Who Are You?

It was a typical day in the caravan’s travels. Reijo stopped in the small town of Lurick, and a handful of the Hidden Grove members spread through the town to gather information. Staying in touch with rumors – especially those spread by mercenaries – was crucial to staying one step ahead of the enemy. And it was on that day that Jabez, who was examining a notice board at the time, heard a strange greeting. One that was impossible for him not to recognize.

“Kon-ni-chi-wa~!”

Hearing that word, Jabez froze in place. He turned his head, noticing the peculiar man with blue hair and a white cape nearby. Already, he realized he had made a mistake. Without knowing why the person knew this phrase or what motivated them to say it, merely reacting to it was enough to tell the stranger what they needed to know. Jabez considered playing dumb, acting like he didn’t quite hear the greeting or understand it, but he knew deep down it was too late.

“What did you say?” Jabez asked in a hushed tone.

The blue haired man leaned in. “Kon-ni-chi-waaaaa.”

Jabez was by no means a skilled linguist. He spent the majority of his life speaking, reading, and writing with English. But as a huge fan of anime and other overseas media, he picked up on a handful of words and phrases over the years. Because of this, he recognized that the stranger was essentially saying hello – albeit in a strange way.

The first thing this told Jabez was that languages from Earth were not translated. Most likely, the magic was limited to the languages of Elonia. That made enough sense. But more worrisome was the fact that the stranger knew the word at all. This meant at least one of two things: the stranger had exposure to Earth languages before, possibly as a result of crossing realms; or, even more troubling, this man was an outsider like Jabez. Whether he learned the word from an outside source or was an outsider himself, it didn’t matter in the moment. What mattered was learning more, so Jabez decided to reply.

“Konnichiwa, stranger. Care to talk in private?”

The stranger smiled. “Gladly.”

Jabez led the way, glancing back at Iris – who was peeking from around a corner – and gestured to not follow. In time, the pair reached a nice, isolated part of the town where they could talk amongst themselves.

“So, let’s skip the formalities. How do you know that word, and why did you say it to me? Who are you?” asked Jabez.

“Who am I? That is... A complicated question,” the stranger said. “But I have no reason to hide what you’ve probably already guessed. I am, like you, not from this realm. I used the greeting as a way to get your attention. A gamble, perhaps, but it got the job done.”

“Then you probably figured out who I am. What do you want? Are you here to capture me?”

“I’m still trying to decide. It’s not often I get to meet another like myself.” The stranger looked around for a moment, then said, “You can call me Inspector Hito. I’ve been making a living working for this kingdom’s church. I seek out what they ask of me, and I take it back to my client. In this case,” Hito pointed, “you’re wanted back at Felstat. But... It would be a bit boring if I took you back now.”

“Hito, huh? Were you Japanese in the past?” Jabez thought on it, then shook his head. “No, that doesn’t matter right now. If you’re working for this kingdom, then you’re my enemy.”

“Oh don’t be like that. Just because I’ve been tasked with capturing you doesn’t mean we’re enemies. From what I’ve already learned about you, you barely understand your own circumstances. How long have you been in Elonia? Did you even read Gamugin’s manual?”

“His... What?”

Hito chuckled. “You don’t even know that much? Oh dear... Seems like you’re even worse off than I thought. Dropped into another world without even the faintest explanation. I wonder what he could be thinking... Still, that does explain your erratic behavior. Do you even realize how much trouble you’re in?”

“I can put two and two together. Murder is murder, it’s as simple as that. But you should already know by now how corrupt this kingdom is. I was never given a specific task. I was mostly asked to... Shake things up. And given how terribly the Ramthians treat other races, it wasn’t difficult to make my choice.”

“Still, to kill so many, why, you must have been quite troublesome back on Earth. Do you even feel remorse for the lives you’ve taken?”

“I’ve only ever killed those who deserved it. Slave owners, heartless mercenaries, brigands, and anyone who props up this unjust system. I can feel bad about what I’ve done later. For now, I fight for justice.”

Hito laughed. “Bold words, my friend. Bold indeed. Do you think you’re some kind of hero? A chosen warrior of destiny? I don’t know what kind of fantasies fill your head, but this is no game. These are real people with real lives. Did you know that Ramvic had a wife and child? And now they’re all alone... Does that not concern you?”

Jabez scowled at Hito. “I’m no hero. I never said I was. I just want to make this land better for everyone, and that includes all the races Ramthians keep under heel. If that means trampling a few lives along the way, then so be it. They made their choice.”

At this, Hito grew an especially large smile. “Not afraid to play the villain, are you? Well, that suits me just fine. I have my own role to fulfill. I don’t mind going along with this kingdom’s... Dogma. I’ve found my calling, and I’ll pursue it for as long as it’s entertaining. Once I’m bored, I can always find something else to do.”

“You treat this world more like a game than I ever could. I don’t know what kind of life you led back on Earth, but if you see these people as nothing but playthings to amuse you, my judgement still stands. You are my enemy.”

Jabez was ready to cut Hito down then and there. But in response to Jabez’s words, Hito’s smile faded, and he tilted his head.

“What kind of life I led back on Earth? Who said I was from Earth?”

“... What?”

