"This alley will do," Ezio Auditore da Firenze muttered to himself as he studied the cobblestone paths and cracked buildings around him. He recognized this small path. As a young man, he had once spilled blood in this very spot. The alley was fifteen feet across; wide enough for him to use his sword freely, but narrow enough to prevent the Venetian guards from surrounding him. Ezio hoped that his familiarity with the spot would give him an advantage. The hooded Italian chuckled to himself, stretched his shoulders, and thought, "At my age, I'll need all the advantages I can find."
Ezio had arrived in Venice a few days ago to meet with the Doge, Leonardo Loredan. Unlike many of Ezio's interactions with political figures, this meeting was a peaceful one. The Doge, like many other European leaders, had invested heavily in exploration into the New World. The Doge cooperated in these expeditions with other European powers and even the Ottoman Empire, taking a powerful step towards unity and away from conflict. Recently, these expeditions had taken a turn for the worst. Reports returned to the Old World of Explorers coming into conflict with the Natives. Entire native villages were burned to the ground as foreign powers struggled to solidify their presence. The leaders of the Old World had paid no mind to this violence until it arrived on their doorstep.
A month ago, a Native calling himself Connor Kenway began targeting those he thought responsible for the violence in the New World. He swept across Europe, finding and killing men who thought themselves untouchable. Rumors spread, strengthening Kenway's reputation. Witnesses said he fought like a rabid dog. His ability to disappear in a crowd made some speculate that he was a ghost, sent as punishment for the sins against the Natives. Some said he couldn't be killed.
Ezio understood why Connor wanted blood. The violence against the Native tribes had to end, but Connor's solution was too brash. If Ezio allowed the man to continue, he would destabilize all of Europe. For this reason, the aging Italian offered to help protect the Doge.
Ezio suspected that Kenway would make his move when the Doge was walking through the streets. The Doge would be under heavy guard, but that had not been a problem for the Native American warrior before. Killing the Doge in public was more important to Kenway than having an easy escape route. Ezio was confident that he'd be able to spot the murderer in the crowd before he became a threat.
In fact, it was pure luck that Ezio spotted his target. He had been inconspicuously following the Doge through the streets when, by chance, he noticed another man who was wearing a white hood similar to his own. It did not take Ezio long to realize that this white hood had been nearby for some time. And it was getting closer to the Doge. Ezio did not know if Kenway had accomplices and advised one of the Doge's guards to redirect through an alley. The doge and his guards complied. The guards would follow the alley until they reached the canal, where they could put the Doge on a barge. He would be safe at sea. Ezio would not go with them. The master of the Assassins knew that he had to deal with this threat now, before Kenway could retreat and regroup. When he recognized the narrow street, he muttered to himself, "This alley will do," and prepared to meet the ghost from the New World.
Ezio did not have to wait long in the abandoned alley. Only a few seconds after the Doge had disappeared around a corner, Kenway appeared. Ezio had never seen a Native American before and took a moment to observe the unique features on the stern face before him.
"Nice hood," Ezio called out casually, "but I can recommend a good tailor if you were looking for an upgrade."
"Where is the Doge?" Kenway responded in a clear, flat voice. Ezio was surprised to hear the man speak Italian. By all accounts, the old man was quite impressed by the "savage" before him.
"He is putting distance between himself and blood thirsty men like you, Signor... Kenway is it?"
"Any who would ally themselves with such a monster should not call others bloodthirsty," Kenway growled, betraying anger in his voice.
"Connor," Ezio said, extending his hand in an attempt to calm the young man, "what the Doge did was not right. Maybe he does not deserve to live when such atrocities are committed in his name. But his death will only bring more violence. No good will come of this. Go home, Connor. Look to your people. There are other ways to-"
"My people are dead!" Connor interrupted, screaming across the alley. "My entire village was burned off of the face of the Earth!"
"You have a right to be angry. You have a right to want revenge. I was not much younger than you when my father and brothers died at the hands of greedy men. If it were not for a few wise men and women to guide me, my desire for vengeance would have destroyed me. Now please, Connor. Do not do this."
Connor stepped forward, pulling a tomahawk and knife from beneath his cloak. "Vengeance won't destroy me. There's nothing left of me for it to take. Now step aside, old man."
Ezio's left hand dropped to his side and formed a fist. A hidden blade emerged. "Last chance, Kenway."
Without offering a response, Kenway lunged forward, swinging his tomahawk at Ezio's head. Ezio jumped back, parrying the attack away with his hidden blade and barely drawing his sword in time to fend off the knife targeting his ribs. It was clear that the rumors had one thing right: Connor did fight like a rabid dog. The man's attacks were relentless. Ezio was on his heels defending himself from the two weapons that kept coming at him from every angle. He knew that he was too old to win a contest of endurance against Kenway. He had to find a way to go on the offensive. He shot his leg out, hoping to slow down the Native with a kick to the knee. Without breaking stride, Kenway stepped around the attack and attempted to trip up Ezio.
