Three updates over three days! Wooo! And didn't you guys think it was a slow start? Now we're really getting into things, and there is so much more to reveal! Ehehe. Well, one day we'll get though all of it. It's Egeus' turn to narrate events. He's a sweet boy, and I enjoy writing out his character quite a bit. Whilst he might be a bit slow at times, he certainly isn't stupid, and has an amazing heart. Next update might be tomorrow, or the day after that, depending on what I get done tonight. Tomorrow would be good, though. As always, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy and all its characters belongs to Naughty Dog. So, read and review. If anyone else other than Mika decides to review, I think I'll be very happy indeed. Please, guys? 3:


Everything happened so suddenly, I wasn't sure what was going on. First, the ground was shaking violently. Then, it seemed to erupt, snow flying everywhere, a lot of it caking my body. Loud roaring filled my ears, as well grunts and snuffles. Then there seemed to be a whole writhing pool of blue and white bodies surrounding us, their wide yellow eyes spinning wildly in their sockets. Before I even had time to open my mouth to yell a warning, one of the creatures leaped up, roughly tackling Zorna to the ground with a triumphant howl.

Before I even had a chance to think about what I was doing, I was leaping down onto the monster myself.

I could hear Zorna screaming for help under the beast. I could only imagine how horrible it'd be, being pinned under the large animal, snow slowly suffocating her as clawed paws shook her around like a doll. It made me angry to think that anyone would want to hurt her, especially when she hadn't done anything wrong, so I began taking it out on the monster.

With all my strength I pulled the animal back off of her, my arms getting around it's neck in a headlock. It howled angrily, trying it bite at my arms, whilst I used my upper body to swing it around off of Zorna, and began pounding it into the snow. I ripped at it long mane, jammed my knees into its back, anything that would make it feel pain. Zorna, on the other hand, shakily rose out of the snow, and began wading away as fast as she could.

"Wait!" I yelled after, only to be crushed under another being. It began pummelling my head in, and others began surrounding me, pouncing on my open sides. I looked to my right, screaming and yelling for her to come back, but soon my vision was obscured by blood. I tried my best to throw them off, but the weight was too much. It even felt like my chest was being crushed into itself. Breathing became harder, and I began to loose all feeling in my body as my head started to feel all light, like it was floating. One more pound to the back of my head and the world went black, the roars and an anguished scream echoing out of my ears.


As I slowly slid open my eyes once more, I couldn't help but wonder if I was really dead already. All those lessons I had taken with Gol and Maia would have been for no use. I would have let my father down. I hadn't even given the crystal around my neck a second look, let alone figure out its purpose. I sighed, and let my eyes close again. I wondered what they would do now that there were only three possible candidates left. Or maybe even two, if they had gotten to Zorna. Precursors, how I worried about her. At least I had forgiven her for not coming to help me. Maybe that's why I was in heaven. Because I had died with no grudges.

I soon became aware of how I seemed to be bobbing up and down, like I was in an ocean. At least, what I thought it would be like to be in an ocean. I'd never gone swimming before. This confused me, since I pictured heaven to be a place which was completely white, with lots of happy people with wings. Golden houses would line the streets, where everyone had a family, and nobody was alone. But when I had opened my eyes, I saw a dark grey, wispy ground, and a white sky which had large foot prints running through it. Another odd thing about it was that these white particles were floating upwards, but were somehow landing on my face and onto my eyelashes, making my view rather fuzzy. Perhaps I hadn't gone to heaven. Maybe I had gone somewhere else.

I heard someone yelling from behind me. Those yells were unmistakably Zorna's, which meant I was definitely in heaven. Someone as nice as her didn't go somewhere bad when they died. I felt bad for bringing about her death, though. She hadn't really deserved to die. When I had first met her, I could already see past her outer shell. I don't know why I could do that, really. I saw what a lovely person she was. Sure, she yelled a lot, and got angry even more, but I could see she never really meant it, even though she thought she did herself.

"I'm sorry, Zorna!" I called out as loudly as I could, wincing slightly as I suddenly bounced harder. Her yells stopped for a minute, as if she was mulling over my apology, before they came back twofold.

"Egeus? You're alright? You had me all worried over you for nothing, stupid! You should have seen yourself, laying there in the snow! It looked like they'd taken all the stuffing out of you! And then they set their dirty paws on-" She was interrupted mid speech, which got her yelling at something else. "Watch it, you stupid animal! I can speak if I want to!"

