C103: End to it all Pt9, Go on, Git
9/21/26
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"Mergo, I've come to Bargain."
I call out and I can feel that the chaos energy sourcing the [translation] effect flows out, piece by piece with my words. I most certainly understand everything I just said but a second later it shifts and it's unfamiliar to me but also somehow understood.
It's weird, is what I'm saying. Just like the lack of reply for some time where I am stuck standing around, just shambling in place, kicking at randomly growing long grass before I realize something.
"You can just talk to me anyway you want. I will understand regardless" I clarify as I wasn't sure if Mergo was under pressure due to having to expend effort to talk to a 'lower' creature.
Not long after I say that, my head is filled with water, not literally but that would probably feel better than this. It reminds me of something I experienced before arriving here. Seizure part 2, Electric Boogaloo, Go.
I grab the right side of my head to try to stabilize myself as my eye is doing a weird jerky action which gives me the impression that it could pop out in a second. My head also twitches as my chin rises up every so often to the left.
{How is an idiot like you meant to understand me} Only when I finally process the message does the shaking stop and I can think.
Sigh "I agree that I am an idiot 99.9% of the time, but right here and now, we are in the .1% scenario. Also as the person you are actively talking to. I would greatly appreciate it if you could release your words through the air like us 'savages'. And yes, I know I said anything is fine. But not having a new tumor being made every time you say anything would be great" I finish my words by clasping my hands together with a thin smile on my face, acting all cutesy, having my right leg wobble on the tip of my shoe.
{"This is quite interesting. hehe"} I hear what is essentially a single hum which transitions into a full sentence and giggle. Ah the beauty of being a child. Or the closest thing that an eldritch child could be at a few hundred years old.
I throw out a thumbs up as I reciprocate its amusement. "I also didn't envision that the first usage of this ability would be to talk to a Great One like yourself. Maybe a dog instead but here we are."
{"So you say. What do you want, human?"} Mergo hums again and I feel a tingle up my spine at the same time.
"Okay, straight to business. To my knowledge, Mensis set up this place to call you down right? You also were able to suppress my thingamabob that's screwing with my head too right? " I ask to confirm my hypothesis.
{"oh, that thing you call a system right? It does funny things when I poke it but I thought I did it too hard and it broke. phew, good to see it's not broken. Also yes, they did call me here. They wanted me to give them my blessings which you got to them first so i've done nothing till now except poke you."}
Mergo first mentions the system and acts like a guilty child who is relieved that he didn't break someone else's toy. 'He' then simply confirms the reason for his presence here and why he even messed with my system in the first place.
"I see. Well, my first request is to turn my system off so that we can 'talk' in private." I say and stroke the handle of my saw cleaver on my waist."
{"hmmm, okay"} I get a short response before my head explodes.
"AAGGHH AHHHHH" Not literally but it quickly reaches a point where I wish it did so I could end my suffering. What happens is that I collapse to my knees, gripping my head and trying to crush it like that one scene from Tron. It's horrible. The blood dripping all over my face from being squeezed out of the pores of my skin is proof enough of my misery.
[...system….entering….sleep mode eeeehooooo]I hear words in decreasing pitch enter my head before releasing a shut down sound and just like that, I cant open my system at all. Even the sub systems were down.
I stretch a bit to get the feel for my body without the aid of the system. Even hopping in place before speaking again.
"Cover your ears child. I…I..I…I'm gonna curse." My words fill my throat in a guttural manner as it takes all my will to not get violent from the intense headache.
{"um…why?"} Mergo asks and with the full power of my lungs, I release my annoyance of what I just went through.
"HECK…" As I shout, [Translation] wears off and I have to recast it on myself.
"Whoo" {"HA HA HA HA HA"}I release a sigh and I begin to pick up on Mergo's laughter at my 'curse' which lasts a few minutes. I take this time to summon some water and wash my face off of all the blood that seeped out of my eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Along with practically every single pore and vein. The veins are still taking some time to recede back into place even with the weakened healing factor I possess.
