As the doors opened, the four survivors silently stepped out of the elevator. Not a single word, nor glance towards one another was shared.
Their defeated march was interrupted by Klonoa collapsing onto the ground. He managed to save himself with his arms, but he lacked the strength to get back up.
"Klonoa!" Lolo yelped, picking him up and putting an arm around him for support. The group reached a room within the underground bunker, where Lolo gently placed Klonoa on a free bed amongst the Joilantean refugees.
Popka sat against the wall closeby, Mamett joining him. When the canine looked up towards him, he felt a shudder coarse through his whole body. The mayor's expression could only be described as stunned horror - he was in total shock, and his body was on autopilot.
"Klonoa, I'll need you to take off your hoodie, please." the Priestess requested, noticing the cabbit clutching his chest in pain.
Klonoa initially hesitated, but eventually removed it, alongside his hat. He was in a lot of pain, after all. Upon removal, Lolo could get a better idea of the injury: his vest was drenched in blood, to the point where it was more red than white.
"Oh goodness! Leptio really did a number on you. I can heal the wound, but I'll also need you to remove your vest."
Upon speaking that last sentence, her cheeks started getting warmer, suddenly realising what this meant. She didn't know it, but Klonoa's mind was on a similar wavelength.
"A…are you sure, Lolo?" he sheepishly asked. "Can't you heal it though my vest?"
"I…" she gathered her thoughts, "I'll be quick. I promise."
Klonoa obliged, and lifted his vest. Although he didn't fully remove it, the La-Lakooshan could still work with this. She was prepared to catch fire from how flustered she'd be, but the injuries that covered his chest kept her grounded. His fur was covered in bruises, blood trickling from cuts and scars across his body. This may take a little bit.
She placed her hands on his chest, causing the Dream Traveller to cringe from the stinging sensation on contact. As she worked her magic, the Priestess started to wonder. She saw what Leptio, now Leptock, did to Klonoa - he definitely caused some damage, but not to this degree. Slamming Klonoa on the ground would definitely cause bruises and maybe some broken bones, all of which she could heal.
But these gashes were from something else. Something recent.
"Wait a second…" she thought to herself. "These injuries are from earlier, back when we took on those robots on the truck. He said he was fine though. Why would he hide this?"
Considering how flustered he seemed when she asked him to take off the vest, she assumed he was just embarrassed for her to touch his chest. And once his wounds were healed and the blood no longer obscuring the sight, she could see, and feel, why.
His body was very well-toned, with noticeable abs on his stomach and a patch of white fur resembling chest hair. With his hoodie removed, she could also see the strong-looking muscles on his arms. His silky black fur was so soft, yet his body was chiselled and rough.
She only realised how long she was touching Klonoa's chest when she looked up and saw his face, blushing and averting gaze. She wasn't faring much better either, her face possibly more red than his. If she wasn't already attracted to him before, she definitely wa-
And that was when she felt something. An area where the fur seemed to part. She gently moved the hairs aside and noticed something that shocked her. A giant scar spread across his entire chest. She gently touched it - it seemed to have been long healed, but the size of the laceration caused her to feel uncomfortable the more she thought about it. What in Claire's name caused an injury like that?
"Klonoa…what happened he-"
She didn't even get a chance to finish her question before Klonoa quickly pulled down his vest and reached for his hoodie. The expression he had was one of distress, but also shame - as if she had stumbled onto something he didn't want her to see.
"Thank you for healing my wounds."
His tone was cold, but his sentence was sincere. He then promptly stood up, put his cap back on and walked over to where Mamett and Popka were sitting, leaving the girl by herself, confused as to what just happened.
"Was that why he didn't want to tell me about his injuries?" she muttered to herself.
With the speed it took for him to put his clothes back on and head to where the others are, it made her feel like her curiosity somehow brought her both closer to understanding what's the matter with her friend, but also potentially form a rift between the two - a feeling that brought a sense of impending dread upon her.
"Oh, Klonoa…"
Mamett reached for a box of cheap-looking cigarettes in his pocket and attempted to light one, most likely to calm his nerves. However, his hands shook so much that he ended up dropping the box. He didn't have the energy to pick them up; all he could do was stare at the cigs sprawled around his feet.
Klonoa, and Lolo soon after, sat besides him, both with concerned looks.
"Mamett…I…" the Priestess wanted to say something to help ease the Mayor's grief, but there was no sugarcoating what had occurred.
"I could've done something…" the Mayor eventually spoke in a quiet, shaky voice. "I could've saved him…my own brother…from that monster."
