The Stranger

[Black Dragon]

It was midnight when the choas was finally over with the evil dragon god and Hunter was exhausted. He had run all over the village warning the inhabitants about an impending attack and had just returned to Black Dragon's side to find it over.
"Didja beat 'em?" he asked, panting.
"Aye, they are gone. But I fear the evil one will return," Black Dragon said, her red eyes now showing signs of fatigue.
"You look tired BD."
"Not as tired as you, my friend. Go back to the village and rest. I must return to the Northern Wildlands and plan my next raid on the Cartel. Until we meet again, strong ally." Black Dragon said and flew off before Hunter could protest. He watched her for a few minutes until she was hidden from view by the trees and clouds, then turned and headed back towards the village.

It was awfully quiet now as the villagers had recieved the "all clear" and had gone back to bed. Hunter was just about to head down an alleyway that he had found while patrolling when a dark figure streaked past him. He stopped and snarled "Who's there? Show yerself!" A large dark shape moved closer and closer towards him when finally it stepped into the moonlight. The figure was a large dark gray and very battle-scarred BigBroSlig.
"Lanar," Hunter snarled.
"Why if it ain't Magar da Hunter?" Lanar chuckled coldly, staring at Hunter with his glowing red eyes.
"What're you doin' here? I thought ya still worked fer the Cartel..." Hunter snarled again.
"I did, but I got sick 'a it just like you did, so I escaped and wandered though da woods and ended up in dis cozy lil' place."
Hunter looked at Lanar as if he was something unpleasent on the bottom of his foot. Lanar had been his rival back when he had been a bounty hunter for the Magog Cartel and they had always despised each other.
"Well, ya gonna stand there all night or move outta my way?" Hunter spat, glancing at a pile of straw farther down the alley.
"Oh sorry, I shouldn't have been so rude," Lanar said with an unusual polite tone in his voice. Hunter eyed him suspiciously. What was he getting at?
"Thanks," he muttered and headed towards the pile.
"You look tired. I'll go now and I'm sure we'll see each other again in the morning. G'night," Lanar said, smiling, and disappeared down the street.
"He's gettin' at somethin', I can just feel it. He never acted this way in front of me before.." Hunter muttered to himself before drifting off to sleep.

[Black Dragon]

Hunter awoke the next morning to find the sun already in the sky and the townspeople busy with their everyday activity. Hunter yawned and stretched before padding down the alley and entering the main street. The first thing that hit him was his immense hunger. He was about to go into the forest to hunt, but someone shouted from behind him "Care to join me?" Hunter spun around to see Lanar standing in front of a hut behind him.
"Tch, why should I?" he muttered, raising an eyebrow.
"My dear Magar, why can't we just put our past behind us and start afresh? I don't mean ya any harm, I swear it," Lanar responded, sounding hurt. He hung his head and added, "But if yer don't wanna, I understand." Hunter rolled his eyes.
"Why do I hafta be such a softy?" he muttered and walked up to Lanar, who instantly perked up.
"Yer will love dis place, Magar! Got da best Scrab sausage anywhere!" Lanar said joyfully and opened the flap of the large hut for Hunter. Hunter nodded his head and went inside. A burst of delicious scents filled his nostrils as he entered and his heart lightened a bit.
"The feller may just be right about this joint...maybe his really has changed..." Hunter thought as Lanar led him to a small table in the corner. Neither of them could sit down in a chair, so they just sat on the floor watching the other people, occasionally commenting on what they were eating. By the time they both had finished their breakfast it was as if they were old pals.
"So, tell me, what brings yer ta Pyke?" Lanar asked, leaning an elbow on the small table, causing it to lean.
"Well, a group 'a friends an' I are on a special mission, and I came here to investigate this town. I got kinda side-tracked by sumpin' and I decided to stay a bit longer." Hunter replied, picking a bit of egg out of his teeth.
"Yeah, I came 'ere fer some peace and rest. Not easy beein' a bounty, ya know dat." Lanar said with a chuckle.
Hunter nodded and laughed softly.
"Well, I'd better go patrol the town. Need ta get more info on it and make sure everthing's in order," Hunter said, getting up. Lanar said his goodbyes, but stayed at the table. He scanned the room with his glowing red eyes and they came to rest on a Mud at the counter. He was sitting on a stool and was busily sipping a cup if tea. Lanar noticed his torn eyelids had small stitches in them, keeping them shut. He watched the Mud for awhile. He seemed to be a very happy fellow without a care in the world. A smile crossed Lanar's face and he walked over to him.

