The road back to London was a long trip. Ruby and Weiss nervously sat in silence, thoughts of what they would find in London flitting through their minds. The message had been brief, all they knew was that the Assassin families had been attacked and there were casualties. The Templars had struck, with little subtlety they had begun yet another war with the Assassins.
Ruby worried for Ren, for Yang and her Father, and for Blake. Weiss worried it was a trap, that the Templars had summoned them to die like the rest of their friends. While they were certain it was Ren's seal on the letter, they could not be certain who held the seal any more. They couldn't however, risk doing nothing. So they sat armoured and armed in the coach, preparing for whatever the great city of London held for them.
Cautiously watching the streets through the carriage windows they both searched anxiously for any signs of danger. London however, was as it always was, bustling with people of both high and low birth. Families, beggars, business man, constables and occasional soldiers walked the streets. As was the way of the conflict between the two orders, no one knew of the war that raged beneath the surface of the civil society of London.
Ruby watched as the meeting place approached, a fairly large manor with curtains drawn over all the windows. The streets became less full of life as they drew closer to the building, as if it gave off an aura of dread. Ruby let out a breath she forgot she was holding and calmed her nerves. She looked to Weiss for reassurance, Weiss giving her the best smile she could muster. It didn't fill Ruby with confidence, but it helped bring her focus.
The two stood before the doors. The door knocker was a copy of the one at Ren's manor, an expertly crafted silver dragon. Ruby was taken back to the night it had all began, the knock on the door having started her whole journey. Weiss knocked three times, her other hand pulling her blade free by an inch in readiness.
The door swung open and Blake stepped forwards, weapon in hand. Weiss was seconds away from drawing her own blade before she recognised the dark clad Assassin. "Blake!"
"Weiss!" the two embraced each other, both laughing in relief. Blake broke away and hugged Ruby, who was also laughing nervously at the dissolved tension.
"Blake, we got Ren's message, what's happened?" Weiss returning to her usual serious self. Blake's smile faded quickly as well,
"Come inside, we can talk in private." Blake let them inside, closing the door behind them and making sure it was locked. The halls were lit with lamps, the dim light of the sun not able to pierce through the thick drapes. Blake took them through the house, the dark rooms of the hideout were barely furnished. She led them to a dining area near the centre of the building, away from any windows or doors leading outside.
At the table sat Ren, dark rings under his eyes from lack of sleep. Too his right sat Pyrrha, arm bandaged and in a sling. Nora stood behind Ren, the mercenary standing protectively over her employer. Ren looked up and smiled at Ruby as she entered, "Ruby, it's good to see you safe and sound,"
"You too Ren, but I'm not the one who was at risk of being murdered. I had Weiss watching my back," Ruby said as she grasped Weiss' hand. Weiss grew red, the display of affection to her seeming too risky. Blake smiled slyly, making eye contact with Weiss. Ren seemed not to notice, nodding in agreement, "It is also good to see you Weiss, we need every capable Assassin right now."
"Indeed, it seems the Templars have made quite the move," Weiss cast her eyes to the empty seats at the table. "What of the Scarletina family, where are Pyrrha's Father?" Weiss looked confused, seeing the sorrow on her companion's faces she caught on quickly, grimacing at the thought. "I'm so sorry Pyrrha," Ruby said as she moved over to comfort the red headed girl, who bravely fought back tears.
"It is a true loss," Weiss said with reverence,
"What about my dad a-and Yang?" Ruby suddenly realising the absence of her own family. Weiss turned aggressively towards Ren, eyes begging him for a good answer. Ren waved his hand, "They are fine, this is a meeting for Assassins though and technically they are part of the order so-"
"But they are our allies and they will need our protection, they are after all known to the Templars." Weiss catching Ruby glancing at her appreciatively. Ren sighed, "I wish we could, but we need to set our sights on stopping the Templars, we don't have the resources to send people to watch them,"
"Bring them here then, they already know about the order, it is the least we can do to prevent more tragedy." Weiss stood resolute in her decision, Ren nodded again, giving up the clearly won fight.
"I will send for them, they can stay in the guest's quarters upstairs."
"Thanks a lot Ren," Ruby smiling softly at her friend. Ren returned the smile, his exhaustion apparent from his lazy expression.
