Jak II
ACT 1: A City Under Siege
Chapter 9: Fever
I wasn't aware of where Daxter was taking me for his "revenge", but that thought didn't stay long. I noticed that I was outside of the village and in the Forbidden Jungle. I wasn't aloud to go here. You have told me many times not to, but I had a new friend, so I went willingly, although I was kinda scared a bit. He took me further and further into the jungle, fearful that he would lose his way, but I tagged along. We stopped afterwards and Daxter told me to be quiet.
"What is it?" I whispered. Daxter pointed as we hid behind a bush. I didn't see why we had to hide behind a bush, but I got my answer when I saw Kiera and her group of tag-a-longs near a cave. I gasped. That was no ordinary cave…it was a Lurker cave.
"Daxter! What are Kiera and the others doing in a Lurker's cave?" I gasped, "That's dangerous!"
"Yea, and it's the perfect time for revenge." Daxter rubbed his hands, grinning evilly. I was confused, what was he going to do? More importantly, what was Kiera doing near a Lurker's cave?
"Kiera, I'm scared!" cried one of her groupies.
"Then go home!" She shouted, "I'm going in!"
"Kiera, don't!" cried a girl. Her name was Vena and was known commonly as Kiera's most loyal friend. She would never question Kiera and would tag along with her like some dog; Vena treated Kiera like the Queen she was. She practically ruled the playground anyways, but now, she was questioning her master's decision, "Kiera, you'll die! The Lurkers are dangerous!"
"I don't CARE!" Kiera threw a fit, "I HATE them! I HATE Lurkers! They killed my mom and dad! I'm gonna make them pay!" Kiera moved a few inches, stopped, then faced the others, "Well? Aren't you all coming in?" None of the kids made a move. They were too scared.
"FINE!" She hissed, "I'll go myself!" And without a second to take a breath, she marched right in the cave.
I gasped as I saw her go straight in. Daxter grinned, ready to launch his plans.
"Daxter, how did you know Kiera was heading there?" I whispered, rather panicky.
"I eavesdropped on her conversation a while back on how she planned to go here today." Daxter answered. I wasn't going to let Kiera die in the hands of Lurkers. Even if she did beat me up and said so many hurtful things to me, I could not let her die. So, I left the bush and met with the other kids.
"Hey! It's the freak kid!" cried one of the kids. More hurtful things were hurled in my direction.
"Kiera." I muttered.
"She went in there." One of the kids pointed, "She's going to die, I can tell." she obviously wasn't concern of the welfare of Kiera. I stared at the cave.
"You're not going to go in there, are you?"
"Awww, who cares? A freak like him belongs with freaks like the Lurkers."
"Jak!" I turned and faced Vena, who was crying harshly, "PLEASE, please bring Kiera back! I don't want her to die!" She cried and couldn't get another word out. To me, this was yet another turn of surprises. Vena, being the ever loyal right hand girl to Kiera, usually didn't even get an inch near me without putting on her infamous frowning faces. I wasn't sure if she despised me because she hated who I was or because Kiera hated me, but this was a shocking turn of events. I didn't say anything before Daxter interrupted.
"Don't worry, I'll save Kiera!" Daxter spoke in a manner that a hero would, "Come, Jak, let's go!" He marched into the cave, giving a slight gulp before doing so. I sighed and followed him.
The cave wasn't that dark as I thought. I could see well enough, but it was easy to stumble into a wandering rock or stump. The entire cave was small, which often made me question how the Lurkers could move about so freely and with little trouble. I was scared, but I wasn't going to let Kiera die.
"Daxter." I started, hoping to start a conversation to let loose the fear I had in me, "…What is your plan?"
"Simple, I'm going to scare Kiera by pretending to be a Lurker." Daxter grinned, "She'll be peeing in her pants."
"Daxter, why are you doing this?" I asked.
"To get revenge, silly." Daxter snickered, "She deserved it for beating up on everyone. You get beat up a lot, don't you want revenge?"
"No." I quickly answered. Daxter stopped and I bumped into him afterwards, causing me to fall on my bottom.
"What?" Daxter grew louder.
"No one deserves that much, Daxter." I said, "I do not care how much she beats me up, she's a good person." Daxter ignored me and moved on.
