This is the end...

The Roman Rappers Part 7: Das Ende


"Based on what Francesco told me, there are at least half-a-hundred guards protecting the farm," Ezio informed, "This, coupled with another half-a-hundred patrolling the countryside, would undoubtedly give us a hard time breaking the Artifact out..." He glances around to make sure his fellow Assassins understand, but when his eyes turn to Leonardo, he adds "...and Salai, too."

"So, what's the plan, Mentore?" asked Enu.

"Leonardo, could you make simplifications to your Flying Machine designs?"

"Si, but it'll take weeks to complete one by myself." Leonardo replied, "I'm guessing your plan involves it?"

Ezio smirked, "Three of them," he says, "and don't worry, I'll have my Apprentices help you assemble them. You tell them how to put them together. I'll teach them how to use it."


Schneider walks past several Apprentices hard at work on making disposable flying machines with several yards of rope on one hand and some planks of wood on another. He spots Leonardo talking with some Assassins, and walks toward him. When the German reached him, he asks Leonardo, "Is this enough?"

"Si, get started. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me."

Schneider nods, and begins his work on the fifth flying machine.


"Enu, I'm going to have to ask you take out the patrols. We can't risk the enemy having reinforcements."

The African nods and leaves, with two apprentices trailing him behind. Francesco nods at him; wishing him luck.


One of Jacinto's sentries was doing his usual rounds. So far, so good, it seems. But when he spots the bloodied body of one of his comrades, he can't help but take a look.

"Mein Gott," he mutters as he closes his dead comrade's eyes. When he got back up and walked towards his horse, he and the animal were suddenly pelted with arrows. Every part of his body was skewered by at least one arrow, including the unmentionables...

Enu and his two colleagues leave the scene like ghosts, as the horse and the rider bleed to oblivion...


"What about me and Bartolomeo?" asked the Fox. "We can't just stay here and do nothing."

"You, Volpe; I need you and your contacts within the city to start several fires. Those fires will help propel the Flying Machines to the farmhouse."

"Where do you need them?"

Ezio marks several positions on his makeshift map, "Here, here, and...here." he says.

Volpe nods, and leaves...


It is dusk. Having spent all day gathering the required materials and delivering them to the designated signal spots, Volpe and his thieves finally finished their job. Good thing

that they managed to do it without arousing the guards' suspicion. How, you ask?

Well, let's just say they used those carts Ezio uses whenever he does his magnificent leaps of faith...


Bartolomeo huffs, "That still doesn't answer the questions about my involvement..."

Even though the Master Assassin just made this plan up on the spot, he already thought up of a way to get Bartolomeo to contribute. Considering Bartolomeo's usual attitude...

"Bartolomeo," Ezio started, "you will be the one guarding our escape." The Florentine drew a line across the makeshift map, before continuing, "Your job is to engage the enemy. Surprise them while they give chase to us. Do you get it?"

"Si," the big one replies with a smirk, "it'll not take very long..."

Bartolomeo d'Alviano walks out of the Tiber Heardquarters, his sword Bianca at hand...


"Hurry!"

"Get into position!"

Several squads of condottieri took up positions along the route Ezio designated. They had to disguise themselves as everyday folk; they can't risk getting found out by Jacinto and his paid-for lackey, Voss.

Even though Enu and his crack team of archers already took out the patrols, that will not prevent those still holed up in the farm from eyeing their moves. Wrong posturing by the mercenaries could see Jacinto getting spooked and might make him move Salai and the Artifact to another location.

Bartolomeo oversaw his troops with a commander's eye. So far, everything is going accordingly.

Not bad, considering the on-the-spot nature of Ezio's plan...


Enu, Volpe, and Bartolomeo left the room. Leonardo da Vinci was already hard at work drafting the Flying Machine modifications. All those left in the room were Ezio, Francesco, Machiavelli and their German guest, Schneider. Ezio looks around the now-quiet room, and begins to lay out the last part of his breakout plan.

"You two are with me."

"How are we going to get in the compound, Mentore?" Francesco asks.

"Remember when I told Leonardo that my plan involved three Flying Machines?"

"Si." "Ja."

"Well, I hope both of you aren't afraid to fly..."


Nightfall; the day after Francesco's farmhouse incident. 7:30 p.m.

