by SK Benton
Draagh's eyes lit up a bit and he nodded his head, not wishing to confuse his friend any further. It was obvious that the concept of gravity was rudimentarily understood. He then arose from his chair and walked around the room, thinking for a moment before addressing Krynos' rejection of peace.
"My Lord, as you are well aware, the Earth of the past depended on technology, of which, for the most part, is unavailable here, except for certain special locations which have been effectively guarded from the overreaching effects of this world's magic, your sub-chambers being one of those locations. Their world is soon to be besieged by an alien race - the same vile creatures that decimated this planet so many centuries ago. These two youths are to play a big role in their planet's defense, which will call for not only the skills and strength of lycans, but also magic and their planet's existing technology. There are others on that world, those of the vampire recessive genes, but they are mostly cowards and petty thieves and thus cannot be trusted in the defense of an entire planet."
Draagh then looked into Kryno's eyes and asked, "How go the efforts to fortify the northern borders against Vladros and his cohorts?"
Krynos stood up from behind his desk and said, "At present they offer no difficulties. Come, old friend. Let us enter my sub-chambers and look upon the equipment you so kindly provided many years past."
The two exited Kryno's offices via a hidden side entrance and navigated down a narrow, winding stair path, encountering a door made of iron and mahogany. Krynos opened the door and entered into a small, circular alcove, with Draagh following him inside. From there, Krynos pressed a rather modern-looking button on the wall, making sure that his thumbprint was well-read by the device, causing the alcove to rotate 180 degrees, where another, more modern door opened on its own, revealing a computer room.
"Ah, I see that everything is functioning normally, as it should," said Draagh. "It was quite a fun task, creating a sub-dimensional pocket in which to facilitate this equipment. So, that being said, may I survey the vampire population database?"
Krynos bowed slightly, opening his left arm as an invitation for Draagh to approach the computer consoles. "I do love these archaic devices," stated Draagh. "I still have a fondness for what was known as the Internet, even though its free and unfettered use instigated the downfall of liberty in Earth's past."
Krynos had heard this before, in great detail, when Draagh had set up this room and instructed him on the usage of the various computing devices, but he still enjoyed hearing things of worlds, especially ancient Earth.
"Yes, old friend, please recount what happened there," Krynos inquired.
"Ahem, yes, indeed," Draagh cleared his throat, as he then started, "Mankind had advanced technologically and had created a wonderful network of communications. The entire planet was abuzz with instantaneous information on anything and everything that happened, on a minute-by-minute basis even. People on opposite sides of the world could watch each other as they spoke of their daily activities. Wondrous musical compositions played on-demand, and there was an incredible amount of cute puppy vids available."
"Ah, but were there also cats in these vids of which you speak?" interjected Krynos.
"Why yes, there were - in substantial numbers, and quite adorable," responded the mage.
"I do not much care for cats, but we allow them in the castle to cull the rodents," added the lycan king, while bearing a look of distaste.
Already knowing that particular fact, Draagh continued. "Going on, unfortunately for the people, those in power, the ones called politicians, did not take so kindly to having their lives, crimes and corruptions posted onto personal and informational news sites. So, while working in cooperation with each other, they used that same media to manipulate the perceptions of the populace, attaining more and more control over the people. This was also done by providing them with things, such as food, shelter, personal communications devices, transportation and other assorted conveniences - things they, for the most part, should have acquired on their own."
"But I provide these things for my people! Food! Shelter! Clothing, and strong quadrinium for which to slay our enemies! How could that have been a bad thing?" exclaimed Krynos.
Draagh continued, slightly amused he was telling this same story to Krynos for the seventh time, but still enjoying it. "My liege, the main difference between your lycans and those of Earth past is that each of your people perform a function - some sort of duty. All are paid in gold, and gladly contribute to the common good. Further, is it not possible that a great warrior can obtain his own kingdom?"
A broad smile grew on Krynos' handsome face, and he said, "Why yes! Just three lunar cycles ago, one of my finest warriors conquered lands from the lovers of death on the northwestern borders. I even sent troops to assist in the rebuilding of a castle on his behalf."
Draagh grinned and continued, "Well, that is the difference between how you operate, and how these so-called politicians functioned. You see, as they made the people more and more dependent upon their free necessities and luxuries, the politicians gained massive control over their daily lives, and were able to easily convince the population that if they did not allow them, the politicians, to make certain changes, such as the regulation of public speech, that their free standard of living would come to a halt. Of course, no longer knowing how to stand on their own, the people willingly sacrificed their liberties to keep things the same. News outlets parroted the words of the leadership; people were required to get licenses in order to be able to spread out information, with those licenses being revoked if one said anything that was not approved by a censorship board within the governments of Earth. The result being the politicians living luxurious and splendid lives, while the people suffered and starved, toiling to keep their leaders fat and happy."
"Did these politicians not demand passage on the great ships that brought man to the new planet?" asked Krynos, full-well knowing the answer.
"Yes they did!" continued the mage. "Oh, the brash arrogance of it all. They were keen on continuing their amoral lifestyles on the new world, all at the expense of the people, but they were tossed out into the cold depths of space, in a most celebratory fashion, I might add."
