After three months after the cohort had started the long journey back from the Hollow Mountains, a lot had changed. Without the efficient (albeit terrifying) method of travel on the walking statue, their progress was a lot slower. At least, in terms of travel.
However this period of time allowed all of their abilities to skyrocket. By the end of the journey, everyone seemed to have all but maxed out how much Soul Fragments they could fit in their core. Unlike Gehrman who kept on creating new Soul Cores, the others had a finite amount of Fragments they could consume before they reached the peak of being a Sleeper. Gehrman had surpassed this peak a while ago. His nature as a Divine Aspect user allowed him to build a truly horrifying amount of strength. Especially given the current counter.
Blood Fragments: [1538/3000]
Enemies Slain: [342/10,000]
His progress was probably about the same as it would have been if he had stayed in the Dark City. However, the real boon was his increased strength. Though he could not recall the peak of Gehrman and Johann's strength, he would definitely put his current level well beyond where his memories fogged up. He could crush stone in his bare hands easily. If given a clump of cold iron, he could squeeze and reshape the metal easily. Though he couldn't do the same with materials left behind by Fallen creatures, he could mold the remains of Awakened abominations with ease.
Perhaps most excitingly, he had also grown a bit. Gehramn had not been keeping track of it, but he did start to notice that some of his dodges or attacks were slightly off. Only after he caught Sunless staring at him with ire did he make the connection that Dorian's 14 year old body had matched the height of the 17 year old Sunless. In all likelihood, Gehrman would likely surpass him in a couple more months.
Despite this tension, Gehrman felt much more at ease with the group after their shared battle experiences. He paid each of them compliments (since it seemed like the right thing to do) and even tried to help Sunless get over his hate of Caster. Though it managed to fail spectacularly, it was a miracle that Caster's mask didn't fall off completely. Even so, despite his outward kindness, he clearly looked down on Sunless quite a bit.
…This was worrying for Gehrman. Caster was objectively in the wrong and kinda evil, but Gehrman was still fond of him. Sunless on the other hand seemed to have warmed up to him a bit. They had a whole two additional conversations after they had camped the night before reaching the Dawn Shard. Despite his best efforts though, the two still stared at each other with the promise of murder.
The other members were much more delightful. Effie had taken a liking to him and now referred to him exclusively as "Gramps," thus mocking his self-proclaimed age. It was still better than Sunless being referred to as "Doofus," so he wasn't going to complain. In fact, it seemed to tickle some memory in the back of his head. Perhaps Old Gerhman had been addressed as such before.
Kai was just a genuinely good person, if a little naive. It was hard to hate the guy, and his archery ability had improved dramatically, and now that he had the Ascended Arrow Memory gifted by Sunless, he was perhaps on the level of Caster, Effie, and Sunless in certain situations.
Although, no one came close to Changing Star when she decided to go all out. Her flames were simply tyrannical, nothing they touched failed to burn. The only exception was the Dark Sea itself, which just went to show how absurd the abyssal ocean was.
Cassie had developed the most. Gaining an additional Awakened Echo, thus bringing the total amount to three. She seemed to be a lot more comfortable, and had adapted incredibly well to her blindness.
Thankfully, being around these beautiful women for extended periods of time did not push him over the edge of sanity. Through sheer will power Gehrman managed to "get used to it" and stop his fourteen-year-old body from being too unbearable.
And so it was, the group had all grown and had been sharpened into warriors elite enough to challenge Gunlaug himself.
Sitting around the final fire before ascending back to the Dark City proper, Changing Star consulted Sunless about his prospects of joining them. He gave a non-answer and shifted their focus to his payment, which was the slaying of a Fallen Devil.
Even with his great improvements, Gehrman was not confident in beating a Fallen Devil, especially the one Sunless wanted to kill. The Black Knight that was the Shadow's target had a deadly aura that was abnormal even for a creature of its status. On top of that, it had no skin–and therefore no blood–that Gehrman could take advantage of brutalizing. He would need his Fallen Kirkhammer back in its complete form to do that, but rebuilding the heavy head of the hammer would probably take another week.
Sunless would not wait for a week.
The murderous intent in his eyes was unnaturally cold. When he talked about the Black Knight his entire demeanor changed into one of hatred. It was not a blind hatred though. He had expertly studied the creature and correctly made several assumptions about his strengths and weaknesses. He also came up with a plan to leverage Changing Star's light and the strength of his Stone Saint Echo.
Despite the odds, the plan seemed plausible. In fact, Gehrman was confident it was going to work. As a mercenary himself, Gehrman did not have any obligation to aid him in this Hunt, but he decided to watch over it anyway. If nothing else than to see how far the Shadow had grown.
After this, Changing Start turned her attention to Gehrman.
"So, are you going to join us in taking down Gunlaug and freeing the Dark City?"
Gehrman tilted his head, a shrewd smile coming across his face. "I hunt beasts, Lady Nephis. Nightmare Creatures or those who have completely succumbed to madness. No other human shall taste my blade."
She frowned at him. "Gunlaug has halted the progress and hope of the Sleepers in the Dark City. He is holding them prisoner out of his own greed, even though the number of Sleepers being sent to the Forgotten Shore is dropping each year. Is that not evil? Is that not madness?"
Gehrman took time to consider this. Despite her age, Changing Star made an excellent public speaker. She wielded a charisma and an infectious passion that brought many to practically (if not literally) kneel before her. However, Gehrman was a jaded old man at heart. He was unmoved.
