Chapter 43
Jak and I ended up getting married very shortly after the Precursors left... and the same thing happened with Daxter and Tess... and Torn and Ashelin on top of that. Keira, Sammie, and Minnie were a couple for 9 months now, which I thought was good at how they took things slowly... but not all was pleasant, unfortunately. Sadly, only a month after the Precursor leader left the planet, Onin died of old age and we gave her a respectful burial in the Precursor Monk Temple near Spargus City. We figured she deserved to be as close to the Precursors as possible, considering she was just as happy to see them in person as she was to learn about their history, unlike Samos, who was a bit touchy on the subject of accepting the Precursors as little fuzzy rats.
And another bit of good news was that Kiki had already had 40 different children due to her new status as the Metal Head Leader of Haven City, all of them looking exactly like humans of different kinds, based off of Kiki and all of them being quite tough, yet very nice to everyone. And only 10 of them were in their teenage forms while the others were still in their infant stages. It was a good bit for us, and Jak and I actually had a kid of our own a bit after getting married, us having our child a year ago and her being adorable. As for her name? We called her Maria, which was just a bit different than Jak's real name.
Marigold had taken over for running Spargus in Damas's stead, but with the help from Metal Morah and Metal Fridgion, they actually managed to build a storm-proof wall the whole stretch of the wasteland to prevent people from having sand kill them during the storms. And Morah also managed to demolish the entirety of the Marauder camps in the Wastelands and capture every one of their warriors.
And shortly after Maria's 4th birthday, we then got a call from someone... someone we didn't know for a change. "Hello? Who is this?" I asked into the communicator.
"Greetings, miss Sasha. My name is Rayne... I am calling to request that you and my father's closest associates come to my mansion in Kras City to toast to his untimely demise... I'll send you the coordinates in a short while, as well as the date and time," the caller said, Jak immediately asking her a question.
"Wait, before you hang up abruptly, tell me. Who was your father?" Jak asked.
"Krew," she said, Jak looking a bit shocked at that as I actually felt a bit sick from hearing that Krew had reproduced... how the hell could he and why would he?
"O-Okay... I'll think about it," I said as I then hung up and I could literally hurl from something other than morning sickness... at least having Maria made me realize that Dark Eco injection was, indeed, way worse than child birth. I had felt so much pain from the injections, Maria was simply me pushing and feeling no pain at all, something the doctors were shocked by when they delivered her... but after hearing that Krew had a daughter? I felt like I was ready to throw up.
"You okay, Sasha?" Jak asked me.
"Ugh... Krew... having a kid... I feel like that's the most disgusting bit of news ever... and how could he do so with fat rolls like that?" I groaned as I then rushed to the sink and puked into it, Maria coming out from the bedroom and looking at me in curiosity.
"Daddy? Why is mommy acting like a walrus?" Maria asked as I continued to dry heave.
"She just found out that someone had a kid when we thought it impossible, just from him being unhealthy," Jak said to her.
"Who was it, mommy?" Maria asked, me then smirking as I finished dry heaving after hearing Maria's innocence.
"A man that we stopped from doing very bad things... but why would that Rayne girl wait so long to toast her father's death? Something doesn't make sense about all this," I said.
"I think I know how to go about this... we get everyone to go to the toasting, but we all pretend to toast and don't actually drink whatever is offered. I have a feeling that Krew has a hand in it, and knowing him, he'd probably try to do something nasty," Jak suggested.
"Good thinking, Jak," I smiled as I then called everyone of our friends up and found that they all decided we should go, just to see what Kras City was like, since none of us had been there before... well, almost everyone. Some such as Metal Morah, Marigold, and Vin didn't go for their own reasons. Morah because she was busy working with Marigold and vice-versa and Vin because he was actually scared of going to Kras City.
"Why are you scared of Kras City, Vin?" I asked him.
