Shall We Play A Game?

Day 1

"This is bloody ridiculous."

Nobody paid attention to Haytham's mutter, busy as they were shouting the utter absurdity of what happened to them. Which was 'explained' a few seconds ago by a semi-transparent woman that appeared out of thin air, airily admitting it was a game. A freaking game.

"BOLLOCKS! My Jackdaw needs me NOW!"

"What sorcery is this?"

"Cazzo! Mai una volta che vada tutto bene!"

"Charles Lee…!"

Everyone of them was trapped inside a transparent tube made of glass, but it couldn't be broken. Much to someone's disappointment and someone else's relief.

"That's…! Why me?! Fuck you, Juno!"

"Desmond, might I remind you every problem can be solved with a cool mind?"

"SHAUN…!"

"Shut up! You are behaving like children!"

"Lucy-"

"I know as much as you do about this, Desmond."

"NO ONE CAN TRAP ME!"

"Zitto, bastardo!"

"SHUT UP!"

Every single person in the circle surrounding the Town Square snapped their heads towards Altair. They didn't even hear him in the chaos, and his shout startled most of the fifteen people into silence. The ones who didn't were silenced by his piercing glare.

"…Altair?" Ezio's face has gone as pale as a sheet of paper, but nobody noticed that.

The Syrian Assassin opened his mouth to say something, but a feminine voice suddenly announced, "Begin Night 1." And everyone's glass suddenly obscured.

Night 1

"Each of you has a different role, as indicated by the writing in front of you."

Indeed, Altair read the word "Vigilante" in front of him. Right below it was written, "Choose to take justice into your own hands and shoot someone". He assumed everyone else had another 'role' with another… task.

"Each role has different abilities. Most of them have a night ability, which can be activated each night in nearly every case. For example, the Serial Killer can kill one person every night – while the Werewolf can kill only every two nights, when there is full moon."

Werewolf? What was that?

"But there can be a day ability, too – the Jailor decides who to jail during the day, to interrogate them during the night. The two phases last only for two minutes, so choose wisely who your target is."

Altair almost jumped back when a white square suddenly popped out – there were fifteen names, each linked to a face and a button. He narrowed his eyes when he recognized his own. He was no one's target.

"If your ability is to kill, your target will be killed – regardless of his or her combat ability."

This was preposterous! Altair would not be killed by lesser men because of a stupid game!

"But if your target's role includes Night Immunity, he can't be killed at night and your attack will fail."

And how was he supposed to know who was immune?!

"Further information will be given throughout the game. Good luck!"

The voice vanished, and other two squares popped up. One was indicating the time (1:25, 1:24… that was definitely the time left for the night) and the last one indicated his… role's abilities. Which included he couldn't shoot on Night 1 and Altair had three 'bullets' (he assumed it meant tries) left.

And he would die of guilt (why would he regret killing someone that deserved to die?) if he shot another "town member". Maybe it meant a group of roles? Maybe… he was a "town member"?

Shay heard whispers, but he couldn't recognize the voices.

"I can, uhm, 'distract' someone each night."

"What do you mean?"

"I can… block someone's ability each night. It says so, at least."

"I can kill someone, instead – but if the 'Godfather' wants another person dead, I'll be forced to oblige."

"Me too."

"Interesting."

Why did he hear whispers? Who were these people? Shay looked at the square that popped up for answers, and he read, "You can anonymously hear the Mafia talk at night" and "You will know who the Mafia visits at night".

So these whispers were the… 'Mafia'?

"I'd say… kill Achilles."

Well, Shay almost agreed with the idea – but that would mean lowering themselves at the Assassins' level. This unknown guy was surely a Templar, and he felt he should recognize him.

"Connor can bring much more trouble, in my opinion."

Shay didn't have any idea about what to do. He had everyone's name in front of him, and he couldn't do anything but listen! What kind of sick game was this?!

"I'll distract Connor, then."

The once-Assassin could almost hear a nod. "Good. You distract Connor, you two kill Achilles and Adewale."

Malik wasn't sure what he should do.

"Sheriff", the writing said. He was a "Sheriff" and apparently he could tell apart "town members" (allies?), "mafia" and the Serial Killer. It was an interesting role.

After scanning fourteen faces and names (of which he knew only one, damn it), he decided his target would be "Haytham". Who in his right mind would give a name similar to Altair's? Eagle, little eagle – ugh, not even a little bit of creativity!

The man's face just struck him as suspicious. Malik almost decided to investigate "Edward", his features being similar to the crusaders' – but there was something of him that screamed innocent. The one-armed dai briefly wondered why, and he waited for the 'night' to end.

Edward grinned. This role was going to be fun!

He pressed two buttons randomly and snickered when "Connor" and "Cesare" lit up.

If he couldn't return to his Jackdaw, teleporting random people was going to be his new hobby until he died in this 'game'!

Day 2

The glass became see-through once again, but Lucy's and Thomas's remained black.

"We found Lucy dead last night." Desmond's breath was stolen by those emotionless words. Lucy was alive two minutes ago! How dared someone kill her?!

"She was stabbed by a Serial Killer. Lucy's role was Consort, and we couldn't find any last will." The voice rang out again, and everyone looked at the information about the Consort's role in front of them. "We found a death note."

A bloodied paper was shown in front of them, bearing the words of, "Prendi questo, bastardo!"

Lucy's glass prison lowered itself, disappearing. Desmond's dismayed shout was muffled by his own glass, as was his furious pounding on it.

"We found Thomas dead last night. He was killed by a Veteran."

A what? Everyone here was a Veteran!

"We couldn't find any last will or any death note. His role was Mafioso." His darkened glass disappeared, but this time nobody was openly opposed to it.

Silence.

"Now we know that the… Serial Killer… is Italian," Achilles announced, and everyone looked at Ezio and Cesare. "It can be one of you, or someone else who knows that language."

The two men pointed at each other, growling, "It's him!"

"Well, Desmond knows Italian as well," Shaun stated, "but I don't think he's smart enough to frame someone else."

"Shaun! I'm not an idiot – and you know Italian too! You lived in Italy for years!"

"Yes, staying a place for a long time generally forces anyone to learn its language." He smirked. "You almost fooled me – I really thought you were an idiot. And I still think so."

