Chapter Text
The Waste King’s domain was vastly different from Haven. That much was apparent when Layla first left the garage and stepped foot into the city street, following after Everly. Sure, there was still a wall protecting it from outside invaders, but one side was man-made while the other was created by the land itself, stoney cliff walls rising high above the buildings. The buildings themselves were made of mixed materials from adobe stone to patchworks of metal, but all constructed sturdier than most Haven buildings in order to weather the desert storms. The roads were more of a stone pathway where you could see each individual stone separated by the sand and any plants that managed to grow in the harsh climate.
The people here were as equally different as the cities themselves. Haven’s people almost always seemed to walk with fear, their heads down and shoulders hunched, trying to take up as little space as possible. Meanwhile the citizens of Spargus walked with confidence and hardiness.
They had this air about them that let Layla and anyone else know that they wouldn’t take shit from no one and wouldn’t hesitate to defend themselves if they had to. But at the same time, they didn’t seem hostile like the KG. If anything, those who spotted the two women gave Everly a nod of respect and then a curious glance to Layla before continuing on their way.
“Quite a different atmosphere, isn’t it?” Everly asked as she glanced back at the younger woman.
“It almost reminds me of my village,” Layla mused.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, we were mostly farmers. Although a few of us knew how to use guns in case of a metalhead attack.”
“Is that where you learned your gun skills?”
“Eh…some of them. Sig taught me the rest.”
“I see…Damas will be interested to hear that,” Everly replied as she eventually led them to a building with a crown shaped carved into the metal door.
As she approached, the door opened and she led the way through a few rooms and a hallway before they approached what looked like an elevator. Although it didn’t look nearly as fancy as the ones in Haven, it appeared stable as the two women stepped onto its surface and it began to rise.
When they reached the top, they exited the lift into a hallway which Everly then led the way past a few closed doors until they arrived at a set of double doors that had a similar design to the one at the entrance to this building. At their approach, the doors swung open to reveal a throne room that was filled with sand and pools of water. Near the back of the room was a wall of windows that looked down into the city, and before it stood a throne upon which sat a stern looking man with mixed precursor and metal-head armor, dark purple eyes, and pale hair pulled into braids much like Everly’s.
Everly led Layla to the center of the room where she waved her hand for the younger woman to stay before she approached the throne and the King who stood at her approach. The man took her hand and his harsh expression softened a bit as he kissed her knuckles. “My Queen,” he said.
“My King,” she replied, a smile on her face.
Then he lowered Everly’s hand and turned his attention back to Layla and instinctually, the former mercenary lowered herself to her knees in respect. “Lord Damas,” she greeted reverently. Before now, she’d only heard tales of the exiled king, but now, he stood before her in the flesh. It seemed almost like a fairy tale.
“You may rise and tell me your name.”
As she rose, the monk robes she’d been given swishing with her movement. And when her eyes met the King’s again, he was sitting back on his throne with Everly standing beside him. “It’s Layla Krie, your Majesty.”
“My wife tells me you can sense and channel dark eco.”
“I can. Although I am unaware of how much I can handle since my rehabilitation.”
Damas nodded, a hand going to stroke his chin as he observed her. “When my scouts found you, you were cast out from Haven and on death’s door. And it is by the grace of my wife that you are still alive.”
Layla glanced down at her hands, staring at the pale skin she hadn’t seen in years before she looked back up at Everly and Damas. “Not that I’m not grateful, your Majesties, but I had already accepted my fate a long time ago.”
“I disagree. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always shown a strong will to live. Even if you feel like you don’t deserve the life you have,” Everly said kindly.
Layla shook her head. “I appreciate your belief in me, but I don’t deserve it. I don’t see how you can stand up for me when you know how I allowed the Underground to use your kid. And then when I went to the nest to see if Kor had him, I didn’t even make it there.”
“You went to the metalhead nest?” Damas interrupted, sitting forward in his throne and eyeing her with renewed interest.
Layla met his gaze. “Uh…yeah. Me and my partners. But I never made it inside.”
“And yet you somehow survived.”
“I…I guess, but I don’t even know how. Last I remember, I–” she paused as the memories of what had happened at the nest resurfaced. Of the fight with her brother. Of when she broke his neck. “I had to fight for my life, but in the end, the dark eco I’d absorbed was too much and I fell unconscious. I should have died then and there in that place, so I don’t know how I survived long enough to even be found by your scouts.”
“These partners of yours, do you know if they made it to the nest?”
“I hope so. I stayed behind to buy them some time.”
Damas and Everly shared a look before Damas looked back at Layla. “What are the names of your partners?”
“Jak and Daxter.”
The king’s brows drew together as if the names sounded familiar. It wouldn’t surprise Layla since she knew that the two of them were in fact those famed heroes who took down Gol and Maia hundreds of years ago. But she decided not to ask and waited for the king to sort through his thoughts.
