A/N: Update! Okay, nothing to say really expect the thanks (obviously) and the few notes about the next chapter at the end.

            Prexistence: Yes, Dark Jak is here! Or… he will be later on in the chapter! MWHAHAHAHA!

            Spector Von Baron: O_o ***stares*** You know… you shouldn't… hit your head like… er… that. It gotta be… well painful ***winces for you***

            Lunatic Pandora1: See what your patience, got you?

            Era Yachi: Yes, I know I have your attention, but I always like to make you wonder… what the hell!? It worked didn't it?

            Krimzon-Yakkow026: Yes, someone will die painfully… how can character death be not painful? It's painful for me, you, and the poor soul that I decided to make a victim… ***shakes head*** I am so evil.

            Maieve: Well, since Jak has little and/or no control over Dark Jak it could be counted as a bad thing… unless you want him to have little and/or no control.

            Zeo339: Yes, Dark Jak rules! Expect when he threatens me to put him in this story with his… ah… claws. That's not cool.

            Monkeypants: Wait! Did I say death!? ***rereads chapter*** yes I did! Oh no, who's gonna die? Wait another minute… shouldn't I know!?

            Daheim: I don't like death either but killing off someone in a story shows the power of the author. Thus, because I can kill someone off in my story, I can know say: BOW BEFORE ME, MORTAL!

            Chris: Though a good idea, no that's not it. Jak becomes Dark Jak like… magick! ***snaps fingers***

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act Thirteen: Sacrifice

"This night shall be the night light shines and darkness wanes. Heroes shall be created and secrets given away. This is a night of sacrifice."

                        The first night after they started for the Krrez Lands, Keira settled down on her hard cot of thin blankets. Luckily, this was a desert land and it was hot so thick blankets were unnecessary. This way they did not have to be burdened with heavy blankets.

            Keira scanned their makeshift camp quietly as she could. Gareth hovered by Sala, though Sala herself seemed to be trying to pretend Gareth wasn't there. Marisa was staring deep into the fire with her knees curled to her chest. She seemed to be lost in thought, probably about what Keira had asked her to do. Crea and Nyx had disappeared into the darkness a short while ago to fetch water for the next leg of their journey. And Sig was already sleeping, saying the heat on his very armor had exhausted him. Tess and Daxter were curled up against each out, both drifting into sleep.

            She stood and walked over to Marisa, feeling a duty to comfort her seeing that she had placed the burden on the winged woman's shoulder. Marisa looked up and made room for the High Priestess to sit next to her.

            "What's wrong?" Keira asked, placing a hand lightly on the girl's small shoulders. Marisa stiffened but didn't pull away.

            "The plan." Marisa answered uneasily, "It's a good plan really, but I hate that it has to be me to do it. How do I know that I won't screw up? I mean, one wrong thing and the whole plan is ruined. I don't know much about bombs."

            Smiling softly the High Priestess whispered, "I wouldn't ask you to do it if I thought you couldn't." She pointed out.

            "I know, I know you think I can do it, but it's what I think. I can't help but feel something's gonna go wrong and I'll mess up." Marisa confided, staring deeper into the dancing flames. She seemed to lose herself there.

            "Don't think about it yet, Marisa. We still got over another day to go. Don't worry until you have to." Keira told her, "Everything will be fine, you'll see. We'll defeat Erisen and everything will start to get better. Finally peace, okay?"

            "Alright." Marisa said and stifled a yawn, "I guess you're right. No point worrying about it until it comes up, right? I think I'm gonna go to sleep, Lady Keira. See you at dawn."

            Keira knew that Marisa mostly wanted time to think to herself, not to sleep, so she nodded and stood. She walked over to her hard cot when she noticed Nyx walking over to her. She blinked in surprise when she saw that Crea was not with her.

            "Where's Crea?" She asked when Nyx had reached her.

            "She's swimming in the Oasis nearby." Nyx explained, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb, "Listen, Lady Keira, do you mind if I talk to you for a second? It's really important that I tell you something."

            "Alright? Where do you want to go?" Keira asked, suspecting that Nyx wanted to speak to her privately, not in the hearing distance of others.

            "Follow me." Nyx said and moved into the darkness, her figure bathed in the silver moonlight. Keira followed without hesitation, sensing the weight pushing down on Nyx's shoulders. A weight she felt she had to remove.

            Nyx led her through the desert in silence. Keira glanced over her shoulder at the camp. It glowed like firefly in the dark night, a beckon of hope. A pilgrimage of eight people trying to free their beloved world from shear terror. Even at the cost of their own lives. Keira's heart pounded in her ears as she thought this. She really didn't want to lose any of them to Erisen. They had become so important to her.

            They reached an area of grass and desert trees and sparkling water. The trees were pregnant with heavy coconuts and their thick green leaves rustled in the cold wind of the desert night. The grass was tall and wild, a contrast from the barren sands.

            Keira heard the unmistakable splash from the crystal streams and watched as the tiny figure bobbed in the water without a care in the world. She didn't notice the two new figures as she splashed around in the water. The moonlight bounced off the water's surface and onto her skin, making Crea ghostly pale. The eerie tone of her song reached Keira's ears. Crea was singing a song about the Phoenix and the flames that burn in darkness and death of maidens and the blood of the Goddess that is acid to the touch. Keira shuddered.

            "No one realizes it, but the songs Crea sings are her emotions." Nyx said suddenly, breaking their silence, "It hurts me to listen to her. Poor little Crea can't handle all the things she's seen yet so she places them into song and buries herself in her imaginary world of make-believe. If only I could do the same."

            "You mean…" Keira said slowly, unsure of how to handle what Nyx just said, "you mean Crea's seen all those things she sings about? The Goddess bleeding and the Phoenix dying?"

