[Uros Osium Tokker]

Ok :3! Next chapter... though F*censored from this plane of existance* late as hell... I hope to do one chapter each month at least but right now I cant promise a thing so, for anyone that still wants to read this thing :3 here you have chapter two! Though this one I had to redo two times since the original file ended corrupted, so it is not as great as I had planned, hope you all still like it though.

Chapter 2 – Dark Path

Mugus grumbled in more than a simple bit of anger. He didn’t like his line of work as much after meeting Dai because he was tired of being a brute simply because of the desires of his bosses. But from hating his job to thinking of running away to the wild? Fucking-crazy-hell.

However everyone in the room was thinking about the same as they got ready. Mugus had his fists and pack generator, Dai was clothed and had as much ammo as her pockets could carry while Liza had taken some clothes Dai had made for Exe with some of the rags she found. Exer however still was out and in danger.

It was probably pure luck or the fact that Liza was focusing in him so much, scared as hell, that he woke up with a loud grunt while being covered in bandages.

“Morning?” He grunted out as if nothing had happened “W…where am I?”

The white cover around Dai’s bed was still there so it made him difficult to see anything besides the bed and a bit of wall that was the generic thing for any room in the farms.

“Exer?” Liza’s voice made him jump in place as she took the curtain down “GOD! You are awake!”

A bone crushing hug was ensued as Liza wrapped her arms over Exer… then it was Dai’s turn to get a nice triple hold over the poor guy.

“Girls… please… I want a threesome… but I don’t want my back broken” He said between grunts of pain and content for having the two girls over him.

“YOU ARE A DIRTY THING!” Liza giggled while still hugging him.

“But you love me for that” He chuckled while the hug lasted seconds before it had to be broken.

“However that will probably come to an end soon” Dai told him as Mugus took the rest of the curtain down to put it on a backpack “We are going to be put down if we don’t get out of here”

“Why?!” Exer asked with a startled look as he clenched his fists… However they were not his hands anymore what he clenched but a pair of broken things he could hardly feel or acknowledge as his.

Even Mugus felt bad when they saw how he looked at his now three fingered hands. Tiguer happily nuzzled his legs in hopes of getting him back to reality while Liza patted his shoulder.

“I mean” He grumbled to everyone’s surprise “I don’t think I did so much as to deserve you all killed…” As if nothing happened he wave to everyone “If someone has to die I don’t mind that punishment as far as you all are safe…”

“DON’T!” Liza grumbled, almost slapping him in the face “Stop that… please… Be your naughty and friendly self but DON’T take it anymore” Her sobbing became more than obvious as she hugged him again “You are my best buddy, my only buddy… And no amount of pleading would make you go down without me, is that clear?” She hissed angrily.

“Besides…” Dai interrupted before they got more affectionate, getting her mask on place “We heard the big boss asking to get our meat in a fine silver plate if there was a chance” Exer gulped down as she looked at him “No amount of pleading would make HIM get you as the only one”

He had to nod at that, he only heard stories of the big boss but a lot of ‘accidents’ with anyone that troubled him made every story a bit more realistic. The last thing he wanted was to get to know someone that ate anyone from any species and in any state… That included Glukkons that pissed him too much too.

After a few minutes he was also clothed with a few spare clothes Dai did for the reserve. They got out under the acidic rain, already used to it thanks to the meds they were feed daily with their food. The problem, however, was where to go right now…

“Look” Dai motioned everyone close “I know this may not be the most welcome plan EVER, but we may have a chance if we go down the sewers to get out if we are lucky” She told the group, pointing towards the tower still puffing out smoke.

“You are mad” Liza said with a loud hiss “If we get down there we are as much dead meat as here, you know…”

“I know enough!” She cut the Mudaman with a furious sound that only Mugus, asides Dai, could understand “We get out of here in one or multiple pieces! So instead of gambling in how many let’s make us a favor and get down to two chances. One or none”

Both Mudaman and Sligant looked at each other until they heard a sound of mechanical legs moving close. They simply nodded and probably acknowledged that they would continue their discussion after they got out of the damn farm.

