"Hello there" Normal Talk
'I'm hungry' Thoughts/Flashbacks
"Ease your mind, young one" Immortal/Holy talk
"I REFUSE!" Demonic Talk / Shouting
"Arrow Shower!" The ability used/ Demonic Thoughts
I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE OTHER THAN THE STORY ITSELF- All rights for Assassin's Creed and Kurouni: Kedakaki goes to their respective owners
"Are you okay?"
Simple words came from his mouth yet the youngsters he saved didn't reply. The two red-head teenagers in front of him looked at him with either suspicion or awe, the male being the former and the female being the latter.
Now that Ezio got a closer look, the red-heads appears to be twins; Same hair color, same blue eyes, and very similar facial structure with the only difference is their gender, hell even their clothes are the same with red shirts that fit their torsos snugly and a black headband on their forehead with a pauldron on one of their shoulders, the girl has it on her left shoulder and the boy has it on the right. But the girl decided to wear loose shorts as opposed to the boy's pants for some reason.
The male narrowed his eyes at him, suspicious at the former Mentor despite saving them from their probable deaths of the bandits, gripping his short sword as his knees are slightly bent as if ready to stab him if need be.
'Hmm, good form but full of holes to exploit. Still, this young man being in high alert which is commendable in this type of work.' He can't help but praise the young man's lingering alertness as he himself has seen many individuals who wish to help but have other motives instead.
Uberto comes into his mind that fits the description for one of many individuals he had the displeasure of meeting and mostly killing.
Switching his view from the cautious young man over to his twin sister, who looked at Ezio not with suspicion but with awe instead. She even has that star-like effect in her eyes like some of the recruits he used to train.
"Whoa! Mister, that was so cool!" The female twin shouted in adoration as she quickly got up close to the Assassin, slightly surprising him with her speed.
'She's fast!' Ezio thought to himself as he backed up a bit at the over-excited youngster, chuckling with a small smirk "It was nothing really, I'm just glad I managed to get here in time"
The other twin stepped up right next to his sibling, a frown on his face. Looking at the young man, Ezio couldn't help but sense a bit of displeasure in his eyes "Lily! Remember to not enter other people's personal space, we talked about this"
The excited twin immediately gasped in realization as she took a few steps back, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment "Haha, sorry 'bout getting all up in your face, mister..."
As Ezio was about to reply, a grunt and shout interrupted the three instead.
"Gagh! You fuckin'- Ngh!..."
The Assassin immediately ran towards the origin of the sound, heading straight for the covered cart's front as he left the other two behind in the dust who tried to catch up.
Pulling out his dagger from its sheathe with his right hand while holding a throwing knife in the other, he reached the front of the cart as his eyes widen slightly at the sight.
A bandit was slumped over the driver seat, his eyes staring unblinking into the clear sky as blood drips from his mouth and with a punctured hole in his throat with no signs of moving or breathing at all. Another figure sat beside the dead body.
A young short-haired brunette figure that wore a hat with a feather on it, was holding a knife that has a very thin blade with a sharp point that was covered in blood. The person's clothing wore a shirt and pants, which seems to need quite a bit of coin to buy, was also stained with red.
The figure's grey eyes sharply looked into Ezio's own brown eyes, narrowing as they poised the knife to stab.
Seeing the figure intent of hurting, or killing him, he quickly raised his hands over his hand to diffuse the misunderstanding.
"Wait, wait! I mean you no harm, sir. See?" He let his raised hands be clear to the figure, who stopped at the surrendering gesture as they narrowed their eyes to Ezio but kept their knife ready.
"Are you one of them?" Their voice sounded young and slightly high-pitch.
Ezio shook his head "No, I saw your carriage being attacked so I came to help- I just saved the other three back there" He nodded his head over to the back of the cart with the two twins arriving plus the cloaked girl whom he saved as well, catching up to the Assassin and the brunette.
The twin girl spoke up towards Ezio "Jeez, mister- You're pretty fast..."
"You're not bad yourself" His words brought a smile on her face as she accepted the compliment as he accepted hers.
