The legacy

"Sorry," Benjamin said softly, casting another glance behind her at the pub. He then motioned toward the street with a hand and began to walk. "I get that way at times." Conflict stirred in his mind. Should he confide in her about that part of him that no one except the Den Master back in Australia knew about? He had known her since he came to the States, after all.

The man who had left the bar paid for his drink and exited the pub. He glanced around before he motioned with his hands. He was summoning a few more men to his side. "Templars," he said, fixing his trench-coat. "To me."

Austin exited the Pub a little after the man had left the entrance. The young man looked around before he sprang up off a box onto a building and proceeded down the street there. He had to catch his target before the two Austin saw in the Pub were caught.

"Ah, I suppose it's like my occasional breaks" Ember said softly as she gently rubbed her left wrist. She remembered the incident perfectly, Lord knows she really wanted to forget about it all. They had been sent to study a precursor temple, but things had gone horribly wrong. Only her and one of her teammates managed to get out alive. The two suffered a severe mental breakdown, and suffered from serious depression. Ember had gone insane, and was institutionalised for almost two years. Besides waking in a cold sweat whilst shouting, crying out in her sleep, and freaking out completely on the odd occasion, Ember had taken to harming herself in a multitude of ways. She stuck to the shadows as they walked along, her hood drawn, and ready to run.

Benjamin gave a small shake of his head, drawing his hood further around his face. He had heard of Ember's breakdown and hadn't quite been himself while she'd been locked away. In fact, he hardly had gone out of the Den because he was terrified of going out alone. He just didn't know the area well enough to trust himself, or anyone else, going out. Benjamin pretty much stayed inside the Den for the duration of her breakdown and was relieved when she had come back. "Not exactly," he admitted softly.

An eerie, cold feeling crept down his spine and he could feel shoulders against his, hunched and moving swiftly. "They're behind you,"
"Cinque Templari,"(Five templars) Ben's muscles tensed, his shoulders hunching up a bit and his legs had taken to a little faster gait.

The Templar who led the charge motioned for the other four to break off and sweep around in an arch, which they did, obeying this man's word with skill and precision. He was a high ranking Templar, if others followed his command so easily. Austin narrowed his eyes at the Templars and began to run across the rooftops, keeping his eyes on both Templars and the two he'd seen while also looking out for obstacles in his path.

"Run,"
"Move," Benjamin said softly, his heart beginning to beat quickly in his chest as his pace quickened a little more and he could feel running on either side of him. The second he started on a full out run was the second the Templars moved.
"So," snarled one, catching Benjamin by the arm and forcing him against the wall of a nearby building. "You're that one we heard about. The....special Assassin from Australia. Welcome to America."

Austin moved quickly, drawing out the bow he'd gotten as a gift from the Den Master. He strung a bow as quickly as he'd drawn it and let it fly, all the while running across the rooftops. The Templar with Benjamin let loose a shout before falling to the street, leaving Benjamin breathing quickly and drawing his hidden blades with just the flick of his wrist, though he didn't move from where he was at. It was like he was pinned to the wall by an invisible force.

At that moment, someone had sprung from the nearest roof and dropped down onto the street in one motion. Austin rose swiftly from his roll and flexed his wrists, twin blades popping free of their places, dispatching of two Templars at once. Then he turned to the leading Templar, who spat on the side of the road. "You'll die this day, Assassin,"

"I'd like to see you try," Austin spat, his walk turning into a run. One arm lifted to block the gun that had been brought down while the other went straight for the chest and buried itself deep inside cloth and flesh. The Templar officer took in a breath before falling to the ground, of course after Austin had withdrawn his blade. The Assassin lowered both arms and turned to face the other two. "You're not hurt, are you?" He asked, deep sapphire gaze sweeping over them both.

Benjamin shook his head, relaxing his wrists and listening as the blades slid back into place. "Thank you," Austin dipped his head and then looked around, his gaze dropping to the dead bodies scattered around.
"We must leave," he said, that American accent falling against Benjamin's ears. This man was from around here, possibly born here. "This area's no longer secure for us."

