Chapter 8: In the Name of God (Deus Vult)

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Yeeter of ligma: That wendigo just got its ass handed to it and it was so cool keep it up guys.

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Shin vs Templars: In the Name of God (Deus Vult) by Powerwolf.

-New York, Present Day-

It was a couple weeks before Joshua decided to go back into the Animus again, wanting to give his brain and genetic code a good period to adjust from the serious whiplash it'd been going through in the past couple months.

Ororo stopped by his place when she was able, doing what she could to help him relax and recover. River, Kali and Trevor helped too, with their shenanigans of running around the apartment and playing with each other.

That was a sight he'd never truly tire of.

Now Joshua was ready to get back to it since the memory bleed appeared to have all but ceased for a while. He knew that the Animus sessions would make them come back eventually, but he felt adjusted enough for them… At least, that's what he was hoping for.

"Alright team, let's get to it." The man said as he sat in his gamer seat style Animus.

"Okay, restarting from last checkpoint… Memory: Deus Vult. Good luck Joshua." Sarah told him as the machine activated.

Animus active.

Resuming Last session…

Memory 4: Deus Vult.

Synchronizing…

-Oklahoma, 1859-

Shin breathed as he walked back to the camp, feeling like he'd gotten a small weight off his shoulders. First, it was clearing up what his visions meant (if only a little) and then he killed a Wendigo that was stalking him. The feeling of victory from the latter was very satisfying, in the case of the latter.

However, this sweet taste of victory would soon turn sour, as he'd come to see…

His thoughts were cut off when he spotted smoke coming from the camp, and it wasn't a simple bonfire, either. Then he heard the sounds of gunfire, which made his eyes widen in alarm.

The camp was under attack!

Deciding to get up high to try and see what was causing this, Shin vaulted to the top of several tall oak trees and stood at the very top, synchronizing with the area to see what the hell was going on.

What he saw pissed him off. There were Templar soldiers attacking the encampment!

Not on his fucking watch!

Performing a leap of faith into a conveniently formed pile of leaves and branches, he leapt out of it into a sprint toward the camp to give the Templars a piece of his mind and split their heads in half.

Reaching behind him for the tomahawk on his waist, Shin took the weapon and slid behind one of the men, slamming the Assassin A shaped ax down through the man's sternum.

Right as the soldier behind him was turning around, he used his other hand to throw a knife at his throat, killing him instantly and allowing him to follow it up with hurling his tomahawk into the skull of a Templar two paces in front of him.

However, as the boy was about to run for his weapon, one of the grunts was about to take him out with a shotgun to the head… But he was stopped when an arrow came flying from the east and skewered itself straight through the man's head.

"Nice of you to drop by, Shin!" Raven called as she ran up to him, bow in hand.

"I just finished making sense of my visions. What's the situation?" Shin asked as he removed his tomahawk from the dead grunt–shooting another in the nuts and then the head when he tried to shank Raven from behind by resting his arm on her shoulder.

The girl was silent for a moment as she looked back at the man who could have killed her, before turning back.

"Templars, and by the look of things, they're probably working for the Cormac Gang." The Mohawk girl stated, loading a scatter arrow into her bow and resting her hand on Shin's shoulder and letting the arrow fly, causing it to scatter into shrapnel and kill five guys by turning them to Swiss cheese.

"Cormac Gang? First I've heard of them. They're what, exactly?" Shin asked, pulling Raven out of the way and shooting two that were sneaking up behind her.

"Assassin Hunters. They probably heard that you and Jaren were staying here and decided to try and deal with you guys." The tribal girl replied as the two started moving to look for Jaren.

This made the boy's eyes widen. "Is Jaren alright? What about Liberty, Fenrir?" He questioned as he dodged getting slugged by a stock of a rifle and shanked the offender several times in the stomach in rapid succession.

"Last I saw of your pets, one of the healers managed to get to safety with them. As for Jaren, he's–" Raven replied before being cut off by six grunts rushing at them from their left before all six of them fell to the ground with bullet holes in their heads, causing them to look to the right and see Jaren standing there, the Last Word's barrel smoking. "... Right there, apparently." She finished with a blink.

"Good." Shin nodded as he leapt into the air and landed on a grunt–stabbing him in the face, right as one of the tribe warriors scalped another one.

"Nice to see you still kicking, Shin. How'd your time in that cave go?" The marshal asked, shooting a grunt before they could shoot the warrior with him.

"Managed to make sense of the visions. Then that elder Wendigo from before found me and tried to kill me." The young gunslinger replied as he shot three other grunts in their throats. "It's dead now." He added.

