Not beta-read, if you find any confusing ways of wording or misused words (EX: tails and tales) please tell me! I'm also writing this as a love letter to bloodborne itself. So be ready for some graphic scenes!
2596 words of Gascan fight. Your welcome.
—
Fear the hunter that has turned.
For he is gone, too far mad to be returned.
In their hunt for blood, they got lost in a flood.
Of beats hood and fear. May the hunters hear.
This hunter, a priest. Has become a beast.
Bring us peace by slaying this, poor beast.
—
If Izuku's estimation on time is correct, it had been nearly a month since he had been dragged into this god-forsaken land. Three days ago, he had managed to do the quickening art once… once…
Gerhman had told him it would be a slow process to even be able to do it repeatedly without some sort of conduit to channel the art through. Though... a conduit able to do that would be nearly impossible to come by at this point. With enough dedication and practice, any hunter worth their salt could, in theory, use the quickening art at any time. And while Izuku himself wasn't that impressed by his abilities, the confidence of Gerhman had begun to rub off on him. If Gerhman, one of the oldest hunters, could believe that he could do this, that he could push past the dream and back to his world… then he would have to believe him.
And even if he did not believe the confident words of Gerhman… then the Doll's kind words of encouragement would probably do the trick. She treated him… like a little brother in a way. When he was horrible after hearing the mob speak to one another like normal people. When the blood in his veins felt wrong and his body burned with hate. She would be there with kind words and a soft hand on his shoulder. Maybe it was the fact it was how he WANTED his mother to be to him when he was younger. Or maybe, it was because when he searched deep in his memories, both Gerhman and The Doll reminded him of how his parents used to be. One a confident pillar and the other a soft blanket that would rather you be safe than in danger. If only his dad could have seen through his genetic mutation. Seen through the fact, his son was now useless. Then maybe Izuku wouldn't have allowed so much bullying to happen to him. Then maybe he would have been okay with being quirkless and could have strived to be anything other than a hero. Then he wouldn't have needed to run from Bakugou every day.
But… the past couldn't be changed. Izuku couldn't change the direction he ran nor the hate Baugou felt for him. And so Izuku headed back into the cursed streets of Yharnam. There was an old lady and a little girl who needed to get somewhere safe. And he would be damned if his fear of the crazed hunter would stop him.
The beating of Izuku's heart reminded him that this wasn't all just a fragile dream. As he walked up the stairs to the cemetery, stairs that he knew he would need to travel hundreds of times if this didn't go his way. He had read up on all the important books in the workshop, A Hunter's Guide to Guns, Identify Weakness, and a plethora more for this battle. He might be more than human at this point… but so was this hunter. He had scoured the city for a hunter registry. This hunter could only be a handful of men. Henryk, Gascoigne, Adim, Luka, and Charles. The five hunters of Central Yharnam… and he had seen three hunters corpses throughout the entirety of Yharnam. And from the note in the music box… Izuku could only hope it wasn't Gascoigne because that would mean his wife would be hidden in one of the piles of corpses. Either dead or nearly dead.
The start of the battle between Izuku and the crazed hunter was quick. The moment Izuku stepped onto the cemetery ground he was rushed in an instant. The battle had begun. The release of adrenaline and the properties of the blood caused Izuku's vision to tunnel. A massive cleave from the hunter's ax missed him by near inches as he dodged back. A click and his whip lashed at the hunter, carving a deep gash into their side. But the hunter was not deterred as they rushed through the space between them and slammed Izuku into a gravestone. Sharp pain and the ax's blade was buried deep in Izuku's chest. But the bloodlust kept growing. Grabbing the hunter by the scarf, he shoved his cane into the man's chest cavity.
The splash of blood seemed to mend most of Izuku's more deadly wounds as the man jumped back, wrenching the ax from where it had been. The pain had begun clouding Izuku's senses as he rushed at the man, a quick shot, and the man's swing was deflected and he was left open. The bloodlust burned as his hand was thrust forward into the man's chest, transforming into a clawed fist, and was wrenched from the man's chest.
Everything seemed to stop as Izuku watched his hand turn back into his hand. For a moment, he had become a beast. For a mere moment, he wasn't himself. And then an ax cleaved through his head.
"Young Hunter? Are you okay? Should I go and get Gerhman?" It… it was the Doll. Izuku shook from the strain his thoughts were put on his body. The Doll, having not gotten a response, leaned into her new hunter. Most would not even allow any form of contact with her. But this was a boy. And from what she had heard from the fathers that had come and gone through the dream. Sometimes a child just needed a hug.
