Inside Her World
Part 6
"Betrayal."
"I thought I could trust you."
"They all lied to you."
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It was a rather bitter morning for the young woman who lied in her bed motionless in the arms of her beloved man. The countdown began this very morning as the sun decided to break a promise of never waking up, and stretched its rays over Chicago. Leona's eyes did not open slowly in the bliss of the warmth around her; her eyelids shot open and she sharply sat up with a silent gasp as if there was someone in her room, watching and waiting for her awakening. Yet there was no one there, except for sleeping Templar right next to her, sharing the dear blanket that they even fought about. Kenway always gave her a special attitude where he let her claim most of the bed's side and even use him as her pillow from time to time when Leona decided that his chest was much more comfortable than a puffy cloud-like pillow. But he never got mad, they were somewhat in love, and at the same both though that they rushed over some things.
Last night was certainly one of those sleepless hours where the two lovers did nothing but talk. After the dinner at the luxurious restaurant, Haytham has so kindly picked and forced Leona to wear a dress, both returned home with a plan of having a long talk summarizing the events of the passing days that slowly turned into a week. After a long shower that forced Leona into tears with the realization of Haytham and others disappearing within a few weeks, the girl decided to spent at the remaining time carelessly roaming the city streets with her arms around Kenway and smiling at the passing her people. She wanted to become happy not only with the spicy passionate atmosphere Haytham would bring into their chamber once the door was locked, but to obtain those priceless golden moments just by looking into the man's dark grey eyes. She desired to feel his hand, roughened by murder, softly press against her cheek with an intention to caress and pull into a long everlasting kiss. God, it was all she wanted at the moment when she exited the shower cabin and found Haytham already lying on the bed with only his favorite black pants covering his lower body. Her eyes unwillingly glided down his muscular chest and arms, glued to the scenery. She always admired the graphics of the games that put so much effort into the details of the characters' appearances, but she never thought that the reality would be sweater.
"See anything you like?" His voice immediately forced her into a trance, fogging her eyes with a blissful relaxation. She smiled and looked into Kenway's eyes for a long minute before she gave out a small nod and climbed on the bed not caring much of a towel left behind. Leona wrapped her hands around Haytham's neck and merged their lips together without saying even a word. They had no need to speak to each other; they produced their coaction through glances and gestures. Who knew that one rough week could bring them together as if they have been in sight of each other for a year. Perhaps it was what some call fate, perhaps Leona's knowledge of Haytham from the video game cinematics and endless runs through missions helped her to get used to his character.
The kiss lasted as planned, an eternity. Once the beating hearts separated from their warm sync, Leona pressed her palm over the Templar's eyes and whispering something into his ear that made the man smile widely at her. Once she removed her hand, his eyes were closed shut, a grin still playing on his lips. Crowine giggled to herself at the sight of the merciless killer obeying her little request, and stood up from the bed rushing toward one of the cabinets that held her favorite sleep wear. Pulling on a white nightie with the black flowers wrapped around the waist as if some belt, Leona quickly pulled it on and sneaked under the covers once more, finding a perfect spot near Haytham's side. The Templar felt something nudge his arm and opened his eyes understanding the silent hint. He pushed the covers off to find the woman lying next to him with her hands pressed tightly against her chest and her knees brought up to her abdomen. The man arched his brow, touched by the gorgeous scenery before his eyes.
"Leona, I am not sure what you are trying to tell me, and yet, I am just sure what you are expecting." He nodded his head, lowering down and wrapping his hands around her waist after pushing her legs away from her stomach. The woman giggles to herself and snuggled herself against the Templar, enjoying the moment of joy that ran through her mind. Though, it never dared to stay for long.
"Haytham, I have to ask you something." Leona's expression changed into a concentrated frown as she sat up on her elbows and caught an undivided attention of the Grand Master's grey eyes. The woman hesitated before she plopped back down and stared at the ceiling above them. A low hum of curiosity forced her to proceed with the thought that has haunted her for days now.
"If you go back to…your world, would you remember me? What will happen here? Will I forget all those precious moments spent with you? I am so afraid Haytham; everything is going to be so messed up. And I-"Leona's voice trailed away as warm lips gave her a soft peck, completely cutting off her ability to speak. Crowine turned her head toward Kenway, with a confused and terrified look in her eyes. The Templar only shook his head and pulled the cooling blanket over them. The chilly fabric pressed against Leona's warm exposed sin and made her shiver as she grabbed onto the cover.
"Do not think about it, it will only destroy your mind. The time will show what fate has prepared for us." His voice sounded close to her ear as the light around them disappeared and room sunk into darkness. Leona sighed heavily, wondering if Haytham knew about the plan Altair had told her about. Little did she know, the Grand Master was the part of the idea, but everything was kept in secret behind her back, for the sake of her safety. With a low hum goodnight, Haytham buried his face in Crowine's hair while his hands rested around her waist. The girl, on the other hand, stayed up, thinking about the fate Kenway has mentioned, until the break of dawn sent her into a deep dreamless slumber.
