TheSilentJackofallTrades – Yes. The tattoo is the same one from the second chapter. It will be explained sooner or later… probably later…
He also didn't have to tattoo. Just more fun that way. If necessary, he could have body-bound Lupin and then given him the potion. He can use many other weapons, spells and techniques, though they will be revealed later on.
PAIRINGS DECIDED: Harry X Fleur.
Masyaf Fortress, June 8, 1994…
An assassin stepped through the archway, inhaling the comforting scents of his home, Masyaf Fortress. He stood there for a moment, listening to the sound of metal clashing in the arena, the shrieks of the eagles overhead mixing with the voices of other assassins. Sounds and sights he had grown up with.
He smiled as he lifted a wooden box off of his shoulder and placed it on the ground. Even though he dropped it an inch from the ground, it was heavy enough to make the dust fly.
"Potter! Where have you been?" shouted an assassin, walking towards the sixteen year-old. The assassin smirked, noting the angry look on the face of his former teacher, Talal Ta'anari, a Grand Assassin, same as him.
"You were supposed to be back here yesterday. What happened?" asked Talal, throwing an arm around the younger assassin's shoulders. "Well?"
The younger assassin indicated the wooden box he had carried in with a jerk of his head. "Antonio and Mario send their regards… and some gifts."
Talal perked up at the mention of new weaponry. "Whatcha get? Whatcha get?"
Most people would be terribly amused to see a thirty-two year-old Grand Assassin acting like a child at the mere mention of new weaponry.
"Well? What did you pick up?" asked Talal, trying not to rub his hands together with glee.
The assassin let out a bark of laughter as he put an arm around his friend and led him to the box he had carried through the gates of Masyaf. He pulled his short blade from its scabbard and used it as a crowbar, forcing the lid off the wooden crate.
Talal stared at the weapons with something close to worship as his former student pulled one of the five objects out of the box. It was a Barrett M107CQ, one of the few .50 caliber American-made rifles in the world. Originally intended to be a long-distance anti-vehicle/armor sniper rifle, the M107 and all its variants use a 'floating barrel,' meaning that the barrel does not actually touch any part of the rifle, except where it is connected to receiver. This greatly increases the ability of a user to consistently fire accurate shots, making it one of the most accurate rifles in the world. However, to increase portability in the field of battle, this variant had its barrel shortened, decreasing its effective range.
Talal snatched the rifle out of his hands and began to rub the barrel, muttering "my precious" under his breath.
Of course, the 'light fifty' that Talal was caressing was not an ordinary rifle. The original model had an effective range of about eighteen-hundred yards, though that was before the magical techs got to them. The assassin pulled the rifle away and checked it, removing the ammo and checking the optics. After a couple of seconds of checking the weapon, he slapped the magazine back into its slot, chambered a round, flipped off the safety and raised the rifle to his shoulder, sighting a target through the 'scope.
Talal pulled a paper out of the box. A moment of silence followed as he read the letter. He looked up, amazement clear on his face. He looked as his former student and said, "Antonio and Mario must have spent weeks enchanting these. They've boosted the range by another thousand yards, shortened the barrel another four inches so its easier to carry and conceal, added silencing charms for those pesky assassination missions, lightened the weight to three pounds, reduced the recoil so multiple shots can be fired within a quarter-inch target, placed 'never empty' runes in the magazines, and enhanced the sights to match with the new range."
The assassin handed it back to Talal and pointed out the gate. "Hit the white stone tablet I left out there."
Talal looked through the sights, took a breath, let it out slowly and squeezed the trigger.
The assassin smiled as the rifle fired silently, making a note to up Mario's and Antonio's salary as he was looking out at the target with his hood's zoom function activated. A few seconds later, the target out on the sand shattered, throwing stone splinters into the air.
"Ta-da!" cried Talal, raising the rifle and clicked the safety on. He placed the rifle back into the box and replaced the lid.
He turned to his friend, smiling as he threw an arm around the younger man's shoulders. "Come on. Al Mualim wants to talk to you."