The sobbing of Izuku had brought Gerhman from his nap. He had heard the boy cry from benign distraught before… but this was uncontrollable sobbing. The pain the boy must be feeling… He had watched the boy in his fight with that old Gascoigne. He had watched all the hunters that had passed through the dream. But none had had such a volatile reaction to a visceral as the boy. Some shrugged off the change easily enough. While others went slightly mad from the transformation. But none had broken down. Most likely because most had been hunting for years.
The creaking of a wheelchair brought the Doll's attention to Gerhman. It was not often he came down from the workshop. In one hand, he held a cup… from where she could not place it, and in the other, a book. One she had not yet seen Izuku read. In one quick motion, he had put them both on the ground next to her and the young hunter. And in another, he was gone. She would have to ask him about the steaming drink later.
—
Izuku felt horrible. He was meant to kill the beasts… but here he was becoming one; the texts on the visceral art. The simplest art to use for nearly any hunter. The texts Spoke on how the killing intent and blood lust could form a pseudo claw on the hunter's hand… But the claw itself signified the hunter's corruption to the beast in the blood. Those of the dream could tease out the strength of beasthood. Hunters could even pseudo transform into a bestial form. Irreverent Izzy, the genesis to the beast weapons, wrote tomes on beasthood. But they had been lost across Yharnam. Letters and notes described areas where some of the books had been lost. If-if Izuku could find a tome about how to control the beasthood… maybe he could stop it? If… if the beasthood was a plague, then there was a vaccine… or perhaps a cure. Maybe Izze had developed a cure dedicated to beasthood. That's how he was able to use the powers of a beast without fear… or maybe, he was just mad?
"Kid… you've been looking at that page for hours..." Gerhman said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Hunters have a duty… and it's not an easy one, that's why the dream exists. Without this dream, you could have already turned into a beast. You would have died and become a part of a beast in some way. That claw, the art of ripping out a beast's blood. It's the safest art there is."
"B-but… Hunters are meanest to kill beasts… so why use their power?"
"If you were to have fought the cleric beast without the strength of a beast. It would have never been killed. But as long as you are connected with the dream, you will be safe from the beasthood." He- he sounded so sincere, so sure of what he was saying, "Either way… you have an old lady and a young girl to save… and the only safe place left in Yharnam is right past that hunter."
The little girl, alone and scared for her family and the old lady, while not kind, still deserved to be saved. If Izuku lost himself… if he gave up. They would be there, stuck, and most likely die from some beast without remorse.
Slowly closing his book, Izuku stood in the old workshop. He had materials from clearing Yharnam. Izuku had the paper for blueprints and a forge. He needed to win against the hunter. He was fast, but so was Izuku. And Unlike Izuku, the hunter had no forge to make tools.
Stepping up the long flight of stairs Izuku, counted his armaments. His gun and cane, his hunter's attire, with thin plates of bloodstone forged beneath the fabric. A belt was full of knives, six motives, and a music box.
The moment he passed the barrier the, music box played a tune. The tune seemed to shock the hunter. So he was Gascoigne. The song seemed to cause the hunter pain, and so taking advantage of the destruction, Izuku charged in, his whip struck at the man's legs. He was not going to win this, but he needed to learn about his fighting style. And how to weaken the man. A dagger to the shoulder and the man was sprinting at Izuku, his ax, massive and slow was perfect for shooting at. A depth strike of a cane and the man was back at him.
The man's next attack hit him full force, the armor under his attire dented under the force of the hit. Izuku could feel small parts of the armor crack and stab into his skin... better than the ax itself. Using the momentum to jump back, Izuku slashed out with his whip, the sharp edges carved through the other hunter's chest, and the blood spray rejuvenated Izuku as he was attacked again. This time Gascoigne did not allow Izuku any quarter slash after slash was delivered to the young hunter's body. And without stopping, Gascoigne transformed his ax and used it to trip Izuku. He couldn't even get to his knees before the ax came for his head.
Gascoigne battle notes: "Gascoigne, a hunter that uses the hunter's ax and a blunderbuss. Massive in stature, he can swing the ax with incredible speed and fires the blunderbuss whenever the enemy is trying to get away as a way to slow them down. Relentless in his pursuit to kill beasts, he must have allowed the bloodlust to control him... The music box can be used to cause his hind to take back control for mere moments. Due to his size and body type, he is hard to take down. Perhaps go for the Achilles tendon? Would it be smart to use the whip to wrap around his arm and sever one, allowing for a more successful takedown? If the beasthood were to present itself, use Molotovs and throwing knives at a distance. Even though he swings fast, he is open to being parried with a shot if fast enough. Prioritize parrys to get more hits in. He eventually switched to the transformed form of the hunter's ax, slower yet hits harder... could have more tricks."
