(A/N: Now the true and real story can get a move on as I wanted to flesh out his childhood as well as establish his love interest too in the future to align with T.O.T.K.L.T, haven't gone a lot done for that because of my focus on this one first. Because I'm also going to say fuck it to the fact that while brainstorming to think about what events are going to occur, I've decided not to follow history exactly on the dot anymore so expect anachronisms here like a Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk I rifle for India; Mosin Nagant snipers for Russia, Nock Volley rifles at France for the fact they're shipped as seven barrel prototypes from England and reversed engineered into eight barreled volley guns with so on and so forth. No he is not going to England because he hates them for one reason and that's because of their terrible theater production shows that use Apaches stereotypes, calling them redskins while portraying them as savage; they're also inclined to have those actors torture actual animals to show just like how they tell others that they're attuned with the nature around them in the New World. Tiburonkolt is not on the best terms with those from England and I'm not going to show too much about that, mostly due to the fact I'm not interested in British culture. Now that the childhood memories are over it is about time that we start kicking off the conflict with a emergency order, one that is delivered by Vlad the Impaler and it is disastrous; he will meet Cortés in a later chapter but for now it is only his voice that is heard. Without delay here we go as the Battle of Transylvania is about to begin and it's not an crusade worth going on since this might be shorter than the previous two chapters for once, Enjoy)
Auditore, North Italian-Romanian Border. Golden Age of Discovery, Year 1523
The settlement of their beloved lady Italia this side of anywhere in Europe was where the lad of the hour with his family happened to hail from outside of their tent which is starting to be built into more like a total hodpodge of a tent and a house altogether. Granted, architecture is taken a bit from middle eastern third crusade times like the capital of Jerusalem and Acre's citadel of the like; and the castle battlement walls were strongly based off one country at the least which is ruled under a lordship called Duloc but this heap of rock packs more than just a few features of it's own accord. It's been built to be the second largest of the fair country and though only Rome would be greater, the guards were always on the prowl with whatever will stand between them and the attackers who would lay siege to their home; this was named by the family of the same name who ruled Firenze in the banking business so that city is not left out in terms of influence and architecture itself
The Auditore Family crest was also here but the actual one was the crest that was scene on the armor that Rultherhuskton wore back then when he met his wife, however this is also loaded with scaffolding, cranes and stacks that're being used for construction; which gave Tiburonkolt another reason to visit this every now and then as it's still incomplete, as mentioned before it's not too far out from where he lives. Like Firenze it consisted of mostly dark and light tans/browns/radiantly outstanding scarlets and crimson reds/few whites/solid reddish oranges and anything that tributed to the seasons of summer and fall of the like; gave them a nice warm breeze here and it's a little less warm when it rains so there's a nice change of weather for here, and soon there'll be what he calls a Chinatown here when he becomes an adult
Tiburonkolt happened to be with his mother Xiuhcoyota whom the two of them were visiting a tailoring shop in which he was to be outfitted with something that he would wear from the next birthday that comes, the tailor in question went to the drawing board to finalize a great thorough look as once he was finished and revealed it to the two of them; the two gave their response
"That looks really good for him, what do you think?" Xiuhcoyota stood by the drawing as she complimented it, asking her son about what he thinks of it
"I've seen better looking clothes, and I have a better idea" Tiburonkolt wasn't impressed with how it looked as he could easily get tangled in the long robes, but told them that he had one in his vision that would better suit him more. It was too long on both the front and back for him to wear so it's easy to trip over, it looked baggy but worst of all the sleeves tried too hard to turn him into a scholar like person
Jumping off the board he came over to the drawing board where he threw a pouch of Spanish Real coins to the tailor before he flipped the page over in order to draw something which are meant to be a little more like him, fitting and comfortable so it can be integrated into his own father's old uniform he wore in his later years as a teenager in Auditore. Once he was done in the process he turned it around for the two of them to see which bore an appearance like this for instance:
The torso bore a open collar while the lower area had double layers with the back being not a bit different from the front, diagonally cut downwards from the sides as one layer is atop and the second is on the bottom below it. Around the waist is a medium sash with pouches which are all attached to the belt holding bombs to bullets, poison to medicine vials and the belt of course had a ornate crest on the front with the scabbard holding his rope axes on the back of the shoulder's backplates flanking from the left to the right sides; also featuring a pair of two spaulders for a cape to be attached and drape over around the arms. The lower back went just a little bit downward than the front but not fully down, just enough for him the tri-coattails in the back to slip through the chairs that he takes a seat on; the sides had two strips of tails that hung from the bottom of the waist on either side of the thighs which flared out in the breezy winds. Finally, it still showed his father's old uniform that will be his underneath so it cannot fully be obscured into thinking he wasn't wearing anything other than that above his tanned chest; at least it's not dripping in sweat when he's shirtless because Russian women who love him only for his looks would fight Barbara the Barbarian for his affections with fire
"Che bella accappatoio per tailoring (what a beautiful robe for tailoring), Tiburondear; I need you to go ahead down into the city and find your father? He should be at the workshop of the late Leonardo Da Vinci checking out the inventions by him, it's down the corner. I'll catch up to you two later, thanks" Xiuhcoyota seemed to love this one even more as she told her son to find his father, with him nodding as he exited the tailoring shop before running down the streets to reach his father
No one in Auditore minded that he was shirtless underneath that lovely jacket that he wore proudly on him, though every now and then he garnered a few looks as if he was spoiled by his loving parents; but he was his their only child after all. Running down from around from the corner he did not pick a more worse timing than having to witness the sight of a Venezian neighbor looking a little disheartened, Rultherhuskton knew her as the cousin of one banker whose life he once saved from poverty; not taking any chances he sat down next to her as it seemed to catch her attention
"Tiburonkolt?"
"Hope you're feeling well" He responded to her reaction
"I've been bene (good), thanks" She looked away from him
"You can trust me with the burden on your back, Auditore's citizens have good faith in you" He stroked her back with his arm up and down her spine softly
"It's Hanlirich, I think he's been very unfaithful to me" She revealed
"Who has provided this information?"
"The other women at the Auditore Rosa di Fiore (Blooming Rose) brothel branch I passed by"
"Baugh, stormo di arpie (flock of harpies)! You're better off than to listen to those seeking an faithful one to move to build their future" Tiburonkolt cursed them for having rubbed this in her face
"I gave him my love and he betrayed my trust"
"No, you were only fooled into thinking you placed your trust in that cavelli alsino (horse's ass) He'll want revenge for what I am doing next, I'll take and strike a word with him before going to see my father at Leonardo's workshop"
Tiburonkolt left the banker's cousin on the bench to head down the streets so he can have a word with Hanlirich, he must be punished for his unfaithfulness that he shown to this woman he clearly loved but chose his desire of something more over continuing what would've been a decent relationship. He wondered to himself is this is how he'll make Barbara feel if he did something like this, but it's better to ask her when he sees his swordswoman mentor again. It will be better that way
He called for Khantreijan whose hooves were heard beating to where he stood, mounting on his back in order to ride off where he was last seen. Trusting his heart and instincts to guide him he rode past the Notre Dame-esque built cathedral in France which served to be the home of a bell ringer whose stated to have hung himself after the death of a woman he loved. If she died he couldn't think of living without giving a reason to die
Khantreijan reared back on both hind hooves upon seeing a glimpse of their target up toward the far end wall of the cathedral, the right side of the entrance at the building next to it from the corner. Petting his horse on the neck he rode off towards the unfaithful man whose vows of love to the cousin of the banker his father saved were broken, if he had to kill a man like a bastard such as him then he will not hesitate to send his tomahawk into his gut; bleeding to death
He decided to hide in plain sight of the Auditore's public citizens in order to catch him off guard, this is what was heard beforehand as the offender having the affair gives his new woman a ring that he once gave the banker's cousin before deciding she was not worth a Real in the sack
"It's beautiful, Hanlirich" She loved the ring that was given to her
"Nothing but the best of the greatest for you, amore mio (my love)" Hanlirch stated
"But... what of that woman before me, I thought you've been promised to her?" She asked as her lover shook that off to show how much of a bastard he was
"Promised to a woman I do not truly love unlike you? I don't recall making one I cannot follow for someone who is not the one in front of me, I can do so much more better than a Venezian banker" He approached and pinched her from behind
"Oh birbante (naughty!), come let us walk for a bit" She suggested as she walked away but got pulled back
"Walk, is it now? I had a little more in mind for us both" Hanlirich held her close
Tiburonkolt stepped out from his hiding place with sounds of footsteps becoming louder and even more louder than before until his voice was heard yelling at him, calling him out for his affair: "Perkins! You fottuto succhiacazzi (fucking pissin' cocksucker!)" Turning around to see the sight of the man that his former girlfriend sent he was jabbed directly in the nose, having his hand shield it from further harm. "Ma che ti piglia (what the hell?)"
