Hey, here's chapter 21 of Assassin's Creed Awakening. The last chapter ended on a total cliffhanger, will John survive his encounter with the Templar? Let's find out.
John groaned through his teeth, the last stitch being used to sew up his stab wound.
"That should do it" the doctor said, cutting the thread used to close John's wound. "You take it easy. And try to be more careful next time" the doctor warned.
"Yeah, I'll do my best" John said, tucking in his shirt and pulling down his robes. "Thanks" he said, hopping off the table.
The assassin placed his hand on his wound, wincing at the pain of the touch. He still couldn't believe what had happened earlier.
[Flashback]
"And now…" Harry pulled out his revolver, pointing it at John's head. He smirked, "This is where your life ends" he said.
"So, this is how my parents were killed…" John thought, gritting his teeth, his eyes narrowed at the gunman.
"Or, at least, that's what I would say if you didn't put on an amazing show" Harry twirled his revolver in his fingers before putting it back into its holster. "That and you saved me the trouble of paying those poor bastards. So, here's what I'm going to do…" he began. "You go patch yourself up. We meet up in the middle of town at sunset, gun vs. gun, fastest draw wins" he declared.
"Heh. How generous…" John replied sarcastically.
"See you then… assassin" Harry turned around and walked away, leaving an injured John to himself.
[End of Flashback]
"Sunset. That's only an hour from now" John said, loading his hidden pistol with bullets. He looked to the horizon to see the sun about to set. "Well, it's an I'm more than prepared for" John narrowed his eyes in determination.
An hour had passed, the sun was half set over the horizon. As declared by Harry, John had arrived in the center of town. John stood on one side of the road, while Harry stood on the other. What had caught John's attention though was that there was a crowd gathered on either side of the road. Even the mother and child that he had helped earlier were there.
"I hope you're all ready for this. Everyone, all bets are on! Who will win? Yours truly…" Harry gestured to himself, "Or the guy in the hood?" he gestured to the assassin. The crowd chanted, half of them betting on Harry and the other half betting on John.
"You're really going to have them bet on who wins?" John questioned.
"And I'm taking the money of those that bet on you" Harry said, "If you win, you can take the money. But that won't matter since you'll be dead soon enough"
"I'm hoping the guy in the hood kills Louis" a man in the crowd whispered to someone. *bang* the fell to the floor dead, having been shot in the head by Louis.
Louis blew the smoke from his gun. "Just a little target practice"
Luna: Dude, that guy's brutal. Take him down, Papa John!
John growled under his breath, clenching his fist as he narrowed his eyes at the Templar.
"On the count of three, we draw" Harry said. "One…" he started, a small gust of wind blew, a tumbleweed rolling across the ground.
"Two…" John said, turning the dial on his bracer, putting it to the pistol mode.
Everything went silent, the only sound being of the two men's breathing. A drop of sweat running down the side of their faces as they stared each other down. Harry wiggled his fingers, his hand slowly moving towards his revolver.
"Three!" they shouted in unison, both men raising their arms, and then…
*Bang* a shot echoed through the town. The townsfolk remained silent. That was when one of the two men fell to the ground. They turned their attention to the one that was still standing. John brought his wrist to his lips, blowing the smoke from his hidden pistol. He approached the fallen man, kneeling beside him. Harry slowly turned his head to the assassin.
[Confession]
"Heh. Looks like it's the end of the trail for me. It's a shame, I could've gotten so much money if I had killed you" Harry said, cradled in John's arms.
"Cut the crap, Louis. Reid told me you knew the whereabouts of the Weston Twins. Now, where are they?" John asked in a demanding voice.
"They're usually on the move, going between each town within Michigan, going back to a previous town at least once a week…" Harry informed him. "Right now, they should be in a place called Great Lakes. Good luck trying to stop them though…" he chuckled before going limp in John's arms.
"Requiescat in pace, (Rest in peace,) you son of a bitch" John said as he laid the man's body on the ground, using a hand to close his eyes.
[End of confession]
"That was amazing!" a voice said. John looked over his shoulder to see the boy from earlier approach him, along with his mother.
"You took him out. Which is good because he was going around shooting people and taking their money" the mother said.
"Well, you guys won't have to worry about him anymore" John smiled, "I better get going, I have somewhere to be. It was nice meeting you" the assassin said as he walked past the mother and son.
Assassin Hideout…
"So, how did your mission go? Considering you're still alive, I'm assuming well?" Rose asked, she and John sitting on a couch.
"Yeah, I even used the pistol enhancement like I said" John said, turning the dial on his bracer, switching it back to the hidden blade.
"Not bad, Morgan" Rose playfully smacked him in the abdomen.
"AH!" John screamed, wincing as he held the area where was hit.
"Ooh. Are you alright?" Rose asked with concern.
