When Daxter woke up, his wrists were bound behind his back, he was lying facedown in a cage, and he had a huge headache.
"Are you alright?"
Daxter looked up at his cellmate: Veger. Veger's hands were also bound behind his back, and it looked like he'd put up a struggle. His shirt was reduced to rags and his fur was smudged with dirt and blood.
"I should be asking you that question," Daxter said as he sat up. "Although I don't think either of us will be alright in a minute."
Veger looked over his shoulder sorrowfully. The Marauders were setting up two rings of artifacts, and several of them were reading scrolls. Veger had a sneaking suspicion concerning what was written on them.
"I don't know how we're going to get out of this one," Daxter said, his voice tinged with fear.
"I have an idea," Veger struggled to get across the cage. When he finally made it, he sat back-to-back with Daxter.
"What are you--Ow!" Daxter yelped.
"Sorry," Veger apologized, "I'm trying to undo your binds. It's not easy when I can't see what I'm doing."
"Hurry it up!" Daxter said.
"I'm trying!" Veger replied. "Almost… got it!"
Daxter tossed the ropes aside and rubbed his sore wrists. "Jeez, you think they could have tied it any tighter? I think they cut off the circulation to my hands!"
"Stop your whining and untie me!" Veger snapped. "I think I they're almost done!"
Just as Daxter started, they notcied one of the Marauders motioning in their direction. Thinking quickly, Daxter sat back down, his back to Veger's, and hid his hands behind his back. As they continued talking, Daxter tried to untie Veger.
"Ow! When was the last time you trimmed your claws?" Veger hissed.
"Now you know how I felt," Daxter replied. "Now hold still, I…"
All of a sudden, a Marauder reached in and roughly grabbed Veger's shirt. With a yank, he pulled the ottsel out, causing Daxter to topple over. Thankfully, they failed to notice that he was untied and even left the door open. Daxter rolled onto his stomach, crawled over to the door, and launched himself at the Marauder.
The man dropped Veger in surprise and the other Marauders decided to stop what they were doing to watch the struggle. Veger fought with his loosened bonds and managed to free himself. He immediately made a break for it. "Daxter, let's go!"
Daxter leapt just as two Marauders, who had finally decided to help their comrade, crashed into him. He ran towards the window while Veger headed for the door. However, their progress was stopped by two very unhappy Marauders. Daxter dodged the Marauder's hand and ducked behind some crates. Meanwhile, Veger sank his teeth into his captor's arm, causing the man to scream like a little girl and flail his arms in a desperate attempt to dislodge Veger. Daxter watched on in amusement, but his grin vanished when he saw another Marauder ready his gun.
"Veger!"
Now, most sane people would not aim a gun at their friends, even if they were being attacked by a small animal because, chances are, they would hit their friend. However, as we all know, Marauders are not sane by any stretch of the imagination. Daxter hit the dirt and covered his head as the Marauder began firing indiscriminately, bullets tearing through the hut.
When the gunfire stopped, Daxter peeked out from behind the crates. Three Marauders had been shot dead and four had been wounded. They were bleeding profusely, and one appeared to be unconscious. And nearby, lying motionless on the ground and covered in blood, was…
"No…"
Veger.