Shrown (story)

[GlacierDragon]

Flying Scrabs howl and shriek...

Anyone who has looked at my art thread (http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=16835) will know about Flying Scrabs.



EDIT: Since it's agaist the rules to double-post I'll just add the next chapter onto this one. And before you read it, Skeeters are flying insects that suck out your brains. They were made up by OWI but never put into the games. And the fact that Sligs have compound eyes was also said by OWI.

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Chapter 7

“What is your number?” Queen Skillya says to me, angrily. Her voice is smooth, and underneath it there is a distinct sibilant hiss. She isn’t wearing a mask, so I can see clearly the look of impatience on her face. It’s weird to think she’s my mother.

“5-12-3-27,” I answer, trying to keep the tremble from my voice. She’s about four times the size of me (not including my legs) and she’s got a huge abdomen that lays an egg every minute or so. Her face tentacles are proportionally longer than an ordinary Slig’s, and thinner too. It’s the same with her fingers. Her eyes are compound like the rest of us, but they are red rather than black. She’s got really long fingernails which look more like claws, and her skin has a slight bluish tint. There are a few Sligs tending to her eggs, moving them around and placing them on this conveyor belt which then carries them out of the cave. I guess the tower above us is a hatchery or something. There are also a couple of guard Sligs watching me. I don’t see any security cameras, though.

“5-12-3-27,” she growls, “why are you here?”

I gulp. “I – I refused to shoot a Mudokon slave who was trying to escape.”

“Why?”

I hesitate. “Well, it had no way to protect itself. I didn’t want to kill it if it had no means of defence. If it had a knife or a gun, then probably –”

“Silence.” She doesn’t raise her voice, but the hostile intent is there. “Everyone get out. Except for you.” She points at me, light glinting of her nails. I tremble inside. What’s she going to do?

“But my Queen,” objects one of the guards.

“I said, get out. Even you lot with my eggs, leave!”

All the Sligs start looking at each other in confusion.

“If I have to repeat myself one more time…” Queen Skillya threatens. Everyone besides me suddenly starts to leave through the tunnel I came through. Soon I hear the door close, and we are alone. I nervously glance at her.

“You’re telling me, that you willingly HELPED A SLAVE?” she screams. “Do you have any idea how this reflects on me? How this affects my reputation? Everywhere, they’ll all be saying, ‘Queen Skillya’s children have turned nice. Maybe she’s turned around how she treats them”! Surely you’re not stupid enough to even consider Mudokons worth helping? Are you?”

I remain silent, staring at the ground.

“ARE YOU?!” she howls.

Something inside me snaps. Before I can even consider what I’m doing, I raise my own voice. “I don’t care what you, or anyone else thinks. In my mind what I did was right, and that’s all that matters to me! Now STOP SHOUTING! I’M NOT DEAF, DAMMIT!”

Okay, now I’ve done it. I’m doomed. I’m so doomed. She’s going to cook me. She’s going to cook me alive. I’m going to have a slow, agonising death, and all because I couldn’t contain myself.

Skillya goes dangerously silent. She glares at me. I can practically feel the hate and anger radiating from her. Behind her, I see that she’s stopped laying eggs.

“How dare you,” she slowly hisses. “How dare you speak to your Queen like that?”

“You’re not my Queen,” I answer back. “I don’t know what you are, but you’re not my Queen.”

Now she’s getting really angry. If I wasn’t in a life or death situation, it would be funny. But if I’m going to die, I might as well insult her as much as I possibly can.

“And furthermore, if you think what I did was bad then you should hear what one of my friends has to say. You’ll really be screaming your head of then!”

“That’s it! Guards! Guards! Get back in here! Feed him to the Skeeters! Feed his flesh to the Fleeches and give his bones to the Slogs! I want him to die slowly and painfully! Strip off his skin and pull out his intestines! Gouge out his eyes and tare off his arms! AND MAKE SURE EVERY BEING ON THIS DAMN PLANET HEARS OF IT!!!!”

Over Skillya’s shrieking, I hear the guards come running. Quickly, deciding I want to live, I race behind the Queen and head for the conveyor belt that takes her eggs. Her abdomen is so big she can’t move, so all she can do is watch helplessly as I escape, screaming for the guards to hurry up.

I reach the conveyor belt and hop on, trying my best to dodge the bullets that come flying at me. I run along and duck through a hole in the cave wall that the conveyor leads through. I continue running through a tiny tunnel, forced down onto all-fours by the low ceiling. I angrily push eggs out of my way as I scramble towards a turning up ahead. It’s really dark and I trip over, but I hurriedly right myself and continue. I don’t have a clue where I’m going. Behind me I can hear Skillya bellowing and snarling like a rabid animal. All these years in an underground cave must have driven her mad, I decide.

I reach the turning, relieved. At least now there isn’t a chance that a Slig can shoot me from the tunnel entrance. I don’t rest, though. After all, it’s possible I’m being silently followed. I hear an alarm go off somewhere, and I realise that everyone will be looking for me.

And that’s when I also realise; I can never go back to society again.