Poor Zorna, I thought. She still thinks she's alive.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. You didn't deserve to die!" I called back, hoping she would get the hint.

"What? Egeus, I'm not dead, you idiot! Neither are you! Look around!"

I did as I was told, trying to make the world come into focus. I soon saw snow packed trees slowly passing us by, as well as other rocky formations which had been coated in the white powder. I felt the muscles of the beast below me ripple powerfully, and the pain in my back where its shoulder was poking into me. Actually, I could feel pain all through my body, and when I wiped at my face, red blood smothered my hand. This changed things considerably. I was still alive, which was a good thing, and so was Zorna, but we were captured by the angry snow beasts, which was a not so good thing. But why hadn't they just killed us in the first place?

After a moments silence, other than the creatures heavy breathing, which I was quite surprised I didn't hear before, I asked Zorna, "Where do you think we're going?"

"I don't know. Probably to their little cave where they can cook us so we're tastier," she muttered resignedly.

"What are they, exactly?"

"Snow Lurkers. Fiercer than your average purple Lurker, these guys have lived in the mountains since forever. They barely ever come out though. Even then, the last sighting of one was deep, deep into the mountains. I wonder what they were doing, coming out so far?"

Another loud roar from one of the Snow Lurkers quietened us, and for awhile, we simply just let our captors take us away. I took the time to examine out surroundings, and tried to memorise where we were going, so if we escaped, we'd at least know where we were going. It was about after one hundred lolloping steps of the Lurker carrying me that I forgot the first landmark I had decided to use.

As we rounded another corner, I saw something that surprised me. There was a group of the purple Lurkers Zorna had mentioned before, shivering where they stood, every so often one making a growl as if it were fed up. It didn't surprise me that they were so cold; they had a thinner build than the snow Lurkers, and only seemed to be wearing a loincloth, other than a large collar around their neck with a loop one would use to hook a leash or chain on, and the same metal bands around their wrists. They seemed to be guarding a larger Lurker who was using a contraption sort of like a ram to crack open the ice wall in front of it. Inside the ice, there seemed to be tons of barrels, all of which were emblazoned with the ancient symbol which represented Dark Eco. I tensed slowly, wondering what Lurkers could possibly want with Dark Eco. As we rounded the next corner, I briefly caught eye contact with one of the standing Lurkers. All I saw in those big eyes were pain and torment.

After what seemed like a forever of slow travel through the vast snowy mountains, we seemed to be approaching a huge fortress, impossibly large spiked poles forming a defensive barrier around the interior. At first, it seemed as if we were going to be dropped off there, but instead the Snow Lurkers pushed through some trees, and into a large whole that was in the side of the mountain adjacent to the fortress. Inside the cavern it was freezing, and an eerie blue slight filled the room. I heard Zorna shiver, and it sounded like she was about to speak up, when she suddenly screamed, the scream becoming fainter and more like an echo by the second. I felt a tight knot of nervousness form in my stomach, when I too, felt the solid ground disappear from under me.

The Snow Lurker gripped one arm around me tightly as we fell through the darkness, making sure I didn't slip from his grasp. The falling sensation abruptly stopped as we hit an icy slide, and our descent suddenly became fun. I could hear Zorna whooping from up ahead as we spiralled down the slide, strange crystals mounted on the wall lighting the way. The slide soon also gave way to another lot of space, and once again I was holding onto the Lurker for dear life, hoping, praying to the Precursors that we would soon reach an end to the falling.

The Precursors seemed to be listening, for as soon as I finished my prayer, we hit a huge pile of fine snow, sending sprays of it everywhere. I didn't dare move as I felt at least three other heavy bodies hit the snow pile in quick succession, burying us deeper into the cold powder. After a moment, as everything seemed to settle, I was yanked by the arm by my captor, and dragged along into a most magnificent hall. Huge pillars made of blue ice stretched up almost endlessly until they reached a far away ceiling. A long white carpet, made of the same stuff that the Lurkers wore on their heads, stretched from the double doors we had just come from, to an even grander set at the other end of the room. Lining the walls were small caves, which presumably led further into the complex we'd been pulled into. On the walls above the caves, which were also made of an ice of some sort, were carvings of other Snow Lurkers, in rather awe inspiring poses.

