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Way to sound like a jerk.
 I used to live in Santa Clara Valley, San Jose, and I'll be going back this summer for a while. But Luckster, you are like 10 hours away from me. DX Probably can't meet. |
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Even if I had my license, I probably wouldn't visit anyways cause yer parents would be creeped out.
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"Who are you?..." XD
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Wasn't this story a comic O.o?
Now its only a fanfiction... Where is it gone? |
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It feels like your story is getting to dark and it feels like you just put rayman in it to have minor celebrity status because you taught that otherwise it would take too long for you story to catch attention.Not that it is not a good story.The story is very interesting but rayman's character does not mix in with your story.He is a very silent guy that does not ask many questions not to mention that stupid body armour one and does not a very big storyline.His story in games is never this deep and he isn't given too much attention for his job like in your comic.He exists in a perfect and very light stories in which his character is not too deep.Also Murphy falling in love with luckster looks like very boring and the mixing of truths is more.Maybe you should make it into a rayman 2 style as in light comedy adventure .
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Also why is this not in deviant art and why isn't their a virtual storybook for chapter 2 and 3 like you did for 1?And be careful what you tell Kelvin 11 and anybody else about your location and address and many other types of personal information he/she might be a stalker.
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Yeah, I'm (Kelvin12 *technically 13 XD) a STALKER!
8D That's why I sometimes talk to her on WEBCAM! Hint hint, don't name anyone with a brain a stalker, it's insulting! 8D |
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That's why it's a Rayman FANFIC. It's not official. Oh, yeah, don't double-post plskthx.  |
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There aren't enough games to give a very solid status on Rayman's character. I see him as being very child-like, but being very serious when the time needs to be, like in Rayman 2 when the Robot Pirates had taken over. That was a very serious time for him. And This is only part one of the series and it's called "Long Introductions" for a reason. Volume one introduces some of the characters so that readers of the later volumes get to know some of them better. Do not judge something that has yet to be finished, and unless you're a professional writer, I don't think you have a write to coach how I write. A little critique is okay, but you're pretty much telling me to just trash it JUST because you don't like it. And fanfictions give the writer freedom to do as they please. The characters of the Rayman universe will be more important in the later volumes. In the human world, however, Luckster has to have a bit of the spotlight. It's her turf after all. And this IS on Deviantart. AND Fanfiction.net. |
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 Chapter Four: Truth Rayman just continued running without a thought, swallowing the hurt and bitterness inside of him. To think he actually trusted Luckster. He made his way out of the store and into the main halls of the mall, still crowded with people. Many of them tried to avoid running into him, or vice versa, all of them confused of why he was running. Luck didn't seem to shine on him today though as he couldn't avoid every single person, ending up running against someone much larger than him, falling back from the impact. "Watch if you big-nosed freak!" The man growled, two of his friends backing him up by giving Rayman angry scowls. "What's the hurry? Ya looking for trouble?" For whatever reason, these three were in a foul mood. They looked somewhat like the teenagers Luckster had yelled at before, but further observation told that these three were adults, possibly older than Luckster. Rayman groaned a bit, still slightly dazed from the impact as his sat back up, rubbing his nose. "No...sorry...I just..." he mumbled, trying to stop the world spinning around him. Bumping into the stranger combined with Tannen’s words about Luckster were clogging Rayman’s thinking. "If we were outside, you'd be a deadman right now," the man growled, verifying that he really wasn‘t in the best of moods. He walked past him with one final glare before the other two followed, both wondering why the stranger had such a large nose. One of his buds kicked Rayman back to the ground, just for a final warning to watch where he was going next time. By the time Rayman rose again, he was more angry than dazed. The frustration that had been building up in him since Tannen appeared reached its peak. No one was allowed to kick the Limbless Hero around like that! He quickly jumped to his feet and lunged forward, punching the one who’d kicked him in the stomach. That was all that he needed to cause a commotion. The small group put their sense of mercy aside and fought back. Parents were pulling their children away from them, other younger guys were rooting them on, and a few employees were calling security. One of the men managed to land a right hook on Rayman’s jaw while the larger one was quickly pulling out a knife. "You get off if ya don't wanna be killed, little man!" he roared before aiming to slice Rayman's neck, only to have gone right through where it should have been! "What the hell!?" "Surprise!" Rayman grinned. quickly punching the guy's hand holding the knife, making him drop it. "I have a lot more to me than it first seem like." he taunted, getting back on his feet and taking up his usual fighting pose. Now he felt like back in his world, fighting undesirables. Despite ‘missing’ his target, the larger one seemed more than eager to continue fighting him. Rayman didn’t care too much about concealing himself anymore. All humans seemed to be against him anyways. He