Raghnall's fight was full of energy. Even though he was older than Damas, he fought almost twice as hard. The marauders charged at Raghnall, but the man easily dodged them and used his makeshift leg and the blaster to eliminate the competition.
A buzzing alarm went off. Raghnall looked around and felt his foot burning. Looking down, he saw lava pouring up around him. Seeing a crate, he jumped up onto it, knocking the few marauders off. Vaja watched him with a respectful, but worried look. She cheered as Raghnall defeated the marauders one by one. Shade sat next to her on the steps, smiling at Raghnall.
The contest was soon over and Raghnall ascended on the platform to where Vaja and Shade were. Damas nodded towards Raghnall with Pecker announcing his victory. Jak and Daxter stood near Damas and watched with anticipation.
"The metal on them doesn't seem to slow them down a bit." Daxter noted.
"Yeah, but Vaja's arm is nearly metal. Unlike Raghnall, how can Vaja hold a blaster with her arm?" Jak asked.
"They've survived this long. I bet this is no problem."
"I hope you're right, Dax." Jak added. Daxter patted his buddy's shoulder.
Vaja stood and took her place on the platform. She descended down to the arena floor with the blaster in hand. The hand slowly moved to grip the barrel of the blaster, her good hand holding the hilt and ready to fire.
The fighting started with the enemy pouring out of the holding cells that hung above the arena floor. Vaja looked around worried, not sure how Raghnall did this so easily. The first few marauders ran and jumped to attack Vaja. Quickly firing the blaster upwards, she sent the marauders flying backwards.
It took Vaja a little longer and a few more injuries before she was finally declared the winner by Pecker's squawking voice. Damas was thoroughly impressed by them. Thought the young one was still yet to prove herself worthy of any praise except sympathy.
Jak and Daxter cheered as Vaja joined Shade and Raghnall on the platform. Raghnall kissed Vaja on the forehead, overcome with emotion.
"I thought you were in a big heap of trouble back there. Don't do that again." Raghnall said. Vaja laughed and shook her head.
"Then that would mean that I would have to stay safe and I don't like being sheltered." Vaja said in defiance.
"Enough." Shade's voice jumped in, "Gross."
Raghnall and Vaja laughed as Jak and Daxter shook their heads as well.
"Guess that means they are in…love." Daxter stressed the last words, making a face with big eyes. Jak rolled his eyes, hearing Pecker laughing as well.
"You just now figured that out. Dax, where have you been? They all act like a family. They basically have had no one else around." Jak said.
Daxter looked back at the 'outsiders' and smiled, "Yeah, they look really good together. Wait, it's Shade's turn now…" Daxter realized. Jak nodded as Shade walked onto the platform. Jak was on edge and it was obvious that everyone else was as well. Damas waited anxiously as Shade made her way slowly to the arena.
"How well can she see?" Damas asked, looking towards Vaja and Raghnall.
"She found your men, didn't she?" Vaja answered.
"Hey, calm it. She can see well enough, but she lives by instinct." Raghnall jumped in, "What covers her eyes doesn't see to hinder her too much, but she can't exactly tell us everything now."
Damas nodded and turned his attention back to Shade's fight, "Jak, we have changed their names, but do you think we should change Shade's?"
"But what to?" Jak asked, "What name would fit her."
"We actually changed her name. So Kix wouldn't know who she really was. He knew who we were, but forgot her." Vaja said.
"So what is her real name?" Pecker asked, flying down next to Raghnall.
"Caden."
"Caden, I like it." Pecker said, "Nice ring to it."
"Watch it kid!" Daxter yelled, noticing a few marauders jumping behind her. Shade was able to turn quickly at hit one of the two coming towards her. The other one hit her and knocked her towards a few more men waiting.
"Oh no!" Jak said, getting up.
"Stay where you are. No one helped you or the others when they were down. Do not help her…" Damas said, holding Jak. Shade spun kicked around and knocked a few marauders to the ground. Jumping onto her feet, she was able to blast a few more when the alarm went off. She was in the middle of the platform, with marauders around her.