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Now, she rested on the bed in a rather uncomfortable position. Her head has not reached the pillow as the woman plopped back down. The girl's hands were placed under her rear end and her legs scattered on the sides. She was shivering; a jolt would pass from time to time causing her to hiss in painless agony and eventually give up on the path of understanding. Something has made her to suddenly wake up and shake off the sweet haze from her eyes.
Looking back at Haytham one more time, Leona realized that none of her actions, or the loud gasping, has awaken the Templar. Not yet at least. She sighed heavily and ran her hand through her chevelure tugging on it a little as if checking if she could rip some locks from her scalp. Pushing away her side of the warm coverlet, Leona found it challenging to get up. Her bare feet touched the chilly floor sending small tingling needles up her skin. She closed her eyes as a sudden darkness embraced her view, but only for a few moments before she could see again. As the morning dizziness went away. Crowine finally managed to push away from the soft inviting surface of the bed and force herself to walk toward one of the cabinets in the furthest corner of the room to get dressed.
Today her mood was set up for another day to be spent in her assassin robes. As she pulled them on, making sure that everything was perfect as always, Leona sneaked out of the bedroom and silently closed the door behind her without any desire of waking up the Grand Master. Leona then proceeded into the living room and found Ezio, already up and dressed, sitting on the fastened couch and sipping on some drink from one of her favorite cups. The woman was too tired to yell at Auditore and only shook her head as she landed on the empty spot next to him, wondering what it is he was consuming. Ezio turned his head slightly to catch a quick glimpse of her before lowering his cup, already knowing what kind of question rotated on her tongue, eager to fly out.
"While you love birds cuddled in your warm nest, I have figured out how to use a microwave, a kettle, and how to navigate through your refri-… refriju-" He paused clearly not sure of how to pronounce the name of the technology that kept the food safe and fresh. Leona smirked and waved her hand at the assassin that seemed to already have grown comfortable with her wearing the robes that presented her as Altair's twin, despite the annoying curves that pointed at the fact that she was a woman.
"Just call it a fridge." She shrugged her shoulders and waited for the man to repeat the word, surprisingly with quick success. Auditore's accent still gently caressed each letter as he spoke, which the woman found somewhat attractive. Leona always had a thing for accents, whether it was the velvet deep British, or the melodic Italian. She enjoyed each one with the same passion, though La'Ahad's heavy Arabic was something to get used to. From the beginning as Altair greeted Crowine, his pronunciation hit Leona's ears with a wave of curiosity and pain, since she could not understand most of the simply words. Thankfully the strong restraint buried within the woman helped her to suffer through. She kept her tormenting feeling inside to not offend the Master, yet she could tell that Altio and his gang had the same issue with the Arab's manner of communicating.
"So," Ezio's sudden hail for attention pulled Leona away from her flashbacks and forced to concentrate on the Italian once more. "What do you plan to do in the remaining time?" His question stung the female right in the painful spot inside her chest and she looked away from him. Auditore has noticed it, but never backed away from his curiosity. The cup was already placed aside on the heavy coffee table, all attention on Crowine, no escape was visible to her, so all was left is to answer the assassin.
"Nothing. Just spend the last days with you all and enjoy it." Her answer was plain, she knew it, but Leona had nothing left but to shrug it off. The remaining weeks were to slip through her fingers like silky pink sand of Bahamas. Unnoticed and later regretted.
"Cazzo Leona, your answer makes me want to go explore every whorehouse your city has to offer." Auditore rolled his eyes and stretched his hand out brushing his fingers through her hair, soothing the puzzled mind, relaxing her. "Altair told me to train you until it is time for us to leave." There was a saddened smile on Ezio's lips as the last words escaped his mouth. It has distressed them both, and now a heavy silence has embraced the duo as they sat quietly next to each other, staring at the blank spaces of the wide living room.
"Sure." Leona's voice broke the hush, seeming to echo around the house, even though she never raised her voice. Ezio raised his head and gave the woman a confused look on which he answered with a determined smirk. "Teach me. I will become the best and beat your ass." The Italian grinned at her words and rolled his eyes, he was clearly holding back a loud laughter, fearing that the beast of Leona's chamber, named Haytham, did not wake up at the inconvenient time.
"Beat my ass; of course, I would love to see that." The man pushed his palm against his knees and lifted himself up with a long sigh. "Alright, how about we have breakfast and go to that gorgeous park of yours to cosplay?" Da Firenze winked at the woman making her smile as she nodded her head a couple of times before she followed Ezio's example and straightened up from the couch.
"I will go wake your masher up before he sleeps through the day." The assassin laughed as he received a glare from Leona; making her irritated was an amusing thing to watch.
