Gehrman opened his eyes to see a flash of iron and bone thrown at his feet.
"Hey Gramps, pick up after yourself next time," Effie said in a derisive tone. She stood over him with her head turned high. She seemed to be waiting for praise.
Before that, Gehrman decided to figure out what was at his feet. To his surprise, it was his own weapon. In all of the chaos, he had completely forgotten about his Fallen Kirkhammer. More specifically, he forgot that it did not travel in his soul with his actual Memories. So when he saw it here at his feet he was indeed grateful. Hunter Athena definitely deserved praise, although...
"Where's the rest of it?" Gehrman couldn't help but ask. The blade part of the Trick Weapon was safely in front of him. But the proper hammer part of it was missing.
"In the Dark Sea, obviously," she responded, agitated. "You know it's a miracle you got this back, right? If Cassie didn't mention it I wouldn't have been able to stick it into the stone. And keep it from flying away like the heavy block," she paused as a devious smile came across her face. "Or…you know…went flying like you did. I swear, one moment you were up in the air and then that creature gave you an express ticket back down!"
Gehrman sat, mouth agape. She was…actually teasing him. After all that. She was making fun of him. It was so unfamiliar that he didn't even respond for a couple seconds.
"That…It was a reality check. Besides, I was already half mad. You can't blame sane me for trying."
She scoffed. "Uh, yeah I can. That was absolute idiocy, even by our standards. Whether it's sober you or drunk you there should be at least a little bit of common sense at all times."
"...I do not get 'drunk'. I go insane."
"No, I'm pretty sure your Flaw is that you just get drunk off of blood," she pointed an accusatory finger at him. "What's the difference between being drunk and being insane, anyway? You act like every alcoholic I've ever met, so as far as I'm concerned, you are a drunkard. A sloppy one at that."
"Gods," was all he could say. The sheer audacity of it all paralyzed him. He had seen Effie tease the others before–mostly Sunless–but this was the first time that she had been so ruthless towards him. Had his actions truly made her hate him?
…No, that wasn't it.
As far as he could tell. The person Effie enjoyed most was Sunless. Since he was also the primary target of her bullying, perhaps this meant that the more she tormented someone the more affection she had for them.
So…I earned her good graces? That's neat I guess.
"I'm sorry. And I am also truly grateful. This means a lot to me that you managed to scavenge even this much. I owe you a great debt."
Effie physically took a step back after hearing this. It seemed the genuine flattery was not what she had expected.
To be fair though, Gehrman was quite sane at this point. It had been over 36 hours since his initial ingesting of the Corrupted Blood, so he was back to his sane self. And his sane self was, of course, a gentleman.
He stood and looked around the camp, eventually finding the blind seer. The girl sat with hands hugging her legs. She did not seem scared despite the situation. This position seemed to be an attempt at comforting herself. Like a child holding a stuffed animal.
"Cassia, Effie tells me that you helped keep my sword with us. I am very grateful. If there is anything I can do for you in return please let me know."
A mess of emotions wrestled beneath the silver ornamental half-mask that now covered her face. Gehrman's offer was actually sincere. In fact it was more sincere than the seer had hoped. If his offer was taken at face value, he was willing to take on the job of being Changing Star's body guard. The task that he refused before was now on the table thanks to this simple act.
In actuality, Gehrman had been meaning to bring it up long before this. Even though they had only been a cohort for a week and a half, he had grown fond of all of them. Even their leader, whom he started out displeased with. She showed a drive and hidden fury that was matched only by Sunless. Needless, to say, Gehrman believed she would be a true force against Corruption, and thus keeping her alive became a goal worth focusing all his effort on.
This way…he would be needed. He could do something that actually helped people. Because even though he seemed to be currently unable to do so, Changing Star, the agent of change was certainly able to. Keeping her alive was tantamount to helping people. It was perfect. Something achievable and something that would bring him satisfaction.
To his surprise though, Cassia did not breach the subject after the clear bait.