"She won't make it…" Daxter said.
"Yes she will… watch…" Raghnall said, pointing to her. Out of nowhere, a ring of light spun away from Shade, knocking down the men. Getting herself quickly to a crate, she hopped on and waited.
"What the…?" Damas asked, "Another one?"
"Must have been that eco, like you Jak. No wonder they hid her away." Pecker said, "She obviously doesn't have the power you do, but still."
"Then she is useful." Damas noted.
Shade finished her match with no more 'magic' tricks. Ascending back to Raghnall and Vaja, they stood in front of Damas and his decision.
"Congrats, you have earned one of the three pieces to becoming a Wastelander. You may also enter and leave Spargus as you wish. I will call you all again for the next challenge." Damas said, and walked away with Pecker on his shoulder.
"That was great guys." Daxter said, smiling.
"Yeah, but now you have to go talk to Damas." Jak said, "Will you be Shade or Caden?"
Shade looked up at Jak, astonished. Raghnall nodded, giving her the idea that he had said something.
"Caden…" She answered, "Real name, Shade for missions." She added with difficulty. Jak nodded and lead the way to Damas' quarters. Anxious to hear what all went on before he showed up.
"This place… Damas did a good job." Vaja said, looking around at the structured Spargus, "Rivals Haven City." Vaja and Raghnall were in awe. Looking at anything and everything. Caden, what Shade would be known by, was lagging behind.
"Yeah, it's nice, but I could really do without all the sand. Hot, burning sand…" Daxter whined, brushing sand out of his fur and onto Jak. Jak laughed, but kept walking. He seemed to like it better here. Instead of being some hero to a city that tossed him aside at a problem, Jak was just another warrior. He was a fighter, not a savior.
Daxter watched as Raghnall and Vaja ran ahead, looking at every crack in the ground. The two entered the lift and went on up, making Daxter shake his head.
"Hey, Caden…" Daxter turned to nothing, "Caden? Jak, the kid's gone!"
Jak quickly turned around. It was true, Caden wasn't within eyesight.
"She couldn't have gotten far." Jak said, running back the way they came. It took a moment, but they found Caden hiding from the sun, inside a doorway.
"Hey kid, you alright?" Daxter asked, hopping off Jak's shoulder and to her lap, "Caden?"
Jak quickly followed and shook her lightly, "Caden?" He asked. Caden didn't even stir. Jak was getting slightly worried. Jak instinctively put his hands on her shoulders to shake her again. His hands touched her bare neck and heat radiated off her skin. Feeling her face, "Looks like she's just overheated." Jak told Daxter, picking up the girl, while Daxter climbed back on Jak's shoulder. Jak walked back to Damas Palace with a quickened pace. Caden needed to get out of the sun and cool down. Maybe letting her sit in the small pools would help. The girl stirred in Jak's arms as he rounded the corner, almost to the elevator doors.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Jak smiled down, glad to see her awake, but Caden freaked. She thrashed in Jak's arms until she freed herself and landed on the ground. Jak and Daxter were scared, 'the heat had to have really gotten to her.' Jak thought.
Caden scampered away from Jak to the other side of the cavern and could hardly keep her eyes open. Her body swayed immensely.
"It's like she's trying to wake up, but can't…" Daxter noted. Jak nodded and slowly made his way to the quivering girl. Caden was losing the battle to stay awake and fell to her interlocking knees. Jak rushed to her side, knelling over her.
Caden still tried to fight, "No…away…" She cried.
"Caden, it's Jak, You're safe." Jak tried to reassure her. It was obvious that she was tiring fast and barely able to fight. Jak decided to hold the girl against him until she fell unconscious in his arms. Daxter sat quietly on his perch, watching with extreme worry.
"Jeez, what was that?" Daxter asked as Jak picked Caden up and rushed to the awaiting elevator.
"I'm guessing the heat and maybe the excitement got to her. Let's get going…" Jak said, entering the lift.