"It is indeed evil. But no, it's not madness. Greed is an intrinsic trait in all humans. Gunlaug has succumbed to it. He has succumbed to fear as well. Even with that Transcendent armor he won't go out and hunt for his own people. He is a foul person, and worse he is an inefficient person. However, that is all it is. He is a scared child, just like the rest of you. He doesn't know what he is doing any more than the rest of you. Any kid would fall into the same trap if given the same circumstances."
"But he must die," Changing Star continued, adamant in her resolve. "You recognize that he is wrong, even if his actions make sense from a warped point of view. But right now he needs to be dealt with."
"And he will be. You will kill him, burn him alive, slaughter his followers, bring order and hope to the Dark City. Hundreds will die. This too is evil. This too is not madness. The reasoning is clear and understandable. It comes from a place that has not crossed the threshold into excessiveness. So, if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to keep my hands clean of this mess."
The mood around the camp turned dismal. In his sane state, Gehrman could say some strangely profound statements, it caught the cohort off guard every time. Hearing the boy's words, his mad rambles about being an old man seemed much more likely. Of course, no one believed it still. Though Kai could confirm it was the truth, that didn't count for much considering that as long as Gehrman believed it was true, it would be considered truth.
"So you won't do the right thing…even though you have the power to make it happen. Is that not also madness?" Cassie was the one to chime in this time. The darkening tone of her voice was chilling. Her pale, motionless eyes stuck out slightly from under the silver ornament that adorned her face. With her head upturned, they seemed to be challenging Gehrman.
"Of course, I already told you I was mad!" Gehrman suddenly yelled. "But everything else must go first. I'll retire from hunting at the end of that journey, and end myself as my last job. But only as long as I am certain that the entire world, and even the worlds beyond are cleansed."
The fervor that met Cassie made her and the rest of them flinch. With a dull realization, Gehrman recognized that something odd was happening as the others fell into, and immediately recovered a quick daze. Along with his words, his presence had shaken the group. The buzz of Frenzy that constantly followed the boy had grown more excited in that moment. But it quickly fell away.
Leaving the group with a harrowing omen.
Gehrman was mad. Not just in the sense that he said weird things or had weird tastes. No, there was an obvious and glaring flaw in his mentality. His stability was a mirage, and the only thing keeping him from delving into Corruption was his will and bloodlust.
The cohort had grown used to his tendencies, and knew to be wary of him after he had imbibed blood. It was because of this that something worthy of much alarm had never been noticed. That was the fact that even when he was at his most sane, he was still a madman. And he was also powerful enough to push his madness onto others.
Changing Star came to the realization that this type of abstinence from human confrontation, was in fact his last ditch effort at holding on to his sanity. For if he delved into wars between humans, the result could only end in a total nightmare. The blood, the hunt, the insanity of it all would overpower him. Taking a human life took a toll no matter who you were, for someone like Gehrman, it was simply not worth the risk of even being in such a scene.
…
The next day Gehrman tugged on the hidden lever that opened the door to his Workshop. Entering back into the dim light, he was surprised to see the torches burning. He had blown them out like any self-respecting home owner would do. Even if he had pain-stakingly installed an archaic ventilation system, the complete burning of the torch was a waste. All of this was to say, someone was here.
Gehrman sauntered his way in, not taking on an offensive stance or acting with any apparent caution. Sure enough, his [Sixth Sense] vaguely picked up a figure in the other room. The fact that it was so hard to identify its shape indicated it could only be one thing.
"Princess," Gehrman greeted as he entered his bedroom. "I'm surprised to see you come to welcome me back. Honestly, I thought you would just take my stash of Soul Shards and never talk to me again."
Seishan, who was sipping on what smelled like tea, faced him with her usual regal grace. This time though, there was an annoyance behind her eyes. "You leave for three months and don't think to explain where you're going? You didn't even explain why you were going."
"I left a message with one of your handmaidens," Gehrman said. "It was supposed to explain all that."
"The note said, and I quote, 'going away to find treasure or something. No need to keep sending Cory and Handmaidens around for a while. Bye.'" Her glare somehow turned even colder. Her composure was held together with seeming ease, but Gehrman could see the tension.
"You're…mad at me?" Gehrman was dumbfounded at the prospect. It seemed like getting looked down upon by a student after all…though, such a thing was not unfamiliar to him. This type of scowl was another thing that reminded him of Maria. Whenever he did something rude or went on a hunt without inviting her she would also make Gehrman suffer by being generally unpleasant.
"I am disappointed. I thought you would be more professional."
Gehrman gave the girl a deadpan stare. "That's petty," Gehrman moved to take a seat across from the Princess of Song. "Fortunately I don't really care right now. I've gotten a lot stronger and I'm planning on going after some Fallen Monster's, maybe some Demons. I want to become a Devil before the Solstice arrives."
She blinked, surprised at the casual mention of his ability to increase his Class. It was something she was aware of, but hearing it in conversation was still odd. "Changing Star will be making her move, is that why?"
"No," Gehrman waved her off. He didn't bother to ask how she knew about the upcoming rebellion. As one of Gunlaug's Lieutenants, there was no doubt that she would be privy to such information. "Unfortunately, I am on a timetable now. I am not sure how much longer, but pretty soon I'll be indefinitely incapacitated."
"What?" Seishan's voice actually rose in surprise. "Is this another issue with using your Aspect, or does it have to do with having multiple Soul Cores?"
"Neither," Gehrman said.
He paused as he tried to think of how to word the explanation. All the while, the whispers of the Nightmare grew louder. Three months had passed and the Call had not ebbed once. It started off as easily dismissable, he could even forget about it. Now though, he heard it in every waking moment, and every sleeping one as well.
The Call of the Second Nightmare was quiet, but it was getting louder.