Fatty’s Submissions for June!
Submission for June #1
The Origins of Sebastion Part 2 - Escape
Short Story/Lore by Fatteus “Fatty” Thorsson
Dr. Kylon was a kind, albeit quirky man, Sebastion thought. He provided for all of his lab subjects and the tests he ran were incredibly humane considering that they were tests on animals. Sebastian was one of the Papoo that Dr. Kylon cared for, but of all the Papoo there, he was different. Sebastian would often hold long conversations with the good doctor while he measured and took notes on him and his Papoo brethren. And if Sebastian didn’t know any better, he’d say the doctor was starting to grow a fondness for him far above the others. This didn’t surprise Sebastian. Dr. Kylon – Paul, as he insisted he call him- was shut off from the other Humans and craved social interaction. Sebastian was the nearest thing to a Human that Dr. Kylon had contact with for months at a time. When another Human did visit, it was brief and not terribly pleasant. I mean, it wasn’t unpleasant. It was just business stuff. “Boring stuff,” Paul called it. Regulations, other scientists checking in on his progress, it all seemed sketchy to Sebastian. Was what Dr. Paul doing illegal? He asked Dr. Kylon one day and Dr. Kylon assured him everything was on the up-and-up. Sebastian wasn’t all too sure he believed him, though he desperately wished he could.
The day it all went away was a day like any other. The underground laboratory was dim and quiet, even though outside the sun shown brightly and the jungle birds and screechers noisily romped and cawed. The other Papoo had been getting antsy and spoke to one another of rebellion. Even though Sebastian could speak Human, he could still understand the other Papoo. Their language was simple and guttural, but hard to comprehend to Humans. Sebastian was certain his friend Paul had no idea what was coming, so one day he brought it to his attention… only to be deflected by Dr. Kylon.
“I have considered the possibility that the others might try something and precautions have been taken, Seb,” Dr Kylon said to his faithful Papoo friend. Again, Sebastian was not so sure. When Dr. Kylon began to clean the cages, Seb noticed the evil looks in the faces of the other Papoo, but it was too late to do anything about it. Before he could even screech a warning, one of the Reds jumped from their open cage and snatched Dr Kylon’s keys. They had been watching him use these to open the cages and knew what they needed to do. It began opening the other cages and Yellows, Reds, Browns, and Greys leapt from their confinements and started to surround the poor doctor, murderous intent in their eyes.
Sebastian knew there wasn’t much time, so he had to think fast. Using his gift of high intelligence, he weighed his options. To save Dr. Kylon, he had to do something drastic. He then saw the laboratory’s generator, a large battery bank powered by solar, wind, and thermal sources. He knew how unstable this was and that destroying it may be the only way to distract the others and allow the good doctor to escape. Seb grabbed a pipe and, using all of his primal strength, ripped it from the wall. He then began to beat the generator repeatedly with all his might and determination. Time seemed to stop for Sebastian. Would this work? Would he end up killing himself in the process? Could he even save his friend?
After an eternity, it seemed, the generator began to smoke. Then, without any warning, it burst into a flaming fire-ball! Sebastian was thrown backward, shrapnel and heat passing him, nearly skewering him. He landed with a sickening thud. His eyes drooped, and he lost consciousness.
When Seb awoke, everyone was gone. There didn’t appear to be any signs of a struggle or of there being violence. There was a bright, gaping hole in the side of the laboratory that lead out into the dimming jungle. It must have been dusk, meaning he must have been unconscious for hours. He knew deep down that the other Papoo must have taken the opportunity to gain their freedom when the hole was blown into the lab. As for the doctor, he had no idea. Why would his friend leave him unconscious on the floor? Did he chase after the Papoo who must have escaped? They were his life’s greatest accomplishment, after all. Sebastian wouldn’t have blamed him one bit. But still, a hot anger grew in his gut, a slight pressure at first, but then it became all consuming.
“DOCTOR!” Sebastian exclaimed in fury. “WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!”
