Arno Dorian sat silently as he continued to write on the piece of parchment in front of him. He grumbled and scowled as he made another mistake thanks to the constant swaying he was forced to endure. He had been sitting in his chair rewriting the same note three times now, and each time he actually made any progress he would always end up making huge scribbles thanks to the inconsistent movement of the room itself. Technically, the room wasn't exactly moving, what the room was built into was moving.
Arno was actually on a ship in the middle of the ocean. With no solid ground, or personal space, or places to climb thanks to the accursed captain who had forbidden him from climbing the mast. It wasn't pleasant. At all. But Arno had important business to attend to and as a master assassin, it was his duty to ensure that whatever he did for the order, be done to damn near perfection.
That didn't mean he had to like it though. He didn't have to enjoy sitting in his room which smelt of piss, vinegar, and some form of feces. He wasn't required to pretend like the rotten logs above his head weren't pathetically disgusting. No, he need only tolerate it. He could suffer through this hell on earth and make it to New York. He could also plan on how he would get back at the one who had caused him to be booked passage to America on a piece of glorified drift wood.
Oh yes, he would be sure to have plenty of small ways to bring righteous punishment down upon his torturer. A man that Arno suspected was actually some form of sadist. Arno was certainly serious when necessary, but he was naturally easy going, and free spirited where this man was nothing more than a machine wearing human skin. The man known as Master Assassin Conner Kenway.
The man must have some form of metal rod shoved so far up his rear end that it would never see daylight again. It was insane! Though Arno had never met the man in person, he had heard the tales. Stoney faced, and forever serious. He was what younger Assassins spoke of as the boogeyman for any new-blood that had the unfortunate fate of being placed under him.
As a man now into his fifth decade on earth, and his third as an Assassin, he was legendary throughout the American, and European branches of the Assassins. He had rebuilt the United States' branch of the Assassins, and shattered the back of the Templar order in his region. While they were still attempting to regain momentum against the U.S. Assassins, Connor continued to build upon the progress that his branch had already made.
Arno sneered as he scrunched up the paper and tossed it behind his head. As a man with the same rank, but less time on the job, he would be considered as his subordinate. That would be painfully annoying, but he wasn't a fool, getting back at Connor wouldn't disrupt work, just knock him down a few pegs.
His little acts of justice would still be plenty of fun though, and the sarcastic barb on his tongue wasn't going anywhere. This would certainly be an interesting little time waster for the slow periods while on the job.
Connor Kenway felt a cold shiver go down his spine as he continued to look at the small golden disk on his work desk. He had been carefully inspecting it for the last two months after finding it on a Templar who had left himself open to a well-placed arrow. He shook his head quickly and returned to carefully looking over each small detail about the piece; the way it shone with an eerie golden glow, the strange geometric designs that depicted abnormal objects that Connor had never seen before, and the mysterious words that Connor could never hope to interpret.
He didn't like it, it screamed danger. He had decided that the best course of action was to send for someone who also had experience with a strange piece much like the one that he had found. Master Assassin Arno Dorian wasn't exactly someone that Connor would normally want to work with, on account of his infamy as a somewhat loose cannon. He had even been kicked out for a period of time for disobeying orders. Connor had been the same when he was younger, but had long since kicked the habit. Unfortunately, Arno still seemed to be aloof, often acting on his own. His adventures usually paid off, but there was no telling how long until it came to bite him somehow.
Granted, when directly ordered to complete something, he did whatever it was to the best of his abilities. But that didn't excuse doing other side objectives that were expected to be looked over by one's superiors before being acted upon. His disregard for this rule infuriated Connor to no end. While he no longer had any direct superiors placed over him, thanks to the unfortunate loss of almost every Assassin within the colonies, he still respected the judgement and guidance of mentors from other Assassin branches.
Connor let out a long sigh as he rubbed his brow and paced back and forth in the dimly lit room. He had been at this for hours and still didn't know if he should even try to move the device. It was a Piece of Eden; that was obvious. What wasn't so obvious was what he could and couldn't do to it. Apparently Arno actually wielded one as a weapon, the Sword of Eden. Though very little was still known about it, the combat capabilities were considered great enough for the Assassins to clear it for active use by a master Assassin; specifically Arno.
With luck, the man would know how best to handle this piece as well, but that would have to wait until his accomplice reached America.
Arno couldn't begin to contain the amount of joy he felt as he looked to the ground before him. Solid ground! He hadn't touched such a thing in what felt like decades. He immediately gathered up everything he owned and almost flew down the ramp to the dock. He ignored all else as he ran down the planks to the solid stone twenty feet ahead.
The lack of shifting and rocking made the running feel almost as if he had died and gone to heaven. No more loss of balance, no more uncertainties. This was where Arno belonged. He reached the end of the wooden dock and almost kissed the ground at his feet. The only thing stopping him being the amount of attention he now noticed he had been receiving.
