Shadowsister A/N: CSI RULES! WOO! Omigod and we're getting CSI: NY next year. This is all in relation to my living in Australia (The best country in the world). Did anyone watch the end on Survivor: Vanuatu? I did. It was good. Ok, ok, I'll stop. But then you'll never hear about the really good book I'm reading. AXISTRILOGYBYSARADOUGLASS!
This chapter branches out a bit. So you get a bit of variation, and not three different versions of the same events. In this chapter, K'sani and Eko are taken as ritual sacrifices by bottled-water-worshiping fake-blond Star Trek geeks in yellow lycra and I (Shady) host a sophisticated tea party for all the good lords and ladies of Glootenshtineberg. The gentlemen shall talk of business while playing strip poker and the ladies discuss Duke Dirk Von Lichtenshmut's latest fiasco, whatever that means. Ooo, what fun!
The Obligatory "We Don't Own Anything" Rant: We don't own anything. But oh how we wish me did. Especially all rights concerning this game. It's so stupid that it has to end. But, damn was it a good story line. I mean, seriously, if you look back at all the stuff that happened in the first game and read that Precursor writing on the edge of the map thing it was really thought out. Not to mention all the designs for the buildings and architecture and clothes and vehicles and all that stuff. But I still can't help but be reminded of mozzies whenever I look at those Precursor statues. (Mozzies are mosquitoes in Aussie language. Huzzah!)
(Shady owns Kal so you can't have him. Got it?)
Shady's POV
So, I wake up in some random place with this random architecture in random clothes when a random guy walks in. Wait! Random clothes! OH! MY! GOD!
"Who changed me?" I yell at the guy.
My clothes were really different from what I had before. For one thing, these were a better fit as opposed to the baggy things I had on before. Now, I had a layered dusty pink tank top type thing and some type of skirt in beige. Nearby are some gloves and wristbands and knee-high boots. And there is also some weird orange shiny stuff that was most probably armoured-like stuff.
The guy's eyes widen in fear. "I, I--I don't know."
I narrow my eyes and glare at him.
"It wasn't me!" he says.
I ponder for a moment and the say, "I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and just coz I'm so nice."
He sighs in relief.
"So, what's your name, stranger?"
"I'm Kal."
"And what cosmic force possessed you to come hither and grace me with thy presence?"
"What?"
"Why are you here?"
"Oh!" he said, a little embarrassed. "Damas did; he asked me to check on you. And to take you to him when you woke."
Ah, so his high-nee-ness wants to see me. A lecture, no doubt. 'What you did was very irresponsible…' and whatnot. Adults are so predictable.
Sigh, "Ok, let's get this over with."
Kal helps me to my feet. I put on the boots (which were actually thigh high), the gloves and wrist bands, these two strap-y things on my left bicep and this addition to the skirt, which is basically four bits of leather that go over it. Then goes the armour, which is knee cap things, shin guards and only one bit of shoulder armour that segmented over my upper arm, for easy movement. All in all I look like all the other people I have seen walking around Spargus. You could not have picked me out in a crowd. It was so cool! He then leads me outside were I got a better look at him.
He was about twenty, a head taller than me. He had scruffy platinum-blond hair, almost white, desert-tan skin and dark gray eyes. He seemed nice; I think I'm gonna like him.
We reach the top of a scungy elevator system. It was the most beautiful scene I have ever seen.
The throne room was a network of ponds and drip waterfalls. Bridges over the ponds allowed for a passage to the actual throne. The gentle sound of water on water and the light mist that flowed in the air gave this area a serene atmosphere. These bowl-things that were on fire and indoor palm trees made it look even better.
"Nice, huh?" Kal says.
"Hell yeah!" I respond.
I continue to look around until I hear Damas' voice.
"Kal! You're here."
"Yes sir," Kal answers.
"And the girl?"
"Gawping, sir."
"With awe and not disgust. I'm impressed," I say.
"And you have knowledge in architectural designs such as what you see?"
"No, I just know what I like."
Damas gave an acknowledged nod. He walks down from his throne to me. He motions for me to sit by a pool and takes a seat next to me.
"You may leave now, Kal."
Kal nods and walks out of the throne room via scungy elevator. We sit for a while.
"How old are you, Shadowsister?" he asks.
"Sixteen years, sir," I say politely. Hey, just coz I'm arrogant or something doesn't mean I don't respect my elders. Besides, he's king and he knows this land better than me.
"When outsiders are of age they can earn their citizenship. We offer protection for ones who survive. Though we have never had someone so young fight for his or her citizenship," he says softly.
"Say what?"
"Technically, you are of age, according to the law. And, technically, all who are of age must fight for their right to remain in Spargus."
I was really scared now. 'Fight?' What did he mean by 'Fight?'
"I beg your pardon?"
"You are to go to the arena where you and the other outsider with fight to stay here."
"Wait, fight with or against?" I ask, absolutely terrified.
"All will be explained at the Arena. I will get Kal to escort you there."
Damas stand up and leaves.
"Ohhh boy." I bite my lip.
I slowly make my way back to the elevator. As I'm going down I wrap one arm around my self and start fiddling with my necklaces with my other hand, like I always do when I'm worried. The first things I think of when I hear the word arena is colosseums, man-eating lions, savage bloodthirsty uncouth Neanderthals and a hell of a lot of tomato sauce. And that movie, Gladiator. I am so gonna die.
I get to the bottom of the elevator where Kal greets me.
"Hey, Shades. How did it go?" he asks cheerfully.
"I'm gonna die," I tell him.
