Assassin in the Void
By psychored1911
Disclaimer: I don't own Assassin's Creed or Familiar of Zero
Chapter 7: turnabout of the assassin
Early in the morning, in Louise's dorm room
Louise woke up with a start. She sighed in relief "Oh good; that was just a dream." she shook her head "Wow that was weird. I thought that Saito confessed to me, and I also thought that I saw his face- GAH!" she yelled in panic as she fell off her bed.
*THUD!*
Louise scrambled back to her feet as she spotted someone unfamiliar sleeping in her bed. Upon second glance, Louise noticed that it was Saito, but since she was unfamiliar with his face, she didn't recognize him. She also noticed several other things about Saito. For one thing, because of his maturity and calm composure, she thought for sure that he was much older than he really is. But the sight of him in deep sleep, projected him with such youth, that he seemed to be much younger; he seemed to be around her age, perhaps even a bit younger.
As she stared at him, Saito woke up with a yawn. He took a quick look at Louise "Good morning Louise," Saito gave her a cheerful smile.
Louise just stared at him "What the hell were you doing in my bed?"
"Oh, umm…" Saito shyly turned around, trying in vain to hide his blushing face "You looked so cold when you were sleeping… so…" Saito's blush grew "I tried to warm you up…"
"…" Louise's face grew warmer. She did notice that she got warmer all of a sudden last night "You didn't do those types of thing to me, did you?"
Saito shook his head "No, of course not! I would save that for after our marriage, don't you think?" he gave
Louise sighed "Look, I think there's something wrong with your head. I'm pretty sure that you would never say anything like that."
Saito tilted his head in confusion "What do you mean? I honestly love you. I would never kid about something like that!"
Louise facepalmed herself "You know what, never mind." She puts on her uniform as a light bulb (or a lantern?) lit up in her head. She turned to face him "How loyal are you to me?"
"I am forever loyal to you, my love." Saito got on his knees "I will do anything for you."
"Well then…" Louise hid a sinister smile "I want you to tell me some of your deepest secrets…"
Saito paled before blushing "D… do I have to tell you?"
"Only if you love me~," Louise said with a faux seductive tone.
Saito's face turned redder "Okay, I'll tell you," He took a deep breath and said "I… I want to *censored* you in front of all your classmates in school."
Blood immediately rushed to Louise's face "Too much info! Way too much info!" Louise yelled in disgust, trying in vain to hide her blush "You know what, never mind; just bring me down to the courtyard for my morning tea."
"Of course my love," Saito quickly picked up Louise and carried her on his back.
'Hmm, maybe I could get used to this,' Louise thought. That thought faded quickly as she noticed that Saito was walking towards the window instead of the door "W… where are we going?" she nervously asked.
"We're taking the express way down." Saito said excitedly as he climbed out of the window and leapt out, with Louise in tow.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Louise screamed as both she and Saito plummeted down and landed in the pile of leaves below.
Saito emerged from the pile of leaves "See, I told you that was the fastest way down." He said cheerfully.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Louise kept screaming, unaware that she safely landed on the ground.
Saito gently shook Louise "Louise, calm down. You're safe." Louise slapped Saito right across the face "Okay, I probably deserved that…"
"Deserved that!" Louise screamed "You deserve a fate worse than death for giving me such a heart attack! Now get out of my sight!"
"But-"
"OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Saito quickly ran off, leaving Louise alone to herself.
Ten minutes later, in Austri Courtyard
Siesta watched as a visibly shaken Louise limp towards one of the empty tables "Miss Valliere, are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
Louise just glared at her "Alright? Alright?! I practically plummeted from at least 30 meters from my room and into a pile of leaves. I literally saw my life flash before my eyes, and you're asking me if I'm alright?!" Louise screeched.
Siesta took a step back "I'm sorry, I was just asking." She gave Louise a small cup of tea "why were you falling from your room anyway?"
"Because, my familiar believed it was a good idea that jumping was the express way down," Louise grumbled.
Siesta took a seat with Louise "Tell me what happened," She said in a motherly tone.
A couple minutes later
Siesta listened intently to what Louise had to say "So, you're telling me that he started acting all lovey-dovey towards you after he collapsed?"
Louise nodded glumly "Yes, I don't know why he had the sudden change in heart."
Siesta thought about it for a moment "Shouldn't this be a good thing?"
Louise blinked "What are you talking about?"
"Well, he doesn't sound as violent as he used to," Siesta told her "That and maybe he'll even be nicer having him around."
"What do you mean?"
Before Siesta could answer, Saito approached the two, holding a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. He set the bouquet in front of Louise "Louise, I am sorry that I did that to you. Will you please forgive me?" he asked, true sorrow and regret in his eyes.
"…" Louise blushed as Saito gave her a puppy dog-like face "… Well, I guess I can overlook it just this once…"
Saito smiled "Thank you!" he kissed Louise on the cheek before going on his way.