The ability to cheat death worried Izuku. IF he gets to go home but does not get to keep the immortality... Then the likelihood of him accidentally throwing himself into a deadly situation seemed likely. But first, he needs to beat Gascoigne.
Izuku was back at the blood-encrusted grounds to the tomb in no time. He had needed to refill his makeshift daggers and repair his shoddy armor. But so far, the items were doing the trick. The throwing daggers hit their marks well enough, and the armor could take four solid hits before cracking completely in certain places. He needed better materials and more practice. Thankfully he had all the time in the world.
Gascoigne initiated the fight this time. He sprinted the distance between them in moments and went for a swing. Only to be parried, the bullet sizzled the hunter's flesh as he fell to his knees. And with a quick flick of his cane, Izuku sliced into the man's armpit, cleaving into his flesh, and began the switch into his whip. The blades unhooked from each other and dug into Gascoigne's flesh. And with a hearty yank, a portion of his side was torn off.
As the elder hunter got to his feet, four daggers dug into his chest, jagged and dull in some places; but digging in nonetheless. As the blades hit their mark Izuku forced himself to stay back, the bloodlust pulled at his psyche. Urging him to run in and hack and slash until the beast was nothing less than a pulp of blood and bone. But Izuku held back planning, and effort would take out the poor man in front of him. A hefty click drew Izuku's attention back to Gascoigne. The ax was longer now drawing his blunderbuss would take longer, allowing Izuku more room to operate.
"What's that smell? ... The sweet blood, oh, it sings to me. It's enough to make a man sick!" As he spoke Gascoigne ran forward, his ax head dragging a divot into the soil after him in a movement far too quick for a human; the ax flashed at Izuku, its blade flying at his chest. A resounding clang filled the air as Izuku was thrown back into a gravestone... his armor had cracked. A dive to the side saved Izuku from a quick path back to the dream, a turn on his heels, and he raised his gun and fired. Just catching the other hunter off guard and causing an opening, a quick slash of his cane and the other man's stomach was split. Blood flowed from the wound and healed Izuku a small amount, and with a second strike, the sound of a kneecap being shattered filled the air.
Suddenly the sweet bloody smell of beasthood filled the tomb. Izuku ran up the stairs as the smell of beasthood grew, and screams of Gascoigne filled the air. As he made it to the top, he watched as a beast in the tattered robes of Gascoigne cracked the stones as it sprinted at him. A quick click and the music box went off. And much like Gascoigne before, the beast seemed to remember the song. Grabbing a handful of his Molotovs, he hurled them at the poor man, the one he lit caused a fireball to explode from the beast. The sizzling of flesh and the stench of blood filled the air... As well as the retching of Izuku as he threw up.
The mother had died. She must have been running from her mad husband as he was consumed by the beasthood... Izuku took the broach in hand and headed up to the cathedral. Through the door, Gascoigne had the key to and up a ladder. The ladder led into a room FILLED with books and all kinds of nicknacks.
Izuku took his time scouring the dusty tomes and tools, and much to Izuku's joy, the blood gem tool had been stowed into a drawer in this room. Suddenly a little hand grabbed at his pant leg. A messenger, or well... a LOT of messengers, started to fill the floor of the room, each one snagging a book or two before disappearing into the floor and then reappearing to grab more. The one pulling at his leg reached for the tool in his hand, so he gave it to the little guy. They would take care of it.
Continuing up the stairs, Izuku found himself in the cathedral proper. The cathedral was filled with the incense that repelled beasts. Suddenly a voice spoke from his right, "Ahh, a hunter are ya? Very sorry, the incense must've masked your scent." Started the sickly creature swaddled in red cloth, "Good, good. I've been waiting for one of your ilk. These hunts have everyone all locked up inside. Waiting for it to end... It always does, always has, y'know. Since forever. But it won't end very nicely, not this time. Even some folks hiding inside are goin' bad. The screams of wimminfolk, the stench of blood, the snarls of beasts... none of em's too uncommon now. Yharnam's done fer, I tell ya. But if you spot anyone with their wits about 'em... Tell 'em about this here Oedon Chapel. They'll be safe here. The incense wards off the beasts. Spread the word... tell 'em to come on over. If you wouldn't mind... Hee hee..."
"Wh-what are you?" Izuku really didn't want to insult the other person… but there was so much wrong about them. Their skin was greying and sickly, and from the look of their eyes… they were blind. Their limbs were long and bony and just sick all around.
