Super unedited.
~
Nour growled as his Minyama rang through for the final time before he closed the call.
"I can't get a hold of Akil or any of the other Hidden Ones. Hopefully they are alright." He sighed. Alexios couldn't help but agree. They were in a small fleet of maybe 25 ships. He and Nour were out Heinrich's leading ship, along with Arsinoe and the head of her Medjay. At least the ones that made it out of Egypitnat.
Their Assassins were evenly spread out amongst the ships. Almost every single Assassin was out there.
"I've got a bad feeling about this, man." Alexios said suddenly, checking over his shoulder.
"I get it."
"We don't even have the Inner Circle here. We don't have information or even scouts in the loop." Alexios gave Arsinoe a quick look, "Arsinoe is a powerful ally, but is unversed in combat and war."
"I know, but Arsinoe wants to take back her city as soon as possible. From what I learned, the minute Heinrich offered to help they started getting ready to seige. If we didn't offer to help it would absoultely ruin the alliance Amalia slaved away to make with her."
"What I can't understand is why Heinrich is helping her. We all know the man only cares about his purse, but he goes out of his way to help Egypitnat?"
"He has to be sucking up to her then. Hoping she'll give him some sort of reward."
"Okay, but what could Arsinoe give him that he possibly doesn't have? And Heinrich agreed to help, but Fang Guanyu didn't?"
"Why would Fang Guanyu help?"
"Shit, Amalia and I never told you about that? They are quite, uh, close. If you catch my meaning."
Nour chuckled a bit, "Yeah, I think I catch your meaning. I agree with you on this Alexios, but I'm also just as desperate to save Egypitnat. I'm the leader of the Hidden Ones, and I haven't heard a damn thing. I worried about them."
"They'll be okay. We both know Akil is pulling through."
The silence after that was agonizing. They both kept thinking the worse. And they knew the Assassins awaiting their commands on the other ships were thinking it as well.
"Jeez, quick, change the subject please. My mind is still running rampant." Nour miserably laughed.
Alexios thought for a moment, "How did that date with Istas go?"
Nour's head just slumped further.
Alexios cringed, "That bad, huh?"
Nour shook his head, "I completely blew it. We went to that cafe a few blocks down from Maria's boutique. I was so quiet the entire time and stiff- and don't get me wrong, she was a wonderful woman, but-"
"Maybe you just aren't ready to get back into the thick of it yet, Nour."
"I know that! But I just keep thinking of Riley and-" Alexios placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. Nour took a deep breath.
Alexios didn't know much about Riley, only that they were Nour's former romantic partner. And he met them at Exillium. That is why he refused to go when they were saving the book from a while back. Fang Guanyu has had it for a while, and they wanted it back soon. After this, Alexios should ask him about it-
"This isn't what I meant when I said change the subject." Nour sighed, snapping Alexios out of his drifting mind.
Alexios shrugged, "Yeah, sorry about that." Alexios looked around again, "But I do have something that will keep your attention."
Nour looked up from the railing, gripping it slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"While you were out on your contract, I found an old lead of my uncle's."
"And?"
"It seemed-"
A sudden hush that fell over the ships made both of them freeze. Egypitnat could finally be seen on the horizon. The sky seemed muted, not sporting its blistering sun and breeze. The sandstone city was covered with Neverseen regalia, the city of luxury smothered by soot and dust. Alexios and Nour didn't bother hiding their shock. No one else did either. Arsinoe's hands were clamped over her mouth, her dark skin growing pale at the sight of her homeland.
"No, oh gods above, no." Arsinoe chanted, turning away.
Heinrich straightened, his hands clamped on the helm of his ship. He nodded to one of the sailors, who then took colorful flags and raised them high in their hands. Messaging with the flags, the other ships got into a close formation around the headship. Heinrich, however, didn't look nervous.
"Raise the cloaks!" Heinrich roared over the worried murmurs. In the crows' nests of each ship, Heinrich's men turn on a small device in the hands, attaching it to the top of the mast. Gentle yellow light connected to the points, flashing once, then twice, before draping a cloak over the tight formations of the ships. Alexios and Nour scrambled back as the light shot over their ship.
