He strolled up with his hands in his pockets.
Aw, said Flossie, smiling like a loon. Is that yo, Colin? Aint yo adorable. She took a step towards the boy.
He scowled. Back up, Fatty.
Flossies smile dropped off her face. She spun around and wrinkled her nose at . Is that what you think of ?
What are you having a go at for? I didnt say it.
But hes yo, isnt he? She turned back to little . What else does he say about ?
This was going a little off-track.
He thinks you have a juicy bum.
I never said that! I was getting hard stares from all the girls, and most of all from Dudley.
You like them juicy, do you? said Jenny. She had a small behind, for context.
No, I said. Hey, shit-head, go fight the big monster, and keep your mouth shut while youre doing it.
The boy stared at , although it was hard to tell his exact expression through the fringe of hair in his face, then he sauntered over to where Yuqi and co. were standing.
Yuqi had a smirk on her face. This is it, is it? How intimidating. I dont know if we should fight him or put him to bed.
The kid didnt seem fazed by the ribbing. He ignored Yuqi and walked right up to the Jester.
He stuck out his lower lip and huffed upwards, blowing the hair out of his face long enough to peer up at the colossus in front of him. It didnt look like a very even matchup.
The Jester leered and stars twinkled out of her mouth.
Pretty, said the boy, but a bit fucking tryhard, isnt it?
Flossie put her hands on her hips and glared at like I was so kind of bad parent.
The Jester bent down, her giant bulbous eyes close to the boys fringe. So cute. I bet you taste delicious. One bite and hed be swallowed whole.
The boy turned and walked back the way hed co.
Hey! I called out. Where are you going? You have to fight her.
Cant be bothered, he said without looking at .
What the fuck? I moved to intercept the annoying little shit. Soone needed to give him the beating I so richly deserved. It quickly beca a pronoun fiesta when you had to think of yourself as a separate entity.
Jenny pulled back. Let .
She walked over to the boy who had stopped and watched her approach with his frown firmly in place.
What do you think youre going to do, Two-Face?
She kneeled down in front of him and they proceeded to have a staring contest.
Yuqi crossed her arms, sohow managing to not cover her nipples. Are we going to
Hold on, I said. I want to see who wins.
Jenny finally made a move. She put her hands on his tiny shoulders and leaned forward. I thought she was going to hug him, but she only put her mouth nearer his ear and started whispering.
He didnt move but his face began to redden. It went on for a couple of minutes, the reddening intensifying all the while. She finished, sat back and nodded at him. Then she got up and walked back to . The kid still didnt move, he just stood there.
Okay, said Jenny. I think hes ready.
The boy didnt look ready, he looked confused. He lowered his head and shuffled back to where the Jester waited, looking bemused.
The boy stopped in the sa place as before. Okay, lets get this over with. He sounded bored more than anything.
You little Yuqi was not impressed by the attitude. Teach him a lesson.
The Jester shook her head like she was reluctant to destroy sothing so harmless. Sparks flew off her one horn and the tentacles darted towards the boy from all angles.
He still didnt do anything, hands in pockets.
Just as tips of the tentacles reached him, his hands flopped out of his pockets and he grabbed hold of the nearest tentacle. He pulled on it like he was opening a Christmas cracker by himself and tore off the end, then he grabbed further up and tore off another piece.
As he did this, the other tentacles sward around him, twisting around his limbs, around his neck. He ignored them, just kept ripping the one tentacle to shreds and in the process, pulled in the Jester closer and closer.
It was done effortlessly, almost lazily, like he was shredding paper. Bits of the Jester went flying in all directions. Blue arcs of electricity spat and crackled to no effect.
I leaned my head towards Jenny, keeping my eyes on the boy. What the fuck did you say to him? I expected her to say she told him she loved him or sothing equally sappy.
I described what it feels like to have your cock inside .