            "Yes." Nyx answered, looking over at Crea as she continued to sing her songs, "Keira, I want to tell you something. Something I've never told anyone. About Crea and I. I didn't tell Sala or Gareth or Marisa because they couldn't handle it. I can hardly handle. Crea's gone almost insane because of it."
            "She walks to school with the lunch she packed. No one knows what she's holding back. Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday. She hides the bruises with linen and lace." Crea has switched songs now. Her eerie, perfectly toned, voice floated from the water's middle to Keira's ears as she looked into Nyx's neutral eyes.

            "What happened to you two?" Keira wondered, "What did you two see that made you like this?"

            "The death of Sage-Harmona." Nyx answered.

            "The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask. It's hard to see the pain behind the mask. Bearing the burden of a secret storm. Sometimes she wishes she was never born." Crea continued to sing, though her ears were on Nyx and Keira as she floated closer to the water's edge.

            "WHAT!?" Keira shouted in shock, "Sage-Harmona!? But that—that was destroyed thousands of years ago. You couldn't possibly have seen it… there's no way… no way at all." Keira whispered.

            "Yes, there is. The power of the Goddess can change the course of time." Nyx said, lowering her head sadly, "She gave us a chance to make sure you defeated Erisen. We failed to defend her, but we won't fail to save her city. That I promise."

            Keira sat down on the sand of the lake and looked up at Nyx. Softly, she said, "Tell me what happened."

            "Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as stone. In a world she can't raise above. But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's loved. Concrete angel." Crea's voice was close now, close enough for Keira to hear the waver in her voice. It seemed that she, too, was remembering what had happened in their past.

            "It all began when I joined the army when I was nine and Crea was two. My father was a general in the army, you see, and he always thought he'd have a boy to follow in his footsteps. Instead he got me and Crea. He decided I would have to do and drilled into me everything he knew. The army was all I knew. So when I was nine and old enough to start officially training in the army I left Crea and my mother behind at our farm. I never looked back." Nyx looked at Crea softly, her eyes glistening in the silver light, "I never said goodbye to my mother."

            "Somebody cries in the middle of the night. The neighbors here but they turn out the lights. A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate. When morning comes it'll be too late." Somehow Crea's soft, sad lyrics fit Nyx's tale.

            "I rose in the ranks quickly during my five years in the army. I had to for when I was twelve the Phoenix rose from our magick. I knew that somehow it was my destiny to fight it. That was when I heard about the Phoenix attacking my farm. Father and I—we rode as fast as we could, but there was no way we could've saved the farm… or my mother. Crea was seven then and she had been in the garden when the Phoenix attacked. Our mother ordered her to hide in the forests besides our house and Crea obeyed. She hid in the edge of the woods and watched everyone in our village being burned alive. She has a scar, Keira, on her wrist from where she bit down to keep from screaming. She bit herself right to the bone."

            "Oh Goddess…" Was all Keira was able to say.

            "Through the wind and the rain she stands as hard as stone. In a world she can't raise above. But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where's she loved. Concrete angel."

            "There's more, much more." Nyx explained, "After that Crea swore to get even. She and I joined a group of soldier dedicated to eradicating the Phoenix. There was… the Grand Knight who I looked up to as a mentor, another young woman who became my friend, another young man, Crea my own sister, and there was Nikholas…" Nyx sighed softly at the memory of the young man, "whom I came to love. Even though the threat of the Phoenix loomed above us, we were happy. Nik was always trying to convince me that he and I should be together while I was a bit hesitant because of Crea and the Phoenix. Grand Knight, his name was Daniel, enjoyed having Crea around. Said it reminded him of his sister. And finally we defeated the Phoenix, though it was my sword I plunged into the breast of the Phoenix when it soared above me on my horse. We lost two go friends, Adam and Rosella, to the beast but we avenged them by destroying it. It was Daniel's idea to offer it up to the Father God and we all went along with. That brought the Goddess to our midst. That changed everything."

            Unable to say anything, Keira only stared at Nyx. The young woman sighed and joined Keira on the ground. Keira could tell that it was hard for the young woman to continue with her story.

            "A statue stands in a shaded place. An angel girl with an upturned face. A name is written on a polished rock. A broken heart that the world forget." Crea swam closer to them as her song neared its end.

            "She grew up so fast when she was brought into the mortal realm. Because we had defeated the Phoenix we were asked to protect her, Crea and I. Daniel had gone back into the army to help regroup destroyed villages and Nik was off to find his roots. Neither of us saw each other for a whole year. But on the year anniversary of the Phoenix's defeat we all met again. Nik and I reunited and our relationship hit off. I think that was why I never saw the Goddess's relationship with Daniel happening. And when I did find out about it, I knew it had to be stopped but truthfully I didn't try to hard. I knew that the Goddess sneaked off when she thought she had fooled me, but I let her go. I wanted her to feel the love I felt for Nik. I didn't realize what would happen." Nyx curled her knees to her chest like an insecure Marisa had done an hour ago, "You know the story of how Eris the Goddess of Chaos became jealous of the Goddess and the Daniel's love and of the war that started because of it. Atalanta joined our team and the Goddess made us stay behind and protect Sage-Harmona at all costs. I tried to go after them, leaving Crea at Sage-Harmona, but I found a band of desert people not far outside the city. Their little child-heir—what was his name? oh yes, Venn—was injured and I had to take him back to the city. Nik and I labored to bring him back to health. That was when Eris rose above the city. After that all I remember was the pain… and the terror."

            "Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as stone. In a world she can't raise above. But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where's she loved. Concrete angel" Crea finished her song and climbed out of the water. She moved over to them.

            Keira turned and looked at her, truly for the first time. Though she felt guilty about it, she had to admit that she had never really given Crea much thought. She had always just been a peppy girl with a very silly attitude, but now she knew that attitude had to be there. If it wasn't there then she would surely go mad from the memories of all the death.

            "Oh darling." Keira whispered and opened her arms. That seemed to be what Crea was waiting for and she ran into Keira's, sobbing as the memories washed over her. She was so thin in Keira's arms she was surprise she didn't just fade away, "There, there, honey." Keira whispered, stroking Crea's hair lovingly. She had never seen Crea cry before—not in a truly sad way—and it hurt to listen.

