♡Assassin's Creed♡

Ezio Auditore part 2

"I need you to distract the guards while I bring the senator to safety. Wait for my signal, don't take any unnecessary risks and disappear once we pass. Tell the others."

She nodded once and ran off to where Ezio had seen Flavio hiding in the crowd. Then he turned back to the senator who had watched the short exchange with a slight look of amazement. "Stay right behind me and do as I say," he ordered and Egidio nodded, much too grateful for the help to complain about being ordered around. Wise man.

They began the long trek across streets filled with hostile guards and Ezio's senses were on full alert. One mistake and not only Egidio's life would be in danger, but his recruits' as well. He told himself to be patient despite their progress being painfully slow, always having to wait for a group to slip by the guards unnoticed and holding his breath in anticipation of the worst until they were a safe distance away. Then a new group of guards appeared and the game began anew.

It was a very slow process, but they managed to reach the safe house Egidio had told him about without being spotted once, and much to Ezio's relief, without having to rely on his recruits to distract the guards for them. He knew he could trust them to complete their mission successfully, but he still preferred to keep them out of danger as much as he could, more so seeing as there seemed to be more guards around today than usual, and even worse, most of them were Brutes, wearing heavy armour and heavy weapons.

At that moment he spotted the guards lingering in front of the door and cursed under his breath. Of course it would have been much too easy if this whole thing had worked out without a problem. "We need to move on," he told Egidio and the tedious trek across the streets of Roma started again.

Then came the moment Ezio had dreaded from the very beginning: four guards blocking their way up the stairs and no crowd to help them slip past them. Ezio automatically looked for the crates and beams leading to the roofs before remembering that that way was out of question for his companion. No thieves, courtesans or mercenaries to be seen either. It seemed he was on his own this time.

He gestured for Egidio to wait, then moved closer to the guards and gave the signal for his recruits to attack. Not a second later Flavio ran past him, his big sword branded and drew all of the attention to him. That was the moment the other three struck.

Veronica jumped from the roof onto a Brute and buried her hidden blade right in the small crack between armour and helmet, taking him out with one hit and then swiftly climbed up the wall to the roof again. Carlotta came out of nowhere and slipped behind another one, slit his throat and disappeared in the shadows of a small alley before the guard had even crumpled to the floor. Nico did the same, just a bit slower than his female companion and had to dodge a sword strike from the only remaining guard before Flavio, using the distraction Nico had provided, buried his sword right through the back of his opponent. The younger one grinned and held up a hand in thanks before nimbly scaling the wall to join Veronica on the roofs while Flavio sheathed his sword again, mumbled what Ezio assumed to be a short prayer under his breath, and then disappeared in the crowd again.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Ezio motioned for Egidio to join him again and hurried up the stairs and away from the bodies before other guards could notice them.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the only situation where he had to rely on his recruits to dispose of the guards to free his way. He wasn't sure if it was bad luck or if the guards were actively searching for them, but he had an even harder time remaining unnoticed. He was all the more grateful to his loyal recruits, without whom he would have never even made it this far without having to sully his own hands and endangering his charge.

They were only two streets away from their destination, the third safe house after the previous two had been swarming with guards, when their luck ran out. The two of them had just slipped past another group of guards when Egidio tripped and stumbled into the young lady before him, whose group they had used as cover.