Seeing the two interact, the brunette lowered their weapon as they let out a sigh of relief. The figure shoved the dead bandit from the front seat and into the ground as they landed on the soil as well.
The cloaked girl moved up to the brunette with almost-shy steps "A-Aunty, are you hurt?" Her soft voice was laced with concern
Ezio was wide-eyed at what the cloaked girl said 'Aunty? She's a woman?'
The now-confirmed brunette woman smiled at the cloaked girl as she ruffled the top of where her hair is supposed to be "Ahh, I'm fine- Not a scratch on me, see?"
The cloaked girl said nothing before slowly nodding as she set her green emerald eyes on Ezio who seemed a bit busy with the female twin while the other twin was massaging his forehead as he shook his head at his sibling.
Her 'Aunty' followed her gaze to the Assassin, raising a brow at the man's rather... unique attire as she scanned it up and down with sharp eyes.
As if sensing her, the white-hooded man subtly glanced at her from the corner of his eyes that had her eyes widen for a moment as he returned his attention to the excited twin in front of him
"Mister, can you show me the blades on your arms again? The one that goes slick, Please~" The female twin in front of him begged with her hands together as she did that cute puppy eye technique that her daughter often used against him.
Unfortunately, Ezio was a father and a Master Assassin that resisted the charms of the opposite sex so frequently that he can turn the seduction attempt around and charm the charmer instead.
"Haha... Perhaps at another time, little miss, okay? We have more attending matters to deal with first" The Assassin subtly hinting at the carriage and the older lady driving it as he put his persuasion skills to use
"Ahhh~ Okay..." The little girl's enthusiasm immediately dropped before her eyes shined again with a passionate return "Then you'll show it af- Agh!"
The other, and probably more responsible twin, had enough of his sister's persistent requests for the stranger as he pulled on her ear. Hard- Earning a sudden squawk of pain from her.
"My apologies for my sister as she doesn't really know how or when to keep her mouth shut, dammit Lily; You're embarrassing the both of us right in front of our employer so quit it!" The twin apologized to Ezio before he aggressively whispered right in her sister's ear.
As if waiting for his queue, the brunette approached the trio with the cloaked girl following right beside her. All their attention went to the hat-wearing figure as the twins frantically straightened themselves once they saw their employer approaching them.
Ezio's attention shifted to the brunette's rather... regal-way of walking that most merchants in Italy tend to do. An irrelevant, if not useless, observation for some people. But our Assassin thinks otherwise.
'Back straight, chest puffed up and head forward in a perfectly aligned angle- A posture of a confident person or merchant, in this case, though a bit too perfect- Then again, she is wearing clothes that look it cost a bag of florins or two.' The Assassin was already analyzing the petite woman in front of him. A skill he unconsciously does at some point in his life as an Assassin, some might say it's a habit and they wouldn't be wrong.
" Thanks a lot, stranger- If it weren't for you showing up, we would've all been goners..." Despite her way of walking, her way of speaking reminds him very much of a man- Kinda like Rosa from Venice but less cursing and more positive cheerfulness.
Ezio nodded back at the female merchant "No worries- I heard the commotion so I ran as fast as I can but... It seems I wasn't able to save every one of you."
The Assassin looked over to the first dead body he saw once he arrived; A boy similar of age as the other three, that had brown eyes and brown hair with a slightly handsome face. Unfortunately, his brown eyes were wide and Ezio assumed that he died right before knowing he was under attack. A bolt seems to have struck his chest area, right over the heart, penetrating the leather armor he was wearing. A mace was loosely held in his hands, unused and seemingly new.
The others drifted over to their dead comrade and the air around them grew somber; The two girls looked on with sadness, their sad eyes staring at their fallen comrade, while the male twin gritted his teeth as he turned away with frustration and anger, perhaps at himself or the bandits, Ezio does not know. The female merchant tipped her down in respect at her dead guard, a frown on her face.
"Dammit..." The twin male angrily muttered to himself while the rest of them remain silent for a moment before Ezio took the initiative as he walked towards the dead boy, kneeling as his gloved hand softly closed the boy's dead eyes- Shutting them forever as he spoke in his native tongue for all to hear.
