364I stared at the floating screen, thoroughly confused.
Everything I knew about the Bloodborne game told me there shouldn't be an (Insight) skill, but instead a number.
I checked my (Status), and-
Wait, I already had (1) [Insight]?!
Name: Aeon
Title: Hunter of the D̘̬̼ͨ̾ͫ̾r̰̲̳̳̥͂͊͢e̩̺͍͕̲̣ͨ̑͌ͨ͢ͅå̙ͥm̗͈̻̫ͦ̾̈ͥ̓ͅ
Race: Ḧ̘͚͔͉̯̲́ͬ̇ū̋ͤ̏̊͑͌m͎͑̔ͦ̔ͪͯa̸̰͕̱̜̪̰ͮ͐n͚̻̩̤͕̫̯̄̂̅̔
[The Gamer] [The Jumper]
Alignment: Neutral Good
Lvl: 1
HP: 6000 (reg: 1%/s)
MP: 1500
Insight: 1
Blood Echoes: 180
Vit: 100
Str: 100
Dex: 100
Int: 50*
Wis: 50
Cha: 50*
Luck: 50*
Points: 0
Bloodtinge: 10
Arcane: 10
Traits/Perks:
Gamer's Mind: Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to mental disorder/negative psychological effects (ex: Madness, Frenzy, mental breakdown, Horror, ...).
Gamer's body: Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. (He receives no physical damage from attacks, only pain for a few seconds and a loss of HP). After sleeping in a bed, it restores HP, MP and cures all status effects.
Eldritch Blood: The Blood running through your veins is partially Eldritch in nature. Gain one-time (*10) to all physical stats and (*5) to all others Stats (includes Charisma and Luck because of the slight Divine nature of your existence).
Hunter of the D̘̬̼ͨ̾ͫ̾r̰̲̳̳̥͂͊͢e̩̺͍͕̲̣ͨ̑͌ͨ͢ͅå̙ͥm̗͈̻̫ͦ̾̈ͥ̓ͅ : You are a hunter of the D̘̬̼ͨ̾ͫ̾r̰̲̳̳̥͂͊͢e̩̺͍͕̲̣ͨ̑͌ͨ͢ͅå̙ͥm̗͈̻̫ͦ̾̈ͥ̓ͅ. That means several things, such that you have a connection to the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, allowing you to awaken within it after death instead of truly dying, the ability to travel through various locations through Lanterns found across Yharnam and that you are the source of admiration of the Little Ones, Messagers of the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢.
Little Things: Those who don't pay attention tend to end up dead quickly around here. You notice the little things and have an easier time putting them together now, which is surprisingly useful at times. Help with things like quickly putting together the direction light is coming from so that you can tell where the enemy casting that shadow is before they drop right on your head. Is your enemy really predictable? Noticing their patterns quicker can help you avoid getting an axe to the side of the head. Just stepped on a strange tile and heard a click? Moving is a good idea, and one that you'll likely need to come up with as quickly as you can!
Discovery: How convenient. The effects of this perk are two-fold. Firstly you've gained an eye for spare equipment laying around. Secondly, your Luck when it comes to finding such things has gone up greatly! Weather it's ammo, blood vials or something more precious like Blood Gems, useful miscellaneous items just seems to find their way into your hands more often, normally after looting them from a corpse. Said corpse may be fresh or old. Hard things to find may still be hard to find, but less so.
Workshop Artisan: As if taught at the long gone workshop, you seem to possess knowledge and skills with many of their crafting techniques. You have been granted the knowledge and skills needed to both repairs and indeed create your own trick weapons and Hunter's tools. Trick Weapons are weapons with a variety of special abilities relating to their form. The most common type of trick weapons are those who can transform in some manner. An example being swords that can lock into specialized sheaths in order to become different weapons, sometimes radically so. Not to say transformation is the only ability, there are also melee weapons with guns attached, and maces that can be charged with unnatural blue electricity to deal massive damage. Hunter's tool are pieces of equipment with special abilities activated by using Blood bullets or Quicksilver bullets as a medium. Some Hunter's tools are completely manmade as well, though they are a minority. Doing so allows anyone to use them, even if they are completely mundane beings, as long as they have the bullets mentioned above on their person. When making Hunter's tools, remember that the power something requires, the more bullets the wielders will need.
Hunter's Intuition: It feels as if you've experienced uncountable years in the Hunt instead of only just beginning. You gain an almost supernatural instinct when it comes to hunting, and it doesn't matters which sides of it you're on. Tracking is like second nature, and in that same vein you are able to cover your own tracks more easily. You set better trap, and have an easier time noticing traps before you step into them. Maybe most significantly, you find it much easier than before to identify and capitalize on enemy weaknesses. Maybe it's an elemental weakness or something more subtle, like an exploitable pattern in their attacks. If given enough time observing the enemy, you will find it eventually. Do not try to completely rely on your instincts though, for even those as sharp as yours can be wrong every now and then.
Blood Saint : Seems like you have something in common with the nuns of the Healing Church. Your blood now has powerful regenerative effects, allowing you to heal from minor and middling injuries within seconds and major injuries such as severed limbs in less than an hour. Fatal injuries stay fatal, but to say that you can quickly recovers from blood loss is an understatement. This makes Blood Bullets spam actually possible. Your blood's healing properties can also be shared with others by letting them drink it. The effects on other are temporary though. (Heal 1% of MAX Health by second.)
Blue and Orange: Humans get worked up over such strange things, don't they? Crying over the death of family, getting worked up over how 'cruel' your perfectly logical plan to save the universe is...it's annoying. It's even more annoying if you find yourself agreeing with them. If you'd rather not be bothered by such things, you may take a moment to contemplate a new moral code that makes sense to yourself and how you've come to see others, and your emotions and attitude adjust to fit.
Hmm? You want to hold onto a human moral code? Well, if you want, this can instead affirm your humanity and let you keep a 'normal' perspective on things, even as you see the wider scheme and scope of creation. This means you can still feel guilt when you're forced to take a life, or shame when you use your powers in selfish ways...whatever you'd deem 'wrong' if you were still the person you were before, essentially.
You may also create a mix of these two, harmonizing both a human and inhuman mindset...though it may take some time.
Mad Scholar: The first step to becoming a magician is to know what you're dealing with. Be it magic or monsters or the occult in general, you've become a learned master at dealing with most of it. While you do not know any specific spells with this, you do have a deep and broad knowledge on magical things, artefacts, monsters, locations and gods. You can identify the species and even weaknesses of all but the rarest monsters you might encounter, know the details of many types of magic that you can find, the dangers of certain locations or the way to properly worship certain gods. While the extent of this Lore is great, without a way to cast spells or enhance your power, you would likely be relegated to be just an advisor. This knowledge will update in future worlds to match the local varieties of monsters and so on.
