After having finished up with the Tomb of Mar, we then proceeded to venture off to different jobs as listed by Young Samos and Keira, with Keira having Maia and myself go to the Stadium while Jak went to the Shadow at the Underground. And I also got a message from Ashelin that she managed to escape the palace and that she was also at... the Stadium.
"Oh dear, hopefully she doesn't get into trouble with Keira," I frowned to myself as I drove over there, but I did so with Daxter on my side, as he wanted to do safer things as opposed to traveling with Jak.
"So what's your big plan with that stone, huh? What're you going to do with it?" Daxter asked me.
"I'm trying to figure that out, myself, to be honest... I need to look into its powers and try to figure out if I can use some of it to lure out Korraquon out into the open so I can slay him," I smirked.
"Sounds dangerous," Daxter frowned.
"It is, and I have a feeling that he might try to attack the city under our noses, so I need to get to studying it as fast as possible. But good thing for me is I'm a multitasker, so I can look into it, race, and listen to my music at the same time," I smiled as we then got to the stadium and I met up with Maia, her smiling at me as I saw she was eating some pumberries and looking in the garage.
"What's going on, Maia?" I asked before hearing screaming and a tussel going on.
"I'm just watching the fireworks," she giggled, me then looking inside and seeing... Keira and Ashelin were in the middle of a catfight!
"HEY!" I shouted, them not even paying attention at me shouting as they were too far into it. And Daxter gawked at this as they were pulling at each others' hair and Ashelin was about ready to rip apart Keira's top!
"OI!" I shouted as I then commanded some green eco to push the duo apart and to opposite sides of the wall, knocking the wind out of Ashelin and making Keira shocked more than anything. "Calm your tits, or I'm gonna start throwing down myself!" I shouted, the duo then stopping and looking at each other with animosity, but they didn't engage again. "Now. I need to know, before ANYTHING else. What the hell happened for there to be a catfight in the middle of the stadium?" I asked, Keira frowning at me.
"Ask HER," Keira frowned angrily.
"I didn't do... anything... I just wanted to apologize b-by... offering to fix the trophy I broke... and she accused me of doing it on purpose," Ashelin frowned, me sensing truth in her words.
"You just wanted to destroy the other trophies, like the hoity toity rich girl that you are!" Keira growled, me resorting to throwing water at Keira's face and her to then stop afterwards.
"Keira, think logically. Ashelin is currently on the run from her own goddamn father because he threatened to kill her for being an Undergound spy. Do you HONESTLY think that the first thing she'd want to do is come here to ruin your trophies when she's trying to lay low? She's not even in her KG outfit," I said in annoyance, noting that Ashelin was, in fact, in disguise. But her choice of disguise?
"At least you didn't make a comment about me being in my jammies," Ashelin pouted. And Keira frowned at this, but stayed silent.
"Here's how it's going to work out. You two, go to each other, hug, kiss, and make up. Now," I frowned, the duo looking at each other in surprise at that.
"Y-You mean I have to kiss her?" Keira asked.
"I'm not into girls, though," Ashelin frowned.
"Just a peck on the cheek or the hand is all I ask. Just do it," I frowned, Daxter smirking at that as the duo looked hesitant to do so.
"Trust me, ladies, she's not going to back down after that performance," he snickered, the duo then frowning and proceeding to go to each other, do a quick hug and then a small kiss on each other's hands before then saying the words.
"I'm sorry," Ashelin said to her.
"mm mmrry," Keira mumbled.
"Ah-ah-ah, correctly, Keira," I frowned.
"I'm... mmrry." I then went over to her and zapped her on the hand with a small bit of blue eco. "OW! Okay, I'm sorry! Geeze!" she complained in annoyance.
"It wasn't sincere, but I don't care. I just came here to offer help and to find a place to sleep. But if you're going to be like this, then I guess I'll have to sleep with all the gross boys at the Underground," Ashelin frowned.
"You're welcome to stay here if you want, Ashelin," I said, Keira about to speak up before I gave her a stern gaze. "If Keira says otherwise, don't listen to her. And if she gives you any trouble, let me know. This garage is going to be our safehouse until the heat billows over from the Baron Praxis ordeal," I smiled.
