Chapter 7 - Unmasked

7/31/2019 Chapter 7 - Unmasked

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Written by

Andrew Roberts

These stories are based on

characters and settings by Pinnacle

Entertainment and Great WhiteGames.



Hatay, 1938

Explosions and muzzle flashes lit the night sky as the Hashashin attacked the Grand Master’s

camp. Sharpshooters dispatched the advancing Hatay soldiers while Solak and Volkov arrived at

the rocks lying near the opposite end of the camp where Danny was waiting with a car.

“Where’s Buck?” he asked when they arrived.

“I don’t know.” Volkov replied, “He may not have been caught.”

Meanwhile, Buck was feeling the intense heat as he was thrown back into the burning tent. The

brawny sergeant lumbered in and grabbed him again. Buck punched him in the face three times,

but failed to break the man’s grip. He felt the sergeant’s hands tightening around his neck.

Gasping for air, he reached for the metal bar he’d used to break open the locker and brought i t

down onto the giant’s knee. The sergeant let him go as he toppled over, giving Buck the chance to

escape. As he ran out, the sergeant quickly followed and tackled him, pinning him to the ground

while he delivered more punches.

At the same time, Virginia heard the sounds of the attack and used the switchblade Buck had left

to cut the bonds on her hands. As she left the tent, an officer noticed her leaving and reached for

his Mauser C96. Thinking quickly, she hurled the knife. The officer screamed as the blade entered

his leg, while Virginia punched him out and grabbed the Mauser.

Back at the Colonel’s tent, Buck managed to grab the sergeant’s fist while throwing him off with a

suplex. He quickly leapt to his feet and kicked the soldier in the chest before tackling him into the

burning tent, which promptly collapsed. Two soldiers approached with rifles, but Virginia quickly

ran out from behind another tent and dispatched them both with her Mauser.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Buck said as he got back to his feet. The pair quickly fled the

camp and arrived at Danny’s car, where Volkov and Solak were waiting. Danny hugged his sister

as they arrived.

“You’re late Buck.” Danny said, looking at his watch.

“I had to help out with the campfire.” Buck replied, r emoving the desert gear he was wearing over

his regular clothing and picking up his fedora from the back seat of the car.



“I’m glad you’re not hurt.” he said to Virginia.

“Relax Danny.” She replied, “I’d been pulled out before the hotel blew up. A few of the toughs were

still inside though.”

“Either way, we need to get moving.” Volkov interrupted.

“Yes,” Buck added, “I got the map, so let’s find the Watchtower. I believe that Mr Volkov has the

key.”

Volkov quickly turned to Buck as they climbed into Danny’s car. “How did you find out?” he asked.

“I heard the Grand Master mention it.” Buck replied.

Following the Templar’s map, the group arrived at a large watchtower overlooking a mighty

canyon. There was a small path leading down to the cliff face. As Danny brought the car to a halt,

Virginia noticed a truck parked near the tower.

“Colonel Tarik’s men are already here.” She whispered to the others. Buck drew his Webley as hecautiously moved towards the entrance to the watchtower. As he approached, Colonel Tarik

appeared with his revolver drawn.

“I’ll take the key from Volkov.” He demanded. Buck turned to see several soldiers emerging from

the truck. Volkov produced the key and handed it to Tarik. The Grand Master stood behind him.

“Open the door.” He ordered. Tarik handed the key to Marino, who cautiously ascended the flight

of steps leading to the door of the watchtower. He inserted the key in the door and turned it. The

sound of an elaborate mechanism was heard. The steps crumbled away from beneath his feet.

Marino screamed as he plummeted through the hole. While the other Templars were distracted,Solak rolled a hand grenade underneath their truck. The explosion destroyed the truck while the

other adventurers fled down to the path along the cliff face. The Grand Master fired at them with

his pistol, hitting Solak in the chest. Buck stopped to check on him.



“Go on without me!” Solak ordered, “You need to get the Lance!” He coughed up blood and

collapsed. Buck turned and fled down the path along the cliff.

The path along the side of the cliff was narrow and treacherous as Buck and his companions

shimmied across it. The trio were astounded by Volkov’s ability to move a rapid pace along the

path. Eventually, they came across an entrance to a cave. As they entered, they found themselves

wrapped in dark shadows. Danny produced a stick from his backpack with a brightly glowing tip.

“This should help.” He said, “The Doc left me a few sticks with his luminescent paint.”

The group continued through the tunnel. Soon, the rough, cavernous walls gave way to masonry.

The sound of footsteps echoed behind the group.

“They’re coming!” Volkov hissed to the others. Crouching behind the rocks, Buck and Virginia

noticed four Hatay soldiers advancing through the cave, accompanied by Colonel Tarik and the

Grand Master. Noticing the group, they opened fire. Buck drew his Webley and ejected the spent

cartridges. While he reloaded, Virginia fired at the soldiers with her Mauser to keep them behind

cover, hitting two of them. One of the soldiers moved forward with an MP18 submachine gun and

fired a burst, sending Buck and Virginia back behind the rocks. At the same time, Colonel Tarik

attempted to move forward. Buck rapidly emerged and shot the gunner with his Webley, while

Volkov shot the fourth soldier with his Nagant.

“Get moving!” he ordered, “I’ll cover you!”

Virginia and Danny had already made their way into the tower. Buck and Volkov were not far

behind. As they moved, they noticed several loose bricks in the floor, taking care not to stand on

them. A large spiked gate was hidden behind the doorway. Tarik followed the group into the

watchtower. As he slowly moved in, he stepped on one the loose bricks. The gate swung shut,

impaling him on the spikes. The Grand Master pushed the gate back into position and continued

down the hall.

