Ezio Auditore, 1502-1503
From his higher viewpoint, Ezio observed the surrounding city and took notice of all the important buildings, heralds and guards running around in a panic after he had killed their general, memorizing everything and adding it to his mental map of Rome.
Then he took the torch and set the tower aflame.
He felt the fire at his back, trying to get to him as he jumped upon the little wall of the tower, took aim and performed a leap of faith into the hay below. He stayed a few seconds until he was sure all the guards were too busy dealing with the fire and the mob that started to openly oppose them, now that he had given the starting signal, before he rolled out of the hay, brushed his robe off and wandered off to mingle with the crowd and judge their mood.
It was not long before the citizens of Rome started to drive the guards off and reclaim their lost territory. They had been suppressed for a long time now and the little spark that Ezio had provided had been enough to set them off and finally start fighting to get their lives back.
His work here was nearly done. He would only linger long enough to make sure that the civilians didn’t have any problems dealing with the guards, that his help wasn’t needed anymore. Then he would return to Tiber Island and retire for today. It wouldn’t be long before the sun disappeared behind the buildings after all and he’d done enough mayhem for today.
Just when Ezio was satisfied that the citizens could handle it and had started to make his way home, he heard shouting and the distinct noise of fighting. He stopped for a moment to listen, glanced around and decided that the fastest way was over the rooftops. A moment later he was scaling the wall, ignoring the murmuring of the astonished crowd, and after making sure there were no archers waiting for him, pulled himself onto the building.
A second later he was perched on the edge on the other side and glanced down at the commotion that had lured him here. Four guards were pointing their swords at a young woman who had her back pressed against the wall and only wielded a knife. He wondered how she had managed to fend them off with her meagre defence, but that question was answered a second later when one guard came a step too close and swiftly received a slash across his arm for his trouble.
Ezio raised an eyebrow, impressed. She definitely knew how to wield her weapon.
“Puttana! You will pay for this!” cursed the hurt guard and waved his sword in a manner that he probably thought was intimidating, but only showed how little skill he had with the weapon. The Assassin was not the only one to notice this.
The woman smirked and held her knife in front of her, in a perfectly balanced ice-pick grip. “I’d like to see you try, stronzo.”
As much as it amused Ezio to watch the woman rile the guards, she was still hopelessly outmatched and at a great disadvantage against swords with their much longer reach. He had to intervene before she got hurt. After all, it wouldn’t do to neglect a damsel in distress, even more since he really liked to play the knight in shining armour.
He readied his two hidden blades and after a last, calculating look, he dropped down on the unsuspecting guards. Two were dead before they even knew what had hit them, another was quickly disposed of with a slash across the throat, not even having enough time to raise his sword in defence. The last one fled from the scene, terrified.
“Well, that was quite effective.”
Ezio let his blades disappear and turned around, his trademark charming smile in place which he always wore when dealing with women, a witty retort on the tip of his tongue – and promptly forgot it when he really saw the woman he had just saved for the first time.
It wasn’t that she was exceptionally beautiful. Ezio had met many women that were far more beautiful than her in his lifetime and he had never been shy around those. She had her dark hair tied in a knot, as was the common style at the time, and brown eyes. The typical Italian woman, as there were hundreds wandering the streets of Rome, maybe a bit prettier than most, but nothing remarkable. Except for the smile which had managed to rattle him, him, the master of smiles. It was sweet, so very sweet, and so alike to Cristina’s it hurt.
He had his long training of hiding his true emotions to thank when he didn’t let his thoughts show and that it took him less than a second to automatically fall into his familiar role as a heartbreaker. Even a very keen observer would have had trouble noticing his short faltering.
“I am effective in everything I do, signorina,” he said and let his gaze wander over her body, lingering for a moment at the ample cleavage her form fitting bodice showed before he caught her gaze again. His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Are you alright?”
“You made sure of that, signore. Grazie.” Her playful tone revealed that she didn’t talk about the guards and his smile grew just a little bit wider as she dropped a curtsy. He liked her answer and the fact that the movement let her cleavage show just a little bit more. “How will I ever be able to repay your kindness?”
Ezio had some distinct ideas about that, but for once he didn’t give into the temptation. He had more important issues to deal with, one being the building of the Brotherhood. And if her expertise with the knife was any indication, she just might become a pretty apt recruit. The fact that she wasn’t an eyesore was of course a bonus.
