"The Strength of One"

[Black Dragon]

Well, here it is: my Drok fic. This one I plan on being more involved and more Oddworldish than my other one. This will be quite interesting to see where this goes.

"The Strength of One"

Prologue

Long, long ago, when the planet of Oddworld was still in its natural state, there were two dominant races upon its surface: the Glukkons and the Mudokons. Both races lived in harmony together, sharing everything and looking out for one another. This was the time when the Glukkons, like the Mudokons, were a highly spiritual people. They focused their religion on one of Oddworld’s many moons, which had on its surface what resembled a Glukkon handprint. However, the Mudokons also worshipped this moon, and when they held their hands towards the sky, their hands fit perfectly, unlike the Glukkon’s. The Mudokons began calling themselves the “chosen people”, enraging their betrayed Glukkon brethren. A fierce, long, and bloody war broke out between the two races. Horrible deeds were done and long, gruesome battles were fought. After centuries of fighting, the Mudokons triumphed over the Glukkons, whose numbers had dwindled to a mere handful. Their honor, pride, and spirits deeply scarred, the Glukkons took on a new approach to life. They left their primitive and religious sides behind, and instead looked to science to solve their problems. Their agile and strong bodies became thin and weak from lack of use, and their eyes became so used to artificial light that it became impossible for a Glukkon to stay outdoors for more than an hour. However, not all Glukkons turned to science.
One tribe that still exists today follows the traditional ways of the Glukkon. They call themselves the “Skaroh”, which means “The people of the Skartah”. They worship the Skartah, or guardian creatures that are said to live on a mysterious island above the clouds that gives light to the world. The Skartah themselves are described as having the head of a Scrab, the body of a creature from another world, or as we would know, a human, the scales and tail of a lizard, and depending on the type of Skartah, either part of a bat or part of a SeaRex. The Skaroh live deep in the heart of a forest long forgotten by their modernized relatives. They believe that all creatures are created equal, and everyone, friend or foe, should be treated with kindness and respect. Their sacred city is Kashak Tog, where their government is held with their queen and most of the population resides. One of the most famous stories that you will around Kashak Tog is the tale of a Glukkon warrior who challenged the Magog Cartel. This is the story of which I am about to tell.

Chapter 1

Drok was the most respected young Glukkon in Kashak Tog. He was fully-grown and extremely intelligent. Drok was known for his incredible strength, agility, and ability to throw a spear with superior accuracy. Yes, he was a wonder, but he wasn’t perfect, of course. Sometimes Drok’s strengths got to his head, making him egotistical and somewhat rude. Queen Kara, mother of the Skaroh tribe, saw Drok’s problem and constantly warned him that one day it would get him in serious trouble. Drok would always bow and say “Of course, Mother, I will be more careful from now on” but he would immediately ignore the warning once he was out of Kara’s temple.
One hot summer day, a Reapsworth competition was being held, and you had better believe that Drok entered. Reapsworth is a favorite game of the Skaroh. A piece of wood hollowed out like a cup with a sticking surface at the bottom inside is mounted against a flat surface so that the mouth faces the spear thrower. Whoever manages to throw their spear inside the cup and have it stick is the winner. Drok was known to be very good at this game, and whenever it was known that he was playing, a fairly large crowd of spectators would show up to watch. Drok watched from the crowd with a smug grin on his dark brown face as the contestants before him tried to score and failed. At his turn, he boldly walked up to the line drawn in the dirt. The crowd hushed down immediately. Utak, Drok’s friend, stepped up next to him clutching a spear with his small legs. “Gonna win another, Drok?” he asked, throwing the spear at Drok who caught it with one of his large hands. “Tch, whaddaya think? Of course!” he stated proudly and positioned himself. When it came to spear throwing, Drok was a true expert. He surveyed the cup, studied the distance, and checked the wind. He put his long, muscular arm back, preparing to throw the spear, and Utak held his breath. With lightning quick movements, Drok threw the spear with just the right amount of speed and strength. There was a smack as the spear stuck right in the center of the cup. The crowd roared in excitement at the sight of the feat once again performed perfectly by Drok. Drok beamed and walked stately over to the judges, who added yet another Scrab fang to his toothed necklace, showing that he had once again successfully won a match of Reapsworth. Utak came up behind him as he walked from the playing field, showering him with the usual compliments. “That was great Drok! How can one be as great as you Drok? I wish I could be like you, Drok!” he cried, jumping around Drok as he walked. Suddenly, there was a loud crack in the distance and smoked appeared on the horizon, coming from a part of the forest miles away. Drok and Utak stopped dead in their tracks and looked, their eyes full of wonder. “What…what is it, Drok?” Utak asked after a few seconds of silence from all over the city. “I dunno, Utak,” he replied, slowly walking around, surveying it. He shook his head. “What does it matter? It’s in the outside world, and I’m only concerned with mine! Come on, let’s go get something to eat,” Drok said, jerking his head in the direction of the main street. Drok never really cared about anything outside of his own little world. Drok was just about to reach his usual meat stand when a temple soldier stopped him. “The queen requests to see you, Sir. Please, follow me quickly!” he said, the feathers adorning his uniformed body shaking violently as he shouted. Fear was in his eyes, something Drok didn’t see much. He groaned, shaking it off. “She’s probably just gonna yell at me for gloating again.” He muttered and followed the guard to the temple.

