Bloodborne 198 Partnership

Surgit looked around. He noticed a hole in the middle of a hill that preceded the lake. "Perhaps we could jump over there and surprise the fucker," he said.

Karla wiped her mouth and looked at the spot where the giant stood, now hidden from them. "It's definitely better than the poison." Her face turned green and she started vomiting again. "This poison alone will kill me..."

"We should get back to the dream. I've picked up some runes in the Forbidden Woods. They might help us counter poison effects," Surgit said. He was squinting at the hole he'd noticed. "We could also explore Yharnam and fill our vials. We'll need all the help we could get if we are to navigate these treacherous lands."

Karla nodded. "I can't look at these waters without getting the urge to..." she folded on herself once more and retched.

Surgit winced at the sounds Karla made. She was obviously in pain, no matter how many blood vials she injected. She only calmed down after they came back to the dream. She inhaled the clean air and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

Surgit approached the altar on which he could inscribe runes. He checked the ones he had until he found the right one. "Here," he pointed at the parchment he held. "We'll inscribe our minds with this symbol, using this." He produced a tool that strangely resembled a corkscrew.

Surgit showed Karla how to inscribe runes in her mind using the tool. After they were done, Karla inspected the garb they'd taken from the student in the lecture hall. She'd found out it had strong resistance to poison, and decided to wear it.

Surgit opted for Father Gascoigne's set. Its resistance to poison was high enough. They were ready to head to Yharnam when they heard a sound near the doll. Upon closer inspection, they saw Francis. He was walking toward the workshop with his head bowed down.

"What's on your mind old man?" Surgit asked.

Francis jumped backwards and drew his sword. When he'd realized it was Surgit, he relaxed. Then Karla walked from behind the hunter, and Francis's jaw dropped to his knees. He rubbed his eyes, shook his head, rubbed his eyes once more then looked at Karla. She was still standing beside Surgit. Her lips parted into a weak smile.

"Long time no see Francis," she said in a low tone.

"I've seen you die, right before my eyes..." Francis said with trembling lips.

Karla gave the old man a full account of her adventure back in time. When she was done, Francis's eyes were fixating her with great interest.

"You've witnessed history in the making," he said in a fascinated tone. He rested his head on his hands and averted his gaze from Karla to the fireplace. "Did you see or hear anything about Cainhurst?"

Karla's face darkened upon hearing the name. "Why do you ask?" she asked with a heavy frown.

"I've been there recently. The carnage in the castle and the amount of ghosts that roam the place..." Francis shuddered. "I took Surgit there too."

Surgit nodded. "It felt like I've lived through all the scary stories my grandma used to tell when I was a child."

"This entire place exceeds all horror stories folk spread back home," Francis noted.

"The man who executed us all, we met him in the Nightmare Frontier..." Karla said, thoughtful.

Francis's eyes widened. "This is what he meant by friends!" he enthusiastically said.

"Did you meet him too?" Surgit asked.

Francis frowned. He was still staring at the fireplace. Fire crackled as it licked the stacked logs. "He was here, in the dream. He shot me in the head right after I killed two hunters. They called themselves executioners."

"Was one of them Alfred?" Surgit blurted out.

"Those are the ones who attacked Cainhurst!" Karla said next.

Francis looked at Surgit and shook his head. "One of them was Quip, almost killed me." Francis shuddered at the thought. "The other was called Hal or Phil or something. I quickly dealt with him, don't remember his face."

He turned to Karla next. "When you say attacked, you're speaking about the past you traveled to, is that right?"

Karla nodded. "Gehrman didn't know about their plans until it was too late. What do you know of them?"

"They use some strange wheels as weapons. It glows a sinister red when they turn it. One hit and your limbs become goo. You can't heal it no matter how many blood vials you inject. I feared I'd spend the remainder of my days as shapeless goo..." Francis shuddered as a chill run down his spine.

"Where were you before we met?" Surgit asked.

Francis's face darkened even more. "There's a red moon hovering above Yharnam's sky. Some strange beasts, spider like and as big as a house, watch from atop tall towers."

"I've seen one of them," Surgit said.

"It was back in the chapel near the Great Cathedral," Karla added.

"Did you go beyond the door?" Francis asked.

Both hunters shook their heads.

Francis let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. "Things are bad beyond the door. I wound up in a place called Yahar'gul. Huntsmen roam in great numbers. What's worse, every time you kill one of them, another appears right behind you."

"Is this why you came back to the dream? Are you here to upgrade your attributes?" Surgit asked.

"Those giant spider like creatures..." Francis said then fell silent.

"They're apparently called Amygdala," Surgit said.

"Scary things..." Karla commented.

"Did you see their eyes?" Francis asked.

"Those things have eyes?" both Surgit and Karla asked simultaneously.

Francis nodded. "They shoot light beams at you. They seem harmless at first, but whatever they touch explodes. I was surprised when fire shot out below my legs. I was blown to smithereens. I suppose I've experienced all kinds of deaths..."

Karla and Surgit exchanged puzzled looks.

"I've been to Yahar'gul before. I didn't see any Amygdalas..." Karla said.

"Me neither..." Surgit replied.

"How about you two help me explore the hidden village?" Francis asked. He was back to the enthusiastic philanthropist. "I can help you later with your exploration."

"We do need to fill our blood vials," Surgit said, thoughtful.

"We also need some echoes..." Karla added.

"It's settled then," Francis said with a wide smile. He stood and extended his hand toward the hunters. "Let's make a pact. We help each other in time of need and split the spoils."

Karla stood and rested her hand atop Francis's. "I don't see why not," she said.

Surgit stood and joined them. "Let us cleanse these tarnished streets." He said as he joined hands with the others.

Chapter end