Not one of my better stories, but at the moment I just can't seem to write anything better. Enjoy!

I don't own Bloodborne nor do I do Familiar of Zero.

The Hunter

All was silent. In this plane, there was no sound, no light, nothing. It was a complete and utter void, completely inhospitable, and unsuitable for the sustenance of any kind of life. Yet despite this, despite how hostile this plane of existence was, it was inhabited, it did harbor life, albeit very special lifeforms. In this cosmos, this ether, the only ones who could survive, the only ones who could even reach this plane, were the species known as the Great Ones. Discoverers of the Eldritch Truth, they were unlike any other species, every single Great One being completely unique and separate from the others, unable to even conceive a child with another of their kind. Not that it impeded them much, as upon reaching this plane, they had acquired Godlike powers, powers that allowed them to shape reality to their will, power that would have allowed them to conquer the entirety of their planet of birth, to submit all other species to their rule. The only reasons this had not happened were that the Great Ones, for one, hardly had any cohesion as a group, each one ignoring the others and doing whatever they wanted. The other reason they had not conquered the physical realm was much simpler: they held no interest in it. Why would they? It was much more amusing for them to observe how those that came after them, the Phtumerians, and, later, the Humans, crawled like insects, trying to comprehend the artifacts and rituals they had left behind them. How they explored the tombs deep beneath their city of Yharnam, finding their blood, and considering it the "Blood of the Gods".

They had amused themselves while watching as they made the mistake of transfusion the Old Blood in humans, marveling at the fact that it could cure any known illness, the fools. Clearly, they had not expected the blood to lead to the Beastly Scourge, an epidemic that saw all those infused with the Old Blood at one point or another, changing into wolf-like beasts, rampaging through the city and attacking humans on sight. The had been even more amused when the Healing Church, which had controlled the spread of the blood, instead of stopping using it, kept going on while creating the Hunters, men and women whose sole goal was to eradicate all beasts down to the last. The fools. Soon the Hunters themselves lost themselves and became beasts, even worse than the common citizen in that they were considerably stronger and more dangerous than other beasts. What had appeared to be a nice idea had turned out to be a very bad one, as Yharnam was overrun with beasts, the few Hunters not losing themselves to their bloodlust going on with their duty until they couldn't go on anymore.

And there, amidst that chaos, she had appeared. A Huntress like no other, one that the Great Ones kept an eye on at all times for they could tell that she was different from the others. And she had more than proven herself, proven that she, more than any other Human, deserved to Ascend. For she alone had been able to kill off their brethren, eliminating them like all other beasts she came across, her blades carving their bodies into pieces, her body absorbing their blood without breaking down. Her consumption of the Umbilical Cords she found only sped up the inevitable, and by the time she had eliminated the Moon Presence, she was already changing into one of them.

While still an infant Great One, it would have been terribly easy for them to kill her off, for she had no idea on how to use her powers, nor the skills necessary to reshape reality to her will like they could. Yet they did nothing, as she had won her place amongst them fair and square, resisting the Call of the blood, resisting the Madness that inevitably bloomed into the minds of those few who had not succumbed to the Call, and clawing her way up to where she was now by sheer determination and grit. Not to mention that there had never been a sense of unity among their ranks, so there was no resentment for her slaughtering of their brethren. If anything, they were only curious about her future actions, as she was the first of them to not be born a Great One, but to become one through her own efforts and dedication to the Hunt. They expected great things from her, especially given her peculiar history. If anything, her next actions should keep them entertained for a while.

-Break-

How long has it been?

The being who had been once known as Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière wondered. It had seemed an eternity since she had, in her desperation to summon a familiar and prove herself more than the "Zero" she had been labelled as, used a summoning chant she had put together. It had seemed an eternity since she had woken up in what she would learn was the city of Yharnam, a city far larger than even Tristain's capital, and infested with wolf-like abominations. She had been appalled to realize, seeing the runes etched on the back of her hand, that she had become her own familiar, something never heard of before. At least it had helped her survive, as the runes of the Gandalfr bestowed her with near-superhuman physical skills, as well as the knowledge required to use any weapon she picked up.

