It was mid-afternoon on a late day in April. The air was thin and cool, and the sky was filled with broad grey clouds. However, the rain had not started yet. The thick veil had darkened the city of Rome as many of its inhabitants scurried the streets. One rather large marketplace in the center of Parione was quite busy with shopkeepers yelling out items and prices and their many consumers bargaining and haggling over different goods. Needless to say, the bazaar was full of energy.
Paulo Vallasio was a nobleman of high authority within the estates of Parione. He oversaw the entirety of the region's economy and business. He was a man bred for commerce and certainly wasn't shy to conning the good Romans out their pocket change. The people knew about his scam, but they could do nothing for fear of harsher times. Paulo paid the lawmen to look the other way when dealing with taxes. For years, he had succeeded in swindling the citizens of Parione. But, time had seen enough, and one wealthy commoner wanted to put the charade to an end. Someone wanted Vallasio dead.
Paulo stood in the center of the crowd, surrounded by a troop of five bodyguards, watching every salesman and every needy shopper. He was there to keep order, and to collect dues for the merchants. Paulo left his office for two reasons only – to return to his well guarded home, and to collect money from the shopkeepers. If Paulo was ever the most vulnerable, it was now.
Of course, a highly trained assassin like Ezio Altidore would know that. He would also know just how to catch him off guard. The cloaked figure rose from the white cobblestone bench and began to make his way through the marketplace. He pulled his hood over his head and moved silently through the crowd and into a secluded alley. Checking for onlookers, and finding no one, he started his ascent to the roof of a building by the rear of the market. Once at the top, he moved around towards the front of the structure to get a better view of the market square. Scanning the area, he located Paulo's station. The target was too heavily guarded for a direct assault, and the area was too open for a stealthy offensive.
Directly below Ezio, the people of the marketplace paraded from booth to booth, table to table, hoarding over the merchants' goods. Ezio reached into his vest and took out a small, cloth pouch. He loosened the knot and threw the bag over the edge of the building, directly into the crowd of people. Numerous coins spilled from the purse and into the air, and at once, all came crashing down to the street. For a moment, there was silence and stillness, until, suddenly, a horde of shoppers pounced towards the spilled money like wolves on their prey. The noise and excitement of the swarm caught the attention of Paulo, who came rushing over with a pair of his guards. Now was the time to strike.
Ezio jumped from the roof onto a small terrace, staying hidden. He was still a number of stories up and needed to get closer to reach his mark. Paulo began shouting as his guards worked to push the crowd apart. Ezio, still hidden by the confusion, hurdled towards the ground, hopping down from signs, posts, and ledges to keep his balance. The crowd was now split in half by Paulo's guards as the nobleman stared at the stone ground in front of him, still covered with coins. He stepped a few paces closer, and bent over to collect the change, examining each coin and placing it into his purse.
Ezio was very close now. Paulo was open for an attack. His guards were busy holding the crowd back and would have no chance of spotting him. Ezio landed onto a small, angled awning, only one story from the ground. He slid down the wooden palisade and leapt from the edge, directly towards Paulo. The taxman was still cleaning the walkway when he heard the thump of Ezio's boots kick off from the canopy. The assassin readied his hidden blade and reached out both hands towards his target. Paulo rose from his knees as Ezio soared closer, just into reach of his target.
The slender point of Ezio's blade sank deep into Paulo's neck as the two tumbled to the ground. Ezio landed on top of the man and slowly pulled the weapon back into concealment. The entire marketplace stopped and stared at the assassin, but no one moved. Even the law officers just stood with open eyes. Ezio reach for Paulo's hand and slid off his signet ring and placed it into one of his vest pockets. The assassin stood and noticed the now still crowd, all eyes on him. Finally, the two guards regained focus and charged towards Ezio. The first swept his blade sideways towards the killer, which was easily dodged. The other officer lunged forward with his sword, but missed as Ezio sidestepped and grabbed the guard's wrist with one hand, and threw the back of his other arm into the lawman's face, knocking him over and stealing his weapon.
The other guard followed up with an over-the-head slash, easily blocked by Ezio who made a few quick attacks himself, each parried. The remainder of Paulo's forces ran towards the scene, and Ezio knew he had to make his escape before more showed up. He hurled the stolen sword at the nearest enemy, easily blocked by the guard's shield, but giving him enough time to pull out a small container from his pouch and throw it at the ground by his feet. Instantly, a plume of smoke rose quickly from the ground, causing more chaos. The guards coughed as they escaped the smog, but when the area cleared, Ezio was gone. The guards glanced around, looking for the assassin, but could not see more than the crowd of faces, each still stunned by the encounter.
"Search the area! Let no one leave the market! Find him!" shouted one of the officers, and the rest scurried off in different directions. In the blink of an eye, the deed was done.
Ezio sat along the edge of one of the buildings high above the marketplace, watching the guards proceed with their search of the area. He was safe for now. None had seen his face, and no one would be able to give a detailed description. He was victorious and saw his act not as a sinful crime, but as an aid to humanity. He was, expectedly, content.
After a few minutes of relief, Ezio rose and began to make his way towards a small tavern in the northwestern corner of Parione where his employer awaited the news.