Mathias quietly unzipped his vest, reaching in slowly while keeping his eyes trained on Adam. “Find the best opportunity, set up the target, and eliminate.”
Adam heard the click, but the ambush came too late. He spun around to see Mathias with his gun drawn. A shot rang out and struck Adam in the left temple, spurting out blood in a wide stream. Adam’s body fell to the ground and crashed into the snow, becoming completely encompassed in it as the blood stained the pure mountain snow red.
Mathias didn’t move, keeping up his guard while watching the hole in the snow. After 15 seconds without movement he relaxed his arm. He let out a heavy sigh, his heart still beating fast. He hadn’t imagined it would really be that easy to kill a god. A reliable source had told him that the Legends could only be killed if they were shot in the head with enough force to destroy the brain. The gun he used, not much different from a .44 caliber Magnum revolver, had certainly done the job.
“What a mess,” Mathias said. “At least there’s enough snow to keep him hidden out here for a while. It’s supposed to snow again tonight, so he’ll probably get covered up until spring.”
Mathias put the heavy handgun back into his vest and zipped it up. “I’d better get back to the Other Universe then. It won’t be long before the Creator notices you disappeared, and I don’t intend to stick around long enough to see his reaction. Oh well. Nothing of value was lost anyway, just the greatest thief the Other Universe has ever known.”
He saluted the body and made his way back to the mountain path. He tried to step in the footsteps that had already been made, but even then he was held back. He almost lost his balance as he stepped into a patch of fresh snow. His legs were already numb from the trip up so he felt nothing, but it was still an inconvenience. He tried to pull his leg up, only to find that it was stuck.
“What gives?” he said out loud. He tugged harder on his foot, unable to move it. Irritated, he started to dig away the snow to get a better look at what his foot was caught in. As he reached his shoe, he struck something hard with his hand. Moving the snow away, he saw that his foot was trapped in some kind of rock that wrapped all the way around it.
He tried pulling again, but the rock didn’t budge. He took out a combat knife and began chipping away at it with little success. It was then he thought he was seeing things. The rock moved, taking up more of his leg. He continued to chip at the rock frantically, desperate to get himself free. The rock moved again, crawling further up his leg. He was definitely not seeing things.
His other leg tightened and Mathias realized he could no longer move that one either. Without a doubt, the same rock had seized the other foot. How was this possible? Were these rocks alive?
Mathias heard something shift behind him. He couldn’t pivot his body any more, but he turned his head around. Adam was on his feet, slightly hunched over and breathing very slowly. His face was covered in blood that dripped down to the ground, but he was undoubtedly alive. Mathias watched in horror as amidst the blood something solid fell out of his head. There was no doubt: it was the bullet fragment.
“Where do you think you’re going, bounty hunter?” Adam’s voice has low and hoarse, but Mathias could hear the anger in each word. Adam’s hand moved and the ground below Mathias shifted. The slow moving rock suddenly jumped up, bursting out of the snow and raising him a few feet into the air. The rocks grew outwards and swallowed both of his legs, creeping up the rest of his body. Mathias screamed, but it was no use. There was no one around the mountain to hear a scream.
On the other side of the city, New Baggins was walking to clear his head. He was no longer concerned with any strange looks he might get if he kept his hood down. Oddly enough, they were few and far between. The people of Kyoto didn’t seem to care too much about the giant of a man in bizarre clothing walking around, and he was fine with that. He wanted to be invisible, and it was clear he was doing a fine job.
He had been wandering the city all afternoon, reflecting on the conversations he had in the morning. Both Ayumi and the doppelganger had thought to question his normal way of life, the strong beliefs that he had come to accept. While it was likely the doppelganger did this merely as an attempt to upset him, the girl seemed genuinely concerned for him.
Why she was, he couldn’t understand. After all, he was, in one way or another, The Baggins. It was his hands that over a millennia ago challenged the highest authority in the Other Universe and cost countless lives during the war that he started. The sins of the son fell back to the father, and he was just as deserving to be punished for the suffering as his involuntary creation.
So why did Ayumi’s words bother him so much?
She was only a sixteen year old girl with almost no life experience. She hadn’t been there during the war, nor had she seen any of the aftermath. How could she make such bold claims about what kind of freedom he deserved to have? And yet, her naivety and innocence were what inspired her words, not rational thought. Hers was the pure, unspoiled belief of a child. Was that a reason to invalidate it, or the sole reason why she should be believed?
Then there was the doppelganger. His taunting was much more direct, and served only to try and anger The Baggins lying dormant within him. Something like that was not going to draw him out, nor trick him into following someone who he would see as beneath him.
Beside the busy street, New Baggins looked to the sky. The sun would be going down in just over a half hour. He had received explicit instructions from the Creator to be home before that time so that he could be monitored after he transformed. Up until now, the Creator had allowed his other side to roam free during the night. His powers were mostly sealed, and there was not much trouble he could cause in his current state. He believed that the Creator only sent him away before to hide The Baggins from the others, but now that they knew the truth there was no need.
