Retaking of Masyaf
|
Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service? This article is in desperate need of a revamp. Please improve it in any way necessary in order for it to achieve a higher standard of quality in accordance with our Manual of Style. |
Template:Campaign Template:Duel
- "Impossible! The student does not defeat the teacher!"
- ―Al Mualim at Altaïr's feet.[src]
The Retaking of Masyaf was an event during the Third Crusade in 1191, in which the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad rode for Masyaf to confront his master, Al Mualim and take back Masyaf.
The Mindless March
After killing Robert de Sable, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad rode for Masyaf to confront his master, Al Mualim. Approaching the Fortress, Altaïr noticed some of his fellow Assassins, in a trance like state, blocking the path leading directly to the Fortress. Upon seeing Altaïr, they slowly surrounded him and drew their swords. Having no choice, Altaïr fought them off, but more reinforced the attack and eventually overwhelmed him. However, before they could slay Altaïr, Malik A-Sayf, Rauf, and several other Assassins who had not yet been hypnotized by the Apple's affect, ambushed the attackers and forced them to flee, saving their brother.
Altaïr then ran up to the top of the hill to meet with Malik and the others. He told Malik that Al Mualim had betrayed them, to which Malik agreed and added that the Master had betrayed his Templar allies as well. Malik explained that after his and Altaïr's departure in Jerusalem, he had returned to Solomon's Temple and found Robert's journal filled with revelations regarding the Apple's use to control the Holy Land. Malik stated that what he read broke his heart, but opened his eyes. Altaïr then advised Malik to lead the other free Assassins to distract the thralls in front of the fortress, long enough for him to confront Al Mualim.
Altaïr asked Malik if he could avoid killing the men he would face, as their minds were not their own. Malik agreed and left with Rauf and the others, with Altaïr heading into the Assassins' Fortress courtyard. Standing near the Fortress entrance was a large group of Al Mualim's mind slaves, civilians and Assassins alike. Careful not to hurt them, Altaïr made his way through the crowd and into the Fortress.
The Duel
Altaïr saw the door to the Assassins' Garden open, and decided to see if Al Mualim was outside. As he stepped through, the door shut behind him, and he became immobilized by the spell of Al Mualim's Piece of Eden, an Apple of Eden. After a brief taunt, Al Mualim used the Apple to disguise some of his Assassins as Altaïr's slain targets, and commanded them to destroy Altaïr. However, Altaïr managed to pick them off one by one. Al Mualim then used the Apple to clone himself, but Altaïr used his Eagle Vision to see past the illusions, and strike the real Al Mualim with his blade, making the clones disappear.
Al Mualim decided to have a proper duel with Altaïr, but not before having a final talk with his protégé. Altaïr yelled that Al Mualim was worse than Robert, and that people would resist his plan; to which the old man replied that there would never be peace so long as men retained free will. When Altaïr snarled that he had killed the last man to speak as such, Al Mualim sneered that his threats were just empty words. Altaïr then retorted that they were words he would put into action.
When Altaïr asked his Master why he had never used the Apple to enslave his mind like the other Assassins', to which Al Mualim answered "Who you are and what you do are twined too tight together. To rob you of one would deprive me of the other, and those Templars had to die!" However, he then revealed that he did try once, but was unsuccessful, due to Altaïr's seemingly natural resistance to the illusions conjured by the Apple. Al Mualim went on to explain that every strange and mythical event he had attributed to the treasure - Jesus turning water to wine, the parting of the Red Sea, the influence of the Greek Gods in starting the Trojan War - were all merely illusions created by it.
Altaïr retorted that the Templars' plan to create a "New World" using the Apple's power was just as much an illusion as the others; but Al Mualim replied that it was no worse than the world around them, where the Saracens and Crusaders slaughtered each other in the name of non-existent phantoms. As he put it, "They live amongst an illusion already. I'm simply giving them another, one that demands less blood!"
Al Mualim finally remarked that they had come to an impasse; he would not yield in his plan, Altaïr would not join him willingly and he could not compel the Assassin to follow him. Ending the Apple's hold on Altaïr, Al Mualim drew his sword, and he and Altaïr engaged in a final duel to the death. It was a long and hard-fought battle, but eventually Altaïr triumphed, and dealt his Master a fatal blow.
Aftermath
As Al Mualim collapsed to the floor, dying in Altaïr's arms, he was surprised by the realization of his loss. "Impossible. The student does not defeat the teacher!" he said, to which Altaïr replied, "Nothing is true; Everything is permitted." As the Apple rolled out of the Master's hands, Altaïr remarked that the old man had been playing with fire by trying to use it, and should have instead simply destroyed it.
The dying Templar replied that the Apple he had was the only means of creating true peace in the world, and that he could never destroy such a thing. Altaïr claimed that he would, but as he approached the Apple, he became mesmerized by it. Al Mualim challenged him to destroy the artifact as he said he would, but Altaïr replied that he was unable to. With his last breath, Al Mualim sneered that he could, but he wouldn't.
A hologram of the entire world and the locations of all the vaults projected from the ancient artifact, and at this moment, Malik and his men arrived to join Altaïr in the fascination of the artifact.