by Ryan Attard
Sun Tzu crouched down slowly and scratched the cat on its head. “Ah, talking kitty is here, too.” Amaymon let out a satisfied purr.
“I’ll put some noodles out for you,” cooed Sun Tzu.
“You’re the best, Gramps,” replied the cat.
“Come, come. Sit,” insisted the old man as he half-dragged us to an empty table. He craned his neck and yelled out something in his native tongue. A black guy, complete with an afro, popped his head out from the curtain of beads separating the kitchen from the main restaurant.
“Got it,” he yelled before disappearing and reappearing again with a tray. He placed the stuff on our table and stood there, awaiting introductions.
“Eddie, here, has been kind enough to help out in exchange for tutelage,” explained Sun Tzu.
I eyed Eddie. He looked like he belonged in a 70’s disco, with his ridiculously large afro. In contrast with his dark skin, his purple Chinese suit shone like a searchlight. He flashed me a cheesy smile.
“Hey, man, you’re Erik, right?” he said as he extended his arm. I shook it and nodded. “Man, it’s so cool to meet you. Heard a lot of stories about you.” He gave Amaymon, who had climbed on the table and dipped his head in the bowl of noodles, a raised eyebrow before setting his eyes on Abi.
“Oh, damn.” He quickly brushed his hands and swallowed hard. “I’m Eddie.”
“Abi,” she replied. Eddie blinked twice at her.
“Girl, you single?” he said as he raised his eyebrows hopefully.
Abi burst out laughing in his face. I tried, and failed, to hide my snicker. I mean, come on, is this what courting has come to? One handshake and a pick-up line from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Sun Tzu calmly raised his hand and smacked his student across the back of his head.
“Sorry, sorry,” Eddie said as he backed away. “Damn, that girl is fine.”
Once he left, Sun Tzu made apologies on his behalf. “If he made the same effort to train as he does chasing after women, he’d best me as a warrior.”
Abi sipped her tea. “I’m a succubus. Or part succubus. Not really sure myself. But that tends to happen often around me.”
“Ah, I see,” nodded Tzu. “Erik, may I ask why you are here today?”
I looked at the cat. “This was your idea. So, explain it to him.”
The cat looked up from the noodles and sat down in the middle of the table. In a few breaths, he explained the entire situation to Sun Tzu. The wizened old man simply stroked his beard and traced his finger gently around his china cup, never averting his gaze from the cat.
When Amaymon finished, Sun Tzu gazed at me knowingly. “I can help with your apprentice. But I would also like to talk to you in private once you have the chance. I shall make preparations to see if anything in my collection meets your specifications, Abigale.” He gave us a slight bow and called Eddie again. “Please prepare the basement for a selection process.”
Eddie gave a stern nod and dashed back inside.
Sun Tzu stood up. “Long, would you please mind the shop for a while?” he directed to the group of patrons who had ignored us all this time. One of them, the tallest, with a pencil-thin figure and a long chin, raised his hand — a long and wiry thing with curved fingernails - and with deliberate calm placed a mahjong tile in place. He muttered something in Chinese.
Some zoologists say that the frequency of a lion’s roar triggers something in the human brain — a long-dormant alarm bell which sends us running away screaming from a predator which can swallow us whole. I’ve seen things that make lions as much of a threat as a fichus. Even my cat, sitting two feet away from me, was more dangerous than I could even begin to understand.
But when Long spoke, the rumble of his voice struck against my very soul, and it was all I could do not to wet myself. Amaymon had stopped stuffing his face to look at him with predatory eyes. Even Abi took an unconscious step backwards.
“Hey, Amaymon, isn’t Long Chinese for-” I began.
“Dragon, yes,” he finished for me. We both looked at each other, and then back at the man in question.
Sun Tzu muttered a thank you in Chinese and saw our expressions. “Oh, don’t mind him. He likes to show off.” With a chuckle, he beckoned us to follow him.
Abi grabbed my sleeve and held me back.
