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The Stranger's Gambit
Topic Started: Jul 24 2011, 10:24 AM (152 Views)
Sedulius
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Field Marshal
To His Imperial Majesty Aodh Mór Ó Néill,

You are in danger. Your court has been infiltrated by spies at the highest levels. Some of these spies you have known your whole life. Some of them are people you trust. I write you to warn you. Trust no one. For if you do, you endanger not only your throne, but all of Ireland. When the time comes, I will meet you, and you shall understand.

Sincerely,

The Stranger
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Sedulius
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Venice, Italy

Lamplight glistened on the waterways of midnight Venice whilst a dark figure kept to the shadows in the streets. The Figure moved from alleyway to alleyway, rooftop to rooftop, closing in on its prey. A tall, red-haired man walked through the streets back to his hotel from an important meeting, a meeting which had surely made the others none the wiser. But he did not suspect that one did know his secret.

As the man entered his hotel, so did the figure reach its rooftop. And as the man entered his room, so did the figure perch above the balcony. And upon exiting to the balcony, the man's death was silent. A crossbow bolt passed through the back of his neck, piercing his windpipe and felling him. He fell from the balcony down to the street, narrowly missing the doorman, who jumped back aghast at the sight. "Two," the dark figure said, before vanishing into the night.

The police were at once contacted, but by the time they reached the balcony and the rooftop, the figure was long gone. They did however find a calling card. It was Quintus Vorenus that had been killed, and the Stranger was responsible for his death.
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Sedulius
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Dublin, Ireland

The downpour was great and the air was thick with fog. The Stranger walked through Dublin's streets casually, for he was so close to his goal. The vengeance was almost complete. One left, he thought, and then it is all, finally, over. He walked into a pub, taking off his hood, revealing his face to others for the first time in years. He went up to the bar, ordered a pint of Murphey's, but it was as if all around him had come to stop. Every patron in the bar was starring at him, as if they recognized him. They looked upon him with awe, and for his own life he could not figure out why. He was a stranger to these people. How could they know his face?

But just as one of the patrons was about to speak, there was a terrible noise. The struggle was quick, and the Stranger's mind slipped into blackness.

-----

Undisclosed Location

The Stranger came to. He was in a dark room, with smooth concrete walls, ceiling, floor... he was strapped to a chair, unable to move, unable to do a thing...

A thick steel door was to his side, and as it opened, he knew who approached. He tried to speak, but his mouth was gagged tightly. The figure that walked in was tall, broad, and clad in white. His robes flowed, his armor gleamed, and his face... was hidden, just as the stranger had hidden his own all those years. He was magnificent, yet terrifying. It was as if staring into a negative mirror. Where the stranger had hidden in the darkness, this man had shown himself in the light for all to see. And yet none knew who he really was. None but the stranger.

The White Figure spoke, "We went through a great deal of trouble to locate you just to find you in our very midst. Taking down our operation in the Middle East was no small feat, and tracking down Vorenus as our man in the LFN must have cost you much. And now, you are here for me. Too bad I got to you first. You have been causing me a great deal of trouble, and I simply cannot have that."

Then why don't you just kill me already... idiot, the Stranger thought.

"I do not kill you because I simply cannot. And I am no idiot. In fact, I am every bit as intelligent as you are."

How the hell?

Everything went black again, and dreams, terrible dreams, visited the stranger in his slumber.

He fighting for his life against the man in white, and neither he nor his opponent could gain advantage against the other. He fought for one he loved, and yet the man in white claimed to fight for the truth. But when the one he loved was killed by another, both turned to fight the new threat. Yet this new threat was undefeatable, and it seemed as if they were to battle for all eternity.
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Sedulius
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The Stranger awoke to sounds of shouting and gunshots. He was still in a daze from the blow the man in white had dealt him. Everything seemed distant and muffled. Even as the door to his cell was blown open, the ground beneath his feet shook as if from an explosion miles away.

"I've found him! I repeat! I've found him!"

"Let's get him out of here O'Connell!"

The soldiers undid the Stranger's restraints, and handed him a weapon, "Are you okay enough to use this?"

"Of course." His own voice seemed like a distant whisper.

The soldiers blazed their way through the complex to the surface, where a helicopter was waiting to extract them. There was snow covering the ground and snowfall filling the sky. Blood stained it as knight after knight fell to the expertly aimed shots of the rescuing soldiers. As the helicopter lifted off, the Stranger could see more. Irish armor was attacking a Brotherhood compound with infantry support, and soon after they were clear of the facility, artillery reigned down upon it. He recognized the patches on the soldiers' arms. They were Fianoglach, apparently tasked to extract him. It seems the High King had heeded his message after all.

The helicopter continued on to the fortress at Tara, and by the time it landed a blizzard was in full fury. The Stranger was immediately led to the throne room, where High King Aodh, upon seeing him, had only amazement in his eyes. "He has finally returned..."

But at that moment artillery shells landed upon the palace, and Brotherhood forces swarmed into the fortress. The Fianoglach did what they could to hold them off, with little support from what had originally been a mostly Brotherhood garrison. The man in white stepped into the throne room, sword drawn.

The High King had been struck by a bullet, but still breathed, "Siadhal, you bastard! You will pay for your treachery!"

The Stranger drew a sword, and fought the man in white with all his heart and breath. Neither could gain ground against the other, until suddenly both landed a blow on the head of the other. One was dead, and the other...
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Sedulius
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Several Years Later

A man awoke in a hospital bed. He knew not who he was. "Father!" Another man in the room said. He knew not the face of this man. "Get the doctor! He's awake! He's finally awake!"

When the doctor picked up the chart, he spoke, "He has finally returned... Stiofan Pol O'Siadhail, it is a pleasure to finally meet you."
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