We must've traveled for about 15 minutes now. It was dull and tedious, going down a narrow tunnel. Our excitement came when we tripped and started to fall. We screamed…screamed…screamed until we heard a third pair of scream. We bumped into Kiera who was obviously scared. Daxter's plan was a bit ruined, though we did scare Kiera…somewhat. Both Daxter and I fell down a hole on the tunnels' end. After we manage to calm ourselves down, Kiera screamed out ears off.
"YOU STUPID IDIOTS!" She shouted, "I'm all bruised and bleeding because of you two!"
"HEY! You deserved it, stupid head!" And the argument started. I dusted myself off and stared at the two arguing. The argument seemed to trail off as I heard a distant sound from the hole next to us. It was a dark hole, one I could not see very well. The distant growl seemed to grow louder. I stared at that hole, unaware of the two arguing.
"Jak! Help me argue with her!" Daxter cried. I didn't say anything. I was staring at that hole.
"Jak?" Daxter repeated my name.
"Jak?" Kiera also repeated. They, too heard the sound now. The growl grew louder and louder…and staring back at us…were two yellow eyes. Then magenta colored fur. A Lurker was face to face with us. The three of us stood there, frozen. It was when it growled loudly did we run. We had to climb up the way we fell, struggling with all our might to get up. We were not good climbers in the tunnel; being just children, we had little upper body strength and out tiny hands were easily victims to the rocks and weeds we had to rely on to climb. Our hands were bleeding and bombarded with scratches ands cuts. It was a burning experience. The Lurker was an expert, however. His claws saw truth to that.
"That's it, we're dead meat!" Daxter cried.
"Keep climbing!" I motivated him, as well as Kiera who we let climb first. She was in an emotional distress. She hated lurkers, as well as greatly feared them. After all, her parents were killed right in front of her. Daxter and I had to practically push her out. After we climbed up, we ran down the long narrow path, the Lurker gaining up on us. Its speed was incredible.
"We're going to die!" Daxter cried out. We were all bruised, cut, scraped, and then some. Enough that we were slowly loosing blood. We needed to go to the hospital. I was the one furthest behind, so the Lurker was nearest to me. I could feel his fur and smell his breath. I was scared. I didn't wanted to die. The Lurker growled as I ran.
I saw light on the other end. I just needed to make it, make it so that I can survive. The Lurker got note we were close to escaping, so he stopped and threw a tantrum. We stopped, wondering why he did so, then we got our answer. He was creating a cave in. In a matter of seconds, we were trapped in the cave as the main entrance was blocked off. I could hear the other kids outside, screaming in fear. Daxter and Kiera were practically clutching onto each other, crying. Me? I just stared at the beast, wondering what I could do. I'm only a kid, what could I do?
"Leave them alone!" I shouted. Ooh, real good idea. Get the Lurker even MORE angry and provoked. Of course the Lurker took no threat from us, "Please, leave them alone! Let us go! We meant no harm!" The creature roared his laughter and tossed me until I collapsed harshly onto the ground. I couldn't move very well. The thrust was a hard one and in return, I lost all feeling on my right arm. I couldn't move it. The Lurker saw me as a weak individual, so he decided to leave me alone and take out the other two who were both busy screaming their heads off.
"No…" I whispered, "I…I won't…" I slowly got up, despite one of my arm lacking usefulness. The Lurker slowly aimed for the two. He was ready to swipe and kill them and eat them or something. I got up and got angry. I did not want them to die. I didn't know what happen next…all I knew was that…I was glowing…
Next thing I knew…the cave's entrance exploded, making a way out for us. A brilliant white light surrounded me…I felt…powerful.
"Go…" I told my friends…and they did. Next thing I knew…the lurker disappeared. I did not know if he ran away in fear or if…if I killed it, but I stopped glowing…then I collapsed…and I was unconscious. Then I woke up and I saw you, Uncle.
And So, Jak ended his tale. I didn't know what to say. This was a speechless event; I didn't get a chance to speak when a door knock came. I left his room and opened the door only to lower my head to see both Kiera and Daxter who had their fair share of bandages, just not as worse as Jak.
"Hello." Kiera waved.
"We came to see Jak…is that okay?" Daxter asked. I, shocked at first, smiled, and then nodded. The two kids went to Jak who saw them enter. Jak, despite all he had been through, all his insults, all his pain (both physically and mentally), waved to them with his good arm and smiled heartily.
