Jak II Chronicles
Part II: The Precursor Stone
Chapter 19: Tomb of Mar

"I'll tell you of a tale, a tale so grand, a tale of romance, adventure, power, magic, and ultimately, the balance of good and evil, a tale of young Prince Christof, whom must stop an evil force and save his kingdom. This is his story."

And thus, the play started. I sat down next to Samos, both of us uneasy. The beginning story started with the birth of Young Prince Christof. A big musical, one so bold and brave, rang through as the news of Christof spread. A teen sang the role as King, the father to Prince Christof.

"As I proudly hold my child in the air
I have shining hope and care.
This child shall bring the Kingdom Light
With his plans and daring might
Our very own Christof
Prince of our Kingdom!
Protector from the Horo-Quans!
Our very own Christof!"

Then we cut to some other scenes involving Christof, the young prince, still a child, escaping the palace walls to visit the outside world of his kingdom. There he met the main female character, Nadia, overdramatically played by Zera. There, they sing a song of their lives, the prince's duty and Nadia's poor, peasant life, as well as showing she was an excellent thief. I saw Christof's family and guards and eventually, I saw the destruction of the city where the Horo-Quans were destroying it. I eyed Samos who lowered his gaze to the floor. Poor Samos. He had witnessed the destruction of those vicious creatures. I gave him a pat on the shoulder and we continued to watch.

We see the prince being trained over the years to fight, his song he sings victorious and proud.

"I shall defeat the evils of the land!
Training from a boy to a man!
I shall fight from morning till night
Until I have the power and might!"

I never realized how much passion Jak could put in his character he was playing. I don't care how much he denies it; the child can act…and sing! An artistic talent, it doesn't really run in the family that often. My only artistic ability is my accurate drawings of maps. Well, I guess that could count somewhat.
The play continued as Prince Christof grew. The play showed him meeting new friends and reunited with Nadia who joins to fight against the Horo-Quan who killed her parents. They must journey to find the secret Horo-Quan location. Along the way, they meet a Lurker, signaling Milo's cue. Milo, playing Taki the Lurker sang of how he is in a trap that the "cruel Precursians" trap him in.

"I am nothing but fur to them
A creature so strong and true
They do not see that quality
I cry, my fur turns from red to blue
I beg of you, please spare me
I shall not destroy you
I am gentle in reality
My words, they speak so true."

And of course, the Prince Christof freed him and Taki the Lurker joined. Milo, too, was an excellent actor and singer. I saw the people amazed and talking of his "lifelike costume". I felt a tinge of guilt. Along the journey, they meet evil villains and devious minds, but they manage to overcome them all and after a destiny song with Prince Christof meeting the spirit of his father, he had the strength to fight. That's when a special song came…

"Silence did the world sound at first…
Never managing to utter a word…
Great Precursors gave us life.
Enriched out world with green and aqua…
Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds
I live in another part of the world
But always know I am here…

When Jak sang that song, I saw in his face a sense of connection I have never seen before. That song was a song Jak sang often. He sang it often, but until now, it seemed to hold a special meaning to the young child. Tears from the audience fell down during this part…

I witness the prince's final battle with the Horo-Quan. Then the prince gained enough power and became a powerful Precursor because he had the balance of light and dark in him. More dramatic matters happen and the Prince saved the day. He was crowned King and married Nadia, and then a brave song sang again.
The curtains closed and everyone applaud. Then the cast came and bowed. Flowers were thrown and bouquets were given, especially to Jak and Milo who both seem to have stolen the show.

A few minutes after the applauds, Samos and I went backstage where Jak and Milo were already being congratulated.

"You were SO awesome!"
"I want your autograph!"
"Marry me, Jak!"

Jak managed to shove his way to the crowd of his now number one fans and run over to me where we exchanged hugs.

