It's Murder Market 2
 

Yes... It turns out the paper with the plot on it was under my nose the whole time. And now I'm going to try again thanks to AlexFili.:D

Murder Market II

Chapter One
Finding Abe

Finklar's Airship drifted away slowly as Germ watched from his bedside window. But unlike most, no black smoke was billowing trailing behind or any slaves pulling levers and pulleys. It was an odd sight after seeing so many normal ones. He shifted his head to lie on his back but this caused a quick burst of pain. Wincing, he grabbed a painkiller and stopped it in his mouth. As he closed his eyes he fell into slumber with light snores.

Finklar was standing in front of the ship, with wind blasting into his face. Straining to keep his eyes open, he looked across the landscape. No factories were to be seen except a recently shut-down one that had yet to be removed. Sailing towards it with almost full speed, in hopes that Abe would be nearby. It would take about 1 hour to get there. As they neared Finklar spotted a dot on the horizon. A blue dot. "That way!" Shouted Finklar over the billowing wind. The airship captain had gotten the message as it sailed towards Abe. Abe became increasingly larger as the airship began losing altitude. Once it landed Finklar strode off the ship toward Abe, who in turn walked toward Finklar.
"What are you here for?" Asked Abe slightly bemused.
"The Raisen is still missing." Answered Finklar.
"I was already looking for him. But I don't have any leads." Said Abe glumly.
"Well I'm here to help." Said Finklar in a sort of It-Will-Be-All-Right voice, despite thaat Finklar had no ideas either.
"Maybe it'll be easier in Vykker's Labs. There's a bigger veiw there." Said Finklar thoughtfully. Then it struck him the the green creatures seemed to know just about everything. Perhaps they knew.
"What about those green things we met! They might know!" Said Abe's face which had now lit up with excitment. Apparently, Finklar wasn't the only one who had thought of this.
"Yeah. But we need Germ with us. We'll go back and get him." Said Finklar.
"Ok." Said Abe as he boarded the airship. As it slowly rose, they made their way back.

And I'll finish it this time.

I like it so far, especially the Slig characters.

I'm just copying the first two chapters from my previous attempt of a Murder Market.

Chapter 2

Germ's Rouse

The airship made it's way to the enourmos ship that was Vykkker's Labs. The interns at the docking bay were mumbling to each other as it aproached. After landing Finklar and Abe set off through Vykker's Labs, with Abe going slightly slower as he had no idea of the way. At long last, after climbing about 4 levels, and walking through several rooms, the pair got to the infirmary where Germ was snoozing along with the almost unnecsessary guards. Deciding it best to let Germ rest, Finklar sat down on a nearby stool. Abe followed suit. Germ woke up after about 10 minutes. When he saw Finklar and Abe he sat bolt upright, wincing. This hadn't gone too well with his wound. Finklar then examined Germ.
"If you feel ready, you can get up and about now I think." Said Finklar. Germ then slipped into a pair of pants and moved forward cautiously. Nothing. Going into a casual walk. Still nothing. Satisfied, Germ asked "So what are we going to do now?"

A distance away from the forest, Finklar, Germ and Abe strode off the airship, heading into the forest. After a short walk, they had reached to brim. Abe looked through the trees, and shook his head after a short search.
"Doesn't really loook like anything's in there at the moment."
"They'll find us... I hope." Muttered Finklar, as they marched straight through the underbush.

An hour or so of searching gave nothing. Another half hour was also fruitless.
"How did we find them last time?" Asked Abe.
"They found us." Replied Finklar, "I wish they'd do it again."
"I think they have..." Said Germ.

Finklar wheeled around and found about 50 of the green creatures.
"You've been looking for us." Said the leader blandly.
"Yes... And we'd like to ask where the Raisen may be?"
"We can only reveal so much. The vaguest idea is all you will be provided with. The western Mudos. Look to the city."
"Why is he there?" Asked Abe looking clueless as to why the Raisen would be in such a place. But just as he asked it the creatures seemed to dissapear.

i've just found it.
good one Oddey, i liked the first one so i can only assume i'll enjoy this one as well.
is this the original plot from the first Murder Market, then?

I think it's a sequel. The first one was about a murdered Glukkon.

Mullock's assitant! So nice of you to drop by. Yeah it'll have the same plot as my previous attempt of a sequal. Now on to some newer material.