Siesta stared at Louise "Who was that? I have never seen that guy before. Is he a student?"
Louise facepalmed herself; was he really that unrecognizable without his hood? "That was Saito."
Siesta blinked "That was Saito?" she glanced towards Saito's direction "Huh, so that's what he looked like under his hood."
"I know, it surprised me too," Louise replied. "Honestly, I pictured him being a blonde."
As they talked, Montmorency approached the two "Umm, Louise? I need to talk to you, in private please." She said as she took Louise and brought her to her room.
A bit later, in Montmorency's room
"A love potion?!" Louise yelled in surprise.
"Shush, keep it down." Montmorency shut her up "Well, it… it… it's all Guiche's fault!"
"What?" Guiche, who was apparently eavesdropping, suddenly barged in the room "What did I have to do with Saito's sudden lovesickness?"
"If you hadn't been so unfaithful to me, I wouldn't have been compelled to create the love potion in the first place!" Montmorency complained.
"Will both of you just shut up!" Louise chastised the both of them "Tell me how you are going to fix this!"
"W… well…" Montmorency thought about it for a moment "The best way is to let the potion run its course."
"And how long will that last?" Louise asked.
"Umm… about a year, two perhaps?" Montmorency shrugged.
"A year?" Louise yelled in outrage "You want me to put with that for a year?"
"And you wanted to place that into me?" Guiche backed in astonishment. "I never knew that my beautiful Montmorency could be so jealous to do something so scandalous!"
Montmorency blushed "I did not do it just to get your attention!" before she could get distracted any further, she turned to Louise "Just allow the potion to run its course. It will eventually wear off, eventually."
Sometime later, at the dormitory
"Let it run its course," Louise muttered as she slowly walked to her room "How am I supposed to put up with that for a year?" she said querulously as she entered her room.
As she entered the room, Louise then doubled back in surprise. In her room, Saito, waiting for her like a puppy dog, bowed "Welcome back, master!" he said cheerfully.
Louise just stood there, dumbfounded "What the hell?" she then looked around her room, it was completely clean; all her laundry had been washed and neatly folded, her room had been cleaned and reorganized, and that everything had been fixed to perfection. She stared at him "Did you do all this?"
Saito smiled "Of course, I wanted to make you happy." He got up and gave Louise a gentle kiss "I'll do anything for you."
Louise sighed; she could get used to this, though her morals told her otherwise "Look, Saito, this may sound weird, but Montmorency drugged you with a love potion. You don't really mean what you are saying."
The Japanese assassin shook his head "I'm telling the truth! No potion can imitate the feelings I have for you."
Louise shook her head again "No, that's not it: look, I have a fiancée. I can't love you." She told him.
Saito thought about it for a moment "Don't worry; I'll be a great #2! I'll make sure not to bother your husband about it!" he declared in a far too cheerful tone.
Louise just stared at him, a look of disgust on her face "There's so many things wrong with what you just said that- you know what, forget it, just NO. I'm trying to tell you that you're under the spell of a potion! Snap out of it for Founder's sake!"
Trying to avoid the subject, Saito brought a new subject to light "There's something that is bothering you. Is there something wrong?" he said gently, sympathy in his voice.
Louise flinched "What are you saying, you stupid dog?" she tried to punch him, but he simply avoided it.
"It is clear as day that something is on your mind." Saito slowly wrapped his arms around Louise, giving her a warm, firm hug. "Just let it all out. You can trust your lover."
She didn't know why, but Louise felt oddly comfortable around him right now. It was as if all along, there was a warm heart in the cold, sentient being that she called a familiar. Going against her better judgment, she eased up and let all her worries out "Well, ever since I was born, I was always taught "The Rule of Steel" by my mother. Through this rule, she expects me to show discipline and become the very best. My mother and father were both powerful mages back in their day. Both of my elder sisters were prodigies in magic. And me? I can't even achieve the simplest of spells. I'm always a Zero when compared to them. Always being compared to my sisters, being put down; it just gets to me." Tears fell from Louise's eyes, the trauma and negative energy gradually flowing out of her.
Saito, on the other hand, hugged Louise a bit more tightly "I know how you feel."
Louise slowly turned her face towards Saito's "Huh?"
"When I was younger, I was always being compared to my older sister." Saito let out a quiet snicker "She was always regarded as a genius, be it by the Order or by my family. Anything I can do, she can do far better and in a fraction of the time. I love her and all, but it gets tiring to always be compared to her, you know?"
Louise nodded gently "Having older siblings suck." The two of them laughed. Louise felt comfortable around Saito. The both of them had something in common; they were both inferior to their siblings in every way. The thought disturbed her, however, that there was someone who was an even more efficient killing machine than Saito, but she didn't care about that right now. For once, she actually had someone to relate to. It was at that moment, she realized that he said something that struck her curiosity: namely the word "Order". "Order? What Order?"
Saito flinched "Um…" he stammered nervously, raising Louise's suspicion.
