Return to the Tower

"This is ridiculous." Said Treavor Pendleton. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. No one does this and expects nothing in return! It's too good to be true!"

"Oh Treavor." Responded the Void Singer. "You're the youngest of three. You're used to unfairness. But in truth the universe doesn't care whether something is 'too good to be true' and neither do I."

They were in the Hound Pits. Just about everyone was gathered outside by the small port, Samuel and Thomas waiting in the boat, the rest facing Emily (not that they recognised her) stood just before it.

"But it is as we agreed." Admiral Havelock pressed. "You will ensure Burrows is either dead or disgraced. And then you will be gone."

The witch inclined her head. "As you say." She turned to get into the boat, before pausing. "By the way, there is one thing I would ask of you."

Everyone sucked in a breath.

"If and when you cure the rat plague, do make sure Thomas gets cured relatively quickly."

And everyone exhaled. Amidst the hurried acquiescing from both scientists, she stepped onto the boat, and Samuel guided it out and onto the Wrenhaven.

._.

"This is it, my lady." Samuel stated. They boat was floating outside the large water-gate that would lift floating vessels up to the Empress' tower…if they were supposed to be there. Emily straightened her dress, checking all the extra pockets Pierro had added at her request. "Slingshot, check. New spyglass, check. Assorted whalebone runes and charms, check. Awesome street rat partner?"

Thomas grinned. "Check. How do you want to play this one?"

"Quiet, fast, and hard." She replied. "At this point the biggest threats are the tallboys, and those are easy enough to dodge."

"Be careful." Sam cautioned. "Burrows has been beefing up security ever since you started your attacks."

Emily turned to him and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll come back intact." She turned towards the lift and prepared a grapple. "Burrows though…I make no promises about him."

In another moment, the two were darting up the water lift.

._.

A stone hit a guard in the head, and he crumpled. Another turned upon hearing his form crumple to the floor, but with a blur Thomas was in his face and slammed him against the wall. Emily ran past and out into the courtyard. The same courtyard she had last been in…well, only a few weeks ago, but it felt so much longer. It was certainly different. Where she and Corvo had played hide and seek, Tallboys' mechanical legs clanked along the cobbles. Where she had sat with Thomas singing nursery rhymes, electricity sparked between arc pylons. She flexed her fingers. When she was empress, it would all be torn down. She supposed she could start that now. A blink sat her atop a Tallboy's head, and a shrill whistle alerted the other. It turned to her, even as the one beneath her flailed to get her off. The other prepared to fire at her, and Thomas slammed a fist into its foot. The unnaturally powerful strike buckled the metal, and its rider's shot was thrown off, hitting the feet of its fellow Tallboy rather than Emily on its head. She leapt off, and then grappled, landing by the power source of the arc throwers and unceremoniously pulling the whale oil tank out. Shouts were being raised now, and she moved faster. Pebbles flew, as did fists, and guards crumpled. They landed outside the main door of the tower, and Thomas gave Emily a not-so-mocking bow. She walked up and threw open the doors.

"…I assure you Lord Regent, there is no way anyone will be able to-Huh?" The red uniform signified the man speaking as the head of guard for the tower, but the box he was talking to was a contraption Emily didn't recognise. She made a tugging motion at him as he raised his gun up to her, and his shadow flowed up his form. It didn't trip him though. It's arms reached around his neck. The two other guards in the room staggered backwards in fear as their captain flailed around, before falling unconscious, a victim to choking from his own shadow. Then they turned back to the two intruders.

"Nice power." Thomas mentioned. "That's a new variation, I sup- Oh come on, you two? Really?" Jack and Geoff looked at each other feeling somehow guilty. Thomas rolled his eyes. "Every time I go out- How do you two keep getting promoted?"

They shrugged. "I mean." Jack moved to respond. "We keep being the only ones left conscious after you two come through."

"Guards? What is going on out there? Talk to me!"

Emily walked up to the box. On it was…some sort of moving painting. And the image was of Hiram Burrows. She walked up to it, and the image recoiled at her presence. "What? You-Who are you?" Without making any conscious decision about it, she pulled up the veil. "Hello Hiram."

There was silence from the box. "It's been some time" Emily continued, casually. "Since that day, hasn't it? No, don't say anything. We'll talk properly in a few minutes when I get up to you. Feel free to take a seat and wait. Nothing can stop me after all." The screen went back. Satisfied, Emily put the veil back down, and turned to Thomas, who had shooed off the two reoccurring guards and was looking at her with amazement on his face. "What?" She asked.

"It's just…" Thomas struggled to find the words. "That was an empress speaking, right there."

Emily blushed under the veil, but didn't know how to respond. Shrugging, she turned, and moved further into the mansion.

._.

Burrows hadn't done as she had requested, of course. His bedroom was empty. "He must still be in the tower." Emily said, looking around. "He probably has a saferoom somewhere…" She spotted a combination safe built into the wall of the room, and pointed to it. "Can you get that open?" With a heave, Thomas tore the front of the safe clean off. Emily saw the contents, a letter, an audiograph, and a serious stack of gold. She picked the letter up, and read through it quickly.

Burrows.

You requested a dead empress and a captured child. Yet you neglected to tell me about Corvo, and therefore I lost a good man. In that, we both failed, and so I will not request more money for the inconvenience. But this talk of a witch-daughter interests me. You want her out of the way, which I understand. Rest assured, if I find Emily Kaldwin, you will not see her again.

Daud.

Emily looked up from it. She couldn't quite bring herself to smile, but…

"What does it say?" Thomas asked, eagerly.

"I think we need to listen to that audiograph." Emily stated, carefully. "Because I think I know a way to finish Hiram off for good."

No more excuses; i cant write if i'm not inspired. But now you have a backlog, and weekly chapters for like three weeks.