Taking Down the Cross (Closed)

[Loki Odinson]

Funny how a few leagues southwards across an unholy span of ocean can bring such a profound change in scenery and general make-up of the land. That was the general sentiment floating around in Halt's mind as the large merchant ship docked rather peacefully at port. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, and the older Ranger pulled his grey woolen cloak all the more tighter around his body. His usual Ranger's outfit was currently bundled up and in the care of Abelard in the pans below. Gilan, Will and Horace were also dressed in mecenary-like clothing in an effort to blend in Florence in its current state, primary weapons displayed clearly in the open. The mottled attire of Aralaun's Rangers was rather renown throughout the known world, after all. It was mid-autumn now, and the winds of Italy were proving to be rather chilly of the bone-deep kind. He dreaded to think how cold it would turn when winter came about. Hopefully, the quelling of this long-standing rebellion against the ruling Borgia Family wouldn't take all that long. But Halt was already half-preparing for the inevitable. From his past experiences, the universe and his plans never got along. Rather like his stomach and the sea.


That unsavoury thought caused him to sweep his eyes over his three younger companions, all of whom were unsubtly trying not to meet his eyes just like they had made themselves as scarce as possible during the week of voyage. He pursed his lips but refrained from commenting. After a number of times travelling with either one or all of them over large bodies of water, Halt wasn't about to freely gift them with a chance of making jabs at his one major weakness anytime soon.


Horace - the honest warrior that he was amongst the other scheming Rangers - decided to cut through any teasing even before Will could open his mouth. Clearing his throat, he adjusted his sword buckle and scratched his chin. "So Halt...what are we going to do now? Any suggestions?"


"For starters, get our horses. We aren't going to make it far in a day by travelling on foot." Halt replied gruffly, eyeing the merchants as they slowly unloaded three Temujai horses and one large war horse. "After that, we do what we always have to in vague situations. Information gathering."


"Are we going to ride in a group? Should we split up? We wouldn't look too suspicious like this, would we?" Will asked off as soon as the last word left Halt's mouth.


The older Ranger rolled his eyes slightly at the usual rapid-fire questions that came from his second student. "Yes, no and no. We look like any other run-of-the-mill mercenaries and we've got proper passes. As long as none of you are stupid enough to proclaim loyalty to King Duncan aloud in the streets, we should be fine."


Tightening the straps of Abelard's saddle, Halt mounted swiftly and awaited the others to be ready before he started down the short dirt road leading to the gates of Florence.




How far the once great city have fallen. Tiziana's gaze swept the dull streets of the marketplace below from her perch atop the clocktower near the centre of Florence. Every once in a while, her eyes cut towards the rooftops to her right to check on her field partner. Era could take care of himself, that she knew more than anyone else, but she couldn't help being a little overprotective of the younger Assassin despite their rather strange relationship. Maybe it could be akin to how one viewed a younger sibling, but she wouldn't know, having not grown up with a proper childhood and family.


A loud crash drew her attention back to the marketplace and she straightened from her crouch. Four Borgia guards stood in a loose semi-circle before a collapsed wooden store, laughing uproariously as the owner fell on all fours to the cobblestones in order to salvage his goods. As soon as his arms were full, the leader of that particular squad delivered a solid kick to his ribs, throwing the civilian to the side and crushing a good portion of merchandise. Tiziana's jaw clenched in anger, but restrained herself from leaping down and driving her daggers through the skulls of Borgia's men. It would be so easy to finish off that pathetic squad, but even so, she could not. Or rather, she will not ruin an entire fortnight's worth of planning to save one citizen. She just hoped that Era would be able to control his impulses as well. This was meant to be a scouting mission only, in preparation to rescue a number of Assassin-sympathisers from execution this afternoon. If any killing of guards happen now, the public execution led by Francesco Salviatin - a member of Borgia's inner circle - would be cancelled. Not only would the Brotherhood lose valuable members, but the time spent planning, the chance to strike a fatal blow and easing the path for the liberation of Florence would be lost.


Both Master Assassins had been noting the positions of the guards stationed around Florence, as well as replaced some of the others with La Volpe's thieves in disguise, creating several weaknesses and blindspots in the previously strong line of communication between the Borgia guards and hired mercenaries. In Tiziana's opinion, the mercenaries would be easily dealt with. Since they were loyal only to money, threatening them with a show of skills and force would make them retreat. Most individuals value life above even money, after all. Now, all they had to do was wait until afternoon and foul the Templar's plans. Until then, she was to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

 

[Starwise]

Gilan had been lost in his own thoughts in the early morning, his eyes wandering over the blank silver-like sea. At least it had almost had a silver color before the sun had started to risen. They had been rather lucky with the weather but still... Gilan glanced over at his former mentor and smirked, he hadn't known that Halt easily got seasick for so long but when he first had discovered it some time back he couldn't help but to find it amusing. People thought Halt was infallible, they should just know that it took little more than a wave to weaken the ranger. He avoided Halt's eyes, turning his back to him while grinning to Will, no reason to make Halt grumpy from the morning but he and Will were secretly having a bit of fun. Gilan was pretty sure that Halt knew though. "It's a shame we didn't get to go here in the spring or summer, I bet it would have been wonderful..." he said and Will nodded while they watched the merchants, he wrapped the woolen cloak a bit tighter around him. He was happy to go travel like this, it was very exciting but of course a bit of cold could mess it up. But Gilan was rarely one who let the weather get him down!


"so actually all we have to worry about is Horace?" He grinned again, he was just teasing the young knight because... well if there was one thing knights did it was claim their loyalty to the king!


He patted Horace shoulder, a way to say that it was just simple teasing, before making his way over to Blaze who seemed amused too. "finally back on ground again girl..." he said and ran his hand over her neck a couple times, even scratching her a bit behind the ears knowing that the horses didn't exactly like being out on the water either, even if they didn't have it as badly as Halt.


He then swung his leg up and soon sat on the slightly taller horse, he followed his former mentor towards the gates of this new city. "Florence..." he tried the word and smiled a bit, he had been looking forward to seeing this country for a while and he had heard about Florence before. He blinked as he saw Borgia guards by the gates then remembered the whole thing with the rebellion... oh well that's beyond me and with that Gilan shrugged to himself.


"I am assuming that you have the passes on you Halt?" he asked while looking back just to make sure the two younger companions were following "because if we were suppose to bring those ourselves I have a feeling I am not the only one who will disappoint you" Gilan didn't seem that worried about it though, he was perfectly calm and relaxed.


Will was busy looking around with big eyes, wanting to see everything there was to see. Soon the questions would come falling about everything he didn't understand or knew what was. Horace seemed a bit tired and slow in it or maybe that was just his usual self, he was looking at the guards, maybe wondering about the rebellion and it all, who knew? Gilan didn't at least.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Eragorn jumped easily from rooftop to rooftop and jogged along the red stone, he was not in a rush and he wanted to save a bit of energy for what would be happening this afternoon. He really hoped everything would go as planned, some of the younger recruits had been captured and it would only make people doubt the assassins more and follow the Borgia's orders out of fear. He hated this, corruption and betrayal, but he liked to think that what he did was doing some good. It was a slow progress, he remembered the bright days of Florence and how he missed them... but they were working on it, getting a bit closer everyday to their goal. Eragorn hoped time would pass quickly and nothing bad would come from all of this. Like Tiziana he reacted the crash and slowly moved over to the edge of the rooftop to look down at what was happening. He frowned under his mask and hood, even took a step forward before he remembered that it was a bad idea. Even if it seemed like the right thing to do, it wasn't in this case. Eragorn sighed deeply and stepped away from the edge of the rooftop, the poor owner was in tears down there but there was nothing he could do about it, not today. He looked up at where Tiziana was silently, he knew they both wanted to do something and helping civilians was a great way to liberate the city, but this time other assassin's life were at sake.


Eragorn made quick work of climbing up the clocktower so he could move over beside her "I checked the routes, all the guards are at their normal positions and doing their normal patrols... They haven't noticed anything and nothing has changed, lets hope it stays that way just for today" He told and sat down carefully. He looked over the city "my brother and his companions are ready in the warehouse too I should tell you" Eragorn nodded to himself, everything seemed to be in order. By his brothers companions he meant brutes that followed Builwyf into battle and respected him, they were a bit aggressive and loud but they were nice to have on your side.


