XxXxXx
1191 Masyaf
Altair gritted his teeth as he pulled the strip of cloth tight around his torso, ignoring the warning stabs of pain from his protesting ribs. It had only been a few weeks since he was initially injured and, though his ribs were starting to look much better, he was still far from healed and it still hurt if he breathed too deep or too quickly. His leg also wasn't fully healed but he could walk around without hindrance and that was all he really cared about.
Malik had left a few days ago, he had to, to avoid anyone becoming suspicious, but before he had left he had told Altair everything; from Kamal becoming master to the secret meeting he had had with the other rafiqs. Altair had a fit when he found out that he had to call Kamal "master" but was grimly satisfied to find out that Kamal was near frantic to find him. He hadn't lost his touch after all.
He was, however, rather impressed with Malik's plan, seeing as how Malik used to never go against the creed no matter what situation rose up. Now here he was, planning a reconnaissance mission against the master himself.
Altair smiled a little to himself as he gave an extra tug to the bandage; he had finally succeeded in corrupting Malik. It had only taken half his life to do so, but it was worth it.
But his biggest, and most pleasant, surprise had come from Malik's plans for him; he was to go back to Acre and finish what he had started. Altair had been rather pleasantly taken aback that Malik, of all people, had entrusted such a critical mission to him. Even though their friendship was on the mend, Malik still had plenty of reasons not to trust him.
It only gave Altair more reason to get going. He wasn't going to fail this time.
"So you're leaving." It wasn't a question.
Altair turned and saw Badoura watching him, her light brown eyes unreadable as she scrutinized him.
"I have to." He said.
She didn't say anything as she walked towards him, snorting slightly as she took in his shoddy wrapping work. She remained silent as she took the bandage from him and started to re-wrap it around his ribs. When she finished, she took a step back to admire her handiwork and nodded in approval before turning her attention back to the assassin.
Altair suddenly realized that she was wearing the long white robes of an assassin, though where she had gotten some that were made for a woman he didn't know. Wherever she had gotten them, they seemed to have been made for her; cut perfectly to hide her gender yet, when she wanted to, reveal enough curves and skin to leave one's imagination on fire.
"I'm going with you." She said simply.
Altair was nearly knocked flat on his back by her unexpected statement but, to his credit, recovered rather quickly. He noticed how tense she was, how hard her eyes seemed, as she waited for his reply.
"Fine."
Badoura started, "Fine? That's it?" she blurted out, even more shocked than Altair had been a second earlier, "What, no arguing about how I'll slow you down, or how I don't have the experience or how I'll be safer here?"
"Well, the way you said told me anything I said wasn't going to make a difference so why fight it?" Altair asked, extremely flustered, "What else did you want me to say?"
"Damn it, Altair!" Badoura said in mock anger, "I spent three days putting together my argument for this! I had just about every argument you could have come up with covered, even the most absurd ones! And you just go and say "fine"!!"
Altair found his tongue was twisted in his mouth, making it impossible to speak, but he realized it wasn't necessary. Badoura burst out laughing at the sight of him fumbling over his tongue, ending the argument.
"Oh I love teasing you, little brother!" she said, "It's even more fun when you're awake to defend yourself."
She threw a pair of saddlebags at him, "Come on, get dressed, we better leave. I've already packed everything we'll need and your weapons are with Zauba'a. We have one last thing we need to do before we leave…something I think you'll find highly amusing."
Altair nodded and pulled his own robes on, feeling tension he didn't know he had had release in his belly as he pulled the hood over his head. Al Mualim had told him that who he was and what he was had been strongly linked, too strongly to separate apparently, but he never really understood until he had been several weeks without his weapons and his clothes. It had been even worse than when he had been demoted…at least then he could move around.
Suddenly he stopped as he was buckling on his gauntlets and snapped his gaze over to Badoura, who was heading out the door.
"What the hell do you mean "it's even more fun while I'm awake"?!"
Aaaaaaa
The two assassins made their silent way through the maze of hallways, never allowing anyone to see them, as they headed towards the master's chambers. Badoura had been right in her assessment that Altair would like her plan, wickedly so, one might add. One involving an ornate dagger, a heavy wooden door and a letter.
It didn't take them very long to impale the letter to the door and even less time to leave, but they knew perfectly well that the effects of it would last far longer. In fact, if they timed it right, they were pretty sure they would hear Kamal's scream of outrage as they rode away through the valley.