"What?"
"I have to go to the Arena."
"Oh." His mood immediately darkens. "I'll take you there then."
We didn't walk far when we stopped in front of these bi-footed lizard things with gimpy wings.
"What in God's name is that thing?" I say.
"They're Leaper Lizards," Kal explains, "We use them to get around."
He hands me the reins of a brown lizard.
"Does it have a name?" I ask.
"No he doesn't," replies Kal, "This one's a newbie. You can name him if you want."
I stroke the lizard's head and look into its amber eyes. What do you call a male Leaper Lizard from some parallel universe? I could give it one of them associative names, like 'Amber' but that was a bit girly. Or an opposing name, like 'Fluffy' or 'Cuddles.' I ended up making up a name from nowhere. I mean, the people here have weird names; the lizard might as well have a weird name also.
"I'll call you Shrii," I whisper to my new pet. The lizard chirps happily in agreement.
"That actually sounds nice," Kal comments. "Does it mean anything?"
"No meaning. I just like the sound of it. It's not too girly is it?"
"No! It's fine. I like it."
"Then, un-named lizard, from this day forth thou shalt be known as 'Shrii: Lord of the Deserts!'" I kiss Shrii and hug him.
"Come on." Kal mounts his own Leaper. "We should get going."
"Oh, yeah. My own gruesome death." I sigh and mount Shrii.
So off we ride, through the streets of Agrabah to the Arena. I wonder what they'll put on my tombstone. I hope it's something nice.
Outside the Arena I start to hyperventilate. Seriously, I'm in hysterics or something.
"I don't want to die! I have so much to live for! I haven't even had the chance to crash my purple bubble car that my parents are supposed to get me for my twenty-first birthday!"
"Shady! You are not going to die! At least not in the first part."
"Huh?"
"Listen to me. Stay calm, be alert and watch out for the lava."
"LAVA?" I yell as I am ushered out into a platform in front of Damas. Below me is the dreaded lava. Way below.
"What a time to get vertigo."
"Eh, I've seen worse," says someone.
I look around and see…
"Omigog its Jak and Daxter!"
Jak backs away at my sudden outburst. His hair is shorter and he has different clothes from when I last saw him. Daxter looks relatively the same, and most probably is. This was such a thrill. I was standing next to the most famous schizophrenic demon-elf thing and a talking weasel. Now, how many people can say they stood next to those two?
"Hi, I'm Shadowsister." I extend my hand, forgetting all about the lava and stuff.
"I'm Jak." He shakes my hand. WOAH! The thrill just got bigger.
"And this is Daxter."
"Daxter? That so does not do him justice. Hello, Orange Lightning!"
"You see, Jak," says Daxter. "She appreciates all my hard work and gives me a title worthy of my greatness, and I don't even know who she is."
"Right on!" I yell, "VOTE GREENS!"
"Jak, she scares me."
"Hail all citizens of Spargus!" a voice booms. "Welcome to the Arena of death. Where we get to watch other people wet themselves in fear. These halls will once again test three newcomers, each fighting to prove their worth to stay among us. Let's hear it for Jak, his obnoxious talking animal and some girly-girl with no ears!"
"Hey!"
"Pecker, there you are. Where were you?" Jak asks in shock.
"What's the bird-shit-for-brains Spaniard wannabe doing up there?" I whisper to Daxter.
"Oo, that's good. I'm gonna use that."
"Hey Chimp! Qué Pasa!" I shout to Pecker.
"She speaks the language of my kind!" Pecker gasps.
"I do?"
"Pecker!"
"Oh, yes. To answer your question, Jak: Damas says I am to be his new councilor. He says my wisdom will serve him well."
"No kidding?" I comment. I was wondering was he was going to be doing. Ever since I watched those previews it was driving me nuts.
"And um… Damas also says that ahh… you three are likely to die in the Arena today. And he hopes your death is very ahh…"
"Will you stop that!" yells Daxter. "Damas can talk for himself!"
"He's right. You will most likely die. And, yes. Pecker is my new advisor."
"Yeah, well, Shady says that we will not die. Shady says that there are still a great many tasks to be performed, at least for Jak. In fact, Shady says that Shady is 100 percent positive that Jak will for sure walk out of the Arena, relatively unharmed. Although there is no guarantee that Shady will survive but you never know, Shady might surprise you," Shady says (snort).
"Do not argue with the king." Pecker flies down to me.
"Oh, anda a morirte al desierto donde los pajaros puedan comerte los organos!"
Pecker fumed at what I said. I have nothing against him; I actually think he's pretty cool. He just annoys me so. And his accent sounds so fake.
He turns around and addresses the savage spectators that sound as if they are actually enjoying our misfortune. "Let the Games begin!"
I discretely make my way over to him, hands behind my back, looking all innocent like the good girl I am (...bull shit...). Still looking innocent I stand next to him for a while, that is until I kick him off the platform.
Pecker almost shits himself, as does Daxter, but for a completely different reason. He laughs so hard he falls off Jak's shoulder. As I make my way back to my spot I see Jak trying really hard not to look like Daxter. I get to my spot and assume a face of complete child-like innocence.
"HA!"
We are lead to the centre of the Arena. All these platforms surround us, each higher that the other, like an obstacle course. Nearby is a shiny floating ball of some sort. Ooo, shiny. As I look around there are many more.
"You must get all the tokens," Pecker says from a radio communicator that also floats.
"What? These shiny things?" I pick one up and start passing it from hand to hand. "Ooo, shiny."
