Hee, t'was funny, very nice, I'm satisfied...fer now...:D

If I can sneek on quicjly, I can figure the rest of the plot. Hopefully soon...See yah!

Ieieie....I 'pologize, my fellows. But I've been havin' problems. 'Specially since we just moved. I'm just starting to begin on the fic again, but I can't work on it at home. It's saved at school. So, get ready Lobo. Another piece is well on its way ter you, very soon.

POSTIN' FER DARK ELITE_H2
 

GUARDIANS, THIEVES, AND INDUSRTY--The battle for Last Legs (cont.)

They traveled up the ramp until they entered a side building. More series of ramps went higher to the keypad, but the same grunts came from upstairs. Guns clicked from safety, Wolvarks muttering to themselves. Some even turning to others, and insulting them of their hygiene or their personal looks. High above on flat pipes were the snipers; their goggles glowing a tinted teal-blue. Stranger held back Umi, and continued up the ramp to the top floor. He kept his presence low, kneeling down with the corner of the landing. A smatter of various Wolvarks stood absent-minded on the top floor. Semi-autos and Automatics hummed random tunes to themselves. Stranger quietly unlocked his bow, and placed on Rabid Fuzzles and Spark Stunks. He placed the Fuzzles right at the head of the stairs, then waited for the right moment to fire the Stunk. The first guard came close to the ramp. Before the Wolvark could shout, the Stunk was shot. A powerful suction, and smell, wafted out to the Wolvark guards, bringing them closer to the place where the Stunk was first shot. Fuzzles growled angrily at the piled security guards. They leaped on, and stuck like Velcro on the Wolvarks, as they screamed bloody murder.
“C’mon!” Stranger shouted to Umi. She ran up behind Stranger, and ran with him up passed the disabled guards. They got up to the straightaway, where the Wolvark snipers held their grounds, and shot purple pulsating lasers at the charging Steef. Footmen hid behind wooden crates, just to surprise the Steef with hail of bullets. Umi held back away from the battlefield, watching Stranger continue on. Bullets came close to his hind legs, and his wounded legs as well.
“Watch out, Stranger!” Umi shouted. She knew he couldn’t hear her. The gunfights were too loud for his hearing. She gave an irritated sigh, swinging her rifle out in front, and concentrating on the snipers above. The accuracy of the gun wasn’t good, but a few good bullets pinging off the metal will snap the sniper’s attention away from Stranger, maybe even get a few hot rounds in them, too. The gun clicked off of safety, and the trigger was tightly in hand. She tried to get the best view of the Wolvark’s head, then shot off a few rounds. The bullets panged off the metallic rust of the pipe, and shards of sharp metal stung at their goggled faces. They growled irritatingly, wiping the specks of metal and blood off their faces. They pointed down at the human knelt down, and heated their rifles up.
‘Good,’ Umi thought. She stood back up, holding the rifle further out in front. Sparks flew out of the sniper’s guns, with ready grins behind the shower of purple and red sparks. The lasers were heated, ready to fire. Umi shot straight up passed the Wolvark’s heads, then the hail falling right back on them. The bullets hotly burned holes in the head of the snipers. Two lasers shot randomly out, showing that the bullets had gotten them. Glass had broken from the heated lasers, and two heads peered over the edge of the pipe, bleeding drips of blood on the pavement below. Umi nodded her head in satisfaction, swinging the rifle back behind her. She walked down the straightaway, hearing Stranger’s ominous growling. She walked passed a wooden crate, to see him, holding a Wolvark grunt, by the neck, and holding his dangling, flailing body over a steep drop below to the water.
“Now I know yer can’t swim there. I can tell by the way yer whining,” Stranger pulled the grunt’s face to his. “But I ain’t gonna hesitate, ter drop yer to yer watery grave, maggot,” he sneered heinously.
“Ok, Stranger. Enough. I think you scared the thing enough,” Umi patted his tensed arm. Stranger snorted in its face, then placed it back on the straightaway. He bent down to it.
“Get movin’,” he whispered. The Wolvark screamed a high shrill, and scampered away, flinging its arms in the air, and dropping its rifle. Stranger snickered at the fleeing Wolvark. “We won’t be dealin’ with ‘im again, fer sure,” Stranger grinned. Umi bent down to the Wolvark’s rifle, and undocked the ammunition locked in its chamber. She strapped it to her belt for future use, then turned back to Stranger.
“Yeah, well, we don’t have time ter screw around. Them Grubbs ‘r comin’ in with catapults. Remember…?” Umi said in a reminder tone. Stranger made an agreeing grumble, taking a slow look around, then back down.
“Damn,” he scratched the back of his head. “Din’t knows how big this damn place is…” Umi laughed, hesitating it for a moment.
“Took yer that long, Stranger?” she smoothed strands of hair on her head. He smirked down to her.
“Hate’s it when yer a smart-ass…” he mumbled. He trotted along the straightaway, approaching to a curving ramp up to the last keypad to open the water gates. He allowed Umi to step up to the keypad pulsating a teal blue, since he didn’t know how to work computerized objects, which made Umi laugh. She typed quickly in to the keys, and slammed on a key, that made the bottoms of their feet rumble and vibrate along with the creaky opening of the water gate. Stranger nodded gratefully to Umi, then walked to the edge of the platform. It was a sheer drop to the bottom of the river of water, and to the dock where his boat was. Umi walked up next to him, having her hands on her hips. She grumbled in a challenging way, then looked up to Stranger. He looked to her as well with a curious look.
“What’r you thinkin’, squirt?” Stranger asked, with a playful grin. She only shrugged a shoulder.
“Eh…think’s I’m’a go fer a dive,” Umi said. Stranger’s throat choked.
“No you won’t,” he firmly said. Umi only smiled, and crouched near the edge. “Umi,” he nearly yelled, walking over to her back. She tipped over the edge, making a point of her body down to the water. “UMI!” Stranger roared, clipping his claws on the metallic base of the platform. He knew the water was still freezing from the outside, and he knew the dilemma of Umi being in the water once. He saw her self splash in to the water, going all the way under. He groaned ruefully, holding his face in his palms of his hands. “Kid…why don’t yer listen ter me…” he moaned. She resurfaced, shaking off the water dribbling down her face. She looked up to Stranger, still on the platform.
“C’mon, Stranger!” she yelled up. Stranger glanced down to her through a crack in his hands. “It’s not that cold!”
“Why didn’t yer listen ter me!?” he bellowed. Umi didn’t reply, but swam to the boat. He sighed roughly, standing fully up. He looked below to the water again, then leaped off the platform, fully with his body out. He cringed in to a sloppy ball, then gushed in to the water. Waves buffeted Umi’s face, sending water up her nose uncomfortably. She sneezed the water out, then turned around to the waved dieing out. Stranger reemerged from the depths of the artificial river, taking in a deep breath.
“Told yer it wasn’t that cold,” Umi told. Stranger mumbled some curses under his breath, and swam by Umi in to the boat. They sat comfortably as possible in the boat, dripping coldy of water. Stranger gripped the rowing oars, pushed off the ramp, and headed in to the water gate.

Thank yer, Lobo. I'm'a probably post tomorrow, so keep yer hair on yer head.

GUARDIANS, THIEVES, AND INDUSTRY--The battle for Last Legs (cont.)

