Cearbhail:

So, we now know what the overall plot is. and now, you'll get to see who the main villain...the main antagonist is of this storyline. I'm sure you'll figure it out before I ever state his name, but it will be stated before the end of the chapter. Well, we're back to the Assassins and they're going to go intercept the holy lance before it gets to Nottingham. Enjoy.

[Malik Ishtar]

Dear journal,

After spending an afternoon eavesdropping in on King Crazy and his Templar lackeys, I found out that some special artifact is on its way up to Nottingham from London. And since the Templars want to use this artifact to help them take over all of England and Europe, my sister and I going to intercept the artifact and take it. Possibly even destroy it, if it's possible at least. Laila and I have traveled down the road to London. Locksley told us about a cottage for travelling merchants. We're staying around the area, perhaps even staying at it in hopes that we can run into the shipment on the way down to Nottingham. We ordered a room for the three of us and we're taking turns watching the road.

Malik Ishtar

…

I stretched my arms out as I got out of my bed. "First thing we're doing is grabbing beds for everyone back at our place." We'd been sleeping on mats for the past month. Outside in the campground…mats. In the burnt down tavern and smithy…same mats. I was getting tired of sleeping on mats. Sleeping in this bed was the greatest thing about last night.

"These bathtubs are the greatest thing in the world." My sister called from the bathroom. When the door opened up, a thick steam rolled across the floor and my sister walked out dressed in her assassin robes and her hair rolled up in a towel. "Has Hood reported in yet?"

I shook my head. "No, and I'm starting to worry. London is not that far away. We're halfway there already and we haven't run into the cargo yet. We shouldn't have made it to this cottage. No…and we'd been here for a day already. They must have passed us by now, made it to Nottingham. There was no way around it. We'd missed our one chance to end this before it started. Oh well, time to recon the castle, find this spear, and take it by force. The King would know I was in on his secret, though.

So, I stood up and started dressing. We might as well go all the way to London and find out what happened. If they were in Nottingham already, it was already too late to stop him. At least it was one piece of three. He had the cross as well, but without the orb, he couldn't do anything. I had to find this spear, or the orb, before anything else happened.

I nodded to Laila. "You and I are continuing on to London. I'll send Locksley back to Nottingham to see about acquiring the spear before anyone else gets to it."

The door snapped open and Locksley ran inside frantically. "Master." He called out to me. He saw that I was heading for the door already and closed it behind him. "Sir…I found them."

"You did?" I asked in return. "How far away are they? Do we have time to set up an ambush?"

"They're dead." He said back to me. "And they didn't have a spear with them, but I did see a letter addressing the King about the Spear they found. It was them. But someone already killed them…and took the spear."

"Show me."

…

This was a surreal sight indeed. Ten bodies, eight of them knights…were littering the pathway leading to London. No wonder we didn't see them; they didn't make it very far. Who knows how long they've been dead. But I'm guessing it was most likely two days. The bodies were torn apart like a savage animal tore them apart. And yet…I didn't see any limbs taken away by wolves, no feeding done. Why? Crows weren't feeding on the corpses. That was odd. I walked up to one of the knights, inspecting him. Neck was slashed; stomach torn open; intestines stretched out and decorated the whole body. Whoever did this was sick. When I bent down to see what else was done, I smelt a very strong odor. It wasn't the smell of a dead man…it smelled fouler. I stepped back, grabbing my nose. The grass around the body where blood had soaked it was dead and twisted. The blood was darker than the night. It looked like poison.

"Locksley, Laila." I called out. "It looks like poison did these people in. But…if they were going to die…why do this to their bodies?" I looked at them. I turned back to the body of the knight. His purse still hung on his belt. I pulled it off and jingled it. I heard gold coins moving inside the bag. So…they didn't kill them for their money. And he didn't take it with him when he left. Whoever did this wanted the spear.

I looked from the dead guard over to courier. That must have been one of the couriers. Was he Piper? He was dressed in rich clothes, but he didn't have the look of a Templar. He didn't look evil enough; he just looked like a normal rich dude. I walked up to him, keeping a sleeve over my nose as I traversed over the dead bodies. They all looked the same; throats slit, stomachs torn open with the intestines littering the ground floor. The smell that permeated the air was nauseating. I could see discarded swords lying on the ground. By the time I got to the rich person, I was ready to pass out. I waved my hand to Laila and Locksley to tell them to stay put while I reached down and searched the dead body for some sort of clue as to what might have happened and who could have done this.

