Returning to the Oedon Chapel, Alex and Alucard saw that the door, which had previously been closed, was now open for some reason. Alex immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch. After checking the time, he remembered that killing the Blood-starved Beast was also an important factor in advancing the cycle forward.
And most importantly — thanks to the death of that creature, the door leading to the places Alex needed was now open. The first place was the Upper Cathedral Ward, through which lay the path to one of the Great Ones named Ibraitas. The second place was the old abandoned workshop, where two very important items necessary for Alex's plans could be found.
Alucard, standing next to Alex, heard his thoughts and narrowed her eyes slightly, realizing what lay beyond the previously closed door. She was especially interested in this so-called Great One located beneath the Upper Cathedral Ward. She was curious what kind of creature it was, how strong it was, and how exciting the battle against Ibraitas would be.
While Alex quickly formed a route plan and Alucard carefully followed the flow of his thoughts, Vivian was watching them from behind the stone railing, leaning on it with her small hands. As a child, she was also curious about what was behind those ancient doors that had suddenly opened. But she was an obedient child, so she didn't approach them and simply watched from afar.
Putting the pocket watch back into his pocket, Alex noticed Vivian's attention as she cautiously peeked at them. A warm smile appeared on Alex's face, and he waved his hand. Vivian responded with a bright smile and waved back lightly. Having lifted his mood thanks to the adorable Vivian, Alex looked at Alucard, wondering if she was ready to move on.
Alucard looked at him with a calm gaze and nodded, showing that she was ready. Seeing that Alucard was also prepared to continue, Alex waved goodbye to Vivian and walked forward. Passing through the doors, Alex and Alucard climbed the stairs and stepped onto a stone platform that could take them upward. Stepping onto the platform, Alex pressed the tile, and it began to slowly rise.
"First up, then up again, then down," Alex muttered, recalling the route.
"Do you really need to constantly remind yourself where to go?" Alucard asked, shifting her gaze to him.
"I'm just repeating the plan. We still have many places ahead to visit. That's why I'm working out the right route," Alex replied, shaking his head and gathering his thoughts.
"And, as I understand it, you're planning to drag me through all these places," Alucard said, looking at Alex with a slight smile.
"You guessed correctly, my love. But I'm only interested in a few locations — the Hunter's Nightmare and a couple of others," Alex said thoughtfully, tapping his finger on his chin.
"As you wish, my love. For now, everything suits me… I'm also curious to see what else this world has to offer. And whether these creatures are really as strong as you think they are," Alucard said in a cheerful tone, tapping her nails on Alex's shoulder.
Alex nodded with a smile on his face after hearing his wife's words and began listening to the characteristic sound of the elevator platform continuing to rise toward the Healing Church Workshop tower. Listening to the sound, which resembled granite being dragged across tiles, Alex raised his gaze.
He realized they had arrived when the elevator platform stopped at the very top. Seeing the passage in front of him that led into the workshop, Alex stepped through it first, followed by Alucard. They had barely left the small corridor when gunfire opened up on them. Alex stood in front of Alucard, and all the mercury bullets fired at him began to bounce off and fall to the floor.
Alucard peeked out from behind Alex's shoulder and saw an old man sitting in a wheelchair, holding a machine gun. Adjusting his hunter attire, Alex approached the old man and punched him in the face while simultaneously taking away the antique six-barreled machine gun. After knocking out the old man with the gun, Alex walked around him, placed his hands on the handles of the wheelchair, and began pushing it.
"What an interesting greeting they have here," Alucard said with an amused smile, looking at the beaten old man in the wheelchair.
"It's roughly the same way they greet people arriving on Pandora… Only there they usually also shout something like 'I want to see your inner world, so let me gut you.' And so on," Alex said, slowly starting to push the wheelchair.
"Really? What an interesting planet Pandora is," Alucard said, showing interest in such a place.
"The scenery there is beautiful, and the people are quite specific, even if they're insane in a way… Alright, we can keep going. I'll just toss this old man off the cliff first," Alex said, pushing the wheelchair to the stairs leading to the bridge.
