Welcome to my Assassin's Creed Fanfiction Series -Best way to describe me is a re-teller of existing stories. I have my own original characters *le gasp* oh yes...my fanfictions involve OC's (original characters) and yes I've heard all the stories of how quite a few people dislike OC's and how they overtake the story or they aren't well developed or both of the above + the canon characters being too OOC (out of character), but rest assured I do none of that. As writers we have the privilege and freedom of artist expression, but I don't use that as an excuse to take existing material that someone else created, and make it however I want. That is a no no in my book. It is drastically important to me to keep canon characters IN character as best as possible on top of developing my OC's without them overtaking the existing story. Bottom line is, I take the existing universe (in this case AC) and weave my OC or OC's into the story, making it a re-telling of the Bleach events but with the inclusion of my character/s. So in short? Consider this a re-telling of the events Assassin's Creed.-
As a warning to readers, unless you have played the games, many things mentioned in my fanfics will confuse you and also act as MAJOR spoilers. So you've been warned.The Problem with Most Fanfictions Involving OC's
A Setup
The time was 12 centuries after the birth of Christ. It was a time of fear, a time of war. And the only hope of ending the bloodshed lay in the hands of history's most notorious killers. Shrouded in secrecy, trained from birth to master the art of death, the brothers hunted their prey without rest, delivered the killing blow without mercy, and escaped to fight another day. For they were the assassins.
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
This teaching is the sole belief of the Assassin's Creed and it would be taught for many more generations of assassins. For so long the assassins have hunted, one particular assassin would soon find herself the target and would learn of how untrue and twisted the teachings were of Al Mualim of Masyaf. Fiorenza de Forsythe; a master in the art of shadow death, top of her fellow brothers, and sister to Jedidiah, the leader of Fidelio clan of the headquarters in Beirut. Fidelio has long worked with Al Mualim as neighboring headquarter as they would exchange vital information on Templar dealings. It has been this way for over a century between the clans, but recently the sight between the two has clouded over. Jedidiah sat at his desk, reading over ancient writings and old letters he had exchanged over time with Al Mualim. Something didn't settle right with him as he was currently reading a paper that talked of artifacts called the pieces of Eden. These pieces of Eden consisted of 8 pieces from what he could find in writing so far. 5 of the pieces were apples, one was a staff, one was a sword, and the other was the Shroud of Turin. Where these pieces were located was unknown to him, but one thing he did know was that Al Mualim was in possession of one.
"Shalom, achi. It is good to see you." Fiorenza said with a bright smile on her face as always each morning.
"Shalom, achoti. It is ironic that you come into my room at this time." Jedidiah replied back.
"And why is that brother?"
"Sit down, have a seat. We have much to discuss." He stated, signaling with his hand for her to pull up a chair.
"Do you recall our last conversation about these so called pieces of Eden?" She gulped slightly.
"Yes. You stated how Al Mualim has acquired one of those pieces."
"And you are of aware how I strongly suspect his new right hand man to be a Templar spy?" She nodded in response.
"And the man that I sent in to investigate these matters, do you know of him?" She sighed slightly, "Yes, my brother." He sighed as well.
"He has not returned since I sent him. Do you know why these pieces of information concern me?" He asked, but his tone sounded rhetorical as he paced about the room, holding a book in hand as he continued reading what he could find about the pieces of Eden.
"I do not trust Al Mualim any longer. His new servant, Caleb, should have now been found out that he is a Templar spy. It is…too obvious and yet Al Mualim has done nothing about it, like it's no big deal." She shifted her position and folded her arms in question.
"Are you so certain that he knows?"
He continued pacing about, "Yes because I brought it to his attention last week and yet nothing has been done of it. He assures me that the matter will be taken care of and his reasons for keeping Caleb alive is to trace Caleb's dealings to where they truly lie to find his master, but I have too strong of a hunch that he is lying to me." "But he is leader of Masyaf; his targets all of which you have agreed with. And the man you have mentioned to me before, Altair, you say of how intelligent of a man he is and how he follows everything his master says so surely he trusts his master…"
"…no, he does not." He interrupted. Fiorenza lifted her eyebrows in surprise. She had a feeling this wasn't going to bode well as Jedidiah continued.
"Al Mualim is a good man and what he has done for different cities goes without say, but absolute power corrupts absolutely. The pieces of Eden are rumored to corrupt, change, or even manipulate the minds of men, that it possesses strange powers that could overtake the masses." She quickly got out of her seat to face him.
"Wait a minute, are you saying that Al Mualim might try to use the power of this so called Piece of Eden?" Jedidiah turned to catch her gaze as his cold hard expression could slice the air with a knife.