"Yes, now go get them!"
So, off we go on our jolly adventure! Smashing dummies! Climbing ledges! Getting thrown over ditches coz they're too wide for me to jump over! Collecting shinies! By the time I get back to the platform I am just about ready to fall over and die.
"I am SO unfit!" I gasp.
"The candidates have… won the challenge," Pecker says, shocked and slightly disappointed.
"Damn right we won!" But why do I get the feeling that that was not the end of it?
"Anyone can make a few measly jumps. Now lets see how you rate against the living," says Damas. I just knew something like this would happen. Damas throws a gun at Jak and I. Jak catches it, no problem at all. Mine, however, falls to the ground as I instinctively raise my hands to my eyes. I pick it up and hold it at arm's length.
"Re-adjust the matter-formers. Prepare the Arena for full combat!"
I give one of my gasp-y screams of disbelief.
"Prepare the Arena for full combat!" repeats Pecker.
"I just said that," says Damas.
Pecker says something, but I'm not sure what it was. I was trying to figure out how to use the gun.
"You mean we have to fight against actual people? With actual weapons? Who actually want to hurt us?" Daxter asks.
"Apparently." I tilt my head, still trying to figure out the gun. "So if that's the trigger…"
"Fine! Bring 'em on!" Jak loads his gun, a look of determination on his face.
"Alright! That's it! I wanna be on his shoulder!" Daxter points at Damas.
"Damn it! How does this thing work?" I yell. A shock wave blasts out of the gun. Kinda reminds me of the Scatter Gun. Wait, it is the Scatter Gun. "Don't worry! I got it!"
"Watch out!"
A big, scary, smelly guy wearing a mask charges towards me, sword swinging. Impulsively, I scream, for a good minute or maybe more. The gladiator thing covers his ears at the annoying sound. With the butt of the gun I whack him on the head and then stab him in the crotch. He falls to the ground and I assume a smug look.
The smugness quickly fades as I see bigger, scary, smelly guys jump out onto the Arena. Having had some experience with the Scatter Gun, I wait for a couple of them to get within range and then I shoot them. Jak does basically the same thing, but in a more professional-looking kind of way.
Just when I'm getting into it I hear a ringing noise. Lava starts to spew in through hole in the floor. At this point I have no idea what to do. In a few seconds the whole arena will be flooded. What do I do? WHAT DO I DO!
"This way!" Jak grabs my hand and leads me to a block. He practically throws me onto it and then jumps on himself. The lava flows onto the battle field killing some of the stray big, scary, smelly guys.
Eventually the lava recedes and we are able to resume the all out gunfight for a few minutes. I look around to see how Jak is doing, only to see him visibly struggling to contain his inner demon, literally. He screams in pain. His skin pales and purple lightning zaps practically everything around him.
"Shit!" I scream and look for a place to hide.
I decide to hide behind a box, though unfortunately, I get hit in the shoulder by the lightning. It hurt! A painful burning sensation that spread quickly to the rest of my body. I can't move it at all; it is like it is numb, though it still hurts.
I stay behind the box, not really wanting to come out. A hand reaches out and touches my shoulder, which sends another shock of pain throughout me.
"OW!"
"Sorry," Jak apologizes.
"Cheese and rice! Could you have given me a warning before you spazzed out?" I scream.
"Eh, he does it all the time," Daxter shrugs.
"Something you're not telling us, animal man?"
"Oh, that's right. Damas is still here."
"He has been touched with Dark eco, my liege," Pecker informs his new master.
Again the voices trail off. My arm starts to fell better. I slowly start to move it, a finger at a time, then the hand then the whole arm. I should consider myself lucky that I didn't end up like those poor bastards we were fighting.
"…A gun mod is your prize," I hear Damas say.
"Wait, what just happened? What's my prize?" I can't believe I missed so much.
"Damas said…" Packer starts his usual repetition but I cut him off.
"No! Bad parrot-monkey thing! You no talk no more! Now someone give me a one sentence summary."
"From where?" Daxter asks.
"From when Pecks said something about Dark Eco."
"Jak could be useful, you get a Battle amulet, two more victories in fights will earn you a citizenship, you get a gate pass, something about the desert being 'less kind than I,' and you get a gun mod for your victory."
"Sweet." I grab the gun mod and attach it to the scatter gun in my hand. "Now I will finally be able to live out my childhood dream of becoming a deadly female sniper with exquisite taste in music," I say sarcastically. "Now, good men, I had an absolute ball but now I must bid thee farewell as I exit the Arena and be reunited with my dear Leaper that I have befriended in my short time here."
I jump off the platform and begin to make my way out. I see a shadow of a big bulky dude, and I can smell him. Jak, who wasn't too far behind me, starts to talk to him. All I got from eavesdropping was that the fat guy's name was Kleiver.
Outside, as I was tending to Shrii, something hit me.
"OW! Don't you be throwing stuff at me, Kal. I'll kick your arse!"
"Sorry. I just came to give you some stuff," he apologized.
"Presents? For me? Oh, you shouldn't have." I go all prissy.
"It's just a map and a scarf." He hands me my gifts.
"And I shall cherish them for ever." I hug the scarf.
"Yeah, well. Let me show you how the map works…"
Kal showed me how to read the map, what the dots meant and all the symbols. Plus the extra stuff he added just for me. Two dots, which were supposed to be Eko and K'sani, were at the edge of the map. It was just like the map from Jak II. It was so cool.
"Thanks, Kal. This'll really help."
"Don't mention it. Just stay out of trouble." And he walks off.
