Chapter 1: Prologue
A/N: Will eventually be an Evie/OC story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed, only my OC.
London, February 1868
Thick dark smoke and fiery embers danced through the smoggy and humid air of the small factory, as a figure stood hidden in the rafters observing the sight on the ground floor below, little children being worked like slaves, under the watch of cruel taskmasters.
The figure wore a hooded black leather frock coat, the collar and lapel trimmed red, a black waistcoat with silver buttons, leather trousers and boots, and a black bandana that covered the lower portion of his face.
As he watched the sight below, he felt a mix of emotions stir within him; pity, for the children who toiled away ceaselessly within this place, and implacable anger, at the ruthless, amoral men who profited from their labors. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he refocused himself, he remembered his vow, to protect those who could not protect themselves, no matter the cost.
Strengthening his resolve, he began to stealthily make his way down from the rafters, careful to avoid detection, and began to make his way to the foreman's office.
He approached the door and quietly entered, the foreman was sitting at his desk facing away from the door, focusing on some papers, "If you've come again asking for a raise Mr. Prescott, you can forget about it, I simply cannot afford it," the foreman said sternly.
Not replying, he simply walked closer behind the man's back and with a flick of his wrist unsheathed his hidden blade, and stabbed the greedy man in the back, as he attempted to cry out for help.
As the man sat dying in his chair, he leaned close and whispered into his ear, "I am not one of your underlinings, sir. I am a bringer of justice, who has delivered retribution upon you for your crimes against the people of this city," the masked man said.
"Non est pax impiis." he muttered, as he stealthily fled the foreman's office.
That had been the easy part, now came the hard part, freeing the children, without raising the alarm. He had to be very careful, the slightest misstep here, could cost him dearly.
He kept to the shadows, he couldn't risk alerting the guards, there were four children in this place, he had to find a way to free them and get them back to Clara safely.
Hiding in a nook, he observed that two of the children were being watched by one guard standing nearby. This would be easy.
He whistled and got the guard's attention, and swiftly killed him with a throwing knife. He then freed the children, who were understandably scared and confused.
"Who are you?"
"Why are you here?"
"Shh, it's alright young ones; I am here to set you free, I am your salvation." he said.
"Remain here children, I will return for you, soon." the stranger said.
The next pair would be much harder to free, they were being watched by two guards, one of whom was standing next to an alarm bell, if it was rung it would alert the other guards, he had to be very careful here.
He decided to attempt a risky gambit, he whistled, hoping it would alert one of the guards.
"Oi, what was that?"
"No idea."
"Go and take a look."
It worked, he would have to be quick now. He waited until the guard was close to his hiding place then swiftly held him and broke his neck, that was one down, now for the other.
"Hello? Who's there?"
Moving quickly, he dispatched the second guard with a throwing knife before he could ring the bell. Having dealt with both guards, he swiftly freed the second pair of children.
"It's alright, children, I've come to set you free." he said.
"Follow me, we must leave quickly, but quietly."
He moved swiftly with them following close behind, and returned to the other pair of children, "That's everyone freed, we must leave now, I intend to take you all someplace safe, you will be alright now." he said.
He quietly escorted the children safely out of the factory, and led them to a wagon he had left near the grounds.
"Climb in the back children, and don't make a sound." he said, as they climbed in the back of the wagon, he then threw a tarp over the back of the wagon to hide them. He then climbed into the driver's seat and snapped the reins, and the horses started swiftly, putting as much distance between them and the factory as they could.
Carefully avoiding any confrontations with the Blighters along the way, the stranger pulled the wagon to a stop, at a safe haven for urchins, street rats, orphans, and other children in need. Babylon Alley. A perfect place for his passengers.
As he got off the wagon, and pulled the tarp off, a girl with braids, in a green dress, and a white apron, approached behind him, "Busy night, Joshua?" she asked, smirking.
He smiled slightly underneath his mask, "I suppose you could say that, Clara, but nothing I couldn't handle though." he said, removing his mask and lowering his hood, revealing a head of light brown hair, a sharp-featured face, and watchful, alert blue eyes.
Clara O'Dea, the 'Queen' of Babylon Alley and head of a network of pickpockets, street urchins, and informants, that would make even a spymaster jealous, and one of the few people who knew his real name, and the closest thing he'd had to a 'little sister' in some time. They had an agreement of sorts, she would provide him with information, and in return, he would help her by liberating child laborers from factories. It was an agreement which both parties benefited from.
"Not many, tonight." said Clara, remarking on the number of children he had brought back.
"No, sadly, this particular factory was one of the smaller ones, but all things considered, a good night's work, I daresay," said Joshua, attempting to make light of the situation. "And it brings me one step closer to freeing this city."
After bidding Clara farewell for the evening, Joshua made his way to a rooftop overlooking the borough. He had done well tonight. He had brought retribution to a man who deserved it, and had freed four innocent children in the process.
It had been a good night, all around.
And then, it wasn't.
He tensed. Behind him, Joshua heard a man's footfall, it was soft, almost unheard… Almost.
"What a surprise, I hadn't expected to find you up here at this hour." a slightly accented voice said.
"Nor I you." Joshua replied coolly. He turned to face his interloper. He was an Indian man who wore white Assassin robes with gold embroidery, it was Henry Green, the leader of the Assassins in London.
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries shall we, Green. Let's get to where you tell me why you're here so I can refuse and you leave." Joshua said, his voice deadly calm.
Green sighed, "Very well, I have an offer for you." he said.
"No." said Joshua, coldly.
"No? You haven't even heard me yet?"
"I don't need to, we've had this conversation before, Green, and the answer will always be the same. No."
"Don't be so quick to dismiss my offer, think about it. You could do more for the people of London working with the Brotherhood, than you could alone, besides I could always use the help." said Green.
Joshua scoffed, "I don't know if you have noticed, but I'm doing just fine on my own, and I've done well for myself in the past too, if you will recall, I single-handedly liberated all of Brighton from the control of the Templars within a few weeks, just short of a month. And I did so, all on my own, I had no aid then, and I need none now, especially not from the Assassins. I turned my back on the Brotherhood years ago. And I refuse to get involved in that nonsense again."
"And yet here you are, fighting the same enemies we are, using the same weapons, and wearing the same clothes as we do," countered Green. "Are you truly so blinded by your hatred, that you cannot see we that are on the same side, fighting for the same ends."
Joshua gritted his teeth in anger, struggling to maintain his composure, "My decision is final, respectfully, I will decline your offer. I will not help you, but I will not hinder you, either. As long as we stay out of each other's way."
Green sighed, and shook his head, "As you wish, but the offer is always there, should you change your mind." And with that, he leapt off the rooftop, and disappeared into the night.
Joshua shook his head in disbelief, the man didn't know when to quit, did he? He didn't know a lost cause when he saw one, he had asked the Council for aid many times, but was always left unanswered, they did not care, they would not risk it, not so close to the heart of the Templars' power in Britain. No, they were both alone in this fight.
Not that it mattered to him, he had renounced his ties to the Brotherhood years ago. He would never rejoin them. He swore he would never go back.
He was an executioner, a blade in the dark, a shield who protected the innocent, a sword who struck down the wicked, a bringer of retribution.
He was the Masked Avenger, and he would either free this city… or die trying.
Non est pax impiis: No peace for the wicked.
A/N: I apologize if my writing feels dull or lackluster, I'm hoping to improve as we go. To be honest, I don't know what inspired me to write this, but it's been in my head for some time, begging to be written, and it won't leave me alone.