Music Inspiration: Audiomachine- "King Arthur"
The Guardian of the Past
The search for the entry point into the volcano extended into the afternoon, given the wide circumference of the dormant volcano. The sheer height of Mount Teide was enough to give one a pounding headache, especially if the thinning air wasn't enough to do it. Vivian clung tightly to the black rocky wall of the volcano, afraid that a wrong misstep would send her careening down the jagged rocks of the ravine. Meanwhile, her husband trailed ahead like an elf straight out of the Lord of the Rings by practically running and jumping over everything easily. It was tough not to be impressed and envious of that. The rest of the team remained cautious over their trail since people rarely traveled to the volcano, a warning reverence keeping the local tribes away from the behemoth. Clearly, that was not enough of a warning to deter her husband.
The entire team stopped when Altaїr stood still on their ascending trail, each one peering over the shoulder of the others in their single-file line. As they climbed higher, the path became narrower and their bubbly group dwindled to a cautious line to prevent falling over the edge. Altaїr had to quiet them more than once to keep the cover of sneaking but the group fell into boredom after an hour of silence. Ahead of them, a circular gap lay open large enough to fit one person.
From the distance below, nobody could see the pitch-black crevice due to the dark lava rocks. Yet Altaїr managed to find this opening during his first hike to the volcano! It was an eerie finding for everyone else but then again, they did not have the ethereal connection that he held with the ancient items. Vivian did not warn him against his meditations in their tent at camp, cautioning him to keep his mind safe to avoid any type of mental corruption. After all, they did not know what side these beings ultimately played while they were trying to save as many people as possible.
Amon narrowed his brown gaze at the entryway, not eager to squeeze into the unknown darkness, and stated dryly, "Can't exactly ignore that large hole."
Maria ran on the same wary wavelength of thought and turned to their leader to ask cautiously, "Are we going into the volcano?"
"Dormant volcano" Altaїr corrected assuredly, taking the lead for the team, and stood at the mouth of the cave. His fingers swept over the bumpy, porous rock of the volcano to show his friends that they would not be hurled out by a river of lava or rogue wind. The wind current was already pushing against them from outside as they gained altitude so a little reprieve from the cold gusts would be soothing.
"That does not fill me with confidence at all" Malik muttered flatly because words did not automatically transform into the truth. He was not fond of dark places with unknown tight fits that would constrict his movement. Assassins were meant to be free roaming to allow ample spaces to strike from and strolling into a volcano was not a sobering thought. He had traveled to many strange places with his friend but this was a new one for him.
"True, with your luck, it will activate on us for the first time ever" Maria chided gently because Altaїr had the worst luck in drawing problems out of nowhere. Worse, he tended to draw in others into that chaos like a whirlpool. It had been fun at first during their adventures but eventually, it wore her out. He was accustomed to throwing himself headfirst into danger without stopping while she needed a breather to recover.
Vivian was his single vote of confidence as she stood by him with a confident smile. If he said they were heading into the volcano, she would walk alongside him. He would not lead them anywhere dangerous like in his arrogant younger years, taking the lead as their protector. Those hard lessons would never leave him and they would be a warning for him to tell future generations that dared to stray into such a path.
She snapped her fingers gleefully before aiming her index fingers at the dark cave to declare, "Guess we're spelunking!"
While the entire group deadpanned at her peppy hardiness, Altaїr smiled faintly at her unyielding support. Their new marriage solidified their trust and loyalty for one another but he didn't doubt she would nag him if he stepped into a dangerous situation. He entered the cave slowly to allow his eagle vision to adjust to the darkness to guide his team inside. Vivian was the second to follow him in without hesitation as her feet stepped over loose rocks to enter the dark cave, careful not to slip over the gritty ground. His right hand brushed against her skirt and she reached out to grasp his hand as he spoke softly, "Vivian, hush your jargon . . . and stay behind me."
Bashir was the third that dared to enter behind the couple and he used both hands to wedge himself into the dark tunnel. Thankfully, the rock was dry with no random bouts of grime or sticky residue that would have him withering in disgust and nerves. His footsteps were slow and cautious as he delved further inside and spoke aloud, "The darkness is not filling me with confidence."
Altaїr paused for a moment before remembering the others saw differently and joked aloud, "Right, you all have terrible night vision."
Maria followed behind Bashir to ensure the young man would not accidentally fall down into the wrong hole and chastised their boss, "Would it kill you to have tact?"
"Clearly it hasn't" Malik answered with dismay at having to face his friend's sass this early in the day. He used his hand as a guide into the tunnel while keeping an eye on the moving dark forms of his friends as they wandered ahead. There was no room to maneuver around one another and if the passage became smaller, they would all have to crouch their way further inside.
Amon shook his head as he decided the rear was the best place to spare his ears from further arguments. Also, it gave him an easy escape route in case the blasted volcano decided to wake. Altaїr continued further down the narrow path, noting that it curved towards the left and began to descend when he had to place pressure on his forefoot. He raised the arm holding his wife's hand to steady her steps when the passage became larger.
The compact walls opened into a round cavern filled with dozens of stalagmites that glimmered, surrounded by shallow pools of stagnant water. He warned the others to be careful as he stepped around the natural formations, planting his feet firmly before walking to avoid accidental slips. Their footsteps sloshed over the damp ground as he led them onwards, nothing another opening further ahead. He couldn't help but wonder if this was a natural formation or artificially created as a passage by the long-dead ancients. Each temple was buried under a natural formation or one created solely for housing purposes. Just how advanced had their species become?
Amon lowered his hood at the cooling temperature in the cave to soothe his sun-parched skin and told them, "The cool shade is wonderful in here."
Maria shook the water making her boots squeak, which would not be great in giving their location away, and muttered, "The water, not so much."
Bashir kneeled over a dark pool that rippled with every drop of water from above and asked curiously, "Can I drink it?"
The group deadpanned to his endless and naïve curiosity about the world. It was nothing but trial and error for him. Unfortunately, the latter could accidentally lead to his death. Malik was the first to yank him away from the pool by the cowl of his robe and lectured firmly, "If you die, I am not carrying your corpse."
"You never let me experiment in the outdoors" he groaned miserably at having his fun thwarted and shook his fists at being pulled away. He would not disobey his elders and regretfully settled back into their line formation to avoid becoming lost. His eyes adjusted to the darkness but it was still pitch-black with the droplets of water and wind gusts being the only sound that echoed in the old cavern.
Malik released his younger friend with a shake of his head, more for his own benefit to absorb the boy's foolishness, and bit back sharply, "Yes, because I aim to preserve your longevity despite your best efforts to ruin that."
For once, Altaїr was happy that he was not the one being yelled at for something daring and cut in to gather their attention by stating amusingly, "This way, while we're young and still alive."
The team followed Altaїr's lead throughout the dark cave for what stretched into hours in the endless system, but they halted when a faint blue glow illuminated from straight ahead. There was no natural light that pierced the darkness of the cave but he remembered that familiar ethereal glow. His vision illuminated the dark crevice of the cave as he approached the light and the rocky volcanic terrain soon gave way to sturdy flat manmade flooring. The sole of his boots slipped over the smooth black flooring, watermarks lingering over the faint blue glow that lined the derelict technology. He guided his wife to stay behind him as he entered the open tunnel into the old temple, wondering if any other humans had delved this deeply into the volcano over the eons.