Chapter 3

The Journey Begins

"Well, we'd better be getting over there. I think we'll take the journey on foot, so as not to arouse the suspiscion it would with an airship." Said Finklar reluctantly. A walk through the deserts and wastelands didn't look inviting, but landing with an airship would definately show that they were there for a serious reason.
"Yeah, your right." Said Germ in an optimistic voice.
'It's gonna take a long time to get there.' Thought Finklar. Sighing, he started the long walk westward.
"Coming Abe?"
"Guess so," Said Abe with a hint of resignition, "The Raisen needs to get back here anyways."
"Right. Let's go." Said Germ with a kind of "That's settled" tone. and so the long walk began. Only two hours later was Finklar regretting not taking the airship at least half the way. With no means of communication with him, he couldn't even call the ariship to pick them up from here. And even if he could, they wouldn't be able to find them.
Three hours later the sun was nearly down. What was normally a scorching desert, was becoming a freezing one.
"We'll stop here, set up a quick camp and continue in the morning." Said Finklar.
In the middle of the night, Finklar woke up suddenly. He had just been struck by the thought that maybe the Raisen was being held captive. But who would have done that? Who could have done that? That guy was too heavy to lift even a centimeter. You'd need so many guys to evn lift him up. And then bring him all the way out here? You'd need some of kind of swap system. Even then the cost for all the water would be enourmous. Unless of course you had a route that went past at least seven bodies of water, but that still didn't explain how the Raisen was moved. What if they had designed a sort of robot to carry it. That'd solve both problems. But even then, the price! It'd be almost as big! Finklar's eyelids began to droop. What if they somehow had made them out of spare parts? That'd make it a good deal cheaper. Finklar's consciousness began to leave. But that wouldn't be able to hold up something that big. Finklar fell asleep again.
Next morning, the same ordeal came and went.

I like Finklar's trail of thought. I expect cookies the next time i drop in!

Chapter 4

Delayed

They had been walking for about six days. Luckily, a small pool of fresh and clean water had turned up along the way and they had managed to refuel their supplies. Now Finklar wished they would have the same good fortune. Up ahead there were several outlaws.
'Probrably blocking the way to town for travellers.' Though Finklar. Too bad they were at least eight while Finklar, Abe and Germ were just three. Sure Abe could posses and Germ had a gun, but the outlaws definately had the advantage.
'Maybe if Abe possesed one, and Germ started shooting at the others, while I had them distracted... Nah, that won't work. What if Abe sort of attemted to posses one to shoot them and then maybe Germ could ike come from behind... Hmm... Might work...' Finklar thought.
"Right I've got it. Abe you posses the one in the back. Germ you take them down while Abe uses that guy as a distraction." Said Finklar.
"Good idea. Here," Said Germ as he handed him a pistol, "I carry a spare and this is definately time for it." Finklar nodded as he accepted the gun for now.
"On three, Abe you can start now. One..." Abe was chanting. "Two..." Abe's soul was going. "Three!" The outlaw was under Abe's control now. "FIRE!" Yelled Finklar. Three gunshots echoed around them as the sounds of battle ensued. Finklar and Germ had managed to find a bit of cover to pop out behind of. The outlaws on the other hand had no cover and relied on sheer numbers rather than tactics. As the last gunshot was fired, it was easy to see who had won. The road to town was still long ahead though. Not to mention there was definately some more hinderance on the way. Or they could take a shotcut past Sekto's newly destroyed dam. Either way, they'd have to cross the Mongo river if they wanted to get to New New Yolk City, as New Yolk City had been flooded.
"Well... Which way? North to get over the dam, or here and just get past a bunch of these guys?" Asked Abe.
"Yes I've been thinking about that. North will take longer but won't be quite as dangerous, whereas this way won't be as safe, but it'll be faster. If you don't count encounters with outlaws and stuff." Said Fiklar, "I think we ought to take this way..."
"Well, I'm right behind you." Said Germ.
"Same here." Said Abe.
"That's that then. We'll continue this way tommorow."

They're won't be nearly as many chapters as there was in the original Murder Market. No cookies either.

That was quite a shock, i wasn't expecting outlaws. But i spose i should have really.

So ya had it the whole time Oddey? =P

I wasn't expecting outlaws either!
Really good so far! :D

I quite like mixing Outlaws with the classic oddworld races, should make for some very interesting dialogue :D

Chapter 5

The Road Ahead

The way to the city was lush and green as opposed to the dry and desolate desert behind them. 'It's the river. It'll only get worse as we go, till we get over it' Though Finklar as he stumbled over yet another bit of greenery. 'If The Raisen was taken this way, the guys must have had some very good footing.' Germ had it worst though. He had to focus on where he was placing his foot every time, seeing as even a bit of grass, could snag into the gears that made up his pants. Not so much for Abe. He strode over it all, like he was walking on flat and firm ground. 'But he's used to this isn't he? And he doesn't have three legs or mechanical ones.' Though Finklar. Putting that aside, he continued through the brush expecting a band of outlaws to pop out at any minute. But they didn't. It was pure silence.
Nightfall came. The last trace of the sun had left. The camp was up and Finklar wasn't asleep, but still thinking. How could they even have known where The Raisen was? Did Munch tell them or something? How'd they get in? Didn't the guards see them? 'But they weren't there either.' Though Finklar. It was all a puzzle with peices that were invisable. Nothing made sense about it. The Raisen was too heavy to carry, the terrain wasn't stable, the Raisen's cave was hard to find and... The list went on. Realizing it was futile, Finklar decided he'd ask if they caught the captors. 'They'll be more than three though. How will we take them down? We've had imbalanced odds before but this'll be different. Well it's too late now anyway.' Recruiting someone in the city wouldn't be possible, Clakkerz weren't up for fighting, there wasn't a sheriff or anything, and outlaws would just leave them to rot. 'We've been lucky before, maybe we'll be lucky again.' That was when Finklar's eyes closed.
Next morning it was evne harder getting through the underbrush. Even Abe was having trouble. Germ was almost not moving. Finklar was falling over almost every minute and only kept going because of strong will. It was going to be a long walk. And not to mention a troublesome one. The outlaws were still nowhere to be seen. Outlaws never strayed far from one another. 'Where are they?' thought Finklar as he heaved himself up and cleaned his glasses. 'They must be here somewhere. What are they waiting for?' Deciding not to dwell on it at the moment, he procceded through the green. Wherever they were, they wouldn't know until they showed themselves. And until then, he'd be happy not be hindered by anything else. The undergrowth was already enough.