Louise raised a brow "Well, I'm waiting…"
"That doesn't matter…" Saito ignored her question. Sure, he was in love with her, but he still needed to keep the Order a secret. "What does matter is that no matter what your family might think of you, I will always love you, no matter what, I promise."
"…" Louise felt the blood rush to her face. She has never heard anyone say anything so nice to her. Even though these feelings of his are false, she might even be falling for him at this point. Ever so slowly, she slowly inched her face closer and closer to Saito's. She was about to kiss him when suddenly, Saito grabbed her and pushed her down.
*BANG!*
"Get down!" he said as a bullet pierced through the window and whizzed past where their heads once were. Instinctively, Saito picked up his L42A1, which was leaning on the wall, and went over to the window. Whoever was out there, trying to snipe them, was gone.
Louise, visibly shaken, slowly asked "W… what the hell was that?"
"Seems like someone was trying to kill us," Saito commented. With his actions, he knows that he has made an enemy out of a certain rebel faction.
"K… kill us?" Louise knew that because of her father's standing as duke, there would be many who would be after her father's position. But, for someone to actually have the audacity to try and kill his daughter just to get to him, it was unheard of.
"They won't if I have anything to say about it." Saito put a hand on her shoulder "Don't worry; I'll keep you safe, I promise."
A couple of days later
Louise, for the most part, grew annoyed with Saito's antics; if he wasn't clinging onto her 24/7, he was setting traps around the school, causing trouble to the few remaining teachers and students.
Eventually, she had enough and charged into Montmorency's room "Hey Montague!" she yelled as she barged the room.
Montmorency, who was talking to Guiche prior to Louise's sudden intrusion, jumped back a bit "Don't call me Mont-"
"Whatever!" Louise retorted "I want you to fix Saito right now!" she ordered, unaware that Saito was quietly approaching her from behind.
Montmorency, taking notice of Saito, slowly tried to make Louise calm down "Louise, calm down for a second…"
"No! I won't calm down!" Louise slammed her hands onto Montmorency's desk "I have been pestered to and from because of Saito's antics. I want you to stop this nonsense of his once and for all! Do you even how annoying he gets when he clings onto me? I'm telling you, it gets really annoying!"
Guiche, who also acknowledged Saito's presence, tried to calm her down as well "Louise, please calm down, or at least turn around."
"And that's not all!" Louise couldn't stop now; she was on a roll "Everywhere I step, I get caught in some trap he set to catch someone that tried to kill us some days ago."
"Louise…" Both Montmorency and Guiche tried to stop her at this point.
"And if he takes me by surprise with a kiss one more time, by Founder's name I'm going to explode!" Louise screamed.
*drip… drip…*
Louise turned around, seeing tears flowing out of Saito's dark blue eyes "W-well… I-if that's how you really feel about me, then I will stop bothering you any further from now on." With tears still dripping out of his eyes, Saito ran away and fled.
Almost immediately, a heavy pang of guilt entered Louise as she chased after Saito. She couldn't believe that she said all those nasty things about him. Sure, he might have been so clingy and caused all sort of problems everywhere, but he only did so just to protect her. Not only that, it wasn't truly his fault, it was the potion's. She stopped and looked around, her eyes darting around "Saito! Come back! I'm sorry!"
As she ran around the school, Saito hid in a tree, quietly crying to himself "I can't believe that she would say all those things about me. I did everything for her, but she turned me down…" Saito sobbed "Why is it that even after all this, I'm still in love with her?"
"Get a hold of yourself!"
"Gah!" Saito jumped in surprise. He then recognized the voice and calmed down "Oh it's you. I haven't heard from you in a while."
"Calm down, child. Look at yourself; you're a shadow of who you once were!"
Saito pouted like a spoiled child; he was not in the mood for a lecture. Trying his best to ignore his words, Saito dragged himself to the kitchen, swiped a bottle of wine, and slumped himself in one of the courtyards. Before he could take a swig, he spotted something white on the ground. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he stood up and picked it up. To his shock, it was a bottle of Ibuprofen, an Abstergo brand bottle of Ibuprofen to be exact 'what the hell is this doing here?' he looked around cautiously before sitting down. 'Oh well, I'll worry about it later.' Taking a short sip of the wine, he let the alcohol run its course as he almost instantly passed out.
4 hours later
Whether it has been the effects of alcohol or just by "divine" intervention, it suddenly came to him. He wasn't being himself because he wasn't the one in control. He was under the influence of a potion. He got to his feet "It all makes sense now…" he shook his head in disgust; he couldn't believe the stuff that he had said and done under the influence. Calming himself down, he slowly deduced what had happened "Okay, I turned into "that" after I drank that wine. That's probably where the drug was slipped. Since Guiche and Louise don't have the balls to do it, I assume that Montmorency done it." Saito pulled out his USP and chambered a bullet "I'm gonna give that bitch a piece of my mind!"
"Hold on child! You still need her help!"
