"Are we nearly there?" Ruby asked watching the breaking waves on the side of the ship as Cardin looked at his compass while steering at the wheel, Blake standing off to the side watching over the young princess smiling as she saw Ruby look around with a child like wonder that made the Faunus think about how she still had it after knowing about their world.
"Still think she can't hold on to her innocence?" Cardin asked turn to the starboard
"I'm just trying to figure out how she can still hold on to it" Blake said seeing Ruby leaning to play with the leaping dolphin with a couple crew mates pointing them out
"Maybe it's what we need" Cardin said sternly "The hope and innocence of youth untempered by bloodshed and war"
"I agree, but you know that soon that optimism will fade when summer's rises" Blake said sadly
"It may, but it also may not" Cardin said "Now how about a song?"
"A song?" Blake asked
"Now you're ready to head for the Horn" Cardin sang
"Way ay roll and go" The crew responded
"Our boots and our clothes all in the pawn" Blake sang knowing the song
"Time rollicking Randy Danny O" the crew sang
"Heave a pawl heave away Cardin lead again
"Way ay roll n go"
"The anchors on board and the cable's all stored" Ruby sweet voice wafted in the air
"Time rollicking Randy Danny O" Blake responded. However the shanty was interrupted by a wave of water
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Ruby asked gripping the sides
"Cap'n cannon fire to the south east" the bosun said making Cardin and Blake look behind them "It's a Faction Frigate sir"
"I'm betting they don't want us reaching the island before them" Blake said drawing her katana and tomahawk
"Load the guns, swap out the central one to use grapeshot, ignite the fire barrels, set half sails" Cardin ordered "Ruby! brace yourself in my cabin and don't come out until Blake tells you too"
"Yes sir" Ruby said rushing into the captain's cabin and shutting it close
"Blake use the swivel gun to do extra damage" Cardin ordered
"Don't order me around" Blake said.
"Alright; FIRE!" Cardin ordered starting the fight.
The battle had started with a barrage of cannon fire using normal cannonballs for majority of the cannons, and the central cannons using grapeshot to increase the amount of damage. Once the cannons were empty Cardin quickly used the mortars to make some aerial damage to the top deck making the crew scramble. The main cannons were reloaded they were quickly unloaded with heated cannonballs to add fire damage. Cardin gave one final order to fire due to the Frigate nearly sinking. Blake taking a couple of the enemy crew using her swivel gun. Once he made sure the ship was damaged enough, Cardin raised one of his cutlasses and pointed to the enemy ship, with this action the crew started to throw grappling hooks at the other ship pulling it towards them. Cardin shrugged off his coat and pulled up his hood taking a stance on the railing near where Blake was using the swivel gun with rope in hand waiting for the ship to be in a close distance so he could swing across. Blake was itching to go as well pulling her black hood over her face, the two assassins nodded before jumping across with their weapons out. Once they landed, Cardin pulling off an aerial takedown the two worked in sync killing those that had invaded their course and personal mission. Cardin looked around for the captain and spotted him; however Blake was closer so Cardin signalled to her, which the Black cat assassin got throwing her tomahawk into a nearby sailor; running past she ripped the tomahawk free and ran at the captain, shoving her katana into his sternum before ring cutting his neck with her tomahawk making him dead. After that the faction sailor surrendered and their cargo of spices, wood, sailcloth and rum were taken.
This haul was a good one since there last act of piracy; while Cardin was looking around grabbing a cask of rum for his spoils he spotted a hole in hsi cabin wall
"Ruby" he murmured before rushing over to his ship and shoved the cask into an unaware sailor's arm he ran over to hsi cabin and wrenched the doors opened
"RUBY! Ruby are you in here" Cardin shouted looking around the cabin
"Huh, is it over yet?" Ruby asked sleepily as she got out from underneath Cardin's desk "I was having a nice nap" this statement shocked Cardin, this young princess still young and full of hope, had literally fallen asleep during a battle at sea! Good lord how was going to act when a real battle popped up. Shaking his head was all Cardin could do while leaving his cabin and passing Blake who smiled and hugged Ruby
"How could you fall asleep here Ruby while we were fighting; heck a cannonball destroyed the cabin's wall" Blake laugh pointing the massive hole in the wall.
"Must have missed that, but it was quiet under the desk" Ruby said, Blake shook her head and was about to say something else when
"LAND HO!" the crow's nest shouted out
"We're here: the island resting place of the Assassin Brotherhood." Blake said "Welcome Ruby to Remembrance Island, one that was taken off all the worlds maps and sailing charts, here we lay our dead to rest" Blake said pulling her hood up.
