Contract 3: An Unlawful Presence

Ayane was in an alleyway in Rome, it was cold, dark and it stank like someone had died for a week...if she was in Japan she would've ordered her guards to kill whoever was controlling this area for it to become this way...but she wasn't in Japan anymore, she was in Italy and she had to obey whoever controlled the Italian Branch. She however was waiting for a specific guard to come by for her little mission for the Templars though Kami knows why he would know what she wanted.

It being the dead of night, the guards were changing their shifts. The swordsmen bowed and thanked the others as they went home to have late dinner with their families. The new guard Pikemen entered the guard locations and returned to watching the streets. One turned to the other, the moonlight glinting off his steel armour that covered his head, body and legs. He held his pike with one hand.
"A time to be doing duty isn't it?" He chuckled. He was located on the other side of an arch. "The streets smell the worst at this time and it's almost impossible to see!"
The other guard chuckled and replied.
"Yes, indeed. Now if an Assassin were to come along...!"

Ayane watched as the two guardsmen interacted with one another, it was a pathetic sight, they were barely looking around them as they walked as they were now exposed to any kind of attack. She decided to trail them to see if they would separate, she could easily take on both of them but she only needed one to tell her the information she needed.

The other guard standing on the other side of the arch yawned and stretched his arms, lifting his pike from the ground as he did so. He released the stretch, the wooden end of the pike clattering on the ground as it made contact again.
"Do you want to quickly get a drink?" He asked. The other nodded but leant against the arch.
"You get two. Someone has to stay here. I'll just say you've gone to relieve yourself."
The other guard nidded, walking North through the arch and toward the nearest pub, leaving the other guard half-awake at his post.

Ayane smiled, this was almost too perfect, she slowly approached past the guard and took note of her surroundings, there was an empty alley near the guard which she could use to interrogate him and in this part of the city no one would think twice of someone attacking a guard. Therefore once she checked the coast is clear and made sure the guard's friend has left she quickly pulled the guard into the alley and before he could react punched him in the gut before saying, "Tell me where you've locked up those bandits" she said in Italian though with a heavy Japanese accent.

The guard had almost no time to cry out before he was forcefully yanked into the alley. He was punched in the gut but he merely reeled as the armour protected him from the brunt of the blow. He brought out his sword, the metal screeching against the scabbard which it was held in. He brought his sword high, pointing it toward Ayane.
"What do you think you're doing, attacking a Roman Guard? You must be insane. Why would I tell you about bandits?"

"Good afternoon." A man strode upon the scene, just behind the guard. His face was sheathed in shadow, beneath a fine hood and red robes. The world seemed to flicker around him, like a bug was being activated. He flicked his wrist to reveal what was not a hidden blade, but a fine, gold-plated handle of a dagger. He span it around so his fingers wrapped around the handle and he thrust forward, digging the sharp end into the back of the unfortunate guard, who was facing away from him.

Ayane looked at the new-comer, he looked intimidating and dominating but at the same time she could feel a killing intent that she had only seen in the most powerful of samurais, "Who are you?" she asked the man before saying the guard, "even if you do report me to your superiors you will find that they can do nothing at all and as for why..." she gave a wry laugh before saying, "I will hunt down your family and kill them one by one until you give me the location of those bandits."

The guard yelled as the dagger dug into his back. It hadn't actually hit a vital organ so he was left screaming and squirming on the ground as it was pulled out. He gasped as his sword clattered against the road.
"If this is your idea of torture... then fine, you shall have the information..."
He could barely move as blood flowed out of his body.
"Underneath the jail cells... Just north of here... they're located in the deepest part of the prison..."

"Who I am is unimportant." Cesare chuckled, his armour gleaming in the moonlight. He yanked his bloody sword out of the guard, allowing him to drop to the ground. When the guard then proceeded to give the information she wanted away, he chuckled and sheathed his dagger back into its secret compartment by his wrist.
"If you want him to live, you had better take him to a dottore."
With a swish of his cape and a turn of the body, he vanished into the darkness once more.

Ayane scoffed, that man wanted the guard to live? A funny thing to say considering that he just gave the guard a mortal blow, she had no time to waste on the weak, "Sorry little guard...but your time is over" she whispered before she sliced his head apart with her katana, wiping the blood off on a nearby wall before quickly heading to the location the guard said would contain the bandits.