"... You're kidding." The man said, throwing a knife without looking, nailing a guy in the mouth.

"No." Shin responded as he and Jaren clotheslined a guy and the boy used his tomahawk to scalp him, before raising it in the air.

"Well, one less monster to deal with!" Raven grunted as she fired three arrows right between the eyes of three grunts that were taking aim at her. "Cover your ears!" She called as she aimed for a group that was hauling in a cannon.

The Mohawk girl then fired an exploding arrow at the cannon guys, and unfortunately missed, but the explosion caused them to fall over. This gave her a chance to reload right as they lit the fuse.

"Boom." She grinned as she let the arrow fly, letting it sail right into the barrel of the cannon–slicing the cannonball inside–and causing it to explode inside the barrel! This sent people flying and turning the cannon into a cast iron sunflower.

"Now that's what I call one hell of a shot!" Shin exclaimed with a grin before…

BANG!

The distant crack of a rifle killed the warrior that was fighting with Jaren, startling the three.

"What the hell?!" The marshal exclaimed before another shot whizzed by, narrowly missing his head. He quickly took cover behind a rock as Shin and Raven joined him.

"Where the hell are those shots coming from?!" The girl hissed as another shot hit their rock.

"It's probably a sniper." Shin stated as he pulled out his Winchester, and then pulled out a hand mirror.

Raising it slightly, the boy turned the object until it finally landed on where the shots were coming from–which was on a ridge just beyond where the rock was facing.

Getting into position, the boy activated his Eagle Vision and then aimed his rifle right at a rock at the bottom of the ridge at a specific angle–his combat oriented vision highlighting the projected trajectory of the shot.

'You're mine.' He thought before pulling the trigger and sending the bullet to its destination.

The projectile then hit the rock, ricocheting off several more rocks and a tree, before nailing the sniper in the back of the head, sending blood splattering onto the ground.

"I hit him, but I'm gonna get over there and make sure he's dead." He told his companions. Leaping over the rock, he made a dash to the stables and grabbed Nashville, riding to the ridge while also decapitating a Templar with his ax along the way.

Upon reaching where the sniper had made his nest, he saw that he was indeed dead. He was about to leave, but when he looked at the dead man's rifle, he paused as he looked at the muzzle specifically.

"Hm…" He hummed before kneeling down. The rifle seemed to have some sort of looking glass on it, like a telescope of some kind. "Well this explains why he was able to nail us so far away…" The Assassin noted. Then he had an epiphany: If this could do something like this, why couldn't he?

With this in mind, he removed the muzzle and looking glass attachment from the gun they were attached to with the intent of adding them to his Remington. These would make his ranged fighting even more deadly.

He then went back to the camp, and saw that the rest of the Cormac Gang had either been killed or just retreated when they realized that the mission they were sent on was a complete failure.

The tribe was currently tending to their wounded and gathering their fallen. Shin felt like he had been the cause of this, but he immediately forced those thoughts out when that was far from the case.

However, before the group could relax, two dark clothed figures dropped from the air behind Raven–and one of them quickly grabbed her, a hidden blade sliding from their arm as it was pressed against her throat.

The second then attacked Jaren and kicked him in the chin with a long feminine leg that was clad in a high heeled boot and brown pants.

"Rgh! Damned bastards!" Jaren grunted as he quickly got back to his feet. Looking at the two assailants, it was noted that they were actually fairly young and appeared to be twins.

One was a girl that looked to be twenty years old, possibly younger. She had caucasian skin, brown hair done in a pony tail and, interestingly, red eyes. She stood at a height of 5'4".

The boy was at least a year older at twenty one. He had the same skin tone as his sibling, black hair in a wolf tail and also had red eyes.

They also wore the same outfit, that being Templar uniforms and had their own hidden blades.

"Well well, if it isn't Jaren–Oh, sorry–Marshal Jaren Ward. Still kicking around like a blind old mule?" The woman jeered as she drew a stilleto from her boot and pointed the tip at Raven's throat in a reverse grip to make her stop moving.

"Shut the fuck up, Annabelle." Jaren retorted as Shin rested a hand on one of his revolvers. "Just couldn't leave well enough alone, could ya? Attacking a whole tribe just to get to me?" He snarked.

"These prairie bugs have been a thorn in the boss's side for years–particularly now, as of late." The man scoffed. "So taking you all down now will be two birds, one bullet." He added.