Ezio narrowly spun out of the way of the attack, slamming his shoulder into the wall of the alley. Kenway swung with both weapons at Ezio's head. Desperately, the Italian placed the sword in the way of the attack, but the blade was knocked from his hand. Ezio tried to dive to the ground to recover his sword, but he felt himself unable to move. Connor had stabbed Ezio's cape against the wall with his tomahawk. He was pinned. Connor lifted his knife for the final blow. In his enthusiasm he pulled his arm back too far. He would not have made this mistake if he had known Ezio wore two hidden blades.
Activating the hidden blade on his right hand, Ezio swung his hand up, slashing the side of Kenway's face. The Native backpedaled in surprise, realizing too late that his tomahawk was still embedded in the wall of the house. Ezio tore himself away from the wall, leaving a shred of cape hanging from the axe which remained impaled on the side of the alley.
"My mother gave me that cape," Ezio said, catching his breath, "You will regret ruining it."
Holding his hand to his cut face, Kenway suddenly realized that, in the confusion, he was now on the other side of the alley. There was nobody between him and the Doge. Kenway sprinted down the alley, toward the canal.
"Merda," Ezio swore as he pursued his target.
The two of them raced down the alley. Connor was quicker, but Ezio knew these streets. Connor could think on his feet, but every corner he turned caused a moment of hesitation. These moments were all Ezio needed. Soon he would close the gap.
Ezio reached a fork in the road and, suddenly, he couldn't see his target. Luckily, a frightened flock of birds caught his eye. Kenway was scaling a building. He had chosen a near-impossible route with nothing to grab onto but poor-fitting bricks and window sills. Despite the difficulty of the climb, his brute strength allowed him to throw his body up the side of the wall as if he were weightless. Against all odds, Kenway actually looked as if he would reach the roof. He was already halfway up the six story building.
Ezio loaded his hidden gun. He couldn't let Kenway get any closer to the Doge. It was time to end this. But as he lifted his hand to aim, he found his arm wouldn't stop shaking. His collision with the alley wall had done more damage to his shoulder than he thought. Ezio struggled to hold his hand steady but missed his target. Connor shot a terrified look over his houlder as he realized that Ezio commanded a cannon with his hands. The Native redoubled his efforts, flying towards the roof.
Ezio cursed again and hooked left down the alley. He was injured and couldn't climb as quickly as Kenway, but he knew that support posts jutted out of the center of many Venetian buildings. These posts would make scaling the wall that much easier. He clenched his teeth and minimized the work done by his injured arm. Despite his fatigue, Ezio scrambled up the wall and pulled himself onto the roof. He spotted Kenway leaping across the rooftops, heading for the canal. He would soon reach the Doge's barge.
Ezio sprinted across the red tile roofs of Venice. This was familiar terrain, but Kenway was losing him. Ezio did not think he could hit the man with his hidden gun at this distance. Kenway was moving too fast and any of the chimneys on the roof could block his shot. Up ahead, there was a gap between the buildings that would be too far to jump.
Ezio smiled when he saw that his target was about to run out of rooftop, but he soon figured out Kenway's plan. There was construction on a building up ahead, and a crane suspended a bundle of boards in the air. Kenway intended to jump for those boards and use them to bridge the gap between the buildings. Ezio knew this would be his only chance to cut off his rapidly escaping target. He was too injured to hit a moving target... but maybe he could hit a stationary one. Ezio dropped to one knee, took a deep breath and steadied his arm with his uninjured hand. It only tood him a second to catch his breath and the bullet was in the air. The bullet hit the crane at its tip, slicing the rope and dropping the boards into the thankfully empty street below. Kenway was trapped.
The Native American froze in his tracks at the edge of the building. He frantically looked for an alternative escape but saw nothing. He turned around and saw Ezio Auditore walking toward him across the rooftops.
"You may have saved the Doge today," Kenway bellowed at his pursuer, "but I will never stop!"
"No, Connor," Ezio said solemnly. "I have already stopped you. You may not know it yet, but you will soon."
Connor swung at Ezio with his knife but his limbs felt sapped of energy. The old man parried away his attacks with ease and Connor's head began to spin. After a few failed attacks, he fell to one knee by the edge of the rooftop.
"The wound on your face," Ezio said, sheathing his hidden blades, "was inflicted by a blade tipped with a concentrated extract of the herb henbane. I poisoned you, Connor." Connor touched the wound on his face in disbelief.
"I told you that I wanted to help you," Ezio declared, stepping toward the wounded man, "and it isn't too late. If you give me your word that you will end this mission of revenge and return to your home, I will take you to a doctor and you may yet live. You don't need to throw your life away."
"And I told you, old man," Connor gasped with weak breaths, "there is nothing left of me to save.
Ezio sighed, seeing that his efforts were futile.
The Native American looked up at Ezio, clenched his teeth, and did his best to speak with authority. "You said you wished to help my people. Give me your word that you will do something... anything to stop the violence in the New World."
"I will fight for them, Connor," Ezio said earnestly. "I give you my word."
The dying man forced himself to his feet and faced Ezio. "My name is Ratohnhake:ton," he said as he allowed himself to fall backwards, off the rooftop.