Darkness

There is a reason why Surgit caught the eyes of many high officials back when he was in the academy. His ambition and boldness were peerless. Back in the day, he was sociable and easygoing. In a short time within the academy, Surgit managed to make a name for himself as a talented young man. Most teachers saw in him the potential to become a great leader in the future.

Surgit's upbringing wasn't political, but he always had a certain fascination towards politics. He strove to become a respected politician in his country, perhaps even serve under the king. He studied hard and worked on his soft skills in order to gain some charisma. His physical appearance also helped paint him a potential leader portrait.

Over the years, he had gained confidence through his different interactions. He made sure to mingle in political events and the different balls officials held. His easygoing nature made him very likeable to most people. All in all, Surgit would've had a great life ahead of him if it weren't for his sickness.

Years of seclusion and rejection from society can greatly change a person. Surgit slowly changed from an outgoing person into a lone passerby no one paid attention to. The pains from losing his position and from his approaching death had destroyed all of Surgit's great personality traits. He refused to let go of the past and kept looking for a way to cure his disease.

As the search became hopeless, a woman appeared from nowhere and told him about Yharnam. That excitement, combined with his will to get back to his past self, became obsession. The obsession led him to Yharnam and to the world of hunters. After years of being shunned and rejected by society, Surgit found a place where he could vent his anger.

Since the day he received blood ministration, Surgit had kept the idea of getting back to his home country priority number one. All the clues he collected were in order to find a way out of Yharnam. Although he found himself involuntarily pulled towards hunters' affairs, he still progressed towards finding Paleblood. He now believed that being a hunter is the only way out. Karla's death was the most obvious sign.

'Beasts in the city are fiercer the more you advance towards the truth,' Surgit found a table in the room where he fought the kidnappers and sat on top of it. 'Karla died to a hunter who couldn't even find his way out of here. No one would want to live this life forever. Even if he was a complete monster when he fought us, I don't believe he's even remotely close to what I will encounter when I get closer to finding out more about Paleblood. It feels like there is a big hidden secret nobody wants me to find about. The more I dig into it, the fiercer the counterattack I receive. '

'That hunter simply can't compete against stronger enemies and invades others like us to steal from us. In a way, you cheat the system and you can eventually become stronger. However, the process is too slow to be considered an option for me now. I don't think I should rush it and try to reach Paleblood just yet. If what I consider a monster can't compete at that level, how can I?'

He touched the weapon he had in hand. Before he came back to this room, Surgit had already cleaned the whole area around him and notified the nun. She told him that she knew of the short-cut only church officials could use to reach Yahar'gul. That was the first time Surgit had heard the name of this town. Adella recognized the place as soon as she walked out.

When the nun told him about the short-cut, he nodded and told her about Oedon Chapel. He still didn't trust Iosefka. The change in her behavior still puzzled him. Surgit didn't say anything to the nun except the safe place she could get to. The nun still thought of him as a hunter from the church.

While exploring the streets of Yahar'gul, Surgit stumbled upon a strange weapon. It looked like an experimental lightning rod. Instead of the pointy end however, there was a dark sphere. The sphere, which was roughly 6 inches in diameter, emitted faint sparks. It was more shaped like a Morningstar without the spikes. As Surgit sat on the table below, he decided to research more about Arcane.

The weapon he held was called Tonitrus. When one strikes this weapon in the air, like lighting a match, it generates powerful blue sparks. These bolts deal damage and stagger the enemy, allowing one to mercilessly pound at them to death. When Surgit tried it for the first time, he was pleasantly surprised.

The weapon didn't have high requirements to be used. Surgit could even use it with his low Arcane rank. 'If this weapon is this powerful without the need for high Arcane, how would the others be?' He was excited at the prospect of fusing bolt to his attacks. Surgit knew he had to become stronger. For that, he needed to hunt strong beasts and accumulate echoes.

He knew that this would take a lot of time. At that moment, he decided to give up on rushing towards Paleblood. If it was easy to find, why hasn't anyone found it yet? Surgit decided to explore one more area in Yahar'gul before searching for the Forbidden Woods. He wanted to get there to get more sacrifice materials. Of all the places that must have many, Byrgenwerth was the prime candidate.

There was a hole dug into a wall in the room where Surgit fought the two kidnappers. That path was the only one he hadn't gone through yet. He was still absorbed in the sparks that came out of the Tonitrus. His insight had informed him that a man named Archibald made this weapon to look like the blanket of a darkbeast.

Those sparks that shone inside the dark sphere were hypnotizing. Surgit couldn't take his eyes off of them. It felt like this weapon represented him after the blood ministration. His old habits and mannerisms started resurfacing after they had been buried by the darkness of the sickness for a long time. His calculating mind and ambition were the sparks that made him stand out back in the day. He could feel his old self coming back.

Surgit was now calculating. He wanted to get stronger to pave his way out of the city. He believed the tombs of the Old Ones were his key to getting as many echoes as possible. For that he wanted to reach Byrgenwerth. 'One more matter to deal with before I look for those Forbidden Woods.'

He walked through the tunnel that had been dug through the wall. It looked like someone really wanted to escape that prison. But since the Kidnappers were in that room already Surgit didn't know if the attempt succeeded or not. He walked through the tunnel expecting to find a dead end. What he found was a big hole that led to the exit.

"What the hell is that?" Surgit muttered as he looked at the monstrous skeleton that slept in the distance. When he peeked from the hole, he saw that it led towards an enormous plaza. There was a closed gate next to which the skeleton of an giant beast lay down in a sleeping position. It looked like a guardian dog that slept until it died and only bones remained. But when his insight kicked in and informed him of the beast's name, Surgit's heart raced.