Chapter Eighty-Five: Scouts Plight
Altair had explained quite a lot to Malik. In fact, Connie had been wondering if that had been such a good idea. The only reason she had remained silent on the matter, was that she trusted Altair to make good judgement. If Altair considered Malik to be a trustworthy friend, she would do so as well. She was sure Desmond and Lucy would have also spoken up if they had doubts, but they too didn't interject. It was more like they were on board with the idea from the start.
They were sitting in a brief moment of silence, the group not wanting to say more as Malik seemed to be deep in thought after all the information. After a moment, his eyes opened and he placed his hand on the table as he made direct eye contact with Connie.
"So you brought rift raft back with you, and now we have to clean up your mess?" he asked head tilted, summing up what they told him easily. His tone of voice was slightly condescending, but she didn't take it to heart. She was the cause of a number of things after all.
"Well…" started Connie, before she lowered her head. "I guess you could say that."
"Malik..." It was Altair whose low voice came then, and he spoke Malik's name with a warning. When Malik met his eyes, he immediately noticed his glare and turned away. Malik coughed lightly before continuing.
"I suppose it was out of your control, but the fact remains true that you are the cause." Said Malik, continuing his assessment. Even though Altair had warned him to choose his words carefully, it seemed he wasn't going to change his initial opinion.
"Actually, you guys were going to get attacked soon regardless, so you should be happy we're here to help." Said Desmond, his head resting on his arm propped on the table. He was sitting in such a relaxed manner, his voice patronizing as he stared down Malik.
"Let alone warn you," continued Desmond with a chuckle.
Lucy took this moment to step on Desmond's foot, but he only looked over at her and smiled brightly. As if to innocently say 'What did I do?'
Lucy and Desmond both knew that wasn't exactly what happened in the previous past's timeline, but Lucy wasn't going to correct what Desmond said. They didn't need to know, that past had long been overwritten.
Malik narrowed his eyes at him, but remained silent.
"So you have not told the others I assume?" questioned Malik, turning to face Altair for the answer.
"No, they only know that Robert's men are coming." Answered Altair.
"Do we have a plan?" asked Malik.
"We're working on it, but these three can't exactly move things along on their own. And I can only do so much," answered Altair.
"I see, so that's why you called for me." Replied Malik, his lips forming a thin line.
"Yes, currently Abbas sent Assassins to assess the situation. However we already know they are coming, this is their best option." Said Altair.
Altair knew that Abbas did not trust him fully, which was why he was so set on sending Assassins to scout. Altair didn't mind though, when he was proven right, Abbas would be more likely to believe him in the future.
"I see," said Malik, his gaze looking over to the other three who were observing him intently. He didn't appreciate their stares, nor did he appreciate how relaxed they all looked. Who were these people exactly? Was a thought that kept pestering his mind.
"Tell me what you have in mind, I will help where I am able." Said Malik to the three outsiders before him. They all perked up then, and sent him a warm smile. He was stunned by their positive reaction to him, and then he became curious. He felt like they knew something he didn't, and the thought irked him.
Malik found it hard to believe they were from another time, but their mannerisms and his past experiences with Connie led him to believe it. If they were here to inform them of a possible attack, he would be an imbecile to ignore it.
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Days past for the Assassins, and it wasn't long before they had officially received word from their scouts that an army of soldiers were indeed on their way towards Masyaf Castle. It was an army much larger than the Assassins initially thought.
Lucy's prediction had been spot on, as it was true the Templars had formed a partnership with King Richard. This was something Robert had planned, manipulating King Richard into believing the Assassins were their common enemy. Vidic had insured the two factions had joined, something that had been prevented by Altair in the previous timeline. Altair had done so by uncovering Roberts's deception towards King Richard.
Altair had not told Abbas of that partnership, only that Robert was coming, as it might have been suspicious for him to be so well informed. His cover story was that he 'happened' to see the Templar army on his way back to Masyaf, and not the whole army after all.
However, with this new information received, it was praiseworthy to note that many of the Assassins did not fear such an altercation. Many seemed to take the information in stride, and focus towards preparing for an attack.
This was all due to the inherit duties of their line of work. None of them feared death, and were instead focused on their duty to the Assassins Order. The Creed bound them together, and it was also their strength. They would never surrender to a Templar threat.