As Ayane walked she wondered who that man could've been, it was evident that he was interested in the bandits as his earlier words dictated but right now he could either be an ally or a foe...but if he was the former then all would be good, the latter...not so good. Soon she arrived at the location where the guard had told her, an imposing place that was well guarded, she would need to be careful from here on in; she knocked on the door and said in Italian, "Open up!"

With the man disposed of, the other guard who came back to the archway with drinks looked around, confused.
"He's probably gone to the toilet..." He frowned, holding his drinks and continuing to look around.

----

The jail in which the bandits were held was dark and brown with imposing splatters of blood about the place. The bars that held the windows shut were secure and difficult to break, and almost impossible.
When Ayane called for the door to be opened, a small grate slid aside in the door to show the slits of a man's eyes.
"Who are you?" He replied in Italian.

Ayane looked at the guard's eyes and said, "I'm a 'special' present for the Captain of this magnificent fortress...it his birthday today and one of the men thought it would be a good idea for the Captain to 'relax' while you watch the fortress...oh and he likes it rough if you know what I mean" Ayane said disgusted that she had to take this route but there was no way in hell she was going to blitz through an entire fortress-full of guards so she had to play it safe for now.

The guard at the gate was quite taken aback by this presentation. He quickly bolted the grate back onto the door and unlocked the door itself, opening it and allowing Ayane to come in.
"He is busy at the moment, but I'm sure I have some free time right now." He encouraged her to step inside, not taking his eyes off her for a moment.

Ayane chuckled as she went into the fortress not believing how easy that she got in here..."you are such a bad boy...I'll have to punish you" she said to the guard in a seductive voice.

"I'll be looking forward to that. A drink?" The guard asked, draping his arm around hers and leading her down the stairs to where the guard station would be. This would enable him to leave her alone and keep her under watch while he got a drink for the both of them. Water droplets echoed throughout the structure as if there was a leak and his boots splashed in puddles.

Ayane chuckled as she felt the arm drape across her shoulder, "That would be nice...I'll even play a little nice for that" she said to the guard.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the guard knocked rythmically on a wooden door which was then promptly opened for him. When he stepped into the room, he was met with a series of oohs and aahs, no doubt aimed at the woman he had with him.
"You'll be fine here." The guard removed his arm from Ayane and stepped through an arch in the far corner of the room - presumably to the wine cellar.
There were about 5 off-duty guards all drinking alcohol and staring at Ayane. They sat on benches with tables between them.
"Come for a good time, huh?" One asked with a laugh.

Ayane laughed, "Of course" she said as she looked around for an opportunity to kill all the men present then steal the key to the jail, she chuckled as she began to seductively seduce all the men present.

A lantern hung above the men who were sitting at the tables. The light from it glowed faintly and it was probably the only light source in the room as there were no windows due to the room being partially underground. The five chatted to each other breifly before one leaned forward from his bench slightly, revealing the silver key hanging from a thin rope around his neck.
"He'll be gone a little while, knowing him...." He began speaking.

"Of course" Ayane said approaching the man as she stroked his face, "say...I'm feeling a little bored...perhaps we can go somewhere a little...'private'?" Ayane asked seductively.

"Of course, shall I show you around?" The man accepted her "invitation" standing up and removing the key from around his neck. He stepped over to a door in the far wall, unlocking it and revealing a well-lit coridoor.
"This is a back way into the residential area of the houses alongside this jail." He explained. "The carpeted floor and doors in the walls show you who lives here. Not royalty though."
He left they key in the lock, ushering the woman through. For a brief second, hr turned his back on her to wink to the other 4 guards.

Ayane laughed as she was led to a secluded part of the fortress as the guard led her there...she looked around and saw that both of them were alone, 'Good' she thought to herself, 'no witnesses' then she slowly unsheathe her katana and in one quick stroke she sliced the guard's head apart, killing him instantly, she then took the key and went back to the room where the 4 men were.

The four men who had a minute ago been so jovial and jolly stood up and dropped their alcohol on the floor once they saw Ayane again, holding a bloodstained sword.
"Inpossible!" They gasped, drawing each of their swords and taking up defensive positions. The light from the oil lantern flickered above them.

Ayane laughed, "Silly men...did you think that I was here as a whore? Think again" she then charged at the men as they charged at her, she sliced one of the guard's neck apart and he fell without a word, one of them then tried to stab here but she easily dodged and grabbing his wrists she broke it before smashing his head on a table.