Assassin in the Void
By psychored1911
Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Familiar of Zero
Have you actually noticed that you guys know very little about the Assassin Saito? No seriously, look back at my previous chapters if you have to; the most I established about his past was that he was born in Osaka, was childhood friends with Julio, went to a training facility somewhere south of Moscow, and had an elder sister. Besides a couple other things I probably left out, that's pretty much the gist of it. I gave a little bio for Julio and Domani, and I'm planning on updating the earlier chapters with a bio for some of the OCs, but I haven't even done much to elaborate on Saito's past. It's pretty weird once you think about it.
Yeah, despite its length, not much happens in this chapter. Yeah, not gonna lie, it's mainly just administrative and political stuff.
Chapter 11: Cooldown
Tristain Castle, throne room
"…yes…"
Tears of joy fell from Henrietta's eyes.
"Yes, I will marry you Wales." She cried as she embraced the Crown Prince, the two exchanging their rings as they did "Yes, thank you for making the happiest woman alive."
And at that moment the two royals came together in a tender, loving embrace, with their worries disappearing, if only for those precious seconds.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two slowly separated from each other, both with a blush on their faces.
"Don't worry my love," Wales reassured his beloved Henrietta "I need to go right now, but I promise I will come back for you. This I swear." Wales promised her.
"As shall I." Henrietta blushed once more as she planted a soft kiss upon her lover's lips.
And by this point, the Assassin team watching finally had enough.
"Oh, save it for the wedding!" Saito yelled as he yanked Wales away, the lovey-dovey scene getting far too long winded for his tastes.
As he dragged the love-struck Wales out of the throne room, he could hear him say "Don't worry, we'll start planning the wedding after I finish my business with Saito here-"
*BZZZZZZT!*
Wales began to spasm uncontrollably before collapsing into Saito's arms, unconscious.
"Wales!" Henrietta exclaimed, completely alarmed.
"Don't worry, he'll be up and at em' again in a couple hours." Saito reassured her as he inconspicuously retracted his shock blade and dragged the unconscious Wales out of the throne room, leaving Henrietta to stand there awkwardly with Julio and Domani.
"…Well," A drop of sweat rolled down Julio's forehead as he awkwardly shifted towards the door "Anyways, may the Founder bless your future marriage, and remind Cardinal Mazarin that his yearly review is in another three weeks." He quickly bowed and hastily ran after his childhood friend, with Domani quickly running after him.
"…How long were they there?" Henrietta asked herself, the only one who hadn't notice Julio and Domani enter during the duel. "Well, no matter." She told herself as she, like any girl of her young age, began daydreaming of her perfect wedding with the love of her life.
Sometime later, at an undisclosed location, Tristain
"Well, here we are." Julio said as the team made it to the Tristainian Assassin HQ.
"…" Saito, who was carrying the unconscious Wales upon his back, looked around the headquarters. In his eyes, it looked like the lands of a noble rather than An Assassin stronghold, with commoners working on the land's vineyards "What exactly am I supposed to be looking at? This looks more like a noble's summer home than anything."
"Well, from how I heard it, the former Lord of this land, Lord of Des Ornières, was an ally of the Assassins and signed the land over to The Mentor when he died." Domani exclaimed "In fact, these lands contribute to a fair amount of revenue for the Company; about tens of thousands of ecu."
"What's more, most of the workers here are Assassins as well; I hear that the eldest workers here were among the ones that served with The Mentor when the Halkenginian Brotherhood first began." Julio added. To drive the point home, Julio quickly motioned to his androgynous partner, who whistled as loud as he could.
*TWEET!*
At the sound of the signal, every worker within earshot stopped and gave them their strict attention.
"Ci riposiamo nostro caso. (We rest our case.)" Julio said as he quickly dismissed the Assassin workers.
As the Assassins continued their business, another figure approached them. Said figure was a woman in her mid-late 30's, with long, auburn hair and dark eyes, and a black Tristainian Assassin uniform, with a pistol sword, three break action pistols and a set of throwing knives across her belt. Despite her calm, almost parent-like demeanor, she seemed to hold a formidable aura about her, one that demanded complete and utter respect.
As the woman walked over to them, Wales woke from his slumber "Uhh… how long was I out- oof!" he groaned as Saito rudely dropped him onto the ground.
