Oddworld Forums

Oddworld Forums (http://www.oddworldforums.net/index.php)
-   Fan Corner (http://www.oddworldforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=7)
-   -   The Reluctant Outlaw (http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=11955)

Dipstikk 05-02-2005 03:09 PM

I'm going to keep it so nobody figures out who or what Grappo is.

Wait... is that saying that people have a comprehension of the rest of the story? If so, than I have failed.

At any rate, this is going to be a side story. (Calling this a story has just decreased my score in life by 25 points.) Every so often I'll use the Flappydoodle and Grappo shit to either bump up the topic or use it as a cop out for not having a chapter for a while.

Kimon 05-02-2005 03:22 PM

Oh, man, you're actually going to try to turn that into a story? Ewww.... Well, good luck I guess. :dead:

Dipstikk 05-02-2005 03:31 PM

Other people have done the same thing. :D

Haha, I'm terrible.

Kimon 05-02-2005 03:34 PM

:

Other people have done the same thing. :D

Hehe. Yeah.

EDIT: Oops, this is getting spammy. Ummm... keep up the great work?

Leto 05-02-2005 10:14 PM

OMG U IS TEH BETS OF WRITORS@! an dteh glukkin mad me cry lot's.

Just make sure you're not sidetracked by teh goooooood novel, and continue writing The Reluctant Outlaw.

Kimon 05-07-2005 01:29 PM

Wow, this is the first time I've actually read the faction straight through, reading every line. Before I just scanned it and replied about the characters personalitites. :P

Anyway, I'm awestruck. This is honestly the best fan fiction I've seen on these forums. You go into such detail with each character and what they're feeling, it's amazing. I like how you used a realistic alternative to the unlimited zappflies thing. But yeah, keep up the good work, and I'm anticipating the next chapter. (I mean it this time ;))

The Marching Mudokon 05-07-2005 05:21 PM

I think I have to agree with Kimon here. You've got great characters, a great storyline and good punctuation ;). Can't wait until the next chapter, Dipstikk. By the way, are you doing any art to coincide with your story? Anyway, keep up the good work.

Dipstikk 05-07-2005 06:30 PM

Yeah, each illustration goes with the chapter. Expect many more.

odd chick 05-07-2005 08:42 PM

I have just recently begun reading your fanfic. It's absolutely amazing!! Both the story and the art you've put with it are great! :) You've got a hit with the fans, Dipstikk. ;)

Leto 05-12-2005 12:22 AM

Updating anytime soon, Dipstikk..? ;) I mean, it's been a page since last update... No rush, though.

Dark Elite_H2 05-16-2005 03:01 PM

Man, Dipstikk. Me loves deh pics you drew. How'd yeh do it?

Dipstikk 05-16-2005 06:35 PM

Pencil and paper, m'friend. I try to bold the lines out so it looks more professional.

Thank you for the compliment, I'll be sure to add to the story soon.

Dipstikk 05-20-2005 09:06 PM

Well guys, sorry for the wait. School comes first. We have some useful advice in this chapter, such as why you shouldn't wear dark clothes in the desert.

Also, Pugs experiences a bad case of heat stroke. Now, most of the description comes from personal experiece. I'm a big fat guy, I get the heat pounded into me much faster and harder than people who are in shape. The worst comes during the summer.

Anyways, you don't want to read my ramblings. Prepare for...

Chapter Five

The Confrontation


I was probably put at least twenty miles behind me since I had fled the hideout. Leaving there left a strange taste in my mouth.

Why would Bailey, a short-fused and uncomfortably violent Outlaw bestow something so harmless as a banishment? I practically waltzed out of the hideout, and the brute didn’t even bat an eye.

Well, count your blessings, as they say. What’s past is past; so don’t dwell on it, Pugsley old boy.

The heat was beginning to get to me. My vision was blurry and I was having trouble keeping the sweat from my eyes. My coat was ripped in various places, beaten senseless by the elements. My head was getting the worst of it. Note to self: Black bowler hats are not good for trips through the desert, and are only good for soaking in excess sweat.

