Assassin in the Void

By psychored1911

Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Familiar of Zero

A/N: Okay, I found a website that has many modern Japanese words and terms, so by the time this chapter gets uploaded, the dialogue from the previous chapters with also get updated. Well, unless I do forget to update it and in that case I would like someone to give me a reminder if I actually do forget. No seriously, I might actually forget if I don't check this document before uploading it.

Oh well, on with the show!

Chapter 9: Confrontation


At the Tristain Magical Academy, over with Louise

"HE DID WHAT?"

Louise's outburst echoed throughout the dorm at the sudden revelation of Saito's actions. She couldn't believe that he would do such a thing! ...Okay, maybe she could believe that he would do such a thing, but still! Hastily putting on her clothes, she rushed down the dorm's stairway and onto the courtyard, where Guiche was preparing his horse for the coming trip.

Guiche took notice of Louise "Oh, you're awake! I was about to wake you and the others."

"Well forget it; they already left with Saito! And he's taken the Ring and the letter with him!" she shoved Saito's note into Guiche's hands. "See for yourself!"

Guiche took the note and read it to himself. After reading it, he only shrugged in response "I don't see the big deal; he said he was going to do the job for us, and let us keep all the credit. Plus, he has Kirche and Tabitha with him, so there's no need to worry about him. It's a win-win situation."

Louise stomped on Guiche's foot "Are you kidding me?! Do you really not see the urgency that stunt has caused?! If he would kill a group of terrorists just to get a point across to you, what in Founder's name do you think he would do if he was given something that could threaten Tristain's national security?"

Ever so slowly, Guiche's relaxed face slowly turned to one of sheer horror "We have to get there before he does!"

"Now you see! We have to stop him before he does something that shall ruin the Germania-Tristain Alliance!" With a quick whistle, Louise's horse came to her. Mounting her horse, she rode her horse out of the academy walls, with Guiche following shortly behind.


Two days later, at La Rochelle

After two days of traveling, Louise and Guiche, both weary from their trip, dismounted their horses, exhausted. They had just finished a nonstop trip from the Academy to the Port town of La Rochelle.

Louise, although completely tired, kept soldiering on towards the port, partially dragging Guiche behind her. After what seems like hours, although in truth it was only after a few minutes, they made it over to the port. Slowly approaching the harbormaster, she told him "two tickets to Albion please…"

The harbormaster shook his head "I'm sorry miss, but there are no ships that are going to Albion today. Now you could wait for the ships that are going tomorrow, unless you have a friend who is a wind mage who is of at least triangle class, like that white hooded fellow who came here two days ago, then-"

"Wait a minute," Forgetting her earlier fatigue, Louise dropped Guiche and stood up straight "The white hooded figure, could you describe him please?"

The harbormaster shrugged "Sure: I couldn't see the young man's face, but judging from his voice and stature, he should be in no older than you. He also seemed to be heavily armed from what I could see. He was also accompanied by a Gallian noble and a Germanian noble. Why are you asking?"

Louise shook her head dejectedly. Saito was already here, and he was already there by now. "It's nothing; I'll just take two tickets for the next ship to Albion." She said; she might as well at least try to get there and hope to stop him before he did something crazy.

"Of course," The harbormaster gave a gentlemanly nod before walking up the staircase spiraling up the "harbor". After a few minutes, he came back holding two tickets "Here are your tickets. You are to board the Corsair by tomorrow afternoon." He said autonomously.

"Thank you," After exchanging some coins for the tickets, she picked up an equally exhausted Guiche before dragging him over to the nearest hotel, where she got herself and Guiche separate rooms. After taking the keys, she left Guiche by the door to his own room while she went into her own.

Louise lay on her bed, contemplating everything that has happened to her thus far. For as long as she remembered, her family had always pressured her to be the best, to live up to the Valliere name. However, God had a sick sense of humor when it came to her, with her being born without any talent for magic. Nevertheless, she always strived to be better than what she was, hoping to improve and eventually live up to her family's expectations.

And then he came along.

Louise thought that summoning a great and powerful familiar would finally prove to everyone that she wasn't useless, that she was not the Zero that everyone claimed she was. But somehow, SOMEHOW, she summoned Saito. Out of all creatures that could have existed, she just had to summon something like him. She got the 'powerful' part of her claim right; she saw what Saito was capable of when he killed all of those terrorists who were threatening her classmates. The only problem was, she could never control him. Every time she tries to control him, he would just ignore her completely. He obviously had no loyalty to her, and he would always disappear to do his own thing, whatever his 'own thing', was. And even during the few times he actually did cooperate, a rare event already, he always had some ulterior motive to doing so. Whatever caused him to act like this, or why he wouldn't listen to her commands, was beyond her.

But those thoughts had to be put to rest for now. 'That stupid familiar better not do something crazy,' were Louise's thoughts before her sleep overcame her.


The next morning

Louise and Guiche, both fully revitalized after a day of rest, went back to the harbor where the Corsair was waiting for them.

As they approached the ship, the captain took notice "Ah you must be the ones who are boarding my ship. Well if you come right this way-"

"Wait!" turning around, Louise and Guiche were greeted by an unexpected sight; a Romalian priest and a tomboyish-looking commoner, the latter of which was seemingly latching onto the former for dear life, were both descending before the ship while riding a pure white dragon. If one took a closer look, the priest was, to make a long story short, incredibly handsome young man, no older than Louise or Guiche. He was garbed a heavily modified white and red priest uniform, a leather bracer on his left arm, and, oddly, a Romalian Schiavona and an exotic-looking dagger at his waist and a messenger bag slung over his back. His companion, if one got past the nauseous look on his face, the commoner riding shotgun to the priest was either a very beautiful girl or a very androgynous-looking young man, wearing a white shirt under light armor, dark brown pants and boots, two bracers, a pair of flintlock pistols on his belt, and an old Sabre attached to his waist. He also held a leather rucksack, where one could see the ends of a recurve bow sticking out from within.

As the priest and the commoner dismounted the dragon, the priest approached the captain of the Corsair "Sorry for the abrupt intrusion, but we'd like two tickets to Albion please," the priest pointed at himself and at his androgynous companion, who looked like he was about to vomit.

The captain, despite the initial surprise, just shook his head "Well, there's no denying a man of the church, is there?" he motioned for the Romalians to come aboard. Why the Romalian priest did not just go to a port in Romalia was a mystery to him, but he was not one to question, nor deny, a clergyman.

"Grazie (thank you)," The priest shouldered his nauseous friend as they boarded the Corsair, with Louise and Guiche following suit.


Hours later, onboard the Corsair

The Corsair was a far different ship than the Marie Galante that Saito's group had taken. Having smaller and fewer sails, along with several other factors, it shall take the Corsair four days to get to Albion, where it would take a newer ship only two. At the pace the ship is going at, the passengers, namely Louise and Guiche, slowly got bored.