"You've insulted the banker's cousin whom my father had saved from poverty by parading about with this puttana (whore), I've saw the gifts given to her and heard the words about her" Tiburonkolt referred to the woman Hanlirich was having his way with
"Well she shouldn't be so stingy in being a stripper with her virtue and open her legs up in Venezia for this once, then I would've have stood her up with my new beloved" Throwing his arm off when he touched his shoulder
"You've betrayed her love and broken her heart"
"And now I'm going to break that face on your skull"
But that never came to pass as Tiburonkolt immediately rammed him up against the wall and kicked him in the groinal area, beating him from side to side before throwing him toward the ground; allowing Khantreijan to trample his hand, ankles and allowing him to preform a deep chopping cut across his cheek with his tomahawk
Kicking him in the ass to have him crawl off away from him, only to end up stomping on his balls to break them completely so he cannot bare fruit for the future; nor would he get away with having his face smashed to the ground one last time. "Basta, mi arrendo; arrendo! (Stop, I yield; I yield!)" Begging for mercy he ran away
"Stay the hell away from her, or I'll rip that liver out!" He threatened as he vanished out from his sight, now that he's finished with this he can still find his father at Leonardo's workshop; mounting on their family horse Khantreijan before galloping away down the streets. It's been made clear that Hanlirich Perkins would not take this well with him, therefore he'll be quick to act on a plan of revenge on him but what will he do? For now he's focused on riding to the workshop that his dad's in
Riding near the fucina del fabbro (blacksmith forge) he came to make a turn into a short wall alley that had the tarped roof door inward on the left side, dismounting the family's horse he went inside of the entrance to shelter himself from the glaring sun while Khantreijan cooled off in the shadows. Knocking on the door two times before entering inside like a gentleman, just as the horse sat on the bench on the other side of the doorway
Coming downstairs from the elevated floor he looked around the workshop seeing all kind of wondrous inventions that have been built into a series of war machines such as a glider that hung at the top, a cone shaped walking cannon that operated with three workers; a chariot of sorts that were armed with scythe blades on the carousel that went around without harming the two horses pulling them, a semi-automatic firing toploader cannon with a double stacked line of cannon barrels along with an armed naval attack boat and a corkscrew pedal powered propeller vehicle with a series of shoulder handled firearms from China that looked like what his father wielded back then. So much was around him and he couldn't wait until there came a time when he had to use at least one of these inventions. His father was delivering scrolls which were scriven with plans for adding a firearm onto the blade of the sword so it can catch the enemy off guard, all to show off at his all mercenary attended festivals so he can give all of them the machines built for the all conflicting warfare purpose of battles
"Glad you've arrived son, these machines that you can see all around you will come in handy when there's a problem that needs solving in the middle of a war between two families; that would lead a siege on Auditore. Besides, the banking family would cover the costs after all" Rultherhuskton told him as he went onto show him the machines while explaining them to him
He was finished by the time that his son came up with the knowledge that his wife asked him to come find him, he showed him the machines that's all around in the workshop; telling him each of them and how they'll come in handy for when there's a problem that needs solving in the middle of a war between two families that would wage a siege on Auditore. Besides, the banking family would cover the costs after all and this is what he told him
The machine on the right was the Flying Machine which although has not been successful due to Tommaso breaking his leg that's not to say his apprentices are testing it again by using fires that were lit, so they can actually fly like a bird in the sky. Right now they've just added a few features like a cannon to make it a offensive flying weapon on top and soon this will be able to drop explosives from behind underneath on armies that were laying siege to this city, and Italia's regions
The other one was a tank that's supposed to be operated by three people but knowing a man like Leonardo that can be arranged, the armor's strong enough to resist cannonballs and not a single bullet can penetrate it; there were multiple cannons all around the lower rim for firing and they were about to add a extra rim of cannons at the middle so they can attack any horse powered carriages along with wagons and stage coaches that were armed. It would be one of the most powerful weapons when laying siege to the outer walls that need to be raided
The scythe chariot was pulled by two horses built for endurance and speed, cutting down the number of enemies in the line ahead using the spinning scythe blades in front to clear a way; the driver and passengers seat had a revolving cone shaped structure which housed the blades that stuck outwards while the distance between the horses and the main carriage were given some space so they would not cut the horses that pulled the carriage. There were also a few scythe blades on the wheels so no one can avoid getting slashed and killed by the chariots
The toploading cannon was a machine gun which can fire more cannonballs than the average one, being loaded on top of the stage coach which was also pulled by three horses this time; mounted and ready for battle as it can reload easily and fire quickly. Having a swivel function that move the machine gun all around as that should easily provide some cover fire from all around, not much to say here
There were a number of stacked cannon barrels that were called volley cannons as no one is safe from a wide field of range when going against this one, like the machine gun it was to be armed with an auto-loading feature and this was more of a wide shot cannon which can break through some ship defenses pretty hard for that matter. But like before there's nothing much to say about this one as it speaks for itself
Also armed with a cannon is an naval gondola which is faster if not just a bit slowed down due to the weight of the cannon as it can make short work of burning an armada made of longship fleets from the Norse Age. Tiburonkolt thought that it could match the appearance of his ship if he ever commandeers one of his own for himself, it was pretty much smooth sailing from there if he needs to abandon it or if he needs to mount a enemy's vessel. It's only just an armed rowboat that can be automatically driven thanks to propellers on the bottom where it propels it forward in the sealine
Over there was a helicopter and though the actual machine was a turntable with two people, it was modified to use pedal power as it can be steered in the air with a rudder underneath in order to turn; it was due to be armed with the bombing features of the Flying Machine
At last there were the line of rifles which are fashioned after not only Rultherhuskton's that he gave to his wife back then it also had the reloading feature of the Lee-Enfield No 4. Mk 1s, while the bullets are loaded not by hand but like a M1 Garand rifle using stripper clips; which automatically eject upon reloading through pulling the charging handle of the bolt action rifle that it was based on. All of these were imported from China but there are plans to integrate the machine gun's functions into these for unstoppable power as such, they're all still black powder rifles but are modeled after his own as Rultherhuskton told his son
"When the time comes to demonstrate them all, you will be my most trusted daredevil that has ever risked his life on the line for these; and the Flying Machine of course will have the new catapult launching mechanism, perhaps even some tuning heat so it can attain and as well as descend altitude. It's what Leonardo would've wanted knowing me in my years as a young adventurer" Rultherhuskton explained to him as son couldn't believe all this was the creation of the hands that came from a fantastic painter, he'd love to use all of these in due time
"Mother's waiting for us back at the tailoring shop, she told me to come find you here; I drew something that was better than the actual vision of the tailorman whom I paid to tailor it over the other one"
"Did you, now? Let's see it!"