Then Eragorn perked up a bit " oh also a ship or two have come in this morning with merchants but surely that won't cause any trouble, we should keep it in mind though..." he told. It was important because if any of those merchants started to cause trouble, as merchants normally were pretty good at, guards would make their way towards the noise. Maybe it wouldn't be life changing but at the wrong moment it could make things a lot harder than needed.

 

[Loki Odinson]

Halt turned to stare at Gilan, answering the question with a single raised eyebrow, letting it speak for itself. However, he made no move to retrieve the passes, tucked into the inner pocket of his cloak as they were even as the group of four drew closer to the guarded gates. A moderate queue had formed in the short time as various merchants, returning citizens and travellers made up the usual morning rush into the city. It was not an unusual sight in any major cities, but what made the older Ranger figuratively straighten and take notice was the buzz of excitement that hung around the people. Most were talking in their native Italian tongue, making it hard to determine what this hype was all about.


"You wouldn't happen to have picked up your friend's gift of languages, would you, Will?" Halt muttered from the corner of his mouth. It was a pity Italian was quite different from Gallician in terms of grammar and sentence structure, else he just might be able to discern a little of the topic being discussed.


"Unfortunately, no. Which reminds me...they do speak Aralaun, right, Halt? Else we might be facing slight communication problems." Will answered just as quietly.


"I am pretty sure they do. Kin - Er...I mean...our boss did say they were an international trading hub, hence the need to speak a common language besides their native tongue." Horace said, frowning self-consciously as the Rangers turned as one to regard him silently. Which was as creepy as the first time he was subjected to it. Even without the mottled cloaks, they still managed to look like large birds of prey sizing up their prey. "What is it? I didn't let slip anything sensitive."


Halt was the first to break the stare, giving his head a slight shake. "No, that's not it. I just didn't take you for a warrior who listens intently to a small economics lecture given by the...Boss."


And remark the knight had was cut swiftly as the group finally arrived before the guards. The pair was dressed like any Borgia guards, except their torsos were devoid of the full-plated armour he spied on a few others within the city itself. Instead, they had a suit of chainmail beneath the doublet, with metal arm and leg guards. That was all.


The one on the left held his hand out lazily, speaking as though he was about the fall asleep any second. "Pass or scram." He said in thick-accented Aralaun after a quick sweep of the mercenary-like attire.


Halt pulled himself straight in his saddle. Granted, with his and Abelard's short stature compared to Horace, the older Ranger did not look as intimidating as one would hope for. However, the grim set of his mouth, coupled with the shadow of his cowl and stoic silence had more effect than any amount of puffing out of chest and yelling could. The Borgia guard wavered for a moment before his hand tightened on the shaft of his pike, his companion drawing slightly closer.


"Pass, signore, or you and your fellow mercenaries can scram." He repeated forcefully. "And remove the hood."


Not breaking the stare, Halt reached slowly into the cloak's pocket and withdrew the passes, handing it over. As soon as the papers were taken from his grasp, the cowl was pushed back, revealing his salt-and-pepper hair. There was no need to antagonise the city guards further, but a little intimidation never hurt. The guard made a show of scrutinising the party for every little detail, alternating between eyeing them and the passes. It seemed like an eternity passed before they were waved through by the disgruntled man - no doubt because he was unable to find any fault on the authentic papers, sealed by the Borgia ruler himself in agreement to allowing a small Aralaun diplomatic party to enter Italy and see the situation for themselves. Of course, Duncan had not sent a diplomat, not entirely trusting the newly proclaimed king of Italy. The Aralaun King only had vague details about the sudden and unfortunate demise of the Medici, thus, did not fully trust Rodrigo Borgia and his words. Besides, Rangers were unofficial diplomats too, and there were currently three fully-fledged Rangers present.


Abelard ambled through the gates, and Halt was finally met with the sight of a city he had never been to before.




Tiziana nodded in acknowledgment to Eragorn's observations but her gaze was not directed to him. She was now eyeing the wooden stage being set up with distaste. The prisoners set for execution were nowhere in sight, and truly, Francesco would not be so foolish as to bring them out in the open before time. It would be inviting the Brotherhood to attack and make off with them while the guards were distracted with tasks like keeping the peace and guarding the gates. Too bad the bastard was careful. But then again, had he not been cautious, he wouldn't be a member of Borgia's Inner Circle. All the batter for her, Tiziana supposed, if things went the way they planned with no major mishaps, the Templar would be down one pillar of support.


"Bene. The warehouse is an excellent location. They would be able to see the stage from there and as soon as chaos is unleashed, they can distract the guards while the prisoners are secured." She for one was glad Era had the foresight to position his brother and their men there. Builwyf was startlingly like Bartolomeo in the sense that his blood frenzy and built-up anticipation for battle would distract him from other tasks like looking for the starting signal. Hence, by having a clear view of the platform, he would be able to do his thing - bludgeoning the Borgia to oblivion - without delay. "As for the merchants...I doubt they would be causing any trouble soon, but if they happen to, well...let's hope it works in our favour. After all, the city gates will be closed an hour before the execution, so all the guards will be concentrating in the city. We can use as many distractions as possible when the rescue commences."


She glanced to the sky and the low autumn sun, mentally gauging the time. It was approximately nine in the morning, and the execution would begin at twelve sharp. That gave the Assassins two more hours to make sure everything was in place - Tiziana was pretty certain they were - and three hours til the first steps to liberating Florence began. The second step would depend on if this operation went successfully and how many they could save. If things were favourable and Francesco Salviatin dies, the Brotherhood could exterminate the small pockets of resistance remaining in the city in one fell sweep.


"On that note, make sure you stay up here and provide covering fire, Era. Wouldn't want to lose sight of you in the wave of bodies that will inevitably occur. I wouldn't be there to rescue you too if you got sewpt away." The corner of Tiziana's lips quirked upwards as she teased.

 

[Starwise]

Gilan blinked at first to Halt's raised eyebrow before he nodded "Okay okay, silly question..." he said and looked around, he had no need to look into Halt's eyes longer than he needed to. It reminded of him when he was just an apprentice and Halt's look in his eyes meant a whole lot since his other features were not used that often. He wondered if Will felt the same? He smiled softly Halt sure was an intimidating when you had to live with him every day but you did get to see other sides of him as well. Gilan shook his head and chuckled, no need to get caught up in old memories now. He rubbed his eyes and watched as the line went on.


Gilan blinked as he listened to the Italian language, it was quite beautiful in it's own way, he had never been much for learning other languages but maybe he should try a bit now when none of the others could it either. Not sure how he would do that though. He watched a mother look down at her playing children and say "Basta!" ("Enough!") since they got closer to the guards and she pulled the children close so they stood still. "I am gonna guess that doesn't mean bastard..." He mumbled to himself and yawned.


Gilan turned with the other rangers, looking at Horace along with them. It was funny how the rangers knew exactly how all to move when something like this happened. Gilan held a serious face until Halt spoke, then it broke into a grin "You never stop to surprise me dear Horace!" he said and chuckled to himself while they made their way over to the guards. He looked at both of them, god it must be a boring job, then blinked when Halt didn't hand over the passes in the first place.


Gilan glanced at Halt, the shadow of the hood hiding it, he didn't understand why this was needed but didn't ask because then he would ruin whatever Halt was doing. He took off his hood when it was ordered and just looked at the guard awaiting with a blank face. At least the guard saw them as what they wanted to be seen as so that was good.


He looked back at the others and signed Will to get off the hood since he seemed to have dozed off slightly or had just not been listening. Gilan just stroke Blaze's neck while waiting, it was boring but surely they would get through and then he felt like time would go faster if he just focused on one thing. She seemed to be enjoying it so that made him smile a bit. He didn't worry about the guards taking so long as he could feel the two younger in the company were starting to do but then again Gilan didn't worry that much.


Gilan stopped his petting and looked up as they were allowed through the gates, along with the others he looked around at the new city. He slowly pulled his hood back on while his smiling got wider "it's a beautiful city..." he said and chuckled as he could just feel Will's head turning a hundred times per second to take everything in and soon the questions, as expected, came raining down from the sky.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Eragorn looked down at the wooden stage as well, it gave him goosebumps all over. He really hoped all went well, he didn't want his fellow assassins- no his fellow brothers and sisters to suffer such a death. He looked around a bit "I hate the waiting time... not because I wanna get into battle but because I start thinking of all the things that could go wrong" he said and gave a small smile, even if she couldn't see it he knew Tiziana could feel the small nervous smile, she knew him so well after all. He was worried of course even after being an assassin for quite a while now he couldn't stop being worried, thankfully his brain clicked over to fully-assassin when a mission first started where he did as he was suppose to and didn't think too much over things, made quick decisions and worked like an assassin would. "you are going to take him down right? Francesco Salviatin..." he asked and looked over at her "of course if we can save our friends in time but then you will do it right?" Eragorn was a kind soul, he didn't want to admit that he wanted a man dead but just in this case... he really wanted Francesco to die.


