SHORTLY THEREAFTER, A STRANGER ARRIVES IN TOWN...(cont.)
Stranger, running on all fours, approached the West gate.
Charlie saw him come up fast in his blinking beady eyes. The Clakker waddled back in to his office, and switched the lock for the gate.
Stranger slipped through the opening crack of the gate with Umi, clinging on his back. When he was in town, Charlie shut the gate once more, hoping he'd never had to open another gate for Stranger, and not to be disturbed once more.
The Clakkers watched Stranger lope across the town to the Bounty Store.
Umi dropped off of Stranger's back when he stopped at the deck of the store, she wobbling everywhere.
"That's the last time I ride on you," Umi said queasily.
Stranger pushed aside the swinging doors, seeing the Clakker's behind raised in the air.
The clerk heard Stranger's boots stomping on the wooden planks. He popped up, and turned back to the counter with a fickled smile up to the bounty hunter. It turned its head immediately to Umi with a giddy laugh.
"Oh, I heard 'bout you, hu-man, givin' it to Floyd between the canyon,"
Umi didn't make a face or movement.
Stranger slipped Floyd's poster to the clerk, and the clerk stamped it as "completed".
"Give me the nex' one," Stranger demanded.
The clerk raised an intersted brow to Stranger, then a smile curled on its wrinkled beak.
"Well, seem's we's got's a live one 'ere. Well, I got's another bounty," the clerk bent down under the counter.
There, he reached in, and grabbed another poster. He slapped it face-down, and slipped it to Stranger.
He swiped the poster, and looked at the face of the next Outlaw.
"The name's The Looten Duke. He's hidin' down at the old Water Facility, stealin' our water. He's forcin' us to buy it from him, but we ain't buyin'," the clerk said.
His face wasn't any prettier than Floyd's, to Umi's eyes.
He wore somewhat of a sombrero, spikey-black shoulder armor, and a green jumper. He did have a large jaw, but not like Floyd's.
"He's a feisty Outlaw scoundrel," The clerk's eyes lit up persuadingly.
Stranger's eyes gleamed. He loved a challenging Outlaw.
The clerk smiled again to Stranger, letting a wheezy chuckle out as well, pulling the brim of its visor down.
"Alright! I take's it as a yes! Go out the gate to the Water Facility. Head on down there, and he'll be down there,"
When the clerk finished, Stranger followed out the Bounty store, stuffing the poster in his poncho.
He walked down the T-section of the town, opposite of the West gate to Dead Hens Pass, where a sign above a gate read: Head East to Water Facility.
The gate was opened, letting them to their next bounty. They walked through the gate, a house on their right, with a Clakker walking up to them.
It gave a cheeky smile as they passed by.
"Yee-haw! Clean them up thar, Stranger!"
They turned right from a bend, leading to a type of coaster that led up to another plot of land high above. But as they stood on the inanimated platform, nothing seemed to pop to mind.
"How the hell do you start this thing?" Stranger muttered.
The motor was chugging like it was alive, so something had to start it up. Umi thought the same thing. No levers, no buttons, just a motor and a platform on a coaster. She walked around the motor, touching it and looking at it curiously. Then, she had an idea, turning to Stranger.
"Maybe it needs a jumpstart," Umi said.
"Get a Zapp Fly ready, and aim at any electrical appliance on it. Like a plug or outlet,"
Stranger gave a curious look to Umi, but unlocked his bow, and placed a Zapp Fly on a launcher.
The kid might be right.
He waited for the critter to load up, and spew an electrical charge. The Zapp fly's abdomin lit up brightly, and it's mouth opened.
He immediately spotted an ordinary outlet on the motor. He aimed at it, then released the Zapp Fly.
The critter impacted the outlet, electrical charges reaching in to the thin rectangular holes. The Zapp Fly's charge died out to a fain teal. The rickety platform clanged, and began to make it's way up. The coaster was bumpy enough to knock Umi off and down.
But when it reached the top, they jumped off, and the coaster stayed in it's place.
