Nectar

Karla's charred arm twitched. Surgit ran toward her, fumbling in his belt all the while. He injected her with a blood vial and then turned to face the approaching guardian. He clenched his sword and glared at the beast.

"Hey, you still alive?" he screamed at Karla.

She coughed. "Barely," she said in a groggy voice.

Surgit nodded. "Good, stay there and focus on healing."

The guardian was getting closer to them. Surgit whipped his pistol out of its holster and took a step forward. Karla clutched his foot and pulled. "I'm still breathing, aren't I?"

He shot her a confused look. She scrambled to her feet and injected another blood vial into her. Her burnt skin peeled off, replaced by a new, shiny layer. She gave Surgit a wide smile. "Any woman would've killed for a cure like this."

Her eyes hardened. She clutched her Saif and shoved Surgit aside. "Time for payback, bitch!"

The guardian, as if on cue, charged her. It dragged its sword on the tiled ground, leaving a trail of sparks behind. It reached Karla and swung its sword upward.

Karla whipped her pistol and shot the guardian in the chest before its sword left the ground. The guardian stopped right in its tracks and collapsed on one knee. Karla held a beastly arm before her eyes and then plunged it deep within the guardian's chest.

It writhed and tried to fight Karla off. She grinned at it then clasped her beastly hands around the guardian's insides. She crushed them then pulled her hand outside with all her might.

The guardian got propelled backward and fell on its back. Karla wiped the blood off her face and adjusted a loose hair strand behind her ear. She picked up her Saif, then headed for the guardian. It hadn't stood up yet.

She raised her Saif above her head, then smirked at her opponent. "Dodge this!"

The guardian's head snapped toward Karla. It stretched one hand toward her. Karla saw the sparks and her senses warned her to get the hell out of dodge. She jumped aside just as the flames erupted from the guardian's hand.

Karla cursed under her breath as her opponent stood.

"Don't let it gain momentum again. You were gaining the upper hand," Surgit said.

Karla nodded. He was right. There was no need to fuss over a small setback. She clutched her weapon and dashed toward the guardian. The latter stood in place, watching her from behind its eerie mask. Its legs twitched, then it jumped back, drawing a horizontal arc with its sword in the process.

Karla's senses caught the spark again. She cursed under her breath and stopped. If she had taken one more step, she would've been consumed by fire. A flame jet exploded in an arc, drawing a protective line between the guardian and Karla.

She made a mental note. 'Shouldn't fall for this, ever!'

The thought of her skin and insides burning and shrinking. She didn't want to experience that pain ever again.

As the flame arc subsided, the guardian emerged from behind. It thrust its sword at Karla's chest, who barely avoided it. She swung her Saif in return and almost hit the guardian's shoulder.

It jumped back, however, its arm outstretched toward her. Karla cursed. 'Not again!'

"Need some help?" Surgit asked.

She gave him the finger. "Stay where you are, or you're next," she growled.

She ducked underneath the guardian's arm just as the first sparks ignited. She slashed its chest with her Saif, and made sure to extend it as she swung. The extension's momentum carried her backward, and away from the flames' reach.

The guardian stumbled back, shooting its fire jet at the pillars. Karla grinned then jumped forward.

She kicked the guardian in the chest and sent it toppling backward. Before it could regain its footing, Karla rushed it with three well-executed swings. One hit it in its sword arm, cut it so deeply that it let go of its weapon. The second one cut through the guardian's leg and brought it to its knees.

Just as it fell, Karla held her elongated Saif with both hands then swung with all her might. Her enhanced hunter body carried the weapon with ease, and with one fell swoop, she cut the guardian's head clean off its shoulders.

Its pointy hat flew toward Surgit, while its head landed farther into the hallway. Its limp body fell a second later, by Karla's feet.

She turned to look at Surgit. Blood showered her and painted all her clothes and hair. Her fierce eyes landed on him and she smiled. "How about that for momentum?"

He smiled at her. "You're one terrifying woman," he said in a whisper.

She chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

She tried to wipe the blood off of her but she only made matters worse. Surgit joined her, smiling from ear to ear. He rummaged in his pockets and drew a handkerchief. He handed it to her. "Perks of searching through the dream's workshop. Clean your face, the rest will take care of itself after we get back to the dream."

She snatched it from his hand and got the blood off her eyes and nostrils. "What now?" she asked.