Whilst I was busy admiring the icy palace, Zorna was kicking up quite a fuss, trying to pull away from her Lurker. "Get off me, you stupid thing! I'll kill you all, I swear!" she yelled, her voice echoing around the large hall. I wondered what we'd do if we could escape. We certainly couldn't go back the way we came, and if we were to try and escape through the tunnels, we'd surely get lost, and then be found by the Lurkers. Our situation was honestly not looking good, and that's why I tried to ignore her cries.

Eventually we had reached the end of the hall, where the bigger double doors were. They seemed to reach up to the ceiling, and would have been impossibly heavy to move. I had managed to walk the whole way, my Lurker just pushing me along every now and then, where as Zorna had been hiked up onto the shoulder of another Lurker, where she was now flailing about uselessly. The four other Lurkers which had been travelling with us manned the door, slowly pushing it open with a large crack and boom. From inside, I could hear two voices conversing, and inside my head, I could hear the third.

"Procuring the Dark Eco barrels frozen into the cliffs is taking much loner than expected."

"The bargain was that if your Lurkers could obtain the barrels by the time we were to meet you again, we would not put any of you Southern cousins under slavery. Yet here we are, and no progress has been made!"

"The days are short, come the month of Belia. The weather is harsh, delaying the progress."

"You said it could be done!"

"It can be done…but I have no power over the forces of nature. You must be patient."

"YOU are in no position to tell US to be patient!"

"…we will extend the deadline to the end of this month, when the weather should clear up. We not accept any more accuses after that."

"I see…now please, leave me. I have more desirable company awaiting me."

I felt my heart both rise into my throat, then sink back down into the pits of my stomach. I knew those voices.

"Come in…" the voice inside my head beckoned. I looked to Zorna, who had now been put down, wondering if she had heard the same thing. Apparently she did, because with a little throw back of her shoulders, she marched in. I found myself following behind her, feeling somewhat nervous. This large room was somewhat similar to the hall we had just come from, except there were large pelts also hanging from the walls, and in front of us towered a large throne, its back made up of three biggest icicles I had ever seen. Seated in the throne was another Snow Lurker, but it was much larger than the rest. The pelt it wore on its head cascaded down onto the floor around it, covering that portion of the room with what looked like an incredibly soft, warm fur. It wore Precursor armour, much like my chest plate, all over its body, almost making it appear like a statue. It never moved an inch as we drew closer, flanked by the Lurker guards, and not even steam rose from the spiky helmet it wore to show that it breathed. We came to the foot of the stairs which led to the throne, at which the Lurkers stopped and bowed deeply. Zorna also came to a faltering halt, looking up the large unmoving creature in front of us. Unsure of what to do myself, I simply bowed my head, and waited for the worst.

"Calm yourselves, young chosen ones, I mean you no harm," the voice rang through our heads, sounding distinctly female.

"Oh really? That's strange. You see, not only did we get clobbered by your goons, but we got dragged through miles of snow to a place that we have no idea how to get out of. I mean, just look at him!" she cried, gesturing at me. I rose my head meekly up towards the Queen Lurker, to show her what I assumed would be a face covered in cuts and bruises.

"I apologise for my soldiers' actions. Sadly, Lurkers have no good way to communicate with humans, and I dare say you wouldn't have come any other way."

"Well, apology not accepted. If you wanted to see us so bad, you should have come yourself!" I gave Zorna a quick side ways glance. How she even had the courage to speak, let alone argue with the Queen, was beyond me. Attempting to try and fix up what Zorna had said, I mumbled, "It's alright, really…just gave us a bit of a shock."

"What is done is done. You two will be well looked after for the rest of the night. However, we must talk on other matters. You no doubt saw on your way up here, Lurkers of all walks of life trying to break into a wall of ice, to get to the Dark Eco barrels on the other side, did you not?"

I nodded. "They looked…unhappy."

"Ah, you must Egeus…you do indeed live up to your reputation."

Zorna looked as equally baffled as I did. "Reputation? And how the hell did you know his name, just from what he said? What the hell is going on here?"

"…and you must be Zorna. You are just as they say. What and how I know what I do is not up for discussion, just yet. We must talk of the slavery of my people."

"The Lurkers? Slaved? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you guys seem a little bit too strong to be pushed around!"

