THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "[Yes, Ohiro-san. They are a Samurai family and provide us protection. They also offer fair trade, and occasionally adopt the lucky person into their ranks. I can point you to the direction of their compound if you like.]"

  "Captain, the lycans here are Samurai, and operate much in the same manner as we of the Rhönen Dominion - protecting, offering trade, etc."

  Max smiled and nodded his head, waving his hand over his bowl of noodles, giving them a bit of added heat, when Koji gave the captain an odd, knowing glance.

  "You… mage-man, hai?" asked Koji.

  "Wow! You know English?" stammered Max.

  "Hai - yes. Little. Not Ookami otoko?"

  Max nodded his head, unsure how to respond, but said, "I am mage-man and Ookami otoko."

  Koji got a look of wonderment on his face and broke out into a smile.

  "[One such as you has been expected for many moons, honored one. Please. I shall close my shop and personally escort you to the compound of your brethren.]"

  "Huh?" said Max, not understanding anything that Koji had excitedly said.

  "Captain. He said that you have been… expected here. He is going to personally take us to the lycans."

  After Koji had closed his shop with a pull-down metal gate, the three started up Omotesandō Boulevard in a northerly direction. Traversing a few other large (and some small) streets, they came up to a large, palatial-looking compound. Palaces in Japan were quite different from those in Europe and elsewhere, as real estate was historically hard to come by. For this reason, the rich would build expansive, single-story constructs, encompassing many square kilometers of space. To have a lot of space was a status symbol, and to waste that space was a sign of immense wealth and power.

  Approaching the tall, wooden palace gate, Koji lightly rapped his knuckles upon the rough-hewn portal, performing a particular cadence that was obviously meant as a code. The gate slowly opened as Max and Ohiro followed Koji inside.

  A large lycan stood in a center square, next to a lovely babbling brook that ran into a large koi pond. He was dressed down in full ancient Samurai armor that appeared to also have quadrinium embedded into it.

  "[Greetings, Koji. I see you have guided two of my brothers to us. You shall be awarded for your allegiance, yet again.]"

  "[I thank you, my lord. It is my honor to present Ohiro and Max Gunnarsson. They have come from the other continent to find those of their kind. I believe Max Gunnarsson is the one you have been waiting for.]" Koji then looked at Ohiro and Max, and as he backed away said, "I leave now. Thank you."

  "Okay, Koji, and thanks again! Oh hey! Wait! You forgot your… I didn't pay for the soup… oh crap." Max looked a bit disappointed, no longer able to see Koji, who had left the compound in a flash.

  "Ah, you speak the language of the west. I shall enjoy my practice of it. I am Isamu, leader of the clan Tsuki."

  Both Max and Ohiro bowed, also quite pleased that Isamu spoke a bit of English.

  "Isamu-sama, it is our great pleasure to meet you," said Max, as he again bowed.

  "You bow too much, Captain, but I congratulate you on the use of a proper honorific," commed Ohiro, who then introduced himself to Isamu.

  "I am Ohiro, of the Rhönen Dominion, weapons trainer to King Krynos. It is an honor."

  "Please, join me for a drink and tell me of your journey."

  Max sat quietly as Ohiro and Isamu chatted away in Japanese, which made it much easier to detail their story, as Isamu's English, though substantially better than Koji's, was still fairly weak. As he sat watching, an idea came to him, and he asked Ohiro via their comm if he thought it could be a good one.

  "Ohiro, did you already tell Isamu that I am a mage?"

  "Yes I did, Captain. Why do you ask?"

  "Good. So he won't freak out when I conjure an infoscreen."

  "Are you going to show him something?"

  "More than that. I'm going to give him a gift. If he becomes startled please tell him that I only seek to give him knowledge."

  Ohiro nodded as Max conjured an infoscreen, which cast an immense glow and illuminated Isamu's smiling face. He obviously thought it looked incredible, and didn't even flinch when Max set a hand upon his shoulder.

  "I am going to give you mastery over my language, so that we may communicate more effectively, Isamu-sama."

