Chapter 7: Cat mouse
Seraphima's Pov:
After running to the Bazar, Ezio and I happened to find Erkin and Yusuf chatting in front of a tailor. He was tying some burnt orange ties into her hair in pigtails. She was wearing new white bandages where the old dirty ones were once before. Her 'battle skirt' as she called it had been completely replaced by burnt orange baggy pants. Of course she was still barefoot.
After waiting for their little friendly jester to end, we walked up to them smugly.
"Erkin! We're back with the best of news?" I said, happy to finally be faster than the ginger. We always competed during missions like this. Information gathering. Whoever got the most the fastest was better. So far I've never beat her. But I did now!
"Oh really?" She mused with squinty eyes. "Pray tell my snowflake friend." She sounded amused, I narrowed my eyes.
"We found out where Gallen is located." Erkin stifled a laugh.
"Nasil sirin (How charming). We found him about four hours ago." She said, taking a sip of a liquid I presumed to be juice. Wait WHAT?! She already? How?!
"How?!" She shook her head and pointed to an ally. If I looked hard enough I could just make out five or six armored soldiers impaled to the wall of the ally. I shivered. So she used 'that' method. And Yusuf didn't stop her. Wonderful. "You would do that to win." I mumbled. She just laughed again.
We walked through the Bazar, planning different ways to get to the tower unseen. According to Yusuf, who has lived here all his life as an assassin, the rooftops get extremely guarded at nightfall. So that would be a last resort. Erkin and I would love to avoid rifles. The pathways to the towers base were crawling with commoners and soldiers alike. That was our best bet. If Gallen was in that area at least. If not this was going to be a long game for Erkin's cat mouse chase.
"Ezio I know I'm speaking but you don't need to stare at me." The said ginger cooed, making Ezio shake his head.
"Forgive me, Madonna. I'm just curious." He told her. I got interested.
"Curious about what Ezio?" I asked.
"She looks familiar with that orange color. And her eyes. And demeanor." Erkin wasn't really paying attention, she was concentrating on a man's pocket. All three of us watched her walk strait past the man, then turn a corner and vanish.
"We should probably go catch up to the idiot." I mumbled, dashing for her. Before we were out of earshot, we heard the man scream.
"My money! It's gone! Who the hell took my money!?"
Erkin's Pov:
I stood in the street across from the tower area, watching the guards move to and from their spots while I waited for the other three to catch up. The thing I stole was a little gold and emerald ring. Small, but worth plenty. Also it's pretty and shiny, so it's mine now. I like it.
I glanced around. Ever since entering this city I've felt watched by someone. At first I thought it was just Yusuf, but it wasn't him. Even though he had been following us as well. But this feels more personal. Like someone is just watching me personally.
"Erkin!" Seraphima called, shaking me from my disturbed mind.
"Hey guys about time." I mused. I laughed at the out of breath assassin's. So much for huge endurance.
"Did you find a way in?" Ezio asked me. I nodded.
"We can get clear this way." I pointed to a guarded opening.
"Oh no we won't." Seraphima coughed out. The dusty dirt in this area could make anything choke.
"Yes we can." I argued. 'Where's Alessio?" I asked Yusuf.
"Said something about meeting a friend. I haven't seen him since this morning."
"Ah. Well anyway. Look up. See that guard?" They nodded. "I'll kill him, throw him over there, the guards will investigate and while their gone you all run in there and hide among the crowds. Then we just wait." The three of them gaped at me and Yusuf ended up clapping.
"Let's go." Seraphima barked, and I dashed off to an unguarded ledge.
I climbed up the wall with little to no effort, then quietly snuck around to the back of the clueless guard. I took out my hatchet and swung it around to hit him in the mouth with a sickening crunch. I then reared around and slammed it into his upper chest killing the man. I grabbed his body, and tossed it over to the left, close enough for the guards to see, but far enough to make my plan work.
"Look over there!"
"A body!"
"It's a solider!"
The guards ran to him as I jumped into a hay pile laying on the ground by the tower on the other side. I watched silently as Yusuf, Ezio, and Seraphima dashed in and split up, each entering a different group of people.
The cats are set. Where is our mouse?
Hours of waiting came in handy as our rat finally showed us its ugly mug. Hours of waiting had also made me hungry. I was chewing on some jerky I had in my pocket at the time. Ezio was leaning against a wall chewing an apple. Seraphima was drinking a juice of some sort, and Yusuf was drinking a beer when he came into view. Needless to say, patience was something apparently none of us were good at.
The man walked into the center of the little cobblestone clearing with two guards. Heavily armored guards with heavy axes. He stopped, and turned to speak with them. I smirked. Time to catch our prize.
I stepped out of the haystack unseen, and shifted to a small group of people who happily ignored me. I nodded to Seraphima, and whistled for the other two to stand back. Seraphima took hold of her axe, and ran behind an armored guard, swinging her axe and beheading him instantly, then blocked the second guards attack.
"You bitch!" My rat yelled, unsheathing his blade.
"Templar Captain Galen Y'trouf!" I called from behind him. He turned slowly towards my smirking face.
"Bounty Hunter Erkin The Thief." He growled, and charged me. Before he got to me, or before I could attack like I wanted, someone dropped from the building above me, and took my kill. A dog had taken my kill.
