-AUTHOR'S NOTES-
First of all, I would like to thank you for taking a read into Sacred Destinies, whether it's here, at DA, or at Fanart Central. I am overwhelmed with the response achieved from it, and again I thank you for your support over it.
Somehow or other, I felt a bit worried when I came towards a file showing the Loudspeaker script for Jak II over at GameFAQs in recent times, which basically showed all the lines that Baron Praxis spoke within the speakers alone. One of which shocked me for a brief moment –
"As you all know, I was wounded during our last attack on the Metal Head Nest many years ago."
I was lucky to not get any criticism because of that, so bearing that in mind a fair amount of my time has been spent on writing up a fic to accompany my successful first-person perspective and try to portray my view on what happened in the Nest itself. You may notice the perspective is changed to third person, and that's mainly due to exploring two areas within this fic – the Baron and his raid on the Nest, and the beginning of the romantic relationship between Torn and Ashelin. Another thing to notice is that it's a three-part story, to help break down the tale. Also note that this fic takes place seven years before the events of Jak II, just to let you know.
Anyhow, happy reading for now.
Peace out,
-Rexy-
---
It had been 18 hours and 396 days, since Haven City faced a serious amount of damage. The walls of the East of the town were knocked down, and even now they were only partially repaired. Only a matter of time could be shown until the part of the city could surely crumble.
One of the biggest aspects of damage inflicted upon the town came near the center, around the palace, where the previous King and Queen ruled over the city, and once made sure that the civilization was in perfect order.
-FANFICTION.NET PRESENTS-
But everything suddenly had to come to a standstill. The creatures that were the Metal Heads stormed their way through the front door and managed to attack their way through towards the family, knowing that they could be pummeled down in an instant.
And since that scenario, no one ever heard from the relations again, or what happened to their young heir to the throne. But as the civilians knew it, life had to move on and look onto a new era being brought upon the city.
-A fanfic by RexRock-
After much controversy, a little-known figure from the Mall section and his young daughter came towards the palace, and fought their way for their rights towards the city's hopes and destinies, willing to keep it strong within their troubled time.
Enter Baron Praxis: Not an ounce of royal blood within his body, and not even close enough as a relation to the past king, but he had the spirit of a wise man and the heart of a horse to be able to guide the city towards a safer future.
-THE DANGERS OF TOMORROW-
Time soon passed, and indeed, the city did manage to make its change. No longer did it have a more defensive soul, but a more strength-based atmosphere brought around it. Most of the noble citizens were trained to block themselves from the Metal Heads outside the city walls, and most of the time they managed to block them from breaking through to the city.
Yet, fighting off the main grunts could not exactly be enough, as they knew that for every Metal Head that was brought down, there would always come one more, and another one if need be, from a Nest located far away from the city scenery.
---
During this time of change, the king's knights were built from the ground up once again, forming a more fearful team to help block the Metal Heads from sight. Their shiny red armor and metallic striped tattoos on their faces soon allowed them to be dubbed the "Krimzon Guard".
The Captain of the Guard was lead by Crista Tasai, a former nurse that saved the Baron from his fall against the Metal Heads shortly before he signed up for the ruling post. Over time, her faith for him has remained stronger than ever, from the warm through to the cold.
She and the stronger guards were able to come face to face with the Baron himself through meetings in the Chapel areas of the palace. One day in particular showed them surrounding him, their backs being brought upon the rain currently washing down the windows.
"My friends, accomplices, and other citizens," Praxis started, "I have come forward to make a private announcement. After seeing this city being clawed away at for the past few decades, I have decided to make a stand against this."
As he spoke, the guards looked upon one another, curious about his next move. The looks on his half-metallic face showed a high amount of confidence that even the Metal Head Leader himself could be compared to.
"From this evening onwards, we shall make a strike upon the Metal Head nest", he continued with his fists clutching tighter. "We have seen how the past king of the city failed to stand up to this threat, and the kings before it."
Most of the guards gave out their nods of agreement, instantly thinking of the truth about the previous leaders of the city being more protective about the city more than getting rid of the cause of their fears. But within the crowd, one of which in particular had widened eyes, curious about the whole ordeal.