"Why? Wouldn't it be simpler to just kill him and move on?" Alucard asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Does a person need a reason to throw someone off a tower? I just want to," Alex replied, shrugging and giving Alucard a look that said: isn't it obvious?
Hearing Alex's answer, Alucard burst into loud laughter. She also believed that if you wanted to do something, why would you need a reason? Without much effort, Alex dragged the wheelchair with the old man up the stairs. Before rolling it onto the bridge, Alex took out his hunter pistol and stepped onto the bridge first.
Raising his gaze, he fired several quick shots upward. A moment later, several bodies with muskets fell from the upper floors of the tower, plummeting to the bottom. Alex quickly stepped aside and grabbed the nape of a Yharnam resident who had lunged at him. He immediately slammed the attacker's face onto the sharp iron spike of the fence.
The spike pierced straight through the head and came out the back of the skull. Alex raised his gaze again and examined the tower more carefully. It was an ordinary round tower, except that it connected two districts. Once again, Alex couldn't help but wonder who the genius was who had designed such labyrinthine architecture.
Stopping thinking about the local architecture, Alex turned back and looked at Alucard. She immediately kicked the wheelchair with the old man toward him. The wheelchair rolled up to Alex, and he began pushing it further. After dragging the wheelchair up another set of stairs, Alex took a grenade with silver needles from his pocket and threw it into the room.
There was an explosion and the whistle of flying silver needles that killed everyone inside. Peeking into the tower room, Alex saw only bodies mutilated by the silver needles. After killing everyone on this floor of the tower who could interfere with him, Alex turned the wheelchair around to give it momentum. Taking aim, he pushed the wheelchair, which quickly began rolling toward the edge of the tower.
Right at the edge, the old man Alex had knocked out regained consciousness. At that very moment, the wheelchair flew over the edge and plummeted downward. A second later, there was a distinct thud of a body hitting a hard surface that echoed through the area. Alex and Alucard walked to the edge and looked down at the old man who had crashed into a gravestone below.
"Well… That wasn't as fun as I expected. I was hoping for… how should I put it, something more," Alex said, lighting a cigarette, squatting at the edge, and looking down.
"Try aiming better next time. For example, at that tree over there. The sound of flesh impaling on tree branches is hard to mistake for anything else," Alucard said with a cheerful smile, pointing at the dry tree below.
"Then maybe you'll join in? Let's play a game while we're up here. The loser carries the winner," Alex said with a playful smile.
"And that's all?… Fine, I'll play your game… But I'll take a different prize," Alucard said, kissing Alex on the lips.
Alex smirked and followed Alucard, who had already entered the tower room. Once inside, they began climbing the stairs in search of their next victim for the little game. After going up the stairs, Alucard killed a Yharnam resident with a musket who had shot her in the head. Alucard's head jerked slightly to the side from the mercury bullet that struck her temple.
Alucard slowly turned her gaze to the one who had shot her. She looked him in the eyes and slightly lowered her red glasses to stare directly at him. The pentagram on Alucard's gloves glowed faintly, and the Yharnam resident's eyes turned red as he pressed the barrel of his musket to his own chin. In the next instant, he shot himself in the chin. Alex, seeing how Alucard had killed the resident, smirked slightly.
"Interesting method… Did you hypnotize the second one for company?" Alex said, pointing at another old man in a wheelchair with a machine gun attached to it.
"I need a toy to participate in your little game. I wouldn't want to break it too early," Alucard said, slowly approaching the old man.
Alex tilted his head to the side and nodded, finding it logical. Alucard began slowly pushing the wheelchair outside, and Alex decided to go out first. As soon as Alex stepped out, there was a loud gunshot, and his head jerked backward. When Alex leaned back forward, he had a large mercury bullet clenched between his teeth, and his angry gaze was fixed on the old man in the wheelchair holding a large-caliber musket.