[Oddey]

Awesome! He's on the conveyor belt living my dream! I've always wanted to ride on one. But seriously that was great but I'll never know why the other one was smiling. Probrably because Skillya hates glukkons anyway.

[Splat]

Very exciting! Guy must be totally mad!

I wait in anticipation of more...

(Oh, and 'deaf' has an A in it )

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Its cool to see how you portray Skillya. I never imagined her looking that was at all. =D
Keep it up! I can't wait to hear more.

[GlacierDragon]

Very exciting! Guy must be totally mad!

I wait in anticipation of more...

(Oh, and 'deaf' has an A in it )

Woops, I didn't realise I spelt it 'def' instead of 'deaf'. Thanks for telling me *corrects the spelling*. Glad you like it.

And thanks everyone else for the comments!

EDIT: here's a picture of Skillya that I did. I put it in my artwork thread but I thought it belongs here as well. The bottom picture is her from the side (which I couldn't be bothered to colour) and the egg things are, well, eggs. Slig eggs, to be exact.




ANOTHER EDIT: Here's chapter 8. Looks like we finaly find out what Vechk's mystery creature is.

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Chapter 8

The day before Shrown escaped Queen Skillya…

Vechk’s experiment had been a major success. As he had predicted, the arms worked perfectly, and the brain implant had made the creature more intelligent than he had ever hoped. Tests showed it could solve complex puzzles and problems, and it had even already begun to understand Vechk’s commands.

Five days had passed since the operation. The first day was reserved for the creature recovering; the next four had been used for testing. The creature fought incredibly well. It had been deadly before, but now, well, Vechk couldn’t believe it. The arms he had given it also meant that it could restrain things easier, as well as use weapons and operate machinery if the need arose. Armour similar to the plates on the backs of Meeches had been surgically attached to its head and back, and the rips and tares in its wing membranes had been repaired. The metal used in the armour and the arms was extremely light, so the creature would still be able to fly without any problems.

It would be the ultimate killing-machine.

Vechk paced around his lab anxiously. He had tested the creature against a pack of Slogs and it had killed every single one without so much as suffering a scratch. If it could do that, then he was sure it would be able to do other things, like guarding sensitive facilities and such. The only problem was convincing the other Vykkers and the Glukkons what it was capable of. Then, with enough funding, he could create others like it, and maybe even experiment with other species.

But how could he convince everyone? His reputation meant that he would be ignored before he even had a chance to show off his experiment. He had to do something to prove that it was a brilliant creation. Maybe he could send it after that Mudokon terrorist that had destroyed RuptureFarms and was now threatening Necrum Mines and SloulStorm Brewery? Then, if the Magog Cartel was happy (they should be) his reputation would rise and everyone would want to buy his experiments. He would become famous, like he had always wanted to be.

His thoughts were interrupted as Crelet strode in.

“No one’s seen you in days. We were all starting to worry that your pet had eaten you or something.” There was mock concern in his voice.

“You want to know what I have been doing? You really want to know? Then I’ll show you. Follow me.”

Vechk led Crelet into another room of his lab (he had moved the cage before the operation because the creature kept making so much noise). The back of the cage, where the creature was laying, was drowned in shadow. Crelet peered into the cage, searching for whatever was in there.

“Umm, you made and invisible animal? Wow, that’s a first! I’m sure everyone will want one!”

Vechk yawned, unimpressed by the jokes. He disappeared into another room and emerged carrying a large chunk of meat. He stood next to Crelet and quickly threw the meat into the cage. Immediately, the creature bolted from its hiding place and devoured the food, then howled for more. Vechk silenced it with a gesture, then turned to Crelet, who was standing motionless, mouth open wide.

“Well,” Vechk said. “Tell me what you think?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Crelet couldn’t believe his eyes. How had Vechk’s experiment worked? It didn’t make sense; the Vykker was always messing things up. Even the Interns laughed at him.

The Flying Scrab shrank back into the shadows of its dirty cage. The animal looked ordinary, except for the robotic arms and the metallic armour. The arms, which ended in six-fingered hands, looked a bit like the legs of Slig, and Crelet suspected that Vechk had used the same technology as a basis. The armour was similar in colour to the Scrab’s skin, only slightly darker and browner.

“Well, tell me what you think?” Vechk said smugly.

Crelet turned to him, unsure of what to say. “It’s a good start,” he answered, nodding. “When it’s finished I’m sure it will be a brilliant specimen.” Of course, he knew the experiment was finished; he just didn’t want to show that he was impressed.

His answer seemed to anger Vechk, who suddenly screeched, “It’s better than what you could do!”

“Probably not, but I’ve no time to prove it. I hope this experiment of yours works out for you.” Crelet exited the lab before Vechk could answer back.

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I made up Flying Scrabs. There's a picture of one on my art thread (there's a link just before the last chapter).

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Whee! Finally an update! 8D
This is interesting. The scrab sounds awesome. You made the procedure from turning it from an animal to a killing machine sound realistic, I like that. Update soon please. ^^

[Splat]

Glacier, you're ok to double-post in this thread if you're putting up a new chapter. i had to do that a lot back in the day, until I basically stopped replying to comments until I was posting the next chapter.

