Next chapter is here! Thanks again for the reviews! :)
DISCLAIMER: Only my OCs, side plots, and minor alterations to gameplay elements are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.
The minute I spotted Seem by the Tough Puppy was the minute I realized things were going to get interesting.
"You again," Seem growled, "Damas has called me here. He said you were to join me and my monks in the Oasis."
"Believe me," I replied, "I don't want to be a part of this anymore than you want me to be. I'm just doing what Damas told me to do to avoid getting thrown out of the city." And the Precursors, too, I added as a silent afterthought, But she doesn't need to know that.
"Come," Seem said, "We must move." And with that, we climbed into the Tough Puppy as some of the other monks drove their own vehicles. I had never been to the Oasis before, so I was excited to see it.
Fortunately, there were few to no Marauders driving around, and the ones that were around were off in the distance on artifact runs, probably.
I glanced over at Seem and watched as she continued to drive. "So," I began, "What are we doing out here, anyway? What's in the Oasis?"
"I buried something here a long time ago," Seem answered, "When I was still training to be a monk. I was told I would need it later."
"What is it?" I asked. Before Seem could answer, we watched as the Oasis came into view. I stopped talking and took in the beautiful trees, as well as the water at some of the bases.
"Short Ears," Seem said, "This way." Rolling my eyes, I followed her, feeling sad that I couldn't stick around to admire the Oasis again.
"It's just up ahead, Seem," one of the other monks announced, pointing to what looked like a hidden burial site. A large rock was covering what looked like a small cave, and I looked around to make sure nobody was watching this.
Some of the monks began to move the rock out of the way, and Seem immediately went to join them. I hung back for a minute, but then decided to help as well, and through our combined efforts, we managed to move the rock to the side. "In here," Seem whispered.
"In this dark place?" I asked, wincing. Not that I was afraid of the dark. I just wondered how we were all going to fit.
"I will lead the way," Seem announced, and turning a flashlight on, she led us into the cave. We ended up walking for a long time, and I wondered how deeply Seem buried this mysterious object.
"You don't want people to find it, do you?" I asked.
Seem shook her head. "It is more important than you know," she said. I just nodded.
"Watch your step!" one of the other monks warned, and I grabbed Seem's hand as we began to walk down a set of stairs. I pushed a few cobwebs out of my face, but continued on. Precursors, I said to myself, I hope you're happy.
"We're going to need to move another rock," the others informed us.
"I will do it," Seem volunteered, walking to one side of the large obstruction.
"I'll help you," I decided, going to the other side. It was hard work trying to push this one as well, but we managed to do so. The rock fell to the ground with a loud thud, and I took a deep breath as Seem faced me.
"Thank you," she thanked me in a neutral voice.
"Don't mention it," I replied, and Seem pushed a few buttons on a panel, revealing a small chamber with the object she was looking for.
"Wait a minute!" I gasped, "Is that…no. It can't be!"
Seem raised an eyebrow at me. "Have you seen this before?" she asked.
I hesitated before replying. "The Rift Rider…" was all I mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," I lied, "This just looks like something from a Rift Rider I saw."
"The elder monks entrusted me with this artifact," Seem explained as she took it into her hands, "We must bring it back to Monk Temple. Come on, everyone." I stayed put until Seem turned around to face me.
"Are you coming, Short Ears?" she asked.
"Paige," I insisted, "And yes, I'm coming." We exited the burial chamber, fighting our way through cobwebs again. This time, I held the flashlight and led the way.
"When we get back to the Temple," Seem started, "We will see what you can do. It seems that the Precursors want you to join our ranks."
"How did you know that?" I demanded.
"I consulted the Oracle."
"Figures," I mumbled.
I had to shield my eyes for a minute once we stepped back outside, and I blinked a few times to get used to the sunlight again. Sighing, I shook my head and followed the monks back to their cars parked by the edge of the Oasis.
"Paige?"
I whipped my head around as I thought I heard someone calling my name. "Paige!" the same voice repeated, "Over here!"
"You go ahead," I said to Seem, "I'll meet you at the Temple." Seem just frowned, but continued on her way with the others as I decided to hang around the Oasis for a while.
