The mission part 1
Carter's POV
My recruits have trained very well, their experience have increased and they have become Assassins, they weren't the only ones who have been given honors, I have been Honored for the part of recruiting, and we also have made allies with mercenaries, Romanies, and thieves who are stealing to feed the poor, the were great allies and helped us with many Templar'. Today I went to the chambers of the Mentor, the reason was that he summoned me for a mission that is pretty important, he was studying a piece of parchment and there is a mystery to it, when I got to him he looked up and he showed a picture of an artifact that I have never seen before.
"This artifact is something that the Templar's a interested in, we can't let them have it Carter this is of ancient origin created by a race long gone before us, this thing may contain information of what our fight is about."
"You want me to look for an ancient artifact build by a race that haven't been seen for many years and get it before the Templar's?"
"Yes and we have located a book that might help you on your journey, you must start at the holly lands, there is a ancient fortes that has it."
"Yes sir I will find this book."
After my meeting with the mentor and before I started my 'crusade' I went to Sophia and Andre, she has him in her arms and Andre has grown big, one day he will become a strong young man like I am and he will continue the tradition of the Assassins. I gave them my farewell and Sophia gave me his blessing and she will pray that I will survive and I hope that I will to.
My crusade has started, I set sail for the holly lands of to the ancient fortress, I sailed through the sea and stopped on some of the isles and finally I arrived at the coast of the holly lands were the first crusade took over a century ago, I ask for directions and I have heard that the fortress is deep into the land called Judea and that is not all, the roads to it are dangerous because it is covered with mercenaries and bandits not native to this land, I fear that something isn't right but the only way to find out is to go and see for my self. I walked through ruins build by an empire that the church has survived from, as I got closer I saw the fortress, it's all in ruins but I have a feeling that I wasn't alone and as I figured an arrow came in, I quickly dodged it but then as I feared there's a host of eager Templar's are guarding it and probably excavating it, as they came down I prepare for battle, I drew my sword and Hack, slash, dodge, stab, and deflect every blow but I need to get up to the fortress.
After the battle I went up to the fortress and I saw a hole in a building and it drops down, I took the risk to go in and as I went in I slide down a steep smooth slope, it wasn't long till I hit the bottom of the slope but there was a Templar waiting, he drew a mace and swung at me but I turned the tables and killed him with my concealed blades, when he is down I start to walk through the tunnel and there is a room with the height, length, and width of a court room where the kings held court, but there are 3 Templar's and a peasant working on a big door but he has no luck, but I believe that these men will kill him if he escapes or if he is done with his work so I took action and killed them, I walked up to the peasant who is kneeling and spread his hands in plead for mercy.
"Please be merciful in the name of Allah I am just a working man with a family."
"Doing what kind of work?"
"Digging mostly, it took me a year to find this door but it's sealed tight, for a bronze door this thing is harder than steel."
"Odd but what is in there contains information kept away by a race not seen in many years."
"Ah I see this very unique."
As I walked up to the door I noticed a horseshoe shaped carve in it, it's width is way more thicker than a normal one, and there are strange markings on it like something must be attached to it, the I realized it's a key hole.
"It's a key hole, where is the key?"
"The big captain with a metal bucket helmet carries it around with him, he will only come if I have dug out this place and found this door."
He was referring to a knight who must be leading this group and I have a feeling that I must get it from him, I tossed to the peasant a purse of gold that I usually use for bribes and hiring some of our new allies, he looked at the purse curiously and with shock he realized it would be more than enough to buy bread and other things from the local market.
"Go home and find work with honest men."
"Oh bless you sir, and I would love to leave this place but these men will murder me if I try."
"Don't worry ok I will create a distraction that will have all the guards out of the way."
"Are you insane these men are warriors, they could kill without mercy."
"I can take care of myself."
Our talk is over and I went strait up the stairs with the peasant behind me, he want's to see if I can handle these Templar's single handed, as we got out saw some Templar's at the gate talking.
"The assassin must not get his hands on that key, you stay here until he's dead you understand?"
There are 8 of them, easy for me to take if I divide them into smaller groups they would be easy targets, as I came to them they engaged individually and I simply took em own easily, their fighting styles are easy for me to predict, one of the reasons are is that I have been in their training as well, it wasn't long till they were all down, then I start to climb part of the wall over looking a Templar camp, the peasant start to grab a horse and started riding to the cities, in this height it reminded me of what I have learned, a Muslim was crazy enough to go do some out of the ordinary, he put on a pair of home made wings and jumped of a high building and flew, he was the first man to fly but he crash landed, survived but the only thing that he had gotten from it was a broken back. I jumped of the cliff and opened a parachute, it was designed to slowly descend us in the air until we hit the ground, and it was introduced by the byzantine assassins who usually jump of high places, but as I descend I got closer to the camp I saw a knight walking through, then I knew that this is my chance, I landed 23 decameters away from him and start running towards him, he spotted me and got on a horse and rode away, I couldn't afford to loose him so I got on a horse and rode after him.
