Chapter 6

Some Time Earlier…Otis's POV

"Sarah? Sarah!" I called out for the umpteenth time.

Where was she? Grizzco was closed, so she wasn't there. I didn't see her name in any of the Turf War lists and she can't do ranked yet. I checked all the nearby stores-well, except for Ammo Knights, but I doubt she'd have the time to listen to Sheldon talk her ear off. Worth a try anyway I guess. I went in.

"Hello, hello! What kind of weapon are you in the market for?" Sheldon gleefully asked.

"Um-sorry, no weapon today, Sheldon." I could tell my answer disappointed him. "I-I'm looking for my sister. Have ya seen her?"

"Uh…what's she look like?" His head was turned and he squinted his eyes.

"Like me, but a little shorter and different hair." I answered. "She also loves brushes if that helps."

Sheldon had his head lowered and his eyes were darting around a bit. Did he know something or was that just what he looks like when he's seriously thinking about something?

"Uuuuuuuuhhhh…nope!" He quickly answered. "Not since the last time she was here!"

"Which was…" I squinted my eyes at him.

"Th-the other day! W-when she bought her Inkbrush." He said.

"Oh, right…" I sighed in disappointment. "Wait, you remember her buying a weapon the other day?"

"Of course!" Sheldon gleefully answered. "I make it my duty to remember my customers' faces and their weapon preferences to give them the best service possible! Like my Grandpappy always said, you can tell a lot about squids by the weapons they wield! Like just the other day this one Inkling came in asking for a new Bamboozler and I could tell by that and his gear that he was an enthusiast for Great Turf War era-"

I left before he could finish since I was clearly wasting my time in there. Let's see…She was outside of ammo Knights when I last saw her…Of course! Judd! I walked over to the napping cat.

"Heya Judd!" I called out.

"Zzzzz…" The lazy cat snored.

"Juuuuuudd!" I shook him a little.

Still nothing. You've gotta be kidding me.

"Meow (Need something?)" Li'l Judd asked.

"Oh, hi Li'l Judd." I waved. "Did you see where my sister went? She looks like me, but shorter and has different hair. She was talking to someone holding an umbrella next to Ammo Knights a while ago."

"Meow (Well, Judd doesn't like me prying in other people's business…)" the little kitten said. "Meow (But I do know what you're talking about.")

"Well?" I eagerly asked. "Can you tell me?"

He looked down to see if Judd was still sleeping. He was. "Meow (I'll tell you, but you have to do something for me in exchange).

"What?" What could possibly want from me?

"Meow (I want you to scratch my ears after you're done).

"Why?" I asked.

"Meow (Because Judd likes to go on and on about how his old owner used to scratch his ears). He explained. "Meow (So I want to know if they're worth raving about).

"Okay," I agreed. "Deal!"

"Meow (They went down there)." He pointed to a manhole next to the weapons shop.

"Alright!" I cheered. "Thanks Li'l Judd."

"Meow (No problem)." He waved goodbye as I dove into the manhole.

A minute later…

I was finally on the other side. Where was this? It seemed like some kind of canyon or something. I saw a cabin and took a look. No one was there. I walked around and saw these…tea kettles? I could probably dive into them and look. They all had a sticker on them that said "Done." I could tell that meant they weren't there. I saw a Launchpad. Maybe they went that way…well, here goes…

I landed, still having no idea where I was. I walked a little further to see that figure holding an umbrella in the distance.

"Hey," She said. "I just thought of another baking pu-uh oh…" She saw me.

"Hey!" I ran after her.

"I-I'm going to have to call you back." She held the umbrella in front of her. I couldn't get a good look.

"S-stay back," She ordered. "Or I'll use my Brella!"

I kept my distance, not wanting to get splatted. Something was off though…

"That's just a regular umbrella." I pointed out.

Right after I said that, she bolted in the other direction. I ran after her. She was surprisingly fast, but fortunately for me her outfit and shoes weren't made for running. After a few minutes, I was finally able to tackle her to the ground.

"Alright, you better tell me where Sarah is right now or you'll be…you'll be…" I saw her face.

"Marie?" I realized who I just chased down. "Of the Squid Sisters?" I released her.

"I-I can explain." She said.

"Oh Cod, I'm sorry!" I quickly apologized. "I can't believe I just attacked Marie from the Squid Sisters!"

"Ummm…you okay?" She seemed weirded out.

"I should be asking you that!" I stated.

"I'm fine." She said, clearly even more weirded out.

I took a deep breath to calm down.

"Where is my sister?" I was able to regain my focus.

"It's…complicated." She sighed. "Let me explain from the beginning."