CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Night found the peaceful Mudokon camp out in the area ironically known as No-Muds-Land. Abe sat with his back against a rough rock, stirring at the coals of the fire they had lit, staring with orange eyes at the gray ashes. Thinking silently.
Thinking about how he had managed to escape.
He knew it wasn’t luck that had allowed him to get out of that trap. If luck had been all that had been on his side, he certainly would have been killed while he was unconscious from the grenade blast. But then that Wolvark had turned to strike down the Sligs before turning his attention to Abe, and that had given him time to get his pistol up to the bounty hunter’s head, and make his escape.
It was almost as if it were a story, the way things had worked out. But it was his real life as it happened to him.
On Elum-back, they had managed to get out of the Sligs’ range before any shots could be fired after them. They had ridden most of the afternoon, with occasional stops to rest their mounts, trying to get away from Fragg and his Slig army.
One thing Abe was certain of: the slaves were not in that army. They were still going to Mantin City.
“Tomorrow,” he said, “we continue for Mantin City. We will destroy those Sligs because we have to.”
And after that, he would destroy the Bringer of Pain – the one that had been responsible for the whole trap in the box canyon. That was the only way Abe could see that it had happened so theatrically: the gunshots had brought all the parties together, and from there everything had been close to destruction.
But whatever the Bringer of Pain had been planning, it hadn’t succeeded. He was still alive, the Wolvark had escaped, and the Sligs were still there.
At least, Abe hoped everything was going against the Bringer of Pain. Whoever or whatever that sick murderer was, he was a great threat to Oddworld as a whole – responsible for the destruction of an entire Gabbit village, and that trap had almost destroyed many people.
Abe sighed. It seemed as if his whole life had been devoted to destroying everything. RuptureFarms, SoulStorm Mining, Bonewerks, Slig Barracks, SoulStorm Brewery, Windmill Brewery, Meep Farms, Magog Motors, Splinterz Manyfacturing, FlubCo Fuels, Vykkers Labs, PulseCo, Scrabby-O, SlurgBurg, MeechCo, and so many other places. Hundreds of Sligs had been destroyed, either because of his possessions or otherwise; he had been responsible for the deaths of many Glukkon businessmen, Vykker doctors, Intern assistants, Clakker settlers, and other beings. Now he was after the Bringer of Pain.
But then, would he rather be back at RuptureFarms, worked to death or perhaps shot by a Slig? No. This was his path, and he would walk it as best he was able.
At the sound of approaching steps, slow and heavy, Abe whirled around, his hand going immediately to the Snuzi pistol. He briefly glanced at the shots; there were only 34 bullets left in the compartment.
“Who’s there?” he snapped roughly. “Identify yourself or be shot!”
“Abe!” a voice called, a voice he hadn’t heard in many years. “Abe, it’s me!”
Abe’s eyes widened, and he slowly lowered the gun to his side. “Jake?” he asked. “Is that you?”
“Yeah!” A Mudokon figure shuffled out into the pale glow of the fire coals. Abe grinned broadly at the sight of his old friend.
He had known Jake for years and years. The Mudokon had somehow been attracted to Abe’s needs – every time there was a spirit ring Abe needed, or a healing power recharge – Jake had teleported there. The shaman could not teleport on command; only when Abe needed something.
“I guess you needed my help,” Jake said. “’Cause I’m here.”
Abe nodded, grinning. “We need all the help we can get.”
Jake pointed north. “I’ve seen the slave line; they’re up that way, only about five miles away. They’re bedded down for the night.”
Abe laughed. “Good! I’ll get my friends awake –”
“No,” Jake said coldly. “These guards have deadman interlocks on many of the Mudokons; if the Sligs are killed, whatever Mudokon they’re attached to will die as well.”
Abe snarled. “Oh, that’s great. That’s what Fragg had back at MeechCo. Is there any way to disable the interlocks?”
“Lord Fragg would know.”
Abe slowly smiled again. “I have an idea.”
Jake smiled. “Now it’s safe to wake your fellows. I’ll help you.”
Abe nodded, and set about his work.
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