Feeling the Messengers pulling him, Alex relaxed a little, thinking about the amount of work that lay ahead of him in this world of endless horror. Alex believed that his plans for this world were quite simple. He wanted to make Alucard stronger by feeding her all the special beings like the Cleric Beast, which were truly unique.
And he was very curious what kind of being Alucard would ultimately become — would she become the Goddess of Blood and the Blood Moon, or would she become the Goddess of Demons, just as it had happened with Zhang Ya when she had absorbed enough ghost souls. So many questions were swirling in Alex's head that he didn't even notice how he and Alucard had once again found themselves in the Hunter's Dream.
Upon returning to the Hunter's Dream, Alucard immediately saw that the Doll had already woken up. Alucard's gaze instantly shifted to the Doll, who was no longer asleep. And when the Doll fully awakened, Alucard fully felt why Alex had said that the Doll was unique.
Alucard sensed a slight danger from the Doll's presence, especially the smell of something alien and foreign. Looking at the Doll, a light smile appeared on Alucard's face, and she slightly licked her lips, turning her gaze away.
Alucard's gaze moved to Alex, who was staring blankly into empty space with a vacant expression, not even paying attention to the Doll, who was already awake. Seeing that Alex had once again sunk into deep thought, Alucard raised her hand and snapped her fingers in front of his eyes.
"Have you finished staring into space? If so, the Sleeping Beauty you've been waiting for has already woken up," Alucard said in a cheerful tone, looking at Alex.
Alex snapped out of his thoughts after hearing Alucard's voice. Blinking slightly, his gaze immediately shifted to the Doll, who was also looking back at him. Alex's eyes instantly lit up, and a light smile appeared on his face.
The Doll looked like a tall woman with the appearance of a porcelain doll, which she truly was. Her facial expression could be described as gentle and calm, with soft features, large eyes, and lips lightly painted in a soft translucent burgundy color.
Her silver hair was neatly arranged and partially hidden under an elegant headdress. She was wearing a long black dress with a high collar and an intricate patterned cape with fringe and embroidery. Around her neck was a burgundy scarf with a silver ornament.
Her hands were neatly folded in front of her, and between them she held the Moonflower that Alex had given her before leaving the Hunter's Dream. For Alex, the sight of the awake Doll evoked many emotions. And even after so many encounters with people in other worlds whom he considered fictional, Alex reacted to it as if it were the first time.
Alucard, standing next to Alex, felt the storm of emotions inside him and slightly rolled her eyes. At that moment, she wanted to ask if he would react like this to every woman he desired. After all, Alex had reacted to the other women in his life in exactly the same way, including herself.
"My love… Should I start getting jealous that your attention immediately switched to this woman? Or should I just hit you the way Integra does?" Alucard asked in a cheerful tone, touching Alex's neck with her fingernail.
"Please don't. My life already has enough jealous women. Look…" Alex said with a strained smile on his face, pulling down the collar of his hunter's clothing.
When Alex pulled down the collar, Alucard saw what he wanted to show her. Black hair was wrapped around Alex's neck, tightening with every moment as if trying to strangle him. Alucard raised an eyebrow and followed the black hair with her gaze, seeing that it was coming from Alex's shadow.
Realizing that these hairs belonged to Zhang Ya, Alucard chuckled slightly. How could she not know about this jealous ghost girl who lived in Alex's shadow. After all, they had already met several times. And each time Zhang Ya attacked first. Continuing to smile, Alucard extended her finger and touched the black hairs wrapped around Alex's neck.
The moment she touched Zhang Ya's black hair, the latter immediately reacted. A black strand of hair sharply struck Alucard's finger, directly hinting that she should not interfere. At such a gesture, Alucard smiled slightly and placed her palm on Alex's cheek, gently stroking it.
"Very well… I won't play the role of a jealous woman. For now…" Alucard said in a cheerful tone.
"Ugh… Just don't do it while I'm sleeping, Carmilla. I'm begging you," Alex said with a tired smile on his face.
"You've given me an interesting idea… But it's too early to say anything. I won't be jealous if you get a few women in this world. But I can't vouch for my mistress and my stupid disciple…" Alucard said with an innocent smile on her face, poking Alex's nose with her finger.
