So… because I've been awful about updating, and also the last chapter was more of a goofy "drunk Connor" chapter than anything, you lucky readers get two chapters today. This one has a lot more action in it. As always feel free to review! I always love feedback. (Note: In the next chapter, there's going to be a suggestive sexual assault scene. It will be brief, but… you've been warned.)
Haytham POV
"So, what do we know?" I ask as we ride through the frontier.
"Honestly, not a lot. I'm not sure if you remember, but his name is William Lewis. He's Caucasian with brown eyes and brown hair. But that's about all we know."
"Well then, perhaps we should change the amount of knowledge we hold."
"With luck, we can kill the bastard too." I look over at her and smirk.
"Which reminds me, we agreed on a rematch." She grins at me.
"I suppose we'd better keep count then, hm?"
"I hope you're ready to buy me drinks."
"In your dreams, tough guy." I chuckle.
"So how close are we, anyway?"
"Close. It shouldn't be long now."
"Good. I for one am eager to be out of this cold." She nods in agreement.
Once we near the house, we agree to leave the horses behind. After all, we can approach much stealthier on foot. So we begin trudging through the snow toward out destination, keeping watch for any stray guards.
"Maybe we should take to the trees," she suggests.
"This is fine," I snap back, a bit harshly if I'm honest.
"Is something the matter?"
"No, why?"
"You just had a sudden change of attitude."
"You're just talking so loud. We're trying to be stealthy, you know."
"I was just trying to suggest an easier path. No need to get angry." I sigh. She's right.
"I'm sorry."
"Seriously, is something wrong?"
"I'm just trying to focus, is all."
"On what, exactly? We're not close enough to actually worry about guards."
"Maybe… I'm focusing… on getting through this snow."
"The trees—"
"Look, I can't climb, okay?"
"What do you mean, you can't climb?"
"I do not possess the ability to get from the ground to the trees. Does that make more sense?"
"Oh, come on. It's easy. I'd be glad to teach you."
"I did not come here to be taught by you. The only thing I wish to learn is about these Poisonstars."
"My bad, I'm only trying to help."
"Well, perhaps you shouldn't offer what isn't wanted." She frowns but says nothing.
The mansion is now in sight, so we begin to tread more carefully. We stick to bushes and haystacks, killing anyone who proves to be an obstacle. More and more guards get in our way as we get closer, and I feel confident this must be the place. Still, the approach is tedious.
The more time we spend silently approaching the mansion, the more my conscience gnaws at me for the way I snapped at Miss Cooper. Sure, I'm frustrated about not knowing how to climb trees. I've tried to figure it out before, only to fail miserably. Still, she didn't know that. All she wanted was to help. If it weren't for the thickening of the guards, I'd apologize. As if in response to the thought, she grabs my arm and pulls me into a bush. She looks around to see if there's anyone nearby.
"We should split up," she whispers.
"What? Why?" I reply, just as quiet.
"We can cover more ground."
"What if something alerts them to our presence? It'll be easier to handle together."
"Is the great Haytham Kenway going to get caught?"
"I'm not planning to, but nothing ever goes to plan."
"Okay, sunshine."
"Well, one should always hope for the best but prepare for the worst."
"What an awful way to live. You always expect things to go wrong?"
"Yes. That way when they do, I'm prepared."
"And when they don't?"
"Well, I get a pleasant surprise." She rolls her eyes.
"Anyway, if you're sure it's wiser to stick together, then so be it."
"I am." She shrugs.
"Then after you, Mister Pessimist." Now it's my turn to roll my eyes, though I see a hint of a smile on her face. We continue on.
We finally make it inside the four walls… sort of. There's a tall, thick brick wall surrounding the mansion. The only entrance is a gate, considering the wall is too high and slick to scale. But with the use of poison darts— a weapon choice I find oddly fitting— we make it in undetected.
"I'm telling you, he made a mistake trying to move against those two so soon," one of the guards says. Daisy and I exchange a look, then creep closer to listen.
"The real mistake was sending in a guy with almost no field experience! The man was more of a poison expert than a fighter," the other replies.
"You really think attacking the Grand Master and the Mentor while we're still growing was wise? Not to mention going after them at the same time. They're an infamous team!"
"I think the idea was to break the only tie between the two that there was before they built a sturdy foundation. After all, we all know the only reason the two groups are working together is because the Kenways couldn't kill each other."
"Yeah, well now they're putting some real pressure on us. It seems like every day they're attacking us on one side or another.
"How did they even get the intel?"
"You're asking how the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order got intel? Why do you think there's so many of us here guarding now?"
"What's he got to fear?"
"Well, Haytham and Connor Kenway, for one. The two of them together aren't a force to be reckoned with, but now that they've got this truce of theirs, they're an irresistible force. It's likely they've figured out this location, or they will soon. He's planning to move bases, but until then he's locking himself away in that tower of his."
"Is he really that scared?"
"I'm not sure if he's scared or planning, but probably both."
"Well, I think we ought to handle that, don't you?" I whisper to Miss Cooper.