“There is no debt to be repaid, signorina. I did what any man would do when seeing a pretty damsel in distress.” He couldn’t help the flirting. It was as much a part of him as his hidden blade. But then he grew more serious as he laid a hand on her shoulder. “But if you are willing to join our cause, to help in the liberation of Roma, we would gladly welcome you.”
She bowed her head, a hand over her heart, becoming serious the moment he did. “I still breathe, thanks to you. What skill I have is yours.”
“And it is gladly accepted. Come and we’ll officially make you into a recruit.” He smiled, the serious part of the recruiting over. “I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze,” he said with a slight bow and the new recruit respectfully nodded her head.
“My name is Veronica Acerbi. I’m honoured to make your acquaintance, signore Auditore.”
It had been some time since Ezio started dwindling away at the Borgia influence in Rome. He’d already killed half a dozen of their generals and set their towers aflame, giving hope back to the people, as well as the will to think for themselves. He’d sponsored shops and the renovation of structures to show that Rome was on the uprise again, that the reign of the Borgia was coming to an end, and he had found many willing Assassin recruits during that time who wanted revenge on those that had suppressed them.
Those men and women were standing before him now, awaiting his orders. They all wore the white Assassin robes that designed them as novices, had a sword at their side and the arm protector with the hidden blade on their wrists. Some wore other weapons they had shown to be skilled with, such as crossbows or maces, and one even had a bow. He knew that some had knives on them, even if they were hidden from sight. His scrutinizing gaze shortly lingered on the form of Veronica whose curvy body was unfortunately covered by the same bulky robes everyone wore and she held his gaze, a small smile on her lips.
His gaze moved on. “Apprentices, you’ve come a long way in the last months.” The guild leaders, Machiavelli and he, on occasion had made sure of that and had trained them in combat, free running, pickpocketing, blending and, of course, the use of their hidden blade. All of them had shown talent in at least one skill and stubbornness in learning all the other skills that hadn’t come as easy. Some of them had more talent than the others, but all of them had made a great deal of progress and more than earned their title of Recluta.
Now it was time to put their new skills to good use. “But learning the necessary skills is only the first step in becoming a real assassin. The next step is to learn how to use them and help in furthering the cause of our order. Therefore, from now on, you will be sent on missions.”
A low murmur went through the little group of novices, some excited, some nervous, but most curious as to what their new assignments would be. Ezio smiled, ready to indulge them. “This will help to further improve your skills and let you gain some first-hand combat experience. You will be divided in teams under one assigned leader, which may change depending on the mission.”
The murmuring got a bit louder as the assassins began to wonder who had earned the honour of being granted the title of leader. Ezio glanced over at Machiavelli, who got the sign and came to stand by his side, some papers in hand.
Ezio waved his hand in the direction of the older assassin. “Master Machiavelli will discuss the details with you and you will start your respective missions tomorrow morning.” He looked them in the eyes, then placed his hand on his heart and slightly bowed his head. “Nothing is true, everything is permitted.”
“Nothing is true, everything is permitted!” echoed it across the hall and Ezio turned to go, satisfied, while the assassins, clearly dismissed, began to swarm around Machiavelli.
“Already off again?” Well, all but one, apparently.
He turned back to Veronica, the smile he only reserved for pretty women already in place. “I’ve done my part, the rest is up to Machiavelli. And you recruits, of course. Nothing holds me here.” His eyes glinted as he watched her. “Or is there?”
Veronica came closer and brushed some imaginary dust off his breast plate. “Well, there might be”, she drawled and leaned a bit closer, a seductive smile on her face.
He couldn’t resist drawing a bit closer himself and letting his hand trail innocently down her side before it came to rest on her hip. Her hand had wandered from his chest to his neck where she played with his hair and there was not much space between them. He fully intended to close the remaining distance between them when she suddenly pulled back and left him a bit dumbfounded.
“But unfortunately, our master assassin instructed that I leave early tomorrow and I would hate to be tired on my very first mission. You will have to wait until I’m back.” She patted his cheek and with a twinkle in her brown eyes, turned around and returned to Machiavelli, leaving him alone in his slight stupor.
It had been quite some time since someone had left him standing like that, long enough that he struggled a little bit to understand the situation. But when he did, the smile returned full blast. If she wanted to play this game, he would indulge her.
And he would win because he always did.