"That is exactly what I'm saying, but who is to say that he hasn't already been tempted to use it? He's not what he appears to be…" he stated, slamming the book shut in his hands as the sound startled his sister "…something tells me that there is a much bigger plan at work here than meets the eye, and that so called Caleb of his, he is either using as a tool, or they're working together."
She gasped at the very idea, "But that would mean he's working with the Templars…"
"…or he used to be one. Why else would he work with them?" She was almost angered with him as she retorted, "That is a bold assumption brother!" He nodded in agreement as he went to his desk and sat down and began to write up a letter.
"A bold assumption indeed, but I've come to a theory that although he is taking out the main Templar leaders, it could also be his way of getting them out of the way so he can manipulate both his own clan and the Templar clan, but the only way to gain that much influence…"
"…would be if he had something to manipulate them; the piece of Eden, the artifact he has." She then gasped as she realized how right her brother might be. She sat back down in the chair she pulled up as she tried to take in what he was saying.
"I know this is a lot to take in, and I know it's a large conspiracy theory, but I can no longer ignore my gut feelings. I'm not quite sure about Malik, Altair's friend that you met once before…although with recent events I'm not sure if they're friends anymore, but Altair you must warn above anything else. He might be willing to listen to reason as he's already questioning his master's intentions at every turn as he has expressed to me once before and I know Al Mualim is starting to take notice of that. I don't believe he'll do anything yet to hurt Altair with him being his best man and that he still needs him to take down Robert de Sable, but if something isn't done soon, we are all going to be compromised as Al Mualim so loves to call it. Jedidiah finished writing his letter as he rolled it up along with other important papers."
"Normally I would send a messenger bird, but it is vital that you give this to Altair yourself. If it falls into the hands of Al Mualim, then everything will be compromised. You must find him and inform him of what we have discussed here today. He wears the same robes as Malik does, but unlike Malik he has…well…both arms. And at all costs, avoid running into Al Mualim. He's usually in Masyaf so I doubt you will cross paths with him, but stealth and secrecy is vital until you find Altair. Last I talked to Al Mualim he had sent Altair on another target mission, but that was a few days ago. He should be back any time by now and if I suspect correctly, will be preparing to leave to take down Robert de Sable. You either have to intercept him before he leaves, or try to find him in the city of Jerusalem in the middle district. Malik is also in that city in charge of the Assassin Bureau. Those are the best leads I can give you."
During his talk he prepared the papers in a small pouch that Fiorenza tied to her belt. He then equipped her with poison darts, throwing daggers, and checked her weapons to make sure they were oiled properly and undamaged. She could have done that herself, but he was a very protective older brother. Her robes were very similar to Altair's as the Fidelio and Masyaf clan would on a frequent basis exchange assassin's to coincide on missions. The only large difference between the two were the color of their robes, that of the Fidelio clan being black and that of the Masyaf clan being white aside from the master assassin robes being of a black color. When Fiorenza was fully prepared for the mission, her brother bid her a long farewell, embracing her with his sibling love.
"This will be you're most dangerous mission. Please be careful. Shuvech leShalom."
"I will, I promise. Todah veShalom." She said.
"One last thing; beware of Caleb. You will find him to be the only one in red attire, marking a large symbol of the Assassin clan on the back of his robe. Pray to Avinu SheBaShamayim that he does not find you first."
And with one last embrace, Fiorenza set out on her mission.
-Masyaf-
"You've summoned me master?" Altair spoke out as he approached Al Mualim's table top.
"It seems something has come to my attention as of late. You will for now have to postpone your mission on Robert de Sable."
Altair, robotic in his stance and expression, was a bit surprised by this. What would be so important that he would have to delay his final mission with their greatest enemy?
"Are you familiar with our sister clan in Beirut; run by Jedidiah and his sister Fiorenza?" Altair nodded in response.
"Yes, but I have never personally met them."
Al Mualim sighed and paced about as he let his thoughts come out. "It seems that, that clan can no longer be trusted. There is a Templar spy within their ranks and I sent Caleb to investigate upon this matter and he returned to me with grave news."
"And what would that be master?" Al Mualim sighed once more as he replied, "Fiorenza is the spy."
Altair's eyebrows furrowed from hearing this. Although he did not know Jedidiah and his sister, he knew of how deep the relations of the Fidelio clan and the Masyaf clan were, and to hear such news was almost disheartening.
"Whether Jedidiah is aware of this or working alongside her is unknown, but Fiorenza's relations run with that of Robert de Sable and even if Robert is taken down, Fiorenza will only rise in his place. She must be stopped."
"I understand. I will take care of her quickly and return to you with haste." Altair stated loyally.
