Chapter 4: Night Out

Corvo stood atop the high rise inn located within the estate district. Under the light of the half moon, Corvo could see the manors and mansions of Dunwall's nobles scattered around the grand space. His eyes then settled on the Pendleton's massive mansion. It was a beautiful building. If only the characters of its owners could compare, he thought wryly.

It had been several days since the Boyle's Party and the suspicious exchange between the Empress and the Pendleton twins, and Corvo was no closer to discovering anything. Just yesterday, he had even tailed the two brothers to the Golden Cat, one of, if not the most extravagant brothel in the city, though he couldn't find it in himself to follow them inside. His face was too recognizable, and he didn't want to tip them off about his suspicions just yet.

All of that had led to this particular midnight escapade, which Corvo felt would be the first of many. As a chilly wind blew up his dark cloak, Corvo knelt down on one knee to map his route, just in case anybody was looking in his direction.

He was wearing a short, plain dark cloak, common to sailors and traders in Dunwall, a hood drawn tightly over his face. He also had a dark tunic and pants on, worn just loose enough to provide comfort without flapping unnecessarily in the wind. A black scarf fashioned into a makeshift mask covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. However, even those were effectively obscured by the deep shadow of his cowl. He wore simple dark brown, leather boots, lightweight and quiet. Corvo felt satisfied that no one would be able to discern his identity as the Empress' bodyguard.

There was a small knife hidden in a chest pocket of Corvo's cloak, another in his sleeves, and a long dirk in his boot, all for emergency measures. His officer's sword and pistol, both well-known symbols of the City Watch, had been left behind. He felt naked without his sword strapped to his hip, but stealth was perhaps the most important part of these excursions.

If the mysterious benefactor behind the restless nobles were to catch wind of Corvo's suspicions, it could potentially put Jessamine and Emily's lives at risk.

Looking out over the scenery once again, Corvo took a deep breath and focused on his objective. He would have to free run over the rooftops in order to bypass the Pendleton's large protective wall. Once on the grounds, a second story window was open which Corvo guessed would lead him to the office, if he remembered the blueprints properly.

To escape, he could either jump back out the window, which was risky, or he would have to find a key to unlock the servants' entrance. Once back outside on the grounds, after avoiding the guards, he could climb a tree adjacent to the security perimeter, and then leap down from there. He'd be in and out within an hour.

If he were seen, the guards would probably mistake him for a simple thief. No problem.

With a calming breath, Corvo ghosted away into the night, the shadows around him seeming to ripple as they welcomed him into their embrace. As he moved along the rooftop, he maintained a low profile, keeping his senses alert for any rooftop patrols or curious eyes from any of the numerous mansions.

As he reached the edge of the rooftop, he looked down at the adjacent mansion. It was a story lower, with shingles covering its sharply angled roof. Without hesitation, Corvo leapt towards the ledge, his body hanging in free space for a brief second. In the air, time seemed to slow down, and a feeling of elation and excitement welled up in Corvo's chest.

Suddenly, he was falling through the air, the ledge rushing towards him. With honed reflexes, Corvo easily reached out and grasped the edge of the roof, coiling his arms and legs to reduce the noise and force from impacting with the wall. With an easy grace, he hoisted himself up and clambered up the roof, his boots finding easy purchase in the rough texture of the shingles.

It had been decades since he had gone truly free-running like this, and the adrenaline pumping through his veins at each daring jump gave him a sense of exhilaration that he hadn't even realized he missed. It was a memory like sword fighting, so ingrained in his muscle memory that time barely degraded his skills.

Before he knew it, he had traversed around the outskirts of the district center, and was now on top of the flat-roofed building adjacent to the Pendleton residence. At this distance, he could clearly see the guards making patrols around the district center, as well as the private guards hired to patrol the Pendleton's inner courtyard. He was a street's width away from the Pendleton's outer wall, but he was also a floor above the top of the wall. With enough momentum, he would be able to make it across the street.

Corvo wrapped his cloak more tightly around him, moving like a wraith in the night. As Jessamine's bodyguard for nearly half his life, the shadows always held a certain degree of uncertainty and fear, but tonight, the darkness felt comfortable, safe even. It brought refreshment, excitement, and a hint of empowerment.

Corvo suddenly had a vision of himself, slinking through the shadows, blade unsheathed, a crossbow armed and ready, stalking his next victim. A split second later, Corvo closed his eyes, and it was over. He shivered at the chilling image. What was that? He was a bodyguard, not an assassin. A protector, not a murderer.