Good one by the way; I wonder how this beast is gonna tie in with Shrown.

"The day before Shrown escaped Queen Skillya…"

But he hasn't escaped yet!!!

[Oddey]

Now this is mysterious. The flying scrab and Shrown are going to meet but how? I'll have to see the next chapter to find out what is going to happen next.

[skillyaslig]

Lawl, nice story!!! I love stories that have the wonderful Queen Skilly in it, yay!

[GlacierDragon]

I know we havn't gotton very far into this story, but I'm thinking of canceling it. The thing is I havn't been writing much of it lately, and it's getting in the way of a much, much better story that I'm working on (which is technacly a novel as it's over 50,000 words). Anyway I'll post the remaining chapters that I have written, and then I'll conferm if I'll be continuing or not.

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Chapter 9

The constricting tunnel opens up into a large room full of Mudokons packing eggs into crates. Everyone looks up from their work, alarmed looks on their pathetic faces, as they see me come skidding off the conveyor belt. I can’t hear the siren any more, which means that with any luck no one around here will be looking for me. Yet.

I knock a Mudokon over as I rush towards a door opposite me. Pulling it open (the door, not the Mudokon) I race inside and quickly slam the door shut. I’m in a smaller room now, filled with empty crates. The only exit is the door I just came through.

Damn.

I look franticly around. I don’t want to go back. That conveyor belt only leads to one place, so everyone will know where I am.

I spot an air vent in the wall. Could I escape through there? Before I can give a second thought, I’ve pushed a stack of crates underneath it. I hop up the crates, trying not to wobble too much, and prise the grille off the wall. It’s large enough to crawl through. If, that is, I ditch my legs. I’m faced with a predicament. It seems that in order to escape, I have to leave behind the things that will help me to escape.

Oh, I hate paradoxes!

Fine, I’ll leave them behind. I grab the sides of the air vent and haul myself into the shaft, whilst also pulling myself out of my legs. When I’m all the way out, my legs topple over sideways and smash on the ground. This also leads to the crates falling over and scattering everywhere. Good. Something to slow any followers

I crawl through the air vent. It’s really cramped, and I have a feeling that after all this I will be more than a little claustrophobic. I’m not hearing any pursuit, which is very good. I speed up. It’s dark, but not so dark that I can’t see where I’m going (which is strait ahead as there aren’t any turn-offs). I here faint voices coming from somewhere underneath the air vent. Curiosity and suspicion taking hold, I stop and listen.

“…a bit daft, don’t you think? I mean, it’s not as if this is the first time someone’s escaped. If she had kept her guards with her then this wouldn’t be happening.” I recognise the voice as a Mudokon.

“Well, you know what they say; the one thing stupider than a Slig is a Slig Queen.”

Rage fills me. I can’t believe this! Mudokons, calling Sligs stupid? Shouldn’t it be the other way round? But I am surprised at what the first one said, about Sligs escaping before. I wonder why no one’s ever mentioned that? Because it would make Skillya look idiotic and irresponsible, a voice in my head tells me.

The conversation below me turns to something about work-related accidents, and I carry on scurrying. For an air vent, there’s not much ventilation. My breath begins to come out raggedly due to the heat and the lack of space. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

After about fifteen minutes of crawling, the path splits. Now I can choose to go left, right, or directly up. If I had gecko feet I’d go directly up because I have a feeling all this is still underground. But, unfortunately, I don’t have gecko feet. So I guess I will go…

Eenie meenie minie mo…

I’ll go left.

More crawling that seems to go on forever. Wow, I never realised escaping could be so fun (sarcasm). I wonder, is there any point to this? I’ll probably be caught anyway. That’s it, think negative thoughts. That way you will subconsciously find a way to be caught. Then you’ll be happy, the voice in my head says. Strange, I never realised I had a conscience before. Why has it only just started speaking to me?

After a load of minutes that I can’t be bothered to count the air vent widens into something more manoeuvrable. I rest, my arms aching from pulling myself along for so long. I can here the siren again, but it’s quite faint. It’s slightly brighter in here. At first I don’t know why, but then I find out.

The floor that I am standing on is solid. But then, after about a metre, it turns into the criss-crossing form of a wire mesh. The wire is quite thick, so I’ll be able to move across it without hardship, but that’s not what I’m worried about. When I move across it I will be visible to whoever is underneath at the time. And, to make things worse, the floor doesn’t go solid again for about a hundred yards. So, put basically, I will be completely vulnerable.

I quietly creep to the edge of the mesh. I peer through it and see, well, no Sligs. It’s a lowly-lit room occupied by a load of glass cases. Filling the cases are Slig eggs bathing in warm, soft light. It’s an incubation room, and I’m guessing the wire mesh is here to let out excess heat.

Okay, no danger here. So I step out onto the wire mesh and, going as fast as a crawling Slig possibly can, make my way to the other side. I reach the middle of the mesh when I hear the whoosh of an opening door and footsteps enter the room. I freeze. I’m slightly relieved when I see that it’s just a Mudokon, but I still don’t relax. If it were to look up it would see me and run to the nearest guard. I would be gone before it got back, but even so they would find out where I am (assuming they haven’t already).