"Says the Casanova." Crowine ignored the questionable look thrown upon her and made her way to the kitchen to generously make three portions of omelets, purposely creating the shapes of the Templar cross and the Creed symbol out of them. The wicked tease has formed in her mind as she began performing her cooking sorcery over the plates and cups, pouring coffee into two for her and Haytham, and another portion of the tea for Ezio that seemed to be satisfied with several spoons of sugar.
"Leona!" Auditore suddenly called from within the bedroom, visibly seeming to be concerned about something. He soon appeared in the kitchen, his brow furrowed, his lips tightened in one line. "Haytham is gone." The man announced giving the woman a suspicious glance though she only stared back confusedly.
"What do you mean gone?" Leona was surprised to hear a set of unbelievable news as such, she was more than sure that when leaving the bedroom, Haytham was still sleeping, untouched by the morning light and the vivid tunes of birds.
"I mean what I speak of, Leona, he is gone. The bed is empty and the window is wide open, only the curtains are the sign of life in there, swayed by the morning wind." Auditore shrugged his shoulders and gave the woman another long stare before he walked over to the presented plates, giving the preposterous symbols made of eggs a glance and a slow shake of his head. He did not make a comment about them afraid to upset the artist of the work, but it was clear that he was keeping himself back from bursting into laughter. The assassin grabbed the plate with the Templar mark on it and threw the content in the trash.
"Ezio!" A loud protest followed but Auditore only lifted his hand up letting the woman know that there was nothing to be angry about.
"Pio silenzioso, beautiful, the culprit of out discontent has forced such fate upon his being. Now because he is gone, he will miss a chance to try your wonderful masterpiece." There was a quick shrug from the Italian; the woman agreed and gave out a heavy sigh already wondering where the Templar could be.
"Here, sit down, let us feast before I teach you how it is done." The lover of outlets sat down on the chair and pointed at the empty seat next to him, grinning widely at Leona. The female rolled her eyes and smirked as she plopped on the stool and took a good gulp of her coffee, feeling the energy immediately crawl through her veins.
"You mean before I beat your ass?" She asked receive a velvet streak of laughter from the assassin.
"Ah si, si, just make sure not to hurt yourself." He agreed with a sneer causing Leona burst into an echoing amusement which he soon joined, sinking the room into a moment of joy.
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"Master Altio!" One of the younger recruits entered the grand hall of the main quarters owned by the Assassins. Thankfully the previous leader was rich enough to buy a whole building for the fans of the popular series. Though, what he did not know before leaving is that Altio was taking the meaning of a true assassin as a serious matter. And now, it was a home to many of students that could not afford to pay for a place to live in off campus wherever they were studying at. Besides, it was perfect for the massive rendezvous residence where the members of the Creed met secretly to discuss the modern issues with the opposing side, and just to enjoy a company of each other.
"James what is it?" Altio waved his hand in the air, asking for the young adult to come into his cozy office that was made with a true loyalty to the ancient Brotherhood. The banners hanging from the ceiling were ordered to be handmade to look exactly how the ones found in Masyaf. The paintings of the Master Assassins hanging symmetrically on both walls, letting any visitor know that the new chief of this Brotherhood was not kidding around with his tittle.
Even though it all seemed to be a joke to the people around the modern assassins, the brothers and sisters by the Creed have taken their top fandom to a whole new level. Many called them sick, others ignored the very existence, but as the assassins have sworn to work in the dark, they preferred to stay imperceptible.
"I have the news from the North Center, it seems that the Onyx has left their position and is making their way toward Leona's home." James gulped and stood by the frame that embraced a picture of Connor Kenway holding his tomahawk above his head, the hood sharply covering his face, the snow falling heavily on his shoulders accenting his power.
"Onyx?" Altio was shocked to suddenly hear the forgotten nickname of the despised individual that messed with the Brotherhood's system in the previous years. "I see everything is becoming more serious than I have expected." The leader lifted himself from the armchair he so enjoyed to occupy when working on papers of his outside work that he had secretly taken away from the Creed to raise some money for the progress of their organization.
"James I want you to gather the group of our élite and lead them to the Onyx, seize the enemy, and bring them here if you are lucky. Otherwise, make sure that our secure squad gets there before the opposite." Altrio always had a plan in his head, but he admitted to himself that the Onyx was the last thing he wanted to deal with.
"Yes sir!" The youngster nodded his head once and then rushed out of the leader's office making his way to the hallway that held a name of Azurite because of the uniforms that the élite has used to wearing.
The elite were made out of six people, all of them adults over the age of twenty. Their working positions in the world outside the Brotherhood let them afford expensive matching uniforms of the azure shade with some armor and a perfect disguise in the glowing Chicago at night. They always used to be mistaken for cosplayers around the city, perfect for blending in with the crowds of others that longed to look like someone else on special occasions. Their special skill was in eliminating threats of a higher level that would be life threatening to the younger members of the Brotherhood.