            Crea broke away and whipped away the tears from her eyes, "I think it's time for me to wake up." She confided in Keira and she got her meaning. It was time for Crea to come out of the world she had created to hide from her memories and deal with them. She was mature enough to handle it now, "That's a good thing, right?"
            "You need to be yourself, Crea." Keira said and Crea smiled slightly and nodded.

            "I'll try, but the real Crea has been lost for so long. I don't know if I can find her, but I'll try." Crea told Keira and moved from her lap.

            Keira turned her attention back to Nyx, "How did you survive and how did you live for so long? And how did you arrive at the Holy City at nine and two?"
            "Crea and I did die in Sage-Harmona… or at least I thought we did. Apparently, the Goddess gave us a second chance at life by trapping us in the Krrez Lands and rebirthing us. There we slept the years away until the Goddess feared that Erisen would destroy the High Priestess line. So she used almost all of her power to send us from the Krrez Land to protect you and help you find the Virgae-Mors sword. But in the Krrez Lands spells never work our quite right. There's always a glitch and the glitch in our spell was that we both got six years subtracted from our current age. That was why we arrived at the Holy City so young." Nyx explained.

            "I didn't get my memories back until I was four. That was when I started to play pretend… so I could pretend it didn't happen. But it did happen, Keira, because every night when I go to sleep I dream about. I remember it. I remember clinging to Venn because he was my first friend and he was more scared then me even though he was ten. I remembering him telling me I was his best friend and he was sad it had to end like this. Then we saw Eris and I thought she was the Phoenix… the evil Phoenix who killed my mommy, but she wasn't. And then I was two again and Nyx was saying we had to find the Holy City like the Goddess wanted and protect the High Priestess." Crea said in rush, looking up at the moon.

            Keira stood and looked at the two before saying sadly, "That's so horrible. What Eris did to you. Tearing you away from Nik, Nyx. And you from your first friend, Crea." Suddenly she was filled with a terrible rage, "Erisen and Eris will pay for this. They can't get away with this… ruining lives, killing innocents. I won't let them."

            "I don't even know if Nik is alive. We died to together, I remember." She chuckled softly, "I told him he was an idiot, but I don't know if he was reborn or not. I try not to think about."

            "He'll be okay, Nyx." Keira tried to assure the younger woman though she herself was not sure at all, "If not then I'll… I'll take it up with the Goddess when I meet her." She grinned for extra reassurance.

            Nyx stood as well with a small smile on her lips as she stood up, "You'd do that for me?" She asked in slight surprise.

            "After all you've done you deserve it." Keira offered with a shrug and then said, "Come on, let's head back. It's getting late and we're starting early for the Krrez Lands. I want to end this as fast as we can and get back before Jak even knows I did this. Don't wanna make him angry, you know."

            Nyx chuckled and then said more seriously, "Please don't tell Sala or Gareth about this. I really don't think they can handle it yet. Maybe when this is all over I'll… I'll tell them."

            "I promise." Keira said softly and because Nyx looked like she needed it, she hugged her. Nyx stiffened under her grip but she didn't pull away, a sign that she didn't mind it.

            "Let's head back." Nyx said, picking Crea up in her arms at the girl's insist, "I want to get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow will be a big day."

            Keira nodded and they moved back to their camp.

~~**~~

                        Panting from extortion, Jak dropped to his knees and loaded his Vulcan gun with more ammo as the Metal Heads surged over him. Just as the ten horrid creatures moved in close enough to deliver a fatal blow, they each got a bullet in their heads. Their glowing yellow skulls dropped to the floor as their bodies disappeared.

            He stood weakly and looked around him as he panted. There were no more Metal Heads in sight so he allowed the hand clutching his Vulcan Fury gun to relax. He doubled over and pressed his palms into his knees so he could draw in better breaths. When he raised his head once more he was grinning.

            "All Metal Heads in the Pumping Station eliminated." He said into his small microphone hooked to the collar of his tunic. There was static that answered him, but he really hadn't expected Torn to be there. Torn was currently at the Stripe Mine with his Krimzon Guard lackeys.

            Feeling pretty good about the whole mission, Jak strode over to the metal elevator-like lifts and used it to boost himself onto the walkway. Then he began to walk over the water valve that controlled the city's water supply.

            Now that he wasn't constantly being hounded by Metal Heads he took note of the scenery. It was absolutely breathtaking. Even with the old ruins from the former village that used to inhabit this area, the Pumping Station was a sight to behold. A gentle breeze sweep off from the water and the grass swayed in tune.

            Jak closed his eyes and inhaled the sea air and listened to the soft hum of nature's music. He suddenly wished that Keira was here with him to enjoy it as well; he didn't think she'd ever been outside Haven City except for when she went to the Metal Head nest with the Rift Rider.

            Thinking of Keira, Jak frowned.

            He knew he couldn't be here much longer. Something was yelling at him to get back to the Holy City as fast as he could. Even though Keira had promised him she wouldn't go looking for trouble, there was nothing she could do if trouble went looking for her. Torn insisted that Jak stayed here until Haven City was out of code red, but Jak knew he could say no more then five more days.

            He reached the valve without much trouble, though the jumping from cliff to cliff got on his nerves. The circle wheel-like valve stood in the corner of a high cliff connected to a large water pipe that led to the city. He thought that they were fairly lucky that the Metal Heads weren't smart enough to figure out how to use the pipelines to get into the city.

            He ran his fingertips over the smooth metal of the valve before fisting his hands over the metal and twisting it. The sound of rushing water reached his ears as water squirted through the small holes in the metal piping. He turned his head back to Haven City and smiled softly. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for his city.

            He turned and made the trip back into the safety of the city. Just as when he had first arrived there were very few civilians on the streets. General Torn—on behalf of Governor Ashlin—had asked everyone to go outside their homes as little as possible until further notice.

