94 Looking for Karla- Part 2

Surgit looked around the chapel and found out that the door that had been previously locked inside the chapel was open. He made a mental note to come back and see what's inside once he paid Alfred a visit.

So he went out, in the direction of the church under which the hidden passage to Old Yharnam was. As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed that the streets had become darker. The sun had completely disappeared and the night sky covered the city with darkness. It was all for the best, Surgit preferred hunting in darkness.

The beasts are unsuspecting of the shadows in which hunters lurk, waiting to strike their prey down. In the square outside the chapel, Surgit managed to easily dispose of two enemies. Tall pale men who wore long black coats and trousers. Their skin was so pale that he wondered if they ever had any blood in their system.

In fact as he struck both of them down, only patches of red were mixed with white liquid. 'What are these things made of I wonder?' He moved on and reached the park in front of the church leading to Old Yharnam. Men beasts were patrolling the area. One of them, holding a pitchfork saw him first and came running at him.

Surgit used his insight in order to check those enemies' names. He was tired of calling them men beasts. Huntsmen – weak, the knowledge came to him in the form of faint whispers. 'Yeah, you're telling me! Too weak would be more appropriate' he thought as he dodged an upcoming attack and beheaded his enemy.

He took care of the rest of the huntsmen and their dogs then climbed up the stairs leading to the church's second floor in order to reach Alfred. The man was praying at an altar in front of the strange statue. From its figure, the statue looked feminine. It had a conical helmet that covered its face and extended upwards. It was as if it wore a pyramid on top of its head. 'What weird god are you worshipping Alfred?' thought Surgit as he approached the man. When he heard Surgit's footsteps, Alfred stood up and faced him.

- "Oh-hoh! Good to see you safe. That was an exciting fight back there. It was an honor providing you with assistance."

- "The honor was mine. Thank you very much for your help, I'll be sure to repay you one day."

- "All in good times. Now let's think up something to discuss. Just tell me what piques your interest."

- "In fact, I wanted to see you not only to thank you but to also ask you about Byrgenwerth. What do you know about it?" asked Surgit. To this question Alfred smiled and started talking in a slow and monotonous voice.

- "Byrgenwerth is an old place of learning. The tomb of the gods, carved out below Yharnam, should be familiar to every hunter. Well, once a group of young Byrgenwerth scholars discovered a holy medium deep within the tomb. This led to the founding of the Healing Church, and the establishment of blood healing. In this sense, everything sacred in Yharnam can be traced back to Byrgenwerth. But today, the college lies deep within a tangled wood, abandoned and decrepit. And furthermore, the Healing Church has declared Byrgenwerth forbidden ground. It's unclear how many of its scholars remain alive..." Alfred stroked his chin for a moment, as if thinking seriously about something. He lifted his head towards Surgit and continued "but only they know the password that allows passage through the gate."

- "Do you know why access to the woods was forbidden?" Surgit was left, once more, with more questions than answers.

- "I'm but a simple hunter. I merely repeat the words that were delivered to us long ago by our masters. As to why it was declared forbidden ground, only church officials would know about it."

- "And do you know of anybody who can lead me to the forbidden woods? Or someone who knows of the password giving access to it?" Surgit was desperate.

- "I'm afraid I don't. But I encourage you to go to the Great Cathedral, you may find someone capable of giving you further guidance in this matter."

Feeling that he could no longer get any additional information from him, Surgit thanked Alfred and took leave of him.

- "Thank you Alfred, you've been of great help. Until I see you again, I wish you a fruitful hunt."

- "I bid you farewell. It has been a pleasure. May the good blood guide your way."

Surgit walked back towards Oedon chapel, thinking about all the information he had just received. 'What a funny prayer Alfred has… May the good blood guide your way. What's good or bad blood in this place anyway?'

He went back to Oedon Chapel and asked the dweller if Karla had come by at any point. The dweller simply informed Surgit that he hadn't sensed her presence in the church at all. Disappointed, Surgit decided to get back to the dream and get some more echoes from the items he received fighting Gascoigne and the Blood Starved Beast.

Back in the dream, Surgit went to the workshop and took Gascoigne and the beast's echoes. They had an ethereal form to them. Holding them in his hand felt like he was holding white smoke. They were soft to the touch and felt very cold on Surgit's skin. He was holding Gascoigne's echo on his right hand and the beast's on his left. He squeezed his right hand and felt the smoke bubble burst into white smoke that enveloped his body, then it disappeared instantly. He did the same with the beast's echo and the smoke dissipated from around his body as soon as he popped the soft bubble.