It had been once she received a transfusion of the Old Blood that things had gone even more awry. It had not been long before she had found herself a Hunter, chasing down abominations much stronger than herself, and were it not for the Hunter's Dream, she would have died. She had died, multiple times in fact, but thanks to the Dream she would wake up in the Workshop with nothing more than scars and mental trauma each time, before she was forced to join the Hunt again.

Oh, how she had changed since then…The temperamental, short-sighted child she had been had died a quick death under the claws of the beasts, replaced with a cold, aloof personality, one that exploited every ounce of her potential to see it through the Hunt. It was almost ironic, she had often mused, that she now bore a personality quite similar to her mother's. Although she hardly resembled the woman anymore, given the odd mutations her body had suffered from after receiving the Old Blood. She had shot up like a weed, going from five feet to almost seven, her bust going from nonexistent to rather large, although she counted herself fortunate to not have the massive breasts of Kirche. She already felt rather uncomfortable balancing her new additions, not to mention how much they had disturbed her balance at first, and had no wish to see herself burdened with breasts larger than her own head. Her hair had also lost all coloration, becoming a startling white, unlike the pink it had been before. All those changes put together meant that whoever had known her as Louise the child wouldn't recognize her now.

Not to mention the biggest change of all…She wasn't even human anymore, not that she truly minded, but she knew that given the religious fervor back in Halkeginia, that simple fact would have seen her burnt at the stake. Well, if the weaklings managed to subdue her, that was. She held no illusions that any Mage would have trouble subduing her, not when she was faster, stronger, and more powerful than them by an impossible margin now…Divinizing Brimir, the fools…Brimir was a human, a fool at that, unable to see further than his own nose and prejudice. She was closer to being a God than he was, she knew that much. Her change into a Great One had imparted her with knowledge that would have made anyone else mad, revealing the Truth of the cosmos to her. And it was through that knowledge that she had learnt something that had led her to shed bitter tears.

It had been over three years since she was stuck in Yharnam, three years of bloodshed and death, three years of fighting for her life tooth and nail, three years of seeing death every day and walking amongst abominations that could kill seasoned Mages easily. Yet, back in Halkeginia, back in Tristain, it had only been three weeks. She had grown into an adult, while her former soft-of friends hadn't changed at all.

The irony of it all made her want to laugh bitterly. Even if she managed to return now, what could she say? That for her it had been three years since she'd last been in Tristain? That wouldn't go well, she knew, the Church would likely get involved and then it would turn into a political nightmare. If it had been three years in Halkeginia, she could at least have said she had ended up stranded and that it had taken her three years to come back or some bull, but not now. Not to mention what would happen if it came out that she was-had been- a Void Mage, she knew that the Church would all but order her to work for them.

So she had resigned herself to watch the life of those few friends she had, as well as her family, but that decision went out of the door almost as soon as she started watching. It appeared that in the chaos her disappearance had caused, Reconquista, an organization trying to take control of Tristain, had managed to sway a good number of Nobles to their views, including her own former fiancé, the Viscount of Wardes. Apparently the man had been member for a while now, and had intended to use her for his own goals, something that made her quite angry.

However, her anger at her former fiancé for only wanting her as a tool was dwarfed by the one she felt as she witnessed him lead an attack on the Familiar exhibition, using her own sisters to have her mother surrender. The indignity of seeing her beloved, proud mother, bound in magic-suppressant shackles, like a common prisoner, and her two sisters being subject to the same indignity made her blood boil. And if that wasn't enough, she could see the piece of human scum taunting her childhood friend, the Crown Princess herself, lying through his teeth about how Reconquista wouldn't use her as a political tool. She already knew what they intended to do, to use the Ring of Andvari that they had stolen from the Water Spirit to turn her into an obedient slave.