I was trudging through the grassy savanna at the base of Canyon Pass. There was a pair of forests on either side of the savanna, and a dirt road slicing through it. I made a long turn towards the trees on my left. The shade could provide some comfort, and I could stop and get the thorn out of my foot that had been nagging me since I received that hit-and-run from that tumbleweed a while back.

For a moment, I could have sworn that I saw a figure approaching from the distance. But I looked again, and it was gone. I chalked it up to heat stroke playing with my mind and headed for the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~<([V])>~~~~~~~~~~

Stranger cautiously followed the figure in the blue coat. He kept a considerable amount of distance between himself and the Outlaw, and for good reason. If he were to be seen, he would surely have to face this guy head-on. No, better to let the hot desert sun do the damage for him, rather than jump right in.

The bounty hunter was doing well, until the Outlaw turned his head. Stranger was sure that the Outlaw was looking straight at him, so he quickly bolted behind a rock.

The Outlaw turned and veered to the left, towards a long stretch of forest on the left wall of the canyon. Stranger took off on all fours, turning towards the forest as well, and ever so often ducking behind rocks or jumping into trees to avoid detection.

Stranger made it into the thick brush, still about three hundred yards away from the Outlaw. He climbed up a tree with incredible ease, almost as if he were simply treading ground. There was a branch at the top of the tree, uncomfortable, yet good enough that he could spy on the Outlaw without being seen.

Stranger felt at home here in amongst the forests for some reason, more so than he had ever felt in any town he’d been to, no matter how nice it was.

The Outlaw was sitting on a log, picking at his feet. Stranger would make his move soon, but first he wanted to have some fun with him.

Stranger arched his back and leapt to another tree, grabbing a large branch with his claws. He spared no time and sprang foreword yet again, soaring through the air and landing at the back of the branch. He continued on in that fashion until he was sitting in a tree right behind the Outlaw.

The Outlaw was at least nine feet tall, and wore a tattered blue coat with a white coat (with yellowish sweat stains), and a soggy, stinky bowler hat. All were such great choices for traveling in seering, triple-digit weather.

It was time to implicate a little paranoia on this guy. Stranger picked up a twig nested in the middle of the tree and tossed it to the left of the Outlaw, who followed it with his eyes. He got up and studied the twig with a strange sense of intelligence in his eyes, not usually a very common trait in Outlaws.

Stranger then slunk down out of the tree, crouched in the tall grass and tossed a pebble just behind the Outlaw, who heard it clack when it hit the ground.

“What in the world is going on?” the Outlaw said to himself as he turned to look. Stranger raced back into the tree, making just enough noise to ruffle the grass a bit.

The Outlaw looked over to the grass, which was still shaking.

“Okay, I know someone’s here,” he said, his voice having a distinctly exhausted ring to it. “Show yourself.”

Stranger didn’t usually take requests, but the time was right to confront the Outlaw.

He dropped from the branch in front of the Outlaw, landing flat on his feet.

“Why are you following me?” the Outlaw enquired.