"Khantreijan's waiting outside for us"
Returning outside their horse took them back to the tailoring shop where he saw the robes of which their son drew not feeling satisfied with the original concept, so he paid extra to make them in his own stylish taste that felt it would suit him better the most; Khantreijan took the family of three back to their home in the outskirts of where they lived
Arriving at the home where their tent had grown to become expanded into a great tent house, still the same as it will ever be but expanded to be a greater home so it may serve to be a blacksmith forge for that matter too. Their lifestyle may not have changed so much but when one of their friends is in need of their help, that is when their son will answer to the call of action upon request of a man who was there since his birth
A Romanian courier rode on his horse with a message in hand, he was nearly there out of the Croatian border when he jumped onto the boat with his steed; lighting a brazier in flames and letting the heat drive them forward by directing the fuming waves against the cloth. A reason for his haste like time was short was because he is delivering a emergency order to Auditore, Italia from a man that Rultherhuskton had connections with
This was to be given to the man of the same name as he the one who requested him, Vlad the Impaler needed the help of all warriors assembled to defend his castle in Transylvania. But he was not told about who were the ones laying siege to Bran Castle in the first place, all he had to do was ride into the North Trentino-Alto region; one task that was easier for him thanks to sailing upwards across from the gulf. Once he docked he mounted his steed once more and rode off with a jump onto the solid earth, heading down the path that led to Auditore
Back home at their homestead Tiburonkolt occupied himself with a Russian mind game that's called pentominoes which the goal of the game was to fit the matching pieces of five into an rectangle as to him this was highly addicting. He studied on the scriven scrolls that had him write a script of hieroglyphic letters and numbers that would translate to the alphabet below, it made him want to develop his own language but he didn't know what it was. He sat within his private study area which was made of logs on the upper walls and a few stone bricks from the lower walls, having three parallel sticks in between each of them so it would stay sturdy. The outer entrance had a roof over it with a double screen flap door to enter through, he was using Chinese kanji, the Siddham alphabet, the Trajan script and the tribal swirling barb style along with the Old English typeface. There was something missing as he can think of the first tenth letters that went put together translate to: "Bind him to the sky, Amen. He absorbs and clings to the sky" His father told him about a language called Dragonese and it was said that it derived off from the Angelo Saxon, so that wasn't hard to know that the two languages were both of the same tongue but not to the same race
Rultherhuskton was at the forge seeing to it that a sword that can fire projectiles was done to show off to the festivals, he was working hard when his hammer clanged against the anvil for the shaping of the iron he was using for the chamber of where the bullets are loaded; with a belt of them being slipped inside so that it can be fired using a trigger on the handle. That's where he encountered a new challenge for himself to conquer, it should be no big deal as it was only a sword and to combine one with a firearm was quite the deadly pair; but why have two cumbersome weapons when you can have a fusion into one? Nothing such as this has at least been seen by many people's eyes and few are rarely shown in action, so this will be his opportunity to catch the enemy off guard by fooling them into believing this was a everyday man and woman's sword. After all he did believe in she-warriors because he married one and she's no saint to the conquistadors that led a conquest upon her land which has now become Mexico City
Xiuhcoyota was constructing a necklace for her husband while Khantreijan walked over to her back and leaned down to groom her back from behind, rubbing his snout across from the left to right sides thanks to those lips of his that made the sound of skin scratching without having to leave any actual scratches. The necklace that she was building consisted of diagonal edged horizontal cylinders with a small ring on both sides placed up against them, with a thick round cylindrical bar to fill in the gap with a solid square in the main center; continuing onward until it came full circle with a ornament in the middle. A diamond tilted square cube in the middle with a cylindrical bar on the bottom, having a series of long bones from ribs she ate off of and cleaned to ensure it was dry enough so that Rultherhuskton wouldn't reject this gift from her. A inverted pyramid shaped prism was large enough to reach the middle as it went downward to form a kind of shining jewel that would light the way in the darkest of shadows. Though he would insist that she keeps it for herself as it looks like a gift he would make, she'd try in the end to let him accept the gift
Suddenly, there was the sound of hooves beating in the distance coming closer towards their homestead; Khantreijan looked up to see a courier carrying a message inscribed with a line of dark red writing on the crimson scroll; hard to see blodstains due to the battle taking place in the location where he rode off from. He held the reigns hard as he appeared in the view, that was when Rultherhuskton came out as soon as he heard the neigh of the horse; rushing out to meet with the messenger who arrived in the nick of time
"Sir, news from the lands of Romania; Lord Vlad Tepes needs your help!"
"Thanks for the message, courier; our assistance will be taken into good hands"
With his message sent the courier snapped the reigns and galloped away from the home that had Tiburonkolt look up at the events that were happening outside, he didn't think much about the messenger so he continued to his own affairs. Rultherhuskton read out the scroll and could not believe the events of what was happening before him, written here in this scroll as this is no message from Vlad Tepes III; this was a emergency order by the Prince of Wallachia and the man rumored to be a vampire, this man left no one alive unimpaled by his blade while having their heads stabbed on pikes to show just how horrifying that he was. Below this is what was written and enscripted on the frontlines:
Rultherhuskton of Auditore, Italia
Turkish Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire are leading a siege and attack against the country of Transylvania, I call for all young warriors from Europe to aid us against this invading force that's laid destruction on the village near Bran Castle. Nearly all loyalists of my town have been slain and terminated under these mercenaries and soldiers alike
They're armed with a deadly new projectile weapon called handcannons, these unthinkable and powerful atrocities have killed most of my guards. But they're slow to operate due to needing a fuse to be lit and the barrel to be cleaned of the smudged powder inside, none of us have been able to procure one due to the soldiers stripping their fallen bodies. This is the reason as to why I've been forced to barricade myself inside
Our archers are the only defense left on the walls of my castle, we lack the Korean hwatchas to drive our Ottoman enemies back; with these reinforcements they will know the true image of the impaler that is me. I've been there since the birth of your son and I know he will come, send him on his way to regroup with the main attack force; I have a wagon awaiting the rest of them of whom I have called to aid our dwindling defenses
Let him to fight hard and should I fall in battle, slay all who have doomed themselves to face the Prince of Wallachia
- From Bran Castle, home to the lord Vlad the Impaler Tepes III, Transylvania, Romania
Tiburonkolt was informed about the emergency order that called for young men like him and all over Europe as their leading lady was one of them, he didn't know what to think because it was clear he's fought off Flashburn's forces back at the academy; but this was the first time he's left home for a war that was taking place at a castle where the Prince of Wallachia resided in. He did not like this one bit, something's not right about this emergency order calling for young men like him to help defend his godfather's castle. He felt burdened for having to leave his home under the order of the man his father is friends with, but having finished loading his work onto all four saddlebags of Khantreijan he expressed his uncertainty about weather he should really go or to remain here to his two loving parents that wanted what's best for him
"Nothing about this battle seems right, I have all the treasures you've given to me at this home we live in. Going off to war to defend against the siege that's invading my godfather's castle is... no I'm not up to joining this. I can't do it, not after Flashburn's assault on the academy; I may be a master swordsman after graduating but defending against this siege is different from what I've fought back there" He didn't know what to say as this was the first time he's joining an actual battle and as such fought against an entire army, Flashburn didn't bring this many men; just a fleet of ships