Eragorn sat down on his bum and rubbed his legs a bit "yes, he says he will wait for my signal... he will keep the others from running out there and fighting until I signals, though he says that if anything should happen to me and I can't signal then he and the others will come" which was not a bad idea, if Eragorn as an archer first got into trouble then it meant the others were as well. Builwyf was rather silent and calm unlike his fellow warriors, he was brilliant in battle but didn't want to go out and fight all the time. He was a good kind of warrior, the one you could talk to without it being painful and one who wasn't so filled with himself that he would just run into battle with no strategy at all. "after this he will send a good sum of the warriors back to Monterrigino, while he and the rest will stay here and help us..." he smiled softly, his brother wouldn't leave without Eragorn. Of course he wouldn't leave if he a mission or something to deal with either, but his older brother knew that Eragorn was one who took things personally and he would need to comfort the younger one. Builwyf still saw Eragorn as a child, a little brother he had to protect even if they were not together all the time.


He blinked and looked over at her at her last comment "Oh you silly little assassino, you think I will be able to hit targets from all the way up here? if they stand perfectly still the whole time then sure but since they won't... I will go to a high rooftop closer by, don't worry I will be above the ground at least" He smirked and gasped dramatically "you wouldn't rescue me? you wouldn't come chasing after Francesco when he swept me away?" He laid the back of his hand against his forehead while leaning his head back looking like a damsel in distress before he laughed happily "which templar would just sweep me away? they won't climb up on the roof just to get me so don't you worry dear!" this was taking his mind off things which was helpful.

 

[Loki Odinson]

Beautiful, Florence definitely was. And very different from the widely spaced and stout stone buildings that littered Aralaun cities. Here, each building was slim and tall, pressed up rather close to each other and seemingly connected by rooftops, wooden beams or adjourning walls. The cobblestone streets were narrower and much more crowded than he was used to. Splashes of colour decorated visible windows and the people walking to and fro. But the cheer and brightness that coated Florence materially was not reflected by the people themselves.


Having pulled the cowl of his cloak back up, Halt was free to observe his surroundings without people knowing and he shamelessly took advantage of that fact. Scrutinising every face he passed - men, women and children alike - told him all he needed to know about their current lives. It was clear the people was oppressed by the guards that constantly patrolled the streets. There were even archers spaced evenly on the rooftops, gazing down at the population below with a hard eye and bows at the ready. This felt more like a prison than a town.


The four Aralauns slowly picked their way towards the centre of town, Halt shifting slightly in his saddle to give quiet instructions for the others to keep an eye out for an inn with stable space for four mounts. As the narrow street gave way to a large square, the oldest Ranger's eyes were drawn to the nearly completed wooden platform. Gaunt, thin workers were scattered along and over the large structure, hammering the last of the planks in place, and Halt easily recognised the purpose behind this construct. Abelard stilled beneath him as it sensed its rider's desire to stop for a moment. The execution platform was eerily similar to the one in his most recent memories. It reminded him of the time Gilan, Horace, Cassandra, Erak and Selethen were captured and forced to kneel, awaiting their end before Will's rescue.


"Who are the ones set for execution?" Horace whispered, slight distaste tinging his voice. It seemed Halt was not the only one recalling the past.


"Captured rebels, most likely." Will answered. "And someone wishes to make examples out of them."


Halt did not comment, merely nudging his horse towards the edge of the square as more and more people - locals and foreigners alike - began to fill the square, waiting for the entertainment to begin. There was no need to get up close, Halt reckoned, and should anything happen, their mounts would be able to clear the masses quickly and effortlessly.




"Oh, I would definitely come after you should any Templar haul you away like a sack of potatoes, fratellino. After I have a good laugh, of course, but rest assured I wouldn't let you disappear under my nose." Tiziana huffed a soft laugh at Eragorn's over-the-top dramatics before turning serious once more. "Si, I plan to go for Francesco straight up. Best to take him down first and break the morale of his forces in order to lessen casualties on our side. Also...according to La Volpe, he was the one who proposed the killing of my parents. Although he was not the one to give the order...you can say my actions would honour my family when I take his life today."


Getting to her feet slowly, she flexed her fingers as one by one, the workers upon the large execution platform gathered up their tools and retreated from sight. The square was now packed with bodies but Francesco and the prisoners were nowhere in sight. Around the edges of the gathering, Borgia guards stood in groups of three. Tiziana counted four Brutes and four Seekers, one in each direction. The archers currently occupying specific rooftops would be taken care of by the disguised thieves as soon as she made the first move, and as long as there were no Agiles around, things should go fairly smooth.


Below, the crowd near the northern end of the square parted. The prisoners were finally brought into the open, escorted by four guards with pikes. Each of the five were bloody and bruised, their hand bound before them and stumbling every few steps. Truth be told, their current state was expected. No one even entertained the thought of a Borgia prison guard being gentle. Tiziana was frankly rather amazed the prisoners could still walk on their own. Forced up the steps and into a line at blade-point, the prisoners were kicked into kneeling position before the four guards moved away in pairs to each end of the stage.


Then finally...the man of the hour arrived, decked in a fine garment of dark blue and purple, rapier strapped to his hip and a sneer upon his face. A brute wielding a double-bladed axe ambled two paces behind. "It's time." Tizianna breathed and began moving.


Shuffling along the narrow ridge of the clocktower, she settled into a crouch, positioning herself above the two guards on the left-hand side of the platform and unsheathed her daggers. Below, Francesco spread his arms to the side as he addressed the people, basking in the fear and attention.


"Citizens of Firenze, " he boomed, using the common tongue of Aralaun for the sake of the various foreigners within the crowd. "Our gracious leader Rodrigo Borgia has gifted us with care and compassion. When he took the Crown over from the worthless Merdici, he gave Italia a chance to blossom. Look around you! Do you see anyone starving? Do you see your neighbour enjoying a warm fire while you freeze in your home, too poor to afford a single matchstick? No! But not everyone is grateful to His Majesty! When you get people like these rebels, like these Assassini, it provides nothing more than a stain to our glorious nation! Which is why, good people, today we are gathered here to..."


Tiziana pulled her hood low over her eyes and straightened slightly. She had heard enough. Taking a deep breath, she pushed off the ledge, plummeting through the air...


...and with a sickening crunch and snapping of bones, her feet slammed into the shoulders of the two guards, daggers buried hilt-deep in their skulls.

 

[Starwise]

Gilan admired the city was they trotted through it, there was not a lot of space so he had to focus on the road as well since there was plenty of people that were walking back and fort. He could almost imaging the city in the summer, flowers on every balcony, the windows open and even more people outside while the city boomed with trading and buying. But it was not the summer and as beautiful the city was... something was off, he could see it not only in the rather large number of guards that were patrolling everywhere but just looking at the people. None of them seemed that happy, it was like there was one big conflict going on.


His eyes narrowed a bit when he noticed a wanted poster, there were several in fact on the walls as they made their way through, they were of a couple different assassins that appeared again and again. Sometimes they had a name, clearly not their real name, otherwise it was just 'Assassino'. Gilan had been so lost in the wanted posters, almost wanting to rip one off and have a closer look, that he almost didn't notice Halt stopped. He blinked and looked at the others confused before he noticed the big wooden platform "for everyones eyes to see?" he got the idea that someone wanted to use people's minds like this, but it seemed so unreal and inhuman to execute someone in front of so many people.


Gilan sat on Blaze silently, both being ready but not showing it in their calm pose. There was a lot of guards around, but of course a prisoner who escaped would be a bad look for them. When the prisoners were shown, Gilan's eyes widen a bit beneath his cowl. He had in a way expected it but his eyes had still not been ready to see it... these prisoners had been tortured, beaten and more while being under capture. There was no fear of them escaping, they could barely make it to the platform! Something about this just seemed wrong but if it was murders then... Gilan didn't even know what to think anymore.


