Chapter 13 of 99 · Book 8, A Parade of Horribles

Chapter 13 — Lady Dominators; Corcunda; a quest

Book: A Parade of Horribles · Part: Horrible One · Previous: Chapter 12 — The Team Roundabout; the Wild Hunt · Next: Chapter 14 — Hungry Eyes; the Hairpin and the Lollipop · Floor: Floor 10 — Don't Come in Last · Series: the series

Opening

The door to garage number two opened.

Summary

Genesis (black hair) and Rapture (red curls, chewing tobacco), level-95 Lady Mantaur Dominators in white racing suits with red-and-blue stripes and gleaming white cowboy hats, worshippers of Enyo rather than Grull: the female mantaur walks on all fours with her lower hands shoved into boots, then stands and leaves the boots on the road. 'Howdy,' in Kentucky. Rapture harpoons Jasha's rolling beer can from her wrist on a cable, sniffs it, and drops the shreds into her own boot, which she then wears with a crunch. 'We don’t drink with roadkill' — they go to get real booze at the Hairpin. (Donut: they remind her of Billy Maloney's bodybuilding sisters, 'THE WALMART SISTERS', arrested for fighting each other at a Target, whom Carl lent bail money for.) Chiyome: don't underestimate them, they practise domination magic — charm that saps energy or mana, Mordecai says, like Donut's Love Vampire; Mind Balance keeps Carl immune. In garage three's shadow, a waving figure in a vinyl gimp suit with a zipper at the mouth: the half-mantaur, split down the middle between the eyes and through the groin, one leg and two right arms, the suit keeping his guts in; 'Split Personality' cuts you in two and a fleshmancer can reglue you; 'Used to be a dancer or something.' Donut: Dong Quixote's friend Corcunda? 'Free Bird' plays from the garage. Carl wants no part of the drama, since they will have to kill him — and says so aloud. New Quest: I have dreamed thee too long, part one of two: reunite Dong and Corky ('practically a freebie'); part two needs Corcunda's other half, Porky, also on this floor, and one of several wandering fleshmancers. Reward: two stand-ins of their choosing sent to the Arena on the 11th floor. Jasha wakes: 'Where’s my beer?'

Characters

• Carl — Wants no part of the drama since they will have to kill Corcunda — and says so aloud.
• Princess Donut — The Walmart sisters; recognises Dong's Corcunda.
• Genesis and Rapture (the Lady Dominators) — Level-95 Lady Mantaur Dominators in white racing suits and cowboy hats; a wrist harpoon into Jasha's beer; 'We don’t drink with roadkill.'
• Corcunda (Corky and Porky) — A waving figure in a vinyl gimp suit: the right half, split between the eyes, guts held in by zippers.
• Chiyome (the Wild Hunt) — Don't underestimate them: domination magic.
• Radoslav and Jasha (Team Free Love) — Jasha wakes: 'Where’s my beer?'
• Dong Quixote — Named in the new quest: reunite him with Corky.
• Mordecai — Their charm saps energy or mana, like Love Vampire; Mind Balance keeps Carl immune.

Locations

• The garage and the cul-de-sac — Garage three's shadow; 'Free Bird' from inside.

Motifs

• Quests — I have dreamed thee too long: part one 'practically a freebie', part two needs Porky and a fleshmancer.
• The arena vote and the stand-ins — Reward: two stand-ins of their choosing sent to the Arena on the 11th floor.
• The gods — Womantaurs worship Enyo, not Grull.
• Carl's family — Bail money lent for Billy Maloney's sisters.