Chapter 7
Inspiration
The air was cold… I felt the wind against the upper half of my face as I sped down the road, not wanting to lose Minkina. I wanted to make sure I kept one hand ready to draw my pistol, once I got close enough so I could take the bitch out, if not her driver and cause a crash so I could take her out personally… Though, I wish I had taken the escort into account, because the moment they saw me get close, one of the cyclists pulled back and started to chase after me.
"Verdammte Hölle (Damn hell)," I thought.
I made a hard-right turn as I heard a TT-33 start going off.
"Fuck, fuck!" I thought.
I tried to move up, but the right front escort turned and went for his gun as well. I started to think fast and without giving it a second thought, I whipped out my offhand Colt and started squeezing out bullets.
Three shots, was all it took to take the bastard out, I watched as he fell and tumbled across the road, while his bike veered off and crashed somewhere on the sidewalk. I let out a gasp as I heard a bullet whizz past my ear, causing me to swerve a bit. I growled and holstered my sidearm.
"You stupid, six-shooting, bastard!" I thought angrily.
I drew my Karabela and slammed down on the brakes, causing me to start coming to a screeching halt; I heard the Templar suddenly get close and I swung. He ducked, but I smirked and swung downward, slashing his back tire before speeding off again. The last thing I heard in the distance was the Templar scream and crash.
"Nailed it," I thought with a smirk.
I sheathed my weapon and sped off. I saw the last escort, and it looked like he was about to go for his gun as well. I looked over at him and then I looked at the back of the car. I suddenly got a bad idea in my head… An awful idea… I felt my right hand go for a grenade and pulled the pin. I waited a few seconds… Then I threw it in front of the car and the last escort; the grenade went off as soon as it hit the street just as the car appeared to drive right over it. The car flipped over and landed, the sound of crunching metal and glass shattering was heard, followed by the sound of the last escort slamming down on his breaks as he saw what had just happened. I came to a stop as well and hopped off my bike. The escort hopped off his and stepped right in front of me.
"If you want Madam Antonova, you'll have to go through me," he said as he drew his knife.
I gave him a look.
"Nie mam czasu na zabawę z tobą, proszę pana (I don't have time to play with you, sir)," I said.
I whipped out my Colt and shot him right in the chest faster than he could scratch his worthless balls. The Templar stiffed before crumpling to the floor.
"Fucker," I said as I walked over to the car.
I cocked my Colt and slowly bent down to see if Minkina was still inside. When I got to the back of the car though, I was shocked to see that it was empty. I only saw the driver in his seat, and he was died… Most likely caught a lot of shrapnel.
"Where the fu-"
Suddenly, I jumped out of the way and rolled across the ground as I heard Minkina yelling and swinging something at me, repeatedly. I jumped to my feet and threw my Colt down as I drew my Karabela and started blocking and parrying her strikes, until she threw a twist kick and got me right in the face and caused me to stumble.
"Ouch!" I snapped, "that was to my fucking nose, you bitch!"
"You… You've ruined everything! You and your damned assassins! I heard a lot about you… My brothers in Germany demanded you be taken alive… But I'll feel much better delivering you to them in a body bag," she hissed.
I smiled.
"There she is… The scheming harpy I came to kill," I said.
Minkina let out a battle cry as we met in the middle and started swinging at one another, our swords rang in the cold night as we struck hard and fast, causing sparks to dance and cause the air to catch fire every second. When our swords collided from the side, I followed up my strike with a roundhouse; she ducked and went for a heel kick, I spun around to her right and elbowed her in the jaw before I swung and locked my blade with hers.
"Sooooo… What exactly was your plan? I mean killing Russia's military leadership and leaving this country vulnerable for Germany to take it over in no time flat, that I get but… What was the end goal?" I asked, "I mean… Thie is a pretty big ass country, lady."
Minkina only let out a grunt as she shoved me back and drew her weapon, a Nagan1985 revolver. I pushed the gun to the right as she fired; when she fired again I pushed it to the left before wrapping my arm around hers and striking it with the hilt of my Karabela, causing her to let out a yelp and loosen her grip. A grunt escaped my lips as she drove her knee into my stomach and headbutt me, causing me to stumble.