"You were most excellent, my boy." I smiled, "Using your song that you often sing."
"Yea." Jak nodded, "I had to use it…I was connected to it." Then he hugged me again.
"Take off your mask, you must be hot in there." came a teenage girl upon seeing Milo, "I bet you look cute in there." The teenagers were pestering Milo to remove his mask, unaware he was truly a Lurker both inside and out. Zera came at this point and gave Jak his notebook.
"Here." Zera looked quite embarrassed, "You saved the show…not to mention perform well…you'll be good for show biz." Jak smiled and kindly took the notebook.
"Thank you." Jak nodded.
"Yea…whatever." And Zera went about her usual way, oh, little Zera…

Afterwards, Jak noticed the girls hounding Milo, asking him to remove his mask.

"Oh-No." Jak muttered, then race towards Milo, "Don't crowd him! Don't!" The girls start to tug at his face and it took them a good few minutes to realize Milo was an actual Lurker.

A sound of panic rose and everyone just leaving the school play saw the teenagers running for their lives from Milo, the exception being Samos, Jak, and I.
"Oh-no!" Jak gasped. The teenagers explained that Milo was a real Lurker and the adults gasped in shock and horror.
"Is this true?" the mayor cried, "Is that thing truly a real Lurker?" And Jak made the mistake by speaking the truth.
"He is, but he's not a bad Lurker!" Jak cried. The villagers screamed in panic and shock. Jak, the miracle child, brining in a Lurker in their village. Talks of burning Jak and Milo on the stake were frequently spoken.
"Please!" Jak cried, "He's not evil!" But to change the entire village's mind on Lurkers was a tough challenge…

………………

Onin's Hut
Month 1: Januria, Day 12 (Winter Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Behold! The Seal of Mar is now complete." There, the Seal of Mar resembled a flat piece of the pendent the kid wore before he broke it in half, "Onin says the three artifacts you've retrieved from the Mountain Temple... arrrrk... are relics from an ancient Light Tower." Pecker continued to speak as the Seal of Mar gently flew to Jak's hands. He was summoned by Pecker through Puar that morning when given report that the Seal of Mar was complete. It has been exactly one month since Purity Day and Jak's missions have been pretty slow lately.

"Great, maybe now we can find the Tomb of Mar." Jak grinned, Daxter nodding.
"Old songs tell how this light tower once shined down on the actual site of Mar's tomb! I sing one of these songs for you. " Pecker optimistically spoke, "From the mists of time, Mar's light would shine..."
"Whoa there iron lungs! Just tell us what we need to do. " Jak interrupted while Daxter had his ear covered.
"Cretins with no taste, huh?" He spat out in disgust, "You must take the three artifacts to Mar's gate. Only then will the Light Tower rise and reveal the tomb. It's located in Haven Forest. Can't miss it." Jak nodded and made his way out.

He inform everyone close to him he was going to find the Tomb of Mar. Everyone was more then shocked, but half of them Jak knew were excited, especially the child and Kor.
"Finally, the Precursor Stone is within our reach." Kor grinned, clutching the kid's shoulder rather tightly. The kid, as well as a few others would meet at the location as soon as Jak found it. Tomorrow would be when Jak would find the location. Everybody was clearly excited. Finding the stone might prove to be beneficial to their quest.

