Ch.4
Creed
So here it is, the next chapter of Virtual Reality. And the start of the first original arc for this story. Expect a bit more of a serious Orelov as the next few chapters will be more Assassin oriented rather than SAO oriented. Without further ado, let's begin.
Floor three, two weeks after the clearing of the first floor.
'Meet me at the Bard's Tale inn, it's important.' Orelov read the message again. Diavel had called in the clearing force's leaders for a meeting about something. Upon entering the inn Orelov saw the group of leaders.
"So why'd you call us here." Kibaou asked as Orelov took his seat. If it were up to him, Kibaou wouldn't even be one of the clearing group's leaders. But he had to admit, Kibaou did come up with a foolproof plan on the second floor.
"I called you all here to talk about a problem that's going to be big." Diavel spoke to his two fellow leaders. "The player killers."
The inn grew silent as Diavel finished. "Perhaps we should speak somewhere more, private." Orelov whispered to the group, who all whispered their agreements before moving to a room.
"Now with that out of the way." Diavel spoke again, this time their conversation being unable to be heard by any unwanted individuals. "Back to the matter at hand. The player killers, they're not that common as of now. But we've seen how these things turn in other games. People tend to gravitate to doing things they can't do in real life when they play games. But in here the few player killers there are have already taken it too far."
"So what are our options." Kibaou asked.
"We could hunt them down ourselves." One player said. One of the common party leaders Orelov noticed.
"As good as that sounds." Orelov began speaking. "That would mean dedicate valuable resources away from the front lines. But still, we need a small group for this." Orelov thought about it, a small group would make sense. Easily deployable, can be managed by one person. But once they advanced further up it would be weaker than it would be as of now.
"A small guild so to speak." The only female in the room spoke, one of their lead Tanks. Almost ironic considering how short she was. "One specialized in hunting down the player killers."
"Yes that's one solution." Diavel responded. "But we should make other plans in case we can't find a guild for that plan." Diavel was right, fear of death was in every player's mind. And forming a guild to go after players who had no problem with killing. Well recruitment wouldn't be as easy as it would be just for other types of guilds.
"Either way, it's all going to come down to having a group doing something to deal with the player killers." Orelov stated the truth, and to be honest, there were no alternatives. A group, no matter how big or small, would be formed as a solution for the player killers.
"Are you volunteering yourself?" The female tank asked Orelov.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But whoever joins said group would have to have no problems with killing. And players like those have already taken to killing fellow players." Orelov finished, the clearers in the room all nodded in agreement. "And if I have to bare those evils because no one else can, than so be it."
"How long, to get your guild or group together?" Diavel asked the important question.
"Like I said, I'll have to find players with no problems when it comes to killing their fellow man. With the added filter of them not already doing it for fun, but more of a self defensive action. It will probably take a few months." Orelov spoke calmly. This was the equivalent of forming an Assassin branch in the game. He had only told them of how long it would take to form the main group. If he wanted to have a fully functional brotherhood, it would take him almost a year, and with this many people running around killing, he didn't have a year. "And I have a general idea of where to start. If I were to do this, it would also mean that I won't be on the front lines for a while."
Diavel looked around the room, same with everyone else. "Looks like there's no objections."
"Then I'll be off then." Orelov exited the room and went back downstairs to the bar. He needed to find people, and the only way to do that was through either running into them, or information brokers. And he had one that was right for the job, Argo. But before he did that, there was one thing he had to get out of the way. To be honest, he saw no way around it if he was committed to forming his guild. And knowing her, she would find out sooner or latter.
Floor two, Urbus merchant district, the next morning
If there was one thing Orelov hated about the merchant districts, it was having to get through the crowds. Of course visiting them had its advantages, such as viewing new gear, restocking on potions and crystals, and watching the idiotic get scammed. But he was here for none of that. In fact his mood had dropped because of it. While he usually had a smirk permanently glued on his face, today it was replaced by an aggravated frown.
"Come again." Orelov heard Lisbeth's voice through the crowd. There she was, behind a stand in the generic armor, only in pink as a posed to the usual colors. He pushed his way through the crowd, earning rude comments and a few awkward apologies along the way.
"Lisbeth." He called out from the side, just loud enough to catch her attention.
"Orelov." She sounded surprised, and he wouldn't blame her.
"We need to talk." He said quickly, now aware of the stares that he was getting. "In private."
"Uh yeah, I have a few hours before I close though." Lisbeth said, concern layered into her voice. Orelov however was stoic, getting right down to business.
"That's fine, meet me at the inn down the road when you're done." Orelov said then turned around and walked away. He knew what he was going to tell her, he just didn't know where to begin. 'Hey Liz, I'm part of an ancient secret society that kills people' wasn't really a good starting point. Come to think of it, he was about to break the third tenet, or his interpretation of it. While at its core, telling Lisbeth wouldn't compromise the Creed, his interpretation meant letting no one learn of the Creed. Yet he was still young for an assassin, and he had much to learn. Not in terms of how to be one, but to form his own understanding of the Creed.
