Shrown (story)

[GlacierDragon]

Boo hoo, only one comment.

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

Thank you! I feel sorry for the Intern. At least the experiment won't be hungry.

Sorry for the short and boring chapter.

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Chapter 15

The others help me into my new pair of mechanical legs. Zevenk also replaces his ones (which have almost ceased to work) with the pair from the Slig he beat to death. The dead Sligs we hide in the undergrowth, trying our best to cover up the blood with leaves. When we’re done the place is even messier than before.

So now all that’s left is sorting out my arm, which has started to really, really hurt. I cradle it against me, not wanting to knock it or anything. The others say it can’t be left it as it is or it will never heal. Unfortunately no one knows what to do. There’s one option that keeps surfacing though, but I don’t like it very much: re-enter the tower and try to find some medical equipment.

“It’s the only option we really have,” pushes Creck. “I know it sounds crazy, but –”

“Yeh, you’re right, it does sound crazy,” Blege exclaims, a bit over-dramatically.

Creck talks over him. “…there aren’t really any other options. If one of us goes in and has a look around, then get’s out of there as soon as possible it will probably work. I doubt anyone really suspects us to go back in, so most of the security will be gone looking for us elsewhere.”

I hesitate. Is it really worth the risk?

“And while we’re in there we can steal a few weapons,” Zevenk says, trying to persuade me and Blege. “That’s reason enough to go back.”

When I think of this I give in. “Maybe you’re right. But who will be willing to do it?”

Everyone’s eyes shift to Creck.

“Wuh? I know it was my idea and all, but I’m not going back there on my own! I already lured those two Sligs here after all. You can’t expect me to everything.”

“I’ll go in with you.” This is Blege talking. I never expected him to contribute. I also agree to go in with them. It is my fault that we have to go back after all. If I’d been more careful we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.

“So that just leaves me on my own out here while you three have all the fun?” Zevenk laughs. “Hell, I’ll come with you. You might need me at some point.”

“So that’s it. We’re going back into the tower to search for weapons and to fix my arm?”

Blege shrugs. “Looks like it.”

“Cool. When are we going to start?”

[scipionyx]

I started reading this a while ago and I really like it so far. The first person narrator style is unique.
I'm going to read the rest of it asap ^^

[Oddey]

I just read the last chapter which despite it's shortness is quite good. More soon.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

“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.

AHAHAHAHAHAH! I guess i'm not the only one who enjoys hurting interns. xD

Awesome chapters, sorry I didn't say anything before, I didn't notice you update. ^^ More please!

[GlacierDragon]

I started reading this a while ago and I really like it so far. The first person narrator style is unique.
I'm going to read the rest of it asap ^^

Yay, thank you!

I just read the last chapter which despite it's shortness is quite good. More soon.

Thanks!

AHAHAHAHAHAH! I guess i'm not the only one who enjoys hurting interns. xD

Awesome chapters, sorry I didn't say anything before, I didn't notice you update. ^^ More please!

Thank you! Yeh, I couldn't resist the bit with the Intern.

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Chapter 16

We decide to wait for nightfall before we do anything. Throughout the day we shift to different parts around the outside of the tower, trying our best to avoid the patrols. There are plenty of trees and places for us to hide. At around mid-afternoon it begins to rain heavily. With any luck it will wash away any traces of blood we missed from the dead Sligs.

We hardly speak throughout the day. More than once we almost get spotted by patrols. I quickly lose count of how many Sligs we see after us. They must have sent out every guard they have. But if Creck is correct, no one will expect us to go back inside the tower so once there we should be safe. Well, safer.

We can’t tell when the sun sets because of the thick clouds obscuring the skies. But when the land is dark enough, Blege begins to lead us to the door that they escaped from. We try to be as quiet as we can. The pelting rain helps to muffle the sounds of our legs. Most of the time we skirt between the trees, but when we have to cross open areas we keep our heads low and move swiftly across the muddy ground. The rain should cover our tracks.

We have no light to guide us, which makes the going slow. The tower doesn’t even have any external lights to illuminate its surroundings. One time we see about a dozen torch beams in the distance, but we don’t run into any trouble, thank Odd.

After about half an hour (the tower is absolutely huge so it takes a while to get around it) Blege stops abruptly. He looks around uncertainly, then slowly approaches the metal wall we’ve been staying close to. He examines it quietly before turning back to us.

“This is it,” he whispers. “This is the way in. Stay close behind me.”