"To Jak!" Samos made a toast and everyone raised their glass and repeated, "To Jak!"
"I doubt we should be celebrating too soon." Torn's gravely voice came, "We have no clue if the kid WILL even succeed."
"Oh, Torn, you're such a party pooper." Tess nudged him on the arms, and then proceeded to be entertained by Daxter. Everybody started to dine. The child ate rather slowly though. He was the most excited a few hours back. Jak noticed, but said nothing, preferring to chat with the young heir after dinner. And chat he did as he started to carry the child to bed. With Jak tucking the child in and even going as far as reading him stories, people nicknamed Jak, "Father Jak" or "Brother Jak". Jak told them all to "shut up or I'll bust your kneecaps". Lovely, eh?
"Jak, can I talk to you?" The kid asked as Jak started to tuck him in.
"Sure, I had a feeling something was up, you were quite upset during dinner." Jak answered.
"I was thinking of the trials in the Tomb of Mar." The kid answered, "Kor told me the trials will be devastating and dangerous."
"Well, you can do it, kid; you got the makings of greatness in you." Jak grinned, "I mean, with all the hell you've experienced in the past 3 years during Praxis' rule, a tomb is no problem for you!"
"Jak, I am still a boy." The kid came out, "I do not know if my magic alone can help me. I believe I need physical strength as well." Jak was silent, not knowing how to counter back. He didn't get a chance to anyways; the child was starting to cry.
"Oh, kid…oh, come on, don't cry." Jak frantically searched for a tissue, "You'll be fine, I'll be right with you."
"I must enter alone!" The kid spoke louder, "…I'm scared, Jak." The first time Jak ever heard the child say that. Jak always seen the kid as a brave soul, someone who couldn't be scared off so easily. While other little kids peed their pants and cried for their "mommies" in a time of turmoil, the child remained brave in the face of danger. Jak sighed and came over. He crawled into the kid's bed and wrapped his arms around the little child, holding him like a parent would to his child.
"I'm scared, too." Jak admitted. The kid sniffed back a tear.
"Really?" For once, the child sounded like an 8 year old.
"Of course, I am." Jak tried to smile to lighten the situation, "Every mission I go to, my heart beats super fast. I'm scared that I'll die when I still need to save the world and stuff."
"I thought you wanted to get revenge on Praxis." The kid stared at Jak. Jak just smiled back and shook his head.
"This is more then getting revenge on Praxis." Jak softly spoke. The kid smiled back a little, "There, that's better. Smiles are always best in times like these." Jak got off the bed and tucked the child in again.
"Kid, don't worry, I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." Jak urged another smile, "Now sleep, we got a big day ahead of us."
"Good-night, Jak." The kid spoke.
"Night, kiddo." Jak left the room and sighed. The child was right. He's heard of the trial and how much it requires physical strength among others. How will the child surpass it? Hell, the child would die in there. No, Jak wouldn't allow this. He needed to tell them…

"WHAT?" came Samos.
"You can't send the child inside the tomb!" Jak cried, "He won't survive!"
"You cannot decide fate, Jak, only the Precursors." Kor spoke, "Only the ones who have greater power then us mere mortals."
"The child will DIE!" Jak slammed his fist on Torn's desk. Torn stared at Jak with a bit of shock.
"The child WILL go through with this." Kor slammed his stick down. Ani was watching the two argue.
"You'd sacrifice the child's life for some stone?" Jak screamed, "WHAT IF HE CAN'T GET IT? WHAT IF HE DIES THERE?"
"He won't!" Samos shouted, "He was destined to retrieve it and retrieve it he will!"
"Screw this destiny crap!" Jak shouted, which was more surprising since he was one of the firm believers of such things, "He's only 8! He doesn't deserve to be stuck in some meat grinder!" Jak's face was red and his fist constantly slammed Torn's desk, which irked Torn, by the way.
"Oh, be quiet!" Samos came out, "You have no control over the child's life!"
"I-" Jak started to debate back.
"The point of the matter is, Jak, THIS is the child's fate…you CANNOT and WILL NOT change it." Jak tried to argue back, but three pairs of eyes were disagreeing with him.
"You will speak no more, now shut up and go to bed." Torn spoke. Jak, hastily, stormed off.

