THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  Max thought it was great she enjoyed seafood (something she had never previously cared for), but what he really liked was the fact that it excited her, and that always led to a fun evening - once they had put their daughter to sleep, of course.

  As the day was already half-past, Max and Krynos agreed to set out for Tokyo the following morning, at 4 a.m. The reason for this was the disparity in time zones. Tokyo was eight hours ahead of the Rhönen, so a slip out at the predefined hour would put them in Isamu's compound at noon - just in time for lunch.

  ###

  "Abuelito, have you been working on our idea for identifying the enemy via their genetic markers?" queried young Liliana, as she sat by her grandfather's side.

  Michael carefully took the eye patch he had developed, at his granddaughter's insistence, and set it on the top of his desk. It was what he had earlier allowed the girl's mother to use - a magic-enhanced head's up display, more detailed than a lycan's levels meter, which would identify not only the genetic subspecies of the subject, but also detail heart rate, blood pressure and a true/false identifier to be used during questioning.

  "Please understand, Liliana, that this is a prototype. Once I have decided on final functionality I shall encapsulate the entire object within something the size of a contact lens."

  "Abuelito, what is a contact lens?" asked the little girl; honestly not knowing what one was, as they didn't exist in the 43rd, nor the 29th centuries.

  "Oh, yes, it is no small wonder you are unaware of them. They were tiny glass-like coverings that people would put onto their eyeballs to correct imperfect vision. They were invented in the 19th century, but were rendered obsolete by the 22nd century, thanks to prenatal gen-mods."

  Liliana was familiar with the terminology her grandfather used, especially as her father schooled her on the subject of science and all things related.

  "May I test the device, Abuelito?"

  "Of course, my dear. Would you like to take a quick trip to Azul so we can give it a test run while protected by an invisibility cantus?"

  Liliana clapped her hands and beamed. She had become quite attached to her handsome and powerful grandfather since they had first met - even though she brutalized him during their first encounter. He had been stranded and powerless on a vegan planet, and wasn't willing to assist in locating her father who was lost in an alternate timeline. She quickly changed his mind with some youthful determination; as well as some powerful grav-push and electrical shock compound cantuses.

  "Yes please, Abuelito!"

  "Ok, do you have any classes this afternoon?"

  "No, I am finished for the day, Abuelito. Shall we go?"

  Liliana didn't even have to wait for Michael's response. She was suddenly standing near the fountain in the gigantic Plaza de Armas of New Sydney. Looking around, she grew a huge smile as she took her grandfather's hand.

  "So we shall use your new device to identify differing subspecies right from here?"

  "Hmm, that's pretty much the idea. Think of it as an alpha test."

  "What is an alpha test, Abuelito?"

  "It's like the first time you test a concept. Then later you have beta testing."

  "Oh! I understand! Those are ancient Greek letters!"

  Michael looked at the small child, impressed with her knowledge.

  "Yes, sweetie. That's right. Where did you learn that?"

  "Oh, Papi was in a fight with the bad vampire back before we met you. The vampire said I am the alpha and the omega!" she said, putting comical voicing on Vladros' claim. "And then Papi said No, that title belongs to someone else!"

  "Correct, my dear. That title belongs to the creator whom we know as Jah. Then what happened?"

  "Papi threw the bad vampire into the moat with the sharks and they ate his guts."

  "Oh… yes, I believe I heard that story on more than one occasion. Anyway, take this. Put it on and tell me what you see. I can corroborate your readout with my own abilities as a Primulus."

  The little girl took the eye patch from her grandfather, and was about to put it onto her face when she looked at him and asked, "Abuelito, I thought you were an archangel, yet you say you are a Primulus like grandfather Draagh. Why is this?"

  "Liliana, my race is Primulus, but my profession is archangel. I am their leader. One day, when I desire, I can walk around like an old man with a cane just like Draagh. Would that be agreeable to you?"

