I do not own RWBY or Assassin's Creed, they belong to their appropriate owners: Roosterteeth and Ubisoft.
I've reached the end of the trail. The air is still, and I am a hunter.
Unknown Location
Unknown Time
Unknown Date
I awoke to find myself in flat on my stomach, my head on grass and dirt. After some minutes of recovery, I finally got up, staggering slightly before finally finding balance before having to brush any dust or dirt off of my outfit.
I looked around to find myself in a forest, unlike where I was before. I brought my hand to the side of my head and groaned painfully, my head felt as though someone had been hammering at it with a black-iron mallet. I sighed as I brushed some hair away from my eyes.
Wait a minute? Longer hair? I thought to myself. My hair was usually brought back and tied into a ponytail, but this time my hair felt messy.
I managed to drag myself near a pool of water before finally inspecting myself.
I-I'm young again?! I nearly screamed in disbelief. It was as though I was back in my youth, barely a full adult, but it was some miracle that my clothes still fit, as though they shrunk to compensate for my new structure and appearance.
I flicked my hands back, my blades unsheathed from my wrists.
That's the first good news I have received in a while, I thought. I heard a groan behind me, I turned to see-
Him, that bastard! I approached the man who was still unconscious. The same man who I had recently fought, the same man who I had planned to kill. I unsheathed one of my blades, preparing to end the man's life. I finally ran the blade through the man's neck, but instead of blood pouring out of the wound, a light of gold had shown through the wound, causing the man to disappear in a flash of golden dust and malicious cackling.
Dammit! Only a trick, I knew that he wanted to to mess with my head one last time, but I still felt my own anger begin to grow nonetheless; that is, until the sound of bushes rustling interrupted my growing temper. I turned to the source of the sound, the forest was dark and most likely hid many predators, but I had to make sure it was someone at least.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" I asked, my hand lowered to my sword for cautious reasons. It almost felt as though something evil... as though it was something that fed on the emptiness within one's soul, but it was most likely just an absurd assumption. It was most likely just my nerves getting the better of me.
But much to my dismay, a creature that could only be described as a monster appeared from the bushes. This creature was covered in black fur, it's face looked as though it were wearing a mask made of bone, hell, even bone-like protrusions stuck out from it's arms and back. As disturbing as the creature looked, it resembled that of a bipedal wolf.
This time I unsheathed my sword with my right hand and removed my parrying dagger with my left hand. I wouldn't lie, I was afraid, afraid of what this creature was and what it was capable of, like some demon from the gates of Hell.
But much more to my dismay, several more of these creatures appeared from the woods, encircling me.
Shit.
-May the Father of Understanding guide us-
Boston, Massachusetts
5:09 PM
November 6, 1790
It was midday in the city of Boston. Seven years had passed since the American Revolution had now ceased to a halt; now the land was being led by the new president John Adams, the successor of the Thirteen Colonies' first president, George Washington. After the defeat of the British, the people of the Thirteen Colonies were now free under a republic rather than ruled by the British Empire; and it was all thanks to the Assassins.
Connor Kenway knew that autumn was still in progression, he looked up to see the leaves as they were turned to shades of orange, red, and brown since the beginnings of September. But he was not here for the sights of the city nor for simple leisure. He had gotten word from one of his assassins, Stephane Chapheau, that an unfortunate incident had occurred in central Boston, a murder made to look like an accident, most likely killed by a Templar, seeing as the man murdered was an ally of the Assassin Brotherhood. Although the Assassins were too late to stop the murder, they were on alert for stopping another before it would happen. This incident had just occurred yesterday, now another had just been discovered, unfortunately.
The Master Assassin stood atop the ledge of a church, observing the crowd before him. He saw through the vision of the eagle, the world turned a dark shade of blue, surrounded by individuals with a blue hue surrounding them. He then spotted a red figure walking away from said crowd, he found the killer. Connor leaped from the ledge and into the hay bale, cushioning his fall, he pulled himself out of the hay and made his way to the center of the crowd. He activated his Vision to see that the red figure had escaped justice once again.
