//------------------------------//
// Renegade: New Information 
// Story: Jak and Daxter: Heirs of Mar 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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With their work in the Power Station done, for the time being anyway, Jak, Twilight, Cozy, and Starlight headed back over to the Port to see if Krew was in the mood to hand over another job or mission to them, to which they grabbed their zoomers and departed from the area the building they had been in was resting in, even though it was easy to see that every guard, once again, didn't care about any of them and that they were able to reach their destination with ease, where they found the obese man glancing at the wall of liquor bottles his workers used to serve drinks to those who came to this place, and he turned his head a little to glance at them to show that he knew they were there.

"Hmm, years ago, when I was an art 'collector', I hit the local museum to, hm, 'borrow' a famous statue of Mar, the founder of Haven City," Krew commented, giving them a little more information about his past, not that the siblings cared since he was a criminal and this meant he stole it, no doubt to sell it to the highest bigger or something, but, at the same time, all of them were interested in why he would even speak up about this, before he continued speaking, "and resting at the top of his staff is the Ruby Key to the city, an artifact of surpassing beauty, and, of course, priceless worth, eh! Sadly, while I was smuggling the huge statue through the Sewers, the safest way to do so in the past, a grueling rainstorm flooded the whole place... the statue, and five of my best men, were swept away."

"Honestly, that's rather terrible." Jak replied, referring to the fact that Krew's actions had caused several individuals to lose their lives in a rainstorm that he likely ignored, especially since the obese man was one of the greediest people they had encountered over the course of their adventures, even if they had only been on two so far, but even as he said that both he and his sisters, plus their Ottsel friends, knew that Krew wouldn't care about the men that were taken out and likely only cared about the statue.

"Yes, it is a tragic loss... I've missed that statue ever since." Krew said, confirming their thoughts on the matter, that all he cared about was the statue of Mar and not the five men that had been taken out by the storm, not that they were even a tiny bit surprised by that fact, given his attitude towards everyone else, though he seemed to be focused on everything he was sharing with them, to make them ready for their next mission, since it appeared that they would be heading back into the Sewers to look for the statue, "The Sewers have been so full of water and Metal Heads that I can't convince anyone to go down there and retrieve the artifact, but the four of you, on the other hand, are capable of great things, and I know all of you can get the job done. Now go down there, drain the Sewers, and find that statue, regardless if its at the bottom of the water or shattered into pieces and spread out, as we're interested in the Ruby Key artifact... it will open up doors that are beyond our wildest dreams, eh!"

The siblings had no idea if that was true or not, since this was the first time that any of them had heard of the Ruby Key and what it might be capable of, leading Twilight to try and figure out a brief point of time where she would be able to take a break and read about everything they were discovering right now, but while she did that they nodded to Krew and just walked out of the Hip Hog, where it only took them a few seconds to climb into their vehicles and departed from the Port once more, to which they headed back to the Industrial Section and the entrance of the Sewers. When they returned to the downward ramp in question the siblings braced themselves as they pulled out their weapons once more, since there was no telling how many enemies might be in the Sewers this time around, and quickly used the elevator to head down to the tunnel that served as the first part of this place, where they discovered that the crates they had opened during their first visit were still open and someone hadn't restocked it, to which they carefully walked forward and started to search for a new path or something. Sure enough when they reached the area that the very first turret rested in they found something interesting, the sealed door that had been in this area had been opened and revealed a pathway that looked like someone needed a JET-Board or something to move down the path in question, to which the siblings put their weapons away as Jak used the device to head forward, while at the same time Twilight and Starlight weaved their magic into a levitation spell so they and Cozy could follow after him, just so they could see what the statue looked like. What they discovered was a brand new tunnel that was filled with pipes and a winding path that Jak followed, with his sisters following him, which happened to be a bit longer than what they had been thinking of and it brought them to a chamber that was mostly filled with water, save for the part they entered and discovered a platform on the other wall in front of them, one that had a valve that had to influence the pumps that were scattered throughout this section of the Sewers, or at least Twilight assumed this place had that function, otherwise they would never get to the statue of Mar.