"After your words, I feel like the last bastard…" Alex said, sighing tiredly.
"That's exactly what I was aiming for, my love… But every King should have many wives. It's natural… So go ahead, go talk to your Sleeping Beauty," Alucard said, running her fingernail across Alex's chest.
Hearing Alucard's words, Alex shifted his gaze back to the Doll, who was still standing in her place and patiently waiting for them to finish talking. No one knew what was going on in the Doll's thoughts, but her gaze was fixed on Alex, as if she had seen someone she had been waiting for a long time. The Doll had heard Alex's voice while awakening, and for the first time she wanted to see someone as soon as possible.
The Doll's gaze softly moved to Alucard, and she sensed the smell of Noble Blood from her, which was much purer than that of Vileblood descendants and much more noble. But the Doll's gaze shifted back to Alex, as if she wanted to memorize the contours of his face.
Alex's very presence attracted her, and she wanted to be closer to him, but she did not understand why she was experiencing this strange feeling. Seeing how the doll's gaze instantly moved to Alex, Alucard smiled slightly, thinking that even such beings were attracted to her husband's charm.
"Sorry for making you wait. I'm glad you woke up," Alex said with a light smile, looking into the Doll's gray eyes.
"It is pleasant to hear that someone was waiting for my awakening, good Hunter. I am the Doll. I will watch over you in this dream. You are to hunt monsters… I will help you sustain your frail spirit," the Doll said, slightly bowing her head.
"How sweet of you, little doll. You want to take care of my husband… Heh. Or will he be the one taking care of you?" Alucard said with a cheerful smile on her face, looking at the Doll.
"Honorable huntress with noble blood, this applies to you as well. Follow the echoes of blood, and I will turn them into your strength. It is the least I can do for you," the Doll said, looking at Alucard and slightly bowing.
"I have my husband for that, little doll… So your help is not needed. Better offer it to my husband. He definitely won't refuse," Alucard said, slightly narrowing her eyes at the Doll.
The Doll slightly tilted her head to the side, looking at Alucard. The Doll did not understand why Alucard was behaving this way. But she sensed the ancient noble blood inside Alucard — it was something new that she was feeling for the first time. The Doll's gaze lingered on Alucard with a desire to understand this woman better.
But Alucard herself ignored the Doll and began to climb the steps to the workshop, having no desire to communicate with her. The Doll followed Alucard with her gaze until she disappeared through the workshop doors, then shifted her gaze to Alex, who was examining her from all sides. Alex was carefully observing the Doll, but this time he did not touch her, since she was already awake.
A soft smile was on Alex's face when he looked into the Doll's eyes again and saw his own reflection in her gray eyes. The Doll herself, standing so close to Alex, felt even more strongly something in him that she should not have felt. In that short moment, something strange flashed in her eyes — a mixture of recognition and quiet surprise.
"It's nice to meet you, Doll. I hope for your continued help in this place," Alex said with a soft smile, looking into the Doll's gray eyes.
"I will always be glad to help, good Hunter. Even if you only need comfort, I will be here for you. I will always be by your side…" the Doll said in a quiet, calm voice, looking directly into Alex's eyes.
"It's nice to hear that, Doll… But first I'll take care of other matters before we continue our conversation," Alex said with a gentle smile on his face, touching the Doll's cheek with his palm.
When Alex's hand touched her cheek, the Doll froze in place, and a barely noticeable shiver ran through her body. She felt the warmth of Alex's hand, and this warmth seemed so pleasant and desirable to her that she wanted it to last forever. Someone like Alex seemed so close and dear to her that she wanted him to always be near.
She was experiencing such emotions for the first time, but they did not seem wrong to her, and she wanted to understand better what these emotions meant and why they had appeared. But the feeling of warmth and closeness instantly disappeared when Alex removed his hand from her cheek. Waving goodbye, Alex began to climb the steps to the workshop.
While Alex slowly climbed the steps, the Doll did not take her eyes off his back, as if feeling that all the warmth she had felt had left with him. When Alex entered the Hunter's Workshop, the Doll raised her doll-like hand and touched her own cheek, imitating Alex's gesture, as if trying to compare the sensations.