"We can not let this continue any longer! We must fight this threat back!" the Baron exclaimed while speaking. "Who's with me on this one?"
The worried guard brought up a hand in the air. Crista herself, a blonde female with deep emerald eyes, tight blue and muddy green clothing, and a deep red sash around her chest, looked on at the young guard himself - he had ginger hair that spiked behind his head, brown eyes to match with the colors of rusted Precursor metal, and a racing mask that stayed attached to the top of his head.
"What is it this time, Erol?" she asked him.
"You seen what they did to your face this time last year, your highness! Isn't this getting a bit risky, not only for your health but for the rest of the city?"
The Baron gave out a light chuckle. "That's where the term 'sacrifice' comes in! If we don't fight back, how can we cope in the future?"
Erol twitched his eyes to the left, and then to the right. In both directions, he managed to see a lot of other guards just like himself, only this time they were scowling at his more pessimistic nature. He brought his head through to Crista, whom just ignored him and walked her way in front of the others.
"Any other questions out there?"
Silence was brought among the chapel, with only the sound of the rain being brought to their ears. The quiet essences were soon broken as Crista brought her footsteps towards Praxis with a more determined approach shown on every pace.
"That's good", she smiled at the others. "The storming shall proceed as planned. Meet us at South Town at 6 o' clock sharp. Be late by a second, and you know what will happen to you. Guard dismissed!"
The guards then smiled at one another, and shook hands among other friendly greetings before they all started to leave the chapel one by one. Within the process, Erol was left as the last one to leave, with his expression showing more fear than before.
He turned towards Crista, whom just brought out her hands into a "get outta here" gesture, leaving him to walk his way towards the lifts to take him back to the city streets below. Five seconds of silence came by, and it was soon broken by a light footstep from her, her looks changing from eagerness to deep concern as she turned back towards the Baron.
"Are you sure this plan of yours is going to work?" she asked him. "Even I still have a few doubts upon your safety."
"Come to think about it Crista, I do have a few thoughts upon my daughter Ashelin. Within my past, every time I have walked out my home, I worry about someone breaking in and attacking her." He gave out a long, shaky sigh. "We should find her a guardian during this time."
"A guardian?"
She gave out a light blink, and thought carefully about some of the guards. Even through her time she saw some of which that behaved well enough to reach high ranks, and those that misbehaved that badly they needed to physically take a Dark Eco pellet down their neck for punishment. She smiled, and looked on at the window with a devious glance.
"Come to think of it, I may have a few ideas in mind", she spoke in a deep tone. "I'll speak to some other members of the Guard about this."
She turned away from the window and faced the Baron for one last time, patting his hand against one of his armor-clad shoulders. He herself looked on at her, and her more determined nature, up until when she started to walk her way out of the room and towards the lifts herself.
She's got a lot of thought for a former nurse, he thought quietly to himself. As soon as the sound of the lift became faint, he turned back towards the city streets, and saw the late morning rain wash down upon the city. But no matter what kind of weather the city was facing, he knew that he had to face the more traumatic thought upon his mind - did he make the right choice?
---
Several hours passed, and the rains suddenly started to become lighter into nothing more than a few smaller drops splashing upon the ground. The streets themselves were filled with puddles, from the smoother surfaces of the tarmac surrounding the palace to the more mud-clotted areas of the Slums to the East.
Above the sky, a red hovering vehicle started to descend its way down towards the horizon, with one of the many Krimzon Guard logos showing upon the side of it. As soon as it descended itself below the tall houses surrounding the palace, the doors for said building opened up in an instant.
From the darkness of the building's hallways, Praxis emerged his way into the puddle-filled streets wearing a red plastic raincoat over his usual thick navy tunic, with Crista following him every step of the way. As soon as he was about to take the steps down towards the main street level, a young girl with ginger dreadlocks in her hair and a blue long sleeved sweatshirt came near him from inside.
"Dad, please, I don't want you to leave without me this time!" she cried out towards him.
"But it's dangerous out there, Ashelin! I don't want you getting hurt!"
"Likewise for you", she responded in a huff. "You tried so hard to protect me before you became ruler of this city, and now it's my turn to protect you back!"