On the other hand, after everyone had boarded the ship, the two Tristainian nobles did not have much contact with the two enigmatic Romalians, who locked themselves in their room right after they boarded.

And of course, Guiche's curiosity got the best of him "Hey, aren't you curious?" Guiche asked Louise as they explored the Corsair's interior.

"Huh?" Louise looked confused "What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about those Romalians who came onto this ship at the last minute." Guiche told her "Aren't you curious? Look, Romalia was famous for its ports, but they go out of their way to go to a port in Tristain."

"…Well, I guess that you do have a point there." Louise had to admit, for the Romalians to go out of their way to go to a Tristainian port was a bit odd. "But it's not our place to go into their business, especially into the business of a clergyman! He probably only used to this port to get to Albion because he was in Tristain at the time."

Guiche just shrugged his shoulders "You know, that still doesn't explain his motives for going to a dangerous country like Albion."

"Who cares? We also have our own secretive reasons for going to Albion!" Louise screamed at him.

As they argued, the priest and the commoner came up to the deck, watching as the Tristainians squabble.

*Ahem*

The priest coughed, attracting the attention of the two "You two are talking about us, aren't you?" the priest stared at the two with his heterochromic bright pink left eye and azure right eye, both focused coldly on the two Tristainian nobles.

Guiche reeled back in fear "N… no! We… uh… we didn't mean any disrespect, your holiness." Guiche bowed, with Louise following his lead. Offending a member of the holy church, no matter what social status, is considered a grave mistake that could ultimately lead to excommunication- a fate far worse than death.

The priest's angry expression slowly turned into a more relaxed one "Hey, don't worry about it; most of the people I know believe I am a weird person as well." he smiled, much to the relief of the two Tristainian nobles "Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Julio Cesare, and this feminine-looking friend of mine is Domani Altamura." He motioned to his commoner friend, who solely waved at them in response.

"My name is Louise de La Valliere," Louise introduced herself "And my friend here is Guiche de Gramont," she gestured to Guiche, who bowed respectfully to Guiche. "Your holiness-"

"Julio," Julio said simply "I would prefer it if you would call me Julio."

"Julio," Louise corrected herself "might I ask you why you and your friend-,"

"Domani," Domani interjected.

Louise rolled her eyes, not expecting sass from the commoner "Might I ask why you and Domani are going to Albion?"

Julio and Domani exchanged glances before Domani took out what looked like a rolled up poster from his pouch "A superior of ours wanted to talk to the one depicted in this poster." he unfurled the poster, revealing its contents to the two.

Both Louise and Guiche, upon seeing the poster's contents, just froze in horror. Before them, a portrait of Saito stood in the very middle of a wanted poster. This wanted poster seemed like a much more recent depiction, as it looks straight off the press. It read:

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

This criminal is wanted for assassination of Count Mott, assassination of Sir Turenne, destruction of government prison, humiliation of the Mage Guard, homicide, theft, grand theft, vandalism and treason.

UPDATE: this revolutionary is rumored to be affiliated with multiple underground guilds. The revolutionary is also capable of taking on multiple trained assailants, mage or non-mage, with extreme prejudice. Exercise caution when face to face with this revolutionary.

The Royal Council is offering 10,000 ecu to anyone who captures or kills revolutionary.

Louise, upon reading the poster, started to tremble violently in anger, her face turning bright red in fury.

"WHAT IN FOUNDER'S NAME DID THAT BASTARD DO?!"

She roared into the heavens. Her own familiar was on the front of a wanted poster. She knew that he was capable of killing people; she also knew that he was responsible for Sir Turenne's murder, but to destroy government property, steal directly from other nobles, and to go as far as to even humiliate the mage guard, the pride of Tristain's military? Her familiar's actions were practically sending the country into turmoil! What's worse, if anyone were to know of his connection to her, her family's name shall be in ruins. Her family would disown her for summoning the one who has caused Tristain so much destruction. Not only that, because Henrietta was unaware of Saito's criminal identity, she practically sent a wanted criminal to Prince Wales! Forget an amorous scandal; if Germania ever learned that Henrietta sent a criminal known to assassinate nobility to Albion, they will accuse Tristain of supporting Reconquista and cut off relations with Tristain at the very least!

"I take it you know who he is?" Domani inferred.

"… You have no idea…" Louise snarled menacingly as the tension in the air grew "and the next time I see that lowly dog, I'll make sure that even death is too lenient a punishment for him!"

Julio and Domani looked at each other, and then back at Louise "Don't you think that you're overreacting?"

"Overreacting?!" Louise asked incredulously "I summoned a wanted criminal and set him loose-"

"Wait a minute," Julio stared at her in disbelief "by "summon him"; did you mean the familiar summoning spell?"

"Yes, but that's not the point here!" Louise ignored Julio's curiosity on the matter "Saito is loose in Albion and we have to stop him!"

"Hold on," Domani stopped her right there "take a second to look at the big picture: according to investigations, he only goes after the most corrupt nobles; he leaves commoners and the just nobility alone."

"Not only that, the destruction of the prison revealed a scandal about the prison; apparently almost all of the prisoners there hadn't necessarily done anything wrong, but the nobility imprisoned them because they had influence over the commoners, but the nobility had them arrested anyway on the grounds on 'suspected incitement of rebellion'." Julio added "If you look at facts, his ends justify the means. If you ask me, he only killed because he was doing the right thing in the end."

Guiche, who had been standing at the side for most of the conversation, said "Mr. Cesare-"

"Julio, it's just Julio." Julio corrected.

Guiche rephrased his words and tried again "Julio has a point; Saito did kill all those kidnappers just to save everyone inside. If he is really trying to do good like Julio had assayed, then he is more likely to protect the crown prince rather than kill him."

Ever so slowly, Louise came to her senses. She must admit, whenever Saito did kill, he was doing the right thing in the end. That didn't mean he was off the hook for being a wanted criminal, but she could at least acknowledge that he was trying to do good, even if it meant killing in order to do so. Regaining her composure, she said "Y… you're right." She curtseyed in respect "Thank you for your insight, Mr. Julio,"

"Glad I could help." And with that, Julio turned around and went back down to his cabin, with Domani following shortly.

However, as he descended down the staircase, Louise caught a glimpse of something adorned on Julio's belt; a foreign emblem designed as a stylized "A"; the same emblem worn by her very own familiar, Saito.