"Her help?" Saito yelled, outraged "she practically poisoned me, and you want me to get her help?"
"You are still under the influence of the potion. All I did was make you aware of your actions. You must get it out of your system, and she is the only one who can help you."
"…" Saito reluctantly holstered his USP "… fine," he said as he slowly walked towards Montmorency's room.
Once there, he kicked down Montmorency's door "Get up!" he dragged Montmorency out of her bed, grabbed her by the collar, and punched her in the gut "you did this to me!"
"W… Wha!?" Montmorency, still half asleep, barely managed before Saito punched her again "W… what are you talking about?"
Saito brought her to eye level, his cold glare chilling her to the bone "You are the only one with the means and the drive to create a love potion. You were the one who started this, now you are going to finish it!"
"Like I told Louise, you must let it run its course." Montmorency told him, still visibly shaken.
Saito sighed; it is going to forever to convince her. Instead, he pulled out his F-S knife and placed it to her neck "Let me rephrase myself; you are going to cure me, whether you want to or not."
As this exchange went along, Louise and Guiche hastily entered the room. Guiche was the first to overreact "How dare you place a knife to my Montmorency's neck!" he pulled out his wand and slowly chanted a spell.
Saito, not in the mood, picked up a nearby textbook and threw it at Guiche's head.
*THUD!*
As Guiche fell unconscious, Saito's glare intensified "Now, you are going to fix me, or unlike him, I will make sure that when you go down, you go down for good."
Montmorency, scared out of her wits end, finally gave in "Fine, you win. I'll help you."
Saito eased up a bit, but only a bit "Good, you nobles aren't as stupid as I thought you were." He put away his F-S knife. "How are you going to get it out of my system?"
"The only known way to cure an aphrodisiac is to use a tear of the water spirit." Montmorency told him. "However, it can only be obtained at Ragdorian Lake, and even if we go there, there's no guarantee that we will get it."
"A chance is still a chance, isn't it?" Saito folded his arms "If there is even a slight chance of getting this crap out of my system, I'll take it."
The next day
The four of them have made preparations for the journey ahead. Only Saito and Montmorency were supposed to go, but Louise and Guiche tagged along for reasons unknown to Saito.
"What exactly are you guys doing here?" Saito asked as he avoided eye contact with Louise; the effects of the potion were still influencing him.
"I am not going to let you hurt my Montmorency," Guiche arrogantly announced.
"I'm making sure that she actually does cure you." Louise also wanted to make sure that Saito returned to normal. She would be much happier that Saito would ignore her rather than repeatedly kiss and possibly rape her.
"… I want to make out-" Saito hastily covered his mouth as he and Louise started to blush.
Before any other incident happened, however, they had made it to Ragdorian Lake. Much to their surprise, the lake seemed to have submerged the entire countryside. "What the hell happened here?" Saito stared at the flooded landscape.
"I don't know," Montmorency answered him "When I was here as a child, the water wasn't as close to here."
As they stood before the water, an unfamiliar voice entered Saito's head.
"Come closer, Gandalfr…"
Seeing with his other eyes, he noticed the lake had glowed a bright blue. Feeling a bit at ease, Saito took a step forward.
"Closer…"
Saito took another step towards Ragdorian Lake.
"Closer…"
Saito took another step,his feet practically touching the water. As his feet met the lakeshore, a giant hand of water rose from the lake. Alerted, Saito reached for his USP, but he, as well as the rest of the group, could only watch as it grabbed him and dragged him towards the depths of the lake.
At the bottom of the lake
Saito flailed helplessly as he descended down the lake.
"Calm down, child," Saito opened his eyes; some of the water morphed and took the shape of a young woman "I am the spirit of Ragdorian Lake." The spirit introduced herself "It is a pleasure to meet the descendant of Gandalfr."
"…Pleased to meet you too…"Saito said politely as he stood up. Even though she took a calm demeanor, Saito sensed that he was in the presence of a powerful being. Better to play it safe rather than risk her wrath. "So, how exactly are you going to get this potion out of my system?"
"Like this," The water spirit slowly walked over to Saito and brought her face close to his, giving him a deep kiss.
"!" Saito flinched as the water spirit kissed him. As she kissed him, he felt a substance slowly secrete out of his body. After some time, the two of them parted, with Saito showing a clearly surprised look on his face "What the hell was that?"
The Water Spirit did not answer, turning away as if to hide a blush, and instead showed him a dark, amorphous blob "This is the toxin that has been plaguing your mind. What do thou want me to do with it?"
"Destroy it, please. That thing has caused me enough trouble." Saito asked politely.
"Of course," The toxin started to bubble and boil, turning into gas bubbles and rose to the surface. The water spirit then stared at Saito "I expect to be compensated for this."
"…" Saito folded his arms "What do you need me to do?"
"There is a small group of mages who are out to destroy me. Eliminate them. They are hiding somewhere in these nearby forests."
"Just get me back up to the surface in one piece, and consider them assassinated." Saito pulled out his USP and expertly spun it around, a cocky grin on his face.