Sure enough when Jak landed on the platform, and struck the valve in question, the water lowered for a few seconds as a couple of pumps in this section moved all of it to another part of the Sewers, revealing a square shaped tunnel that was partly buried under the water, to which Jak dropped down with the JET-Board and headed through it without wasting any time, where they also discovered that there were a number of turbines resting in their way, ones that were easy to avoid since each one only went out a tiny bit. The other thing they had to avoid were the couple of mines which had been placed in the Sewers by the Baron, or whoever he had assigned to protect this place from all of his enemies, before coming to a chamber that looked like one that might have been where they found one of the turrets when they first came here, even though Jak quickly found a new tunnel, one smaller than the last one, to move through and avoided the turbines that were working at the moment, leaving Twilight or Starlight to maneuver themselves and Cozy behind him. Daxter took a moment to glance at the water and found a spike type of machine that pushed out of a slot in the floor, which rushed towards the area that happened to be just below the surface of the water, meaning that when they lowered the water again they would have to avoid a new type of obstacle, allowing Jak to focus on moving across the surface of the water as he avoided every trap that happened to be in his way and kept his eyes open for the next valve he needed to turn, even though he did find a raised section of the tunnel's floor that separated the water into two sections. The other section took him a few moments to navigate before he found the area that the next valve rested in, to which he made sure to land on it and waited for his sisters to catch up with him before he forcefully turned the device with a swift kick, where they watched as the water went down by another level and then, once they were sure no more water was moving, Jak resumed moving forward and had to head down the now cleared out tunnel that he had moved through just a few seconds ago, where he found that it was all too easy for him to avoid the spike traps and navigate around them, allowing him to return to the main chamber that they had been in earlier and found another passage to travel down.

That brought them to an area that had some small spinning turbines that had to be jumped over and a few larger ones, which were circular shaped, which they curved around to avoid, along with making sure to use a ramp to get over a large turbine, before finding another valve platform in a more accessible area, which seemed to move the rest of the water and, upon returning to the main chamber, revealed another one for them to travel down... one that happened to bring them to a decent sized chamber with a massive stone statue of a regal figure, with the cape, shoulderpads, and royal looking gear that had been carved into it, before noticing something interesting.

"Shows how much Krew knows, he said that Mar's weapon was a staff, when its actually a sword," Twilight commented, as the weapon in question looked thicker and came to a point at the bottom, a sharpened point that belonged to a blade to be exact, and at the bottom of the hilt, which was pointed up towards the ceiling of this chamber, rested a crystalline item that looked a lot like a metallic key with a crystal near the top, but even as she and her siblings stared at it, which made her wonder where in the world Mar's blade had to be resting, she and Starlight dismissed their levitation spell so they could touch the ground once more, "Well, let's get the Ruby Key and get out of here."

In the next couple of seconds Daxter, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore rushed up the sides of the statue, making sure not to do anything that might damage it since Twilight was watching them with great interest, before reaching the Key's location and stared at it for a few seconds, which was when they stood around it and gripped the sides of it for a moment before they heaved and pulled it out of the area it had been resting in since the day it had been added to the statue, where Alvin made sure Twilight collected it with her magic before they returned to the group, allowing them to find a nearby platform that brought them up to the start of the Sewers, allowing all of them to leave this area. With that done Twilight handed over the Ruby Key to Starlight, since only one of them needed to deliver it to Krew and not everyone had to be there, so when they reached the surface she took one vehicle and headed for the Port, allowing Jak, Twilight, and Cozy to head out, with Cozy taking a small zoomer for herself this time, though this time around they headed for the Stadium, as Jak noticed that there was a notice from Keira and that meant that she must have something for them to do. Upon thinking about things it was possible that she might be calling them back to the Stadium for one of the races that would allow them to get closer to the Baron, given the fact that she had signed them up for her racing team, even if one person could driver for the team and had lead to his sisters pointing at Jak for the position, which he gladly accepted since he was interested in seeing the skills of the other racers that called Haven City home, especially since one of them was Errol, who he would have to face at some point in the future. As such they headed for the Stadium and came to a stop when they reached the stairs that were in front of the massive building, where each of them made sure that the guards didn't come charging at them for some reason, before entering the area that Keira was working in, where they found her on this side of the curtain and it looked like she had just wrapped up her work for today, before she smiled as she noticed the three siblings that had come to her garage, even if she might be sad that Starlight was absent.