Ember sat in the shadows, hyperventilating. For some reason, she was experiencing a small breakdown, and it all started with Ben being grabbed. She took a few deep breaths, and finally managed to calm down somewhat.
"Thank you." Ember stood up slowly, and made her way to the two. "So where do you think we should go?" Ember asked as she lowered her hood. She not only looked like Elizabeth, but sounded exactly like her too. Ember just had a few more screws loose than Elizabeth had. "I just need to grab my things from the bureau before I go anywhere." She didn't know why she trusted this stranger, but she did.

"That won't be necessary," said Austin with a shake of his head, shifting one of his legs. "We just need to camp out for the night before we go back to any Den. We could possibly lead the Templars there and that wouldn't be pleasant."
"It would be a massacre," breathed Benjamin, gaining a small look from the stranger, a look that Ben could read easily. "A Betrayer led an attack on my home Den in Sydney Australia a couple years back." He didn't release anything more than that. Austin nodded in acknowledgement before his eyes shifted to Ember.

"If you're alright," he said, waving a hand for them both to follow him. "Then come with me. I know a place that's safe. We can hide there until morning." With those words, Austin began a climb up one of the buildings and took a deep breath of the night air before he looked down below, making sure that they would follow him. Benjamin, not wanting to stick around to see if other Templars were around, gently touched Ember's arm in a calming manner before he hoisted himself up the side of the building, using a flagpole to aid in his climb upward.

Austin gave a nod when he saw Benjamin and then looked around again. "Stay close," he breathed softly and began to run across the buildings, shifting over the rooftops as though he'd mastered these streets over a course of a few years, maybe even more. He paused only a couple of times to make sure these two could keep up. Then he started climbing a rather tall building a few yards or so away from Ben and Ember's home bureau. He climbed until he reached a seemingly open window facing the moon and hoisted himself through the window.

Benjamin shook his head. How this man got around so easily was beyond him. Ben hadn't fully mastered all the buildings here yet, as he was still used to climbing the buildings back in Australia. However, he managed to reach the window, where Austin hoisted him up and through before turning around and placed his twin pistols onto a dresser of some sort, illuminated by the moon.

"Not bad. In fact, you're actually quite good" Ember said quietly as she climbed in through the window. She looked around the room nervously, and mapped out all the exits she could see. "Thank you for helping us out back there. I don't think we would have been that lucky if it weren't for you." Back at England, she at least had some protection against the Templars because of who her father was. Here, she had nothing. "I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Ember Shay, a Master Assassin of the British Brotherhood. But some people call me Grim." Ember held her Katana at her side, not letting it touch one of her guns holstered against her thighs, as she offered her hand to the strange young man that had helped her and Ben.

(I feel like I should change Austin's word-color.....but idk if I should)

Austin turned to face her, examining her hand for a moment before he offered his and grasped hers, giving it a firm shake. "Austin Donnelly," he said with a nod. "I've earned the nickname of Reaper. You saw why." He calmly pulled away from her, his blue eyes giving a small frown. Then he looked to Benjamin.
"I'm Benjamin," Austin nodded and looked straight back at Ember. He had the same level of distrust as his ancestor, Samuel, had in his eyes. Austin, however, was willing to give her a chance and dipped his head in a sort of bow, as though he knew who she was.

"How long have you been here?"
"I was born in the Florida Keys," Austin stated, turning to what appeared to be pictures hanging on the wall. "I knew of my heritage and spent most of my youth around the Keys Den, learning what I could from older students." Austin swallowed and took a pause for a moment, his head bowing slightly. "Especially my older brother, Garrett." Austin sounded guarded about what had happened.
"Sounds like somethin' bad happened,"
"Something bad did happen, my fine Australian," Austin said, turning back around to watch the two Assassins. "Something I will not share just yet. The pain is still too real."

Austin switched topics rather readily. "That Templar mentioned something about you being a special Assassin. Why?" Benjamin felt his heart run faster against his chest, as though trying to escape its prison. Benajmin swallowed hard and dropped his gaze to the ground.
"You can trust him," Benjamin looked up, still unwilling to speak.
"They will find out on their own if you don't,"
"You really sure you want to hear it?" He asked, the question directed at both Ember and Austin. Austin didn't answer, he just stared at the young man, curiosity in his eyes.