Moments later
Saito slowly rose and climbed out of the lake and onto the shoreline. He turned around; on the other side of the Lake, he spotted Louise, Guiche, and Montmorency, who not only were unaware that Saito had gotten out of the lake, but still panicking that the Water Spirit had taken him asunder. "Those guys should be fine. I mean how much trouble could they get into?" he thought as he climbed a tree and leapt from one branch to another, making his way into the forest.
Navigating through the thick woods, he eventually spotted two armed mages heading towards the Ragdorian Lake. Judging from their figures, Saito guessed that they were teenage girls, albeit one was younger than the other due to height difference.
"Remind me what we're doing here?" the taller mage asked the shorter one.
"Investigate Ragdorian Lake." Was the shorter mage's sole answer.
To Saito's confusion, the mages' voices sounded very familiar to him. Using his other eyes, the two mages were highlighted in a bright golden color. Shrugging to himself, he got down and slowly approached the two from behind, activating his hidden blades.
*click*
The shorter mage immediately turned around and chanted a spell "Windy icicle." A flurry of razor sharp icicles formed and flew towards Saito.
"Oh shit!" He quickly dodged out of the way and shot the mage's staff with the hidden gun, effectively disarming her.
"Tabitha!" The other mage pulled out her wand and started chanting a spell. Unfaltering, Saito spun around, drew his F-S knife, and threw it at the mages wand.
*CHEK!*
The F-S knife flew and hit the wand dead center as it severed the wand in half and impaled itself into a nearby tree.
"I cannot allow anyone to harm the water spirit." Saito declared coldly, drawing his USP "Now hands where I can see them!"
The taller mage complied, but the shorter one pointed at him and said something completely unrelated to the situation at hand; "Thought you were blonde."
Saito blinked "Beg pardon?"
The smaller mage took off her hood, revealing her short, light blue hair and bespectacled eyes. Tabitha then calmly walked over to Saito and pulled his hood back up "Saito."
"Hold on," the taller mage took off her own hood, revealing long, red hair. "You mean to tell me, you're darling?!" Kirche couldn't believe it, the raven-haired young man standing in front of her was actually the mysterious familiar of Zero. Saito, personally, considered himself of having average, Japanese features, perhaps a bit handsome, but to Kirche, his appearance was different, exotic even, which made him much more alluring and tantalizing to her.
Saito blinked "Kirche? Tabitha?" Saito holstered his USP "What are you guys doing here?"
"We could ask you the same thing," Kirche told him, picking up Tabitha's staff and handing it back to her "We were supposed to investigate why Ragdorian Lake has risen to these high levels. What about you?"
"… Its better you don't know," Saito answered, the memories of the love potion in the back of his mind "We should get going. I remember leaving the others back by the shoreline. Follow me."
A couple minutes later
Saito, Kirche, and Tabitha slowly walked back to where Louise, Guiche and Montmorency were waiting. Suddenly, Saito stopped in his tracks "hold on," He pulled the two back and ducked behind a tree. He silently observed the scene; a small group of mercenaries, most likely Reconquista agents, were holding Louise, Guiche, and Montmorency at gunpoint. Saito, hiding in the shadows, assessed each and every one of his targets 'Let's see, they must have caught the group by surprise. There are at least 6 of them, 3 musketeers and 3 mages.' One of them was different than the others, wearing a distinct purple jacket adorned with the Reconquista emblem 'that guy must be the leader, he'll be the one. Hmph, 6 against 1, too easy.' He then turned to Kirche and Tabitha "You guys stay here." He ordered the two to stay put as he climbed up the tree and disappeared from sight.
By the shoreline, two of the Reconquista agents bulled back the hammer on their flintlock muskets "What do you want us to do with them?" they gave Guiche and Montmorency a swift kick, forcing them to the ground.
The Reconquista leader pulled out his wand "We were told to capture the Valliere girl," he tugged harshly on Louise's pink hair "You can get rid of those two. Kill them."
The two Reconquista agents smiled evilly "With pleasure," they aimed their muskets at them, ready for the kill, when-
*SHTLINK!*
The two agents fell to the ground, dead. Saito emerged from behind them, his hidden blades stained with their blood. Impulsively, the other three agents pulled out their weapons and encircled him. The leader gave a smug grin "Ah, I have heard of you. You are the one who has been killing all of our spies. Give up, you are outnumbered."
"I may be outnumbered," Saito retracted his hidden blades "But you're clearly outmatched." He quickly kicked up a flintlock from the fallen agent and held it like a spear. He then spun it around at the stock, its bayonet slashing the necks of the other three agents. Not losing his momentum, he aimed the flintlock at the leader's leg and fired.
*BANG!*
The lead bullet shattered the leader's knee upon impact, forcing him to the ground.
Saito casually tossed the musket away as he kicked the Reconquista leader to the ground. "Who sent you?"
