*Hey folks. Apologies for the long-awaited chapter, if there are any of you still tuning in willingly. If you are, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you're new here, welcome. I got into college and fatigue from constant depression has kept me from writing for a while.

But here we are! Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter out by the 4th of December since that's the 1st anniversary of the fic.

Enjoy the chapter!*

It's been 16 months since Ryo's death and 4 months since his burial.

Nobody from his extended or near family was there.

I thought his father was still alive, but maybe I'm mistaken.

The changes in Europe warrant an explanation.

The revolution is near its peak, but not enough people seem to care.

Due to Barton's Interim Master position soon being revoked, the top 10 has drastically changed recently, with Andre, Ryo, Rayna and Nicole all dropping in the rankings.

The Creed seems to favour assassins based around Britain and they're slowly rising to the top.

The situation worsens every week, though.

With Ryo gone and some of the most notable veteran assassins dropping in ranking, the Creed has been left to the newer generation of assassins.

Thankfully, Ashley and I are among the most competent people to be leading the charge for today's youth.

It's been a while since we hatchlings joined the Creed.

Around two years, to be exact.

The last time I checked the rankings, Ashley and I were around the 15th ranking.

As I said, it's been a while.

We're at that level now.

I've been in Spain for close to a year now.

Andre asked me to accompany him for his final contract in Spain.

As soon as we're finished here, Andre is going back to Belgium in an attempt to take control of the country once more.

He said he'd vouch for me to enter the top 10 if we finish this task.

It's finally time.

...

Spanish people made it look easy. The weather was nearing scorching hot temperatures, yet the people didn't seem to be troubled. Most Spaniards looked fine walking outside, but so did the pale Croatian assassin. He patiently waited for one of the buses in town to arrive.

*Get on the bus at noon. Get off at the last stop, I'll wait for you there.*

Andre's words kept replaying in Luka's mind as he instinctively snapped out of it. The bus arrived and he swiftly boarded it.

Being the odd one out didn't really help Luka when it came to stealth, but over time he overcame the weakness and blended right in.

Andre said something else to Luka, though. He mentioned how he could vouch for him to enter the official rankings, seeing as how Luka has completed numerous contracts since he arrived in Italy, and more recently, Spain. It helped that Luka was behind Noah Roth's demise, as well.

The time quickly passed and only a handful of passengers remained on board. Luka casually thanked the bus driver and walked near a beautiful park. He spotted Andre near one of the numerous decorative statues. Andre turned around whilst Luka approached him.

"You ready?" His usual raspy and stern voice took over the conversation before it even started.

"Walk me through the contract, Dre." Luka relaxed his stance and patted Andre's shoulder.

"I've spoken to Gustavo and Fausto this morning," Andre mentioned both of the Cabello brothers who recently dropped out of the top rankings. "Seems like we have a rogue in the Creed."

Luka's eyes darted at Andre for a moment. "A rogue? Isn't that Nicole's title?"

"I'm not talking about Kaiser. Rogue with no capitalisation, as in an assassin turned traitor." Luka raised his eyebrows in disbelief as Andre continued. "Ever heard of Javier Diaz?"

Luka took a moment to answer. In the process of thinking, he lit a cigarette. He offered one to Andre which he accepted. After they dragged some smoke from each of the cigarettes they maintained the conversation.

"It rings a bell. Gus and Faus mentioned him casually before."

"Right. He's confirmed to have murdered at least three assassins that we know of."

"Is Diaz anywhere near the rankings?" A clever question came out of Luka's mouth.

"Not at all. He's an older man, nearing retirement. It is a mystery as to why he would even go rogue." Andre cleared his throat after another drag of smoke. "We've been tasked with finding him. He should be right here in Madrid, at least in the southern part of it."

Luka's eyes got a bit more life in them as he pointed at Andre. "That's why you had me take this bus instead, huh?"