“What the hell is this place?” she exhaled, her teeth clattering as she tried very hard not to shake uncontrollably. With a hard expression, she continued. “I’m not backing out or anything, but at least tell me who these people are. That guy over there let out one vowel and I was ready to run away screaming.”
“I’ve got no idea who those guys are. This is the first time I’ve seen them. Or perhaps they’ve always been there and I never noticed them,” I explained. “This is a shop that caters to people like us, Abi, so expect some strange and scary folks out here.”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” she said. “But that guy can’t be Sun Tzu. I googled him after you guys mentioned him last week and there’s no way that’s the same guy. He’d be thousands of years old.”
Amaymon hopped from the table and began following Sun Tzu. “Occam’s Razor, Abi. The obvious answer is usually the correct one.”
She gave me a horrified look. “That’s the real Sun Tzu? How?”
“I’d guess he’s immortal in some way,” I said.
“Is he some sort of god?” she asked as we began following Sun Tzu to the basement.
“Nope. No god is able to keep a human form for that long. And he’s no demon or angel. I think he’s the next best thing to a god.”
“What would that be?” she asked.
“My guess, an avatar.”
9
The basement was huge, almost twice the size of an aircraft hangar. On the far side of the right wall a large computer screen dominated the entire wall. Other electronic components and gadgets were spread across the large workbench that ran along the length of the wall. It looked like something out of a sci-fi flick, and I seriously expected aliens with bulbous heads and eyes to appear out of a hidden door.
“What is this place?” asked Abi as she eyed the leviathan space.
“This is a training facility, a laboratory, and a storage room,” said Sun Tzu. He slowly made his way to the computer. “Over here we shall see if I happen to have something suited for your particular needs.”
I looked around. Supposedly, Sun Tzu had an entire collection of monsters and magical memorabilia, the likes of which were never collected before. At least that was the word on the street. And yet, in this supposed ‘storage room’, all I saw were bare walls and a computer as big as the first one ever built.
“Where are the monsters?” I asked.
Sun Tzu chuckled. “Monsters?” he repeated. “I suppose I did allow the rumors to get out of hand. There are no monsters here, my dear friend, other than the ones we bring with us.”
“Huh?” said Abi and I said in unison.
“I have no monsters here,” he said. His storm-gray eyes poured directly into mine. “I am no warlock, Erik. My methods are much more ancient. I simply have a collection, which happens to include certain items which may suit your apprentice.”
“So, no channels?” said Amaymon. “No wonder this place looks so barren.”
Sun Tzu let out short, annoyed breath. “Ah. No, no channels. Nothing like Erik’s Djinn sword.”
I tapped the handle of my short sword absent-mindedly. “I thought Amaymon specified a channel.” I shifted my weight uncomfortably. I had this sinking feeling Sun Tzu was not telling me the whole truth and it felt like betrayal. I mean, my entire family is one skeleton in a closet after the other. I thought I could trust Tzu. Guess that showed me.
“Yes, he was specific.” The elderly man sat down on the leather swivel chair in front of the computer and turned to face us. “But I cannot provide one,” he said as he clasped his hands together. “I simply do not have the materials for it.”
“But you know who does,” I said.
“And you do?”
“Yes.”
I folded my arms. “Then, if we were to get a monster, will you be able to do the ritual and create this channel?”
“I could.”
“But you won’t.”
“No, I would not.”
“And why the hell not?” burst out Abi. Sun Tzu turned his gaze to her and gave her a stern look. The girl shuddered violently and shrank back.
“Because, my dear,” said Sun Tzu with a deliberate calm. “You are too immature to handle such power.” He held up a hand to silence me. He seemed to know that I would argue, that we had already gone through this and had reached a decision.
“You neither have the power, nor the knowledge for it,” he continued. “A channel is not a mere weapon. It is a part of the user’s soul clad inside the object. It carries great strengths and terrible weaknesses. For someone at your level, it would surely sabotage you.”