"Stand up straight, we're in the presence of a Master Assassin!"
Julio urged as Wales scrambled to his feet, the Master Assassin came closer, stopping within three feet of their position.
"I am Marciella Louette, Master Assassin and current leader of the Tristainian Assassins." The Assassin introduced herself with a calm demeanor "Now, I request that you relay the events that had transpired between your arrival and your meeting with Master Rodenbach at the La Rochelle Bureau."
…
"…I'll explain it to her…" Saito said reluctantly.
"…" Master Louette folded her arms "And you are?"
"I am Saito Hiraga, the Assassin that caused a lot of controversy recently." He bowed respectfully.
"Very well, let us hear your story. I need to speak with you privately after your report anyway." Master Louette patiently listened to the Assassin's tale.
"Okay, here goes…" Saito took a deep breath and continued his tale "We came over to Tristain to make a status report on Albion, but when we made a report to Master Rodenbach at the La Rochelle Bureau, Wales over there fled and made his way to Tristain Castle." He pointed at Wales, who sheepishly waved back at them. "Anyways, by the time we caught up with him, he had instigated a duel with the emperor of Germania. Naturally, we had to bail him out, and long story short, the military alliance between Tristain and Germania was replaced with one between Tristain and Albion."
"…" Master Louette stayed quiet, before unfolding her arms "You lot; follow me into my office."
At the same time, at an undisclosed location, Gallia
Kriistina Sheffield, of the Inner Sanctum of Templar Order, stood stoically before the Master Templars/Elite Abstergo Agents of Albion.
"Foxtrot Leader, I need a damage report; what was our losses in Albion?" she sternly demanded.
"Because of the sudden evacuation, all our influence, along in Albion was eradicated once Reconquista and Echo Team fell to the Assassins. Not only that, due to our haste, the chances that we might've left some important documents and technologies in our old bases aren't slim."
Commander Sheffield growled before resting her palm upon her face "Damn, those Assassins have the home field advantage in this end of the war." She muttered "Do we at least have any good news for the rest of us to work with?"
Foxtrot leader nodded as he presented Sheffield with what looked like an antique music box. "Well, we managed to recover this. It is called the Founder's music box. According to sources, it is supposed to identify "void mages", them being the only ones who could hear its music. Apparently, it is one of the sacred treasures of Albion."
"And the void mage associated with it?"
"Unfortunately, we were forced to evacuate before we could acquire any further information." Foxtrot leader said dejectedly.
Sheffield sighed "Well, at least we didn't suffer a total loss in Albion. Alright, you're dismissed."
"Yes sir!" the Leaders of Foxtrot, Golf and Hotel teams saluted.
"May the Father of Understanding guide you," Sheffield blessed as her fellow Templars filed out of the meeting room one by one. With them gone, she called out "Luce, you were watching that whole exchange, weren't you?"
As she spoke, a young girl with white hair and blue eyes dropped from the building's framework and kneeled before the Master Templar "Forgive me if I was at fault, master."
"There is no need." Commander Sheffield calmly placed her hand on her shoulders "This side of the war is far different than it was on the 'other side', but it eventually be placed under those who would truly bring this world into an everlasting peace." She said with an absolute gentle tone. Much like true Templars, she was truly disgusted with how the nobility had run this continent. With such marvels like their magical creatures and magic, they would be the foundation of great sciences and civilizations. But instead, all it led to was the tyrannical dominion of the mages over the so-called commoners. It was far too similar to what the Modern Templars such as herself call 'The Dark Age of the Order', otherwise known as the Age of the Borgia. Despite their rather dubious means, the Templar Order intended to serve the greater good, but what the nobility and church was doing, it was too appalling for either the Assassins or the Templars to tolerate. And it truly meant something if these two lifelong enemies would agree on the nobles' atrociousness.
"Also, there is also the issue of apprehending the Valliere girl." Luce pointed out.
"Well, since taking her by force will only provoke the Assassin she summoned, our spies suggested to take it slow and let her into the Order on her own free terms. We cannot afford to take any chances here."
"I find it foolish that we are still keeping him informed, master Sheffield." Luce argued.
"Our allies believe he is our best bet in retrieving the void mage without thoroughly arousing the Assassins' suspicions."