The upper plateau where the platform stopped was slightly junky, with metallic scraps erosed under the hard brown dusty dirt. Dead rotten brush cringed under the hot wind.
But high above, they didn't notice a plot going in to action.
"Oh, happy day..." it said deeply, reloading it's sniper gun, and holding a lighter.
It waited for the unsuspecting nitwits to get out further.
The Sniper growled deviously as it lit it's gun.
The sparks crackled a red color in its face. The minion began to scope on in on the large creature climbing the rope with some other odd-looking creature on it's back.
It chuckled maleviously, its face pressed on the butt of the gun.
"You won't be able to get passed me and my brother, Stranger!" it shouted out, and fired a bullet at a barrel that would catch the creature's attention. The bullet left behind a trail of red from the sparks, right from the barrel of its gun to the creature.
"What the hell-"
Umi turned her head to the mine shaft level to them.
The minion was new to Umi, it wearing a glossy orange vest and three-goggled infrared goggles. It wielded an old-fashioned sniper rifle, one that you had to light it in order to shoot an enemy.
She was more concerned of getting off Stranger's back, for she was a simple target, and a bullet-proof vest over Stranger's back.
Stranger quickly noticed the hostile, snapped to attention, and quickened his pace up the rope. He lifted himself upon the wooden platform, then quickly prepared to fight.
He turned his head back to Umi.
"Head on up. I'll get this goon," Stranger spoke lowly, as he loaded on the black fluttering Boom-bat.
Umi hesitated so she could help, but she noticed the time was not right now to argue with him. She began to wrangled up the rope, clinging on for dear life.
The sniper caught the human's attempt to escape. It sneered devilishly.
"Oh no, you don't!"
It lit its gun.
Stranger saw it had spotted it's target,the red and green sparks from its butt shining off as a beacon.
He immediately shot the Boom-bat to the Sniper outlaw.
The 'bat left a green trail of its smoke from the ticking time bomb in its bowels, gibbering incoherantly whilst darting on its target with such extreme speed.
It saw the Boom-bat rapidly homning on it. The Sniper's time was running out vastly.
It shot the bullet in it's gun to the human. By the time it shot, the Boom-bat attached to it. The outlaw felt the rushing heat from its mouth rise up to its peeling skin. The minion jumped, frantically tearing its claws on its vest to scrape off the critter. But as it screamed, the bomb ticked its last second. The outlaw was flung out of the mine shaft still alive. When it hit the ground, an inhumanly crack came from its chest. The minion let out a loud exhale, then fell completely limp.
"YAAAAH!" Umi screamed, her arm fell limp.
The last bullet had struck in her right arm. Her grip was losing on the rope, and slowly slipped lower. The gaping hole in her arm spurted red blood, trickling down her hand. The blood had seeped under her fingers, making a slick greasey hold. She slid down the rope, until she fell down to the platform.
Stranger caught her in his arms, looking down at her face of pain with a grin of concern. He glanced at the torn gaping red hole near the bone, and still crisping her flesh. He blinked at it, hissing between his clenched stained teeth.
"Damn, it got you good,"
He set her down on the platform, but she still held her arm.
She dug a finger in the bleeding hole, and scraped out the bloody bullet left warmly in her arm.
More blood gushed out out than before. She held between her teeth, a blue stained and torn cloth.
It was her old bandana, that she had when she was five. It had little holes and purple-blue-red colored blotches, big and small, stained it. She replaced her hand with the bandana tightly tied around her wound. When she finished with the bandana, it was already drenched in her own blood. Umi let it to heal, not allowing herself to tamper or aggrivate the wound any longer.
Stranger still held a small face of concern when Umi looked back up to him.
"You'll be fine?" he asked in a concerned pur.
Umi nodded, looking shyfully away from him.
He didn't ask again, but hoisted her on his back, and climbed back up the rope. He grunted in disgust when he discovered a bloody handprint on his shoulder.
