Kyrie Sanctus-Thank you so much, and that it does, that it does.

Sabulana- also glomps Torn. He knows he loves it.

Bluumberry- Thanks a lot!

Jackman's-Girl - Thank you, and yes, if I can get up enough nerve this will be a Jak/Torn fic.

The Demon Within

Chapter Four- Ruining the Tower

We traveled out of the city, and into what looked like marshes. There were creatures everywhere, and Daxter was none to happy. As soon as we left the city I could see the Ruined Tower, and Daxter made some wisecrack about it being aptly named. It was slowly falling apart, even as we appraoched it, and It made me wonder if we were going to be the ones that it fell on. Maybe that's why Torn sent us here. He didn't want to bother with us, and decided to send us on nothing other than a suicide mission. It sorta seemed like something a guy named Torn would do. Of course I can't really make claims like that based only on his name. I also have a peice of his "Oh so caring" personality to chew on...so to speak.

He doesn't even look pleasant, let alone act like it. Maybe that's why everyone follows him. They know that he won't take any crap from anyone, and they think that that's what's going to save them.....well there's a lot more to it than that.

"Jak, watch out!" Daxter yelled as a falling peice of what used to be a town (I guess) nearly hit me. If Daxter hadn't said something we would have been dead. I would be splattered under a giant rock with Ottsel sauce on top. Doesn't that sound deliciouse.

"Thanks Dax."

"Anytime," he replied with a smile that was bordering on a smirk.

I sighed, and hurriedly climbed the rock, almost falling flat on my ass in the muck on the other side. Almost. I quickly searched the landscape looking for possible opponents before scurrying across what was left of the frame of a house, and jumping to the base of the Ruined Tower. It promptly collapsed. Damned tower.

Daxter squealed as we fell, but I caught the edge of one of the blocks that remained in place, and hauled myself up. It was hard with Dax clinging to my head. Very hard. Finally I made it only to find several 'things' waiting for me. I disposed of them quickly...mostly by pushing them over the edge of what was now a bottomless pit.

"I don't think I want to do this anymore Jak," Daxter said as he climbed back down onto my shoulder.

I don't really want to do it either...except to piss Torn off when we come back alive. I should have said that to the ottsel. He would have understood, and hopefully been a little bit more cooperative when it came to the part that was coming up next. Climbing the Ruined Tower.

It didn't look promising, and my latest brush with death didn't help my confidence with the matter. I tried my best to psyche myself up, but to no avail. I finally took a leap of faith. It was not rewarded as the block began to crumble beneath me. I jumped to the next one. It too showed the same weakness. I quickly looked back to find a gap where the first block should have been. It was too large for me to jump over, so I countinued to the top. Not my best choice ever. I ended up hanging from a metal bar jutting out of the slowly eroding stone of the tower. I knew I couldn't stay here forever. Mainly because the tower was probably going to collapse any minute.

"Alright Jak, I'm gonna jump to the next block, and hope it doesn't fall with ottsel wheight. I'll go a couple blocks up, and wait for you to meet me. Just swing yourself over."

I watched as he made his way up. He was soon out of my line of view. Swing myself up...Swing myself up. Easy for him to say. I started to rock back and forth, slowly building up enough momentum to carry me to the next block. I just hoped that my swinging wasn't going to tear the bar loose of the wall. Thankfully it didn't, and I swung myself up. The block remained in place. Thank whatever god there was for that. I hurried up, and found Daxter waiting for me reciting the words "Please don't let him die, Please don't let him die."

That really comforted me. Really.

"I'm glad you feel that way Daxter." I said, attempting a chuckle. It came out as more of a cough, but it was a step.

"Jak! You're not dead! Oh thank god!" He ran at me, and hugged my leg. It was the part of me that he could easily and quickly reach. I picked him up, and put him back on my shoulder.

"I saw the flag. It's over there!" he said, pointing a little to the left, and past a set of columns. Sure enough as I moved foreward there was the flag. I couldn't see it before because the right column was in the way.

"Alright, let's grab it, and get out of here. This place is gonna fall any minute now."

I nodded, and grabbed it. Then I made the mistake of touching it to the ground agian. I swear I didn't do it as hard as it looked. Nonetheless, the Ruined Tower was collapsing at a slightly quicker rate than before. Daxter screamed, and I think that I would have had I thought to. I didn't though, so instead I ended up closing my eyes, and surprisingly landing on the ground unscathed, along with Dax. I can't help but feel that someone up there has taken a liking to me.

Torn looked impressed, and I watched his face closely as he surveyed our 'work'. We had indefinitley ruined the Ruined Tower.

I'm pretty sure that he said the only thing that was appropriate at the time. "Yeah...I guess you guys are in."

"I just hope that we never have to do anything like THAT again!" Daxter yelled out as the red-haired man walked off. Torn just laughed.

That can't bode well for us.

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Well, I hope you liked installment 4, and I just want to say that this is my favorite chapter yet.

Also, just so you know I'm taking Microcomputer for two weeks from 8:oo to 12:oo every day for two weeks starting today, the 12th of whatever month it is...umm..July. Yeah, July. So, I won't be able to update as often. Sorry. It's pretty okay so far, and we'll get to use Photoshop and stuff though, so it's all good I guess. I should have another short story out soon though to make up for it. J/T of course.