Alex's eyelid twitched slightly, and he crushed the mercury bullet with his teeth. Before the old man could reload his musket, Alex had already approached. Snatching the large-caliber musket from the old man's hands and throwing it aside, Alex grabbed him by the collar and punched him in the face. There was the sound of cracking bones, and the old man's face caved inward from Alex's blow. After shattering the old man's skull, Alex released him, throwing him back into the wheelchair. Alucard watched all this with an amused smile on her face.
"Old bastard, who the hell shoots people in the face the moment they step out… He could've at least shouted something for decency," Alex said irritably, looking at the unconscious old man with a caved-in face.
"It was funny watching your head jerk," Alucard said, pushing the second old man in the wheelchair.
"The main thing is that you had fun, Carmilla… Alright, game time. Whoever impales their old man on the tree wins," Alex said with a cheerful smile, turning the wheelchair around.
"It's been a long time since I played games," Alucard said, clear amusement in her eyes.
"I would say something, but I'm afraid you'll decide to throw me off this tower next," Alex said dryly.
In response to Alex's words, a tender smile appeared on Alucard's face that hinted she might actually do it. Clearing his throat dryly, Alex rolled the wheelchair aside, giving Alucard space to push hers off the edge of the tower. Alucard positioned the wheelchair in front of her and lightly pushed it with her finger. The wheelchair began rolling forward until it reached the edge.
At that moment, the old man in the wheelchair fell off the edge and began plummeting downward. Thanks to their sharp hearing, they could hear everything. A moment later came the sickening sound of flesh being pierced by tree branches. Hearing that unmistakable sound, Alucard looked at Alex with a slight smile that said: I win.
In response, Alex raised a finger, showing that the game wasn't over yet. Pushing the wheelchair with the old man, Alex watched as it slowly rolled toward the edge. A moment later, the old man and his wheelchair were falling downward. Another moment later, the sound of flesh impaling on the branches of the dry tree was heard again.
Alex and Alucard walked to the edge and looked down. They saw the bodies of two old men impaled on the branches of the old dry tree below, their guts wrapped around the branches and blood slowly dripping downward.
"A draw?" Alex asked with a smirk.
"Hmm… Fine, a draw. I admit, it was somewhat entertaining," Alucard said with a smile, looking down.
"I'm afraid many people wouldn't agree with you," Alex said casually, shrugging and lighting a cigarette.
"Why should I care about other people's opinions?" Alucard asked, slowly turning her head toward Alex.
"That's not what I meant… Alright, since we're done playing, let's go up. I'll take what I need, and then we'll head down," Alex said, exhaling cigarette smoke.
"Then carry me," Alucard said, stretching her arms toward Alex.
"Weren't you going to take a different prize for winning?" Alex asked with a cheerful smile, looking at Alucard who was reaching out to him.
"Prize? I just want what I want," Alucard said with a carefree smile, wrapping her arms around Alex's neck and hanging on him.
Alex nodded automatically and lifted Alucard into his arms. Walking a bit further along the outer side of the tower, Alex jumped upward and landed on the top floor. Circling the tower once more along the outside, Alex carried Alucard in his arms until he reached the entrance. Entering the room, Alex expected to see crazed hunters who were supposed to guard this place.
But all he and Alucard saw was a spacious round room with a passage leading further, where at the end was a closed door that led to the Upper Cathedral Ward. Looking around, Alex saw only empty coffins and the familiar gloomy dark atmosphere typical of any such place in Yharnam. But none of that interested Alex — he had come here for only one thing.
His gaze fell on a small wooden box with exquisite carvings. Setting Alucard down, Alex approached the box and picked it up. When he opened it, a faint light hit his eyes, making him squint slightly. Looking closer, Alex saw a silver pendant glowing with moonlight, resembling a sword and a cross.
"Jackpot. This is exactly what I needed," Alex said with a smirk, taking out the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge.
"I still don't understand why you're collecting these Hunter Badges. What's the use of them? Or is it just your desire to add to your extensive collection of useless things?" Alucard asked, resting her chin on Alex's shoulder and looking at the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge in his hands.
