Chapter 23 – Flip of the Coin (Corvo)
Like most nights, the hallways of the guild's apprentice dormitory were dark and quiet, with faint candlelight spilling out from beneath the doors. Yet there was a lingering tension, no doubt brought on by the guild's lockdown, and all the speculation that came with it. The apprentices had been shuffled into their rooms, locked in by the new, stricter curfew. They were likely still awake, trading rumors and theories through excited whispers, muffled by their doors.
Yet the hallways weren't entirely empty. Each wing of the guild had at least one Nightwatch guard on patrol, kept alert by Chesto berries. That, and a lone Snivy standing outside of the room next to his, carrying a slimmed-down backpack and pressing his head to the door, listening to the mons on the other side.
"Guards on patrol," one of them said. "In the training field."
"Is it time to go yet?"
Silence followed. Then a metallic pop sounded off.
"…It's nine-o'-clock sharp," one of them answered. It sounded like that Totodile, Leon. "Will, it's been about twenty minutes."
"I know," William answered. "I left the door unlocked for him. All we can do is wait a little longer."
Corvo felt a pang of something he usually pushed away: guilt. But this was crazy, right? Going out to save someone he hardly knew from some dangerous nutjobs… What would be in it for him? Well, besides all the stuff Will talked about, like… a chance at a safe and secure future…
He shook his head. That's all it was– a chance. Not a sure-thing. Besides, what if it was Corvo who needed rescuing? Would William go through the same trouble to save him, too?
"Yeah, he would," Corvo said aloud.
His eyes widened in surprise. Where did that come from? He glanced down at his silver coin. He couldn't see his reflection in the darkness, but he knew it was still there.
"Can't stand here forever. Gotta make a choice."
For a moment he considered flipping the coin and using that to decide. He almost laughed– the coin is blank. Both sides were the same. Yet that wasn't the funny part to him.
His whole life, Corvo had left things up to chance. He didn't have a choice. But now he did have a choice, and he was thinking of throwing it away?
Suddenly a yellow glow appeared on the edge of his vision. Corvo glanced up, spotting lamplight from around the corner– a telltale sign that a guard was coming. If he got spotted before any of them even left, the guard could alert the rest of Nightwatch, making the escape harder for all of them.
"I'm sorry," Leon said on the other side. "But we can't wait any longer. We gotta go."
"Yeah," Corvo uttered. "We do."
He stowed his coin, flicking it with an audible ding! He reached for the door handle, pulled it down, and pushed the door open.
As he quietly shut the door behind him, he saw four faces staring at him. On the left side was William, sitting at the desk, as well as Leon and a Bulbasaur, sitting on the bed. In the middle was a Quilava, standing at the window. The right side of the room was empty.
"S'cuse me, neighbors," Corvo chimed in, bringing back his old grin. "Couldn't help but overhear your little dilemma."
He was met with a variety of expressions. The Quilava cocked his head to the side, looking unsure. The Bulbasaur smiled contently, maybe happy to see a fellow grass-type. Leon looked concerned, or conflicted, like he wasn't sure how to feel about Corvo being there. But William, even with his face masked by a skull, looked pleased. And relieved.
The Cubone stood up from his seat. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Heh, never doubt it, brother."
William turned to the others. "Everyone, this is Corvo." He then turned to Corvo and gestured toward the Bulbasaur and Quilava. "And Corvo, this is Chase and Enzo."
"How ya livin'?" Corvo greeted.
"Pretty good!" Chase answered.
Enzo merely stared at him. He conveyed a sense of uncertainty, much like Leon did.
Not a problem, Corvo just had to sell himself. He strutted to the middle of the room, making himself the center of attention.
"Alright, like sawjaw said we don't got time to spare. So let's get right into it." He brought his hands together. "It's the five of us tryin' to slip outta this place, and the only thing in our way is an army of guards on high alert."
Leon tilted his head to the side. "You say that like this is gonna be easy."
Corvo flashed a smile at him. "Anything's easy if ya got a good plan."
"I have an idea!" Chase spoke up. "Since we got Enzo with us, we could distract the guards by making just a tiny fire–"
"No." Everyone other than Chase spoke at once.
"We need to make sure Jacob has a home to come back to," William reminded.
"And I don't wanna get charged with arson when we do!" Leon protested.
"How 'bout we let the expert talk, eh?" Corvo said, siphoning the attention back to him. "One of the rules of stealth is, if you're high, you're safe."
"High?" Enzo asked.
"Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like. See, most folks don't bother lookin' up. And while none of ya have any wings, the guy who built this place was kind enough to give us somethin' to walk on."
"…Ceiling rafters?" Leon wondered.
"Bingo," Corvo answered. "And those beams lead straight into other rooms, like the library and the dinin' hall. We're headin' to the latter. Ya know those tall windows in there? They lead to a lower piece o' the roof. Bulby-boy and I can help ya reach 'em with our vines."
