I walk towards the training arena, ever since my encounter with the Evil Jay, I have realized my bow is not enough, especially around an opponent I cannot hope to hit at range and especially with a weapon point blank does no good.
So I am going for a training session with Nomad to practice combat with dual swords…another weapon I felt a pull towards and of course Nomad felt it prudent that he train me into using these dual swords or dual shock sticks in this case.
I enter the arena and Nomad turns to face and stares at me, I know enough to not turn my back to him or be in lunge range as I take my dual shock sticks out.
"So Clara, are you ready to train?" Nomad asks me.
"I am" I nod to him.
"Good answer, and now…" Nomad says to me.
Without warning, Nomad lunges at me with a one-handed shock stick but thankfully training with Nomad long enough has me ready as I block his quick strike, what I wasn't ready for was how fast he went for the next strike which I barely block and then he goes for my middle and hits me with a painful shock.
"ARRRRGHHH!" I scream in shocked pain
I fall to the floor due to the pain, but I did not stay on the floor long. While the shock did hurt me, I feel a determination to not be on the floor for long. I feel a determination to no longer be seen as weak. If Cortex is to be rid of from this world, I can't be weak, I have to be strong, I have to push through and come out victorious.
I stand in front of Nomad and start swinging again as I try to predict Nomad's moves, which I did counter and then I went for a swing towards the neck but then I feel something slowing me down…I didn't want to hit Nomad, who takes advantage and hits me with a stab to my stomach as I get shocked twice as I'm hit in the side of the neck and fall onto the ground in front of Nomad.
"What happened there Clara? You almost had me there…" Nomad asks me.
"I…I feel like I didn't want to hurt you" I tell Nomad why I didn't
I feel Nomad lift me up and put me against the wall, I watch him stare at me…I know he is behind that mask of his.
"Clara, for god's sake, you can't just go easy on me and hesitate. If I was an actual enemy you'd be a dead bandicoot in a pool of blood." Nomad lectures.
"Nomad I…" I start.
"You say you don't love me…yet you hesitate when trying to strike me and that's a weakness" Nomad says.
"I don't want you hurt Nomad, I can't bear that!" I tell him.
"Clara, if I go against you, I'd win because you refuse to strike me down…it's only shock sticks, you can't let the fact that I am your friend stop you" Nomad tells me.
He's right…I can't let this stop me…if I do have to fight the evil Nomad or something does happen to Nomad…I can't let that stop me. I close my eyes instead to picture something I can attack…I try to think of Cortex but…Evil Jay's face comes in my mind as I start again by swing at Nomad.
"Better" Nomad comments.
I keep trying to get past Nomad, being more aggressive on him as I force him back but then I am forced to start dodging before Nomad does a vertical swing which forces me to hold it back but Nomad is much stronger than me and then suddenly swings and hit my middle, making me fall to the floor again as I fall to the floor.
"You are trying to struggle against someone stronger like that, you should avoid that" Nomad suggests.
I lay on my back as I see Nomad standing above me as he helps me up.
"Come on, time for a break and then we get right back to practicing." Nomad tells me.
I follow him out of the area, I will improve…I need time…
…
3 weeks later…
I walk the streets of Wumpa City again, on a sweep looking out for any trouble, hoping to find Evil Nomad and Evil Jay…or Cortex. Come to think of it…I haven't seen much activity recently from Cortex, I know other cities have been repelling Lab Assistants but according to Jay even they have been lessening…could it be possible Cortex is running out of Lab Assistants?
Still…until Cortex is brought to justice, I can't rest because it will never be safe…oh and the Evil Clones too…
I spot something down the street and I look and it looks like a…bandicoot…with wings…But how can there be? I've only ever seen myself with wings, no others, Jay has a alligator tail, Melody has a fox tail, so how can there be another one with wings…I decide to investigate as I fly after the bandicoot who seems to notice me and ran off.
"Hey! Wait!" I call out.
Of course, the bandicoot didn't wait, why doesn't anyone ever wait when you ask them? I ran after the bandicoot down the street and eventually into an alleyway before they stop and face me and that's when I got a good look…it's me. Well…the blonde hair was a bit…dulled out and where I had Dark Blue on my outift and light blue on the eyes…they were swapped…other than that this bandicoot was a splitting image of me.
"You're an evil clone, aren't you?" I deduce.
"Of course, I'm your clone. Makes sense if you have encountered an Evil Nomad and a clone of Jay made by him that there would be one of you, right?" the clone doesn't deny it.
"But Jay lost a leg, I haven't lost anything." I told her.
"Clara, turns out making a clone doesn't require much in the right hands, I was made with a couple of feathers and a bit of hair with your battle with Evil Jay" Evil me explains.
"Then why take Jay's leg?" I ask.