…………………

"Wow, there it is." Daxter gasped. Jak, Daxter, and Puar were on Haven Forest where after finding Mar's gate and opening it with the Precursor seal, made their way to an old device.
"Did Mar make this?" Daxter asked.
"I believe so." Jak shrugged.
"Got the items?" Daxter asked.
"…Yea." Jak softly spoke, and then handed Daxter the gear. Daxter took it and ran off, placing it in a slot on a tablet nearby. Jak sighed, looked at the sky, then ran. He ran past floating stones and to a tall tower-like device where he threw the lens cap, which fit perfectly. Then he and Daxter reunited and went to the middle machine where Jak placed the blue crystal in a slot. Once all three were in place, the slot zoomed inside the machine and after much needed machine noises and four thin peaks shot up, lasers came out and shot in the lens cap's direction which ricocheted all the way back to the city. As it zoomed pass the city, the people gasped at what they were witnessing. All the craziness, now this, a giant blue laser! It got even MORE disastrous when it hit the statue of Baron Praxis in the heart of the Mall area. People and Krimzon Guards alike ran in fear as the rocks and rumbles came crashing down. Next thing they knew, there was a hidden door. People wanted to see what was in it, but Krimzon Guards sent them back.
Praxis came after witnessing this; somehow knowing today would be the day that Jak would find the hidden tomb. He forbade anyone to enter and the KG made sure of that. Soon, Praxis and Erol (who was with him) hid in a nearby corner of the city as the kid, accompanied by Kor, Samos, Ani, Torn, and Tess ran towards the Mall area and went into the door.
"Perfect, now we wait for Bannon." Praxis grinned. And predictably, Jak came running with Daxter and Puar by his side. His bottom part jacket flew as he ran past the snowy grounds. Once inside, Jak and the gangs took an elevator down.

Tomb of Mar
Month 1: Januria, Day 13 (Winter Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Wow." Daxter gasped. Jak remained silent, guilty for doing this. Once down, he met with the others.
"You did it, Jak! You actually found Mar's tomb!" Samos gasped.
"Great! Now what? We send this poor kid into a meat grinder?" Jak cried out, clutching onto the boy's shoulders, rather tightly, I might add. The rest ignore his grip.
"This is the day I've long awaited! To hold the fabled Precursor Stone in my hands." Kor dramatically spoke, as though he had a sudden lust for power.
"You must be cautious, child. The tests of manhood are sure to be fraught with peril and Mar's heir must face them alone." Samos stared at the child.
"It's okay, kid. You can do it. It's just a deep, pitch-black, 'sure to be filled to the brim with painful death' old tomb." Daxter's respond grew less enthusiastic, and then he responded, "I wouldn't go in there."
"Well, now what?" Torn asked.
"We wait for the door to open, I suppose." Tess shrugged, then he eyed Jak, "Oh, Jak, I forgot. That girl, Kiera, she wanted me to give this to you!" Tess came to Jak with a small circular device with razors sticking out. Jak took it and eyed it.
"…Um….What the bloody hell is it?" Jak asked.
"It's a hoverboard; she said you could use it." Tess smiled.
"…Umm…What's a hoverboard?" Jak asked. Tess sighed and ended up explaining it. Jak still didn't get it, but he kept the board anyways, strapped to his back.
"Jak…I'm afraid." The kid spoke. Jak quickly went to the kid's aid.
"….I know." Jak said, sincerely and calmly, trying to reassure the boy.
"I'm afraid, but I know I must go through with this." Jak was silent. The child was ready to risk his very own life. Jak knew he would never make it, but what could he do?
"Here." Jak started to take off the pendent, "You might need the full thing."
"Jak, stop." He did, "I gave it to you. I do not want it."
"But--" Jak started to protest, but then a loud nose came about. Everyone gasped and stared up.
"Welcome, heir of Mar. I am the Oracle. Finally, the chosen one stands before me. Enter and prove yourself worthy to claim the ancient birthright. I shall be thy judge." The Oracle spoke. Its head was at the top of the door in stone, but it was clearly alive. The door started to slowly open from the top. Everyone was silent, no body talked. As the door slowly opened, voices came inside Jak's head. He couldn't make out what their saying. The voices seem to also speak in ancient Precursor language. It still was too silent for Jak to understand, but he was drawn to it. The voices were haunting, but it felt inviting. He felt the need to follow it. The voices, some of them, felt familiar to him somehow. He wasn't aware of what he was doing. He started to walk to the gate as it slowly opened, dazed and in a trance. He slowly left the child who stared at him in shock. Closer…closer…he felt so familiar…closer…closer..