The crowd parted before him, revealing another man wearing colonist clothing, his eyes closed and his skin pale, as though it was disease that took him.
Another presence made it's way to Connor, prompting him to turn around and see one of his Assassins, Duncan Little, who he had recruited years ago. He same man who watched as the Master Assassin's father, the former Grand Master of the Templars, Haytham Kenway, kill his uncle.
"My apologies, Master Kenway. I was tasked with protecting this man here, but it seems our perpetrator got to him first," the lower ranked Assassin said, kneeling down to observe the man's wounds.
"There is no need to apologize, Duncan. He made it to his victim before we could defend him. Did this man have a name?" Connor asked.
"Yes he did, his name is James Bowdoin, I've heard that the man had met Ben Franklin in his earlier years as well as attended a convention regarding the Constitution," Duncan observed, turning the dead man onto his back to see a small puncture wound in his back.
"Stabbed?" he wondered.
"No, poisoned. Look here, a blade could not have killed him at this length," the Master Assassin answered, lifting part of the skin to reveal the length of the wound, revealing a small quantity of clear liquid oozing from the wound. Connor dabbed his finger and tasted it, he immediately spat out the stuff.
"Aconite, a poison commonly used by Templars," he concluded, Connor stood back up and turned, walking away from the scene of the crime.
"Master Kenway, if I may interrupt your current action for just a moment, me and the others have come up with an idea with who this man may strike at next and how we can stop him," Duncan explained, he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening to their conversation.
"And you're sure that this idea may work?"
"The rest of us thought with a little planning, we may catch this assassin of Assassins. Meet me at the Green Dragon Tavern and I'll tell you the details of our plan," he said, leaving the conversation and running to the location of their meeting.
This plan better work, Connor sighed as he followed the other Assassin to the tavern.
-Nothing is True, everything is permitted-
It was now the dead of night, the sky was covered in thunderclouds, prompting the grey clouds to rain heavily onto the soil, creating mud. Connor stood at the center of a courtyard, the rain pattering on his hood and cloak. The plan was set in motion, they would finally catch this man for sure.
Duncan had explained to Connor that this man seemed to only hunt Assassins and those that were affiliated with the Brotherhood, so he had come up with the idea that if suddenly, the Master of the Assassins is now out in the open, alone, then this would draw this Assassin Hunter out of hiding. As risky as the plan was, Connor decided to go along with this plan. He waited, activating his Vision so he could get a clear view of his environment. He watched as the red figure appeared in his line of sight, standing on a small building. Connor turned off his Vision to get a more realistic view of the man.
His mouth and nose were covered by a cloth, but the rest of his face was uncovered. His hair was tied back in a ponytail similarly to Connor's hair before he shaved both sides of his head, leaving only the middle. Along with the style, his hair was grey, meaning that he was an older man, a Templar that hunted Assassins for a very long time. He was dressed in a black and red outfit, a small Templar insignia on his chest, and was adorned with straps meant for holding weapons. At his side laid a straight sword with the cross of the Templar on it's hilt, on the other side was a dagger and two flintlock pistols, and finally hanging on the man's back was a sort of rifle that looked different from other models of rifles and muskets.
The man finally stepped off the building, landing onto the ground with a quiet thump as his feet touched the soaked mud. He rose to full height, standing at equal size to the Assassin.
Connor finally decided to confront the man. The Templar's eyes filled with that of anger, pain, and... regret, as though he had suffered from something terrible in his past. But a Templar is still a Templar.
"So you're the Assassin Hunter," he stated, rather than asked.
"Aye, and I'll assume you're the so-called Master Assassin," the man said, his hand resting upon his blade in anticipation.
"Yes, I am. May I have the privilege of knowing the name of my opponent before he is dead?" Connor asked, an extremely rare smirk adorning his face.