"Thanks... I appreciate it..." Ashelin said with a sigh as the computer then beeped and gave us the heads-up.
"Attention all citizens. The Class 2 Races are about to begin! All racers proceed to the track. You have 2 minutes," the computer spoke up, me looking at Keira and her sighing.
"This time it'll be a different race, with everyone competing to get the best lap time across everyone. I signed us up for the last in the running and only one of us will go. Which will it be?" Keira asked, me raising my hand.
"I'll do it," I smirked, her nodding at me as I went to the track with Daxter on my back, me then looking at Maia with a frown. "Next time they fight, stop it before it happens, got it?" I frowned at her.
"I don't want to get involved in that conflict. The dark eco is still there, but not as bad since my training with Onin. She said I have to stay passive in order to be on the route to being a Light Eco sage, since I'm not a true sage of Dark Eco," Maia smiled at me.
'Okay, didn't know it was that strict... just use Light Eco or something like that to prevent them from fighting through nonviolent means," I said.
"Done and done," Maia groaned in annoyance. I then went to the track and, with Daxter on my back, I proceeded to race against the best time of the track, me being given 5 laps in order to get the best lap. And I saw that the best time had been set by... Zeke. I REALLY needed to know where he was. And then, I got an answer from when I went into the signup, where Zeke was there, looking at me with a smug smirk.
"Hey, there ya are, cousin Dory!" he smiled at me before I lengthened my claws and placed them in between us, him then yiping after. "Uh... new nail polish?" he asked, me frowning at him after.
"When I beat your time and at least one of the records, I want to talk to you in private, mister knife," I frowned, him then getting a twitch in his eye after, but then breathing in and out.
"By the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. I'll meet up there," he said, me frowning and nodding at him as I then raced... my first lap was about 45 seconds, about 4 seconds less than Zeke's best time. But then, I got the layout memorized in first person and started to consistently improve. I managed to beat his lap by the third attempt and then just kept finding new shortcuts, even going for the riskier moves like jumping way over the pits with a boosted jump before then braking hard and banking left and right! And after this had all finished, I got a brand new time of 25 seconds for a full lap, which got me the win for it and I also got the Gold record for best lap! And then, after I won, I saw Zeke was nowhere to be found and Daxter then asked an important question.
"Who was that guy and why'd he call you his cousin?" Daxter asked me as I got the trophy.
"My cousin, Zeke, from my mother's side. When we were in our timeline, he got expelled from school and sent to a school for criminals because he knifed numerous students in a row and even tried to do so to a teacher. His mom, my Aunt Gertrude, then tried to bomb the school because she thought he was in the right. I hate most of my family other than Jilly, because they were all criminals," I frowned.
"Yeesh, that's rough. I didn't know my folks too well, because I was 4 when they died to a Lurker Shark sinking their boat and eating them," Daxter frowned.
"Losing your parents to getting eaten is worse, though. My parents are still alive. My dad seems to have reformed, but my mom is unknown... speaking of, how would you like to hang out with Keira at the garage for a bit, watch over my siblings and all? Take a breather from the danger for a change?" I smirked, Daxter smirking.
"FINALLY! You finally suggest I take the easy gig! Jak never asks me if I want to relax!" Daxter smirked as I presented the trophy to Keira as well as placing Dax on her shoulder.
"Why are you putting him there?" Keira asked.
"I said he could stick behind to hang out with my siblings, take a breather from the danger for a bit," I smirked, Keira smiling at that.
"Hehe, okay, he can hang out with them. I need to make them lunch anyway," Keira said, Daxter frowning at that. "Want to help make them some grilled cheese, Daxter?" she asked, which then made his frown stop.
"Oooh, that's what you... nevermind," Daxter frowned.
"Oh, Daxter, you may be small, but I doubt you'd be tasty to anyone with all that fur," I smirked, him frowning at me as Keira then finally chuckled for a bit. "I gotta go to the saloon now. Not to meet with Krew, but to meet with my cousin," I smiled, Keira frowning at that.
"You be careful when you do that, okay? I don't trust Krew one bit," Keira frowned, me nodding at her as I then went to the nearest zoomer and proceeded over there, me needing to go through the Bazaar past the palace to do so, where I saw that the Baron was sending out a lot of different KG officers, me then getting a message on my communicator. From Praxis himself!
