"The Second Nightmare"

[Sleeper! Prepare for your Second Trial…Brave One…Welcome to the Nightmare]

A thought occurred to Gehrman as he felt his body being rewoven for the Nightmare. When he had been dropped into his First Nightmare and then the Dream Realm he had been put in quite precarious situations. 

In both situations he had suffered grievous injuries right off the bat, and it was fortunate to even have survived during those times. 

So what were the odds of The Spell doing the same thing again?

100% apparently. 

As soon as he could, Gehrman summoned his weapons. He felt his surroundings take shape and he quickly fought off the dissociation from getting a new body. Once again, he had taken the form of Old Gehrman, he could tell this was the case immediately as the powerful, lithe muscles of The First Hunter were unmistakable. 

As he came to terms with this, he dashed backward from the inevitable blow, yet it still connected.

A powerful blunt force sent him flying backwards for several meters. Fortunately, his instincts that had been honed over months of fighting Fallen creatures with Changing Star allowed him to build up some new muscle memory. 

Now whenever an unavoidable blow landed, a good amount of his blood quickly flew to the point of impact and hardened during the time that the attack connected. It was exceptionally dangerous, and if it was even held for more than two seconds it could lead to his already enhanced veins suffer irreparable damage.

For this reason, Gehrman's ribs did not crack under the mighty blow. 

It still hurt like hell though. 

As he was falling backwards, he reoriented himself midair. His [Sixth Sense] expanded and he took in the surroundings. The ground beneath his feet was less than ideal. Broken cobblestones were overtaken by an inch of dirty, swamp water. He was in a relatively open place. To his back, ruins of a city not unlike the Dark City he just came from were slumbering in a thin fog. In front of him, the rubble was much more disconnected, and the swamp water was much deeper. 

Then, of course, there was the thing that hit him. 

Gehrman sneered as he recognized the repulsive creature. Its morbid and hideous figure glistened in the moonlight.

It was a boar. 

The giant swine was a particularly vile creature that both Yharnam hunters had faced. It had grown to enormous size by feeding on humans. The stench of death and feces followed it, adding another layer of hatred Gehrman had for this creature. 

He could not take in its ugly majesty for long though. With a strained roar the boar charged, it cut through the water easily, causing a wake to form. 

Just before it reached the human, a spray of bullets met its face, hitting one of the eyes. Unfortunately, this did not cause it to slow down. The blood was supplied by Gehrman himself, and the [Blunderbuss (Sealed)] was not benefiting from its enhancement. 

Nonetheless, the boar never reached the human. 

Gehrman's speed as a normal Sleeper was already faster than normal. He was also now a Devil, and his physical strength was comparable to an average Awakened…but now that he was in Old Gehrman's body, he managed to reach the highest level of Awakened power. 

In two steps Gehrman was behind the beast. 

What followed was very unpleasant, but it was also the best way to deal with the particular creatures. 

After dismissing the gun Gehrman tricked his scythe, taking it in two hands. Then he brought it down on the boar's back. 

The creature was stunned, and it fell to the moist ground pathetically. 

Gritting his teeth Gehrman closed his eyes…and plunged his hand into the boar. It was even more unpleasant than how he remembered, but just as he remembered, it gave access to the boars' misshapen and grotesque intestines. 

These creatures' anatomy were warped by madness, blood, and slaughter. For this reason its strength was much greater than the average beast, however, it also had a weakness. 

Gehrman's hands clenched around the wet, bloody organ. And he pulled. He pulled with the blood in his body and with his own, significant might. 

The result was horrific. 

A squeal from hell was released from the pig as several meters of intestines were pulled from inside its body. They were torn viscously, and internal bleeding quickly drowned the creature in its own blood.

The voice of the Spell announced the result of the devastating attack. 

[You have slain a Fallen Demon, Maneater Boar.]

Then, it said something that he had not heard in a very, very long time. 

[You have received a Memory.]

Gehrman let out a shuddering breath at the unexpected prize. It proved something he had suspected for a long time, he could receive Memories, and perhaps even Echoes, but only in Nightmares. 

Gehrman suspected the culprit was the fiendish Moon Presence. The vile thing was skilled at finding loopholes, and it no doubt was able to replicate the Spell's miraculous feat of creating enchanted weapons, tools, charms, and attire. However, the ability to bestow these blessings was likely very limited. It was only in the Nightmares where the Moon Presence's authority multiplied that it was able to supply its avatar with much-needed equipment. 

Before he got lost in his new toy though, Gehrman took in more of the surroundings. 

It quickly became clear that he was alone. This was not a rare thing for Old Gehrman. The only times others joined him on Hunts was when he was training his pupils. And even then he only let them observe. 

He wasn't sure exactly when he was in Yharnam's timeline, but he could make a guess based on several details. 

The ruins were familiar, which wasn't surprising given that Old Gehrman explored a great many places during his many Hunts. The architecture was ancient, not unlike those of the mysterious Labyrinth that Gehrman could only scarcely recall. Many of the details surrounding the Arcan birthplace of The Blood were still shrouded in fog. 

However, he was not currently in a labyrinth. Indeed wispy clouds hovered above Gehrman's head, quietly flying through the night sky. This place was indeed real life. The strange pocket dimension that was born from the Chalice Rituals gave a peek into ancient civilizations. 

These ancient civilizations were the subject of much academic frenzy. Neither Old Gehrman nor Johann delved especially deep into the details, but he did know that there were a few notable places. 

The first and largest was Pthumeru. They were the most observed culture, and their dungeons ranged from easy to outright impossible. Old Gehrman delved deep, but he did not reach the lowest depth of the Chalices'. Johann…might have.

He recalled the prodigious hunter acquiring the first Pthumerian Chalice, but the following events were unclear once again. 

The other civilizations had much less known about them. Loran, also known as Ailing Loran, seemed to be corrupted by Arcane famine and disaster. The great Isz seemed to have delved too deep into the knowledge of the cosmos. And the people of Hintertomb fell to a ravenous poison. 

Gehrman narrowed his eyes and knelt down. 

After checking his person, he was lucky to find a set of Antidotes and Sedatives. Both were useful, but the former was what was important now. 

He could already feel the itching, the rashes forming and his body stinging. But after removing his glove and touching a bit of his finger to the swamp water below, he knew what it was. 

The dangerous and ancient poison that resided in the ruins of the great people of the past. 

Gehrman knew where he was.

The ruins of Hintertomb.