Cheers, I like it so far :D

Edit: Not even stale cookies? :(

Yeah it was meant to be Chapter 5. Fixed it now.

The possible sighting of outlaws are putting me on edge.
Suspense!

After quite a delay, the next chapter is here.

Chapter 6

What's the Toll?

Finklar was getting uneasy for two reasons. The first was it was near impossible to even move through the foilage. The second was that there were still no outlaws. 'Crossing the river would be easier than this! Unless there's a bridge, we'll have to swim over! Wait... Germ has electric pants... Oh dear...' Thought Finklar. It was getting slightly colder too.

Nightfall came once again. Finklar wasn't awake around the fire this time. Abe was. 'Why isn't anybody else but some birds here? Where're the scrabs, the paramites, even a few elums? Something is wrong... The birds are getting to be fewer too.' Maybe the outlaws were staked out close by and shot everything that came in sight. That would explain why it seemed devoident of life. Besides the plants, obvoiusly. Abe dwelled on this a little more before falling asleep again.

The next morning it was getting even colder and the brambles seemed to be shrinking. After a few hours of walking it was clear why. They hadn't gone in a straight line to the river. They had gone too north. Now they had gotten to Sekto's destroyed damn anyway. A few grubbs were sitting around. Unseen, the trio crept past to the newly created bridge. A couple more of the things were on guard.
"Hey! You can't like, just sneak by and come in! You have to, like pay a fine!" Said one spotting them.
"Yeah, pay, like the, toll dude!" Said another.
"Very well," Said Finklar with a sigh, " How much is it?"
"It's like twenty moolah for you!" Said the same grubb as before.
"No it was way fifty!" Said the other.
"Hey dudes, I think it was, like thirty-three." Said a third grubb.
"No way man, it was so twenty!" Said the second.
"Look if you let us by I'll give you 103 moolah." Said Finklar impatiently.
"Wow dude! That's like how much it was I think!" Said the second Grubb.
"You just said it was like fifty man!" Said the first.
"I changed my mind dude. Is that like bad? Is that-"
"Enough! Just let us through!" Said Finklar.
"Alright, alright! Hold your scrabs dude!" Said the first, totally forgetting the toll. Breathing a sigh of releif, Finklar, Germ and Abe walked over the bridge to the other side.
"Do they always do that kind of thing?" Asked Germ.
"I think so." Said Finklar.

i was laughing out loud when i read the grubbs conversation.

Grubbs are amusing, no matter the context.

I'm still happy I included that.

Chapter 7

The Grubb Village

On the other side of the bridge, a couple of the larger Grubb houses could be seen. As they got closer, they saw it was a village. Finklar wondered if they'd have to pay another toll.
'If we do, I'm just going to ignore it.' He thought. They were nearly over the bridge. It looked stable. More stable than the rickety rope ones you usually used.
'Why do they even make those? Everyone knows it'll break. At least these fellows have some sense in them.' Thought Finklar. Grubbs were about the stupidest thing he's ever met next to a certain slig who had walked into a meat grinder, because it was on his patrol route. He had been an idiot. He had survived, but Finklar, fed up with him, ordered his brain to be operated on. For the slig's sake as well as their own.

A while ahead, a Grubb covered in blankets was rambling on about how the sky turned brown when slog where around, how grass was green because if it was blue it'd be water, how sligs made the worst hairnets and even how he had three eyes, when he quite clearly had two. He wasn't the only one either. At least three other Grubbs were sitting under some sheets chattering away about pure nonsense. Once they noticed they had visitors, they instantly started yelling things like "That blue guy, has got tatoos so he can squash you!" "Mr. Pink, you should like, get new glasses! Those ones explode!" "Traitor! You, like beat me at cards the other day!" and "Sky's blue, you're blue, you're the sky's son!". Finklar was about to slap one across the face, when some more average looking Grubbs pulled them away.
"Like, sorry dude. These guys are like, old dudes from the war against that Sekto Demon guy. They're, like cuckoo in the head man." Said one of them struggling to drag one back home.

'I hope we get out of this place soon,' Thought Finklar as he purchsed some fresh supplies for the remainder of the journey. And a map. 'Those Grubbs are such a pain.' He thought as he paid the clerk, and found a place to stay. Nightfall was nearing, and Finklar wasn't keen on travelling around in darkness.