"JAK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Torn cried.
"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Samos shouted.
"THAT IS FOR THE YOUNG PRINCE!" came Kor.
"Jak?" The kid whispered questionably, yet with a sense that he has discovered something. Still, he walked on until the Oracle stopped him.
"NO!" It cried. Jak snapped out of it and noticed he was halfway to the door. How did THAT happen!
"This child is too young to face the tests!" And the door started to close.
"What! No!" Kor gasped. Everyone was shocked and mainly confused. What WAS going on?
"Do something, Jak!" Samos cried out, desperate for anything to stop the door from closing.
Jak, without a moment's haste, automatically ran, but out of the tomb, but towards the closing door. He knew he wasn't allow to, but damn it, he wasn't going to push the kid in! He dive in the doorway, rolling under as the door was more then halfway closed.
"JAK!" Everyone cried.
"Ani, protect him!" The kid gasped. Ani quickly ran inside. Daxter noticed this and ran to Jak in panic.
"Jak, remember the 'sure to be filled to the brim with painful death' part!" He yelled, but as he got close to the door, he tried to runaway, but Jak pulled him in.
"YAAAAGHH!" He screamed. The door closed.
"Oh-No! Jak's gone to face the trials!" Samos gasped.
"That stupid kid!" Torn growled.
"No…he's gone to his death." Kor's dramatic voice came again.
"He's not the chosen one…oh, we are so doomed." Tess lowered down.
"He will make it." The kid came close, everyone repeating crying, "What?" The child stared back at the others, "He WILL make it, I know he will."
"You don't have any proof of that, your majesty." Samos gasped.
"Don't doubt me, Sir Samos!" The kid snapped, "He WILL make it."
"Freeze!" Another voice rang out and all of them turned to face the Krimzon Guards, Erol, and Praxis himself.

……………………

"Oh, great, we're stuck!" Daxter sighed. Jak looked around his surroundings. The entire place was huge and deathly ancient. Large statues of previous Kings stood placed on the walls, giant, massive pillars intimated the entire scenery, torches blazed in every corner, ancient writings were on the wall, and giant tablets of stories and legends of old covered every acre of the entire walls and ceiling. In the middle was a giant pool of water.

"Whoa." Daxter stared, wide eye.
"Yea." Jak nodded. Ani barked. Jak gasped and saw the little crocadog.
"Ani, you're here, too?" Jak smiled, bending down to pet the little dog, "Did the kid sent you?" Ani nodded.
"Well, alright, I need as much help as I can get…I can tell this isn't going to be so easy." Jak sighed.
"I wish I had Puar so I could keep contact with the others…I hope they're doing okay." Jak pondered.
"So, we're going in?" Daxter asked.
"Yep, we're going in." Jak nodded, "Come on, let's go." The trio went down a long path that led down to the large pool. Jak was pretty surprise to see the pool of water was shallow. From afar, it looked filled.
"We're just going to wade through this?" Daxter gasped.
"I suppose." Jak said, but Daxter's suggestion wasn't taken to heart when they spotted white fish-like creatures with black stripes lurking in the water, waiting for prey, and their teeth were inches long and deep.
"Never mind, I take it back!" Daxter shrieked. As Daxter clung onto Jak's leg, the taller one pondered for a brief minute before a light bulb shone above his head. Jak took out the hoverboard, "I can use this!" Daxter climbed on top of Jak's shoulder.
"Hope you know how to use that thing." Daxter mumbled. Jak stared.
"It's so small, how do you ride this thing?" Jak gasped. He searched every part of the board and after much staring, notice a small button, barely noticeable, "Of course." Jak mumbled and press the button, extending the board.
"Oh." Jak nodded. He threw the hoverboard near him and he was amazed at it hovering next to him.
"That's awesome." Jak gasped, "Thanks, Kiera." Jak then slowly climbed onto the board all the while maintaining his balance.
"Okay, I think I got it." Jak weakly smiled. Daxter clutched tightly to Jak's shoulder. Ani slowly climbed on the hoverboard, wrapping its tail around one of Jak's leg. Jak let loose and the hoverboard went off.
"WHOA!" Jak tried so hard to keep his balance. It was frantic enough to scare most of the striped creatures away though.
"Take it easy, Jak!" Daxter cried, "Practice!"
"What do you think I'm doing?" Jak cried back. After a few minutes, Jak manage to keep his balance and steering. Afterwards, they hovered over to the giant double door in front of them. Once there, Jak put his hoverboard back on his back and headed for the door. There he stood, waiting for it to open, but nothing.
"Nothing's happening!" Daxter cried, "What a load of crap!" The Oracle's voice rang clear.
"Pass the tests of manhood." The torches shone brighter on two doors to the side that Jak and the others haven't noticed before, "The trial of Manhood one lies on that door and the trial of manhood two lies on that door." Jak, Daxter, and Ani eyed each other.
"Come on, let's go." Jak gestured and the trio went to the first trial.

