System in Assassin's Creed

Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Kassandra VS Reuben, Thulani, Jonathan, Oldgate, Flavia & Matteo

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The atmosphere in the vast underground training cave beneath the Kenway Mansion was thick with anticipation and disbelief.

Nearly fifty people lined the edges of the packed underground cave, the entire Kenway family which consisted of Leonard, Eleanor, Bernard, and Linette... the thirty or so Auditore Assassins who had relocated from Italy, and even some of the more trusted Kenway Estate staff who occasionally used the grounds for practice.

All eyes were fixed on the center.

On one side stood Kassandra, looking utterly relaxed, armed only with a simple, blunt practice sword that was given to her. On the other side, looking considerably more tense, stood the challenging team.

Reuben, wielding the glowing Sword of Damokles and his dagger. Flavia, armed with her own sword, dagger, and hidden blades ready Matteo Auditore, gripping his masterwork sword tightly. Thulani, hefting his massive greatsword. Jonathan Hugh, holding a standard longsword with practiced ease, thinking that he didn’t need to use his gear... and even Captain Oldgate, looking slightly ridiculous but determined, holding a heavy cutlass he’d borrowed.

Six opponents, all highly skilled and physically imposing, against one woman. The spectators murmured amongst themselves, confused. Even Kassandra’s opponents were uncertain.

Was this truly fair?

But the memory of Alaric’s casual wager of half a million pounds each if they won was a powerful motivator, overriding their reservations.

Kassandra surveyed her opponents, a confident smirk playing on her lips.

”Are you all ready?” she called out, her voice echoing slightly.

Matteo scowled, gripping his sword tighter. ”Are you ready, Donna Kassandra?” he retorted stiffly.

Kassandra just chuckled, then glanced towards the edge of the training ground where Alaric stood leaning against a support pillar, casually smoking a cigar. He caught her eye and gave a slight nod.

”Alright,” Alaric announced, his voice easily carrying across the space. He held up the cigar, which was burning down to the nub. ”When this cigar lands on the floor...” He paused, letting the anticipation build. ”...you can start anytime after that.”

All the combatants nodded confidently.

”Alaric, son!” Leonard called out from the spectator area, sounding worried. ”What are you doing!? This isn’t right!”

Before Alaric could reply, Kassandra turned her head towards Leonard and Eleanor, her smirk softening into a reassuring smile. ”Do not worry, Mother, Father,” she called back easily, already adopting the titles. ”I will simply show you how strong your daughter-in-law truly is.”

A wave of shock rippled through the spectators at her bold confidence and casual use of familial terms. Alaric felt a blush creep up his neck again but couldn’t help the proud grin spreading across his face. ’She’s just so badass...’

He took one last, long drag from his cigar, then flicked the glowing butt casually towards the center of the arena. It landed softly on the dirt floor between Kassandra and her six opponents.

The spar began.

Kassandra didn’t move immediately, letting her opponents make the first move. As they cautiously circled her, her eyes landed on Reuben’s sword. ”I noticed it before,” she commented calmly, ”but that sword... it resembles the one my brother used to wield.”

Reuben raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the Sword of Damokles, then back at Alaric who just shrugged. ”Alaric told me it is the Sword of Damokles,” Reuben replied, confused by her statement.

”Whatever you call it,” Kassandra replied dismissively, just as Thulani chose that moment to charge, greatsword raised for a crushing blow. Simultaneously, Flavia darted in from the side, dagger flashing.

Kassandra moved like lightning. She sidestepped Thulani’s predictable overhead smash, letting the massive blade crash into the dirt where she’d been standing. At the same time, she deflected Flavia’s dagger thrust with her practice sword, spun inside Flavia’s guard, and delivered a swift, open-palmed strike to the Assassin’s chest, sending her stumbling back, gasping for air.

Before Thulani could recover his greatsword, Kassandra flowed towards him, ducking under a wild swing from Oldgate’s cutlass and tapping the pommel of Thulani’s sword hilt sharply, jarring his grip.

Jonathan lunged with his longsword but Kassandra parried effortlessly, using the momentum to spin away from a thrust by Matteo. Reuben tried to capitalize on the momentary opening, lunging with the Sword of Damokles.

Clang!

Kassandra blocked the glowing blade with her simple practice sword, the impact sending a shockwave through the air but leaving her unmoved. It was basically impossible... the Isu Sword was being blocked by a normal blade.

”Going easy on me, boys?” she taunted, easily pushing Reuben’s blade aside. ”And you, Assassin,” she glanced at Flavia who was rejoining the fray, ”you can’t even block a palm to the chest?”

