Chapter Fourteen: The Assassin
Leaving the Bandit Coast with the Sanctuary Map Connor and Seth made their way towards the Rookridge Mining Town while Kyler went to conquer and claim his Guild Seal.
"So, what's the plan, Gabriel?" Connor asked leading the way with rain coming down.
"The main goal will be to recruit the three heroes of Strength, Skill, and Will but in between finding each of the three you will also gain other allies the first of these allies is the one I spoke of earlier," Gabriel spoke using his magic to create an image on their Guild Seals like a hologram of the Fate Card of a hand with a hidden blade approaching a figure in an alley, "the Assassin."
"You mean like a Highwayman?" Seth asked waiting for a reply while studying the card.
"Not exactly, in this world, we have two different kinds of hitmen, the Highwaymen who take the highest pay and kill whoever they are hired to kill despite the reason," Gabriel explained.
"And the other?" Connor asked putting away his seal onto his side.
"The mysterious Assassin Order, often referred to as the Brotherhood, hooded men and women part of a group shrouded in mystery, even with my powers I seem to gather little to no information on them, however, I do know that who they dedicate their lives protecting humanity from those who would abuse their power, coercive rule, and injustice," Gabriel spoke hearing Seth scoff.
"Where the bloody hell were these clowns when tyrants took over Albion?!" Seth spat pulling up his hood.
"What makes you think they haven't been trying to stop Lord Tirich? He is no ordinary man," Gabriel spoke making Connor and Seth stop in their tracts.
"What do you mean by that Gabriel?" Connor asked motioning Seth to a cave where they stopped to rest for the rain to stop.
"Lord Tirich is a pawn to something very evil and very powerful, it calls itself the Darkness, have you heard the stories of the War with Samarkand?" Gabriel asked.
"Most of the information is vague but from what I remember as a kid is that the War nearly caused Albion's destruction, a 'Corruption' as they called it spread across Albion and nearly destroyed the kingdom," Connor spoke crossing his arms.
"The Corruption is like a plague, a dark evil sea of agony that spreads and destroys anything it touches, you two will see for yourself very soon this Corruption for yourselves. As to the reason the Order had no success in killing Lord Tirich falls to the five Lieutenants that are at his side," Gabriel spoke appearing in the cave in a beam of light holding five black Fate Cards.
"Who are these lieutenants?" Seth asked watching Gabriel make the first of the cards float forward with a hand holding up a puppet by its strings.
"They come from the Void, a horrible realm that can only be described as a thing of nightmares, these beings are called the Ark of Sins originally a group of eight only five remain in this world and each one of them are very powerful, I should know, I destroyed two of them," Gabriel spoke using his magic to create a magic image of the Devourer and the Temptress.
"They're monsters?" Connor asked looking at the masked creatures, seeing the Devour move and play out a scene from the fight leading to his demise, "Wait is that you Gabreil? Is he trying to squish you?! How big are these things?!"
"Their sizes vary between the agents, the Devour the Sin of Gluttony was a giant, he would have defeated me too had it not been for Fergus's sacrifice," Gabriel spoke making the image of the two dead agents vanish, "Logan and his allies five hundred years ago destroyed the Dejestress the Sin of Sorrow so that leave the five."
"This card with the puppeteer, what sin is he?" Seth asked watching Gabriel create an image of the giant that appeared in Samarkand now with a crack in his mask.
"He is the Vexator the Sin of Wrath and leader of the Sins, he is a puppeteer, and his strings are lethal, as for the others I do not know what they look like but I know their names and their stories," Gabriel spoke seeing Connor stare at the Vexator and touched his throat, "make it feel like he has strings around your neck don't it?"
"It does, it's so strange, I can't shake the feeling he is the most dangerous of the lot," Connor shivered watching a card appear with headmen lifting an ax.
"This is the Gratificator the Sin of Pride; when he was human he was an executioner, a man who took a little too much enjoyment in taking off the heads of those who came to his chopping block," Gabriel spoke moving Pride card away and brought forth a card of a hand holding gold and jewels.
"They were all humans?" Connor asked shocked that these creatures could have been a human once.
"They were, every one of them was transformed by the Corrupter who made promises of revenge, glory, riches whatever the reason once he had them he stripped away everything that made them human, most don't even remember their real names," Gabriel spoke.
"Who is the next one?" Seth asked pointing to the new card.
"This is the Acquisitor the Sin of Greed; in ancient times he was a cruel Pharaoh who mistreated his people to the point they revolted and executed him," Gabriel spoke bringing forth a card with a shattered hourglass.