"I have been informed that she will be leaving very soon to try to infiltrate our headquarters. Set out to the city of Tripoli in Lebanon, meeting her half way. She will most likely be in that city as a destination towards Masyaf. Find her there and bring back her blood." He stated, handing Altair a dove feather for him to stain.
"God speed my child." Altair slightly bowed in respect as she prepared his weapons and set out for Tripoli.
-Tripoli, midday-
The city of Tripoli was large and bustling, easy for one to get lost in or if one wanted to be lost. Since Fiorenza had traveled thus far, she wanted to rest and catch her breath before setting out for Masyaf the rest of the way. She kept her hood over her head and was wary of guards so as not to startle them as they were previously flustered with assassin's on a mission not too long ago. She stopped by a nearby stand to get some food and water and sat down on a bench as she enjoyed the sun settling down as evening was approaching. She smiled, knowing that she would soon be able to be shrouded with darkness, her nighttime ally and not have to be so wary of blending in with crowds although she sticks out like a black raven amongst a bushel of white roses in the daylight. As she sat there on the bench, enjoying a bite to eat to refresh herself, she eavesdropped upon a group of people that were chatting nearby.
"I hear that an assassin is in town again." A woman muttered.
"Since when is an assassin never in this city?" A man replied sarcastically.
"But who can really tell the difference? They wear such similar robes to that of the monks. Sly devils they are." Another woman belted.
"I saw a man just today, jumping about on the rooftops. He could be one of them crazies running around. Probably isn't right in the head."
The rest of their conversation blurred as Fiorenza got up and left, finishing off her drink and food, certain that they were not referring to her as she had just arrived, but there was another assassin in the city? They were probably on some mission and she was wary to take to mind to be careful not to get in their way. However, as she began to venture back to the gate of the city, she had the palpable sensation of being watched. She second guessed her gut feeling as she could not comprehend why someone would be watching her? Both the Fidelio and Masyaf clan were very familiar of the differences in attire between the two, one that took their targets in the day and the other at night. The townsfolk didn't mention anyone under the description of red robes either so she assumed Caleb was nowhere near let alone would he know exactly where she was. She let go of the feeling for now as the entrance of the city was only a couple of blocks away now, but after walking another distance she couldn't ignore any longer the tight tension within her chest. Something wasn't right, something was following her. She quickly went up to a wall and planted her back against it as she looked around, partially covered in light shadow.
Her heart raced, worry overwhelming her and fear starting to take over, but she took a deep long breath and exhaled slowly to calm herself down and just when she was going to let it go, her peripheral vision caught sight of something on a nearby ledge. It was an assassin in white robes! She gasped audibly as she was only allowed a moment to stare at the white figure before she realized, "Wait a second. Altair?" She softly spoke his name, but within seconds she had to dodge an oncoming dagger as it landed inches near her throat. And without hesitation she bolted into the distance as fast as she could and the white figure blurred amongst the rooftops chasing after her. If she could make it to the entrance, she knew she would be safe and could yell upon the guards to help distract her hunter. As much as she wanted to believe it was Altair, she was rather unsure as Altair wasn't the only one to wear robes like that, but why was she being hunted? She thought to herself as she ran down the street. She was nearly to the entrance before the white figure suddenly jumped in front of her. She yelped out loud as she almost fell on her back trying to stop herself, but she quickly cut a corner and ran down it, knocking over barrels and baskets as she ran by them to try to slow down her attacker.
It helped a little as she gained a few more feet ahead of them and as she turned another corner she leapt upon a wall and began to climb up a building, but her attacker was quick to follow as he almost grabbed hold of one of her feet, but she kicked back with one leg as her attacker was nearly knocked down to the ground. He grunted slightly in irritation. This chase was not going to be an easy one. She managed to the top of a building and began to climb another one that was connected and even taller. Her attacker was quick to make it up to the top as well as he spotted her climbing the second building. However, in retaliation the attacker began to throw more daggers at her as she was barely dodging them, but one managed to fly into her arm as she cried out, the loss of muscle usage causing her to fall down to the rooftop. And within seconds of falling her attacker was on her as he leapt into the air and came crashing down with his dagger. Had she not been trained in the art of quick dodge, she would have been killed right then and there and despite her injury, she too was strong both physically and mentally as she caught the man's wrists, his dagger sticking out like a bee's stinger, ready to strike. He pushed heavily against her, but she pushed back just as strongly.
"Are you the man they call Altair?!" She waited for an answer as they struggled.
"Answer me!"
His response? A tripping of her leg as she fell to the ground and he came swiftly down with his dagger once more, but at the last second she managed to roll away as his dagger planted into the hard surface of the rooftop.
