Bloodborne: The Hero and the King

Chapter 7: Mergo's Smile

"Dear hunter, you have returned." The Hero crawled out of the grave, brushing dirt off of his clothes. He turned to the doll, who was admiring him. "You have a lot of echoes within you. I can use it to make you stronger if you wish." The Hero nodded his head, as Gherman rolled up.

"What did you find in the hunt?" He asked.

"My name..my mother.."replied the hero. "My name is Hanuma. My mother was Eileen the crow."

"Ah i remember her. She stopped dreaming long ago. How is she?" Asked Gherman.

"Dead." Replied the Hero, removing his hand from the Dolls palms."thank you" he said to her.

"My pleasure."

"Gherman, how does one stop dreaming?" Asked the Hero.

"It happens...when one faces the truth.." He replied.

"And what is that?" Asked the hero, turning to a grave with Eileens name on it. Gherman had begun rolling his way back towards the house on the hill.

"If you have to ask, you have not found it." He turned back to the hero, as he reached the door and said, "Some things should stay hidden."

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The king pulled his raft to shore. He had been adrift for a few days, but he was finally back in Yharnam. "Malic was the scholar." He said to himself. "That means Byrgenwerth's college.."he began walking down the streets, of old yharnam, beasts running at him only to meet grisly ends. His fighting had grown more brutal since his encounter with Annalise. He found himself questioning the events that had led to his current situation. His wife was now a Vileblood and had sworn loyalty to something called a Great One. He didn't know what that was, but the College, in its infancy had founded itself on the blood of ancient beings. If those same ancients were the Great one's then, his wife was no different than the beasts of Yharnam. And who or what is the hunter? He is strong, but he is no knight. Righteous he may be, but his eyes glow with an inhuman hue. He too isn't human. He too must be tied with the Great One. Is Yharnam lost forever? He wrestled with these thoughts as he found himself outside of the byrgenwerth town. The beasts here were abnormal. Their brains protruding from their bodies. The sight of which caused immense pain within his mind. He screamed, as he felt like needles were stabbing him in his head. He felt himself losing his grip on his sanity, but amidst his madness, his sword guided his actions, slaying the beasts, and easing his pain. Once the headaches had subsided, he realized he was now at Byrgenwerth college, a much larger establishment than what he remembered it to be. "Indeed, centuries have passed." He thought to himself. He made his way inside, where incoherent laughter was offset by the sound of a baby's cries.

"King!!" Called out a voice. "King!! You return! The Great One awaits you! Come! Come!"

"Who are you?!" Called out the king, into darkness. "Answer me!!" As the King made his way to the top floors, he caught a glimpse of a man running by. He had a cage on his head.

"I am the last of the great school, but far from the first!" Called out the voice. The man ran past again, and the King gave chase. He was attacked by moving dolls, and although he cut them down, they reanimated themselves. "Oh king! Please stop breaking my toys. They are not easy to come by!"

"Then stop running from me!" Yelled the king. As he finally cornered the man, in front of a mirror, he asked "what do you know of the Great One?" The man, giddy with excitement, laughed. He turned and ran into the mirror. No, more accurately, he ran through the mirror, appearing somewhere else shouting,

"then you will have to catch me first." The King gave chase again, running up more floors, until finally the man stood in front of a room.

"No more games," said the king, brandishing his sword. "No mirrors, no escape. Face me and tell me what you know of the Great One."

"Which one do you want to know about?" Asked the man.

"How many are there?" Asked the King, confused.

"Depends." Replied the man. "My name is Micolash. The last great scholar. Mmm Kos, will you bless me? Or the King?" He ran at the King, bare handed and threw a punch. The king dashed backwards, but tentacles protruded from micolashs arms, slashing across the kings chest.

"Wha-!" Cried out the king in pain. He ran at the scholar, swinging his sword.

"You wield the blade crafted by the Great Ones, you glare at me with the eyes of Beasts. Your flesh hides your true self, king!" Sang Micolash. "Does Kos bless you? Or me?"

"Is Kos the leader of the Great Ones?" Asked the king amidst his sword strikes.

"No no. Kos is an infant Great One. Tied to the first true hunter and his many mistakes. Although, he is not the youngest. Of course not counting baby Mergo!! Kos is not the youngest!" Replied Micolash, as the King's sword plunged deep into his chest, causing the scholar to cough up blood. "Indeed, another Hunter has awakened to something greater.."

The king ran up to Micolash as he fell. As life echoes flowed from Micolash and into the King, the scholar gripped the Kings arm. "You..eghh...you can see it in their eyes..you know.. Heh heh..the Great Ones.." Micolash reached into his robes and handed ball of crumpled up papers to the king, "That beautiful light at the end of their tunnel. That beautiful..white light.. Ehh..of death..you can..see it in their..eyes.."

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"Take this, and Be careful dear Hunter.." Warned the doll, handing him a tiny musical box, as the Hero crawled back into the grave, allowing the dirt to wash over him. He felt himself being pulled and found himself not at Grand Cathedral, but an entirely new location.

"Where am i? And what am i supposed to do with this?" He wondered, pulling out the musical box. He twisted the key in it, and a lullaby began playing. In the distance he heard a baby's laughter. "A child?!" Thought the Hero. As he raced towards the sound of where the baby's laughter came from, he heard the sound of a bell ringing. Indeed the small one in his pocket began to resonate with it. He lifted his own above his head and rang. As the world around him melted away, he found himself inside of a building, facing the King.

"King? How are you? It's been..days..i feared the worst." Said the Hero.

"Im fine..um..Hunter.?" Replied the King, realizing he had never bothered to learn the Hero's name. The Hero picked up on this and said,

"It's fine..for the longest time i couldn't remember my name either. It is Hanuma. Although everyone i've met just refers to me as the hero."

"Hanuma?" Repeated the king, remembering the grave he had found marked "Han"with the rest of it being illegible. "Well hero,there are beasts to be slain. Are you ready?"

"Always" replied the Hero. They made their way into a courtyard, where a lone stroller sat in the center. From the stroller a baby's cries could be heard. "The baby?!" Thought the hero. He activated the music box, and immediately the baby's crying turned to laughter. As the Hero ran to retrieve the baby, and earthquake caught him off guard and he fell to the ground. He looked up to see a terrible 4 armed being in a black robe hovering over him. It shrieked, causing the Hero to scramble to his feet and back away. As he backed closer to the King, a woman in all white, with blood leaking from her stomach down her dress, ventured forth, her arms outstretched, and tears rolling down her face.

The creature in black shrieked at the woman in all white, lifting the stroller and smacking the woman in white with one of her claws into a wall. The baby began crying, as the woman in white slumped over. The King looked from the woman in white to the baby, and slowly put it together..

"Listen Hero..we just met the Queen of Yharnam." Said the King. "And that black thing of death? That's the babysitter. Mergo's Wet Nurse."