……………………
Haven Forest
Month 9: Seminia, Day 3 (Summer/Fall Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)
"That's some peeper, huh?" Daxter commented, staring at the white light located on top of the ceiling.
The two went directly underneath it. Jak was careful not to get burnt as did Puar, but Daxter was a bit careless.
"Something's cooking? Hmm, kinda smells like…" The smoke was obviously coming from his tail. The light from the sun was heating it up, causing his tail to burn, "..Burnt Ottsel? Aggggghhhhh!"
And with that, Daxter ran off like a crazed maniac, running into a switch that caused the platform Jak was on to spin. The object they seek slowly landed in their direction. Jak smiled and took the glass lens. It was quite a huge piece of object, covering half of his chest. He smiled as he eyed Daxter who was previously running around, trying to cool his tail which was now a smell shade of smoke.
After about a month in Haven Forest, the three finally got the last item. They had already nabbed the second item a while back, a beautiful blue crystal. One which someone like Krew would greatly add to his collection or maybe even trade it for some wad of cash. With the three in Jak's bag (the lens cap was a bit harder to shove in), the trio headed down where BellFlower happily waited for them. After a nice pat on the head, Jak, Daxter, Puar, and BellFlower made their way back to the farm. There, Avery greeted Jak back and his wife made them some fresh food which they all gored down like dogs.
After a couple of days sleeping and relaxing their muscles, the trio waved good-bye to them (as well as BellFlower), and left. They needed to go to Onin's, but they knew they should see Torn first.
"He might worry about us." Jak smiled. Worry indeed. Torn practically ripped Jak's face off. His screaming went on for a good hour while Jak slowly grinned, taking it all in. He was used to it.
Afterwards, he contacted with Pecker on the three items he had. Pecker scheduled to give it to them as soon as possible (it was more on their end as they were swarming with customers). Right now, he was happy to be back in the Underground. The place was no Haven Palace, but Jak quickly accepted that it was his home.
……………………
Haven City
Month 9: Seminia, Day 6 (Summer/Fall Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)
During his stay in Haven Forest, the leaves started to dramatically fall and change colors. The temperature dropped. Autumn was finally approaching. The leaves were now a mixture of orange, red, and yellow, with some hints of green, some mixed in color. All in all, the environment looked beautiful which said a lot concerning the drab area of Haven City. This was Tess' favorite season, one which Daxter would take advantage and comment on his "likings" for this season to warm up to the tall blond. Jak enjoyed it, too. As a child, he would collect every different colored leaves he could find for his collection. He simply loved the surreal colors. For a while there, he had a sense of contentment. It helped in this otherwise dull city. How he missed his surreal Sandover village town. He often wondered how the people in there were doing. He wondered if his uncle was doing alright.
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" He heard the distance sound of Daxter who was in a state of panic. Ani the crocadog was chasing after him. Jak sighed and got Daxter away from the dog while the Kid got Ani away from Daxter. They both apologized for their "pet's" behavior.
"I heard that Sir Torn hasn't given you a mission in a while." The Kid smiled.
"He's still pissed that I haven't kept contact with him, is all." Jak shrugged, "It's okay. I'm used to his yells. After all, I got yelled at all the time in prison, even if I think the bloke should just calm down every five seconds or so."
"Prison…must be awful." The kid looked down, "My uncle does so many harsh things to people. One cannot imagine what it's like to live in one of his prisons."
"Well, I survived and I haven't gone insane…sorta." Jak cleared his throat.
"You're special, Mr. Jak." The kid smiled.
"No, I'm not." Jak shook his head, in near disbelief.
"Yes…you are." The kid nodded, knowing he was sure of what he said.
"Did you find out anything about my…er…fainting problems and whatnot?" Jak asked, changing the subject. The kid shook his head…
……………………
Onin's Hut, The Bazaar
Month 10: Octeria, Day 10 (Fall Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)
It was a cold and rainy autumn day when Jak, Daxter, and Puar (eagerly hovering behind), went over to Onin's hut. It was hell to get there since the rain was a freakin' storm, but Pecker and Onin had little time to chat with Jak. They DID have a job as soothsayers, getting customers who wish to have their fortunes told (which was the main reason why it took over a month for them to meet again).