The double doors there opened slowly and the trio dwelled in. Immediately upon their enter the sounds of spiders filled the room.
"What's going on?" Daxter gasped, "What's with that sound? Jak?" The little ottsel shrank. Daxter screamed when he saw a shadow of a spider.
"IT'S A GIANT SPIDER!" he screamed. The spider's shadow came closer and closer and closer until…a small spider of normal size passed Jak's feet. Jak grinned and stared at Daxter who gave a sheepish smile.
"Well, it looked big and all and…" Daxter started, "Let's just go."
The trio traveled for a while. Nothing bad was happening, but there were quite a lot of spiders. They got bigger and more plentiful as the trio entered deeper into the trial. Daxter was shaking and proceeded to hide in Jak's bag. Ani was having a trouble time walking. Jak noticed this and carried Ani in his arms. Jak struggled in his way, careful not to touch any spiders.
"Jak, maybe we should go back." Daxter mumbled, "I don't like this. This sucks. I think I'm arachnophobia."
"I don't like it either." Jak groaned, "I haven't since this much spiders since the Spider Cave…I'm feeling rather disturbed." Jak took out his gun incase while the other hand was holding Ani. As they ventured in closer, they went up spiked platforms, crossed over dark eco pools, and activated switches, all the while avoiding spiders. So far, Jak was doing a good job. It was when they reached a dead end when things started to turn for the worse.
"Whoa." Daxter gasped. They were in a small room with absolutely no spiders. There was a pathway out, but it was blocked by a giant green boulder of some sort with elegant designs. Jak knocked on it.
"How very odd…the sphere feels like an egg." Jak gasped. Daxter noticed there were two pliers holding the egg. He leaped off of Jak's backpack and examined it.
"Maybe if we pull these pliers off, the boulder will move." Daxter suggested. Ani came close with concern on its face. Daxter noticed and grinned.
"Check this out, baby, I have opposable thumbs, so I can actually do something, while you just sit and wait and do…nothing." Daxter obviously enjoyed tormenting the poor dog. Ani just sat down next to Daxter, rolling its eye in disbelief. Daxter struggle to pull the pliers.
"Daxter, let me help-" Jak started, but Daxter refused. After a few minutes, the pliers came loose…and so did the boulder.
"Uhh…uh…JAK!" Daxter cried.
"DAXTER!" Jak cried out. The boulder was heading in the right, through another doorway Jak and the others haven't seen before. Ani was heard barking as well as Daxter's scream. Jak was about to go in to help them, but the doorway closed on him.
"DAXTER! ANI!" Jak cried, "DAXTER! ANI!" Jak slammed his fists onto the door. Oh, how will they ever escape?