We all nod. In the dark I can just about make out the thin outline of the door. Beside it is a key lock with the numbers 0 – 9 on it. Blege rapidly punches in a code, and the door slides open effortlessly. We get hit by a blast of hot air. There’s a faint red light spilling out onto us.

We silently slip inside and the door closes behind us. The sound of the rain is replaced with a deathly silence. We stand in a narrow corridor which is lit up by a single red bulb which flickers on and off. The walls are grimy with age and dirt.

We make our way down the corridor in a line, dripping water behind us. We come to another door, which is slightly ajar. Blege noiselessly pushes it open farther and squeezes through, we follow. We find ourselves in a larger, similarly-lit corridor with several doors leading to different places. Blege must know exactly where he’s going because he approaches the second door on the right and peaks through into the next room. After a moment of checking he gestures to us and leads us in.

I lose track of time as we twist and turn through the different corridors and rooms. We run into no one and we easily dodge the security cameras. The humid atmosphere soon has us all hot and out of breath. The only reason I can come up with for having the place so warm is to incubate the Queen’s eggs.

Throughout all this time we don’t speak even once. If we need to communicate we use hand-movements; none of us can afford to muck up and attract attention. The place is awfully creepy, with the same pale red lighting everywhere and the unclean walls. It looks so much differently at night; you would have a hard time believing it was the same place that we were in a day ago.

After a while we come to a Ball Car. In an urgent whisper Blege explains to us that it will take us up to the ffice:smarttags" />lace w:st="on">Sick Baylace>. He farther tells us that after that we can look for weapons. I still can’t properly believe he once worked in this place. Talk about an amazing coincidence.

So we use the Ball Car. For about half a minute it takes us upwards before it changes direction and takes us left for another half minute. It stops and the door opens. I raise my hand to my face, shielding my eyes. The light that pours out is unbelievably bright compared to the low lighting we’ve all gotten used to. After our eyes have adjusted we cautiously emerge from the Ball Car into the lace w:st="on">Sick Baylace>. I search for signs that we’re not alone but fortunately find none.

“The lace w:st="on">Sick Baylace> is one of the only rooms that keeps its lights on at night, just in case of any accidents or emergencies,” Blege explains.

“Let’s just find what I need to and then get outta here,” I whisper back.

Soon I’ve got my arm bandaged up and in a sling. We quickly put things back where we found them so to cover our tracks. Heading back to the Ball Car, we prepare to go and look for weapons.

Blege presses the button for the door to open. Nothing happens. A small light above the door rapidly blinks on and off. He presses the button again, with the same result.

We all realise what’s going to happen at the same time. Without exchanging even a single word we scatter ourselves throughout the room. There’s no other exit so it looks like we’ll have to hide, and wait, and hope.

I jam myself between the wall and a filing cabinet, almost knocking over a display of jars and medical instruments. It’s awkward, but I manage to curl up so I’m not seen, though I have to push the cabinet forward a few inches. Wherever the others are hiding I don’t see. All I hear is my breathing.

I can’t see from my hiding place, but I hear a soft whoosh as the door opens and footsteps as someone enters the room.

[Oddey]

... Who could it be? The Scrab? A worker? Or a patrol?

I'll have to wait and see. Next chapter please.

[GlacierDragon]

Thanks Oddey!

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Chapter 17

“I can’t believe it,” someone says. The high-pitched voice tells me it’s a Vykker. Why there’s one in a Slig birthing-complex, I have no idea. Maybe they’re needed to make sure everything’s going okay with the Queen?

“I can’t believe it,” the Vykker repeats. “Do you know what time it is? Everyone else is asleep, why can’t you be? You could’ve come to me with your problems in the morning.”

“I thought somethin’ should be done about it right away,” says a second voice, undoubtedly a Slig.

A loud, exaggerated sigh, then: “All right, fine. What did you do, trip over again?”

There’s a short silence. “I thought so,” mutters the Vykker. “Why you can’t be more careful, I’ll never know. Luckily you’ve only sprained your wrist so I’ll just sort it out and then we can both leave this place and go off to our beds. Well, you can’t of course if you’re doing a night shift.”

A cabinet being opened. Some rustling and various other noises. A grunt of pain from the Slig. A cabinet being closed. All simple sounds. Nothing to say we’ve been found out.

I shift my position slightly, trying to get rid of the cramp forming in my lower back. My leg kicks against the filing cabinet accidently. I freeze. Dammit.

