[center][h3][color=tan]Courier 6[/color] and [color=orange]Ratchet[/color] and [color=sandybrown]Jak and[/color] [color=darkorange]Daxter[/color][/h3]
[b]Level 5[/b] - (27/50) EXP (+3), [b]Level 4[/b] - (35/40) (+3), [b]Level 1[/b] - (3/10) (+3)
[b]Location:[/b] Paved Wilderness -> Pit Stop
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1521[/center]

While others went on ahead to the couple of buildings in the distance, Ratchet was staying behind in order to help fix up some of the damage to the vehicles. An explosion caught his attention, which he just shrugged off once he saw the cause. It wasn’t any kind of surprise that Daxter had done [i]something[/i] to blow up the group’s biggest vehicular advantage. Besides, that ice cream truck turned robot was an eyesore anyway, absolutely no class to it. His attention was better put elsewhere, like Bowser’s kid’s hovercraft dohicky. 

Ratchet pulled up next to the clown car and surveyed the damaged. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it definitely took a beating from that shot Mr. Grimm put into it. The lombax prepared his omniwrench and gave the vehicle a good whack, not to fix anything but to listen reeeeeal closely. The sounds of the vibrations made his large cat-like ears twitch and told him where some of the internal damage was. 

[color=orange]”I can fix this,”[/color] he boasted, then dove into it over the top. Ratchet went to work grabbing some loose wires, untangling them then reconnecting where they needed to go.

[color=sandybrown]”Hey. Now that we dealt with those enemies, you want to fill us in on what’s going on?”[/color] asked a familiar voice from outside the clown car.

[color=darkorange]”Yeah! Because last time we saw you everything got all freaky-deaky mish-mashed and I almost lost my tail!”[/color] spoke another all too familiar voice.

Ratchet peaked up over the rim of the car to confirm that Jak and Daxter were indeed just a few feet away, then dipped back down to continue his work. [color=orange]”Well we’ve definitely got the mish-mash thing going on again, that’s for sure. But instead of some dopey aliens wanting to copy our moves or a polygon face pitting us in a tournament, we’ve got to deal with that.”[/color] Ratchet’s omniwrench pointed up from down in the car, signalling the two heroes to gaze into the sky. As they did, the ever present ball of light, Galeem, caught their attention.

[color=sandybrown]”Don’t see that every day,”[/color] Jak mused, crossing his arms.

[color=darkorange]”Woah! Dang, that thing’s brighter than you are anytime you use your light eco powers, Jak!”[/color] Daxter said, shielding his eyes. [color=darkorange]”EXCUSE ME! GIANT BALL OF LIGHT IN THE SKY? WHERE’S THE DIMMER SWITCH? HEEEEY! I don’t think it can hear me, Jak. Man! And just when I was getting excited about going to the beach and sitting in the shade! Watching all the girls run by in their frilly little things. Aaah, that’s the life.”[/color]

[color=sandybrown]”What about Tess?”[/color] Jak asked, a bit confused considering Daxter’s girlfriend.

[color=darkorange]”Hey, just because Keira’s a stick in the mud for you doesn’t mean some of us don’t have ladies that understand we can still lookie and no touchie, capiche?”[/color] Daxter waved his right hand in a finger gun motion.

Jak shook his head, then refocused on what was important. [color=sandybrown]”I remember that light. We were driving and it just sort of… Appeared over the horizon.”[/color]

[color=orange]”Yeah, that’s Galeem, our new bad guy,”[/color] Ratchet continued, still deep in the inner workings of the clown car. [color=orange]”From what we can tell, he, or it I guess, poured its light all over the multiverse and made this new world that’s an amalgamation of a bunch of different worlds. Everyone in it has some kind of influence from it. Sort of like brainwashing, but I don’t know. More subtle, I guess? But Galeem can take direct control if it wants. We were all under its influence at first, just like the two of you. Ah, so that’s where that wire goes!”[/color]

[color=sandybrown]”So how’d we get free? How did you free us?”[/color] Jak leaned up against the clown car and peaked inside. He didn’t like how any of this was going.