I dont know if youve ever choked on your own tongue, but it isnt a pleasant experience. What did you tell him that for? I said after I could breathe again. What the hells wrong with you?
He needed to understand what he was fighting for. .
And making a five year-old horny was the way to do it?
He isnt five and it isnt about the sex. Hes like an even more unreasonable version of you. He cant believe anyone would want to be with him. I explained why he was wrong. She took a breath and let it out slowly. We have an understanding.
I wasnt sure if your girlfriend having a direct relationship with your subconscious was a good thing or not. Made feel like a third wheel.
All that was left of the Jester by this point were tatters. They lay on the ground like leaves, twitching and flickering with a blue light. The boy had been relentless, tearing her apart even when she had stopped trying to fight back.
Yuqi watched open-mouthed, her hands clutching her hair. She fell to her knees and began sobbing.
What happens to you when your psyche is ripped to pieces? They were two, distinct beings, but they had to have so connection.
The boy turned around and he had tears streaking down his face. What kind of fighting style was that? Weeping Willow? If thats how he reacted when he won, Id hate to see him if he lost. Fucking wimp.
He put his hands back in the pockets of his polyester slacks and slowly walked over to Yuqi, dragging his feet. Destroying a giant had taken no effort at all, but walking a couple of yards seed to be a huge imposition.
Yuqi looked up, about eye-level with him. How can you be so cruel. Snot dripped from her nose, pouring into her mouth Not even her spectacular boobs could make that look appealing. I was so close. After so many years. I worked so hard to make it possible. Id have been past, present and future all in one. I deserved it after all I ve been through. You ruined everything!
The boy wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his small wrists. Adorable, you might think. Flossie had her hand on her chest, probably trying to keep her heart from exploding.
You dont know what it is to suffer, said the boy, sowhat condescendingly, if you ask . Co back when you have so real problems. And then he ate her.
He opened his child-sized mouth and sucked her in. She didnt even have ti to scream.
His shoulders sagged and he walked back towards us. He stopped in front of and gave a grim stare. He looked over at Jenny, then back at . I thought he was going to say sothing but he simply turned away and walked back into the shadows. Just before he disappeared, his voice, very flat and disinterested, said, Dont fuck it up.
Did you hear that? said Jenny.
Yes, I said. I think he was talking to you.
Maurice gingerly stepped forward and pushed aside so of the Jesters remains with his foot. Where did Yuqi go? Did you kill her?
I dont know, I said. Its got nothing to do with . That kids not . I an, he is, in a way, but not really. Dont bla for what he did.
When are you ever going to take responsibility? said Claire. Hes you.
Shut up, I responded very maturely, all things considered. The inside you and the outside you arent the sa person, I thought youd figured that out. Theres a reason I keep him locked up in here. If Yuqi had done the sa with her id or whatever the Jester was, she wouldnt have gone all doolally. He might be a part of , but not the part I want in control.
I didnt like him, said Maurice, No offence, but he seed a bit of a dick.
None taken, I said. I couldnt agree more.
I quite liked him, said Claire.
Ah did, too, said Flossie.
Maurice and Dudley exchanged a worried look. Too late, boys, way too late.
Youre going to go back now, arent you? said Claire. To change things. To make sure all those people dont die. It was half statent, half question, like she thought I might decide to flip-flop on the idea.
Yes, Claire. Im going to go back.
And we wont rember any of this.
You cant rember what didnt happen, I said.
You can, she said, which was true. You wont tell us any of this, will you? Youll keep it to yourself.
I guess. Damn right.
She looked around. How do we get out of here?
Well, its my head, so I suppose I should be able to just evict you. Get out! Nothing happened. Claire, get the fuck out! She was still here. Oh for Gods sake. Just piss off, will you? I waved my hand like I was brushing lint off a cardy.
Claire faded away. Nice. I did the sa to the others until only Jenny was left. She was staring into the gloom, the sa direction the boy had gone.
Were going to have a child, said Jenny.