"Guards outside, too," Enzo remarked.
"Yeah, they're all over the field out there, but they ain't covering every square inch of this joint. We'll have a clear view out on the roof, it'll be easy to find a route to slip in through the woods. Just gotta watch and wait." Corvo leaned back against the wall, folding his arms. "'Fore we get to the nitty gritty, any questions?"
The room went quiet. If they had any objections to the plan, they didn't share them.
"…Huh," Leon uttered.
Corvo turned to him. "What's up?"
"Isn't this, like, the same route you took when you went on that 'pantry raid'?"
"…Pantry raid," Enzo echoed flatly.
"Ooh, sounds like fun!" Chase bounced on the bed.
"That's a story for another day," William waved off the topic.
"Well, it is," Corvo nodded. "It worked before, no reason why it can't work now."
"I get it," Leon said. "It's just… a little ironic to me."
Corvo had a suspicion that Leon was holding back something else. But as long as he was listening and followed instructions, did it matter?
"Well," Corvo continued. "Now that we know what we're gonna do, here's the part where I tell ya how we're gonna do it. Once we're out there–" he pointed over his shoulder, at the door. "No talking. We can't make any noise. So we'll use hand-signals. Pay attention, I'll show ya what means what."
Corvo demonstrated a variety of gestures, moving his hands and announcing what each one meant.
First, he held up a closed fist, next to his head. "Stop."
Then he made a beckoning gesture. "This one's easy: 'come here.'"
Next he stretched his arms to the side, one at a time. "Go left" and "go right."
He continued by pointing ahead. "Exactly what it looks like: go forward. Or wherever else I'm pointing."
Lowering both hands meant "duck down, hide."
Finally, Corvo made a waving motion with both hands. "Hopefully we won't have to use this, but it means 'scatter.' In case we get caught. And, one last thing."
Corvo paused, making sure he had their full attention. "If I tell ya to do something, do it. This ain't about who's boss and there's no room for argument. We've only got one shot at this, so we gotta make it count. Last call for questions. Got any?"
Leon and Enzo remained quiet. Chase bounced on the bed again.
"Oh yeah, we get to be ninjas tonight!" he beamed.
But William raised his hand. "There's one more thing we ought to address. If something goes awry and we become separated, where should we meet up?"
Corvo put a hand to his chin. He didn't want to consider their escape going that poorly. But Will had a fair point. "Where exactly are we headin' to, after we get out?"
"The Silver Shore," Leon answered. "That's where they took Jacob."
Corvo blew out a low whistle. "Wow, goin' the distance. Okay, that'll take us northeast o' Wolfhaven. I reckon we can meet up near the north road leadin' out o' town. Just stick to the woods to be safe. Sound good?"
After some shared glances, the team gave Corvo collective nods.
"Then we've got our escape route ready. Grab your gear, we're headin' out."
The group took inventory of their backpacks and side pouches, making sure they had what they needed for the long journey ahead.
William finished before the rest of them, and approached Corvo.
"I just wanted to say, I'm glad you decided to join us."
"Heh," Corvo chuckled. "After all we been through, didja really think I'd leave ya hangin'?"
"Honestly?" William shrugged. "After everything I've been through today, I don't have much energy left to think of anything. I wouldn't have been able to orchestrate a plan like this."
A little smirk formed on Corvo's face. It wasn't like Will had to butter him up more, Corvo had made up his mind. Still… it was nice to be appreciated.
Enzo finished next, slipping a small pack onto his back, careful to not block his heat vents. He then helped Chase close the pouches beside his bulb, and the Bulbasaur warmly thanked him. The two regrouped with Corvo and William, leaving only Leon left to finish packing.
"Almost ready, sawjaw?" Corvo asked.
Leon didn't respond right away. Above his backpack, he held a copper pocket watch by its shiny chain. The metal shell reflected a glint of moonlight. "Why do they want this so badly?" Leon wondered aloud.
"We won't know until we get there," William reminded.
With a light sigh, Leon gingerly lowered the watch into his backpack, zipped it shut, and fastened the pack onto himself.
Corvo's guess about who the Eidolons are, and what they wanted, was as good as anyone else's. But even so, now wasn't the time to think about it. He had a team to lead.
"Now then," he lowered his voice. "We'll make a line. Chase, I want you in the back. In case someone slips, you or me can use our vines to catch 'em."
Chase gave a salute with one of his vines. "Aye aye, Captain Corvo."
Leon snorted, and Corvo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. But as instructed, the others formed a line: William, Leon, Enzo, and Chase, with Corvo ahead of them.
"Alright," Corvo nodded. "Stay in line and don't fall behind. I'll listen for guards 'fore we go. Soon as we go out this door–" Corvo ran a finger over his mouth, closing his lips.