Then they simply ran, getting under the protection of the shadows as the rain fell while they headed towards the still empty and damaged 12º tower. Garman, however, was the one to make his way to Dai’s private quarters with his personal helper Balbysi the Slig, one young Slig with an expensive suit and a pair of pants made out of gold that right now carried a great umbrella to protect his boss and himself from the rain.

*Knock, knock…*

“Dail Bella! This is Garman Ofhante, open right up!” Yelled the Glukkon without his sickening accent “Dail? Dail, are you there?” Garman gulped down “Oh fuck…”

“Sir?” Balbysi handed him a telephone “Your friend knew this was going to happen, he says”

“Damn it!...” The Glukkon turned so he could get close to the phone “You were right”

A chuckle came from the telephone that neither Garman nor Balbysi could stand at all.

“Then is the plan in motion?” Was all that the voice from the phone asked.

“Yes… You are actually accurate about your planning I must say, as much as I hate to admit it” Garman said “Lets continue this conversation at my private office…”

*** Underground level - Sewers. Agravation Farms ***

No one liked the last and unaccounted level of the farms for a reason… Sewers weren’t precisely popular thanks to the giant Idiku and other less common creatures that were as dangerous as any other thing in Oddworld. What was an Idiku?

Idiku were creatures that resembled a dark blue or black giant centipede with a mouth in each section of its body that could multiply by breaking into parts to form new Idiku. However that was only the surface as those creatures were cowardly and only attacked when they had at least five to six sections (Which equals a human body in height) and superiority in number of four to one, though they could grow up to twenty or so and transform into breeding queens for new eggs that would spawn great loads of small Idiku that usually would be seen as cockroaches for Glukkons or Sligs when they were ‘controlled’. The creatures weren’t really dangerous if left unattended the short time span of a week, they could overrun a place in a month worth time.

A wild version of them was the Adaiou, which had usually yellow or green coloration instead of purple or black like the Idiku. The Adaiou were usually larger, up to the size of a truck, and vegetarian, but they had a so hard body that they could use it as a mashing ball as they curled up around themselves to form a destroying force that could run rampant around any unprotected place to crush everything not bigger than their size as balls. Small breeds of those creatures could be found in the sewers and usually mimicked the form of an Idiku until it was too late to notice and a furious ball of death came out at you.

There were more creatures of course, like the Admandeirux-Rex and Admandeirux-Ranus, variations from the Fleech that had been created by order of the Glukkons as these places’ guards inside the residual waters.

They were big creatures with the mouth resembling that of a Fleech, but with teeth growing out of their scaled head while the tongues had a hard bone end to crush anything and gulp it down thanks to their huge size (get a slog the size of a small whale and you can see what I mean). These things have two front legs that seem like those of a tortoise that feels in place thanks to the shell they grew up thanks to a unexpected mutation that gave them a second layer of skin. The lower part of their bodies is a long whale like tail that can give them the speed of a fast motorcycle while under the water. The Admandeirux-Ranus are smaller versions (piranha size) of the bigger ones, they don’t have killer tongues… but they can shred a Scrab to small bits of meat after a few seconds if in a big enough group.

If you add that the water here would do a nasty thing if you didn’t give out signs of life every few seconds (Like the dying skin in clothes, weapons, etc… if the thing was not really alive) the compounds in the water simply digested them and maintain the place clean except in those places that a great deal of things were piled up. The only clogs were those found when the cafeteria made their monthly special or when there was a pay cut for the employees…

Still, the odor was simply atrocious.

“Anyone wants to do the honors?” Dai snickered, she had modified her mask with a filter and she was wearing her short pants for something “No?” She laughed as she was the one to get in first with a loud *Splat* “Come on then… I have patrolled this place a few times and know where the exit is”

Mugus grumbled, not really interested in walking in as Tiguer lied on his hands. Liza had more or less the same zero interest in getting her bare feet inside the ‘soup’, as she heard most the people in the farm referred at the water with that interesting name. As Dai walked away, however, Exer jumped in to fallow her while the others decided if doing so was really all that wise.

Another reason as to why the sewers were not really the favorite place for security was that the lights would get brighter and better thanks to sensors that would determine how many industrials were in the area. With only two it mean emergency lights at crappy capacity… The place was dark and as good as the sight for everyone was the hisses that came around creep them out right away.

