Chapter 4: "Darkness Rising"
In the depths of ever-so-cold space, the darkness haunting Seem's dreams was very real. A void of light, but not a black-hole. Indeed, this shadow left everything beyond its confines untouched, and Seem's home world was only a distant, glistening dot in the space beyond. But in an abrupt rush, part of the darkness, a tiny speck of it, burst out of the whole, and shot toward the lush, Eco-rich planet with impossible speed, apparently not bound by light's speed as the rest of reality.
Closer, closer, closer. Through the atmosphere, flashes of clouds, toward the oncoming golden expanse, cast into silver tones by moonlight. A dark smudge of cliffs grew larger and larger.
In the desert below, the shallow pit between the dunes, which had drawn Seem from the temple, suddenly exploded in a geyser of sand and rock, rising hundreds of meters straight up, but releasing no shock-wave through the sand around it. Indeed, the very geyser itself burst apart in a swift gust of wind off the dune-covered landscape.
Through the clearing air, a narrow, but deep hole was revealed. It descended into perfect darkness, where light simply could not survive without a greater space with which to descend. And in that perfect darkness, the cavern filled with Dark Eco glistened and sparked with its malevolent power. The speck of darkness that had flown so quickly from its origin shivered through the narrow air-pocket along the roof of the chamber, a true wraith without shape, yet unmistakably crawling along the cracked, jagged rocks hanging over the slowly waving darkness. It closed upon the remains of the large machine, the damaged head of a modified Precursor robot, centuries old.
The hand that had moved beside the obviously dead, emaciated body was now a full limb, risen to the elbow from being almost entirely engulfed. It slowly shifted, as if pulling on the air with the fingers to drag itself higher.
The wraith hovered above it, and then coiled into the narrow remains of the robot's head. A powerful, black claw came out of the wraith, thick and formed of sinew like tree-roots around the bases of four massive, gripping fingers, hardening into sharp talons at their tips. This powerful hand locked around the exposed, onyx limb, and mercilessly dragged its possessing body through the Dark Eco, back toward the tunnel the wraith itself had blasted open.
The wraith flew up the tunnel, its charge rushing free of the Dark Eco with a thick burst of viscous darkness, hanging as if dead from the meeting limbs. Up on the sands, the wraith burst up into the air alone, slamming down facing the hole as its darkness flowed into its physical body. A second powerful claw slowly clenched on the right side, the first falling back on the left. They each led back into black, muscular limbs of humanoid arm-type, but the actual structure was a grotesque, chambered, stretched black carapace of some kind, both flexible and tough visibly.
Triple-jointed legs raised it off the sand, with three, taloned, powerful toes leading back into a simple base, which almost immediately led up into the first 'knee'. A sturdy length ran back to the second joint, which was inverted, and this ran forward and up into the last one, a thick thigh joining the torso. All the segments of each leg were moderately angled, relaxed so that the creature was only a fraction of its possible height.
A humanoid torso filled sturdily in between the four main limbs, a long, whip-like tail coiling slowly over the sand behind it, as long as its body was tall, if fully stretched upright. And the head was truly ominous. No mouth was visible where it was supposed to be, but an interlocked mass of hardened 'skin', like the ends of the claws and toes, indicated it might be hidden beneath. Above this wide, tall jaw structure was a stunted nose, giving the creature a mild snout rather than a fully human 'face'. Large, red eyes glowed with their own power on either side, solid in hue, and naturally narrow for a fierce visage. The head ran back over the neck, and far into the air behind the beast, like a shield of sharpened carapace, glistening black like the bulk of its body, for the neck and spine area if the creature went to all-fours.
Most distinct in this creature, however, was a black, indeed onyx-like gem embedded in its chest, between the prominent pectoral masses, and above the narrowed, slowly flexing middle as the creature's breath thickly rasped inside its head. Even crouched as it was, the beast was nearly twice the height of a normal person, head and shoulders over even Sig. It did not move like a animal however, indeed, a horrible intelligence gleamed in its eyes as it focused on the tunnel after landing. A deep, low voice that thundered the sand more than disturbing the air came from its bony face. "You have been summoned. Rise."
The hand rose out of the tunnel, clawing slowly at the air as if in pain, but too desperate for freedom to give in. It slammed harshly down into the sand as its elbow came high enough, and a lithe, glistening body flowed out onto the stinging particles. A rasping, higher toned voice sounded in the pained wheezing from the dark creature, and it pulled its other arm up, slowly dragging itself completely out of the hole. The long, pointed ears, lithe frame, and general size of the creature was clearly recognizable as a native of the world, a woman, but her skin had turned to onyx, and her hair had fused into a single mass that thickly fell along her back, almost like oil so thick it couldn't be spread further. Black crystals had formed a kind of bodice around her torso, and, even as she lay on her front, gauntlets sprouted over her forearms as crackling Dark Eco energy fused parts of the sand into glass.