“Layla, I have a task for you to prove your worth to this city and to me.”
“What is it?”
“I was informed you believed my son to be in the captivity of the metalhead leader, I want you to go to their nest and report back to me anything you can find, suspicious or otherwise. I will send five of my best men along with my wife to aid you.”
Layla frowned. “With all due respect, that place is very dangerous. There are pockets of dark eco and acid everywhere. Not to mention that I have no idea how guarded it will be since I last visited the place.”
“You have the ability to channel and sense dark eco, correct? Use those abilities to keep our people safe and away from the worst of the beasts. I may not trust you yet, but I trust my Queen and she suggested you for this mission. If you manage to survive and bring back information, you’ll be rewarded.”
She stared at him for a moment before she crossed her arms and sighed. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. But, if I may ask, could I at least have something to protect myself with?”
The king nodded. “Everly will help you prepare. Now go, there’s not a moment to waste,” he said.
With that, Everly quickly leaned over and gave Damas a kiss on the cheek before she once more took the lead out of the throne room and back to the lift. With a glance at the Sand King, Layla turned and followed.
As the two women exited the castle and walked through the city, Everly spoke. “You know, when I first found out you’d known about my son and hadn’t told me, I was furious. And though I’ve forgiven you, l am still upset at you for not trying to bring him back to me. But I understand that you were also trying to help remove Praxis from power. And the Underground using my son as their rallying cry was probably the best option they had at the time.”
Layla frowned. “That doesn’t make it okay. For what it’s worth, if I could go back and fix it, I would.”
Everly sighed. “Well, you can’t. No one but the precursors can travel through time.”
“That’s not true!” Layla blurted.
Everly stopped walking and turned to face the other woman, seeming to hear the seriousness in Layla’s voice. “What do you mean?”
“Um…” Layla shifted uncomfortably. She realized she probably shouldn’t have said anything, but she supposed it was too late now. If she tried to dodge the question, Everly would find a way to make her talk with motherly disapproval. “Jak and Daxter….they’re not just named after the two heroes from the legends. They are them. Their friend, Kiera, and the older Samos came with them to this time.”
Layla paused and looked out across the streets. “When Jak, Daxter, and I were heading into the nest, the two of them said that they were there not just to kill Kor, but also to find a Precursor Rift Gate. If they were able to find the ring and get it working, they’re probably back in Sandover by now. Away from all of this,” Layla said, lifting a hand and waving it in the air.
Everly was silent as she listened before she pursed her lips. “I guess that makes sense why there were two Samoses. But if they did return home, then we have no way to ask them what they know about time travel.”
“Maybe not. But, maybe if the ring is there and we can study it. We might be able to learn how it works and replicate its capabilities.”
Everly nodded slowly, thinking it over. “It may not work, but I guess I don’t see the harm in trying. Come on, we should hurry and get you outfitted. We won’t be able to give you custom armor or a weapon until you’ve proven yourself trustworthy.”
Layla frowned. “I guess that’s a rule from Damas.”
“Yes. He’s lived through one coup, and while we of Spargus have plenty of freedoms, Damas typically doesn’t arm people he doesn’t trust at least a little with weapons and full armor. You’re getting an exception on the armor since we’re heading into Metalhead territory, and because I trust you enough to know you won’t stab us in the back.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Layla mused as she followed Everly into a building she quickly realized was a blacksmith shop.
The door to the shop jingled as it closed behind the women and a vaguely familiar voice floated out. “Be right there!”
What proceeded was the sound of metal clanging on metal before there was a set of footsteps and a face Layla hadn’t seen in a while appeared. “ Buster?! ”
The dark skinned man paused and narrowed his eyes at the woman, looking confused. “Do I know you, miss?”
Layla stared for a moment before she pursed her lips, remembering that she looked different now. She made a face and then reached up to play with the multi-colored strands of her hair. “I should have realized you wouldn’t recognize me. I’m that mercenary from Haven. Sig recommended me to you, and you crafted me some metalhead armor?”
The man’s brows drew together as he tried to remember before it seemed to dawn on him. “Oh, Harper! I remember you. You carried that armor out of the shop all by yourself. Pretty impressive for someone as tiny as you.”
Layla shrugged. “Actually, it’s Layla, and I’m a lot stronger than I look.”
Buster laughed. “No kidding. What brings you here to Spargus?”
“Uh…long story short, I was cast out.”
He nodded. “You and many others. Sorry ‘bout that.” He then paused and glanced towards Everly. “Your Ladyship,” he said with a bow upon realizing who she was.
The green-haired woman waved a hand dismissively. “No need for formalities outside of the palace, Buster.”
“Whatever you say, your Majesty,” the man said with a grin as he leaned against the main counter. “So, what can I do for you ladies.”