“I’m here to take ya in,” Stranger replied. “You’ve got a purdy price on yer head, and I aim’s to collect.”

~~~~~~~~~~<([V])>~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t long before I found a place to sit; and by "sit," I mean completely drop. It was a moss-covered log, and seemed sturdy enough, probably solid all the way through. I pulled my leg up onto my lap so I could get at that thorn. Note to myself: Wash my feet when I reach the next town.

I was probably half of the way to the end of the canyon, and from there I would need to head west, taking the road all the way to the town of Sanderson Flats. Hopefully, I could get a nice, warm reception and a nice, cold glass of water.

Who am I kidding? The Clakkerz would sooner tar and feather me than let an Outlaw live amongst them. Besides, I couldn’t just walk right into a town. I’m a wanted felon.

Or could I? I mean, I’ve got at least five feet and two hundred pounds on each of those clucking bastards! Who’s to stop me from…

No, no. I had promised myself that I would never resort to intimidation to get what I want, and that’s a promise I want to keep.

I would have to do some heavy ass kissing, and just to get a drink of water. Oy vei.

I had finally gotten the thorn dislodged from my foot when I saw a twig sail past my head. What the hell? Twigs don’t just fly around unprovoked. I got up to investigate; maybe it was an insect of some kind.

I bent over to look at the stick up close, as my eyes blurred out anything that wasn’t at least two feet from them. I felt a rush of pain in my skull from bending over so fast.

It was definitely a twig. Nothing to worry about, just a twig. A twig that…moved by itself? Okay, yeah. I’ll admit that seemed a bit creepy.

As I was standing there, hunched over, I noticed something behind me move. It was a pebble that had been tossed to my right. Okay, I was officially nervous. Knock it off, nature.

“What in the world is going on?” I asked myself, baffled as to why things were moving when they shouldn’t. It was a regular “square peg in round hole” scenario.

It made a pit in the sand when it landed. It couldn’t have rolled; it was definitely thrown by someone. But by whom? There was nobody else around!

And if things weren’t freaking me out enough already, I heard the grass behind me ruffle. There was practically no breeze coming from anywhere, so what…

My suspicions were confirmed when I saw something in the shape of a boot quickly move up the tree. I knew it; someone was fucking with my head.

I tried to look as brave as I could. “Okay, I know someone’s here,” I said. “Show yourself.”

Suddenly, the leaves in the tree above me rattled as a figure fell from the branches. He couldn’t have been more than a foot or so smaller than me. His body was covered in fur and he wore a triangular-shaped vest composed of different parts sewn together and decorated with convoluted patterns. He wore a hat with a huge brim, which shaded his face.

“Why are you following me?” I demanded.

Though his grammatical skills were about as sharp as an elum on pain killers, his voice was unwelcomingly deep and sent shivers down my spine.

“I’m here to take ya in,” he said with a smirk. “You’ve got a purdy price on yer head, and I aim’s to collect.”

I was staring a bounty hunter straight in the face. Great, just what I don’t need. A guy who wants to earn a paycheck by dumping me into a jail cell.

Leto 05-20-2005 09:24 PM

Sweet! Finallys, we've gots us an update. :D

I find showing both of the characters perspectives of the same event rather interesting. It indeed makes a chapter worth reading even more so than it already is- just so you can experience each characters opinion.

Nice going!

Kaizer 05-20-2005 10:34 PM

I just read through this and if any fanfic on this site could be made into a book I would definitely think it should be this one! Its brilliant and its actually deep! Not just: Abe decided to fight a glukkon. He went into feeco depot. to find him. He killed some sligs along the way. He found and killed the glukkon.
The End

Congrats on a good story!

Dipstikk 05-20-2005 11:03 PM

Thanks, guys.

Kaizer- The thought of sending this idea to Lorne has crossed my mind many times. I will most definately send it, but right now I'm just concentrating on finishing this and hoping to Odd that I don't come into contact with any plotholes.

In fact, I just fixed one plothole in the chapter entitled "Big, Bad Bailey." It's near the bottom, where it now talks about the journey through Canyon Pass. It originally involved Pugsley spotting Stranger, which clashed with the latest chapter where Pugsley catches a glimpse of him and actually confronts him in the forest.

odd chick 05-20-2005 11:54 PM

TEH STORY IS TEH AWESOMENESS!!!!!!11111ONE!!!! :D

But in all seriousness, I think you did an EXCELLENT job with this chapter-I love the whole Stranger/outlaw scene you put together-it was very discriptive and you really brought both characters' emotions and personalities out. It was great! Keep up the good work-it's one of the best stories on this forum. ;)

Blisterz Booty 05-21-2005 12:07 PM

Excellent new update! It took a while, but it was definately worth it. As Super Much said, the double-perspective telling definately makes the story even more interesting.
RoK oN!

The Marching Mudokon 05-21-2005 06:41 PM