She inhaled painfully, pulling her arms through the sand to push her torso off of it. Thick, oily material, like her 'hair', fell around her legs in two flaps, front and back, while boots of black crystal crackled and layered over her bare legs. At last, she managed to rise to all-fours, her body shuddering with each breath, her voice distorted with power. Her eyes opened, visible to the creature towering over her by the crimson glow they blazed across the nighttime sand. She exhaled as her torso rose up slowly, her mouth hanging open as she lolled back, almost collapsing over herself again. Her blazing eyes took in the dark creature standing over her, his swishing tail and slowly clenching claws. Her sharp chin, high cheek-bones, and the haunting remains of her natural voice were clear.
The beast addressed her. "My master offers thee greetings, dark one." His left claw descended to her, opening to reveal a black gem like the one embedded in his chest. "And he offers you a place in his conquest of this feeble world."
Shuddering with another breath, as if about to collapse, she suddenly replied with rushing power, dark lightning blasted off her body and scattering across the sand. The beast was utterly unfazed, the energy actually crackling around his legs. "Why should I serve any master?" her voice boomed for the beast alone.
"If greed does not tempt you, nor additional power," the beast swayed his right claw up, dark mist pouring into the air and taking on a shape, "consider… vengeance."
It was Jak's face, aged since she'd last seen him. The woman's hatred was visible as her body crackled with dark power, and she rammed her right hand up at effigy, a beam of power blasting it to particles again.
The beast continued, unfazed by her violence. "The one you hate has defended this ripe world successfully against powerful foes, and my master does not take foolish chances. He offers you my services in your efforts to destroy this… hero… Lady Maia."
Maia lowered her Dark Eco warped head and narrowed her glowing eyes. Slowly, she rose to her feet, but then continued to rise, hovering effortlessly in the air as dark power crackled and distorted the empty space beneath her. "I will kill the boy hero gladly, but what can you offer me, beast?"
Holding the offered gem down for a moment, the beast gestured to the hole with his free claw, sending a bolt of shadow down into it. "Watch."
Maia glided aside, and set her taloned hands on her hips. An eye-ridge did rise with interest when a chorus of dark, rumbling, hissing moans came from the tunnel, and a cluster of wraiths burst up into the air. They slammed into the ground before her, five smaller versions of the beast on her left, lacking their own gems and the intelligence in their eyes. They fell to all-fours, their tails snapping, and revealed the armored jaw's true nature. The firm carapace split across the middle like jaws, but instead of teeth or a throat, each creature unleashed a storm of black tentacles with razor-sharp spines visible on the ends as they each roared, their head-armor indeed guarding their spinal ridge as they remained crouched.
The original beast turned to her as the five new ones calmed into submissive, still poses. "The Dark Eco found on the worlds crafted by those you call the Precursors is deeply akin to our own Shadow Stones. In combining the two, even greater powers of darkness are unleashed." He raised his left hand to her, offering the gem again. "Your form has been crafted with the slow precision of centuries by Dark Eco. You alone can wield our power, and unleash these forces like we can."
As Maia focused on the infinitely black stone in his central palm, the beast's eyes narrowed with sinister pleasure.
"The offer is enticing, is it not?"
She slowly smiled. "Indeed, it is. So, I will have command over you and these creatures, vast dark powers, and all to do something I've been fantasizing about for … centuries you said?" she checked with idle humor. "Hmm, as your master wishes then." She snatched the stone out of his claw, twirling it in her fingers. "I'll soften this world up for him." Her eyes became wide with dark wonder as her powers already reacted with the stone, calling her focus into it, revealing a universe of secrets she could not yet fathom.
The beast reached over, and slowly pushed the gem, still in her hands, toward her chest. "Let the darkness consume your essence, Lady Maia."
She let the gem settled on her sternum, rather large against her, and gasped as her eyes flared with more light and her body crackled with power, the gem driving itself into her form and lodging there, as it was on the original beast. "Yes," she drew out with cold, calm pleasure, raising her hands up in the air.
Dark lightning stormed off her body, scattering over the sands and slamming into the rocks around her, the air distorting violently around her body, turning purple toward its edges. "…Gol had no idea what he was searching for… this is beyond his comprehension," she said with satisfaction as she calmed, and so did the power. She remained floating without visible strain, however, the same distortion and energy remaining beneath her as before. "What shall I call you?" she asked the beast.
He rose up to his full height, towering above her even as she floated. Even with her new-found power, or perhaps because of it, Maia saw a terrible might within his glowing eyes that made her loathe to catch his temper. "I am Jalnoth of the Darken, a war-master." He smoothly lowered back down, and gestured to the five smaller creatures. "And these are your Prowlers."