“Did ya’ hear something?” the Slig asks urgently.

“What are you talking about? No, I didn’t hear anything.” After a few seconds the Vykker continues, “There, all better, now go back to whatever it was you were doing. Odd, I need some sleep.”

Thankfully, I hear the Slig leave. However the Vykker stays. Why won’t he go? I ask myself. I struggle to stay silent. Carefully I peak around the cabinet. The Vykker’s sitting on a chair in the corner, doing something with a computer. I can’t see the others. Where the hell have they gone?!

The Vykker abruptly stands and turns to my direction. He sees me instantly and his tired expression turns into that of horror. “You!” he shrieks, pointing a claw. “You’re that one who escaped! Where are your friends? Are they in here too? I’m going to call the… the… the…”

His words fade away and he drops to the ground, his eyes rolling up in his head. Behind him stands Zevenk with a hypodermic syringe in one hand. “Tranquillizer,” he explains when he sees me emerge. “He’ll be out for a while.”

“Well, he was complaining he needed some rest. I guess it will help,” I joke.

It turns out the others were all hiding beneath a great big table, which has a white sheet covering it. The sheet drapes down to the ground so they would have all been obscured. I could have saved myself some trouble if I’d followed.

Not wanting to waste time, I ask Blege, “Where would there be weapons?”

He hesitates, before answering, “Well, I didn’t work here for too long, so I’m not entirely sure. The armoury used to be near the top of the tower –”

“What?” Zevenk exclaims. “You mean you told us there would be weapons but now the time comes that we need to find them and you don’t know where they are?”

“Hey, arguing isn’t going to get us anywhere,” I yell, getting between them. Creck stands by the computer, scrolling down the screen, not wanting to be part of a possible argument. Zevenk glares evilly at Blege, who merely folds his arms and looks away with an uninterested expression.

“Not meaning to gang up on you or anything,” I say, “but he’s right. You could have mentioned sooner you didn’t know where the guns were. Now we’re going to leave with nothing.”

“You just want to go? Without even searching?” he replies.

“Well, I don’t know about you but I don’t want to stay in this place longer than necessary. There’s no point looking for something we won’t find. And even if we do stumble across an armoury it will be locked, and most likely have guards.”

“He’s right,” Creck says without looking up from the computer. “According to this database there are over five hundred Sligs in this place, and all of them are probably looking for us. I say we get out now before they discover we’re here. Our friend,” he gestures to the Vykker, “will speak when he wakes up.”

I peer over Creck’s shoulder at the computer. And sure enough, he’s opened a list of all the Sligs employed in the birthing complex. There’s a lot more than any of us expected.

“Fine,” Blege says. “Let’s go before anything happens.

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

Just so there's no confusion, that Vykker was not Vechk. It was just a random guy.

[Oddey]

Nice chapter but I would have enjoyed it a little more if my brother hadn't been whining about something.

More soon please! If only for me.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

That was a close one. I actually thought Shrown would've been captured or something there. But then there'd be no story. =)
More please.

[GlacierDragon]

Nice chapter but I would have enjoyed it a little more if my brother hadn't been whining about something.:D

More soon please! If only for me.:D

Thank you. But when you said "I would have enjoyed it a little more if..." I thought you were going to point out something that was wrong with that chapter.

That was a close one. I actually thought Shrown would've been captured or something there. But then there'd be no story. =)
More please.

Thanks!

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Chapter 16

So without any farther hesitation we begin to head back outside. Blege is in a stress, but everyone just ignores him. No one’s bothered to mention anything, but he’s beginning to get on our nerves. The way he automatically became our leaded (though not a good one) has irritated all of us.

At first things go smoothly. We run into no trouble, which worries me more than it should. I just hope that Vykker stays unconscious long enough for us to escape. If he wakes up before then, well, we have a problem.

Zevenk (who is leading us) abruptly stops, allowing us to all trip over each other. I clench my teeth as Blege bumps into my broken arm. He gives me a quick, unapologetic glance before moving out of my way.

Zevenk franticly motions for us to move backwards. We do so, not questioning his motive. Soon we’re hiding behind the door we just came through.

“What’s this –”

“Shhh!” Zevenk cuts Blege off before he can finish his sentence. I open the door slightly and peak through. A Slig guard trudges down the corridor, the mechanic whirring of his legs echoing off the walls. In one hand he has a gun, the other a beer bottle. By his staggering I guess he’s drunk.