began winding up his fist, forming an energy sphere within it all at the same time. Before the boys could react offensive or defensively, Rayman let his fist fly, not caring which of them were hit. They were all enemies to him. He missed all three of them, his fist crashing into a wall instead, leaving a small crater in it. He quickly called it back, ready to fight more, despite the fact that the three were shocked to the point where they didn’t even want to move. “What the hell are you?” One of them asked, glancing at the crater in the wall for a second. No human could ever cause such damage, even if they were strong and had metal gloves on. It just wasn’t possible. What was more was the fact that he’d shot his fist, as if it had rockets in it. “Rayman!” A familiar voiced called in the surrounding crowd. “What are you doing!? We gotta get out of here!” Rayman looked over, seeing Luckster pushing through the crowd. He turned around, intending to get away from her, only to trip over his own garments. He got back up before she could reach him, pushing through the crowd and heading for the doors. Luckster tried to keep up, losing sight of him quickly through the crowd. “Being short has its advantages here,” he said to himself, smiling a bit. He didn’t need Luckster. He’d just go back to where he started and wait for his friends. If any humans crossed his path, he’d just fight them. Something suddenly didn’t seem right. The Limbless felt pain. He didn’t recall any of the three men landing anything except for a few punches and kicks. He was used to that from previous experiences. Something else was bugging him. He paused once he’d left the building, trying to figure out what was causing such pain. It was getting worse and worse, especially as he searched for the source on his body. He noticed his new sweater was wet, and only seconds later discovered why. When he’d tripped, he’d fallen on the knife one of the assailants had dropped. The blade wasn’t that big, but it hurt! He pulled it out and his eyes opened wide to the sight of his own blood. He’d never been cut like this before. Not when he was facing Mister Dark. Not when he was fighting the Robot Pirates, and not even when he was dealing with the Hoodlums. He’d gotten a few tiny cuts when he was younger from thorns, but this hurt almost one hundred times worse. “Rayman!” Luckster’s voice rang again. She’d caught up with him at last and noticed almost instantly that he was hurt. Rayman dropped the knife, trembling all over. The realization of his injury only made it worse. He didn’t care that Luckster was there anymore. The pain was too much. “Hold still,” Luckster instructed, her heart racing. She picked up the limbless, keeping one of her hands over his wound, applying a bit of pressure. “Lemme go! That hurts!!” Rayman cried, trying to get her hand off him. “Hold still or you’re going to bleed to death!” Luckster snapped, not letting go. The pressure was all she had to lessen his bleeding. She had to get home and get him properly bandaged! “You’ll be okay,” she assured, running through the parking lot, intending to get home with as little stops as possible. “Just keep calm…you’ll be okay. The limbless could barely hear her through the pain. He just kept standing against the torrent of pain, fighting a losing battle. He thought he would die here and now...so very far away from his friends, his home. He wanted to be back home now, more than anything. The fifteen minutes it took for Luckster to take him home probably felt like hours for the limbless. By the time she approached the house, she was nearly out of breath. The only reason she forced her body over the limit was the fact that Rayman’s bleeding was lethal to him. She nearly kicked down her own front door to get in, taking him to the bathroom to clean his wound, holding him tightly, knowing he was going to writhe in pain. Rayman was holding onto consciousness like dear life, even if it meant facing the continuously growing pain. His body instinctively squirmed to get away from the pain, only forgetting that it came from inside of him...and he couldn't escape from that. "Hold still!!" She hissed, pulling off the sweater and applying water to the wound to clean it out. It wasn’t all that deep at all, but he was still bleeding heavily. Rayman tried to get away from her, the water only making it worse. She couldn’t take it much longer and slapped him, looking at him right in the eyes. “Hold still damnit! You’re only going to die if you keep whining and squirming like this,” she hissed. “Stop moving and let me help you!” It was all too easy for her to say; she wasn't the one with a knife-wound! Nevertheless, the limbless obeyed, trying to keep as calm as possible, only hissing bit whenever the pain topped new heights. Luckster applied special chemicals to the wound to clean out any remaining germs. It tickled more than hurt like the water had. She kept pressure on the wound anytime she wasn’t cleaning it, making the bleeding less and less. Rayman’s squirming stopped by the time she’d pulled out some bandages from the drawer, making sure the wound was fully covered and just enough pressure was still on it. “There…that should help,” she sighed, washing her hands a bit to get the Limbless blood off her. It was similar to her own, only a little darker. Rayman leaned against the wall, going over what had happened within the hour. He’d become his own enemy, nearly killing himself over a simple mistake. “Feel better?” Luckster asked, getting his attention again. He nodded a little, not moving a bit as she carried him back out to the living room, sitting him on the couch. "Keep yer hand here," she instructed, putting his hand over the wound and pressing a bit. "It'll help stop the bleeding entirely." She left after that, heading for the kitchen for some ice to help numb the pain. The limbless was in no condition to disobey, thus he did so. Inside of him, each of Tannen's lies began to shatter...if someone had the heart to treat him like this, that one just couldn't be a bad person. He swallowed back all the pain now, trying to keep at least some of his pride intact. Luckster returned with a