New Baggins didn’t respond, and merely followed Mathias off towards the exit of the park. Dee stood up from the bench, now completely free of the travelling sickness, and went to the Creator’s side. Wearing a red down jacket that fell midway down her legs and a matching fluffy hat, Dee looked quite different than usual. She decided that it would better to be warm and had no complaints to this style of dress, even if she preferred lighter clothing.
“How long do you think it will take to find him, sir?” Dee asked. The Creator slid his translator back into his pocket before taking his and Dee’s luggage.
“Not long, I hope,” the Creator said. “This situation will cause more trouble the longer it lasts. My only hope is that we find Iilil-ja before he encounters whatever was trapped within that orb. I know what Iilil-ja is capable of, and if the rage that was trapped within him is allowed to run free for long, we will have much more on our hands than a search and recovery.”
“Right,” Dee said. “So let’s find Mr. Evans and bring him home.”
The Creator and his assistant moved away from the bench, leaving the park and setting foot for the first time into the immense urban jungle that concealed their runaway king and the monster he had followed here.
None of the four of them, except perhaps the Creator, understood just what they had gotten themselves into. Even if Adam had not left the boundaries of the city, there were still nearly 900 square miles of area to cover and over 12.5 million residents to sift through. Still, they all knew the danger of leaving the king and whatever he was tracking alone and pushed on in their search. However, after a few hours of walking around the dense city, the Creator and Dee caught the attention of another foreigner who blended into the crowd. Eyeing the Creator, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellular phone. Without looking away, he dialed a number and brought the phone to his ear. It rang a few times before the other end answered.
“What is it?” the voice came, somewhat scrambled.
“He’s in Shinjuku,” the spy announced. “There’s a girl with him and he looks to be unarmed this time.”
“What’s your point?” the other speaker replied.
“You heard Black’s orders,” the caller said. “If he didn’t go back to Magid he’s to be killed. We can’t have him getting in the way of the plans.”
“I figured he would have had some more sense than that,” said the receiver. “Alright, I’ll be at your location soon. Don’t lose sight of him.” The phone call cut out as the spy kept close watch on the Creator and Dee, who were showing strangers the picture of Adam. The Creator attempted to use his translation device and communicate at the same time, but those they encountered had little patience for him and moved on.
“It’s not as easy as I thought it’d be,” the Creator said. “In the Other Universe I can speak all languages fluently but this language is new to me.”
“It’s alright, we just have to keep trying,” Dee reassured him. “Who knows, we might run into someone who speaks our language here.”
“It’s a bit of a stretch, but certainly not impossible.” The Creator pulled out his communicator and checked the internal clock. It was just after noon, so there was plenty of daylight remaining despite the Earth’s position during the winter. There were no messages on the communicator from Mathias and New Baggins, which was reasonable since he had not explained how messages could be sent back and forth.
“Let’s keep going,” he told his assistant. “We won’t have any luck just standing around.”
“Right,” said Dee. The two continued walking down the street while Dee held a picture of Adam. “Was he always this reckless?” she asked. The Creator put his hands into the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and titled his head back a bit to think.
“From what I recall, he liked doing things on his own,” he answered. “Aside from this work with the Khazaki police force he tried not to get himself too deeply involved in anything. I was honestly surprised I could coerce him into taking over the throne of Magid. Iilil-ja doesn’t really think about the consequences of his actions before he acts. I’m sure it’s gotten him into a lot of hot water before.”
“I thought going through the ritual would make him change his attitude,” Dee said.
“The ritual was only intended to remove the part of him that was conflicting with his soul,” the Creator explained. “Iilil-ja’s stubborn nature is too ingrained in him to be lost like that. I’m afraid that’s just a part of who he is, and as the people closest to him we’re ending up dealing with that problem now.”
“But you’re the only one of us really close to him,” said Dee. “Mathias and that other man have never met him, and I’ve only know him for two weeks.”
“Two weeks can be a long time, Ms. Gatti,” the Creator said. “The bonds between two individuals can be defined for better or worse in even less time than that. Don’t think of yourself as too much of a stranger.”
Before Dee could respond, the communicator in the Creator’s pocket began to buzz. He took it out and brought it to his ear, hearing New Baggins speak.
“We have some news,” he said. “Those we have interviewed reported seeing a man matching the photograph walking around Shinjuku.”
“Really? Well that’s excellent news,” the Creator said, relaying to Dee that Adam had been spotted. “Where were the sightings?” The Creator listened silently before his happy expression fell.
“I’m afraid the news isn’t as exciting as you thought, old friend,” the Creator told him. “The sightings you’ve just mentioned correspond to where Ms. Gatti and I have been walking this afternoon. The witnesses you spoke to had seen me and mistook me for Iilil-ja.”
“I hadn’t considered that option,” New Baggins answered. “I’m sorry, my Lord. Forgive my mistake.”
“It’s quite alright, we’ll just have to be more careful from now on. Keep up your good work.”
The Creator closed the device and pocketed it once again. He looked back at Dee, who he could tell was disappointed by the false hope.