Meanwhile, Buck’s companions had reached the end of the corridor. All that was in sight was a

ladder leading up to a trapdoor. Climbing up, they found themselves on the ground floor of thewatchtower. Segmented areas lined one half of the room, but there was no way to reach the next

floor. A small altar with three candles lay at the opposite end to the segmented tiles. A tapestry



hung on the wall behind the altar, bearing an image of the sun above the middle candle. Latin

inscription appeared above it.

“When God’s light is brought to the Tower of Longinus, his successor shall claim his Spear.”

Volkov read aloud.

Buck pondered the message for a moment before pulling a book of matches from his shirt pocket.

He lit the middle candle and a rumbling sound was heard. The segmented areas near the wall

slowly ascended from the ground, forming a flight of steps leading up to the staircase.

The group proceeded up the spiral staircase to the upper floor of the tower. The Spear had been

mounted on the wall. Another Latin inscription was on the wall. Volkov read it again.

“He who removes the Lance of Longinus must ascend the watchtower and leap to God. ” He

translated.

“And it will be I who takes the Spear.” A voice said behind them. Buck turned around to see the

Grand Master standing behind them with his pistol. “Drop the guns.”

Buck and his friends complied to the request, kicking the guns over the floor.



“I believe that it is Mr Volkov who wants the Spear the most. ” The Grand Master continued, “So he

should have the honour of removing it.”

Volkov slowly walked towards the Spear and removed it from its hook. Almost immediately, the

hooks retracted into the wall, and the steps leading up to the room ascended to the floor, sealing

the room off. However, they continued to ascend, forming a new staircase leading up to the roof of

the tower.

“You must prove yourself to take the Spear.” The Grand Master taunted. Volkov walked up the

staircase and found himself on the roof. Looking over the battlements, he saw Hatay soldiers

assembling near the foot of the tower. “There’s no way out.” The Grand Master continued.

Hesitating, Volkov handed the Spear to the Grand Master. As soon as he saw the gun being

lowered, he delivered a kick to the Templar’s abdomen, knocking him backwards. Buck ran up and

grabbed the Spear, attempting to wrest it from the Grand Master’s hands. While scuffling, the

Grand Master was able to pull off a spinning movement which knocked Buck away into Virginia

and Danny. At the same time, he grabbed Volkov and flung him over the battlements. The soldiers

on the ground opened fire in an attempt to hit him.

Buck was able to grab his revolver and aimed it at the Grand Master, who simply knocked it out of

his hand with the Lance. Virginia quickly grabbed it and fired a wild shot, hitting the Grand Master

in the chest. As he slumped back, he removed his helm, revealing the face of Sir Delmar’s banker.

“Gumboldt!” Buck exclaimed, “You’re the Grand Master?”

“It’s the perfect cover isn’t it?” Gumboldt sneered. “It was the best way to avoid detection;

pretending that I worked for Delmar when he actually worked for me. I thought I could rebuild the

Templar’s order. We had the European kings in our pocket, through the wealth of our members to

lend out at our will. Philip the Fair unjustly dismantled us so he could have our lands and our

money. My death will not stop the Templars from returning. Events have been set into motion

which cannot be prevented.”

As he spoke, Gumboldt began to cough before falling silent. Virginia and Danny approached him.

He immediately came round and attacked them with a knife, slashing Danny’s arm. At the same

time, Volkov leapt over the battlements and kicked Gumboldt in the back. They both grabbed the

Spear, but Volkov was able to fling the Grand Master over the battlements. The group watched

him plummet from the tower down the cliff to his death.

“How do we get out of here then?” Virginia asked.

“We take the airship.” Buck replied smugly. The others looked at him in a puzzled way, and then

saw it: A large zeppelin was flying towards the tower. A large lightning gun attached to the bottom

was fired at the soldiers, destroying the trucks and forcing them to retreat.



“Step aboard my new transport service!” Doc Gold called from the gondola, lowering a rope

ladder. The group quickly ascended and made it into the gondola. As soon as Volkov passed up

the Lance and reeled in the ladder, Doc was piloting the zeppelin away from the tower.

As they made their way back to England, Buck noticed Volkov brooding at the window.

“What’s troubling you Volkov?” he asked.

“My family and people have been made to suffer by Stalin.” He explained, “Ever since we

collaborated with the Tsar, he has brought us misery. My dream was to claim the Lance for my

people and show Stalin that the Cossacks were still valuable.”

“Volkov,” Buck said, “You have won. The Lance is yours.”

Virginia and Danny reacted in shock to Buck’s words.

“We couldn’t have recovered it without you. You have earned the right to take it.”

Volkov nodded and took the Lance. The group watched his disembark as they reached Antakya.

“You let him take the Lance?” Virginia asked Buck in amazement.

“He has suffered enough from a choice his people made a long time ago. But he is not my

concern: The Templars plan may succeed. The Nazis will enter Poland. When we get to England,

I’m enlisting. I have the feeling that America will be reluctant to join a war in Europe. ” He

explained.

“You’re concerned about politics?” Virginia asked.

“I am now.” Buck replied, “And I have been thinking about another question I ’ve been saving for

over ten years.”

“What is that?”

Buck turned to Virginia and produced ring from his pocket, presenting it to her. She was

overcome.

“Of course!” she cried out in joy. Doc turned and smiled to Buck in a silent congratulation as he

remained at the helm, piloting the zeppelin into the sunset.

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Chapter 7 - Unmasked