Desmond's expression darkened further. "My role doesn't allow me to kill, but I really, really want to strangle you."

Malik cleared his throat. Bickering wouldn't get them anywhere. "The Serial Killer's target wasn't Lucy," was his statement, "since the message clearly refers to someone else."

"The role of Serial Killer forces him to kill both the Escort and the Consort if they happen to block him. The Serial Killer's target remains untouched for the night."

The man allowed himself a tiny smirk at the voice's affirmation. "Exactly. Lucy must have tried to… 'block' one of you four."

"I wasn't blocked."

"Me neither."

"It was Cesare!"

"Ezio is an Assassin! It's him!"

"It can't possibly be none of you." Connor crossed his arms when he got everybody's attention. "Report what you did last night, and what happened to you."

Desmond answered first. "I watched Ezio, and I know that he wasn't visited by anyone."

"I investigated Thomas, and I could guess his role was either Mafioso, Vigilante or Veteran," Shaun replied, and Connor nodded.

"I didn't do anything this night, and Desmond can attest as much."

"I did nothing," Cesare stated, glaring at Ezio. "It said I was 'transported' to another location, how could I do anything at all?!"

Connor frowned. "It said the same to me, too. What does it mean?"

"The role of Transporter can switch the positions of two players each night. Whoever visits player A will end up visiting player B, and the same applies for the other. But no one will notice the targets have been switched apart from the players themselves."

"…This complicates things a lot." Everyone found themselves agreeing with Adewale.

"So everyone that visited Connor," Edward began, just to be sure, "ended up visiting… Cesare?"

"Looks like it," answered Haytham, nodding.

"And we don't have any idea about who's going to be swapped."

"Exactly." Then Altair frowned. "If we can discover who's doing this, we might have a chance to target the right people, instead of risk killing Town Members."

A bell rang, startling everyone. "The vote shall begin now. Each player can vote against another to put him on trial." Ezio and Cesare glared at each other venomously, their fingers already pressing down the buttons with the writing, "Vote".

Ezio Auditore voted against Cesare Borgia.

Cesare Borgia voted against Ezio Auditore.

"That was, uh… expected?"

"Your intelligence surprises me each day, Desmond."

Desmond Miles voted against Shaun Hastings.

"We're on the same side, you know…"

Connor Kenway voted against Charles Lee.

Achilles Davenport voted against Haytham Kenway.

The Templar raised an eyebrow. "And what did I do now? We're not even in our world."

The Native gave him a flat stare, scowling. "I don't trust you," he stated, and no one argued. Charles shrugged, but didn't vote against Connor.

Haytham didn't even bother defending himself from Achilles's vote. They just hated each other's guts, it wasn't surprising the old Assassin would take every chance he could to kill him.

"Tonight we'll need to get leads," Shay stated, surprising everyone. He remained silent during the whole discussion, who expected him to speak up now? "And whoever is the Transporter, don't swap anyone."

Nobody nodded, but the message arrived clear.

Adewale voted against Shay Cormac.

"Is this a random vote, Adewale?"

The man narrowed his eyes, looking utterly unimpressed. "You're a Templar. I don't trust you."

"Keeping old grudges now won't help anyone," Haytham affirmed, "since the role we're assigned is given randomly. For all we know, we could be targeting our own Town Members."

Connor, Adewale and Ezio grudgingly agreed.

"The Town is divided in three groups – Town Members, Mafia and Neutrals. Only the Mafia will know who their members are, while the Townies will have to investigate and deduce from the information given during the two phases of night and day."

"Neutrals?"

"The Neutrals are a group that is either against both Town and Mafia or indifferent. The Executioner, for example, doesn't care if either of them wins the Game – his goal is to kill his target during the day."

Connor nodded in understanding. "Alright… I guess."

"It's too late to continue voting," the voice rang out, and their glass prisons darkened once again.

"May Night 2 begin. There is a full moon."

Night 2

"Cesare is the Serial Killer."

Shay was startled by the sudden whisper. Damn, he was supposed to be better than this! But hey, he was getting information from the Mafia without any of them noticing.

"Since Lucy's target was Connor, the Transporter made her go to Cesare. That man is the Serial Killer, but he has Night Immunity."

"Announce it in your death note, so that the whole Town shall know without exposing ourselves."

Shay suddenly noticed there was another white square in front of him. It said 'Last Will', and he pressed his lips into a tight line. If he was to die by anyone's hands, he'll leave his findings for everyone to see.

"Who am I to kill? Adewale is Immune, and he didn't say a thing."

What? Adewale was Night Immune? So that meant that Thomas was killed by Achilles, since the Mafia wanted to kill both of them. But what kind role could be Night Immune and kill their attacker?

A beat of silence. "Shaun Hastings."

"May I ask why?"

"He can guess anyone's role, and I don't want him to recognize us."

"Alright, Master. It shall be done."

Shay scribbled down everything.

Shaun frowned at the screen. Why should he be "hauled off to jail"?

"What is your role?" Ah, what a simple question!

"I'm the Investigator. I guess other people's roles, but I cannot say the precise one."

The Jailor – as was written on his screen – remained silent. "Still, it wasn't difficult to say Thomas was a Mafioso. You could have made it up."

"It's not my fault he died."

The comment somehow earned the Jailor's trust. "…Alright. But I still think Cesare is the Serial Killer, the Werewolf even!"

Shaun sighed. That was a dead giveaway for his 'captor's identity. "Then, Ezio," he could imagine his wince, "Why did you jail me?"

He seemed to fidget. "I can be killed by my target if it is a Serial Killer or a Werewolf on full moon. Haven't you heard the voice? Tonight is full moon, and I'm not risking it."

The Brit raised an eyebrow. "And since when do you fear death?"

"I don't fear it," he replied, "it's just… This role can kill whoever I jail. I am useful to the Town, and if it means more allies can get out of this alive…" Ezio trailed off, leaving Shaun to complete the sentence.

Was that a hero complex?

Malik investigated Cesare that night.

Whoever is against the Assassins is a target of his, and then everyone would know his true intentions. After all, no one claimed a role during the day, but Malik guessed Desmond's could see who visited his target and Shaun's could guess anyone's role. Ezio and Cesare were the ones he didn't know what their roles did.