He had taken lives, of course, but always in defense. But for a split second, Corvo wondered what it would be like to just kill the Pendletons tonight. They would never slander Jessamine again, publicly or privately. Dunwall would be free of another two slimy nobles determined to crush every common born person for their own gain. And they would deserve it.

No! Corvo chided himself silently, frowning at these dark thoughts. He had been struggling with them lately, and he wondered if it wasn't a byproduct of recent stress. Pushing these thoughts away, Corvo resolved not to kill anyone tonight if he could help it.

With another glance around to make sure the area was clear of prying eyes, Corvo dashed forward, his boots softly thudding against the roof, and leapt forward into empty space. As he hung in the air, about twenty feet from the ground, Corvo couldn't help but grin behind his mask.

The wall was almost ten feet lower than him, and another ten feet off the ground, and as he plummeted downwards, Corvo landed feet first on the top of the wall. Bending at the knees to slow his rapid descent, Corvo let himself be carried forwards by his momentum, rolling off the wall. As he dropped to the ground, Corvo righted himself and landed into another skillful roll, coming to a stop underneath the boughs of a large willow tree.

Moving deeper into the shadows of the weeping tree, Corvo froze as two guards rounded the corner and started moving towards him. His first thought was to break line of sight quickly, and scramble up the tree, but that was the bodyguard in him talking.

It was almost as if the shadows were whispering to him, telling him to remain completely still. Some hidden instinct had surfaced in the Royal Protector as he snuck around in the darkness, and Corvo listened to it.

Freezing as if he were a statue, Corvo forced his muscles to relax and his breathing to remain even. It took all of his training and years of experience to stop himself from flinching when one of the guard's eyes hovered over his location, seeming to make eye contact with him. A few seconds later, the guard looked elsewhere and both continued with their patrol, leaving the tree behind as they rounded another bend.

Suppressing a sigh of relief, Corvo turned around and began scaling the large tree like a spider, his hands and feet finding purchase in the rough, uneven bark. As he grew level with the second story of the mansion, Corvo moved further out from the stable central branches to the tree's thin, shaky outer limbs.

Still several yards away from the window, Corvo frowned. Any more steps forward, and the branch he was on could very well snap. Trying to jump further out on the branch would probably result in his neck snapping against the ground.

Gauging the distance, and feeling a bit reckless, Corvo took several steps back before suddenly running forward, the branch creaking beneath his weight. Just before the branch snapped under the strain, he leapt forward, a panther in the darkness.

As he reached forward, Corvo sickeningly realized that he wouldn't make it. With a flick of his wrist, his blade leapt into his hand and as slammed into the wall, just a few feet short of the window sill, he jammed his throwing knife into the cracks between the bricks.

With a sudden grind, he jerked to a stop, giving his legs enough time to find purchase against the rough brick and launch himself upwards. Grabbing the sill of the window with his free hand, Corvo leapt into the room, pulling his knife free with a scrape against the concrete. Rolling silently to his feet, Corvo pushed himself against the side of the window, peeking down at the courtyard, making sure that the guards hadn't become suspicious by the noise. When nothing happened for a few minutes, Corvo decided that he was safe and turned to study the room he had just landed in more closely.

It was Custis and Morgan's office, where they handled their daily affairs. How convenient. Focusing on the noises in the sleeping house, Corvo felt satisfied that there were not guards patrolling near the office. Doing a cursory check of the papers left lying around on the tables, Corvo determined that they were all harmless enough. Just records of business transactions. Besides, anything incriminating would be hidden or kept close at hand.

With a frustrated sigh, Corvo looked around the office once more before spying an alcove tucked away in the back. As he entered the small cutaway, he found an audiograph, with an entry marked for today still sitting in it. Turning the volume all the way down, he played it back and put his ear close to the speaker.

"The bitch has been lobbying the other nobles in person, and it's working," Morgan's voice spat out. Corvo growled, but resisted the urge to smash something. "He doesn't like it, and wants me to do something about it. What the bastard doesn't get is that the bitch has them concerned that a cure hasn't come out yet, and that they'll catch the plague if they don't support her stupid health bills."

Morgan growled. "Honestly, she may be right, if that boor Sokolov doesn't invent a cure soon, we may all catch it. And all of the military funding in the Empire won't do anything to stop that. But he assures me that Sokolov won't take much longer, and once that happens, he has a plan."