Ember froze upon hearing Austin's surname. He was a Donnelly.
"I guess that makes you another descendent of the Demon and the Snake" Ember thought quietly. She wasn't sure if the gift still existed after nearly three hundred years, but it was worth a shot. The reason that she carried the Shay name was because of a decision made by Krystal Donnelly. Krystal had wanted her mother's name to live on, and since she wanted to disappear in the colonies, she used the Shay name. Ember cocked her head slightly, and looked at Ben curiously. She wondered what on earth he was about to tell them, what made him so special in the eyes of the Templars that they would go after him. "What is it, Ben" Ember asked softly as she gently laid a warm hand on his shoulder. She was trying to encourage him to speak, yet comfort him at the same time.

Benjamin looked Ember in the eye and closed his own after a moment. "It's time to end the hiding," Benjamin took a deep breath and swallowed.
"Altair's right," he began. "I cannot hide it anymore." He looked at Austin and then at Ember. "I can sense, see and hear my ancestors, Altair Ibn-La Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze. It's the main reason why I was sent here, to America." Benjamin took a breath before he began to plunge into his story.

"Since my first mission as an Assassin, they've guided my actions and I feel more in tune with them. That made no sense." Austin still didn't say anything. Instead, he shifted his weight and tucked his hands into his pockets.
"Doesn't explain why the Templars here would want you," he said simply. Benjamin shook his head, unsure of how the Templars here had even found out.
"I'm not sure even how they found out," he stated. "Only the Assassins of the Sydney Den know, and the Australian Templar Chain."

"That's amazing! To have a gift like that, it's unheard of!" Ember looked quite excited about the information. She had never interacted with her ancestors, but she did spend a lot of her time in the Animus, learning about them. Ember gave Ben a warm hug. She knew it was difficult to tell anyone about things like that, she hadn't even told anyone about what happened to get her checked into Bethlem Royal Hospital; an institution for the mentally ill. Her left sleeve had pulled down slightly, and revealed not only a tattoo of a swallow on her wrist, but a mess of self-inflicted scars and fresh wounds that ran down the length of her arm. "How do you do it" Ember asked curiously. She had always wanted to interact with Elizabeth, but she never succeeded. The only way she had any sort of interaction with Elizabeth was when she smoked far too much weed, became regally drunk, or gone without sleep for a while. Even then it was nothing more than just seeing her figure. Ember pulled her sleeve down, and hung her head in shame once she realised that her wounds were exposed.

Benjamin's only reaction to her wounds was a gentle hand on her arm and a sympathetic look in his eyes. Even Austin gave her a warm look as though he knew what was under her sleeve. Neither of them spoke of the scars and wounds, however. They didn't want her to feel ashamed or force her to tell what had happened. At any rate, Benjamin answered her question. "I don't," he said softly, glancing over toward where Austin was standing. "My Den Master back home said that I'm the One Assassin that will rise and become just as great, if not greater, than Ezio and Altair. Sure, my skills have improved, but I'm not great. You saw that today with the Templars. I couldn't even move."
"It's because that one called you out," Austin chipped in furiously. "Good thing we killed them before they could take that information to their Grand Master."

"Well it had nothing to do with the British rite, that's for certain." Ember stood quietly for a moment in thought. Her father was the Grand Master of the British rite of the Templar Order, and only a handful of people knew that. "I've been lucky until now. But with the Kenway project, I think my luck's about to run out." Ember had no special abilities, but what she had learnt would make her an important asset to both sides. She looked at the two men, and was at a loss for words.

Austin remained quiet before he looked up at Ember. "Your last name's Shay," he commented softly. "Not that I'm surprised or anything. I just wasn't expecting any other to have ties to Samuel Donnelly, my ancestor." His hand went to a necklace that hung around his neck. It shimmered in the moonlight and flashed silver.

"You mean our ancestor" Ember said with a quiet laugh. She never thought she would find another descendent of Elizabeth and Samuel, yet she had. Ember pulled her pendant out from beneath her shirt, and smiled warmly; it was the same pendant Samuel had given to Elizabeth almost three hundred years ago. "So how long does Ben have to stay here" Ember asked as she looked out of the window. "Or do I need to stay here too?"