Each member has received some military training in their previous career, and has mastered a good skill in wielding a small dagger and throwing the blades to eradicate a threat without killing the culprit of a commotion. Those people were respected highly and often treated as celebrities; mentors even, though no élite has taken any students under their wing, simply because it was extremely hazardous.
James ran into the wide office that served as a living room for the members of the Azurite. Five of them turned their heads toward the entrance hearing the heavy breath of the young assassin, all were reading. The sixth one, their leader, pushed away from the wall folding some kind of a map in several halves and placing it on the desk near him.
"Azazel…I need you and the rest of your team to follow the instructions from Master Altio." James called the leader, catching his breath and finally straightening up, pulling his hood up that dared to descend, opening the assassin's face.
Another special feature that élite held as their own individual difference from the rest of the Brotherhood, was giving each other different names. In the elite's case, it was the name of the demons they have picked to match their character. Though in reality, those guys were sometimes so proud of themselves, they wanted to make sure there was an accent on the difference between them and the greens.
Azazel was the chief of the other five; he was the one who knew the most, served the most, and was highly advanced in his training. He would constantly find out the secrets of the Templars that were inattentive in their job, which was really helpful for the Creed until the Onyx came by and ruined everything.
"What is the mission?" The leader narrowed his dirty green eyes at James and came closer to the young man, making him nervous with his mighty look.
"The Onyx has returned."
There was a dead silence in the room now. All book were closed, no one dared to say a word. All eyes were fixated on James, the tension growing, no one believed in the words that has made their way out of the boy's throat.
"Bune…" Another demonic name for a tall man with dark blue hair covered by the azure hood; he sat furthermost from the group, his eyes were dark and never showed any emotion, though now they were wide open at the pleasant surprise from James.
"Yes." The called Bune stood up and hurried out of the room in the hallway to get whatever Azazel has requested with a silent signal of his eyes.
"Where?" The chief turned his head back at James, clearly lacking in the detail of his question, though the young assassin already knew what he meant.
"Leona's residence, sir." James stood aside right away seeing the rest of the group lift up from the couches and rush out of the living room. Azazel walked over to the boy and placed his heavy glowed hand on his shoulders.
"Go back to your quarters; we will bring the Onyx here." The assassin already knew what kind of order Altio has given out; it was the same as four years ago. Find the target, fight it, and try to catch it. Last time they have failed, and so now there were no Seven Devils of the Creed, there was now a simply élite with only six members. They have lost a sister because of Onyx; it was a massive tragedy to all the Brotherhood, and of course, a celebration for the opposing side.
"But sir, Master has told me to-"James started trying to add a point that he was ordered to go with the élite.
"Her name was Caroline, and she never took the tradition of taking a demon's name for her own. She told us that our individuality is on our own names that we have received at birth. A demon stays a demon and receives a punishment from the holy in the end of any bloodshed caused. She was the most intelligent and talented of us, the sanest, and never took pride of being praised as something more. And she had to pay, for all of us, with her life." Azazel's eyes flickered in the light of a dull lamp on the desk; James could have sworn that the might leader was on the verge of tears.
"The Onyx is far more dangerous than you think boy, you will be the first one to die. So I say, order, for you to take that command from the leader and throw it over your shoulder because I promise, if you do go with us, your return will be spent in a coffin." Azazel left the room immediately, knowing that his little talk with the youngster has put some sense into him. The loss of Caroline still reminded the six that there was nothing more precious than life and health of their brothers and sisters in the Creed. The still had the striking pain in their hearts, every night reminded them of the day when their idol has left them on their own, to be torn by their mistakes, their failure. They hid their tears with their pride, traveled under the name of hideous sinning demons, and for what? To bring Caroline the triumph of being remembered? No.
Today, they will bring victory for Caroline and for those who they protected.
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"Master Kenway, I thought you have left us until the said time!" Annette was startled seeing the Grand Master stand at the door of her Templar quarters. The man only shook his head and nodded for her to go back inside where he soon joined her with a dull expression on his face.
"Tell me about you progress." Haytham asked sitting down on an open armchair, fixing the buttons of his dark shirt and the tie that decided to loosen itself free. The woman stared at Kenway for a short silent while before she turned to look at one of the paintings on her gloomy walls.
"It is perfect so far, Master Kenway, we are receiving words from all the Templar headquarters, there are more than fifty people popping up in each one. So by the end of the two-week line, we will have a decent amount of Knights ready to fight for you." She smiled wide; seemingly proud of herself and the good news she has told the Grand Master.
Haytham smirked, he watched Annette from his comfortable seat, surpassing an urge to chuckle at her last words of reassurance. If only this girl knew that really the plan was, what truly the modern soldiers were to experience very soon.
