A/N: Hiya. welcome to chapter 9! I had alot of fun writing this one.. 10.. not so much. Its like one of those mega craps that you have to try really hard to squeeze out, then when you finally do, its not very satisfying, but its there anyways. Though I'm not flushing this :p
Enjoy!
After abandoning the stolen zoomer in the alley next to the bar, Sake joined Jak and rushed into the Hip Hog as the rain began to fall heavily, soaking her within seconds. Jak was mostly dry, and so was the box which he cradled under one arm. Daxter jumped off his shoulder, crouching to all fours before giving a full body shake to liberate the rain from his fur. His nose wrinkled at easily one of the most repulsive smells known to Ottsel and man alike.
Almost immediately Daxter set eyes upon an imposing pillar of a man. His skin was dark, bulky body adorned in armor pieced together from leather hide, metal plates and body parts from fallen Metal Heads. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the red lens where the man's left eye should have been, scar tissue and thick skin encasing the metal sunken into his face. His large hands were wrapped threateningly around a long staff weapon, tipped with a horned Metal Head skull.
"Everything's cool- Nobody panic!" Daxter cooed smoothly. The man regarded him with little interest, only watching passively as the animal darted between his legs.
It was then that Daxter found the source of the awful scent- A heavy-set man wearing stained green clothes floated down heavily like the stench he exuded and Daxter's face blanched as his jaw dropped. The man's legs were like twigs, directly contrasting the roundness of the rest of him. One eye was cloudy white and his short, pointed ears sagged with age. His face was twisted into an almost aggressive snarl.
Daxter swallowed and composed himself as Jak and Sake approached from behind. Jak handed the box to the darker man. "You Krewe?" The animal began, the crowd wordless. "Well we shook the heat, and your shipment's in primo condition!"
"That's good, ey- Because a cargo of rare Eco Ore is worth more than ten of your lives.." Krewe closed the gap between him, Jak, and Sake, and both teens took a step back. Sake inwardly shuddered and Jak put on his usual charming scowl. The man sucked air in through his teeth, a wet sticky sound that made Sake's skin crawl. "And hmmmm... Of course I'd be forced to collect... slowly." He grinned far more deviously than the trio would have prefered. Then with a laugh, he floated up and around the three as if to inspect them. "The underground will take anyone with a pulse these days..." His attention settled on Daxter, who had climbed back onto Jak's left shoulder. "And what do we have here? The Shadow's 'Mascot of the Month'?"
Daxter gagged visibly as the man scratched beneath his chin, untrimmed jagged nails scraping at the skin beneath his fur. "Mmm- Soft.. Sig, these furs would go good with my silk suits, ey?" Krewe then locked gazes with Sake. "And you my dear- You're far too beautiful to be parading around with these Underground savages." She felt him place both hands on her shoulders firmly from behind as he circled once more and she resisted the urge to Chuck Norris him in the face. Next to her, Jak was scowling as much as humanly possible and Sake could've sworn she heard him growl. "I'm always on the lookout for a pretty gal such as yourself to please the crowds. What do you say, hmmm?"
Sake's mind instantly formulated a thousand possible insulting responses, but she was confident that the moment she settled on one, she'd think of another ten thousand that were even better to describe perfectly how much she hated the idea of being some eye candy for a bunch of drunken perverts in a sleazy dump like this, or in any 'gentleman's establishment' for that matter, regardless of its standing. For now it was best to be non-confrontational. After all it was obvious Krewe was going to be a major contact, since Torn mentioned him specifically and they were paying him with some apparently so 'valuable' as Eco Ore. Pissing off someone like Krewe could be.. unhealthy. "I'll pass."
"Listen- uh,, Tons of Fun." Daxter began and Sake was thankful for the save, quite enjoying the obvious pun. "-Anyone can see that you and I-..uh, Have the real juice in this burg.." Daxter paused every few words to find just the right things to say, gesturing to himself and Krewe every so often. "We're both players, right? We're both lookin' for a piece of the action, right? I think we can do business, right?"
By now Jak had grown far too impatient to tolerate much more of the discussion at hand. He drew the line in the sand when the creep wanted Sake to shake her ass on some tabletop, or worse. "We did you a favor." Jak blurted out and Daxter cringed, hiding behind his friend's shiny metal pauldron. "Now it's your turn- Why is the Baron giving Eco to Metal Heads?" His demands was more of a statement, than a question and the blond crossed his arms with a frustrated scowl.