The feeling of wrongness only increased when some man came and held a speech, as Will said they wanted to make an example out of the prisoners being executed. The way he spoke of the 'worthless Merdici', from what Gilan had heard the Merdici had actually been rather good leaders but then again what did he know. As the man started to speak about how the citizen had it because of Rodrigo Borgia, the taller ranger had slowly looked around with his eyes, looking at the humans around them. None of them looked like they were so poor they could barely afford their own lives but they didn't look happy neither. He watched as the man talked about these assassins, the rebels that had been beat up and now were going to be executed. Gilan tried not to question it all too much but he could feel the tension rising every minute.


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Eragorn smiled "good to know, then I will not worry if I get captured, you will catch up with whoever thought it was a good idea to take me in a matter of seconds!" he chuckled a lit before it died away along with his smile, the hour was near and now there had been jokes enough. "please sorella, be careful... you are a known assassin, taking you down will be just a good of a break of morals for him as it would be for us if he dies first... I can't not shoot all down there if they come running towards you" he laid a hand on her shoulder "kill him, for yourself and the brotherhood... but don't do anything reckless, in a way I don't worry but the family you have now would miss you dearly" he stood up with her and let his hand fall from her shoulder. He couldn't really imaging a brotherhood without her, he warned her only out of love and not because he doubted her, he knew that she would have done the same if Eragorn were going to kill someone specific. They were both assassins that the Borgias so dearly wished to get rid of.


Eragorn watched as people started to gather up by the wooden platform, he rolled his shoulders a bit and took a deep breath. Just did whatever routine he had before he was ready to get down there. His hands clenched into fists as he saw their brothers and sisters beaten and bloody, he hadn't been ready to see it but luckily he had seen worse so his brain wasn't too shocked. He wished they could have been able to save them sooner, or rather he wished that everything would go well and they would bring them back to base so they could heal and rest. Eragorn looked over at her and nodded "good luck down there, I will be watching over your back" his final words was.


Meanwhile in the warehouse Buliwyf looked outside a window, standing in the dark of the old building so no one would see him from the outside, he watched the same as the other assassins had been watching up on the clocktower. His expression was calm and when Francesco showed himself he made a hand movement to the others. Despite being big brutes they had been sitting or standing still with their weapons, not saying a word the whole time they were there. His companions were skandians, friends and brothers from his motherland he had visited some years ago, they had followed him here and fought along side with him. They were normally twelve including Buliwyf, maybe not that many but since they were skandians that was a lot. Right now they were six. Their other race meant that they were more likely to be recognized, Buliwyf and his closest companions were starting to get a name for themselves, but it did set some fear in their enemies. His hand movement caused the others to as silent as possible get up, grab their weapons and go towards the door or exit they would go out from when the signals came. Buliwyf turned his eyes to the roof which you could see from the second window to the right of this old building, waiting for his little brother to show up while holding his two-handed sword a little tighter in his hands.


He climbed down the clock tower quickly and swift, taking a leap of fate had a risk of attracting attention if Francesco's eyes were good enough. Eragorn's hands moved quickly against the stone and soon he put down the first food on the red rooftop. He made his way closer and closer to the execution, taking his time while Francesco talked, making sure no one saw him. His footsteps were silent but his dark armor was easier to spot in the day while it would almost impossible in the night. Luckily it was in the morning, people would think their eyes were doing tricks. He took use of the chimneys, hiding behind them until he finally reached the rooftop he was going to shoot from. He gave a nod to one of the disguised thieves, they took notice of him being there but kept up the act while knowing it was going to happen soon. Eragorn made his way over to a spot he already had picked out days before. Slowly taking out his bow he laid a arrow on the string, his eyes were fixed on the man who was to pull the lever and open up the wood beneath the captured assassins. It was Eragorn's job to make sure he never got that far.


The young assassin wanted to look over and make sure his brother was watching, but he could not take his eyes off his target not until it was dead at least. It was a good thing that Eragorn had decided that because the guard standing by the lever were one of the first that noticed his two fellow guards being brought down by Tiziana. While another yelled "Assassino!" he went straight for the lever. Eragorn pulled back swiftly, only holding the arrow one second, before sending it off. The arrow flew through the wind and slammed through the guards neck. The guard choked and gasped, his hand going up to his throat where the arrow was stuck before falling to the ground dead. Then the chaos and the screams begun.


Civilans scattered all at once, screaming and in panic but since they were all trying to leave it only caused more chaos and made the whole act of leaving much slower. Eragorn soon had another arrow ready and had given the signal to his brother. The doors in the warehouse were kicked open and guards nearby was cut down as the first, not being ready for the sudden attack. Builwyf swung his long heavy two-handed sword at a Brute, it almost cutting the man apart. The other five skanidans were careful not to hit any civilians while taking care of the guards they met in their way, they were coming from the old warehouse which was in the west side of the square. Eragorn was sitting in the east side, his arrows making sure that their captured assassins weren't attacked.

 

[Loki Odinson]

As soon as she wrenched the daggers out of the corpses' skull, Francesco was bolting the other way, yelling for guards as he fled from her. Tiziana's eyes narrowed, but she didn't give chase immediately. Taking the life of Francesco was at the top of her list, but it was a secondary objective. The Assassin turned towards her five captured comrades instead, slicing through their ropes to free them. Whirling around on her heels, she brought her daggers up in a cross just in time to intercept the downward strike of a long sword. Striking high with her left, she drove the guard back before sinking her right dagger in his unprotected neck. Sheathing her daggers, she gripped five throwing knives between her fingers. In her peripheral vision, she could see Builwyf and his men steadily making their way towards the execution platform. With two flicks of the wrists, three more Borgia men dropped dead, clearing the path between the Skandians and the prisoners.


"Go, compagni." Tiziana told them urgently, ducking an arrow in the process.


When the last of the five cleared the platform, she disappeared into the dispersing crowd, scanning the area for the familiar figure of Francesco. Clicking her teeth in annoyance, she scaled the nearest building. A flash of purple at the south side drew her eye, the Templar having fled away from the general chaos alone. Borgia guards covered his escape as he sprinted towards the narrow path. All that was standing between Francesco and the entrance of the narrow street were four horsemen. Mercenaries, by the look of their clothes. Tiziana scoffed inwardly. No doubt they were drawn by the Brogia's lure of a decent paycheck.


Well, no matter. A few nameless mercs weren't a bother to her mission. Moving back a few paces, she mentally gauged the distance between this building and the next. Then she sprinted fully tilt and leap. Time seemed to slow as she crossed the space, wind roaring past her ears for a heartbeat of two before her feet hit solid ground once more. Immediately, she tucked her body in, performed a forward roll and ended back in a crouch. Two arrows thudded off the roof next to her, missing her right hand by an inch. There was a whump and a string of cusses from below, the nasally voice belonging to that of Francesco. Tiziana smirked. Leave it to a Templar to trip over a flat piece of ground.


She dropped lightly to the ground directly in front of him as he clambered to his feet. As soon as his mouth opened and lungs drew breath to shout, her leg snapped out, slamming into his rounded belly and sending him sprawling back on the ground. She threw a knife into his kneecap just to ensure he couldn't run, masterfully ignoring the yell of agony that was lost in the commotion occuring in the square. A quick sweep from beneath her cowl told her three things. Eragorn was safe, Builwyf had gotten her captured brothers and sisters free, and the four mercenaries were observing the proceedings with an air of curiosity. They didn't seem like they would intervene anytime soon. Which was good, or she would be forced to kill them too.


"Y - You...get away from me Assassino! It's no use! This pesky rescue will be nothing against the might of the Templars! You and your Brotherhood will fall before long, just like Italia has submitted to Borgia rule. You may kill me now, but many more will rise in my place. Firenze may be yours now - urgh..." Francesco's heated rant was muffled by a gloved hand covering his mouth.


"Believe what you will, Francesco Silviatin," Tiziana hissed lowly. "The liberty of Firenze is only the beginning. The Templars will never have absolute control of Italia as long as one of us lives. Just like the Aragona Family will never vanish as long as one still lives. Repent in your next life, Templar." With that, she slid the dagger smoothly into his throat. "Requiescat in Pace..."


She straightened, wiping and sheathing her blade in the same motion. Pulling out two smoke bombs - courtesy of Leonardo - she scaled the roof under its cover and made her way back towards Eragorn.