"Wonderful." Kenway got up from his chair and nodded his head at Annette. "Keep up the work, I will not return anymore until that midnight, so make sure everything is done as I asked you to." He darted his eyes from wall to wall, taking in the dark soothing design one more time. He looked over the banners, the crosses, the photographs, and the endless motto on the wall that hurts the eyes. The man unwillingly grimaced at the sight before him; it was more of an obsession than a dedication to the Order. Disgusting obsession with no purpose, and that would bring the chaos to the world, something that Haytham disapproved dearly inside. He chose to not voice his opinion out loud, for the sake of the good partnership with the woman before him, who knew that kind of character the female creatures have developed over centuries, Leona was clearly enough for a miracle, and now Kenway was afraid to meet someone worse than her.
As he left the building, the Templar did not rush to get home. He was sure that in the company of Ezio, Leona would take her mind off of the unnecessary worrying for the upcoming day; instead, he decided to take a walk down the warm street, ignoring the cacophony of cars and arrogant voices of the passers around him. Nothing could have been better at the moment, the tranquility embracing the Templar slowly brought the memories of home, followed by a heavy solitude. He missed the Colonies, he missed the constant responsibility.
Haytham wondered how Charles was doing; wondered if anyone else has noticed the Grand Master absence. If there was a threat going on, potential risk coming from the Colonial Brotherhood, which was the worst time to appear, since Kenway was stuck in the 21st century.
The man continued to walk forward, drowned in his thought, though suddenly a push from the side has awakened his drunken mind and the dull grey eyes darted to the side to look at the moron who dared to intrude the soft atmosphere around Haytham, turning it hostile right away. It was quite a surprise to see a woman near him, especially Chelsea, the young woman who has presented herself as Leona's old friend and came in to the café on the very first day of Kenway's unwilling arrival to the modern Chicago.
"Haytham?" The girl's eyes widened as a small nervous smile has spread across her lips. "I never thought I would run into you!" Her breath was heavy; she clearly was running from somewhere, or someone.
"Chelsea, is it? What a pleasant astonishment." The Templar smirked and nodded his head, though there was no satisfaction in seeing the woman. From the very first time he has seen her, the woman put eerie unfriendly feeling inside of Haytham's mind. There was something about her that sent a cold chill into a sober mind.
"Indeed…" The woman looked from side to side, as if trying to find something among the crowds. She sighed heavily and looked up at the Grand Master before her. "How is Leona doing? I was on my way to visit her." She smiled, though Kenway could clearly tell that she was hiding something behind the false grin of hers.
"She is doing just fine, it seems that she is enjoying every day more than the previous." The man nodded his head, a sudden shiver going up and down his spine. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly turned around, coming face to face with a tall figure in blue attire. The sharp hood hid the face of the stranger, though a crooked smirk of their feminine lips told a story of their own. The assassin shifted to the right and launched their body forward slipping right away from the man and darting toward Chelsea. The woman hissed seeing the figure in azure approach her and swung to the side avoiding a sudden attack from the stranger. Kenway quickly turned around watching the two sudden come into a clash of weapons. A hidden blade against a small dagger, an assassin against an innocent, at least that was the first thought that popped up in Haytham's mind. Soon he would consider this sudden fight in a different color.
"Get away from me!" Chelsea yelled pushing as hard she could on the handle of her dagger to push away the weapon of the assassin. The stranger smirked and jumped back not giving Chelsea any time to swing and attack back. The girl clutched her teeth together, lowering her knife and glaring up at the assassin. She gave a quick glance over to Haytham that stood stunned by the scenery, and only rolled her eyes. Suddenly another five have joined the first attacker, all dressed in the same azure attire, hoods covering their faces, no emotions on the lower half of their expression.
"Well,well,well…"She straightened up, a sinister smile forming on her lips, letting the appearance of the innocent girl melt away with no sign of it left afterwards. The dagger flipped upward and landed in her hand just the way it was before. Her fingers wrapped around the wooden handle, the blade shining under the sun. The people around them started swinging from right to left, gasping at the sight of a weapon. Some stopped at the distance to watch, others desperately discussed to hail for police, yet no one has made a call just yet. They had the precious time.
"The Seven Devils of the Creed, I feel so honored." Chelsea mocked a deep bow, her eyes never leaving the gathering crowd of the élite, darting from one assassin to the other, studying them as if it has been a long time since she has seen them. "Bune, Azazel, Hel, Cerberus, Shax,Garuda, and Caroline." The names fell from her mouth, leaving the last one hang in the air, bringing silence to all.
"Do not mention her name, Onyx." Came the response from Azazel that stood the closest to the target, his eyes sparking in unfriendly glow. The throwing knife in his hand was ready to fly slicing the air and hit Chelsea, taking her life immediately. Yet the woman smiled and began laughing, echo of her amusement putting a deep scar into the assassins' hearts.
