by SK Benton
"I seek someone - someone who has… abilities. His name is Max. He is like an evil lycan, but looks like a man and apparently has mage powers. Do you know of him?" asked Kylen, with a slightly metallic twang to his voice.
Bob just stood frozen in place and stammered out nonsensical syllables. He had no idea what was to come next.
Unfortunately, he was on the menu.
Fortunately, he didn't feel a thing.
In a lightning-flash of nearly indiscernible movement, Bob's head was severed and rammed into Kylen's abdominal mouth. A local girl happened to walk into the store just moments later, seeing Kylen slowly skittering in circles on all six insect-like legs, head leaned back, his long, razor-sharp, prehensile tongue slashing wildly through the air, as his abdominal mouth savagely chomped on what was by then an unrecognizable human head. Bob's decapitated corpse was on the ground, involuntarily twitching and jerking, as blood spurted out of a massive, gaping hole where his neck was previously connected. The girl was lucky - she didn't make a sound and slowly backed out and then ran away.
Not having noticed the human witness, Kylen emitted what one could consider a belch, except for the fact that he didn't possess a small esophageal passageway through which the stomach would force a large amount of gas - it was a very wide, utilitarian digestive tube, and it merely emitted the sound of a large amount of air rushing through a tunnel, of course followed by a horrendous smell. The scent was that of death - puke, rotting meat and ammonia. Kylen was not bothered by it, as it was his scent, and most are immune to the stench of their own gasses.
Waddling out into the street, the creature headed to the west - intent on finding his target.
"Pandy, are you sure you didn't kill Marko? I gave you some power tools for defense, not for abuse."
"He was breathing when I left him, Max. Sorry - maybe I was a bit tough on him, but he has been a total jerk for a looooong time," responded the youngest member of Feral.
"But hun, we need to be kind too," said Jessica.
"Okay, I'll mellow out on him from now on. It's just so hard not hammering him, especially after everything he's done, especially to you, Jessie," stated Pandy without considering her best friend's feelings.
"Pandy, shhhh. Please, let's not-"
"Hey, what do you mean, Pandy? Jess, what's he done to you?"
"No big deal. It was a long time ago, before Dons or Pandy were even born, so just drop it, okay?"
"Jessica, what did Marko do to you?" Max thought to Jessica.
"Huh? What the heck? How are you doing this? Can you read my mind?"
"Only if you speak to me directly, my friend,"
"Max how do you do this? And why didn't you ever do it before?"
"It's not me - it's your bracelet. I added a little feature enabling all of you to communicate with each other, but without speaking."
"Dons! Pandy! Can you hear this?"
"Jessica, they can't hear us right now, as I made our conversation private - it is one of my… talents. So, quickly, what did Marko do to you that has garnered so much resentment?"
"Maaaax, I really don't want to say… it's been a long time now."
"Jess, have I not treated you well and proven to be a good friend? I don't mean to pry, but this could change the dynamics of how I deal with Marko and his clan."
Jessica sighed and hung her head low. Looking over to her friends, who apparently somehow understood that Jessica and Max were communicating telepathically, she looked back and Max and audibly stated, "Marko is my ex. He beat me up after an argument. He beat me and then left me for dead. Later, he found that I had given birth to his son, and he stole the boy from me and again beat me severely. I hid out for a number of years, but then I met Dons and Pandy and we became family. So, that's it. Satisfied?"
Jessica had tears streaming down her face, and Max instantly felt regret for having pushed so hard for an answer. He looked over and saw Dons and Pandy, who were both wearing relatively sad expressions.
"I'm so sorry, Jessica. Wow, that has to be tough. But can I ask, what became of your son?"
"Marko, being the total dumbass he is, allowed the demons to take him," she responded, her look becoming even more forlorn.
"Heya Jess, you know we're all sad for that, but we found each other, right?" asked Dons
"Yeah, I know, but it still doesn't hurt every time I see that prick."
"I have a big - no, a huge problem with domestic violence, Jessica. I think I've just changed my mind on the use of force accords on your bracelets," said Max, conveying ample amounts of hostility in his voice.