full ice pack, lightly resting it on top of his wound, calming down a bit at this point. She was no longer out of breath from the run, and her heart and mind weren’t racing each other from Rayman’s injury. "What was all that about?" she asked, "You had no reason to run off like that...you coulda been killed!" Though even the attempt was hard for Ray at the moment, he managed to get himself to speak. "T-tannen..." he muttered. "He...lied..." Luckster's blood began to boil at the mention of Tannen's name. She’d run into him only minutes before finding Rayman. It was no wonder he'd been so cocky. "What did he tell you?" she growled. "Anything Tannen says is a pure lie. He does anything to make sure I'm alone." "He...told me you were just pitying me." Ray answered, going red over the fact he believed him. "That you betray everyone. That you just use people." he winced a bit, before sighing. "I'm sorry I believed him..." Luckster heaved a sigh, applying a bit more pressure to Ray's wound. She knew something like this would happen the moment she’d introduced Rayman to Tannen as her ‘boyfriend.’ She couldn‘t help but to feel responsible for the incident. "He does this to everyone I meet," she explained. "He makes me look like the bad guy. He's the one who uses people. He has a long history of it. I may have a temper, but I'm not bad. I just have little reason to look happy or act it. I'm still a good person though." "I know full-well now," Ray muttered, wincing a tiny bit again. "You're the only one in this world who actually cares for me." he sighed. "I should've never doubted you." "Shhh....try to rest now," she said, smiling at him for the first time. A true smile, not one of sarcasm, or being sinister. She was happy. "Yer safe now. The wound was pretty small, so you should be able to move in a few hours...yer just a heavy bleeder." "Every hero has a weakness." Rayman managed to sport a smile, closing his eyes. He was very tired from all that happened today. Though he had to go through a lot of pain, he knew now that he could trust Luckster with his life. He was happy to know that. Luckster let him nap for the while, noticing she'd made quite a mess on her way in. Her door was off the hinges and blood was on the floor, leading to the bathroom. --- Ray's calm nap took an abrupt ending when he suddenly woke up coughing from some strange chemical fumes. The coughing was quite hard at first, but it slowed down after a few moments. "You alright out there Ray?" Luckster called from the bathroom. She was a little worried that his wound would open again from the coughing, and she had just finished cleaning. "I...think so." the limbless muttered, only to sneeze right a moment after it, quickly followed by another one. "Just something bothering me here." he added. "What's up?" She asked, stepping out of the room to check on him. He seemed perfectly fine, aside from the wound, but that was to be expected. She didn’t expect him to heal up in only a few hours. "Dunno really...it's just something making me-" he couldn't finish, interrupted by yet another sneeze. Neither his nose nor his lungs seemed to like the fumes. "OH! My bad!!" She laughed, gently getting him off the couch and walking him to the sliding glass door. She opened him and walked him outside, not worried about anyone seeing since the only light in the area was from the stars and moon. "There...feel better?" "Much better, thanks." Ray smiled, no longer having the urge to sneeze. “Sorry about that…forgot that yer nose is bigger than mine,” She teased. “Shoulda opened up a few windows when I was cleaning up.” He only smiled at her, not minding too much. It hadn’t done much damage. Just made him sneeze is all. He glanced up into the sky, his heart sinking a bit. "You have only one moon.." he mused. "Yeah...why? You have more?" She asked, sitting down on the back porch and looking at the sky--something she hadn't done in a long time. The limbless gazed up again, a sad smile on his face. "Two. They're our twin moons, lighting the darkness of the night with their combined light." he explained. "That'd be interesting to see," she admitted. She seemed a lot less cranky than before. "My great grandmother lives somewhere where she always has a beautiful view of the sky. There was this cliff side I used to rest with her and watch the night for hours. It's too expensive to visit her much anymore. She lives far away and it costs too much to continue visiting. I miss that view almost as much as I miss her." "I sometimes spend hours watching the sky as well." Ray smiled. "Though I usually don't care whether it's day or night...I just gaze into the nothingness, and usually doze off eventually." he sighed. He really missed his home by now. "Must be nice not having to worry much about the things I have to put up with," she sighed. "I have a boring job that just barely gets me by, and I'm supposed to be writing a book, but I'm out of inspiration. Life is more about survival in this world than actually enjoying yourself." "In my world you decide how you live. With nearly none of the stuff this world has, our place is peaceful...sure some evil always comes by, but I tend to get rid of them. On most days, it's a paradise.." he mused. "Humans could have that kinda life if we weren't so greedy and brutal," she sighed, looking over at him. "...ya wanna know why I've been hiding you?" Ray glanced back at him, with a sort of quizzical look. He nodded, highly curious over her answer. "Well...someone like yerself, who defies the laws of physics just by appearance, would be considered a threat and a discovery at the same time. A threat because humans fear anything different, and a discovery...er...that speaks fer itself," She sighed. "If someone greedy were to find you, they would cage you and sell you to the highest bidding scientist. Chances are the scientist who'd gain you would want to know exactly how you work, which would mean they'd have to cut you open to examine yer insides and everything...if not that, they'd do a series of tests on you and never let you rest. You'd be an object to them...." The limbless' eyes widened to nearly a double, just from the explanation. It