Umi whispered a distinctive apology. He knew she didn't mean it.
A stream of red smoke whizzed passed their faces. Another mine shaft above the sheer canyon wall stood another Sniper minion, relighting its gun with a devilish grin.
"You might've gotten passed my brother, Stranger! But now you's got's to deal with me!"
Stranger moved Umi and himself back behind the bend. He reloaded his bow with another Boom-bat.
Umi touched his arm lightly.
"Let me take care of him this time,"
Umi held down her Needler.
Stranger looked at her with total hesitating eyes. But hers were more seldom looking ahead. He could see she ment business.
He lowered his arm, allowing Umi to pass.
She nodded to him and rushed passed him. She slowed her pace as she turned to the minion. A grin crept widely under her waterfalls of bangs. She whipped her head around, galring up at the Sniper.
"Hey! Nimrod! Your brother was a sissy with no aim!"
She knew the minion would become aggrivated quick to a simple insult. She learned from the Chippunk and the distracted minions.
The Sniper growled.
Tormentation succeeded.
"No one talks 'bout my brother that way!"
The Sniper lit its gun once more, and aimed for the humans head.
She took action, and fired away the full clip of pink crystalline shards to the Sniper, while side-winding away from it's range.
The shards danced lightly in the air, glowing a lightly pink aura.
It saw the needle shards heading right for it. The Sniper dropped its weaponry frantically. Was it giving up too easily?
Pink dust exploded out of the shaft. It settled down near the dust in dark pink streamers.
The minion, however, shot out of the shaft. Fragments of bone and flesh splattered among the narrow canyon wall.
Stranger turned out of the bend, walking towards the minion. Its flesh was turning a crisp black color from a pale yellow, and blood coagulated in a thick cake over its bleeding eyes.
Stranger snorted annoyingly, slowly darting to Umi.
"Ok, you need's to stop usin' that thing. It's messin' up them outlaws too much that I can't cash 'em in," Stranger firmly said.
Umi looked down at her Needler. It was one of her best weapons. She strapped back on her Needler. She pulled off her Plasma Rifle, and held it down near her legs. She looked back up to Stranger.
"This'll do?"
Stranger nodded in agreement.
They walked down a twisted canyon system. They stopped at the edge of a small cliff leading below to a long rugged slope. They stared at the monstrousity that they had come looking for: The Water Facility that the Looten Duke took cover in.
It looked of a military base with a small water park behind. An old rotting water tower fed out winding rusted metallic pipes behind a small building in the middle of the walls of the Water Facility. Minions paced around inside on the walls, and inside in small guard towers leading on to the metal planks on to the walls. Behind the main building was a mine shaft that probably led to
town. But they weren't interested in going to town just yet. They had an Outlaw to get first.
They jumped down from the ledge, and ran down to a small field of reeds close by a crumbled rocky arch nearby a wall of sharp carven wooden stakes. Right in front of the defensive barricade of stakes was the gate that would lead passed the walls of the Water Facility.
Beside the outer walls were a smaller pack of the sticks pointing out ominously to two Shooter minions that strayed by them.
Stranger kept hunched low in the reeds, planning his regular approach when situations like this came about
: Lure, tag, and bag.
He put a Chippunk and a Bolamite on each launcher, then let the Chippunk go outside the reeds at the foot of the archaic rubble.
The first minion stomped under the arch, and up to the foot of the reeds, finsing the nuisance righ tin its face.
Stranger then wrapped the outlaw in a Bolamite's web, a sticky white material that wrapped around its legs, arms, and mouth, creating a simple trap for Stranger to bounty it up before the ensnare eroded off the outlaw.
Umi patted him on the arm.
"Can I get the next one?"
Stranger didn't hesitate. He made a quiet affirmative to her, releasing a Chippunk to lure the last minion up to them.
The last Shooter cursed out loud, dashing by the rubble.
