Assassin in the Void
By psychored1911
Disclaimer: I don't own Assassin's Creed or Familiar of Zero.
Chapter 4: Familiar exhibition presentation
Louise's Room, very early in the morning
Saito sat down on Louise's desk, quietly tinkering with the broken Wheelock pistol. 'Let's see here…' Saito thought to himself as he read a blueprint from his notebook. Funny thing, he had a natural talent on understanding mechanics. He didn't know why, but it was pretty useful for hidden blade maintenance 'If my hunch is correct, then the problem is the jammed trigger mechanism, probably due to poor maintenance.' Saito thought as he quickly pulled out a piece of a small broken lead ball, which most likely jammed the firearm. He rotated the dog (spring loaded arm which ignites the Wheelock) back and pulled the trigger.
*Click*
Saito smiled, it wasn't loaded, but it worked. He quickly worked on the Wheelock pistol, slowly transforming it into a weapon designed by the assassins of old themselves.
A few hours later
Louise woke up; she was waiting for her familiar the whole time last night. Turning around, she saw Saito, who was attaching some strange mechanism to his leather bracer.
"What are you doing? Where were you last night?" she asked him.
Saito reattached his bracer on his left hand. He pulled out Louise's wallet from his pocket "Here's your wallet back." He placed the wallet on the desk.
Louise folded her arms; though she was relieved that her wallet was back, he still did not answer her question. "That does not explain where you were last night."
Saito pulled out his crossbow and started cleaning it "You shouldn't worry about that, it' pretty irrelevant." He looked at the clock on the wall "You're going to be late for class."
Louise paled. Her eyes darted to the clock, class was going to start in ten minutes "Oh no, I'm going to be late!" she quickly got dressed in her uniform and ran out the door.
Saito shook his head as he put away his crossbow. "Wasn't that what I just said?" He said to himself as he leapt out the window.
Ten minutes later
Louise ran into her classroom, barely making it on time. "Ha… Ha…" she panted "Barely made it."
"Well, you took your sweet time," Louise looked up; Saito was sitting on her desk. Though his face was obscured, she was sure he was smirking.
"H… how the hell did you get here before me?" Louise pointed at Saito, a look of anger and exhaustion plastered on her face.
Saito shrugged "I took the express way down." He said calmly.
Louise gave a dumbfounded look "How did you- you know what never mind," She muttered as she took her seat. She knew that he probably leapt down from the top of the dorm room, again.
After ten minutes of the class, Colbert entered the classroom, wearing a wig and a strange classroom that sort of reminded Saito of a strange version of William Shakespeare.
"Hello class," Colbert bowed down, not noticing that the wig fell off his head. "As you may know-"
Tabitha looked up from her book and stared at Colbert's bald head "Shiny." She said in a monotone.
The whole class started laughing. Saito just looked around, rolling his eyes. He usually shows respects his elders, no matter how embarrassing they act.
The laughing continued until Colbert's face turned red in anger and embarrassment. Saito, guessing the outburst went too far, activated his hidden gun. He quickly aimed his left arm skyward and pulled the trigger.
*BANG!*
The class immediately became silent as they all turned their attention to Saito. "For teenagers, you lack respect towards authority. Listen to what your teacher has to say. If you laugh now, none shall take you seriously in the future." He ordered as he sat down.
"Thank you, Miss Valliere's familiar," Colbert thanked Saito. He turned to the rest of the class "As you may know, the familiar exhibition presentation is going to occur in less than a week," He noticed the class' growing anticipation "Also, Princess Henrietta is visiting the academy as a guest judge, so everyone, please be on your best behavior." And with that, he left the room.
After class, in Louise's room
Louise paced back and forth in her room, a look of worry on her face. "Oh founder, what do I do?" she scratched her head in confusion "I totally forgot about the presentation, I don't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone…" she turned to Saito, who was reading his notebook intently "You must do something that will strike awe to everyone who watches during the presentation!" She declared, pointing her finger at him.
Saito closed his notebook and tucked it in his pocket "There's only one way I know how to do that, but I don't like shedding blood needlessly." He stood up and crossed his arms, an obscure look of boredom on his face.
"I don't want you to kill someone on stage!" Louise yelled "Don't you have any other talents?"
Saito shrugged "every human being has talents that they are proud of."
Louise fumed "You did not answer my question! Again!"
Saito rolled his eyes "Whatever," he approached the door. "I am not some stupid entertainer to appease you brats." He said as he closed the door behind him.
*Ka-chunk*
Louise stood there, a look of both annoyance and anger forming on her face. From what it looked like, her own familiar refused to even participate in the familiar exhibition presentation. She slammed the door open "You are going to-" she stopped. She looked around, Saito wasn't anywhere; he wasn't in the hallway or walking down the staircase. He just, vanished. "How does he keep doing that?" Louise screamed.
Back with Saito
"Yare yare (Good grief)." Saito muttered to himself as he walked around the courtyard.
"Something the matter, partner?" Derflinger popped up from his sheath. Honestly, he had little idea what Saito had just said, but judging from this tone, he did not seem happy.
"…" Saito did not answer.
"Come on, just tell me!" Derflinger urged him.
"If she honestly wants me to be some stupid entertainer, I refuse to cooperate with her." Saito told him. Sure, he had a lot of acrobatic ability, but he wasn't some person who would start dancing on cue. He was an assassin, and the fact that she expected him to impress people for the sake of her own pride was an insult. The only reason he would truly perform if it was needed for an infiltration and the likelihood for something like that was very slim.