"We get a lot of customers during the fall seasons, especially on rainy days." Pecker translated for Onin, "Rain is considered a bad omen, so they come over here for some fortune and luck."
"A lot of crap, I say!" Pecker scoffed, "You (pointing to Jak) precursians believe anything!"
Jak was in a rather stressed mood, seeing as they had no clue it was going to rain so harshly, the trio didn't possessed an umbrella. Puar had no problems. She was waterproof. Daxter was semi alright, his fur kept him from getting so cold. Jak, on the other hand, had the difficult problems. Despite his tight blue leather tunic, the young teenager was shivering head to toe.
"Puar, when we get home we're installing an umbrella in you." Daxter groaned.
"Don't you watch the TV for news on weather reports!" Pecker pointed out.
"I don't really watch TV. I find it to be mindless dribble." Jak answered. Indeed, his stay in Haven City hasn't spoiled him with technology. He still prefers the more simpler approach, only using technology in most cases if it was of necessary use.
"Well, we DO have newspapers!" Pecker rolled his eyes.
"Can we just bloody do this! I'm freezing my ass over here!" Jak cried out, irritated.
"Some people are never patient." Pecker softly muttered.
It is such a shame. Jak, who had suffered two years in prison, being tortured, tormented, probed, alienated, and experimented. His life in Sandover Village where he proceeded to hardwork by cleaning, carrying wagons, helping people carry heavy objects, and of course, the grueling missions Torn and others have sent him to do, yet despite all that…a simple rain storm was key to Jak's downfall. He had a problem staying healthy for such a long time for unknown odd reasons, despite himself keeping in shape, eating right, exercising right, and the likes. The young man suffered greatly from fevers, headaches, and other unknown sickness that plagued him. Doctors in Sandover would often come over on Jak's worst sick days and tell his uncle and Samos that he had no hope in surviving this whatever disease/sickness he had, yet a few days later, Jak was healthy once again. It was an odd case. Samos theorized his magic inside his body and every use of it weakened his immunity system, yet ironically healed him when he was at his worst. One of the reasons the people of Sandover saw Jak as the miracle child, truly one sent by the Precursors, they muttered.
Right now, Jak was having problems fighting off the raindrops falling on his face. He had a long overcoat with a hood, leather and dark blue as his dark blue tunic which he wore to keep warm during the fall and winter weather. He placed that long overcoat over his face along with his red scarf which acted more scarf-like then as a hooded disguise or fashion statement, even though it would not be enough. He had to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING to keep warm. Driving a zoomer was definitely out of the question in this kind of weather. In fact, he rather not drive on any vehicles, not even the well tracked Trams ("I left my Tram card at home and I don't have enough money to get in one, Torn hasn't paid me yet, that bloody bastard."). He walked the entire way…this caused him a good few hours to get to Onin. The rain did not stop.
……………………
"What took you so long anyways?" Pecker screeched as the three entered, completely wet, "We actually had to cancel a few customers because of you!"
"Cancel?" Daxter gasped, "All along, you could CANCEL? We WAITED a month for this and you could cancel? You couldn't even cancel people on a better weather, huh? WHAT IS CRAP!" For once, Jak followed Daxter's complaint.
"Think of it as a test to prove yourself." Pecker grinned, eyeing Jak, which only further boiled Daxter's blood.
"Did we pass?" Jak groaned, stressed. Onin nodded and Jak collapsed to his knees.
"Here…" Jak groaned, "The three items." And with that, Jak slowly took them out of his soaked bag. Onin made them all float and examined them to make sure they were the real deal. She put on a pondering face, eyed it for a good few seconds, and then nodded in approval.
"Onin said that these are acceptable." Pecker translated, "She will examine and research them, so for now, you guys can be off."
Wait…that's it?" Daxter gasped, "We don't get to stay?"
"What, no! We got paying customers, now shoo!" Pecker shushed them away with his wings.
"But it's pouring rain out there." Daxter groaned, "My fur smells horrible! And Jak looks like some homeless person!"
"None of my business." Pecker groaned, "Now leave so we can do business." And with that, Pecker shushed them away.
"Great, we gonna walk back!" Daxter growled, staring at Jak.
