A mere three days later Gehrman basked in the dry winds of Loran once more. He sat upon a dusty rock on the very outskirts of the ruins, smiling to himself.
His Portable Blood Imbiber was full of blood from The Crawlers. It was the best stocked he'd been in a while.
Not only that, but he had also killed two (in different battles) by himself and faced minimal injury. This was most refreshing, as he had suffered grievous injuries that last couple times he had gone up against Fallen Devils.
This was thanks to the Memory he got from the Bloodlicker a little while ago.
Memory: [Gluttonous Reiterpallasch].
Memory Rank: Ascended
Memory Tier: IV
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [A twisted version of the Weapon wielded by the Knights of Cainhurst. Combines an elegant knight's sword with the peculiar firearm wielded by the Cainhurst order. The old nobles, long-time imbibers of blood, are no strangers to the sanguine plague, and the disposal of beasts was a discrete task left to their servants, or knights, as they were called for the sake of appearances. But on the inside, they are most impure. This Knights weapon has been drenched in sin, and gained both power and curse because of it.]
Memory Enchantments: [Gluttonous], [Digestion], [Impure], [Knights Way].
[Gluttonous]
Enchantment Description: [The weapon exudes an aura of Gluttony. Those who are in its vicinity will be struck with the desire for an endless feast. The pains of hunger can never be sated].
[Digestion]
Enchantment Description: [The tip of this weapon will feed on the blood of its enemies. The poisonous and toxic traits of the blood are consumed by the rapier. The stronger the poison, the more lethal the blade becomes.]
[Impure]
Enchantment Description: [All blood eventually festers and rots. The bullets shot from the firearm are tinged with a corrosive poison].
[Knights Way]
Enchantment Description: [This weapon mockingly adheres to the posturing way of Knights. If wielded in a manner unbefitting a Knight, the blade and bullets dull.]
Though the Memory had a lot of nuance, it was without a doubt an extremely powerful weapon. In fact, against poisonous enemies it even surpassed his [Burial Blade (Sealed)]. Though his trusty scythe was only a single tier lower than the [Gluttonous Reiterpallasch], it did not have the distinct advantage against poisonous enemies.
When he had pierced the hide of a Crawler, the noticeable shift in the weapon was staggering. It reached a level similar to the Burial Blade when it was coated in blood of the 4th Rank. In other words, only slightly less effective than a Transcendent Memory.
Of course, Corrupted blood was hard to come by. In fact, he had only seen a few such creatures in both the Forgotten Shore and in this Nightmare, and he had yet to slay any yet.
He felt a presence or two in Cainhurst that wielded an especially sharp malice. And though he suspected that he might be able to kill a Beast, he was not willing to risk it.
So the fact that his new Memory could reach that level purely off of the enemies own constitution was amazing.
Of course, there were a few caveats to this power. The [Gluttonous] enchantment was especially foul. It gave him the same feeling as Old Gehrman often had before he was brought to Byrgenwerth. An insatiable hunger that not only physically hurt, but also tore apart the mind.
Of course, since Gehrman was so familiar with it he was able to stave off its effects. So long as its summoning lasted under 10 minutes, he suffered no real consequences.
The [Knights Way] enchantment was also not an issue. He had tested out what it meant to fight in a manner befitting a Knight. As it turned out, as long as the rapier was faced to the front of an opponent and used specifically for piercing attacks, it worked fine.
This worked perfectly as Gehrman had a distinct lack of piercing weapons.
He was able to use his Aspect to mimic physical, thrust, and blunt damage, but it was always better to have the proper weapon for it.
…On the other hand there was another interesting thing.
And that was the term "Gluttony"
When he saw it, a suspicion that he had been building for a while seemed to be proven. And that suspicion was that there was a series of Memories that were extraordinarily powerful that each bore the name of one of the seven deadly sins.
The idea that there were seven sins that lead to further profanity existed in both Dorian's world and Old Gehrman's/Johann's.
One such sin was Gluttony.
And Gehrman had two other Memories that had the name of another sin. These were the [Lustful Vial] and the [Wrathful Shaman Bone Blade]. Both were Rank 3 (Ascended) Memories like the [Gluttonous Reiterpallasch]. But unlike the Reiterpallasch, both were tools.
Though they were both lower tiers (2nd tier), they had very useful enchantments.
The [Lustful Vial] was reminiscent of a blood vial that a blood saint might give out. However, it contained no blood. Its use was to produce any number of drinks, but most importantly water. If it came into contact with a liquid, it could recall it at any time and fill the vial with it.
There were limitations. Fallen Blood, for example, could not be infinitely created. Though blood of the Awakened Rank could be created for a decent amount of Essence (though they offered no Blood Fragments).
