Hoo-aw! This is a long one!
Enjoy!
BANDITS, THIEVES, AND OUTLAWS
The notorious Boontown
Light became a crucial source to Umi and her terrible nightvision.
The sun was set, and only the pitch black sky held high above, not even the moon showing itself yet.
She held out her arms, hoping to feel something that she could touch, and that would rail her back to Stranger.
He, however, held far ahead, his neon-green eyes beaming around the rocky path, and avoiding the tripstones that Umi had to endure.
Luckily for him, his nightvision was almost perfect, which left Umi in the dust.
He slowed his pace, sticking his head up in the air, a waft of musty air swirling around his head.
His nostrils engulfed the smokey smell, wafting down on his tongue nastily.
He snorted, wiping his nose down from the smokey air, and continued forward.
His eyes caught a golden light streaming down below the jagged rocks, almost making it invisible with the smog that spiraled overhead.
He hummed interested, moving faster ahead towards the faint glinting light.
Umi grunted over the tripstones taking over her feet and making her hobble around near to the ground.
"Stranger?" she called.
"I can't see. Where are you?"
His ears flicked up, and spun around to her.
Oh, I almost fergot's 'bout you...
He held out a hand towards her, slightly wandering off his course.
"Over 'ere," he said, taking a few steps back to try and reach for her arm.
She followed immediately to his voice, almost passing his open hand.
He wrapped his fingers around her arm, pulling her gently up behind him, and headed forward to the slight golden aura.
As they moved forward, the air tasted dirtier, and the smell became smogier.
Stranger had a growing idea of what they were heading to, almost a city-like atmosphere.
He quickened his pace, holding his hand tighter around Umi's arm, while tugging her behind him.
She jumped around the rocks she kicked in to, grunting loudly at Stranger's impatients.
"Hey, Stranger!" she growled.
"Ever though that I don't have good sight like you do?"
Stranger ignored her, now running up to the ridge of where the golden light spiked out.
He stopped immediately, pulling Umi beside him, and staring down at a deep gorge that cut down in to the flat-top mountain.
Umi blinked disbelievingly up to him, but snapped down to the visible light she could see.
The smog parted over the gorge, waving up to the sparkling night sky.
Below the gorge revealed a run-down, shanty-type town; many buildings leaning awkward angles upon their last rotted wooden planks.
Many various speckles of creatures inhabited the small town.
What Stranger thought to be more...glorious, suddenly tramped upon his thoughts.
They made it.
They had finally found the notorious Boontown.
The sky exploded in to many stars when they finally reached the very outskirts of Boontown, making their way in to.
Drunken bustlers hung wearily by old bent-down bars and Saloons, theire heavy heads holding up to the newcomers moseying in to their territory.
Species that even Stranger didn't know of wandered in small groups around the ghostly, yet threatening town.
Umi glanced just briefly at familiar creatures she sweared to see somewhere; their long green-tassled mouths moving with their speech, and their red-orange devious eyes locked on to the passing newbies ignoring their stare.
Green-skinned, human-like figures hung around the dark alleyways, between unstable buildings leaning ominously over their heads, snapping their heads in attention of the passing presenses that gave off a tense force.
As Stranger's head gave tense stares back to the industrialites, Umi fell closer to his hand, her arms holding shakily to his.
"Stranger..." she quivered.
"I don't...I don't like this place,"
As much as she was a city person, the creatures around didn't make the atmosphere her ideal feeling.
"Stay close," Stranger told quietly.
"Places like these can be, the most dangerous to a person like you,"
The town walked an endless path down between the broken homes, many weaker industrialites taking shelter within hotel Saloons from the evils of night.
Junkies and sellers wandered the dark alleyways, holding their hands deep down in their Burely trenchcoats, watching through their glowering eyes for a helpless prey to mosey by their turf.
Just as they passed by two rickety bars, one jumped out to them, the human-like figure.
Stranger halted immediately, its arms wide open, opening its coat to large pockets inside, various packages stuffed deep down under its arms.
"Wanna buy some Meech munchies? Paramite pies, hell, or even Fuzzle pies?" it spoke in a hazey tone masking its high-pitched voice.
Its eyes were blood-shot drugged, staring heavily at the larger of the couple.
Stranger growled defensively, his hair standing up on his arms.
