[IC] Freedom: The Civil War (Assassin's Creed)

[Rock Killjoy]

Xia smiled as the doors opened, brushing the dust from her sleeve; as Jeremiah laughed softly and invited her into the meeting room. Just as Caroline joined the three in the room, Xia bowed her head slightly in a customary show of mutual respect, common practice in the country of her origin one she continued to practice.

She turned her head somewhat, as an Irish accent drew her attention Xia heard her fellow templar. A bemused smile creeping up her facial features, as she retorted towards the larger man. Just before Jeremiah himself responded.

"Oh my me? Harm them? They are lucky they can still walk deary, best you mind your manners as well...."

She then looked to Jeremiah, after his response to the mans comment about the soldiers.

"You flatter me truly, i don't remember the last time I've been described in such a manner."

She spoke in a soft Chinese accent, her delicate features her most useful deceiver. She then watched and listened as Jeremiah unfolded his knowledge and plans to them, then had a man brought in a cohort of the assassins planning to attack the fort. Xia studied the man over, tapping her nails on the table top softly. She heard the Irish man pipe up again, questioning the integrity of Jeremiah's plan. She stopped tapping for a moment, her index finger pressed against the table opening her mouth again.

"Have you a better plan to propose then? People die that is our business, it is the business of war. Better they die with honor on the field defending their beliefs, then years from now on their death beds."

She would await his retort only for a moment as Jeremiah told everyone of their tasks. She was to be one of the offensive team, she nodded contently and looked to the Templar leader.

"Do we have any intelligence as too the skill level of the assassins against us? It would be nice to have a baring or a loose match based on the talent of each of us, yes?"

[louie221]

Templar Leader

Jeremiah glanced over at Xia, then began to circle the table. It was silent in the room, even the Assassin prisoner was quiet. You could here the floorboards creak beneath Jeremiah's feet. He stopped moving as he got close to the Assassin. He stood for a moment, staring at him. Then he spoke in an odd, whispering voice.

"You heard her, answer her question."

The Assassin flicked his eyes around the room, then let them fall on Xia. He mumbled something, but it wasn't understandable.

"Say it again, boy." Jeremiah said, his voice louder than before.

The Assassin's expression changed from hurt, to anger. He squirmed in the guards arms, but he wasn't any match. The guards had him still in seconds. He gave a grunt. "Kiss my arse you sonofabitch!" he yelled, struggling again. Jeremiah smiled and pulled an ornate dagger from his belt and pressed the point to the Assassin's chest.

"Say again?" His voice was harsh now.

The room was quiet again, no noise but the Assassin struggling. "Fine, then you are of no use to us." Jeremiah said, and nodded to the guards. They exited the room chuckling.

"My apologies, Ms. Cheng, but I do not know. I would assume that they all are fairly skilled. I do have reason to believe that they would use their newer recruits, though. That's the thing about dear Thomas... He has the tendency to train his new Assassins in a real battle, especially when it's a well-known Templar base. Like this one."

[louie221]

Assassin Leader

Thomas cracked his knuckles before pulling his hood over his head. He flicked out his hidden blade a few times, stretched his arms, and looked at the group.

"So, what do you say we get going?" he said, more like a command than a question.

He did not even wait for their response, he simply left the room, out into the open. A carriage waited for them outside, the two horses looking quite bored. He hopped up, grabbed the rope and waited for the others to hop in.

[Sketcher]

Luca Antoine Celeste - Assassin
As the leader made his way out of the room and into the carriage, Luca watched him go, unmoving for several seconds. After the moments had passed, he moved his legs and started marching after Thomas, walking to the carriage.

"If something unexpected happens and we can't proceed further, do we have the permission to retreat?" he asked. "I'm asking now since we might not have a reliable means of communication once we're in."

[louie221]

Assassin Leader

Thomas turned to see Luca. It seemed he was the only one who'd followed quickly. Thomas stared at him for a moment, sizing him up. He could easily do whatever he wanted, here, but that would be bad. He could lose their trust, and the Assassins needed them.