The water gates came to a creaky close, and water began to pump out of vents in the walls. The water rose with the buoyency of the boat following steadily. The vents came to an abrupt halt when the water touched the top color of the vents, and the front gates opened quickly.
"Ok! Listen up! That Steef is wanderin' 'round 'ere still, fellahs! And Sekto is still keepin' an enormous bounty on its head if brought to 'im! Happy huntin'!" a Wolvark announcer said over the loudspeakers of the facility. The gates opened to a series of lone docks nearby a crane station and two longer walkways to an electrical outlet hooked up to a square elevator. The loudspeakers feedbacked inside loudly, making them two cringe back from the sound.
"Oh! And there's also another companion of the Steef aw well! Sekto is offering a bounty on it as well...Wow! Even larger than the Steef! A whopping one-million moolah! Damn! Din't know he had that much..." the Wolvark mumbled back out in the distance of the speaker.
"What!?" Umi nearly screamed.
"Damn," Stranger blinked in amazement. "That's a lot'a moolah fer jist a human..."
"That's my head they're wagering on, Stranger! My HEAD!" Umi pointed to her head.
"'Dun worry, Umi," Stranger looked to her. "I won't let them get to yer. Even if it wastes my life," Stranger nodded promisingly. Umi's lip quivered in fear of the announcement, but nodded to him as well, and turned back around to the gun turret, her mind flashing back to the announcement constantly. He pulled up to the first dock, and stopped the boat, and climbed up on it. Wolvarks stood on each of the docks that were separated from themselves except the beach to the crane station.
"Easy company! Report upfront to the elevator!" a Wolvark leader shouted. It turned to the first walkway to a mass squad of Wolvark guards. "Unlock the green lock!" it shouted. A grunt nodded, and ran up the ramp to the outlet, and shoved down a switch handle roughly. A loud buzzar toned through the hollow space of the moat and docks outside. The grunt nodded to the leader. The leader turned to the sencond lonf walkway.
"Unlock the blue lock!" it shouted again to the second squad of Wolvarks. Another Wolvark ran up away from its squad, and pulled the last lever down. Another tone ringed through the murky darkness, and a blue light cutted through the shadow. Both green and blue lights shot out weakly, then the wide sliding door opened, inviting them in.
"Ok! Get yer asses in to there!" the leader shouted, winding its arm over its head. A group of Wolvarks behind the leader ran by it in to the elevator, pushing ans shoving their way inside. It deactivated the locks, and the elevator door shutted. A loud clank sent the Wolvarks up, ridding of their presense.
"Ok! Guard those two locks! Make sure no one uses that elevator!" the Wolvark leader shouted. Two snipers on opposite sides of two crane stations nodded, slapping on their infrared goggles, and glossing their sniper rifles, keeping a keen eye out.
“Hmm…” Stranger hummed thoughtfully. Umi looked to him, waiting for something to come to his mind. He dropped his arm from his chin. “It’s gonna be ‘ard, gettin’ through those morons up there…” Stranger said. Umi nodded calmly to Stranger, trying to stop herself from bringing up the mind-crunching words of the Wolvark’s announcement. They kept themselves hidden behind stacks of wooden crates populating the entire island, keeping contact away from the Wolvark officers. He held Umi behind for a moment, loading on one Bola Blast spider, and kneeling down over the crate. He could hear the grunting of a Wolvark behind a tall box. He shot the Bola Blast right at the crate, shattering it in to small splinters, but raveling the Wolvark in a shower of pure white web. The Wolvark laid unconscious upon the dock. Stranger leaped across, and quickly got rid of the body before anyone else noticed.
“Get ter the beach, Umi. I ‘ave ter, get one more punk over ‘ere,” Stranger nodded to Umi, then turned to the last dock, further beside the crane station. Two Wolvarks stood hidden behind lessly populated crates. He could be easily seen. He loaded on two Bola Blasts, keeping any limbs from peering out to the Wolvark’s sight. He leaned oppositely of the Wolvarks, out near the water on his left. It was difficult to keep his weight from making him fall down in to the water. He made sure he was on target, then shot out one Bola Blast, and held fire back behind the crate. He heard loud angry growls muffled under a cloth of web, while the other mumbled suspiciously around. It would be a matter of time before the Wolvark escaped from his web, and figured out where he was. He shot the second Bola Blast to the other, and caught it unnoticingly in a tangle next to its partner. Its head swung heavily over the deep watery trench, whining fearfully pulling itself away from the water. Stranger leaped over to the last island, bountying the first one nearby, then grabbing the one near the water. Umi stood nearby a thick wire that attached to a half-broken crane. He jumped over on the cement beach, allowed Umi on his back, and climbed up the wire. It moved with Strangers climbing, which made it difficult to balance, and jump over the barbed wire fence.
“Yer gonna have ter go first, kid. Yer weighing me down,” Stranger said. Umi nodded, and climbed up to his shoulders. He strengthened his grip on the wire, as Umi supported herself on his shoulders. She balanced by holding on to the wire, concentrating on the barbed wire. Stranger grunted heavily under Umi’s weight.
“Hurry up, Umi. I can’t hold much longer…,” he growled. Umi crouched a little, then leaped off of Stranger’s shoulders. She kept her legs split over the wire while she flew. A rip caught her off balance, sending her to land on all fours. She grunted in pain, turning over to her right shin. A barb caught her pant leg, ripping an enormous cut in her pants, and a bloody gash as long as the rip in her leg.
“I’m fine…I’m fine…” Umi shoved the pain away. Stranger grinned at her determination. Even pain itself couldn’t stop such a spirit. He jumped from the wire over the fence, and right behind Umi. His head slowly bent up to the crane station, seeing the two Wolvark snipers perched on the platforms next to the cranes. He grabbed Umi, and put her aside behind covered boxes. Splinters showered from the edge of the crate through the holes of the fence, hissing with a hot laser shot that blackened the wood that broke off. He heard the malicious chuckle of the Wolvarks laughing at their demise.
“C’mon, Steef! We just wanna kill yer, and be the richest bastards in the entire dam!” they laughed.
"You son of a bitches..." Stranger growled, hugging Umi tightly near his chest. He pulled around with his bow out, and shot a few rounds of Stingbees to the snipers. He heard a quick jolt of a yelp, then a chuckle.
"IS THAT ALL YER GOT, YOU LOUSY BEAST!?" the Wolvark cackled. The second sniper sidewinded on his platform to the Steef, clear in its view. It lit its rifle, keeping his goggles pressed by the butt of his rifle.
"Hastala vista, pecker head," it mumbled. Stranger growled, watching the fuse of its laser rifle go lower in to the rifle. He snapped his arm up above the Wolvark's head, then shot a quick round of Stingbees to a rope attached to a crane with flat heavy crates dangling over its head. The Wolvark held off its attack, looking above itself. The rope cut to its last strand, and the crates tumbled down.
"Oh...son of a bi-"
Its partner heard the splatter of the crates squish its friend. It gazed over to the second platform, the roared in fury.
"YOU STUPID BEAST! I'M-A KILL YER, AND SEND YER TO THE FLEECHES!" it screamed, shooting randomly at the boxes Stranger hid behind.
"Stay 'ere, kid. I'm-a put that thing out'a its misery," Stranger whispered low, setting Umi down right next to him. He stood wobbly at first on his legs, then bent his hind legs. He leaped out over the Wolvark's shot, and ran brutely around. Bullets pinged off the cement base, shooting small granite pieces in to his legs. He charged up the ramp to the left side of the crane station, to the ranting Wolvark shooting randomly around the crate yard. He pressed his back against the wall directly beside the officer growling and muttering to its self.
“Where did tha’ Steef go ter this time?” it grouched.
‘Right ‘ere…’ Stranger grinned.
He jumped out to the Wolvark, holding his bow out right at its head. Rabid Fuzzles and Super Stingbees growled at the Wolvark. The officer spun around, but already was too late to save itself. The Rabid Fuzzles flew out to the Wolvark, springing in to action right when it hit the blue overalls. Cloth and flesh flew among the cement base. The Wolvark teetered right at the edge to a near five-foot drop. The Wolvark waved its arms to maintain balance, but couldn’t pull it off. Stranger laid one last Fuzzle right in front of it. The Fuzzle pounced upon the Wolvark, sending a shove right to its death. The Wolvark screeched a shrilly death scream. A crash of broken bones silenced it immediately. Umi crept her head over the crates hidden, blinking at the crushed corpse laying almost directly in front of her. She looked up to its perch, seeing Stranger walk back down the ramp cutting up to the elevator.
“You alright, kid?” Stranger asked.
“Yeah,” Umi brushed a strand of hair from her face. Stranger looked apart from the split to each lock up the ramp of the elevator. Still, a mass of Wolvarks on each.
“Well’p…jist gonna have ter, do one by one then,” Stranger relaxed his shoulders down.
“Which side?” Umi asked. Stranger shrugged.
“Take yer pick,” Stranger said. Umi grinned playfully.
“I’ll take the ugly one,” she nodded.
“All o’ them ‘r ugly,” Stranger chuckled.
“I know,” Umi smiled.
“Fine,” Stranger laughed. “I’ll choose,”
He took a roulette in his mind, darting his neon green eyes to each side.
“Hrm…” he grumbled. “That side,” he pointed left.
“Good choice,” Umi patted his arm.
“Why?” Stranger raised a brow.
“Those are all the ugly ones,” Umi smiled. Stranger let out a loud laugh.
“C’mon, kid,” he ruffled her hair, and ran up the ramp, sharply darting left to the walkout to the blue lock.

Yer right, that ain't enough ter make me like yer...but twas good anyway :D

Ha! Told yer! But I'll add on tomorrow, or maybe tonight, if yer extra nice ter me...:p

GAH! Look out Stranger...man, you don't half leave a cliffhanger when you want...:fuzemb: Update quick yer hear?

:evil:
It's all part of the evil plan, LoboDiablo...But I'll update at school. I had ter stop there 'cause I had to go get my family portrait done...Ugh. DON'T WORRY!

Well'p, jist added more, Lobo, m'friend. Enjoy while yer can. 'Cause I'm replyin' from good ol' North Carolina! :D

GUARDIANS, THIEVES, AND INDUSTRY--The battle for Last Legs (cont.)