"Hurry, hurry." Badoura whispered as they fled into the stables, "I'll bet you it'll echo for about thirty seconds."
"Thirty seconds? With that letter?" Altair asked incredulously, "More like forty-five, maybe even longer."
"You want to bet on that?" She asked as she saddled her horse, a gelding she had found abandoned outside Damascus some years ago. It was an unusual color, his body a rich gold while his mane, tail, legs, nose and the tips of his ears were an inky black. No one knew why someone had just decided to leave the miserable creature on the side of the road, but Badoura loved him. She took him in, naming him Katane, and after he gained his health back, became her loving trusted steed.
"After you cleaned me out last time? I think not." Altair said dryly as he turned to his horse's stall, stopping a moment to quickly re-arm himself with the weapons piled neatly outside the stall.
Zauba'a stuck his head out and quietly watched Altair buckle on his various weapons, waiting until the assassin finally turned to face him before sticking his nose out in a greeting. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen Altair in several weeks and he was more excited than usual, or maybe it was because Altair was a little closer than he normally was when Zauba'a greeted him. Whatever it was, Altair suddenly found himself practically being kissed by his horse as the stallion's nose and mouth collided with the assassin's face, slobber covering him.
"Isn't good luck to be kissed by a horse before starting a journey?" Badoura asked, trying her absolute hardest not to laugh, "Or is it a camel?"
XxXxXx
2012 Masyaf
Something flashed out of the corner of Desmond's eye, but before he could react something flew past his face and struck the man. His eyes bugged as he reached up and grabbed at his neck, where a black fletched dart had embedded itself, before dropping wordlessly to his knees. His eyes rolled up and he fell, unconscious, to the ground.
Desmond spun around to see Lucy tuck the dart gun back into the holster hidden inside her jacket.
"Sorry about that Desmond." She said, "Didn't mean to shoot that close to your face."
"Yeah." Desmond said, "So how come we had to shove a damn capsule up the others noses while we could have done that and saved a crap load of time?"
"Because those capsules are easier to get and cheap, for one." Lucy said, "And two, I didn't really want to listen to you and Gerson whining about how boring that was."
Desmond and Gerson looked at each other.
"She does have a point." Gerson pointed out.
"I know I do." Lucy said, throwing her bag back over her shoulder, "Now come on. That wasn't a very long lasting drug he got so we need to get out of here before he wakes up. Besides, I don't know if anyone heard his screaming."
The four assassins sped back the way they came, passing the still unconscious Abstergo guards. As they neared the gates Desmond couldn't help thinking, there's no way that this was that easy.
He shouldn't have tried to ignore the anxiety he felt earlier. He should have ever ignored the assassin instincts within him. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. Desperately he tried to stop, throwing his arms out to halt his friends.
"Damn…too late."
"ASSASSINS!!"
"RUN!"
The four turned and bolted like scared deer as Abstergo employees, most with guns, came charging up the path where they had been waiting for whoever had drugged the guards.
Sheer luck gave them an extra edge, as well as a bit of time, as the assassins suddenly found a semi-hidden alcove in the wall. They quickly dove into it, trying to buy a few extra seconds in order to escape.
"Look, there was a hole in the wall back there. Go and I'll distract them!" Desmond said.
"HOW!?"
"What better way to distract them then by giving them an easy target?"
Before any of them could reply, or argue, Desmond turned and took a flying leap, grabbing onto a ledge and, with his heart in his mouth, flew hand over hand up the rough wall like a spider. He didn't look down to see if they heeded his words or not but leaped from the wall he was on to a ledge perpendicular to him.
It was so easy, the old deteriorating condition of the walls made climbing them child's play. Desmond felt himself start to relax a little as he moved easily over the walls, even enjoy himself a little. That is, until bullets began exploding around him, some so close that he swore he could smell the burning gunpowder. Unfortunately, the part of him that was Altair wasn't at all familiar with bullets so was rather silent. Altair did, however, know how to climb and climb fast, and that was all Desmond really needed as he scrambled across the walls like a lost monkey. Mentally he tried to keep track of how much time had passed so he could give the others plenty of chance to escape, but every time a bullet popped into the wall inches from his face he lost track.
"Would it be too much to ask you idiots to actually hit something once in a while!!" an irate voice screamed below, "Shoot him already!!"
He heard more and more people pour into the area and knew that one of them would hit him…eventually. Still, he figured enough time had passed and he began a more deliberate course up to the top of the wall.