Krewe visibly shook with rage, face curling into a feral snarl. "Questions like that could get a person killed, ey? Sig!" He drifted away, gesturing to his dark skinned body guard. Sig stalked toward them. "Pay El Capitan' here and his girlfriend.. a bonus.."
Sig raised both arms and in each hand, gripped a gun of sorts, glistening gray in the dim light from overhead as red highlights traced their short stocky contours. Jak flinched reflexively then took the weapon from Sig. Sake did as well, surprised at the weight.
"If you want to see what those babies can do, try the gun course down the block. Show me some skill with that hardware and I might hire you for a job or two, ey?" Krewe seemed giddy like a school girl. With that, he waved goodbye and drifted away into another area of the building behind a very wide curtained doorway. Sig let out an audible 'hmph' before throwing himself into a booth.
Outside, the storm was still doing its worst and because the saloon was technically closed until later in the evening, they couldn't stay inside(Not that either of them really wanted to after that encounter, Sake especially). Instead they warmed a seat outside until the rain let up just enough for them to proceed to the gun course.
The building was a few blocks away, an open sign flashing on the door out front. It slid open as they approached and they were greeted with the unmistakable smell of oil and eco. Numerous weapons of all shapes and sizes lined the walls while shelves and counters filled with ammo of every kind glistened in the light above. An elderly gentleman was asleep behind the front desk, cap pulled over his eyes and his feet kicked up.
It took a few tries but they were finally able to wake the man up long enough for him to wave them on through to the course as he set it up for use. He also briefed them quickly on the weapon's specifications- The weapon itself was referred to as a Morph gun, and could alter its structure once fitted with various mods. Their current configuration was the Scatter Gun. It fired Red Eco charged pellets from an exploding slug for a short but wide cone of fire. It was effective against nearly all targets, according to the man.
Jak was the first one through, breaking a few records set on the score boards but his score was still well below the highest. Sake of course, was nervous- it showed.
"What's wrong?" Jak watched as she stared down at her own Morph Gun.
"I've never fired a gun before." She said simply.
"Aaahh Its nothing to be afraid of. The recoil takes a little getting used to but the gun does most of the work for you. Just aim and pull the trigger." She watched as he imitated with his own, and she shrugged weakly.
"I get that, but if you say so.." She muttered. The doors to the course opened and she stepped on through. They closed again for safety reasons and Jak watched on the monitors nearby. For a first time shooter, she was actually pretty good. It was obvious that the first few rounds she fired were unsure and thus blew wilde to either side of the target while only grazing them. But by the second clip, she'd become comfortable enough to start scoring some serious points. It was clear she was enjoying herself. There was a loud buzz and the doors at the end opened. Her face was plastered with an unsettling grin.
"A girl could get used to this." Sake snickered and Jak cocked a sly grin in return.
"I knew you'd get the hang of it- see, you're a natural." Both looked at the score board and Daxter scowled before making a gagging noise.
"Jeeze you two. Get a room." The next thirty seconds suddenly became incredibly awkward. Sake and Jak met gazes and both swallowed in unison, each flushing red. There was a long silence and Daxter face-palmed. "Oh for cryin' out loud!"
Both Jak and Sake holstered their weapons shortly after clearing their throats and shrugging off the awkward moment. She found it convenient and much easier to carry it because the weapon collapsed in on itself into a neat little bundle that fit nicely into the lower back holster she got from the desk clerk, on the Underground's tab. With the help of Jak, she also chose a few pieces of armor for her arms and legs from the selection provided, as well as a serrated combat knife. The armor was somewhat heavy but comforting in a sturdy kind of way.
As they were leaving the building, Jak's communicator pinged with an incoming call. Krewe insisted they stop back by the saloon for a chat. Grudgingly, he agreed and it was back the bar for them. By then, the storm had ended, leaving the evening dark, gloomy, and overcast. Water pooled in low points along the streets, bouncing light around as the evening's horizon light up with the city's artificial glow. The streets were once again busy, pedestrians making their way through the city to whatever destination they had. Folks in this sector seemed far better off financially, but their walks still reflected a collective depression.
