Enemy of my enemy (Closed)

William woke up, in his old mattress. It was a rather cold morning, and most of his clothes were raggedy and ruined. He only had his templar uniform. He did not wanted to draw attention, but he was starving and all his crew had left him, for the sole reason he did not wanted to fight ships to loot them. He docked on the nearest land he saw. He opened a map he had in his pocket. "Tulum? Never been here before." he said to himself, as he tied the rope to the dock. He was walking forward, to greet some of the inhabitants, but he soon realized he had made a terrible mistake. Everybody glanced at him. "Shit!" He had entered Assassin territory. Everybody stood still, until Will ran to the Argos. He cutted the rope with a shot from his pistol and started to get away from there. Some assassins swam towards the boat. They had boarded him, and he was fearing for his life. What else could he do. "Forgive me!" he yelled . He then whistled, and from his cabin, Panther jumped and bit the assassin's throats. In the sea, he threw the bodies in the water. He was crying as he did that. He took the helm and set course for Nassau. He went to a near pub, and sat down. He had a pale face and was still shaking.

"You called for me, Master?"
"Yes, my child. A Templar has found Tulum. He came here yesterday and killed some of your brothers and sisters in an attempt to escape. You must seek out this Templar and kill him. He must not be allowed to disclose our location to our enemies" Ah Tabai replied as he handed Elizabeth a scroll containing the information of her contract and a white feather.
"It shall be done, Master" Elizabeth said with a bow.

"Johnson, I need you to take care of the cargo while I take care of some business" Elizabeth said as she drew her hood.
"Aye, captain."

Elizabeth raced along the rooftops looking for the man who matched the description of her contract. "Maybe I should stop at the tavern for a drink before I continue with my mission" Elizabeth thought to herself as she jumped down from the rooftops and landed gracefully before a group of civilians.
"You're going to get yourself killed."
"Oh shut it" Elizabeth snapped.

"Well I'll be damned," Elizabeth chuckled as she arrived at the tavern, "It's him!" Elizabeth calmly strolled up behind the pale, trembling Templar, and tightly wrapped her arm around his neck. "I believe you not only discovered our headquarters, but you also took the liberty of killing some of my brothers and sisters. Worser still, you carelessly cast their bodies into the ocean" Elizabeth snarled as she set the white feather before the Templar with her free hand before she moved it to the Templar's neck, the tip of her hidden blade barely touching his flesh. "Now you must pay for your sins against the brotherhood."

William started crying as he remebered what he had done, back there in Tulum. "I am aware the time for the judgement of my sins will arrive" said William with the little breath he could use "But you shall not be the judge!" He activated his blade and deflceted Elizabeth's. Free of Elizabeth's harm, he let out a gentle whistle, different from the one that commanded execution. Panther, who was eating a pigeon outside the tavern, zoomed onto Elizabeth's face. He did not bit her in a roughly manner, as he had done with the assassins, but in a playful manner. William got out of the tavern quickly towards the Argos, with Panther letting Elizabeth go and following him. Inches away from the boat, he turned around. That lady could not go from Tulum to him in less than a day without a boat. That lady is a captain, and if she reached the water, he was done. He had to eliminate her. He loaded his rifle. Elizabeth went quickly out of the tavern and sprinted towards him. He freaked out. He shooted. He missed. he drew his sword, to have a last resource of defence. "Another soul to haunt me in my dreams" he whispered to himself, preparing for the worse.

"That's right, run! It only makes taking you down all the more entertaining" Elizabeth shouted as she raced along the rooftops after the Templar. Elizabeth quickly dodged the bullets that flew towards her, "Some mighty piss poor shooting on your part, Templar! I'd have you flayed for that if you were part of my crew!" Upon seeing the Templar draw his sword, Elizabeth stopped on the apex of a roof nearest to the Templar, "Really? A sword? You've never gone up against someone with twin boarding axes, have you? If you did, you would know better than to wield one measly sword!" Elizabeth jumped down from the roof and caught Panther by the scruff of the neck, subduing him instantly. Elizabeth desperately tried to remove the fur lingering on her nose from Panther's earlier attack, but her efforts were for nought so she eventually gave up. "You're a scrappy little thing, aren't you" Elizabeth chuckled as she examined the annoyed feline. She turned from the Templar and began to walk away, "If you want this rat to live to see another day, you'd do well to follow me."

