Assassin's Creed: Vengeance

Exposure

June 6th, 1796

Berlin, Germany

Arno had become more and more confused. The Templars were aware the Ankh wasn't in Berlin but they still remained in the city. What got him cautious was the fact that Iolar had intercepted that letter he tried to get out of the city but he hadn't told him about. Arno began to suspect that Iolar knew something, and now Shay. Since he had read the letter.

Now, he had been summoned to a dinner with Shay, Iolar, and Herr Winckelmann. They were to discuss their next plan and where the Ankh might be. He entered the place they were told to meet. It was one of the grander hotels in Berlin. He entered the hotel and was immediately greeted by servants who were waiting to take his coat. They did so and took it somewhere he didn't see.

Iolar came into the parlor and pulled Arno into an embrace. "Viktor, come. My father is expecting us."

Iolar led Arno into the large dining room. The table stretched all the way down the long room even though only four men would be seated there. It was already dark out and the chandeliers lit only the place they were sitting. Shay had seated Iolar and Winckelmann on one side, while Arno had to sit right next to the old Templar.

The three Templars and the one false Templar sat down in there respective seats and the meals were brought out. It was German food and Arno barely recognized it as edible having lived off of food solely from France all his life. But, he was supposed to be Swedish so he feigned delight.

"What do the native call this again, Alrick?" Iolar asked as he cut into the tube that was on his plate.

"Wurst." Alrick said. "It is a necessity in German, my lord."

Shay grunted. "It's just meat stuffed in skin with pickled cabbage on the side."

Iolar sighed quietly. "Always the optimist, father?"

"Ever since you were born, son." he replied.

Needless to say, Shay's description of the dish made Arno lose his appetite, but he took a bite from the wurst anyway. And was pleasantly surprised when he discovered that it was actually good.

"So, herr Cormac. I trust you've decided our next destination of search?"

Shay grunted as he chewed. When he swallowed, he spoke. "Cologne. Our sources say that is where Schreiber was last seen. So, that is where we'll go in search of the Ankh."

Arno cleared his throat. "And who is this 'Schreiber?'"

Iolar chuckled. "I almost forgot, you're still new here. Hans Schreiber is the wretched Assassin Mentor of the Germanic Brotherhood."

"And the man who has the Ankh, or so the sources say." Winckelmann finished.

"Shouldn't herr Alexeev be here with us?" Arno asked.

Iolar shook his head. "He embarked for Russia last night. Said the political landscape had become too rocky for his tastes. I suppose he prefers barren, frozen wasteland."

The Templars were silent for several moments. All they were thinking about was eating the foot their hosts had placed in front of them. Even Arno, who wasn't sure if he'd enjoy the foreign meal but found himself doing just that. Then, after a few minutes of silence, Iolar spoke up again.

"Father, will you tell herr Winkelmann and herr Svensson about the time you went to France?" he asked.

Shay looked up at his son, then back down to his food. "You've heard this one plenty of times."

"They haven't."

Again, Shay looked up, then shook his head. "Alright. It was 1777, or was it '76? Ach, doesn't matter. I had just sailed there from the Colonies. Some native boy Assassin was wreaking havoc among the Colonial Rite at this time, but the Grandmaster Kenway sent me to Versailles to retrieve an artifact similar to the Ankh."

Arno stopped chewing. All of a sudden invested in every word Shay said.

"It was in the hands of an Assassin. I can't remember his name to save my life now but… There was something about him. An arrogance, a pompous attitude that I found disgusting."

Arno quietly put down his silverware and made sure he had his hidden blade… But first, he wanted to hear him admit it…

"There he was, standing alone in the corridor of the Palace of Versailles. He was calling out to his son who had apparently ran off."

Shay's eyes locked with Arno's…

"'Arno… Arno… Where has that boy gone?'"

Arno couldn't believe what he was hearing, after all these years… And to think he'd been inches away from him for days?

"It wasn't hard for me to get close to him… I put my blade between my ribs and twisted. We exchanged a few words that are hard for me to recall, it's been so long." Shay began to chuckle. "The look on the boy's face was priceless…"

Arno could no longer hold back, he unleashed his hidden blade and with all his fury that had been building for twenty years, he swung at the Templar's neck. With a speed Arno didn't think Shay possessed, he grabbed Arno's wrist and stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Couldn't resist, could you, Mr. Dorian?"

Arno was so full of white hot anger and confusion, that he had forgotten anyone else was in the room. A costly mistake as the butt of Iolar's pistol hit him in the back of the head. Knocking him to the floor.

/

June 10th, 1796

The Rhine River, Germany

August awoke in the moving cell that was rocking back and forth. The cell was being hauled by animals down a long path. August recognized the countryside, it was Germany. The French had crossed the Rhine and were invading his homeland. For nearly a week, he'd been their prisoner. Moved from camp to camp. They were cautious enough around him to not let anyone too high ranking near him.

Someone cleared his throat behind him. August turned and saw a well dressed Frenchman sitting on the other side of the bars in the wagon.

He spoke in extremely broken German. "You have a nice nap, Assassin?" he asked.

August stirred. His equipment had taken from him immediately after his capture, the only thing on his torso was a bandage from where the musket ball entered and exited his body.

August got up and leaned against the bars. "And who are you then? They don't let me have visitors."

"I am Louis Desaix, commander of the Army of Republican France. And you are an enemy of that republic. You tried to assassinate General Jean Victor Marie Moreau."

"I'm aware, thank you." August rebutted.

