Chapter 1 – The Hunt Must Go On!

Tranquility.

A strange word to rattle around his head, he couldn't remember the last time he had been acquainted with peace. The blood-soaked man allowed himself to sit among the sea of flowers that littered the graveyard of the hunters that had went before him. He rested his back up against the creature he had slaughtered. A great one that had descended from the moon to the hunter's dream.

He let out a long breath, his body began to relax, for once he hadn't another objective, another beast to hunt down, for once he could simply rest properly. It had been so long since he had done something so simple, so very long that he didn't even know just how much time had passed during the long night. Was it days? Weeks? Months? Everything just seemed to meld together. He could barely remember anything else, it felt like his whole life had been lived during this one hunt.

His eyes glazed over the scythe that lay plunged into the ground, the weapon of Gerham, a man who had guided him when he entered the dream. He had been a tough one to put down, but he made sure that the first hunter had found rest. He held no real fondness for the man, weather that came from the experiences during his hunt in Yharnam, or the simple fact that they barley talked, he didn't know and quite frankly didn't care. The man had been more beast that human when he took its life.

He slowly pulled himself to his feet and wandered over to the scythe absent mindedly. His bloodied hands griped the wooden shaft of it. Pulling it out of the soil beneath his feet with no real effort on his part. A powerful weapon, one to kill those turned rabid.

He transformed the weapon into its smaller state, making it now appear as a rather large blade, he strapped the weapon to his back, it was second nature to him at this point to simply pick up what he needed to kill. He decided he had spent long enough on this battlefield; he would need to find out what happened next.

The hunter began to make his way to the doll, perhaps it would have some idea of what to do now. However, before he could complete his short journey to where said doll, he stumbled to his knees.

Something was wrong, he could feel it inside the him, something was changing. He let out a sharp grunt, he couldn't remember the last time he felt pain this strong. He had grown used to the injuries the beasts would inflict upon him, the various deaths he received at their hands had made him numb to pain. But what he was experiencing currently was on a whole new level.

He could feel a new power coursing through him, a power he was familiar with, a power he had fought against with all his might. His body was transforming, much like the weapons hunters use as tools to hunt those who had fallen from humanity to that of beast hood.

He couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped from his throat, it was foreign to him, when was the last time he had laughed? He couldn't remember, but he simply couldn't help it. The whole situation was ironic, he was becoming a Great One.

There was no escaping it, he could feel it within. So, this was his faith. To become something he had so adamantly tried to destroy. His human eyes began to take in all that was around him, before he fully turned. The workshop was no longer aflame, it stood strong in the darkness that surround the dream. The doll simply stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at him with that expressionless face, not that he would expect anything more from it, only so much a doll can do.

The hunter gave a quick glance of the graveyards that surrounded the workshop and was ready to resign himself to what would befall him. Yet something caught his attention. Something that he knew shouldn't be there. A new chalice stood among the others he had explored, it looked alien in design, with a language he had never seen before.

Had he not butchered all the beasts the night had to offer, had he missed one dungeon where those horrible creatures could feel safe from the wrath of a hunter?

NO!

He was not finished with this body yet. The hunter agonizingly forced himself to his feet, taking one step after another, fighting against the transformation in his body, he would fight it until the chalice was clear of all beasts. It was his mission, it was his duty, it was all he truly knew.

He reached out towards the immaculate chalice, allowing it to take it to its dungeon. Slowly his vision began to fog over as the process to the dungeon took place.

- Is it okay for a Hunter to give up on the Hunt? -

His senses came back to him at an eerie pace, though this dungeon he had entered into was very different to the ones he had previously explored. Instead of the dark and miserable surroundings he was accustom to, he found himself in a cave, which seemed to be overrun by greenery and exotic plants he had never layer eyes on.

The atmosphere was entirely different, it wasn't the dread and fear that had smothered Yharnam and the chalices dungeons. This cave felt almost relaxing and it was unnerving him more than he would like to admit.

One thing that he was grateful for however, was that his body was no longer trying to desperately transform. He could still feel the omnipotent power of a Great One flowing through his veins, but it almost felt like it was being held back, not being fit to release itself from his body. Though this led to many questions as to why.

Perhaps this dungeon held some sort of power that restricts the force of a Great One. He didn't care that much though; he was just revealed that the pain had stopped.

An assortment of unpleasant sounds came from all around him. Taking a good look at his surroundings, he could clearly see beasts, though they were different from those he had hunted in Yharnam. These creatures looked insect in design, scorpion? He had never seen the creatures before but they looked just like they were described. Who had told him that was beyond what his memory could recall?