"This is the Indolentor the Sin of Sloth; once a carefree man who enjoyed nothing more than basking in the sun's rays and neglecting his duties, this laziness would be his downfall when his family's entire livestock was stolen while he slept, this caused their demise by winter when his family all died one by one of starvation," Gabriel spoke seeing Connor shiver.
"Are all of their lives this tragic as humans?" Connor asked seeing Gabriel nod and bring forth the final card of a woman's hand holding a cracked mirror.
"Lastly we have the Discontentress the Sin of Envy, once the second daughter of a wealthy family, she grew jealous of her elder sister's beauty, success, and charm that in a fit of rage she burned down her family home along with her family, ultimately causing her undoing when the house also came down on her," Gabriel spoke making the black Fate Cards vanish.
"Bloody hell! You are telling me that we are going to have to fight these things?! How?!" Seth asked watching Gabriel point at Connor.
"Your gauntlets, they have the power to hurt them, these enemies can not be defeated alone, you will need to have faith in the allies you make and trust in your skill when the time comes to confront the Sins," Gabriel spoke looking out of the cave to see the rain stop, "we will talk more soon, for now find the Assassin."
"We will Gabriel," Connor spoke watching the man vanish before going into thought, "Here I thought it be easy and the only monsters we would be fighting were in the Crucible or woods, do you think we can do this?"
Staying silent Seth shrugged, "Honestly mate, I have no bloody idea, however, I sure as bloody hell know I ain't dying without putting up a damn fight!"
"You are right! Let's go find this Assassin!" Connor smirked standing up and exiting with Seth back down the road toward Rookridge.
Entering the Mining town Connor and Seth walked down a hill where they could see the small town below that had expanded with the Tavern.
"That the place," Seth spoke looking to his right to a bridge leading to an ominous building, "hey Gabriel, what that place?"
"Temple of Shadows, the cult had once tried to carry out a mass genocide of the farm community of Oakfield, luckily they were stopped by the Hero of Bower Lake," Gabriel spoke.
"There is something still dark about that place," Roscoe growled.
"Come on guys, let's hit up the Tavern, maybe someone will know something about the Assassin," Connor spoke leading the way into town where miners were leaving the tavern and making their way into the mines that had been recently built over the years.
Inside the tavern, Connor and Seth took a table waiting for a barmaid to approach, "Well hello strangers! Haven't seen you two before, new in town?"
"Yes, we are! Passing through on a pilgrimage to see the Golden Oak," Seth smiled using his charm to make the girl giggle.
"Well, I do hope you stick around handsome, can I get you anything to drink?" she asked pulling out a notepad.
"Two Ms. Albion Ales please," Seth requested.
"Anything else?" she asked writing down their orders.
"Actually yes," Connor spoke leaning on the table, "what juicy gossip have you heard around town?"
"Not much hun, this is a mining town so most anyone ever talks about is Ebony, pickax swinging debates, and the local drunk Tim, but," she smirked leaning in, "I did hear a rumor that that nasty temple on the hill is active as of late."
"Really? No one went missing, have they?" Seth asked with concern.
"Oh no, all my usuals are still coming in, everyone knows to stay clear of that cursed place! You know now that I think about it, the other night another stranger came into town," she spoke recalling her interaction with the odd man.
"What does he look like?" Seth asked curious if the man she saw was the Assassin.
"I don't know! It was so odd, he wore a black and red hood over his head and stayed in the corner of the tavern, I even tried to try and peek at his face and he was also wearing a matching face mask over his nose and mouth," she spoke.
"What did he do?" Connor asked curious what the Assassin was doing in the tavern.
"Nothing, he just ordered a drink and asked if anyone in town had gone near that creepy temple, I told him what I told you boys and he left, didn't even order anything!" she spoke with a shrug, "I'll get you boys your drink."
Once the barmaid had left Seth and Connor glanced at each other, Seth quietly speaking, "Gabriel mentioned that their order focuses on taking out people who would harm the world, maybe the Temple of Shadow trying to rebuild itself?"
"That possible, would he even still be there? She said this was a night ago," Connor wondered looking up when their barmaid returned with beer mugs with their drinks.
"You two enjoy!" she smiled walking off.
"Only one way to find out," Seth spoke taking a swig of his ale.
"Shall we get going?" Connor asked taking a swig of his ale and making a face, "Blah, I always forget I am not a drinker."
"After this round," Seth said with a chuckle taking another drink of his ale.
Later that night after paying for their drinks Seth and Connor made their way back up the hill towards the Temple of Shadows where they approached the large bridge towards the temple.
Sniffing the air Roscoe stopped and looked ahead to the temple, "There's blood in the air, fresh blood."
