Chapter 8: The Imposter

"Gascoigne?"

"Henryk!?"

"Father!?"

"Viola? My daughter!"

The three of them looked at each other in a daze. The Old Hunter looked ready to burst in tears, while his daughter does not fare much better. Gascoigne took a trembling step forward and hugged his partner, burying him in his burly frame

"Did...did you die?"

"Yes. And I am happy with it" Henryk cracked a brittle smile past the hug "I- Let's just say you and my daughter's death broke me. I lost control and turned into a beast"

"Tell me...are we in the Waking World?"

"I'm afraid that's not the case" A fourth voice interrupted their reunion. The three of them turned toward the woman sitting in front of them. Her Vicar set had its hood pulled back, revealing a more healthy Amelia sitting by the lamp

Wait. Lamp?

"We've all been teleported to a different dimension upon out death. This is not the Dream, nor the waking world. It's definitely not the afterlife from what I can tell" She explained

"Then why are we here?"

"Good question" She stared with empty eyes into the lamp's light, mesmerized by its soothing light

"Tell me, have you met a Hunter before your death?"

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You have completed the Quest

- Reward:

+10,000 [Blood Echoes]

+1 [Insight]

You have killed a Boss

+4 [Insight]

+1 Stat Point

"Finally" I muttered, donning on my usual gears "I don't have to embarrass myself anymore"

Fighting naked with only your boxer is not exactly the most comfortable sensation for a Hunter. Especially in Yharnam, where fresh water is scarce and blood would stick on your body for hours on end. Not that I mind being covered in blood as much as it scares people out when meeting me

The most convenient way of cleaning myself would be committing suicide and get revived in the Hunter's dream as a cleaned state. But that is a far more excessive method than not getting stuck with blood in the first place

Putting the Saw Cleaver on my back, I then checked my inventory. The Hunter Pistol is still at peak condition. The Hunter's axe is the same. Cashing in the items get me 22,000 Blood Echoes and 3 Insights, which add up to 33,580 and 7 Insights respectively. Enough to level up some skills from the Doll

Another noteworthy loot are the twenty five Bone Marrow Ashes and one Lake Caryll Rune found nearby. The first help significantly increase my forearm's damage for a single shot each, the second provides a passive boost for Hunters once applied at the Rune workshop in the Hunter's Dream

That...should be it. Equipments and items are in check. All enemies killed. All objectives completed. Two stat points earned. There's nothing else for me to do

Unless...

From the newly-lit lamp, I made my way up the lane once more. With [Terrain Traversal] I used the steeper shortcut to arrive there. As expected, flocks of Carrion Crows were already awaiting me once I've climbed to the top

Their bellies were inflated from over feasting on the corpses of Hemwick's residents. That gives them abnormally sized bodies and aggressive behaviors compared to your normal crows. Since Yharnam contains all kind of dead bodies this is akin to a buffet to them

I stood there on the ledge and throw some pebbles down on the beasts. The crows noticed the Hunter and started waddling their ways toward me in an amusing way.

Soon enough, they formed into a tight crowd, packed full of flesh-hungry crows waiting to ambush me

In response, I threw down a Molotov, killing them all

Hopping down from the boulder I'm standing on, I walked toward the single crow that hadn't moved from it's spot ever since I came here. Ashes and charred bodies of the previous crows still lingered around us as I did so

We made eyes contact with each other, dull black meet a darker black, and I grinned

"You're not going to attack me, aren't you?"

He cawed in response.

I never believe this would be real, but here he is. A glitch in Bloodborne that had a Carrion Crow being non-hostile toward hunters, now proving to exist like a part of reality itself

My hand settled down to pet the Carrion Crow, in response he simply nuzzled into my palm

The question now is what should I do with this?

In curiosity, I slid my arms under the crow's belly and lifted him up, before carrying him to the lamp that led to the Hunter's dream. A thought lingered on my mind

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The surrounding became clouded in fog like usual. The transition between worlds were like that of dreaming.

