In my opinion the series is probably paced quite well. You had conflict in the very first chapter, which is quite a good way of starting a new story. I think the supporting characters work well, especially the more heroic characters.

CHAPTER 9

BLOODY DEEDS

They spent most of the rest of the day in Rowl’s cell, up until supper, when another array of culinary delights was served up. They ate, talked, and had to cut short their planning when the CO’s ordered all inmates back to their cells for the night. The cell doors locked shut once more. Nox sat up late on his hard bunk, thinking, planning ahead for the big bust. It seemed foolish to Nox when he looked at the plans they had from an outsiders point of view, but what the hell else was there to do?

Who cares if I end up dead anyway? Sure Stollin and Wrask would be shocked, Dran wouldn’t even know who I was by then, and Loke probably wouldn’t give a shit. After all, I did try to kill him, inadvertently. What’s waiting for me back at Slig Barracks? Jack shit, that’s what.

You’re here to live out the day to day life, not career! Stuff your career! That went out the window when you survived the ‘D&M’ war!

Don’t listen to him, Nox’y! Go down fightin’ my son! Start a riot! Kill as many CO’s as possible! Leave a fucking mark!! Heh heh…

Eventually, he drifted off, and was awakened by a whistle blow some hours later.

♠♠♠♠♠

“Breakfast, y’all!” A CO shouted from the ground floor. Another whistle blow.

Nox got up off his bunk, to see the cell doors had already been opened, and so he left his cell and joined the slow-moving huddle around the stairway. Eventually reaching the ground floor of the hall, and sitting at a table, waiting for his fellow inmates, and an unappetizing breakfast. First to sit at his table was Rowl.

“How yeh doin’, Nox? Ready for work?” He greeted.

“Yeah – what?” Nox replied.

“Rowl laughed, “That’s right soldier! Work!”

“Why didn’t we do any yesterday?”

“Ah, well when a new prisoner enters the prison, the place is put on hold the day after, while that lot down there,” He indicated down the corridor Nox had entered the prison facility through when he first arrived, “Sronti, the glukkon boss, and his fellow CO captain of the guards, Rolin, sort out your paperwork. Its only a small prison compared to others. You remember Rolin from yesterday don’t ya’? Nearly caught us planning to escape?”

“Oh yeah. So today’s work as usual?” Nox asked.

“Yup. But it should be easy for you, seeing as you’re a soldier an’ all.”

A mudokon gave Nox and Rowl a tray of breakfast mush each, and returned to the trolley to deliver yet more trays to hungry inmates.

Same shit as the day before.

Glon appeared next to Rowl, and carefully placed his tray on the table whilst sitting down.

“Mornin'.” He muttered.

Rowl started to laugh at the grimace of face-tentacles on Glon’s face.

“What you laughin’ at?” He muttered again.

“I told yeh that shit was strong stuff! He makes it in one of the broken boilers here, sells it to the guards.”

“What stuff?” Nox asked.

“I got Glon here some liquor, that an associate of my associate makes an’ sells to people. Glon gave me two packs of fags to give him! I couldn’t even keep some for myself! I’ve been gaggin’ for one for ages!”

“The hung over Glon rubbed his head and began slowly eating breakfast, “Today of all days for work.” He mumbled.

“Serves ya’ right for not givin’ me a smoke!”

“There bad for yeh health, I was doin’ yeh a favour!” Glon patronized, jokingly.

Billy slammed his tray down onto the table next to Nox, and without saying a word,began wolfing down the mush.

“One day you’ll choke.” Rowl commented. Billy wasn’t listening.

“What work do ya’ do?” Nox questioned, spooning some mush into his mouth.

“Oh you know, not hardcore stuff, just washing laundry, cleaning sheets, sometimes cleaning out the stove the kitchen staff use for cooking. But if you step outta’ line, or a CO takes a particular disliking to yeh, you’ll end up in the chain gang, doin’ nothin’ more than mining useless rock in this mine they got out there. I wasw put there for a week once, ‘cu I cussed a CO. hardest week o’ my life! I can tell yeh that! Just do as they say and don’t get sent down there. Billy was down there for three years! That’s why he’s so…well, big! But he wont say what he did to deserve it.”

“That reminds me,” Glon said, “What did yeh do to end up here?” He aimed at Nox.

“Oh…well I got murder dumped on me.”

“Murder?!” Rowl exclaimed, spitting mush out.

“No, he said it got dumped on ‘im, you know, when they cant be arsed to investigate a crime and bin the sentence on the next criminal they find.” Glon said in a ‘matter-of-fact’ tone.

“Well why the short sentence, Nox?” Rowl asked.

“Well, the judge said there wasn’t enough evidence that said I did it, so I got three months,” Nox didn’t want to mention the fact that he was quite possibly insane, “What did you do anyway, Rowl?”

“Me? Argh, you know, stole this, that, and the other. Then got caught with it in me hands. Three years.”

“Before yeh ask,” Began Glon, “Attempted murder. I was working security by Rupture Farms stockyards actually,” He added, as if old memories had come flooding back, “Yeah, superior officer being a moron, and for trying to kill ‘im I got five years. Don’t bother askin’ Billy. He don’t tell no one. Don’t even know how long he’s got left.”

After breakfast, all the inmates were told to stand in lines in the yard, and were sorted into different working groups for the week. Nox and a few others were set to laundry washing, whilst Glon and Rowl, among others, were set to cleaning out the thick charcoal that had set at the back of the prison stoves, unluckily. Billy and some others were set to ironing sheets.

They were immediately sent to their working positions, and Nox’s group for laundry washing was marched back through the hall and down the other corridor, led by a couple of CO’s, taking the first door on the left. Seven massive vats, more wide than they were tall, were situated in the laundry area, filled with boiling water and industrial strength washing powder, ladders attatched to the sides leading up to a thin walkway around the brim of the vat. They were given a long, thin wooden pole each, and the others began climbing the ladders to the tops of the vats. Nox followed suit.

When Nox reached the top of one of the vats, he saw the other inmates begin poking and swirling around the laundry in the vats, washing them. It didn’t take Nox long to get to grips with it.

Nox worked up until dinner, where he ate alone, seeing as his friends had had dinner early. Nox understood how Glon must have felt constantly, and found it hard not to act paranoid with all the whispering going on around him…at least he thought there was whispering.

Your going loopy Nox! Heh heh, loopy loo Nox’y noo!!

Nox noticed a folded newspaper lying on an unoccupied table next to his, and leant over to pick it up. He scanned the front page of ‘The Daily Deception’ to see that it was a couple of days old, the front page heading; RUPTURE FARMS ALMOST OUT OF BUSINESS! ANIMALS NEARING EXTINCTION! Nox, not caring what was going on in the outside world, simply placed the paper down, and waited.

Soon, dinner was over, and they were led back into the laundry room, to wash yet more bed sheets and pillowcases in vats of boiling water. Then, something terrible happened.

A fight broke out in the laundry room. Nox didn’t know if it was the intense heat of the room, the boredom of the job, or an old grudge, but it happened. Only this time, someone ended up dead.

Nox had been swirling a particularly dirty sheet around in the hot water with his pole, from a distance, when he heard a mudokon shout from the ground floor. He looked down from the top of the vat to see two mudokons circling each other, one with a homemade shiv in his hand, the other had nothing but his fists.

The armed mudokon lunged at the other mud, shiv first, who dodged it and counteracted with a powerful-looking right hook into the other mud’s nose, popping it with a cry. Blood drizzled from his nostrils, and the armed mud slashed in criss-cross style whilst advancing towards his enemy.

By now, a small crowd of mudokon and slig inmates had gathered around the two scrapping mudokons. No one offering help. Only goading, half-chanting ‘Fight! Fight!’.

The unarmed mud backed away from each slash, and dropped to the floor rather athletically, better than any slig could perform, and kicked the mud’s legs hard, forcing him to fall to the ground with a thud. Seizing his chance, the unarmed mudokon crouched over the downed mud, and repeatedly punched him in his bloodied face, grunting with effort, the other mudokon yelping with each blow.

The beaten mudokon gained enough sense during his battering to plunge his sharpened shiv deep into the soft flesh of the attacking mudokon’s belly. Hot blood covered the downed mud, and the other rolled sideways off of him, clutching his stomach, moaning; the homemade shiv still sticking out of his body. The crowd backed away from him, emitting a low gasp at the bloody sight. A pool of blood had already gathered around the stabbed mudokon when the CO’s arrived.

Nox was wrong to think they would bring peace to the situation, and he watched in numb horror as the CO captain, Rolin, pulled out his pistol, pulled back the loading mechanism, put it to the top of the injured mudokon’s head, and pulled the trigger. A sharp bang.

The bullet burrowed its way through the skull of the mud, passed smoothly through the goo of its brain, and burst out the other side, near his neck, with an explosion of splintered bone and bloodied mush that was moments previously a perfectly formed brain. The bullet then hid itself deep in the concrete floor, as it attempting to evade justice for what it had done. The mudokon fell onto its side, and twitched for a few seconds as the crowd of inmates took in the gruesome sight.

Nox had seen sights similar to this during the ‘D&M’ war, and so was hardened by it, allowing himself to think rationally as the others bathed in the silence of post murder. Thing is, his mind was blank.

The CO captain, Rolin, spoke.

“I want you lot to get back to work. He was no good…beyond saving.” He shouted almost robitcally, as if practiced by repitition, “And I don’t want to hear anything more about it. Anyone thinking of revenge, or simply breaking the boredom, I will personally shoot down and fucking torture! You hear me!” He sputtered, then clearing his throat, gaining self control with a small silence. He put his smoking pistol back in its holster, and bent down to pull the blood-stained shiv from the stomach of the mudokon. “Right…you two,” He pointed it at two of the CO’s, “Get this lump of shit outta’ my sight.”

“We’ll get the mudokon staff to –”

“NOW!!”

“Yes sir!”

The two did as they were told in fear of receiving a severs beating, one picking up the feet, the other, the arms. The dead meat was carried out of sight, and Rolin characteristically took one last look at the vats, and followed them out, eyeing the shiv he was holding. The small crowd slowly dispersed, along with the beaten mudokon, and by the time the mudokon staff had arrived at the scene to clean up the pool of blood, all the inmates were working as usual, as if nothing had happened. Nox was in slight shock, but not at the scene he had just witnessed, it was at the heartless reaction of the inmates.

No time for fucking sorrow!! Get a grip!

Nox hadn’t moved from the top of the vat, and he had had a birds-eye view of the whole fight…or murder. And so, he carried on washing the sheets, after all, clean sheets were more important than dead bodies in this place.

Nox worked until supper time, where he was the last in the laundry room; he hadn’t realized it was supper before he noticed he was the only one still working on the vats. The others had all already climbed down and began filing out the door. He must of missed the whistle; it was quite noisy in the laundry room.

Nox made his way down the tall ladder, and by the time he’d reached the ground, he was the only inhabitant of the room. Then…he heard a noise…it came from behind him…

Nox, half expecting a group of slig or mudokon inmates to be standing behind him, slowly turned around. What he saw took his breath away.

