Here's some basic info to better picture the Assassin in this story.
Huang Shi Er (Gender: Male)
Face is young and clean shaven. 22 years old at the beginning of this story. Long black messy hair, tied on certain occasions. Wears white Assassin robes and wears typical Chinese armor over it. Carries a jian and bow on his back. Hidden blades are hidden under his sleeves completely.
For the historical figures in this story, I will be using their appearance from this series called Dynasty Warriors. If you know this series already, I will make them age based on years that go by. You can go look what ever historical figure along with "Dynasty Warriors" and you will get that guy. Usually. Some won't have an appearance.
The year is 208 A.D. Cao Cao sends his major naval force of 220,000 into the Yangtze. He had Northern China in his control and now is planning to take the southern part, but there was something in his way. The combined armies of Wu and Shu were ready to make sure his plan was not to succeed. Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, respectively, were the commanders for the Wu and Shu armies. Their plan was to use a fire attack on the large naval fleet. When it was carried out, Cao Cao's mighty army fell within minutes.
Yangtze River, 208 A.D.
A hooded figure clad in white robes is standing on the mast of a ship and watches the Wei fleet get consumed by flame.
"This is got to be really embarrassing for the great Cao Cao." Soldiers see the figure and yell out.
"Hey! Who's that?"
"It might be a spy! Kill him!"
The hooded figure spreads his arms and falls down gracefully into the freezing water below. The soldiers pursue, but they saw nothing in the water.
The figure swims onto land and pants. He runs into a forest and gets to a cliff to see a small army scurrying into the forest. The figure looks at the army attentively.The Assassin runs towards their direction, but an arrow zips past his face, almost striking him.
"Huh?" He turns to see another hooded figure in black robes holding a bow in front of him at the bottom of the cliff.
"What? We're on the same side!"
"This is my kill. Don't get in my way." That Assassin runs towards the forest, leaving the other to chase after him.
"It doesn't matter who kills him! We have to make sure Cao Cao doesn't make it!"
"Hmph. You just don't like that there are people outshining you."
"No! It's just too dangerous to rush in! Cao Cao has the best generals to protect him! I mean, even I am not stupid enough to charge into them."
"Then they die as well for supporting a Templar."
"They will not go down without a fight! They will put their lives at stake for Cao Cao! This makes them more dangerous!"
"I don't need to take this from you." The arrogant Assassin runs ahead and climbs onto trees to disappear into the foliage formed by the branches.
The white robed Assassin watches the small army move quickly towards an old gate. The army was positioned with the regular soldiers at the back and the major generals and Cao Cao at the front.
"This isn't possible... I can't get to him without Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, Xu Huang, or Zhang He capturing me... Not to mention all of those soldiers. It seems they're not stopping." He looks up to see the black robed Assassin sneak on top of the trees.
"No! You're going to-" The black Assassin jumps upwards with his hidden blade ready to make its way into Cao Cao's body, but an ax knocks him away. His hood was sliced off to reveal a bloodied face with one eye closed. The army disperses to form a circle around him. A towering man walks up to the Assassin with his giant ax.
"Xu Huang..."
"You know my name, yet you dare attack my lord in my sight? I admire your boldness, but this is where you shall end." Xu Huang raises his ax and brings it down. Nothing happens and Xu Huang's ax splits in half. A white streak dashes to pick up the black Assassin and a few soldiers get cut down in the process.
"Ah! It's him! The White Devil!" Cao Cao yells at his army,"He's just a mere urban legend! He is human, thus you can kill him! Xu Chu! Zhang Liao! Zhang He! Get this so-called demon and bring me his head!" A man carrying two halberds, a large man holding a club, and a tall man with claws go towards the dashing white streak and strike at it. With every strike, the white figure dodges fluidly and hits each general with a punch, stunning them for a second. When they recovered, the white Assassin was gone.
The white robed Assassin walks through a dark hallway with the black Assassin under his arm. That Assassin mutters,"You could have just taken Cao Cao there and just left me there."