To Truly Live: Let others be wracked by existential dread and the petty self-doubt that plague lesser men. You possess a heart that burns brighter and more free then any flame, yet not uncontrolled. Sights seem clearer, scents more rich, and flavors more vivid. It is like the mental and emotional fog that rests upon the minds and hearts of others has been banished from you to leave the world open. You know who you are and are unfettered in being true to yourself. This seemingly superhuman vibrancy will be obvious to others whenever you allow it. No one can look upon you and not see that while others exist, you truly live.
Vit (50): You now have a body as though as iron. Reduce damage taken by 10%. 10% Increase to total HP amount. 10% Increase learning speed to physical related skills.
Vit (100): you now have a body as though as steel. Reduce damage taken by 20%. 20% increased to total HP amount. 20% increased learning speed to physical related skills.
Str (50): You are much stronger than a regular human (by your former's life standards). Every physical attacks do 10% more damage.
Str (100): Congratulation! You are 10 times as strong as a regular human. By anime rule, that makes you a E-rank Heroic Spirit! You now know the pain of being the weakest of them all... Every physical attacks now do 20% more damage. Your increased learning speed to physical related skills is now of 20%.
Dex (50): You have amazing grace, possessing refined control and coordination, displaying elegance in everything you do. 50% Increase to Movement Speed. 30% Increase to Attack Speed. 20% Increase to Evasion. 10% Increase learning speed to physical related skills.
Dex (100): You have phenomenal grace, possessing incredibly refined control and coordination, displaying supreme elegance in everything you do. Furthermore, you are now ambidextrous. 100% increase to movement speed. 60% increased to Attack Speed. 40% Increase to Evasion. 20% Increase learning speed to physical related skills.
Int (50): Mana/Arcane Affinity. You have a natural affinity towards mystical forces. Allow Gamer to control Mana/Arcane in it's pure form. Allow for free movement of mana outside of the Gamer's body. 10% Increase in Mana Recovery Rate. 10% Increase in total MP. 10% Increase to Magic/Arcane Attack damages. 10% Increase to Magic/Arcane damage resistance. 25% learning speed increase to MP related skills.
Wis (50): W̨̅̉̆̐̚o̟̱̫̠̹̼ͭ͐̇̕r͐ͩ̽ͤ̅̑̒͏ĺ̶̪̘͙̝͙̞ḍ̷͓̪͎̞̄̍ Affinity. You are wiser than most in the way of the W̨̅̉̆̐̚o̟̱̫̠̹̼ͭ͐̇̕r͐ͩ̽ͤ̅̑̒͏ĺ̶̪̘͙̝͙̞ḍ̷͓̪͎̞̄̍. 10% Increase in Mana Recovery Rate. 10% Increase in total MP. 20% Increase to Elemental Attack. 20% Increase to Elemental damage resistance. 20% Increase to learning speed for (Science) and (Mystical) related subjects.
Cha (50): You have a natural friendly aura around you. People are more likely to relax and trust you, even when you've just met them. You also gain a permanent (10) on the Relation Tracker with everyone you meet.
Luck (50): You have several time the Luck of a normal human. Most games of chance/probability will now favors you, and (loot) will be more easily found/of higher quality/in greater quantity.
All (50): First Step to Glory: You are the better, in all ways, of any regular human being. 10% increased learning speed for All skills. 10% increase in all exp gain.
Skills/Perks:
Insight: Allow one to see the Truth of the World. Grant Insight into the [?̼̘͓͉̖͓̟̱̠̠̥̤̲̦̹̟̯̗ͬ̿̿̋ͮͪ͂̃̉͛̐̂ͩͧͯ̑͒͞ͅD̵̨̳͎̘͔̹̥̤͖͚̠͇̳̭̯̹͌̋́̂̌͊̔ͧ̍̊̆ͩ͊̾̈͘͟͟R̵̵̤̰͖̯̮̈́͑̓ͮ͛̊̌ͦͯ̑̀̚͢͟£̴̷̧͕̠̙̦̤̘̥̤͎̜̮̟̹̫̾ͧͬ͊ͥͩ̌̄ͫ̀̋ͦ͆ͦͧ͗̽͡Ṯ̶̶̨̧͉̜͈͈͕̺̖̺̬̹̥͇̝̤̞̞̲̜͑̈̓͌̈ͣ̄̅̉̅͑̒͗̌̆̿̃ͤ̚/̴̲̗͓̖̟̟̣̪̜̳͕͙͗ͫͭ̒͌̂̔ͧ̋ͤ͑͑ͫ̏͌̌ͧ͌̊ͨ̇̈́ͤ́̈͗̂ͤ͢͟͝͡͝ͅ ̠͉͕̠̥̲̤̰̫̰̝͖̝̜̾̄̋ͮ͒͗̉̒̔ͧ̋̽͋ͪͭ̿̒̽̎͢T͎̖̗̥͔̲͔͕̠̯̲ͩͧ̄͗̅ͩ̒͋̋͂̀ù̈́̉ͧͤ̃̓̓̊̎̅͝͏͏̼̤͓͓̥͍̫̼̘͍̗͖̜̮̳͙͉ͅ$̷̶͇͈̱͕͇̳̲̙̰͖̳̫̤̦͖̗̖͖̈ͮ̈́̉̓͒́%̸̶̤̙̤̲̰̟̓͑̑̈̔ͬͯ͋̐̓͞H̵̫̠͍̣̪͓͈̱͖͈̮̼͚͂̓̆͗̍̐̓͒̈́͗̊̌̃̀̀͜͡]
Blood Bullets: At any time, you may sacrifice up to 30% of your max health to create five Blood bullets. When put into a weapon, they will change shape to match the necessary ammo type. A single blood bullet is unable to take the clip of significantly larger projectiles, such as cannon balls, but if multiple bullets with a combined mass equal, or at least close to the required projectile are placed together, they will fuse and assume the proper shape. Blood bullets are able to become liquid fuel for certain weapons, such as flamethrowers. Blood bullets are unable to assume the shape of projectiles that are too complex.
Rally: After being hurt or damaged in some way, you have a short window of time where bathing yourself in the blood of your enemies will trigger a small bit of rapid recovery. It's never very much healing, meaning you are very unlikely to make a full recovery from anything too serious, but every little bits helps. You don't necessarily need to be drenched in blood, but the amount required to trigger Rally will be quite noticeable.