Desaix frowned at the mockery. "Commander Jean-de-Dieu Soult apologizes for your shoulder. His only regret is that he missed your pathetic head."

August shrugged. "My only regret is that I landed on Moreau's horse and not his. After an army let me by."

Desaix frowned again. "You will address every high ranking member of this military with their full title and the respect they deserve, or you will be executed within the week. Understood?"

August smiled dryly. "You got it, French devil."

"You'll be happy to know you'll be transferred into the possession of l'Armee de Rhin-et-Moselle. They will march upon Kehl and attack within the month."

August's expression changed from mockery to deadly serious. Desaix continued.

"It's where you Assassins are based, is it not? I'll have to set some men aside to butcher your pathetic little band of Merry Men."

August got right up against the bars and in the Commander's face. "I will get out of here, Frenchman. And when I do, I won't stop until you are dead."

Desaix smiled. "Au revoir mon ami. Vous vous détériorerez dans cette cellule pour le reste de la défense pitoyable de votre peuple. Que le Père de la Compréhension vous guide."

/

November 2nd, 2017

New York City, New York

Kristoff combed through the files Abstergo had on the Templar Shay Cormac. It was definitely limited and heavily censored, but thanks to the newfound support from the Initiates, Kristoff managed to actually get some useful information out of it.

Apparently, because of Shay's unusually large amount of First Civilization DNA not only allowed the trait of the Gift to be passed down to his son Iolar and Iolar's son Cudgel. This made him a shoo-in for Abstergo's Helix Project back in 2014.

Another interesting thing Kristoff found while rooting around in the Cormac files, Iolar Cormac actually married twice. Once to a young girl in 1794; Cudgel was born that year, and another in 1824 named Bailey Frye. Iolar and Bailey had a son named Ethan.

Although, in 1827, Bailey Frye left Iolar and raised little Ethan by herself with some help from friends in the English Assassin order. And in 1847, Ethan had two kids as well. Twins, who went on to become Assassins themselves. Jacob and Evie Frye, the Assassins who took down the Templar Crawford Starrick in 1868. Actually, looking at the portraits of Shay Cormac and Jacob Frye, they looked eerily similar to each other.

What stumped him was that Cudgel Cormac was almost 70 when he went up against the American Assassin Varius in 1863 and he managed to almost defeat the Assassin who was almost four decades younger.

Then, just as he was wondering about the question, there was the answer in front of him. In Cudgel Cormac's file.

"It has been long rumored that the Piece of Eden known as the Ankh was in the possession of the Cormac Family for a extremely limited amount of time. The Ankh was rumored to have healing and life extending abilities. It is possible that having the Ankh in his possession rubbed onto Iolar and Cudgel Cormac, extending their lives and youth. It is rumored that Cudgel Cormac died in 1890 while his father in 1855."

Well crap. Kristoff thought to himself. A spoiler warning would've been nice.

Then, he spoke out loud. "Also, it's pretty weird that Iolar lived through his youngest son's entire life and that Cudgel almost made it to the 20th Century?"

"Hmm?" Ingrid said from across the studio.

"Nothing!" Kristoff called back, pinching himself for speaking out loud again.

/

June 13th, 1796

Berlin, Germany

Arno had been locked in his cell for days. He was fed twice a day and he had a window at least so he wasn't completely forgotten. But neither Iolar nor his father's killer ever bothered to show their faces. He'd counted the days since his capture. It had been a full week. There was a crier that stood outside his window that was at least three stories off the ground. He got frequent updates from the conflict not that far away.

His facial hair, that he'd meticulously groomed while not in captivity had grown since he arrived in Germany a fortnight ago. It didn't bother him as seeing as copious amounts of facial hair seemed to be a fashion trend in Germany.

Suddenly, the door opened and none other than Shay Cormac stepped in holding a plate of food. The two men stared at each other for a moment. Shay with a look of curiosity, and Arno with a look of hatred.

Shay set the plate down on a table and sat in a chair in the corner of the room. "Tell me, why did you come to Germany? Was it to get to me, or was it my son?"

Arno shook his head and shrugged. "Neither, I did it for the fun. Seeing Templar utterly oblivious was a bonus."

Shay held up a finger. "Ah, see but we're not, Arno. That letter you tried to get to your friends in Kehl. Iolar found him before he even left city limits. I learned long ago… Never pass notes."

Arno scoffed. "But you're fine with orphaning a child and gloating about it years later?"

"I didn't know Charles Dorian had a son. If I did… Maybe things would've been different. For us both."

Arno had to think about the Templar's comment. How much would've been different? He might have never met monsieur de la Serre or fallen in love with Elise. But Elise would be alive…

The pain he'd suppressed for two years flooded back with the thought of her. Her lifeless body buried deep within the ground…

Oh, god… Why her? Why couldn't it have been him Germain struck down? It'd been better for everyone…

"I see you've a lot to think about. As do I. Even after I killed your father, I had things to think about. I told you I didn't remember what you're father spoke of? Well, he spoke of Connor and the Colonial Assassins, their capabilities. I underestimated them him then. But no longer after he murdered my own mentor. You see? We're not so different."

Arno refused the Templar's advance. "I'm nothing like you."

"No? How many times have the Assassins turned their back on you in favor of their own gains? Face it, Arno. We're very much alike, you and I. And I guarantee, the petty alliance you have with them now will be gone before you know it."

Arno scoffed and frowned. "And how would you know anything about the Assassins? You're just some Templar."

Shay stood up and walked to the door where he had entered from. "Because Arno," he paused for a dramatic effect. "I was one of you."