As he was thinking, he accidentally knocked into someone. "Oh, sorry,"
No, it's okay," a feminine voice said. Saito looked up, it was Siesta. She was wearing a set of normal commoners clothing instead of her usual maid outfit. She looked like she was carrying two cases of luggage with her.
"Oh, hey there," Saito looked at the luggage "Are you going on sort of trip?"
"Actually, I was coming back from somewhere else." Siesta told him "Didn't you notice?"
Saito shrugged "I wasn't even in the building here yesterday; I didn't know what happened here." He told her.
"Well, to tell the truth," Siesta started to tell her story "I was employed to work at the mansion of a court noble yesterday,"
"Sounds fascinating," Saito said sarcastically.
"But the funny thing is," Siesta paused for dramatic effect "By the time I made it to the mansion, the noble was apparently killed before I got there."
Saito blinked "Who exactly hired you?" he asked.
"I was hired by a man named Count Mott," Siesta told him. A look of disgust formed on her face when she said that name. There were a lot of bad rumors about him; she's glad he is dead. In fact, she only took the job because of the higher pay.
"..." Saito stared at her, an obscured look of surprise on his face.
"Hey partner, wasn't he the guy you k-" Derflinger came out of his sheath, but Saito shoved him back in.
Saito turned to Siesta "So, because he died, you were sent back here." He deducted correctly.
Siesta nodded "Of course, the only good thing about the whole trip was that I saw my two cousins when I got there." Her cousins were generally very nice, but they were very mysterious and enigmatic; she doesn't really know them that well.
Saito rolled his eyes, slowly losing interest in the conversation. "Okay, well I'll be seeing you later," he said as he walked away.
A bit later, in the Thieves' guild building
Saito walked in the thieves' guild building. He looked around "Where is everybody?" his eyes wandered around until he spotted a poster on the wall. He quietly read the poster "Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt; Missing in Action for three years."
"You want to know who that is, don't you?" Saito turned around; Oliver and Olivia showed up behind him "That is Fouquet, the crumbling dirt." Olivia told him "She was one of the only mages that actually entered the thieves' guild."
"She was one of our best thieves; her earth magic was vital for several of our heists." Oliver added.
Saito looked at the poster, then back at the twins "What happened to her? She sounded like an important part of the guild."
Oliver and Olivia pulled out a few chairs and offered one to Saito. Olivia started "It was a dark, autumn night…"
Flashback
Oliver and Olivia quietly infiltrated the mansion of a local noble in Tristain. This noble was a tax collector who forced commoners to pay him more than they were supposed to. Well, now, they were going to take it back.
"This is going to be easy!" Olivia smirked in excitement.
"Don't get cocky; remember that we're here to take the noble's treasure." Oliver reminded her. He looked out; Fouquet was chanting a short incantation, most likely to summon her golem. "Let's hurry; Fouquet is going to get our escape route ready in a few minutes." And with that, they quickly ran off to their objective.
A bit later
Eventually, they made it to the noble's treasure room. Surprisingly, the majority of the building was unguarded. Perhaps they were somewhere else.
"You were saying, brother?" Olivia snickered.
Oliver rolled his eyes "Okay, I guess you were right," he said as he opened the door.
The room was filled to the ceiling with gold, chests, treasures, and all sorts of artifacts. Most of the items in this room were taken wrongfully from the commoners. Stealing it all back is going to be fun.
"Jackpot!" The twin thieves said in unison, an unusual gleam in their eyes. They quickly pulled out burlap sacks and started filling them with all sorts of loot. Eventually, their bags of loot were full and they were ready to escape.
Olivia looked out the window; Fouquet's golem was surrounded by countless amounts of guards. They guards tried in vain to stop her, but they might as well have been standing still; they were effortlessly knocked away by the golem.
"That explains where the guards were," Olivia sweatdropped as she set off a signal, telling Fouquet to retrieve them.
Meanwhile, with Fouquet
Fouquet saw the signal as her golem knocked away more and more guards. She motioned her golem to point at an area on the mansion "I'm going to break through that wall over there; get out of that area now!"
Back with the twins
"What did she say?" Oliver asked, unaware that he was in Fouquet's line of fire.
Olivia paled, knowing her twin brother was in danger. In a panic, she called out to him "Oliver, get out of-"
*CRASH!*
But it was too late; Fouquet's golem punched right through the wall, and unfortunately where Oliver was. Olivia looked in horror; Oliver's body looked battered, eyes closed and bleeding from several places, giving it a dead appearance. In truth, the impact merely left him unconscious, but the bruising and the bleeding would make others think otherwise, at first glance anyways.
Fouquet walked off her golem's arm "Hey, are you guys ready to-" she saw the seemingly dead body of one of her bosses. She stared at the body in shock before turning towards her other boss. Olivia was crying seemingly endless amount of tears, fearing for the death of her brother.
After a seemingly endless silence, Fouquet spoke up "W… what have I done?" She mumbled as she hastily got on her golem and fled.
Flashback end
"… In all honesty, all she did was give me a concussion and several broken bones, but otherwise I was fine." Oliver concluded.
Saito stared at them with disbelief "So you're telling me that she caused an accident that nearly killed you, and you're okay with that?"
They both shrugged "Sure, it wasn't like she meant to hurt him." Olivia told him "Though I did hear that she's been spotted robbing nobles, and apparently her stealth and discretion has gotten better."
Oliver looked at his twin "Really? She must have gotten better!" he exclaimed.
Saito stood up as he put the chair away "If you guys don't need me, then I have to go." He said as he slowly walked towards the door.