Altair and Abbas spearheaded many of the preparations, and cooperation seemed to be an issue of a forgotten past. This was not a simple matter after all, and Abbas knew the issues at hand needed complete focus and trust overall.
Lucy, Desmond, and Connie were able to make their own preparation with the help of Malik. He was their cover, and they were able to make many arrangements while hiding in his shadow.
One of their plans was to make use of the cliff sides to have factions of archers. This way when the enemy came close enough, they would be able to attack from the sides in a surprise flank, and catch them off guard as they remained hidden. Connie and Lucy would be part of one of these teams, with Malik in charge. Malik was only suited for such roles, and could not directly help with conflict due to his past injuries.
Their plan was taking into account the assumption that Vidic had no idea they had much time to prepare. One of their predictions was that he would assume they had not altered the past, and that Altair had killed their Master, causing discord within the Order. They were assuming Vidic would take this opportunity to attack the order at such a time, and it seemed he was indeed making his move now.
They wanted to use the minimum necessary use of violence, but they also knew that sometimes it was unavoidable.
The group needed to adapt to the currents time, and try to outmaneuver Vidic. That was not such a simple task, but they knew they couldn't panic. They had to stay calm and watch the battle unfold, and adjust accordingly.
They had the advantage of defending as well, which allowed one to analyses what is to come and adjust. And most often, the victors in war are those who defend.
They had planned to create a threatening presence in the beginning. Their Plan A of sorts was to try and 'scare' the enemy. To scare them means to break them.
Of course, this tactic does not always work. As an enemy may call such a bluff, but they would try to back it as much as they could. However, a Plan B was also discussed among others. This was to 'frustrate' the enemy by fighting on their own terms, they did have the defending side after all. And of course, while that was their one advantage, they also had the advantage of already knowing their enemy.
Vidic was a foe they had already faced on many occasions, and it was safe to say they had an idea of how he did things.
Other teams were formed for ground divisions, where Altair and Desmond would be fighting. They had discussed formations among themselves with the manpower they had. The Assassins were indeed outnumber when it came to bodies, but it could also be said that one Assassin was equal to ten men.
This was of course, a point claimed by Abbas to the Assassins in one of his motivational speeches. Not only did Abbas speak in motivation, but he also spoke of their plans to the rest of the Assassin Order, he was a great speaker.
Everything was going as smoothly as they could hope.
Connie wasn't thrilled about being separated from Altair during the battle. But he had insisted that she should not be in the middle of such a fight. He had convinced her that he would be able to focus on fighting and protecting himself if he wasn't worrying about her safety the whole time.
He was a solo Assassin for most of his life, so Connie couldn't really debate that she could help him. So instead, she had agreed as she would be able to watch from above and provide him cover with her rifle. She decided she would protect him from afar if he needed it, which was the best she could do with what he allowed.
It was an odd thought that she was limiting herself to what he wanted. But she knew that he just never wanted her to be in harm's way ever again, and this was his way of ensuring that. She just wished he would rely on her a little more, but when it came to the past, she was always the one relying on him it seemed.
However this wasn't the past anymore for her, this would be her present and future from now on. There was nothing left for her in that time, and as the necklace put it, it was now too dangerous. That was something she still had to interrogate the necklace about.
While they had many other backup plans, the original team consisting of Lucy, Desmond, Altair, and Connie—had discussed the use of their trump card. That is, if their plans don't pan out, Altair would make use of the relic, the Piece of Eden. This was among the few things Malik was unaware of. The less people who knew, the better, especially if there was no need for them to know.
They weren't sure how Malik would react if he knew Altair had the Piece of Eden. As he was one of the few Assassins who was familiar with it, and he might question why they had it.
They didn't think now was a good time for Malik to learn the truth of their Masters death. Depending on how he took the news, it could go really badly for them.
If the battle comes to it, Altair should not hesitate to use such a trump card, even if he did not have much time to practice his control of it. However Desmond had assured Altair, that if there was anyone who could use it properly, it was him.
Altair had been hesitant of such a plan, but he ended up agreeing. Connie urging him that having too many back up plans is not a bad idea. And he couldn't help but agree with a laugh.
Besides, that was only if things got really bad, and it was better to have backup plans then be grasping for ideas in the middle of battle.