"I'm glad you guys were able to make it here without any problems," Keira commented, as she knew that the guards were looking for them, given that they were working for both the Underground and Krew while disrupting every operation that the Baron had set in motion recently, though at the same time she knew the guards weren't all that observant, since none of them had come running when the siblings entered the Stadium Section of the city, "since you told me that you wanted to get at the Baron, which involves getting into the Palace itself, you can always try winning the Class One race, as whoever wins that gets a pass that allows them to spend an entire day inside the Palace... though to get to that race we would need to win the Class Two and Class Three races first, which is why I called you guys here, as the Class Three race is scheduled to start in the next couple of minutes."

"Good, I'll tackle the race while you guys rest and watch what happens," Jak replied, though this was good news for them, because gaining entry to the Palace would allow them to confront the Baron in a place where he might lower his guard for a time, though at the same time it gave him a chance to show off his racing skills against those who lived in the city, while his sisters honestly didn't care about the race itself since this was better left to him, something that prompted Keira to beckon for them to follow her.

Keira lead them to a side entrance of the Stadium, just to make sure the Krimzon Guards didn't see them, and made sure both Starlight and Cozy were positioned in a seating area so they could see everything, where they found that the training area Jak had used the JET-Board in had been replaced with a massive track, while Jak was escorted to the racing vehicle and was lowered into the course so he could join the couple of racers that were present... though once everyone was at the starting point the race was started and they discovered that it had five laps, but, as the sisters expected, Jak came out on top and they regrouped in the garage as Jak placed the trophy on the shelf that Keira's trophies were on.

"Seems the Class Three race was the easiest... when are they going to provide us with a challenge?" Daxter commented, speaking as soon as everyone, including Starlight since she had arrived in the middle of the race, was back inside Keira's garage and had gathered around the trophy shelves, though even he had to admit that what he and the others had seen during the first of the three races was interesting, that none of the racers seemed to have any great skill in racing, which allowed Jak to win without wasting too much effort on his part, though as he opened his mouth to say something else he noticed Ashelin walking over to them, causing the others to glance at her as well.

"Hey, you were pretty amazing out there today... none of the other racers stood a chance." Ashelin said, which wasn't what the group, or even Keira for that matter, were expecting to hear and suspected that the lady knew that she had surprised all of them in a matter of seconds, even though it meant she must have been assigned to this area before being sent out to continue looking for the Tomb of Mar, given the orders that her father had given her and what the siblings had learned during their brief visit to the Palace.

"Thanks. If there's anything I can do, with any degree of consistency and success, it's racing." Jak replied, where he smiled for a moment, as that was the truth of the matter and he could see that his siblings and Keira understood his words, even if it other might assume he was bragging about his skills, and in a way he guessed that he was doing that, but before they did anything else he had to wonder why Ashelin was here, something his sisters had to be thinking about as well, all while Keira and the others remained silent, "I take it you and Keira know each other?"

"Yeah, she was the one who arrested me when I used my makeshift zoomer... and then saved my life a few times from the Metal Heads when I went outside the Eco Dome," Keira spoke up, revealing that there had been a few close calls since her arrival in Haven City, ones that she had learned from since it looked like she remained inside the safety of the city and did everything in her power to make sure everyone else was safe from the Metal Heads, before she considered why Ashelin had come to the garage in the first place, which would no doubt interest Jak and his sisters, "in fact she usually comes by after each race to see how I'm doing, and if there's anything specific I need to complete the orders I'm given... though I'm actually fine this time around, as the latest vehicle is almost done."