"I suppose it is fair to grant the last request of a dead man. My name is Shay Patrick Cormac, but that will be of no importance to you anymore," he said in cold voice, never even bothering to grin as he was dead serious on the subject.
Good, keep him talking, Connor thought to himself, his hand reached for the flintlock at his side. He looked up to see several of his Assassins on the rooftops, ready to ambush the Templar as soon as he got the chance.
"I am Connor Kenway, Master Assassin," Connor said, getting the attention from the Templar.
"Kenway? Son of Haytham Kenway?" the man asked with a confused look. Shay's question almost caught Connor off guard, but he only gave the man silence.
"I'll take your silence as a yes. Now tell me this: you are here, in the center of a courtyard, out in the open for me to see. Now, I must ask the obvious; this is really a trap, isn't it?"
Connor thought of a way to answer this man's question, but he already knew the obvious. So now he was finished with this facade.
"Yes, but that does not matter anymore," he said, he then unholstered his flintlock and fired it at the Templar.
The lead ball traveled into the man's shoulder, causing Shay to stumbled back and groan in pain as he clutched the wound.
Bastard got a lucky shot, Shay thought to himself, he then quickly removed his air rifle from his back and, instead of firing at the Master Assassin, fired a sleep dart at Clipper, who he had seen on the rooftop with a musket in his hands, using his Vision. Dodging another shot from Connor, he then fired a grenade at the next Assassin, Stephane, who flew back from the shot and landed with a hard thud. He then fired a shot at Duncan, which hit the man in the leg, causing him to get down on his other knee, the Templar then bashed the man over the head with the end of his pistol.
Connor ran up to Shay and swung his sword at the man, but he ducked and kicked the Master Assassin onto the ground. Shay was about to finish the man, but the Assassin Jacob Zenger attempted to crack his skull open with a club, but Shay had caught the blunt weapon and hit the man in the head with the handle of his own weapon, knocking him out. Shay then ran towards the one known as Jamie Collie, he then got down and slid as the man attempted to swing the large axe in his direction, the Assassin Hunter stuck out his arm to trip the man before standing back up to kick the man in the face, leaving the man out cold on the ground.
This attack finally left just two Assassin's remaining: Connor, who had finally gotten onto his feet, and Deborah Carter.
Connor and Deborah charged at Shay, who had finally unsheathed his sword, the same straight sword that had killed so many Assassins along the way.
Deborah stabbed at the Templar with her hidden blade, only for Shay to dodge her attack and parry another slash from Connor's tomahawk. Shay sidestepped as Deborah swiped at him with her dagger, only for the Templar to grab her wrist and twist it back, causing her to yell in pain. Shay finally smashed his head against hers, stunning her in the process before finishing up the attack with a kick to the chest, launching her onto her back.
"Now then, where were we?" Shay challenged, bringing his sword and dagger up to an offensive form.
"Luck is on your side if you survive this fight, I have killed more experienced Templars than you," This was not even a boast from Connor, for he has killed stronger Templars, including his own father. Rather than this being a boast of power, it was, instead, a warning.
Shay brought up his sword to strike at the man, only to be blocked by Connor's tomahawk. The head of the hatchet, now interlocked with the blade of the sword, was pulled back, sending the Templar onto the rain soaked ground.
I'm getting old... Shay cursed, he had to keep his wits together if he wanted to win this fight.
Connor ran towards the fallen man and swung his tomahawk down on the man, but Shay quickly recovered and kicked the man in the face before the head of the small axe could touch the ground, knocking it out of the man's hand.
Shay quickly rose to his feet and kicked the tomahawk away from the Master Assassin. He finally raised the sword over his head, ready to end Connor's life.
"How many times to do I have to tell you Assassins? I make my own luck," he said as he brought the blade down, only to watch as the Assassin rolled out of the way and quickly stood back up.
Before Shay could react, Connor's hidden blade buried itself into his neck.