When the sand cleared, I spotted a familiar face by one of the larger lakes. "Ashelin?" I gasped.
Sure enough, it was Ashelin Praxis. "Ashelin!" I repeated, running over to her and hugging her.
"It's good to see you, Paige," Ashelin replied once I pulled away from the hug, "How are you?"
I exhaled and readjusted my ponytail. "Really tan and working hard, but overall, not too bad, I guess," I told her, "How's Haven? How's everyone else?" At the same time, though, why did I care about Haven City? They threw me and Jak out! I could see why Lena wasn't too crazy about them at this point.
Ashelin shook her head. "It's not looking good, I can tell you that much," she replied, "Where's Jak?"
"He's back in Spargus," I explained, "Or at least, he should be by now, hopefully. He went on a mission with Sig before."
"Sig?" Ashelin echoed, "Sig's out here, too?"
"It's a long story," I said, wiping some sand out of my face.
"You said Jak was in Spargus?" Ashelin asked, "Is he there right now?"
I nodded. "He should be," I replied, "We all got in trouble before for 'defiling the arena' and Damas sent Jak and Sig out to the Metal Head Nest. Knowing Jak, I doubt he's going to get banished after that."
"I'm going to try calling him," Ashelin decided, pulling out her communicator.
"Jak, this is Ashelin," she announced, "I'm glad you're still alive. I see Damas still keeps tabs on his old beacons. Listen, I've got to see you immediately. I've landed out by the Oasis, but I don't have much time. I also ran into Paige here, too. Please, come find us." There was no response from the other end, but I was sure Jak and Daxter would be surprised.
"So," I piped up again, "What's everyone in the city saying? What about Count Veger?" I shuddered as I remembered him kidnapping me just the other day.
"The citizens won't admit it," the Baron's daughter responded, "But it looks like they're regretting throwing you two out."
"They should," I replied bitterly, "They didn't do us right at all."
"I know," Ashelin fumed, "That's what I wanted to talk to you and Jak about. I just hope he shows up soon."
Ten minutes later, we suddenly heard a car engine, and when we glanced to our right, we spotted a vehicle making its way towards us. "That looks like them now," I said, pointing as the Sand Shark came into view.
Jak parked the car and lifted his goggles as he and Daxter sprinted over to us.
"Hey, baby!" Dax greeted as the rest of us rolled our eyes, "Ya thought you'd dumped me, huh? I knew you'd be back for some more Orange lovin'! Get a good look, it's the last time you get to see it."
"Ashelin!" Jak gasped, "What are you doing here?"
"Jak," Ashelin replied, "It's good to see you."
"Listen, toots!" Dax snapped, "You left us in the desert. So talk to the tail. Cause the whiskers ain't listening! We out, guys." He turned to leave.
"That beacon you gave us," Jak said, "Thanks."
"I knew Damas would find you," Ashelin told us, "He doesn't miss much in this desert."
"That's for sure," I piped up.
"How do you know him?" Jak demanded.
"It doesn't matter now," Ashelin answered as she shook her head sadly, "Jak, I need you and Paige to come back to the city. We're losing the fight. Veger is drunk on power and he's taken command. He doesn't understand what he's up against. I need you..." She trailed off, for suddenly, we heard more engines roaring.
"Look out!" Jak shouted, and we looked up as dozens of Marauders skidded to a stop, circling us as they drew out their weapons.
"Oh, crap!" I gasped, instantly pulling out my Vulcan Fury.
"Shoot! Shoot!" Ashelin commanded, beginning the battle as she raced forward and began fighting with some o the Marauders closest to her. Next to me, Jak whipped out the Blaster Gun and switched to the Beam Reflexor Mod, and I watched as bullets bounced from car to car, from Marauder to Marauder.
"YAHHHH!" someone cried next to me, and I quickly leaped out of the way as another Marauder lunged at me with his sword, nearly missing my stomach.
"Don't even try it!" I snapped, shooting him with the Vulcan Fury before moving on to his comrades. Many of them swiped at me as I raised my foot and kicked them to the ground. I could see more of Jak's bullets sailing around us, and whichever Marauders I didn't end up killing, he took care of them.