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The moon was brightly shining as two Assassins moved under the cover of night. The two, Amir and Al-Din, had received orders from Master Abbas to scout out the enemy camp for any valuable information. Abbas had stressed the importance of gathering as much information of the enemies movements as they could. The pair tasked with this mission were brothers who had worked together for many years, and they were confident they would complete their mission.
The camp was still a day's way from entering the view of Masyaf, but the scouts knew that they had an important job on their hands. One they couldn't take lightly. They traveled with as much stealth as they could, keeping their distance as they looked on from afar.
The scale of the army was quite large as the two observed the camp in the open landscape. There were many tents, some of which were of poor quality, while others were large enough to hold many people. There weren't many torches or lights illuminating the camp, but there were enough to make it visible from a distance.
There were easily over 100 tents in view, but the number was only an estimate. They had to gather more information.
"Din, let's go." Spoke Amir as he motioned for them to move on.
Nodding to one another, the two Assassins moved together as they stalked the perimeter of the Templar camp. One watched on from the front, while the other watched their backs, the two moving in sync.
Amir and Din had gone on many scouting missions in the past, so their movements and tactics were finely honed. They moved with much confidence.
They were scouting from a higher position, however there wasn't much they could gather from such a distance. They thought that they could potentially overhear some vital information if they got closer, so they slowly followed through with that plan. There weren't many knights on patrol, and the few they came across, the two were able to easily avoid.
They had been moving around for some time before a sudden bang was heard in the silent night. It was such a shock to one of the Assassins, and he immediately turned to face his companion in worry. However, Din was met with an unexpected sight. His Brother Amir was on the floor after a thud, and even in the dark night, he was able to see his white tunic slowly staining red under the moonlight.
The sight before him left him shocked. Dropping to his knees, he turned his brother over, his hands shaking. His fears were confirmed when he saw his brothers lifeless face, he was gone.
It was then that a sound came from behind Din, and he knew with certainty that he was next. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he knew how it would end.
There was a voice then from behind, but he couldn't understand. Moments later, he understood every word.
"Don't move." Came the sudden disembodied voice.
The Assassin Al-Din had wanted to be strong in his final moments, but he couldn't help the chill that went down his spine as he heard such a voice.
Din was frozen, when he was then kicked from behind and held to the floor. His arms were brought behind him, and he swiftly felt cold metal on his wrists before hearing a loud clicking. He tried to move his hands then, but he realized he was restrained by the cold tight metal. This wasn't something an Assassin could escape easily.
As the man behind him got off his back, he felt a kick to his side as he was rolled over forcibly.
Staring down at Din was a man in all black from head to toe, his presence was strong and his face was cast with shadows. The Assassin couldn't help but look up with wide eyes.
"Get up, you're coming with me." Said the voice as he pointed something down at him. Din had to assume that was the object that had killed his Brother. This man wouldn't be threatening him with it otherwise. It never crossed Din's mind to defy the man.
Nodding slowly, the Assassin got up on his knees before lifting his weight into his legs as he got up. He felt his legs shake unsteadily, but he was swiftly grabbed from behind by the arms and pushed forward. Din struggled to maintain his balance.
The man in black was bringing him deeper into the camp he realized. He didn't know when he would be killed, but he knew there was a great chance of it.
He squeezed his eyes shut in shame. Never before had he been snuck up on, his skills in stealth had been something he was proud of. Yet he and his brother were so easily found? He felt sick just thinking of his failure.
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Meanwhile, Vidic sat in his tent in a relaxing manner, his mind pondering as he thought of his plans for the next morning.
He was seated in a plain wooden chair with a simple desk before him, with but a single candle lamp illuminating the space. The small tent was a light colour, but the shadow of the candle light cast many shadows around the space.
Vidic was dressed in similar clothing to his men, and had obtained a tactical vest as well. The solider who died when they got here wasn't going to need it anymore anyways.
The sound of footsteps outside drew his attention, but he did not move from his spot.
Owen was outside his tent, so Vidic wasn't worried about who it might be, Owen would take care of it. His men were equipped with many advantages, and the night sky was not a disadvantage. They had night vision as part of such equipment.
However, moments later, the flap leading into his tent was moved, and Owen came inside with two others following behind. Vidic sent them a questioning gaze.
David was dragging a man in, Vidic realized. And this man was none other than an Assassin.