"Mentor would be furious if I let anyone die while under my eye."
"I don't have my left eye! A warrior is useless without his eyes!"
"Then adapt to your new lifestyle. Can I get some medical assistance for this man?" He pushes a large door open to walk into a large palace-like room with the Assassin's insignia at the very top of the ceiling. A few men go up to him and escorted the black Assassin away from the white one. An older man with a long beard walks up to him.
"I applaud you for risking your mission for that reckless fool. But Cao Cao has now escaped and is recovering. Huang Shi Er, this is your first failure in a long time ever since you were recruited here."
"Mentor Qin Song... Even if I did get to Cao Cao, his generals would've sent me to the ground before I can even unsheathe my blade."
"I suppose so... At least we hindered his grasp of the southern land."
"So me killing Guo Jia had no effect then?"
"Oh, it did. He was obviously important to Cao Cao, thus he had to die. But you forgot to take care of the traitor, Jia Xu."
"He wasn't there. What did he do, if I may ask?"
"Yes, you weren't here when he was with our order. He was one of us and he was assigned with killing Cao Cao as well. He had almost got him using his lord, Zhang Xiu's army to ambush him, but he was foiled because Cao Cao avoided all of his traps and his bodyguard, Dian Wei, took all the blows and let Cao Cao escape. His son and nephew died along with Dian Wei, and now Cao Cao's security is weakened. But, Cao Cao captured Jia Xu and he defected to his side. He is important to him now and has to killed."
"Is everyone in Wei a Templar like you said?"
"Almost. There are some our scouts and spies can't figure out on. But most of them are Templars and Cao Cao is the Grand Master. But... there is one thing..."
"What is it?"
"We have just gotten a report from one spy saying there could be two Templar Grand Masters."
"Two? How is that?"
"It's possible the power is shared between Cao Cao and another suspected party. Right now, we can't find anything."
"What do you want me to do now?"
"Visit one of the bureaus in the Wu kingdom. Wei is very inactive right now after Chibi, thus we can shift to any Templar activity in Wu or Shu. Here's a message for you to give to them."
"Yes." Huang Shi Er walks out the large doors and they shut with a loud clang.
My name is Huang Shi Er. I was an orphan raised by Assassins. Their mentor, Qin Song, became my adoptive father and he has raised and trained me into the man I am today. I am a Master Assassin and the one thing that people know about me is that I wear white for all of my missions despite the typical uniform is black, thus giving me the nickname by authorities, "White Devil". It's a bit tacky, if you ask me...
My purpose? None. I drink and commit in many forms of debauchery with many of my female companions. Some of them being my comrades if you know what I mean. I don't care about honor or pride. I just want to earn my living and live to the fullest. I have yet to find my true calling.
Jianye, Captial of Wu
Huang Shi Er walks through the dark streets in simple robes. He walks up to a door of a simple aged building and knocks on the door. The door opens and Huang Shu Er walks in, but he has a blade to his throat.
"Who are you? State your business!"
"I'm one of you. I just came here in normal clothing."
"Oh really? Prove it."
"I came on Mentor Qin Song's behalf. I even have the message he wanted me to send to you or whoever is the bureau leader here."
"He's not here right now." The blade near his throat is lowered and the building lights up with candles. A woman in a nice dress is revealed next to him.
"A girl?'
"What? Didn't expect that?"
"Well... uh... I... uh..."
"I know you now. You're the talk of the female Assassins. And they don't talk of you in a nice way either."
"Okay, okay! I get it! But... wait... Who was the male voice just now?"
"Oh, me." A tall man in simple robes and a soft face with a small goatee approaches him.
"Pleasure to meet you. I am Lu Su. I work with my lady here. There are a few more like me here, but they are busy right now."
"May I ask on this woman's name?"
"Oh! My bad, I should introduce myself. I am Sun Shang Xiang. But most people just call me Lady Sun. The nobles anyway."
"...Sun...? No, wait... Are you related to Sun Quan or the Sun family in general?"
"Yes, I am his younger sister."
