CHAPTER 2: Secrets of the Order

SIX WEEKS LATER

TATSUMI POV

He crept silently along the edge of the narrow street, hugging the wall of the building next to him. He swallowed, resisting the urge to wipe a bead of sweat from his eyes, focusing on his target.

A few yards ahead of him was a figure sitting on the bench with its back to him. He looked down at his right hand and at the thin metal brace currently strapped to it. He swallowed again and steeled his nerves before breaking from his cover and sprinting as fast as he could across the open area towards the man. He flexed his right wrist and watched from the corner of his eye as a small blade sprung from it. He brought his arm back and prepared to ram the blade through the person's neck…when a shadow fell across him.

"Damn," he cursed, tensing his body for what was about to come.

A huge weight crashed down on him from above, knocking him to the ground face-first. He coughed as the wind was knocked out of him, watching as a blade descended to his throat from above.

"Dead."

"Yeah, yeah," he groaned as the weight was lifted. "But I got farther than last time."

"Father does not mean success," Shay said, pulling him back to his feet. "Had I been an enemy, your target would have escaped and you would have been dead."

The dark-haired Knight turned and walked back towards the entrance of the training grounds. "But you are improving," he said. "Now come on. Elise and Spear are waiting for you for the next lesson."

He grinned at the man's words and hurried after him, leaving the training dummy there.

After the meeting, Haythem had taken him for a walk around the compound and explained to him the history of the Templars. They were an ancient organization founded long before the birth of the empire, founded for a singular purpose: peace through stability and order. Haythem had explained that if the Templars succeeded in their endeavors, they would create a new world where everyone was equal. There would be no kings, no discrimination, no poverty, no war, or no sorrow for anyone. But to do this, they had to do something that was near impossible.

Kill the Emperor.

And stop the Rebellion.

He allowed himself a smile at the thought. The revolutionary army in the south had a similar goal…and they certainly had the manpower to accomplish that task. However, Haythem and Shay had shown him why the revolutionary army was not to be trusted. They wanted to only provide freedom for the oppressed peoples in the southern and western regions. If they succeeded, they would in turn oppress the northerners and easterners, which would inevitably lead to another rebellion and only perpetuate the cycle of death.

"In time of peace, sons bury their fathers," Haythem had told him. "But in times of war, fathers bury their sons."

True, he thought, hurrying to keep up with Shay. He still wasn't used to his new boots.

Since his old clothes were destroyed by Mother Nature, Spear had taken it upon herself to dress him up "in proper a Templar fashion." The worst part was that since she was the Grandmaster's daughter, he couldn't refuse her. He now wore a sturdy black coat with a high collar and a hood sewn into the neckline. Emblazoned on the right shoulder in red was the Templar Cross. It had been a gift from Shay, saying it didn't fit him anymore. Under that he wore a gray short-sleeve shirt with his hidden blade strapped to his right forearm. Instead of his old tan pants, he wore black army pants with large pockets. Around his waist was his belt, which usually carried a sword and a dagger. However, now it also carried two holsters with the Order's newest weapons: large pistols that could kill with a single shot.

They reached the sparring area after a few minutes' walk. Spear was already there, accompanied by Elise.

Elise de la Serre was a young woman in her late twenties with flaming red hair. She was on the shorter side and very thin, but Tatsumi knew that was no reason to think she was weak. Elise was the Order's top swordsman…woman, and he knew she could even defeat Shay in a duel. She wore a battle-uniform with a blue and black sash, leather greaves covering her forearms. At her hip hung a rapier (known to the trainees simply as "doom') and at her left hip hung the same pistol that he carried.

"How'd he do?" she asked.

"Better," Shay admitted, taking a swig of water from a nearby jug. "But he's got a long way to go."

"It's to be expected," she said, looking at him. "But you've done well, Tatsumi."

"Thanks, Elise," he smiled, taking a drink. "Are we going to be sparring again today?"

She nodded and walked to the center of the sparring grounds, drawing her sword. "No holds barred," she said. "Come at me like you want to kill."