The blue glow lit up a path for the venturing group as they noted his footsteps breaking the uniformity of the light. Vivian used the tip of her right foot to judge the terrain when it scuffed the hard flooring and tugged on her spouse's hand to stop him. Well, tried to was the keyword with his size when his strength caused her to skid forward until she smacked straight into his backside. She thanked the darkness for hiding her clumsiness, cheeks burning madly for her slip, but recovered quickly before her friends noticed by bumping into her as well.
Altaїr ignored the sharp prod into his lower back for his mistake as he continued his way. The flooring soon stretched vertically to cover the entire tunnel of the cave as the architecture transformed into its ancient roots. He used his free hand to place it over one of the dark panels, his fingers glowing under the blue light. Unlike Madagascar, it did not light up immediately to his touch or flicker brighter in acknowledgment. From behind, he heard Amon mutter quietly, "That's an abrupt change of scenery."
"And not natural at all by the look of it" Maria agreed grimly at finally gazing at the strange technology that Altaїr spoke about, but nobody had yet to gaze upon it. There were times she wondered if it were truly real until she saw the POEs work back at Masyaf. Malik had been the only witness by viewing the hovering map of the planet briefly after Al Mualim's unmasking and had entered all of the temples with his friends. The next witness was the supposed 'time traveler' after Ilias informed her that she and Bashir were the last to be exposed to the artifacts. She did not trust unknown technology that had the capability of distorting the laws of physical nature and Amon was even less trustful – hence, while he stuck to the rear.
Vivian gazed at the geometrical designs etched into the black metal, unwilling to touch it after her last experience, and told them, "It's just like Madagascar."
"The natural disaster that led to the extinction of the ancients buried one of their sanctuaries underground for eons like this one" Malik explained aloud to the isolated locations of the temples that led them down numerous treacherous paths. Altaїr had almost drowned for one POE, almost fallen into a crater underneath the Giza temple, he and Vivian risked starvation if they didn't escape the last temple, Vivian had been unwillingly controlled by the one, and who knew what this one held in store. There had yet to be a positive mark attached to their interactions with the POEs. There was an eeriness about the temple's technology that despite its dormancy, it was well aware of new inhabitants. The dead ancients were coming quite close to exterminating them more than once and he muttered dryly, "Took us a while to work our way in."
"Let's see if this one will be the same" Altaїr spoke under his breath with trepidation on what awaited him inside. He did not have a small group this time as it doubled in size from their last temple visit. Evacuating them to safety would be the priority if the mission went downhill.
"I am not going across chasms again," Malik told him swiftly at the heart-stopping drops from the last temple that almost killed them. Not to mention, chasing after his friend while trying to ignore said sheer drops at the turn of every corner.
"I had life-altering visions but you don't see me complaining" he shot back to silence his complaining since he pondered potential insanity from what the ancient intelligence conjured in his mind. He was not a fan of engaging them and his abilities to see them, unlike the others, made him a potential threat if they ever dared to control him against them. He had already seen what the Apple could do to his people, what the skull could do to Vivian, and he could not bear the guilt of hurting them.
Malik snapped him out of his rumination when he reminded matter-of-factly, "You were the worst one!"
He intentionally ignored that with an amused smile for the welcome sarcasm and kept moving further down the tunnel. It was easier to see with his own vision now that the blue geometric lines illuminated their path compared to the pitch-black darkness of the cave. The others, however, grew more cautious the deeper they wandered. Vivian rested her free hand on his back to avoid surprising him in the dark when she leaned over to ask, "Do you sense anything?"
His hand glided over the cold metal, a faint hum lingering under his skin, and he spoke softly, "It is a faint pull but if you are asking about visions, no."
There were no illusions of ancient beings that lived here or echoes of voices, but he did sense an energy within the construct. It prickled at his skin like the dead silence struck whenever he wandered into enemy territory and urged his mind to pacify that threat. He kept his free hand on the metal to signal his arrival to whatever lurked inside as he rounded the corner to the right, deeper into the volcano. Was the temple beside the lava pit? Within it? He really dreaded the latter. The blue light hummed steadily unlike the last temple where they struggled to activate it and he added in, "It does not feel as derelict as the last one."
Another surprise awaited them when an open doorway led inside the temple. Altaїr was thrown aback by the occurrence because they had to fight their way inside every temple. Without an item from the beings, entry was practically impossible. He stood in the center of the doorway to press his hand against the cold metal of the frame, attempting to trigger the door to close but it didn't budge. Someone had opened it, whether from the outside or inside. Neither option was welcome to him.
"The door shouldn't be open" he whispered with suspicion at the ancient temple simply laying open in welcome to them. They had never been able to casually stroll into one of the ancient fortresses and he was on guard immediately. He didn't like it. He entered the unknown labyrinth to step into a large room void of anything, wondering what purpose it served in the past. His pace quickened to leave it behind as he looked for other viable doorways and told them, "Last time, the Apple had been the triggering factor."
"You're carrying quite a bit of the items so you might be a beacon at this point" Malik pointed out about his collection, wondering if the amount triggered a dormant mechanism. None of them really knew the true capabilities of the derelict temples and they would be foolish to consider otherwise.
The walls light up instantly with the blue lights pulsing when Altaїr crossed the center of the room, halting his steps. He glanced around immediately in case the beings decided to throw illusions at him or appeared directly but nothing. The lights merely buzzed with renewed energy in the silent chamber, frantic in their flickers, and Vivian dared to tap her fingers against the cold metal to state, "Well, it appears to acknowledge you."
"It didn't do that last time either" Altaїr muttered grimly since the previous temple decided to activate on its own gradually rather than at his arrival. It threw him into several trials to experience the trauma endured by the inhabitants and a part of him dreaded a repeat of it. There was always a puzzle with those beings, much to his annoyance.
"At least this one is not a maze" Vivian tried to comfort his unease as she stuck out her hand in the dimly lit room to find a doorway. There was little trepidation that she would grab dead air and fall into a chasm but she kept her footing steady. That, and her husband refused to release her hand. It was that safeguard that allowed her to explore to find a way out of the darkness.
Bangs echoed through the silence when Amon tapped on the metal doors lining the walls of the room. None budged under his strength when he pushed against them, shaking his head with frustration. How in the world did the others manage to get inside? His history of prying past the strongest locks failed him when his fingers failed to find a good seam in the doorways to fiddle with. Hmm. This was not a technology known to man and he muttered, "Mainly because all these doors are sealed shut."
Maria did not dare to touch anything, unwilling to throw caution to the wind. Altaїr knew these mechanisms better than she did, allowing him to make the decisions on their destination. She stuck close to the others to make sure her steps didn't divert off the path as she spoke softly, "Makes you wonder what else lurks in here."
"Are all these places this ominous?" Amon asked bluntly to the pestering darkness that placed them in a vulnerable position. He was not a fan of that and preferred having a quick escape exit, which the darkness made impossible. Who knew how deep under the ground and into the volcano they were at this point. How did Altaїr and his team do this on a daily basis?
"Yes," was the flat unison response from the original trio.