            Even though Torn was doing his best to not create a mass hysteria, Jak could feel the uneasiness of the city. Torn didn't give the residences of Haven City enough credit. They knew when something up, they could feel it. You didn't live in Haven City and not earn a honed sense of danger.

            He reached the palace without even thinking about commandeering a hovercar—a rare thing for Jak since when he was in a hurry he didn't hesitate to take what he needed. But he figured walking on empty streets would be more useful then searching for a hovercar.

            He replaced his palace security pass as the palace doors slid open. He stepped inside at the nod of the Krimzon Guard guarding the inside of the door, lest someone try to hurt the weakened governor.

            There were minimal guards inside the palace. Though Torn had wanted to keep a number of them at the palace for Ashlin's protection, Jak's plan to rid the city of Metal Heads at the Stripe Mine called for as many Krimzon Guards they could get.

            Jak frowned over the plan he had cooked up in his head. It was dangerous and deadly—he knew not many Krimzon Guard members would come back alive. But at the time it was the only way to buy the city enough time to get the Eco Grins up to full power.

            From what Torn had gathered most of the Metal Heads were still located down in the gorge. If they could somehow trap them there then they would have enough time to find the eco needed to charge the Grids. Then they would be ready for a full scale assault by the Metal Heads.

            That was where Jak had gotten his plan. What he and Torn needed to do was close off all escape routes the Metal Heads used to leave the gorge where they had set up base. If they could do that then they would have enough time to prepare. Jak proposed using explosives to close off all exits from the gorge. Since Torn was short on ideas he had no choice but to agree.

            So now Torn and his Krimzon lackeys were over at the Stripe Mine completing Jak's plan. Torn had known that this mission was going to be a dangerous one so he ordered Jak to stay behind in case the mission failed and he had to protect the city. There was no telling how many Metal Heads wouldn't be in the gorge when the explosives were set off.

            Jak stepped into the throne room and the first thing he noticed was her red hair. Then the shock settled in since he had been led to believe she would not be awake to see neither his visit nor his departure. He had suspected she'd be in her bed for another week, three if Torn had his way.

            But anger and energy radiated off of Ashlin. Her skin had returned to its bronzed color and she didn't hold any hints of the poison that had once flowed in her veins. She paced the throne room in a lively anger, muttering curses to Torn's person and the Metal Heads.

            When she heard him—the minute he stepped in the room she had heard him; her years of Krimzon Guard training had seen to that—she wheeled around and gave him an angry glare. Jak did not like to be on the receiving end of Ashlin's anger so he smiled slightly and edged closer cautiously.

            "What the hell is going on here, Jak?" Ashlin demanded angrily as she began to pace once more, "Torn won't tell me anything even thought I am the governor of Haven City. He just told me to keep my mouth shut and that he'd be back. He told me to keep my mouth shut!"

            Jak blinked, surprised at Torn's gall, "He said that!?" He asked in shock, "Man, he must have really been worried about you."

            Ashlin waved off Jak's comment, though he didn't miss the softening of her face, "He still should have told me. How am I supposed to be the governor of this city when I don't know what the hell is going on? Tell me what's going on, Jak."

            Though Jak knew that Torn had Ashlin's best interests in mind when he tried to keep her safely hidden away in the palace, he couldn't do as Torn did. He respected Ashlin as a governor—a leader—whereas Torn respected her as a woman—his woman—so they both viewed her in different ways. Jak saw her as a dependable source of strength while Torn saw her as someone he needed to protect. And since she was asking Jak and he respected her as a governor he had to tell her.

            "The Metal Heads are planning a full out invasion of the city." Jak said quietly watching as Ashlin's eyes narrowed, "Torn ordered me back here from the Holy City—where I left Keira—to help him hold the Metal Heads back until we got the Eco Grids up to full power. Torn and the Krimzon Guard are down in the Stripe Mine right now trying to trap a whole bunch of the Metal Heads in the gorge."

            "He kept this from me." Ashlin whispered, unable to raise her voice in all of her anger, "he kept this from me! I asked and begged to know what was going on and he told me to keep my mouth shut!"

            "Ashlin, he was doing what was best—" Jak began.

            "I don't care!" Ashlin snapped, her voice rising now in full fledged anger, "How dare he!? I am the governor of this city! He doesn't decide what I do and do not need to know! Just who does he think he is!?"

            Just then the doors slid up and Jak washed as a battle weary Torn walked into the room. His Krimzon Guard uniform was slashed across his chest from a Metal Head talon and a small stream of blood was dribbling down his head. He must have felt Ashlin's anger because he eyed her, not even noting Jak.

            "Ashlin…"

            "Don't you speak to me!" Ashlin snapped, stomping over to him so hard that Jak winced for the cold-warrior, "Don't you dare speak to me! How could you!? How could you keep something like this from me, damn you! I have a right to know! I am the goddamn governor of this city!"

            "If I would have told you about what was going on you would've insisted in coming along!" Torn snapped, his own anger raising. Jak could see it in his eyes that he was still riding the heavy wave of a battle high, "If you had come along then you would've ended up getting hurt like that stupid stunt you pulled."

            "Stunt…" Ashlin trailed off, her anger once more uncontrollable. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes flashed as the rage took over, "Listen here… you… you bastard… I can take care of myself! I don't need you look after me!"

            "Well then you should've thought of that before you let me hop into your bed!" Torn snapped, his eyes boring down into Ashlin. Molten green meeting flashing blue, "I watch out for the people I care about, Ashlin. Whether you like it or not you're one of those people. I'm gonna do whatever the hell it takes to make sure you're save. Even if that involves tying you to the goddamn bed."

            "Torn…" Ashlin's voice had softened considerably after Torn's monologue. Her hot eyes had cooled as well, the anger only now hinting their edges.

            Trying to still be angry with him, she reached out and wiped away the blood trailing down his temple, "You're bleeding, idiot. An ass like you needs someone like me making sure you don't screw up. We're in this together, Torn."