“Fret not, Ms. Gatti,” he said. “The search has only begun. Let’s press on, shall we?”
The rest of the day afforded no luck for either group, and the Creator called Mathias and New Baggins back to their meeting spot at 4:30. The amount of daylight afforded to them was less than the Creator expected and he saw no sense in having the four of them search a foreign city to them in the dark. He and Dee currently stood near the park bench where they had started from that morning. The chilly night approaching was enough to keep many of the city’s citizens from wandering around so the park was mostly deserted, except for the duo and a hapless street performer.
“The arrangements have already been made for the four of us at a hotel, so we won’t need to worry about finding a place to stay on this cold night,” the Creator said as Dee rubbed her hands together for warmth. She had the sense to pack a pair of gloves that the palace had provided her, but it had been a long time since she had been exposed to the cold and the feeling in her extremities was coming in and out.
“Are Mr. Albright and the other man far from here?” she asked her employer. “I’d like to get out of the cold as soon as possible.”
“I’m surprised, Ms. Gatti,” the Creator said. “With your unique talents, you shouldn’t have any trouble with warming yourself up.”
“Sir, you know I can’t do that out in public while we’re on Earth,” she scolded him.
“I know, it was a joke,” he said, attempting a smile. “They shouldn’t be much longer.”
Dee noticed that though he tried to hide it, he was shivering a bit as well. He didn’t have much in terms of winter clothing, only a black hooded sweatshirt covering his normal shirt. It was likely an oversight for someone who, within the bounds of the Other Universe, never had the need to protect himself from the cold. He was quite different, Dee noticed, from the deity she closely followed closely back home. He acted much more informal around his acquaintances, and was much
more talkative without countless guards and attendants following him. It was almost as if here on Earth his entire identity as a god was set aside and he was just a normal human for a change.
He caught her staring at him and returned his own gaze with a smile. Embarrassed, she turned her head to the other side and cleared her throat. As she looked ahead of her, she noticed someone else walking down the park’s path towards them. Hoping it was one of her companions, she soon realized it was not. Yet this person stood out among the native citizens she had encountered all day.
He was tall with tanned skin, and very muscular. His black hair was woven in a manner similar to dreadlocks that were tied together in the back and he had a thin beard that ran along his chin from ear to ear. Even in the winter cold, he wore a light tank-top covered by a sleeveless camouflage jacket with matching pants. Dee tried not to stare, but it was a sight that she had not expected to see in this country or anywhere else.
The man glanced across the way to the street performer, dressed as a juggling clown, then looked over at the Creator. The deity was not paying attention to either one, instead checking the communicator for the time. Dee eyed the stranger carefully, noticing him reach for something that was attached to his belt. She tried to get a look, but the object was small and he was a good ways away from them. Slowly, he drew the object up and pointed it towards them. Dee panicked, realizing that whatever it was lined up directly with the Creator.
“Sir, look out!” she cried. His attention broke away from his device just as the stranger fired his weapon. The bullet whizzed through the air and halted in front of the Creator’s face as Dee screamed. The Creator stared at the bullet, his eyes wide, as it hovered directly in front of his face. It was surrounded by a faint yellow light as it hung in the air for a moment before the light faded and the bullet dropped to the ground. The gunman stared in shock, sure that his aim was dead on.
Before he could think any further, the would-be assassin was pushed back by an unseen force and slid to a stop several feet away. The Creator turned to his right and saw Mathias and New Baggins arriving in the park, the latter holding his hand out towards the gunman. Dee and Mathias stared in amazement, both having witnessed the assassination fail by some unseen force. The answer came as New Baggins continued to walk towards the gunman with his arm stretched out.
“Who are you?” he called to the man, his disembodied voice echoing throughout the small area. “Identify yourself immediately and explain your actions.”
The gunman said nothing, instead jumping to his feet and rushing forward with his weapon pointed out.
“Screw you!” he shouted, firing two shots at New Baggins. The robed man’s eyes narrowed beneath his mask and these two bullets also came to a stop in front of him. He closed his hand into a fist and the two metal fragments crumpled in the air before dropping to the ground. The gunman froze, awed at what he was seeing.
“What the hell is this?” he said out loud, a sentiment that Dee and Mathias were also sharing. How was their new companion able to perform these feats with just the movement of his hands? Dee thought back to when she first met him, and the idea that at the time seemed foolish came to the forefront of her mind. She remained silent, watching the scene unfold with great interest.
“Explain yourself!” New Baggins said again, unfolding his hand. The gunman eyed his opponent carefully, then pointed his weapon ahead once again. The attempt was in vain, and before the trigger could be pulled the barrel of the gun crumpled inward and was bent up, destroying its usefulness. The gunman cursed, inspecting his weapon. By taking his eyes off of his opponent, he missed a crucial chance to evade. He heard a rushing pulse coming towards him, and before he could move he was hit by a wall of golden light. This force pushed him back much farther than the first attack, causing him to land hard on his back and slide a good distance away from the group.
“Excellent work, my friend,” the Creator said, now much calmer than a moment before when his life was in peril. “You always have the best timing.”
