"Yet it would be your duty to bear it, if you could not avoid it: it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear." Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
Running With The Boys
Chapter XIV: The Fates
The Metal Head roared again, swiping at the Rider. He didn't think, he just reacted: rolling underneath the claw and pulling out his gun. He snarled at the creature as it turned to face him fully. It had one clawed hand and one gun hand. It charged up it's other hand as Rider shot at the creature, aiming for the places that Keira had told him where the weak points. He fired at the joints, hoping that he could kill the thing from a distance. The shots It fired landed near Rider, he jumped back, catching his ankle on an up turned rock. He fell backward, cursing as a Stinger crawled towards him. He was able to kick them back but jumped when two gun shots were fired from his shoulder. Bash smirked at him, blowing on the barrel of the gun.
"Let's fry these guys." Bash commented as Rider got up, his ankle burned as he ran forward and took the gun from Bash. "Aim for the Skull Gem!" Rider nodded as did as he was told. The Metal Head didn't like that, it howled in pain as it backed away from Rider. He smirked hunks of meat blobbed onto the ground, but his victory was short lived when the Metal head roared and slammed it's fists on the ground. A large wave of Dark Eco washed over the area, spilting at Rider's feet. The boys watched as it was absored by the hunks of meat, out of each piece two Grunts came out. Growling and slashing, each one branding a mean pair of canines in their mouths.
Rider didn't waste a second, he moved towards the first set of Grunts that charged at him. He shoved the butt of his gun against one of their faces and kicked the other, he spun around firing like he'd seen Sig do and took out two more. He landed on a knee and fired at the last four that came towards him, until his gun clicked empty. He changed mods, switching in the Red Eco mod. He cursed when he realized he didn't have many bullets in this one. He forgot to pick up more bullets. The main Metal Head growled again, weaker from being shot in the Skull Gem.
"So what's the plan?" Bash whispered.
"I'm thinking." Rider muttered back as the creature growled again. "Maybe we can jump down?"
"That hole is looking very dark omnious right now."
"Maybe we can find Jak's gun? It has more mods then this one." The Metal Head growled again, standing slightly straighter and roared. Rider stepped back, but did his father hit the bottom? Was he alive? Was he dead? Did his gun make it? Was his mother gonna kill him for losing his Dad? Finally the Metal Head made his choice, it got down on all fours and rushed at the boys. Rider was about to jump when the world took on a bluish tint.
Everything else slowed down but him. The Metal Head still came towards him, but slowly. He looked up when he heard a flap of a wing, above he saw Laney coming down. An axe in one hand and a shield in the other, she dropped down in front of Rider just as the Metal Head fired a laser at the boys. The laser shined off Laney's Eco Shield, above a bullet fired from an unknown source and hit the Metal Head's laser; destroying it. A roar sounded from above and Wren slammed down beside Laney, creating a crater bigger then herself. Her Dark Creature snarling at the Metal Head, teeth dripping blood and Dark Eco.
"Jeez," Laney smirked. "Can you try not to destroy the temple." Wren snarled at her sister as Laney looked back at Rider. "You boys okay?"
"Yah." Rider mumbled. "Jak fell in the hole."
"Of course he did." Laney grumbled, she looked down at Wren as she snarled and swiped at the Metal Head who did the same to Wren. "You got this girl?" Wren charged up a ball of pure Dark Eco and threw it at the Metal Head. It withered and twisted in pain as Wren charged towards it, her on claws out and ready to a good amount of damage. Laney rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around Rider's torso. "Let's go baby bro," She leaped off the cliff-face and fell into a free fall. Rider didn't scream, unlike Bash, he knew what Laney was planning. Her wings came out a second later, setting the dark pit a glow in bluish white light. Bash cursed as he almost fell of of Rider's shoulder.
"Warn me next time!" Bash shouted at Laney as they slowly fell downwards.
"How did you know we were here?"
"Wren saw you two leave." Laney answered in her omnipresent voice. "She knew he was going to test you. While we believe you're ready, taking on something like that Metal Head was too much."
"We could've handled it!" Rider grumbled.
"Oh really?" Laney giggled. "How many bullets did you have left?"
"Shut up."
"There!" Laney annouced flying towards the cliff face. Rider grunted when he hit it, above he could see light and hear the basics of the fight. Simple gunfire and the cries of the Metal Head. Rider found of foot hold and a hand hold as Laney jumped down to the outcropping. Laying a few feet down was Jak, gun in hand and blood seeping from his forehead. He was unconcious just like Daxter, who laid an inch from Jak's head. Laney stepped catiously towards her parent, as if he might attack her at any moment. She bent down and brushed Jak's foot with hers. "Daddy?" She whispered. He didn't move. Rider swallowed as Laney stepped around his legs, Jak wasn't dead. He couldn't die, he was Mar -Mar didn't die. Rider looked down as he found another foothold, he tested it before putting his whole weight on it. Laney had bent down over their father and pressed her fingers against his neck. Rider held his breath as Laney looked up at him. "He's okay!" She cheered.
