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Description
July 4, 12985 BCE; Siberia

Arktalaki rushed down into the inner chamber, hyperventilating with eyes like two full moons.

“Wamuneq!” she cried out. She received no response. She started frantically looking around the room for the old woman. “Wamuneq please I have so many questions!” Still no response. Finally, she swallowed her pride and tried one more thing. “Mentor!”

“Yes, child?”

Arktalaki yelped and jumped like a startled puppy. She spun around to face the old woman who had somehow appeared right behind her. How did she move so silently? Magic? Or was she more skillful than her appearance let on? More questions added to Arktalaki's growing list.

“You look like you've seen a ghost, child,” the Mentor said casually, paying no mind to Arktalaki's startled expression.

“I… I… I have questions! An… and I want answers to them! Please…”

“Alright.”

“I… wait that's it? You're just going to give me my answers? No wisecracks or bizarre stones or anything?”

“Well, I won't give you your answers. I'll give you my answers. Your own answers you must find for yourself.”

“I'm really not in the mood for riddles…”

“It's not a riddle, my child. It's a truth.” The old woman smiled as Arktalaki just stared in confusion. The Mentor tapped her walking stick against the younger girl's arm. “Come child. Let us sit.”

Arktalaki was hesitant, but nonetheless she sat down next to the Mentor on a large stone that gave them a nice view of the chamber and all its decorations.

“It was Arktalaki, right?” the Mentor asked her. Arktalaki nodded. “And you know my name,” the Mentor continued. “So, you said you have questions?”

“Of course I do!” Arktalaki said. “What was that thing? What were those… those… visions? What did you mean it was the real reason my tribe was slaughtered?”

“One at a time, child.”

Arktalaki grumbled. She didn't much appreciate the Mentor’s tone.

“I suppose it'll be easiest to start with the first one,” the Mentor figured. She pulled a couple of stones out of her satchel and struck them until they sparked so that the pile of twigs in front of them grew a small but steady flame. The Mentor gazed into the flickering lights as she spoke.

“What if I told you that the disk I gave you was created by the gods?”

“It wouldn't surprise me given how… unnatural it was,” Arktalaki said. “I can't imagine anything but the gods would be able to craft such a thing.”

“In my circle of people, we call these strange objects, these tools of the gods, Pieces of Eden. They are relics that predate humankind itself. They take many forms and hold many different powers. Blades that harness lightning, blankets that grant eternal life, or in this case, disks that reveal the stories of those long gone from this world.”

“So those visions I had… they were real?”

“They were real in the sense that they were events that had happened. But they were merely projections put upon your eyes and mind. They are long in the past, and you were shown a repeat. Much like how we paint our stories on the walls to remember them always.”

“It was so bizarre… it was as though I was actually there. As if I had ceased to exist and I had actually become that woman. Eve was her name.”

The Mentor nodded. “Have you heard the legend of the humans’ war against the gods?”

“Of course. My mother often told me it as a child. The one where the spirits gave the gift of freewill to a chosen woman and-” She paused. She began to connect the dots in her head. “Oh…”

The Mentor smiled and nodded.

“I never thought I'd get that acquainted with that story…” Arktalaki said. “But still… what does this have to do with Tanaguq and my people? Why would that disk, impressive as it is, be worth such bloodshed?”

“Like I told you, there are many more of these Pieces, each with their unique abilities. I know of six of those disks, each with a story encoded in them. Tanaguq has been roaming these lands for decades, conquering and murdering in hopes of finding them all. For he believes it will lead them to something much more powerful.”

“Them? You mean the Mahanuq?”

“No, my child. Tanaguq’s quest is not for his tribe, but for his Order.”

“I don't understand.”

“When the world burned and the gods were dead, a great evil arose from the flames. A tribe of people who refused to stop fighting the war even when all the tyrants were gone. They simply wanted blood, and it became a need for power as well, because power is what gave them freedom to feed that bloodlust. It was a cruel, tragic cycle. These people still exist to this day, scheming all across the world to oppress all around them. They call themselves the Templar Order, and Tanaguq is their leader in these lands. He believes that these disks will lead him to the ultimate source of control. You saw it for yourself through Eve's eyes. The Apple of Eden.”

Arktalaki thought back to her visions of Eve in Eden. She remembered the pure subservience that she was forced into under the power of the Apple. It glowed like the sun and robbed her of all sense of self. She was like a rock, unfeeling and unaware of the abuses it gained by being kicked around. The gods were able to treat her and her kind however they wanted, and there was nothing they could do to rebel. The thought of such an object being in the hands of the man who butchered her family…

“He cannot have the Apple!” Arktalaki declared. “Too many would die at his hands!”

The Mentor nodded. “And now that you're here, I believe we may have a fighting chance of stopping him.”