[ August 15, 2001: Message edited by: Black Dragon ]

[Danny]

"Mind if I join you?"

The voice came from above Teb's head. Quite far above his head. Further than most people's. It was quite harsh in sound, but didn't sound unkind. He wondered if the person had a sore throat or something.

"Not at all." He faced up in the general direction of the voice, and indicated to his right, where he hoped that there was another chair. By the sound of it, there was, as the Stranger set himself down roughly on Teb's right.

Teb extended his hand towards the stranger. "My name's Teb. What's yours?"

He heard the stranger hesitate, but his hand was soon grasped firmly by one much larger. "Lanar. It's good to meet you. Do you come here often?"

"Yes, I live above the Restaurant; Arim lets me live in his spare bedroom."

"Arim?"

"The owner. He's been very kind to me."

There was amusement in Lanar's voice. "I see. Have you lived here long?"

Teb's smile never faltered. "Since they found me in the forest. They said I'd probably been abandoned, but I don't remember anything before I woke up in the village."

"Abandoned by who?"

"Glukkons, Vykkers, I don't know. but it doesn't matter. I'm happy here. They take care of me."

"How long have yer been blind?"

"I don't remember what sight is like. I don't think I ever -"

"Excuse me?" The familiar voice of Arim, the owner of the restaurant, cut into their discussion from behind Teb's chair.

"Yes?" Teb looked round.

"What?" Lanar's voice sounded slightly angry, although Teb couldn't understand why.

Arim sighed. "You know the rules in here. No Sligs. Especially no Big Ones."

So he's a slig, thought Teb, Well, that explains the voice. And the height...

Teb heard Lanar's chair slide back suddenly, but his voice was calm when he said: "Sorry. I didn't know. I'll be on my way." As the heavy footsteps moved away, they paused. "See yer around, kid." Then they moved away towards the doorway.

As Teb stood up to follow, Arim put his hand on his shoulder. "Look, Teb, I think you should steer clear of people like that."

"Why? What has he done?"

Arim's voice had a sudden bitter venom to it before he reigned it in. "He's a Slig! Anyway, if you could see him, you'd know what I mean. You can tell from looking at him that he's up to no good."

"But he hasn't done-" Teb began, but Arim interrupted him.

"Ah, shit, he's still there, in the doorway. Shoo! Go away!" Addressing Teb again, he calmed himself. "You'll have to learn someday that some people are just not to be trusted." And with that parting shot, Teb heard his footsteps move away back towards the kitchens, and he sank back into his chair, and took a sip of tea, musing over Lanar, and whether or not to attempt to befriend him.

******************************

As Lanar walked away from Arim's Restaurant, he shook his head, almost unwilling to believe what he had just seen. Is that kid fer real? he wondered, He seems so naive, it's unreal. Even when the other mudokon warned him off, he was still on my side. Ah well, he decided, At least he wasn't repulsed by me. He could be a friend, and I'm gonna need all the friends I can get in this town, especially with Hunter out to get me...

[Black Dragon]

Hunter didn't run into Lanar all day until just before dinner. He was just on his way into the forest to hunt when he looked over his shoulder and spotted Lanar coming towards him.
"Aw shit," he muttered under his breath, "I try to be nice to the guy for a few minutes now he probably thinks I'm his buddy."
Memories of what Lanar had done to him in the past still haunted him, especially in the form of his current appearance. If it hadn't been for Lanar, Hunter wouldn't be the beast he was.
"Yo, Magar! I need ter talk to ya!" Lanar shouted, lumbering towards him.
Hunter spat on the ground ahead of him and turned around to face Lanar.
"Whaddaya want, Lanar?" he snarled, sitting on his haunches.
"Was wonderin' if yer want ter join me fer dinner," Lanar said, a warm smile across his face.
"I don't think so, Lanar," Hunter growled and turned his back.
"So, dat's it, ain't it? Ya was just bein' nice ter me fer a second, and now yer all shut up and bitchy again. Well, I demand ter know why!" Lanar snarled at Hunter's back.
"WHY?!! YER WANT TO KNOW WHY?!!" Hunter roared, spinning around and standing on two legs so that he towered over Lanar, "LOOK AT ME!! JUS' LOOK AT ME!! IFFIT WEREN' FER YOU I WOULDN' BE A MUTATED FREAK!! IF IT WEREN' FER YOU, I'D BE LIVIN' A CAREFREE LIFE IN DA MIDDLE OF DA WOODS!!!" He lowered his voice to a hissing whisper and put his face inches in front of Lanar's. "If it weren't fer you," he spat, through clenched fangs, "I wouldn' 'a had ter go through countless days of torture....pain and agony, both physical and emotional." He straightened up and drew in a deep breath. "So don't you EVER come near me again, Lanar. You are the creature I hate the most in all of Oddworld...fer what yer did ter me....and don't deny dat yer did it 'cause yer did...you filthy lying bastard..." he snarled and walked away into the woods.