I frowned. The (un)expected perks for reaching (50) and (100) in stats were certainly nice, but right now I was more curious about the mystery before me. Not only did I have an (Insight) skill, but also a number of actual Insight- currently at (1), too!
I tried to remember what I knew of [Insight] from the game. From what I remembered, [Insight] is a stat in Bloodborne. It governs the amount of inhuman knowledge you have acquired by exploring the game and defeating enemies. It also had various side-effects, such as
Each additional Insight reduces the Beasthood stat. Spending Insight alternatively increases the Beasthood stat. (Fortunately, Gamer's Mind effectively hard-stopped everything that the Beast within could use to grow stronger. Well, except some specific skills which increased it by uses.)
Each additional Insight reduces the Frenzy resistance (though Gamer's Mind took care of that too.)
Oh, and Insight cannot exceed a limit of 99.
I... did have the suspicion that I gained the (1) Insight stat through my (COMMUNION) with [̗̟͚̓̅̀ͭ̀T̴͙̙͉̼̓̌̐ͪẖ̵̱e̩̜͓͈ ͓̥̮̮̦͎̬̓̍̐̏M͇͚̘̣̥̱̋̄̾͋͆́ͅo̰̣̓ͦ͂͡o̝̟͎̻̞ͩ̀̊̾͐̄ͅň̫̝͓͕̏ͤͅ ̦̱͇̣̱̇͐̐ͦ̈́͑͐P̵͚̓ṛ̩̮̽͘é̗̜̪̦̳̏ͅs̬̠̟̲̳̲ͯ́̍ḙ̮̓ͭ̈ͦ̐̍̒͝n̲̫͚͚ͬͣc̗̘̘̱͙̳̭ͧ͘e̖͔ͭ͐ͥ́͒͒]ͤ̇͏͙̺̜̻. That certainly felt appropriate, honestly.
The real question, however, was the (Insight) Skill.
As far as I knew, [Insight] would result in someone having e̡͊̌̿̇̑̿y̭̦̅̅ͮͨ͐̏ͩͅe̘̓̃͌ͭ̍ͪ̕s̛̙ͤ ̈́͊o͙̎̄͜n̦̙͇͑̊͂͊̚ ̛͐̂̉ͥ͗t͕̫̣̘̬h̛̜̠̎̔̽ẹ̰ͤͧ ̟̩̗͕̱͛̒͜ͅi̺͍͕͂̅̔͝n̝̣̖̜ͅs̥͈̪̲̭͍̦ͭͥ̓i͈͈͆̍͋͗ͪ̚d̬̪͔̖̳̗̝̀̏e̛͉̫͕̦͔. Or, in other words, eŷ͙̪͖̺͔͋e̛̳̼̳͈͉͚̥ͨ̐̋s͕̊ͪ̄͂̇̑̎ ̰ͨ̎͗̔l̦̊͆̋̔̈̒i͎̦ͬͭ͟n͇̺̤͎̮͋͆͌̃̂ͬ̔i̡̯͎͍̽̐̋̇ͥͬn͍̹͖̥ͅg̢̻̼͓̉̇̿ͩ̏̊ ̸̮̗͕̠͉͖̹̄͌̑ͫt̓̉ͫ̏̔̿ͯh̴͙͔͐̒̅ê͚̻̖̗̹͓̞ͮ̂̃͌̅ͭ ̩̼̣͈͓̬̜̿b̝̰̗͆̑͊́r̬͔͕̯̱̦̉ͣͥͫ̃͗ͤ̕ȁi̵̺͕̖̝̣̹n̝̦̲͂̿͊͒͐̽ͩ.̡͉̝̦͔͔̖̏ͯ̆ͬ̚
Now, the real question becomes- what differs between the [Insight] stat and the (Insight) skill?
... Wait... Was it a question of Quantity and Quality? If you consider the brain like a computer, then the [Insight] stat might very well be how powerful your computer was, how capable it was at receiving vast amount of data, while the (Insight) skill might very well be how good your internet connection was? How little interference and how fast said data could be downloaded? Meaning my [Insight] stat was about how much information my mind could receive while my (insight) skill was about how much of it I could understand/comprehend?
CONGRATULATION! FOR INTELLIGENT AND INSIGHTFUL DEDUCTION ON THE NATURE OF THE[?̼̘͓͉̖͓̟̱̠̠̥̤̲̦̹̟̯̗ͬ̿̿̋ͮͪ͂̃̉͛̐̂ͩͧͯ̑͒͞ͅD̵̨̳͎̘͔̹̥̤͖͚̠͇̳̭̯̹͌̋́̂̌͊̔ͧ̍̊̆ͩ͊̾̈͘͟͟R̵̵̤̰͖̯̮̈́͑̓ͮ͛̊̌ͦͯ̑̀̚͢͟£̴̷̧͕̠̙̦̤̘̥̤͎̜̮̟̹̫̾ͧͬ͊ͥͩ̌̄ͫ̀̋ͦ͆ͦͧ͗̽͡Ṯ̶̶̨̧͉̜͈͈͕̺̖̺̬̹̥͇̝̤̞̞̲̜͑̈̓͌̈ͣ̄̅̉̅͑̒͗̌̆̿̃ͤ̚/̴̲̗͓̖̟̟̣̪̜̳͕͙͗ͫͭ̒͌̂̔ͧ̋ͤ͑͑ͫ̏͌̌ͧ͌̊ͨ̇̈́ͤ́̈͗̂ͤ͢͟͝͡͝ͅ ̠͉͕̠̥̲̤̰̫̰̝͖̝̜̾̄̋ͮ͒͗̉̒̔ͧ̋̽͋ͪͭ̿̒̽̎͢T͎̖̗̥͔̲͔͕̠̯̲ͩͧ̄͗̅ͩ̒͋̋͂̀ù̈́̉ͧͤ̃̓̓̊̎̅͝͏͏̼̤͓͓̥͍̫̼̘͍̗͖̜̮̳͙͉ͅ$̷̶͇͈̱͕͇̳̲̙̰͖̳̫̤̦͖̗̖͖̈ͮ̈́̉̓͒́%̸̶̤̙̤̲̰̟̓͑̑̈̔ͬͯ͋̐̓͞H̵̫̠͍̣̪͓͈̱͖͈̮̼͚͂̓̆͗̍̐̓͒̈́͗̊̌̃̀̀͜͡, YOU GAIN (10) INT POINTS AND (1) INSIGHT!
