The moon setted above, their back lapsing with the glittery shine of the light.
Stranger slowly set down his arm near the bubbling water, and dipped his swollen hand in to the rush of the current.
He hissed of the sting that quickly setted off when his tender sensetive hands touched the cool crisp water.
Umi sat alone in the grass, staring up at the glowing cliffside that they had fallen from.
The plateau was high, higher than she had expected, but she wasn't staring at the majesty of the cliff.
The formation seemed familiar, like she's seen it somewhere before.
But her mind was still to be settled from the night's stunt, that she couldn't think of the reason.
Stranger resurfaced his hands, staring at the ripped flesh and broken nails down to the bone drenched in dried blood.
He sighed, splashing back his hands, and rubbing them together to wash the caked blood off.
Umi looked over to Stranger, her mind springing in guilt all of a sudden.
His pain always made her feel a sense of guilt; like she was the cause of his own pain.
She sat up, crossing her legs over, still looking over to Stranger with a depressed frown.
He stood up, waving his arms about to shake off the cold water, and turned back to Umi.
He frowned at her face that was frowning back, walking over, and sitting next to her.
"What's with the mopin', kid?" he asked gently.
She looked down from him, her eyes blinking sadly.
"I don't know, really..." she admitted.
"but...everytime...when you get hurt," she snapped up to him.
"I feel like it's my fault,"
Stranger blinked surprised at the top of her frizzly scalp.
"Why you say tha'?"
The sting of tears springing to her eyes made her cringe down.
"It's that...well...it's everytime you save me...it always ends up you hurt and I safe..."
Stranger smiled softly, carefully wrapping an arm around her shouders, and hugging her close to his side.
"Well..." he said.
"If that's what I'm ter do, to keep's yeh safe..."
She looked up to him, her eyes sparkling of the tears glossing her eyes.
"then hurt me 'til I'm red n' bloody,"
She wiped her eyes on her arm.
"But...that's not fair,"
"The world ain't fair, kid," he said.
She frowned, not helping but to agree with him.
Even the same on Earth, Oddworld was exactly the same; things would never be fair to anyone, even a lone human.
She averted his glimmering gaze under the broad shadow of his hat, covering his face completely with the night, resting her head gently on his ribs.
His fingers wrapped easily around her ribs, staring back up to the plateau far away.
Boontown was a terror on him, all left behind in a shroud of grey smog.
But all he hoped was that the thugs that had beat him down wouldn't figure out where he was.
He grinned ferally up to the cliff, a sickening churrning feeling brewing in his stomach.
I know yer still alive...
He gazed back down to the human that was his, smiling fondly on her resting eyes.
Don't you dare, come to me an' bother me...
He lifted Umi on to his lap, nuzzling gently in to her thick head of hair comfortably.
Their rest would be calm as they were.
But far away, a fiendish plot was to be setted upon not only them...
Boontown was only calm at night, lights flicking off in to the darkness, and creatures retreating in to taverns and homes.
All the sellers and junkies ran off the streets in a hurry, scurrying behind the evil darkness of the alleyways in between calm family homes.
Distantly out in the middle of the faintly-lit streets lie the bunglers slowly reviving from their brutal mob fight.
Only one stood, staring upon his members pitifully, as they groaned and slowly propped up on their bruised arms.
"That's it," Ken hazily spoke, his hands dug deep in his pockets.
"Git up, you worthless pieces of crap,"
The Mudokons wearily stared up to his livid face, knowing that they'll feel his wrath later on when he was ready.
"All of you!" he shouted out.
"GET UP!"
The Mafia members growled in pain, only standing on their knees where it was perfectly comfortable.
But yet, under the hateful eyes of their leader wasn't comforting at all.
They wobbled tiredly on their legs, gathering a distance away from Ken, his hands writhing irritantly in his pockets.
He gazed on the heads of the Mudokons, each of their eyes heavy on him.
"Good..." he growled, a cruel smile growing on his face.
"Very good,"
The members began to cringe, knowing an outburst was to come.
His teeth clenched together furiously.
"You guys...failed me," he grouched.
Some began to stutter, but the leader dogged himself to listen.
"I counted on yeh to bring that lummox down,"
"But-but boss!"
His eye snatched on to the stuttering coward, narrowing so low, they looked to be closed.
"You've got somethin' on yer mind?" he grinned.
The Mudokon shook uncontrollably, shaking his head along invisibly.
"Good," Ken said.
"'cause if I wasn't such a major sweetheart, I would blow ALL yer brains out!"
Hands raised up to their faces in fear of the furious leader.
Ken snorted, spitting on the dirt by his foot.
"Git back to the alleys," he thumbed behind him.
The Mafia didn't bother to hear him again, scrambling over one another to get away from him and his rush of anger to all of them.
"I don't wanna see any one of you outside the streets again tonight! Ya hear me!?" he spat over his shoulder.
A faint humming ratted far above the lonely dug-out town.
Ken's face turned around to the narrow streets of the finally-quiet road town, staring up at the jeweled sky sparkling brightly behind light whisps of navy-blue clouds.
A blackened object fluttering in the sky came about the town, its body flat, but its head large and round.
Fans behind its back spun almost holographically with the night, as it came lower to him, and the leaning towers.
Ken turned fully to the approaching flyer thing in the sky, his hands suddenly balling in his pockets.
A strong breeze brewed flat upon the dusty road, the dirt flying high up in to his face.
The aircraft slowly lowered down on to the narrow road, towers croaking threateningly near him away with the forceful breeze.