How DARE they?!

She refused to let such a thing happen. She had been weak almost all her life, forced to let things happen while unable to do anything about them, but now that she had the power necessary to do as she wanted, she was not about to let her family be treated like prisoners, or her best friend used as a political tool, trapped in her own body and unable to do anything. She was a Great One, the only Human turned Godlike being, and she would show them what it cost to cross her.

-Break-

Where are we?

This was the first thing Henrietta de Tristain wondered upon waking up. It was rather clear that wherever she-and now that she could see, the other people who had been present at the Academy as well, including the staff- had ended up somewhere entirely different. The Academy buildings were nowhere in sight, while they were laying on what appeared to be a large plaza, though said plaza appeared to be quite neglected as wild grass could be seen sprouting from between the cracks in the pavement.

As she shakily rose up, she realized that they were apparently in a city, albeit one with an architecture she had never seen before, gothic and slightly sinister in the fading light of the sun, the buildings projecting eerie shadows in the dimming light. The air smelt of fire, smoke, and surprisingly, rot, smells that had her putting a hand in front of her mouth to block the stench as she made a quick evaluation of their situation.

It appeared, to her relief, that everyone was fine, although she could spot Reconquista's soldiers on the other side of the plaza, coming to as well, making her weigh her options. On one hand it was clear that whatever had happened, was not something done by either her side nor Reconquista's, given the sentences she could piece together despite the distances, on the other, she highly doubted they would be willing to consider a ceasefire for the time being.

It was fortunate that Agnès, her trusted Captain of the Musketeers, had already woken up, and was barking orders to her troops, the few Musketeers present all putting themselves between the group of students, herself, and Reconquista's forces. She could also see Karin, Louise's mother, who had attended the Familiar exhibition with her two daughters in the hopes of getting some information out of Old Osmond about the treatment of her daughter in the walls of his school, struggling to take of the magic-binding shackles she had been saddled with. Ordinarily, she would have easily overpowered whatever fool tried to restrain her, but Reconquista had used her daughters as hostages to ensure that she didn't do anything, thus easily coercing her in surrendering.

"Where in the Founder's name are we?" grunted a crimson-haired, dark-skinned student. If she remembered well, she was the last of the Von Kirche, and one of those who had bullied Louise while she had been at the Academy.

The girl's familiar, a salamander, seemed to be very nervous, as it kept croaking nervously, looking restless. In fact, she realized, all of the student's familiars, even Karin's Manticore, were nervous. This made her gulp nervously. Manticores were among the most dangerous beings in Halkeginia, and feared absolutely nothing. There were rumors that single individuals of the species were responsible for the death of entire squadrons of common soldiers, and that only severing the head of the beast was enough to ensure it was dead.

"Princess, please step back," scowled one of the Academy's teachers, Jean Colbert if she remembered well. She was one of the few aware that underneath the pleasant guise of an enthusiastic science researcher was a Fire Mage of exceptional power, known as the Flame Serpent, someone whom she was glad was on their side.

"Well, Princess," commented a voice, "This is a surprise, I must admit, but I am afraid that…wherever we are, my orders stay the same. I will make you the same offer as before: come quietly, and no harm will come to you or the students, of this you have my word."

The man who had spoken was the Viscount of Wardes, someone who until recently, Henrietta had been glad to call a loyal agent of the Crown. Unfortunately, it appeared that Louise's former fiancé had actually been a traitor, conspiring with Reconquista for unknown reasons, and turning the unit he was responsible for, the Griffin Knights, against the Crown. Said Knights had been the major force behind Reconquista's brazen attack on the Familiar Exhibition, along with several Nobles who had attended the event, betraying her for their own purposes.

"Silence, filth," growled Karin, who, despite the shackles binding her magic, held her sword ready, and stood before her daughters, who both had their wands drawn, "A traitor such as you has no right to speak to the Princess. The only reason you are even alive after this treason is because you were too much of a coward to fight me like a true Noble and resorted to petty stratagems to cover your own weakness."