-----
things start to get interesting after this chapter.
which characters do you find heroic, AlexFili? oh, and by the way, thanks for reading.

No problem, I love reading this story. The prison section is really interesting.
I find Nox to be quite a good character, although he is plagued with the voices in his head. Does he ever get that sorted out at all? Or is it a permanent thing?

Nox's squad commander and Nox's new prison-mates seem to be the most heroic characters. However, I see you have given each character some specific flaws... which is great :D The corruption is interesting as well, can't wait to see what happens next.

CHAPTER 10

UNEXPECTED ANOMALIES

Nox stood before a mudokon child. Its small, fragile form was much in contrast to Nox’s, and it wore inmate clothing that had been cut at the sleeves and legs to help fit it. These clothes had obviously been given to it.

“How in the name of fucking Oddworld?!” Nox simply exclaimed.

“Where’s uncle Frally?” It whimpered, clearly frightened by Nox. It couldn’t of been older than five years.

“Oh shit…shit, shit, shit!” Nox bumbled, pacing back and forth before the mudokon child. He looked at it again.

“Have you seen uncle Frally?” It asked.

“Shit!”

Nox suddenly realized. ‘Uncle Frally’ must have been the mudokon that Nox had witnessed get shivved, and then shot. It would explain the fight as well, if you were to take the viewpoint of a mudokon defending a child; then the fight becomes a desperate struggle to keep something secret, or protected.

Nox looked at the child, and spoke to it. The words seemed to leave his mouth too easily, as if someone else was controlling him.

“Don’t worry kid. I’ll take care of yeh. Uncle Frally’s gopne away for a while. I’ll be looking after you.”

How, in the name of sweet odd, did he keep this thing secret?!

The mudokon child slowly advanced towards Nox, and he backed away at first, but then realized he was frightened of a child…frightened of being loved.

Hurt always happens when your loved.

The mudokon child eventually reached Nox, and it hugged one of his robotic legs, sniveling.

“When will he be back?”

“Not for a long time.” Nox replied coldly, then realizing it was only a child. “But I’ll be here for you, don’t you worry.” He comforted, stroking the kid’s head.

What the fuck are you doing?! You cant keep this hidden!! It’ll be dead in a week!!

FUCK OFF!! No it will NOT!

The next thing Nox had to think about was how the hell he was going to keep this a secret. And it would seem, escaping, would either be the most important thing to do right now, or the least important thing to do. Nox didn’t know which one, bu he was leaning towards keeping the child safe and secure, and not putting it through any peril, but was it worth while to put it through life-threatening danger in order to keep it safe?

Nox’s mind was a mess, more so than usual. He needed time, and that was just the thing he didn’t have.

-----
big surprise!
what do you think? things may take an interesting turn now.

I love this story. Can you tell me what were your influences when writing this story? What kind of prison media have you been exposed to?

i'm glad you like it.
the films that inspired me, the ones i can remember anyway, were Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile, Cool Hand Luke, Papillion, and the fan fic Fragments written by Danny Rettick.
also Saving Private Ryan, helped me with conflict, and the film Enemy Minehelped me with relations between two different species.
all of them, good films in my opinion.

CHAPTER 11

HEROES ARE BORN WHERE SINNERS ARE PLENTIFUL

Nox heard the robotic footfalls of slig CO’s, and had to think fast.

“Fuck!” Nox swore, grabbing the mudokon child and placing it in a trolley full of sheets.

The child looked confused.

“What are you doing, mister?”

Nox felt an urge to tell the kid his name.

Now ‘aint the time for talkin’!

“Call me uncle Nox.”

“Ok!” The child replied happily.

“Now stay here ‘till I say so, ok?”

“Is this a game?”

“No – yes, oh just stay still! Its important!” And before the mudokon child could answer, Nox dumped a bundle of soft sheets onto it, obscuring it from wary eyes.

Nox turned around just in time to see the two slig CO’s enter, asking suspiciously;

“Why are you still here?!”

“Oh, sorry, I was just finishing a rag. It was filthy!” Nox deceived.

“Whatever, just get the hell out before I decide to beat yeh! I gotta’ lock up!”

You could ‘ave that scrawny shit!

“Yes sir, sorry sir.”

Nox walked out, past the CO’s, and into the corridor where he proceeded to enter the hall, and grab a tray of supper off one of the kitchen staff at their feed trolley. Nox soon found his pals and sat with them.

“How’d it go?” Rowl asked, spoon in hand.

“Oh, well. Yeah, alright actually.” Nox replied, the kid hiding in the laundry basket and getting locked in, still fresh in mind.

“What’s up? You look like yer miles away?” Glon tested.

“There was a fight in the laundry room -”

“Oh again!” Rowl interrupted, “Their always bloody fightin’ in there! Must be the heat.”

“Nox here has been in the ‘D&M’ war, it couldn’t of been just a fight that’s makin’ him look so…odd.” Glon corrected Rowl.

“Was there blood?” Billy asked, minced fllech dripping from his half open mouth.

“Yeah…yeah, there was blood. Quite a bit.”

Billy resumed his eating.

“And?” Rowl said ignorantly, “That couldn’t of been it?! There’s nearly a fight everyday here, and your lucky if yeh see one die!”

“Lucky? Lucky?! These are lives we’re talkin’ about! Not programmes on telly! ‘Lucky if yeh see one die’, what planet are you on?!” Glon scolded.

“Alright! Calm down old slig!” Rowl snapped. Glon gave a disapproving look.

“No. It weren’t the fight.” Nox said solemnly.

“Then what was it?” Rowl asked yet again, patience growing limited.

“Look, I’m just having a funny day is all. Nothing of interest to report, captain.” Nox joked, trying to throw Rowl off the scent. Glon knew something had happened, but could never have guessed.

They ate in silence, and bid farewell to each other when supper was over, and time in their cells had drawn close. The cell doors locked shut again, and the lights went out, leaving hazy silhouettes. Nox pondered what the kid might be doing right now. Playing around with tools in there, wheeling the trolley around. He laughed at first, then concern dawned upon him. He was going to make sure he was first in there tomorrow, and just hope the kid was still in the laundry basket.

“Hope…huh, enough to keep any fool occupied.” He muttered to himself. He fell asleep shortly after.

♠♠♠♠♠

a whistle blow…

…

“Breakfast…people…”

…

…Wake up Nox…

…

…Get the hell up!…

…

…Heh heh, WAKEY WAKEY!!

Nox awoke with a start.

“Whoa!” He yelled.

…Bad dreams…

Realizing his task, he immediately left his opened cell, and ran down the stairs, beating the crowd. Luckily, not many people where in the hall, eating, and there were no CO’s to be seen. He just hoped the door to the laundry room was unlocked.

He reached it and gave the handle a turn.

Open.

“Yes!” Nox said under his excited breath, knowing he’d done something right for once.

The room looked the same as when he’d left it the day before. He made his way to the laundry trolley, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Come on…be here…be here…” Nox mumbled whilst searching through the sheets.

He touched something hard.

Is it?

He lifted a big pile of sheets from the basket and flung them onto the floor. There it was, curled up and fast asleep, the baggy inmate clothing camouflaged it quite well. But Nox knew the kid couldn’t stay in here, who knows where it would end up. Probably in some thug’s cell when the sheets were being given out. He couldn’t let that happen.

He paused for a moment, a very risky moment, so as to look at its sleeping form. So innocent, so guiltless, nothing to worry about…strangely enough, it reminded him of himself before the ‘D&M’ war. Well, he wasn’t going to let something terrible stain the soul of this innocent creature.

But where?! Where the fuck do I hide you?

“Uncle Nox?” The kid had woken up, and was rubbing its eyes.

“Do you know any hidin’ places kiddo?” Nox asked lightly.

“…Yes, why? Can I stay with you this time? I’m hungry.”

Oh shit!

As strange as it may seem, Nox had forgotten that the thing had to eat.

“Stay here.” Nox said, running out of the laundry room, ensuring the door closed behind him, and into the hall. Not many inmates were around, but three CO’s stood by the food trolley, taling. Fortunately, they had their backs to Nox.

He approached the trolley, and took a tray off of one of the mudokons as he heard the sligs talk.

“Well, there’s no point installing a new fire system without the electronics getting fixed first.”

“No no no, the system would sort out the electronics, easily!”

“Oh remember when that slurg crawled into the circuiot box and short circuited the whole lot? Yeah, we nearly had all the inmates runnin’ loose!”

“Yeah, but I’ve seen worse. Let me tell yeh, scrabs and circuit boards do not mix. Had a bad bout of paramites covering ‘em in that sticky shit at Rupture Farms too, last I heard…”

Nox had already made his way back into the laundry room again, and gave the mudokon kid the tin bowl of processed fleech, along with the spoon, leaving the tray on a table in the hall. The kid needed it more than he did. Now Nox had to think.

Where the hell do I hide this kid?

Nox noticed something around the back of the third vat. He investigated to find that it was a small hole in the plaster of the wall, revealing a hollow between the wood and bricks of the wall, but it wasn’t big enough for the kid. Nox used his initiative and pulled the edge of the small hole, tearing the plaster away to reveal a bigger hole.

Yes! That’s right my son!!

Fuck me, if you spent as much time on you as you are already on this kid, you wouldn’t even be here! Huh…

“Kid,” Nox whispered, returning to the trolley, knowing someone could walk through the door at any moment, “Come ‘ere.” He said, lifting the child out of the basket and taking it towards the hole.

Putting it amongst the shit and ratz, shame on you!

“You’ll have to stay here, until I find somewhere better. You now not to go out when I’m not around don’t yeh?”

“Yeah. Thanks Nox.”

“Whats your name anyway?”

“Lage.”

He noticed the kid had finished the tin bowl of mush, and still held the bowl and spoon in its hands.

“Let me get rid of them.” Nox said calmly, taking them and dumping them on the ground.

BANG

“What you doin’ in here?”

“Nox stood up swiftly, and turned towards the CO. he already had his baton drawn.

“Just some sheets been dumped here. I tell yeh, no matter how clean yeh get ‘em, they just get dumped on the floor anyway!” Nox faked whilst putting the sheets he’d thrown out earlier back into the trolley.

“You may as well stay in here, the others are comin’ now.” The CO spoke kindly, much in contrast with his officer friends.

He then put his baton back onto his belt, and begun whistling as he exited. Nox exhaled deeply.

That was too fuckin’ close!

That’s what I’m talkin’ about!!

♠♠♠♠♠

After one month of sneaking food into the laundry area, and keeping it hidden and safe, Nox developed a bond. One particular supper time, Nox was sitting behind a laundry trolley, hiding himself from the view of a potential CO looking in from the doorway, and the child was stretching its legs from out of the hollow wall. It seemed cruel to keep it hidden in there, but it was either that or the unbearable suffering of being captured, by inmates or CO’s.

Nox would rather die than let them capture this child.

“You know uncle Frally?” The small child asked Nox.

“Yeah.” Nox lied.

“Has he gone on holiday?”