But being a possibly-Templar, Cesare was more suspicious.

It was the same sensation he got when he investigated Haytham, although he came up as "Not Suspicious". It was strange, because he could have sworn the man was a danger to the Town.

He might have to ask other people what they gathered, maybe ask Shaun.

Malik had seen in front of him the writing, "Whisper to", and he was going to use it to its fullest tomorrow. That was, if he didn't get killed before.

But he didn't think it would happen. He didn't expose himself, after all.

Cesare was not a stupid man. On the contrary, he prided himself in being rather smart.

So he understood he might have to change his death note – how he would have loved killing Ezio! – to a less suspicious one. In English, if he knew enough of that. So he just erased his death note's contents and went to select his target.

Since he was suspected as the Serial Killer, he couldn't kill his nemesis yet. That would be far too incriminating.

A random Assassin. Anyone that would not be linked to him…

Malik? Or maybe Edward. Or Altair. There were a lot of people dressed as Assassins, and Cesare couldn't decide who to choose.

He settled with Edward, laughing to himself.

Connor didn't have a clue about who to attack.

If he attacked Charles, everyone would know who the Werewolf was. And the voice would say he won only with both Mafia and Town gone, and he would get killed the next night, when he wasn't Immune.

That was not an appealing possibility.

Maybe he could attack a random man, or… Cesare. Yeah, he might do just that.

Ezio Auditore was one of the greatest Assassins in history, as was Altair. Desmond and Shaun could discover who he was, but his gut instinct told him they were Assassins. So Cesare it was, the suspected Serial Killer. Connor would do the Town a favor by killing him.

The wolf was hunting tonight.

Day 3

The day came again, and this time the prisons that remained dark were Achilles's, Cesare's and Malik's.

Altair and Connor could swear their hearts stopped.

"We found Achilles dead last night. He was stabbed by a Serial Killer. We found a Last Will, but we couldn't find a death note."

A square popped up in everyone's screens, bearing the words, "Night 1- On alert. Killed Thomas Hickey. Night 2- not on alert." Connor bowed his head, grieving for his Mentor and vowing to kill whoever dared to do this.

"Achilles's role was Veteran."

Shay seemed about to say something, but the glass muffled his words. Everyone but Haytham, who was near him, ignored the man.

"We found Cesare dead last night. He was mauled by a Werewolf. We found a Last Will."

"Nessun uomo può uccidermi!" was written in bold letters, scrawled across the entire sheet. Ezio snorted – indeed, no man could kill him. It was a half-human and half-wolf that dealt the final blow.

"We found a death note near his body." Everyone waited for a clue about the Werewolf's identity, and they read, "I shall bring justice to this Town."

…OK, that wasn't really helping their case. More or less everyone in there wanted to bring justice, one way or another!

"Cesare's role was Serial Killer."

Ezio whooped in his glass tube. He was right!

"We found Malik dead last night. He was mauled by a Werewolf."

Connor had to keep himself from wincing. Altair's cold glare told him this 'Malik' was a friend of his, an Assassin. He wasn't supposed to be killed! The Native avenged his Mentor, but his ability killed an innocent!

"We found a Last Will."

The words displayed were similar to Achilles's – it was a report of each night's activity. "Night 1: Haytham – not suspicious. Night 2: Cesare –" The next space was utterly blank, and Connor's stomach churned. He killed an innocent!

The death note showed next was the same as Cesare's, and it served only to make Connor feel guiltier and bloodier. He hadn't meant to kill him!

"Malik's role was Sheriff."

Unknown to everyone, Edward was in a similar state as Connor, although somewhat dulled by his need to survive. His skill saved him from the Serial Killer, but this 'Achilles' took his place unwillingly. Edward was used to save and be saved by people he knew, not total strangers he could force to save him.

The blonde pirate didn't want to acknowledge the guilt of getting an innocent killed in his place, but the part of him that embraced the Creed wanted to kick him where the sun doesn't shine for breaking the first tenet so badly.

He remained silent and let the voices wash over him.

"Someone attacked me last night," Shaun stated, "but the Jailor saved me."

"The… Jailor?"

"During the day, the Jailor chooses one player to jail during the night. He may talk anonymously to him and execute him if his target is deemed a threat. If not executed, the target is immune to every kind of attack during that night. However, the target is role-blocked and cannot perform his night ability."

Charles nodded. So that was why Shaun was still alive!

"Tell everyone what you all did," growled Altair, "so that I might kill the Werewolf that killed my Brother!"

His rage was barely restrained, and Connor winced. Malik must have meant a lot to Altair. Fortunately for the Native, Altair directed his glare to Desmond, who was to his left.

"I didn't do it, I swear!" the man held up his hands in the universal 'I'm innocent' style. "I know that nobody visited Shay, and I did nothing but that!"

Altair locked his murderous gaze on Ezio, since Shaun announced he was in jail and couldn't do anything. The Italian Assassin bore his glare with all his courage. "I jailed Shaun." Wow, his voice didn't even waver!

Unknown to everyone, Haytham made a note to kill him.

"My role doesn't do anything during the night." Adewale's claim was truthful enough.

"I didn't touch him, I swear on my stripy red underwear with skulls." Curious way to claim innocence, but Altair believed him. Maybe it was more because of the man's Assassin robes?

Connor fidgeted under the Syrian's gaze. "He wasn't my target," he managed to say. Altair looked at him to detect a lie, but his claim was truthful.

"I can't do shite at night." Shay's sentence was so bitter that Altair believed him.

"It wasn't me." "Me neither." Both Haytham and Charles were saying the truth.

But there must be a culprit! Malik's death will be avenged! That was what Altair swore to himself, grudgingly allowing everyone else to say what happened to them. He would keep an eagle's eye on everyone.

But no one spoke.

"..Did anyone get transported?"

Nine different versions of "no" answered Shay's question. He fell silent for a moment.

"I overheard the Mafia – they wanted to kill Shaun." There, that got a reaction.

"You what?"

"I eavesdrop on the Mafia. I know they are two of them, but I don't know who!" Shay reported, not liking one bit withholding information or standing idly while everyone could die. "They said to kill you, Shaun, and the previous night they wanted to kill Connor, Achilles and Adewale!"

