Chapter 20

Hunting the Hunters

Ten minutes… I think that's how much time had passed, the commandos and I just hunkered down inside of the building we were in while we waited for Jake and the rest of our strike force to arrive. As time continued to pass, some of the soldiers decided to rest their eyes instead of trying to stay awake the whole time. Personally, I didn't really blame them, so I assigned two commandos to keep watch while the rest of us rested.

It wasn't until another ten minutes passed, that I was awakened by light tapping on my cheek.

"Mm… Huh?" I murmured as I opened my eyes.

As I rubbed my eyes, I saw Jake kneeling right next to me.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" he asked with a wink.

"Jake," I said as I hugged him.

"…Uh… Ari?" he asked slowly.

"I thought you were dead," I said.

I don't know what possessed me to hug Jake, all I know is that afterwards I pulled myself away fast and started to slap myself awake.

"You were still in a bit of a dream state-"

"Shut up," I said firmly as I slowly stood up, "what took you so long?"

"Ran into a bit of trouble with those soldiers," said Jake, "apparently they're a part of an elite division of soldiers called the Saw-scaled Armor Division."

"…Seems appropriate," I said, "the tanks serve as the scales. And the soldiers serve as the fangs… How many soldiers do you have?"

"Not many," said Jake.

"Don't tell me you ran into a platoon sir," said a commando.

"No, worse," said Jake, "a hunter."

That sent a chill down my spine.

"How many did you lose on your end?" I asked slowly.

Jake looked like he swallowed a bit of saliva.

"…Fifteen," he said.

That made me turn white.

"The hunter was picking the men off squad after squad, I only found out after a survivor was scrambling to find me," he said.

I slammed my fist against the wall.

"DAMMIT!" I muttered.

I buried my face in my hands and let out a heavy sigh.

"We need to pull out," I said, "head back to our headquarters."

"What?" asked Jake.

"Jake, we were unprepared for this," said Ariela, "I mean really unprepared. The new armor division, the hunters, everything. We need to pull back, and we need to pull back now. Regroup and try again."

Jake let out a sighed and ran his hand down his face.

"…You're not going to believe this, but I kind of agree with you," he said.

"Look, Jake I know this-Wait, what?" I asked, sounding shocked.

"I think we should pull back," said Jake.

"…Oh," said Ariela.

Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What's 'oh'?" asked Jake, "what you didn't think I would agree with you?"

"Weeeeeeeeeeeell-"

Jake put his finger to my lips.

"Don't answer that," he said.

And so… Jake and I pulled our soldiers out of the city and headed back to base. We didn't want to do it, but clearly, we were ill-prepared. When we returned, Oberon, Eli and Corrie clearly saw that Jake and I had a bit of a rough time trying to accomplish our mission.

"Armor platoons?" asked Oberon.

"Yeah, and they're good," said Jake, "what's worse is that Ariela didn't see the ship."

"If the ship wasn't there, then where the fuck is it?" asked Corrie.

"That's what I want to know," I said, "unfortunately, if we want to acquire that kind of information, we either need to hunt down Bruno's officers…"

"Or try to capture another hunter," said Jake.

All five us went silent.

"…Let's rest up for now, try to come up with a solid plan," said Ariela.

Everyone nodded and we all went to sleep. The following day, we woke and got together in the mess hall, to try and come up with a solid plan.

"So, it's settled," I said, "we head out and capture a Hunter; bring them back here and see if we can get 'em to tell us where the ship is."

"Templar Hunters are rather elusive Ariela," said Jake, "how do you even plan on catching one? Let alone finding one?"

I smirked at Jake.

"I don't need to look for one," I said, "I need for them to look for me."

"I have a better idea," said Oberon.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Old Eberhart has two major projects going on, the new tank and that giant-ass battleship, right?" asked Oberon, "why don't we try to search for the factory where the that new tank is getting worked on?"

"Huh? Why?" I asked.

"Think about it, something that important to the Templars is going to need some heavy protection, right?" asked Oberon.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Well… Why don't we find the factory and hit that?" asked Oberon.

We all looked at each other for a moment before Corrie spoke up.

"I think that doesn't sound like a bad idea," she said.

"I have to agree, that sounds like a much better idea," said Jake, "and plus we'd be killing two birds with one stone."

And so, it was settled, we agreed to look for the factory where Eberhart was working on the new tank for Germany and destroy it. Despite the solid plan we made though, I couldn't help but feel like we were all thinking the same thing, which was we were hoping that by the time we found the factory, the new ship wouldn't be half-way complete… Or fully complete for that matter.

While we deployed scouts to search for the factory, we also sent small fireteams of assassins to assist the Allied Forces who were engaged with the Nazis and Italians here in Africa… You know… For support. However, it turned out that the Allied Forces were being backed by our brothers from Britain, so our assistance wasn't needed; they still appreciated the help though.

August 1st. We had received word that the British and the Americans had engaged the Japanese again, turns out the bastards were making an island-hopping trip towards our allies in Australia. Heh, not on their watch.