Altaїr was drawn towards a door to the far right of the room as the lights grew brightly towards the specific door, silently ushering him closer. He was not going to shy away from danger this far in the journey and he approached the door. Meanwhile, the others were using the faint light visible to them to guide their way to their leader. His hands pressed flat against the cold door to find a latch, button, groove- anything to fiddle it open somehow. His hands swept from the top towards the bottom, finding success halfway down where a round indent lay in the center of the door.
Success!
Remembering the first temple, he lowered his traveling pack onto the ground to open it and searched for the Apple. He grabbed its top to raise it, pressing it against the depression until he felt it lock into place. Picking up his backpack, he threw it back over his shoulder and stood up to await a response.
"Here" he called out to the others as he held the Apple against the door, small vibrations shuddering under his hand. The dormant mechanisms were waking up again and he briefly wondered just how this society ran in its prime. They were the epitome of an apex species, given their very vocal admission of creating humanity to shape for their whims. Not the greatest starter conversation but humanity eventually rose to throw off the shackles and were now the ones ruling the planet. Unfortunately, neither species could evade a solar catastrophe.
The door opened at its vertical center and he was oddly surprised not to have dust flying at his face. He pulled his wife inside before ushering in the rest into the next dimly lit room, confounding his poor sightless friends. Quickly, he removed the Apple from the doorway before losing track of it or had it unwillingly removed by the beings. After all, he would be only one wielder of many in the Apple's lifetime. Keeping a tight grip on it, he strode forward to say, "Guess we're start-"
The room was bathed in a cool blue light, irritating everyone's sensitive vision (except Altaїr), as the temple acknowledged the new arrivals. The others covered their eyes to adjust to the artificial light overhead that exposed the entire room in its old glory. Unlike Vivian who was used to modern lighting, Bashir, Maria, and Amon had yet to experience such a thing. Bashir tried to analyze the luminescence from above, wondering how it worked without a flame. The black metal of the room matched the color of the volcanic rock, unlike the Madagascar temple as the blue edging lights contrasted against the severe color. Unlike the last which was full of desks and workstations, this one was void of anything. There were rectangular panels along some of the walls but the only main attraction was the podium at the center.
The circular construct was lined with gold metal along the rim and Altaїr approached it to find the center caved in. The indented metal carried a bed of clear crystals and small wiry pieces that he had no idea the purpose of. What was this? He was not foolish enough to poke at the odd technology but wondered why this sole structure was here. Looking around the room, he began to search for any visible doors within the confusing black metal and told them, "Let's-"
White light erupted from the podium, striking the ceiling before dimming to reveal a humanoid outline. Vivian and the others failed to see anything in the empty lit room but the change in his posture told her something was amiss. She raised her right hand to quiet any curious whispers from behind as he backed away from the podium. The white humanoid shape transformed into a raven-haired woman wearing silver armor over her white robes. Unlike Minerva or Juno, she was covered in cloth and armor from the neck down. Like the others, she wore a blue metal helm protecting the top of her head but she wore a white cape pinned over her left shoulder, similarly to Jupiter. Her bright blue eyes gazed down at him as the being descended off the podium in a simple hop to approach him without falter.
"It's here" he managed to whisper to the others to let them know they were not alone anymore. Who would he be facing this time? By the look of her, she was not a civilian.
Unlike the others he met before, she matched his towering height to meet him confidently at eye level as she smiled faintly and spoke with a low tone, "Welcome, child of Adam and Eve."
"That was unusually quick" he muttered under his breath, thankful for not having to do any death-defying stunts or riddles, and held his ground. He assumed the being before him was long dead but their ability to act as if still conscious was eerie, given how lifelike they appeared. She was different than the others, her attire telling of a warrior rather than an engineer like Hermes or a healer like Isis. He dared to ask the question with narrowed eyes to avoid playing games this round, "Who are you?"
"I am Diana" she answered politely with a short dip of her head, clasping her hands neatly behind her back to inform him, "Jupiter's second-in-command in the chaos that followed. While Minerva and Juno worked to prevent the next cataclysm, I was in charge of instilling peace among the survivors and quelling those that would not listen."
"I've seen you" Vivian whispered with trepid dismay, remembering the tense dream between Juno and Diana before she lost her baby. Juno was furious with her, more so than Hermes, but Diana was there- much like Vesta- to shield her and repel her. There was clearly a distinction between the ancient elites that not all were getting along, particularly Minerva and Juno. She had informed her husband of this long ago and he figured there were political ploys or power trips within the ranks, much like humanity. Although the beings were long dead, she did not doubt they each held ulterior motives in how the future should play out. Her brow furrowed because although she could not see her, she acknowledged, "I recognize your voice."
Diana's calm gaze swept over to the petite woman, a faint smile touching her lips, and she admitted, "Juno is not the only being capable of transcending time. Humans may also know of my acolytes, Guayota and Pele, given my affinity for volcanic lairs within forests."
"It seems all of you outlive everyone," Altaїr remarked dryly on their ability to communicate to the dormant temple and affect others across distances. Just how many of them still survive around the world? Vivian came from the other side of the world, how many temples existed there? Was there a head temple overseeing all of them?
"To a certain extent," she stated simply on her current manifestation for the task she was required to do.
"But you're not alive?" Vivian dared to ask, wondering if some survived the catastrophe and continued to live in some kind of stasis. How else could they continue to manipulate people and objects through the ages? They had existed thousands of years ago and they were barely in the Middle Ages compared to Demond's group. She and her team would be long dead before Minerva approached him to pass on her own intel.
Altaїr did not want to test that theory by stabbing the air with his hand to see if she would disappear. Fear and mortification would strike if he actually touched a being meant to be dead. Her features turned solemn at the question and she answered quietly, "Not flesh and blood, no."
"Wouldn't a volcanic lair be the most dangerous during a seismic event?" Vivian asked uncertainly since Hermes had built an impenetrable temple that ultimately failed. The man had added numerous fail-safes to shield his island and the combined elemental efforts of the earth and sea destroyed it all. Even in current times, an earthquake in her home state put all nuclear sites on alert as well as the coastline.
Diana shared a similar sentiment when Minerva proposed the idea long ago and told her, "Surprisingly, the cracking of the earth served to flow the lava outside with a few engineered outflows while keeping my people safe. We endured a flooring imbalance with the earth's shift but we were able to escape and aid the other temples in the aftermath."
He turned to glance back at his confused team, who was deaf and blind against Diana, and informed them, "Don't be alarmed while we hold this conversation. If I tell you to run, go."
Vivian was not looking forward to that outcome and doubted Diana would attempt to kill them. So far, none of them tried (if she didn't count dreams). Altaїr was less enthused about the meddling, fiercely against having anyone tell him his predestined fate. He did not want Vivian anywhere close to the beings, gently pushing her behind him, and questioned, "What is your goal?"
"Mine is the continuation of this world, my people may be extinct but yours continue" she explained easily as she gazed at his companions with silent acknowledgment. With each being he met, the more life-like they became as they spoke naturally rather than synthetically. He could not see through her like he did with Isis and she appeared solid, which is why it unnerved him at daring to touch her. Her deep blue eyes returned to his with a sharper glint and she warned quietly, "There are forces in this world that are more than ready to plunge it into darkness. You must stop that from occurring."
