JKA: Grrr, this chapter ended up being even shorter than the last one. :P But I'm finally updating, so hopefully that will make up for it... hopefully. Violence warning for this chapter, but nothing too major. Not much else to say otherwise. Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews (and Marn, nice to see your face again - even without a jaw XDD), and please continue to do so. Anyway, usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, enjoy the Metal Head destruction.
P.S. Mika and Marn, I snuck in a little tribute of sorts to "Blood Ties" somewhere in there. 'Tis very small, but let me know if you find it. ^_^
Chapter 10: Courage and Bloodlust
Time seemed to slow to a near standstill as Jak watched the horde of Metal Heads barrel down towards him and Keira. All sound faded away from the world around him, only the steady thrum of his heart and the rhythm of his measured breathing breaking through the choking silence within his mind. It was almost as if the approaching tide of monsters were moving in slow motion, the black abyss of their eyes glittering with malice and their razor-like claws digging into the snow, propelling them forward.
He sensed rather than felt Keira press her back against his, her slender frame trembling with obvious horror. The knowledge of her presence sent a tidal wave of energy surging through his body, heightening his already unnatural reflexes to their fullest. Grim determination dominated his thoughts, his muscles coiled as he prepared for the first strike.
I'm not going down without a fight, he snarled to himself, eyes narrowing as they scanned the ever-nearing Metal Head army, — at least fifty creatures total, give or take — daring those who opposed him to try and take him down.
A beat of charged silence passed, and then the dark barrage was upon them.
Sound came flooding back to Jak's consciousness as the nearest Metal Head leapt at him, a thundering chorus of animalistic roars and the drumming of scaled feet echoing in his ears. Quick as lightning, Jak propelled himself into the air and met the attacking monster with a well-aimed blow to the jaw, sending it careening backwards and tumbling to the earth. Landing nimbly on his feet, he dove towards the dazed beast and swiftly snapped its neck before it had the chance to retaliate, throwing its lifeless body aside without a second glance.
No sooner had Jak turned his back on the fallen creature than he was forced to duck to avoid another one as it went sailing over his head. An instant later he rolled out of the path of a third, springing back up when he was out of harm's way and tackling it. The Metal Head struggled to throw him off, but with blinding speed, Jak grabbed its massive head between his hands and twisted it a full one-hundred-eighty degrees, leaping off of the dead monster as it collapsed onto the snow.
Too easy, the blonde hero scoffed as he dodged another pair of oncoming Metal Heads, lunging agilely between them as they struggled to regain their balance after their misjudged assault. Grinning maniacally, Jak grabbed each of their broad heads with one hand and slammed them together, effectively shattering their skulls and spraying thick, ebony blood into the air.
His minor victory was short-lived, however, as the overwhelming number of remaining enemies rapidly closed in around him, severely limiting his pathways of escape. Without warning, one brave creature hurled itself at the boxed-in warrior, its claws tearing through the fabric of his jacket sleeve and leaving a vicious gash from his elbow down to his wrist.
Hissing in pain and frustration, Jak struck out with his uninjured arm and backhanded the beast across its chest, sending it soaring back into the crowd of Metal Heads and causing it to crash into several of its comrades.
Taking advantage of Jak's momentary distraction, one of the beasts positioned behind the elf launched itself at him, sending him sprawling to the icy ground. The monster dug its fearsome talons into Jak's shoulders, cutting through clothing, flesh, and muscle as if it were mere tissue paper. Almost immediately, a second Metal Head joined its accomplice, clamping its jaws down on one of Jak's legs while another still tore at his undamaged arm, their combined weight all-but-pinning him to the chilled earth.
A burning rage began to simmer at the back of Jak's mind, consuming his body with the speed and power of a wildfire and tingeing the edges of his vision with red. Inhuman strength jolted through his limbs, mingling with the miniscule levels of Dark Eco he had stored in his veins and propelling him to his feet with astounding velocity.
Releasing his fury in the form of a feral roar, Jak easily dislodged two of his attackers from where they clung to him, their armored frames slamming into the ground as their respective claws and teeth were ripped out of the young man's skin. In the same instant, Jak reached up and locked his fingers around the neck of the Metal Head that was still gripping onto his shoulders. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat as he hurtled the creature over his head, agony shooting down the length of his arms as tendon and sinew were shredded with the wrenching free of his assailant's talons.
As soon as the fiend-in-question smashed into the earth, Jak released his hold on its neck and promptly stomped on its unprotected chest, effectively crushing its torso and splattering the snow around it with midnight blood.
Jak winced as aftershocks of pain crackled up and down his arms, his wounds throbbing as they ran with his own scarlet blood. Hot, sticky trails of it snaked their way down his body, staining the tattered remains of his jacket and shirt. He could sense the Light Eco in his system — present in even lesser amounts than its Dark counterpart — working to repair the damage, although he knew it would never be enough to heal his injuries completely.
Come on, think, Jak, he hissed at himself, feinting to one side to avoid an oncoming Metal Head and striking down another. There's gotta be something I can use to my advantage.