            A small smirk made it to Torn's lips as he reached out and stopped Ashlin's hands from making their second trip to the blood still dribbling on his temple. Ashlin looked up at him, suddenly looking like an innocent young girl. Her lips parted in maidenly surprise that was so unlike her.

            It was starting to make Jak uncomfortable. He was beginning to suspect that the two had forgotten he was here. It was awkward for him to see tough-guy Torn and tough-cookie Ashlin soften, especially when they looked at one another with those kinds of eyes. He coughed to remind them of his presence.

            Torn turned slightly and the annoyance in his eyes told Jak he had indeed forgotten about his presence in the room, "Go visit Onin. She's been bugging to talk to you. It isn't wise to not listen to her." He ordered lightly.

            "Right." Jak agreed and walked from the room, happy to be given an excuse to leave before it started to get really mushy.

            Ashlin smiled slightly and said, "You know, you gotta let me in on your plans, Torn. I want to help you, I have to help you. Don't tell me no."
            "Okay. Just try to go easy with me here. I'm still trying to learn I won't always be in the dominant position." Torn said, "But I promise from now on this will be a partnership. I won't keep things from you anymore."

            Her bronzed lean fingers caught the shredded fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer to her, "Now, what were you saying about tying me to the bed?"

            Torn grinned and pressed his lips against Ashlin's, "I was thinking the same thing." He told her and her laughter rippled through the room.

~~**~~

                        "This is it." Keira whispered in wide-eyed awe and horror, "These are the Black Doors that guard the Krrez Lands." It was just like her dream with her mother. Dry, barren, and empty with only the Black Doors looming above them. She felt herself shudder.

            Sala turned and placed a hand on Marisa's shoulder, which were trembling as well, "Are you okay, Marisa? Are you gonna be able to do this?"

            Though she was quavering, Marisa looked Sala straight in the eye and said in a firm, solid voice, "Yes, I can this. I can do anything if it means it'll rid us of Erisen once and for all." She turned to look at Keira, "Let's do it, Keira."

            "We gotta make sure Keira doesn't get herself killed, Tess." Daxter told the blonde woman with whom he held hands, "Or Jak will have our heads."

            "He'll have your head." Tess pointed out, "I'll have killed myself before I let Jak get me if anything happens to Keira. That's torture in the worst form."

            "No worries, cherries," Sig said as he eyed the Black Doors with a small frown, "I'm not going to let anything happen to Keira on my watch. Besides, she can take care of herself. She is a High Priestess, after all."

            "Let's go." Gareth said in a serious tone, looking over Sala. As they began to move towards the Black Doors, Gareth leaned into her ear and whispered, "Nothing's going to happen to you. I'll make sure of that."
            Sala shivered at the pleasant feeling his voice was sending up her spine but whispered back to him in a slightly angry voice, "I can take care of myself, Gareth. I'll be fine. Worry about yourself. This place is sure to be wrought with peril."

            "He is here." It was Crea who whispered that to Keira as the woman turned to face her, "I can feel him here. His evil is like a disease that puts boils and blisters on my skin. Erisen is waiting for us. He will try to stop us."

            "But he will not succeed." Nyx told her sister softly, trying to soothe the worry so evident in her sister's eyes, "The Goddess is strong here and the High Priestess has reached the peak of her power. We will not lose, it is written."

            Keira felt him as she neared the Black Doors that sled to the place where the gods rested. Her head cocked upward as she met Erisen's dark eyes. At his side was his dark daughter Erisa and his army of harpies.

            Marisa took an intake of breath and backed up against Sig, who caught her and cradled her in his arms, careful of her wings. He knew what she had to do, what everyone expected of her, and knew she was afraid. So much was riding on her wings this day. The burden was almost too much.

            Marisa looked up at him and smiled softly, thanking him for the gift of strength, "I can see why Kikita loved you enough to go against the Council." She knew that it might hurt him, saying those words, but she felt it was the only way she could show her thanks. She hoped he wasn't too offended.

            Sig looked down at the young woman and smiled softly, touched by her words. He was pleased that she seemed to have forgiven him, even if her first thoughts towards Kikita's lover were those of hatred.

            Keira eyed Erisen with hatred that could not be controlled, "Erisen, it ends now. It ends today. This is the day the High Priestess line finishes you."

            Erisen chuckled and eyed each of Keira's guardians with triumphant eyes, "You're young man is not with you?" At Keira's blank stare he burst out laughing, "I would think that your mother would've told you this… but maybe she never knew? What a fool the Goddess was, intrusting you mortals with the task of defending this measly little planet. Shall we begin?"

            Keira unhooked her glaive as everyone followed suit. Crea drew her .45's from their holsters, looking up at Nyx for reassurance as the older woman withdrew her spardone. Sig gave Marisa a pat on the shoulder with the hand that wasn't filled with his claymore as she pulled a bundled package from her rucksack. Sala flexed her muscled arms as she tested the weight of her labrys and Gareth pulled forth his scimitar from its sheath. Tess and Daxter raised Mage Staffs into the air, which Sala had supplied them with for better magick casting.

            "We fight!" Keira cried and Erisa let out a battle howl, which was followed shortly after by the cries of the harpies.

            They swarmed at each other. The harpies and their ferocious leaders Erisen and Erisa of the Chaos Goddess. Brave Keira and her mighty guardians of the pure Light Goddess. It began to rain—something the barren land had not seen for many years—as the first set of talons and swords clashed.

            As the dirt changed to mud, Marisa floated above the battlegrounds clutching her bundle like a child would a favourite toy. She looked down at her fighting friends—Keira moving steadily closer to Erisen, Sala and Gareth fighting side-by-side, Sig standing near Daxter and Tess as they cast offensive and defensive spells, Crea and Nyx fighting with this righteous rage about them—and wished she could be fighting with them. But she promised Keira she'd do this.

            Her angel wings, caked in mud, flapped and she flew higher into the sky. Unnoticed, she left the battle and flew over to the Black Doors. She barely registered Crea's shout for victory or Keira's order to keep fighting.

