Chapter 2
"Mother, he is a human!" One of the wolves growled in protest.
Moro answered, still gazing at me, "The Lion has sent us help. It not quite the help we expected, and it would be foolish of me to ignore the Lion's assistance."
I shrugged at the male wolf. "Bad luck, Chum!"
He snarled in reply. "Do not speak to me, you filthy human!"
I shrugged, smirking. "I already am!"
I turned to the girl, as the male wolf slathered, no doubt wanting to rip me apart. "My name's John." I said, bowing to her.
She was at least Edmund's age. She was pretty in a wild way, but a bit too young for my tastes. I noticed that she had red face paint under her eyes, and a circlet on her head. Her hair was dark brown, almost black, her body slim and powerful. She wore polished bone jewelery, and was dressed in a tattered blue skirt and a white sleeveless shirt. Thin leather bands were looped each around her sizeable biceps, white mocassins on her feet, and a white fur cloak draped over her back.
She regarded me for a few seconds, then she replyed. "San. My name is San of the Wolf Tribe."
I smiled. "A pleasure to meet you. You are quite good at fighting, by the way. It's not often someone lasts long enough for me to break a sweat."
San frowned at this odd human. He wore crimson red robes with gold trappings, a hood, red boots, and carried an absurdly-large blade. He wore strange gauntlets, and also carried throwing knives.
Through the hood, she could see very fair skin, long ebony hair, a firm oval face, and strange green eyes that seemed endless. He was powerfully built, which was unsurprising, judging by the enormous sword that he was currently retrieving. It's hilt was long enough for both of his large hands, it's strange hand-guard thin but long, seemingly made of gold, the blade metal, double-edged, and shining in the sun.
Next, he hefted her spear, and inspected it. "Hmm, sharpened bone, not steel. Long and sturdy, and certainly well made, considering the circumstances."
He looked at her, and tossed her the weapon. His movements and fighting style were supremely confident and firm, as well as deceivingly simple, the movements of an experienced warrior.
"I think this is yours, yeah?" I said, smiling slightly.
I had to make friends, and make them quick.
I followed the wolves up into the rocks, where I could see a small cave opening. I didn't follow them as they all went into their cave.
I had already ticked them off enough today, so I needed to stay on their good side by not tresspassing on their turf.
"So, you have found them. Excellent."
Michael appeared before my eyes, and I started in surprise. "Michael! You took your time."
Michael shrugged. "I have been busy. I can only stay for a short time, so I am making sure that you got to them safely. Be careful in this world, as things are not as they seem. Find Iron Town, and investigate it thoroughly, as it will be important to your mission. That is all I can tell you for now, except good luck."
I bowed. Any information was good, at this point, even if it was cryptic!
"Oh, and one last thing: you might find, at times, that you can do things you cannot normally do. Know only that you can do so because it is needed, and it is His will that it be done." I nodded, and he disappeared.
Well, that was interesting. If only Father had given me a horse!
Inside the cave, the Wolf Tribe were less than pleased with their predicament. "Why would your friend send us a human? Humans are our enemies, Mother!" San protested, her misgivings overcoming her interest in their new friend.
"You did not see the things I saw when I smelled his hand, San. We could have been sent much worse, and given our situation, we need assistance. If I can get him to trust me, I will be able to use him to our advantage. When we can no longer use him, you and your brothers can do with him what you wish."
San nodded. "Oh, we will!"
In the meantime, I had climbed up a nearby tree to spot Iron Town in the distance. It was easy to spot because of the smoke billowing out of it.
With that done, I leaped into some bushes.
"What are you doing?"
Hearing San's voice nearby, I emerged from the brush, whipping myself off as I did so.
"Just getting a feel for the place."
San snorted. "For a second, I thought you were trying to kill yourself."
I smiled at her. "You needn't sound so hopeful, dearie. I just do it clear my head."
She glared back. "My name is San!"
