AN: Back again with another chapter of Wonderfully Impossible~!
Disclaimer: I do not own either the Jak or Daxter series or any properties mentioned. That said, onwards! I do not the own Jak and Daxter Precursor Legacy~! Warning, though, this is short, but and none of the mission happen in this chapter but please enjoy.
I was pleasantly surprised when my games arrived a couple days early. Err, scratch that, I was ecstatic. Rather than spoil the re-discovery, I opted to not watch any of the play-through or commentaries; instead I'd just play the game and see what I could remember. Almost, a new experience, kind of…maybe?
After a gruelling shift, I was ready to just sit down, relax and let the game begin. It wasn't until past 9:00, though when I was able to boot up the console and pop the game in, however. That overtime would be worth it though, even if there were unexpected traffic. But, sitting in a big comfy chair, in my favourite lazy-day T-shirt and pants, I could maybe play until at least around 11:30, after that, bed or just more Internet. Had to be mindful of the neighbours, after all. Got my water, a couple snacks, the controller placed exactly at my side. Heeheehee, the game loading, I took a quick swig of my water and with the pressing of 'new game', I was ready to let the adventure begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~Wonderfully Impossible~~~~~~~
Mmm… my bed feels hard, and there's something gritty getting all over my arms. With a groan, I forced my eyes open, what? Why was it so bright? My head wears hurting and the light only seemed to make the pain sharper. I looked up, only to wince. I managed, however, to catch sight of bright blue. Blue? Wait… Was I outside? Why was I outside?
"And, what am I standing in?" I wondered aloud, I looked down, and instead of the familiar sight of cotton sheets, … "Sand?" My toes felt like they were buried in soft, grainy, mushy sand. What…Then, I realised a distinct smell invading my nostrils. Salt. Okay: sand, salty air, bright blue sky and it did feel kind of humid. Not to mention right in front of me seemed to be another vast expanse of blue….
No way. There was no way I was on a beach somewhere, was I? Whirling around, I came face to face with a sort of rocky stony, wall? Though, it looked kind of off, but in a familiar way. Where have I seen this before? Okay, let's just think; what happened last night? It was kind of late, but I remember playing the video game and hold it right there. Where was my phone? I scanned around me and froze.
My blood ran cold. I've read that phrase maybe a hundred times before, but now almost shaking, chills surging throughout, I can understand why that phrase became prominent. Looking down, I studied myself, really scrutinized my clothes, body, and the sand: they were all animated. My hands…they were animated but in the familiar 2D graphic of the game I was playing. But, it had to be some sort of crazy, lucid dream right? I pinched myself and hissed. I could still feel pain, and the sand, for that matter, the grains between my toes, the warmth. The air, it was a sharp smell, but not unpleasant. This wasn't a dream, was it? I couldn't say I had played enough that game that it followed me into my dreams, could I? When did I fall asleep? Surely I would've been shaken awake and told to sleep in my own room, right?
Okay, Mere, calm down, don't have a heart attack, maybe you can explore. If this was dream, albeit a disturbingly realistic one, then why not make the most of it? An epic adventure to keep in memory, maybe?
Looking closely, the rock wall seemed to curve around so edging slowly, at point the water almost lapped my toes, but I made it around to see a fairly large object shortly ahead, as well as small grassy plateaus, arranged in a sort of 'step' pattern. That boat, though, I remember, it was the fisherman's boat. Yeah, didn't I get as far as sentinel beach before waking to all, this?
On to the plateaus, it felt good to be able to wipe my feet on the grass, and I actually could feel it. My feet felt the brush of the vegetation, I still could feel grains in my toes, and not to mention I remember it against my arms, almost felt the water. The sea-saturated air was still poignant. If this was a dream, then it was a hell of a lucid one I don't remember ever being this in control, only going along for the ride.
Yeah, that's right. I was an observer, and yet I was still able to experience it first hand. I squatted down, and left my hand brush against the grass, yep-same soft sensation. Panic was bubbling in my throat, scratching in my chest, ready to burst out into a scream. If this was a dream…no, it. It's too real, too real, to be just game playing seeping into my sleep. But, if I wasn't dreaming, then that could only mean one thing, right? No, that's impossible, right?
Falling on my side, and curled into a ball, not caring if anyone saw me. Whoever they might be. This was stupid, why am I acting like this? How did I get here? Was I in a coma? I had to be right? A frigging, coma, a hallucination, something. Why was everything so real? This place, the sky, the water that boat… What was the last thing I remembered before waking up? How did I end up here?