Far from being offended, the grey-haired Captain chuckled.

"I prefer to say that I am prepared, Lady Vallière. I have no wish to fight against a monster such as you, after all, not when you could tear me apart easily. Now, as much as it is pleasant to trade barbs with you, I am afraid that the sooner we have the Princess, the sooner we can turn to figuring out what happened and where we are."

.

The sound of footsteps cut through the tension, as both groups, while keeping an eye on the other, glanced towards the direction the sound had come from. By then, the fog that had been seeping through the alleyways had crept through the plaza, forming a barrier that made seeing anything further than the plaza itself impossible. Thus, the few alleys leading to the plaza had taken the appearance of eerie dark voids, making the atmosphere sinister, an impression further worsened by the fact that only the light of a single moon allowed to see anything. A few of the Fire Mages present had created small flames at the tip of their wands to see better, which only served to create monstrous shadows in the fog.

Tap. Tap.

Again, the sound of footsteps echoed, distorted by the fog and making it impossible to determine if there was a single person, or more, walking as well as making any attempt to pinpoint where the sound came from. The fact that no other noises, outside of the ragged breathing of the two groups, as well as the whimpers of some members of the staff of the Academy, namely the commoners, only increased the tension.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Just as the tension reached its' peak, a shadow slowly appeared, as if the fog, instead of concealing its' presence, had coalesced together to create the silhouette. While it was impossible to discern much of the newcomer's silhouette's details, it was still possible to say that they were humanoid, and not some kind of wild animal. The newcomer was also quite tall, standing at what seemed to be seven feet, the tallest people present barely standing over six feet.

"Halt. Identify yourself!" barked Agnès, the other Musketeers reaching for their weapons.

Instead of answering, the silhouette brought their hand close to their shoulder, and then swished it aside, instantly dispersing the fog in their vicinity, and allowing those present to finally get their first clear view of who they were.

As noted previously, they were tall, almost seven feet tall, and it was impossible to determine their gender, as most of their face was hidden by a tattered scarf, while a hat hid the remainder of their face, save for their eyes. Their clothing didn't help much either, as it covered every single inch of their body, while concealing whatever curves they would have if they were a woman. Said clothing appeared to be quite tattered as well, although once upon a time it must have been quite elegant. Now though, the cloak was riddled with holes at the seams, and, along with the remainder of their clothing, was covered in darker splotches of color, which appeared to be bloodstains. All of this was already enough to paint a very intimidating character, but was also made worse by the fact that several guns could be seen holstered at their waist, ready to be used, while what appeared to be a giant blade seemed to be attached to their back.

Yet even as Agnès ordered them to identify themselves, the newcomer didn't speak, instead glancing at the blonde, before shifting on their feet until they were facing Reconquista's forces. And while their eyes were difficult to make out due to the hat and scarf hiding most of their face, the people present could tell that they were glaring at the group of rebels. This in itself would have been intimidating, it was made worse when the familiars present, including Sylpheed, a dragon, made frightened noises and tried to hide behind their Masters. Familiars, due to the nature of the bond shared with their Masters, were usually ready to defend them to their last breath, the only exception being when they were faced with enemies they had no hope to win against. No magic could rewrite their instincts to the point of suppressing the oldest out of them, survival instinct.

Without a word, the newcomer began walking towards Wardes' group, who tensed. As they walked, they reached for the weapons strapped to their back, swiftly switching what appeared to be an odd, twin-sword-like contraption into twin elegant blades.

With such a clear demonstration of hostility, Wardes chose to warn off the intruder by sending lightning to make the stone pavement explode in front of them, while Fouquet created several Earth Golems, sending them forwards to shield their group in case it wasn't enough to deter their foe.

"Not one step more, stranger," frowned the Griffin Knight, "and drop those weapons before we are forced to put you out of your misery."