Michael was infuriated for one reason - an entire group with talented men were behind schedule, which either meant they got drunker than his ancestor's brother, or they were killed. Assuming it was the latter, which it always seems to be, he put his face into his hand. All the groups, his first, had returned to the rendezvous point... except one. It just had to be one of the larger groups, too - the smallest two, the largest eight. Deciding he had had enough of the other idiots in his group, he spoke above, and said, "Tell me where they were dispatched to scout... I'll go alone, investigate, ask around, check the feeds. I also don't want one of these idiots killing a Assassin before I get information, whom I might not even confront. If they can kill six men, no doubt they can kill one.". Despite wanting sleep after staying awake for over 48 hours, 72 counting this, he felt he was the best choice for this. After all, he used one thing the others did not - Logic.

Austin blinked with a small frown on his face. Austin was more Donnelly than Shay and it showed through his features as well as what he'd gone through. "Do what you like," he said, walking past them to the window they'd climbed through. He sat down on the sill, one leg dangling precariously out of the window and he looked like he would fall at any given moment. Austin remained quiet for a moment before he looked back at the two. "I think the worst is over, though."

Austin then looked at Benjamin. "If Altair says it's safe for you to leave, then you may. However, Miss Shay, I have to insist you remain here for a while longer, until dawn breaks." Benjamin glanced over at the dresser.
"You should return to the Den," Benjamin gave a nod and looked over at Ember.

"I'll see you back home," he said softly, giving her a soft pat on the shoulder before he climbed down the building and began his run across the rooftops, heading back toward their Den.

Austin stayed silent for a while longer before he briefly glanced at Ember, his eyes returning to the moon. "I call Donnelly my ancestor," he stated, his voice holding the same tone as Sam's had when he'd addressed Elizabeth for the first time. "Because of everything that's happened to me and my family line. You know Samuel lost his parents at the age of twelve and then had to kill his brother when he had his son, Edward Donnelly." Austin took a deep breath when he felt his eyes begin to water and then licked his lips, fiddling with his pendant that he wore. Odds were that it was the exact pendant given to Samuel by his Mentor, who died at the hands of Torres.

"You're the lucky one, bearing the name Shay. All you know is that you have ties with the Templars. I know the brittle pain of losing parents at a young age and then having a brother abandon and betray the Creed." Austin turned to Ember, letting his hand fall from the pendant and sure enough, it was the exact pendant that Sam's Mentor had given him. "I am more like Samuel than Elizabeth. That's why I consider him to be my ancestor."

(Michael a templar?)
A random scout rushed toward Michael, looking to be out of breath. "Sir," he said between breaths, bending so that his hands were resting on his knees. "The group was last seen near the Pub. Smith's body was found in the street, along with the rest of the team. The wounds were clean and precise; an Assassin's blade killed them."

Nodding, Michael said, "Of course...". Looking towards one of the men in his team, he said, "Send regards to any close relatives - that we know of - of the deceased. I don't want them to find out the hard way, or assume they are still alive.", and, turning around, walked towards the vehicle they arrived in - a simple white Ford truck, white black tinted windows. Starting it up once more, he turned off the obnoxiously loud radio, and pulled away from the clearing, heading towards the pub. In the car, he made sure of one thing - his bullet proof vest was on securely, and his .44 revolver loaded and in it's holster , aswell as his knife by his other side side. That was one thing he liked about this place - didn't need to hide his weapons too much. (To answer your question - yep. Decendent of Jonathon Butcher, delving into the past of the traitor to the Butcher name - Damian Butcher)

(nice XD i got a new laptop, too so yay! ^_^)

Benjamin was about halfway between the Den and the Pub when he heard the roar of an engine. Almost at once, just out of instinct, Benjamin crouched low on the roof and slunk closer to the den, fear in his chest. He was curious, but he was afraid, having never been out on his own before. He'd always been with Ember Shay whenever he went out from the Den. But if this was something major, he needed to know what it was. With a deep breath, Benjamin began to run across the rooftops, making his way toward the pub. Though he didn't leave the safety of the roof. Instead, he dropped onto his stomach on a roof close to the Pub but far enough away so that the light didn't illuminate him.