I finally relax when the Mudokon finishes its task (checking that the eggs are the right temperature) and exits the room. But I don’t rest for long. I continue crawling across to solid ground. I finally reach it, where I find three air vents leading in different directions waiting for me. The one in the middle has a slight breeze coming from it. Finally, a sign that I’m heading in the right direction!

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If there were any spelling od other mistakes in that chapter tell me. I didn't have time to check it properly.

[Splat]

Don't stop writing
Good chapter, exciting and such. I'd say you wanna be careful about dragging scenes like this on too much as it can get a bit dull, but it's ok so far!

[Moosh da Outlaw]

If you don't continue I swear i'll have to freaking kidnap you and force you to write more chapters. >:C
DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YA~

[Oddey]

(Sighs and bows head until it hits the ground where it starts to crush anything underneath it just to bow lower.) Why? Why must the great fan fiction always be cancelled? Why must the great writer give up on things to move up? Why must the story be abandoned? Why? WHY!? (Slams the keyboard a couple of times before calming down.) But seriously just becuase something is longer doesn't make it better. I prefer this fan fic over some other long books I've read before. I like the shorter ones. Because they can easily keep the excitment going. Unlike the long ones that have to take breaks. The thing that happens to everyone is they think of a new plot and give up on the old one. Then the same thing happens again, and again, and again. This fan fic on the other hand has this thing that gives it that spark that only certain books have. I can never put my finger on this but please don't give this up! Or else I'll... I'll... I'll... Send you a huge block of PMs reminding you of this fan fic. Besides if you don't continue after that then I'll let Moosh do the kidnappy thing.

[GlacierDragon]

Although I risk kidnap by Moosh and tonnes of PMs from Oddey, I would still like to say that I'm going to abandon this thing. My honest opinion is that it's a bit rubbish, the only interesting bit being when Shrown meets Skillya. So I give you chapter 10, the last chapter I'll be writing .

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Chapter 10

I’ve been crawling for an hour, and I’m getting really tired. A while ago, after a load of twists and turns, the vent began to gently slope upwards until it levelled off again. So I guess I’m higher up than before, and possibly above ground. The breeze is still here to guide me, but now it’s slightly stronger. Fresh air will be greatly welcomed after all this time in a humid metal structure.

It sounds like the sirens have been turned off. I overheard a couple of Sligs talking earlier. First they spoke about me, but then they started on about some others escaping. They didn’t mention names, only that some of the prisoners have gone missing. I suppose through all the chaos a couple of Sligs managed to escape from the train or something. Whatever’s happened, it’s not my problem.

My mind begins to wonder to before all this rubbish. Why oh why did I ever spare that slave’s life? It was probably killed anyway, so it’s not like I made a difference. Too late to do anything now, I suppose.

What’s this? Do I see light up ahead? I think I do! Energy surges into my tired muscles as I think of freedom and my tiredness is quickly swallowed. I pick up my pace, and rush towards the light source. It gets brighter and brighter, and I find myself blinded after all this time in the dark. I stop and wait for my eyes to adjust before scurrying onwards.

Finally I reach the point where the air vent opens up to the outside. I peer out between the bars of the grille. The sun’s setting by the looks of things. I’m about a meter above ground-level, which means all I have to do is get the grille off. I hurriedly push against the bars, but they don’t budge. I push harder, without any luck. Violently I slam my fists against the bars, but all I achieve is getting my knuckles bruised.

A stop and think, panting. Uncontrollable panic and fear flood my mind. I can’t go back, not now, not when I’m so close! Something clatters behind me and I swivel my head round, peering into darkness, my heart thumping against my ribs, dangerously loud. I tell myself it was just a Rat and turn back to the grille. I back up slightly, and suddenly ram into the bars, placing all my weight against them. I do this twice more, and on the third time I feel my shoulder crunch under the force of the impact. I fall over, pain shooting down my arm and up my neck. I lie on my side and clutch my shoulder. I haven’t broken my arm, I haven’t broken my arm, I haven’t broken my arm…

Seconds tick by and the pain doesn’t subside. Minutes go past. Outside, the sun is rapidly sinking. It reaches the horizon and ducks below it. The land darkens, the light fading. Finally the pain gradually dies away, leaving my arm throbbing in unison with my heart beat. I look at it and see dark blood spreading out below the surface of my skin.

I turn on my front and try to push myself up. My bad-arm won’t take my weight, so I shift it all onto my good-arm. What am I going to do?

I force myself to study the grille. It’s connected to the wall on the outside. I lower myself to the ground so I’m lying on my front and stick my good-arm between the bars, feeling for where it’s bolted. I find one bolt, and somehow manage to unscrew it. It silently falls to the ground. One down.

In the next ten minutes I manage to unscrew all the bolts. After the last one is released, I once again push against the bars. This time the grille comes off without any trouble whatsoever.

I really wish I had tried that first.

Now comes the hard bit. I have to get out of the vent and climb to the ground using one arm. Or I can just hurl myself to the floor and try to land on my good-side.