Shin took a close examination of the situation. If a wrong move was made, then Raven would die. He looked at their blades and realized that if he played this right with the angle he had, one bullet would be able to take both of them out and give Raven an opening to get away from them using their surprise to her advantage.

'This had better work…!' He thought before steeling his nerves. Before the two hunters could react, he quickly drew his revolver and fired, the bullet destroying the blades.

Startled by their blades suddenly being shot in half, Raven quickly elbowed Annabelle and kicked the man away before dashing to Shin and Jaren.

"Thanks for the window, Shin." She said in gratitude.

"No problem." The young gunslinger nodded, his eyes never leaving the two Assassin Hunters.

"Lucky shot, you little shit." Obadiah growled, reaching for his own gun.

"Shin, be careful. These two are in a whole other league." Jaren warned his deputy.

"Noted." Shin nodded in reply. He then reached back for his Winchester, and right as Obadiah was about to fire–he cracked him across the face with the butt of his stock. And then brought it up in an uppercut strike, sending him flying into the air–open to a kick to the gut, sending him crashing to the ground.

"You little brat!" Annabelle yelled, charging at him only for Raven to intercept her with a whack to the face from her bow.

"Back off, bitch!" She snapped.

Jaren then pointed Last Word at them both. "You better leave, now." He added, about ready to gun them down–when a gunshot caused them to jump back, and saw a jagged and sick looking bullet sticking in the ground between them.

Well, calling it a bullet was a stretch, it was more like a jagged stiletto dagger that looked able to be shot from a gun. It looked like a…

'Thorn!' The two Assassins thought in alarm and realization as Dredgen Yor stepped forward.

"Do you Cormacs always pick fights you can't win? Or is that just your preferences?" The dark man questioned pointedly at the two.

"Oh shut up, Yor! We had it under control!" Annabelle tried to defend herself and her brother.

Yor looked at them and then the Assassins whose weapons were now trained on him.

"Forgive me, but that hardly seems to be the reality of the situation." The rogue Assassin retorted.

"This is between us and the Cormacs, Yor. Back off!" Jaren told the rogue Dark Assassin.

"I would, but they did pay me to help them out with this little siege, so I have every intent of seeing it through to the end." The sickly man shot back.

"That wasn't a request." The marshal growled as he whipped his pistol and fired three rapid shots at Yor, only for him to not even move.

Obadiah capitalized on the opening and threw a knife at his shoulder, only for Shin to get in the way and deflect it with his hidden blade. He then surged forward towards him, blade poised to strike.

The Assassin hunter tried to block it with his own blade, but soon remembered it was broken, which caused Shin's blade to go through his arm, and then allowed him to pull the Cormac in and then stab him in the chest with his second blade.

Seconds later, the simulation started changing.

Animus Corridor

"So this is how I go out. At least it was in a fight." Obadiah sighed as he felt his life slowly leave him.

"Don't flatter yourself." Shin rebuked as he got up. "You, an Assassin, betrayed your own kind to join the Templars. And for what? A seat at the table when they bring the rest of us under heel and make us beg you for scraps like dogs?" He continued, throwing his hands in the air.

"Not even close." The dying man replied. "The Brotherhood isn't the sparkling glimmer of hope you think it is. For all the good it's done over the millenia, it's still had its times where it went down the wrong path." He added.

"What are you talking about?" Shin questioned in confusion.

"Ask your superiors about Shay Patrick Cormac, and see what they say. You'll figure it out then." Obadiah instructed cryptically.

"... Maybe I will. If I don't, I'll fill in the blanks myself, and see what the deal is." Shin replied after a moment of thinking.

"I should hope so. You look like the type to take initiative on stuff like that." Obadiah chuckled. "Good and bad stretches both sides, kid. Remember that." He added before his life left him.

Resuming simulation…

As Obadiah dropped dead, Shin leapt back before Yor could shoot him, and saw Annabelle rush to her brother's side.

"NO!" She yelled as she held her deceased brother close. "I'll kill you for this! You hear me?! I'LL KILL YOU!" She roared as tears ran down her face as she glared at Shin.

The girl then deployed her hidden blade, which was tipped with poison, and was about to strike when Yor grabbed her wrist.

"This isn't the time." The man stated, knowing that they were now seriously outnumbered as the tribe warriors started regrouping Annabelle looked around and, as much as she loathed to admit, he was right. If she kept going, they wouldn't survive.

"... Fine!" She hissed before picking up her brother's body and gave one last glare to Shin before she and Yor retreated.

"I don't think I've seen the last of her." Shin remarked as he put his guns away while he watched the two enemies of his group run off.