Meanwhile, four days later, over at Londinium

It had been two days after the assassination of Cromwell and his conspirators, and needless to say, the tide of the civil war has completely turned. With the command structure of Reconquista completely eliminated and its army, as if waking from a long dream, returning to its senses and defecting back to the Royalist army, along with the documents that Saito found, whatever remnants of Reconquista that remained either turned themselves in to preserve their honor, or perished when the Royalist Army stormed their hideouts. If one were to say that the Royalists won the Albionese Civil War, they would probably be not entirely wrong. With the war over, the people believe that Albion will usher in a wave of prosperity and peace, with Prince Wales leading the way.

However, behind the scenes, Wales was learning the ancient way of the Assassins. He had to admit, it was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He was both physically and mentally exhausted at the end of his first day. If the end of his first day wore away at him as thoroughly as that, then he wouldn't know what to make of any further training. With today being his second day of training, he doesn't know what was going to happen.

Thinking about this as he walked through the castle, Wales glanced at the Ruby Ring of Water, Henrietta's keepsake. The thought of Henrietta marrying Albrecht the III of Germania both repulsed and enraged him.

As he tried in vain to stop thinking about Henrietta, he looked out the window, where he spotted Saito, in his captain's uniform, writing something down in his journal. Thinking that a talk with a more experienced Assassin would calm down his nerves, Wales opened the window and levitated himself gently down onto the courtyard, where Saito took notice of him.

"Oh, morning Wales," Saito waved at him briefly before returning to his journal "Can I help you with something?"

Wales waved back as he sat next to Saito "Well, I needed someone to talk to, perhaps to get away from everything that has been happening recently."

"Heh, I can tell you personally that this job will stress a person out at times, but that's how this job goes," Saito said solemnly "If you truly want to survive with the Assassins, then you need to step out of that comfort zone of yours and adapt to the world around you."

"You sound like an old man," Wales chuckled.

Saito pouted "I'm only sixteen; I'm younger than you."

"Sorry, sorry," Wales apologized "So, what are you doing?"

"I'm recording the events that had transpired so far," Saito told him "Our higher ups always want to know what truly happened, so as they know what to omit from official reports. For example, if one wanted to know what happened during the assassination of Cromwell and his conspirators, your role as an Assassin and my general presence and involvement would be completely removed from the official report, with you being the only one involved. The Assassins need to keep their presence a secret so in order to be untraceable. Do you understand so far?"

"… I think I got it-" Wales noticed something slipping out of the pages of Saito's journal "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"There's something falling out of your journal," Wales said as he pulled out what looks like a medallion that was about to fall from his journal.

Saito's eyes widened "No way; I thought I lost that four years ago." He snatched the medallion from Wales' hands and examined it; it was a circular medallion with an abstract, unfamiliar symbol on the front, one which looked like nothing Wales had ever seen before.

"What kind of pendant is that? I have never seen anything like it before.

Saito showed him the medallion "This is an old family heirloom my grandfather gave to me when I was a child. I thought I lost it a long time ago; I can't believe it was on me the whole time." Saito said as he put it on his neck.

Wales looked at the symbol on the medallion with great interest "What does that symbol stand for? Is it a symbol of the Assassins?"

Saito shook his head "No, it's an old Kamon, or family emblem. My ancestors, the Kusagari Clan, wore this emblem before they became Assassins."

"Funny, if you had a family emblem that would mean that-" Wales froze midsentence. As he put two-and-two together, he jolted to his feet "You're of noble blood!" he exclaimed, a look of shock on his face. From how he described himself, and by his actions alone, Wales had always assumed that Saito had been purely of commoner blood. Of course, commoners having noble descent weren't unheard of, but it's practically considered taboo in Halkenginian society.

Saito shook his head again "Not necessarily; in my country, while they are similar to coat of arms worn by your nobility, Kamon are mainly used to identify a trade or just a regular family. It does not necessarily mean that you are a noble."

"Oh," Wales sighed in relief as he sat back down.

"But in this case you're right." Saito deadpanned, forcing Wales to his feet again.

"Eh?!" Now Wales was at a loss "So you're telling me your family is of noble heritage?"

"Was," Saito closed his journal and put it in his jacket "My clan was part of the Samurai; the military nobility class. The Samurai were powerful warlords who held honor and skill in equal measure. If I were to make a comparison between the knights of Halkenginia and the Samurai, the Samurai would surpass them with far more tact and aggression. "

"Amazing," Wales' eyes widened in awe "so your family are these powerful warlords? No wonder the Order wanted them for their cause."

"As I said; they were warlords. After the country modernized, one thing led to another and they started to renounce their name as the country's protectors and began to serve the Assassin Order." Saito stated, a melancholic tone in his voice "They were fortunate enough to even survive if you ask me. But, then again, that's a story for another day." He then got up and stretched his limbs "Well enough stories for one day. Come on; I need more practice handling the Royal Sovereign, and we let go of Captain Bowood after the assassination."

Wales raised an eyebrow "What makes you say that I know anything about commandeering a ship?"

"Simple: for one, this is a country with a history of having a powerful navy, and as the crown prince of the country, surely your father or one of his generals showed you how to man a warship sometime in the past. Even if someone didn't show you, because you were recently in a war in this naval country, you were possibly involved in a naval battle, where you actively participated or at least watched another captain commandeer a ship. If that doesn't convince you, you were the captain of the Eagle when you captured the Marie Galante. Need I say more?"

Wales just stared at him, completely dumbstruck "Touché. There's a secret route from the castle that leads to directly outside the port. That's what the Royalists used to evacuate me out of the city. Let's take that route." He offered. Needless to say, Wales' popularity has practically skyrocketed after the 'Assassination' of the Reconquista conspirators and the liberation of Londinium. If he just walked right out of the castle and openly onto the streets of the city, he will surely get mobbed by the adoring citizens.

Saito smiled "Now you're starting to think like an Assassin. Let's go."


Meanwhile, at the port

After four days of traveling, the Corsair finally made it to capital city of Londinium. If one were to come here even a week before, then Londinium would have been a different place. If it were only a week ago, then the capital would have been under complete totalitarian of Reconquista, where propaganda idolizing Cromwell and demonizing the Royalists, and that all suspected to support the Royalists were killed on the spot. However, right now, that was not the case: Instead, the citizens of Londinium were rejoicing, dancing and cheering 'Long live Prince Wales! Long live the kingdom! Long live Albion!' everywhere. In the distance, one could see earth mages trying to erect a statue of Prince Wales in his honor. It was as if Reconquista had never existed.

Guiche, as soon as he got off the Corsair, took note of this "Funny; the local herald told me the capital was controlled by Reconquista over a month ago."

"That's what I heard too…" Louise muttered as her eyes wandered towards Julio and Domani, who were seemingly chatting with a local woman in a faded white and blue hooded uniform. "Come on, let's follow those two."

Guiche had a perplexed look on his face "Wait a minute, why are we following those two?"