"Well, I also wanted to say thanks for helping out with that tanker... you guys saved a lot of lives." Ashelin added, revealing that there was another reason for her seeking them out like this, that she had been thinking about the tanker incident and, more importantly, that she knew the truth of the matter, that without the siblings she and her unconscious forces would have been killed in a matter of moments, not to mention whoever else all of the Metal Heads killed before reinforcements were able to contain the invasion and finish their enemies off, before she heard the sound of something behind her and they noticed a few guards walking by, ignoring Jak and his sisters, "I'm sure that you guys are aware of this, but I'm nothing like my father, or rather the man that he's become after his failed assault on the Metal Head Nest... in fact, ever since I was a little girl, I've looked down at the city streets from that ridiculous Palace, and imagined what this city might be like if the previous King was still in charge. Anyway, I'm sure you know this as well, but the guards are hunting for you, though you should watch out for Errol... he's bound to be threatened after seeing your skills out there."

Jak wasn't concerned about the Baron's right hand man at this point, as with his skills and the powers of his sisters, which included Midnight if they were forced to call her out of Twilight, there was no way Errol could beat them, though instead of saying anything the group nodded their heads and Ashelin departed, even though Keira had to go back to their work and Twilight informed her siblings that the Ruby Key had been handed over to Krew, so he wouldn't be bothering them yet, but after that was done they noticed a message from the Shadow and found that he wanted them to visit Onin's tent... where it took them no time to reach their destination and found that the person in question was talking to Pecker, which was odd since they weren't expecting him to leave the Underground hideout.

"The birdbrain and I were just talking about you, Jak, and discussing your sisters as well." the Shadow said, switching who he was speaking to the moment the siblings came to a stop near the opening of the tent that Pecker and the old seer used as their home and shop, while at the same time it was easy for everyone to see that Pecker didn't like being called by such a name, even though he refrained from doing anything since the person saying it was the leader of the Underground and he needed to be ready for whatever the future held for them, "Onin has informed me that she is very proud of what all of you have done."

"What we've done?" Jak inquired, because while someone could assume that Onin was referring to something they had done recently, like escorting their younger selves to the Power Station and the safety it provided, there was a chance that she was referring to something she had seen in her visions and might have seen a future event play out, which she didn't tell anyone about since it could very well influence the future in some manner and cancel out what she had seen, since it could lead to someone being defeated by their own overconfidence, which only made him wonder what in the world she might have seen in her vision.

"What you've done, what you'll do; it's all the same." Pecker stated, as this was common for him when he translated what Onin had to say, even though this time around it was the Shadow who delivered the information to Jak and his sisters, as it was information he had given the man while he conversed with Onin earlier, and he enjoyed seeing how confused or even upset people became after hearing such a thing, as some members of this group were that way while both Starlight and Twilight seemed to be thinking about it.

"Will you please stop it with the deja-voodoo stuff! It's creepy!" Daxter stated, due to the fact that he was used to all three of Jak's sisters wielding the magical powers and doing all sorts of strange or interesting things, but what Pecker was doing was more annoying than anything else and he wasn't afraid to let the bird know it, even though Alvin and his brothers had no opinion on the matter and just wanted to hear what in the world the siblings needed to do once they were done talking with Onin and the others.

"Anyway, Onin has informed me that you four must find the Tomb of Mar, the very thing the Baron is trying to find with all of his random searching," the Shadow said, returning to the reason that they were here in the first place, stopping Daxter from doing anything he might regret, despite the fact that it seemed like he and Pecker already had a rocky friendship of some kind, likely due to their first meeting, before he focused on the task at hand, "and, according to what we've been able to determine, only the true heir of Mar can open the Tomb's seal... we believe that the young boy is the key, even though there is a slim chance that he might not be the key and that one of his sisters could open the way... we won't know until we find the Tomb's hidden entrance."

"The prophecies say that the true heir of Mar must face the ancient Oracle; he alone must circumvent the cunning tests of manhood; he alone must wield the Precursor Stone, thereby unleashing..." Pecker translated, clearly revealing what Onin had to say on the matter, just like he always did whenever she started to weave her bits of Eco through the air and moved her hands for a time, even though this time around it sure looked like he might be annoyed with the lady and quickly hung his head over the side of his perch to stare at her face, "Geez Louise, fossil lady! Stop with the snooty mystic talk already! You know that it really hurts my lips!"

