Assassin's Creed: Vengeance
The Invasion
June 4th, 1796
Altenkirchen, Germany
August Steigen and his small group of fellow German Assassins watched from the top of a hill overlooking the Rhine River as the two forces clashed from either side. On the east bank, the Habsburg Austrians were quickly losing ground to the French. The Assassins were tense and wanting so badly to get into the fight and help their country but they'd been given orders and they'd wait for their targets to show themselves.
Today, they had two potential targets, Jean Baptiste Jourdan or Jean Baptiste Kleber. The French and their strange names confused August to no end.
August heard one of the Assassins grunt in frustration. "We should be down there, fighting the French devils!"
August replied sharply. "We have orders, Gunther. We wait for our chance to strike."
Gunther didn't wait. Instead, he drew his sword and charged down the hill. Two other Assassins glanced at August apologetically as they too charged into the fray. August frowned and sighed. Only one other Assassin remained at his side.
"What can we do?" Johann asked. "They outnumber our countrymen."
"Wait until we see Jourdan or Kleber and strike. We received word from our spies that Jourdan is supposed to join Kleber at the bridge crossing at Dusseldorf."
Suddenly, August and Johann saw the deception. The spies were entirely wrong. In the distance, they saw Archduke Charles moving his force north. They looked downstream to the south and saw the Armee de Rhin-et-Moselle.
"Son of a bitch." August said as he took off running down the hill towards the Armee de Rhin-et-Moselle.
Johann followed close behind. The two assassins soon reached the army's advancing point and stopped. "They have a whole army! What are we going to do?" Johann shouted over the sound of charging soldiers.
"Abandon the plan! We go after Jean Moreau!" August replied.
August ran towards the army head on. Good thing it wasn't a full force. A few thousand at most. August met a few soldiers in close combat but for the most part, managed to get past them in the confusion. He charged towards the center of the army, where he could see a few men sitting on horseback. Through the mass of soldiers he swiftly made his way through, he recognized them as Jean Moreau and a young commander named Jean-de-Dieu Soult.
Soult wasn't the target for he wasn't aligned with the Templars. But Moreau was, so he must die. August gracefully launched himself into the air off of the body of a falling soldier and onto the horse Moreau was mounted on. August flicked his blade out and grinned at the Frenchman.
"Vous Assassez un chien." (You Assassin dog.) Moreau hissed.
August cocked his arm back to strike. Before he could, a ball of metal hit him in the chest. He fell from the horse and onto the ground. Several soldiers crowded around him, pointing the tips of their muskets at him. Moreau dismounted his horse and crouched beside the injured Assassin.
"Avez-vous vraiment pensé que cela fonctionnerait, chien?" (Did you really think that would work, dog?)
August lost consciousness. It all faded to darkness as he felt his hands being bound by rope and he was being dragged away from the battlefield.
/
June 5th, 1796
Berlin, Germany
Arno had been posing as a Templar for several days now and it was starting to weigh on him. He hadn't known a day for several years where he wasn't climbing on the rooftops or eliminated Templar agents. Now he was one of them and he wasn't any closer to figuring out what they wanted.
For several days he and Iolar Cormac combed the streets of Berlin. Meeting with informants and mainly just talking about politics. It was all very boring, but necessary.
"So, Iolar. What is your father's story? You of all people should know how secretive he is." Arno asked as they walked the streets of Berlin one morning.
Iolar sighed. "He's been a Templar for forty years now. Some say he was once an Assassin before they betrayed him."
"What do you think?" Arno asked.
Iolar stopped walking and turned to face Arno. "I don't know what to think. I was raised to be a Templar since birth and I am one. And will be until my death. What about you, how did you come to be a Templar?"
The question seemed foreign and even a little dangerous to answer, but Arno did his best. He improvised his answer on the spot. "My father was also a secretive man. When he was attacked by an Assassin in our home, I retaliated by killing the Assassin. It was after that I showed signs of the Gift."
Iolar's ears perked up. "The Gift? What do you mean?"
Arno cleared his throat. "I can see things. Things the naked eye cannot."
"Ah, the Vision as my father calls it. He has it too, as do I." Iolar said.
"So it is not as rare as I thought."
"So it would seem." Iolar's voice trailed off as they entered Berlin's city square.
There in the square, a crier stood atop a gallow-like stage, addressing a mass of townspeople. "Die französischen Teufel haben in Altenkirchen geschlagen und viele Söhne Deutschlands getötet! Wir sind wirklich im Krieg, die Schwaben und Österreicher fragen jeden, der ein Schwert schwingen oder eine Pistole feuern kann, um die Eindringlinge zu bekämpfen!"
"Mo dhia." (My God.) Iolar said in Irish-Gaelic. "So, it's begun."
"Please, excuse my poor German. What did he say?" Arno said in the broken German that been getting better by the day.