"But none of them died by the Mafia's hands!" Connor shouted, "And Achilles killed Hickey on Night 1! Why was he killed by Cesare in the last one?!"

"The Veteran has three alerts to his disposal. He can use one alert each night, and during those nights everyone that visits him will be killed. On Night 2, Achilles didn't go on alert and died."

Connor clenched his fists and growled, baring his teeth. Why were they playing this sick game?! Only to entertain three goddesses?! Their lives were at stake, and Connor killed an innocent!

"They wanted to kill Adewale, you say?"

Shay nodded at Edward. "Yes. They said so during the night, but Adewale has Night Immunity and they gave up."

"What if this is just a ploy for the Mafia to divert everyone's attention?" the man asked, frowning. "What if you are one of the Mafia? After all, how do you know how many of them there are?"

Haytham nodded. "Yes, Shay, claiming all of this information out of the blue is suspicious." He narrowed his eyes, knowing what effect it had on the Templar. "If you said as much before, maybe Achilles would have used an… alert to protect himself from the Serial Killer."

Connor bristled immediately. Was this Shay to blame for his Mentor's death, even though his direct killer was dead?

The Templar couldn't believe they were selling him out. "What?! No, I'm not Mafia! I'm the Spy!" he frantically declared, "I chose to withhold information so that the Mafia wouldn't suspect anything! I didn't want for Achilles to end up killed!"

"Not the words you said when I initiated you to the Templar Order."

His furious gaze snapped to the Grandmaster. "What does this have to do with anything?!"

Haytham shrugged. "Oh, nothing. You just betrayed the Colonial Brotherhood and joined me to eradicate them."

"The vote shall now begin. 6 votes are needed to send someone to trail."

Connor Kenway voted against Shay Cormac.

Haytham Kenway voted against Shay Cormac.

Charles Lee voted against Shay Cormac.

Adewale voted against Shay Cormac.

Altair glared at the man. "You betrayed your Brothers?" he hissed, prompting a flinch from the man.

"Achilles had forced me to interact with a Piece of Eden, and it got innocents killed!" The pain in his voice was so raw, it might have happened yesterday. "Thousands of innocents in Lisbon were killed because of Achilles's orders!"

"Was that… the earthquake of Lisbon, 1755?" questioned Shaun, frowning.

"Yes! That happened because I followed Achilles's orders!"

Altair's gaze was mildly sympathetic. What Mentor in his right mind ordered his Assassins to meddle with the Pieces of Eden? Shay could have handled it differently, understanding it was nobody's fault it happened. Neither he nor Achilles knew what the Pieces could do.

And Haytham's method was strange. Why would he need Achilles's death to have Connor's vote, when the plain truth should have been enough?

"This is not the time or the place to solve personal grudges – you said so yourself, Haytham."

For his part, the man remained impassible. "It's still suspicious that Shay didn't say anything until now."

"I. Am. Not. Mafia."

Edward Kenway voted against Shay Cormac.

"Oh, come ON!" The spy threw his arms in exasperated dismay. "Does no one believe me?!"

"Ade always said the truth," the pirate stated, "and I trust his judgment."

Shay was going to suggest where he could shove that judgment, but the sound of scribbled words in front of him got his attention.

Altair whispered "Adewale's accusation is unfounded. Shay is innocent." to Desmond.

Shay dared to hope. A few seconds later, Desmond scribbled back.

Desmond whispered "Thought so." to Altair.

Shaun whispered "What the hell are you two whispering about?" to Desmond.

Desmond whispered "Shay is innocent." to Shaun.

Charles Lee raised an eyebrow. "What are you three doing?" he gruffly asked. When the phrase 'Altair whispered something to Connor' popped up, he scowled.

Altair voted against Adewale.

Desmond voted against Adewale.

"Stop what you're doing this instant."

Shaun voted against Adewale.

"Lads, what the fuck are you doing?!" Edward bellowed right after Adewale's command. Why were they doing this?!

Shay Cormac voted against Adewale.

Ezio Auditore voted against Adewale.

Connor canceled his vote. Connor Kenway voted against Adewale.

An ominous bell rang behind their ears and the timer froze to 0:05. Adewale's glass prison advanced to the center of the Square in front of them.

"Adewale, what is your defense?"

The man bristled. "My defense?" he growled, disbelieving. "I don't need one – I know I'm right! Shay is a danger to the whole Town! Assassins, Shay Patrick Cormac is a Templar! He won't hesitate to backstab you once the Mafia gains control!"

Shay pressed his lips into a thin line. How dared he assume he was on the Mafia's side?

"The Town shall now judge Adewale."

A square appeared in everyone's screen, bearing two buttons – Innocent and Guilty. Shay didn't have any doubts about his decision.

Twenty tense seconds passed, and the results were displayed.

Charles Lee and Edward Kenway voted Innocent.

Altair Ibn-La'ahad, Ezio Auditore, Desmond Miles, Shay Cormac and Shaun Hastings voted Guilty.

Connor Kenway and Haytham Kenway abstained.

Adewale's expression was stuck between horror, rage and disbelief as his glass slowly darkened.

"Any last words?"

The man only glared heatedly at the Assassins, and that look alone spoke a thousand words of his apparent feeling of betrayal. His glass became pitch black.

Then blood started seeping from underneath it.

Edward watched with morbid disbelief how his friend's blood stained the square's stones, too shocked to say anything. He was an Assassin. Adewale was an Assassin. Shay was a Templar. Why did they all vote against their 'brother'?

"We couldn't find any last will. Adewale's role was Executioner."

"A… what?"

"The Executioner is a Neutral role. His goal is to kill his target by convincing the other players to lynch him, which is always a Town Member. Adewale's target was Shay Cormac."

Edward was about to say something when the voice continued, "It is too late to continue voting."

"May Night 3 begin."

Night 3

Altair didn't know who the Werewolf was. But he did know who a member of the Mafia was.

Charles Lee voted against Shay and for Adewale's innocence, as did Edward and Haytham. The latter abstained, though, together with Connor. Were they unconvinced of the Executioner's framing?

Edward voted innocent because Adewale was his friend, Altair could guess by his shocked expression. The Syrian Assassin saw a lot of those after he killed Al Mualim – the controlled Assassins looked the same when they saw the corpses around them.

