NOTICE
I do apologize in advance for the info dump in this chapter. In future drafts of the, I plan on cutting info dumps out and spreading the info more organically into the story, but for now, I gotta say what needs to be said. That said, first (very mild) erotic content in this chapter! Its a tease, but next chapter will have a little bit more ;)
Tito could feel his heart hammering so loud in his chest, he imagined it could be heard from the end of the hall. Not even Huli's grandfather clocks were this loud. But Tito pushed aside the terror as he accepted the ration from the guard hastily, almost spilling the food, earning him a scolding from the Knight.
And with that, it was time. Tito waited as long as he dared after the guard passed his cell, before crouching forward and nudging open the door. Sure enough, the cell that had kept him for the last week was behind him. The guard was preoccupied with a prisoner begging for more rations, shouting obscenities Tito had only heard in the slums.
He tiptoed around his door and quickly made his way to the end of the hall, sweat dripping off his chin. Despite the fear coursing through him, it was thrilling. A horrifying kind of thrilling.
He found himself at the staircase at the end of the corridor, and allowed himself a breath he didn't know he was holding. The short-sightedness of his plan hit him like a sack of potatoes. He didn't know what was at the top of this stairwell. He was less likely to make it out of the prison alive than he was to make a quartz timed watch by hand.
Tito found himself at the top of the staircase. Luckily, the chamber ahead of him contained no Knights. It seemed to be a connection hub for staircases similar to his own, probably leading to their own batch of prison cells. Several bookshelves, tables and chairs were strewn across the room, probably for the guards. A pair of doors were set in to the far wall, however, probably leading in to the remainder of the Knight's Gear. He crept along the wall. He doubted he could hear any footsteps, loud as his heartbeat was.
The double doors across the room burst open, the voices of half a dozen Knights pouring in. Tito nearly yelped but managed to slip behind a thick bookcase. Not sure if anyone had seen him, he held his breath and didn't dare to move.
The voices continued, getting louder as the walked through the room. Tito managed to pay attention to the voices for a moment. "And then the bloke tried to take me down! As if some haggard git locked in a cell could take one the Knights of the Constabulary." A chorus of laughs followed.
"I tell you, the prisoners get dumber and dumber with every batch," another one said. Tito recognized it as the blond Knight. "One girl I saw couldn't even get a word out, just stuttered like she hadn't spoken a word in her life! At least she was cute. Would've railed her if Nali allowed it." More laughter. Tito figured he would have been disgusted by the man's behavior, but he was too terrified.
"Alright," another voice said, a familiar woman's voice. "I'm gonna check on this clockmaker. If he's finally remembering, we might get more info about the lady who killed Pierra."
The name shocked Tito so much, he didn't notice as the girl came around the corner of the bookshelf.
It was the black haired Knight from earlier. Unlike Tito, she was calm and collected, holding a gloved hand over his mouth and holding a finger to her lips. Don't say a word, the gesture said.
Tito was as confused as he was terrified, but he obeyed. She held him pressed against the bookcase for some time, as the other Knights continued their banter. Eventually, they went separate ways, some leaving the prison, some walking down the stairwells. When the last few had left, she relaxed her grip.
So, Tito took the chance to strike.
He didn't have any experience fighting, but his attack caught the woman off guard, allowing him to press her against the wall, forearm pressed into her neck. The girl was shocked, though she didn't seem particularly scared. "Tell me where to get out of here, or so help me gods, I will-"
"Bit of a bold move to attack a Knight," she said with a grin. "You know Knights have accelerated strength, right?"
Tito's heart jumped a beat. He'd heard such things many times. And yet, he had so easily thrown her against the wall. "It's your armor," he guessed. She was wearing her uniform, not her armor, after all.
"Smart boy," she said with a grin. "Too bad I'm not a Knight. Mind letting go of my boob?"
Tito blinked, surprised by both the statement and the question. He realized he was pressing against her chest with his left hand, and quickly pulled his hand away, though the sensation of the soft breast in his palm didn't leave. "S-sorry. You're... what?"
She pressed his forearm away, which had lost its strength in his surprise. "Let's talk, my friend." She pulled him aside to a closet in the side of the room. She got on her kneels and pulled away a small door beneath a shelf in the closet wall. "Shall we?"
Tito stared at the hole, trying to push the shock away from his mind. "... What?"
"If I must," she said dramatically, throwing him another grin, before crawling into the narrow passage. "But don't stay behind. You'll find yourself in much worse trouble if you do."
The sound of more Knights walking up a stairwell propelled Tito through his uncertainty. He awkwardly got on his hands and knees and followed her. He closed the panel behind him. "Where are we going?!" He whispered fiercely.
"Straight to the Chief Knight's bedroom, of course. Always wanted to dirty his sheets."