Sweat dripped down his forehead. His eyes were fixed upon a certain object that lay on the table in front of him. A needle in one hand, and a piece of cloth in the other. Gehrman licked his lips. “Almost done,” Gehrman sighed. He had been sitting in the same position for one hour now. He was starting to get annoyed. He had no trouble creating the Doll in the Hunter’s Dream, yet this hat proved to be quite the challenge.
“Come on you damned thing,” Gehrman cursed as he bit down on a piece of string. “There… we… go. Yes! Praise the good blood!” Gehrman cheered to himself as he held up Applejack’s hat. It looked amazing.
Letting out a sigh of relief as he got up from his chair, Gehrman stretched his back.
“What’s all this ruckus about—oh, Gehrman.”
Gehrman turned around, only to see Rarity stand in the doorway with a sheepish smile planted on her face.
“Greetings,” Gehrman replied, walking towards her. “I have finished my work. Could you deliver this to Applejack?”
Rarity nodded her head, smiling at him as she used her magic to levitate the hat out of his hand. “Sweetie Belle and her friends are currently in her room,” Rarity said as she walked out of the room. “Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Gehrman is ready to see you now.” She shouted.
Gehrman could hear a door opening, and several hoof steps coming downstairs. Nodding to himself, Gehrman walked out of the room, only to be tackled to the ground by three fillies that were a bit too eager to meet him.
“S-sorry,” Sweetie Belle apologized, scratching the back of her head. “We got a bit too excited and didn’t see you walking out of the door. Again, sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Gehrman replied, slowly pushing him self up. “How are you doing, Sweetie Belle?” Gehrman asked, looking down at her with a smile. “I assume these two are your friends?”
Sweetie Belle nodded her head, looking at her two friends. “This is Apple Bloom,” she said, motioning to a red maned, yellow-coated filly. “And this is Scootaloo,” she said, motioning to a purple maned, orange-coated filly.
“Howdy, Mr. Gehrman,” Apple Bloom said, nodding her head at him. “A pleasure meetin’ ya.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Gehrman replied, tipping his hat at her. “This is just an assumption, but are you perhaps related to Applejack?” he asked.
Apple Bloom nodded. “She’s mah sister,” she replied, smiling at him. “Thanks fer fixin’ her hat by the way.”
“No need to thank me,” Gehrman chuckled. “Now,” he said, looking over the three. “What do you three want to do?”
“Well, we were going to try and get our cutie marks for, well, basically anything we haven’t tired yet,” Scootaloo replied, looking up at Gehrman with hopeful eyes. “Since you’re not from around here, we thought that you could help us earn our cutie marks.”
Gehrman scratched the back of his head, letting out a nervous laugh. “Well, you see,” he said, tapping his sheathed Burial Blade. “The only thing I’m really good at is wood crafting, smiting, and… hunting.”
“We already tried the first and second, but the third...” Sweetie Belle trailed off, looking at her sister.
“I don’t think so, young lady,” Rarity said with a stern voice, shaking her head as she glared at her sister. “Hunting is something only Griffons, Minotaurs and other meat-eating creatures do.”
“But sis,” Sweetie Belle whined.
“No means no, Sweetie Belle. And don’t try to ‘sis’ me, young lady,” Rarity replied. Turning her head to look up at Gehrman, she tugged his leg, making him look down at her. “Just take them to Sugarcube Corner for some sweets, tell Pinkie to send me the bill.”
Gehrman nodded, turning around. “Come now, children,” he said, motioning for the Crusaders to follow him. “Let’s get you sweets.”
Three sighs of disappointment could be heard. Gehrman ignored them; his ears had grown accustomed to those kinds of sighs. Mostly from hunters who died in the waking world and returned to the Hunter’s Dream. They would often ask for his advice. Hell, one hunter even asked if he could hang onto his Small Resonant Bell for a little while. Gehrman declined, telling the hunter no matter how clever his ideas might be he could never leave the Dream.
