Jak and Daxter: Heirs of Mar

by Blackdrag-rose

Kras: A New Racer

With the first Qualifying Event of the Red Eco Cup complete, of the three that were needed before they could take on the Grand Prix, Jak and his sisters found that they were able to spend what was left of the day, which was pretty much the rest of it, to which Starlight and Cozy headed out to explore the city, and glare down anyone from the enemy team who tried to bother them, leaving Jak to spend some time with Keira as Twilight made sure things were fine with their vehicles and seeing if there were modifications that could be made to them. According to Rayn, her father had bought all sorts of things for the team, not just the garage and the starting materials that they were working with right now, though, as Jak expected, Krew made it so that whoever raced for him had to prove themselves before earning more rewards for the garage, so by winning the first of the Red Eco Cup's Qualifying Events it gave all of them more tools to work with, which Keira was happy with since it was her job to make sure their vehicles ran smoothy. Such a thing meant that if they were able to win more events, which Jak knew would happen since he and his sisters were highly skilled in the art of racing, their team would gain all sorts of additional items to make their racers that much better, though while they did that Midnight manifested while Rayn was gone and pulled some of her Dark Maker material out before getting to work, showing them that she had taken a few parts from the Marauder vehicles in the past and made a frame. From what Jak and Keira could see it looked like she was planning on making her own racer, regardless of whether or not she entered the KGC and raced with them, but they found that she was making it out of parts from the Dark Maker ship and the Terraformer, which meant that it would be incredibly tough, especially since it took the power of a weapon that the Precursors made to take it down, but for now she was making it for fun and was hiding it from Rayn's eyes, just to keep it a surprise until she was done.

Other than that there wasn't a whole lot for them to do with their time, as it looked like those who had hired Shiv and the rest of his team were keeping an eye on everyone, especially since Starlight was sure that Krew's remaining followers were watching them as well, to make sure they stayed true to the deal that had been made, or had been forced upon them and their friends, so she and Cozy returned to the garage without too much happening and just focused on relaxing as they watched episodes of the previous KGC's that had happened, all to see what the past races and events had been like, all to learn some things from those who came before them.

Based on what Jak and his sisters could tell the previous years races were definitely more aggressive and filled with death, which explained why all of the new rules went into effect, though while they watched some of the races they found a face that seemed to be a rather good racer, especially since he smashed his way though all of his opponents and seemed to be rather skillful with a vehicle, something that caught Jak's attention and made him focus on the man for a time, just to see what sort of man he was. Razer, as Blitz called him, was a man in his late twenties, as of recording the episode that Jak and his team were watching right now, who was tall and had an average build to his body while having slick black hair that was cut short, though last time he was seen he had been wearing a red trench coat with black trimming, with yellow gloves and brown boots, and he was always smoking a cigarette when he was on camera, which had been quite often during the time he had been on the track. Supposedly after his last big win Razer had gone into retirement, likely after getting a generous payment from his boss for winning another trophy for him, including all the money that came from the event in question, so no one had heard from him for a while, though Jak suspected that if he and his sisters continued to smash Shiv's team in all of the events whoever their boss was might call in Razer to take them down, or at least attempt such a thing, even if all of them knew that it would be incredibly difficult for them to be beaten in anything. There was also a chance that Razer might not accept such a thing and stick to his grand retirement, especially since the sport had been changed since the last time he had been on the track, but based on what he had seen from a few individuals who called Kras City home he had a feeling that if Razer's boss offered him a fair payment he might come out of retirement for a time and race against them, likely until he beat them into submission and ensured that Shiv's team came out on top once more.

Rayn, of course, did everything in her power to make sure they had all the information they needed for the race, even if Jak or his sisters asked about Shiv's team and the person who had hired them, though right now she claimed that she was still looking into who had hired them, but Twilight was sure that she knew something about their rivals and hadn't told them it yet, so she was withholding information that would make this much easier on them, though for now she decided that the events were more important for the time being, and they would get the information out of Rayn when the time came, of that Twilight was sure of.