But Gehrman was still very happy to have an infinite source of water. Although, it also came with the trait that contact with the Memory caused an increase in…base urges.
It might not be a good idea to use it when he was back in his teenage body.
Fortunately, a middle aged man was able to deal with the consequences quite easily.
The [Wrathful Shaman Bone Blade] was even more unique. It was able to mimic the effects of the disturbing Arcane tool that could be found in the Labyrinth. It secreted a green fluid that radiated fiery anger. It was similar to Frenzy, but lacked the unpredictableness of madness.
While a Frenzied enemy might have their joints or muscles twitch on their own, enemies afflicted with "wrath" simply had their focus entirely fixated on a singular enemy.
But the amazing part was that the enemy didn't have to be Gehrman. Indeed as long as he had blood, flesh, or hair from a creature, he could make it the "target" of the wrathful creature struck with the bone blade.
Of course, such a powerful enchantment also had drawbacks.
The Memory could only be used once before it cracked. This rendered it unusable until it was able to regenerate in his Soul Sea. Additionally, it cost a proportional amount of essence to enrage more powerful creatures. Using it against a Fallen creature was enough to drain half of his substantial essence reserves. This was truly staggering considering that this included all the extra essence that came from being a Devil. Any normal Sleeper, or even an Awakened would be unable to use this Memory on a Fallen enemy.
In any case, it was a useful "last resort" to have.
Gehrman considered himself truly blessed to have so many new Memories. Though he wasn't sure what the "drop rate" of Memories was, it seemed that he was acquiring them a little too swiftly. Eventually, he came to a simple conclusion.
The [Eye] Rune was a lot more powerful than he had given it credit for. It seemed to drastically increase the chance of the Spell (or Moon Presence) giving him a magical item. Though it was nice not having to sleep too often, this Caryll Rune was probably the best he had equipped.
As he had this thought, he heard a scuffling from a couple dozen meters away. He looked up to see a scrawny lady with shaded goggles and sand colored hair. She had on several layers of indistinct clothing. She seemed to be a wanderer, or maybe an explorer.
But there was also one thing that would make anyone hesitate to come to that conclusion.
The gargantuan leather sack she was struggling to lug along.
The Runesmith had arrived in Loran.
Gehrman stood up and started walking over to her. He felt bad about calling her out all this way, but it was necessary in order to keep his cover. Besides, it wasn't like Caryll had walked the entire way. She would have taken the same path as Gehrman had initially, first traveling to the Research Hall in a carriage. But instead of walking the rest of the way, she probably hired a group of people to escort her in a palanquin or something else that was just as extravagant.
He suspected that if he traveled for another kilometer he would find the group that she had ordered to stay put as she reached her clandestine meeting.
"Caryll," Gehrman said by way of greeting. He crouched down and observed her pathetic state. "Need some help?"
"You–you suck," she said in between deep breaths. "Why did we have to meet up here of all places?"
"This is where Gabriel was born," he answered.
"Who the hell is that?"
"The newest Vileblood Knight," Gehrman pointed his thumb at himself. "In other words, me."
"Oh," she didn't look at him, simply turning her gaze upwards. "Hey…why can't I look at you?"
Gehrman raised an eyebrow before understanding dawned on him. A shower of white sparks circled around his body as he simultaneously dismissed the [Cainhurst Knight's Attire] and switched it with a silk tunic and pants. Neither offered any protection, but this Memory titled [Worms Sorrow] was a new favorite of his due to how comfortable it was. The Awakened Garment also provided both resistance to both mind and soul attacks. But due to its Rank, Gehrman never wore it for any other reason besides leisure.
"Sorry, it was the enchanted attire I had on."
Caryll simply grunted in response. "You have a place where I won't get beaten to death by this wind?"
Gehrman hopped down from the rock he was upon and picked up Caryll's package. "Of course, I blew a cave into the side of some rocks. It's a very nice locale."
…
"So everyone is pissed at you," Caryll started. "Maria sent the blood from whatever horror you killed here in Loran, but Laurence isn't pleased you went out on your own. Logarius is in a frenzy getting his Executioners in line. He made some Church engineers finish your design for that wheel weapon. It looks brutalist as hell by the way."
Now it was Gehrman's turn to grunt. Though he was glad that Maria got the blood to Laurence, he didn't really care about the Church's situation. Though it was concerning to hear that Logarius was already rallying his forces, it would still be another month before he arrived on the shores of Cainhurst.
"That's all very intriguing, but I am more curious about what I wrote in my letter. My Vileblood boss got it to you safely I trust."
Caryll made an offended face. "Oh yeah I got the letter. That thing showing up was absolutely terrifying. I nearly cried."
"They're people, not 'things,'" Gehrman said.