... Well then. Hooray for the power of logical deduction!
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, before freezing as I, finally, noticed that I no longer wore glasses!
And that I saw the world better than ever!
I took a moment to grin like an idiot at the fact that I no longer needed glasses after having need of them for most of my (former) life, enjoying how beautiful the world was in real-life HD, before my attention was drawn back to the gamer screen by a "ding!" sound.
CONGRATULATION! FOR NOTICING THE OBVIOUS, YOU GAIN (1) INT POINT!
I deadpanned at the screen.
"Really, game? Really?!"
Finally, I was ready. Sure, that was after glaring at the screen for it's snark, and then remembering to put the message about Paleblood in my Inventory (which I may or may not have played around with by enjoying putting my hand in and out of for a minute or two... or three...) but finally, I was ready!
Thus, after looking around the room I was in for anything of interest, I then opened the surprisingly heavy doors of the room before going down the stairs.
I remembered that, in the game, there were some messenger's of the D̘̬̼ͨ̾ͫ̾r̰̲̳̳̥͂͊͢e̩̺͍͕̲̣ͨ̑͌ͨ͢ͅå̙ͥm̗͈̻̫ͦ̾̈ͥ̓ͅ waiting down the stairs with messages about gameplay mechanics, so I wasn't really surprised by the lack of them here and now.
Unfortunately, what WAS there was the 60% dead beast currently feasting on a corpse right by the doors to exit the building. The level TWENTY 60% dead beast, with even higher physical stats than mine, that is. (Thank you, (Insight) skill!)
... Shit.
Needless to say, my good mood took a dive for the worst when the fact that I was about to die, the bloody and brutal way this time, became apparent.
And that not even an hour into my new life.
Sure, I could maybe run straight through... except that I remembered the closed doors awaiting up the stairs beyond the Beast.
And the ones AFTER that. Running was doomed to failure- the time needed to throw those doors open would be more than enough for the beast to reach me.
Bloodborne speedrunners could use the immunity to damage while the doors opening animation was activated to make running fast a viable tactic... but even as [The Gamer, I very likely couldn't.
Therefore... Bloody and painful death it was.
Again, I couldn't help but be happy for (Gamer's Mind). That was the only reason that I wasn't shaking in my boots right now.
So. Presented with the fact that the only way to kill this thing is to have weapons, and the only way to have weapons is to go to the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, I came to the only logical conclusion about the appropriate course of action to take.
That is to say, I charged the damn thing with a scream of Defiance and punched it in the face as hard as I could.
Let it be forever known that I actually made some of it's bones crack!
... At least until it's claws came up and disemboweled me, slashing at my flesh over and over again until my HP reached (0), (Pain) turning to (AGONY) all too quickly as I could do naught but choke on my own blood as my broken body hit the ground with a wet thud.
And then the bastard started to feast on MY guts while looking straight into my dying eyes!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I died the second time.
With the excruciating memory of a Beast eating and chewing my guts while looking with vicious smugness straight into my eyes to forever stay with me.
Forever and ever.
... Personally, I feels that it is only natural that I would have something of a G̩͛ͪͭͯ͛R̰̐̈ͥͦ̋ͪ͆U̺̦̭̓ͥ̃͆ͭͪD̝̗̣͈̖͉ͣ͒ͬ̅̆̓G̛ͦ̉̿̋̃Ë̷͖̻̳̬̤̞̝́͊̚ ̺͔͈̺̺̞ against [B̫̻̜͈̭̫̲͍ͬ̔́͢ͅE̢̩͈̔̔̂̐A͑ͥ̎̋͛̅̌̚͏̸͙͈Ş̻̜͖͓̞͕̺̗̖ͪ̆̍́ͫ̉͜T̙͉̭̙̙̘̹͊ͩ̈̈́ͭͭ̐͘ͅS̴̜ͥ̈ͫͨ̇ͦ͝.̺͉̠̠̘͒ͫ͢͜͞] after that.
I woke up.
The air smelled of flowers.
The ground was soft and warm.
A feeling of [Tranquility] permeated the land.
[Peace] surrounded me.
I got up and took in the [Beauty] of the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢.
And then I looked at my (Gamer) screen, at all the negative mental status effects being blocked by (Gamer's Mind), looked at my new Trait called [H̶̯̙̻̣̜͎̄ͯ̍̅̚ͅA̺̝̺̘̰̮ͯ̇͌͘T̖̰̻̝͖͐̏R̠̳̭̭̦̰̺͐ͮ̈̿Ȇ̪̖̟͓̞̎̊̐̉͢D̯ͦ͜ ̻̼͉̹̬̻͇̃͠Ö̞̥́ͪ̒̋̑F̡̘̦̑ͧ̑̎ ͖͍̹̘͎͞B͖̽E̗͈̪͇ͭȂ̰̖̫͑͛͊ͣ̐S͚͖ͯ̓̎T̴͉͈̪̟͎̭ͯ͛S̟̯͖̻̹̼̎̆̐ͪͬ].
And I smiled.
"I am going to s̢̝͉͔̥̝̋͛͛l̬̞̣͓͙̜ą̩͚̬̗͔u̲̩͎͈͖ͥ̃ͯ̈́̆̕g̷̠̱͙̥̯͉̹͛ͮ͌ͦ̂h̨̻̤͕̻̝̳́͗ͦ̑ͥ̚̚t̝̜̼̝̖̪͘ę̱̐̔̀̿̿r̝̞̉ that Ḇ̹͔̬ͣ͂ͩ̓ͭË̡̗̗̩͍̯̜̻̣́̃̌ͧ̄ͣAͮͦ̏̏̓̊͏̸̩̣̣͕͔̤S̷̤̲̤̪̙͎̼͌ͤ̄͂̇ͧ͒̒͜ͅT̴̸̟̤͔͇̲̝̞̝̬͋ͯͮͮ́ͦ̾ͤ͞.̸̡̡̘ͯ̉ͦ̌ͤͨ̾ͅ "
CONGRATULATION!THOUGH A MIX OF (GAMER'S MIND) AND THE GAMER'S OWN [RAGE, YOU HAVE GAINED THE SKILL (CALM HATRED)!
My smile grew.
It is said that revenge is best served cold.
I understood now.
Because I wanted that Ḇ̹͔̬ͣ͂ͩ̓ͭË̡̗̗̩͍̯̜̻̣́̃̌ͧ̄ͣAͮͦ̏̏̓̊͏̸̩̣̣͕͔̤S̷̤̲̤̪̙͎̼͌ͤ̄͂̇ͧ͒̒͜ͅT̴̸̟̤͔͇̲̝̞̝̬͋ͯͮͮ́ͦ̾ͤ͞ dead corpse at my feet!
