Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 27

"To use your mind, you must be alive. Can you protect yourself?"

"Will you kill me mercilessly?"

"I will kill you because you must die."

"Good answer! But don't you think I know some secrets that will be useful to you?"

"I can see that you won't give in to torture."

Stefano studied him. "I'll take your words as a compliment, although I'm not sure. But it's only academically meaningful." He paused, and then continued in his shrill voice: "You The opportunity has been missed, Ezio. The end is sealed. The Assassins have failed. I know that no matter what I say or do, you will kill me, and that I must die before the noon mass is over; but my death does not Will do you any favors. The Knights Templar have you on their way, and you will soon be cornered."

"You can't know such a thing."

"I'm going to meet the Creator - if He exists. It's heartening to know the truth. Why should I lie?"

Ezio let go of the dagger.

"Clever," Stefano commented, "what next?"

"Make up for your mistakes," Ezio said, "tell me what you know."

"What do you want to know? Where is my master Jacob?" Stefano smiled. "That is easy to answer. He will soon be with our allies in the night, in the shadow of the Roman gods. Meet." He paused. "I hope you are satisfied, because nothing you do can get me to talk. And it doesn't matter, because I know full well that you are too late. My only regret is not being able to see your own destruction —but who knows? Maybe people do have souls after death, and I will look down on your death. But for now—let’s get this trouble over.”

The monastery bells rang again.Ezio's time was running out. "I think you have a lot more to tell me," he said.

Stefano looked at him sadly. "I'm afraid it won't work in this life." He said.He opened the collar of his robe. "Do me a favor and be quick."

Ezio stabbed the dagger with precision and force until it ran out of handle.

"To the southwest of San Gimignano there are ruins of a temple of Mithras," Mario mused after Ezio returned, "the only Roman ruins within a few miles, but what he said 'Shadows of the Roman Gods'?"

"That's exactly what he said."

"The Templars will meet there - not long after?"

"Yes."

"Then we cannot delay any longer. We must send men to watch there from tonight."

Ezio looked dejected. "Bacononi told me it was too late to stop them."

Mario grinned. "Then we'll prove him wrong."

On the third night after the surveillance began, Mario returned to base camp to formulate plans against the Templars at San Gimignano, leaving Ezio and five trusted men - Gambalto among them - to remain in hiding in the In the dense woods surrounding the ruins of the Mithraic Temple.The complex was expanded over the centuries, and the last deity worshiped was indeed Mithras, worshiped by Roman soldiers, but the temple also included several older chapels dedicated to Minerva, Venus and Mercury.There is also a theater attached to the temple, where the stage is still solid, but the stone benches from low to high facing it have long been dilapidated, reduced to the residence of scorpions and rats, surrounded by collapsed walls, and broken columns —a number of owls have built their nests on it.Climbing ivy was everywhere, and buddleia fronds poked out from cracks in the dirty, decayed marble.The moon high in the sky cast a pale light, and although his subordinates were fearless in the face of human opponents, one or two of them clearly showed tension on their faces.

Ezio told himself that they should be under surveillance for at least a week, but he knew it would be difficult to keep these people calm for that long, as the presence of ancient pagan ghosts was particularly strong here.But just before midnight, the aching limbs of the waiting Assassins heard the clink of harnesses.Ezio and his men tensed up.Not long after, a dozen soldiers with torches walked into the ruins led by three people.They approached the theater directly.Ezio and his men followed quietly.

The soldiers dismounted and formed a protective circle around the three leaders.Ezio recognized with satisfaction the face of the man he had been looking for - it was Jacopo de' Pazzi, a man in his sixties with a gray beard and tired face.One of the two men next to Jacopo looked strange, but Ezio recognized the other - a hook-nosed man wearing a crimson hood, who was undoubtedly Rodrigo Borghi Ya!Ezio placed the Shiv on his right wrist with a sullen face.

"You know why I asked for a meeting," Rodrigo began. "I've given you enough time, Jacob. You still haven't made up for your mistakes."

"I'm sorry, sir. I've done everything I can. Those assassins are too cunning."

"You haven't taken Florence back yet."

Jacob lowered his head.

"You didn't even manage to decapitate Ezio Auditore, and he's just a brat! And every time he frustrates us, he gains power and becomes more dangerous!"

"It's my nephew Francisco's fault," Jacob mumbled, "his impatience led to reckless behavior! I wanted to be his voice of reason—"

"The voice of cowardice is about the same." The third person interjected with a hoarse voice.

Jacob turned to look at him with far less respect than he had when facing Rodrigo. "Oh, Monsieur Emilio. I'm afraid we'd do better if you sent us really good weapons instead of the junk you Venetians call 'armaments'. But you Babaigs always They're all misers."

"Enough!" Rodrigo roared.He turned again to face Jacob. "We trusted you and your family, but how did you repay us? Only inaction and incompetence. You took back San Gimignano! Wonderful! But then you stood still. You even allowed them to infiltrate the city. Maffei Brother is an important member of our organization. And you can't even save your own secretary—he's more than ten times smarter than you!"