He slowly bent down and picked up his box of cigarettes, but as he thought back to his brother's sacrifice, his anger towards Leptock flared up, his tightening grip crushing the half-empty container.
"GRAGH!"
In a fit of rage, he threw the box across the room with enough force for it to make a loud impact as it hit the opposing wall. He went still for a moment, breathing heavily, before slumping back against the wall, head in his hands.
He sighed and gathered his composure, before picking up his shotgun.
"I need to go back. I need to help my brother."
He practically jumped up and made his way back towards the elevator door. But as his hand was about to call the lift, he hesitated. He wanted to press that button and return to the fight so damn bad, but once he looked over his shoulder and saw his people - seeing them cold, injured and scared - he knew that he had a responsibility. He couldn't let his brother's sacrifice be in vain.
"They aren't safe here." he said to his allies. "Leptock is out for blood right now. He's gonna find us eventually. And evacuation isn't gonna save them now."
"So what do we do?" Lolo asked. "Do we stay and fight?"
"If I could, I would. But, and I hate to sound like a broken record right now, but my people don't have the resources, experience, nor defences to fight back."
There was a pause of uncertain silence amongst the group, each one trying to think of an ideal strategy in their head. Considering not one of them spoke up, it could be assumed that none had a plan that resulted in total success.
That was, until-
"Wait a moment." Popka broke the quiet ambience. "Momett hijacked an enemy truck to get us here. It had a trailer too. I'm assuming that's not the only one. Whaddya reckon is in 'em?"
"I'll be honest, little man, I'm not too sure myself." Mamett had to think. He hadn't had a chance to look for himself, as he had been too busy tending to his citizens and driving off Leptock and his loathsome lackeys.
"Maybe they're for resources?" Lolo suggested. "Like metal and other materials to make the robots out of. My guess is that they're being delivered to wherever the Generator is."
"Hmm, what if they had weapons?" Klonoa added. "No guarantee, but it's worth a check. Do you think the truck Momett parked will still be there though?"
Mamett started walking towards the way they entered the bunker from outside.
"I can check. Follow me."
Mamett directed them towards a door near the stairway. Behind it was a small, minimalistic room; it looked like most other areas within the bunker. What set this one apart, however, was a desk at the end of the room, decorated with a couple television screens displaying different areas of the Kingdom.
Watching over them, in a chair in front of the desk, was an older Joilantean with a grey moustache, tanned skin and a uniform resembling that of a security guard. When the citizen noticed the group enter, Mamett included, he stood up from his chair and turned to face them.
"Mr. Mamett, sir!"
"At ease, Bertram. We need your help to find something up top. Can you check to see if there's a truck parked outside the back entrance to the Kingdom?"
"It should look a bit battered. At least, the front of it would be." Klonoa chipped in.
"Can do, sir."
Bertram got back in his chair and swivelled around to face the monitors.
"We got hidden cameras set all around Joilant." the Mayor explained. "We're mostly just using them to keep tabs on the bots, making sure they don't stumble upon the bunker."
"Oop, speaking of which-" The Joilantean in the chair tapped on one of the monitors.
Klonoa and the others looked closer. They could make out a truck in the background - one with smashed windows. There was no mistaking it: that was their target.
Unfortunately, the truck wasn't the only thing they could see, as they noticed a Jakattak scouring the area, getting a little too close to the hidden entrance for comfort.
"Don't worry, kiddos." the older Joilantean continued. "I got a little trick up my sleeve."
"Trick?" Lolo asked, slightly curious.
"Kiddos?" Popka asked, slightly insulted.
Bertram took a deep breath, cracked his knuckles and loosened his joints. Only for him to press a single red button on the table.
They couldn't hear it clearly due to the sound coming from up top, but a faint screaming could be heard. This seemed to grab the robot's attention, driving it away from the bunker.
"The Jakattaks are built to kill." Bertram explained. "They're drawn by sounds of pain, so we use fake screams to distract them. It ain't exactly pleasant, nor ideal, but as long as it works, y'know?"
"That should give us some time to get the element of surprise on it." Klonoa stated, turning to his friends. "Mamett, try and rally everyone here together for a meeting. Lolo, Popka, I need your help with this. You ready?"
"Hell yeah! Let's bash some heads!" Popka cracked his knuckles.
Lolo nodded in agreement, jumping into Klonoa's ring as the heroes rushed upstairs to exit the bunker.
"Ah, to be young again." Bertram thought out loud, admiring the teens' pluck. "I need an excuse to stretch these old bones."
