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December 1, 12985 BCE; Siberia

They all looked up at the massive, threatening mouth of the mountainside cavern. Icicles reached down from the ceiling like the teeth of some wicked beast. Arktalaki couldn't help but gulp anxiously. She looked over at the Mentor.

“You're certain we have to go through here?” she asked.

The Mentor nodded. “The Templars have moved through here, and thus we do too.”

Arktalaki looked behind her at the rest of the tribe. They all had the same anxious look that she did. She didn't want to have to risk this danger that this cave would present. She really didn't…

“Maybe there's another path around the mountain,” Arktalaki suggested. “Maybe we can catch the Templar up on the other side.”

But the Mentor shook her head no. She pointed towards the icy darkness inside. “Unfortunately, it seems we have business in there,” she said. Arktalaki gave a confused look And tried to see what she was pointing at. It took a moment for her to make it out, but she soon saw a figure sprinting out from the depths of the cavern. His robes were torn and his flesh was badly cut and bloody.

“Please! Help!” he screamed as he ran up to them. His momentum forced him to slam into Arktalaki, who held him by the shoulders and tried to calm him down.

“Please ma'am, you must help them! Please!”

“Help who? What has happened?” she asked.

“The Mahanuq tribe passed through these lands and put my people in binds! They forced them into this cave and did horrendous things to us! I only barely managed to escape with my life!”

“Calm down, friend. We'll help you. Can you lead us through the ice cavern?”

“Yes. Yes I can. Oh thank you, kind chieftess! My people will be eternally in your debt! Come! I shall lead the way!”

He turned and walked back towards the cave entrance. Arktalaki looked at the Mentor, who nodded and began to follow. She looked back at the rest of the tribe, and she reluctantly nodded to them as well before following too. All of them descended into the ice caverns, following the poor man into the inky darkness that the Templars had claimed as their lair.

------------

“Is there an exit on the other side of these caverns?” Arktalaki asked the man as he led the way.

“There is. It is quite far, but it does exist. The Mahanuq seem to be determined to find it. That may be why they've enslaved my tribe. We know these caverns very well.”

“You did not tell them where the exit is though, did you?”

“No. We show loyalty only to those who have earned it. No amount of torture could force us to give up our secrets to such tyrants.”

Arktalaki nodded, satisfied. “Who is the ringleader of this little scheme of theirs?”

“He is a brute of a man named Aliguq,” the man explained. “His whale skin armor and wolf-like viciousness make him a terrifying man.”

Whale skin armor. Arktalaki remembered a man like that. One of the Templars that burnt her village wore such garments. She definitely remembered him looking like a behemoth. She made sure to mentally prepare herself for a tough fight.

Eventually, they reached the end of the tunnel and came up on an ice balcony that overlooked a massive chamber beyond. Arktalaki took in what she saw: a Mahanuq settlement filled to the brim with armored warriors and terrified prisoners in bondage. Patrols wandered the entire chamber, and the only cover Arktalaki could spot out were a few large rocks and ice chunks. She spotted Aliguq at the center of it all, shaking the ground as he walked and threatened his prisoners. “It is a simple matter!” he said as he approached one set of prisoners. “You lead us to the exit that will bring us closer to the Land Beyond the Sun, and you will go free! If you continue to stay silent…” He grabbed the closest prisoner to him, a young woman, and with a brutal movement, he broke her arm, shattering both bones in a painful snap that made her scream in agony. He moved on to the next prisoner, and the next, and repeated the process as they refused to give him what he wanted.

The odds were definitely not in Arktalaki’s favor. She turned towards the Mentor.

“What do we do? This settlement seems impenetrable!” she asked.

“Nothing is impenetrable, child,” the Mentor responded not unkindly. “There is always a way.”

“Well then care to enlighten me on what that other way is?”

The Mentor gave that cheeky smile again. “I suspect you're fully capable of figuring that out on your own,” she said.

Arktalaki groaned in defeat. Fair enough. She'd have to go at this alone it seemed.

...or did she?

She looked behind her, at all of her tribespeople. Much of the hunting gear was out in plain view. The hunters were in rather good shape. Iwakuk also looked ready for her next meal. Arktalaki looked back down and scanned the area again as a plan started mapping out in her head.