Umi followed closely beside Stranger, as they crept along the wall up left to the first lock to the elevator. She was beginning to have second thoughts on Stranger's plan.
"Maybe...I should take the other side," she whispered.
"No. I ain't lettin' yer on yer own again," Stranger didn't look down.
"But it would be easier, rather than going one by one," she protested.
"No," Umi sighed in defeat. He really was a stubborn bull, even though he was part. He zoomed in on his binoculars attached to his bow.
"You know those things Sekto keeps in 'is office?" a Wolvark spoke up.
"No," one replied uninterested.
"Well, I wouldn't wanna get near them things. They's viscious,"
"Hmm..." Stranger mumbled.
"What is it?" Umi asked over his tensed arm. Stranger ignored Umi, lowering his arm straight out. He placed a Spark Stunk on the left laucnher of his bow. He aimed right below the Wolvarks. He pressed Umi on the wall with his free arm, along with himself and his bow sticking straight out. He shot the Stunk out. A powerful smell fumed out of the excited Stunk, and sucked in the squad of Wolvarks like a nuclear bomb. The Wolvarks clawed at the ground, but not even that saved them from being squashed from under each others weight. Stranger snapped his arm back up by his face, listening to the Wolvarks uproar in surprise.
"What the hell..."
'What just happened?"
"Ger'off me!"
"Is this placed haunted...?"
Stranger quietly placed on double-barrels of Rabid Fuzzles. Their piercing blood-red eyes shot out to Stranger, nipping their two long fangs together at the lip. He waited right when the Wolvarks seemed to have calmed down.
"Maybe...we just got abducted by aliens..." A Wolvark rolled its eyes.
"Oh...you think we aren't?"
"Maybe a whirlwind took us..."
"A stinky son-of-a-gun too..."
"You guys are all morons..."
"'Ey! Look who's talkin'! Yer the onoe who brought up that aliens just dropped us off fer the helluv-it!"
"...S-so? It could've happened..."
"Would you two shut the hell up!? I'm tryin' ter listen!"
It became silent. Stranger slowed his breathing so it would make so much noise. Even the Fuzzles knew to shut up as well, baring their teeth over the wall. The Wolvark grumbled, rubbing its stumpy chin thoughtfully.
"Now, I know that someone could've only done that...but who?"
"The aliens?" a Wolvark snickered, elbowing its laughing partner.
Stranger ignored the Wolvark's uproaring bickering, grinning. The time was right. He swung his arm around the wall, and shot the hungry Fuzzles out to the arguing pack. High-pitched shrills echoed around the empty dome roof of the crane yard. Bloodthirsty growls of the Fuzzles chomped wildly deep in to the ugly yellow flesh of the Wolvarks, ripping the blue cloth of its uniforms off to reach the skin deep. Stranger stepped out with his bow raised to the Wolvarks. Super Stingbees hissed under its sapphire-blue insectoid eyes. Its abdomens lowered down with the three stingers prickled out from its scarlet-orange skin.
"'Ey! It was the Steef all along!"
"Damn! I was 'oping fer the aliens. Then I'd become a famous writer of this crap..." The Wolvarks blinked at its fantasy. "What? I can dream, can't I?"
Stranger shot rounds of hailing Stingbees at the already-wounded Wolvarks. Some Fuzzles hung by their gums at the Wolvark's open flesh. Stingbees cutted through the Wolvarks, sending them one by one quickly to their death. As the scream lofted up, the other walkway on the other side became suspicious.
"Jonny. What's the situation on the guards at lock one?" the leader requested. A Wolvark grunt peered through its binofocals, smaller than Stranger's binoculars, but more powerful. It grinned through its teeth.
"That pecker-headed Steef and human'r attackin' the first dock..." it replied, continuing to spy on them. "It's already taken down the squad...And its heading to the lock..."
"Not good..." the leader growled, turning a nob on its radio walkie-talkie. "Sir, we have a problem,"
"So I hear," Sekto's low hazy voice spoke.
"The Steef has infiltrated the crane yard," it said.
"Let it," Sekto said. The leader choked on its words.
"Sir?
"Open the elevator doors. The Steef and human will have a surprise on the other end," Sekto said. The Wolvark hesitated to reply.
"Yes, sir," It turned to the Grunt. "Activate the lock," The Grunt raised a brow high.
"Huh? What'choo on, sir? That Steef'll get through to Sekto!"
"Don't question me. Jist, do it!" The Wolvark snapped to attention.
"Alright, alright," it wobbled down from its perch, then sprinted up with its short legs up to the lock. He squinted back to the walkway first, seeing that the Steef had already activated the blue lock. It grunted an affirmative, and pulled a lever attached to a tentacle of wires up to the lock light. A loud ring shuddered beside the blue light on top of the elevator. It nodded to the leader.
"Elevator opened, sir," it reported through its walkie-talkie again.
"Good..." Sekto hummed, then chuckled lowly.
Stranger scrambled to a halt right in front of the elevator right when the buzzer went off.
"Huh?" Stranger growled. He moved closer, Umi slowly following as well. The slab door slid up to its coupling slowly. A pair of six claws curved up from the door opening, revealing inch by inch Stranger's new enemy. His jaw dropped, as the door opened up further. A set of two arms retracting from the six claws took a step forward. Tentacle-like flaps covering its mouth moved with its loud ear-piercing squeal. Glowing, blood-shot, ruby-red eyes grinned challengingly at Stranger. A squid-like head revealed the rest of its ghostly-purple hide. It made a low squawk, taking another step forward. Stranger stepped back from the creature. The thing became fast, taking its long claws down upon Stranger. It caged Stranger down between two fingers. The creature also brought down Umi, nearly piercing one claw right in to Umi's forehead. She slithered away, the thing ripping a cut in to her arm. The creature gave up on the human, bringing its claws right above Stranger's head. Stranger grappled two of its claws, its strength extraordinary. More stronger than him. He threw aside its foot, and scrambled away from under its caged talons. He jumped in front of Umi, keeping an arm stiffly in front of her.
"What the, hell is that?!" Stranger growled defensively. A hazy chuckle belched overhead.
"Pathetic Steef," Sekto's devious voice grouched overhead. "Say hello, to my little pet,"
The creature gave a shrill of challenge. The Wolvark guards scrambled up to an earlier sniper's perch above the heated action. Their guns lowered, beginning to grumble in interest. They hooted and hollared cheers to the Gloktigi, raising fists in the air.
"Well, now," the leader grinned. "Things are gonna be intersting, now that Sekto sent his Gloktigi out," It watched the Gloktigi take more steps forward, while the Steef took in to defend the human behind it. "And with it being ready, that Steef and human won't stand a chance. They're so dead," The leader lit a cigar in its mouth, and puffed a smokey ring.
The Gloktigi glared deeply in to Stranger's luminous green eyes. Each waited for each other to make a move. The Gloktigi was first. It spun around like a whirlwind, spewing a green gel out of its pores in little green blobs. The blobs attached around the skin of Stranger and Umi, creating a sticky ensnare around them. Stranger wrangled his arms around, breaking the glop strand by strand. He broke his arms free first, wiping off the goo. The Gloktigi moved slowly towards the entrapped prey.
"Stranger!" Umi cried. She was still stuck in the web. He jumped right next to her, tearing the ensnare off from her arms. It squawked, then spun out another round of green ensnare. The web smacked around Stranger's arms, sliding him away from Umi. He grunted to keep his head up.
"Umi! Shake out of it! Yer almost free!" Stranger shouted. She grunted loudly, moving her arms in a stong motion, but she couldn't break free.
"Damn it," she griped, ripping her arms around in the ensnare. The Gloktigi snorted right by Stranger's legs. He watched it pass by him, right up to Umi's arm. He growled angrily, ripping his arm through the ensnare. He tore off the rest of the web, jumped up, and tackled the Gloktigi. Umi felt the gel rip off her left arm. She popped it out, and slipped off the rest like a sheet. Stranger brawled on the Gloktigi, releasing his fury like a raging bull. The Gloktigi slapped Stranger off with one claw that whipped across his face. He slammed on the ground, feeling the warmth of his heated blood trickle down his furry jaw, right below his eye. That only made him angrier. He wiped the distraction away, and bulled his head down, the long curling horns on his helmet javalined out to the Gloktigi. It stared challengingly at Stranger. He kicked off the cement floor, accelerating with his arms, and his horns still pointing out to the Gloktigi. He closed in, then stuck the horns in to the purple flesh of the Gloktigi. He pulled away, two gaping holes seeping a dark red blood below its tentacle-like mouth. The Gloktigi stumbled away, blood splashing and staining the smooth floor. While the time was right, Stranger unlocked his bow, already loaded on with Super Stingbees. The Gloktigi eyes at the Steef's bow. Stranger shot the Stingbees, but thinking that it was weak enough to dodge. The Gloktigi's eyes grew brighter, regaining balance quick enough to dodge the swarms of shooting Stingbees. Stranger blinked unbelievably, his jaw dropped to his chest.
"How the..." Stranger mumbled. It snorted a quick, deep-like chuckle. It began to spin on two points of its claws, while retracting the rest of its talons out, creating a ripper whirlwind. Stranger grumbled a curse, backing away from the winding Gloktigi, feeling a breeze come closer as it approached. Stranger bared his arms in front of his face and head while backing away. Umi watched them as the Gloktigi brawled quickly. A quick pain swiped in to his tan flesh, and a warm liquid oozed from his arms. The Gloktigi struck, and it was still going. More longer painful slashes bared on his arms. Stranger held in his tears of pain, growling instead. The Gloktigi then slapped its arm across Stranger's ribs, slamming him against the cement wall. It squawked successfully, moving on to Stranger. Umi growled angrily, sprinting at the back of the squid-head. She leaped upon it, strapping her arms around its arms, and twisting her legs around its forearms. The Gloktigi roared frantically, ripping its body side to side. Her frail body whipped side to side, but not breaking her wrap. Stranger regained conscois quick enough to realize that Umi was wrangling with the Gloktigi. He got on his feet, then unlocked his bow.
"Umi!" he shouted.
"What?!"
"When I say now, get off it, and get down!" Stranger demanded. He placed on the launchers Boom-bat Seekers, glancing at the orange barrel of explosive liquid nearby close to the Gloktigi. He gave a groan of regret, but he had to get rid of it beofre it did real damage. The Gloktigi stumbled near the orange barrels, crashing its back in to the stack. It scrambled over the barrels, then tripped on to them, with its back laying on the barrels. Umi grunted under it, writhing from the weight of the Gloktigi.
“Oh, hell no…” Stranger growled, and lowered his arm. He leaped on the Gloktigi, and ripped Umi from under it. He gave a quick slam in the face of it to keep it impaired while he got Umi and himself away. The Gloktigi writhed around, frantically trying to get back on its feet. Stranger lifted his arm up to the pile of barrels under it, locking down his bow. The Wolvarks above growled and hissed at the Steef, encouraging the Gloktigi to stand back up. The leader eyed the Steef for a moment, and what it had on its bow. Then it looked to the Gloktigi with the barrels under it. The leader kept to and fro to each, then its eyes widened.
“Oh hell…” it whimpered, then spun to its team.
“HIT THE DECK!”
Stranger shot the ‘bat down to the barrels. Right when he saw the Boom-bat stuck to the barrels, he leaped down, covering Umi with his body, and holding his head down. The Wolvarks up above, however, followed the leader’s frantic command, and slammed down on the ground, holding their brims of their hats over their heads. The Gloktigi watched the ticking quickly go by for the ‘bat. Its eyes widened and turned to a darker red. Then the Boom-bat went off. The Gloktigi was shrouded in a bolero, a dark black mushroom cloud rising up to the dome-shaped roof, mixed in a fire spin. Stranger lifted his head back up to the smoky smolder of the Gloktigi’s corpse burning with the fire. The Wolvarks slowly retreated back to the edge of the sniper’s perch, staring down at the blackened, ripped body of the Gloktigi.
“Oh…Sekto won’t be happy wit’ ‘dis…”
The leader tapped in to his walkie-talkie.
“Uh…sir? We…we got’s trouble…” he said nervously.
“Do not worry then,” Sekto’s voice spoke so deeply and hazily.
“Why’s that?”
“You’re there to stop it,”
“B-but sir! We-“
“Good-bye. You’re loyalty was appreciated,” Static belched after that. The leader looked up from the walkie-talkie, its eyes wide open with fear.
“Sir?” a Grunt asked. He didn’t answer. The leader secured his automatic machine gun, holding up against his shoulder.
"Boys," he said calmly. "This is a time ter show who we really are. We ain't gonna let some stinky beast, and a pathetic human beat 'r asses down," he turned back to his squad. "Will we!?"
"HELL NO!" they shouted, then bellowed a battlecry. They unlocked their weapons, and stood at the edge of the perch, pointing their guns at the Steef. But Stranger held his arm up with double Boom-bat Seekers on the barrels. He grinned ferally, shaking his head in a no-no kind of way. The Wolvarks grunted in confusion, lowering their weapons. After they did that, the two Boom-bats shot out different directions. One stuck on a Grunt near the middle, and one right on the leader's chest.
"Eh..." he mumbled, looking down on his chest. The Boom-bat Seeker gibbered a quick sentence, looking craftily in its eyes. The Drones snickered as well up to him. A pressure pushed against him so hard, his chest caved in. Fire detonated from the Boom-bats and its Drones. The explosion chain-reacted with the Wolvarks next to him, scorching their moldy yellow skin in to a blackened crisp. The leader's walkie-talkie sqreeched of loud feedback for a long moment. It hissed a small trail of grey whispy smoke from the cold black encasing. The walkie-talkie squawked once more, then died.
Stranger lowered his arm down, locking up his bow once more. He looked up to the elevator, wide open and inviting them in. He then looked down to Umi, she having her hands on her hips.
"Well, kid," he said. "Time ter, git up ter Sekto, and take 'im down,"
"Let's don't have 'im waitin' fer 'is beatin' 'ere, Stranger," Umi nodded. Stranger agreed furthermore, both walking up the ramp to the open elevator. Once they entered, the door automatically shut behind them ghostly. Stranger and Umi stood tensionly, watching in front of them for the next challenge up ahead.