“It’s ok,” I whisper. “Looks like he’s been drinking on the job. Blege, what’s wrong?”

Blege, who stands motionless, is staring blankly up at the ceiling. I follow, trying to determine what he’s looking at. And then I see it. In our haste to get away from the guard, we completely forgot about the security camera we had to dodge not minutes ago.

Just as the others realise what’s going on, a high-pitched alarm starts to scream at us. The sudden sound is painfully loud and we al put our hands to our ears.

They know where we are.

“We have to get out of here now!” Creck yells over the alarm.

“You think?” Blege sarcastically replies.

Taking charge, I push the door open and run at the guard. He turns to me, wobbling. He doesn’t raise his weapon so I don’t think he knows who I am, but that doesn’t stop me from punching him in the face. He falls, his beer smashing on the floor. I pick up his gun.

I glance at the others, who aren’t even doing anything. “Well, come on then!” I shout. They run after me as I disappear down another corridor.

On the way in I made sure to memorise which doors we came through, which directions we went, just in case Blege let us down. This time I don’t bother to hide from every security camera we come across. They already know we’re here so it doesn’t matter. When we finally reach the door to the outside world I let Blege take over.

He hastily punches in the code, but the door doesn’t open. He tries again, thinking he got it wrong, and still the door remains shut.

“Oh no,” he whispers.

“What? What’s going on?” I say angrily.

“I forgot all about it. Just in case something like this happens, all emergency exits automatically lock. The only way to open them is to use a special authorisation pass, which most of the guards are equipped with.”

“Let’s just go back to that guy you knocked out and steal his pass,” Creck suggests.

“No, it’s too late. We have to get out now,” I interrupt. Pushing past Blege, I smash the key lock with the butt of my gun. Electricity crackles and the door awkwardly slides open half way. It’s still raining outside, even more heavily than before.

“Or we can just do that,” Creck mumbles.

[Oddey]

I was kind of aiming for that in my last comment.

Very awesome chapter. More... But how are you going to continue two fanfics at the same time?

[GlacierDragon]

It shouldn't be too difficult. If you want my honesty I was going to cancel this one (again) but then I realised I'd like to see it finished. Also I thought if I stopped writing bad things would happen

[scipionyx]

If you want my honety I was going to cancel this one (again) but then I realised I'd like to see it finished. Also I thought if I stopped writing bad things would happen

we all would love to see this continuing ,
gee... you already wanted to chancel this awesome fanfiction! I still can't believe that this story nearly died! And yes, really bad things would happen if you stop writing again!...

please write more I really enjoy reading this.

[Oddey]

It shouldn't be too difficult. If you want my honesty I was going to cancel this one (again) but then I realised I'd like to see it finished. Also I thought if I stopped writing bad things would happen

I'll send Voldemort to your house if you stop writing... Again.

[JayDee]

this is the best thing ive ever read whens the next chapter

[GlacierDragon]

Thanks J_dude320! Next chapter should be here in a few days. And Oddey, you know Voldemort?

[Oddey]

And Oddey, you know Voldemort?

Very distant releative. He's my great great granmother's boyfreind's other girfreind's great great grandson's girlfreind's brother. As you can see: very distant. Now where's my next chapter?

[GlacierDragon]

Very distant releative. He's my great great granmother's boyfreind's other girfreind's great great grandson's girlfreind's brother. As you can see: very distant. Now where's my next chapter?

Well that confused me at first but I think I managed to get a mental image of the family tree.

Sorry for not posting this sooner but I've had huge writer's block. And I'm back to school now so I've got loads of GCSE rubbish to look forward to. Oh joy.

(A quick note; the part with Vechk happens at the same time as the part with Shrown. Hopefully there won't be any more of 'The day Shrown did this, that and the other...')

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Chapter 19

When I wake the rain has stopped but the sky is still covered in clouds, some of which have been penetrated here and there by the sun’s persistent beams of light. The land is wet and muddy, and the air smells clean and fresh.


Though it was the middle of the night and pouring with rain we began north as soon as we were out of the tower. We’d been lucky far enough, but if we’d stuck around any longer we were certain to get caught. No one argued as we decided upon this, and even though we were all tired and hungry we got going.

We left most of the patrols behind as we neared the river. There are more trees here, so before long we had less worry of being seen. When we were too tired to continue we found a spot to stop and went to sleep.