He wouldn’t object to the Creator. Despite being a prisoner to his will, New Baggins was faithful to serving the Creator. He had always been a kind master, all the more so since the situation in Japan began. In his heart, he was still hopeful. The Creator had made a promise to him before they left, something that would surely settle all of his confusion and pain. All he had to do was follow the Creator’s orders and see to it that the King of Magid returned safely. When that had happened, his greatest wish would come true.
New Baggins decided to make his way home. He approached a crowded crosswalk and waited for his turn to walk. As he stood still, the doppelganger’s words returned to his head once more.
“It sounds to me like you’re the one making that decision for him. I was certain that The Baggins of legend would never pass up an opportunity like this. Has he become so tame that he lets you order him around?”
He forced the thoughts out of his head. If they lingered, then The Baggins was certain to dwell on them and that would cause nothing but trouble. He had been able to resist The Baggins taking control, at least during the day, for the last 1,200 years, and he wasn’t about to let him gain control now when relief was close at hand.
The signal changed and the crowd walked across the street. The crowd went their separate ways at the other side, with New Baggins turning in the direction of Ayumi’s house. He wasn’t the only one going that way, a fact he had noticed long before he crossed the street.
“Don’t think that I’ve forgotten about you just because I’ve been doing some reflection,” New Baggins said with his telepathy. Only one person could hear him, the short man with long brown hair behind him. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice you following me?” New Baggins continued. “And not just today. I’ve felt your presence since I first arrived in Japan. First at the park when the Creator was attacked, then when the gunman was killed, and again on the train. You certainly are very persistent, but you’ve also been found out. So why don’t you tell me who you are?”
The man froze, realizing that his skill of being stealthy was useless against someone like him. New Baggins turned around to get a good look
at the man, who reached for his hair. He pulled it off, revealing a shaved head beneath the wig.
“I’m impressed,” he said. “Since you’re so eager to know, my name is Friedrich Gien. I’m interested in your rather unique abilities.”
“I see,” New Baggins said, again only to Gien. “Well my abilities are my own business and I don’t plan to discuss them with you or anyone else.”
Gien frowned, still keeping up his lighthearted charade. “There’s no need to be like that, my friend. I’m not trying to be hostile or anything, really. I just want to talk, to get to know you better. My boss is really interested in you, and I get the feeling you two would get along well. Why don’t we go get some drinks and talk things over?”
“I already said no,” New Baggins reiterated. “I don’t want anything to do with you, your friends, or whatever business it is you’re scheming here in Kyoto. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m looking forward to all of you being put down by the Creator so that I may return home and be rid of the troubles you’ve caused.”
“The Creator isn’t going to do anything,” Gien said, changing his demeanor. “Since the day you all stepped foot here, he hasn’t lifted a finger to stop us. I’ve been watching him closely. He’s been letting the rest of you do his dirty work for him.”
“The Creator shouldn’t have to soil his hands with the likes of you. And neither should I.” New Baggins turned away from Gien and started back towards Ayumi’s house. Behind him, Gien clenched his fist.
“Why are you being so damn difficult about all of this?” he asked. New Baggins stopped, now quite annoyed with his aggressor. “Why are you being so counterproductive to the solution? Don’t you understand what we’re trying to do? We’re fixing things, we’re making the world a better place. How can you stand in the way of that and help villains like Adam Evans and the Creator? How can you go against everything you once preached?”
Gien’s ranting was cut off by a stunted explosion against the building beside him. Frightened, Gien turned and saw that a piece of the rock exterior had crumbled off and flew out in different directions. The hole didn’t breach to the other side; the blast occurred partway through the rock, seemingly spontaneously.
Of course, Gien knew that it wasn’t spontaneous, not because walls don’t spontaneously break apart, but because he knew the powers of the man in front of him. He knew that physical damage could be done without New Baggins so much as lifting a finger, that it could be devastating, and that it could be made to look like an accident. These were all reasons why he wanted The Baggins on his side, but now he feared he may have angered the living legend.
Gien began to hear a new sound moving across his mind, not speech but some sort of heavy panting. New Baggins stood still, his hand clenched tightly in a trembling fist. A purple haze began to form around the fist, soon spreading over his entire arm.
“Hey, calm down,” Gien said nervously. On either side of him, the same purple fog began to appear in the air. He jerked his head around, trying to make sense of what was happening. By now, some people were beginning to stare. He had hoped to get away without being seen, but it was clear he had a much bigger problem.
“Stop it! Knock it off!” he shouted. New Baggins turned to face him, his eyes narrowed in anger beneath his mask. The fog continued to spread.
“Don’t tell me to stop,” he said, his voice much more malevolent. “Don’t ever speak to me again!”
The haze was thick now, and it cut Gien off from the world outside of him. The last bits of sunlight faded from behind him as the purple fog completely enclosed him and New Baggins. People on the outside were shouting, calling for help. There was no one left that could help Gien. New Baggins raised his hand up and generated a ball of white light in his hand that shook with an unstable force. It flew from his hand, spreading out wider until it became a wall that Gien couldn’t avoid. With no where to run, he braced himself for the impact and screamed.