Go Stranger, Go Stranger! YAAAAY! *waves a flag and honks a klaxon* I would burst into a redition of 'We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions' but my singing voice is kinda bad....:fuzemb:

Pshaw...I try to sing, even though I'm kinda sick...:fuzemb:
"WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU!" stomp stomp clap, stomp stomp clap.
"WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU!"
:D

hey! i'm back and i 've been looking forward to yur updates for a while. I went to rural Oklahoma for awhile to visit my great grandparents. When I say rural i mean it. The closest "town" ( which was over 50 mile away) made those clakker settlements seem like giant cities. Man ,that place looks almost like the desert portion of the game! Not only that I met a grumpy brown stallion named Stranger.:eek: :eeek: What are the Odds of that?!? Especially since the owner never even heard of oddworld. Ne who, i'm still readin and your still awsome! can't wait to see the final confrontation! umi is going to kick so much @ss.

Damn, Hobbitninj...I guess there is such a place that's named "The boonies of the universe"...I feel so sorry fer you...
So, uh, you guys 'r gonna have ter keep readin' the slab below. The next chapter is closeby. And the next update is, I'm sorry ter say, tomorrow, folks. 'pologize...

LOL! That's really funny Hobbitninj, a grumpy brown stallion named Stranger? *snicker*

Yeah. 'specially if the guy doesn't know jack squat 'bout Oddworld. :D

Fiends, Beasts, and Mortar—-The siege of Sekto’s lair.