“Do you think this is secure?” Exer was worried, he could swear that the little corridors were hiding something. Of course in a farm where even the creatures of the sewers are used for profit you can expect that much since they were accustomed to be hunted and to hunt “I mean… I heard a few rumors that say some creatures live here. Vicious creatures, not those armored worms and those overgrown water experiments…”

“You think too much” Dai replied, cutting him out “Don’t do that hun. You will see what hides around here soon enough if some of my fears show to be right”

The others were still far away enough to not hear the short reply, he, however, didn’t have such luck. He simply gulped down and fallowed Dai. For good or bad they had little choice now.

*** Private Ofice – Garman. Agravation Farms ***

“… so we can’t back down anymore” Said the same voince that was heard when Garman took the phone.

Garman had gone to his private chambers where even his now halfway decimated team of bodyguards would never fallow. The place was big, mostly occupied by furniture done in wood and few things on metal to contrast with mostly every part of the farms. There were paints, medals and other things here and there, but since a few months Garman had been tempted to throw them away.

“Which I wouldn’t do… But I think I overdid it” You could think as why would Garman throw away things that for every Glukkon meant so much “We want to get them crushed, but these misfits must live until then and harming one of them so much may mean less chances of success” Maybe who gave them.

Anyone would have expected to see who was he talking to, but Garman knew better than to get someone to see who was talking to, even to get the walls hear or see the figure… He was no fool and he knew his time was cutting short even with so much preparation.

“Balbysi here is the only loyal Slig to me for me” Garman affirmed, giving Balbysi a proud look as a father would to a son, you could say “The group down in the sewers may find someone that will try to kill them and with one of them hurt as much as my bodyguards desired until I ordered them to stop… I do believe our plan may be flawed”

“Flawed or not, we don’t have time if we want to play our cards or fold and run” The voice said “A winning strike or a permanent retreat (and probably a horrible death) are the only choices we have… Are you ready to move yet?”

“Yes” Garman sighed and signaled to Balbysi “We will get moving soon, but still think this is going to get messy”

“THAT” The voice said with a chuckle “Is the main plan”

*** Sewers again. Section 12-Z… Collapsed ***

“…UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!”

Dai had been yelling for quite a while now… well, anyone would do if the only part of a place, perfect to escape slaughter, was now crumbling every few seconds with more scrap metal, processed rock and… whatever else it was. The only exit that seemed to be sure was now closed under a load of rubbish that the compounds in the water could not digest.

“Nice, fearsome leader” Liza chuckled “Any other great plan?”

Tiguer had jumped down from Mugus’s arms to run around and mark territory while both girls in the party tried to kill each other with a gaze. Mugus was simply resting against one of the metallic walls,, eyeing the bugs that wandered around the water or the ceiling but didn’t dare come close. Exer simply was sitting, not minding getting wet as it seemed this would take a while or that it would be their tomb. He really didn’t care shit. Things SOULD be running smoother any second.

“Yes, as a matter of fact” The Sligant said with a grin as she took the mask away to face Liza as close as she could with those tentacles “The plan is FOR YOU TO SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!”

It was obvious the situation was a bit tense as the girls almost went to the hands, though in Dai’s side it would’ve meant that, while she was peaceful and friendly in comparison with ANY other industrial, maybe a shoot or two would take place and things would go awry from there.

Pressure can do many things to people… and none of them good.

“Girls” Exer groaned “Let’s focus on something… Dai, you were babbling about the old sections that were flooded and now had the bridges to cross…”

“Forget it” She groaned, getting away from Liza “Those places are patrolled by groups of three to twelve Sligs, usually with a few groups in each round” She got a stone, smashing it against one of the small Idiku with anger so blue blood and chitin flew around. Dai was pissed “We would probably die from them or those damn fat mutants, the Admandeirux” She muttered something else but no one heard what she said “Sadly, it may be the only way”

“Why sadly?” Liza asked right away. Dai gave her a murderous look but she didn’t intend it to sound bad “I mean it! We have two routes to take and they are dangerous… But we have a better chance than that guy Abe I think. And look what he did!”

Dai grunted, gave Liza the finger, banged her head against a wall where the poor Idiku was trying to recover (Now you may say the water was worm flavored) and finally sighed.