It took a few seconds for the words to filter through to my brain. When I finally heard her, all I could say was, What?
One day, were going to have a child.
Slowly, my brain unfroze. I had thought she ant she was pregnant. Then I realised thats what she wanted to think. That way, the suggestion of having a kid at so later date would seem almost a welco relief by comparison. So sly.
Bit presumptuous, arent you? I said, regaining so of the composure that had nearly dribbled down my leg.
No, she said. Its going to happen. I just wanted to give you ti to prepare yourself.
How that little prick had fired up her ovaries, I had no idea. Id have thought seeing him wigging out like that would have put her off parenthood forever, but apparently the mothering instinct is super-retarded in so won.
Were practically kids ourselves, I said. Who knows whatll happen in the future?
I do, said Jenny. Prepare yourself.
Its a bit of an aggressive stance to take with a guy. We dont like to be told what to do, especially not by a girl. Im not saying thats sothing to be proud of, or should be indulged, but its certainly a basic instinct for most of us. I dont think thats too outrageous a statent.
Its like going up to a girl and saying, One day, I will fuck you. I dont think claiming you were being romantic would prevent the restraining order.
Jenny let out a deep sigh. You should go.
You realise, I said, after I go back, you wont rember any of this.
Ti travel wont save you. Now she was just being annoying. She lunged at but I waved her away and she faded, her grin the last to go like the Chesire Cat, if the Chesire Cat had wanted to rob Alice of all free will (which he might have, I never really understood what that story was supposed to be about. Watch out for the brown acid?)
I was alone in the dark. I should have probably asked the Jester how to open doors to the past. It always looks easy when soone else does it. At least I had plenty of ti.
Eventually, I worked it out. Like most of the magic Id learned, it required a calm mind and not being too anxious. I can neither confirm or deny I fapped to relax myself, but I will say that ntal masturbation is a lot less ssy.
I returned to the point in ti when Id t Biscuit in Nekrol before hed been to Flatland. When the world ca into focus, I was handing over the sword and the plastic crucifix. I pulled my hand back.
What is it? he said. Sothing seems to have changed in you.
The Prophecy Machine, can I see it?
He continued to regard a little suspiciously but he handed it over.
The Codex looked the sa. I turned it over and back again. Then I opened it. Nothing happened. No voice ca out. Maybe she was playing dead. Maybe she was dead.
It had been quite a clever ruse to present herself as an oracle, able to predict things she herself would ensure ca to pass. She must have seed quite omniscient.
I explained to Biscuit what had happened and how Yuqi had arranged everything to her own benefit.
He listened intently, the part with the welding and Chengs transformation being of special interest.
An unstable welding would not have lasted long, he said in a dismayed rumble. Disaster would have ensued.
He was probably right. Yuqi had thought she could use that instability to take control, which would have ended badly. Or maybe it wouldnt, which would have been even worse.
We ca to an understanding. He wouldnt rush to complete the welding. If it took millennia, so be it.
He took the Codex back from and examined it.
There is nothing here, he said. If this was the form she took, it is nothing but a box now. But, to be sure, we should destroy it.
How? I asked.
By consuming it.
You want to eat it? Seed like this was a thing with him.
I dont think that would be wise. If she wished to be consud by my son, there is a chance she could overpower him. She might be able to do the sa to .
We had a small argunt about it.
My point was, the box was inert, and even when she tried to get Cheng to eat her, it was after hed transford and in addition, he was young and weak, whereas Biscuit was mature and strong.
His counterpoint was, why take the risk?
In the end, the box got eaten. Lets leave it at that. It didnt change into Yuqi, didnt try to squirm away as it went down (whoevers throat). Whatever had happened to Yuqi, she was no longer in control of ti like she had been.
You dont always need to run around with crucifixes and holy water when it cos to dealing with demons. Sotis you just need to explain the situation. Saves a lot on dry cleaning.
