The Pauccetti Gang was just one of the many Mafioso families who ruled the underworld of Italian and Sicilian politics. While the rest of the Italian Peninsula was ravaged during the struggle for Spanish, French, German, Ottoman, and even Papal dominance in Italy—collectively remembered as the Italian Wars—several Mafioso families in Italy and Sicily gained control of the Italian underworld. They, too, fought for prominence; instead of areal conquest, however, the Mafiosi promoted chaos. After all, nothing stimulated underground crime like political upheaval and administrative turmoil.
Thus, the Italian Wars and the international battles for the Kingdoms of Sicily and Naples were a concealed blessing for the old crime families of Italy. Habsburg Spain may have technically owned Sicily and southern Italy, but when the dust settled, it was the Mafiosi who truly governed the region. And when word began to spread that the world-renowned and notorious weapons merchant Vercci had panicked during the Wars and deposited his entire fortune in a "secret" underground vault beneath the dark waters of the Mediterranean, the entire world of underground crime snickered from the shadows. The time of wealth and prosperity for the Mafiosi had finally come.
One man stood in their way, however. Pope Sixtus V, widely forgotten in the annals of history, came to power in central Italy near the end of the 16th century. He brought with him a new discipline and authority that had been absent from Rome since the time of the Caesars. Sixtus made his word law, and his word forbade lawlessness and brigandry of any sort. Criminals and thieves all over central Italy were rounded up and executed. He restored order to the peninsula with an iron fist, and even the independent states to the north and south felt his wrath. Sicily was no exception—the Mafiosi who had controlled her for years were forced back into the shadows. Sixtus certainly had a way of propagating his will.
The waning health of Sixtus, however, allowed the Mafiosi some breathing room, and they slowly returned to their formal glory. For the Pauccetti Gang, one of the younger of Italy's "old families," the time was ripe to consolidate power in Sicily. Vercci's infamous Money Pit happened to be their personal financier. Their luck would not last, however: After Vercci had been thought dead for nearly a decade, rumors of his resurfacing emerged. Suddenly, raids on the underground vault grew fewer, while legends of its enigmatic guardian grew. It was too dangerous to continue expeditions into the Money Pit—unless, of course, someone callow and gullible enough to do their work for them came along.
The Pauccetti Gang had divisions in central Italy as well as southern Italy and Sicily—collectively known as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies—but most notably in Sicily. The Central Chapter had suffered a major blow under the reforms of Pope Sixtus, and the Southern Chapter, headquartered in Naples, had also been thrust into relative insignificance. The Sicilian headquarters in Palermo, however, showed great potential, and the most promising young agents were always sent to the proving grounds of Sicily. Nicolai Pauccetti, lead agent of the Palermo division responsible for the Money Pit, had all this and more in mind when he agreed to take three outsiders to Vercci's lair.
Rumors had once again reached the ears of the Pauccetti clan: they learned of a powerful artifact whose pursuit had been the sole occupation of Vercci before burying his livelihood deep beneath the sea and disappearing into obscurity. A weapon of great power, capable of massive destruction, had been in his possession—but only momentarily. It had since been stolen, but fragments of the blade were rumored to lead to its present location. Most importantly, however, these telling fragments supposedly remained deep within the confines of the vault. The three outsiders would bring Nicolai the fragments, and he would retrieve this great weapon. With its power, he would rule over the Pauccetti clan and conquer all of Sicily. He smiled as he considered what else this great power would afford him.
Nicolai's thoughts returned to the task at hand as his large dory neared the dark island concealing Vercci's Money Pit. The rowboat containing the three strange adventurers seeking entry into the Vault was before him, and two smaller rafts flanked either side of his vessel. The strangers were well-armed, but his twenty accompanying soldiers provided ample security against treachery. It was they who should be worrying, he thought with a snicker, as his dory finally rowed ashore. Nicolai didn't plan on leaving them alive for long.
"Stand and walk forward. Slowly."
The blade points returned, and the three companions complied. Cassandra slowly stood and stretched her legs as she cautiously left the boat, soon feeling sand beneath her feet. She had replaced her espadrille sandals with more durable buskin boots earlier in the day, but she could still hear and feel the unmistakable crunching of sand. Wherever they were, this sandy shore was certainly different from the rocky and uneven coastline they had left behind over an hour ago.
She recognized the breathing of Maxi beside her, and she guessed Porus must have been close behind. There were others, though—before, behind, and beside them. Cassandra counted at least ten pairs of boots marching alongside them, but there could have been dozens.
"In another thirty paces you will be stopped and directed into the entrance of the Vault. The veils over your eyes will be removed when you have been escorted inside." The voice quieted now, and grew more sinister. "Again, unless you have a death wish, I wouldn't turn around."
Cassandra's heart began to race. They were almost inside.
After several more strides down the naturally descending slope of the island, they were finally halted. Strong hands gripped Cassandra's arms, and she was shoved through a doorway and into a chilly corridor. Metallic echoes replaced the crunch of sand beneath her feet. Soon heavy footfalls sounded ahead of her, shortly followed by the sparks and flares of several torches coming to life. The shadowy darkness concealing her vision glimmered, now infinitesimally lighter.
"Before your veils are removed, I have some instructions for you. As you can surely imagine, I require a certain compensation for my services."
Cassandra felt Porus tense behind her. Maxi even managed a small sigh without reproach.
"You are welcome to anything you find inside the Vault. However, there is something I require you to retrieve for me. There are several small fragments—metal shards of a broken sword—hidden somewhere within the Vault."
Cassandra gasped audibly. He knows about Soul Edge. She immediately felt the pressure of the sword point increase behind her. The other two feigned silent ignorance.
