It was hard to make out the exact expressions of the two scholars. The candlelight that was the only source of brightness never lingered on any of their features long enough for Gehrman to ascertain their exact reactions.
Even still, he could feel the tension and confusion among the men.
"Morning," Gehrman took off his top hat and bowed slightly. "I ran into some trouble on my recent trip to the Hinterlands, I was hoping you could help me out."
The face of Master Willem turned downward into a frown. His wrinkled, fat cheeks sagged in such a way that it made the man seem even older than he actually was.
"...Brygenwerth owes you a great debt, Gehrman. For that reason we agreed to harbor you even after you left us. I hope you understand your positions," the old man drawled.
If there was one thing Gehrman hated the most about the Provost, it was his manner of speaking. He never just said what he meant, always dancing around the topic with as much mystery and mirth as he could muster. And in this case, he was subtly hinting to Gehrman to "know your place." This was indeed after the schism between the scholars. And though Gehrman was still afforded certain privileges due to his status as The First Hunter, he was not a member of Byrgenwerth anymore, or even an affiliate.
Master Willem retained a certain distance from The Healing Church, and that distance extended to The Workshop as well. The only exception was Micolash's School of Mensis, which regularly exchanged research and information on the Arcane.
This was likely the reason the man was here in the first place.
"I slaughtered a particularly nasty Maneater Boar, but I wasn't unscathed. Some of my memories are hazy, would it be possible to answer some questions?" This obviously fake excuse was not something Gehrman came up with on the spot.
The scholars all had great minds that picked up on every little detail. As such they were masters at solving puzzles, or failing that, they would create puzzles.
Immediately he saw the stir in their minds as they did their best to deduce Gehrman's true meaning. Of course, there was no deeper meaning in this case. However, the Provost and Micolash would not accept such a simple answer. They needed more information.
And so it was Micolash who prodded him next.
"I'm surprised you can even suffer injury. I haven't seen you bleed your own blood in all of our time together," he paused, appraising Gehrman's status. "Were you caught off guard perhaps? No, such a thing shouldn't be possible for someone as auspicious as the great First Hunter."
Instead of dignifying that taunt with a response, Gehrman instead kept his eyes on Master Willem.
The old man seemed to consider his words deeply, but eventually he too ignored Micolash and responded to Gehrman's request.
"Of course, what are your questions?" he said slowly.
The creases in Gehrman's face relaxed as a tension he hadn't realized he had been holding was released.
"What is the status of the Church currently? What about the Scourge? Has it grown worse recently?"
The two scholars were taken aback by the simplicity of the questions. But their curiosity pushed them to answer.
"The Church is growing as it should under Laurence's guidance," Micolash explained. "A third cathedral has been commissioned, and the word is spreading about the wondrous powers of the Blood."
At this, Master Willem made a sound akin to an unhappy grunt. Indeed, though he embraced Micolash's research into the Arcane, he could not and would not condone the use of the Blood in such a way.
"As for the Scourge…" Micolash continued. "Shouldn't you know it better than anyone? The Beasts grow in number, but your pupils are coming along well. As long as you keep training new ones, we should stay at a comfortable equilibrium." The rat-like man paused then, seemingly overcome with a new thought he simply had to voice. "If anything, the main issue is those foul Vilebloods. They have taken to killing Hunters, in fact, I think those abominations are actively seeking them out. Logarius is currently mobilizing his own forces, and I suspect he is eagerly awaiting your return. As I understand it, he is expecting that new weapon you promised him."
This small rant was enough for Gehrman to finally confirm where he was on the timeline of Yharnam.
There were several key details that allowed him to pinpoint the exact time period.
The first clue had come when Gehrman was simply entering the room. During that time, Master Willem had mentioned the Hamlet. In other words, that horror show was behind them. That incident had occurred in the very year that the Church was founded. The next big piece was Micolash's claim that the Scourge was manageable.
In truth, it was never manageable.
Ever since Gehrman started to Hunt he was behind in his work. For every Beast he slaughtered, several humans died.
However, his disciples had apparently begun to distinguish themselves at this time, which was proof enough that The Healing Church had not yet gone public with the Hunts. The mention of his disciples indicated that his Workshop was still the primary force halting the spread of the Scourge.
Years down the line, half a dozen other factions would sprout from the Workshop, some of which were founded by his current disciples. And these factions would Hunt with the masses. They would be known and celebrated.
The fact that none of these factions were mentioned was a very important indicator.
