by SK Benton
"Max! You mean you can make my wristband even better?" asked Pandy excitedly.
"Yeah, I can. And I'll make one for Dons that's fitting for him."
"Like what kind of device, mate? I only has me sword."
"Then that's what I'll enhance, if you like. And as an added bonus, no one else will be able to utilize your devices. I'll attach ‘em to your DNA."
Adam got a slightly confused look on his face, seemed to think for a moment and then asked, "Um, while I'm asking questions - what's DNA?"
"Deoxyribonucleic acid - it's the molecule that basically contains your genetic encoding, and is one of the three macromolecules essential for all known forms of life."
"That's science, not magic. I thought you were a mage."
"I started out as a scientist, but in reality magic is science - just not science that most people know or understand."
Max saw that Dons was starting to look concerned, his eyes shifting back and forth between he and Adam, so he performed a silent cantus, causing the former clan mage to want to go to the bathroom.
"Um, excuse me. I should go wash my hands," Adam said as he quickly got up and ran to the head.
"Max, I gots me a feeling you had something to do with that, mate," his comment making Max snicker a bit.
"Yeah, I needed to get him out of earshot for a minute. Look, no one will be able to use your devices, but all three of you will be able to deactivate or nullify Adam's. He also won't be able to use his wand against any of you. But as promised, I'll enhance all of your devices so you can care for each other. Sound good?"
"That sounds great, Max. Girls, that all sound good to you too?"
Both the girls nodded their heads as they saw Adam return from the restroom.
"Now, on another note, the reason I'm doing this is because I'll be leaving soon. I have to find a real mage who has access to certain… stuff."
"What kinds of stuff are you talking about? I thought you were a real mage-" said Jessica.
"I am, but I am missing something - namely access to Socrates. He's like a sentient computer who helps mages to navigate. I can't contact him from this world."
"So there's really not anymore you can do here?" asked Pandy.
"Afraid so, little one. I have to find a way back to my family. It's already been far too many days."
Max rapped the table rhythmically with his knuckles as he envisioned Jennie in his mind. He missed her terribly… for her strength, her love and her bravery. She was an amazing woman, way out of his league, and even as he tried to discover a way to get back home he knew in his heart that she was trying to find him. He had tried to figure out how he got where he was time after time, and still couldn't piece it together - he used Draagh's staff to 4D slip to the Machu Picchu in his own timeline, but instead of going there he ended up where he was - a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, CA of 2819. Right year - wrong reality. Really wrong reality. Magic wasn't supposed to work where he was, but it did - mostly. Everything else was also backwards or wrong, like how vampires (that shouldn't exist) were friendly fellows that preferred tomato juice in their beer, and many lycans (who also shouldn't exist) were total assholes - not the natural protectors of mankind. His stomach always gently had a northerly pull - a notion to go upstream. One night he had a dream of a town with tall, ornate wooden poles near the water's edge, and there were massive green trees everywhere. It was odd that he had remembered his dream, so it had that much more of an effect on him. It was time to move on - soon.
"So mate, you say you wanna head out. Whereabouts you thinking of goin'?"
"Well, I have a feeling north would be good. Plus, I could stop by that multi-species clan that Lykanrol tried to slaughter and see how they are doing - maybe give them a bit of help."
"That sounds nice, Max. I hope those people are all right. Heck, I'd go with you if I could leave the city perimeter, but you know the demons… erm, the Vrol, they put something in us," stated Jessica with the utmost sincerity.
"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Max. "I can get those trackers out of you - all of you. No sense in giving the Vrol an unfair advantage, right? Hell, when I'm done you'll be able to walk right up behind them and shoot ‘em in the head without them even knowing you're there."
"Teeth! Lots of teeth!" cheered Pandy, as she bounced up and did a little dance.
"Hey mate, that sounds right good, but you don't have ta go curing everyone now, do ya?" asked Dons, fully expecting Max answer to be in the negative, which it was.
"Dons, you know I can't do that. I mean, you're my friend, but I gotta get the trackers out of everyone ‘cause the Vrol are the enemy of mankind."
"Yeah, I figured as much. You're a good bloke, you are."
Around lunchtime Max went out into the street to talk with the locals. He invited everyone he talked to in to Seven Sins that evening, where he would help them avoid the demons for good, and even make it so they could go back to their homes if they knew where they were from. He asked them to spread the news to their families and friends and to get as many people into the protective area of the club as possible.
"Hey Max! How goes it, friend?"
Lennie was his usual chipper self. Max looked at him and really wished he could change Lennie to a normal, or even a lycan. Anything would be better than a short-lived vampire. Apparently, they had naturally occurring aphrodisiacal compounds in their bloodstream that they could call on command. There may have been other side benefits to being a vampire, but Max wasn't aware of them. He just felt badly that his friend probably wouldn't live for more than a few more years.
"Heya, Lennie. You got the news about tonight?"
"Yeah, sure did. Looking forward to it and all. But you know, between you and me, what's going on? I mean, it's common knowledge you turned into a giant wolf and ran off the other day, but beyond that I only know you came back safe and sound."
Max sat down on a busted concrete slab and told Lennie his whole story - from his childhood up until that very moment.