The initial cautiousness of the group evaporated, replaced by grim determination. They attacked again, this time with more coordination.

Thulani used his reach and power to try and pin her down, while Reuben and Flavia attacked from the flanks with speed and precision. Matteo and Jonathan provided support, looking for openings, while Oldgate swung his heavy cutlass in wide, powerful arcs, trying to force her back.

It was useless. Kassandra moved between them effortlessly as her practice sword seemed to blur.

She deflected Thulani’s blows with seemingly impossible strength, sidestepped Reuben’s glowing blade, disarmed Flavia with contemptuous ease, tripped Jonathan as he lunged, and easily avoided Oldgate’s slower swings.

She wasn’t just defending; she was controlling the fight, landing light, almost insulting taps with her sword on Matteo’s shoulder, Reuben’s arm, Thulani’s leg... demonstrating her superiority without inflicting real damage.

”Is this truly the best you can do?” she mocked, effortlessly ducking under Thulani’s greatsword and landing a solid kick to Oldgate’s knee that made the big captain roar in pain and stumble back. ”I fought sheep in Kephallonia more challenging than this!”

”Enough!” Matteo roared, infuriated by her taunts and effortless dominance. ”Everyone, full strength! Forget the wager, fight like your lives depend on it... she’s not normal, like Alaric!”

The intensity ratcheted up immediately. Thulani roared, putting all his enhanced strength into a devastating horizontal swing with his greatsword.

Reuben activated the full power of the Sword of Damokles, its golden glow intensifying as he launched a series of lightning-fast thrusts. Flavia used smoke bombs for cover, her hidden blade seeking a vital point. Jonathan and Matteo attacked in tandem, trying to overwhelm her defenses.

Kassandra’s smirk widened. ”Finally,” she breathed.

She met Thulani’s greatsword head-on. Instead of deflecting, she blocked directly with her practice sword. There was a sickening CRACK! as Thulani’s massive blade snapped clean in two just below the hilt, the force of the impact sending shards of steel flying.

Thulani stared in stunned disbelief at the useless handle in his hands. ’H-How... how did she shatter my sword with a blunt practice blade!?’

Before anyone could react to that, Kassandra moved. The Staff of Hermes Trismegistus appeared in her hand in a flash of golden light, instantly reforming into the glowing Spear of Leonidas.

”What in the...?!” Oldgate gasped, stumbling back from the sudden display of power. Reuben, Flavia, Matteo, and Jonathan froze momentarily, shocked by the appearance and transformation of the Isu artifact.

”My turn to stop playing,” Kassandra announced, her voice now resonating with the Staff’s power.

She exploded forward, the spear was a blur of golden light. Her speed and strength were now on a completely different level. She disarmed Matteo with a flick of the spear shaft, sent Jonathan flying with an energy-enhanced shield bash, parried Reuben’s Sword of Damokles with ease, and danced around Flavia’s attacks as if they were in slow motion.

From the sidelines, Bernard Kenway turned to his brother Leonard, his face was as white as paper. ”God’s teeth, Leo... what kind of woman did your boy bring home?”

Leonard could only shake his head, speechless.

Meanwhile, Alaric simply lit another cigar, watching the fight with keen interest. ’Thulani’s strength has improved, definitely stronger than before. Jonathan’s swordsmanship is cleaner too. Flavia’s faster, more precise. And Reuben... he’s truly mastered the Sword’s power now, no longer letting it control him. Impressive growth.’ He took a drag. ’Still... Kassandra’s just a freak of nature. Her millenia worth of experience and built body puts her leagues above them, and there’s that staff too...’

Seeing Thulani standing disarmed and shocked, Alaric acted. He reached up, tracing a seal pattern on his shoulder tattoo. With a shimmer, the legendary sword Excalibur appeared in his hand, its blade radiating a faint, holy light.

”Thulani!” Alaric called out. ”Catch! A gift for you!”

He tossed the sword across the training. Thulani reacted instinctively, catching the hilt. The moment his fingers closed around the legendary blade, power surged through him. He felt stronger, faster, his senses sharpening. The Asura’s Crest seal on his body pulsed in resonance with the sword.

He looked down at Excalibur, then back at Alaric with wide, grateful eyes, before turning back to the fight with renewed determination, now easily matching Reuben’s enhanced level.

But even with Thulani wielding Excalibur, it made little difference overall. Kassandra, empowered by the Staff of Hermes, moved like a whirlwind of destruction. She systematically dismantled their coordinated attacks, her spear flashing, energy blasts erupting from the tip, her movements too fast, too powerful, too skilled.