"Yes. But avoid it at all costs."

Time Skip

Once close to the fort, Thomas looked at all the Assassins. It was a good group, he had great faith in them. Especially on this mission, with it being so small. If they failed, this would crucially wound Thomas's belief in them. He gave them all a nod, signalling that they could begin the attack. He was first to leave, sprinting toward the huge walls.

[Jivusa]

Giuseppe waited for Thomas to give the signal for them to begin. After the nod was given, Giuseppe began to circumnavigate the area, having been ordered to approach from the south instead of the north. The Italian was lucky, since the fort's walls were tall and, therefore, it was easy to stay in the blind spot of the soldiers that may be patrolling above him, staying out of the line of light as well. It would be hard to detect him from anywhere around him. It also helped that his outfit was earth-colored, being colored in browns, beige, green, and grey. This, he picked for reasons of camouflage. The common whites, reds, and blues of the Assassins would stand out way too much.

Still, Giuseppe was on edge. Not anxious, but alert. That's why he had his Spencer repeater in hand, ready to fire at any point in any direction. After a minute or so of circumnavigation, Giuseppe was nearing a midway point, the eastern side of the fort. He was making good time, on his feet, acting on his toes, fleet. He hadn't alerted anyone yet, and that was reassuring. Didn't make him any less wary of his surroundings, sticking to the shadows and trying to be inconspicuous.

[louie221]

Assassin Leader

Thomas sprinted across, barely out of the soldier's sights. He saw them patrolling the top of the walls, and he slid to cover just as one looked to where he was. When he passed his location, Thomas scaled the wall. He was happy to have a faithful group to accompany him.

Templar Leader

Jeremiah slammed his hand onto the table, an evil smirk appearing on his face.

"Well, let us get going. Everybody outside, let's rid ourselves of these Assassins tonight, eh?" He said as if he'd already won. He unsheathed a rather large sword from his belt and swung it through the air. Then, he left the room, doors wide open, and exited into the open. All was quiet. But not for long.

(Sorry guys, I'm sick today. I'll try to get more up soon :( )

[Irisity]

Caroline liked Jeremiah's enthusiasm. Never had she seen a man so sure of himself, even her father.

The young Templar did not consider the consequences that might come from being so naive.

---

Caroline quickly changed into a special dress for the battle. It was glamorous and traditional, but it could easily be ripped off to shed weight if she needed to do so. Though the assassins had murdered innocent women in cold blood on her plantation, she still hoped they might over look her as an ignorant Templar's wife or sister.

Under Caroline's guise was an outfit rather scandalous. Men's clothing, along with Sydney's Confederate sword safely sheathed.

The Templar also had a dagger hidden in the folds of her dress, just in case she was able to find a vantage piont for a sneak attack. She also kept her eye within view.

Caroline would feel weird in it if she was back home. She would probably feel ashamed and hope Sydney never found out about it.

Now, she doesn't feel a thing except adrenaline.

Caroline kept a small gait around the grounds. She was inside the fort, pretending to admire the scenery.

The young woman braced herself for action. Oh, boy, did she crave it.

[Sketcher]

Luca Antoine Céleste - Assassin

Luca made his way up the wall from the back as his orders were, a thin curved sword strapped to the back of his hip. Once he made his way to the top, he saw that there was a soldier had just leaned over, looking at him. As his mouth opened, Luca pushed himself up with his arms and legs, making a leap up and sticking his hidden blade into the man's neck, dragging him down over the wall and down to the ground. He made his way over the top, looking around. The mens' backs were turned. He quickly made his way to the closest two soldiers who had their backs turned to him, stabbing one through the throat and quickly moving the same blade to the other's. He continued to move swiftly and stealthily.