Gehrman stepped out of the boutique, turning his head as he saw the three disappointed fillies walk after him. Walking down the stairs, Gehrman spoke up.
“Okay, so Sugarcube Corner it is then,” he said, smiling at them. “You three don’t know how lucky you are, getting to eat the sweets of Pinkie Pie.”
Scootaloo let out a frustrated groan. “I thought you said this guy was cool,” she said, looking at Sweetie Belle with a disappointed expression. “He sounds old. Old ponies—or whatever it is he’s called—are boring.”
“He’s not boring,” Sweetie Belle retorted, looking up at Gehrman with hopeful eyes. “You’re not, right?”
German shrugged. “I don’t know how ‘boring’ you think I am, but I will have you know that I was once a very famous man,” he said, grinning slightly as he pointed a thumb at his chest. “No beast could stand up to me, no threat was even too great. I trained many hunters. Male and female, young and old, I trained them all.”
The three fillies all tilted their heads in curiosity.
“Famous? Because of what?” Apple Bloom asked. “Because of yer clothing?”
“No, because of my skills as a hunter,” Gehrman replied.
“What did you hunt?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Gehrman’s body froze after she asked that. Whoops, he probably should have kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t used to people not knowing who he was, or what he had done in his past. “Children,” Gehrman said, holding his hands out in a dismissive way. “Rabbits. I hunted rabbits,” he replied.
“Why would you hunt rabbits?” Gasped a shocked Sweetie Belle.
“Cows?”
“Cows?!” Gasped a shocked Apple Bloom.
“Okay, beasts! I hunted beasts! Terrible beasts!” Gehrman blurted out, groaning as he slapped his forehead. “Stupid,” he muttered underneath his breath. Sighing to himself as he turned his back to the three fillies, he gritted his teeth in anger. Even though it was in the past, he still felt bad for the kind hunter that freed him. It wasn’t like he could just forget what happened two days ago.
Many hunters had come and pass, but none did the things he did. This hunter actually fought for what he assumed was the right thing. He was never given any proper directions on where to go, nor did he really care. It was like he wasn’t even afraid of dying, because he knew that he would return to his home again. To be greeted by that Doll, to him it must have felt like he was being greeted by his lover.
And that’s why he created the Doll. He created it because of the love and affection it would show to any hunter who entered the dream. She always wished for them to find their worth in the waking world, but in secret, she hoped that one of them would actually have the guts to thank her for what she was doing.
And that’s what he did. The same hunter thanked her. He thanked her in a way that no one had ever thanked her. He gave her something as a token of appreciation. A small hair ornament. An ornament that was meant for someone else. A student of Gehrman.
“Gehrman, are ya okay?” Apple Bloom asked, taking a few cautious steps towards the hunter.
“I’m fine, I just… remembered something,” Gehrman replied, hanging his head.
“What did ya remember?” Apple Bloom asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
“A mistake I made. And because of that mistake, someone else faced the consequences I was supposed to face,” Gehrman replied. Looking down at his peg leg, the First Hunter let out a soft chuckle as he remembered the loss of his foot. It was a rookie mistake, yes. But luckily for him, his most prized student was there to help him out. Had she not been there, things would have taken a turn for the worst. He really wondered what had become of her. The only thing he could remember was her smell… and a name. A name so common yet soothing at the same time.
Maria.
“Gehrman, are you sure you’re okay?” Scootaloo asked as she tugged his leg. “You look like you saw a ghost, or something.”
“Children, could we please just go to Sugarcube Corner and get your sweets? This old geezer really doesn’t want to talk right now.”
The three fillies exchanged looks of confusion with one another. All three of them nodded their heads and walked passed him, looking back at him with small, yet gentle smiled planted on their faces.
Gehrman let out a long sigh, before walking after them.
“But still,” Scootaloo said, looking at both of her friends. “Not as cool as you said he’d be.”
“Scootaloo!”
His knuckles were numb. His veins felt like they were frozen solid. The blood-soaked bandages covering his eyes had also frozen. This cold was almost unbearable. He had no idea how his body was still holding on. He had no idea why his heart hadn’t stopped beating, or why he hadn’t frozen to death by now. But he knew one thing: He was almost there.
