Waking out the pub on his way to Samuel's boat, corvo is interrupted by Pendleton calling out for him.
"Corvo, a moment if I may?"
To which corvo stops, giving Pendleton a look asking him to continue.
"Corvo. I've raked to speck to you myself You see, I'm sending you to kill my older brothers, Morgan and Custis. They're horrible men, it's true, as you may heard. Cruel beyond words."
He pauses, taking a big gulp of strong alcohol as if it would give him the courage to send a man to kill his family.
"Further mu brothers are close allies to the Lord Regent, and as long as they are in Parliament, we cannot gather the votes we'll need to stop the Lord regent, further consolidating his power.
These days, they're best known For exploiting their favor with him to cheat others out of their wealth. Let's just say that not every family evicted and quarantined for having the plague.
I warned my brothers in every way I could, I really did, but they never did listen to me. They'll be at the Golden Cat tonight, at their usual revels.
They'll be protected by the watch, so it'll be dangerous. Now go. Please do it before I change my mind."
The aristocrat says whiling drowning himself in his sorrows with more alcohol, before walking of, not even bothering to look at the assassin ordered to kill his family, ignoring he himself is the one issueing the order.
'Hypocrites… all of you.'
Though such tribal matters are thrown out of his mind as corvo boards the boat and fixes the mask to his face. His mind zooming in with extreme tunnel vision on the sole task of rescuing Emily.
——
The silent ride to the golden cat continues with corvo being in his head, worrying and overthinking about the situation with Emily.
This isn't a game anymore, and he knows it. Not everything will go according to what the game showed. So even if everything has been mostly following the same line, divergence can appear.
So while Samuel spoke to corvo as they were docking up to shore, corvo blocked it out. Only catching the last parts.
"I'll lay low, but keep an eye out For you and the little lady you're bringing back. Good luck to ya. I know Emily must mean a lot to you."
Corvo only gives a brief nod before sprinting off, sending wet mud flying everywhere in his wake.
With a giant leap into the air he reaches one of the sewage pipes abd it as a platform to launch himself further, over the spiked gate.
But as he lands, corvo feels everything shake for a moment due to massive explosions coming from the bridge.
What produced said explosions being a giant rotating tower that is automated to shoot anyone not classified in their books, or how ever the machine really works.
What was shot explosives at being a group of weeper that seemed to be attacking the guard. Though the guards must have either provoked them or got to close to the group. They aren't truly to blame thought.
Corvo once again continues his run, jumping up various buildings and posts, then blinking on top of the tower and ripping out the whale oil tank, throwing it at the crowd of guards below.
*BOOOOOM* *CRASSHHH*
"ARGHHH!"
"HELLLPPPP!"
A few luck guards died instantly, their pain over in an instant. The others weren't so lucky. Some outright set on fire, others flew away with limbs blown of abd outright crippling them.
Corvo ignore them though, as well as the bile and guilt rising up from the bottom of his throat, as his plan succeeds.
From the noise of the explosions closer to the guards base then comfortable a group of guardsmen come swarming in. Followed by more groups coming from the cries of their allies for reinforcements.
….drawing all the guards away from the war to the golden cat.
Now being in the clear, no matter how shit he felt about it, he didn't have time to dally about. Emily needed him and now he had a way straight to her will minimal interference from the guards so he continues on.
Sprinting across Roofs and blinking through the gaps to not loose momentum, corvo quickly reaches a speed faster than he has ever been before, peaking at a constant speed of 40mph.
Jumping of the building, corvo activates slow time while bringing out his crossbow. He quickly reaches two guardsmen that abandoned their duty to rob a women of her elixir.
But corvo doesn't stop to stay for a chat, using his inexperience with slow time for him to be slightly slower as well to shoot two bolts at the duo.
Not even slowing down to confirm his kill, corvo carries on as the monotone world fills back up with colour.
Only hearing two thuds and a confused shout….
"THANK YOU MISTER!!"
…Before running out of the street that circles around the wall of light, climbing up another building to reach another artillery tower and disabling it to finally make his way to the entrance of the district the golden cat is in.
——-
Entering through the main entrance of the district corvo is greeted by a sight similar to the game. Very few guards, only a few stationed outside abd in general from what he can see, the rest also just slacking off their duties.
This is obviously due most of the superiors biting the bait with corvos distraction, leaving only the incompetent higher officers that don't bother keeping their men in line.
So it's a breeze getting into the building.
Though as he enters, a sickly sweet smell invaded his nostrils making his face strung up in disgust.