[Rock Killjoy]

Xia smiled and stood up from her seat as Jeremiah began to leave the room, she quickly followed him out the door along with the others. She was fitting tiny millimeter long serrated claws to her fingertips, watching as everyone went their separate ways. Xia wore no armor but she wore an outfit similar to that of a traditional Chinese monk. A long shirt with a slight V neck shape, as well as loose pants which tucked into straps with flat bottom shoes on her feet. The garments where sage red in color, Xia had a cylinder shaped container on her back attached by two leather straps.

She stood somewhat near the main gate, watching the shadows of the walls and all the people moving along them. She moved up to the wall slowly and walked along it, checking things out from a higher preservative watching the forest for any darting shapes in the woods. She figured the ranged group would be in position above the wall on roof tops, if she could help it she would want to keep the battle in the main courtyard.

[louie221]

Assassin Leader

Thomas climbed up the wall, glancing at each of the Assassins. He watched Luca dominate some soldiers at the top of the wall. He had a good strategy, letting the hidden blade enter through the neck, rather than the back, stomach, or any other place. Thomas usually had a more gruesome attack. He usually let it enter through the front or back of the head, shutting out the brain.

He looked to see the other others still at the bottom, readying themselves to scale the wall. He hoped that they would hurry, he could not do this without them. He reached the top of the wall, getting a good view of the entire fort. The walls ran the borders, and also straight through the middle. There was a small gap in the middle, big enough for a few horses to go through. Well, he hoped that there was something below he could conceal himself, after he'd gotten down. The main building was towards the left side.

Thomas ran silently across the top, sliding his blade into the back of a soldier's head on the way. He wiped the blood from it as he kept his pace and sprinted to an area of cover. He noticed a woman below, dressed in what looked like a rather large Japanese robe, or something of the sort. Something told him that she was lethal, but he could not be sure. She looked more like she was simply taking a walk and enjoying the day. Well, night, actually.

Thomas decided to go along on the ground, knowing that he was less likely to be spotted by soldiers that were on top of the walls. He got a running start, leaped off the wall, slid a small ways down the small slop on the edge of the wall, and dropped to the ground. He barely made noise throughout the entire way down, and tried not to now. He quietly walked up behind the Asian woman, readying his blades for whatever may happen next.

Templar Leader

Jeremiah walked out, waving his sword to and fro. It sliced through the air like it was nothing. The sharpened point could kill at just a glance. The moon's light shimmered off of the blade, emitting the swords shadow along the ground. He looked around cautiously, watching some of the soldiers. One of them was talking, very animatedly at that, and loudly. Jeremiah assumed maybe they'd seen something odd. He strode over to the soldier, gripping his shoulder and spinning him around.

"What did you see, boy?" He asked excitedly. He stared at the soldier, a huge smile on his face.

"Er... Nothing, sir... I-er... I just was talkin' about how me and me wife-" Before the soldier could even finish, he let out a gasp of pain. He looked down, blood dripping from his quivering lips, to see the end of Jeremiah's sword removed from his stomach. The soldier fell over, twitching for a moment, then laid still. Jeremiah growled in frustration.

"From here on out, NOBODY, I repeat, NOBODY, shall make anybody assume that they'd seen something tonight. Unless," he pause, a wicked smirk painted on his face, "You'd like to end up like this poor man." With that, he snapped his fingers and a few soldiers picked up the body and carried it away.

(Just saying, Nobody will die. Yet, anyway. I'd like people to be alive for a while before they start dying... But they can be injured, very badly, if you want...)

[Sketcher]

Luca Antoine Celeste - Assassin

The dried blood on Luca's left sleeve was refreshened before long. He left none of the bodies on the wall itself, except for a couple that looked like they were sleeping during their shift. He waited over the wall in the shadows behind a small cover just above the stairs leading up as he spotted a seemingly high ranking Templar. He listened to the brief conversation between the man and a grunt who was answering for something until he heard a curt and painful sound. He peaked over the stone, still concealed by the shadow, only to see the man's sword stuck through the grunt's gut. Once the dead man fell on the ground, the boy glared at the Templar, finding it hard to bear to listen to the terror instilling speech given by the man who would kill his own underlings unprovoked.