"Caroline is unfortunately not with us today, Master Kenway." She turned her head to Haytham, a wide grin on her lips made her look insane. The élite also looked toward the Grand Master, shocked to see the famous Templar before them. "I killed her." Chelsea finished and looked back at the enemy.
"We are here to put an end to this; you are never to get to Leona." A harsh female voice came from the figure that was the first one to appear. She lifted her head so some light from the sun was shone upon her face, revealing attractive sharp features of a woman.
"Sure, Hel, sure." Chelsea nodded her head and rolled her eyes. "I see that last time has taught you nothing." She whispered pulling out a second dagger from within her jean coat. "I guess I have to kill you all, don't I?" She asked smirking and gazed around her, watching the startled people. The woman lifted both of her armed hands in the air and turned to the side.
"I am Onyx, the darkness that has been hunted by the Azurite!" She hailed as if she was to be a queen of something unknown. "They claim to be the Devils of the organization they serve so dearly, they claim to be something they are not!" She named off the demonic nicknames again, pointing at each assassin that associated with it. "They think that this reality is all a game. They buy themselves armor, weapons, and even have a section all for themselves. These show offs have no respect, too ignorant to realize that this may be the end for them. They may not return home tonight to the once they claimed as the servants rather than brothers." Haytham and the élite watched Chelsea silently, her show for the people gave them a clear hint that they shall go with her act, pretending that this all was a skit for the people around. No one complained, all of them agreed that the safety of citizens was their top priority, besides; no one had the desire to deal with the police later.
The Grand Master took a step back, then another, quickly blending in with the group of people that stood behind him. The élite has not noticed his sudden disappearance yet, and hopefully they will be occupied enough to never care to question Kenway's existence in this world. Now Haytham began to analyze the situation as best he always could.
Chelsea, for some reason named Onyx by the Brotherhood's élite that in reply held a title of Azurite, also the Seven Devils, though hearing that one of them has been killed, turned it into a simple Six. It was hilarious to hear the names of the members of the élite. Picking demons for their names, yet having the cause to not destruct but to help. This contradiction amused Kenway. It seemed that the mentioned Caroline was the only sane of them all, but perhaps strong since the other members have reacted so strongly on the account of Chelsea taking her life. It seemed to be a joke to Kenway, but the weapons and an obvious existence of skill in all of them sent Haytham wondering once more. Does the modern organization still have a purpose in them? Or was it just a game to show off and threaten each other? Most of all, did Leona knew about this? Clearly not, but if such fights occurred often, appearing as a show, Crowine perhaps never paid attention to really see the truth behind them, which meant that the groups were trained and experienced enough to hide the truth.
Meanwhile, the enemies have merged their weapons. First one to attack was Shax. The man's claw-like knifes flew at Chelsea, though the woman easily dodged them. She took the dirty advantage of the environment and stayed close to the innocent civilians, making it harder for the assassins to push forward and not hurt the people. All the "demons" raged at their target for playing such a filthy game with them. They jumped down from the high surface they chose to stand at and started circling around the Onyx, trying to trap her in the middle so if anything goes wrong, each member could catch a flying weapon from their ally lowering the risk of letting it slice the innocents' flesh. It was a smart technique; even Haytham nodded his head approvingly, so far enjoying the intelligence of the trained killers, though he smirked watching as Chelsea realized their plan before they could finally make it come true.
"You idiots think using something similar to watch you performed last time will make me confused? It only makes things easier!" She shouted and flung over to the only other armed female, Hel. The Onyx attacked the woman, swinging both daggers sharply from left to right, making it harder for her to smack back, going fully into defense. Hel shouted to Cerberus, who threw a chain toward Chelsea's leg. The metal string successfully wrapped around the woman's leg and sent her to the ground with one swift yank on the other end. She groaned feeling her whole arm ache from the hit, though her mind focused of what was going on around her. Cerberus smirked, proud of his simple trick, Hel nodded her head at appreciation of her brother's help and took several jumps away from Chelsea to regain her energy.
The Onyx slowly lowered her head to the ground as if already giving up, that is what the Azurite decided to hope for, yet Haytham noticed a smirk on her lips, already knowing that the hunter only pretended to be the prey. With a swing of her healthy hand, Chelsea threw one of her daggers to the side where it successfully pierced Garuda's thigh. The poor assassin had no time to react and collapsed to the ground with a wince, the crowd around them gave out a loud gasp. People took a few steps back opening more space for the fighters, which was a perfect opportunity to breathe and gain needed speed for the leaps.
Chelsea smirked and used the momentum to jump to her feet while the other five devils were busy with helping the wounded. Azazel left the group earlier, commanding Hel to take Garuda away to an open space and bandage him up. The Onyx smiled as she saw the dirty look the bleeding assassin gave her and winked at him as if saying that this was not the end. The leader of the Azurite stood before her view, both of his hidden blades sliding out from within is sleeves, promising a slow painful death. The Onyx giggled and flipped her remaining dagger in her hand; the game was beginning to turn serious.
