Chapter 3: Eco Vents
"Talon?!?" Daxter and Jak said at the same time recognizing the name.
"Whoa! Wait a second here. You wouldn't happen to be the same Talon who 'accidentally' knocked me into that whupbee's nest over on Setiadel Beach!?! Would you?" Daxter asked her with the usual overly exaggerated gestures and tone.
Talon looked at him for a moment raising an eyebrow, "I don't know who you are rat boy, but I'm pretty sure I don't know any loud mouthed, orange, ottsels."
"Ouch." Daxter said holding his hands up.
"Would you be willing to come back to the city so we can talk?" Ashelin asked, "We're willing to help patch up your injured if you just hear us out."
"And I suppose you also wanna know about the eco vents." Talon replied putting her hands on her hips.
"You got it." Torn said with smirk.
Talon studied them for a moment and then pulled a walkie-talkie off her belt. "Ketien, round everyone up, if they can't walk get someone able too, to carry them.. We're going to the city." She then replaced the communicator smirking.
"Lets get going then." Torn said as they all headed to zoomers and hellcats.
When they reached the city again and all of the Krimzon Guard's red zoomers and hellcats where put away and parked, zoomers of various different colors with the what looked to be wings painted in black and outline in silver with 7 diamond shapes painted like fire surrounding the wings on each one carrying the hunters.
"Get all of the injured inside and have their wounds tended to." Ashelin told a near by guard who nodded and followed the order he was given.
Now that the wounded where being tended to, Torn, Talon, Jak, Ashelin, Daxter, and Klia all stood around in a meeting room. Talon eyed everyone waiting for the first one to talk, and that person was Torn.
"What do you know about the rebel and metal head movements?"
"Thaaaaat, their rebellious." Talon replied sarcastically as if she was testing her ground with Torn.
"This is serious." Ashelin cut in.
Talon smirked, "Fine, fine. The armies are moving to the east... Or this way, if you will. They are 'collecting' cities that aren't strong enough to with stand their forces, so far they've captured 5. But you really shouldn't worry your pretty little faces about that, with your eco grid and all." She replied saying the last sentence with disgust.
"However," A voice said from behind Talon, "Haven City is of special interest to them." Just then a white snow tiger came into view reaching past Talon's waist on all 4 paws.
"Why is that?" Klia asked.
"The Oracle." Talon replied, "Also because of the ancient Precursor ruins in Dead Town that have sunk beneath the bogs like the eco vents and...." She paused her eyes landing on Jak, "For the tomb of Mar. From what I've heard, the tomb is within the city walls so you don't really have to worry about that much or the Oracle, but if they get a hold of the vents and get them on, you can kiss your butts good bye. As for the ruins there really isn't much we can do about those, except keep the old robot out of their hands and keep them away from the old silos."
"Silos?" Torn asked.
"Yeah. The dark eco silos by a citadel ruin through the old Lava Tube."
"How do you know about that?" Jak asked raising an eyebrow.
"Lets just say I have my ways." She then turned her gaze back to Torn, "Gol and Maia's old citadel still holds a few stores of dark eco that hasn't sunk back into the earth, along with a few things the metal heads will be able to use to get those silos open. The silos are the only way to access the vast stores of dark eco beneath the surface, if they get to them they can destroy and twist everything to their liking, and they will also use the dark eco to fuel their eco shock guns. And let me tell you, when those things are filled with the black stuff it hurts a heck of a lot more than the blue eco. It would most likely kill you." Talon said with a smirk. "But a good way to counter the effects of the dark eco is white eco... But it's even more scarce than active eco vents, so you better hope they don't get a hold of to much of the stuff."
"PAUSE!" Daxter yelled, "How did you know that old citadel belonged to Gol and Maia? And how the crap did you know it was through what they used to call Lava Tube, because I'm sure that it isn't called that any more!"
"What's your name fuzz ball?" Talon asked getting a little ticked off.
"Uh.. He's Daxter.. I'm Jak, and that's Klia." Jak replied before Daxter said anything else to piss Talon off.
Talon's gaze softened for a moment as she looked at them, she then opened her mouth to say something, but at the last moment decided against it. She then turned back to Ashelin and Torn her gaze hardening again, "Get someone to go to Dead Town and find the eco vents and get them running again, you can use that eco to fuel your grid instead of drilling deeper into the earth for that dark crap. Then we'll talk about this alliance."