I found a note in the guy's pocket. I pulled it out, blood covering some of it. But it was still legible.

A traveling bard by the name of Peter Piper has requested my assistance in helping him deliver an artifact to Nottingham. Nottingham. Oh how I always wanted to go see it. I am a wandering merchant, and having settled down in London, I have little need for my guards anymore. However, I wish to have one last adventure before I truly settle down with my wife and children. Well, Piper asked me for some of my guards and I decided to accompany him as well. I hate London. With the serial killer running around and pulling the intestines out of women and leaving their corpses all over the town…I really need to get out of here before I go mad.

…

Halfway to the Brachshaw Inn, we met this man who looked lost and confused. I felt sorry for the man so I thought he'd come with us to Nottingham. I think he'd enjoy the town. Being a merchant, I find all sorts of people living in the wild. This man does not look dangerous enough to be a threat, especially with my guards to watch over me.

…

We camped for the night. I don't know what's wrong with me… My stomach feels so… I can't describe it. Looking around the camp, I can tell it's not just me. My guards look like they're dying. Piper seems unaffected, though. He must have eaten worse in his lifetime. My stomach feels like it's going to explode. That man…that wild man…he's staring right at me. Is that a hook? How did I not notice it earlier? I should tell Piper.

…

That was all that was written on the note. This was one of the weirdest days of my life, but it was making sense. So…a killer in London was killing people in the same fashion that these knights died. And this merchant and Piper picked up some homeless man. Idiots. That man must have been the murderer. There was so much chaotic energy in the air that I was sure I could use the Sight to see what happened.

I looked back at Laila and Locksley. "We're going to use the Sight to see what happened." I looked directly at Locksley. "Laila and I will both scan, but will not say anything. Consider this a test of your Sight. Tell us what you see."

I didn't wait for a reply. I focused my thoughts on the scene. The blood littering the floor, the gashes in the bodies. The way the blood was splattered across the area. The way the bodies lied on the floor…I could form a picture in my mind. When I activated the Sight, I could see the men standing up, talking. It was an isolated image that covered only these two men. Something they saw made them stand up. They readied their swords and yelled at someone. They took a defensive pose as a black-clad figure rushed in. He carried a hook in his hand. With a slash, he gripped one by the neck, spun around him (cutting the man's neck open while evading a slash from the other knight). He came back from behind kicking the knight's knee out. He brought out another hook and stabbed him in the stomach. He twisted the hook and pulled it straight out. The hook pulled out the man's intestines, and with a flick of his wrist, sent them flying into the air while the knight cried in horrified pain. The image vanished from that, bringing me back to the dead bodies lying down in front of me.

I looked up at Locksley. He focused on the ground, looking at two other knights. Laila focused on another group. Imagine, just one man charged through this group. And I had only seen him kill two out of eight knights. Whoever did this was patient, knew what he was doing, and successfully killed eight knights without much problem. Whoever this was could be a problem. The better question was…what else happened here? I looked around. I found a pair of footprints leaving the area. I focused hard and activated my Sight. I could see the hooded black clad figure leaving while holding onto a long wrapped item. It had to be the spear. So…he had the spear after all. And he kept his face covered with a mask. This killer had the spear. What did he intend to do with it? Better yet, where did he go? I had to find this man…kill him if necessary, and then destroy the spear if he had not already.

Locksley ran up to me, his face ghost white. "Maybe I'm wrong, but I swore I saw a man dressed in a black overcoat with hooks for hands. He gripped people by their necks, cut them open, and then pulled their intestines out with his other hook hand."

I shook my head. "No, you're right. That's exactly what happened. Only…those hooks were not hands, but his weapon of choice." I pointed towards the escaping footprints. "We need to follow these footprints and find out where our killer has run off to. He has the spear. And we need to get him before someone else does."

Laila walked up to me, grabbing my arm as I started to leave. "Brother…this type of murder, I saw it before…while I was in London. The killer was called…Jack…the Ripper." She said to me. "He must have followed them up and killed them, taking the spear with him as he ran off."

I nodded to her. "I came up with the same conclusion." I held out the note. "And this note says exactly the same thing. Our killer wanted the spear. And we know what it can potentially do. Now…we have to find this killer, kill him, and destroy the spear that is now in his possession."