"I'm telling you to back off." Orelov was drawn from his thoughts as he entered the inn. Before him was the sight of what appeared to be a drunk trying to pick a fight. Not wasting anytime he grabbed the 'drunk' by the collar and threw him to the ground.
"Quit acting drunk and piss off." Orelov said to the man on the floor. "This game doesn't let anyone get drunk and I'm not in the mood for any shit right now." The man walked out and Orelov took a seat at a table. Just waiting, no one approached him. That or nobody even noticed him, with his hiding skill so high. However this didn't stop one player.
"Thanks." The player spoke to him. "I'm impressed, haven't seen somebody with a hiding skill just as high as mine." Orelov looked up, before him was a female, dark brown hair, green eyes, light skin. A native Japanese at first glance. Her armor was light, it was possible that she had prioritized speed above all else. A Katana was strapped to her side, a weapon type Orelov hadn't seen until now. And given how she could tell where he still was, she possibly focused on a hit and run style of combat.
"Yeah no problem, you can go now, waiting for a friend." Orelov brushed her off, not wanting to talk to anyone as of right now.
"How 'bout I just say what I want." She replied, ignoring Orelov's request to be left alone. "I'm looking for people. And I think you can help me." Orelov looked at her, staring right into her eyes as if to say 'I give no fucks'. "And given how you carried yourself in here, I can almost tell you're the type of person I'm looking for."
"I'm telling you this once, leave me alone." Orelov said in an intimidating manner, the female player stood her ground so to speak.
"Nothing is true." She then stood up and left, leaving behind a note. Orelov took the note and read the only word scribbled on it, 'Kongou'. He guessed it to be the player's username. But her final words left him amazed and confused. Amazed that he possibly found a fellow Assassin in the game with him, yet confused as he didn't even know her goals. Let alone if she was even loyal and not a turncoat. Not deciding to throw this chance away he quickly opened his menu and began to type a message. To 'Kongou'.
'Alright, you've caught my attention. I'll message you when I'm done with my friend. Everything is permitted.'
Satisfied with the wording, he tapped the send icon and looked around, finding Lisbeth at the doorway. He stood up and approached her, his hiding skill still in effect.
"Follow me." He said, revealing himself only to Lisbeth. She jumped a bit at his voice and followed without a word. Going upstairs and into the room he had rented when he arrived. "Take a seat, this is going to take a while."
"What's this about?" Lisbeth asked, sitting down one the chair by the desk. A hint of her teasing came from her voice. If Orelov had to guess, she probably had a better day than her usual. But now was not time for any of it.
"Everything." Orelov said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I'm going to tell you two names, and I want you to tell me everything you know about them." He looked at her and saw her signature smile. He only wondered if he would see it after he was done. "Assassins and the Knights Templar."
She looked at him and laughed. "What, forgot simple things like that so quickly, fine. The Knights Templar was an old cult of European knights who worked to spread the word of their god I think. And Assassins are just people who kill political leaders." She looked at Orelov, a smile still on her face.
"What if I told you that they both still exist." Orelov heard Lisbeth try to contain her laughter.
"I'd say you'd lost it." Orelov went through his menus and unequipped his torso armor. Lisbeth went silent in shock. Across his front, aside from his toned muscles, were various scars. None of which Lisbeth even knew he had.
"Centuries ago, the Assassins removed the ring finger of their members. A way to tell them that it was a commitment in joining. They eventually moved to branding their members as a way to make them harder to identify. At first it was the ring finger, but after recent events, the moved to branding the back of their best members." Orelov turned to show his back to Lisbeth. And there it was, the symbol of the Creed branded on his back. Right between his shoulder blades. "If you didn't guess by now, I'm a member of the Assassins." He equipped his armor again and turned to look at Lisbeth. "Those sick days at school weren't sick days."
"So, you've killed people." Lisbeth asked, her face looked similar to how it looked the day they were trapped here.
"Yes, I won't deny it."
"Why!" Lisbeth shouted. Just then there was a knock on the door. Orelov's eyes narrowed, just how long were they listening. He opened the door and found Kongou with a pissed off expression on her face.
"So that's why you wanted to talk to your friend." Kongou said emotionlessly, walking right in. Orelov closed the door and stared at the room's newest occupant.
"So, Templar or Assassin." Orelov asked her.
"Assassin, same as you. Now, care to explain why you are currently breaking the third tenet right now." Kongou was currently getting on Orelov's nerves as of now. Mostly because she had no idea who he even was.
"Let me stop you before you lecture me on how to be an Assassin." Orelov said sternly to get his point across. "I don't know who you are, and you sure as hell don't know who I am lass. So, how about you sit down before you do something you regret."
"Then allow me to make things quite clear." Kongou took a step towards Orelov as if to show dominance. "My name is Shibasaki Ayame, I'm the Japanese Mentor's daughter!"
"Like I said, you don't know me." Orelov said as he looked Kongou in the eyes. "Nicholas Braski, I report directly to your mother." Orelov watched as Kongou eyes widened at the mention of his last name.
"Can someone please explain what is going on!" Lisbeth shouted, grabbing the attention of the two Assassins. Orelov and Kongou looked at each other only nodding in response. There was no telling her to forget any of this now.