“We?”

“His is not the only order that has existed since the endtimes. The reason I am called the Mentor is because I once led the Brotherhood that has opposed the Templars ever since they sprang from the underworld. We are called the Assassins, guardians of humanity and its freewill.”

“And yet there is just you, hiding in this cave?”

For the first time, Arktalaki saw the Mentor’s expression sadden. The older woman lowered her head. “We used to be prosperous in this region,” she quietly explained. “We had members from every tribe band together under our symbol, men and women dedicated to saving the world. But then Tanaguq began to form his army. He began to spread east and conquer. He and his Templars hunted us down like game and slaughtered every last one of us in cold blood in hopes of finding the disks. Six of us were assigned to run and hide the disks where none would find them. While all of us succeeded, I was the only one to survive… I had no means of resistance, not anymore, and so I remained here while the Mahanuq forces swept across the land. I made sure to keep the disk safe until the right person finally came along.”

Arktalaki looked at the Mentor. “And you think… I'm the right person?”

“You have the sight, my child. Even the most skilled Assassins have trouble mastering it. But you… you have it by birth. You have our blood in you. You have the power to save these lands and lead its people to liberation!”

But Arktalaki shook her head. “As much as I would love to fight these Templars you speak of… I can't. I'm just a girl, a chief's daughter who only just learned to hunt. I can't fight such a foe.”

“Perhaps not now, but I can train you, child.”

“Train me?”

“Yes. I can train you and teach you our ways. I can help you harness the skills to fight the Templars.”

Suddenly, the Mentor stood up and walked over to the hooded robes in the middle of the room. She fiddled with the arms, removing something from them and bringing them to Arktalaki. She reached for Arktalaki’s arms and started to wrap the objects around them despite the younger girl's initial confusion. The Mentor stepped back when she was done. Arktalaki looked down at her arms. Vambraces of fur and skin were wrapped around them, and each had the sheathes she saw earlier on the underside. She gripped the handle she saw, and from it she pulled an obsidian blade, carved to near perfection. It glistened in the firelight.

“I can teach you how to be an Assassin,” the Mentor said finally. Arktalaki looked at her, then the blade, then back at her.

“If I agree to let you train me, will you help me take down Tanaguq?” she asked. The Mentor nodded. Arktalaki did the same, and she sheathed her blade back into its spot on her arm. “Very well then,” she said. “Let's do it.”

Description
July 4, 12985 BCE; Siberia

Arktalaki rushed down into the inner chamber, hyperventilating with eyes like two full moons.

“Wamuneq!” she cried out. She received no response. She started frantically looking around the room for the old woman. “Wamuneq please I have so many questions!” Still no response. Finally, she swallowed her pride and tried one more thing. “Mentor!”

“Yes, child?”

Arktalaki yelped and jumped like a startled puppy. She spun around to face the old woman who had somehow appeared right behind her. How did she move so silently? Magic? Or was she more skillful than her appearance let on? More questions added to Arktalaki's growing list.

“You look like you've seen a ghost, child,” the Mentor said casually, paying no mind to Arktalaki's startled expression.

“I… I… I have questions! An… and I want answers to them! Please…”

“Alright.”

“I… wait that's it? You're just going to give me my answers? No wisecracks or bizarre stones or anything?”

“Well, I won't give you your answers. I'll give you my answers. Your own answers you must find for yourself.”

“I'm really not in the mood for riddles…”

“It's not a riddle, my child. It's a truth.” The old woman smiled as Arktalaki just stared in confusion. The Mentor tapped her walking stick against the younger girl's arm. “Come child. Let us sit.”

Arktalaki was hesitant, but nonetheless she sat down next to the Mentor on a large stone that gave them a nice view of the chamber and all its decorations.

“It was Arktalaki, right?” the Mentor asked her. Arktalaki nodded. “And you know my name,” the Mentor continued. “So, you said you have questions?”

“Of course I do!” Arktalaki said. “What was that thing? What were those… those… visions? What did you mean it was the real reason my tribe was slaughtered?”

“One at a time, child.”

Arktalaki grumbled. She didn't much appreciate the Mentor’s tone.

“I suppose it'll be easiest to start with the first one,” the Mentor figured. She pulled a couple of stones out of her satchel and struck them until they sparked so that the pile of twigs in front of them grew a small but steady flame. The Mentor gazed into the flickering lights as she spoke.

“What if I told you that the disk I gave you was created by the gods?”

“It wouldn't surprise me given how… unnatural it was,” Arktalaki said. “I can't imagine anything but the gods would be able to craft such a thing.”

“In my circle of people, we call these strange objects, these tools of the gods, Pieces of Eden. They are relics that predate humankind itself. They take many forms and hold many different powers. Blades that harness lightning, blankets that grant eternal life, or in this case, disks that reveal the stories of those long gone from this world.”