"Ah… a new mission, perhaps?"
"Maybe… now," said Talal as they walked up the stairs to the library. "You stopped by Chiara's as well, did you not? I know you wouldn't have been a day late just talking to the Italian Assassin's tech guys."
The younger assassin smirked beneath his hood. "Actually… it was Chiara, Francesca and Giulia. They just finished a mission when I arrived and I thought they would enjoy a night out on the town."
"Did you now?"
"Incoming!" shouted a shrill voice, coming from a closed door on the side of the corridor.
Both assassins ducked into alcoves alongside the corridor, both knowing what an 'Incoming!' meant, especially with a somewhat-crazy Master Assassin inventor and a partially-crazy Greater Assassin house-elf assistant in residence.
As an explosion filled the air, the door nearly flew off its hinges. A second later, smoke began to seep out through the space between door and wall.
"What do you think it was now?" asked Talal, peering out of his alcove. "What were they supposed to be working on today?"
"I think the new heating runes for the cloaks, you know, for those missions during the winter months in Russia… and Canada."
"Oh… right… I prefer to have company for those, if you know what I mean," said Talal, throwing his friend a look, eyebrows wiggling like mad.
The younger assassin punched the other in the arm as he opened the door. "Dobby?"
"Master Harry!" shouted the two foot tall elf in his Greater Assassin white cloak, emerging from beneath a desk. "When did you arrive?"
"Just ten minutes ago. Antonio and Mario send their regards and say, I quote, 'We're gonna figure out how the fuck you guys combined a night vision and a recognition system in one rune array without blowing yourselves to hell.'"
"Ha! Those fuckers got nothing on me!" said a voice, coming from beneath a desk, which now was smoking with a burn imprint of a rune on it.
"Nice to see you, too, Master Muyassar," said the teen assassin, bowing his head at the emerging Master Assassin. He really lives up to his namesake.
"Please… you make me feel old," said Muyassar, brushing ash off his shoulder spaulder. "Now, how's that updated magical core recognition system I gave you?"
"What? He gets the new gear? What about me?" asked Talal, pouting at the doorjamb.
"Harrykins here has never failed a mission, nor has my gear ever failed while he was using it. Therefore, he is the perfect test subject for my new gear."
"The new system is working very well, Master. Thank you for the upgrade," said the young assassin, pulling his hood off so Muyassar could see the runes on the inside.
"Hmm… been upgrading yourself, have you? I don't recognize that ru-" Muyassar cut off as he examined the rune array. "Oh, my word. You didn't!"
"He didn't what?" asked Talal peering at the black runes against the white of the younger assassin's hood. "What? I'm not too good on my runes. Only know the Healing, Stunning, and Killing runes."
"He added a secondary set of runes… to boost the abilities of his other systems… and you added a concealed weapons indicator?" asked Muyassar, reading the black markings. "And a Transfiguration array to change your clothes at the touch of a seal?"
"Yep, to both. Both magical and traditional weaponry will be detected," replied the teen, pointing out the runes with his finger, despite them being behind his head. "I did that Transfiguration option so that when we enter Muggle territory, I just change my assassin clothes into a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. Allows me to mix with the Muggles more easily then casting a Notice-Me-Not charm."
He smiled as Talal and Muyassar studied the runes intently. And that's not all I've accomplished… but I should wait till later to reveal that… wouldn't want them to fall down and die on me…
After another minute of looking at the runes, Muyassar extended his hand and shook the assassin's. "Before you leave again, might I take a look at the array?
"Of course, Master Muyassar."
"Thank you. Well done, akh, well done."
"Thank you, Master. Now, if you will excuse me, Al Mualim wishes to speak with me." With that, the youngest Grand Assassin nodded to Muyassar, turned on his heel, and left, heading for the stairs to Al Mualim's chambers, leaving Talal to chase after him.
Talal ran up the stairs and skidded to a halt, looking at the empty desk of Al Mualim. "Master?"