'Probably aphrodisiac, alcohol and other drugs those pigs spend money on to enhance their hedonistic lifestyles. Disgusting. I can't believe Emily had to endure all this.'
Corvo thinks, shaming the people both who use this service and the ones running it.
He creeps up the stairs but blinks up to a gap to the stairwell, just in front of the brothels 'madams' office.
He thinks for a moment, stuck between getting his daughter out of the building as soon as and being efficient with time.
'Fuck it. She will survive a minute more. Might as well test something on this granny anyway as revenge.'
But decides quickly, creeping up to the door and opening to door silently.
He sneaks up to the creepily giggling old lady, grabbing her from behind and clamping a hand down on her mouth with a sword placed on her neck.
"Oi, old bitch. You listen here abd you listen here quietly." Corvos voice, heavily distorted voice flows out the mask, angrily spit out to the person in his arms.
Corvo turns her head forcefully by the mouth his hands cleaned around making her stare at his mask threateningly.
Fear clouds her expression as she starts shaking, unshed tears glistening her eyes.
"I'm going to give you a few orders, orders that you will follow to a T, only if you follow these orders will you be allowed to live. Understand?"
Corvos command is clearly understood by tbe rapid nodding of her head and speed of the shaking sped up dramatically.
"Order 1. You will write down where on the premises you keep you stash of coin, gold or any valuable."
At the mention of her wealth being taken away she seemed to regain her courage by stoping the shaking and struggling to break free from corvos grip.
Which is promptly put to and end by his sword being dug into her skin, enough to allow blood to flow from her neck.
"ORDER… 2. You shall treat all your worker with basic human decency and have empathy for them. No more trading them to aristocrats with bad reputation that is likely to hurt or kill them. You will protect them while they are in your employment religiously."
The tears stuck in the horrid granny's eyes start to flow, almost drawing his sympathy if not for knowing who she really is.
"Finally the third order, you shall train up a successor in both the business and dimestic aspect of your job to be your better and to create a professional business where all parties will profit, not just using your workers as toys but like the humans they are.
Now I will ask you one last time, do… you…understand?"
Corvo asks with his demonic cold voice freezing the women in his arms for a moment but she nods with a depressed slump to her shoulders.
"Good. Know that if you do not archive the orders, I will find you. And you don't to meet me again."
Corvo threatens once more, just to really drive home his seriousness in the matter.
Once again the lady nods frantically, expressing her unwilling agreement in this little contract between the two 'willing' parties.
Seeing this corvo steps back but still keeps his blade to her throat.
"Go, write where the money is on there. And don't lie because I can detect description through smell."
This caused the madam to give corvo a strange look, but obeying non the less.
"Here, it's done. Now can you let me go?"
In response corvo appeared behind her in a blink of an eye stabbing her neck…
…with a syringe filled with a tranquillising agent, knocking her out instantly.
Nearly got you there didn't I?
Anyway, with all this over and done with corvo searches her body, grabbing the key to both her room and the locked door that leads to another entrance to the distillery district.
And after looting everything of her office, as well as doing what I came in here first to do, I left nothing valueable behind just to spite her even more.
——
{Emily POV}
I hate it here.
Everyday I'm locked here in this empty room, devoid of all life and entertainment.
I miss mother… I miss corvo.
Why where they taken from me?
When we were altogether everything was so much better. I made friends with the servants and they were nice to me, even if I found them boring I had classes that taught me so much.
But now… now I'm surrounded by these retched beings… things I can't even class as humans like me most of them time.
And I can't even escape.
That old hag always catches me and puts me back into this pit.
…. I hate it here!!
SAVE ME CORVO!!!!!
My inner woes are temporarily halted when I hear the door open, an intimidating man wearing a scary skull mask also cloaked in a modified uniform that has resemblance to the royal guards back at the castle, just darker more… stealthy if that's the right word.
….no you can't be scared Emily.
Mother said an empress can't show fear nor emotions to her enemies, that will only be used as a weapon against them.
So I confront him by shouting out.
"Who are you? Why are you wearing that mask."
But the scary man just stands there silently, just watching me with what looks like hesitation in his movements.
But then he slowly pulls out his mask revealing….
"CORVO?!"
In my shock my body freezes up, for a second not believing this was real, just another day dream conjured up by my mind.
But I'm quick to come out of it. My body moving on its own and rushing to corvo as I had so many times before, in better times…
But my mood isn't allowed to be brought down as corvo lifts me up, spinning me around and throwing me up into the air and bringing me into a brief hug.
"It's really you corvo!"
Bad memories bubble in my head of the two mean men telling me horrible things as they dragged me here.