Louise grabbed Guiche by the collar and ducked under a stack of cargo "Look, if they are actually looking for Saito, then following him will lead us right to him," Louise explained "And knowing Saito, he probably already found Prince Wales by now. In a way, following those two will lead us to Saito and Wales."

"Alright then…" Guiche peeked up, watching the Romalians started to walk past the port.

"Well, you two surely took your time," A voice said smugly.

Louise and Guiche turned around; right behind them was none other than Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst; Louise's longtime rival and tormentor. Behind her, Tabitha was reading a book, completely ignoring them as usual. "Funny, last time I checked, you were unconscious on the floor, with bits of broken flower vase all over you." She smirked.

Louise scowled; she did not need this right now "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you two be with Saito?"

"He told us to wait around town until he finishes his business here;" Kirche explained "He actually gave us 1,000 ecu each just so we wouldn't bother him until he's done." She said with an impressed tone.

"Very suspicious." Tabitha muttered, her eyes not averting from her book.

"Yes, but enough about us, what are you guys doing here?" Kirche peered over their shoulder "and who are you spying on?"

Louise sighed and pointed at Julio and Domani "We're spying on those two Romalians over there; the priest and who we presume to be his bodyguard. Apparently, they are looking for Saito. We thought that if we follow them, it would lead us right to Saito."

"Well then," Kirche peered over their shoulders again "You better do so quickly; they're just about to leave the port."

Louise's and Guiche's eyes darted back to Julio and Domani; they were about to enter the downtown district. "Oh, Founder- quick after them!" Louise and Guiche hastily rushed after them, leaving Kirche and Tabitha to themselves.

As they started to leave, Kirche grinned mischievously at Tabitha "Want to go follow them?"

"…" Tabitha closed her book and put it away "Lead the way." That was all she said as Kirche grabbed her by the hand and went after their two classmates.


Over by Julio and Domani

"You also noticed those Tristainian nobles following us, right?" Domani said as they ducked into a nearby alley.

Julio nodded "That pink hair of hers is really hard to miss. I doubt anyone would pass by and not notice her. I also feel like I've seen that blonde kid before." He scratched his head "Oh well, it's probably just my imagination."

"I really wonder what their connection is to that Saito character," Domani thought out loud. Judging from Louise's reaction, whatever had happened between the two of them was definitely not good, but it was the probable reaction when one found out someone they knew was a wanted criminal.

"If the rumors of him being summoned as a familiar are true, then that was probably his summoner." Julio sweatdropped. Because of Saito's sudden appearance and actions, the Tristainian Assassin Order has covertly put spies around him to monitor his every move and confirm his loyalty. According to their reports, Saito has been branded with Familiar runes on his left hand. Supposedly, the Familiar runes should make Saito more loyal to his "master" rather than to the Order, but the spies have also observed that he has shown almost no signs of familial loyalty to his summoner. Of course, this was all briefed to them prior to arriving to Albion.

Domani stopped and looked at Julio "You know, you told me the last time you've even seen this guy was over four years ago. I doubt he will even recognize you."

Julio pretended to not pay hear Domani's comment "You know Dom, I've been friends with him for a long time, so I doubt that he would forget me." He said as he turned across the corner, only to accidentally knock into someone going the other direction.

The passerby, garbed in formal naval attire and a tricorne hat, dusted himself off. Behind him, there was a fair haired blonde young man also dressed in noble attire. "Sorry about that, I didn't notice anyone was going through here," the young lad apologized.

"No, it was all me-" Julio started to apologize, but he stopped himself as soon as he saw the young lad's face; pitch black hair, dark blue eyes, and a stoic face only held by those who were far used to the scene of death. "You're Saito Hiraga!" Julio exclaimed.

Saito, upon hearing a stranger call out his name, instinctively drew his USP and aimed it at Julio "Who are you? Identify yourself!" Saito sternly ordered.

Julio raised his hands in the air "Hold up! We're on the same team; we're from the Romalian branch of the Order." Ever so slowly, Julio reached for his belt and took out a seal bearing the insignia of the Assassin Order.

Upon seeing the familiar emblem, Saito lowered his USP and holstered it "Sorry about that; I needed to confirm your identity." He pointed at Wales, who waved at them in response "As you can see, I'm escorting a VIP over here. But that's beside the point." He presented his hand "My name is Saito Hiraga, but I guess you already knew that. The trainee back there is Wales Tudor. Nice to meet you."

The second he said that, Julio reeled himself back, as though offended "Really?"

Saito looked confused "I'm sorry; have I offended you in any way?"

Julio frowned, looking more and more annoyed "I can't believe you of all people don't recognize me."

Saito shook his head "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met. I have only been in Halkenginia for a bit over a month."

"So you're telling me you don't recognize me."

"I have already told you, we have never met before." Saito declared, unsure why his fellow Assassin was insisting that they had met sometime in the past.

Julio sighed as he glanced at Domani, who merely shrugged in response. "You know what; it's my fault for not trying this method sooner," he said as he reached for inside his coat, drew what looked like a Beretta Px4 Storm, and aimed it directly at Saito's face.

Saito froze, completely stunned "What the-" As he stood there, utterly speechless, an old memory from four years ago resurfaced in his head.


Flashback, someplace outside Moscow, Russia, March 15, 2008

South of Russia's great capital, there was a compound where several young Assassins from all over Europe were being trained in both body and mind the ancient ways of the Assassin Order. Because of the secluded area of Russia, this was an ideal place for trainees to hone their skills while staying under the radar of Abstergo's constant surveillance.

Saito, eleven years old at the time, carried a somewhat large parcel in his arm as he approached a trainee wearing a black baseball cap, who practicing the usage of MP-25, a cheap .25 ACP "Junk gun", onto a shooting range, with very poor results.

*bang, bang, bang!*

The MP-25 had missed every mark. The trainee, fed up with the gun, just threw it into the air, pulled out an expandable baton, and swung at it like a baseball, destroying it in frustration "Damn it!" he cursed loudly, much to Saito's surprise.

After a few seconds of letting his fellow trainee calm down, Saito called out his name "Julio-san…"

"!" The trainee named Julio turned around, revealing two heterochromic pink and blue eyes staring back at Saito. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Saito, Julio's tense expression relaxed "Oh, if it isn't fratellino (little brother)!" He said cheerfully.

Saito groaned "Didn't I ask you not to call me that?"

Julio shrugged "Hey, you were the one who made the nickname in the first place."

"That was a joke-" Saito threw his arms up in irritation. Julio wasn't wrong; technically Saito did mention it as a joke a couple years back, but that was beside the point. He shook his head "You know what, I'm distracting myself; here this is for you." He handed Julio the parcel "Happy birthday." He said simply.