" (May your soul be undisturbed and feel relief in the afterlife- Requiescat in Pace)" His words taking on a soft and peaceful tone that the rest of them lowered their heads down in respect.
Ezio then looked at the female merchant "Is the nearest settlement not far from here? I'd rather not leave this child's body to the wolves..."
Said merchant nodded with a serious look "Yes, it's only about a two-hour drive from here- Looking at the time of day, we should be there before sunset if we don't encounter more issues along the road... Assuming you'll come with us?" She questioned with a raised brow
"Of course- I was a bit lost in the woods and I don't really know the area very well." The reincarnated Assassin nodded as he smoothly let out an answer while thinking up a cover story in the meantime.
Ezio saying that he was previously an old man with a family that just recently died and got reincarnated by a Goddess to save the world from a man who wanted to rape it into submission would probably make him sound like a madman.
So a good cover story would be best
'Just need to make sure there are no holes for the more... inquisitive people to notice. Made that mistake last time, not gonna let it happen again.'
== We Work in the Darkness, To Serve the Light ==
Celestine was in her throne-room, awaiting for her general for this sudden meeting that she has called upon.
The Goddess knows that she's acting a bit selfish here; With the war going on and her forces coming to a stalemate with the demonic horde, a meeting at this time was very ill-advised as her trusted aide and Commander in Chief seemed to be very stressed as of late.
Still, after the vision she has received last night- She doesn't have the patience to wait for an opportune time for the meeting especially with the vision gnawing at the back of her mind, fearing that her waiting might trigger the events foretold.
This is the downside of knowing what the future entails by a very vague vision- She knows what is going to happen but what she also wanted was when as well as the context. Will it happen at the end of the war? Will it happen in the distant future? Will the enemy be an adversary of the Dark Queen only to betray her?
So many questions plague her mind and no one to answer them- This was the same thought process when she was still a young elf and warning her father of the first demonic horde that was raised by her dark-skinned cousins.
The only problem was that the initial invasion was months away from when she received the vision. Fortunately, her father was a wise man and listened to anyone's advice especially to his family members- Gathering up nearby tribes of fellow elven folk and preparing themselves for war. Some of his allies did question him on why though and she never found what he answered them.
Defenses and border patrols were established as a lookout, but some of her high-elven brethren back then did not heed her father's warnings and remained relaxed as they believed her father to be paranoid. The arrogance was their downfall as once the invasion started, most of them were wiped out so quickly that they didn't have the time to even send out a call for help.
The invasion lasted decades before her people were able to defeat the first horde... At a severe cost- Many of her own kin; Both High and Dark elves, were killed in battle due to the decades of fighting, and none were spared; Men, Women, Children, Warrior, Farmer, Healer, everyone was affected in some way.
The repopulation of her species was slow unlike the humans, dwarves, or even those vile orcs as their own fertility was very low. It would take many attempts to even impregnate an elf but luckily, each birth was always a guaranteed success so there was that upside.
That was why elves were very rare in more dangerous occupations such as a soldier or frontline mage as they were taught how few of them were left in the world right from birth and each fallen elf brings them closer to extinction.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to her chambers was opened as four female soldiers clad in very revealing silver armor covering their breasts, stomach, forearms, shoulders, and legs paired with red skirts and tight shirts clinging to their bodies. Silver helmets cover their heads with face guards covering at least their upper face and eyes as they marched in two by two formation before stopping in front of the open door, widening the middle as they faced each other in attention, all of them carrying a halberd.
Another figure comes through the door, passing through the four in attention soldiers who remained stoically in their places. Seeing who it is, Celestine let out a smile in seeing her Commander in Chief. Walking with such military discipline yet grace towards the Goddess, Her sinfully sexy body rivaling if not equally matched with the Goddess' own.
The Commander's armor and clothing were similar to the female soldiers in attention but instead of the silver armor, it was mixed in with golden plates to her hips, breastplate, and shoulders with the red skirt replaced with a royal purple color as well as a golden star pin on her left breastplate. Her helmet is also golden plated with white wings attached to each side of the helmet with wavy brown hair escaping the confines of said helmet, reaching to only her upper back.