            Marisa's sneakers slid across the marble top of the flat narrow platform of the Black Doors. Her rump slammed against the hard stone and she almost cried out in pain. She bit her lips until it bleed and fumbled with her bundle.

            She withdrew white putty and wires and a clock. The wires ran through the white putty and connected to one deadly black shiny disk on top of the white putty. She checked the wires to make sure they were still connected like Sala had shown her and then with trembling hands she set the timer.

            5:00 minutes

            Almost trembling from fear and shock at how easy this was, she turned and prepared to fly over to the battleground and shot the warning that the bomb was set when the harpies flew up above her.

            She barely managed to reach for her spiked nunchucks when the two harpies crashed into her. She heard the break of her bones but she didn't think of it as she struggled against them. She had to warn everyone about the bomb! They couldn't be caught in the explosion or all was lost!

            She kicked her legs and sent one harpy sprawling next to the bomb. However, the harpy didn't register what it was as she moved back over to Marisa to continue the fight. She growled at the young winged girl.

            Marisa reached for her ninja stars and threw them in a blinding motion. They caught in the harpy's stomach and then wing. Marisa gave a battle cry and lunged forward with her spiked nunchucks swing. She caught the harpy's throat and threw the limp body over the side of the door. Then she turned to face the next one.

            Meanwhile, Sala was hacking at the harpies as fast as she could. She tried to keep an eye on Crea since the girl had never been involved in a battle of this caliber but the rain made her vision blurry and with the mud over everyone fighting it was impossible to see the young woman. She told herself Crea could take care of herself and that she had Nyx. She had to focus on the task at hand.

            She cocked her head to the left as she slammed the tip of her labrys into a stomach and saw Keira making her way over to Erisen. She also saw the gold tipped spear of Erisa as she moved to black Keira's path.

            Sala jumped in front of Erisa, pointing her weapon at her, "Erisa, you fight me. I still have not repaid you for what you did to my mother."

            "Very well. Father can handle himself until I take care of you, mortal." Erisa crouched down into a fighting stand, "Have at me!"

            Sala screamed and lunged, her labrys blocked by the gold spear of the goddess. The circled each other and lunged again, blocking and thrusting with expert pose. Sala looked over at the Black Doors for a split second before returning all her attention back to her opponent.

            She hoped Marisa hurried.

            Marisa lunged at the harpy's back and wrapped her nunchucks around her neck. The harpy gave a strangled cry of shock and reached out and dug her nails into a delicate part of Marisa's body. But the winged girl would not relent. She tightened her told on the nunchucks until the harpy stopped struggling and slumped to the floor. Exhausted, Marisa pressed her last two ninja stars into the jugular veins just to be on the safe side.

            She turned her head and looked over at the timer of the bomb. She gave a small gasp when she saw how little time she had to get away.

            1:00 minute…

            She moved to the edge of the top of the Black Doors and stretched her wings to prepare to fly. Instead of feeling the wind moving through her feathers, she felt intense pain. She gave a scream and slumped to the floor, trembling. Finally she managed to raise her head and look at her wing.

            Her left wing was bent at an even angle and Marisa remembered hearing the snap. In her right was the bloody talon of the harpy she had just killed. Both of her wings twitched and each delicate movement sent pain spiraling through her.

            There was no way she would be flying now, not with these wings. She was stuck up here with the bomb. The bomb! In sheer panic, Marisa turned and looked at the small, deadly disk that counted the seconds until her doom.

            50 seconds…

            Her mind ran through the instructions she had been shown to deactivate the bomb. Feeling useless she bent down to stop the ticking of the clock that was there only hope… when suddenly she stood.

            No, she would not stop the mission. She would stand her and accept her fate… and gladly knowing that she had helped Keira defeat Erisen. Even thinking about it brought a small smile to her lips.

            "Marisa?" Sala's voice filtered through the earpiece behind her earlobe, "Marisa, are you okay? Is the bomb activated? You gotta get out of there!"

            30 seconds…

            Marisa smiled wide and looked down at the battlefield before her eyes. She felt a peace overtake her. It was as if the Goddess herself had placed the neutral feeling over her head. She didn't feel the fear anymore, only the acceptance. She was doing this for her people—her destroyed ones and those who had taken her in. She was doing this so no one would have to be the last of their race.

            "Pay back." Marisa whispered as she felt the bomb tick down to its last seconds of life. She steadied herself for the pain.

            10 seconds…

            "Good luck, you guys." Marisa whispered into her earpiece and as the screams of her fellow comrades filtered through the headpiece she removed it.

            8 seconds…

            She dropped the earpiece and it clattered to the floor, much like her heart. Marisa raised her face to the sky, above the pain in her wings and in her bosom.

            5 seconds…

            She had never thought death would be this easy to accept. She always thought it would be hard to accept and to face, but now she was smiling. Smiling at her death because she knew she'd have the last laugh after all. She would be the one to change the tide of the war into their favour. Not Sala or Keira but just her… plain little Marisa with angel wings.

            3 seconds…

            2…

            A single tear slashed across her cheek as she felt the cold hand of death clench around her heart. It splattered to the floor just as the clock reached the final number.

            1…

            Fire closed around her but Marisa didn't feel the pain of her death. It was as if the Goddess had already taken her soul from her body to save her from the pain. She was already dead, the last of her winged kind.

            And Marisa died…

            She died a hero…

            She died loved…

            She died a Champion…

~~**~~

                        "Good luck you guys." Marisa's voice came through Sala's earpiece. She jerked her head up and gasped as the Black Doors burst into fire.

            Marisa! Marisa was still there! For a blind second she ran towards the smoldering doors but stopped short. No, this was no the time to do anything stupid. Marisa was dead, there was nothing she could do about that. There was no sense in getting herself killed when she still had a fight to finish.

            She turned and hacked at the closet harpy she could reach. Gareth moved at her side, his face grim with his grief for Marisa but like Sala continued fighting. For the winged woman they would continue to fight.