He nodded and stepped into the ring, drawing his sword with one hand and his knife with the other. Elise smiled at him…and then moved. She crossed the ten foot gap between them in an instant and stabbed at his throat. Six weeks ago this would have killed him instantly. Now, on the other hand…

He threw his sword up and parried her strike, slashing at her stomach with his knife. She jumped back and ducked low, her own hidden blade popping from under her right greave with a hiss as she struck at his ankle. He didn't even move his feet, calmly stabbing his sword down in time to block the blade from severing his tendon. Elise then rolled backwards, spinning slightly and kicked his sword from his hands.

"Not bad," she said, blowing a strand of her hair out of her eyes. "But what are you going to do now, Tatsumi?"

He gave her a hard smile and flexed his right wrist, sliding his hidden blade out as far as he could go. He spun his knife once and then dashed at her, leading with his hidden blade. Elise calmly sidestepped his attack, bringing her sword down across the back of his right hand hard enough to make it bleed. He winced but pressed the attack, kicking at her and stabbing with his dagger. However none of them even came close. She ducked and weaved around the strikes she couldn't block and the ones she could she only used as an opening to attack him. Finally, she let him strike at her shoulder with his knife. She quickly disarmed him, kicked him down, and held her blade at his throat.

"Dead," she smiled sweetly.

"Dammit," he grunted as she let him up. "I was close though."

"Keep telling yourself that," she laughed, handing him his weapons. "A few more years training and you may be able to beat me…but until then don't slack off."

"Got it," he nodded.

"Bravo!" came a new voice accompanied by the sound of clapping.

He looked towards the stairs into the main compound to see Woodes Rogers walking down towards them.

"Master Rogers," he said, bowing his head. "What brings you here?"

"No reason," the scarred sailor said. "I simply wanted to see the results of your training. I must say, Elise, you've done a bang-up job with this one."

"Thank you, Woodes," she smiled.

"Is Haythem here?" Shay asked, folding his arms.

"Unfortunately no," he said. "He left the empire three days ago heading for the southern islands. Apparently our friends in the East have made a breakthrough."

Friends in the East…the Assassins.

From what Haythem had told him, the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order had once been bitter enemies. While the Templars had been committed to peace through order, the Assassins had likewise been committed to peace through freedom. They fought to remove kings and tyrants from power, and had done a good job up until a thousand years ago. One thousand years ago was when the first emperor came into power, and ordered the creation of one-hundred superweapons to 'protect' the people. Both Assassins and Templars alike did their best to keep these weapons from being created, but despite their best efforts forty-eight of them were finished and delivered to the capital. The Assassin Mentor at the time, Al Mualim, ordered war on the Empire to prevent the weapons from being used. However, despite the Assassin's might, the power of the weapons was far too great for them and they were defeated. Al Mualim himself was captured and sentenced to death along with the surviving assassins.

However, the Grandmaster at the time, Prime Minister Robert de Sable, did something no other Templar at the time could ever think of…he freed Al Mualim…and personally stabbed the Emperor in his bed. Together, they agreed that the Teigu Weapons were too great a threat to both their plans for the future…and they agreed to a truce until the Empire was dismantled and the people were free from the tyrannical rule of kings.

Now Templars and Assassins worked together in the shadows. From what he had heard from the Masters of the Order, the Assassins worked to stir up trouble in the outer parts of the empire while the Templars undermined the authority of the government and military. His hidden blade had been a gift from the Assassins.

"When will Master Haythem be back?" he asked as they all began venturing back into the main compound.

"When he has discovered the relic," Woodes shrugged. "Until then we can only wait and hope that he can find something to help bring about the empire's downfall."

He nodded and followed Woodes and Spear towards the main chambers.

"Father wants to speak to you," Spear said playfully. "After that, come find me."

He nodded, a little surprised that Grandmaster Chouri wanted to speak with him. He hadn't seen the man since his first day inside the compound, so there must me something important going on.

Woodes and Spear left him outside the Grandmaster's quarters. He quickly swallowed, straightened his hair, and walked inside. The room was a large one, mostly decorated with maps and charts, although at the back was a large banner with the Order's cross hanging over a desk. Chouri was sitting there, reading a long report. The old man looked up as he walked inside and smiled at him.

"Ah, Tatsumi," he said, putting the paper aside. "It is good to see you again."