Keep up the good work, Dipstikk. Can't wait until you post the new chapter.

Dipstikk 06-04-2005 12:37 AM

Bump.

The reason I'm bumping this up: I'm just that great.

And this is NOT going to be a second-pager.

ANN NEELY 06-04-2005 05:13 AM

I really like this story, keep up the good work!

TheRaisin 06-04-2005 12:37 PM

Wowie zowie. Imagine my surprise at checking the Fan Corner and finding a work of fan fiction by none other than Dipstikk.

I love the dialogue. Not just what the characters say, but they way you have it written. Just with punctuation, you've created a distinct voice in my head for every character that speaks. I love the concept as well. The plot is solid, which is so much more than I can say for most other OW fan fics I've read. I like the way you go into detail without being boring-- that's a tough one to put into practice. The drawings add a lot to the story.

My bladder bursts with excitement. Post more soon.

Dipstikk 06-18-2005 01:27 PM

Thanks, you's mugs.

I'll get back to the story when I can, right now my schedual is way busy.

Oddkid 06-23-2005 01:04 PM

I fell in love with this story rather fast. Sort of Strange (hee!) considering I've never played this game. I guess I just like to spoil myself. I shall wait for updates!

Munch's Master 06-23-2005 01:07 PM

I like this fic a lot1 I too have never played OSW but I love this fic! I hooe the next chapter is as good as the past ones. Also put more pictures with the chapters, those pics rock!

Kimon 06-23-2005 01:22 PM

You guys should really pick up Stranger's Wrath. It's the best OWI game (in my opinion).

And yes, the story is really awesome, I hope he updates soon.

DIPSTIKK! NOW! :p

Oddkid 06-23-2005 05:32 PM

Well I WILL play Stranger's Wrath as soon as I can get an X-Box.

Dipstikk 06-23-2005 07:48 PM

:

DIPSTIKK! NOW! :p

Please don't use the whip! :(

Haha, yeah. Anyway, I think we have Saturday off here at MCAD. I will try to add to the story if I can then. And I promise there will be more pictures. I wouldn't drop such a popular motif, especially since it draws people away from my crappy writing skills. :D

Munch's Master 06-25-2005 12:35 AM

Crappy writing skills??? Whaddaya mean? It's a great fic, so keep it up!

Dipstikk 06-25-2005 09:09 AM

I was being facetious. :p

Oddkid 06-25-2005 02:46 PM

Thats another word for modest, right? >.o I don't think your writting is crappy nor your drawings. The drawings add a nice storybook affect.

Dipstikk 06-25-2005 05:16 PM

Facetious:

bantering: cleverly amusing in tone; "a bantering tone"; "facetious remarks"; "tongue-in-cheek advice"

I was kidding around.

Dipstikk 07-08-2005 11:24 PM

Sneak peek at a scenario in an upcoming chapter.

Stranger pushes Pugsley a little too far.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ust_Rubble.jpg

Just to let people know about out lovable little emo Outlaw, here's a small Bio.

Name: Pugsley Andrew Forrester

Age: 35 (assuming Outlaws age like humans)

Gender: Male

Height: 8' 5''

Weight: 658 Ibs

Lifestyle: Former unwilling gangster thug, now on the Birdington's 20 Most Wanted list. He travels a lot now.

Life accomplishments so far: Has been one of the few Outlaws who chose a crime-free lifestyle.

Apparel: First and foremost, his Bowler hat. It's his "Security item." He also wears a blue overcoat, a white buttoned shirt (now stained yellow) with an Elum Chubs pin clipping the top. His pants are tan, and his sandals have a modified heel rim for a snug fit. Too bad all of this stuff sucks for traveling in the heat.

Affiliated with: The gargantuain Bailey "Tiny" Markowitz (who thinks he's sooo damn clever for giving himself that nickname), Bailey's right-hand Outlaw Chains, other members of the Bailey gang, and recently, a mysterious bounty hunter who goes by the name "The Stranger."

~Bio pulled off of the entry I made for this on DeviantART~
Pugsley Forrester was always different from other Outlaws. He never had any desire to loot, plunder, maim or anything else that most of his brethren took active part in on a regular basis. He was a well-spoken Outlaw, and preferred to use proper english over the verbal detritus dunked in unbearable southern slang that spewed from the mouths of his kind.

What Pugsley wanted most was to become a productive member of society.

Unfortunately, due to the image his species has set for themselves because of their miscreant actions, nobody trusted him enough to allow him that luxury. So he spent most of his early years scrounging out a living wherever he could. Food was found in garbage dumps, as was a nice, cozy shelter. An uncomfortable life, but he just had to grin and bear it.

Then one day, his shambled mess of a home was ambushed by a gang of criminal Outlaws (I know that sounds like a redundancy, but "Outlaw" is their race/species name) who were led by a gargantuain brute with a firey temper named Bailey "Tiny" Markowitz. One of the Outlaw minions identified Pugsley as an old childhood aquaintence that he used to torment, and Bailey (for absolutely no reason other than to expand his gang a bit more) decided to make Pugsley their hostage.

Pugsley was understandably unhappy with the situation that he had been dragged into. The poor guy was forced to go into towns and ransack the homes. This wasn't how he had invisioned spending his middle years. To keep escaping off of Pugsley's mind, Bailey gave him some of the clothing that was retreived from houses (hence his nice black coat, hunged metal-framed sandals and "Elum Chubs" clothespin at the top of his shirt). But no amount of material things made Pugsley happy with his situation. He longed for a free life, or any life other than this.