He then faced the door, kneeling to listen through its keyhole. At first there was only silence. But before long, footsteps sounded off throughout the hall, moving left to right.
Thump, thump, thump, thump…
A door softly opened, then closed.
…
The coast sounded clear. Corvo inched the door open, then pushed his hand through the narrow crack. In it, he held his silver coin. It was too dark to see any reflections, but that was the point; if he couldn't see any light reflecting, then that meant the hallway was empty. A tilt of the coin to each side confirmed it.
So Corvo silently pushed the door open, careful not to make the hinges squeal. With just enough space, he pointed forward and stepped out into the hall.
William, Leon, Enzo, and Chase all tiptoed behind him, gradually opening the door further to accommodate everyone. Before long, all five of them had entered the ominous, dark corridor. The Snivy pointed left, and the group promptly shuffled toward the doors to the main hall. A gust of wind tapped the windows of nearby rooms. Distant floorboards creaked, whispering through the guild.
As they reached the double-doors, Corvo prodded one of them open. He once again slipped his coin through, using its mirror-like polish to check for danger. The silver showed no light, except for a dim shine to the right– it had to be the main hall's chandelier.
He pulled his coin back and poked his head through. There were indeed no guards on the second-floor landing. Though a glance at the ground floor showed about eight guards down there, all either idling or walking around.
"They want us to sit here all night, huh?" said a Pangoro guard.
"Pretty much," a Mightyena answered. "Doubt anything's gonna happen, though. Hope you brought a book."
"Maybe we can play a round o' Mosaic later?"
Meanwhile, Corvo lowered both of his hands. The group crouched down low. They shuffled into the second-floor landing, taking cover behind the pillar wall. Corvo slinked toward the left-hand staircase, stopping just before the steps.
"This is it," Corvo thought. "They better not screw up now."
He leaned away from the wall, locking eyes with Chase. He pointed at the Bulbasaur, then to himself, signaling him to pay attention. Vines slithered out from his collar, which Corvo used to point towards the ceiling rafters.
Though when he looked to Chase again, the Bulbasaur had a confused expression. His jaw moved down– and Corvo swiftly raised a hand to his own mouth, preserving the silence. Looks like he'd have to give a demonstration.
"Hey," the guards downstairs spoke again. "Is O'Reilly still wandering around upstairs? Maybe we should check on 'em."
"Nah, not yet," another voice declined, preventing Corvo's veins from going cold. "He's just slow, give 'em a few minutes."
Relief, but no time to relax. Corvo gestured toward the group, then to himself, silently telling them to watch. He leaned around the corner and shot twin vines toward the rafters, coiling them around the wood. After a glance to double-check that the others were watching, he swung through the air and reeled himself toward the ceiling rafters, clambering on.
From his lofty position, Corvo pointed at Chase– who watched from the corner– then at the next set of rafters above the other staircase. The Bulbasaur vanished and, a few seconds later, another pair of vines coiled around the wood to Corvo's left. Chase reeled himself in and climbed on with little difficulty. Though it was awkward for the plump quadruped to stand on the narrow wood, he seemed to manage just fine.
"Alright, not bad," Corvo thought.
William took the initiative and showed the rest what came next; he shimmied down the stair handrail on Corvo's side, putting himself right below Corvo so he could be lifted with his vines.
Corvo obliged, and before he even lifted William onto the ceiling rafters, Chase was already grappling and lifting Enzo with his own vines. And shortly after Enzo was uplifted, Leon mimicked William's shimmy and was in position, ready for pick-up right below Corvo.
Corvo lifted the gator just as easily as he did with William. Now all five of them stood just beneath the ceiling: him, William, and Leon on one side, and then Chase and Enzo on the other. The next step was guiding everyone into the dining hall. The only thing between them and a long fall to the floor was a network of narrow wood.
"So don't look down," Corvo thought, even though the others couldn't hear it.
With all eyes on him, he motioned forward with his arm. One soft step after another, they trekked across the rafters, slowly swaying left and right as they held their arms out for balance.
Meanwhile, more chatter from the guards filled the hall.
"How long you figure they'll have us pull these all-nighters, eh?"
"Probably until they get their missing guy back."
"Any clue who's behind the kidnappin'?"
"No, but whoever it is… It looks like they're getting all the guild's super-elites together. Something big's about to happen."
Up ahead was a cross-section in the rafters. Soon they'd converge onto the same beam, then move left into the dining hall.
"Pfft, who gets kidnapped from here?" One of the guards scoffed. "Lemme tell ya, this place used to have standards with recruits. Nowadays they'll take in any gutter trash."
A sudden growling rattled the air, but it wasn't from the guards. Corvo glanced over his shoulder, just as William did the same behind him. It was Leon, flashing his teeth and staring daggers at the guy who badmouthed his brother.
Corvo frantically gestured at him, though William had already put his hand on the Totodile's shoulder.
