It was nearing dusk when Frigid left the medical wing of the Masyaf bureau. He had pushed past his physical limit as he walked through the front doors, only passing out for a short moment when the medic got to work on his wounds. He hadn’t even needed anesthesia for it, which was alright with him.
After getting enough medical attention, Frigid had left, feeling better, especially after waking up. He was about to return to his room to crash when he remembered the box he had passed on to Keila. If it did indeed contain the map that revealed the location of the other artifacts, then all his injuries would have really paid off.
Frigid Night found his way to Mentor Shamal’s office and knocked, stepping back as the door was suddenly swung open by Star Lance.
“Frigid,” he wished before turning his eyes to the Assassin’s bloodstained coat. “Everything alright?”
“For now, Star Lance,” Frigid managed a smile and walked in. Keila and Ikram were inside along with both Mentors, bending over something on Mentor Shamal’s desk. Keila nodded to him and formed a thin smile along her lips before returning her attention to their prize from earlier today.
“It’s this map that you found. It appears to be quite old.”
“Over a thousand years old,” Shamal said quietly. He pointed to a odd, twisted emblem that had been sealed in wax. “You see here, this is the seal of the first ruler of Masyaf, the great King Sombra’s great-grandfather, who first laid down the plans for the city. Now look at this section,” he pointed to a diagram near the middle.
Frigid balked. “Wait, Sombra? What are you talking about, Mentor? The Templar Grand Master?”
The Mentors exchanged glances before Mentor Steel Shine got to work on his question. “You see, Frigid Night, we don’t know where this Sombra, the Templar one, came from. King Sombra, the old king of Masyaf, ruled over Saddle Arabia a thousand years ago, here in this very city.”
“Two Sombra’s…?” Things were getting a little too weird for Frigid. “How is that possible?”
“We… don’t quite know, Frigid Night,” Steel Shine answered. “But that’s not important right now. What matters is this.” The Mentor placed her finger in the spot Mentor Shamal had pointed out earlier. “The central palace, the jewel of Masyaf and the structure around which Masyaf is built. We’ve compared the map’s diagrams to modern day scans of the palace, and…”
“They don’t match up,” Shamal said quietly. “The palace on modern records doesn’t display this ring of chambers under the ground, or this other single cavern beneath that. They only appear on this map.”
“So you’re saying what we’re looking for is-”
“Underground, yes,” Keila finished for Frigid. “This could very well be the place we are looking for.”
“One problem,” Ikram added, circling a finger around the underground chambers on the map. “It doesn’t say which one holds the artifacts, if they even hold the artifacts at all. If we’re going down there, we’re going to have to search, and who knows how much time the Templars are going to give us once they learn our location.”
“Then we must go back to gather more Assassins,” Steel Shine slammed a fist on the desk. “I will leave for Trottingham tomorrow, and for the next week, I’ll travel to the other bureaus and see what I can amass.”
“Perhaps all we need is an inspiring speech from you, Mentor,” Star Lance folded his arms and wore a confident smile.
“If we are to win this, we’ll need every Assassin we can get. I shall do what I can to convince each and every one of them to help. These artifacts are far too important to fall into Templar hands. Frigid Night. You and Morning Blade will accompany me.”
“As you say, Mentor.” It sounded tiresome, but at least he would get to leave this sandy place again.
“Well, then this concludes our meeting,” Mentor Shamal clapped and placed the map back in its box.
Frigid filed out with the others, going back to his room. He was sure Keila was going to be happy for him to leave, and he felt the same way. He wouldn’t have to deal with her for a while, which was good.
The grey haired Assassin pushed his door open quietly, just in case his apprentice was already asleep. To his surprise, she was still awake, sitting atop the bed reading a book.
Morning Blade got up and straightened herself as she noticed her teacher. “Welcome back, Frigid. What happened? Are you okay?” Her eyes focused on his bloodied coat. She got up, ready to help him, but Frigid waved her off.
“I’m fine, Morning. Just injuries that have been taken care of. We’ll be heading back to Trottingham tomorrow. Mentor’s orders. And after that, we’ll be following her to all the other bureaus to get the other Assassins on this mission.”
“I heard you found the map? The map to the artifacts?” Morning Blade sat back down on the bed and picked up her book. “Do we know where they are?” she asked excitedly.
“Maybe,” Frigid shrugged and carefully sat down on the hard but cool floor. He had to watch out for his injury. “Umm… You get any training done today?”
“Oh, yes sir. I did. Sting Wing, that Assassin with the poison blades, he taught me a neat trick with my katana.”
“He did, did he?” Frigid gulped. His apprentice was learning a lot more than he had wanted her to.
“Yeah! If you’d like, I can show it to you tomorrow?”
“Sure, Morning. Well, for now, I think it’s time for bed.” Frigid lay down on the ground and turned to the side. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked again, worried about her teacher’s side.
“I’ll be fine, Morning. I’ll live. Get some sleep. You’ll need it.” With that said, Frigid laid himself flat on his back and closed his eyes.
“Good night, sir.”