Oliver and Olivia stood up to stop him "Actually, we need you to go after her," Olivia told him.
"Also, if that does not work," Oliver added, handing him a letter "This is a letter, asking her to come back. Give this to her if your situation gets desperate."
Saito reluctantly took the letter and gave them a brief nod "You guys can count on me." He said as he walked away.
Another few hours later, back at the academy
Saito looked around inside one of the storage buildings. He never exactly got to see what was inside some of the buildings, and the stuff he found inside was incredible. Earlier, he saw a weird mirror that apparently gives off a reflection of a false version of the person in front of it. When Saito stood in front of it, it gave off an almost exact mirror image of him, with a few exceptions: It was wearing a blue and white hoodie instead of a white and red one, it held no weapons apart from Derflinger, and it had a happy-go-lucky smile on its face, obscured by its hood. It looked like it was blissfully unaware of any evils around it. Saito let out a small chuckle; civilian life wouldn't be like him.
Saito kept looking around until he stopped; a person with a lantern was slowly approaching his position. Acting quickly, he quickly climbed up one of the walls and onto some of the framework. He looked down; it was Old Osmond's secretary, Longueville. 'What is she doing here?' Saito thought as he quietly followed her from above.
He quietly followed her until she reached a large, locked door. He watched in amusement as she complained about the lock being made by a square mage.
"Hey, who's there?" A voice asked. Saito turned around; it was one of the teachers, Colbert. Thankfully, he didn't notice Saito above him and instead focused on Longueville "What are you doing here?"
Longueville turned around in surprise "Oh, I was, uh, about to check the inventory on the vault." She replied.
Colbert shook his head "The inventory in that vault is large; it's probably going to take you all day." He then looked at the door to the vault "The door and the lock are also made by square class mages. It is practically incapable of being broken into, even by triangle mages."
"Oh, that's too bad," Longueville said in a disappointed tone, which Saito immediately took note of. "Does this vault have any weaknesses?" she asked Colbert, arousing Saito's suspicion even more.
"Well," Colbert scratched his head "The vault is vulnerable to brute force. The power of a golem should be enough to destroy it, from the outside of course."
"Oh really?" Longueville smirked, not going unnoticed by Saito. She walked away from the vault, with Colbert following shortly.
After they had left, Saito dropped down from the framework and approached the vault door. He quietly examined the lock 'Hmm, the lock does look like it is made by an extremely hard material. I doubt that my USP could break it, even at point blank range.' Saito examined the lock more closely 'however, the locking mechanism is fairly simple; I could possibly pick it with my hidden blade.' He activated his hidden blade and placed it in the lock. After a few seconds of tampering, the lock immediately released and fell to the ground.
'Hmph, easy.' Saito thought before he walked inside the vault. He looked around; the entire room was filled to the brim with all sorts of magical items and artifacts. Considering that whoever made the vault specifically made it mage-proof, Saito decided he shouldn't touch anything that looks important. He looked around until something caught his eye.
In one corner of the room, there laid a staff. The staff resembled something akin to a scepter, but it looked damaged; the headpiece, which looked like it was supposed to hold something spherical, was slightly chipped on the edge. Besides that, it was emitting an eerie glow. Somehow, it seemed to be calling out to him.
Out of curiosity, Saito briefly touched it. Instinctively, he drew back his hand in surprise. The staff definitely looked metallic, but it was soft to the touch, almost like touching human flesh. Living human flesh. It felt alive. Before he could even comprehend what had just happened, several voices, almost like recordings, filled his head.
"Always the fighter,"
"Adam, I have it,"
"Just like your father,"
"Eve,"
"Are you a descendant?"
As these voices filled his head, several humanoid shapes started to fill the room. To add to Saito's confusion, they started to take Saito's appearance. Panicking, Saito tapped the staff once more. Immediately, the voices died down and the eerie copies disappeared. His initial panic over, Saito collapsed on the floor, confused. "Nani (what)?" He said to himself. He stood up and looked at where the staff once was; it had just, vanished. 'Yep, I'm hallucinating again,' he muttered to himself as he left the vault, wondering what had just happened.
A few days later, outside the Academy
A majority of the students waited in anticipation for the princess to arrive. They were all excited for the princess to arrive.
Meanwhile, in the royal carriage, Princess Henrietta let out a sigh. The other passenger, Cardinal Mazarin, gave a concerned look. "What troubles your mind your majesty? It has been the thirteenth time you had sighed."
"There is nothing wrong," Henrietta lied. She did not want to strike up a conversation with the Cardinal. From experience, she knows that Cardinal Mazarin is going to talk about politics or rumors running around Tristain again.
"Have you heard; just a few days ago, a group of commoners broke into the mansion of Count Mott."
"Let me guess," Henrietta rolled her eyes. She never liked Count Mott. "The Count killed them all and almost caused an uprising amongst the other commoners."
The Cardinal shook his head. "No, quite the opposite actually. It seems that one of them, a white hooded commoner to be exact, he, how do you say, assassinated him."
The princess' eyes widened. "He was actually killed? I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but still!"
The Cardinal sighed "You should not say things like that, your majesty."
"Oh really," Henrietta's eyes let out a noticeable glint "You are a Cardinal, so you would support higher morality, yet when someone performs justice, you think to punish him?"
"But… your majesty, please understand," The Cardinal pleaded "It's not that I am against the white-hooded commoner-"
"Well, maybe this "white-hooded commoner" is nothing more than an angel in disguise, trying to end the crimes of this country's corrupt." Henrietta said as she stepped out of the carriage.
