Epilogue -- Picking Up The Pieces

Lisa went through her bag of books like a fiend. She was looking for one particular edition of a book that was supposed to be lost in time. She found the book and sliced through the thick cardboard front cover with a sharp knife. The cover split apart and a black card fell to the ground. She picked up the card and started to think about her plan to acquire the other two.

-/-

Inside the cabal's headquarter, the mood was morose. Tension lay heavy on the table. “Jester has gone AWOL,” the fat man known as Porco said as he shoveled prawn rice into his mouth.

Cocotte sipped wine and glared at Porco. “I knew something like this might happen. I have another agent in the field. We still might get our hands on not one but two black cards.”

-/-

Mongrifier sprawled under a book shelf. Basking in the glow of old pages and heady scent of his library. He was back in his domain and things were alright everywhere. He leisurely picked up a random book and started to eat it. A weird fiction book, how quaint.

Something moved in the corner of his vision.

Something small and fast. He was up and after that thing in a flash. He saw what it was. Sitting on top of a bookshelf was a cat. There was a tag on its collar that said Mr. Kibbles.

Mongrifier fucking hated cats.

-- End Of Movement One -- 

--------------------

That's it. For now. 

I am going to bring these fuckers back into some stories next soon. But for now, this is it. I hope you enjoyed it. Non existent readers. I wish you well, I really do. 

Now, are you ready to read something really fucking offensive?

You're not.

Soon...

Bundled

Mr. Kosmos woke up and a headache was spreading through his head into his body. The pain pulsed with an intensity that was beyond anything he had ever imagined. Jester sat in front of him, straddling a chair.

He had a bundle lying at his feet. It looked like skin. Repulsed, Mr. Kosmos realized it was skin. A feeling like a song rushed through his head. His black card was in there.

"Where's my mother?" He asked.

"She's here. Tied in the other room. You woke up earlier so I thought I'd have a little chat with you."

"Chat? I don't think I want to talk to you. You people came after me, all I did was retaliate."

"It's not that simple, Nikolai." Jester sighed. "You fucked with the wrong people when you kept that card on you."

"The card chose me! It stayed with me out of its own accord."

"You don't get it, man. Do you? There are powers behind your understanding out there. And keeping this card means calling their attention to you. You saw the Mongrifier , didn't you? There are worse things that come attached to this card."

"I fought that beast and I can fight others too once I have the card."

"You're not getting it. Plain and simple. I was tasked with getting the card and then driving a spike through your heart."

Mr. Kosmos just stared at Jester. He was alive, for now. And that meant he was still useful. For what purpose, he didn't know, but he wanted to keep it that way.

“Figured it out yet? You were right when you said the card chose you. I've tried and Lisa has tried but we can't make the card do what you can make it do. We need someone who can shift through timelines. There are things brewing in the background. World, or shall I say worlds are at risk. And, regrettably, we need your help.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, that's cool. I am game to help you people. Just give me the card.”

“I'll give you the card and something else with it too.”

“Bring it on, then.”

“I'm giving you my word. Fuck this up, and I will hunt you down through time and space and put a fucking spike in your chest. And I don't break my word for anyone. Are we clear on this?”

“Crystal. I don't fuck up helping you people and I get to go scot free once this is over.”

“More or less.”

“Please, elaborate on the less part.”

Jester squeezed his temples with his fingers. This was giving him a headache.

“I'll explain everything if you only promise to go with the flow on this one.”

“Sure. Can I get the card now?”

Jester took out his knife and sliced the threads that tied the bundle together. He took out the card and held it above Mr. Kosmos' waiting hand.

“Don't make me regret this, Nikolai.”

Mr. Kosmos just smiled and snatched the card. He felt the rush of power surge through him like a drug. The card whispered to him like a lover and he needed the love.

Everything was going to be just fine.

Absolutely fine.

-----

Fin. For now. Some epilogue shit tomorrow. 

Mother Arrives

The Mongrifier roared in frustration as it pushed the car away from it. The hit had caused some damage and it could feel his insides slosh around a bit but he was angry. So angry that for now the pain didn't matter. He had to get the woman who had struck him with the vehicle.

He limped after the woman who ran full speed towards Mr. Kosmos. She reached the tree before Mongrifier could reach her. She sliced the rope binding Mr. Kosmos to the tree and the card went through the rope like a hot knife through butter.

“Gimme that!” Mr. Kosmos lunged for the card but his mother held it away from his reach.

“No! I found it, it's mine.”

He looked behind his mother and saw Mongrifier speeding up towards them.

