve in the slightest. It made them see things they couldn't comprehend, driving them absolutely mad to where they desired to transcend humanity, to be one with the cosmos.
It was all a damn curse, and he was cursed with seeing Eldritch horrors scattered about Yharnam. Good riddance to those who dared challenge the likes of him.
Blinking once, the Good Hunter looked down to find the familiar homeward lamp manifesting itself before him, feeling a wave of relief wash over him as he listened to the gentle hum caress his ears. There was nothing more reliving than hearing that hum, alongside catching sight of its benevolent purple glow.
Kneeling and stretching his arm out, he snapped his fingers to activate the lamp, sparks flying about while the purple light grew in intensity. Of course, this would summon little imp like monstrosities who soon surrounded and prayed before the lamp. Despite their disturbing appearance, he couldn't help but appreciate how helpful they were throughout his long journey, as well as a tad adorable to be honest, but he kept that to himself.
With his arm still stretched out, he opened the palm of his hand and closed his gray eyes, feeling his conscious fall and his body growing light. The Good Hunter slowly faded away in a soft glow, completely oblivious of a ghostly woman who stood at the entrance to the loft. While he disappeared, the specter gave off a soft smile and bowed, soon disappearing as well.
The only thing that was left in the decaying lunarium within the nightmare was a lone umbilical cord.
The Hunters Dream
He felt the hard ground beneath his feet and heard wood cracking due to the heat. Opening his eyes, he looked up and found himself back at the Hunters Dream with the familiar sight of the workshop coated in flames. Not only that, but there was the Doll who stood in the same spot when he first arrived in the dream. Most of the time he would go to her to channel the Echoes he received after each slain beast, not even sparing her a glance. It was at those times where he felt rage, distress, and sadness coursing through his veins, and the Doll would sense it. She would speak without warning or permission to comfort him, to ease his terrors and frustrations. She did all of that out of what she believed was love, and so he decided it was time to repay her for everything she did.
He approached the Doll and bowed. The doll saw his respectful gesture and bowed to him in return.
"Good Hunter, you have come. Dawn will soon break; this night and this dream will end. Gehrman awaits you, at the foot of the great tree," she said to him. "Go on, Good Hunter..."
The Good Hunter felt his lips painfully cracking underneath his mask as he heard those words, feeling an ever so small smile he never thought he would feel once more. He nodded towards the Doll, but he would not leave her yet. Carefully his worn gloves reached out and gently grabbed the doll's smooth porcelain hands, gently lifting them up to her height. The Doll would tilt her head confused at the Good Hunters actions. She was surprised that he would do this, especially in his last moments within the dream, but she did not argue or question him and remained still. Reaching into one of his pouches, he grabbed an object and placed it on the palm of the Doll's hand, gently curling her fingers inward to close her hands and bringing them to her chest.
The Doll looked at the hunter for a moment before looking down at her closed hands. Slowly opening them, she saw a hair ornament resting in the palms of her smooth hands. She felt a wave of emotions overtake her porcelain form, feeling a burning sensation within her chest that she could not describe. What was this feeling... could it be?
"What…? What is this?" she marveled at the hair ornament, closing her eyes and bringing it close to her chest once more. "I-I can't remember, not a thing, only... I feel. A yearning, something I've never felt before... what's happening to me?"
The Good Hunter could see a soft glimmer forming on her left eye, reaching his gloved hand out and rubbing his rough thumb underneath her eye to remove the unique looking tear. He examined the tear and widened his eyes in surprise. It was a white stone in the shape of a teardrop, and within the stone was a gem that radiated a gentle aura. At this point the gem within the stone was useless, but he was going to keep it as a reminder that it came from the Doll, the only someone who truly cared about him throughout the long hunt.
"Tell me hunter, could this be joy?" she sniffed softly.
He stared at her without even speaking, simply nodding in reply. The Doll could not see the small smile due to the mask that concealed the lower part of his face, but she knew it was present just by looking at the slight curve in his eyes.