I took a deep breath.
Exhaled. Let (Gamer's Mind) do it's work.
Then I properly took in my surroundings, and my smile turned soft.
The sight before me...
This truly was a wonderful place, despite some of it's grim content.
I found myself standing amongst old graves and short iron fences, a building resting at the end of a short path. A large tree towered over it, it's branches reaching overhead like a curtain. The land itself was an impossible island, surrounded by incredibly tall pillars seemingly reaching for the moon above, one unnaturally close and bright and whose light shined over all. Said pillars poked out of a thick curtain of fog, which appeared to be rapidly ever-shifting despite the utter and complete lack of wind. Not a single gust of it could be felt, leaving the bushes that lined the graves as still as the bodies buried beneath, while beautiful white flowers glowed merrily under the moonlight.
Everywhere I looked, everything seemed... otherworldly, almost ethereal in nature, and so, so alluring, like a magnificent, wonderful Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢s soothing any and all pain...
I stepped closer to one of the white, shining flower, which I was pretty sure were Lunar Tears, falling to one knee to carefully touch it with the tip of my fingers, my soft smile turning even more gentle.
"How... lovely. Heavenly, even..."
"They are, aren't they?"
I froze, before carefully standing up and turning around.
Not because I was afraid, but because-
I blinked, looked up... and then forgot how to breath.
"Beautiful..." I whispered.
There, standing before me, was The Plain Doll.
Which I could now certify was possibly the worst possible name of them all, because there was NOTHING "plain" about the woman staring at me kindly.
"Hello, Good Hunter. I am a Doll, here in this Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢ to look after you. Honorable Hunter, please pursue the Echoes of Blood, and I will channel them into your strength. You will hunt Beasts, and I will be here for you, to embolden your sickly spirit."
I smiled. "Greetings to you, too. You are one of the... inhabitant of this place, I take it?"
The Doll (no way I would ever call her "Plain"!) nodded.
"I am, Good Hunter. As I said, I am here, in this Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, to look after you. Please, do not hesitate to seek my help whenever you require it. I will always try my best to support you."
She looked to the side, and I could swear the look in her eyes became even more gentle.
"Here." she said, stepping forth towards several groups of Messengers.
"This is for you, Good Hunter. Gifts from the Little ones. Look at them, aren't they cute?" she gestured towards them.
I walked to her side, kneeling before one of the group of Messengers. They were holding up weapons, Hunter's weapons, and I gently came closer to inspect them.
The Little Ones were still watching me, reverence and awe obvious in their body language.
I put my right hand close to them, and they first hesitantly, then gently put their hands on some of my fingers, their [reverence] and [awe] increasing.
Carefully, I began moving my fingers, gently playing with them.
They were... kind. Friendly. Helpful. Some of the very few things in all of Bloodborne that were genuinely on your side.
... Either this place was getting to me, or there were more reasons that I liked Bloodborne that I thought, because I did, in fact, thought them as... adorable?
Potential Revelations about myself aside, there were others Messengers, each which were watching with both obvious awe and envy, so eventually I stood up again, the Messengers that I was playing with visibly wilting in disappointment.
"Sorry, Little guys." I chuckled, "But there are others who wants the same. Sharing is caring, as the saying goes."
I took some time to make a choice, honestly, but eventually I decided to start simple and picked up the Hunter's axe, the fact that it was the weapon with the most Attack damage convincing me.
It felt... surprisingly natural to hold it, and I couldn't help but suspect my (Workshop Artisan) perk was working in the background- it may not grant me knowledge on how to use it in battle, but otherwise? As long as I simply held it, I would have an artisan's skill while holding it.
Or perhaps it was the DEX stat helping. Either one or the other.
Then I went to the other group, passing a minute ot two playing with them first.
Why not? They were friendly, and I was going to need all the help that I could get.
Before I went for the gun of my choice, I put the Axe in my inventory- I wouldn't need it right now.
There was a soft gasp behind me, and I turned to look at the Doll staring, fascinated, at the spot where the Axe disappeared.
I chuckled. "Never saw that before, I take it?"
"Indeed not, Good Hunter. Many have passed through the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, but it is the first time I see such a thing. It was like a... window in the air." she replied, turning to look at me, curiosity obviously peaked.
I smiled. "That, was my (Inventory). Unless I'm wrong, this is a small pocket dimension in which I can store things into. Useful, to say the least, as you just saw."
She nodded. "Indeed Good Hunter. Such will serve you well in the Hunt. But please, do not worry about my curiosity. The Little Ones still awaits your choice, after all. We should not make them wait."
"Aeon."
She blinked. "I'm sorry, Good Hunter. What did you say?"
I smiled at her. "Aeon. That is my name... or at least, such it has become since I arrived in Yharnam."
The Doll inclined her head.
"Very well. It is good to meet you, Good Hunter Aeon."
I huffed a laugh, shaking my head slightly. "You aren't even knowingly doing it, are you?"
She blinked. "Doing what, Good Hunter Aeon?"
I grinned, shaking my head in amusement.
"Don't worry about it, Good Doll." I declared with a smirk "It's nothing to worry about."
She nodded. "Very well."
Turning, I made my choice, and picked up the Hunter Blunderbuss, noticing once again that I knew exactly how to hold or repair it.
Then more Messengers appeared, and after playing with them too I picked up a Beckoning Bell, a notebook/diary, a bag of (20) Quicksilver bullets, a bag of (20) Blood vials and put both gun and items in my inventory.
More messengers came, and this time it was a bag of... (Shining coins)?
Oh, right! I did take that. I took a moment to grab some, and smiled widely at the literally shining gold coins.
I had gold coins! A full bag of it! In my hands! That was, like, the most adventurer thing ever!
Needless to say, my inner geek was jumping up and down in joy right now.
Finally putting the bag of (gold!) coins in my inventory, I then looked around, and after a moment I decided to explore.
"Would you like to come with me? I'd like to explore the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, and I could use a guide." I ask the Doll, who bowed.
"Of course, Good Hunter Aeon. Please, follow me."
We stepped towards the bath messengers, and she waved toward it.
"This, is the bath messengers. There, you can acquire various useful items in exchange for a certain amount of Echoes of Blood."
I nodded, passing some time playing with those messengers too.
Then we stepped towards the dirt road in the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢.