"Mm." Andre finished his cigarette and nodded. "Finished your light?" Luka nodded after a few seconds. "Good, I'll lead. Quickly follow."

The two men charged out of the park.

Finding this man wouldn't be easy, but this was far from the worst contract these two have been through. The ongoing busy traffic lines and the heat gave the mission a certain difficulty threshold to overcome. It didn't take long for our pair to start looking through abandoned buildings and construction sites.

Some of the buildings featured many statues. It was common in Spain, especially in Madrid, to pay tribute to various symbols of the country. The district they were going through was full of official buildings, institutions and monuments. Practically nobody actively lived in the street.

Andre and Luka were searching through an apartment complex that was abandoned a while ago. It'd be a perfect place for the homeless or someone to hide in there. Unsurprisingly, the only decorations on the walls were pictures of lions.

"You ever get tired of all the lions?" Luka questioned in a semi-sarcastic manner.

"It's a representation of León." Andre casually continued his search, as if he was used to Luka's occasional comments. "Also could be a symbol of bravery, knights and kingdoms."

"They are the kings of beasts, after all." Luka followed Andre through a dark corridor in an abandoned building.

Andre positively grunted in response, agreeing with Luka.

Both men froze in place as a sudden shout of fear echoed through the empty building. Several fighting sounds could be heard shortly afterwards.

Andre's eyes slightly widened as he began sprinting towards the source of the noise. "Come on, we gotta move!"

"I'm right here, Dre!" Luka sprinted just as fast with seemingly unlimited energy. One of the good parts of Andre leading the charge was that he didn't have to worry about leaving Luka behind because he knew that Luka would always keep up, no matter how far or fast they travelled.

They quickly made it to the room the sound was coming from. A few rather large hooded figures were beating up an older man.

"DIAZ!" Andre shouted at the group and was ready to leap into action before being stopped by a different man.

"HEY, STOP!" Luka yelled at the figures who instantly froze upon hearing his voice.

The man who stopped Andre was separated from the group, acting as some sort of leader of the bunch. "I'm terribly sorry, gentlemen." An Italian accent was not something either Andre or Luka were expecting and it showed in their shocked expressions. The man turned toward the duo. However, he froze up after taking a good look at them both. He talked again after a few moments. "Apologies, you just surprised me."

Luka interrupted the man before he could start talking again. "Wait...Abate?!" Luka's dropped jaw quickly collapsed as he drew a gun from one of his four holsters and pointed it directly at Abate. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

The three accomplices working for Abate all pointed their guns at Luka, but Abate held up a hand, signalling for them to stop. "I don't believe we've met, boy, but you seem to know a lot about me."

"Come on, Abate." Andre took a step forward and shoved himself into the conversation. "We don't want any trouble, just give us the old man."

"Oho, he's quite useless to us at this point. We got what we came for." Abate slowly pulled out a ring containing some kind of jewel inside it and showed it to the assassins. "Boys, let's go."

Luka instantly recognised what the ring contained. It looked like his blood burst into his eyeballs as he raised his voice one final time.

"ABATE!"

Andre glanced at Diaz who prepared a smoke bomb. He nodded at Andre who gave a little nod back.

"BURN IN HELL, ABATE!" Diaz's voice screeched throughout the room as he threw the smoke bomb in between everyone.

Luka and Andre turned away from the bomb as a way to protect themselves from the blast. Abate could be heard and seen sprinting out of the room with none of his accomplices following.

"DRE!" Luka instinctively shouted to get orders from his superior.

"CHASE AFTER HIM ALREADY!" Andre raised his voice as well before Luka sprinted off.

The three men still standing in the smoke began firing blindly at Andre's location, but he leapt out of the way to the other side of the room. Using the power in his legs for one magnificent step in, Andre closed the distance between them and instantly slashed the throats of the first two men standing in his way. The final templar pointed his gun at Andre after the smoke dissipated just enough so that he gained sight of him, but Andre was one step ahead and immediately leaned backwards, causing the bullet to miss him slightly. He instantly grabbed the hand that was holding the gun and kicked the man twice, first in his chest and then in his balls. The man instantly collapsed and died only two seconds later from a powerful stab going into his back.