Once in the bar, it was obvious the place was open for evening business. A few patrons already dotted the bar toward the back while a handful were spread out amongst the booths, smoking and drinking while muttering silently to each other. The jukebox near the entrance was belting out old music that sounded like a combination between an acoustic guitar and a harpsichord, notes droning out with an almost 'Southern' drawl to Sake's ears. Jak caught a quick glimpse of the bartender serving drinks, a perky blond gal and for a moment he thought he recognized her from somewhere.
"Ah Jak m'boy! Excellent shooting, both of you!" Krewe approached quickly from where he hovered prior, fanning himself rapidly. Indeed the bar had warmed considerably, and the odor from before was even more insulting as a result. Jak, Daxter and Sake were all amazed that the patrons somehow managed to completely ignore the dreadful smell. "Ever thought about becoming Wastelanders hmmmm?"
"Can't say that we have." Jak replied curtly.
"Wastelanders find items for me outside the city walls, ey- Any artifact or weapon worth having comes through my hands. Work for me, and I'll throw some of the sweeter items your way, mmmm?" Krewe rubbed idly at his chin, other hand still flicking the fan quickly back and forth, not that it did anything to cool the humid, musty air.
"Kill Metal Heads, get toys? Sound good to me." Jak's lips curled into a boyish grin as his fingers traced the contours of his dark green goatee. Then, as if out of nowhere, Daxter popped up, halting the conversation.
"Woah- Slow down, Jak and the Fat-Man! You two had better run that by me again!" The Ottsel sneered. "'Cuz there's NO WAY, we're going outside the city to face more Metal Heads!"
Suddenly all eyes were on them and the dull murmur of voices came to an abrupt stop. The silence was deafening, it seemed. Daxter subconsciously recoiled, wishing for once that his voice didn't carry so well.
"Sig will show you the ropes." Krewe insisted and seconds afterwords, the humdrum heartbeat of the saloon returned, pulsing slowly and quietly in the background. A glass shattered somewhere toward the back of the bar and Krewe drifted away to investigate.
"So you wanna be Wastelanders, huh Cherries?" Sig once again cradled the massive staff weapon, lips parting into a pearly white smile. Daxter hung his head and face-palmed. "Well we'll see what you're made of when we get out in the thick."
Sig went on to explain the simple logic- Krewe wanted more patrons to visit so he figured he'd decorate the place with some new trophies. The wall above the entrance was already lined with quite a few, Skull Gems glinting and glowing dimly as the lifeless heads snarled down at them. Jak and Sake's job was to protect Sig as he tracked and dealt with the Metal Heads using his Peacemaker. Instantly the Trio's interest was peaked at the mention of Sig's staff weapon and Jak found himself wishing for one of his own. Through it all, Sake discovered that Sig had an obsession with calling everyone names involving food items, like he was on a perpetual pot-induced munchy binge.
Sig further instructed that tracking the beasts was much harder at night, insisting that they return to the Hideout for shut-eye because he needed them at their best for the following morning. With that, the trio departed and made their way back onto the streets. The zoomer Jak had ridden before was still tucked away where he had hid it and they climbed aboard before meandering back to the Underground. The thought of sleep made both of them feel heavy and it was only then that Sake realized- she hadn't slept a wink in the last thirty-six hours, not since waking up in the Hideout and meeting Tess.
A flash, then a low groan. The smell of fear, of hatred. It's warm and there's something wet washing over her. It wreaks of iron.
The needles, injections, they sting yet they fill her with pleasure. An oily grin parts her lips and she bores deep into their souls through ebony eyes.
They're afraid. They're afraid of what she's become- Of what they've turned her into.
There's a scream and there's a feeling of wetness again. Its comforting and she fancies a taste. It reminds her of metal.
Another scream, filled with desperation and hatred and fear and it begs for its life before it stops abruptly. She frees her claws from the lump of fresh death. The floor pools crimson and more flashes of crimson surround her.
She leaps, a feat of great inhuman strength and pins another screaming voice to the floor.
She grips a long metal rod. The voice pleads but she doesn't hear it- She only sees red.
Swiftly she pounds relentlessly against the voice. Crimson streaks fill the air. The voice and the body go silent and still. More crimson pools and it smells of metal and fear and hatred.
She stares down at the bloody metal rod. Crimson drools down the side. It coats her fingers, sticky and warm-
and what the hell has she done. So much death. Her stomach lurches.
