80 Lamenting the dead (1/2)

Before he reached the door of the cathedral, Surgit saw a ladder leading up towards the clock tower. He decided to climb it and go have a little chat with the Gatling gun owner. The climb was long. Every step Surgit took, he felt his trousers scratching the empty space between his legs. He still mourned the loss he had just suffered and dreaded coming back to the dream and finding out that he'd lost his pearls permanently. He couldn't afford dying though as he knew that Gatling man will be waiting for him again. He had to get rid of him first. That was the only way he could imagine himself traversing the hamlet in peace.

But when the finished climbing the long ladder, he started doubting his ability in terminating the defender of Old Yharnam's beasts. He found out that he hadn't reached the clock tower yet. He was standing in some sort of gallery.

The gallery led to another ladder on Surgit's left which ascended towards the top of the clock tower. On Surgit's right, he saw a quick access leading towards an open window that apparently led to the upper floor of the Cathedral. The Gatling man didn't make any move to look for Surgit. That unnerved him a little.

He had two theories in his mind. Either the man on top had complete confidence in the abilities of the hunter downstairs, or he was just waiting for him to climb on top. He imagined the man hiding and waiting for Surgit to pop up then send him down, whence he came from. He couldn't afford losing to that man yet.

He didn't want to make the trip all the way back. He thought of the promise he had made when he found out about the poor little orphan. ”I'm not running away from a fight!” He spoke out loud as if speaking to the world. ”I'm just exploring other alternatives to get rid of my foes.” He decided to leave the Gatling man alone for the moment and explore the cathedral. He hoped to find some other access towards the clock tower from the inside. Perhaps there were some stairs that took upwards from the inside. The ladder, after all, looked like an emergency exit in case of fires.

He went inside the Cathedral through an open window and found himself on a wooden platform that crossed a hall and led towards the ceiling of the main building.

The high wooden roof of the cathedral offered Surgit a good hiding spot and a good vision over the place. The nave below was full of beast patients. They were all crying in unison and their voices sent chills down Surgit's spine. It was as if they were mourning the loss of someone, or something in this case.

There was an altar at the end of the spacious hall, and something shiny was placed on top of it. Surgit saw an open door behind the altar. He made a mental note of it. If he wanted to access that are from below, he would need to find a way to access that door below. At that moment though, he decided to move through the catwalk and discover more about the place.

There was a chandelier below him. It was large, as large as the ones he used to see in the big opera house in his hometown. He found himself reminiscing about the past and the civilized world. He blinked as if to bring himself back to the reality he was living. The chandelier had long lost its magnificent look. The wood on which it was attached started getting moldy and threatened to collapse at any moment.

From where he stood, he could make out something hanging under the chandelier. He moved further towards a large wooden platform on the other side of the catwalks. He had to move slowly and carefully. One misstep would send him down to his doom. And given the quality of the wood on top which he walked, he had to be twice as cautious.

From there he turned around and had a better look at the thing that was hanging from the chandelier. When he thought that he could not be shocked by anything in Yharnam anymore, something new came at him and distorted his standards.

A new kind of beast was hung on the ceiling. Its arms were chained and linked to each extremity of the chandelier. A pool of blood formed underneath it and the beast was pale as it was emptied from its blood. Its flesh looked strange. Its body looked lean and very muscular. Its skin had a purple color; the kind of color you see on a suffocating person's face. Something in the beast's appearance was off. Surgit had a feeling that he was missing some important detail.