Andre cleaned his robes with one powerful swoop, eradicating any remaining smoke and rubble fragments from his otherwise clean clothes.

"Aakster." Diaz sat up and greeted Andre, but he couldn't muster the strength to stand up. He seemed to be injured.

"Diaz." Andre returned the favour, but he stepped back. "Let's talk." Andre crossed his arms and made his already unnerving voice and stance even more intimidating as he glared through Diaz with the most powerful look he could give.

All Diaz could do was gulp.

...

The chase was nothing short of vicious. It seemed like Abate kept his cardio strong for a reason. The building wasn't incredibly massive, but it was still plausible for a chase to go on for a longish time.

At nearly every twist and turn, Abate thought he shook Luka off of him. Unfortunately for the templar, he underestimated Luka's stamina. Even knocking furniture down and jumping through several rooms wouldn't stop the durable and fast assassin. However, he just couldn't catch up.

There was an unusually loud noise outside near the end of the chase. It emulated the sounds of motors in vehicles.

Luka's face was focused directly ahead of him, but he occasionally glanced at some of the semi-closed windows.

*Son of a bitch, he has a copter.*

Knowing this, Luka upped his speed as much as he could, but Abate reached the rooftop a few seconds before he did.

As soon as Luka burst through the doors of the rooftop, he began shouting at Abate once more. "Just give me the fragment, Abate!"

Luka could barely hold himself up after running out into the scorching sun. The incredible wind pressure caused by the helicopter didn't help his case either.

Abate simply climbed the helicopter's short ladder and was inside it in the blink of an eye. He turned back towards Luka to deliver one final message to him. "You're smart enough to know I'm never giving you this fragment, assassin! I hope we meet again soon, under circumstances where I have time to deal with you properly! Until we meet again!"

Abate's final hand gesture and confident smirk made his delivery as extra as it could be. Regardless of the disappointment that Luka felt at that moment, Abate got away once more, in a similar fashion as his escape from Rome. Luka deeply sighed, valiantly stood up and spat on the ground beside him before turning away and making his way back to Andre.

...

Andre and Diaz were having a slow but sharp conversation, but it was clear that Andre was stalling so that Luka could hear Diaz's story as well. After Luka walked into the room, Andre could immediately tell something went wrong.

The decaying sense of failure wasn't able to be masked by Luka's incredible presence and positivity. Andre simply kept his arms crossed and shook his head from side to side once.

"He got away, right?" He broke the silence almost instantly.

"I'm sorry, Dre."

You could hear and feel the dissatisfaction in Luka's voice.

"This just means we need to hunt Abate for one of the fragments. You did everything you could." Andre attempted to encourage and reassure Luka before directing his fierce gaze at Diaz. "Tell us what happened with the assassins you killed."

Diaz struggled to speak for a moment, frantically looking back and forth between the two strong assassins. Eventually, he found the words he needed.

"I was blackmailed."

Andre seemed like he expected this answer. Luka quickly picked the conversation up.

"Let me guess, your family?"

Diaz nodded repeatedly before continuing. "They threatened that they'd take my wife and my sons. Look, when you're an average assassin with no talents and you're coming up on your retirement, you'd do anything to at least keep your family safe."

Luka stared at Andre for a moment who returned the gaze to him. After a nod from Andre, Luka continued.

"Which templar blackmailed you?"

Diaz's head instantly snapped at Luka as if he just asked an outlandish question. He stared at the floor for a few moments with beads of sweat and tears running down his face. The assassins patiently waited for an answer, which they eventually got.

"It wasn't a Templar."

Andre immediately replied. "It could have been a war criminal or someone similar. Could you describe them..."