The Florentine Assassin stands on the walls of the Eternal City, looking triumphant that it all came to this. Schneider and Francesco were at his left and right, respectively, confident that they could execute Ezio's plan without fear of failure. Provided they don't forget the Mentor's instructions on working the Flying Machine, that is...

Having spent the previous day on preparations, Volpe orders his men to light the fires scattered all around the countryside. One by one, Ezio saw the Roman fields brilliantly lit, leading to their objective. He nods to his comrades, who then take up their positions. To both Schneider and Vecellio, this is their first time using the Flying Machine. To them, it could either mean life or death, success or failure. But to Ezio...

To Ezio, this was a nostalgic experience. It took him back to that day in Venice, when he killed Carlo Grimaldi, about twenty years ago...

"Uno...Due...Tre!" Ezio and the others leaped off Rome's walls. Schneider and Vecellio could barely stay in the air, while Ezio flew without much effort. Both men kept repeating what the Florentine said to them: "Use your body to turn the thing. Keep an eye out for fire; fly above them, and you could stay up just a little longer. Fly into them, and you know what happens..."

They managed to do a decent job, seeing as they were already near the farmhouse. Several of Voss' men took notice of the three airborne Assassins. They pulled every ranged weapon they could find and used them against the three. All to no avail.

"They're trying to shoot us down!" yelled Schneider.

"Really? I didn't notice!" Ezio said back.

The ranking Assassin orders both of his men to dismount their disposable Flying Machines. They landed with a well-executed roll on the verdant grass as the gliders crashed. They all got up and deployed smoke grenades before the gathering crowd of Landsknechten, almost as if they trained for this situation. The Germans coughed their lungs out; they didn't see Ezio's assault coming. When they could open their eyes once again, they saw three white-robed Harbingers of Death heading towards them amid the smoke. The glint of their weapons show that they came for blood.

"Zerreissen Sie!" ordered the highest-ranked of them "Los!"

The German mercenaries charged at the three, only to have their attacks dodged. Schneider was the one to draw first blood; he crammed his Katzbalger into some poor schweinhund's neck as he tried to bring his zweihander to bear on the Wurttemberger. Ezio killed a trio of mercs immediately after, jamming his Captain's Sword in someone's gut, before using his Hidden Blades on two others. Francesco followed last, by skewering two mercenaries with the two-handed sword used by the same man who tried to kill Schneider.

"Come now, you BORE me!" taunted Ezio. Though his enemy didn't understand him, he knew that was an insult because of Ezio's tone. He attempted to stab the Master Assassin's head with a dagger, only for Ezio to spin around and put a throwing knife deep into his spine...and promptly use it on another mercenary, penetrating the man's sternum.

"Mentore, look out!"

Ezio turned and saw a mercenary aiming his musket at him, but before he could shoot, he was killed by a bolt from Francesco's Hidden Gun-substitute. The round went off anyway, hitting a guy who was coincidentally going to shank Schneider with a knife. Schneider looked at both men, awestruck.

"Merda! Nice one, Francesco!" Ezio exclaimed before continuing his bloody business.


A tortured Salai could barely stand when he heard the commotion outside. Managing to get his head on level with the shed's only window, he saw three white-robed men making short work of Voss' goons. The boy couldn't help but smile for the first time in one and half days. Someone was going to rescue him...at long last.

But then, the locked door keeping him in was being moved by an unknown being. Salai prepared for the worst.

"Machiavelli...you take Leonardo, and free the hostage..."

The door swung open, showing a frantic Leonardo and a sword-wielding, weary Niccolo Machiavelli. Salai tumbled back, convinced that it was Voss instead of the artist he knew for a long time. The boy started muttering Italian pleas of mercy, but Leo managed to bring him back into control.

"Shh...it's okay, Salai. It's me, it's me."

Suddenly, Machiavelli yelled out loud, "We'd better hurry. Jacinto and his lackey aren't here yet, we'd better get out before-"

"Si, si! Let me just..." Leo hefted the boy to his feet, groaning as he did.

Machiavelli advanced ahead of Leonardo, trying to make sure no danger comes. He found no one out for their blood, what with Enu and Ezio already making short work of the mercenaries under Jacinto's employ. Still, he keeps his sword drawn; experience teaching him to do so. Good thing Leonardo brought a lamp. In this light, they could easily end up in a wrong part of Rome. They went forward fifteen meters before Machiavelli sensed something was wrong. "Stay here..." he cautioned.