Sebastian’s breath came in short, powerful bursts, his chest heaving. What was he going to do now? He had saved his friend, but what did that get him? He had to make his own way now. Surely he’d be fine in the wild. A Papoo with his intelligence could certainly survive without much issue. Still, he felt betrayed. The question that nibbled his mind the most was this; what had happened after he lost consciousness? “I guess I’ll never know,” he spoke under his breath, wrath tainting his words. Sebastian lumbered into the brush. He grabbed the pipe that had clearly been blasted out of the lab and smacked it into his other palm. “Who needs friends if they just leave you, anyway?” He walked out into the wild green jungle with a nascent vengeance growing in his heart and was not seen again for many months.
Submission for June #2
The Origins of Sebastion Part 3 – Vengeance
Short Story by Fatteus “Fatty” Thorsson
He was on the run. The doctor scarcely had time to stop for food or shelter. He could trust no one. Word of his experiment had gotten out not long after the Papoo nearly killed him and then escaped. They had integrated back into the wild and were wrecking as much havoc as they could – robbing people, killing endangered wild-life, and worse yet, breeding and spreading their tainted genes. He cursed under his breath as a Guard on duty walked by the shadow of the tree he was ducking into. Nearby, a sign read “Tanzanite View”. He felt like the red ball cap and dark shades he was wearing were enough to help him go unnoticed for the most part, but he had a narrow escape himself, with a guard just the other night. He was a wanted man now. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel a deep, heavy sense of guilt for leaving Sabastian behind. He was a good Papoo. Surely Seb was the least of his concerns, however. Obviously Seb could survive on his own better than the doctor himself could. Both had a measure of intelligence and craftiness, but the doctor was the one that the settlers were looking for. A bounty had been placed on his head. It was a significant bounty.
There was a ruckus in the square and guards rushed by without looking at him. “I wonder what it could be this time?” Dr. Kylon muttered under his breath. “Probably another drunken brawl by the new comers.” New settlers had been arriving en mass ever since Next Island was “discovered” by the denizens of a planet called Calypso and another one called Rocktropia (bizarre name, he thought). Naturally, this meant all sorts were arriving, including the troublesome sorts. Dr. Kylon was pretty open minded, not xenophobic in the slightest, but he still didn’t like it. But maybe they would be a blessing in disguise. He could get one of the space travelers to give him a ride to another world where he could start over. Not to mention the plethora of new scientific knowledge that would come with such an adventure. He smiled. Maybe if he ran into Seb, he could bring him too. Seb would like that, he thought. Again, a painful feeling of guilt gnawed at him. He didn’t want to leave Sebastian at the laboratory wreckage, but he had to try to catch the escaped Papoo at all costs! It was too late for that now, though. If he had the luxury of looking for Sebastian and apologize to him, he would, but he had to beat feat and get off world as soon as Humanly possible.
Sebastian tore through the overgrowth. He heard Humans. He was near a Human settlement, for certain. Then he spotted them. Two Humans brawling in the street at the edge of the forest. He could smell them, too. A horrible mixture of sweat, filth, and booze. It angered him. Humans were the reason he was alone now. The only Human he spent time with had left him and what was worse, they never returned to get him! He was unconscious for hours after the explosion, the explosion that saved that man’s life, he thought bitterly, a rage building up inside. Was his anger undeserved? He had asked that question a few times, and each time his instincts told him NO. It was fair to be mad. Of all the Human settlements he ran into throughout Next Island, none of them had the doctor in them. The doctor not only didn’t come back for him, but seemed to be hiding from him. All of this angered Sebastian even more. Someone would have to pay for this grave injustice. He glared at the two imbeciles who were rolling in the street, smashing their fists into one another. What did they have to be angry about? They were doing what he wished he could do to Dr. Kylon.
That was the final straw. Sebastian leapt from the bushes, baring his claws and his fangs and closed in on the two drunkards. The two stopped fighting for a second that would prove perilous, staring in unison at the awe inspiring sight of a mad Papoo coming right toward them. All animosity between them was forgotten and they struggled to get off one another and scamper away. But it was too late. Using all of his primal fury, Sebastian ripped off the man’s right arm. Blood spurted from the wound and the man howled in agony. Sebastian could hear footsteps coming his way and the burly voices of guards, as well as the clank of weapons on backs. He smacked the man with his own arm, threw it at him and dashed back into the jungle. But not before he heard a click and saw a flash. The other man had taken his picture. Seb thought nothing of it and winded his way toward a shadowy grove. That was when he saw him. He recognized the man by his scent before he recognized his face. He was wearing a red ball cap and dark shades, no doubt to hide his identity. So he was hiding, then! This new revelation renewed his anger.