"That ain't good," Seth spoke pulling out his cutlass and Connor his sword both slowly made their way across the bridge towards the temple where they both saw a body lying behind the wall where the gate was opened.
Approaching Connor turned the corner raising his eyes in shock to see the cultist's body was missing his head and the head was lying a few feet away, "after seeing those bodies in Howling Halls this isn't so bad."
"Still a gruesome sight, the cut was clean, the blade must have been very sharp," Seth spoke as they approached the spiral staircase where down below, they saw another headless body.
"Are we sure this Assassin is on our side?" Connor asked seeing a shrug from Seth, "Only one way to find out huh?"
Descending the staircase, Connor and Seth reach a large hall where another headless body lay by another open gate and they could hear somewhere in the temple was a struggle.
Entering a large room with a wheel and several more bodies they could see a hooded figure slam his knee into an elder cultist gut, grab the back of his head, and slam it on the desk they stood in front of before grabbing the man's hand placing it on the table and stabbing a knife down on it.
"GAAAAAH! YOU BASTARD!" the cultist leader yelled grabbing the blade and trying to free himself watching the hooded man slowly walk around and lean across the table in front of him holding out his arm and flexing his hand making a hidden blade appear and pointing at his neck.
Then in a thick Spanish accent, the hooded Assassin spoke, "I thought you and your amigos enjoyed misery? No me gusta? Hmph, that's disappointing, you will sit there and enjoy watching a woman plead for her life but I take it you don't enjoy feeling the blade yourself? Don't feel good being the perra now, does it?"
(*Amigo = Friend, No me gusta = Don't like it?, Perra = Bitch)
"What do you want?" the cult leader asked able to see the assassin's gold amber eyes under the hood glaring at him.
"I want you to arrepentirse, in your language that means to repent," the Assassin spoke aware that Seth and Connor were watching from the doorway but stayed focused on his target, "I've had to spill a lot of blood today."
With wide eyes, Connor and Seth watch the assassin remove a massive cleaver from his back and chop it down on the desk making the cult leader's eyes widen in fear.
"What's this? Veo tu miedo, do I see your fear~" the Assassin spoke watching the man start to breathe faster.
"I'll do anything! Gold! Information! Women! Just name your price!" the cult leader pleaded before the assassin grabbed the back of his head and slammed him down on the desk forcing him to look at a body in the corner.
"Look at her you bastardo! That young girl had a family! Had a dream you stole from her! For what? In the name of your false dios? Your greed? For the others I made their deaths quick, I showed those fools la merced, for you," the assassin spoke stabbing the man in the neck with his hidden blade making the man startle to gargle and choke on his blood, still being forced to look at the dead girl he killed.
(*bastardo = Bastard, Dio = God, merced = mercy)
Picking up his cleaver the assassin waited a few minutes before bringing down his cleaver on the cultist's neck letting the head roll down the steps and come rolling down in front of Seth, Connor, and Roscoe.
"GOD DAMN!" Seth exclaimed not sure if he should be impressed or concerned about how brutal the man was.
Pulling out a white feather the assassin soaked the cultist leader's blood in it before stowing it away in a baggy and putting it away, pulling his cleaver out of the wood he attached it to his back and slowly turned to face Connor and Seth.
"I know you," the assassin spoke pointing at Seth, "Ay, you're the líder, the leader, of la Resistencia."
(*Ay = oh, líder = leader, resistencia = resistance)
"Uh yeah that's me and this is," Seth began but saw the Assassin hold up a hand and stopped talking.
"I already know who he is," the Assassin spoke slowly walking down the stairs, where Connor's eyes widened to see what was attached to the assassin belt and pointed.
"Seth look! He has one!" Connor spoke nudging Seth who then noticed the Guild Seal that looked identical to theirs on his person.
"It transformed to the modern look too, Assassin, where did you get that?" Seth asked pointing to the seal.
"Funny, I was about you both the same thing," the Assassin spoke studying the two warriors, "Cuál es tu posición?" (What is your position?)
"Sorry we don't speak Spanish, what was that last part?" Connor asked seeing the man roll his eyes.
"Gringos," the assassin muttered before speaking again, "where do you stand? Are you as they say on the televisión? Are you terrorists? Or are you truly heroes?"
(*Gringos = Foreginers)
"He is, Connor is the rightful heir to Albion's throne and a descendant of the Great Hero King Sparrow," Seth spoke crossing his arms and watching the assassin carefully unsure if he was a friend or enemy just yet.
"I heard of the stories of this great hero, he was a descendiente of another Hero, one I am very familiar with," the assassin spoke picking up his seal.