"Your wearing that mask to sneak around, aren't you? They told me you were-- had your head chopped off in prison. Dead. Just like mother."
The memory of the grief this brought me, of not seeing mother or who I consider my farther ever again brings pain to my heart
"….that seems like so long ago.
But you're not. Dead. So now we can leave. I have a plan. I almost got away twice."
My bad mood diserpears quickly though remembering how much stress I caused that granny. Hehehe.
"There's a special door to come and go, for special people. I'll show you. And if anyone tries to stop us, you can fight them."
I inform corvo making a plan for our escape. Which he just nods to, being as silent of always abd puts his scary mask back on his face.
I start running ahead, guiding our way through the many flights of stairs, being quiet as we head past the main floor as well as the women's locker room, till we make it outside and to the door I found out about.
I go up to the door pulling and twisting at the handle but it stays stuck, refusing to be opened. The hag must have locked it after my last escape.
"It's locked."
I inform corvo just in case he wasn't looking, but he just pulls out a key and unlocks the door.
"Now it's unlocked."
Corvo turns to me and gets down on his knee to bring us eye to eye.
"This place is near the river, so you must have come by boat right? I'll make my way there alone, I know my way there so don't worry about me."
I inform him, letting him know if my independence capablity to reach the destination on my own.
But he just shock his head at me.
"No, Emily. There are too many guards near there so I can't let them see you. Besides, ive picked up a few new tricks recently that you would like to see."
I was about to protest at his lack of trust, but my attention was peaked leaving me interested.
"Okay corvo, let's do it your way."
He give a nod and picks me up in a ….princess carry? I'm a princess though so a me carry? I suppose it doesn't matter.
He picks me up and we travel to the next district at the speed of a rail cart, not stopping even for a moment.
As much as I want to express my growing excitement as we move so fast, I can't due to the air pressure pushing back against us.
As we get out of the tunnels and underground area we make it into the next district.
Jumping so high into the sky that butterfly's form in my belly causing small giggles to escape my mouth, which I quickly cover up. Corvo did ask to remain silent due to the bad people that will hurt us.
We travel from rooftop to roof top across the Main Street where big houses and shops are before making it to the end, overseeing the river.
"Emily. I need you to hang in tight and be a brave girl okay. Can you do that for me?"
Corvo suddenly requests with his weird scary voice. Instead of replying verbally, I just nod like him while hanging onto his neck even tighter.
He steps back a bit…then shoots of with a strength that would have given me wiplash without corvos warning.
…jumping straight off the high storie building.
The urge to scream is suddenly high inside me, almost causing me to cry out. But I trust corvo so u suppress the feeling and just close my eyes, hugging his body even tighter.
….
But even after a few seconds we still haven't hit the ground.
So hesitantly, I peak out through the corner of my eye and find us still high up but this time on some sort of mechanical tower?
Must be new.
But wait! How did we get here? We jumped off the building no.
The answer to my question is soon answered as corvo once more jumps but this time all of the sudden we appear in a different spot.
My brain stops for a minute, just trying to process what happened.
But no, even after that I can't wrap my mind around it even after the thing happened thrice more.
We were in one place, then we weren't, then we were in another place?!?
… forget it, I'll ask him another time.
Maybe he'll teach me.
Anyway, very soon we reach a small speed boat with an old man sitting on it.
Seeing our approach causes a smile to grow on his face.
"Back already corvo? That was extremely fast, I'm surprised. Are you both ready to go then? Corvo, you must have worked wonders out there in the city tonight. I can't believe my old eyes."
"No im not ready to leave yet Samuel, I still haven't finished my other business yet."
The old man, Samuel? Just gives us a kind smile and nods in understanding.
Corvo then places me on the boat, my legs slightly shaking from his fast we were going as well as being on the boat.
He then bends down again, coming closer to my lower eye level and speaks.
"Emily, this is Samuel the boatmen. He's a very nice man, trust worth too. I still need to do one last thing before we head to our new home. Is that okay?"
The thought of corvo leaving again brings me nothing but fear and anxiety, but I know I can't trouble corvo when he's busy, so I just nod and smile on consent.
He brings his hand down on my head, caressing in it in reassurance, seeing through my act but not exposing me.
He then turns to Samuel and gives an order.
" I'll be back in about half an hour. If I'm any later than fifteen minutes take Emily back to hound pitts, I'll make my own way back."
"You got it, sir. Good luck corvo."
Now with everything out the way, he gives me one brief look before turning away and running really fast away to what needs to be done.
———
Word count: 3,033