"Oh, I'll stay out of trouble. But I won't guarantee I won't be IN trouble."
Ah, the loophole. I always seem to find one. I mount Shrii and smirk. I tie the scarf around my head like a bandana, to keep my short hair out of my face. The remainder of the scarf trails behind me, brushing my knees every now and again.
"Come, Lord of the Desert! To the Dune Buggy Depository!"
At the 'Dune Buggy Depository,' The Fat Guy, Kleiver, ruins my plans by being there. He was tutoring a youngling on the different types of buggies. But, in a way, it kinda helped me out. As he was going through the specifics of each vehicle I learned that my best option was to use the one he called a 'Dune Hopper.' It was nice and big. And it had a rocket launcher type thing, so I could blast anyone who would try to stop me.
I tell Shrii to go and frolic until I come back, and the Leaper happily does so. I slowly and sneakily make my way to the Dune Hopper. Kleiver is none the wise, but then again he didn't look very smart in the first place. I climb into the buggy and wait for the right moment.
As soon as Kleiver is out of the Buggy enclosure I start the engine and drive out. After crashing into a few of the other buggies, that is. But afterwards I am good, even better when I see Kleiver waddle after me, screaming something or other.
So, I'm cruising along, my scarf around my mouth and nose to keep out the dust, following the map that Kal gave me and singing Robbie Williams 'Radio' for God knows what reason.
"Listen to the radio!
You will hear the songs you know
Eh…something 'about a message here
You might have a job, my dear
Listen to the—AH HOLY CRAP!"
I screech to a stop just before over the edge of a cliff into a death valley below. My heart is pounding inside my chest. I marvel at my near death experience. Then I notice a button near the starter thingy. And don't look at me like that! I don't know car talk! All it said to do was press hold and release. So that is what I do.
"I wonder…"
Before I know it, I'm thrown into the air as the buggy lurches a couple bazillion metres into the air. I feel like I'm gonna puke at the sudden gravity defying stunt. I remain motionless for a few minutes.
"Oh my God! I jumped from one platform to another!" I realize that I had performed a gravity-defying stunt back at the Arena and I hadn't known until now.
Anyhoo, after a few scientific calculations and whatnot, I figure I could get across the gap using the jump button. So I'm just hopping along over the gaps. It is fun. I eventually get to a larger island where the Temple is. I'm so busy looking around I almost miss another gap.
Quickly pressing the jump button, I fly through the air, flip and land on the roof of the buggy. It skids for a moment and I roll out, ending up on my shoulders with my back on a pillar, legs in the air.
"Whoa!"
I flip and look at the upside down buggy.
"Ehh…" I scratch the back of my head. What the hell was I supposed to do now? I could just leave it there. It's not like it was going anywhere.
Inside, the temple is breathtaking. The walls stretch all the way up to the sky. It is dimly lit and has a sense of mystery. Looking around I see the only way in to the actual temple, and to where K'sani and Eko should be. Though there is a floating eyeball hovering above the entrance. It is looking into nothingness. As I approach it, it remains unchanged. Walking under it, I have the strange feeling that it is supposed to be looking at me, but look at me it does not.
I make my way through the Temple, passing more unnerving eyes and strange mozzie-like Precursor statues. Just when I begin to think I am lost, I spot K'sani and Eko, K'sani with her back to me.
I bite my lip to stop my self from laughing and creep up to them. Eko threatens to blow my cover with his laugh. I raise a finger to my lips in an attempt to quiet him down. He seems to be having a hard time containing his laughter.
I tap K'sani on the shoulder.
She screams in fear and falls back on her… uh… back.
"HIYO K'SANI!" I yell at her.
"SHADY?" she gasps. She's like having a heart attack or something.
K'sani jumps up and gives me a hug. Damas must have told them I was at the Arena, fighting. And I don't think the news of their Granny fighting to stay alive was very cheerful. I hate being old.
Eko also gives me a hug, and he's still shaking with laughter. As he comes apart I dig through my bag and produce my battle amulet.
"Check it," I say. "I won it. It was so cool. But Damas still wouldn't let me out of the city so I…uh… let's just say the Asparaguses don't look after their buggies very well. Once I got one off Kleiver it was easy to follow you. Not that Kleiver was much of a challenge, stupid fat-arse." I whisper the last bit.
"You drove through the storm by yourself?" some random dude asks.
"No biggie." I shrug. It seriously wasn't. Well, a grain of sand did fly into my eye, and it hurt.
"You must be quite a vehicle expert," the dude comments. Damn right.
"Right!" Eko snorts. Gasp, we have someone who doubts my abilities and must be punished.
"Quit it, Beans." (Snort) 'Beans.' I will never get tired of that.
He glares at me, but then starts to laugh, which confuses me greatly.
"Ok, whatever. K'sani, you should have seen you face when Shady snuck up on you." He laughs.
"Yeah. It was priceless!"
Eko's POV
Without another second to waste, Shady hits the ground with a thud and begins to snore pretty loudly. "Must be the different time zones," K'sani says matter-of-factly.
Damas looks over his shoulder at a scrawny elf in armor that looked to be about five times less than his size. "Take her to rest, and see to it that she doesn't leave." The elf nods obediently and scuttles over to Shady, hoisting her up onto this shoulder pad. Despite the fact that I'm pretty worried, I can't help but marvel at how such a little guy can lift someone that's about three times bigger than him.
"Hold on," I say to Damas, "what do you mean she can't-"
Damas immediately turns his stone-cold eyes onto me and I stop talking. "You will do as I order, with complete obedience. Is that understood?"
