Miss. Ecofreak: I've been looking forward to uploading this chapter. Another original character will appear

Zakura: who is it this time? me?

Miss. Ecofreak: you're not an original Jak and Daxter-character.

Zakura: but I am original! Your grandma said she had never seen any rabbits of my color before

Miss. Ecofreak: But I've seen a lot, your mother even had the same color. You almost got the same color as Daxter.

But never mind that. let's just see what ridiculous plans Cornelius has for us today

Cornelius: (appears out of nowhere) HEY!

CHAPTER 21

AN UNEXPECTED SIDEKICK

215. Month 9

Cornelius

Torn had been accepted with open arms in the underground but that didn't mean I had to trust him.

For now I didn't care much, though I kept asking my friends in the guard and even they seemed sure that Torn was a good guy.

I trusted two crimson guards, and even they had to pass hard tests to prove their loyalty.

As for Torn, I just saw him as another one of those who had passed the examination at the crimson school (my two informants confirmed he had been there) just to become a private soldier for the baron.

Today I didn't have time to care, more and more people were accepted into the crimson school and Jacob was as good as forgotten.

According to our great leader there was nothing we could do about it.

But Shadow was wrong! There was one way! He was just too weak to see it.

At this point I agreed with the baron. This was a war, and in war people die.

We had already stopped the baron's plan of building a new crimson school but the old one, the one I was sent too, was still there.

"Have I ever told you that you are nuts?" Tanya asked like for the tenth time, "You can't just blow up the entire crimson school! Not all of the students are Praxis' biggest fans you know"

"It doesn't matter. It's the only way" I said, "We have to stop this once and for all"

"Shadow will not be happy about this, even if you do succeed" Kate said, she sat on the couch with her little brother and Crocked, who growled every time I came near.

"Samos is too soft!" I said, "He thinks it will all be alright if all he does is sit on his but and tell people the baron is a moron! We have to be tough to beat the baron, even if Shadow disagrees!"

"What about Ashelin then? Is she going to suffer because of her father?" Kate asked, she kept reminding me of my cousin every time I got to violent, perhaps because her own father was Praxis' brother.

"Ashelin finished crimson school ages ago! She will not get hurt" I assured her.

"I know that, but there might be more people like her at that school" Kate said.

"Doing this means you will sink down at your brothers level" Tanya commented, "Is that what you want?"

"You don't have to come along. I can do this on my own" I said, "Just don't come crawling back to me when the citizens worship me as a hero"

I walked out, I was sick of the girls' commentaries.

But just as I started my zoomer's engine Kate ran out followed by Tanya, Jak and Crocket.

"Wait for me" Kate said, "I still don't agree with your methods Cornelius, but someone has to make sure you don't destroy more than you have to"

"Thought you were looking after the kid?" I asked, "You did volunteer"

"We can drop him of at Kor's house on the way" Kate said, "He love the boy so I'm sure he won't mind"
it wasn't easy riding the small zoomer with both me, Kate, the kid and his dog but luckily Kor wasn't living far away.

As soon as we dropped the kid of we drove towards the school.

The place hadn't changed since I was here last, at least not from the outside.

As I looked at the walls my mind projected an image of the large red building inside and I could almost see a little black and brown-haired boy getting yelled at while his older red-haired brother stood by and laughed.

"This place gives me shivers" Kate said, "How is it on the inside?"
"You'll see" I said, not wanting to describe the school for her, though if I did she might not be as reluctant to destroy it.

"How are we going to get in?" Tanya asked, "Sure I can fly over but you can't just climb these walls"
"There is a small wooden hut on the inside with a small hole leading out here" I said, "At least it was when I went here. I made the hole myself in one of the huts that were used as punishment for kids who got bad grades or did something wrong".

"Why do I get the feeling that hut were you second home?" Tanya asked.

"I didn't exactly stay there for as long as the teachers thought I was" I said, "The back of the huts lead directly into the streets. It was no problem for me to remove a couple of planks and run out to the city. The punishments was the best thing at the entire school"

I found the hut quite quickly although I hadn't been there for years.

There was only one problem.

As I removed the loose planks I noticed there was a table on the inside, there was no way for Kate and me to get through.

"Now what?" Tanya asked, "There's no way teenage elves can get through there and I can't remove the table. Can we og home now?"
"Fine, we need a new plan, are you coming Shara?" I looked around, Kate was gone.

I walked out of the dead end we where in and found her near a crack in a house wall.

"What are you doing? You know that crack won't lead you in to the school" I said.