There was a short pause and what sounded like gulping. Then, Morgan continued talking. "But he still wants to keep everything secret, like he doesn't trust us. Bastard. It doesn't matter. Custis and I shall be even richer soon, and I have to talk to Lord Wilder tomorrow and make sure that he supports my military funding bill in the morning. And maybe fuck his wife too…" Morgan finished with a perverse jeer.

As the recording finished, Corvo growled deeply, his disgust and hatred for Morgan Pendleton increasing. He had insulted Jessamine more than once, and he had made it clear that there was definitely some shadow figure trying to undermine Jessamine's power, and he didn't like it one bit. Apparently, he had some sort of plan, and it didn't sound good.

And for whatever reason, military funding would help him. Corvo digested all of this information as he reset all of the settings on the instrument to their previous positions. Idly, he noticed a chest against the back wall of the office. It was probably locked, but he wondered what was in it.

As he quietly exited the office, Corvo looked down the long corridor. He could see paintings of previous Pendletons lining the walls. There were some who looked like decent people, with sincere smiles on their faces. But most of them looked just like the current Pendletons. Arrogant, self-serving, and complete jackasses.

As Corvo walked past them, he felt a twisted sense of satisfaction in trespassing in their home. He soon found himself overlooking the balcony onto the open ground level. It was a majestic space with a large crystal chandelier hanging in the center, its lights dimmed for the night.

He could see guards patrolling the lower level, and he spied one heading towards the stairs for the office level. Corvo immediately dismissed the lower levels, knowing that anything secret the Pendletons owned would not be kept on a floor accessible to all of the servants or the night guards.

So instead, Corvo wound his way around the balcony and made his way quietly up the stairs to the Pendletons' personal living quarters. He could hear the soft footsteps of a patrolling guard up here, but there was only one, and he would be easily avoidable. Once on the third story, Corvo immediately headed towards the master bedroom. Morgan's ego wouldn't allow for any other bedroom to be his.

The guard had just walked away from him, down the hall and towards the bathing room, if he remembered the blueprints correctly. In front of the master bedroom door, Corvo quietly tried the knob. It was locked. Of course. Nothing was ever easy these days, was it?

Getting on a knee, Corvo tried to peak through the keyhole, only to find the opening blocked. Morgan must have left the key in place after locking the door. It would be easy to push the key out with his knife and scrape the key under the door, a trick he often used as a boy, but he wouldn't be able to exit the room the same way.

As he heard the guard's footsteps start making their way back to his position, Corvo made up his mind. Drawing his dirk out of his boot, Corvo pushed the thin blade into the keyhole, gently displacing the key from its position. As it fell to the floor with a soft clank, Corvo slid his blade underneath the door and slid the key towards him. It was just small enough to slide under the door crack.

It was a simple security oversight that Corvo had made sure to counteract on Jessamine and Emily's bedroom doors. With a quick turn of the key, Corvo had unlocked the door and had slipped inside Morgan's bedroom. The door closed just as the guard rounded the corner, completely unsuspecting of the nearby interloper.

With a soft click the door was locked again, just in case the guard was ordered to check the door. Glancing around the room, the first thing Corvo noticed was the clothes strewn about the floor. Both men's and women's clothing.

Corvo could hear Morgan's soft snores come from the massive bed. Even in the darkness, Corvo could see the extra lumps in the sheets that indicated Morgan's house guests. He could smell the sex in the room, and he forced himself not to gag.

Finding the noble's pants, he rifled through the pockets, wondering if he could find the key for the chest downstairs in the office. Empty. Disappointed, Corvo crept towards the dresser in the corner. Opening it slowly, Corvo reached inside, feeling against the bottom of the dresser, hoping to find a key. Nothing.

Glancing up at the door, he was surprised to see a full-length mirror. In the darkness of the room, lit up only by the moon's dim light, he could just make himself out. He looked like a specter, or a wraith, deadly and invisible. It was unnerving to look at himself in a mirror and not recognize himself. He couldn't even see his eyes through the shadows of his cowl.

Finally tearing his gaze away, Corvo opened the opposite door and found Morgan's coat hanging there. Rifling through the pockets, Corvo was pleased to feel a small metal object bump against his fingers. Pulling it out, Corvo was even more pleased to see that it was a key. Perhaps this was the key to the chest.