After some searching there was an almost unnoticeable alleyway. 'Well, it's going to have to do.' Thought Finklar as he stepped in. It took him a minute to get used to, but once you got over that fact that you weren't in a bed, it was definately superior to sleeping out in the open. In here, you didn't need to worry much about an ambush even if it was just a Grubb village. You never knew what they could scheme up. Like the attack on Sekto's dam. Some said an old water god came down to help them. Others said that the same steef that was sighted in New Yolk City had made a reappearance to help the Grubbs. Most people dissaproved of this by noting that the few witnesses of something unGrubbly, yet had fought on their side, had armour, and the steef that had been sighted had no armour. Most people didn't care though. Finklar felt his eyelids drooping just as Abe started to snore lightly. Germ had fallen asleep almost immidiately, as usual. Finklar dreamt that Abe really did have tatoos that could steam roll you, and that Finklar's own glasses had exploded. When he awoke, he didn't remember anything after the shards from his glasses had flown into Queen Margret's face.

bugger. i missed the bloody update on another.

the mentally unstable grubbs was quite dark humour, but the remarks were still funny.

Chapter 8

Departure

Finklar awoke to the snap of a fire. Nearby, the same fires where crackling away. Deciding that they had no need to stay here any longer, Finklar woke his companions and had his breakfast once they were up and about.
"How much longer?" Asked Abe.
"Can't be that far..." Said finklar grabbing his map, "Nope... Should be just west of this village."
"Well... Lets go then." Said Germ.

They hadn't gone far before they got to a part of the village similar to the insane grubbs. Only here it was a bunch of furtune tellers. The instant they saw them coming, they began offering their sevices. "Your future may be untold for only twenty moolah!" "I charge a mere seventeen moolah for the same thing." "I'll do it for ten!"
"I will tell you your own fortune free. You needn't pay." Said one of the older looking ones. Finklar wasn't interested, but if it shook off these others fellows, he'd do it anyway.
"Alright then." He said.
"Your path is clouded. One cannot know it. Only guess." A while later, Finklar had heard enough. Most of it had to do with him being a waffle, Germ having a moustache, and Abe being a huge opple. All kinds of other garbage had been spewed out as well. The rest of the grubbs seemed to take it seriously. They nodded solemly.
'If they didn't do this for free, it'd be a tourist trap,' Thought Finklar, 'Paying to be told garbage. What are they thinking?'
"Yes, yes... Very enlightning. I will be taking my leave." Said Finklar.
"What a waste of time." Added Finklar under his breath. finklar wondered if they told you more beleiveable things if you paid. But there was no point in dwelling on nonsense. It was time to move on. Up ahead, there was the road to New New Yolk City. Without further ado, the trio walked forth. Behind them, the fortune tellers where yelling things after them like "Beware of he who walks on seventy-two legs!" and "The path may crack beneath your feet." 'The road here may not have been eventful, but it has been annoying.' Thought Finklar. The whole furtune telling thing was a load of junk anyway. Not even New New Yolk city was that full of nuts. The worst they had was mini fortune tellers, irritating pranksters, and a couple gangs of outlaws. 'They need more lawkeepers around here.' Thought Finklar. 'Not that it'd help much. There's not any law to keep here.' The only good thing about that was you didn't need passports or bits of paper. Even Finklar thought that was too much to be effective.

When the night fell, New New Yolk City was nowhere to be seen. They had followed the signs, and up ahead there was another. But the path didn't seem to want to end just yet.
"We'll probrably be there by tommorow." Said Finklar as their camp was finished. It was time to rest.

In quite a few ways this is quite a lot like a detective story. I like the plot twists and the action sequences. Germ is brilliant and Finklar is a very pleasant Vykker as well. It's interesting how you have them in direct contact with Oddworld's main character, which is quite an interesting choice as a writer. I look forward to the conclusion of this story.

Edit: I've thought of giving some of my Slig characters hair you know? Or else some kind of high-tech wig. Anyway, Oddey does deserve some +rep. Great job so far :D

its brilliant how you can keep a character's profile so secure and solid when mixing with so many other interesting characters. for example, when Finklar was being consulted by the loony fortune teller, he retained an upper class attitude by what he said "Yes, yes... Very enlightning. I will be taking my leave.", and yet the other characters remained as they had before.

in other words you stick to the character's personality and dont change the way they would act.
and i actually laughed quite loud when i read about Germ having a moustache (i just find the thought of a slig having a moustache very amusing), and being wary of someone with seventy-two legs.

but it would be very sobering if they actually came true.

+rep for making me laugh Oddey, +rep indeed.

What you don't know is, this is meant to be a form of detective story. That's what I decided from the very begining, because I noticed there didn't seem to be any mystery fan-fics here.

You can try the hair thing, but that feels like it's pushing it. High-tech wig seems a bit better.
I've never even noticed, but it's just what I might have said, traded into upper class words.

Yeah... That's not the most simplest thing to do, but it's easy when you find the proper personalities. I tried very hard to make them just as crazy as the war veterans. Seventy-two legs came out of nowhere.

I was actually considering making one of them come true, but that would kind of make one of them more down to earth than the others.

