Section 8: Assassins (Mission 4)

Your expert guide to Mission 4: Assassins in Thief: The Dark Project. Learn how to trail assassins, break into Ramirez's mansion, and grab all the loot, including Bafford's Jeweled Septre.

Alright, let's dive into Mission 4: Assassins. This one can be a bit tricky, but stick with me, and we'll get through it. First things first, before you even think about trailing anyone, you need to gear up. Head over to Farkus's store. He won't be needing his supplies anymore, so grab everything you can. You should find 3 flash bombs, 3 fire arrows, 2 moss arrows, 2 water arrows, 2 noisemakers, and 3 rope arrows. Don't forget to check under the counter – there's usually some good stuff there. Just don't dawdle too long, or you'll lose the assassins' trail. ## Trailing The Assassins Someone's definitely after you, and your first objective is to trail these assassins. They're not exactly subtle, but they do try to keep you guessing. They'll turn and look back every 30 paces or so, so make sure you're always using the shadows to your advantage. If you come across any metal bridges or stairs, use your moss arrows to quiet your footsteps (Fig. 1). Keep following them, and eventually, you'll find yourself at Ramirez's place (Fig. 2). ## Breaking In/ Silver Fire Poker Now, getting into Ramirez's mansion. You *could* stack boxes and mantle up the wall, but trust me, it's a huge time sink. A better way is to go through the yard. Wait until the patrols finish their conversation and their footsteps fade away. Then, fire some moss arrows onto the red gravel and head left (West). Keep an eye out for an overhead guard; he might hear you and come investigate. Just stick to the shadows and hug the left wall until you reach a narrow part of the yard. Cross over into the shadow and stick to the right wall. There are a couple of individual guards and a three-man patrol in this area, so take your time and move slowly. You'll eventually reach some red roofing. Give yourself enough time to pick the lock on the door opposite the castle. Inside, grab the flashbomb and climb the ladder. From there, jump across to the red section and mantle onto the balcony (Fig. 3). ## Ramirez' Bedroom Once you're inside, head to the right of the bed. The chest there holds a basement key. Right in front of the chest, crouch down and grab the ring worth 100. The door to the left of the fireplace is empty, but the bathroom to the right is packed with loot: 4 candlesticks, 2 chalices, 2 gold bottles, and an amulet, totaling 405. In front of the fireplace, you'll find a place setting with 2 gold cups, 2 gold bottles, and 1 gold plate (200 total). Grab the vase from the mantle (100) – the papyrus inside is a letter to the corrupt Commissioner. Now, extinguish the fire with a water arrow. Crouch down and climb inside. Look to your right for a gem (100) and to your left for a switch (Fig. 4) that opens a hidden passage. Inside this passage, on the right, is Ramirez' Silver Fire Poker (200) (Fig. 5). At the end of the passage, there's a blue box containing a purse (100). ## Looting the 2nd Floor Leave the bedroom and head down the hall to the right (South). There are two guards patrolling up here, so be careful. The next door on the right has a vase (50) on the mantle. The door after that has a ring (100) on the bedside table and another vase (100) on the mantle. Head back to the hallway and take the last door on the right (West). Go through that room and you'll find the stairs. ## The Basement/ Ramirez At the bottom of the stairs, go left (North) and follow the green and white hall to the end. Descend the stairs on the left into the basement. Follow the passage until you can turn right and open the pink metal door with the basement key you found earlier. Turn off a few torches and hide in the alcove across from the first room on the left – the 'counting room'. From here, you can see Ramirez at work (Fig. 6). It's time to take him down. Use a few moss arrows, maybe toss a flash bomb, and then blackjack him. Steal his purse (250) and stash his body in the dark corner to the right of the doorway. If he struck the gong, be aware that a servant is on the way with his dinner. Blackjack the servant too, if necessary. In this room, you'll find: 6 water arrows, 4 moss arrows, 1 speed potion, 1 flash bomb, some coins (50 total), and a master key. The master key opens the blue box, which contains 25 worth of loot. Inside that box, you'll also find a papyrus with some info on Victoria, who you'll meet in the next mission. Leave the counting room, exit through the metal door, go straight up the hall in front of you, take a right (East), then swing around and head South back to the stairs. ## Getting Out At the top of the stairs, use the blue key to unlock the door. Take the corner and unlock the first door on the left. Be aware that there are two guards in the machine room to your immediate left, and they're talking about you. They're about to leave the room. The room to your immediate right has 75 worth of loot and is a good place to wait for the guards to finish their conversation. Once they leave, enter the machine room on your left. Grab the coins on the desk (150). The blue box next to them contains 2 firebombs. Another blue box near the barrels has some coins (25). Climb the ladder in the corner up to the library. Follow the passage and press the red button to open the secret doorway (Fig. 7). This doorway can also be opened from the other side by using the highlighted book to the right of the fireplace.