PS1: Connor is 14 years older than he was in the game... if not, he would be 16 and it wouldn't work in this story.
PS2: Zio doesn't die.
Tome 2
A New World
Consciousness… And after the senses of vision and tact… pain, breathing… and lastly, smell …
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The dark began to make room for the light under Altair's eyelids. He noticed he was lying. And he could feel the grass under his hands...
Then, an immeasurable and unbearable pain followed… because of this, he laid still, just breathing a few times slowly. When the pain was endurable, he slowly opened his eyes, but the pain started again. Grunting, he closed them immediately to avoid clarity.
After a few minutes, when the pain subsided, he opened his eyes and then noticed a few things: he was in a clearing, with a lot of trees around… birds were flying in the blue sky and the sun was shining… the smell of grass and wood, different from what he was used to…
After raising his head, he saw he wasn't on Masyaf or the Holy Land anymore…
Sighing, he sat down and felt pain in his ribs and some difficulty breathing so, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths…
Altair remembered the fight in Masyaf and started to become nervous… on that fight, he was hit on the same spot he had hurt a few days before… he also wears wounds in his chest, near the pelvis on the right side, on his right thigh and had a few wounds on his face…
When he calmed, he could look around and thought: where was he?
Altair could not identify the local he was in. Looking down, he and saw that he was without his mantle and the belt of the creed, but had his hidden blade…
He looked in front of him again and found his apple. Getting up slowly - he made a face when he felt the pain on his ribs - and started to walk towards her. Picking it up, he resolved to see where he was… Saw just the clearing and the forest.
Disappointed, Altair sighed exasperated and looked around. That's when he noticed another person laid on the ground. Soon, he recognized who it was.
"Maria…" He said.
He walked towards her and getting down on his knees slowly, turned her over.
"Maria?" Altair called, taking her hair off her face.
He then noticed a wound on her left forehead, indicating that something or someone had hit her. At least, she was still breathing…
A small moan called his attention. Altair looked down and saw Maria moving slowly.
"Easy, easy…" He said.
Opening her eyes slowly because of the pain, she looked at him.
"I'm glad you're all right, Maria…" He said.
"Who are you?" She asked.
Altair raised an eyebrow, visibly worried. Seconds later, Maria smiled at him and he breathed relieved.
"You should see your face…" She said, still smiling.
"It's not funny, Maria…" he said, trying to be angry.
Maria tried to get up but couldn't, so Altair made her lie down again. She looked at him.
"Sorry…" She said after a few seconds.
Altair denied sheepish but soon changed the subject.
"Does your head hurt?" He asked, pointing to her left.
Maria put her hand on her forehead for a few seconds and saw dried blood on her fingers. Besides, her head started to hurt.
"A little…" She said, sitting with his aid.
Altair turned slowly to pick a little medicine in his other belt but saw he was without it too.
"Shit..." He said, turning to Maria. "I'm not with my medicine belt…"
"You aren't with your mantle and Assassin belt..." Maria observed.
"William wanted to humiliate me…" He said with disdain. "At least Ali could give me the hidden blade…"
Maria nodded.
"What do we do now?" She asked, seconds later.
"First, we have to discover where we are…" Altair said.
Maria looked around and saw they were in a different place. There were trees around them. The grass and the smell of wood were also different from the Holy Land.
"What is this place?" She asked.
"I don't know…" Altair said. "But we can't stay here indefinitely… can you walk?"
"I guess so…" Maria said.
Even with pain, Altair helped her after being on his foot. Maria saw his face.
"Altair, you 're really in pain…" She said, worried. "Let me see…"
He wanted to protest, but Maria saw his cuts and ribs.
"We need to treat these wounds…" She said. "I wished Aisha was here…"
"Me too…" He said.
They thought about their friends until they were interrupted by howls nearby.
"We have to get out of here…" Maria said, looking frightened to Altair. "Where are we going?"
Altair looked around. He knew the apple wouldn't be handy at that moment but used it anyway. Seeing a way, he said:
"This way, quickly…"
Maria nodded and they started to exit the clearing into the woods.
X ~ X ~ X
The howls were getting closer and closer. The animals were smelling the scent of blood coming from their wounds and were only waiting for the right time to attack.
"This way…" Altair said, walking through some trees. Maria followed him.
Altair and Maria walked until the trees finished and stopped on the edge of a medium abyss… with a river in the bottom… They knew they would have to choose between fighting with the wolves, which would result in their deaths or jumping.
But a growl made them look back. The pack was preparing to attack. Altair picked Maria's hand and when the leader of the pack rum to them, they jumped.