  Isamu's face lit up, not only from the news, but also from the fact that Max was talking directly to his mind. Within moments Isamu stood up, put a hand on his chest, and then proclaimed in a typical British accent, "My good sirs, it is with the utmost gratitude that I welcome you to our humble compound.

  Ohiro looked at Max and smiled, saying, "Not bad, Captain. Lord Draagh would be quite pleased."

  "I do believe so, Ohiro-san. Now that we have the capability to speak to each other in a common tongue, Isamu-sama, I would-"

  "Please, dear Captain, please. You do not need to use that antiquated honorific. Isamu-san shall suffice. That being said, may I address you as Captain-san?"

  "You can call me Max. Just Max, if you like."

  "Excellent! Then please, by all means, address me as Isamu."

  Both Ohiro and Isamu smiled, and the three then went about trading information on their lands, and Max went even further, detailing whom he was and where he was from. At first Isamu found it incredible, but once Max displayed his wings and took Isamu for a small flight over the compound, accompanied by a couple of slips, the Samurai was quite convinced and willing to cooperate in any fashion.

  "So if I understand correctly, Max, the creatures that murdered this world are on their way to your… worlds, and you seek assistance in their defeat?"

  "Yup, that's about it."

  "And, may I ask, is there a reward for this work? We are not mercenaries, per se, but we do operate in a free market and seek to earn gold for our efforts."

  "Oh yes, absolutely. Pay shall be in gold. Plus, you shall see and experience things never before possible." Max got a grin and conjured a holographic display in the midst of the room where they were seated; causing a woman to gasp and almost drop the large sake bottle she was using to fill their cups.

  "Isamu, what we have here is a view of this world, Earth, from outer space. Now watch as we travel across space to where my worlds are located."

  Max caused the view to shoot through space, passing other stars and systems, until it stopped at Azul System, showing the home world and its two moons. He then zoomed down into New Sydney, its gleaming skyscrapers shining in the afternoon sun. Isamu gazed with a look of amazement, never having seen something so impressive before.

  "Brilliant! I would like very much to visit this world, Max. I can dedicate an entire regiment to your efforts."

  "Many thanks, sir. Oh, may I ask, do you have a problem with ghouls here?"

  "Oh, not this far south, my good man. They occasionally make forays down into the city, but mostly stay further north. We do, however, have quite a problem with Zombie infestations."

  Max looked curiously at Isamu, and then got a sudden look of realization. Looking over at Ohiro, who had a similar expression, he explained the usage of the word, but over the comm.

  "Ohiro, when I taught English to Isamu, I actually used a compound cantus, premade - sort of a language-pack from the Prīmulī. Besides linguistics, it also includes history and culture. The British would always use the word zombie when referring to a cannibal. In fact, it is the same term used to describe them in Hollywood."

  Ohiro acknowledged Max's explanation, and the lycan mage went on to detail how they would also assist in eliminating to cannibal population in Tokyo, thereby clenching a deal between the Azul Military, the Rhönen Dominion and Mūnkuran - The Moon Clan of Tokyo Samurai Lycans.

  ###

  Having returned to Krynos' castle, Max sat with his father and grandfather, detailing his day trip to Japan. Michael appeared to have a look of pride on his face, seeing that Max was taking matters into his own hands, while Draagh sat back and used his bub
blehead invention to partake in his beloved herb.

  "Hey, erm, Michael. Um, I haven't seen you smoking anything lately. Did you… quit?" Max asked his father with whom he had been becoming increasingly comfortable.

  "I am now a grandfather, so I need to provide a good example for young Liliana."

  "I only partake when in the company of understanding adults," exclaimed Draagh, as he raised a finger in the air.

  Max rolled his eyes, aware that Draagh would quit when he felt damned-well ready, and not a century before.

  "Max, you will need to discuss your newly-forged alliance with Krynos in a way so as to not insult him. Remember, he is a king, and he expects to be part of the decision-making process, especially as we are depending so heavily on his troops," advised Michael.