The Doll could not help but smile softly at the Good Hunter. For too long all the other hunters who took refuge in the dream only saw her as a plain doll, a mere tool with no other purpose. The Good Hunter that stood before her did not see her as such. Rather, he saw her as a human, and he bestowed her a gift that humans could feel. The same joyous feeling pulsed within her chest as she looked at the hunter, and it was pure.
"Thank you, Good Hunter," the Doll thanked while she closed her eyes.
The Good Hunter carefully placed his hand on her shoulder, his grip gentle as he nods once more in silence. Taking a step back, the two bowed one final time, turning his back to her and walking off to where Gehrman was waiting. It was only a quick stride through the stone path before he stood at the foot of the once locked gate, taking in the sight before him.
There was a field coated in white flowers that gently swayed in the breeze, as well as numerous headstones scattered about. There were some that stood alone while others were clumped up next to each other. Taking a deep breath, the Good Hunter sauntered through the field of flowers with his eyes wandering around. This place was supposed to give off a sense of melancholy, but to the hunter it was only giving him a sense of peace. He closed his eyes and allowed his hands to glide through the white flowers, briefly forgetting about the hell he experienced. The brief experience of peace ended when he felt the earth curve beneath him, opening his eyes to see the First Hunter himself sitting in his wheelchair at the foot of a tree that towered above the two, his eyes closed, and head lowered.
"Good Hunter, you've done well," Gehrman began while the hunter who stood before him listened silently. "The night is near its end. Now, I will show you mercy. You will die, forget the dream, and awake under the morning sun. You will be freed... from this terrible Hunter's dream."
Gehrman looked up at the hunter and opened his eyes, seeing the hunter slightly heaving his chest while his gray eyes grew glossy. This was a sight that he was used to. All the hunters that he's met in the past wanted one thing and one thing only after enduring so much suffering: freedom. Without warning there was a loud thud from behind the Good Hunter, the Kirk Hammer that was once attached to his back now crushing the white flowers. He fell to his knees in exhaustion and released a heavy sigh, his entire body loosening while he lowered his head.
Clearly submitting his life, Gehrman gravely nodded. Slowly he gripped the handles of his wheelchair and stood up, towering above yet another hunter he was granting salvation to. He grabbed the handle of his Burial Blade and removed it from his back, unfolding the monstrosity of a weapon silently. The Good Hunter could see the jagged blade's shadow hovering above him, not even feeling a slight tinge of fear or doubt. All he felt was the peace he longed for.
"Farewell, my keen Hunter," Gehrman arched the scythe and aimed for the Good Hunter's neck. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, releasing a soft exhale as his mind went blank with one last cursed sentence being remembered.
"Fear the blood."
With one swift and graceful swing, Gehrman granted the Good Hunter freedom.
Magnolia, Fiore
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!
One word can describe what the members of Fairy Tail are feeling right now on such a glorious Saturday afternoon.
Miserable.
Absolutely Miserable.
The once rowdy members groaned in annoyance as they had their hands covering their ears to block the tolling of the bell coming from Kardia Cathedral, some even used their magic as an attempt to block out the noise. Lucy hid within Horologium with her hands clasped over her ears, Gray using ice made ear mufflers, and Elfman using one of his beast arms to cover his right ear while his left ear rested against the wooden table he sat in. Despite everyone's best efforts to block out the tolling, they could still hear it.
Poor Happy was desperately clinging onto Natsu's back with his head buried underneath his vest, the latter growling as he gripped the ends of his scarf which used to cover his ears, "Man, how long has that stupid bell been ringing for?!"
"Long enough to annoy the hell out of us, that's for sure," Gray replied while constantly adjusting his earmuffs.