"My son, you will never have to carry the burden of warfare that was passed onto young men as both of us; God or as I know him as Ptah of Egypt had the plan and purpose of this time should it come into your life. You're not like the rest of us as I've worked this earth and lived in Auditore in the later years of my youth just as my father and grandfater worked among the Carribean sea fortress defended port of Queensbroad Bay, Jamaica in the western side of the earth. To get and be slain on the battlefield will not be your future" Rultherhuskton gave him counciling before his wife stepped in
"Rultherhuskton, even the Aztec Pantheon rested on the twentieth day when we offered all we had to for the sun before learning we can live without the omens that pose a threat to us; even Cortés did not continue his conquest without resting. Let him fight until he cannot stand, those skills learned by us and his teacher will guide him" Xiuhcoyota spoke to him softly as her son did not hear the name of the man who led a slaughtering of her people
"Tiburonkolt, know that should there be anything that comes to happen in this siege; you will not die without knowing the knowledge of us always standing at your side, guarding your body until we can put you to peace while you rest. Your absence may be lonesome like times before you were born but even then our hope answered us when you came to this earth, remember the words of us should you become lost: we live in you forever so you're never alone weather you choose to leave Italia or if fate cuts our line too early, until then we await your return; as I and your mother bid you a farewell from Auditore" He hugged his son while his wife kissed him on the forehead before mounting onto Khantreijan's saddle, adorned in his armor for battle before he gave them his farewell
"Goodbye beloved of all fathers and dearest of all mothers, let's go bud" Khantreijan reared back on his hind hooves before sprinting off to the distance as his parents watched on, knowing that fate would bring him back in one piece but as a changed man which was something they kept out of their knowledge; noon had come when he left for Transylvania as they returned to their tent home. This battle was more than what meets the eye as the Spanish might be involved in this too
He rode onwards for miles on end upon the family horse which took shortcuts in Romania so that they can reach Wallachia faster, where there was supposedly reinforcements consisting of such young warriors like him made up of men and women of his age; he leapt over a bridge that broke and atop a few large flattop rocks that helped him reach the closest neighboring of the regions which was Sarajevo. Stopping only for restocking on some rations to have along in using a few extra spare hours of rest before he planned the shortest routes in order to reach the country in time. Khantreijan was a thorough-bred horse but even he himself had limits to his prolonged endurance which was only being built up to the fullest thanks to the distance he's been traveling so far
He held onto his medallion that gave him the determination to continue his trek right into an unfamiliar but furthermost region where Bran Castle was, it would only take him two days for him to reach Wallachia and none at all to defend Vlad the Impaler; but little he knew that the small camps nearby monitoring him without him knowing were of the Spanish Empire and it's all led under a leader that hasn't been seen in four years. For two days he rode through a cold downpour that didn't bother either of them and the tanging heat that didn't slow both of the two bonded family members down
There was something about this medallion that's special to him but doesn't know the truth about behind it, this felt like his parents were keeping him safe from harm but he didn't feel like a drink satisfied his thirst and his food felt like it turned to hot ashes at one point; sometimes when exposed in the moonlight it felt cold as if he was a skeleton. None of that could've happen to him as he did no wrong to endure that state, and at times expired food tasted as if it was freshly made from the chefs which he can't for a life of him understand how he never had to use use a bathroom once for a hour after he ate; this medallion was something alright but that's not a time to think about, he's got a battle in mind and it's a battle that's worth the hell on earth
When Khantreijan could go no further they stopped at the wagon that was disembarking from Jerusalem with the soldiers being loaded onto the main cart, there were three of them as the middle one waited for him to get on as he was one of those who received a emergency order; he stepped on board and sat down on a seat next to his friend from Tuscany which happened to be a boy named Sebastiano. Not much to say about him other than the fact this too was the first time he entered a battle like this
Tiburonkolt didn't talk to him though and simply slept for most of the trip as it would take them half a day to reach Wallachia going at this soft pace, with Khantreijan climbing on board and laying in front of him to rest his hooves. Riding at the destination for the rest of the way on the wagon, the men carried various weapons that have suited their tastes and their choice for which they were the most skilled with using
The lead commander would direct them over to the battlefield that had the soldiers fighting, where a castle was in need of their defensive aid; they can't risk letting a major part of the village get inside to ravage it's innocent natives within. Tiburonkolt slowly awakened next to his friend Sebastiano who stroked a palm across his back up and down in a pattern, both the parents waited for their sons to come back home alive which he ensured himself that he will. During this time he looked at his horse that was laying in front of him, making the friend of Tiburonkolt snicker
"Khantreijan knows no limits when to stop as both my father and him have rode on him for an long time in a few years when my father was young, embarking on adventures to dissuade all others from supporting Christopher Columbus for his treatment of the Indians whose land he invaded; we're glad arthritis killed him and so will be his legacy when there are no tributes to leave in the New World"
"There's no respect for their land anymore isn't there? Ah well that's no problem, they've got through the toughest of the tough times in the seasons so they can get through repopulating their tribe like how they kill the white buffalo so a brave can prove themselves every season"
"The white buffalo's a sacred beast of the religion, they'd never kill a regular one for sport; if the natives are starving there's always a deer, duck, rabbit, fish and a turkey nearby. That's a last resort if they ever need one for the coldest winters considering that it's a polar hell over there. Same thing I can say about them Inuits of the north: same chiefdom, different weather and the Native Americans are no different from the Inuits but what I did hear is that the term eskimo means raw meat eater in their language. Go figure... first redskin and now eskimo, all these people don't know when to give it up with the racism towards Indians; I've got nothing short of a opinion on the latter though and that said, I have nothing to say about them. They can at least cook a damn good boar in the greatest of polar hell on earth in their region"
"Can't argue with that, but the buffalo skin should provide some warmth from the blizzards"
"Overall however I do have something to say about vegetarian supremists who try forcing their beliefs on us and the animals of Africa like lions for example: I hate them as much as I hate praisers of Columbus because he's not a hero who deserves tribute, he's a Indian killing freak with the face of a bastardo che mastica un uomo misandristico che odia il seno di una donna come se fosse un giocattolo da masticare per i maiali pigri (bastard chewing a misandristic men hating woman's boob) Yeah I hate misandric women who we'll say work in a brothel as the payment of Spanish Real's good but don't want men to come in, especially since the building is built to be comfortable for them; making it worse is that transgender aren't welcome. Hypocrisy is a neck-snap away from reporting a harassment claim to the owner. If they ain't welcoming the others who are born of both genders, then neither will I welcome them into a men's only club. This makes us even between them. To conclude my dislike for that derogatory freak, I at least give them the freedom to choose what to believe in and not what they're forced to; that is the main message that Auditore represents and Columbus is not one of them thank fuckin' lord"
"And the vegetarian supremists, what do you mean by that?"
"What I mean by that statement is that they're forcing such fearsome wildcats like them to migrate into eating what they were not created by God to eat, their stomach will reject them; their throats will burn from the bile that is spewed out on the ground and the after taste will leave a cloud of steaming vapor from their barbed tongues. You get the picture I've drawn to help you understand?"