was hard for him to actually believe people could be this horrible. He pictured it before himself, making him shudder quite hard. Anything was better than a life like that, especially for someone who cherished freedom like he did. "Makes staying in my house all day seem like fun, doesn't it?" she sighed. "I may not really know you, but I wouldn't want you hurt. You're too fascinating of a creature to go through all that torture." She reached over and gently pet him between his tufts of hair. "It'd kill me inside to know I coulda protected you, but didn't." Though in most cases he avoided producing such reactions, he actually found himself purring to her touch. It tickled slightly, but just enough to make him feel real good, helping him forget all the images he had in his head. Luckster felt quite comforting about Ray somehow. He'd been with her one very crazy day and already she was becoming attached to him. "Wanna go back inside? It's getting kinda cold...I'll open a few windows in case the fumes are still lingering." "Okay..." the limbless muttered, taking a momentary break while purring. In earnest, he was getting cold now as well, and he guessed it wouldn't be good to catch a cold too, next to the knife wound. The two had enjoyed the talk and the short gaze at the night sky, but someone else had enjoyed a much different view. The curtains of the neighboring house’s windows shut the moment they stood, its inhabitants plotting. This message has been edited. Last edited by: Teensie.Queen, |
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Chapter Five -- Inspiration and Nightmares "You hungry? I don't have much to eat around here, but there should be enough for us." Luckster called, opening up the kitchen window. "I support the idea." Ray chuckled a bit upon hearing his stomach growl a tiny bit. He hadn't eaten anything since that apple, and his tummy really needed some nourishment. He got a bit sick of the remains of his human outfit and removed them, even lowering his hood. "What do you normally eat in yer world?" she asked, taking a peek in the fridge, which was nearly empty. "Probably a good idea to know now before I offend ya." "I'm most attuned to fruits, actually." Ray replied, quirking a brow. "Why, what do humans eat?" "We're Omnivores," she said, pulling out the container of fruit again. "We eat Meat, as well as plant-based foods." Ray put up a quite disgusted look upon hearing that, but quickly eased. "Some species in my world eat meat too, though the residents of the Fairy Glade, like me, never eat meat." he remarked. "I respect that," she admitted, pulling a few veggies out as well. "I don't tend to eat meat that often...gives me the willies when I have to handle it raw before cooking it." She shivered just by mentioning it. "Luckily, the nearest species who actually eat meat are nearly on the other side of the planet." Ray smiled. "Thus this is another problem we don't have to deal about." "Well, for respect or yer kind, I won't eat meat around you," she said, washing up the food. She smirked a bit, noticing just how hungry the Limbless looked as she rejoined him at the table with the food. Ray looked quite hungrily at the food and didn't waste much time, already reaching for an apple. He already loved the taste of it. “It may be late to bring this up, but sorry about the terrible first impression this morning,” Luckster spoke up. “I was just having a bad morning.” Ray simply smiled at her, too busy with a mouthful of food to respond. Luckster nibbled at a celery stick, thinking about her crazy day. She originally expected to face another day of forcing herself to wake up her creativity. Instead, she ended up on a misadventure with an alien. "I've actually been raised like this." Ray admitted, getting her attention again. "I was always told that I must first get to know a person, before I'd dare act as a judge." "Sounds like you've got some wise parents then," she said, smiling. "That's how I was raised too. My Dad was always very firm about that." Mentioning her own father made her feel a bit nostalgic and made a mental note to call him later. "I think he did a good job." Ray smiled brightly, though with a little sadness in it. "I wonder what my Dad was like..." he muttered. "Oh...." Luckster went pale and nearly choked. "I'm sorry....I didn't know...." "Nah, don't worry about it." the limbless shook his head, smiling slightly. "I don't know any of my real parents..I was raised by a fairy. All I know is that I was fished out of the Sea...and that she took me in as her own." "Wow...even at the beginning of yer life things seem exciting," she admitted, nibbling on a carrot now. "I'd love to hear more about yerself." "Well...my 'mother' was guardian to a powerful energy source, called the Great Protoon. One day though, another limbless by the name of Mr. Dark stole it, making the land fall into chaos. That was my first adventure, actually." he told Luckster all about his trials towards Dark. He described every enemy he’d run into, even at his age, and was able to defeat them. The fairy in question had helped him tap into his powers so he could fight them with relative ease. The final encounter with Dark really caught Luckster’s attention. "I've been a guardian to the Glade ever since." "Wonder why Dark fled though," She mused to herself. "I've read many stories where the villain will attempt to take the hero head-on...but never flee like that. Have you seen him since then?" "Never...I've heard he later returned to Candy Chateau, but he didn't make a move since then." Ray shrugged. "I can't say I want to though...he's really powerful." "Did you ever figure out why he took the Protoon?" she asked. She seemed very interested in figuring out what had been on Dark's mind. She acted like a young student, eager to learn everything about the particular subject her teacher was babbling on about. "No, not really." Ray sighed. "I can only assume he wanted to harvest its power, but I don't know any details. Though with Dark, one can never know what he has in mind..." "Interesting....what about those Robot Pirates you mentioned before?" She asked. She'd forgotten about her meal