"Sir, we found an Assassin not too far from camp. He's no doubt an informant for the Assassin's." Stated David in a calm voice.
"Hmmm, is that so…." Hummed Vidic, before he got up from his seat, walking over to the Assassin that was forced to kneel on the floor before him.
The Assassin had his hood drawn back, and his hands were cuffed behind his back. They were no ordinary cuffs either, but those used in the future. There was no way this Assassin could escape.
Din had a natural glare upon his face, and he looked towards Vidic with such disdain it almost thrilled the man in question. His short dark hair was disheveled, and the dirt and grime on his face did nothing for him. He didn't leave much of an impression on Vidic.
This Assassin had no idea what they were saying at the moment, so Vidic was sure the Assassin was frustrated. Turning on his translator, he crouched down before Din. He of course kept a distance a few feet away. He wouldn't make the mistake of getting too close to an Assassin. That was just asking for trouble, even if his subordinate had him disarmed and restrained.
"Hello, what a pleasure to meet one of the Assassin's. Did they send you here to gather information?" Vidic asked, his tone rather light despite the situation.
The Assassin remained silent, but that was to be expected. Vidic was sure the man was surprised by the robotic voice coming from the translation. Not to mention the fact that Assassin's we're extremely loyal.
"I see." Continued Vidic, taking the Assassin's silence as an answer in and of itself. "It's a shame really, you were sent here to die it seems." Continued Vidic, watching the man intently.
"So be it," came Din's quick words in rebuttal.
"To think the Assassin's we're so easily lied too. Tell me, they know we're coming right?" Asked Vidic plainly.
The Assassin shut his eyes and remained silent.
"Has your Master been killed?" Questioned Vidic next.
Such words caused Din's face to twitch, but he still did not open his mouth. However that was enough for Vidic to work off of.
"I see. Did you ever find who was responsible for your Master's death?" He asked next.
The Assassin opened his dark eyes then, and glared.
"Who else but you Templar scum?" He spoke with venom in his voice.
Oh hoo, thought Vidic to himself, his mind quickly taking in the information.
Vidic began to chuckle then, before he turned to face the other way to hide his calculating expression. He didn't want to tip the poor loyal Assassin off. So it seemed his travel companions had been rather busy themselves with the Assassin's.
"So that's what you think, what a poor fool." Started Vidic, before walking back to his chair to take his seat comfortably once more. Facing the Assassin who was still on the floor, he leaned forward on his desk with his chin resting on his crossed fingers as he looked down at the man.
"I'm sorry to say, but we can't take responsibility for such an endeavor."
Vidic could see it then, the curiosity, the disbelief, before it shifted to a cold glare. Typical of an Assassin, he wouldn't believe Vidic's words so easily. But Vidic could get all the information he wanted with just a few simple questions. Reading these primal human beings body language was nothing to him.
"I know who did it, would you care to listen?" He questioned softy before continuing. "You have nothing to lose by just listening to my words. You can choose the truth for yourself."
"Nothing is true." Came the Assassin's cold words.
"Yes, yes, and everything is permitted? But even still, are you not curious who actually killed your Master?" Questioned Vidic, the annoyance in his voice couldn't be heard by the Assassin. This was all thanks to his robotic translator.
Of course, Vidic didn't actually know who did the deed, but he could easily give a nice list of possible candidates. He wondered if he could surface doubt in the Assassin and cause discord if he sent him back with this knowledge…
The thought sent pleasant shivers down his spine.
A short while later, Vidic had sent the Assassin away with David, instructing his subordinate to let the Assassin go.
When David left, Owen took this moment to speak his opinion. He had been silent the whole time, and he was the type of man to voice his opinion when he thought it necessary.
"Was it really the right move to let him go?" Asked Owen. He wasn't wearing his dark glasses anymore, so Vidic could easily see the curiosity in his cold eyes.
Vidic laughed at the question, but answered nonetheless.
"I couldn't ask for a better opportunity. I want them to know I know. I only wish I could see their faces." Said Vidic, his smile never leaving his lips. "I'll have to make a couple of changes…" he continued before becoming silent in thought.
Owen only nodded in acknowledgement. He wasn't going to pretend he totally understood, but he wasn't going to ask any more questions either. This sort of thing wasn't his area of expertise. He would leave all the mind games to Vidic, and focus on his own roll.