"Grandmaster Chouri," he bowed his head. "I was told you wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes, yes I do," he said, standing up and walking over to a section of the room covered in pictures. Some of them had their faces crossed out while others remained smiling at the camera. "I wanted to show you this."

"Who are they?" he asked, looking at the faces.

"These are the greatest threats to our goals," Chouri said. "They are assassins, sell-swords, corrupt politicians, generals, serial killers, pirates, etc…basically anyone who would see the Templar and Assassin dreams shattered in favor of chaos."

His eyes wandered over the images, looking at the picture of a blonde-haired boy with a devil's outfit.

"What about him?" he asked.

"Nyau may be young," Chouri sighed. "But he's an accomplished serial killer…from our reports, he enjoys targeting young girls and cutting their faces off while alive. He's known to make blankets and even clothes out of them."

He turned green at the thought and looked away from the picture. His eyes focused on another one.

"What kind of name is Champ?" he asked.

"Another serial killer," Chouri sighed. "Champ has a thing for children…wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of broken bodies behind him. Whenever he finds a child, he'll kill the parents and then rape the child before killing them as well."

He felt even more bile rise in his stomach.

"The reason I am showing you this," Chouri said, "is so you can become familiar with your targets. All of our Knights know these people's faces…so if they come across one of them, they will end their miserable lives."

He nodded, forcing his nausea out of his mind. He continued to study the pictures, brushing right over the ones of Prime Minister Honest and the Emperor. He came across one that he was vaguely familiar and pointed to her.

"Ah, Esdeath," Chouri said with a noticeable shiver.

"Who is she?" he asked. "Shay and Master Haythem have talked about her…but no one tells me who she really is."

"Esdeath is…" Chouri paused to rub his temples. "Possibly the strongest warrior in the known world. She's a full general in the imperial army, and a bloodthirsty monster. Instead of bringing back captured enemy soldiers, she throws them to danger beasts or tortures them herself. She's the biggest obstacle we have to rebuilding this world."

He stared at her picture. She was a remarkably beautiful woman; icy blue eyes and pale skin (not to mention the size of her chest). Ieyasu would probably drool like a waterfall if he saw her. But as Chouri kept talking, telling him about the crimes she had committed; letting her army violate entire cities who had surrendered, torturing civilians, burying forty-thousand people alive in ice…he started to lose his attraction.

"So how do we deal with her?" he asked.

Chouri grimaced. "I don't know yet," he said. "We're hopeful that Master Haythem can find a relic that can negate her Teigu…but until then we can only interfere with her army. The Assassins have done a number on her commanders in the past few years, but we are not even close to being able to remove her. If you come across her, Tatsumi, do not even try to attack her. Run…run as fast as you can."

He nodded, memorizing the woman's face. Chouri then moved over to another series of pictures. These were mostly of women.

"This is Night Raid," he said, gesturing at the images. "They are a strike force for the Revolutionary Army. All of them are Teigu-users, and are to be treated as threats."

"Their leader is Najenda?" he asked. He knew of the former general from Woodes. The two of them apparently had some history before Najenda left the army.

He nodded. "She commands a group of highly-skilled individuals," he said, pointing at a picture of a young woman with red eyes. "Like the former imperial assassin, Akame…or the five-time decorated 'hundred man-slayer' Bulat."

"And the others?" he asked, gesturing at the four remaining pictures.

"Well, there's Mine," he said, pointing to a long-range shot of a pink-haired girl with a strange gun. "From what our spies tell us, she's a sharpshooter with skill not seen since the First Imperial War."

He nodded as he moved on to a young man with green hair and goggles. "Lubbock," he said. "He was Najenda's first officer while she served in the army. He's nothing really special personality-wise, but he does have incredible skill with the Teigu 'Cross Tail.' From what we've heard, he's had a crush on his old commander for many years now."

He smirked as Chouri moved over to a woman with glasses. "We don't know much about this woman after she left the capital," he said. "Her name is Sheele. She started out as a vigilante in the slums before she was recruited into Night Raid. She is a cold-blooded killer, from what our spies tell me."

He squinted at the woman, wondering what made her such a heartless individual.

