Chapter 12: Defending Sandover


Location: Sandover - Older Jak and Daxter

Jak looked over at Daxter as they both sat by a fire cooking their catch of the day. The river hadn't been as full of fish as it usually was. Nearby Jak could see the female lurker sleeping in a ball. Smirking, he moved closer to Daxter. "So, want to explain Theresa and Daniel to me?" he asked. "Why don't I remember them being my adopted parents or that you are officially my adopted brother?" He could see Daxter shrink at his questions.

"It was ole greenies idea." he said. "I wanted ta tell ya, but all the grown ups told me ta be quiet about it and jest be happy ya still wanted ta be my friend." he looked uncomfortable about the topic. "Ma died the night ya stopped talkin' fer like fer'ever and then Pa began drinkin' and ya went ta live wit' uncle, so ya didn't see Pa hit me fer being stupid. He blamed me fer Ma's death. How horrible is that?" he shook his head. "Then he got better. He asked fer my forgiveness and I gave it ta him. He's a good pop, but ya fergot because of the shock of ya using yer powers fer the first time, which was ta kill the lurker, but Ma was killed by the dumb beast first." He looked at Jak with tears in his eyes. "I not only lost my Mom that night, I lost my brother. Then ya became my friend again and Pops began goin' out fishin' every night and I became the village terror just because I was trying to get noticed. When I suggested we be brothers and ya seemed ta like that idea, so I never mentioned it that we were already brothers." He shrugged as he reached his hand out to check the fish. "It's done." he said as he handed Jak his dinner.

"You could've said something Dax, I would've believed you." Jak told him as he began to eat.

"Yeah, well, past is past." was Daxter's response. "Tomorrow we'll be havin' some visitors." he told his brother as he picked the meat from the bones of the fish. "Clindra's clan has been raising orphans fer the last ten years. A rival clan was responsible fer all the attacks in recent years. Goldorph, he is the leader of her clan. Kinda reminds me of Bruter." he said quickly as he finished his dinner. "Meria, she's like us, Elf. Any way, she's like the translator and is coming here to make peace talks. I think Clindra's clan might be where Bruter's clan comes from."

Jak looked over at he sleeping lurker. "Interesting." he muttered as he turned his attention back to Daxter. "So, I was think about how we could get home, but I've got nothing."

Daxter laughed. "Maybe the Precursors are testin' us again. They seem ta like doin' that ta ya." he smirked at Jak's glare at him.

"If they are doing that, then I'm going to be pissed." Jak told him in a nonhumorous tone.

Agreed. Jak heard his dark self agree to.

The two looked up at the sky, the darkness surrounding them allowed them to see the stars better than they had in years. Even in the wasteland, they still had to worry about sandstorm. The skies in Haven City and Krass City were coveted in smog. "When I met Mar," Jak began. "he said something about a place called the Brink. When we get back home, you want to check the place out. See if it still exists?"

Daxter saw that crazy look Jak got when he was excited about something. Smiling back at him he spoke. "Okay, but this time let's get the girls join us." he saw the grin on Jak's face broaden. "Tess baby loves a good adventure and Keira is starting ta gain Sage-like abilities."

"I've noticed that too." Jak said as he laid back onto the sandy beach. Daxter followed Jak's example, the two brothers falling asleep next to each other.

The early morning hours Jak felt his senses begin to awaken. The scent of something metallic hit him first followed by the sound of some soft screeching sounds before he sat up. The dark eco in his veins awakening instantly. Looking to Daxter who was curled up onto his side, his hit him over the head.

"HEY!" Daxter yelled as he rubbed the back of his head when a Hand went over his mouth, followed by Jak placing a finger to his own mouth. Feeling for his weapon, Daxter picked up a quiver full of arrows and his bow. In front of them were a group of grunts. Pulling the string of the bow back after placing an arrow in it, Daxter let the arrow fly at the same time Jak threw two dark bombs at the beasts. "The village!" Daxter told him.