Diaz cut Andre off.

"It was an assassin."

Luka and Andre simultaneously looked at each other with nothing but despair and shock in their eyes.

Luka took a step forward, uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists. In the most serious way possible, Luka continued. "Diaz, tell us who is blackmailing you."

Diaz's face was full of tears and his injured state made him sob even harder. "It's no use, they've already got my family."

The room filled with silence for a few seconds, but Andre started the conversation again. "Diaz, you HAVE to tell us who it is."

The urgency of this conversation was already making everyone's heart rate skyrocket, but the whole atmosphere of the situation turned incredibly grim as soon as some loud beeping began echoing throughout the room.

Diaz immediately checked the inside of his jacket and screamed at both of the assassins. "GET OUT OF HERE, THERE'S A BOMB ON ME!"

The beeping became louder and faster. Luka tensed his body and Andre immediately got into a stance to run out of the room.

"Luka, he can't escape due to his injuries, let's go!" Andre yelled across the room as Luka snapped out of it and they both sprinted out of the room.

"JUST FIND ABATE! GET ALL THE FRAGMENTS AND LOOK OUT FOR-"

Diaz was silenced by a tremendous noise and shock running through the long hallway. The huge explosion destroyed the entire room, but luckily both Andre and Luka were far enough away to not be affected. They both stood near the end of the long hallway still looking at the destroyed room.

Andre roughly grunted and his voice was lower and more depressing than it usually is. "Come on, Luka."

He began walking back down the hallway. Luka followed after a few moments with a tightly gripped fist.

...

Late July is the usual time when snowfall is at its weakest in Sweden.

The lack of snow in this climate made the whole atmosphere incredibly different to what it usually is.

It felt somewhat tame as if mother nature gave the townsfolk a breather from the strong winds and dangerously hefty weather.

Many wild animals could be found inhabiting the woods around Kiruna, but deer are particularly common in the neck of the woods we find ourselves in. So much so, that a certain assassin was attempting to take one down.

The assassin patiently waited behind a bush near a tree.

A beautiful doe appeared in the morning sunshine. Attempting to make her way to the nearby river for a fresh drink of water, the doe stumbled and planted its hooves firmly on the ground with each step, slowly progressing through the forest full of branches and twigs.

The assassin prepared an arrow and loaded it into her bow. After a moment or two, she released it, but the arrow missed its mark and the doe immediately snapped its head to the side where the arrow flew by. She frantically hopped and tried to get away, but was struck by an arrow flying in from a different direction. The doe instantly collapsed on the ground, dead.

The assassin who fired the first arrow emerged from the darkness and walked up to the doe's corpse.

"You have to be patient." A strong Scandinavian accent emerged from the intimidating and tall woman. She was covered in animal hide and light armour pieces from head to toe. Her beautiful and smooth ginger hair curled into two lengthy pigtails. "Patience is a virtue of a hunter, but an assassin, as well. Remember that."

"Yes, ma'am." A soft British accent came from the woman who answered in a low tone, making it sound like she was disappointed.

The strong Nordic woman couldn't hide a faint smile. "Skin the doe, then come. We're heading back to Kiruna, Ashley."

Ashley's face pulled a little smirk as she replied in a slightly better tone before crouching and pulling out a knife.

"Understood, Rayna."

After making it back to Rayna's sturdy wooden cabin, the two women put on some comfortable clothes and prepared a hot drink together.

Ashley seemed to have something on her mind. "That was a slip-up on my end. I know I can do better than that."

"Good. I know you can do better too. Lots of different things can factor into your poor performance on a morning hunt, but you have to be as prepared as you possibly can to make sure those factors are as little as possible." Rayna finished making two cups of coffee and handed one to Ashley. "You can forgive yourself much easier as a hunter, but it's a lot more important to not make such mistakes as an assassin doing important contracts."

Ashley nodded a few times and attempted to get a word in, but she thought it wasn't necessary and sipped her coffee.