at this point and wanted to know everything. Rayman smiled and continued telling Luckster everything. It wasn’t the first time he’d done this. Many travelers whom had heard of Rayman often stopped by to hear about the Limbless Hero’s trials in life, many of them not believing most of it. Luckster smiled at him just about the whole time, images in her head as he spoke. Rayman even continued to tell her about Andre and the Hoodlums. She giggled a bit to the parts of poor Globox being forced to drink Plum Juice, normally resulting in him acting very silly compared to how Rayman had grown to know the Glute. Rayman’s descriptions of some of his enemies, namely the Knaaren, sent shivers down her spine. "Do you even know what caused Andre' to exist in the first place?" Luckster asked, once Rayman was finished. "If you have to scare a Red Lum for it to turn into a Black Lum...what scared him?" "That's a question I dunno the answer to." he mused, scratching the back of his head. "I don't even know what's powerful enough to scare one..." "Couldn't have been me," she joked. "I wasn't there." She glanced over at the clock and her eyes opened to their fullest. "Ah ****!! It's two in the morning!! You sure can keep a story going, Ray...I shoulda been in bed like...four hours ago!" "Sorry..." the limbless scratched the back of his head again, grinning nervously. "I sometimes get a little too talkative. I’ll go on forever if someone doesn't stop me in time." "It's alright...maybe your stories will be the inspiration I need to write my book," she yawned, getting up. "I just hope I don't end up copying the story too much....that wouldn't be right...." "I don't mind." Ray laughed. "If you'd write a story on my adventures, you'd be more of a chronicler, than a thief. And hey...experiences are good to share." he winked. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind," she asked, sounding pretty concerned. "I mean...humans wouldn't know it's a true story...they'd think it's all fantasy." "I'm definite." he nodded, still smiling. "Stories are to share without picking...I'd actually be honored if you'd write a book about my adventures. And who knows...maybe it'll influence people to be maybe a bit less greedy." "That'd be great, but I doubt a story could make THAT much influence," she laughed. "Ya never know though...geez....we should REALLY get to bed." She turned off the kitchen light and walked over to the same couch Ray had been resting on before. She pulled a lever on its side and it folded down into a bed. "There. Plenty of room for you to sleep," she said. "Wow...I though only Teensies make things like this!" Rayman chuckled. Nevertheless, he lied down carefully, mostly because of his wound. He found it quite comfortable, to say the least. Luckster left a moment and returned with a pillow and blanket for Ray. "Rest up as long as you want to," she encouraged. "Yer still hurt after all. I'll be sleeping in the other room if ya need me." She gave him a light kiss on the top of his nose before heading towards her own bedroom, turning off the lights on the way. Luckster got herself comfortable in her bed, ready for a nice long rest, but Rayman's story was buzzing around in her head. After about ten minutes of arguing with her mind about it, she sat up and pulled out her labtop, the only sound in her room being the faint and furious typing of the keys. This was gonna be a long night. As the darkness descended, Ray's joy faded a bit. He couldn't remember when was the last time he fell asleep without seeing the twin moons or the stars. Nevertheless, he tried to get to sleep, only to end up gazing before himself without sleep. Even with Luckster in the next room...he just didn't feel safe. He was in an unnatural place, and he feared he might wake up in a cage, at best. The limbless finally managed to slip asleep, but only because he was too tired to stay awake. He wished he was awake though... In one moment in his dreams, he was talking to Ly, then a bright flash and he was in a completely different place. He could see people around him, pointing at him, laughing and even throwing stuff at him. He wanted to go away, but found himself blocked by cell bars he couldn't break. He shouted for someone to let him out, but by that time, everyone disappeared. In the next moment, he was tied up before a particularly evil looking man, who eyed him like a new piece of merchandise. He wanted to move but his parts wouldn't obey him, slaves to the man. Another moment passed and he found himself lying on some kind of table, feeling quite dazed, almost nauseous. He blinked and could see a bunch of people around him, all looking at him like an animal. He tried to speak but no words would come out. He couldn't even move as his parts were restrained. Finally, a person came before him, with a knife in his hand. Ray's eyes widened in horror as the man prepared to dig into his torso. He cried out in agony as the knife struck into him, revealing his body fully. Rayman thought he could hear another voice, but it was dulled greatly by the pain that overwhelmed him. He could see his blood slowly flowing all around the table, while the people casually inspected him, sometimes even reaching into him just to see something closer, ignorant to his cries of pain. They only seemed to care about figuring out how he lived...they didn't care if it hurt him. "Rayman!!" Luckster screamed. His stress was making his wound bleed badly again. "RAYMAN WAKE UP!!" She hollered, sure she was waking up the neighbors at this point. The limbless' eyes sprung open, a final cry leaving him. He couldn't even decide where he actually was, the pain dulling his senses completely. He could only writhe in pain, tears running down his face. "Shhhh....it's okay," Luckster purred, trying to calm him down. "It's me...you're fine. It was just a nightmare...." Ray instinctively clinged to Luckster, tearing from the nightmare he had. He didn't even notice he was bleeding again, holding onto the woman for dear life. "Don't let them...take me...please..." he sobbed. "No one's gonna take you," she purred, petting him gently as she held onto him. "I promise. I won't let