…

[King John]

"My apologies, sire, but Lord Piper has returned." The royal guard from my bedroom door called to me.

My eyes burned with annoyance as I opened them. I had just gone to bed not even minutes ago. I wanted to sleep. Taxing the poor into even lower forms of poverty sure taxed my body. And now it wanted its beauty rest. But…Piper was back. And we had the Cross…and now we'd have the Lance as well. All we needed now was the orb that De Sable was getting for me. Regardless, I was pleased that another piece of the puzzle was finally in my hands. I needed all three before Richard returned. He had to bow to me otherwise my victory would be short lived.

I pushed myself out of my glorious bed, nodding to the guard at my door. "This is the tenth time this week you've woken me up. You know what happens when a guard wakes me up a grand total of ten times. Do you feel lucky?"

He shook his head. "My apologies, sire."

I nodded to him. "Regardless, I have to punish you…otherwise the other guards will think it's fun to wake me up in the middle of the night." I snapped my fingers. Two other guards came from around the corner. They grabbed my door guard by his arms and stood at attention, waiting for orders.

"He woke me up ten times. Do…That."

"Ah no, sire…No…not that." He pleaded to me.

"Yes…That." I nodded to the guards. They nodded in return and dragged my guard off. A few seconds later, I could hear the guard groaning in pain as it was happening to him. A few seconds later, the two guards carried him off. He was unable to walk…for at least a day or two anyway. The punishment was non-fatal but amusing as hell for me and unpleasant for them. Getting your penis enlarged and then smashed was never fun. He'd be on bed rest for at least a day or two.

But having done that, I needed a new bed door guard. Well, I'll deal with that after I meet up with Piper. I grabbed my royal night robe, threw it on, and walked out to the throne room where Wolfe and Piper waited for me. Wolfe looked just as tired as I did, but Piper looked like hell. He was covered in blood, most of it his own it seemed. He was clutching his neck like he was afraid his blood was going to shoot out of it if he didn't. When he saw me, he nodded graciously before wobbling on his feet. He looked severely depleted of energy.

"Milord…" He started saying to me. "I failed."

I stopped in my tracks. Of course…his wounds. "Was it a man dressed in white, an Arabian?"

He shook his head. "An Assassin from the Middle East? No. It was some man from London. A murderer…called Jack the Ripper. He got into our group…poisoned us, killed my guards, took the lance. And he ran off. He almost killed me, but missed my artery by barely just."

I nodded. So, the Assassin hadn't known of our plans then. But…someone else did, it seemed. Or it was dumb luck. But cases like those were rare and never what they seemed. "We still have the cross…but we cannot force Richard to bow down, or Europe to surrender to us, without the lance. We must devote some resources to finding this…Jack the Ripper and get our lance back. Any ideas where he was heading?"

Piper shook his head. "No idea at all, milord."

…

[Malik Ishtar]

Nottingham. The tracks…the images…they all led straight for Nottingham. The man walked right into the town, right through the main gate. The guards didn't even notice him. He must have used the spear to get them to forget about him. Once he got through the gate, my Sight stopped working. The image was so blurred by the presence of other people that his signature was almost as hard to track as a ripple of water in a moving river. But…he was in our town. And he had the spear we wanted. What if he was planning on giving it to the King John? I couldn't have that.

I turned to face Locksley. "Locksley, I want you and your men watching the castle at all times. Just a few men at a time, that's all we need. If they find the man we're looking for, kill him if need be. But whatever the case, bring me the spear before King John gets it."

Locksley nodded. "Right away, Master." He took off for our hideout.

I turned to face my sister. She looked worried. "If what you told me is true…we can't let King John get this spear. I will look for him as well."

I nodded to her. "You do that. I will keep training the others. Let me know what you find out."

"Of course, brother." She said to me.

Cearbhail:

So, Jack the Ripper is in Nottingham to play, huh? What does he know about the lance, why does he want it? Is he a bad guy or a good one? Maybe he's an Assassin as well. Perhaps, perhaps not. He could be an anti-hero, a good guy using bad guy methods to achieve his own goals. No idea at this point. There is so much I could do with him, but I'm not sure yet. Oh...and next chapter I'll go back to Olin. He needs more screen time.