Next month will see the release of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, which finds protagonist Ezio Auditore journeying to the former haunts of his predecessor Altair, lead there by a rumor of an ancient vault in the castle Masyaf. He learns of this vault in an old letter written by his deceased father. For my contribution to the writing challenge, I’ve written a short quest line which finds Ezio searching for his sister, who has been kidnapped after discovering and reading the letter from her father, leading her to do some investigating of her own.
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EXT. ROSA IN FIORE – DAY
SUBTITLE: Rome, 1509
EZIO AUDITORE, legendary Italian assassin, approaches the elegant brothel run by his sister, CLAUDIA AUDITORE. As soon as the player navigates Ezio to the indicated waypoint near the door of the brothel, a cinematic is triggered. Ezio takes a brief moment to glance around the perimeter of the building, conspicuously void of courtesans. He enters the building.
INT. ROSA IN FIORE – SAME
In place of the usual coy laughter and flirtation of the beautiful courtesans, Ezio is met instead with sobbing and tears. He quickly approaches a group of COURTESANS huddled together on an overstuffed chair.
EZIO
Ladies, what troubles you?
COURTESAN
Ezio, we tried to find you, but they said you were away on business and not to be disturbed.
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EZIO
What is it?
COURTESAN
It’s Claudia, she-
Ezio is visibly alarmed. He grabs the courtesan by the shoulders.
EZIO
Is she here? Is she safe?
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COURTESAN
We don’t know, they took her while she was out running errands. There was nothing we could do!
Ezio begins pacing about the room.
EZIO
Took her? Who? Where?
COURTESAN
They were dressed like thieves, but they were no friends of ours. Their clothing was bright red – Borgia colors!
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EZIO
Borgia? I find that hard to believe. Even so, if it is true, then I must deal with this myself. Do you have any idea where they took her?
COURTESAN
Some of our girls saw them heading towards the Campagna district, near the abandoned winery.
EZIO
Then that is where I shall begin my search.
Ezio moves towards the door and exits.
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EXT. ROSA IN FIORE – DAY
As the player regains control of Ezio, the Animus displays the option of a new assignment, “Blood is Thicker than Water”, and a set of objectives. The main objective is to rescue his sister Claudia, with the first directive being to make their way to the abandoned winery in the Campagna district, indicated by an icon on the map.
Upon reaching the waypoint near the winery, Ezio will find himself on the roof of a nearby building. This waypoint triggers a short in-game cut scene where Ezio notices two THIEVES matching the courtesans’ description patrolling outside of the winery.
EXT. WINERY – DAY
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EZIO
This seems all too easy…
The player is then charged with an updated objective: engage the two enemies, leaving one alive for interrogation. Ezio’s death, or the death of both thieves, results in failure of the mission. After killing one of the thieves by any means necessary, the second must be beaten with bare fist melee attacks until he relents. This triggers another in-game cut scene.
THIEF
Please, messere, don’t kill me!
EZIO
Do you know who I am?
THIEF (stammering)
Y-you’re Ezio Auditore, the assassin! All of Roma knows who you are!
EZIO
If my reputation precedes me, would you mind telling me why you kidnapped my sister?
THIEF
It was his idea, I swear. I’m just acting under orders!
EZIO
Orders? Who is your superior? Are you Borgia?
THIEF
Me? What? No! These colors, they-
EZIO
You know what I do to Borgia, don’t you?
To make his point clear, Ezio quickly extends and retracts his hidden blade with blinding speed.
THIEF
He thought it would rile you up, make you reckless, to wear these colors.
EZIO
Who would?
THIEF
He’ll kill me if I tell you!
EZIO
I’ll kill you if you don’t.
THIEF
Please, no! It’s Petrono. They call him the Bleeder.
EZIO
I know of him. Trying to make a name for himself by preying on the weak in my city. I have neglected him for too long.
THIEF
So you’re not going to kill me?
EZIO
I think I’d be able to find mercy…if it hadn’t been my sister.
Ezio stabs the thief with his hidden blade.
EZIO
Requiescat in pace.
The player regains control of Ezio, with another objective: confront Petrono the Bleeder and his gang in the southeast. His location will be marked by an icon on the map. Failing the mission results from failing to assassinate Petrono in a timely manner before he can kill Claudia.
EXT. BRIDGE – EVENING
Ezio approaches a decrepit stone bridge over the river, marked by a waypoint. Standing in the center of the bridge, surrounded by henchmen, is PETRONO. Claudia is tied up beside him. Moving over the waypoint triggers a cinematic.
PETRONO
Ezio Auditore, savior of Rome. You have come at last!
EZIO
Claudia! Have they hurt you?
CLAUDIA
These children? They wouldn’t know the first thing!
Petrono strikes her viciously. She merely laughs it off.
PETRONO
Shut up, wench!
EZIO
Is this your plan? Lure me here by kidnapping my sister? I suppose you plan to kill me.
Petrono and his men break out into a fit of raucous laughter.
PETRONO
You really don’t remember me?
EZIO
We’ve met? I guess you didn’t make much of an impression.
PETRONO
You killed my father, you assassin scum!
EZIO
I’ve killed a lot of people, Petrono. I’m sure your father deserved it.
PETRONO
My father was a great man! A visionary!
EZIO
I can assure you, I have killed no great men.
PETRONO
In a short moment, no one will be able to deny that I have done just that. I could care less about your death, assassin. I’m in it for the pain.
EZIO
You wouldn’t.
PETRONO
Oh, but I would.
The player then regains control of Ezio and is tasked with assassinating Petrono before Claudia’s health bar is depleted. As soon as he kills Petrono, another cut scene is triggered, where the artificial Roman world crumbles away to the digital purgatory of the Animus.
PETRONO
You don’t understand, assassin. You don’t know what it’s like to lose those you love.
EZIO
You mean like my father? My brothers? My uncle? Assassin’s don’t die of old age, boy.
Ezio releases Petrono. His lifeless body thuds on the ground.
EZIO
Requiescat in pace.
The world of the Animus gives way back to Italy, where Ezio is untying his sister.
EZIO
Tell me sister, what was so important that you allowed yourself to be captured by these lowlifes?
CLAUDIA
Was it so obvious?
EZIO
I’ve trained you too well. People like you and me, we don’t go quietly.
CLAUDIA
The sad truth. It was a letter, Ezio. From Father.
EZIO
And what does our long-dead father have to do with these thugs?
CLAUDIA
The letter alluded to a cache…weapons, maps. I don’t think these thieves knew where they’d built their lair. They just picked the first unoccupied building they saw. I thought if I got captured I might have a better chance of finding it than if I just stormed in here by myself.
EZIO
And?
CLAUDIA
The cache was gone. Maybe it wasn’t ever here to begin with. But the letter, Ezio. It wasn’t a total loss.
EZIO
What did our father have to say?
CLAUDIA
He wrote of a great weapon hidden away in the bowels of a castle in Masyaf.
EZIO
Masyaf. I think it’s time for me to make a pilgrimage, my dear sister.
CLAUDIA
Our work is never done.
Ezio holds his side with a brief wince of pain.
EZIO
Maybe not, but I’m getting a little old for this sort of thing.
The two siblings begin their long walk home.
END SCENE