"W… why the hell should I tell you?" The Reconquista leader muttered weakly.
Saito stomped on the leader's wounded leg "Were you the ones who tried to kill us earlier?"
"Y… yes…" the leader writhed in pain "We were given two orders; eliminate you and kidnap the Valliere girl. When we followed you here, we joined with the group that was to eliminate the water spirit, hoping to kill 3 birds with 1 stone."
"… Why kidnap Louise?" Saito demanded "What role does she have to play in this?"
"I… I don't know… Master Sheffield never told us…"
Saito tensed "Who is Master Sheffield?" he sternly asked.
The leader spat in his face "Go to hell!"
Saito wiped the spit off his face, contempt in his eyes. He had extracted every bit of information from the leader. He drove his hidden blade all the way into target before laying the body down gently and closing its eyes "Yasurakani nemure (rest in peace)."
After laying the body to rest, he discreetly took the corpse's wallet before helping up Guiche and Montmorency "You guys alright?"
"Yes… somehow…" Montmorency stood up, notably shaken.
"It's good that you came when you did," Guiche sighed "Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't come."
Louise folded her arms, a confused look "Hold on, weren't you supposed to be down at the bottom of the lake?"
"You guys didn't see me come out?" Saito stretched his arms, small amounts of water still dripping out of his hoodie "I got out on the other side of the lake. You guys won't believe who I met." He signaled Kirche and Tabitha to come closer.
Louise's eyes widened "What are those two doing here?"
"We were supposed to investigate why Ragdorian Lake has risen by orders of Tabitha's family." Kirche looked at Tabitha, who merely nodded in agreement.
Saito rubbed his head "You guys can do whatever you want; I have something to report in." He walked into the lakeshore as a giant hand emerged and dragged him in.
At the deepest depths of the lake
"I'm not gonna get used to that anytime soon." Saito muttered as the water spirit materialized in front of him.
"Well done. I see you have eliminated the threat." The water spirit rendered a content expression on her face.
"I aim to please." Saito folded his arms, cracking his knuckles. "I do have some questions though,"
"And those are?"
"Why was that group trying to destroy you? And why had you raised the water levels?"
"…" the Water Spirit was reluctant to talk "That group, they had stolen two things from me. One was something personal, my treasured ring, the other… well; the other is a powerful artifact that must be retrieved immediately."
Saito raised an eyebrow "
"It was six months ago…"
Flashback
It was a normal, sunny day. The Water Spirit, however, sensed something was off.
*FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!*
Suddenly, an area directly north of Ragdorian Lake was consumed in a blindingly bright light. Once the light finally died down, what made up a majority of the northern Ragdorian forests had been completely destroyed, with only a large crater with a small object in the middle left in its wake. Curious, the Water Spirit spread its water to the crater. She gasped "What is this doing here?!" the object was a small, spherical object to the untrained eye, but upon closer inspection, it was covered in intricate, complex carvings. Besides that, it emitted an eerie, ominous glow. "This is one of their technologies. If the humans learn of this, they will cause absolute destruction!" The Water spirit, thinking it was for the best, enveloped the area with her lake, hiding the object within its waters.
Flashback end
"I was foolish to believe that I could hide it forever. That faction had discovered its existence and stolen it along with my ring."
Saito growled in frustration "Who exactly took the artifact? If they had left anything, we could use that as a lead." He didn't know what it was, but he could take a guess.
"I do not know, but one of them has dropped this." A small, white object gradually floated towards Saito as he picked it up "An I.D. card?" his eyes widened; it wasn't just any I.D. card, but an Abstergo Industries I.D. card. It read:
[Abstergo Logo] ABSTERGO INDUSTRIES
Employee #: OP005-0897-C
Name: Sheffield, Kristiina
Nationality: Finnish
DOB:1973.07.23
Position: Operations, New World; Field Agent
Security Clearance Level: 50
0100110101100001011100110111 0100011001010111001000100000 0101010001100101011011010111 0000011011000110000101110010 0000110100001010
"Nandaro? (what the hell?)" Saito yelled "What the hell are they doing here?"
The Water Spirit tilted her head "You know of these perpetrators?"
"I guess you could say that." Saito spat in disgust "Don't worry; I'll get the artifact, and your ring, because this time, it's personal."
The Water Spirit looked at the youth, as if she was seeing a long lost friend "You remind me so much of the original Gandalfr. You both have that strange charisma."
"The descendant may resemble the ancestor, but they aren't the same people."
The Water Spirit nodded "I will see to it that you return the artifact and my ring in one piece. Oh, and before I forget," the Water Spirit gave Saito a small cruet, filled with a clear, colorless liquid. "Consider this a down payment, for helping me retrieve my ring. My only request is that you keep the artifact safe and out of their hands."
Saito made a small smile as he took the vial "I will not let you down."
A bit later
Saito emerged from the Lake, completely drenched in water. He removed his hoodie as everyone gathered around him "Before you guys say anything, the damn potion is out of my system." He said apathetically.