"Did you hear something?" One of the guards said, and Leon's angry expression dulled. All eyes were on Corvo once more, and he vigorously motioned forward and left, urging them all to hurry toward the dining hall.
"Heard what?"
"Sounded like… I dunno, some weird noise?"
"Al, there's eight of us down here. We're bound to make a little noise here and there, don't get so jumpy."
Finally, the group moved onto the next wooden beam. Corvo silently thanked his luck, as none of them had lost balance or drew attention to themselves. They moved on and ducked through a square hole in the wall, crossing over from the main hall into the dining hall.
Much like last time the dining hall was a big, dark, empty room at this time of night. Though this time the moonlight was brighter, which helped make up for the lack of a certain Charmander…
Unlike the main hall though, the dining hall had no guards patrolling the floor. It made sense, cuz it wasn't like anyone would be sneaking in through here. And they weren't counting on anyone being able to get out past the main hall.
Corvo motioned forward, guiding the group further into the dining hall. They passed through rays of silver light as they moved toward the next rafter intersection, catching a glimpse of the moon. Once they got close enough to the windows, they could close the gap with their vines. Between Corvo and Chase, getting out onto the roof should be quick and easy.
As Corvo set foot on the intersection, the wood beneath him felt… softer, somehow? He stopped moving, and William promptly bumped into him– he had forgotten to hold up a fist.
The Cubone tapped his shoulder, silently conveying a question: why have they stopped? Corvo answered with a shrug, and tapped the beam with his foot. It felt like regular wood this time. Did he just imagine something weird? He glanced back at the others, who were all looking toward him with confused glances.
No point in standing around. Corvo pointed left, and the group resumed their trek toward the windows. Yet just a moment later he paused again. Was it his imagination, or did he hear faint whispers cutting through the darkness? His legs wobbled as he suddenly felt disoriented. No imaginary sound could've caused this…
Another sound barely registered with Corvo, but it was just enough to trigger his reflexes. He ducked, narrowly dodging something that had swooped toward him.
Everyone behind him scuttled back. Corvo snapped his gaze towards whatever had tried to knock him over. A pair of white eyes and fangs beamed back at him, belonging to a blue and purple winged creature in the moonlight: a Golbat.
Several fluttering wings filled the air as more Golbats dropped from their roosts– the rafters below. An entire swarm, hidden until now, unfolded their wings and took flight. Within seconds they filled the once-empty air, eclipsing the moonlight as their shadows sliced across the wall.
Amidst the frenzy Corvo spun and waved his hands. The team took off in a desperate dash toward the high windows, hopping across the wooden beam. The swarm began their attack, bombarding them with a volley of razor winds and sonic screeches. Wind Cutters slashed at Corvo, and Supersonic waves rattled his head.
"Gah! Get 'em off us!" Corvo broke their silence– their stealth was blown anyway.
Behind him, Leon blasted a torrential stream from his mouth, soaking the swarm of bats.
Next was Enzo, who flared his vents and fired a Flame Burst that shot three out of the air.
Then Chase launched a cannonade of Razor Leaves, slowing down the remaining Golbats.
But they were outnumbered and a pair of bats closed in on Corvo. He readied his vines, lashing out against the dark. He struck one, but the other bat fluttered to the side. It bared its teeth as it dove toward him. Corvo braced himself…
Thwack!
William swung his bone club, smacking the bat down before it could bite.
"Thanks," Corvo huffed.
"We can't fight them all," William remarked. "We need to keep moving!"
In the corner of his vision Corvo saw another bat behind him. He readied his vines again, but the bat didn't fly toward them. Instead it flew away from the team, through the rectangular hole to the main hall…
"Hurry!" Corvo urged, and they hobbled their way to the end of the beams.
As the Golbats recovered, they screeched and flapped their way back toward the ceiling, prompting the team to batter them down again with more water, fire, and leaves. A cacophony of noise filled their ears, between the screeches, shouting, and their own attacks echoing through the cavernous room.
They reached the end of the beam, stopping at a gap that spanned a few yards between them and the window. Their escape plan was rapidly falling apart– they had to make this count.
"Get ready!" Corvo called. With a running start he leaped off of the wooden beam. As he fell, he shot both of his vines toward the window. As soon as they touched the sill he reeled himself in, flying up toward the moonlight. He flipped himself onto the window, and immediately spun around and with his vines ready again. "Jump!" he ordered. "I'll catch ya!"
William ran toward him, vaulting from the wood and into open air. Right behind him was Chase, who also jumped and shot out his vines– clinging onto the window next to Corvo's.
Corvo snatched William with his vines, straining to stop his fall and pull him toward the window. Once he was close enough, the Cubone swung his notched club and latched onto the window, hauling himself up. At the same time, Chase clambered onto the window next to them.