You won't find that out if you sit here blubbering like a giant baby, get your ass up and walk. Yeah, that was true. There had to be a rational explanation for this. Hopefully. Straightening my hair and shirt, standing straight, I marched up the last plateau…and saw huts scattering around. Yeah, cosy looking huts. I didn't like being out in the semi-open, so taking as deep breath, I strolled over to the nearest hut, and hoping whoever was within was friendly, going over the tiny ramp, poked my head inside the open doorway (err, yeah that's right, no door) and…no one. Hmm… Only a bed, some fish strung over a window, nets strewn along the ceiling. And. was that a jawbone? Kind of weird, but I was already hanging around in here long enough. One house down, maybe there was someone in the others. Judging from the sky it had to be at least early afternoon, though without a compass or more accurately my phone, I couldn't be sure. Next house similarly lacked a door, but had a fire pit dug in the middle of the room. It was surrounded by I'm assuming were sandbags, and there was a fire going, so maybe someone was home? "Hello?" I called out, wincing how hoarse my throat sounded. I think I heard some scuttling from farther back, but I was already trespassing enough, no need to dig myself deeper. Clearing my throat, I called out again. "Hello? Is anyone here?" I couldn't help but feel a bit silly. This time however, I received a response. "Yes, yes, I'll be right there." Huh, so they did hear me the first time. Arranging my features to what I hoped passed for polite friendliness, I waited for maybe a few moments before man maybe in late middle age or so hurried out from the left room.
"Right, how can I…" he trailed off, after getting a better look at me. "Who are you, I don't think I've ever seen you before…" then he let out a shriek, eyes bulging. "What happened to you?" Um, excuse me, but what? "Umm… well…" I didn't get out much beyond that before he starting pointed at me. "Your ears, did something shear them off?" Oh… oh! Well, this was awkward. Lightly patting my ears, I stared back at the mayor, (yeah, I think I got as far as him when I was playing). "My ears? Um, nothing, that's how they've been?" Though, after saying that, I suppose it would look weird to this place, what with the population having long, outstretched elfin ears. The man seemed to be mollified by my explanation, though he still looked perturbed by the sight. "Err, that. Well, I apologize if I offended you. How can I help you, but I'm afraid it'll have to be quick." At least he wasn't panicking, anymore. Now how to explain that I think I ended up in his world that just so happened to be a video game in mine. Well, Meredith you leave out that video game part. Just tell him part of the truth. "I think I'm lost, I have no idea how I ended up here, and um, c-could you help me with that?" There, easy enough.
The man slumped slightly; no doubt this was beyond his area of expertise. But, I just needed him to point me to the sage. "Well, if you don't know how you arrived, I cant help with that, but the sage he may have an idea. Better to just ask him…" He was kind enough to draw me a map to the sage's house, and I managed to breeze out, barely managing a thank you before he hurried back into the sanctuary in his home. I wonder where everybody else, was, though? From what I remember there was a bird watcher, a sculptor. Who else? Were they the only residents or since my arrival, if it this was reality now, managed to bring forth more existences? Wait, there's a fisherman, and maybe someone else. But, I could worry about that later, right now, I had a sage to find.
_Minutes later_
Heading south from the mayor's hut, I kept walking, and I was all right until I had to cross the first of two rope bridges over water to get to Samos' hut. The bridge consisted of wooden pontoons, and I suppose it was sturdy, but it's one thing to cross over them when you're handling a controller; it's a whole different story when you have to cross a rope bridge on your own two feet. If I don't look down, I should be fine. The quicker I get moving, the quicker I'll be across. Gripping the sides tight enough that my knuckles went white, bit-by-bit I shuffled to the other side, eyes trained straight ahead. There, that wasn't too bad, just one more to cross. The distant half of the bridge was cast in shadow, the hut looming over the sub islet on which it was built, held up upon a rock plateau. To my left was a great waterwheel and if strained my eyes I could see a sort of bird view atop the hut, hear chirping as tiny figures flitted in the blue.
Deep breaths, and I kept moving ahead; just don't look down, Mere. Finally reaching the end, I sighed, relieved and proceeded up the incline, it was time to meet a major character. Hopefully it wouldn't be too awkward. The first floor, (part of it al least) for lack of a better word, was no doubt Keira's workshop, I recognised vaguely the vehicle tucked inside and I could hear someone shuffling around, so at least that's one major character accounted for. Right now, time to meet sandover's sage. Continuing up, I couldn't help as my throat tightened and my insides churned. From the cut scenes, I remember Samos as a grumpy, somewhat harsh character, albeit one of the good guys. Was It because he was such a major character that I was getting nervous? Probably, as I had no idea what to expect right now, out of place as I was. Poking my head in the open doorway, I scanned around until spotting a figure with his back to me, though that one could never forget the stumps fastened to his feet, not to mention the one tied in his white hair and the staff help firmly in his left hand. How would I approach him exactly? If I startled him doing what looed like meditation, it could either end with me bashed about the head or causing him a heart attack. Taking a chance, I knocked on the stone, which immediately grabbed the sage's attention. "What in green tarnation is the problem this time?" Landing with a soft thud, resulting in the bird that was sitting contenting atop the lop to flutter about, Samos turned to glare at me through asymmetrical focal lenses, though his expression became tempered with confusion once he realized there was a stranger haunting his doorway. "Oh, my apologies, I thought you were someone else." Now that I think about it, where were the boys anyway? I put on a polite smile. "It's ok. I, um, the mayor sent me by, said you would be able to help me." Hastily I added, "I'm Meredith, should've mentioned that first…" And I was possibly transported from another world, another universe entirely. Think you could help me out? Quiet, brain! I wrung the map a bit, a couple of beads forming at my hairline.