Krynos shot his arms into the air, and in a booming voice said, "Ha! - And well done too! These politicians remind me of the vampires! Crooked and evil to their very cores they are!"
Draagh then added something he had never told Krynos during their past discussions. "Interesting, as many politicians carried the recessive vampire gene. Were you aware? Anyway, let us now analyze your database, old friend. It appears you have been doing a splendid job with its upkeep."
Then, the two leaders, one a nearly-immortal lycan and one nearly god-like, sat in chairs and started going over data, noting substantial numbers of population increases for both vampires and cannibals, while seeing corresponding decreases in the numbers of normals.
###
By the afternoon, both Max and Jennie had successfully navigated and conquered every physical test laid before them, leaving the other trainees in the proverbial dust. In fact, Max even beat the young lycan woman by a full half hour, which made her desire to best him in the next training rotation, which was to be weaponry. Although not scheduled until the following day, and as the two had completed their initial training so quickly, the lycan warriors in charge of their training received great pleasure out of advancing the two youngsters. This was basic training, and had nothing to do with the utilization of their lycan skills, of which neither had much knowledge.
After learning proper handling of the battle-axe, the mace, spears and clubs, they were then brought to a room where they would pick out the sword of their liking, of which there were many - all designs from ancient Earth's past. Jennie picked out the medieval broadsword, but forged with quadrinium, making it much lighter and easier to handle than those made with ancient metals. Max went a different route, and picked a Japanese katana, the blade preferred by the noble Samurai warr
ior class of an island on ancient Earth. He always had a liking for the near-extinct Japanese culture (but as Japanese corporations had refused to partake in the planning and financing for the Exodus, the number of Japanese emigrants was limited to their mathematical percentage in consortium countries), and, while on Azul, he would frequently eat cuisine called sushi.
Rushing around from one station to another, they were instructed on the proper way to swing the blade, where its sweet spot would be, and how to deal the most damage to an enemy. As both swords were quite different, Jennie had an instructor who specialized in her blade-type, while Max had an instructor named Ohiro, who appeared to be of Japanese origin. He was one of the smaller warriors, slightly larger than Max, but maintained excellent proficiency in the use of the weapon as well as other battle arts. Jennie felt that her double-edged broadsword would enable her to defeat Max in a preliminary competition of skills, to be held in three days. She looked over at Max's skinny, single edged blade and giggled under her breath - but Jennie never studied history as Max had, and he was well aware that the katana was a superior weapon, especially when one combined its use with feats of athleticism.
They trained for three more days with their swords, mastering their skills with great proficiency, while Draagh stayed out of sight, preferring to spend his time with Krynos, as the two went over the database information so carefully kept up to date by the lycan leader. No one besides Krynos and Draagh even knew of the existence of the small room in the pocket dimension, as access to that form of technology was something that barely existed in the world of Future-Past.
On the third day of training there was to be a competition between Max and Jennie, to determine if they indeed were ready to continue on and learn to access and control genetic skills particular to lycans. The training area was restocked with various obstacles and targets, which they were to navigate and destroy, ending with them fighting each other in a mock battle to the death.
The session began with Jennie, who easily conquered her course, decimating her targets through the skillful use of brute strength. Max did the same, but was much more elegant in defeating his targets, which were in the shapes of vampires, horses and cannibals. Upon completing his course, Max was not allowed any time to rest, and was immediately set against Jennie in their mock battle. They both wore full, protective quadrinium body armor, just like they would in a real battle, not just for realism, but also to protect against an errant swing of the blade by either party.
A bell rung out which denoted the start of the battle, with the entire clan in attendance. Krynos and Draagh sat up on a balcony overlooking the training area, with Krynos paying great attention to competition between these bright, young pupils. Jennie burst into a full frontal attack against Max, which caused Krynos to break out into applause.
"Now that is a lycan warrior!"
Max avoided her attack by sidestepping her and performing a tuck-roll off to his left, regaining his footing with his katana set in defensive position. Again the young woman attacked, yelling out as she swung her massive sword at him, only to see Max sidestep yet again, and then comically slap her on the buttocks with the flat of his blade. This enraged Jennie, so, spinning around she started to swing her blade in a figure-eight pattern, approaching her opponent at high speed. Once within range, she tried in vain to make contact with his armor, only to have her every swing parried by the surprisingly skillful commander. When she had finished her final swing, Max jumped up and over her, performing a front flip, and had tapped her armor in three target locations before he set his feet on the ground behind the girl.
Krynos and Draagh watched with intense interest, with Krynos leaning over to his old friend, while saying, "He is quite nimble this one, but I do not think that his fighting style would enable him to so easily defeat any of Vladros' soldiers."
Donus, the lycan commander who had initially escorted the trio into the castle just days before, was seated at Krynos' other side, and said calmly, "My lord, if you would, please look at the students' targets. While true that the female used much more power than the male, note that the majority of her attacks would not have resulted in fatalities. Rather, her enemies would have been left still able to fight. The enemy does possess substantial regenerative capabilities, but the male's attack were precise, and each one, though not as impressive looking, would be considered lethal if this were a real battle."