(descendiente = Descendant)
"The Hero of Oakvale? Yeah, I heard his stories too, some say he journeyed alone and others that he was in the company of two unnamed friends," Seth spoke all heads turning to a light that appeared and Gabriel stepped out.
"This story is true and what binds you three in particular," Gabriel spoke.
"Quién eres? Who are you?!" the Assassin demanded pointing his Phantom Blade towards Gabriel.
"The Seals you three carry, they all once belonged to a group of three friends later brother in arms in the Guild, Connor's ancestor the Hero of Oakvale Zane, Seth's ancestor Ace Finn, and your ancestor Leo Miles," Gabriel spoke making the room erupt in a blinding light.
Blinking Connor and the others found themselves near a lake where they saw the three heroes of old sitting by a lake fishing and drinking, each with a smile on their face, even the Zane dog was having a good time playing fetch.
"Is that them?" Connor asked watching the image change to the heroes fighting Jack of Blades in the Heroes Guild.
"It is, Theresa kept and made sure Zane's seal would end up in the hands of his descendants, Ben it took many years to find but with some help, he located Ace Finn's resting place where he took the seal so it could be passed down to Seth," Gabriel spoke turning the image to Leo who removed his Assassin hood, hidden blade, and Guild Seal and hid them in a secret compartment under a floorboard.
"The seal always stayed within the familia, sometimes going many generations before another took on the coat," the Assassin spoke approaching the image of Leo and reaching out watching it vanish and return them to the Temple of Shadows. (familia = Family)
"You know as well I do, what's happening to Albion, a tyrant rules the country and you can see it too with your keen eyes, a plague has spread across Albion, by helping us you can help save Albion as your ancestor did before," Gabriel spoke watching the assassin pick up the body of the cult last victim before walking past Connor and Seth.
"Forget it," he spoke with Connor and Seth chasing after him.
"Wait hold on! We need your help! You saw what we did right?" Connor asked.
"What? Some magic that makes us all amigos now? No lo creo, gringo, I have a job to do, and it starts with giving the familia of this poor girl some peace," the Assassin spoke about to enter the hall but was stopped by Gabriel appearing, "muévete!"
(*No lo creo = I don't buy it, muévete = Move it)
"Tercero, use your Eagle Sense, look at Connor, see with your own eyes what Leo saw in Zane, is it not how you were able to tell the cultist words were lies? Your gifts allowed you to hear his lies?" Gabriel spoke watching the assassin sigh before peering over his shoulder at Seth who with his Eagle Sense could hear his heartbeat and see he was glowing blue, he then locked onto Roscoe who also glowed blue but then when he looked at Connor a gasp escaped his lips.
When Connor approached the blue aura moved around him like a fire, the Will markings creating dormant wings that wrapped around his heart where the Guild Seal glowed.
With his Eagle Sense still active Tercero turned to face Connor, "I wanna hear it from you, why do you want the throne?"
Taken aback by his question Connor chuckled, "Well actually I am scared to death about the possibility of sitting on the throne, I mostly just said that to give hope you know? Albion people have for so long suffered and hoped that the 'lost prince' would return to save them from their terrible mistake all those years ago, I honestly don't know if I am worthy to be a king, but if I can be the hero that give the people hope to fight, to stand up to Tirich and Reaver then I will be their light, I know that sounds stupid but it is what it is you know?"
Blinking to turn off his Eagle Sense Tercero could tell all of Connor's words were true, he truly did wanna help Albion's people, he also saw he was scared at the idea of being king. Was this what Leo saw so long ago? Was this what heroes looked like? With a nod Tercero approached Connor while still holding the dead girl in his arms, "I can't promise anything, however, I do not see the harm in quedarse, sticking around? I will have to report to my Order, they will want to know about you."
"They ain't gonna order you to kill us will you?" Seth asked hearing Tercero laugh.
"Oh no, if anything we would cut out your lenguas, your tongues, to keep you silent," Tercero spoke making Connor and Seth's eyes widen.
"This is going to be interesting," Roscoe spoke making Tercero look down at the source of the voice.
"Am I loco or did that perro just talk?" Tercero asked hearing the dog chuckle. (loco = Crazy perro = dog)
"Amazing isn't it? Amigo?" Roscoe teased walking down the hall with Seth and Connor following seeing that Gabriel was gone.
A.N. Trying something new, with the Hero Tercero I am including translation of his words, some sentences I did not miss, Tercero repeats the same word in English, for future chapters I won't translate certain words because they should be easy to figure out after a while, amigo to friend, familia to family just as a few examples.
I am also debating if I should include the translation after each sentence Tercero says or leaving a * and putting the translations at the bottom of each chapter let me know which is better.