Perhaps that's where its namesake comes from, because the entrance is always obscured under the veil of our consciousness. When you closed your eyes, you could almost imagine entering a new world upon awakening

I blinked as the mist cleared away, revealing the familiar scenery of the Dream workshop once again

"Welcome home, good Hunter" Mary the Doll greeted like usual as I approached the staircase "Are you in need of assistance?"

I put the crow on the steps beside her. Naturally, her gaze were drawn toward it. There were no outward reactions of surprise nor disgust, only a faint hint of curiosity inside those blank eyes

"Does Gehrman usually come down here?"

"He does not, good Hunter. Gehrman will sit inside the Workshop in the early nights. And when Flora rise, he will sit at the foot of the great tree, where the pillar aligns"

Rather cryptic, aren't you? One have to wonder just how much she knows of the secrets the Dream held

"Well then, will you keep this little crow a

secret between us?" I reached out a hand and patted her head

I have not accounted for how awkward this would be when I realized Mary is taller than me

"A secret" She mouthed "Good Hunter...of course I will. I love secrets"

"Good. Now let's pretend this conversation never happened and continue with my Echoes strengthening"

With the Blood Echoes gathered, I focused on upgrading the rest of my DEX skill to either II or further

[Gale Force III] (Maxed Out)

- The Hunter surpass the wind. Increased mobility in combat

+120% Movement Speed

+120% Attack Speed

With this at max level I should be well on my way to setting the play field with most bosses in the game. Now if only I could equip myself with Eileen's Blades of Mercy

[Stealth II]: A Hunter become one with the shadow. The enemy is less likely to detect you

- 60% noise created when moving

The next choice is obvious. To take an enemy out before they can notice their Hunter is my main tactic to dealing with most Beasts. This should come with an upgrade to assassination, as they provided a nice bonus when used together

-[Assassination II]: A Hunter strikes from the darkness. Catching their prey at their weakest

+200% Damage when attacking enemies from behind

And that is also when my Blood Echoes were dried out. Sadly I'm not even done maxing out half the skills I learned even though I've saved up for so long

Bowing to the doll, I walked to the Messenger's Bath next. I purchased some Molotov Cocktails and Antidote for the next boss

When the purchasing was done, I presented them with the decorations I found in the Cathedral Ward. Naturally, that was the aesthetics that can be worn for a Hunter's messengers

"Which one do you like? The black Church hat, the classy top hat" I held out the two items, along with a third one I kept pressed between my fingers "Or the bloody head bandage?"

The Messenger's decor was just something I accidentally recall on the Hunt. It does not affect my stats as much as it is a way to express the concept of "Fashion Soul", which admittedly did bring a light-hearted tone to this bleak hunt

I smiled dryly as they argued in their respective tongue. In the end they decided with the Top Hat due to majority vote. I handed the hats to the Stump Messengers above them and watched them deformed creatures tried it on.

"This is the first time I've seen a Hunter taking care of the Dream's inhabitant" An old, crooked voice resounded just inside the old Workshop, making me look up "They seems fonder of you than the previous one"

I paused. My mind registered what he'd just said with some degree of surprise. Gehrman had never openly talked about this before

"The previous one?"

"Aye, the Dream's hunter of the last moon cycle is not the most pleasant of people to be around with. Still, he gets the job done"

How Curious. I've always wondered what the hunters of the dream before me was like. Do they also possess knowledge of this being a fictional world to people of a different plane? Do they also have the same leveling system as me? Or no one did and it was just me?

The names engraved in the garden were just

people that had been forgotten to the Hunt, or got lost in the Hunt themselves. There were numerous of them. Some seems recent in appearance, but some were so worn out their names had completely faded from the stone

The Hunt had been dragged on for at least decades on Yharnam, and it will continue for decades to come. It was a morbid thought

Sooner or later, I will end up like them. A grave will be made for me, and one will take my place as a killer drowned in blood. Is this cycle doomed to repeat itself forever?

I was lost in thought, before reality reminded me of the old man who had just spoken

"Master Gehrman" I nodded as I entered the Workshop "Have you been watching me?"

He raised an eyebrow "What are you talking about?"