"Well, I would appreciate it if you kept giving it your best throughout the rest of this journey. Your strength is greatly appreciated, and your contributions have been more than enough payment. Besides, I'd be a pretty bad team member if I just let a good tool be tossed away like trash."
A pretty smile appeared on the girl's face that caused Gehrman's heart to skip a beat. Ugh, she isn't even making eye contact or wearing anything provocative. When will this body be normal!? It also didn't help that afterwards she tilted her head and added something extra that caused his blush to deepen.
"And, you can call me Cassie. There's no need for formalities."
Gehrman quickly turned around and did his best to sound as natural as possible. "Alright, sure." That didn't sound rushed, did it? Being on death's door and facing pure madness was easier than this I swear.
Several minutes later they had all joined together to begin their second ascent up the mountains. Fortunately, they did not have to go all the way. Cassia…Cassie, had said that there would be a large hole that they would drop into. Since they were following the path of the First Bright Lord, they didn't have to do anything too insane.
Before they started that journey though, Changing Star stopped them and revealed a fun little piece of information she had been sitting on. This place was called the Hollow Mountains. Their unassailable size and unfathomable fog confirmed it. Gehrman was unfamiliar with the term, but it seemed very important to everyone else.
This was because they finally knew where the Forgotten Shore could be placed on a map. Unfortunately, when drawing Dream Realm maps, there was never anything above the Hollow Mountains. This place was considered a Death Zone where even Saints would not survive. The most harrowing of all creatures ran amok in the fog above. Creatures that might have even matched the architect of The Hunters Dream. The length of the mountain was similarly impossible. Spanning for dozens if not hundreds of kilometers. Such a thing was chilling enough that Gehrman decided it was best not to even think about that place.
The cohort was of the same mind. This realization was a cruel reminder that there was no way out of the Forgotten Shore. The only gateway was guarded by a Fallen Terror, and even if they could sneak someone out and let the world know about this hidden place in the Dream Realm, no one would or even could come for them.
The only way to free them all was to kill the Fallen Terror. And the only way to do that was to kill Gunlaug. And the only way to do that was to gain strength surpassing even the First Bright Lord's cohort.
It was a grim reality, but also not an impossible one.
Gehrman let his gaze slide over to Changing Star. Her flames, her power, was simply unreasonable. It had apparently broken through the True Darkness of that Corrupted creature with ease, it seemed to be able to burn through anything. Her swordsmanship was years beyond her. She couldn't kill the Terror alone…but with an army it seemed very plausible.
This is such a mess, Gehrman thought. I can't even escape through the gateway. And even if they tell the others about my existence it is still impossible for me to be brought over to the human Citadels in the Dream Realm.
Even so, he had not lost hope.
The Call in his ears reminded him that there would always be a way out. After all, becoming an Ascended through the Second Nightmare meant the combining of the physical and dream bodies. Even though Dorian was gutted, as long as Gehrman Ascended he could just transfer his dream body back into the waking world.
First though, he needed to get as strong as possible. Even strong Awakened weren't supposed to go into the Second Nightmare alone. So if Gehrman wanted to Ascend, he would have to first be stronger than not only any Sleeper, but any Awakened as well.
…
After climbing further up the mountain for most of the day, the group finally found what they were looking for. In the black stone, a large chunk seemed to have disappeared from the ground. The size of the hole was utterly massive, but it was also–almost certainly–man made. This was because the material used was the same type that made up the Dark City and the Bright Castle.
The people of the ancient past must have made this quarry to gather material, and then somehow transported it all the way to the highest peak in all the land.
It must have been a process that took decades, maybe longer. At least, it would be if they were ordinary humans. But the people of the ancient Dream Realm also had power comparable to the waking worlds. The number of Ascended and Transcendents they had were tremendous. Some even say that humans reached the theoretical "Supreme" Rank. However, precious little was known about the Dream Realm's history. At the very least, there wasn't a lot of information that Dorian could learn from public databases.
In any case, the quarry was not their mission: it was what lay beneath it.
