Souls Through Time (EzioxOC/DesmondxOC)

Chapter 27 - Amelia

The sun beat down heavily, casting the cobbled streets of Rome in stark light and shadow. Amidst the city's midday bustle, Ezio and Amelia moved with purpose, weaving through the crowded market squares and busy streets. Citizens haggled with vendors, guards strolled lazily through the squares, and the faint, lively sound of a lute player floated somewhere from a distant corner. It was a typical day in Rome, alive and unbothered—until the strained voice of an elderly man cut through the din.

Ezio's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening as he zeroed in on the source. "Now, where is that senator?" he muttered, his tone low but focused.

Ahead of them, a small commotion was unfolding. A trio of guards loomed over an older man, his hunched shoulders and wary expression betraying a man worn down by years, worry, and misfortune. The lead guard, a burly figure with a permanent scowl, had cornered the senator against the rough stone of a wall, his armored gauntlet shoved into the man's chest.

"No more arguing," the guard growled, voice filled with irritation. "Your bill has come due."

The senator raised his hands, his face etched with desperation. "Please, make an exception for an old man," he pleaded, his voice trembling with both fear and frustration.

The guard's expression twisted in disdain, unmoved. "No. The Banker sent us to collect. No exceptions."

"I... I will have his money momentarily!" the senator stammered, his voice wavering as he tried to stand his ground.

But the lead guard simply smirked, his patience snapping. "Not good enough." With a harsh, brutal motion, he drew back his fist and drove it into the senator's gut. The older man gasped, doubling over in pain, but the guards showed no mercy, each landing a succession of blows that left him gasping and stumbling, each hit punctuated by sharp laughter from his assailants.

Ezio and Amelia moved as one, their instincts kicking in with a deadly precision. They exchanged a brief look—one that held silent understanding—and then surged forward, splitting in opposite directions to flank the guards.

Amelia was swift, her movements graceful yet lethal as she closed in on the nearest guard. With a smooth flick of her wrist, her hidden blade found its mark, sliding through the guard's throat in one fluid, efficient motion. The guard's laughter turned into a garbled choke, his hand instinctively reaching up, too late to stop the fatal blow. She withdrew her blade, letting him slump to the ground as she stepped back, her gaze already locking onto her next target.

Ezio, meanwhile, had swept in with his usual boldness, his presence almost a blur of controlled fury as he engaged the other two guards. He grabbed one by the arm, twisting it sharply until a sickening crack echoed through the alley, followed by the clatter of the guard's weapon hitting the ground. Ezio's knee came up swiftly, meeting the man's chest with a force that sent him sprawling, gasping for breath. The remaining guard, realizing too late what was happening, barely had time to reach for his weapon before Ezio's blade found him, silencing him in one final, deadly stroke.

Within moments, the square was quiet, the lifeless forms of the guards lying at their feet, the threat extinguished as swiftly as it had begun.

The senator, still recovering from the assault, took a cautious step back, his face a mixture of relief and disbelief as he looked at his unexpected rescuers. He was a wiry man, his frame bowed by years but his gaze sharp, and there was an intelligence in his eyes as he took them in.

"A good Samaritan in Rome," he said, almost to himself, shaking his head with a look of astonishment. "I thought they were a dying breed."

Ezio inclined his head, tucking away his hidden blade as he addressed him with respect. "Senatore Egidio Troche."