“Mon, if you don't give me this card, we both die. You don't know how to use this thing and the animal rushing towards us is not going to stop unless you let me use this card.”

“Oh, shush. I know enough how to use this card. Now sit the fuck down and let mama do her thing.”

Mr. Kosmos shrunk away in face of the rebuke. Something small twisted itself inside him and died. He didn't have to worry for long. A hand crept up from behind him, clamped up on his mouth and dragged him. He struggled, but the hand was strong and his strength was fading after being tied up for so long. He tried calling out for his mother, but she was facing the Mongrifier and her attention was diverted.

Mongrifer saw the woman standing in front of him and slowed down. He could sense an aura of danger swirling about her like dark snakes. His hunting instinct screamed at him to leave this and get out of there, but there was something called pride and he was not going to back down from this fight.

As the Mongrifier stalked towards her, she placed a card on the ground and said a word. He didn't hear the word, but he saw the card change color from black to a bright red. A bean of red light shot up from it and spread like an umbrella over them. The tendrils of light snaked around, looking for a target, and they found the target in form of Mongrifier.

Fuck, not again, he thought as the red snakes made of light headed for him, wrapping around his limbs and then spreading as far as they could go. So, hung the Mongrifier, up in the air, stretched like a patient on a surgery table.

In his state of fear and anger, the Mongrifier thought of the only place in the worlds that gave him peace.

The library.

His eyes teared up, thinking about prancing through the shelves of books, all neatly arranged and labeled. He could smell the heady aroma of slowly decaying paper and ink. For a moment, he felt as if he was back in the library, hunting down errant dreamers that dared to enter his domain. Then the ropes tugged once more at his limbs, threatening to rip them out of their sockets. He saw the witch below him, holding fast to the magic that had struck him.

Someone slowly walked up behind the woman and raised something high above their head. Through the pain, the Mongrifier smiled.

The hardbound book struck the witch right on the nape of her neck and she went down in a bundle. The red snakes vanished and Mongrifier landed on his feet.

His savior, Lisa held the heavy book in her hands. It was a copy of Gravity's Rainbow. Saved by fiction once again.

“Are you back?” She asked him, still a bit cautious. He knew he had lost control for a while, but the knock from the car had knocked him back into his senses.

He nodded at her and then placed his paw on the black card.

She nodded back. “Back to the library, then?”

He nodded again and poured his will into the black card. The library was the only thing on his mind. He was done with this place and these people.

The card mushroomed into a cloud, enveloping the Mongrifier and once the smoke disappeared, he was gone.

Lisa looked at the woman lying at her feet who was slowly groaning and trying to get up. She raised the hardcover over her head and dropped it on the woman, knocking her back into the land of sleep once again.

--

We're almost at the end folks. Almost there.

The Bait

Jester hid behind a tree and kept Lisa hidden with her. Together, they looked at the scene that slowly unfolded in front of them. The only way to get the Mongrifier back to their side, was to get Mr. Kosmos to undo whatever he had done to the animal. Of course, he was an intelligent creature, but like all intelligent creatures, he was also susceptible to suggestion.

Mr. Kosmos stood absolutely rock still as the Mongrifier woke up and shook his head around to shake the cobwebs of a bad romance novel out of his head. The scenes stuck to him like the overpowering scent of cheap perfume.

The Mongrifier when he rose to his full height was a wonderful beast. All muscles and hair and sharp things poking out of its appendages. A mouth full of teeth stared back at Mr. Kosmos and any moment it could chomp down on him and rip his head off his shoulders.

Mr. Kosmos desperately wished he had the black card there and then. But he didn't. He'd lost it like an idiot and now he was going to pay for it with his life.

His luck, had finally run its course.

He hung his head in shame and in hope of crushing death in the next minute.

Then, headlights of a car bathed the tree where it stood. The screeching sound of an engine filled the air around them. The Mongrifier looked behind him at the source of the sound, and that was when the car hit him.

It plunged into the Mongrifier like a knife, doubling him up on the bonnet of the car as it smashed into a nearby tree.

Mr. Kosmos lifted his head up and saw his mother rushing out of the car and coming for him. In her hand was something he had not expected to see ever again.

A black card.

From behind the tree, Jester sprung into motion. He could not let Kosmos get his hands on the card again. But he had Kosmos' card in his pocket, wrapped all tight in a package made of human skin. 

Two cards, so close to each other and that too in one night. 

Who'd have thought.

----

Some setbacks in real life, but the story must go on. Right? Yeah.

