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Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service?
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A 12th century Levantine short blade
Short blades are a class of bladed weapons that trade power and reach for speed.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's short blade was returned to him after he had reached the third rank in the Assassin Order, following his demotion. Like the sword, his skill with the short blade increased as he progressed higher through the Order's ranks. The first short blade he obtained had a wooden handle, though he received an all metal variation at a later rank. In both instances, he carried the short blade in a sheath strapped across his back, with the handle facing down. In battle, Altaïr wielded a short blade with an icepick grip, and often used it in conjunction with throwing knives.[1]
In a similar fashion to Altaïr, Ezio Auditore da Firenze was equipped with both a sword and a short blade, though they were sheathed together at his side. He could purchase various types of short blades from blacksmiths, each with unique speed, damage, and deflection properties. In battle, he would wield the short blade much as Altaïr did, utilizing the same icepick grip, though he did not learn to use it alongside throwing knives until he became a Master Assassin.[2][3] Several of his allies, such as thieves and courtesans, also used short blades in battle. Certain agileguards and some assassination targets like Rodrigo Borgia also made use of short blades, though none held their weapons in icepick grips.[2]
Ezio dual-wielding the short blade and a throwing knife
Short blades strike more quickly than medium weapons, which made them ideal for dispatching large numbers of low-ranked enemies. However, as an enemy's rank increases, the short blade's effectiveness diminished, due to the higher quality armor they wore.[1][2] When used with the short blade, Altaïr could throw a single throwing knife mid-combat.[1] Similarly, Ezio could dual-wield the short blade with throwing knives, and could throw multiple throwing knives at once. Ezio also had a special, close-ranged attack with short blades which could only be performed from behind—slitting an enemy's throat, or stabbing them in the shoulder or back—and would always result in an instant kill.[3]
Once all throwing knives had been used up, Ezio would throw sand to momentarily blind and incapacitate his target, although Ezio could also do this when in unarmed combat.
At the blacksmiths in Brotherhood, the Notched Cinquedea had the store image of the Channeled Cinquedea, and vice versa. The Channeled Cinquedea was also a weapon that could not be purchased, and was only available through disarming guards that wielded it.
