Lentini, Sicily

(Agent Classified's PoV)

The camp had still been reeling from the shock of the attack but no one was harmed severely. Without the agent Altair, the camp seemed quiet. Too quiet. I sipped at my tea and contemplated the attack to come. Otto organised some rehearsals and I searched for Altair, finding only his sword. Hoisting it over my back I returned it, placing it on a wooden board as a display for the soldiers. The shimmering lake formed a rotund pool to our east. The murmurations of Lentini seemed unaware of the contingent. From his observatory tower opposite our hill I stared Al-Aziz down, growling. I turned my back as my fists clenched. His grin was haughty . I remembered what Ali said. Hatred blinds some. I found a figure being paraded and realised that it was the bearded figure of Altair, wrapped in rags. The House of Wisdom council had rushed to watch the man being dragged, struggling in his chains. I clutched my mouth in shock and put my mug back on my desk in the tent. Ali and Otto walked over to me and watched the struggle of Altair in his chains.

Ali faced me. "Sir, I have something to tell you."

"Yes, what is it?" I was slightly worried that another ambush would happen.

"Our forces have seen a column of hooded bandits not too far from here. We can intercept them."

"Excellent." Otto and Ali had entered some small tanks, just big enough for a human to leap off and use a weapon. I told them that I would come along too. Entering the vehicle, we came to a pile of rocks next to which the hooded men were gathering. Exiting the vehicles, we tied masks around our faces and rushed out to meet the bandits.

"Greetings." Otto said threateningly. "Where do you go at this time of day? Don't worry, we know."

I signaled to Ali and Otto, and we all moved into the clearing. The criminals turned to see us, and they immediately opened fire. We returned fire, and the road erupted into chaos.

I blasted the criminals with my arm cannon, knocking them back. Ali and Otto fought their way through the criminals, cutting and stabbing with their weapons. They fought bravely, but they were no match for the North Wind team. One by one, the criminals fell to the ground. Finally, only one was left. He raised his gun and fired at Ali. Ali dodged the bullet and stabbed the criminal with his knife. The criminal screamed in pain and fell to the ground, dead.

I deactivated my arm cannon and turned to my teammates. "Well done," I said. "We worked well together."

Ali and Otto nodded in agreement. "We're a good team," Otto said.

"The best," Ali added.

I smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

We were just about to reach the safety of our own camp when an arrow zipped into Ali's shoulder. He winced in pain and pulled the arrow out, muttering, "That's not very sportsmanlike!"

I clutched at my arm cannon and activated it again. Hordes of enemies attacked us like the sea, but we were ready for them. Ali threw his knife and defeated the bandit commander, and I blasted the rest of the enemies with my arm cannon. We soon had the upper hand, but then I saw one of Al-Aziz's right-hand men. He was a skilled warrior, and I knew that we would be in trouble if he got the chance to attack us.

I grabbed a dagger and parried the soldier's attacks. He was strong and fast, but I was able to keep up with him. We fought back and forth, neither of us able to gain an advantage. Finally, I saw an opening and I lunged at the soldier, knocking him to the ground. He dropped his sword and fell amongst the grass, defeated.

We had won the battle, but it had been a close call. We were exhausted and injured, but we were alive. We finally re-entered the camp and trundled along the path. I placed my arm cannon in the main tent, lined with rugs and patterns. Ali briskly strode out to his tent and entered with me and Otto, planning to discuss our next move.

We entered Ali's tent and sat down. He was still bleeding from the arrow wound, but he was in good spirits. "Well done," he said. "You both fought bravely."

"Thank you," I said. "But it was a close call."

"Yes, it was," Ali agreed. "But we won, and that's all that matters."

We talked for a while about our next move. We knew that Al-Aziz would not give up easily. He would be planning his revenge, and we needed to be prepared.

"We need to find a way to take him down," Ali said. "He is too dangerous to be left alive."

"I agree," I said. "But how are we going to do it?"

We discussed our options for a while, but we could not come up with a plan. We were all tired and injured, and we did not have much time.

"We will figure it out," Ali said. "We always do."

We stood up and left the tent. The sun was setting, and the camp was quiet. We walked back to our own tent, exhausted but satisfied. We had won the battle, but the war was not over. We would be back.

"Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim.

Wa at-Tin wa az-Zaytoon. Wa Turi Sina. Wa haathal-Balad al-Amin."

That night, while the House of Wisdom knelt in prayer, I scoured our surroundings for Al-Aziz. Everyone soon gathered and entered their tents.

I watched Titus return from the castle, his hair dishevelled.

"I've been spying on Al-Aziz."

"You know the name?"

"I've been harassed by his bandits."

I nodded my head, but I could not help thinking that this was a trap. How did a random man get attacked and limp to our camp? Something was surely up!

"Demetrios," I called, for that was his name that he told me, "Come with me."

We walked into the tent, the smell of smoke still hanging heavy.

"Have you found any suspects in our camp?"

"Not yet, but you come with me now. I want to show something I found."

We marched together to the outskirts of the camp, as I was still ignorant of his true affiliation. That pig whispered in my ear his name, Titus Neron and true affiliation before slashing me with a knife. Al my senses clouded until that traitor entered the camp undetected and dragged back a human figure with tied hands, and in horror I realised who it was. One of my newest but dearest friends, Otto! Surely they would torture him for information...

Using my hands I dragged myself to the camp's edges before passing out. The pain seared through my fur as I was carried to the main tent. Ali bent over me and tried to wake me up.

"Sir? SIR! Wake up! Otto's gone! He was dragged from his tent. No doubt it was that snake Demetrios."

"That isn't his name," I groaned feebly. "It's Titus."

"Don't strain yourself, sir. Otto may not be the most fearsome warrior but he's an absolute monster in tactics. He'll be back and if not, we'll tear down each tree till we find him." Ali rushed forward.

I fell into sleep