I just growl and turn away. I have been bumped, bruised, gouged, and prodded God-cares how many times today alone, and to hell if I'm going to take crap from some pointy-eared hippie. Although, this "hippie" does tower a good two feet over me…
My stomach starts to turn.
"Now," says Damas, wheeling on K'sani, "you must tell me about these exiles. You obviously are familiar with them."
"Well, they're –" K'sani begins, but I immediately cut in.
"Ah, no! No, no, we have absolutely no idea who these guys are. Right K'sani?" I say, blinking several times to make sure she gets the message.
Apparently she does. "Er…yeah. Yeah, we have no idea…yeah…"
Damas, looks suspiciously over his spike-armored shoulder at me, and then sighs. "Fine. Come with me then. These ones must rest for now."
He turns back to the building where the healer had taken Shady just two minutes prior. "Healer!" he shouts. "Three of your best Leapers, immediately."
Just seconds later the same small elf comes out with some of the weirdest looking animals I have ever seen in my life. They look more like dinosaurs than anything else. They are about as tall as me, and have makeshift saddles strapped to their backs. Two of them are a deep shade of green, and the other is a gray-navy blue color. Despite the fact that they are much larger than their handler, they appear completely docile.
"They look kinda like Flut-Fluts, don't they?" K'sani asks.
Maybe they evolved from Flut-Fluts, I think to myself, or else NaughtyDog is just finally running out of ideas…
Damas walks over to the healer and grabs the Leapers' reins from him. The healer bows and turns back to the healing room. Damas pats the Leapers' muzzles and walks back over to us.
"You are not to stray from me at any time," he states flatly, "Everybody knows everybody in this city, and if they see you, they will fire on you. You are criminals here, outsiders, and you will be treated accordingly. Understood?"
We both nod soundlessly. Without looking back Damas mounts the largest Leaper, a great green one and begins off. K'sani mounts her one; the smaller blue one, and bolts after Damas. She looks so natural on a Leaper. "Ok," I say to myself, "This should be easy, right?"
Dead wrong. The moment my foot slips into the saddle the Leaper screeches and bolts, dragging me behind with one foot caught in the holster.
"OH HELL NOOOO!" I scream. I just recognize the blurred forms of Damas and K'sani speed by as the Leaper bolts past. I hear a faraway whistle and Damas' harsh, rasp yell something around the lines of "Sien-con-tampa!" The Leaper immediately stops, allowing me to skid a couple feet after it before being stopped by a conveniently placed cactus.
A couple seconds later, the sound of heavy feet become audible. Damas' great hand hoists me up by the collar and plops me down on the Leaper's back. The leaper begins to scream again, but Damas pats its muzzle and whispers "Baroosh…baroosh…" He then turns to me, and his kindly disposition immediately vanishes. "Don't– do – that – again," he hisses, and walks back his Leaper. Words cannot express my loathing at this point.
As my leaper trots along next to K'sani's I can't help but notice that she's snickering. "Shut up," I say flatly.
The ride is rather short. We go along at a steady pace until we reach the inner section of the city. We stop in front of a large steel door and dismount. As if on cue the door opens and we enter onto a rickety wooden elevator. The elevator wobbles for a second and begins to rise.
We enter the throne room. The place resembles a sort of oasis. Crystal-clear ponds and ancient rock surround it. Damas walks up to his throne and sits down, sighing. After a moment of some kind of meditation Damas looks down on us and frowns.
"I have no idea what to do with you," he moans. "You are too young to battle for your citizenship in the Arena, and yet too young to make your own decisions, a fact you made all too obvious after stealing that dune buggy."
Damas' face is beginning to turn red, and his raspy voice becomes a shout that is dripping with pure rage. "Not to mention precious food and water stores that are vital during storms! The only other source of fresh water is the Oasis. You three were lucky at not being caught in a sandstorm! It could tear the flesh from your bones, I've seen it happen!" My stomach begins to turn again.
"I should send you all into the Arena right now. Stealing another man's property is inexcusable. There is no crime in Spargus!"
K'sani is visibly shivering now.
"You two will stay in the Temple with my monks until you are of age. The Shadow girl, however, will fight like the rest of us for her right to stay among us. She will fight like all those before her, or die in combat, for the purity must be withheld…"
"WHAT?" K'sani and I yell in unison.
"She is of age, but you both are not, simple as that," says Damas, looking even more stony-faced than usual.
"If she fights, I fight," I say, standing up.
"Me too! I'll fight with her for citizenship!"
Damas' fist is clenched so tight that the bones are cracking. "You will go with Seem," he hisses through clenched teeth. "She is waiting outside with the Leapers. She will escort you to the Temple from there. I will consider your request to fight. But until then you will remain in the Temple. No questions, no arguments."
Damas' expression shifts from that of rage to of concern. "Stay with Seem no matter what out in the Wasteland, for things that live there are evil and powerful, a very bad combination. The Metal Heads and Marauders will tear you to ribbons. I may send your friend to say goodbye before she battles. Until then, young ones."
"Wha – What? You can't just send her to her death, it's wrong!" K'sani yells at Damas as I drag her back to the elevator.
"Forget it, he's not going to listen," I growl.
"Sure thing, Beans."
For a moment I think I may push her before the elevator comes to the top. "If I had my hunting knife…" I grumble as the elevator creaks up to us.
