Bloodborne

"That old man sure is strong. But I can"t stand the perverted look he has towards women. The only one he seems to respect deeply is Lady Maria. That woman gives me the chills." Over the past few days, Karla had been in training with the hunters. She was a.s.signed a task recently and had to be fully prepared for it.

"In two days, I have to report to that Curtis in Hemwick. Why do I get the feeling that they"re trying to get me out of the city." Karla knew that the hunters didn"t trust her. They wouldn"t have administered blood to her if she could be saved using a different method. They only kept her around to keep tabs on her and figure out how she suddenly appeared in Yharnam.

Karla was forcibly pulled away from her reveries by the sound of distant footsteps. Due to her new abilities, her hearing had improved drastically. Not only her hearing, but all her senses had become sharper. Although she hated Yharnam"s blood, she couldn"t help but admire its properties.

"Come in," Karla was almost whispering, but she knew that the other person had already heard her. She got used to his visits since she arrived to Yharnam. This person came to visit her the night Lady Maria showed Karla her living quarters.

The door creaked and a slim figure appeared behind it. The man wore an ordinary set of clothes, blue trousers with striped b.u.t.ton-up shirt on top. He wore a straw hat on top and the smell of sweat that emanated from him was enough to asphyxiate a person. He was one of the spies the order sent out to patrol the streets and eavesdrop on people"s conversations.

Everybody knew him as Dumb Jack. He was an ordinary farmer that got to the city of knowledge looking for fame. But of course that was just a façade. The man roamed the streets and did odd jobs trying to survive and buy his blood bottle. n.o.body in Yharnam paid much attention to the drunk. But Dumb Jack observed everything and reported it to the Order.

He was keenly interested in Karla because of her sudden appearance in Yharnam, like everyone else. What he offered in exchange for her "company" though was information on Yharnam. "Can"t sleep?" Dumb Jack asked as soon as he got inside. "Your observations annoy me Jack, what is it you want?" Karla looked out through the window. She gave Jack the cold shoulder in hopes he"d just leave her alone.

The man just smiled then went on: "I heard you were a.s.signed to Hemwick. That place is going mad I tell you. The womenfolk are absorbed in their rituals and the men adore blood." Karla glanced at Jack for a moment then let out a faint "humph". She was too tired from that day"s training. All she wanted was to have a quiet time with her thoughts.

Jack didn"t seem to be bothered by the cold shoulder he was given. "I"ll spare you a nugget of advice. Beware of Curtis. If you think Gehrman has deep secrets, Curtis is like a bottomless sea. Don"t get on his bad side." Karla turned to face Jack and arranged a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "I"m just going there to do my job. The night of the hunt is approaching and Gehrman wants to deal with the roaming beasts before their numbers become a problem for us."

Karla wasn"t interested in the political games people played here. But she couldn"t help but feel overwhelmed by these people"s schemes. Thanks to her experience being the princess" personal escort, she knew how to keep herself away from them. She felt that sooner or later, she"d be dragged into one of these people"s plans though.

She was already at the mercy of that hunter that mercilessly slaughtered her and Surgit before. She had to find a way back to the current day but she couldn"t bring up the chair to anyone, especially not to Dumb Jack. That man frightened her the most. He was terribly cunning.

"Jack, I"ll spare you a nugget of advice. No matter how much you try to get me on your side, unless you spill it out, I won"t cooperate." She knew that he would become a hindrance to her. He was a spy and he didn"t conceal that from her the first time he visited. That meant that he had ulterior motives for his visits every night. "Your late visits are starting to attract a lot of attention. Speak your mind or never show your face around, unless you want to explain yourself to the Lady."

Jack sighed and revealed yet another irritating smile. "I"m just a perverted old man. All I want is the company of the new beauty in town." Karla turned around and shot a menacing look at Jack. He smiled again then lowered his head. "What is it with you women hunters? Can"t you have fun once in a while?"

Karla smiled back then retorted: "The only fun I"ll have is by drying you out of blood. No one knows you came to this house. And you"re no match for a trained hunter." Karla"s threat was clear. Spies generally didn"t have the same fighting talent as hunters appointed to the order by Lady Maria or Gehrman. They were considered the elite that would interfere only when a great calamity threatened the city.

