And so the cycle starts again! This one will be done in Cahin's view, the next in Malfatto's, etc. Caha will probably not get her own POV, but that may change. If she does, it will most likely take the place of her brother's.
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Cahin sat down next to his now sleeping sister. It had been a little over an hour since the fight, and Caha had steadily improved. There was a slight panic on Cahin's part when she had gotten drowsy, but the Doctor's assurance had put him at relative ease.
He had long since abandoned holding the gun on the bird-masked man, as he sat peacefully in a cross-legged fashion with his back against his medicine cart. The Doctor finally broke the silence. "I don't think we were ever properly introduced. My name is Malfatto." He said, proving he wasn't asleep as well.
"Mine is Cahin, and this is Caha" He replied, gesturing to his sister. "Although, I do have a question. You obviously know how to fight, but you can't be one of those people that attacked our village. You would have done something by now."
The Doctor quirked his head. "People attacked your village? Is that why you were rather…paranoid when you met me? And the reason you are wearing clothing belonging in an acting Troupe?"
Cahin nodded, he was impressed. This man seemed to be cunning…definitely dangerous. "Yes, we thought you were one of the attackers. They wore disguises to get in. These were some of them, in fact" He answered, plucking at his own shirt. "We wore them so nobody would recognize us. They were hunting our family in particular for some reason."
Malfatto sat up straighter, like someone faced with an interesting riddle. "Attacked your family… what was your profession?"
Cahin arched an eyebrow, but answered, "I was a clerk at my fathers shop."
The Doctor pondered this for a moment. "And the rest of your family?"
"Let's see… Dad was, like I said, a merchant. Mom was just that, mom. Caha worked as the book keeper for the inn. Nothing special."
Cahin watched as the man rubbed on his mask where his chin would be. "What did your father sell?"
"Nothing unusual" Cahin shrugged, "Just whatever came through. Our area produced a lot of wheat, so he supplied flour to a lot of people."
"I see, and these attackers, what did they look like?" The goggles of the mask shadowed his eyes completely, making him seem as if he had nothing but holes in his head.
"Well, they came in Troupe clothes, but when they took them off they were wearing white robes, with red sashes." The boy answered, "Why do you want to know?"
"Because it can help me figure this out, and it is a riddle. I will not have an unanswered riddle mock me." Malfatto said, still deep in thought. "White and red, you say?" At Cahin's nod, he continued. "Did you see this symbol on them anywhere, their belts, maybe?" The man then proceeded to draw the same design, a triangle with an outward curving bottom line.
"Yeah, one of them threw a medallion with that on it at my father, right before he…" Cahin choked a little, but Malfatto paid no mind.
"Your father, did he ever do any business with people with this mark," He drew one with three rectangles, all pointing in different directions, coming together at one point.
Cahin thought for a minute, before uncertainly nodding. "I think so. One of his regular customers, a guard captain or some such."
The Doctor seemed more energetic now, "And he, the captain, bought a lot of flour, correct?" At Cahin's nod, Malfatto clapped once. "I've figured it out. Your father was working for the Templar. Biscuits and bread are wonderful things to feed an army, because of how well you can do off it when necessary. But to make bread, you need flour. And for that much flour, you either need a large farm, or a merchant. The men who attacked your village are sworn enemies of the Templar. They wanted to weaken their presence in the area, and to do that, you weaken the army. If you can't beat an army, you starve it. Since it would be impractical to burn all wheat farms in the area, they target the suppliers. I bet if you ask around, several other merchants, specializing in food, were killed that day in nearby villages."
Cahin was dumbstruck. "Are you trying to tell me that my village was attacked because that my father was in league with some half-secret order of people calling themselves the Templar?" Malfatto nodded calmly. "Your insane."
The Doctor shrugged. "Many people think so, but I personally don't.
"Why haven't I ever herd of these people before?" asked Cahin.
"Not many people know about them. I wouldn't, had not been for the fact that I once treated a wounded Templar." He answered. "An Assassin, that is the name of their enemies, had stabbed him, but missed his spine by a couple inches. He was left for dead, but managed to make it back to the closest doctor, namely me. After I found out he was a Templar, I began asking around. The end result was me finding out about a half-hidden war that has been going on for centuries."
Out of all the things just told to him, the only thing Cahin could question was "Assassin?"
Malfatto nodded. "Not a very original name, I grant you, but effective nonetheless.
Cahin made up his mind then. "Thank for your information, Malfatto. I now know who I'll have to kill for justice."
Expecting some kind of rebuke for wanting to commit murder, he was surprised when the Doctor answered "You are welcome. Just remember, if you commit unguided slaughter, you are a no better than some heathen barbarian. If you a precise, calm, and gathered, you are a professional." With those final words, the Doctor seemed to fall asleep. At least, Cahin thought he was asleep, it was kind of hard to tell.
\/\/\/\
The next day saw the three travelers outside of Willowbridge, a wholly unoriginal town in whose only claim to fame was being the most convenient river crossing in the area.
The day had been rough starting, Caha's leg was healed, but still had a tendency to cramp, which Malfatto had promised would go away in a day or so. After having everything explained to her, she was just as eager for revenge as her brother, and soon they found a means to get to their ends.
Malfatto, apparently, had contacts in the city. He was willing to introduce them to people who could help them track the Assassins, but wanted something in return. "I wish to accompany you."
Both siblings stood speechless, before recovering. "Why?" Caha managed.
"I too have undesirables after me, and as they say, there is safety in numbers. You two have already proved yourselves able to fight, but could stand to be better. I can fight off almost anybody, but I have to sleep sometime, and, as you've proven, I can be bested by a group." The Doctor explained. "It is a simple trade: I teach and heal you, you protect me. I get my contacts to help you track your quarry, you help me disappear from the region."
Cahin thought he had found a hole in this logic, though "Don't you want a bit more… subtle traveling companions?"
"Hiding is not always the best means of escape. The last place they will look for me is in the most attention drawing. They expect me to lay low, and by drawing attention to myself, I am invisible." Cahin knew he the Doctor couldn't smile through that mask, but he was making an honest effort at it. Malfatto stuck out a hand. "Trust me."
With a glance toward his sister, he grabbed the hand.