Meanwhile, Leon and Enzo continued shooting down more Golbats as they rose again, pushing back the tide with Water Guns and Flame Bursts.
"C'mon guys!" Chase hollered, summoning his vines. "Run for it!"
Enzo obliged, jumping and landing into Chase's vines.
That left only Leon, who flailed his arms as the bats swarmed him.
"Hurry Leon!" William called. "Just a bit farther!"
Leon spun around, spraying the swarm with a high-pressure Water Gun. Then he ran toward them, but another bat barreled into him from behind. He reeled on the edge, cartwheeling his arms as one foot teetered over thin air.
"Not good!" Corvo rasped.
An Air Cutter hissed through the space, pushing Leon past the brink. His arms flailed in vain, unable to stop himself from plummeting into the dark.
Thud!
Corvo winced.
"We've gotta get him!" Chase said. He readied his vines, but Corvo held a hand up.
"No, get outta here! I'll get Leon!"
The Bulbasaur looked at him with a shocked face. "But–"
The door slammed open and a flood of light and guards poured in.
"No time!" Corvo shouted. "All of you, go!"
Though they hesitated, the others covered their ears as the Golbats screeched more sonic waves. Chase and Enzo scurried away.
"See you at the meeting point," William said with a nod, and he too left, dashing across the rooftop.
Corvo grappled the window sill once again, throwing himself over the ledge. Halfway down he planted his feet against the wall, then kicked away from it, unlatching his vines. With a tumble he landed next to Leon, still dazed on the floor.
The Totodile blinked as Corvo offered him a hand, surprise as plain as daylight on his face. Nonetheless he accepted Corvo's hand, who hoisted him back to his feet.
"What do we do now?" Leon whispered.
Before Corvo could even think Nightwatch was surrounding them: a Mightyena, a Pangoro, a Passimian, and a Mienfoo, all flanked by the Golbat swarm. For good measure, a pair of Golbats flapped their way to the window, probably going after the rest of the team. Corvo and Leon stood with their backs against each other. They were pretty much screwed.
"Well, whatdaya know?" said the Passimian. "First night and we already got some lurkers! An' here I thought we were in for a sleepy shift."
"Why were you guys trying to leave?" Mightyena wondered.
"Doesn't matter," Pangoro cut in. "Our job's to keep 'em locked in, and that's what we're gonna do."
Corvo's heart thumped against his chest. Bitter thoughts bloomed as his inner voice told him he made the wrong choice. "You idiot. You should've just left on your own."
"We should alert the Guildmaster," Mienfoo commented, folding her arms. "She'll know what to do with them."
But Corvo pushed his pessimism away as a fiery resolve welled up inside of him. They weren't done yet– they just needed to get creative. As his mind raced with ideas, he whispered.
"Leon. You know any ice moves?"
Leon's eyes darted to him for a half-second, nearly-wild with panic. "…Fang." he replied.
Not what Corvo wanted to hear. "How 'bout a beam or breath?"
"Not really."
"Better learn quick."
Leon's eyes grew. "What are you thinking?"
"We could–"
"Okay you two," Pangoro gave them both a push. "Show's over, you're comin' with us. We'll catch your buddies too, soon enough."
"Just stick with us and you'll be okay," Mightyena assured.
The guards made a formation around him and Leon. The fighting-types walked in front, while the dark-types covered their flank. They led the two toward the doors, and the Golbats returned to their roost, some of whom bemoaned the hits they took in the skirmish.
"Heh, listen to them bats!" Passimian jeered. "All that whining– all they did was fight some newbies!"
"Guess that means they are training them well," Mightyena said. "Where do you get off, calling them 'gutter-trash'?"
Leon shot a dirty look toward Passimian.
"What? Okay, these kids might be a bit tough, but that one guy–"
"Can it!" Pangoro barked as they entered the main hall. Warm candlelight illuminated them all. "You're not paid to make an ass of yourself."
Corvo rolled his eyes. These guys thought they had him and Leon in the bag. Well, maybe they did… Unless his gambit paid off.
"Remind me," Mienfoo said, "why did I get the same shift as you?"
"Ice, Leon," Corvo whispered. "Ice." As the Totodile gave him a tiny nod, Corvo flicked his wrist: his coin appeared in his grasp.
"Pfft, ya say that like It's a bad thing!" Passimian sneered." C'mon, I know y'all like havin' me around, even if–"
Ding!
"…Wait, what was–?"
Corvo's tail pulsed with draconic energy and he lashed out, spinning around once. A sudden gale rushed toward him and Leon, forming a towering Twister from the ether. Caught in the eye of a small, fleeting storm, he locked eyes with Leon, who nodded in understanding.
Cold mist swirled around Leon's open mouth. He lobbed his head forward, expelling a mix of frost and chilled water as an improvised ice move. Water, rime, and wind combined into a glacial fog.