Heavy clanking boots can be heard all around the silent room as the Commander finally stopped a good distance from the Goddess before dropping to a knee while bowing her head.
"Your Holiness, I have answered your call and came as fast as I could" A mature and serious voice spoke, breaking the silence between the two
'Straight to the point as always' The Goddess Celestine mused to herself as she stood up from her throne as she walked down the small stairs in front of her as her throne was set on a pedestal, her large tits bouncing with each step as she made her way to the kneeling Commander
Said Commander did nothing, not even flinch nor look up as she waited for her Holiness's response.
Standing right in front of the kneeled individual, she spoke in a kind and soothing voice "Rise, Claudia Levantine; You need not bow to me, we are friends after all" She finished with a smile as if she was expecting something
The now named Commander, Claudia, nodded as she rose back up, standing at the same height as the Goddess. Their bodies are so similar to one another with the slight difference such as Celestine's breasts being a bit larger and rounder while Claudia has more noticeable and stuck out hips.
Claudia placed her hand on her golden helmet, removing it as she finally showed her fair beautiful face with slightly narrowed gray teal eyes, a few wavy pieces of hair covering her forehead. A small smile across her face as she looked upon Celestine
"I'm afraid I cannot abide by that request, Your Holiness" The Commander's words made Celestine let out a sigh along with a shake of her head though she has a knowing smile
'Of course, you wouldn't, Claudia' In all her years of knowing Claudia from her time as a knight to being Commander in Chief, she always preferred calling her something formal unless it was something personal and private.
"Still, it is good to see you all well and good, Claudia- I regret that you haven't had any sort of time off these past few weeks," Celestine said as her smile began to emanate an aura of sadness before the Commander replied quickly
"It's quite all right, Your Holiness- I've been trained for this and it's always an honor fighting in your name." Claudia attempted to soothe the Goddess' with fervor
The Goddess of Light said nothing but her smile slightly returned to that kind and caring feeling as before. She nodded
"Thank you, Claudia..."
"Always... Celestine" Claudia knew she was, or at least to her, breaking through formalities that no mere believer of the Goddess should never do but she is not only her mere believer but also her friend.
Celestine, hearing her close friend calling her first name that is only supposed to be heard in private, felt happy hearing that. Before she shaking her head as she looked slightly serious all of a sudden
"As much as I wanted this to be a social visit, Claudia, I needed to talk to you about an... important matter in private."
Claudia, sensing the sudden slight change of demeanor towards her close friend and Goddess, lost her small smile and was replaced with a look of a soldier ready to receive orders.
Seeing her Commander loses her smile made her slightly regret calling her in a sudden manner but she shook those thoughts out of her mind before turning around as she walked towards the throne doors.
"Come, Claudia- Let us talk in my personal study for this"
Claudia followed swiftly with her eyes making eye contact with one of the female soldiers, a brief moment passed as the female soldier nodded as four of them occupied each corner with Celestine and Claudia in the middle, providing security as they held onto their halberds tightly; Ready at a moment's notice.
Silence loomed over them as they made it out of the throne room and into the hallways with the doors closing behind them.
The walk to the Goddess' personal study was silent, only the heavy clanking of the boots of Claudia and her four soldiers marching in formation resonated across the hallway.
A few servants, maids, and guards saw the group and offered their greetings- The servants and maids bowed their heads as they gave their own greetings for their Goddess and the Commander in Chief while the Guards nodded their heads in respect instead.
Some time passed as they arrived at a single door with a symbol of the Goddess' personal emblem at the front; A red heart symbol with green leaves wrapped around it as if protecting the heart of any dangers.
Celestine placed her hand on the knob but turned around to Claudia and the four soldiers, speaking in an embarrassed and regretful tone tone "Forgive me, Claudia but I only wish to speak you alone for the time being; Bodyguards, my apologies but this is sensitive information."
The four soldiers, or bodyguards, looked saddened at not being included but nodded nonetheless, understanding the Goddess's secrecy.