  "Oh no! You are much too handsome to be an old fuddy-duddy like Grandfather Draagh. I mean… he is wonderful, but Mami does not like that he smokes the herb. Speaking of that - you do not smoke that, do you?"

  Michael gave the young girl a look of sincerity and affection, reaching out and helping her to put his latest invention onto her small face, adjusting the eye patch while making a silly, pirate-like expression.

  "No, my dear. It is true that I used to, but I found a higher purpose in life, and it is for that I no longer imbibe."

  Liliana looked at him curiously, pausing for a moment.

  "And what is this higher purpose of which you speak, Abuelito?"

  "You, my precious child. You."

  The two sat on the edge of the fountain's water feature, while Liliana looked through the eye patch and identified every person that walked by. The alpha test was merely to ascertain that the subspecies identification algorithm was functioning in proper fashion, which Michael determined it was. As an added benefit, it was also a wake-up call for young Liliana, who was used to being around 100% lycans all the time. The young girl was amazed that nearly 99 out of every 100 Azul citizens that passed by were normals. But the rare, occasional enhanced subspecies they encountered caused her to become quite excited. After one hour they had identified five lycans, two vampires and one mage. The lycans were all military or law enforcement, the two vampires were government executives, and the single mage ran a popular coffee stand on the far side of the mall.

  "Abuelito, may I ask a question?"

  "Certainly, my dear. What is it?"

  "Are you going to marry Abuelita?"

  Michael was momentarily thunderstruck. He hadn't expected that sort of a question from the child. Stammering, he tried to work his way out of answering her.

  "Um, really Liliana, that is something left between adults and--"

  "I saw her ring. And you made it," she interrupted, as she crossed her arms.

  "It is… complicated. It is, or it was… forbidden to join in an eternal bond with a non-Primulus. But things have changed and I--"

  "Oh, you bet they have changed! Is it not true that Jah is on vacation?" asked the young child.

  "Um, well, yes I believe he is. Why?"

  "Then you can make new rules! Life is adventure, Abuelito. It is taking risks, and loving and learning! I am only eleven years old, but I can at least tell you that much."

  Michael looked at the child, stunned at her wisdom. It was true that he did indeed love Clarisa Martinez, but that also a sense of duty forced him to pair her with a human who would provide her and Max with an excellent standard of living. However, things change, some more quickly than others, and at times it only required the pure-souled wisdom of a small child to help one see the truth.

  "Yes, Lili. I do love her. Would you like for me to marry her?"

  "Abuelito," lectured the girl, "the question should be would she want to marry you?"

  Michael thought for a moment and then gave the girl a grin.

  "I should probably propose to her and then see, right?"

  "Right! Now can we test the lie detector part of this device?"

  "And how should we do that, Liliana?"

  "Why do we not go to one of those awful vampires, start asking them questions and see if they lie?"

  "What types of questions would these be, my dear?"

  "Oh, like if they have embezzled any money from government accounts, or if they have plotted dark retribution against their neighbors for any reason."

  Michael started laughing out loud, and without
thinking, relaxed a bit and stuck his foot out, causing a passing man to trip and fall on his face. Quickly gathering himself, the man got up to his feet and looked around, at the same time attempting to reset his bloody, broken nose.

  "Abuelito, the poor man is injured… wait. No, it is fine. He is of the vampire genome. Shall we go now?"

  I love this kid. Who could not?

  Chapter 8 - Sushi

  Max and Jennie sat at their usual table in the main dining hall, sipping yerba mate from their own custom-made gourds while they waited for Krynos to arrive. Kitchen staff had yet to start making the morning meal, being so early, so Max had provided their favorite hot beverage just to keep them going until they were able to eat a satisfying lunch. He hadn't mentioned Jennie going along, but saw no harm in it, especially as she and the king were probably the biggest fans of Japanese cuisine in the kingdom. In fact, the two usually attempted to outdo each other with the amount of wasabi they put on their sushi roles.

  "Good morning, my children!" boomed the king, as he excitedly entered the hall.