---

When the next day arrived the siblings found that three more events were ready for their team and their opponents, one would be taking place in Kras, another would be happening in Haven, and the third one was going to be taking place in the Icelands, which was rather interesting since they had been thinking that it would be some time before they went there, but no one said a word as Rayn explained what sort of challenges they would be facing at this point in time, to give Jak and his sisters a chance to prepare for what was coming their way. As such the group would be heading to Seaport Strip to tackle a Circuit Race, making their way to Clifftop Battlefield so they could partake in an Artifact Race, and traveling to an area that was called Icebound Citadel, located in the Icelands, so they could tackle a Death Race, all of which seemed easy to Jak and his sisters, though there was no telling what Shiv's team would do now that they had beaten them a few times. What they learned was that the Artifact Race, the only new event among the three, was that both teams had to race around an area or track and collect a number of Precursor artifacts, so the racer or team with the most artifacts would win the event, an interesting challenge in the mind of Jak and his sisters when they considered it, especially when they considered what they had tackled so far. Rayn also explained that there were rumors among the citizens of the city that Razer might be planning on making a return to the track, meaning he might be interested in seeing what the siblings were capable of and challenge them in some manner, she was just warning them in case something happened once the first event had been won, as that was part of Razer's mannerisms back when he was racing, so she wanted them to be ready for someone's arrival once the next event was won, as she knew that the siblings would be able to tackle what was coming their way.

Once breakfast was done Jak and his sisters headed out to tackle the first event of the day, where they, Ashelin, and Torn were transported over to Seaport Strip, an area that was practically next door to where the Loading Docks rested, even if it went in another direction, and since it was a Circuit Race that meant they would be completing two laps around the area, though what was interesting to the siblings as they gathered at the start of the track was that it looked like Shiv's team did look worried about their chances, which Jak and his sisters ignored as they climbed into their vehicles.

A few moments later, once the other team and their friends were ready, the announcer counted down before they were allowed to speed off and start this event, even it took no time for Jak and his sisters to take the lead over their opponents, though Ashelin and Torn continued to do their part by dealing with Shiv's team, who now seemed to have a bone to pick with them, no doubt after everything that had happened to them since this year's KGC had started, which seemed to make Blitz annoyed about something, or at least Twilight assumed such a thing when she glanced at him. Sure enough Jak and his sisters pushed to the head of the pack with ease, though what came next was that they resumed fighting over the first place position as they put on a show for everyone who happened to be watching them right now, though one thing all of them discovered was that there were a fair number of cranes lining the area that everyone was currently racing through, along with all sorts of shipping crates and even a fair number of freight trains, which they had to avoid since hitting one of them dead on was a bad idea. The addition of them ducking and weaving around this track caused the crowd to cheer for everyone who happened to be racing right now, coming from everyone but Blitz, who quickly joined in when he found the eyes of someone else turning towards him, meaning he might be putting on a show of his own or something, which was a bit of information the siblings filed away for now as they focused on the event they were currently tearing apart as Ashelin and Torn did their best to keep Shiv's team from getting close to their backsides. Of course there were a few times where Shiv or his teammates were able to bypass the pair, which made sense considering it was two against three, but those who got close to the siblings found something interesting that happened to them, as Starlight fell back for a few seconds, took a moment to apply her brakes as she shifted her wheel, and made it so she was facing their opponents for a moment or two as she found a look of surprise on her foe's faces, allowing her to blast apart their tires and send them into the sides of the track before she turned around and fell in behind Cozy.

With stunts like that, something that caused the crowds at him and those announcing for their event to cheer like made in some instances, it didn't take Jak or his sisters that long to claim victory over Shiv's team, causing him and his companions to frown and shake their heads in defeat for a time, allowing the siblings to return to the garage with another gold win and all the points that came with it... though as they made sure all four of their vehicles were ready for the next event, which had to be the Artifact Race, Keira informed them that an unexpected arrival was in their garage, where they found Razer, who was in his early thirties at this point, standing near the Road Blade.

