[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] - (31/50) EXP (+3), [b]Level 4[/b] - (38/40) (+3), [b]Level 1[/b] - (6/10) (+3) [b]Location:[/b] Hammerhead [b]Word Count:[/b] 1765[/center] Ratchet, Jak, and Daxter arrived at the Hammerhead only a little ahead of the others who stayed behind to fix up the monster truck. They hadn’t taken off that much sooner after all, and drove at a fairly leisurely pace so that Ratchet could explain the rest of their situation to the Dark and Light Brigade. He had covered everything they learned so far, from Galeem to the spirits that remained after killing someone, to their various uses. This veered into the rather uncomfortable topic of Clank’s current situation, having been relegated to a striker, a mere shadow of his former self. Upon seeing the situation Daxter gulped, having no desire for the same fate to befall him. Jak was less concerned and reassured his little buddy that no matter what, they always got through thick and thin together. This did little to ease Daxter’s concerns, though. Once they arrived, Ratchet parked the Blue Falcon kart and hopped out, while Jak dismounted his jet board and reattached it to his back. [color=darkorange]”Sheesh! This place looks more run down than a discount brothel in Kras City! I wanna complain to the manager!”[/color] Daxter said to nobody in particular, never one to exercise discretion or use an indoor voice. [color=orange]”Hey, it’s a workshop! Nice! I wonder what kinds of machines and vehicles they work on here?”[/color] Ratchet was clearly interested in the Hammerhead, paying little attention to the nearby diner establishment. [color=sandybrown]”Hey, you said that everybody is under Galeem’s influence, right? All these people have got that red eye thing going on,”[/color] Jak said to Ratchet, keeping on track. He eyed everyone around warily, arms crossed. [color=orange]”Yeah, what about it?”[/color] Ratchet retorted, his jaunt toward the garage interrupted to answer his fellow hero. [color=sandybrown]”So then why isn’t this place a war zone? Seems pretty peaceful.”[/color] Peace, that was something Jak wasn’t used to ever since getting flung into the future. Into Haven City. He instinctively distrusted it, especially this kind of peace. It just didn’t sit well with him. [color=orange]”Like I said, it’s subtle. Unless Galeem or a giant hand comes around to take direct control, people seem to mostly act as usual.”[/color] Ratchet shrugged, but Clank manifested to offer more insight. “Through my own observations and personal experience I have determined that unless acted upon by an outside force, most individuals behave under normal conditions with a 97.8% reliability, give or take a 2% margin of error.” Ratchet thanked Clank, who immediately dissipated back into spirit form until next he would be needed. [color=sandybrown]”Really…”[/color] Jak muttered wistfully. [color=darkorange]”Whatcha thinking about Jak? Eh? Old buddy? Hey! Earth to Jak, anybody in there?”[/color] Daxter knocked on the side of Jak’s head like a door, rousing his friend from his own thoughts. [color=sandybrown]”It’s just that if everyone acts like they normally would… Then why would we have joined those bandits? That psycho Needles, and the reaper guy? And why would I have prioritized that alliance over our old friend?”[/color] Jak gestured to Ratchet, who had taken to leaning up against his omniwrench. [color=darkorange]”Oh yeah, that is a good point…”[/color] Daxter mused, tapping his little furry chin. [color=orange]”Well anything could have happened while you were under, I guess. If you can’t remember then you can’t remember. The important thing is that now your will is free again and you know how to fix it for everyone else.”[/color] [color=sandybrown]”I guess, but I can’t help but think that if Galeem didn’t directly affect my actions, what could those psychos have said or done to convince me to side with them over you? Assuming I was still working in my normal mindset.”[/color] Daxter quickly interjected. [color=darkorange]”Sheesh! Way to bring down the mood! Come on Jak, all this heavy introspection ain’t like you! Let’s just get a move on already!”[/color] Clank was next to interject, manifesting for only a brief moment. “If I may, one of the core alterations I have observed seems to be levels of aggression. I have noted that anyone under Galeem’s influence that has engaged in battle seems incapable of surrender or withdraw. As you were already engaged with Gene prior to the arrival of Ratchet and myself, I hypothesize that any feelings of loyalty you had toward us were overridden at the time by the necessity to continue combat at all cost.” [color=orange]”Or it could just be your anger problems! Haha!”