"Yes, yes, whatever you say, [i]Uncle[/i]," Corvo replied, approaching his bed as he waved off the spymaster. "Just so you know, if we're to be sellswords then it would help to have a sword to sell. I'd not the time to find one whilst fleeing for our lives."

No doubt Gerhardt had already taken such things into account, but the young prince chose to be flippant anyway for his own sake. Anything to take his mind off that damn nightmare and feel normal, if only for a moment... Anything except for a cup of Brenwyn apparently.

Crouching down beside his bed, Corvo retrieved his nerve suit and began the cumbersome process of donning it. Simply putting it on was easy enough, being somewhat akin to a weighted jumpsuit with the top and bottom half attached to a hinged brace in the middle, but once the brace was clasped shut and the suit was activated, it took a moment for its haptic sensors to read the wearer's form so that it may tighten and seal itself without crushing the flesh within.

The artificial muscle fibres creaked as they contracted over Corvo's body, pulling tighter and tighter to the point of constricting his breathing before gradually letting go, releasing pressure to an acceptable level. It never failed to prove an uncomfortable experience, but better uncomfortable than unguarded. Without any additional armaments, the suit would have to serve as armour and weapon both. Then there was the matter of his newfound ki ability, though it was yet too raw to be relied upon. Fortunately however, Corvo had been trained in all manner of martial arts, armed and unarmed, under the tutelage of the Knight Commander himself, Chisom Balthair. The most fearsome warrior he had ever known.

Was the Black Bull still alive somehow? Were any of them? The Crimson Rider, the Silver Spider, Uilles, the Shooting Stars, were any of Belisio's worthies still out there somewhere, carrying on the fight? These thoughts raced through Corvo's mind as he flexed his limbs, testing the suit's movements. If only there was some way of knowing, perhaps through some clandestine channel or a rallying broadcast. All in due time of course, but for now... Leongarde.

Finally satisfied with the suit's performance, Corvo donned his black travelling cloak and climbed the stairs out of the cabin topside to see the Priestdom itself. So this was Avelore.