He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath. “What you seek is a weapon. That, I can provide. Only that shall I provide today, until I deem you worthy of handling a channel of my creation.”
For a long time, no one said anything.
“Hey, hey.” The loud voice was accompanied by the sudden appearance of a loud, purple uniform and an afro. Eddie burst in, swaggering.
“Am I–” He froze on the spot, taking in the tense situation. “-interrupting? What’s up with you guys? You all tense and stuff.”
Sun Tzu beckoned him over with a wave of his hand.
“We’ll take it,” said Amaymon. All of us looked at him, and he turned his feline orbs toward Abi and me.
“We’ll take whatever weapon he offers Abi,” he said. “I’ve trained her for a week like you said, Erik, but after listening to Gramps over there I’m not so sure that she can handle it. Besides, a weapon is exactly what we want. If it comes without risk, all the better.”
Sun Tzu nodded. “Very well. I shall open our vault,” he said to Eddie.
Slowly the Asian man stood up and gracefully walked over to a wall, devoid of decoration. He placed his hand over the wall and murmured something indecipherable in his native tongue. From his palm, a small bead of light spread further and further, like a spider’s web. The light branched out in different directions, bending sharply at intervals to create boxes. Soon, the entire wall was divided into thousands of squares, outlined by a ray of light. The wall went from blank to a lit up chessboard.
“A safety deposit box vault,” commented Amaymon. “There must be thousands, or tens of thousands, of objects in there.”
“I’m sure that with this selection, we can find something which suits your needs,” said Sun Tzu. “But first, we must assess your power. The more information we can have, the better we can narrow down the selection.”
“And how do we do that?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” replied Sun Tzu simply. Smiling at my confused look, he added, “I, myself, have never done it. I am not competent to assess her power properly. I shall leave that to one of my associates.” Sun Tzu closed his eyes and fell silent.
We both heard it at the same time: a sound, as if a thousand blackboards were being scratched at the same time and a million radios exploding with static. The world spun, and I lost track of where was up or down, left or right. Pain seared inside my head, overloading my senses like someone driving a knife inside my brain and scraping a hole from end to end. Then, a familiar sensation washed over me. In my head, I saw a red sky, red sand, and a red world. In the middle, looming in view, were large, black mangroves, each trunk twice the size of my chest.
I was snapped back to reality, and the first thing I saw were thick, black bars in front of my eyes. I quickly realized that I had my own fingers digging into my forehead, deep enough to draw blood. Black mist shrouded my body and slowly began creeping over every inch of me. My mind went into instant panic mode – this was my power. Whatever Sun Tzu had done triggered the mysterious power asleep within me. This was the same power that emerged when Lust had killed me the first time around. Whatever it was, it had deemed Sun Tzu on par with one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
My ears caught the screaming coming from my side. Abi was on her knees, her hands gripping her hair and shrieking like a mad woman. She turned her maddened eyes on Sun Tzu.
“You! No. NO. STAY AWAY.” She spun and screamed before throwing herself to the side, away from me. At the entrance of the basement stood one of the four mahjong-playing Asian men I saw when we entered. This one wore a pencil mustache and a thin goatee. His hair was tousled and unkempt. He had a fighter’s physique, thick muscles lining every inch of his body. In his black Chinese suit with thick, white stripes, he looked like a crosswalk — a crosswalk with mean eyes and the readiness to fight. He stood by the doorway, alert and ready, but never moving a muscle.
Sun Tzu - old and weak-looking Sun Tzu - took one step and, in a flash, crossed the distance from where he stood to where Abi continued to bang her head against the ground and scream her lungs out. He moved so fast it left a small afterimage where he had been standing moments before. If my eyes weren’t enhanced beyond normal thanks to my new powers I would have missed him entirely. He stopped an inch away from Abi and swiped her hands away, wrestling to grab her head.
My first instinct was to protect my apprentice. I would have probably hesitated in any other circumstance. I mean, the old man had been my confidant in times of need. He was the one I turned to when my life seemed as though it would crumble into nothing. I would have never thought of hurting him. Under normal circumstances, my mind would be torn between protecting my apprentice and not harming my friend.