Deciding that it would be best to wait until the other Templars left to attack the man, Luca lowered his head, still keeping his ears open wide to listen to footsteps.

[louie221]

Templar Leader

Jeremiah ignored the few shouts of protest against his last action, and instead walked over to the steps of the gallows. They had been a late addition to the fort, and were not quite as big as he wished, but they still got the job done. Ropes hung from the top, the outline of a trapdoor beneath them. Jeremiah stood on the edge of the platform, now looking at the angry soldiers.

"Would you like to end up like this man? I think not, but if you would, by all means, come on up." he gestured to the ropes, and moved over to the lever, gripping it firmly. The soldiers shied away, muttering things to their friends and looks of sadness on their faces. Jeremiah smirked. "I though not."

[louie221]

Collab between Louie and Sketcher

[+]

Luca listened to the man speak once more, following his movements from atop the wall. He clasped the pistol on his side, seeing how the man had done a good job of antagonizing his allies. He dragged it out of its holster and stood, quickly aiming at the Templar, hoping to hit the head but of course, with his less than perfect aim, the bullet would miss and whiz past the man's ear right as the sound of the shot was heard.

Jeremiah ducked to the side, his right foot slipping off of the platform, gravity pulling him awkwardly to the ground. He grasped his ankle with a half-hearted cry of pain, and grabbed the side of the platform. He pulled himself up, twisting his foot around, making sure it hadn't broken, or anything of the sort.

He gripped the hilt of his sword, pulling it from it's sheath and waving it dramatically in front of him. Finally, an Assassin had come. Now was the time to kill. Now was the time to finish this silly system of killers. Several footsteps came from behind him as soldiers came to his sides, though he shooed them away with a simple flick of the hand.

"He's mine." he said simply.

The boy watched in amazement as the man fell on the ground. Sighing, he watched as the man pulled out his sword and dismissed his men. Luca quickly made his way to the ground, pulling his sword just as he landed. He eyed his opponent, trying to see if the man had any obvious openings that he could use or any physical traits to look out for, other than that awkward situation that would hopefully hurt his footing. Without saying a word, he took his stance, holding his sword outward.

Jeremiah straightened himself out, pointing his sword toward the intruder. He moved slowly, step by step, in a circle. He moved forward slightly each step. He glanced back at the soldiers behind him. They were all taking steps backwards, not quite sure what to do.

"Go!" Jeremiah growled and they back further away, leaving him and the Assassin to fight it out.

Luca almost mimicked the Templar's movements, not distrubing the distance between them one bit. After a few moments, he took a large step forward without moving his back leg too much except for a quick pull and pushed his sword towards the Templar.

Jeremiah elegantly flicked his sword to block the swing. The force of the lunge made him struggle a bit, but he gave in and moved to the side. Well, this one was persistant. He continued to move in a cirle, and slowly waved his sword.

After another moment, he slashed his sword through the air, aiming for the Assassin's shoulder. As he did so, he spoke. "Watch yourself, boy, you'll poke your eye out!"

Unresponsive to the taunt, Luca calmly moved himself back when the Templar avoided his blow and when an attack came his way, he parried it and took a step forward to take another jab, aiming to start a more rapid exchange of blows. He knew better than to waste his breath during a fight to answer his opponent.

Jeremiah, in a vain attempt to dodge the Assassin's blow, let out a gasp of pain. He saw blood dripping from his lower arm, his sleeve ripped. He growled, and swung his sword at the Assassin multiple times, hoping for at least a single hit.

As his opponent's blows got fiercer, Luca was forced to defend himself constantly. Before long, he got a rip on his cheek as he tried to dodge and a rather deep one on his shoulder. He made a quick leap back, holding the weapon somewhat loosely. He forced himself to keep the sword up without whimpering, doing his best not to reveal his pain by biting his lower lip.

