Author's Note: So I noticed that in the comments section, a lot of people have been suggesting as possible girls to add to Raymus' harem. The only problem is, nobody made any suggestion to who else would join Raymus' assassin branch. So I'll ask again for suggestions on that.
Anyway, let's move onto the story. Any and all comments are welcome.
(Raymus' POV)
Following the announcement of mercenaries infiltrating the hideout, Tatsumi and I were both heading to a pass. It was a clear path between the mountain area and the forest. I took point on the walk to the opening of the cave. Tatsumi followed me.
"Why are we going here?" he asked.
"If an enemy decided to flee, then there's a chance they might go through this pass to escape." I explained. "As soon as Night Raid kills the first man, they'll scatter trying to escape. So we have to be ready."
"But this is basically the middle of nowhere." Tatsumi said as we left the pass. "What if no one comes?"
"Then this will be a chance to go over a few lessons with you. First thing first, cover is the most basic principle for stealth. In a forest like this, we can hide in a bush like this."
I guided Tatsumi to a bush right next to the pass' mouth. We knelt down covering ourselves with the flora and greenery.
"So you guys just hide a lot?" Tatsumi asked.
"Until the time is right." I answered. "It is one of our tenets."
"One of our what?" Tatsumi asked.
"Right. I suppose that if you want to be one of us, you should know the most basic principles of the Assassin Brotherhood. A good place to start is the three tenets; three sacred rules that no Assassin should ever break no matter what."
"And what rules would they be?"
"Number one: Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Number two: Hide in plain sight. And number three: Never compromise the Brotherhood."
"That's fair, I guess." Tatsumi said. "Anything else I should know."
"Actually, yes. You will need to know the Assassin's Creed, the sole belief of our Brotherhood."
"And what belief is that?"
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
"What does that mean?"
"It's basically an observation of the nature of reality. To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile and that we must be shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic."
"So… we have to decide what's true or not and we have to do what we should do, even if it's bad."
"More or less."
All of a sudden, the rapid sound of footsteps echoed from the pass. We peeked and saw a man with a leopard-skin mask run across.
"He won't pass." Tatsumi said as he jumped out.
"Tatsumi, wait." I cried out, but I couldn't stop him from coming out of the bushes and getting in the mercenary's way with his sword in his hand.
As soon as he saw Tatsumi, the mercenary stopped himself and raised his swords. "So there's one stationed here too, huh? Well, don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you just because you're a kid."
I had to hide myself to keep my element of surprise on hand, so I kept watch over the fight between Tatsumi and his adversary. The mercenary was about to strike, but Tatsumi beat him to it by a long shot. Quick as a blink, Tatsumi surprised me with a sudden swing of his sword across the brute's chest. The mercenary collapsed to the ground in response to the slash. Tatsumi stood over him with eyes full of rage looking down at his wounded enemy. This was his chance to finish him off, but then…
"Please. Mercy." The mercenary pleaded. "If I fail, then my village will…"
Tatsumi hesitated. I knew it would be the key to his defeat, so I used my special ability. That's when I saw the mercenary's secret weapon: a dagger behind his back. With a grin across his face, he jolted up to kill Tatsumi. That's when I made my move.
I shot out of the bushes beside Tatsumi and pushed my metal hand right toward him while flicking out my hidden blade. I stabbed the mercenary right in his throat making him burst out blood. He fell to the ground again. This time, he died before he hit the dirt.
Tatsumi had a surprised expression seeing what I did. "What…"
I held up what the mercenary had. "He was holding onto this dagger. He wanted you to stop so he could kill you."
Tatsumi widened his eyes in shock. "Wait… How did you see it?"
"That doesn't matter." I said throwing the dagger down. "What matters is that you made a very reckless move and hesitated upon killing him."
"I… I just thought…"
"This isn't the army, Tatsumi. We're Assassins. We hide in plain sight. We work in the shadows to serve the light. Rushing out relying only on your sword is suicidal, especially when you don't know your target."
Tatsumi frowned. "I'm sorry. You're right. I guess I still got a lot to learn."
I took notice of his self-doubt and sighed. "Look. Tatsumi, I don't expect you to be an expert right away. These things take time. For me, it took five years to be here. I explained to you the mantra and the tenets of the creed, right?"
Tatsumi raised his head and clear his throat before answering. "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. Don't kill the innocent. Hide in plain sight. Don't compromise the Brotherhood."
I gave him a proud smile. "There you go. Now, let's head back to the hideout. I doubt anyone else is going to be coming."
"Right. Shall we take the road?"