"So you're Sun Jian's daughter?"
"Yes."
"I'd listen to our brothers and sisters talk about him when I was a child."
"He was an extraordinary man that was taken away from us too soon. My brother too. All I have is Quan. Now let me see the message." Lady Sun takes the paper from Huang Shi Er and looks at it.
"...What? No way." Lu Su looks over to her. "What is it?"
"There are two Templar Grand Masters."
"This can't be. There is always only one Grand Master leading all of the Templars like how the Assassins have one Mentor."
"It is probably someone that Cao Cao trusts so much, he lets that person take over some of his operations." said Lady Sun.
"The report said this Grand Master is not that active. His operations pop up once in a while and they finish by the time we catch wind of it." told Huang Shi Er.
"No matter. He seems not that powerful compared to Cao Cao."
"We cannot just ignore this. We have to find out this second Grand Master sooner or later." Someone walks by the window to quickly drop a scroll as they walked by. Lu Su goes to the window to take it. He unravels it and looks at its writing.
"Zhou Yu is moving to Jiangling. I have to go."
"I thought Cao Cao was weakened after Chibi."
"He still has Cao Ren defending Nanjun. Zhou Yu is positioning the army over there along Liu Bei. He wants to take it for Wu."
"Is this Zhou Yu the leader for this bureau?"
"Yes, but I don't think he'll be still one in his condition..."
"How so?"
"He's been very ill ever since Chibi. I have to go to him in order for him to not over-exert himself."
"What about Liu Bei? Is he someone?"
"He's getting powerful thanks to Chibi. Lord Sun Quan is keeping an eye on him."
"What about Cao Ren? Do I need to take care of him?"
"He's heavily protected by those generals I mentioned earlier. You can't touch him."
"What is for you, Sun Shang Xiang?" Lady Sun says to him, "I can't do anything. I'm married off to Liu Bei and I can't let them know about our operations. Especially that stuck-up Zhuge Liang."
"Is Liu Bei and his army Templars or Assassins?"
"Most of them don't know about the Templars and Assassins. At least, I think. Right now, I'm married to Liu Bei in order to establish an alliance between Wu and Shu." Lu Su says,"We do not find anything, even with Lady Sun's marriage to Liu Bei. But, even the most perfect man will slip up."
"I shall leave you two. I know you're both busy." Lu Su says to him,"Actually, in the letter, Master Zhou Yu knew about someone coming here. He knows about you and would like to ask for you to go to him."
"Sure. I shall go now." Huang Shi Er walks out of the bureau's door.
Jiangling Main Camp
Huang Shi Er, in his armor, walks into a tent to see a man with long hair standing over a table with a map spread over it. He looks up to show a face that puts most women to shame, but he had dark circles around his eyes.
"Oh, there you are." He walks over to greet Huang Shi Er.
"Greetings. I am Zhou Yu."
"I am Huang Shi Er. You called for me? And what do you need me to do?"
"I already sent Guan Yu and Su Fei to block off Cao Ren's supply lines and attack the rear. But... that isn't the reason why I called you here."
"How long has it been since you sent him?"
"About a day and a half since we were stationed here. A messenger runs into the tent. He gets down on one knee and proclaims,"Guan Yu has been defeated by Yue Jin and Wen Ping!"
" Shénme?!" (What?!) "What happened?"
"His supply depot and naval fleet have been burnt down! He is retreating back." Zhou Yu dismisses the messenger and turns to Huang Shi Er.
"Looks like this isn't going well."
"It isn't. Huff... Okay, here's your assignment. Go eavesdrop on Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei."
"Why? Isn't the supply depot-"
"I can order Liu Bei to do that. Right now, I'm suspicious of Shu. I need to make sure Lord Sun Quan sees that he is a threat and he is to be eliminated. He needs evidence, of course, so I'm asking you to get that."
"Yes, sir." He bows and was about to leave when a man in green armor walks in.
"Oh, excuse me. Am I interrupting something?"
