Chapter IX
“Is it normal for a pegasi to come flying at us with incredible speed?”
“Oh not again!”
Gehrman watched as the cyan colored pegasi came flying towards him and Twilight. He could simply step aside and let the pegasi crash into the ground, but that could have an unpleasant outcome for said pegasi. Broken bones, internal bleedings, and perhaps even death. He had had enough of death. So the proud hunter decided to do the ‘honorable’ thing.
Bracing himself and stomping the ground with his peg leg, burying part of it in the ground for a better stance, Gehrman held out his arms and braced for impact. He watched as the pegasi closed in on him. This one was going to hurt, of that he was certain.
“This,” Twilight said as her horn lit up in a purple aura, purple colored magic latching itself around the cyan pegasi. “Has to stop, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight glared at her friend, using her magic to levitate her towards her; so she would face her directly.
“Sorry,” Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head. “I was going a little too fast, I guess.”
“A little?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “If it weren’t for me, you would have crashed into Gehrman and possibly hurt him. Badly.”
“Gehrman?” Rainbow Dash repeated in confusion. Turning her head sideways, her eyes fell upon the creature in question. A bipedal creature who was currently struggling to get his peg leg out of the ground, occasionally saying “By the cursed blood, curse this hand-made thing!” Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight. “What is that?” she asked, curiosity clearly present in her voice.
Twilight released Rainbow Dash from her spell, letting her fall to the ground with a small thud. Rainbow Dash quickly got up, turning her head to Gehrman. “Twilight, what is that?” she asked, never taking her eyes off Gehrman.
“That would be Gehrman,” Twilight replied, looking up at him. “To make things short, he’s an alien.”
If Rainbow Dash could explode, she would have done so already. Flying up to Gehrman’s face, she looked at him with a joyful expression. “What’s up, Gehrman?” she asked.
“Finally,” Gehrman sighed as he finally got his peg leg out of the ground. Wiggling it and making sure it was not damaged, he looked up. “Oh,” he said, smiling at Rainbow, whose face was a bit too close to his. “Hello. Are you all right?”
“Pfft, I’m fine,” Rainbow Dash replied, waving a dismissive hoof at him. “Thanks for trying to catch me, though.” She nudged his side playfully, earning a soft ‘oomph’ from him.
“It was the least I could do,” Gehrman replied, clearing his throat. Turning to Twilight, he spoke up. “Is she a friend of yours?” he asked.
Twilight nodded, before replying. “Yes she is. This is Rainbow Dash, the bearer of the Element of Loyalty.”
Gehrman turned to Rainbow, holding out his hand while doing so. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rainbow.”
Rainbow Dash stared at the strange appendage in front of her. Not knowing what the gesture meant, she spoke up. “Nice to meet you too, Gehrman.” she replied, tapping his hand. “But if you’ll excuse me,” she said, flapping her wings. “I’ve got some work to do.”
And with that, the cyan mare took off with incredible speed. Gehrman could only watch in awe as the mare flew away from them, leaving a rainbow trail behind as she soared through the sky.
Gehrman returned his attention to Twilight. “She seems nice,” he said, giving her a small smile.
“She is,” Twilight smiled back. “I’m surprised she—no, everypony is taking your presence so… normally.” She said, taking occasional glances at ponies who happened to pass by.
“Is that a bad thing?” Gehrman asked.
“No,” Twilight replied. “But it’s just that we had a similar situation a few months ago. A zebra named: Zecora came to Ponyville. Everypony was frightened of her, because they didn’t know who or what she was. We thought she cursed us, thought she kidnapped Applebloom. But we were wrong. All of us were.” Twilight bowed her head in shame. “I still feel kind of bad about it, even though all is forgiven and Zecora isn’t seen as some kind of monster anymore.”
“You and your friends got the wrong view of someone,” Gehrman reassured her, making her look up at him again. “I once met a hunter. Djura was his name. He too fought against the beasts. He slayed them, maimed them, he showed them no mercy.” He sighed before continuing. “But he too had the wrong view—at least, that is what he told me.”
“And what did he view wrong?” Twilight asked.
“All beasts were once human. Djura figured this out all by himself, and when he did, he vowed never to kill a beast ever again. He believed that they were still human. Part of that is true, but when you see your beloved get maimed by beasts, you tend to forget the fact that they were once like you.”
“So beasts were once like… you?” Twilight asked.
Gehrman nodded. “Yes, but they turned into beasts because of the plague of beasts. No one truly knows where the plague originated, but what we do know is that it spares no one. Djura now resides in Old Yharnam, the ruins of a once great city. For all I know, he is still there, guarding the place. Preventing beasts from getting out, and preventing hunters from getting in.”
Even though she didn’t know what or who Gehrman was talking about, or what Old Yharnam once was, she understood what he was trying to say. Things could have ended differently for her, than they did. This Djura already made a mistake, and he tried setting that mistake straight. Secretly she hoped Gehrman would tell her a bit more about Yharnam, and even tell her bit more about Djura, if he wanted too.