Krynos looked at the targets and saw that Donus was indeed correct. Turning to Draagh, Krynos saw his old friend wiggle his eyebrows and say, "Precision. It is a family trait." With that, a grinning Draagh loaded his beloved pipe and puffed away, as the other two men waved their hands around, attempting to dissipate the pungent, second-hand smoke.
Max and Jennie continued battling, with Jennie scoring two more points with blatantly powerful attacks on non-lethal areas, but Max kept racking up the tally with perfect hits. Then, without warning, Jennie managed to land a thundering blow, crossing into Max's chest plate.
This unfortunately caused Max to panic. His eyes grew wide and his heart rate soared. He rolled backwards three times, but when he had finished his final roll and stood up, his canine teeth had elongated and his fingernails had grown to claws - claws that protruded out of the tips of his leather gloves. His face was partially covered with what appeared to be fur; he had obviously morphed into something different. Max snarled and leaped through the air so quickly that no one could trace his movement, tackling Jennie onto her back and landing with his knees on her arms, which were splayed open wide, as if she were nailed to a cross on the ground. With a violent scream, he lifted his sword, the blade pointed straight downward, and was about to impale the poor girl.
"Max! No! Please! - Max!" she cried.
Maybe it was that he had regained his senses, or it was because Jennie finally called him by his first name, but Max stopped where he was, breathing heavily, rage being replaced with sudden remorse. He dropped his katana and fell backwards, terrified by what he had become. Then, in an instant he surged forward and scooped her up into his arms, holding her tightly and whispering, "Oh my God, Jennie. I'm so sorry. Please, I'm so sorry."
She remained still for a moment, scared out of her wits and hyperventilating. She didn't understand how she could have underestimated him so much, but she had, and it almost resulted in her untimely death. The two calmed themselves, and with the battle over she pushed him away, abruptly standing up.
Looking down at Max, who was still on his knees, she said, "Good fight, Gunnarsson," and walked away. Her hands were still shaking as she approached the balcony where Krynos, Draagh and Donus were seated.
Jennie stood before the lycan leader and his guests, and then bowed. Falling to one knee, she said, "My Lord, I have been defeated," while keeping her gaze at the ground below, and getting into the Old-Earth-feeling of her new world.
Krynos stood up and started clapping, which prompted everyone else in the arena to do the same. Max walked up with some hesitation, and stood next to Jennie, but at a distance of three meters, still smarting from his near-fatal loss of self-control.
Krynos extended his right arm out to the arena, with his hand opened, palm facing upwards, and silencing all he boomed, "Brothers and sisters! A fine battle we have witnessed here today! I must say that young Jennie is a strong and skilled warrior, and she has done her gender proud without a doubt. That being said, Jennie, I will need you to continue your battle training, for you were not victorious today in the way of the sword. However, Max! You succeeded in defeating your colleague, but unfortunately lost control of your wits. This means that you must go to yet another phase of training - one where you will learn to access skills long-ago hidden from the people of your world. So, we have two champions! Max is victorious in sword-battle, while Jennie wins the battle of self-control, of which we lycans must always remain vigilant."
Jennie looked up, bearing a face full of confusion and said, "My Lord, wasn't this purely a test of fighting skills? I thought there would
be a winner and a loser."
Krynos looked down at the beautiful, but muddy young lycan female, and grew an immensely happy grin.
"No, my dear young lady. What good is it to fight when one has the mind of a brutish beast? There is no victory in that, neither moral nor logical. Why, if we lycans were to fight like animals we would be slaughtered by weaker, but more intelligent foes. One needs not only skill, but also reason in order to procure victory."
Jennie glanced over at Max through the corner of her eye, expecting to see him glowering at not having completely won, but instead, and to her surprise, she saw a gentle smile on a face showing true admiration.
Off to the side of the demonstration, out of her peripheral vision, Jennie noticed a small, raggedy girl with unkempt, shoulder length hair, waving a small stick around as if she were practicing magic. To the woman's surprise, it lit on fire, startling the girl, and causing her to drop it and run off. Jennie thought it was odd, and whispered to Max, "Hey, Gunnarsson, did you see that?"
"What?"
"Hmm, nothing. Never mind."
After the mock battle Jennie showed Max more respect, and although they were to train apart, they got together for their evening meal and sat up that night telling each other stories about growing up on Azul, and as they talked they found they had much more in common than they had ever imagined before. She was still reticent about calling him anything except Gunnarsson, but as the evening passed she found herself a bit more comfortable around the odd, yet kind scientific commander.
Chapter 14 - My HUD
Max had completely lost control of his humanity when fighting in the event with Jennie, and it took a good day for him to stop feeling like he was a potential ax murderer. As Jennie had to continue with her sword training, she was placed with Ohiro, the man who had trained Max. She also switched to the katana of which Max was so fond, and found it to be a superior weapon, especially when combined with athletic maneuvers. In fact, after witnessing the mock battle, nearly half the warriors in the castle sought to train with katanas, so impressive was the sword-type.