When I managed to get my senses, I saw her aim her gun at me. I gasped and ducked as she fired, preforming a leg sweep and kicking her in her right leg. Minkina yelped and dropped her gun, I jumped and punched the bitch right in the face without hesitating, even going farther as to kick her in the chest with my right foot and kick her in the chest again with my left foot; then I kicked her in the side of the head and left her temporarily stunned.
I stepped back, panting heavily and wiping my face as I felt blood start dripping from my nose and soaking into my mask.
"Fuck, that hit really hurt," I muttered, wincing as my nose stung.
Minkina shook her head and groaned. She got her bearings. I readied myself and she came at me again, buckling down as she started swinging on me again. When she locked blades with me again, I ran my sword across hers and went for a slash to her right leg, but she stepped back in response.
"Mam cię (Got you)," I said.
"What?" she asked.
In a flash, I drew my Dirk and jumped at the bitch with lightning fast speed, driving the cold steel into her stomach and running it through her flesh before pulling it out. Minkina coughed up blood and dropped her sword on the ground before falling to her knees and clutching her grave wound.
"Dammit… You're just as strong as I was told," she groaned, spitting up more blood.
"Sometimes, not every rumor is just a rumor," I said as I sheathed my weapons, "even the most potent, most deadly rumors can turn out to be solid facts."
I knelt and looked Minkina right in the face.
"Your plans are finished Templar," I said, "Russia's going to see this fight to the end, and push Germany's forces back to that cesspit of a country."
"…You think this is over child?" she asked with a bloodied smile, "the Templars always have a back-up plan… Even if Russia does survive this invasion… We'll always think of a different plan to take this country down."
"…You know what's funny about what you said?" I asked as I leaned in close, "you guys talk about bringing order to this world… Yet Russia's under the command of a leader, who seeks to bring order to this land… To keep order in this land. Now… Do you really think killing him will bring a major impact if you put one of your boys in his chair?"
Minkina reached out and grabbed my vest.
"You… Cocky… Polish-German, whore," she murmured.
I watched as she released her grip and collapsed on the ground, dead.
"W swoim pośpiechu, aby zjednoczyć świat ... Uważaj, aby go nie zniszczyć (In your haste to unite the world... Be careful, not to destroy it)," I said as I closed her eyes.
I rose to my feet and walked over to the bike. I revved it up and took off back to the hotel; upon my arrival, I saw Jake, Antoly, and Nova talking with the Russian military leaders. I felt a chill go up my spine as I parked and slowly walked over to them. Whatever they were talking about, they seemed to have gotten finished, because I saw the… Big dogs walking away.
"Ahem," I said.
Jake and the others turned.
"Ari, hey," Jake said with a smile.
"Hey… What was all that?" I asked, pointing to the departing officers, "what were you guys discussing?"
"We let them in on the whole situation, turns out that the Templars were knee deep in the Russian political circle," said Antoly.
I swallowed. That's something I really didn't want to hear.
"What about the Templar… Did you kill The Grandmaster?" asked Nova.
I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, she's taken care of," I said.
"Zamechatel'no (Wonderful)!" piped Antoly, "with The Grandmaster and her circle taken care of, the Templar's hold on this country has loosened. And now with the relations between us and Russia's political and military superpower having improved, we'll be able to assist with repelling Germany and her Axis allies in this invasion."
"That sounds like it's going to be a big task for you to tackle Antoly, if you want I could make a call to my mentor and he can send you a couple of commando squads, maybe a few Assassin teams even to give you some support," said Jake.
"Nah, we can handle this," said Antoly, "I mean-pfft-If our forces don't push the bastards back, you can be damn sure that the blizzards will."
We all laughed.
"Thanks for everything," Antoly said as he shook Jake's hand, "and as promised…"
Antoly reached into his coat and handed Jake something. A folder. I recognized that folder.
"My mentor managed to make copies of the information inside," said Antoly, "he said… 'Make sure Jasper looks over every bit of detail inside'."
