The mysterious Stranger

(chapter originally by Teraton)

Jack was just watching another game end, the fifth woman trembling as she removed her undershirt to reveal her underthings. The Stranger simply raked the garment in, making their usual offer to the woman, and when she got up after a moments hesitation, started to shuffle the deck of cards. He was startled out of spectating, almost spilling a tray of drinks, as a hand came to rest gently on his shoulder.

"They're still here, huh?" Gwen was Jack's boss at the tavern. She'd left to handle a dispute over one of the rooms upstairs in her usual stern-but-fair, and hand only just come back down. She was a pretty woman, if a little heavy set. With long red hair, freckles spread across her face, and a buxom chest, Jack often wound up staring at her a bit longer than was polite.

"Oh, yeah," Jack said, easing up. "Do you, uh, want me to send them out, or...?"

"No, no," Gwen waved Jack off, "whoever they are, they've been paying handsomely for drinks all night. I'm sure I'll get complaints from his opponents, but it's their collective arse on the line if they kept challenging him after the first three losers." Jack laughed, but still couldn't bring him to turn away, causing his boss to cock an eyebrow at him. "You're not thinking of challenging him, are you?"

"What? No, give me some credit, I know better than that."

Gwen nodded. "Smart boy."

This caused Jack to bristle. "What," he said, a defensive edge creeping into his voice, "you're so sure I'd lose?"

Gwen nodded again. "And I'd make you get right back to work once you did, no matter how you were dressed." This caused Jack to deflate a bit. Sure, he'd take risks, but the other losers could at least go home whenever they wanted. An embarrassing walk through town, yes, but a quick one with clothes at the end. Jack wasn't too far into his shift; if he had to do his job near-naked, or worse, he'd never hear the end of it from the regulars. A clap on his back brought him back down to Earth, as Gwen chuckled.

"That reigned you in a bit, eh?" she snickered, "We'll don't dwell too much on it. Like you said, you've got more sense than that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jack muttered.

Gwen set a drink down on his tray. "Good, because you're bringing them their drink. Off you go!" Jack sighed as he came over to the table. There was the blacksmith, the bookseller, the baker, and a few other regulars, along with a group of hunters breezing through town. All of them stood fumbling to cover themselves as Jack came closer. The blacksmith and a few of the hunters took some drinks from his tray, but the others seemed to have lost any desire to make any worse decisions. Of course, the one Jack couldn't stop staring at, and the one whose single blue eye Jack seemed to catch as well, was the Stranger.

"Aha," they said, setting the thoroughly shuffled deck down onto the table, "I was wondering when you'd come by." They crooked a gloved finger, and Jack set a mug down in front of them. How the Stranger had been drinking them through the bandages Jack couldn't tell, but whenever anyone looked away the glass seemed to be a little bit more empty. Even muffled by the rags, Jack could hear the smirk creeping into the Stranger's voice. "So, boy, care to try your hand?"

"I- I think I'm alright," Jack said. The scantily clad crowd behind him huffed, but we're content to stay silent in their shame.

"Too bad. I haven't had a decent challenge in this town yet." The Strangers fingers played at the edge of the cards. "I suppose that's what I get for coming out to some backwater pub..."

That pulled Jack back in. "Hey now!" he said, "don't come in here thinking you get to act all high and mighty, just because you can win a card game. Doesn't make you better than us!"

"Makes me better at the card game, at the very least, doesn't it?" the Stranger pointed out as their fingers drummed the table, "And from there, it's not hard to say I'd be better at any other given thing requiring a sense of strategy, an understanding of rules..."

"Luck," Jack interrupted, and the Stranger chuckled.

"If that's all you think it is, boy, come on and prove me wrong. Or are you just another hick who can't help but run their mouth?"

Jack frowned, the tray of drinks and Gwen's warning nearly forgotten in the indignant anger bubbling in his head. He looked at the Stranger, at the crowd of victims around them, and finally, Jack...