"No they are not. After what you said about those "Vermin". I am almost positive that they aren't."
"So Maria isn't human?"
"You said she has a lot less Vermin, right? That means that she must have cast off the Forbidden Blood and become human."
Gehrman said nothing, his eyes slightly narrowed. Caryll was…a bit classist and racist. In truth all scholars of Byrgenwerth were to at least some degree. They were all exceptional elites after all. It seemed that her analysis was being clouded by this fact, but her insight would still be invaluable, so he pressed on.
"So what are your thoughts then? Are Vermin born of impurity or do they simply nest in it? Why do the Vilebloods and places like Loran and the Forbidden Woods have such a high concentration?"
Caryll waved him down, trying to get him to calm down. "Relax, would you? I'll explain everything," she paused, and then shook her head. "Well, I'll try too. Honestly, without experiencing this "Impurity Rune" first hand it's hard to say. Your descriptions are thorough, but this is all too alien to me. But I suppose that is a hint in itself."
Caryll stood up, her head only a few centimeters away from the low ceiling. She stretched out her body in the cramped space. Then, a far-away look entered her eyes and she started speaking.
"They are not beasts, that's for sure. The fact that no one can see them is proof that they exist on another plane of reality. Just like the Great Ones. But they also aren't Great Ones. The fact that I can't see or feel them is proof of that. So far, there hasn't been a single thing that is of the Arcane that I can't at least somewhat comprehend. And they don't seem so strong that they are on a level that surpasses the Great Ones." She started itching her cheek. The nervous tick became rather violent as red marks started to stretch out upon her face. Her discomfort with this topic was evident.
"So they aren't beasts or Great Ones. Needless to say, they aren't Kin of the Cosmos either. Those things, like Beasts, also have a physical form. There is only one other thing that fits that description. Wanna take a guess what that is?"
Gehrman furrowed his brows, but he ultimately came up with nothing. Seeing this, Caryll answered her own question.
"It's humans. We are neither beast nor of the cosmos."
He couldn't help but frown at this conclusion. "Except we also only exist on the physical plane. There is nothing else that makes us similar to Vermin…and that doesn't reveal anything about their true nature."
Caryll let out a nervous chuckle. "On the contrary, it tells us exactly what they are. First of all, humans don't just exist on the physical plane. Things like souls are unique to us. This much I am sure of. And if that is the case then we are distinct from all other creatures. And that is because of our origin."
Her gaze sharpened then. Caryll's eyes locked onto Gehrman's.
"Where do humans come from?"
"...evolution? From animals?" Gehrman found this new topic quite strange. But he tried his best to play along.
"Well, that might have been true. But there is one thing that we found recently that disproves that." Caryll raised her finger upward. Not at the sky, Gehrman realized, but at the land itself.
"The ancients, or rather, the Pthumerians. They were undoubtedly our predecessors, and yet we are less capable than them in every regard. This is enough to make most scholars hesitate on the theory of evolution, but since there is no alternative we just ignore it…but then you showed up, and we got a better insight on how our world works."
"I'm lost, what are you trying to say?" Gehrman was through with this lengthy preamble. He felt that Caryll had stumbled upon a truth larger than just this Nightmare.
"This world is a dream…but I think that our old world was also a dream. The "waking world" and Yharnam were also dreams. The realities are indistinguishable. In other words, the world as we know it and all of its concepts are simply the dreams of the Great Ones. We only perceive places like Chalice Dungeons as "dreams" because it was thought up by a different Great One."
Caryll paused to collect herself. This reality warping proclamation seemed to take a lot out of her.
"And Great One's aren't constrained by a single dream. They can leave their own and interfere with the dreams of another, changing the laws of that reality. They can exert their influence and create things like Kin. Or they can simply create something new."
She then came to her final hypothesis.
"The original humans were the result of a Great One's interference with a dream. Our existence is unnatural and exists on multiple planes. Therefore, any other being that is similarly distinct will also have their origins in the creations of a certain Great One."
"..." Gehrman found no words. He tried to grapple with this idea, but each time he tried to imagine it he just felt small and helpless. There was no real proof of the theory outside of the fact that it was entirely possible and also provided a perfect explanation of how all strange things in Yharnam worked.
After all, the Arcane was interchangeable with the Eldritch Truth and the Great Ones. All unexplainable things in Yharnam and the world at large could be traced back to them. In fact…wasn't the Beast Plague exacerbated by the presence of the Blood Moon? Wasn't the Moon Presence a catalyst for beasthood?
Caryll had once described beasthood as something that existed deep within all things…but it was entirely possible that the Moon Presence wasn't amplifying beasthood, but creating it herself.
So a single Great One dreamed of this reality. They dreamt of things like gravity, planets, and life. Perhaps life evolved on one planet and the Pthumerans were born. But then other Great Ones interfered.