  The Gunnarssons stood and bowed, even though they really didn't have to. Max and Jennie were all but adopted as the king's children (of which he actually had none), but they still accorded him the respect he deserved.

  "Would you like something to eat before we go, my liege?" asked Max, as his wife nodded her head in agreement.

  "Oh no! I relish the gnawing in my belly in anticipation of the most amazing food of the sea. And, of course, the green stinging paste."

  "Wasabi," corrected Jennie.

  "That is what I said, my dear girl."

  Max looked at his wife with a knowing gaze. Krynos would never admit to being in error, so they let it slide. Then, standing up, he moved towards the king, with Jennie stepping up alongside him. Pointing his unsheathed sword towards the ground, he caused the environment to seamlessly change.

  ###

  "Where are we right now, my boy?" Krynos inquired as he looked around at the decently maintained town and sniffed the air.

  "This is called Harajuku, my Lord. It is part of Greater Tokyo. Our destination is up ahead, but first, would you like to sample the most amazing noodle soup?"

  Of course Max was talking about Koji's little noodle shop. He had wanted to visit it since he had first gone to Japan, not only for the amazing flavor of the udon noodle soup, but also because Koji had neglected to charge him for the meal.

  "My boy, that sounds most excellent. I shall put my growling stomach into your most capable hands."

  Jennie gave Max a sideways glance, finding Krynos' statement to be a bit odd, but well-intentioned in any case. Max just grinned and led the other two to an incredibly small noodle counter. Looking at the establishment, and then at Krynos, Max came up with an idea.

  "Excuse me for just a moment, ok?"

  The two nodded at Max as he walked inside Koji's small restaurant.

  "Max-San! So good to see you! How are you now?"

  "Hi, Koji! Hey, I'm great. We want some of your soup, but look – my friend Krynos won't fit inside here. Would you let me created a patio are for you?"

  Koji gave Max a confused expression, not understanding what the lycan/mage had just said.

  "[Would you allow me to make an outside seating area for you?]"

  Max used an ancient Primulus tool that enabled him to translate on the fly into any known language. It was his first time doing so, and finally understood how his grandfather could speak to anyone, anywhere.

  "Oh hai! Yes! Thank you, Max-San!"

  Max then looked out and blinked. There were four small tables, each with four chairs, where some chewed-up pavement previously existed. Koji's jaw almost hit the ground when he saw what Max had created.

  "[A gift for you, my friend. You do realize you forgot to charge me for the soup last time I was here]."

  "[Max-San, I did not forget to charge you. Your honored presence was more valuable than any payment I could accept.]"

  Max, his alluring wife Jennie, and Krynos, King of the Rhönen Dominion, all sat at a small table, nosily slurping up the most delicious soup they had ever sampled in their lives. The thick, robust noodles, accompanied by the sweet, yet spicy broth all together created the perfect appetizer for the team.

  "Ah, I have put more of the wasaki sting in my soup, young Jennie. How do you respond?"

  It was becoming more and more obvious that Krynos not only mangled poor Luigi Bagatelle's surname, but also many other words. Still, Jennie answered the challenge by taking a large spoonful of the potent green horseradish and dumping it into her bowl. Krynos' eyes lit up as he watched the woman - not out of lust, but to see if she would match the quantity he had put into his own soup.

  Jennie's complexion was dark - very dark, and near copper in color. It was rich, lustrous and beautiful, but her gorgeous color turned scarlet, having eaten so much wasabi. Max noted her distress and immediately conjured a glass of water for her, but not before Krynos blurted out in victory, "Tag! You're it!"

  "Baby, give it up. He's over a thousand years old, and probably chugged gasoline for all we know. It's okay. We have more to eat at Isamu's place." advised Max using a private comm channel.

  Hi wife just looked at him and meekly smiled. Then, turning to Krynos, she gave him a high-five as she tried to keep from choking any more.