Jeremiah laughed evily as he saw the man's cuts. His shoulder, his cheek, it was only a matter of time until he had a steel blade running through his very heart. Each swing he waited for another attack, but none came for a while. Suddenly, he stopped attacking. There was no way he could lose, so why not give the poor boy half-a-chance?

"Your turn, boy. Fight me."

Luca glared at the man, regulating his breathing. He didn't move for a moment, trying to think of a way to catch the man off guard. He leaned his back against the wall for a split second before sprinting forward. He feinted a slash with his sword while he pulled out his hidden knife which spun in its place, allowing him to grasp its handle and use it like a regular knife and swung it up to meet the Templar's sword and push it the other way to create an opening for his sword.

Jeremiah, surprised at the boy's trick, could say nothing but utter a grunt. He heard the knife hit his sword, and realized that there was an opening, far bigger than needed for the Assassin to slip his sword through. He pictured it in his mind, the sword entering his gut, and him falling on to his back, hardly grasping onto life.

"No!" he shouted, though he could not do anything to save himself.

He thrust his sword at the man with all his might, his arm aching more as his muscles flexed. He didn't look to see if the attack had landed; feeling the resistance on the metal was enough to tell him it had. He gritted his teeth as he stumbled back, drawing his sword out from his opponent's gut. He quickly regained his balance and looked over at the man. He finally spoke, "Weren't you gonna kill me, old man?"

Jeremiah gasped for breath, falling flat on his back when the blade was taken out from his stomach. He tilted his head only just enough to see that his soldiers had left. Well, not left, but rather decided to leave him alone. He tell them to stay out of it. Blood spilled from his gut, and he thrust his hands to the slit where the blade had entered, putting as much pressure on it as he could.

"I was..." he coughed. "And y-your lucky... This time." he fumbled his hand around in his belt, coming out with a small knife. He made an attempt to throw it, but failed miserably. It soared far past the Assassin, clinking on the cobblestone ground. He began to pull himself away from the boy, attempting to get out of his reach.

Luca walked towards the man. "You're right. I was quite lucky," he said, readying his sword as he approached him with a quick walking pace.

A soldier rounded from behind a small shed, shouting something at the Assassin. Jeremiah assumed he'd heard the sound of his knife, clattering to the ground. The soldier sprinted towards the Assassin, then was quickly followed by more of them. They readied their weapons and began to fire at the Assassin. Jeremiah got closer to the ground, in multiple attempts to avoid the fire. He saw a few bullets bounce off of the walls, rolling towards him. Feeling like a child, he picked some up, throwing them as hard as he dared at the boy.

The boy turned to the shout and before he knew it, he felt two precise spots on his chest and shoulder. His instincts kicked in and he started running, rushing past Jeremiah. He quickly vanished around the corner and made his way away from the scene, keeping his head low, hoping to find a spot to hide and perhaps tend his wounds.

[Irisity]

Collab between Jivusa and Irisity

[+]

Thanks to extensive training, Giuseppe's skulking about went unnoticed by anyone. He was at the South gate, being able to tell by a river flowing nearby, having noted that feature of the landscape. The sounds of the flowing water masked any sounds he made as he began climbing, hands grasping at footholds found in the surface of the wall. Climbing walls wasn't his forte, but it was doable. As he climbed, he was careful to be as quiet as possible, to avoid alerting any soldiers patrolling the walls.

After a few moments, he finally reached the top, grabbing hold just below the edge of the wall. He made sure he was in the clear before hoisting himself up, planting his feet on the wall top first. He crouched down, observing his surroundings. There was a lone soldier to his left, looking the opposite way. Foolish soldier, Giuseppe thought. He slowly stretched out his arm, flicking his wrist and pulling a ring, the blade of his hidden blade popping out with a clicking sound. He walked forwards, coming behind the soldier. The soldier turned, but was silenced quickly with a trip of the legs and the blade driven into his chest. Making sure the Confederate was dead, Giuseppe dragged the soldier into a dark corner.

