Chapter 4: Shadow over Fishing Hamlet
Karigan's feet slosh down into mud and water as she lands. The change of landscape is jarring. Fog swirls in over top of filmy water, tall broken masts rise up from the water like graves, slushy rain falls steadily from the dark sky. Clouds obscure a yellow sun and a murky darkness creeps in from all directions.
"What . . . what is this place?" She asks, dread blooming in her mind.
Maria lands gracefully beside her. "The Fishing Hamlet. This is where it all began."
In the distance Karigan can see the foggy outlines of fishing huts; along with a tall slumped figure making its way slowly towards them. Karigan readies her blade.
"There's no need for that." Maria places her hand over Karigan's sword, lowering it towards the wet ground. "He will do us no harm."
Karigan nods and puts her weapon away, trusting Maria. They make their way slowly forward, careful to stay on the rocky reef that lies a few inches above the water. Within seconds the rain soaks through Karigan's coat, making her teeth chatter and her body shiver.
"Ugh, I hate the cold. Why does it have to be so wet here?" She sighs under her breath. Looking around she notices the only source of warm light comes from candles that rest on boats that drift over the water. The boats hold bodies, swaddled in grey cloth, like coffins.
A sloshing noise invades the solemn silence. "Byrgenwerth. . .Byrgenwerth...Blasphemous murderers. . . Blood-crazed fiends." The tall figure they saw earlier limps along the path, barnacles sprouting on his grey skin and through his tattered shawl. Karigan looks towards Maria; her body is rigid and her porcelain face ashen.
"Atonement for the wretches. . . By the wrath of Mother Kos. . ." The pitiful creature continues its rambles in a raspy voice, "Mercy for the poor, wizened child. . .Mercy, oh please. . ."
The creature shambles past them as if they weren't there, murmuring to itself.
"Maria, what was that?" Karigan asks, looking towards Maria, her voice hushed.
Maria doesn't look at Karigan. "That is just one of the outcomes of what we did."
"We?"
"Yes, I am to take part of the blame for what happened here." Maria's voice is heavy, dripping with shame. Her steely gaze lowered towards the ground.
Karigan moves in front of Maria to look her in the face, "Please, I need to know what happened here. Can you tell me?"
Maria lifts her head and sighs, "Aye I suppose you do need to know. Come, let's find someplace to shelter us from this wretched rain." Maria sets off down the path, heading towards a leaky fishing shack. Karigan follows eagerly, excitement and dread brewing in her stomach. She's finally about to get some answers that she's so desperately been seeking.
The shack they step into is in terrible condition. Filthy water gathers in puddles under holes in the roof, barnacles plastered all over the floor and walls and dead rotting fish litter the moldy floor. Karigan pulls her soaking mask over her nose to mask the thick stench of rot.
Maria sits down with her back against the wall and beckons Karigan to do the same. She sits down a few feet away from Maria, wincing as cold water seeps into the bottom of her trousers.
"Now then, are you ready for your answers?" Maria asks, staring directly at Karigan, her eyes bold.
"Yes."
Maria lets out a sigh, "I will be telling you the whole truth, no more secrets, no more lies. Including my involvement and my fate. Are you sure you're ready for this burden?"
Karigan leans in, "Maria, please, I need to know."
Maria nods and begins her tale.
The group of young Byrgenwerth scholars and hunters stood side-by-side along a cliff overlooking the small fishing village and the ocean behind it. The young Maria stands beside her fellow Hunters, Ludwig, Lawrence and her beloved mentor Gehrman. She recalls the Workshop's orders, to obtain the corpse of a great one that has washed up onto the shore of a fishing village. Obtain the corpse and it's blood, use the research hall to experiment with it and silence any who oppose you. She tightens her grip on her special Rakuyo, unsure about the Workshop's oppressive orders to "silence any who oppose you." She hopes it won't come to that.