Alexios glared at Heinrich, "What is this Heinrich?"
Heinrich kept his eyes on the horizon, "An invisbility cloak over the ships. We can approach more quietly and they won't know where we are."
"This wasn't in the plan we discussed."
"Yeah, well, I'm the one who is sticking my neck out here. And I decided this is the right way to go. So shut up and get ready."
Alexios growled, blinking back his silver eyes. He has been having more trouble controlling his Pancras form lately, but again, he had no one o consult about it.
Nour crossed his arms, standing next to Alexios again, "I think we can all agree on that bad feeling," Nour stared into the city as if he could see through the walls and fire to the Hidden Ones inside, "But it's too late now."
Alexios and Nour slid behind the rubble of the temple of Ganalo, Nour ripping an arrow out of a decaying Medjay and nocking it into his bow. He squinted for only a moment before letting it go loose.
An assassin flipped over the rooftops, tucking behind a roof garden before launching a crossbow bolt into a Neverseen soldier's eye. They were lucky there was so much crap laid around in Egypitnat. It provided great cover.
Hordes of Neverseen pushed against the shields of the Medjay, roaring with conviction. Gods, Assassins weren't built were first-hand offense like this. They don't have enough heavy soldiers to push through their lines. What the fuck was Heinrich doing?!
Alexios pulled up his minyama, ducking as cannon fire roared from Heinrich ships.
"We need more! They are starting to push us back! We need more power from your fleet!"
Static.
"Gods above, can anyone hear me?! We are getting our asses kicked!"
Static again.
Nour tried on his minyama, also nothing. They then called over two more of their assassins, using their minyamas.
"What is going on?!" Alexios growled, snapping closed the minyama and throwing it back to their Assassin. Nour's spyglass was pointed towards their backup, who had completely seized fire.
"Kos Omak." Mother Fucker, Nour cursed in Egypitnat.
"What?! What is it-" Alexios didn't need a spyglass to see the Neverseen reinforcements coming in from the horizon. Heinrich's forces split, the invisibility cloak over the ships falling.
"Gods above, Heinrich is letting in the reinforcements!" One of their Assassins gasped.
Alexios clenched his jaw, turning back to the soldiers who were still gaining on them on the ground.
"I'm gonna kill him." Alexios snarled.
Finally, the boom of Heinrich's cannons was heard over Egypitnat again but not aimed towards the Neverseen.
"Take cover!" Nour roared.
Just like that, their last line of defense crumbled as cannons rained down upon their heads. Alexios lost Nour in the fray of debris and blood, the screams now coming from their men.
An Assassin stumbled beside Alexios, screaming and holding her bloody leg. Or what was left of it.
Alexios draped her arm over his shoulder, hauling her into one of the empty homes.
"Aspetta, aspetta!" Hang on, Hang on!
The lanterns rattled as cannons continue to nail their men. Alexios kneeled before the Assassin, grabbing her shoulder.
Alexios didn't even notice her screaming stop. She was already dead.
The Morretti paled, cringing as the building continued to rattle.
Oh gods, not again. Not again.
The Fall of Inalia flashed in his mind, the familiar shudder of terror trickling along his spine.
But those screams, those were of his men. And he wasn't a little boy anymore.
They were too far in now. It was kill or be killed.
Alexios closed the woman's eyes. Knowing she was a worshipper of the Vatarian pantheon, he whispered a prayer for her.
He waited for the cannon fire to cease, probably reloading, before launching back into the hell of it.
Nour was already out there. He was at the head of it all, pushing back during the moment of silence.
Alexios roared as he brought his greatsword down on a soldier, swinging it again to meet the blade of another. He kicked and sliced them down, hearing a melder being pulled out of its holster behind him. He ducked beneath the initial attack and deflected the next with his blade, rebounding it right into the next soldier.
The distant sound of horses made it clear that the remaining Medjay were doing their best to hold their ground, but they were nowhere near ready to take back the city yet.
"What's the plan?!" Nour roared over the chaos.
Alexios ducked beneath the crack of a whip, snatching the black leather and twisting. The holder screamed as Alexios used their weapon against them, swinging his elbow into their face.
"To survive! But the ideal goal would be to get to the palace. Lord Gethen will be holed up there!"