anyone take you away. No one's gonna hurt you. Until we can get you home, yer safe with me." He continued to sob for a little while, slowly calming down to her soothing. The feeling of being safe returned, fueled greatly by her holding him. He still trembled a bit from the nightmare, the horrible images lurking in the back of his mind...helpless against all those who just sought to abuse him. He didn't want to go back to sleep, even though he could barely keep his eyes open. "Come on...you're bleeding through your bandages," she said softly, picking him up and carrying him to the bathroom again. She turned on the wall light so they wouldn't be blinded. She removed the old bandages and cleaned his wound again. "Looks like it's closing up a bit already," she said. "At least that's good." Rayman remained silent while she changed his bandages, looking before himself with reddened eyes. The nightmare still haunted him, even though he knew full-well it didn't happen. Still, the fear was there. he didn't want to end up like that...losing his life to ignorant people, so very far from his friends. He finally sighed so he'd fully calm down. "Wanna sleep in my bed tonight?" she offered once the new bandages were secure. "You might feel a little safer..." She pet him between his tufts of hair like before, making sure he wasn't shaking or sweating anymore. The limbless nodded silently, though the look on his face turned lighter from her touch. He was way too afraid to be alone again, dreading that the images would return the moment he'd be on his own. Luckster turned out the light and carried Rayman off to her room. Her laptop was still on, lighting the room just a bit. She gently placed him down and walked over to her laptop to save her work before closing it. "It'll be dawn soon," she sighed, getting in bed herself. "But sleep as long as you want. You deserve it after having that nightmare." Ray was already half asleep by the time she got into bed as well. He instinctively snuggled up to her, only feeling safe then. He drifted into sleep soon enough, the nightmare not daring to come out again. |
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Chapter 6: Tannen The sun rose only a few short hours later, Luckster following it not long after, carefully leaving Rayman to rest while she went to do her usual morning routine. She was careful to not disturb the limbless, spending possibly the quietest morning she's ever had. Not even Tannen came over to bug her. "Ray...Ray...wakey wakey," she purred. By now it was past noon. The limbless mumbled something in his sleep, before stirring. Opening his eyes, he didn't seem to realize his surroundings at first, his mind rather picturing the Glade around himself. He shook his head, and everything fell into place again. He gazed at Luckster with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "...morning already?" he muttered. "More like the afternoon," she admitted. "I'm surprised you didn't wake up this morning when I made breakfast. Yer nose is sensitive to cleaning chemicals, so I assumed it would be sensitive to food as well. Guess sleep is just more important to you." The limbless couldn't help but chuckle a bit to that, though a little wince was mixed into it too, his wound still there. "I'm a very good sleeper." he mused with a bit of pride in his voice. "I can go on having naps for days, if I have nothing to do...and to wake me, something really big has to happen." "Yeash....for a hero you sure are lazy," she joked, pulling the blanket off him to check his wound. "And yer a fast healer! Yer cut is gone!" His knife wound had been reduced to nothing more than a bruise, causing Rayman pain only if pressure was applied to it. "Well, what can I say?" the limbless chuckled again. "Can't be a hero without decent self-healing abilities. I often get into rougher situations so it comes in handy pretty much." "Good, cause I do wanna go out again today...kinda have to...and if ya get yerself in trouble again, I don't wanna have to take you to the hospital," She sighed, helping him out of her bed. "I'm sure after yesterday you'll behave yerself, right?" "You won't have to worry about me this time." Rayman shuddered, remembering the nightmare he had only a few hours ago. "I already know the risks, thus I won't even attempt anything stupid. I'll also bear in mind not to listen to Tannen, ever." "Sadly that last part is easier said than done," she sighed. "The bastard really knows how to get to a person. If it wouldn't get me in trouble, I'd give him a few reasons to leave me alone that'll probably break a few bones in his body." "I can whole-heartedly agree with you on that. I'd wanna give him a beating too...in the end, it's his fault I got cut!" he growled. "Actually it's yer own fault for behaving in such a matter to get a few thugs on yer back," she corrected. She crossed her arms and scowled at him a bit, like a scolding mother before him. Ray raised his hands, palms towards Luckster, a nervous smile on his face. "I ran into someone and they were a bit rough on me...I was already on the edge back then, and I kinda snapped..." he scratched the back of his head, slightly red. "Humans are known for their violence," she admitted. "You should just lay low next time. I don't want you hurt again." She pet him between his tufts of hair before working on fixing up her bed. "I have to check in with my boss today...shouldn't take more than an hour or so. There's some food on the table if yer hungry." "Don't worry, I'll help myself." the limbless grinned. "What do you have to do exactly though?" he asked rather curiously. That wasn't a miracle, concerning he had no boss...except maybe Polokus. Betilla could count as a boss of him, not only as a mother figure, but an employer sometimes. That was only if he needed to help work in her garden though, which he tried to prevent. "I'm what's called a Bouncer," she explained. "My uncle owns a hang-out club just outside of the city. I'm in charge of throwing out the people causing trouble or snuck in with a fake ID card. Needless to say, not many people who go there like me." "I can relate." Rayman chuckled again. "Though it's