Chapter 3

"Traverse Town?"

Hiro said, rubbing his head. "That sounds like the name of a really confusing board game…" He looked around. There were several shops around. Some selling coats and scarves, while others sold jewelry and trinkets. Hiro smelled a delicious scent. He traced it to a small restaurant with a sign that read "Baldory's" Below the name read "Our cooking is 80% charcoal and 20% broken dishes!"

"What kind of a slogan is that?" Hiro thought. He looked up at a clock tower at the end of the street. "11:40?! I should find a place to stay the night…" Hiro wandered around the town looking for a hotel, only getting lost a couple times in the complex maze of streets. He finally found "Betelbed" and walked inside.

Inside the building, Hiro found that it was not at all what he had expected. There were little waterfalls, paper screens, and several paintings of pandas on the wall. The whole lobby had a very oriental feel. Hiro looked around and saw a white robed man at the reception desk and started walking up to the Asian elder. As he was walking, he saw the old man hurl an unknown object at him, saying "Think fast, Kupo!"

Out of pure reflex Hiro caught the object, spun around, and threw it back at the innkeeper, who caught it without moving a muscle. Thought the surprise on his face was eminent. "Out of all the people who have ever walked through those doors, you're the first to throw this back." He held up the object, which turned out to be a nothing more than a tennis ball. "Would you like a room?"

Hiro just nodded, unsure of what to say. "Tonight you will sleep. Tomorrow you will tell me your story." Hiro began to reach for his wallet, but the old man raised his hand in protest. "There is no charge." The man said, "One free night is the least I can do for a meister, Kupo." Then he began walking down a hallway.

"How did he know I was a meister?" Hiro thought.

"Are you going to stand there with that stupid expression or are you going to follow me to your room, Kupo?" the old man said turning around. Hiro began to talk but all he could do was stutter. He instead looked down and began following the man.

Hiro fell asleep quickly, dreaming of the black haired girl Xion, and the adventure that awaited him.

Xion tossed and turned in bed. Her long days granted plenty of stress, which in turn provided ultimately sleepless nights. She hoped this madness would be over before too long. Couldn't she at least get a break? Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Xion there's been an attack at the plaza! Come quick!" a rugged voice, which she identified as guardsman Terry.

"Ugh. Are you monsters just doing this to keep me from sleeping? For all we know that is your true weakness." Xion thought annoyed. "I've already killed over a hundred of you pricks. Where do you guys keep coming from?"

Hiro slept well that night, despite sleeping on a mat instead of his own bed back in his apartment. He stretched and walked out of his door. The old man was waiting for him in the lobby. He motioned for Hiro to sit down with him. Hiro pulled up a chair and sat down. Then the old man did something Hiro didn't expect. The man leaped into the air, turning himself into a knife and stabbing into the table. Hiro stared in wonder. He was a weapon!

"He must have recognized me wavelength as that of a meister last night!" Hiro concluded. He examined the old man's weapon form. He had become a jagged golden dagger with a dragon shaped handle. After a moment, the elder changed back into a human.

"My name is Yoji. I came here from a far away land many years ago. Now, who might you be Kupo? The old man asked.

"I'm Hiro. I've been trying to get to Twilight Town. Do you know of any way to get there?"

"Slow down. Why are you trying to get to Twilight Town? It is a very dangerous place right now, Kupo."

"I'm going because it's dangerous and I have to help. Supposedly, that is where my weapon partner is… and why do you keep calling me Kupo?"

"I see... My sister Ayaka lives in Twilight town… I haven't heard from her in months though…" Yoji looked down. "I miss her dearly. If you should make it there, please seek her out and tell her that is older brother is worried about her?"

"Of course." Hiro said. "Ayaka… gotta remember that..."

"Good good. Then I will take you to see The Steampunk Alchemist. If anyone can help you it's him."

Xion walked to the plaza alone. "If I needed an escort, they wouldn't be asking me to fight alongside them." she thought. She saw the inspector in his blue trench coat and walked up to ask him what had happened.

"We are dumbfounded! No creature I know of could do this!" he exclaimed. "See for yourself!" Xion leaned town towards one of the bodies and pulled back the sheet that was covering him. She gasped. His face was gone. It had literally been torn off of his head. "Is there anything you have seen in your travels to numerous worlds that could explain this?"

"No…" Xion replied quietly. "This is nothing I've ever seen." She cringed. "But it's horrible."

"Some of the other bodies had hearts, livers, and other internal organs torn out." the inspector continued. "Quite disturbing really" He looked over at Xion, who looked a bit shaken by this. "Xion are you okay? You're looking quite pale…"

"I'm fine. Tell me at once if you find any leads, Inspector." She said. "Now if you'll excuse me…" Xion trailed off. Her eyes rolled back as she fell to the ground. Several men rushed over to her.

"What happened?!" the Inspector demanded.

"Only fainted, sir." one man said.

"Get her home at once." the Inspector ordered. "And even if there is an attack do not disturb her. She needs her rest. This probably happened because she's been overworked."

"Poor Xion… hopefully your hero gets here soon… I wouldn't fancy having my face ripped off…" the Inspector thought as the men carried her away.

Hundreds of years ago in the shadowy alleys of The City That Never Was, a disfigured creature lurked. It did not remember its name. It looked down into a puddle on the ground and saw the face of a young boy. An angry, hateful, young boy with pointed teeth and long red hair.

A tall suited man with neat black hair walked up to him. He straightened his glasses and looked at the boy. "Would you like to live forever little one? Live forever and take the lives of millions?"

The little boy knew that word. "Kill?" he asked weakly. Then the boy grinned."Yes. I like to kill…"

"Yes? Then I have a position for you."