"Letting the King stand before his Pawn, are you not afraid that I will send you after your Queen?" She smirked taking a step to the left, Azazel doing the same in the opposite direction. The two enemies began circling each other, coming close and far.
"Haytham, is he real?" The chief devil nodded toward the crowd where Kenway stood, now impressed that the leader has figured out where he was. The Templar narrowed his eyes looking over Chelsea and Azazel. From one glance it seemed as if the woman had no chance against the leader of the élite, but after seeing the confident sparks glowing in her eyes, Haytham realized that she has already won.
Azazel dove forward, the hidden blade of his right arm slicing the air and unfortunately never finding the soft flesh of his target. Chelsea's hand stopped it before it could reach her neck, though she remembered that there were two blades after her blood. A wheezing nose of the left arm swinging upward made the woman hiss as her dagger felt the pressure of the other blade. Thankfully she stopped both attack for her own sake, she had to admit that it was a close call. Azazel smiled noticing a hind of worry in her eyes that was quickly covered by ice of indifference.
"He is indeed." Chelsea smiled back, though she was shocked to find out so late that the Grand Master standing somewhere behind her and watching, was indeed the Haytham Kenway she heard so much from the games and Annette. Now that she was standing against the assassins, Chelsea had to show the Kenway of the past how well some Templar were trained in the modern world, that hope was lost after all. At this moment, the woman became a loyal Knight once more, despite the fact that she has quit the Order years ago. A spy like she always had tricks in her sleeve, and always had all backup plans sorted out for every letter in the alphabet.
"And I am going to make sure that he is proud of our Order." She added in a whisper as a sudden swift movement of her knee cause Azazel to groan in pain and back away from the Onyx. The woman straightened up throwing her dagger in the air above her head and catching it in her opposite hand. "Well, devil, come at me." She smirked and motioned for the leader to finally attack.
"Azazel!" Bune and Shax were already making their way to help their brother, but the chief lifted his hand in a silent command to stop. Both assassins slowed down and stared at their leader in disbelief, he only shook his head at them.
"This is for Caroline; I have to avenge her death, myself." Azazel growled and straightened up, the pain in his abdomen letting him know that there would be a bruise later. "Onyx, you are going to regret everything." He whispered engaging his blades and coming closer to the laughing Chelsea.
"What a hero." She wiped a little tear from her cheek that dared to appear from the intense amusement, her face suddenly becoming serious. "Let's finish this; I have a friend to visit." The woman stepped over and attacked Azazel first, though the man was not caught by surprise, her force caused him to wobble at a loss of balance, which he regained easily. The chief retaliated with his blades coming to a close contact with Chelsea's throat, one of them leaving a long scratch that began to bleed right away. Though it was not mortal to the Onyx, the woman still jumped back covering the cut with her free hand; she looked over her bloodied palm and smiled.
"Surrender to us, Onyx, and we will spare you." Shax yelled becoming worried that Chelsea would become too serious with their fight. He gave Garuda a quick glance, the man suffered from blood loss at the moment, Hel trying her best to stop the blood from the wound of Chelsea's dagger.
"Bullshit!" She yelled back and lowered her hand, blood dripping down staining the ground. The woman glared at Shax and back at Azazel that was preparing for another attack. "I am done kidding around," she snarled. "You damaged my favorite shirt!" There was laughter from the crowd, a signal that the people still considered the fight just a play. An excellent one.
Azazel growled and launched his body forward, rage taking over his mind, all the memories of Caroline leaving because of this careless moron. This moron dared to take a perfect leader away from the Brotherhood's elite, the love of his dangerous life; he cherished her more than anything and lost. All because of her.
"Onyx you I will end you!" He shouted as the woman smiled wide at him.
"You already lost, Azazel."
A blade pierced the flesh of its prey, a pretty cut right through the chest. The target gasped every emotion on their face turning into a bold shock; blood immediately making its way up their throat, dripping down their lips. Their eyes, wide open, stared at their hunter, a victorious glow in their eyes telling them that everything was gone now, all hope they had for escaping the death's claws.
"N-no way…"
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Leona ran on the rooftops of the low buildings following Ezio wherever it is he was leading her. The assassin never told her his swift change of plans. He only saw something in the distance and refused to explain, he only yelled for Crowine to follow him, which she did upset that no reasoning came with his sudden actions.
"Ezio wait up dammit!" Leona said descending from one of the buildings from which Auditore miraculously jumped down and landed to his feet without any damage, startling a few people near. The girl finally made it to the ground, apologizing before the cursing older tourists that clearly disliked the idea of the young adults running around as they please. Crowine pulled the hood of her robes up to hide her face and soon joined Ezio that commented on the fact that she needed training for the landing. Overcoming the fear of free-falling was a very important lesson that da Firenze has mentally marked to teach Leona before he leaves back to his time.