I stand and stretch. All the others are asleep so I try to be quiet as I make my way closer to the river. The water isn’t as brown as it was when we were closer to the tower, but it still doesn’t look clean.

From what I can see we’ve travelled further than I realised. The tower is still visible, but now it’s only a tiny, vertical speck on the horizon. If that’s how far we can travel in a few hours, then we’ll be a good distance away in no time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Flying Scrab liked what it had been made into. The armour on its back was light and comfortable, and it found its new arms to be very useful. The creature found it strange that it had no memory of things before the Vykker began to look after it, but never did it stop to think why. It knew it once lived somewhere else and had only got its arms and armour recently, but that was all.

The Flying Scrab didn’t know what it was like outside the lab; in fact it didn’t even know there was anything outside. To it, Vechk’s lab was the whole world. At least this is what it thought at the beginning. But as time wore on and it began to learn new things, it also developed a growing sense of curiosity. It had seen it’s master leave the lab numerous times, and soon enough it began to wonder about things.

Vechk didn’t realise this, but the Scrab had held onto its old instincts when being brainwashed. Though the creature was as intelligent as any sentient being, these instincts still surfaced at times. It had soon learnt how to control them, but it couldn’t shake off the feeling that it should be somewhere else, that it didn’t belong. Most of the time it considered Vechk as it’s master, but other times it found itself seeing him as food.

The Interns confused the Scrab. There had been that one time when Vechk had given it one to eat, but never again did that happen. Sometimes the Scrab was let out of its cage and allowed to freely roam around the lab, but whenever an Intern came the Scrab was hastily ushered back into its cage. At first it thought that was where it needed to be in order to eat one, but soon it realised this wasn’t the case.

At times it longed to stretch its wings and fly away from the place, see what things were like outside the lab. It tired of being fed scraps of meat; being hungry most of the time. It tired of being told what to do, and being punished if it didn’t obey. But above all it tired of not being able to speak; to properly communicate with its master.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Vechk had noticed that the Scrab was becoming increasingly agitated and frustrated. He didn’t know what it was thinking, so he didn’t know how to make things right. All he could do was hope things would settle down.>>

He had to keep Interns away from his experiment because the creature now saw them as food. He didn’t really care about this, but if anyone found out he’d fed one to it he would be in big trouble. So whenever he knew one was coming he had to lock the Scrab in its cage.

The Vykker sat down in his chair, sipping a cup of coffee. He picked up the morning’s edition of The Daily Deception, scanning the headlines. Something near the bottom of the page caught his attention. He quickly flicked to page the, where the story was, and began reading. It was something about several Sligs escaping from Queen Skillya’s birthing complex. They had all broken the law in one way or another and had been taken to the Queen for interrogation. A very large reward was being offered for their capture, but the one Queen Skillya really wanted was Slig number 5-12-3-27. No reason for the latter part was given, nor did Vechk care. All he was interested in was the amount of Moolah being given for their capture.

He glanced over at the Scrab, which was sleeping in it’s cage.

[scipionyx]

great! The Flying Scrab is a real interresting character. So Vechk wants to use it for chasing Shrown and the others? I'm verry curious about what happens next

[Oddey]

I bet I know what's gonna happen here. But I don't want to tell anyone.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Its interesting to hear things from the scrab's point of view. Speaking of which, are you gonna draw a picture of the scrab with its armor and mechanical arms? I think it would be really cool to see. ^^

[JayDee]

glacierdraqgon i made a sprite on mspaint of the flying scrab (without the armour)


PS i am writing my own fanfiction

[GlacierDragon]

great! The Flying Scrab is a real interresting character. So Vechk wants to use it for chasing Shrown and the others? I'm verry curious about what happens next

Thank you.

I bet I know what's gonna happen here. But I don't want to tell anyone.

No, don't ruin anything for the others! I'd like to here what you think though, especially since I'm not even sure what's going to happen...

Its interesting to hear things from the scrab's point of view. Speaking of which, are you gonna draw a picture of the scrab with its armor and mechanical arms? I think it would be really cool to see. ^^

Thanks. I'm in the middle of drawing the Scrab at the moment, so when it's done I'll put it in my art thread.

glacierdraqgon i made a sprite on mspaint of the flying scrab (without the armour)

PS i am writing my own fanfiction

Wooh, I have people doing fanart of my fanfic! Good job and everything. Are you going to post your fanfic on the forums?