"If I may insert my opinion, I wish to be sent to Tristain and… 'handle' the Assassin problem." Luce offered. If a single Assassin, one who couldn't be any older or younger than she was, was able to cause so much trouble for the Templar Order, then he would make a worthy opponent to someone like her.
"Unless my agents royally screw up in Tristain and are unable to handle a single Assassin boy, then your job is to stay here and assist with the war here." Sheffield stated as she looked into the window, the twin moons glowing beautifully, watching them endlessly like the eyes of god.
She pulled out her radio "Kilo team, this is command, over."
*This is Kilo leader, over.*
"You reported the possibility of P.O.E. in the Tristain Magical Academy, right?"
*That is correct, over.*
"Then in that case, you have full authorization to retrieve the P.O.E., and do it covertly."
*And the Valliere girl?*
"The Assassin Familiar's suspicions were already aroused when we after her once before. If our research into the Familiar System is correct, then all that will do is invoke the familiar's runes and alert them to their master's location. If we did the same here, we will just be leading them right to us. If we want her on our side, she must come to us willingly. Do not engage under any circumstance. In the off chance, your team encounters her, you are permitted to suppressing her, nothing else. The P.O.E is our top priority."
*Acknowledged. Deploying a retrieval squad now.*
At the same time, Tristain Academy of Magic
"Now class, as you know, the uses of fire magic…"
Louise, who returned to the Academy a while ago, halfheartedly wrote down notes to her class. But now, her heart was not into studying right now. Instead, she was far more curious about her familiar, no, Saito. Ever since he convinced (forced) her to break her familiar contract, Saito seemed to be slightly more amiable. He still told her nothing about her, but at least he wasn't openly hostile to her. During their time aboard the Royal Sovereign, they actually seemed to be able to hold actual conversations with each other and such. It seemed like all that tension and mutual hatred for each other just… vanished.
A few days back, aboard the Royal Sovereign
"Louise…" Saito called out, carrying a small package under his arms "Here." he shoved it into her arms.
"Huh?" Louise opened up the package, finding an ornate flower vase inside "What is this?"
"It's to replace that knockoff of a flower vase you had." He told her.
"That doesn't explain how you knew it was a knockoff. The man who sold it to me said it was an original from Germania." Louise said as she examined the new vase.
"If you bothered to look at the vase yourself, then you would have noticed some oddities amongst the vase." Saito said as he started to explain the difference between antiques and knockoffs "You see, I could tell that higher quality vases would most likely be made by earth mages or professional artisans, who would use their magic or special techniques while using high quality ceramics, whereas your vase seemed to have been made by an apprentice glass blower, due to the notable cracks, the frailness of the material and the fact it was painted on with a poor quality paint."
Louise stood there, dumbfounded "How the hell would you know something like that?"
"I have hobbies too, you know." Was his simple answer before he went off to do his own duties.
"Alright then class, you're dismissed. Except for you Miss Valliere, as well as Mr. Gramont, Miss Zerbst, and Tabitha. I need to speak with you."
Louise broke off that train of thought as Colbert dismissed most of the class. After the last student had already left, Colbert approached the ones who had ditched class for a week.
"Now, it has come to my attention that you have skipped school recently. As a teacher, I am very disappointed in this lack of conscientiousness." Colbert scolded. "As the ones who are to become Halkenginia's future, they are expected to master the art of magic at a prestigious academy such as this."
"…Sorry…"
Louise and her friends said sheepishly.
"Now, I know it is not within my rights to know what you were doing, but according to Old Osmond, I still need to punish you for your truancy." He beamed at them "That is why, to make up for your lost days, you are to accompany me on a research trip on the coming summer vacation!"
…
…
…
"Huh?"
Louise, Kirche, and Guiche stuttered, dumbfounded. That was their punishment for truancy?
"Doesn't want to be lonely when he goes on trip."
Tabitha deadpanned as Colbert flinched.