He was very understanding. Just goes to show you. Im not sure exactly what. Maybe it shows to go you. But we ca up with a plan.
The next stop was back to the beginning. I was falling and the sea swells rose beneath . The others scread and flailed like they were in an old movie Id seen a long ti ago.
Ti travel is pointless. Nothing matters. Whatever happens can be undone. People can die, and then co back to life when the loop resets and everything goes back to the way it was. Except for one thing. The ti traveller. .
No one rembered what had happened and it didnt affect them. I rembered all of it and nothing seed the sa.
When you repeat life over and over, it loses all aning. It becos grey and muted. A life relived has a fraction of the depth of the first ti.
I called up Wyndam and explained to the others wed have to sing for our ride. They happily obliged.
Jennys eyes were full of questions, but she didnt ask them. She watched closely, I could sense her gaze on , but whatever she was feeling from , it kept her from pushing.
When we reached the shore, there was a welco committee waiting for us. The masters had all turned out to et us. Biscuit stood at the front, a small imp sitting on his shoulder.
I assured everyone we werent in any danger but the others were understandably nervousfriendly or not, they were still the freakiest bunch of fuckers youve ever seen.
Cheng and Mandy were with them. He had seen them from the sky and flown down to investigate. Father and son had reunited and even Mandy seed to be an accepted part of the family. She was stuck to Chengs arm like a wristband.
It is good to see you again, Colin, he said to Dudley.
Im afraid hes Colin, said Dudley, very keen to correct the mistake.
If you cant tell us apart, I said, how did you know which one was Chengs mother? I asked him.
By touch, said Biscuit, which I found unsettling. Co, we have to go. Ti is not of the essence, but still, there are things to do. He looked down at . Everything is ready.
Biscuit led us over the ridge. Flossie had grabbed hold of 288 sohow and was petting him. I didnt have the heart to tell her.
There was a flappy-box nearby which took us to Darkhol. The fields we flew over were full of crops and there were many small towns and villages. We saw et in the distance, a mass of towering, gleaming buildings.
Everything was new and exciting to the others. I could barely stand to look. There was sothing ahead I was apprehensive about.
When we arrived on the mountain, it was already getting dark. The masters landed around us as we exited the box and we were led into the Palace. There was no banquet, no welco feast. Biscuit headed for the Throne Room, and then the treasury.
My heart began to beat faster. A hand slipped into mine. Jenny still didnt ask what was up, but her touch helped calm . She hadnt ntioned having kids, so I was hopeful that idea was lost in the mists of ti.
The shaft had been converted into a rampmuch easier to navigate. And in the room we had found a fake Yuqi, we found the real one.
Even though I had removed her from the tiline, as Maurice had pointed out, there was still the original one who ca from the other universe. Biscuit had captured her, although he didnt let her beco the Jester this ti.
I had expected her to be so crazed beast, chained up and requiring ard guards, but that wasnt the case.
Finally, she said in a croaking voice. You have no idea how long Ive waited.
She was old, with white hair and a severely wrinkled face. Her body was twisted and malford. She was stuck in her weretic form and it looked painful. Bones jutted out at odd angles under her skin. At least she wasnt naked.
I thought youd still be angry, I said.
She struggled off her bed and limped towards . I dont have the energy anymore. She wheezed and coughed. Ill be glad when this is all over.
We slowly made our way to another chamber. Biscuit had said he could open a portal for us to get ho, but it would take a huge amount of energy. The oldest weretic in existence would provide it.
She wouldnt have a choice in the matter, and my conscience didnt have a say, either. Millions of random people didnt deserve to die for my benefit, but Yuqi did. It wasnt like she hadnt had a full life; shed had several.
Surprisingly, though, she seed fine with it. She knew what was coming and only wanted to get it over with.
I kept the details from the others, they just knew we were going ho. To Earth.