"Let's," she replies, then we slip away.
The only way into the tower is through the house. Daisy insists we climb the tower, but I assure her going in is the best option. After some bickering, she reluctantly follows my lead. Though I won't pretend she's not even more frustrated at me. I feel ashamed once again every time those light brown eyes look at me with annoyance. I much preferred the way they twinkled yesterday when we were joking with each other.
Eventually, we find a staircase inside that appears to be connected to the tower. We hastily take it up, not bothering to stop at the various floors until we reach the top. We approach a rather large door, and Miss Cooper steps ahead and peeks into the peephole. I wait impatiently for some time before she finally speaks up.
"There's a handful of guys in here. But I don't see our target," she says.
"Damn. We need to find him."
"What do you suggest?"
"Well, clearest choice, you may not like."
"Well?"
"I say we march in and demand answers." She raises her eyebrows at me.
"You're insane. The moment we step in there, the whole mission will be jeopardized. Our target will flee before we ever find him."
"Do you have a better plan?"
"I did earlier, when you insisted we just walk in the front door. You're so determined to always be right that you wouldn't even consider going another way. It's no wonder Connor was always so frustrated when working with you." That hurts a lot, and I can barely keep my jaw from dropping.
"Wow, really? That was a low blow. But if you're so smart, why didn't you go your own way?"
"Stop me if I said this already, but you insisted we stay together. So I listened and look where that got us. I guess it's no wonder you worry so much about things going wrong though, since you throw caution to the wind so much." I sigh.
"Look, I don't wish to argue. Whether or not your path would have been more effective is irrelevant, we are here now. We need to decide how to handle the situation at hand." She sighs as well.
"You're right. We'll accomplish nothing as we are, bickering like children. Okay, listen. We can try your way, but we must be careful. There's a giant bell on this tower that there's direct access to from in this room. If we can sabotage it, perhaps we can take this lot out without drawing too much attention. So I want you to keep them busy while I sabotage it. Deal?"
"Deal. We need to leave someone alive, though, if we're going to get anything more concrete on a location."
"There's a man in there who looks to be of higher importance. He's dressed in all green with a silly hat. He's probably our best bet."
"Okay. Are you ready for this?" She pats my arm.
"Whenever you are."
"Then let's do it."
I barge into the room and stab three people consecutively. I draw my sword as the guards clumsily draw their various weapons. I find the man Miss Cooper mentioned, barking orders to attack. I dive into battle.
I'm aware of Miss Cooper entering, though I'm the only one who notices her due to the focus on me. This is going to be a piece of cake. Likely I'll have half of these buffoons dead before she's even ready to aid. That'll be a boon in our competition, assuming she's not too mad at me to think about it.
Soon she joins me, giving an affirmative nod at my questioning glance. From there it takes no time at all before all but the one man lay dead on the floor. I must admit, fighting alongside her is just as nice as fighting alongside Connor. They both know what they're doing.
"P-please, d-don't hurt m-me," the man says, cowering.
"Tell us where to find William Lewis," I growl.
"He's gonna be a few flights down from here!"
"How many?" He points to a door opposite from where we entered.
"If you go through this door here, down the hall to your left is a descending staircase. Take it down all the way, it's broken down into three levels. Once you reach the bottom, there's another door. It is locked, but if you can get in then he should be there."
"Sounds easy enough," Miss Cooper says. I nod.
After finishing him off, we follow the man's instructions. In no time, we find ourselves in front of a grand door that's at least twice my height. It's wooden with golden hinges, knob, and decoration. I roll my eyes.
"Subtle," I say sarcastically before stooping to pick the lock. It comes open easier than I expected. "You ready?"
"More than you, most likely," she replies with a wink before entering. I follow her in.
And grunt when I receive a bullet in my shoulder. I look at the wound, then back up to see Miss Cooper trying to keep the attention off me. There are too many guards in here, there's no way we can take them all. Especially considering I've just been shot. Speaking of which…
I sprint toward my shooter and stab them right in the neck. He falls to the floor, gurgling on his own blood on the way down. I take a quick second to wrap my shoulder, so it won't bleed out, then begin fighting.
"Do you see him?" I call to her.
"No, and I already used my sight. He's not here," she replies.
"So we were lied to."
"Not necessarily. It isn't impossible that he heard the commotion upstairs and fled. There are two other doorways."
"Well, you know what I think?"
"Not much, from my experience."
"Funny. I think we ought to go and see if we can locate him."
"Split up?"
"Yes. You take the left door, and I the right. Besides, I have no desire to fight this many people given my current state."
"You're lucky it wasn't poison."
"This is true." Without another word, we each drop a smoke bomb and rush to our respective doors.
I find myself in a narrow corridor that twists downward like a ramp. I hurry down the empty hall, hoping Miss Cooper is just as unopposed. I would feel guilty if she is facing much resistance, especially considering the crowd following us both. But I push that from my mind. She can take care of herself.
