“An ally?” the Creator asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Mathias said, turning to New Baggins. “Can you throw me up to the roof? Gently, if at all possible.”
“Certainly,” New Baggins said. He held his hands towards Mathias, who began to float upwards slowly. New Baggins raised his hands higher and sent the bounty hunter to the roof above. Mathias landed and saw another man running to the other side of the roof.
“Freeze!” he cried out, raising one of his pistols. The stranger turned and revealed his own weapon: a high-powered rifle which he abruptly fired at Mathias. The shot wasn’t well aimed and only managed to make Mathias duck out of the way. By the time he had corrected himself the assassin had disappeared.
Below them, the Creator walked over to the body of the man who had held him hostage. He said nothing, looking on his twisted, bloody face. He looked back up and saw Dee at the other end of the alley. Her eyes were wide in shock at the sight of the murder and the bloody corpse in front of her.
“New Baggins, please escort Ms. Gatti to somewhere safe for the moment,” he said. “We’ll suspend our search for now.”
New Baggins nodded, and shielded the girl’s eyes from the alley. The Creator looked back at the corpse, whose silent tongue held the answers he needed.
“This has gone far enough,” he said. “There can’t be any more running around while people are dying, even people like him.”
The Creator looked up as he felt something cold touch his neck. It had just begun to snow.
Several buildings away, the sniper knelt down beneath an air vent on the roof. He had made his escape quickly enough that he avoided being chased off by the bounty hunter and peered out across the corner of the vent to verify this. He breathed a quick sigh of relief and set his rifle down. The gun’s mount had been left behind on the other roof, neglected during the split second flight. It was a small sacrifice, he figured, for him to escape from those people.
Friedrich Gien slid down so that he was sitting on the cold metal of the roof, and he pulled out a cellular phone from his pants pocket. He made a call and held the phone to his ear. It rang three times before a stiff voice answered.
“You’re reporting early, Gien,” the voice said.
“I’m afraid the operation here was botched,” Gien said. “Rogers was able to get Evans by himself, but one of his other friends showed up and caught him. He got himself stuck, so I had to take him out before he could say anything we wouldn’t want him to.”
“That’s a shame, I suppose,” the cold voice answered. “We’ll all need to carry a bit more weight now that we’re a man down. What happened to the fledgling and the rest of this group he has with him?”
“One of them came after me on the roof so I had to get out, I didn’t get to see what’s happened to them.”
“Why couldn’t you have just killed them from the roof before they gave chase?”
“I doubt it would have done much good,” Gien explained. “We still have no idea if Evans can be killed in this universe so there was no point in me risking that shot, and another one of them seems to have the power to stop weapon fire. That only left the bounty hunter and the blonde girl.”
“Blonde girl?” the man on the other side repeated. “There’s a blonde girl with the fledgling?”
“Yes, she’s been with him since I first saw him again yesterday,” Gien explained. “Is that significant?”
“Tell me, Gien, when you last saw the fledgling, was he wearing that pair of round sunglasses?”
“Sunglasses? No, he wasn’t wearing any kind of glasses at all.”
“That’s what I thought. You’ve been wasting your time, Gien. That’s not the fledgling.”
“That’s impossible,” Gien said. “I saw him myself four days ago with you when we arrived in Tokyo. It’s the same man.”
“You’ve made a costly assumption, Gien,” the other voice said. “The man you’ve been tracking isn’t the fledgling, it’s the third of our identical kin. He is the Creator of the Other Universe.”
“The Creator?” the startled Gien shouted. “What is he doing in Tokyo?”
“He’s looking for the fledgling, obviously.”
“This changes everything,” Gien said, now very much alarmed at the presence of the deity so close to him. “We’ll never be able to complete the mission with the Creator in the way.”
“So then get him out of the way,” he answered. “You and Hyogo are still in Tokyo. Keep an eye on him and make sure he stays out of our way until we’re ready to put the plan into motion.”
“But what about the real Evans?” Gien asked.
“You’ve been eyeing the city for days and haven’t seen sight of him. There was little chance he would return to Magid, and I doubt he would have stayed in Tokyo if he learned that we were moving.”
“So then where has he gone to?”
“Where else?” the voice asked. “He’s made his way here, so that he could find me.”
Chapter Eight
The Master of Elements
Kyoto, Japan
December 15th, 2004
Adam Evans woke up to the sun’s first rays falling over his face. He was already a light sleeper, and the dawn was enough to rouse him. He tried to avoid it at first, but as his consciousness crept back the frigid air affected him. He sat up and blew into his hands to warm them as his whole body shivered.
He had spent the night outside, as he had spent each night since his arrival on Earth. Being without money, he was forced into a position of absolute poverty as he made his way across the country. He hoped that soon the ordeal would be complete, and that the person he sought was hiding somewhere within the city. Person, he thought, is it even right to call it that? The wretched doppelganger that shared his body all these years and now had taken his face to commit even more atrocities.