Back In The Crack

The way back was as simple as opening the door and willing himself to be in the world that he had left behind. Things had changed here. He could smell it in the air. There was an electric tinge and aftertaste of ozone in his nostrils. Things had happened here. Good, bad, he didn't really care. He was going to find mother and get the bag of books back from her.

He was not sure earlier. He was scared for his life. He was not thinking straight. But the time spent in the bar had put his head in the right place. He took out the black card from his pocket and thought hard about his mother. The surface of the card lit up. A small dot appeared on the edge of the card with an arrow pointing towards it.

Mr. Kosmos needed to find a ride.

Just then someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and found Jester's fist rushing at his face. His nose broke in an explosion of pain as the punch landed on him like a sledgehammer. Stars swam up in his vision as he fell back on his ass and tears streamed from his eyes as his broken nose made him experience new levels of pain.

“We've been waiting for you, fuckface,” Jester said and punched Mr. Kosmos again.

Lights faded for Mr. Kosmos and the world went a fuzzy black. He woke up after a while to find himself tied to a tree. His arms stretched behind him so far around the tree that he found it a wonder his shoulders had not popped out of their sockets yet. The humiliation of being captured was more than the pain in his nose or his neck. He tugged at his rope tying his hands and realized there was no give. He was not getting out unless something or someone helped him. He didn't even know where the black card was. It was in his hand when Jester punched him, but he had no idea where it fell after that.

Mr. Kosmos hung his head and tried to breathe in through his busted nose. Every breath hurt. It was like breathing through needles in your nose. How long had he been out, he had no idea. And where was Jester? Why hadn't Mongrifier made mincemeat out of these two? His head hurt and he didn't want to think about these things for a while. He just hung there, catching his breath, gathering his thoughts. Thinking what he'd say once he saw the two idiots.

He looked around him. The tree was in a clearing and there was just a mound of rubbish lying near him. He thought maybe he could use something from the rubbish to cut the ropes binding him to tree.

Then the garbage mound stirred. It shook a little and started to move. It looked hairy and big – and it was waking up. A frustrated, angry growl rose from the mound like the starting sound of an engine left on its own for a long time. Mr. Kosmos almost shat himself a little.

---

This story is complete, i am just posting the chapters now. Is anyone still reading or am i just preaching to the graveyard? :D I mean, drop a hi, man!

Time Stream Ninja

Mr. Kosmos ordered another drink at the bar. The thought of his mother would not leave his mind. The drunker he got, the more guilty he felt. Where was she? Was she alright? Why did she disappear like that?

He was such a bad son for leaving her out there and sitting here in this timeline and drinking himself into a stupor.

“Hey, barkeep. I think I am about done here. But I'll have one for the road. Give me your best.”

The barkeep was confused as to why he kept serving this small, overweight, balding football of a man. But the man wanted the best, so he was going to give him the best.

“We've got a Shark-Vod. It's a shot of vodka distilled from shark teeth and contains a small shark swimming in the glass.”

“Shark-vod? Sounds perfect for the road. Be a good man and pour me one.”

He placed the black card on the table again.

The drink was in front of him like a magic trick. He took a look at the tiny shark swimming in the drink. The fin making circles and whorls in the liquid. Hunting the dream of some invisible prey. But who was the hunter here, really?

He gulped down the vodka. The tiny shark crunched in his teeth and the salty taste of shark blood filled his mouth.

He shot off a salute to the bartender and got up from the bar stool. 

It was time to go back. 

It was time to hunt the hunters.

--

Regular updates from now on. 

Promise.

ASIDE -- back from the dead

I was absent from here for whole of November. Not that anyone cared, but as a blogger it is my duty to at least give you, my dear reader, a cursory glance at what I was up to.

I was writing my NaNoWriMo project.

And I could not complete it.

I got busy with other things that actually put money in my bank account. This blog, sadly, doesn't do that.

Anyway, Nano is down in the dumps. Didn't finish it, but i wrote a significant amount of the story.

God willing, that story will see the light of the day. I will make sure of that. This is probably the first time, I am sure about a story and I am going to make it work.

But, there was something called the black card chronicles going on here.

We're going to continue with that and take it to it's somewhat illogical conclusion which will form the end of part one of the whole overarching story.

It's all there in my head.

But leave all that. How have you been doing? Is everything okay? Have you done what you set out to do at the beginning of the year? The year is almost over, you know. And what a 2016 it has been.

Drop me a comment. It will make me happy. If you don't, well, life goes on.