After hiding the body of his first kill this dusk, Giuseppe began a descent through a set of stairs in the stone walls. He slowly descended, trying to sneak by any nearby soldiers. Too many missing, and it would alert the entire fort. Through a stroke of plain luck, the doors leading into the fort's courtyard was unlocked and already open. Slithering past a group of unsuspecting soldiers, Giuseppe found his way into the courtyard. He was in. Now, he just needed to get to the center of the fort, on top of a large building that was most likely where the actual Templars were. A dangerous ordeal, since there were Assassin Hunters here. He would wait for a better opportunity to advance, having made good time already.

Caroline watched out of the corner of her good eye as the figure stalked across the fort walls and down below near the court yard. Her fist tightened around the knife hidden within the folds of her dress.

She strolled closer to the gates entering the courtyard. It was more than foolish if the Assassin came through this way; Caroline had had the doors opened just for her. The Templar watched as the Assassin slipped past the guards.

Incompetent bastards she thought to herself.

Caroline took matters into her own hands. She walked up towards the Assassin, putting on her southern belle mask.

"Excuse me?" Caroline asked in her soft voice. "Would you please help me find the room I'm staying in? My brother is out there fighting the devils in blue and none of these guards are kind enough to lead me back."

The Assassin was handsome. He reminded her a bit of Sydney, except Sydney was of Swedish blood, while this man looked maybe Italian or part savage.

Giuseppe's hand stood at attention, ready to use his hidden blade again as a person walked towards him. Though, seeing it was just a soldier's sister, he eased a little. He didn't fully trust this, especially since she had a scar that ran across her face. "Ah, of course I would. I would be glad to accompany you, a sweetheart such as yourself." He outstretched a hand with the offer of a charming smile. She was gorgeous, he'll give her that.

Caroline smiled sweetly as she took the man's arm, delighted at his response.

"So, what brings you here? Why would such a beauty be out this way at wartime?," he asked, making conversation with the beautiful woman. He was cautious, because he didn't trust that she was fully innocent. In the worst case, she was a Templar. He had yet to see any cruciform marks or the ring that most bear.

"Oh, the usual. Our parents are dead and my brother, Ashley, has been ahead of our plantation, but he didn't trust the slaves with me there all alone, you know how they can get. And I don't have any beaus left, they've all gone to war, so Ashley invited me here to keep an eye on me and help find a husband." Caroline guessed that he was ready and poised to strike at any moment, even if he felt relaxed and gentlemanly.

"Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Giuseppe Alighieri, a merchant. I came here to trade with the commander and supply foodstuffs and ammunition. And, might I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the bella donna in my company?" Giuseppe smiled a handsome smile towards the woman as he offered his arm to her. His other hand was at the ready, waiting to draw his hidden blade. Cautious as he was, he had to be prepared. He's already been caught by the beautiful Templar. He wasn't daft, he knew he was in deep. He didn't dare show distrust to the woman, though, lest he admit defeat there and then.

Caroline giggled and hid her false smile under her hand, forcing herself to blush for effect. "I am Tora Phillips. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Mr. Aligheiri."

Caroline clenched her fist around her hidden blade, preparing to be swift and strike him in the chest. It'd be a shame to lose such a pretty face like his. But no loss to the world as an Assassin.

"Tora Phillips," Giuseppe said slowly with a handsome smile, letting it roll off his tongue with his Italian accent. "A beautiful name to compliment a beautiful woman, the bearer." His hand reached behind the woman, resting on her lower back as he walked with her.

Caroline's heart sped up as Giuseppe's hands drifted towards the small of her back.

Nice move, she thinks to herself. A game of cat and mouse, chess, and a battle wrapped with a pretty little bow on top.

And she had to admit, he was good.

He didn't believe her alias, not for a moment. A fake name. Fake backstory. "Ah, and feel free to call me Giuseppe, please. I'd much rather hear my first name from your lovely, soft lips than my last name," he said, fingers brushing the side of her face, near grazing the corner of her mouth.