But when she touched her own cheek, she realized that the feeling was different, even though the gestures were similar. And she tried to understand why there was such a big difference in this gesture when she did it herself and when Alex did it. Lowering her hand, the Doll looked at the Moonflower she was holding in her hands — the one Alex had given her.
Looking at the Moonflower, the Doll squeezed the stem tighter, as if this flower had become the most precious thing in this place to her, as if this flower was the most special among all the similar flowers growing in this place where many such flowers grew.
Alucard, having entered the workshop, thought about the Doll's words and why she had called her noble blood. Thanks to Alex, Alucard understood that the Doll was not ordinary. And she quickly realized why the Doll had called her noble blood — it was connected to the fact that she was the first Nosferatu.
And realizing that the Doll had been able to sense this caused an intrigued smile to appear on Alucard's face, especially the fact that the Doll had sensed that Alex was special. With a light smile on her face, Alucard sat down on a chair near the workbench and crossed her legs, turning her head toward the doors and waiting for Alex.
A few moments later, Alex entered the workshop, not hiding the delighted smile on his face. Seeing the delighted smile on Alex's face, Alucard slightly rolled her eyes and began tapping her finger on the table.
"I thought you would spend more time with this little doll," Alucard said in a lazy tone, tapping her finger on the table.
"First I must fulfill the promise I gave to my wife, and then everything else," Alex said with a soft smile, approaching Alucard.
"Really?… It's nice to hear that, my love… And how long do I still have to wait until you fulfill what you promised?" Alucard said with a soft smile, raising her leg and lightly running her foot along Alex's thigh.
"I'm going to do that right now. I just need to separate the Blood Echoes so you can absorb them without consequences… Come out, little one," Alex said, sitting down at the workbench.
Alex's shadow, which fell on the workbench, slightly lengthened, and a black cat with red eyes jumped out of it. Alex lightly scratched his familiar's chin with his finger, causing it to purr and gently swing its tail from side to side.
Alucard watched this with a light smile on her face, slowly swinging her leg. Stopping scratching the black cat's chin, Alex touched its ear with his finger, reminding it what it needed to do.
"Come on, little one. Give back everything you absorbed," Alex said, playing with the Black Cat's ear with his finger.
The Black Cat slightly nodded its small muzzle and opened its mouth. The black cat's mouth opened unnaturally wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. Small crystallized Blood Echo orbs began to pour out of the black cat's mouth — the ones it had collected while following Alucard.
Gradually, a small pile of crystallized Blood Echoes accumulated, next to which lay several red Coldblood Dew orbs and several Blood Stone Shards that it had also absorbed. Seeing the unfamiliar items, Alucard reached out and picked up a Blood Stone Shard. It was the first time Alucard had seen blood that had crystallized in this way and felt like metal to the touch.
At that moment, Alex was busy crushing the Coldblood Dew and crystallizing the blood inside. Alex immediately began purifying the Blood Echoes from the contamination that ultimately turned people into blood-obsessed Beasts. Alex did not want Alucard to follow the same path as before, which had ultimately affected her mind.
Using blood manipulation, Alex turned all the Blood Echoes into liquid, which began to separate into two different orbs. Soon two different blood orbs began to form: one that looked bright burgundy and slightly glistened in the lamplight, and the other that was dark burgundy with a faint, barely noticeable black liquid swirling inside.
Alex's gaze shifted to the dark crimson blood. Alex slightly grimaced, sensing the amount of filth and madness in this blood. It was not enough to drive someone like Alucard insane. But it would have been enough to create several more Cleric Beasts.
"What an interesting thing. It looks like a crystallized vein," Alucard said, examining the Blood Stone Shard.
"That is a Blood Stone Shard. It has many uses. But hunters mainly used it to make their weapons sharper and stronger," Alex replied without turning his head, continuing to purify the blood.
"Hmm… You're almost finished… As I understand, this is the dirty blood you were talking about… It smells like beast blood and something disgusting," Alucard said, pointing at the dark crimson orb of blood.
"Yes, this is dirty blood. And the disgusting smell you mentioned is the negative influence of the Great Ones… I don't want eyes to grow inside my wife's skull. That would be strange. My wife is cute and beautiful. And I won't allow any dirty blood to ruin my wife's appearance," Alex said in a tone as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You're so sweet at moments like this. You're afraid I'll turn into a horrifying monster. But I'm already a monster," Alucard said, gently touching Alex's cheek with her palm.