He found that easier said than done, given he had to prepare for centuries ahead of him, and questioned firmly, "How?"
"Guide the future generations to look past the petty struggles to the true danger overlying our world" she answered vaguely and if he did not have Vivian in his company, he would be lost on the meaning. They were technologically hindered in their age but he could focus the Order to keep any of the ancient technology out of Templar hands to keep them blind. He could not stop a worldwide cataclysm alone but he could leave advice and warnings to his descendants to pass along. He and Vivian would fade from the world one day, but they could help the future through meticulous planning.
"Hermes said my world was tied to this one" Vivian spoke up tentatively to ask about time and reality as she knew them. She had always assumed her world was all there was and that parallel universes were merely a theory. Hermes had thrown that thought out of the water and onto a frying pan when he revealed the truth. It made Altaїr's world the most important, which was a reason for her sacrificing her route to aid him. With Diana being deemed the supervisor of the other ancients, she asked, "Did time originate here?"
"If you mean an original timeline, yes" Diana confirmed with a small nod, sinking her hope that somehow her world was accidentally dragged into his. How did buying a cardboard cutout lead to this? They could manipulate time in their respective worlds but not help Desmond's crew? Or was this group trying to prevent a worse cataclysm with a failsafe? So many questions rose in her head as Diana continued, "Yours is an extension. A parallel from the nexus of the web but we are all connected."
"So, everything will become extinct if we don't stop this looming danger?" he questioned tightly at the monumental task placed on his shoulders. What could he do in his era if the cataclysm wasn't due for centuries? Preparation could only go so far – that is, if his descendants didn't stray from his advice. Aware of his youthful hubris, that could pose a challenge.
"Not you, the future" she corrected carefully to the looming threat that plagued their descendants. She had already witnessed the catastrophe firsthand that decimated most of her kind, which allowed humanity to bloom. The young race was still developing the peak of their technology and they did not follow their footsteps in creating a slave race for their bidding. A few potential repeats did occur but so far, they were focusing on artificial technology. Still, it was not enough to save them and she reiterated, "All of them. You must sow seeds of knowledge to grow to fruition when it's time."
The stars above could wait for him because he had a current threat facing his team and he pointed out, "What of the Templars?"
"They will always be in the background, waiting to strike" she revealed solemnly on the danger that would haunt their footsteps. He was already accustomed to it but he dreaded having it follow and shatter his family. Darim would grow up into his own person one day and he hoped to have children with Vivian – adding more individuals at risk in the crossfire. Diana saw his unimpressed scowl at that pestering threat and she assured, "You must stonewall and bear that danger while focusing on the true goal. Enemies will always be around, they will simply be shrouded in different colors. Power is what they seek but the truth of what is inbound from the skies eludes them."
Vivian dared to step forward to question the ancient about their abilities, "Are you and the others capable of aiding us?"
Diana shook her head, disappointing the couple, and Altaїr refrained from uttering a few choice words. He turned away from the illusion to sigh aloud, offering the confused remnants of his team a reassuring wave of the hands. Only he could interact with the beings with all his senses while Vivian could only hear them. Vivian took over for her frustrated husband, understanding that he felt like a blindfolded pawn drawn into an endless game he knew nothing about. All of it was on his shoulders and the morsels of information was not enough to sustain their safeties. Diana offered an apologetic gaze at the assassin before admitting, "We are simply representations of our former selves. There is no more power left in my people, apart from these dormant Temples and our technology. In your timeline, we would be called virtual intelligence. We remain to offer insight from the past and hope for the future."
Her eyes narrowed at their great capabilities to tinker with time, a feat no technology had yet to achieve, and implored skeptically, "But not artificial?"
The long-dead species was powerful, their technology prowess reaching an apex of creating life – humanity. Even now, she was communicating with them millennia apart and from one of the branching parallel worlds. Isis and Vesta appeared like virtual intelligences but Juno, Minerva, Hermes, and now, Diana, acted differently with a unique flair. Whether it was due to personality integration or secret technology, she was unsure. She was not convinced entirely when Diana told her, "Each of us is built differently."
Vivian crossed her arms at the perplexing being, unable to ask these questions within the game, but she was here now. This was her reality and she would find whatever answers she could for her husband. He needed everyone in his corner to win for coming generations and she asked, "And what is your purpose? Who were you?"
"Vesta picked you well" she chuckled softly at her curiosity to unravel the mystery behind her species. Their people no longer mattered in the long span, given they were extinct, but there were lingering threats of that era. Minerva was their long-term planner and Diana trusted her judgment more so than Jupiter's, even if he had been her superior. She crossed her hands neatly over her abdomen and nodded to the duo to explain, "My goal is to ensure this world survives – whether it was through my people, humanity's, or their progeny. The Earth itself is my focus. Each of us focused on one element of this world and mine was to ensure its future- even if all of us were wiped out. I would hope that your intervention prevents the worst outcome."
"Is complete annihilation of life the worst survival plan?" Altaїr demanded with disbelief, cautious if that was what he was leaning the future assassins towards. Did salvation mean spontaneous death?
"To avoid repeating the past and maintaining freedom" Diana corrected firmly and Vivian pouted, feeling much like a child being advised by their parent. Then again, this woman was literally the oldest being in existence through a virtual interface. Everything they had witnessed so far carried the regrets, pain, and hope from the past ancients that leaked onto her own race. It was up to them to save their world now and Diana continued, "While Jupiter focused on running our blended societies, I aimed to continue the bridge to a better future. Each of us has a different interpretation of it but it will be your choice on what the final decision will be."
Vivian briefly wondered on the hierarchy of the ancients but that was not important now. What her team needed was to keep their technology out of Templar hands and hidden until it was time to be used by Altaїr's lineage. She gazed around the metal room, wondering if these temples would be utilized by them one day, and spoke, "But not us, really. You're speaking through him to his descendants."
"Your descendants" Diana corrected matter-of-factly, giving her pause, and she revealed with a faint smile, "Each of our future champions are related, even if by a blooddrop. It is why you can hear me."
"Each has a different perspective of the future" Vivian mulled over the words, aware of the riddles and mysteries within the past. Honestly, the entire species was a puzzle despite how many years they had been venturing into their old temples. No wonder the future generations would have a run for their money. Given that they were not the only team in this fight across generations, she inquired, "Minerva's project, how . . . how can we help? What is the aim?"
"That will not be for your team but Desmond's to discover" she spoke cryptically to keep the answer concealed and the couple sighed at being stonewalled again. Maybe the being really was a virtual intelligence, after all. Or pretending to be? Heavens, this was going to leave her with a headache.
Vivian shook her head vehemently after the losses they endured to get this far and she spoke coldly, "They are scattered in the future, they need a fighting chance! We cannot leave them unprepared for the unknown!"
"They will be under Minerva's careful guidance" she reasoned gently to calm the incensed travelers, raising her hands peacefully. It was not her aim to upset the young wanderers but she would keep Minerva's plans hidden. As long as the Earth survived and the threat of eternal subjugation was crushed by her failsafe, Diana would – had - put her life on the line for Minerva. Just as the humans who followed Altaїr. Loyalty would see them all through. Her voice was apologetic as she continued, "Your goal is to deter the Templars and start the ripple of information to your descendants. You have discovered much that was not originally intended and we must ensure that information stays within your sect."