With his thoughts circulating around his new object of interest, he left the hideout to scout some more, vaguely realizing how very similar this courting was to that of Cristina nearly three decades prior.
But he found he didn’t care.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focus on his mission and then he took off into the descending night of Roma.
Ezio mingled in the crowd, observing the four guards standing before the door across the street. He’d come to learn that most of the time someone guarding a door like that meant that behind it a Codex page, or at least a worthy treasure could be found. He may have already found all the pages his ancestor Altair had left him, but nonetheless he would not let the opportunity pass to get his hands on some much needed money to further help rebuild Rome.
He let his eyes wander while proceeding a bit further up the street with the people he used as cover, until he found what he had been looking for: a group of thieves, lingering in the corner, looking for their newest victim.
He approached them and gladly realized that at least two of them saw him coming. Observant, a good trait to have as a thief and spy for the assassins.
“Messer Ezio,” greeted the oldest looking thief whose dark hair had some white streaks interwoven, and who had first seen him, while the others just nodded.
“Good afternoon. How is the business going?”
The old thief, clearly the unspoken leader of the group, answered with a shrug. “Pretty slow.”
Another who wore a green bandana and looked slightly younger than the other three added with a cocky grin, “but you seem to have work for us, right, Messere?”
Ezio smiled. “Indeed.” He pointed at the group of guards he had observed earlier. “I would be much obliged if you could distract them for me.”
“Nessun problema, Messere. Consider it done,” answered the leader and took the coins Ezio handed over with a slight bow.
“Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Ezio cautioned, “I’ll only need a moment.”
The thieves nodded and walked off towards the guards, while Ezio followed them at a safe distance, again blending in with the crowd and waiting for his opportunity.
Once the thieves had managed to provoke the guards enough to make them forget their duty and abandon their post to chase them down the street, Ezio made his way over to the door, opened it just enough to slip through and closed it behind him. No need to leave open evidence that someone had broken in.
Then he glanced around the room and a grin lit up his face when he spotted the big treasure box that was sure to hold a fortune. He immediately pulled out his lock picks and got to work. It didn’t take long for the box to open up; the lock had been the same for years and it would probably never change. If they hadn’t learned by now that it wasn’t safe enough to keep him out, they never would.
Gingerly he picked up the two precious looking diamonds that lay on top of the little fortune and put them in a pocket on the inside of his robe. He recalled that his favourite Blacksmith had asked for these in exchange for making him even better armour, so it wouldn’t do to lose them now. Then he swiftly filled up his money pouch to the point of bursting, already thinking about all the investments he could make with this.
Mission accomplished he made to leave the room – and stopped, a hand already on the door handle. He heard voices on the outside and his instinct told him to take care. Even civilians didn’t like to be hit by doors, and he had a feeling these weren’t civilians lurking just behind the door.
He pressed his ear to the door and the next words he heard confirmed his suspicion. “I tell you, they won’t catch them. The thieves are way too fast and know the streets better than any of us. Better stay here before the captain scolds us for leaving our post on a fool’s errand.”
It seemed the guards had become smarter. It wouldn’t matter though, as they wouldn’t live long enough to brag about it.
Ezio readied his two hidden blades and kicked open the door. There was a time for silent assassinations. This was not it.
As planned, the door hit the two perfectly placed guards right in their backs. It may not have hurt them all that much thanks to their armour, but it stunned them for a moment, which was all Ezio needed. His two blades branded, he jumped the guards and slit their throats before they even knew what had hit them.
As they crumbled to the floor, he cleaned his blades on their trousers and let them slide back, hidden once more before the surrounding crowd could see them. Not that they needed to to recognize him. The white robes with the assassin seal were a dead giveaway all on their own, as was the fact that he was standing over two bodies.
“Assassino!”
The terrified scream came not a second later as the people scrambled to put as much distance as possible between them and him. Not that he cared all that much. He looked around to make sure there were no other guards in sight and then bent down to pick up the throwing knives, bullets and some florin from the bodies. He’d need those more than them, after all.
He put his newly acquired supplies in the designed pouches and then started to make his way down the street, the crowd parting before him, afraid he might kill them too. It eased his progress, but it had own fatal disadvantage: he stood out like a black sheep among his white brethren.
And of course a patrol chose that moment to come around the corner and spotted him in an instant. With the people screaming Assassino and keeping their distance from him, it wasn’t all that hard for them to make the connection.