The Crystal Empire was in sight. He had reached his destination. No matter how harsh the weather, or how big the challenge proved to be, he pressed on. And then, without any further explanation, it stopped. The cold, the snowstorm, all vanished.
Gascoigne tilted his head on confusion. It was like he was standing behind a window. He could clearly see the snow. He could clearly see how the gusts of wind blew the snow in different kinds of directions. So why wasn’t he feeling it. Taking a few steps forwards, Gascoigne held his hand out. Cold. He could feel the cold again. Retracting his hand and looking at the snow—which was now melting on his hand, along with the snow that was covering his clothes—Gascoigne let out a snarl.
“What kind of tricks are you playing at, Great One?” he asked, looking up at the snowy sky. Letting out a sigh, Gascoigne turned around and began to walk to his destination. Passing a strange looking structure that showed great resemblance to a gate, Gascoigne continued walking. So close, he was so close.
But what could he expect to find? What form of civilization would he come across? Could there be beasts? Could there be other hunters, hunters who had gone rogue? He had no idea, but quite frankly, he didn’t care. Completing his mission was what mattered to him. And so, Father Gascoigne, the hunter, tightened the grip around his Hunter’s Axe.
What confused the hunter the most was the sudden change of scenery. It went from grey and snowy, to blue and sunny. This had to be the work of a Great One. No other being would have been capable of preforming something like this. Perhaps Sombra had competition, for it is well known that Great One’s rival each other. But there is one they all fear. One who has ascended so much, that he lacks a physical form. Formless Oedon. Could this be his doing?
“It’s too bright,” Gascoigne muttered to himself as he saw the Empire getting bigger and bigger. Several small houses, probably owned by the townspeople, caught his attention. He could sneak into one, knock the owners unconscious, and wait until the night arrived. The night was a perfect time for hunting. He could stick to the shadows, enter the castle, retrieve the Crystal Heart, and leave without anyone noticing him.
Nodding to himself as he quickened his pace, Gascoigne set his eyes on the first house he saw. And whoever resides in said house, should be prepared. For the hunt was on tonight. And it would spare no one.
You're welcome SolidArc5542!
I really need to download the DLC for Bloodborne, but Fallout 4 has me in its clutches. Still, I am looking forward to seeing just how much devastation a hunter like Gascoigne causes when trying to be "stealthy." Keep up the good work!
quickmeme.com/img/70/70869d2e9419255908f263acdb3950a9722e762669dd89b9a8de34bd435737ca.jpg
He could of just said he hunted Beasts and let them fill in the gaps. Monsters would of worked just as well.
Oh snap.
I don't think Cadance will appreciate one of her subjects dead. And you know what she can do with that Crystal Heart.
6687041
Well, it only worked on Sombra because he had a heart of pure evil.
Gascoigne's only motive is the love he has for his wife and daughters, so it wouldn't actually hurt him as much as it should show him the truth behind Sombra's motives.
6686837
Yah, while the hunter set describes as them hunting in the shadows, Gascogne was wearing a set of the church, and was presumably always wore it. I don't believe he ever learned how to sneak.
Nice chapter, though I wish they'd be as bulky as the first one, lol. :P
Couple things to note; 'clothe' is spelled cloth, and I don't think Gehrman would praise the blood, since he tells the Good Hunter to fear it during the 'Yharnam Sunrise' ending. Perhaps he had once thought it praiseworthy, but in his old age he seems to be more inclined to agree with Master Willem's interpretation.
Also, the Bloodborne community believes that only members of the Choir, students of Byrgenwerth and the School of Mensis actually knew about the Great Ones. Most of the Church Hunters like Gascoigne, Henryk, and the rest of the Black and White Church Hunters only knew about the plague of beasts, not its origin as the Healing Church was very keen on keeping it a secret, as they did with Ebrietas. You can ignore this of course, this is your fanfic, but I'd personally say that if you're going to have Gascoigne know of the Great Ones, then I'd come up with a believable reason as there's no indication in-game he knows of them otherwise.
