I am on a XV kick and I loved the Assassin's Creed Festivale event that they had to celebrate AC Origin's release.
While sadly the event is no longer available (though thankfully they still give the important goodies you could get like the outfits and a shield for Gladio) it was still cute and wholesome watching Noctis and Prompto geek out over the series, re-enact notable feats from AC including a very epic Leap of Faith and get a surprise visit near the end of the story.
Like the guys I love the series, the Ezio trilogy and Origins have to be my favorites though I have played 3, Liberation, Unity, Syndicate, Odyssey and Valhalla. I know most of the fun of said series is being in the Animus and exploring the different time periods but what is it like for the modern day Assassins? We get to see a tiny bit through Desmond's story as well as snippets from Black Flag, Liberation, Unity and Syndicate along with the movie which thanks to Origins is shown to be canon to the games. There are also the comics which range from any number of time periods including modern day.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or Assassin's Creed as cool as that would be. Instead I just have this little white hooded plot bunny that jumped into my head and has decided to live there for the foreseeable future.
000
Convocation
Chapter 1
000
Noctis walked down the hall, his boots barely making a sound on the wood plank floor thanks to years of practice in stepping lightly. He strode past people in white hooded robes, some with off white or gray sashes but most had bright red ones. The figures lined the path to the other end, watching as he went by. Noctis wore similar robes though he kept his hood down, allowing all to see him as he reached the opposite end. He then knelt before another figure, hooded and robed like the others but with an added white cape that hung off the left shoulder and was lined in red. The figure placed a hand on Noctis's head, showing a black and gold ring set with a clear crystal.
"Where other men blindly follow the truth," the figure said. "Remember…"
"Nothing is true," Noctis replied.
"Where other men are limited by morality or law," the figure continued. "Remember…"
"Everything is permitted," Noctis replied and the figure removed their hand.
"We work in the dark to serve the light," the figure said as Noctis stood.
"We are Assassins," the other figures replied.
Moments later Noctis stood at the edge of the roof, looking down at a large pool. This section of the roof was normally locked off and could only be accessed from the hall he was previously in. Its purpose was to act as the finale for the ritual Noctis was participating in.
"Everything alright, Noct?" Noctis looked behind him, turning his attention to a pair of Assassins who had accompanied him to this area.
"Yeah, Specs," Noctis nodded. "Just…" He looked back down at the pool, seeing the other Assassins gather at the edges. "Is it weird that I'm actually a little nervous about this?" The taller of the pair snorted and folded his arms.
"Aren't you the one who loves throwing himself off ledges just to freak Ignis out?" he teased.
"Shut up," Noctis rolled his eyes at the jab. "I'm being serious."
"I don't think it's strange at all," Ignis admitted. "After all, this will be your last Leap of Faith as a trainee and the first as a new Assassin. You'll be fine."
"Just don't belly flop from this height," their friend teased.
"Thanks, Gladio," Noctis sighed. "That worked wonders for my nerves." Seeing that everyone was in place, he turned back to his friends. "It's time." He pulled his hood up and turned back to the edge, looking down at the pool. He felt his friends each place a hand on his shoulders, a light squeeze from Gladio and a soft pat from Ignis before they removed their hands and backed away. Noctis took a breath and jumped.
He fell in a swan dive, keeping his form straight and clean before bringing his hands together as he approached the water. With a faint splash he entered the water and swam for the edge, surfacing as he headed for one Assassin in particular who was holding out a hand to him. It was the Assassin who had led the ritual who was now beaming proudly as he helped Noctis out of the water.
"Welcome to the Brotherhood, Noctis," Regis said before pulling Noctis into a hug. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks, Dad," Noctis smiled.
000
"Noct, are you there?" Noctis shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to bring himself back to reality.
"Yeah, Gladio," he said through his earpiece. "I'm here, just… I was just thinking about when I completed my initiation."
"Not really time to drift off," Gladio said. "Don't forget why we're here."
"Templar own this theater," Noctis replied, reciting the debriefing from earlier. "Monica is undercover gathering intel when the owners get chatty thinking no one is listening. The three of us get in and during intermission I get backstage, make contact and get out with the intel."
"And since you are taking the lead," Ignis added. "It's your job to secure our route in. Avoid security checks and metal detectors."
"Make us as low key as possible," Gladio chimed in.
"Got it," Noctis nodded and scouted the building from his location on a cafe's roof. He did notice a door that was propped open, likely so employees who smoked could sneak out without triggering the alarm. "I got something," he said. "East entrance, about a yard from the main doors. 'Employees only' door is propped open for smoke breaks."
"Which means the alarm will be disabled," Ignis said. "Excellent work, Noct."
"We'll make our way in," Gladio added. "Go ahead and clear the way."
"Right," Noctis replied and headed over to the edge of the roof, checking the alley behind the cafe. Seeing it was clear Noctis jumped down, rolling at the landing and standing up again. Unlike the robes he wore five years ago during his initiation Noctis now wore jeans, a pair of boots and plain black tee. Over the tee he wore a white hooded jacket with red lining and a red stripe around the middle of his ribs and hidden in the sleeves were his blades. Noctis tugged his hood low to better hide his face and headed for the door, quietly slipping in. The room on the other side seemed to be the janitor room and Noctis quickly looked around before heading to the opposite door. So far no one had seen him and now that they had a path past the metal detectors he just needed to get past the ushers. Spotting a trio of guys in the lobby, Noctis casually made his way through the mass of people, seeing one of them put tickets in his back pocket. Seeming to get jostled by the crowd, Noctis bumped into the guy with the tickets.
"Sorry," he muttered and continued past, slipping the now stolen tickets into his jacket. He found an alcove where he could wait, pretending to be checking his phone. Seeing a tall, broad shouldered man in a white hoodie, Noctis carefully showed one of the tickets. Gladio walked over and as Noctis had before pretended to get pushed into him by the crowd.
"Sorry," he said with a soft grunt and Noctis just waved him off, seeing Gladio safely tuck one of the stolen tickets away. He waited a few more minutes before moving spots, noting another man this time in a white hooded coat. He subtly moved closer and the man stumbled, bumping into him.
"Apologies," Ignis said, slipping the ticket into his pocket.
"S'no problem," Noctis said and headed for the ticket taker. He handed over the ticket he kept for himself and was waved inside. He then headed to a small alcove to wait.
"Perfection," Ignis said over the radio after a few moments.
"I think I found Noct's victims," Gladio added. "Guys behind me are swearing left and right that they have tickets."
"Well if they're going to just wave them around like that," Noctis smirked. "I'm going to find my perch," he then added, getting back to business. "You two know what to do." After hearing the affirmative, Noctis headed off. He took the stairs to the upper balcony seating, ignoring the ropes and signs that said it was closed off for the night. He eventually found a spot, settling in as the play started. It wasn't like the play was unpopular but it was nearing the end of its run and it seemed most people who wanted to had already seen it, the audience consisting of returning viewers or people using their last chance. Hence the closed off upper balcony that Noctis could take full advantage of. Intermission was eventually called and people began to file out for breaks or simply to stretch. Noctis also took this chance to stretch and shake his limbs awake before radioing his friends.
"Okay," he said, scanning the theater to check for possible ways to get backstage. "Going to head down to Monica and get-" He stopped, his heart racing and his breath quickening as he caught sight of one of the private VIP boxes.
"Noct?" Gladio asked. "Noct, what's wrong?"
"He's here," Noctis growled, his gaze locked onto one particular man in the box.
"Who? Who's here?" Ignis asked, sounding worried. "Noctis, who do you see?"
"Ardyn," Noctis hissed. "That bastard's been in one of the boxes this whole time."