“Ok, I killed enough brain cells to think it is wise” She said with a grunt as everyone else (Included Tiguer and Mugus somehow) chuckled at that “But you better not bet your balls on this… cause you may lose them anyway”

For the fallowing time (Really unknown) the group traveled, searching for a way out as only the section under the 12º tower was known to Dai. They found many patrols and some wild creatures with results that would vary from simply backing away to a full range scale of destruction and wounds for everyone.

At the end, when they were all wounded with superficial scars as much (luckily most figts had been only for a few seconds and with good enough luck) things didn’t seem to get any better. They had searched the whole place up and down and only one very old section remained uncharted… The problem wasn’t the load of tiredness and fear they had accumulated while traveling. It was something else.

First the group had seen a queen of the Idiku; big and fat enough to be as wide as two Big Bro together and as long as five Scrabs one upon the other while laying an army of eggs that could probably be considered a deadly pest if not controlled soon. The thing was so close to one of the most patrolled areas that Dai looked nervous; it did also made everyone else restless.

The second thing that tipped them on something amiss was a colony of Fleeches sleeping in relaxation even when they went around. Those things had their mutant cousins, the Admandeirux, swimming under their sleeping zone and seemed so relaxed and well feed that when they woke up because of the group they simply went to sleep again.

If seeing a so weak predator not displaying fear of fully armed Sligs is not a bad sign, you can tell me what is.

The next thing was a few patrols, or what was left of them, around a section that was one of the few unexplored and really older in this place. They found a map of that zone in one of the corpses, but even telling them that there was an exit couldn’t make it tempting for the group.

Problem was that the reason they weren’t really in a lighter mood was because that old section was the last one to check, or risk it turning back and head to the 10º tower… or past the 12º again which would mean double the risk.

“Putting it short” Exer panted, he had a few cut over his arms, and forehead and his legs seemed wounded “We are going to see what digested those guys?”

“Is that or risking another travel” Dai replied with a tired grunt, she had a few cuts under her throat because one Slig had some lucky shots… almost too lucky. She felt it itching so much… “I think it may be sleep and filled so we should have it easy”

“Don’t want to start another argument, but I must say this” Liza took everyone’s attention to get besides Mugus and ask for his hand so she could lift it up “But you and Mugus here have weapons” She pointed at the twin pistols from Dai and Mugus’s knuckles “We don’t have squat”

Dai was going to give a comeback, but this time she knew little was in her arsenal to fire at her. They had few weapons and… well… Mugus could keep it up for up to two days without almost energy, but she had only a few clips left.

They were quite against the wall and a very, very sharp pointy thing attached to something that wants them eaten.

So it is like being at the job everyday: You simply don’t like the situation.

*Ejem*

A mechanical voice made the group turn around fast, but they did see nothing. The place was like every corridor in the sewers, one of two tipes:

A: Metal wall at your left, metal wall at your right and you walk in the *soup* with your feet soaked in… an interesting colored *water* with usually a dead end in front of you and a corridor in other direction asides the usual bugs.

B: Metal floor similar to a bridge that usually leads like the previous one, but with a flooded zone under it which may mean death if you fall inside of it thanks to the living cleaners down there… These places usually had barriers for the patrols or even small outposts and were cleaned or at least patrolled.

In this case they were between one A and B, but asides the colorful water and the emergency lights there was nothing.

“I think I can help” The mechanical voice said, this time with actual words too…

The group looked around again, this time however… there was a yell. Liza screamed as she found herself face to face with a weird being no one could describe except…

“Loder the Snoozer at your service”

It was weird… The snoozer had a face painted (though it could hardly be seen with the emergency lights… It was good when other Sligs were close if only for the lights) and also seemed like it had other traits, like more weapons (that were everywhere), three extra legs and a huge load of plating. Definitely you could say it was a WEIRD Snoozer, if only for it seemed to be self aware.

The robot probably got impatient seeing that no one said anything or did a thing asides being frozen in place, so it released a small group of flying robots to give the situation some light.

“Here, let me show you what you have to chose from” Loder said with a happy tone.