"I'm afraid you'll turn into a mindless monster. Those are two completely different things," Alex said, finishing separating the blood.
"And what do you plan to do with these leftovers since I can't absorb them?" Alucard asked, in a good mood from Alex's words.
"I'll bargain with the Messengers… While you sleep, I'll take care of other matters. And I think by the time you wake up, I'll manage to finish some things," Alex said, stroking his chin.
Alucard nodded slightly, understanding why Alex had said she would sleep. But it didn't bother her too much — she would rather sleep after absorbing the pure blood than watch Alex work. After all, she was only interested in seeing new monsters and fighting them, especially the unique monsters as Alex had called them.
She would rather leave all the other boring activities like training and research to Alex and not interfere. Alucard shifted her gaze to Alex, and she partially knew about his plans thanks to their contract, through which she could hear his thoughts.
At that time, Alex took out Alucard's black coffin from his inventory — the one he had taken with him before coming to this world. Alex knew that if Alucard slept in her coffin, the process of absorbing Blood Echoes would go faster. Alex carefully placed the black coffin on the wooden floor of the workshop.
"While I sleep, my husband will be hitting on another woman… How sad. It breaks my heart," Alucard said, opening the lid of her coffin.
"Carmilla… How many times. Does it give you pleasure to say things like that?" Alex said with a tired smile on his face.
"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to see your cute facial expression," Alucard said in a cheerful tone, sitting in her coffin and pointing her finger at Alex's face.
"I love you too… Here, this is yours. I never thought I would be feeding Blood Echoes to someone like you," Alex said, compressing the large crystallized Blood Echo orb into a small ball.
In response to Alex's words, Alucard only smiled tenderly and took the crystallized Blood Echoes from his hand. Not wanting to waste any more time, Alucard tossed the crystallized Blood Echo ball into her mouth. It immediately melted on her tongue, and the blood rushed down her throat.
The taste of different blood mixed on Alucard's tongue, and she could not distinguish all the blood flavors except the most concentrated taste of the Cleric Beast's blood, which felt like the taste of an old deer's blood. And once again Alucard tasted something ancient and incomprehensible that belonged to the blood of the Great Ones.
The Blood Echoes began to merge with Alucard's body at high speed, and she began to feel her eyelids growing heavy, as if her body and consciousness were beginning to sink into sleep. Alucard felt the full weight of this blood, which was many times stronger and heavier than any blood she had ever taken, including the purity of this very blood.
"My love… It seems I need to sleep a little. This blood… it's heavy," Alucard said when her eyelids were almost closed.
"Sleep well, Carmilla. We will meet again soon," Alex said, kissing Alucard on the lips.
After Alex's words, Alucard finally closed her eyes, sinking into sleep. Even after being purified of filth, the Blood Echoes still carried a lot of information, especially the Cleric Beast's Blood Echoes.
But the greatest load on Alucard's mind was caused by the purified blood of the Great Ones that was inside the Blood Echoes. And it carried the largest amount of information. Therefore, in order to absorb all this Blood Echoes, Alucard sank into sleep to absorb that large amount of information.
When Alucard fell asleep, Alex carefully closed her coffin, giving her time to rest. Alex understood that this was only the first stage of absorbing the Great Ones' blood, and the more Alucard absorbed such blood, the closer she would come to her goal — to absorb the Great Ones themselves, such as the Moon Presence and the Orphan of Kos.
"Right now it's barely a drop of blood… We need to gradually increase the dose," Alex said thoughtfully, looking at the closed coffin where Alucard was sleeping.
Alex sat on the chair, and his eyes shone as he used magical vision to see the entire process happening inside Alucard's body. Seeing how the absorption process was going, Alex nodded slightly, gently stroking his chin.
Alex was well aware that Alucard had swallowed barely a drop of the Great Ones' blood after it had been purified of all the filth present in that blood. But even this tiny amount would be enough for Alucard to begin perceiving Insight, so that over time she would start hearing the call of the Great Ones.
Stopping stroking his chin, Alex stopped using magical vision and lit a cigarette. Raising his gaze to the ceiling, Alex exhaled cigarette smoke and rubbed his eyes slightly.