"You're going to England tonight, kid. You can't be fucking up like that next to Barton and the Whites." Rayna leaned against the edge of the kitchen counter. "I'm not going to lecture you on this, though. You know how Kane and Hugh operate."

"Yup. I'm excited more than anything." Ashley stared into her reflection in the coffee mug. "Replacing Nicole in the top 10 came as a surprise if I'm honest."

"Nicole has always been hovering around the number 10 spot. She's talented but too emotional. That might be the cause of her downfall." Rayna crossed her arms and exhaled.

"I never expected to be here so quickly."

"Yet you are here with me, the only other female in the top rankings." Rayna stepped forward and gently grasped Ashley's shoulder. "If you ever need anything at all, I'm always available. Gods know you will need some female guidance every once in a while."

Ashley chuckled and gripped Rayna's hand. "That's true."

"You got the skills and my training to support you through your struggles. Use it effectively to gain the necessary experience to survive." Rayna let go of Ashley and stepped back, preparing to make another coffee.

"I'm ready, Freja." The mention of Rayna's second name already means that she trusts Ashley enough to say it. "I'll give them hell."

Rayna turned towards her pupil and genuinely smiled before closing her eyes and nodding. With her eyes still closed, she smugly remarked.

"Freeze their hearts inside of their burning bodies. Never forget what you fight for."

The two women exchanged a solid and long hug before Ashley pulled away to prepare for her departure.

...

"Looks like we got here just in time." Luka attempted to start a conversation after a long dispute between himself and Andre. The two strong men began walking through the airport.

"We're here early because of me. If I hadn't hurried you up, we would miss the flight." Andre's raspy voice was somewhat louder than normal, perhaps so that Luka could hear him in the otherwise busy airport.

"Yet, here we are, despite all your bullshit bickering."

"Stop being a nuisance."

Small groups of people around them made various facial expressions and body movements that indicated a clear discomfort upon hearing Andre's intimidating voice and seeing his nature clash so naturally against Luka's carefree attitude. This wasn't a problem for the two of them, however. They were used to arguing, at least in the friendliest way possible. But somehow they always came to a solid conclusion after each dispute they had, almost like an agreement between brothers.

"You told me we were going to meet someone, Dre." Luka kicked off another conversation with a reminder for Andre.

Andre grunted right before he began talking, confirming what Luka just said. "He should be near all the shops."

"Who're we looking for?"

"A bald, large man. About as tall as me. Maybe slightly taller. He usually wears white and red clothing only."

"He's not gonna be hard to find if he's taller than you."

Andre was a confident 6'3.

He once again grunted as a way to affirm Luka's statement.

After a solid few minutes, the two of them found themselves near the shops. Andre stopped moving, indicating that Luka should pause as well, which he did. A minute passed before a rough Russian-like accent could be heard yelling out towards them.

"Andre!" They turned in the direction of the shouting. Indeed, a large bald man walked toward them. Andre smiled and walked up to the man. They exchanged a solid handshake. Luka stood by with his arms crossed, but with a relaxed expression.

"Luka, this is Aleksander Gorski. You might have heard of him before." Andre briefly introduced his friend who put on a big smile.

"Of course I have." Luka reached out a hand which Aleksander immediately shook. His grip was firm. "Greatest Slavic assassin in the 21st Century."

"I try to remain humble, but you know how it is." Gorski sincerely chuckled. His positivity was unmatched. "Luka, huh? You're Slavic too, then?"

"Croatian. I grew up near the border of Serbia."

"Wow, great to meet you, comrade! It is always nice meeting new Slavic friends! As you know, I'm Polish. Warszawa, specifically."

"I hear Polish culture is exceptional, lad." Luka maintained the conversation as the men grabbed their bags once again and began walking to their terminals.