"Nevermind" so he didn't know about the Carrion Crow yet. I'm glad I wasn't found out this early "I've came here to ask for something"

He patiently gestured inside

I stepped to the crafting bench and once against started fortifying my weapon. Per usual, he offered me some more tips on the maintenance of weapons and I listened with a close ear

As I did so, we set into a comfortable lecture. With the crackling of fire in the background, the antique furniture, everything...just seems so peaceful. This is more like home than a place to craft beast-killing weapons and train recruits for the hunt

Perhaps it is. Perhaps I'm not just seeing all the madness of the Hunt as something to be feared, but to be embraced. I have grown familiar to the scent of blood...fond of it even

"I am in need of some explanations" As I poured some extracted Blood Echoes on the Saw Cleaver to oil the weapon's gears, I decided it's time to start the conversation "What are Runes, and what are Chalice Rituals?"

"Ah, I figured you might ask that eventually" Gehrman leaned to one side of his wheelchair and chuckle "I was going to give you this book written by Caryll for a detailed explanation, but you might not be able to read it"

"Still, as someone who asks to be my student, you should give it a try" He added after a moment of thought

Something flew through the air. My hand snapped up and caught the leather-bounded tome by it's spine. I turned the book around and trailed my hand through the layer of dust, inspecting its old, gold-rimmed cover

And of course, an eye was placed in the middle of the front cover

It looks like your classic magic book. Except less an arcane tome and more like a toned-down version of the necronimicon with eyes for face

[Blood Cross: Runesmith Encyclopedia]

- The runes are whisper of the Great Ones, passed down through the fragile mind of a mortal. Such unstable communication may lead to inaccurate representation of the Truth hidden in plain Sight. As such, He created this book in hope the language of the Unknown shalt not be forgotten

- Allow you to upgrade and modify Rune at the cost of Insight

*To read this, you need 5/10 in Intelligence and the necessary Code to decipher it

I opened it. Inside were pages depicting disturbing and bizarrely complex symbols. Some have incomprehensible lines twisted in a deformed way, writhing around as of they are living parasites. Some have their pages torn off with the remain of blood on the edge, and some only have drawings of eyes littered everywhere on it

I don't understand a single sliver of this tome. Whoever wrote the book had clearly gone insane or is already insane from the start

"Looks interesting. Do you mind if I borrow it?"

"Borrow? It's all yours if you can translate whatever's written inside into a more comprehensive form. But as I said, no one's ever done that" Gehrman cackled "Now, I'm sorry for the lack of explanation; it's just that our lessons recently had got my mind occupied..."

I can understand. After the Vicar's boss fight he taught me about strengthening weapons. It was supposed to be when the old man revealed about the Chalice Dungeons in the game, but this turn of event caused it to deviate from the original

I was intending to ask it for my own sake not to draw attention to my knowledge, but a more detailed explanation is welcome too

With a smile, I pulled out a dusty chair from the wall and set it across from Gehrman. The master and student sat by the fireplace as they began their newest lessons

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"I see. So that's how you met and learn of Caryll" I nodded "Ome of your earliest students is a Tomb Prospector. And she's once a Cainhurst knight. Her people were the first to unearth the secrets of the Tomb with him as a part of the excavation crew"

The [Blank Notebook] I was given here at the start of the Hunt was now littered with notes, sketches and hasty scribbles from our previous study session. I was taught about Yharnam's history, culture, and geography as Gehrman reminiscent about his life before becoming a Hunter.

Many secrets, facts, and items hidden from the fan made lore. Some of them hiding in plain sights, some stayed in places more obscure than others. To have a clear picture of Yharnam before the Scourge of the Beast was a refreshing experience

"Thank you for the tales" I closed the notebook while getting up from my chair and walked toward the Memory altar at the other end of the room. The Lake Caryll rune on my hand glowed faintly as I approached it "Now I think I'm ready to do it"

The etching process was incredibly simple, yet also delicate. One have to carefully memorize the Rune's shape before using the complex Runic Tool to etch said shape into the back of their mind. It's akin to imprinting, except a lot more things can go wrong than normal

I flipped through the Blood Cross encyclopedia and flocked through one of its more readable pages

"A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.