"Alright… Time to get to work. I have about 8-10 hours. I need to get everything done. I'll probably start with the Bath Messenger," Alex said, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to get into work mode.
Stopping rubbing the bridge of his nose, Alex lowered his gaze, looked at the contaminated Blood Echoes he was going to use as trading material if his theory was correct. Getting up from the chair, Alex stretched a little and began to leave the Hunter's Workshop. Once outside, Alex saw the Doll tending to the graves.
A light smile appeared on Alex's face when he saw that the Doll had carefully placed the Moonflower he had given her on a grave so that nothing would happen to the flower. Not wanting to distract the Doll from her work, Alex descended the steps. Once downstairs, Alex turned his gaze to the right and saw a small elegant white marble bathhouse that was slightly filled with water.
Clenching the cigarette between his teeth, Alex approached the bath. Getting closer, Alex heard the indistinct whispering of the Messengers coming from the water. Rummaging in the pocket of his hunter's coat, Alex took out the Sword Hunter Badge and, holding it by the chain, brought it to the bath.
"Well, little ones, don't let me down. I hope this works the way I think it will," Alex said, exhaling cigarette smoke.
Alex threw the Sword Hunter Badge into the water, and the water immediately began to bubble, absorbing the Badge. A moment later, the Sword Hunter Badge dissolved in the murky gray water. And along with it, Messengers appeared from under the water, with the Sword Hunter Badge hanging around the neck of one of them.
Alex couldn't hold back a smile — his guess had been confirmed, and he immediately brought the contaminated Blood Echoes to the bath, lowering them into the water. The contaminated Blood Echoes instantly dissolved and were absorbed by the murky gray water.
"And what next? How do I get my items? Or will there be random items here too?" Alex asked, stroking his chin.
In response to Alex's words, the Bath Messengers plunged into the murky gray water. And a moment later, the Messengers appeared again. But now they were holding various items in their small hands. Alex saw consumable items that the Messengers were holding in their tiny hands.
But Alex didn't need those items — he was interested in only a few specific things, namely weapons and clothing for his collection, and some items that should serve as useful tools. Not seeing those things, Alex slightly narrowed his eyes.
"Um, little ones. I need weapons and the Hunter Chief Emblem," Alex said, looking at the Messengers.
As soon as Alex uttered these words, the Messengers plunged back into the murky gray water. A moment later, the Kirkhammer, Repeating Pistol, and finally a white handkerchief with golden patterns and a silver ring literally flew out of the bath.
The handkerchief softly landed on the Kirkhammer's handle. Alex slightly tilted his head, thinking that he would need to pronounce the names of specific items for the Messengers to give them to him. While Alex was looking at what he had supposedly bought from the Messengers, the Messengers themselves appeared again from the murky gray water, offering Alex the remains of the Blood Echoes.
Seeing this service, Alex was momentarily surprised and stunned by how it worked. Alex could not even imagine that the purchasing process in real life would differ so drastically from the gameplay. But at the same time, he believed that this was exactly how it should be — after all, this was not a game.
"You even give change. How sweet of you, little ones," Alex said, taking the crystallized Blood Echoes, which had significantly decreased in size.
In response, the Bath Messengers only raised the same consumable items and continued to offer them to Alex. Looking at these charming creatures, Alex couldn't hold back a smile and threw the remaining Blood Echoes into the bath, wanting to buy quicksilver bullets with what was left.
Touching the bundle of quicksilver bullets with his finger, one of the Messengers plunged into the water, and a moment later a medium-sized wooden box was thrown out of the bath, landing at Alex's feet with a characteristic clink. Bending down, Alex opened the box and saw that it was filled to the brim with quicksilver bullets.
Closing the wooden box with the quicksilver bullets, Alex shook his head slightly. He still didn't understand how the price of items was calculated in this world. And the only option that came to his mind was that the so-called price came from the number of milliliters of blood stored in the Blood Echoes. Alex simply had no other options, because unlike the game, no shop screen with prices appeared in front of his eyes.
"I see you have already managed to find common ground with them, good Hunter," came the Doll's gentle voice from behind Alex.
Hearing the Doll's voice, Alex turned his head and once again met the Doll's gray eyes. The Doll herself was standing quite close to Alex, as if it were very natural for her.