"If you want a more specific answer, Natsu," Macao began from the bar stool with his back facing them, turning around to reveal horrific looking bags underneath his eyes. "Since 5 o'clock in the morning…"
Both Natsu and Gray cringed at the sight of Macao's exhausted face. Apparently, he had gone out to drink with a couple of his buddies late last night and planned to sleep in until 10 before waking up and heading over to the guild, but of course the bell had other plans and demanded him to wake up early. Now here he was running on fumes, gripping a cup of coffee tightly, his left eye twitching with each toll ringing in the distance. He was not the only one who was rudely awakened. Not only that, but the continuous tolling of the bell awakened practically everyone within the guild, including the women who stayed at Fairy Hills and Lucy who stayed in her apartment.
Now up to this point the bell was still continuously tolling, much to everyone's annoyance. Some members were already showing in their patience thinning and, much to everyone's surprise, Mirajane was losing her patience.
Yeah, that's right... Mirajane! Losing her patience!
It may not look like it though because of the sweet smile on her face, but good grief the demonic aura she was pulsating with each toll shook everyone to the core. She was currently cleaning out one of cups that were previously filled with coffee, her grip on the handle so tight that her knuckles were white. It was obvious that she was showing restraint, but that restraint looked like it won't hold for any longer. No one even dared to approach her and ask because they knew very well that it was that damn bell that was making her feel like this.
The bell continued to toll…
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! DONG! DONG! DONG!
"GAAAH THAT'S IT!" Natsu screamed in frustration as he shattered one of the wooden tables with a flaming fist. He then stomped on over to the main doors that lead out of the guild with Happy holding onto him desperately.
"Woah! N-Natsu, where are you going?!" he cried out, flapping about like a flag.
"I'm heading to the cathedral to see what the hell's going on! The bell never rings for this long!" Natsu growled.
"Flame Brain has a point," Gray nodded in agreement. "I've never heard Kardias bells ringing for this long, so something must be going on there."
"'I don't think I've ever heard those bells ringing at all until now…' Lucy exasperatingly mumbles," Horologium said, speaking on her behalf.
Natsu kicked the doors of the guild wide open and stormed outside as he made a sprint directly to where Kardia Cathedral was, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Macao stood up from his bar stool and cupped his hands around his mouth with a nervous look on his face, "Natsu, please don't destroy the cathedral! It's a very historic landmark!"
"Macao, he's not gonna listen," Cana sighed, shaking her head with a glass of wine in hand.
"Yep, and knowing him he'll most likely punch the bells off the tower... or worse," Wakaba said causing Macao to blanch.
Images of a demolished cathedral swirled about in his mind, imagining the pink haired mage standing on top of the rubble in a victorious pose laughing maniacally. He couldn't help but lower his head in defeat, his shoulders slumping as a deflated sigh escaping his lips.
"Lucky for us he's at a meeting with the other guild masters, and Erza is still out on her mission," Wakaba approached Macao and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, releasing a chuckle. "So why don't we all just-"
WHAM!
Wakaba was cut off with the doors of the guild suddenly bursting open again. Some people expected it to be Natsu already back, but instead it was Loke who had a frantic look on his face.
"I got bad news!" he yelled, grabbing the rest of the guild members' attention. "It's Erza... she's back!"
The moment he mentioned Erza coming back, everyone screamed out in fear with terrified looks on their faces, except for two close friends. Macao slowly turned to Wakaba with a glare while the latter looked visibly blanched with his mouth ajar, his pipe hanging in between his lips.
"Calm down…"
Kardia Cathedral
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!
Natsu stood before the main wooden doors of Kardia Cathedral with his arms crossed, a scowl clearly present across his lips. The ringing sounded so much worse up close, and it did not show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. He looked up and narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the bell that was ringing at the center of the cathedral, surprised to see that the rope that was supposed to be pulling the bell was not present.
What the hell...how was that possible? Surely the rope must be hidden somewhere on the bell, right? That or it was some stupid guy using magic to annoy the entire town! What was he trying to accomplish by ringing that bell nonstop? Because whatever his goal was, he was sure as hell achieving something, and that something was a flaming fist to the face!