"My, my... I finally get to meet the infamous Jak, and his equally infamous sisters," Razer commented, where he, just like all of the information said about him, happened to be smoking on a cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke off to his right, as if he didn't care about their garage or anything, though for once someone knew who they were talking to and seemed to understand that they weren't to be underestimated at all, at least in the racing sense, all while he didn't seem to care for Daxter and the other Ottsels, "your reputations precedes you, as all of us in Kras have heard of your abilities and have also seen how you tackle the tracks that are part of the KGC, and I must admit that you did well in the last event. In case the lot of you didn't know, I am called Razer, one of the greatest racers under the employ of Mizo, who just so happens to own a fair majority of Kras and the underground crime network... eventually, everyone will come to bow before Mizo, just like all of you will throw your lot in with him as well."

"You wouldn't happen to be threatening us, are you?" Twilight asked, where her siblings found that Midnight was currently switching places with their sister, as her eye color started to shift and her horn started to turn into what the Dark Eco form of their sister possessed, something that caused Razer to pause for a few seconds as he witnessed it happen, like he either had no idea that this could happen or he had heard stories about their abilities and didn't believe them until now, though Midnight held her hands out and opened her hands, as if taunting him.

"No, I'm just stating a fact," Razer quickly replied, though he maintained his cool, despite the fact that Midnight scared all who came across her, and took another hit of his cigarette, something that was a little impressive when the siblings took a moment to think about what was going on, before he blew out another puff of smoke and focused on them for a couple of seconds, like he was debating something in his mind, "Don't worry, we'll be racing against each other soon enough... and soon you'll see why I'm one of the top racers in the sport... oh, and watch your backs, as I've heard that someone, or a pair of someones, have arranged for some surprises this year."

Jak and his sisters glanced at each other for a few seconds as they listened to what Razer had to say, though the man did seem like he had enough of them, despite the fact that he insured them that they would be seeing each other again, on the track since he was coming out of retirement to take them down, though it was hard to say when he would actually show up and start racing against them, since there was no telling what his vehicles were like and if any of them needed to be outfitted or repaired before he got on the track.

"I was hoping that Razer would prove me wrong, but he has confirmed my own findings... my father and Mizo made a bet with each other before my father passed," Rayn said, as Jak and his sisters had walked into the living area of the garage, an area that Keira, Ashelin, Torn, and the others gathered in when they weren't busy, though her words did cause everyone to glance at her for a few moments, even though most of them were waiting for the next event to start so they could get it over with and move on with the KGC's Red Eco Cup, "it would seem that both of them knew that a gang war was going to happen, so either clan could have full control over the city's Underground, and instead of engaging in such a costly battle the pair decided to make a bet on the next KGC that my father joined, that the winner would take over everything and the loser would work under the winner... now I understand the reason why my father abstained from racing in Kras City for so long, he was looking for a team to win everything for him."

"Mizo thinks that Razer will be able to take us down, and I'm looking forward to showing him that such a thought is wrong and will never happen," Starlight stated, showing the others that she and her siblings didn't care what Mizo sent after all of them on the track, not after everything they had faced before this point in time, while at the same time Midnight sighed as she traded places with Twilight again, allowing her body to return to normal within a matter of seconds, something that either freaked Rayn out or she ignored it so she didn't question her reality.

With that done, and Razer giving them an idea of who they were up against, Jak and his sisters waited for a few minutes before Rayn informed them that it was time for the Artifact Race, to which they departed and allowed the transport to take them over to the area of Haven it would be held in, a battlefield placed on top of a cliff that overlooked all of the city, so it was similar to what they had seen in the Dirt Stadium earlier, a bowl shaped arena with some obstacles and paths that the teams had to race around.