I decide to go with the latter. After all, I’m desperate.

Well, it works, and I don’t get hurt too much. But then it hits me. I’m a Slig on the run with no legs and a broken arm. I can barely crawl and I’m in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilisation. I’ve no one to help me out, nowhere to hide, and absolutely no idea where the safest place to run is. Oh, and let’s not forget about the dozens of Sligs who are probably looking for me this very instant.

I sigh. What was I thinking? This whole thing’s been a waste of time.

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And yeh, you're probably going to hate me for leaving it at a cliff-hanger.

[Oddey]

... Oh yes... Now your going to get it... Really bad... That was such a good chapter and you give up? How could you? Leaving us here. Stranded with nobody to take up the story. You sick little evil monkey. (I'm not trying to offend you I just really want you to continue.)

Those PMs are on their way if I don't see the next chapter. And so is Moosh.

[Splat]

Don't leave us here! It's easy to be critical of your own writing ut this is really good! I mean I hardly read any fanfics at all here, but this one really grabbed me from the moment I read it. I really want to know what happens. How does he get away from there? Will he meet the other escapees? will he get help from mudokons?

Keep writing chapters or I'll keep sending you annoying links!

[Moosh da Outlaw]

YOU'LL PAY DEARLY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE. I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE.

[GlacierDragon]

Erm, sorry for bringing back this two month-old thread and all. But I have a surprise for those of you who miss this story.

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Chapter 11

I’m reluctantly woken from sleep by a Rat sniffing around. After I crawled out of the air vent I somehow managed to haul myself over to a clearing in a patch of trees with the hope that they would conceal me. Looks like it’s worked so far, because when I open my eyes I find I’m still here. It’s night time and a faint breeze blows through the trees above me.

I shoo the rat away, angry at being disturbed. My arm begins to throb again. When I look at it I can see that it’s swollen. I can’t believe this is happening to me.

A rustle to my right. I look around, my senses alert. There’s a small pond between me and where the sound came from. Trying to be quiet, I pull myself under a low-lying tree, its branches hiding me. There’s another rustle, and I stiffen when I hear voices coming this way. Oh God, I hope I’m not found.

A Slig steps out from the vegetation. He looks around slowly, before walking around the edge of the pond and coming to a halt right in front of me. If he sees me, he’s hiding it. I hear more voices following, and the Slig calls out, “What are you lot doing back there? I said it’s safe. The only ones around are us.”

Hang on. I recognise that voice.

“Blege?” I venture, emerging from my hiding place. “How on Oddworld did you escape?” Blege almost jumps a metre off the ground when he sees me crawling out from under the tree. He quickly reaches for his gun, just to find he doesn’t have one. Only then does he actually look at me and realises who I am.

“How on Oddworld did you escape?” I ask again. My voice is remarkably loud in the night air.

“I should be asking you that question.” Blege says, sounding more than a little confused. “Where are your legs?”

Before I can answer, more figures emerge from the vegetation. Creck and Zevenk both step out and approach Blege. Creck has a bruise appearing over his right eye, and Zevenk seems to have something wrong with his mechanical legs because he’s limping slightly. None of them have seen me yet.

“Who are you talking to? You’re not going crazy, I hope?” Zevenk jokes. He glances in my direction, and stops in his tracks. Then Creck sees me, but as I expected he doesn’t say anything.

I’ve never been more relieved to see other Sligs.


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So, erm, yeh. I guess Shrown leapt through dimensional boundries to my house and threatened to shoot me unless I continued his story.

[Oddey]

And the PMs, and kidnapping was utterly useless. I spent so much time preparing it.

Cool! I can't wait for more.

[GlacierDragon]

I think it was the PMs and kidnapping that persuaded me to start writing again. I just can't believe it actualy worked. (Oddey, you're not the only one reading this are you? If you are you're the only one commenting *shakes fist at everyone else*.)

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Chapter 12

Creck skilfully lights a fire, which casts a much-welcomed glow on everything. The night is painfully still. There aren’t even any nocturnal insects chirping away. We all sit around the fire and talk in low whispers, fearful of being heard by anyone looking for us. First they tell me how they escape. Blege does all the talking. It’s as if he’s become the leader in the short time we’ve all known each other.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I actually used to work in that place,” How convenient, I say in my head, “and I know all the exits and everything. So we were all standing around waiting for the Queen to be finished with you, when she starts shouting something about Skeeters and Fleeches. I don’t know what she was on about. She’s mad if you ask me. She was always screaming and yelling when I worked there. I had the unfortunate job of checking her eggs so most of the time I was in the cave with her and–”

“Ahem.” Zevenk interrupts. “So sorry, but you’re going off subject.”

“Right, right. Where was I? Oh yeah; she started shouting and the Sligs guarding us just ran into her cave. We were left completely alone. So we had a quick vote and decided to escape before anything bad happened. We took the Ball Car back up to above-ground and from there I led everyone out of the place. You see the only real way to get in and out of the tower is the trains, but there are many emergency exits in case of fire or something like that. But on the way we bumped into a couple of guards. They only had batons so they weren’t much of a threat but they still managed to damage one of Zevenk’s legs and give Creck a black eye.”