Umi silently followed behind the Shooter as it passed by the reeds to the Chippunk as if a lion would stalk its prey. She waited for the minion to take the bait quickly as it didn't realized it was being hunted. She crouched walked behind the minion, then raised her rifle in the air. She stood up off her hunched state, her muscles in her arms tensioning for the final blow. Right when the moment was right, she released her energy to the butt of the rifle among the outlaw's boney neck.
Its eyes shot blankly up in to the sky, its pupils turning to two small dots in a shroud of solid pearl-white eyes. It let out a tensioned breath, as it crumbled to the ground.
Stranger emerged out of the reeds by Umi, staring down at the fank minion laying completely motionless.
Stranger bountied the minion up. He turned back around to the Water Facility's gate.
It towered up to the edges of the guard towers. Above was the ugly green tin roof that slanted down from the walls.
He looked over how to break in. Too dangerous to climb over. He could hear the outlaw's growls come over the wall, and their clanging footsteps beating on the rims above loud humming machines.
He grinned back down to the gate.
Stranger stepped back away from the gate, holding out his arm to the gate, and Thud slugs croaking at him in their protective shell.
The balled bugs slammed against the gate, splinters beginning to sprout as both Thud slugs beated on the wood.
Bangs on the gate alerted the minions. Pieces of wood broke away to their feet. The gate broke in to a concave shape.
They growled defensively.
"Someone's tryin' to break in! Get in to positions!"
Two more Thud slugs broke the hole, the critter flying straight in, and smacking upon a minion's skull.
It cried painfully, fainting at the foot of the gate.
"They're almost through! Get ready!"
Stranger ran up to the gate, and pushed his arm through the hole of splinters poking roughly in his skin.
The hole breached bigger, until Stranger could slip his other arm in to the hole. He pulled himself backwards, with all his strength focusing on to breaking the gate down to get Duke.
Stranger pulled his arms back to him, the gate caved in towards him. He grinned successively, lifting a leg horizontally to the gate. He punched his leg at the gate, it groaning weakly.
The gate swirved back to the inside of the walls.
Stranger kicked the gate one last time.
It snapped at its hinges, caving in to the base, and smashing upon the backwards wall of sharp stakes.
The minions barked the order to shoot, bullets flying passed Stranger's face.
He snapped away from Umi, leaving her to the surrounding minions around the fallen gate.
"Uh...Stranger?" Umi called.
The minion's chuckled maliciously, holding their weapons up near her body.
Umi shrugged, holding down her Plasma Rifle, and staring at each of the minions, awaiting their challenge.
The first outlaw stepped back with its finger on the trigger.
Umi caught the minion's plan, jumping back from the ring of outlaws.
Hot blue bolts stung holty among the outlaws, crying loudly as their flesh melted along with the plasma bubbling angrily on their pale skin.
Attackers on the rims above shredding ventalation fans shot accurately below to the sprinting Stranger rushing to the ramp up to the walkways.
Screeches of feedback croaked through the speakers of the main building.
"Alright, Stranger! You got my attention! But if you want me out, you have to fight my boys! I like's it when it's a real challenge!"
Duke's voice called.
He was closeby.
Stranger bountied the ground minions.
Outlaws on the skirts took his attention.
The rims on the wall, as Stranger observed, were attached to hinges below.
He saw above the platform a generator, and wires fed down under the platform. He grinned mischievously, as a loaded Zapp fly charged up to a neon blue.
He aimed it at the generator near the hinged platform.
Three minions stood on the hinged platform. They watched the sparking bug soar through the air, slapping upon the generators, and starting it to life.
The wires zapped down to the electric hinges, and the platform snapped to a steep slide down to the ventalation fans.
The minions clawed at the hooked platform, their weapons turning in to shards of metal and sparks below their feet.
Then they fell from the edge of the platform before it snapped back to place.
Blood-curdling howls of fear fell below the fans. The blades turned the minions in to chopped suey, fragments of bone and flesh flying above the van's smokey mist.
The remaining Shooters were tagged and bagged before they could commit their own suicide.