She managed to get herself up as she kept her distance from the white robed man that figured using his dagger in close range wouldn't work so he wielded his sword. She held her bleeding arm after pulling the dagger out from it. It didn't completely immobilize her muscles, but it didn't help her either as the pain seared within that one spot.
"Woe, woe, wait! Listen to me!"
The man would not listen however as he came at her with a swift strike. She dodged out of the way as she continued to try to reason with the man.
"Please, I don't want to fight you!" The man slashed another strike at her as she dodged once again before he finally replied, "Good, then it will make my job much easier."
"Wait! Please, STOP!" She yelled as he continued to try to slash at her, growing increasingly more irritated that he wasn't even landing a hit. With an attempt to distract her, he quickly picked up some dust and tossed it at her. She closed her eyes for a mere second as he used it as an opportunity to slice from downward to up in a ferocious motion but to his surprise, she blocked it with her arm bracer and grabbed the blade and refused to let go. She glared at him with fierce eyes as his stare was cold and hard.
"Would it really kill you to take a short moment of time to listen to me?! Why do you refuse to heed my words?!"
He simply snapped back emotionless, "Because I do not heed the words of a Templar spy!"
She gasped in shock. "What do you mean a Templar spy?! Who has blinded you with such information?!"
Nothing of what she had to say was seeping through. He was convinced she would confess if death was upon her, just like all his other targets. From such a shocking accusation, she let her guard down yet again for another mere second as he was able to get his sword from her grasp and came at her again with another ferocious strike and yet again she blocked it with her bracer, but as he shot out each strike, she was nearing the ledge of the building and there was no haystack for her to fall into, but she refused to give up on reasoning with the man.
"You're Altair…you must be. I don't know of anyone else Al Mualim would send after me. You're his best man and you're fighting ability proves that." She openly admitted, nearing ever so much closer to the edge of the roof. He relentlessly kept striking at her, waiting for an opening as he knew she would not strike back.
"Was it Al Mualim that convinced you of this nonsense? Well, was it?!" She yelled at him in anger, frustrated that he would so blindly believe Al Mualim…or did he? Her foot took a step back as it was on the very edge of the rooftop now as she caught his blade once more between her palms.
"I know for a fact you don't entirely trust your master. Think Altair…just think about this for a second! Why would he have you assassinate me? I have no reason to betray the clans and I most certainly would not betray my brother. If I was a Templar spy he would have had me killed a long time ago!"
He did not reply as he struggled again to get his sword from her grasp, trying to push her off the ledge simultaneously.
"If I was really a Templar spy do you think I would even bother with trying to reason with you?! With trying to convince you otherwise?!"
His eyebrows furrowed in response as he replied finally, "The Templar lies run deep…"
"…so does Al Mualim's reach! If you don't believe me than maybe you'll believe the letter my brother has written for you to read…just you Altair. Please, if you would but open it and let your eyes see it. Al Mualim is not the man he appears to be!"
He did not want to openly admit, but he couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was not the enemy, but so far all his targets, killing them all of them made sense. They were all warmongering, peace breaking, heartless men who were corrupted by their own power. Some things he might have questioned, but he was ultimately loyal to his master and trusted him so he wasn't about to listen to some stranger whom he had never met and could easily be deceived by. Letter from Jedidiah or not, he would read it after he killed his target. His thoughts were conflicting, but his choice was already made. Seeing that she was not getting through to him, no matter what she said, she knew she had no choice, but to keep running.
She let the weight of her body drop as she fell upon her back and kicked Altair's legs from out under him as he plummeted to the ground, giving her ample time to quickly stand up and climb up a nearby building that has a jump out to some water below in a small moat. Altair quickly got himself to his feet and began to climb after her, but by the time he had made it to the top of the building, she had already jumped off into the water below and fortunately for her, he did not know how to swim, but he would not stop until she was dead and so he went about climbing down as quickly as he could to get to the water and wait for her to come out knowing she would not be able to hold her breath forever.
However, Fiorenza had no intention of coming back to the surface as she had been to the Tripoli before. The moat she had dived into led to an iron gate that she could swim under and knew that she would have plenty of time to exit the city on horseback, leaving Altair behind. At this point she realized if she could not reason with Altair then maybe she could with Malik and set out for Jerusalem. Her last option would be to go back to her brother, but she would at least have to give Malik a try before returning back home. Her arm felt numb in some areas as the dagger Altair threw had cut into different nerves that gave the skin sensation. It made it harder to swim but it wasn't long before she had swum under the gate, leaving Altair wondering where she had gone. She was finally free once more...or so she thought.