"Right." Jak said as he took off in a run with Daxter following him. As they came into the still sleeping village, Jak found Sig just walking out of his uncle's. "Sig!" he yelled causing the burly wastelander to look at him. "Grunts!"

Sig pulled his weapon from his back. "Where?" he demanded, knowing if there was one, there would be more close by."

"Forest entrance." he pointed to where Daxter was coming from when they saw flying metal heads heading there way.

"DRONES!" Daxter screamed as he tried to get to them in time. Seeing that he wouldn't make it, Daxter jumped into the farmers house through a broken window. Grabbing a table he held it over the window with his shoulder, stopping the flying drone metal heads from entering the building. The old farmer stepping out of his bedroom in time to see the youth.

"What's going on?" he asked tiredly.

"Get yer lazy ass over here and help!" Daxter yelled at him.

"You impudent-" the farmer began but was interrupted by a metal head screech. Moving faster than Daxter would give the older man credit for, the farmer held the table up to stop the creatures from entering his humble little home.

Daxter saw that the farmer could hold the table by himself, pulled away and grasped his bow from his back and began to shoot at the creatures through the holes of the window that the table didn't cover very well. The death screams of the monsters was like music to his ears each time he heard them.

Jak's fists lit up with dark eco energy as his eyes turned as black as night as he began to channel the dark stuff that his body made without end. Orbs of complete darkness shot from his hands at the monsters as Sig charged up his peacemaker. The mixture of dark eco and blue lighting up the sky with an electrical storm of dark eco. A blast of pure blue eco was shot up into the sky from behind the duo, causing Jak to turn to see the Blue sage with his blue eco staff in hand, next to him was Mar. With the three of them tending to the drones, the didn't see the sentinel's heading their way, the large brute-like metal heads charged the four unsuspecting elves when suddenly Clindra jumped out of the high brush. The lurker screeching as she pounded her large ape fists into the monsters bodies. Unarmored metal head bodies were destroyed by the lurker.

A sudden series of blasts came from the beach causing Daxter to curse as he saw a duo of crabheads with three more sentinels heading towards Mar. With the drones occupied by the four others, Daxter opened and closed the farmers front door and ran out of the hut towards the oncoming metal heads. An arrow slammed into the head of the first crabhead between the thick armor on his head coming through the other side, brain matter splattering it's companion next to it. The second began shooting at Mar as the sentinels with their glowing red staffs headed towards Daxter.

Jumping from a boulder that was on the beach, Daxter shot one sentinel, killing it instantly with his arrow. The second shot at him, but missed as Daxter kicked the head of the third; which caused the third to drop its staff weapon. Daxter picked it up as he dropped his bow. Pressing the button on the staff weapon, electrified red eco shot out and began shocking the second sentinel. When the scent of burnt flesh reached Daxyers nose, he released the button before taking the dagger on his hip and throwing it into the face of the third that had begun to recover from his kick.

As the sun rose fully over the horizon, Mar finished off the last of the crabheads, look off in time to see that Daxter's tri colored hair glowed a soft red color. Could it be? He wondered as he used the last of his yellow eco crystals just as the last metal heads fell dead. Two drones escaped before they could be killed. "We have to hurry." Jak told them. "They're testing our defences now." he looked at the Blue sage. "Are you still in contact with the Yellow and Red sages?" Gaining a nod, Jak continued to speak. "We need their help." he told the older man. "If the warp gate, in Samos' hut, is still connected to their labs, could you get them to come here to help us?"

"No problem." the sage told him as Jak walked off over to Daxter. "Jak has changed." he said to nobody in particular.

"You'd change if you'd been through what he has been through." Sig said as he went to find the major so they could call a village meeting in the afternoon.

"I need to finish those blueprints." Mar said tiredly as the Blue sage scratched his chin as he looked between Jak and the unknown young man he was talking to. Hmm... What has happened to you my boy? He wondered before walking off towards Samos' hut, wondering if the Green sages disappearance had anything to do with Jaks sudden change.


M-Angel: Woohoo! I updated! I plan to do an update every other day until New Year's. Let's see how that pans out? ^_^