His hands feel coarse from work, yet soft at the same time.

He could have all the girls in the Confederacy bowing towards his feet. Even if Caroline wasn't a Templar, she might have even called him a beau when Syndey was around.

He then gestured to a group of doors that, obviously, weren't for military use, rather for residence. "Ah, I'm assuming one of these is your room?," he asked, flashing her one of his handsome smiles. As they were not accompanied by anyone else, and they were alone, he leaned close to whisper into her ear. "If you'd like, I would gladly accompany you inside. In a time of war and civil unrest, isn't it best to find comfort in each other? And what better comfort comfort can be offered than intimate company between one another in the warmth of intimate knowing?," Giuseppe persuaded.

Caroline blushed. She didn't expect him to take it that far.

Caroline looked up in the Assassin's face; his face was daringly close to hers.

"Oh, Giuseppe," she started, her smile unabashed. She didn't even blink as her stare turned cold. "Don't take me as a common whore."

Caroline pushed the Assassin back. She ripped off her placebo dress, discarding it on the floor. She unsheathed her Confederate sword.

"I was really surprised how long you'd take it, but I must say, you got all the ladies back in Italy, didn't you? I bet even the prostitutes wanted you."

Giuseppe used the push to get a head start in putting distance between them, drawing his dual Whitney revolvers and pointing them towards the beautiful Templar. "Do not take my advances as labeling you a whore, darling. Take it as a compliment- I tried to sleep with you, knowing you're a Templar," he said. Backing up, he continued, "Granted, I'd probably kill you afterwards, but still."

The Italian cocked back the hammer on both of his pistols, ready to fire at the Templar. "It's such a shame, you know. If only we weren't divided by faction. You would've been a great lover, Templar. Just too bad, you missed out," he taunted. With that, he squeezed both triggers, letting off two shots directed at the beautiful Templar. He then cocked the hammers back again, ready to fire after some of the smoke cleared. He changed positions, moving about, so he was a harder target for the Templar and her blades.

Caroline ducked behind a nearby pillar before the bullets could rip through her chest.

"So, you ask a woman to sleep with you and then you try to kill her when she says no? That's rather rude, Giuseppe," Caroline taunts with short breaths.

The Templar took a dumb move and lunged at the Assassin; whether she was slashing at thin air or thick flesh, she didn't know.

Giuseppe didn't respond, not while Caroline was blind to him and his position. That would just give away his position to her and spell death for him. He took this opportunity of temporary, momentary blindness to gain higher ground, another tactical advantage. He used a nearby flat cart as leverage to leap onto the roof of the barracks. Once stable on the roof, he took a shot at the wheel of the flat cart, making it topple, and rendering it more difficult for Caroline to follow him. By this time, the smoke had cleared.

"Hah, you seduce a man just to attempt on his life. I think we're even, don't you, darling?," he said, cocky about being higher up with firearms, while she was grounded and armed with a saber. He then raised his revolvers at Caroline again. "I hate to do this to such a beauty, I really do. But, you know what they say, looks can kill." After a wink, he fired at Caroline, moving sideways as he fired, to avoid smoke and to be able to continue firing. A reckless move, but a necessary one. She was obviously a veteran Templar, and could track and kill him had he fled.

Caroline sadly slashed at air and bullets. A bullet ricochets off her sword and lands near her feet.

Caroline pushes words of profanity down her throat and looks toward the smoke.

She considers her moves for a moment. The Templar decides to take the dumb but potentially rewarding path.

She ducks behind another pillar, but this time she peeks from behind the fat column.

"Did you sorry bastards really think that you could save him? That man? Our little prisoner?" its a daring taunt. Caroline doesn't expect the Italian to spill his guts, but she hopes for some hints or clues of what they might do next.

Giuseppe switches out his revolvers, now empty and in need of reloading, for his Spencer repeating rifle. Holstering the twin pistols, he drew his rifle and loaded a full cartridge into it, cocking the lever forwards, then backwards. He knew what Caroline was doing. It was obvious from a mile away. "I don't know what you're talking about, darling. I'm the only one here," he answered. He wasn't spilling the plan to her just yet.