Paul Kylon saw the familiar Papoo and a broad smile burst onto his face.
“Seb!” Dr. Kylon exclaimed. “You found me!”
Sebastian was unsure for a moment and then the wheels in his head started turning again. You found me was something someone would say if they were hiding from you, he thought feverishly. He wrung his primitive hands and closed in on his former friend. What he failed to do to the drunkard, he was going to do to the man who abandoned him in the cruel jungle, the man who had left him to die and who could have thought he had been dead already. Had he even stopped to check to see if he was alright before running away?
Dr. Kylon saw the fury in his old friend’s eyes and raised his hands as though to fend off the first blow. It all happened too fast for him to even comprehend what was going on. Sebastian had taken his left arm and torn it out of its socket. A wave of fear and pain washed over Paul as the raging Papoo tore his other arm off. Next, Sebastian tore off Paul’s face, shades and cap with it. Dr. Kylon barely was able to gurgle a scream before another blow knocked him unconscious.
There he lay… Dead in a pool of his own blood with the heaving Papoo standing over him. His rage was finally quenched and a new emotion filled Sebastian. It was loss. It was sadness. Dr. Kylon was the only person he could call a father figure. The sight of his mangled body made a well of heartache rise within Sebastian. Tears streamed down his monkey-like face and he tried to stem them with the back of his palm. Then, footsteps and the clank of weapons on backs were heard approaching. Thinking fast, Sebastian grabbed the only two things that he could remember his beloved friend by; the red ball cap, and the shades. He put them on and darted into the woods.
No one could identify the doctor. His face was gone and he wore no other identification. Fingerprints and dental details were preserved, but that technology wasn’t widely available yet so his corpse was given to the boars to eat. No evidence of this evil night was spared, save for the red ball cap and shades that were retreating into the night on their new owner. To this day some are still looking for Dr. Kylon. But now there is another they are looking for- the assailant who gravely injured one man and apparently killed another in a similar fashion.
Submission for June #3
The Origins of Sebastion Part 4 – The Papoo Mafia
Short Story by Fatteus “Fatty” Thorsson
Has anyone seen Dr. Paul Kylon? Sebastian was nursing a deep wound, but it wasn’t one of the physical variety. He had just killed his only friend in the universe. Did he have the right to do that? At the time he thought so, but now he wasn’t so sure. He kept wearing the red ball cap and shades in part to honor Dr. Kylon and in part because they made him feel safer. There was a bounty out on him now, though it was for “Killer Papoo”, not Sebastian. If he hid his face and head, perhaps he would never be identified. Damn that drunkard for taking his picture. He saw it plastered in every Human settlement he went to.
People thought it was cute, though, to see a friendly looking Papoo wearing a hat and shades. Several children and women – and even one, particularly fat man – had come up to him and offered him a paplon or two exclaiming how adorable he was. He would smile and accept the fruit and then go about his business, which of course meant getting away and wandering some more. These days, Sebastian was lost in his thoughts more than anything. Maybe his violent streak was behind him, but he feared it would rear its ugly head again one day. What would his life be like now that there was no doctor and no laboratory? It had been a year since the explosion and most of the lab was still in tact and unmolested. No one had even so much as taken a tech chip since the disaster. It was a secret lab, after all, even with much of it exposed now. But the jungle had started to reclaim it. Tree roots, ferns, and mosses were growing over the gaping maw that was exposed with the explosion. Birds of paradise had made their nests in old machinery. Screechers were getting annoyingly curious about it and Sebastian had started making it a daily ritual to chase them away. Luckily, their eggs were also very delicious and very filling. Sebastian had stumbled on an island with a large cavern filled with them.