It was colder in Kyoto than it was in Tokyo, and while there had been no snow yet on the ground in the nation’s capital there was already a blanket of it here. Adam dug away a shallow trench beneath a leafless tree to spend the night, but with nothing besides his thin jacket and a scarf to keep him warm, the effects of the cold around him were taking their toll on his body. He couldn’t freeze to death, but that didn’t prevent him from having to endure the bitter nipping of winter’s teeth.
His limbs were rigid, and he found his legs like planks when he tried at first to rise. He spent a few minutes rubbing them with his hands until the feeling returned and then gathered up his things. He didn’t carry much with him, just a small bag of rations and his sword. He knew he would have to travel quickly and so packed lightly, but having a sword with him was enough to make up for the gained time. In a country where swords were once commonly seen worn in the streets, they were now outlawed and to wear one in public was enough to warrant arrest. Despite this added inconvenience, Adam had prevailed and made his way to Kyoto.
Why his doppelganger had chosen this place he didn’t completely understand, considering neither of them knew anything about this planet before they had come here days ago. Yet this city had some importance to whatever he was planning to do, and Adam was determined to find out what it was and stop it. His time in Tokyo had been short lived, as by some stroke of luck he had come upon this other half just hours after he had arrived. The doppelganger was passing through a side street surrounded by his new entourage of six bodyguards. Adam confronted his angry side, but the conflict couldn’t be resolved so easily.
In the middle of the crowded street, the encounter could only become an argument. The doppelganger merely laughed when he saw his original form, surprised that he had taken the effort to follow him to Earth. When Adam resolved to stop him, his double only became annoyed. He wouldn’t say what he was planning, only that his arrival in Tokyo was only to meet the other members of his team. His real destination, he admitted, was Kyoto. A final warning was issued before the seven were on their way, but Adam was left to wonder why his next move had been given up
so easily. Having finally reached Kyoto, he had come to a conclusion: his angry side wanted to draw him in. He was secretly just as eager to destroy him.
With that encounter behind him and a more fruitful and dangerous one ahead, Adam left the hill on the outskirts of Kyoto and made his way into the city. Kyoto was not as busy this early in the morning as the booming metropolis of Tokyo was, but it was still an expansive city that rivaled some of the great capitals Adam had seen in his travels. Still with no idea of where to look, he headed for the center of the city. He reasoned that on his way he’d be able to get the lay of the land and maybe learn some clues about those he was pursuing. In truth, he knew nothing of the other six who had joined forces with his angry side. They seemed to be a diverse group and he couldn’t piece any real clues about them from his only meeting with them. As such, he had to consider each one of them to be as dangerous as their leader.
Adam’s thoughts were interrupted by his growling stomach. Despite being an immortal Legend, he was bound to many mortal flaws, and though he couldn’t die from starvation it would certainly be a great inconvenience to him if he couldn’t get something to eat soon. He regretted having eaten the last of his rations the night before and began wandering around in hopes of finding food. There’s no good fighting an arch nemesis on an empty stomach, he figured.
He must have passed by half a dozen convenience stores in the last few blocks, but without any money they were useless. He didn’t even have anything to sell, aside from his sword. That was something, however, he couldn’t afford to part with. Still, his hunger pangs continued.
Ahead he saw a dumpster behind a bakery, which was probably topped off with day old pastries. He shrugged off the thought of eating out of the trash. For the last two years he had been served the finest foods his country had to offer, and even before then when he wandered the Other Universe he had never stooped so low. He would find a way to make do somehow.
As he made his way further into the city, he couldn’t ignore the stares of the people walking through the streets. He must have looked strange to them: he was a foreigner, after all, with a bright blue jacket that made him stick out like a sore thumb. It was to be expected, and he did his best to avoid it. There was someone, however, who couldn’t ignore him.
Something whizzed through the air towards Adam’s head. His ears pricked up as the object neared him and he shifted his head to the side. He saw it out of the corner of his eye and spun his hand around to catch it. It landed with a smack in his palm, and Adam saw that he was holding a crisp red apple.
He looked back towards the source of the sudden fruit assault. There was a tall man ahead of him wearing a traditional blue Japanese gi and gray hakama, though he was a foreigner. His long black hair was tied into a ponytail and his long bangs hung down the side of his face to almost touch his goatee. The man lifted his head, revealing himself middle-aged with an engaging smile that drew Adam’s attention right away. It was a warm, friendly smile, and it was now perfectly clear that he wasn’t being attacked. He was being tested.
“It’s good to see your reflexes are as good as ever,” he said, still showing off his grand smile. “Have you been doing well, Creator of the Other Universe?”
Adam’s first thoughts were to correct him, because it was not the first time this mistake had been made, and he was quite irritated each time it happened. As the words were leaving his mouth, he realized the full importance of his words.
“How do you know the Creator? Who are you?”
“The question is who are you?” the man said, invading Adam’s personal space to get a closer look. Adam was somewhat disturbed as this stranger closely inspected his face and then pulled away.