This transcription of the Great Ones' inhuman voices ripples like a watery reflection.

This rune means "Lake", and those branded by it enjoy augmented defense.

Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep, and an augur of the eldritch Truth.

Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours"

This Lake rune in particular is of the lowest in terms of both rarity and effect. Collected near the first half the game, it gives you a tiny, almost insignificant boost in defensive power. 3% damage reduction from all attacks

That's small. But 3% is better than nothing

My mind went blank for a moment as the etching procedure was completed. The lightheaded feeling soon faded, followed after with the realization that something about me changed

It was a subtle difference. But I felt stronger than before. Is this what runes felt like?

"It feels unfamiliar" I placed a hand on my temple, before shakily standing up and putting both books in my inventory "Well, whatever, I'm off to the next hunt"

He turned around and said nothing. I only shook my head before jumping down from the stairs. With a burst of Quickening I was already next to the gravestone

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Returning to the Cathedral Ward lamp. I devised my next steps in this Hunt

I still have a lot to go through. The lecture building, Yarha'gul, Hypogean Gaol, old Yharnam. The intended destination would be Cainhurst castle where I get the Corrupted rune. After that I just need to fight Alfred and go through the rest of the NPC's

My mood was dampened, however, when I realized I've forgot one important detail. A crucial character that I've left out of my mind until now

I have not spoken to Iosefka

With hurried steps and a worsening feeling in the pit of my stomach, I returned back to my starting point

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"Dead" The woman groaned "Another one dead. Unbelievable!"

She grabbed the blue creature by it's head and threw it in a nearby pile of Kin-looking corpses

Results of failed experiments. But she is getting closer. When the Blood Moon rises, her efforts will be fairly rewarded

"Iosefka"'s lips curved into an unhinged smile. She stretched her skin and tilted her head, making gentle expressions in the mirror that would not have looked out of place on the original doctor

At the other side of the room, the gagged woman squirmed in her seat, struggling against the chains bounding her in desperation. This is the real Iosefka who was knocked out from behind just hours ago

After the foreign Hunter in the clinic left for the second time, she went back to doing her treatment to the afflicted patients, only to black out just moments later and awaken bound to her own chair

From then on, she was forced to watch as her wards are subsequently experimented on by a mad member of the Choir, turning them into Kin creatures

The lucky one died in painful agony

The unlucky ones suffer a fate worse than death

"Oh, don't worry dear, this will be over soon" The imposter put on her gloves and inspect the vials on the table "You will be just like your patients. A blue-skinned abomination with an inflated head that bobbled with every step. Wouldn't that be great my Iosefka?"

All she got in response were panicked sounds being muffled under the gag

The imposter loosened up the binds slightly, allowing her to wrestle out her original's arm. With a smile, she pulled back the Church's garb, exposing her bare wrist

Perfect. Now it's time to inject the lumen extraction inside her

"Be careful. This will hurt quite a bit~" Her hand casually twirled the vials and brought it closer to the doctor's arm. As the needle was ready to penetrate her skin, the fear in her eyes grew...

Knock knock

However, a knock from the clinic's door would turn out to be the salvation to her fate in this case

"Ah, how annoying, a pest had made himself known" the imposter's eyes twitched as she reluctantly stood up and head for the door "Stay still, be silent, and don't do anything stupid"

She coughed, altering her voice so it was almost identical to Iosefka and answered the unexpected visitor "Yes, what is it that you need?"

"Tell Iosefka the Hunter is here to see her"

"I am Iosefka" She replied patiently, growing irritated at the seemingly annoying statement. "Are you in need of being cured, my sir hunter? Lord knows I can help a few more poor souls from the dark street of Yharnam here"

A pause. It looked as if the man was gone due to the sudden silence outside the door

However, he soon spoke again. The Hunter's next word chilled her to the bone

"No, you're not her"

The next moment, the clinic's door was torn off its hinge by an explosion that blew the imposter Iosefka flying back and crashed into a nearby operating table

The dust settled, revealing the Hunter with his fist raised in front of him. With a coat as dark as the night and crimson blood hanging off his body, he looked all the more intimidating in their eyes