I raised my hands. "Righto! So, onto more serious matters, I spotted a town close by, with smoke coming out of it. I take it that they are our enemies?"
San's face darkened. "Yes, especially their leader: Eboshi, the Gun Woman."
I nodded. "Well, that settles it!"
"What are you talking about?"
I grinned. "I'm going to investigate our enemies. One of the main rules of being an Assassin is to know the enemy as yourself, and I'm nothing if not constant."
She glared at me. "Betraying us already?"
I shook my head. "Not in the slightest, luv. I'm just investigating, and when I've got the information I need, yours truly is coming back home."
San was about to argue some more, but Moro interrupted, emerging from the cave. "You have two days, son of Aslan. If you don't heed my warning, we will come find you."
I nodded. "I'm sure your kids would love to scarf me for dinner, but I'm afraid your kids are going to have to wait a very long time in that regard. Cheerio!"
With that, I set off on my reconnaissance mission.
"What a strange human." One of the brothers said, and the other agreed. "I agree, and I hope I get to eat him soon!"
San said nothing, watching the flippant human stride away from them.
Strange indeed, but not unpleasant to talk to.
She shook her head, grimacing at the latter thought.
It would not do to befriend a human, not at all.
It took only a few uneventful hours to get back to the main road, and then I was on my way to the supposed enemy town.
Whistling to the tune of "the British Grenadiers," I strode confidently forward.
Let those people see me. Let them believe they have the upper hand, to be overconfident. Pride always came before a fall.
Besides, I had many ways of gathering intel. This was merely one of such ways!
The town itself was a large island with a small road connected to a main road.
As I approached, I noted that the first and most obvious sign of the town's presence was the large cloud of black smoke coming from it. Probably from iron-working, judging from the cloud I had spotted earlier.
The town held a couple hundred people, all of Asian descent, and as I walked along the small road, I cut a conspicuous figure in my bold colors and steady walk.
People on the road were all laborers, each doing their part for their supposed master.
As I came within a hundred of the main gate, I was stopped by a huge, bald dark-skinned man dressed in black and purple. "That's far enough, stranger. Who are you, and what is your business here?" The man's voice was gruff and authoritative, and I could tell he was used to being in charge.
"My name is John, mate, and I'm here to slaughter people for the right price. I seek the manager of this ugly establishment. Lady Eboshi is her name, yeah?"
The man folded his arms. "So you are a mercenary?" He asked, and it was clear he didn't care for them.
I chuckled. "Right in one go! But that's not my only skill."
He frowned. "Then what else are you, foreigner?"
I smiled genially. "Keep guessing, and you might just get it, you big bugger. I've just arrived from across the ocean. Now, where is your guv?"
The man smirked. "Surely you don't expect me to just let you through? I'm her second in command here-"
I interrupted. "If you are her second in command, she must not be far off." The man, taken off guard, was about to answer, but a woman's voice interrupted.
"Enough, Gonza. I will speak with him." Behind the man was an Asian woman wearing a blue overcoat over white shirt and colorful pantaloons, long dark hair tied up into a bun, allowing some hair to fall down past each ear. She had a noble, authoritative bearing, and her eyes were dark and strong.
"Follow me, stranger. We will speak in private."
"Lead the way, Madam."
As she led me past each building, I made sure to give them a long look as I passed by.
Most of the buildings were for the making and forging of iron, some for farming, blacksmiths, dormitories, barracks, living quarters, to name a few. Every villager, man or woman, did their part. As I passed by the place where the smoke was coming from, I heard women singing while they worked.
Everybody seemed to have a great deal of affection and loyalty to Eboshi, judging by the calls and greetings that people gave her as she passed by.
"Hey, my Lady, who is that? Don't hog him all to yourself, let us have some fun!" called a passing woman in a pink dress.
"I promise I won't keep him long, Okira!" Eboshi promised.
I blew a cheeky kiss to her, smirking. "Cheers, luv. I'll be at your service soon enough!"