“No, you’re right,” he said. “I guess you’re not the Creator. My mistake, although I must admit you two do look very similar.
“Wait a second,” Adam butted in. “How could you tell the difference between us just by looking? We’re identical.”
“Perhaps on the outside you look the same, but you really are two very different people,” the stranger said, replacing the benevolent smile with a stern expression. “I could see it in your eyes. His are clear and focused, but your eyes are not clear at all. They are clouded with confusion and anger. They are impure.”
Adam was speechless. Never before had someone been able to tell the difference between himself and the Creator, and never in such a stunning way.
“Now then, may I ask, if you are not the Creator, then who are you?” Adam snapped back into reality and gave up his identity.
“My name is Adam Evans. I’m the king of a place called Magid in the Other Universe, and the reason the Creator and I are identical is because I was created when he removed all of his anger.”
This response elicited a bewildered look from the stranger. “So you are the Creator’s anger? To remove his anger, I thought the Creator would be wiser than to do something like that.” He was right, and the fact that Adam had done the same thing only made it sting even more.
“You said Magid as well, right? That’s even more interesting,” the stranger said. He looked as if he had forgotten something, and said, “Where are my manners? Here I am asking you all of these questions when I haven’t even told you who I am. My name is Master M.”
“Master M?” Adam repeated. “That sounds more of an alias than an introduction.”
“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black, Mr. ‘Evans’? I’m sure your real name is much more complicated, though that’s not why you don’t use it.”
“Fair enough,” Adam said. He was starting to be a bit irked at how well this Master M was able to see through him. What kind of a person was he?
“How do you know the Creator?” Adam asked.
“Ah, that’s a rather long story,” Master M said. “Come, let’s have a drink and I’ll explain my story. There’s a bit I’d like you ask you as well.”
“I don’t drink,” said Adam.
“Not even tea? As a visitor to this fine country you certainly can’t leave without trying some. I bet you’d like some breakfast as well.”
Adam couldn’t pass up the chance to have something to eat, and wanted to know more about this stranger. He hated to put his search on hold as soon as he arrived in Kyoto, but there was a chance that this person held a clue he could use or could at least support him in some way during his stay.
“Very well,” he said. “Lead the way.”
Master M smiled again, and started down the street. Adam followed, and remembering that he still held the apple in his hand hungrily tore at it. As the two disappeared down the street, Adam’s jacket caught the eye of a school girl coming out of the bakery. She gave him a strange look, but quickly rushed off to catch the train.
Master M opened the door to his apartment and led Adam in. Adam had heard that the living spaces in this country were small, but this one seemed especially so. The place was very cluttered, and it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months. The apartment itself was not so much dirty as it was filled with junk that had accumulated.
The resident led Adam to a short table in the living room and offered him a seat, which was just a small pillow on the floor. He went towards the kitchen to prepare the tea while Adam tried to clear off the small table. It was covered with news magazines from different countries and wrappers from either a candy bar or some kind of energy bar.
“I take it you live by yourself,” Adam said.
“I’m not too good with people,” Master M said as he rummaged through the cupboards. “I prefer my time alone. I’m not so much accustomed to being around people, or vice versa.”
“Because you’re a foreigner?”
“No, because I’m a swordsman.”
Adam lifted his head up when his host said this. Normally he was able to judge another warrior very well, but he didn’t get that feeling at all from this man. He had no reason to lie, though.
“So how do you know the Creator?” Adam asked.
“Y
ou mentioned when we met that you were the King of Magid,” Master M said from the kitchen. “Then you must know about the great war that took place some time ago when the ten kingdoms were conquered by a despot called Pappade Klauss.”
“I’ve read the histories,” Adam said.
“During that time, the Creator asked me to fight for the rightful kings. That’s how I met him.”
“But you survived that war?” asked Adam. “The history books said that there weren’t any survivors from the opposition.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Master M said, coming back into the living room. “The Creator has for a long time believed that some times it is necessary to alter the past to preserve the future.” He walked towards the hallway carrying an aluminum tea kettle. “I’ve got to fill this in the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink is broken. Do me a favor and turn on the stove.”
Adam wasn’t sure why he couldn’t have done it himself, but he relented and walked into the kitchen. The stove was old and gas powered. The technology on Earth was quite different from Magid, but through all of his wanderings he had seen many similar devices and was confident he could work it.
He twisted the knob for the front burner all the way to ignite it. There were a few clicks, but no flame was produced.
“I can’t get a flame on the burner,” he called out.
“The igniter’s broken, you have to light it yourself,” his host replied from the bathroom.
“Wonderful,” Adam grumbled. He didn’t have any matches with him, or even a flint and tinder. He began searching through the drawers for a box of matches or a lighter, but they were as cluttered as the rest of the house. After a minute of searching with no luck, Master M returned.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Trying to light the stove, but I don’t have any matches. Where do you keep yours?”
The Kyoto Ordeal (Tales of the Other Universe Book 1) Page 7