"One of the best amongst Slavic territories! You'd be surprised how much history we have. I'm sure Croatia is no slouch either, though!" Gorski's enthusiastic voice slightly echoed through the now less crowded airport.

"Absolutely. One of the best things about the country is the history and culture, amongst its beauty, too." Luka couldn't help but feel relaxed even more. The mood definitely became better with Gorski around.

Gorski sincerely nodded a few times, indicating his involvement in the conversation. Andre briefly spoke. "You've heard of Luka, Aleks. He's the one that took down Noah Roth."

"Ah, of course! That's an impressive feat. I hear his political affairs reached Croatia, too." He acknowledged Luka's accomplishment and continued to maintain a steady flow throughout the conversation. "That's where you got him, right? During Zagreb's presidential campaign?"

"Yup." A simple confirmation from Luka was all that was necessary.

"He was quite the thorn in our side for so long, too. The Roth family is making things really difficult for all of us, especially for Poles and Germans. I've dealt with Hans myself in the past, his presence is enormous every time he shows his face." Gorski continued after a brief pause. "Oh, hold on a moment, there were other assassins with you too, right?"

Luka nodded once before speaking. "The White brothers, Ashley Richardson and Ryo Galler. In fact, that was the day Ryo sadly passed away."

"So THAT was the day, huh? I'm terribly sorry. I haven't received a ton of information about the whole situation myself. I'm sure Andre can confirm, too." Andre silently nodded a few times. "The truth is, very little is known about Ryo's passing, even after all this time, at least amongst us. This is happening more and more within the Creed in recent years. I'm starting to dislike the direction we're going in, in that aspect, of course." Gorski sounded disappointed and deeply offended in a way. "That's probably a conversation to have with the council themselves. I will have to write that down somewhere next time someone talks to them."

Andre's eyes lit up for a moment. "Don't worry, Aleks, I can relay it to them."

Aleks stared at Andre for a moment. "You're going to meet with the council?"

"Yes, I have a scheduled meeting. I'm landing in London for the meeting. I'm going right back to Brussels after, though."

"Oh, interesting. What for, if you don't mind?" Aleks was intrigued once he heard the news.

"I'll fill you in on everything tomorrow morning, but the basic idea is to get Luka into the top 10."

"Right, makes sense! You've been working together for a while, right?" Andre grunted in response, along with a nod. "I'm sure you will be added without many complications, plus we could use your presence, friend!

This put a smile on Luka's face. "Thanks, lad."

Andre spoke once more. "You're heading back to Poland, Aleks?"

"I have to. I received several calls from Polish assassins struggling to maintain solid control over any part of the country. I will work hard over the next few months to try and sort it all out." Gorski sounded concerned but determined at the same time.

"Don't hesitate to reach out. I'll ask the council if I can help you out after I secure Belgium once more."

"Thank you for the offer, it's been too long since we have worked together. It would be a nice change of pace!" Gorski replied in the most positive way he could. "What about you, Luka? What are your plans?"

"I'm heading to Paris. Kane called me earlier. He told me that I should head to Harrison's sanctuary. Apparently, he has some kind of work for me or something along those lines." Luka sounded confident and prepared during his speech.

"Matthews is always busy, one way or another. Your time spent with him will do you good, no doubt." Andre showed great respect for the veteran. "On that note, that's your terminal, Luka. Aleks and I have to walk down a bit more."

"Right, it was wonderful meeting you, Aleksander." The two men shared a strong handshake once more. "I'm looking forward to our future interactions."

"Same here, comrade!" Aleks pulled out a business card. "Don't hesitate to call! We can always set something up!"

The conversation between the Slavs ended as Andre walked up to Luka.

"Don't get into fucked up situations. Avoid them if you can. Stay focused. Stay strong. Tell Matthews I wish him the best."

"Don't worry, Dre. I'll use everything I've learned fighting alongside you. I'll call you once I make it to the sanctuary."

Andre put on a genuine smile, grunted one last time and exchanged a solid handshake with Luka. Both men patted each other's elbows once they separated from the handshake.