"Over here, Talal," called Al Mualim, his voice coming from behind a bookshelf. "Where is Harry? Did I not send you to meet him at the gates?"
"He should have been here already, Master," said Talal, looking around the room.
Both his and Al Mualim's gaze were drawn to his desk by a pair of thumps.
The teen-aged assassin they were looking for sat in Al Mualim's chair, leaning back on two legs with his feet on the desk, a paper in one hand and a pencil in the other.
"What's a six letter word for someone who works with ceramics?" he asked, looking up from his crossword, smirking beneath his cowl at the two of them.
"Potter!" shouted Al Mualim out of exasperation. That boy is getting very good…very good.
"That's it!" he cried, quickly writing the answer in the crossword. He leapt out of the chair and landed in front of the desk, letting the chair fall back onto four legs with a thump. "You wished to see me, Master?"
"Yes, Harry," said Al Mualim, walking over to stand behind his desk. "Word has arrived to me through various sources that the Templars are on the move again. A meeting of the Council of Twelve is taking place in Toronto, Canada, inside the CN Tower."
"I will leave at once," said the assassin, bowing his head at the Grand Master of the Order.
Al Mualim placed a dozen pure white feathers on the desk. "There will be guards…many of them…" He paused, searching for the right words. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I knew you wouldn't manage it…you're the only man I would trust for this."
Al Mualim shot a glance at Talal, who was leaning against a bookshelf. "No offense meant, Talal."
"None taken, Master. Harry, though the youngest Grand Assassin, has a perfect kill record and the only time he has been wounded in a fight against Templars is that time in Sicily."
Smiling a I'm-gonna-kill-you grin at his friend, the assassin walked forward, scooped up the feathers, and tucked them into a pouch at his belt. "I will be back soon."
"Very good. The targets will be meeting on the twenty-ninth of July."
Rogers Centre, July 29, 1994…
Rogers Centre, formerly known as SkyDome, is a multi-purpose stadium in Toronto, situated next to the CN Tower. It was noted for being the first stadium to have a fully-retractable motorized roof, as well as for the 348-room hotel attached to it, with 70 rooms overlooking the field. It is also the most recent North American major-league stadium built to accommodate both football and baseball.
At this point in time, the Centre was full to bursting. More than seventy-two thousand fans were in attendance, all cheering for their team, booing the ref's call, the traditional sounds of a baseball game.
Currently, the sky dome was open, letting the sunlight through, adding the warmth of the sun to the events. It was a perfect day for a baseball game.
If one looked closely, one with eagle-like vision might see a young man in the metal beams beneath the roof. Of course, no one had such eyesight and everyone was watching the game, not the roof.
The assassin leaned back against a vertical strut, balancing on another, his magically modified M107CQ braced against his knee. He looked through the scope, using his hood's rune sensors as much as his eyes.
Three snipers on the roof…another six on the surrounding rooftops…
He smiled as he sighted one of the snipers, paying careful attention to the sightlines of the others. He slowly squeezed the trigger.
The flash from end of the rifle's barrel and the slight kick in his hands was the only sign that the rifle had fired, at least until the sniper slumped over his rifle, a .50 cal bullet hole through his head, blood, brain matter, and bone fragments spattered against the wall behind him.
The assassin smiled at the field test of his modified bullets. They were spelled to enter the body and then, after ten seconds, vanish, leaving no way for authorities, or anyone else, to track his bullets.
Muyassar is gonna kill for these, he thought as he sighted the other snipers with impassive precision. Eight silent shots later, the other snipers lay in pools of their own blood and various bodily fluids.
He smiled as he slung the rifle around his shoulders and stood, his balance perfect on the thin metal beam. He jumped into the air, fell a few meters and teleported, reappearing where the former snipers now found eternal rest.
Blood squelching beneath his boots, he walked over to a hatch and kicked it open, opening a way to the air vents. With the touch of his silencing rune, he jumped into the vent and went searching, looking for his dozen targets.
And then… there were twelve…
Meeting room…
"Gentlemen, I wish you a good day," said a lean, dark haired man at the head of the table. His face had a scar running from his hairline to his jaw, a remnant of an old assassination attempt.