The gang relocated to a ranger station just west of their old location. Once they had done away with the rangers, they settled in. In just two weeks, the place went from cleanly and organized to a ramshackled, crumbling mess. The mountain had two Clakker-made paths; to the west was a path to a canyon road that led to the town of Sanderson Flats, and to the south was a cozy little town called Birdington.

Bailey and his goons set their sights on Birdington. On a calm, cool evening, they made their move.

odd chick 07-12-2005 09:09 PM

Ooh, nice art, Dipstikk! It's also cool that you typed out some background info on him, too. Nice work!

Dipstikk 07-12-2005 11:51 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...blureffect.jpg

"Make one more wisecrack about my size, and I'll hurl you into and out the other side of this canyon wall."

Munch's Master 07-13-2005 10:35 AM

Woah, good pciture Dipstikk! Also nice bio, you put a lot of detail in and it really helps you see stuff from Pugsley's point of view.

LoboDiabloLoneWolf 08-05-2005 01:48 PM

Totally Awesome Dude!
 
Wow, Dipstikk dude! This is like so totally awesome!

But seriously though, it's real good, I mean, how lucky can you get, you can write and draw fantastically! I'm so jealous. :D You have to update! I'm going crazy here waiting!

And you should sooooo write more often, you're really talented.

Dipstikk 08-12-2005 10:31 PM

All right, folks! It's the moment you've all been witing for... the big update! Let's just say that a lot of things have kept my attention away from this.

So, without further adu...

adoo-doo...

Chapter six
Outlaw Battle Blitz

Stranger grinned widely. He pulled the parchment from his vest and observed the photo. He then nodded slightly and turned it towards Pugsley.

“…This you?” Stranger growled. His face was turned away, and his expression was as if he already knew the answer.

“I’m innocent, I swear,” Pugsley pleaded.

“Looks like you…” Stranger said, taking the parchment back and glancing at it with the same sure expression.

“You have to believe me! I-I was forced to commit those crimes!” Pugsley stammered.

Stranger sighed loudly, put the parchment away, and stretched his shoulders.

“Yep, can’t say I never heard that one before. You Outlaws always got some pre-planned alibi, don’t ya? ‘Oh, th’ gun just happened t’ be there when it fired.’ ‘Honest to Odd, th’ clerk at th’ bank gave the money away!’ ‘That bomb was set t’ blow up, and I just happened t’ be runnin’ away from th’ blast zone at the time!’ It’s like one big fuckin’ schedulin’ error, ain’t it Tubby?”

Pugsley was getting desperate. “I was being held hostage by an Outlaw gang boss named Bailey Markowitz. I never intended to hurt anyone, and if I could have helped it, I wouldn’t have robbed anyone either!”

“You jis’ don’t stop with th’ ‘ain’t my fault’ crap, do ya?” Stranger rolled his eyes. “Look, personally, I couldn’t give less of a shit why ya robbed the town blind. My job’s t’nab any of yew chunky bastards who’re lucky enough t’get their faces stamped on a wanted poster, not listen t’ yer sappy-assed, whiny sob stories. Yer face is on th’ poster, so yer ass is mine.”

“You don’t even care?” Pugsley’s eyes widened in surprise.

“’Fraid I stopped doin’ that a long time ago.”

Pugsley’s surprised look slowly hardened into a face of determination. “Well, you’re not taking me. I was released not five hours ago from that constricting hellhole, and I’m not giving up my freedom! You won’t capture me so easily.”

“So, yer goin’ with option B? Good, I needed a workout.” Stranger grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~<([V])>~~~~~~~~~~

A troop of fourteen Outlaw minions made their way down to the right side of the canyon, and into the forest. They consisted of seven shooters, five cutters, and two flame-throwers.

“We there yet?” one of the shooters yelled from the back.

“You’ll know when we is!” a cutter yelled to him.

“Shaddup, you’s mugs,” one of the two flamers hissed though the grate in his mask. “Ya wanna screw up our stealth approach? Now, if I was Pugsley, where would I go?”

“The nearest fast food joint,” one of the cutters whispered to a shooter, chuckling and nudging him with his elbow.

“I’m bein’ serious, yew dingbat!” The flamer said.

“What’re we doin’ this for again? I keep forgettin’!” A shooter asked.

The lead flamer groaned and turned back to face the group. “Fer th’ hundredth time, we’s makin’ sure that ol’ Free Willy don’t come back t’ bite our gang in th’ fuckin' ass. We get him before he gets us. Got it?”

The gang nodded at each other, saying “Yeah, that makes sense,” or something of the like.

“Is we there yet?” The same shooter asked.

“No, shaddap!” one of the cutters replied.

The troops made their way into the thick forest, past the outer layer of dead trees and into the thicker layer of lush green trees that grew closer to the canyon wall. They marched on, following the canyon to make sure they were headed in the right direction. Soon, they saw two figures; one was very large, the other was shorter and much thinner, with huge forearms.


