We left the cave, it took a while to get our eyes adjusted to the glare shining strongly through the trees, but I didn't waste any time in trying out my new powers.
It didn't take any learning either, for some reason it came naturally, as if I could do it for years.
I stretched out my hand and visioned lightning leaving my fingers, feeling energy rushing toward my fingertips, a bolt of lightning shot out. This was incredible
"yyyyyyyYYYYYYYESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed out, jumping for joy, I turned to the others, who I expected to look at me as if I was crazy, but they seemed to just as interested in what I had just done as I was.
"That's a pretty nifty gift ya got there," Stranger said, chuckling, "almost makes us equals" Shooting that joke in my direction
"Yeah," I said, shooting a little zap at him, "just a bit more practice and you'll be up with me" everyone laughed at that, including Fangus.
It was weird hearing him laugh, it was dark, dark and threatening, but safe somehow. We continued on our hike, and I was continuing to experiment with my powers.
I must've been pretty distracted by it, cuz a few minutes later, I was alone.
"Stranger? Abe? Munch? Fangus?" I shouted out, with no reply, the foliage was absorbing my sound.
"Guys?" I yelled louder, "Where are you guys?"
"Greetings again, Human," A voice said, I turned, It was that creature I met moments before I ran into Munch in the Bath house. I stepped back.
"Scared, are you?" he said rather eerily, "Don't worry, I don't bite,"
I stared, "What do you want with me?" I asked, looking for an answer in his eyes.
"I said earlier that tears are not magical portals, aye, and that they couldn't get you home, but that does not mean that you can't get home..." He stepped closer, I stood there, thinking.
"You can get me home?" I asked, with a puzzled look on my face.
"I didn't say that," he said with a shake of his finger, "But I guess you could come to that conclusion after what I said," he started circling.
"Then you can't get me home?" I asked, eyeing him closely.
"Again, with the jumping to conclusions," he said, laughing like it was a joke, "I can indeed get you home, but it'll require cooperation," I thought for a sec.Truthfully, I kinda felt like I didn't want to go home, well, not yet that is.
"Do you wish to go home?" he asked, extending his small hand. I stared at his offer, and looked him in the eye.
"No, there is still much I need to do here," I said, starting to turn.
"Oh?" I asked, like a child,"And what is that?" I turned back.
"Something like saving Oddworld from total distruction," I said, he looked amused.
"What makes you think you're the one to do it?" he said, rather mockingly
"It says so in the prophecy!" I said, getting a little ticked.
"What does this prophecy say, exactly?" he asked, pulling out a little pad, like a reporter.
"It says, when the rabid shepard is kil...," I paused.
"Exactly," the being said,"My offer still stands," and then he vanished.
I stood there in the clearing for what seemed like hours, thinking about what I had said. The prophecy said when The Rabid Shepard was killed, but Fangus was alive, what could it all mean? I suddenly heard voices.
"Phill! you here?"
"Where'd you go?"
"Told you he was chicken"
"Phill!"
"Over here you guys!!" I yelled, a couple seconds later the group broke through the bushes and found me.
"What were you thinking!?" Stranger yelled, "You could've been lost! then what would've happen to the fate of Oddworld?"
"Yeah, about that" I said sheepishly, "I think you have the wrong guy," I said, turning away.
"What do you mean?," Abe asked.
"Yeah," Stranger continued, "After all we've been through, after your 'divine intervention', after you got your powers, YOU GOT FRIKKIN POWERS, you're giving up, saying your not the one to save us?" He was pacing madly about, tossing up dust.
"It doesn't match the prophecy," I said, point blank.
"What doesn't?" Munch asked, looking up at me.
"He doesn't!" I answered, pointing at Fangus. Fangus looked down at himself, and looked back, asking with his eyes.
"It says in the prophecy, 'when the rabid shepard is killed, a being not of Odd shall come and redeem the planet,' and there he is! The rabid shepard! Alive and kicking!" I put my hand down, and fangus followed suit with his body.
"Now don't get me wrong," I said, "I want help, I really do, but the time is wrong, you got plenty of time," and I started to walk away. I felt terrible, giving up on them, leaving there planet in the path of an impending doom.
"I did die..." Fangus said, near silently. We all turned and looked.
"I was once a relatively peaceful, young shepard growing up on the outskirts of the Spooce Shrub Forest," he said, standing up, "You had never seen more beautiful pastures, more pristine rivers, more abundant flocks.
Looks may deceive, but I was a gentle being, wouldn't hurt a fly. My parents were small little things, and I loved them dearly, life was...peaceful at best." he then turned his back to us
"and then those...those things came, and ransacked our farm, I tried to protect them, the farm, everything, and was doing a good job too, but they became too numerous, too powerful, and then, everything went black." he was pacing beautifully, as if giving a prepared monologue, his arm movements were graceful, and etc.
"When I awoke, I was in a dank, smelly room, there were these weird purple-ish creatures with needle like arms and nubby lets, but huge heads, they called themselves...uh..." he scratched his head, thinking.
"Vykkers," Munch said with disgust.
"Yeah," Fangus said, continuing his pacing, "They kept on talking amongst eachother. I was too groggy to make anything else, but after they had finished, one of them stuck a needle in my arm, and I was out again.
"The next, I dunno how long, but needless, however long it was, I wasn't myself, most of it's a blur, but what I do remember was all blood. None of it mine. This continued for, as I said, I don't know how long, but I hated every minute of it, I felt as a prisoner in my own body, yelling for me to stop, or for someone to stop me. Suddenly I got my wish, and I embraced the eternal darkness." I almost started crying.
"What surprised me was when I saw light again, I said that it was a bad idea, and it'd be best if I was dead. 'You've been dead long enough,' I heard, and looked around, I was lying on a table, and on the side was Ketais. She walked around, examining me. 'Good as new' she said. I asked what happen, and she explained everything, from me dying to her being able to take me from the battlefield. I stayed with her for a couple days, and then you guys came, and here I am. Though I am cured, my taste for blood hasn't died, it is just way more mild."
"So, what your sayin is..." I started.
"Yes," he replied, "The prophecy is true, from what I get of it...but the prophecy didn't say I couldn't come back to life, now did it?"
"...no, it didn't" I said, coming to terms with what that meant.
"So we good?" Stranger asked, "You feel good that we got that little fiasco settled out?"
"Yeah, I said,"let's get going," We started to mobilize.
"What exactly got you to thinking all that stuff anyway?" Abe asked, "And besides, you could've helped out anyway, and stayed."
"But you see," I said, turning to him, "I have a home, and if I didn't have to stay, I would have tried finding a way back,"
"Oh," he said, It kinda came as a shock over the whole group, that my home was indeed not on Oddworld.
"What'll happen if you don't find a way back?" Munch asked.
"I'm wondering about that myself," I replied, keeping my thoughts of that strange creature and his proposal to myself.
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