their problem. If they know it's forbidden, they should know better." he mused, flinching a bit, smiling rather nervously again. "...that sound kind of weird from me, actually." he remarked. "Sounds like you may be listening to the way I talk a little TOO well," she laughed, finishing up her bed-making. "I tend to speak wiser than I should. That's what I get for reading books as much as I have though." "Still, most of the things you say do make sense. Had I listened to you, I wouldn't have spent half a day writhing." Ray sighed, still bewildered of the accident. "If your world is really as you described...maybe it would need more people like you." he mused. "People like me are either near death, or very rare," she sighed, walking back into the living room with him following. "People are being greedier and more violent as time passes." She picked up the tv remote and turned it on to the news channel. "This is a nice little invention that helps people figure out what's going on in the world. I betcha not one story in the news will be a happy one." Rayman gazed at the TV with total confusion, though amazement as well. "You said you don't have anything concerning portals...but...how can you make everything look so clear then? This just can't be without magic..." he seemed to be enchanted by the machine. "We have cameras that record these things happening in studios around the country, or even the world," she explained. "The recordings are sent to people like me on the TV so we can see what's going on. There are also fictional things where actors create stories for us to watch...this is all reality here..." She turned up the volume a bit so Ray could hear better. The limbless swallowed his question for now and just listened. News were on and off, speaking of traffic accidents, current wars, economical problems and so on. He couldn't believe what he heard...did humans know the feeling of happiness at all? "Why can't they also show things that are happy? I mean...surely it can't be this bad everywhere...can it?" his voice contained a sizable amount of hope. "Unfortunately, not enough good things happen to make it worth watching or hearing about," Luckster sighed. "Once in a while there's a positive story...but it's only ever mentioned for a few seconds." "But...how can people actually live like this?" he asked again, confused once again. There were so many things he didn't understand about humans. "How can anyone live with continuously hearing how bad everything is? Why don't they solve these problems?" She shut off the tv before Rayman had to endure much more. "Why? Because violence is easier than peace," she sighed. "Humans have been a violent race since the dawn of time itself. To tell ya the truth, if half the human population suddenly died, it'd do this world some good, even if I was one of them." The air stopped in Rayman's lungs for a moment from hearing that. "Y-you don't actually mean that...do you?" he nearly whimpered. Life was worth more than anything in his world, treasured by every single creature, let it be big or small. "If it means this planet would have a chance at survival, then yes I do mean it," she said, sounding quite serious. "Heck...if all humans suddenly vanished, it would take only 1,000 years for it to recover from the damages we've done." The limbless was about to continue objecting, when something she said clicked in his mind. "Damages? What kind of damages do you mean?" he queried. Though the concrete jungle Luckster lived in showed him that this world wasn't nearly as clean as his own, he couldn't imagine this being much worse. "Where we're standing, I'm sure there was a huge forest," she explained, sitting down. "Most of this country used to be forest land, grasslands, and desert regions all in one. Over the years humans have destroyed the wild land to build houses and buildings for the city for the sake of human lifestyles. The metals and woods we use for such things wouldn't take long to be destroyed, as long as humans aren't around to maintain it. In the single millennium without humans around, this planet would resume to its natural state. The difference would be the mass amount of minerals in the ground." Rayman's mind got into work from her words, demolishing the Fairy Glade in his head to replace it with a city like this. He shivered just from the thought. "Then I'm especially happy for my world." he mused. "It's forests, swamps, deserts, mountains wherever you look, completely uncorrupted." a little longing sounded in his voice. "Natural and untouched," she said with a nod. "Exactly what I would love this world to be someday. It won't be in my lifetime that's for sure. And the chances of all humans vanishing is thin..." The limbless sighed a bit. He felt actually bad to know that Luckster would have to live her whole life in a world like this. He suddenly flinched...what if- "Why don't you come into my world...I mean, once a way back opens?" he questioned, smiling brightly. That would be a perfect solution! "What? Yer kidding right?" She quirked a brow at him, smirking as if it really were a joke. "A human in yer world? For one, I'd never fit in, for two, I probably wouldn't be able to survive." "Bah, I'm nearly one of a kind myself and I'm doing nicely." he replied, getting excited about his idea. "Plus, you look completely like the fairies, so I guess they'd surely help you in any way possible." "I dunno Ray...I have work here and people would notice if I went missing...well...my boss and family would anyways," she admitted, turning a little red. On the more honest side, the offer was overwhelming for her. That made the limbless' happiness sink a bit. Of course...she had a family too. "You could always bring them along as well..." he mused, though not even a bit sure of that. "No way!" She instantly snapped. She calmed down after a moment. "My family is kinda...well....different," she explained. "My father owns a business, as does my uncle...they couldn't just leave..." Ray sighed in defeat, knowing he couldn't object to that. "Still...it's hard for me too see you living like this...though I know it's not my post to suggest such things." he turned red