There were some messengers on the way, and I stopped to take the message they gave me, which said-
(G̭͇͎̹̉̂ͩ̾ͅͅe̫̯̰͕ͬ̆͗͐͋̀s͓̞̖̪̭ͬ̋ͭͭt̛̼͕͖̺̩͚̔̈́ͤ͐u̵̩̪ͪ͗r̖͖ͯ̍̓̓̌̈̚͞e̗̭ͮś̴͔̩̻̰̤ͬͅ)
I blinked, and then suddenly I had several gestures available in the game flooding my mind.
Well, that's... a thing?
Then I kept following the Doll, who showed me some closed iron doors- and an area I recognized well.
The endgame area.
"This is the garden and cemetery part of the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢. Unfortunately, it is currently closed."
I nodded, looking through the metallic bars to what was beyond.
I took a few seconds to properly burn the sight before me in my mind.
Not yet... one day, though. One day... this is where it will all end, and where it will all begin anew...Greater than ever before. I vowed to myself.
We then kept exploring, the Doll showing me the various paths while I took mental notes of everything.
This was to be my home, after all. And I WOULD be it's sole owner.
I glanced at the Doll, walking beside me through the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢.
Well... maybe co-owner. There's room enough for two in this beautiful Dream...
"The flowers... these are Lunars Tears, are they not?" I questioned eventually.
She nodded. "You know of them?"
I stared at a close by one, for a moment silently appreciating it's beauty.
"I have heard and seen pictures of them, but never before had I the luck to see one with my own eyes. They are as beautiful as I had thought them to be."
For a moment, we both watched the flowers... and then the Doll stepped forth, gently plucking one and holding it up for me.
I blinked in shock, staring at her with wide eyes.
"Is that...?"
She nodded.
"Here, take it. May it gives you strength throughout the Hunt. Gives you comfort in the Long Night ahead."
I hesitated, looking between her and the glowing flower.
"Are you sure?"
For a moment, I could swear her porcelain face smiled.
"Yes, Good Hunter Aeon. I... You have shown kindness to the Little ones. As I have mentioned, many have passed through the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢. Few, however, have shown anywhere near as much thoughtfulness and consideration as you've already shown to them. So please, take this. As thanks- both for them, and for me."
I carefully took it, then took a long whiff of it's scent- it was as alluring as the flower itself.
I , I couldn't help but think while glancing from the flower to the Doll, who looked... happy.
I looked at the flower in my hand for a few seconds more, then I put it in my (inventory).
"Time is frozen within it." I explained to the Doll, "So It will remains as fresh and healthy as ever whenever I take it out."
Again, the image of a smile appeared on her features, even when her mouth remained unmoving.
Eventually, we arrived back at the foot of the Hunter's Workshop, and the Doll pointed to it's door.
"There waits Gherman. He is the caretaker of the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢. He will inform you of the rest."
I raised an eyebrow at her, a small grin on my face.
"My apologies, but are you not just as much the caretaker of this Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢? You certainly seems to know it well and took good care of it."
She chuckled, but shook her head.
"No, Good Hunter Aeon. I am only a Doll, here to look after you. He is the true caretaker of the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢."
I nodded, and then smiled wryly.
"You know, you can call me by my name alone, right?"
She blinked, so I explained further. "If you want to call me Good Hunter, I'm fine with that, but you can just call me *Aeon, you know."
For a moment, she just stared at me, and then she nodded.
"Of course, Good Hunter."
I gave her a look, before sighing and walking towards where Gherman awaited.
"I look forward to seeing your journey...Aeon."
I almost froze, catching the softly-spoken words just at the limits of my hearing, before I kept walking.
And if there was a small, happy grin on my face and a skip to my step, well, that was for me alone to know.
I entered the Hunter's workshop, my eyes immediately focusing on the man in the wheelchair.
Gherman, The First Hunter
Lvl-?
I didn't react to the rather lackluster information my (insight) granted me, instead choosing to look at the man straight in the eyes.
He smiled, a small, sardonic thing.
"Ah-hah, you must be the new hunter. Welcome to the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢. This will be your home, for now. I am... Gherman, friend to you hunters. You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and hunt a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it..."
I gave him a look- a very different one that those I gave the Doll.
"Am I really supposed to calmly accept the whole *floating island* thing? Without a single question? Or, I don't know, how about the fact a beast KILLED ME before I showed up here? Because this doesn't really look like any form of afterlife I've ever heard about. And, no offence, but if YOU are supposed to be an heavenly being, I want a full refund on Religion on behalf of all Mankind."
Gherman snorted, before cackling for a few seconds.
"Ah! Sorry to disappoint, but this place is no heavenly afterlife and I'm certainly no heavenly being!" he chortled for a moment more, before shaking his head. "This place was once a safe haven for hunters. A Workshop where hunters used blood to enhance their weapons and flesh. We don't have as many tools as we once did, but... you're welcome to use whatever you find." he leaned forward, a sly grin on his face, and his voice turned into a whisper. "Even the Doll, should it please you..."
I deadpanned at him. I knew it was coming, but still!
The old creeper leaned back, chortling, and I held back a sigh.
"Don't think I haven't noticed you avoiding the questions, old man." I grin. "Still, I take it that I can count on your assistance, then, about anything concerning the Hunt? I'm sure that you can teach me a lot, after all- If you had the will."
It was Gherman's turn to give me a look.
"And what, pray tell, makes you think that I can do that?"
My grin widened.
"I don't know, why don't you tell me, Gherman, the First Hunter?"
He froze, giving me a much more penetrating look this time.
"Well, now, that's interesting. Not all that many recognize me for what I am nowadays... and I'm pretty sure you aren't of Yharnam. So how do you know me?"
I pointed up above, my grin turning small but fierce.
"At the differences of others that ended up here... I made a personal deal with our Moonlight benefactor... one which granted me some advantages most don't have. So tell me, Ô First Hunter... will you help me?"
He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes suddenly reflecting his long, long life as the Greatest Hunter that had ever lived.
I looked back without fear. Without flinching. For after all...
I didn't plan to try and reach close to his level.
I didn't plan to try and reach his level.
No, I planned to become GREATER. I planned to take the title of "The Greatest Hunter" from his cold, dead hands.
And... to free him from his own endless Nightmare that way.
The man before me had committed many sins, I wasn't blind to that fact... but no one deserved to suffer in endless limbo as he did for so long.
The only peace that I could grant him was the peace of Death.
So I would. Gherman, The First Hunter... will die free.
I would make sure of it.
Finally, he relaxed, his stare softening slightly.