Not a few minutes later Jak, his sisters, and their friends climbed into their vehicles before being placed all over the arena they would be racing in, an area that definitely had all sorts of hills and passages that one could use to make their way all over this place, and sure enough they found Shiv and his two companions getting ready as well, as it appeared that Mizo might have told Razer not to get involved with the races yet, not until he had a chance to accurately judge Jak's team for himself and the threat they posed to his operations. Once the countdown was done Jak and his sisters rushed out from the areas that each of them had started in as they headed for some of the artifacts that were placed throughout the arena both teams were racing around, as there was a blimp above the arena and it seemed whoever was up there teleported an artifact or two down to the battlefield at random intervals, so it was hard to predict if one was paying attention to what the vehicle was doing. For Jak and his sisters, however, they could sense where the artifacts were going to appear, meaning it was easy for them to head over to the areas their targets would be appearing in and grabbed their targets not a second or two after they appeared, something that caused Mizo's team to growl in annoyance as they were beat to every target that was sent down to the battlefield, even though Ashelin and Torn continued to do their best to take the trio down while the siblings did their work. As usual Jak and his sisters put on a show for the announcer and the viewers, who were cheering all of them on as they watched the newcomers tearing through Mizo's team, or Shiv's team in their minds since Mizo was likely unknown to all of the ordinary people of Kras City, but at the end of the day Jak's team won with Jak claiming ten of the artifacts, Twilight and Starlight tied with eight, Cozy found seven, and Ashelin and Torn, despite focusing on taking all of Mizo's goons down, earned four artifacts, earning them another gold medal.

Of course the interesting thing about this was that Mizo's team, despite being utterly destroyed in the events, was able to move forward in the KGC, meaning their foe had to either be throwing his money around, using his connections to make sure his team stayed near Jak's team, or, what was the most likely, once a team was introduced they were expected to go until the very end, though none of them were worried about the current racers in Mizo's team and they kept their eyes open for when Razer made his grand appearance.

An hour later, after Mizo's team had calmed down after losing another event without actually scoring too much during the event that had just ended, Jak and his sisters found that the other team weren't interested in the Death Race event that was taking place in the Icebound Citadel, which made sense when they considered that this was just someone shooting at a bunch of drones for some time, so the four of them just decided to tackle the challenge and earn more points for their team, just like Krew intended. They quickly discovered that the area they would be racing through was an abandoned fort that the Marauders had been in control of at one point in time, a citadel covered in ice and had a frozen track that all four of them had to keep an eye on, though it also told them that someone had beaten the Marauders who called the Icelands home and pushed them out, or cut them all down given how tough those warriors had been when they were bothering all of Damas' Wastelanders. Sure enough when the event started the siblings found a number of yellow drones appearing in front of them, so when they started racing it became their usual game to hunt down and take down the most targets, just like the last time this event had happened, all while all four of them followed the track as it weaved and twisted around the former citadel, taking in the sights of another land that they hadn't been to before, even though they would have to find a bit of time to explore the Icelands on foot, as Twilight was sure they might find something interesting here if they were to take a few days to wander around it. As it turned out the score required was definitely different from the last Death Race they had been involved in, as this time one needed one hundred and fifty kills to get the gold medal, which all four of them overcame in due time while also trying to outdo each other, something that the viewers seemed to be eating up, with Jak having the highest score of them all as his sisters had different scores, though for the most part they were pleased with how things were turning out and suspected that the viewers were pleased with what they were seeing.

With the Death Race done, and another gold medal had been earned in the process, Jak and his sisters returned to their garage so Rayn could figure out what the next couple of events might be while everyone rested a little, even though they were more interested in seeing Razer take to the field and make his attempt to bring them down, especially after what he said when they first encountered him, but they knew that Mizo, whoever he was, would be disappointed in Razer once his first race was over, because he was about to suffer a great losing streak and make him wish he had never come out of his retirement in the first place.

Comments

[PrismStrike]

I really wanna see Midnight get in on one of these with whatever kind of racer she is building.