"If we get our men past the Neverseen front lines-" Nour swung his spear into the shield of a soldier, ripping it from their grasp before slicing their neck, "They could get in and handle the Assassinations. We also need to find generals and take them out!"
Alexios lit his hand with burning light, blinding a line of soldiers. He looked to their Assassins, agony filling him the more he did.
Gods above, their men were being massacred. They needed to get them off the front lines right away and back to where they can be useful. Alexios was really hoping on Heinrich's naval support so the Assassins wouldn't be so overpowered.
Before Alexios could open his mouth to yell any sort of commands, he was absolutely obliterated by a solid mass of muscle wrestling him to the ground. His head hit the cement hard, wrestling this mass off him.
"Alexios!" Nour cried.
The soldier cackled, winding up a fist before socking the Assassin in the mouth. Alexios groaned, his breath now leaving him as the man crushed his chest.
The glowing light began to fill his veins again, his palms growing hotter and hotter.
Alexios Morretti screamed as a spike of solid light launched from his chest, impaling the man above him. Blood spurted, the soldier blinking as he looked at the spike. It went through his abdomen and out his back, shining as if it were made out of sunlight. And by the smoke coming from the wound, it was cauterizing him like the sun too.
The soldier screamed in agony, tumbling off Alexios to roll in misery.
"Put it out! Put it out!" He cried.
Alexios scrambled back, the spear of light disappearing as he did so. But the soldier was already dead.
Nour stared in disbelief, using his shield to ward off enemies. Alexios managed to get up shakily, his head pounding something awful. The battlefield was loud and chaotic. He couldn't tell which way was up.
And was it his concussion that was making that whistling?
No, it couldn't have been. Because the Assassins looked to the sky, cheering. They all pulled back from the Neverseen, dragging the confused Medjay with them.
A black-haired man ran up to Alexios, helping him steady. That's right, Nour, he was here. He was saying something to him, looking to the sky. But there was only one phrase Alexios needed before he understood.
"She's here!"
Ricin's roar shook the battlefield unlike anything ever before, spinning into view from the sky. That whistling was the sound of his wings cutting through the air.
With Amalia Hera Morretti on his back.
She yelled something to Ricin, who opened his mouth, which was full of raging blue light.
Lightning loosed on the Neverseen, the dragon holding nothing back as he swooped onto their ranks, severing them completely.
There was their entrance.
"Assassains! Keep moving! Medjay, hold the lines!" Alexios shouted.
The Assassins cheered once more, using the small window Amalia created for them to surge forward towards the palace. Towards Gethen.
Others used the weakened Neverseen line to launch their bombs and abilities in tactical spots, hitting them unlike before. And then they started towards the captains and generals.
"Fall back! Fall back-" The Neverseen captain didn't even get the chance to finish before Amalia and her dragon came swooping in once again, the fae dragon snatching the captain of their horse and throwing them into the sandstone building Alexios previously took cover in.
Amalia landed atop one of the roofs, analyzing as Ricin roared so loud the gods heard his battle cries. Amalia then looked behind her before whistling, loudly and sharply.
"Forward!" A deep voice cried.
Red, gold, black, and blue was all Alexios could really register as warriors surged from the streets. Crying Inalian war cries, wielding Inalian spears, and wearing Inalian war paint.
Spartans.
How in the high hells did his sister get Spartans?!
Alexios jumped as he heard Heinrich's cannon fire once again, but this time, not towards them.
No, it was towards the small fleet charging in at full speed from the seas. The ships that had the Morretti family crest painted on the sails.
He turned back to his sister, who gave him a strong nod. She's clearly been busy.
Alexis would have time to wonder later; he had a job to do here.
"Spartans! Medjay! To me!" Alexios roared as they trampled the Neverseen offensive and moved further into the city.
Amalia took a deep breath before following her Assassins towards the palace atop her ferocious beast.
Sophie carefully maneuvered the very halls she roamed during the Conference. That she had roamed countless times before that. Now she veiled herself in shadows, her hand carefully resting on her sheath. Maha was waiting to lead the naval offensive against Heinrich. The pirate crew was more attached to her anyway.
"Good to have you back Mentore." A voice chuckled.