She falls to her knees, grips her chest and screams into the oncoming darkness.
Suddenly everything congeals and she's staring into eyes as blue as the sky. They're worried and the voices around her are muffled, filled with fear and desperation.
Something clicks and she hurls herself against the blue and there's a loud thud. Something falls, smashing against something else with a loud noise.
Her throat tickles with a low growl and her gaze darts between a handful of colorful blobs. She can smell fear and desperation and hatred.
The world slows to a crawl and all at once things snap into focus so rapidly that its disorienting. Almost immediately she releases her prey- no, her victim, harmless and caring. She can feel herself trembling.
Jak patted gently at her cheek, jostling her just enough in the hopes of separating her from her stupor. Torn, Tess and Daxter looked on with fear. Jak smiled down at Sake, she was coming around. The blackness faded from her eyes and the color returned to her skin.
"Sake are you okay?" He asks, concerned.
She rubs at her eyes, fighting back the fight-or-flight mentality. She knows she's safe here. Jak watched as she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
"You were screaming." He continued and she stared back at him, horror painted clearly across her face. The realization strikes her and she can smell metal and crimson.
"You're hurt. Did I-.." Sake stared at the gash on his arm. It was shallow but the red was already drooling down his arm. She felt her head spin.
"I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about. But are you alright?" Jak glanced down at the wound only briefly. It hurt, but he'd live.
"I was.. having a nightmare about prison, about yesterday-.. I killed a man." She muttered, incredulous. Jak was silent, at a loss for words. She folded her hands into themselves. Torn and Tess, convinced that things were fine for now, left the teens to themselves. Daxter was sitting on the end of the bed, unusually quiet.
"I don't think that it'll be the last time, either." Jak finally mouthed quietly, breathing in deeply before letting out a heavy sigh. "The Baron, Errol-.. " He watched her stiffen at the mention of Errol's name. "They experimented on you too."
A nod.
"I thought so. Then, I'm sure you want to see those bastards bleed, right?"
Another nod.
"Then we have our work cut out for us. As horrible as this sounds-.. Taking a man's life..." A long pause. "It gets easier." His voice was low, solemn and he looked away.. Daxter flattened his ears against his head, hanging his shoulders.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
Despite the morning's rough start, Jak, Daxter and Sake prepped themselves for the day and departed for the Pumping Station toward the north-east. Jak called ahead to inform Sig that they were on their way. When they arrived, Sig was finishing up cleaning the Peace Maker.
"Hello Cherries- Ready to hunt a few Metal Heads?" Sig was unhealthily enthusiastic as he greeted the young trio. "Follow me, stick close, and watch my six. It's gon' be fuuun!"
Jak and Sake unholstered their Morph guns and readied themselves. The beach was crawling with a number of unsavory creatures, none a match for the raw firepower the three packed. Between the devastating effectiveness of the Scatter mod and the shear strength of the Peacemaker, anything that moved, fried or was filled with more holes than a bad movie.
Jak kept a close eye on his ebony-haired companion. She fared well in a gun course filled with harmless cardboard targets but these were the real thing. Thankfully she was quite capable of putting down anything that got close enough to do any real damage. A scratch here, a scuff there- nothing serious or life threatening.
Collecting the Skull Gems from the dead Metal Heads was a chore all its own. Using a small knife he'd attached to his belt prior to leaving, Jak dug out the gems and Sake did the same. Sig got irritated at them more than once for wasting time collecting those 'worthless stones'. Not that Jak or Sake would explain why they bothered but they disregarded everything he said relating to the gems. With the shear number of Metal Heads, collecting enough to placate the Oracle would be a piece of cake.
The hunt was filled with excitement of all kinds. Several times they were confronted by ambushes as they watched Sig's back, staring slack-jawed as the Peacemaker sent the five largest lumbering Metal Heads to their deaths. Ironically enough, the weapon even jammed toward the end, despite all the love and attention Sig clearly gave his 'baby'.
Once all five beasts were dead though, he directed them back toward the city- Not that either Sake or Jak had to be told twice.
The Oracle was calling them.
They waved their goodbyes and made their way back into Haven through the security gates stationed at each exit. The Oracle's hut was only eighth of a mile away from the city's wall and they closed the gap quickly.