I rode after him and he wasn't giving up easily, we kept on riding until we got near a gate, he yelled something and the gate shut closed and the archers started to fire on me but then it stopped, I looked up and there are assassins on the gate and soon as I saw them they jumped down and greeted me.
"Shalom brother always nice to meet a fellow assassin."
"Thank you I am Carter Le Hard."
"You are french by the sound of your accent, we met a few french Templar's once in a while."
"I see but if you don't mind there is a Templar that needed to be eliminated, can you help me?"
"With pleasure Carter, always nice to help a brother even when is not from here."
We went through the gate and into the farm lands and there is the knight talking to some of the men-at-arms, one of them looked us and pointed, then the knight turned and smiled, when he spoke his accent was French, I am dealing with a fellow knight and it made me hesitant but I kept my nerve and remembered my objective.
"look what crawled out it's hole to die, there is no way you would survive."
He turned to men and ran of, I knew that we must get him but first we must track him down, as the men-at-arms drew their swords and axes we engaged them, we went through the vulnerable spots that was open from their shields, hack and slash until we finally killed them but they had slowed us down and helped the knight escape but he will get himself cornered so he will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, we started tracking him and we came to a mill, we use the water wheel to get us us, we came across some of the Templar's but they never noticed us and they were easy pickings for us, we walked through the streets until we saw the knight on a building waiting, this is a trap but I must get that key from him, we drew our weapons but as we went through the gate there weren't any guards waiting near the gate but they surrounded us.
"Are as every bit as deadly as the legends said you are? Or are we Templar's commanding an army of drunks swifts? There is nowhere for you to escape assassins."
As I turned there are more Templar's coming to the gate, I knew that we are trapped but he has trapped him self, the rope that holds the gate is pretty vulnerable, I dropped my sword and grabbed one of the assassins ax and get ready to cut the rope.
"Not for us and not for you."
I swung the ax and cut rope in one chop, the fall fence came down blocking the other Templar's, I gave the ax to the other assassin and I picked up my sword, the knight was growing restless and impatient knowing that he is trapped.
"Kill those dogs, cut them down."
The soldiers came at us but we were ready for them and started to fight, we dodged every single blade and mace, cut and thrust at them, and we took them all down with in 2 minutes, then we saw the knight climbing the building that is attached to a mountain so we walked towards it, once we got close we started to climb, one of us drew a crossbow and keep an eye out for archers on the roof tops, as we got close to the roof we see a piece of rope that is connected to a small crane, we grabbed it and we went upwards to the roof and there was the Templar standing, I signaled for the other assassins to hold and start walking towards him.
"You again? why cant you just die?"
"Why can't you just stop barking and howling?"
I grabbed his arm, set out my concealed blades and thrust near his heart, but I must have the key that will open the door to the other room that holds information to those who came before us.
"The key, give it to me."
"The key to the library."
He brought up a horse shoe that has it's with increased and has 2 hooks on the bottom part, the material is covered with glowing strait lines, the artifact is the most curious thing I have ever seen, this is something that is more advanced than us.
"This will do you no good assassin, we found another in artifact created by the race who build this in Rome but we haven't found where it is yet but we are closing in on it."
"What ever is in the library is not your's nor of the Templar's it belongs to the ancient race and only them can wield them."
"That you are right but we have found one already, the race continues to live and are living with us, even some of the leaders are them but they don't know that yet. (exhaled deep)"
"The race still lives? Tell me more."
He can't talk and he cant move, he is already dead, no way he can give me more answers, I closed his eyes, this man deserves death but he also deserves peace.
"Repose en paix... batard."
Two days have past and I am at the door of the library, I set the key in and the door opened, the torches lit themselves up and I walked inside it. Now I have more questions than answers, if the ancient race did disappeared then why did they came back? How did they survive? And why are some of the rulers and nobles are a member of the race without knowing? We must find out how and we must protect them from the Templar's, but I must first go with the mission and find the artifact, the library was full of ancient scrolls made of papyrus, I looked for the right scroll and then I found it, it has the picture of the artifact and ancient writing all in Latin the language of the church, I must find my self a Latin speaker to translate it but there is one thing that I know where to look for, if the artifact is in the ancient city of Rome then I will start looking for it there.