Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 34

In the next few months, the Thieves Guild continued its work of rectification and improvement.Finally, one morning, Hugo came to Ezio's residence and invited him to a meeting.Ezio packed his ancient weapons into a small backpack and followed Ugo to the headquarters of the Thieves Guild, where they saw Antonio enthusiastically playing with the wooden figures around his model of the Palace of Seta.Ezio couldn't help feeling that he was a little too obsessed.Rosa, Franco, and two or three senior members of the guild were also present.

"Oh, Ezio!" he said with a smile, "thanks to your continued success, we can finally start the counterattack. Our target is Emilio's warehouse, which is not far from his palace. That was the plan .Look!" He patted the model and pointed to the rows of blue wooden soldiers scattered around the warehouse. "These are Emilio's archers. They are the greatest threat to us. I want you and a few others to use the cover of night to climb to the top of the buildings adjoining the warehouse - thanks to Rosa's recent training, I Know you're up to the task--then catch those archers by surprise. Avoid making a noise. Meanwhile, our men will don the looted Babaig uniforms and enter from the surrounding alleys to take their place. "

Ezio pointed to the little red figures inside the warehouse. "Where are the guards inside?"

"We'll gather here after you've dealt with the archers..." Antonio pointed to a nearby square, and Ezio recognized Leonardo's new studio over there—unaware of the progress of his work How, the thought flitted through his mind. "...and then we'll discuss the next step."

"When do we do it?" Ezio asked.

"tonight!"

"Great! Let me pick some good players. Hugo, Franco, would you like to come with me?" The two grinned and nodded. "We will deal with those archers according to your proposal, and then join you."

"As long as we replace their archers with ours, they won't be suspicious."

"What's next?"

"When we capture the warehouse, we will start attacking the palace! But remember! Don't make any noise! ​​Don't make them suspicious!" Antonio grinned and spat again. "Good luck, my friends!" He patted Ezio on the shoulder.

"May that wolf die," Ezio said, spitting in return.

The operation went well that night.The archers of the Babaig family died unconsciously, almost silently.Therefore, when they replaced the archers with Antonio's subordinates, the guards inside the warehouse were almost powerless to fight back against the onslaught of the thieves—they didn't even know that their comrades outside had already fallen.

Antonio's original plan was to attack the palace next, but Ezio insisted on going there first to inspect the terrain.Rosa's leg is nearly healed -- thanks to the skill of Antonio and Bianca -- and can now climb and run almost as nimbly as ever.She wants to go with him, but to her annoyance, Antonio vetoes her offer.A thought flitted through Ezio's mind: after all, Antonio still considered her life more important than his.But he pushed that thought out of his mind and began to prepare for the scouting mission, strapping the gauntlet with the double-bladed dagger to his left arm, and the plain wristblade to his right.He had a tough climb ahead, and he didn't want to risk wearing the Baneblade, a veritable deadly weapon that could kill him if he wasn't careful.

He put on his hood, and using the technique Rosa and Frank had newly taught him, he scrambled up the outer wall of the palace, as silent as a shadow, and trying to avoid attracting attention.At last he climbed up the wall and looked down at the garden below.There, he saw two men talking intently.They were walking towards a side door of the palace, which led to a narrow, hidden canal that skirted the back of the palace.Ezio watched their movements from the top of the wall, seeing a gondola moored at the pier there, as well as two gondoliers in black and the extinguished lantern on board.He climbed steadily on the wall like a gecko, quickly crawled down, and eavesdropped on the conversation under the cover of the branches.The two men were Emilio Babaig, and Ezio was surprised to discover that the other man was none other than Carlo Grimaldi, one of Doge Mocenigo's entourages.There was a third person beside them, Emilio's secretary, a slender man in gray, with heavy glasses that slipped from the bridge of his nose from time to time.

"...your castle in the air is about to collapse, Emilio," Grimaldi said.

"It's just a small setback. Before long, the merchants who defied me, and that bastard Antonio de McGuinness, will be dead or in jail, or rowing a Turk slave ship. "

"I'm talking about the assassin. He's here, you know. That's why Antonio is so daring. You see, we've been robbed and pillaged, our guards are no match for their tricks, and I can barely keep the doge from meddling. That's all."

"Assassin? Is he here?"

"Emilio, you idiot! If the Grand Master knows that you are so stupid, you are dead. You are well aware of the damage he caused our organization in Florence and San Gimignano."

Emilio's right hand clenched into a fist. "I'll crush him like a flea!" he growled.

"Oh, if he's a flea, he'll suck all your blood. Who knows? Maybe he's here, listening to our conversation."

"Okay, Carlo—the next thing you should tell me is that you believe in ghosts."

Grimaldi stared into his eyes. "Arrogance makes you stupid, Emilio. You can't see the whole picture. You're nothing more than a big shot in a small place."

Emilio grabbed him by the coat and angrily pulled him towards him. "Venice will be mine, Grimaldi! I provided all the armaments in Florence! It's not my fault that idiot Jacob can't make good use of it. Also, don't talk about mine in front of the grand master. Bad words. I could totally tell him something about you..."

"Stop wasting your tongue! I must go. Remember! The meeting will be held in ten days' time, in Piazza San Stefano."

"I'll remember," Emilio said angrily, "the Grand Master will listen to me when the time comes..."

"When the Grand Master speaks, you just have to listen," Grimaldi retorted. "Farewell!"

With Ezio watching, Grimaldi stepped onto the darkened gondola, and the boat drifted away into the night.

