Tremor
Thanks to the disguises, they were able to leave the hideout and drive to the Hip Hog Saloon without incident.
Jak got out of the car. "Okay, I'll agree, the disguise made traveling much easier." He acquiesced. He stopped at the door. "Before we go in… Krew has… well…"
Kor nodded. "I've been in there before. I know what he has. However, I will give you a chance to help him earn his life back." His glower told Jak all he needed to know about that threat. Only he, Daxter and Kaj were currently safe. He had a feeling Vin was too but he would need to earn more goodwill to save everyone else.
Inside the saloon, Jak found them an inconspicuous seat. Daxter was in no hurry to see Tess dressed like this. She would think he was a total loser.
However it didn't like long for a full-moon-like shadow to settle over them. "Excuse me… but this is an adult only…" Krew's good eye got a good look at the guests. "Jak? Is that you? And your rat?" The under lord of the city chuckled.
Jak nodded. "Yeah, it's me. I got some new clothes finally. So did Daxter. This is… This is Kor. And this little guy is Kaj. He's a good friend and we need your help. "
Krew groaned. "Jak, you're going to get me shut down. The Baron may turn a blind eye to many of my ventures but he won't overlook an underage person in the bar." He clenched his fist.
Kor nodded. "He won't be here long. I am Kaj's father. Or, I would like to be. I cannot go through official channels and we need a house for him." He held up his satchel. "Trust me, I'll make it worth your while."
The wrinkled, obese man sighed. "No alcohol for him. I do have orange juice though. Can't make screwdrivers or mimosas without it. Let's go in the back room however. Away from prying eyes." His chair flew in that direction, through the large door behind the bar.
As they passed the bar, a woman with short blonde hair squealed. "Oh Daxter! I love your new outfit! You look soooooo cute!"
Daxter blushed. "Oh, hi Tess. Yeah, I… wanted to dress up for you." He faked a grin.
She giggled and hugged him. "Awww, you're so adorable."
"Tess, fawn over the rodent later. There are customers. And get the brat a bottle of orange juice," Krew commanded.
Tess reached into a fridge for a single serve bottle of juice. "Here you are, little guy." She saw Kor and nodded.
In the back room, Krew eyed Kor as he began opening the satchel. His eyes caught a glimpse of something shiny. "Jak says you are an aficionado of fine, ancient treasures."
Krew nodded. "Oh yes. I recently acquired the beautiful ruby key of Mar. I had a buyer but I haven't heard from him in several days. I'll admit, Jak was the one who drained the flooded sewers to bring it back to life." He went to a case and pulled out the gold and ruby key.
Kor nodded. "Well, then you would certainly want it's sister. The Sapphire Key." He held up an identical gold key except it had a deep blue sapphire in the center.
Krew instantly began swooning at the shiny blue key. "Oooo, I didn't know there was another… I am certainly interested."
Kor chuckled. "And… there's a third. Lost. The Emerald Key. I've been searching for it. I'm also a collector of fine artefacts. And I'm willing to pay handsomely for both a house and for your help in adopting Kaj." He gestured to the child.
Jak nodded. "Because we know you have the connections to get it done on the QT."
Krew chuckled eagerly. "I have a very nice house I would trade for this. And I would love to find that third key. One must ask why are there three keys? But I don't know if I can help with the other thing. I have connections but not those kinds of connections."
Before they could continue the discussion, the saloon started to shake. Jak looked at the floor as dirt and rocks bounced around. The support beams cracked just slightly. Kaj grabbed Kor's robe with fright.
————
In the palace, Ashelin was getting ready for her day when the tremor struck. The only thing supporting the palace were several support beams and that made the quake feel much worse to those inside.
She looked outside at the city as it shook for several tense minutes. Until it finally subsided.
————
Back in the Hip Hog Saloon
"What the he…?" Daxter began before seeing a glare from the old man. "I mean what the heck? What the heck was that?" He asked as the shaking stopped.