"While you were sleeping, I learned that if you give these Hunter Badges to the Bath Messengers, you can exchange them for Blood Echoes to get various items, including weapons," Alex said, putting the Hunter Badge into the pocket of his coat.
"So that's what you meant by 'bargaining with the Messengers.' Now I'm curious what it looks like," Alucard said, showing interest in the new thing.
"So far I've only collected five out of eleven Hunter Badges," Alex said, shaking his head.
"Since you're done, maybe we should head down like you said?" Alucard asked, showing that she was starting to get bored.
"Of course, follow me. I'll show you something interesting," Alex said, beckoning Alucard to follow.
Alucard knew that if Alex said he would show something interesting, then it truly was. Leaving the room, Alex jumped down instead of going back the same way. Alucard jumped after him and landed beside him on the bridge. Waiting for Alucard, Alex went first and turned right at the tower entrance.
Reaching a hole in the floor, Alex jumped down and continued walking without stopping. He walked along the edge of the tower until he reached another entrance leading to a special room. Alucard entered after Alex and stood beside him. Alex stood at the edge of a wooden platform and looked down — he saw rows of wooden platforms that had once been stairs used by Hunters and for delivering resources to the workshop.
But after the Hunter Workshop was closed, this place had fallen into disrepair, and no one visited or maintained it anymore. Everything was destroyed, and the only reminders that someone had once been here were the old wooden platforms and empty barrels. Alex's gaze wandered across the place until he spotted the desired door.
"We need to go there… Through that door," Alex said, pointing at the barely noticeable door in the center of the deep tower.
"And what's so interesting behind that door?" Alucard asked with slight boredom in her voice.
"You'll see soon. Now jump after me… But be careful. The boards rotted long ago, and one wrong step and we'll fall down," Alex said with a wide smile, turning his head toward Alucard.
After finishing speaking, Alex didn't wait for Alucard's reaction. He jumped forward, grabbed the wall with his fingers, and began sliding downward. Alex slid down the wall, leaving a clear trail from his fingers on the stone surface. Sliding along the wall to the right spot, he pushed off and jumped onto a wooden platform.
Carefully landing on the old wooden platform, Alex looked at the door, and anticipation grew inside him for what he was about to open. But before opening the doors, Alex wanted to wait for Alucard. Raising his gaze, he didn't see his wife above until he heard slow footsteps from above. Turning toward the sound, Alex saw Alucard slowly walking down the wall with her hands in her pockets, her long black hair hanging calmly downward.
Descending to Alex, Alucard pushed off the wall and landed softly beside him. Once Alucard was down, Alex could no longer wait and looked like a child about to open a present. Carefully placing his hands on the exquisite wooden doors, he began to slowly open them, savoring the process.
"Can you go faster?" Alucard asked, already tired of watching Alex slowly open the doors.
"Don't ruin the moment, my love. This place is part of my plan, and two very important things are stored here," Alex said, fully opening the doors.
Alucard only narrowed her eyes and said nothing more. When Alex finally opened the doors, there was a staircase leading downward behind them. Alex stepped forward and began descending the steps. The lower he went, the more interest he showed in this place. When they reached the bottom, Alucard lowered her glasses in surprise, recognizing the place they had come to. She saw an identical location to the one in the Hunter's Dream, except this place looked long abandoned and old.
Everything was identical, except for the Hunters' graves that existed in the Hunter's Dream. At the same time, Alucard felt something inside her change for a brief moment. It was a minor change that was hard to notice, so she didn't pay much attention to it and simply looked around.
"I admit, this is indeed interesting," Alucard said, stopping her inspection and looking at Alex.
"This is where Gehrman spent his last days in madness and despair," Alex said, starting to walk forward.
"So this is where he made his deal… Amusing. Very amusing," Alucard said with a contemptuous smile.
"The only place he considered his home… became a cage for him. That really is funny," Alex said, shaking his head and walking along the path.