“Yeah…you could say that. Why? Is it bad being with me?” Nox asked, actually feeling slightly hurt.

“No!” The kid answered, “I like being with you.”

Nox’s mood immediately lifted, “Thanks kid.” And he patted its head.

“Nox?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you look different to Frally?”

How the hell do I answer that?

“Because…” Nox began, “Err…I come from somewhere different.”

“So…did I come from where Frally came from?” Lage asked, looking slightly confused, now picking its fingernails.

“Yeah. Don’t you ask me where that is!” Nox teased, Lage laughed.

The kid made Nox feel settled, and he noticed that the voice had quietened down whilst he spoke to it.

I’m still here, Nox…

-----
there you go. dont worry, Nox aint going soft.

I don't think I've read Fragments yet, I'll try and give it a look when I have some spare time.

A bit of bad news.
Due to a few internet 'complications', I'll have to put this on hold for about 3 weeks, if all goes according to plan, until I've got the crap sorted, sorry!
I've already written the whole thing up, its just the fact i cant transfer large pieces of text like chapters, only small pieces.
You have no idea how much this is frustrating me, cus i'm dying to post the rest of this story.
PLEASE dont lose interest, i only post if people still read.
Cheers AlexFili, ya kept me postin ;-)
WAAAARGH!

Could you not get someone to post the chapters on behalf of you?
If not, then we'll just wait :D

this is quite an active chapter, so i hope you like.

CHAPTER 12

IN HELL

Nox spent many a suppertime with the kid, Lage, and grew quite attached to it. The secret remained secret, even to his fellow inmates, but one thing was affected. Nox had decided to serve his time, and forget the escape; it was safer for the kid. This meant that he had to try and dissuade the others from it, or simply opt out. They didn’t take this kindly, when Nox told them at breakfast, the next day.

“What do yeh mean ‘not gonna’ bother’?!” Glon questioned aggressively.

“I thought we were gonna’ be an odd damn team!” Rowl joined, equally as aggressively, whilst Billy sat sulking.

“Look, you gotta’ see it from my point of view, I’ve only got two more months on my sentence, and I don’t wanna’ throw that up the spout! Come on lads, I can opt out cant I?”

“Yeah, I spose.” Glon answered, looking around himself, paranoid.

“No! No fuck that! Fuck this!” Rowl shouted, standing up, much to Glon’s panic.

“Sit down!” Glon said aggravated.

“Shut up! Shut up!” Billy added, clutching at his ears, trying to block out the arguing.

“I’ve got another fucking three years on my sentence!” Rowl yelled, flipping the table over, covering nearby inmates in mush with shouts of un-appreciation.

A gang of mudokon inmates noticed the disturbance, and wanting to see who the superior gang was, made their way towards them. Nox noticed them, readying himself, whilst trying to calm down Rowl.

“COME ON FUCKERS!! COME ON CO’S!! ARREST ME BOYS!!” Rowl bellowed up towards CO’s on the third floor. They began running down the staris towards them.

Glon stood and shouted; “Careful fella’s.” Pointing at the fast approaching gang of five mudokon inmates.

“You think your hard fuckers!” One of the mudokons shouted, within fist range, Nox having to duck from a swing.

A riot broke out. Everyone fighting for their own gangs.

Nox quickly winded his assailant with a punch to his stomach, making him double over, then knocking him out with a strong uppercut to his chin. Rowl hit one of the mudokons hard in the teeth, making Rowl wince, peeling skin from his knuckles, but making the mud swallow a few teeth first. Then he was hit in the face-tentacles, and fell to the floor. Glon, although old for a slig, still gave ‘em some, and kicked the mud standing over Rowl in the stomach with one of his robotic legs. The mudokon emitted a cry, but grabbed Glon by the throat in desperation, beginning to strangle him.

Billy saw this and shouted, “Get off Glon! Nasties!!”

He punched one mudokon unfortunately standing in front of his massive frame with his meaty arm, knocking him out instantly, possibly permanently. He strived to reach Glon, who was being strangled and brought down to his knees by now, but a slig from another gang got in his way. His reaction; he picked up the slig inmate with both arms, and with a roar, slammed him down onto the marble floor. There was a sickening crunch, and the slig fell limp instantly, head twisted around the wrong way.

Nox was having his own difficulties, and was currently fighting two mudokon gang members. They circled him, both armed with shivs.

We’re gonna’ need some fucking dire skill here!! Remember yer close combat training!

The mud to Nox’s left leapt at him, but Nox steadied himself, deflecting his shiv-wielding arm with his forearm and grabbing his other arm, twisting it in its socket as the mudokon screamed in pain, Nox suffering no stab wounds. He quickly spun around and ducked the other mud’s swipe with his shiv, snatching the downed mud’s blade. Moving slowly towards the mudokon, he gave a false slash, making the mudokon dodge it, but fall into Nox’s trap; he stabbed the mud in the shoulder and left it there as he wailed in pain. He pulled it out of himself in a hardy manner, and wielded both weapons.

Shit!!

Nox grabbed a wooden chair, and flung it with all his might at the well armed mudokon. It smashed off the mud’s head, and fell broken to the floor, along with the now dead mudokon, blood spreading from the indent in his head.

Nox looked around at the chaos of the hall, inmates fighting inmates, no CO’s in sight.

Rowl had already gotten up off the floor, and lunged at the mudokon strangling Glon, making him let go of him. With Rowl still hanging from his back, they fell backwords through a nearby table, smashing it in half, winding Rowl temporarily, but he didn’t slacken his grip. Glon picked up a broken off chair leg, and hit the same mud in the face with a crack, killing him. Rowl wriggled his way out from under the bloodied mudokon, readying himself for more fighting.

Billy picked up half the broken table, wielding it savagely, swinging it too and fro, giving no mercy to those who tried to oppose him.

The CO’s finally arrived, pouring off the stairs like a swarm of rough justice, the inmates then uniting with each other and fighting against the true source of their misery. It was a sight to behold, mudokons fighting alongside sligs, all battling the same ‘enemy’; the CO’s, who had been told to avoid fatalities. After all, the prisoners were their business, without them, there would be no prison.

The alarms began to whine, making even more adrenaline pump through Nox’s veins, and he thought one thing.

Lage!

He began to run towards the laundry area.

“Where ya’ goin’?!” Rowl shouted to him, his face-tentacles split and bleeding.

“Come with me, you lot!” Nox yelled back, knowing time was not his friend at this particular moment, and they needed to get out of the hall before the fighting got too heavy.

They abided, Billy still armed with half a table.

Nox led them into the laundry area, and ran up to the hole where the kid was hiding.

“Whats all that noise?” It asked, feeling afraid.

Nox’s pals grouped behind him, and took in the rare sight. Nox wondered if he’d done the right thing.

“How in the name of fucking…!” Was Glon’s only reaction.

“Who are these uncle Nox?” Lage asked.

“Uncle Nox?! Uncle Nox?!” Rowl repeated, almost dumbfounded.

“Not really.” Nox answered quietly so Lage wouldn’t hear.

Then Billy, again, said something very moral.

“We’re here to protect yeh, little one.”

Glon, Nox and Rowl all looked at him, holding his half-table like a shield, suddenly looking very chivalric. They all consciously agreed without saying a word, as the child come out and hugged Billy’s legs.

Nox felt strangely jealous.

“Come on,” He said, leading the mudokon child back to the hole, “You gotta’ stay here while we…just stay here. No peeking!”

“Now I understand.” Rowl said solemnly, and nodded in Nox’s direction.

“I think they’re coming.” Glon said.

In reaction to this, Nox pushed a trolley of sheets next to the hole in the wall, hiding Lage.

Glon was right.

A group of seven slig inmates ran I from the corridor, and stopped suddenly at the sight of them, especially Billy’s hulking build.

“End o’ the line, kiddo’s!” Glon barked, still brandishing his bloodstained chair leg, and currently pattinf it in one hand.

“There’s more of us than you! Get the fuck out!”

during this exchange of words, Nox glanced towards the hole next to him, and saw Lage peeking at him through a hole. Nox gestured with his hand not to look.

“We ‘aint goin’ sonny.” Rowl said, looking quite threatening with his battle wounds.

KILL THEM MOTHER FUCKERS!

They ran towards them, and the scrap began.

Nox received a hard punch into the side of his face. He saw stars, but shook ‘em off and counteracted with a nice roundhouse swing, striking the same slig in the visor, cracking it and causing the slig to fall over, blind, but almost breaking Nox’s knuckles. Taking the eye-watering pain, he turned, bringing his close combat skills to the fore, and strategically elbowed another slig in the face, causing it to fall, meeting Nox’s metal kneecap harshly.

Rowl socked one in the chest with a thud, but was punched in the stomach in return, lifting him from the floor and putting him down into a heap, moaning. Glon saw this and proceeded to take two sligs on at the same time in order to protect Rowl’s downed form. Swinging the wooden chair leg wildly, striking one of them on the top of the head, causing him to fall limp, presumably dead. He took a punch to the face, then another, and another, struggling to stay conscious with each blow.

Billy grabbed one slig by the shoulder and punched it in the face with his right fist, breaking its neck. Then swiping another two sligs with his half-table, knocking them out immediately, splattering blood onto Billy’s ‘shield’. He then noticed Glon’s predicament, and instantly intervened, smashing his half-table directly onto the top of the slig, narrowly missing Glon’s defeated self, currently on his knees, face bloody and dazed. The slig was literally crushed under the weight and strength of the ‘shield’.

Nox looked about himself, taking in the view, ignoring the moans of the sligs that were still alive and conscious.

“Fuck.” Rowl said, getting himself up with a wince, clutching his stomach.

“I tell yeh, that’ll bruise in the mornin’!” Nox said from experience, panting.

“You alright Glon?” Billy asked, dropping his half-table and helping him to his feet.

“Yeah son…I’m…ok…I think.” Glon replied.

“You wanna’ take it easy old slig!” Rowl began, bent over and panting, hands on his knees, “I had ‘em covered.”

“Oh!” Glon started, also out of breath, “And when were you gonna’ get up and defend yourself while lying on the floor?! Eh!”

“I think the words he’s lookin’ for are ‘thank you’.” Nox noted Glon.

“Yeah, I spose. Thanks Glon.” Rowl admitted, his pride dented.

“Ha ha, saved by an old slig? Heh heh heh!” Glon taunted.

The alarms stopped, and there was an eerie silence, apart from the fighting going on in the hall. There was a crackle of static from the speakers, and a glukkon voice spoke over the intercom, Sronti.

“Open fire.”

That’s when Nox and his group heard shots being fired, and shouts from the hall.

“Sweet odd! There fuckin’ shootin’ ‘em!!” Glon yelled.

“What do we do?” Rowl asked desperately, Billy sensing something was wrong, but not quite sure what was going on.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do.” Nox replied grimly.

He just thanked his lucky stars they were out of the hall.

-----
i love writing fight scenes!

