Author's Note: Before we begin, I'd like to thank you, my commentors, for all your suggestions. Not just for new recruits or love interests, but other elements of Assassin's Creed that I haven't even considered. It will actually help a lot.

That's about it. Enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.

(Raymus' POV)

BOOM!

The ear-piercing explosion caught me off-guard causing me to shake off my bed. Without thinking, I rushed out of my bedroom grabbing my mechanical arm. On the way to the meeting room, I attached the arm to my limbless shoulder. I just snapped it on right when I found Najenda, Sheele, and Leone in the meeting room.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" I panicked. "ARE WE FOUND? ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?"

Leone snickered mischievously. "No, no. That's just Mine."

"Mine?" I asked with a confused expression of relief.

"Yeah. You and Tatsumi are going to follow her for the next few days." Najenda said. "Tatsumi went on up to talk to her, but apparently, he didn't knock and walked in on her while she was changing."

I let out a sigh feeling embarrassed. "If this is how it's going to be every morning, I might as well look for a bureau hideout."

"A bureau hideout?" Sheele asked.

"You think Assassins are homeless?" I asked. "No. Wherever we work, we have a hideout where we sleep, train, and be given missions. It can be a villa, a homestead, or even a café. It doesn't matter as long as we can get work done."

"Can't you set up shop here?" Leone asked. "I know I wouldn't mind having you around more." She gave me a playful wink.

"Leone, we don't have room." Najenda said. "If he's going to expand the branch in his order, he'll need a new place to live. I suppose I can request some funds from the resistance, but I'll be asking for a lot from them."

"It's okay. I'm sure we can figure something out." I said. "So I guess we'll be accompanying Mine today?"

"Fraid so, handsome." Leone said. "If she insults you, don't take it personally. It's just how she is."

Somehow, that didn't ease me at all.

The streets were uneasy in the Capital. They were full of glum-looking people who were victims of the cruel economy and the frightening government. That's what Tatsumi and I saw when we were walking among them behind Mine.

"Is it really safe to be walking around in broad daylight like this?" Tatsumi asked.

"Don't worry about it. They're the ones who shouldn't be here." Mine said as she pointed to the wall. There were four wanted posters hung there, each with a different person: Akame, Najenda, Sheele, and an unknown man.

"Who's that guy?" Tatsumi asked.

"That's Bulat." Mine answered.

"THAT'S BIG BRO?!" Tatsumi gasped loudly.

"Yeah. He had to change his image when he joined Night Raid. Those four are wanted in these streets, but we're fine."

"They're letting a couple of wanted posters keep them from the city?" I asked.

"Well, what would you suggest we do about it?" Mine asked.

When I realized this was the time for a special lesson, I gave a soft chuckle. "You really want to know? Fine. I'll show you."

"Show us what exactly?" Tatsumi asked.

"Do you think our order has been working for so long without any way to cover our tracks?" I asked back. "Remember the second tenet."

"Uh… Always hide in plain sight?" Tatsumi guessed.

"That's right. And as you may imagine, that would be pretty hard to do if you're notorious. That's why we managed to master the art of social stealth."

Mine sighed. "As long as it doesn't get in the way of our mission. What have you got?"

"Well, first of all, let's look at these wanted posters." I asked as I approached the wall. I slipped my hand behind each of the posters and ripped them off. I crumbled them into paper balls and hid them in my pockets. "Tear them down, and over time, the public will forget their faces. That's the least impactful, yet simplest way to lower notoriety."

As we traveled through town and stopped by a few shopping trips, I stopped Mine and Tatsumi as I came across a crowd of people. They surrounded a single man who spoke out to them.

"Looks like a town crier." Mine said.

I smiled. "This happens to set up another method of lowering your notoriety. Watch and learn."

I headed to the front of the crowd and got close enough to whisper into the crier's ear. After saying what I needed to say, I slipped a handful of coins into his hand. We nodded in agreement before I walked away. When I returned to Mine and Tatsumi, I listened to the town crier continue his speech.

"I've just received an update about Night Raid! One of their members, Akame, has dyed her hair blonde and now wears blue contact lenses! If you see anyone like that and carries a sword, please contact the military as soon as possible or she will cut you down!"

Tatsumi looked at me with a stunned face and asked, "What the heck was that?"

"I just bribed the crier to say whatever I want him to say." I said. "It means I lost a few bits of gold, but at least he will mislead the crowd."

Near the end of the shopping trip, the three of us sat in an outdoor café. Tatsumi was exhausted from carrying Mine's bought items while the pink-dressed girl herself took a sip of tea. Me, on the other hand, kept my eye out. That's when I noticed a rich-looking man accompanied by guards. I used a special trick in my mind and realized that he was what I was looking for.

"I'll be right back." I said before leaving the table.

I hid myself in an alleyway while the rich man and his guards passed by. I quickly disposed of the two guards without anyone watching and dragged their bodies to the shadows. After that, I followed the rich man and hid myself in another alley in front of him. As soon as he came on by, I introduced him to the same fate as I did to the two guards. After hiding his body, I returned to Tatsumi and Mine.