Not sparing a second glance at the sleeping occupants in the room, Corvo moved across the room and pushed himself quietly against the bedroom door, listening for the guard's muffled footfalls. He could hear them thudding, getting softer and softer until they disappeared altogether.

In seconds, the door was unlocked, and Corvo had left the room, already halfway down the stairs towards the second level. Sneaking around the guard who had come to the second floor, Corvo slipped into the office and took out the key. It slid perfectly into the keyhole, and the chest was open.

Corvo slowly opened the chest, and searched its contents. He found a few small unmarked gold bars, which was surprising, as most nobles had theirs stamped with their crest. He found a note underneath them.

Seized from T. Roland - Cpl. Dunce

Corvo narrowed his eyes. "Seized" most likely meant stolen, and if this was a commoner, these gold bars were their life savings. He noted the scribbled address at the bottom and resolved to find out what had happened. Pocketing the gold bars, as well as the corporal's note, Corvo spied a small ticket stub for the Rothberg Shipping Company. It was probably the company the Pendletons used to ship their diamonds from their mines.

Corvo grimaced in distaste at the thought. For decades, he and Jessamine had been trying to shut down the Pendleton's mines for illegal use of slavery, but every time they were investigated, they came up clean somehow. Everybody knew that they were using slaves, but nobody could prove it.

He replaced the stub in its original location and then, finding nothing of further use in the chest, closed and locked it. As he exited the office, Corvo made sure that the other guard had descended to the floor below before climbing the stairs again to the third level. Completely unseen, Corvo slipped into Morgan's bedroom and locked the door behind him, keeping the key in the keyhole.

He then made his way to the dresser, and replaced the chest key in the appropriate pocket, and closed the doors quietly. Realizing that he would need another way to exit Morgan's bedroom to prevent arousing suspicion, Corvo moved to the window.

He was pleased to find that it wasn't locked. Opening it wide enough for him to squeeze through, Corvo poked his head outside and looked up. The rough brick wound its way all the way up to the roof, but there were no buildings close by for him to leap onto. Looking down, Corvo saw an outdoor balcony on the floor below him. He could probably use his knives to climb down.

Looking back, Corvo scowled, at what he saw. Morgan was on his back, his face set into a hard expression even in sleep. Next to him was a woman, probably a noble whose husband was away on business, if her clothes were any indication. Corvo's gaze then turned back to Morgan. How easy it would be now to cut Morgan's throat as he slept. Or jam it into his skull. Or choke him out if he wanted to remain completely undetected.

As if she could sense his disturbing thoughts, the woman on the edge of the bed, her running makeup dried into tiny rivulets on her face, opened her eyes groggily. She blinked, and for a second, she thought she saw a shadowy creature standing by the window. What was it? Was it a monster?

She blinked again, and suddenly, it was gone. She was confused. She focused on the spot again, before mentally shrugging, the haze of sleep overtaking her faculties once again. It was probably nothing. And without another thought, the woman fell back into a fitful slumber, dreaming of dark shadow monsters with no faces.

Corvo meanwhile, took a deep breath as he hung just outside Morgan's bedroom. As soon as he saw the woman stir in her sleep, he pulled himself through the window, careful not to move too quickly lest he alarm her into full wakefulness.

Stabbing his knives into the soft mortar between the bricks, he silently made made his way downward, back into the waiting night. Dropping noiselessly onto the balcony below, Corvo looked below him, checking to make sure no guards were around. It was a fifteen foot drop from the balcony to the ground, but it was grassy and relatively soft.

Readying himself, Corvo sat on the railing of the balcony. With a small shove, he pushed himself forwards, gravity yanking him back down toward earth. As he landed, Corvo tucked forward, and let his body roll, the energy of the impact dissipating almost entirely. Easy.

Ghosting across the open ground as if he weren't even there, Corvo moved towards the willow tree next to the wall. The Pendleton's had made sure that there were no trees around the outside of their wall to keep thieves from climbing in, but they apparently hadn't thought of thieves climbing out.

In a few moments, Corvo was over the wall, an entire household completely unaware of its trespasser.

Corvo moved across the street and ducked behind some bushes just as another guard rounded the corner for his patrol. Corvo could hear the man grumbling to himself.

"I can't believe it. They weren't sick!" The guard muttered. "Kid probably had a cold and that's it. Warn't no plague. I've seen the plague, and that warn't no plague. But the corporal… Damn that man. And damn them Pendleton twins too."