Halt had ordered his companions to stay put when chaos broke out. All four had weapons out and readied, but he was not about to let any of them involve themselves in the fight between the two factions. They were here as a neutral party. Unless things turned out like the events of Nihon-ja, where it was starkly clear which side was the 'good' one, he would not interfere. Instead, he was content with simply sitting back and watching the events unfold. Which was a startling eye-opener in any case. These rebels were clearly well-organised and had a set uniform, unlike the usual rebellions. That and they were proving to be more skilled than the average Borgia guards. More ruthless too, he thought, grimacing inwardly as a red-and-black robed figure dispatched a number of guards and save the prisoners without hesitation. There was also an archer and several duels happening across rooftops surrounding the square.


"Are those...Skandians?" Will asked quietly, eyeing the few burly giants - compared to the Rangers - smashing through armoured figures with a grin on their faces.


"I believe they are. And they seem to be on the side of the rebels." Halt muttered. "This is getting more complicated than I previously believed."


"The speaker is coming this way." Horace announced, hefting his naked sword a little higher in his hand, a hard edge in his voice as he witnessed the portly noble shoving his men behind him as human shields. Having been in the company of honourable nobles like Baron Arald, it soured the knight's mood to see a noble act so selfishly. Well, he couldn't hurt a foreign noble openly without consequence, but...


Halt merely quirked an eyebrow at the young knight as the Italian noble tripped spectacularly. Horace shurgged, non-plussed. "It's a deceptively flat piece of ground." He said midly.


Will snorted in amusement, but all humour was cut as they turned as one to watch the same robed figure quietly dispatched the noble. Halt's eyes narrowed beneath his cowl. The soft conversation he overheard yielded quite a few pieces of interesting information. As soon as the smoke cleared, the body and assassin were gone. His eyes swept the area, noting the slowly retreating figures of the rebels.


"Come on." He nudged Abelard into a trotter. "The only way to get a clear understanding of the situation if to go after them."

 

[Starwise]

Buliwyf and the Skandians cut through the enemy pushing civilians aside as they made it over to the execution platform, they helped the beaten assassins down from it and started to fall back with them. The six Skandians formed a loose circle around the assassins while escorting them away. Any Borgia guards who tried their luck out of duty was brought down swiftly. Buliwyf looked behind him, his eyes scouting the area quickly to make sure everything was at it was suppose to be. The plan had went smooth and without problems to their luck. He glanced up at the roof he knew his little brother was on but he could not see him, he was hidden no doubt. Hopefully he would make it back without any problems for it was not Buliwyf's mission to make sure his brother came along. He then turned his back to the platform and the chaos, helping one of the assassin to walk faster. They made it through the small streets in a steady pace, they were heading to the gate where the guards where La Volpe's thieves in disguise. By the gates a carriage would be waiting and along with the beaten assassins three of the Skandians would follow and protect them. They would be brought back safely to Monterrigino.


The golden haired warrior looked at the assassins, none of them were doing good, one even had to be carried but he knew that an assassin who were familiar with medicine and herbs were going to be there. Weath, the younger red-haired musical Skandian, would be there as well and he was normally helping in Monterrigino with the wounded. Surely everything would go as planned. The thing that worried him was he had spotted some foreigners, normally that wouldn't bothered him but he knew who those small men on small horses were and the fact that they had just been standing there watching. Their cowls and bows gave it away, along with those horses, he had heard of them so many times before from his father. They were from Aralaun... Surely they hadn't come here for an vacation. But there was nothing he could do about that now, he would have to discuss it with Tiziana and Eragorn when they once again met. For now he kept going forward along with the others, hoping that they would make it without too much trouble.


Meawhile Eragorn sat up on his roof still hidden, he looked around slowly and swallowed. One arrow, that was all he had done this battle, shot one arrow. He had stopped a man from killing his brothers and sisters but... He sighed and stood up, seeing there was not a Borgia guard anywhere nearby, he knew it was selfish and stupid but he felt like he hadn't done anything. It was often he didn't do much, shooting a few here and there but the real battles always happened up close. At least it had been a victory for them, he was an archer and he was not suppose to be the hero or the warrior. Still apart from wanting to be the one with the honor for once, he just feared that some may think he was not needed. There were so many archers and Eragorn never did that much, everyone spoke so great of his skills but he never showed them. Maybe it was because he was scared of letting the arrow go, sometimes it went smoothly but other times when a lot was happening he was scared of hitting someone else. But as long as his brother and Tiziana still believed in him it couldn't go all that wrong he guessed. It would just hurt if the others lost faith in him. He slowly put his bow on his back was thinking about heading down to get his one arrow back, not the brightest idea though, before he noticed Tiziana. He smiled a little and made his way over to her "You did it Tiziana, you killed him! now the other assassins will going back to base and we got rid of Francesco! this went better than expected..." he said and looked over the battleground. All the people had fled from there, only bodies laid there now "none from our side died... Lady Luck is with us it seems" he sighed softly "we should get going, they will be swarming around here soon"


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Gilan's eyes widen a bit as he watched the chaos before him unfold, normally rebels didn't have the best weapons nor the best strategy but that could not be said about these rebels. It was all worked out, all planned and right on time. The Borgias barely stood a chance, these assassins cut them down swiftly and with no remorse. Then the Skandians, what had made them join all of this? there was much more to this whole rebellion that they had been told. As it had been described it was just some dirty rebels that called themselves assassins and had a brotherhood but this... this was so much more. So many stories were behind this. But if these rebels were the enemy like the Borgias described then the kingdom sure had some problems, because they were more dangerous that Gilan had thought. He watched the red-and-black robed figure fight and frowned "what kind of weapon are they using?" he asked and looked over at Halt, he didn't expected any of the others to know the answer but maybe Halt did. The rebels did not hurt civilians which was a relief, even the Skandias made sure that the people were out of the way before they swung their heavy weapons.


One of the guards had been shot but Gilan didn't even get to see where the arrow came from and since no more arrows came he couldn't figure it out. He held his bow loosely and calm though while he watched, he was ready if needed but wasn't tensed up or anything "complicated? It is almost getting more than complicated, there is so much more to this than we thought..." he said and breathed out. He had a feeling this would be a longer journey than expected.


He blinked as they watched the speaker run their way "you guys are heartless..." He said but was joking, it was not like he was sad over what was happening to the noble. He watched as the red-and-black robed figure brought down the nobel speaker, looked like it was a woman. The rebels had both women, men and Skandians? This was kind of impressive. He could barely make out the conversation between the two but what he did pick out was interesting and he for some reason wanted to learn more. Then frowned when the nobel was put down, they had done nothing about it, they were neutral but still what if they had done the wrong thing? something in his guts told him that it was right to let the assassin do the job but he couldn't put his trust of people to test by his gut.


With a surprised blink he watched the smoke spread up and hiding the corpse of the speaker along with the view of the entire street, when it then faded away he had no idea where the assassin had gone. Smart little thing, that smoke trick. He looked over at Halt, shaking his head just to get rid of all the thoughts he had on his mind, and signaled Blaze to follow the elder ranger in the same tempo "when in doubt children, always follow the Skandians!" He just added at the end of Halt's words with a smirk.

 

[Loki Odinson]

The Assassin had lugged Francesco's body a short way above the streets where he had met his demise, propping it against the side of a chimney so as to be starkly visible by all after this entire fiasco is over. Tiziana spared the time to clap Eragorn on his shoulder when she skidded to a halt beside him. Indeed, things had gone smoothly. The Borgia had retreated after losing both captains and Salviatin, steadily being pushed back by the other Assassins as thieves away from the square. Many a Borgia soldier had fled for their lives. All in all, a great success. Had this been anywhere else and they were not on a mission, Tiziana would have removed Era's hood and tousled his already messy hair in comfort. She knew remorse and a smidgen of self-doubt would be working its way into his thoughts and not for the first time, she wished she could impress upon him the usefulness of his skills. Sure, he had only fired on one arrow during this mission, but that arrow had essentially paved the way for her smooth rescue. Unfortunately, there was presently no time to reassure him verbally.


"You're right, let us be off before reinforcements arrive." The corner of her lips quirked up in dry humour. "Although I do have to say I don't think they would be willing to expand men to resecure this city. Just as Niccolo predicted. With this, we can move our troops in by the end of this week and have another base of operations." Florence was, after all, not one of the major Templar strongholds. They would lose relatively little should the Assassins liberate it. "Let us go, shall we, fratellino? See if you can beat me to the horses with those short legs of yours."