"Now then, we need to set about finding the Templars, and dealing with them," Ren returning to gaze upon the small group. "We know little about them, we only have a single name that we found after dealing with Torchwick. Whoever this Ms Fall is, she is not known to London society, high or low. So far we have only been able to gather that she has two accomplices, one of which is heavily wounded after his confrontation with Pyrrha." Everyone turned to Pyrrha, her eyes downcast in memory as she recalled the night previous.
"He wore a hood like ours, I didn't get a clear view of his face, but his hair was white, almost silver. There can't be many people like that around town." Weiss twinged slightly at Pyrrha's words, her mind feeling as if it was on the verge of an answer, yet it was a fleeting feeling.
"The other one is a woman, around my age, darker skin, I didn't see much of her though." Pyrrha had paled during the course of her recounting and Ren laid a hand on hers "that's enough for now," he said softly.
Blake spoke up next, a fierce determination in her eyes, "I will talk to people around town, maybe see if anyone matching the descriptions have been up to anything." Ren nodded,
"Blake, that sailor who helped us fight Torchwick, is he still in town?" Ruby enquired. Blake nodded,
"He and his friend are still in town, what are you thinking?"
"I'm just thinking that we need more people to help," Ruby looked to Ren for approval,
"I think she is right," Pyrrha agreed,
"Blake, do you trust them?" Ren still hesitant to let any more people in on the conflict, and the orders existence itself. Blake smiled, nodding her head once. Ren seemed to waver for a second, before eventually giving the orders to ask them for assistance. Weiss watched on in silence, observing the commanding role Ren had taken, she assumed he had been elected as the next head of the order.
"Weiss it would be most helpful if you could use your contacts in the government to seek out any more information, now that we have an ever so slightly more promising lead." Ren asked with more gusto than his previous orders, the order itself also seeming more of a request. All eyes turned to Weiss, waiting to see if she would accept the new position she was in. "I will have it done immediately," she said with a respectful bow, everyone in the room sighing with relief. They were at war with the Templars, they didn't have time to fight amongst themselves. Weiss had also lost the hunger for the position; she had better things to keep her attention. Weiss waved to Ruby as she left, the girls happiness ever present even in times of such sorrow. It gave Weiss strength.
Ruby watched Weiss go, praying silently that she would be safe, even if the time they would spend apart would only be a few hours. "Ruby, you should go collect your family and bring them here, then we must discuss your entrance into the order proper," Ren said flippantly as he made a move from his chair, the others dispersing to go about their tasks. Ruby stood shocked, "You mean I'm ready to become an Assassin?" Her words barely holding back her excitement, causing Ren to chuckle.
"Yes, if we can get through this fight in one piece I will of course grant you the title of Assassin officially. Don't think much of it though, at this point you are an Assassin in my eyes, you fight well and hard for what you believe in, that's all that matters. You should hurry though, your family needs you." Ruby hugged Ren quickly before racing off, dashing for the back door of the house.
Just before she grasped the handle she noticed Pyrrha sitting alone in the small library of the house. Ruby pulled back, the urge to comfort the sad girl overwhelming her. "Hey there," she said softly as she entered the library. Pyrrha looked up from her seat, wiping away the tears quickly,
"R-ruby, I'm sorry I didn't notice you,"
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry again, I… I wish I could have helped."
"There was nothing you could have done, even if you had been In London word would not have reached you fast enough, we didn't find out about Velvet until the next day," Pyrrha broke out into a sob, the thought of her friend pushing her past the point of composure. Ruby held her, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. "T-they were too good, I-I couldn't stop them. They killed dad, I had to watch before I could even take a shot, why did I wait?" Pyrrha's sobs broke up her speech, "My shot didn't kill him... I-I never miss!" Pyrrha eventually stopped speaking, only quietly weeping into Ruby's shoulder.
"I know how it feels, I know you feel… helpless, but I found a way to get past it, and you are like a proper Assassin and are super pretty and strong," Ruby mumbled out desperately. Pyrrha laughed through her tears, "You barely know me Ruby,"
"Well I know enough, we are going to make it as right as we can, and you're gonna fight through it!" Ruby raised a fist in resolution, only causing more laughs from Pyrrha. "Thank you Ruby, now you should go, you have to make sure your family is safe."
