Don't I Deserve a Happy Ending?
A destroyed Jak ends up in a strange, yet wonderful place where he must learn to leave the past behind him and move on, to heal and to forgive himself. And in doing so, he meets quite the assortment of people, and learns quite a few things about himself, the Precursors, and life in general.
Time to answer more reviews! Though I'll only be doing this every other chapter. So…commence da reading!
Sushi-Chan: You must write more to the sequel... O.O I wish I had a crocadog too! They're sooo cyoooot!
Laughing Hyena: Hehe, well, that last chapter wasn't short!
Emily: Not for a loooong time, actually. I'm not much of a Keira/Jak person, though. Though I am in love with Keira though, she should build a giant mecha and terrorize Haven with it! And Torn will definitely show up for this!
Torn- OH GOD! SAVE ME! FOR GOD'S SAKE! THIS CRAZY CHICK HAS ME LOCKED IN HER CLOSET!
((Slams Closet door shut))
…You didn't see anything…
EcoJak: Daxter's most likely back with Tess in Haven…wherever Haven is now. Hehe…Oh, and I loved Crossfire!
Electric Base Black Dragon: Forgot to mention this before, but you wrote "Addiction"? O.O ((worships you))
Sabulana: Danke!
VinnyRoxyFrankie: Cool! All I have are five birds and a fish that I'm borrowing for the week. What's your story? I'll read it!
Jak adjusted well to life with Baro and Melo, the two were eager to treat him as their own son. Melo taught him of the history of the land and how to do chores he could help out on, and Baro taught him the way of the land, teaching him to tend the crops. Jak certainly remembered how to herd Yakows, much to Baro's enjoyment, and Cherry, well…
"Ugh…I'm up…I'm UP!" Jak groaned as the puppy bounced up and down on his chest, lapping vigorously at his face.
Damn crocadog! I want that dream back…
You were dreaming about being swarmed by KGs…
Hell, even Dark seemed calmer here, but then again, Jak had saved up some money he made by clearing kangarats out of people's houses and doing other shores to buy two eco crystals in jars, one light, and one dark.
Although he wasn't too thrilled about the dreams that he constantly had, where he was back in Haven, fighting the KG and Praxis. The small wooden miniature of a racing zoomer stood on the shelf of the bookcase, as did several other little novelties he had found, including a yakow skull, some precursor orbs, and various books among other things. Cherry's little doggie-bed sat in the corner near the bedroom window and the whole placed looked a bit brighter, with the potted flowers having grown larger, and a few potted plants and various trinkets hanging from the ceiling beams. And he still had the teddy-lurker Melo had given him, despite how childish it was, but he was used to sleeping with something furry. Namely, Daxter.
"Heh…wonder where you are now?" He said with a sigh as he got up, wearing only a pair of loose, blue pants that were held low about his waist with a tan drawstring. Cherry bounded down the stairs, where Melo could be heard cooing at the puppy and Baro was cursing outside the window at a rather stubborn yakow. He brushed his teeth and eyed his hair. He had been here nearly a month, and his hair had started to grow. It was just long enough to be pulled into a small rattail of a ponytail and was turning a darker shade of green.
"Hey, honey!" Melo said as he walked into the kitchen, and she placed a platter of bacon in front of him. "Eat on up today, Baro's gonna need your help as soon as you're outside." She said with a sigh.
"What's going on?"
"It's…just that there's this group that comes through town every year or so, and they've never caused a fuss before, but they always have the strongest guys out there just in case." Melo said with a sigh and sat down at the table. Jak slipped a few pieces of bacon to Cherry, who sat contentedly under his feet, chewing at the meat.
"Mkay."
"And Mar knows, we've yet to see a better fighter than you! I mean, the whole town's still in an uproar over you at that barfight."
"Oh, that was nothing. I've been in worse barfights than that." Jak said with a chuckle.
"You seem so young, but you at so old." Melo mumbled with a roll of her eyes as she got up and went about the kitchen again before Baro burst in, with a grin.
"Jak! Come on, son! We've got to get to town!" He bellowed, ushering Jak upstairs, still with a stick of bacon sticking out the side of his mouth and Cherry barking at his heels.
"So, who are these people you're all so worried about anyways?"
"They used to be monsters, from what I've heard. They actually play a pretty big part in the legends, but their name has long since been forgotten and they don't speak at all. But they've been known to tear up a town, so we'd rather be on the safe side then sorry. They're apparently looking for some…religious…thing."
"You don't know, do you?"
"Nope." Baro waited outside the door as Jak got dressed, pulling on the blue pants and securing them with several leaper-skin belts and pulling on a white shirt with a high collar and somewhat flared sleeves. Finally, he tucked the bottoms of his pants into tall boots and laced them up, placing a pair of goggles on his head that Cazey had given him. He couldn't be sure, but he could swear that girl was flirting with him half the time, and ignoring him the other half.
"Well, let's head on out!" Baro said as Jak emerged, pulling on the leather harness around his chest. Jak nodded and grinned as he eyed the two animals in the pasture outside. Baro had a few Leapers for working the kangarats and Jak had the good fortune to come upon a Flut-Flut egg while exploring some of the nearby woods. Jak swung a leg up onto the Flut-Flut, which he had named Chili Pepper, and smiled as Baro hitched the two leapers onto a small cart with a lunch and blanket in the back.