As cold mist bloomed and blinded Nightwatch, Corvo and Leon ducked and rolled. "This way, hurry!" Corvo urged. As they escaped the freezing whirlwind, he led Leon toward the back of the hall.
"Where are we going?" Leon asked as they rushed.
"Trust me!" Corvo replied. He risked a glance backward.
The night crew stumbled around in the cold mist, hampered by both the ice and surprise.
The two sprinted and rounded the corner, arriving at a simple wooden door below the staircase. Corvo shoved it open just as he heard Pangoro shouting, and he and Leon bolted into the dark, narrow room.
Leon slammed the door shut, pushing an old crate to barricade it. He snapped his head back and, seeing how empty the room was, his face fell. "What? This is a dead end!"
Indeed, it was more like a disused closet than a room. Besides a couple more empty crates and barrels, the only thing an untrained eye would see would be another door that led back to the main hall.
But Corvo's vision was sharper than that.
"Hang on." He crawled on the floor, feeling for loose wood. "Trapdoor's here somewhere, make sure that other door's blocked!"
Though he hesitated, Leon nonetheless ran to the other end and pushed another crate in front of the second door.
Bang!
And not a moment too soon, as the door trembled with impact.
Leon stumbled back. "You better hurry!" he warned.
Corvo scurried, racking his brain to remember where that hidden panel was. His hands rubbed the floor, looking for indents. His panic flared as shouting sounded off on the other side.
"You little shits! When I get in there, I swear…"
"C'mon c'mon c'mon–" Corvo muttered. He couldn't screw up again. They needed the hidden trapdoor, and they needed it now.
BANG!
Leon's back arched as his whole body tensed. "Corvo–"
"Found it!"
He lifted a square piece of wood that, until now, blended in with the floor perfectly. Grasping the plank, he yanked it open and beckoned Leon.
"Hop in!"
In a single bound the Totodile vanished into the chute, and Corvo dove in after him, pulling the trapdoor over his head.
The hidden entrance snapped shut, and the banging and shouting gave way to deceptively-distant muffles. Instead, Corvo's ears were filled by a thundering heartbeat. He couldn't tell if it was his own or Leon's. Either way it took some time for them to calm down, and the rest of his senses caught up with him.
Pitch-black darkness surrounded them. Corvo swung his bag around, zipping it open to dig through its contents.
"Now what do we do?" Leon whispered.
"We keep movin'," Corvo replied. "Just gotta find a light first…"
"What about the guards?"
"I doubt they'll even know about these tunnels here, but we're not waitin' around to find out."
The cool touch of a metal lantern greeted Corvo's hand, and he pulled it out. The knob clicked as he turned it, spurring a spark that bloomed into a flame within the glass.
Warm yellow light painted their faces as well as the old, stone walls of the tunnel.
"Can ya hold this for me?" Corvo asked, holding up the lamp. "I don't mix well with fire."
Leon accepted it, grasping the lantern by its thin metal handle. "I usually don't carry these," he said. "Whenever I need a light, I just ask Jacob. But now…"
"Yeah, I get it," Corvo assured. "We won't find 'em standin' around. C'mon, these tunnels have an exit at the edge of the trainin' field. Let's head there and meet up with the others."
The two walked side-by-side as they navigated the tunnels. The lantern cast a wavering glimmer through the lightless underpass. On each side laid old cobblestone walls, supported by wooden frames. The air tasted stale and a blanket of dust shifted beneath their feet. Any noise from the main hall faded to silence. While Corvo hadn't explored every route, he had enough confidence in his sense of direction.
Despite that, the comfort from eluding capture was short-lived. Some vague worry nagged at Corvo, amplified by the eerie stillness in the gloomy passage. It wasn't a fear that something else would go wrong with their escape. No, what Corvo felt was a lingering sense of unease, coming from Leon.
Even before they left the dorms, something about the Totodile's body language was tense. Off-putting. Now that he was alone with the gator, that tension was all too noticeable.
"So," Leon broke the silence, his voice echoing off the stone. "How long have you known about these tunnels?"
"A couple weeks," Corvo answered, quietly thankful for the small talk. "Before ya ask, it would've been too hard to get everyone down here. That's why it wasn't my first choice… Turn left here."
Leon craned his head around, staring down the dark corridors surrounding them. "How'd you find out about this place?"
"I just staked it out," Corvo shrugged. "Hear some rumors, take a look around, pretty straightforward. Findin' secrets isn't as hard as it sounds."
"Hmm." Leon tilted his head away. "Easy, huh? Makes me wonder how those Eidolon guys found out about Jacob and his watch…"
"No clue."
They fell back into lingering silence, as if the stale air had choked their voices. Leon's expression was strained, and his knuckles looked almost white as he clutched the lamp. The tension was too hard to ignore.
"Hey, ease up," Corvo said. "One way or another, we'll get your little bro outta this bind."