"Then it seems that your luck has run out," Connor said as he pushed Shay onto the ground, landing on his back. Shay looked up to see the rain pattering down from above, storm clouds thundering in the skies as the Master Assassin paced around him.
Shay brought his hand to his wound out of instinct. He winced as he felt the sharp pain of where he was stabbed, the man pulled his hand up to see the crimson stains of blood on his hand.
He began laughing.
"Heh, I always thought I would go out like this, but I never thought a Kenway would end my life," he said, Connor glared at the older man.
"You think this is funny? You murdered those two men; and for what? Just to bait me to you?"
"Not just you, they were affiliated with the Assassins as well," he paused as he pulled himself off the ground and into a sitting position, blood still pouring out at a faster pace. His vision quickly began to blur.
"So you kill just because they were Assassins. Tell me, who sent you, what is your real reason for hunting Assassins?" Connor asked, but Shay merely sighed, though still with a wince.
"No one sent me. My reason? It is a long story, my past is my own, as is yours belongs to you. I have my reasons to hunt down your ilk, you have your reasons to hunt down mine," he laid back down on the ground.
"Perhaps... perhaps I may tell you my own story in the afterlife," Shay said as he closed his eyes.
Connor scowled at Shay, he then turned around and walked away from the man. Shay ignored the man and was finally left alone, awaiting the death that would finally greet him.
-Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent-
Shay opened his eyes to find himself in a bright blue field, the land shimmering with bright lights all around, bobbing and weaving like fireflies. He finally managed to stand back up, confused as to why he was still here.
So this must be the afterlife. Not quite what the old Templar had expected, but still, not unfortunate either.
"It seems you are in quite a dilemma, Mister Cormac," a voice said to him. Shay turned, in the process of unsheathing his sword, but he saw nothing.
"Put away the sword, Mister Cormac. I mean you no harm," the voice continued, shifting to different locations in the blue field.
'"And why should I trust you? Who are you anyway?" he said, putting his sword away, but was prepared to use his hidden blades should the need arise.
"If I could not be trusted, then I would not have gotten rid of that nasty wound in your neck," the voice pointed out. Shay brought his hand to his neck, feeling for the wound that had killed him, but it was no longer there.
"As for my name. I go by many names, but you will refer to me as Pluto," he said.
"Like what the Romans called one of their gods," Shay said.
"Precisely, only I am what you call a Precursor. An individual from the First Civilization," the voice then took the form of a man. A young man with pitch-black hair and pale white skin, wearing a black toga, with mist-like shadows surrounding him like a trail of fog, unlike the other 'gods' that other Assassins have met, who had were surrounded by light.
"And why would someone like you help a man like me?" Shay asked the man.
Pluto sighed as he waved his hand, revealing a brutal war between these 'gods' and humanity.
"Your people had mistaken our lives as myths which were filled with errors. Adam and Eve did not steal the Apple of Eden, it was given to them by the one known as Prometheus. Prometheus had always pitied your kind and saw that your race should not be treated as slaves nor beasts of burden. His intents were peaceful at first, asking Jupiter for their freedom, but he was stubborn.
"I was the only one that listened to Prometheus, so we helped Man in secret. I had built a safe haven for these people, called the Underworld, guarded by both my pet, the Cerberus, and my servant, Charon. In the end, I was a distraction for the higher ranks, Jupiter, Minerva, Juno, all of them, while Prometheus stole the Apple and gave it to Adam and Eve, giving them the fire in their hearts and soul to fight against the First Civilization," Pluto explained, waving his hand as the image faded away.
"What went wrong?" Shay asked, both curious and interested in this story.
"The solar flare, it wiped out us and the majority of the human race. But before I had passed, I used a Piece of Eden to copy my consciousness into the device. It was the same Piece you touched when the place known as Lisbon was destroyed," Shay immediately turned to look at the Precursor man.
"YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR DESTROYING LISBON?!" Shay roared, rage welling up from within him.
"No, my mind was dormant from within the Piece. The destruction of the city was by your disruption. But nonetheless, some good came out of it," the dark Precursor said.