~~~~~~~~~~<([V])>~~~~~~~~~~

“So, who’s gonna throw th’ first punch, Tubby? Me, or you?” Stranger stretched his arm up above him.

Then he stopped. He turned to look behind him, and peered deep into the thick brush.

Nothing. He could’ve sworn he heard something move.

Then, an arm poked out from behind a giant plant leaf. Bingo.

“I’m gonna have t’ deal with you in a minute, Tubby,” Stranger growled. “We’ve got company.”

He pulled a sharp looking rock from the dirt and set it on the launcher of his crossbow. He aimed it at the hand and fired.


~~~~~~~~~~<([V])>~~~~~~~~~~

“Stay put,” one of the flamers growled.

“Would you look at the size of that guy’s forearms?! Freakin’ huge!” hissed one cutter to another.

“Yeah, you likes a guy who can hold you, don’t ya?” the other cutter laughed.

“Sh-shut up! That ain’t what I meant, an’ yew know it!”

“Would you two morons kindly shut up?!” The flamer growled. “You wanna give away our position?”

“Hey!” the shooter yelled waving his arm out. “Are…we…there…yet?!”

At that last word, a rock whizzed towards him, sliced through his hand and pinned it to a tree trunk.

“AGH! Son of a bitch!” The shooter screamed.

The Outlaws began to panic. “You see what I mean?! Now we’re screwed!” The flamer yelled.

~~~~~~~~~~<([V])>~~~~~~~~~~

“Attack! Kill Pugsley, don’t let either of ‘em escape alive!” One of the flamers shouted.

Stranger growled and charged towards the crowd, then over them in a single jump. In one fluid movement, he snapped five of the Outlaw's necks in mid-air, three with his hands and two with his boots.

He landed on all fours, skidded around to face the group, and mentally checked his ammo. Fuzzles, Chippunks, and Bolamites, there was nothing he could use that would take them all out fast enough. It seemed brute force was the only option.

He bounded back up to his feet, raising his left fist. A cutter watched in dismay as the one of his comrades next to him was clocked square in the jaw and was sent flying back into a tree. Stranger then turned and slammed his other fist in the still awestricken Outlaw’s gut.

Seven Outlaws down, seven more to go. Stranger knocked one more off the playing field, right into the Cliffside. But as he did, a shooter cocked his gun and fired a bullet right into Stranger’s left arm.

He howled in pain. The bullet had shot right along two muscles, leaving a tear over them.

Pugsley watched in horror as his kin took the chance to swamp the wounded bounty hunter. At that moment, he realized that it didn’t matter that this person wanted to cash in on his freedom. He needed help.

Pugsley roared with rage and charged.