As the guard walked past him, Corvo guessed that his mutterings were related to the bars of gold locked away in the Pendleton's chest.

Looking at the address once again, Corvo realized that it was in the nearby residence district for middle-class merchants and business owners. Looking up at the moon, Corvo realized that he had already been out for three hours. It would be morning soon, and he had better hurry if he wanted to sneak back into Dunwall Tower.

His steps falling quicker, Corvo snuck through the streets of Dunwall like a shadow, unseen and unheard. After a few minutes of light jogging, Corvo found himself outside the apartment complex at the listed address.

After a brief search inside, Corvo found Roland's room on the second floor. The lights were on inside, bleeding past the door's cracks. There were voices inside. Drawing closer, Corvo peeked in through the keyhole.

"Thomas, what are we going to do?" A woman asked, a desperate look on her face and lacing her words.

"I don't know," A man replied in monotone. Probably Thomas, or T. Roland, judging by the man's dead and faraway stare.

"They took our gold! That was the last thing we had to pay for Tommy's medicine. What if he really does have the plague?"

"I don't know."

"So what are we going to do?!" The woman nearly yelled.

"I don't know, Liz!" Thomas shot back, anger suddenly blazing in his eyes. Their voices, while hushed before, were now rising in intensity and volume.

"Is that all you know how to say? 'I don't know?'" Liz accused.

Thomas glared at his wife, before finally looking away, refusing to engage in this argument with his wife. They had been up all night trying to figure out what to do after the Pendletons' guards had shaken them down the day before.

"I told you that it was a bad idea to do business with the Pendletons," Liz hissed at Thomas. "But you thought you could make quick money! And not only that, after you got the gold, you just left it on the mantle for anybody to see!"

Thomas just looked away, resolutely refusing to speak lest he say something he would truly regret later.

Corvo had heard enough. He was about to knock, before he realized that he had no idea what to say. Making his way back outside, Corvo decided that he would sneak in, and leave the gold in their bedroom perhaps.

The apartment had been constructed in the old gothic style favored by the previous line of emperors, and had a lot of handholds and footholds on the rough stone exterior. It took little effort for Corvo to scale the building up to the Roland's apartment. He avoided the lit window where the husband and wife were arguing and instead, climbed towards the darkened window to its right.

With a gentle push, Corvo was pleased to find it unlocked. Slipping inside, Corvo was surprised to find himself in a young boy's bedroom. There were pictures of ships and carriages lining the walls, as well as an old looking sword hanging above the doorpost. He could still hear the parents arguing through the door.

The bodyguard quietly took out the gold bars he had 'repossessed' from the Pendletons and placed it on the nearby table. As he did this, he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned slowly, only to find little Tommy looking up at him.

"Who are you?" The young boy, who wouldn't have been more than 12, asked him curiously, not a hint of fear in his voice, and for a brief moment, Corvo was reminded of Emily, who was near and dear to his heart.

Corvo smiled softly at the boy. He could tell that the child was sick just from his voice and the bags under his eyes. He truly hoped that it wasn't the plague.

Dropping his voice to a low, throaty growl, Corvo replied, "I'm here to help your mom and dad, Tommy."

The boy's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

Corvo's eyes twinkled in merriment. "Magic."

"Like from the Outsider?" Tommy asked, sitting up straighter in his bed, excitement clear in his eyes.

Corvo frowned. As much as he disliked the Abbey of the Overseers, he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of the Outsider either. And he certainly didn't want to give an impressionable young boy any ideas to sway him either way.

"No. My magic," Corvo replied, "Shadow magic."

Tommy practically threw off his covers as he drew up to his knees trying to get a better glimpse of the mysterious visitor in his room. "Shadow magic? Is that real?"

Corvo just gestured towards the gold bar's on Tommy's desk. "Give these to your parents."

Tommy scrambled out of bed, before becoming racked with coughs.

"Tommy? Are you ok?" Liz's voice called out from outside the room.

Moving quickly towards the window, Corvo jumped onto the sill and turned just as Liz and Thomas Roland entered the room, rushing to Tommy's side and completely unaware of the extra visitor.

"Tommy? Why are you up?" Liz asked in concern, draping a comforting arm around her son's shoulders. Thomas stood back, a guilty look on his face, as he suspected that their arguing had woken his son.

"Mr. Shadow visited me!" Tommy said, before falling fit to another bout of coughs.