"…Fool..."

As the newcomer's voice echoed through the plaza, it sent shivers down the spine of all those present, Karin herself feeling more than slightly unnerved by the sound. Surprisingly, it was a woman's voice, of that there was no doubt, but it was cold, filled with an undercurrent of cold fury that made her very glad she wasn't the target of the stranger's ire. It was the first time in a very long while that she felt that she might be outclassed.

"Ah, so you can speak! Good! Now, drop these weapons of yours, answer our questions, and I can assure you that no harm shall come to you," grinned the Viscount.

A cold chuckle answered his words, as the stranger shook her head, clearly amused by the threat.

"…And you think that you can win against me, Jean-Jacques?"

Whispers broke out as the Viscount of Wardes was addressed by name. Few ever addressed a Noble so familiarly, and those who did were usually very close, family members or lovers. Given that they were in a completely unfamiliar place; how could this person know Wardes?

"…Do I know you?"

"…A long time ago, you did…Before I ended in this Nightmare…"

The stranger's voice was almost wistful, surprising more than a few. Given how intimidating she was, many had assumed that she would be like Karin, a stone-cold woman with little emotions and a composure to freeze even the most courageous man.

"…But you threatened my friends and family…And I will not allow you to touch them…"

The wistful voice had turned into a harsh growl, as the woman took a pose, ready to attack Wardes, her blades gleaming in the moonlight. For those with a martial experience, the posture was surprisingly good, which meant that whoever this woman was, that she had more than a little experience in combat.

"…Get ready, Reconquista…Tonight, Louise de la Vallière joins the Hunt!"

-Break-

A blink. That was all it took before the figure of his former fiancée blurred, disappearing with a speed he couldn't comprehend, reappearing above him with her swords ready to slice him in two. It was only by sheer instinct that he managed to avoid the hit, rolling to the side as steel cleaved the air where he had been standing seconds ago. Yet even his miraculous dodge wasn't enough, as a foot caught him in the chest, sending him flying with such force that he could feel his ribs break as he was catapulted backwards.

As he collided with the ground with a groan, he saw a blur slaughter his soldiers to the last. Spells sent against Louise either missed her or were shrugged off as if they weren't there in the first place, while swords danced in an elegant ballet of steel, cutting off limbs, decapitating soldiers, targeting vital points with an accuracy worthy of a war veteran. Blood was flying everywhere, as the screams of the wounded or the gurgles of the dying echoed through the plaza, his former fiancé slaughtering his forces like an unstoppable force.

Coughing up blood, he tried to stand, restraining a scream as his broken ribs reminded him he was in no condition to fight. Yet even then he would not be deterred. He was the only one who could stop her from slaughtering his forces and ending Reconquista's master strike before it could even begin. Even Fouquet wasn't suited to deal with her, the woman, skilled as she was, was more useful for dealing with large groups of people, not a single target who moved so fast you could scarcely see it.

As he stood shakily, he wondered what could have happened to his former fiancée to change her so much in only three weeks. Had it been three weeks for her? By the way she had spoken, it seemed as though she had been…wherever they were, for quite a long time, a theory supported by her spectacular growth.

Still, a part of him, the soldier that had trained hard to reach his level and his position as Captain of the Griffin Knights, could only admire her skill with a blade. Aside from her clearly unnatural speed, he hadn't seen her use any kind of magic, yet she was slaughtering his men as if they were mere children fighting a war veteran. If she wasn't trying to kill him, he would have been awed, but as it was, he really needed to deal with her before she could cut down their numbers too much, otherwise they would no longer be able to defend themselves against the Princess' group.