Elizabeth took aim at a rabbit nibbling at some leaves, and shot it. She picked the rabbit up and put it in her bag along with Panther before she climbed a tree and raced to her old island.

"If you can make to this island, without killing or being eaten by my friends, I might be persuaded to take mercy upon your miserable soul" Elizabeth shouted as she stood on the banks of her island. "Sentinel," she shouted before she threw the dead rabbit into the water, "Snack time." The great crocodile leapt from the water and greedily gobbled up Elizabeth's offering before he climbed out the water and joined Elizabeth on the banks of their island. Elizabeth hung the bag from a branch in the tree before she sat down, "I missed you too, Sentinel" Elizabeth chuckled as the great crocodile rested his heavy head on her lap and let out a long groan. "I must warn you, Templar, these crocodiles have tasted human flesh before so I'd be careful if I were you!" Elizabeth scratched the old crocodile on the head, gaining yet another groan, "Let's see how he handles this, my boy. Who knows, you might get another taste of human flesh."

James burst into the Tavern.
"Who want's drinks?! on me!"
he threw his fist into the air, as a few drunkards cheered.
He glanced at a girl screaming about something at the door. He heard whispers from some fellow assassins.
"Tulum"..." Templars"... "Attack"...
"Shit." James thought that wasn't good.
He watched the girl run off, as he grabbed a bottle of rum and ran off.
"Where 're we headed Cap'n?"
"Tulum. NOW!" James barked at this Quartermaster.
As he got to the Island, he saw bodies floating in the water. Some James knew, some not.
That Bastard. I'll KILL HIM!"
The Deckhands gave him a strange look as he climbed onto the beach. He noticed a girl talking to a crocodile.
"You. Assassin. What happened here. and where is the Bastard responsible for slaughtering my brothers and sisters. I want to rip 'is throat out."
James sipped his Rum.

William was sobbing silently. He could not afford losing Panther. He had to go through the crocodiles. Many of them came near him. He was surrounded. He started to put down his gear. "You think I don't hate this life?" he screamed at Elizabeth "Killing with no mercy?" He took out his blade and threw them on the ground. He started walking forward and surprisingly, the crocodile walked slowly away. "I hate every single one of them. Du Casse, Torres, every Templar." Tears came from his face. He started to talk in a lower volume "I was a baker, you know? I wish I could get back to my old life." He was standing there, defenceless. "Let Panther go, and take me."

"Sentinel, come!" The great crocodile wearily returned to Elizabeth's side, eyeing the Templar cautiously. "You have no need to worry about your companion, William. I would never kill an innocent creature that fights for its master so valiantly" Elizabeth said as she removed Panther from the bag and handed him back to William, "Besides, he's kind of cute." Elizabeth reached into her pocket and handed Panther a piece of junk, "There you are" Elizabeth chuckled as she rubbed Panther's head and set about making a fire.

Elizabeth uncovered a chest buried in the ground, opened it, and pulled two bottles from its depths. "Nobody likes a life of murder," Elizabeth began as she handed William a bottle and sat on the floor, "Except me, although you could actually say I love it." Elizabeth watched as a crocodile grabbed a boar and pulled it beneath the water, "I suppose it's because death is all I have ever really known." Elizabeth sat in silence and watched the flames as they danced around, "You can thank Torres for that."

"What did that bastard did to you?". William knew Torres had unorthodox methods of accomplishing his goals. William took the bottle to his mouth. He tried to stay away from alcohol, but there was not much variety of liquids to drink off. It was well known water had parasites that could kill you in days. Panther came near him, purring on his leg.

Elizabeth looked into the fire as she scratched Sentinel's head, "My father was a Templar once, he used to free the slaves he was tasked with trading. My mother was an Assassin, she was tasked with killing my father. What happened after that, well, that's not important. Torres didn't like losing one of his best men, that my father not only betrayed the order, that he left the order to marry an Assassin." Elizabeth took another sip of her rum before she continued, "When I was only seven, Torres came to our house one night with some of his men. He killed my parents. The only reason I survived was because I was hiding in some bushes outside. Torres didn't know about me, he still doesn't. After my parents died, I started living in this tree. I survived by stealing what I could, and selling meat to the store." Sentinel let out a low groan and Elizabeth smiled, "I raised him, my darling Sentinel. He was the smallest of his clutch, born with a gimpy leg, and blinded in one eye when another croc turned on him. I found him ensnared in a fishing net one day, we've been there for each other ever since." Elizabeth went quiet for a moment before she smiled once again, "He saved my life once. After that, I began using him and the other crocodiles in traps."