On the other side, Ashelin back flipped to dodge some of the bullets flying out from one of the vehicles. It just seemed to never end; their reinforcements continued to show up. We were clearly outnumbered, but that didn't stop us from fighting them. I leaped out of the way to avoid some of the Marauders' guns as well.
"AHH!" Daxter screamed as a car with spikes on the front plowed right towards us.
"Watch out!" I cried, and Ashelin back flipped again, giving Jak enough room to shoot the driver in the car, as well as the engine.
When a new wave of Marauders arrived, Jak put his gun away and changed into Dark Jak. As I shot my Vulcan Fury and quickly ran to crouch down next to Ashelin, I watched as Dark Jak leaped into the air and performed the Dark Bomb Attack, effectively wiping out the entire group attacking us.
"Whoa," I whispered as Ashelin and I picked ourselves up and took out the last few remaining Marauders. Everything instantly died down as it didn't sound like any more Marauders would show up.
As Dark Jak still stood where he was, I decided to try something out. "Hey," I began, "I know how Jak feels about me already. What about you?" I couldn't help but think about what Kleiver had said back in the arena, about Dark Jak liking me more. I knew Jak had feelings for Keira; I wasn't interested in him like that, but I was curious.
Dark Jak didn't say anything, like always, but he continued to stare at me with those black eyes. I was a little unsettled for a minute, but then I relaxed as he held out a claw. I extended my hand out and began to shake his claw slowly. That was when I realized why he seemed to like me; I had helped to create him.
But Jak. He didn't like it. He didn't want this other side. I knew that too. Sighing, I stopped shaking hands with Dark Jak as he disappeared and Jak took his place once again.
"Keira wanted me to give you these," Ashelin announced, reaching into her Freedom League cruiser as she grabbed two jet boards and handed them to us. During the two months I had been back in Haven City, Jak had taught me how to ride on a jet board, and I wondered if I would need it for anything.
"Jak," she continued, "The city needs you. I…need you." Hmm, I thought, rubbing my chin in thought.
"The city threw me out, remember?" Jak replied, "They can rot, for all I care. And I don't think Paige wants to go back, either."
"Not if they're going to blame us again," I said.
Ashelin looked exasperated. "But what about your-"
"Forget it!" Jak snapped, "Just leave. We have new friends now." Daxter narrowed his eyes and nodded in agreement.
"He's right, Ashelin," I sighed.
"So the hero I knew did die in the desert," Ashelin quipped, placing her hands on her hips, "Or was it long before that? Don't you remember who you are?" She pressed the Seal of Mar into Jak's hands. It was the same one Young Jak had worn. I sighed again as Jak seemed to consider it.
"I'm through saving the world," he declared, clenching his fist and turning away from Ashelin. Daxter climbed onto Jak's shoulder again, and we watched as Ashelin sat in her cruiser again, started the engine, and took off back to the city.
"Jak?" I asked cautiously as he returned to the Sand Shark.
"Come on," he said, "Let's go back to the city."
And with that, I climbed into the Passenger Seat of the Sand Shark as he accelerated.
"So Damas must have changed his mind about banishing you and Sig, huh?" I asked.
Jak nodded. "What about you?" he asked, "Why were you out in the Oasis?"
"It was my part of the punishment for defiling the arena," I explained, "Damas sent me out there with Seem and her monks, and I'm supposed to be joining them at the Monk Temple. I guess Damas will let me stay in the city, too, after this." A few Marauders tried to attack us along the way, but Daxter took over the guns and took care of them.
"So you really don't want to go back, huh?" I asked him as I folded my hands.
"Nope," Jak confirmed, "I don't know about you, but I've made a life for myself out here. I don't need Haven."
I had to agree with him. As much as I missed David, Eileen, and everyone else in Haven City, I liked Spargus much better. There was more freedom out here, and constant sun. The Wastelanders seemed to appreciate our help more than the Havenites as well.
"Let's stay out here, then," I decided, and with that, we returned to the garages.
I can't believe this, Ashelin thought as she parked her cruiser in the garage behind the Freedom HQ and made her way up to the main meeting room. She had to admit that she hadn't been surprised that Jak and Paige didn't want to return to Haven City, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed all the same. Jak was turning his back on everything he had fought for last year.
