Caden took a sip of water, it had been awhile since her body had any and she drank it eagerly.
"Whoa, kid. Thirsty?" Daxter joked. Caden smiled at him and rubbed her throat. Jak laughed, rolling his eyes and looked towards Damas.
"We can ask about the Baron later, once she is better." Jak asked. Damas nodded and watched as Caden turned and put her feet into water. Daxter smiled evilly and quickly pulled Pecker in the water with him. Splashing Caden, she laughed. Jak was about to sit next to Caden before his communicator went off. It was Torn, needing extra help. Jak nodded to Damas.
"Come on, Dax. Duty calls." Jak said, watching Daxter rushing to his shoulder.
"You will regret that." Pecker squawked. Daxter just smiled as he and Jak walked away. As they left, Caden felt Pecker on her lap,
"Don't worry. They'll be back."
"Yes, you are a great and skilled warrior. Quick on your feet." Damas patted the girl on the back, "But you are ill and blind. What can we do with you?" Damas asked. Pecker sat and thought a moment as Caden petted him.
"Why not train her? Make her use her disability to her advantage?"
"Good idea. She can fight where other cannot." Damas noted. Caden seemed to ignore them and was busying herself with drinking a little more water and slashing some on her face. Trying to wash the blood off while Damas watched her. Bending down, he went to wipe off an area where she had missed. Caden had flinched away, obviously not wanting any help.
"Do not deny help from an ally. Even the perfect warrior needs help with what he cannot see." Pecker said, philosophically.
"There are those blinder than you. They see only what they want and never the bigger picture." Damas added.
Jak raced from the Palace to the outside doors. Torn had needed help with an oncoming assault in the harbor area.
"We just left…no good-bye…" Daxter said, trying to sound melodramatic.
"Come on, Dax. She can handle herself. Caden is with Damas and Pecker." Jak said, nearing the garage.
"That's what scares me. You don't think Damas will throw her out?" Daxter asked. Jak shook his head. Jumping onto his jet board, he quickly cleared the distance to the transport to Haven City.
"I'm sure Damas will keep her around. It's not like she can't fight." Jak reassured Daxter, "Why are you so worried anyways?" He asked, entering the transport.
"I dunno." Dater shrugged, "I think it's the whole eco thing."
"Because of eco?" Jak asked.
"Yeah, I think she is a lot like you… Seems likes she needs someone to cheer her up a lot as well. Unlike the rest of them, she was changed on the inside and no one really knows by how."
"But how much like me?" Jak asked, which neither could answer and kept quiet most of the way to Haven City.
"I guess we'll find out in do time. She didn't receive as much eco of any kind like you did." Daxter said, gesturing with his paws. The transport halted and the duo jumped out and onto a near-by zoomer.
They raced to the Naughty Ottsel, where Torn was waiting.
"'Bout time. The KG robots are attacking the harbor and if they take out the Naughty Ottsel were done for. I need you to go around and make sure that doesn't happen." Torn said, quickly briefing the two. Jak nodded, smiling and rushed out.
It took him nearly an hour to go around the harbor and defeat all the robots attacking. Torn congratulated the team on a good job and told them to head back. Jak jumped onto another zoomer and raced the distance to the bar.
Entering, they were meet with Torn's worried face, "Good job guys, but we have a whole new problem."
"And what the hell could that be?" Daxter asked.
"Kix…" Torn said, looking down, "He made it back here and joined the KG."
"So what?" Daxter shrugged, "What's so bad about him, anyway?"
"Errol might be still in control. I'm not sure." Jak admitted.
"Errol? Great…" Torn sighed, "We have no idea what either of them are planning."
"Great." Daxter joked, "Two psychopathic KGs…"
"We'll have to up our defenses." Torn said, mostly to himself. Jinx walked in, cigar and a cocky attitude with him.
"Hey Jaky-boy, got somethin' for ya." Jinx said, tossing Jak a remote control.