He should have made an attempt to stop and think about the fact that he was not alone here. He should have thought about the fact that a man with a dark blue cloak that looked strangely like a military uniform of some kind sprinting towards town with his arms full of strange items would be rather eye catching. But it seemed that Arno had completely forgotten such things when his salvation was finally within reach.
What made it worse was that his contact he was supposed to meet had most likely seen the pathetic display he had just made. The master Assassin, famous for so many amazing deeds, broke the second tenant in his first twenty minutes in America. He cringed at that.
"Very subtle, Master Arno," A deep and rugged voice rumbled from behind the extremely annoyed Assassin. "You truly are a shining example for novices near and far."
The voice wasn't happy. Arno knew that much, happy voices weren't laced with venom and didn't drip with violent intent. That didn't bode well for him, at all.
Maybe he could bullshit his way out of this, he'd done so before. It can't be impossible to trick the bastard right? "This is a technique that I've honed over years of training." Arno boasted, lying straight through his teeth with hardly enough conviction in his tone to fool a two-year old. Regardless, he carried on. "It's quite simple really, you make yourself so painfully obvious that a Templar would assume that you couldn't possibly be an Assassin."
"Oh?" That wasn't the tone that one used when they were convinced.
Arno knew he wasn't selling it, he knew it. But even as his mind already began to picture where his body would be found after whoever it was behind him was through, he continued to make it worse. "Oh, yes! It truly is a marvelous tactic. You wouldn't believe how many targets it allowed me to bring down!"
"If you continue digging your own grave then I'm no longer going to be able to resist the temptation of making use of it." The voice responded in a deadly serious manner that left no room for question.
Arno breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the mysterious person finally back away. It was already obvious who it was, the seriousness, the gruff and creepy voice, and the quiet sound of leather hitting timber confirmed who it was that Arno was meeting: Master Connor.
As he turned to take in the sight of his ally, he was met with a tall and imposing visage. He wore heavily modified Assassin's robes that sported multiple fur pelts. Some appeared to be elk, while others were fox, or leopard skins. The robes themselves seemed to be loosely based off of the continental army's uniform, but with the colors reversed. He wore two finely detailed flintlock pistols at his sides, and an intricately detailed tomahawk that appeared to have been forged into the shape of the Creed's symbol rested in a sheath on his belt. His hood remained up, shielding the entirety of his hair and forehead, but ensured that his eyes were still able to take in as much of the world around him as possible. From what skin could be seen, his complexion was what you would expect from an average sailor, but his features made it obvious that he was of native decent. Finally, Arno took note of his eyes, his very angry, very annoyed eyes. They were a deep chocolate brown and conveyed a very obvious message: I'm pissed.
And unfortunately, that message was currently being sent to Arno himself. Normally, this didn't happen until Arno had already pulled off some form of beautiful prank that one could argue was more breathtaking to behold than even the Mona Lisa. Unfortunately, that was not the case at the moment.
"We can talk about your idiocy later, we need to move." Connor said in a commanding tone as he turned and made his way down the street, ensuring that Arno could make no further attempts at mending the situation.
He knew that his best chance of making it to the Assassin's hideout with his head still attached probably wasn't to talk. So instead he allowed his training to take over. He began by scanning his surroundings and taking in as much as possible. He used his Eagle Vision to heighten his senses and began to listen closely to every sound within a one hundred foot radius. He heard the chirping of birds, the click of hooves on the cobblestone ground, and the ocean of idle chatter being spoken by the civilians that surrounded Connor and himself. He peered out at the world around him from beneath his hood and looked at the many men and women in their daily attires. Almost everyone present wore the clothes of peasants, save for perhaps one or two gentlemen wearing fine silk outfits that showed their status as upper class citizens. Arno looked at the buildings and noted good hand and footholds for if he needed to make a quick escape. The brick buildings were solid and well built. But what was important was that the cold weather of late fall ensured that the windows were kept closed. And that meant that the wooden framing of the glass was within easy reach for anyone looking to reach the rooftops.
So far so good, with no one of interest in the vicinity, and access to the rooftops within arm's length Arno was able to lower his guard ever so slightly. Releasing his Eagle Vision, he let a confident smirk grace his lips. He could weasel his way out of trouble easily enough once they reached safety, and the grey overcast gave the afternoon sky a cool and calming feel. But what Arno was most enjoying was the much more clean sense he got from the town. Instead of having to deal with the stink of the over crowded streets of Paris, he was able to smell the nearby forest. It calmed him, the thrumming sound of people going about daily life but without the disgusting stench of overpopulation.
This calming effect, however, was ended rather abruptly as Connor stopped in front of an old wooden door that lead into some strange structure.
"Uh, what is this exactly Master Connor?" Arno questioned, already feeling whatever calm he had before collapse as he heard the reply.
"An entrance to the tunnels built beneath the city, we use them to move about safely." Connor began as he opened the door. "They aren't exactly clean though."