"Like what?" Shay grumbled.
"I was transferred into you, Shay. I was still dormant even within you until the time of your death. Now that my power is restored, I have come to offer you a deal," Pluto said, his mouth curling into a mischievous grin.
"What're you suggesting?"
"I have come to offer you a new life. Although I am not in my original body, the Piece of Eden had the power to open rifts between worlds. My deal? You are dead in this world, but in theory, you may be once again given life should you enter this new world. But should you die again of any cause, or be thrown into this land of Purgatory through unknown means, you will test it again and again, to see how many of these universes exist until I have gathered enough research, then you will be given access to whatever afterlife that lays ahead. You will be given your old weapons, but you must acquire new, more advanced weapons to adapt to your new world, as well as learn about the history of your new world. Now, what is your decision?" he explained.
This made Shay ponder this deal, he will be given the access to live again, but in worlds, thrown into the world with no known knowledge of it's history or technology. But he will live again.
"I accept this deal, just get it over with," Shay answered.
"Good choice, my friend. I know not what lies ahead, so be prepared," Pluto said, lifting his hand. The center of his palm lit up in a ball of white light until the entire field was covered in this light.
Shay's vision suddenly went black.
-Always hide in plain sight-
Now Shay stood trapped by these devilish beings (he had counted five), only his sword and knife between him and the one in front of him.
They all roared in sequence at the Templar, with all of them charging at the man at once.
Shay had to think quick, he hastily grabbed a smoke bomb from one of the pouches on his belt and tossed it at his feet, immediately surrounding the man in a large cloud of smoke.
While these creatures began searching through the haze, one of them felt a sharp sting in it's neck, it roared ferociously as it grabbed it's assailant and tossed it to the ground. This attacker was none other than Shay himself.
The Assassin Hunter, rolled as soon as he hit the ground, minimizing the damage he took. He quickly sheathed his hidden blades, removed his flintlock pistols from his belt, and fired at these demonic creatures, but the lead projectiles did nothing but anger the creatures even more. Shay ran towards the beast and hacked off it's left arm with his sword, causing the beast to roar in anger and pain as it quickly began to bleed out from it's injury, forcing it to retreat back into the woods.
The second beast spotted Shay as soon as the smoke cleared, but it never stood a chance as it received a stab through the eye with the man's blade, penetrating it's brain and killing it instantly.
Shay then dropped his sword, unslung his air rifle from his back, and loaded it with a berserk dart, took aim, and fired. The dart exited the barrel of the gun and traveled into the beast until it embedded itself deep into the next creatures neck. the monster's hand flew to it's throat as the poison made it's way to it's heart. The beast's eyes then darted to the next creature with a look of what could only be described as delusional. The poisoned monster proceeded to then tackle it's brother, tearing it apart with it's claws and teeth before falling over onto it's back, with the poison finishing it's job.
This now left the last beast. Instead of beginning some epic duel between him and the last creature, Shay wasted no time in inserting a shrapnel grenade and firing at the beast, causing shards of metal to explode onto the monster, embedding into it's skin and sending it sprawling across the ground. He then fired a soporific dart at the creature, forcing into the subconscious realm known as sleep. He then unsheathed his sword and beheaded the beast as it slept.
"Now that that is over, time to search for a more civilized place," he said to himself, ignoring the fact that he had fought against five demonic wolves, more focusing on surviving rather than contemplating what had just happened in the last five minutes. He ran towards a nearby tree and began climbing it, grasping onto it's branches and pulling himself up until he reached the top of the tree. Shay took the time to sit on one of the branches and observe the land, all he saw was the green of the forest as far as the eye could see. He continued to search until he spotted a small grey dot in the distance.
A city, he thought to himself as he climbed down the tree.
He landed onto the grass, walking towards civilization. Not knowing what would be in store for the Templar.
Disclaimer: This is my first fic, what do you think? Constructive criticism would be appreciated, thank you.