Thank you for your kind words. And the pos rep!:D

I recall it is acceptable to double-post in the fancorner, if you're bringing in new material.

Chapter 9

Travelling Again

The grubb village was far behind now. New New Yolk City seemed just as far away if not more. It was still nowhere to be seen, although they were following the signs. Finklar turned the possibilities over in his mind. 'New New Yolk City does exist, and is relatively new, so it's unlikely it's destroyed. The only realistic choice is that it's just farther than the map makers thought.' Thought Finklar, though he could not suppress the wild stray thoughts he was having about it. Germ looked a little nervous too.
"Nothing to worry about... Just taking a little longer than I thought." Said Finklar as calmly as he could.

Up ahead, there was a steep decline. Around it, most of the terrain didn't go with it, making it a canyon. Finklar slowed his pace as he walked through. This wasn't the best place to go through. With a canyon, there were too many places guys could hide. A rock tumbled away in the distance. Finklar's eyes darted towards the sound. Nothing appeared to be there. Some sand flowed down another corner. Finklar's eyes repeated the same process. He madly wanted to know who or what was making the noise. Then a couple more stones rolled down from the top of the canyon. Picking up the pace, he ushered Germ and Abe forward a little faster. There was something down there, but Finklar didn't want to stay and find out what. The end of the canyon was just up ahead. Finklar broke into a run, with Abe and Germ not far behind. They stepped out of the canyon. Looking back, Finklar still saw nothing.

A while ahead, the first of New New Yolk City's buildings were coming into veiw. Finklar breathed a silent sigh of releif. At least they were nearly there. And just in time as well. The sun was setting, and the city wasn't even that far away. They would reach it by nightfall. Once there, they'd have to find an inn to stay at. Finklar's thoughts were interupted by a howl. Scrabs where out hunting. And it sounded like they were very near.
"Run." Said Finklar, and so they did. Chancing a look back, he saw the scrabs had spotted them, and they were chacing them.
"Oh dear..." Said Finklar in a slightly sarcastic voice and began to sprint. They were nearly there, and so were the scrabs. The city gates seemed so far though. Somehow, they managed to get inside before the scrabs caught up. Their howls and shrieks could still be heard just outside the gates. Panting, Finklar sat down to rest for a minute. If Abe was exhausted he didn't show it, and neither did Germ. Germ did have mechanical pants for legs. As soon as finklar had caught his breath, they continued throught the now darkened city. Up ahead there was a tavern. Knocking on the door, a clakker asked "Who's 'at?"
"This is us, is that good enough?"
"Yeah I guess so. C'mon in!" Said the clakker opening the door.

very tense in the canyon. i love Finklar and his comments.

Thank you.

Chapter 10

Safety of the Inn

The door was wide open and the clakker looked at them with slight surprise, then ushered them in.
"Hurry it up, I don't have time ta open and close doors." Said the clakker impatiently. Finklar looked at him dissaprovingly. Pushing that aside, he walked over to the counter. Once there, he drummed his claws against the table patiently, as if to show the clakker how it was done. Whether or not the clakker was listening, the Innkeeper came over to them. He was a clakker too, a bit older and possibly smarter than the other one though.
"So, you here fer a room?" Asked the innkeeper, cutting straight to the chase. Finklar didn't have anything against it, but it didn't seem polite.
"Yes. How much are they?" Replied Finklar.
"Uhhh... Hold on a minute," Said the clakker, reaching underneath the counter and pulling out a pricing list, "Yeah uh... For you fellows, that'll be 300 moolah." Finklar really wasn't in the mood for argueing about the price and just paid it and waited for the room number.
"Right, your room is 7... Better take 8 just in case I already gave somebody 7." Said The innkeeper, before walking off to cater other customers.

The inn was a host to some things that not even Finklar had seen. Off in the corner, there was a slig with a huge brimmed hat, which concealed his face. Over at another table, three slug-like creatures were playing a game of cards, and Finklar thought he could see a glukkon wearing mechanical pants. At a table near where Finklar had decided to sit, there was a literally legless mudokon. Instead, he had a heavily modified pair of flying slig pants. Finklar had ordered something to eat, namely an opple omlette. How they made such a thing, Finklar wasn't sure, but it tasted great. Abe had gotten himself an assortment of plants and greens, while Germ was sitting with five packits of fuzzle bites.

After the meal, Finklar and Abe had gone upstairs to go to sleep. Germ hadn't actually finished his food yet so he had stayed downstairs. 'That slig needs to eat less. He's going to kill himself with that kind of diet.' Thought Finklar as he opened the door to their room. It was empty and looked like nobody had used it for a while. The beds looked good enough too. 'Adequate, but not perfect.' Thought Finklar as he sat down on the bed. It was just as fine as it looked. Abe was already asleep. Anywhere seemed to be good enough for him. Finklar closed his eyes and slowly felt himself becoming less and less self-consious. With that, he was asleep.

that inn scene was great. the variety of different creatures with dense pasts kept me reading.

i have a bad feeling about Finklar going to sleep without Germ on his guard. We'll see.