"O-Oh! s'bin a while since I've had guests! I apologize. People call me the Chapel Dweller! a-and from the sound of yer voice... you're pretty young fer a hunter." They sounded as scared as he had felt the entirety of his time in Yharnam...
"I-i'll tell people t-to come here... Okay? I-In fact I, already have two I want to send here already!" Gerhman has said after the hunter was the safest place in Yharnam. Which meant this Chapel.
"Oh! R-really, truly fer a younga hunta you shur are kind... I-I do hope they get here safe though..."
As Izuku heard the dweller say this, he lit the lantern... he needed to walk the lady and the girl here himself... for the girl, he would need to clear the streets before they could even head off. And so he went to the dream. So he could read his new books and craft some better gear.
—
Izuku headed a direct path from the tomb to the little girl's window. All the while making sure that anything from a crow to the pig was dead. He would not allow the little girl to die. However, a surprise awaited him when he made it to the widow. It was the little girl's older sister. She had just made it back a few minutes before Izuku... and when she saw the broach in his hand. Well... she needed to be strong for her little sister.
The conversation was quick between Izuku and the sister. He would guide them to Oedon Chapel, where they would be safe for the night. And in return, Izuku could have the blood gem encased in the broach. It was not a decision Izuku made. The older sister wanted him to use it to keep himself safe and, in turn, her sister safe.
The walk to the Chapel was quiet for the most part. Izuku carried the little sister to shield her eyes from the blood-soaked cobbles of the streets she lived on. Slowly but surely, they walked the distance, the little girl talking about all kinds of things she found interesting. And asking him questions about what it was like to be a hunter. It was soothing. Even though he had to kill their father, they would be safe tonight in the Chapel.
When they had made it into the Chapel itself, he handed the older sister a pistol he bought and modified. It was weaker than his but good enough that if the dweller tried anything... well, he would likely die. And after asking the messengers to get enough children and storybooks to last a few nights, Izuku headed into the dream. The old woman would have to wait a moment.
—
The new books had taken up a large portion of the workshop... much to Gerhman's displeasure. Though his mood did lighten when Izuku had handed him a large stack of... smut books. Surprisingly most of the books were helpful in some way. There were books on sewing and smithing. Some were on philosophy and geography, a few were on math weirdly. But for the most part, the books were hunter books. Books on the anatomy of beasts, arts the Choir had learned from delving into the arcane. A few of the books were on how to increase the efficiency of blood vials and a large book of hunter tool modifications.
It was the modification book that stole Izuku's immediate attention. Pages on attachments for all kinds of tools and weapons employed by hunters throughout the years. One of the canes was a dark beast battery, which, if the Threaded Cane was transformed into whip form, allowed for passive electricity to run throughout the weapon. There were hundreds of addons for the hunter tools, some massive and others small.
Closing the book, he took out one on smithing or, well, the twelve on smithing. A few hours, or days in the dream, passed as Izuku read and practiced what he learned from the pages. Occasionally he needed to head to Yharnam to get some supplies. Taking the metal off the mob as he went and storing them into a make-shift backpack for later use.
Izuku had become... okay at smithing. The armor was still lumpy and uncomfortable, and the daggers were still misshapen. But now, they could at least do something. Gerhman was confused at first when he made the armor. To Gerhman, hunters needed to be faster than the enemies they fought... but then he realized his short student did not have the legs necessary to clear some attacks. So he advised his protege on how to hit the hammer correctly. Just because he had no need for the forge does not mean he did not know how to smith.
After another week or so, Izuku was in the dream. He had headed to lead the old lady to the safe place. The path was relatively the same in length... Much fewer ladders to the Chapel than with the little girl and her sister. By the time they made it, the old lady was really xenophobic... like to a stupid degree. So he headed back to the dream. He had more books to read through. And the girls were still on their first.
—
Allergies have shut down my existence so writing took longer than I wanted.
Thank you to:
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Thanks for voting/ commenting on the last chapters! It means a lot to me. If you are in the discord tell me and ill be saying hello from the end of chapters! And thanks Arcanfy (AO3) for a song-poem I'm going to use eventually! Those who hold conversations it's like when an author releases a new chapter for me. It's really fun to talk to you all!
Have a nice day/night and I hope you will consider joining my discord!
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Also if you do see a part that makes no sense in the way it's written please tell me. Sinuses are killing me and I think I might have messed up on something! - Author!
P.s. I wrote this today! Hope you all like it!
P.p.s. To those on FF I'm sorry I can't reply but I think all your input is amazing!