"…Yeah. Just got stabbed there, that's all. No need to worry" John said, giving her a reassuring smile.
"That's the life of an assassin for you. Pain. You suffer it, inflict it, watch it happen with the hope that you can help it disappear in time" Rose placed her hand top of John's which laid on top of his injury. "And there's always someone there to help you recover" she gave him a small smile. He smiled back.
"Did you get that from a journal?" John asked.
"I studied up a bit on Ezio during my years of training" Rose gave a shrug of one shoulder.
"Heh. Well, you're right though. It's nice to have someone help you dull the pain. Physical and emotional" John said. He and Rose gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before looking off in opposite directions, a blush crossing each of their faces.
Luna: [Teasingly] Ooh! I think Papa John's got a thing for her.
"Ahem" they heard someone clear their throat. They saw John's older sister, Joanna standing before them. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.
"No!" John and Rose said quickly, simultaneously turning from each other. Joanna smirked at their reaction.
"Did I hear right, John? Did you get stabbed?" Joanna asked, taking a seat beside her brother, opposite of Rose.
"Yeah, but a doctor patched me up" John replied.
"Do you want me to kiss it better?" Joanna teased.
"Joanna!" John facepalmed, his face burning with annoyance as his sister and his friend laughed at him.
"Seriously though, I'm glad you're alright, baby brother" Joanna affectionately pinched her brother's cheek.
"Speaking of brothers, I have some good news. I know the location of the Weston Twins, the men responsible for killing our parents" John began. "They're in a town called Great Lakes. If I hurry, I could probably take them out before they leave" he said, standing up.
"You're leaving already? You just got back" Rose pointed out. "Plus, you should wait for that wound to heal before you go picking a fight" she added.
"Yeah, and you and I were just reunited after so many years. I don't want what happened to Mom and Dad to happen to you" Joanna chimed in.
"You should at least rest up and wait until morning before you go after them" Rose suggested.
There was a pause between the three. John looked between the two women. He blinked.
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" John asked. The girls shook their heads.
Luna: That's a situation Linc's all too familiar with.
John sighed. "Fine, I'll rest up. But in the morning, I'm heading out to take down those bastards" he said, heading to his bedroom for a good night's sleep.
The Next Day…
The sun had risen over the horizon, bringing a new day. Right now, John had adjusted the saddle to his horse, having attached applies to it.
"Heading out already?" a voice said. John looked over his shoulder to see Rose, her arms crossed over her chest with a sly smirk. "It's kind of early, don't you think?"
"Don't worry, Wayne knows, and so does my sister" John told her, "The sooner I take out the Weston Twins, the sooner my parents can rest in peace and I can move on with my life" he added.
"You're really determined to end their lives, aren't you?" Rose asked.
"More than anything" John replied, hopping on the back of his horse. "Are you going to try to stop me?"
"Try the opposite" Rose said. She approached him and hopped on the very horse John was riding, sitting behind him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, making sure not to put too much pressure on his wound. "If you're going to do this, you might as well have a partner with you. Two against one isn't exactly fair"
"Fair enough. YAH!" John whipped the reins, his horse neighing before taking off.
Great Lakes…
It was a few hours before John and Rose arrived in the town of Great Lakes. John pulled back the reins, causing his horse to come to a halt. The two assassins hoped of the horses back, John making sure to tie up the horse to keep it secure.
"Ok, our first step in finding the twins is asking the locals if they've seen them. Luckily, I kept their wanted poster from when I chased after them the first time" John said, holding an aged piece of paper with the men's pictures on it.
"We should probably check the bar then" Rose suggested, pointing to the building in front of them.
"Are you just saying that, so I'll buy you a drink?" John asked skeptically.
"No. That's just usually the place you go to when you want to get information on people for some reason" Rose told him.
Connor: She's got a point. That's usually what happens in movies.
John shrugged. He and Rose entered the bar, the double doors swishing back and forth behind them. Seeing as there were two empty seats, the sat at upfront.
"Welcome, what can I get you?" the bartender asked them, washing a mug out with a washcloth.
"Two things" John began. "First, two root beers, one for me and my friend" he motioned his head to Rose.
"Two root beers, coming up" the bartender said. He grabbed two mugs and filled them to the brim with soda, fizz running down the side as he passed them the drinks. "Now, what's the other thing?" he asked.
"We were wondering if you know the whereabouts of these two men" John held up the poster of the twins. The bartender's eyes widened in fear.
"You're looking for the Weston Twins?" the bartender asked, getting the attention of everyone else within the building.
"I…" John glanced at Rose, "I mean, we are. Do you know where they could possibly be?" he asked.
"I just got my Bar rebuilt after it had been burned down by those two. Usually when they come to this town, they're usually seen spending time with the sheriff" the bartender told him.