Right away the thing broke in two (or so it appeared to be) as the three legs that were out of place took things and a big iron table to get the merchandise over. The collection that the Snoozer had inside was pretty interesting after only a few seconds of taking things out… And it hadn’t finished!

The things the machine had ranged from weapons the industrials had made to the wild creations of Mudokon tribes and other things that none had seen ever…

“This is the Kathara” Loder said as Exer was taking a look at one of those weird things “It was made by some wild Mudaman and some of the few human rebels, nowadays scarce” The machine explained “This is one of the few models left, it has four chambers for spooze and can fire with extreme precision and fast speed… Actually the Mudaman don’t make these anymore because stealing weapons from the industrials is hard and because these things have a great range that usually had some teammates hurt or killed if someone missed a shot”

The weapon was a mix of four spooze bows with one of the blunderbuss, but changed to have four cannons perfectly fitted with the spooze bows and chambers for their ammo. The thing weighted a ton, but seemed strong enough to be used as a two handed weapon for close combat and also have a nice packing in long range combat… maybe too much of a punch it packed, the thing could be dangerous easily.

“This one here” Loder left the Kathara down and took what seemed to be an octagonal chakram that had the usual blades around “Is the Arküan, a chakram with a handler and these three interesting devices” One of Loder’s hands pressed a small wooden button in the center of the thing and three huge blades sprung out “It can be mounted into this form, a sword and a shield (which both can cut anything easily) a two handed sword and other combinations… It is something that usually only the best warriors can get as far as I am told”

In a moment Loder took the weapon apart to form a long blade that, now that was in part, resembled a falchion (huge, at that) but light enough to use with one hand as it was very thin. The other two formed a shield that could cover a normal sized humanoid in the right position while still being used as a weapon. Then he formed a trident looking weapon, two handed sword… Seemed the Arküan was a multipurpose weapon.

“I see also that two of you have weapons already, so to start easy (and fairly cheap)” The Snoozer chuckled at that “I would offer the human and the Mudaman these weapons I showed you” Said the machine “Someone gave me the information regarding you all, besides a nice commission to find you and arm you… So these are free and you still have some moolah left”

Everyone felt silent when they heard the Snoozer talk so freely, even the look it have was officially of innocence like it was everyday’s business… Well, seeing what it did…

“Oh!” The thing suddenly took one of his arms inside of his body again to take a… how to describe it? An egg I think “This is something the guy in charge gave me too… I think it is for the Sligants”

He handed the egg to Dai, then the weapons to Exer and Liza and simply waved adieu before getting everything inside of his body again and pushing a button in his chest. A blue light was all that was left of the Snoozer after a few seconds since not even the small robots with the lights were around anymore.

Were there something to say, however, probably the thing in Dai’s hands would have taken the attention and no one would’ve said a thing. Dai and Mugus were looking at it while Tiguer barked gently at the thing, meanwhile Exer and Liza didn’t really know what it was.

“Guys… it seems to be an egg no?” Exer asked looking closer “But what spec…”

Right away the covers of the eggs opened to expose a very small thing that resembled a worm the size of a human baby more or less. The worm had big cute red sinning eyes the first time it blinked while the skin seemed to be green and pretty vivid. The lil thing also had a few tentacles and a pair of arms, so it was pretty obvious the little guy was a baby Slig and the egg was its little home until now.

“Mumma?” Asked the small Slig while looking at Dai, then turned to Mugus and asked happily “Dadda?”

Almost right away Tiguer jumped over and growled at the little thing, which simply cuddled the dwarf slog until the poor thing could only whine and lick at the small baby Slig.

“Will call him Gumi” Dai said, to surprise of everyone around “We have to get out”

Questions? Probably more than questions they would have to talk when they escaped… But right now the only thing Dai did was to embrace the baby Slig as Tiguer went to the ground, splashing the *soup* around as the others in the group decided to turn towards the remains in the metallic ground nearby.

If there was something to say, or any worry, really it was past the time now that they were armed and that a little life was thrown at them. None of them had seen a kid, ever, asides the labs where they were trained and forced to grow into adults faster than their bodies should so they could work sooner… as well as to destroy their infancy.