"Eh?" Julio opened the parcel, finding a Beretta Px4 storm and ten 17-round spare magazines. Julio looked back at his friend, astonished "Is this all for me?"

Saito nodded "Sure, it was hard to find in this country, but, since it was your birthday, and that you always complained about how much you hated the gun, I thought I'd put in some extra effort into finding them. Costs me about 847 euros (approx. 1,100 USD) in the black market for the customization. Don't even ask where I got the money. But enough about that; try out the gun." He urged his best friend to break in his new gun.

Julio, chambering a round into his new Px4, took aim at a distant target and fired three rounds into the distant target.

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

Three 9mm bullets pierced into the targets bullseye.

"Pretty good, right?" Saito asked as Julio started firing more bullets into the distant target. "The pistol's compact size makes it easy for someone like you to hide it on your person. Plus, I asked for it to have a match trigger and a threaded barrel, so as to accept a suppressor. With all these features, plus the high capacity magazine, I thought it would be perfect for you."

Julio, touched by his best friend's thoughtfulness, turned to him and hugged him tightly "Thank you fratellino!"


Flashback End

Saito stared at Julio, a look of complete shock and surprise on his face "Julio? Julio Cesare? Is that really you?"

Almost immediately after the Japanese Assassin uttered his name, Julio holstered his Px4 and started to smile with glee "Been a while, fratellino (little brother)." He said as he gave Saito what can only be known as a bro hug.


Meanwhile, behind the corner of the alleyway

Louise, Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha peered out from the corner of the alleyway, watching as the Assassins had mingled with each other. Unfortunately for them, they could not make out what they were saying; all they could see was, at the current moment, Julio hugging a naval captain as if they were long-lost brothers.

"Why is Father Julio hugging that naval captain?" Guiche asked, obviously not familiar with Saito's unhooded appearance. "I knew that Romalians were notably affectionate, but still."

"Saito," Tabitha said simply, making everyone look at her in shock.

"Oh right! I remember now!" Kirche started to recognize the young captain "A few days back, when we first landed in Albion, Darling met with the Crown Prince, who asked for him to help them with the civil war. Apparently, Darling had recaptured the Royal Sovereign, single-handedly might I add. And with it, he used it to recapture Newcastle and win the war for the Royalists. In response, the Crown Prince had given him the Ship along as a reward for his actions." She told them. This was the story that Saito had given them. In Kirche and Tabitha's ears, this story had multiple gaps and holes, but the two of them respected Saito's privacy, so they didn't pry into it as much.

"The one following him is Wales," Tabitha added, motioning to the noble behind him.

Louise, upon hearing this absurd and somewhat forced story, just stood there, completely stunned "How the hell does that make any sense-"

*BANG! BANG!*

Two gunshots, almost impossibly too close together, fired out and impacted the floor just inches away from their position.


Back with the Assassins

Saito, holding Julio's Px4, had fired two shots onto a corner "You were being followed," Saito said coldly as he handed the Italian pistol back to its rightful owner.

"Told you," Domani rolled his eyes.

Julio shrugged "That was my intention. The pink-haired Tristainian, I believe her name was Louise, seemed to have some sort of tempestuous relationship with you, so I thought that it would better for you to confront her face to face."

"The third tenet of the creed states that an Assassin should never compromise the Brotherhood." Saito recited with an aggravated tone. "And of all the people who could've followed you, why the hell did you have to be followed by Louise?"

"First of all, I'm not compromising the Brotherhood at all." Julio denied with a smile "Second, our spies say you were summoned as a familiar, so there's a likely chance that the summoner will try to exert dominance with a defiant familiar. In that case, the familiar must make his stand and put himself on equal grounds with the master."

Saito scoffed "You sound like you're talking from experience."

Julio removed the glove on his right hand, revealing mystic familiar runes branded onto it. "I am speaking from experience."

Saito froze, too many ideas happening at once. "…What the-"

"I was summoned into this world, just like you." Julio declared, the playful tone in his voice now gone "The only difference is where, and for how long. I have more experience on handling a summoner than you do. Just trust me."

"…" listening to Julio's words carefully, Saito turned to Wales "Wales, do you trust me?"

Wales, who was quiet for much of the conversation, looked at him and said "Excuse me?"

"I have a plan-"

"*cough* *cough* bad sign *cough* *cough*" Julio coughed.

Saito glared at Julio before turning back to Wales "I have a plan to put her in her place and it involves you, but you need to trust me first. So let me repeat myself; do you trust me."

Wales thought about it for a moment before giving a gentle smile "I trusted you before, and you delivered me both my country and the blood of the conspirators who took it from me. Of course I can trust you."

Saito grinned "Good, follow me. You two wait here for a bit" He said as Wales followed him to the corner, where Louise and co. were (sort of) eavesdropping.

"You three: go now."

With those words, Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha quickly left the scene, leaving Saito, Wales, and Louise standing before the alley.

Louise stood before him, a proud expression hiding her inner rage. Her familiar now had nowhere to run. She can finally get answers from that elusive dog. "You…" she snarled "I want answers from you, right now." Even though Prince Wales was before her, just to the left of Saito, her mission from the princess could wait for now. In her mind, getting the truth from her familiar was the top priority

Saito sighed, looking back at Julio and Domani, then at Wales, and then finally at Louise "I know you're upset-"

"Upset?! Upset is the least I am feeling you stupid dog!" Louise grabbed her familiar by the collar, bringing him to eye level "Your criminal status, your murders, your actions here in Albion, and even your relation with the priest Julio over there! I want you to tell me everything right now!"

Wales looked at Saito "You're a wanted criminal?"

"Usually comes with the job description," Saito replied monotonously. "Not always but most of the time."

"There's also that issue!" Louise tugged at Saito's collar until their faces were only inches apart "What do you even think you're doing half of the time?! I honestly see that you have good intentions with your killings, I really do, but you can't just terrorize from nobles as you see fit!"

Saito, getting out of her grip, dusted off his shirt and calmly said "Instead of you getting mad at me, my getting mad at you, then this whole thing just blowing up in our faces sometime in the future, allow me to make a proposition."

Louise raised a brow with a suspicious look on her face "I'm listening…"

"Instead of antagonizing each other, we acknowledge each other as equals, bury the hatchet right here and now, and all is forgiven."

Louise just stared at him with disbelief. Was that supposed to be some sick joke? "Are you kidding me?! You acted on your own, bringing utter chaos wherever you go! You have a 10,000 ecu bounty on your head-"

"Oh, it went up?"

"You mean to tell me you already had a bounty before-" Louise stopped herself right then and there, holding back the urge to just kill him on the spot. She already knew that she was losing her composure in front of a Royal, which is an embarrassing act of shame should she do so, and she could only guess that Saito brought Wales over so that she needed to consciously control her temper, even though she was on the verge of letting all of her anger out. "No, you are going to act like the familiar that you are, listen to me, and have this whole damned mess straightened out!"