"Git lost," he grunted, turning Umi in front of him, and moving forward away from it.
The seller's lip quivered disappointedly, beginning to follow slowly behind them.
"What?" it called to him in a sincere gangster tone.
"You don't like my merchendise?"
Stranger sneered back to the seller.
"I said beat it, vermin,"
The seller sneered back, offended by the stranger's ignorant self.
Its arm extended out to his shoulder, grappling tightly around.
"Yo, buddy!" its tone got louder and meaner.
"I asked you a question, and it'd be nice to get an answer!"
Stranger wiped off its hand, moving foward with a heinous sneer ahead.
The seller clenched its teeth tighty, grinding against anger of the stranger, shuffling a hand deep in to its pocket.
"I said I asked you a question, you shmuck!"
A loud click popped in its coat.
It whipped out a silvery-grey pistol out to the ignorant wanderer, its eyes burning furiously.
Stranger's ears flicked at the audible click within the Mudokon's coat pocket, and spun to it slowly, an ominous face scrunched to it.
His bow unlocked at the Mudokon's challenge, placed upon the dual-launchers, Rabid Fuzzles and Super Stingbees.
He moved a wandering arm back to Umi, keeping her close behind him, while he held out his arm to the seller.
Stranger's face darkened under the shadow of his hat, his appearance veiling more ominous to the Mudokon with his gleaming eyes and fiercsome baring teeth.
The Mudokon was unaffected by the stranger's darkened face.
"I ain't gonna tell yer again..." Stranger spoke so low, it vibrated in the seller's pint-sized ears.
"Leave,"
The Mudokon's arm began to quiver from the stranger's deep tone, sweat dribbling down its grey-green skin, but kept a rock-hard determined stare upon the stranger.
But it wasn't appearing determined to Stranger with its quivering arm holding the pistol.
Its hand shook the pistol loosely out of its hands, dropping on to the black dirt, along with itself.
"Ok..." it raised its paws to him.
"You win..."
Stranger lowered his arm at the pitiful expense of the seller, and scraped its gun to him by his boot.
He plucked it off the ground, inspecting it up from the rusted tip of the barrel, all the way back down to the bumpy ridges of the butt.
He sneered rashly at the Mudokon, taking his other hand upon the butt of the pistol, and snapping the pistol in to two.
He threw down the pistol in front of the Mudokon, it staring heart-broken at its only weapon that was in two pieces.
Stranger tipped his hat sarcastically at the seller, taking a step back.
"Pleasure doin' business with yer,"
He spun around to Umi, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and walked back down through the town, ignoring the seller's distraughted self.
As he watched the stranger walk away from him, a cruel grin crept along his chapped lips.
An evil chuckle wafted in his voice.
"There's gonna be some hell to pay tonight, punk," he spat to himself, standing up, and merging back in to the dark alleys of Boontown.
He followed the system of paths behind the shanty homes, stopping halfway down back between the town, and stepping to a huddle of three more Mudokons, leaning against the creaking planks, twittling toothpicks between their misshapen teeth.
The seller approached a taller figure, hidden under the brim of its round-cap hat.
"A pair of newcomer punks turned me down, boss,"
The Mudokon leader plucked his toothpcik from its mouth, and flicked it on to the dusty ground.
"Really," he said apathetically, his voice hazy and deep in an italian slang.
His hat tipped up from over its dark eyes, staring down at the seller's seldom tone.
"Yeah. That furry punk snapped my pistol in to two. These guys mean business, Ken,"
The leader chuckled dryly.
"Well then," he said in a sincere tone, slipping his hands in to his side pockets.
"'Dis town ain't big enough for two punks,"
The seller's eyes grew bright of a machination.
"We's gonna do it?"
Ken nodded his head.
"Yeah..." he nodded, merging in to the dark crooked shadows behind the town.
"We's gonna do it..."
A crackly laugh came out last, "Tonight,"
The crooks laughed as well, as they followed along with their devious plot.
Something devilish filled the air, waving above the only two whom wandered the street, at this very moment.
Stranger sighed a tense, but irritated note, looking back down to Umi.
"This is the only place, tha' looks decent, Umi," he said, gazing back up to the sign that read the tavern's name, hanging over a moderately fine-looking bar.