The woman smiled back, an exceptionally comely young woman. "I'll be at the Bellows, stranger. Don't keep me waiting."
Oh, I could barely wait myself!"
Eboshi walked me to her house, a sizeable but not particularly lavish one. Once we were sequestered in her dwelling, she turned to me. "You surprise me. Assassins rarely show themselves to such an extent as you have just done."
I tilted my head to one side. "What do you know about the Brotherhood, Guv?"
She raised an eye brow. "I have heard of your kind in my travels, but have rarely come across one. Your hood was my first clue, the amount of weapons the other. Just because I am a woman does not mean that I am any weaker than you are." Her voice was like silk, but her eyes were hard as steel
I raised my hands in protest. "I like women who are just as strong as I am!"
She hummed. "Good. Since we are being honest with each other, I will tell you my story. I am a business woman who has no alliegance to anyone but myself. I am here to change this land into a place where people can come from miles around in search of work, whatever their past lives may be, so that all may benefit from it, especially myself. For instance, the women that work the Bellows, like the one who addressed me, are former prostitutes. I mean to change this land by the improvement and use of firearms, and I will do everything in my power to do so."
I nodded. She seemed to be ambition personified, but I did not sense Lucifer behind it. "That's a touching good story, and I think there's more to it than that."
I paused, then continued. "You wear clothing that men usually wear, you are loved by your sheeple, and you seem to be doing swimmingly. Is there anybody else working with you?" I asked, probing for anybody who fit Father's description of Lucifer.
She smiled. "There is one to the East, but more on that later. You are clearly foreign, and you seem able enough. Yet You are not here to cause havoc, since you would have done so already. Why are you here?" She finished, and I shrugged. "Just here for making money, yeah?"
She narrowed her eyes. "In other words, you are seeing which side will benefit you more."
I shrugged. "You and I are in the same boat, then."
Eboshi smiled, but it was a cold smile. "You stink of wolf, so I doubt that very highly."
I swallowed. "Sure, I've been around those flea-magnets. But, if I was on their side, things would've already gone mad, with you dead."
She opened her arms in what she assumed was a welcoming gesture, while it seemed to me as if she was threatening to capture me in her grip. "Indeed. I invite you to spend the night in my town. See the power that I wield, the strength that I possess, and the people that I rule. That may ease your decision."
I bowed. "Righto." She nodded, and before I left her presence, I spoke again: "You're ambitious, but your people come first. I don't get along with selfish people."
Her answer was quick and hard. "If you knew anything about me, you would know that I love these people as much as I care for myself."
I nodded. "That's a good start, then. Good evening, Madam." With that, I left her house.
Gonza waited for me, along with several armed men.
I smiled. "Hello, girls! Your boss has some words for you, and she is still alive, by the way. Luckily for her, I haven't found a reason to harm a hair on her head. Per her orders, I'm staying here for the night. I need to see if you guys are actually good at your jobs."
Gonza stepped forward, glaring at me. "I don't believe you, boy."
I smirked. "Go ask her, and you'll get the same answer. Oh, and if you ever call me 'boy' again, I'll shove my sword so far up your arse that it'll pop out of your mouth like a cork. Now, jog on!" I finished, giving him a raspberry and a rude hand gesture before pushing my way through the small crowd of militia in front of me. "Good night, Ladies!"
With that, I left the group and headed over to the Bellows.
In a large building, the huge contraption had to be fed fire by two teams of girls using their entire body weight to operate a seesaw, the two teams pressing down simultaneously.
It did not look like easy work, as the women were working up a sweat.
I waited until they were taking a break before announcing my presence. "Nothing like a hard day's work, ladies!" They jumped, and turned to me.
A woman in a blue shift stepped forward. "What took you so long, stranger?"
I shrugged, smiling slightly. "I had to clear things up with your boss. That thing looks difficult to operate, but you seem to be handling yourselves well."
