Ekobean: So finally I have decided to write Chpt. Five of Dark Menace. If
you value your life, you will read this thoroughly. You won't find any
secrets or anything; I just want you to because I like to threaten people.
Enjoy.
(special thanks to Shadowsister for including me in her fanfic. It was awesome!) (
Chapter Five
The chill morning air fluttered harshly through Jak's hair. The sun had hardly begun to rise when they had set out. Now the sun was beginning to paint its tapestry of radiant colors upon the blank canvas of the sky.
Jak's loaded and cocked Scatter Gun was clasped firmly in his hands. His crystal-blue eyes scanned the surrounding environment. The Lurker Brutter was standing bipedal with his massive hands clasped behind his back at the front of the balloon. He, Ashelin, and Torn were going over some plan they'd been thinking of.
Jak looked down through the uneven layout of nailed together wooden planks that formed the carrying platform of the Lurker balloon. He could see through the badly placed boards down to the land below. They had to be at least two hundred feet in the air. In all his time he had never been in a Lurker balloon before. He couldn't help feeling mistrust toward the contraption. Frayed ropes tied around the platform held the balloon to it, and an outdated, rusty motor was the only thing that was providing thrust in the back.
A cry of frustration filled the air, as there was a sound of some large, metallic object being kicked. Jak looked to the back to see Keira spouting curses at the rusted motor on the back. She had insisted on coming when her father had volunteered to come.
Keira removed her oil-soaked mechanic gloves and her cloudy goggles. She walked over and sat down defeated next to Jak. "How's it going?" he asked. He didn't really care, but he had nothing else to talk about; and he didn't want the other subject that was bound to pop up to come...yet.
"Not too well," Keira sighed. "I haven't worked on this model of engine since we lived back in Sandover! I'm just...kind of out of practice."
"You'll get the hang of it," replied Jak, not looking at her. Keira sighed. "Here it comes..." Jak thought.
"Jak, look," Keira began.
Yup, Jak groaned in his head.
"About the whole incident with those people, I just want you to know that I know it wasn't your fault. No one could ever understand what you're going through. The Krimzon Guard was bent on putting you away. The High Council is even voting to have you banished."
"Is that so?" said Jak, trying to hide any sign of fear. He didn't want to be banished, who did?
"Ashelin won't allow it, though," Keira continued, "She convinced the Council of your condition. She said that she would watch you and everything."
"And when did this happen?" asked Jak, turning two her.
"While you were in the hospital."
"Well, how long was I in there?"
"Three days."
"WHAT!!??" Jak bellowed, leaping up. "You're shitting me! Three days? How the hell did that happen?"
"We were puzzled by it, too," said Samos, who had just floated into the balloon. "The scientists found that your body is developing a gland that let's loose any trace of Dark Eco that is in your body into your bloodstream."
"How the hell did that happen?" asked Jak.
"Well, obviously it happened while you were undergoing the – erm – experiments. Apparently your natural ability to harness the power of Eco helped you to develop a way to cope with the Dark Eco inside you."
"That still doesn't explain my being out for three days."
"Actually it does, Jak," said Ashelin, "the gland isn't fully developed yet. Its premature use sapped almost every trace of energy inside you."
"So, every time you blow your top, you blow some...uh...stuff," said Daxter, who had been sleeping inside Jak's satchel. Everyone stared blankly at Daxter. "What? I couldn't think of something to say. I just woke up, I mean" –
"Daxter, shut up," Torn yelled over his shoulder.
Daxter grumbled something as he stalked to the back of the balloon.
"Governess," said a hazy voice over Ashelin's radio, "we are approaching the source of the Dark Eco streams." The group didn't need anyone to inform them of that. As they stared down at the land below them, they could see the ravages Dark Eco had caused. Plants and trees littered the ground, long dead. Dry streams could be seen twisting throughout the withered land.
As Jak looked up from the floor he found an even more appalling sight before him. Four giant cylinder-shaped images formed on the horizon. The land about them was completely devoid of life. Even the very soil seemed tainted with darkness.
The objects were obviously metallic, rusted Precursor-Metal plates melted together to hold the foul substance within. Jak didn't want to believe it, and he didn't want to look. But he did. He looked at it with wide eyes. He knew the place all too well. To him it had only been four years ago since he had visited it, but in this time it had perhaps been several centuries. The objects were the Dark Eco Silos.