The students cheered as she came out of the carriage. She let out a gentle smile as she eventually made it to the main school building. As she walked towards the building, she swore that she saw a white silhouette on the roof, watching her.
"What brings you to this humble academy?" Old Osmond inquired, shifting the princess' attention towards him.
"Oh, no reason," Henrietta replied as several servants prepared the guest quarters for the princess. She looked up at the roof; the white silhouette had vanished "Odd…"
A few hours later
Saito wandered the dorm building. For the past few days, Louise kept insisting on making him perform for the presentation; which usually ends in Saito refusing and a fight breaking out between them. She always kept whining that he would humiliate her if he didn't, but he still did not comply. Now that it was the eve of the presentation, Louise was getting more and more desperate to make him perform, even going as far as forbidding him from eating if he does not perform.
Shaking off the events of the week, Saito walked back to Louise's room. As he entered, he noticed there was a hooded figure in Louise's room. This figure wore a hood, so the person could not be identified, but judging from a slender hand holding a wand, Saito guessed the hooded figure was a female mage. Fortunately, the figure's back was turned from him. Quietly drawing his dagger and his USP, he stealthily approached the hooded figure. In a quick and fluid motion, Saito stomped on the figure's calves, forcing her to her knees. Before the figure could comprehend what had just happened, Saito swatted the wand away with his USP and placed the edge of his dagger at her neck.
"Don't move." Saito growled, letting out an aura of intimidation.
Suddenly, Louise entered the room. She stared at the scene in front of her. "What's going on?" She yelled in outrage.
The hooded figure looked up "Louise Francoise, is that you?"
Louise paled "Princess Henrietta?" She turned to Saito "Release her immediately." She ordered him.
Saito reluctantly released his grip as he put away his weapons. The hooded figure removed her hood, revealing a head of violet hair. "It has been a while, old friend."
Louise bowed "Your majesty, it's an honor to be in your presence."
"Oh, don't say that, Louise," The princess replied "After all; we're childhood friends," she rubbed her injured calf "Though I think that your lover injured me."
Louise blushed "That thing is not my- Wait, he injured you?"
Saito shrugged "Hey, she shouldn't have come in here wearing something so suspicious."
Louise looked at him "Apologize to her majesty, NOW!" she yelled.
"No," Saito said blankly.
Louise proceeded to smack him, but Henrietta stopped her "Louise, don't. It was my fault for making a surprise visit. I hope I wasn't interrupting you and your lover."
"This thing isn't my lover!" Louise screamed, her face all red "This thing is only my familiar."
Though hidden by his hood, Saito rolled his eyes 'Am I really not human to you people?' he walked over to the window "I don't want to ruin such a touching reunion, so I'll leave you two alone." And with that, he jumped out.
Henrietta paled "Did he just jump out the window?"`
Louise shook her head "Don't worry; he does that all the time." She told her as they continued their conversation.
The next day
From the sidelines, Saito watched the presentations of several other familiars. Kirche's salamander created several intricate pillars of fire. Tabitha's dragon took to the skies and performed several tricks. Montmorency's frog "danced" to a violin. Guiche's mole… posed with him in a pile of flower petals. Finally it was Saito's turn.
"Next up, Miss Valliere's familiar." Colbert announced.
"Please perform." Louise desperately pleaded before she and Saito walked center-stage. "This is my familiar, Saito."
"..." Saito stood there, not even reacting a single bit. He just stared at the audience with a flat expression, with the audience staring back at him, anticipating for him to make a move.
...
...
...
... *RUMBLE!*
Suddenly, the ground started to shake vigorously. Everyone flew into a state of panic; no one had any idea what was going on. Saito, on the other hand, felt somewhat relieved that he didn't have to perform. Well, he wasn't going to perform anyway, but this was an excuse so that he wouldn't be chastised later.
As the earth started to shake, a rock formation started to emerge from the ground. The rock formation slowly took the shape of a golem. On top of it, there stood a hooded figure, an obscure look of smugness on her face.
"Fouquet!" someone screamed as the audience scattered.
Saito smiled. This was the perfect time to send Oliver and Olivia's message to her. Acting quickly, he sprinted towards the golem and started climbing "Fouquet, hold up, I have something for you."
"What?" Fouquet gave an astonished look. She thought no one was actually crazy enough to climb up a golem, especially one made by someone as dangerous as her. As Saito approached, Fouquet saw the thieves' guild emblem on his shoulder and paled "You're the twins' dog!"
Saito rolled his eyes "I am not their dog, I am only their friend- holy shit!" he yelled as he barely dodged the golem's fist. "Hold up, I'm only delivering a message!"
"Get away from me!" Fouquet screamed as her golem frantically thrashed around, trying in vain to throw Saito off.
"Will you stop?" Saito screamed as he climbed to the top of the golem. "Look, I have a message from them right here!" He pulled out the letter and handed it to her.
Ignoring her better judgment, Fouquet took the letter and silently read it. Her eyes widened as she continued reading it. She looked at Saito in astonishment "Did they really mean what they said?"
Saito nodded "Yep, they meant every-"
*BOOM!*
The wall to the vault exploded behind them. Saito and Fouquet looked down; Louise was aiming her wand at Fouquet "Keep her distracted while I attack her!" she screamed at Saito.
"Hold that thought." Fouquet said as she walked inside the vault and took the staff of destruction.
Saito rolled his eyes; not even trying to stop her.
"Why aren't you doing anything you stupid dog?" Louise yelled as she cast another explosion at Fouquet.
Saito paled; he knew that although Louise's aim was terrible, he knew that she was aiming at Fouquet. In haste, Saito pushed her out of the way "Look out!"