Luka grabbed his bags and waved to the two assassin legends once more before putting his headphones on and walking to the flight that would take him to his next big journey.

...

Despite it being nighttime, the sanctuary in London was perhaps one of the most well-lit areas Andre could find himself in. He approached the huge front doors with his wallet pulled out. The exterior cameras briefly scanned him before letting him in with no trouble at all. Andre's reaction seemed slow, but he put his wallet back in one of his many pockets. Paul waited for him near the entrance.

"The fuck's that all about, Paul?" Andre pointed his thumb back toward the doors that just shut by themselves. "Don't you need the card to get in?"

"Not anymore." Paul relaxed his posture and greeted Andre properly. "It's been a while since you've been here, after all."

Andre grunted in response. "How's the council?"

"Formal."

Andre almost chuckled. "What the fuck else is new?"

"Not much, mate."

The two men climbed out of the main hall and proceeded to the third floor. After a few moments in the elevator, Andre asked a question.

"How're the Whites?"

Paul looked at him briefly before answering, simply because that wasn't the first thing on his mind at the time. "As good as they can be. Hugh's stronger than ever and Kane's a bloody genius now."

Andre nodded once.

The elevator made a recognisable sound as it stopped on the third floor.

"We both going in?" Andre walked out of the elevator first.

"Yup, right behind you."

They walked down the well-decorated hallway and passed a few closed doors until they stopped to face the biggest room on the floor. Andre politely nodded before entering.

The room was quite dark, but each set of lights turned on one by one right after the two men walked in. There was a massive table situated in the middle of the room. Two seats were placed directly opposite where Andre and Paul were standing, followed by four seats on each side of the table. Every member of the council already sat in their respective chairs. Andre performed a light bow as a sign of respect.

Two men faced Andre directly. There was a nameplate in front of each of them that had two names written on them. Ford and Williams. They were clearly second names. Ford spoke. "Mr Aakster. This brief meeting was requested by you specifically. We would be happy to hear you out on anything."

The council clearly had good respect for Andre. He cleared his throat, but his voice remained as raspy as ever. "I'm not gonna take too much of your time, sir. I just need official confirmation on something that I discussed with you a few weeks ago."

"Go on."

"I've already sent you the required documents, so here's my request. I want to personally induct Luka Cvitković to the top 10 rankings. Is that possible?"

"It's more than possible, Mr Aakster," Williams spoke this time. "We can sort it out by the end of the week. He should already be in the next rankings due to our previous engagement."

"Right, but could I ask one more thing?"

"Of course."

"Luka is on his way to Matthews as we speak. He promised to call me once he made it to his sanctuary in Paris. He hasn't done it yet."

"Harrison, correct?"

"Yes," Andre continued. "Considering the Mayan armour and amulet were just delivered to Matthews personally, do you think Luka could have access to those relics once he is in the top 10?"

The room fell silent for a short moment.

"Well, it's all up to Matthews, but I'm reluctant to give it to Cvitković based purely on a request." Ford was the first one to speak again. "Every assassin in the top 10 has some kind of special relic based on their preferences and requests, but Cvitković hasn't done any important contracts since the assassination of Noah Roth, not to mention your request involves 2 relics."

"Alright, how about this then..." Andre put a bit of swagger into his voice and firmly questioned the two men. "What if Luka was to take the Abate contract?"

"He is in Paris, after all...but he would have to act quickly. Abate won't sit still for too long."

"Give him four days. That's all I'm asking for. If Luka completes the contract, he gets the relics and the ranking." Andre proposed a solution to the problem.

"And if he doesn't?"

"Simple. Then he doesn't get the ranking or the relics." Andre was direct and serious. "He's up for it, so all he needs is the green light."

The council was quiet for a few moments.

"Very well. Your request shall be granted and due to your good standing in the Creed, we'll give him a week to track down and assassinate Romeo Abate." Ford clapped his hands together and firmly stated.