Lanar sat there, stunned, watching Hunter walk into the forest. Then, with a loud snort, he got up and walked into town. He was just about to walk into a restaurant, when he spotted Teb in the street. "Yo, Teb!" He shouted and ran up to him.

[Danny]

Teb heard a familiar voice, but took a moment to place it as that of the slig he had met earlier, Lanar.

"Hello." Teb approached roughly where the voice had come from, and turned when he heard Lanar's voice slightly to his left.

"How are YOU?" He sounded slightly annoyed, but he probably had a good reason, so Teb decided not to mention it, and continued walking, Lanar's breathing telling him that he was walking beside him.

"Fine, thank you. How about you?"

"Okay, I guess. So you're still talking ter me, then?"

Teb paused, thinking. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, after what that guy were sayin', i thought you might'a listened to him, and stayed away from me."

"Why should I? You haven't done anything to me."

There was a pause. "You don't know about my past, do you?"

Teb cocked his head to one side. "No, why don't you tell me?"

Lanar was silent for a while, and they walked in silence. Teb heard faint sounds of a struggle near the main gates, but Lanar didn't seem to think it was important, so he ignored it. Eventually, Teb heard Lanar sit down on a bench, and then he helped Teb to sit beside him. "Okay, I'll tell you." And Lanar told him. He told him about his time as a Bounty-Hunter, gave slight details of the more gruesome killings he'd made, and about other bad things he had done. Teb was slightly shocked by some of them, but they were all in the past now, and nothing could be done to help it. Lanar seemed to have changed now, and these things shouldn't happen again. When he was finished, Lanar seemed to expect something of Teb, so Teb thought for a second.

"Oh."

Lanar was on his feet, by the sound of it. "Don't you get it? I'm a Killer! I once tortured a four-year-old child to death to get information about where his father was! I used to do that sort of thing often, if I needed information badly!"

There was a pause. "But you don't any more, right?"

Lanar's anger seemed to subside. "Well, no, but doesn't it matter to you that I have done?"

"Not as long as you don't do it to me."

Lanar sat down heavily. "You're crazy, kid."

Teb smiled. "So they tell me."

"You should listen to that Restaurant guy. He's got more sense than you'll ever have." He stood up once more. "See y'around, kid." And he strode off between the houses, leaving a bemused Teb sitting alone, thoughtfully.

[Black Dragon]

Hunter stared at the moon in the sky as he re-entered Pyke after a sucessful hunt. He turned a corner around a hut rather sharply and slammed into something large. To his disgust, it was Lanar.

"Funny how we always run inter each other, ain't it?" Lanar grinned and continued walking. Hunter snarled in response and watched him. He still didn't trust the guy...how could he? His curiousity getting the better of him, he decided to follow him. Lanar turned a few corners and at last came to a hut.

***************************************

Lanar didn't feel like getting into another brawl with Hunter as the last one had left him feeling bitter. He took the confusing, winding path that he always took to his hut, making sure that no one was behind him. Lanar always liked his privacy at home and knew that if Hunter found out where he lived, he'd be snooping all over the place. Carfeully opening the door flap, he entered and lit a candle. His hut was small and consisted of one room. It had a bed, a desk, and a small area to light a fire. A picture was on the desk of his pack of bounies. Lanar picked it up and stared at it for a few moments, memories flooding through his head. A sudden knock on the door caused him to jump slightly in surprise and drop the photo on the floor. Carefully, Lanar went to see who was outside...

[ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: Black Dragon ]