I reach the end of the hall, which opens into a giant room. I activate my Sight, hoping for anything I can use. However, there are no people here, and from the looks of it nothing of importance either. I approach the desk in the center of the room and investigate it, hoping to find at least some document I can use. If Miss Cooper doesn't have any luck, I'd hate to leave here empty handed.
On the desk sits open a journal. It appears someone had been writing in it but was interrupted abruptly. I pick it up, close it, and tuck it into a pocket. Now I need to find a way out before those guards get here.
I find one in the form of an ascending ladder. It goes through the ceiling and continues up. I begin climbing it, only thinking about my shoulder after I feel the sharp pain from using it. I clench my jaw and move faster.
I feel the ladder move as if it has taken on more weight. I glance down and, sure enough, there are some men pursuing me. I take out a throwing knife and toss it, lodging it into the first man's face. When he falls, he knocks the others off. I quicken my pace even more, ignoring my shoulder protesting the action.
I reach the top and open the hatch that separates the ladder from the next floor. I pull myself up and look around. I now stand on an outer balcony of the tower. There are three guards who, for the moment, are unaware of my presence. I don't have time to figure out my next move though, considering I have people coming up behind me still.
I kill the guards up here and look around, using the vantage point. I notice an unusually large group of people moving quickly. Activating my Sight, I see the man in the middle glowing yellow. Perfect. One leap of faith later and I'm now quickly but silently approaching.
"They were just in the tower, sir!" a man says after catching up with the group.
"Did you see them?" the man I'm assuming is William says.
"Yes, sir. One of them was Haytham Kenway. The other is an Assassin I don't know."
"Shit, this is worse than I thought. We need to leave this place."
As I'm about to rush up and attack, Miss Cooper leaps from a rooftop and assassinates someone, though she doesn't get William. I'm briefly distracted with the beauty of the air assassination. I love the form of the attack, and she used it with such eloquence.
I regain my focus when William and a few others from the group begin running away, only a couple staying behind to stall her. I climb on a roof and sprint after the Poisonstar. I run across a few before jumping off again, exiting through the gate. I hear horses and whistle for my own. I mount and spur her to a gallop. I see two chariots ahead. I glance over my shoulder to see Miss Cooper getting on her horse. Facing forward again, I urge mine forward to catch up.
"Found him," she says. I can't help but chuckle.
"It would appear so," I reply.
I make it to one of the carriages and jump onto it. I silently curse when I realize it isn't the one William is on, but I'll make do. I kill everyone on this one, then take the reins. I slam the chariot into the other, nearly knocking them off the road and into the snow beyond.
They regain control and slam back into me. I fight to keep on the road before we split again. I will crash them, I'm determined of that. We clash together again, and while that blow gives them some real damage, mine receives some as well.
Miss Cooper lands on my chariot and begins shooting at the other driver. Between the two of us, it isn't long before they lose control and crash, rolling several hundred meters before stopping. I'm briefly distracted with the horses until I see they escaped, now running into the forest. I stop my chariot and get down, then approach the chariot. William crawls out of the wreckage.
"What a shame. I don't even get to meet your kid," he says, sitting up.
"Sorry to disappoint," I reply, pointing my gun at him.
"Well, just as well for him that he didn't come."
"What do you mean?" Miss Cooper asks.
"Oh, nothing. Just that you two worked so hard to get here and it was all for nothing."
"Your life isn't exactly nothing," I say.
"Except, Haytham, your life is the one that will be lost."
"You aren't exactly in the position to be making threats, William."
"Are you sure?" I feel something sharp press against my spine. At the same time, I see a musket pressed against Miss Cooper's as well.
"Drop the gun, Kenway," the man behind me says. I hesitate, and he pressed the musket harder against my back, penetrating the skin ever so slightly.
"Okay!" I drop it. "Really, I must admit I expected more from you. If it were me, I'd have handled the situation myself. Ah, but I shouldn't be surprised, considering how you hid like a kicked puppy." The pressure is increased again.
"Haytham…" Daisy warns. She's only ever said my first name as warning.
"Am I wrong?"
"You should listen to her. You're already pushing your luck," William says, standing up and brushing himself off.
"Why, pray tell, are we still alive?"
"I'd like to make the mighty Haytham Kenway suffer. I want to have you so broken that you beg me to kill you, just to end the suffering."
"And the Assassin?"
"Well, might as well make her suffer too. But, perhaps in a different way…"
"What do you mean?"
"Well… let's just say she is rather pretty. Wouldn't you agree?" I feel my blood boil, knowing full well what he's implying.
"You keep your ratty hands off her, you vile scum!"
"Ooohh, did I hit a sore spot? Is she special?"
"She's my partner. And I don't wish to see harm brought to her. Let her go, you don't even know her."
"Oh, but you do. And you clearly care about her, no? Plus, imagine how this'll affect your boy. By the time it's his turn…." I lunge, only to be held back by two people.
"I'll kill you, do you hear me? You leave my son alone!"
"Oh, don't worry. By the time it's his turn you'll be long gone." With that, Miss Cooper and I are drug away. We both resist, but several pairs of hands and the guns to our backs finds us tied up and loaded into a wagon.