-Break-

Henrietta could only watch in shock as the woman who claimed to be her best friend utterly crushed Reconquista. What she was seeing was by far the bloodiest, most one-sided slaughter she had ever witnessed, and yet, she was oddly numb to it. Perhaps it was because of the sheer relief she was feeling of seeing Louise safe and sound again, for despite how impossible it seemed, she believed every word of the woman, or perhaps she was just too shocked to properly process what was happening. She could only watch as maybe-Louise fought, using skills that would undoubtedly make her mother proud. She quite literally danced around the soldiers, moving in odd bursts of speed, before striking, inflicting wounds meant to debilitate and kill with the same ease a butcher cut him, avoiding the retaliations send her way by her foes.

How can this be Louise?

Her friend had always had an explosive temper, which could lead her to act rashly, but her temper was also paired with the most impressive set of morals Henrietta had ever seen in someone of her age. Her friend would have adamantly refused to kill someone until there was absolutely no other option, and even then, she would likely have argued for imprisonment instead of execution.

How could someone she had admired for her moral fiber and her iron will change so much and slaughter people like it was nothing? There was no reason to do so, not when it would have been possible to merely incapacitate Reconquista's forces. Instead, she was killing them off without the slightest hesitation, slicing them up like pigs under a butcher's blade. Blood was flying everywhere, drawing bloody arcs as screams of terror and pain echoed, members flew, and heads were separated from their bodies.

"By the Founder…" blanched Old Osmond, a prayer whispered by a quite a few of the staff members and students as well.

"This is cry-baby Louise?" choked Eleanor, the usually haughty blonde pale as a ghost.

Even Karin was pale, despite her own military accomplishments. Her runic name wasn't the "Heavy Wind" for nothing, she was likely the most dangerous person in all of Tristain, which translated directly in how often she had used her skills against other humans in the past. There were still rumors about how she had taken down an entire detachment of soldiers, including other Nobles, by herself, without a scratch. Yet even then, she had never been one to kill when it was unnecessary, or with such brutality.

Henrietta startled when lightning struck her friend, sending her flying, and she was about to reflexively cast a spell at a limping Wardes, but before she could do anything there was the detonation of a gun, and the man's head exploded, his headless corpse slumping to the ground. Louise had apparently spun on herself, landed as if she hadn't just been hit with what should have been a lethal spell, and resumed slaughtering what was left of Reconquista's forces as if nothing had happened.

Eventually though, there was nothing left. Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, known as "the Zero" for her utter inability to cast anything but explosions, had killed over fifty men and women, all trained soldiers, some of them even Nobles, without any trouble at all, and without using anything but her unnatural speed and what appeared to be her great skills with swords.

With a simple gesture of her friend, the twin blades were swung, blood coming off them, before Louise swiftly reassembled them into the odd contraption she had been carrying before, and swung it behind her back.

"Weaklings…You wouldn't have lasted more than a few days during the Hunt," she spat, before turning towards their group.

-Break-

As Louise walked up to their group, Agnès immediately put herself between the now covered in blood Louise, and Henrietta, her blade pointed at the Princess' childhood friend. She was not a fool, she had seen what the woman had done to Reconquista's forces by herself, when their entire group had been struggling against the rebels, but she would see her duty done even if it cost her, her life.

"Not one step more!" she warned, happy to see that her subordinates had placed themselves to defend the Princess and the students, just in case. She had met Louise a few times, and there was no doubt in her mind that if this woman was, by some miracle, the missing de Vallière daughter, then she had changed a lot from how she had been before, and not only in terms of physical appearance. She could not trust the woman, not when she had shown herself to be incredibly skilled with blades, and a cold-blooded killer.

She was slightly relieved to see "Louise" stop a dozen feet from them, even if she didn't allow herself to relax. With the speed demonstrated earlier, such a distance could be covered in the blink of an eye, and refused to die due to a rookie's mistake. It was still nice to see that all of the woman's weapons were either back on her belt, or clasped on her back, which meant, at the very least, that wasn't immediately threatening.

"Louise...!" choked Henrietta, taking a single step forwards before a hand grasped her shoulder, preventing her from moving.