Claudia turned to one of the bodyguards "Vania- I trust to leave you here for the time being?"
The bodyguard known as Vania nodded once as she responded "Of course, My lady and your Holiness. We shall stay here till your return"
Claudia offered a small smile at Vania as she turned back to face the Goddess who looked thankful at the understanding of privacy. She opened the door and the two went in as Vania ordered the other three bodyguards to start putting posts to guard the entrance to the Goddess' personal study.
Inside was a medium-sized room that is outfitted with a red carpet similar to the one in the hallways with a high ceiling and a few windows that allowed the view to the city if desired. A dark wooden desk was sitting at the end of the room with stacks of papers on it and a candle holder with the candle un-lit along with a comfortable chair behind it. Around the room were two bookshelves, two couches made of comfortable and high-quality material with a table in the middle to the side, containing a few open books that is left unread. And a few small strange devices scattered near the desk.
There's even a painting of Celestine sitting down with a blonde elf man who looked slightly older standing behind her, his hand on her shoulder. Both of them were smiling and drabbed in noble outfits; Celestine wearing a green beautiful dress while the man wore a somewhat military-looking uniform with noble aspects stitched to it.
Claudia looked around the room as if reminiscing "It's been so long since I've been here, Your holi- I mean, Celestine"
Celestine merely nodded at that "Indeed... A few months if I recall ever since the sudden insurgence of the dark forces, we haven't been able to spend any time together like before..."
The Goddess gestured over to one of the couches "Take a seat, I shall brew us some tea as we talk" She said as she walked over to one of the strange devices
Claudia raises her hand as if to refuse before stopping herself and sits on one of the couches, thinking to herself.
Celestine opened a drawer on the strange device, pulling out a jar full of strange green leaves and a small kettle. Celestine whispered to herself a spell as a body of water mysteriously appeared on top of the open kettle, filling into it. She placed a few of the strange leaves into the kettle and placed them on top of the strange device, pressing a button as it suddenly lit up with blue coursing around the device.
Claudia, spooked by the sudden feeling of power, stood up with her hand on her sheathed short before Celestine holds up her hand "Calm thyself, Claudia- This is how it normally operates, it's powered by the mana that is stored within."
The Commander, still unsure of the device, trusted her Goddess's word and proceeded to sit down with her hand of the sheathed sword "Pardon me Celestine but where on Eostia did you manage to find this contraption?"
"Oh? This?" She gestured to the contraption that is mildly shaking as it heats up the kettle "I accepted the offer to test this for a friend of mine that I've met"
"Wait, you mean this is in the testing state?!" Claudia exclaimed with wide eyes "Are you certain that this... won't explode on us?"
"Do not worry, this device is perfectly safe to be used- My friend made sure of it though it doesn't really have a name as they tend to make erratic inventions left and right." Celestine ensured her friend that it isn't going to blow upon her.
Claudia was silent for a moment before sighing "I see then..."
Before Celestine could reply, the kettle began to whistle as the Goddess turned off the strange device, powering it down as the blue glowing lines disappeared. She began to pour two cups with small plates under them, sprinkling some spices on top before stirring them.
Leaving the kettle onto the strange device and picking up the two plates with cups on them, she walks back to the couches and table where Claudia waited. Placing one of the plates on the table in front of Claudia as she took her own on the other couch opposite Claudia's.
"Thank you, Celestine" Celestine just nodded in reply as both sat in silence as they slowly blew and drank their tea. "Delicious as ever"
"I have been practicing in my spare time" Celestine took another sip before placing the plate and cup on the table, her face morphing into a serious look instead of the usual kind one
Seeing her Goddess's serious expression, Claudia does the same as she put-downs her cup and plate on the table.
"Your Holiness, what is so dire that you only need to converse with me instead of all the Princess Knights?" Claudia softly said with a hint of concern in her voice
Celestine stayed silent for a moment as if to collect her words and thoughts as she finally spoke
"Claudia, you are one of my closest friends and trusted aides ever since I took up leadership over the Alliance and established the Seven Princess Knights- With you even being my first Princess Knight in the circle. The matter that I am about to speak to you is not something I can just... speak to anyone else in the Princess Knights lightly."
