Written by

Andrew Roberts

These stories are based on

characters and settings by Pinnacle

Entertainment and Great White

Games.

Antakya, Hatay – 1938

It was late afternoon as townspeople flocked to the Hawk’s Wineskin. Buck Savage was seated at

an outdoor table, trying to comprehend what had happened. For all he knew, Virginia had been

killed when Templar agents bombed the apartment. As for Danny and Doc Gold, there was no

sign of them anywhere. Now he felt as if he was alone in the world, and was staring down a half

empty bottle of raki. His mind was slowly clouding over as he downed another glass, breathing in

the fragrant scent of anise.

“Excuse me sir,” a voice said to him He looked up to see a waiter standing at the table. “A

gentleman inside is inviting you for a drink sir.”

“Tell him I’m drinking alone.” Buck replied. He hesitated for a moment, but then relented. He didn’t

care about what would happen. The waiter helped him to his feet and directed him inside, pointing

at an alcove in the corner of the room. Seated at the table was an elderly individual, presumably

an Arab, smoking from a hookah with his face concealed by the shadows of the alcove and the

keffiyah he was wearing. He offered a seat to Buck.

“You must be Buck Savage.” He said as his guest sat down, “I believe that you are searching for

an artefact of great importance. Am I correct?”

Buck nodded, but remained silent.

“And that you have fallen afoul of a conspiracy by long dead military order?”

Buck nodded again. “What’s your interest in this?” he asked.

“I believe that a commotion earlier today has claimed the life of someone you hold dear. I take it

you want to get revenge? I am here to help you.”

Buck stared at the man. “Who are you?” he asked.

“They call me ‘The Old Man of the Mountain’. That’s all you need to know. But first, I’d like to buy

you a drink.”

He poured a glass of raki and handed it to Buck.

“Your health.” Buck muttered as he drank the raki. He began to feel a sense of discomfort. His

ears were ringing and the room was beginning to spin. Through the aniseed flavour of the raki, he

could feel the very faint taste of a knockout drop. The old man watched as he slumped down on

the table and clicked his fingers. Two men entered from a hidden door and hauled the

unconscious Buck away.

Upon coming round, Buck found himself inside a lavish garden. All he could hear was the sound of

exotic birds, while he could see lush vegetation surrounding an ornate stone fountain. A group of

voluptuous dancing girls pranced through the garden and joined him, bringing him to his feet and

escorting him to a large table which held a lavish banquet. They seductively beckoned him to sit

down, offering him wine. Buck raised his hand to decline the offerings. His vision was becoming

distorted. The garden appeared to shape shifting. Was he dreaming? The dancers still tried to

seduce him, but were beginning to transform. The woman closest to him was morphing into

Virginia. Buck held his arms out, and the woman transformed again into some kind of creature. As

it prepared to strike, Buck yelled and fled in terror, only to black out again.

When he woke up a second time, Buck was lying in a small bed in quiet bedroom. As he stirred,

he felt himself being overcome by a splitting headache.

“So, you caught a glimpse of Heaven, Mr Savage?” a familiar voice asked. Buck turned to see

Solak, seated on a chair near the door. He reeled back in terror.

“No!” He said frantically, “You’re dead! I saw you die! I’m still dreaming!”

“Your dreams had been engineered through a little ‘help’. But rest assured that you’re fully awake

now.” Solak explained, “What I’d taken was not a cyanide pill. It was a special serum which causes

the body to work at minimum levels, so anyone would think it was death. The two fishermen who’d

pulled me out had given me the antidote.”

“Why did you bring me here? And where exactly is ‘here’ anyway?”

“You are in Masyaf. This fortress had been our stronghold even after the Mongol invasion. We

brought you here to prevent the Templars from getting to you. I warned you to stay out of this

conflict, but you knew too much.”

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you kill me?”

“You are not my enemy, and we have a common foe.”

“Who are you?”

“We are the Hashashin. We kill the corrupt and the oppressive to protect the innocent and

preserve peace. The Templars are a symbol of what we fight.”

Buck got to his feet and picked up his fedora. “Do you know where the Templars are searching?”

he asked.

“There is a large encampment near the Syria-Hatay border.” Solak replied, “They are looking for

the Lance there. We believe that it’s in an old watchtower in the hills.”

“In that case, let’s get to work.” Buck quipped, preparing to leave the room.

“Not so fast. The Templars have recovered the maps the Cossack had stolen. They may be

breaking camp tomorrow morning. You must recover them.”

Solak followed Buck to the fort’s courtyard. A large group of men and women were collecting

firearms from several trucks. “We stole these from a convoy we hit heading towards the camp.” He

explained.

Buck strolled down to the trucks, where Danny and Volkov were both waiting. He felt a huge

feeling of relief, but his heart was still heavy.

“You decided to come back then?” he asked.

“I want to find the Lance.” Volkov replied, “The Grand Master should not have its power.”

“The Hashashin are gonna attack the camp tonight.” Danny explained to Buck. “If that happens,

the Templars might destroy the maps. We should get them out before that happens.”

“There is one other thing,” Solak added, “Our spy reported that the Templars have a captive; An

American who is being coerced into aiding them.”