"Why? What's the matter?" Salai asked.

Machiavelli turned to Salai, "I think someone might be following us..." he said.

Slowly, a heavy-set figure emerged. Dressed in Cardinal robes and holding a staff with the Apple of Eden tied onto it, he pulled a dagger out. The intent to end Machiavelli, so blatantly displayed.

"This is for Pope Alexander, dog!" he yells, attempting to thrust at Machiavelli's head.

Fortunately for Machiavelli, he turned around just in time to block Jacinto's dagger swipe. Not daunted, Jacinto knocked Machiavelli in the head with the Staff. He then thrust the Staff into the ground, and unexplainably made the Apple glow; the first sign on the events about to follow.

Jacinto couldn't resist the urge to goad, "Don't worry," he says, "I won't let you die without the appropriate music!"

Machiavelli got up and, along with Leonardo and Salai, readied for the long fight about to happen.


Meanwhile, only five mercenaries were left standing against Ezio and the others. The surrounding ground was already painted red, and it was no doubt that everyone was exhausted. That was when Schneider noticed there were strange sounds floating about. He waited until Ezio and Francesco finished the rest of the thugs off to tell them about it.

"Yeah...I'm hearing it, too." Francesco said, nodding his head lightly. Ezio's expression was betraying the fact that he knows what was making those sounds, though he secretly hoped no one knew it. No one did, but he heard Francesco suddenly yell "Bomb!" He turned and saw a black iron ball being quickly hurled toward him. Ezio quickly dodged the early grenade by throwing himself through the farmhouse's windows to gain access inside, with Francesco and Schneider following immediately after.

The bomb blew with such force it shook the three men and chipped a section of the wall. The bomb left not only a ton of smoke, but it also managed to start a fire that was slowly turning into an inferno...with the bodies of the fallen mercs as the fuel. The trio rose up from their hiding spot and saw a giant Zweihander-wielding man from behind the flames, looking eerily calm, but there was no mistaking what he wanted to do to Ezio and his gang.

"Versuch's doch mal, du arschgefickter Hurensohn! (Bring it on, you ass-fucked son of a bitch!)" swore Voss in low voice.

"Voss...a pleasure." Ezio replied mockingly.

The next five minutes saw Voss charging at the three assassins with his sword, knocking Schneider back and throwing Francesco a few yards to his left. Ezio quickstepped sideways to avoid Voss' blow, but then Voss swung at him again; horizontally this time. The Master Assassin ducked and landed a lucky cut across the German mercenary's torso. But, it was no good.

"Cazzo! He has plate armor underneath that tunic!" he thought.

Just then, Schneider leaped at Voss, but the blond turned around and rendered the attempted stab useless by knocking Schneider out of his jump. This allowed Ezio to get back up. The Florentine tried to end this fight by trying to land a quick vertical blow to Voss' head, but the bastard dodged, causing Ezio to cut a swath through the flames. Voss tried to do the same trick Ezio did on him, but Ezio dodged it too. He was about to take another swipe, but he got distracted by Schneider wielding two swords like some Pirates of the Caribbean character.

As the fight continued, the three didn't notice our dear friend Francesco Vecellio silently loading a match lock musket to the tune of Hollywood Undead's "Undead". He was doing so with a lingering thought inside his head:

"I wonder how Messer Machiavelli is doing..."


Not good, Francesco, not good. Machiavelli is now a bloody-faced mess, and Leonardo and Salai were doing a rather poor job at tag-teaming a fatass Cardinal disowned long ago by the Church not long after Alexander VI's death and Cesare's arrest. Though to be fair, the Cardinal is using a long stick; which gave him a reach advantage. But no matter how hard they tried, Leo and Salai just couldn't get anywhere near Jacinto.

"Wait, you two!" Machiavelli yelled, "Come here!"

Leo and Salai fell back from Jacinto, who couldn't resist the urge to gloat. 'God, this one's so stupid!' he thought. Then, another idea dawned on Machiavelli's mind.

"Look, we can't beat him up, no matter hard we try..." complained a panting Salai.

"I say we should go for a distraction..." Leo suggested.

"No need." Machiavelli replied, "That gloating of his is our distraction. If we attack one by one, we lose." Once he noticed a Cinquedea strapped onto Jacinto's belt, he told the two, "I'll attack him. Once he gets busy with me, either one of you should grab that blade of his and hold him hostage. Intesi?"