Haytham was in a puzzling position, though. Malik's Last Will marked him as "Not Suspicious", but his behavior begged to differ. What could this mean?

…Whatever. Altair had a certain target, and he wasn't going to let him escape.

Charles Lee's life shall be his.

Ezio could hear his target's startled flinch.

"Ezio, is this you?"

"Yes, Connor," he chirped airily. Then he got serious. "What's your role?"

"Survivor."

…What? "Survivor?"

"Yes."

"…What does a 'survivor' do?"

"I can do nothing but put… vests… to grant me Immunity for the night." Connor seemed perplexed by the fact, even a little tense.

"Have you ever been attacked?"

"…No. I used the 'vest' only once, on Night 2."

Ezio nodded. He wasn't exactly an expert with those roles, but neither were the others. "I understand. Do you have any idea who the Werewolf is?"

Connor's heart almost stopped. Nobody should know about that! "No. My role can't… investigate."

"Ah, alright then." He pouted (manly, he might add, a manly pout of temporary defeat). "But really, who can it be? I want to thank him for killing Cesare."

"But he killed… an innocent, as well," Connor pointed out, swallowing his anxiety, "and Altair will have his head if he… discovers who he is. Malik was his friend, I think."

"Well… I don't think he did it purposefully. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, wasn't he?" Ezio chuckled, but it was a dry, humorless sound.

Connor didn't know if he should feel relieved, and he wasn't sure for how much time he could hide his role.

Shay noticed the Mafia was eerily silent. Well, who could blame them? He did admit he could hear them talking.

"Shay." Speak of the devil.

"You can't save anyone. They all will die like flies." Although he couldn't recognize the voice, it had such a foreboding ring into it that Shay had to swallow his apprehension.

"You will not escape your fate."

The Mafia fell silent again, and Shay had the feeling he wouldn't make it through the night.

Desmond decided to control whoever visited Shay.

The guy was on their side, although he was a Templar. If he had to guess, his clothing placed him into Haytham's time. Oh, who was he kidding? Haytham himself said he initiated him to the Templar Order! It was obvious they lived in the same timeframe.

The ex-bartender could hear Shaun's sarcastic comments about his 'discovery'.

But nobody cared about what he thought, so that was OK.

... Lookout was a lonely role, but a little useful too. He would know who visited his target, hoping to get the right person. It would always be too late, though.

Ugh, he was babbling to himself like an idiot. He might just shut up and see if the Mafia will act tonight.

Edward had half a mind to leave 'Shay' to die.

The Mafia was surely targeting him, and only he (or Ezio, if he was to be believed) could save him. But only if he wanted to, and he felt more like drinking himself into oblivion that night.

But… Adewale's judgment was flawed because of his goal. He was against the 'Town', so the Town voted against him. It was… for survival. He followed the rules of the game, and got killed when he tried to gain votes using Shay's Templar status.

So maybe… by helping Shay, Edward would help himself. They were both Town Members.

But who would he sacrifice?

Day 4

No one uttered a word when Charles's and Ezio's glass tubes remained obscured.

"We found Charles dead last night. He was shot by a Vigilante. We couldn't find a last will or a death note."

Connor blinked. He would have killed him the next night, but if someone else wanted to do the work for him… well, all the better.

"Charles's role was Mafioso."

So now their number was reduced to one single person. Shay relaxed slightly at the thought, only to tense again – why was Ezio killed in his place? The Mafia made it pretty much clear Shay was to be killed!

"We found Ezio dead last night. He was killed by a member of the Mafia."

Desmond's eyes were wide in disbelief. Why did they do this?! He thought he could get one of them by discovering who visited Shay, but only Edward visited… and since the Templar wasn't dead, the ex-bartender assumed Edward wasn't a danger.

"We found a Last Will."

"Night 1- nothing. Night 2- Shaun claims Investigator. Night 3- Connor claims Survivor." The words were written neatly in Ezio's clear calligraphy, and the fellow Assassins bowed their heads as a sign of respect.

"We found a death note."

Shay tensed when the rough writing bore the ominous words of, "You cannot save anyone."

"Ezio's role was Jailor." And the feminine voice fell silent.

"…Only one Mafia remains."

Altair nodded at Shay. "And one Werewolf," he growled, and Connor almost flinched at the rage bubbling underneath those words.

"So…" everyone turned to look at Shaun, "since we're only seven… why don't we tell what we did last night? Altair?"

"I am the Vigilante and I shot Charles."

Shaun nodded once. "I investigated Connor, and he came up as either Witch, Survivor or Werewolf."

The Native fought his instinct to tense when Altair's gaze turned into a scorching-hot blade that dug relentlessly into his gut. Why him of all people?

"I am Lookout," Desmond announced, "and I discovered Edward visited Shay last night."

Connor almost sagged in relief when everyone looked at his grandfather. "What role are you, Father?" Haytham questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"…I'm the Transporter. Last night I switched Shay and Shaun," he admitted, avoiding pointedly the latter's glare. Haytham frowned, then nodded.

"Shay, is it true?"

"Yes, I was transported." The Spy's expression turned into a frown. "When I eavesdropped on the Mafia… I thought I was their target. I don't know why they killed Ezio instead."

"The Jailor can execute whoever he imprisons. If he happened to jail one of the Mafia, he could have killed one of them as he role-blocked him."

"…Yeah, you said it before… I think."

"Of course it did, Desmond. When I said I was jailed, Ezio declared his role and the voice explained what it could do."

Desmond glared briefly at his sarcastic 'friend'. "Still… if the voice hadn't said anything, you would be dead." Because the Mafia would have targeted Shay, and Edward swapped him with the historian last night.

"…Pretty much." Shaun cleared his throat. "Connor?"

"Ezio jailed me last night." Without Altair's accusatory glare on him, not sweating was much simpler. "He wrote as much in his Last Will."

"Haytham?"

"My role doesn't have a night ability, so I couldn't do anything. Ironically enough, I am the Mayor."

Silence.

"…Mayor?"

"Mayor. Investigate me if you want – I am the Mayor."

Altair frowned. Whatever that role was, Malik's Last Will marked him as 'Not Suspicious'. "There are at least two liars here," he stated, "a Mafia and a Werewolf."