Alex walked along the stone path where grass had already sprouted. Climbing this path, he saw the only grave in this place. Approaching the grave, Alex squatted down and snapped his fingers to repair the tombstone. After restoring the tombstone, Alex realized whose it was.
It was the grave of Laurence — Gehrman's only close friend, whom he had lost. Taking out a Moonflower from his inventory, Alex placed it on Laurence's grave. Alucard watched all this and didn't interfere with Alex's affairs. After placing the Moonflower on the grave, Alex sighed slightly.
He understood that a person who had lost everything would eventually fall into despair and might do the unthinkable. Shaking his head, Alex entered the workshop, and his eyes immediately fell on the ritual table, which was covered with various papers.
On top of them stood a vessel containing One Third of Umbilical Cord. The umbilical cord itself resembled a dried worm with eyes all over its body. Before Alucard could see the item, Alex quickly put it into a box and then into his inventory. Alucard, however, was looking at the doll lying in the corner of the workshop.
"You weren't talking about this important thing, were you? Your Doll is just a doll here," Alucard asked, lifting the doll by the collar.
"Yes, this is one of the two important things. There should also be a golden hair comb that belonged to Maria. And don't damage the doll," Alex said, looking around.
"What are you planning to do with it? Keep it for your collection like some pervert?" Alucard asked with a smirk, slightly shaking the doll she was holding.
"No. I'll tell you later. It's all part of my evil plan to awaken emotions in the Doll," Alex said with a serious expression.
"An evil plan to save a damsel in distress. You really are a villain, my love," Alucard said, placing the doll back in the corner.
"Yeah. I'm a real villain. Now I'll find the comb. Then we can move on, or we can return to the Hunter's Dream so you can absorb the Blood Echoes," Alex said, beginning to rummage through the old cabinets.
"If you want to please your Doll, just say so. No need to make up excuses," Alucard said in a lazy tone, watching her husband dig through the drawers.
"What if I say you'll get a chance to fight a False God?" Alex asked, turning his head toward Alucard.
Hearing Alex's words, Alucard narrowed her eyes and removed her red glasses from her face. She immediately looked him in the eyes. Alucard didn't deny that the offer to fight a God had interested her. She was very curious what this creature was capable of. From Alex's thoughts, she understood that such beings were very strong and dangerous and in no way comparable to any monsters she had dealt with before.
Inside Alucard, the desire to fight this False God and kill it began to awaken. Alex saw a smile growing on Alucard's face. And he realized he had managed to make his wife reconsider her priorities. Giving his wife time to think, Alex continued searching for the golden comb.
Continuing to rummage through the drawers, Alex managed to find the golden comb in a drawer where it was buried under a stack of old books. Throwing the old books aside, Alex took the golden comb in his hand and narrowed his eyes in pleasure.
"You were talking about that creature you flip off every time you see it?" Alucard asked to clarify her assumption after thinking.
"Yes, I was talking about Amygdala. To reach her, you need to be on the border of the Nightmare. She lives there. But to get there, everything has to be done correctly," Alex said, nodding and putting the golden comb into the pouch on his back while storing the doll in his inventory.
"Hunting a False God… I like how that sounds… I wonder what a God's blood tastes like," Alucard said, lightly licking her lips.
"Then it's decided. First, we'll return to the Hunter's Dream… And then go hunting," Alex said, smiling widely and baring his sharp teeth.
Alucard mirrored Alex's smile, and they both laughed. Stopping their laughter, Alex approached the Messenger lamp and lit it to return to the Hunter's Dream. Alucard walked up to Alex and wrapped her arms around his neck, lightly running her tongue along his neck. Still smiling, Alex placed his hand on the lamp, and beneath their feet appeared an ephemeral puddle into which the Messengers pulled them.
A moment later, they were already in the Hunter's Dream. Stopping her embrace of Alex, Alucard pushed him in the back. Alex understood what his wife wanted and walked over to the Bath Messenger. Approaching the Bath Messenger, Alex threw the three Hunter Badges he had found into the murky gray water.