"What about my Dad?" Bash asked, his voice wavering as Laney checked Daxter.
"I'm good," Daxter grumbled as Laney picked him up. He stayed in Laney's arms as she stepped around her father. "How far did we fall?"
"Not sure," Laney said looking up. "It doesn't look good though."
"Where's Wren?" Daxter grumbled looking around.
"Above, fighting a Metal Head." Laney looked to Daxter. "A big one."
"Like Metal-pede big or Grunt big?"
"Metal-pede."
"Uh oh..." Daxter jumped from Laney's arms and onto Jak's chest. "Hey big guy, wake up! We have a situation!"
Suddenly a rope fell down to them. The gang looked up, Rider could make out Wren's siloheote. She gave a wave. Laney's communicator came out. "Tie Rider up, Laney you fly Dad out."
"How do you suggest tying Rider up?" Laney asked.
"By his neck."
"You two are horrible sisters." Rider grumbled.
Once Rider came over the cliff's edge, he was stunned by what he saw. Jak was awake now, nursing his head with Laney's help both were using their Light Eco powers to help. Wren dropped the rope once her brother was over the edge, Bash jumped off his father's shoulder and ran to his side. Rider walked towards Wren as she walked away from him, she went to the corner and grabbed someone.
The man, a boy really, cursed the whole way Wren dragged him. He kicked his feet and tried to bite his sister. She dragged him over to their father, tossing him down and smirking. "I found something for you."
"Who's this?" Jak stood. The boy was small and wore an orange jumpsuit, Rider rushed over to get a better look at the print on the back. It read MONAGHAN PRISON. Jak saw it too and smirked, he bent down in front of the boy and sighed. "Well I guess you're gonna have to go back, huh?"
"No, no, no please!" He begged. "I can't go back to him empty handed! He'll kill me!"
"Who?"
The boy chuckled. "I'm not that stupid."
"You're being too nice." Wren snapped, she kicked the boy in the hip. Sending him sprawling onto his back. "Listen up little man," Wren grabbed Laney's axe and started dragging it across the floor towards his face. "My Daddy has had many years of training for dealing with rift rafts like yourself. And my siblings and cousin will most likely beg you for infomation, I, on the other hand, moved to Kras City once I turned 16. I hear your accent, you're a Krasian and you know I'll rip you to shreds to get an answer."
"You don't scare me." He snapped.
"Are you sure?" She asked swinging the axe downwards, cuting his cheek and chopping off his ear. He screamed as she moved to cover his face, Wren growled letting her dark side take control. He cried even louder now, wetting himself as Rider's sister drew closer to his face.
"You can't stop us!" He shouted. "We're going to take over the world and the families will fall! Praxis, Krew, even Mar, they won't make it out alive!" Wren stopped above his face as he kicked away from her. Wren changed back as the Mar Family came towards him. Rider watched as he stood, holding his bleeding face and looked between them all. "He will rule the world! The Metal Heads are on his side, and he'll help them find their Queen! With her you'll coware beneth him!"
"Who?" Laney begged.
"Jace..."
"Wait!" Jak shouted, running forward as the boy threw himself backwards, off the cliff and into the darkness below. Rider ran next to Laney as Jak and Wren stopped at the edge. The temple rumbled around them as the oracle came alive.
"Find the one who lives in both glory and gore, Rider Mar." The oracle said, sending a beam a light at the group. They came off the ground as Bash crawled up Rider's shoulder. Rider looked at his family as the oracle spoke. "Sorrow and anger fills their head; they are slowly turning to ice. Save them from themselves and they'll help you. If they're awaken, all hell will break lose." Rider looked to Wren as she screamed, the oracle's head popped off it's body as the statue broke apart and the temple started crumbling apart. The oracle's head rose the group up and out of the decaying temple, Rider jumped back when a part of the ceiling shattered above them. Laney ran to the arms of Jak as beams of sun broke through the shadows. Rider winced as the sun burned his face. They rose higher and higher until they could see the whole desert.
"Oh my God..." Jak whispered.
"Yes?" Daxter asked with a smirk on his face.
Jak glared at him and pointed at the space behind the Great Volcano. Rider saw the boat behind the Volcano, a silvery colour that shone out of the darkness behind the Volcano. The oracle's head came around them. "Unite the families, believe in your legacy," Slowly the group moved towards Spargus, the oracle rested the group near the doors. Jak jumped out of the oracle's pull and helped Laney out, Wren jumped next as Rider slowly touched the ground. "Don't fear the Eco... you are stronger without it, young Mar."The statue shattered, dropping to the ground before blowing away.
TBC...
Author Note
I wanted to do a three chapter update like I did for my ABC's story a couple of weeks ago but choose to only do two. I feel like this is the end of the first story arch, next things will really start hitting the fan. Thank you to EcoSeeker for her review and a guest's review that made me laugh.