Sophie jumped, nearly knocking over a candlestick before casually leaning against a wall in hopes of seeming casual. Her pirate get up surprised her Assassins, not knowing where she had been.
Three of her Assassins smiled at her, one practically bouncing in excitement.
Abdalla, Mavis, and Trizrog. Sophie could never forget a name, especially of her guild brothers and sisters.
"Hello you three." Sophie sighed, a smile gracing her cheeks. Mavis, an experienced Lith warrior, squealed with glee before tackling her mentore.
"Oh we were so worried! Especially Alexios, oh gods, the poor thing isn't exactly meant for paperwork." Mavis giggled. Sophie tried to awkwardly hug her back, but the handle of Mavis's battle ax kept swatting at her face the more her friend moved.
Trizrog, a hulking ogre even by their standards, pulled Mavis away from Sophie like peeling off a sticker.
"Your presence was sorely missed, Mentore." He grumbled.
Sophie laughed, "Clearly."
"So," Abdalla started, one of the higher up Vatarian Assassins, "How are we going to do this?"
Sophie bit her lip, looking around. They were in the lower levels of the castle that were meant for the media. They needed to make their way upwards to the main levels and figure out where Gethen is hiding.
"Are you three the only ones that made it in the castle?" Sophie asked.
"I doubt it. Quite a lot of us got through when you broke the Neverseen front lines. But the Neverseen have minyama scramblers, so we have no chance of contacting the others that could possibly be in the castle."
"We just have to hope the others would catch on if they see us. Lets start moving, taking out as much resistance as possible."
The three nodded and followed their Mentore as they began to comb through the palace. The place smelt less of myrrh and spring water, and the sun no longer followed you with each step you took. It no longer felt like Egypitnat.
Arsinoe's palace had been ransacked, guards at every turn.
Where could Gethen be hiding?
"Where is Ricin, Mentore?" Mavis asked.
"He's combing the walls, taking out any archers or cannons he might see." Sophie replied.
They made it to the courtyard above, Mavid and Abdalla scaling the pillars to take out the men on the upper balconies. Trizrog and Sophie split up, taking down the four guards surrounding the stairs.
A few other Assassins were also combing the halls, giving Sophie curt nods or waves of acknowledgment.
She had a feeling there was going to be a big party to celebrate her return if they survived this. But right now, her men were focused on ending all of this mess.
Gethen, she had fought him before. But what would he be doing now? What were his patterns when she was in the cities?
He was a stalker, that much she remembered.
He was cruel and taunting but wasn't much for combat. He was a trickster.
Sophie halted as she began to ascend the stairs, her eyes catching the line of small bombs lining the sides. Then she was able to see the cameras hidden in the plants atop the stairs. Then the tripwires in front of doors.
The son of a bitch was a trickster, alright. He booby-trapped the whole palace.
"Careful! There's traps everywhere!" Sophie hissed to her men. Those around her finally noticed them as well. The closer they got to him, the more traps there were.
She carefully avoided the pressure plates in front of Arsinoe's office, flipping off the camera that was following her. She needed to get rid of those if they had any chance of catching Gethen off guard.
Arsinoe's office was ransacked, but no sign of Gethen.
Stepping over the tripwire, she carefully continued.
She didn't know how long her forces would be able to hold the front lines. Mavis popped in front of Sophie, holding a finger to her lips.
Sophie watched her silently point to a tapestry lining one of the halls, with a slight breeze behind it.
They both nodded and approached. Sophie held back the tapestry, allowing Mavis to go first before following.
It did seem to be a safe room, but there were no people in here. Machinery lined the walls, wires scattered over shelves and connecting ports together.
And near the back, a young engineer tapped away at a monitor, muttering to himself.
Sophie straightened, approaching him silently from behind. The young man froze as her reflection popped up on his screen. He scrambled for a melder beneath his table, but Sophie grabbed his hand, yanking him out of his chair and onto the floor.
He screamed, but Mavis covered his mouth and unsheathed her battle-ax, waving it slightly as a warning. He squirmed beneath Sophie's hold, whimpering slightly as Mavis brought the ax closer to his face.