Shooting a smirk his way, Tiziana darted towards the now-opened gates and the stable beyond, flying across the tiles. One of the reasons she loved being an Assassin was the sense of wild freedom to be savoured as she leaped across gaps and dashed from roof to roof, scaling walls and buildings. Twisting as she freefall from the edge of the gate, Tiziana landed on the balls of her feet near the stable, and whistled for her mount. Rabbit came immediately, greeting her with a soft whinny and snuffling her palms. She pat his nose and swung into the saddle, turning a half-circle to see Builwyf's progress. It was slow going, but they were nearly at the gate, where a carriage stood, manned by Ristoro.


"Diego! Lanz!" Tiziana called for the two medics she knew were within. "They're nearly here. Go do your thing."


She stood guard around the carriage until the prisoners were well and truly safe before turning to Eragorn, speaking lowly. "Return to Monteriggioni first, Era. If anyone else wishes to go with you, take them..." She jerked her head meaningfully towards the sound of horse hooves drawing closer. "...I'll lead these mercs and any Borgia that comes after us away, but have a perimeter set up in the woodlands around Monteriggioni should they still be on my tail when I return. They don't seem to give up easily."




"Following them has gotten you into more trouble than you could slip out of." Halt muttered in good-natured jab to Gilan's comment about following Skandians when in doubt.


A small frown worked its way into his grim expression as Abelard blazed forward, clearing obstacles and weaving from street to street with ease. Every once in a while, he would dart a glance up at the rooftop, mildly impressed at the speed the Assassins were sprinting at. They were like mountain goats - or Will - in the aspect of scaling vertical surfaces swiftly and sure-footed in moving a good few meters above the ground. One misstep and they could plummet to their deaths. Even on horseback, the robed figures made it out the gate and towards the stables before the group of four. The carriage was already on its merry way, protected from the odd Borgia guard trying their luck to bring the rebels down. Once a fair way from the city, the carriage and its protectors split, the remaining three guards on horseback whirling around to chase the latter.


After a split-second's debate, Halt nudged Abelard to follow the guards. As soon as the Borgia fell to the Assassins, they would undoubtedly return to base, with which the Aralauns could track them back.

 

[Starwise]

Eragorn watched her while she brought up the body, while she did so he went down to retrieve his arrow seeing that there was no danger in doing it. He quickly made it back up again and waited on her until she was done. "Niccolo will be happy about this, we have had some downs lately..." he said and smiled, the elder man who was in control of it all was awaiting their return. Since it was what they normally did, Eragorn had for some seconds been waiting for the hand to suddenly mess up his hair, he even got a bit confused when it didn't come but then he remembered that they were actually on a mission where their identities were suppose to be a secret. He looked over the city "I hope we can make Firenze return to the way she once was, I miss the happiness and the colors..." he said and looked around in thought. He chuckled at her words "just imaging when we get to Rome, it will take smooch more!" he knew that there was a long way ahead, Rome was the final goal in this long journey but he made it sound like it was just around the corner. "and now we can help the citizens too, then everyone will be happy... expect the templars maybe!" he said and giggled while putting his bow on his back along with the arrows. They were in a quiver on his back but there they were secured so when he jumped all of them didn't fall out. It was a rather complicated design but with some help from Leonardo nothing was impossible, he had even made it so Eragorn could just pull back and take one out just as easy as he could put on back again. For others they would have to take the entire quiver off to make sure it fit in right but after studying Eragorn's hand movements it was as easy as one-two-three!


"oh you- I am faster than you!" Eragorn said, few would get away with making fun of his height without him getting all moody but Tiziana was one of them. He couldn't help but smile as he darted after her, his legs moving as they themselves wanted to win over her. He was a fast little one but she was good too. He jumped rather gracefully from one roof to another, since he was already running it just happened naturally. It was funny how in the beginning just one jump would cost so much energy while now he just kept running and doing it, sometimes he had to do a roll but rarely. If one started to doubt one would never make it over the jump. So Eragorn just smiled and jumped like he was an eagle in flight. At least that was what he felt like with the wind in his back.


Eragorn fell down with her landing on his feet, bending his knees a bit to take the drop down before standing up right "I just let you win this one!" He said but knew that she had gotten him this time, he would get her someday though! He clicked his tongue and the big shire horse came trotting, making a empty barrel make over in it's path. "Oh you big silly Brynjolf!" Eragorn snuggled his face against it's muzzle, when he said big he wasn't kidding. The shire horse was about one and a half head higher than the average human so to Eragorn... He actually had to used the barrel that had fallen over to get up on the horse, it was adorable. Then made his way over to his brother and the carriage. It was kind of amusing and cute to see the little assassin on his big horse, he sure didn't look like a dangerous assassin then!


Buliwyf watched as the others helped the wounded inside "well done today little brother..." he said and reached up, patting Eragorn's thigh since it was what he could reach without having to use too much effort. Eragorn clearly smiled even though no one could see it "you did well too!" he said and giggled. Buliwyf took his attention away from Eragorn and frowned lightly, glancing over at Tiziana. He listened in silence for some time before speaking "if they still follow you then you know which path to take, we will be ready there..." he said, they had done an ambush before and Tiziana had been the bait before as well. It was a path that looked like it was the main road but really just a small detour. They got three more horses, everyone leaving and Eragorn coming along. Buliwyf didn't have to say much to the others, they got the idea of what would be happening "alright lets get moving, come on little brother!" Herger, one of the best Skandians you'll ever meet, said. Eragorn was know as 'little brother' by those closes to him. Soon the company took off "Be careful sorella!" was Eragorn's final goodbye before they were out of Florence.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


"while that may be true, what I said was a joke but of course you had to mess it up!" Gilan didn't seem to care that much about it honestly though. But he quickly fell silent and focused on the chase, he noticed the assassins on the rooftop too. He recognized the one in red and black, it was impressive this whole other training they had. He kind of wanted to know more. When they reached the gates and saw the carriage he turned his eyes to Halt, it was he who decided where it went from that.


He followed Halt without a doubt but still asked "are you sure it's a good idea to go to the heart of all of this?" he asked knowing they would be able to track to their base, or at least one of their bases. "we are only four after all and we are neutral so far..." he said.

 

[Loki Odinson]

Shooting a reassuring smile over her shoulder at the two men, Tiziana nudged her Arabian stock stallion forward, making sure to pace him even if she knew he had good stamina. It would not do to tire him out before the trek back to Monteriggioni. She kept her eyes fixed on the road before her, using her ears to track the progress of the three Borgia soldiers closing ranks on her. Thank God none had bows on them. The other four mercs were still a fair ways back, meaning she had time to dispatch these guards until they were upon her. Briefly, she wondered why her gut told her to capture those four alive. It would be much easier to eliminate them here, but a part of her hesitated. Why? Was it because they did not conduct themselves like the mercenaries she was familiar with? The tallest one had seemed as open as Bartolomeo at first glance. Tiziana shook her head with a sigh. Now wasn't the time to think about stuff like that. She had Borgia men to kill.


A smirk curled her lips as the three finally got into position, one on either side and the last closing in on her rear. As soon as she deemed herself far away enough from the road leading to the Assassin's base, she drew two throwing knives, flicking them to the left. Twin thuds and a strangled yell told her the one on her left was no more. Pressing a heel to Rabbit's left flank, her mount maneuvered her closer to the guard on the right. She ducked the first strike of the sword, bringing her own short sword up in a backwards arc. Her blade tore through his abdomen, effectively putting him out of the chase. Now for the one behind. Wheeling the horse around, Tiziana met the guard in a flurry of blows, of which he parried and dodged. This one was more skilled than his companions, and was dressed in a better quality suit if lightweight armour. The Assassin clicked her tongue in annoyance, increasing the strength behind each blow. When it became clear she wasn't going to break through his defenses anytime soon, she went for his horse. One quick stab to the flank and his mount reared in agony, throwing him out of the saddle. Taking advantage of his downed state, she sent four knives cutting into the gaps of his armour at his arms and legs, leaving him bleeding out on the floor. Tiziana was now out of throwing knives.


Guards dispatched she glanced up to see the small group closing in and took off once more, Rabbit heading down the broader path on the right. Here was the start of the detour back to base. While it looked like the main path, it really wasn't. The path to Tuscany, the next town down from Florence, was the smaller one. Tiziana personally had no idea how the detour wormed its way onto this piece of land, but did not care. It served its purpose and was rather useful. When the last curve of the road was cleared, she nudged Rabbit into a full-throttle gallop down the straight path and into the woodlands surrounding Monteriggioni. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she threw another glance over her shoulder only to see they were keeping up with her. Those mounts of theirs certainly seemed quite special.