Making a snap decision, Jak abruptly launched himself into the air, landing upright on the metallically-reinforced back of just one member of the surging sea of monsters surrounding him. Before the Metal Head even had a chance to sense his presence, however, he was already sailing towards the next one, pausing only to steady his footing and then moving on just as quickly. His eyes scanned the perimeter of the battlefield frantically as he jumped from creature to creature; constantly keeping out of their reach as he searched for anything that may tilt the odds of overpowering them in his favor.
Almost subconsciously, the dark warrior's gaze zeroed in on a jagged branch protruding from beneath the heavy blanket of snow some fifteen feet beyond the outer perimeter of the Metal Head army. Its visible end was broken as though it'd been snapped off of a tree, the bark splintered into several serrated points.
Perfect, Jak remarked silently, an arrogant smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Sucking in a quick breath, he continued maneuvering over the heads of the creatures below him, heading for the furthest edge of the swarming indigo mass. The instant he was within range of the twisted bough, he dove from his unstable perch, tucking into a roll as soon as he hit the ground and snatching up the stick as he uncoiled.
Unleashing an enraged war cry, Jak charged at the nearest Metal Head as it whipped around to face him, crude weapon gripped tightly in his hands. When there were mere feet separating it from its quarry, the monster lunged towards him, claws extended and glittering fangs bared.
Without breaking stride, Jak side-stepped his opponent's attack and impaled its wide chest with the sharpened end of the tree limb, spraying himself and the soft powder beneath his feet with onyx-colored blood. He swung the branch around in the same movement, bashing it into any of the Metal Head's accomplices that stood nearby, the aforementioned slowly-dying beast still lodged on the rough wood.
Gritting his teeth, Jak thrashed the stick against the frozen earth, freeing the defeated Metal Head and leaving it to slowly bleed its life out onto the snow. He adjusted his hold on his makeshift spear, weaving between the heaving tide of fiends as they dove for him left and right. Seldom managed to land a blow anywhere on the lightning-quick warrior, and those that did met a gruesome death within seconds of doing so.
Hardly ten minutes had passed before Jak found himself thoroughly drenched in the blood of his enemies as well as his own. The thick liquid dripped from his skin and clothing, leaving ghastly stains in the ivory ground. He could feel his body absorbing the Dark Eco contained in the fluids of the Metal Heads, and he waited carefully while the supply of the evil substance in his bloodstream steadily increased, bidding his time until he'd have enough to power a Dark transformation.
As essential as it was to refrain from shifting to his alter-ego for the moment, however, Jak knew his energy was waning fast. Having spent the entire morning trekking through the woods combined with the fact that he hadn't eaten in three days had drained most of his stamina, and his breath was beginning to shorten as he used up the little that remained.
Just a little longer, he grunted to himself, slamming the side of the bough into the head of one Metal Head and then wheeling around to stab another. A few more minutes, and I'll have these bitches begging for their sorry lives.
Suddenly, an all-too-familiar voice rang out over the clamor of the fight, its tone cracked and high-pitched with terror.
"Jak!" Keira yelled, freezing the blonde elf in his tracks, tree branch half-raised to bring down yet another of his foes.
Spinning on his heel, Jak felt his blood run cold as he spotted his girlfriend standing on the opposite end of the clearing, several yards away from where he currently brawled. She was slowly backing away from a crowd of about four or five Metal Heads, spread out in a semi-circle in front of her. Her hands were raised defensively in the highly likely event that she was attacked, her whole frame trembling with obvious fear.
A pang of guilt pierced Jak's heart, jolting his muscles into action and adding fuel to the fire of his pernicious rage. In truth, he'd almost forgotten Keira's presence amidst the heat of the battle, even after he'd sworn to protect her only seconds before it began. If any harm befell her now, the blame would all be on his shoulders.
That revelation alone was enough to push Jak's anger beyond the point of rationality, and he doubled over as searing pain exploded throughout his body, as though his every nerve had spontaneously burst into flames. The minimal Dark Eco stores he'd managed to build up throughout the constant melee flowed freely through his veins, the color of his skin and hair bleaching to an ashen gray. Long, ebony claws extended from his fingernails, — their intimidating appearance putting those of the Metal Heads' to shame — and horns of the same shade sprouted from within his tangled mane.
Last of all to change were his eyes. His pupils enlarged until they completely obliterated his cerulean irises and the white surrounding them, leaving two bottomless abysses in their wake, darker than the coldest midnight.
A roar that was half of pain and half of fury ripped from the Eco demon's chest as the transformation ended, violet electricity crackling menacingly around him. The few Metal Heads that were unfortunate enough to be standing in close proximity to him died instantly, their lifeless forms twitching as the sinister energy ravaged them from within.
Moving so swiftly that he was little more than a silvery blur, the Dark monster began to plow his way through the densely-packed Metal Head army, carving a path through them by decimating anything and everything that stood in his way. His dagger-like talons tore through armor, flesh, muscle, and bone as if it was nonexistent, reducing any beast foolish enough to try and halt his progress to blood-covered shreds. Within seconds, what had once been a vast Metal Head fighting force was utterly annihilated, save for the creatures still advancing towards Keira and a handful of others, who by this point were fleeing into the forest in an effort to salvage their sorry hides.