Exer had overhead one discussion that had a Vykker and Dai as protagonists a while ago. Dai was complaining as why a Mudaman could reproduce but the Sligant couldn’t, she seemed angry for many reasons but for some reason the conversation diverged to THAT topic after some loud words that were the reason he was overhearing. Let’s say the discussion ended with two things, detention for Dai and the Vykker now could only eat soup.

The determination now, as he thought at least, was because Dai was feeling confident in getting out of here and as FAR as possible to get the youngster away from the bastards that ruled this place. You could probably include, maybe, a bit of a mother instinct…

So now they were walking down the metal pat, for once in complete silence except for the baby making bubbles or any cute sound it could muster while playing with Dai’s tentacles, not as conscious as the others about the gruesome remains in the floor scattered all around.

Was it good or bad luck it didn’t matter much, the exit was in front of them after only a minute or so of walking, they would only need to turn once more.

*SNORTH!*

If they could go without making any sound…

Right away Dai found herself cursing in her mind because she didn’t ask the damn Snoozer for ammo. Exer was feeling stupid because he really didn’t know if his weapon was loaded or how to really use it properly. Tiguer covered in fear behind his owner. Liza gulped down, taking a firm grip to her recently acquired weapon. Mugus simply didn’t say a word, but he thought it was good to be mute… for once.

The reason?

A tear shaped figure, huge and menacing in the dark where even the lights had been cut off so only a few sun rays from holes in the wall could enter the place. The thing was a Dashagon, a vicious predator found in Escoria’s caves and abandoned buildings that could adapt to any environment with no change needed, was it savage or industrial. These creatures had a giant eye in their front that would open up by the middle to show a digestive system that simply turned anything into a pulp (and *water*) thanks to the insides that rotated the mass of flesh and sharp venomous teeth that would kill almost anything with a simple touch. If that was not enough however, the thing’s brute strength could mean a trampling death, being cut in two by its claws or simply splattered against a wall when these things knocked anyone around.

Good thing they could hardly hear. Bad thing the eye could see in thermal when it was closed…

“Guys… I hate to ask” Dai sounded, for once, worried, not angry, tired or caring as Exer had heard her. She was worried “But… could I get away first?”

Everyone looked at her, then at the baby, then at the hand she had lifted to point at the exit that was so close… but the thing was probably close enough to catch anyone if they made a noise. Everyone knew a baby would hardly be quiet and that it would be seen as easy prey by any kind of creature.

When they all nodded Dai tried to give a smile for once since this mess got started, but simply walked away with Tiguer up close to her in case something made the creature wake up. However, nothing happened.

Dai arrived at the exit, one natural carved but with some metal additions to prevent small vermin (and, as it seemed, trying to prevent bigger vermin) to enter the place. The other could probably see only a fraction of the place (big enough to fit a tank), but Dai could easily see the whole thing and… the little extra it had.

Touch stones were never recorded to appear in this ‘new’ continent, in fact, no one ever saw one of these and a lot of moolah had been offered since thanks to them the Mudokon Abe did more damage than expected. But here it was! One touch stone with the hand of a Mudokon, but with marks placed in the stone that she knew were no Mudokon paints or marks…

You can say curiosity killed the cat here.

Dai touched the stone and a sudden deep voice called within her head. She didn’t even place her hand over the paw mark, she didn’t even really desired to get the information… she simply touched one of the marks and the voice called

“As light fights dark for supremacy so does a new life fight the hazards of death to achieve its full glory” Said the voice in her head “The guardians of the bastard child of the Vykkers and the corrupt essence of the visitors from the stars will face many dangers while only one of them will be safe as far as the child is in its hands. This child will be the first to rebel the way of life his kin had and to make a deep impact on it… or will be an overlord so feared that the dark souls of the Glukkons and wicked minds of the Vykkers will wither and die of fear before its presence. Which path will you, the guardian of this innocent soul, chose for him? Will you abandon him to protect your comrades or will you keep him even with the perils and sacrifice it will mean for you?”

The voice faded and then a palisade of black wood rose from the ground while the room the group was still in lighted up to get the monster up and angry towards those who disturbed its slumber.

As it went down to the ground, opening its massive eye and then opening it again to show its gruesome insides Dai could do little more than wait with the baby on her arms. For once she felt scared, but not only for her friends…