He looked next to him at Keira, Samos, and Daxter. Keira's hand was over her mouth. Samos was just staring blankly at the Silos as they approached ominously. Daxter's mouth was hanging wide open, his pupils shrunk to the size of a dime.
"Oh no..." Keira whispered.
"Is something wrong," asked Ashelin.
"You don't know the half of it," Jak growled.
The balloons landed several minutes later on the tops of the Silos. "Ashelin, we have to be sure of something," said Samos, "have your men pry the tops of the Silos open."
"That's what we were going to do, Samos," Ashelin replied, "we were going to drop a probe in and see if we could find the opening...what is this place anyway. You obviously know something about it."
"It is an ancient structure built by the Precursors to hold most of the Dark Eco of the world," said Samos.
"Obviously the bottom has worn away," said Ashelin.
"Oh, I wouldn't call it 'worn,'" said a voice from behind them. Jak froze. He knew the source of the voice. It's echoing, raspy call was burned into his mind. He knew its owner. The Dark Sage, the supreme authority on all Dark Eco. The man who had believed Dark Eco would not taint him, and the same man who had attempted to open the Silos and spill the Dark Eco upon the world. The man whom Jak had defeated along with his sister all those years ago.
"It's more of a 'blast,'" said another voice, this one female.
Jak turned along with the rest of the group. He saw the two creatures floating there, their clothes torn to ribbons, their hair wild and un-kept. They were Gol and Maia. The many years that they had been locked away in the Silos had obviously not been kind to them.
"So," cackled Gol, "I see you have finally discovered our little highway under your city." "Who are you?" Ashelin demanded.
"How rude of us," laughed Maia, "We are" –
"Gol and Maia," finished Samos, "The Sages of Dark Eco, the two people who attempted to destroy the world centuries ago, the two who captured me and the other three sages."
"Samos?" whispered Gol, awestruck. "Is that you? It's been so long and yet you've aged so little, not that it's saying much."
"Why did you come back!?" yelled Jak, stepping forward.
"Jak" – stammered Samos.
"Why couldn't you stay down there were you belong? Why can't you just die!?"
"Who are you, boy?" asked Maia.
"You don't recognize me, do you?" Jak sneered, equipping his Blaster, "maybe I can refresh your memory."
"Wait!" cried Gol, floating towards Jak, "yesss, I remember your face...it's you! The one who destroyed our robot, who sent us into the Silos."
"Yes, I recognize him," said Maia, baring her teeth.
"Why are you attacking our city?" said Ashelin, pushing past Jak.
"Your city, we have discovered, is the mightiest of this area. Its people are the most strong-willed, who may get in the way of our cause."
"And what cause is that?"
"To open the world to Dark Eco," said Maia, throwing her arms into the air, "to make it realize the beauty of it!"
"Oh come ON!!" said Daxter, "not all that mumbo-jumbo again! Last time you tried that, you got your asses kicked."
"How do you expect to overtake our city?" asked Torn.
"Why, haven't you figured that out yet?" asked Gol, "a portion of our army has already attacked your city."
"Metal Heads," sneered Ashelin.
"Yes, the Hora-Quan," said Maia, "I'm sure you have already discovered their new attributes. The ability to withstand Dark Eco? To use it to increase their power. With them we will crush your precious city."
"So you've got a few jacked-up Metal Heads, whoop-de-do!" shouted Daxter, "bring 'em on, we can take 'em!" Daxter found Samos' staff again across his head. He fell over, unconscious.
"Oh yes," hissed Gol, "a few..." he lifted his hand and passed it across the horizon. It was as if a veil had been lifted from the withered land. The land seemed to glow with yellow stars, as if the ground had become the night sky. Everyone felt the same feeling of helplessness as they looked down upon the shining points of light. The lights were Skull Gems. They covered everything, the ground was thick with them. They stretched across the plains, past the field of sight.
"Oh my God," croaked Torn. Daxter feinted a second time.
"We will give you time to prepare your defenses," said Maia, "we shall attack your precious city in three days. Three days before death comes for you."
"Now be gone!" bellowed Gol. Every person on the Silos scrambled back to the balloons. Every person except Jak.
"I beat you once, I can beat you again," he spat.
Maia hovered down to within an inch of his face. "As you can see, boy, things are different now..." she slowly hovered about him, taking in every detail of his character. "You have become a man," she giggled, "I will especially enjoy killing you when your city falls."