"We'll do it." Jak said before Torn or Ashelin could reply.
"Whatever, I'll be over in the Slums when you get back. IF you get back." Talon said leaning close to him and then taking her leave followed by the tiger.
"I hope you know what you're doing Jak." Torn said looking at him after Talon left.
"Don't worry, I do." He replied walking out of the meeting room and heading for the palace exit.
"Jak wait!" Klia said running after him. "I.. I wanna help you with the eco vents."
Jak looked at her for a moment and then nodded.
Klia followed the two through the town until they reached the o so familiar entrance to Dead Town where she had been only hours before. The only difference was it had been morning and the sun was shining brightly, now it was nearing dark and the sun barley peaked over the horizon.
"We really aren't going to go out there in the dark... Are we Jak?" Daxter asked from his shoulder.
Jak didn't answer and continued to the door, the 3 paused there and watched the gears slide into place and the door open accompanied by the electronic female voice that said, "Now leaving Haven City."
"If we start at Samos's old hut we should be able to walk right to the green eco harvesters that were on the far side of the beach." Klia said looking around her gun held in both hands ready for any metal heads that took interest in them.
Jak nodded and the pair began to climb, hop, and jump across the old ruins of stone to the only thing that was still the same the Green Sage's hut. From there they made their descent towards what used to be a beach. The people who had lived there had built upon the beach, so even if the place hadn't been destroyed it still wouldn't be the same. Most of the beach had long since sunk into the murky waters colored in brown, there were a few islands that they could jump to and a few of the old wooden bridge platforms that were still able to float on the water. When there weren't any of those, they had to go across the building that stood high out of the water. Their movement was slow and careful, none of them wanted to fall victim to whatever was in the water that had turned it such a color, it looked even more menacing in the fading light.
"Well at least we don't have to worry about Lurker Sharks." Klia said looking down at the water as some of the building they were standing on fell into the water and splashed below.
"You got that right! The only thing that could live in that stuff is metal heads." Daxter said shivering.
"Talon?!?" Daxter and Jak said at the same time recognizing the name.
"Whoa! Wait a second here. You wouldn't happen to be the same Talon who 'accidentally' knocked me into that whupbee's nest over on Setiadel Beach!?! Would you?" Daxter asked her with the usual overly exaggerated gestures and tone.
Talon looked at him for a moment raising an eyebrow, "I don't know who you are rat boy, but I'm pretty sure I don't know any loud mouthed, orange, ottsels."
"Ouch." Daxter said holding his hands up.
"Would you be willing to come back to the city so we can talk?" Ashelin asked, "We're willing to help patch up your injured if you just hear us out."
"And I suppose you also wanna know about the eco vents." Talon replied putting her hands on her hips.
"You got it." Torn said with smirk.
Talon studied them for a moment and then pulled a walkie-talkie off her belt. "Ketien, round everyone up, if they can't walk get someone able too, to carry them.. We're going to the city." She then replaced the communicator smirking.
"Lets get going then." Torn said as they all headed to zoomers and hellcats.
When they reached the city again and all of the Krimzon Guard's red zoomers and hellcats where put away and parked, zoomers of various different colors with the what looked to be wings painted in black and outline in silver with 7 diamond shapes painted like fire surrounding the wings on each one carrying the hunters.
"Get all of the injured inside and have their wounds tended to." Ashelin told a near by guard who nodded and followed the order he was given.
Now that the wounded where being tended to, Torn, Talon, Jak, Ashelin, Daxter, and Klia all stood around in a meeting room. Talon eyed everyone waiting for the first one to talk, and that person was Torn.
"What do you know about the rebel and metal head movements?"
"Thaaaaat, their rebellious." Talon replied sarcastically as if she was testing her ground with Torn.
"This is serious." Ashelin cut in.
Talon smirked, "Fine, fine. The armies are moving to the east... Or this way, if you will. They are 'collecting' cities that aren't strong enough to with stand their forces, so far they've captured 5. But you really shouldn't worry your pretty little faces about that, with your eco grid and all." She replied saying the last sentence with disgust.