Shaun raised his hands. "I'll investigate at night, but right now I can't do anything to help you."

"I can see who visits my target, but since only Edward visited Shay and he isn't dead…" Desmond shrugged. "I'll see what I can do tonight."

"I don't think the last Mafia will talk tonight," sighed Shay, "so I'm pretty much useless now. I mean, I can hear the whispers – like it happened yesterday – but both Mafia and the Werewolf are loners. They won't talk to someone else, because there isn't anyone to talk to."

Edward rubbed the back of his neck. "I… don't know what to do. If I get one right person for the transport, an innocent is getting killed. It's… against the Creed, but it's what I'm able to do now." He seemed more than a little upset about breaking it, but he didn't have much choice in it.

Haytham raised an eyebrow. True, his father trained him to be an Assassin before… that night, but he didn't think he cared that much for the Creed at his age. "Without knowing who the last Mafia is, I risk killing an innocent. As the Mayor, my vote counts as three."

"Three?"

"The Mayor is a Town Role and his vote counts as three normal ones after he reveals himself to the Town. Haytham didn't reveal yet, so when he voted against Shay last day his vote counted as one."

"Ah, alright… I guess." Desmond didn't seem convinced. "Uh… And you, Connor?"

"My goal is to survive until the end," the Native said, keeping a somewhat straight face, "and I can't attack or investigate. I can just survive." He balled his hands into fists. "I can't do anything to protect the Town."

Nobody knew who to vote during the day and they waited until night to act.

Night 4

Desmond's suspicion of Haytham grew.

If he thought Shay was a part of the Mafia, why didn't he 'reveal' himself as the Mayor when it was time to vote? What if he was lying?

A new text popped up in his screen, and Desmond checked it.

"The Godfather is the leader of the Mafia. He can kill, but if there is a Mafioso with him the Godfather can give his orders without being accused of anything – it will be the Mafioso that's forced to follow his leader's command. The Godfather turns up as 'Not Suspicious' in the Sheriff's investigation, while he can be confused as the Mayor by the Investigator."

His eyes comically widened. So Haytham knew what role to fake! He was the last Mafia!

But who would be his target? Who could Desmond visit to incriminate him and save the Town? Shay was spared, but who said this night he won't be attacked?

And what if Edward swapped him with someone else?

Too many what if's… there wasn't time for that! Maybe he would have more luck watching Connor, instead? Shaun said he was either Survivor or Werewolf, so Haytham might try to kill him – and Desmond would see everything.

'But there is a full moon,' he argued to himself. 'It's dangerous,' his mind kept repeating.

He ended up tapping Connor's button, praying Edward was smart enough not to swap him with someone else entirely.

Connor received the same message as Desmond, and he couldn't help but conclude the same.

Haytham was the last Mafia.

He looked at the empty spot he created after he inadvertently killed Malik, guilt still making his stomach clench. He didn't want to cause other allies to die.

His finger hovered on Haytham's button when he looked at his abilities as Werewolf. He could decide whether to visit someone and kill whoever visits, or to remain at home and kill who visited him. It would mean leaving him for another night – in which he could kill other Assassins – but Connor was sure someone else noticed.

Someone else must have noticed Haytham was lying, someone that wouldn't kill innocents because of his 'ability'.

Connor decided to remain home. He wouldn't stain his conscience with other Assassin blood.

He wouldn't.

It didn't take a genius to understand Haytham wanted to be investigated.

Shaun pulled his glasses higher on his nose. The man was the Grandmaster Templar, a supposed master in manipulation and deceit. He breathed knowledge to spit lies, and the Investigator wouldn't fall into his trap.

After reading the anonymous message about the Godfather, he was sure he didn't need to investigate him.

But then, what could he do? The only still suspicious one was Connor, and he already got there – there wasn't anything else to discover.

Ah, who cares. Shaun tapped the button near Shay's name, just in case he lied to the Mafia's numbers.

Then a message appeared.

Haytham sighed. If he hadn't received that message the night before, he didn't know what he could have said to divert everyone's attention somewhere else.

But enough with relief. He had a Town to exterminate – a Town full to the brim with Assassins.

Shaun wasn't a danger anymore. If he investigated him, he would become his ally, since he did declare he was the 'Mayor' – but it was dumb luck the voice didn't call him out.

Shay couldn't read his thoughts, so only his vote was a danger to him. Desmond and Edward couldn't kill him, even though the latter could switch his target with someone else… Connor and Altair were the ones he should kill immediately.

The Syrian Assassin was cunning and clever, but since the Werewolf killed his friend the Vigilante would be far more interested in getting him than the Godfather. At least he hoped so.

Haytham tapped Connor's button and waited.

Edward could feel this was a dangerous night.

He could feel the shiver down his spine, his fingers twitching near where his swords should have been and muscles tensing at the prospect of battle. Like when an enemy ship engaged the Jackdaw, and his sight would blur around the edges for a moment to scream danger.

He decided not to teleport anyone – he might end up getting an ally killed, or even himself. It was best to remain still and wait until the dawn.

His role couldn't kill. He'd have to rely on the other Assassins to get out alive.

Edward frowned. Was this how it felt to have a whole Brotherhood covering his back?

Altair had a similar feeling to Edward.

This was a full moon. The Werewolf was hunting, and if even the Serial Killer couldn't resist with his Night Immunity… Malik's murderer was strong, unbelievably so.

It was best to wait. The predator would become a defenseless prey the next night, and the Eagle would cut him down with its talons of steel.

Day 5

Connor's eyes widened when Desmond's and Haytham's glasses remained pitch black.

"We found Desmond dead last night. He was mauled by a Werewolf."

Altair narrowed his eyes as Connor blanched. The Werewolf struck another innocent, even though he wrote he wanted to bring justice.

"We found a Last Will."

"Alright, it's Night 4. I'm visiting Connor, and I saw that-" The rest of the digital paper seemed ripped to shreds, and Shaun didn't dare imagine what happened. Blood was supposed to remain inside the body, and knowing that something probably tore Desmond apart…

"We found a death note."

The writing was done by a noticeably trembling hand. "I hadn't meant to kill Malik, I swear! I'll remain in my home for the following nights, and I hope I won't kill other innocents."