After about an hour Lennie was sitting in the same spot, shaking his head.
"You know, I thought you were different. But man-oh-man! I never imagined you were that different. This is really cool, mate! I really hope you get back with your family and save your world. I mean, if I didn't have to take care of my girl I'd go with you and help out. Sounds like you have something worth fighting for."
"Lennie, that's a great offer and I'd take you with me, but didn't you get the part where, in my universe, vampires are sociopathic parasites? I don't want that for you, my friend. You are way better off here, raising a family."
"Well, let's go have a beer. On me, mate. Tonight we'll put on a great show after you talk to everyone. Dons told me drinks would be half price too."
Max nodded his head and walked inside Seven Sins with his ripe smelling friend to have a pint. Or two.
###
Up north, at the Lykanrol campsite, Miles sat by the fire pit as he waited for his afternoon appointment. Sheeva was by his side, lightly rubbing her tummy. Indie hadn't left his tent since the interloper Max had performed some perverse demonic spell on him, eliminating his reproductive organs. None of them really understood how they could have been so blind and allowed the foreigner into their midst. Sheeva was confused, Indie blamed Miles and Miles simply blamed Max, who had killed both Sally and Jason.
Before any of them had finished their lunch they heard a rustling in the brush outside the camp area. The scent was different - it wasn't lycan, so it most definitely wasn't Max. It was their appointment. They sat still, waiting for him/it to show its face, and when it did they all sat in a state of shock. And horror.
"Who is Miles? I'm Kylen. We have an appointment."
The remaining members of Lykanrol sat, jaws agape and in shock, as a nearly naked, bald-headed Caucasian-looking humanoid creature with six chitinous, insectoid legs skittered over towards them, moving like a crab. Because he had a normal torso and two arms, he would have looked human if he
had two normal legs - except for one other major difference - he had a massive mouth in his abdomen. It perversely undulated and snapped razor sharp fangs, as Miles and Sheeva looked on in horror.
"Miles, what did you do? What is this thing?" whispered Sheeva.
"He's gonna find and kill Max, baby. We can't have that punk coming back and taking over Lykanrol now, can we?"
"So, you called me to kill someone. Where is this person, and what did they do?" asked Kylen.
"He's a lycan, named Max Gunnarsson, and we believe he's in Hollywood. He killed half of my clan while we slept, including the children. The dude's totally evil, and he even drank the blood of all the children - before he ate their faces."
"Hmmm, sounds like a nasty sort. Well, it will take me a couple of days to get to Hollywood, as I work my way south, completing jobs for clients. There will be an extra charge for transportation, got it? I don't like traveling down to Los Angeles."
"Yeah, I got it," growled Miles, "do you guarantee termination of the target?"
"Absolutely. But I am paid up front, as I don't expect to come back here."
"So, erm, what's the charge then," asked Miles.
"2,000 teeth, plus fifty more to cover travel costs."
"What? 2,050 teeth? That's insane!"
"There's also a surcharge of 500 teeth if you go back on the deal. I don't even talk for free."
Miles grumbled and nodded his head in agreement. They all sat by the fire pit as Lykanrol's leader spun a tall tale about the horrible Max Gunnarsson, including the best description they could provide of him, making sure at least that part was accurate.
###
As the sun started to set to the west a large crowd gathered outside Seven Sins, with more than the usual number of people going in and buying drinks. Dons walked about, talking with various friends, as Adam appeared to be doing friendly little levitations for small children and keeping them entertained. Even Minnie's neko clan showed up, but Cassandra had specific orders to stay away from them - especially Minnie, who was instructed to not leave her scent anywhere.
By the time the waning moon was lighting the sky, Max came out of the club. Standing at the top of the steps to the main entrance he called for everyone's attention. After more than a few minutes it quieted down, mostly after Marko barked out at everyone. It seemed that the previously injured lycan had learned a small lesson of respect, and was seeking to help with the order of things. Max cleared his throat, took a swig of his beer and then called out to everyone in earshot. He was heard very clearly, as he had recited a cantus that magnified the volume of his voice.
"Thanks for coming tonight. I… um, I just wanted to explain a couple of things to you, the problems we have with the Vrol - the demons, and how we're going to sorta solve them."
The crowd started fidgeting and rustling around, with hushed whispers shared between some. No one had ever heard of being able to be anything more than an unwilling victim of the alien invaders, but Max was standing there telling them otherwise.
"What you all need to understand is that the demons aren't really demons at all. They're an alien species from a distant world. They came here to steal from our planet, and when they couldn't beat us they stayed, and then used us for hunting and food. Now, I suspect they've done a bit of experimentation too, because nearly everyone here has a tracker implanted in their bodies - it's a tech device that allows these invaders to find any of you once you have left this area and are out in the open. It also keeps you from leaving a specific region. But, as many of you already heard, I have… abilities. One of them is to deactivate these devices, so you can roam more freely, and even sneak up on the Vrol. I only ask that if I do this for you, then please kill them. Decimate them. Destroy them and drive them out. I've seen no traces of their command carriers - only flyers and ground troops. They may be the only ones left."