Onin made some gesture towards Pecker who loudly complained. She made a stern face as if he didn't do what she asked, he'd be roasted Monkaw. Pecker grumbled and walked off of Onin's hat, made his way to a corner where a small brown knapsack was, and fished out some currency.
"Here, Onin said to use this to take a Tram home." Pecker bitterly spoke, "Just take it before I change my mind!"
"WOO! SCORE!" Daxter grinned as Jak pocketed the money. Pecker vindictively eyed the trio as they left, then grumbled back towards Onin. The first few customers after Jak had a rather unpleasant fortune reading as a result…
Meanwhile, the three hitched a ride on the nearest Tram back to the slums.
…………………
The tram ride was a bit surreal this time around. Except for the occasionally friendship exchanges by friends, and little kids making a bit of a fuss, the Tram was exceptionally quiet and empty. Most people quickly left to go home. It was already 6 PM and the sky was already dark from the storm clouds which were in their blackest of all blackest in color.
Being it was near empty, Jak sat on a lone bench. Daxter shook the water of his fur before sitting next to Jak. Jak covered his body with his overcoat, trying to retain his warmth. He was violently shaking.
"Master Jak…are you alright?" Puar asked with great concern. Jak didn't say or do anything to respond her question.
"Puar, ya better leave him alone." Daxter suggested in a half sleepy tone, "…He's not used to cold weather."
"…Daxter…he's so pale." Puar responded. Daxter, unfortunately nodded in agreement. Daxter, being Jak's friend for a decade truly knew what that meant…
…………………
Jak slept early that night. No buts about it. No matter how much Torn commented on his "laziness", no matter how much his underground buddies wanted to have fun with him, no matter how much the Kid wanted to discuss matters with him. Jak wanted to sleep, nothing more. Daxter knew fully well why and made sure no one would disturb him.
Morning arrived fast. Puar received a phone call from Vin to which Daxter picked up in the privacy of an empty sans Daxter, Puar, and the sleeping Jak.
"Where's Jak?" came the small, holographic Vin.
"Sleeping." Daxter sighed, "What are you calling for?"
"What am I calling for!" Vin gasped, "I came to tell Jak the elevators are now operative! He can enter into the Baron's palace if he wants to."
"Really?" Daxter cried out, "Geez, I'm sure Jak would be glad to do that as soon as I tell him…that's why I'm, NOT planning to tell him."
"Whu-why?" Vin asked, confused.
"I think Jak's sick." Daxter sighed, "Too much time out in the rain yesterday."
"Well, that wasn't a smart move, couldn't he, oh, I don't know, stay home?" Vin cried out, flailing his arm in true panic.
"Like he had a choice." Daxter sighed, "Look, I'll tell him when he's better, okay?
"Alright…but please hurry; the Baron will wonder why the elevators are on!" Vin gulped, "And if he finds out that they are on, I'm doomed. I just know he's going to be pointing fingers at me!"
"Yea, yea, don't worry, Jak's a fast healer." Daxter sighed. He hung up. Daxter scratched his furry head, and then eyed Jak who was right across from him, sleeping. The blanket he had on was a thin, skinny one with his overcoat on top. One blanket per member. There were no heavy ones, so they had to make due with what they got. Daxter knew Jak needed as much warmth as possible, so he ran on all fours to Torn who was busying himself with maps of the city and the surrounding areas. The Kid was with him in the same room, reading a rather fat book. Since it was quite huge and quite heavy, the kid had to plop it down on his legs. It was his favorite book because it explained so much on the Precursors and the stories and legends behind them. The child, too wore warm clothings. His overalls were the same, but he now had on longer sleeves and boots.
"Hey, big guy!" Torn stopped his work and eyed the loudmouth rodent.
"What?" Torn hissed.
"Little favor." Daxter answered, keeping himself a good distance away from him.
"What?" Torn repeated, glaring.
"It's Jak." Daxter started, "I ahhh…well, the weather is pretty cold and all…and Jak wasn't himself yesterday…so, I was wondering…you happen to have any extra blankets for him to use? Ya know, maybe one or two?"
"No." Torn's answer was harsh and to the point, "I'm not making favors on anyone!"
"But-" Daxter protested.
"NO." Torn hissed, "Jak's a strong kid, he doesn't need to be baby'd."