Saito put his right hand on his USP; his left hand on Wales' shoulder "Alright, I'll follow you like a familiar should..."

"That's right- wait what?" Louise was taken aback. She was sure that Saito would definitely argue and try to fight her for domination. Not that she's complaining or anything.

"However, before I do that…" He pulled out his USP and aimed it at Wales' head "I'll splatter Prince Wales' brains all over the pavement!"

"!" Louise froze, definitely not seeing him play this kind of card.


Meanwhile, with Julio and Domani

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Domani drew his sabre and started for the trio, but Julio caught him by the shoulder.

"Now, now," Julio stopped his effeminate-looking friend "Look, he's doing what Assassins do best, raise the stakes and force his opponents into a corner. Trust me, he's going to force her into an ultimatum, just you wait."

"… If you trust him… then I guess… Assassins from the Original Brotherhood sure are weird…" he sheathed his sabre and took a step back, waiting for what was going to happen next.


Over with the Academy students

"Oh dear Founder!" Guiche exclaimed as he and his classmates watched the events unfold. Sure, a rival for Henrietta's affections (if anyone would call it that) would disappear, but the death of a Royal would cause mass hysteria that will enrapture all of Halkenginia.

"He's actually going to kill him!" Kirche started to pull out her wand, but Tabitha stopped her with hers.

"Bluff," she said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Guiche asked "He's holding the prince at gunpoint! ...That is a firearm, isn't it?"

"Well he is holding it like it is one, though it does have a very odd design if you ask me," Kirche started to comment, but noticed she was losing focus on the main matter "But that's not the point! How can you tell it's a bluff?"

"…" Tabitha did not answer, and just returned to her book. As an experienced killer herself, she could tell the difference between true killer intent and pure exertion of willpower. This situation was definitely the exertion of willpower veiled with faux killer intent. There shouldn't be any reason for her to intervene.


Back with Louise, Saito, and an at-gunpoint Wales

Wales, stunned that Saito would do such a thing, slowly turned around and looked Saito in the eye.

Trust me on this, just follow my lead.

He didn't know if it were if it were his imagination or not, but Wales almost swore that Saito was trying to convey this message to him.

Saito turned back to Louise, and gave her this ultimatum "Every crime I have done, it was all because you brought me to this world. Everything I have done can and is tied to you. There is as much blood on your hands as there are on mine. The second I become your familiar is the same second I reveal your connection to me. I'll even take it a step further and kill the crown prince over here. Assassination, Regicide, any crime I have committed. These accusations will fall onto you just as they have fallen onto me. Your family shall disown you for committing such atrocities, your country shall hunt you down a dog for terrorizing their nobility, and even your Princess Henrietta will hate you for killing her lover. You shall become lower than the dog than you claim me to be. That is what shall fall onto you if I become your familiar. However, if you declare me to be your equal, I let the prince go, shoulder all the crimes by myself, and your secret shall be safe with me. So tell me Louise, are you ready to draw?"

Seconds passed, but to Louise it felt more like hours. What was she going to do? On one hand her Familiar would finally obey her, but at the cost she will forever be cast in shame for all of his crimes, including the great crime of regicide. On the other hand, she lets her familiar free and no one will ever know her connection to him.

She collapsed onto her knees, defeated "f… fine you win… you go free… I can never let your crimes be a mark on my family's name…" she said with despair.

"… Good, maybe you're not as stupid as I thought." Saito let go of Wales, who sighed in relief.

"For a second there, I honestly thought you were really going to shoot me." He told him.

Saito nonchalantly spun the USP before holstering it "I told you to trust me, didn't I? I-"

*sniff… sniff*

*drip, drip*

The young Assassin turned around to see Louise, crying, muttering "it's not fair… it's not fair…" over and over again.

Saito groaned, knowing he's probably going to regret what he was going to say next "are you alright-"

"Get the hell away from me!" Louise screeched as she pushed him away "Why can't a monster like you just die!"

*THWACK!*

Almost immediately forgetting the pity he had for her, Saito smacked the grief-stricken Louise right across the face "know the depth of your words, brat." He said dispassionately "A life is a precious thing that should be cherished. If you tell someone to die, you are telling them to throw their life away. Do you honestly believe I will just stand there while you just tell me that?"

"…" Louise, her eyes red from tears, refused to look directly at her former familiar.

Saito glared at her, before slowly calming down "Look, even though I won't be familiar anymore, that doesn't mean I'll still be around. If I weren't here, I doubt your life would be as exciting as this if I was some, oh I don't know, an ordinary high school student," he glanced to the side for a second before quickly going back to Louise. "Look, I said I wanted to start over; not as familiar and master, but as strangers, alright?" he presented his hand and jokingly said "Hey there, my name's Saito Hiraga. Nice to meet you."

"… Do you honestly believe that I could possibly forgive you for all the crimes you committed, the trauma you've imposed, and the fact that you just struck me only moments ago?" Louise glared at the Young Assassin, her bloodshot eyes making her seem more imposing than usual.

Saito sighed and repeated himself "Hey there, my name's Saito Hiraga. Nice to meet you."

"That's not going to work-"

"Hey there, my name's Saito Hiraga. Nice to meet you."

"Will you stop that-?"

"Hey there, my name's Saito Hiraga. Nice to meet you."

"The Summoning Ritual was a traumatic event for both of us! How do you possibly think that either of us could forget any of that?!"

Saito shook his head "That's the point of burying the hatchet; you forget and move on. I'm more than willing for the hatred between us to disappear, because frankly, I am quite tired of it all, and I know you are too. I am offering something that will benefit both of us. If we become strangers, I will probably never obey you if you try to order me. However, if you ask me kindly, like a friend, there will be no guarantees, but there will be a chance that I will help you and listen to you. Hell, I might even pretend to be your familiar in front of others if you ask. A distant friend is better than a defiant familiar. So, what do you say?"

"… I guess I have nothing to lose." Louise sulked. She might as well; without a familiar anymore, she could actually use a friend right now.

"Atta' girl," he stood up and helped her up, saying once more "Hey there, my name's Saito Hiraga. Nice to meet you."

"I am Louise de La Valliere, the pleasure of meeting you is all mine." She curtseyed with a snarky tone.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Saito tipped his hat "From now on, we're friends."

"I guess that makes it so," Louise chuckled halfheartedly. "Can I ask you ask a question? This has been bothering me for a while now."

"Ask away,"

"What is your relationship with Julio?"

"Simple, he was my childhood friend," Saito said calmly.

Louise blinked in surprise "You were childhood friends with a priest?" she asked incredulously.