"W-What?! N-No! It's not like I want to be alone…" Colbert stuttered as he hastily regained his composure "A-Anyways, bringing you onto this trip will be good for you. You will learn much on my research trip. It will more than make up for the days you lost!" he smiled like the fair teacher he was. "Well, that was all I needed to say. I would suggest packing in advance. The trip is going to last about one week. More than enough time for you to prepare for Princess Henrietta's coming wedding with Emperor Albrecht III!" Well, he was right about the wedding part. But unbeknownst to any of them, Henrietta's betrothed had been changed due to a certain familiar boy. "Anyways, that was all I needed to tell you. You are now dismissed."
Master Louette's office
The quarters of a Master Assassin often will tell one much of that Assassin's history. Upon one wall, one can see the various mementos of the fallen, either of eliminated targets or slain allies. Upon the other, one could see several bookshelves lined with records upon records, tome upon tome, all archived in plain sight; obviously decoys to hide the real things, with the real archives likely hidden behind the bookshelf or somewhere else. And if one looks at the back, one can see a couple old armors and uniforms, damages and patching showing the experience one went through during their years.
But, now wasn't the best time to be awestruck.
The four of them were sitting in a couple of chairs and staring directly at Master Louette, who was deep in thought.
"So," Master Louette spoke after several minutes of silence "You do realize the repercussions of your actions, do you not? Even a single slip up would have brought for complete and total war between the three countries, all for such stupid reasons."
The three trained Assassins shifted uncomfortably in their seats, knowing the incident would have been a disaster hadn't they intervened. Wales, however, boldly stood up and said "I would like to apologize in regards to my actions; I convinced and/or tricked Saito here to bring me to Tristain. Every event that occurred has been because of me. I humbly apologize and take full responsibility."
The three younger Assassins looked surprised with Wales' bold words. Master Louette, on the other hand, was impressed that a noble such as Wales was more than willing to admit his actions.
"You're much different than most nobles if you're willing to take the consequences of your actions." Master Louette noted "However, your actions did break the second [hide in plain sight] and third tenet [never compromise the brotherhood] of the creed: the second was for making your presence and your recent actions known, the third for making your fellow Assassin come and break the second tenet to save your sorry ass. Not to mention nearly breaking the first tenet [do not kill an innocent] to a severe degree if that war came to fruition. Under normal circumstances, I would have to execute you for this, but because your death would compromise our alliance with the Royalist faction, I won't do this."
"Phew," Wales sighed in relief.
"Instead, I'll just have you sent back to Albion; I believe that both the Assassins and the Royalists are furious that the prince ran off for his own selfish purposes instead of supporting his war-torn country, and they will be glad to get their little prince back."
Wales immediately paled at the connotations of her words, but took a deep breath and sighed "Very well, I understand."
"As for you three," Master Louette focused her attention on Saito, Julio, and Domani "Even with this disaster averted, I am still supposed to punish you for your actions…" Her voice trailed off "However, one of the elders appealed for your leniency, and as a result, your punishment is merely to reflect on your mistakes and await a redemption mission from some of the higher ups. Until then, you are unable to take any further assignments or leave the compound."
Julio and Domani sighed in relief, but all this did was arouse Saito's confusion "Excuse me, but why are we let off the hook so easily? Didn't we break several tenets of the Creed?"
"Correction, the crown prince was the only one besides you who broke the tenets of the Creed. And your breaking of the second tenet can be justified because you had to save another Assassin from his blunders. Which reminds me, you have a secondary assignment; take down those wanted posters of yourself the next time you're at Tristainia."
"That still doesn't explain why we are let off so relatively easily-" Before Saito could finish, Julio and Domani hastily covered up his mouth and yanked him into his seat, preventing him from making his punishment worse for himself.
Ignoring that little outburst, Master Louette mellowed out and calmed down "Well, I do hope you make yourself comfortable; you will be here for a while."
Sometime later, Des Orniéres mess hall
After they had met with Master Louette, she told the three trained Assassins to go on off and take a break while she discussed transferring arrangements with Wales. So now, they just made it to the mess hall for a quick luncheon.
"…" Saito, who silently prodded at a shepherd's pie (a common peasant dish made of mashed potato and meat), quietly thought of their lenient judgment.
"You seem pretty down for someone granted mercy for our mistakes." Domain commented as he ate a bite of bistecca (Romalian beefsteak).
"Well, he's used to being punished for his mistakes, so the idea of leniency, even for the slightest mistakes, is pretty foreign for him. Just let him be." Julio mentioned as he consumed a bowl of polenta (cornmeal made into a porridge) before asking "Hey, you gonna eat that?"