"However," A voice said from behind Talon, "Haven City is of special interest to them." Just then a white snow tiger came into view reaching past Talon's waist on all 4 paws.
"Why is that?" Klia asked.
"The Oracle." Talon replied, "Also because of the ancient Precursor ruins in Dead Town that have sunk beneath the bogs like the eco vents and...." She paused her eyes landing on Jak, "For the tomb of Mar. From what I've heard, the tomb is within the city walls so you don't really have to worry about that much or the Oracle, but if they get a hold of the vents and get them on, you can kiss your butts good bye. As for the ruins there really isn't much we can do about those, except keep the old robot out of their hands and keep them away from the old silos."
"Silos?" Torn asked.
"Yeah. The dark eco silos by a citadel ruin through the old Lava Tube."
"How do you know about that?" Jak asked raising an eyebrow.
"Lets just say I have my ways." She then turned her gaze back to Torn, "Gol and Maia's old citadel still holds a few stores of dark eco that hasn't sunk back into the earth, along with a few things the metal heads will be able to use to get those silos open. The silos are the only way to access the vast stores of dark eco beneath the surface, if they get to them they can destroy and twist everything to their liking, and they will also use the dark eco to fuel their eco shock guns. And let me tell you, when those things are filled with the black stuff it hurts a heck of a lot more than the blue eco. It would most likely kill you." Talon said with a smirk. "But a good way to counter the effects of the dark eco is white eco... But it's even more scarce than active eco vents, so you better hope they don't get a hold of to much of the stuff."
"PAUSE!" Daxter yelled, "How did you know that old citadel belonged to Gol and Maia? And how the crap did you know it was through what they used to call Lava Tube, because I'm sure that it isn't called that any more!"
"What's your name fuzz ball?" Talon asked getting a little ticked off.
"Uh.. He's Daxter.. I'm Jak, and that's Klia." Jak replied before Daxter said anything else to piss Talon off.
Talon's gaze softened for a moment as she looked at them, she then opened her mouth to say something, but at the last moment decided against it. She then turned back to Ashelin and Torn her gaze hardening again, "Get someone to go to Dead Town and find the eco vents and get them running again, you can use that eco to fuel your grid instead of drilling deeper into the earth for that dark crap. Then we'll talk about this alliance."
"We'll do it." Jak said before Torn or Ashelin could reply.
"Whatever, I'll be over in the Slums when you get back. IF you get back." Talon said leaning close to him and then taking her leave followed by the tiger.
"I hope you know what you're doing Jak." Torn said looking at him after Talon left.
"Don't worry, I do." He replied walking out of the meeting room and heading for the palace exit.
"Jak wait!" Klia said running after him. "I.. I wanna help you with the eco vents."
Jak looked at her for a moment and then nodded.
Klia followed the two through the town until they reached the o so familiar entrance to Dead Town where she had been only hours before. The only difference was it had been morning and the sun was shining brightly, now it was nearing dark and the sun barley peaked over the horizon.
"We really aren't going to go out there in the dark... Are we Jak?" Daxter asked from his shoulder.
Jak didn't answer and continued to the door, the 3 paused there and watched the gears slide into place and the door open accompanied by the electronic female voice that said, "Now leaving Haven City."
"If we start at Samos's old hut we should be able to walk right to the green eco harvesters that were on the far side of the beach." Klia said looking around her gun held in both hands ready for any metal heads that took interest in them.
Jak nodded and the pair began to climb, hop, and jump across the old ruins of stone to the only thing that was still the same the Green Sage's hut. From there they made their descent towards what used to be a beach. The people who had lived there had built upon the beach, so even if the place hadn't been destroyed it still wouldn't be the same. Most of the beach had long since sunk into the murky waters colored in brown, there were a few islands that they could jump to and a few of the old wooden bridge platforms that were still able to float on the water. When there weren't any of those, they had to go across the building that stood high out of the water. Their movement was slow and careful, none of them wanted to fall victim to whatever was in the water that had turned it such a color, it looked even more menacing in the fading light.
"Well at least we don't have to worry about Lurker Sharks." Klia said looking down at the water as some of the building they were standing on fell into the water and splashed below.
"You got that right! The only thing that could live in that stuff is metal heads." Daxter said shivering.