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The two headed down the ancient-looking stairs one after another, each step groaning under them. The guard rails were long gone, with only broken sticks lodged into the side every now and then hinting that they used to be there.

Kedra a was a simple boy, and he couldn’t exactly tell how long they had been walking down the steps, but they eventually came to a turn, then another one after another long jaunt. By now everything was dark, and it was hard to see anything at all past the torchlight.

Eventually the stairs came to an end and they reached a landing of sorts. The ground was just dirt flattened out, and there were the vague outlines of houses creeping in the shadows.

“I think we wanna head... That way if we want to see the gloat thing," Kedra whispered, gesturing kind of to his right. He didn’t really feel like talking out loud.

Hunter pulled a couple of torches from his sack and a box of matches. “Hold these, will ya?" He requested, before handing the torches to Kedra. He removed a match and struck it before using it to light them both, then dropped the match carelessly on the ground and stepped the fire out.

“See that? I’m like a walking Swiss army knife. If only I were really Swiss." He took one and positioned himself in front of Kedra to protect him, just in case. He looked down into the abyss, regarding the little lights Kedra mentioned a moment earlier. “Only one way to find out my good man. Onward we go, into the unknown."

He pressed a foot on the first stair, testing it. “Sturdy enough." He continued down, each board squeaking under his weight.

Kedra chuckled a bit and distanced himself just a bit.


The pair walked on for miles, and the terrain went from being flat grassland to sloping gently upwards. Kedra’s hamstrings were just starting to burn as they crested a hill, and what they saw at the top took the kid’s breath.

The other side of the hill was almost a sheer drop, and it was much steeper on this side. There was a giant canyon carved into the ground, with dirt blending into layers upon layers of rock. The bottom was practically invisible from their vantage point- the sun was hanging low in the sky and the hole was shrouded in darkness- but there were tiny pinpricks of light at the bottom.

“Is that fire?" Kedra asked, pointing one light out. “What would’ve made that, I wonder?"

He looked around and found a rickety set of wooden stairs that led down, at least until they disappeared behind a veil of shadow.

“More for me, then." He took a swig of the vile stuff and shut the jar after, stashing it. “Ah don’t worry! With me around, you’ll probably only go three quarters insane." With that, he nudged Kedra on the arm and laughed.

"...No, not really," Kedra politely declined the offer. He was significantly less excited about seeing the world at this point.

(I’ll update tomorrow with something substantial).

“Things that would make even a blind man tear his eyes out and wish he were never born. Things God only sees in his nightmares." He pulled a jar of blood from his bag and opened it, taking a whiff. “Eheheheh... thirsty?" He asked, as his mouth stretched into a grin that showed somewhat sharp, discolored teeth.

“The name’s Kedra," he said just a bit hesitantly. Hunter’s introduction unnerved him just a bit.

“If you’ve slain beasts and horrors, does that mean you know what’s out there?" He asked, suddenly ravenously curious. He had never even been this far out into the fields before, and as far as he knew no one in the village had either.

The hunter was checking and loading his blunderbuss while he spoke. “My name... well, it’s been a while since I’ve used it. That man died among the countless beasts and horrors I’ve slaughtered to break my curse. But, ah, you can call me Hunter."

Hunter, now proper noun, re-holstered his gun and opened his bag to check that he had everything. “You have a name, yes?"

Kedra sighed in relief, then bowed back. “That’s the spirit!" He said, grinning like an idiot.

He packed up his iron-tipped spear and both himself and his leather-clad friend headed out. They walked through the rickety wooden gate and left the village behind. No one said goodbye, which didn’t bother Kedra any. The grasslands tickling his feet as he walked past was all he needed to get his spirits up; they were finally going.

“So tell me," Kedra said to the hunter, just to make conversation, “What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve seen you around much."

The player from Bloodborne stepped forward. “I will slaughter everything in sight for you on your journey." He kneeled down and offered himself to Kedra.