Daxter mumbled in complaint. The kid watched as the little Ottsel made his way out. On his way out, Daxter nearly ran into Tess.
"WHOA!" Tess gasped.
"AHH, sorry, babe." Daxter moved out of the way. Tess was lucky that she wasn't the victim of falling. In her hands was a tray for Jak.
"It's okay." Tess sighed, smiling.
"What's that?" Daxter eyed the food.
"For your friend, Jak." Tess answered, "He's usually up by now, but since he isn't, I decided to give him his breakfast today." Tess, too, was dressed warmly. Long pants, long sleeved sweat shirt. Everyone in the Underground had their autumn and winter clothing ready. It seems only Torn remained the same, his armor and leather outfit providing as much warmth for him as it would any one.
"Hey, that's decent." Daxter smiled, "Just place it somewhere; I'll try to get him to eat."
"Oh, Daxter, you're such a sweet little Ottsel." Tess giggled, pinching his left cheek.
"Oh…I can be MORE then sweet, baby." Daxter moved his eyebrows up and down, "If you know what I mean." Tess once more giggled upon Daxter's antics.
Daxter followed Tess into the room where Jak was. The room was quiet, as well as dark. No windows were located and with the lights off, it was pitch black. Tess, knowing her way around headquarters, slowly moved in and placed Jak's food down on a small table before leaving. Daxter's job was simple, waiting for Jak to wake up, then help feed him. This went on for two days before Torn got pissed at Jak's laziness (as far as he was concerned), and ordered him to get out.
"You had your vacation, I gave you time to heal from Haven Forest, now GET OUT and do something!" Torn banged on the door, "You damn lazy blonde idiot!"
"…Ow…my head." Jak mumbled, clutching onto his head as he curled in his blanket. Daxter sighed. He went over to the banging door, opened it, responded Jak wasn't feeling well, then closed it. Torn was even more pissed, thinking Jak was merely making excuses. He did not trust the blonde haired boy just yet. Hours later, the Kid took matters into his own hands and told Torn to fetch a doctor for Jak. Torn, knowing full well arguing against the prince would be futile, went up and got the Underground's doctor. Simple rule: If you mess with Prince Christof, you'd better have a damn good argument to debate against.
The doctor came and after much inspections (and Torn constantly asking, "Are you sure he's not faking it?"), it was confirmed Jak was very ill.
"A fever at the least." The doctor replied, "Here…give him these after every meal." The doctor handed in some herbs packaged in a white envelope. Torn practically snatched it out of his hands and eyed it quickly before facing the doctor.
"With it, he'll heal in no time." The doctor smiled.
"Thanks, doc." Daxter patted his leg. Torn gave the medicine to Tess who was now officially in charge of it.
"Make sure he gets plenty of rest." The doctor continued.
"Oh, I saw plenty of that!" Torn crossed his arms.
"And always, always keep him warm." The doctor finished, "His temperature is pretty high, any slip of cold air and he could suffer worse then a fever." And the doctor left after that. Daxter eyed Torn, who merely shrugged and left to go back to his duty.
"He'll never admit he was wrong." Tess sighed, "That's how Torn is."
And thus, for a good week, Jak stayed in bed with Daxter and Tess constantly on his ever need. Jak manage to get at least 2 or 3 blankets on top of him, happily donated by a couple of Underground members who chose to sleep in their long overcoats for the time being.
……………………
"Sick, are we?"
"You again!"
"Ahh, yes, the dark and obviously, better side."
"GO AWAY!"
"HA! Remember when you yelled at Daxter in Haven Forest? I almost came through!"
"I didn't mean it when I yelled."
"You didn't even apologize to him, fool. You are getting worse."
"SHUT UP!"
"Hahahahahahahehehehehehehehehe! This is SO much fun! I love torturing you!"
"Damn it! I HATE you! I BLOODY hate you!"
"That's right, keep saying it. Keep hating me. Hating can help me grow. Hate is a sign of darkness."
"SHUT UP! Leave me alone!"
"Hehehehehehehe. How delightful to watch you squeal."
"Leave me alone."
"Your thirst for revenge makes me strong and delightful."
"I said…SHUT UP!"
"Hahahahahehehehehehehe."