"Mr. Shadow?" Liz asked amusedly.

Just then, Thomas spotted a glint on Tommy's desk. Walking briskly over, his jaw dropped as he saw the bars of gold that just yesterday had been snatched from them.

"Tommy, where did you get these?" He asked, his voice no more than a whisper, his face white.

"From Mr. Shadow," Tommy replied, his coughing dying down. He looked around, before spotting the familiar dark form in the window frame, blending into the curtains. "He's over there."

Liz and Thomas both immediately turned to the window and shouted in fear when they saw a dark shape move.

The shadow growled menacingly, "That's the gold the Pendletons stole from you. When they realize it's gone, they'll come after you. Go to the National College for Natural Philosophy. Report your son's sickness to them, and they'll help you treat him and give you a place to stay. But DON'T use your real names."

"What? Wait!" Thomas asked, flicking on the lights and dashing towards the window. But it was already empty. As he leaned outside to look around, Thomas Roland instinctively knew that the Shadow was gone.

Looking back to his family, the fearful look in his wife's eyes, the wide-eyed excitement in his son's, and then to their gold on the table, Thomas decided to take the Shadow's advice.

IIIIII

Corvo breathed out a sigh of relief. He just managed to slip back inside Dunwall Tower as the sun peaked over the horizon, bathing the courtyard in its soft glow. It was a strange sensation, being fearful of the light. As he snuck back into his room, he removed his knives from his sleeves and boots, and tossed them onto his desk.

Pulling down his mask, he looked at himself in the mirror and studied himself. He looked younger, somehow. And he felt younger too. Vitality and energy burned within him, and he could even see its intensity in his eyes. And on top of that, he was happy. Happier than he had been in a while.

Of course, it was certainly a stressful time with the plague and mysterious plots on their doorstep, but he had Jessamine and Emily, and that was good enough. He was broken from his thoughts by the sound of a door creaking open. He turned to the door connecting his and Jessamine's bedrooms.

"Ah, Jess," Corvo greeted, slightly flustered that she had caught him in his getup. "You're up… early," He commented lamely.

The Empress was entirely amused, and it showed in her eyes as she sauntered slowly towards her Royal Protector. "Corvo, did you really think you could sneak out of our bed in the middle of the night and not have me notice?"

Corvo blushed cutely. "Well, I thought… I mean… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone."

Jessamine just laughed lightly as she stopped inches in front of Corvo, placing a hand lightly on his chest. "Don't worry. You taught me to take care of myself. And besides, there's no one I'd really want in my room at night other than you."

Corvo chuckled lightly. "I guess that's true. But I'm sorry if I worried you."

Jessamine's smile was full of love. "I trust you. Besides, I wanted to see what you were up to, and boy was I surprised when you pulled this out of the closet."

Corvo was speechless as Jessamine trailed her fingers lightly up the front of his cloak until it rested at the bottom of his mask, her eyes never leaving his.

"And besides, I think it's incredibly sexy," She commented sultrily as she pulled it up to his eyes. She winked at her completely spellbound lover before laughing and drawing away quickly.

Corvo tried to reach up to grab her arm, but he was too slow and too distracted. "Jessamine," He groaned.

Jessamine laughed in response from her room. "Uh uh uh," She chided. "I've got to take a bath to get ready for the day. And don't tell me you weren't satisfied after last night?"

Corvo just rolled his eyes and began to remove the rest of his clothing. He made sure to bury it deep in his dresser. It wouldn't do for anybody to find out his secret nighttime activities. People other than Jessamine, that is.

"I'll be out in a bit," Jessamine called, "And when I'm done, you should tell me what happened!"

"Of course," Corvo replied, organizing the new information he had learned. Despite its scantness, it could still be useful. Knowledge was power after all.

A/N: Hey guys. Thank you so much for leaving your reviews. You have no idea how much I appreciate them and how they just jumpstart my day. In response to NathanHale2, just wow. I'm shocked. I probably definitely didn't get all the notes and collectibles that you got, so I have a completely different perspective of the Boyles. But, like you said, my story = my rules :D To acogna, just a huge thank you for that review. Really gave me a kick in the pants to finish this chapter, which I've rewritten about four times already. I'm not sure I'm 100% satisfied with it, but I definitely like it the best, so I now present it to you all. And to all others, I'm sorry if I haven't named you by name, but I truly do appreciate your time in diving into my Dishonored universe.