Maia smiled at them. "And we can make more using Dark Eco?"
"Legions."
"Excellent. Let us remain silent for now, my dear Jalnoth. I wish to learn more about this future before crushing my enemy." She turned, floating along the sands.
"As you wish." He gestured to one of the creatures as they started to follow her together, and it smashed the hole, causing sand and rock to fill it back in. Jalnoth and the Prowlers simply followed their new mistress off into the wasteland.
(Elsewhere…)
The dull, throbbing pain in her head became clear first. She squeezed her closed eyes against it, and then became more aware of her surroundings. She was lying on something soft, but something quite hard was just beneath it, and, as far as she could tell, all of her clothing and armor was still on. Without opening her eyes yet, she reached up to touch her throbbing temple, but found a soft bandage there already. Her brow creased, and then her memories cleared. Seem's eyes quickly fluttered open, and she pulled herself upright.
She was in a small, rocky alcove, almost like her own bed in fact, with a faint light from high above shining down just outside of it. Touching the side of her head gingerly, she discovered that part of her head-dress was torn away, but the bandage was well-applied.
A soft chirp on her left made her look around, just outside her 'bed', and her eyes widened at her Leaper, his leg well-bandaged with dark cloth and a splint. A pile of dead kanga-rats was near his feet for food, but he was too happy to see Seem awake to continue eating that moment. The monk slipped off the bed, and petted her friend's head, which made him chirp quietly and tilt his head into the gesture with great appreciation. Seem took a chance to look around. Beyond the obvious enormity of the greater chamber, it was so dark and rather cool that she couldn't see anything outside their little circle of light.
"I doubt I would feel so rested in a Marauder hideaway… Where are we…?" She repeated the question in the low, soft language, and her friend chirped negatively.
Even though she felt rested and their wounds were treated, Seem could not shake a dark feeling in her heart. There was something ominous about the cave, even ignoring the obvious need to leave and warn Sig about the darkness beneath the sands. If was still beneath them… The darkness in the silhouette she could vaguely remember had chilled her heart while his gentle manner supported her body. It had been similar… but she knew it was different from the one beneath the sands almost on instinct.
And she could feel it again. Seem quickly twisted around from her Leaper, focusing into the darkness… on two glowing, red irises and the hints of a skull-gem beneath some form of hood or cowl.
"Please," the darkly warped voice began calmly, as rasped and thick as it was quiet, "do not be alarmed. I had no where else to take you, and your wounds were serious enough to concern me."
Seem did calm, and she noticed that her ride and companion was completely at ease in the dark figure's presence. "…You saved us…"
A faint laugh sounded, the glowing eyes glancing down with a hint of sad amusement. "I doubt I can save anyone. I happened to be in a position to give some aid, yes."
The monk was intrigued by the sorrow and pain she could see in his ethereal eyes, but there were more urgent concerns. "…You are the dark warrior that led the assault on the marauders?"
"I've led more than one against those desert thugs in the past months," the shadow answered.
"So you do, indeed, lead the Metal-Heads?" Seem persisted gravely, tipping her head down.
They locked gazes in silence for a time, and then he answered, "Yes." The sad amusement returned to the glowing eyes next. "I am not your enemy."
Seem stopped, guilt building in her eyes. "No… you are not…" She bowed her head to him. "I apologize, I was…"
"Being as cautious as any intelligent person would be," he gently cut her off with mild humor. "No, I have no desire to lead these animals on a war against society. But since we're here, I figure we can help clean up the wastelands a bit." He slowly came closer as he spoke, and finally appeared just inside the light.
His appearance made Seem's eyes tighten in a combination of sympathy and concern. He was covered in thick, black layers of cloth, but his clawed hands, and blackened armor were visible through various holes. His skin was onyx and smooth, and his face would have been quite handsome. In fact, he managed a faint smile. "You're quite an interesting woman. Facing off with marauders in the desert with no weapons, and you control your aversion to my appearance with sympathy. I know little about the wasteland's people, but you certainly make a good first impression."
She blinked, mildly confused by his random statement. "…I do…?" was all she could think to say.
Immediately, they both focused down on his right claw as dark energy started to crackle around it. He winced faintly, closing and raising the fist as the energy slowly calmed and vanished. "I apologize," he said as he lowered the limb, "it's difficult to control for more than a few minutes at a time."
Seem's brow creased with serious curiosity. "You discipline the darkness haunting you… You were not always as you are now."
Tilting his head down to the side, he considered her with dry humor curving his lips. "I hope not all Wastelanders are this shrewd, or I'm going to have difficulties. May I ask you who you are?"