Excusing himself, Owen went back outside Vidic's tent to carry on his watch.
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It was early morning when the Assassin Din finally made his way back to Masyaf. He had not stopped moving the whole night, and had been determined to make it back in one piece, fearing the Templars would go back on their word.
He wasn't sure why exactly they had let him go, but he could make a few guesses.
His whole journey back his mind was racing with the information that man had given him. Was it really true that Altair had killed their Master? He wasn't so sure. He didn't think Altair was a man who would kill their Mentor, let alone kill him so that he could become the Master himself.
In fact, Altair had left most of the duties to Abbas, it just didn't make sense.
But he couldn't be sure.
That's why Din was determined to ask the man in question himself. He wouldn't believe the words of a Templar outright. What did that Templar even gain from telling him such a thing? He couldn't think of a reason, whether it was because he was exhausted, or he was still in shock, he decided he would just confront Altair himself.
His robes were a disheveled, and his body ached, but his determination to get the truth kept him going.
When Din finally got to the main Assassin castle, he tried to locate Altair as fast as he could. He didn't bother looking for Abbas, it was obvious to Din now, that Abbas had no idea what was actually happening. The men that had captured him, they were no ordinary men. They also knew of Altair, but spoke nothing of Abbas.
Some Assassins Din passed gave him questioning looks, but he ignored them and continued on his way.
When Din finally saw Altair, he was accompanied by a women in white robes by his side. They looked to be having a pleasant conversation as they walked down the halls, and Din gritted his teeth. She was probably the women that man had also spoke of. He had never seen her before, and the sight of the both of them together added some credibility to the Templars words.
Did Altair really conspire with this women?
He shook his head once more, he had to find out for himself, he couldn't believe the words of a Templar.
When he got close enough, he called out to Altair. His voice came out weaker than he anticipated however, and he suddenly realized how dry his throat was.
Swallowing, he raised his voice once more to grab his attention.
"Altair!" Called Din. This time he had succeeded in grabbing Altair's attention.
Din had been behind the two as he followed after them, and the two slowly turned to face him, curiosity in their eyes as they focused on him.
He was sure he was a sorry sight, but that didn't matter. As they had stopped walking, he easily caught up to them, his tired limbs begging him to stop.
"What is it?" asked Altair. His tone was level, but Din could tell he was a little annoyed.
"I have something important to ask you, will you answer?"
"What's your name?" questioned Altair instead, slowly looking Din up and down. He was surely wondering why his appearance was as so.
"I am Al-Din, and I want to ask about our late Master." Said Din, watching carefully for their reaction.
The two before him were silent for a moment, their expressions blank before they looked at each other for a moment. Din couldn't guess what they were thinking, but they seemed to wordlessly communicate.
"Come with me," said Altair then, motioning for Din to follow him.
Din placed his trust in Altair, and followed as best he could in his current state.
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Altair had brought them to his room in the Assassin's castle. Connie had come along as she was worried, and he didn't stop her.
While he wasn't sure what this Assassin was going to say exactly, it might be a discussion some shouldn't overhear. Altair had enough tact to realize that's why the man had been very vague in his question.
Even though the rooms here could be easily eavesdropped on, Altair was confident he would be able to sense anyone who decided to do so.
The three were currently seated in Altair's room, and judging from Al-Din's appearance, something he was unaware of must have happened.
Al-Din drank some water before finally opening his mouth to speak.
"I was sent by Abbas on a scouting mission with my Brother Amir," said Al-Din.
This was news to Altair, Abbas had sent more scouts without his knowledge?
"What of Amir?" questioned Altair.
"Only my life remains," said Al-Din, his voice weak.
Altair sighed then. Abbas was a fool, why would he send more men? They would surely be killed by Vidic if they got too close. But Altair knew it was because Abbas had no clue of the true enemy they were facing. Altair had been against sending more scouts to gather more detailed knowledge, because he knew what would become of them.
He should have known Abbas would act on his own. He wasn't sure how Al-Din had made it back in one piece, but he was going to uncover everything now.
"Tell me everything that happened." Commanded Altair.
"We were scouting some distance away when I heard a strange bang, moments later Amir was dead and I was captured." Started Al-Din, he voice rough as he recounted the events. He was ashamed, but he knew he had to speak the truth.