Altaїr motioned for his wife to take a breather this time and Vivian turned around to rub her face in frustration. This was the closest they had come to the leadership of the ancients and they were being rebuffed for the future. How could they help if they knew nothing? There would be nothing to pass onto Desmond. She no longer saw him as a game character but an unborn soul that she was meant to protect, to shield him from the looming danger that would fall onto him. To spare him the tragedy that would hound him. Her frustrated gaze met Maria's confused eyes and she blinked back tears at the danger that also awaited Darim one day. They had to protect them somehow.
"Is it because our technology is too archaic to stop the threat?" Altaїr asked sourly at the setbacks thrown at his group.
Time was not against them like it was for Desmond's group so all Diana could have him do was plan. His lifetime would not face the cataclysm from the heavens but he could warn the future. To Altaїr, however, as a mortal, the threat was all too real and he wanted to lighten that burden. Diana could only dull that disadvantage as humankind continued to grow and informed, "Yes, which is why these items will lead you down the road of knowledge to prepare the future for what is to come. Your technology is still not ready."
"No pressure there" Vivian grumbled under her breath but there was not much they could do. Neither she nor Altaїr were technological geniuses. The only one capable of explosive ingenuity right now was Bashir and she doubted he could hide a bomb for the next millennia. Their only solace was that the Templars were evenly matched with them without the use of the POEs. Swords, arrows, and poisons were the only concerns until bullets came into existence – which would not occur anytime soon.
Diana tilted her head to the side as she spoke with intrigue, "I assume you search for my people's technology here for that advantage, but you are too late for the enemy has bested you."
They froze immediately at that tidbit of information before blurting in unison, "What?"
He assumed that a tedious puzzle or painstaking acrobatics would be his challenge for the POE. Instead, the Templars had seized the upper hand for the first time! Before he could demand where they fled, Vivian dared to ask, "What item are we looking for?"
"My Sword" she answered solemnly at the confiscated item as her right hand grasped the silver hilt of her hologram's sword. A white leather sheath concealed the blade but Altaїr could see faint blue lines that glowed similar to the temples. They had yet to find true melee weapons from them while the ones they had found were intimidating once activated. Her blue eyes connected with his with a silent apology and she instructed him, "I am gone but my weapon remains. It was meant to linger and protect the future, for which you must retrieve for your own."
Urgency swelled in him as his eyes sought all the doors, wondering which one led to the enemy. Of course, the enemy had a dangerous weapon instead of a round orb like the Apple! Not just a sword but one that belonged to the military leader of the ancients. He clenched his fists to contain his annoyance, ignoring the panic in his chest, and snapped tightly, "You couldn't have told us this earlier?"
"They are not far, simply follow the corridor behind me" Diana assured calmly, given that she controlled the temple, and a door behind her slid open to the group. Altaїr motioned for Malik to lead the group ahead as he stopped to meet Diana's serene gaze once more as she warned lightly, "But do be careful on what you unleash upon the enemy. Do not underestimate my weapon and utilize the ones you have."
Time was of the essence now and Altaїr moved his confused team down the open doorway. Malik knew better than to ask at this point because he would receive a neat and condensed version later. Maria and Amon were the newly boggled team members but he reassured them everything would be fine. Bashir simply followed along obediently, not in the mood to argue with his superiors. Vivian hesitated on following when she heard Diana's voice again, "Vivian, keep your eyes open for enemies in all corners. You will be of this world once you forfeit the pendant."
Although her team was running away, she couldn't help but pose one of many unanswered questions, "What is the pendant? All I've known is that it was an heirloom."
"One of Minerva's creations that could open portals to parallel timelines" Diana answered with a soft smile at the other woman's uncanny knack for technology. She was a soldier who bordered on diplomacy for the sake of both species in the war aftermath, much like Minerva. They worked to conserve the world rather than control it, unlike their opposition, and she explained, "It is one of several. They serve as conduits for our chosen individuals and appear precisely where they are meant to. Yours was simply under the guise of family safekeeping, which is your role now."
"I will protect this future to save my family's" she vowed after giving up her way home back in Madagascar. It was a harsh truth to accept but she came to love her new family and adapted to the toils of daily life in the Middle Ages. She wouldn't abandon them now that she knew the danger looming for her origin family, hoping they would recover from her loss one day. She would never see her sisters grow up or have her father meet her husband but that was the sacrifice required for the future.
"Your old family will be safe, do not distress, but you must protect this one" Diana advised warmly to the dual lives of the young woman catapulted into the origin timeline. Her life as Vivian of the modern era ended long ago but the bonds of familial love were hard to break. It was time for her to continue her new path without regrets. She could only offer last words of advice as their time came to an end, "You must protect your children. Your son. This future depends on it."
"I lost my first," she whispered somberly, her heart clenching at the loss that she managed to bury under the pile of hurt. Had it been a boy? How did these beings manage to know everything? Was her heart that obvious back then for that hardheaded Assassin?
Diana placed a hand on top of her head, the movement neither seen nor felt by the human, and she assured with hope, "But not your last."
Altaїr's broke her away from her interaction with the ancient being as he beckoned from the open doorway, "Vivian, let's go!"
Diana watched the petite human dart off to meet her partner to continue their fight to save the future. They reminded her briefly of Adam and Eve, their tenacity evident in their descendants. Just as they fought to unshackle themselves from her people, Diana would aid humanity to give them another fighting chance against oblivion. Her Sword would be in their hands.
Altaїr ran at the head of the group as he chased after the highlighted footprints across the metal floor. Diana had opened all the doors in the temple to let the team run free after the enemy. She had managed to keep them all contained behind the doors while she communicated with the Assassins, but Altaїr was not one to linger while a POE escaped. After years of tracking each one down and losing two to their watery depths, he was not going to let the last item escape. Worse, let it fall into enemy hands. Why had Diana relinquished it to the Templars? Or had they overpowered her doors to steal it?
Everyone ran after the man with confusion since they were out of the loop of the prior conversation. Never one to waste time, he blurted out to them, "The Templars have the item! We cannot let them escape from the island. It's a sword so we must be careful."
Malik was not about to run headfirst like a chicken with its head cut off and asked quickly, "What's the plan?"
"Divide and conquer?" Maria suggested on the easiest plan to overwhelm their numbers, doubting that a large force entered the temple. Given that the cave was a tight fit, she was confident that their team could handle it. All, except maybe Vivian, could handle themselves in a fight. The last skirmish had left their group victorious before they added Altaїr's team and she would keep her mindset on that repeat goal.
"We could follow them to their hideout?" Bashir suggested helpfully to play the sneaky route and terminate everyone. Surely, that would be beneficial for their Order. They could retrieve the item and kill off their enemies all in one day.
Amon furrowed his brow with uncertainty at tailing them before telling him, "And give them more reinforcements?"
"That's why it's called a suggestion" the younger man pouted at having his idea shot down immediately. This was why he wasn't in the front lines but he would still offer his two coins on input if asked. Wasn't sneakiness and hiding in the shadows their whole reputation? Vivian patted her younger friend on the back with a sympathetic smile, encouraging his little flame of extroversion.