Jack gave Karla a black look. He knew full well that she was capable of delivering on that threat. He was after all no match for her strength. That was the reason why he decided to gain her trust. "This d.a.m.n woman is harder to please than others. Apart from Lady Maria, she"s the only one whose threatening look gives me the chills."

"I won"t trouble you with the predictable questions. But I have something of great value to offer you. I only need one thing in return." Jack gave up on his first tactic. "If she won"t be swayed with sweet talk, then I"ll trade." Karla stared at Jack long enough to make the silence uncomfortable. She casually adjusted her hair behind her ear again before she spoke. "What do you need?"

"d.a.m.n foreigners! No manners or proper etiquette!" Jack cursed on the inside as he revealed his most innocent smile. "I know where that chair is. All I need to find out what that Curtis is hiding. Hemwick is close Cainhurst. Lady Maria a.s.signs the Order"s representatives since she"s the one who manages the administrative part of things."

"I can"t be seen there unless I want to invite the Lady"s wrath upon me. Since lady hunter is heading there on a direct a.s.signment, why don"t we have a mutually beneficial relationship?" Jack smiled again, revealing his surprisingly well aligned teeth. "Strictly business of course," Jack added before Karla could comment on that.

"I know that Laurence has the chair. Everyone in the order knows it. What could you possibly offer that differs from what I already know?" Karla was irritated. She got up to kick the man out of her house. "I know how you can use it and get back to where you came from. Or as most people who know of its use would say: I can tell you how you can get back to when you came from."

Karla stopped in her tracks. For the first time since she became a hunter, she was truly terrified of someone"s knowledge about her. Seeing her reaction Jack smiled and continued. "I am not interested in your past. I don"t give two f.u.c.ks about where or when you came from. All I want is to see that Curtis taken down. He"s a perverted old man, but using that to take advantage of him will only lead you to a nameless grave."

"If it were that simple, he would"ve spilled his guts for me long ago…" Jack had to use this card as his last resort against Karla. "Just who the h.e.l.l are you?" asked Karla. "Names are not important in my line of business. I"ve forgotten my real name a long time ago. What I want is a way into Cainhurst. I can tell you more about the chair tomorrow. Think of my proposal carefully."

With that, Jack drank a blue liquid and instantly disappeared. Soon after, Karla heard other footsteps in the distance. "Lady Maria, that"s why he suddenly disappeared," Karla had to struggle to maintain her heartbeat stable. If the Lady found the man in here, she would arouse even more suspicions.

Luckily, Lady Maria no longer questioned her in the past week. She just observed her from afar but never got too close. Karla feared that more than anything. But since Jack mentioned the "when" she was sure that he wasn"t in league with the Order but was playing a dangerous game too.

Karla looked at Jack and knew that he"d be found out by the Lady.

- "A mere blue elixir won"t do it, take off your clothes quickly!"

- "Eh? What are you-"

- "There"s no time you fool! Quick!" Karla was whispering, trying not to get her words to the Lady"s ears.

When Lady Maria approached, she could hear the sound of flesh against flesh. Faint moans reached her ears. She got to Karla"s house and swung the door open. "Smelly Jack keep your hands off my guest!" Her voice was imposing and Jack quickly retreated.

Karla was naked and instantly covered herself and hid behind a blanket. Lady Maria shot a threatening glance at Jack who bowed down and apologized. He hurriedly took his clothes and left without a word. Lady Maria looked at Karla and sighed. "From all the people you could"ve chosen, you went for smelly Jack?!" She was obviously disappointed with Karla.

"What can I say my Lady, he has a special way with words. And his tongue my lady, he doesn"t use that just to speak." Lady Maria chuckled for the first time since she met Karla. "Lady Hunter you should rest. Tomorrow you will be briefed about your mission. Do not disappoint me."

She turned around to leave. As she reached the door, she looked back at Karla and said with hint of sadness in her face: "Hunters lead a lonely life. There is no harm in taking a man for yourself. But that Jack is despicable despite his unusual skills." The Lady emphasized the0 "unusual skills" part as she left and closed the door behind her.

"You are a hunter under my wing. Take a man that fits your status." Those were the last words Lady Maria left in Karla"s ears before she left the house.