Agnès gave a grateful nod to Karin, as she was too busy keeping an eye on the potential threat in front of them to keep the Princess from doing something stupid. Truth be told, she understood Henrietta's desire to hug her childhood friend, but it had yet to be proven that the woman was not a threat to the Princess, and she'd rather make her charge angry by being too paranoid than see said charge dead because she hadn't been paranoid.

"Karin? Release me this instant!" scowled the young woman, struggling against the iron grip the older woman had on her shoulder.

"Princess, think for a moment, please. There is no actual proof that she is actually my daughter. Furthermore, she is too old, and is too tall to be Louise, no matter how much I would wish otherwise," said Karin, her voice turning into a growl as she glared at the young woman impersonating her daughter.

"Indeed,"spoke "Louise", "Yet I can assure you that I am indeed who I claim to be. Do you remember when I was a child, Mother? When I came to you once, crying because I had seen a "monster" under my bed? You told me that if any monster dared threaten your daughter, you would crush them and mount their head above the fireplace as a reminder."

Sharp breaths were taken, as both Eleanor and Cattleya stared at "Louise". The incident was one nobody outside of their family was aware of, and they were only aware of it because their mother had confided in them about it a few days after Louise's disappearance, when she was at her lowest.

"I wonder what you would say now…Now that I am the monster…"

"…Louise?"

Karin's voice was disbelieving, although it was hardly surprising. Her daughter had always been very short for her age, with a figure belonging more to a prepubescent child than a young woman in full bloom, and yet now, she stood taller than any of them, with the body of a grown woman. How could she have changed to much in merely three weeks?

Louise didn't speak, instead just nodding, the action sending droplets of blood flying to the ground. However, as Karin stepped forwards, likely to hug her daughter, said daughter took a step back.

"Louise?"

The younger woman simply shook her head.

"I won't be coming back, Mother…I am not coming back to Tristain with you."

"What? Why?" scowled Karin, crossing her arms under her bust, and glaring at her daughter.

Once upon a time, when Louise was a naïve and tame young girl, a glare from her mother would have been enough to have her cowering in a corner and drop any idea of going against Karin's wishes, but things were drastically different now.

"It would be simpler if I showed you, I suppose…Before I do, I will remind you of this: I have absolutely no intention of harming any of you, but if I am attacked, I will defend myself."

"What do…you…mean?" started Henrietta, only to trail off at the grotesque spectacle in front of her.

Louise, who had taken a few steps back, had hunched over, her whole body suddenly inflating, grotesque cracking noises coming from it. An arm, now a good dozen feet long, hit the ground, as claws left deep marks in the pavement, fur covering the limb, that had swelled to be as large as a person's waist. The other arm was thrashing around, as it elongated into something resembling a mass of writhing tentacles, forming something loosely resembling a human limb, drops of a foul-smelling liquid dropping from it and fizzling as it made contact with the ground. With another loud cracking noise, Louise's torso elongated, until it was little more than her spine and a few ribs, giving her a disturbingly distorted appearance. Worst of all though, was her head, as it elongated in a wolf-like muzzle, mots of hair slick with blood sticking to it, while additional eyes appeared on her cheeks and forehead, blinking a few times as they stared in different directions.

The sight was utterly grotesque, the being now facing them a horrible, misshapen abomination that simply could not have been born naturally, for Nature could not have allowed the birth of such a monstrosity.

Retching sounds could be heard as more than a few of the less resistant Nobles emptied their stomachs, while over a half of the commoner staff, who so far had been rather silent, fainted on the spot.

"Do you think the Church would let me walk around like this?" said Louise, her voice echoing loudly in the night.

Her voice was a low, unnatural growl, with a quality not unlike nails on a chalkboard, and each time she spoke, those present had a good view on the sharp, serrated teeth in her mouth. The being before them was a true monster, a predator that preyed on predators, something so far beyond them that even with their magic, they had no hope of winning. While usually, most of those present would have resorted to using magic on Louise in the hopes of killing her, her very presence was enough to grant them the instinctive knowledge that attacking her would be a very bad idea.