"Then go. Hunt beasts. Kill them. Prove yourself... and I may yet teach you a thing or two if you prove yourself worthy."
I nodded.
"I will." I declared firmly.
A Hunter must Hunt, after all... and it will soon be time for the Good Hunter to Join The Hunt.
After that, I took some time checking the rest of the Workshop, picked up, read, and put into my (inventory) the message in the corner of the room about killing the source of the scourge of beasts if one wanted to be free from the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, and went looking at the Insight messenger bath while playing a little with the messengers there.
I took a deep breath, sitting cross-legged on the ground on the elevation above the Bath messengers, which granted me a wonderful view of the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, while the Moon shone brightly above my head.
One of the first thing any Gamer worth the name do is (Meditate). The sheer bonuses granted by it were well-worth it, after all.
Time for me to do the same.
Thankfully, it did not take long- the advantages brought by (Gamer's Mind) mixed with the peaceful nature of the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢ made it easy to fall into the proper frame of mind.
For a moment, I simply basked in the feeling of the sheer [Serenity] that I was in- I've never felt such genuine (inner peace) before.
Then again, I was a very purposeless individual... before.
Few Friends, a family which loved me but had their own lives to focus own, the fact that I had never found any field of work which interested me, which meant that I had no idea what to do with my life...
... no girlfriend...
Point was, I found myself weirdly... happy, to be here.
In Bloodborne.
How long that state of affairs was going to last, I had no idea, but at least for now I could simply enjoy the feeling of having actual purpose for the first time in my... lives.
Because when one had nothing? Or at least felt that way? They dreamed of everything. They dreamed of better, brighter tomorrow. They Dreamed of what Paradise could look like- their personal paradise.
And I had years to dream. To wonder.
To ask "What if?"
And now... now, I had the greatest blessing of them all- I had the perfect opportunity for greatness.
And the tools to seize it with both hands and never, ever let go.
There was a reason, after all, that I chosen to name myself after a word that quite literally translated to
Eternal.
With all that being said, I finally opened my eyes, and took in the various Gamer messages that I had chosen to ignore before now.
The first, of course, was about the skill (Calm Hatred) that I had gained.
From what I could tell, it gave me bonuses against any Beings I mentally categorized as (Beasts).
I strongly suspected the sheer lack of maluses of this skill to be because of the first word of it: "Calm".
Since (Gamer's Mind) literally stopped me from losing my cool, especially in battle, I simply couldn't become overly focused on killing my enemies at any and all cost- so instead I simply got bonuses to help make me more deadly against (Beasts).
Honestly, the only possible reason that I managed to get a skill like this in the first place was that I died. That probably kind of screwed up the Gamer's system (and Gamer's Mind), especially since I was such a new Gamer, and this was the compromise that resulted from it all.
That, or it was Eldritch nonsense at works. Entirely possible.
The next message was about-
...about...
Huh.
So apparently, the Doll really liked that I played with the Messengers.
Because in the (Relation tracker) part of my menus, I saw that I had not only the first (10) granted to me by my Cha: (50)perk, but also a further (15) for my kindness towards the Messengers.
Oh, and there was a very mysterious (?) on top of all that.
Which led to a total of (25?/100) with her.
Well, that was certainly interesting. And nice.
I was officially friend with the Doll.
I grinned. Hooray! GG Aeon! You've become the envy of countless gamers from Earth and it hasn't even been a day in your new life!
Go on, Drink those bitters tears of rage from frustrated gamers! They shall give you strength!
That weird moment aside, Gherman was where I expected him to be- a whooping (20/100).
Again, (10) from the perk and (10) from... well, being a weird Outsider that somehow managed to make a deal with... our Moonlight benefactor... and then had the balls to effectively ask for apprenticeship with THE Gherman, The First Hunter.
Yeah, the only reason it probably wasn't a bit higher was that he probably didn't know what to make of me.
So he basically decided to throw me at Yharnam and it's beasts to see how well I would handle that and then go from there.
Fair enough.
Speaking of him, I apparently gained the (Humorist) skill by making him laugh. Considering how little he must be used to laughing, I wasn't surprised.
Oh, and I had quests, too!
One that required me to play with all the messengers in the H̖̲̲̫̓̉ͫu̬̰̬͙̔̒̀n̫͚̫̮͉̫̉̐̌̈́͐̈̚t̳͑̇̇ͦ̚ẽ͖̩̪̇̉̈́̓̽ͧr̗̳͚͙̥̦̝̅ͩͨ̚'̝̤̰̺̟̆̈̑͡s̤̯̥͡ ̮Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, which I had almost finished (if not for the fact that the last gathering point of Messengers wouldn't be unlocked for some time yet);
One that basically asked me to (MAX) my relations with both the Doll and Gherman (which was certainly going to take some time, but I wasn't worried- the Long Night of the Hunt would give me everything I need to fulfill the quest);
One from Gherman/the Hunter's Workshop, which asked me to "Make the Hunter's Workshop Great Again"-I see what you did there, Game, I'M UNTO YOU!- and required me to get all the tools of the Workshop;
Again, one from Gherman, which was basically "prove myself";
And, of course... the one about becoming strong enough to kill Gherman and free him from the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢and the one which asked me to put an end to the Hunt/Jump... by becoming a God/Great One.
(Oh, and the one about seducing and becoming the official Lover of the Doll, but shhhhh, that one is secret.)
I, naturally, accepted them all.
(Yes, even the secret one.)
With that said, it was time to do something that I was looking forward to.
That is to say, poke and probe my perks to find out how best to abuse the hell out of them against my enemies!
So I poked the perks.
And then mentally boggled at the sheer deluge of information that I had subconsciously held at bay all this time until I was ready to accept it all slammed into my mind.
This... was going to take some time.
So. After some headaches careful studies, I came to two, firm conclusions on what was going on.
First, I discovered that (Mad Scholar) was bullshit. VERY BULLSHIT.
See, (Mad Scholar) basically granted me knowledge of anything connected to the supernatural.
And the whole setting of Bloodborne was shock-full of it. I quite literally now had a discount Bloodborne wiki.
In my mind.
An example: The reason that I could speak the local language? (Mad Scholar). After all, how else was I supposed to know the words for the various local mystical "artifacts" and the like? To say nothing of the fact that some of the words of the local language were... rather interesting.
I was no linguist, but I suspected heavily Eldritch shenanigans being involved...
But that wasn't the end of it. Oh no- there was the second level of Bullshit, which could be summed up with two words:
Perks. Mixing.
I was, without a doubt, the deadliest S.O.B in this entire world.