*BOOM!*
"K… Kuso, ima de (Damn, not now)…" Saito collapsed, unconscious.
Fouquet paled "Oh crap!" she quickly picked up Saito's unconscious body, but not before saying "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but me and my, uh, hostage over here need to go!" and with that, she fled.
The next day
Saito woke up with a start. He looked around; he was currently in a rundown cabin of some sort. There wasn't much to look at; some old furniture, the bed Saito found himself on, and a chest covered by some tarp.
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a hooded figure. Acting on instinct, Saito pulled out his USP and took aim.
"Oh, you're awake," the figure said as she took off her hood, revealing long, green hair.
Saito immediately recognized the voice and holstered his USP. "So, the mythical Fouquet is nothing more than the secretary of an old man,"
Fouquet blinked "How did you know that?" she asked.
"When you were in the vault a few days ago, in your secretary disguise, you were disappointed when you were told that the vault was impregnable from the inside, then you asked what and where the weaknesses of the vault were," Saito pointed out "Lastly, you knew exactly where the vault was when the presentation was going on. Only someone who had extensive knowledge of the school, such as the secretary, would know where it is."
Fouquet nodded "You are quite the investigator, young man."
"Well, then," Saito sat up "people call me Saito,"
Fouquet giggled "Okay then, Saito, my real name is Matilda of Sachsen-Gotha." She presented her hand.
Saito shook her hand "Okay then Matilda, nice to meet you." He looked around the cabin "So, what exactly is the staff of destruction?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Matilda replied as she pointed at the tarp covered chest in the corner. "It's on top of the chest, under the tarp.
Saito gave a quick nod as he took the staff from under the tarp. Cautiously, he opened the box. He let out a small smile; it was an M72 LAW rocket launcher. Well, to be exact, it was the British designation of the M72 LAW called the Rocket 66mm HEAT L1A1. It doesn't seem like it was used, adding more to the value. He looked at Fouquet "Well, this certainly earns the title "Staff of destruction"." He sighed "It's a shame though."
Matilda gave a confused look "What are you talking about?"
"Well," Saito examined the M72 LAW with a more expertise precision "I recognize this weapon; it can be used to blow up an entire building. The only drawback is that it can only be used once; after that, it's nothing more than a useless piece of scrap metal."
"Oh," Matilda said in a disappointed tone "so one of the most dangerous artifacts in the world can only be used one time before being useless." She slumped her shoulders in assumed defeat "Great, now the entire country's out for my head for stealing something that ultimately become useless."
Suddenly, a light bulb went up in Saito's head "Well, they won't be after your head if they think you're already dead." He smirked.
Matilda paled "What are you going to do?" she asked, worriedly. She personally didn't know Saito that well, but according to rumors from the students, it is said that he was famous for being extremely unpredictable.
Saito made an obscure grin under his hood "Oh don't worry, it only depends on how high one can survive a fall."
Three days later
Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, Longueville and a majority of the staff stood in Old Osmond's office. They all stood there, waiting in anticipation for Old Osmond's meeting.
"As you may know," Old Osmond started "three days ago, Fouquet stole not only the staff of destruction, but she also kidnapped the familiar of a certain student," everyone's gaze shifted towards Louise for a brief moment before shifting back to Old Osmond. "After a few days of investigation, Miss Longueville discovered Fouquet's whereabouts." he gestured to Longueville "Miss Longueville if you please?"
"Of course," Longueville replied as everyone's focus fell on her "Several witnesses claimed to have seen a black hooded figure carry a white hooded figure into a small shack in the forest. The black hooded figure is most likely Fouquet, while the white hooded figure is most likely Miss Valliere's familiar. I say, as this is our only lead, I suggest that we scout there and investigate the cabin. With any luck, If Miss Valliere's familiar is there, then so is the staff of destruction."
"Thank you, Miss Longueville," Old Osmond thanked her as he addressed the rest of the staff "So, who will be the one who shall restore this school's honor?"
No one raised their wand. They weren't willing to risk their lives, even if their pride was on the line. Before anyone else moved, Louise raised her wand. "I'll go!" she declared "My family will be in shame if word gets out that my familiar got kidnapped! Nor shall I let the princess take the blame for letting such a vile criminal steal a priceless artifact."
"I'll go too!" Kirche raised her wand "I don't want to be upstaged by a Valliere, nor will I let that adorable familiar of hers be handled by someone such as her!"
Before they could ignite an argument, Tabitha also raised her wand, only muttering "Worried,"
"Then it's settled," Old Osmond declared "since no one else is volunteering, these three students shall accompany Miss Longueville to apprehend Fouquet."
A few hours later
After a few hours of traveling, they had finally reached the shack where Fouquet was last seen.
Kirche whispered into Louise's ear "Don't you think it's a little suspicious?"
Louise blinked in confusion "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Your familiar seemed to have jumped into the line of fire to protect Fouquet," Kirche told her "Yet he doesn't seem like one who would easily be captured."
Louise stared at her; no matter how much she didn't want to admit it; she was right. Saito did seem to leap out and protect Fouquet, but it also seemed like he planned to do so. The only question was, why?
"Hey!" Longueville called out, interrupting Louise's train of thought "I'm going to check that area over there. You guys check the shack." She said as she left.
Letting her leave, Louise, Kirche and Tabitha entered the shack. Looking around, there wasn't much to look at, but there was evidence that someone was there recently.
"Not here." Tabitha said in a monotone. Both Saito and the staff were nowhere to be found. Even if they were here, they were long gone by now.