"Come now, we mustn't dally, we know our orders." Gehrman's soft voice slices through the silence.
Ludwig is the first to set off down the rocky path towards the village, the other Hunters following shortly behind. Maria stands at the back of the group, her footsteps hesitant. Foreboding boils and rumbles in her gut like the dark clouds that roar against the dim sun.
Gehrman, noticing Maria trailing behind, slows down to match her pace until the two walk beside each other. He gently puts his arm around her, embracing her in a gesture of comfort as they march in sopping boots.
"You know Maria, even though you are the youngest and the newest hunter here, I have the utmost faith in your capabilities. You will be fine, I am sure of that."
Maria looks into Gehrman's face. Studies it. The rain droplets running down the creases in his weathered skin, the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles at her.
"It's not that. . . It's something else. . ." She speaks hesitantly, "I just have a feeling in my gut. Something is warning me about this place."
Gehrman frowns, "I see, well if your ever to trust something, trust your instincts. Your instincts will be what keep you alive during the hunt. However we must do this. We do not sway from the Workshop's orders, besides it is for the greater good."
Maria looks at Gehrman, his gentle face and aura calming her nerves and suppressing her doubts. "Thank you Gehrman, your words give me peace."
"You are most welcome my Lady, and never forget that I will always be here for you." Gehrman gives Maria one last squeeze by the arm before letting go.
The groups short trek comes to an end when they arrive at the village's borer. "You all know what we're here for, now's our chance! May the good blood guide our way!" Ludwig bellows, his arm raised, gripping his Holy blade.
"May the good blood guide our way!" The entire group chants, before running into the village. Maria takes off after them, unsheathing her Rakuyo. They run through the village with nothing more but startled looks from the fisherman. What awaits them on the coast will be the true testament to their sins.
The corpse is large and smooth, water gleaming off its pearly skin. Tentacles splayed before it, blue and white fluid seeping around the dead great one. Maria jumps slightly as a lump begins moving inside the great one. An sloshy explosion of goop and viscera erupts from the corpses side. A cry so horrid, so pitiful emits from a wrinkly creature that crawls it's way out of the corpse's stomach.
"A infant Great One! Kill it!" Ludwig screams as he charges towards the orphan who is now struggling to it's feet. The Orphan lets out a bloodcurdling scream before lashing out with a fleshy tendon, that to Maria's suspicion, looks like a placenta.
The rest of the Hunters descend upon the child, who is clearly overwhelmed. Maria can only watch, rooted firmly in place, as the horrid events play out before her eyes. Every bone in her body is telling her this is wrong. They shouldn't be killing this child. She watches, Ludwig's screaming piercing the air, Lawrence's vicious attacks and Gehrman's siderite scythe glinting in the light.
Gehrman is knocked back, landing near Maria's paralyzed body. Seeing her mentor on the ground snaps her out of her dazed state. Rage burns through her body. She helps Gehrman back to his feet. The two exchange nods before jumping into the fray. Gehrman takes the lead, his scythe slashing the Orphan to ribbons. The fight doesn't last much longer; Gehrman leaps into the air, his scythe held high above his head before bringing it down onto the orphans skull. The Orphan lets out a gurgled cry as it drops to its knees, the contents of its head spilling onto his shoulders and ground.
"Ah Hahaha it's dead! It's dead! Comrades we have killed a Great One! Rejoice!" Ludwig laughs maniacally while facing the group. His speech is cut short however as a fisherman runs out towards Ludwig, a spear brandished before him.
"How could you?! How could you do this? You are nothing more than beasts yourselves!" The man lunges forward with his spear. Ludwig merely leans to the side, sticks out his Holy blade and cleaves
the man's head straight from his body. A spray of gore splatters onto Ludwig's face. His eyes are a light, gleaming with madness and malevolence, very unlike his usual calm persona.