"How does it feel General, no longer being controlled by those corrupt Assassins?" Cinder sipper her tea delicately, a wicked grin on her face. Ironwood was clearly nervous, possibly guilty over the crimes that he had let be committed. "My underlings dealt with the Nikos family only a night ago, now the Assassin families are broken, no longer pulling London in whatever direction they wish. It appears you have choices to make,"
"What choice?" Ironwood asked abruptly, straightening himself in his seat and masking his doubt. He examined the two figures standing behind Cinder, the silver haired gentlemen standing tall, even with the bandages still visible through his clothes. Cinder set her teacup down, "You have an opportunity to gain much, you have little opposition now, you could very well do whatever you wished."
"All I want is to keep Britannia safe, nothing more," Ironwood said with pride.
"Of course, a noble goal. You must ask yourself though, can you do that if the Assassins wait in the shadows, killing anyone they deem to be a threat to their anarchical ideals." Cinder's words dripped venom, her hatred for the Assassins clear. Ironwood squinted, eyes questioning the woman,
"I thought you said you dealt with them,"
"I dealt with the families at large, however like the vermin they are, the rest have simply scuttled back into their holes."
"Then I ask you to finish the job you said you would do. The Schnee's led me along like a fool, promising me a great many things. Then that they would set out to kill me, well that was one betrayal too far. I know treachery Ms Fall, and I can sense it here." Ironwood stood and turned his back to Cinder, taking long strides to leave. "How many men did you lose that night General?" Cinder asked accusingly, Ironwood stopping before the door.
"Thirteen of my best men," Ironwood said sombrely turning back to face Cinder. Cinder stood and walked over the General, her slow, seductive walk making Ironwood nervous. She stood inches away from, "James, they are dangerous and desperate. It was only two of them last time, the next it will be many more, and I might not be able to help you then." As she spoke her hand lightly caressed his face, running her gloved hand down his defined cheek bones softly. Ironwood gulped, trying to regain his composure, "Fine, I will send word out regarding the people you have identified as Assassins, my men will deal with them,"
"A very wise decision," Cinders soft voice returning to its commanding harshness. Ironwood left quickly, leaving the Templars alone.
"Ah, what a night that was. If they were really his best men then God save the King," Mercury joked. Emerald just glanced at him unamused,
"You managed to not get injured against all of them, but a single Assassin and you are crying out in pain." Emerald smiling as she saw the embarrassment on his face. Cinder strut over, clearly unimpressed with both of them. "Maybe if you had succeeded in quietly dealing with the Assassins, they wouldn't have gone into hiding and we wouldn't have to resort to using the General, lets just hope your identities were not noticed, as they were not last time." Cinder stood in front of Mercury, her hand tracing his injuries, "I do understand however, who is to blame for the mishap that occurred. Have no fear Emerald, I believe we will hear Mercury hear scream a little more," Cinder gripped his wounded shoulder, his face turning red as he fought he pain. Cinder let go, Mercury gasping slightly as she released him. "For now though, we wait for the General to deal with the Assassins."
Blake found Sun and Neptune at her tavern. They had agreed without question to help, Sun having slowly gained an understanding of what Blake was a part of over the time they had spent together. Neptune followed his friend, confident in his judgement. They took the back streets to the hideout, more out of habit than anything else. Eventually they had to enter a main street, pushing through the crowd of people that seemed to be gathering around several posters.
Sun and Blake pushed through, ignoring the likely trivial issues of the common people around them. Neptune however was quickly distracted, stopping to peer over the group to see a set of soldiers nailing the large poster to the wall. "Oh bugger… Sun! Blake!" Neptune called out pushing his way back to them, Sun looked back and stopped when he saw the worry written on his friend face, "What's the problem?" Sun putting a hand on Blake to stop her as he asked. Neptune just pointed to the soldiers, now having finished their work they began to speak. "Under the orders of General Ironwood of his Majesties Royal army, these fugitives are charged with the murder and bribery of several high ranking officials and officers of his Majesties royal army! Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos and any known associates! Any one with information is prompted to step forward, they are considered a threat so keep your distance and find the nearest available officer!" The soldier finished his cries before he and his associates moved away, allowing a better view of the poster.
The names were written in large letters and a reward was offered for any information. Sun and Neptune looked to Blake, who stared wide eyed at the parchment nailed to the wall. "This is very bad."
Authors note: Another one down, getting close to the end now. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for following and favouriting, we are past 50 favourites and nearly 100 follows, which is amazing. The story also just passed 10,000 views, which is bloody amazing. So thanks, I don't really know what else to say except that you are all wonderful people! So until next time, here is to you all continuing to be excellent!