Claudia remained silent, letting Celestine continue and know that she is listening.
"Claudia, do you know of visions?" Celestine asked her close aide and friend
Said close aide looked confused at the sudden question before giving her an answer
"From what I know- Visions are glimpses beyond our current reality and time; From the past, future or even a different plane of existence, a vision is usually... random, appearing out of nowhere. Some say it's the substance of mana influencing our minds, Some say it's the divine Great Mother's way of communicating to us but to this day, no one has a solid explanation over this. Your Holiness, are you saying that you had a vision yourself?"
Celestine nodded, making Claudia's eyes widen at Her Goddess receiving a vision "Indeed, Claudia- Last night, I had a glimpse into the future... And it was a horrible sight"
Seeing Celestine pale at her supposed visions, Claudia's concern for her friend and Goddess rose and dread on what's going to happen as she continued listening to Celestine
"At first I thought it was a mere dream; A nightmare from all of the stress I've built up... But no, this 'dream', this 'nightmare' felt too real as if I was there myself..." Celestine said, her face still pale.
Claudia said nothing but listened, feeling cold sweat all over her body.
"Eahvine was besieged and broken through by the dark horde with other races joining them in the city's pillage... Homes were being burnt, the people killed or raped... It all felt too real, Claudia."
"W-What?! But how?! We're making great progress against the hordes right now and with our current advance campaign; We'll make it to the Dark Queen's castle in a few months' time and end this war."
"I do not know... The future is not always set in stone and these visions are very vague at times... It doesn't help that my vision did not show any figureheads that may give us a clue; Only dark figures cover them as their shapes are like any mere person." Celestine grimly said, making Claudia slump over her seat
The Commander rubs her forehead, a headache appearing as she attempts to think of a strategy to combat this unknown enemy. She comes up to a blank. She sighs as this is every worst scenario that was taught to her by her instructors; Being blind on the battlefield
Lacking information on the battlefield was always something she disliked; She was a leader of soldiers and a leader must always go for the highest chances of victory while limiting her own losses. Hence why her instructors drilled into her head to always acquire and analyze any sort of related information before going into battle; As it may save more lives or even win the battle in dire situations.
Claudia looks up to her Goddess "What do you propose we do, Your Highness?"
"Hm... For now, we wait and not bring suspicion to ourselves; One wrong move on our part may spark the events earlier than expected." Celestine said, resulting in Claudia bowing her head
"As you wish, Your Highness"
"Ah, and one more thing I must discuss before we bring our secret conversation to a close"
"What is it, Celestine?"
"In my vision; When I was about to be... taken against my will-" Celestine hesitantly said, still fearing the tiny bits of fear when she remembered her clothes before ripped apart.
Claudia narrowed her eyes at what was said, attempting to decipher what her highness has just said, not knowing the true meaning behind those words. However, she knows that it was nothing good.
"-A white figure managed to save me from the darkness' clutches... Even fighting against them in order to protect me" The Goddess, for the first time since this conversation started, smiled gratefully as her heart warmed slightly at thought of her 'Savior' even if it was in the vision.
Her close aide and friend saw this and she raised a brow at her Goddess looking... almost fond of this 'white figure', making her curious on who this person is.
"But unfortunately, even it had its features covered but I'm definitely sure that it was a man," Celestine said surely
"And how are you so sure, Celestine?" Claudia asked curiously
"I have a good feeling about it" The Goddess insisted with a smile that says 'I'm sure of it! Without a doubt!'
"I... see" Her Commander in Chief just sweatdrop at the lackluster explanation but she didn't pry into it further. She wasn't the one who received the vision and it was blasphemy to doubt her Goddess' words!
"Mhm, this is also the other reason why I asked for this meeting- A task for you to find this figure" Celestine aske- No, ordered! Her Commander in Chief had her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly open before she closed.