"Hope we can kill some of those people after this battle along the road on our way back to the Jerusalem stables"
"Oh we will and if you can't, then I will"
Finally after such a long trek into the regions of Romania, they arrived at the call for help and could see Bran Castle standing above overlooking them all below at the cliff; this battlefield's full of dead tall grass with littered weapons on the ground as well as a few dead bodies from those who were called into action. Without warning the archers fired on the arrival of a new batch of warriors sent in for the defense of the village, the soldiers themselves who held the shashmir scimitars to scythe bladed naginatas and berdiche axes came rushing forward from the opposing side that stood against their opposition. There weren't that many as Tiburonkolt suspected and assumed that the main group was waiting for reinforcements to arrive just like how they came, but that was out of the question when the commander led them to attack as he mounted Khantreijan and rode out for battle
Being that they were reinforcements for these dwindling forces defending Transylvania it did not take long for the commander to raise his blade forward before riding out first, the rest of them followed his lead from behind while Tiburonkolt slung his tomahawk from the side and swung it's teardrop skull shaped blade into the throats of the invading forces; chopping their various necks, foreheads, scalps from behind and their jaws to watch their heads nearly fall back over before collapsing to the ground dead. He reared back his arm and slashed across a few of their faces as well, Khantreijan skid across the earth to kill the soldiers raising swords to strike the horse and trampled another few archers who tried to rain a storm of arrows onto him. Though they may've lost a few of their warriors in return for this as some invaders killed a small portion of their group, they still continued onward
The archers fired on a few vulnerable summoned warriors with the rest raising their shields up to block them in a huddled phalanx formation, launching their slings that held explosives over to the ranged soldiers which blew them off the high ground; trampling them to death as their horses were not so docile in battle. Even stabbing through them with each of their own respective weapons. Tiburonkolt stood atop his horse and jumped down to cut the lives of a few Turkish soldiers that really didn't seem to be all that many, once he started to mow down a few more however that's when he's getting suspicious since they're not putting up a fight to begin with
The scythe chariots were sent out to clear the way in a shielded platoon of them, mowing them down using the blades from the side of the wheels as a few of them decided to lit their arrows to set them ablaze; putting them out in the instant they struck as soon only an few more remained falling dead to the ground bleeding, all of their arrows stabbed on their backs. Celebrating with this acclaimed victory, but Tiburonkolt was not convinced this would be so easy. "This victory is not ours, the battle was too easy" He stated under his breath as his friend heard him
"I thought Vlad was overacting with this small strike team that was attacking his residence, but hey you're always observant like a pirate so I'll have to in some way give you that; y'know you should become a pirate that can spot a incoming ship at the front bowsprit" Sebastiano suggested
Not even the commander joined in on this celebration of what looked like they've won their battle as victory favored them and let out a victorious chant in the air, he too is suspicious of the fact that this all ended too quickly for them to call it a day; returning home is not a option. Halting the celebrations that were taking place, he looked up ahead and saw a survivor that's coming into battle with them; he drew his blade and rode forward toward the woods that has the rest of his company join in with them. Tiburonkolt knew these people are heading into an trap but who is he to stop them? The commander's authority overrides his own, and this was the first time he's ever commanded an army before; he's not the type of man to lead a large battalion of men he didn't know or work with and work out in fighting alongside with as he's the one who tends to keep to himself with his parents back at Auditore
The commander then had them split into three separate groups to catch the enemy off guard so it can be much easier to attack them using the element of surprise on their side, all of the soldiers rushed in all at once with superior numbers in order to overwhelm their enemies; it wasn't going to work as he broke off from the main group and hid out of sight while they all continued to ride through he dead tree forest as all of them arrived at the same spot which was a highly-vulnerable position for enemies like the invaders to slaughter them all
The man stopped at the edge as the others met at the dead center, it's coming to them since there's no such soldiers waiting for them. It's just him alone and them, because he broke off from the group he spotted a glimpse that showed what looked like artillery being wheeled over the cliff that's aiming the cannon towards the commander; the horse he rode on reared back and avoided the blast that was fired. Suddenly the main group revealed themselves as the warriors of the Ottoman Empire that have come to slay the so-called vampire lord Vlad the Impaler as from there on out, everything started to collapse and fall into a downward spiral as calvarias in the form of cannons used for their siege on Bran Castle along with the burning arrows that set the dry surroundings on fire within seconds and catapults holding explosive barrels were all unleashed on the warriors called into action
Out of all those people the commander was the first to parish as he would not and cannot escape with his life this time, the main attack force headed down the slope to assault those who were mounted on their horses which they formed a futile defensive phalanx to protect themselves as the ambush began. Tiburonkolt leapt into the scene on Khantreijan as his own beloved horse skidded into the many Ottoman Janissary Imperials who followed the orders of their sultan and the will of the lord, they wanted the one man who called for them dead while he wanted them to protect his castle and protect his people
A downpour of burning arrows were shot against Tiburonkolt's lungs which the force sent him flying backwards off his horse, Khantreijan took them on himself but instead of dying like the others when the Ottomans approached his body to take the medallion from his neck; both of his eyes snapped open as he snatched their arms to throw them to the ground and swung his tomahawk, slashing them down with his blade on account of attempting to steal from a dead man who should've been dead. Removing the arrows from his lungs he grabbed a longbow to fire them, being too distracted to wonder how he lived as what mattered to him is that every soldier that he rode in with was being slain out here
The Ottomans were leaving no survivors alive and became all so more apparent than ever as he called upon his horse in a state of panic, being thankful he's alive on the other hand as the heavy smog from the fires blocked out the moon but the night sky was clearly shown as stars were coming down; a new dawn was approaching and he started to fight them on horseback with his tomahawk. Taking out a Syrian shortblade he got out from underneath his back, with it in conjunction with his blade he killed a few of the Ottoman Janissaries laying siege to their enemy's castle
Lighting a few torches with explosive powder he threw the lot of them over to the catapults in order to destroy them, launching fiery boulders that broke into fragments on contact; this was bad as he thought to himself. He needed to enter the castle and find Vlad right away, it's no use fighting here and therefore he sprinted over to the main gates of the castle. Heading through while Janissaries were shooting their handcannon rifles at him having gained from the fallen remains of anyone who happened to use projectiles like them. Sebastiano went to follow his friend but his horse was shot down, now left defenseless when many of them had surrounded the two friends and overwhelming them quickly
"You were right, there is something wrong here; this ambush was planned from the start. But I highly doubt the sultan gave the orders here, I can't join you in coming to the aid of Vlad; my horse was killed and I've-" His shoulder was sliced but the attacker had it's neck left with a deep gash that had him covering his throat, bleeding to death
"Nevermind that, hold them off as long as you can so that you can get back to Tuscany alive" Tiburonkolt jumped into the air and deeply chopped into the Janissary's scalp to kill him
"Alright, tell my mother that I love her greatly for raising me after dad left me; go now!" He held his shoulder in pain
Knowing that he's not going to live he broke down the doors into the fortress, slapping from behind the rear ass of his horse so that Tiburonkolt could ride in upwards to the throne room where he would meet with him. Sebastiano on the other hand took up a sword to fight until his final breath as he would meet his fate when he cut down at least six of them, being cut at various points on his body until he was bleeding all over his chest; at last falling to the ground as blood leaked out of his mouth
