[A/N]: Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcome!
40 chapters so far, huh? This has got to be the longest thing I have ever written by quite a margin.
Chapter 40
It was to be a busy night.
The first of the events that required Ezio's attention was a foot race, which he won fairly easily after his years of training with the Venetian thieves, who had showed him shortcuts throughout the city.
The second was a competition to capture a flag hidden nearby. Ezio's advantage here was his ability to get a bird's eye view of his surroundings and locate the flag more quickly using his talents. His opponents were rarely so resourceful.
The third sounded the most appealing to him, as it would require him to socialize with the young ladies enjoying the festivities. Many were carrying ribbons, and the man with the most ribbons by the end of the hour would be declared the winner of this particular event. Unfortunately for him, those he encountered were especially flirtatious, and thus reluctant to send him on his way with any ribbons.
"Excuse me, ladies. Could I trouble you for a ribbon?" he asked a particular group of girls who had been watching him for a while.
They giggled amongst themselves. "What can we expect in return?" one of them replied.
He tried to come up with a satisfying and quick answer. "I am sure we can find…" he began, but he was distracted as a familiar figure passed behind the girls, bumping into each as she moved and winking at him when she finished. Ezio rolled his eyes. "Excuse me," he pleaded to the disappointed girls as he left the group to follow Rosa.
"What are you doing?" he demanded as he caught up with her. "It's too dangerous to steal in a place this crowded."
"Large crowds are the easiest targets," she reminded him. "Besides, you made a handsome distraction." She handed him the ribbons she had stolen throughout the night. They more than doubled those already in his possession.
Ezio handed in the ribbons and the master of ceremonies announced the final event, unarmed combat. He smiled at Rosa and boasted that he wouldn't need any of her help with this one. She stuck out her tongue.
Most of Ezio's opponents posed no challenge, as could be expected. That was until the towering figure of Dante Moro entered the ring with him. Dante was much slower than Ezio, but immensely more powerful. Rosa almost yelled in panic as Dante delivered a staggering blow to Ezio's chest, but Ezio was able to regain his balance before he fell over. Ezio ducked under the next swing before hitting the giant in the gut, causing him grab his stomach and lean forward. Ezio took this opportunity to hit the giant's chin, but Dante would not go down so easily. He threw himself onto Ezio, and both of them tumbled to the ground. Ezio however, had not lost his orientation as Dante had, so he was able to hit Dante's face a couple more times with his free hand, forcing Dante off of him. Ezio rolled over and tried to stand up, but Dante grabbed his ankle and tripped him, forcing Ezio to fall onto his knees. Ezio noticed that Dante was still holding onto his ankle, but he had brought it near his face. With his free foot, Ezio delivered a powerful kick, which he was later certain had broken Dante's nose. The large man staggered out of the ring.
Ezio smiled to himself until he noticed Silvio give the master of ceremonies a small bag as he whispered in his ear. With a motion of Silvio's hand, four armed men stood above the ring, grinning cruelly at Ezio. At once he understood that the rules had changed. Rosa moved forward to help, but Ezio frowned and, with his eyes, begged her to stay clear. She reluctantly complied.
Three of the men jumped in the ring as Ezio's sword caught the legs of the fourth. Ezio's swing was powerful enough to take the man out of the fight, but not enough to remove the legs. He had resolved not to kill any of them so as not to sour the celebration or attract more attention than necessary.
His throwing knife went into the gut of another man, but missed all vital organs, as was intended. The man yelled as he fell to the ground. Ezio's sword blocked the blow of the man in front of him, and he kicked the man behind him (who had expected to make a successful surprise blow from Ezio's rear) in the leg, tripping him. Ezio brought his leg forward again and kneed his opponent in the stomach, sending him whimpering to the ground. The final man was regaining his balance, but the point of Ezio's sword was already at his throat. The crowed erupted with applause.
Ezio bowed and walked out of the ring, looking over his shoulder at a furious Silvio Barbarigo.