He aims the rifle at Caroline's peeking head and fires at her, the shot much faster and more powerful than his revolvers. Caroline would have a hard time dodging these. He then fired at her again, having let off two shots. Three more in the cartridge. As he cocks the lever again, one in the chamber, two in the cartridge. A third shot, two in the cartridge. Cock, and one in the chamber. One left in the cartridge. He waits for some of the smoke from his rifle to clear.

Caroline could almost feel the bullet whiz through a stray hair of hers.

Suddenly she felt a pain sear clean through her shoulder.

I bit back down her scream, clamping her teeth down on her lips so hard her lips start to bleed.

"Oh fuck you," Caroline whispered under her breath before ducking into a room, closing the door as silently as she can.

He has a gun; she has a sword. Caroline needs the dark room to be her advantage, that is if he comes after her or waits her out.

[louie221]

(Time Skip - One Day After the Attack)

Assassins:

Thomas paced the room, cracking his knuckled and flicking his hidden blade in and out. Sure, the attack was... half-successful. Thomas hoped that his fellow Assassins hadn't learned that it was a rescue mission as well as a real attack. The one they were rescuing had disappeared. He had left no trace. Seemed even Jeremiah didn't know where he was. He had a partially wounded Assassin, and the rest to worry about. He figured that they'd done wonderfully, though, and summoned them to the meeting room. Time to reward them.

Templar:

Jeremiah slammed his fist into the table, making all things on it shake and clang around.

"I brought you here," he growled, "to dispose of these Assassins. So WHY ARE THEY STILL ALIVE? WE LOST OUR DAMN CAPTIVE AS WELL! AND WHO'SE FAULT IS THIS?" His voice echoed through the room.

His body was covered in a large wrap, covering his wound from the showdown with the Assassin. His eyes were cold and angry, like daggers piercing the skin at each glance.

[Irisity]

Caroline's instincts told her to turn her eyes toward her palms, to go docile in the face of her superior, but the burning in her shoulder made her even more pissed.

As much as she wanted to shout profanities and abuses at Jeremiah, she had seen and heard what he has done to even cooperative incompetent inferiors. Putting her survival above her pride, she shoved her words back down her throat.

[Sketcher]

Luca Antoine Céleste - Assassin

Luca had rested quite well that night. His shoulder, covered in gauze, had numbed from the pain of the wound. The small scratch on his cheek had closed and left a mark. He'd woken up as the sun had risen, walking around. When he was summoned along with the other assassins, he made his way towards the building. He walked in with his usual dull visage. He looked over to Thomas and made a curt brow, walking out of the way of the door.

[louie221]

Assassin:

"Good evening, Luca. I suppose I will start with you. I'd like to raise your ranking. You especially, have shown your bravery and loyalty to the Assassin Brotherhood. You've impressed me greatly, when you fought Jeremiah. Even I would be afraid to do so. So, enough of my rambling. I'd like to offer you the rank of true Assassin. No more initiate crap." Thomas said, a smile on his face.

Templar:

Jeremiah took notice of Caroline. She looked as if she wanted to say something.

"Is there something you'd like to share with me, Caroline?" His words were like venom.

[Irisity]

Caroline's fight or flight instincts stirred.

"Yes," she hears the word spill out of her mouth. "I do."

The veteran stands, leveling her eyes with Jeremiah's. "Do you even give a shit? Do you have any good reason to be here other than some power trip?" Caroline leans forward over the table. "Go on. Kill me for defying your gospel. I have nothing to live for out of this pathetic excuse for a cause." Caroline's eyes are on fire. "If you want to kill this sick bastards, you find out about them. Study up. Maybe send a spy over. Get on the inside." Caroline leans back and sits back down. "I've said my piece. Now kill me and get the fuck over yourself."