That's good, because I like reading them :D

geez I have to catch up on this story xD but as far as I have read it it's just sheer awesomeness!!! :D

oh excellent! another reader!

i know its a bit long, and seems to be a bit daunting at first, but i hope you carry on reading it like AlexFili has done.

cheers! :)

hey of course! I started reading this eons ago, I would even do some fanart for it, but I'm too busy right now ...nyah but someday I just have to do some fanart for this :D xD

that would be great! puts faces to the names.

anyway, i may aswell post the next chapter while i'm here.

CHAPTER 13

UNLUCKY NUMBER

The riot didn’t last long, all in all, and prisoners that weren’t shot dead, were sent back to their cells. Nox and the group were shown no sympathy for their wounds, as with others, and were simply locked in their cells, Nox thinking about the kid, and if it saw any of the fighting. He knew what it was like to witness violence at an early age; it wasn’t nice.

The fragile relationship that had formed between slig inmates and mudokon inmates during the riot was smashed when the CO’s opened fire, and ultimately ended up back to square one. Quite possibly never forming again.

Nox and his friends never spoke of the child or the escape again. Nox wasn’t sure why, but he continued to look after the mudokon, ducking and diving CO’s and inmates in the laundry room. Nox had been kept on laundry since the day he first started work there, and didn’t know why. Nut one afternoon, two months into his sentence, during dinner, when Nox was feeding the kid and generally keeping it occupied, two CO’s entered the room and he found out just why. Luckily, they didn’t see the hole in the wall and what it contained.

“You sure like washing sheets don’t ya’!” One CO taunted, both walking towards him from behind.

Nox said under his breath, “Don’t look, kid.” And turned to face them, noticing their batons were out and ready.

Then Nox realized who one of them was; the CO that had threatened Nox in his cell on his first day. This was going to hurt.

“What’s wrong? Heh heh, don’t ya’ remember me?” The CO spoke, the other patting his baton threateningly.

“Yeah. I remember.” Nox spoke wearily, knowing he was about to receive a thorough beating.

“You know why we’re here then?” The other CO said.

“I can only assume.” Nox said back to him, moving out of Lage’s line of sight so the child wouldn’t see what happened.

They both reached Nox in what seemed an eternity traversing the room towards him. And by the time they reached Nox, savouring every moment, her had butterflies in his stomach, tensing for the pain.

One whack of a truncheon onto his shoulder, almost breaking his coller bone. Nox fell to his knees, not bothering to resist, just taking every last ounce of nerve-shredding pain.

The other CO had his turn, and beat Nox once into his chest with a grunt, making Nox’s breathing staggered, badly winded for a few moments.

“Fuckin’ fight me! Fight me!!” One of them shouted. Nox didn’t know which one, he just concentrated on Lage in his mind. It helped block the pain.

“You stupid fucking moron!! What are ya’?! A coward or somethin’?!”

Baton to the face-tentacles, and bone-splintering pain, again.

Fight ‘em fucker! NOW!!

No…

A frustrated fist to the side of Nox’s head. Stars, and then concrete floor. He’d been knocked out.

The deliverance of pain set by harsh words on Nox’s first day of prison life had been emitted, now Nox had less to worry about. Lage was the only thing that seemed to matter anymore.

He dreamt of woodlands as far as the eye could see, and Lage growing up there, happy with other mudokons. But he knew he would never be able to watch the kid grow up in that environment. He would never be accepted, but it mattered to the kid, and that’s all Nox needed to fuel his determination to keep it safe and secure, have a decent childhood, and grow up in a typical mudokon area, like woodlands or small villages, not factories, businesses and prisons.

Such is prison life.

-----
bit of a short one. hope you both like it.

I hope Nox meets his old mates in the barracks again :p

CHAPTER 14

PACKING

Eventually, Nox served his due, and the time came to pack up and leave. It hadn’t come a day too soon, and Nox had avoided being sent to the chain gang. He said his farewells to his pals, and wished them all the best in the rest of their sentences.

“Your last day today?” Glon asked at dinner.

“Yep. They said I’m goin’ in about half an hour.” Nox replied.

“Really?” Rowl said, surprised. “I never even thought about yeh leaving…its all gone so fast!”

“Don’t start crying on me now!” Nox joked, attempting to lift his mood.

“Hey Billy! What yeh doin’?” Glon questioned, turning to his side to face Billy.

He had his head bowed and was sniveling something. Glon leaned in closer to him.

“What did yeh say buddy?” He asked soothingly, then repeating his words. “He said he’s gonna’ miss yeh.” He informed Nox.

“I ‘aint done shit here, Billy. What you gonna’ miss?” Nox asked, confused by Billy’s actions.

“Company.” Glon translated.

“Don’t worry about me, Billy!” Nox attempted to comfort.

“Yeah,” Rowl started, “Nothings changing for you! Everythings still the same! You got me and Glon still! Eh?”

“I spose your right.” Billy said, lifting his head slightly and rubbing his eyes.

It was the first time he’d seen Billy at the brink of tears.

Nox shook Glon, Rowl and Billy’s hands, and made his way to his cell on the second floor, where a cloth sack had been dumped on his bunk to put his accumulated belongings in. at this point he realized he had not experienced the joy of sharing a cell, and removed his prisoner shirt. It was one thing he was glad about. As for the cloth sack? He knew exactly what to do…

He was frog marched once again to the train station, and boarded the train with wary looks from the same driver as last time, still wearing his pinstriped flat cap. The slogans on the walls; exactly the same. The life of prison inmates; unchanged and still violent. The immoral way of CO’s; un-defied.

I’ve not changed a fucking thing here…jack shit…

There goes the best days of your life, eh Nox’y! Fightin’, brawlin’, fucking MURDERIN’!!

No one bothered checking his things, and Nox managed to smuggle something on board.

The shutter doors rattled shut, and on flickered the light.

The cloth sack convulsed, and out crawled the mudokon child.

“We’ve done it, little one…we’ve done it…”

Nox knew where he would hide the kid at Slig Barracks too. There was an old, derelict warehouse not far from Nox’s bunker. The kid could stay there until he managed to get the mud into the forests with some native mudokons. It was going to be easier, Nox thought, than it was in prison.

“Where are we going again?” The kid asked.

“Somewhere better than here. You’ll have more space and can wonder about. Just don’t leave the place though, not without me.”

“How big is it?” The mudokon child quizzed, then giving a length of arm as a measurement. “This big?”

“Whoa no! Bigger than that!”

The child outstretched its arms to maximum, and said, straining, “This big?!”

“Even bigger than that!”

“Even bigger than that?!” Lage said, dropping its arms to its sides.

“Yup.”

Time passed, and the child eventually fell asleep, leaving Nox alone with his thoughts for the remainder of the journey. Not the best company.

The train finally reached a smoking stop, and the shutter doors rattled open, startling Nox and waking the child.

“Quick! In yeh go!” Nox said to Lage, opening the sack for it to crawl into, than standing and swinging it onto his shoulder.

He walked out onto the platform to see the train driver once again. This time he said nothing, seemingly learning his lesson from last time. Nox noticed a golden plaque screwed into the brick wall of the station with ‘Slig Barracks’ engraved onto it, amongst posters of different military scenes, one depicting group of sligs in a trench having a fierce fire-fight with a group of renegade mudokons, the sligs looking victorious. The heading; NO ONE STANDS A CHANCE AGAINST THE MILLITARY MIGHT OF SLIG BARRACKS! Another poster showed a highly decorated slig standing to attention with the heading; PUT YOUR OWN LIFE BEFORE OTHERS AND REAP THE REWARDS!

They’ve bought me straight to Slig Barracks instead of the courthouse…

Home, sweet home…

The train blew its horn, and began its long journey back to Sronti’s prison.

Better him than me…

Once the train had left the station, Nox was bathed in glorious, glorious silence, and he took it in, readily.

“Well,” Nox said to himself, “Spose I’d best report in.”

Nox knew his way around Slig Barracks, having spent his whole career there, and so, signed himself in, and immediately set off for the warehouse, leaving the post he’d been assigned to at the mercy of the elements.

The warehouse was situated about one mile of walkway from Nox’s bunker, and was currently derelict, say for the bit of ammunition storage every now and then. If there was ammo in there now, he’d have to tell Lage not to touch anything.

Don’t wanna’ blow the kid up, do yeh Nox? Heh heh…

The sky began to grow dark and the stars came into view as Nox made his way over to the warehouse. When he reached it, he was happy to discover that it was not in use, save for a few unloaded pallets here and there. Once inside, he let the child out of the sack, feeling slightly guilty for the way that it had been treated; like a chunk of gold being hidden from the greedy eyes of Clakkers.

Nox slumped himself against the bare, concrete wall and looked on at the empty ground of the warehouse. Lage sat next to him as the lights flickered on automatically. The outside world grew darker.

“Is this the new place uncle?” Lage asked.

“Yep, this is it. Plenty of room for you to play when I’m not here. But don’t leave the place!”

“I wont Nox. You worry too much!” The kid remarked.

Nox laughed, “Yeah, maybe your right…I worry too much…” He said as he continued to look on at the emptiness of the place.

He glanced at his watch; 9:31 pm. He had another half an hour until the end of his shift. He hoped that he hadn’t been uncovered as not at his post, or as the glukkons liked to call it, AWOL.

“Uncle?” Lage interrupted.

“Yeah kiddo?”

“I asked Frally what a meech was once, but he didn’t tell me. Do you know what one is?”

There extinct, kid. No longer around.

“Well…I dunno, I think they’re on holiday or somethin’.” Nox lied.

“What? Like uncle Frally?” Lage looked at Nox hopefully.

You asked for that, Nox.

Shit…

“Yeah…” Nox hesitated. “Sorta’ kid. Why? You miss ‘im?”

“Yeah…is he coming back?” The kid asked, voice wavering slightly.

Nox looked at the child, to see that it was beginning to well up.

Its just a child…

“Oh, come ‘ere.” Nox comforted as he put his right arm around the poor soul. “You gotta’ keep yer chin up!”

“But is he coming back?” Lage sniveled.

“I’ll be honest with yeh…I don’t think so.”

Nox’s hand felt wet, he looked at it to see tears from the mudokon child’s face falling onto it. He hugged the kid tighter with one arm.

“Don’t worry…things will get better.”

Nox sat with the kid in silence for a while, until the tears stopped flowing and their time was up. Nox peered at his watch; 9:58 pm. Drinking time.

“Sorry kid.” Nox said as he lifted his arm from around the child and stood up. Then he noticed it was asleep. Nox felt slightly callous for his sudden departure so that he could consume beer. That was his addiction, and it had to keep coming, whilst he was still in Slig Barracks anyway.

He grabbed the cloth sack he had been given at Sronti’s prison, and placed it over the child, like a blanket. He then exited the warehouse and started for ‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub.

Hope no one’s noticed me missing…

-----
its a coincidence you said that AlexFili, seeing as this is the chapter he gets sent back to Slig Barracks.

bit of a boring one, i know.