The alien mage had put limitations on the girls' bracelets, as well as Dons' sword, and even more so on Adam's wand, but he started to reconsider, not having had previous knowledge of Jessica's predicament. He had beaten Marko once, and then felt badly for him, believing the lycan to simply be a product of his environment, but his change of heart was immediate and savage.
Bolting up and flying outside (literally flying), Max collided with Marko as the lycan leader had just started to collect himself after his thrashing by Pandy.
"Slimeball! You beat her up? What kind of a beast are you? Where I'm from lycans are heroes and help the weak. Here, you're all opportunistic parasites, and I swear I will eradicate you and anyone like you before I leave!" screamed Max, as he flew through the air with a startled Marko in his grip.
"Put me down, or else I'll…"
"You'll what, ass-hat!!? You are nothing! You're a weak bully who pushes everyone around. You are done! If I could perform a 3D slip I'd have your ass parked in Siberia."
"Leave me be, freak. I have no more business with you," the annoying lycan growled.
"I'll make sure you never, ever abuse anyone else again, Marko. My biggest mistake was even letting you live when we first met."
"You never had a choice, asshole. I'm too strong for you and you know it."
Max realized that Marko was dealing in a different kind of reality. He was so far disconnected from rational thought that he would simply mutter braggadocian claims, justifying his actions. But Max couldn't let him get away with his abuses. Putting out his hand, he pointed it at the lycan, closing and then twisting his fist slightly as Marko gained an extremely uncomfortable look. Drawing his fist tight and pulling it inwards, he saw Marko's face protrude forward as it appeared that Max was disassembling the lycan bit by bit.
Marko emitted a scream, but tried to instantly muffle it with his hand. It was obvious he was feeling pain, and not simply discomfort. But Max was again filled with remorse and was not able to take a life. It was easy with Sally; she had tried to murder him. Marko, however, had no such desires or abilities, and for all Max knew he and Jessica had previously maintained a relationship.
"Marko, you have to leave these people alone. Otherwise it will end in your death," pleaded the alien. "I am ordering you, from one lycan to another."
"I'll die before I cooperate with you, freak. You're no lycan. I saw what you turn into."
Max had two choices - kill him or walk away. He threw Marko down and then walked off, fully expecting his enemy to attack while his back was to him, but to his surprise nothing happened. Wondering why Marko didn't take advantage, he casually turned back in time to see the lycan in the grip of something absolutely horrifying and evil.
Kylen had arrived, and he was hungry.
All six insect-like legs were fully extended, bringing Kylen's height to near three meters, as he held Marko by the throat, the lycan's feet a good meter off the ground.
"I seek the one called Max Gunnarsson. Identify him and you shall live," Kylen rasped with his odd-sounding metallic voice.
But curiously, Marko didn't make an attempt to point out Max. What he did do was completely uncharacteristic of the annoyingly rude lycan - he displayed his middle finger to Kylen, which in turn prompted the odd mutated being to toss Marko away as if he were a rag doll.
Max made sure there was plenty of room for tactical movement, and th
en identified himself to Kylen as a crowd started to gather.
"I am Max Gunnarsson. Why do you seek me?"
"Nothing personal. I was hired to kill you."
"By whom? I mean, I know I have the capacity to piss some people off, but for the most part I'm a groovy guy," responded Max.
"I do not generally reveal the names of my clients, but he was a lycan up near Saugus who claimed you slaughtered his clan and drank the blood of his children."
"Miles? That loser? I drank the blood of his children? Seriously? He had no children, and I left them alone because his wife's pregnant."
"It does not matter. I have been paid to perform a task, and I mean to complete it."
Max looked at the creature, trying to figure out an angle, in case he suddenly rushed him. He had six legs, and they appeared to move quite quickly. He also seemed to have a good deal of upper body strength, and he would need to disable the being's motor skills quickly in case words failed.