"You ready to crash this guy's party?" Natsu asked his partner with a determined grin, ramming a fist into his palms and giving his knuckles a crack.
Happy rubbed his ears some more and nodded, "Aye, he's going to pay for messing with my hearing."
"Then let's get started!" Natsu lifted his leg and harshly kicked the doors of the Cathedral wide open, soon storming inside with flames coating his fists. "HEY PAL, JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE-huh?"
Indeed, there was someone inside the guild, but it was not the person he was expecting. Down at the end of the Cathedral lying on the stairs leading to the altar was a figure coated in black. Natsu could make out the figure as being a person due to having leather boots on its feet and worn gloves. However, those two details were not enough to satisfy his growing curiosity. Happy was walking towards him from behind, quickly stopping when the Dragon Slayer held up a hand behind him.
"Wait here, buddy." Natsu commanded, now making a slow walk towards the figure.
Happy gave him a confused look before peeking to the side, looking down the wide aisle and widening his eyes to see the figure Natsu was walking towards. Immediately he felt a dreadful aura radiating off the figure the moment he laid his eyes on it, and the more he watched Natsu inch closer the more that aura would grow. Happy could also sense something else radiating off the figure, it was... foreign... twisted. He felt the alarms in his head ring louder than the bell, a bead of sweat forming just underneath his hair.
"Natsu, please be careful! I don't like the vibe radiating from it!" Happy warned with a nervous look on his face.
Natsu did not reply to his warning, his eyes locked on the unconscious person as he heard the echo of the bell ringing above his footsteps. Upon getting closer, he could see that this person was a male. He had straps over one another above his vest, each one clamped to keep the black cloak he wore secure. Not only that, but there was also a cape that rested on his shoulders above his cloak, the entire thing made from leather. Finally, he wore gloves and boots that each had their own straps, along with the tricorn cap draped over his eyes, the two ends clearly tattered.
"Weird get-up ya got on…" he muttered now standing right in front of the unconscious figure.
Carefully he placed a hand on his knee and lowered himself, trying to look underneath the cap to catch the person's face. Natsu frowned when he saw the lower end of his face covered by a cloth and the cap just pulled over his eyes. Man, whoever this guy was really wanted to keep his identity a secret from people, but it won't be kept a secret from him. Slowly he reached out to remove the cap from his head, the bells behind him drowning out as his heart thumped against his chest in anticipation.
Back at the opposite end of the cathedral, Happy was practically sweating bullets while he bit his claws, a sense of absolute dread washing over him now. His tiny heart was practically beating out of his chest when he saw Natsu reaching out for the man's cap.
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong….
The bells... they finally stopped ringing! Happy could hear the final toll echoing across the Cathedral, the surrounding air suddenly going still. Then he felt it... a flare of magic... and it was radiating from the guy Natsu was reaching for! He opened his mouth and was about to scream his name, but the doors behind him suddenly flew open. A large shadow cast over him, now feeling an all too familiar menacing glare that was burning through the back of Natsu's head.
"NATSU!"
The Dragon Slayer yelped in surprise and quickly snapped his head behind him, widening his eyes to see an armored redhead glaring daggers right through his eyes, "E-Erza?!"
Before he even had time to react, a gloved hand suddenly shot out from the masked man's side, grabbing Natsu's wrist tightly and yanking him close. Natsu yelped in surprise when there was a sudden yank, glancing back over to meet a pair of gray irises glaring at him. He felt a chill crawl down his spine when he saw those eyes, seeing something unsettling beneath their glint.
They looked inhumane… filled with so many emotions swirling and churning beneath the plain color. He couldn't name them all, but the pink haired mage clearly saw one emotion standing above the rest.
Anger.
"It's rude to rouse someone awake, boy..."
A/N: And that's that! If any of you were wondering, our friend is wearing the full Hunter Set set with the Hunter Cap. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you again soon!