  "Um, yeah. I didn't really consider that. I guess I can approach him like it's good for the Dominion, leaving more soldiers here, and providing new alliances for trade," responded the young hybrid.

  "Very good, my boy!" blurted Draagh, nearly choking on the smoke inside his bubblehead.

  Chapter 7 - Go Home

  "That is so NOT fair!" Liliana uncharacteristically shouted at her mother. "I have every right to fight along your side. Have I not proven myself in training? I even killed a Vrol, while the majority of these soldiers have yet to see one!"

  Jennie felt terrible about bringing Liliana back to the Rhönen, but merely wanted her daughter to be safe in case things got out of control, and everyone was certain that things would get out of control. The two sat at their usual table in the main dining hall of the castle right before lunch was to be served, the younger of the two being less than pleased with the nature of the conversation.

  "Lili, sweetie, we are sending you back because we love you and want you to be safe. It's not a matter of denying you the opportunity to fight - it's about always being together after the fighting is over. Plus, you are young, and trust me, we're going to have plenty of fighting in the future, whether it's defending the Rhönen from vampires or assisting those on another world."

  Jennie tried to be slow, logical and methodical with the little girl. It was imperative that she calm her daughter down before another servant was accidentally tarred, feathered and stuck to a wall in the castle dungeon. Liliana didn't mean to throw the cantus the day prior - it was the result of an emotional reaction. The poor woman was serving some mead one second, and in the next she was in an entirely different part of the castle, upside-down and screaming. Draagh had already fine-tuned the Liliana's magical abilities for when she was in Azul System, only enabling certain cantuses to be performed, but in the Rhönen Dominion she had her full arsenal at her command - a substantial number of spells, which sometimes backfired when she was upset.

  "Please, Mami, please let me help. There has to be something I can do on Azul," she pleaded.

  "Oh, I don't mind you helping, but it will be from here. You are staying put in the Rhönen. If you behave we'll take you on a nice, long vacation when we're finished with the Vrol, but I am not going to discuss this further."

  Jennie gave Liliana a look of finality - one that seemed to say we are so totally done here.

  Liliana took a deep breath and blew it out, making a loud, obnoxious raspberry sound.

  "Ok, so what is it that I can do to help from here, where we do not even have any technology?"

  ‘My dear young girl, you can assist in the formation of my new Youth Brigade!" boomed King Krynos, who had just entered the dining hall, seeing that Jennie was in need of assistance - and a distraction for the immensely powerful young lycan mage. This caused Liliana and Jennie to both look up with curious expressions at the lycan king, who was the closest thing Jennie had to a father. Liliana also respected Krynos immensely, but knew how to work him, so she quickly changed her attitude and gave him her immediate attention.

  "My King, what do you mean, this youth brigade? I recall you having mentioned something about designing uniforms for such a group." The young girl was definitely distracted, and her mother gained an expression of relief from Krynos' sudden intervention.

  "It is a special squad of the most talented pups in the kingdom, young Liliana. Those who have not yet come of age, but still can benefit from training in the ways of war. And I wish for you to be the youth leader."

  "Me? The… leader?" she said inquisitively, while her face started to light up. "I would… love to! Yes, my King! I shall be this leader you desire! I shall assist in training my brothers and sisters in the ways of war. And then we shall perform raids on the dilapidated ruins of what remains of Vladros' putrid fiefdom, and kill and murder and decapitate-"

  "Now now, my young one," laughed Krynos, as he put a hand on her shoulder, "let us take this one step at a time. First… we shall train. Understood?"

  Liliana looked up at her King, the one absolute authority figure she had known during her entire young life. His commands even eclipsed those of her biological parents, whom had sadly murdered each other during a full moon many years prior. However, her new, adoptive parents were not mere subjects of the Rhönen. They were from the Future-Past - the 29th century; and a very technological world. Add to this the fact that her father, Max, was known as The Hybrid - a combination of archangel and lycan never before seen, so Liliana knew that she could probably get away with more than the average Rhönen child. Still, she knew how to play the game and when to show respect. This was one of those moments, so she used it to her advantage.

