You Can Run...But You Cant Hide...
They moved swiftly across the rooftops, their steps being drowned out by the sudden thunderstorm that had fallen on the land as darkness swept over the land.
The only movement that could be seen where the two white figures totally drenched running as if the devil himself was after them behind a pack of soldiers, their armor clanging loudly as they all ran for their lives, their legs aching in protest, both sides out of breath, but neither of them going down without a fight.
"We cannot hope to keep this up any longer," one of the guards panted as he followed swiftly behind his captain, the rain hitting him head on blurring his vision from time to time as he looked back to see the assassins closing in, a chill running up his spine, he didn't want to get caught, everyone knew that they would be killed slowly and painfully if they stopped running.
"He has a point, we have to do something," another added as the captain refused to slow down or show any signs of stopping, on the contrary he increased the pace as their boots splashed through countless puddles of water, their once white robes now covered with dark mud.
"Break up, they will have to follow separately, there is where we will kill them," the captain shouted back at his men, they were all out of breath and panting loudly behind him as he turned to look at his right hand man and nodded while he took half of the group and skidded around a corner heading in a different direction.
A few losing their footing as they slid into the wall and ramming face first into it, but regaining it just as quick once they noticed the assassins jumping down from the roofs to follow more closely and lessen the numbers of soldiers.
"You take the group headed towards the gates, I'll handle the captain," Altair growled to Ezio as he did a leap of faith and landed in the center of the stack of hay at the bottom, while it wasn't as much comfort as to when it was dry, it still had use as he quickly gathered himself and ran after the group that was heading towards the chapel.
He couldn't quite place the seething rage he had as soon as his eyes landed on the back of the captain, it was something that started in his chest and spread throughout his body like a burning fire wishing to consume anything in its path. He shook the thought away, he knew why he wanted their blood, he was an assassin, trained to murder without second thoughts, to have no feelings whatsoever. But somewhere, deep, deep in his mind he knew that laying hands on a woman in the manor that they had done was wrong.
But as much as he tried to deny it, it hadn't been just any woman to him, he had saved plenty over the years while scouting for his targets, Ezio had done the same, they would just get them out of the hands of the guards and leave without glancing back, but somehow, the one back at the bureau held something of his in her hand, something fragile, something that could destroy a person's soul if not handled with care…something so delicate that all it needed were simple words to shatter into a million pieces.
Although he doubted she had noticed, he was good at hiding emotions; years of training had made him cold, uncaring, and distant from everyone. Although something inside him just had him seeing red if she was so much as touched by another man. He wanted revenge, and what the master assassin wanted, he got.
He doubted she cared for him like he did with her, only time would tell, and even then…he didn't know how much time he had left to be in her company…what if she were to suddenly go back to that world of hers…the future, at least that's what they had called it.
No doubt it would surely devastate not only him but Ezio as well, Malik would surely miss them annoying him as well…it had only been three days, and they had already made their way into their lives. Although sooner or later if time permitted they would have to be introduced into the creed, maybe not as assassins, as he would be sure the men would object to the idea of having women assassins, but perhaps as something else.
He picked up his pace, his once quiet and calculated steps turning into rapid and desperate echoes as he ran after the group, reaching down to his waist where he held his throwing knives and pulled three out, the exact number of guards running behind the captain.
He drew back his hand and let one of the precious knives fly through the air cutting through the rain as it landed where he had aimed, directly behind the neck of one of the guards as he stumbled and reached for the knife as he stopped running and choked, his companions glancing to see why he had stopped and running even harder once they saw the crimson liquid coating the soldiers armor, mixing with the rain as it ran down his chest as he clenched his throat fighting to breathe and stay alive.
He went down on his knees as he choked once more, the life draining out of him as he saw the men he had worked with for so long abandon him and run for their own lives, the last thing he saw before death took him into its cold embrace was the mere blur of the assassin running past him, the white figure resembling an eagle as it flew after its prey, swift and calculating, confident it would win.