Ekobean: I know, I know. This one seems kind of rushed. And it is. I'm writing this in the middle of the freaking night. I promise that the next one will be better. R&R.
(special thanks to Shadowsister for including me in her fanfic. It was awesome!) (
Chapter Five
The chill morning air fluttered harshly through Jak's hair. The sun had hardly begun to rise when they had set out. Now the sun was beginning to paint its tapestry of radiant colors upon the blank canvas of the sky.
Jak's loaded and cocked Scatter Gun was clasped firmly in his hands. His crystal-blue eyes scanned the surrounding environment. The Lurker Brutter was standing bipedal with his massive hands clasped behind his back at the front of the balloon. He, Ashelin, and Torn were going over some plan they'd been thinking of.
Jak looked down through the uneven layout of nailed together wooden planks that formed the carrying platform of the Lurker balloon. He could see through the badly placed boards down to the land below. They had to be at least two hundred feet in the air. In all his time he had never been in a Lurker balloon before. He couldn't help feeling mistrust toward the contraption. Frayed ropes tied around the platform held the balloon to it, and an outdated, rusty motor was the only thing that was providing thrust in the back.
A cry of frustration filled the air, as there was a sound of some large, metallic object being kicked. Jak looked to the back to see Keira spouting curses at the rusted motor on the back. She had insisted on coming when her father had volunteered to come.
Keira removed her oil-soaked mechanic gloves and her cloudy goggles. She walked over and sat down defeated next to Jak. "How's it going?" he asked. He didn't really care, but he had nothing else to talk about; and he didn't want the other subject that was bound to pop up to come...yet.
"Not too well," Keira sighed. "I haven't worked on this model of engine since we lived back in Sandover! I'm just...kind of out of practice."
"You'll get the hang of it," replied Jak, not looking at her. Keira sighed. "Here it comes..." Jak thought.
"Jak, look," Keira began.
Yup, Jak groaned in his head.
"About the whole incident with those people, I just want you to know that I know it wasn't your fault. No one could ever understand what you're going through. The Krimzon Guard was bent on putting you away. The High Council is even voting to have you banished."
"Is that so?" said Jak, trying to hide any sign of fear. He didn't want to be banished, who did?
"Ashelin won't allow it, though," Keira continued, "She convinced the Council of your condition. She said that she would watch you and everything."
"And when did this happen?" asked Jak, turning two her.
"While you were in the hospital."
"Well, how long was I in there?"
"Three days."
"WHAT!!??" Jak bellowed, leaping up. "You're shitting me! Three days? How the hell did that happen?"
"We were puzzled by it, too," said Samos, who had just floated into the balloon. "The scientists found that your body is developing a gland that let's loose any trace of Dark Eco that is in your body into your bloodstream."
"How the hell did that happen?" asked Jak.
"Well, obviously it happened while you were undergoing the – erm – experiments. Apparently your natural ability to harness the power of Eco helped you to develop a way to cope with the Dark Eco inside you."
"That still doesn't explain my being out for three days."
"Actually it does, Jak," said Ashelin, "the gland isn't fully developed yet. Its premature use sapped almost every trace of energy inside you."
"So, every time you blow your top, you blow some...uh...stuff," said Daxter, who had been sleeping inside Jak's satchel. Everyone stared blankly at Daxter. "What? I couldn't think of something to say. I just woke up, I mean" –
"Daxter, shut up," Torn yelled over his shoulder.
Daxter grumbled something as he stalked to the back of the balloon.
"Governess," said a hazy voice over Ashelin's radio, "we are approaching the source of the Dark Eco streams." The group didn't need anyone to inform them of that. As they stared down at the land below them, they could see the ravages Dark Eco had caused. Plants and trees littered the ground, long dead. Dry streams could be seen twisting throughout the withered land.
As Jak looked up from the floor he found an even more appalling sight before him. Four giant cylinder-shaped images formed on the horizon. The land about them was completely devoid of life. Even the very soil seemed tainted with darkness.
The objects were obviously metallic, rusted Precursor-Metal plates melted together to hold the foul substance within. Jak didn't want to believe it, and he didn't want to look. But he did. He looked at it with wide eyes. He knew the place all too well. To him it had only been four years ago since he had visited it, but in this time it had perhaps been several centuries. The objects were the Dark Eco Silos.
He looked next to him at Keira, Samos, and Daxter. Keira's hand was over her mouth. Samos was just staring blankly at the Silos as they approached ominously. Daxter's mouth was hanging wide open, his pupils shrunk to the size of a dime.