The Baron came to a halt - he thought carefully about his head injuries inflicted from a year earlier, when trying to defend the Mall section from the monsters' attacks. During that scenario, Crista looked at him and nodded truthfully towards his direction.
"She has a point", she spoke with a cautious tone. "Could we tag her along anyway?"
"I understand what she is getting at, but not at this stage anyway. She looks too feeble to go out into battle just yet."
Ashelin's eyes widened. "Should I call that an insult or what?"
With a sulk showing upon her puppy-like mouth, she stepped ahead of the Baron and looked upon his more shaky expressions. But no matter how unhappy her face proved to be, he knew that the journey was too dangerous for her. He crouched down towards her, and brought his hands within the cold structures of her hair.
"I'm sorry, but you have to stay here", he whispered to her. "I'll meet you back here as soon as the last Metal Head is wiped clear from existence!"
"But Dad...!"
With a light tear showing on her eye, she jumped up onto Praxis with her legs hanging tight around his neck plate. The force of her body mass left his remaining eye to shrink to the size of a bread crumb, before Crista came to her and brought her back down on both feet.
"Sorry, but you have to do what your father tells you. Still, one of the guard will come over to you shortly to keep you company."
She looked up at them both, and then she realized that there's no way for her to win her argument. All that she could do was look down upon the ground, her feet simmering lightly within the puddles, and her expression showing more tense nerves than before.
"Good luck..." she cried.
She brought her legs around the Baron, whom patted her on the head in response. And as soon as she let go, he and Crista left their way towards the South Town area on foot -a brief ten-minute walk towards one of the more peaceful areas of the city.
During that occasion, Ashelin went back inside and took the lift back up towards the chapel. She looked upon the chilling blue structures around her, thinking about what kind of results the Metal Head storming could bring upon. But... before anything else could happen, the sound of three voices came to her ears.
"But I'm not going in there to face the Baron's daughter!"
"Neither am I - she's too whiny for her own good! I can't even stand a footstep away from her!"
"Geez, if this is how we're going to fight over this, how about we only send one of us in here, while the other two get the day off?"
She gave out a light blink, and made her way towards the hallways once again, looking straight over at the lifts. Three shadows were seen near the closed silver door separating her from them - the two taller ones pointed down at the third shorter figure, leaving it to look on at its comrades shakily.
"What are you pointing at me for?"
"Get in there, you little worm!" exclaimed one of the larger figures.
The doors instantly opened, showing a light cloud of silver smoke showing from the inside. And within the smoke, the smaller figure was pushed out towards the corridors, landing straight on his face and stomach with a painful force.
"And make sure you come out alive, or you'll never be a true Krimzon Cadet!" shouted the second guard.
The doors were closed, and the remaining two guards went back down towards the streets beneath them. During that time, Ashelin came towards him and looked on at his features - he had brown dreadlocks of several different shades, light blue eyes, silver face markings that slightly reassembled a star, and a scruffy set of navy blue uniform.
"You must be my guardian, huh?"
"Pleased to meet you", he said in a breezy voice. "I'm... Torn..."
She brought her head down towards his, and carefully lifted his up towards hers. His face showed a lot of worry upon him, although she had no reason why he acted like that. With a more cautious look, she lifted him up onto both feet, in a delicate state.
All that Torn could do was look on at her with a shocked expression, while she returned a more curious one back. And then, he carefully took her by the hand, and they both walked inside the chapel together, unknowing of what could happen to them both.
---
Over time, the Krimzon Guard force started to show themselves one by one around the flying vehicle, anticipating their chance for them to use the vehicle to reach the Nest. The doors opened up, leaving them to expect an empty carriage.
But in the vehicle itself was nothing more than a stack of cargo - barrels of Dark Eco, the substance that keeps the city running, and a stack of Metal Head trophies were brought upon their very eyes. The very appearance of the items left Praxis to storm his way back towards the streets, his raincoat flapping in the wind force created.
One of the main buildings among South Town was the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon, which in itself started to grow in popularity over the past year. It wasn't long until the Baron made his way underneath the glowing illuminations underneath the bar, and stepped inside the bar himself.