"Dōzo osakini. (Go ahead.)" Saito muttered as Julio took his shepherd's pie and started eating it "So, how are you guys just okay with that? I mean, during one of the few times it happened, the Assassin still was stripped of his rank and equipment before going on a large manhunt that went throughout the entire region!"
Julio took a bite out of the shepherd's pie "Well, if you ask me, I think that everything you did even without knowledge of the Order's presence gave you a free pass from the council." He took another forkful of shepherd's pie and gulped it down "As for me, I'm one of their only connections to the Brimiric Church, so they can't take me out. And as for Domani over here… Well, he kind of monitors my mental health."
"What for?"
Julio sighed and removed the glove on his right hand, revealing his familiar runes once again. "You see these runes we have? Well, even if we stay true to the creed, the Order will almost never be sure that we can be trusted, we're loose cannons to them, all because of these damn runes. With these maladetto (damned) things on our hands, we can decimate armies for the ones we serve, but because of them, we are bound to those summoners. I don't know about you, but the Romalian Assassins had to do some really risky ritual to disrupt the rune that brainwashed me, which worked by the way, they still don't completely trust me. So if I even get the urge to bend to the will of my so-called "master", Domani is here to snap me back into reality, or if worse comes to worse, kill me."
Saito stared at the two in shock "Wow, that's really something…"
"Trust me, he shows no signs of ever being willingly obedient to that self-righteous bastardo (bastard). The ironic thing is, his true allegiance is to a Creed that has no affiliation whatsoever to the Church, and he's one of the least corrupt members of the clergy." Domani laughed halfheartedly.
"…That sounds… oddly believable, to say the least." Thinking back, Saito knew how corrupt the Catholic Church was back in the Renaissance period, so something like this doesn't really surprise him.
"Sad truth if you ask me." Julio smiled sadly before he finished the rest of his shepherd's pie "Knowing your situation, they'll probably assign an Assassin to monitor you too."
"So, in the end, we're going to be watched for probably the rest of our lives, barely trusted by the organization we gave our lives for since we drew our first breath." Saito deadpanned in a depressed tone.
"That's a dark way to look at it, but you can see it like that…"
…
…
…
The rest of the meal was spent in a depressing silence.
Later that night
"…" Saito, who left Julio and Domani on their own (Julio mentioned something about having to go back to Tristain Castle in a couple of weeks), sat atop the Des Orniéres mansion, just glancing at Halkenginia's twin moons. There wasn't much going on around inside the rest of the compound. As far as he could see, the only ones who were still up were a handful of the more nocturnal Assassins, and from what he could see, a couple non-human Assassins in the mix. It hadn't really occurred to him that there would be other beings like that in Halkenginia. Then again, he's only been in Halkenginia for about a month, so that is to be expected-
"Oh, there you are."
The Oriental Assassin looked down; Wales was standing directly below him, bent over, a bandaged arm, and with his hands bound by a pair of shackles.
"You were looking for me?"
"Yes, before I left, I was meaning to apologize to you after I apologized to Father Julio and his assistant Domani."
"And they probably hit you." Saito deadpanned as he leapt down in front of him.
"Julio nearly shattered the bones in my arm with some metal rod weapon and Domani kicked me in the crotch." Wales said with a sweatdrop.
"And you're telling me this why?" Saito raised an eyebrow.
Wales sighed and took a deep breath "As I wanted to say, I'm sorry for causing you any trouble, and for making you bail me out of that duel with the Emperor of Germania." He cringed and waited for an attack from Saito that never came.
"Calm down. I already got my anger out on you when I yanked you away from Henrietta and knocked you unconscious." Saito replied with a smirk "Just be happy I'm not my elder sister. She'd probably skin you alive for doing something like that."
"I'll keep that in mind if I ever meet her." Wales replied with another sweatdrop.
"Try not to," Saito pulled off his hood before extending his hand "Well, I might as well go out on a limb here and say that it was a mighty big honor to work with you."
"It's been an honor to work with you too." Wales said as he awkwardly shook his hand. "I have to be going back now. I guess I'll be seeing you at the wedding then." He started walking towards a carriage in the distance, but not before Saito stopped him again.