"It's even more ironic considering that I was the calm one when we were growing up." Saito shrugged "Though after four years, this place is the last place I would expect finding him."

"Where did you expect to find him?"

"Floating in the river of a third world country with bullet holes covering his body." Saito deadpanned.

"Oh, thanks," Julio said sarcastically as he and Domani walked over to them "You do realize you were just as weird as I was when we were in the faci- boarding school, right?"

Saito ignored the comment "So, now that that's settled with, I need to practice commandeering a battleship."

Louise did a double take "Wait, Kirche was serious about you getting a ship?"

"No duh Poirot," Saito rolled his eyes. "If any of you need me, I'll be preparing the ship for departure. Anyone who wants a free ride to Tristain follow me." He said as he rallied Wales, Louise, Guiche, Kirche and Tabitha before heading towards the harbor, leaving Domani and Julio behind.

"First he threatens her with regicide, then outright attacks her, and in the end ultimately wants to be her friend. All of that in ten minutes. That friend of yours is really something," Domani muttered, just plain confused by that turn of events.

Julio laughed "You should've seen him when we were growing up." He said as they joined Saito's group to the harbor.


Items obtained!

Heirloom medallion: an old medallion that bears the kamon, or family crest of the Kusagari Clan before they became Assassins. This medallion is special to Saito; it had belonged to his grandfather who had inherited it from his grandfather before him. Saito thought that he lost this sometime prior to arriving in Halkenginia, but it was apparently tucked in his journal the whole time. How he hasn't noticed it until now is a mystery to him.

Might as well do this next part…


Character Bio

Name: Julio Cesare

Age: Born March 15, 1995 (17 as of mid-2012) in Sardinia, Italy

Political affiliations: Assassin Order, Church of Brimir (unintentionally)

Rank: Assassin Fifth Rank (Rank 14)

Personality: In his youth, Julio was somewhat a free spirit, being very energetic during his training, often putting down work to play in the nearby forest. This playful personality of his sometimes annoyed his partners (namely Saito and Domani), but he is loyal to his friends nonetheless. He seems to have calmed down a bit ever since he came to Halkenginia, but that fun-loving side of him still remains. Despite this, when push comes to shove, he will have his friends' backs no matter what.

Hobbies: Playing the violin, tending to pets

Special talents: Hacking, commanding animals, sniping, support fire, free-running, playing the violin, fluency in several languages

Likes: Assassins, his friends, animals, hacking, practicing his marksmanship

Dislikes: Templars, Abstergo Industries, Corrupt clergymen, people who try to hurt others, jokes about his eyes, poaching

Biography: Julio was the son of two Italian Assassins in Sardinia, and was trained to become one just like his parents. In his training, he had a knack for both hacking and sniping, which was the focus of most of his training. In 2004, he was moved to a training facility in Moscow, where he had met Saito, and the two became close friends. By 2008, he and Saito had finished their training and had become Full-fledged Assassins. However, his life took an unexpected turn when he was summoned to Halkenginia by Pope Vittorio Serevare, and was made his familiar. For one year, he spent his time (somewhat grudgingly) working for the church. However, in late 2009, he found a Romalian Assassin who, recognizing him as a member of the Brotherhood, brought him to the Romalian Assassin HQ and had him re-inducted into the Order. After telling them of his situation, the leader of the Romalian Assassins assigned him to be their spy in the church, although he still does other jobs for the branch.

Notes: He is considered very attractive by women, and is often branded as a skirt chaser by bystanders because of it; he occasionally takes advantage of this to divert suspicion from him, but it's quite ironic as he never actually had a real girlfriend before. He also notably has heterochromia, which he has insecurities about. For some reason, he avoids using short blades, rather he prefers holding it as a backup blade should Domani damage/destroy/lose his.

Weapons: Hidden Blade, Silver Dragon, Romalian Schiavona, tactical baton, Beretta Px4 Storm

Hidden blade: an iconic weapon of the Assassins. It is rarely used in modern times, but it is practically standard issue for Halkenginian Assassins. As such, Julio will sometimes use it in close quarters combat if he has no time to draw another melee weapon. This is the only weapon Julio doesn't dual wield with his baton. The one he currently uses is a Halkenginian-issue one; his ceremonial one was either destroyed or lost sometime prior to his admittance into the Romalian Assassin Order

Silver Dragon: an exotic, Ancient Chinese dagger. Although the blade is hundreds of years old (apparently made around 15th century A.D.), it has withstood the test of time and is in extremely good condition. The blade seems to have been used to spill the blood of countless lives. Julio had found it, oddly, buried in the chest of "some photographer's" corpse. Oddly, because of Julio's aversion to bladed weapons, it is more likely for Domani to take it from his belt and use it instead of Julio using it himself.

Attack: *****

Speed: *****

Deflect: *****

Romalian Schiavona: a basket-hilted sword commonly used by the Romalian military. This blade is popular among civilians and even a few nobles, the latter of which use as a fashion statement to show off to their peers. Julio commonly uses a civilian one, though he does admit on having a decorated, yet fully functional one in his room.

Attack: ***

Speed: **

Deflect: ***

Tactical baton: a simple collapsible baton. Julio uses it akin to how Saito uses the shock blade: as a non-lethal alternative to the hidden blade. Due to his training, Julio dual wields any one-handed weapon (pistol, knife, sword, etc.) with his baton.

Beretta Px4 Storm: a compact Italian pistol built for personal defense use. The one that Julio uses was a custom 9x19mm Parabellum one with a match trigger and a threaded barrel, the same one that Saito bought him for his birthday. Julio does have a suppressor for it, but doesn't usually attach it unless stealth is necessary. He has 185 rounds remaining.

Equipment: Man of the cloth outfit, Hacker outfit, Profiler 2.0, Halkenginian Assassin Order Seal

Man of the cloth Outfit: a modified priest outfit Julio wears whenever he's on duty. This allows him to take on the perks normally reserved for nobility and clergy, but reduces his armor rating to 0.

Hacker outfit: an outfit that consists of a black baseball cap, scarf, gloves, boots and layered leather jacket. The majority of the outfit it nothing out of the ordinary, but the leather jacket has a layer of Kevlar (the same type of Kevlar that Saito's hoodie is made of) underneath to protect him. While this will protect Julio from most non-magical attacks, wearing it is practically torture in the summer season. Wearing this will double Julio's hacking and reaction speed.

Health: ***************

Resistance: ******** (unbreakable)

Profiler 2.0: an advanced smartphone specially made for hackers that serve the Assassin Order. This specialized hacking tool can be used to gain access to any personal information and hack pretty much anything with a wireless connection. While its usefulness is very limited in Halkenginia, Julio has modified it with an artifact known as the "Truth-Revealing Lens" (Which he inconspicuously stole from the Romalian Vault sometime in late 2008), allowing it to retain its ability to retrieve personal information, with the added bonus of detecting magical items. Using it in conjunction with his Windalfr runes will allow him to coordinate attacks and traps upon unsuspecting foes. Like Saito's shock blade, it is solar powered. It has the phrase "Everything is connected. Connection is power" on the back.