"Look, something happened to me and I ended up at Lykanrol's camp. They invited me to go on a raid, and when we went they wantonly slaughtered innocent people - a mixture of lycans, normal, nekos and vampires, all living together peacefully. They murdered children. I was horrified by their actions, so I helped as many of the campers as I could, and then knocked Miles' clan mates unconscious and took them all back to their own camp. Then a couple of his subordinates lit me on fire and tried to kill me, so I…"
"Lies! All lies! If they had lit you on fire you would have scars!"
"Um, no, not really. You see, I have healing abilities and…"
"Now you must die, Max Gunnarsson," said Kylen, as he quickly moved in Max's direction. However, he had no idea that Max was a truly powerful mage - he had just assumed him to be a minor-mage, as Miles really wasn't intelligent enough to provide an accurate description of Max's abilities, especially as he had embellished the story of Max's massacre so much.
Max immediately shot up 10 meters in the air, and stood on an invisible platform as he looked down at the odd creature.
"Come on up, if you can, creature. I haven't the time to mess around with you. If you intend on killing me then I won't even bother explaining to you how Miles is an idiot and a liar. I value my own life far too much."
The crowd that had gathered was keeping a good distance
"I shall wait here and simply pursue you as it fits my needs. Maybe you will be interested to know that I have no emotions, morals nor scruples and I only seek to kill you. It is nothing personal, as I said before. Surrender your life or I shall begin to kill… someone from this crowd."
Max looked down in horror as Kylen scanned the crowd, and ejecting his long, prehensile tongue, grabbed a young, brown neko. It wasn't a fraction of a second before he was chewing on her severed head. Nearly everyone in the crowd started to scream and run away, as Kylen lashed his tongue out more, trying to reach another victim. Max dropped to the ground, horrified that someone - something would be so brutal and vicious.
Quickly darting over to where Marko lay, still unconscious from his treatment at the hands of Kylen, Max picked up the lycan and shot over to the entrance to the bar, handing him to Dons and Jessica, who had been watching the whole scenario.
"Get him inside. I'm ending this quickly."
Max turned around and pushed his hands out and then apart, forcing the crowd away even further from Kylen, whom he then approached.
"You just killed an innocent child, creature. Identify yourself."
"I am called Kylen, though it matters not, as you are now going to-"
Kylen was going to say die, but his body exploded into chunks of flesh and shards of bone before he could utter the word. Max gave him no opportunity to cause further damage. The crowd stared, shocked at the effectiveness in which Max destroyed the creature. Walking over to the creature's remains, he picked up the nearly intact head, looking at it curiously. Conjuring a burlap bag, he placed the head inside and walked into the bar, setting it on a table. He then went back out to console the family of the slain neko girl. They weren't strangers to death, but this was truly tragic; Max had yet again hesitated, costing someone their life in the process.
"Hey mate," began Dons as he approached Max, "what didja do to that bloke? Looks like you stuck a grenade in him or something."
"Microwave cantus. I cooked him from the inside out, but I waited too long. I didn't know he was going to grab a random child and eat her. Crap, what kind of thing was he?"
"Looked like a demon…erm, Vrol experiment. Every now and then we see an odd fellow. Usually all gang up on it and kill it quickly. Whatcha gonna do now, mate?"
"I'm gonna go up and visit that lycan clan. No loose ends. If they sent this thing they'll send more. They have forfeited their right to coexist peacefully. Now they die."
Walking back into the bar, Max checked on Marko, who had recently regained consciousness. Not really liking the lycan, but knowing he wasn't really dangerous anyway, especially now that the girls had expanded abilities in their bracelets, he just wanted to make sure he could be a possible ally and no longer an enemy.
"Heya, I just wanted to thank you for being so stand-up against that creature out there. You know, you could have been killed."
"I woulda killed it too, if it didn't throw me so far. I just landed wrong. So, you killed it?" Marko asked.
"Yup. Cooked him alive, but not before he killed a young neko. It's my fault. I should have…"
"No man, it's not your fault. You didn't kill the kid - that creature did. But you got revenge. It's the lycan way. I guess you're not such a freak after all."