Montmorency and Louise sighed in relief, but Kirche raised an eyebrow "What are you guys talking about?" She asked. Saito easily concealed his emotions with a blank expression, but Louise, on the other hand, blushed furiously, remembering all the things that Saito has said and done. This only sparked Kirche's curiosity "What happened? What potion?"
Louise looked like she was going to outburst, but Saito stopped her "It's none of your concern, let's just get out of here." And with that, the group left the lake, not noticing that the lakeshore was slowly receding.
The next evening, back at the academy
The group had returned to the academy. Tired from the journey, everyone decided to return to their rooms until morning.
In Louise's room, Saito, who had entered the room first, sat in her desk, deep in thought. Under normal circumstances, he'd be embarrassed out of his mind, but now wasn't the time for that 'So, the Templars' influence has spread to here as well, huh.' Saito sat in deep thought 'Just when I thought I was away from that underground war, only to be dragged back in.' he buried his face in his hands.
Louise then entered her room, closing the door behind her and locking it with a click. "Saito, we need to talk." She took something out of one of her drawers.
"What do you want to-" he was cut off as he barely dodged the end of a whip. He got out of the chair and took a step back "I take it that you're still mad?"
"Oh no…" Louise had a yandere-like expression plastered on her face "'mad' does not even begin to describe my emotions right now." She swiped her horse whip across the floor, chipping away a sliver of wood as it did. "During your time under the influence of the potion, you kissed me repeatedly, caused me a hell of trouble with your antics and claimed that you wanted to *censored* me in front of my class."
At this point, Saito didn't want any more mayhem; he had enough trouble to last him a lifetime "Look, if you're so upset, just forget about it. It wasn't really me who said it anyway. It was the potion that made me say that."
"That's no excuse!" Louise charged at Saito, only for him to feint to the side. "You have to take responsibility!" she swiped at him again.
Saito somersaulted backwards and took a dexterous pose "Look, I had a tough week as well; I mean, I fell in love with you for crying out loud. And you must admit, you're a piece of work as well."
Louise fumed "Why you stupid dog!" she pulled out her wand and started to chant a spell. Instinctively, Saito ducked as Louise finished her spell.
*BOOM!*
The room was covered in a large cloud of smoke. Taking advantage of the situation, Saito dashed towards Louise and ripped the whip and wand out of her hands, effectively disarming her. But, instead of knocking her into submission like she thought he would, he pointed at the window "You have a guest."
"Huh?" Louise looked at her window; a hooded figure was waiting patiently outside. She opened the window as the figure entered the room.
The figure took off her hood, revealing her short, violet hair "Louise Francoise…" she said coolly.
"P... Princess Henrietta!" Louise bowed, trying to ignore the fact that Saito did not do the same. "What are you doing here so late at night?"
Henrietta gave a solemn expression "I have a request, a very urgent request that I can only disclose to the two of you. I can't ask this of the cardinal, my own mother, nor any of the nobility." She took a seat on the bed as she told her tale "I have decided to marry into the royal family of Germania."
"What?!" Louise was very surprised "Why would you want to marry into a country of barbarians."
Henrietta smiled sadly "There's nothing I can do about it. To ensure the safety of Tristain, we must make alliances with powerful countries such as Germania. A political marriage is the only way to secure that alliance."
"B… But to face such a hardship…" a sorrowful expression formed on Louise's face.
Henrietta shook her head "Don't worry about it. I am perfectly okay with putting my country's needs above my own." She got off the bed and walked towards the window "But before that, I need something done first."
"I'll do anything for you, Henrietta!" Louise boldly declared.
A tear formed on Henrietta's face "I knew I could count on you. I am asking you to retrieve a certain letter I had sent to Prince Wales in Albion. If it gets into the wrong hands, a scandal would occur and the marriage would be called off."
Saito rearranged the facts in his head and came up with a hypothesis "I am guessing that it is a love letter, is it not?"
Henrietta backed up in surprise "Yes, but how did you know?"
"There are very few items that could cause such a scandal other than a love letter." He walked towards the door "and while I'm at it," he nonchalantly opened the door as three figures; to be more precise, Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha, plopped on the ground.
Louise just stared at them, dumbstruck, before turning red with rage "What the hell are you three doing here?!"
"Uh… Um…" Guiche stammered nervously, obviously taken with Henrietta's beauty.
Because of this, Kirche had to cover for him "We were investigating why that explosion had occurred earlier. Never had we thought that you would me meeting the princess."
Louise turned to Henrietta "Forgive me, your majesty. I will make sure that Saito will dispose of them."
Saito shook his head "Don't get your hopes up; my sense of authority towards you is really low." He replied, much to Louise's chagrin.
"Louise, it's okay." Henrietta calmed Louise down "They are from upper noble upbringings, so I trust that instead of gossiping, they are likely to aid you in this journey."
Guiche immediately saluted "Of course!" I'll do anything for the princess!"