It was so clear there was a man behind the darkness as she looked at him in that moment, not the heart-freezing abyss she'd felt beneath the sands. He was struggling within himself, pained, but resisting it for her sake, simply to talk. She smoothly bowed, her hands flowing through an intricate series of gestures. "I am Seem, a monk pledged to the makers of our world."
As she looked up, her expression softened at his sincere surprise.
"A holy woman? And are the makers the ones I know as the Precursors?" There was an almost childish curiosity building in his voice.
Seem nodded to his second question. "They forge worlds through the power of Eco."
The warped man looked down at his claws. "And the Dark Makers corrupt them…" He managed a light smirk, lowering his hands. "I imagine I don't belong in this world anymore."
"Not all who are touched by the shadow are lost," Seem said easily. "I had thought so before, but I have met one whom the Makers themselves touched with light, giving him balance against the darkness corrupting his body and mind."
"Jak."
She blinked. "…Yes."
The man nodded slowly. "A very good man, a hero… I didn't know they really existed, to be honest, and he's not what I would've expected, but he saved us all… twice."
"You know him?"
Seem watched the darkened man shift from surprise, to awkward uncertainty, and on into grave silence as he turned around. "I know of him… met him once…"
"You came from the city. Haven City," Seem said clearly.
He froze with his back to her. The monk's eyes creased with concern as she saw his claws shake, and clench into fists as energy crackled up and down his arms. His head bowed, and his entire body tensed. She heard him breathe through clenched teeth, and slowly ease, the energy fading.
"I apologize… I wasn't angry at you… I…"
Seem walked over to him. "You are hiding more pain than the darkness itself inflicts…" Something about him made sympathy and pity swell within her. A powerful desire to help him in some way pushed her hand out, just touching his shoulder.
She felt hardened armor, but also sharp, stronger ridges that flexed too closely to his motion to be simple armor. Seem jerked back with fright, however, as he twisted out from her touch with a startled gasp himself, his arms snapping out as he faced her, energy arcing off his body.
"No! NO!" he shouted at himself, his entire body contorting around his arms as he curled over.
Seem watched in a mixture of fascination and horror as the energy from his body froze just in front of her, and slowly pulled back into him, undulating and distorting the air, smoothing out as it grew closer to him.
His body shivering, the dark warrior finally silenced the raging energies, and stayed there for a moment, breathing.
Her hand raised, reaching, but not getting closer to him. "Please forgive me, I was very foolish…"
"Y-you… were trying to be kind…" he raggedly wheezed out the words, and finally sank to all fours with an exhale of either relief or pain, it was impossible to tell which. "I appreciate it… but I can not remain close to anyone… not like this… I can't control it all the time."
Seem lowered her hand with an empathetic sorrow in her eyes. "Yet you did so as much as possible to treat my companion and I."
"…With… some breaks…" he replied, actually laughing a bit despite his weakened state.
The monk set her expression calmly, and came closer again. He looked up at her. "You should stay back, I don't want to hurt you…"
She nodded, but then knelt down in front of him, and saw him looking at her with gentle curiosity from his tilted hood. It was different from Jak's, but there was a gentleness and nobility in this man that fascinated her for all the darkness consuming his form. "…You are not a monster." She smoothly reached down, and wrapped her hands around the sides of his right claw, lifting it slowly up with the back to her.
His attention was completely consumed on their hands until he looked up with powerful emotion coursing through his eyes into her own, calm, steady pools. Seem raised her right hand a little closer to his face, holding his claw still with her left, and bowed her head. As her right hand gestured with smooth intricacy, she whispered in the melodic, hissing language that usually addressed her Leaper.
Something in her voice soothed him like cool water on a scorching day. His frame almost deflated as his eyes sagged closed. For just a moment, he almost felt like himself again, the darkness fading into the distance.
All too short a time later, her voice halted, and she pulled her hands back. The man gave a steadying breath, and looked up into her eyes again. He closed his hand, and slowly pulled it down. "…Thank you…"
The deep sincerity in his eyes and warped voice evoked a strangely powerful compassion in Seem, but all she could do was bow her head to him gently. "…You contain a deep rage, and this darkness makes it dangerous, for you and those around you."
"Yes," he whispered, bowing his head.
"…Why?" she asked quietly, her head tilting with concern. "What could make you so angry?"
The man slowly looked up into her eyes. "Me."
Her eyes tightened, but she slowly nodded in understanding. "…May I know your name?"
His eyes closed, and he bowed his head. She could see that just revealing his name was difficult for some reason. At last, however, he said, "Frost… My name is Frost."
Seem bowed her head with a more simple gesture of her hand. "I apologize for thinking of you with suspicion, Frost. Though a dark warrior, you remain noble."
Frost actually smiled up at her. "And I have rarely seen such compassion."
