*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or themes from the Assassins Creed franchise. Dialogue from the game is used in this story and has been altered and modified*
The sun was high in the sky by the time Kassandra had set off to look for the rebel hideout, she figured that out of the two locations, the hideout was where Kyra would most likely be lurking. But the underground cave was proving to be much harder to find than Kassandra had hoped, after all, It wasn't like she could go asking around town for directions to a hidden cave.
Kassandra walked along one of the main roads that led away from the city. She had been walking in circles since she had left and still, the cave was nowhere to be found. Even with the keen eye of Ikaros aiding her, Kassandra feared it would be nightfall before she could find any trace of the hideout. In a last-chance effort, Kassandra headed up the small mountain, towards the Temple of Artemis. It was the only landmark that was close to where Kyra had marked and at the very least, it would be a place to rest and get away from the sun.
"Malaka!" Kassandra groaned.
She had reached a rocky plateau just below the temple where the main road split into two. Off to the east, stood the statue of Artemis and to the west, Kassandra could see the Miltiades Fort, where she knew Podarkis would be hiding. It was at that point where Kassandra was having doubts about what she was doing. In the time it would take her to find the rebel hideout, she could easily go after Podarkis herself and put an end to the rebellion while also putting another cultist in the ground.
Kassandra wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up towards the sky. Ikaros was circling above her, taunting her rhythmic screeches. As he circled, he would dip down below the rocky plateau, then resurface almost instantly. He had found the entrance to the hideout and was desperately trying to expose it to Kassandra, but the heat and her exhaustion was blinding her.
"What is it, Ikaros? Kassandra sighed, "I don't have anything for you, alright!?" Her voice became louder as she fought with the Eagle. She was hot, tired and above all, frustrated, but Ikaros kept at it.
Finally, Kassandra began to walk towards the edge of the plateau, remarking Ikaros in an aggressive tone "I've walked around this place dozens of times and have found nothing." It was then when Kassandra realized what Ikaros was doing.
Kassandra leaned over the edge of the rocks, and through a clearing in the trees saw a small lean-to shelter with two horses roped to it. When she looked directly below her, Kassandra could see torches lining what looked like a pathway to what she could only assume was the rebel hideout.
"I'm sorry I doubted you, Ikaros" Kassandra laughed, before descending the rocky cliff to the entrance of what is known as the Porphyrion Cave.
The cool air of the cave was refreshing against Kassandra's sunburned skin as she made her way down into the depths of the cave, not knowing what she would find once she got there. Muffled voices grew louder and Kassandra could see the flickering light of torches come into view. She slowed her pace and removed her hands from her weapons to show that she meant no harm.
"I am looking for the one Kyra…" Kassandra began, but before she could finish her she found herself at the mercy of the rebels. Although she had spears pointed at her, Kassandra continued to speak, "I've come in response to a call for help." She breathed.
The rebels kept their spears fixed on the mercenary, aggravating her even more. But before she could react, someone had thrown a dagger towards her, stabbing the wooden support that stood inches from her head.
Kassandra rolled her eyes, "you missed." she huffed.
Looking past the rebels, Kassandra saw a young woman with pitch-black hair. She had one arm extended out from the throw and with the other hand proceeded to finish chugging her drink. Kassandra was beyond aggravated, she had spent all afternoon searching for this woman and her time was only being wasted by a group of drunks.
Kyra slammed the empty chalice on the table and slowly turned to face Kassandra. She stumbled towards her, speaking in a low, almost seductive voice.
"Are you a spy, Athenian? Or maybe you are Athena herself, dressed in a dirty disguise?." Kyra waved her men away from Kassandra but kept her black-lined eyes fixed on the misthios.
Kassandra rolled her eyes, "Do I really look like a spy to you? She was extremely irritated, and Kyra could sense it.
The temptress let down her guard and seized her defensive tone, "Podarkes and his men have been hunting and killing us without mercy," Kyra turned her back to Kassandra, touching the gold ring around her necklace for comfort as she continued "He won't rest until all who oppose him are dead." her voice began to break, " We are all that is left of the resistance. It is the first night that we are not fighting for our lives, and it could be our last." Kyra turned back to Kassandra and crossed her arms, the defensive tone in her voice returned as if she forgot about her previous sentimental moment. " And suddenly, you show up, and not long before that, we spotted a rogue ship out on the northwestern shore."