"Oh, you know Jasper, he's all about paying attention to detail," Jake chuckled as he tucked the folder in his coat, "now… Shall we mosey on back to the den?"
Needless to say, we managed to score a damn good victory, and as a result we celebrated with style: Which included a lot of drinking, laughing, and playing games. I on the other hand, didn't part take in much drinking, as I wasn't a fan of this… 'Vodka'. I've got to say, I really hope I don't have to come back to Russia, because during our little victory part, I've had like five guys come up to me and ask if I wanted to learn the 'sixty-nine'.
Now I don't know what this 'sixty-nine' was… All I know is that I had to scream out Jake's name to help pull me away like five times throughout the night. In the end, everyone crashed after all the heavy drinking, I myself, had to help a heavily intoxicated Jake into his bed. I guess I should've thought deeper about this because… Well… Let's just say when I woke up, he was spooning me.
Ugh… The questions I got. Nosey little weasels.
After everyone managed to recover from their massive hangovers, Jake, me and the others packed up and boarded our plane before taking off back home to Poland. The trip was long and quiet… Though it was rather awkward for me… I wanted to ask Jake a really painful question so badly… But, I only squirmed and fidgeted in my chair during the whole flight as the temptation grew more and more as I hesitated to ask him what I wanted to ask.
…NIE! PAMIĘTAM, CO CHCĘ ZAPYTAĆ! Wścibska łasica (NO! I'M TELLING YOU WHAT I WANT TO ASK HIM! Nosey weasel) …
Anyway… We arrived back at the compound, and no sooner had we landed, Jake told me to come with him when he went to go deliver his report to the mentor. I thought, to myself 'Oh Jake isn't going to tell the mentor about how I went against his orders, is he? No, he wouldn't do that, he luuuuuuuuuuuuu-ppreciates me for the help I've done. He wouldn't throw me under the bus'.
Boy was I wrong.
"Is it true Ariela? Did you go against your orders and kill the Templar in cold blood?" asked Jasper.
"…Yes," I said in a low voice.
Jasper sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Ariela… You do realize this is a major step backwards," said Jasper.
"With all due respect mentor, I was just doing my job, I was taking initiative," I said firmly, "I thought that you would be happy, I thought Jake of all people would be happy to see that I took the initiative to kill a target without his permission."
"And I told you, that kill cost two tenets of the Creed," said Jake.
"What's the point of taking initiative, without cost, Jake?" I asked, shooting him a glare.
"Some things are worth the cost Ariela, the cost of those tenets doesn't apply," said Jake, for all you know, you could've kill the wrong target!"
"My senses told me he was a Templar!" I snapped.
"Your senses can deceive you!" snapped Jake.
"Oh-ho, don't get me started on deceiving, sir," I growled as I jabbed a finger in his chest.
"No, you don't want to get me started," Jake said as he jabbed his finger to my nose.
"ENOUGH!" barked Jasper.
Jake and I looked back at Jasper in shock. I've never… Ever, heard him yell so loud before.
"…It seems to me Ariela… That while your skills in the field have improved… You seem to not yet… Grasp the philosophies and ideals of the brotherhood," said Jasper, "…You have so much potential, but you're letting these feats you keep stacking to start making you more… Arrogant."
My eyes widened.
"Arrogant!?" I snapped.
"See? There's the arrogance," said Jasper.
I fell silent and blushed, feeling embarrassed.
"Seeing's as what Jake has informed me is in fact true… Then by rights, I should have you demoted… Exiled… Or suffer a much more fitting punishment for breaking two of the three tenets," said Jasper.
I turned pale and swallowed. I'm dead. I'm a dead, dead, dead, dead girl.
"…However," said Jasper, "I feel a much more… Proper lesson is in order."
I started to shiver.
"W-W-What are you going to do?" I asked fearfully.
Jasper got up.
"You have been suspended twice already Ariela… Though I feel like even after this second suspension, you'll wind up being suspended for a third time if you make another costly mistake," said Jasper, "as a result, I feel the best way for you to get a better understanding of how the brotherhood operates, is to let you experience what Jake goes through with you on a daily basis… So, I have decided… To award you… With the rank of Lieutenant."
