"Gah!" Phoenix shouted, snapping up from the animus and bashing his face on the retracting glass screen as he did so. He grasped his left ring finger in pain, and was surprised as the burning sensation rapidly faded. As the last of the pain dissipated, Phoenix looked about frantically, hoping no one had heard his outburst. He quickly pulled himself from the animus, retrieved his cart and jogged out of the room.

As Phoenix walked through the hall toward the elevator, he thought about how lucky he was to work at a building with such tidy people. Though there was the occasional clogged toilet, coffee spill or broken beaker, most of his job consisted of mopping already clean-looking restroom floors and cleaning toilets in the same condition. Because of this, it was unlikely anyone would notice if he didn't actually work for a few days.

He quickly rinsed out a coffee pot on the bottom floor before going home for the day - his shift had ended while he was in the animus. The drive home was uneventful, as was the rest of the night. The next morning, he woke up early once again, put on his uniform, drove to work, took the elevator upstairs to the research wing, and got into the animus.

Shortly after, the game loaded, and Phoenix was Savastian once more, meeting with Arnaldo and Hernando. His finger burned, yet felt cold and damp. He tried not to touch it, not wanting to risk infection.

"Congratulations, niño," Hernando said loudly, slapping a hand onto Savastian's shoulder,"you're an Assassin!" Savastian rubbed his shoulder, smiling. He was an assassin. His training had gone by quickly, and he was proud to say that he was now a full member of the brotherhood. He flexed his wrist, extending his hidden blade, and gazed upon the metal, which appeared to glimmer in the moonlight.

"Savastian," Arnaldo called, "I think it's time we put the finishing touches on your attire."

[FAST-FORWARDING MEMORY TO A MORE RECENT ONE]

Savastian followed his father down a set of stairs, into the training room. Over one of the stands hung a costume comprised of a puffy dress-shirt, similar to Savastian current attire, beneath a white, tailed-vest with red highlights, topped with a white hood.

"Go, put it on."

Savastian walked over to the stand, and an alert came up-

[ASSASSIN OUTFIT: EARNED DURING SEQUENCE TWO]

[PUT ON OUTFIT?]

[Yes]

The lack of a 'No' option told Phoenix he had to select the outfit to move on, and he did so. The screen faded to white, and when it faded back to normal, it showed Savastian fastening a new hidden blade bracer, this one with an Assassin insignia fastened to the the top, over one of his puffy sleeves. He turned to his father, smiling, and pulled up his beaked hood.

"How do I look?" He asked Arnaldo, admiring his new bracer. His father smiled and nodded, replying, "Like a tiny Assassin!" Savastian rolled his eyes, but smirked at his father's comment none the less. He was rather short compared to most Assassins, but most Assassins also weren't as young as him. He was sure to grow soon.

"Meet me at the docks when you are ready, and we can begin the next stage of your training."

A white transition brought Savastian just outside of his home, and he began the run to the docks. When he came to a building, he ran up the wall, reaching for a windowsill. A woman yelped and jumped out of the way as Savastian pulled himself into the building. He raced through the hall, vaulting over a table and leaping through a window on the other side of the house. He hit the ground and rolled before leaping onto a pile of crates, scrambling up the pile and jumping. He grabbed onto a hanging pot and swung around the side of the building, swung on a lamp-pole and landed in a cart of hay.

Savastian pulled himself out of the hay-cart and continued running. Just as he began growing tired, he was met with a stroke of good luck; a guard, riding a horse through town. He rushed behind a corner and whistled, drawing the guard's attention, and the man dismounted the horse and walked over to investigate. It was the last thing he would ever do.

Savastian dug his hidden blade into the guards stomach, pulling him into the shadows. He checked to make sure no one had seen, then walked over to the horse and... 'took possession of it'. On his new mount, he raced through the streets of Vigo, heading for the docks. Civilians moved out of the way of the speeding steed, making a path for Savastian.

once he'd reached the docks, he dismounted and apologized to the horse about taking it's master, then released it's reins.

"Hey!" Shouted a voice, and Savastian turned to see Paulo walking toward him.

"Ah, Paulo... What is it?" Savastian responded, hoping his brother wouldn't interfere with whatever Arnaldo wished to show him.

"You! You've been so distant lately... Always out with Papa. We never talk anymore! What have you even been doing all this time?"

Savastian began lightly scratching his left hand, wondering what he should tell his brother, "Father has been... teaching me his craft."

A grin stretched across Paulo's face, and he grabbed Savastian's shoulders, giving him a slight shake, "So you are to be a sailor, how wonderful!"

Savastian smirked, "Sí... In fact, I was just on my way to meet Papa now. Would you mind if we continued this conversation later?"

Paulo sighed, "I suppose a little more waiting won't make much of a difference."

As Paulo walked away, Savastian looked around for his father. Though he didn't see Arnaldo himself, he did see La encantadora. He ran a hand down the smooth hull of the ship as he made his way to the ramp that lead aboard.

As soon as he stepped aboard the vessel, Savastian attracted some attention, "Hey, niño! What are you doing on my ship!?" Came the voice of a man obviously not of Spanish heritage. Savastian turned to the voice to see a man clothed in the formal-looking attire Savastian often saw in ship captains. The well-dressed man stood out among the band of poorer men readying the ship to sail.

"At ease, Capitán, he is my son." Arnaldo said, putting a hand on the Frenchman's shoulder, "Ah, Savastian? Je m'attendais il a serait ... supérieur."

Though Savastian did not know what the man had said, he had a feeling it was something condescending, simply judging by the captain's tone. Arnaldo whispered something in the captain's ear before signaling for Savastian to come.

Savastian walked over to the men and Arnaldo began speaking.

"Capitán Babineaux has agreed to... help us. You know why I became a sailor, don't you?"

"To ease you in navigation, no?"

"Correct, and the Capitán is the one who gets me from place to place... but it isn't exactly easy to find a ship Capitán who is willing to change course at your every whim... which is why you need to learn to sail for yourself. Capitán, is she ready for open water?"

Savastian grinned. Long before he had ever known about the brotherhood, he had wanted to be the captain of his own ship. He would sometimes sneak onto empty vessels and just bark out orders to an imaginary crew. Now, that crew would be real, and every turn of the wheel would change the course of the ship, every order would change the ship's speed.

"She should be. Men, get her into the water!"

The crew began moving across the deck of the carraca, unfurling sails. Several men grabbed hold of the chain that connected the anchor to the ship and, slowly but surely, pulled up the anchor, and the ship began to slowly drift away from the dock.

"Come, child, take the wheel," The Captain said, taking a step back. Savastian took his place behind the wheel of the ship, and the Captain directed his hands into the correct positions.

Savastian had done a decent amount of research on sailing. He knew the techniques necessary to reach maximum speed and the terminology to use in order to give orders. "Full sail!" He shouted, and Arnaldo repeated with greater confidence and superiority, "Give us everything she has!"

Their speed quickened, and it wasn't long before the ship was in open water.