Chapter 26

Ezio went into the command tent and sat down, he had just appointed his apprentices the Master Assassin Level and he realized that they were not magicians or sorcerers. They could not ward themselves or protect from spells and Ezio would not always be there.

Ezio thought about storing wards into something like a gem but less flashy. He thought for a moment and then looked at his belt with the metal Assassins symbol on it. "Yes" he said, getting up. He focused his mind and then in a flash teleported himself to the Farthen Dur HQ.

Ezio coughed loudly and spat his blood out. "Have to be more careful" he said to himself.

Ezio rested for a while, then got up and headed towards the forge. He Put the billows working and began to melt down some platinum. The he got a gem from the Assassins treasury and poured the platinum over it. The he put some iron on to make it the shape of a teardrop. Pleased, he started to ward his first belt buckle.

Ezio put every ward he could think of onto the insignia and he even put a little of his energy into the belt buckle. He sighed, pleased with his work. He now had to do ten more.

Ezio collapsed onto a stool and wiped his blackened face with a towel. He was tired but happy with what he had done and decided that he should go celebrate.

Picking up a satchel with the buckles, Ezio focused and teleported to the Assassins command tent. He staggered back after appearing and put the satchel down. Roran suddenly came in and Ezio looked up at him.

"Ah Roran, just the man I wanted to see" exclaimed Ezio. "What do you need Mentor?" asked Roran. "A drink" was all Ezio said "I haven't stopped in months and I need to unwind so please show me a tavern or something and then take the night off".

Roran showed Ezio to a big tent with wooden beams and led him inside. "This is where the normal men usually come to unwind" said Roran. They entered the sleazy looking tavern and sat up at the bar. Roran ordered two ales and Ezio quickly observed the room full of drunk soldiers.

Ezio and Roran began to discuss softer topics other than war and death and talked about Roran's life and Ezio's life and after the fourth ale it went on to women. "So you plan to marry the first girl you met" laughed Ezio as he took another swig from his tankard.

"Yep" said Roran. "What about you?, any romantic interests" queried Roran. "Nah, just a couple of one night flings, there were three who I really loved but they're all dead now" said Ezio, staring darkly into his empty tankard.

Roran decided to drop the conversation as he staggered over to the bar for another ale. While he was gone, Ezio looked down at the table as he remembered his three loves. The noble, the fighter and the scholar. He smiled, he would always have his memories.

Suddenly Ezio was surprised as his table collapsed with a very beaten Roran on top of it.

Ezio stood up and looked at three soldiers who were making off with his hammer. Ezio followed them in a very indiscreet way, tripping over someone three times and somehow losing a tuft of his hair along the way.

The men reached a tent and going inside it with the hammer they began to play a noisy game of cards to determine who got the weapon.

Ezio decided to teach these men a lesson and at the time in his inebriated state he didn't think of later consequences. He set the tent on fire using magic and he dug a big hole at the opening of the tent and waited. After two minutes Ezio could hear screams as the men realised their tent was on fire and ran out the tent flap. Falling into the hole.

Ezio put out the flames and observed the men with sprained or broken legs and arms moan In pain, "serves you right" said Ezio as he stumbled into the charred barely standing tent and reclaimed Roran's precious hammer.

He stumbled back to the tavern and set it atop Roran who was peacefully snoring in a corner. Ezio then stumbled to the bar and ordered again another ale. He couldn't really remember what he did after that, stumbled around, insulted a nearby old bull and finally he collapsed into a tent which unfortunately was belonging to Eragon's elf protectors who were instantly alert and put half the army on red alert before they discovered an unconscious Ezio underneath.

When Ezio awoke in the morning he was in the least bit happy with his behaviour, his actions and his hangover which made it worse when everyone of the Varden's leaders started to politely insult him.

Being the leader of an army per say he had responsibilities and such so he blamed it on the fact that he was young and that opened up a new topic as everyone demanded exactly how he was young.

He returned to the Assassins Command tent and looked at the satchel with the belt buckles. Scanning the minds of the Varden he eventually sought out and contacted everyone to come here immediately. Roran, Roman and Nicoline arrived in minutes and soon Ezio had distributed the Belts and explained how they would protect them against magical attack but draw on their energy, there was energy in the belt but it wouldn't last long under fire.

He called Roran for training and dismissed the other two as they were not really pupils anymore, more like advisors and leaders in their own way. Ezio trained Roran some more in preparation for the journey he was to take to Helingrind to find his true love.

After a while Ezio decided that he should invest in a smithy and asked a Carvhall man called Horst to forge specific pieces of equipment for the Assassins to be paid handsomely.

Horst paused for thought and accepted the deal.

Indeed everything was going fine until the soldiers that couldn't die showed up.