"The French have attacked at Altenkirchen on the Rhine. The German armies have retreated and are looking for volunteers." Iolar translated. "Our work must hasten. If Austria falls, there will be nothing to stop Bonaparte from seizing it."
Arno couldn't wait in suspense any longer. "What are we even looking for?"
Iolar looked at him with a confused expression, his eyebrow raised and his lips pursed. "An object that is said to contain immense power. It was first found in Egypt and made it's way to Rome during the height of their empire. All the while in the hands of the Assassins. 400 years ago, we searched for it here in Central Europe but could not find it. Now, we've returned. And we will take it from the Assassin's grasp."
Arno recalled reading about this in one of the few times he'd ever set foot in the library of the Sanctum. "So we are-?"
"We are the Brothers of the Cross. Reborn in the image they had in the time of the Plague."
/
Iolar and Arno returned to the Brothers of the Cross hideout. They walked down the long narrow corridor once again and into the war room. The other three Templars were there waiting. There was Shay Cormac, obviously. Vadim Alexeev, a member of the Russian Rite and member of Russian nobility. And Alrick Winckelmann a member of the German Rite and eldest son of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, the Templar archaeologist that searched Heinrich von Bunau's library for reference to the First Civilization.
"So," Shay said as Iolar and Arno entered. "It's begun?"
Iolar nodded. "Jourdan and Moreau have attacked the Rhine and Archduke Charles is on the retreat, father."
Shay nodded. "We need to find the Ankh now. Before we're at the French's mercy."
Alexeev nodded. "Moy khozyain neterpeliv, Cormac." (My master has grown impatient, Cormac.)
"Grandmaster Benediktov will have his progress, Vadim. We're mere weeks away from the grand prize. Alrick, what have your contacts found out?"
Winckelmann took a breath. "The Artifact is not here in Berlin, Herr Cormac. Has not been for a century. The Assassins move it every hundred years to a new city. Always on the person of their Mentor."
Shay nodded. "And you, son? What have you and Viktor discovered?"
Iolar stepped up to the table. "The Assassins are still quite active here in the city, father. Just today, one of my men apprehended a messenger trying to leave the city, with this."
Iolar handed his father a sealed letter. Shay opened it and read it. He didn't say a word, only glanced at his Templar brethren and placed the letter in his inside pocket.
"Vadim, send word to your master. He will have progress at a rapid state. We shall not disappoint."
Vadim Alexeev grinned and nodded. "Da, Cormac. Nemdlenno." (Yes, Cormac. Immediately.)
Vadim walked out of the room and down the corridor. Alrick followed close behind. Shay turned to Iolar and Arno. "I'd like to talk to you both, soon."
/
October 29th, 2017
New York City, New York
Ronald Salen stood in the center of the dark room in front of the panoramic screen that stretched out all around him almost like a courtroom. Silhouetted figures filled each section of the wrapping screen, judging him silently. They were the Board of Directors. The absolute heads of the Templar Order. so secretive and selective, not even Abstergo Industries CEO; Dr. Salen, knew their identities.
"Dr. Salen, how is Brother's Project coming?" one of the Directors asked.
Dr. Salen cleared his throat nervously. "The Bleeding Effect is taking hold on most of the Subjects. But a few are being… problematic."
"How so?"
"Well, these four individuals. They're… asking questions. Theorizing amongst themselves. The file history of one of their computers was erased." Dr. Salen replied.
"Is that possible?"
"It should not be, but he did it."
Another one of the Directors spoke up. "Dr. Salen, if you cannot get your Subjects under control, we will have no choice but to abandon the project."
Dr. Salen took a step towards the screen. "Please, give me more time. They are all so close. Just a few more weeks, I guarantee it."
"You've become more trouble than you're worth, Dr. Salen. But, you've been true to your word in the past. This is your final warning."
Dr. Salen nodded. "Thank you, all of you."
The panoramic screens blinked off, leaving Ronald Salen alone with nothing but his thoughts and a dark room. The Bleeding Effect had to take hold of the final subjects. If it didn't, there'd be no telling what they'd do to him.
/
October 30th, 2017
New York City, New York
Kristoff sat in the exact same couch he had sat in several days ago when he talked to Lexie last. He sent her an email about an hour ago asking to meet back at the Intelligentsia coffee shop. Just like before, she nonchalantly walked up and sat down right across from him.
"Well?" she asked. "You have an answer for me?"
Kristoff smiled and grabbed a thumb drive from the pocket of his jacket. "Information from my time in the Animus. Abstergo's got the fake stuff, muddled and censored. This is the real thing."
Lexie grabbed the thumb drive and put it in her purse, she smiled. "This is good. But I still need an answer."
Kristoff nodded. "I'm in. What do you need?"
She smiled again. "Excellent."