The heavy steel door opens, and we find what has to be the weirdest looking thing I have ever seen in my life. Its head is completely bald, and its skin is chalk white, save for yellow and orange paint around its blank eyes. "I am Seem," it says in a whispery voice. It can't help but remind me of the wind whispering softly through the bare tree branches back home. She's about three inches taller than me, and can't be much older than nineteen. And yet, her eyes are those of an elder person. The deep clockwork of her mind turns in ways that we normal people could never possibly understand, of centuries-old secrets lying deep in the ancient, flowing sea of the desert…wait, what the hell am I talking about? It' a video game, for God's sake!
We mount our Leapers and follow Seem through the streets of Spargus. After about a half an hour we find ourselves in front of (surprise surprise) another large steel door. This one hisses and opens to a large circular room filled with Dune Buggies. "Ooh," I say, rubbing my hands together, "Which ones are we taking?"
Seem gives me a look that I'm sure means, "Shut up."
Another set of large gates made up of a hodge-podge of different metals hisses and opens in front of us. Seem turns and hands us a couple of scarves. "Wrap them around your mouths and nose," she instructs. We follow her directions.
We direct our Leapers back out into the desert's scorching winds. Seem immediately stops and stares meditatively up at a large, blue-purple light in the sky.
"What is it?" I ask, awestruck.
Seem, her eyes not once leaving the object, responds, "The Day Star. It grows brighter and brighter with each passing day. The planet will soon face its final trial." She quickly turns her face away from us, but I can't help but notice that a tear has run down her heavily powdered cheek.
"We must hurry," she whispers, suddenly alert. "A storm approaches. If we wish to make it to the Temple before it starts we must travel hard now. Stay with me and don't stray off."
Seem bends down and whispers something to her Leaper. The Leaper grunts and speeds off across the dunes. K'sani and I gasp and urge our Leapers to speed up after her.
About five minutes pass. The desert seems to reach on forever, a continuously shifting sea of sand. The Leapers pant heavily under our weight; hot sweat drenches our palms. We feel the bite of the ever-growing sand even through our scarves.
"We must journey faster!" Seem calls back to us.
An alien sound cuts through thick blanket of moving sand. My heart freezes as I slowly turn my head to see the sand-brown, menacing Marauder-buggies speeding toward us. As soon as they're in range they begin firing on us. The rusted turrets swivel about as they fire deep crimson shots of Red Eco in our general direction. I hear a screech as one of Seem's monks' Leapers falls to the ground. The monk somersaults off of the dying beast's back and leaps catlike onto another passing monk's Leaper.
And suddenly the shimmering sea comes into view even through the storm's unmerciful winds.
"JUMP!" shrieks Seem, and without thinking, we direct our Leapers off of the cliff. The Leapers begin to flap their membrane-bound arms like miniature wings, and be begin to slowly descend onto a small sand bed just off of the coast. We don't look back as the Leapers' feet hit solid ground, and we hop from island to island until we come to the crumbling ruins of the Precursor Monk Temple, buried deep in the mountain's very rock.
The Leapers fall before us, puffing heavily. Seem turns to her monks. "Take care of the Leapers," she instructs, and then turns to K'sani and I. "Come with me."
The first room of the temple is massive, nearly two hundred feet tall in a cylindrical shape. The first thing I notice is a doorway guarded by a mysterious floating eye. As we approach it, the eye's catlike pupil shrinks and spikes flow up from the ground before us. Seem, undaunted, walks forth and utters a few indistinguishable words. The eye nods and disappears, as do the spikes. We travel up a staircase behind the door, passing more of the floating eyes and fountains of Dark and Light Eco shooting up from springs beneath the floor. I can't help but notice that K'sani is gazing almost longingly at one of the Dark Eco fountains.
"Come on," I say, nudging her with my elbow.
At last we reach the top, to find ourselves in what appears to be a library. It is filled with books upon shelves upon walls of Precurian literature. Seem walks over to a particularly dusty shelf and pulls out one of the books. With a shudder, the case gives way to another smaller room. Two other female monks are sitting at a low, polished wooden table, staring at some sort of dark idol in the center.
"Mist, Enigma," Seem instructs. The monks look up and nod, obediently rising from the table to Seem. Seem looks back at us and then to the monks.
"Take them to the Oracle," she instructs, "I have business in Spargus." The two monks nod respectfully and gesture for us to follow them. We follow without question.
The monks lead us down a long spiraling hallway. "The monks worship the Oracle," one of the monks said back to us. "We must wait before you Outsiders are allowed inside. Surely you shall need to clean up a bit before seeing the Oracle anyway." I have to admit she's right. Both of us are matted down with sand. I can't help but laugh inwardly. I must look a mess…
"Oh shut up," K'sani says, glaring, "You look just as bad." I laugh more openly and look at the girl before me. But then, almost immediately, I notice another dark shape looming up from the shadows behind her. It's…no…it couldn't be…
Yup, it is.
Shady taps K'sani on the shoulder, who completely spazzes out and slips, falling flat on her back. Shady is staring down into her eyes, laughing.
"SHADY?" she yells, scrambling to her feet. I can tell she's pretty happy to see her.
We both rush toward her and hug her, both equally dumbfounded at how she's here.
"But…how?" K'sani questions, completely baffled.
"Check it out," she says triumphantly, and holds out a small ivory half-ring in the palm of her hand. "I won it," she explains pridefully, "but Damas won't let me outside the city. So…let's just say that the Asparaguses don't watch their dune buggies very well. Once I got hold of one from that fat-arse Kleiver it was easy to follow you."
One of the monks shakes her head in disbelief. "You drove through the storm by yourself?" Shady shrugs.