Leon stopped. He lowered his head, as well as his voice. "…Are you really gonna stay with us?"
"I mean, I'll be honest, Leon." Corvo shrugged. He wasn't comfortable enough with Leon to call him 'brother' yet, especially with Jacob missing. "I was thinkin' about goin' my own way. But Will talked to me, made some decent points. I reckon stickin' with you guys will be better in the long run."
"Better for us?" Leon asked, looking at Corvo. "Or just you?"
Corvo scratched his head. "Why not both? I've already helped you guys get outta here, right?"
Leon glanced away from him. "Hmph. Sure, whatever you say."
Geez, what was up with this guy? Was he still holding a grudge over the pantry raid? "You know, I never invited Jake along for that food run. He shoved himself into it."
"What are you getting at?" Leon growled.
"Nothin'. Just think you should remember that."
They went silent again. Though given sawjaw's attitude, Corvo didn't mind it as much. For the next several minutes they navigated the old tunnels, speaking only when Corvo said to go left or right, or to back up when they hit a dead-end. Of course, his own bitter thoughts weren't much better than Leon's snark. After a while, the silence started gnawing at Corvo again.
"This is gonna be a long trip if it's like this the whole time…"
Maybe Corvo could break the ice and start fresh with this guy? He cleared his throat.
"So, saw– Leon. You got other folks back home, yeah?"
Leon raised his eyes at him. "You mean my family? Yeah. Why?"
That was a lot less snide than Corvo expected. Might as well keep it going. "What're they like?"
Leon opened his mouth but paused, like he was thinking over his answer. "They're… like any other family, I suppose. We'd see Mom and Dad after school. Talk about our days around the dinner table. Probably sounds boring but…"
"That doesn't sound so bad," Corvo commented. He thought back to Elizabeth, how that Kangaskhan gave him a taste of "boring" family life. It was good. He would've stuck with it, if that had been an option.
"How about you?" Leon returned the question.
"Not much to talk about," Corvo said. "No folks to call my own. Just been on my own since, well, always."
"If you say so," Leon replied, sounding unconvinced.
Corvo shook his head. No point in pushing it though. He was trying to lower the tension, Not make more of it.
"So you guys adopted Jake, right? Were you a lone kid before that?"
Even in the dark tunnel, Leon's face seemed to tense up. The lamp shook in his grasp. " …Y…yeah," he uttered.
Corvo raised an eye at Leon's reaction. Why'd he get so wound-up? At this rate, the only way they'd cut the tension is by getting out of the tunnels. But speaking of which…
"Hey, look," Corvo pointed ahead. "There's the exit!"
At the end of the passage was a ladder leading up to another trapdoor. The wall to the right had a marking that looked like a set of trees.
"Those markings gotta mean the forest is above us." Corvo climbed up the ladder and gave the trapdoor a push, but it wouldn't budge. A closer inspection revealed a padlock.
"Great, it's locked."
"Can't you open it?" Leon asked, standing below him.
"Nah, I don't got any picks. I've gotten used to goin' around locked doors." The closest thing he had to a pick was a small fork, and he doubted that would ever work. He couldn't pry it off with his vines either, he would just hurt himself.
"…Crap, we might have to turn back."
"What, giving up already?" Leon said. "Pfft. Here, let me up the ladder."
"Hey, knock yourself out." Corvo slid down.
Leon set the lantern on the floor and climbed onto the latter. A frosty fog spilled out of his jaw as he breathed ice onto the lock. A minute passed and the lock became encased in ice. The Totodile curled his hand into a fist, then punched the frozen metal.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He shook his sore fist after the third hit.
"Think you're doin' more damage to yourself," Corvo said.
"I'm just getting started." Leon shifted on the ladder, turning his head at a strange angle. "This is how you open a lock." He opened his maw and thrusted, chomping on the chilled mechanism. The ladder swayed from Leon's wrangling, rocking back and forth until a loud, metallic squeal shrieked through the tunnels.
Leon ripped the lock from the wood, spitting the small contraption to the floor.
Clank!
Two teeth rolled around the mangled metal.
Corvo stared at the wrecked lock, as well as the dislodged fangs on the floor. "…Damn, dude."
"My teeth will grow back," Leon said, climbing back down to retrieve the lamp. "Unlike the lock."
Corvo made a mental note never to get between Leon and his meal. "Alright, I'll head up first. Make sure the coast is clear."
Corvo clambered up the ladder again, pushing the trapdoor open with his vines. The persistent darkness gave way to silhouettes of tree branches. Behind them was a background of a star-filled night sky. Another step up and he inhaled deeply, refreshing himself with the cool night air.
He slowly pushed his head up further, glancing around. At first it looked like there was a small wall surrounding the trapdoor. But then Corvo realized that it wasn't a wall– the trapdoor was built into a hollowed-out tree stump, shielding it from view.