Mamett gave a humoured snort. "If whatever's in that trailer is what I think it is, that excuse may come sooner than you think, old friend."
The door to the bunker slowly creaked open, a pair of green, gemstone-like eyes peeping out from the crack.
"Hmm, I ain't seein' no botbrains out here."
Popka and Klonoa emerged from beneath the ground, up to the surface. They could feel the cold air flowing from within the Kingdom as they stepped back outside, as if they walked right into a refrigerator.
"There!"
Klonoa pointed towards their target: the truck cargo. They had a quick lookaround, just to be safe that there were no robots in sight.
"To be honest, this seems too easy." the canine proclaimed.
"I wouldn't jinx it, Popka."
The two quickly, but carefully, made their way to the trailer door. To nobody's surprise, the door was locked.
"So…." Popka began, "...how are we gettin' it open?"
Klonoa scratched his chin, bending down to look at the lock. It was very high-tech looking, with a blank screen. Nothing seemed to flash on-screen to give any indication of how to unlock it.
That was, until Klonoa looked a little closer. A small, easy to miss blinker on the top of the lock suddenly shot a ray of red light at his eye. The Dream Traveller flinched in surprise at the sudden flash.
"An eye scanner."
For a moment, he had forgotten that Momett mentioned the lock being a scanner on the way here. Now knowing what it was, Klonoa presented his eye to the reader. The red light ray scanned it from top to bottom. After a brief buffer, the blank screen blinked red.
-ACCESS DENIED-
"Nuts! Now what, Klo?"
The cabbit shrugged in response to Popka.
"It probably only opens for the robots?" Lolo suggested from within the ring.
"So what do we do?" the dog asked. "Go into the Kingdom and look for trouble?"
"No need…" another voice spoke from above. Before the heroes could get a chance to look up, a Jakattak jumped down from the trailer.
"...BECAUSE TROUBLE FOUND YOU FIRST! HEE HEE HEEEEEE!"
Klonoa assumed this was the Jakattak that Bertram lured away earlier. Seems like it wasn't as far away as they initially thought.
The heroes got ready for yet another tussle with these persistent pranksters. That was, until Popka noticed something. Something that set this Jakattak apart from the rest.
"Ain't you supposed to have a hammer or something?"
He was right: the robot was seemingly unarmed. It'd be pretty hard to keep a mallet of that size well-hidden.
"Oh bother!" the Jakattak responded. "I must've left it at my mother's. Well, I guess that means I just have to use thi-"
"Actually, I think you left it over there." Klonoa bluntly interrupted the clown mid-monologue, pointing to a bush behind the bot.
The clown opened its mouth, as if to say something, but no sound exited its voicebox.
"A….wh….what do you mean?" The jester was at a loss for words, like he was caught off guard before the punchline of a joke.
"I mean, that's your hammer over there, right?"
Klonoa, again, pointed to the bush.
"But, I didn't bring my hammer. I don't know how you can see it over there."
The Jakattak ended up turning around to face where Klonoa was pointing. The trio got a better look at his back, attached to which was the punchline to the joke.
A gun.
It wasn't a blaster, nor was it some type of futuristic, technologically-advanced gizmo, it was just a plain old pistol. Simple in appearance, but dangerous in the wrong hands nevertheless.
Almost instinctively, Klonoa lunged towards the confused robot and reached for the gun. However, the Jakattak heard his rapidly approaching footsteps, and grabbed ahold of its firearm before Klonoa could get his mitts on it. Unfortunately for the robot, it wasn't quick enough to the draw as Klonoa delivered a swift, but efficient, takedown - knocking the weapon out of its gloved hand and to the ground.
The cabbit and the robot shared a quick glance, as if they were thinking on an identical wavelength, before the both of them made a break for the shooter. Klonoa used his agility to get ahead enough of the Jakattak to kick it backwards, ensuring he claimed the target.
Before the Jakattak could pick itself up off the ground, it found itself facing the muzzle of a loaded pistol, carried by Klonoa.
"Yeah! Thought you were slick, didn't ya?" Popka boasted from behind the cabbit. "Shit's changed, now ya gotta do what we want!"
"Language!" Lolo calmly, but firmly, reprimanded her companion, before turning her attention back to the robot. "But he's right. We need answers. What's in this trailer?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, gingerbread babe?"
Klonoa pressed the gun onto the droid's temple.
"You aren't in a position to be making jokes right now. Either you tell us what we need to know, or I shoot."
"Yeah." Lolo backed him up. "….Wait, what did you call me?"