"What's the blanket for?" Jak pointed, and Baro shrugged as Cherry hopped into the cart, snuggling up in it.
"It's for Cazey, she always goes out there and sketches the travelers. I've been giving her a ride." Cazey was, indeed, standing in front of her house, cradling her Muse in her arms along with a sketchpad and a charcoal pencil.
"Hey, Jak." She said absentmindedly as she tucked a folder under her arm. "Baro."
"Hey, Cazey." Jak replied with a smile. If Cazey noticed his existence, she didn't show it, sitting cross-legged with her sketchpad on her knees, instantly scribbling away. Outlining dark, cloaked figures with a hint of clawed feet and long, spaded tails of sorts. Cherry snuggled up to the Muse in her sleep, and the Muse quietly licked the crocadog's fur smooth.
Baro and Jak were quiet for the rest of the trip, as Jak stared absently at the scenery, waving to the people he had met during the past month. Everything had started happening so fast, he rarely had time to think about his life and friends in Haven and Spargus, except for when heading into town and whenever he wasn't doing some favors for others and helping out on the farm. Actually, it had been a busy life here, but he liked it, Baro had observed himself that if the young man didn't have anything to do for more than a few hours, he would either fall asleep or go out and attack things.
Such as various wild animals, trees, and he would even chase the occasional Lurker that wandered away from a nearby Lurker town. Jak was not a calm boy, but neither was Baro at his age, so he could always find something to do for him. Whether it was teaching him to play SphereBall out in the fields or having him go romp about with the animals and kids at Suzi's stand. Even Melo made him pitch in during household chores and was teaching him how to cook.
But he still let his thoughts drift back to Haven and Spargus. Sitting at the Naughty Ottsel and breaking up bar fights, which Jak had been doing a bit of here, discussing the latest new with Torn, Ashlin was a memory all her own, of course. And Spargus, good old Spargus with its cutthroat population and the dangerous desert, going out in dune buggies and swiping artifacts from marauders, shooting any stray metalheads with Sig. With a nostalgic sigh that made Baro give him a raised eyebrow, he turned his eyes to the road ahead, the town was coming up before them.
"Wow." He breathed as they parked the cart in an alleyway, the main street was lined with the strongest of the town, men and women alike. Some clutching rifles and farm implements, others simply standing tall with crossed arms while large, wolflike crocadogs nervously paced behind them. The shops were closed down and it was frighteningly silent.
"I know. Creepy, isn't it?" Baro said as he joined the crowd, Cazey and Jak at his sides. Jak shuffled his feet a bit and looked about while Cazey got ready to do some quick sketches of the travelers. You could cut the tension with a knife. Tam popped out of nowhere next to Jak and grinned.
"Hey Jak!"
"Tam." Jak whispered with a nod. "Is it always like this? Every year?"
"Yeah, but there's really nothing to worry about so long as we don't try to stop them or anything." Tam grinned. "I think it's kinda cool, they're all so creepy and huge, too!" Jak had learned that Tam was, indeed, like Daxter in many ways, and even moved like an ottsel, occasionally running on all fours.
"COMING UP!" Somebody on a rooftop shouted and everybody stiffened, looking down into the distance to see the shady outline of a band of cloaked travelers. As they grew nearer Jak could make out the heavy hoods pulled down over heads, vaguely familiar clawed feet that hit the ground at a slow, steady pace, a few of them were even walking on all fours with long, flat tails wrapped in cloth swinging behind them.
It was dead quiet, besides the breathing and grunts of the travelers. It took a second, but as soon as Jak saw a familiar yellow glow coming from underneath one of the hoods, he knew it.
"…Metalheads." He whispered, and everybody turned to look at him. The whisper had seemed deafeningly loud above the sound of falling feet and heavy breathing. Several of the cloaked figures abruptly turned, and he could see glittering eyes under the hoods. There was deafening silence as the lead cloaked figure made it's way through to stand directly in front of him. Baro shrunk back and Cazey's charcoal pencil flew across the paper.
"Whaaat did you sssssay?" The figure said in a hissed, scratchy voice that obviously hadn't been used in a long time. He seemed to stand a bit more human than the others, although the hood obscured his whole face.
"You heard me." Jak growled out and Baro stared. He had only seen this side of Jak a few times, the steadfast face and narrowed eyes, how he stood straight and tall even against the hulking figure, who bordered on seven feet. "Metalheads." The figure stepped back before it laughed, a deep, chilling, an vaguely familiar laugh.
"Iahhhh know youuuu…" It whispered to him, bringing it's cloaked face near Jak's. Jak didn't blink, he could see Tam shaking like a leaf out of the corner of his eye and the others with wide eyes. "Jaaaaak…"
"…You….you know?" Jak suddenly pulled back in shock. Baro winced, the travelers had never been heard speaking, and Jak seemed like he knew them.
"I…rrrememberrrr youuuu…You were oncccce a grrreat fearrr to usssss all." It laughed again, this time louder and Jak could see as those around him shuffled away, shuddering. Except for Cazey, who kept glancing up at the two. "We rrrememberrr you, of coursssse, I rrrememberrr youuu…in parrticularrrrr…" A clawed, gloved hand slowly reached up and pulled back the hood. Jak's eyes widened as he realized why the voice had been so familiar.
"Errol…"
"The one…and only, Prrrrincccce Marrrrr."
DUN-DUN-DUNNNNNNN!