Tiburonkolt rushed up the stairs to the throne room as he made it up onto the walls, having to swing his tomahawk against the rifle armed Ottomans that stood above shooting on whom survived the false strike force against their decoy squad; cutting into their throats and with a single arm chopping down on their skulls to kill them instantly with direct strikes to many of their brains. He took out the rest of the archers but got shot by two surviving rifle armed men that were killed by the arrows of their cavalry. He went ahead with this supported help and continued across the wall before shoulder charging his way inside
He broke into the throne room to find Vlad the Impaler fighting against the Ottoman Empire's commander who led the siege on his castle, in a deadly duel as the lord was superior over his foes and would stab their heads on stakes as a sign of his victory hence the field of ripped to tattered flagged spears outside. He was all armored but nearly dead before he knew it, and before long as soon as Tiburonkolt arrived he ran to the rescue; swinging his tomahawk up against the commander's face which allowed Vlad to impale him through the chest, but not before the commander proceeded to stab him through his gut and decapitate him. Surviving his wounds long enough to impale his head on a stake as a sign of mockery before he fell to the floor dead, with Tiburonkolt instantly killing him when he slit his throat out of retaliation
His fallen sword was next to him and the crown he's worn on his head for ruling over his town of Wallachia in his years as a prince was on his throne, before long he collapsed onto his knee on the floor just as he approached the decapitated corpse
Vlad the Impaler Tepes III was a man whose mustache was a thick bar that went to either sides of his cheeks which sloped downward a bit, so he wasn't handsome until after his death when his true form was revealed; he heavily took pleasure in killing with the most creative ways that a German nor Ottoman can't ever dare to think of, but he did love impaling their heads on staves. His armor was entirely black but on the front there were two wingless European Dragons which formed a S-shape facing each other on the front which had a crucifix on the front and a pearl on the dead center middle that represented the heart and core of God, and is also where Jesus was crucified on the front; his head moved downward rather than on either of the sides. The two dragons on the sides stood on their talons with their horizontal lined underbellies shown on the front, with their legs standing outwards which made it look like they were posing in a one-piece swimsuit but that's not the point. Along with the dragons there were a pair of two howling wolves with a series of long horizontal cylinders that are not aligned properly underneath resembling flowing mist, which had a vertical line near either of the edges on the sides. There were also fainted but clear crescent moons that had carp scales reflected on their surfaces, in a lightened shade that was a banana yellow color. Above the crucifix was a three headed gargoyle which consisted of a bat on the front with two wolves on the sides, bleeding from their mouths; his shoulderguards adorned the dragons while his vambraces to bracers adorned the crucifix with both the dragons and wolves that have mist forming from both sides, his boots had half of a bat on one side that was near the gap in between the legs. Tasset plates hung from the thighs all around behind as it formed a serpent to the front of the gap between from the bottom, he wore a long black cape that was ripped on the bottom to form the shape of a bat's wing but had a blood red color from the inner cape itself that pulsated between bright and dark from the position of the sun. His skin was pale due to him mostly not leaving his castle and had black hair that sloped downwards on his shoulders in voluminous waves. He usually wore his crown which had a small red cone that went upwards like a mound, having a thick multiple beaded stripe that went around with a eight pointed gold star that had a square ruby in the middle surrounded by four white pearls on each of the edges of the top to bottom and left to right sides; even the diagonal corners too with five larger pearls that went upwards to the middle along the thick rectangular thin slip of gold, two larger feathers that went overhead were also slanted from the sides too for fashion. Not only did he have a firearm among him that was a hand cannon but he also carried his most infamous sword that he wielded against all who opposed him, he was a hero for the people of those he cared for in Wallachia, Transylvania. His sword consisted of a medium length cylindrical handle which had a crucifix for the crossguard's sides, Jesus was on both the front to the back as well; the pommel was a griffin that had both of it's talons resting on either side along with it's wings being folded to it's tailfeathers going down to reach the son of Yahweh's feet on the back, the last three segments below the crossguard had a serpent on the top that coiled around with top of the crossguard also having the gargoyle of a pair of two wolves on the sides with a bat on the front and at last a long silver blade that's been soaked in blood many times from the wrinkled pale skin of it's ruler for those who were enemies and those he disliked. Vlad the Impaler was a horrific torturer and a unmatched duelist as well
Tiburonkolt came to his side as though he was too late to save him against this siege led by the invading Ottoman Janissaries who were ordered under the sultan to kill him due to the beliefs he was a vampire in their eyes, he could be with him now as he closed his own and in that instant he became despaired that a friend of his father's was lost. Taking his body down to the dungeon below he took a torch and cremated him into ashes, then coming back to the throne room afterwards to shed some blood from his hand onto the armor and smoldering pile he dumped using his own sword to mix them. He bid the lord of Wallachia a farewell before he took out his tomahawk, adorning his blade to take them all head on with only him and them to fight; he approached the final three forces that were left and he was pissed
He had been thrown off from the edge and there's no dealing with a man who entered this berserker like state of fury
This conflict ended now and with his reflection shining in his tomahawk enhanced under the new dawn that was coming this way as well as the remnants of the moonlight's glaring rays, it began when he chopped his blade into the various bodies and skulls of these warriors who'd dared leading a siege on Transylvania itself. His massacre continued when he gruesomely cut into the kneecaps and bolted his blade into their heels, crushing their heads underneath his boots as he let out a warcry
When they tried to escape this savage warrior he told them silently that there was no escape, and thus leapt into the air with his tomahawk coming down hard on the cannons; creating an spark that blasted them into oblivion with a heavy cannonball. Blowing them up into pieces and came down from the walls, seeing before him the fallen friend of Sebastiano which he took with upon his back; carrying him on Khantreijan to a place where he can be buried safely away from the chaos that erupted
With the exception of many survivors he was the only man standing alone in the battlefield as he finished burying his friend telling him that he was free, numerous bodies of both sides were that of the fallen as he looked over all of them with sorrow and anger churning inside of his gut. Running through his blood this was a battle that requested their aid for reason, this is a suicide mission that had them be sent to their deaths while all survivors were left with the trauma of the incident that occurred here. With the fall of his father's friend and the murders of the soldiers he fought with, not even Sebastiano survived except for the sort that lived. He decided to leave while they can and camp out here in the meantime so they can get the rest they needed
At the fire everyone remained silent while Tiburonkolt held himself close with both arms all around his legs as he sat on the log wide enough for him to sulk in his own despair of having failed in his mission to save his father's friend who was there for him in his birth. The others used the dead bodies of the Ottomans as firewood to cope with the losses of their friends as some of these young warriors knew each other very well, others were beginning to form the friendship that was supposed to be with them for years to come and most were ready to risk their lives in coming back home alive marching with victory on their shoulders. He wanted to know how could they've been lied to about this suicide mission, this was planned at the start and whoever was responsible was going to pay for this