Okay, maybe a tiny amount of doubt begins to enter Claudia's mind
"B-But Your Highness! There are thousands of people in Eahvine and even more in the territories of the Alliance; We don't even have proof that this man is in our lands!" Claudia argued against her Highness, a blasphemy on her part- Shame be upon her.
"I know, I know, Claudia- What I am asking of you is irrational; Idiotic even but... I feel that he is here- Right now, walking the same ground as the rest of us. He is somewhere, we just have to find him..." Celestine was serious in this, her instincts were telling her so, no matter how much her rational side is telling her the opposite
Claudia stiffed, seeing her Goddess's serious expression. The two of them were silent for a minute; Celestine waiting for her friend's response while Claudia herself was thinking deeply.
She sighed
"...Do you at least have something to point me in the right direction? A Sign? Clothing? Weapons even?" The Commander obediently asked, if not slightly doubtful at her patron Goddess's appointed task to her.
Celestine let out a mental sigh to her, understanding her friend's doubt at her request- Even it sounded impossible to her but... She has this feeling in her that he is definitely here and he is somewhere close...
Hopefully, her feelings turn out to be right. If her horrible vision does come to light, she will need all the allies and help she can get.
Time has passed for the two- Planning on what to do for the terrible future that lays ahead.
== Hide In Plain Sight ==
We return to Ezio and the group of strangers he helped against the vile bandits who tried to kill them and plunder their goods.
They were back on the road once more, the merchant driving her carriage forward being drawn by two horses with the hooded girl sitting beside her; A broken crossbow on her lap as she seems to be trying to fix it.
The two twins were in the back of the carriage along with the dead body covered with a white sheet as the two twins seemed to be the most damaged over their comrade's death.
Ezio was sitting near the merchant's right side, taking in the green open field with the occasional tree entering his vision. It seems they finally made it out of the forested area.
'It looks like dusk is slowly approaching, the sun is almost gone from what I can see... I wo-' His thought process was betrayed by his own stomach growling
This caught the attention of the hooded girl and the merchant looking at him with curiosity in their eyes
"Haven't had lunch yet?" The tomboy-looking merchant asked in a laidback manner
Ezio just let out an embarrassed laugh "Yes, well- I actually lost all most of my supplies back in the forest so I went to scavenge for some food before I heard one of you screaming, so I dropped everything I found and ran to where you were" He smoothly said
'Nice one, me! Still being able to lie without a cinch' He mentally praised himself for his quick thinking and, maybe advance planning of his cover story
The merchant smirked as she let out a brief chuckle "No worries, pal" She eventually opened up her leather sling bag, taking out something wrapped in cloth as she offered it to the Assassin "Here, eat up- Take this as my thanks for helping us"
Ezio accepted the wrapping with a suave smile "Thank you, signoria- Your kindness is much appreciated" The merchant only grinned in response.
Ezio opened up the wrapping, showcasing a piece of dried bread, some sort of salted jerky, and a few berries. He said nothing and proceeded to take a bite of the bread and jerky; It was nothing like the constant home cooking of his wife back home but more like the rations he often carried back when he was still an active Assassin.
Nonetheless, he ate and his stomach was slightly appeased for now. It didn't take long till the bread and jerky were gone, leaving only a few berries which Ezio slowly ate one by one.
"Sorry if the food ain't to yer' likin'- I gotta cut down costs and pick out the food that'll survive the longest out here while being easy to carry." The merchant said to him "The name's Charlie, by the way- And this Lil' youngster to my left is Dania, my niece"
The Merchant Charlie bobbed her head to the hooded girl named Dania who gave a shy smile to Ezio before quickly returning her attention to her broken Crossbow.
Ezio placed a hand over his heart, bowing his head respectfully "Ciao Miss Charlie and Miss Dania, I am Ezio Auditore- A pleasure to meet you two"
She let out a chuckle "Haha! A Gentleman, I see! You sound like a nobleman, Sir Auditore."
"Please, Call me Ezio, I don't mind."