So, what positions do the Sligs in your story have? Are they all security guards or are some more important than others? :D

well in the detention center, CO's (Correctional officers) are basic guards to the inmates, but are below Rolin, the captain of the guards.

in Slig Barracks, it all goes by rank (from lowest to highest).
private
lance corporal
corporal
sergeant
staff sergeant
warranr officer 2nd class
warrant officer 1st class
second lieutenant
lieutenant
captain
major
lieutenant-colonel
colonel
brigadier
major-general
lieutenant-general
general
field marshal

i got the ranks out of an old dictionary years ago, i think they're the ranks used during WW1 & WW2. in the modern army i'm sure its much different now. i thought that, because Oddworld seems to have the same feel as the industrial revolution where everything was a lot bigger, heavier and almost everything was made of metal (not caring for conservation or any of that jazz), i felt that this list of ranks would fit Slig Barracks best.

Nox and his friends are all Private's, but still veterans. i'm actually in the process of writing profiles for all the characters mentioned in this story, so when i reach the end, i'll post them and you can browse at each characters history, fears, age, likes & dislikes, etc.

That would be awesome. Thanks :D

CHAPTER 15

BEER STAINS OF THE HEART

‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub was smoky and reasonably noisy with slig chatter. Nox made his way to the bar to see the mudokon bartender behind it.

“Alright mate?” He asked.

“Yeah, get me a pint would ya’.” Nox said wearily, wanting to get started soon.

“Ok.” Was his reply.

Before he knew it, a pint of beer was before Nox, and the new challenge was trying to find a seat at one of the old, wooden tables in there. Then he noticed a friendly face that he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Hey Nox! Over here!” Stollin beckoned, sitting at a table with Wrask.

Nox immediately obliged.

“How yeh doin’?” Wrask asked as Nox slopped his beer onto the table.

“Oh you know, my minds everywhere at the moment.” He said, sitting on a stool.

“We’ve missed ya’, Nox! How was prison?” Stollin questioned happily.

“Kept my head down, got a few beatings, nothin’ like the ‘D&M’ war, though.” Nox answered.

“Here,” Wrask said, handing Nox his beloved rifle, “I kept it safe for yeh.”

“Oh thanks!” Nox replied graciously, grabbing it without a moments hesitation.

“It’s already loaded, so watch it.” Wrask said.

“I tried to appeal against your case when I heard they were dumpin’ murder onto ya’, but they wouldn’t let me.” Stollin informed.

Wrask lit up a cigarette, looking sideways at Stollin.

“Oh well,” Nox began, placing his rifle onto the table to join Wrask and Stollin’s, “Its over now. Done and dusted.”

“Too right,” Wrask added with anexhalation of cigarette smoke, “But anyway, back to the old waterin’ ‘ole, ey?”

“Yeah,” Stollin joined, “We knew you’d come here. Well, nowhere else to go, is there!”

“Nope.” Wrask said.

Nox took a good swig of his pint, wetting his mouth in a frenzy of bitter taste.

Ah, that’s better…

He then noticed that Wrask and Stollin also had their own drinks, half drunk.

“You been here long?” Nox asked.

“No,” Wrask replied. “Not long before you.”

They’re lying…do ‘em over son!

And at that particular thought, Nox remembered something he wanted to ask them both.

“You know the ‘D&M’ war?” He started.

“Yeah?” Stollin said.

“Well…do you get these funny thoughts sometimes? Like something constantly bugging you…a voice?”

They wont know, shit-head!

“I don’t. Why? You get ‘em?” Stollin asked Nox, looking concerned.

“…Yeah.”

“Jeez! You told anyone about this?!” Wrask gasped in a puff of smoke.

“Well…no. the judge sorta’ worked out that I had post traumatic stress; he was a Vykker.”

“Yeah, and if yeh tell anyone about this, you’ll be seein’ a whole load more o’ them!!” Wrask informed urgently, stopping only to take another drag of his cigarette, “They’ll lock yeh up an’ throw away the key in some loony bin lab place, crawlin’ with Vykkers!”

“You had a Vykker judge? What happened to the Chroniclers?” Stollin asked, too far behind the conversation.

“Didn’t yeh read the paper that day? They’ve had a dispute with the Magog Cartel or summat. Gone on a sorta strike.” Wrask told Stollin, slightly annoyed by his lagging in conversation.

“So you don’t have these voices or anythin’?” Nox said, feeling alone. Wrask hesitated, and looked at him. “You do, don’t ya’!” Nox asked desperately.

“Yeah, but keep it down! Don’t wanna get locked up!” He said, looking around himself suspiciously.

That’s when Nox remembered his previous friend, Glon, and his paranoid antics.

“I don’t.” Stollin said, breaking the short silence between Nox and Wrask.

“Then you were lucky.” Wrask remarked, taking the last drag of his cigarette, before stubbing it out on the wooden table.

They drank quietly for a moment, listening to the bustle of the other sligs in the pub, all drinking, smoking or pursuing some sort of unhealthy leisure. Then Stollin broke it again.

“Loke’s ok.” He aimed at Nox.

Suddenly realizing what had happened months previously, Nox took sudden interest.

“Oh good!” He said, “I had a funny turn…like a flashback, dunno why.”

“Yeah, I had one o’ them once,” Wrask told Nox, “Except I was in my sleepin’ bag at the time, but it felt too real to be just a bad dream, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Nox replied.

By this point, Wrask and Stollin had finished their drinks, and Nox had almost finished his. Stollin noticed this and said;

“I’ll get another round.”

“Cheers mate.” Wrask said, as Stollin picked up the empty glasses and headed off to the bar.

“Yeah, thanks.” Nox added, then Wrask leaned in close to Nox, and said with beer tainted breath;

“Stollin never tried to appeal against yeh case,” He told Nox hurriedly, before Stollin returned with the drinks. “In fact, he seemed a lot happier when he found out they’d dumped murder onto ya’. No joke.”

“What on…shit…” Nox stammered, attempting to take in what Wrask had just told him, and downed his last glug of beer. This meant that Stollin lied about apparently appealing against his case when he heard murder had been charged.

“But why?!” Nox asked desperately, trying to get an answer before Stollin returned.

He felt like grabbing him right there and then and shaking him until he got all the answers he wanted. Why are you complicating my life? Why are you saying this shit?! Why?!

WHY!!

“I don’t know, but I don’t like whatever game he’s playin’.” Wrask pulled out a box of Lungbuster cigarettes, picked out another, lit it up, and conformed he was a chain smoker.

“Ey up, lads!” Stollin yelled, merely adding to the background noise of the pub, and setting down three pints of beer onto the table. There was involuntary silence among them.

“What’s up? Have I done something wrong?” Stollin questioned as he sat back down, not sure if Nox and Wrask were joking or not.

“No…” Wrask began. “I was just tellin’ Nox about that little gang Loke hangs around with when he’s not shirkin’ his work.”

“Oh, right motley crew they are!” Stollin told Nox, who was too caught up in the last few moments to take anything in.

He was exhausted, mentally and physically. Rest was what he needed…but a few more drinks before hand…

The night went on; drinks were drunk, cigarettes were smoked, and some songs were sung…out of tune, mind. By the time Nox and his friends had reached their fifth pints, they were talking that infamous ‘drunken speech’, about anything and everything, but mostly crap. Last orders were called, and Nox looked at his watch, generously tipsy. 11:59 pm. Time for sleep.

Nox, Wrask and Stollin left ‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub, with a few other pissed up sligs, and headed for their bunker. One that Nox hadn’t slept in for three months, #049 to be precise…again.

They staggered dangerously close to the edges of the metal walkway, lingering over the many poles that held up the worker tents below. Nox and Wrask had forgotten their little conversation, with the absence of Stollin, three pints ago, and were most definitely merry.

Once Nox and his friends reached the bunker, they entered in hushed style, attempting not to wake the sligs that hadn’t been out all night, drinking. There weren’t many, but a few. They made their way to their lockers to lock up their robotic legs, and that’s when Nox realized he hadn’t dared take his off for over three months. Then, in his drunken state of mind, he noticed someone missing from one of the sleeping bags, among a few other empty sleeping bags.

“Where’s Dran?” Nox whispered to Stollin.

“Didn’t we tell you? He died a couple of days ago. In his sleep.” He put one hand on Nox’s shoulder and said, “I’m sorry Nox.”

Another mental blow.

-----
back at the old Rotten Barrel pub. not many chapters left now.

The Mudokon child thing was such a great plot twist, I was really surprised about that. How did the Mudokon egg manage to make it to the prison in the first place?

Didn't Nox say he was going to try and escape as soon as he got in? Or did he not manage to think of a plan before he was freed? :D

yeah, the mudokon egg thing will be explained when i post the character profiles.

also, he was going to escape, your right, but when he discovered the child he decided against it as it would be too dangerous for the kid.

Co story
 

Hey MA, I also wrtie stories but since im newer i havent had so many hits however, i noticed you viewed mine, I took the time to view your and i am hugeley impressed, you have a fantastic knack for literature and I would like to see some more.

However, your speech does ramble a tiny bit almost as if you've lost your place a few times, I get that to its hard.

Here's my proposititon would you care to go int oco producing a story with me. If you would like ot think about it or disucss, send me a private message, id ddeply appreciate it, PS all, could you see my posts if you liked his I hope to follow in a shadow of his.

thanks for reading, and i think you might be onto something there, i do ramble a bit. :D

the more the merrier. :)

CHAPTER 16

GRIEVANCES

The next day, Nox awoke with a sore head as the buzzer went off. 6:00 am, work as usual. He unfolded his metal legs from within the locker, and got into them. Once again, he felt the sting of cold metal on his tail and back. Then his situation dawned on him.

The drunken nightmare of the night before had been real. His friend had lied to him for an unknown reason, and Dran was dead. He couldn’t believe the old fella was really gone. No more half-deaf one way conversations with him. Nox’s old war hero who had shown him the ropes during the ‘D&M’ war was gone.

Eventually, Nox made his way to the café for breakfast, and sat at a table, eating, whilst watching the M.O.M. news.

“Research is being put into new types of slig,” The TV reporter slig droned, “One will be able to fly, using a propeller or flapping device, and another will be given steroids to increase muscle growth, ultimately called, the Big Bro slig. Prices are sketchy, but Vykkers Labs are…” It went on, but Nox wasn’t listening. That’s when Stollin and Wrask walked through the door of the café.

“How are yeh?” Nox asked them both.

He received two nods. They got their food and sat with him.

“You heard this?” Stollin started, pointing at the television in the top corner of the room. “Flying sligs my arse! The day sligs fly is the day I die…hey, that rhymed!”

“You ‘aint heard the best of it,” Wrask joined, “They’re talkin’ about Big Bro sligs or summat, apparently they’ll be three times our size, and built o’ nothin’ more than muscle and bone! Vykkers, huh…lunatics, the lot of ‘em.”

Wrask and Stollin looked at Nox, bemused by the look of sorrow on his face.

“What’s up, Nox?” Wrask asked.

“I just cant believe the old slig’s gone.” Nox replied, looking down at the table.

“Well, at least he don’t need to worry about work no more. Try an’ think of the good side.” Stollin said, genuinely concerned by Nox’s obsessive behaviour.