I saw Jake's eyes go wide.
"…I'm sorry what?" we asked in unison.
"And with this promotion, comes the opportunity, to form your own platoon of commandos and… The opportunity to add an Assassin fireteam to serve under your command," said Jake.
"What?" we asked in unison, "you can't be serious mentor… Please tell me this is a joke."
"Quite the opposite," said Jasper.
"Now hold the phone, no disrespect mentor, but why the hell does she get a reward for disobeying my commands?" asked Jake.
"I'm not rewarding her Jake," said Jasper, "I'm hoping this will teach her to be more responsible… To grasp a further understanding of our ideals."
"If this really is my lesson for going against Jake's orders, then I'll happily take it," I said with a grin.
"Very-"
Jake slammed his hands on, Jasper's desk.
"Then if she's getting her own platoon of commandos and Assassin fireteams, I want to serve as her second," he said.
My eyes went wide.
"Hell no! Drag me to hell and torment me for all eternity, you are not going to be my second!" I snapped.
Jake and I slowly turned, hearing the mentor chuckle.
"You surprise me Jake, if I recall, you were offered a company of commandos and Assassin squads to serve under your command on more than one occasion, and instead you only agreed to take on just squads of Assassins," he said as he sat back in his seat, "why the sudden change?"
"Mentor, if you give Ariela her own platoon and squads, she's going to turn them into a bunch of reckless killers, she'll put the brotherhood at risk," said Jake.
"No, I wouldn't!" I snapped, sounding very offended.
"Oh-ho, yes you so would, little miss 'Initiative'," Jake said, jabbing his finger in my chest.
"Would not," I said firmly.
"Would to," Jake retorted.
"Would not," I said.
"Would to," said Jake.
"Would not," I said firmly.
"Oh, look at me, I'm Ariela! Let me teach you guys all the wrong ways of being an Assassin," mocked Jake.
Okay… Now even I had to admit the voice sounded a little funny… But I wasn't going to take that lying down.
"Okay, you want to settle this Jake?" I asked as I marched up to him.
"Want to take it outside?" he retorted, crossing his arms.
"Sure, let's take it outside!" I snapped.
"Fine!" snapped Jake.
"Fine!" I snapped back.
Jake and I looked back over at Jasper, who had his right hand to his face as he was… Laughing… Laughing at us.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Forgive me, but… While I don't condone low ranked members to… Back talk their superiors, this is rather amusing to watch," he snorted.
Jake and I blushed. My god… What are we? Five?
"Now… You are certain… You wish to be Miss Liora's second Jake?" asked Jasper.
"Yes mentor," said Jake.
"And you're not doing this… Out of concern… Or for a much deeper reason?" Jasper asked as he leaned forward.
"…Not at all mentor," said Jake, "I feel like she could use me as her second for… In case she can't make any solid calls."
"Then it's settled," said Jasper, "Ariela, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. You'll be provided with your own platoon of commandos and be permitted to add an Assassin fireteam. As for you Jake, since you wish to serve as her second, you'll be given a company of commandos and be permitted to add-"
Jasper snorted and chuckled.
"I'm sorry, you already are permitted to take on Assassin squads," he said.
Jake let out a huff.
"Does that settle things?" asked Jasper.
"Yes mentor," we said.
"Good, then you are free to go," he said, "…unless you have something… You wish to add… Miss Liora?"
"Huh?" I asked.
"That face you have… You have the face of someone who has something they'd like to share," Jasper said as he looked at me curiously.
I paused, then I reached into my coat and pulled out Damien's file, handing it to Jasper.
"Damien Chapelle… Do you know him?" I asked.
"Where did you get this?" Jasper asked as he started looking through the information.
"I… Got it from the Templar Grandmaster in Russia before I killed her," I said, trying not to sound so nervous.
"Got it? How?" asked Jasper.
"I guess I'm just that… Persuasive," I said with a shrug.
Jasper raised an eyebrow.