He readied himself, drawing his trusty saw cleaver as well as his blunderbuss. These beasts would meet their gruesome end here and now.

After all, a hunter must hunt!

- Is it okay for a Hunter to give up on the Hunt? -

Fear.

A shiver went down her spine, Gods weren't ones to experience fear. That's what Odin once said, that may have been right when they had access to their divine powers, right now she was absolutely terrified. Returning to the old ruins of her worship, where that monster Anatres lurks.

She had felt it awaken; she had expected it to be dormant for eternity, how foolish she was to simply think her godly seal would hold such a monstrosity. Her children where accompanying her, the planned to bring an end to the beast. She could feel an ache on her heart, she knew some would not survive, all their lives where on the line here.

Though the sacrifice would be great, they couldn't allow that monster to escape and wreak havoc on those who inhabit the surface.

She could see the ruins coming into view, the place that had once been built to worship her, now a nest for wicked creatures.

"Goddess! Is that smoke?" It came from her captain Rethusa, a red-haired woman at the high level of 5. She wore no armor, wearing a simple set of clothing that allowed for high mobility. She had expected her children's nerves to kick up at some point, perhaps even to the point of letting their imagination get the better of them, but upon closer inspection she could see the black clouds of smoke pouring into the air.

Something is wrong! "We must hurry!" She felt slightly pitiful as she broke out into a sprint, she knew compared to those she had made a contract with to create her Familia that she was slow, it was a simple fact that adventures could go beyond the power of normal mortals. She was a hindrance, but she needed to see an end to Anatres.

But what could cause such a vast amount of smoke to spew from the temple filled with beasts, it didn't make sense. She knew what the creatures within were capable of, nothing that would amass to this degree of smoke.

It didn't take long for them to reach the main entrance; the air was thick and heavy. While the scent of smoke was strong, there was a lingering stench of blood. She couldn't hide the shock that flooded her system. Anatres had not bested her seal. Something else had awoken it! It didn't make sense, there was no way to entire the ruins with the seal still in place, only a god with more divine power than her could hope to get in.

She began to tremble; it was beyond her control. She had been wrong when she thought she felt fear beforehand, an unholy dread was beginning to suffocate her. They had to retreat; something was in here that was beyond that of the divine. It was inconceivable, something like that simply shouldn't exist.

A firm hand placed itself onto her shoulder, her frightened eyes fell upon the steel resolve of Rethusa's eyes. "My Goddess, are you ok?" Her voice was confident, yet held a tinge of worry, if it had been any other day, it would have calmed her to hear the sheer readiness of her child. Though it gave her a good wakeup call for her.

She composed herself, whatever had made its way into what was once her sanctuary would have to be dealt with. If it had made its way in, it could make its ways out, they at least had to determine what it was. "Get ready my children, we might be in for an unexpected surprise."

She could feel them tense up at her words, they knew something was right, they could probably tell from her body language and from her words. This wasn't to go down as they had planned.

She gingerly placed her two hands to the door of this once holy place and began the procedure to open the ruins to their party. Her Familia symbol sprung forth to life on the door, before slowly fading away. A loud creak echoed throughout the night sky followed by a gust of extraordinary heat, and finally an orange haze.

Inside blazes burned, she could see the what little remained of the nest that had infested her old home, with the plants that used to give birth to Anatres's minions gone, it would make traversal a great deal easier. Though the fires would be a pain to make their way through.

"Vera! Make us a path!" Rethusa took command of the situation. A female elf took center stage before them, staff at the ready, her skin so pale under the moonlight as she began her incantation to allow her magic to flow from her. A bright blue symbol began brought itself into existence beneath her feet, followed by two more at the side, with a graceful thrust forward, pillars of ice shot forward.

Of course, they immediately began to melt to a liquid state and in turn they eased the fires. They now had a clear path. A scantily clad dark-skinned woman pounded her fists together. "Let's show Anatres who's boss!" Her confidence seemed to boost the morale of her Familia, she was grateful for the battle loving amazon. Leona always managed to bring out the best in her party, she always looked on the positive side of life.

The group rushed in running through the remains of a fiery bloodbath, whatever had killed these creatures had been wholehearted viscous in ending their life's. A monstrous scream could be heard from deep within, causing small tremors to spread across the old ruins. Well at least they knew where to head.