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

Chapter 20

“Once you find them, don’t kill them or they won’t be worth as much. Bring them straight back here. Understand?”

The experiment nodded; a gesture it had learnt from watching Vechk. Finally it was going to spread its wings and to see the outside world.

Of course, Vechk new there was a chance the Scrab could decide not to come back. To make sure this didn’t happen he implanted a tracking device under its skin without it knowledge, so if it did decide to fly off he could find it.

He knew if the Scrab was successful and brought in all four Sligs, he would get a vast amount of Moolah. This he could then use to carry on his research and experiments. It was a perfect plan that couldn’t go wrong. He new the Scrab would succeed

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So,” Creck says.

“So,” I say.

“What now?” This is Zevenk, who’s peering over my shoulder.

“We’ll have to go around and try not to be seen. It will take us more time but if we’re careful…” I trail off.

The tower disappeared from sight at about midmorning. The river has lost all signs of pollution, so we think it looks safe to drink from. At noon we managed to scrounge some fruit from a couple of trees to keep our hunger at bay.

Things were going fine up until now. We’ve come across a Native Mudokon village. Well, it looks more like a fortress than a village, complete with watchtowers, Mudarchers, great big gates; the works. If they see us we’ll be greatly outnumbered, not to mention that we’ve only got one gun between us.

“There are plenty of trees to give us cover,” I continue. “I’m sure we can sneak past if we stay hidden and be quiet.”

“I have an idea!” Blege announces. We stare at him, hopeful. “Why don’t we send Mud-hugger here” he gestures to Creck, “in to ask for safe passage?” He forms a sarcastic grin. Meanwhile, Creck glares, trying to keep himself from punching Blege in the face.

“What was that for?” I say. “So he helped a couple of Mudokons escape, who cares? It’s all in the past and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do about it. So why do you have to keep bringing it up and having a go at him?” I don’t raise my voice during my speech, but the hostility is there.

Blege frowns slightly. I don’t even think he knows why he hates Creck. He opens and closes his mouth a couple of times before saying, “It’s just not right, letting slaves escape. He should be punished –”

“What are your opinions of me?” I cut him off.

“Well, you seem decent and…what has this got to do with anything?”

“You consider me as a friend?”

He nods his head, confused.

“Then you might like to know that the reason I was put in prison was because I refused to shoot a slave.”

Oh Odd, why the hell did I just say that?

Zevenk shifts away from us slightly and starts to study the sky. Blege looks even more confused than ever.

“You heard me, I helped a Mudokon. And before I told you, you considered me as ‘decent’. I guess now you’ll start abusing me as well, am I right?”>>

Blege shakes his head. “I’m surrounded by idiotic Mud-huggers,” he says, mainly to himself.

“I’m not a Mud-hugger,” Zevenk tells him.

“I don’t know that, do I? You could be just like them, for as far as I’m concerned. That’s it, you lot can head north or whatever, but I’m going my own way. Hopefully we’ll never see each other again.”

Without another word he stomps off through the trees, ignoring me when I call his name. I try to go after him but Zevenk holds me back. He doesn’t say anything to me; merely shakes his head.

“Um…” Creck begins. “Is this a bad time to say that the only reason I helped those Mudokons was because I wanted to get back at my boss?”

[Oddey]

Reminded me of the Lion King. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

I want to see the next chapter. Soon.

[scipionyx]

^^ i really like the last chapter, the part when Zevenk starts to study the sky made me laugh (one of my friends is sometimes acting similarly...) xD
also i feel sorry for Shrown, he wouldn't have told them anything if he had known the true reason why Creck had helped the mudokons xD

[GlacierDragon]

Reminded me of the Lion King. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

I want to see the next chapter. Soon.

Which just shows how original I am.

^^ i really like the last chapter, the part when Zevenk starts to study the sky made me laugh (one of my friends is sometimes acting similarly...) xD
also i feel sorry for Shrown, he wouldn't have told them anything if he had known the true reason why Creck had helped the mudokons xD

Thanks. Poor Shrown, thought he was doing something good when he was just making himself look stupid.

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Chapter 21

“What?” I say, exasperated. We’re still by the Mudokon village so I keep my voice down.

“Well, my boss decided to fire me because I was ‘slacking’, so I let a load of his slaves run free in a small act of revenge. What, did you actually think I would help them escape because I cared for them?”

