Traversing dark alleys

"Fighting that giant monster alone was foolish. What if you didn't come to save him? Does he think he's immortal?" Francis had gotten into his chatty habit again. Karla hated that. He liked talking to himself and asking rhetorical questions. She learned to ignore his mumblings by now but it still annoyed her. Yharnam was dangerous enough and attracting the attention of beasts by talking to the air was even more foolish than what Surgit had done.

- "Francis, please!" she had said at last, "Do you want to be eaten by one of those things? Keep it down a little."

- "You're right, you're right, I'll keep my mouth shut from now on."

After getting into that dead end, Karla and Francis took the highway back to the fountain plaza. Surgit had cleared the area for them and they had time to catch a breath and scope the place. She was the muscle and he was the brains.

The city felt empty and too calm. After the battle they had just witnessed and the commotion it created, they felt strange after the situation calmed down again. Since they arrived to Yharnam, they had been going through its streets with their guard up, wary of every movement.

Karla seemed to be in her element. She stalked her prey and danced around it as if she had been doing this her whole life. Francis only knew little of her past. But he decided to recruit her as a bodyguard ever since his advisor endorsed her. He trusted him with matters of recruitment and his trust now paid off. If not for her, he would never have survived that far.

They were standing in the fountain plaza. Karla had to deal with strange big crows before they could access the railings at the edge of the plaza. The mutated animals were a frightening surprise to both of them. Karla could hear crows from afar but she never paid them any attention.

They were badly surprised when three dark forms jumped on them. The crows could barely fly but their beaks were as sharp as a sword. Karla quickly darted to the left as a beak almost made a hole in her face. It barely grazed her ear but she flinched in pain.

In a piercing motion she inserted her sword through the crows neck. As blood flowed down the injured monstrosity, Karla jumped towards the second crow and sliced its neck open. The third and last one jumped towards her but she ducked just in time to slice its belly open and make room for its organs to meet the ground. "You can come out now!" She shouted at Francis who hid behind the fountain. "For an old man you're really fast when you have to flee." She said mockingly. "To each their special gifts" he answered nonchalantly. "Mine happens to be evading death" he said as he pointed to his grey hair.

He advanced towards the railings "Let's inspect the city from here shall we?" Francis clearly wanted to change the subject. Karla was wincing as she tried to bandage her ears. "From here the city looks bigger than I first anticipated" started Francis. Karla braced herself; she knew he was about to go into one of his monologues again. But he didn't say anything. He was squinting and analyzing the layout of the city below. "Aha!" He shouted. He had spotted a road that took to what appeared to be another way to the cathedral ward.

- "I was sure of it. A city as big as this one can't have only one way into their main district."

- "How do we get there though? I don't see a way through to that road."

- "The aqueducts down there could lead us to that bridge"

Francis had acute observations, keeping him around was the best decision Karla had ever made. Francis pointed to a way on the other side of the great bridge. From the Fountain Plaza they could easily reach the great bridge by taking a few sets of stairs. Accessing the Bridge was easy. They had reached it before but their exploration was put on hold since two werewolves were patrolling the highway. There was no way for Karla to deal with those monsters, even without Francis around.

The road that led towards the aqueducts was on the opposite side of the stairs they had come from. Francis had seen it before when they encountered the two werewolves. Since Surgit had taken care of them, they could cross the road and take that way down towards the aqueducts.

"In every big city, aqueducts are built to channel water to all main commodities. There have to be different entrances to the aqueducts as they must have needed to make repairs and cleaning." Francis had again launched himself into another monologue. "Francis, shush!" Karla's ears didn't betray her. Like a scolded kid, Francis bowed his head down in guilt but he soon understood the reason behind Karla's exclamation.

They were on a terrace that overlooked the area behind the fountain plaza. They saw the crucifix and the beast burning. At least twenty corpses were lying in the big square. The floor was as red as the sky and its setting sun. The only sound they could hear was that of their beating hearts and the crackling fire. A gruesome fight had taken place in here before. Who could've slain all these enemies? It must have been a team.

- "We're not alone in this area, we must hurry towards the aqueducts" said Karla in a whisper.

- "There, behind us! There seems to be an entrance." Replied Francis in the same tone.

Indeed there was. On a small alley between two tall buildings, they saw a ladder that took down towards the water channels. They heard a heavy breathing noise in the distance. It certainly came from the aqueducts underneath them.

They took a ladder that lead down towards the source of the sound. Francis wasn't fond of the idea but he followed Karla. He never questioned her decision when it came to facing dangerous situations. She was a skilled fighter and she could get them out of any condition, no matter how perilous it was.

The sound grew stronger and heavier as they descended. The reached a platform from which they had a good view over the channels beneath them. Another ladder led down and Karla advised Francis to stay hidden on that platform. "At least you're safe from what's down here. And you can get down and follow me in case you see anything coming down at you from above." These were Karla's words before she took the ladder down.