System in Assassin's Creed

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: William Penn

[Current Balance: £2,612 10s. 5d.](83,600R)

”What the fuck?” Alaric muttered, raising his eyebrows. ’They’re all fucking poor...’

He sighed as he finally went towards the captives, ’Well... £12 is actually a lot, not for me though...’

---

”Hey,” Alaric called out as the captives squirmed against their ropes. His small hands worked quickly, untying the knots. ”Stop wiggling. I’ll get the blindfold off first.”

The middle-aged man froze. ”A child? Please... help us. I’ll reward you!”

”Relax, I’m helping,” Alaric muttered. He yanked off the man’s blindfold, revealing a face slick with sweat. The campfire light made the man squint.

”Father...!” The younger captive, a teenager, hiccuped through his tears. ”We’re alive!”

Alaric side-eyed the crying boy. ’Older than me but crying like a toddler. Can’t blame him, though. Bandits suck.’ He sliced the ropes binding the older man with his kunai

”You’re truly just a child...” The middle-aged man’s eyes widened a little.

”Father!” The younger captive gasped, rubbing his wrists. His eyes watered. ”We’re alive! I thought we were done for...”

”Calm yourself, William,” the older man said sharply. He turned to Alaric, studying him. ”You... killed these men?”

Alaric nodded as he looked at the middle-aged man. ’His outfit looks normal... however, he reeks of money.’

The bandits’ bodies lay sprawled around the fire, their throats slit or stabbed.

”They weren’t friendly.”

The man stared at him. ”You’re just a boy. How?”

”Luck.” Alaric pocketed his dagger. ”What’s your name?”

”William Penn,” the man said. ”This is my son, William Penn Jr. We’re indebted to you. Name your reward. Gold? Land? His Majesty will hear of your service.”

’William Penn!? THAT William Penn!?’ Alaric froze. ”Wait. William Penn. The guy who founded Pennsylvania?”

’No way. My history teacher’s gonna lose it.’

Penn’s eyebrows shot up. ”You know of my colony?”

”Uh... Bristol’s got books,” Alaric lied, kicking dirt over the campfire. ”Why’re you here? Shouldn’t you be in America?”

Penn frowned. ”I’m here at King William’s request. A matter of trade. But our guards were killed by these bandits on the way here...” He gestured at the bodies.

Alaric nodded. ”Sucks. Let’s find your horses.”

”Horses?” William Jr. wiped his nose. ”The bandits took them!”

”Nah. Bandits are lazy. They’ll stash horses nearby to sell later.” Alaric adjusted the straps of his sandals. ”Follow me. And quiet. Unless you wanna meet more of these guys.”

’There’re none of these guys left... I just want them quiet.’

---

Penn hurried to keep up with Alaric’s brisk pace. ”How do you know so much about bandits?”

”I pay attention.” Alaric ducked under a branch. ”You’re a Quaker, right? Why’d the king send a peace preacher to do dirty work?”

Penn stiffened. ”The Crown and I share... mutual interests. Stability in the colonies benefits all.”

”Stability, huh.” Alaric smirked. ’Translation: The king’s using you.’

”Must be fun compromising your ’principles’.”

”Principles mean little if my people starve,” Penn said coldly.

William Jr. piped up, still sniffling. ”Father’s a great man! You wouldn’t understand!”

”Sure, sure.” Alaric spotted horse tracks in the mud. ”Over here.”

They found the horses tied to a tree a half-mile from the road. Alaric sliced the ropes with his kunai.

”Thank God,” Penn breathed. ”But our wagon was left further ahead. Can you...?”

”Obviously, I found it in the main road,” Alaric hopped onto a horse’s back, his small legs dangling. ”Keep up, old man.”

---

The wagon sat where Alaric had found it earlier... broken, horseless, and stripped of valuables. Penn frowned. ”The axle’s damaged. We’ll need repairs.”

”Duh.” Alaric tossed him a rope. ”Tie the horses. I’ll fix the wheel.”

”You know carpentry?” William Jr. asked, skeptical.

”I know how to survive.” Alaric jammed a kunai into the broken wheel spokes to wedge it steady. ”Your dad’s got money. Why’d he travel with just ten guards?”

Penn tightened the horse harness. ”I believed Bristol’s roads safe. A... miscalculation.”

”A dumb miscalculation,” Alaric said. ”Rich guys like you are targets. Bet the king didn’t warn you, huh?”

Penn’s jaw twitched. ”The Crown assured me of protection.”

”And you believed them?” Alaric snorted. ”You’re like... weirdly naive for a grown-up.”

William Jr. stepped forward, fists clenched. ”Stop talking to my father like that!”

”Or what?” Alaric tilted his head. ”You’ll cry at me?”

”Enough,” Penn snapped. He turned to Alaric. ”You mentioned my ’principles’ earlier. Do you mock them?”

Alaric paused. ’Quakers hate violence. But this guy’s working with a king who loves wars.’ ”Nah. Just think it’s funny. You’re all ’peace’ and ’equality’, but you’re here kissing a king’s boots so he doesn’t tax your colony to death.”

Penn stared at him. ”How do you know about taxes?”

”Books,” Alaric said quickly. ”Let’s go.”

---

They rode in silence, Alaric sitting cross-legged on the wagon’s edge. His Anbu sandals tapped rhythmically against the wood.

’Such a young lad, I can’t help myself but to admire him,’ He thought as he held the ropes tightly, ”I never did catch your name, young savior.”

”Alaric,” Alaric replied, yawning as he looked forward, ”Alaric Jonathan Kenway.”

”A strong name. Roman, isn’t it?”

”My parents liked the name... sounded like a scholar, they said.”

”Scholar ey? Then you should be in school, Alaric. Not out here...”

”Too poor for school.” Alaric watched the road. ”Besides, I’m helping you, aren’t I?”

”Helping huh...” Penn sighed. ”What do you want? Gold? Land in Pennsylvania?”

”A place to crash. For me, my family, and two friends.”

”Crash...?”

”Stay. For a week. I figured you have some kind of house or mansion waiting within the city.” Alaric avoided his gaze. ”One of my friend’s a former slave. Got a problem with that?”

Penn’s voice softened. ”Oh no... my colony welcomes all.”

”Good.” Alaric stood, balancing easily on the moving wagon. ”I’ll come meet you at four o’clock. Don’t die before then.”

”Wait—!”

But Alaric leaped off the wagon, immediately disappearing from their view.

William Jr. stared. ”Is he... a demon?”

”No,” Penn said quietly. ”Maybe he’s just a child with an abnormal body.”

...

”Why did he jump?”