Well... Here you are.
Chapter 11

Where am I?

Finklar was having a very strange dream. Abe was in the kitchen preparing a kind of soup, while Germ was protesting that they didn't need cake when they lived in a plank of wood. 'You can't live in a plank of wood!' Thought Finklar dimmly. Pies began to fall, and one landed in the soup, which had turned into a meech. Germ started to throw cards at Finklar's twin, who merely used his ice power to melt them. Then, infuriated, the Raisen came in with a huge scrab in his hand. He whacked the counter with it several times. The scrab didn't seem to mind. 'This is insane.' Thought Finklar as the world faded away at a snail's pace.

Finklar's eyes slowly opened. What he saw, was not what he expected. He was in a dark wooden room. He tried to stretch his arms, but found he couldn't. A closer inspection showed they were tied. Abe was a meter away tied like Finklar, only with a gag as well. 'To stop him from chanting I guess.' Thought Finklar. Behind Abe was Germ, who was free and was unbinding Abe's hands.
"When you're finished, get me out of here too." Said Finklar. Germ looked at him in surprise. Then after a short silence, Germ laughed. Finklar had no clue what he was talking about. Then Germ backed away from Abe. That was when Abe woke up. His eyes snapped into focus when he realized it wasn't the tavern they had stayed at. He couldn't move his arms either. Finklar realized that Germ hadn't been unknotting Abe's wrists, he had been tying them.
"It wasn't easy," Said Germ mockingly, "Catching you unaware. But, here we are." Finklar saw it now. Germ was a traitor. He wasn't on their side. Abe seemed to have grasped that fact too and was madly trying to chant, with no sucess. Germ just smiled sickly.

A while later, the same slig wearing the huge brimmed hat came in. He still had his face hidden. Finklar's eyes narrowed.
"He's been with us since you got hold of Vykker Labs. That's what we're after. Without a leader, it'll be easy as heck to get in and take it for ourselves," Said the slig, "Our leader is everywhere at once. He's a ghost. You'll never find him, or what you came here for, 'cause he isn't here." Finklar didn't beleive it. Germ wasn't with them, and the whole reason they came here was a fake. 'When I get out of here, I'll have to have a little chat with those green fellows.' Thought Finklar as he looked at Germ, with hatred burning in his eyes.
"Where are we?" Asked Finklar through his gritted teeth. The slig merely laughed as he headed for the exit.
"We can't stay here all day. We have an invasion to plan, and a really big ship to get our hands on." Said the slig as an outlaw came in to make sure they didn't escape. He was huge, but the huge were never very bright in Finklar's experience. 'We'll just have to wait.' Thought Finklar. The guard already looked bored, and began toying with a knife, flipping it around in the air and catching it every time. 'He'll kill himself with those kind of habits.' Thought Finklar dissaprovingly. Even in such a situation, Finklar still had a critic's attitude.


Bet you guys weren't expecting that!

i was NOT expecting that, and i really wanted it to be another dream when they found out Germ was a traitor. i liked Germ.

BIG twist. you've got a knack at writing this genre of story.

also i couldnt help laughing at the dream Finklar had, with Finklar being the only one acting normal.

I hoped for that. The interesting thing is, it actually makes sense.

Chapter 12

Now what?

Finklar was still tied up. So was Abe, who was asleep, thinking escape was impossible. Finklar knew otherwise. He just had to wait for that outlaw to leave. He was still messing around with his knife. "You know, if you aren't careful, you'll cute off your finger or something." Said Finklar, unable to contain it in him any longer. As if on cue, the outlaw turned his attention away from the falling knife and to Finklar. The next moment, there was a cry of "Ow!" The knife had indeed cut a considerable wound in his finger. The knife then landed, blade straight down into the wood. Cursing, the outlaw left to put something on his finger, leaving Finklar and Abe unprotected. 'Now to wake up Abe.' Thought Finklar. He couldn't speak too loud, or someone would hear him, yet he would have to yell to get Abe to hear him.
"Wake up." Said Finklar in a mildly raised voice. Abe only stirred.
"Wake up." He said, a notch higher. Abe's eyelids didn't move.
"Wake up now..." Said Finklar, on the brink of a yell. Abe finally opened his eyes. 'Third time around is always the one.' Thought Finklar.