"I guess this lead is just a dead end huh," Kirche let out a disappointed sigh.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" a female voice screamed.
"What was that?" Louise said as she, Kirche and Tabitha ran out of the shack. They paled; in the distance, Fouquet and her golem stood there, a murderous aura surrounding them.
"Come on out, kid!" Fouquet yelled out, not acknowledging the presence of the academy students "I know you're out here! I already killed someone today, and you're not making it any easier for yourself!"
"…" Tabitha muttered an incantation to a spell "Windy icicle." A giant icicle formed, launching itself at the golem.
*CRASH!*
The icicle shattered harmlessly against the golem as it turned towards their direction. Fouquet glared at them "So, the academy sent children to stop me?" she laughed as her golem approached them.
"Hey!" a voice yelled "Over here!" It was Saito; the staff of destruction casually slung over his shoulder "You want me so badly? Well come get me." He threw a rock at Fouquet's direction before running away from the golem.
Fouquet growled "Don't get too cocky, brat." Fouquet's golem tried to grab at him, but Saito feinted to the left, barely dodging it before continuing. "Fouquet quelled in frustration "Hold still, damn it!" her golem kept trying to grab him, but he kept maneuvering around its attacks.
Eventually, the golem kept chasing Saito until he stopped at the base of a large tree. He turned around; he was caught between the tree and the golem. In other words, he was trapped.
Fouquet smirked "I got you cornered now, brat!" she sneered, barely noticing Saito activate his hidden gun "It's all over-"
Before she could finish, Saito aimed his arm at her and pulled the trigger.
*BANG!*
Fouquet took the bullet directly to the chest, the force of the bullet knocking her off balance and off the golem. She ungracefully fell to the ground, her blood splattering around her body upon impact. The golem, now without Fouquet's power, started to crumble and collapse around Fouquet.
Saito looked at what was left of the golem; all was left was a large pile of rocks. It sort of seemed like a small, makeshift tomb. Saito made a simple bow and uttered a short prayer "Yasurakani nemure (Rest in peace)."
He then turned back to Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha, who just watched him single-handedly took out Fouquet "Let's go, Fouquet is dead." He declared.
"But wait," Louise stopped him "What about Miss Longueville?"
"She was the one who screamed." Saito said blankly, no emotion present in his voice "It's easy to figure out what has happened to her. Don't worry about the body, I already passed her on. Let's go."
Louise looked at Kirche and Tabitha, who just nodded in approval before walking back to the carriage. Slumping her shoulders, she went back to the carriage along with them. Saito followed suit, but not before a smirk escaped his face.
Flashback
"You want me to do what?" Matilda asked, an outraged look on her face.
"Fall off your golem, seemingly get crushed by its remains, and fake your death," Saito told her.
"My golems are over 30 feet tall; I would die instantly. I could survive with magic, but they will notice It." she yelled.
Saito rolled his eyes under his hood "I can jump from higher and still come out unscathed."
"You're some sort of acrobat, I'm not!" she countered.
"Okay, then," Saito whispered into her ear "if that's the case, then we're going to need a few things."
Matilda nodded "Okay, I'll be right back," and with that, she left the shack."
Several hours later
Matilda came back, a bag full of supplies slung over her shoulder. She let it drop to the ground, revealing 2 large bags full of lamb blood, a metal vest, and a small pouch of bullets. "Remind me why I needed to buy this stuff."
"We're going to use these to fake your death." He walked over to the supplies "The bags of blood are not only going to cushion your fall, but also give off the illusion that you're dead. The vest is going to protect you from the bullets, and the bullets are going to knock you off the golem."
Matilda blinked "Wouldn't you need a firearm first?"
"Don't worry about that," Saito told her "just put on the vest, bring one of those blood bags, and go outside. We're going to practice faking your death." He said as he took the pouch of bullets and walked outside.
A few minutes later
Saito sat down as Matilda, wearing the metal vest under her cloak, approached him. "What do you want me to do with the bag of blood again?" she asked him.
Saito stood up and attached the blood bag to the back of her vest, before concealing it under her cloak "Summon your golem. Don't ask questions, just do it."
Matilda shrugged as she summoned her golem. "What am I supposed to do now?"
"…" Saito didn't answer as he activated his hidden gun, reloaded it, and fired.
*BANG!*
A bullet immediately impacted Matilda in the chest. Even though she was protected by the metal vest, the force of the bullet was strong enough to knock her off the golem.
*SPLAT!*
Matilda fell on the blood bag, its contents splattering everywhere. She was completely drenched in animal blood, but otherwise she was fine. Angry, she got up and grabbed Saito by the collar "What the hell was that?"
Saito quickly got out of her grip and checked her metal vest; it was badly dented, but it still seemed usable. "Well, that test is done, onto the next test." He took a step back "is there a spell that can hide yourself in the earth?"
Matilda blinked, confused at the sudden question "um, yes, why are you asking that?"
"Show it to me." He said briefly. Matilda shrugged as she quickly cast the spell, immersing herself in the earth, before popping out a few minutes later.
Saito made an obscure smile under his hood "Perfect, now that you're prepared, you can fake your death. After this, they won't come after you anymore."
Flashback end
"Saito, are you coming?" a voice said, jarring Saito back to reality. He turned around; it was Louise who called him.
"Don't worry, I'm coming," he made an obscure smile before leaving the "murder" scene.