"You asked why I killed before she came in right." Orelov asked and Lisbeth nodded yes. "The Assassin's goals are to preserve the free will of man, and the elimination of the Templar order."
"I still don't understand." Lisbeth said, looking back and forth between the two. Orelov knew this would happen, it was the most natural reaction after all.
"Keep in mind that I am barely scratching the iceberg here." Orelov took his seat on the bed and calmed himself. "While both the Assassins and the Templars have similar end goals, we have different means to reach those ends. We both want control, but we the Assassins seek it through the free will of man. What good is peace if it is forced upon the common masses. The Templars, are the opposite of us, the seek peace through order. While both sides are not good in a sense, at the same time they aren't bad. You keeping up."
"I think so." Lisbeth said. Kongou then took it upon herself to help explain a few things.
"To shorten that explanation are the three ironies." Orelov watched as Kongou took over. "We promote peace, yet we use murder as a means. We seek to open the minds of those we protect, yet we require obedience to rules and laws. And finally, we aim to guide people away from blind faith, yet we practice it ourselves."
"We work in the dark to serve the light. That's all I can say for now, unless you join us, and that's not happening." Orelov finished as he stood up. Lisbeth, he could tell, was now beginning to understand the basics of everything she was just told.
"But why tell me this?" Lisbeth asked. Orelov knew she deserved that much.
"The leaders of the clearing group got together yesterday to talk about PKers. In a unanimous decision, we decided that a group should be formed in order to deal with them. Given the fact that I'm an Assassin, I couldn't let anyone else take upon that burden." Orelov looked at the window, the night sky was empty, as it always was. His mind drifted to the outside, to the real world. It was that cursed, empty, starless sky that always reminded him, this was a death game.
"You don't have to accept it right away." Kongou told Lisbeth, who was still in partial shock of her friend's confession. "For an outsider to be told of the Assassins and Templars is quite an honor, and a burden. You're being trusted with his secret, one that could get him killed at any moment. You should think things over for a while, Assassins never reveal themselves without reason." Lisbeth stood up and walked to the door.
"I'm still the same old me." Orelov said, Lisbeth stopped at the door to hear him out. "This is the side of me that I hope you never see again. I'm still going to end this game. Then I can properly introduce you the the Creed if you wish. Just know that because of what I am, I could die at any moment. Both in here, and in the real world."
"Of course I knew that." Lisbeth said under her breath. "You were on the front lines. Just promise me you won't die."
"Yeah. Promise." Orelov said, his eyes still fixated on the night sky. Hearing the door close behind him still didn't make him turn.
"So, this guild for targeting the PKers, how are you going to recruit for it?" Kongou asked as opened her menu.
"An information broker named Argo, she can find anything and anyone for a price."
"Can you trust her?"
"She's not known to give out information on her clients. So yes, I can trust her."
And how many do you need?"
"Six for the lead group. I'll be working on the information network once I get the guild started."
"So, there's you and me, which brings that number down to four. And another Assassin I met not too long ago if you're interested in him." Kongou watched as Orelov took his eyes from the window and looked at Kongou.
"What's his name?" Orelov asked his first question, making Kongou smirk.
"A thief named Nox. He was a tricky bastard to chase after he stole my sword."
Orelov almost burst into laughter. "Let me get this straight, the Mentor's daughter was pickpocketed by a thief. Oh my god, this is gold!"
"Looks like our little brother just met the Mentor's only child." Catherine said, causing Alexander to look at her.
"Let me guess, he's going to try and build a Brotherhood in there." Alexander asked.
"Yes, though you might not like what happened concerning his friend."
"What happened?"
"It seems he just told Rika about what he is, should we be concerned?"
"Depends, how much did he tell her?"
"Only the basics, our goals and methods, and one of our traditions."
"He didn't compromise the Creed, it's fine. If she wants to hear the rest when she gets out we'll tell her." Alexander felt his phone buzz in his pocket, pulling it out in an instant and flipping it open. Even in this day and age they still used prepaid phones for communication. Less traceable and all that. "Braski speaking."
"Nothing is true." The voice on the other end said. Alexander knew what was happening and signaled for Catherine to grab her gear.
"Everything is permitted, what's our objective?"
"The Templars managed to get into the Argus systems and steal the SAO admin codes."
"You want us to hack into their systems, transfer or delete the codes, and implant a virus for safekeeping."
"Yes. We'll be there in an hour to discuss the plan." With that the call was dropped. Alexander looked at Nicholas' body one last time before heading to the armory. Now was the time for him to serve his purpose as an Assassin.
Chapter 4, Creed. Any thoughts, people, please. Any feedback is welcomed, please. It's kinda hard to tell how and what you guys like when I don't get feedback. It kinda ruins my momentum. Not to be complaining or anything. In other news, welcome to the first fully original mini arc of Assassin's Creed VR. And next chapter will be showcasing even more of the elder Braski sibling's strengths. AKA, more badassery. Well that's it for now, be sure to rate, review, please. Grimlock out.