A cold draft began to blow through the small crack of the elevator doors. That meant they were returning outside again. A rumble shook the shaft and the elevator. Stranger grunted uncomfortably.
“The Grubbs must be attackin’ now,” he said.
Rocky explosions faintly grew louder as they went up. The elevator box slowly came to a shuddered halt. The door snapped open to the wide outside. Floating buoyancies were aligned in a rectangular pool of frosty water. High above were two lines horizontally to each other, made as placement lines for a line of Wolvarks. Fiery bubbling boulders flung far away in the distance of the dam. They struck the hard steel-cement plating of the canvas. The sniper towers high above, however, didn’t exactly keep the Snipers safe. Dribbles of melted rock sizzled through the tin roof plating of the tower, and dripping on the Sniper’s covered heads. The Wolvarks above didn't know they had arrived just yet. They were low enough to dodge their sight. But they'd had to do something quick, before they did notice.
Stranger looked at the water, then to Umi.
"We're gonna have ter jump, kid," Stranger said low.
Umi looked at the water, then back to Stranger with a serious face.
"You know what happened last time," Umi warned.
"Ride on me. Yer gonna have ter keep yer upper half of yer body above the water," Stranger suggested. Umi thought about this. She slid off last time because his armor became icy and slick from the water frozen. She grumbled.
"Get in the water, carefully. Don't splash on yer armor too much," Umi said. Stranger stepped to the edge. He placed a hoof in to the water, then the second. He slipped his hinds slowly in to the water, then supported his weight by flapping his arms uderwater. He placed his back to the edge where Umi's feet waited. She grabbed on his shoulders, slipping her feet down over his back. She pressed down on his shoulders to keep her hips away from the water. Stranger placed his hind legs on the wall, then pressed off. He occasionally swam behind the buoys, just to keep out of the Wolvark's sight. He reached the end, letting Umi stand on his shoulders to hop off. Her shoes were wet, and his armor was still slick. She nearly jumped off, when her shoes slipped behind his shoulders. She managed to get on the ledge, but she slammed her face in to the cement. Her grunts alerted the Wolvarks for a short moment. Stranger grunted, and submerged in to the water. Umi layed completely still, looking as if she was dead. A Wolvark walked to the edge of its perch, staring down at the water. It waved unnaturally, as if the Wolvark cared. It looked at the end of the pool, seeing a creature laying still and limp, its legs in the water.
"Hmm?" it mumbled.
"What is it?" one asked next to it.
The witness pointed to the creature laying beached. Both gave a grumble of curiosity, as its officer studied it longer.
"Heh...Looks dead ter me," it said.
"Yeah..but...what is it?"
"Beats me. Looks like a horribly mutated Grubb ter me..."
"We'd better git back ter guard. Or boss'll over-kiel us,"
Stranger gave up his breath, and ressurfaced. Umi lifted her head up off the cold floor. She noticed large spots of blood that pooled the ground. She wiped her nose, a streak of solid red blood covered her forearm.
"Damn..." Umi griped. She dipped her arm in to the cool water, and washed the blood off. Stranger swam to the base, and crawled up. Blood from Umi's nose dripped out continuously in to the water, making bloody smokey rings dissolve.
"You alright?" Stranger shook the water off his fur dog-like. Umi looked up to him with a sneer.
"Do I look alright? I jist did a faceplant in to the ground, and I'm bleeding from my nose, and it still hurts," Umi said, wiping another streak on her forearm, and cleaning it off.
"Oh you'll be fine," Stranger said. He snapped back up to the overhead Wolvarks, hearing them mumble suspiciously.
"We've gotta move," Stranger whispered, grabbing Umi's arm, and leading her behind him.
The end Wolvark caught the fleeing Steef holding the bleeding human behind it.
"GUYS!" it roared. "STEEF SPOTTED! TAKE IT DOWN!"
Guns clicked loudly. Ammo chambers filled with bullets. The first shot was taken in to the Steef's back.
Stranger glared behind him to the Wolvarks over his shoulder. Umi immediately jumped on Stranger's back, and he beginning to sprint at full speed away from the attackers. The bullet stuck out of his right shoulder, right to Umi's arm. Through the bullet, blood seeped slowly out of the hole.
"This is gonna hurt a lil', Stranger," Umi picked at the bullet.
"What the hell you doin'?" Stranger said, becoming uncomfortable.
Umi wrapped her fingers around the long bullet, then whipped it out of his shoulderblade. He roared ruefully, a tear nearly shedding out of his eye.
"Damn it, Umi..." he growled. She flicked the bloody bullet out.
He skidded to a stop right when he turned the corner. A deep gap placement began to rise slowly with Wolvark guards growling challengingly. Bombs were thrown up, guns were quickly reloaded. Helmets were placed over heads, and goggles grew bright to life.
"Better hold on tight, Umi," Stranger warned, unlocking his bow.
Umi didn't care to hear of Stranger. She whipped out the bandana Stranger gave back to her from his legs, and stuffed a corner in the wound. The hole wouldn't stop bleeding, but better to be clogged before real damage occured. Stranger growled uncomfortably.
"It's ok. It'll help," Umi calmly said, tying two ends around his under arm.
"Would yer do it a little more gently, please?" he asked. He reached down in his amo sack on his belt, holding in his cupped hand, Rabid Fuzzles and Riot Slugs.
Right when the Wolvarks saw that the Steef was loading on something on its crossbow, defensive stances took place.
Stranger held out his arm first, staring side to side at each Wolvark. The time wasn't right. He wanted to wait until the Wolvarks began to feel a bit insecure, when nothing would happen. Umi watched ouver his arm at the leveled platform. The Wolvark's legs started to lift back up from crouched. Confused grins grew wider. Now they were beginning to feel insecure.
"The hell-"
A Riot Slug was shot off first. Shrapnel of sharp shell from the purple-cased bug shot out, ricocheting off the metal, and sticking in the Wolvark's skin. Next were the Fuzzles, while the Wolvarks were unnoticing. Their teeth sunk deeply in to their skinning flesh. The Wolvarks were totally unbalanced with the bits of sharp shell and biting fur balls taking their attention away from the Steef.
"Now's our chance," Umi said up to his ear.
He made an affirmative grunt, taking off quickly to a sprint through the officers. He pushed aside the scrambling Wolvarks, leaving them to their death with the Fuzzles.
Even though the molten rock and tin melted above their heads from the catapults the annoying Grubb natives shot off, that didn't keep the Snipers down. They kept a constant motion with the ground below for anything suspicious. The straightaway was clear of unsuspecting activity, but they got a message from their boss that a Steef sighting was around their area.
Red targeting lights spotted around the grey gravel.
'Damn this job's borin',' both thought nonchalantly.
They brought back up their rifles, placing upon their eyes their infrared goggles.
"Yo. Jerk-off. Take a look over 'ere," its partner beside it in the other tower shouted over the whistle of the whizzing catapulted boulders smashing in the canvas continually.
It mumbled a cursing insult to itself, then zoomed in on its rife scope to where its officer pointed. There, he saw through the round reticule was a limp arm of pale yellow flesh covered in red blood.
"Hmm...Seems we've got company. Get yer rifle heated," it commanded.
Right when it said that, the Steef rushed from the corner over the dead Wolvark.
"Whoa! Holy shit!" it blinked.
"Damn! It's too fast! I can't get a shot!"
The Steef, passed under the sniper towers. Right at that moment, they saw the human on its back.
Whoo-ee! We's gonna be rich bastards!" its partner cheered.
But neither of them couldn't get the Steef. Its speed was way too extreme for their coordination skill. And as they thought they got it in target, their shot always missed inches away from its legs.
"Stranger!" Umi shouted. "Snipers!"
"Din't think I knew that, Umi?" Stranger frowned up to the Snipers.
Red-hot lasers pinged off the cement.
"We'll have ter get rid o' them," Stranger yelled.
"Exactly," Umi grinned, turning her body around to the sniper towers with her automatic pointed up to the Snipers. Bullets spewed up, and hailed the Wolvarks. They flinched greatly as each bullet struck through their stained blue uniforms. One flipped behind over the secure tin wall, down by the dam wall. The last one fell to its knees, bleeding to death, as its blood dripped like water down on the slate ground.
"Got'cha," Umi grinned successfully, and slung the rifle behind her again, turning back to Stranger. He almost immediately stopped when she turned back around.
They had stopped at the edge of a square-shaped pool, blocking their way across. But that's not what also blocked their way.
Two circular Shock Tanks rumbled across the gravel to the pool's end. Their electrical shield coarsed around the body of the tank as if it were a silvery-purple aura. The two bionic eyes whirred on to the target of the Steef and human. Chuckly rumbles from the tanks hollowed out to them.
"Damn...not again," Stranger growled.
The tank came to life quickly. The electrical pulses grew stronger around the tank. Then, an explosion of bright purple electric bolts shot out across the pool. It brushed the Steef's cheek hotly, it cringing back and holding its seered skin. Another touched the fleshy arm of the human, scraping a bruned cut across its forearm.
"We got's it," the Wolvark operating cackled.
Stranger lowered his arm down to his eyes. His paw was covered in his own blood, staining a bit of his brown leather wrapped around his arm.
"Umi...Umi, you ok?" Stranger reached back, and grabbed her arm.
He felt a warm, wet sensation dampen his dry hand. He blinked at it, then slowly retracted his arm back. He opened it, deliberately seeing red blood also cover his paw. His throat choked.
"Umi?"
He turned his head over to her. Her head was laying on his shoulder blade. Her arm that he touch was hanging down near his foreleg. Her eyes was slightly ajar, but her mouth was closed. Her bloody nose was crusted around her upper lip.
Stranger couldn't believe the inevitable. He gently lifted her body up by her arm, and setted her on the ground. He put an ear to her chest.
A faint pulse beated slowly. The real shock must've gotten her, and knocked her senseless. Almost nearly killed her as well.
Stranger's feelings were overwhelmed by pure anger. His bloody hands rolled in to a tight fist up off her chest. His lips parted from clenched sharp teeth, nearly stabbing his gums. His back hunched down, prickles of fur sticking up on his neck. This would be more than revenge. This would be obliteration.
The Shock Tanks watched the furious Steef stand back up, and turn to them. They chuckled at its rage. Then they stopped. Their throats choked in fear quickly. They saw its eyes. Its eyes were a bright green with a shade of faint red. The Wolvarks leaned up to their screen panel.
"Oh...shit,"
"That ain't good..."
Stranger's bow unlocked. He held up to the Wolvarks two Boom-bat Seekers. They now knew that he wouldn't show any mercy. He placed the Boom-bats on both barrels, and raised it back up. The tanks began to back away, as if real Wolvarks would. His teeth continued to bare. He bellowed a loud roar directly to the Shock Tanks.
"That's definitely not good..." both Wolvarks said in unison.
Right when Stranger brought his head back down, both Boom-bats were shot at one tank first.
The tank's weak metal hull began to cave in. Its shock shield died right on impact. Its engine behind smoked a thin trail of smoke. Inside, small fires spurted on the Wolvark's control panels. Its screen began to die of vision since the bionic eye was seriously damaged.
Then, three flashing red words pulsated in its eyes;
AUTOMATIC SELF-DESTRUCT:
It watched the seconds go by; 5...4...3...2...
It definitely knew five seconds wasn't enough to save itself. Wires popped commonly around the flat panels. The Wolvark sat distilled by its failure, even though it was so close.
...1...
The Wolvark's attention was caught by its comrade's destroyed tank, that had deliberately ecploded right next to it.
"Charlie?" it whimpered.
It knew nothing could escape a self-destructed tank within a quarter of a minute. It slowly looked back to its coarsing red eye. The Steef had already prepared its mutual death; the same way as for its partner.
But it couldn't risk giving up so quickly.
It powered up its elecctrical charge. Its aura grew brighter.
Stranger saw the tank trying to attack again. Purple bolts exploded out of the tank's poles. Stranger stood completely still. The bolts headed right to him. But as if you'd think they'd strike him, the bolts stopped nearly inches to his nuzzle. Stranger chuckled heinously. The bolts dissappeared in this air.
"What!?"
The Wolvark slammed its fists on the panels.
Stranger lifted his arm again, then immediately shot the two 'bats.
As the explosive little critters fluttered with its drones, the Wolvark counted the ticking time.
'7...6...uh...um...w-what's after six again?'
The Boom-bats exploded on the tank's eye. The eye imploded in to the tank's hull, and exploding right on impact. Stranger growled a heavy sigh. His deed was done, but it still didn't feel good. Umi was still unconscious. And if she stayed like that with a weak pulse, she'd eventually die.
He quickly trotted over to her, and knelt down. He pressed an ear again to her chest.
He couldn't hear a thing.
He pulled back, and poked his pinky through his ear, unclogging his ear. He went back down to her chest.
Still couldn't hear a thing.
"Umi?" he lifted her head.
Her face was a shade of white.
"C'mon, kid. You've pulled through more serious situations,"
Tears filled his eyes. No responsive actions came from her.
"I don't want to lose you..."
He pulled her up in his embraced arms. Tears rolled down his furry jaw. His arms curled tighter around.
"I won't..."
As if his tears were a mystic power, a loud, rasping breath inhaled in to Umi. Her eyes popped open widely, inhaling deeply. She coughed loudly over Stranger's arm. She blinked for a moment at Stranger.
"Did we win?" she asked.
Stranger pulled Umi out in front of him, hoping what he heard was a hoax. But there she was, eyes open, and she breathing. His lips curled in to a half frown and half smile, wrapping her back in his arms.
Umi blinked at his tenderness. She looked to his crying eyes.
"Was it something I did?"
"Yeah..." he said gently. "You coming back ter me,"

I'll post a lil' later. Gotta go.

My GOD, Where on earth did u learn to write like that, it's like music without sound, Brilliant!!!!