A dark and harrowing hole that lead deeper into the ground. Next to it, the corpse of a large Nightmare Creature. It seemed to be another Stone creature, but this one was much more beastlike than the other stone creatures Gehrman had encountered.
The group approached cautiously, wary of any traps. A Devil or something of a higher Class could certainly employ trickery to lure prey like them.
However, no attack came.
They examined the corpse, finding scars of what must have been an epic battle. Sunless took the liberty to dive into the creature's guts, and in doing so confirmed that there were no Soul Shards. In other words, this creature was slain by humans (who were the only ones who could benefit from such scavenging).
This was then confirmed by Changing Star, who found the remnants of a grave. The slaying of this abomination had come at a cost.
Gehrman narrowed his eyes. He considered doing a quick prayer, but no gods came to mind. At least, none that would be suitable. The gods of the Dream Realm were apparently "dead" somehow. The gods of Yharnam…well Gehrman wasn't sure why, but the Old Gehrman never practiced any religion. Despite Laurence, a close comrade, founding the Healing Church, the actual religion was lost on him. The deities praised were unknowable and strange. They could not offer solace to this fallen legend.
"Blood will be repaid tenfold," Gehrman muttered so no one else could hear. "It will be done for each and every innocent life lost to beasts and corruption." Though his words were quiet, the promise burned with a righteous fury that Gehrman hoped would ease the dead's soul. He could not ask for help from a higher power. In this case, only his own actions would do.
Then something changed.
Gehrman, who had fallen into something of a trance, was greatly alarmed as his hair suddenly stood on end. His intuition carved from decades of bloodshed warned him of an imminent death.
He turned his eyes upward.
"Is the fog supposed to be moving that fast?"
The cohort turned to him, with the sole exception of Cassie. The girl clutched her head suddenly. "The mist…we must get underground before the mist comes. If not, all of us will die!"
Changing Star immediately barked orders. "Sunny, Night! Find the entrance to the mine, quick!"
The pair immediately acted. Kai rose in the air and flew off, while Sunless separated his shadow, sending it away at incredible speed. The both of them went further into the dark passageway. Sprinting forward, Gehrman scowled at the maze before him.
The two scouts worked quickly though. Soon the both of them worked in tandem to guide them. Kai flew overhead, taking them through the maze of the quarry. The fog, or rather, the mist was hot on their tail.
The pair had miraculously found a hidden path that Gehrman himself did not recognize at first glance.
With only seconds to spare, each of them dove into the entrance.
An invisible barrier kept the mist out, but it seemed to stare down the humans. It wasn't a Nightmare Creature, but something else entirely. It was also eerily familiar to Gehrman, though he could not pinpoint the exact memory it sparked.
Frowning, he turned back to the twisting path of this "mine." That Changing Star had been looking for. Judging from her reaction, this was the real goal the whole time. This made sense, after all, they had not found the corpse of the First Bright Lord yet. Secretly, Gehrman was curious how they were supposed to be able to identify it. It was far too late to just ask, that would be embarrassing. He decided to just vaguely call out any corpse he saw and wait for the others to draw conclusions.
Nodding his head at the sure-proof plan, he started their journey through the darkness. Fortunately, it was not the True Darkness that had been nestled in that abhorrent Corrupted creature. However, he did feel that same element emanating from below. Gehrman unconsciously started to grind his teeth.
During their walk, he noticed that Sunless seemed a bit distracted. He seemed to be mesmerized by the walls, or more accurately, what was carved into them. With [Sixth Sense] he could vaguely make out images of religious symbolism. He didn't consider this anything special though. Excavation had not really been a passion of any of his old lives. However, if Sunless found it entertaining then he wasn't going to bother him.
The others had pulled out light creating Memories that they either attached to themselves or floated around them. Once again the depressing lack of Memories in his arsenal caused Gehrman to feel as if he was stabbed through the heart. I guess that's just the price I pay for being made with the memories of unmatched Hunters. If I had a ball of light that followed me around that would be waaaay too unfair for everyone else.