[/color] Ratchet gave Jak a quick finger gun gesture, but before Jak or Daxter could rebut, something else caught their attention. A scuffle seemed to be going on near the garage of the Hammerhead! A number of their allies were embroiled in a battle against some sort of robotic bird. They all rushed in to help, but before they could lift a finger the fight was already over: the eagle was scrapped and Din took the spirit into her body. Jak got to watch a spirit absorption firsthand for the first time. The results left him visibly impressed, though he said nothing. Daxter was, in a rare occurrence, at a complete loss for words, simply gesticulating wildly . It was around this time that Gene announced to everyone that there was a second possible destination they could all head for, one with deadly demons to battle and something bizarre sounding called the Qliphoth. Jak looked over to Daxter with a wide grin. Daxter shook his head no wildly, but it was no use. When Jak made up his mind, it was already a done deal. [color=sandybrown]”Count us in! Sounds like a hell of a good time.”[/color] Jak eagerly agreed. [color=darkorange]”You mean count you in while I’m forced to tag along! Ugh, I just hope none of them have a taste for ottsel…”[/color] [color=orange]”Then that means I’m going too,”[/color] Ratchet put forward, showcasing his omniwrench. [color=orange]”Both times we met up before our contest was interrupted. This time I’ll prove to you who the better hero is!”[/color] [color=sandybrown]”A demon killing contest, eh? I like the sound of that!”[/color] [hr] Inside Grillby’s Courier 6 was having a hell of a good time playing poker. He appreciated the flaming cocktail the waiter provided, it gave the drink extra burn as it went down his throat, and the dogs were easy pickings for the well practiced gambler. After all, they barely seemed to have an understanding of the game at all! He hardly needed to be the man banned from every casino in New Vegas to take on these mongrels. Still, for some reason his exceptional luck wasn’t working so he had to rely entirely on skill and guile. That just made it more fun, honestly. The dogs were extra trusting of his calls too, which made it far easier to bluff them. It seemed his natural animal magnetism affected these humanoid puppers to some extent since they trusted him so easily. He started the first round testing the waters with a small bet: 10 caps in the pot. That the bottle caps did not match the dog treats the rest were betting with didn’t seem to be an issue. The round took some time as the dog wearing a black mask didn’t understand what cards he had. He just barked anytime someone else moved and treated his own hand like it was invisible. Eventually he laid down his cards, a pair of sixes. The Courier had nothing, a total pig hand, and so lost his ten caps. Winner that round was the large buff dog with a small head. That got their confidence up. Good, he could strike while the iron was hot. The next hand was dealt and the Courier had a pair of queens, but nothing else. He made another small bet of ten caps, then waited for the exchanges. Some of the dogs exchanged cards, some didn’t. The Courier chose nothing. New round of betting. [color=tan]”All in,”[/color] he said, emptying his entire savings of caps onto the table. The masked dog immediately went crazy, barking left and right. The long necked dog looked at his pair of queens and, failing to understand it wasn’t as strong as the bet, folded. One by one the dogs all folded, implicitly trusting that there was no way the Courier would make such an extravagant bet if his hand didn’t match. He took the round based on his bluff alone. The next round was a little trickier and would require more skill than a blatant bluff, as some of the smarter dogs caught on. Now that he had some dog treats, the Courier could bet with those instead of his bottle caps. 2 treats to start, and his hand was strong: three 9s. Then came the exchanges. The Courier tossed two cards, but neither of them helped his hand in any way. Three 9s was all he would have. [color=tan]”I raise 5 treats,”[/color] he bet, keeping his face stone cold. Most of them matched his bet, but the amalgamate opted to fold. Then came the reveal: the Courier won the round with his three of a kind. Ironically, the only one that could have beaten him was the amalgamate, who chose to fold while it had a full house: two kings and three 4s. So the rounds continued like this, with the Courier losing a couple here and there but winning the majority, all the way up until he had, as declared when he sat down, taken the whole pot. The dogs looked disappointed, whimpering even, as he shoveled the dog treats into his travel bag. [color=tan]”Pleasure playin’ with ya, hombres. Here’s a little somethin’ fer yer troubles.”[/color] He tossed a single treat in the middle of the table for them all to share, or fight over, however they chose to solve the dispute wasn’t really his business. No sooner had he finished the game than it was time to head out. The Land of Adventure awaited them all and, actually thinking back on it he wasn’t getting paid for this work, was he? No, he only charged Bowser to escort him and Kirby to the castle. Everything since then had been pro bono! Oh, well in all the excitement of everything it seemed he forgot to make a new deal. That would have to be rectified soon…