"You think I care about my own processors being blown out? I'm naught but a blade of grass in a field. You kill me, you gain nothing. I win, no matter what! Hee Hee Hee!"
The jester had a point. They let it live? It'll most likely escape and let Leptock know of their hiding spot. They kill it? They'll most likely not be able to get into the truck. That, and the gunshot would attract the attention of more soldiers.
"Yo, Klonoa." Popka called out. "I've got an idea. It's kinda morbid, but it'll work….probably."
"Uuuuh, go ahead." Klonoa had no idea what Popka could be thinking right now, but he seemed confident about it.
Popka cracked his knuckles and walked towards the Jakattak - a smug expression on his face - before extending his sharpened claws and leaping towards the unarmed robot. In a 'blink and you'll miss it' series of events, all four appendages had been sliced cleanly off the Jakattak's body, sparks and oil spewing from the "wounds". Now that he knew the bot wouldn't, or couldn't, fight back, Popka picked him up from the back and carried him past Klonoa and Lolo - both of whom bore faces of complete shock. Even the Jakattak was in complete horrified astonishment at the events that just played off. Popka looked back at his awestruck friends.
"What? I warned you it was dark. Hey, at least it got results."
"You sure I'm the ba-a-a-ad guy here?" the robot sputtered out. "That was some dirty move. I-I-I-I'm almost proud of yo-ou."
Popka didn't respond, but instead presented the robot before the scanner. A bright red light scanned the Jakattak's active optic, before buffering for a brief moment.
-ACCESS GRANTED-
The screen blinked green, before a mechanical clunk sound could be heard from the locked door. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the content within. There were bits and pieces of scrap metal, most likely to be used for the Generators to make more bots, but there was also a surprising amount of weapons. Pistols, shotguns, machine guns, grenades and more.
Lolo had a peek inside the trailer, and had a thought.
"Klonoa, can I see that gun you have please?"
The cabbit promptly handed the pistol to her. She had a good feel around the weapon - she's had run-ins with firearms in the past, but she's never held one for herself. But she wasn't here to reminisce; she was looking for something. Eventually, she found a symbol on the side of the weapon - It depicted what appeared to be a pyramid shape, with 3 stars above it in the form of an arc. This engraved design was all too familiar to her.
"This was produced in Volk. Same goes for all the weapons in the trailer. This symbol is from the Kingdom's flag."
"What on Earth are they doing with Volkan weapons?" Klonoa wondered aloud. "Those other robots from La-Lakoosha had blasters for arms. You'd think they'd just build weapons into all their soldiers."
"Why waste resources by making weapons when we ca-a-a-an just steal them from other people?" The Jakattak elaborated. "I'm sure those soldiers won't be missing 'em."
"Mamett will want to know about this." Klonoa said to his allies. "We gotta let him know. And fast."
"What about this guy?" Popka kicked the limbless joker. "He's gonna rat us out to that big green refrigerator if we don't do anything about him."
The canine made a good point. Something needed to be done about the clown. Klonoa looked at Lolo, who jumped back into his ring - understanding what needed to be done. He aimed his weapon at the Jakattak, and-
-BANG!-
"Dammit. It's been so long since I've done one of these. How the hell do I approach this?"
Mamett had been pacing back and forth in the surveillance room for a short while. The refugees had been told to gather together for a meeting by the mayor not long after Klonoa, Lolo and Popka went up top. A topic such as this had to be explained delicately, but honestly.
"Sir, I'm sure you'll do fine." Bertram reassured his superior. "All you need to do is explain the situation as it is, and rally the townspeople behind your plan. Kinda like your electoral speeches."
"I know that. I just…I don't know if this is a good idea."
"It's the only idea we have, it seems. We can't just stay down here forever. Leptock and his troops will find us soon. We're running on borrowed time, old friend."
"I know, I know. Are those teens done with what they were doing?"
Before the security officer could get a chance to check the monitors, almost as if they were summoned by name, Klonoa and the others returned from above.
"There's something you need to see, Mr. Mamett." the boy said to the Mayor.
"Why? What did you find?"
"The advantage we need, sir."
Murmurs and chatter of confusion and concern spread between the Joilanteans. They had no idea what they were being wrangled together for, but most, if not all, had a gut-feeling that bad news would be par for the course.
They hadn't been in the bunker for long, but some of them lost friends, some family, and most had lost their homes to metallic monsters led by a psychotic clown. Some of them had previously been attempting to thaw out the citizens caught by Leptock's freeze beams, but whether they'd survive or not after being unfrozen had yet to be guaranteed.