Dark Jak's piercing, unreadable gaze locked on Keira's horrified face as he rushed to her aid, the panic in her gentle features urging him onward.
Those assholes chose the wrong girl to mess with, the demon hissed wordlessly as the distance rapidly closed between himself and the young mechanic. Have fun roasting in hell, you sick bastards.
Snarling viciously, Jak leapt into the air, soaring over the last few feet that separated him from his prey and landing in the center of their line. The Metal Heads scattered to avoid him, growling in surprise and anger as their focus was diverted from their target.
Baring his teeth in a very animalistic fashion, the Dark warrior pounced on the nearest creature, slashing at every inch of its flesh he could reach. When he was finished, what had once been a living beast now resembled a very gory pile of confetti, but Jak paid his fallen opponent no heed whatsoever. He simply moved onto the next one, beheading it with one swipe of his blood-soaked claws and leaving its corpse to darken the snow beside what remained of its comrade.
While he was occupied with the first two Metal Heads, one of their accomplices leapt at Dark Jak from behind, aiming to catch him off-guard. Just as it was about to sink its fangs into the elf's already-injured shoulder, however, Jak whipped around and lashed out with his talons, effectively ripping the brute's entire ugly mug apart. A howl of agony burst from its tattered mouth, and it collapsed onto the chilled ground, its body convulsing as its life gradually slipped away, flooding the powder around it.
The fourth member of the bedraggled group of Metal Heads was struck down just as quickly by a stab straight to the chest, the air whooshing out of its lungs in a strangled gasp. Satisfied with his work, Dark Jak straightened out of his battle-ready crouch, roughly extracting his claws from the dying creature at his feet.
He was about to turn around and check that Keira was alright when a bone-chillingly familiar scream reverberated around the clearing, echoing in his sensitive ears and causing his breath to catch sharply as a shard of ice seemed to wedge itself in his heart.
That solitary shriek drowned out all other noise around him, throwing the world into a deathly silence. Jak spun on his heel, sheer horror locking his muscles in place and sending all of his thought processes to a screeching halt at the sight that greeted him.
It was an image he'd already seen twice before, one that haunted his darkest nightmares, but that did not make it any less heart-wrenching as he witnessed it now.
Keira was lying on the frozen earth mere feet away from him, her eyes wide with obvious fright. Her clothing was torn in several places, the fabric rapidly darkening as vivid crimson liquid soaked through what remained of it. Nearly every inch of her pale skin was marred by hideous gashes, a ceaseless tide of blood flowing steadily from them and dripping onto the snow around her. A single Metal Head that had miraculously escaped Jak's attention stood over her, pinning her beneath it. Curved talons were embedded deep within her arms, holding her in place as their owner continued to rip into her flesh.
While Jak may have observed this exact scene more times than he would have liked, this instance was entirely different from the others.
This time, it was real.
No… NO, the Eco demon spat to himself, snapping out of his shocked daze. Eyes narrowed in determination, he broke into a full-out sprint, his focus trained unwaveringly on the Metal Head that had dared to try and murder the woman he loved. No way in hell am I letting this happen again.
As swiftly as Dark Jak drew nearer and nearer to the trapped she-elf, the weaker her struggles to dislodge her attacker became. She writhed vainly beneath the Metal Head's heavy form, another scream of anguish tearing from her chest as it drove its claws deeper into her limbs, drawing even more blood from the malicious wounds.
Hold on, Keir. A few more strides and that monster will be nothing but a pile of shredded body parts. Come on, hang in there for just a little longer…
Suddenly, a shadow befell the sunlit clearing, plunging everything surrounding the three living beings within its limits into choking darkness. A patch of thick, swirling clouds that had remained in the aftermath of the blizzard had drifted over the sun, blocking out its golden rays and rapidly cooling the temperature of the forest. The change when unnoticed by Jak, however, as all of his attention was centered on the Metal Head hovering over the slender frame of his girlfriend.
When there was hardly any distance left between the two lifelong friends, Keira's head tilted in Jak's direction, her gaze automatically locking with his. The warrior felt a jolt run straight through his heart as her emerald eyes met his pitch-black ones, void of any emotion apart from sparkling affection mingling with calm resolve. Those bright green orbs conveyed a message to the Eco warrior more powerful than a thousand words could have expressed, sending pure dismay crashing over him as he realized exactly what Keira was trying to tell him.
One more desolate cry split the otherwise hushed air — whether from Jak or Keira, neither would ever know — as the Metal Head lunged for the sapphire-haired she-elf's throat.
JKA: Yeah, nothing much to say about that ending, gotta keep you all on your toes. XD I will say that I've been planning the next chapter almost as long as I was planning chapter 8, so with any luck it will be longer than this one. But of course, no reviews and you will never know. Mwuhahaha.