The deep monotonous hum ceased the second they stepped into the door. Both Sake and Jak presented the glistening yellow gemstones they'd collected from the corpses of the Metal Heads.
"You do well to rid this world of the Metal Scourge.." The Oracle bellowed. Daxter's fur bristled and he leaped from Jak's shoulder, just in time.
In a matter of seconds, the teens were consumed in violet. They writhed and wailed in unison, curling in on themselves in a feeble attempt to stave off the obvious pain. Their skin paled to a ghostly blue-grey, once youthful blue eyes filling with black that only emanated hatred. Fingernails grew into scythe-like claws and their heads peaked with a pair of black horns while their hair streaked with silvery veins that expanded until not a drop of color remained.
Daxter cried out his friends' names, but they couldn't hear him. Instead the Oracle's ever present voice boomed in their heads, bouncing around off their skull like a bad shot.
The violet faded and they hit the ground. Jak landed on his feet while Sake hit her knees and collapsed, gasping for air.
She felt light headed, and most of all, hungry. It wasn't a hunger food could sate, no- This was the feral desire to kill and shed blood in vast quantities, to make those prison dogs pay for what they did to her. Dark thoughts crawled through her mind like vermin, swimming through her veins in the form of pure Dark Eco. Violet sparks crawled up her arms, nipping harmlessly at her skin. She grunted now, raising to one knee and using her hand for leverage. Slowly she stood, gritting her fangs that shimmered from behind her pale lips.
She hadn't noticed that Jak had already reverted back to normal. She hadn't noticed that she was stalking toward him, and that violet flames laced with sparks wicked up her skin. She hadn't noticed that candles hung in the air on nothing like possessed marionettes.
Jak pleaded, hands raised desperately as he tried to bring her back to her senses. Instead Sake growled low and deep. Two voices overlapped. One was clearly Sake's, while the other was deeper, hinted with a metallic ring. She snarled, baring her teeth in a territorial hiss.
She charged, tackling Jak and they stumbled back into the hut's wall. It held their weight, but a shelf holding candles toppled over. Daxter half shrieked in horror, jumping into action to stamp out the little fires that licked at the ornately woven rug that ran the length of the hut while Jak did everything in his power to avoid being ripped to shreds.
He pushed her off and she retaliated. Candles bombarded his arms in a fiery barrage. "Sake, stop- It's me, Jak!" He would say but his words fell deaf on her ears. Part of him wished for the Oracle to intervene but it was lifeless and quiet as the dead.
Jak had no choice. He'd have to knock her out. Otherwise she was just too unmanageable. He dodged one swipe of her razor sharp claws, ducking below another barrage of candles. Then just as she dove for another up close and personal strike, he dipped low and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Her midsection was left wide open and undefended, and with one swift blow, he slammed her square in the gut.
Had she had pupils, her eyes would've crossed, but the uppercut did the trick. She slumped, collapsing directly on top of him. Jak panted, exhausted from the encounter. Daxter finally stamped out the last of the fires and glared at his friend.
"Jak are you CRAZY? Explain to me again why we rescued her?"
"I couldn't let her rot in prison, Dax." Jak replied simply, pushing Sake off in such a way that she'd just roll to the side. Her breathing was steady and the transformation slowly faded, returning her to normal.
"Yeah well I better not wake up one night with her looming over me. I've had enough food related death threats to last me a life time." Daxter argued loudly, crossing his arms before scaling Jak's shoulder. Meanwhile Jak bent low and hefted Sake into the air. A block away, he found a parked two-seater tucked away in an alcove and decided to 'borrow' it.
She was going to hurt like hell when she came around.
A/N: Shout out to JHaywire for their super meaningful and super inspirational comment/review. I was on the road when I got the email and it instantly made me not hate being stuck in a car for five hours. Its comments like these that keep me going, and i'd love to get more, which isnt to say that i want everyone to asskiss me.
MaDmAN12435: Sorry if I already answered this in PM, but no I won't be re-writing May it Be. Instead i've got an update for it in the works so I can finally finish that story. :)
Thank you all so much for reading. Comments are my life blood and are always -greatly- appreciated! 3
BTW. I am an Artist, and i have drawn my personal renderings of Sake over on my Deviantart account. my name there is night-eco. Look me up! or copy and paste this, minus the spaces ht tp / / www .night-eco .deviantart .com
Watches are much appreciated too!