"A ship?" Kassandra immediately thought of Alera. "The Spyro," she said softly, but she quickly shook it out of her mind and returned her attention to Kyra, hoping she didn't hear her. "I'm here because you sent me a note asking for help."
Kyra took a step back, shocked that she couldn't have recognized that the woman who stood before her was the Eagle-bearing misthios she requested in her letter.
"You're the misthios who bears the Eagle of Zeus?" Kyra exclaimed she pressed her hands together in a praying motion, "My apologies, these are dangerous times for someone waging war against the Athenian empire and Delian League. I'm Kyra." Kyra stuck out her hand and waited for Kassandra to shake it, but she refused.
"I know who you are," Kassandra said gruffly. "And I'm not here for war, I came here to help you with one man."
Kyra stepped back and placed her hands on her hips."Podarkes is one man, but he is a powerful leader and had influences everywhere. This is why I sent for the mighty Kassandra, and Sparta too."
"Sparta?!" Kassandra asked.
"Yes." Kyra nodded, "They arrived not too long ago and set up camp on the.."
"on the northwestern shore?" Kassandra spat, cutting her off.
Kyra nodded again but remained silent. She knew she was to blame for them getting off on the wrong foot and while she wished she could go back and correct it, there were more pressing matters to discuss. Kyra began to walk slowly towards the entrance of the cave, her tattered dress gleaming in the light of the torches. She was having trouble keeping her balance but did her best to hide her intoxicated state from Kassandra.
The mercenary wondered what she had gotten herself into. These rebels seemed too ill equipt to fight both the Delian Leauge and the Athenians on their own, and even though they claimed to have Sparta on their side, there was a lingering sense of hopelessness that couldn't be ignored.
"How many Spartans landed at the camp?" Kassandra asked grimly, breaking the silence that echoed in the occupied cave.
"Four ships were spotted off the shore, Three of them flew the Spartan colors." Kyra turned around swiftly, holding the wooden beam for support. She was taking Kassandra's curiosity as a means of the alliance and nearly stumbled out of excitement.
"And the fourth?" Kassandra questioned, taking a step forward. She was hopeful that Kyra could feed her desire to know more about the mysterious ship and with a little luck give her some information about its commander. But Kyra knew no more than Barnabas and was reluctant to give any information, as she believed it was redundant in the wake of her rebellion.
"They weren't Spartan and they weren't Athenian, in times of war, those are the only two colors that matter." Kyra laughed, but the moment was short live.
One of Kyra's men cam running through the opposite end of the cave in a panic. He flew past Kassandra without a second thought and skidded to a halt in front of his leader. The other rebels gathered around him, the majority of them struggling to stand due to their drunken states. The man himself was bloody and looked as if he was fleeing a battle, something that would be confirmed as soon as he caught his breath and was able to speak.
"Podarkes found the other camp," he gasped "He sent Athenian soldiers to attack!" The man struggled to get the words out as adrenalin continued pumping through him.
"Malaka!" Kyra shouted. She looked around at her men until her light brown eyes rested on Kassandra.
"You and your rebels are too drunk to fight." Kassandra huffed. She rubbed her temples, to rid of the oncoming headache and finally had no choice but to offer her services, "Leave the soldiers to me." she said.
Kyra just laughed and rolled her eyes. "If you think I'm going to miss out on a chance to kill Athenians, you are the one who's drunk." She turned and pulled her dagger out of the wooden support and headed up towards the light outside the cave.
"Malaka." Kassandra groaned as she headed out of the cave after Kyra.
Kassandra knew if she let Kyra and her men fight alone, they would be slaughtered like pigs. In her heart, there were no second thoughts. But deep in the back of her mind, Kassandra wanted to leave Kyra and her rebels to their own devices and go after Podarkes. Call it what you may, but if Kassandra did choose to go after the cultist rather than fight alongside Kyra, it wouldn't be because she was selfish or that she was heartless, but because she was a mercenary through and through and the price on Podarkes's head was much greater than what Kyra could ever afford.
As Kassandra came to the crossroads between the northwestern shore and Miltiades Fort she felt her heart tear into two. One following Kyra, while the other chased the setting sun. The mercenary stopped dead in her tracks, adrenalin pumped through her blood and rushed into her ears. She looked up and saw Ikaros flying overhead, he looked down at her with his dark before flying off towards the sea.
"The gods will favor those dare to seek their destiny" ~ Alera to Kassandra in Phokis