She sent Thulani crashing into a wall despite Excalibur’s power, disarmed Reuben again, caught Flavia in an energy snare, and sent Jonathan and Matteo sprawling with precise strikes from the spear’s shaft. Oldgate wisely decided to stay back after receiving another painful kick.

The fight continued, but the outcome was clear. Kassandra was simply untouchable, effortlessly dominating six highly skilled opponents, two of whom wielded Isu artifacts. The spectators watched in stunned silence, their earlier confusion replaced by sheer awe at the display of power from Alaric’s ’wife’.

The spar finally ended not with a dramatic finishing blow, but with sheer exhaustion from Kassandra’s opponents. Reuben was the last one standing, barely, leaning heavily on the Sword of Damokles, his chest heaving, sweat pouring down his face. Flavia, Matteo, Jonathan, and Thulani were scattered around the arena floor, groaning or simply too winded to move. Oldgate had wisely retreated to the edge long ago, nursing his bruised knee.

Kassandra stood in the center, staff held loosely at her side, breathing only slightly faster than normal. A light sheen of sweat glistened on her temples, but otherwise, she looked ready to go for a couple more rounds. It had been good exercise, a decent warm-up.

Reuben, panting, finally managed to speak, his voice raspy. ”’Laric... what the hell... where did you find this woman!?”

Oldgate nodded emphatically from the sidelines. ”I agree, lad! Never seen the like! And that weapon she’s holding, too... changes shape!”

Thulani, pushing himself up onto his elbows, looked down at Excalibur, then back at Kassandra. ”I... I have many questions...” he managed between breaths.

Murmurs erupted from the spectators... the Assassins, the Kenway family, the staff... a mixture of disbelief, awe, and fear.

Alaric allowed it for a moment, letting the reality of Kassandra’s power sink in. Kassandra looked over at him, a questioning look in her eyes, unsure how to handle the reaction. Alaric just winked and gave a subtle nod, motioning for her to let them process.

After a few moments, Alaric raised a hand. Instantly, the murmuring died down, all eyes focusing on him. ’Now that I think about it...’, he mused internally, ’...we all look like we’re in some damn cult meeting right now, hanging on my every word.’ He mentally shook the thought away and looked directly at the six defeated combatants on the floor.

”So...” Alaric said calmly, his voice carrying easily. ”You’ve lost the bet.”

The six of them fidgeted. Reuben sighed and looked away. Flavia winced. Thulani and Jonathan scratched the backs of their heads awkwardly. Oldgate just grunted. Matteo, however, pushed himself into a sitting position, looking directly at Kassandra, his earlier anger replaced by grudging respect and embarrassment.

”I... I am deeply sorry, Signora Kassandra,” he said formally, bowing his head slightly. ”I was wrong to doubt you. Your skill... it is beyond anything I have witnessed.”

Kassandra’s smirk returned, though it held less mockery now and more genuine amusement. ”Bah,” she waved a dismissive hand. ”Think nothing of it, Maestro. I had a good warm-up, thanks to all of you.”

She looked around at the defeated group. ”Let’s do this again sometime, yes? It has been too long since I had multiple sparring partners.”

Reuben, hearing this, managed to push himself to his feet, still leaning heavily on his sword. ”Umm... wouldn’t it be better if you fight ’Laric instead?” he asked bluntly. ”Not that I’m ungrateful for the lesson... but with your strength, maybe you could actually go toe-to-toe with him.”

Reuben’s statement caused another wave of silence as everyone turned to look first at Alaric, then back at Kassandra.

Kassandra let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. ”Unfortunately, Reuben was it?” she replied, her tone surprisingly weary, ”and fortunately for my pride, perhaps... I cannot win against him.” She glanced at Alaric, who was now lighting another cigar. ”He does not even need to fight me seriously.”

A collective intake of breath seemed to suck the air out of the cavern. Everyone stared at Alaric with wide, disbelieving eyes. They knew he was strong, impossibly so. But Kassandra, the woman who had just effortlessly dismantled six elite fighters, claimed he didn’t even need to try against her?

Just how powerful was he!?

Alaric just smiled nonchalantly around his cigar, seemingly oblivious to the stunned silence. ”Nah,” he waved a hand dismissively. ”That’s exaggerated. Stop overestimating me, Kass.”

Kassandra’s eye twitched at the nickname, but she just sighed again, knowing arguing was pointless. Alaric wasn’t the type to brag, but his casual denials often felt more intimidating than any boast.

”Maláka...”

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