As soon as she disappeared into the thick forest, Tiziana pulled herself up, perching on the saddle before leaping off. Her hand closed around a thick branch and she hauled herself up. Rabbit, having received no further instructions, merely kept running forward and towards the direction of the gates. Satisfied, she moved silently from tree to tree towards the ambush point.




"Sometimes, the fastest way to get an idea of what's going on is to dive straight into the heart of things." Halt answered as they rode forth, pacing Abelard so that he wouldn't overexert himself. Who knew how long this road was?


"Funny for you to talk about diving." Horace muttered.


Halt turned his head to the side to glare witheringly at the young knight, who refused to wither, instead grinning back cheekily. The Ranger harrumphed and continued. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted...we are neutrals, and thus any active prying on our parts can be held against us. However, if we were in the position of victims, no one can point a finger. Besides, I am not too worried about being killed right off the bat. These Assassins don't seem the type to kill indiscriminately."


And after passing the corpses of the unfortunate Borgia soldiers along the road, he would bet his longbow on it. If the Assassin they were chasing was little more than a serial killer, she wouldn't have allowed them to follow her this far. Of course, there was the possibility that she was leading them into a trap, but wasn't that what Halt was half-hoping for? Interrogations, if one knew how to manipulate skillfully, could reveal as much to the person being interrogated as to the person doing the interrogation. Like he just stated as well, with how complex this entire situation was, the fastest way to have an understanding was to make contact with an involved side. And as evident by the letter sent by Borgia to Duncan, he was not willing to shed light on the situation. That left the rebels.


When the black stallion and its rider disappeared amongst the trees beyond, Halt stopped their advance for a moment. Briefly, he debated on switching the grey cloak for the mottled one, weighing the pros and cons of it should they get caught. He knew with the absolute camoflague of the Ranger's cloak, Will, Gilan and himself would be able to sneak past any sentries within the area. But the problem was Horace. The knight was more than handy in a fight, but he had little to no stealthiness to speak of and Halt did not want to make him wait here with their horses while the Rangers scouted the area. The Aralauns were currently in unknown territory.


He told as much to his companions, and eventually decided to continue as they were. Slowly, the group moved deeper into the forest, with Hat internally grimacing at each loud crunch produced with every step Horace's battle horse took. No doubt their position was already known to anyone within. His eyes scanned the area, mentally mapping out the terrain. The longbow in his grasp rose slightly as an unmistakable blur flashed through his vision. Another unnatural whisper from the branches above had Halt's bow nocked and drawn in one smooth motion, aimed towards the silhouette directly before him. As one by one, robed figures with weapons at the ready came forth, creating a loose circle around them. Halt's hands did not waver as more appeared, crouched on the branches of the trees above. He knew it was futile to engage them in combat, not when they were vastly outnumbered.


The same red-and-black clad female dropped to the ground before them and looked as relaxed as one could be. She hadn't bother to arm herself with those daggers she used before, and when she spoke, it was low and even. "Lower your weapons, mercenary, or we would be forced to kill you, which is an order I would rather not give. And I doubt you wish to face your end here."


No, he certainly didn't wish to die so foolishly in an unknown country on a diplomatic mission. So Halt did the one thing he could in this situation. He lowered his bow and returned the arrow into his quiver.

 

[Starwise]

Buliwyf and Eragorn rode along with the others through the woods, following the carriage closely. No words were exchanged between them, they were still on a mission and there was no time to talk. The carriage moved as fast as it could without harming the already damaged assassins inside, it had to return to base quickly though so they could get more medical attention and were out of harms way. When the company reached the two roads, the carriage went on to Monteriggioni along with three of the Skandians, the other three Skandians and Eragorn went down the smaller path to Tuscany. Quickly they got off their horses and while Eragorn lead the four steeds into the woods to hide them, taking them far away enough so they wouldn't disturb the ambush with their noise, Buliwyf and the two other Skandians got into positions. They were more noisy than the assassins but they needed to be close so if those they ambushed decided to attack.


Buliwyf stood behind a tree holding his long two handed sword up while his eyes stared calmly into the woods around them. Herger was a bit closer, being smaller in it than Buliwyf but his blond wavy hair would still attract attention so he kept hidden behind some thick bushes. He had a one handed sword for more quick attacks, he was one of the bests when it came to sword fighting, even if he was in his thirties he could best all the young new warriors. Buliwyf and Herger were on the right side of the path, then over on the other side was Edgtho and Eragorn. Now Edgtho was already silent in all normality and with his brown hair and dark clothes he was harder to spot, he used both sword and bow and was behind a tree. He was a bit more to the left side so he could watch when the riders they were to ambush came. Eragorn was impossible to see, he was already dressed all in black and one of the best when it came to sneaky and unseen. He was in the tree tops looking down, he had his bow ready in his left hand along with an arrow in his fingers on the same hand. Now they waited, standing still and just waited while other assassins came and hid as well. The reason the two blonds and easier to see was to the right was that if those to be ambushed then turned to them Edgtho and Eragorn would have a better time surpring them.


When the sound of hooves came closer everyone knew that soon they would strike, no one said anything to Tiziana knowing silence was the key here. Some assassin decided to whisper something as the four riders came closer which annoyed everyone that had kept silence so far but luckily no one snapped. Now they just had to wait for the right moment.


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Gilan nodded ””I trust you know your way in this…” he said as they passed the corpses on the road. He decided just to follow Halt’s orders and not worry about anything else too much, after all he knew that Halt normally was right in his mind about things. As they chased the single assassin he had a feeling they were heading into a trap, they were chasing one assassin and still hadn’t seen any sign of any other rebels. There was at least some Skandians and an archer they could have see too by now. But again Gilan knew that Halt was aware of this and just let him show the way.


Gilan slowly took out his bow as well, the whisper reaching his ear but he didn’t get to aim before all the assassins showed up and he knew it was a pointless fight. At the order of lowering their weapons both he and Will looked over at their old mentor and follow suit when he lowered his bow. Horace who was a bit slower in it had been about to draw his sword when he only grabbed onto empty air ”Hey what the-” he turned his horse around and blinked, Gilan looked back as well and frowned. A figure dressed in all black with a heavy well decortaed long bow on his back was behind them standing with both Horace’s sword and Will’s bow. Gilan blinked he hadn’t even heard anything from back there, the horses seemed unaware too. ”give that back!” Horace acted out of anger but was grabbed by the shirt and pulled down from his horse, he landed on the ground was about to jump up and fight when a sword was held by his throat ”I wouldn’t do that my boy” Herger said and Horace held up his hands, slowly relaxing his body. Eragorn looked down at the knight while standing with their weapons, he then handed them over to another assassin. Edgtho signed for Will to get down from his horse which the young ranger followed, Eragorn then came over and took his quiver handing it on to an assassin who took the weapons away. Will held out his hands as to sign he had nothing more on him, Eragorn seemed unimpressed and reach behind his cloak to his back taking the saxe knife and his throwing knives. Will sighed in defeat, it would have been handy to have at leas tone throwing knife on him but seemed like this person with the very special armor had figured him out. Edgtho moved on to Gilan and again signed him to get down, he took his weapons and Eragorn showed him where the knives hid. Gilan and Will had both signaled their horses to stay calm for now, none of the assassins had touched them yet either but it would not be easy to make them follow with force that was for sure. Buliwyf looked at Halt, he was just about as tall as Halt was on Abelard, he was a big Skandian after all ”get down” it was calm and not threating but surely Halt knew if he didn’t do as told force would be used.


Herger pulled Horace up to a stand ”chains and blindfolds?” he asked and looked over at Buliwyf who nodded, it was the safest. Less chance of them escaping and even if they did there was a chance they hadn’t seen where the assassins hid. It was not that Monteriggioni was that much a secret but still better to be as safe as possible. Eragorn brought out their four horses and in Edgtho’s saddlebag where the chains and blindfolds, they took them out and started their work with the younger companions. Gilan looked at Halt a final times before letting himself be blindfolded. The three were rather calm which made it all so much easier, as for the horses Herger chuckled ”who takes dogs into battle?” he asked as he leaned down and took a closer look at Tug. He slowly grabbed the reins and pulled only to get one hell of a pull back, Herger looked at the small horse surprised and rubbed his shoulder ”leave the horses be, put the prisoners up on them and we will bring them along” Buliwyf said before returning his eyes onto Halt.