“Yeah,” Nox said. “I spose your right.”

The day went on, and the days began to merge together like one, long, drunken period. Nox adjusting himself to the work of a Slig Barracks soldier once more; assigned to different posts every week and guarding various area’s. He visited the child often, every night before the pub, in fact. He was still unsure on how to get the kid out into the wilderness with other mudokons.

The daily grind was back, and with a vengeance. Nox was beginning to lose strength of mind, every night getting slaughtered, but always visiting the mudokon child before hand; once in the mornings, and once at night, sneaking food in for the kid. Then, one particular night, in ‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub, Nox met a slig lieutenant.

Nox was drinking yet another pint of beer at the bar with Wrask (Stollin was on night shift), when he heard a slig shout his name. He turned to se a slig with three stripes tattooed onto his arm and wearing an officers cap, looking at him, soon leaning on the bar next to him, his glass in hand.

“I hear yeh just got back from prison.” He said, avoiding Nox’s penalizing gaze.

“Yeah, a couple o’ weeks ago. What’s it to you?” Nox replied rather aggressively.

“Easy, easy! Look, I just thought you’d like a bit of good fortune. I heard a friend of yours died recently as well…Dran, wasn’t it?”

At the mention of Dran’s name, nox grabbed the lieutenant and pushed him against the bar, face close to his own.

Kick his head in son!!

“I said, what the fuck is it to you?!” Nox growled, slightly intoxicated and not caring for his actions.

The pub fell silent. The bartender mudokon thought better of it and walked over to them from behind the bar.

“Now now, lads. Lets keep it sociable shall we.” He said nervously, attempting to get between them, to no avail.

Silence hung in the pub, many sligs watching Nox’s every move.

HA HA HA!! That’s it my son!

Nox looked around, and slowly released his grip of the lieutenant. The pub chatter was back as quickly as it had gone.

“Look mate –”

“I’m not your mate.” Nox snapped back.

“Look, I just came to say that I could get you a militaristic promotion, but if you’d rather stand here drinkin’ –”

“Ok!” Nox butted in. “Tell me about it.” He said, staring into his half filled pint glass.

“Well,” The slig lieutenant said, suddenly more interested and leaning in towards Nox. “Seeing as you were in the whole of the ‘D&M’ war…that’s right, ‘aint it?”

“Yup.” Was his humble reply.

“Well,” The lieutenant stammered, struggling to gain ground. “If you started an appeal for your own case, seeing as you’ve received no promotion as of yet…is that right?”

“Yup.”

The lieutenant cleared his throat.

“Erm, well…err, oh yeah, you can appeal for your own case of having received no promotion as of yet since your input during the ‘D&M’ war, and they’ll give ya’ at least sergeant just to shut you up!”

Nox looked at the lieutenant, his face seemed genuine. Something Nox wished he saw more of.

“Why would they do that?” He asked wearily, as he began to stare into his pint glass again.

“It’s paperwork, you see! They’ll do anything to avoid all the paperwork! Seeing as there’s only three slig captains in the whole of Slig Barracks, and there the ones that have to do it for the glukons, they try their best to avoid it. And believe me, there’s a lot less paperwork in giving someone a promotion than denying it! You wont lose!”

Nox continued to stare into his glass, taking all the information in that he had just been given.

The lieutenant looked uneasy for a second.

“Well?”

“Why are you tellin’ me this?” Nox asked, possibly not able to convince himself that someone was actually trying to do him a good deed for once.

“Because, sligs stick together.” He replied earnestly.

Nox was reminded of prison life, and how sligs formed their own gangs against the mudokon ‘scum’. He shook his head in sorrow for his friends still stuck in that dreadful place.

“What? Don’t ya’ believe me?” The lieutenant asked, slightly confused.

“Right, that’s enough!” Wrask stepped in. “Clear off you! We were fine drinkin’ here ‘till you arrived!”

“No.” Nox intervened. “He’s right. Tell me,” He said, turning to face the lieutenant. “What are the details?”

The slig lieutenant proceeded to tell Nox everything in his knowledge to help him cut corners and receive a promotion.

“They’ll make you a sergeant at least!” He said afterwards.

Nox still had his half filled glass of beer to be drunk, that was now warm. But more pressing matters were at hand.

“Wouldn’t you wanna’ do it as well?” The lieutenant asked Wrask.

“No…no way. Too much hassle.” He replied bluntly as he took another swig of his drink.

“What will it give me, anyway?” Nox questioned.

“Well, it’ll give yeh more free time, and smaller working hours.”

Lage!

Nox remembered the kid, and how he’d be able to get it into the wild with some natives if he had more spare time. He immediately set himself for this task.

-----
thought i'd post another chapter for those who want to read it over the weekend.

Thanks. I'll read it overnight and get back to you ;)

CHAPTER 17

THE PLAN

The next day, Nox took the liberty of going to one of the captain’s office’s during breakfast, and told the secretary mudokon there about his appeal.

“You’d best go right on through.” He told Nox, gesturing at a door to Nox’s left from behind the desk.

Nox knocked on the door, and after no reply, went in. the captain was talking on the phone, and gave Nox a signal to sit down at the seat in front of his desk as he spoke.

“Yeah, well get one of Dripik’s juniors to handle it, we’re a bit swamped here…yeah…yeah, well I told them that…yeah…of course, yeah…ok…gotta’ go…ok, bye.” He whittered as Nox sat down, then slamming the phone onto the hook. “How can I help you son?”

“Err, I’ve launched an appeal for my own case about not receiving a militaristic promotion during the ‘D&M’ war.”

The captain just stared blankly at Nox.

“I was hoping I’d receive a promotion for it.”

“And…what do you want me to do about it?”

“Well…there’s less paperwork involved if you just give me the promotion, ‘aint there?”

“Oh I see!” The captain exclaimed. “Who’s told you that? Some buddy of yours?! We don’t give out promotions to everyone you know!” He said bitterly.

“Hey!” Nox yelled, feeling his old friend, anger, begin to slowly bubble up inside of him again. “I survived the whole war! This is the least you could do! Wouldn’t you prefer less paperwork?!”

the captains face-tentacles twitched spitefully.

“In your case…I’d gladly do more paperwork than let you become anything more than a private.” He said nastily.

Blow yer top, sonny! Heh heh heh…

The anger was growing worse, but Nox caged it, and let go. He thought about the captain of his platoon during the ‘D&M’ war, the one with the Clakker accent, and wondered if he was still here, as one of the remaining captains of Slig Barracks.

“Where did all the good captains go?” He asked, knowingly winding the captain up. “That one with the Clakker accent, he served with me during the war. Can I speak with him?”

“You mean Farlin. He died in the war; mortar round. Seems your luck’s ran out.” The captain barked.

Another one down…

“Well,” Nox began, standing up to leave. “I spose this has been a waste of my time.”

“Yeah…yeah that’s it! Just go! Your little dreams been shattered!” He yelled insanely at Nox as he reached the door, savoring the chance to belittle another soldier.

Nox reached the door, and although he wanted to put his fist through it, didn’t, and calmly opened it, stepped outside and closed it again, leaving the captain shouting behind the door. It felt good to keep his cool while the captain lost his head.

Nox didn’t know what the secretary mudokon was thinking, but he certainly gave Nox a strange look as he performed a double take between him and the noisy door.

Time passed; days went by, soon turning into weeks, only highlighted by small activities happening here and there on Nox’s very own timeline. His sanity losing its small and slippery grip.

One afternoon, after work at 10:01 pm according to Nox’s watch, he was doing his usual visit of the mudokon child in the old warehouse, when Nox stumbled across a loaded pistol. It was heavy and large, much to a sligs appeal.

“Have you been playing with this?!” Nox asked the child, worried that he may have been a bad carer.

The kid looked at the gun and smiled.

“Yeah, a slig left it here yesterday, not long after you went!” The child told Nox happily, then noticing the worry on his face. “I hid, though.” It added, quickly.

“Do you know what this is?!” Nox asked, slightly hysterical at the prospect that the kid could of blown its own brains out accidentally.

“Yeah. It’s a gun, isn’t it?” The child said, innocently.

Innocent…

“Yeah! And what do guns do?” Nox asked, attempting to teach the kid a lesson.

“Err…kill?”

“Yes! So why were you playin’ with it, Lage?”

“Sorry uncle. I was bored.” The child replied sadly, bowing its head.

“Hey,” Nox started, fussing the top of the mudokon child’s head. “Don’t worry about it.” This was received with a glowing smile.

Nox proceeded to sit against the wall as the lights flickered on automatically, and the kid played with some stones on the floor just ahead of Nox.

The kid then ran to a corner of the warehouse, and ran back to Nox with something. It was an elum-skin holster for the pistol.

“Here you go, uncle. He left this as well.” Lage said.

“He sure did leave a lot o’ stuff! You sure he ‘aint gonna’ come back?” Nox asked Lage.

“I heard him talking about storing loads of guns or something. What does he mean, uncle?”

Nox groaned. “Sounds like he’d gonna’ start storin’ illegal weapons an’ ammo here. Don’t you go touchin’ any of ‘em again, you hear?”

“Yeah, uncle. Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry until you do somethin’!” Nox joked. Lage’s mood lifted slightly.

Nox attached the holster onto his robotic leg, and then looked at the pistol more closely. It was an MK 7 Magnum; one of the largest pistols in the market…especially the black market. It could hold eight bullets, and had a revolving mechanism rather than a clip. Nox placed the gun into his newly acquired holster, and looked at Lage happily playing with some stones again.

Not long after, Nox left the child again, and headed for ‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub. Another session of drinking.

Mid session, the slig lieutenant called Nox’s name, and invited him over to the bar from the table he was sitting at with Stollin and Wrask. He did so.

“How’d it go? I don’t see no stripes?” He asked, drink in hand.

“Ah,” Nox started in a depressed tone. “Not so well.”

“Didn’t he give it yeh? Jeez! And I thought they were lazy!” He replied, slightly stunned.

Nox just took another swig of his drink.

“You know, they’ll have to do twice as much paperwork now –”

“He said he’d gladly do it to avoid giving me any type of promotion.” Nox droned in a monotone voice of someone nearing the edge of cuckoo land. Another swig.

“Fuck!…That’s harsh, man.” The lieutenant said, putting one hand on Nox’s shoulder, then taking it off again. Nox stared at the bar.

“You still ‘aint told me yer name.” Nox asked, still in monotone, not really caring, but giving a show.

“Oh,” The lieutenant held his hand out to Nox. “Kanna.”

Nox shook it and said, still not looking at him. “Nox. Were you in the ‘D&M’ war?”

“Err, no sir.”

“No need to call me ‘sir’, ‘aint nothin’ but a private.”

“…No, I didn’t.” He replied again, this time unsure.

“I didn’t think so…you seem too good, too genuine.”

“Thank you sir!”

Nox tutted at the mention of ‘sir’, Kanna just looked down for a moment, seemingly embarrassed. They both had another swig, Nox finishing his own.

