Alamut, the castle and the village part 1

Ten of Perizad's bodies moved and walked in unison as they entered the grand ziggurat tower of Xerxes in the heart of the city of Babylus.

As they approached the throne, they all fell to their knees in reverence, bowing before the mighty deity who sat upon it. Xerxes regarded them with a cold, calculating gaze, his regal features impassive.

"My lord, the Aremanians have sided with Arslan,"

"I am not surprised. My brother tamed the greatest Simurgh, A Samer. They would never have sided with me," Xerxes said, disappointed, but not surprised.

"But the Bosporus cities, all of the Colchis nations, and Greorians see you as the only and true god to worship. The Scethians have for too long raided their lands and wish to send those mad owls into the abyss," Perizad said.

Xerxes felt irritated.

"Get up, fool. You also are a god," Xerxes said in a commanding tone, his voice echoing through the grand hall. "I know I should have just killed Rufus. Tell me how right you were."

Perizad rose slowly, his many bodies moving in unison. "You did nothing wrong, my lord. The old man of the mountain has overstepped his bounds. Give me the order, and I will destroy him and his little order of assassins."

"I agree. HAMAEL!" Xerxes bellowed, his voice ringing out across the temple.

Hamael, the caretaker of the temple of Xerxes and the one and only priest of the faith of Xerxes appeared before them, his face etched with reverence and devotion.

"My god, I am ready to serve," Hamael said, bowing low before the mighty deity.

Perizad sneered at the priest, his voice dripping with contempt. "This rat here is not worth your time. You should be already rid of him. You never needed a head of your faith and never will."

"You know where the assassins are located?" Xerxes demanded, his eyes narrowing as he regarded Hamael.

Hamael lowered his gaze, his voice soft and deferential. "My lord, I apologize for my outburst. But I do believe that the old man of the mountain and his assassins pose a threat to your divine rule. They must be dealt with."

"Yes, and they will be destroyed, by you. By you two," Xerxes said, gesturing to Perizad and Hamael. "Are you up to it, Hamael?"

"I already knew years back my father was unredeemable. I know there's only one way this thing will ever end. And I'd rather have it end fast," Hamael said, his voice filled with steely determination.

~~

In the morning, in the girls' room, they had all woken up after a good night's sleep. When they saw Rufus coming out of the boys' room, Amala asked if the others were still asleep.

"Yeah, but uhmmm... maybe we should let them sleep a bit longer," Rufus stammered, clearly trying to avoid the inevitable.

But Doreen was having none of it. "We have work to do, Rufus. Move!" she ordered, shoving him aside as she forcefully opened the door.

What she found inside was a scene straight out of a horror movie. Edward was babbling incoherently while clutching a bucket, the smell of his vomit wafting through the air. Pema was sprawled out on the floor, completely naked, and passed out. And to top it off, Yosef was sound asleep on top of him!

Gadaric, who had witnessed the entire debauchery from the corner's safety, looked thoroughly traumatized. Meanwhile, Gwon was still snoring like a lumberjack, completely unaware of the chaos around him.

Doreen slowly closed the door and pretended like she hadn't seen anything. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you," she said to Rufus, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

~~

Rufus' friends were allowed to roam freely through the halls of castle Alamut. Or so they thought.

Suomi was drawn to the study, where shelves upon shelves of ancient records, tablets, and scrolls had been meticulously stored. The room was dimly lit, but the flickering candlelight danced across the old parchments, creating an eerie yet alluring atmosphere. The history of the Assassins may not have been as long or as ancient as that of Cyrus or the gods, but it was equally fascinating. The old men of the mountain who had come before were sorcerers who hungered for knowledge and understanding, and Suomi could feel their presence lingering in the air.

As Suomi was perusing the records, she came upon something peculiar. Sorcery that kept the sorcerers hidden from view, casting those upon whom it was invoked into an eternal time loop, leaving them unable to see that anything had changed. She couldn't believe what she was reading - it was as if the ancient scrolls were whispering secrets to her.

Lost in her findings, Suomi didn't hear Gwon approach until he spoke, his voice breaking her reverie.

"Whatcha doing?" Gwon asked, his small hands holding an apple.

Suomi turned to face him, her smile warm and inviting. "Just exploring," she replied, gesturing to the ancient scrolls and tablets lining the shelves. "There's so much knowledge and history here. It's fascinating."

Gwon didn't seem to share her enthusiasm, but his interest was piqued when he opened one of the scrolls and found divine scripture written within. However, as he cut his finger on the paper, his blood flowed onto the scroll, causing the divine text to activate.

"Watch out!" Suomi yelled, shoving Gwon away just as a blinding light erupted from the scroll. When Suomi opened her eyes, she was alone in the library, unable to see or hear anyone else.

"Hello? Gwon? Anyone?" she called out, but there was no answer. She wandered through the shelves, shouting for help, but still, no one came.

There was no answer. Suomi's heart began to race as panic set in. She called out again, louder this time, but still, there was no response. She was completely alone, trapped in a world of silence and darkness. It was the same room, but Gwon was completely gone and she hoped nothing had happened to him.

Slowly, Suomi's vision began to clear, and she could hear the sound of Gwon's voice once again. "Gwon, where did you go?" she asked, relieved to see him.

But when Gwon turned to face her, he looked confused. "What do you mean? I didn't go anywhere," he replied.

Suomi was bewildered. "But...there was a blinding light, and I was alone in the library," she said, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"You were here, yelling and panting like you couldn't see me," Gwon said, confused.

"But I couldn't..." Suomi trailed off, taking the scroll back into her hand. To her surprise, the divine text had disappeared, as if it had fulfilled its purpose.

Suddenly, the old man of the mountain burst into the room, shouting at them for being there. "What do you think you're doing here?!" he bellowed.

"We were just looking through the books," Suomi tried to explain.

"You are not allowed in here. Get out now," he ordered.

As they fled the library, the old man's angry voice echoed behind them, reverberating through the stone walls of the castle. Suomi's heart pounded in her chest as she ran, the sound of Gwon's footsteps keeping pace with hers.

"Damn crazy owl," Suomi muttered under her breath. "Greedily guarding his knowledge."

But Gwon seemed unperturbed by the old man's outburst, showing Suomi the scroll he had taken from the shelves. She couldn't help but feel a little impressed by his daring, despite their narrow escape.

"Not all of them," Gwon said with a sly grin.

Suomi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Don't think you learned your morals of stealing from that young blonde girl, Liana."

"Nah," Gwon replied with a shrug. "Amala was the one who showed me the ropes. She said a good hunter is also a good thief."

Suomi couldn't help but laugh at Gwon's words. "Yeah, she kind of seems like a kleptomaniac," she said, shaking her head in amusement.