Surgit looked at the door beyond them. "No lantern around here." He frowned. "Does that mean?"

He strode forward without warning. Karla complained but rushed after him. "Where are you going?"

He reached the door at the end of the hallway, then pushed it forward.

Karla gasped as they crossed to the other room. "What's this?"

Surgit frowned. "This is new."

They walked into a wide circular room, built like a dome. Torches were raised all around the room, bathing it in faint orange hues. Surgit and Karla advanced to the center of the room, where a giant obelisk stood.

A small marble pedestal was erected at the obelisk's foot. A clay bowl filled with blood lay atop the pedestal.

Surgit reached with his hand toward it.

"Are you sure about it?" Karla asked.

Surgit arched an eyebrow at her. "Don't you hear their whispers?"

She nodded. "All the more reason to be careful. The nectar, remember?"

The blood called out to him. Surgit's eyes slowly turned toward it. It pulled him to it, invited him to drink it. His beastly alter ego chuckled. 'Smells delicious, doesn't it? Why don't you have a taste?'

He took a loud gulp. His throat felt parched. His mouth watered. He wanted to bury his head into the clay bowl. He wanted to drink it to the last drop.

Karla tugged at his sleeve. "Do you see that?" She pointed at an engraving in the obelisk, just above the clay bowl.

Surgit frowned at it. "It's that old language again."

Karla nodded. She closed her eyes and Surgit did the same.

He activated his insight, and the room instantly changed. He was no longer standing in a dome. He was in a lake, much like the one where he fought Rom. Instead of the water, however, there was blood, an endless lake, made entirely out of blood.

"What the...?" he said, confused.

The night sky above him was shrouded in dark clouds. A blood moon peeked from behind them, bathing the lake in a faint crimson light. The clouds, in turn, looked like blood patches. Surgit shivered.

Voices whispered in his head. "Bless us with blood! Bless us with blood!"

He disabled his insight, then opened his eyes. He was back at the dome. The obelisk stood before him, the clay bowl still filled with blood. Karla stood next to him, her eyes wide open. She shook from head to toe.

"Did you see that?" she asked.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "See what? The lake?"

Karla shook her head. She looked up at the dome's ceiling then quickly averted her eyes. "There was that thing in the sky."

Surgit frowned. "The moon?"

She glared at him. "Didn't you see it? Use your insight again, and this time look, really look."

His frown got deeper. "Alright, I'll 'look'."

He closed his eyes and activated his insight. He was instantly back to the bloody lake, and the moon up top. He watched the sky, and made sure to look at every detail.

There were bloody looking clouds, a giant red moon that made his hair stand on end, but he couldn't see anything else.

He took another sweep at the sky, just to be sure, then he saw it. His heart jumped. He blinked at the moon, his hands trembling. He saw a creature in the distance, floating just before the moon. Long, thin tentacles flew out of its sinuous body.

He couldn't tell much about what it was, but he knew it was bad news, terrible news even. He shuddered, and immediately turned off his insight. Fear, the primal kind, told him to not look at that thing ever again.

He opened his eyes and looked at Karla. "What the hell was that?" he asked, breathless.

She crossed her arms. "I thought we came down here to learn about Yharnam's secrets."

He scratched his head. "Secrets this deep can't come at a cheap price, can they?"

She scoffed then pointed at the clay bowl. "Do you still hear them?"

He looked at the blood, and his mouth watered. He nodded. "I get the same feeling I got from looking at that thing. I think it wants me to drink it, but why?" He turned to her. "Do you hear them too?"

She shook her head. "It stopped after I saw that thing."

Surgit looked down, confused. 'What's happening?' he thought.

His alter beast chuckled. 'Drink! You'll find out soon enough.'

Karla pointed at the engraving in the obelisk. "I can read it now."

Surgit turned toward it. His eyes widened. "The foul beasts will dangle nectar, and lure the meek into the depths," he read with trembling lips.

He shot the bowl one more look. His hands twitched to reach for it. His throat begged for it. He clenched his fists and turned to Karla. "I think it's time we took our spoils and got out of here."

She nodded. She pointed at a small room beyond the obelisk. "That wasn't there before."

Surgit followed her finger. "There's a lantern over there." He looked at the obelisk and quickly averted his gaze. "Let's go."

His alter beast began laughing. "You took one look at greatness and ran with your tail between your legs! Run, hunter, run! That's what you're good for anyway!"