Haha! I knew me and HobbitNinj couldn't be the only one's that think DE's story's brilliant! :cheer:

R-really? It's that good?
I thought my writing was bland...
Thanks, guys! And thank you fer readin' my fic, Icarus! 'ppreciate it! :D ;)

Lol, nah we're all lying Darky. :D Lol, jokin', obviously.

:eek:
GAH! Yer so mean....:crying:
Makes me more inspired and happy that you guys say that...I really thought it was bland and...eck...

o.O

....er....uh oh....aw, c'mon DE, I was only jokin'....*looks shifty eyed at makin' DE cry*

I'm juist yankin' yer crank, Lobo.
So, I'm-a format my fic fer a while. Read the rest of it while I do so, 'cause I'm-a be savin' it soon. I hope...

Oh, an' DE, if yer want me to keep up ter date with savin' yer story, you gotta tell me when you edit previous posts...I just hope I ain't missed anything up to now...:fuzemb:

Yeah, I'll tell yer when I'm done.
On the other hand, you wanna start the RP through the PM's again? I believe it's yer turn again.

your writing is anything but bland! It's like you have actually took a trip to Oddworld. The character's actions and personalities fit perfectly ( especially the enemies, some of the stuff they spout out should have been in the actual game:lol:). You are a great writer.:love: Seriously, J.K. Rowling might have some competition going on...

:sniffle:
Garsh...you guys are the greatest...:ah-yuck!:
Well'p. I'm done reformatting fer today. And HOLY COW! The chapters are even longer since I reformatted them! I was dumbstruck! :eek:
I even added some things, if you want ter see them. When you see the line above part of the story, it means I'm not finished.
Enjoy, you guys! I'll be back tomorrow!

i wouldn't pass the chance to read your story, it's just too good. :)

Since the fic was on the other page, I shall post it up fer you lazy lil' beings. :D

Fiends, Beasts, and Mortar—-The siege of Sekto’s lair.


A cold draft began to blow through the small crack of the elevator doors. That meant they were returning outside again. A rumble shook the shaft and the elevator. Stranger grunted uncomfortably.
“The Grubbs must be attackin’ now,” he said.
Rocky explosions faintly grew louder as they went up. The elevator box slowly came to a shuddered halt. The door snapped open to the wide outside. Floating buoyancies were aligned in a rectangular pool of frosty water. High above were two lines horizontally to each other, made as placement lines for a line of Wolvarks. Fiery bubbling boulders flung far away in the distance of the dam. They struck the hard steel-cement plating of the canvas. The sniper towers high above, however, didn’t exactly keep the Snipers safe. Dribbles of melted rock sizzled through the tin roof plating of the tower, and dripping on the Sniper’s covered heads. The Wolvarks above didn't know they had arrived just yet. They were low enough to dodge their sight. But they'd had to do something quick, before they did notice.
Stranger looked at the water, then to Umi.
"We're gonna have ter jump, kid," Stranger said low.
Umi looked at the water, then back to Stranger with a serious face.
"You know what happened last time," Umi warned.
"Ride on me. Yer gonna have ter keep yer upper half of yer body above the water," Stranger suggested. Umi thought about this. She slid off last time because his armor became icy and slick from the water frozen. She grumbled.
"Get in the water, carefully. Don't splash on yer armor too much," Umi said. Stranger stepped to the edge. He placed a hoof in to the water, then the second. He slipped his hinds slowly in to the water, then supported his weight by flapping his arms uderwater. He placed his back to the edge where Umi's feet waited. She grabbed on his shoulders, slipping her feet down over his back. She pressed down on his shoulders to keep her hips away from the water. Stranger placed his hind legs on the wall, then pressed off. He occasionally swam behind the buoys, just to keep out of the Wolvark's sight. He reached the end, letting Umi stand on his shoulders to hop off. Her shoes were wet, and his armor was still slick. She nearly jumped off, when her shoes slipped behind his shoulders. She managed to get on the ledge, but she slammed her face in to the cement. Her grunts alerted the Wolvarks for a short moment. Stranger grunted, and submerged in to the water. Umi layed completely still, looking as if she was dead. A Wolvark walked to the edge of its perch, staring down at the water. It waved unnaturally, as if the Wolvark cared. It looked at the end of the pool, seeing a creature laying still and limp, its legs in the water.
"Hmm?" it mumbled.
"What is it?" one asked next to it.
The witness pointed to the creature laying beached. Both gave a grumble of curiosity, as its officer studied it longer.
"Heh...Looks dead ter me," it said.
"Yeah..but...what is it?"
"Beats me. Looks like a horribly mutated Grubb ter me..."
"We'd better git back ter guard. Or boss'll over-kiel us,"
Stranger gave up his breath, and ressurfaced. Umi lifted her head up off the cold floor. She noticed large spots of blood that pooled the ground. She wiped her nose, a streak of solid red blood covered her forearm.
"Damn..." Umi griped. She dipped her arm in to the cool water, and washed the blood off. Stranger swam to the base, and crawled up. Blood from Umi's nose dripped out continuously in to the water, making bloody smokey rings dissolve.
"You alright?" Stranger shook the water off his fur dog-like. Umi looked up to him with a sneer.
"Do I look alright? I jist did a faceplant in to the ground, and I'm bleeding from my nose, and it still hurts," Umi said, wiping another streak on her forearm, and cleaning it off.
"Oh you'll be fine," Stranger said. He snapped back up to the overhead Wolvarks, hearing them mumble suspiciously.
"We've gotta move," Stranger whispered, grabbing Umi's arm, and leading her behind him.
The end Wolvark caught the fleeing Steef holding the bleeding human behind it.
"GUYS!" it roared. "STEEF SPOTTED! TAKE IT DOWN!"
Guns clicked loudly. Ammo chambers filled with bullets. The first shot was taken in to the Steef's back.
Stranger glared behind him to the Wolvarks over his shoulder. Umi immediately jumped on Stranger's back, and he beginning to sprint at full speed away from the attackers. The bullet stuck out of his right shoulder, right to Umi's arm. Through the bullet, blood seeped slowly out of the hole.
"This is gonna hurt a lil', Stranger," Umi picked at the bullet.
"What the hell you doin'?" Stranger said, becoming uncomfortable.
Umi wrapped her fingers around the long bullet, then whipped it out of his shoulderblade. He roared ruefully, a tear nearly shedding out of his eye.
"Damn it, Umi..." he growled. She flicked the bloody bullet out.
He skidded to a stop right when he turned the corner. A deep gap placement began to rise slowly with Wolvark guards growling challengingly. Bombs were thrown up, guns were quickly reloaded. Helmets were placed over heads, and goggles grew bright to life.
"Better hold on tight, Umi," Stranger warned, unlocking his bow.
Umi didn't care to hear of Stranger. She whipped out the bandana Stranger gave back to her from his legs, and stuffed a corner in the wound. The hole wouldn't stop bleeding, but better to be clogged before real damage occured. Stranger growled uncomfortably.
"It's ok. It'll help," Umi calmly said, tying two ends around his under arm.
"Would yer do it a little more gently, please?" he asked. He reached down in his ammo sack on his belt, holding in his cupped hand, Rabid Fuzzles and Riot Slugs.
Right when the Wolvarks saw that the Steef was loading on something on its crossbow, defensive stances took place.
Stranger held out his arm first, staring side to side at each Wolvark. The time wasn't right. He wanted to wait until the Wolvarks began to feel a bit insecure, when nothing would happen. Umi watched ouver his arm at the leveled platform. The Wolvark's legs started to lift back up from crouched. Confused grins grew wider. Now they were beginning to feel insecure.
"The hell-"
A Riot Slug was shot off first. Shrapnel of sharp shell from the purple-cased bug shot out, ricocheting off the metal, and sticking in the Wolvark's skin. Next were the Fuzzles, while the Wolvarks were unnoticing. Their teeth sunk deeply in to their skinning flesh. The Wolvarks were totally unbalanced with the bits of sharp shell and biting fur balls taking their attention away from the Steef.