The soldier fell onto his face in the cold mud as rain continued to pour down, his eyes closing shut as he let out his last breath, blood still pouring down from his neck as Altair continued to run after the captain, one guard down, two more to go.
He skidded around a corner to catch sight of the guards fleeing down an alleyway he knew well, he ran up the side of the building and pulled himself up quicker than he had ever though himself capable of as he ran to the end of the roof and jumped, feeling the cold air around him as a shadow fell over the guard running at the back of the pack, an eagle's shadow to be exact as the assassin landed heavily on top of him.
His hidden blade imbedding itself deep into the guards neck as Altair sneered at the horrified face the other guard made when he looked back, the sickening cracking of bones causing the captain to look back as well as he saw Altair driving his blade even deeper and twisting it in an inhuman way causing even more pain to erupt in the guard he had beneath him as he too went limp in the assassins presence, a rough tug on his blade causing it to come out brutally and blood to spray out and land on his white robes and face.
"He's going to kill us all," the guard mumbled shaking in fear as he tried to run away only to have the assassin react faster and send a blade flying after him, striking him directly in the back as Altair walked over calmly seeing how the captain was paralyzed as he watched the assassin finish what he had started.
"Shh, it will be over soon," Altair whispered as he took the handle of the blade and ran it up the spine of the guard who convulsed violently while letting out a bloodcurdling yell of agony which sent chills up the captain's spine and caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand as he fought the feeling of throwing up once he head the bones of the spine and ribs being broken by the assassin who had his foot on the dead soldier's back as he continued to apply pressure.
The rib cage giving away also as its bones snapped one by one, the captain was relieved that the soldier had died soon, if he were still alive, it would have been god awful to watch, even now as his body got mutilated by the assassin the captain couldn't help but wonder…why?
"What did I do to you?" he yelled in the assassin's face as Altair resisted the urge to laugh at such a stupid question, but nonetheless his body started to shake as a low nerve wrecking laughter erupted from his lips, causing his body to tremble in amusement. How dare he ask why? How dare he not know what he had done…who he had messed with?
"You and your dogs seize to amuse me, how dare you be so arrogant? How dare you ask me such a question!" Altair snapped, before he collected himself, he owed nothing to the rat he had before him, so why bother in giving him an actual explanation, why engage in conversation and prolong his death?
"If this is about the girl, I swear I did not do any-" he started before his own words caught in his throat once the assassin rose from the body of the soldier and looked at him directly, he then started to walk towards him in a slow mocking pace, as if testing if he would bolt or not.
He let out a grateful sigh once the assassin brushed right past him and started to leave, much to his shock and utter relief before he heard him halt behind him.
"You will learn not to mess with what is mine," the assassin added just before he delivered a hard blow to the back of the captain's head as he collapsed to the floor unconscious, while Altair looked up at the dark grey sky as a bolt of lightning danced across the sky.
He then looked down at the captain and used his boot to move his face to the side, "I have barely begun with you," he whispered to him as he bent down and swung the body over his shoulder while heading towards the gates to see if Ezio had any luck with his target.
Ezio on the other hand had massacred everyone as well in his mad chase, his robes much like Altair's were now drenched in blood as he bent over to get the captain's right hand man, as he too swung him over his shoulder and glanced back to see Altair coming through an ally with none other than the captain himself as he approached Ezio in a slow pace checking to see it there were any guards around.
"What happened?" Altair demanded as soon as he saw blood running down Ezio's shoulder drenching his robes even more.
"One of them caught me off guard, I killed the bastardo," Ezio added looking down in shame under the gaze of the older assassin who somehow always managed to look down on him, Ezio glanced back up to see if the Arab had any wounds of his own.
"What about you?" the Italian asked pointing to a blood splatter on Altair's leg. The older assassin let out a chuckle as he patted Ezio's shoulder making the younger assassin wince in pain.
"That is not mine," Altair replied as he started walking away as Ezio scowled, how could he get away without a single scratch on him was beyond his comprehension as he followed after him quickly in order to catch up as they passed the city gate's and headed towards the outer parts of town with the two soldiers still unconscious on their shoulders.