"Because my master wanted it so it sends a message, a message of fear" Evil me says.
"You will not be getting fear from me, especially if you have it your way, you'd kill me" I told her.
My evil clone just laughed for a good thirty seconds while I stood there, wondering what she finds so funny.
"What's so funny?" I ask.
"Kill you? What am I, Evil Jay? No…I'm thinking, we need to be allies, not enemies." Evil me tells me.
"…What?" I gave her a deadpan look.
"Clara, I am your clone and with your materials, is DNA that tells me a lot about you and I. We're bandicoots of potential, you have a lot of potential in you that isn't realized yet, I know this because I too can feel that potential, while I'm ahead…with our combined strength, my master and Evil Jay will be nothing, along with Cortex." Evil me explains.
I...shouldn't be listening to this…
"The pair of us can have the power to change the world around us, you and I are special, we can actually change things, when our full power is unlocked, we can beat my master, Cortex, and the CMD and take control of the world and shape it how WE want it to be." Evil me goes on.
"I am not going to betray my friends" I tell her shaking my head.
"Why? What have they done for you? Melody barely sticks around you, Jay is just the leader and you only love Nomad because you feel indebted to him, because he saves you and nothing more. You aren't some helpless Princess, Clara. You're a person who can rule the world and all you have to do is gain the power needed and take the world" Evil me tries to convince me
"I do not want to take over the world and nor do I have any intention of letting Cortex and your lot take it" I tell my evil clone.
I take out my bow and aim it at my evil clone and shoot the arrow as she dodges it.
"Gonna play it like this? I will convince you that we should be allies." Evil me says as she pulls out a Crossbow.
I shoot another arrow at my evil clone as she shoots one at me and I duck for cover. I try shooting more arrows but she gets really aggressive and really fast so I pull out my dual swords, glowing a bright blue. I swing at her and I just hit the top of her hair but she pulls a single sword out and we clash blades.
"You know, you're really only working for them cause Nomad found you, you could have easily been something else, what happens when it's over?" Evil me says.
"I will always try to fight Cortex and you no matter what!" I argue as our blades clash.
"And then what?" Evil me asks.
I didn't think of that…I've been training for so long that I have never thought about life outside…
"I know you have been training, you don't know what you fight for, right now, you're still an innocent bandicoot that's frightened of Cortex. With us in power there will be no more Cortex and people will fear you instead" Evil me tells me.
"I don't know why you want me so bad!" I voice confusion.
We clash our blades some more, I keep my blade strikes fast to try and hit my evil clone and block her strikes.
"Because my master is a fool! He thinks he should rule the world through tyranny and pure destruction, he thinks that we're all just tools and that he deserves to be the ruler! But he's wrong, we are the superior beings and we shouldn't be taking orders from those beneath us. We don't have to destroy the world or rule through tyranny, but we can shape the world properly to our desires!" Evil Clara explains her motives.
"And I am not going to join you! So safe your breath!" I tell my evil clone.
"You just haven't seen the world through anyone's eyes but the CMD's, you'll change your tune" Evil me says.
I kick my evil clone and knock her down and jump to strike her but I see her Blade going to strike me so I put my sword ahead of me, hit the sword and handstand off the sword and land a bit away but as I go for a strike, my evil clone throws and object that sends rope around me as I trip and the swords are knocked out of my hand as I am tripped on the ground.
"H-Hey! What the!?" I struggle.
These ropes are tight! I can barely move! I see my evil clone going up to me.
"It's time you learned why this world needs change, I am not going to kill you, but I am going to take your memories so you have no influenced experience…and then you will see the world a more proper way and realize this selfless goodie two-shoes way you act is a weakness." Evil me says.
I watch my evil clone take out a needle as I struggle against the ropes as I didn't want to have the needle in me but I got held down my evil clone and felt the needle get injected in my neck as I feel…really…tired…can't go sleep…damn…it…
A few hours later, somewhere in Wumpa City outskirts…
A female clown was walking the streets alongside a bandicoot with wings that wasn't Clara or her evil clone.
"Anemone, how long much longer til home? This is boring!" the winged bandicoot complains.
"Now Serenity, you got to be patient, we're almost back home and—" Anemone starts.
"Hey! There's a girl tied up there!" Serenity points out.
A bandicoot in a blue outfit with wings was right next to a dumpster unconscious and tied up as the pair reach her.
"Hey, she's got wings like me!" Serenity notices.
"We gotta get her back and out of these ropes, guess whoever does these mutations really didn't like this woman" Anemone notices.
"Yeah, rarely find them tied up, let's get back before someone sees us here." Serenity looks around.
Anemone takes the unconscious bandicoot on her back and the pair take her back to their home, they will have a new person around the place it seems…