Chapter Text
This is Oddworld. There are theories stating that it’s bigger than Ea-Ear-Earth. That’s it! Earth! Geez, that’s a pretty weird name for a planet. Sounds like I have a hairball stuck in my throat. Unlike most planets, Oddworld has five moons.
Thousands of years ago, we Mudokons claimed one of ‘em as the Mudokon moon, since its face was in the shape of our paw. Mudos is where we stay, but the Glukkons disapproved of our natural religion and were quickly against us. They stole almost all of our land so they could build this meat-packing factory known as Rupture Farms which destroyed our nature and almost every creature became endangered. Worse still, Mudokons like me became slaves there so we had to work long nights. It felt like torture! I mean, the hours were terrible and our limbs hurt from scrubbing the floors! If we even tried to escape, we’d be shot on site by Sligs. The Sligs may have short brain cells so they were kinda stupid but they can sense danger pretty well. At least the soda was free though. All was lost, but not for long. I was able to save the Mudokons and shut down the factory once and for all, making me a hero.
I’ve also shut down a brewery known for its Soulstorm brew. The brew was unhealthy but addictive. For some reason, I was the only one who never became sick. Kinda embarrassin’ thinkin’ about it. Can we move on?
I also remember the time I met Munch. Munch is a Gabbit, a very rare species. In fact he may be the last one in Eastern Mudos. If he didn’t escape Vykkers Lab, he wouldn’t be here today. As we worked together and used our skills to save my unborn brothers, we became best buddies rather quickly. I’ll never forget that comeback. No really, it’s hard to forget when you still have pain after falling. That damn well! I was able to do all of that with just a loin cloth, and I wouldn’t have performed the call of Shrykull if it weren’t for the scars etched into the back of both hands.
My name is Abe. Now that I was able to become more at least sorta positive, we Mudokons could finally live in the spirits of nature. As the population grew, a village formed: the Mudokon village. I could finally rest after everything I’ve been through, although we still had to do chores.
It was a very hot afternoon and I really needed some soda to quench my thirst. Even though my mouth is stitched, I can still get it into my body somehow. As I let the cool, refreshin’ liquid trickle through my lips while I savoured its strong taste, I didn’t notice that one of the Mudokons were standin’ right behind me.
After the last sip, I spun around when I heard him say, “Abe? Some Shaman guy wants me to get a new hammock ‘cus one of ‘em’s broken! Y’ know, those canopy hammocks we ‘ave hangin’ off those trees? So can ya help me out?”
“Well, where the heck are we gonna get one?” I asked.
In the end, the Mudokon had to drag me over to the Shaman he spoke to.
We asked if he knew where we could buy one and he replied with, “I remember seein’ this stall which sold some. I believe it’s at the entrance to that desert you guys had to walk through to get to Necrum”
I froze, unlike that blisteringly hot desert heat.
“The desert?” I asked. “It’s so hot and I’ve been pretty busy! I mean, I had to clean up after that Elum and...”
“Shaddup and lemme finish!” the Shaman cried, gettin’ impatient.
He then cleared his throat and continued.
“Don’t worry, Stitchlips! I’ve seen what you’ve done while savin’ us so it gave me an idea”
He then gestured his head towards some white doves just mindin’ their own business. Those birds...they were the ones that formed portals if I were to chant near ‘em.
“After a month of trainin’ ‘em, they can now form portals so you can get from one area to the other. And if ya wanna come back ‘ere, just whistle for ‘em and they’ll come to ya...if you can whistle that is”
Then the other Mudokon turned his head to me.
“You’re the chosen one, Abe! Give it a shot!”
After taking a few short steps towards the birds I took a deep breath, clasped my hands together in front o’ me and began to chant. The doves took the hint and formed a halo which after two seconds eventually became a portal.
I stopped chanting and said out loud, “Ok, here it goes”
The Mudokon and I jumped in together while the Shaman guy called to us, “Better watch out for the salesman. He’s a...”
I didn’t hear the last bit he said as the birds had already closed the portal behind us.