“That’s what it sounded like to us,” Zevenk tells him. “Why do you think Blege kept having a go at you?”

“And why didn’t you tell us before? You could have saved yourself from a bit of trouble,” I ask, annoyed.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs, “I never really thought it was worth it. I mean, what difference would it have made? Helping aid escapes, whether it is because you care or you want revenge, is all the same, right?”

I sigh. I should have kept my mouth shut. Now, because of me, we’ve lost a member of our group. Blege may have been an idiot, but he was a friend. Well, kind of.

“So you honestly refused to shoot one?” Zevenk says, trying not to sound like he doesn’t care. I nod my head silently, the regret of telling them showing clearly on my face. “But why?”

I hesitate, trying to think of something, when Creck interrupts. “Enough talking. It doesn’t matter why he did what he did, no one can change it now. But we really need to keep going. The longer we stay in one place, the larger the chance of us being caught.”

I silently thank him for changing the subject. And so, with out any farther interruptions, we begin to navigate ourselves around the Mudokon village.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Flying Scrab stepped delicately out of the tunnel, curious of the warm sensation that touched its skin as the sunlight fell upon it. It was the Scrab’s first time above ground, and everything seemed so strange, so alien. Why was everything so far apart, so open? There were no walls surrounding it, and the Scrab felt vulnerable. It wanted to retreat back into the tunnel where it knew it was safe.

Instead, the Scrab forced itself to take another step forward. It had a task it needed to complete. Its master had given it a location to start – the Sligs’ birthing complex. Here it would find a scent to follow, which would then lead it to its prey.

It opened its wings and let them hang in the air for a second before driving them with all its strength downwards. It managed to lift itself a metre off the ground, and that was it. Confused, it tried again, but only succeeded in the same thing. The Scrab stopped and considered what to do. Surely, it knew how to fly?

Fragmented memories suddenly flashed into its head. It saw the snow-capped peaks of an ancient mountain range; a shimmering lake of clear, pure water; dark forests made of giant pines. More images drove themselves to the fore of the Scrab’s mind; leaving the mountains behind, endless grasslands that spread to the horizon, flying over the world on scarlet wings.

Then the Scrab saw something in the jumble of pictures it had never considered – others of its kind. It saw the leader, who was the only male in the group, guiding them from their home to find somewhere else to live. It saw itself getting separated from its pack in a storm, and finding itself alone. Searching the land for its family. And finally, falling victim to a Slig’s bullets.

The flow of images ceased, leaving the Scrab frozen with confusion. That the memories belonged to it, there was no doubt of. But where had they come from? It didn’t know how it had gotten them, since it’d spent its life so far in the underground lab.

It reluctantly pushed the thoughts from its mind and began to lift its wings in a third attempt to fly, only to stop halfway. And idea came to it, sparked from the memories it had just seen. It folded its wings against its body and began to run. A sense of joy overwhelmed it as it went faster and faster, feeling the impact of each claw against the hard ground. It ran tirelessly, reaching its top speed in mere seconds. Then, with a sudden sureness, it snapped open its wings and forced them down towards the ground whilst using its legs to propel itself into the air. It brought its wings back up and pushed them down again, rising higher, the momentum from its running helping it forwards. Twice more it repeated the action with its wings, and with each time it found itself gaining altitude.

The Scrab howled at the top of its lungs, wanting its happiness to be known by this new world. It glanced down, surprised at how high up it was. It flapped its wings one last time before stretching them out and going into a glide. A gentle wind aided it in its flight, so all it had to do was keep its wings outstretched as it was carried south.

It would ponder its new-found memories and its task later. But for now, it was happy just to glide over the land.

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Yes people, Vechk's experiment is female! And there's a picture of her coming soon.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

That's strange. I always thought the scrab was a guy. It being a girl just makes it kick even more ass. ^^
Continue!

[scipionyx]

oh how I want to see that picture, I hope you'll upload it soon

and this chapter was excellent, I don't know if it's because the sad song I was listening to, but I could imagine it all like a film, especially the part with the flying Scrab!!!

Shrown and the flying Scrab are so great characters

I would give you +rep again but at the moment I can't

[Oddey]

Reminds me of my own fan fic how the scrab is a girl. Except I had sort of a more torpedoey shark. And it was only in one chapter.
Another one please!

[GlacierDragon]

That's strange. I always thought the scrab was a guy. It being a girl just makes it kick even more ass. ^^
Continue!