Inside the main building were grunts and authorative barks of the outlaws running up to the roof.
Stranger and Umi walked up to the building, listening closely, as thunderous footsteps slammed on the metal planks up to the roof.
The Looten Duke and a few new minions showed their faces above the roof.
They gave a threatening scowl to the stranger, as the Looten Duke sneered down to him.
"You enjoy messin' 'round with my boys, Stranger?"
Stranger looked down at the ground, chuckling and smiling under the shadow of his hat.
"Well, s'not quite the party you an', Blisterz Booty be havin'," Stranger replied, "Smackin' it up that..."
He spat on the ground, then looked up to the Duke's grin.
"...cozy jail" he swung his hips around in a sarcastic fasion.
Duke's face drooped to a furious frown. He backed away from the brim of the roof.
"Blisterz Booty? Oh, no! You ain't takin' me back to him! I ain't goin', I got dignity! Hell no, aw no! I got's dignity!" Duke yelled crazily, running back from the roof, holding his hands behind his hide, and stamping down the staircase back in to the facility.
The two minions looked back to Duke, him running down back in to his office.
"Huh?" it shrugged to its partner
The other shook his head.
"You do NOT want to know,"
"Tear 'im up boys!" Duke yelled to his minions.
The minions were way ahead of him, as they lit the back pack behind them, and looked of a mortar cannon in the pack. They wore a metal flat helmet on their flat heads, and a green vest over a dark red shirt.
Their red eyes were locked on Stranger and Umi, as two mortar shells shot out of their cannons, and whizzed to the path to where Stranger and Umi stood.
Stranger snatched Umi away from the mortar's path down, and held her while he ran around the building, passed two fans exhausting smoke from the facility. He set Umi down behind the building, near the mine shaft, and reloaded his bow up with Fuzzles and Thud slugs.
He had to make the Thud slugs count. Their count in his sack were low.
Stranger and Umi ran back out to the outlaw Mortars, and launched the Fuzzles at each of them.
While the nipping fur balls of teeth kept them busy, Stranger knocked them out senseless with the Thud slugs.
A spray of blue-hot plasma bolted up to the outlaw Mortars, melting the cannons to scrap on their backs.
Thud slugs flew around to the other Mortar, as one smacked in to the jaw of the minion, knocking it flat on its ass, and making an audible crack.
The minion Umi kept focused on fell besides its partner's foot, hissing of a crackling heat seering its orange flesh.
Stranger left the minions in their painful coma, walking back up to the building again.
"Alright, Duke! Yer, chumps are through! It's time ter, do some time," Stranger barked to the facility.
Metallic rattling chimed inside.
A loud bang of two metal doors slammed against the crumbling cement.
The Looten Duke trotted out of his office with a sinful sneer.
"Alright, Stranger! You ain't takin' me in! Bring it on!" he howled, hefting his chain gun up to his arms.
Stranger moved Umi away from the door as well as himself.
Duke smashed the wooden barrack in front of the building, shooting like hell through the doorway.
Stranger scooped Umi in his arm, escaping the flying bullets chafing in to the hard dirt.
The Looten Duke followed behind, his heavy gear holding him down from running to his potential.
Stranger moved in to a groove of the wall outside, setting a Fuzzle trap out in front of the groove. His remaining Thud slugs and Zapp flies were his ammunition of choice, holding down his arm until Duke fell in to his trap.
They heard Duke's footsteps and gun rattling their way.
Umi squeezed in further behind the groove and Stranger.
Duke's breathing came around the cement groove, noticing quickly that a biting sensation was chewing at his pale-yellow skin. Duke shrilled loudly, frantically ripping at himself to stop the biting fur balls from knocking his conentration off.
Stranger jumped out to the Duke, whom was rolling in the dirt to rid of the annoyance still cloistering to him. Charged Zapp flies rung through to Duke's body, and Thud slugs ripping at Duke's stamina. It was making Duke tired enough to slow down, but not enough for him to bounty.