"Glad to see that worked. Now we can properly get back to business"
{"Hihi hi. Okay."} Mergo still chuckles a bit before stopping. I get down to the root of the matter.
"So since you were called down and everyone is dead. That technically means you're free to leave right?"
{"I can't. Until I fulfill the contractorial obligations"}
"You mean the whole thing about fulfilling the wish of the leader of this land?" I ask for clarification.
{"That too. Early on, they had already made their wish known. The elevation of their powers. This was concentrated on their leader"}
"Right, Nicolash. You mentioned this a few moments ago that it was my fault that my system empowered him, leaving you without work. But everyone else is dead now. Leaving just me." I bring back what he mentioned and then break down that there are no believers left as I exterminated everyone else myself or through chaos.
{"I guess so. Oh, I know. I'll give you my blessing. What type do you want?"}
"Eh….hmmm. Honestly I don't really need anything. I don't want to change my body. I pretty much have everything I could ever need. Give me a moment to think on it" I say as I didn't expect this situation. Even rehearsing conversations ahead of time couldn't help me predict this situation. Especially since I had never spoken to Mergo before and thus couldn't predict his behavior.
{"Ehhhh"} Mergo seems a bit disappointed and it takes me an actual few minutes to come up with something. I couldn't come up with any abilities that I could need as I'm fairly well rounded in physical and magical abilities. I rarely get injured so even my passive regen barely gets work.
"Alright, I've decided. Could you just give me something like this. A blank slate like this one too" I take out an item that is bound to me, a special type of rune that is positioned on my wrist in the form of four circles with three of them being perfect circles and the last being an oval in the center. Like a Venn Diagram. At the bottom of it is a single line leading down into three paths that then converge into a basin below it.
{"hmmm. Interesting concept. I'm stealing the design."} Mergo suddenly announces after seemingly scanning the mark.
"What, no. it's mine" I proclaim with full intent to fight if he actually plans to do this but I barely get a chance to complain as I found an exact replica of the symbol now on my other wrist, leading down to the imprinted Caryll runes.
Yes imprints, not carvings anymore. My attempt at self mutilation was also made right. I don't know why I brainlessly did that. What with now knowing that the reason the so called curse existed with them was because the rune carvings intersected my death courting cuts.
"Okay, now that your obligations here are complete…they are done, yes?" I confirmed with Mergo just to make sure while reapplying the translation spell again.
{"Yes"}
"Perfect. Now I would just tell you to leave but im sure that would cause some sort of problem for me. So could you make yourself a wet nurse around my level or just below for me to fight. I'll likely need some sort of other information to declare the nightmare slain status and technically complete my duties. Maybe create a weaker version of yourself too which is meant to die alongside the wet nurse" I set out all the necessary details to commit fraud against The Moon Presence.
Yes, I can finally remember all the details of the game that were locked to me early on. Specifically around the time I fought Rom did i realize that a lot of my late game memories weren't matching, a sense of loss evident but not sure where.
Mergo releases multiple 'hums' in sequence and I soon process the lengthy message.
{"You humans are so dumb. I already knew your objective the moment you came in. You don't need to tell me what is required. I was already planning on summoning my care taker to kill you. I only held back since you amused me with all your nonsense. You can die now"}
'God dang it. Cant trust shit in Yharnam. Cant even betray one Eldritch God to save another if their life depended on it. What happened to the good old fashioned morals where you could betray in style?' I internally curse as a big wisp of power is condensed in the air which then begins to take shape in a giant creature.
FWOOSH. A gigantic Mergo Wet Nurse appears in the center of the arena. Easily double if not triple the size of a regular one. Its multiple arms each hold a blade that is around 3/4ths of my own body which is not a good sign for me.
"Well. Time to show you the meaning of Human Perseverance."
"Put them up. Time to square up Bucko." I raise my fists in preparation for the fight.
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Word Count = 1841