“Can your people fight?” she asked the man.

“They can if they are freed from their bonds, yes,” he responded.

Arktalaki smiled and nodded. The attack would be tricky but doable. They just needed to stir up enough chaos to distract the Templars and start freeing the prisoners. The more prisoners they freed, the more their army would grow. The less chances the Templars had of winning. The more chances that Arktalaki would be able to slip in amongst the chaos and stick her blades into Aliguq.

So be it.

She turned and gathered up her hunters, as well as a few other of her tribe who could fight well. She told them her plan of attack and began to coordinate them on where to position themselves. Once they were all on the same page, Artkalaki motioned for Iwakuk to come over to her side. The wolf happily wagged its tail as her master pet her and pointed to the closest Templar. The wolf panted in excitement and snarled at the target. Arktalaki smiled. She looked at her warriors. They nodded their readiness, and she nodded back. She leaned in close to the wolf's ear and whispered, “Sick em, girl.”

And the attack began.

Iwakuk let out a vicious roar and lunged out into the chamber, teeth and claws bared. The Templars barely had time to react before one of their men was being ripped apart by the animal. They began to shout the alarm, and Arktalaki’s warriors began to let out their war cries from every ambush point. Just as planned, chaos broke out. While the Templars struggled to figure out what to do to combat the attack, the Yi’alut warriors quickly freed and armed as many of the prisoners as they could.

Arktalaki herself sprinted down into the chaos with her bow, letting her arrows add to the cacophony. Iwakuk came rushing out from the battle to run by her master's side. Arktalaki tried to find Aliguq amongst the sea of warriors. It wasn't hard. The monster of a man was bellowing in rage as he swung his war club around to knock his victims to the ground.

“You think this pathetic excuse of a rescue will work?” He shouted to his enemies. “It will not! You will all die by our hands now! There will be no survivors!”

His last sentence was punctuated by a sudden “umph!” as Arktalaki lunged onto his back with her blade ready to strike. She thrust her hand down and the obsidian sliced through… a few layers of his armor. He looked menacingly over his shoulder at her and chuckled. Arktalaki didn't even have time to gasp before he spun hard and tossed her off of him. She hit the floor with a thud and scurried away as best as she could, grabbing her bow and another arrow. The behemoth of a man lumbered toward her. She took note of his lack of speed. That armor gave him quite a few benefits, but it had its weaknesses too. He was slow, and he was arrogant. She just had to find a way to get past those layers…

Nothing is impenetrable, the Mentor’s words echoed in her mind. She mentally nodded to herself. The Templar brought up his club to smash her, but she was able to swiftly dodge and run a good distance behind him. Aliguq growled and tried to lug towards her again. Her eyes darted all around every corner of the armor that she could see in her short little window of time. Weak points… weak points…

And just as he raised up his club for another slam down, she spotted her golden opportunity. He didn't have anything covering his underarms aside from a loose deerskin. She didn't waste any time. She lunged upward with as much speed as she could muster. Just as the Templar was about to bring his club down, she grabbed her wrist blades and thrust them hard into his weakpoint. The club made a bang that reverberated when it hit the ground and its owner shouted in pain. He instinctively reared his head back, and she grabbed that opportunity too by thrusting her arm to the side and swinging it right across his exposed neck. A spray of red went arching across the chamber as the Templar gave his last bellow and he went falling to the icy floor with Arktalaki in tow. Same as always, time began to slow and reality began to disassemble. Ava watched her ancestor stand up from the massive body as the Animus void encircled them.

“How?” he groaned. “I was meant to be… invincible…”

“That's what all you Templars think, isn't it? You think you're all the be all end all of humanity.”

He gave a garbled chuckle. “What do you expect, Assassin? For us to be content with living on the same level as the rabble like you are? Never. We have an ancient destiny, a destiny to dominate.”

“Your destiny is to die by my blade for the evils you've committed against the innocent. Just like your Grand Master will.”

Another chuckle. “We shall see, Assassin. We… shall see…”

He gave his final breath, and he went eternally still. Arktalaki kept down and crossed her arm over her chest. “Harmony requires this ironic sacrifice. Let your soul walk free.”