“So those visions I had… they were real?”

“They were real in the sense that they were events that had happened. But they were merely projections put upon your eyes and mind. They are long in the past, and you were shown a repeat. Much like how we paint our stories on the walls to remember them always.”

“It was so bizarre… it was as though I was actually there. As if I had ceased to exist and I had actually become that woman. Eve was her name.”

The Mentor nodded. “Have you heard the legend of the humans’ war against the gods?”

“Of course. My mother often told me it as a child. The one where the spirits gave the gift of freewill to a chosen woman and-” She paused. She began to connect the dots in her head. “Oh…”

The Mentor smiled and nodded.

“I never thought I'd get that acquainted with that story…” Arktalaki said. “But still… what does this have to do with Tanaguq and my people? Why would that disk, impressive as it is, be worth such bloodshed?”

“Like I told you, there are many more of these Pieces, each with their unique abilities. I know of six of those disks, each with a story encoded in them. Tanaguq has been roaming these lands for decades, conquering and murdering in hopes of finding them all. For he believes it will lead them to something much more powerful.”

“Them? You mean the Mahanuq?”

“No, my child. Tanaguq’s quest is not for his tribe, but for his Order.”

“I don't understand.”

“When the world burned and the gods were dead, a great evil arose from the flames. A tribe of people who refused to stop fighting the war even when all the tyrants were gone. They simply wanted blood, and it became a need for power as well, because power is what gave them freedom to feed that bloodlust. It was a cruel, tragic cycle. These people still exist to this day, scheming all across the world to oppress all around them. They call themselves the Templar Order, and Tanaguq is their leader in these lands. He believes that these disks will lead him to the ultimate source of control. You saw it for yourself through Eve's eyes. The Apple of Eden.”

Arktalaki thought back to her visions of Eve in Eden. She remembered the pure subservience that she was forced into under the power of the Apple. It glowed like the sun and robbed her of all sense of self. She was like a rock, unfeeling and unaware of the abuses it gained by being kicked around. The gods were able to treat her and her kind however they wanted, and there was nothing they could do to rebel. The thought of such an object being in the hands of the man who butchered her family…

“He cannot have the Apple!” Arktalaki declared. “Too many would die at his hands!”

The Mentor nodded. “And now that you're here, I believe we may have a fighting chance of stopping him.”

“We?”

“His is not the only order that has existed since the endtimes. The reason I am called the Mentor is because I once led the Brotherhood that has opposed the Templars ever since they sprang from the underworld. We are called the Assassins, guardians of humanity and its freewill.”

“And yet there is just you, hiding in this cave?”

For the first time, Arktalaki saw the Mentor’s expression sadden. The older woman lowered her head. “We used to be prosperous in this region,” she quietly explained. “We had members from every tribe band together under our symbol, men and women dedicated to saving the world. But then Tanaguq began to form his army. He began to spread east and conquer. He and his Templars hunted us down like game and slaughtered every last one of us in cold blood in hopes of finding the disks. Six of us were assigned to run and hide the disks where none would find them. While all of us succeeded, I was the only one to survive… I had no means of resistance, not anymore, and so I remained here while the Mahanuq forces swept across the land. I made sure to keep the disk safe until the right person finally came along.”

Arktalaki looked at the Mentor. “And you think… I'm the right person?”

“You have the sight, my child. Even the most skilled Assassins have trouble mastering it. But you… you have it by birth. You have our blood in you. You have the power to save these lands and lead its people to liberation!”

But Arktalaki shook her head. “As much as I would love to fight these Templars you speak of… I can't. I'm just a girl, a chief's daughter who only just learned to hunt. I can't fight such a foe.”

“Perhaps not now, but I can train you, child.”

“Train me?”

“Yes. I can train you and teach you our ways. I can help you harness the skills to fight the Templars.”

Suddenly, the Mentor stood up and walked over to the hooded robes in the middle of the room. She fiddled with the arms, removing something from them and bringing them to Arktalaki. She reached for Arktalaki’s arms and started to wrap the objects around them despite the younger girl's initial confusion. The Mentor stepped back when she was done. Arktalaki looked down at her arms. Vambraces of fur and skin were wrapped around them, and each had the sheathes she saw earlier on the underside. She gripped the handle she saw, and from it she pulled an obsidian blade, carved to near perfection. It glistened in the firelight.

“I can teach you how to be an Assassin,” the Mentor said finally. Arktalaki looked at her, then the blade, then back at her.

“If I agree to let you train me, will you help me take down Tanaguq?” she asked. The Mentor nodded. Arktalaki did the same, and she sheathed her blade back into its spot on her arm. “Very well then,” she said. “Let's do it.”