"Out of curiosity, why is Mar's tomb so important?" Twilight asked, as while she understood that it had to be Mar's resting place, where his body, armor, weapons, and whatever else was buried with him had to be located, so far her studies didn't indicate that there was anything of interest inside it and it made her wonder what she might have missed, while everyone else seemed interested in what Pecker and the Shadow might have to tell her, which would give them all an idea of what they might be looking for.

"The fabled Precursor Stone is rumored to sleep within the tomb, stupid!" Pecker stated, almost as if he couldn't believe that someone like Twilight hadn't heard of what was supposed to be sealed away in the legendary tomb of the man who founded Haven City, while at the same time a frown appeared on Twilight's face as she focused on Pecker, which was the moment that Jak, Starlight, and Cozy noticed that part of her aura seemed different and the sclera of her right eye took on Midnight's coloration once more, "I added the 'stupid' part. According to the stories the Precursor Stone contains vast Eco energies, the likes of which are beyond our imagination, and it can be used for great good... or, great evil! Personally, I just love saying that last part!"

"Based on what we know, the Baron wants the Precursor Stone for himself to rule the world, but he is playing with forces he does not understand." the Shadow added, deciding to get away from Pecker's love of saying the whole 'great good and great evil' part, whenever he was talking about artifacts that could either help the city or doom it, while at the same time he noticed the odd chance in Twilight's energies and even spotted the change in her eye, reminding him of what Torn had told him, before thinking about the artifact they were all looking for.

"Okay that means we need to get to it first... but how are we supposed get this Precursor Stone?" Cozy asked, as that was the problem, because no one knew where the Tomb was located and that meant that the immensely powerful Precursor Stone was out of everyone's reach as well, though at the same time Starlight made sure Twilight calmed down and didn't transform into Midnight, as that was the last thing they needed right now, Midnight surging to the surface to strike down Pecker for his comment.

"First, the lot of you must go back to the Dig and find the Lurker totem, an important artifact to the Lurkers who happen to live in those caves." the Shadow spoke up, revealing that he and Onin must have been talking about this before they had arrived at the tent and that, through a process of elimination that would remain unknown to the siblings, the pair might have found out exactly what they were looking for, even though it might have lead to the Shadow giving missions to the higher ranking members of the Underground to find them, or at least that was what Jak thought anyway, "Onin and I have learned that a piece to the Seal of Mar is contained within its ancient carvings, and we need all three pieces of the Seal in order to get closer to finding the Tomb, so while you recover the first piece from its resting place we'll be looking for the other two pieces... once we have all of them we'll go from there."

"What about the artifacts we recovered from the Mountain Temple?" Starlight inquired, because so far they had no idea as to why they had been asked to recover the Lens, Gear, and Crystal that Onin had sent them to recover, despite the fact that Onin promised them that she would search the timelines to search for information that would reveal what all three of the artifacts were supposed to be and why they needed them, something that she hadn't revealed yet and it made them wonder if she might have found something or if she had struck out in her search, something that caused the old seer to shift her hands and Eco for a few more seconds, causing Pecker to translate her statement for them.

"Onin says that they are part of the key to finding the Tomb of Mar, but we're missing the other half of the 'key' and need to find it first," Pecker replied, something that caused Jak and his sisters to raise their eyebrows for a moment, which also included Daxter and the Ottsel brothers, because his words made it sound like Onin was implying that the artifacts from the Mountain Temple and the Seal were the two halves of the same key, that they needed both of them to move forward in their plans to find the Tomb of Mar, but they decided to say nothing to what the bird said, merely nodding their heads to show him that they understood his statement.

With that information acquired, and it gave them more to think about, the group exited the tent and returned to where the location both of their zoomers were resting in, as it was time for them to return to the Port and use the Air Train to head back to the Dig, as it was likely that something had changed in one of the walls and would reveal a path for them to use, a new one to be exact, and they were interested in seeing what sort of enemies might be waiting for them this time around, as it wouldn't be the Krimzon Guards since they had been cleared out, all while looking for any signs of the Seal fragment that was supposed to be there.