Ezio once more darted away already running over to a big crowd that gathered around something, gasping here and there, taking pictures, but for the most part silent. Leona followed; she jumped here and there trying to see what was going on in the very middle of the commotion. She saw a two figures standing, one of them strong in the posture, the other swaying out of balance and collapsing to their knees before the other, then completely to the ground. Leona gasped and starting pushing through the tight crowds, receiving devilish curses on her account, pushed from the sides, but she did not care, she needed to get to the first row.
She already lost Ezio in the crowd, her mind racing, her throat aching from the endless amount of sharp inhales she was making. Leona finally succeeded of making it out from the bodies around her and pushing out into the open. A hideous view became visible to her, the woman's eyes widening as she scanned the middle of the large circle.
Blood on the ground and the two figures. One of them rested on the ground, barely breathing. The one that stood, lowered their hands and took a step back, breathing heavily, perhaps regretting what they have done, though a smile played on their lips. There were a few more people, dressed oddly in blue robes and some armor that shined under the sun. One of them was on the ground as well, yet he seemed to be very much alive comparing to the one who was perhaps dead already. Leona's whole body began to shake; she gulped heavily as she took a step forward, tension building up in her throat.
"Chelsea!" She yelled though her shout was covered by a thick applaud that came from everyone in the crowd. They still all considered it a dramatic show.
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The Onyx stood quietly, watching the blade of her dagger slowly sink into the chest of Azazel. The man gasped, looking up at the woman in disbelief. He was shocked that he has lost the same way Caroline did, consumed by his rage, his desire for revenge, just like her that day. It was a deep disappointment. The leader has failed his love and his companions that perhaps will find it difficult to forgive.
"Onyx…" He whispered falling to his knees before the Templar. The woman smiled yanking the dagger out of her chest and stepping back, lifting her hands in the air to proclaim her victory.
"Remember this, and die in agony. You have lost just like Caroline, your brothers and sisters will lose the same way. Ignorant, with rage hazing over your mind, all you do it loose." Her lips stretched into a wide grin. "Pathetic assassins." She looked up at the rest of the gang. "No longer the devils, but puppies that have lost their ability to fight a long time ago. With Caroline gone, you all are nothing. You have no real leader but your silly names to cover your pain." Chelsea looked back down, Azazel was no longer breathing. A pure victory.
"Shax!" Hel suddenly yelled. "Did you contact the backup?" The man only hailed a negative answer, throwing his sister into an agonic cry. "Azazel don't you dare to die!" Tears began running down her cheeks, choking on the sudden realization that they have lost their brother, their beloved leader.
"Chelsea!" A sudden voice, drowned by the crowds' roars and applauds, came from side. The Onyx turned her head, her eyes widening. It was Leona.
"Shit…" Chelsea whispered turning over to her dear friend. Haytham has emerged from the other crowd, a worried look on his face. He scanned the body on the ground, and quickly made his way toward Crowine, yet the people have disoriented him and he was once more lost within the mob.
"C-Chelsea, what is this?" Leona cried coming closer to her friend, though immediately stopping at the bloody blade of the dagger was pointed at her. She gulped watching the Onyx push the chilling body away from her feet.
"Betrayal." She answered smirking up at Crowine. "I am a Templar. Those blue shirts are the assumed élite of the Brotherhood you so cherish." She started laughing, enjoying the look of horror in Leona's eyes as the truth was revealed.
"I thought I could trust you." Crowine hissed, tear building up in her eyes, promising to roll down into waterfalls of solitude.
"They all lied to you." Onyx's words sounded like another riddle Leona refused to solve. She knew too much already, her mind becoming puzzled after each new thing she has discovered from Altair and Ezio, and the mysterious other Leona, the hidden talent in her dreams. She was about to say something back, but Chelsea has already disappeared from her view, hidden in the cheering crowd fooled by a false show that has taken a life on a warrior.
The remaining members of the Azurite, beaten and suffering the loss of a brother, picked up the body as soon too, left the streets, unable to receive the compliments of a good act. Altio was to be thrown into despair very soon.
The Brotherhood has lost another, the Templar were to prevail over a small victory that was brought to them by someone that was supposed to be gone from the Order a long time ago. But then again, once tasted blood of one, no soul can stop but becomes hungry for more.
"Haytham…" Leona whispered looking up at the approaching Templar, no less surprised of the scenery that occurred moment ago. Ezio has trotted over to the woman as well; eyes wide open, silently asking if what he saw was real.
"Ezio." Kenway nodded in a brief greeting and wrapped his arms around Leona, trying to keep her on her feet.
"Haytham take me home…" She whispered shooting the clearing street a quick glance, hoping for Chelsea to come back and tell her that it was all a little cosplay skit, tell her that it was all a joke and she was till the same good friend Leona has spent so much time with.
Tell her that it was all a dream.
Continued in Chapter 7…