Maria turns as a eruption of screams and yells bellows from behind her. Her eyes widen at the sight of the horde of fisherman, brandishing weapons, charging towards the hunters. She brings her dual blades up in front of her ready to defend herself. The rest of the hunters charge, screaming like madmen towards the men and women of the village. The two sides meet in a clash and spray of blood.
At first Maria just defends herself, not wanting to kill, but as she watches her comrades fight with all their strength, her bloodlust overcomes her. She begins to lose herself, her inner Vileblood coming out. She lashes out with her blades, slicing innocent villagers with delight. She can feel herself smiling. She doesn't know how long their maniacal dance of blood and slaughter lasts, but it comes to an end when all their attackers lie at their gore splattered boots. A curse dying on their dry lips.
Maria stands still for a moment, her senses coming back to her. She lift her hand to her face, rubs her cheek and brings it in front of her eyes to look. Blood. Blood and gore soaks through her gloves, her boots, her hair her entire being is drenched in the blood of innocents. She begins to panic, aggressively wiping the blood from her eyes and hair.
"Maria. . .? Are you alright?"
Maria looks up to see a bloodsoaked Gehrman, his hand outstretched.
"What. . . what have we done? What have we done!? They were innocents! We had no right to slaughter that infant!" Maria can feel hot tears of anger and shame blurring her eyes.
Ludwig's harsh voice interrupts, "We had no choice. You saw how they attacked us. They were nothing more than beasts. Beasts to be slaughtered. You should know that."
Maria says nothing at first. She turns her back and begins piling the bodies together. "We should at least give them a proper burial."
Gehrman joins her as do the rest of the hunters. A few of the scholars round up the injured fishermen, the ones that were unlucky enough to survive the carnage. Disgust and shame claws its way up Maria's throat. Her ideals have been betrayed. She joined the hunt to protect the innocent from beasts, not become a beast herself.
She walks away from the bodies, not wanting to gaze at their broken bodies any longer. She looks down at her beloved Rakuyo, gore clinging to its fine edge, blood splattered up to the hilt. It's a symbol for how she lost to her inner desire to kill.
Walking up to a well, she takes one last look at her blade before tossing it down. She hears the soft plunk as it hits the bottom; the sound echoing from deep within.
A month passes and the scholars have begun their experiments in the research halls. The Choir has been formed in the name of ascension and they now take command of the scholars. Maria stays behind to comfort the subjects. It's not only an act of atonement but an act of punishment as well. She forces herself to endure it. To watch how her actions have affected the poor village. Everyday, every time she looks upon the tortured patients, her guilt grows. She no longer feels anything but shame and pity. She is dead inside. All the joy in her life has been eradicated. Food tastes like ash in her mouth. The
sun has disappeared behind a never ending sea of clouds. She lives just to bring comfort to the subjects. She brings them flowers, talks to them, holds their hands while they cry out in their sleep.
Eventually the Choir cease their experiments after a lack of positive results. They abandon the research hall, leaving the Lady Maria to watch over its residences. She continues her watch for a time, but the guilt eventually overcomes her.
She sits down in her chair in the Clocktower, sipping wine as a last drink. A old picture of Gehrman and herself smiling rests in a rusted frame beside her. One of her last possessions from her time as a student.
She sets the goblet down and picks up a knife. Another relic from when she was an accomplished student. She allows herself a moment to think about Gehrman, and her past life before bringing the blade across her neck. It's the first time she's felt relief, as she bleeds out. A feeling of euphoria overtakes her, but she is unaware that her actions and guilt have irrevocably linke her to the Nightmare conjured by the Orphan's cries.
-Authors Note: Phew, wow that chapter took a long time to write, but here it is! This is my interpretation of what happened in the fishing hamlet, so if something doesn't agree with you just remember that it's just my thoughts. The story will be returning to Karigan's perspective next chapter. Also thanks for the reviews! You don't have to worry about me not continuing this, there might be a few days where I don't upload but sure enough I will finish this! Thanks again for reading!