"KREW!!!" he exclaimed with force.
He looked around the bar, and saw more tables packed than before, as well as a few Metal Head trophies being hung upon the walls. The silence of the room left him to make his way around the boxing ring in the middle and up towards the counter.
He looked over him, and saw an obese figure sitting in a wheeled chair. Krew himself had faced a lot of changes over the past twelve months, with his legs finally struggling to walk under the mass of weight being piled onto him. Despite his broad mass, the Baron was able to take a hold onto Krew's flab-filled hands and bring his head towards his face.
"Tell me, what have you done with our Air Train?" he exclaimed while shaking his head. "Another one of your smuggling routes from the Dig again?"
"You know that I can't rely on the boat, ey!" he shakily responded back, maintaining his strong British accent.
All that Praxis could do was growl towards him and push him down to the floor, sending a few purple and golden bottles down to the ground and almost forcing glass in Krew's direction. During that time, Crista stepped her way into the bar and leaned over the counter, her hair pointing down as she did that.
"Listen, tubby" she started. "I want your shipped Metal Head armors removed from there within the next five minutes, or you know that we will report you for your illegal shipments!"
"Look here, young lady!" the bartender growled back at her. "I and my accomplice Sig have managed to provide enough materials to give in a boost towards the Hip Hog's business, and knowing my health problems in recent times, there is no way you're gonna make me, mmmnn?"
All that he could do was growl towards her, with his uneven eyes showing a more threatening gesture than the position of his teeth. During that time, she looked towards the streets of the city, and saw Erol looking on at the scenery.
"Erol, you're up!" she shouted.
He carefully stepped his way towards the bar, and looked at the scenario surrounding him. She looked at him, ready to explain everything towards his emotionless face. And as soon as that happened, he gave out a vile smirk towards him.
A couple of minutes later, Krew's head was being dipped down towards the waters of the Port, leaving him to struggle to gain his breath while struggling to cope with the occasional fish that flew by to bite his cheeks. He then thumped his fists on the walls three times, causing Erol to pull him out of the water like a fresh trout.
"Okay, I'll clear the Air Train for you!" he breezily responded back, trying to regain his breath. "Just expect it to be long - I can barely walk any more!"
"If you want a hand, we'll give you a hand!" smiled the Baron. "I understand how you feel with your legs these days."
He brought himself down onto one knee, and brought his broad hands upon Krew's legs. They were felt to be much shorter than they were last shown, and instantly showed to be of a painful gesture to be displayed on the bartender. He then brought his eyes towards the Baron, curious upon his words.
"You mean it?"
Praxis responded back with a light nod of the head, and it was there that hope suddenly started to show upon Krew's spirit. During that time, two of the guards escorted him onto both feet and brought him towards the train itself.
Several minutes passed, and the train was suddenly wiped clean, with most of the guards helping Krew to transport the Eco and trophies towards the Hip Hog. During that time, Praxis and Crista stood near the entrance to the train, their eyes looking towards the mountainous areas of the South West.
"Would you believe it, Crista?" he confidently spoke towards her. "In a mere few minutes, the plains of the Metal Head nest will be ours to conquer - something that the city hasn't seen in its lifetime."
"Let's go for it!"
She looked on towards the Baron and posed with a confident wink upon her eyes. And then, they walked inside the train together. By then all the Eco and trophies were inside the saloon, leaving most of the Krimzon Guard to board the train... but that left Erol to drag Krew towards the bar.
"Erol, we don't have enough time to help Krew back to the Hip Hog!" she exclaimed. "Get back over here!"
Erol looked on at Crista from his distant position, and back down at Krew, whose face showed an expression filled with need and despair. But in the end, all he could do was drop his grasp around his arms and run his way towards the train.
As soon as he went inside the vehicle, the doors came to a close and the vehicle hovered its way up within the air, before zooming over the city walls towards its next stop - the Metal Head nest. Meanwhile, all that Krew had to do was to use his arms to drag himself towards the saloon, as cautiously as a snail.
And yet, he knew that he ended up exposing his smuggling traits, but for a good cause.
-end of part 1-