He speaks like he’s the biggest Slig on Oddworld. I can see the others rolling their eyes. I feel a bit neglected. I mean, no one’s even bothered asking why my arm is puffing up and turning purple.

“So anyway, that’s how we escaped. What about you, huh?”

“Well,” I begin, not wanting to go into too much detail, “I kinda’ angered Skillya a bit. She shouted at me, I shouted at her, she shouted threats, I ran. That’s when the guards came after me. There was a conveyor belt taking her eggs and I jumped on that. From there I found an air vent, climbed out of my legs and somehow managed to crawl out of the tower.”

The others nod. “What about your arm?” Zevenk asks.

“I think it’s broken. It happened when I was trying to get out of the air vent. It took me ages to drag myself here. If you lot hadn’t have come along, I would have been caught. Well, either that or I would have died in a couple of days.” It’s amazing that we’ve even found each other again.

“If your arm is broken we need to put it in a sling. It’d also be a good idea to get you some new legs.” Creck advises. “We should get you some new ones as well, Zevenk. I don’t think the ones you have now are going to last much longer.”

“How are we going to do that exactly?” Blege asks sceptically, raising his voice. “I doubt they just leave that stuff lying around in the open.”

Creck remains silent. It’s pretty obvious Blege doesn’t like him.
Zevenk, who thinks the idea is a good one, comes up with a plan. “They’re sure to be patrolling for us, right? What if we lure a couple of Sligs away and beat ‘em up? Then we can take their legs and run.”

“What then? Where will we run to?” Blege argues. I don’t think he likes other people coming up with ideas when he can’t think of anything. I know I’m being judgmental, but I’m beginning to dislike him.

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” I say. “We’re criminals, and we’ve just made things worse by fleeing from interrogation. We can never show our faces to society again. What do we do now? What’s out there for us?”

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Omg! You're continuing it! That means I won't have to track you down and whip you! =D
Awesome stuff. I wonder what Shrowns' gonna do now that he's escaped Skilly. I can't imagine she'll just let them get away.
UPDATESPLZ

[Splat]

Ooh, you're back! *deletes relevant computer hacking files*

Another couple of great chapters too! Sorry I wasn't around to say so before Plot moves on; where will they run to? will they get pants? Can they trust Blege?

[Oddey]

Oh my god Blege is a traitor. I know it.

But that chapter was awesome so you better wirte another one.

[GlacierDragon]

Omg! You're continuing it! That means I won't have to track you down and whip you! =D
Awesome stuff. I wonder what Shrowns' gonna do now that he's escaped Skilly. I can't imagine she'll just let them get away.
UPDATESPLZ

Thanks. I missed writing this too much to just forget about it.

Ooh, you're back! *deletes relevant computer hacking files*

Another couple of great chapters too! Sorry I wasn't around to say so before Plot moves on; where will they run to? will they get pants? Can they trust Blege?

Thank you! And, erm, computer hacking files??

Oh my god Blege is a traitor. I know it.

But that chapter was awesome so you better wirte another one.

What makes you think Blege is a trator? Another chapter is on it's way!

[Oddey]

The way he seems to have gone into complete control is an easy sign saying that he's definately got something behind his back, and since he used to work there maybe he still does work there. He might have been ordered to turn them in. Then there's also the fact that he didn't agree too much with anything everyone else said. I don't know what that has to do with being a traitor but it doesn't sound sliggy.

Did the kidnapping ever take place? Because I seem to remember you were hiding in a cave.

[GlacierDragon]

Ooh, good thinking! But Blege definately doesn't work there anymore. He's one of those guys who thinks he's the best at everything and he doesn't like being told what to do. Also I think he was hit on the head a couple of times as a young Slig which has caused him to have mood swings every now and then .

Did the kidnapping ever take place? Because I seem to remember you were hiding in a cave.

No I didn't get kidnapped. But the threat scared me so much that I ran off to a cave for a month . All I had with me was my computer (which somehow worked without any power) and a neverending supply of food and drinks.

----------------------------------

Chapter 13

Though Blege was a bit reluctant, we managed to persuade him to go along with the plan. He kept arguing that it wouldn’t work but when we started ignoring his protests he stopped complaining (though he would occasionally mutter things that sounded like insults under his breath). That was all last night.

So now we’re getting prepared. My stomach growls from hunger. I haven’t eaten anything in what feels like ages. They haven’t said anything, but I don’t think the others feel any better.

We’ve decided that after we ‘borrow’ what we need we’re going to head north. The fact that we’re Sligs will hopefully help us; to other species we all pretty much look the same, which means with any luck we won’t be recognised. Perhaps we can find work in a place where news of us hasn’t reached. It’s a bit much to hope for, but what else is there to do?

Getting back to current events, Creck went away a little while ago to search for patrols, while the rest of us stayed behind in the same clearing in the same patch of trees. We didn’t force him to go or anything. In fact it was his idea. While we wait, I whisper a question that has been bugging me to Zevenk.

“Why were you smiling when you came out of the Queen’s cave?”