A few hours later, back in Old Osmond's office
Saito, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha entered Old Osmond's office. They told him about how they recovered the staff of destruction
"So, Fouquet has been taken out, but Miss Longueville has also died in the process." Old Osmond sighed "It is such a tragedy that someone like her had to die. She was a good secretary, as well as having a nice pair of boo-" he realized that he was still in the presence of children and quickly reasserted himself "Anyhow, since you were the ones who managed to bring an end to Fouquet's crimes, not only will you three become the main event for tonight's ball, I have sent a letter of recommendation to the court; Miss Valliere and Miss Zerbst have been recommended to become chevaliers. And since Miss Tabitha is already a chevalier, I requested that she get the elven medallion."
"Wait," Louise abruptly entered the conversation "What about Saito? Not only was he the one who took out Fouquet, but he was also the one who confirmed his death."
"I'm sorry, Miss Valliere," Old Osmond apologized "But since he is not a noble, I'm afraid that there is nothing I could do for him."
Saito rolled his eyes "Whatever, I am not interested in any honors like that; all I'm looking for is a few answers," he looked at Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha "alone please." The three immediately understood what he was trying to imply and quickly left. He faced Old Osmond "The staff of destruction is a weapon from my world." He said, to Old Osmond's awe "What I'm wondering is, how did it get here?"
Old Osmond nodded "so, that's how it is." he started to remember how he had obtained the staff of destruction "it was about 30 years ago, I was ambushed by a large dragon. The one who had saved me was killed it with another staff of destruction before he collapsed. He was severely injured. I sent him to the academy and tried to treat his wounds but…"
"He died?" Saito guessed.
Old Osmond nodded "he was bedridden until the day died. I buried him with the staff he used to save me and named the other one the staff of destruction to commemorate him…" Old Osmond gazed out the window "while he was resting, he kept saying things repeatedly 'I am not supposed to be in this world. I have failed my mentor.' I supposed that he was also part of your world-"
"Wait," Saito stopped him midsentence "did he really say 'I have failed my mentor.'?" Old Osmond nodded. Saito quickly took off his bracer and showed him the Assassin insignia "Tell me, did he have an insignia just like this?"
Old Osmond's eyes widened "Now that you mention it, he did wear an emblem similar to that." He opened up one of his drawers and took out a letter. What caught Saito's attention the most; however, was that the Assassin insignia was adorned on the letter "his last wish was for me to give this and his equipment to anyone who wore the same emblem." He stood up and handed him the letter.
Saito reluctantly took the letter 'so I found no clues on how to get back, but at least I knew I'm not the first Assassin to enter this strange world,' he thought. He presented his left hand "Will you tell me what these mean, at the very least?"
"Ah, those are the runes of the Gandalfr," Old Osmond told him "these are the runes of the legendary familiar. The Gandalfr can use any weapon at will, which is most likely how you managed to use the staff of destruction. Which reminds me," Old Osmond stood up and walked to the door "Please follow me."
A few minutes later, at the academy storeroom
Old Osmond entered the vault, telling Saito to stay put outside the vault as he searched the vault for something. As he searched, Saito slowly read the letter. It read:
Dear fellow assassin,
If you are reading this, then you must be a fellow member of the order, and I must have passed on from this world, wherever or whatever this world exactly is. Listen carefully; when I left this world, it was the Falklands War in 1982. While the war was taking place, I, along with a few other fellow Assassins were assigned by The Mentor to take out one of the Master Templars in Argentina, Leopoldo Galtieri. However, before we were able to, they realized we were here and attacked us. Heavily wounded, the other members of my team killed, I retreated as far away from them as possible. As I ran, I was engulfed in this strange light, and was sent here, to this world. In this world, I had saved some man who was attacked, and I don't lie, by what looked like a dragon-beast. The next thing I knew, I was in a bed, my wounds being treated. Though seems to be a lost cause; I feel my life slipping before my very eyes. Though it may be too late for me, I hope you might be able to make use of my equipment and escape this mysterious world.
May Godspeed you, fellow assassin,
Aiden Blackall, of the Assassin Order
As Saito finished reading this, Old Osmond came out of the vault, with what looked like a gun case, a Falklands War-era tactical webbing system, and an ammo box with him.
"This was the equipment of my savior," Old Osmond told him as he handed him the equipment "Please take it, he would have wanted it to be this way."
"…Okay," Saito said as he pocketed the letter and took the equipment. The tactical webbing was lightweight, and it contained four empty pockets, an empty canteen, a Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting knife, an old two-way radio, 2 pouches containing full magazines for an L9A1 browning, and a pistol holster, complete with a jammed, but not necessarily broken, L9A1 Browning. Strangely enough, the webbing seemed to have a spaulder attached to it, accommodating the right shoulder. 'It must have been a modification, rifle recoils can hurt sometimes,' Saito thought before he put it on over his clothing. He decided to place it underneath his hoodie later when no one's around.
He then checked the gun case. His eyes widened, it was a 7.62x51mm L42A1 sniper rifle. It looked like it was in good and working condition. He checked the clip, there were 7 rounds remaining. He then checked the ammunition box; it was filled with 177 7.62x51mm rounds. Though a bit old, they still seemed usable.
He slung the rifle over his shoulder and carried the ammo box under his arm. As he did, he swore that he saw the apparition of the deceased British Assassin, smiling at him.
"Are you okay, young man?" Old Osmond grew concerned, as Saito was starting to stare into space.
"Huh?" Saito's attention turned back to him "Oh, I'm fine," he quickly darted back to the apparition 'okay, I know I'm hallucinating now,' Saito shook his head as he and Old Osmond left the vault.