“How old are you?” Nox asked, putting his empty glass down onto the bar.

“…Five…yeah, that’s right. Five years old.” He answered.

“Huh, when I was your age I’d started fightin’ in the war. Worst thing I ever did…not that I had a choice.” Nox then turned to look down the bar, tying to seek out the bartender mudokon.

“Hey, pal!” He yelled upon sighting his target. “Can I get another here please?!”

“I’ll be with yeh in a mo!” The mudokon yelled back, trying to step between two rowdy sligs.

Nox set his sights down onto the bar again.

“If I were you,” He told Kanna. “I wouldn’t bother with low-life’s like me, or my chums. The only thing we’re good for is bullet fodder. And when the time comes, I’ve pissed off enough people to guarantee it.”

“No! Its people like you that I need to learn from!” Kanna attempted to persuade. “If that’s the case then what am I doin’ here?! I may as well shoot myself for all the good I’m worth! I gotta’ learn in case the time comes when I have to use my brain and trigger finger!”

“Your right!” Nox said suddenly, making Kanna jump. “Your fucking right! I gotta’…I gotta’ make a plan…what am I doing with myself?! Its now or fucking never!”

And with that, Nox left the bar, pushed his way out the door, got outside and made his way to his bunker, breathing in the cold, night air.

What yeh gonna’ do Nox? Eh? Eh?! Jump off the walkway? Blow yerself up? What?!

Nox eventually reached #049 bunker, and found that no one was inside, yet. He walked briskly over to his locker, pulled out his rifle, loaded it with one rifle bullet, and put it under his face-tentacles.

It’ll only take one bullet, sonny! Just one…just one incey, wincey bullet…heh heh…

“Come on Nox, come on…you ‘aint no coward Nox…come on.” He muttered to himself, breathing steadily growing faster.

Do it Nox! Do it!! What are yeh hangin’ around for?! Just fuckin’ DO IT!!

His breathing grew faster and faster, soon panting at the prospect of his suicide.

What about Lage, you selfish bastard?! What’s that poor kid gonna’ do?! And what's some slig gonna’ do to the poor kid if it gets found out?! Eh!!

Fuck the kid!! Just do it!! DO IT!!

No, you cant Nox! Your not getting’ rid o’ me that easy!!

BANG BANG, YOUR FUCKING DEAD!! NOW DO IT!!

“SHIT!!” Nox yelled, and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

-----
Tell me what you think folks!

Wow, it's getting exciting now. I hope it has a semi-happy ending :)
I felt sorry for poor Dran as well. Oh well, he will live on in Nox's heart for sure ;)

CHAPTER 18

THE SMEARS OF LIVING AND CLEANLINESS OF DEATH

The shot zipped a fraction of an inch past Nox’s head and into the ceiling, causing plaster crumbs to rain down on Nox briefly, then ceasing.

You couldn’t do it, could ya’? You fucking wimp…you disgust me…

That night, Nox went to sleep early, but not permanently. It was the last time he ever saw Kanna. Possibly a good friend lost.

♠♠♠♠♠

Nox’s behavior reached its peak, acting erratic and often violently, soon losing his grip on the real world altogether. It was no fun experience. A few days after his attempted suicide, Nox lost total sanity, and a revelation came about him once again, like in prison about the escape, but this one was much bigger.

It dawned on him during his working hours, in the afternoon. Suddenly…it was so crystal clear…just so…so obvious. He had to eliminate the captain that had turned down his promotion. He was the source of his misery. And if anyone got in his way, he would eliminate them also. No matter who they were. He set off for the captain’s office, his beloved rifle loaded up and ready to kill.

He knew what he’d do. He’d just be another slig asking for a promotion in the mudokon secretary’s eyes, he wouldn’t realize it was him. That was his free pass into heaven.

He reached the office, and said to the mudokon behind the desk;

“I’ve come to ask for a promotion.”

“Oh…go on through, he’s free. But –”

Nox looked at him.

Have I been caught out? Already?!

“You’ll have to leave that here.” He said, pointing at Nox’s rifle.

He’ll be fucking dead soon, pal…

He did as he was told, and left his rifle on the desk…the mudokon obviously hadn’t seen his pistol holstered on his leg.

He knocked on the door again, and as usual there was no reply, so he went on in anyway. The captain had his back to Nox, seated in his swivel chair, talking on the phone again. Nox sat down, and made himself comfortable.

“Yeah…yeah, I get yeh…yeah…” He turned to face Nox as he babbled down the phone.

Nox saw the moment he realized it was him. He must of thought he’d come to badger him some more.

“Yeah…can I phone you later, something’s just come up…ok, see ya’.” He said, then placing the phone back on its hook and standing up. “What the fuck do you want?!” He snapped rudely.

Nox merely said “A little politeness.” And at that moment he stood up, pulled his pistol out of the holster and fired it at the captain’s chest four times.

Each shot was loud and the gun recoiled in Nox’s hand as blood splattered over the desk and the well-used phone. He shook on the spot for a few seconds, and then dropped behind the desk.

Nox held his smoking pistol up for a while longer, admiring the silence, soon interrupted by a loud, whining siren. The alarms. Nox’s heart was already racing, and he felt nothing for having killed the captain or set off the alarms. He lowered his gun, and calmly walked over to the desk to look at the corpse lying behind it. The captain’s chest was now a bloody mess, much to the disapproval of him…if he were still alive. Nox took pleasure in this thought.

He then tipped the desk on its side, letting the blood-splattered phone and some stained paperwork fall to the floor with a clatter. Nox knelt behind it, and waited for security.

Soon enough, two sligs burst into the room, letting the door fall of its hinges in the ruckus.

“Freeze!” One of them shouted, to which Nox replied to with one carefully aimed shot, tearing its way through the sligs face-tentacles and into the slig’s neck, killing him instantly with a spurt of blood.

Nox then yelled “Hands up!” And to his own surprise, the second slig, now alone, did so, by dropping his rifle.

“Good lad…good, good lad.” Nox cooed gently, easing himself up from behind the desk. “Now as long as you don’t reach for ya’ gun, I’m not gonna’ fire, you hear?” He said, trying to bargain with the potentially dangerous slig.

Nox made his way out of the room, not letting its pistol lower from its target. He then reached outside the office, to see the mudokon back into his desk in fear, his hands up. Nox then fled the scene for the warehouse, totally forgetting his devoted rifle. It was now or never for Lage.

He reached the warehouse in an unusually short amount of time, to find two sligs already there, and they had Lage.

“What’s this little shit doin’ here?” One of them said, grabbing hold of the kid and shaking it.

“Where the hell’s it come from? I mean really?!” The other said.

The other slig then slapped the kid around the face, hard, and the child fell to the floor with a cry.

Nox’s anger bubbled up so strong this time, stronger than he’d ever experienced it. He’d protected this child through thick and thin, and there were these two bastards slapping the poor soul around for fun!

KILL THEM FUCKERS!!

He did so, and just let his rage take over. He picked out his combat knife that he hadn’t used in a long time, and had luckily found in his locker and stored in the metal compartment behind his robotic legs, and threw it with all his army expertise, making the throw pinpoint accurate.

It spun and sliced its way through the layer of fat behind the slig’s head, burying its blade deep, up to the handle, forcing its sharpened point through the slig’s skull and into the brain. He fell over, dead. That’s when the other slig, the one that had slapped the child, realized Nox was there.

“Freeze you piece of shit!!” Nox yelled, aiming his gun at the second slig.

“Whoa, whoa!! I’m a slig! Like you!” He said, confused.

“You’ll never be like me.” Nox replied.

And with that, he fired one shot, which passed through the head of the slig, leaving a red mist behind it. He stood stiff for a moment, then fell over backwards. Dead.

“Uncle!” Lafe screamed as it ran towards Nox, terrified by all that it had just experienced.

“Don’t worry,” Nox said, picking the kid up with his pistol still in hand. “They’ve gone now. Nothin’ to worry about.”

“I was afraid you weren’t coming back! I thought they’d finally caught me!!” It sobbed hysterically.

Nox hushed the kid, and settled it down.

More shit-heads are gonna’ be here soon! Hurry!!

Nox set the child down, and immediately walked over to a panel on the wall; the circuit board for the alarms on the warehouse. He opened it, remembering all the bomb-deactivating lessons he’d received from Dran during the war. He pulled one wire until it snapped, and then crossed it over to another fuse. It set the alarms permanently active. Now if anyone entered the warehouse, they’d set off the alarms. Nox had to think what he was going to do next.

-----
almost at the end now! only one chapter left!

The anticipation is killing me :D Can't wait to see how it ends.

good the story isn't finnished yet :D

I have no time to catch up... but soon there are holidays... so uhm... i just wanted to drop by to say I haven#t forgotten about this... it#s just that I don#t have time to read for a little while xD

thats good to know scipionyx, i'm gonna post the character profiles once i've posted the last chapter aswell, like i've already told AlexFili, so that'll probably give you some more time to catch up.

Wicked. It would be funny to see a "Previously... on Glory Slig..." like on those american programs or books. If I ever make a videogame based on Glory Slig (with your permission in due time of course), you can guarantee it will be like Shawshank / Prison Break! :D

fucking A! that's a good mixture!

if you ever did we could come up with ideas for minigames to do during the main game, and be able to talk to the characters and stuff. that would be class.

i'll post the last chapter tomorrow. :crying:

I can hardly wait. Can't believe that Nox went on a rampage. Let's hope he manages to sort his problem out before it all gets too much for him :D

the end...
 

CHAPTER 19

DANCING WITH THE DEVIL

How do I get this kid outta’ here?!

Go down blazin’ son! Shoot yer way out!!

Nox was still facing the circuit board, thinking, when someone put a hand on his shoulder. Who ever it was must of entered the warehouse before Nox had activated the alarms, due to the fact that they hadn’t been triggered. Nox spun around to see Stollin.

“Jeez! Don’t sneak up on me!” Nox blurted, panting slightly. “Why you here?”

Stollin was too busy looking at the two corpses and the mudokon child to answer at first.

“They were gonna’ kill Lage – err, I mean the kid.” Nox said, attempting to justify his actions.

“You…you’ve really lost it this time Nox.” Stollin said, examining the slig with the combat knife sticking out the back of his head. “And what the hell’s this?!” He said, pointing at the child.

“Uncle! Is he good or bad?!” Lage cried, still worried.

“I don’t know just yet…” Nox answered darkly.

“What? You gonna’ kill me as well?” Stollin said, turning to face Nox as he knelt over the second corpse. “I don’t think I’ve seen this many dead bodies since the war.”

“They follow me ‘round like a bad smell.” Nox replied truthfully, but wearily.

He holstered his pistol.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Well, I came because I heard there was some slig’s dealing in illegal weapons and ammo. Settin’ up their very own ‘black market’. Seems I’ve stumbled across somethin’ much bigger.”

“Look, you don’t know the half of it. I’m not workin’ for ‘em or anythin’, they had Lage, who I’ve been hiding here since I come out of prison. I had to save the kid!”