Max seemed to be finished, and turning, he hesitated momentarily. Then, he faced the crowd again and said, "Oh, and I need you all to buy lots of drinks here."
The crowd roared in laughter, applause and approval, but Max had to wave his hands out madly in order to get their attention again.
"We'll start tomorrow. I don't know how long it will take, but I want to help everyone in the local vicinity. Form a line off to the side here and Dons' girls will put you on the list."
Max pointed to a small table where Pandy and Jessica were seated; with Jessica having a pencil and paper, and Pandy ready to use her ample talking skills to sign people up for Max's magic surgery. He ducked inside the club just as Lennie and his band started playing some of their typical thrash metal music. Grabbing a beer and a shot of Scotch, he went over and sat with Dons, slamming his shot and sipping his brew.
"So, mate. Think ya can do all those things ya said?" asked the height-challenged clan leader.
"Oh yeah, quite certain. I will need to have a lot of food to keep my reserves up though. Magic doesn't drain my strength, per se, but it taxes my stamina badly. I just don't know how long it will take to clear everybody up. I'm starting with you guys first, of course. That'll give me a general indicator of how much time I'll need per person."
"So, I'll be your test subject?" asked Dons
"Um… yeah, pretty much."
"Cool, mate!"
###
Some 20 clicks to the northeast, a perverse, six-legged humanoid creature scrambled over broken chunks of a freeway overpass. Having just left the Santa Clarita Valley area, he looked southwesterly towards the San Fernando Valley, which he would have to navigate before arriving at his destination. As he walked by a tree he saw a squirrel out of the corner of his eye. Without even hesitating, his tongue shot out at least four meters, snagging the unfortunate rodent. What was truly disturbing wasn't the fact that Kylen had a four meter-long tongue, but that it was fully prehensile and guided the squirrel into his abdominal eating portal, which consumed the squealing creature by rapidly and voraciously chomping on it, his razor-sharp teeth shredding the creature to bits.
Chapter 15 - Loser
"He has to be around here somewhere," said Gabriel, as he scanned the area. "He has no skills that would allow him further travel, and besides that, there are region locks on this world."
The only person who noticed the team appear out of nothingness was a lone camper preparing coffee over a campfire. He gave the group a clueless stare as they started fanning out a bit.
The lycans sniffed the air (and noted that they had full command of their enhanced senses) while Draagh and Gabriel brought up infoscreens, commanding them to do DNA scans of the local area. Draagh looked at his son and wiggled his eyebrows, apparently pleased that they were on a quest together. Then, without notification, his infoscreen blasted up into the air, almost as if it had been attached to a rocket. Waving his hand in a circular fashion to his front, Draagh conjured an oval interface, much like an elongated, semi-transparent disk. Watching the readout, he checked diligently for any indication of Michael's DNA.
Liliana skipped around the group, while Jennie sniffed the air, detecting compounds similar to the herb that her grandfather-in-law frequently smoked. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she drew in the scent.
"Jennie, I smell that. It is similar to Grandfather's herb. Is this land full of Prīmulī?"
"No, sweetie. It's a land that's like Earth of the distant past, where people smoked stuff that made them stupid."
"But why would anyone make themselves stupid on purpose?"
"Not stupid, my young child," boomed Draagh, "but more perceptive to their environ!"
"Shut it, Draagh!" commanded a near-screaming Jennie, causing Bagatelle to almost leap back, the force of her demand having been so intense. "Weed is not for Lili, understand?"
There could be no doubt that Jennie's motherly instincts had come into full bloom, but her outburst woke up nearly everyone in the campsite. People started appearing, coming out of vans and tents, and causing the team to become very self-conscious of the fact that they h
ad set up a base of operations without permission; not that they needed it.
A woman, roughly twenty-five years of age and wearing loose-fitting cotton robes, walked up to Gabriel while wearing a curious expression, her head cocked to the side. She appeared almost to have sniffed the archangel, surging her face forward slightly and examining the fabric of his fatigues.
"Greetings, brothers and sisters. Where are you all from?" the woman lazily asked, speaking almost as if she were medicated.
Gabriel tried to suppress a look of disgust; the woman smelled terribly, due to an almost complete lack of hygienic habits or care. At the same time, Liliana wrinkled her nose and whispered to Jennie, "Does she not have a mother who tells her when to bathe? She nearly matches a vampire with her rank fetor."
"Shhh, quiet sweetie. We need to talk to the people now. Just… can you make a no-smell cantus? Do you know how to do that?" Jennie looked at her daughter pleadingly, but the girl shook her head, and then dramatically pinched her nostrils together with her fingers.
Draagh deftly hid the circular display he was using to watch his flying infoscreen and walked to the center of the group.
"Greetings, young lady, and an amazingly odiferous good morning to you and your equally mephitic clan! I am Draagh, and I am accompanied by Bagatelle, Jennie, Liliana, Krynos and Gabriel. We are travelers from a distant land, looking for one of our lost brothers."
"Hello, I'm Amy. Welcome to Woodstock. I would offer you breakfast, but I'm afraid we're short on supplies right now," said the young woman as she adjusted her colorful, paisley headband on her light brown hair.