“But those are just tales I heard from other hunters, who ventured into Old Yharnam.” Gehrman said, chuckling at the end.
Twilight looked at him with a curious expression. Tales of other hunters? But she though he said that Djura prevented any hunter from entering Old Yharnam. Did that mean he failed?
Deciding not to press on the subject, Twilight spoke up.
“The library is just a short walk from here on out,” she said. “You ready to go?”
Gehrman nodded, motioning for her to lead the way. He and Twilight continued their walk to the library, giving Gehrman the opportunity to think about a few certain things he never felt the need of thinking of, when he was still in the dream.
He wondered how some of his hunters were doing. He wondered what had become of them, after he had freed them from the dream. Alfred. Proud Alfred. Did he succeed into doing the impossible? The Vilebloods were thought to be extinct, but still he believed there was still one alive. Did he find said Vileblood? Or did he die trying? Gehrman would never know. But Alfred was a kind man, even though his part as an Executioner for Martyr Logarius sometimes blinded his visions of the real world.
It seemed that all the Executioner thought of was making sure Logarius would become a true martyr, not even caring about his own life. Did he have a family? Did he have a wife? If so, Gehrman hoped that he stayed with them, forever.
Eileen. Oh, wise Eileen. ‘The Crow hunter’ as some called her. She was a very wise woman. She knew how to hunt beasts, but yet she made sure their deaths were quick. She was not like most hunters. Hunters who would toy with their prey, before ending their lives. Usually slow and painfully. Why she did it what she did was something no one could understand. She was one of a kind, that’s for sure.
A hunter of hunters, as she called herself. Hunting hunters for their own good… was it an act of bravery? Or was it just an excuse for no longer wanting to hunt beasts? Yeah, like hunters were an ‘easy prey’.
And then there was Djura. Sympathetic Djura. He truly was one of a kind. Every hunter had their own reasons to hate beasts, but he had his own reasons to hate hunters. Being called an utter fool by your fellow hunters, is something no one would ever want.
Hunters. Young, old, strong, weak. They all had one thing in common. They did what they thought was right. Their ideals were what mattered to them… and if anyone were to get in their way, they would face the wrath of a thousand moons.
But there was one hunter, one hunter Gehrman never understood. His time in the dream was short, very short. He was a hunter from a foreign land. Gehrman remembered the hunter used to talk about his wife and children, but also about the hunt, and how he despised the beasts. He was a member of the Healing Church. A Black Church hunter, to be precise.
He had a loving wife and two daughters.
Gascoigne. Father Gascoigne, a hunter of the Healing Church. A hunter who never showed any mercy, who never backed down for fight. But also a hunter who would keep his focus on the hunt, forgetting about the ones he loved.
What had become of him? Had he turned beast? Had he been killed? Gehrman did not know, but he would have liked to.
“We’re here,” Twilight said, motioning at the humongous tree in front of her. “My home.” She smiled.
‘It’s that tree from yesterday,’ Gehrman thought to himself. Looking down at Twilight, he smiled at her. “A very beautiful house, Twilight.” Gehrman smiled at her, walking towards the entrance. “Shall we enter?”
“Just open the door,” Twilight replied, giggling slightly to herself. “I’m sure Spike will be very happy to meet one of his favorite fantasies.”
“I am one of his fantasies?” Gehrman asked, a skeptical expression clearly present on his face. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered, or cautious.”
Twilight shook her head, opening the door with her magic. “Let’s go. I’m sure you’ll like Spike, and I’m sure he’ll like you.”
“Very well.”
Far off into the cold mountains of the Crystal Empire, a place nopony would ever dare to come, lurked a shadow. The shadow of a once powerful king. A king who enslaved his subjects. A king who only cared about himself. A king that would one day reclaim his empire.
King Sombra, was his name.
The dark. Something we humans fear, yet we are somehow drawn towards it. The Old Blood was seen as a miracle, sent by the gods themselves. He knew this all too well. He understood what it meant to lose yourself to the thirst for blood. His wife dead and his children left behind. The only thing he could remember was the sound of a soothing tone playing, a tone that reminded him of home, of something he thought was long lost.
Father Gascoigne was many things. A hunter. A member of the Healing Church. But above all, a father who would have nothing more, than to return to his family… even if it were just for a split second.
“This will seal our deal,” Gascoigne said, cutting open the palm of his hand with his Hunters Axe. He squeezed his hand shut; tightly, watching as several drops of blood dropped in the snowy surface he was standing on. “You want your kingdom back, and I want my family back, oh Great One.”
The shadow that loomed over him chuckled grimly. “Indeed. Make sure that when I strike, the Crystal Heart is in your possession.”
Gascoigne nodded, the blood soaked bandages covering his eyes preventing anyone from seeing his beastly eyes. He then turned around and began a long, dangerous trek through the outskirts of the Crystal Empire.