I thought everyone would expect the Scrab to be a guy, which is one of the resons I made it female. Thanks.

oh how I want to see that picture, I hope you'll upload it soon

and this chapter was excellent, I don't know if it's because the sad song I was listening to, but I could imagine it all like a film, especially the part with the flying Scrab!!!

Shrown and the flying Scrab are so great characters

I would give you +rep again but at the moment I can't

Thank you. Originaly, because it was the Scrab's first time above ground, I was going to have it wondering what the sun was, what the clouds were, and some other stuff like that. But then I realised a creature that lacked eyes wouldn't be able to see those things.

Reminds me of my own fan fic how the scrab is a girl. Except I had sort of a more torpedoey shark. And it was only in one chapter.
Another one please!

I remember that chapter! I'm going to have to read your fic again soon. (Where's that sequal, anyway?)

The picture of the Scrab went very wrong in terms of colouring, so it may be a while before it's finished. I'm colouring it with pencils and I messed up the shading in a way that's not fixable. Also sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I'm suffering from writers block.

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Chapter 22

We stick to the trees as we creep around the village. I gave the one gun we have to Zevenk; I’ve been carrying it for a while now and wanted a brake. I feel guilty for driving Blege away. I know, it wasn’t my fault, but I can’t help but feel responsible. If he gets caught it will be partly because of me.

One of the Mudarchers on watch turns in our direction and we all freeze, praying we won’t be seen. His eyes seem to focus on me for awhile, before he turns away and scans another part of the land. I sigh in relief, sure for a moment he’d spotted me.

We continue, hoping the roaring river muffles the sounds of our mechanical limbs. I look over my shoulder at the other two, who have annoyed looks on their faces. I don’t think they particularly enjoy having to creep around a native village.

I lift my foot, but it gets caught on something. All I can do is flail my good arm as I trip over with a loud thump. I manage to save myself from landing on my broken arm, but I jar my wrist in the process and bash my face tentacles against the ground. I wince, annoyed at my own carelessness and stupidity.

I stand, getting a glimpse of the tree root that snagged my foot. I brush the dirt off my front, laughing at myself quietly. Creck hides a smile, while Zevenk impatiently motions for me to keep going.

Suddenly there’s a shout, a bang, and a yelp of surprise mixed with pain. I swivel on the spot and my eyes fall upon Creck, who’s on his knees groaning and clutching his side. Both Zevenk and I realise what’s happening at the same time, and without hesitating we pull him to his feet and rush behind a group of bushes for cover.

We crouch in panic as we hear yells and shouts coming from one of the watch towers, alerting more Mudarchers of our presence. I glance at Creck, who’s been hit just below the shoulder. The skin is much darker than it should be, as if it’s burnt.

“Stupid natives!” Zevenk hisses. “Why can’t they piss off? Odd’s sake, there’s only three of us!”

“They probably think we’re scouts or something, spying on them so we can come and enslave them.” I know he wasn’t looking for an answer, but I say it anyway.

“Guys, let’s stop the conversation and concentrate on surviving,” Creck interrupts, his voice trembling from the pain. He inclines his head to a spot to our right. “The trees are thicker over there. We’ll stand a better chance if we were to hide than if we were to fight.”

I hear a group of Mudokons quickly approaching. They don’t try to be sneaky, confident they’ll get us either way. One of them says something but I don’t hear what it is.

“They’re too close. We need a distraction,” I whisper. “If we just run for it they’ll see us right away and shoot us.”

“Yeh, you’re right,” Zevenk replies. He pauses only slightly before saying, “When they come after me I want you two to run as fast as you can as far as you can. I’ll find you later.”
Before my mind can even analyse what he just said he darts to the left, revealing himself to the Mudokons. He waves his arms in the air and hurls insults at them, leaping out of the way when they shoot their Spoocebows. He runs, making sure they follow him. He takes the gun in case he gets into trouble

I restrain myself from yelling out to him, trusting he knows what he’s doing. When they’re out of sight Creck and I stand and hurriedly sneak away. As Creck suggested, we head for where the trees are thicker, and very soon the village is out of sight, though we can still hear the various sounds emanating from it.

When even the noises have faded we begin to continue in the direction we were going before: north. It’s the direction the river was heading, so I expect that’s where Zevenk will search for us when he’s finished with the natives. Part of my worries for him, but part of me is confident he’ll be okay. Hopefully he won’t have too much trouble finding us.