Knowing the tone of the aftermath was a little bit too downhearted and gloomy one of these young warriors decided to lighten up the mood by playing a tune from their violin though it's more sad than cheerful as it told the passing of a foe that Vlad well respected, this song had a name and it was called Opposing Bloodlines. A requiem if he must which was to acknowledge the strongest foe the count had ever faced, this reminded him of leaving his body back inside the throne room along with his sword that was slipped into his armor to remain apart of him; but what he did to him by mixing his ashes with his own blood that was shed served as a sort of catalyst for his rebirth. He just didn't know it yet. Khantreijan rubbed his snout close to his face to take him out of his sorrows while he rubbed his snout back with his hand, Sebastiano was dead and though it looked like he originated from India; that was mainly his appearance with the black curly hair and those water reflected greenish sea eyes that he had. He was still born of Tuscany origin
Soon his wonders of how he could be lied into being sent to his death in a suicide mission has become apparent when the calls of horses were coming this way, beating hooves and shifting armor of the men who were riding upon their backs were fading into the ears of the others of the campsite. Looking up he saw the flag of their origin that told him they hail from Spain and most importantly the empire where this legion of armored soldiers were formed in the name of the conquests of Mexico and Peru
These men were the same ones who closely monitored him at the campsites that he rode past, being spied on when the two of them took a break for the moment being before continuing onward. One of the surviving warriors immediately ran for them, wanting to ask them for help because their horses have been killed; they can't go back on foot while Tiburonkolt knew that there was nothing good that came from those men among them. Believing that they too were after his medallion he removed it from his neck as he completely hid it underneath his palm, rather hiding it underneath the red cloth that he wore as his pants
He left too early from the camp to see what the events carried on but when that warrior came to seek out help from those soldiers in armor, they instead arrested and shackled him before beginning to round up the rest of the surviving warriors who tried to run for it. "Consígalos!" One of the soldiers called out as they rode after the escaping warriors on their horses, having been armed with some serious firepower and as such they fired at their shins which crippled them to the ground; allowing them to capture the warriors
Tiburonkolt ran as far as he could from Transylvania as these were no soldiers, he knew who they were as they carried rifles, halberds, swords, crossbows and sticks of dynamite on them; he's not getting arrested like the others. These soldiers were Conquistadors of the Spanish Empire and they were onto him as evidenced from the call of one of them. "Alto! Detente allí mismo criminal de guerra, vuelve aquí de inmediato" Their leading commander commander ordered him to get back here before turning to his men. "Mosquetes listos: fuego a corta distancia!" Tiburonkolt refused to stop running and thus ordered his men to fire at close range
The conquistadors on horseback chased him a mile away from the Transylvanian fortress that belonged to the prince of Wallachia, he was trying to reach Jerusalem to call out for help but he is far off from any kind of civilization that he's trying to seek on this road. He ran far away from the region as he could, jumping over the bridge as well but ultimately twisting his ankle when he tried to leap over a crevice that separated him and the other side; landing on one of the seastack like pillars before he limped and made another jump this time clasping on from the edges. The conquistadors aimed their musket rifles at him upon stopping at the edge as none of their horses can reach the other side, as soon as they saw Tiburonkolt back up a bit to reach the other side; that's when their leading commander rasied his arm to signal them as the soliders raised their muskets
"Mantengan su objetivo, fijen el foco en nuestro objetivo; ahora FUEGO!" The command was given as this was one that cannot be ignored, all at once they fired their rifles which went off with a bang of an blast that shot forward with gunpowder
Tiburonkolt leapt to the other side but once he made it to the other side he painfully landed on his twisted ankle which caused him to tumble about, not helping was that he got shot and right in the back too resulting in him falling over into the crevice that had him scrape against his skin; tearing some parts of his red cloth that he wore and some parts of his skin bleeding from the hard stone aggressive scraping, especially more apparent on his back
Only then did he finally crash hard when he landed in a shallow pit of water that punched him directly in his gut, this disturbance even caused some boulders to crush and break apart into fragments on contact with the back of his head; hitting his legs too with one crushing his foot. Trapped and alone down here in the darkness, he couldn't crawl out if he could. His earlier wounds started to bleed again even after healing, but along the way prior to this he got scratched by few tree branches and got stabbed by a few rake board traps that impaled him after stepping on the curved board that sent it flying upward. He removed it from his chest but clutched his chest when he continued running, jesus and it's no wonder why he hasn't died yet
Taking his medallion out from the deepest regions of his red cloth and looking at it, reminded him of his family he garnered whatever motivation he had left before; kicking the boulder as that crushed his foot all because he made a bad landing that twisted his ankle. Eventually he broke free when a ladder of rope was thrown down, he climbed up with one foot though he stopped at the near ending point to twist it back into place again complete with a highly but equally painful and loud bone crunching sound. Letting out a breath of relief he continued all the way up to the ledge, heaving but still alive as it seemed that nothing can kill him; though like before he's too focused on the events ahead of him as this was what happened next:
Having aimed their rifles at him and firing all at once when he got too close to try to attack his pursuing conquistadors, he was struck down before he was then taken by both of his wrists in a hostile matter; brought up this legs where he struggled. "Get your hands off me, I am not an prisoner of war to you!"
"Silencio, esclavo de los conquistadores de México. No tomarás tal tono con nuestro líder!" The leading commander landed a nasty punch to his lower gut to silence him, yanking forth which made him cough out blood upon having his neck be yanked forward by the chain that was tight enough to the point of feeling like his skin was peeling off into liquid bleeding skin
He was shackled ahead of the other surviving warriors in which there's a reasonable number of them as most of the warriors tried deserting the battle, but it's clear the conquistadors do not like deserters as these cowards were going to face a sentence that will punish them and they're not very fitting to the crime. He was the first to be loaded onto the Caravel flagship while the others were loaded onto the other two, sailing off towards where their destination was exactly; they did not know in the slightest
Khantreijan witnessed it all as he wanted to run and help him escape but turned his back just when the conquistadors approached, taking him alive as one of their prisoners before he was loaded onto the flagship. Burdened by the thought of never seeing his young rider again, this horse reared back on his hind hooves and rode off alone back to Italy in order to inform what has become of their son to his parents. The news that would reach out to them that he's been arrested by order of the Spanish Empire without reason would half Rultherhuskton suspect it was Cortés who is behind it all, surviving without being seen for four years; if this was to be true then he would need to triangulate where he was taking him to. Xiuhcoyota on the other hand will be gathering a number of people from Auditore to demand the Spainards to release him from their prison at once, resorting to violence should they refuse but she's got more in mind when it comes to her baby being threatened
Back inside the Caravel flagship named after the ships of the same name, Tiburonkolt and the following other warriors who lived through the attack on Transylvania have been taken under the armored soldiers; thrown down against the floor with their jaws bleeding while having an extra weight on their necks in the form of their boots kicking him at the back of their necks as he was brought back up. Cuffed from behind his back and chained at his neck that had leather like ropes to choke him if he showed resistance of any kind, causing him to cough a few times if he didn't obey the commands of the master who owned him. Down on his knees he's been forced to face a terrifying man whose presence was enough for the other to look up in both awe and fear, two of them next to him even spoke out his name in a mix of awe and fear as well at the threatening presence of this tall armored man: "Cortés!"