Altaїr, however, stomped that potential to the ground when he glanced back to state hastily, "Never strategize for us."
Vivian was sure her spouse meant that in a protective brotherly way since they were in the middle of a mission. Still, she wouldn't chide him when there were more important matters at hand. They didn't know what type of item to expect and whether the Templars unlocked its abilities, which would pose a threat for their team. In hindsight, she should have asked her about the weapon rather than her pendant. She followed him silently down the metal corridors, which lay eerily open to their team compared to before. Had Diana been unable to stop the Templars from procuring the POE or was this all part of the plan?
Eventually, the metal construction ended up melting away into the natural volcanic rock of the cavern. It was not the same path they traversed as they burst through the circular opening where sunlight burned their vision. Altaїr paid it no mind as they approached the only route of escape for their enemy and began to hand out orders, "One team will engage while the other plays defense."
He threw caution to the wind as he ran outside to emerge onto the rocky path winding around the volcano. They were at a much lower elevation now as trees surrounded them compared to the high vantage point from the afternoon. The sun was lower in the sky now, settling closer to prepare for sunset soon. They were low enough that they could veer off the dusty road to run down the slope to cut off the enemy. He could see movement in the brush below them so they were moving quickly. Not wanting to lose ground on them, he ordered, "Maria, you head left with Amon and Bashir. We'll head right. Surround them."
The ex-Templar nodded, satisfied that he chose her to lead the second team. Now, she just had to make sure she brought them all through to the other side. Amon could handle himself in a fight but Bashir was the little brother still finding his way. Taking the lead, she slid down the hill to veer off to the left to use the trees as cover as she ushered hastily, "Let's go!"
Altaїr motioned for the other two to follow him down the opposite side of the slope. The tip of his boots sunk into the loose gravel as he controlled the rate of his descent before he rolled downwind. His duo managed to hold their weight against gravity as they reached the safety of the tree line to use the trunks for cover. Malik and Altaїr could handle themselves in a fight as they slid against the trees to stay concealed. Vivian clung to the trunk to catch her breath and calm her beating heart as she focused on moving undetected. On the other side of the slope, Maria was silently ordering the same to her team with hand signals.
"Stay behind me at all times" Altaїr whispered to his wife to keep her out of harm's way. Granted, running into the fleeing enemy was not the best way to achieve it but he was running low on options. He pulled her by the right shoulder to wedge her between himself and the tree, peering over the side of the trunk for any sign of the enemy.
Hmm, still not within sight.
He had to move faster.
Using his eagle vision, he followed the highlighted footsteps of his enemies instead of running blindly. The untamed forests of the island were working against him as he left the volcano behind to work his way inland again. Undoubtedly, the Templars were either returning to their camp or trying to gain a head start to the closest ferry to return to the mainland. Malik and Vivian followed closely from behind, the duo briefly reminded of their first adventures together down the Nile with them pumping their legs to reach their determined leader.
Vivian halted immediately when an arrow embedded itself in the trunk of the tree beside her and she ducked to curse, "Shit, I'm not arrow proof!"
Malik yanked the cowl of her robe to pull her behind the trunk before more arrows followed. Altaїr, on the other hand, plowed forward with annoyance at their audacity to target his friends. He could finally see moving figures within the brush up ahead and Maria's team aided his effort by unleashing their own arrows to buy time. The distraction was enough for him to close the distance and soon, he saw the tail end of the company.
There were a dozen men moving through the brush and he could see a clearing up ahead. If the enemy reached it first, they would be at an advantage to shoot them the moment they exited the treeline. Retrieving his crossbow from his back, he loaded an arrow behind a tree while warning his wife up ahead, "You are not engaging the enemy."
He already imagined the glare she was sending his way from behind the tree when she shot back, "Not unless there's no other option."
"Stay with me, less risk of crossfire strikes" Malik instructed her to keep the woman safe or his friend would kill everyone in sight. Well, the Templars already wrote their death warrants by joining but he would at least give quick, merciful ones. Altaїr was the type to throw kindness out the window when his loved ones were harmed intentionally.
He fired off his arrow into the back of the nearest Templar, earning a complaint from Amon from the other side, "That was my shot!"
"Pick another!" Altaїr replied swiftly with an amused tone before darting forward to engage the enemy directly. Unsheathing his hidden blade, he stabbed the left jugular of the next Templar obscuring his path. He needed to find the one wielding the piece of Eden, not his subordinates.
"How about focusing on the fight?" Maria reminded them sharply since it was their group of six against a dozen armed men. Bashir and Vivian were still fresh in their fighting skills so it was more like the four of them against everyone else. The other half of their team should have been in the area so why were they not responding? Had they moved into the volcano along another path?
The Templars were moving out towards the clearing with Amon shooting arrows while Maria, Malik, and Altaїr used their swords. Vivian and Bashir used their smaller blades to keep the enemy at bay but Vivian didn't hesitate to use loose dirt to throw in their eyes and blind them for the others. Altaїr continued pushing forward, ordering Bashir to hurl smokebombs to blind the enemy and make it easier for him to eliminate them with his eagle vision. Maria kept the others behind her since it would confuse them in the cloud and make them liable to friendly fire.
Altaїr ran forward to pick off the Templars in his way, especially once his vision picked up the glowing object of Eden. He broke into the open clearing to leave the safety of the smoke cloud to face the leader of the Templar forces. He was moving ahead on his own, undoubtedly following his mission at the cost of his subordinates. It was unpleasant to remember he was once like that, but he would not sacrifice his team for a POE. Hopefully, his extra addition of aid would yield a quicker victory.
Maria and Malik led the others safely through the tree line to evade the rest of the Templars, signaling Altaїr. The Assassin rejoined the others just as the remaining surviving Templars escaped the tree line to pour into the clearing. The open pasture hid nothing and would not provide any shelter or hiding spots during the fight so they had to tread carefully.
"I found him," he told the others when he finally spotted the Templar holding the piece of Eden. Amongst his brethren running around, it was chaotic to spot him but once he saw the item – it was hard to ignore it as a common belonging of their time. If anything, it was a weapon of ancient lore. He opened his travel pack to retrieve the bag of POEs to remove the two most important to him before handing it to his wife for safekeeping, tossing his travel pack to the ground to shed the extra weight.
"Be careful" Vivian beckoned with a tightlipped smile as she pushed him onwards, staying behind as ordered. She didn't have any long-range or heavy weapons to use against the enemies, relying on her dagger and knife for a quick fight or getaway.
Altaїr gripped the Apple tightly in his left hand while he slipped the retracted Scepter into his belt to conceal it from the enemy. He refused to use the crystal skull with his friends nearby, leaving it to Malik and Vivian to use against the enemy if they truly needed assistance. Running towards the lead Templar, he saw the silver sword glinting against the sunlight as it reflected the silver-white metal. It was the POE he was searching for. The pale weapon was stained with fresh crimson blood so it had met his other half of the Assassins, leaving only their group to rely on themselves.