"SHUT….UP! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
……………………
Jak's eyes were wide open. He was sweating. He gasped harshly, each breath a struggle.
"Jak, are you okay?" Daxter asked.
Jak groaned, clutching onto his stomach.
"Jak?" Daxter grew worried, "Jak, you okay?"
Jak still clutched onto his stomach, groaning.
"JAK!" Daxter gasped. Jak ran off from his bed and quickly ran into the bathroom where he made the biggest vomit he (and everyone else for that matter) has ever heard. Everyone in the room where Jak slept woke up to hear Jak's vomiting,
……………………
Underground HQ, The Slums
Month 10: Octeria, Day 21 (Fall Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)
A week and a half passed before Jak could even walk without fainting or acting dizzy. He was able to eat on his own. He still had a bit of headache, but this was a tremendous sign that he was recovering, so much in fact that Jak was ready to fight the Baron.
Now, he knew telling Torn would only piss him off. What he was about to do was absolutely foolish. So, Jak spoke with Vin quietly.
"Well, ya better hurry; I got till tonight to take the power down." Vin gulped, "Suspicion is rising."
"Don't worry." Jak commented, "Everyone sleeps at about 10, so I'll leave an hour later."
"Hurry." Vin shook nervously, rubbing his hands together, trying to calm them from shaking so much. Jak nodded and Puar connected them off. Jak smiled, rubbing his forehead. It was still hurting, but he needed to do this. He wasn't going to wait another few months. He wanted his revenge NOW. Jak chuckled to himself. He was ready and not even a sickness could stop him. He chuckled so more.
"So, you really are going."
Jak gasped and turned to see the Kid on the doorway.
"Yea." Jak answered, almost feeling guilty. He wasn't sure why though.
"I can't stop you…" The kid faced away from him.
"No." Once again, the guilt rose.
"Are you going to kill him?"
"………………I don't know, maybe."
"…………..."
"Kid--"
"Don't. You have to do what you have to do."
"……………"
"Please be careful." The child started to form tears in his eyes.
"Kid, I…"
"Do…what you have to do. Just be careful. You're still fully not healed and if you are not cautious, your darker self might take over."
Jak reminded silent.
The kid came closer to the taller blonde. Jak stood, frozen, wondering what he would do. The kid stopped when he was close to Jak, about a foot away from him. There, he just stood. Jak took this as his cue and bent down on his knees to the child's level. The child then wiped the tears of his face and offered Jak a smile.
"Mr. Jak, I wish to give you something for your journey." The kid spoke softly, trying to maintain a smile.
"Hmm?" Jak raised his eyebrows.
The kid, closing his eyes, untied his necklace holding the beautiful orange symbol. The symbol of Mar. Jak continued to eye the kid as the orange pendent rested on the small child's hands. Then, the child broke the pendent in half. Jak gasped. The pendent was now split in two. Seeing as the pendent resembled a yin-yang, there were two swirly shaped pieces on each of the Kid's hands. The second pendent magically gained a necklace.
"Mr. Jak, here." The kid offered one to Jak.
"What?" Jak gasped, surprised on what the child did. He broke the pendent in two. What was even more surprising was how seamlessly it pulled apart. It was as if the pendent was originally two, but pulled together as one when the Kid wore it.
"Take it." The kid urged.
"No, I can't." Jak gasped, shaking his head.
"You will need all the hope you can get, I am offering my half to you." The kid spoke.
"Why? Why me?" Jak asked, "Out of ALL the people you have known…why me? Compare to the others, I'm the new kid of the block…still."
"You are special…there is something about you. I do not know what just yet, but I feel as though I can greatly trust you." The kid still had his arm extended with the pendent he wished to offer, "I trust you, Mr. Jak. Please, this is my most prized possession…I care about this with all my heart, so you must see why I am giving this to you. Because I trust you."
After a bit of pondering and staring, Jak silently took the other half, and wore it around his neck.
"Thank you, your majesty." Jak bowed as he stood up. He hid the pendent inside his scarf so he wouldn't garner suspicion.
"Be careful…and good luck." The Kid spoke.
"I'll try." Jak nodded, "….As for your uncle…I can't promise anything."
Jak left the room, leaving the little boy alone. Tears once again flowed from his eyes.
"I know." The child replied.
To Be Continued…