"Sorry I had to leave." I said.

"Where did you go?" Mine asked.

"I killed a false witness." I confessed.

"A what?" Tatsumi asked.

"Sometimes," I explained, "The military will go so far as to hire greedy bastards to give false testimonies to their enemies. They traded their dignity for coin. Their deaths wouldn't be mourned."

"Isn't that what you did to that crier guy earlier?" Mine asked.

"That's different. My bribe to him wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Well, how did you know that guy was a false witness?" Tatsumi asked. "He could have just been some noble who was escorted by the military."

I hesitated to answer, but figured that it was time to come clean. "I have this… ability. I can't explain where it came from, but when I concentrate, I'm able to see things. Things that can't be seen with normal sight. It helps me determine who's an enemy, who's a civilian, and especially who and what I'm looking for. The other Assassins call it Eagle Vision."

"That's pretty cool." Tatsumi said.

"It's okay, I suppose." Mine shrugged. "So we've had a full day of shopping. So I'd say our mission is complete."

Tatsumi looked dead for a moment. He then turned his head angrily toward Mine. "WHAT MISSION?! ALL WE DID WAS SHOP ALL DAY!"

Mine responded by punching Tatsumi to the ground. I lost my breath out of shock when it happened. Mine stomped on Tatsumi's back before standing over him.

"Don't talk back to me, underling! Remember, I'm your superior! Don't think that just because you're some special kid that you can underestimate my authority!"

"Yeesh." I thought to myself. "And I thought Emiko was harsh."

"It's you." A shriveled, old voice said. We all turned to see a very, very old man approach us wearing middle-class clothes. He had a balding hair, but there was still long, gray hair on the back. He had a much longer beard that reached all the way down to his slouching knees.

Mine widened her eyes instantly recognizing the man. "Hold on. Old Man Sal?"

Tatsumi and I looked at each other sharing confused expressions.

The man called Old Man Sal brought the three of us to a club restaurant, but it looked like we were the only ones there. I didn't see anyone else. Just empty tables that were covered with dust. Still, Sal didn't slow down. He headed to a barren table which had four chairs surrounding it. We all took our respective seats.

"Sorry about the silence." Sal said. "Things haven't been easy lately."

"I can only imagine." Mine said sympathetically.

"Hold on." Tatsumi said. "Did I miss something here? How do you know this guy?"

"Right. Apologies, young man. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Salador, but everyone just calls me Sal. Some time ago, I hired Night Raid to avenge my wife."

"Get this." Mine said. "Sal's son is actually a revolutionary hero in the North, Numa Seika."

"Numa Seika?" I asked. "I've heard of him. He's said to be the mightiest warrior in the Northern Tribes. With his spear, he could not be defeated by anyone."

"Yes, so you can imagine how much of a threat he is to the Empire, which is why they came to my home." Sal said. "As soon as they discovered that my sweet Kari was his mother, they sent a specialist to…" He stopped and buried his face with his hands.

What came next was something I didn't think I'd see. Mine looked concerned and gently placed her hand on Sal's shoulder to calm him down. It was like seeing a wolverine care for a human baby.

"It's all right, Sal." Mine said. "The man who killed your wife is dead. I shot him in the head myself."

"And I'll always be grateful for that." Sal said picking himself up. "And the thought that my dear son is fighting against this injustice warms my heart. I just wish it was enough to help out my current situation."

"What situation?" Mine asked.

"It's nothing, really." Sal brushed off. Though, we could all tell he was lying.

"Sal, what's wrong?" I pressed.

Sal almost lied again, but he gave in and realized there was no longer any point. "Fine. If you must know, I'm under the threat of losing this lounge. And it's because of Iokal."

"Who's that?" Tatsumi asked.

"A distant relative of the Prime Minister." Mine answered. "He holds a major position in the Empire's financial offices, obviously given to him by his relative. Night Raid's had their eyes on him for a while. According to rumors, he kidnaps young women and beats them to death, but we can't prove it."

"Well, he is guilty." Sal said. "And he's been overtaking citizens, especially tribals like me. If I don't pay up within the month, I'm going to lose everything. This establishment, my home. Everything." He closed his eyes and frowned in despair.

Mine, Tatsumi, and I looked at each other and nodded. It was clear we all had the same idea.

"We'll take it." Mine said.

Sal opened his confused eyes right toward us. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. We're taking the job. We'll kill Iokal and clear all your debt."

"But… But I can't pay you." Sal said. "I told you, I'm struggling with money."

"We'll work something out." I assured. "But for now, our only interest is to see justice done. For you. For those girls he enslaved. And for everyone else who is a victim of his overtaxing."

"You heard us, sir." Tatsumi said. "We'll save your home."

Tears began to form in Sal's eyes. He couldn't help but smile as he sniffled with hope. "Thank you."