Rodrigo Advioto… Grand Knight of the Templar Order…well, Ex-Grand Knight if I have anything to say about it.
"May the Father of Understanding guide us…" intoned the other Templars, placing a hand over their hearts.
"To hell…" called the assassin, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once. The assassin smiled as he hung from a pipe above the drop tile ceiling. He loved this type of humor, the blackest type of humor one could display.
The Templars were in disarray, all, having drawn a variety of handguns, were searching for the source of his voice. Their scramblings, so much like cockroaches when the lights were turned on, nearly had the hidden assassin convulsing as he tried not to laugh.
"Assassins," spat Rodrigo, searching the room, a Desert Eagle in hand. One had tried to kill him before, so he knew what was coming. He only hoped his luck wouldn't run out.
"Where are you?" yelled one of the Templars, backing into a corner, aiming everywhere with his handgun.
Harry released the pipe, letting himself crash through the flimsy tile ceiling. The men spun to aim in his direction as he wrapped an arm around the man's neck and gave a quick twist, breaking the man's neck. With a crack of vertebrae, one of the twelve was reduced to a corpse.
Casually dropping the body, the assassin smirked at the men.
"Who's next?"
The other eleven modern-day Templars opened fire, send a volley of hot lead at the assassin.
He simply held up his right hand, casting a wand-less Shield charm. His variant of the Protego charm was made for the purpose of deflecting physical blows rather than magical. He had once taken a bullet in the shoulder under the impression that a standard Shield charm blocked both magic and non-magic attacks. It was not the funniest event of his life, though, much to his embarrassment, Talal brought it up every now and then. 'Remember when you got tagged by that Templar bastard in Sicily?'
Since the Templars have few witches and wizards, a Physical Shield is the best idea.
As the Templars emptied their guns, he smirked beneath his hood. "What's the matter? Your guns not working?"
"Damn you!" yelled one, fumbling with a reload.
"Oh? Out of bullets, are we?" asked the assassin, lowering his hand. A flick of his other hand unleashed the hidden blade, readying it for bloodshed.
He smirked, a feral grin on his face. "My turn."
As the Templars fumbled in their pockets and jackets for a magazine to replace their spent ones, the assassin lunged forward, burying his blade in the throat of one as he kicked a chair at another, sending him to the ground with a chair leg through his eye.
Blood flowed over his hand as he retracted the blade, staining his hoodie a near black red. He brought both hands to his pockets and pulled out two throwing knives in each hand.
Four flicks of his wrist later, four more Templars joined their brothers in Death's cold embrace, his throwing knives sticking out of their throats, eye sockets, and foreheads.
"Form up!" roared Rodrigo, slamming the magazine into his hand cannon. "Form up!"
The remaining four formed a wedge, Rodrigo at the point, as they, too, slid reloads into their pistols.
The assassin flicked his hand again, activating his blade mechanism. His blade slid out, ready to face the remaining Templars.
He looked up, staring down five gun barrels.
"And then there were five…" he said, smirking beneath his cowl.
Fear flickered across the four Templar's faces, shifting uneasily, throwing looks at their leader.
"Hold your ground!" barked Rodrigo, glaring at the assassin over the sights of his Desert Eagle.
The other Templars straightened and focused, resuming their aim.
"Goodbye, assassin," drawled Rodrigo as he pulled the trigger.
A thunderous crack made the room tremble as Rodrigo launched a bullet at the assassin's head.
Faster than any of the Templars could see, the assassin flicked a hand across his face.
The Templars waited, watching the assassin. After the assassin didn't fall, spray blood all over the wall, or suddenly throw his head back with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead, they looked at Rodrigo, who stared at the smoking barrel of his hand cannon, disbelief on his face.
"Well, well, well… a .50 caliber bullet… surely the Templar Grand Knight could shoot and kill a lowly assassin with such a piece of devastating hardware," said the assassin, holding up his right hand, a bullet firmly held between his middle and index finger.