“Get him!” ordered the leader of the group and charged, his sword already branded. Ezio thought for only a moment, then turned around and fled down the street, the guards hot on his heels and the crowd parting before him, not wanting to get in the crossfire.
He ducked into a narrow alley and pushed an unsuspecting couple out of his way and into the path of the following guards which gained him some much needed time. Still not enough, though. As he sprinted around the next corner, two of the four guards still followed him close enough to not lose sight of him, so he was unable to lose them using that basic tactic. At least he’d gotten rid of the two Brutes, which had been the main reason to flee instead of fighting. Even he had trouble going against those all on his own.
Another sharp turn and Ezio found himself on a busy main street. He smiled a little and, still running at full speed, grabbed the pouch holding his money and fished out some florin, which he then tossed in a nice arc right behind him. “A little donation for the good citizens of Roma,” he called as the crowd practically threw itself on the money lying on the ground, and thus effectively blocked the way of the guards. Not even their cursing and shouting of orders could convince them to back off; the call of the money was simply too strong.
Grinning, Ezio took the opportunity and swiftly ducked into another alley where he proceeded to skilfully climb the facade. They’d never get him once he reached the roofs - they were his territory after all.
Well, his and that of the archers stationed there.
“You’re not supposed to be here. Get down.” The archer menacingly reached for his weapon the moment Ezio pulled himself over the ledge and onto the roof. Today seemed to be his lucky day.
He held up is hands in surrender. “I’ll get down, no need to draw that weapon.” He came a bit closer while the guard regarded him suspiciously. Ezio waved to the street below and winked conspiratorially. “I just needed to get away from a crowd of women who would not stop following me, you see.” He sighed dramatically as he took another step closer. The guard let go of his bow and instead gripped the hilt of his sword, not yet drawing it, but a clear warning to stay away nonetheless. Ezio ignored it. “Sometimes it is a curse to be this handsome,” he winked, but the guard remained stoic.
Ezio tensed and before his opponent even realized the change in his composure and could draw the sword, the Assassin jumped him and stabbed his hidden blade deep into his throat.
As the guard went down, Ezio shrugged. “Not that you could relate.” He sighed, then knelt next to the guard to close his eyes. “Requiscat in Pace.”
His final duty done, he looked up to the sky to see that the sun was already well on its way west and that it wouldn’t be long before night fell upon Roma. He wouldn’t have any more luck today gathering information about the location of the Templar agents so he might as well get back to the hideout now and get an early start tomorrow.
Decision made he started his travel back across the rooftops, this time making sure to stay out of sight of the archers.
“Any success?”
Ezio shook his head as he fell into the seat across from Machiavelli and began to undo his arm protectors. “Niente. It seems they’ve gotten a bit more careful after I killed the last two.” He leaned forward, observing his friend. “What about you? Any word from our allies?”
Machiavelli also shook his head and sighed. “They’re doing all they can, but it’s a slow progress.”
“A bit too slow for my taste,” Ezio complained, but leaned back in his seat, showing that the topic was closed. They couldn’t change the situation either way. Patience was a virtue. He waved his hand in the direction of the corner where a list of the current missions across the continent hung. “How are our recruits doing?”
Machiavelli leaned back and a little smile crossed his face for a moment. Ezio knew the news would be good before his friend had even opened his mouth. “They’re performing very well, actually,” he said proudly, and rightfully so, since he had helped train them. Even more than Ezio had, busy as he was with his own agenda. “Francesco just sent a report that he and his team succeeded in ambushing and eliminating the troops before they reached Camerino, all without losing a single man. They’re on their way back now.”
Ezio nodded, glad. He knew how skilled Francesco was and that it had been the right choice to make him the leader of his team, but it was always nice to see one’s expectations fulfilled. A real mission was something different from a training session, after all. It seemed the young man was well on his way to becoming a great assassin and leader. He was curious to hear how his teammates had performed, but that would have to wait until their return.
“Lodovico and his team were also successful at their missions in Florence. They split up to sneak into a guard meeting to get information on their numbers and patrol routes, deliver false records concerning the Templars finances and steal an important letter from a Templar courier.”
“Seems they’re quite the stealthy ones,” commented Ezio and Machiavelli nodded, that small smile still on his lips. He really was mighty pleased with the success of their newly founded Brotherhood.