Umi blinked up to the sign, blinking to what it actually read in rotted smudged words.
Stranger moved Umi away from the outside, pushing the double swinging doors apart.
Inside was dull, but bright of chatter from various creature's conversations, leaning back in their chairs upon the squeaky floorboards.
Stranger moved cautiously up to a barstool, placing his arms up on the slick bar, and avoiding direct eye contact to all that sat around him.
But next to him, he couldn't bare to just eye it continuously.
Next to him sat a drunken Vykker, its large head bobbing down from the bar, but snapping back up to attention.
One of its back arms seemed to have been chopped off down to its elbow, healed over the bone with wrinkly skin.
He noticed the Vykker was very slender; much more skinnier than when he saw Doc, its ribs popping from its chest.
Stranger diverted from the Vykker, glancing over to the back of an employee, rubbing a white cloth inside a clear-glass mug.
"Yo', 'tender!" he slapped his hand down demanding.
The bartender turned to Stranger.
It looked ruffly the outline of an outlaw minion Shooter, but loked more civilized, and less barbaric.
It trotted up to him, placing the mug right beside its arm.
"Whut's yer pleasure, sir?" it asked in a deep rumbly tone.
"Tall frosty one," Stranger nodded.
"and a pop fer my kid,"
The bartender nodded, spinning around to a mass of knobs and levers taped together at their rusted ends.
It took the glass mug in its clothed hand, and wrung it under a large bent tube, pulling down the lever tenderful.
Amber-brown liquid spurted in to the glass mug, while in its other hand held a tin mug, with a clear bubbly liquid pouring.
It snapped its arm up with the glass mug, and slid it down to the stranger's open hand.
The bartender then walked slowly down to Umi, and placed her mug by her hand.
"Enjoy," it said snicerely, giving them a toothy smile, then walked on to other demanding customers.
Stranger sipped his beverage through the creamy-white foam that floated atop the mug's rim.
He wiped off the foam mustache on his upper lip with his arm, only now to hear the Vykker next to him chuckle.
"I see you...already met the junkies outside," it said, much deeper and hazier than the surgeon.
"Huh?" he grunted, setting down his mug, staring aside to the Vykker astoundedly.
"You may wanna watch out fer them. They did terrible things to people..." it said again, showing off its cut stubby arm.
Stranger blinked more softly to the Vykker, yet feeling defensive over the sudden conversation.
"So I see..."
The Vykker chuckled again.
"They...call themselves the "Mafia"...never heard such a...ridiculous name 'fore..." it nodded, sipping through a rusted can.
"...but, they's dangerous," it slammed down its can, darting back to Stranger.
"They stalk people at night, to see's if they coo', or they must leave. It's their own way of recruiting bastards in to their group on the streets of this...banged-down junkyard,"
Stranger let out an intrigued chuckled, as he sipped his drink once more, and looked slightly to the drunken Vykker.
Umi tugged at his arm.
"I need to go to the bathroom," she whispered.
He nodded affirmatively.
"Jus', be careful. Come right back when you's done," he told, as she wandered off.
The Vykker grinned at his back.
"Your kid?" it asked.
"My daughter," Stranger turned back to the bar.
The Vykker chuckled.
"Doe'n't look like yer kind..."
"Daughter-in-law," he corrected.
"Oh..." it nodded.
"What is it...exactly..." the Vykker inquiried.
"Never seen such a creature before..."
Stranger looked over to the Vykker, his upper lip parting over his teeth suspiciously to it.
"Human..." he said slowly, blinking at the Vykker.
"Human? The hell kind'a creature is that..." it chuckled, shaking its head over its can.
The Vykker felt the silence waft over it, then feeling the stare of the stranger heating on its eyes.
It darted an eye over to him, blinking defensively at him, sitting straight up in its stool.
"You don't have to get all suspicious over me, man," it raised an arm sincerely.
"I ain't gonna do nuthin' to yer kid,"
Stranger scoffed, only turning back to the bar, and lowering his head back to his mug.
Just moments from their dead conversation, a frightened shriek cawed inside the bar.
A female Clakker pointed out to the window, turning back to all the customers inside.
"Oh! Oh, the Mafia's taken someone out'a the outhouse!" it cried.
Stranger spat back his drink, snapping to the window the Clakker pointed at.