Stranger's bow clicked a high squeeky sound, indicating that he was out of Thud slugs. He grunted roughly, blinking at the empty gauge of his launcher.
Duke stood up, cackling deviously, and raising his chain gun to Stranger. He pressed it to his stomach, grinning devilishly.
"No more bounty huntin' fer you," Duke whispered ominously, almost pulling the trigger to his head.
A flurry of pink needles flew passed Stranger's shoulders and on to Duke's arm.
Duke's immediate reaction dropped his gun, and hollering in pain, holding his wrist up to his face.
His arm was nearly torn off his shoulder from the pink shards that had detonated, leaving half his arm in a bloody ripped gash.
Stranger regained his posture, then looked over to Umi.
She held up her Needler, panting heavily from the succession of her plan.
He grinned impressively. She saved his life, through her innate sense of his security. It was almost as if she really cared for him, even though they knew each other one day ago.
He nodded gratefully to her, turning back to Duke, who was still holding his arm, panting heavily, and glaring at Umi.
"You!" he roared, slamming passed Stranger, and stomping to Umi.
Stranger's hand snatched his shoulder, clenching his deep black claws down hard enough to leave four deep cuts down in his skin. Blood soaked through his dark-green jumper.
Duke's teeth gritted together, holding in the screams of pain, while his eyes tearing.
"Not so fast, Duke," Stranger growled, shoving Duke down on the ground and putting his boot on his chest.
"Don't you even think 'bout going near my partner, nor even touch her. Or by my will, I'll tear off every limb on yer body. You's get's me?"
Stranger snatched a handful of Duke's clothing, sneering his stained sharp teeth to his face.
Duke's fear of Stranger overcame him, as he whimpered and nodded. Stranger released his jumper, then lifted his boot off his chest.
He wasn't exactly done yet.
Stranger snapped back around, and slammed his fist right in to Duke's face. The strength of Stranger's punch left a bone-crunching snap in his skull, and left a deep imprint on the shape of his head.
He wasn't going to get up any time soon.
Umi strapped back her Needler on her belt. She felt a little more trustworthy towards Stranger since he defended her.
"Thanks," Umi smiled up to him.
His vacuum locked back up, as he folded his bow back up as well.
He turned to Umi, a smile curved at one end.
"Not a problem,"
Stranger perched his hand on her head of golden-blonde hair, ruffling it gently under his palm.
They walked back through the gateway, behind the main building, and exited through the mine shaft behind.
It led straight to a pool of water below a broken bridge. They had no choice, but to jump. When they recovered from swimming to the other side, the end of it shot out to back where they were, where the mine shaft was right above them. But there was a slight delay on going back to Gizzard Gulch. Three Sniper outlaws this time, held them back, in their own mine shaft Stranger didn't notice.
One was far left of them and the last one was slantly right of them. They had them pinned down damn good.
"How many of these guys are there?" Umi sneered.
"As many minions you can count in this world,"
All three of them lit their rifles, and aimed for their heads.
Stranger led two away from them, as Fuzzles were flung in the air, and pounced upon the Snipers, dropping them out of their mine shafts with a teetering frown of failure.
Umi took care of the last one, remembering how Stranger told her not to use her Needler to take down the outlaws.
So instead, she dual-wielded, which was worse than what he said. She left her minion with burnt holes and a deformed corpse with Stranger, which didn't make him quite happy.
But he had two snipers to cash in which was good enough with Duke and his goons. Plus, he couldn't stand the innocent face she put on when she apologized. It drove him MAD.
Stranger forgived the human, as they walked on back to Gizzard Gulch, without another word.
Sorry, it may not be the best that is...
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
YAY!
Yeah, Perfect!
*whines* Hurry Up
...
He'd go crazy if Umi and Bailey teamed up... *snicker* We should try and do that when we've finished our own stories...
That was purdy funny there Dark. Especially liked the bit when Umi put on the innocent look. Aww, can't 'ikkle Stranger take the puppy-dog eyes? 
HUZZAH!