"Corporal Adora! I have an urgent task for you to accomplish," he said, me then using my accent as I hid myself behind one of the support towers in the port.
"Dis is Adora, what's da task, your 'ighness?" I asked in my accent.
"I need you to find out where my daughter has disappeared to! I ordered the guards to keep her on house arrest, and now I find out her room is empty and that nobody was guarding it! Find her by any means and bring her to me at the throne room!" he said, me then responding.
"Rich," I said, still in my accent, which I then responded to him. "Ah 'eard it from another KG member. Ya threatened to kill 'er. Yer own daughter. Usin' 'er as leverage fer da Underground," I said, Baron growling at that.
"Which member of the Krimzon Guard told you that bold face lie?!" he growled, me then simply speaking a different truth.
"Ah didn't 'ear it from just one. Ah 'eard it from multiple. An' just for tryin' to deny it, Ah don't know if Ah even wanna get more eco," I said, laying on the pressure nice and thick.
"PEH! Okay, fine, you win, I did do so, only so I could get the Precursor Stone! It's the only thing that could destroy those blasted Metal Heads, and I needed to get it, no matter the cost!" he shouted back at me, which I then turned the volume up and proceeded to hold my phone to the message.
"What was dat? Ah didn't hear ya, who'd ya do this to?" I asked, recording the whole thing on my phone at the higher volume.
"I threatened to kill my daughter, Ashelin in order to get access to the Precursor Stone! THERE! Are you happy?!" he asked angrily, me then stopping the recording and proceeding to share the message to almost every single person I had in my contact list, telling them to share it with as many people as they could, while also saying stuff to Praxis.
"Dat's more like it. Okay, Ah'll continue to gather da eco, as Ah only need about 5 more gallons of Dark Eco an' the quota is met," I said, Praxis then frowning after. "Ya still want me to find yer daughter? Cus Ah 'ave a feelin' she heard about yer daddy-of-da-year deed an' dat's why she ran away," I said, Praxis grumbling after.
"No, just don't bother. Let me think on this for now," Baron said as he then hung up and I then got messages from tons of different people, them actually being from multiple different townies, almost all of the contacts for the Underground and Krew's side, and I even got some messages from some KG officers! And each of them were stunned and baffled that Praxis had gone as far as wanting to use his own flesh and blood as a tool for power.
After this, I then went to the saloon and saw that Jak was arriving at the same time as me, where we then went in together and Sig shushed us when we went in, seeing that Krew was asleep. And he was drooling, Sig leading us to the nearest booth and speaking to us. I also saw that Zeke was there and he was simply waiting at a different booth, him then shushing and letting us talk first.
"You blokes have been alright. And since the boss is out of it right now, I'm gonna give it to you straight," Sig said with a frown. "I've been Krew's heavy for years and I've done some things I'm not proud of. But this time? I think that Krew's gotten himself AND us into something really nasty. I'm thinking of getting out," Sig said, Jak smiling at him as I spoke up.
"What exactly does Krew plan, Sig?" I asked.
"I think he's planning on selling the city out for Metal Heads to invade it on a whim, but how I'm not sure... and that he's going to get a lot of people killed. I also saw some plans of his that said he was going to take three different artifacts, including the Precursor Stone, and use them to do crime across the universe," he said, me nodding at that.
"I had a feeling that his plan was going to be nasty. Okay, we'll try our hardest to stop it, Sig," I said, and only then did Krew finally start to stir.
"Whatwhatwhat?" he asked when he woke up, me then responding by simply speaking up.
"Uh, hey, Krew? Could I ask for a soda, per chance? I'm thirsty," I said, being 100 percent honest with that statement, which he then smirked at me saying that.
"Very well. Tess! Get her some Precursor Pop," he said, me wondering what that was as Tess then poured it out and I asked a serious question.
"Alcoholic or non?"
"Non," Krew stated, me then getting it in front of me as well as the bill, it being worth... 5 skull gems.
"Heh, okay, fine, fair game," I smirked as I handed over the 5 gems but made sure he did not see the stone in my backpack. I then handed him the gems and one more for tip, me then drinking it... and gawking at how... good it tasted! It tasted almost as if I were drinking a soda-fied version of chocolate cake!