"Shhhj" she whispered, and then she turned towards the crack again and said with a soft voice "It's okay, you can come out now"

Tanya and I looked at each other; the bird was just as confused as I was.

"Who or what are you talking to?" Tanya asked.

Kate didn't answer; she stuck her hand into the crack but quickly pulled it back.

"He bit me" she told us.

"Who?" Tanya and I asked but Kate just stuck her hand in again and this time she didn't pull it back empty.

She pulled out a small orange fuzzy animal; it looked like an otter or a weasel and was wearing fingerless gloves on his front paws and a couple of goggles on its head.

"I said let go of me you crazy chick!" the animal cried, "I like it in there! It's warm and cosy and I… a-a-atsjooo!"
To me it didn't look like the ottsel had fount a perfect home.

Water from a broken pipe flowed through the crack and the ottsel's fur was dirty from sewer water.

Judging from the sneezing it had obviously caught a cold as well.

"Don't be silly, its not healthy for you to stay in there" Kate said, "You'll get sick ("He is sick" Tanya remarked) besides people living here might think you are a rat"

The ottsel stopped twitching and looked at Kate for a moment.

"You're the first one who says I'm not a rat" he said sounding confused.

"I know a lot about animals, and you are too big to be a rat" Kate said, "Besides, a rat-tail is naked, yours is covered by beautiful fur. If it weren't for all the mud that is"

The ottsel looked down/up at his tail as if it was the first time he'd seen it, or noticed that it was filthy.

Then he twirled out of Kate's grip and started cleaning it.

Suddenly an idea popped into my head, "I know! You're probably small enough to get into the hut!" I said.

"What hut?" the ottsel asked and stopped cleaning his fur.

I pointed at the hut by the wall and the little guy jumped up.

"That's the crimson school! You were right Shara, this guy's nuts!" he said.

I looked at Kate with an annoyed look but she just laughed.

"I never said he was nuts, just a bit overenthusiastic" she said.

"I know what you mean" the ottsel said and rolled his eyes.

"You don't need to actually enter the school grounds, just help us remove a table in the way and then you can return to your mud hole" I said.

Kate glared at me at the word "mud hole".

"What do I get?" the ottsel asked, "Give me one good reason to get close to that school! I still got reasons to live!"

I was about to ask what reasons a little rodent could have to live but Kate interrupted.

"Please Daxter, if you help us out you can even come home to my hose and leave this little crack" she said.

"Daxter? That thing's got a name?" Tanya asked.

"Watch it bird brain! I've killed mice bigger than you!" the ottsel Kate had called Daxter warned.

"Relax" Kate said, "He told me his name while you were checking out the hole in the hut. That plus some other words I don't want to repeat"

"I've been chased around by those guards more often than Yaccow eats grass!" Daxter said, "They just throw one look at me and then they chase me as if I was a walking meal or something. So why should I give them a reason to kill me?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of, just crawl through that hole, remove the table and come back out" I said, "No one's going to even see you"

"What do I get?" Daxter asked, "And don't say honour and glory because I know I'll never get that."

Why does everyone in this city need something in return?

"Fine, I'll pay you back later" I said, "I've got some precursor orbs at home that you can have later"
Daxter thought for a moment but finally he made up his mind, "Fine. I'll remove your table. But that's all okay? So don't come ask me to go in there"

I showed Daxter the hole in the hut and he jumped in easily.

Moments later he came back out.

"The table is out of the way" he said, "Don't forget you owe me big time for this!"

"Fine, just wait here till we get back" I said and crawled through the hole.

Kate and Tanya followed quickly.

The hut was empty, which was a good thing.

Not only could we have been seen but if someone was in here the door would have been closed.

Right now the door was open and we walked straight out to the school yard.

Miss. Ecofreak: and stop! Now you all have to wait before reading the next (evil laugh)

Zakura: I guess the "Dark ottsel" part of your pen-name really fits

Miss. Ecofreak: sure. I never really planned for Daxter to make an appearance in this fic, I thought he might just run by once or twice but I never planned it for Kate to actually talk to him... until i wrote this chapter though.

Zakura: the question is: will Daxter, who has annoyed so many elves in Jak2, J&D and Jak3, get along with Kate and Cornelius? And will Kate find out who his best friend really is?

Miss. Ecofreak: who knows?

Zakura: you know Ecofreak.

Miss. Ecofreak: That's right! I do! but don't think I'm gonna tell! you'll have to wait and see! (evil laugh)

Zakura: STOP LAUGHING!

Miss. Ecofreak: (shrinks) sorry...