            Then she found Erisa, who had been last for a moment in the rush of the battle, and they stared at each other grimly. Sala screamed and lunged forward, bringing her powerful weapon against Erisa's agile one.

            "You won't win." Erisa called to her with an easy smile and Sala kicked her but the young goddess dodged it.

            "Marisa! For Marisa!" Crea shouted over the rush of the mud and battle. Nyx, Sala, and Gareth howled in answer. Daxter's thunder spells lit up the sky to testify his rage and golden shields surrounded the warriors courtesy of Tess.

            Sig, wrapped in Tess's shield spell, hacked at the harpies that got to close to the said mages. His face was twisted as he heard Marisa's last words in his earpiece. Silently he said a prayer to the Goddess for her before he concentrated fully on the task at hand. For Marisa, he would see Erisen fall.

            Further off, Keira made her way to Erisen. She killed any harpy that got in range of her glaive but her real target was the god. She didn't notice Marisa's death since she had not worn an earpiece. All she could see was Erisen and her rage.

            She moved blindly to him, her boiling rage blurring her vision. All she could see was the crooked smiled of the god of Chaos and all she could was how much she wanted to wipe it off of his cocky face. She growled and moved at him, swinging her glaive. Erisen raised his hand and summoned his own black sword to defend himself.

            But just as they reached each other an explosion rocked the ground. Keira tripped and fell onto the floor. She managed to drag herself to her feet before anyone could take advantage of her off balance.

            She looked up and watched as the black portal formed where the Black Doors had once been. She felt herself smile. Mother, we have done it. We have opened the Krrez Lands and soon the Goddess shall awaken and put an end to Erisen. Heavy wind whipped around her head as she turned and grinned at Erisen, triumph in her veins. She could feel victory pounding through her.

            Erisen glared at her, "You think you've won, girl?" He asked in rage as he strode towards her, "There is something your mother forgot to tell you. My Goddess sleeping on the other side. All I need to do is bring you and your glaive to her and we shall destroy the High Priestess line. Then nothing stands in our way of world-domination!"
            Keira lunged forward but Erisen used his godly powers to dodge her. He grabbed her by the neck and dragged her to the black portal of the Krrez Lands. Keira howled and tried to dislodge herself, but Erisen held her in a grip of iron.

            Gareth turned and watched in horror as Erisen and Keira disappeared into the black portal, "Keira!" He cried and moved to save her but a harpy jumped in front of him and blocked his path. They would not let him save the High Priestess.

            Keira and Erisen arrived in an area covered by sand with only a small circular stone platform in its vicinity. Ancient ruins littered the ground and more then less then more then less could be seen with every shift in the sand. On the stone platform was a ruined throne with two broken pillars one each side.

            Erisen dumped Keira onto the ground and picked up her glaive. He tossed it to her but warned, "Before you try to kill me, High Priestess, would you like to know the true story of the Goddess and the Grand Knight? I doubt you know the half of it."
            "He's dead! What does it matter?" Keira snapped, standing by using her glaive as a walking stick. In the gateway to the Krrez Lands her legs felt like jelly. Nyx and Crea had told her that the Krrez Lands were a place no mortal dared enter because they would be put into an eternal sleep, much like the gods who now rested here. She knew that Erisen was awaiting the awakening of his Chaos goddess and all Keira could do was hope her own Goddess awakened before that. If the Chaos goddess wakened then Keira didn't think she'd be able to fight them.

            I wish you were here Jak…

            "Oh, he's not dead, my dear." Erisen said, smiling, "In fact, you could say he's quite alive. Alive and… well, actually. Doing just fine."

            Keira's eyes widened as she got it, "No." She whispered.

            "Yes." Erisen countered and said with an easy smile, "You see, my dear, I am the Grand Knight. Before I joined Eris's army of Chaos."

~~**~~

                        Jak neared the hut of the blind seer. He scowled as he neared. His visits to Onin had never been truly productive as they did little to help him along the way. Usually they involved him doing some mystic task before she told him anything. Truly, it was more of a nuisance then anything else.

            But he had to admit that Onin was useful at times. Her powers to see what lay in wait in the future had helped him when he was trying to free Haven City from Baron Praxis's iron fist. She had also helped to make Samos the sage that he was today.

            Jak still wasn't sure if he was thankful about that though…

            He stepped nearer to the tent of Onin and frowned. He didn't mind the old soothsayer so much as he minded her translator. Pecker was not an easy creature to get along with, whether he was in a good mood or bad. His overly rude attitude and skeptical-ness of his abilities placed the monkey-bird on Jak's 'people I'm not to fond of' list.

            But Torn was right, one shouldn't ignore Onin or Pecker for to long. When they started to pester you about having something to say you had to almost immediately respond or the warning would come too late. Jak was starting to feel he had put off his meeting with Onin to long. Who knows what she wanted to tell him?

            He lifted the flap of the tent and entered, his nostrils immediately attacked with the smell of heavy incenses. His face crinkled at their heavy smell but he didn't make any sound as he moved over to the old woman seated in the back of the room.

            Her head was lowered over a bowl that was giving off the dank smell. Her lips moved incoherently as her fingers sparked with blue eco. The tiny blue orbs floated into the bowl and a heavy heat rose from it.

            The monkey-bird was perched on his owner's headwear—a heavy-looking bowl also making the air ripple with invisible steam. His head too was lowered as he and his mistress shared whatever vision the clairvoyant was having.

            They didn't seem to be aware of his presence, which made Jak uncomfortable. Onin was a seer, wasn't she? Wouldn't she have known about his arrival?

            He opened his mouth to speak when Pecker snapped, "Don't say anything, Jak. We know you're here." It wasn't Pecker speaker… well, not entirely anyway. Onin currently had control over Pecker's mouth and was speaking through him. Something Jak had always found awkward.

            Pecker opened his closed eyes and eyed Jak, "What the hell took you so long!?" He demanded in a voice that was all Pecker. He glared at Jak through black eyes and said, "When we say we need to see you we mean now… not whenever you feel like waltzing in! Jeez Louis, you're almost as bad as Torn."