"And lastly, the one we know the most about," he said, pointing to a cheery blonde girl. "Leone. She started out in the slums as a vigilante as well, although she did a horrible job at keeping her identity a secret. She's a gambler, borderline alcoholic, and con-artist. We know she has the beast-Teigu Lionelle, which increases her body's abilities tenfold, including her rate of regeneration. One of the Assassins shot her with a poison dart and she was able to shrug it off like it was nothing. According to our people in the capital, she is apparently a good person. I would like to see her in the Order if we could manage it."

He nodded as Chouri went on to explain others on the wall, such as Zank the Beheader and General Esdeath's Three Deadly Beasts. But his eyes always seemed to drift back to the images of Esdeath and the assassin Leone.

What could have made them choose their paths? He wondered.

Finally, Chouri finished his explanation and let him leave, his mind was a bundle of questions. He knew that more experienced Knights could easily defeat some of the members of Night Raid, but he also knew he was nowhere near as strong. Maybe if he got the drop on one of the weaker ones, like that girl Mine, he could take her out. But in a frontal battle, he would stand no chance.

"I have to get stronger," he muttered, running back towards the training grounds.

He trained well into the night, practicing his shooting and assassin techniques. Spear came to help him, but she ended up beating him every time they sparred. He knew he was making progress, but it wasn't fast enough to be of use to the Order.

"Enough, Tatsumi!" Shay shouted to him as he tried again with the air assassinate technique.

"Shay?" he asked, pulling his hidden blade out of a dummy.

"Practicing is fine and dandy," the dark haired knight said, walking down to him, "but nothing can beat real experience."

He grabbed him by the scuff of his coat and pulled him towards the compound. "It's high time you took a life for the Order," he said.

ONE DAY LATER

IMPERIAL CAPITAL

He swallowed heavily, checking his gear again for the eighth time that hour. His pistols were loaded with their single shot, his hidden blade was working fine, sword was sharpened and knife was positioned to where he would be able to draw it with ease.

"Stop worrying," Shay said, slapping the back of his head. "You'll do fine, lad. My first kill was ten times harder than this."

"I don't think killing that captain of the CDF is an easy matter," he mumbled, going over the plan.

CDF Captain Ogre the Demon was a greedy and corrupt man. He constantly misused his power, taking bribes to frame innocents with crimes. He often took orders straight from the Prime Minister himself to cover his tracks with innocent blood. Both the Order and the Assassins wanted him dead…and Shay thought this would be a perfect opportunity to test his skills.

"It's simple," the older Knight told him. "You find Ogre, follow him back to his house, sneak inside, and then snuff the bastard while he's 'pissin."

"If you say so," he grumbled, walking out of the bar they were in and onto the street. He quickly flipped up his jacket collar and pulled his hood up to obscure his face.

It was late afternoon, which is when stores would be closing and everyone would be going home. The streets would be crowded enough so no one would be able to pick him out as he waited outside the CDF headquarters. Finally, he saw Ogre emerge. It was kind of hard not to notice the hulking tower of muscle as he shoved a few pedestrians to the side with a cruel laugh. Steeling his nerve, he slipped into place behind the man and followed him. A few scumbag businessman came up to him with bribes, which the man accepted in broad daylight! He grit his teeth in frustration and felt his right hand begin to flex, pushing the hidden blade out a few inches.

Patience, he told himself. He'll get his soon enough.

He followed Ogre back towards a more luxurious district in the capital, where the foot traffic was a little thinner. He took care to keep out of the man's line of sight, ducking behind fences and into shops as he went. Finally, the man stopped at a white marble three-story house and quickly went inside.

"Now," he whispered to himself, jumping the fence and running into a patch of hedges that provided him with decent cover. He watched as Ogre walked about the second floor on his house, eating and drinking like a king. He waited for a few more moments before making his way to the nearest window. It was locked, but he managed to jimmy it open with his knife. He quietly slipped inside and readied his pistol. It would be loud, so he would only use it if he had to. He'd stick with his hidden blade for this one.

He crept upstairs quietly, using the sound of Ogre eating noisily to locate him. He came up to the kitchen, taking note that the man did not have his armor or sword on him.