Jabez felt a presence from within Hito, something he didn’t fully understand. But that brief acknowledgement left his heart racing. He remained frozen, unable to decide what he should do. As if in response, Hito closed the distance and poked Jabez in the chest.

“Heh. Got you. So easily frightened... Are you sure you weren’t a lamb in your previous life? No matter. I learned what I wanted. Let’s settle this in the wild. I brought some friends you might recognize to do battle with you and yours. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the surprise until we’re away from town. But after that? It’s up to you.” Hito then walked off, saying, “See you around.”

Jabez wanted to call out to Hito. He thought that maybe he could talk him down, stop him from revealing his presence in the area. But... That was naïve of him to think. Whoever this guy was, he was far more perceptive than any other he had encountered in this world. Rather than waste his breath trying to stop him, Jabez decided there was someone else he should reach out to. Someone that owed him some answers.

“Gamugin, I know you’re listening. We need to talk. Now.”

As those words echoed through the dirty brick alleyway Jabez was in, everything seemed to pause. The wind, the distant noise of the town, even the dust in the air. Everything stopped, and their colors faded. It was then that a familiar set of crazed eyes leered at Jabez from the darkness, then Gamugin stepped out of the shadows.

“Interrupting my show, huh?! How rude!! I sure hope you have a good reason for doing so! Things were just about to get interesting, you know!!”

“Can it you donkey!” Jabez pointed his sword at the watcher. “You heard all of that. When were you going to tell me I wasn’t the only outsider in this realm? And what’s this about a manual? Why didn’t you tell me about any of this?”

“Ah, right...” Gamugin casually glanced away. “I had a feeling I forgot something. But I was having so much fun watching you struggle it slipped my mind! Well you got me! You’re not alone... You’re my third attempt at changing things in this realm!”

“Third?! Are you saying there are even more people like me running around right now?”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything about that. Don’t go putting words in my mouth, JZ!” Gamugin then coughed, glancing away again. “But yes.”

“Who are they?!”

“That’s not important right now, my morally challenged freedom fighter! Those two are failures in my book! Far too complacent, far too indulgent! There’s no helping them. But now that two of you have crossed swords, there’s no going back. Although... Hito is a little out of your league. Frankly, him getting involved in our scheme is troubling, to put it mildly. The manual might give you just enough of an edge to make the difference, though! Or not. Either way, you wanted it, so you got it!”

Gamugin snapped his gloved fingers and a huge book slammed into the ground, nearly crushing Jabez. As long as his forearm and thicker than his head, it was a struggle just to pick up. Jabez managed it, though, looking at the title of the book carefully.

“How to Survive in Another Realm, by Gamugin.” Beneath the title was a childish drawing of the man himself alongside several circles that vaguely resembled portals.

“This... Is a bit much,” Jabez’s eye twitched. “You’re telling me you had this much information and held out this whole time?!”

“Hey! I just forgot is all! Mostly. Probably. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you better get all that info crammed into your noggin if you want to survive against Hito! It wouldn’t be a very interesting story if you were defeated by him now.”

“If you want me to win so badly, why not give me some powerful artifact like a legendary weapon or a shield that deflects magic?”

“Hell no! Solving this for you would be boring too! Plus it’s not like I have those just lying around...” Gamugin scratched at his donkey chin. “Or do I?”

“Are you going to help me or not?!”

“No, I don’t think I will. You’re being awfully demanding, you know! I already answered your questions from before. I even gave you the manual! Just do what you’re good at and come up with a plan. I’m sure you can manage that much.”

“Then at least tell me one thing...”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Am I... Doing well so far?”

“What do you mean?”

“When you asked me to shake things up in this world... You said that if I did what you wanted, you could help me and my family. So... How close am I?”

“Now that’s a good question, isn’t it? Let me ask you this, first: if I said you had done enough and took you away now, would you be satisfied?”

“... No. Not yet, at least.”

“That’s what I thought. I think you’re a better judge of how close you are than me. But tell you what. I’m a nice guy. There’s someone that you’ll need to meet first in order for your wish to come true. So here’s your current task – or quest, if you prefer! Survive this next encounter and I’ll personally introduce you to your realm’s watcher.”

“My realm? Earth??”

“Mhmm. All I can do is put in a good word for you. Getting him on your good side will be important to fulfilling your wish. Since we watchers were going to meet up for a little get-together anyway, I’ll bring you along for the ride! But only if you survive. Understand?”

With his situation brought into focus, Jabez nodded. “I understand. And... Thank you.”

“Oh ho! A bit unexpected given your fury and bluster earlier, but... You’re welcome. Now have fun, you two! Buh-bye!”

Just like that, Gamugin was gone. The world went back to normal, and Jabez was left with a gigantic manual to carry. Flipping it open, the first page had surprisingly helpful instructions.

“To resize for your convenience, place your hand here,” and beneath those words was a faintly glowing red symbol. Jabez put his hand over the symbol, and in a matter of seconds, the book resized to be more convenient for him to carry. Small and lightweight, but still comically thick, it was a lot like having a personal dictionary. Jabez pocketed the book and returned to the caravan, steeling himself for the battle ahead. Whoever Hito was didn’t matter. Nothing was going to get in the way of Jabez and his wish.