For some reason, Seem found the compliment quite powerful, and blushed a bit beneath her face-paint.
Frost slowly stood up, and she rose with him, seeing his hand almost come out to help her up, but a new instinct pulled it back just as fast. "You were obviously out for a reason. What drew you into the desert?"
Seem looked down gravely. "There is a great evil coming to this world from distant stars. Something here draws it to us, and it lies beneath the sands where I was caught by the Marauders. Forgive me, at first I was not sure if you were that darkness or not," she finished with a sincere look in his eyes.
Strangely, he did not seem offended, but afraid. "Am I?" he asked instantly.
Seem shook her head. "No, you are not. It is something else, something much deeper in the sands, directly below that area. You…" she winced faintly, not sure how to say it.
"Are just unlucky?" he offered with a mild smirk.
Her expression was critical of the statement, but she could not offer a better one.
Frost laughed gently. "You are very polite, Ms. Monk. I didn't mean to make you awkward."
Seem shook her head briefly. "It is not important, but I must go back to Spargus City and warn the king. How long have I been gone?"
"Just under a day."
Seem closed her eyes against the lost time. "Then they may already be searching for me. I am most grateful for your help, but I must go." She was already moving back to her Leaper.
Staying where he was, Frost called after her. "I would not prevent you, but there is a powerful storm raging across most of the desert right now. Even your friends would not bother searching in this, they would be dead too soon to help."
The monk stopped, and turned, surprise on her face. "There is a storm…?" She looked up at the light above.
"An eco-powered light-source. I moved the Metal-Heads into the caves South of Spargus. We're nearly a kilometer from the opening right now."
Seem's eyes widened. "…The caves were cleaned out just…"
"A couple of months before I moved in. We didn't start… I didn't let them start modifying the caves until were a certain minimum depth. There's enough Dark Eco beneath these caves to keep the remaining Metal-Heads alive without attacking outside sources."
Accepting the information rather calmly, Seem eased her stance. "Then, yes, I will remain for now. I am grateful for your hospitality." She performed another gestured prayer toward him.
Frost offered a comforting smile. He wasn't sure how well it came off with his new face, but didn't fixate on it. "I've taken some food from a few Marauder attacks. Would you like me to show you to the … 'kitchen'?" He gestured off to the right.
Seem closed her eyes from embarrassment as her stomach rumbled. In the quiet cave, it was clearly audible for several meters. Frost pressed his lips together and gave no other sign he'd noticed. "…I would appreciate some food, if you would be so kind," Seem managed calmly.
"This way, Ms. Monk," he replied easily, and walked toward the right, Seem following and then walking alongside him.
Though it was dark, there was enough light coming from the smaller chamber beyond for Seem to make out the tunnel through which they were traveling. It was new, with dust still caught in some cracks in the walls from being dug out. The chamber beyond was a small, almost homey little cave with a dirt floor, a cobbled-together table, and piles of stored food on the right and left, some fresh fruit and vegetables on the table itself.
Stepping just past her escort, Seem looked around, and then turned to him. "Are you the only one who eats?"
Frost paused, but then simply shook his head. "I don't either anymore. I just believe in being prepared."
She became concerned again. "…You no longer eat food?"
He just raised one hand, letting energy crackled around it. Seem saw the solemn expression on his face, and felt like she was staring rudely, so she abruptly looked back to the table. "I appreciate the food," she said quietly, taking a fruit, and quietly praying before starting to nibble on it.
Frost caught himself in amusement at watching her eat. She seemed adorable, almost like a small animal with a nut, but calm and quiet. Resisting the urge to chuckle, he leaned against the front wall, just to the right of the exit. Seeing her pause in eating, he asked, "I'm curious about your beliefs as a monk. Mind telling me a bit?"
Seem turned, lowering the fruit in her hands, and considered the question. "To speak generally, we follow the lessons of the world created by the makers. Eco drives the world in harmony, a fruitful system, balanced, yet ever-renewed and growing. It is a peaceful view of the world, but it has proclivities to certain weaknesses. I find imbalance…"
"Perverted."
She looked into his eyes with saddened concern. "I would not… say it as such."
Frost calmly smiled. "I find my current form rather 'perverted' myself, Ms. Monk, you wouldn't offend me with the idea. Now if I was simply mistaken, please correct me."
She glanced down at the fruit in her hands, and back into his eyes. "I believe you will find your center again. It is not that I deny freedom, but that I believe the world moves toward teaching us greater lessons. This curse has befallen you for a reason, but I do not believe it will be a doom."
"You mean like Jak? Cursed with darkness and blessed with light?"
Seem tipped her head. "Similar, yes."