“Well, Layla needs a set of armor,” Everly held up a hand to stop him from interrupting, “and we don’t have time for custom. We just need something that’ll hold up against metalheads.”
“I see…what happened to your old armor?” He asked, glancing at Layla.
“I'm pretty sure it was taken by whoever discarded me here in the desert.”
The man frowned. “That’s a shame, it was a pretty good set.”
“Yeah…” Layla trailed off. It had saved her life during the assault on the nest, and might have saved her more grief if she’d used it more often.
“Well, lucky for you I still have your measurements. Although they’re under the name Harper…” the man said as he pulled a book out from under his desk and scrolled through the names.
“…yeah, that was an alias I was using to avoid suspicion from the Baron.”
“I see. Well I’ll give you a new entry next time you visit, and I can whip up some fresh custom armor in a few days time. But for now, I think I have a few sets that should fit you,” he said as his eyes skimmed over the pages. Then he stepped back from the book and waved for the women to follow him to a wall where several sets of armor hung. “Something from here should work.”
As Layla walked over and began examining the pieces, she glanced back at him. “And how would you like me to pay?”
“Since you’re new here in Spargus. I’ll put it on your tab and you can pay me once you’ve gotten something to trade with.”
“You guys trade for goods here?”
“Yep! Most of Spargus’s vendors and stores trade for items. Although it has to be something useful. Junk is just junk.”
Layla nodded, recalling her younger days when her village would trade for things they couldn’t grow or make themselves like clothing or weapons. She then turned her attention back to the armor as Buster began moving around his shop.
After a few minutes of browsing, Layla settled for a chest plate, some leg and arm guards, and some shoulder pads made from precursor metal. Walking to the counter with her new temp armor, she set the pieces down and waited for Buster to return so he could mark down what she’d gotten in his inventory.
Once that was done, Everly brought her to the garage where she informed Layla the team was meeting. She then ushered Layla into a locker room where she was instructed to change and meet them outside. Layla dressed quickly, this armor being much easier to put on compared to her metalhead armor since it didn’t have as many spikes and had less pieces to worry about.
When she finally exited the locker room and into the garage, she saw her friend talking with four other people. Three men, and one woman, all dressed in armor of mixed styles. At her approach, the group glanced over at her curiously.
Everly looked over at her and nodded before casting another gaze at the group. “We’re just missing one person-“
“Well, who do we have here?” A smooth male voice asked before an arm was put around Layla’s shoulders.
The former mercenary moved on instinct, one of her hands grabbing the one intruding into her space and twisting the hand. The man let out a yelp, but she didn’t pull hard enough to break anything as she growled. “Don’t you dare touch me-” she broke off as she spun and caught sight of the man whose arm she had in a tight grip.
His skin was the color of sand and he had piercing blue eyes that reminded her of the night sky. His hair, although pulled into several small braids like many other wastelanders, was a familiar shade of dark green faded to paler green. His jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, and was adorned with a five-o-clock shadow.
The man looked similar enough to Jak at first glance that she was caught off guard, but then she realized that there was no way he could be the man she loved because his facial structure and hair were all wrong. His voice was slightly less abrasive and higher pitched. Not to mention that Jak’s familiar ottsel friend was nowhere to be found.
“Well, hello to you too,” the man grunted as she let go and he rubbed his hand.
“Sorry, I have issues with strangers, especially men, touching me,” she murmured, looking away.
“Now that we’re all here, I know you all got the mission debrief before you came here, but I want to introduce you all to a specialist who will help us navigate through the metalhead territory,” Everly said before any more conversation could be had. She glanced at Layla and waved her over.
With a glance at the green-haired man, Layla flicked a few strands of hair off her shoulder and went to stand beside the Queen of Spargus. At everyone’s curious looks, Layla straightened and stared them down with an expressionless face.
“This is Layla Krie. She has the unique abilities to both channel and sense dark eco. As such, she will be our guide through their territory. We are to try to avoid fighting the metalheads unless we have no other option. Our job is to get as much information as we can and return back home. Is that understood?”
The wastelanders each observed Layla for a moment before nodding. “Yes ma’am!” they agreed.
“Alright, everyone to the Bone Breaker,” Everly said, spinning a finger in the air.
Without protest, the group headed to a large four-wheeled vehicle that looked like it was made out of the corpse of a metalhead, including the front which had what looked like a skull gem. At the wasterlanders’ approach, the gem lifted up and moved back, showing several seats which each of them took. The only ones left empty were the one at the front and one in the back near the green-haired Jak look-alike.
With a sigh, Layla climbed in and sat next to the man, crossing her arms and saying nothing as Everly took her seat at the front and started up the vehicle. After the gem moved forward to cover them, they took off, leaving the garage and Spargus behind.