While tending to the graves of the past Hunters who had been in this dream, she had seen Alex standing by the Bath Messengers. And she had really wanted to approach Alex, even if she herself did not understand why she wanted to. At that moment, she simply wanted to be closer to him.
"If only they also gave instructions on how to use their services," Alex said, shaking his head slightly with a smile on his face.
"Ah… the little ones, the inhabitants of dreams… They find hunters like you, worship them, and serve them. Speech is unknown to them, but they are still lovely, aren't they?" the Doll said, looking at the Messengers with a tender gaze.
"You can't argue with that, they really are quite cute creatures… And what were you doing, Doll?" Alex said, nodding slightly with a smile, looking at the Doll.
"For a long time, many hunters have found themselves in this dream. These graves are in memory of them…" the Doll said with nostalgia, looking at the many tombstones in this place.
"So they left this place," Alex said, briefly glancing over the dozens of tombstones.
The Doll nodded softly at Alex's words and squeezed the stem of the Moonflower she was holding in her hands. The Doll stood next to Alex and looked at the tombstones belonging to the hunters with nostalgia. She remembered each of them — all those who had entered this Dream and were forced to hunt until the next cycle came to an end.
And every time she watched as each of these hunters broke under the weight of knowledge, blood, and madness, until in the end they all chose the same end, wishing to awaken from this nightmare. Alex turned his head and looked into the Doll's eyes. She immediately turned her head toward him and softly tilted it to the side, as if not understanding why he was looking at her.
"Doll… If you're not busy, could you help me? I want to understand how to use the Blood Stone Shard to upgrade weapons," Alex said with a soft smile on his face.
"Of course, good Hunter. I will help you, for that is why I am here… If my presence can calm your heart, I will stay by your side for as long as it takes," the Doll said with a soft smile on her face.
Alex smiled slightly and picked up the Kirkhammer, Repeating Pistol, and the box of quicksilver bullets. Slipping the Kirkhammer over his shoulder, Alex gently beckoned the Doll to follow him. As Alex began to leave, the Doll followed him with slow steps, climbing the steps after him.
Entering the Hunter's Workshop, Alex looked at the coffin where Alucard was sleeping and, seeing that the process was going as it should, immediately looked away. The Doll's gaze also fell on the coffin, and she sensed what was happening inside. After all, she was the one who helped hunters absorb Blood Echoes to nourish their bodies with strength for their survival.
"The honorable huntress with noble blood… She…" the Doll began, looking at the coffin where Alucard was sleeping.
"You mean Carmilla. She is sleeping right now… Sorry for taking away your work… But my method of absorbing Blood Echoes suits Carmilla better," Alex said, placing the box of quicksilver bullets on the workbench and the Kirkhammer beside it.
"I understand… I sensed that the Huntress is different from all those who came before her. Her blood is noble and untainted… But at the same time it carries so much Blood Echo…" the Doll said in a calm voice, looking away from the coffin.
"I would say that Carmilla would appreciate your compliment. But it's not like that. Have a seat, Doll. We're going to be here for a while…" Alex said with a strained smile, pointing to the chair next to the workbench.
The Doll nodded softly and sat down on the chair beside the workbench, placing her hands on her knees without letting go of the Moonflower. Sitting down at the workbench, Alex stroked his chin, thinking where to start. After thinking for a moment, Alex took out a book related to the use of Blood Stone Shards.
Opening the first page, Alex began to read quickly, flipping through the pages and absorbing the new information. Alex was very interested in how to use such hardened blood to upgrade weapons. Alex was sure that even his wife Hephaestus would show considerable interest in such a method of creating and upgrading weapons.
While Alex was busy reading, the Doll watched his face without taking her eyes off him for a moment and without even blinking. Next to him she felt such calm, as if she were near something dear to her.
To be continued...
(So now I'm thinking, should I skip all the unnecessary stuff and move on to the important stuff, so as not to drag out the plot? Or should I do everything sequentially and let it unfold? Or should I return to the Supernatural world for now to finish the plot there, and then return to Bloodborne, or should I finish Bloodborne and then return? It seems I need to decide whether to finish it now or later. Hmm... I don't know what to do yet. Okay, I'll go eat and think about it. You should think about it too. Peace, love, and just hug Doll.)
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