V5 Chapter 12 Rat Way Out

" Lead the way but try not to get us killed this time. I rather not tempt death so many times in a row."

Amon miserably agrees. Philomel without missing a step, slips through the door and sprints down an alleyway, avoiding every shimmer of daylight along her way. Amon exhales sharply, his legs still feeling terribly sore but even so, he forces himself to match Philomel's pace. Philomel signals for him to stop as she watches the caretakers of the Messiah from the shadows.

The hooded elf was still waiting by the gates of the city surrounded by Holy Knights. They were there for quite a while now, which seemed strange to both Philomel and Amon. Both of them sensed and knew it was a trap.

" I don't like the looks of this at all, maybe we should find a way out of the city before trailing them. Here they have a huge advantage. "

" Good plan but it has one major flaw."

Philomel points out as she signals Amon to stay low. She creeps out of the alley and ducks behind a street vendor stall. Amon quickly follows behind her and squats down next to her, trying to keep his huge frame hidden behind the small shop.

" What?"

" That's the only way out of here."

Philomel answered as she pointed toward the towering, intimidating spiked metal gates. Amon fell silent as he stared at the gates. He could have sworn that evil-looking thing had spiked eyes silently telling him to go through its sharp teeth promising that it wouldn't bite down nor chew and that it was his best friend. It could either be that those gates were truly cursed or Amon was extremely sleep-deprived and daydreaming. But even so, Amon believed what he saw and was reluctant to go through those gates. It took a while for Amon to turn away from the demonic bloodthirsty gate and focus back on Philomel. Philomel was watching for a pattern to slip past the area.

"... You're joking, right? Because that isn't very funny."

" I don't joke during a dangerous situation."

" Then what about scaling the wall?? That's how we got in, can't we use the same way to go out?"

" On the outer walls, there are blind spots since we only have to watch for guards. On the other hand, the inner wall is packed filled with homes and shops. We will be out in the open and wouldn't know if we were seen until we're caught."

" How do you normally escape then?"

" Clinging to the undercarriage of wagons but only when security is low unlike now. There are at least 10 holy knights there, I doubt we will be able to go through unnoticed."

" How about the sewers?"

" The closest it can get you is right under their feet. After that, you would still need to sneak past them and through the gates."

" *Sighs* That's just great."

Amon huffed with a glum expression as he bounce the baby in his arms. Philomel weaves through the marketplace, dodging vendors who were setting up their stalls in preparation for the morning market. Her hands were fast while she slips past, grabbing any kind of food she could get her hands on and slipping them into her sack.

Amon awkwardly tries to keep up but his aching legs and his hunching body kept slowing him down. He had to stop many times and dive into a hiding spot, trying his best not to be seen by the vendors. Luckily for him, Philomel slipped into an abandoned shop lot and waited for him there. The shop lot had a clear view of the gates and the knights guarding them, Philomel study them carefully as she waited for her slow friend. By the time Amon caught up to her, she had already come to a conclusion.

" They are waiting for us."

She confirmed as she observed their movements.

" Wait for us? What do you mean waiting for us?"

" They know this is the only way out of the City and they know that we are after the baby. "

" But whatever can they accomplish by standing there? They should know there's no way we would attack them with all those Holy Knights around. So, why do so?'

" Hmm... Not sure... maybe they are a decoy?"

" If they are the decoy then surely there must be another hidden way out of here. The decoys have been standing there for the past 10 minutes. Maybe we still have a chance to catch up to the real ones if we figure out where the hidden exit could be."

" That's a tall order, especially for us..."

Philomel glumly sighs as she turns to Amon just to notice, half of his neck has turned white.

" Among! You have a horrible disease!"

Philomel exclaimed, pointing with a trembling finger as she jolts backward. Keeping as much distance as she could between them, fearing that she would catch it too.

" What?"

Amon questioned as he touches his neck just to realize that it was wet clay.

" Hey, what you playing with, Little One?"

He questioned as he lifts the baby at arm's length. The infant was still sleepy but kept wiping his dirty hands onto Amon, hiding his sunkissed skin, under wet clay.

" Would you quit that? I'm not some cloth for you to wipe your dirt on. Where did you even get that?"

Amon scolds the droopy-eyed baby as he takes away a lump of clay that Little One has been holding in his tiny hands.

" No wait! Look! It's the same skin tone as a light elf, we might be able to use this."

Philomel points out as she takes the lump of clay from Amon and starts applying it to her visible skin.

"..... Seriously? And I thought getting eaten by an alligator was bad. Now I gotta walk around in public covered in clay? You know, I'm a dark elf and proud of it, right?"

Amon grumbled as he watches Philomel cover her beautiful skin with clay.