It was war… The Screechers were stupid, flightless birds, but they were irritatingly aware of everything Sebastian was doing. They went out of their way to make the poor Papoo’s life a living Hell. Maybe it was warranted, but a Papoo’s got to survive. What were a few unborn chicks worth? He noticed other Papoo, the Red ones in particular, brutally attack Screechers, sometimes stealing into their nurseries and murdering the chicks for food. Sebastian had no way to stop this barbarism and was forced to accept it. What he wouldn’t accept, however, was the Screecher’s apparent disdain for all Papoo, himself included. Papoo weren’t all baby killers! Just the dang Reds! They gave them all a bad name. He supposed the egg thieving wasn’t helping his case, but they were enough to feed him for a couple days at least. When fruit was scarce, they were his go-to source of sustenance.
They were getting smarter, too. The Screecher had formed an alliance with the Boars. Boars. The name made Sebastian shudder in anger. Boars were literally everywhere on Next Island, and their main food source happened to be the thing Seb couldn’t find anywhere; fruit. It was really the boars that were to blame for Seb’s egg thievery! If they weren’t such big pigs, maybe there would be enough fruit to eat, he thought savagely. It was all coming to a head, however. The Screecher’s had built a caged enclosure for their young and then put the boar piglets inside with them. It was impossible to harm the chicks without harming a piglet. Even a piglet was dangerous to a Papoo, who, for all of their primal might, couldn’t match the ferocity of a full grown boar. And that was exactly who would come to call if one of their piglets were harmed. That was when Sebastian formed the perfect plan.
Why should a Papoo life be put at risk? Why not trick a Human into killing the problematic piglets for them? They were hunting the adult boars anyway! But a Human wasn’t going to kill a bunch of little piglets for nothing. Sebastian had to reveal that he could talk first. It surprised every Human at first. They’d come say hello to the cute, little Papoo, and then Sebastian would introduce himself and they would run away screaming. That was, until he started waving around rewards. At first he offered fruit, but that was no good, because he needed the fruit himself. Surely, though, fewer boar piglets meant fewer boars, and thus more fruit in the long term. Alas, he could not justify giving them fruit at this time. He thought hard. What do Human’s value, he pondered. Then the laboratory popped up in his mind’s eye. Technology! Of course! He knew he could get his hands on a nearly endless supply of tech chips at the old lab if he tried.
But the chips were big. Big and heavy. It would take him forever to gather enough for one Human by himself. He needed to employ people to move the chips. But the people were afraid of him, and even if they would work for him, he would need a reward for that as well! Who would work for free? He smacked himself in the face with his Papoo palm. His Papoo brothers! They could be encouraged to help, perhaps. Motivation. He needed a motivation. He frowned. The Papoo hated Humans. Perhaps he could unite the Papoo as a singular group against the Humans? Tell them that they needed to steal the chips to hurt the Humans, maybe? That could work.
Before too long, reports of a Papoo Mafia sprang up on the fringes of Next Island. Troupes of Papoo wandered far and wide stealing from helpless settlers. This was a start. Now Sebastian just had to direct them all to gather all of the Elysian Tech Chips from the lab and bring them to the staging area. The staging area was an ancient ruin in an area known as “Papoo Village”, conveniently right next to the enclosure the Screechers built to protect their young. Sebastian, dressed in his red ball cap and shades would stock pile them nearby and offer any bored Human passerby the chance to a shiny reward simply for taking out as many piglets as possible!
Finally, a hunter passed by and he hailed them. The usual surprise at a talking monkey happened, but then, a miracle! He convinced a hunter to kill 200 piglets in return for a thousand or so tech chips. The hunter loaded up the chips and dragged themselves away to the nearest storage terminal. He had duped the other Papoo and now he had duped his first Human. Many more would come to collect the chips, which he found out were pretty hard to get other ways. He had the perfect business transaction going on. He provided the Humans with something they desired, he provided the other Papoo with a way to get under the Humans’ skins, and best of all, he had plenty of fruit to eat now with less competition. He took a big bite out of a bombardo and munched on the savory flesh with relish. He was now the Don of the Papoo Mafia.
Oh, and that fat Human came by and did the mission too. Afterward, he asked Sebastian about his back story, not satisfied with the typical answer he gave anyone curious enough to ask. Seb spilled the whole thing to him on his word that he would tell nobody. As far as Sebastian knows, his secret is safe.