"Perfect," Arno muttered as he began to smell the stench of rot and decay. However, in his mind he had found himself thinking once again what he would do to repay Connor for all these little hellholes he seemed to force Arno into.
Connor had to physically struggle to refrain from letting out a long and frustrated groan. He had been dealing with his new French ally for two days now, and Connor had learned two things: he was overconfident, and he was overactive.
The man acted like he was a teenager, a very athletic, very dangerous teenager. Connor had never met anyone over twenty-five that still pulled ridiculous stunts for amusement. He had barely been in America for twenty four hours before he had managed to plant a stink bomb in Connor's room. He hadn't been paying attention and had found his sinuses filled with a putrid stench that far exceeded anything he had ever experienced in his life.
After finally ridding the room of the smell, he had found a small note in his desk stating that his divine punishment had begun. It wasn't difficult to figure out that it was Arno, he was the only one with enough balls to even attempt something that would piss Connor off. Naturally, Connor had attempted to confront the man. But alas, he had no proof. He had no way to show that it truly was him, and what made it worse? The fact that they were technically equals. The little shit was untouchable.
Connor collapsed into the old oak chair behind his desk and ran his hands through his shoulder length black hair. He stared at the old wooden desk before him and sighed. As he stared at the old wooden surface, he focused his thoughts on more important matters.
Even with Arno's rather infuriating pastimes, he did good work. He had been able to inspect the mysterious Piece of Eden and managed to get it to react to his attempts at activating it. Unfortunately, it seemed as though it was nothing more than a glorified lamp, the only thing it did was give off a blindingly bright light until Arno finally placed it back upon the table from which he had retrieved it.
At the moment, Connor had left the room to regather his wits after being blinded for the twentieth time in a row. They had been at it for hours, with Arno still vigorously attempting to get the artifact to do anything at all besides glow. Honestly, Connor couldn't tell whether or not if this was actually just another way for Arno to get back at him, but he did seem serious enough, and Connor knew that Arno was a rather poor actor when he was being stared down by a trained killer. Letting out an annoyed grunt, Connor returned to his feet, there was still several hours before dusk arrived, and leaving Arno alone was often a poor decision when he had time to waste.
Taking long, tired steps across the old wooden floor, he made his way to the door and turned the shiny brass doorknob. After several more lumbering steps, and creaking wooden floorboards, he made his way to the room that had recently been dubbed the Examination Room by one Master Assassin Arno Dorian.
As he entered he noted the middle aged man with his right hand raised high with the golden object in his palm.
"Still no change?" Connor asked, even if he already knew what the answer would most likely be.
"I don't understand it!" Arno growled as he turned to face his colleague. "Nothing works! Nothing!"
Connor looked at his ally and took in his disheveled appearance. His hair was in a matted mess, and he obviously hadn't shaved since he had gotten to America. Normally smooth features were now contorted in frustration and impatience. Add to that his once finely detailed and intricate clothes were also wrinkled and loose and one could tell that he had been driving himself up a wall for multiple hours.
"Be calm," Connor replied in a calm and firm tone. "Patience is often the key to success."
"In case you haven't realized, I can only take so much patience before I begin to go stir-crazy." Arno snapped at his accomplice, now violently shaking the device that he held in his hands.
"Indeed, I have noticed. The stink bomb was a good indication." Connor replied in a humorless manor that showed he still didn't forgive Arno for the incident.
Arno simply grunted and began to look closely at each small line upon the artifact. Connor, curious as to what Arno was doing, moved to stand next to the Frenchmen and peered at the piece as well. As Arno ran his hand over one of the sides of the object he nearly had a heart attack when he heard a distinct click emanate from it. Nearly dropping the strange device, he watched in amazement as pieces began to shift and turn. In a matter of moments, what had once resembled some kind of disk, now took on the shape of a closed locket.
"Was that good or bad?" Connor asked, his voice filled with concern and confusion.
"I don't rightfully know, but there's only one way to find out," Arno replied as he raised the object back above his head.
After a few breathless seconds, the device began to give off its signature blinding light, but this time, there was a difference. This time, it lasted longer. But more importantly, it affected the two Assassins. They could feel the world around them begin to spin and, within a matter of seconds, they felt as if their entire bodies had become some form of mush. What came next though, was what they could only perceive as weightlessness for a few short moments before the blinding light finally receded.
Unfortunately though, when they were finally able to make heads or tails of their surroundings, they found things had changed… drastically.
A/N: Okay, I know that this isn't where it's supposed to be, but no one has ever posted in the Assassin's Creed and Code Geass crossover genre except for one dude who was just offering to help people out. So I put it here instead. Please don't hate me. In other news, this chapter is basically just to let you get to know Arno and Connor and how the hell they ended up in the Code Geass universe… sort of. Anyway, I tried to make this story a little bit more detailed than the other one that I am currently working on so… yeah, let me know how that goes. Other than that, let me know what you think of the characters and if it interests you. Thank you, and till next time!