Biscuit said it wouldnt be hard. Its where we ca from, our link to it was strong, as was Yuqis. She would beco our gateway. We just had to walk through the portal. Easy peasy.
We stood around a pool of water, still and clear. Yuqi dropped her robethe girl was a born exhibitionistand stepped into the pool without hesitation. She paddled to the centre. The water barely covered her misshapen ankles. I tried not to look higher than that.
The masters had ford a circle around us. They began to hum. Not from their mouths, their whole bodies seed to vibrate.
Yuqi dissolved, from the bottom up. It didnt look painful. She didnt say anything, just sank into the water until there was nothing left.
The water turned black, and then lost all semblance of solidity. It was a hole, dark and endless.
That was it. No last minute crisis. No surprise attack. We all stepped onto the ridge around the pool and jumped in.
Fuck you, Colin, whispered Yuqi. You arent going ho.
My eyes slowly opened. I was lying in a field.
Above was a blue sky. An actual sky-blue blue sky. With a sun in it.
My body didnt exhibit signs of pain and I was able to move my extremities, so nothing was broken. I sat up. No one was in view, although the grass was fairly tall. They could have been hidden.
Hey! Anyone?
No response. It didnt really bother . If I had been separated from the others they would find , eventually. They always did.
If, on the other hand, we were on different worlds, they would still find , sohow. You dont shake a curse that easily.
The adow stretched out in every direction and there didnt appear to be any manmade structures. Another dieval world? Or maybe one devoid of all life?
Sothing buzzed past . The last ti that had happened, I nearly had a heart attack. As I looked around for what I hoped was a regular insect, I caught sight of sothing glinting in the distance. I didnt get up as that would only make more noticeable, and I didnt know if I wanted to be noticed.
As I peered over the tops of the stalks of grass, it beca obvious they were people. Or at least humanoid. There were walking upright and were wearing what appeared to be armour. Soldiers of so kind.
I had no intention of fighting anyone, especially as there were at least half a dozen of them and I didnt have any weapons. Even if I had a weapon, I wouldnt have put up a fight. People in armour generally know how to use weapons better than .
The last ti Id encountered soldiers in a adow, theyd been quite helpful. Maybe these would be the sa. So advice, so food, a crappy stick. Could be worse.
Maybe if I sat very still they wouldnt even notice and go straight past.
They didnt go past. They headed directly for , and it quickly beca apparent these werent like the soldiers the had found us in Probet. For a start, these soldiers were all female.
That might sound quite encouraging, but they werent pretty little things in pigtails. They were enormous, pro-wrestler, well-thewed Amazonian types. Not that theres anything wrong with that; won who can strangle you with their thighs deserve to be respected (because otherwise theyll strangle you with their thighs).
I lay down again. If I acted weak and pathetic, perhaps it would ignite so deeply-ingrained mothering instinct in them. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and reminded myself to watch my mouth. Won occasionally took offence at my little jokes so it would be best not to make any.
I could handle it. After all the ti Id spent around unreasonable won, a few more wouldnt be anything new. Just as long as there wasnt a crazy one set on making the focus of her existence, Id be fine.
The sounds of their footsteps and the jingle of their armour drew nearer.
What is it? said a husky female voice.
Looks male. Almost, replied another.
Great, a bunch of sarky cows. Polite and respectful, I told myself. Dont give the sarky cows an excuse to stab you.
Out of my way, ca a more shrill, sowhat familiar voice. Move! Let see.
I sat up. The warrior won, all in dazzling armour from neck to toe, were staring down at . A smaller, red-headed figure pushed her way through them.
Oh, its you! said Laney, her hair streaming wildly around her head. Where are the rest of the losers? Not with you? Never mind, youve arrived at just the right ti. Her eyes sparkled in a manner I didnt like. Theres a war going and we need heroes. Since we havent been able to find any, I guess youll have to do. She smiled broadly and licked her teeth. Pick him up, ladies. Hes coming with us.
End of Book 5
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