One Great One infested the dream with invisible Vermin.
The Moon Presence created beasts and the Beast Plague.
After the Pthumerians died out, another Great One created humanity as a replacement.
The nature of the Great Ones was that of the cosmos. The cosmos caused the presence of the Arcane to seep into the dream, creating areas where the laws of reality weakened. Within these cracks in reality life was morphed and Kin of the cosmos were born.
All things could be explained by this theory.
The reason that places like Loran, the Forbidden Woods, and Cainhurst were so infested with Vermin was because these were places that showed signs of the Arcane. The Great Ones must have influenced the dream at these places. Perhaps it was not the type of people who made Vermin so concentrated, but instead where those people lived.
Cainhurst was confirmed to have some Pthumerian heritage. Therefore the mountainous region was a place where Great Ones had interfered. Likely, one of these interferences was the release of Vermin unto this land.
"The anomalies…" Gehrman muttered. "Why do some beasts only have a single Vermin?" He was not asking to disprove the theory, but to gain confirmation of his own suspicion.
"If Vermin are indeed creations of Great Ones like humans, then they must also exist on multiple planes. There has to be some physical manifestation of Vermin."
"Those creatures…Crawlers, Hateful Maggots, and Bloodlickers…they didn't have one Vermin, they were one Vermin."
"There isn't any concrete proof…but it seems likely."
Gehrman leaned backwards against the wall of the cave. His mind started adjusting to this new perspective of reality. It answered a lot of his questions. And this information was no doubt very crucial to this Nightmare…but at the moment it gave him no actionable information.
All it did was confirm one thing: the people of Cainhurst were normal humans. They simply adapted to having Vermin in their lands and ancestors.
Gehrman turned to see Caryll squirming. She seemed to dislike this theory as well. However, it was not because it made her status as a human insignificant (as a self-realized dream copy the true nature of her existence did not bother her), instead it meant that she had to grapple with the fact that this hypothesis answered so many mysteries.
Caryll lived off the unknowable mysteries. If she had successfully solved them, then even her fake existence grew disheartened.
Gehrman walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the touch, but did not pull away. "Thank you, Caryll."
Her eyes were still hidden behind tinted goggles, but her face creased into a shaky smile.
"I haven't even told you the best part! Those runes you gave me? I'm pretty sure I've cracked the code! It's a really, really long and complicated code but it's a code nonetheless."
Gehrman blinked. Then he turned to the heavy leather sack. "So that bag is…"
"A dictionary and a grammar guide." Caryll sighed. "It's a couple thousand papers, but I packed them all really nicely so be sure to keep them safe."
He let out a chuckle and then gave Caryll an awkward side-hug. "I'm gonna miss you Caryll."
"Well according to your time table, we still have a month before the Executioners invade Cainhurst and this reality breaks. We can still enjoy each other's company until then!"
Gehrman smiled.
And then his face froze.
Caryll's skull broke apart. The crack of a bullet sounded. Her brain and blood splattered against the wall.
Gehrman could not even say a word or muster a thought before he was moving. He instinctually estimated the shooter's location based on the trajectory and dodged.
But no bullet came.
The edge of a curved blade, a Chikage filled with blood, entered the lower half of his vision.
He did not feel the man's approach. Not even his [Sixth Sense] felt a thing.
The blade disappeared from his view. Then the world turned upside down. Or rather, his head fell upside down as it tumbled to the cave floor.
He extended his will, begging his aspect to pull his head back to its neck, but the writhing blood was cut by the Chikage. Somehow, the blade cut his connection to the rest of his body. The blood fell helplessly, crushed by gravity.
The familiar feeling of emptiness and pain filled Gehrman as he died for the second time in his life.
And as his vision faded, he saw a figure.
It was one that he had not seen in this Nightmare, but one he knew all too well.
He had died to him dozens of times as Johann, after all.
A tall figure with white hair billowing out from behind Cainhurst Armor. The pointed nose of the helmet and metallic sheen all gave off the feeling of sharp lethality. A cape of obsidian crow feathers contrasted the armor of the Cainhurst Royal Guard.
But he was not a Royal Guard.
He wielded the Chikage, but he was no Vileblood.
The man standing over Gehrman's corpse was the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst.
And in his hand was a mask.
It was a featureless black mask with a white sash around where the eyes would be. Slight ridges protruded in random locations, making it seem otherworldly. And indeed this was an Arcane item.
It was the very same mask that was used to seal off Annalise and trap her in the Cainhurst Throne Room. It both stifled her aura and her power over blood.
As the last light faded from Gehrman's eyes, the shuddering and echoing words of the Bloody Crow assaulted his ears.
"Your timetable has been moved up."