Zhou Yu tells him. "No, he was just leaving." He makes a small discreet gesture for Huang Shi Er to leave. He lifts the flap up and walks out. Huang Shi Er stands near the tent and listens to the conversation through the fabric.
"Liu Bei. What is it now?"
"I apologize on Guan Yu's defeat. Thus, I have a proposal for you."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"I will protect your army's rear and flank by leading my army to take the four commanderies south of the Yangtze that Cao Cao has under his control."
"Hmm... Fine. You have my permission to lead your men to take those commanderies."
"Yes, thank you. I shall go." The tent flap is lifted and Huang Shu Er walks away quickly to avoid getting seen by Liu Bei. Liu Bei turns to walk away and Huang Shi Er follows him through blending in with the groups of soldiers in the camp. He continues to walk and blend until he see Liu Bei stop outside the camp. A man in a goatee and holding a fan walks up to him.
"So did you get his permission?"
"Yes. Now all we need to do it take those commanderies."
"There are little men to defend at those points, they will surrender once you step into their territory."
"That is good to hear. We shall set for them at this moment. Rally the troops." The man bows and walks way from Liu Bei. Liu Bei turns around in suspicion and Huang Shi Er hides in a group of socializing soldiers. He turns back to walk away with Huang Shi Er tailing him.
At nightfall, Huang Shi Er lifts up the tent flap to walk in to see Zhou Yu sitting at a desk with a candle barely lighting the up the area.
"You're back. Did you get anything?"
"The administrators surrendered without a fight and turned in their commanderies over to Liu Bei in a blink of an eye. And here's another interesting thing I saw. A rebel by the name of Lei Xu has joined up with Liu Bei. His army has now doubled because of him."
"How does a mere shoemaker manage to get this much power in such a short amount of time...? It baffles me..."
"Sun Jian was only 17 when he killed a pirate and eventually enlisted in the military. All men have humble beginnings."
"Sun Jian had talent. Liu Bei relies on his followers entirely. Especially that Zhuge Liang."
"Who's he?"
"You cannot miss him. He always carries a fan."
"Then I saw him. I see Liu Bei talks to him a lot as I was tailing them."
"Exactly. He relies on him too much and that will be his downfall."
"Maybe, maybe not."
"Oh, trust me. Men like him don't last long in this world."
"Like how you aren't going to last long now?" Zhou Yu looks at him with a face whose eyes get narrower and narrower.
"Get out."
"Arrrgh... I'm beat..." Huang Shi Er removes all of his armor and lies on a makeshift bed of cloths he made in an old unused shack.
"Grr... I can't believe I don't get a tent to sleep in... I shouldn't have said that to Zhou Yu..." He hears cries of agony outside and gets up quickly.
"Huh?" He grabs his sword and runs out the shack in the direction of the yelling. The cries get louder and louder as Huang Shi Er is closing in on a patch of forest. He finds cover behind a tree trunk and looks over to see a looming figure over a blood covered old man.
"Stop yelling! Or else I'm going to have to chop off another limb." The man slowly lifts himself and spits out blood.
"What do you want...? Money?" He receives a kick to the abdomen from the figure. He yells out and coughs more blood.
"You know what I want! Don't play dumb, old man!"
"Hehehehe... Continue this and you'll never know..."
"Where is it?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"NRRRRAGH!" The figure takes out a sword to cut down the bloodied old man in a blind rage. It moves away to disappear into the forest foliage. Huang Shi Er moves out of his spot next to the tree to go over to the body of the recently slain man. He searches the body to find a small box. He puts it off and continues to search the body to find pouches of coins.
"Lucky for me a rich bastard was killed here. Looks like I'm living easily tomorrow night. Now let me see what's in the box." He gets the small box and opens it to find a key. A folded up paper was inside and Huang Shi Er takes it to read.
Dear whomever has found this box,
I am dead by the time you read this, so you can use that key to open my secret collection of riches I have accumulated over the years. I have no one left in my life to give this wealth to. Hopefully, you will make use of this.