Or at least, I had the potential to VERY quickly becomes so.
The reason why? Because I accidentally created a discount Path to Victory with only an handful of perks.
See, (Mad Scholar) gave me the equivalent of a very detailed bestiary of all the foes of Bloodborne.
And my other perks? (Hunter's Intuition) and (Little Things)? They work well together. They work VERY well together!
So I had a full mental map of my foes thanks to (Mad Scholar). And (Hunter's Intuition) working with (Little Things) were basically working overtime to grant me the best possible ways to spot their weaknesses and counter their strength!
I had already seen that at work, in fact- when I punched that Ḇ̹͔̬ͣ͂ͩ̓ͭË̡̗̗̩͍̯̜̻̣́̃̌ͧ̄ͣAͮͦ̏̏̓̊͏̸̩̣̣͕͔̤S̷̤̲̤̪̙͎̼͌ͤ̄͂̇ͧ͒̒͜ͅT̴̸̟̤͔͇̲̝̞̝̬͋ͯͮͮ́ͦ̾ͤ͞, I heard and felt bones crack.
The truth was, I had subconsciously hit it perfectly where it was already injured and where my attack would make the most damage possible!
Because all three of my perks had worked together to make it so- (Mad Scholar) had granted me the knowledge of it's body, while (Hunter's Intuition) working with (Little Things) had directed my strike where I had noticed it was most wounded!
And the best part? The more of a type of enemy I would face, the better able at killing them I would become. The same for singular opponents, too!
And since (Gamer's Mind) would be keeping me calm at all time in battle, I would never miss any details in the chaos of the battlefield! And the fact that I was bound to the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢ meant that I would always have the time to get the information I need to eventually win, since death would only slow me down!
... I had the strongest urge to cackle madly. Thankfully, I held back through tremendous Will power and (Gamer's Mind).
There was one critical weakness in all of this, however-
My Stats.
All the knowledge in the world didn't matter if I simply didn't have the strength and speed to make use of it.
And I wasn't blind- my physical stats may have been in the (100), but that didn't matter. EVERYONE had (Eldritch Blood) here. Which meant the only thing the bonuses from it did was give me a fighting chance with the bottom of the barrel in term of the great and powerful of this world.
Still, even then I had one more advantage that I was counting on- Gamer's logic.
I got a LOT of bonuses to learning with my current stats. Hopefully, that meant that I would become really skilled really quickly. And since skills give additional damages to attacks...
... Now that I thought of it, (Mad Scholar) also gave me a solid understanding on the theory of Arcane powers in general... that should give me a boost to learn new Arcane spells whenever I came across them.
There were a few other things, too- the full library of knowledge from (Workshop Artisan), but also the fact that the Charisma stat worked with (Little Things) to allow me to be "read" people better, that kind of things.
... That was probably how I was able to "read" the Little Ones emotions so easily, in fact...
Alright. so with all that done, I then looked up to the last messages that I had- these ones about various stats gain.
I had, of course, gained(1) insight and(11) INT before...arriving in the Ḑ̙̞̠̠ͅr̡̙̱̖̼͛ͨ̇e̫̲͙̲̤̓ͭ̀͐ͬa̰̤̟͈͒ͮ̀̿̕m̺̩̩͎̩͢, followed by...(10) CHA for making a good first impression with the Doll and getting the interest of The First Hunter himself.
I then gained...(5) WIS for good introspection?
... Huh. I hadn't even noticed that was what I ended up doing once I started (meditating), but in, heh, hindsight...
Okay then!
And we finish by a(10) INT for good understanding of perks interactions and limitations.
Good to know!
Which left me with:
Name: Aeon
Title: Hunter of the D̘̬̼ͨ̾ͫ̾r̰̲̳̳̥͂͊͢e̩̺͍͕̲̣ͨ̑͌ͨ͢ͅå̙ͥm̗͈̻̫ͦ̾̈ͥ̓ͅ
Race: Ḧ̘͚͔͉̯̲́ͬ̇ū̋ͤ̏̊͑͌m͎͑̔ͦ̔ͪͯa̸̰͕̱̜̪̰ͮ͐n͚̻̩̤͕̫̯̄̂̅̔
[The Gamer] [The Jumper]
Alignment: Neutral Good
Lvl: 1
HP: 6000 (reg: 1%/s)
MP: 1500
Insight: 2
Blood Echoes: 180
Vit: 100
Str: 100
Dex: 100
Int: 5021: 71*
Wis: 505: 55
Cha: 5010: 61*
Luck: 50*
Points: 0
Bloodtinge: 10
Arcane: 10
Alright! So with all that done...
I took a deep breath.
Today... the Good Hunter Joins The Hunt!
AN: And done! What I would categorize as the two introduction chapters are done and over with.
Honestly, I could have done it faster... if creating a Stats sheet for Aeon hadn't been so hard! Bloody hell, I put so many hours into that alone, and I'm still not satisfied it is as good as it could be...
Either way, a few things of note:
First, the death scene was hopefully as quick and brutal as I hope it to be. This is Bloodborne- death comes fast and hard whenever it comes, and it's not the last time that will happen.
As for the skill Aeon gained because of it... there are a few reasons I decided on it- first, I wanted at least some consequences from being in Bloodborne. The best way to induce that into the MC was at the start- before, as Gherman said, "he get used to it". To the Hunt, the Blood, the deaths... etc. Secondly, I do have vague plans for future Jumps already... And just imagine the Doom Slayer and the Good Hunter fighting side by side with both using focused barbarity and cruelty against demons! Or, for that matter, how useful a skill against Beasts would be in Fate: Grand Order...
After that... well. I did warn that the Good Hunter x The Doll was the one true OTP... so expect Fluff. Lot of fluff...
About the Lunar Tears, I'm actually not sure that they are in the canon Hunter's Dream. But they fit so well, I couldn't help but put them there- that, and I have a soft spot for the things ever since Nier: Automata and that very special location...
And poor Gherman is currently wondering how the hell an Outsider of Yharnam managed to (COMMUNE) with his Moonlight benefactor... needless to say, he is confused... and curious.
Lastly, I hope that you liked my take on what a few perks used creatively in the right situation are capable of. It's not instant victory by any means, and Aeon will definitively struggle at points, but by the End of the Long Night of the Hunt he will be fully deserving of the title of [The Greatest Hunter].
And there are other ways the perks will show their worth in due time. In ways both obvious and subtle...
I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, The Good Hunter joins the Hunt... and blood will flow. But will it be the beasts... or his own?