Samos let out a harrumph. "Samos. The mayor would get hysterical if his hat were to go missing. How he got elected, I'll never know." He shook his head but continued. "But that's beside the point, I can't say I've ever seen you in sandover, what seems to be the trouble?"
I could've laughed at that. There's an extremely logical reason why you've never seen me here, Samos. "Well, I'm not from around here. Somehow I found myself in this place and I'm not sure how to get back home…" I didn't need to say that I possibly, kind of, maybe got myself sucked in this world, right? Samos seemed to contemplate this for a moment. "Hmm… from what it sounds like, you've had trouble with a teleport gate. No matter, once I've consulted with my notes, I'll have a better idea of how to send you back home, fix up that issue." My smile became strained. What would he do when he finally discovered that I had no place in this world? That there wasn't anyone with ears like mine? I cleared my head of those thoughts, I had to focus on the here and now. "In the meantime, maybe you'd like to rest, there's a spare cot downstairs."
I wasn't very tired, but I accepted the offer. It'd give me a chance to practice what I was going to say to Keira, Jak, and Daxter when I would inevitably meet them. "Thank you."
-Wonderfully Impossible-
After a quick introduction, Keira cheerfully showed me to the cot and I quickly lay down, after promising I wouldn't hesitate to yell if I needed anything. I did catch a couple snippets of when she was speaking with her father. "Where do you think she's from?" Never saw ears like hers before…" "Neither have I, we'll figure this out, for now let her rest, make sure those rascals don't bother her with their racket…" I turned over, pulling the thin sheet over my head as the voices faded. So, this was really happening, huh? I'm lying on a cot, in a hut owned by a video game character. I had an actual conversation with three characters, and more were on the way. Well, at least I woke up in a safe spot. Could've been worse, I could've landed in misty Island or the Forbidden Jungle. Yikes. Though, yeah, Misty Island… that brought another question: when exactly did I land during this game's timeline? How long has it been since Jak and Daxter snuck off there? How did time work now that I became part of all, whatever this was? When I got back home, how much time will have passed? No, don't think about that. If I'm lucky, time will have for all intents and purposes, stopped and when I returned, would resume as normal. To return, though, I would have to go along for the journey, complete the game. …. It could be fun… a dream come to true… I smiled slightly. Maybe it could be fun.
A short nap wouldn't hurt, though, it'd pass the time, and they wouldn't leave me here all by myself would they, nah!
-Wonderfully Impossible-
Awaking, I was initially, a little confused, but then my memory kicked in and I looked around and confirmed, that yes, I was still in Sandover. Might as well see what Keira and Samos are up to. Maybe Jak and Daxter have turned up, enabling me to be able to gauge how far along the story we were. The sun was close to setting, casting the village in a beautiful orange glow. Running my fingers through my hair, I stifled a yawn as I climbed up the incline, only to hear semi loud shouting coming from within. "—Don't know how you're still alive! Don't give me that look!" a sound of something banging and I heard a cry of pain. I dashed the rest of the way to the door. Keira was in the corner hiding a smile; Samos was levitating, snarling down at two figures, the smaller, orange haired one rubbing his head. They seemed bruised and maybe a little burned, what happened to them? That question had to wait, when my brain kicked a more important question to the forefront: Is that Daxter? Yeah, that voice, and hair, he was still a human?! Or elf? Whatever the term was, he hadn't plunged into the dark eco yet?! I must've made some noise at this revelation, because all eyes turned to me. A silence descended until Daxter was the one to break it. "Who's she? precursors, w-what's s with her ears?!" Lovely…. This earned him another smack from Samos' staff.
AN: And, this is where the chapter ends. Were Samos and Keira (though she doesn't have much dialogue this chapter but as the story continues and proceeds to the missions /other areas, that should change) decently written? Another thing, I used conceptual art of sandover village from the Jak and Daxter wiki as a reference, and if there are any inconsistences or typos let me know: D same goes for characterizations~. And yep, the Meredith landed in the game before everything went down.