"Looks clear so far," Corvo said. He dared to peek a little further, surveying the area. Just past a few bushes was the training field, where a patrol of guards were frantically searching around. Corvo craned his head to eavesdrop on them.
"Where'd they go? They just ran to that dinky room and… vanished!"
"I'm still shivering from that trick they pulled. We might as well go warm up inside, this trail's as good as cold."
"But we still gotta find those other guys! There were at least three more in the cafe!"
"And we have no clue where they went, either. Look, we've done what we can. Best we can do is head back…"
Music to Corvo's ears. Will, Chase, and Enzo must've given them the slip. He ducked back into cover. "Sounds like we shook 'em, and so did the other guys."
Leon popped open the pocket watch, holding its face next to the lantern. "It's twenty past nine."
"Been that long, huh? They might be at the meeting point now, let's sneak through the woods. Turn the light off."
Leon nodded, clicked off the lantern and climbed up behind Corvo. The two blended in with the woods, sneaking their way off the guild grounds and toward the north road.
The northern road out of Wolfhaven came into view. It was a plain, dirt path that snaked through the forest hills. A small rest stop sat on the right side, offering a bench and a rock with a bronze plaque chiseled into it. Naturally, at this hour it was empty.
"That must be the spot," Leon said. "Where is everyone?"
"Hiding," Corvo said. "That's what I'd do. But I can get their attention."
With his silver coin in-hand, he gave the shiny metal a few flicks.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A few seconds passed. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Finally, a bush on the other side rustled. A familiar face poked his head out: William.
"Leon, Corvo," he called in a hushed voice. "It's good to see you're safe."
The Cubone emerged from the foliage. Right behind him was Chase and Enzo, all emerging from their hiding spots.
"We thought you might've got caught," Chase said, sounding relieved.
Leon scratched the back of his head. "We got out by the skin of our teeth."
"Literally," Corvo chipped in. "So, you guys aren't hurt?"
William shook his head. "The Golbats were right behind us, but we found a way to slip away from them."
"Oh yeah?" Leon asked, already sounding more at-ease. "What didja do?"
"…Started a fire," Enzo answered. "Distracted them."
"You're kidding," Corvo said, only half-surprised.
"He lit a small blaze," William elaborated. "Enough to draw their attention away from us while they extinguished it."
"Told you that would work!" Chase beamed.
"Well, that's what matters I guess." Leon scratched his shoulder.
"In any case, that's the first leg o' the trip done," Corvo said. He reached into his bag, pulling out a map. "Let's plan our route for the next one." He unrolled the parchment over the ground, showing the cities and roads of Chronovania.
"Silver Shore's up here," Leon said, pointing to the northeast section.
"What's the quickest way there?" William asked.
Corvo placed a finger over their current location: Wolfhaven. "First, we head on up to Cloudcroft." He traced his finger north. "We can camp out in Moonrise Canyon before we get there, get a few hours of shuteye. After we get on the mesa, we'll head over to Rimehorn– a snowy mountain village." He traced his finger further northeast, showing off a mountain range. "They've got tunnels we can take to the other side."
Leon sighed at the mention of tunnels.
"Once we're past that," Corvo continued, "we'll stop at Harvest. Sleepy little town, good place to rest. That'll be our last stop, cuz Silver Shore's not far from there."
"Good plan!" Chase said. "Plenty of historical sites along the way, too. This'll be like a field trip!"
"I wish it was," Leon said. "But we can't kid ourselves. We're going up against an enemy we hardly know."
As if on cue, distant howling rolled across the hills from the north.
"Ferals?" William asked.
Leon shook his head. "Yeah, I had a feeling this wouldn't be easy."
"Don't sound so down, buddy!" Chase encouraged. "Five of us against ferals? They don't stand a chance!"
Leon stepped forward, onto the road. Rows of pine trees swayed in the wind, which carried more menacing howls. He looked up toward the luminous constellations, wearing a determined expression.
Corvo rolled up his map. Maybe it was just cuz the escape went well, but he had to admit, being on a team felt pretty good so far. He took a glance back at the town. Wolfhaven was dark and quiet, like any other night. Yet this time, there was a strange sense of foreboding. This would be the last time any of them saw the place for a long time. Maybe the last time ever.
But now wasn't the time for regrets.
"No more waiting," Leon announced. "Jacob is out there." He turned back, looking everyone in the eye one at a time. "We're risking a lot for this. I… really can't thank you guys enough. Helping me out like this."
"Of course," William nodded. "We're here for you. Both of you."
"Jacob's our friend, too!" Chase bounded forth.
"Whoever took him," Enzo added, "we'll knock them down."
Corvo smiled, and walked ahead to join them."We're here for your brother, brother."
Leon nodded, then faced the northern road out of Wolfhaven. It seemed to stretch on forever. But with the five of them, 'forever' didn't seem too far.
"Let's bring him home."