Frost looked down gravely, and Seem found it more troubling than she would have expected. He slowly reached up, and pulled his hood back, revealing his head completely for the first time. The glowing gem in his forehead was wreathed in the beginnings of Metal-Head armor, the metallic carapace they all shared and was the source of their name. Instead of hair, he had a layered, natural helmet of sharp plates rolling back around his head and ears, almost like spiky, silver hair, swept back. "I am not like Jak, Ms. Monk," he began seriously. "I have become something between a Metal-Head, possibly even a Dark Maker, and a normal person," he listed, looking down at his claws. "I can't revert like he can, this is my body now. I fear I can not be balanced as Jak is balanced."
Seem stepped over to him, drawing a mildly surprise look from the darkened man. "Perhaps the manner must be different, but you must not lose hope. Look," she raised the fruit in her hands, "a monster would not have given me this. One lost to darkness would not have rescued a monk from the desert and marauders, nor mended my Leaper's leg. But if you lose hope… you endanger the person you remain to be beneath your altered face."
She saw the beginnings of a correction, but then he paused, looking down at the half-eaten fruit in her hands. He became considerate, and glanced off to the side. At last, he looked back into her eyes. "You are right… it is wrong of me to lose hope. Thank you, Seem," he finished gently, tipping his armored head to her.
Lowering the fruit in her other hand, she bowed and gave a holy gesture in response. When they were both upright again, she eased back, awkwardly starting to eat again. Frost, however, glanced off to the exit abruptly, as if listening for something.
"What is it?" Seem asked after swallowing.
He smiled gently as he looked back to her. "The storm is dissipating. I posted a watch when you mentioned needing to get out so I could keep track of it. In a few minutes, it should be safe for you to depart on your mission."
"I am relieved. Thank you."
He just shook his head, and seeing that she was finished, gestured out of the 'kitchen'. "Before you go, I wish to give you something. Please come?"
She was a bit curious, and so followed him. Out in the larger cavern, she gave the remains of her fruit to her Leaper, and followed Frost out into the darkness. He raised his right claw, his hood back up, and more light flowed into the utterly cavernous room. The ceiling was dozen of meters over her head, and the chamber was easily hundreds across, wide open at the other end around a few natural pillars, exposing a large beginning of a tunnel leading outward. The walls were crafted in Metal-Head resins and metals, but more subdued, leaving the cavern black and jagged.
There was a large boulder, flattened like a table, with some equipment and weapons on it. Seem caught sight of a very strange, warped-looking rifle that had a faint aura of distortion around it as it rested on the rock. Frost, however, picked up a smaller device, and turned around, offering it to her.
Taking it, Seem looked at the curious, layered cylinder and sharp point on the top.
"It's a signal," Frost explained. "Pull the lever on the side there when you can see the sky, and it will let me know you need help. I'll come as fast as I can."
She looked into his eyes with surprise. "Thank you… A type of flare?"
The mildly dry humor in his smile and distorted voice intrigued her. "In a manner of speaking." He became more serious, gesturing at it. "Please don't be alarmed by any dark sense you feel from it. It is powered by dark energies, but very little, and it will not spread. Unless you use it, I don't think anything could sense it beyond a few feet."
Though it did concern her, Seem nodded, taking it nearer her front. "Hopefully it will not be needed, but I am grateful for the offered help."
Frost smiled. "At least this time, if the darkness you afraid of is really coming, the Metal-Heads will be on the right side."
"Both grim and hopeful."
"Balanced," Frost offered with a casual smile and toss of a claw.
Seem found it easy to give a small smile of her own. "Balanced."
Turning serious again, Frost looked into her eyes, and she became attentive. "Seem," he used her name sincerely, "I am not… what others may remember me as, and it is best for everyone if this… nest remains as unknown as possible. I will not ask you to lie, but please, if possible, avoid telling anyone about me… at least yet."
Troubled, she replied, "But I am certain there are those would be relieved to know you are alive…"
"Please…"
Sincerely concerned as she looked at him, Seem slowly nodded. "I will avoid revealing what I can."
Frost offered a faint smile, and tipped his head in thanks. He tilted his head as if hearing something again, and then said, "The storm is now quite clear. Be safe, Ms. Monk."
She bowed with another gestured, "And you, Frost."
Just a few minutes later, Seem was on her leaper, running out into the glowing desert. She commander him to halt for a moment, and looked back into the cave, her hand holding the signal device Frost had given her. "Strange that this should happen now… Perhaps our time of need has already found part of the solution…" She looked ahead, and she and her Leaper shot off toward Spargus City.
(Elsewhere…)
Samos stamped his staff on the ground in mild irritation. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder just what that boy is thinking. He's nearly twenty minutes late for his own emergency meeting!" the sage exclaimed firmly in his gravely voice.