………………

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Daxter's scream came as he ran for dear life, Ani following closely behind.
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT" Daxter shouted to Ani, seeing his state of panic, he was quick to blame others. Ani groaned. The young crocadog was much further away from the boulder as it was faster then Daxter, but the ottsel was dangerously close to it. Ani took a deep sigh, raced towards the boulder, grabbed Daxter by the neck, tossed him up in the air until he landed on Ani's back, and started to run with Daxter in toll. Daxter kept screaming all the way as the boulder came close. A loud sound made the two fall, but the boulder was nowhere to be seen. Infact, it broke into little pieces. Daxter and Ani both got up, only to hear a raspy sound behind them. The two slowly turned their heads and notice a giant spider behind them, hungry for some ottsel and crocadog meat. The two stared at the spider, then at each other, and screamed.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The spider gave chase and the two ran again.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR-" Daxter started again.
"OH, SHUT IT, YOU LITTLE RAT!" Ani cried. Daxter gasped again.
"YOU DO TALK!" he shouted as they kept running.
"WELL DUH!" Ani cried again, "What, you think I BARK all day?"
"YES!" Daxter shouted, and then slammed into a wall. They were in a dead end.
"Oh, great." Ani said, "Ottsels can climb, right?"
"Not against walls this smooth!" Daxter panicked. The spider came close.
"That's it, we're doomed." Daxter sighed, "And I never got to know true love."
"Think, Daxter!" Ani shouted. As the spider came close, it started to reveal it's behind, shooting webs. Ani and Daxter ducked in time, but another just came out.
"That's it!" Ani grabbed Daxter by the neck and used the spider webs as springs to get to higher places. The spider wasn't all that bright, so it unleashed another wave of webs and another. Ani and Daxter made their way up as a result, and kept running. They saw a doorway, but it was starting to close.
"RUN FASTER!" Ani screamed. Daxter was practically grabbing onto Ani's tail for that boost of speed. The two leaped and out the doorway just before it closed onto the spider who struggled to make its way out, but couldn't. The doorway closed and Ani and Daxter was in a very dark room with only a single torch above them lighting below.
"Oh, great, NOW where are we?" Daxter cried. He started to walk out of the light and into pitch black, but Ani grabbed his tail.
"Are you crazy?" Ani gasped, "You don't know what's out there! You can't even see in the dark! You could be walking into a trap!" She had a point.
"Then what do we do?" He cried.
"We wait." Ani answered.
"What?" Daxter shouted.
"Jak will think of something." Ani sighed, "Until then, we wait." Daxter sighed and sat next to Ani who was lying down looking rather depressed.
"So, you don't talk in front of the others?" Daxter asked.
"No." Ani shook her head, "I usually talk like this to animals."
"I see." Daxter mumbled, "Why?"
"Because most animals don't talk. Like you, Daxter, You talk, but you can't show it to the majority of precursians because it's not common. You know how easily precursians freak out."
"Hey, watch it, I used to be one." Daxter crossed his arms.
"I heard." Ani nodded.
"So, how is that you can talk?" Daxter asked.
"I don't know. My mother never spoke in precursian tongue." Ani answered to the best of her ability, "Maybe it's a gift from the Precursors. They work in mysterious ways." The answer seemed enough for Daxter as he quickly changed the subject.
"So…now what?" Daxter asked.
"I don't know." Ani sighed, "We wait, like I said."
"…I think we should get to know each other." Daxter suggested. Ani gasped, surprised at Daxter's idea.
"Look, we started off on the wrong foot, okay?" Daxter started, "And now that I get a closer look at you (and finding you're a lady), you're not so bad looking." Ani laughed a little.
"Eh, you're okay, too." Ani stare briefly at the ottsel's face, "So, what do you need to know about me?"
"You think Kor is strange?" He asked.
"Definitely, I do not trust that guy!" She shook her head. Daxter smiled, showing his teeth.
"This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship." Daxter sighed.
To Be Continued…