"Mm… I've heard of this one… He's a particularly troubled Assassin," he said, "what I didn't hear is that he became a Hunter."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Are you alright mentor? You sound almost worried," I said, "I mean… I've faced Assassin Hunters before."
"Emil Burk and Hrodulf Hagan were registered Assassin Hunters yes, but they were nothing more than bloodhounds," said Jasper, "Damien, is a true Assassin Hunter. One of our own, using everything he learned during his career in the brotherhood to hunt us down and kill us… Just like another who came before."
"Another?" I asked, "who?"
Jake put a hand on my shoulder.
"We don't speak his name," he said, "it's a bad omen."
"Ariela… Damien has become a very dangerous enemy, and while I thank you for bringing me this information, he is not to be taken lightly," said Jasper, "if you happen to see him while you're out in the field, do not engage him."
"Why not?" I asked with a shrug, "I'm a Templar Hunter, I've killed enough of those chumps to show that no one can get a leg up on me, I can handle Damien."
Jake smacked me in the back of the head.
"Ouch!" I yelped, "what the hell man!?"
"You doofus, weren't you listening? Damien knows how we work… Nothing you bring to the table will surprise him if you engage him," Jake scolded me, sounding concerned.
"Jake is right Ariela, taking on Templars of high and low status is one thing… Killing one of your own is another," said Jasper.
"But-"
"I mean it, young lady… That is an order, not a recommendation," he said, "is that understood?"
I let out a sigh.
"…Yes mentor," I said.
"Very well, I'll bring this information to the council," said Jasper, "wait for further orders, dismissed."
Jake and I bowed and left.
"Well… I owe myself a shower," said Jake, "and you… You're lucky that he didn't exile your ass. That was still a really stupid move Ariela."
"…Would you have defended me if he did exile me?" I asked.
Jake opened his mouth to speak, but all he could do was let out a huff and walk away.
"Exactly," I thought.
I made my way down the hall way, making my way to my bedroom so I could shower and relax for the rest of the evening; I was still soaking in what Jasper told me. He can call it a punishment all he wants… I say this is a privilege.
"I can handle this kind of responsibility, Jake doesn't know what he's talking about," I thought.
"Ha!"
I stopped dead in my tracks, catching someone shouting... Or laughing?
"Ha...! Hiyah...! Ha...!"
I followed the sound of the noise. The longer I followed though, the more I could recognize who was shouting... And... Hitting something? It was coming from the training room!
"No... It couldn't be," I thought as I drew closer and closer to the source of the noise's location.
I rounded the corner and came to a stop as I approached the door, which was ajar. I peeked inside of the training room and my eyes widened. To my shock, I saw who was making the noises and striking one of the dummies with a training sword.
"Eli?" I thought.
I slowly entered the training room and quietly made my way over to him. I double-checked to make sure that I had my blades strapped to my wrists. They were. Good thing too, I didn't want to move in on him unarmed. I saw my cousin making broad sweeps and stabs at the air as he swung the training sword in his hand, even followed a few of his strikes up with unarmed hits.
"Ha! Ha! Hiyah! Yah!" he exclaimed.
When he turned and swung, I brought my right arm up and blocked the hit. My cousin let out a surprised yelp and jumped back, falling over in the process.
"A-A-Ariela," he stammered.
"...You have some skill with a blade," I said with a smile.
I extended a hand and helped Eli to his feet.
"I uh... I took fencing classes for a couple of summer's," he said as he dusted himself off and started to scratch the back of his head nervously.
"...Well, can I tell you something?" I asked.
"Huh? Uh, sure," said Eli.
"...That's a training sword," I said, "not a training rapier."
"Huh?" he asked.
I walked over and kicked the tool into my hand, brandishing it before doing a few quick slashes and flourishes.
"This is a lot heavier than a training rapier," I said, "it's more suited for Assassins like myself... Though... I do wield two weapons and everything but... I digress."
I took the training tool in my hand and gave it back to Eli.
"What are you doing here anyway? If you don't mind me asking," I said.