He stood near Onin, the ancient mystic woman resting on her matt, cross-legged, with her huge hat supporting Pecker, the curious monkey-bird hybrid with the vibrant colors of a toucan over most of his body. They were in the command center inside the central fortress in Haven City, with Ashelin and Torn standing just across the holo-table from them. Ashelin was quick to respond. "He wouldn't call a meeting like this if he didn't mean it, maybe he got forcibly delayed."
Onin gestured with her hands, sparkles of light flowing from her finger tips as Pecker interpreted. "Onin says that Samos is simply hiding his concern behind an crotchety old man's temper."
Samos frowned at the pair of them as Torn and Ashelin shared a dry look.
Then the doors behind them gushed with hydraulics, clanking open. Everyone faced the opening, and saw Jak, with Daxter on his shoulder, and Keira, with Tess on her own. Jak waved calmly. "Sorry we're late. A storm was just kicking up, slowed the shuttle down."
Once he reached the table, Daxter and Tess each hopped onto the edge. Tess was quick to hold her personal hero's hand, and though the Jak's pal was a little anxious, let her without verbal fuss. Keira just stood by Jak calmly for the moment.
"We think there may be a serious problem coming," Jak began directly, giving everyone a grave look. "Seem, one of the Precursor monks, has been having visions, and she's not the kind that goes off on useless tangents. She thinks something bad is coming, and that something in the desert is calling it to our world. This might make the Dark Makers look like a parade."
Silent alarm pulsed through the group, everyone quickly sharing glances and looks of uncertainty. Samos frowned in deep thought, and then looked up to Jak with his differently magnified eyes. "You're certain of this?"
"I'd trust Seem like I trust Onin on this kind of thing," Jak answered with a nod.
Keira added, "And so does Sig. This looks as serious as Seem fears."
Daxter hopped up and down. "Not to mention the fact that something in that blasted wasteland is nuking marauders left, right, and center!" his hands jerked in each direction relative to him as if they were guns.
Keira and Jak both gave dry glares at the back of his head, but then Keira added to the group, "Metal-Heads took out a large force of Marauders, but they were using advanced tactics, military style."
Jak nodded. "Exactly. I've never seen Metal-Heads fight like this. I'm worried, and we think it might have something to do with whatever… thing is coming."
Onin had been conspicuously silent, at least through Pecker, until this point. Her gravely held façade remained as her hands started to paint words into the air. Pecker's usually quick mouth was silent this time as his eyes widened a bit. "…Okay… this isn't good. Onin says that this monk girl is absolutely right. Onin doesn't understand how she missed it before, but now she is aware of a great evil coming to claim this world. Worse than the Dark Makers—WORSE than the Dark Makers?" he suddenly blurted down at the old woman. Everyone shared his surprise to some degree, but Onin turned firmly annoyed, and kept gesturing. "Okay, okay, sorry," the bird-monkey replied with calming gestures of his wings as he leaned upright. "She also says that these things are almost unknown to her. Even the Precursors…" he trailed off, looking down at the woman beneath his feet.
Jak leaned over the table sharply. "What is she saying, Pecker?"
The accented hybrid looked up quite seriously, "Even the Precursors have not dealt with this evil very well before. Onin says that they are known only as 'the Darken', and have stayed far from Precursor defended space for countless eons… until now."
Onin gave a few sharp gestures, and he added, "Nothing more than a few 'border skirmishes' have marked the previous history between the Precursors and these evil beings."
Samos focused on Jak the next instant. "By my sprouts, Jak, this is deadly! If even the Precursors haven't dealt with these things before, we're in deep trouble. We must contact them!"
Jak helplessly raised his hands. "How? When I told them I was staying here, they just left!"
Daxter rounded on him. "See? It's all your fault, Jak! I told ya we shoulda gotten those zappy, crazy, Precursor peeps to stay!"
"Not now, Dax," Jak firmly retorted.
Onin rapidly gestured again, and Pecker started talking rapidly, "Onin says, 'the young monk girl, Seem, may be key to fighting this new threat. If she has detected their evil long before me," Pecker gestured down, "Onin!—then she may find a way to defends this world. Contacting the Precursors may be difficult, but not impossible. However, something on our world is indeed drawing the Darken here.' Seem may be able to find it, but Onin believes something has just changed, that may have put us in imminent peril."
Jak tensed. "Like what?"
Pecker continued to interpret, "The darkness here is no longer clear to Onin. It has become unpredictably vague, and the lines of fate are turning black. Onin… is not sure what to do."
Samos stamped his staff again. "We have no time to lose. Jak, I want you to get back to Spargus and work with Sig to get to the bottom of the darkness on our world. I will work with Onin, and see if we can't find a way to contact the Precursors for help."