Andre smiled for a moment. "That's all I wanted for tonight's meeting. Thank you, sir."

Williams and Ford nodded in sync. "If you have any other requests, do not hesitate to reach out. Dismissed!"

Paul and Andre walked out of the room simultaneously.

Paul spoke. "You sure Luka's up for it?"

"I've had endless talks with him about it. He'll be more than pleased to do this."

Paul couldn't help but genuinely smile. "Alright, you need a ride to your hotel?"

"Nah, I'm good. I'm flying right back to Brussels." Paul stopped moving, but Andre continued to the elevator. "Thanks, though."

"Take care of yourself, Andre."

"You too, Master."

The two men shared a chuckle and left each other's vision with bright expressions.

...

A sudden phone call disturbed an informal conversation occurring in a comfortable car.

"Give me just a second, lad." Luka picked up the phone. "Hey?"

"You got the green light."

A known raspy voice came through the perfectly audible speaker.

"We're good to go?"

"Listen, Abate is in Paris right now. Matthews will tell you more about it once you make it there."

"Yeah, I'm just on my way now."

"Good, keep me posted."

The conversation ended there with a loud buzzing sound indicating the end of the call.

Luka couldn't help but show a sly smirk on his face.

Not long after the driver stopped. Both of the men got out of the car and walked up to the massive front door of the Parisian sanctuary. The building was old-fashioned but still held up with bits and pieces of modernity in its design. It felt like a casual Tuesday for Luka as he walked through the door with confidence. He had been in several lavish buildings, his experience only increasing with each passing country visited, so he was sort of used to the glamourous appeal. A few assassins casually strolled up and down the hallway, all caught up in brisk talks. Luka calmly approached the doorway to what looked like the great hall. There was a massive display case covered in a single giant cloth. An older assassin stood beside it. It looked like he was waiting for something. Or someone, of course.

He noticed Luka after a few moments of him slowly approaching the display case.

Luka spoke up out of respect. "Good evening, sir. I take it you're the Harrison I heard so much about."

The veteran wasn't flustered or awkward, he seemed firm and direct. "Ah, you're here. Thanks, Louis." He quickly thanked the driver before continuing. Louis waved in a friendly manner and walked off. "Kane has said many things about you, mate." His accent was obvious and strong. "Do remind me of your name, lad."

"Luka Cvitković. Croatian assassin in the process of entering the top 10." Luka walked forward a couple of steps. He extended a hand out which Harris shook strongly. "Great to finally talk to you."

"Honour's mine, Luka. Harrison Matthews." Harris quickly turned back toward the display case. He seemed eager about what was hidden behind the cloth.

"Andre sends his regards, by the way."

"Oh, does he?" Harris paused for a moment with a positive expression. "Solid man, he is. I worked with him when we were both young and full of energy." Harris sighed for a moment but kept a genuine smile on his face. "Mentioning Andre is actually relevant here, too. Did he speak to the council yet?"

"Yeah, he just finished about an hour ago. I just got off the phone with him." Luka crossed his arms and firmly nodded twice.

"Have you got your contract, lad?"

Luka's eyes lit up with excitement and determination and his expression blossomed with confidence.

Before he could say a word, Harris grabbed the cloth and aggressively shook it off of the display case, revealing the rewards Luka would receive.

"You know what's in it for you." Harris walked up to Luka this time and grasped his shoulder. "Take a long look at those beauties, but don't forget about your ranking either. You fail and you're out. You succeed and you win twice as much as you'd usually. So tell me..."

Luka gazed up at the relics after staring at Harris' face during his small speech. His face seemed focused and intense.

"...what do you need to do?"

"I need to kill Romeo Abate."

...

*Chapter end!

Thanks for reading! I can't promise more consistent chapter uploads, but here is something that should have been here months ago. Either way, enjoy it!*