"My lord! Please give me a chance to make amends, you will see—" Jacob looked at the two hardened faces, "I will let you see—"

Rodrigo tried to put on a soft expression.He even managed a smile. "Jacob, we know what to do, so don't worry about it. Come here and let me hug you."

Jacob hesitantly obeyed the order.Rodrigo put his left arm around his shoulders, then with his right hand he drew a dagger from his robe and stabbed it hard between Jacob's ribs.Jacopo pulled away, and Rodrigo looked at him like a father looks at a son who has gone astray.Jacob covered his wound.Rodrigo may not have pierced any vital organs, just maybe—

At this moment Emilio Babaig stepped forward.Jacob instinctively raised his bloody hands to defend himself, as Emilio drew a dangerous-looking sharp knife: it had a rough serrated edge on one side and a deep groove of blood on the other.

"No," Jacob whimpered, "I've done my best. I've been loyal to the Order all my life. Please... please don't..."

Emilio let out a cruel laugh. "You crying bastard, please don't want anything?" He said as he tore off Jacob's coat, and the serrated blade immediately tore open Jacob's chest.

Jacob fell to his knees screaming, then lay on his side, twitching in a pool of blood.He looked up to see Rodrigo Borgia standing in front of him, holding a slender sword in his hand.

"Grand Commander—please do it!" Jacob managed to spit out the words, "It's not too late! Give me another chance to make amends—" But he choked on his own blood and said I can't speak.

"Oh, Jacob," said Rodrigo softly, "you've disappointed me so much."

He raised the dagger and stabbed Jacob in the neck so hard that the point of the dagger protruded from the back of his neck, seemingly severing his spinal cord.He twisted the dagger vigorously, and then slowly pulled it out.Jacob threw himself back up, mouth full of blood, but then fell to the ground, convulsed for a while, and finally stopped moving.

Rodrigo wiped the blood off the dagger with the dead man's clothes, then pulled back the cloak and put the dagger back into its sheath. "What a mess," he murmured.Then he turned, looked straight at Ezio, grinned, and shouted, "You can come out now, Assassin! Sorry for taking your prize!"

Before Ezio could react, he was restrained by two guards - their tunics bore the red cross on a yellow shield, the symbol of his great enemy.He called out to Gambalto, but there was no response.He was drawn onto the stage of that ancient theater.

"Hello, Ezio!" said Rodrigo, "I have great sympathy for your men, but do you really think I didn't expect you to come? Do you really think I won't be ready? Do you really think Didn't Stefano da Bacononi disclose the time and place of the meeting to you with my knowledge and permission? Of course, we can't make the process too easy, lest you realize that this is a trap," He laughed, "Poor Ezio! You know, we have been preparing much longer than you. My guards hid in the woods before you arrived. I'm afraid your men will be beaten like you." I was caught off guard - but I was going to see you alive before I killed you. Let it be on a whim. Now I am satisfied." Rodrigo smiled and said to the guards who grabbed Ezio's arm: "Thank you, you can do it now."

He and Emilio Babaig got on horseback and left with the accompanying guards.Ezio watched him leave.He thought quickly.Two burly men were holding him—how many were hiding in the forest?How many troops did Borgia arrange to ambush his men?
"Begin your prayers, boy," said one of them.

"You see," Ezio said, "I know you are only following orders. So if you let me go, I will spare your lives. How?"

The guard laughed. "Oh! Listen to what you're saying! I've never seen a sense of humor in a time like this in my life..."

But he didn't have a chance to finish the sentence.Ezio unleashed his wrist blade, taking advantage of their unsuspecting chance, and stabbing the man on the right.The poison kicked in, and the man staggered back, collapsing not far away.Before the other guard could react, Ezio's dagger sank deep into his armpit - the only spot on his body not covered by armor.Freed, he leapt into the shadows at the edge of the stage and waited.He didn't have to wait long.The ten guards that Rodrigo had arranged in advance came out of the forest. Some of them scanned the edge of the theater vigilantly, while others bent down to check their fallen companions.Ezio rushed between them with the speed of a lynx, aiming at the parts of them uncovered by their armor, slamming his wrist blades one after another.The terrified and panicked guards backed away again and again, and after Ezio cut down five of them, the rest of the enemy screamed in panic and turned around and fled into the forest.Ezio watched them leave.They would not return to Rodrigo unless they wished to be hanged for incompetence.It will take a while for Rodrigo to realize their disappearance and the fact that his evil plan has already failed.

Ezio kneeling beside Jacopo de' Pazzi.He was bruised and bruised, and all his dignity was lost, leaving only the sad, hopeless and old body.

"You are poor and abominable," he said. "I was angry when I saw Rodrigo take my prey, but now, now..."

He fell silent, reaching out to close Jacob's eyes.Only then did he realize that those eyes were looking at him.Jacob is miraculously not dead—not yet.He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.It was obvious that he was in great pain.Ezio's first thought was to leave him to die slowly, but those eyes begged him.He remembered the sentence: Even if you have been treated mercilessly, you should show mercy to your enemies.It's also part of Assassin's Creed.

"God grant you peace," Ezio said, kissing the forehead of his nemesis Jacob, while stabbing his dagger in the heart.

(End of this chapter)