She pulled up his layers of armor until she found a satchel, and from it she withdrew exactly what she expected to find: another glowing memory disk. She nodded in satisfaction before stowing it away in her own robes. She stood back up and Ava surrendered her mind back to her ancestor’s. The void disappeared, replaced again by the icy depths of the caverns. She turned around to see her allies and the work they've managed to accomplish. They were all smiling at her. Even Iwakuk’s panting grin seemed to be in victory. Arktalaki looked around. Not a single Templar was left standing. The prisoners were freed. They had won.

-------------

“We are eternally grateful for your help, Arktalaki,” the man from earlier was telling her as the settlement was being taken apart for supplies. Arktalaki simply smiled at him and nodded.

“I was no trouble. The Assassins have a duty to the innocent.”

“The spirits must shine upon you. We will gladly help you make it to the other side of the caverns. Do you intent to cross the great sea?”

“The great sea?”

“Yes. The land stops once you exit these caves. What lies beyond is a great ocean, with only ice to keep you afloat. The legends say it leads to the Land Beyond the Sun.”

Arktalaki's eyes widened. “Then yes. We do intend to cross,” she said.

“Then I, on behalf of my people, offer to join your glorious tribe and travel with you. You are destined to lead those around you to salvation.”

Arktalaki gave a humble chuckle. “I appreciate the kind words, friend. And we would be honored to have your people with us.”

The man nodded with glee. “I am glad. Now, I must go and help with the settlement looting. Farewell, chieftess.”

Arktalaki blushed and nodded. “I will join you soon, but there is something I must do first.”

The man nodded, and he left her to her privacy. Arktalaki pulled out the memory disk. She stared into its glow. The light immediately began to swarm her vision. She looked up just before it took her completely. The last thing she saw was the Mentor standing there, smiling. Very clearly proud of her prodigy. Arktalaki couldn't help but smile too.

And then the world went white. All the noises of the caverns were cancelled out. Everything, mind and body, warped and twisted along with the world until all she saw around her was the misty void that made up the depths of Tartarus.

And she felt even more dread than the last time she was here...

Description
December 1, 12985 BCE; Siberia

They all looked up at the massive, threatening mouth of the mountainside cavern. Icicles reached down from the ceiling like the teeth of some wicked beast. Arktalaki couldn't help but gulp anxiously. She looked over at the Mentor.

“You're certain we have to go through here?” she asked.

The Mentor nodded. “The Templars have moved through here, and thus we do too.”

Arktalaki looked behind her at the rest of the tribe. They all had the same anxious look that she did. She didn't want to have to risk this danger that this cave would present. She really didn't…

“Maybe there's another path around the mountain,” Arktalaki suggested. “Maybe we can catch the Templar up on the other side.”

But the Mentor shook her head no. She pointed towards the icy darkness inside. “Unfortunately, it seems we have business in there,” she said. Arktalaki gave a confused look And tried to see what she was pointing at. It took a moment for her to make it out, but she soon saw a figure sprinting out from the depths of the cavern. His robes were torn and his flesh was badly cut and bloody.

“Please! Help!” he screamed as he ran up to them. His momentum forced him to slam into Arktalaki, who held him by the shoulders and tried to calm him down.

“Please ma'am, you must help them! Please!”

“Help who? What has happened?” she asked.

“The Mahanuq tribe passed through these lands and put my people in binds! They forced them into this cave and did horrendous things to us! I only barely managed to escape with my life!”

“Calm down, friend. We'll help you. Can you lead us through the ice cavern?”

“Yes. Yes I can. Oh thank you, kind chieftess! My people will be eternally in your debt! Come! I shall lead the way!”

He turned and walked back towards the cave entrance. Arktalaki looked at the Mentor, who nodded and began to follow. She looked back at the rest of the tribe, and she reluctantly nodded to them as well before following too. All of them descended into the ice caverns, following the poor man into the inky darkness that the Templars had claimed as their lair.

------------

“Is there an exit on the other side of these caverns?” Arktalaki asked the man as he led the way.

“There is. It is quite far, but it does exist. The Mahanuq seem to be determined to find it. That may be why they've enslaved my tribe. We know these caverns very well.”

