Trapped between two deadly beasts - Part 1

The Cathedral Ward was more dangerous than expected. Karla started regretting splitting up with Surgit. She was grateful for the opening he created earlier. She knew she had to meet up with him again but she couldn't accept the fact that the man she considered a weakling had saved her life twice already. She didn't want to get back to the chapel until she had a clear idea of where Francis was. She always fought by herself and thought she could handle herself just fine in Yharnam.

On the other hand, the enemies in the area she found herself in after she split up with Surgit were deadly. One wrong step and she would be cut to pieces. From pale skinned giants to other strangely looking men who carried crucifixes as weapons, Karla had had a hard time defending herself against the different dangers the city had in reserve for her. Most times, fleeing the scene was the best option

She was standing on the roof of one of the tallest buildings in the Cathedral Ward. She had a clear view over the streets of the city. From there she could spot any strange movement that occurred. She didn't know for how long she had been searching for that senile old man. She felt responsible for his life and although they got separated and he abandoned her, she didn't blame him.

He was a coward after all, unable to stand straight in front of danger. Let alone defend himself. She tried all possible actions in order to reach the place where Francis was last seen by that blind man in the chapel. She tried jumping from different roofs in order to reach the chapel, she tried looking for underground hidden paths that could lead to where Francis was. Her only success was spotting a tower that connected to the roof of the chapel. She thought that Francis could've gone through there. So she sat in that roof, observing the bridge connecting the tower and the chapel, while looking for any movement down in the street.

She wondered where Surgit may have left. The Cathedral ward was big and it was easier to get lost in it. Thanks to her speed and agility, Karla managed to get away from most of the dangerous opponents by using the roofs to her advantage. She was used to climbing to the top of buildings and navigating its roofs. She had to keep the princess safe and she always scouted the areas around while the latter was busy with one of her lovers.

She came back from her daydreaming as she saw a shadow move below in one of the streets. She jumped quickly through tiled roofs and followed the suspicious movement. She had lost sight of it and she was trying to assess which way it could have gone to. It was too fast for an ordinary enemy roaming the streets. It must have been Surgit or someone else, maybe something else.

"Are ye looking fer me?" said a woman's voice from behind Karla. 'When did she appear behind me?' Karla jumped back and unsheathed her sword. "Easy, I'm not looking fer a fight woman. I'm merely curious. Why would anyone chase after me in this god forsaken city?" The woman in front of Karla looked frightening and skilled.

She wore a black garb, ornamented with crow feathers. She had black leather trousers and long black boots. She even wore a plague doctor's mask. Karla was intimidated by her appearance. Not only that, she managed to appear behind her silently. She could've killed her easily but she chose to talk.

"I'm looking for an old man. He was supposed to have come around here. I saw movement in the street below me so I was inspecting its source" said Karla after trying to regain her composure. "I'm also lookin fer an old man, very old. I heard he'd gon mad an' I'm tryina pinpoint his location. But I doubt we're lookin for the same person, are we?" The killing intent emanating from the woman made Karla shiver, she had never met someone with such a frightening aura around her. Before she could say anything, the woman went on: "I think I've seen ye somewhere before though. I rarely forget the faces o' people I met before…." The woman put her hand on the chin of her mask and seemed thoughtful for a while then said: "No matter, I'm an old lady. I'm allowed to forget some things once in a while. I saved an old man from certain death before. This brute got too fulla himself, thinking he was a hoonter after imbibing some blood. He tortured a poor woman to death and was about to strike at him. I believe that old man was lookin for a way into the Cathedral Ward. Is that the one yer lookin fer?" she asked. The woman liked emphasizing her vowels, pronouncing them for longer than they needed to.

"Yes have you seen him anywhere around here?" Karla was excited to know that the man lived, and happy to understand how Paul was disposed of. "Nope, haven't seen im ever since. But beware," the woman's tone became serious. "If ye meet an old fella wearing golden hunter garb, don't ye approach him. Make for a swift escape and try ta find me. He's an old hoonter who's gone mad; approaching him, would be the death of ye." The woman then jumped down to the street below and continued her roaming.

Karla watched the woman disappear in the dark streets below her. She was glad to hear that Francis was saved and that he could be still alive in the Cathedral Ward. The faint hope she had of finding him alive earlier had changed into a real one. They were both looking for blood ministration. She wanted more strength in order to claim her land back and right the wrongs that had been done to her.

Francis on the other hand wanted to reach Enlightment. His purpose was to reach the scholars of Byrgenwerth and converse with them regarding evolution and breaking the limits of humankind.

She had to find a way up towards the tower. She wanted to see if he was still alive and if he managed to reach his objective. He was a coward, but a lucky coward nonetheless. He survived while all his strong bodyguards died. She was even on the verge of death while a complete stranger came and saved his life.

If it wasn't for Surgit who offered her a second chance, she would be among the dead Francis left behind. She was sure now that he had survived and found a way to undergo blood ministration. She gradually became against the idea after seeing the effects blood had on Surgit. It made him a cold killer, almost inhuman. She admired the strength blood could give a person but she dreaded losing her humanity and resort to drinking others' blood for sustenance.

She went back to the rooftop on which she was before spotting the movement of that crow looking woman. From there, she took another look at the tower. It was the second tallest building in the city. The biggest and tallest building was the one behind the Great Cathedral, the place where Francis presumably went.

Approaching it meant dealing with hordes of monsters thirsty for your blood and Karla for some reason didn't seem to think Francis capable of going there. She squinted as she spotted some movement on the bridge connecting the chapel and the tower. Heads flew and bodies fell to the ground. The one executing them was fast and efficient. 'If Francis went that way, it means the person in there must know something about him. I have to find a way to get there,' she thought to herself. The shadow reflected by the fading rays of the sun, re-entered the tower and soon disappeared inside. Karla was now determined to find a way into the tower. 'If there is no way to get to the tower from up here, then there must be another one from down there.' She looked down, trying to see where the tower connected to the ground.

The tower extended to the lowermost parts of the city. Karla thought that if she couldn't access the tower from the top, she could try getting to it from underneath. From where she stood, she couldn't even see the bottom of the tower. 'Just how deep this city can go down below?'

From the roofs she has scouted earlier, Karla had found access to a balcony which led to an elevator. The elevator took down to the lower parts of the city. An inscription on the wall next to the device said as much. The balcony could be accessed by a ladder which was destroyed at the moment she had come across it. The ladder could have stopped beasts from accessing it, but it wouldn't stop her. She could easily jump from one roof to another and reach it. Karla pulled on a lever and she heard the platform of the elevator moving upwards, toward her. The sound came from deep underground. 'Now, let's find a way to reach that old coward.'