The final nail in the coffin was the final mention of Logarius and the Vilebloods.
As soon as he heard those words, he could have sworn he felt the strings of Fate tighten around him. The event that this Nightmare would focus on started to become obvious. Though he couldn't be certain yet, slaughter of the Cainhurst Vilebloods was indeed an event on the level of the burning of Old Yharnam.
Logarius was a very special figure in the history of the Church. He was the leader of the Executioners. This group was not a part of the force fighting Beasts, but instead focused on killing humanoid enemies. They started out small, as Laurence didn't see the need for a personal police force. However, their goals swiftly change after the first Hunter was slain by a Vileblood. That young man's corpse had been left a bloody display, as if those fiends truly saw the murder as a work of art.
After that, Logarius had worked to turn the tables. He took on several pupils of his own, and trained them with the express purpose of slaughtering Vilebloods.
In this way, Logarius became a figure quite similar to Gehrman.
Indeed at this point in history, there were only two figures who could match Gehrman in physical combat. Both of them were older than him, and had received training distinct from the kind Gehrman offered.
The first was obviously Logarius, who favored a more direct and powerful approach.
The second was the one who claimed the title Hunter of Hunters. His name was Gairm, and he wielded one of the two siderite weapons in the world (the other being Gehrman's own Burial Blade). He was a foreigner whose speed surpassed even Gehrman's, and his dexterity with his Blades of Mercy were distinctly harrowing.
And so it was that these three figures stood above all others in Yharnam.
Gehrman led the Workshop Hunters.
Logarius led the Executioners.
And Gairm worked alone, as the sole Hunter of Hunters.
…
With that out of the way, Gehrman left the building shortly after. His main goal of finding out the time period was realized, and he had even identified what was likely the main conflict of the Nightmare.
The only issue was, how should he get involved?
Old Gehrman had stayed well away from that horrid battle, but the current him felt a certain inclination to intervene.
The reason for this was because the event was simply too horrible.
The Cainhurst Vilebloods were exceptional warriors, and they had an eerie ability to control blood. But when the Executioners arrived at their front gate, what followed was nothing more than an extermination. Logarius's strength was on par with Gehrman's after all. Equipped with the right tools, the Vilebloods stood no chance.
…the Vilebloods did do much to deserve this fate. They showed cruel tendencies and heartless tactics. However they were ultimately human. Some of them were terrible, and some were good.
Maria was a prime example of this.
Even when the scholars wrote the Vilebloods off as inhuman monsters, they never did the same to Maria. This might have been because she had sworn off using the Arcane blood ability, but it was also because she was simply a good person.
There were other Vilebloods who were good. Gehrman was sure of it.
The genocide that would happen soon was an atrocity for this reason.
What's more, Gehrman had Johann's perspective. In the decades following, Cainhurst had fallen into ruin, but the paradigm was far more twisted than it seemed on the surface. While spirits of the slain Cainhurst nobles lingered in the halls, there still existed one being who still lived.
The Immortal Vileblood Queen Annalise. Her blood and flesh manipulation were at such a level that even dismembered and ground into paste, her consciousness persisted.
Logarius had met the fate of a martyr, taking up the role of gatekeeper and making sure the Queen never escaped.
He did this for far longer than any human should have been able to. This was because he had become Undying, not unlike the Queen he so hated. The countless lives lost and the unique Arcane air of Cainhurst mutated the once great man into a hollow shell.
This was a fate that Gehrman was determined to change.
But to do that, he needed more power.
And so he found himself in front of a quiet lakeside home of average size. Despite it being simple on the surface level, the fact that it was several hundred meters removed from the rest of the college did much to demonstrate its uniqueness.
Gehrman approached the house with a slight hesitation. This encounter would likely bring a great boon, but he never did enjoy the process. Especially because the person responsible for the process made him so uncomfortable.
After letting out a breath, his tough knuckles rapped against the door. The sound was crisp, but it was followed by silence.
…then, a scurrying came from within the house.
Moments later, a mop of light brown hair ran into Gehrman's chest. The wavy bob flattened against the metal chestplate and a hollow sound rang out.
"Gehrman, still alive I see," the woman said without looking up.
"...Caryll…are you alright?" Gehrman tried his best to hide his discomfort with a genuine concern.
"I'm great, just peachy, having a wonderful time, the water is rising, the waves are crashing," the woman mumbled the last part.
Her mania was evident, but it was only natural. After all, this woman was Runesmith Caryll. The only one who could discern the mutterings of The Great Ones.