"I'll go too!" Kirche raised her head high in confidence "I'll do anything if it means not getting upstaged by Louise. Besides, I have always wanted to go to Albion."
Tabitha also nodded, quietly saying "don't want them alone."
Henrietta had a grateful expression on her face "Thank you all for helping." She then glanced at Saito "And you, are you willing to help this princess in her plight?" the caged bird that she was, she was completely oblivious to the "crimes" and "heartless assassinations" that the young assassin has done. She didn't realize what kinds of trouble she would be asking for when requesting Saito's help.
Saito folded his arm, a stoic look on his face "I'll do it for 200,000 up front, another 200,000 when this is over, and for every big thing that I've never seen before, that's extra; another grand each. The price is non-negotiable."
Henrietta sighed; that was quite a high price he was asking for. And since he wasn't a native to Tristain, she couldn't force him to work either. "I'll see what I can do about that."
"No way!" Louise yelled "He could buy an entire city and still have much more to spare with that kind of money!"
Saito shrugged "That sounds like a reasonable price if you ask me."
"No it's not!" Louise tried to grab Saito, only for him to dodge. "How is that price reasonable?"
Saito sighed "Fine, how about 50,000 up front, with another 50,000 after I'm done? That's more reasonable than my earlier price, isn't it?"
"Yes, that is a fairer price." Henrietta pulled out her wallet and handed him the 50,000 ecu.
"… Okay, I'm not even going to ask why you have that much money on you in the first place." Saito sweatdropped.
"It's a small price to pay if you ask me. If one acts for my sake without payment, loyalty is questionable." Henrietta then handed Louise a letter as well as a ring "Here, this letter will explain everything to prince Wales. And if he still doesn't believe you were sent by me, this ring will prove it on sight."
Louise gratefully took the letter and the ring "We won't let you down!"
"Thank you. May Founder Brimir give you his blessing." Opening the window, Henrietta put back on her hood and jumped out, levitating herself with magic before disappearing into the night.
Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha shortly went back to their rooms, preparing for the coming adventure ahead.
Louise placed the ring and the letter on her desk "I expect you to be on your best behavior."
"… Yeah, about that…" Saito picked up a nearby flower vase and threw it at Louise's head, knocking her unconscious.
*CRASH!*
The next morning
Louise groggily got up, ignoring the pain in her head. She slowly walked over to her desk, only to find the ring and the letter gone. Instead, a small note was left in its place. It read.
Dear Louise,
I have taken the ring and the letter and I am on my way to Albion. Don't worry, I'll get the job done. I also brought Kirche and Tabitha along with me. I ditched you and Guiche because if you guys did tag along, it would probably just end in utter failure. You could take all the credit if you want; I really don't care.
-Saito
-P.S. sorry about the vase, it was a cheap imitation anyway.
Louise read the note, utterly speechless. "HE DID WHAT?!"
Weapon unlocked!
Flower Vase: an average, everyday flower vase one can find anywhere. The author usually adds this somewhere in his fics as a joke weapon or to abruptly end one of his chapters, usually both. Saito can use this to immediately knock out an unarmored target, though the sound might give away his position.
On hand: 0/1
Items obtained!
Abstergo brand ibuprofen: a bottle of ibuprofen made and manufactured by Abstergo Industries. The serial number says that it was produced in 2005, but it hasn't expired yet. It is easy to understand; Abstergo made goods are extremely high quality. At least 50% of the ibuprofen is still in the bottle.
Tear of the Water Spirit: a part of the water spirit. This rare potion not only can be used to heal powerful mental and physical ailments, it exponentially raises a person's healing factor, which allows them to heal from any injuries and illnesses, even if they were received only seconds ago. Saito was given the blessing of having a tear given to him directly as well as a bottle full of it. He was given quite a lot, actually; enough for three uses. Hmm… maybe this can come in handy sometime in the near future.
Effect: [cures any ailment/illness][Revives instantly upon death (will only work once per month)]
Uses remaining: 3/3
Ruby ring of water: The family treasure of Tristain's royal family. If one holds this, they can be immediately identified as an agent of the Royal family. It lets off an odd, azure glow.
Letter to Wales: a letter to Prince Wales that explains the issue regarding a love letter sent a long time ago. Saito must deliver this to Wales at all costs.
Abstergo I.D. card: An I.D. card that belongs to Master Templar Kriistina Sheffield. She is one of those behind Reconquista. This item adds to the knowledge that the Templar Order has been established in this world. It gives Saito the chills that there might be even more than just one Templar in Halkenginia.
A/N: If anyone has not realized yet, Assassin's Creed III has come out. I just got my copy a few days ago, and needless to say, it blew my mind. I was a bit delayed due to Hurricane Sandy, but that didn't stop me from getting my own copy. Also, if you don't know what the object that the Water Spirit found, and who is really behind Reconquista, well I'm pretty sure I have made it quite obvious already. Also, try and decode the message I placed. Anyways, please review.