31 - A Crowd Gathers

By now the other patrons have crowded around watching the scene while keeping a safe distance. Several large waiters, probably security, rush up to the table. But the first Cuscus takes them down with a few swift kicks and is back on top of Kyle. But Kyle is ready. They trade blows, kicks, jabs, and stabs with silverware without ever making contact. Amazat did his work well. These test tube creations are his match.

Kyle tries to move back to help his friend, but the Cuscus isn’t letting up for even a second. Kyle tries to edge his way back, but the Cuscus lands a blow each time raising the cost high enough that he stops.

The cell phones are out and the fight is being recorded from every angle. I’m sure the videos will be posted online before the night is over. It will provide me with an excellent view of the fight from all angles. Surveillance has never been easier than in today’s mobile age.

Kyle realizes he’s gaining no ground, and his friends’ blue faces tell him he doesn’t have much more time, so he tries the opposite tactic and launches his body forward into the Cuscus’s sending them both over the rail and towards the waterfall. The Cuscus sees the attack coming and lets his body go limp to help absorb the force of the blow.

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30 - The Cuscuses Strike!

The shows are rather entertaining. I, of course, am not distracted, but my quarry is. At least he appears to be. But I must be careful not to make assumptions. As my last test showed, his mild demeanor is only skin deep.

I wait for them to finish their entrées and order desert. A full stomach is a great disadvantage in a fight. This will certainly affect how he fights. I need to take that into consideration when assessing his skills.

The Cuscuses have replaced three of the waiters. It’s a common movie cliché, and one never used in real life, so they won’t expect it. They place the deserts down, and then put all three in headlocks.

Kyle reacts immediately and somehow manages to get his footing with one leg on the ground and another on the wall. He flips his assailant overhead, but the assailant is no slacker. He maintains his hold and takes Kyle with him. Kyle must have anticipated something like that, because he shifts his weight in midair and lands on top. They struggle for a few moments, then Kyle slips away and leapfrogs over the table. He aims his two feet at the heads of the other Cuscuses. They turn to block the souls of Kyle’s shoes with his friends’ heads, but he weaves his feet around and them and strikes their hands instead. They don’t loosen their grips even the slightest bit. I can see the look of surprise in his eyes. Good.

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29 - A Jungle Cafe

They came to this city to help a lady hit by a rather unfortunate streak of bad luck. After solving her problems, they ran into a cryptid and prevented it from ravaging the entire county. They will soon be moving on to the next city. It is time to strike.

My second test begins in a few minutes. They decided to dine at a rain forest-themed restaurant. How ironic considering this began in a rain forest. I expect a rather cheesy attempt to recreate the lush plant and animal life in an obvious attempt to take advantage of the bleeding heart’s cause of the week. But I am pleasantly surprised.

The facility is three stories with a large opening in the center of the top two floors so all diners can enjoy a three-story cliff with double waterfalls rising to the ceiling. Every twenty minutes the lights dim followed by a brief narration and then two divers (members of the local university’s diving team from the look of them) perform a synchronized ten-meter dive. In between dives, animatronic wildlife spaced throughout the rather realistic looking foliage sing a playful jungle tune. They’ve somehow managed to give kitsch a sense of elegance and dignity. Who would have thought it possible? I’m almost impressed.

My prey are seated on the second tier. I insist the hostess seat me on the third tier 30 degrees from them. She is visible annoyed, but smiles and complies to not upset a customer.

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28 - I Don't Understand

I had thought the Wandering Koala and his companions would be on guard after my assault on them on the Jupiter, but it appears things like that happen on a regular basis.

I’ve maintained a close surveillance for the past few weeks while waiting for Amazat to make delivery. He met his original target date. I was surprised, but pleased. It means my plans can move forward unhindered. Kyle stays in hotels every night while his two companions disappear to somewhere I can’t follow. That concerns me, because it’s a variable I can’t prepare for.

Moving in for the attack should be straight forward enough. I have yet to see any extraordinary security measures. Kyle sleeps alone in a hotel room with no alarms, no guards, and no defenses other than locking the door and occasionally the window. He’s either very foolish or very confident. And he makes no effort to obscure his location. He checked in under his own name. If I made as many enemies as he did, I would take a few more precautions.

I’m still not sure why he surrounds himself with those two buffoons. Brent seems competent enough with research and scientific manners, but he’s a liability in a fight, and they get into so many of them. The other one, René, must have some ability that is essential in rare circumstances, because I have yet to see him make any contribution whatsoever. But I will find out soon.

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27 - Cuscus

Chapter IV - A Medium-sized City

The moon is full and bright – a hunter’s moon. A good omen. The universe is on my side. I shan’t fail. There was a time the learned and wise would look to the sky for signs to guide their actions. They regularly enjoyed bountiful harvests and were warned before disaster struck. Now too many of the so called “educated” think themselves too learned and wise to listen to anyone or anything but their own scholarship. Ironic – the very source they look to for their salvation is the very source of their stumbling.

I should not have been so surprised at Dr. Amazat’s willingness to assist me with the Wandering Koala. It seems he has stepped on even more toes than even the Sainswroths suspected. While I understand his change of heart, I am still leery of how helpful and obliging he became. Enemies do not suddenly become friends, no matter the cause. I must keep an eye on him.

The Cuscuses are proving to be even better than I had hoped. I was sure that in the decades since my last … experience, his methods and techniques would have been refined, but this, this is like a science fantasy come to life! They are so elegant and powerful; their moves so precise. And they pick up new skills so quickly. I dare say it won’t be long before their abilities exceed even my own. I must set my plans into motion before then.