6687916 While that is partially true, I think Gascoigne did know of the Great Ones, or at least partially. Perhaps he didn't know they were the originators of the Old Blood, but I still think he knew they existed. Gascoigne was a pretty high ranking hunter of the Church. I believe that he was just below Ludwig and Henryk. It is speculated that only members of the Choir and the School of Mensis know of the Great One's existence, yes. But many other hunters at least give you (your character, I mean) certain hints linking to the Great Ones. They keep mentioning something about moon, so they must know there is something off with it. I believe that the Moon Prescience, in all of its glory, manipulated some hunters into believing the Great Ones existed. Sure they exist, but the Church would quickly dispose of such hunters. Hunters who could soil their secrets to the Yharnamites. Just look at the Hunter’s Nightmare. Everywhere you see petrified Amygdala’s.
I believe that Gascoigne put those bandages over his eyes, because he was seeing things a normal human being should not see. I believe that he gained so much insight, he started seeing Great Ones. Specifically, the ones all over Yahar’gul and Cathedral Ward.
Again, this is just my speculation.
6688213 Eridyn is right about it should be spelled 'cloth.'
Repeatedly slams head on table
HOW DID I MISS THAT?! Sigh Well learning comes with the job.
6687204
Yeah, but sneaking in Bloodborn is just casually walking around, so I don't think he was to bad at it.
6688838
Yah, but that was as the main character, not an 8 foot tall man.
6688842
You have a point, he also has a habit of dragging his axe on the ground making a scraping sound.
And Good Hunter is so sneaky he can switch his weapon in and out of it's trick for right behind the enemy (with sound and sparks all over the place), that's almost Dovahkiin level of stealth.
6688872
So we both agree that he's going to try to sneak up behind a person, everyone's going to scream run away, and then he gets blasted with love magic. Also, I think good hunter has the power of plot armour to explain there ability to do extremely loud transformations i.e. The beats claws where good hunter literly screams.
6688893 Keep in mind, Gascoigne was losing it during the Boss Fight, then finally went insane. Such a mindset leaves little room for stealth of course, but in this fic he appears to have regained some lucidity, so he'll probably be able to think a bit more rationally, and possible try to be sneaky.
6688902 true true. I guess it's really up to the author. There are two ways this can go. It can either end up funny sad, fights, or outright murder. I am hoping for funny with him doing a tom and jerry style try to kill a pony.
Not bad and I do want to see how he handles the CMC although one thing I'm pretty sure he made the Doll originally in the waking world as when you go to the actual place from the Hunter Dream the Abandoned Workshop in the real world and you find the original Doll sitting there against a wall so he actually made the Doll in real life before he was in the Dream.
But I do like that you slightly gave a brief idea of where he got the idea for the form of the Doll as we don't really know what he was like before he became a Hunter.
6691816
My theory is that Gherman made the Doll after his workshop became irrelevant and we also learn in the dlc that he modeled it after Lady Maria, one of his first disciples and maybe more, after that he also made the pact with the Moon Presence to create the Hunters dream and i think he didn't quite appreciate that it took the doll inside and made it integral to strengthening the Hunters.
6695241 I haven't played the DLC yet, forgot there was one coming out. Well that gives me something to do later.
6686837 I'm sure you fixed your mistake, but fuck Fallout 4 because it can't stand up to Bloodborne. No fuck that, it can't EXIST next to Bloodborne. The Old Hunters is, like all Souls DLC, has some of the best content in the game. And it's THE BEST FUCKING PART BY FAR. It has the Bloodletter, the coolest weapon ever, AND Orphan of Kos, who I GUARANTEE will always be one of the best bosses EVER devised by From Software in terms of gameplay. He is PERFECTLY balanced and I daresay that he's how the Gwyn fight would be like in Dark Souls if From was at their godly level of talent back then.
7040470
"Stop liking things I don't like!"