Stollin rose from his kneeling position over the corpse. “What have yeh done, Nox? You’ve gotten yourself into some shit ‘ere!” He said, struggling to take in the deaths. “Its not how it used to be, Nox. You cant just shoot people and expect to be rewarded for it, there’s just so much paperwork nowadays!”

At the word ‘paperwork’, Nox was reminded of the sticky, dead body he’d left in the captains office. He felt physically sick for a moment, then the feeling passed. Nox thought better of telling him about the captain; if he was reacting this badly about two nobodies, how bad would he react about a captain? Nox imagined his head exploding at the thought of it, and laughed out loud.

Stollin looked at him, fearing the worst. It was probably at this moment that he realized he was totally insane. Nox was thinking along the same lines.

“There’s something I need to tell you, Nox.” Stollin began, looking down at the floor, then raising his head again. “I don’t know why I feel the need to tell you this now, but it just seems right.”

Nox looked at him, trying to fathom what he was about to say.

“Nox, I never did try to appeal against your case when I heard they were charging you with murder. The truth is, during that night at ‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub, when you glassed that slig, he did die not long after; blood loss, the medics came too late. But the other slig that was murdered that same night…I killed him. I owed him a lot of money and I saw an easy way out. It was me. You took the rap for me.”

Nox’s world was literally turned upside down. He could not believe it.

“But…but why?” Was all Nox could say.

“I’m sorry Nox, I let you take the charge of murder so they’d stop investigatin’ the case, saving my skin.” He continued in a forlorn manner.

Kill that cheatin’ bastard!!

Yeah! Do ‘im over, son!

Nox pulled out his pistol, aimed it at Stollin and cocked the hammer back. Then, the alarms Nox had set up began to whine. Sligs must have entered the warehouse.

“I cant let you go, Nox. I’m sorry.” Stollin said, hating each word as they left his mouth.

It was do or die. Nox could either shoot his friend and escape with the kid, or not shoot him but get captured, and worst of all, condemn Lage to a lifetime of cruel slavery.

The alarms continued to whine.

“Uncle! No!!” Lage cried, running to Nox. “Don’t do it! Not again, please not again!!”

“I’m sorry too Stollin.” Nox said, thinking about the child and how it was more important to him than Stollin was.

He had to weigh up his possible decisions.

The alarms still blared. No couldn’t think straight.

Kill ‘im! Kill that fucker!!

Blow his fucking head off!!

Think…just THINK!

“I’ve got two bullets left, Stollin! Don’t think I wont do it!”

“Don’t Nox! I cant let you go! You need help!” Stollin shouted earnestly, trying to calm Nox down.

“You really think they give a shit about me here?! Like Wrask said, they’d lock yer up and throw away the key.” Nox counteracted, his pistol shaking in his hand, possibly at the prospect of killing his friend.

“They wont! I’ll appeal for your case!”

“Oh, like you did last time, you mean?! Fuck that!!” Nox yelled, keeping his gun aimed at Stollin, finger firmly on the trigger.

The alarms ceased.

A shot was fired, but no bullet left Nox’s gun chamber.

Nox turned around to see Loke and Wrask standing in the doorway of the warehouse, Loke holding a smoking rifle. Nox looked down at himself, to see a small, bloody hole in his ribcage. The rifle round had passed straight through him. There was no pain, oddly enough. Perhaps his adrenaline levels were so high they masked it.

Nox felt confused, lost balance and slowly fell over backwards, then lying down.

“NOOO!!” Stollin screamed.

Stollin ran over to cradle Nox, his breathing becoming more laboured.

Why did Loke shoot me?

And, as if in answer to his thought, he heard Loke shout to Stollin, “I thought he was gonna’ shoot you!!”

“You stupid bastard!!” Wrask yelled at Loke.

“Uncle Nox!!” The child shouted, running over to see him.

Nox’s vision was becoming cloudy, but he could still see Lage’s head hovering over his dying body. It made him feel warm.

“Don’t worry kid,” Nox mumbled to Lage, stroking the kid’s head. “I’ll get someone to take care of yeh.”

The last thing Nox saw before he lost his sight totally, was Lage, beaming down on him, like some sort of angel. Nox couldn’t of wished for a better last sight.

Looks like this is the end…

You cant do this to me, Nox! You cant!!

He could still hear, and he heard them all talking over his body, not knowing what to do or where to take him. He was beginning to find it difficult to string together words in his mind, but he needed to ask them one last thing before he died. Nox put out his arm and grabbed someone.

He then pulled whoever it was towards his face and said, “Take…care of…the…fucking…kid!…You…hear me!!” He rasped.

“Ok, Nox. Its me, Wrask! Cant yeh see?”

“No.” Nox whispered.

“I’ll take care of the kid, don’t worry.” Wrask said in return as Loke and Stollin argued over where they were to take him.

“Guys!!” Nox yelled with a hacking cough, spitting out some congealed blood.

A coppery taste flushed his mouth.

“I’m sorry Nox. I thought you were gonna’ shoot ‘im.” Loke whimpered.

“Don’t worry…about…it.” Nox said, forcefully, his life force quickly leaving him.

“But where do we take him?! He’s gonna’ die!!” Stollin yelled.

“Don’t…want no…fuss. Just…leave…me…here.” Nox answered, beginning to feel light-headed due to his blood loss.

“Its too late…he’s gonna’ go…” Wrask said, voice wavering slightly.

“You…just make sure…you look after the…kid!” Nox said desperately.

“I will.” Wrask answered honestly.

“Swear…it!!” Nox struggled.

He felt someone he assumed to be Wrask grabbing hold of his hand, and saying;

“I swear. Don’t worry.”

A gentle squeeze.

Nox had given his last, dying wish. Now there was no need for him to live any longer. It was time to pass on, and fall into that everlasting sleep. He didn’t fear it. In a way, he’d longed for it. To rest eternally.

Nox passed away a few moments after, leaving his body and going to wherever it is life forces go after death. He was surrounded by his friends when he passed on, and that’s all he needed to complete his life.

Maybe Oddworld wasn’t quite ready for Nox. Maybe Nox was ahead of his time. Or maybe he was just some unfortunate slig down on his luck. But whoever he was, his friends made sure he received a proper hero’s funeral, Kanna pulling a few string up in the offices, despite Nox shooting a captain. He was a war veteran, after all. He would have been proud to receive the five gun salute they usually only gave to dead glukkons.

A plaque was placed at the bar of ‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub with his name engraved onto it. This was Loke, attempting to make peace with what he had done.

Rowl was shivved in a disagreement with another slig inmate over a packet of cigarettes, during the working hours in prison, and died due to blood loss. His last words were to Glon, and only Glon knew what he said.

Glon served his sentence and eventually returned to his old security job near Rupture Farms stockyards, leaving Billy. His paranoia became less and less after his release.

Billy the ‘bull-scrab’ is still serving his sentence, and was recently moved back to the chain gang for assaulting and killing a slig CO shortly after Glon was released. Billy himself doesn’t know how much longer he has on his sentence. Its possible that he could be left there until the end of his days. He refuses to mix with other inmates since Glon left.

Lage was looked after by Wrask and Stollin, and eventually, when the child reached six years of age, Stollin and Wrask snuck it out of Slig Barracks and bargained with mudokon natives a few miles south of their location. The mudokon natives told them that they were traveling to Necrum, and that the child would learn their ways of life.

Lage lived a long and fruitful life, never forgetting his previous uncles, Nox and Frally.

Nox, was certainly remembered.

THE END.

-----
well thats it, the end. its a bit sad, i know, but thats sometimes how things go. i never thought i'd manage to finish it before people got bored, but i was proven wrong. i must say i'm feeling rather satisfied that i finished it.

thank you to;

Oddey
~^_^~
Moosh da Outlaw
abe is now!
scrab queen
Tristan
Five
scipionyx
GlacierDragon
Scrabtrapman

for reading at some point, and a superduper thanks to AlexFili, who persuaded me to continue it in the first place. come on, plus rep the guy!

next i'll post a chapter that i originally wrote for the end of the courtroom scene, but scrapped for being a bit over the top. its quite stupid...and funny. you'll know what i mean when you read it.

also, i'm gonna post all the character profiles from Glory Slig for your interests and veiwing pleasure. they may cover a few plot holes aswell. then once i've done that i suppose this thread will pass away, a bit like Nox did.

AND if you have read this and wish to ask any questions, give me your opinions or simply wish to talk about it, but the thread is too old to reply to, just PM me, or email me. i'll be sure to get back to you.

now i'm going to crawl into a corner and cry.

thank you and good night!

:p

Wow, thanks for the mention. In general, you told a meaningful story of a Slig. You fanfic stood out from the other ones that I have read and it certainly inspired me to write quite a few of my own stories.

Edit: The final chapter was both an exciting finale and a worthwile conclusion to an excellent series. The poetic justice reminds me of the Shakespeare stories in a way; When Nox is killed by the person that he accidently strangled at the beginning of the story. The plotpoint reminds me of a film but I can't think of the name of it right now :).

I like the epilogue which explains what happens to the characters at the end of the story. In a way, the reason why Nox died was all because that stupid captain didn't give him a promotion. Oh well, that's quarma for you. One thing that did confuse me, didn't Nox already know about Stollin's betrayal from Wrask a long time before he told him?

I'm really curious as to what will happen now in terms of Slig prison-based fanfics. I'll post the first chapter of my Prison story sometime soon. Hope you like it :D.

What went through your mind when you killed the main character? I would find it quite hard to do that without a very good reason :p.

yeah, Nox knew that Stollin hadnt appealed against his case, but Nox didnt quite realise that it was he who committed those murders.

i look forward to your new story AlexFili, i reckon it'll attract quite a few readers.

also, it was very difficult for me to kill off Nox, believe me, but given the situation he was in, and the fact he'd been on his guard constantly for so many years, i thought it was about time he let his guard drop. even if he did survive, he'd done so much wrong, and had so much pestering him upstairs, he would have had no decent life; considering the slighunt that would be issued for him and his schizophrenia. I think it was 'destined' for him to die in vain after everything, well not in vain, but in desperation to do what needed to be done (protect Lage).

SligHunt. That should be a 18+/M rated game :p.

I could have thought of a few ways that he could have got out of there alive, but at the same time... it wouldn't have painted a realistic picture of Slig life.

It would make for an interesting game choice if you could choose to kill/spare Stolin, which would affect what ending you got. Right now I'm doing a kind of mass brainstorming session in my brain... I guess you could call it an explosion of words.

I'll try and keep all my projects going and not spend too much attention on one particular story. Four Dominions works quite well because a clan based Slig story hasn't really appeared yet, (except the native Slig clans occasionally seen). I think a prison officer story could work well, considering how many films/stories are from a prisoner's perspective. Although "The Green Mile" did show it from both sides.

A lot of the prison stories I have read so far are quite grim and dark in nature, which is probably reasonably true to real-life. However, when reading the responses I got from the Imadaeth story, I realised that adding violence doesn't necessarily make a story any more meaningful.

Excellent end to an excellent series. I'll try and do some fan-art of Nox sometime :D