Submission for June #4
Our Savior Tommy – Fatty’s journey to Next Island
Short Story by Fatteus “Fatty” Thorsson
The second he stepped off out of the cockpit of his Quad-wing, Fatteus was hit with a rush of humidity similar to what he had experienced in other tropical environments. He tasted the air, it was tangy and sweet with the pollen of tropical flowers. The sun played with his skin, bathing his face in warm waves of heat. A calming breeze blew through his long, silver hair. He smiled.
“Tommy be praised. Truly, the lord Tommy has blessed this paradise.”
He spent most of the day exploring the beaches and tropical rain forests of the Southeastern “gateway” of Next Island. He marveled at the wildlife and amazing plant life. He amused himself with a funny little monkey wearing a red ball cap and shades that offered him some Elysian tech chips for killing a couple hundred boar piglets. The locals were very welcoming. They offered him gifts and advice on how he could become a full-time citizen of this world.
Fatty was here on an adventure, to record the previously unknown and unrecorded, and most of all spread the good word of his lord Tommy, the first avatar, the giver of gifts and teacher of patience. Like with all other planets, he encountered the pagan followers of the deceiver, Lootius. For too long, Lootius was the only name worshiped. It would be Tommy’s time very soon. Tommy’s day was coming, and just maybe, he may return, Fatty thought. After all, no being has ruined more lives than Lootius. Promising all time highs, he lures his followers into spending every last dime they earn. Tommy teaches patience and responsibility. Tommy teaches us to risk only what we can afford to risk and to accept failure when it comes. Tommy teaches us that there will be harsh droughts, but there will also be times of plenty. Tommy teaches us that we should play smarter and not harder.
Fatty, the High Prophet of Tommy, would bless most of the settlers he ran into, telling them “May Tommy bless your hunt,” or something to that effect. Often times this would lead to people asking who Tommy was, and Fatty would be delighted to tell them.
He sat on the pier on the beach at the foot of Crystal Peak listening to the mad calls of birds and the play of nearby Screechers as the sun was swallowed by the western horizon. Dusk dimmed everything, casting shadows here and there. “Here now sets the sun on the time of Lootius the deceiver. A new dawn will come; the dawn of the hour of the Tommites. The church will grow here in the fertile soil of this world. I have planted the seeds on Calypso, and also here on Next Island, and it will grow. All hail Tommy.”
Submission for June #5
Through the Wormhole – Giving day in late May
Short Story by Fatteus “Fatty” Thorsson
It was a warm, placid morning. The birds were warbling, the waves of the nearby ocean were gently caressing the sand, sighing as the sea foam gathered, and just a little ways up the beach, a party was starting to form. Word of a great gifting had come, and his majesty Socrates was descending the televator, beaming onto the sandy coast at the foot of Crystal Peak. He was resplendent in the finest armor and it was impossible to see his face, but he gave off a warm, welcoming aura. He brought many gifts. The group began sweating a Screecher and were shocked when none other than the Desertcrawler King appeared in the center of the sweat circle! Some panicked, but most adjusted quickly and began to sweat the beast. It took a while, but they managed to dry him out, then a few brave souls began to bring him down. Everyone shared in the bounty.
The fun wasn’t over, however. Soon Socrates opened up a rift in the air behind the sweat circle. Everyone gazed in wonder at the rare sight. Wormholes were not something most people got to see every day. Socrates dared them to step into the rift. No one knew where it lead, and many were hesitant until a few got up the audacity to jump through it. What they learned was that it lead to a far-flung colony; an oasis in the middle of the badlands called Serpentine Village. It was gorgeous there! Verdant ferns and bamboo dotted the lush green lawns and a clear pool surrounded a teleporter pad. There were winding paths that wended their way around the grounds. This would be an interesting place for a race, some settlers thought. Some folks spent their afternoon soaking up the sun by the pond or laying in the grass and gazing at the clear, blue sky. Others quickly returned through the wormhole back to Crystal Bay and the sweat circle. Truly, it was a day to remember and I look forward to the next gifting day.