"No big deal."
The monk raises a non-existent eyebrow. "You must be quite a vehicle expert."
My hand instinctively rises to the ever-growing lump on my head. "Right." I snort begrudgingly.
Shady rolls her eyes and says, "Quit it, Beans."
Something really nasty forms in the back of my mind, but it gives way to an irresistible fit of laughter that raises up from my gut. I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach and leaning on a wall for support. K'sani and Shady exchange glances that clearly ask, "Should we start running?"
So, just for a little payback, I shoot back "Man, you should've seen the look on your face when Shady snuck up on you, K'sani!" K'sani's face turns beet-red. Oh, this is gonna be fun…
K'sani's POV
Suddenly I hear a rather loud snore and a thud as Shady hits the ground. She's finally out. So the time zones are still affecting us, then. Poor Shades. She must be exhausted.
Damas grumbles and tells one of the healers to bring Shadowsister to a nearby apartment-thing to rest. Eko and I watch as the healer drags Shady away from us. Eko starts to say something, but Damas cuts in.
"You will do as I order, with complete obedience. Is that understood?" he growls. Eko snarls back at Damas and says nothing. I nod.
"Now, tell me about these exiles. It is obvious you know them," Damas commands.
"They're--" I begin, but Eko interrupts.
"We have no idea who that man or those things are. If we did, we would tell you, right K'sani?"
"Um, uh, oh! Yeah, sure…"
Damas stares at us for a minute with piercing eyes, and then shrugs.
"Fine then. Come with me. These ones need to rest," he states.
Damas opens the door flap and points for us to come with him.
"Healer, three Leapers here immediately, please," says Damas. Three rather large lizard/bat creatures with saddles and reins are led to where we stand. Two are a dark hunter green; one is a bit shorter than the other two and is a grayish-blue color. Damas mounts a green one and Eko and I follow suit, I on the smaller blue one. It reminds me somehow of the Flut-Flut from Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Hmm…
Damas turns back to us. "Riding is simple, just follow me. Do NOT hit any citizens or stray away from me, or you will be severely punished. You are both non-Spargans, so you have no rights whatsoever. You are criminals and must be treated accordingly. Is this understood?" A mumble for a reply is all he gets.
Damas bolts off on his lizard with Eko and I right behind. The ride is quite fun and enjoyable; my Leaper is easy to ride and maintain. Eko seems to have some trouble at first holding on, but then the ride gets easier for him. I love riding the Leapers and I hope I get to ride them again, if we're ever allowed even outside of Damas' sight and free to explore Spargus.
Damas' Leaper skids to a stop, and so do Eko's and mine. I dismount and follow Damas to a doorway. The doorway opens and a crude, wooden elevator hoists us up to the throne room. It is pretty good technology considering the conditions with the Wasteland surrounding them and everything.
The throne room has lots of rocks, plants and fountains inside, and a stone throne at the end. It is quite modest, and yet like the most beautiful of desert oases. Damas sits down in his throne, letting out a long, deep sigh. He rubs his forehead. Eko and I remain standing below the steps leading up to the throne.
At last, Damas speaks. "What will I do with you? You are too young to send to the Arena, but old enough to make your own decisions and act upon them, as so displayed in stealing that dune buggy, not to mention precious food and water stores that are vital during storms. We're on saltwater out here; every once in a while we have to travel to the Oasis for water before a storm. You're lucky you weren't caught in one, for they can tear the flesh off your very bones!" I shudder at that last remark.
"You! Newcomers. I should have no mercy for you at all. Stealing another elf's property! There is no crime in Spargus. You disrupted the peace. I should send you off to the Arena for combat to the death!"
I'm shivering quite a lot now. And heaven knows it's certainly not the least bit chilly here…
"Both of you will stay with my monks until you are of age to fight for your citizenship of Spargus. As for your friend, the Shadow girl... She will fight for her citizenship like all we've saved before her, or die in combat in the Arena, for the purity must be withheld…"
"WHAT?" Eko and I yell in unison. Shades might die?
"She is of age, but you both are not, simple as that," says Damas, looking even more frustrated with us by the second.
"I won't let her die alone!"
"Me either! I'll fight with her for citizenship!"
Damas groans in fury and tries to temporarily remain calm.
"You will go with Seem. She is outside, with Leapers to escort you to the Temple. I will consider what you have said about fighting with the Shadow girl. Until then, you will remain at the Temple. Stay with Seem no matter what out in the Wasteland, for things that live there are evil and powerful, a very bad combination. I might send your friend to the Temple in a bit to say goodbye before she battles for citizenship, if there is time. Good bye until you are of age, young ones."
"Wha- What? Wait! You can't just, just, send her to her death! It's wrong!" I yell out. After all, when the Gladiatorial Games came around near the end of Rome, it showed a decline of morals and values, and that's one of ten reasons why the Roman Empire did fall.
"Can it, 'Sani," orders Eko. I look at him oddly. No one's ever called me " 'Sani" before. Always Hawk or K'sani. Odd. Then a smile creeps on my face as we approach the elevator.
"Sure thing, Beans."
Eko freezes as he steps on the elevator. Oho, bet he didn't expect that one! Wait, I should be concentrating on ways for not letting Shades get killed, not ways to bash Eko. Gah!
Eko shakes his head and mutters a few curses and something about wringing a hawk's neck when the elevator opens. There to greet us is perhaps the most odd-looking elf I have ever seen in the Jak and Daxter series, including the freaky Blue Sage in Gol and Maia's Citadel in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.