The ride felt like it took forever. Caden needed to be cooled off; Jak thought he was right about the heat. The girl again stirred in Jak's arms, but this time she dug herself into Jak's neck. The hero felt himself starting to sweat from the contact alone. The lift stopped abruptly with Damas greeting them with a serious look over.
"Don't tell me the kid can't handle it." Pecker said annoyed. Vaja's eyes widened as she saw Jak and shook Raghnall. Raghnall wasn't paying attention until Vaja turned him around.
"Oh no…" Raghnall sighed and ran to Jak. In one swift motion, he took Caden from Jak and had her across the room and on the floor. Vaja held the feverish child down while Raghnall pulled out a knife.
"What are you doing?" Damas screamed. Raghnall ignored him and lowered the knife to Caden's eyes. Caden moaned lightly.
"Relax, Caden…it's me…" Raghnall said. Caden seemed to calm down a bit, but Damas was quick to grab Raghnall arm before he got any closer.
"You will tell me now, what you are doing." He demanded.
"Remember when we told you that we had to amputate our limbs? That the eco was poisoning us?" Vaja asked. Jak, Damas, and the pets nodded.
"The same applies to her. Because of something the Baron did, her mind is altered. The eco that covers her eyes sometimes gets her sick. We have to remove the eco if it doesn't fall out itself." Raghnall answered, "The eco usually falls out itself, but when it doesn't…"
"It's poison!" Daxter jumped in. Vaja nodded. Damas let go of Raghnall. The room fell eerily silent 'cept for the cutting noise emitting from Caden's eyes. Daxter closed his eyes, covered her ears and dug himself into Jak's neck. Jak gentle stoked the ottsel's fur, hoping to help his friend out. Pecker could only look away.
"One's out…" Raghnall announced, using his knife to pull the eco away from the girl's eye, tossing it aside.
As Raghnall worked on the other eye, Jak looked at the eco that was pulled out. It formed back into a solid ball from a dried-up, finger-like piece. Jak picked the eco up and turned it in his hand. One side was the black-purplish, dark eco, but the other side was the white, light eco.
'That would explain the spurt of power.' Jak thought. Dropping the eco into the bottomless cavern, he turned to see Raghnall tossing the other eco piece to the ground. Jak kicked the eco into the cavern as well.
"Done. She will still be ill for awhile…" Raghnall said, getting up onto his feet.
"Then when you return, she should be better." Damas said. Vaja and Raghnall nodded and left. Jak walked next to Caden. Damas was already kneeling at her side. Daxter jumped into the water from Jak's shoulder, splashing everyone except Pecker. Caden stirred and tried to open her eyes. With a slight cry, she shut them again.
"Caden? What's wrong?" Jak asked. Caden shook her head, unknowingly turning her head to Damas.
"Jak, come on in. The water's fine." Daxter said, trying to lighten the mood. Pecker flapped next to Daxter, furious.
"What do you think you're doing?" Pecker fumed. As he and Daxter exchanged words, Damas' features grew worried.
"Damas? What is it?" Jak asked, noticing the leader's face. Without a word, Damas wiped Caden's face and showed blood to Jak.
"Her eyes bleed. This is not a good sign." Damas said.
"Normal." Caden's quiet voice stated, "Healing."
"Caden, did you ever touch any white eco?" Jak question caught everyone off guard.
Caden's eye squinted as she thought. In a little sack on her belt, she pulled out a small white crystal. The crystal glowed in her hands, but not close to what happened when Jak touched the crystal.
"Found, awhile ago." Caden's raspy voice answered their unspoken question. She dropped the crystal in Jak's hand.
"It seems that crystal ended up saving your life. Somehow containing the eco that was spreading in her eyes." Damas noted.
"Yeah, but what was the crack about the Baron altering her?" Jak wondered. Caden slowly brought herself to a sitting position, the blood flowing down her cheeks.
"The Baron use us…use us as…" Caden tried to explain, but her voice kept cracking and giving out. Damas handed her a cup of water.
"Drink this and tell us, slowly, what the Baron did."
So what do you think? Please review and tell me what you think and maybe what to go on…