"We confiscated one of the blast bots. It's armed with a detonator, use this remote to move the blast bot to their barrier and destroy it. Then we can get to Freedom HQ." Torn added. Jak smiled and looked into the monitor as he moved the robot towards the barrier. The blast bot moved through the battlefield, knocking over guards and destroying other bots alike.
It took Jak about ten minutes to get through the battle zone and almost lost the bot a few times, but Jak smiled triumphantly as he bot blew up and threw the control back to Jinx.
"Great work, Jak! Now we can get to Ashelin and the rest of Freedom HQ." Torn said, clasping Jak's shoulder as Daxter just smiled at Jak.
"Hey Torn? Where did the 'tribe' go?" Daxter asked.
Torn shrugged, "Not sure. Left not long after we brought them here and high-tailed it to the main city."
"Acted a little hostile if you ask me." Jinx added, "Like they knew where they needed to go and wanted no help."
Jak's eyes shot open, "Torn, you don't think?"
Torn looked at Jak and thought, "They might have joined Kix? Didn't think of it 'til now." Torn realized, "Maybe they were already with Kix and there was a reason they were at the Temple!"
"They were using Caden to get into the Temple!" Daxter said, "What about Raghnall and Vaja?"
"Who?" Torn asked, surprised.
"Shade's real name is Caden. Raghnall and Vaja were the two elders that stayed in Spargus." Jak answered.
"Damas sent them on a mission, so maybe we can get back before they do." Daxter thought.
"No can do." Ashelin's face appeared, "Great job Jak, but we need your help back here. We are getting assaulted hard."
"We'll be right there." Jak said. Daxter just looked at Jak worried, "Don't worry Daxter. We'll get a message to Damas."
"I'll send one. I know most of the details, anyways. I just need you two to get to the HQ as fast as you can." Torn ordered. The pair nodded and raced off to the inner city. Torn sighed, leaning against the bar, "Guess I had better get that message going."
"What's wrong, boss?" Jinx asked.
"Kix is back, we might have jumped the gun on helping them and we have no idea what Errol and Kix are planning." Torn listed.
"What's Damas got to do with anything?"
"We left a few there. They might try something there while the rest are stirring things up here." Torn answered, "Plus, we have no idea what the true story is with all of them and there is an innocent."
Jinx nodded, "Not really like ya. Caring for another…"
"It's the Baron and Errol's twisted game with what they did to her that really gets me. Not only was the Baron quick to threaten his daughter's life, but also used the city as his breeding ground. What's not to care for?" Torn added, pushing himself away from the bar to the communicator. Getting Pecker's voice in response.
"We have a problem…"
As Caden and Pecker were clearing the rest of the blood from her face, Damas was busy preparing an open spot so he and Caden could train. Damas was going to help her with using her other senses so she could fight.
Caden had been 'blind' for a while now. She kept opening her eyes, hoping for the blood to slow and it finally did. The eco was growing back in Caden's eyes and she quietly cried out. Pecker watched as she was doubled over.
"My liege! Something is happening." Pecker cried. Damas looked over to the pair, seeing holding her head in her hands. As Damas neared Caden, he heard this bone-crushing noise coming from her. The leader kneeled down next to the girl as her eyes shot opened. Damas and Pecker saw the eco snaking it's way around her eyes. Though most of the commotion Caden hardly cried out. Damas helped her up once the noise and eco ceased moving.
"Don't worry, it happens." Caden whispered, her voice sounding less harsh, "Looks like all I needed…was a little water." She joked.
"Apparently. Knowing that, your voice should return shortly." Pecker said, with Damas nodding.
"Come along, child. It is time for me to train you. Since you are blind most of the time, we might as well teach you to not rely on your sight. Train your other senses to tell and show you where everything is."
Caden nodded, while Damas lead her to the open ground, "All I really…can see," Caden tried to explain, breathing heavily, "Is a blur of what is there."
"But you still won't really know what or who it could be. Here…" Damas handed her a long Bo, "Get the feel of it. How heavy, the length, everything about it." Damas added, backing away from Caden. She closed her eyes, not like she couldn't see, but it was the point of the matter. After bouncing the Bo in her hands and swinging it around her a few times, she signaled to Damas that she was ready.