The attack hit him and he was lost within the light. New Baggins kept his hateful stare aimed on where his body was, quietly laughing with delight.
And then he was filled with shame.
The realization of what he had just done washed over him and he fell to his knees. He cried aloud, beating the ground with his fists until the pain forced him to stop. His whole body was trembling.
“What have I done? How could this have happened? I’m not supposed to be like this, I’m supposed to have control!” The doppelganger appeared in his head again, his words coming back to sting the new wounds. “He was right. He was right about me. I can’t control myself. I—I am a monster!”
He slammed his head into the ground, unable to express his anguish any other way. The doppelganger’s image faded and was replaced by the Creator. He looked scornful, and unforgiving.
“I’ve failed you. I’ve lost any chance I have at redemption. I don’t have any right to serve you any more. I don’t have any right to exist.”
He closed his eyes and felt his body burning.
“My Lord, have mercy.”
The purple cloud hung like a curtain in the middle of the sidewalk, generating more than enough attention to call the authorities. By the time they arrived, the scene was already a disaster. They interviewed those who had been on the street to find out what had happened. They explained that the gas cloud appeared and then exploded with enough force to tear apart the street and several buildings. No one was reported to be hurt from the blast, but the attack was taken very seriously.
No suspects were discovered by the police, but many of the witnesses observed a man in black walking away from the site towards the sunset.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Prince’s Epiphany
In the stillness of the night, Mathias stirred. His head twitched slightly, signaling to himself that he was still alive. His perception was slow and dulled, the world around him still a groggy blur.
With effort, he lifted his head and opened his eyes just a crack. The world around him was dark, but he could make out the outline of the bamboo groves in front of him. It was when he craned his head to look up at the sky that he realized his movement was restricted. Looking down at his body he quickly discovered why. His entire body, save his head, was encased in rock.
Mathias panicked, trying to wriggle his body around hoping to break out. It was useless. He was surrounded by several inches of solid rock from neck to toe.
“Are you finally awake?” a voice called from behind him. Mathias couldn’t turn his head to see who it was, but he immediately recognized the voice. He heard the crunch of footsteps through the snow as Adam Evans appeared from out of the corner of his eye, moving to stand directly in from of him. As Mathias’ eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out the dried blood covering Adam’s clothes. He was otherwise unscathed from the earlier attack.
Mathias narrowed his eyes. “Just finish me off already, or go away and leave me to die.”
“No, we’re going to talk,” Adam said.
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
“That’s too bad, because you’re not in a position to leave, and I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers out of you.”
Mathias turned his head away. Adam sighed.
“Fine, just listen for a minute,” said Adam. “I don’t know why you came to this place with the Creator, probably for money considering your profession. I’m well aware of all the standing bounties on my head across the Other Universe, and you’re not the first to come after me.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Mathias said. “If I was going to claim one of the bounties on you, why would I leave all the evidence behind?”
“Fair enough. In that case, are you working for my other half?”
“No, of course not. I’ve already killed one of his henchmen myself, you know.”
“Well whatever the reason, I’m going to say this once: no matter what challenges are thrown at me, I’m not going to back down until I make everything right again. I
won’t let you or anyone else interfere with me doing that, do you understand?”
“I’m not trying to interfere,” said Mathias.
“Then why did you try to kill me?” Adam shouted. “What reason aside from money or revenge could you have to come after me? What do you have against me?”
“For justice,” said Mathias.
There was a long silence in the clearing before Adam prodded for an elaboration.
“Justice? What justice could you try and get by killing me? I’ve never wronged you.”
“No, but how many people have you wronged? How much have you stolen? You’re a thief of the worst caliber, and you deserve to rot in the ground.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re a Legend, and you’ve lived for centuries. How many people have you killed in that time? How many lives did you steal? Hundreds? Thousands? You’re infamous, Evans. You’ve got bounties on your head going back a long time. Mostly for murder, not just criminals and soldiers but women and children.”
Mathias turned his head back to face Adam, and in the darkness his eyes pierced through Adam.
“You have blood on your hands, Evans! You’ve taken away the lives of others, and since they can’t avenge themselves, I will do it for them. That’s why I did what I did, and that’s why I do what I do. Not for money, nor fame. I rid the world of people like you to make it a better place. I kill so that the innocent won’t have to. And even if I can’t, someday someone will come along and kill you. You will be punished for every sin you’ve committed, you demon!”
Adam lowered his head as he was admonished. The bounty hunter caught his breath as he finished his rant. Adam stood silent for a moment before lifting his head.
“It’s funny,” he finally said. “The way you phrased that just now, alluding murder to theft, you reminded me of someone I knew a while back. Someone else who shared those views, towards the end of his life anyway. His name was Richard Silvos, the King of Leapador. Heard of him before?”
The Kyoto Ordeal (Tales of the Other Universe Book 1) Page 19