  "Yes, King Krynos. I am honored you have chosen me, and I shall follow the orders of my superiors."

  "You see, Lili?" Jennie added. "Good things will come your way. You just need to show a little patience. And thank you, King Krynos. Your offer is truly appreciated."

  "Jennie, we must all do what we can in order to protect our worlds. Speaking of that, I believe that young Max and his father shall be soon leading the guest children and elders to their new quarters outside the castle, am I not correct?"

  Krynos was referring to the dozens of Haida lycans that had been brought over from the world of Post-apocalyptic Saxman, Alaska. It wasn't even their true timeline, as they had been transported by Marnn during one of his better days, in order to protect them from the Vrol amoebic infestation that occurred in their own timeline. Their help was welcomed, but their encampment was taking up space in the open courtyards of the castle and Krynos was eager to move them to their new apartments, where Draagh and his sons had created housing for hundreds.

  "My King, I heard my papi talking about that with Grandfather Draagh this very morning," said Liliana, answering for her mother, which prompted Jennie to start to pull the young girl's hair back and reset her long, black ponytail. The resemblance between the two, aside from the obvious difference in complexion, was striking to say the least. Liliana was going to grow up to be a gorgeous woman, but at the moment was a little girl who needed parental guidance, especially as she had a deadly arsenal of magical skills at her command.

  "Ah, excellent. I shall then discuss this further with your good father, young Liliana. Please remember, the Youth Brigade's first meeting is this evening after dinner, at Ohiro's quartermaster station."

  Krynos then gave the two a look of utmost affection, kissed each on the forehead and walked off without another word.

  "Mami, I do believe I shall be quite content here, now that I am going to lead the Youth Brigade."

  Jennie put her arm around her adopted ball of wonder and snuggled with her, hoping in the back of her mind that she would indeed return from her fight with the Vrol.

  ###

  "King Krynos, with the utmost respect I present to you new trade opportunities and an alliance that shall benefit both our worlds," said Max, as he bowed before the king.

  The leader of the Rhönen Dominion nodded his abnormally-large skull and agreed with the lycan/mage hybrid.

  "Very well, Max. I trust you and your family implicitly, so I shall welcome this agreement. But before we sign any treaty, may I ask that you use
your formidable skills to transport me to the land of those who wish an alliance, so that I may get some face time, as you would say."

  Max looked up at Krynos and grind. "Sir, you desire to slip out of here, don't you?"

  "Yes. I tire of the daily activities," he said, maintaining a great deal of exasperation in his voice.

  "Do you remember when I made the sushi meal?"

  "It is that which I desire, Max. Shall it be of a superior quality? And with the green stinging paste?"

  "Oh yeah. Oh man, yes."

  Max had, on a whim, gone on a culinary rampage some weeks before, and had introduced several different types of international cuisine to the leadership of the Rhönen. During this time, Krynos developed a particular fondness for Japanese food. Max found that the king had quite a taste for soy and wasabi - both key ingredients, aside from seafood, in the historically healthy Japanese diet. Max's kitchen expedition was more of an attempt to keep Krynos from insisting on creating a Doubling Hand Held Instant service booth in the commissary, this being Krynos' name for his desired duplication of the In-n-Out Double-Double cheeseburgers he had sampled some weeks earlier. The king was no slouch when it came to food. He saw the hamburgers as the ultimate lycan power food - an excellent combination of protein, carbs and grains. He even went as far as demanding they make the sandwiches with the red fruit - his name for tomatoes.

  Max would have none of this, knowing that, although delicious, the burgers were not adequate nutrition, and he didn't desire to see an obese Rhönen Dominion.

  Taking this into account, he was pleasantly surprised that Krynos took an immediate liking to Japanese food. But what surprised him even more was his wife's response. When they were initially thrown together, and during their tenuous first conversations, she had admitted that she didn't care for seafood at all. Max was intent on changing that, and he did. Jennie had become the number one sushi fan in the entire realm.