The elf is a bit taller than Eko, though not by much. Her head is completely covered by a black thing, save for her face and ears, which are chalk white. A red and yellow pattern is on the Priestess's cheeks and nose; the rest of the elf's body is covered by armor and clothing, presumably Precursor monk stuff. The Priestess closes her white hands into fists, and she stares at us with an odd look of horror, pity and wisdom of things greater than we understand.
"I am Seem," the Priestess says. Eko nods in a rather curt manner; I make eye contact with Seem, but say nothing. I can hear something, almost, from the eyes… They are telling me something that I cannot make out nor understand. I shiver and cast my eyes down on the ground, giving the same curt nod of acknowledgement as Eko.
Seem mounts a Leaper and stares off to the side and up to the brilliant sky. The dark blue moon shines softly; the big green star from the Jak II sky burns brightly as well. Other less important white stars glow in the night sky to accompany the moon and the green star. However, there is one thing that captures my attention the most--the star Seem is staring at.
It burns a purple-white color, incredibly bright. It seems oddly ominous and terrifying, though I do not know why. Seem is staring with such intensity and such sorrow… I don't understand.
"What is it?"
Eko's voice brings me back to life from my trance of the purple star.
"That!" hisses Seem. "That is the Day Star. It grows brighter and brighter with each passing day. This planet will soon face its final trial." She glances mournfully, as if cast with death, upon the Day Star again. "We must hurry. A storm approaches. If we wish to make it to the Temple before it starts, we must travel hard now. Stay with me, don't stray off."
We make it to the buggy-port where we meet up with two more monks, who don't speak to us. Seem leads in front; Eko and I are a bit behind her, and the monks travel to the side and behind us.
The winds get worse; sands continually shift and fly around in the air.
"We must journey faster!" hisses Seem. I don't understand how we can hear her, but maybe it's some odd monk thing. Seem utters some strange words in a different tongue and our Leapers ride faster than ever.
OH no. Engines in the distance! Marauder vehicles, to be correct. They fire at us, and one of the monks' Leapers falls to the ground. The monk hops onto the other monk's Leaper and holds on tight.
We rush even faster throughout the desert, avoiding even yet more Marauders. Suddenly we come nearby the sea.
"JUMP!" screeches Seem and we direct our Leapers to leap onto a little island. The islands connect in a chain; we approach close to a looming hill on an island in the distance.
At last we storm inside the Temple, covered in sand and completely wiped out.
"Take care of the Leapers," directs Seem to the monks. They depart with the four Leapers, leaving Eko and I with Seem. "Come," she orders, and we follow.
We go through a large door guarded by an odd eye-thing. The eye thing blinks once, and then spikes shoot up as I go to cross. Seem mumbles something under her breath and the spikes retreat to the ground again, allowing Eko and I to pass.
We travel up a staircase, along several halls; past more Seeing-eyes and fountains of Dark Eco and Light Eco and carvings of Precursor robots and candles and such as might be found in a temple for the Precursors. Seem moves at a rapid pace, leading us behind a secret passage to a great tan hall with a table low to the floor; a few monks are writing out long, beautiful calligraphy Precursoran writings, perhaps in observation of the small, purple statue in front of them.
"Mist, Enigma, come, my monks," instructs Seem. Two of the monks from the table stand up and approach us.
"Take these ones to the Oracle. I have business in Spargus."
The monks bow to the High Priestess and motion for us to follow. I look towards Seem with concern.
"Do not worry. They will show you to your quarters and get some food for you soon enough. Trust them."
I turn back and jog through yet another hall to catch up with Eko and the monks. It is oddly silent and I do not like it. One of the monks turns to face me and answers my unspoken question.
"The monks worship the Oracle now. We must wait before you Outsiders are allowed inside. Surely you shall need to clean up a bit before entering to see the Oracle, anyway."
I glance at Eko and myself. The monk is right; we're coated in sand, and my hair is quite messy. For the first time in days, I see Eko smile. Or rather, smirk. He stifles a laugh and looks at the ground.
I glare at him. "Oh, shut up, you look just as bad." He's laughing now, and he's staring at me… No, he's staring over my shoulder…
Suddenly I feel something on my shoulder and I completely flip, scared like heck. I fall over and hit my back on the ground. The thing that snuck up on me looks at my face, grinning, her chocolate-brown eyes sparkling.
"Hiyo, K'sani!"
"SHADY?" I yell, so happy to see her alive. I'm not fated to spend the rest of my days in the Temple with a bunch of silent monks and a crazy Priestess! Yes!
I jump up and give her a hug. Eko does the same.
"But… how?" I ask.
"Check this out!" She holds up a small piece of an artifact or beacon of some kind. A piece of the Beacon?
"I won at the Arena, but Damas still wouldn't let me out of the city. So, let's just say that the Asparaguses don't keep watch over their dune buggies very well..."
One of the monks looks at her in disbelief. "You drove through the storm by yourself?"
"It was no big deal," Shady shrugs.
The monk raises his eyebrows. "You must be quite the vehicle expert."
Eko snorts. "Oh, right." He rubs a bump on his head and glares at Shady and then at me.
"Oh, would you quit it, Beans?"
Eko forms a fist, and then bursts out laughing. Shady and I exchange looks. "Alright, ha, you win! K'sani, you should've seen you face when Shady snuck up on you!"
Shady grins and I shake my head. I think this is the beginning of a very beautiful friendship!
REVIEW! Please? It would really be a very nice Christmahanakwanzakkah Gift!