"Damn it," Emilio said to his clerk after the gondola disappeared in the direction of the Grand Canal, "if he's not mistaken? If that damned Ezio Auditore is really here What?" He thought for a moment. "Get the boatman ready. It's okay to wake up those bastards. I want them to get those crates on board now, and get that boat ready as soon as possible, with the power of your water clock. Half an hour. If what Grimaldi said is true, I must find a place to hide, at least until the day of the meeting. The Grand Master will have a way to deal with that assassin..."

"He must be with Antonio de McGuinness," the clerk put in.

"I know that, you idiot!" cried Emilio, "come with me, and help me to pack the papers just mentioned, or our dear friend Grimaldi will come and urge you."

They returned to the interior of the palace, Ezio following, as silent as a ghost.He was one with the shadow, and his steps were lighter than the cat's.He knew that Antonio would wait until he gave the signal before attacking the Seta Palace, but first he needed to figure out Emilio's intentions—what exactly were the documents he was talking about?
"Why do people turn a deaf ear to the truth?" Emilio said to his clerk. "The so-called free opportunities only lead to more crimes! We must ensure that the city-state controls all aspects of people's lives, while leaving bankers and private individuals The financiers grow and prosper. So society prospers. If those who disagree must be silenced, then that is the price of progress. The Assassins belong to a bygone era. They do not understand that it is the city that counts, not the individual." Shaking his head, he added: "Like Giovanni Auditore, and he's a banker himself! I don't understand why he's so stupid."

Hearing his father's name, Ezio drew a sharp breath, but continued to follow Emilio and the clerk to their office, watching as they sorted out the papers and packed them, before returning to the garden gate In front of the small pier, another larger gondola is waiting for its owner there.

Emilio took the package of papers from his secretary and snapped a final order. "Send me your overnight clothes later. You know the address."

The secretary bowed, then turned and left.There is no one else around.The boatmen at the bow and stern are ready to paddle.

Ezio jumped onto the gondola from a height, and the gondola shook violently a few times.He swung his elbow twice, knocking the two boatmen overboard, and grabbed Emilio by the throat.

"Guards! Guards!" Emilio mumbled, reaching for the dagger on his belt.Ezio gripped his wrist tightly just before the point of the dagger sank into Ezio's abdomen.

"Take it easy," Ezio said.

"You! You're that assassin!" Emilio growled.

"Yes."

"I killed your enemy!"

"That doesn't mean you're my friend."

"Killing me won't solve any of your problems, Ezio."

"I think this will rid Venice of an annoying... bedbug," Ezio said, popping out his wrist blade. "Rest in peace." Ezio's blade pierced Emilio's with little resistance. Between the shoulder blades—death comes quickly and quietly.Ezio's skill at killing was matched only by the ruthless determination befitting his calling.

Ezio threw Emilio's body into the water and began to rummage through the papers in the knapsack.He didn't have time to look carefully, he could only skim through it quickly.He could see that Antonio would be interested in most of the papers, but only one caught his attention—a rolled and sealed vellum.Definitely another ancient book page!
Just as he was about to tear off the wax—whoosh! ——an arrow pierced the plank of the bottom of the boat between his legs with a dull sound.Ezio immediately bent down alertly, looking in the direction of the arrow.On the battlements of the palace, a large group of Babaig archers lined up.

Then one of them waved his hand, and turned down the high wall with acrobatic skills.In a blink of an eye, she threw herself into his arms.

"Sorry, Ezio - this joke is so stupid! But we can't help it."

"Rosa!"

She snuggled into his arms. "My legs are fine!" She looked at him with sparkling eyes, "We have also captured the Seta Palace! We released the merchants who opposed Emilio and completely controlled the area. Alright Come on! Antonio is preparing to celebrate, and Emilio's wine cellar collection is very famous!"

Time passed day by day, and Venice seemed to be at peace.No one mourned Emilio's disappearance: in fact, many believed he was still alive, and others swore he had simply traveled overseas to the Kingdom of Naples to tend his business there.Antonio kept the Seta Palace in order, and since the overall interests of the Venetian merchants were not affected, no one would really care about the fate of a merchant, no matter how successful or ambitious he was in the past.

Ezio and Rosa grew closer, but there was still a strong sense of rivalry between them.After her complete recovery, she was eager to prove herself, so one morning she came to his room and said, "Listen Ezio, I think you need to adjust yourself. I wonder if you are still with Franco Just as good as when I trained you. So - how about a game?"

"Contest?"

"Correct!"

"Where to compare?"

"From here to Customs Point. From now on!" She jumped out of the window before Ezio could react.He watched her climb over the red roofs, as if dancing over the canals that separated the houses.He took off his coat and gave chase.

Finally they climbed simultaneously to the top of the wooden building at the end of the Dorsoduro district overlooking the San Marco Canal and the lagoon in the distance.On the opposite bank rose the low houses of the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, and the shimmering pink stone edifice opposite: the Doge's Palace.

"Looks like I won," Ezio said.

She frowned. "Nonsense. And saying such things means that you are not a gentleman, let alone a Venetian. But who can expect the Florentines to do well?" She paused, "Anyway, you are a liar .It was me who won."

Ezio shrugged and smiled. "You have the final say, my dearest."

"Then the winner will take her spoils." She said, pulling him to lower his head, and kissing his lips passionately.Her body at this moment was soft and warm, and extremely submissive.

(End of this chapter)