"Oh no..." Keira whispered.
"Is something wrong," asked Ashelin.
"You don't know the half of it," Jak growled.
The balloons landed several minutes later on the tops of the Silos. "Ashelin, we have to be sure of something," said Samos, "have your men pry the tops of the Silos open."
"That's what we were going to do, Samos," Ashelin replied, "we were going to drop a probe in and see if we could find the opening...what is this place anyway. You obviously know something about it."
"It is an ancient structure built by the Precursors to hold most of the Dark Eco of the world," said Samos.
"Obviously the bottom has worn away," said Ashelin.
"Oh, I wouldn't call it 'worn,'" said a voice from behind them. Jak froze. He knew the source of the voice. It's echoing, raspy call was burned into his mind. He knew its owner. The Dark Sage, the supreme authority on all Dark Eco. The man who had believed Dark Eco would not taint him, and the same man who had attempted to open the Silos and spill the Dark Eco upon the world. The man whom Jak had defeated along with his sister all those years ago.
"It's more of a 'blast,'" said another voice, this one female.
Jak turned along with the rest of the group. He saw the two creatures floating there, their clothes torn to ribbons, their hair wild and un-kept. They were Gol and Maia. The many years that they had been locked away in the Silos had obviously not been kind to them.
"So," cackled Gol, "I see you have finally discovered our little highway under your city." "Who are you?" Ashelin demanded.
"How rude of us," laughed Maia, "We are" –
"Gol and Maia," finished Samos, "The Sages of Dark Eco, the two people who attempted to destroy the world centuries ago, the two who captured me and the other three sages."
"Samos?" whispered Gol, awestruck. "Is that you? It's been so long and yet you've aged so little, not that it's saying much."
"Why did you come back!?" yelled Jak, stepping forward.
"Jak" – stammered Samos.
"Why couldn't you stay down there were you belong? Why can't you just die!?"
"Who are you, boy?" asked Maia.
"You don't recognize me, do you?" Jak sneered, equipping his Blaster, "maybe I can refresh your memory."
"Wait!" cried Gol, floating towards Jak, "yesss, I remember your face...it's you! The one who destroyed our robot, who sent us into the Silos."
"Yes, I recognize him," said Maia, baring her teeth.
"Why are you attacking our city?" said Ashelin, pushing past Jak.
"Your city, we have discovered, is the mightiest of this area. Its people are the most strong-willed, who may get in the way of our cause."
"And what cause is that?"
"To open the world to Dark Eco," said Maia, throwing her arms into the air, "to make it realize the beauty of it!"
"Oh come ON!!" said Daxter, "not all that mumbo-jumbo again! Last time you tried that, you got your asses kicked."
"How do you expect to overtake our city?" asked Torn.
"Why, haven't you figured that out yet?" asked Gol, "a portion of our army has already attacked your city."
"Metal Heads," sneered Ashelin.
"Yes, the Hora-Quan," said Maia, "I'm sure you have already discovered their new attributes. The ability to withstand Dark Eco? To use it to increase their power. With them we will crush your precious city."
"So you've got a few jacked-up Metal Heads, whoop-de-do!" shouted Daxter, "bring 'em on, we can take 'em!" Daxter found Samos' staff again across his head. He fell over, unconscious.
"Oh yes," hissed Gol, "a few..." he lifted his hand and passed it across the horizon. It was as if a veil had been lifted from the withered land. The land seemed to glow with yellow stars, as if the ground had become the night sky. Everyone felt the same feeling of helplessness as they looked down upon the shining points of light. The lights were Skull Gems. They covered everything, the ground was thick with them. They stretched across the plains, past the field of sight.
"Oh my God," croaked Torn. Daxter feinted a second time.
"We will give you time to prepare your defenses," said Maia, "we shall attack your precious city in three days. Three days before death comes for you."
"Now be gone!" bellowed Gol. Every person on the Silos scrambled back to the balloons. Every person except Jak.
"I beat you once, I can beat you again," he spat.
Maia hovered down to within an inch of his face. "As you can see, boy, things are different now..." she slowly hovered about him, taking in every detail of his character. "You have become a man," she giggled, "I will especially enjoy killing you when your city falls."
Ekobean: I know, I know. This one seems kind of rushed. And it is. I'm writing this in the middle of the freaking night. I promise that the next one will be better. R&R.