"By the Founder…"

Slit eyes moved unnaturally as they focused on the one who had spoken. Surprisingly, it was not a Noble, but rather one of the maids, a pretty little thing who would likely have a large slew of suitors if she managed to avoid the attention of the less savory Nobles until she was of marriageable age.

"Lady Louise, you became a Great One?"

Agnès would have berated the girl for speaking to the monster standing in front of them, that is if said monster had not started at her words, crouching until its' head was level with the girl's own.

"You are…Siesta? You know about the Great Ones?"

Mutely, the girl nodded. She seemed to be torn between being terrified or in awe of the monster in front of her, and Agnès got ready to intervene if the girl did anything to antagonize it. While she cared little for a fool who would draw the attention of such a being to herself, and then willingly engage a conversation with it, she would not allow it to harm any of those present, least of all the princess.

Speaking of the Princess, Henrietta seemed to have gone catatonic, her eyes glued to the abomination in front of them, staring at its' deformed, misshapen body. She could hardly blame her charge though, she, more than most, understood how important Louise had been to the Princess. It came to little of a stretch that she would have trouble coping with the realization that her childhood friend had become the abomination currently examining Siesta.

"Your grandfather…he came from Yharnam, didn't he?"

"Yes, my Lady. He told us stories of the Plague, of the Hunters, those who would venture into the night, hunting the foul beasts that were once their friends…Of the Great Ones, those who had transcended the physical realm…But how is this possible, if I may ask, my Lady? Hunters shouldn't be able to become Great Ones…Even if many among the Church tried…"

"You mean to say, that men and women of faith tried to become something like this?!"

The one who had spoken was a minor Noble that Agnès recognized from seeing him at a few parties hosted at the palace. While not as bad as most of his ilk when it came to lording his position over others, he was a very devout follower of Brimir's teachings. He was likely upset that men of faith, whom he seemed to see as pure figures, would attempt to become abominations like the one standing in front of them.

"What? No, no, the Church in Yharnam was founded on something called the Old Blood, or the Blood of the Gods. It was believed, from what my grandfather told me, that high-ranking members of the Church wished to transcend mankind's limitations and ascend to the status of Great Ones, for they are, in his words, Gods," hastily explained Siesta.

"LIES!" snarled the noble, "There is only one God, the Founder! To suggest anything else is heresy of the worst kind!"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" rumbled Louise, causing the incensed Noble to stop and pale as he realized that in his fervor, he had forgotten the monster looming over them, "Brimir is not a God, he was only a human, one who could use the Void and managed to accomplish much during his life. He was even rather simple-minded, and racist, believing Elves to be less than men since it was convenient for him. The only reason his faith is so wildly followed is because Nobles like the idea that their right to rule is divine, when it is anything but. While I know that Henrietta, and a few among you who are here are good people, most Nobles are self-important idiots who think that their positions entitle them to anything they want.

As for me not being a God…could any of you have transported all of you to an entirely different world?"

Her answer was a fireball to the face, on that a large, rotting paw carelessly pushed aside, instead setting ablaze a nearby tree, while the Noble responsible found himself staring at the thick tentacles that had just impaled him through the stomach.

"Fool," sneered Louise, retracting her appendages as several of her eyes landed on Henrietta and her family, who were looking at her in horror, "It seems I should send you back now, I have no wish to cause more trouble for you. It was a stupid idea to bring you here anyway. I shouldn't have shown you this."

As she spoke, her head shook sadly, sending droplets of foul-smelling liquid flying as a large hand crushed the pavement.

"Farewell…" rumbled Louise, as Agnès found herself slowly losing consciousness, the last thing her eyes saw before closing, a hulking monstrosity staring down at the Princess she had sworn to protect with something approaching wistfulness.

Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome, pointless flames are not.