Almost imperceptibly touching the lycan on the shoulder, Max executed a time-release cantus of healing particles which would fix the man up in a matter of hours instead of days, and decided to let Marko believe that he was right, so he merely nodded his head and made for the door, grabbing the burlap sack that contained Kylen's severed head.
"Max, where are you going?" asked Jessica.
"North, just for a quick trip. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
Then, to everyone's surprise, Max rose into the air and shot off, almost as if he had wings. He was headed towards the remains of Lykanrol's encampment.
"Did Max seem unusually calm to you too?" asked Pandy.
"Dons just nodded his head, and then said, "I pity whoever he's going to visit. The boy had death in his eyes."
###
Max touched down about 200 meters away from Lykanrol's camp, and downwind, so he wouldn't be detected. Walking quietly, he crept up to find Miles going through some supplies. As he hid behind a thicket of trees, Max concentrated and accessed his thermal readout of the immediate area, seeing Sheeva in a tent while Indie was in an adjacent enclosure, looking at his lack of reproductive organs. He didn't have long to worry about his lack of testicles, however, as Max concentrated a cantus that basically stripped all of the oxygen out of Indie's blood. The man died of hypoxia within seconds. It was humane and quiet. One dead - two to go.
The next thing Max did wasn't for the benefit of anyone except for Miles' and Sheeva's unborn child. He concentrated on the woman and used salubots in a manner that they were never really intended for - performing a frontal lobotomy on the unsuspecting woman. She sat in a chair in her tent, and merely lost any capability for thought or reason. As Max had killed Indie and incapacitated Sheeva, he was free to confront Miles. Still remaining hidden, he tossed out the burlap bag that contained Kylen's head. Miles jumped at the sight of the bag, not knowing what was inside. Crouching low, he roared out, "Who's there? Show yourself or I'll kill you!"
"Open the bag," Max said, disguising his voice to sound oddly alien. It was actually a lame attempt at imitating Kylen's metallic voice, but Max never really had great skills at music or voice. Still, it was enough to fool Miles.
"Hah! I knew it, Kylen! You finished the baby killer. Good work!"
Miles quickly opened the sack and let the head roll out, and gasped when he saw it wasn't
what he was expecting. It was at that very moment that Max walked out of the bushes and addressed his foe.
"I left you to raise a child. Instead you sent a freak to kill me, and it killed an innocent little girl before I terminated its existence. I am done with you, Miles."
"What the hell? Who do you think you are? You murdered our children and you…"
"What? Whaaaaaat? You're such a sociopath that you actually believe your own lies, you fool! You had no children. You killed the children from that poor encampment. It was all I could do to save the majority of them. You have nothing more to contribute to this world, Miles. Goodbye."
"Wait! Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"You didn't mean to what? You didn't mean to send someone to kill me? You didn't mean to kill those innocent kids in that encampment?"
"Yeah, yeah, all that stuff! Really, please don't kill me!"
Max could see Miles was reaching around behind his back for a knife that was on the ground.
"Miles, you want to live, don't you?"'
"Oh yeah! Of course! That Kylen freak - he threatened me and I…"
"Well, I've considered your plea for lenience, and I've come to a decision."
"Oh great, thanks, man!"
Knowing what was going to happen, Max perfectly timed his response, while Miles quickly produced his knife and looked at the off-worlder with a victorious sneer on his lips. The lycan actually believed for a millisecond that he was going to emerge on top, but before he could thrust his knife forward he heard Max speak in a low whisper.
"Ahora te mueres, hijo de puta."
Miles collapsed, dead. Max had prepared a cantus to stop the lycan's heart with a mere gesture, and had executed it with panache. Not even bothering to look at the man's lifeless, already-rotting body, he turned, went to Sheeva's tent and picked up her limp form. Holding the severely misguided woman in his arms, he looked at her with a sincere concern and said, "You can't understand anything I am saying, but I couldn't kill your unborn child. I'm taking your baby somewhere safe."