" Would you rather stay here forever then? Because I know that those Holy Knights aren't leaving those gates soon and they will probably lock down the whole city tonight. So either start smearing or make yourself at home in the sewers because you're definitely spending the night down there."

Philomel suggested to him as she pass the clay back to him.

" Hmmm... You know I think those alligators have really grown on me."

Philomel glared at Amon for a moment before forcefully smearing the clay all over his face.

" Ok! Ok! Just stop! I'll do it myself. "

Amon whined as he tries to dodge her hands. Within moments the two of them looked exactly like their light elf counterparts... Well except for the hair but at this point, Philomel couldn't care less.

"Elf could use all the magic they wanted, surely some wasted it on a unique hair color, and if anyone asks just say that."

Philomel thought to herself as she shrugged and headed outside right under broad daylight. Amon gingerly follows behind her, completely uncomfortable with the whole situation.

" Looking good, random light elf citizen."

Philomel complements as she pats Amon on the shoulder.

" It feels too cold and weird."

" Meh, you'll get used to it. Now, if I was a hidden exit in a fancy city where would I be?"

Philomel hummed as she glanced around and walks down a random street. Amon adjusted Little One in his arms, carrying the infant with one hand as his free shoves the ball of clay into his pocket.

" Well maybe if we go along the inner walls we might find something?"

" That's too out in the open."

" Then... Sewers?"

" You miss being eaten by an alligator or something?"

" Just think about it. They know that we have safe passage through while they need a holy mage. Probably also explains why they have decoys out there."

" That does seem probable but how would we know where they are? The sewer is a huge place."

" Probably right under the palace."

" And how are you coming out with all these assumptions? Any facts to support your theories?"

" Rich people always have a rat way out."

" There's no such logic!"

" Wanna bet on it, then?"

" Fine! But if you're wrong then, you're my footman for the rest of the day."

" A what, what now?"

" Footman, you'll have to carry all my things, open doors for me, and serve me my meals."

" ... Oh... is that all? "

Amon sarcastically mocked.

" And you must call me, your highness."

Philomel added.

" Why can you stick to the traditional bets and bet money?"

" I'm a scavenger, money has no value to me. I can always just steal some."

" Ohh... I'm starting to like this bet already. If I'm right then 10 silver coins."

" 10 silver?! Why would you need that much for?"

" That's for me to know and me to spend knowingly. "

Amon says with a smirk and a low chuckle. He was about to rub his hands cunningly as well but then remembered that he was carrying Little One and decided against it.

" Come on, I have a bet to win."

Amon chimed as he walks with a spring in his step toward the palace, leading Philomel while feeling like he won a million bucks. Well, in this case, 10 silver coins. With ease, they located the nearest sewer entrance and headed back down into that labyrinth of a sewer.

However, it looked much different in this particular area. There were no alligators in sight, the walls had no ancient ruin inscriptions, the pathway was much bigger and there was even a small wooden four-passenger boat down there. Amon's hand snakes in front of Philomel as his hand, opens and closes, gesturing for her to pay up.

" This doesn't prove that there's an exit down here."

Philomel points out as she pushes his hand away from her.

" Then why would there be a boat down here? A royal's new hobby? Taking a romantic boat ride down in the sewers?"

Amon joked as he gestured towards the boat.

" Well, I'm not convinced. I won't be until I see an actual door or passageway leading out."

" Fair enough, either way, there's no way, you can weasel your way out of paying me."

Amon shrugged as he walks down a random pathway. Philomel silently followed behind, wondering what type of person had 10 silver she could steal from. Not even 5 minutes in the sewers, they already could hear voices echoing through the tunnels in low murmurs. Amon spared a glance at Philomel, wiggling his eyebrows as he rubs his fingertips, gesturing for money. Philomel rolled her eyes, pushing him aside as she sneak up towards the low voices.

" You sure this is the right way?"

A young feminine voice soothingly rings out from a purple hooded creature, in her hand, holding a holy staff.

" Well, that's what Haldir's map says. It should be right down here."

An uncertain slightly deep voice mumbles as a tall light elf held up the map at arm's length. Rotating it as if that would help him read it better. He wore a casual jacket, and pants but on his waist hung a huge sword with a golden handle with the Goddess's symbol engraved on it. Without a doubt, he was a Holy Knight and she was a Holy Mage.

Amon's hand slowly finds its way, curving around Philomel's shoulder and hovering in front of her face, asking her to pay up. Philomel scrunched up her face, slightly annoyed as she slaps his hand out of her face.

" Proves nothing."

She whispers to him just to have her sentence cut short by a loud *thud* sound as the wall of the sewer groans as it moves aside. Revealing sunlight and a beautiful meadow.

" I owe you, 10 silver."

Philomel correct herself as she whispered to him.

" Hooray."

He softly whispered fearing that the Holy party of two might hear him.

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