"Wales,"
"Yes?"
"Next time you Henrietta," Saito's expression turned serious "Tell her I didn't forget and she still owes me 50,000 ecu for the job I did for her."
Wales blinked "Huh?! How did she come to owe you so much money?!" Unlike Saito, whose knowledge of the economy system was pretty limited at best, Wales knew that much money would be enough to finance the Royalist faction's efforts in the civil war for several months. He began to wonder what he did for Henrietta to merit that much ecu.
"She'll know what I'm talking about." Saito reassured him, though all it did was add to Wales' confusion "Tell her that if you see her again."
"I-I'll keep that in mind…" Wales stuttered with a shocked expression as he went back towards the carriage taking him back to the port.
Meanwhile, Tristain Academy of Magic, Louise's room
Louise, like any faithful follower of Brimir, knelt down on the floor and prayed to God.
"God, I beseech thee," Louise prayed solemnly "I ask of thee, what is my role in thy divine plan? If granting me a lack of talent in magic and a rebellious familiar is any sort of test, then you must have seen me suffer enough throughout my life. My life seems fated to send me burden after burden. So please, I beg of you, if you have something in store for me, please give me a sign."
*Knock, knock*
As if on cue, a hooded figure knocked on her window. "Louise Francoise." The figure called out in a jovial tone.
Almost instantly, Louise recognized the stranger's voice "Princess Henrietta!" she hastily opened the window, letting her childhood friend in "What are you doing here? I thought you were to prepare for the wedding with the Emperor of Germania!"
Henrietta, pulling down her hood, embraced Louise and cried tears of joy "The circumstances have changed, and it's all thanks to your familiar!"
Louise blinked. "Eh?" was the most she could come up with.
"Your familiar; he brought my beloved Wales to me and gave us a new chance with our love! We're now engaged!"
She excitedly showed Louise Wales' Ruby Ring of Wind upon her hand.
"Yes, I wanted to thank you for bringing that amazing familiar of yours into this world and sending him to help us!" she paused "You did send him to us, didn't you?"
Louise hesitated. On one hand, the familiar's achievements are the master's achievements, so it was technically her right to claim Saito's deeds as her own. On the other hand, the same rule applies for the familiar's crimes. If she takes credit for Saito's actions, she will also be taking credit for his crimes as well.
"I already am aware of your familiar's crimes."
"!" Louise's head jerked up "What?! But how did you-"
"When he came into the castle, he was called out on being on wanted posters by one of Albrecht III's knights." Henrietta said with a sweatdrop.
Louise's face faulted, before she started to bow deeply in shame before hastily stuttering "YOURMAJESTYI'MSORRYFOREVERYTHINGTHATHEDIDICAN'TCONTROL-"
Henrietta calmed her down "Louise, it's okay. Despite all the damage he's done, it is apparent he only goes after the corrupt nobles anyway. After all, I am still alive, aren't I?"
"Well," Louise hesitated "That is true, but-"
"It is nothing to worry about." Henrietta smiled as she pulled back her hood and slowly walked back to the window "I really hope that you and your familiar can make it to the wedding-"
*CRASH!*
A large metal object pierced through the window, barely missing Henrietta's head, before landing on the floor, spewing out a strange gas.
"What… the…" Louise yawned "I… feel… sleepy…" she said as she and Henrietta collapsed on the floor, asleep.
Outside
"What the hell are you doing?" An Abstergo agent holding a metal case behind his back barked as his fellow agent fired a gas grenade onto a window on an upper floor.
"I thought I saw someone at that window up there." The other Agent replied.
The first agent shook his head "You know what, we already got the P.O.E.; we need to get out of here." He said as the two agents rejoined the rest of their team, the Piece of Eden in tow.
A/N: Wow, if you look at Saito and Julio's case, they kinda have it rough; they practically lived most of their short lives in service to the Assassins, but with their status as familiars, they can never be fully trusted by them. Abstergo found the P.O.E. Saito came across in chapter 4. Yep, that's probably not the last victory they're gonna have either. So… uh, did you guys see the Assassin's Creed IV manga? Yes, it exists; it's pretty good if you ask me. The gap between chapters leaves a lot to be desired, but overall, it could've been worse. Anyways. Please review!