Ken just stood still, staring at the blimp-like aircraft come to a hover above the tips of the wooden buildings rotten so much.
Well well... he thought, intrigued by the sudden company.
To whom do I owe the unwelcome visit?
The blimp touch-down on the road, a metallic heavy thump rocked the earth.
The fans behind its back slowly came to a simmering spin.
Creased doors slid up over the sides of the blimp, and two narrow creatures hobbled out, waving its green tassle-like mouths irritant with the kicked-up dust buffeting their tentacles.
In their black-gloved hands held a long rifle, their fingers tightly on the triggers, as they turned back to the exits of the blimp.
"C'mon out, boss," it said in a grunty voice, sounding mechanized from Ken's distance.
Their narrow laser-red eyes darted quickly on to the standing figure in front of the blimp.
Arms reached in to the blimp's carrier, holding the shoulders of a very narrow figure, with broad flapping shoulders pointed outwards of their large egg-like heads.
Ken's eyes widened in astoundment, flicking out the toothpick in his pocket.
The wide eyes of the creature locked on to him directly, nodding to the security guards helping him.
Its closed-ankle feet scuttled up to him, Ken suddenly becoming flourished at the approacher.
"'ey!" it barked at him, veiling its broken dull teeth to him.
Ken's eyes locked on to the creature, cringing at its colors glowering to him.
The creature stopped in front of him, its sharp shoes almost touching his bare flesh.
"What's this run-down place called?" it asked.
Ken grinned unkindly to the creature he was familiar with.
"Sorry, bud," he said.
"but we ain't interested,"
"Oh really?" it frowned back, biting hard on its plump cigar between its puckered lips.
"Well, what d'you think I have in mind, chump?"
"Whatever it is," he shrugged.
"You's not doin' it to my town,"
The creature grimmaced down to the Mudokon crook.
"What did I ever say 'bout doin' somethin' to your precious town?"
Ken gave a thought to himself, staring uncofortably to it.
"I-I don't know sir," he said.
"but I don't like how's you's approached me,"
"Listen," it started.
"I'm 'ere strictly for business. Not to make-shift a junk heap place you's call a home,"
Ken's innate came in, feeling himself scowling defensively to it.
"Now tell me," it said again.
"Will you help me?"
Ken's craftiness came in, a plot for prosperity coming in to mind.
"What's in it fer me?" he asked suspiciously.
"I'm glad you asked," it spoke as hazy as him.
"You see, I wanted to build my factory un on that plateau of land over 'ere. All's I need's you to do, is to help me out with a bit of renovation,"
"Renovation? You mean...like...driving out something?" Ken leaned closer to it.
"Exactly..." it said, its golden eye narrowing to him.
Ken's teeth grinded together, quickly looking away from the urban creature, and down the alleyways where his members had flee to.
His blood-shot eyes darted back to it, a grin growing on his lips.
"Tell me the bounty fer this...and I may just accept,"
"I'll pay you great for 'dis," it spoke generously.
"but...you've got'a promise...that you'll only work fer me, and only me,"
Ken's lip curved skeptically at first, turning back to the alleyway, seeing the eyes of the Mafia come out to him fearfully.
He huffed a quick chuckle, his eyes drawing back to the creature.
"A'i'ight," he nodded.
"You's got yer hitman hired,"
It smiled greatly a cruel smile with the Mudokon, biting hard on its cigar.
"Good," it said.
Ken's foot stuck out in a more comfortable pose, he leaning on his straight leg.
"So...what's our first plot o' business...sir?"
Its eyes narrowed craftily.
"Nothin', yet, my humble friend," it said.
"I'll begin the plans on the factory. You's just gather yerself, 'cause yer settin' off with us in the mornin'," it said, turning away from Ken, and hobbling back to the aircraft still humming lively.
A security creature stared to its front, its rifle loosely at hand.
"Git the motor runnin'," it told.
The creature nodded, scrambling back in with its mechanical legs whirring in to the passenger compartment.
The second creature steadily walked to up to it.
"What of the Muds, sir?" it asked quietly.
"Hold 'em 'ere tonight," it said.
"As fer the town..."
It eyed over its broad shoulder to the Mudokon nodding to it, and retreating back in to the dark shoadows of the town.
"Pummel it..." it spun back to the security guard.
"We don't want 'dis heap in our way when we bring in the supplies..."
"Yes, sir," the creature spoke through its long tentacles moving with its speech, saluting its higher lord.
It watched the creature reach in to the ship, holding a shorter version of the rifle, and walk passed its boss, following the Mudokon in to the alley.
Its lips curled down furiously in a cruel way, its discolored blue eye staring around hatefully with its golden eye to the leaning giants around the shanty town.
"If only Sekto was 'ere...along with Mullock..." he frowned shamefully.
"They's be glad that I'm puttin' Rupture Farms and Sekto Springs water facility back together..."
It spun back to the ship, the doors sliding over its heinous eyes glowering upon the town once more.
The rudders spun faster to life, and the drop ship came off the ground, kicking dust up on the town pitifully before spinning around, and taking off in to the dark night, becoming camouflaged with the dark night sky.
Ken's eyes watched carefully to the ship taking off, his lips grinning cruelly.
The Slig that had stopped him watched him readily.
Ken nodded to the security guard, then spun back to his team, he smiling crookedly.
"Ok, boys," he said hazily.
The Mafia began to go with his smile, rubbing their paws together and nodding their heads ready.
Ken's eyes shot back up, his eyes shining brightly devilishly.
"We're back in business..."
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