            Jak shrugged and said casually, "Excuse if I was busying trying to keep this city alive. You know, it's not easy getting rid of Metal Heads as you may think."

            "Enough! This is no time to argue!" Pecker snapped—still Pecker. Jak thought it odd that Pecker was ordering a stop to their verbal brawl since the monkey-bird had always enjoyed a good fight, "Onin and I have seen a most dreadful vision."

            Jak rolled his eyes at the old news, "Yeah, I know. You and Onin saw the Metal Heads attacking the city and hurting Ashlin. It's already happened. You guys need to get with the times. If that's all can I go?"
            As Jak turned to walk out Pecker jumped from Onin to scream, "Wait! The vision! The vision… it's about Keira!" His voice was raspy now, a sign that it was Onin's franticness that had overtaken Pecker.

            That had Jak's attention. He wheeled around and grabbed Pecker roughly by his furry collar. He pushed the monkey-bird up to his face and shouted in a raging voice, "What did you just say!? What about Keira!?"

            "She's gone to the Krrez Lands… past the Holy City. Two days past the Holy City. There she faces Erisen, lord of Chaos, to try to waken the sleeping Goddess. But she doesn't know that with the Goddess will come Eris, Goddess of Chaos. If Keira faces the Chaos goddess alone Eris will kill her and take over the world. Only the High Priestess's mate can destroy Eris because he is the only one that can wield the power of the Virgae-Mors sword." Pecker wheezed, wriggling in the choke hold Jak had him in.

            "How do I get to the Krrez Lands?" Jak demanded, shaking Pecker. All he could think about was some wicked goddess standing over his woman. He grinded his teeth against the very image.

            Torn wouldn't be happy that Jak was leaving, he knew, but since the Metal Heads were currently out of commission for the time being he couldn't order Jak to stay. He would come back as soon as Keira was safe and sound he had given her a good what-for. She promised him no stupid stunts!

            "You cannot get there on foot… nor will you boots get you there in time to save here. She is only an hour away from it as we speak." Pecker explained as Jak released him, "In order to reach her in time you must be faster, stronger. You need to be Dark Jak."

            Jak growled and almost kicked Pecker but the bird managed to jump away, "You're crazy. You know I don't have to much control over the darker side of me. I would probably kill Keira instead of saving her." He shuddered at the thought of his Dark Jak claws finding their way into his mate's delicate flesh.

            It was the worst thing he could've ever imagined.

            "It is the only way… and by the time you get there your Dark Jak powers should've warned off. And if not, trust that the Virgae-Mors sword will give you the control over your being as you need." Pecker said, speaking in Onin-tone.

            Jak nodded in understanding, hating the plan but knowing that there was no other way. He had to reach Keira as fast as he could. Being Dark Jak was the best idea, "I'll have to go out to the Stripe Mine to get some dark eco."

            "No, not necessary. We have some here." Pecker countered. With a flap of his wing he motioned to the bowl in front of the soothsayer. Jak loomed closer and noticed the dark liquid there. The smell had been from the reaction of blue eco being mixed with dark eco.

            Without having to be told, Jak dropped to his knees and dipped his hands in the deadly liquid. To anyone else, the dark liquid would've destroyed their hands. Their skin would've been pulled away from their bones, leaving only the skinny white bones to be shone. Then the dark eco poison would've traveled into the system, killing them completely.

            But not Jak.

            He watched as his finger twisted, turned. They turned pale and ugly, with gnarled claws ready to tear anything that got in their way. He watched as a vein visible from his wrist turned dark purple as the eco flooded his system. He could feel the deadly poison make its way through his body and into his brain.

            His eyes rolled to the back of his head as the pain washed over him. Purple electric shards crackled in his hair as it turned white. His skin lost its pigmentation and turned as pale as snow. For a moment, his vision went black as his eyes changed into bottomless pits of the abyss.

            Then he was completely his darker form. He stared at Onin and Pecker and the beast in his ordered him to kill them, just in case they were enemies. As his claws begin to twitch, the still sane part of his mind struggled to gain hold of himself.

            No. No, friends. Jak managed to send that thought to the beast now in control of him before it lunged at Onin and Pecker. Keira… mate… our mate… in trouble… Erisen evil… stop him before he… hurt her. Dark Jak growled as the annoying headache from the good side of him kept him from attacking the two in the room. He heard the voice telling him to go after Erisen and save Keira, but for a moment he was tempted to ignore it. He was Dark Jak, not the hero Jak who saved the girl.

            But then his eco-enhanced mind flashed with images, memories of his better half. Meeting Keira, almost kissing her on Gol and Maia's Citadel, meeting her again in Haven City, almost kissing her again after the defeat of Kor, going to the Holy City with her, promising himself to her, being with her. Dark Jak was connected to the hero Jak's feeling and they washed through him like a tidal wave. As he watched them play in his head, Dark Jak loved Keira.

            He growled once at Pecker for good measure before turning and bursting from the tent. In a wild fury to get to his mate, he moved through the city. He didn't take notice of the screams that followed him as he moved.

            All he could think about was Keira—how much he loved her—and Erisen. Dark Jak swore he could have his dark talons drenched in Erisen's godly blood soon after. After he made sure Keira was okay.

            He hunched over and ran for the Krrez Lands in lightning speed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                        Done! Sorry that Dark Jak didn't show up until the end of the chapter, but you know so much had to be told. There will be more, though! And yes, Marisa's dead. No one really cares about her though (expect me, I love all my OC!) so it's probably not as bad as me killing off Daxter. I just felt the need to slaughter (or blow up) one of my characters. Since I'm the almighty writer, I can do that! HAHA! And I also had to give Crea and Nyx a mysterious history! They're old, yo! And what did you think about Erisen being the Goddess's lover? Hmm, did you see that coming? I sure hoped not! Please R&R!

            Next Installment: Dark Jak pissed, Keira fighting, history, and… the Goddess… stay turned!