"So, they're threatening him, too?" Rose asked.
"Nah" one of the people in the bar began. "Those two are friends with the sheriff"
"The sheriff isn't exactly the good kind. He's more of the corrupt kind of sheriff" A woman added.
"Corrupt how?" John raised an eyebrow.
"What doesn't he do?" one of the people asked rhetorically. "He exploits the townspeople, bribes the officials, and when he's alone with little girls, he—"
"We get it" Rose cut them off. "Why don't you people just kick him out of town?" she asked.
"Because whenever someone tries to confront him, the guards always stop them" one of them replied.
"Does anyone know when he isn't protected by guards?" John asked.
"There are only three times when he's unguarded" the bartender spoke. "When he's asleep, when he's in his office on a lunch break, or when he's here in the bar getting drunk" he informed them.
"Hmm…" John took a sip of his soda.
In his office during lunch, huh? If John were right, then the sheriff's office must've also doubled as the town's prison. There was only one way to get close to this guy.
"Are you planning to take out the sheriff?" a guy next to John asked.
John glanced to the side to see a black guy with short hair and a beard. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, dark grey pants, and black shoes. Perched on his face were a pair of glasses.
Luna: That guy kind of looks like Lincoln's friend, Clyde.
"Maybe…" John said, not taking his eyes off his drink.
"Name's Nate" the guy held out his hand, introducing himself. John eyed his hand for a moment.
"John" John shook his hand.
"Hey, sweetheart" a guy came up from behind Rose, the scent of alcohol on his breath. "What's a pretty lady like you doing in a place like this?"
"Hmph. That's none of your concern. Do me a favor and back off" Rose said, not looking at the guy.
"You don't have to act tough for me. You and I can just—"
"Hey!" John spoke up, getting the guy's attention. "The lady told you to leave her alone" he said, glaring at him. "So, back off before I make you back off"
"Oh? And what're you going to do if I don't?" the man asked, glaring back at John.
John grabbed his drink splashed the man's face with it. The man growled, running around Rose and charging at John. John was quick to knock him back with a well-placed kick to his stomach, sending him into a nearby table. The man ran at John again. John crouched on his seat before leaping out of the way past the man, doing a tuck and roll as landed on the ground, stopping on one knee. The assassin turned to see Nate grab his mug and hit it over the man's head, shattering it into pieces.
The man grabbed Nate by the collar of his shirt and flung him. Nate skidded across the floor on his back, stopping beside John. John helped Nate up, both standing back on their feet. Nate grabbed a nearby plate and tossed it at the man's head, only for the man to tilt his head out of the way. Nate ran up to the man and threw a punch at the man, only for the man to catch the punch in his hand. Nate threw another punch, only for that to be caught as well.
"Nice try" the man said mockingly.
"I wasn't trying to hit you myself" Nate smirked.
The man was caught off guard by John delivering a flying kick to his face, knocking him back, causing him to tumble over the counter. Nate and John nodded at each other. That's when they saw the drunken man stand on top of the counter, looking down upon them with a growl. Rose knocked over her drink, spilling it all over the counter. The man stepped in the liquid, causing him to topple over, landing face first on the floor.
The man got up and tackled Nate. He put his hands around the black man's throat, squeezing it. Nate found himself unable to take in air. Rather than see an innocent man die, John grabbed a nearby wooden chair. He whistled, getting the man's attention. John smacked him in the face with the chair, causing him to roll off Nate, the black man gasping for air. John approached the man whose nose now bled. He raised the chair over his head before bringing it down onto the man's head, knocking him out. Also, there some blood trickling from the back of the man's head.
"Thanks" Nate said, massaging his throat.
"It was nothing" John replied, tossing the chair aside. "Well, that was fun" he added while dusting off his hands.
"Agreed" a voice said. Everyone turned to the door to see a short man leaning against it with his arms crossed.
"The sheriff!" everyone gasped under their breaths.
"That was quite the show, men. Too bad starting bar fights will land you behind bars for a week" The sheriff said with six guards appearing. "Take 'em away, boys" he told the guards.
Two of the guards arrested the unconscious man, two more arrested Nate, and the final two arrested John. In most cases, John would have struggled against, fought and most likely killed the guards. However, this was different. He hadn't put up a fight, he just let them grab him. John turned his attention to the Rose, who still sat at the bar. He gave her a quick nod, to which she replied with a nod of her own. The assassin soon found himself being taken away.
John shot the sheriff a quick glance as they walked past him. The assassin gave a small smirk that went unnoticed by everyone. Excellent.
And that's the end of this chapter. Not only did John take out yet another Templar, but now he's one step closer to exacting his revenge. What'll happen next? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out.
If you have any ideas for the next chapter or future chapters, say it in a review or message me.
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