"Felt like a small earthquake. Just a tremor but still… very unusual." Kor tried to comfort Kaj. "It's alright, it's over."
Krew nodded, his good eye betrayed the fear he felt. "Well… um… We should probably bring this to a close. Here… I'll give you this key, for that key." He pulled a tarnished brass key from a drawer. "We can discuss the rest in greater detail later. I must assess any damage to my establishment. The address is on the tag."
Kor handed over the satchel with the Sapphire Key. "You've been very helpful." He read the tag. "This is in the racing district. At least Krew recognizes the value of that key. His hopes are higher then I expected."
Or so he thought.
The outside of the dwelling was a dingy, gray cement fiber. Paint was peeling off the siding. The gutters were filled with gunk. The storm shutters were hanging by their hinges and the windows on the second story were shattered.
Jak chuckled uncomfortably. "Maybe it's better on the inside…." He said with weak optimism.
Walking into the house, all eyes and mouths became like saucers. The drywall was rotting and there was mold on the insulation. The roof was partially caved in. The floor was weak, the stairs were collapsing, and it had a thick musty scent.
"I stand corrected." Jak shook his head. "No, we can make something of this. Nothing like a fixer upper that we can make our own. Right, Dax?"
Daxter cocked his head. "I guess. It needs a lot of work though. Wow, Krew gave us the bottom of the barrel didn't he?" He shook his head.
Kor looked around. "Not at all. I can see at least four bedrooms and what used to be a bathroom. There's a basement. I can handle this." His eyes glowed and his staff vibrated. Slowly the house began to mend itself. The mold faded and the drywall became solid again. The floor became sturdy and the stairs curled up from the first floor to the second.
"What technology is this? How are you doing this?" Jak asked as the home slowly became inhabitable.
"It's called magic. In this form, I'm slightly more vulnerable so my strength manifests as magic so I can still protect myself and my children," Kor explained. "It has more practical uses as well." He encouraged the magic to continue. "We'll either need to do the exterior or do it in the cover of night."
Jak nodded. "We need to get back to the hideout though. It's almost time for the meeting. Will it keep rebuilding itself while we're gone?"
Kor nodded. "Yes, it'll stop once the inside is done. It's just going back to a safe state. We'll put on the details ourselves. I have a house… a human house… never thought that could be possible. Though hearing human stories when I was but a larva, I did wonder what the human world was like. My father always warned me about human greed and power lust. I should have listened then." He shook his head. "Come, we need to get back. We only have about twenty minutes." He looked at Kaj. "I can't leave you alone. You'll have to come too."
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Meeting
Samos scrunched the piece of paper he was holding when they got back. They were just in time. "Way to wait until the last minute."
Torn looked up from his own paperwork. "Did you guys feel that quake this morning?" He asked.
"Yeah, that was wild," Daxter exclaimed. "I've never felt anything like that before."
"My friend in the guard felt it in the palace," Torn said. "Onin, do you know anything about it?"
The blind soothsayer sat on the far side of the room with a red, blue and yellow half-monkey/half macaw creature on her yellow hat. Her hands sparkled with blue light as she waved them around.
"Onin says something is coming but she's getting a terrible onslaught of visions. There are so many and she needs time to decipher the answers." The monkaw answered for the elderly woman. "But she feels certain if the war doesn't end soon, this city will become like the sunken cities of legend. Everyone will perish. The humans, the metal heads, the wealthy and the poor."
Samos gasped. "And ending the war will stop this fate?" He asked.
Pecker shook his head. "She can't say it'll stop what's coming but only together can everyone survive." He waved his wings in front of his eyes mysteriously. "So… we're doomed," he deadpanned. "You're not going to get Praxis or the rest of Haven to help. Let alone the metal heads."
Torn cocked his head. "That's actually why we called everyone here." He handed Pecker the letter.