"I am so sorry to hear about this." William looked at her with tender eyer. He had not yet known such a sadness. And he hoped he never would. He remebered what his mother used to do with him when he was sad. He left the bottle on the floor, and extended his arms around Elizabeth. While he was hugging here he whispered to his ears. "There, there. It is okay to feel sad sometimes."

Elizabeth was always the one comforting others, never the other way around so the sensation was strange to her. She sat in silence and, for some strange reason, she enjoyed the Templar's embrace. Maybe it was because it reminded her of her father, or how her mother would comfort her after a nightmare or injury. She trembled as she attempted fight back the tears, to keep the memories repressed. She lost the battle and broke down leaving her a sobbing wreck. "It's not only my family he took from me. He robbed me of my childhood an destroyed any chance of a normal life for me" she sobbed as she clutched at William's coat. Elizabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself, a technique she picked up from a fellow Assassin, before she finally let go of William and rose to her feet. "Why don't we head up to the tavern to get something to eat and something to drink besides rum. Perhaps we could talk about business later." Elizabeth scratched the rear of Panther's ear, "And I'll get you a nice steak, consider it an apology for stuffing you in that bag earlier." Elizabeth led William away from the island using a safer route than the one he had traveled before, one that kept him and Panther away from the angry crocodiles. Elizabeth stopped for a moment once they finally left the swamp, "I need to do something before we leave for the tavern. You may follow me if you wish."

"Sure madam." answered William politely. He had not eaten in a day and a half, but his manners came first, specially when the lady had forgave his life. He looked down at Panther. He had eaten in a day either. William extended his, and Panther climbed up his shoulder. He was still pretty small, so he could stay there, hidden in William's now untied hair.

Elizabeth hung her head in sorrow as she led William to the undisclosed location. She stopped for a moment at the foot of a great tree before she raced up the tree, picked some orchids from the parasitic plant, and jumped onto the floor beside the Templar.

"This used to be my home" Elizabeth said sadly as she stroked some of the wood that had, by some miracle, not been destroyed by the fire or the elements. Some of the old training were still standing, but they were no longer as clean as they once were, "Mother used to train with me every day from the day that I turned six." Elizabeth turned away from the house and headed further up the hill until she came to two small stones buried in the sand. She knelt down before the stones and stroked them lovingly before she set the orchids on the ground between the stones. Elizabeth knelt there, before the graves, in silence for a few minutes. "Let's get something to eat, shall we" Elizabeth asked as she stood and looked at William as she wiped a tear from her face.

"Here" said William, as he offered a handkerchief to Elizabeth, with a tender smile. It had the Templar insignia stamped of it. Will hoped she would not mind, or if that will make her remember things from her past. He glanced at Elizabeth "Hold on". said William, as he went for his gear. He tied it up nicely and putted it in a bag. Something fell out of his pocket. A sketch he had done for his family. He had not visited them in years. He thought of showing them to Elizabeth, but that will make her miss her parents even more. "Lets go."

"Thank you, William" Elizabeth said softly as she accepted the handkerchief he had offered her. "You know, you're not like any Templar I've met before. You still have a heart." Elizabeth noticed the sketch that had fallen from William's pocket, but she decided not to talk about it.

"So what is it that you prefer to drink, also, what would you like to eat? Whatever you want, it's on me. Have as much of whatever you want." Elizabeth grabbed a bottle of rum from the counter before she pulled up a chair at a table and sat down, "And don't you dare offer to pay me back. Consider this a gift."

William sat down next to her. "You are very kind, madam. If it isn't much trouble, can I have a steak, Ms.....?" William left unfinished the sentence, so he would had her name again. Or she had not said it, or he was not paying attention. Panther stood up, with help from the table, to glance at Elizabeth with a hungry face. He knew they were talking about food. William grabbed him, and putted him on his shoulder.

When William did not complete his sentence, Elizabeth realised that she hadn't told him her name, "I apologise for my rudeness, mister Belangerie, but it seems that you are yet to learn my name. I am Elizabeth Shay, though some prefer to call me Demon." Elizabeth quickly caught the attention of a barmaid, "What may I get for you, ma'am?"
"Three steaks, a bottle of rum, and some tea if you have any."
"I'll get right on it."