In a near silent voice, Finklar told Abe to try and grab the knife with his foot. Abe understood, but didn't look convinced it was their way out. The knife seemed much further away from Abe than it did from Finklar. Abe shrugged off the thought, and stretched his leg to try and reach it. So close, and yet so far. Stretching it just one bit further, he still couldn't get it. Finklar sucked in his lips.
"Suck in your stomach and let all the air out of you. Maybe then you can get it." Said Finklar. It gave about one more inch. 'That inch is going to have to be enough.' But Abe, who seemed to be smiling, stopped trying to reach the knife. That one extra inch had given him just enough slack to get out of the rops that bound him. His hand were still tied, but now he had much more room to get the knife. Finklar hadn't been expecting such a thing to be possible. As he wondered wether he could do it too, Abe's toes grasped the knife. Slowly pulling it towards him, he somehow got it into his hands. Even more amazing, he managed to cut his binds. Rushing over to help Finklar, they could hear the footsteps of an outlaw coming. If Abe wasn't fast enough, or if that outlaw went one step faster... Finklar didn't wat to think about it. Abe as it turned out, managed to cut through Finklar binds, just as he thought he heard the rustle of keys. Quickly getting right beside the door, he waited for the outlaw to open it. The lock was undone, and the knob was turning. It would be but a moment until he got in. The door started to move... Bang! Finklar had hit the outlaw straight on the head, confusing him. pressing his advantage, he repeated the same process. Eventually, the outlaw came to his knees, and dropped straight to the floor. That was around the time where Finklar realized that he couldn't possibly do this to every guard in here. They had escaped their bounds, but not their captors. Even with Abe's possesion abilities taken into account, this wasn't a great situation. But, now that they had their hands free, there was a slight chance. Gesturing for Abe to follow, he went through the door into a hallway. Apparently, this organization owned their own tavern, as it looked similar to the one they had stayed in. Opening a door right opposite their own room, they found nothing. 'Well, what is the point of this room?' Thought Finklar as walked in, to investigate it further.

It really was empty. There wasn't a single thing inside this room, living or not. Wondering who's idea it was to put in a completely empty room, he turned to walk out, but Abe stopped him and pointed. Finklar turned again to see just what Abe thought was worth noticing. He wasn't dissapointed. What he saw was surely, the unexpected.

another well written chapter. nice escape as well.

This is probrably going to be the last chapter I write in a while, because I'm off for Florida in two days, and internet there isn't certain yet.:D So for whoever reads this, I present...

Chapter 13

But How?

Finklar was looking straight at the Raisen. How he could have missed him, Finklar couldn't tell, but he was there. Abe stared with his mouth open as wide as his stitches would permit. Finklar was the first to break the silent awe.
"How... How did you get here? They said you weren't!" Said a very confused Finklar. How could something so big have been here, unoticed to the outlaws eyes? It just wasn't possible.
"That is not of your concern. Right now, your problem is Vykker's Labs. They plan to attack in just nine days. It would seem impossible to hold them off with so small a security team. But if you make it back within two days, using the Big Well, you can win." Said the Raisen slowly. Finklar was not about to give in to a surely impossible task.
"It must be possible to alter the route of the ship. They must have their troops some place where they can board it. If we can avoid that place-"
"the coding of that route is far too old to be messed with. Nobody can descipher such a thing. Get back to the ship with in two days, and then... And then..." The Raisen said dramatically before falling asleep.
"Not again... Well, we'd better get going." Said Finklar. Abe didn't need words to respond.

The way out was surprisingly simple. There seemed to be nobody left. 'If they've all gone off to take down Vykker's Labs...' Finklar decided it was better not to think of the consequences. As they got to what looked like an exit, Abe prepared to open it. The door swung open as soon as the handle was bent down. It seemed that they had walked onto a loading bay of sorts. The many ships that housed the army Abe and Finklar would have to fight, were sailing away, creating a huge gale. Finklar valiantly tried to step onto the dock, with Abe not far behind. The dock, already slick as it was, was near impossible to keep your feet on to. There seemed to be no ships left over for Abe and Finklar either. Apparently, they weren't intent upon making it easy for them. They'd have to walk to the big well, and get back up to Vykker Labs, the way they had last time. 'Well not exactly last time.' Thought Finklar, correcting himself.

After a struggled walk, the winds began to dampen, as the ships faded away from view. It was now much easier to walk, but still a tricky business. As the last of the wind vanished, Finklar and Abe climbed down the rather short ladder. 'Couldn't afford to make it so high up either.' Thought Finklar thankfully. The ground finally neared and Finklar looked at the surroundings. It seemed they were a slight bit off from the same canyon that Finklar had desperately wanted to get out off. 'The journey here took about five days... The way back has to take two. Maybe that Grubb village has some kind of quick transport.' Thought Finklar.
"We're going back the way we came, but a little faster." Said Finklar, as they set off towards the grubb village, with a quicker speed than could be considered casual. 'If all goes right, we might be able to reach the grubb village before it gets too dark. We'll have to walk even when it's dark...' Thought Finklar.

In the escape from their captors, Finklar hadn't thought of bringing any supplies. This proved not a good idea. They began to tire about halfway through. It didn't take much more to get Finklar to slow down. finklar estimated that they were a little over halfway. 'Shame I didn't bring a radio or something. Then we could just have called back our airship.' Thought Finklar as he forced himself to keep going. Abe was definately tired now. He didn't normally walk quite so fast for so long.

It turned out that Finklar had underestimated, for the grubb village was just visible in the sunset. 'Please have a quick transport, please have a quick transport.' Thought Finklar as he tried to go just a bit faster.

i like the chapter, and i will be waiting for your next update.

have a good time in Florida!

Turns out, there was an internet connection here, so here's the next chapter.

