Author's Note~!

Hey there! NF4869 here!

~*cricket…cricket*~

Ah, this joke's getting old. Anyway, just up here to say that the posts will slow down. I won't say it's writer's block, 'cause it ain't, but there's been quite a lot to do lately, so this will probably be my last this week.

Sorry to interrupt, enjoy the story and please-review and criticize!

Disclaimer: *loudspeaker* ASSASSIN'S CREED IS MINE! *throwing knife half an inch from face* yeah, thought not.

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Occurrence

Altair Ibn' La'Ahad crouched on top of the tower. He surveyed his surroundings, looking for any stray guards who may cause trouble for him. He immediately noticed a disturbance at ground level. A small group of six children seem to be running away from a group of guards. Altair blinked. His curiosity piqued, he climbed from the tower to the lower roof of a nearby building.

"Don't you have assassins to chase or something?" a girl in the group with curly hair shouted.

Altair's eyes widened in surprise. How does this strange group know about the assassins? He silently jumped lower onto a beam just above the alley where the chase was taking place.

Suddenly, a member of the group being chased yelled, "guys, get behind me!" The young man who barked the order now faced his pursuers. "I don't want anyone to get hurt here, so please leave us!"

The guards laughed. "You? A mere boy? Harm us? We shall see about that!" one said, and charged towards the teen. Altair was about to jump and intervene when the boy took out what appeared to be a long white and blue staff, about four feet long, and pulled on either end. The staff split a third of the way in, revealing a sword not of local origin. The boy charged forward, obviously knowing what he was doing and easily parried the guard's blow.

"I give you one more chance to stop," he said, blades locked, "then I show no mercy to your sort." The guard snorted. He wasn't accustomed to being bested by an insolent child. "Just got lucky!" he said, and disengaged the blades. The boy, unfazed by the force, deflected the guard's blade. The guard, once again unprepared, stumbled forwards.

The boy now walked inexorably towards the guard. The guard looked closer. The boy was smirking. Angry, the guard swung savagely towards the young boy, only to have his longsword easily blocked. Now the boy went on the attack, mercilessly raining blow after blow on the unfortunate guard, who was barely blocking the blade. Backhand, sideswipe, uppercut, forward swing. The guard eventually started to give way tiring after fierce blow after blow, until the boy actually pierced his defense and stabbed him through the torso. There was no emotion on his face. The sword glinted silver and crimson out of the guard's back.

Altair was stunned. A young boy, ten years his junior, had effortlessly dispatched a guard. The boy withdrew his sword from the guard's body, and, after cleaning it, replaced it in its scabbard. He turned to the remaining five guards. They turned tail and ran from the group. The boy turned back to his friends. "You guys still alright?" he asked. They nodded.

"Jo," said a girl with yellow hair, "you just killed someone!"

"I don't think so," replied Jo. "This world is digital, so yes, I killed someone, but not in reality. It's kind of like being in the Matrix, really." Altair shifted slightly on the beam, about to move, when a throwing knife came out of nowhere and quivered, an inch from his foot. "Assassin," said Jo, staring right at him. Altair pulled the knife from the wood, not without some effort, and dropped from the beam. He stood, facing the group. All of them gasped, except for Jo, wielding the sword. He smiled. "I knew it," he said, "Altair Ibn' La'Ahad. Master Assassin."

Jo walked up to him. "Altair, I'm Jo. That's Max, Bree, Melissa, Camille and my sister, Joyce. We're from the future, of sorts." "Indeed?" said the Assassin, "And what are six young children from the future doing here in Jerusalem? You're obviously not from these parts." Bree interjected. "We're not quite sure," she said, "it's rather hard to explain. In our future, we have this video game. It's called Assassin's Creed and it's very popular. We love to play it…and you're the main character inside it." Altair's expression did not change.

"I am a character inside a game? Nonsense," he said flatly.

"Well, I know for a fact you intend to go to Al Mualim, who will set you on to Damascus. I also know that your last victim was William de Montferrat," said Jo. Altair's eyes widened slightly. "We're not lying," Jo continued, "I know you're curious as to why we know so much. But we need shelter to rest and recover, the trip here was very taxing."

Altair nodded. "Follow me," he said, and started walking away.