"MMM! I wonder if the Precursors had a sweet tooth, because this drink is just fanTASTIC!" I giggled at the taste.
"The secret is liquid blue eco, just a pinch of it. Makes it very caffeinated and... mmm... enhances whatever it touches. This one is liquified chocolate bars," Krew smiled, me smirking at this. A drink I was able to make! YES! "Jak, while she enjoys her break, I need you to go back to the sewers and escort some of my men to the statue that you found the Ruby Key at. I've heard tales that the statue contains another secret in Mar's rosy cheeks. Escort them there and don't let them get hurt," Krew said, me smirking at Jak as he then groaned after.
"Why do I always have to go to the sewers?" Jak frowned.
"Because girls hate being among feces and piss, that's your answer," I smirked at him.
"And HOW!" Tess smiled at her standpoint. Jak then left in defeat as I then went over to the table where Zeke was at and he smiled at me and my drink.
"So. You're doing things differently as opposed to by the book, ain'tcha?" he asked, me frowning at him as I then put my claws on the table.
"Don't give me that shit, Zeke. I don't trust you as far as I can throw you. You knifed 6 kids, got put in juvie, then, when you graduate, you try to go find those same kids and finish the job, getting sent to jail right after! Tell me why I should trust anything you say," I frowned at him, Zeke frowning at me saying that.
"You only heard HALF of the story, bitch," he frowned at me. "You now know how to tell truth from lies with your eco strengths, so here's my truth. Those kids I knifed? They all robbed my house, destroyed almost everything in it, and they killed my puppy! They even said that if I told anyone about what happened, they'd come back and they'd cut off my limbs with a butcher knife with my mom watching! I taught them not to mess with me by knifing them, but they sent me to juvie and didn't even care when I told them why I did so, mainly because of our family's criminal past. And when I got out? It was all self-defense. Those bastards were waiting for me in my driveway and they were armed with bats and crowbars. I had no choice but to grab the nearest weapon and attack them, this time, a gun that my dad hid in the car. I simply shot one kid in the foot, they ran for the hills and called the cops. Again. But this time, my dad had caught all of it on camera. In the end, all of us got punished," Zeke explained, me then frowning. Why? Because all of it was true and I'd been lied to about what actually happened!
"Sorry, then. I was told differently by other people," I frowned. "So... dad said he heard a voice when he was in jail and he got sent to here from that voice. What about you?" I asked.
"Same thing, but the voice was different than Uncle Roger's. It sounded almost like Betty Boop's voice from the old cartoons," he said, me frowning at him saying that. I knew that voice. It was the voice of Posit, the Precursor of Light Eco.
"I think that was a 'you-know-what'," I said, him frowning at that.
"I know it was, but they said only you know that part. They felt sorry for leaving you here on your lonesome, so they brought some of us back from our own time to here, including Aunt Lola, Uncle Roger, me, and momma Gertrude... but I've looked day and night into the records all over and I can't find a single mention of her anywhere in Haven or in the castaways to Spargus," he frowned.
"That may mean she's either at the Brink or at Kras City, then. But before we speak of anything else, we need to focus on the plot. I am changing some of it, yes, but I've been given a rule by the you-know-whats. That I only change 1 thing a day. I've already changed that one thing, so I need to be careful of what to say and do next," I frowned. I then got a message from none other than Samos on my communicator.
"Dory, this is Samos. I need you to go to my old hut in Dead Town. It's high time that you get something there that I stashed long ago. And if Daxter's with you, have him clean the place up while you're there!" Samos frowned.
"Nah, Daxter doesn't need to clean a place that's all dilapidated and run-down. He's currently hanging out with my sib... er... sister at the garage," I said, catching myself before I could tell him that I had more than one sibling now.
"Okay, I think I'll go there and check on Keira, then," he said, me gulping at that.
"Ah... okay, if you go there, know that if you see two kids, the one is my half-brother. And if you sense anything in him? Don't freak out? Please? He's still a kid," I frowned.
"I already know. Keira already told me, and I promised to not speak of it nor judge the child," he frowned.
"Thank you."