"What happened?" Samos asked as soon as the Governess entered the HQ.
"He didn't want to come back," Ashelin reported to Samos and Keira, who looked worried, "Neither of them did. They resent the city."
"We must figure out how to stop Veger from taking command," Samos announced, "If we do that, then maybe they'll want to come back."
"I hope so," Keira piped up, "It's getting worse out there!"
"It's not over yet," Ashelin reminded them, "Somehow, I have a feeling he might change his mind. I hope he will."
Suddenly the door opened again, and Eileen and David staggered into the room, clutching their chests and they took deep breaths.
"Peterson! Lloyd!" Ashelin cried, "What's going on?"
"It's looking bad," David panted, "More KG deathbots are starting to attack on this side now. Somehow, they got around Veger's white shield!"
Ashelin, Samos, and Keira all shook their heads. Count Veger had no idea what he was doing, it seemed. He was confused.
"Round up your troops!" Ashelin ordered, "You're going to keep watch around here. Guard the HQ, and take down any deathbots you see!"
"Yes, Governess," Eileen replied, nodding as she and David left. This was going to be a long battle.
Two weeks later…
"Precursors," Seem began as she, the rest of the monks, and I all knelt down in front of the Oracle in the Temple, "Reveal your secrets to us." She closed her eyes, so I figured I would do the same. I rested my hands on the cold floor, but nothing happened. At least, for me, anyway.
These last two weeks had been interesting, that was for sure. I had gone to the Temple every day with Seem, and slowly but surely, I could see why she took pride in her job. We didn't butt heads as much as we used to, which was a relief. I figured the Precursors were happy about that.
"This meeting is over," Seem declared, "I have heard all that I needed to. Let's go back to the city." Nodding, we all got up and followed her back out to the Dune Hoppers parked at the entrance to the Temple. We rode in silence, like we always did, so seeing Jak and Daxter back in Spargus was a welcome relief.
Jak and Daxter had been helping out with little errands around the city, and Lena had let them sit with her in the watchtower since I was forced to go with the monks every day. As of now, the sun was out and it was hotter than usual, so the demolition duo told me they were going to take it easy on the beach. Being finished at the Temple for the day, I decided to join them.
"Ahh, this is the life!" Daxter sighed, happily resting himself on the sand, "No missions from Damas or Kleiver, and no risking our lives to kill Metal Heads!" He ran his paws through the sand, and I couldn't help but giggle to myself..
"I've gotta admit I agree with you, Dax," Jak spoke up from next to him, "It's nice to have a day off every now and then."
"Hey boys!" I called to them. They looked up as I took out some sunscreen I had found in the apartment and sat down next to them.
"I didn't think you two would be letting this beautiful day go to waste, so I decided to join you!" I decided. Both of them grinned, and we spent the next few minutes covering ourselves in sunscreen. We were already tan just from living out here, but being burned wouldn't be good.
"How the hell does Seem wear all that dark clothing in this blinding heat, anyway?" I asked, closing my eyes and tilting my face towards the sun.
"I don't know," Daxter piped up, "But she must be dying underneath that robe every day. And the face paint."
I shook my head. "I can only imagine." I kicked my boots off as I sighed.
"Two weeks," I heard Jak muse, "We've been out here for two more weeks. Since Ashelin…" He trailed off there.
"The city's not our problem anymore," he continued, "They don't need us anyway."
"True," I said in agreement, "They can solve their own issues. I see why Lena hates them."
"Did you know she knew Sig?" Jak asked me.
I nodded. "She told me that she and Sig went on artifact runs for Krew," I explained, "But not much else." Sig. I had seen him around a few more times since that fateful day in the arena, but he was always busy. He still hadn't told us about his apparent spying in Haven City.
"How's working with Seem?" Jak asked.
I opened my eyes as I faced him. He was wearing a smirk on his face when he asked the questions. "Interesting," I replied, "But surprisingly not bad. She seems…okay."
"There's still somethin' about that Temple," Dax chirped, "Somethin' that feels…I don't know…"
"Incomplete?" Jak finished for him.