Alucard stood behind Alex, hugging his neck with her chin resting on his shoulder and watching the entire process. A moment later, Messengers emerged from the bath, wearing miniature copies of the Hunter Badges around their necks. The Messengers immediately began offering various items, wanting to sell them.
"What do we do next?" Alucard asked, turning her head and resting her cheek on Alex's shoulder.
"You need to throw Blood Echoes into the water. And ask for what you need. Though I still haven't figured out what determines the price and all that," Alex explained the trading process with the Messengers.
"It turned out simpler than I thought… Alright, let's go. I want to absorb the Blood Echoes as quickly as possible and start the hunt for the False God," Alucard said, pulling Alex by the hand.
Alucard dragged Alex into the Hunter's Workshop, where he saw the Doll sleeping on a chair by the workbench, her head lowered with her eyes closed. Alex approached the sleeping Doll and squatted slightly to look at her sleeping face. He gently touched her cheek to wake her.
The moment Alex's hand touched the Doll's cheek, her eyes immediately opened, and she raised her gaze to Alex, who was very close. A small ripple passed through the Doll's eyes when she saw Alex's face so near. Without realizing it, she pressed her cheek against Alex's palm, which was still resting on her cheek.
"Ah, welcome home, good Hunter… I seem to have dozed off… Do you need my help?" the Doll said in a quiet, gentle voice, placing her doll-like hand over Alex's.
"I don't need anything right now… I brought you a gift," Alex said, moving his hand behind his back to take out the golden comb from his pouch.
"A gift? For me? Why?" the Doll asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
Alex smiled slightly and took out the golden comb from the pouch on his back. He extended the golden comb toward the Doll. She lowered her gaze and looked at the golden comb resting on Alex's palm. The Doll carefully reached out and touched the golden comb with her finger.
A real storm of emotions she didn't understand was happening inside her. But this golden comb seemed so familiar and precious to her. The Doll carefully took the golden comb in her hands and pressed it to her chest as if something very important had returned to her.
"I… I can't remember anything, only… I feel… Longing… I've never felt anything like this before… What's happening to me? Tell me, what is this feeling inside me? Is it joy?" the Doll said, raising her gaze to Alex, hoping he would have the answer.
"Is this feeling you're experiencing pleasant?" Alex asked, continuing to look into the Doll's gray eyes.
"I feel warmth in my chest… This warmth… It's pleasant, like your touch… I like this warm feeling… As if something important to me has returned…" the Doll said quietly, once again trying to understand her emotions.
"These feelings can be called joy. When you find something important to you. Try to remember this feeling," Alex said with a smile, removing his palm from the Doll's cheek.
The Doll looked at Alex and extended her doll-like hand, placing it on Alex's cheek the same way he had done with her. She gently ran her fingers across his cheek, as if this was her way of showing gratitude for what he had done for her. Alex smiled slightly, allowing the Doll to stroke his cheek.
Alucard, meanwhile, sat on her coffin and watched this with an amused expression in her eyes. She was curious what the Doll would eventually become under Alex's influence, since even Integra and Seras had changed, and now another woman — even if not human — was changing before her eyes. Alucard wanted to know how long it would take her husband to change a being like the Doll.
Leaning forward, Alucard propped her cheek on her fist and smiled slightly, licking her lips. Alucard had found another activity she was starting to enjoy — watching her husband change the people around him. After all, even she had changed under his influence. And she didn't deny that it was very interesting.
To be continued...
(Yeah, I wanted to speed things up, but damn, some things need to happen gradually. Just like Alex and Alucard's walk through the workshop, finding the old hunter's workshop, and the gift for Doll. I think after killing Amygdala, Alex will go after Maria. And then I'll speed things up even more. What I definitely don't want to describe is the damn wandering through the forest, and I certainly don't want to describe the entire wandering through the Nightmare Border. And so, this is the plan for now. Kill Vicar Amelia, Amygdala, go to the Hunter's Nightmare, and then we'll figure out the rest. I think that's it. I'll go get something to eat. Peace, Love, and you fell from the tower yourself.)
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