"We are here," Ezio added as he stood outside an abandoned house on a good distance from the city and out of the range of hearing.
"Very well," Altair added as he too made his way inside grateful to be out of the rain for once as he glanced around and allowed the captain to slip out of his grip to crash down on the dirt floor in a painful manner as his body woke up as pain shot through him.
His eyes widened once he saw the two assassin looming over him as Altair placed his boot on his chest pinning him in place, "Where do you think you're going?" he asked in a low voice laced with steel as the captain froze in place as Ezio moved away and sat the still unconscious guard on a chair while tying his hands with some sharp looking thorns which dug into his wrists causing a trickle of blood to escape as he woke up also, his eyes widening in fear once he looked around the dark house.
"I am sure you both know why you are here," Ezio added as he took a sledgehammer from the corner of the small room and handed it over to Altair who took it and motioned for Ezio to tie the captain to a chair as well.
Once they were both tied down the two assassins stood before them in a mocking manner, their roles had been reversed, they had gone from hunter to prey in the short period of a day, all because of two girls.
"Wait! We'll give you anything! Just please don't do this!" The captain exclaimed as the soldier beside him started to shake uncontrollably, they were going to die, and he knew it.
"The only thing we want is your life, and you already gave it to us," Ezio commented evilly as he looked at Altair as he twirled the sledgehammer in his hands in anticipation.
"This should teach you never to mess with women," the Arab added as he nodded to Ezio who held the captains legs out as he tried to kick the assassin off while squirming in the seat trying to get away, yelling the whole time for them to have mercy.
Altair taking one more moment to look at their terrified faces before he swung the hammer back and brought it down on one of his knees as the bones shattered and broke the moment it made contact with him. The soldier beside him jumping in horror as he saw what was being done as his screams of pure agony flooded all of their ears as tears streamed down his face as Altair moved towards his other leg.
"NO! NO! YOU BASTARD!" the captain yelled wishing he would just die as the assassin brought down the hammer once more as he choked in pain once more and allowed himself to just let go, it was too much to take, no one should go through what was being done to him…no one.
"Ezio take care of yourself before you bleed to death," Altair ordered as the Italian made no objections and sat down on the table that was on the opposite side from where the other assassin was torturing the two guards.
The captain still yelling out curses in both Arabian and other languages as the soldier next to him closed his eyes trying to forget what he had just seen as Altair frowned at him, this all had a purpose, and he couldn't shut his eyes, he had to witness everything that went on.
"Open your eyes or I will cut you eyelids off," he warned in a low voice as the soldier's eyes instantly flew open in fear as he shook violently once the assassin approached his with the sledgehammer.
"Good," the assassin added as he threw the hammer aside and moved on to his blade.
"Just kill me already!" the captain sobbed in agony as a wicked smile spread across Altair's expression, that's what he wanted to hear.
"Were far from done," Altair added as Ezio looked up at his partner, his shoulders were hunched over, his head was tilted amused to the side, and his stance was intimidating, if he was in the guard's position, he would have committed suicide well before Altair got a hold of him.
"I must say gentlemen, you landed in the hands of Jerusalem's best torturer," Altair added as he took out various objects from his pouch on the side of his waist and laid them out on the table away from the view of the guards.
Ezio tensed as soon as he got a sight of the various objects before him as he glanced up at Altair who still had a straight face while the Italian shuddered in slight fear, he would defiantly preferred death rather than being tortured by Altair. He withdrew his gaze as he continued on patching up his shoulder while lightning flashed outside followed by booming thunder making the land rumble beneath them.
"Let's get started," the older assassin added as her turned from the table with a simple knife in hand as he walked over slowly to the captain, those green eyes of his bothered the assassin, and they would be the first thing to go…
Alright, we have a torture session up next! :) Review! Dont just add teh damn thing to alert! Dont do it! Does anyone else know what it feels like to just see 'Story Alert' and not 'Review Alert'? And for those of you who have reviewed, you have my respect :D Till next time mein freunde.