Assassin's Creed: Tying Loose Ends

Just a Normal Day... Or Is It ?

New York, 17th century was a whole other world, bustling city with lots and lots of people and even more noise, what with the criminals committing murder and theft, soldiers coming and going every once in a while... Somewhere amidst all of this raucous, in a mansion near the port, Shay puffed.

Shay Patrick Cormac was your everyday merchant, every now and then corresponding with his friends in the other continents, sometimes sending gifts to one another. He stands at 6 feet tall, muscular and from the looks of it, quite swift in combat. In combat ? Yes, Shay was not only a merchant, rather a skilled combatant and a brave adventurer in his earlier years, killing in the process lots of people he believed to be bad ones. Shay acts upon what he believes, which is why he left his old people. He left The Assassins. He believed that the Assassins were nothing but some power hungry people, eager to get their hands on a strong weapon, even if it cost them the lives of their own allies or even innocent people. So he joined the opposing side, the good ones, Templars. As quickly as he joined them, Shay rose up to the rank of a Grand Master in years of effort, searching, battling, and a lot of killing...

Shay was working on his records of the contacts he is receiving from the Templars outside. It is then when his mind stopped working. He has been working for 5 straight hours about the same topic...
" I need a break... " he said to no one in particular. He decided that a walk would be nice to let out that steam of tiredness
" Some fresh air would do me good "

As he walked out, he has found the city as he left it, bustling and roaming with people. He wanted to just have some quiet and peace. He looked at the ocean, then at the Morrigan, a sturdy frigate which he used to defeat many of his foes on water, then to his First Mate, Christopher Ghist, drinking ale with a weird stranger. That cast some doubts to Shay, so he used his special vision, Eagle Vision, to determine who he is, friend or foe. It showed him that he was no one special, so his doubts were set to rest.

" Ghist ? " Shay yelled at him to get his attention. Ghist looked at him. " Aye captain ? " Ghist called then came to him.

" I would like to leave port for a bit, I want to clear my mind. Ready the ship please. " Shay said
" Aye sir. "

And so the two departed, with the stranger apologizing in Irish ( as Shay recognized it, he was Irish ) for drinking his ale without paying. Shay got on the deck and inhaled in the fresh sea air.

" Aaaaaah, smell that Ghist ? That is freedom, the smell of the sea and the desire of ur heart to go wherever it wants, not stuck behind a desk finishing off some paperwork... " Shay expresses his feelings to Ghist as he steers on. " I agree sir, there is nothing better than being on the sea with none binding you anywhere. Although it's a good idea to not bring ale on board, unless you want to swim home ". Shay chuckles at this remark, for it did once happen, but that was long ago, very long ago. He was with his best friend, Liam, trying to get a couple of French girls to sleep with them, but they were so drunk they fell of the porch into the sea. But those times are gone, and so is Liam... killed by Shay's very own blade...

" Something wrong, Shay ? " Ghist noticed Shay's look. " Nothing, just remembering what I shall do when I get back. " he lied. He can never forget his old friends: Hope and Liam, Kesegowaase and Chevailer ( " not much that bastard " he thought ), Achilles and Adewale, all of them...

Shay spent the rest of his ride recounting to his crew the story of how he plunged his blade into the heart of The Roman Captain that was seeking Ghist's head for an old feud. On and on he talked, amusing himself and the crew. After he finished, Shay looked at the night's sky and decided it was time to be done for the day. The comfy bed would be nice to be in now...

" Ghist, bring her back. " Shay said sleepily. " A-A-Aaaaye sir " said Ghist, trying and failing to stiffle a yawn. And so, Shay headed back to New York, his mind clearer, but all the same still sleepy. Ghist docked the ship, then went for a drink at the nearby tavern, trying to bring Shay along. " You are sleepy, how can you drink when you have your mouth in a yawn all the time ? " Shay said. " Don't worry about me sir, I'll be alright ", and he went on his way. Shay continued his way to the mansion, reflecting at his day. It wasn't exactly productive but all the same refreshing. Tomorrow he will finish his work, and perhaps change his scenery of New York a bit, perhaps River Valley. All was well for Shay...

But... something doesn't seem right...

There was a certain rustle in the wind, the cold wind, whistling in Shay's ear. Whistling ? No no no, he must be imagining it, but that shrill sound, the freezing wind upon his skin, the eeriness of the scene, as if someone has turned off all warmth from the entire world, and it wasn't the dandy cold that you have fun with in the snow, rather a very eerie cold, making its way right to the very heart of Shay. He has seen that kind of power once, he even felt it but in a different tone. This can't be..

A piece of Eden is around ?

The power he was feeling was coming from a piece of Eden, a powerful object which has destroyed an entire city by his hands wrongly. What would bring a piece of Eden to New York and change the very course of the weather ?

Shay tried to use his eagle vision, so that to see where the accursed thing is, and who in their right mind would bring it here. But it didn't work. How ?? Something seemed to block all of his senses from revealing what is happening. Even his sixth sense, the sense of knowing when the ambusher will attack, has completely shut down.

And then, from literally out of nowhere, a figure's outline shaped from the darkness. It became bigger and bigger till it reached the form of a human..

Shay drew his French Pistols. " Show yourself ! " he yelled at the figure, and then, it emerged from the shadows onto the light of the bright moon...

It was a cloaked man, not really huge neither small. He had no weapons with him, and more importantly there was no sign of any Isu technology on him. His face was completely hidden beneath the hood, and all of his outfit was black as if the night sky was reflecting on it.

Shay pointed his pistol at the stranger, whom he has taken at first to be the stranger who was drinking with Ghist, but it wasn't him; that man was more stout, this one stands straight and upright. " Who are you ? What do you want ? " He could hardly say " Show me the artifact now " for perhaps he was just another civilian, but if it were, he would've ran away...

The stranger said nothing at all, and then, quite slowly, he raised his right hand and then extended a blade from under his wrist. An assassin's weapon. " Are you an assassin ? " Shay asked. But the stranger didn't respond, rather retracted his blade, took both of his arms then lowered his hood slowly.

It was a complete stranger that Shay has never seen before. However, Shay would never believe who actually stood before him.

" It is about time that we meet, Shay Cormac. It is my honor to finally be in your presence " the stranger said in a voice that suited his eccentric features. It made him seem... wise... Who is this man ?

" Who are you, stranger ? Answer me ! "
Shay demanded.

The stranger didn't step forward, for he sensed Shay's finger on the trigger. However, quite slowly, he said " I am George the VII, I'm here for urgent business. "