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26 - Death is Too Good, Too Merciful

“You’ve heard of him?”

“Heard of him?” His hand clenches the easy chair’s armrest so tightly the fabric rips. “Oh, I’ve heard of him. And I’ve sworn he would pay for the death of my precious phoenix.”

“He will. You have my word.”

“Is this a personal grudge or a contract hit?”

“Both.” He waits for an explanation, but I offer none.

“I will help you, but you must promise not to kill him, not that you could.”

“I could, and I intend to.”

“NO!” He strikes the end table with his fist so hard it flips over spilling his drink on the stone floor. “Death is too good, too merciful, for one such as he. He must be made to suffer and pay for his sins.”

I smile. “That would be acceptable. What do you propose?”

“We strike him where it hurts the most.”

“And that is?”

“I don’t know, but I will find out. I will discover his greatest pain, and salt the wound.”

“Look into his early life, his family. He would never talk about them and always looked in pain at even the mention of them.”

“I will. Now, tell me what you need.”

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25 - Painful Memory

He raises an eyebrow. He sets his glass of some amber beverage down on the table beside him. The corner of his mouth moves up. I see his belly twitch. He’s trying to hold in the laugh, but he can’t. His whole frame begins to shake. It’s a most awkward and uncomfortable sound. I remember his laugh being unusual, but this is queer even for him. He laughs so hard he begins to cry. It takes him several minutes to regain control.

“You’ve developed quite the sense of humor. Need my help. That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. And I know it’s a joke, because you couldn’t possibly be serious, not after what you did to me. Even with all my skill and talent I couldn’t find a way to heal this scar. I still have no idea what kind of poison you used, but I want some.”

“I am just as surprised and shocked as you. But I’m hunting a prey who has proven to be most … elusive. I need something a little more … extra ordinary.”

He laughs again with a shrill screech in his voice. “A prey you can’t handle on your own? You really have changed. You would never have allowed yourself to admit such a shortcoming. What is this prey that has brought the great hunter begging at my door?”

“He is known as the Wandering Koala.”

The doctor stops laughing. “What do you need?”

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24 - It is Customary to use the Front Door

“It’s customary for guests to use the front door.” His voice comes from a chair facing the fireplace, its back to me. “And to knock and wait to be invited in before entering. Those are proper manners.”

The chair slowly turns to face me. He does an admirable job hiding the surprise on his face, but my keen eyes still catch it. “It’s been a long time, Thylacine.”

“It has.”

He runs his hand down the largest scar on his face. “I must say, I’m surprised you’d dare step foot within a hundred miles of me.”

I see his eye twitch and take the cue to duck. The three-headed beast’s jaw brushes across my right shoulder, its slobber wetting my skin. My left hand is around its throats, and I pin it to the ground before it can take a breath. It claws at me, but my skin is like leather. I feel no pain.

“I’m rather fond of that beast. I’d appreciate you letting it live.”

“You should have thought of that before sicking it on me.”

“Cerberus. Heel!” It stops struggling. I slowly release its neck but am ready to crush its windpipe should it come at me again. Fortunately for its master, it stays down.

“So what brings you all the way out to my chateau. I doubt this is a social call.”

“I need your help.”

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23 - Flying Lizard

I bend low and lean to the side. It’s beak tastes only rock and dirt. It pulls up quickly but not before I flip onto its back. My hand is around its neck. I am in control. It carries me across the last half of the moor to Amazat’s cottage. I land on the roof – the place from which he’s least likely to expect an attack – and leave the beast bound and ready in case I require an areal escape.

Amazat has surely been alerted to my presence. The flying lizard’s howl can be heard for miles. I’m curious what his reaction will be when he sees me.

I enter thru a trap door in the roof. The lock is easy to pick. I’m wondering why it has a lock. Is it merely out of habit to put a lock on every door and window, or has he had problems with unwanted guests entering from the roof? And why is there a trap door on the roof? Does he use it to expose subjects to lighting like Dr. Frankenstein in the Boris Karloff film? Amazat always was an admirer of the bizarre and occult.

I make my way thru the house. It’s lit only by windows and candles. I wonder what the candles are made of. They appear to be wax and not electric, and yet the wax doesn’t melt. Such a substance could prove useful. I take a sample.

I hear no one moving about. Is he not home? Or is he waiting by the front door for me? I hurry down the stairs.

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22 - Genetic Engineering

The DNA molecule had only recently begun to be unraveled. Dr. Amazat told me that DNA was the basis of all life and that humans shared much of their DNA with other life forms including bananas. He said there was no reason we couldn’t incorporate the abilities of other species within our own. This was exactly what I thought I was looking for, so of course I agreed to be his guinea pig.

I suppose I was lucky. I lived and I gained a greater lifespan, heightened senses, and the strength and agility of the fiercest marsupial hunter. Most of the other test subjects never made it out of the lab. But the side effects continue to plague me to this day. Maybe after all these decades, the good doctor has made progress towards alleviating them or even eliminating them. I’m just not sure how to broach the subject. We didn’t part on the best of terms. He probably still has that scar on his left cheek.

I perform the Ritual of The Hunt before coming here. I don’t anticipate trouble, but then I didn’t anticipate trouble the first time either, and I’m still paying for that. The sins of youth – can one ever truly be free of them?

 It swoops down as silent as the cloak of night, but no sound is too low for my heightened senses. I wait until it is almost upon me before I make my move giving it no time to react.

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