Elizabeth waited until the barmaid had left after she had delivered the rum and tea before she turned to William, "I must ask, how did you end up at Tulum?"

William poured rum on a glass the barmaid had brought along with the drink. He took a sip, and the started to tell Elizabeth how he ended there. "It all started about a week ago. All my crew members left me because I was not willing to kill innocent people on the sea, just to get shiny things." William took another long sip. He had not drank alcohol in a while. "I was lost on the sea for 2 days or so. In that period, my provisions ran out. I found a map that lead to an island called Tulum. It was fairly close, and I hoped people could help us refill our provisions. You now the rest. But enough about me. Tell me, do you have more family, husband, kids?" William is making a risky questions. He was meddling with Elizabeth's traumas. The last thing he wanted to do, is to piss off an Assassin.

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at William's story, it was just one of those unfortunate tales that she somehow, through her own twisted reasoning, found amusing. She took on a pensive, if not pained, appearance at the Templar's question. Elizabeth drew her hood, filled her tankard to the brim, and sat quietly for a few minutes. "My parents were the only family I ever had" Elizabeth said quietly before she returned to her rum and allowed another stretch of silence between them. "I don't have a husband nor children of my own. In my line of work, a family would be a weakness. The Templars have taken everything I have ever held dear, so I have no intention of risking the lives of innocent people, people that I love."

When the food arrived, Elizabeth ate as if it were about to be taken from her at any second. One minute the steak was there, the next it was gone. "Sorry if that seemed unladylike, but I am used to having my food stolen from me. Even though I am an Assassin, and a Master Assassin at that, the other Assassins despise me and do their best to make my life hell. You'd think that they would trust me by now, but they don't. They are sure to remind me of that." Elizabeth suddenly reached for her back and rubbed it gently as if it were causing her a great deal of pain, "They never let me forget about who I am."

"You have nothing to worry about, Miss Shay" said William. "May I ask, why do you don't do anything about it? I am sure a little scare with your reptile friend will make reassure your authority." William looked over his shoulder. Panther was nibbling Will's ear to draw his attention. "Sorry, mate. I forgot about you." He cut the other steak onto little pieces and fed one by one to Panther. "He is still a baby" said William happily.

"I have tried a few times before, when I was still fifteen. I hadn't been at Tulum for more than a day when the..." Elizabeth decided it was better not to inform William of what happened at Tulum, so she returned to her rum. "Anyway, I stopped trying to prove my innocence after the first month. I do get some respect from a few Assassins, and that's alright with me. I will never use Sentinel against my brothers and sisters. His gimpy leg slows him down on land so he'll be an easy kill. I'll also be needing that map, by the way. It's just a precaution, I hope you understand."

"Sure." said William as he putted he folded map on the table. William was afraid something had happened to Elizabeth in her youth. Perhaps she does not wants to talk about it because it reminds her of her trauma. But William's curiosity overcomes his manners. "What happened when you were 15?" asked William with an inquisitive look.

Elizabeth took the map and put it in her pocket, "Thank you, William." She went as cold as ice when William asked what had happened to her when she was fifteen. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you. When I was fifteen, I joined the Assassin Brotherhood. Almost all the Assassins despised me, and saw me as little else but a Templar threat. My mentor and most of the others took to flaying me whenever they could, they said it was because I needed to learn my place, that I wasn't welcome there. But I stayed, and they hated me all the more for it. You get used to the flaying after a while, even the pain becomes so familiar that you don't pay it much attention."

"Those are perfect examples of despicable human beings." William was filling very sad about Elizabeth. Since very young age, she had known unfortunate event. "What can I do to help her?" thought William, when the idea popped in his mind. "Quick question. You were looking for me right? What if I do you a favor and you return it later?"

"Not despicable" Elizabeth said as she shook her head, "They're just cautious. Some of the younger ones are even a bit scared, especially after that stunt you pulled at Tulum. They're not all bad, the Assassins. Master and one of my sisters are very accepting of me. It's understandable, the behaviour of the Assassins, they need to be very careful of those with ties to Templars." Elizabeth looked at William and chuckled, "I was looking for you and I found you, didn't I? Now what's this about a favour?"