"Now's our chance," Umi said up to his ear.
He made an affirmative grunt, taking off quickly to a sprint through the officers. He pushed aside the scrambling Wolvarks, leaving them to their death with the Fuzzles.
Even though the molten rock and tin melted above their heads from the catapults the annoying Grubb natives shot off, that didn't keep the Snipers down. They kept a constant motion with the ground below for anything suspicious. The straightaway was clear of unsuspecting activity, but they got a message from their boss that a Steef sighting was around their area.
Red targeting lights spotted around the grey gravel.
'Damn this job's borin',' both thought nonchalantly.
They brought back up their rifles, placing upon their eyes their infrared goggles.
"Yo. Jerk-off. Take a look over 'ere," its partner beside it in the other tower shouted over the whistle of the whizzing catapulted boulders smashing in the canvas continually.
It mumbled a cursing insult to itself, then zoomed in on its rife scope to where its officer pointed. There, he saw through the round reticule was a limp arm of pale yellow flesh covered in red blood.
"Hmm...Seems we've got company. Get yer rifle heated," it commanded.
Right when it said that, the Steef rushed from the corner over the dead Wolvark.
"Whoa! Holy shit!" it blinked.
"Damn! It's too fast! I can't get a shot!"
The Steef, passed under the sniper towers. Right at that moment, they saw the human on its back.
"Whoo-ee! We's gonna be rich bastards!" its partner cheered.
But neither of them couldn't get the Steef. Its speed was way too extreme for their coordination skill. And as they thought they got it in target, their shot always missed inches away from its legs.
"Stranger!" Umi shouted. "Snipers!"
"Din't think I knew that, Umi?" Stranger frowned up to the Snipers.
Red-hot lasers pinged off the cement.
"We'll have ter get rid o' them," Stranger yelled.
"Exactly," Umi grinned, turning her body around to the sniper towers with her automatic pointed up to the Snipers. Bullets spewed up, and hailed the Wolvarks. They flinched greatly as each bullet struck through their stained blue uniforms. One flipped behind over the secure tin wall, down by the dam wall. The last one fell to its knees, bleeding to death, as its blood dripped like water down on the slate ground.
"Got'cha," Umi grinned successfully, and slung the rifle behind her again, turning back to Stranger. He almost immediately stopped when she turned back around.
They had stopped at the edge of a square-shaped pool, blocking their way across. But that's not what also blocked their way.
Two circular Shock Tanks rumbled across the gravel to the pool's end. Their electrical shield coarsed around the body of the tank as if it were a silvery-purple aura. The two bionic eyes whirred on to the target of the Steef and human. Chuckly rumbles from the tanks hollowed out to them.
"Damn...not again," Stranger growled.
The tank came to life quickly. The electrical pulses grew stronger around the tank. Then, an explosion of bright purple electric bolts shot out across the pool. It brushed the Steef's cheek hotly, it cringing back and holding its seered skin. Another touched the fleshy arm of the human, scraping a burned cut across its forearm.
"We got's it," the Wolvark operating cackled.
Stranger lowered his arm down to his eyes. His paw was covered in his own blood, staining a bit of his brown leather wrapped around his arm.
"Umi...Umi, you ok?" Stranger reached back, and grabbed her arm.
He felt a warm, wet sensation dampen his dry hand. He blinked at it, then slowly retracted his arm back. He opened it, deliberately seeing red blood also cover his paw. His throat choked.
"Umi?"
He turned his head over to her. Her head was laying on his shoulder blade. Her arm that he touch was hanging down near his foreleg. Her eyes was slightly ajar, but her mouth was closed. Her bloody nose was crusted around her upper lip.
Stranger couldn't believe the inevitable. He gently lifted her body up by her arm, and setted her on the ground. He put an ear to her chest.
A faint pulse beated slowly. The real shock must've gotten her, and knocked her senseless. Almost nearly killed her as well.
Stranger's feelings were overwhelmed by pure anger. His bloody hands rolled in to a tight fist up off her chest. His lips parted from clenched sharp teeth, nearly stabbing his gums. His back hunched down, prickles of fur sticking up on his neck. This would be more than revenge. This would be obliteration.
The Shock Tanks watched the furious Steef stand back up, and turn to them. They chuckled at its rage. Then they stopped. Their throats choked in fear quickly. They saw its eyes. Its eyes were a bright green with a shade of faint red. The Wolvarks leaned up to their screen panel.
"Oh...shit,"
"That ain't good..."
Stranger's bow unlocked. He held up to the Wolvarks two Boom-bat Seekers. They now knew that he wouldn't show any mercy. He placed the Boom-bats on both barrels, and raised it back up. The tanks began to back away, as if real Wolvarks would. His teeth continued to bare. He bellowed a loud roar directly to the Shock Tanks.
"That's definitely not good..." both Wolvarks said in unison.
Right when Stranger brought his head back down, both Boom-bats were shot at one tank first.
The tank's weak metal hull began to cave in. Its shock shield died right on impact. Its engine behind smoked a thin trail of smoke. Inside, small fires spurted on the Wolvark's control panels. Its screen began to die of vision since the bionic eye was seriously damaged.
Then, three flashing red words pulsated in its eyes;
AUTOMATIC SELF-DESTRUCT:
It watched the seconds go by; 5...4...3...2...
It definitely knew five seconds wasn't enough to save itself. Wires popped commonly around the flat panels. The Wolvark sat distilled by its failure, even though it was so close.
...1...
The Wolvark's attention was caught by its comrade's destroyed tank, that had deliberately ecploded right next to it.
"Charlie?" it whimpered.
It knew nothing could escape a self-destructed tank within a quarter of a minute. It slowly looked back to its coarsing red eye. The Steef had already prepared its mutual death; the same way as for its partner.
But it couldn't risk giving up so quickly.
It powered up its elecctrical charge. Its aura grew brighter.
Stranger saw the tank trying to attack again. Purple bolts exploded out of the tank's poles. Stranger stood completely still. The bolts headed right to him. But as if you'd think they'd strike him, the bolts stopped nearly inches to his nuzzle. Stranger chuckled heinously. The bolts dissappeared in thin air.
"What!?"
The Wolvark slammed its fists on the panels.
Stranger lifted his arm again, then immediately shot the two 'bats.
As the explosive little critters fluttered with its drones, the Wolvark counted the ticking time.
'7...6...uh...um...w-what's after six again?'
The Boom-bats exploded on the tank's eye. The eye imploded in to the tank's hull, and exploding right on impact. Stranger growled a heavy sigh. His deed was done, but it still didn't feel good. Umi was still unconscious. And if she stayed like that with a weak pulse, she'd eventually die.
He quickly trotted over to her, and knelt down. He pressed an ear again to her chest.
He couldn't hear a thing.
He pulled back, and poked his pinky through his ear, unclogging his ear. He went back down to her chest.
Still couldn't hear a thing.
"Umi?" he lifted her head.
Her face was a shade of white.
"C'mon, kid. You've pulled through more serious situations,"
Tears filled his eyes. No responsive actions came from her.
"I don't want to lose you..."
He pulled her up in his embraced arms. Tears rolled down his furry jaw. His arms curled tighter around.
"I won't..."
As if his tears were a mystic power, a loud, rasping breath inhaled in to Umi. Her eyes popped open widely, inhaling deeply. She coughed loudly over Stranger's arm. She blinked for a moment at Stranger.
"Did we win?" she asked.
Stranger pulled Umi out in front of him, hoping what he heard was a hoax. But there she was, eyes open, and she breathing. His lips curled in to a half frown and half smile, wrapping her back in his arms.
Umi blinked at his tenderness. She looked to his crying eyes.
"Was it something I did?"
"Yeah..." he said gently. "You coming back ter me,"