- Is it okay for a Hunter to give up on the Hunt? -

The hunter slowly pulled himself out of a wall, giving himself a quick look over he could see his left arm was mangled beyond recognition, probably being covered in blood didn't help it look much better. He locked his gaze back onto the beast he had engaged in battle with.

It had once been a mighty looking creature to be feared, it was simply a larger version of the smaller creatures he had been slaughtering, though with more claws and long slender neck with a more draconic head.

Now it was limbless, struggling desperately to regrow its missing limbs as it flailed about miserably. It was a strong beast, but much like the other creatures he had found in this strange dungeon it was no real treat to him.

Though he was curious about what was truly going on. Beyond the beasts and the dungeon itself, everything was new. Instead of the bloodechos he had gathered from the beasts in Yharnam, they dropped some sort of stone, it didn't take him long to figure out that was there weak point, though these beasts really couldn't take too much of a beating. It was sad, his bloodlust was not satiated from such meager beasts.

Their numbers had been the only thing they had, so he made sure to dwindle them. He was glad he hadn't used up all his supplies while fighting Gehram and that Great One which descended from the moon, the beasts here burned good.

It was time to finish of this monster before him, he could not rest until it died, after all it was the last beast left. These rotten creatures would be cleansed from this world, they would all perish at his hands.

He decided to switch out his saw cleaver, it disappearing into a foggy substance to be replaced with the weapon of the last hunter he had killed. He would finish this beast of with the Burial Blade, it seemed like the right trick weapon to end it.

He quickly shoved the blade into its extension which resided on his back, transforming it from a fearsome blade, to that of a deadly scythe.

With a fearsome grunt he sprung forward at top speed, reaching the beast in seconds. The feeble monster lashed out blindly with its tail, it was an easy obstacle to overcome. With as much might as he could muster, he slid under the incoming tail while plunging the scythe into the beast's flesh.

One thing he could compliment the beast on was its thick hide, but it was merely an inconvenience, he simply had to put more effort into his swings. The burial blade ripped through the tail like a knife through hot butter, blood spewed out in every direction as the beast wailed in agony.

But the hunter was far from done, with speed the beast simply couldn't anticipate, he began to work his way through each of the limbs that had started to regrow, stopping them dead in their tracks. More blood painted the battle ground as the creature's screams of pain grew to a whole new level.

It tried to retaliate, its mouth with hundreds of sharp teeth pounced towards him with the intent of impaling his body. With his experienced engrained within him, it was easy to side step and unleash a fatal blow.

With one mighty swing his scythe sliced through the beast's neck, tearing through its meat and bones. The creature lay still, though he could clearly see that it was beginning to regenerate again, even if it was at a snail's pace.

He scanned what remained of the limbless body, his insight allowing him to see what he was looking for, the creature's core lay just beyond its chest, protected by its hard skin. Now it would end. Dropping his weapon, he plunged his hand into the dying beast's chest, its armored skin only offering a small amount of resistance.

He pushed his arm in there as far as it could go, tearing through muscles with ease until he grasped what he was looking for. The stone that kept these beasts alive. Fingers dug into the its core with it beginning to crack as he got a good grip of it. With a hefty grunt he began to pull, slowly but surely, he managed to remove the stone from its chest, with a torrent of blood to follow with it.

And just like all the other beasts that had fallen before him, it disappeared into ash, leaving only its stone behind. This strange object was exceptionally large compared to the others; it was half the size of his stature.

Did this mean something? Did the size of this crystal-like object matter? If he was frank, he really didn't care, he was summoned here to destroy all beasts and that's exactly what he did. Now to find a lamp and return to the dream, where he would become a great one.

"WOOHOOO! Nice one stranger!" The hunter slowly turned his gaze to look upon a group of people who had gathered on a ledge above him. More hunters? No, they didn't look geared up for the job, but his eyes stopped on the blue haired one of the group.

She was different, he could see something, it was familiar yet different. Perhaps it was simply the lesser of the beast he thought it to be, but why would it take the form of a human. Was it perhaps trapped within, just like the power that festered throughout his whole body but could not break free.

"Great One?" He had simply whispered it, but she reacted, she had heard him and she seemed to acknowledge the term. He let out a small grunt, he simply wasn't in the best of shape to fight something of that caliber. But it sure wouldn't stop him from slaying every last one of them, he had a lot more work to do here than he taught!

A/N: Well here's something I've decided to do to practice writing, not sure if I'll continue this on or not but sure we'll see what way the wind blows.