"Only if you call me without any formalities as well and I'll do the same"
"As you wish, Charlie~" Ezio purred out her name unconsciously
Charlie smirked with a slight blush on her face
"Say, where are you from, Ezio? From my years as a merchant; I have not heard of any Firenze of sorts." Charlie asked, curious about the fellow beside her
Ezio 'hmmed out loud as he answered Charlie question with his half-truth story "Well, Firenze is a city beyond the ocean- My father was a noble and banker but I left since my older brother was the heir"
The tomboy merchant raised a brow "Really? I thought you'd prefer the luxurious lifestyle of a noble to traveling. Most nobles I've seen seem to like their money and expensive homes"
Ezio went silent, a sad frown appearing on his face as he subtly thinks about what Charlie; What if his family did survive and he stayed on Firenze, being the same old troublemaking playboy that he was...
Perhaps even marrying her first lover instead of Sophie
'What if indeed...'
Charlie realized that her new acquaintance went silent and immediately thought she stepped on something personal "A-Ah, my bad; You don't have to answer, I pried a little too much-" She was stopped when the Assassin raised her hand as if halting her
"No no- It's fine, just remembering something back home..." He shook his head before a slightly mischievous smile appeared on his face "And to answer your question... Well, I've always been the adventurous type"
The merchant nodded with a strained smile as she looked back at the road 'Stupid Charlie! Can't really stop yourself from asking the personal questions, can ya?!' She mentally berated herself for her poor move
A few moments passed in silence as the only sound can be heard is the moving of the carriage and the clomping of the horses
Charlie allowed herself another glance at the Firenze nobleman; He looked like a monk or priest to her since most of them are the only individuals who wear robes but his fancy clothing and leggings seem to say that he is not a religious person.
Also...
Her eyes are drawn to his sword, dagger, and knives attached to his person, not knowing of the hidden blades on his bracers since she has not seen him use them. As well as the lack of traveling equipment other than the pouches on his hips
Unfortunately, Ezio caught her looking and decided to give her a little teasing "See something you like?~"
The merchant flinched at how she was caught 'He must've got a good eye if he managed to see through me...' She thought before replying, not wanting to cause a misunderstanding
"N-Nah, I was just curious if every traveler from Firenze is usually that packed with weaponry?" She lightly stuttered at the start, a bit embarrassed at being found out
Ezio looked down on his arsenal then back at Charlie, that same smile from before still on his face "You never know what you'll face out here so it's best to be prepared than pay the consequences for being ill-prepared"
Charlie couldn't help but agree with the nobleman, she herself tends to be more prepared than most merchants who rely mostly on their guards. Her hidden knife even saved her life from the bandit from before.
"I suppose you're right there... Also, it seems that we're here"
Charlie, Ezio and even Dania who seemed content to ignore everything around her looked up to see a city in the distance with tall walls surrounding it, a large castle standing above it all with a few trees and farms outside the city walls.
Ezio looked over the city and its surroundings, seeing its simplistic beauty that reminded him of cities from Prussia when he visited for a mission.
'A new start, huh...'
Surprise!
You thought I was dead, huh? Left this body stranded on the water and all that?
Well, not really; I was just really lazy
Now I admit that this chapter seemed a little bit of a filler chapter but all in honesty, I had troubles with how to advance from Chapter 2 so I hope you weren't too bored over this new chapter.
Hopefully, you'll stick around for the next chapter that I promise it's gonna have a bit more action and story-wise related events to it. And even Ezio meeting one of the Princess Knights, perhaps two?
Anyway, hope you slightly enjoyed this one- The next chapter is probably gonna be a while till it comes out. Maybe a few weeks or so. If you're asking why I don't really frequently update, well; I'm a consumer, not a producer- I prefer reading to making the story itself.
Edit: Hehehe, slight edit to the chapter- I mistakingly placed 'Claudia'; Ezio's sister instead of Sophie. Thanks to x-x-The Burned Man-x-x-x for pointing that out, much thanks bro. Appreciate it.
Also did a bit of cleaning over the chapter by correcting typos and all that stuff. I'll be writing the next chapter in a few days or so since I'm either thinking up on what happens next or being too lazy.
Till next time! Fiction Militia out! For a second time