Surgit used his insight then to inspect his echoes. He was again floating in a dark space. Small dots in the distance signaled the presence of echoes of the blood. Surgit approached each one and saw that each cluster had a green color to it. He opened his eyes and headed towards the doll.

'So now I have four echo clusters,' he was analyzing how best to use the echoes he had gained. 'I'd better inspect my status before deciding on anything.' He closed his eyes again and focused on his fighting status. Soon after, within that dark space he floated in, Surgit could make out letters and words that constituted his current level.

Name: Surgit

Insight level: Eye Can See

Strength: Waste of Skin (3)

Skill: Skillful (2)

Bloodtinge: Blood Hungry (1)

Arcane: Blind (1)

He opened his eyes again, surprised at his recent discovery. His insight level had just changed. He was no longer narrow minded. His title seemed strange though. Was it bad word play or did it actually mean something? He decided to try it out later on by reading more of the books that detailed monster types.

He had four green echo clusters he could use in order to develop his strength or his skill. 'I could also unlock one of the weapons from the messengers. Hmmm… what to do?' Absorbed in thought, he was tapping his leg on the ground as he stood opposite the unnaturally beautiful doll. The doll tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Surgit's mannerism. 'I'd better check the messenger's bath and see what I can get from there. Besides, I have two items to offer them.'

He headed towards the messenger and asked the faceless creature to show him what he could get with Gascoigne's core. The messenger disappeared inside the stale water and a screen appeared.

+ Gascoigne's set: "Hunter attire worn by Father Gasoigne.Similar to hunter garb created at the workshop, only these are tainted by a pungent beastly stench that eats away at Gascoigne."Father" is a title used for clerics in a foreign land, and there is no such rank in the Healing Church.

"This is very convenient," said Surgit out loud, happy to see his effort being rewarded. "What about this one?" He held the Blood Starved Beast's core and handed it to the messenger. Soon after, another message appeared. This time, the message contained two items that Surgit had to choose from.

1- Antidotes: a set of ten antidotes for the ailing ones.

2- A hunter's bell: Ring at a specific spot to be summoned by others in need. Hunters rely on the messengers to relay their thoughts. Ring this bell and others can call upon you to aid them in their arduous journey. For the hunt is long and unchanging.

"I'll take the bell, it certainly beats the antidotes. I don't think I'll need them anyway. All I need to do is avoid getting poisoned." Surgit had an idea as soon as he read the bell's description.

He wanted to explore the chalice dungeons but he was afraid that it would take him too much time. He also wanted to meet up with Karla, but so far, she didn't show up. He had to find an alternative. He didn't want to waste time. The more time he wastes, the farther he becomes from reaching the academy and getting information about Paleblood: his only hope to get out of this nightmarish reality.

He went first to check on the doll and upgraded his skill. He then went back to the messengers and unlocked the Rifle Spear. He checked his echoes but found nothing. "Humph! As I suspected, the echoes are hard to come by, but easy to spend away…"

Surgit had one more thing to do before he departed up towards the healing church workshop. He went back to Oedon Chapel headed towards the chapel dweller.

- "Hey there feller, do you remember the lady that came with me the first time I arrived here"?

- "The strong girl? Yes I don't think she came here. I'd remember her, if only by scent." The dweller seemed eager to speak to someone. As if nobody had addressed him in years.

- "Please, I must ask a favor of you." Surgit took the beckoning bell from his pocket and handed it to the chapel dweller. "Please give her this if she ever comes here."

- "Oh, I s'pose I can do that." The dweller's mouth twitched into some grotesque form of a smile. "Next time I see'er round 'ere, I'll sure hand it to her." The blind dweller's long and bony fingers closed on the bell. He pocketed it and looked in Surgit's general direction. "If you find any sane survivors, well, send them along to Oedon Chapel will ya? Hee hee hee…"

Surgit took his leave and headed towards the newly open door. Before getting inside, he rang the bell he had just earned from the Blood Starved Beast's fight. He hoped that Karla would still be alive somewhere, trying to reach the chapel. He had to tell her about Francis, and she had to stay away from the city's beasts. Some of them he had no doubt she could defeat. But if she ever met some strong abomination, her chances of victory would be close to null.

'Let's see where this will take me.' He thought as an elevator took him upwards.