“You did not tell them where the exit is though, did you?”

“No. We show loyalty only to those who have earned it. No amount of torture could force us to give up our secrets to such tyrants.”

Arktalaki nodded, satisfied. “Who is the ringleader of this little scheme of theirs?”

“He is a brute of a man named Aliguq,” the man explained. “His whale skin armor and wolf-like viciousness make him a terrifying man.”

Whale skin armor. Arktalaki remembered a man like that. One of the Templars that burnt her village wore such garments. She definitely remembered him looking like a behemoth. She made sure to mentally prepare herself for a tough fight.

Eventually, they reached the end of the tunnel and came up on an ice balcony that overlooked a massive chamber beyond. Arktalaki took in what she saw: a Mahanuq settlement filled to the brim with armored warriors and terrified prisoners in bondage. Patrols wandered the entire chamber, and the only cover Arktalaki could spot out were a few large rocks and ice chunks. She spotted Aliguq at the center of it all, shaking the ground as he walked and threatened his prisoners. “It is a simple matter!” he said as he approached one set of prisoners. “You lead us to the exit that will bring us closer to the Land Beyond the Sun, and you will go free! If you continue to stay silent…” He grabbed the closest prisoner to him, a young woman, and with a brutal movement, he broke her arm, shattering both bones in a painful snap that made her scream in agony. He moved on to the next prisoner, and the next, and repeated the process as they refused to give him what he wanted.

The odds were definitely not in Arktalaki’s favor. She turned towards the Mentor.

“What do we do? This settlement seems impenetrable!” she asked.

“Nothing is impenetrable, child,” the Mentor responded not unkindly. “There is always a way.”

“Well then care to enlighten me on what that other way is?”

The Mentor gave that cheeky smile again. “I suspect you're fully capable of figuring that out on your own,” she said.

Arktalaki groaned in defeat. Fair enough. She'd have to go at this alone it seemed.

...or did she?

She looked behind her, at all of her tribespeople. Much of the hunting gear was out in plain view. The hunters were in rather good shape. Iwakuk also looked ready for her next meal. Arktalaki looked back down and scanned the area again as a plan started mapping out in her head.

“Can your people fight?” she asked the man.

“They can if they are freed from their bonds, yes,” he responded.

Arktalaki smiled and nodded. The attack would be tricky but doable. They just needed to stir up enough chaos to distract the Templars and start freeing the prisoners. The more prisoners they freed, the more their army would grow. The less chances the Templars had of winning. The more chances that Arktalaki would be able to slip in amongst the chaos and stick her blades into Aliguq.

So be it.

She turned and gathered up her hunters, as well as a few other of her tribe who could fight well. She told them her plan of attack and began to coordinate them on where to position themselves. Once they were all on the same page, Artkalaki motioned for Iwakuk to come over to her side. The wolf happily wagged its tail as her master pet her and pointed to the closest Templar. The wolf panted in excitement and snarled at the target. Arktalaki smiled. She looked at her warriors. They nodded their readiness, and she nodded back. She leaned in close to the wolf's ear and whispered, “Sick em, girl.”

And the attack began.

Iwakuk let out a vicious roar and lunged out into the chamber, teeth and claws bared. The Templars barely had time to react before one of their men was being ripped apart by the animal. They began to shout the alarm, and Arktalaki’s warriors began to let out their war cries from every ambush point. Just as planned, chaos broke out. While the Templars struggled to figure out what to do to combat the attack, the Yi’alut warriors quickly freed and armed as many of the prisoners as they could.

Arktalaki herself sprinted down into the chaos with her bow, letting her arrows add to the cacophony. Iwakuk came rushing out from the battle to run by her master's side. Arktalaki tried to find Aliguq amongst the sea of warriors. It wasn't hard. The monster of a man was bellowing in rage as he swung his war club around to knock his victims to the ground.

“You think this pathetic excuse of a rescue will work?” He shouted to his enemies. “It will not! You will all die by our hands now! There will be no survivors!”