"I can't remember how it all happened..." Umi spoke.
"All I remember was the bolt that cut my skin open...then...darkness"
"Maybe unconsciousness caused yer to, lose memory," Stranger suggested.
"Yeah. I've heard that unconsciousness causes memory loss,"
Stranger nodded in agreement.
"Well...as long as yer alive, I dun' care if you lost memory. As ong as yer 'ere with me," Stranger smoothed her hair down her back.
"Oh...you big...pussy cat," Umi pushed away his nose.
The catapults had stopped momentarily for an odd reason. But while Stranger and Umi delayed, the catapults had been launched again.
Stranger heard the whistle of the hot boulder sizzling high overhead.
"We'd better get to Sekto, quick. The Grubbs'll move in ter destroy the dam,"
Stranger stood back up.
They crossed the second, near-frozen pool of water. Two guard towers much lower than the other two sniper towers stood side by side beside the door in to the dam. Two lock switches blinked right behind Wolvark officers.
Stranger grinned.
A ladder dangled up to the tower, right to the Wolvark unnoticing. He gently clopped a hoof on the cold metal. He kept his hind legs far behind, just in case he needed to make a quick escape. He also tried to keep his helmet unnoticeable either.
He dropped it to Umi carefully.
Then showed his head over the edge to the Grunt.
It scratched its head irritatingly from the dry cold air, even though its hat was supposed to protect its head. Snowflakes melted among its nasty jowls hot to the touch. It hated the cold, even winter. It was too blustery, plus its boss ordered him for an outside guard duty, which annoyed the piss out of him. It wiped globs of snow off its worn uniform. It was about to go ballistic if the hole in the green roof didn’t stop dropping snow.
It mumbled offensive curses to itself, snorting at its boss’s image in its mind.
Then it hit it. Literally.
Two large hands grabbed the bottom of its legs, and tripped it on the deck. It slid away to the edge. It clawed its ragged fingernails in the smooth cement.
Stranger slid the Wolvark down to him, and whipped it on the ground. It mumbled incoherently, then fell in a deep coma. He climbed the rest of the way up, and snapped the icicled lever. He steadily jumped back down by Umi, now noticing that the last tower had noticed the Steef, and was on the attack.
Stranger moved quickly to the tower, then hiding under the tower itself.
The Wolvark above, however, growled. It crawled down the icy ladder.
Stranger trotted by the ladder, pressing his back on the wall. He waited to see the torn leather boots of the officer.
Umi ran by one of the supporting beams that held up the tower, and waited for Stranger to take the Wolvark down. She heard a loud yell, then painful punches and crying howls. She ran up to the ladder, and started climbing.
The metal was so cold; it felt as if her skin was to be ripped off. Her shoes became slick quickly from her dry rubber soles. She reached the base, and scrambled up before she slipped. The lever stood out right in front of her. She pulled it down.
The two wide doors opened. Stranger dropped the unconscious Wolvark by its partner near the water.
Umi jumped down right in front of him.
“Wow,” she said to him. “These guys ‘r gettin’ easier,”
As they entered, the doors shut behind them, and made a loud clank.
"Damn it, fellers! What the hell you doin' out thar?! That Steef's managed to pass our defenses by the number! And I don' think boss is quite happy wit' us!" the loudspeaker rang loudly, its voice grumpily.
So! I suggest you get yer finger out-a yer asses, and get to killin' that Steef! PRONTO! Or I'll take every single living ass remaning, and skin yeh alive! Then, I'll kill yeh!"
An internal echo died slowly around the grey-slate dead walls. Two large curved structural pillars grew from bottom up, hiding two growling Wolvark guards.
"Yeh...he kiss my ass..."
"Huh! And we ain't doin' our job?"
Stranger placed a finger in front of his lips to Umi, then slid along the pillar until the Grunt's ugly yellow skin appeared.
His bow snapped open, he having a vigilant grin on, as he plotted with Spark Stunks and Super Stingbees. He retracted his arm around the pillar slowly, without making a scratching noise. He breathed deep, then shot down the Stunk.
Umi felt the burning of her eyes water her eyes. The Stunk was more powerful than the last time. She covered her nose before the burning in her lungs acted up more.
Two loud screams travelled to the spot where the Stunk sucked up the sweet air. A loud thump of two hollow heads bonked together, the shock waves rumbling irritatingly in their heads.
Prickling sharp pains were sent next. Super Stingbees buzzed in clusters, their three sharp stingers baring out front of the bugs. Holes exploded in to the thin flesh of the Wolvarks. Blood stains splattered the cold smooth ground in to an abstract painting of smears and spots.
The Wolvarks mumbled in their own primordial stew.
Stranger and Umi crossed the blood-slicken floor, up to the next door that was mysteriously open.
Familiar war yells pattered behind the walls. Stranger became precarious, trotting up to the nylon-webbed window. Rebel Grubbs have already invaded the dam, with such speed, too.
The Grubbs glanced at Steef, him walking up to the caged window.
"Yeah! Steef! You made it!"
All of them cried. Their snowsuits were blood-stained and furry hooded. Eyes blinked with courage and indulgiance. They were ready for anything. Even if it meant of them taking their own lives.
"Steef! Steef! The catapults are moving up to the dam! We're gonna take down as many Wolvark guards as we can, so they don't rattle you up!" a Grubb shouted.
"You do that. An' thanks," Stranger nodded gratefully.
The Grubbs smiled at Stranger, then a group ran up to a pillar-blocked dungeon door. The Grubbs reached in to their heavy suits, holding to what looked like gun powder-filled rock tubes. The Grubbs also held torches of crackling hot fire above the tubes. A small cloth whick filtered out of the tube, burried under the explosive grey powder. As they got closer, each of them lit the ends of their whicks, hissing and sparking a yellow-orange fire. As the whick swiftly reached inside the tube, the Grubbs gave a mighty yell, their eyes glaring deviously at the dungeon door.
Right when all of them hit the doorstop of the dungeon, the fire reacted to the mix of chemicals and explosive powder. The powder exploded in a powerful blow, knocking the Grubbs mindlessly in to a deep coma, even death. Smoke mushroomed in a purple-teal smoke and sparks, showering over the flung Grubbs, and setting afire to the wood.
The doors, however, were caved in, the wood imploded in to the dungeon corridor. A cool blast of air fernaced among the limp bodies of the Rebels. Their mission was completed, but limitlessly among the Steef's mission.
Stranger sighed pitifully to the Grubb's mindless sacrifice. It was, intently, a neat idea to sacrifice themselves, just to take down an evil guy, but taking their lives away wasn't on his mind at all. He really, truely now, was becoming attached to the Grubbs, almost as much as he was to Umi.
"Eww....'kay...That was...awkward..." Umi blinked.
"Sekto's upstairs. We'd better move, 'fore them Grubbs move on in,"
And true to his word, rumbles and shudders of crumbling cement imploded in to the dam. It sizzled of a hot heat, molten rock dribbling off in a gooey form.
Stranger and Umi slammed their backs against the cold metal of a chipped metal box crate.
Bullets tore through the air hotly, pinging in to the rusted hull.
Wolvarks up on a shattered window in an inside building reloaded their rifles, as they jeered to the helpless Steef. They continued to waste their ammunition to scare out them.
But they prevailed.
Their tact was too familiar to Umi and Stranger, they didn't even faze.
Stingbees returned fire on the Wolvarks, shattering the sticking out, broken bits of the window by them.
The officers moved on opposite sides of the wall. The Stingbees whizzed by their faces, and poking in the hard cement.
"We could use a bomber 'ere!" one shouted.
Two Wolvark officers, wielding their long police shields, moved up to the windowsill, popping up their sparked sticky bombs.
The bombs showered under purple-blue dotty lights, beeping a slow-paced timer, pacing quickly. The bombs flew overhead the boxing crate, popping right in front of Umi.
She squawked a squeal, flattening herself against the crate.
Stranger kept a sturdy arm in front of Umi's chest, keeping her stuck against it.
"Don't move," he said lowly.
Umi actually held her breath, as the bomb's ticker became quicker and high-pitched.
Stranger kicked in his reaction time, scooped up the bomb, and tossed it in to a frisbee motion. He unlocked his bow, and as if slow-motion corrupted them, three clusters of Super Stingbees fluttered to the spinning bomb.
The bees stuck to the bomb, creating small piercings in to the heart of the explosive. Stingers touched the wires to the detonater.
The bomb exploded in mid-air. The Wolvarks saw the entire motion.
They grumbled in disgust to the Steef's intelligence. Some gave exhausted sighs, slapping their faces and dragging down to their lips.
"Well'p," one slapped its helmet down over its eyes.
"We'll just have ter rush the damn beast,"
Lines of Wolvarks ran down the ramp from the building.
"Move it! I want ter see that filthy beast covered in bullets! And the human, in my grasp!"
Stranger snorted a quiet laugh, shaking his head from over the crate.
Umi blinked at him disbelieving.
"Why are you laughing? There's an army's-worth of 'varks heading right for us!"
"They're so stupid," Stranger still laughed, brushing the back of his head under his helmet.
"We both know that, but they ain't called Wolvarks fer nothin',"
He placed down at each side of the crate Rabid Fuzzles.
The Wolvark's heavy stomps got closer.
And Stranger still laughed, slowly calming down.
The Wolvarks started to turn to the hiding Steef. Then the Fuzzles growled a heinous note in unison.
They stopped dead in their tracks right when their minds took in the defensive growls. And right when they processed the noise was something that was really angry, the Fuzzles pounced the Wolvarks.
Bloodcurdling screams of intense pain tripped down to Stranger's hoof. He side-stepped the calloused Wolvarks, stopping right at the edge of the box crate. He brought his arm around, zooming in on the two Wolvark officials in the windowsill.
"Hmm..." it grumbled.
Out from the side of the crate stuck out a large muscular tan arm with a T-shaped object pointed right to it, and one jeweled green eye peeking from the side as well.
It gave a skeptical growl, moving its neck by to its leader.
"Uh...sir? Take a look at 'dis. Is it me...'r is that the Steef?"
The leader took the binoculars from the Grunt. And as it placed the eyepieces of the goggles over its eyes, a sharp pain through its neck sent the Wolvark back and away from the leader, sliding to a stop.
A red feathered object stuck out from its throat, gargling on its own blood until its breath exhaled.
The leader let out a callous grumble.
"Must've been yer eyesight. I 'dun see nothin' like a Stee- Ted?"
The leader spun around to its dead comrade. The feathered dart-like creature stuck out like a sore thumb in its tender flesh.
"Ted?" it said more frantic.
Right when it took one step to the corpse, a flash of bright white and red sharply cut through its skull. It side-flipped on to the laminated cement floor, its eyes popped out hugely. The Wolvark's bloody hole trickled a wide stream of blood down to the other freshly killed Grunt.
Stranger trotted by the unanimated bodies, up the ramp to the next level.
But the same grouchy voices floated on the landing.
Stranger growled annoyed, cringing back down. They moved further back under the ramp, an entire area covered with stacks of multi-diverse crates covering their essence.
"'Ey, shorty. Yeh hear that?"
"I think's the Steef's down 'ere!"
These guys had improved hearing, but probably not evolved minds.
Clops of heavy metal-tipped boots stomped high above them, down the ramp. It fell deafeningly silent when all the Wolvark variety stopped at the end of the ramp.
Stranger quietly let out a rash sigh, then looked to Umi. They couldn't hide down where they crouched forever.
She couldn't agree more to what his eyes told. She whipped around her rifle, muffling the click off of safety.
Stranger's bow was already unlocked, loaded on with one Bola Blast and rounds of Super Stingbees. He nodded to Umi, then slowly emerged out of the branches of crates.
An explosion of white sticky ensnare shrouded over the Wolvark guards. Only a little amount of the grunts were wrapped, while the others took the shock quickly. Then the firefight began.

Do you mean I'm gonna havta go through the entire fic again to save it fer ya!?

Ah man....that stinks...

But back to the fic...awwww, *sniffle* so sweet, I think I'm gonna cry...*burst into hysterical tears*

:eek:
WHAT!?
No! You don't HAVE to! If you want, go ahead!
I just wanted to say, so you guys don't have to figure out the hard way.

Aww...I knew you'd cry, too.
"sniffle" 'ere's a tissue...:Hands tissue to Lobo:

Well if yer change it, I'm gonna havta update....aw crud, ok, off I go, have I mentioned I hate record keepin'? Oh, and yer may wanna check out my edited last post. :D

Eh...it'll be a while 'fore you can, or I CAN save the newly edited story, Lobo.

Not meanin' ter go off the subject or anythin', but you need to clear yer PM inbox...:fuzemb:

Just did. :D

When will there be more???!!!!
I love the Story, i really really do.

And people think i don't read.