Chapter 14

Prayers Answered

Finklar and Abe were oh so very close to the Grubb village. He could just make out the warnings given out by the crazed fortune tellers. The sun was finally gone once they arrived. The grubbs seized the advantage of night to help enhance the theme. Finklar was in no mood for it, so he cut off their ramblings of doom, despair, and whatever was on their mind.
"I don't have the time for this. I need to get to the big well, if you know where that is, in less than two days. You must know a faster way there, than to travel the entire desert." Said Finklar. But it seemed the fortune tellers were bent on getting into Finklar's wallet, and Finklar's breath was wasted.

A little further into the actual village, where there might be someone who knew what they were talking about, Finklar and Abe found a much older grubb.
"Do you know if there's a way to get to the big well in about a day?" Asked Finklar, not really caring if he sounded mean or random. The old grubb looked up in surprise, and after a long moment, he frowned.
"Back in my day, yer little young'un, we used to say hello, before getting round ter getting to the big'un well in a day. I guess yer new gernertation is jus' too quick fer yer own good eh? Yer'll not be gettin' anythin' outer me with them manners ya fast little nut." Said the grubb in a barely understandable voice.
"Fine. Hello. You wouldn't happen to know of a fast way to the big well? Only, I'm in a bit of a rush to get there, and so I can't take the time I'd like to." Said Finklar. After that, the grubb's expression brightened up.
"Weeeeell, I thinks there was somfing' round ere'... Maybe the village eldas' know... Lets seee... There's uhhh... Ryn... And uhhh... That's me. Yeah if yer goes under the bridge... There was some kind o' 'overcraft left o'er from Skektok... or was it Seetko... I can't remember... Ey' where'd yall go?" Said the grubb as Finklar and Abe took off in direction of the bridge.

The grubbs didn't bother stopping anyone for the fee at this time of day, if there even was a fee, so Finklar and Abe has an easy access to the "some kind o' 'overcraft". Finding it was not quite so easy. It was strapped to the bridge, just out of general reach. It wasn't until after ten minutes of failure, that Abe noticed a pulley to bring the vehicle over to the ledge they were standing on. Upon untieing it, it seemed it hovered on it's own. Clambering in, Finklar took a moment to observe the control panel. Unlike what he had been expecting, everything was laid out and very simple, thought Abe still thought it was confusing. After a short amount of testing, they began the not quite so long trek back home. The hovercraft easily cut time in half. And again. It was rather like some kind of boat mutated with a wingless plane. Finklar had no idea of what Sekto had been thinking of when it came to the outer design, but everything else was fine. Finklar would have an adjustment to some particular things, and added an airbag, but otherwise, it was a very capable vehicle. This was not going to be a long night.

nice chapter. you had an accidental rhyme in it also;

"Do you know if there's a way to get to the big well in about a day?"

i keep wondering what Germ would be doing at the moment.

Love the rhyme. Good work so far.

Purely accidental. After a long break, I'm back to write the last chapters of Murder Market Two.

Chapter 15

A Warm Welcome

THe only thing that wasn't self explanitory about the vehicle, was the brakes. Finklar had looked everywhere for it, underneath the seat, behind the wheel, behind him, and the floor. Searching for it, as the craft seemed to know where Finklar generally wanted to go, he looked around desperately for something that could be a brake pedal or lever. Finally out of frustration, Finklar tried to pull off the wheel. The vehicle stopped instantly, flinging Abe and Finklar forward.
"That solves that mystery." Said Finklar in a very irritated voice.

Not long after, a small herd of paramites came crossing over the same route Finklar and Abe were on. Finklar didn't dare touch the brake after what happened before, so it seemed that either the paramites or the hovercraft was doomed. Maybe even both. The vehicle didn't seem to like this very much, and so simply floated over the herd. Finklar and Abe were just as stunned as the paramites were.
"Who built this thing?" Asked Abe.
"I don't know. But whoever it was, he thought ahead." Said Finklar, who was looking back at the confused pack of paramites.

The Big well was coming up fast, as was the sun. It was nearly dawn and that meant Finklar and Abe had made it to Vykker's Labs in less than two days. The ship was also close by the well now. Unfortunatly, it wasn't built for speed and was moving at a ridiculously low speed in Finklar's opinion. He'd have to wait until the ship was in proper position. When they had reached the well, Finklar claculated an aproximate 15 minutes of waiting.
"So, what are we going to do while we're waiting?"
"How do you drive that thing?" Asked Abe curiously. Getting back into the hovercraft, Finklar explained which button did what.

As the ship neared, Abe was attempting to make a full circle using the craft. You never knew when this kind of training could come in handy. Finklar was watching Abe struggle with the controls, and shotuing bits of advice. It didn't seem to be helping. As Finklar told Abe about how you could hold down the accelerator, Abe decided he'd had enough. Clambering out of the vehicle, he sat down to wait. He didn't have to wait very long. The labs had finally stationed themselves directly above the well again. With no time to waste, they jumped into the well. A moment later, they were shot up into the air towards Vykker's Labs.

"That solves that mystery." i'm pretty sure that could be sig material. :D

nice work Oddey. you're a good writer.

I'm curious as to what will happen next :D. This is one of the best fanfics here!