He was barely able to order the others to dodge when a blue orb of light erupted from the sword, knocking back everyone absorbed by it. Maria and her team were knocked back against the floor as the air pushed out of their lungs from the force, protected instantly by Malik and Vivian as the crystal skull repelled the shockwave and they ran to cover them from the surrounding Templars. Altaїr raised the Apple to activate its abilities, repelling back the blue shockwave with a golden flood of its own. He had never fought against the pieces of Eden but he could not let the sword fall into enemy hands.
The man swung the sword in his direction and he rolled to the side to avoid the strike, kicking outwards to strike the man's leg. The other man brought the sword down as he shifted his weight onto the injured leg to avoid falling down while Altaїr rolled away before pushing himself off the ground. Another shockwave flew in his direction and he held up the Apple to dispel it once more to protect his friends. If he was a simple person without a POE, the shockwave would have killed him in two blasts. Did more of those swords exist in the world? For their sake, he hoped Diana owned the only one of its kind.
He was able to repel another attack from the sword, unlike his friends, and he ordered them to focus on the other Templars. Maria didn't need to be told twice and stabbed the nearest Templar in the arm while Amon unleashed an arrow into the chest of another. Bashir used his bombs in the scuffle between everyone to disperse the enemy from overwhelming their side. Vivian aided her friend in his efforts as a civilian while keeping an eye on Malik's back as he helped Maria as a hitter with his sword.
Altaїr attempted to use his sword against the ancient one but the strength emitted from the item upon clashing threw him back onto the ground. He missed a strike to his head by centimeters with a quick jerk and kicked the man's side to weaken the wielder instead of the weapon. How was his sword so easily cast aside? He had never encountered such an enchanted weapon, wondering how powerful it was under Diana's grasp eons ago. She was Jupiter's second, after all.
He swung his sword again to strike the metal and his hand shook under the strength vibrating in return. It reverberated down his hand to his elbow to weaken his stance but he used the Apple to emit a shockwave, releasing the tendrils of power from the other item. At this rate, he would not gain ground against the Templar if he could not land a single strike.
"You're not winning this fight, Assassin" the Templar spat as he swung again, knocking him back but not off his feet as he held firm. The force recoiled in his bones once more as his fingers threatened to loosen their hold on the hilt in an effort to remove the aching pain. After a decade of being an Assassin, pain was inconsequential to him while a weaker man would have dropped the sword from a shattered hand.
"I'm not dignifying that with a response" he muttered bitterly because he fought better without having to make needless conversations. His actions spoke louder than verbal insults, especially when he got to walk away alive.
I have to get close to strike him somehow, he thought with aggravation at keeping a safe distance from the sword-wielding menace.
In a last-ditch effort, he sheathed his sword to try another tactic. Altaїr removed the Scepter from his belt and the item extended fully when he raised it against the Sword. Apart from the Apple, the ancient staff was the only other item he could wield for a defensive position. The appearance of a new weapon made the Templar hesitate but he didn't fail in attempting a strike at his midsection. The warm golden metal clashed against the cool silver hue of the other Eden piece as Hermes' item nulled the impact released from the sword upon touching it. Altaїr didn't feel the bone-shattering strength in the Sword as powerful this time against the Scepter and smiled tightly at his small win. The Templar growled in frustration as the multiple items in Altaїr's disposal added an advantage against the fearsome sword.
He released another shockwave with the sword but Altaїr utilized the scepter's ability and teleported behind the man to evade it. Vivian grinned wildly at his strategy to use the POEs against each other to balance out the fight, especially when she watched her husband attach the bottom of the Apple to the top of the Scepter to combine them as one whole weapon. How ingenious! So, he had been listening to her Assassin's Creed game rambles. She couldn't help but pump her arms proudly at his intelligence and encouraged, "Yes, fuck him up good!"
"Language!" Malik reminded her quickly to seize her attention back to the battle and she threw a bomb at a trio of Templars to comply.
The Scepter was more of a defense weapon but Altaїr was able to use it to parry his strikes and teleport away from the emitted shockwaves. At the same time, the Apple sent out its own golden shockwave to knock back any Templars from interfering and cutting the shockwaves short. This fight was between him and the Templar leader only. Altaїr used the Scepter to teleport around the head Templar to land defensive strikes with the end of the item since the Apple negated the Sword's abilities. While the Sword could cut anyone in two, Altaїr could still use the Scepter to beat his enemy into submission. He didn't exactly need a blade to kill someone. He just needed to be close to strike.
The combined deadliness of the pieces of Eden activated the pendant lingering inside Vivian's robe pocket. Golden light emanated from her gray pocket as her close vicinity to the other items triggered its own abilities to join the fray. Her stomach dropped instantly and she reached down to fish it out as she evaded a strike from a Templar. The man noticed the familiar golden glow and dove for her hand to restrict her movement, skyrocketing her heart rate. If she didn't reach it in time, what would it do? Send her home or another time?
Altaїr noticed his wife fending off a Templar as she tried to reach for her pocket and used the scepter to teleport to her side. He swung the bottom of the item upwards to strike the man on the side of the head to fling him away. The force was heavy enough to render the enemy unconscious and he turned to Vivian to spot the light emanating from her skirt. His fear of losing her struck for the first time and he reached down to seize the pendant from her shaking fingers, removing any physical connection to lessen the risk.
Vivian's concern flew to him immediately since the items could affect anyone. He had already traveled with the Scepter but the pendant affected time, not distance. The illumination from the tiny orb grew brighter with each second and she screamed, "Throw it at them!"
He hesitated following that order after what happened with the crystal skull and questioned, "What if they wield it?"
"It's never activated until now – don't trust it" she implored him as they faced down the enemy wielding a POE and a powerful one at that. All they could do was utilize what they had in their disposal and her pendant was the quietest, most mysterious, and potentially- most dangerous. She didn't want either of them to be separated and the enemy could only use the item to be blasted to a different timeline. At least, that's the theory she was running off from.
Altaїr decided to trust his wife on the matter and cast it at the center of the group. The only threat lingering was the Sword as the small pendant flew through the air. The combined glow of the pieces of Eden was disorienting for those who weren't wielders or carried no bloodlines from the original humans. He was unaffected by the blinding light as he swung the Scepter sideways to push back the lead Templar again, attempting to use his brute strength to knock the sword away. The man buckled backward but held onto the weapon as he parried the strike, pushing back against Altaїr. He attempted to activate its power but the Scepter pushed back to dull it, aided by the pendant as it glowed brighter with each pulse of the Sword that was cut short.
Vivian didn't want him near the enemy as the pendant continued to glow brighter, beginning to affect the vision of those close by. Reaching down for the knife at her waist, she sucked in a breath as she kept a quick eye on her surroundings. She had taken a civilian seat during the entire journey, learning only self-defense strikes to survive but slide out of sticky situations. This time, however, she needed to protect her husband and get him far away from the object that sent her to his time.
She targeted the man's legs and threw her small knife at his lower limbs just as her friends taught her. It struck the man on the left thigh rather than the lower leg but it was effective enough to draw his attention. Altaїr was able to seize an advantage when the man reared back from the pain and slid the end of the Scepter between the man's arms, twisting it to the side to pry his hold off the Sword. The wedge carried enough force to weaken one of his hands, loosening the sword, and Altaїr angled the Scepter forward so he could land a kick on their midsection.