"You got it! Wanna check it out later tonight?"
Jak glanced over at me. "I don't see why not," he answered, "Paige?"
"Sure," I said, sinking my toes into the sand, "I'm up for a little adventure."
"That's right!" Daxter said excitedly, and Jak and I both had to laugh.
Later on that night…
Getting through the Temple hadn't been easy.
"Paige!" I heard Jak cry at one point, "This way!" Nodding, I followed him until we arrived in another hallway. In the corner was a locked door, where Jak used the Seal Ashelin had given him in order to unlock it.
"Now we're getting somewhere!" Jak cried as the door opened in front of us.
"That's the ticket!" Daxter agreed as we walked quietly through another hallway.
There were flying Metal Heads everywhere, which we were forced to deal with as we entered a room filled with water. "I guess we'll have to clear this room," Jak mused, "Stay back. I'll handle this." I stood back and watched as he completed the Monk Tests on the jet board. He had to collect little balls of light in order to open the door up ahead, and while he did that, I decided to ride around on my own jet board for a few minutes to get readjusted to it. My feet wobbled a little bit from the jet board, but a few short movements helped to correct that.
After walking for a long time, we came across another Precursor Oracle, and situated in front of it were a few spinning platforms. Jak stepped up to the plate as the Oracle came to life. Oh, boy, I thought.
"Greetings great warrior, your coming brings us great hope," the Oracle spoke, "But I fear it may be too late. You will soon meet the seed of our downfall. Take this light power, and use it to conquer those who would defy you." Another shaft of light illuminated over Jak, and once he was granted the new power, he, Daxter, and I studied the spinning platforms.
"There's no way we can cross those!" Daxter shouted. But we continued to watch them.
"I bet we can slow them down," Jak mused. He then turned to me.
"Paige, take my hand and don't let go," he said, extending his hand.
"What are you going to do?" I asked worriedly.
"Just trust me." I gulped, but trusted my friend enough to grip his hand tightly.
Jak closed his eyes, and once he called up the Light Eco, he lowered back down to the ground and clapped his hands together, all while my hand was in between his. Everything around us suddenly turned blue…and slowed down. The spinning platforms barely spun as the three of us began making our way across them. Only we moved normally as everything else moved much slower. I realized this was why Jak had wanted me to hold on; I would've slowed down just like everything else.
Once we were on the other side, time caught up with us and returned everything to normal, and Jak sent the Light Eco away. "Whoa!" I gasped, "That was pretty cool!"
"See?" Jak replied, "I told you nothing bad would happen."
I nodded. "I know," I whispered.
The three of us continued making our way through the temple, using our jet boards for most of the ride. Up ahead, another door opened, where this time, spinning blades greeted us. I gasped as Jak and I dismounted from our boards. Jak simply smiled as he ran over to the Light Eco vent, refilled, and stepped in front of the blades again. I moved forward and grabbed his hand as he called on the light once more and clapped his hands together. Time slowed down again, and so did the blades as we hopped across the rotating platform. The entire time, I was a little unnerved, but during the other two times we had to cross more spinning blades, I felt my fear disappear. I had to admit I liked Light Jak much more than Dark Jak, and I guessed Jak felt the same way.
Once we were finished, we ran through another hallway until we were outside in front of a bridge. "That bridge doesn't look safe," I commented, but it seemed Jak was thinking the same thing. He quickly filled up on Light Eco again and approached the bridge. He was starting to transform so fast that I narrowly missed grabbing his hand. The eerie blue hue surrounded us once again as we began to cross the bridge, but we suddenly began to run as the bridge collapsed underneath us.
"Run!" Daxter shouted, even though the bridge was falling at a much slower rate than we were running. We hopped across the crumbling infrastructure and were relieved once we made it to the other side in one piece. As Jak reverted back to normal, he and I burst out laughing.
"Woohoo!" I shouted into the air, spreading my arms out and tilting my head back.
"Jak, you're officially awesome!" I complimented, smiling, "That was cool!"
"Thanks," he thanked me, "Let's see what's this way."
And with that, we took the elevator down, wondering what we would find here. Hopefully, it would be something good.