"Do I have to spell it out? That place is the most crime-ridden place out there! It's run by the Mizo crime ring, a ruthless group that kills anyone that disagrees with them!" Vin said in worry, me frowning at that. Why would Rayne, Krew's daughter, live in a place as lawless as what Vin described? I would have to think later, because we then got the call from Rayne telling us to meet up in Kras City in 2 days time at the coordinates listed. It was right where I expected to to be, just a bit west of Haven City, which meant we had to go over the Forbidden Jungle and Haven Forest in order to reach it, as well as cross a large body of water. And when we arrived, we actually saw that Kras City was a port town, as there were tons of boats and shipping rigs all over a harbor-like area with the main city being on a small bit of mainland that was actually connected to a patch of land that led to the Icelands.
Upon arriving, not ten minutes later did we start getting people giving us death threats. And Dax decided to do a daring deed and go out to the bar to tell some tall tales, only for Jak to get attacked by a bunch of combat drivers and saving Daxter from death from bad guys at the bar! I learned this soon after we had all congregated at Rayne's mansion, seeing that the place was very elaborate and that there were Metal Head trophies on the wall, including a Metal Mammoth and a Metalpede mounted on the walls, which impressed me. But as for Kiki? She was a bit antsy when she sat down.
"You feeling some more eggs coming, Kiki?" I asked her.
"No, I'm just a bit nervous... if it's Krew's daughter, I don't know how she'll react to me, what she'll plan to do to us, or how flabby she'll look," Kiki said.
"Agreed. But remember the plan. Don't drink the toast or eat the food. None of us trust Krew or any of his plans, so just pretend to take a swig of wine, okay?" I said, them all nodding at that as I then looked around and looked at my watch. "Huh... she said it'd be around this time of day, but she's not here yet... well, maybe she's stuck in a doorway or something?" I smirked, Daxter and Tess laughing at that before we then heard some footsteps from nearby.
"Ah, I see you've all arrived. Though it seems that some didn't make it... ah well," said the voice of Rayne as we all looked at her and we were gobsmacked. She looked absolutely beautiful, completely the opposite of Krew! The only thing they shared was a love of green attire... though with Krew, I wouldn't be surprised if it was from sweat and moss on a white shirt. "I'm Rayne," she said, me smirking at her.
"Question... are you adopted?" I asked, Rayne frowning at that before nodding her head. "Whew... I was scared that Krew might've had the ability to have kids... and I threw up at the thought of it," I admitted, Rayne sighing at that.
"Understandable. Most people ask me that question if they know Krew was my father," Rayne said as she then got a bottle of vintage wine and she then poured it into a bunch of different glasses. "Before father passed, he left his will, which he requested be read by his closest associates. This wine was provided to toast his passing before the will played," Rayne said, me looking at everyone and them nodding. "A toast to new friends and father's untimely death," Rayne said as we then pretended to drink our wine dry... but in reality, we all hid the contents in small coolers we had that we made sure to keep hidden... as for Daxter and Tess? They simply poured theirs into two different bottles that were on the table and empty.
"I think it's time that we played the will," Rayne smiled, not noticing our trick at all. She then placed a recording device on the table and we saw a hologram of Krew appear, his visage actually making Maria scared as she then hid behind me and underneath my chair.
"Hello friends, and mostly enemies... if you're listening to this, then I must be dead... ah well..." Krew's message said as his visage then moved around the room slightly in his floaty chair. "I have asked you all here to help accomplish an old dream of mine. There are two things I love most in this world. Racing, and guns. But despite everything I tried in my life, I could never win the biggest and most elaborate race of them all, the Kras City Racing Championship. You've all been hired to win the race fo me. So what do you say?" Krew asked, me, Errol, and Kiki immediately saying "YES!" while everyone else yelled "NO!"
"I'm assuming you're all riled up by now, so now I'll explain why you WILL race for me and you WILL win! If all went as planned, then you just had a touching toast in my honor. Sorry to say, but I put POISON in that vintage!... Quite unsporting of me, really," Krew said, me smirking.
"I knew it. I told you all that I smelled a rat! Okay, pay up your bets!" I said immediately, the ones that I bet with immediately handing me 3 Precursor orbs each as Rayne looked shocked by Krew's message as well as me speaking.