 

[Loki Odinson]

Halt was the last to allow his weapons to be taken after dismounting. Despite knowing it was inevitable, he was reluctant to hand it over. Because what kind of Ranger would willingly do so? Not this one, obviously. It took all his self-control not to snap out with his saxe when hands wrenched his longbow away. He did not say anything, merely glowering warningly for all he was worth at the Assassin who carried his beloved bow. If so much as a scratch found its way onto the smooth wooden surface...Halt knew who to come after. More fingers reached into the hidden pocket of his cloak to remove the saxe and throwing knife. Well, isolated as Italy had became, it seemed these people knew exactly who the Aralauns were. It made them more dangerous in Halt's mind. An ignorant enemy was as easy to deceive as an unorganised group. Unfortunately, the Assassins proved to be neither.


For a moment, the Ranger wondered if he did, in fact, finally made a terrible mistake. That his judgement finally failed him. A sharp spike of bitterness shot through his being, making his grim demeanour even more grimmer. The concerned stare of Will bore heavily into his back, but Halt paid his second apprentice no mind, keeping his hard gaze on the potential enemies before him. He just hoped his gut feeling was right and he had not condemned the three younger men to death. In the old hidden pocket just below to cowl of his cloak, the second throwing knife laid, unknown to anyone besides the owner himself. It paid to have a second backup, as always. Halt was inwardly glad none of the Assassins thought to search there. And why should they? It had been more than five years since the official change in the Ranger's uniform, and only Halt's sentimentality for the uniform cloak he had used ever since he bacame a fully-fledged Ranger kept him from adapting all his clothes to the new style. His stubbornness seemed to have paid off once more. Halt turned his mind away from the compact strikers strpped to the top of his boots. Those would be kept as a last resort. Trained in close-combat as all Rangers were, he was pretty sure he would suffer a bolt or knife through him before he could give anyone a good clobbering.


Meeting Gilan's eyes before the younger man's eyes were covered by a large strip of opague cloth, - Skandians and their inability to use average-sized items - Halt gave him a slight nod of reassurance in spite of the doubt still lingering at the back of his mind. His last sight before black covered his vision was the the slight smile on the big Skandian's face, oddly reminding Halt of Erak. With his vision temporarily obscured, he was left with just his hearing as an aid. Clinking of steel chains sounded rather loudly in the whispery silence of the forest, and Halt didn't even bother tightening his wrists. Steel chains could not be tricked or wriggled out off as easily as standard rope. Hmm...troublesome. Large hands gripped him firmly, hoisting him back on Abelard. Their horses were led by the reins, one Assassin to each Aralaun and another three on either side. Seems like they were taking no chances.


It was the noise that surprised him first, and even if he could not see it, he knew it was vastly different from the dull atmosphere that saturated Florence from the general ruckus that greeted his ears. Everyone seemed to be yelling across the streets to each other, the voices of children were everywhere and more importantly, the group that ambushed his companions and him were being warmly welcomed back. So this town serves as their base?







Tiziana brought up the rear, alternating between returning the greetings of the townsfolk and sweeping her gaze over the four captives. Both Eragorn and Buliwyf seemed to know from whence they hailed, but she hadn't the faintest clue. One drawback of focussing more on the matters of her homeland than the outer world, she supposed. No matter, they would shed light on the not-mercs true identity soon enough. She was patient, she could wait. Mario was already waiting for them on the doorsteps of the Auditore villa, arms spread and a grin on his face.


"Welcome back and well done indeed, my friends!" He boomed jovially. "Come, everyone is waiting inside. It's like everyone's bursting to reclaim Firenze right away!"


Tiziana finally abandoned her post as the rear guard once it was clear she was in the safety of Monteriggioni, stepping into the older Assassin's bear hug. "And who can blame them for being excited? For so long, we were forced to watch our steps and now, it's our turn. But before we go more into that..."


She stepped aside, gesturing for the four captives to be brought forth. "They tried to follow us back to base, but I reckon it is not due to foolishness. These four are undoubtedly more than they appear."


"More than mercenaries, you mean?" Mario asked rethorically, walking forward to stop in between Eragorn and Buliwyf, eyeing the chained and blindfolded men silently. "Era, Buliwyf, glad to see you are both unharmed. I suppose we should bring them up into the antechamber and not keep the others waiting too long. We do have other matters to discuss, after all."


"Diego, Lanz, get our brothers and sisters to the medic wing. Ristoro, Bianca, move the prisoners' mounts to the inner stable. Buliwyf, Herger, Edgtho, Halcan, would you be so kind as to get them off their horses?" Tiziana ordered before turning back to the entrance and heading inside.

 

[Starwise]

Gilan took what comfort he could from the slight nod of Halt because he felt lost in doubt. He himself wasn't sure about this, it felt wrong to do this. They were willingly getting captured, or at least they could have turned away from this fate before. He really hoped Halt knew what he was doing, but Gilan wasn't scared. He knew this could, in worst case scenario, lead to death but at least they were together? maybe that was a bit too romantic. Normally he would have chuckled to himself at that though but right now he just stayed silent and closed his eyes when they had been covered. He focused fully on his hearing only, letting himself getting lifted up on Blaze. They were at least not cruel, it was not like they had been beaten or roughly thrown on the horse. Gilan would even go so far to say he had rather gently been put on his horse, and by the sound of it Blaze got two pats on the neck. The kindness to his horse calmed Gilan down a bit, he could feel Blaze reacting to him being more calm, she was well aware of his feelings. God he loved that horse.


Luckily Horace didn't decide to act like a hero or say anything so they ride to Monteriggioni went smoothly. All three rangers were listening closely to their surroundings and Gilan felt so confused when the sound of a town came to him. People discussing, sellers calling out their offers, children playing, the sound of hooves against cobblestone and greetings from the assassins to the townspeople. They couldn't be back in Florence could they? seemed so unlikely for them to have their base in the same town they had caused trouble in just an hour earlier. Now they had turned around a lot so Gilan wasn't sure what road they had used but they couldn't be in Florence and it was not that small town that the road where they were ambushed lead them to. In all his deep thinking he suddenly realized something, people were greeting the assassins? sure if they were in a city where the assassins had their base they sure had some supporters and followers, but normal townspeople? So many questions were racing through his head that he couldn't even imaging how Will must be feeling.


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Eragorn couldn't help but smile as they reached Monteriggioni, it had been a victory and they were back home safely! Now they could have a feast before the journey to reclaim Florence really started. Like others he greeted townspeople, the Skandians always got special attention since many young women were interested in other than the usual. Big strong and sometimes charming Skandians? of course they got some attention. Buliwyf like many men did enjoy such attention but he wouldn't take use of it, he would just greet and smile.


Though when a little girl offered him some flowers he leaned down from his big horse to grab them and said "Thank you my fair lady" making her giggle and run off happily.


Buliwyf gave a small smile, children were adorable some times even he would admit that though soon his face returned to his calm stoic appearance when Herger started to call out poetic words to a group of three young ladies. Buliwyf reached out and grabbed the reins of Herger's horse to make sure he followed along it almost resulting in Herger falling off the horse. Of course that earned laughs from all the Skandians and a few assassins. Herger laughed along too even he saw the fun in it.


"Time to feast!" Weath called inside the carriage and jumped out, he had helped tending to the wounded even if he was a Skandian, the others cheered because if there was one thing Skandians liked it was celebrating.


The red haired Skandian had called out his words when Mario mentioned everyone was waiting inside and a few of the Skandians already hurried off to join the rest, though a few stayed because they did have captives and if all left then who was there to guard them? Eragorn smiled brightly when he saw Mario, he had taken off both hood and mask by now, he loved the older assassin and his bear hugs.


Speaking of which after greeting the big man he tapped his shoulder almost disappointed "Mario, you forgot me!" he said and the older assassin chuckled and opened his arms letting Eragorn slip down from his big horse and right into a warm bearhug.


Mario simply gave a laugh and ruffled his hand through Eragorn's messy hair, before following Tiziana inside along with Eragorn. The Skandians gave a nod, grabbing the prisoners and lifting them down on the ground. They just made sure that they stood before letting go, Edgtho just had to catch Will one time because he lost his balance. Then they lead the rangers inside following the three assassins before them before heading to the antechamber with them.