Zevenk laughs. “It was just something she said. Don’t worry about it.”

“Tell me,” I plead.

“All right. When I told her I shot a Glukkon she started to laugh, which is extremely weird because if you’ve heard the stories you know she never even smiles. When she stopped she asked me some more questions such as who the Glukkon was, how high up he was in status, what his occupation was, and loads more stuff like that. I answered her questions as best as I could and when I finished she said she’d try to let me off easy. But when I asked her ‘why’ her mood suddenly changed from slightly happy to angry and said I should be grateful and not ask questions. That’s when I left.”

“She laughed at you for killing a Glukkon? Why?”

“I don’t know. I suppose deep down she hates it that she has to do what they say all the time. It’s similar to Sam. All she does is lay eggs so the Glukkons can have workers. It can’t be a very eventful life. I feel sorry for her, really. Skillya, I mean, not Sam. Mudokons deserve to be enslaved.”

Blege cuts us off, rudely telling us to shut it unless we want to attract attention. Zevenk and I exchange a quick look that says someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed and then we fall quiet.

Time passes and Creck doesn’t come back. I hope he hasn’t been caught. No one else seems worried. In fact, Blege’s snoring reached our ears not long ago. It’s still pretty early in the morning, and it was a restless night for all of us, but I didn’t expect anyone to fall a sleep in a time like this.

After some more time I pull my way over to the pond. Zevenk asks if I need help with my broken arm but I say no, not wanting to look dependant on everyone. The water looks a bit dirty but I’m too thirsty to care. I cup my hand and lift the water to my mouth underneath my face tentacles. It tastes like something died in it, but it’s welcomed after not having anything to drink in ages. Zevenk warns me that I might catch something nasty, but again I’m too thirsty to take notice of his words.

Then, breaking the silence, a Slig unexpectedly leaps through the trees at us. I twist my head around in shock, almost losing my balance and falling into the pond. Blege suddenly wakes and lunges to the ground in confusion, his arms over his head to shield himself. Zevenk stands swiftly, grabbing a fallen branch for protection. The Slig rights himself and we all relax when we see it’s Creck.

Creck, out of breath and panting, speaks in an urgent whisper. “Quickly…everyone hide! I’ve…got a couple of Sligs…chasing me. When they’re here…attack them.” He stumbles to his right and hides behind a log amongst some ferns. Hearing his words, we all try to find somewhere to hide. Blege pushes himself flat behind a tree, and Zevenk, still holding the branch, jumps behind the log with Creck. Creck looks as if he’s about to say, “This is my hiding place. Go get your own!” but he puts up with it.

I look around franticly. No one’s even helped me try to hide. By the time it will take to get behind a tree, the Sligs will be here and will have seen me. The only option is to hide in the water. I don’t really want to, but there’s no other choice. And the water isn’t that deep.

Using one arm and one arm only, I lower myself into the water. I keep one hand holding onto the land so I don’t sink. I can feel the bottom with my tail, which gives me some comfort. I lower my head so I can’t be seen, my tentacles getting submerged. I peak from my hiding place.

Two Sligs slowly come through into the clearing. Neither of them have weapons, which is good. They must think we aren’t much of threats. Cautiously, they saunter to the centre, looking around. Their arms slump to their sides when they find nothing. They shrug to each other and turn around, going back the way they came, when Zevenk lurches from behind the log. He holds the tree branch close to himself for safety. Creck follows a little more slowly, holding a heavy-looking rock in his hands.

The two Sligs reach for their weapons. Their faces slacken when they see they have nothing with them, and that’s when Creck hurls his rock at one of the two. It smashes into its target on the side of the head, cracking the Slig’s skull open and sending him falling backwards. I see a pool of blood forming under his lifeless body, soaking into the fallen leaves.

The other Slig has no time to react, because at that moment Zevenk swings the branch at him. He raises his arms to his face in defence, but it does little to help. Zevenk alters his aim and hits the Slig in the stomach. The Slig falls backwards, just like the one before him. He writhes on the floor in pain, groaning. He weakly puts a hand out as Zevenk stands over him with the branch.

I awkwardly climb from the water, silently cursing when I knock my bad arm. Before Zevenk can perform the final blow I call out, “Don’t kill him!”

Zevenk stops, lowering his weapon. “Why not?” he asks.

“Because he’s only doing his job. It’s not his fault he has to try and capture us.”

Zevenk looks at me doubtfully. Then the Slig on the ground speaks to all of us.

“You’re all disgraces! Going against orders. Not doing as you’re told. You’re the type who make us Sligs look lazy and incompetent!”

Zevenk gets angry, and I mean really angry. “I don’t care what you say, Shrown. Here is a threat, and to be safe we have to remove threats.” Without any more words, he brings the branch down on the Slig’s head. I wince as I hear bone shatter. Zevenk repeatedly strikes the Slig again and again until he is sure all life has gone.

Another pool of blood joins the first.

[Oddey]

But sligs are lazy and incompetent. Zevenk's aturning baddish. I want more!

[Splat]

No I didn't get kidnapped. But the threat scared me so much that I ran off to a cave for a month . All I had with me was my computer (which somehow worked without any power) and a neverending supply of food and drinks

How handy!