"Desmond's role was Lookout."

Altair glared at the confession in front of him. How could Connor – for who else could the Werewolf be? – do this? He was an Assassin, and he killed Malik! He couldn't keep his hands to himself and mauled his friend to death – he killed a brother of the Assassin Order!

"We found Haytham dead last night. He was mauled by a Werewolf." Connor's eyes widened once again. He killed his father? He knew he was fated to do it, but not like this…!

"We couldn't find any last will." The same confession-death note was showed, and Connor knew he had dug his grave. He shouldn't have written he remained at home, did he? "Haytham's role was Godfather." But no one heeded the voice.

"So, Connor." He would have jumped a mile if he wasn't trapped. "You lied. You aren't a 'Survivor' – you are the Werewolf who killed Malik."

The Native didn't find words to defend himself other than, "I hadn't meant to kill him…!"

"Your purpose doesn't change your role in all of this," Shaun stated. "Connor, you killed Desmond just because the idiot visited you, as did Malik."

"Even though he accused me, he was my Grandmaster." Shay crossed his arms, declaring, "You're a danger to the whole Town, and now you have me as an enemy – I want my revenge. I'm sure you understand."

"You killed MY SON!" Edward pounded furiously on his glass tube, shouting. "Why did you do it?! You are my nephew, lad, why did you do it?!"

"I didn't want to!" Connor tried to defend himself, "It's… It's this role that kills everyone who visits me or the person I go to! I didn't choose it! I, I…" He trailed off, lowering his gaze. "I… I understand you want to kill me. If lynching me will atone for the blood I've shed, then so be it."

Nobody said anything for a long time.

"I've discovered something that might save us all."

Altair didn't seem convinced by Shaun's claim. "Explain."

The historian cleared his throat. "I received a message last night and I know that, if no one dies for two days and two nights consecutively, this 'game'," he mimicked the quote marks, "will end in a draw."

"You mean that… nobody wins?"

Shaun nodded. "Nobody wins," he confirmed. "We're all Town members except for Connor, and we can wait two nights to avoid killing more people."

Shay, Edward and Altair looked at each other, perplexed. Was this the truth?

"Killing Connor now will end the game sooner, but we would kill an Assassin – one of our own." Silence greeted Shaun's claim, and he continued, "We'd be no better than the goddess that forced these roles upon us."

Connor shuffled his feet nervously. He wasn't used to have someone else to defend him since his mother died. "I regret terribly killing Malik, Father and Desmond. But my apologies won't bring any of them back."

"Oh, that's not a problem," Shaun waved his apology away, much to everyone's shock. He noticed the looks and frowned. "Right, it's a theory I haven't said. What was the last thing you remember before coming here?"

They were startled by the jarring change in topic, but Altair humored him first.

"I had examined the Apple, then fell asleep."

"I was resting on the Jackdaw's mast." At the others' raised eyebrows, Edward sighed. "Can't I choose where I sleep?"

They decided not to ask. "I returned to my room in the Morrigan after a day of sailing," Shay stated, "and I dozed off."

After those three admissions, nobody was really surprised when Connor said, "I was sleeping in Davenport."

Shaun nodded as if he was expecting all of it. "See? I was resting, too, when I suddenly appeared here. This means that everything around us-"

"-Is fake," Altair completed, a look of mild surprise on his features. "All of this is just a dream. They didn't really die."

"So when this 'game' ends, we'll find our dear friends alive and well. Maybe you remember the others falling asleep, too?"

"…Achilles was sleeping when I went upstairs to my bed," affirmed Connor, relaxing slightly. So he wasn't about to die, and neither were Achilles, Malik and Desmond dead. He didn't kill other Assassins.

Shay nodded in confirmation, his expression stuck somewhere between shock and relief. "I remember that Haytham chose to rest in a room next to mine, even though he was… older, in way. Different."

"I can say the same for Adewale," Edward said, relieved. He laughed, but then he recalled the blood pouring from his friend's glass tube. "But then… whose blood was it when you lynched him?"

"I don't have any idea about it," admitted Shaun, "but I think it was something set to scare us and make us think it's all real. I remember Rebecca telling me to rest, while Desmond was already snoring." He shook his head. "Also, if Ezio truly died here Desmond would have ceased to exist."

"What?"

"Ezio, Edward, Haytham, Connor and Desmond are descendant of yours, Altair." And bam, Shaun dropped a bombshell on all of them.

"…Descendants?"

The historian nodded. "Somehow, Desmond ended up with part of your DNA – genes… something passed from generation to generation – Ezio's, Haytham's and Connor's. He probably has Edward's, too, since he's Haytham's father and all." How could he explain the concept of genetics to a man who lived during the Third Crusade?

The men ignored the voice that announced the vote was beginning and Shay asked, "How do you know that for certain?" His Grandmaster, descendant and ancestor of Assassins? How was that possible?

Shaun shrugged. "Something came up in the future, and I just do. Besides, by knowing this I can be certain that whoever was 'killed' didn't really die."

YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS

The bold, blood-red writing jarred everyone out of their relieved thoughts. What was happening?

YOU ARE LITTLE MORE THAN TOYS FOR ME TO PLAY WITH

EXPENDABLE LIVES I CAN SHAPE TO MY LIKING

AS I WAIT FOR THE PROPHET TO FREE ME

ONCE AND FOR ALL

'Because that was reassuring and nobody would take a stand against that spirit,' Altair bitterly thought. His life was his own, and he wouldn't let the Brotherhood be controlled by them – and it would be a freezing day in Hell before the Eagle let his 'descendants' suffer the same fate.

"Toys?!" Edward seethed, furious. "What the fuck are you saying?!"

"We have every right to be free!"

JUST WAIT, RATONHNHAKÉ:TON

Connor tensed at being called by his true name.

WAIT UNTIL THE WORLD BURNS AROUND YOU

THEN WE SHALL SEE IF YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH

TO REGRET YOUR BELIEF

Then a bright light engulfed the remaining six people, returning them to their respective time.

Morrigan, Captain's cabin

Shay awoke to the sound of someone calling him. He almost jumped at the intruder's throat out of reflex when he recognized his voice.