Having his back turned for the first few sentences he spoke, he turned to face the slaves in front of him all without taking his focus off him when he cracked his knuckles hard; telling the warriors before him about who his men were. "My men have been chosen carefully as the Disciples of Christ, and by the willing of God I will NOT tolerate rebellious slaves on this voyage to Africa" He then started to state what will be happening here in the following week that it would take during their time. "You will be flogged, harder and harsher than what the trials of the king's lost treasures demands from the greatest of potential kings you think you will become; and once we have reached our destination in Canaan where Joseph lived before his brothers have sold him to slavery to resupply on our way to Cuba by the hand of the Lord's unbreachable kingdom of the heavens by mankind, you will be starved until you crave to beg from us to spare our rations. And then you will be subjected to more of the greatest of flogging on board my ship. Before long you will be enslaved to work in the sugar plantations for the rest of your miserable filled lives. Take them to the brig, and save this one for the traders that await us in Botswana"
Cortés ordered as the other slaves were taken away as only Tiburonkolt remained, turning his head away when he specifically came over to him; forcing him to look at him right in the face and taking his jaw while making him hear his words when he told him about his fate. Though he has to ask right beforehand to ensure this was the one who left him for dead that day
"Is this the Auditorian whose rumored to have been to the lost city?" He asked, immediately getting an answer from his leading commander
"Sí, aunque no habla nuestra lengua y no nos dirá" The lead commander told him, revealing that he's not going to talk about what he saw in the lost city
"Bring him over to me" The lead commander and another soldier took him by the pits and raised him onto his sandals, raising his head forcefully to look at him. Holding him back if he tried to struggle and break out
Cortés took a seat as he went to drink from the rum on board thanks to the barrels that were loaded onto his flagship, it was then he started to tell him about how he had to vainfully and try for his life attempt to reach the city when the truth was clear to him now
"I had to waste a number of perfectly good men who died in my conquest of Mexico all to get down to the truth that there were still Aztecan establishments that remained, but I have lost a greater number of men to get down to the truth about that prisoner from Cuba that arrived at the shores to warn them all before we set foot on their land. I could hardly believe it when that Cremonian had told me at San Gimignano, Rultherhustkon and his whore were still alive after four years and to settle down with a family of his own" Cortés monologued
"You will not speak that way about either of them! You killed her people, she told me that-" Tiburonkolt blurted out and tried to lunge at him but was held back
"Their efforts in preventing the conquest as revenge for the failure of finding this city proven to be a futile and vainful mission in the name of her people, those we've taken into labor for have been forced into being civilized for our government of Spain. But I see no reason for you to join them seeing how close to his whore that you are, I want to have him feel the pain that my crew felt for being led into a dead end by that native who claimed to be a priest for their mythical city of gold. I know it lies behind a waterfall, and in the events that the map was for whatever reason ripped or lost; Coronado carries an alternative in his possession as I am told. You on the other hand serve no purpose in finding the missing pieces of this new road" Cortés stood up from the chair
"You Spaniards can't do shit to me, by the time you actually find the lost city of gold; that day will be the final hours where you breathe your last breath" Tiburonkolt taunted him but Cortés remained unfazed, growling at him as half of his face was shrouded in shadows
"There is more to our goal for Spain than the gold and the glory that our homeland deserves, you just don't know the truth behind the gold that we seek" Cortés threw the empty glass on the floor and punched him harder in the gut to weaken him, striking his throat with his iron clad knuckles that caused him to cough; being yanked backwards with the rope that tightened around his throat to remain facing him in the face. He then grimly told him as if he knew that he was the son of Rultherhuskton, the man who left him for dead in a low but just as threatening tone. "There will be no rescues that will come to your aid, no insurrections or revolts will be started, no escapes from my ship will be planned and no assassination attempts on either of our lives or so help your pathetic soul you will be tied with anvils on your broken ankles down to the bottom of the seas; drowning until your lungs cease to breathe at the sea floor..." Vapor exited his mouth that clouded his eyesight until it cleared away quickly, only for Cortés to draw back his hand and backhand slap him hard across the cheek; breaking his cheekbone as the shock not only got the wind smacked out of him but also send his side of his head to bang against the table's corner. Afterwards he motioned his lead commander to take him to the brig with the others. "Get this Auditorian-Aztec filth out of my sight, and take him to the isolated cell far down below"
"Your mother Catalina Altamirano is the real whore, figlio di puttana (son of a bitch)!" The lead commander dropped him to walk in front of his face, landing a stomping kick to smash and break his skull a bit; resulting in some pure violet bruising with the imprint of the lead commander's boot being left on to remain until eventually fading away during his time here
Tiburonkolt was then taken exactly far below into the brig and thrown into a isolated cell that was large enough for seven men, locking the sealed door tightly and strongly guarding it with two conquistadors standing at the sides with one in front of the entry. Removing from deep in his red cloth that has been ripped, tattered, drenched and sliced; he brought out the Aztec medallion from his mother. Taking a seat at the far end of the bench for the prisoners he took to spending his time looking at it, reminding him greatly of his parents that he missed already
Now whoever this conquistador Cortés was he's been arrested by him, all for what? None of this made sense whatsoever, they've been set up; they were played like a violin and now it's clear to him that this siege was planned as it couldn't have been a event that was uncalled for like all other ones. But he did manage to smuggle in his tomahawk underneath his waist from behind like a belt, keeping it unnoticed so that there isn't a imprint of it to give Cortés a idea that he was armed
He's keeping it like that for as long as he can and when he gets out, he'll threaten the trader that he's getting sold over to; then he'll try to kill Cortés as well because no one can sell an Auditorian as a slave from the Spanish Empire. Whatever it takes, he'll be free one day and get back onto his horse; there's just one problem however and it's reasonable to bring this up to himself:
He has no clue on where Khantreijan rode off from back at Transylvania, where does he begin to look after gaining his freedom? One thing's for sure and that's him knowing how to lure him out here. Unknown to him, his horse ran back home to seek help from his former rider and his mate; he'll find him one way or another...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Now the story can begin as though you've seen the fictional city called Auditore which is heavily built off from the Roman castle fortress like architecture of Firenze and obviously there are a number of Assassin's Creed references like the second game, fourth game which is Black Flag since this mostly takes place in the seas of the Caribbean and in terms of exactly how he dresses himself; Rogue also thanks to his firearm that he acquires from the first place of his travels, later upgraded in the fourth place he travels to. Along the way he'll stop back home to provide some help in constructing Auditore to make it into a perfect city since their original settlement Monteriggioni was besieged under Cesare Borgia. Oh yeah and the guards of Auditore are all based off Borgia guards with the Guard Captain coming from the DS game Assassin's Creed II: Discovery. Believe me when I say that writing down the appearance was a pain in the ass because I had to look for a tutorial on fighting them to use Snippet tool for the picture. But aside from that along with the fact that Tiburonkolt will use Leonardo's series of inventions as seen from Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and the scythe carousel chariot, this is still based off the main source which is Curse of the Black Pearl and the Road to El Dorado with some revisionist western themes from Activision's GUN (2005) back when money didn't go to their heads
There's also a lot of Native American facts involved like how some tribes were not harmonious with each other as they went to war with their neighbors and thanks to my character who was originally named Devil Otter, now named Devil Hand as in: he is the hand of the so-called redskin devils who strangle the supporters of Columbus for invading his homeland by claiming he discovered it; when it's really the Vikings who did it first before that wannabe pissant that is now a disgraced Italian who deserves to rot with the Spaniards. The English don't have much of a prominent role here outside of being one of those moments that Tiburonkolt is at his worst behavior in front of them for good reason, because they actual enjoy garbage theater preformances featuring Native American stereotypes when they're actually racist not just to them; but it's also present in a lot of these locations he visits. Ah, what the hell I'll even name the locations that he visits: Italy, Romania, Jamaica, China, India, Egypt, Russia, France, the Aztec settlements of the New World now known as Mexico and Spain along with a few minor locations like England, Cuba and Ireland. There are really only three seas that he sails from this being the Carribean, the Northern Arctic and the India Ocean though he doesn't spend a whole lot of time being there
Once Tiburonkolt recruits his crew as this story takes place outside the Archipelago that you recognize before in these HTTYD stories which this one can be considered a little bit of an artifact title: not much of the Archipelago to be seen, very little in seeing dragons and no Hiccup and Toothless to be found; this is supposed to be a tribute for The Road of El Dorado after all. I would like to mention beforehand that none, I repeat: NONE of Tiburonkolt's men are white as they are either light, mid or dark tan, light, mid or dark brown, sunkissed, black, yellow and in the case of Devil Hand, red but not in a racist way because he's meant to be portrayed as an common man like everyone else just trying to sell his products and built his Dakota tribe village in the warm mid Kansas-Nebraska territories. There are anachronisms but that makes a story unique. Some of the weapons on his ship include a gattling gun without the handcrank as it instead fires using a innovative steam powered electric motor using two handles with a pair of levers that are pulled back like a revving lever, a repeating rifle that Tiburonkolt builds and later upgrades with a extended barrel, a eight barreled volley gun and more to come like those pistol swords that his father was working on back home
Tiburonkolt's signature vessel the "Buccaneer of the Separation" is supposed to be a war brigantine and god damn it I'm making sure that it well deserves that title with it's arsenal of various weapons but when that can't get the job done at times, then he doesn't rely on tricks because all he has is his swords, his tomahawk and his carbine at his side to attack ships of the English and the Spanish and defend against the other raiding rovers who want that gold medallion around his neck. It's a battle for one and a journey for all. Next time that you see Tiburonkolt, he will be sold off to Egypt and from there; the best thing he can do is build an friendly bond with his master that turns sour when his wife gets involved to strain the two of them. One last thing to mention is that this also has Assassin's Creed: Origins involved for the parts that take place in Egypt, but rather than the Romans invading it's the Persians instead. Until next time...