That makes my job easier, he thought, creeping up behind the man, using the stealth techniques Shay had taught him.

He got right up behind Ogre and quickly tapped the man on the shoulder.

"Huh, wha-" was all he managed to say as he turned around.

Quick as a whip, he popped his hidden blade out and slashed it across the man's throat. Ogre's eyes widened as he grabbed the cut, allowing Tatsumi a perfect target. He calmly plunged the blade into Ogre's heart, wrenching it around to make sure he cut all the arteries.

"Retribution to the fallen," he said, easing Ogre down onto the floor. "You pay for your crimes with this life, Captain Ogre…may the Father of Understanding guide you to a purer path in the next."

The CDF captain gurgled as the light slowly died from his eyes. He knelt there next to him, making sure the man was really dead before closing his eyes. He wiped his blade clean before heading back outside. As he moved through the garden his ear twitched.

He dove forwards, rolling out of the way of a golden blur that smashed down into the garden where he had been standing seconds before. His hand went straight to his sword, drawing it and settling into a ready stance as he looked at his attackers.

"You missed," said a smooth female voice as two figures appeared from the darkness.

"Oh, gimme a break," said a peppy voice. "How was I supposed to know he heard me?"

He squinted from under his hood until their faces became clear to him. His heart sank as he recognized them. Akame and Leone of Night Raid.

"Shit," he grimaced, reaching back for one of his pistols. They'd probably dodge the shot, but it was better than engaging Akame in a swordfight.

"So who're you?" Leone asked, folding her arms under her impressive chest. "'Someone else contract you to eliminate Ogre?"

He didn't answer her. Never reveal the nature of our work was one of the Templar maxims, after all.

"Ooh, strong and silent I see?" she purred as flames began to envelope her body, a sign that she was activating her Teigu. "Well, then…I guess I'll have to beat it out of you!"

NOW! He thought, drawing his pistol and firing at her. He mentally cheered as the large shot impacted on her right shoulder, blowing a good-sized divot out of her. Akame's eyes turned to her comrade and he used that moment to escape.

He turned and jumped the fence, dashing back towards the crowded streets.

Have to lose them, he thought as he heard a feline roar from behind him. He looked back to see Leone jumping after him, her wound fully healed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Akame jumping across the roofs. She was trying to corral him…probably into a corner where Leone would attack.

Not gonna happen, he thought, heading for a marketplace. Akame's wanted, so she's not going to go through here.

He jumped through the doors, much to the alarm of some nearby patrons as he tore through the crowds and into the deepest area of the market. As fast as he could, he pulled a book from a nearby vendor's stall and found a bench. He sat down and pulled off his hood, pretending to be engrossed in the…cookbook. He winced and hoped nobody would notice.

A few minutes later, he saw Leone walk past him. Akame was nowhere to be seen. The tall blonde assassin had deactivated her Teigu, but she was still radiating an aura of bloodlust. He kept his eyes downcast to the pages as she passed by, unaware that her target was literally three inches away from her. Finally, she moved off into a different area, and when she did, he made his move. Attacking her here would be suicide and poor judgement. There were too many civilians to witness him killing her, not to mention she might just activate her Teigu and come after him. No…now was the time to disappear and report back.

He stood up and blended with the crowd, following a group of young people out of the market. He broke away from them after a few blocks, running back to the bar where he and Shay had parted ways. The dark-haired Knight was exactly where he'd left him; sitting at the bar with a mug in his hand.

"You're late," he said as he slid back into his chair.

"I got ambushed," he said, panting to catch his breath. "Akame and Leone were there for Ogre as well."

"Did you kill him?"

"Yeah," he nodded, taking a drink from his own glass.

"Then good job," he said, clapping him on the back. "We'll report this back to the Grandmaster in the morning."

He nodded and kept drinking in silence, thinking about Chouri's words. Each of those people would have to be eliminated in order for the Templar's world to come to fruition…he shook any doubts from his head and slammed his mug on the table.

"Another," he told the bartender.

I will not let anyone destroy the Grandmaster's goal, he thought as he knocked his glass against Shay's in a silent toast. Even if it costs me my own life.