She nodded. "Yes, it is a challenge, but better than our previous jobs."
I grimaced. "I'm sure! My name's John, at your service."
The woman nodded. "Yuta. I hope you are at our service, because we need all the help we can get."
I smiled. "Perhaps we can work something out. Before that, I need to get to know this place."
Yuta smiled, and took me by the hand. "Then follow me, handsome!"
The rest of the evening was devoted to information gathering. Iron Town was indeed a village, but a village as unusual as their leader.
It was a conglomerate of Asian peoples, but unlike most villages I had been around, most of the persons were societies' rejects. Some were former prostitutes, others lepers, cripples, kinds of people that were either ignored or looked down upon in most civilizations.
Eboshi had given them hope and a renewed sense of purpose, and every single person in the village was committed to her, indebted to her, loyal to her.
She had these people in the palm of her hand, more or less!
"So, what do you think?" She asked, when we had returned to the Bellows.
"It's certainly an interesting place. I have some thinking to do, to decide where I stand on things."
She looked disappointed. "Is that all? I was hoping that we could...get to know each other."
As she spoke, her left hand lowered my hood, while her right stroked my cheek boldly.
The things I did for my Father! I thought, before showing her exactly how well we could get along.
But afterwards, my dreams were less than happy ones!
Before I could do anything, Michael appeared before me, his face dark with anger. I didn't have time to apologize, his fist slamming into my face, throwing me back a few feet.
"How dare you? After all I have given you, and you would throw it away for some slattern?"
I rose to my feet slowly, holding out my hands.
I barely had time to notice that my surroundings had changed to nothingness. "What the hell, Wings?!"
Michael back-handed me, sending me crashing back to the floor. "It matters not! You are a Vessel, and thus I hold you to higher expectations than others. You have permitted that whore to sully your body, which I claimed for myself!"
He finished by head-butting me in the face, breaking my nose. When I tried to rise, he kicked me back down.
"I'm human! You can't expect so much from me." I protested, spitting out blood.
"Yes, you are human! I'll be honest with you: you are aware of that little story about Lucifer refusing to acknowledge humans as better than him? That was me, boy! When I was a man, I always fought to be the Lord's servant. When I was named Archangel, God charged me with defending you and your precious freedom, and so I created the Brotherhood of the Assassins. But even He knew that this freedom would often lead to evil, so He reluctantly permitted me to create the Templars Order to provide order and stability."
I shook my head. "No! It can't be. That isn't true!"
Michael took me by the collar and pulled me close. "It is, but neither of us intended what would become of the Templars. They began as guardians but ended up becoming godless tyrants in their lust for power and control. It was Christ's example that led me to believe in the Assassins and in human freedom, and nothing else."
He allowed me to sink back to the floor. "And now, you have disgraced yourself and me. You should be thankful you are so useful to me. Otherwise, I would end your existence. Do not try my mercy, or my temper, again."
I nodded, thoroughly cowed and humbled. "I'll do my best."
When he replied, he sounded completely unconvinced, and I could hear the foretaste of hell in his voice: "Yes, you will."
With that, he laid a hand on my forehead, and I blacked out.
When I woke up, I wished I hadn't, the pain immediately making itself felt known.
Making things worse was San's smirk. She stood over me, and I could see that Michael had somehow brought me to the wolves' den. "You are back sooner than expected, and you look like hell. I told you that gun-woman was a bitch!"
I groaned, checking myself for broken bones as I rose, and San didn't help me to do either. "True, but she's not the one who did this to me."
San chuckled. "The villagers, then! So, I assume you realize whose side you are on now?"
I nodded, grimacing. "More or less-ow!" I finished, as she leaned in, and set my nose straight in one go.
"Thanks," I said, after a few seconds.
"Don't read too much into it. The Forests need you in one piece, and somebody had to do fix your pretty face." She finished, smirking as she passed by me on her way to the den.
"Little bitch," I muttered, before following her.
REVAMPING!