That's where Umi was going to was his first immediate thought.
He ran out of the tavern, knocking his mug behind his swayed arm.
The Vykker hobbled from its barstool, following curiously behind him.
Outside in the middle of the broken streets, two Mudokon crooks held the human under the arms, she spitting and fighting furiously against them.
Stranger skidded to a stop in front of the Mudokons, the customers of the tavern and the Vykker huddling far behind him.
His hair frizzled up on his arms, while his teeth gripped tightly.
He bellowed a furious roar.
"Let 'er go! NOW!" he pointed a finger to the Mudokons.
Both of the crooks laughed at his pitiful request, jerking the human along where they planned to move.
Stranger unlocked his bow, placing on the launchers double Boom-bats, fluttering their ears excitedly.
"I said let go!" he demanded again, lifting his arm up, and aimed directly to the crooks.
The Mudokons stared at the stranger's weapon of choice, only to gufaw mocking laughs.
"What'cha gonna do wit' 'dat pea-shooter, Stranger?" they shouted while laughing.
He growled, holding his fire, and rethinking his plot;
If he shot the Boom-bats, it would rid of the crooks, but harm Umi as well, which he indefinitely didn't want.
Just what he thought; another one of his "taker" plans.
He grunted, frantically thinking of what to do to save Umi.
The Vykker placed a calming hand gently on his shoulder, stepping up in front of him with a stern frown to the crooks.
"Let go o' the kid," it said deeply in a dry rough voice.
The crooks immediately snapped to the Vykker, their lips suddenly quivering fearfully.
"S-sure, Al..." they quivered, slipping their arms from under the human's.
"Just...don't do anythin' to us, ya dig?"
She dropped to the ground, immediately kicking off from the crooks, and hiding behind Stranger.
He stepped back up to the Vykker, his scowl more belittling to the Mudokons than the Vykkers.
"Now..." it spoke again.
"Beat it,"
The crooks nodded, and scrambled back behind the domain of dark alleyways, not even showing the white of their eyes.
The taver customers bursted in to applause for the familiar Vykker, it putting its lower arms on its boney hips.
"'nuther save from Al the Vykker,"
Stranger turned to the Vykker with a gracious grin.
"Thanks," he bowed his head.
"I really do owe you one,"
"Nah. I'm the town's negotiator," it shook its head to him.
"'sides," it leaned closer to him secretively.
"I'm known to take out this entire town with my three scrawny arms,"
It stood back straight, giving a shrug.
"but then...I don't like to fight. So I negotiate, talk some sense in to these odd-damn city-folk,"
Stranger nodded, turning down to Umi, shaking frightened behind his leg.
He bent down to her, pressing his flat nose on her forehead affectionately.
"You ain't never leavin' my sight in this hell-hole. Ever," he told close to her face.
He turned back to the Vykker, a confused grin appearing on his lip.
The Vykker only gave a shallow grin, extending a long boney arm to him.
"The name's Al. Al the Vykker,"
Stranger gripped his hand, shaking it aquaintedly with an accepting smile.
Umi got up on her legs, slowly walking out to the Vykker, her face down in shyness.
"Um..." she scratched the back of her neck.
"I...just wanted to say...thanks,"
Al smiled gently to her.
"T'ain't a problem, kid,"
The customers returned back in to the tavern from whence they spawned from, leaving Stranger and Al in the streets alone.
Al turned to the retreating people, then looked back to Stranger.
"We'd better head in, too, 'fore somethin'-"
A loud crack of a gunshot exploded overhead.
Stranger and Al spun around down the street, a horizontal line of the Mafia gang sneering devilishly at both of them.
Ken held up a smoking pistol to the starry night sky.
His eyes frowned unkindly to Stranger, with one arm in his pocket, and the other holding his pistol.
"You punks don't belong in a town like 'dis," he spoke hazily, jeering with his yellow-stained teeth.
"I suggest you leave...now,"
Stranger gazed about the hateful faces of the Mudokon Mafia, immediately spotting the same seller they encountered before, right next the leader, its obvious attitude flourishing it even more.
He gave a quick sneer to it, snapping back to the leader, slowly lowering his arm back to his side.
"Ken," Al stepped up, his voice sincere.