"Collect these pieces and return them to me," the voice commanded. "Do not fail in this task. Your very lives depend on it. Have I made myself clear?"
All three nodded wordlessly.
"Good. Remove the veils," the voice commanded.
Instantly, Cassandra felt the cloth covering loosen behind her head, and vision rushed back into her eyes. There were several torches ahead of her, lighting the dim, musty corridor, and there were several torches behind her, casting oblong shadows across the walls of the passageway. There were too many shadows to count, but she didn't dare turn around to inspect the scene further.
Slowly, the shadows and torchlight disappeared from behind her. When they were nearly gone, the voice echoed towards them once more: "Do not forget the fragments. You have three hours before I leave. I suggest you hurry."
Porus was the first to move. He took several steps forward, secured three torches, and returned to distribute them among their small party.
"I don't trust them," Porus said, as he handed Cassandra a small torch.
"Neither do I," Maxi agreed, accepting the final torch. "They already know too much about the Sword."
Maxi then looked at Cassandra before continuing: "Porus, there's something else I need to tell you. I didn't exactly come here with the intention of a treasure hunt…."
Porus only looked at him, so Maxi continued.
"I, too, came for the fragments of Soul Edge."
If this was in fact news to Porus, he certainly didn't seem surprised. "How do you suggest removing them, then, without handing them over to our tour guide?"
"Good question," Maxi replied. "I guess I haven't thought of that one yet."
"Maybe we should actually find them first, and then worry about what to do with them. We don't exactly have a whole lot of time in here," Cassandra informed them, still fearful of the threatening voice waiting outside.
"Good idea, Cass. Let's see if we can find them first. If there's enough, maybe we can even hand some over while keeping the rest for ourselves," Maxi suggested.
"Whatever we do, let's be quick. And don't forget the Guardian," Porus reminded them.
"How could we forget him?" Maxi asked, and Cassandra thought she saw him smirk in the torchlight. She, on the other hand, shuddered at the thought of a wraithlike Guardian slaying any who entered his lair. With pleasant images of death and slaughter in mind, she followed Maxi and Porus into the darkness.
"Maxi, be careful…" she warned.
Maxi had taken the lead—followed by Cassandra, then Porus—in their single file formation, but he was walking much too quickly considering the darkness.
"Come on, Cass," Maxi taunted. "Can't you keep up? Besides, you're the one worried about how little time we have."
"Yes, but we should be careful all the same. Who knows what's down here waiting for us…." Cassandra quivered at her own words, imagining the Guardian stalking them in the darkness.
"Actually, Maxi, she's right," Porus warned. "There could be all manner of traps and snares set for grave robbers in here. This is the supposed burial tomb of Vercci himself."
"Oh, please, you two! It's not like we're the first people to ever—ahh!" Maxi's foot had missed solid ground, and he immediately fell forward into an expansive pit lined with sharpened bamboo sticks.
Cassandra's hands shot out reflexively, and her nails dug deeply into Maxi's arm, momentarily halting his fall. She was perilously close to losing her balance as well, until the strong arms of Porus enveloped both of them in a massive bear hug and hauled them back to safety.
"And that's exactly what I was talking about," Porus chastised, gesturing to the spike pit. It was a squarish enclosure, about six feet in depth and diameter. Sharpened stakes lined the bottom and sides of the earthen crater. A tumble into here would have resulted in massive blood loss, infection, and probably death.
Porus gripped one of the nearer stakes, and severed it with his scimitar. "These are punji sticks," he explained. "They are called tiger pits in Africa."
"In India as well," Maxi added, examining the stake. At the very tip of the spike was a yellowish-green stain. "What do you make of this, Porus?" he asked.
Porus took the spike and examined the odd coloring. "Some sort of poison. Whoever designed this place was expecting visitors—visitors he didn't want to deal with."
The trio shimmied past the pit by way of small ledges to either side of the chasm. If they kept their eyes peeled, they should be able to use hints like these parallel ledges to avoid any more concealed traps.
"Thanks, Cassandra," Maxi whispered after the two of them had safely crossed.
"No sweat," she replied with a smile. "But you owe me one."
Nicolai inspected the clouds above him. Small and dark, they swiftly scattered before the light of the full moon. Angry waves crashed against the shore while his men prepared a large fire away from the entrance of the underground Vault. They were clustered together for warmth atop a small plateau, the only high land on the island. The tide was quickly rising. Nicolai didn't plan on waiting around for long.
One of his men quietly approached him from behind. "The Vault entrance has been propped open and secured like you asked, sir," the man reported.
"Good," Nicolai replied, and continued staring into the moon.
The men hesitated, but proceeded. "Sir, the tide's rising quickly," he warned.
"Is it, now?" Nicolai replied, turning to face the man. "And about how long do you think we have before the waters engulf the island?"
"I'd reckon a few hours, sir."
"And how long did I give our guests to return with the fragments?"
"Three hours, sir." The man's eyes widened as he finally understood his master's plan.
"I'd suggest they hurry, then. Don't you think so?" Nicolai asked.
"Aye, sir. They best get along quickly down there."
Nicolai smiled. He was still a young man—he could afford to wait for the fragments he so desired. Either his guests would return with them on time, or they would drown trying, along with any other thing down there with them.
A/N: Another free history lesson! While the Pauccetti Gang is a made-up Mafia clan, the rest of the background is true. Pope Sixtus V was an actual historical figure, and the mini-world war that took place before him made up the Italian Wars. It was during this time that the Mafiosi really began to flourish (esp. after Sixtus died in 1590). By the way, H.R.E. Rudolph II was a straight up chump who ended up causing the Thirty Years War. Not that that matters, but I thought it worth mentioning. If he's going to play a role in SC5, everyone should at least know that he was a major douche. Just sayin'.