A/N: I'm sorry for the long time of not updating. I got writer's block for a few days or so and then the computer was being evil so I could not update stuff till just now. Don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R.

Chapter 10

"Okay," Roxie said while fumbling with the stuff in her hands. "I'm now starving. I got to get something to eat before we go to Dead Town." She stopped and looked around for any kind of stand selling food.

"Want me to pit pocket anyone?" Daxter said with a sneaky smile.

Roxie glared down at him and said, "No! I can pay for my own." Daxter shrugged and watched as she went over to a stand and bought a roll of bread. She tossed the flute over to Daxter again and he had no room left in his arms, so he had to catch it again with his teeth. He muttered a sarcastic thanks to her and she just gave him an evil smile.

They walked for a long time till they finally got to the Slums and found the doorway to Dead Town. As the door's bolts slid away, the two shuffled their stuff in their hands. Roxie told Daxter to hold everything while she caught the bird.

"That is not fair!" Daxter protested loudly as they walked through the round metal room to the other door. The door behind them closed and with a slight hesitation the other one opened up for the two to enter into Dead Town.

"Yeah, it is fair, Dax," Roxie said while grabbing the net away from him. He gave her a dirty look and looked ahead. (a/n: I don't remember much of the place and I'm saying that lots of it is different because if it was that easy to destroy one big building with one flag pole then it could change just as easy in two years of time.)

"Why do they call it Dead Town?" Daxter asked with a worried expression coming to his face. His paws sunk slightly as he walked over the soft mud with the stuff in his tiny hands. Roxie was looking around and her boots made a squishing sound when she walked over the mud.

"I don't know really," Roxie said with a shrug. "I don't remember anything after my blackout, remember?"

"Oh," Daxter answered quietly. They silently walked over to the edge of mud and could see the greenish waters. A few floating wood pieces went one way to another piece of mud land, and a tangle of vines and such made a swamp to their left. A mist was in the air and the smell of everything was ominous.

"Okay," Daxter said quickly while turning around, "I don't see the bird so lets break the bad news to Mod and get our butts out of here!" He started to run away but Roxie shot a foot out and stepped on Daxter's tail to keep him from leaving.

"We got a job to do!" she snapped to him while giving the animal a stern look. "Now stop being a big baby and help me find this bird."

"Job to do!" Morph cheered with his squeaky voice. He flew around Roxie's head while doing a dance of some sort. But they could not tell because what did a pink blob dancing look like?

"That is really going to bug me," Daxter said after a long silence. Roxie gave a sigh and rolled her eyes in frustration. "Okay, lets get this over with then," Daxter said with a heavy sigh of defeat. "But I'm not going to play the flute thing. Old Greenie tried to make me play one once and I did not go too far with it."

"Who is Old Greenie?" Roxie asked confused.

"The Green Sage," Daxter answered. "He is good with green ego. Wish I listened more about what he said now. It would come in handy now that I met you."

"You don't mean that," Roxie said blankly. "You're just being nice."

Daxter shot her an evil look and said, "You're right. But I wasn't being nice. It was just something to say."

"Right," Roxie said with a teasing smile. "Let's go softy."

Daxter looked up at her and said quickly, "Shut up." Her smile grew and she tried to keep from laughing. She put the net down on the ground and took the flute from Daxter. She rested it right at her lips and blew.

A sweet sound came out of the flute and it echoed around the big area. Roxie quickly picked up the notes and made up a little song of her own that did not sound that bad for a first timer. Morph danced around her doing his little dance again. Roxie went on till she saw a bird fly above them and land somewhere in the swamp vines next tot them.

"I think it went in there," Roxie whispered while giving Daxter the flute back and picked up the net. "Come on!"

Daxter watched her walk up to the tangle of vines and gave another sigh. "Fine!" he whispered harshly to her and followed loudly behind. She snapped her head around when he stepped on a twig and snapped it. Her look told him to be quiet. Daxter just shrugged his shoulders and Roxie rolled her eyes while turning back to the vines.

"Watch your step," she warned while slowly sinking her boot into the green water. The water went up to her ankle and it was hard to walk in because the mud on the bottom of the swamp was so sticky her boot kept getting sucked into it. She would have to pull real hard to get it out and step farther into the swamp.

"Do you see it?" she asked Daxter while stopping at one spot and pointing above her to a bird sitting on a bunch of vines without spikes on them. It was around the size of a crow with dark purple feathers that sparkled even though there was no sunlight to reflect off of. It was a breathtaking sight and Roxie now knew why Mod loved his many birds.

"Roxie!" Daxter whispered loudly in a frantic matter.

"Don't tell me you're hungry, Daxter," Roxie said over her shoulder while still looking at the bird up above. "If I climb this vine I can get right to the bird. Now just keep quiet till I get it. This will be a piece of cake."

"Roxie!" Daxter said louder this time. "Help!"

"What?!" almost shouted while turning around with anger burning in her eyes.

"I'm sinking!" Daxter yelled in panic. Roxie's anger quickly vanished as she saw her friend quickly sinking into the mud. The only thing above it was his one hand and half his body.