"Don't do 'dis. Leave 'em alone. They're tired 'n hungry,"
"You ain't savin' their asses this time, ol' timer!" Ken pointed a crooked finger to the slender Vykker.
Al gave a determined look back to Stranger, stepping up closer to the crazed Mudokon.
"I've done it before, and I'll do it again," Al growled.
"'sides..." he showed off his stubbled arm.
"I didn't lose this arm fer nothin',"
Ken chuckled deviously.
"So, yer punishment didn't teach yeh a thing, huh? I suppose...another arm'll do you good?" he crumpled a fist.
Al turned his head back to Stranger.
"Take the back alleyways. Head straigh for the mountains outside the gorge. You'll be safe there,"
Stranger shook his head, showing off a feral grin, while unlocking his bow.
"T'ain't a one-man fight," he growled.
"I still owe you fer savin' Umi,"
The Mafia line spreaded in to a curve around Al and Stranger.
Stranger turned back to Umi.
"Umi. You take the back alleyways. Go up ter the mountains, an' wait fer me," he told quietly.
"If I don't return the next morning at sunrise, go on without me,"
She opened her mouth to protest, but Stranger put a finger on her mouth before she could.
He smoothed her hair down her cheek.
"I'm doin' this fer yer own protection, kid. I ain't doin' it 'cause I don't love you," he said in a gentle tone.
Tears began to form in her eyes.
"I...I don't want anything to happen to you," Umi tearfully said.
"I don't want you ter worry 'bout me, at all," he told firmly.
"You go to the top, and don't look back. Rest up there. I promise you, I'll be there," he wiped a thumb across her tears streaming down her face.
She looked up to him slightly.
"Promise?"
Stranger slipped his arms tightly around her back.
"Yeah..." his throat rumbled on her shoulder.
He pulled away from her, staring back at the Mafia grouped around them.
His eyes glared upon them tightly, growling back to his feet.
"Now go," he nearly barked.
Umi scrambled in to the dark alley, leaving Stranger and Al to their fight.
Ken chuckled to Stranger.
"Sacrificing yourself to save another one's petty life? How touching,"
Stranger scowled hatefully.
"Shut up, dirtbag," he growled.
"You wouldn't know anythin' 'bout what I did,"
The Mafia oohed mockingly, Ken laughing loudly back to his gang.
"We's got's a fiesty scoundrel 'ere, boys!" he cackled, turning back to the stranger, his face darkened in an evil glare.
"Taker yer pick on 'em," he spoke devilishly.
"Then let's git down in the dust,"
Umi ran at top speed through the pitch-black alley.
She could hear a battle already stirring up out on the streets, a gargle of menacingly chuckled echoing through the narrow backways.
Ignoring would be the best to her advantage, rather to listen to her instincts.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, as she sprinted tirelessly, watching the scenes of the Mafia pass by through the narrow corridors.
Foothills of the gorge came behind the ending of the town, nearby a crooked tower leaning overhead of her.
She stepped up on the hills, suddenly lunging to the wall of the gorge, and clawing her way up.
Her muscles strained painfully, as she dragged herself up to the flat plateau.
High above the gorge's flat top, Umi stumbled on her knees.
A swift breeze blew upon the grass, and her pounding face, beating a blood-red heat.
Ahead was the dark valley below the long canyon, and the silvery moon behind the jagged mountains covered in a thick veil of clouds, only leaving herself in the midst of darkness.
Strong to moderate breezes pushed against her back, whisping more clouds in to the dark sky.
Umi kept hunched down, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she stared blankly down on the dark grass.
She regretted, with every thought she had of it, the decision of leaving Stranger behind to fend off the Mafia.
She crumbled down with her chest on her legs, her eyes shut tightly.
"Stranger..." she cried in her arms.
"It's not fair..."
A cool wind brushed upon her as a comforting embrace.
"...you had to do this..."
She was alone...no one to comfort her anxiety.
But even though she listened to his command like a daughter should, she respected his decision.
She fell lop-sided on to the grass, keeping her legs in a bundle, while trying to relax herself to rest, even though she couldn't.
But even thoguh she couldn't, she fell straight in to a deep sleep.
So sad! Is Stranger gonna be alright? What'll happen to Umi? ...Why does Al the Vykker sound so familiar?