BAM! A much bigger hole exploded right next to his left knee. Someone apparently had gotten a rifle.
Yup, time to go, Desmond thought as he picked up the pace, come on, Altair, don't fail me now.
I won't.
Desmond nearly fell off the wall in utter shock. Did someone just happen to scream that from below or was he dreaming?
Move. Now.
As shocked as he was, Desmond found the ability to move again and began to scramble over the lip of the wall…only to get the cuff if his pants caught on a protruding support nail. He tugged vehemently at it but it was stuck fast, and tangled so he couldn't simply pull it back out again.
"There, look! He's stuck up there! Shoot him, get him down, catch him, I don't care just do it!!"
Desmond really began to panic then and tugged even more frantically with his leg. He managed to rip the fabric a little bit, but not enough to get loose. Bullets were exploding with more frequency around him, but were further away, as if they were just distractions. Desmond chanced a glance down and saw that several ladders were being brought in. They wanted him alive it seemed.
"Damn it." He moaned, "Why here? Couldn't I have gotten stuck on the other side?"
He glanced back up to the top of the wall, mere inches above his hands. If he could get a handhold on the top, he could pull himself up hard enough to pull his leg free. Gripping tightly with his left hand, he stretched up his right and groped around on the top, feeling for a good hold.
Yes! He exalted silently as he grabbed what felt like an out-jutting stone. He pulled himself up a little bit more, just enough to allow his left hand to reach out and grab the stone as well, and began to pull himself up…only to find that the nail had managed to get caught in the thick part of his cuff, the part that doesn't like to rip at all.
"No!" he cried out, hearing the scrape of ladders against the wall and footsteps pounding on the rungs, "No, you won't take me!"
Squeezing his eyes shut he pulled as hard as he could, feeling the fabric give just a little. His arms began to burn from the constant strain and sweat dripped into his eyes, making them burn. His pounding heart was starting to make his chest hurt as well as make him feel rather dizzy. Sweaty fingers started to slip from the rock, making him panic.
"I thought you said you weren't going to fail me?" he asked out loud in despair, as the Templars got even closer.
In one last desperate attempt Desmond threw the very last of his strength into his arms as he pulled. But, as he did so, something gripped his arms in a vice-like grip and pulled. With the beautiful sound of tearing cloth, his cuff slid free of the support nail and he flopped onto the narrow ledge of the wall.
Bullets peppered the wall around him, making him move rather quickly, suddenly energized as adrenaline flooded his system. He flipped over the ledge and half scrambled, half fell, down the imposing walls, dropping the last few feet onto the rocky ground. He could hear the outraged screams of the Abstergo Templars but he didn't really want to hang around to hear what they saying clearly.
Desmond didn't really pay much attention to his surroundings as he ran, just as long as he put as much distance between him and Abstergo as possible. He scrambled madly down the hill the fortress was situated on, more often than not falling and rolling before crashing painfully into a rock or bush before picking himself back up and continuing his mad dash.
He was almost to the rock wall where they had originally set out late last night when something grabbed him and pulled him behind a rock, one hand clamped tight over his mouth. Desmond began to flail, biting and kicking at his unknown assailant.
"Calm down, it's just me." Gerson's voice whispered roughly in his ear, "Stay quiet until they pass."
Desmond nodded and held still, trying to keep from panting too loudly as several Abstergo employees ran by.
"Damn it, where did he go?"
"I don't know. Shit, we don't got the time for this. I am NOT climbing around on these rocks!"
"Come on, let's go. You saw the way that one can climb. He's long gone by now."
If it weren't for the lingering shock and utter exhaustion that fell over him suddenly, Desmond would have laughed at how similar this was to whenever Altair escaped from city guards; the mad dash, the vanishing act and the cursing guards.
As the last of the adrenaline left his system, Desmond was suddenly aware of just how exhausted he was. His whole body hurt from wall crawling like he was Spiderman, trying to pull himself free from that damn nail and his rather graceful run downhill.
"Hey, Desmond, you alright? You look like hell." He heard Gerson ask but couldn't find the energy to even answer as he slumped like a limp rag to the ground.
One thing he did wonder about before he blacked out was; who the hell had pulled him up on the wall?
XxXxXx
1191
They weren't nearly as secretive as they trotted out of the city, seeing as how difficult it would be to hide horses as distinctive as Zauba'a and Katane. It was still rather early in the morning so not many people were out, making it easier to navigate through the city. The few guards who were out either looked the other way or would casually remark to someone nearby about how one of Kamal's men was down one street or another, loudly enough for the two to hear.
