85 Insightful conversation

Francis was standing opposite Surgit who didn't know how to react. Francis had gone missing and Karla had risked her neck searching for him. Francis broke the silence.

- "Surprised to see me alive and well I see, well I found a way to receive blood ministration and here I am. This place sure is a haven for hunters."Francis had a habit of talking too much, and he didn't stir away from it.

- "Karla looked for you everywhere. I guess she's still out there trying to find you." These were all the words he could muster.

- "Is she still alive? I thought that she died during that fight against Paul. She was completely immobile when I left the place earlier." Francis was surprised at hearing the news.

- "I found her lying on the ground next to Paul's corpse. I guess that was after you left. Was it you who did that to him?" Surgit still couldn't believe his eyes.

- "I wish it was me. I despised that man for killing all my men and almost making all the trouble I went through go to naught." Francis spoke in a bitter tone, remembering all that happened between him and the two mercenaries before. "A woman wearing a crow garb appeared from nowhere and beheaded him. I can't say I felt bad for him at that moment. He got his hands on a blood vial and blood had made him go crazy."

- "I guess that was my mistake, I teamed up with him and Damien before I fought that giant beast when I met you and Karla in Central Yharnam. I guess I thought of them being of good use to me."

- "Let's not dwell on the past now. Since we are both hunters now, I guess we could cooperate in order to achieve our objectives." Francis started speaking in his courteous tone again.

- "And what would your objective be right now? I guess you have had the old blood administered to you. What else would you want?" Surgit never liked this old man. In fact he felt used by him since the beginning of the expedition but he didn't mind as long as he secured his place aboard that ship. He was a man of his word after all.

- "First of all, I have a debt to repay you. You saved us the trouble of fighting the cleric beast back on that bridge. Yes the name of that abomination you fought is the cleric beast." He said his last sentence as a response to Surgit's raised eyebrow.

- "Okay, and what would your form of payment be?" Surgit still had trouble trusting the old man so he used sarcasm to hide his insecurity.

- "Information, the only valuable resource in here apart from blood echoes is information. And I'm willing to share with you some of what I found out exploring Yharnam. But first let's make ourselves comfortable inside the workshop. I guess the old man isn't around?" Francis' tone had changed to patronizing, almost giving Surgit the illusion that he felt superior to him.

They went inside the workshop and settled in front of the fireplace. Francis was the first to resume the conversation:

- "I must say, this place is peaceful but I'm not willing to linger around here for long. So tell me Mr. Surgit, what peaks your interest?"

- "I don't know, how about you tell me about the blood ministration and who gave it to you?" He had too many questions in mind, but he didn't know what Francis knew or didn't know to begin with.

- "Are you sure you'd like to waste the valuable information I'm willing to give you for free, to get an answer to this specific question?" Francis was the sarcastic one this time around.

- "Pray tell me then, this information you claim possessing, how did you come across it? And who provided you with it?"

- "I'll give you this tidbit for free. I came across a nice man in a village outside Yharnam, he gave me access to his expansive library and I learned a great deal about how this world functions. So now, what would you like to know about Mr. Hunter?"

- "Do you know anything of Paleblood?" The notion came back to him, and Surgit hoped to find at least a clue leading towards that.

- "Aha, interesting that you've heard about Paleblood too. I've seen it mentioned in only two books. And it seems that it has something to do with Byrgenwerth." Francis had an intrigued face and rubbed his white goatee while contemplating Surgit.

- "And how do I reach Byrgenwerth? Do you know of a way?"

- "I do know of a way but I'm not willing to convey this information to you. I said that I would repay you and I did. My payment has been fulfilled."

- "Typical, a businessman even when money has no more value."

- "We give value to what we desire and quantify it with means of payment. Don't you buy strength from the doll and weapons or items from the messengers in the fountain? If there's no money, there's barter."

- "Well, thank you sir for your valuable information. If you'd excuse me now, I have places to go." Surgit stood up and with his ceremonial words made for the door.

- "You can use your insight to summon other hunters from times long past into yours, they may help you fight the monsters that may cause you trouble. Well, they 'may' help." Francis said, as Surgit reached the door. "As long as you have a summoning bell that is."

- "Didn't you say that information was valuable?" Said Surgit as he turned around facing Francis.

- "Well it is, I just had a smaller debt to repay you, for saving Karla." Francis stood up and left the workshop too, heading towards the doll.

Surgit remembered having found a bell in an old drawer in the workshop. He didn't know what its use was but he kept it in his pocket. He took out the bell and inspected it with his insight. Knowledge came to him immediately: Beckoning bell: Great old bell discovered in the underground labyrinth. Its ring resonates across worlds, and the first hunter used it as a special signal to call hunters from other worlds to cross the gap and cooperate. A human must use insight to ring this uncanny bell. But the benefits of cross-world cooperation are many.

'The hell is that supposed to mean? Other worlds, are there other worlds such as this one? Damn that old man' Surgit took the bell and pocketed it. He headed back towards the doll and met Francis who was on his way out from the dream. "One last thing, legend says that if you find Paleblood, you can transcend the hunt, which means that you can leave Yharnam and keep those special powers of yours. We may not meet again for a long time. So long Mr. Hunter." Francis disappeared in from of Surgit's eyes. It looked like a mirage that once dissipated, revealed a messenger holding a blue lamp. 'Leaving Yharnam and keeping my full health huh? Very interesting… For now, I'll take a rest then head back to Old Yharnam.'