Damas crept around Caden slowly, noting any movement the girl made to acknowledge that she heard him. Every few steps, Caden would turn her head towards Damas, keeping her head tilted. Damas was glad that she could hear him, but the biggest test was yet to come.
It was time to fight. Taking a few steps to one side, Damas jumped towards Caden intent on an overhead shot. Caden tied to block, but was knocked down quick and hard. Landing with a loud thud, she shook her head, trying to regain herself. Picking herself up, she readied her self for Damas' next attack. Damas watched her and went on the attack once Caden was standing.
Barraging the girl with blow after blow to her body, Caden tried her best to block each blow. With each hit, Damas was driving her back into the nearby wall. Though to Damas, she was doing well. The long they battled, the more Caden was able to defend herself from Damas.
"My liege! A message from Haven City!" Pecker cried. It was Torn…
"We have a problem…" He told Pecker. The bird chancellor had caught both fighters off guard. Caden was about to block another attack from Damas when Pecker's voice made her jump, resulting in Damas' Bo connecting with her left temple. Caden was spun around and fell hard to the ground. Damas was instantly by her side to help her up. Caden smiled to Damas as he helped her to Pecker.
"What kind of problem?" Pecker asked, once the two were near.
"It's about that 'tribe' we rescued." Torn stated, "They might not have been as innocent as we thought. They may have rejoined Kix who is back in Haven City."
"What? How did he leave the Temple grounds that quickly?"
"My scouts had seen him around. We presume that those we brought back may have helped him. We almost have reason to believe that they might have been using Shade…Caden to get into the Temple."
"Raghnall and Vaja will be questioned when they return." Damas announced.
Caden just realized all the news. She felt betrayed and used, like she didn't mean anything to them, "Helped Kix…" it wasn't a question, "Evil."
"She is sounding better." Torn noted with a laugh.
"We will make sure Raghnall and Vaja will not go far once or if they ever get back." Damas said, "Once Jak is free, have him return here."
"Alright, over and out." Torn ended the transmission and sat back next to Jinx at the bar.
"What do we do now?" Jinx asked, in between puffs.
"We find out what Kix and Errol are doing and stop them at all costs."
Jak and Daxter finally made it to the Freedom HQ where Ashelin and the others were holding up.
"It's about time, Jak." Samos said, "Everything is falling apart!" He added, slamming his staff into the ground.
"Listen ya old bark. We have been busting out butts for you…" Daxter started before Ashelin cut him off.
"Welcome back. Let me official apologize for the city. We never should have listened to Veger." Ashelin tried to explain.
"Don't worry about it. I've got my own agenda now." Jak said, "It might be Veger behind this… or Errol. I'm not sure."
"Either way, we can't take any more assaults here. We need you to go out and defend the base at all costs." Ashelin said, getting to business. Jak nodded and raced outside, ready to fight. He felt better when he was just fighting, like a soldier and not some obligated hero.
Jak had disposed of the ships filled with KG robots within a matter of hours. Smiling wide, Jak went back to the elevator and back to the lobby for his next mission.
"Thank you, Jak." Samos said as Jak entered, "Now what to do. Torn told us that Kix is back in Haven City and that he might have joined up with the KG."
"Yeah, knew that already. The question is, what for?" Daxter asked.
"We know that they were using the girl named Caden. She and those others were also pumped with eco before I showed up." Jak said.
"What do you mean?" Keira asked, "You mean there is another like you."
"Not really. The eco only partially bonded with her. The others were mutated and now are partial robots." Daxter added, pretending to be a robot. Keira just laughed as the others just shook their heads or rolled their eyes.
"So, this Caden, what is she like?" Samos asked.
"She's a kid. Not guessing on the age, but young enough. She has some eco powers, like me, but weaker." Jak explained.
"And her eyes." Daxter jumped in, "The eco grows over her eyes and it really doesn't do much, until it starts poisoning her."
"She seems to know something about the Temple as well…" Jak noted.