Enlightenment
Do you know what happens when you lose everything or lack proper wages in the first place? You become desperate. Several people have suffered under these terms for a while now in this ugly city called "London." I have had to give up my humanity and my morals in order to stay alive.
Where are my manners? My name is Brittany Elizabeth at your service. I am only but a humble Assassin working under the order of Jacob and Evie Frye. You might have noticed I am different from the others, yes? Well that is because I came from the other side of this war. That look on your face may be giving away your suspicion that I was once a Templar. Am I correct? Well, you wouldn't be wrong. I worked beside a Templar for five years of my life. I was only a gang member. I started out as just a lowly street rat and eventually joined the Blighters to put food on the table. He had seen my potential as a fighter and hired me to be his body guard. It offered more pay and protection for my deceased cousin's child. I couldn't ever turn down such a valuable offer.
"Are you ready for this?" The man had asked me as I followed in his shadow. "Yes, sir. I shall wait beside you and not let you leave my sight." He gave me a nod of approval and continued on his way. He was a very graceful man. It fascinated me so to watch him strut like a ruler before these gang members. He very well had a reason to do so. He had been paying us all a decent wage to do his bidding and it gave our families another relief. No more would we have to worry about starving. I knew though, that it wasn't just this man that had been giving us the money. That man was part of an even bigger organization that could not be fought against. From the rumors I had heard, they were known as the Templars. They were a large group that had dedicated their lives to finding these mystical artifacts left behind by some other race. I didn't really understand any of it at the time. I was young and unaware that the future was about to crack and morph into something different. Something free. It starts with this simple job: Guard my boss until the meeting was over and he was safely escorted home. It sounded so easy, for it was a regular job for me. I had been escorting this man personally for the past five years. What was so dangerous that it had to be considered a mission? I asked myself that question over and over again. It raked over my brain like iron over hot coals. However, I chose to pay it no mind and continued on as I normally did. My guard was for the most part down and my posture at ease. As I watched him all these years, I noticed that he was watching me as well. If I was at ease, he was at ease, though I never quite understood why. It was almost as if he knew something about me that I didn't even know about myself. That frightened me. I didn't even know this man's name. The thought of his connections, his knowledge of the city, and the knowledge of the people scared me. What did he know about me that made me special? Why was a weak fighter like me, a woman no less, chosen to guard him? At the time, those questions and doubts didn't bother me. I was just desperate to find money to support a child that wasn't mine. I wanted to know that child would be safe inside a house rather than on the streets, picking crumbs off of the ground.
For a while, the mission seemed to be going well. No sudden movements, no strange behavior, and no feelings of unease. That is normally what happened when one of Assassins was nearby. It was a general sense of unease that flashed throughout my entire body and caused me to go on full alert. It may have been that hunch that my boss would look for as he watched me. Soon though, that unease would rip through me once more. A man had entered the room, disturbing the conversation. He hadn't said a word, just walked in with a gun in his hand. My eyes scanned him immediately. That unease wasn't overwhelming me, so I knew he was no Assassin, or if he was, he wasn't any true blooded Assassin. He would be more of a grunt or informant. Even so, he was moving in to harm my pay and I couldn't allow that. I immediately moved to strike, throwing a knife at his leg to set him off balance. My legs swiftly carried me to him and my fist swung out to catch his gun. The gun hit the floor with a bang as he trigger was activated, a bullet blowing a small hole in the wall. I grabbed he man's head and directed it downward onto my knee before kicking him down onto the floor. "You are a dead man." As I moved to finish him off, my boss walked past me, holding up a hand. "No. Not yet. First we need answers." I moved away as his hand directed. The last thing I needed was to go overboard and disobey direct orders. "Yes, sir. I apologize." He gave me a nod. "That is quite alright. I thank you for once again defending us." I bowed lightly to the man, "No sir, I thank you for helping me. I am forever indebted to you." With a small smile, he waved his hand for me to stand back. It was my job to guard, not play a part in his affairs, so I did as told and moved away. As he interrogated the man, I stood by the door to keep watch. Something didn't feel right. I was starting to feel it. That nausea in the pit of my stomach that echoed throughout my entire body. Where was it? An Assassin? I had known that there had to be an Assassin involved. That man had to be a distraction of some sort. He was way too easy to take down, nor did he actually shoot at us. He was a diversion. If that was the case, where is the Assassin hiding?
"Sir?" There was no response from my boss and the feeling was only getting worse. "Sir!?" I hadn't turned around in fear that I would be caught off guard. Something was close and I couldn't see it. There was nothing in the walls, nothing in the other rooms, and nothing on the ceiling. "What in the bloody hell is it, Brittany!?" I turned only my head to look back at him, "Something is here. I think it is them." His eyes widened with surprise and then narrowed in anger. "All of this interruption. Those bloody pigs are going to pay for this." I felt the sharp pain of anxiety stab through my heart and crash over my body like waves of the sea. It is here. It feels as if it is right beside me, but there is nothing here. "Where in the hell are you!? Come out! I know you are here!" I drew my swords and waited in the hallway for whatever it was to come out, but nothing did. Instead, I was dragged downward underneath the floor.
There was a crash of wooden planks and the cries of the men above. The feeling in my gut was getting even stronger. More had come. They had to have been attacking. They had to have been killing my source of income. "You… bloody bastards!" A woman put a hand over my mouth. It was a slender hand covered by a shining, black leather glove. "Hush now, or we will kill you. We need your help. That vision of yours is very similar to ours. You could be of use to us." I shook myself away from her, "Like hell, I will help you! Because of you, I have no job! Because of you, I have no income! Because of you, she is going to starve!" The woman twisted my hand behind my back. "No one is going to starve under our watch. I promise." Shaking my head in dismay, I growled in discontent. "I don't even know who you are, so somehow, I doubt that." The woman dragged me away, still holding firm to my mouth. "Well, it matters not. All that we need is what you may know."