[ June 18, 2001: Message edited by: Black Dragon ]

[Black Dragon]

Aye aye aye! *Digs topic out of second page* Ok, I finally wrote more.


Chapter 2

The temple of Queen Kara was unusually busy today, filled with Glukkons hurrying here and there, all with stressed expressions on their faces. Drok eyed them suspiciously and asked the warrior leading him to Kara’s chamber “What’s going on? Why’s everyone so freaked today?” “Her highness will explain everything,” was all the guard said, still with his usual quickness and fear. Sun streaked the walls through the windows in the ceiling. The only thing the native Glukkons took from the modern world was windows. Paintings of beautiful colored Skartah performing numerous acts of virtue took up all of the temple walls, while torches hung from the stone pillars lining the great hallway to the queen’s room. At the end of the hallway two massive stone doors were, one had a winged Skartah male on it and the other was engraved with a finned female. “Skartok marah!” the guard shouted and the two large doors opened slowly. The guard ran in quickly, leaving Drok behind. “Hey, hey! Wait!” he shouted, running in as well. Kara’s chamber was always filled with both torchlight and sunlight. On numerous platforms around the circular room stood the members of her council. They were all large, muscular Glukkons with dark brown skin and headdresses of colorful feathers. They all had the Skaroh symbol tattooed on numerous parts of their bodies, showing that they were indeed the high council. The back of the room was Kara’s nest. She wasn’t ugly like most Glukkon queens. She was thin and sleek, and surprisingly agile when the need arose. Like all Glukkon queens, she had many legs that made her resemble a centipede, and four long arms. Her face was always bright and cheerful, and her large yellow eyes always shone with their own light. However, today her face was grim and stressed, just like everyone else’s. The guard, panting, bowed swiftly to Kara and said “Your Highness, Drok is here, as requested.” With that he straightened up and swiftly ran out on his long arms. Drok bowed solemnly and asked, “You called me?” “I did, Drok. And no, I’m not going to give you the usual lecture this time.” Kara answered in her loud voice, sounding a bit disgusted. Drok blushed and heard some of the council members chuckling. “I have summoned you for a far more important reason, my dear. The explosion that took place minutes ago was the result of our industrialized kin cutting down the Great Tree of Ghormet. Appears the tree didn’t go without a fight so they just blew it up to save time and profit. They are growing closer and closer to our city at an alarming rate, my dear, and I fear the worst.” She stopped and looked up at the ceiling, biting her lip. Her glowing yellow eyes suddenly became full of sorrow. “If they invade the camp,” she said slowly in her most serious tone, “they will capture all of us, and kill me most likely. My cousin Margaret won’t want our kind to remain in existence, and she will turn all of my children into those…those…demons! Drok, we cannot let this happen!” As she spoke, she paced the room on her many legs and the councilors occasionally mumbled something or shook their heads. Drok didn’t know what to think: this was all so sudden, but nothing could bring his fear to its peak more than what Kara said next. She turned around and walked straight up to him. The queen put her face gently level with his and said, “Drok, for once, please think about the others instead of yourself. You are indeed the strongest Glukkon in the city and somewhere deep down, you are the cleverest. I need you to go out there and stop the Magog Cartel from invading us.” Drok’s jaw dropped nearly level with his toes. “Me? By myself? Great Kara, I don’t know if I am the strongest or best for this job,” he stuttered, slowly backing away. Quick as lightning, she moved behind him, blocking the doors with her long body. “Please, Drok, for all of us,” she said, her voice cracking. Drok looked to the side to avoid her eyes. “Alright,” he finally said, “I’ll do it.”

[Oddsville]

hey I like your storie, its pretty cool.