He literally killed two Outlaws just by mowing them over. He grabbed a cutter and tossed him against a tree, goring him on a branch.

There were just the two flamers left. Pugsley mad quick work of him by smashing him against the ground.

The last one turned and faced Pugsley. He began to laugh, his chuckles reverberating off of his iron mask.

“What are you laughing at, Chuckles?” Pugsley squinted inquisitively. “I just killed four of your best men.”

“Yew don’t think we done planned for this?” The flamer took a two-way radio from his belt, and spoke into it. “Let ‘er rip!”

Then came the explosion. A portion of the canyon behind them crumbled and fell, causing a rockslide that blocked off the area where the canyon met the savanna.

Pugsley gaped in shock, then looked back at the flamer.

“Now there ain’t no way you gettin’ back to the hideout,” he said.

“I never wanted to go back!” Pugsley hollered.

The Flamer stared at Pugsley. “Oh...you didn’t?”

“No! Why the hell would I want to go back to a place where people would shoot me on sight?!”

“Um… that’s a good point,” the flamer said. “Well, my job’s done, I’ll just be on my merry--GACK!”

Before the flamer could even move, Stranger grabbed him by the neck with his good arm and crushed his spine.

The Flamer fell to the ground. Stranger got up, uneasily.

“How’s your arm?” Pugsley asked.

Stranger looked at him, bewildered. In all of his years, never has an Outlaw inquired about his well-being. “Er, I recon I’ll be fine. I heal up purdy good, should be fine in about two days. Damn decent of ya t’ stick up fer me like that.”

“Well, it’s no problem,” Pugsley said proudly. “I would do the same for any—WHOA!”

Stranger grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “Don’t do it again. I fight my own battles, so keep yer skinny head out, y’hear?”

Stranger released Pugsley from his grasp. “Well, that’s gratitude for you,” Pugsley said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Stranger walked out of the woods and observed the rockslide.

“So, how will you get back to Birdington?” Pugsley inquired.

“Whaddaya mean ‘me’? You ain’t gonna leave my sight. As long as yer face is on this here paper, your nine-grand ass is mine. You even think of leavin’, an’ I’ll feed you to th’ Odd-damned Fuzzles.”

Pugsley sighed. This guy has a one-track mind.

“Okay. There’s another trail that goes back into town. I was gonna use that one, but Bailey uses some of the caves along the trail as a place to store emergency loot. I didn’t take it because I’m pretty sure it’s still guarded by a few of his minions. We can take that, take care of the Outlaws that are guarding the loot, and you can take me back to Birdington. I might as well face it: there’s no way a guy like me could ever have a decent life of freedom around here unless he’s shooting up a town.”

“Yer just giving yerself up?” Stranger scratched his head.

“Might as well. You said it yourself, if I leave I’m sleg food.”

Stranger looked at him, looking for the slightest hint that the Outlaw was lying. Pugsley didn’t budge. Either he had a really good poker face or he was telling the truth.”

“How far is this trail?” Stranger asked.

“About nine miles down the road,” Pugsley motioned down the path. “We can make it to the base of the trail by nightfall.”

“I’ve got my eye on you, Tubby.” Stranger growled.

“I’ll be on my best behavior, sir.” Pugsley replied snidely.

And with that, the two walked out of the woods and down the main road. It wasn’t going to be a comfortable journey, that part was sure, and only one of them had something to look forward to when they got back to town.

Leto 08-12-2005 10:49 PM

Kudos on yet another great chapt0r.

You display emotion in a very subtle way.

:

“You don’t even care?” Pugsley’s eyes widened in surprise.
That line in particular. I feel more aqcuainted with Pugsley now.

LoboDiabloLoneWolf 08-13-2005 01:29 AM

*Applause*
 
YAY! :cheer: Wow! Well done Dipstikk, the long awaited update indeed and a cracker it is too. Love the drawing as well (when's that happening by the way, can't wait for Stranger to have his butt whupped by Pugsley!) and you write very well, equal parts brutal, serious and amusing.

:

“Yeah, you likes a guy who can hold you, don’t ya?” the other cutter laughed.
Especially thought that was down-right hilarious. :lol: :D

You have to update soon! I want more I tell you, MORE!