A few minutes passed, and the group went quiet as they noticed the Mayor return from above with the Dream Traveller's group.
"Can I have everyone's attention please?" the mayor spoke loudly, so that all could hear. The bunker went silent.
"I'm gonna be honest with you all - we've been dealt a terrible set of cards. We've been chased out of our homes by monsters, we're forced to take refuge in a dank, cold bunker, and we can't stay down here for much longer. They will find the bunker, and us with it. But if we attempt to evacuate, they will hunt us down regardless. There is no sugarcoating the situation we're in right now; we're in trouble."
Sounds of concern could be heard from the crowd.
"What the hell do we do?"
"Mama, I'm scared."
"Man, this is the worst pep rally ever!"
"But…" Mamett continued, "thanks to the efforts of the Dream Traveller and his allies, we have discovered a stash of hidden weapons, stolen from Volk's warehouses by the invaders. And with this discovery, it comes with a sign. A sign that we still have a chance to drive away those who took our homes, our friends, our families. A sign of hope."
The mayor took a deep breath.
"What I am about to ask is not an easy task. To those who choose to accept, you must understand that your safety isn't guaranteed. You may not walk out of this the same person you were before. Hell, you may not walk out of this at all. But your efforts will help us turn the tides of this war, and if we fight hard enough, we can save our home...no…we WILL save our home. So, to those who are willing to stay behind and fight for Joilant alongside the Dream Traveller, his companions, and myself… raise your hand now."
At first, no hands were raised. Mamett was aware that this was a tall order, and that it would require nerves of absolute steel.
That was when a Joilantean raised his hand. At first, he seemed sheepish, but once his hand was in the air, the citizen seemed invigorated to fight.
Then, another hand popped up, then another, then another. Eventually, just under half of the crowd had their hands raised. Despite the dire stakes at hand, Mamett couldn't help but smile at the bravery of his people.
"Excellent. To those who are staying behind, please meet with Bertram. He has experience with firearms, and will help give you all a rundown on the mission. As for everyone else, you must get everything ready to evacuate for when we go up top. We will keep the enemies occupied whilst you escape. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
"We are living a historical moment for not just Joilant, but for all of Lunatea, and we will emerge victorious. You may not be born soldiers, but tonight, you are heroes. All of you. Now, let's go save a Kingdom!"
The crowd started cheering, newfound determination filling the room. Even those who knew they would most likely die were celebrating.
As Klonoa looked towards the encouraged crowd, he once again found his attention drawn towards Lolo, whose eyes were misting up from the event. When she noticed Klonoa looking at her, she quickly wiped her tears and looked at him with a hopeful expression. He smiled back.
Even Mamett had to make sure he was composed. He didn't want to get emotional in front of all these people, even if they were family to him. And as long as blood pumped through his veins, he would do whatever he can to protect his family.
"Hang tight, bro. We're coming to save you."
~MEANWHILE~
"Those fleshbags are up to something; I can feel it in my robo-bones… hah, robones. BWA-HA-HA-HA! Good gravy, I'm hilarious!"
The air was cold, but quiet. To Leptock, it was too quiet. He was currently watching over his frozen wonderland from what used to be Mamett's office. The clown commander was supposed to be reporting the progress of Joilant's takeover to his superiors, but he knew that something was off. Mamett had escaped, with the Dream Traveller and his lackeys in tow, and he knew that the Mayor wouldn't just pack up and leave, not after what Leptock did to his brother. He had a plan, and the commander had to be ready for it. It was unfortunate for him that the elevator was busted with no way of accessing it, otherwise he'd have massacred them all by now.
"KZZZT-Commander Leptock."
A robotic voice called out to the clown via comm link.
"Report, lapdog."
"This is Garskater #2911. The next batch of soldiers have been successfully manufactured. They are currently awaiting your input, sir."
"Excellent. Tell them to guard the Generator until I arrive. We can't have anyone getting their grubby little hands on our moneymaker, can we? Oh, and make sure there's soldiers all around the Kingdom. When those organic scum emerge from the shadows, wherever they are, we'll be ready."
"What about the Bionics?"
"...Let them find out about the Bionics themselves. They're pretty weak and pathetic at the moment, but I bet the look on Mamett's face when he finds out about them will be priceless."
"Affirmative, sir. I shall alert the troops of their new orders. Garskater #2911 out-KZZT."
Leptock turned back to the shattered window, ready to head out, but not before grabbing something from the corner of the office. Something he felt like he'd need later. For what was about to take place, he knew he had to get the best, and most optimal, front-row seat.
"SHOWTIME!"