They made it to the gates with almost ridiculous ease, giving the guard at the gate a casual wave as they went past. But before they went too far, Altair pulled up short.
"What?" Badoura asked, frowning as she looked back at him.
"It's about 300 meters from here to the valley entrance, correct?"
"Yeah…why…?"
"Race you!"
Before Badoura could reply, a grey and white streak flew past her. Stifling a quick curse she gave Katane a sharp squeeze with her legs and sent him charging after Zauba'a and Altair, who already had a healthy head start. Yet, despite that head start, Zauba'a was bigger and carrying more weight than the smaller, less laden Katane. The buckskin gelding quickly closed the gap between them but neither refused to let the other take the lead so hurtled neck to neck down the path to the valley, their riders letting them run, enjoying the sheer thrill of the cool morning air rushing by them, laughing and throwing mocking insults at each other.
They slowed reluctantly as they passed the ancient Roman palisades that marked the exit of Masyaf's boundaries, the excited horses refusing to go slower than a trot.
"We won." Badoura announced when she caught her breath.
"Just which horse…where you…watching?" Altair panted, trying, and failing, not to show that he was hurting, "Zauba'a had…his entire front half…in front of…Katane."
"In your deluded little world maybe." Badoura conceded, prudently not saying anything about Altair's condition. No need to injure his pride this early in the morning, she concluded.
Altair let the argument go, not wanting to waste air on something so trivial. He reached down and ran his hand down his stallion's neck, noting with pride that it wasn't even damp with sweat despite the run, as he surveyed the area before him. They were nearing the old watch fort, a couple dozen assassin guards keeping close watch on it and the narrow exit out of the valley into the kingdom beyond. Most merely afforded the two a single glance before losing interest. They had been out all night and were only interested in the end of their shift.
Altair, purely out of habit, allowed his vision to slip into his eagle vision, taking a quick survey of all those around. Next to him, Badoura glowed a very bright blue-ish white. So she knew something he needed to know, did she? He made a mental note to ask her about that later. Everyone else in the area also glowed blue, though not as brightly as Badoura. Whether it was because Badoura was simply closer to him or the assassin soldiers obvious lethargy he wasn't sure, but they were blue and that was all that mattered. He was about to switch back to regular sight when something caught his attention. Standing amongst the other guards was a red outlined form. Altair stared curiously at it; he wasn't one of Kamal's men, that he was certain of, and Altair knew he didn't have a disagreement of any sort with this particular men (granted, there were quite a few so he could have forgotten, but he didn't think so). He shook his head, allowing his vision to slid back into normal.
Could his sixth sense have been wrong? It seemed unlikely, as it had never been wrong before in his life. Feeling a little anxious, he glanced back at the man that he had marked in red again in eagle vision, just to make sure that he had been right. Again, the man was red. There was no mistaking it; the man was an enemy…at least to Altair. He couldn't be certain that he was a traitor per se but this wasn't something to ignore.
However, there was nothing he could do about it right now so he gave the man one last long look, burning his face into his photographic memory before continuing on, deciding not to say anything to Badoura. They had enough to worry about.
As they passed by a dead-looking tree that had only a few leaves clinging stubbornly to its branches, a large bird suddenly took off out of it, its loud shriek of disapproval sounding much like the outraged scream of a human as it echoed off the valley walls. Badoura and Altair exchanged amused glances while they bit their lips to keep from laughing out loud and looking like total fools.
XxXxXx
A/N: See? I told you I would make this more a more Altair inclined chapter. And before anyone asks, you'll find out what the letter said later. It's coming, don't worry. It has its own plan. Oh, and in case anyone wants to know, Badoura's horse is names after yet another Islamic demon; this one a demon that is a vampire like being, "lean, hairy and possessing of sharp teeth". On another note, if you leave Masyaf (in the game that is) there IS a glitch where one of the assassin guards is highlighted red in eagle vision. I found that out last week. Try it; you'll see what I'm talking about. He doesn't attack you though. It's just a glitch. Heeheehee I got a new muse over the weekend; a really pretty blue/green/some purple/some red betta fish name Donatello (yes I named a fish). He proofreads my stuff (sometimes anyway) from his tank by my computer. Lol, he likes watching me play AC…I think maybe its because he's a Siamese Fighting Fish that he likes watching fighting scenes…or it's the bright flashing lights, haven't figured it out yet, XD!
-Vanillathunder215