"FATHER!" Rayne exclaimed angrily as I saw some tears form in her eyes.
"This is where Rayne probably gets upset. Sorry dear. It's a slow-acting poison, or else you'd all be dead by now. If you happen to win the racing championship, a client of mine will provide an antidote for the poison," Krew said as the visage then disappeared and Ashelin immediately got her gun out and put it to Rayne's chin.
"What the hell were you planning on doing to us?!" Ashelin exclaimed angrily, me hissing at her in my Dark form for what she just said in front of Maria.
"Ashelin! Language! My kid is here," I said, Ashelin frowning at that, but keeping the gun at Rayne's throat.
"P-Please... I didn't know! I drank it too. Father never did play favorites," Rayne said with a frown.
"Yeah? Well your father's crazy!" Torn growled lowly.
"I think all of us are crazy for trying to come to this place!" Tess groaned. I looked into Rayne's eyes and then to her glass... She did take all of it in one go.
"She's telling the truth. Not a droplet left in this glass of hers," I frowned, Ashelin then holstering her gun and Krew's visage appearing again.
"Well, it's been about one minute. So I'm assuming you're all arguing about how to get out of this mess. My advice is trust no one! Win the race and save yourselves!" Krew said before the will then ended and we all looked at each other and then at Rayne.
"Well... I'd hate to be the bearer of worse news when the leg's already been twisted... but we all agreed we wouldn't be having a single drink or taking a single bite of any of the food because of how much we distrust Krew," I said, Rayne gasping at that as we all then showed her our hidden flasks that we'd stored our wine in. "But since you happen to be a victim of Krew's jiggly evilness, I think we should take a vote. All in favor of helping Rayne get her antidote, say I," I said, nearly everyone in the group saying that word... minus Maria and Samos.
"Well, we only have two against it, so my daughter and Samos will sit this one out in the wings," I said as I then looked at Maria with a smile. "Besides, you're still a bit young to be placed in the driver's seat, sweetie," I smiled at her, Maria giggling at that as Jak then picked her up and put her on his back.
"We can do this. We can win this race and beat Krew at his own game!" Jak said, Rayne then smiling at us.
"My father has a garage filled with some of the finest racing cars available for the racing championship. And each of you has a racing car waiting," Rayne said, that making me a bit confused... but Tess was the one who spoke up before me.
"How did you know almost all of us would be getting a specific car?" Tess asked, Rayne frowning at that.
"Father expected you to say yes to the will... and now I know why," Rayne frowned.
"Listen, Rayne. You don't need to worry. We'll win that racing championship and prove to everyone that we're the best darn racers in the world! You can take that to the bank," I smiled.
"Okay, let's get you up-to-speed with the vehicles, then," Rayne said as we were then led to the garage and we saw a whole slew of awesome-looking cars, including one that looked like it was ready to be built from the ground up.
"Hey, Keira?" I said, getting her attention. "How about you go ahead and make this car here for Dax and Tess? I think it's high time that they prove that big things do indeed come from small packages," I smirked, Keira nodding at that.
"I know just how to design it, then," Keira smirked at me as she then proceeded to fix up the car while I got accustomed to my own vehicle, which was a heavy one that looked like it could be very fast.
"Ah, that's the Basher. It's a tough car with good speed. You'll need that toughness for the races, which are filled with combat and explosions," Rayne said, me being a bit worried at that.
"What happens if we happen to get blown up?" I asked.
"Then you'll be out of the race. But these cars are outfitted with very safe features... namely, if your car explodes, you'll be immediately teleported to the sidelines of the track you're competing on," Rayne said, me smirking at that.
"Risk and reward factors, eh? I'm all for that," I smiled.
"Well I hope you're ready, because starting tomorrow, the first race will be in Spargus City," Rayne said, that making me smirk.
"Maybe we can go ahead and say hi to your mom while we're there, Jak," I smirked, him nodding at that.
"Agreed," Jak smiled at me.