Bloodborne

It took Francis a minute before realizing who was standing opposite him. That man was Gavril, or as Francis knew him: the retired nameless hunter. "Have you used the echoes wisely?" he asked Francis.

In fact, Francis had received a generous amount of echoes after he killed his master. That allowed him to significantly increase his bloodtinge and skill. Francis" current level could be summarized as follows:

Insight level: Eye Can See

Strength: Waste of Skin (3)

Skill: Skillful (3)

Bloodtinge: Blood Hungry (4)

Arcane: Blind (1)

Francis could be considered a lucky beginner. Because of the Queen"s interest in him, he received a generous gift: plenty of blood echoes. He managed to become stronger than he could ever expect. Because of that, he wanted to reach the forsaken castle and know more about the strange dream he had.

He wanted to get back to Oedon Chapel to find more information about the castle. Although he could clearly see it from Hemwick village, he couldn"t find a single way to access it. His goal was to find a way to gain access to the castle.

As he entered the chapel, he met Karla, sitting atop the stairs leading the entrance. That encounter made him forget about his initial objective. After that came the encounter with Surgit then with Gavril. Each time something new showed up, Francis would slowly forget about his initial objective.

Now that he was looking at Gavril, terror gripped him. This man"s aura couldn"t even compare to the man who trained him. His master had a cool, embracing aura whereas this one emitted a strong suffocating aura. Francis could feel the air becoming heavy and his breathing grew in speed.

The red phantom appearance gave the man an even more terrifying appearance. He slyly smiled addressing the three of them: "Now, who should I kill first?"

Surgit pulled Karla behind him and stared at the red phantom. When he gave the bell to the dweller, he didn"t think this could happen. As his insight level increased, Surgit started getting knowledge about objects even without holding them. It was as if his insight gave him a brief lecture about the nature of the object and it use.

As Surgit went through the information about the Hunter"s Bell in Francis" hands, he realized something new. Each time a hunter rings a bell of reckoning, a bell lady would appear in the area. The bell lady would ring a sinister bell to invite murderous invaders to hunt the beckoner.

Since Francis rang the bell, the invader"s main target should be Francis. But nothing stopped this madman from killing Surgit and Karla in an instant. Surgit tightened his grip on the weapon. His phantom, he knew, wasn"t as strong and he was. He couldn"t afford to be hit by that hunter.

Gavril looked at Karla and squinted. "Isn"t that the necklace you have found in Hemwick?" Francis trembled, that question confirmed the person ident.i.ty. The man"s question was actually rhetorical. He looked at Francis and Gavril"s previously smiling face had turned into a murderer"s face as he was about to execute his victim.

All traces of friendliness disappeared from Gavril. He stared at Francis for a long time, enough for the silence to be awkward, then smiled. "Since you value her so much, how about I torture her to death?"

The scene from Paul torturing Karla flashed through Francis" eyes. He tightened his grip on the Chikage and rushed towards, Gavril at full speed. Surgit didn"t waste any time and jumped at the red phantom. If they surround him, they might have a chance of disposing of him. As Francis stabbed with his sword, Surgit cut vertically with his elongated cleaver.

Both their weapons slammed to the ground. At the moment the two of them attacked, Gavril managed to move too fast for their eyes to see. To the two of them, it appeared as if he had teleported behind them.

Surgit"s vertical cut landed on the Chikage and pushed the weapon towards the ground. They heard a mocking laugh behind them and turned. Surgit internally cursed. "What has Francis done to make this man this vicious towards him?"

In fact when Francis showed the necklace to Gavril, the old hunter"s face revealed a greedy look. Francis denied him the item. He told him that he intended to find a dear friend in Yharnam then find a way towards Cainhurst"s Castle. Francis had actually planned to find Karla and make amends. He just didn"t expect to meet her so soon.