Halkenginian Assassin Order Seal: [see chapter 8]


Character Bio

Name: Domani Altamura

Age: Born July 3, 1995 (16-17 as of mid-2012) in Aquileia, Romalia

Political affiliations: Assassin Order

Rank: Assassin Fifth Rank (rank 14)

Personality: He is usually the one of the first ones to point out the oddities and quirks of society, people, etc. As such, he comes off as a very sarcastic and rude individual to others, although he is ultimately considered a good person in general. He is also one who is curious of the "world where the Brotherhood started", this feeling exponentially increasing after meeting Julio. Because of this, he has learned a lot about earth's culture through Julio, and through him knows how to operate modern firearms (amongst other stuff). He seems to have his secrets and would prefer it if no one talks about it.

Hobbies: Watching theater productions, making tea

Special talents: Assassination, free running, investigation, swordsmanship, disguises, survivalism, physiological immunity to poisons

Likes: Assassins, children, learning about the "Other World", ingenious playwrights

Dislikes: Nobles, corrupt clergy, Templars, people who try to hurt others, poorly brewed tea, whenever Julio drives/acts like a madman

Biography: Much of Domani's childhood is a mystery, only that he was training as an Assassin since the age of eight and had finished his training at the age of twelve. The most anyone knows was that he was found in a Romalian forest when he was eight. Any prying into his past prior than his recruitment into the Order will just result in the cold shoulder for the rest of the day. In 2009, he was assigned to be Julio's partner by the Romalian Assassins. This sparked Domani's interest in the "other world", and the two of them came to a deal: Domani shows Julio the ways of the Halkenginian Assassins and Julio shows him the marvels of the modern world. This deal led to them kindling a unique friendship/partnership that still goes on to this day.

Notes: Domani has a very androgynous appearance, which he often uses to his advantage whenever he puts on a disguise. However, whenever Domani accompanies Julio with a mission involving the church, many members of the clergy will often mistake him as Julio's bodyguard, or even his lover. While this annoys him to no end, he does admit it is an effective cover and usually rolls with it. He seems to be keeping a big secret from many of his associates. The reason his rank is as high as it is (Julio & Saito were given the same rank upon re-induction, but is stagnant unless their runes are destroyed) is because he manages to survive the dangerous missions Julio makes them go through, intentionally or not.

Weapons: Hidden blade, quickshot pistols, Machete, Colonna's sabre, recurve bow, SIG Sauer P226R

Hidden blade: an iconic weapon of the Assassins. Unlike his partner Julio, who uses the hidden blade mainly for self-defense, Domani uses the Hidden blade for both assassination and for open combat.

Quickshot pistols: a pair of breech-loading flintlock pistols. As a breech-loader, it can be reloaded, drawn, and fired much faster than a muzzleloader, and can fire 8-9 rounds/minute, compared to the 3-4 rounds/minute of regular flintlocks, hence the title "quickshot". It also incorporates interchangeable parts (which are exclusive to many of the Company's products), so it can be easily repaired at any Assassin Bureau. Although a potentially revolutionary design in Halkenginia, the Erudito Shipping & Manufacturing Company makes this pistol (and firing mechanism) exclusively for Assassins, and has not put it onto the market yet due to their only being one factory for it (Halkenginia definitely didn't have an industrial revolution yet) and training issues often complained about by Master Assassins, though they already have a patent for it. These pistols, like the hidden blades, are standard issue for Halkenginian Assassins. Domani holds 20 cartridges for each pistol, giving a total of 40 rounds.

Machete: [See chapter 8]. For some reason, the phrase "the definition of insanity" is branded on the side of the blade. This particular one was found on the corpse of "some photographer".

Colonna's sabre: a hunting sabre that once belonged to a legendary Romalian hero named Colonna. It was once said that Colonna could strike down any beast with this sword, be it a shark, a boar, or even a dragon, and was dubbed "the beast killer" by many awed Romalians. This weapon is not only very well crafted for its age; it becomes noticeably more effective when used against animals and magical creatures.

Attack: ** (turns into ***** when used against animals & magical creatures)

Speed: ****

Deflect: ***

Recurve bow: a bow that has the tips curve away from the archer. This allows the bow to store and deliver more power with every draw of the string. This recurve bow is actually a modern, mass-produced competition bow that, like Julio's Ceremonial Dagger, it was found on "some photographer's" corpse. He has 40 arrows remaining.

SIG Sauer P226R: A high grade 9x19mm Parabellum service pistol made by SIG Sauer. This handgun is basically a high capacity P220 that is used by numerous law enforcement forces everywhere. Domani found it in a Church storeroom that contained artifacts from Earth, taking a liking to it, kept it with him. Julio is currently training him on how to use the pistol. Unlike Julio and Saito's pistols, he doesn't have a suppressor for it, though it is fully capable of accepting one. It is tucked in his rucksack. He has 75 rounds remaining.

Equipment: Romalian Assassin Outfit, Halkenginian Assassin Order Seal, broken pocket watch, camera

Romalian Assassin Order Outfit: A standard Assassin uniform in Romalia. Unlike in the other countries, where the uniform is more subtle in appearance, the Romalian uniform is much more flamboyant and tight-fitting in design, blending in with the country's fashions. Nevertheless, it is fairly sturdy and will protect its wearer from bullets and blades.

Health: ***************

Resistance: ******** (unbreakable)

Halkenginian Assassin Order seal: [see chapter 8]

Broken pocket watch: as its name suggests, it is a broken pocket watch. It is practically useless in its current state, but Domani holds onto it for some reason, seeing it as a good luck charm.

Camera: a high quality digital camera used by professional photographers. Domani has absolutely no idea how to use it, not to mention what it's used for, but Julio told him to hold onto it for the moment, saying that it will become useful in the future. Like the Recurve bow and Ceremonial Dagger, it was found on the corpse of "Some photographer". It has many photos of the jungle, jungle wildlife, and modern-day pirates.

A/N: And I'm finally done with this chapter. Honestly, I was making this chapter while I was finishing up my finals for the year, so yeah… Also, I bet you guys didn't see that one coming; Julio also being an Assassin summoned from Earth and his being Saito's long lost friend. And yes, I will make him distinctly different than the canon version of him like I did Saito. What can I say, I like surprising my readers. Also, I made references to two games made by Ubisoft in Julio and Domani's character bios. I dare you to figure out which games I referenced. With all said and done, please review!