August 6th. One of our scouts finally came back with some good news… And bad news.

"We managed to find the factory," said Peter.

"…What's the bad news?" I asked.

"…It's located in El Alamein," said Peter.

I raised an eyebrow.

"How is that bad news exactly?" I asked.

"Well… From what we've caught wind of ma'am… El Alamein was a vicious warzone back in July," said Peter, "the Allied forces and Axis Forces fought until it ended in a stalemate. And what's more, is that the Templars must've moved the factory to the city sometime after the battle."

"That's not good," said Jake, "from what our brothers in Britain told us, the Allied forces went their to stop the Axis advance on Alexandria, Cairo, and the Suez Canal. If Eberhart's set up shop, there right under the nose of the Allied forces…"

"The allied forces will be face-to-face with Eberhart's new weapon if it's completed by then," I said.

"We need to get to El Alamein," I said.

"Then let's be off," said Jake.

"No," I said, "you stay here… I want Corrie to go with me."

Jake's eyes went wide.

"WHAT!? CORRIE!? WHY!?" he screamed.

"Let's just say… A girl needs to be with her girlfriends every now and again," I said with a wink.

"But I thought you'd want me to accompany you!" sputtered Jake.

"Awwww, are we jealous Jacob?" I teased.

Jake let out a huff and stomped off. I just giggled. He's clearly got some jealous streak going. Him and Oberon both. I didn't want to call them out for it though, lest they get offended… Feel like they're being accused or something.

The next day, Corrie and I gathered twenty commandos, we climbed into the half-tracks and we started to make our way to El Alamein. During the whole ride there, Corrie started to show her true side to me.

"You certainly seem to attract all of the boys, Ariela," said Corrie.

"Huh?" I asked, "oh uh… Yeah… I guess I kind of have that… Charm."

"Sooooo…" said Corrie, "who are you planning to take?"

I whirled around and looked at the Frenchwoman.

"W-W-What?" I asked.

"You heard me," she teased, giving me a playful shove, "who do you have the hots for?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, where the hell did this come from?" I asked, sounding quite alarmed.

"Oh, come on, you have two cute guys just drooling over you and you don't have the hots for either one of them?" asked Corrie.

I blushed.

"Or… You do have the hots for one of them, and you just don't want to tell me," she said with a cheeky grin.

"I… I-I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I tried to look away, "I mean… Jake's my mentor and… I only had a one-night stand with Oberon-"

I clapped a hand over my mouth and looked at Corrie, my face got burning hot when I saw the look on her face.

"…It wasn't a one-night stand was it?" she asked with a big grin.

"Uh…" I said.

I felt my heart start racing.

"Oh, mon Dieu... You're totally crushing on Oberon, aren't you?" she asked.

"No," I said, looking away.

"You're totally crushing on him," she teased.

"No!" I snapped.

"You're in love with that German!" she chirped, playfully nudging me.

"No, no, no, no, and no! You're dead wrong," I said firmly.

"HA! Denial is the clencher!" she teased.

I pounced on her.

"ZATRZYMAJ SWOJĄ TWARZ TWÓJ, BRUDNĄ, KRĄŻĄCĄ FRANCUSKĄ KOBIETĘ (SHUT YOUR FACE HOLE YOU, DIRTY, STINKING FRENCH WOMAN)!" I screamed, shaking her violently.

Well… Aside from that little… Ordeal… The rest of the trip to El Alamein was long and quiet, with our little band stopping somewhere in Libya only to gather some water at a little stream and for… Well, bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. Afterwards, we kept going. I guess I must've fallen asleep during a good portion of the trip, because I awoke to one of the commandos nudging me.

"We're here ma'am," he said.

"Ugh… What time is it?" I asked.

"Evening," he said, "hope you don't mind ma'am, we stopped outside of the city, didn't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"That's fine," I said as I sat up and stretched.

I nudged Corrie awake.

"Mm?" she murmured.

"We're here," I said.

Corrie rubbed her eyes.

"I was having a dream," she said, "…a very good dream."

I smirked and jumped out of the half-track.

"Well, when this is all over, I'll let you get back to it," I said, "alright, everyone, let's leave the half-tracks here. Corrie, rally the men and bring them into the city. I'll scout ahead, see if I can get a bird's eye view."

Corrie nodded. I took off into the city. When I arrived, I made my way over to the closest building and started to climb until I reached the rooftop. I moved across the roof and knelt at the edge. I looked around for a brief moment before closing my eyes, clearing my mind and listening to where everything and where anyone was.

I couldn't find anything so far… Until I picked up the sound of soldiers marching through the streets. I also picked up the horrid stench of chimney stack exhaust. Lastly, I picked up the sound of… Chatter.

"They were pushed back?"

"Yes sir. Pushed them back more than a few weeks ago."

"It seems they were no match for the Field Marshal's personal armor division."

I opened my eyes and followed the voices to an alleyway. I looked down and activated my Eagle Vision. One of the figures came up red, likely a soldier, another came up gold.

"What are our orders?" asked the soldier.