Good chapter. Zevenk is sliggish, we hae pants and a plan; I guess it's time to head off (or is it?...)

[GlacierDragon]

But sligs are lazy and incompetent. Zevenk's aturning baddish. I want more!

Yeh, that's one of the reasons I put that bit of speech in there. And Zevenk might seem nice and friendly but if he needs to protect himself he can be evil.

How handy!

Good chapter. Zevenk is sliggish, we hae pants and a plan; I guess it's time to head off (or is it?...)

Maybe...

Ok, when I decided to carry on writing this I changed the storyline quite a bit (notice in the first post it says it would be a bit like AO). Hopefully the new storyline will be more interesting. Also on chapter 8 it says "The day before Shrown escaped Queen Skillya…" (as Splat pointed out, he hadn't yet escaped). For a couple of reasons I changed this to "The day Shrown was taken to Queen Skillya…". Sorry for the confusion and everything.

-----------------------------

Chapter 14

The day Shrown escaped Queen Skillya…

Vechk made his way to the lunch room on his own, his feet making soft echoes on the floor. He took the long way round so he didn’t bump into anyone. The last thing he needed was more criticism.

After he had showed Crelet his experiment things had gone terribly wrong. Firstly, Crelet had ‘accidently’ let slip about all he had seen. The news spread like wild fire through the underground lab, and within a few hours every Vykker knew about it. Now whenever Vechk walked past someone he would be shot with mocking glances. Everyone thought he was an idiot for even trying.

Tiredly, Vechk pushed the doors of the lunch room open and ambled inside. To his relief the place was completely deserted except for the three lunch Mudokons and an Intern in the corner who was finishing a late meal. Vechk had timed his lunch so he would be the only one there, not wanting to be in the company of others. The Intern barely glanced up from his food as the Vykker walked past.

Not wanting to stay too long, Vechk had a bowl of slightly cold soup for lunch and a couple of Paramite Pies for dessert. The room was relaxingly quiet, the only sounds being the Intern nibbling his food through his mouth-stitching and the soft buzz of the overhead lights. The lunch Mudokons were taking naps, forgetting the fact that Vechk could report them for sleeping on the job.

Soon the Intern got up and left, leaving Vechk on his own. He put his head in his hands, trying to think of something that would sort the situation out. Again he thought about using the Flying Scrab to capture that Mudokon terrorist, but he dismissed the idea. He didn’t want anything bad happening to his experiment.

He soon left the lunch room and crept back to his own lab. He approached the door and reached for the handle, but stopped at the last second. He could hear very faint sounds coming from within. Carefully, he lent against the door, listening. The experiment was in there, but it wasn’t what was making the noise. Someone was in his lab going through his things.

Rage building, Vechk pushed the door open and charged inside. An Intern spun round to face him, eyes wide, a bunch of folders and papers in his spidery fingers. Vechk gave the Intern a deadly stare and folded his arms.

The Intern gazed at the folders with a confused expression, as if he didn’t know where they had come from or how they got into his grasp. He glanced at the open draws he had been going through seconds ago, again with the same perplexed look on his face. Turning back to Vechk, he shrugged his bony shoulders.

“So,” Vechk said casually, “who sent you to steal my research? Was it Crelet? Or someone else?”

The Intern rearranged his headphones and once again gazed at the folders in his hands. He no-longer looked confused, just bored. He gave Vechk a look that said can I go now?

Vechk narrowed his eyes. Quietly, he shut the door behind him. He found the key and locked it. The Intern had seen too much. Vechk couldn’t let him leave, even without the folders.

“Would you like to see what I’ve been working on?” Vechk asked merrily. The Intern, who had obviously been sent to collect information, put down the folders and nodded his head enthusiastically. Vechk motioned for him to follow and strode into the room with the caged Scrab.

The two stopped by the bars, and Vechk feigned surprise. “Oh, a shame. It’s hiding in the shadows. Well I suppose I can open the cage and lure it out. Then you will be able to see it.” He calmly unlocked the cage door and gestured for the Intern to come closer. The Intern stood next to him, staring transfixed into the darkness.

Vechk suddenly shoved the Intern forward and slammed the door shut, quickly locking it and standing out of the way. The Intern, angered, kicked the bars. He said something Vechk didn’t understand; it sounded like an insult.

“I’ve got you a meal,” Vechk announced in a sing-song voice. The Intern looked around slowly as he sensed something at the back of the cage move. His eyes widened as the Flying Scrab silently appeared. Franticly, the Intern began to pound against the bars. The experiment darted forward, impaling the Intern through the chest with its sharp beak. Vechk ignored the blood that spurted onto him.

The Scrab threw the Intern to the ground, grabbed him with its mechanical arms and threw him across the cage. The Intern, barely alive, weakly dragged himself across the floor to the bars. He looked up at Vechk with large, helpless eyes before the Scrab dragged him struggling into the shadows, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Vechk smiled.

[Oddey]

Nice chapter. I like the way the Intern was confused. It reminds me a bit of a cartoon.