  After finishing their soups they all stood up and courteously bowed to Koji before departing and walking up the street to Isamu's compound. Max had caused the money in Koji's cigar box to double in quantity without notifying the man, and hoped it wouldn't be noticed. The Japanese were very particular about honorariums and tips, and some actually felt insulted if a patron tried to leave anything extra on the table. In any case, the trio was at the gate to Isamu's compound within minutes of their departure. The guards, of course, recognized Max, but neither his wife nor King Krynos were known to any of them.

  Men stared in disbelief. Krynos was huge, and Jennie was… well, Jennie was just stunning, especially wearing her low-cut, midriff-less leather top. It showed just enough cleavage to distract anyone within visual range, and Max had encouraged her to wear it, thinking it would keep their negotiating partners off-balance.

  It worked.

  In fact, it worked so well that Isamu put on sunglasses, complaining about having light-sensitive eyes. This of course was an excuse to hide his travelling gaze; so magnetic were Jennie's curves. Numerous subordinates made borderline-lame excuses to enter into Isamu's office just to get a glimpse of the dazzling Mrs. Gunnarsson.

  And Max thought it was cool as hell.

  As the four sat at a traditional Japanese floor table, eating a variety of seafoods from a large, wooden platter, Isamu watched Krynos with immense amusement. The lycan king was devouring fish on a never-before-seen level. But even more impressive was that Krynos would drop massive lumps of wasabi directly on top of his food, not even bothering to dilute it in soy sauce.

  "It appears that my Lord does enjoy the cuisine of my land. For how long have you known of our foodstuffs?"

  Krynos made a polite attempt at clearing his palate before responding.

  "Why, just recently. Young Max here introduced us to the sushi a few weeks back, in an attempt at keeping me from implementing the Doubling Hand Held Instant Service Food Bar," said Krynos, as he gave the shocked lycan/mage a knowing wink.

  "I have no knowledge of any sort of doubling, but I ordered some tempura shrimp. It shall arrive shortly," responded the samurai clan leader, as he desperately struggled to keep from looking at Jennie. This only exacerbated the situation, causing Jennie to push the envelope just a tad more. She was married to Max, but saw no problem in getting men riled up. Making a cute yawn, she stretched her arms up above her head, exposing ample amounts of bottom cleavage.

  Isamu dropped his chopsticks, while a passing clan subordinate tripped, going over onto his face and spilling a cast iron teakettle onto the floor. However, Max saw this as a bit too much of a distraction and
needed to put things right over a private comm channel, so they would at least be able to finalize their trade and troops deal.

  "Love, I think we've done well. A bit of modesty is called for now."

  "Oooh baby, are you jealous? Please tell me you're jealous."

  "No, I mean… yes. Yes! Damn, just stop flashing the guy. Those are mine!"

  "They are! Oh. My. God. This food gets me going. Don't plan on sleeping much tonight, baby."

  Max smiled and felt a rush of exhilaration tear through his body. He needed to get the proceedings underway before he felt compelled to drag his wife to an empty broom closet.

  "Ah, the tempura has arrived. King Krynos, please try some. They have been deep fried with a light coating of wheat flour. I am sure you will find them to be… oh… my."

  The food was so delicious that Krynos had already stuffed three large servings into his mouth before Isamu finished his sentence

  "Isamu, this is absolutely amazing. I would like to add one more item to our negotiations," said Krynos.

  "Of course, and what would that be?"

  "I believe it in the best interests of both our kingdoms that we have frequent chef exchanges."

  This came as a welcome surprise to Isamu, as he had a great love for beef and elk, both being difficult to obtain on his small island nation.

  "I believe we could provide the raw ingredients for these chefs also, am I not correct?" asked Krynos, as he looked at Max.

  "Yes, Sire. I can easily slip an entire kitchen over, as well as take one to the Rhönen."

  Isamu's eyes grew large as he licked his lips.

  Jennie was practically purring by the time they had finished with the intricacies of their agreement. And as public displays of affection were not common in Japan, it was all Max could do to keep her hands out of his pockets. To make things more difficult, he needed to get her home before his cantus to contain her scent failed.