"Her brothers won't be happy about this, I hope you realize." Jaren warned his charge as the boy wiped and retracted his blade.

"When are our enemies happy about what we do?" The young Assassin asked rhetorically.

"Fair point." The marshal shrugged. One of the healers then approached Shin with Liberty and Fenrir in her arms, both looking happy to see their human was still alive.

"These two wouldn't stop worrying about you." She chuckled as she returned the two animals to their human.

"I was the one worried." The boy said as he took his eaglet and his dog sat in front of him for a head rub. "I'm just glad they're safe." He added with a smile.

(Later)

It was later that night and both Raven and Shin were sitting at that night's story bonfire as Tanaa'k:tkan–one of the elders–told a story to all who listened.

The man was an aged Native whose nose was ridged (possibly from being broken in the past) and his red skin was carved with canyons made of wrinkles that showed decades of age. A reef of feathers adorned the braid on his head.

Right now, he was telling them the tale of the Thunderbird, and its enemy, the Horned Serpent.

As they listen to the story, Shin tried to follow along, but was having trouble due to the Mohawk language being a completely different dialect than what he was used to hearing.

"Having trouble following?" Raven asked, noticing his struggling.

"Yeah. I'm more adjusted to the Algonquin's language." Shin nodded in reply.

"Well, if you're willing, I can teach you how to speak it." She offered, causing her Assassin companion to smile.

"I'd like that actually." He nodded.

"You never mentioned where you and Jaren were headed." The girl noted.

"We were on the way to Fort Sills. Apparently they need a marshal to help with something on the reservation." The boy replied.

"Mind if I join you two? Having a guide who knows the land will speed things up." The tribal girl offered.

"We'll take that offer." Shin replied with a nod. He knew full well that the tribes knew the land well, and turning down the offer for a guide to help you along was just stupid.

"Alright, and maybe I can help you get better with other languages too." Raven grinned, bumping him with her elbow.

"Screw you." The gunslinger chuckled.

Sequence: 7

Memory: 4 - Deus Vult

Complete.

Saving Progress…

Ejecting User…

-DC Brotherhood, Present Day-

Joshua let out a small groan as popped his neck to get rid of the stiffness before getting up, accepting Ororo's usual water bottle offering as he did.

"So Shin ran into the Cormacs. How lovely." Sarah sighed.

"Not a very friendly bunch, I take it?" The man said as he took an aspirin.

"No. He killed all of Edward Kenway's friends and crew with the help of Haytham Kenway." Calvin stated. "Seems like that's a family business." He added.

"There's been no sign of them in this day and age, however." Mael stated. "We think that they may have fallen out of favor with the Templars at some point and stopped hunting Assassins because of it." He added.

"I wouldn't hold my breath. Some of them may have kept up the trade anyway in spite of that." Ororo chimed.

"Yeah. So we should keep our eyes peeled next time we head somewhere." Calvin nodded.

"Yes. No reason to be complacent about it." The platinum blonde added.

"I just hope that there aren't any close to where any of us are living." Joshua breathed after taking a swig of water.

"Trust us, we'd know if there were." His ebony skinned girlfriend chuckled.

"Then in that case…" Joshua sighed as he stretched. "Let's call it for today, I'm in need of some mulling over right now." He added.

"Yeah. We've got a few things to think about ourselves." Mael nodded. With that, everyone started leaving for their respective homes. When Joshua and Ororo were alone, the latter came up with a sexy idea.

"Joshua, tell me: How does the idea of using me as a body paint canvas strike you?" She whispered to him with a purr.

"Sounds like fun." The man replied as he grasped the woman's left breast. "I'll get the things we'll need." He smiled as he walked away.

Art takes many forms, just look at the Renaissance…

Dragon Emperor0: Shin just got himself in the sights of the Cormacs. It's like Rogue all over again.

ThermalsniperN7: No shit. We all know how fucked in the head the American Brotherhood was in that game. But it did show a… Decent side to the Templars, I suppose. They were certainly a far cry from the usual oppressive dicks they usually were in other games.

Dragon Emperor0: Does make me wonder if Shin will meet Templars like that. Could be interesting.

ThermalsniperN7: True. And it could be a learning experience that teaches him that, despite following the beliefs they have, not all the Templars are bad… Oh, and maybe pick up on how to get old buildings refurbished.

Dragon Emperor0: That'll become relevant later when Shin and the other initiates return with him to Pallamon. If you guys remember or liked AC3's Homestead feature, you'll see why.

ThermalsniperN7: Yeah. This'll become a core part of the story later. Anyway, see you guys next time!