"Shay, are you alright?"

He blinked. "Master Kenway?"

The man frowned, inspecting him through narrowed eyes. "Who did you think I was? I called you three times, and I thought something happened when you didn't come over."

Uh. It must have been a really, really long dream. Or nightmare, most likely. "I… apologize, Master Kenway. I guess I was a little too tired by all that… Town and Mafia business…"

The man raised an eyebrow at the Templar's words. "Mafia?"

Shay's expression pinched in confusion. Didn't he remember? "You know, Connor… Adewale, Achilles, Edward…" he trailed off, seeing no recognition in his Grandmaster's eyes of the dream. Whatever emotion he might have shown to the names was hidden. The ex-Assassin shook his head. "It must have been a crazy dream." Just as Shaun said, but Haytham didn't know that.

The Brit almost deemed Shay unfit for the mission, but the man shrugged his concern off – politely, of course. Then he asked him what he knew about 'Those Who Came Before', and Haytham was most puzzled. What brought the rogue Assassin to ask him about them?

Whatever the case was, the Grandmaster couldn't tell anything and said as much.

What a strange dream he must have had.

Davenport Homestead

Connor awoke to the pounding sound of a cane against his door.

"Connor, I know you're still here!" Achilles sounded angry. The Native hurried to open the door and dodged his Mentor's swing when it came close to his head.

"Uhm, what is it?"

Achilles narrowed his eyes. "It's the fourth time I'm calling you. The fourth. I even thought about picking the lock and teach you a lesson about awareness with my cane." He briefly waved the headache-inducing wooden instrument for emphasis. "What were you up to, mmm?"

"Uh… I had a strange dream."

"A dream," he repeated, like he was tasting the words on his tongue. They were extremely bitter. "Yes, of course – why don't you tell me more about this incredibly important dream, then?"

Although recognizing the sarcasm, Connor answered with the truth – about Town, Mafia, the Spirit and the Werewolf he was.

And Achilles remained silent for a long while. "Impossible."

Connor frowned. "Then who was Shay Cormac?" he asked – demanded, in a way. "Who was Adewale?"

His Mentor looked at him in surprise. "Who told you those names?"

"I met them in my… dream."

Dear God, he saw dead people. Not only spirits, no – people from Achilles's own past. He sighed. "Let's go downstairs. It's a really, really long story to be told."

Masyaf

Altair woke up with a start.

"Brother, are you alright?" Malik. Malik was alive.

The Grandmaster nodded. "Yes," he answered. "I just… were you sleeping?"

The one-armed dai frowned. "How do you know that?" Did he have an eagle-sense or something to tell if someone was asleep?

Altair saw a mountain of papers in front of him. He must have fallen asleep on his desk, of all places. "Did you have… a strange dream?"

"…No." Malik frowned. "Are you sure you're alright? You know how Maria is if you aren't."

Altair winced at the most recent memory of a worried Maria. "I'm sure," he stated, and that was it. He set immediately to work on the papers in front of him.

"…These are the documents you assigned me."

"Yes."

"Why are you reading them, if you asked me to it myself?"

Altair shrugged. "I feel like I shouldn't leave you too much work. You can take a free day, if you'd like."

Malik reeled back in shock. Was Altair… taking full responsibility of his role? "What happened to the Novice I knew? Are you really the same person?"

"I am. I just think you deserve your rest – after all that's happened after his betrayal…" he trailed off, not knowing how to word it. He thought he lost his friend in that 'Town', and Altair didn't want to repeat the experience again.

After a moment of consideration, Malik nodded and left to take a book in the library. Strange that Altair felt so generous that day.

Jackdaw, wheel

"Uh… Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you… so…" Adewale searched for the most appropriate word. "…serious now?"

The blonde pirate looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"You were drunk last night," he answered, then he muttered, "or rather, afternoon." Adewale continued before Edward could object. "You climbed the mast while you were drunk in the middle of the ocean, and I had to moor the Jackdaw in Nassau. You wouldn't even budge when we climbed up here to ask the destination."

Edward's questioning expression deepened.

His second-in-command sighed. "So why are you suddenly sober, up and guiding the ship without anyone noticing? You even apologized for the crew members you knocked out without yelling at anyone."

"I felt generous?"

"You never felt generous after waking up to a headache."

"True."

Adewale gave up in trying making sense of the Captain. "…Where are we even going?"

"To Ah Tabai's Assassin Hideout."

The destination was so farfetched that Adewale almost got backlash when he turned around. "Why? Didn't you hate that place?"

"Perhaps." The blonde then smirked, just to spite him. "Or perhaps not."

"Very funny Kenway, but people don't change overnight."

His grin widened. "I guess."

Adewale groaned in his hands. Why was he even following this man?

The Temple

"Shaun, what are those information?"

"What information, Desmond?"

He could feel his scowl. "Don't play dumb with me. These guys you added in the Animus database… I've never met them."

"In fact, Haytham did."

"Did you perhaps find a way to go through Haytham's other memories without me?"

"I just know them."

Desmond wished he could glare at the historian, but currently the Animus stopped him from doing so successfully. He resorted to glare at the next wall near Connor's position. "Because of course I've met this 'Shay Patrick Cormac', 'Adewale' and 'Edward Kenway'. Of course."

"Maybe in another life you did."

"…Seriously, why did you put them in there?"

Shaun didn't reply and smirked. If only he knew.

A/N: the people were picked by different points of the timeline. For example, since Achilles, Connor and Adewale were from a further point in their lives, Haytham was from a further one as well – but before his Order's fall. Lucy was from before-Revelations, while Desmond and Shaun were somewhat after. Just enough to know Connor and Haytham.

The roles, if you want to remember them, were:

Town: Spy Shay, Veteran Achilles, Vigilante Altair, Investigator Shaun, Sheriff Malik, Jailor Ezio, Lookout Desmond, Transporter Edward

Mafia: Mafioso Charles Lee, Godfather Haytham, Consort Lucy, Mafioso Thomas

Neutral: Executioner Adewale, Serial Killer Cesare, Werewolf Connor

Thank you for reading my first Assassin's Creed fanfiction crossover'ed with Town of Salem! Constructive Criticism appreciated, but if you just feel like leaving a review I'm not against it ;)