The path continued to slope down, and the terrain became more perilous. However, it soon flattened out in an area where they were met with another gigantic corpse. This time, it was a worm creature.
Gehrman couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Judging by their size, both of these had to have been Fallen creatures. Given their unique nature, they were almost certainly not mere Beasts either. This level of power was impressive, even for him. A sense of reverence for these lost children started to form in his old heart. They may have been foolish and confused, but they were braver and more admirable than the vast majority of adults he had met.
"Let's stop here for tonight. Rest well, tomorrow we will probably encounter what finished off the First Lord," Changing Star's voice echoed throughout the cavern. The dire promise ensured no one slept with perfect ease.
…
Indeed they very soon came across the doom of the First Lord the next day. However, it was not at the hands of a Nightmare Creature. But something much worse.
A grand dark river, formed entirely of True Darkness. Its surface was calm, the only thing piercing the endless emptiness was a stone pillar and the small boat attached to it. What's more, the very same mist that threatened certain death hung above it.
"This…this sucks," Gehrman said helplessly.
"Well said," Sunny grumbled, seemingly even paler than usual.
Despite its calm surface, Gehrman could feel something writhing beneath. It was not alive, nor dead. It was not a machine, nor man. A cold sweat broke out upon Gehrman's brow.
The Dark Sea scared him.
This place terrified him.
"We must not see or hear anything as we cross. The mist is what killed the rest of the First Lord's cohort, or rather, whatever is inside it. After this first river, Sunny will help us navigate through a maze, and then we will reach a second river. This one we should still have its bridge. " Changing Star explained in a hushed voice. It became apparent that she was only addressing Gehrman, everyone else was already in the loop. "Since Sunny has his Shadow Sense, he can lead us without his vision or hearing. And since he isn't actually using any of the five senses the horrors in the mist should not be bothered by our presence. However, I know you have a similar ability. I'd suggest you turn it off or minimize it if you can.
"Sure," Gehrman said. "My Attribute enhances my spatial awareness based on the combined effort of my senses. As long as my sight and hearing are gone then it's effectiveness is essentially gone."
Changing Star nodded, satisfied with this explanation. Though, Gehrman did catch Caster looking at him out of the corner of his eye. His face was one of exasperation. Moments later Gehrman realized that the Legacy probably considered revealing this information to be a bad thing. If a human knew this, they could definitely exploit it after all.
But in the end Gehrman simply didn't care. He had long vowed never to raise a hand against humans, and to only hunt Nightmare Creatures in this life. Only bloodthirsty beasts deserved to be slaughtered. Surely when people learned of his nature they would not seek to kill him…
On the other hand, Gehrman didn't care because even if his enemy got rid of his [Sixth Sense] it didn't matter. If they attacked him, they would die. This was not a wish or a hope, it was a cold, hard fact.
As he was contemplating murder, Changing Star used her flames to melt a block of beeswax that she apparently had the whole time. Simultaneously, she tied her golden rope Memory around the group until they were all lined up like ducklings.
Sunless was at the head and took a deep breath. He grabbed the oar on the boat, and everyone followed in after him.
The cloth covered his eyes. The beeswax was pressed firmly in his ear canals. The mist enveloped him.
It was then Gehrman knew why he felt that peculiar familiarity. This state of nothingness, a lack of sense, had triggered his memory.
When crossing the void on his journey from Yharnam to this reality, he had encountered such things before. Though he couldn't see, hear, or do anything. There was still that sense that something unfathomable was watching him.
At the time, nothing interfered with the Entity catapulting him across realities. It was either scary enough to make them back off…or it wasn't worth their attention. Both possibilities terrified him.
He couldn't hear his heart beating faster, but he felt it. He consciously slowed it down with his Aspect. But he couldn't hold it for long. Because mere seconds after entering this state, he heard a whisper. It didn't move through the beeswax. It didn't move through his mind. It didn't move through his soul.
It existed on another plane of reality entirely.
He felt madness rising quickly. No blood or flesh had been consumed. It was simply exposure to madness in its purest form.
The whisper spoke one word.
"FRENZY"