"Hang on," Roxie said while running over to him. She lifted a foot up but soon discovered her two feet were stuck in the mud too. She let out a short scream of surprise as her body tipped forward and she did a face plant into the water and mud with a splash.

She regained composure and got up and sat on her butt. She pulled hard on her boots for a few minutes and finally got both feet out of the mud. She looked up and saw that Daxter making little progress and had only got his neck out of the mud. She ran over to him and saw that he was not in mud. He was in quick sand!

"I can't get you out from here, Dax," she said in a rush while looking around to find something to pull him up with.

"That is really reassuring," Daxter said while giving her a mean look. "Just get me out of here!"

"I'm working on it, hairball," Roxie said while taking out one of her dice from her pocket. "If I'm right this will work perfectly. I throw my dice at the quicksand and when it blows up a wave will push you to the other side so you can get out."

"What if the wave goes over me?" Daxter asked with panic as he looked wildly up at her.

Roxie was about to throw her dice when she registered what Daxter just said. She stopped and bit her lower lip. "Maybe that was a bad idea," she said while scanning around for anything to help her. She kept her feet walking so she would not get stuck in the mud again.

"You think?!" Daxter yelled loudly and Roxie could see that he was sinking real fast. With his free hand he tried to grab a vine way above. That was when she got a good idea and put her dice back in her pocket.

"Okay, I got it," she said while walking away from Daxter. He looked over to her and saw that she was leaving and freaked out.

"You can't leave me!" he shouted franticly. "Get your butt over here!" Then Roxie disappeared into the mist. "Uh..." Daxter looked around for any sign of her. "Please get your butt over here."

He then heard some running and saw Roxie sprinting towards him. She jumped right at the quicksand edge and grabbed a vine while soaring into the air. She wrapped her hand tightly around the think vine and swung around back down for Daxter.

Daxter took a deep breath right before the sand pulled him under. He put his life into Roxie's hands as he kept his one free hand up above the quicksand. Roxie flew down to him and leaned down while still in the air. She grabbed his hand and hung tightly to his wrist. The momentum of the swinging vine and Roxie's pulling got Daxter out of the sand and she flung him to the edge of the quicksand and landed beside him after jumping off the vine.

Daxter coughed up whatever was in the quicksand and gasped for air. His fur was a big mud pit that stunk so bad he had to hold his nose. Roxie bent next to him while holding her nose too.

"Where would you be without me, Dax?" she asked with a smile as he looked up at her.

"Without you, Roxie," Daxter said calmly, "I would not be walking around this swamp and not stinking like left over fish. This is a serious, concerning the lady factor."

"I think any girl would like you," Roxie said with a sweet and sour smile to her friend.

"You don't mean that," Daxter said blankly to her, "You're just being nice."

"Yeah," Roxie said while giving him an evil look. She fiddled with the goggles around her neck and added, "But I was being nice...in a mean, sarcastic kind of way."

"I feel so loved," Daxter said while picking up the net Roxie had dropped. "Now help me with this junk." He started to pick up the stuff he had dropped when he fell into the quicksand.

"Wait!" Roxie whispered while looking behind her shoulder. "Gut your fuzzy, yet stinking butt over here!" Daxter gave her a sideways look and she then said in a loud whisper, "Now!" That kicked him into high gear and he dropped his stuff and ran to where she was now hiding behind a tangle of large vines with leaves on them. That was when he heard voices.

"Hurry up, Merlander," said a voice that Roxie and Daxter knew belonged to Erol. "You've been avoiding me for weeks now," Erol was saying. "What is up with you?"

"Who is he talking to?" Daxter whispered to Roxie as he saw two figures form up in the mist.

Roxie shushed him and pulled away a few leaves of the vine away to see Erol and the other guy come up. She spotted the other figure and saw that it was the same guy from the docks the other day. He had his Krimson Guard helmet off and held it on his hip while following Erol.

"I've just been busy," the guy said. He looked to be around two years older than Roxie. He had short spiky blond hair and purple eyes that had a light in them that Roxie liked in him. There was something different between Erol and this guy.

Daxter tapped Roxie on the shoulder and pointed up. She looked up and saw the bird they were after cleaning itself on top of the tangle of vines. Then Daxter pointed to the other side of the quicksand and shook his head. Where he was pointing Morph was flying around and blowing bubbles out of his mouth for his own pleasure. Erol and the Krimson Guard were coming up. They were sure to see Morph if Roxie or Daxter did not do something.

"Now watch the master work," Daxter said with a sly smile and grabbed onto a vine and pulled himself up. "I'll get Morph," he whispered down to her. He looked up and then another thing popped into his head and he said back down to her, "And please, don't do anything...stupid!" She gave him a dirty look and he returned it with a smile then disappeared in the mess of vines.

Erol and the other guy came up and saw the net on the ground and a confused expression swept over each face. "What is this?" the Krimson Guard asked while bending down and picking up the net.

"Forget it, Merlander," Erol spat out and knocked the net out of his buddy's hands. "Just give me a good reason why you've been avoiding me and I'll let you check all this stuff out."

"Fine," Merlander said while his eyes narrowed at Erol. "I'll tell you."

A/N: Love ending it at cliffhangers! Please give a review!