"Si."

"All right..."

"Go!"

Machiavelli landed an easily-blockable vertical swipe, which Jacinto naturally stopped with his seemingly-unbreakable staff. With Jacinto's eyes firmly on Machiavelli, Salai stole the Cardinal's secondary weapon and held it to his throat. Leonardo can't help but be proud. He walked up to Jacinto, picked up the iStaff which had been lying on the ground and began to untie the Apple of Eden

"I'll take this!" he declared in a mocking tone. Jacinto tried to reach for the Apple, only for Salai to press the dagger even harder on the fatass' neck; threatening him on what will happen if he continues, if you will. Machiavelli sheathed his sword, looked with amusement at the crooked Cardinal's eyes, and turned to Leonardo and Salai. A nod of acknowledgement followed. But then...

"Hey what's going on here?!"

A Papal Guard. The three looked on, anticipating the armored soldier's next move. However, Salai can't help but feel that this one seemed familiar.

"Mio dio!" the Guard exclaimed as he took his helmet off, "Salai, you caught Cardinal Jacinto?"

"Si." Salai declared with pride, making Machiavelli and Leo shake their heads and groan in exasperation. "Uh...with a little help, of course." That didn't save him from the others' death glares.

"Come on, fatass!" yelled the Guard with his hand on the Cardinal's collar. Jacinto was dragged off, yelling every profanity the Spanish language has before breaking down in tears of defeat. It seems half the battle has already been won.


Ezio saw this turn of events while Schneider was getting curbstomped by his taller adversary. He looked to his right, where he saw Francesco aiming the rifle at Voss' head, mouthing the words "On your go, Mentore." at him. The Florentine grinned, "Hey, Voss!"

"Was?!"

Ezio pointed behind the German merc, making him go wide-eyed in shock when he found his employer getting dragged away on his collar by a Papal Guard. Voss kicked Schneider in the head one last time and tried to run for Jacinto, only to be stopped by Ezio's loud cry of "FIRE!"

*Pff-BOOM*

The bullet hit Voss square at his Achilles tendon. Apparently, Francesco wanted to disable him, seeing as the future artist went up to Schneider and asked him if he would finish Voss off before helping the Württemberger up. "Don't worry," reassured Schneider, "this man doesn't deserve a quick death."

He hoisted the mercenary and threw him into the fire. As he burned, Ezio had the great idea of rolling three barrels of gunpowder to the farmhouse's side. Ezio, Schneider, and Francesco walked away while an explosion tore the farmhouse apart, somehow trapping Voss in a cage made of bricks and torn scaffoldings. Well, at least he'll be warm.

"Cool..." muttered Salai.

"I suggest you two get going, now." Machiavelli told the duo next to him. "It's been a long day." Both left the playing field, but Salai still had his mouth open in awe; it made him look like Ghostface for some reason...

Volpe ran up to his fellow Assassins with Bartolomeo trailing him behind. He asked, "What happened?" Ezio and Machiavelli then proceeded to tell them everything. Bartolomeo laughed, and told the rest of them that the Papal Guard that showed up to Machivelli's group was some bloke he and his mercenaries found walking alone. He directed him to the farmhouse. The conversation went on and on until they parted ways. Schneider went on his way back to Germany; Bartolomeo and his army went to the pubs with Volpe, Francesco, and Enu; and Ezio and Machiavelli went back to managing the Order's affairs inside the Tiber HQ.

But wait, where's the Apple?


The next day, Ezio heard a loud knock on the HQ's door. He opened it and found Leonardo with the Artifact. "Sorry I forgot to return it you..." he said sheepishly.

A warm smile told Leonardo that his friend isn't mad in any way. "No worries, Leonardo. Come inside, Claudia's making pasta."

"Mi dispiace, Ezio. I have to be on my way; I'm out of paint and you know how in demand paint is these days, right?"

Ezio chuckled, said goodbye, and closed the door.

"Hey, Claudia!" Ezio exclaimed, "Wanna see Rodrigo Borgia dance to "Numa Numa" with only his underwear on?"

"Vai a farti fottere, Ezio!"


Stay tuned for the epilogue. It's non-canonical in any way; I'm just gonna post it to say thank you to those who did wait until this story is finished.