The necklace had the seal of the Forsaken Castle. Very few necklaces had been made in the time when the Castle used to recruit hunters to join their cause. As time pa.s.sed, and after the castle had been wiped out, those necklaces became extremely rare. Little did Gavril know that a villager was summoned to join the ranks of the Castle"s knights.

This man was excellent at extracting ritual materials. The queen saw in him an excellent provider of materials. The rarer sacrificial material one has, the more they can access ancient tombs and harvest old beasts" blood.

Alas, the Executioners invaded the castle and wiped it out of every breathing being and sealed the castle away. Gavril at that time was in a mission outside the castle. He was a spy disguised as a church doctor. The moment Gavril heard that the fanatic sect invaded Cainhurst Castle; he threw caution away and ran towards his Queen. He was a bit too late though as the Castle was sealed away and the ma.s.sacre began.

Gavril still held his hatred towards the executioner"s deep within heart. In the meantime, he cherished every item he could collect from the Forsaken Castle. Francis refusing to give him the necklace had offended him greatly.

Gavril sheathed his sword and looked at the two hunters facing him. "Why isn"t she fighting?" asked Gavril mockingly. "Is it because… she can actually die?"

Upon hearing those words, Karla shivered. What did he mean that she can actually die? Does it mean that this monster cannot? In Karla"s mind, several questions raced. Some were about the meaning of existence. Others were about the suffering that many people live through. She didn"t know why she had to suffer so.

All her life, she wanted to challenge her body and mind to feel complete. But life kept sending her waves of hardships. She wondered at why she was so mercilessly challenged, day after day. Weren"t all her previous hardships enough? Why did life send her yet another mountain, impossible to climb?

In a flash Gavril appeared in front of Karla and seized her from her hair. At that moment, all Karla"s willpower collapsed. As she stared the man in the eyes, she noticed how coldly he was ready to execute her. It felt like a helpless animal, about to be butchered by the merciless hunter.

Tears filled her eyes and her body helplessly convulsed. She recalled her entire life and found out that all the suffering and the fighting she had been through was for naught. She couldn"t even remember a single happy memory from her life.

That feeling alone, broke her. She cried uncontrollably and shouted: "What have I done to deserve this?" her question wasn"t addressed to the hunter, but to everyone and no one. She was addressing Life and Mother Nature. "Karla!" a voice in the distance shouted. Karla could faintly recognize Surgit"s voice.

Surgit ran towards Karla as fast as he could. He shot Gavril and he deflected the bullet with a mere swing of his katana. The red phantom sighed: "If you"re willing to throw your life away." Gavril struck with his weapon. The movement of the weapon was too fast. Surgit didn"t even see the katana coming his way.

Karla looked in horror as Surgit"s head rolled to the ground. The man she knew had become strong beyond her understanding died in one hit. Karla felt like a mountain had just landed on her.

She remembered how this man saved her life before. She remembered how he saved her against those church doctors and she smiled. There was at least one person who genuinely cared about her during her miserable life. She smiled as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Gavril looked at Francis and smiled. He inserted the katana deep within Karla"s abdomen. Blood filled her mouth. Then a screeching scream came from Karla as the man slowly elevated his sword and cut through Karla. Her shrieks sent Francis into a berserk state. He charged at Gavril and struck relentlessly with his weapon.

Gavril managed to easily dodge all Francis" attacks. Although he could dodge all the attacks, Francis didn"t give him any time to retaliate. He kept on pushing forward and aiming at Gavril"s openings. Gavril suddenly jumped back.

He was instantly several paces away from Francis. The hunter sheathed his sword and took his pistol. "This pistol contains bullets I refined from my own blood. They"re stronger that what you usually use. Here, have a taste."

As soon as he finished, two bullets flew from the pistol and landed on Francis" chest. Francis felt like two spears were impaling him. "The difference between your bloodtinge and mine is simply astronomical. Perhaps, I"ll see you again old man. Heh…heh…heh…" The red phantom faded as Francis" body faded and got transported to the dream.