And who am I? All you need to know is I am a merchant that lost his life. Below this message is a map to where my riches are hidden.
Huang Shi Er turns the paper around to see an Assassin insignia drawn in blood. He then turns it back to observe the map.
"This man was in some way connected to the Order... Well, he was so kind to freely give away his cash to some stranger, I can't let it go to waste." He runs back to his shack to gather his things. Then, he walks to the Nanjun camp and heads over to the stables.
"Hopefully, Zhou Yu wouldn't mind me borrowing a steed..." He opens a gate to let a horse strut out and he lifts himself onto the saddle. Quietly, he rides out of the camp to go onto a trail and then rides fast into the night.
Unknown area
It was morning and Huang Shi Er yawns loudly as he wakes up from lying on the dirt ground.
"I must have fallen asleep while searching... Nnrragh..." He stretches and gets up. He takes the map to look at it.
"This shows a cave near a set of four generic trees. I'm at the trees, but I don't see a cave." He heads to the four trees and stands in the middle.
"Well, there should be a switch or something..." He closes his eyes for a moment and opens them quickly. He quickly walks up to the third tree and takes out his sword to cut away at it at a certain area. After a while, the trunk reveals a lever in its wood. Huang Shi Er pulls it and the ground shakes for a crack in the ground to appear. It splits the ground apart and a set of descending stairs noisily slide out.
"Explains the cave drawing at the middle of these trees..." He heads down the stairs and into the underground tunnel. The walls were crumbling and water is seen seeping above.
"I hope this doesn't collapse onto me before I find what I came for." Huang Shi Er walks for what seemed like a mile and comes across a gate with a large lock at its middle. Huang Shi Er takes his key and uses it to open the gate.
"Huff... This better be worth it..." He walks into a large room filled with many items of value. Swords lined the walls, coins were overflowing out of chests, and a single stand in the middle of the room had a clear skull sitting on top of it. Huang Shi Er lets out a loud laugh and runs over to a chest to lift its lid with as much power as possible. He lets coins fall between his fingers and he takes out a pouch to fill it up with coins.
"Haha! I never got this much from doing assassin work alone! Ahh... how am I going to carry all of this back...?" He turns from the chest and sees the crystal skull.
"Oh?" He gets a closer look and looks with widen eyes.
"A crystal skull! Or is it diamond? But... I already have that giant chest of money, so I don't need to sell this." He takes the skull into his hands and he looks closely at it. He hears a voice,"Hello? Pan Ying? Is that you?"
"Ah! Where is this voice coming from...?" Huang Shi Er looks around him quickly and looks at the skull again. His eyes see an old man's face at its core. He blinks hard and looks again to still see the old man.
"Grr..." His eyes then focused and the old man's face was more visible to him. It showed an older man with a long beard.
"Mentor...?"
"Huang Shi Er? What? How did you get the skull you're holding? What happened to Pan Ying?"
"He... died."
"You better have not-"
"No! He was killed and I... found his body..."
"You looted him. I can't believe you!"
"Look, I didn't know! Who was he?"
"I suppose I can tell you considering you have another assignment once you finish up at Wu. He was someone on the inside that followed Liu Bei everywhere as a merchant. Looks like someone got a clue and killed him."
"About the assignment you were about to give me..."
"That will be later. I know you're away from Jiangling. Get back there."
"Yes."
"I know you stole some money-"
"He's dead! He's not going to use it!"
"Ugh... Fine. Keep this skull with you so I can contact you." Huang Shi Er quickly puts the skull back onto the stand and the skull angrily responds,"You will take this! You may be a strong warrior, but you are immature! Your arrogance will be the end of you!"
"Not with my skills."
"Take it or don't bother coming back!"
"Fine. I'll take the skull." Huang Shi Er reluctantly takes the skull and walks out.
"Mentor... What sorcery is this? I can talk to you despite not being in front of you. What is with this skull?"
"It is a strange piece of technology indeed. But convenient. It's best if we don't question it. For now."
"Alright... whatever you say..."