As incredibility took precedence on the Templar's faces, the assassin contemplated the bullet. "Hm… apparently not."
"Now… who wants to try now?"
The Templars all repeatedly pulled the triggers of their respective handguns, sending a wave of hot lead at the assassin, thunderclaps echoing throughout the room.
As the bullets flew at him, the assassin simply dodged around the bullets, not moving his feet, simply swaying from side to side, allowing the bullets to fly by without touching him.
After the Templars emptied their guns, impotent clicks echoing in the air, the assassin still stood, blade still at the ready.
The Templars reached for a reload, though all but Rodrigo froze as the assassin charged, hidden blade raised.
The first Templar he attacked tried to retreat, backpedaling as fast as he could. He fell on his back tripping over an overturned chair.
The assassin leapt over the chair, landed on the man's chest, and thrust his blade into his neck. His stained sleeve was covered with blood once again, a fact the assassin used to his advantage.
He flicked his hand at the last four Templars, flinging his enemy's blood at them. Blood splattered across the eyes of two of them, temporarily blinding them.
The assassin ran to stand between the pair. A quick stab under the jaw put one Templar on his death bed and a thrust through the heart sent the other after his brother.
He turned around slowly, glaring at the remaining Grand Knight and Templar. "And then there were two…"
"What the hell is he?" the Templar asked, dropping his gun and scrambling to hide behind the table.
"Death itself, the Devil incarnate, an Assassin," said Rodrigo, finally pulling a magazine from his suit pocket.
"You know our stories well, Templar," drawled the assassin, retracting his blade into the bracer. "Your time has come, Rodrigo, like so many others before you…"
Rodrigo slammed the magazine into the Desert Eagle and pulled the slide, chambering a round. "Ready to die, assassin?"
The assassin flicked his hand and sent a dagger flying through the air to land between the last Templar's eyes, not even looking at him, glaring at Rodrigo beneath his cowl.
"A duel, then?" asked the assassin, positioning his left arm at his belt, above his sword.
"A duel," replied the Grand Knight, lowering his gun to his hip.
Both opponents stared at each other, throwing hate filled glares at each other over the battle-ruined room.
As one, both flicked their arms up to aim at the other.
A blast from the assassin's arm knocked the hand cannon from Rodrigo's hand. He doubled over, clutching his numb arm to his chest. He looked at the assassin, noting the absence of any firearm in his hand, though a wisp of smoke rose from his sleeve.
"What the fuck?" asked Rodrigo, slowly flexing his hand, trying to relieve the numbness resulting from his gun being shot out of his hand.
"A true assassin always has a trick up his sleeve," deadpanned the assassin, slipping another bullet into his bracer-mounted pistol.
"Assassins: 1…" he said, activating his hidden gun.
"Templars: 0…" he finished, surveying the gaping hole in the middle of the Templar's forehead.
He looked around, surveying the twelve dead bodies of the Templar Council, the wrecked furniture, the holes in the walls, all the remainders of a miniature war taking place in a meeting room.
He looked down at his hand, the .50 caliber bullet still clutched between his fingers. How did I manage that? I haven't activated my runes or cast any spells…
The assassin tucked the bullet he had caught between his fingers into his belt, not giving his recent act another thought, focusing on his new souvenir to show the novices: one of the last bullets from the gun of the late Grand Knight Templar.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned his throwing knives and returned them to their sheaths. With another wave of his hand, he Vanished the two bullets he had used, eliminating any evidence to his presence.
He quickly went from corpse to corpse, staining the white feathers Al Mualim had given him with the deep red of the Templar's blood. The Templars will be in disarray after they discover this…
With a smirk, he disappeared with out a sound, teleporting back to Masyaf.
Sorry it took so long to update. Just bought Red Dead Redemption a week ago and finished it tonight. Loved the game, can't wait for the sequel!
Muyassar=Fortunate (According to my resources)
Anyways…
If you have any questions, comments or a random string of profanity you would like to share, hit the review button.