The bird's mouth fell open. "Ay miercoles! The metal heads want to help us?" He shook his head. "It must be some trick."
Kor frowned. "Why must it be a trick? Perhaps they sense something is coming too. They are creatures that like caves and a subterranean climate. They might have felt something too." He hoped that his eyes didn't betray his emotions. "They're not monsters." Everyone looked at him suspiciously. Onin's eyes grew narrow. "I've studied them. They are fascinating creatures."
Jak nodded. "All they want is to just be allowed to live. The leader said humans attacked them first. For their gems."
"Onin says there is indeed more to the story. She says in the interests of her visions, we should try but we should be wary," Pecker said. He turned his eyes to Jak. "She also says you should not wear a school uniform. You look ridiculous." Onin smacked him and he sighed. "Okay, she didn't say that… yow!" He looked down to see Kaj pulling on his tail. "Hello there, don't pull on the tail. I'm not a gumball machine. Your outfit suits you. But you're four." He flew down from Onin's head to give the child better reach.
Kor chuckled. "They needed new clothes. Their current garb was starting to reek. But there's been another development. I have decided to adopt him and I've purchased a house in the racing district. Well, just outside it." He explained. "I have named him Kaj. Until we can get rid of the Baron, this will let him have a normal childhood. Perhaps start healing the scars of his first years."
Onin waved a hand and a lollipop appeared. She handed it to Kaj who eagerly began licking it. "Onin says not to worry, it's sugar free." He reassured the old man. "She also says this is great news for the lad."
Tess giggled. "Congratulations to both of you!" She hugged the old man, unaware of him freezing nervously.
Kor pulled back. "Thank you Tess. I am fond of children and it's been a while since I raised my youngest. And I have many good years left in me."
Samos rolled his eyes. "Unless we find his father. I don't know why but I just don't think he's dead." He stated.
"Praxis would have never left him alive. And I saw his mother's fate," Kor said. "There is no one else. So I want him."
Torn nodded. "If we find his father, this can be worked out. You should at least have a backup plan. Just in case." He said reasonably. "But moving back to planning. So all in favor of aligning with the metal heads." Everyone raised their hands except Samos and Torn. "Alright, I think it's settled. Jak, can you take a message?"
The blond man nodded. "No problem. I think this meeting is over. I'll go talk to them now." He got up. "Onin, would you like a ride back to the bazaar? Kor?"
Kor nodded. "Yes, I need to get Kaj to our new home. He needs his nap." He subtly cast a spell on the car outside.
Onin made her hand signs. "Yes, Jak, that would be most appreciated." Pecker translated for her.
Jak took the letter Torn wrote and they went out to the car.
————
In the palace, Baron Praxis met with the Grand Council's chairman.
"Baron Praxis, the council is concerned about the tremor this morning," the tall man stated. "There has never been such a tremor before."
"I know that, Count Veger. I sent Ashelin to consult with an expert who might be able to explain it. If it wasn't natural, it might be warning of another assault by the metal heads," Praxis explained. "I need a new, much more powerful weapon. I must destroy them."
Count Veger nodded. "I agree the metal heads are a menace but right now, protecting our city is more important. And we're not sure that using dark eco is the way." He said nervously. Count Veger was a slight man with nearly no muscle about him. Praxis could snap him in two if he wanted to. But he needed to stand his ground. "Your daughter told us about your terrible dark warrior project. Using dark eco to try and turn regular citizens into monsters. Dark eco is what metal heads eat. Why would you make a warrior with the infernal stuff?"
Praxis growled. His daughter had betrayed him. "It would have worked if my warrior hadn't escaped. I can beat the metal heads and I will. As for the city, we'll be fine. I'm sure this morning was just a one-off situation. I will inform the council if we learn anything different from the expert." He said dismissively.
Count Veger frowned but the man was stubborn. Using citizens as laboratory experiments was just too much for his delicate sensibilities. He and the others on the council would have much to discuss.
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