His last sentence was punctuated by a sudden “umph!” as Arktalaki lunged onto his back with her blade ready to strike. She thrust her hand down and the obsidian sliced through… a few layers of his armor. He looked menacingly over his shoulder at her and chuckled. Arktalaki didn't even have time to gasp before he spun hard and tossed her off of him. She hit the floor with a thud and scurried away as best as she could, grabbing her bow and another arrow. The behemoth of a man lumbered toward her. She took note of his lack of speed. That armor gave him quite a few benefits, but it had its weaknesses too. He was slow, and he was arrogant. She just had to find a way to get past those layers…

Nothing is impenetrable, the Mentor’s words echoed in her mind. She mentally nodded to herself. The Templar brought up his club to smash her, but she was able to swiftly dodge and run a good distance behind him. Aliguq growled and tried to lug towards her again. Her eyes darted all around every corner of the armor that she could see in her short little window of time. Weak points… weak points…

And just as he raised up his club for another slam down, she spotted her golden opportunity. He didn't have anything covering his underarms aside from a loose deerskin. She didn't waste any time. She lunged upward with as much speed as she could muster. Just as the Templar was about to bring his club down, she grabbed her wrist blades and thrust them hard into his weakpoint. The club made a bang that reverberated when it hit the ground and its owner shouted in pain. He instinctively reared his head back, and she grabbed that opportunity too by thrusting her arm to the side and swinging it right across his exposed neck. A spray of red went arching across the chamber as the Templar gave his last bellow and he went falling to the icy floor with Arktalaki in tow. Same as always, time began to slow and reality began to disassemble. Ava watched her ancestor stand up from the massive body as the Animus void encircled them.

“How?” he groaned. “I was meant to be… invincible…”

“That's what all you Templars think, isn't it? You think you're all the be all end all of humanity.”

He gave a garbled chuckle. “What do you expect, Assassin? For us to be content with living on the same level as the rabble like you are? Never. We have an ancient destiny, a destiny to dominate.”

“Your destiny is to die by my blade for the evils you've committed against the innocent. Just like your Grand Master will.”

Another chuckle. “We shall see, Assassin. We… shall see…”

He gave his final breath, and he went eternally still. Arktalaki kept down and crossed her arm over her chest. “Harmony requires this ironic sacrifice. Let your soul walk free.”

She pulled up his layers of armor until she found a satchel, and from it she withdrew exactly what she expected to find: another glowing memory disk. She nodded in satisfaction before stowing it away in her own robes. She stood back up and Ava surrendered her mind back to her ancestor’s. The void disappeared, replaced again by the icy depths of the caverns. She turned around to see her allies and the work they've managed to accomplish. They were all smiling at her. Even Iwakuk’s panting grin seemed to be in victory. Arktalaki looked around. Not a single Templar was left standing. The prisoners were freed. They had won.

-------------

“We are eternally grateful for your help, Arktalaki,” the man from earlier was telling her as the settlement was being taken apart for supplies. Arktalaki simply smiled at him and nodded.

“I was no trouble. The Assassins have a duty to the innocent.”

“The spirits must shine upon you. We will gladly help you make it to the other side of the caverns. Do you intent to cross the great sea?”

“The great sea?”

“Yes. The land stops once you exit these caves. What lies beyond is a great ocean, with only ice to keep you afloat. The legends say it leads to the Land Beyond the Sun.”

Arktalaki's eyes widened. “Then yes. We do intend to cross,” she said.

“Then I, on behalf of my people, offer to join your glorious tribe and travel with you. You are destined to lead those around you to salvation.”

Arktalaki gave a humble chuckle. “I appreciate the kind words, friend. And we would be honored to have your people with us.”

The man nodded with glee. “I am glad. Now, I must go and help with the settlement looting. Farewell, chieftess.”

Arktalaki blushed and nodded. “I will join you soon, but there is something I must do first.”

The man nodded, and he left her to her privacy. Arktalaki pulled out the memory disk. She stared into its glow. The light immediately began to swarm her vision. She looked up just before it took her completely. The last thing she saw was the Mentor standing there, smiling. Very clearly proud of her prodigy. Arktalaki couldn't help but smile too.

And then the world went white. All the noises of the caverns were cancelled out. Everything, mind and body, warped and twisted along with the world until all she saw around her was the misty void that made up the depths of Tartarus.

And she felt even more dread than the last time she was here...