His strength overpowered the injured man and he fell onto his good knee, giving Altaїr the chance to swing the Scepter on its winged side down onto the man's wrist on the Sword. The golden metal was sharp enough to injure the soft tissue but not enough to cut it open. The power behind the strike was enough to finally release the hold and the Sword fell onto the grass.
"Run!" Malik ordered quickly to move their troops out of harm's way when the pendant began to glow over the center of the field.
Altaїr decided that was his time to bail and grabbed the hilt of the Sword with his right hand, just as the other man reached for it. He retracted the Scepter back into its rod shape to smash the top end across the man's face to end their fight, picking up the sword to run off the opposite direction. The sword was lighter than he expected in his grip but his skin tingled at the subdued power emanating from it. He could only imagine how many people or armies this weapon had cut down. The Apple had been the first item in his hands and although the Scepter carried a different type of power, the Sword was tinged with the same destructiveness as the Apple. Even so, the latter had been weak against it in combat.
The field erupted in a bright flash as the pendant finally activated, engulfing the radius of Altaїr's fight. Vivian practically shoved him towards the forest when he rejoined her, not eager to have him anywhere near the pendant. Had her home experienced the same phenomenon when she left? Had her Altaїr cutout smacked her over the head and activated the pendant or vice versa? She would never know. She released a haggard breath of tension when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning on her as he awaited the item's power.
"You're free of it" he whispered at the small but powerful item in their grasp that they had tugged from the very beginning. After meeting Hermes, they stored it in numerous places between them to prevent it from sending her back home. Even if she could activate it, she had no idea how. It could go back to whatever timeline those beings wanted to manipulate next or another poor soul.
The bright flash subsided over the field, allowing both sides to peer at the aftermath. The Templars that engaged Altaїr were gone - nothing remained behind for a trace of their presence. Even the blades of grass were barely mussed. Altaїr walked over tentatively to search for the round pendant, using his right foot to sweep over the grass but it yielded nothing. The Assassins took this advantage to eliminate the remnants in the outskirts of the fight to ensure nobody returned to inform their leader of their failure. After seeing their comrades suddenly disappear, nobody wanted to stick around.
Altaїr took a breath in relief that his team survived and put away the items back in their original bag. He had depended on the Apple for aid but the Scepter was the true winner in this fight. For now, however, he was done chasing them across continents. He glanced down at the ancient Sword, noting the silver metal gleamed in a pristine shape to ignore the passage of time. There were no nicks or scratches on the fine metallurgy. His fingertips ran over the faint blue lines running down the blade, wondering what metals the beings used to create such power. Or had Diana crafted it herself? He would never know. Vivian's pendant was the only item that thwarted its effects, nullifying the Sword but activating the small but powerful Orb.
Whatever time or place it had sent the enemy, he was simply glad it had not affected his wife. If he lost her . . .
To be safe, he handed Malik the Sword for safekeeping as he turned to his wife. She managed to fight defensively on her own while he tackled the main force. It was time he took her away from such savagery and attempted to joke about their success, "Well, that last part was anticlimactic."
She stared at him with confusion and her voice carried less of a European accent when she asked, "What? I can't understand you."
This was an unexpected turn of events.
Fortunately, he knew how to speak English but found it odd to speak it after years of using Arabic with her. The uncanny ability she held to understand all languages was undoubtedly powered by the small item but with it leaving their reality, its power over her waned. If she lost the ability to understand other languages, what else would she lose? Both were struck with the uncertainty that she could be pulled away to follow the unlucky Templars and he refrained from touching her to be safe.
"The item has taken your ability of language comprehension" he stated quietly and she nodded silently, acknowledging the success of his accuracy. It was a little daunting to have that ability gone but if it meant the safety of her friends, it was a small sacrifice. She would stay in their world like Diana said if she lost the pendant.
"Guess we're going off on a learning curve, now?" she chuckled awkwardly at the aftermath of losing the tiny pendant. She really hoped that was all it would seize from her.
"It's better than losing you entirely" he whispered privately at the small sacrifice because language could always be acquired with time. She had learned to live in his world and adapt to the culture so this would be yet another obstacle. Neither of them were quitters by nature and hearing each other's true voices would only serve to bring them closer. His fingers threaded through her curly hair, smiling when her eyes closed with relief, and he told her, "The pendant is gone."
"I like your accent" she smiled fondly at the different articulation of his English compared to what the item translated. It was yet another crutch that she did not desire anymore, not if it meant losing her new family. For a moment, she wondered how it would have been if she met him in modern times and dated him rather than being smacked together by ancient beings and their technology.
Their small moment was interrupted by the short cry of someone being shot by Amon's bow. He raised one hand when the two turned sharply in his direction, ensuring his enemy's death by a swift kick to the head, and called out in Arabic, "Apologies. All is well."
Vivian sighed under her breath at hearing their voices differently, unable to understand Arabic, and muttered despondently, "This will take some getting used to. But I was never one to shy away from charades."
Altaїr groaned miserably at being lost yet again to her future jargon and told her, "Please, no gibberish."
After surveying the quiet field, Malik approached the two and informed his leader, "The enemy is eliminated."
"Then we should leave with haste" Altaїr stated to keep the momentum of their success and put distance with the enemy. Who knew if there were more nearby or searching other parts of the island? The sooner their team could pack up and remove traces of their presence, the sooner they could return home. He promised his team that they would see home again after their endless searching and told him, "Frankly, I want to leave this island and these beings behind once and for all."
Malik agreed with a sharp nod, eager to leave the bloodbath surrounding them, and informed everyone, "Look for any of our survivors and then we leave immediately for the ferry port."
"Are we not looting for provisions?" Amon asked curiously to procure any goods for their team since it would be about a day's walk to the shoreline. They should take advantage of what they could use for food, weapons, or currency.
Before Altaїr could concoct a plan, Bashir exclaimed to agree with helping the ex-thief scavenge the dead. Maria shook her head before reluctantly agreeing with her unofficial little brother, mainly to ensure he didn't hurt himself. Malik shook his head to stay out of it while Altaїr turned to his wife to offer in English, "Would you like to search the dead for-"
"Free loot!" she exclaimed giddily to return to her old hobby, ignoring the fact that there were dead men all over the field. Well, he couldn't say his wife had not adjusted well to living in his world. He trailed behind her cautiously when she ran over to join the trio because they had an explanation for her sudden loss of communication.
It was over for now and they could catch their breath before the next hurdle home.
A/N: Thank you for joining me for another installment of this story! The next chapter will be the last to bring an end to this quirky alternate tale for Altaїr. Diana is the last of the Isu that we'll see since I wanted to keep her for last since Juno and Minerva are reserved for the future. With Diana being considered a huntress and thriving in the woodlands in Roman mythology, I decided to place her as the commander of the Isu forces and creating her own fortresses within nature compared to the outside like Hermes. I'm not great at action scenes but I wanted Altaїr to utilize the pieces he collected to beat the Sword and their powers, giving his team an edge for the future. Now that all of the POEs have been collected, the team is off for the return home for the final chapter.
Thank you to the new readers and last review:
Altairila: Happy New Year! Now that the team has made their way north, I figured a few helping hands would aid their success. Altair has a new life to build but he and Vivian will definitely have a little bean of their own to make up for the previous loss.