Surgit furrowed his brows, something smelled fishy here. The old man was tricky, and Surgit forced his hands. He expected Francis to have some tricks up his sleeve within the castle. "Very well," Surgit unsheathed his sword. "Let"s see what this beast is made of." The mosquito-like Blood-licker jumped at Surgit at tremendous speed.

Surgit barely managed to dodge the first attack when a sharp tongue whistled by his ears. Warm blood trickled down his left cheek. Surgit jumped backwards to avoid the next swipe from the beast"s freakish human hands. The mosquito immediately jumped after Surgit. If it weren"t for his experience fighting all sorts of abnormalities, Surgit would have been stomped to death.

Surgit rolled to the front then jumped even further to create some distance between him and the mosquito. He turned around to see the beast running towards him on all fours, a scene to frighten the strongest of hearts. Silver hair dangled in front of the mosquito"s human face. Sharp teeth glistened as the hair uncovered them, wavering left and right. The beast"s dangling blood pouch wiggled as it ran towards Surgit. He secretly cursed.

Francis was watching the fight from a safe distance, grinning. Surgit, desperate to slow the horrendous mosquito down, swung his left arm backwards. He lifted the heavy hammer with one hand and, throwing his right leg forward, flung it at the beast"s face. The hammer slammed on the mosquito"s face with a "thump". The monster stopped right at its track, allowing Surgit to perform a surprise attack. He jumped high above the monster then plunged down, sword first, at the mosquito"s back. The sound of metal hitting rock echoed across the courtyard. The mosquito"s hide was harder than steel. Francis knew that, he was waiting for the moment Surgit realized it.

Surgit didn"t react like Francis did though. He immediately jumped in front of the mosquito. The beast was still stunned by the hammer"s effect, having a heavy slab smashed into one"s face wasn"t easy, even for an otherworldly creature. Surgit pulled the mosquito"s tongue using his strong hands. With the pommel of his sword, Surgit pounded at the beast"s face. The nose broke. The sharp teeth gave way after a few punches. The beast tried to fight away from Surgit"s grip, to no avail. His grip on its tongue allowed him to fully control the beast.

Surgit slid his sword through the pommel of the hammer then brought it down the mosquito"s face. A deafening scream came from the disfigured beast as it fell back. Surgit immediately jumped at the beast"s stomach. He found the blood pouch, filled with red liquid. He smashed the whole thing using his Kirkhammer. Blood spurted in all directions. The beast stopped wiggling its limbs helplessly then went silent.

Surgit looked at Francis, "Fair challenge. Let"s see who kills the most." He immediately turned around and ran after the other beasts. Francis smiled as he followed Surgit. He had gained tremendous power as of late. He wanted to put his new attributes to the test. He stabbed the katana into his body, tainting it with venomous blood.

His speed had increased tenfold. He caught up to Surgit in no time. The hunter was already fighting a mosquito beast. Francis held the Chikage with both hands then brought downward, in an arc, at the mosquito"s leg. His new rank gave him something he didn"t expect to have. As he swung his sword, Francis aimed at a specific spot. It was as if something deep inside him, call it intuition or sixth sense, told him where to strike.

The leg was cut-off. The mosquito fell down, face first, into the snow covered ground. The hammer reduced its head to smithereens. Blood painted the white snow pink. The two hunters ravaged through the courtyard, killing every beast on their way. They soon reached the castle"s main hall. The ghosts inside surprised Surgit but didn"t pose him any threat.

Francis had a good laugh when the gargoyle surprised Surgit as well. The beast was disposed of easily afterwards. But Francis" laughter echoed in the castle"s empty halls for longer after that. "That d.a.m.ned rock scared the wits out of me the first time it ambushed me," said Francis in between fits of laughter. "And to fell less lonely, the wealthy philanthropist decided to let me fall for it. What if I died?" mumbled under his breath.

He knew the gargoyle"s attack wouldn"t have killed him. He felt his ears burn in embarra.s.sment. He would"ve done the same to Francis if he"d had the chance. "What other traps does this castle hold?" asked Surgit, almost certain that Francis kept more traps from him. He knew the old man wanted to have a good show, to pay back Surgit for forcing him to bring a visitor along. "The important question to ask would be: what happened to cause this castle to fall?"

Surgit remembered the promise he"d made to Francis. "I heard some tales from a hunter I met some time ago. He told me that a group of hunters, called the Executioners, stormed the castle long ago. They had a grudge against the people of Cainhurst, calling them vilebloods. Have you ever heard of this story?" Surgit turned to look at Francis. The old man shook his head, intently listening to Surgit.

They were both standing outside. They had reached one of the tall towers of the castle. They stood on top of the tower, cold wind brushing through their faces. "They say that long ago, a scholar betrayed his brethren in Byrgenwerth. He took blood, deemed forbidden by the church, and brought it to the castle. That vile blood led the Healing Church to declare Cainhurst their enemy.

"Since then the Executioners, led by a man called Logarius, sought to exterminate the vilebloods. They stormed the castle one day, killing everyone." Surgit turned to look into the distance. The view of Yharnam from afar was fascinating. Tall conical towers formed the city"s gothic shadow. "The hunter who told the story also said that Logarius still lives, that he"s here in the castle. Logarius had become a blessed anchor to them, guarding the world from evil. I do not know what evil lay in this castle. But I learned not believe everyone"s word."

Surgit turned to look at Francis once more. "I"d like to journey with you in the castle. If I"m not welcome here, I will not force myself into the matter. You"ve brought me here, and this was the deal. I"ll take the materials I"m interested in. Then I"ll take my leave. If you"re interested in partnering though, I"d take you up on the offer." Surgit was curious to know what secrets the executioners held.

"Let me think of it some more. I"ll let you know once we reach the library." Francis could use Surgit"s help. However, he didn"t want him to discover the secrets that were meant to be his. Surgit understood that. That was why he tried to soften his tone. "Did that hunter mention what happened to the queen?" Francis asked. "No, he only spoke of the people of Cainhurst, calling them vilebloods. All I know is that something unexpected happened. The executioners weren"t able to complete their missions. They retreated apparently, leaving their leader behind."

Surgit didn"t know all the details. When Alfred talked to him about the castle, he didn"t expect to find it so quickly. He would"ve asked more questions then. "No matter, let"s head to the library. From there we can look for their secret labs and studies. We shouldn"t waste time on speculations."

The two hunters reached the library in no time. "Beware of the beheaded ghosts!" warned Francis. The trap they prepared for intruders was no joke. Francis slapped his forehead all of a sudden. Noticing this Surgit shot him a puzzled look. "I completely forgot that there"s an elevator next to the lamp that led through here." Surgit looked at Francis with wide eyes. He suspected the old man of purposely putting him through all of the earlier fights. "Let"s just get this raid over with, shall we?" he turned to face the multiple ghosts heading their way.