Now it was time to go after Arthur Menethil, former policeman, skilled mercenary and Sage. After hearing of the deaths of his two comrades, Sir Charles Lemington and Miranda Proudmoore, Arthur had retreated to a town he controlled fifty kilometres away from the city, and surrounded the town with mercenaries that he led.
Jacob knew that he could not take out Arthur Menethil alone, especially with all the mercenaries guarding the area. Even with Evie, the task would still be very difficult. He called upon the Rooks to aid in the mission.
In the early morning, five horse-drawn wagons, each carrying a total of four people, were on the road towards the town of Menethilus, an ancient town with a stronghold owned by the noble Menethil family, which Arthur hailed from.
Jacob sat on the back of the first carriage, addressing everyone. "When we arrive at the town, all of us except the five drivers will launch our attack. When that happens, the drivers will get the hell out of the town and hide somewhere nearby, until the job is done. Our numbers are small compared to all the mercenaries that could be in that bloody town. We only have twenty total fighting, and probably twice the number of enemies, so watch out when you're fighting, is that clear?"
"Yes Boss!" all the Rooks answered in unison.
Soon the wagons stopped outside the town. Jacob, Evie and the eighteen Rooks left the wagons, and drew their weapons as they entered the town.
Jacob told the Rooks, "Split up in groups of three, and kill only mercenaries in the town! Only mercenaries, and not civilians! Be sure to fight quickly and efficiently!"
The Rooks split up quickly and rushed off. Jacob said to Evie, "We split up, and we'll rendezvous in front of the stronghold."
Evie nodded. "Stay safe, brother."
Jacob replied, "Same to you, too."
Walking through the medium-sized town, which was littered with mercenaries, Jacob had to encounter some of them, and kill them. A trio of mercenaries were two streets away from where Jacob had entered the town.
Upon seeing the Assassin, the three mercenaries drew their weapons, which were all shortswords, and brandished them. One of them, who was feeling courageous, charged at Jacob, letting out a battle cry.
Stepping to one side, Jacob grabbed the mercenary's sword arm and twisted it, before going low and using his other hand to punch the mercenary in the gut. As the mercenary staggered backwards, Jacob delivered an uppercut punch to his jaw. Since there were brass knuckles incrusted into his Assassin Gauntlet, Jacob's two punches dealt much more pain.
The other two mercenaries, seeing what Jacob had done to their comrade, wanted to avenge their unconscious friend, and attacked Jacob at the same time. Rolling away from them, Jacob got up behind the mercenaries and punched one of them in the back. He had punched so hard that the mercenary's ribs and spine cracked.
As the last mercenary wheeled around, Jacob released his Hidden Blade and stabbed him in his solar plexus. As the three mercenaries lay on the ground, Jacob continued on his journey to the stronghold.
Just one street away from the stronghold, which was now right before Jacob's eyes, he was stopped by a group of five mercenaries, two of them armed with bayonet-attached rifles. The two riflemen loaded their rifles and aimed them at Jacob, preparing to shoot.
With lightning speed, Jacob drew his revolver and shot the two riflemen dead. But not before one of them could fire a bullet from his rifle. The bullet fortunately only grazed him in the shoulder. Jacob ignored the slight pain from his shoulder as he faced off against the three mercenaries.
In the distance Jacob could see Evie battling another group of mercenaries. His Hidden Blade sprang out as Jacob closed in on them. A few slashes and swipes later, the three mercenaries were all down.
Seeing the approaching Jacob, the mercenaries tried to flee, but Jacob fired a sleeping dart at the fastest-running mercenary, causing him to collapse. The remaining two mercenaries froze and raised their hands, signalling their surrender.
"Where is Arthur Menethil?" Jacob asked.
"In the goddamn castle!" one of the mercenaries answered, spitting on the ground.
A moment later Jacob's shoe came in contact with that mercenary's stomach, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Jacob walked a short distance over to the unconscious mercenary and killed him.
"Where is Arthur Menethil?" Jacob repeated his question.
The second mercenary answered, "He's in his room, at the top of the castle. There's a window in his room, which he's probably using right now to look at the carnage going on here. But you'll never get to him. His room is protected by three elite mercenaries and his personal bodyguard."
"We'll see about that," said Jacob before killing the two mercenaries.
Turning to Evie, Jacob gestured at the entrance, "Ladies first."
Evie rolled her eyes as she walked past Jacob and into the castle. The castle courtyard was not as big as they thought it would be, but there were two heavily-armoured mercenaries, who looked more like the stereotypical knight than a mercenary.
"They must be those elite mercenaries," Jacob muttered.
The first elite mercenary drew a broadsword, before charging at Jacob. Jacob rolled out of the way, getting up quickly and then punching the mercenary in the side with his brass knuckles. The mercenary staggered slightly, but recovered before Jacob could land any more hits.
Meanwhile, the second mercenary, who was more aggressive, was attacking Evie. Evie dodged his attacks, which were slow but brutal, fairly easily. She fired her rope launcher at the mercenary, pulling him closer. As the mercenary came in, Evie kicked the mercenary as hard as she could. The armour vibrated as the mercenary grunted in pain. As the mercenary involuntarily moved backwards, Evie found a weakness in the elite mercenary.
"Jacob, the neck! It's unprotected!" she informed.
He heard Evie, and smirked at the first mercenary as he released his Hidden Blade. Charging at the elite mercenary, Jacob kicked him in the knees, and as the mercenary struggled not to fall, he saw the opening in between the helmet and the body armour. Before the elite mercenary could move, Jacob drove his Hidden Blade into the neck, killing him immediately.
The second mercenary was distracted by his comrade's death, and Evie took advantage of it. Drawing her revolver, she fired at the mercenary, and the force of the bullet hitting the armour made him topple. With his exposed area in view, Evie fired a second shot, this time at the mercenary's neck.
After catching their breath, the two of them entered the castle.