The shadow of the once proud king chuckled yet again. ‘What a fool. Believing I am one of these ‘Great Ones’ he kept mentioning. I cannot believe he actually believed me when I told him I was a Great One. Only a fool would trust a stranger’s word.’ The king thought to himself, looking off into the far distance. ‘And he actually thinks I can reunite him with his family. Ha, he will be most displeased when he finds out I do not even know where he came from. It was pure coincidence that I came across his motionless body. I presumed him dead, but he was still breathing.’ The king closed his eyes, letting out a long, chilling sigh. ‘With this new pawn, victory is assured. Nopony will stand in my way.’
And with that, the shadow vanished… for now.
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Personally, my headcanon for Gascoigne is a bit different. In his intro cinematic, he's hacking the living sh*t out of a beast, and his wife's corpse is on a nearby roof. I think that he didn't kill his wife, the beast did, and that's what made him go over the edge. It also explains why the music box stuns him, but doesn't make him come to his senses. The music box is stated to help him remember, and at the point where you fight him, he doesn't want to remember.
Sombra is fucked in my opinion since he can't own up to his promise.
Well the author's note took care of a couple of questions I had, although given Somba's origin as a shadow pony who the rest are sealed under the crystal empire will that be used? I also take it that Gascoigne doesn't remember killing his wife. The bit with Twilight and him is what I was talking about, just enough explanations to give an idea of what he means with leaving more to learn later.
Although he said no one knew about where the curse started but didn't you say in the last chapter he did know? At least I thought it seemed like he knew from before. Plus the healing church did know at some point (most likely before the fall of the city given they made their own hunters). Also you made one mistake and that was misspelling Apple Bloom's name, it's two words not one I know that's a little thing but it is how it's spelled. You wouldn't like someone doing that to your name right?
Great job my friend, you are doing great.
6622008 HEAD CANNON ACCEPTED!
Interesting. *narrows eyes*
Another human. This time, working for the enemy and not the hero, albeit he doesn't know. This is sure to work out well.
Especially when he meets up with Gehrman.
6622486 Also, something I forgot to mention, you can summon Gascoigne for the Cleric Beast fight, and when you do, he's completely lucid, even chuckling a bit when you play the music box in front of him.
6622577 That he is, and I do believe that you can sometimes her him sniffle if you bring him outside his house, when his daughters are there
Hmm, I always assumed Gascoigne and others (like Vicar Amelia) wore the coverings over their eyes as an attempt to help block what it was they were seeing. I was always of the mind that they had reached a particular level of Insight, and therefore could see the world for how it really was around them (full of monstrous creatures hanging off of nearby buildings) and so covered their eyes in an attempt to help block the sight of such things. Then again, that homeless dude that turns into the Abhorrent Beast also has coverings all over his eyes. A fight between Gascoigne and Gehrman would not last long I assume, for even if he is without his ability to enhance himself with Arcane Moon Power, he is still a lot more skilled and faster in his fight compared to the one against Gascoigne. Keep up the good work!
6622989 That's true, but it'll be mentioned in the story later on.
6622008 Fun fact, that is my speculation too. Gascoigne was hacking away at a Yharnamite who was barely alive. He was already exhausted for some reason, probably because he indeed fought against several of them. And then we come in, and he thinks we're one of them... It's uncertain, though. The thirst for blood can blind a man, enough to make him sick. And then there is his wife, his dear Viola. Perhaps she was killed by him because she did not have the music box with her. Or Perhaps she was killed by the Yharnamites who were present at the graveyard at the time she found Gascoigne. But you’ll just have to wait and see until you find out what I have in store.
"Mmm.....What's that smell? The sweet blood it sings to me.... enough to make a man sick."
I await with baited breath.
6622284 It was kind of a speculation, no one really knows where the plague came from.
6624346 Did you mean no one knew for the characters in the story or for the players? Cause after playing the game and reading wiki's and other youtube theories it's pretty much wildly thought it was the old blood that caused it as the plague didn't show up until the old blood started being used all the time hell that whole 'undone by the blood, fear the old blood' line. Especially since the beasts seem to be drawn to blood as well.
Wow Gascoigne is gonna go apeshit XD
I will laugh when king Sombra is all like 'I lied to you!' And Gascoigne destroys him
...So no Oedon Church Dweller?
*snerk* Hehehehe...
6713893
Literally rips him apart.
Sombrero bits all over the shop.
They'll be enough left of him to bury in a Ziplock sandwich bag.
Maybe.
6622989
There's also the fact that a top-level PC has trouble defeating Gehrman, and Gascoigne would only be trouble to a low-level Hunter.
This imbalance of power is such that Gascoigne defeating Gehrman would be something in the range of DYJPOC.
Gascoigne isn’t an idiot but he is obsessed. I can see him falling for this partly due to wishful thinking and partly due to not knowing how to recognize a Great One. Of course, he might be playing Sombra.