Parking, he shut off the engine, pocketing the keys as he stepped out, standing a taller than the truck. Walking towards where he saw lumps in the dark, he turned a flash light he had in the truck, shing it on the bodies. After he found Smith's body, he kneeled down, expressionless. Finalky, he muttered something about how a metric ton of manure was smarter than him, and stood up fully. However, he felt something odd... a feeling recieved many times before. Looking around with his light, he looked for two things - Hostiles and Security Cameras. However, his light shined upon something - what seemed to be... ...hair?, he thought to himself, Either someone lost a wig, it's an assassin.. or it's sleep depravation and i'm hallucinating.. Stepping a couple steps closer, he smirked lightly, and instead continued his search for cameras, a bit afraid something would leap out at any moment -then again, that seemed to be how he felt most missions.

(I updated Benjamin's profile, if you wanna go see what he looks like)

Benjamin pressed himself further against the roof, his heart pounding so hard in his chest that he was certain it would explode. Luckily, it didn't. Benjamin swallowed hard and kept on watching, though he knew he should have run away, possibly warning the others about it. "Keep watching for a while longer," urged Altair. Benjamin could feel both old Assassins pressing against him on either side and it calmed him to a certain degree. He stayed there on the roof for a while longer, like he had tracking down one of his Targets back in Australia. He needed to find out what this Templar wanted, or what he was doing here.

Finally, he spotted a camera on the exterior of the pub. Sighing, he pulled out his phone, and, after calling one of the others, said, "Hey, uh... I need you to get Q to begin working on retrieving the pub's security footage... okay, so in two minutes?... Two Hours?!... fine, bye.". Sighing as he hung up, he simply put away his phone. Looking back to where he saw hair, he then looked back down, and, standing, said "You know, you aren't as stealthy as you believe.", as he looked back up to the roof, waiting for a response from the bundle of hair he had spotted earlier.

(he has his hood on, which would hide his hair XD)

Benjamin's heart nearly leapt out of his throat when he was addressed. "Stay silent," warned Altair quietly.
"Don't move," ordered Ezio. Benjamin didn't have a problem with that. He was too terrified do anything. He'd never dealt with an American Templar before, so he didn't know their level of strength or even what they had at their disposal. Instead of answering, Benjamin stayed perfectly silent. Now if the Templar addressed him again, he would have to do something.

"The Assassins, the Brotherhood, the Creed? They're all I've ever known. Mum died in childbirth. I was pretty much raised to be a pure killer." Ember sat on the floor in the corner of the room, brought her knees to her chest, and rested her head on her arms as they folded over her knees. She was on the verge of a breakdown, and she didn't have her medication on her. "This was just supposed to be a simple trip to the pub... spend time with a friend." Ember pulled her knees closer to her chest in a desperate attempt to calm herself in some small way as she was now dangerously close to injuring herself, be it accidental, or on purpose. I need to get out of here! I need help! After the incident, and after she had been released from the institution for the mentally ill, Ember had refused to leave the bureau alone. She refused to be alone, so she got herself a bearded dragon, but it was back at the bureau. "Ben's never been out on his own. What if something happens to him?"

(...X-Ray vision? I dunno. Hood was illuminated?)
Smile gone, Michael pulled out his phone again. Turning his back to the assassin, he walked back towards his truck, and tossed his phone in, through the open window. Turning back around, he simply said, "Goin' for the T-Rex tactic, eh? Not moving, making no noise - why, it fits even more, due to the fact i'm likely taller - only person I know taller is my ancestor, Jonathon Butcher... plus his brother, but, pfft, he's a traitor.". As he looked towards the roof, his right hand lingered at the handle of his gun, still in its holster.

Austin watched Ember for a moment, feeling sympathy for her. "As long as he goes straight to the bureau," he said softly. "He should be fine." A noise stirred the corner of the room, causing Austin to look there. "Come on out. She won't hurt you." What crawled from the darkness was startling. It was a young fox cub with a thick bushy tail. It's fur was red and black and its eyes were the darkest green. "Ember, meet Vixen."

Benjamin swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. "Whatever you do," warned Altair. "Be careful."
"He is a Templari," warned Ezio. "They cannot be trusted."
"So see what he wants before I leave the roof," whispered Benjamin, rising slightly from where he lay.
"Don't compromise the Brotherhood," warned Altair. One of the Tenants of the Creed. Upon hearing it, Benjamin froze like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Run,"
"If I run," Benjamin whispered, tilting his head toward Ezio, as though someone was actually there. "He'll pursue me."
"You can't very well confront him," countered the Italian Assassin. "He will take you captive."