A bit later
The ballroom was filled with multiple teachers and students, each dressed grandly and exquisitely. They gathered around tables of exquisite food and chatted amongst themselves. Somehow, in his clothing, Saito managed to blend in, not attracting attention to himself. Saito guessed that they either did not care or that they were too occupied with the festivities to notice.
Saito walked over to the balcony and looked at the two moons. Though beautiful, they were proof that he is not on earth anymore.
"It is good to see you again, my friend."
'Yep, I'm going delusional again,' Saito rubbed his head in annoyance.
"Hey partner, you okay?" Derflinger asked, growing concerned for his user.
Before Saito could answer, the guards opened the door to the grand hall "The third daughter of Duke Valliere, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de la Valliere arrives!"
Louise entered, her pink hair tied in a ponytail, wearing an elegant pink dress and pure white gloves. Her appearance caught the attention of many, including Saito.
Several guys lined up and started to ask her for a dance. Saito quietly smirked at the irony; the guys lining up to dance with her, smitten with her, were also among the people who called her "Louise the Zero".
He watched as she turned down every offer and started to walk towards him. "You seem to be enjoying yourself," she said.
"These kinds of things don't exactly interest me." Saito told her, leaning on the balcony.
Louise stared at him "What, are you not going to ask me for a dance?"
"Wasn't there several guys lining up to ask you for a dance?" he countered.
Louise extended her hand "I'll just make an exception, just for today." She sighed, trying to hide a blush on her cheeks.
Going against his usual mindset, Saito slowly reached for her hand."May I have this dance?"
Louise curtsied "You may." She said as they started to dance.
"What are you doing?"
Saito winced as the voice entered his mind. He was confused what his feelings were, but he might as well act politely towards his 'master'.
Louise gave a worried look "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, let's continue." Saito muttered as they continued to dance.
"These feelings you have are false! Don't be fooled!"
'Shut up voice in my head- wait, voice in my head? Yep, I'm going nuts.' Saito thought to himself.
"Get a hold of yourself! She's controlling your mind!"
'Well, let's see here, a voice is in my head, I'm hallucinating, I'm being nice to someone I practically hate, vice versa, and I'm actually dancing.' Saito mentally commented, ignoring the voice in his head.
"Forgive me, my friend, but this is the only way you will listen."
Suddenly, a large amount of pain started to fill Saito's head. He abruptly stopped dancing and got to his knees, grasping his head in pain.
Louise, as well as other students, stopped and looked at Saito. "Are you okay-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Saito screamed in agony as his entire world went black.
Weapons unlocked!
Hidden gun: a small firearm with a very short barrel so that it could be concealed in the arm. It can be used to take out enemies from a distance. It is easier to hide, as well as having more stopping power than Saito's USP, but upon firing, the flash and the noise will immediately give away Saito's position, as well as leaving him vulnerable if he misses. He recreated the hidden gun using a small Wheelock pistol and modifying
Ammo remaining: 7/12
M72 LAW: to be more specific, it is the British designation of the M72 LAW called the "Rocket 66mm HEAT L1A1". It is a one-shot anti-tank weapon which is used in several wars since its creation, including today. They are extremely efficient against tanks and other heavy artillery, which is one of their reasons for their popularity. Saito gave it back to Old Osmond and had it protected in the Academy vault.
Ammo remaining: 1/1
Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife: a double edged fighting knife that resembled a dagger or Poignard with a foil grip. It was used by the British during WWII and has been used by them ever since. It was designed exclusively for surprise attack and fighting, making it popular amongst the British Assassins, who bought them from military surplus.
Attack: *
Speed: ***** (+3)
Deflect: *** (+2)
L42A1: A British sniper rifle used during the Falklands war. It is the last model in the line of Lee-Enfield rifles. It is a 7.62x51mm conversion of Lee-Enfield rifles. Considering that this is a sniper rifle, Saito guessed that Aiden Blackall, -the assassin who used it before him- was a sniper class assassin. He has 184 rounds remaining.
Items unlocked!
Letter of a fallen Assassin: a letter written by a British Assassin by the name of Aiden Blackall. This letter details all of what has happened to Aiden before his death. Before he finished writing this letter, he tells the assassin who happens to come upon it (Saito) that he can have his equipment and use it to hopefully get out of this world.
Falklands-War era webbing: it is a tactical webbing system that was commonly used by the British during the Falklands war. It is used to carry pouches and small weapons on a lightweight scale. This one in particular is modified with a spaulder, which was probably used to lessen the pain of firearm recoil. Saito can sympathize with the design; he knew by experience that the recoil hurts if one's not used to it. As long as he is wearing this, the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife and (when repaired) Browning L9A1 will always be at his disposal.
Health: ****
Resistance ******** (unbreakable)
Old two-way radio: a transceiver that can be used for communication. It is an old, but still usable model. There still seems to be a lot of power left, despite it supposedly being unused for a long time. It is unknown what happened to Saito's first radio, perhaps he lost it.
Broken L9A1 Browning: as its name suggests, it's a broken L9A1 Browning (or Browning Hi-Power) handgun. The firing pin seems to have been damaged, so it might take a while to scrounge up a new one. It currently has an empty magazine, and there are two spare clips for it, each holding 13 9mm rounds, bringing the 9mm ammo count to 182 rounds.
Ammunition box: a metal box that contains 177 7.62x51mm rounds.
A/N: Did you know that the first bulletproof vests were developed in the late middle ages? I guess that explains how the papal guards and the janissaries were able to take several shots in Brotherhood and Revelations. Also, if you want to know what that Staff was in the middle of the chapter, well, if I hadn't made it obvious enough, well… Anyways, please review!