Buck quickly reacted to the comment. “Virginia!” he cried out, “She’s still alive! We need to get to

the camp fast!”

“Doc has had an idea about that.” Danny commented.

“I did, but it will take a while to prepare.” Doc said behind Buck, “So I won’t be able to help you out

quickly, but I can drop you off near the camp.”

Two hours later, Buck was surveying the camp with binoculars. Danny was standing behind him,

accompanied by Volkov and Solak. Solak had acquired disguises for the group, consisting of

typical desert gear. “We can pass off as nomadic pedlars.” He explained as he joined them,

bringing along a heavily-laden camel.

“I don’t think an undercover job will work.” Volkov commented, loading his Nagant revolver. Danny,

assigned to guard their escape, watched as the trio made their way towards the camp. As they

passed through the tents, a Hatay soldier walked up to them.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, “This camp is off limits to civilians!”

“We’re soldiers in a secret war.” Solak replied, “Corporal Demir, I presume?”

The soldier calmed down and nodded. “Set up near the dining area.” He said, “I’ll show you the

way.”

“Who’s in charge of the camp?” Buck asked.

“It’s Colonel Tarik.” Demir replied, “He said we’re on a routine dig, but he’s taking orders from

someone else, along with a European suit.”

“He takes orders from the suit?” Volkov asked.

“No. The man in the suit takes orders from him, but I heard another man in the Colonel’s tent who

orders them both.”

“Good work.” Solak whispered, “Get ready to leave. We’ll be hitting soon.”

The corporal escorted the trio to an area with a long table, where the off duty soldiers were eating.

Solak and Volkov set up a stall from equipment on the camel’s back, while the soldiers were lining

up to browse the group’s wares. Buck managed to slip away as a crowd gathered around the stall.

He weaved his way around the tents while avoiding various patrolling guards. As he moved, he

noticed Marino leaving one of the tents, accompanied by a brutal looking colonel.

“I’m telling you, she knows nothing.” He heard Marino say as the pair strolled off to another part of

the camp.

After watching them leave, he slipped into the tent they’d come from. Inside, he found Virginia tied

to the central pole in the tent with a strip of cloth in her mouth. She turned to face him and he

removed his head-wrap and kneeled to her.

“I’m so glad you’re still alive,” he said as he removed the gag, tears of joy almost welling up in his

face, “What are they asking?”

“They want to find out where Volkov is.” Virginia told him, “Now shut up and untie me!”

“Do they have the map?”

She nodded. Buck produced a switchblade and handed it to Virginia. “Volkov is with me.” He

explained, “And so is Solak.”

Virginia reacted in shock to hearing Solak’s name. “What’s he doing here?”

“He staged his death, but he’s on our side. His men are going to attack the camp tonight. When

you hear shooting, cut yourself free and head towards the rocks in the east. I’ll meet you there.”

She nodded in an understanding way and concealed the blade in her back pocket. Buck kissed

her before leaving the tent. As he left, he noticed Marino and Colonel Tarik having a conversation.

He followed them to a large tent in the heart of the camp with a furnished table outside it.

“Volkov has the key to the Watchtower. We still need to recover it.” Tarik explained.

“I told you to find the Cossack.” Another voice said. Buck immediately recognised it as the Grand

Master. “Ask the girl again. It’s a safe bet her friend has found us.”

“We asked her already.” Marino stated.

“Give her a day to think it over. If she still refuses by morning, kill her.”

Buck crouched down again to avoid the group as they left.

Tarik and Marino strolled through the camp to the dining area where Solak and Volkov were still

running the stall.

“What are you doing?” the Colonel asked, tearing down the stand, “Get out of here! No pedlars!”

He grabbed Solak and threw him to the ground. “Take your camel and leave! If I see the pair of

you here again, I’ll have you shot!”

While Volkov and Solak were being escorted away from the camp, Buck attempted to sneak into

the Colonel’s tent. The sun was setting, and he realised that he didn’t have much time.

The interior of the tent was well furnished, but shadowy. Looking around, Buck could make out a

small chest. He crouched down and tested the padlock. It was secure. He grabbed the nearby

folding chair and dismantled it. Taking one of the metal bars that stretched the cloth across the

frame, he used it to pry off the lock. He opened the chest and examined the contents, noticing a

large scroll. “That must be the map.” He muttered to himself, taking the scroll and stowing it in his

satchel. As he stood up, a lamp came on inside the tent. The Grand Master emerged behind a

screen, holding a Walther PP.

“That’s far enough.” He said. At the same time, Marino and Colonel Tarik entered the tent and

trained their weapons on Buck. “You are persistent. I will take what’s mine back now.”

Marino approached Buck and reached for his satchel. Buck quickly reacted and threw him into the

Grand Master. The lamp flew out of the Grand Master’s hands and landed on a pile of papers lying

on the Colonel’s desk. The papers ignited and started a tent fire. At the same time, the sound of

gunshots echoed in the distance. The four occupants left the tent, as the soldiers in the camp ran

towards the rocks where Solak’s men were attacking from. An explosion from a stray hand

grenade knocked Buck off his feet, while a burly sergeant arrived and picked him up. Struggling

wildly, Buck noticed the Grand Master and his aides leaving the area, while the sergeant threw

him back into the burning tent.

To be continued…