"Whoa" Ruby said pulling her hood up and followed Blake to a small rowboat
"These men will take us to the island before returning to the ship" Cardin said as he lowered the boat "Now Ruby we don't know what kind of things could be on this island, so stay close alright?"
"Yeah I will" Ruby said "But can you guys stop treating me like a child" she pouted.
Once on the island the three assassins looked around for something they could enter. Walking a bit a ways Ruby spotted a path that looked like it lead to a temple
"Guys over here" she shouted out walking down the path as her mentors raced over to her side.
"Impressive that must be the mausoleum" Cardin said
"Or the entrance to it, rumours are that the entire tomb is underground" Blake said
"What better way to prevent anyone from stealing anything" Cardin said
"Flood it and make it so no one can ever enter again" Blake said
"Yeah, so come on carefully" Cardin said as they reached the steps and read an inscription above the door
"To say nothing is true is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile and that we must be the Shepherds of our own civilization. To say everything is permitted is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences whether glorious or tragic" Ruby read out
"One of our major guidelines" Blake said was she lead on into the lower depths.
Once inside everything looked normal. the hallways were carved sandstone with a smooth and cool touch. Every foot was a torch that lit up when they came close to them. However once they reached the end of the hallway they came to a large domed area with a hole in the floor. Three chains flowed down from the roof
"We'll climb down and make sure it's safe for you to come down Ruby" Blake said
'We don't want the princess to injury herself" Cardin said as he saw a small amount of light below them.
"Okay" Ruby said sitting down on the floor by the hole while Cardin and Blake jumped on the chains and slowly descended to the glowing water below.
"We'll tell you if you can come down" Blake said climbing down the chains.
"Are you there yet?" Ruby asked
"Not yet" Cardin said
"We're about half way down" Blake shouted making Ruby groaned and lay back, in doing so she spotted a rectangle in the wall; getting up she observed it was a door with a staircase going down, with a shrug she traversed the staircase with alcoves with oil in the lighting themselves as she walked past, she hummed a lullaby to herself as she walked down to the glowering lake. Once she reached the bottom where a series of poles to swing off of. Ruby looked around to see a massive lake glowing in a beautiful bluish green light in teh middle of the massive cavern were the three chains jingling ever now and then. Nodding Ruby skipped over the poles and logs to reach the middle of the lake where she saw Cardin and Blake slowly moving
"Can you guys hurry up?" she asked
"We'll tell you if it's safe when we get down there" Blake shouted
"You can jump you know the lake's deep enough" Ruby said
"How do you know?" Cardin asked
"I'm down here" Ruby said as silence was cast as two splashes sounded
"How did you get down here?" Blake asked brushing her hair back.
"There was a staircase" Ruby said indicating the door.
"Okay" Cardin said as he spotted the insignia of the Assassin's Brotherhood "There."
Walking into the chamber Blake and Cardin felt some strange so they bowed and said together
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted" they rose and looked around at the different sarcophaguses holding the bodies of old assassins. Ruby's eyes were drawn to the newest looking one. Upon its stone behind it was the epitaph: 'Summer Rose Thus I kindly scatter'
"Mother" Ruby cried breaking down with tears as Blake comforted her.
"There, there it's okay you can grieve for her" Blake soothed looking back to Cardin her had gather several legendary weapons; pausing when he had two in his hand, walking over to Ruby he equipped them to her
"The scythe and Crossbow of the Assassin's Arbiter used by him in the Grim Age" Cardin said
"The Assassin's Arbiter, I never heard of him" Blake said
"Yes he was named Arbiter Rose, the grandfather to the queen." Cardin said, Ruby stood up looking at her mother's grave next to her great grandfathers; She bowed and say something that affirmed what Blake and Cardin were doing was right
"Nothing is True, everything is permitted" after saying this she rose and placed a kiss on her mother's grave. "I love you"
"Come Ruby we better get these back to the Bureau" Cardin said dragging the weapons away
"Good idea, mother Great-Grandfather watch over us" Ruby said leaving before she noticed something "The armour of the Royal Rose?" she asked reading the piece of paper she found; which was a parchment detailing a beautifully made armour. It gave its location as under the palace.
"This wasn't here so it must be under the palace still; so now I have something to wear to the celebration" she said running after the two older assassins.