But this is why my power scares the living crap out of me. It has a mind of its own. It reacts to my first instinct, and before I knew it, I was driving my hand, fingers pressed together and extended, hard and fast at the old man’s chest. The shadows had grown thicker around my palm, extending a little beyond my outstretched fingertips and congregating at a point. I wanted nothing more than to impale the elderly Asian with my bare hand.
I felt my fingers make contact with him. Sun Tzu had pressed his forehead against Abi’s and was muttering again. He didn’t block my strike. He didn’t even flinch. He just stood there, completely ignoring me. When my fingers met him, nothing happened. I pushed with all my might, but my fingers refused to go through him. I might as well have been poking him playfully for all the reaction he showed.
Slowly, Abi’s screams stopped, and Sun Tzu allowed her to slide down to the ground. Sun Tzu took a step backwards and reappeared where he had originally stood, a few feet away from us. I was ready to attack him again when he curved into a deep bow. I froze in mid-punch, clearly understanding the sign as a white flag. Something in me wanted to drive my fist through his head, to take advantage of his vulnerable position. It took considerable effort on my part to lower my hand and push the thought away. Slowly, the shadows thinned out, but refused to leave completely. I doubled my concentration and forced them away. It was like trying to swim in mud, and still, some wisps of darkness clung to me.
Satisfied with my return to full humanity, I crouched down to check on Abi. She grabbed onto my coat, pulling me close.
“I saw it,” she said fervently. “I saw them! They’re monsters, Erik, all of them. They have power - oh my God, the power. They can kill us, Erik, destroy us completely. They are bigger than this world, bigger than the universe itself.”
She stared at the mean-looking Asian by the doorway and I felt her shivering in my arms. “Sun Tzu and that guy aren’t human. They don’t belong here. Their power, it’s beyond anyone’s I’ve ever met. Even yours.” She pointed at Sun Tzu. “It’s like he’s alive everywhere, he knows all the things in the universe. He can make one, Erik. He can make an entire world and snuff it out.” I stroked her head a
nd helped her up.
“What the hell did you do?” I snarled at the Asian.
Sun Tzu still bowed. “My apologies. I merely called Tiger over. I never meant to cause either of you any harm.”
Abi steadied herself and let go of my coat. “I’m okay now. I’m okay,” she rasped. “What was that?” she directed at Sun Tzu.
“I used a small portion of my power to call Tiger over. He can help you with your selection,” said Sun Tzu. “When I saw the anguish I caused you, I immediately rushed over to rectify it.” He bowed again. “My deepest apologies. I did not mean to cause you harm. But I underestimated both of you. And for that, I humbly apologize as well.”
“That was some interesting power you used there, Gramps,” said Amaymon. The cat had remained silent and stationery throughout the whole exchange.
“Did you know what was going on?” I asked him.
“Yes, I knew. But I couldn’t react or do anything since I’m stuck in this weak body,” he replied with disgust.
“I merely beckoned my associate over,” said Sun Tzu softly. “It should have remained unnoticed since my powers are on a vastly different scale than either of yours. The fact that both of you could not only perceive them, but also react, means that I have underestimated just how powerful the both of you are.”
He fell silent and hunched over in a fit of coughing. “Is this the power inside you, Erik?” I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to himself or asking me outright.
“Yeah. This is kinda why I needed to see you, apart from Abi’s channel,” I said.
“Ah, I see. Then, it is imperative now, more so than before, that we speak. But first, I must see to your apprentice,” he said. “Abigale, I am sure that you have no idea of the significance of what you just experienced. You managed to tap into my mind, my very nature, and that is why you collapsed the way you did. It was necessary for me to erase those images from your mind lest you remain incapacitated for the rest of your life. But the fact that you not only felt, but interacted with such a power, shows that you have more potential than any of us think, even your mentor.”