[color=orange]”Well, there was one person that escaped the light. A little pink guy named Kirby. He had the power to free people, and even gave it to us too. Once you’ve got enough of your strength back you should be able to do it yourself. Ack! Ok, note to self, don’t cross the red and green wires, shocks are bad.”[/color] The car jostled a bit under Ratchet’s movements. [color=orange]”Anyway, we’ve determined that Galeem has a few elite enforcers around this world that need to be beaten before we can go take him on. We already beat one before finding you guys.”[/color]

[color=sandybrown]”Pfft. Just one? Sounds like you guys will need our help.”[/color] 

[color=darkorange]”Yeah! The dynamic duo, back at it again on a new adventure! Hero and sidekick, Daxter and Jak! I wonder if they’ll make a game out of it? Or even a book. I call 50% of all proceeds!”[/color]

[color=orange]”Well, I certainly won’t turn down your help,”[/color] Ratchet admitted, ignoring Daxter’s antics. [color=orange]”If the rest of them are as tough and powerful as the last one, we’ll need all the help we can get. Aha! There we go!”[/color] Ratchet popped out of the clown car, wiping his hands together. [color=orange]”All fixed up, Junior! Your car is ready to go!”[/color] he called out.

[color=sandybrown]”Alright, well is there anything else that we need to know before we kick some serious butt?”[/color] Jak punched into his open palm for emphasis.

[color=orange]”Oh yeah, there’s plenty. Let’s talk about spirits.”[/color]

Ratchet hopped back into the Blue Falcon kart while Jak pulled out his jet board. The three of them took off side by side, keeping up the conversation as they headed for the rest stop the others were already en route to.

[hr]

The ever impatient monarch that he was, Bowser made sure his car went on ahead of the repair crew, which meant that Courier 6, still sleeping in the Bowsermobile with his Pip-Boy radio hooked into the car’s speakers, went along. The ride wasn’t too long, so his nap didn’t last long either. The Courier awakened with a start as the Bowsermobile came to a stop at a mechanic shop which seemed to house a good number of people all around, each one under the influence of Galeem. Alarmed, the Courier pulled out his shotgun, but thankfully saw that nobody was getting into any fights quickly enough that he didn’t accidentally make one himself.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the Courier put his shotgun away and pulled his hat back on. It looked like some of the others were missing, while others were already striking up conversations with the locals. Tora and Poppi were having some sort of conversation with what appeared to be the head mechanic around these parts, while the new guy (Donnie, was it?) was embroiled in talk with a muscular man in a helmet and spandex, oozing with confidence (and wasn’t all that quiet either). His car looked exactly like that kart that Ratchet had picked out, too! Well, except it was an actual large machine instead of a kart. The real McCoy compared to a child’s plaything as it were. Machine looked fancy enough, the Courier was impressed by it. Not as impressed as he was by its driver, however.

Figuring he hadn’t had a good bang in some time and having nothing to lose by asking, 6 dragged himself out of the Bowsermobile to go schmooze up to the racer, only for him to leave Donnie behind with a rather sour tone. Miffed, the Courier walked right on by Donnie and mumbled, [color=tan]”Had to fuck it up fer all of us, didn’t ya?”[/color] just low enough that he’d only have been heard if the monk was specifically listening to him.

Seeing plenty of other molerats in the junkyard, the Courier went on to grading each of these new faces on a scale of one to ten. Mechanic woman - 8. Old guy in red hat - 4. Drunk with neck tattoo - 3. Buffout frog - 7. Robot bird - 7.5. White haired cyborg - 9. Tattooed van chick - 8.5. Ah, then there was the leather-clad boy band. From left to right their numbers were 9, 6, 6.5, and 7. Damn, there were some pretty attractive people (and a robot) here! And some not very attractive ones, but hey, he couldn’t blame the old guy for being old. Accounting for the extra decades and he’d probably be a very solid 8. Didn’t change his rating now, though.

Before the Courier could act on his impulse to approach any of them however, he noticed the log cabin style diner named “Grillby’s” and his stomach growled. Well, food was a more important necessity than banging one out. Hopefully they took his bottlecaps as currency. The Courier shrugged and went inside the diner, ready to sit down and order some grub.