“Think nothing of it, my Lord,” New Baggins answered as he turned to face their leader. In the distance he heard footsteps, but as he turned saw that the assassin had already made his escape and disappeared out of the park. New Baggins began to run forward, but the Creator stopped him.
“There’s no need to pursue him,” the deity said. “It will be best not to display your powers too much in the open if it can be avoided. He’ll likely be back to finish what he tried to do. We’ll rest for now”
“As you wish, my Lord,” he replied.
“How the hell did you do that?” Mathias shouted, filled more with joyous awe than surprise at this point. He eagerly circled New Baggins, inspecting him top to bottom to look for some kind of secret. Dee eyed the man curiously and leaned towards the Creator.
“Sir, that man,” she whispered, “is he a sorcerer?”
“No, Ms. Gatti, he is not,” the Creator replied. “New Baggins’ skills are not caused by any form of magic, but by something else of even greater power.”
“Greater than magic?” she asked.
“It will be an interesting story to tell when we get to the hotel,” he said, walking over to the other two. “We should be getting there now, it’s almost sunset.”
New Baggins looked to the sinking sun and turned to the Creator, bowing slightly.
“My Lord, if I may,” he said.
“Yes, of course. We’ll begin our search tomorrow.”
“I will reunite with you then,” the masked man said, turning from the other three and heading to the exit of the park.
“Hey wait, where’re you going?” Mathias called to him. “Aren’t you going to explain any of that?”
“I’ll explain it to you both,” the Creator said. “New Baggins needs to have some privacy as he sleeps, so he’ll be going on his own until the morning.”
“Ok, what gives?” Mathias asked. “There’s a lot more to that guy than you’re letting on.”
“You’re right, so let’s be on our way and I’ll let you both in on the details regarding New Baggins.” The Creator began walking towards the opposite end of the park that New Baggins had left. Dee stood up and ran after him, not wanting to separate from him in the event of another attack. As the three made their way out, Dee’s concluded that if not magic, then her previous theory was in fact true. She decided not to say anything, and would wait for their leader to give a full account from his own mouth. He was the only one who could after all, as few still lived who were present for the ancient War of The Baggins.
Chapter Six
The Man of Legends
Dee looked out over the city from their hotel suite and was amazed at how expansive it looked from high up. The skyline was lit up with the lights of skyscrapers while brilliant colored signs littered the streets below. Even on the cold winter’s night she saw people walking around outside enjoying their evenings. Her mind suddenly went to Adam as she thought of him somewhere in the city, alone and likely stuck out in the cold this night. She put her hand to the window and hoped for his safe return to them, but her thoughts were interrupted as the Creator called her over with Mathias.
The three of them were currently in the sitting area of the large suite the Creator had procured. Where he got his money from was unknown, but it was useful to their ends as it provided plenty of room for the three of them as well as privacy for Dee when she needed it.
“So do you mind explaining what the hell happened this afternoon?” Mathias asked impatiently before taking a drink from one of the hotel beers.
“I suppose I’ve kept this hidden long enough, and since we’re all going to be cooperating for the time being it’s only fair that you know the truth about him,” the Creator said, sitting back in his chair. Dee sat at his right and listened closely to see if her assumptions about New Baggins were correct.
“Our friend in the golden mask is not a typical human like yourself, Mr. Albright,” the Creator began. “That is to sa
y, calling him a human being is almost a bit of a stretch. While his flesh and blood is that of a human, his mind reaches far beyond that of any mortal. It is more apt to compare it to a supercomputer.”
“A what?” Dee asked.
“Oh, forgive me, Ms. Gatti,” he corrected himself, forgetting that a certain gap in technology existed between different parts of the Other Universe. “Essentially, his mind is capable of processing millions of pieces of data instantaneously, and he has nearly an infinite capacity for memory. In addition, his expanded brain power gives him free mobility to alter physical properties around him.”
“So you’re saying he can just control matter with his mind?” Mathias clarified. “Like he did with the bullets earlier?”
“Yes, but his powers aren’t limited to controlling matter. Because of his processing powers, he can use his mind to alter the world in ways that to a normal person would not at all be noticeable. He could split atoms if he wished, or build new materials from nothing but the molecules floating in the air.”
“Capable even of raising land from the sea?” Dee cut in. The Creator smiled slightly at her addition.
“I see you’ve caught on, Ms. Gatti,” he continued. “There was a time, centuries ago, when these powers were used for wicked intentions.”
“Centuries?” Mathias repeated. “How old is this guy exactly?”
“1,241 years old,” the Creator answered. “Give or take a year due to temporal conversions.”
Dee and Mathias were silent as this figure hit them. Dee knew if her guess was right that he would have to be very old, but to actually confirm that the man she had met earlier was twelve centuries old was a staggering thought to the nineteen year old.
“Then it’s true,” Dee said, “that he is the same man from the legend, The Baggins, who claimed to be a god and tried to conquer the world of Carvon.”
The Kyoto Ordeal (Tales of the Other Universe Book 1) Page 5