"It is not the Lurkers you see on the earth's surface that are in danger; it is their families that lay below. For each day they do not see results, they destroy our innocents. That is why we do as they command. For the moment, they only threaten our Southern cousins, those who live deep under the ground, near the warm magma. After they have depleted the Lurker numbers there, they will move their sights onto here, and try to breach the palace."

"Weren't those the people you were talking to before?" I asked quietly. "They were in here, but they didn't try and hurt anyone."

"They do not dare, as long as I live. When I die, the spirit of the mountains shall pass on also, and this place shall melt under the suns. They will then use the opportunity to take over the throne of the Lurkers, as surely they will be the only ones with enough power. It would be a tyrannical rule, and all the freedom of the Lurkers would be lost."

"Er, excuse me if I'm sounding a little dumb, here, but if that's what they ultimately wanted to get, power over the Lurkers, why didn't they just off you then?" Zorna asked, crossing her arms. "Woulda made stuff a whole lot easier."

"As I said, when I die, so does the mountains. They still have use for this place as long as the Dark Eco barrels are here. Their deadline, when all the barrels are extracted, will be the day that they make their move. I am fully aware of this; but I say nothing, for it would only lead to more deaths of innocent Lurkers."

"That's a pretty big damn fix you've got yourself in, then. But what has that got to do with us?"

"You two are part of the four who have been chosen by the Precursors of old to stop the villainy that plagues our world. The four of you, along with the child who walks two paths of time, shall save us all!"

For a moment, I just couldn't believe what was happening. It was if I was being pounded to death by the Snow Lurkers once more, and my mind was floating away from my body. Even Zorna remained silent, a dark, thoughtful expression consuming her face. Usually I could stand a silence for as long as I wanted to, but this time, things were different. What had been said was to serious to just be taken and dealt with.

"But…we're just meant to be apprentices! We're only meant to take a trip around our world, and then all gather at the Citadel, and given our future masters! No one said anything about saving the world! No one said anything about fighting Gol and Maia!"

My voice echoed loudly through the huge room. The tension felt so thick around me that I could have cut it with a knife. Zorna was staring at me, mouth agape. "Wh-what?"

"Your journey never was about apprenticeship. None of you will ever become Sages, or at least not in this century. This journey you are undertaking, has always been about strengthening yourselves, for when the time comes, you can step up to save our world. Even with this knowledge, which you have learnt so early, you will continue on with your quest, and ensure that the other three chosen children remain safe."

"Everyone…has been lied to? Reddy knew about all of this…?" Zorna murmured quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

"The Sages have been preparing all of you for this. Whilst it may seem like betrayal, it is really all for the best. Rejoice in your new found knowledge, and consider it carefully. This is all I have to say for now."

Things had a habit for moving so fast that I could comprehend them. Before I knew it, we were being lead out of the Queen Lurkers audience room, back out into the main hall, and into the nearest cave entrance. I was too dazed to realise that we split up into two groups, Zorna being lead down one fork in the tunnel, and I down the next. It was all just a blur as to how they showed me to my room, with its long wide bed in its centre. But by the end of all of this, I found myself tucked up into its warm covers, staring up at the ever so lightly uneven ceiling of packed snow.

I did as the Queen suggested, and I considered what had been said. I considered it quite a bit. I considered the lie that had been spun to all of us. I considered how it should have been obvious that it was a lie for some reason, like how the Yellow Sage had never complained about feeling old, or how he was one day going to be replaced.

I considered having to fight my old teachers and friends, Gol and Maia. I considered what may have driven them to start doing something so bad, when they used to be so good. They had experimented with Dark Eco, which from the last time I had seen them had altered them quite a bit, but now they truly were crazy for the substance. What was it that they saw in Dark Eco that had made them do this?

I considered how there another, a fifth person who would be in on all of this. How he some how was in two time slots at once, if what the Queen said was the truth. I wondered what the people up South were like. If they were nice, and kind. I wondered if they had any idea of what they were doing was actually based on a lie, and that eventually, they would be facing the two Dark Sages.

I considered how Zorna seemed so upset that her father had lied to her. How I felt that my own father had lied to me.

I considered how brief the Lurker Queen was on all the details. How she had suddenly and remorselessly dumped it all on us, like we were to be expecting it. What was not telling us? What were we missing from the main picture?

The next time I saw her, I was determined to find out.