"Here is what's gonna happen. You're gonna tell us where Gethen is and we might now kill you-"
"The beach!" He screamed against Mavis's hand.
Mavis and Sophie blinked at each other as Mavis removed her hand, "That didn't take a lot of convincing." Mavis whispered to Sophie.
"I just work for the ass holes, I don't care who they are! I'm not going to die for them!" He cried.
"Which beach?" Sophie growled, tightening her hold.
"The east side of the palace, they used the tunnels we dug when they originally took Egypitnat. They are meeting an evac team there now!"
Sophie knew where that was. And she knew a shortcut.
"Mavis, take him in. I'm sure he has information." The lith flicked her lamb ears, smiling sweetly at the boy, "Don't worry. He'll be in good care."
Sophie climbed back out of the room, waving Abdalla and Trizrog over. Giving them the lowdown, they followed as she descended the stairs once more. Trizrog accidentally stepped on a pressure plate, a bear trap springing from the floor and clamping around his ankle.
The ogre looked at it for a moment, as if it were nothing but a mosquito bite, before prying apart the clamp from his flesh.
Abdalla coughed awkwardly as they started again, "I swear to the gods, the ogres scare the shit out of me sometimes."
Sophie nodded in agreement.
Abdalla kicked open the door, shooting down the two guards barred up inside.
"Is this... the laundry room?" Trizrog asked.
Sophie threw aside the large basket of clothes to reveal a clothing shoot.
"Yup. And this is the very shoot that leads to the eastern side of the palace. It's meant to deposit the clothes to the workers who give extra attention to the garments. Delicates and that sort of thing."
"And how did you know this existed?"
"When we were setting up the Egypitnat Cyevan branch, Arsinoe was in a meeting and we were stuck waiting for her. So Alexios and I used this thing as a slide for like two hours."
Trizrog and Abdalla looked at her like she was crazy.
Sophie shrugged, "What? We were hella bored."
She climbed into the shoot, throwing aside her pirate hat into one of the bins and holding her sword close to her body.
She took a deep breath before pushing herself all the way through. The slick sandstone dropped suddenly, her stomach lurching into her chest as she free fell for a few dreadful seconds. The slide then strafed left then right, free fell one more time, before spitting her out onto a small dock where small piles of clothes were abandoned.
Abdalla followed short behind, then finally Trizrog.
They both looked like they saw the gods, their faces pale and eyes blown wide.
"You and your brother did that for fun?!" Abdalla gasped, her fists clenched tight. Sophie smiled as she looked over the beach.
"My brother and I are stupid and crazy, what did you expect?" Sophie's eye landed on three figures in the distance, her smile dropping.
"There they are." She whispered.
They all went silent as the three figures quietly avoided the fighting going on above. They had to take him out before his evac team arrived.
The three Assassins sprinted across the beach, the sand muting their footsteps. Gethen's clean-cut blonde hair came into view, the man's back turned to her.
Slowly down and crouching, she silently pulled her knife out of its sheath. Grabbing Gethen by his hood, he yanked him back and onto the ground. His two bodyguards yelled, reaching for Sophie, but Abdalla and Trizrog ended that before it could happen.
But Gethen was smiling at Sophie.
"Hello again Miss Foster. It has been a while." He said cooly.
"Gethen Inar Ondsinn, you are being apprehended for crimes against Egypitnat and her people." Sophie growled, pulling the restraints from her belt.
"Am I now?" He chuckled, "That's not very smart of you."
Sophie paused, clenching her jaw, "And why is that?"
Gethen tutted her, stretching out on the sand and putting his hands behind his head, "Surely you know I'm the only one who knows where your sweet aunty Maria is, right?"
Her blood ran cold, her breath hitching. Gods above, they could cut out the middle man and get the info from Gethen. They could get to Maria before it is too late.
Sophie pushed into his mind, ready for answers. But with Kynareth's hold on her abilities still there and Gethen's mental barriers, her telepathy bounced back.
She cringed as the mind-stealing attempt failed, "What do you want, Gethen? You know I'm not going to let you go."
Gethen smiled, "Oh Sophie-"
"You will address me as Mentore Morretti, ass."
Gethen merely smiled, ignoring her, "Sophie, we both have the same goals in the end. Surely you know about Mephala, correct?"