“It was Lodovico’s objective to gather a team specialized in staying in the shadows.”
A bit risky since most went for a pretty balanced team with more than one speciality, but it seemed to work out, so Ezio sure as hell wouldn’t object. He waved for Machiavelli to continue, which he did without further ado. It wasn’t all that often that he could deliver so much good news.
“Veronica and her team went to Aquila to assist in the escape of an assassin that had been found out. They should be back tomorrow.”
Ezio couldn’t help but give his thoughts on that. “That is good news indeed,” he commented with a big grin that had Machiavelli rolling his eyes, just as expected. The man just didn’t have the appreciation for pretty women that Ezio had. He seemed to prefer books, something that Ezio would never understand.
Before Machiavelli could reply, a female voice interrupted them. “And here I thought I would save the day with my good news.”
Both men got up from their chairs and turned to the confident young woman striding into the room, her pretty red dress billowing behind her.
“Claudia, ” Ezio said simply, while Machiavelli silently bowed to the rather new Madame of the courtesans of Rome, a responsibility which she handled all too well. Even though Ezio was glad to have such a reliable ally, he was still a bit peeved that his sister had ignored his order to go to Florence and taken on this role against his will. Still, she held her own pretty well, stubborn as she was. A true Auditore.
“Ezio. It’s been a while.” She glared at him, and he held up his hands, partly in defence, partly as an unspoken apology. It was true that he didn’t visit her all that often, even though she wasn’t that far off. He may have told her that she was on her own, but she was still his sister and right in her rebuttal, even if he didn’t like to admit it. He should at least stop by to see their mother.
“I was busy, as were you, it seems. What did your girls find out?” He redirected the conversation in a much safer direction while simultaneously hiding an apology and a compliment in there to placate her.
It seemed to work as she uncrossed her arms. “They said a senator, Egidio Troche, owes the Banker money and that he is not very happy with the way things are in Roma. He might be the way into his inner circle you have been looking for.”
“That is indeed good news,” Machiavelli echoed Ezio’s earlier words, but the Assassin was already too deep in thoughts to catch the mocking tone of his friend. Anyone that owed the Banker money was in trouble, and if he helped this senator, he might finally get closer to the Templar. Either way, it was the best lead he had so far, and he would be stupid to let this opportunity pass. The sooner he managed to get Cesare’s funds cut off, the better.
“Where can I find him?”
“When he isn’t at the Rosa, most of the time he’s in the Campidoglio.”
Ezio nodded, his decision made. “Then I will pay him a visit tomorrow. I shall retire for tonight.”
Claudia smiled, their rather rough welcome already forgotten. “Good luck, brother.”
“Nothing is true, everything is permitted,” said Machiavelli as goodbye and after a curt nod in the direction of Claudia, retreated to the small library of the hideout.
Ezio himself made his way in the opposite direction where the quarters were just up a short flight of stairs. He rounded the corner – and crashed into a recruit who would have fallen to the ground if it hadn’t been for Ezio’s fast reaction into grabbing his shoulder. Or hers, as her voice let on when she quickly apologised. “I’m sorry, Messere. I didn’t pay attention.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Didn’t I teach you that an assassin should always be aware of his surroundings?” He mocked and to his delight managed to make Veronica blush.
She grinned, a little embarrassed but shaking it off quickly enough to adapt her usual flirty tone. “I guess I felt a bit too comfortable. After all, what could happen to me with a Master Assassin like you here?”
Ezio’s eyes glinted as he slowly let his fingers trail down her arm. “Oh, I know a thing or two,” he replied, a predatory smile on his face as his fingers came to rest at her hand which he lightly gripped, so she could still pull it away if she wanted.
She didn’t. “Now you made me curious,” she said with that smile that he liked so much.
“And as a gentleman it is my duty to satisfy that curiosity, isn’t it?” He gently tucked her in the direction of the quarters and she easily followed him. As they made their way up the stairs, he couldn’t help his next comment. “It is indeed my lucky day. Machiavelli didn’t expect you back until tomorrow.”
“I was eager to come back, so I made haste. And aren’t I the lucky one, to have run into you right after my arrival?” She easily flirted back.
Ezio simply smiled as his opened the door to his designed chambers. “I think we will both be much luckier in a moment.”
Veronica followed him in and closed the door, which wasn’t opened again until the next morning.