I thought about it, but then, another idea hit me. I looked over at the high cliff and the rocky side. I then turned back to Tatsumi.
"Actually, I've got an idea. A most basic skill of an Assassin. Parkour."
"Parkour?" Tatsumi asked.
I demonstrated by jumping up to the cliff and grabbed one of its rocks that stuck slightly out. Without hesitating, I climbed all the way up to the top. When I made it, I turned to look down at Tatsumi.
"Follow me!" I yelled out.
I could tell that Tatsumi was nervous. He shook his arms until he ran over to grab the side of the cliff. He hesitated during the climb, but he managed to pick up his pace until he joined me at the top. He had some heavy breaths.
"What's this… for?" he asked between breaths.
"Sometimes, you don't always make a clean getaway." I answered. "If you're ever spotted by whatever security the target has, it's important to run and keep on moving. And if you take the high road, there's a better chance of losing your pursuers. And if you're ever out of their sight, you can find a good hiding place, either in a concealed place or a crowd to blend into. After hiding for long enough, the guards will lose track of you and give up."
"And that works?" Tatsumi asked.
"It's worked so far." I started walking across the mountain I just climbed. There were some crevices and trees ahead of me that I knew lead back to the hide out. "Come on. Let's test your momentum. Mimic my movements and don't lose track of me."
Tatsumi nodded and waited for me to begin. I transitioned my walk into a sprint. Tatsumi ran right behind me.
Once I reached the edge of a crevice, I jumped right over it. Tatsumi did the same and we both kept on running. As soon as I reached a tree, I immediately climbed right up jumping up its branches until I went to the furthest branch. Across was another tree which I jumped over. I glanced back and saw Tatsumi doing the same.
From one tree to another, we kept rushing down the line until we ran out of trees. We didn't let that stop us. We jumped off the last branch and landed back on the rocky surface. It wasn't long though that we reached the edge of a cliff which had a very, very steep drop. The hideout was right within the valley below us.
"Well, I don't see a way down." Tatsumi said. He was about to turn around, but I stopped him.
"You're not seeing things, are you?" I asked. "You think that during a chase, you take the high road, and you can just turn around if you get too high? Sometimes, to avoid death, you have take a leap of faith."
"A leap of wha… What are you doing?" Tatsumi asked as I walked to the edge of the cliff.
I knew where I was by the birds that flew off when I approached. I raised my arms up and closed my eyes when I leaned myself forward. Tatsumi quickly reached out to grab me, but he was too late. I plummeted off of the cliff and dived straight down below. I wasn't worried though, for awaiting me was a large lake. I splashed down and stayed underwater for a few seconds.
I swam back up to the shore and climbed back out. I shook the water off of me before finding Akame and Leone standing before me with shocked faces.
"Holy crap!" Leone cried out. "Did you just dive fifty feet into water?" I nodded. "That's awesome!"
"What about Tatsumi?" Akame asked.
I looked back up and was pleased to see Tatsumi following my lead. Though his dive wasn't as straight as mine, it was still good to see him dive into the water. I helped him back up as soon as he returned to the surface. He coughed out the water he swallowed before drying himself off.
"Man. It looks like both of you are insane." Leone smiled. "You're gonna fit in quite right here."
The following night, everyone feasted in the dining room. Najenda saved a spot for me right next to her. I sat down, but I couldn't help but notice Lubbock looking at me like I stole one of his gems.
"Akame and Leone told me you dived into the lake." Najenda said. "Is that common for an Assassin?"
"More than you think." I answered.
"I see." Najenda said. "And what about Tatsumi? You've been taking him under your wing. How was he today?"
I looked over at Tatsumi. He was growling in anger as Mine kept insulting him, but Bulat kept him sitting at his desk and giving him a shoulder rub. I turned back to Najenda and gave my answer.
"Tatsumi is admittedly rough around the edges. But with some training, he could be a fine Assassin."
"I see. Thank you." Najenda said. "Now, you must fulfill your end of the partnership."
I looked curiously at her. "I'm sorry?"
"You wanted to work with us, right?" Najenda asked. "So you will have to learn to work alongside us. So until further notice, both you and Tatsumi will be partnered with Akame." She turned to the swordswoman in question. "Sound good to you?"
"Mmhm." Akame nodded.
"That was quick." I commented.
"And if they get in your way, feel free to kill them." Najenda added.
"Understood." Akame responded instantly.
"Just like that?" Tatsumi asked. I could tell he was a little worried about working with someone who tried to kill him.
I, on the other hand, was actually looking forward to it. Today, I brought Tatsumi into the way of the Assassins. Now, I'm gonna have to learn to work with a killer that uses a different method.
