In the Service of Chaos Chapter 1, an assassin's creed fanfic

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This work on this blog is using characters from established by other universes, which is trademarked by Ubisoft. I do not claim any ownership over them or their worlds. The story I tell here is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of the companies' canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not profiting financially from the creation or publication of this story. I am grateful for these companies for their wonderful games, for without the games and everything else that makes up their extended universes, my story would not exist.

All Original Characters featured in this fanfiction are copyrighted to NewYorkNovelist and her husband.

Warnings: Alternate Universe. Fem!OC. Minor Character Death. Pre-AC:Rogue.

Author's Note: In the Service of Chaos is Book One in the series: Prelude to Pale Fire. Assassin's Sanctuary is the next story to read in this series.

Chapter One

Annabelle Vasser
Location: Lima, Peru
Date: 1764

Annabelle tried to remember what Jacques, the man who raised her from a young age, had told her, but the unfamiliar surroundings made that difficult. She was to meet another Assassin agent in Lima, but it was like no city she had encountered. It was much smaller than the cities of Europe, and there was no shortage of churches. The layout was not very easy to navigate, and to top it off, Annabelle did not know where she was supposed to go. She only knew she was looking for a Spaniard.

"You must be Annabelle Vasser," a gruff voice, thick with a Catalan accent, spoke from behind her. She spun around, surprised.

"How do you know who I am?" she gaped, unable to think of anything else to say. Obviously, this was the person she was supposed to meet, but he had so easily picked her out of the crowd.

"You are the only white woman I have seen all day," he said."I took an educated guess. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Horatio Borja de Tarragona. I believe I am to show you around Lima and the surrounding cities. Si(yes)?"

"Very well." She followed him and listened to the history of Lima and his distaste for the Peruvian government. He sounded much like Jacques.

Jacques had sent word ahead of her. He listened when the Parisian Brotherhood's council tasked her with going to Peru to retrieve an artifact that once belonged to an ancient civilization. He, even, went as far as to suggest that he could come with her.

In the end, thiswasher mission. This was the first important contract she was to complete without Jacques' help. She had honed her skills. There would be no stopping her from completing it.

"This is Miraflores," Horatio explained as they walked together. "We are a little outside of the city. There is much diversity here. As much as can be found in Lima. The Liman Brotherhood make it their home."

"I would like to see where." They merged with a group of people. "It has been a lengthy journey. After I am refreshed, I will go in search of the fisherman who found the entrance to the building."

"Right away. This beauty is the Huaca Pucllana, one of the few pre-Inca ruins remaining. Some say that the entire structure is about five hundred meters."

"It's beautiful." Annabelle craned her neck and threw her hand over her eyes as she took in the sight. Sunlight streamed down from the heavens, bathing an immense building at the top of the cliff in its golden light.

The adobe and clay pyramid spanned as high as she could see, towering over the entire square, as it sat upon the seventh platform. Various adobe huts, benches, and other small clay structures surrounded the building. Stone walls stood around the edifice, an endless testament to the early Peruvian craftsmanship.

"Do you know much of the Lima Culture's history, Horatio?" she asked.

"No," he responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Nobody does. They predated the Inca that were here when the Spanish arrived two hundred years ago. No one knows how old these ruins are. If I were a betting man, I would wager that this temple they have sent you to explore belongs to them."

"What makes you say that?" Her curiosity piqued with the sudden revelation. She had heard some stories of a people who came before everything else and artifacts of tremendous, terrible power.

"If it's as old as it sounds, it can't be anything else.

"Through here." He headed down a cramp alleyway. Several men garbed in white and red watched them from both sides of the alley. These were her brothers, ones who she might use to find the fisherman.

The surrounding structures were unlike anything she had ever seen, and in her short life, she had seen many things. Jacques had always accompanied her. No doubt to make sure she didn't fail her contracts, she surmised, but Annabelle was better than that. She knew what was at stake.

The Liman Rite of the Templar Order cannot get their hands on this artifact. Jacques hadn't revealed if the Order knew of the fisherman. Annabelle, however, wouldn't put it past them. Templars were insidious with their plans, and she enjoyed disrupting them. She didn't understand how anyone could serve the Order willingly. There were truly evil men in the world.

"Any word on Templar opposition?" She turned more toward Horatio, entering the wooden door he held open for her. It was more of a wooden plank that served to block the entrance than an actual door. "I would hate to fumble about like a blind babe, but if we have heard about the Temple, then it would be reasonable to assume they have, too."

"That's something I don't understand," Horatio explained. "The Templars have gone silent. There's been no activity in the places they frequent. It's strange. It's as if they picked up and abandoned Lima."

"They can't have done that. These men don't give up. They wouldn't leave a populace out of their influence. I would say that they are planning something. Perhaps, they are already searching this temple site out?"

"If they are, I haven't heard word of it," he countered. "My sources are reliable, Señorita Vasser. If they were moving on the temple, I would have heard about it. Their hideouts, they look to have been abandoned in a hurry."

"Should we look into it, Monsieur Borja? Is it worth that much worry? Or should we just go to this temple? Your concern as me worried, so I will listen to your advice."

"You could always look into this mystery after exploring the temple. I know your superiors have given you specific instructions, and investigating the local rite of the Templar Order is not one of them. Probably better to avoid any of their hideouts until you finish that. Si(yes)?"

"You are probably right."