from his earlier excitement. He didn't really think it over. "It's alright," she assured, petting him once more. "You were just thinking about a better life for me, and I respect that.” "...if you say so." Rayman muttered. He was still sure she’d be better off in his world , but didn't want to stress the topic too much. "Where would we head today?" he diverted the topic. "To my workplace," she reminded, getting up to grab Rayman's human disguise. "Put these on again. Don't need ya caught." She went off to her room again to grab at least her purse. It was too early in the day for a jacket. The limbless causally got into the clothes again, defeating his disgust over the pants. It took him a few minutes but he was able to dress up on his own, which filled him with a sense of pride "Don't forget yer Hoodie," She reminded, heading for the front door again. She trusted him to behave this time, so she didn't grab his hand like before. She let him outside first, struggling with finding the keys to lock her door. Tannen was waiting for them just outside her gate. He snuck up behind Ray while Luckster was still occupied. and grabbed him, covering his mouth. "If you scream or move I will not hesitate to hurt her," he hissed in his ear very quietly, slowly dragging him away. Ray's first reaction would have been to blast back at him with an energy sphere, but he quickly stopped himself. Tannen sounded like one who would actually fulfill his promise, if he objected. Finally, he gave in, allowing the human to take him away. He didn't wish to get Luckster in harm's way. By the time Luckster turned around, Rayman was gone. "What the...you have GOT to be kidding me!" She growled, looking around to see if Ray was hiding like a child. "Ray!! Where are ya?" She called, looking around the yard and on the other side of her gate. He was no where to be found. Tannen was safe in his house, dragging Rayman still, eventually throwing him in an old dog kennel. "Good thing I kept this," he laughed, locking it up with two locks. Rayman's eyes glinted with a threatening light the moment Tannen let go of him. Luckster was far enough now...his turn was coming up now. "You have five seconds to release me-" he growled, looking at the locked entrance. "before I blast this whole place apart..." "You don't even have the room to do anything in there," he laughed. "Besides...if you cause trouble, it'll only mean the end of you faster. You’ll end up attracting attention from people other than myself." He looked at Rayman like a common animal. "I can't believe she was hiding you the whole time...how stupid of me to think you were actually human. I mean--your nose should have given it away the most. It's huge!" "I couldn't care less about your rambling..." Rayman growled. He felt quite humiliated to be stuffed in a tiny place like that, his anger quickly rising. "What do you want from me, anyway?" "You, my little limbless friend, are gonna make me the richest man in the country," he laughed. "As soon as word gets out about your existence, scientists from all over the world are gonna flock in to buy you! I'll be living in a mansion by the end of the week!" All color faded from Ray's face from that. His nightmare was about to come true. He was going to be sold off the be cut open! That evoke a panic-like reaction from him as he punched the entrance as hard as he could in this little place. He didn't want to die already. "Awww...don't struggle so much," Tannen mocked before kicking the kennel a bit. "I don't want you TOO damaged before I sell you. Now you stay put while I get my camera." With another swift kick, Tannen left, leaving the scared limbless alone. As much as he tried to calm himself, the limbless was still in a state of panic. The kennel even felt smaller than it actually was, crushing him inside. Part of him wanted to make a sphere, but that would have been complete suicide. Unable to think of anything better, he began to pound the entrance, screaming for help. Tannen returned only moments later, laughing at the limbless' cries. "Awww...is the alien thing scared?" he laughed. "I woulda thought you knew what trouble you were getting into when you arrived." He looked into the kennel again and smiled. The panic had caused Rayman's disguise to show more and more proof of him being limbless. He started snapping pictures of him, nearly blinding him. Ray instinctively covered his eyes, spots dancing around in the air before him. His panic hadn't subsided, merely increased even more. He wished to be back home again now, or at least with Luckster, but no...he was going to be sold off and killed, just for the sake of knowing how he existed. "Let me go!!" he cried, smashing into the entrance again with all of his might this place allowed him. "Struggle all you want, Limbless," he laughed. "You're not getting out...hmmm...maybe I should show you off to some of my friends first. Chances are they won't be able to see you up close after you're sold." The limbless just continued to pound at the entrance until he got exhausted. He had to lie on the ground, his whole form shaking from mainly the fear that coursed in him non-stop. "If you sell me...they'll kill me!" he was disgusted of the pleading tone in his voice, but he was growing desperate. "I have a mother and friends waiting for me...you can't do this!!" he cried. "You can whimper and plea all you want, it isn't gonna change my mind," he laughed, picking up the kennel and peering out his window before going outside with it, tossing him in the back of his truck and covering it with a blanket, just in case. "Enjoy the ride, freakshow," he laughed, getting into the driver's seat. In moments, the truck was started up and driving down the road. Rayman promptly had to fight back his tears at this point. He knew this was hopeless now...Luckster wouldn't be able to find him now. He'd soon be sold and that will mark the end of his life. He'd never get to see Ly, Globox, Murfy or the rest of his friends, ever again. And they wouldn't even know where to look for his remains. He curled up in the kennel, trying to just remember his old days. |
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