Bloodborne - 189 Sinister Encounters

Karla and Surgit were standing near a cliff. Below them, and as far as their eyes could see, a vast sea of clouds extended. Wherever they’d landed after traversing the darkness, it wasn’t Yharnam. For starters, there were no buildings in the place save for a tower at the bottom of the cliff.

Secondly, it was day outside. Karla and Surgit were both surprised to see the sun shining above their heads. It took them a while to adjust to the sunlight before they decided to explore the place. As they stood by the cliff, Surgit kept glancing at the cave from which they just arrived.

“What’s on your mind?” Karla asked.

“The deeper we delve into Yharnam’s secrets, the stranger things get around us,” he replied. “I mean, where did that door vanish to?”

Karla shrugged. As soon as they emerged into the cave, the door from which they got in disappeared. “Some things happen here without a clear explanation,” she said. “As long as we have the link to the dream, I don’t think we’re in trouble.”

Surgit sighed. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “How about we head back to the dream now? I want to know this place’s name.”

“Don’t you think it’s more fun if we explored the place first?” she asked. “Well, fun isn’t the exact word I’m looking for, but exploring uncharted territory and slaying beasts is our only form of fun these days.”

Surgit looked down at the tower way below the cliff. “You’re right on that one,” he said. “Speaking of hunts and beats, have you ever tried a visceral attack?”

Karla’s thin eyebrows moved closer to each other. “What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s easier if I showed you,” he said. “Do you trust me?”

“I don’t know about trust,” Karla said, “but I believe that whatever you next do will be for a good reason.”

“Hit me,” he said. “Use that strange weapon of your and come at me with all you’ve got!”

“Are you sure?” Karla asked with raised eyebrows.

���We’re both hunters, what’s the worst that could happen?” he asked with nervous smile. “Just hit me, I’m much faster and stronger than I used to be.”

“Whatever you say,” Karla said. She drew her Saif from behind her back then took an attacking stance.

Surgit jumped a few feet away from her and got ready. As soon as Karla made her first step, Surgit whipped his pistol out and waited for her attack. It was easy to read through her swing. He pulled the trigger right before she could land her hit, and Karla staggered on one knee on the floor.

“Watch this,” Surgit said. “I’ll let you try it on me when you come back.”

He transformed his right arm into its beastly form. Karla, horrified, helplessly watched as Surgit plunged his claws deeps within her stomach. She felt him rummage through her insides. The last thing she remembered was her screams filling the air.

When she came to, shock and anger filled her to the brim. Surgit was waiting for her inside the cave, near the lantern hunters usually resuscitate from. He had that stupid grin on his face. Karla wanted nothing but wipe that smirk off his face.

“Before you do anything,” he said, extending his arms forward as if to ward her off. “You can either attack me now, or pay me back with the same attack.”

Confusion added itself to the anger and shock Karla was experiencing. “What do you mean?” she asked, frowning.

Surgit explained how Visceral Attacks worked. After a few repetitions, twenty one by Surgit’s count, Karla’s anger was quelled. “That’s enough,” she said, panting. “I think I know how to use my beastly arm now.”

Surgit sighed in relief. He didn’t know if he could take more of Karla’s visceral attacks. She’d actually got the hang of it from the first try, but she kept demanding retries. Surgit suspected it was payback for killing her when they met, then killing her again with a visceral attack and without warning.

“Shall we explore the place now?” Karla asked. ���I’m pretty sure both of us can take on anything.”

“Unless it’s a giant beast like the one who sent us here in the first place,” Surgit said. “You may have gone to the past, but you haven’t experienced the present time like I have. The moment you think you got the hang of things, something new, more terrible happens to be waiting at the corner.”

“I didn’t say we’ll waltz around without any care in the world,” Karla retorted. “Relax man. We’ve got things under control. Let’s get out there and see where we’ve landed.”

They soon reached a clearing west of the cliff. A strange beast sat, cross legged and with its back to them at the edge of the clearing. It was holding a torch, which struck the hunters as odd since the sun provided ample light.

“Watch this,” Surgit whispered to Karla. He silently approached the beast then struck it with all its might. The beast fell on all fours, panting heavily. Surgit willed his arm to transform once more then eviscerated the monster. When he was done, he looked back at Karla, grinning like a child.

“You can also do that,” he announced, “provided you manage to hit’em while they’re not looking.”

“Do you hear that?” Karla asked. “It sounds like a…”

“A bell…” Surgit said. His face turned dark. “Keep your eyes peeled, we’re not alone.”

As on cue, a whooshing sound came from between the hunters. A rift opened in the ground and a red phantom emerged.

“What the fuck is that?” Karla asked.

“An invader,” Surgit replied. “Much like that man who killed us all back then. They hunt hunters and take pleasure in it.”

Another whooshing sound announced the arrival of another hunter. This one emerged from Surgit’s right. Then a third whooshing sound was heard, right behind Karla. The two hunters watched as each phantom appeared.

“They’re not here to talk,” Surgit said. “As soon as they fully emerge from the rifts, you attack. Don’t hold back, they can’t die anyway. They can steal your echoes though, and you’ve got a whole bunch of them.”

Karla and Surgit took a fighting stance then got together. The three red phantoms had fully emerged then. One of them the hunters instantly recognized, mainly due to his infamous crow feather cape. He seemed to have recognized them as well as his lips pursed into an evil smile.

“Well, well, well… Look who’s back,” Gavril said as his eyes rested on Karla. “Did you bring me my summons?”