How the fuck did he know about Mephala?!
Trizrog and Abdalla glanced at Sophie as she paled, but Sophie remained silent.
"Well, to be completely honest, I don't want him to come back either. I only know about him becuase I overheard that Vespera speaking-"
"Vespera knows about Mephala?" Sophie interrupted.
"That she does. And she knows who holds Mephala's powers. She already has one of them. Not to mention she already has two artifacts" Breathing became damn near impossible.
"Get to the point Gethen." Sophie barked.
Gethen's eyes flashed with unpleasantness, but he finally sat up, "Vespera hid one of your Assassins journals in Cariana, one of your father's spies it seems. But if Mephala continues to succeed, then that ruins any sort of plans I may have. Bring me that journal, and you can have any juicy Neverseen gossip I hold."
The stamped letter C.E. flashed in Sophie's mind. Was her father onto the threat of Mephala as well?
"I know you have it, Mentore. The news on your attack of our Cariana factory spread like wild fire. Give it to me, and I will give you the location of your dear auntie and more."
Her stomach lurched as she actually considered giving him the journal. She truly gave it thought. She had been pushing down the worry she had for Maria since she learned about it. But Maria could handle herself, wherever she was. Alexios and Sophie were good, but in the end, it was Maria who trained them. She was better than even them. They would find her by other means.
"No." Sophie gritted.
Finally, panic flashed through Gethen's eyes, "What do you mean no?!" He barked.
"I mean no, you foul roach. No deal."
Gethen clearly expected her to accept because he scrambled back for a moment as Sophie lifted her blade to strike him down. He grabbed a fistful of sand, throwing it into her eyes. Sophie screamed, pain and grit behind her eyelids as she scrambled.
Gethen was already running, Abdalla about to pursue him.
But instead, something breached the water, slamming against Gethen.
Sophie held back Trizrog and Abdalla as they attempted to catch him, finally recognizing the beast from the water.
The Nilfa Maha had previously killed cackled and wheezed as they grabbed the wailing Gethen's legs.
"What in the hells is that?!" Abdalla shrieked.
Two more of the mermaid-like monsters grabbed onto Gethen as they dragged him closer to water. Gethen screamed and kicked against them until he was fully in the water, fighting beneath the water. One of them grabbed his face and held him towards Sophie, smiling wickedly.
"Hello, heiress." She hissed.
Sophie took a moment before she realized they spoke to her.
"How did this happen?" She asked shakily.
She giggled, sickenly sweet somehow, "You're little sapphire-eyed friend didn't kill us. Merely freed us." Sophie paled as she realized what they meant.
"Maha-"
"She cleaned our bodies of the Mirthless control. We came to thank you." She squeezed Gethen's face tighter, "Will you allow us to kill this man for you? Would that make our saviour happy?"
Sophie clutched the hem of her shirt, resisting the urge to pull her eyelashes. Their bodies were still mutated and terrifying, but their minds were now their own.
"Bring him to the ships, instead. The one with the captain with saphire eyes."
The Nilfa cooed to Gethen, "Aww, hear that? Our saviour decided we aren't to tear you apart, yet." She yanked Gethens chin towards Sophie once more, her claws digging into his face so hard blood dribbled down his chin, "Tell her thank you!"
Gethen's eyes were wild, but he said with a shaky voice, "T-Thank you-"
"Use her proper title, treat our saviour with respect!" Another Nilfa hissed at him.
Gethen whimpered but corrected himself. "Thank you, Mentore Morretti."
The Nilfa looked to her for her approval at his thanks, to which she merely nodded. One of the mermaid monsters squealed with joy, "We get to see the sapphire eyed one again! We get to thank her too!"
They howled and giggled as they dragged a screaming Gethen beneath the surface of the water, swimming towards Sophie's fleet.
Abdalla and Trizrog stared in disbelief about to ask before the sound of horns made them all jump.
Sophie looked up to the towers above, where her brother was waving to her. The three Assassins didn't even realize the cheering coming from the city when they were handling Gethen. Spartan and Medjay cheers alike.
They did it. Egypitnat was saved.
This might actually be my favorite chapter I've written. :)
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_Sibylline_