That was my cue, so I deactivated my Eagle Vision, dropped down and assassinated the man.

"What's up?" I asked.

The other man, who turned out to be a hunter, was quick to draw his sword and swing on me. I rolled out of the way and drew my Karabela, blocking his next three hits before we locked blades and I kicked him back a few steps. The hunter growled and swung on me again, but I rolled out of the way again and moved out into the open. I got in a ready stance and beckoned him, the hunter charged and swung on me again while I swung on him, the two of us trading strikes with one another under the night sky.

"Why have you come here?" asked the hunter.

"You guys are smart," I said as I locked blades with the hunter, "figure it out."

The hunter and I broke off for a moment, then we started swinging on each other again. The hunter and I charged, slamming our blades into each other three times before we locked and then started swinging on one another again.

The hunter and I broke off after we engaged each other. I could already feel myself getting tired. Damn Damien, training these Templars to virtually be on par with the likes of us. As I got ready for the next round, someone dropped down and landed on top of the hunter, before stabbing him in the back of the neck with their hidden blade.

"Caught you at a bad time?" asked Corrie.

I smirked.

"And, where were you?" I asked as she rose to her feet.

"Trying to find your ass," she said.

I laughed. Corrie's eyes suddenly went wide and moved off the hunter.

"Wait, weren't we supposed to capture one of these guys?" she asked.

"We'll do that once we find the factory where Eberhart's constructing his secret weapon," I said, "where are the men?"

"Following close behind," she said.

"Then let's get moving," I said as I led the way.

Corrie and I led our strike force through the city, surprisingly, we didn't see any of Eberhart's personal armored division anywhere patrolling the streets. And while we were able to find the factory after looking for at least a good two hours, I couldn't help but feel… Uneasy.

"…No armor division… No soldiers… Not even military police," I said as Corrie and I eyed the factory from above.

"Why place such an important structure here in the city without providing it with protection?" asked Corrie.

"…That's what worries me," I said.

I motioned for everyone to follow me, when we were in range, Corrie and I motioned for the men to move into position.

"Don't shoot until I say," I told, Squad Leader, Calvin.

Corrie and I moved ahead a little more until I motioned for her to stop. The factory, which was located near the coastline, actually was guarded, as evidence by the two guards posted at the gated fence.

"Well… Looks like they didn't completely leave the door open on purpose," I said.

"What's the move?" asked Corrie.

"Synchronized takedown," I said.

Corrie nodded in agreement and the two of us moved over towards the entrance of the factory, keeping a low profile so that way the guards wouldn't suspect us. Unfortunately, as we drew closer, the guards appeared to get suspicious of us, luckily Corrie and I managed to move out of their line of sight before they started to investigate. I looked over at Corrie and gave her a nod. The two of us drew in close towards the entrance.

"Hallo (Hey)," I heard one of the guards say.

"Ja (Yeah)?" asked the other guard.

"Hast du schon einmal gespielt (Have you ever played)-"

But they were cut off when Corrie jumped out and stabbed them both with our hidden blades, ending them rightly and moving them out of sight. I whistled and motioned for the men to follow in close behind Corrie and me as we headed towards the factory doors.

"This is going to be easier than-"

But Corrie was cut off as the doors opened and squad after squad of Templar soldiers came running out, surrounding us.

"…You just had to say it," I said as Corrie and I stood back to back.

"I didn't even get to finish though," said Corrie.

As the soldiers surrounded us, we heard someone slowly walk out of the factory and show themselves. It was another hunter. A female by the looks of it.

"You lost, Silverblade?" she asked coyly as she twirled a lock of her hair with her index finger.

"Actually, I'd say we're just where we need to be," I said, "so uh… Why don't you tell your boys to back off and… This won't turn into a late-night firefight?"

"'Fraid not love," said the huntress, "we were just about to test out our prototype tonight and we can't afford to have you destroy it before we take it out for a spin."

I felt a chill go up my spine. They completed the prototype already.

"We were planning on testing it out somewhere in the desert… But you'll do much better," she said.

And with one inhale…

"NOW!" she screamed.

The ground started to rumble beneath me and Corrie's feet.

"There's no way that's actually the prototype," I said.

But sure enough, around the corner came the new tank… And it was armed… Armed to the teeth.

"Oh, hell no," I groaned.

"Men prepare to scatter on my mark," said the huntress.

Seeing little choice, I had to do it.

"ATTACK!" I screamed.

And just like that, our commandos began to storm on the factory; Corrie and I dropped to the ground as gunfire filled the air. The sound of soldiers screaming and crying out was heard as the body count started to rise almost instantly.

"We've got to get to that tank Corrie, or else this fight's going to be really… Really short," I said.

The huntress stood in front of us.

"You want to get to the prototype?" she asked as she drew her saber, "you'll have to go through me."

Corrie and I looked at each other.

"You ready to do this?" I asked as I drew my Karabela.

"I've got your back Ariela," she said as she drew her rapier.

Author's note: Kept ya waiting, huh?