"...Uh... Well uh..." Eli started to say, "...Actually... Ariela... There's something I've been meaning to tell you."
"Oh god, do you have a crush on me?" I asked.
I don't know what happened next but my god... My cousin turned red so fast.
"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What!? W-W-Why would... W-What made you even thin-What!?" he stammered.
"Whoa, dude, relax, it was just a joke," I said with a giggle, "calm down."
"...I-It was a joke?" he asked.
I nodded.
"What, you don't actually have a crush on me do you?" I asked.
"...No," he said, looking down at the floor.
"Well then, what'd you want to tell me?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip, "I'm all ears."
"Okay," he said, "well... Ariela... You've... You've been such a huge inspiration and everything... And... Well..."
My cousin started to get red again as he took a deep breath and yelled out, "I WANT TO BECOME AN ASSASSIN!"
There was an uncomfortable silence as Eli looked at me, with determination in his eyes.
"…Absolutnie nie (Absolutely not)," I said.
My cousin looked crushed.
"But… But why?" he asked, sounding like he was about to cry.
"Eli… Dearest cousin," I said as I put a hand on his shoulder, "I really feel happy to hear that I've inspired you… But being an Assassin… It's not like being a part of a fencing class or… Being a part of a club after school or even joining the military… Becoming an Assassin requires… Dedication, devotion, conviction… Wanting to join in a cause that's much larger than it appears to be."
"I-"
"And… It's also extremely dangerous," I said.
"Yeah, well… How come you got to join!?" he exclaimed.
"Look, I'll admit the only reason why I joined was, so I could save your cousin Miriam… But even after all was said in done… I felt something inside of me… Something inside of me telling me to see this through to the end," I said, "Eli, I'm not going to lie to you, being an Assassin can be the greatest thing that can ever happen to anyone… But it can also become a person's greatest nightmare. Every time you go out into the field, there's no telling if I'll ever make it back. Everyone is out to get me, the Axis Forces, the Templars, the Axis Collaborators..."
"…Then why don't you train me?" asked Eli.
My eyes widened in shock.
"Co (What)?" I asked.
"Why don't you train me?" he repeated with a smile, "you could train me to become an Assassin and that way I'll be able to survive out there."
This is the part where I start wishing for Jasper to just give me a severe punishment instead of making me a lieutenant.
"What!? Why!? I… You just… What did I… Eli, you're going to be out there killing people!" I sputtered.
"How many people have you killed since you've joined?" asked Eli.
Damn. Cheap shot.
"Eli…" I started to say.
"Ari please? Please can you let me join?" he asked.
I felt my chest get tight. I might be a big, tough girl… But if there's one thing that's been considered my 'weakness'… It's my cousin and his 'begging'. Don't get me wrong, I love Eli to death, he's been like a little brother to me but… I didn't want to bring him into the brotherhood. I mean… What if he comes with me on an assignment and we get separated? Or he gets captured? Or what if he hesitates with killing someone? Or worse…
"Eli…" I started to say again.
"Ari please, I want to help you. I want to join you. Please," he begged, giving me the 'pretty please' hands.
Even though we're older now… He's as persistent as ever. I won't lie, part of me wanted to say 'Okay, you can join', mainly because I just got the promotion… But I'm pretty sure lieutenants don't have the authority to induct newcomers into the brotherhood.
"…Alright," I said.
"Alright? Alright? What's 'alright'?" he asked.
"…Alright… Let's go talk with my mentor first," I said.
Eli beamed and jumped into my arms, giving me a big hug.
"Thank you, Ariela! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he piped happily as he laughed.
"E-E-Eli… You're c-crushing me," I groaned.
"Oop, sorry," he said as he let go of me.
I let out a gasp and rotated my right arm, making sure it was still functional.
"Jesus, how did you get so strong?" I asked.
"Oh, I often come here to get some exercise," said Eli.
I gave Eli a flat-faced look.
"…Of course, you do," I said.
"I didn't know your friends were so nice," Eli said with a smile, "especially that uh… That Alicia girl."
"…Yeah," I said, "they're reeeeeeeeeeal chummy."