"I was questioned by Templars, but they were dressed in all black, and their voices were strange."
"Strange how?" asked Altair.
"When they spoke I couldn't understand them, but then another ghostly voice spoke and I could understand."
"It must be an Abstergo translator, I can't believe they have something like that." Said Connie, shaking her head at the situation. What an advantage that was for them.
Altair looked to Connie then and frowned, he understood what she meant. They had a way to communicate.
"Abstergo? Translator?" asked Al-Din in confusion, but they didn't answer.
"So they interrogated you, what did you say?" asked Altair.
"I didn't say anything of value." Answered Al-Din honestly.
Both Connie and Altair sighed then, but Altair was the first to respond.
"It's not what you said, but what you didn't say, that man is not easy to deal with." Said Altair after a moment. He remembered well, the time Vidic had ruthlessly used any means to get what he wanted. The fact that Al-Din was before him in one piece meant Vidic got exactly what he wanted from him.
"I didn't say any of our plans," said Al-Din, insisting that he had not betrayed them.
"You don't know our plans anyways, and that man knows this." Answered Altair. "What did he ask you?"
"He only asked about who killed our late Master, and if we found them." Answered Al-Din, speaking of the only relevant part.
"Fuck," cursed Connie then, her hand coming to her forehead as she shook her head.
"What did you say?" Asked Altair, searching for more.
"I said they were responsible." Answered Al-Din, and from the expressions on their faces, he could tell something was wrong. Could what that Templar said really be true? Altair had killed their Master?
"Shit," cursed Connie once more. "He knows. We don't have the element of surprise anymore, that's for sure." Continued Connie, she couldn't believe this actually happened. Things were going too smoothly for them, she should have guessed it wouldn't be that easy. It was never easy.
"Did you actually kill our late Master?" Al-Din suddenly asked, his voice low. They stared at him in silence for a moment, and he knew then, that it was true.
"God, Vidic's even trying to send a bomb back to us." Said Connie, groaning to herself as she guessed at his true intention for sending the Assassin back alive. Vidic was an absolute scoundrel.
"Al Mualim was a Templar, he had us all fooled." Said Altair then, he had to set the record straight before this got out of hand.
"Master? A Templar?" Al-Din found it hard to believe, were they trying to cover this up? They didn't admit to killing him, but they didn't say they didn't either.
"Yes, I was going to reveal his deeds after this threat was over. That man is trying to cause problems before the attack." Answered Altair as honestly as he could, Al-Din's eyes were narrowed though.
"So you killed him?" he asked again.
"I killed him." Said Connie then, drawing Al-Dins gaze. Connie couldn't let Altair take this blame, it would only work against him. If she took responsibility, it wouldn't really matter to her anyways. Not to mention, it was the honest truth.
"You… is this true?" asked Al-Din, turning to face Altair for the answers.
Altair only nodded.
"You came to tell us this first because you weren't sure right?" asked Connie, and when their eyes met, he nodded. He couldn't believe that this women could kill their Master, but if Altair said so, he had to believe it.
"I'm not sure if you will believe me, but truly your Master was a Templar. If my words aren't enough to convince you, I can try to prove it to you." Said Connie, she hoped he would believe her outright, but that was probably asking too much. He didn't even seem to believe she had been to the one to kill Al Mualim.
"I find it hard to believe, but I respect you as a Mentor Altair. I don't believe you would allow our Masters death unless he was truly deserving." Said Al-Din, eyes downcast. He truly wanted to believe them, and they hadn't denied any of it, instead they told him honestly.
If the only reason he was allowed to come back alive was because that man wanted him to cause problems, this was the perfect way. Al-Din refused to be used, especially by the Templars. If he had to choose who to believe, he would pick the Assassins over them every time, even if he was wrong.
"You do not have to prove anything to me, I will believe an Assassin over a Templar any day." He continued, conviction in his eyes. He had learnt a valuable secret, and this time he wouldn't let the Templars get the upper hand. For Amir's sake and his, he refused to be used.
"Speak nothing of this to anyone." Said Altair then, and he placed his hand on Al-Din shoulder, asking sincerely.
"As you command, my Mentor." Answered Al-Din.
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Gosh this was a long chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed! It was really fun to write :)