"In the meantime," Ashelin finally cut in, stepping over to Jak and taking one of his hands, planting a small device in it firmly, "take this. If things get hot, call us in. We'll have hellcats on the way as fast as possible."
Jak nodded, "Let's just hope a storm isn't in the way, or they won't do much good." He pocketed the device with a thankful smile, which Ashelin returned dryly.
Keira was watching sidelong, but was more at-ease than before. "It looks like that desert Zoomer I've been working on might be just what the doctor ordered. I'll stay behind this time, and try to get it finished and running for you, Jak."
Jak grinned. "Just like old times, Keira."
She almost giggled, but the seriousness of the situation kept her calm. "Just keep yourself in one piece, Jak."
"'Ey! What about me?" Daxter yelled with a hop of frustration.
Tess tackle-hugged him. "Don't worry, Daxter! I'll keep those mean Darken monsters away from you! My little snuggly-wuggly whisker-puss!"
Torn had to keep his pained groan quiet, knowing well the temper he'd unleash if Tess heard it. Ashelin just nudged him wryly, and focused on Jak. "Then get rolling you… three. Keira, if you need any supplies, just let us know. I'm giving your desert-zoomer project official Haven City backing in this state of emergency."
Keira blinked in surprise, but then smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Ashelin! I'll work as fast as I can."
"And it'll be the best thing anyone's seen in years," Jak added to Keira sincerely, which made her blush and cross her arms in front of her suit.
Jak wrenched Daxter off the table, and let Tess hop onto his other shoulder. "Let's ride!" And he ran out of the command center, Keira hurrying off the next moment herself.
Ashelin looked back to the others. "If we live through this, I really hope things get quiet for a while on this planet."
"You're telling me!" Pecker snapped with a jabbing wing-motion. "That was me, by the way."
The unanimous response, including a gesture from Onin, was, "We noticed."
(Later…)
In the throne-room at Spargus, Sig looked up with his organic eye as the lift started rising from the ground level. He sat back, frowning thoughtfully, until he saw a familiar green-blond head and orange, scruffy ottsel. "Jak, Daxter! Ah, and Tess!" he added as the young lady came into view down at Jak's knee-level. She seemed perfectly happy to be on her own feet for the moment.
Jak walked up with his two companions. "Hey, Sig. Sorry, but this is serious. We'da been here sooner, but a major storm kicked up. Onin warned us that Seem's vision was right on the money," he smacked one fist into the other hand as he stopped on front of the steps at Sig's throne.
Sig stood up, his peacemaker slung on his shoulder. "Just great."
Daxter pointed at him. "Oh wait. It gets better!"
Sig paused, and Tess tossed one hand down. "Not even the Precursors have handled what's coming too well before."
Jak nodded. "Something called the Darken. And Onin couldn't really read them clearly, she thinks Seem might be vital to getting to the bottom of this, especially with whatever is drawing them here."
Sig shunted his jaw forward, looking off as he rapidly ran through his priorities. "Alright, it's like this. We find Seem, see if we can't help her find the bait for the Darken, and then we find a way to smash it real hard and real fast. Ya with me?"
Jak and Tess smirked, Daxter sharing a dark grin.
A communicator popped up on Sig's left as he faced them, the low, rasped voice of one of the monks coming clearly over it. "King Sig, please forgive the interruption, but I have urgent business to address."
Sig shared a grave look with Jak and the others, then answered, "Talk to me."
"Have you heard or seen Seem yet today?"
More urgently, Sig answered, "No. What's the deal?"
There was an ominous delay, and then the monk's voice continued. "If she was not heard from by noon today, I was told to inform you of something. The darkness drawing the evil to our world is in the desert just South of the city, past the rock wall, in a shallow pit among the dunes. …If she has not told you herself, I fear…"
"We'll take care of it!" Sig snapped abruptly. "You monks sit tight at the temple, we'll check it out." The communicator vanished, and he shared an alarmed look with Jak, Daxter, and Tess each. "I don't like this at all. Seem is always responsible, but if she somehow got caught out in that storm…"
Jak already had his morph-gun in his hands. "We have to look for her."
"No kidding. She's not just a friend, chili-pepper, if it's just a pit in the desert, it's gonna be hard to do anything about the problem." Sig shouldered his gun. "Let's take the new Gila Stomper. Bigger, badder, and with more seating capacity than ever baby."
Tess hopped along. "I'll man the gun-turret!"
They were almost running for the lift when it descended for someone else. Sig skidded to a halt, irritated, but they all waited as the lift came into view again… And they all froze in stunned shock.
Seem stood there alone, a bandage on her head, part of her head-piece torn, and looking a bit battered. "King Sig, I have urgent information for you!" she almost shouted just to get the words out of her lungs. She had obviously wasted no time getting to the palace.
"Your monks told me about the darkness in the desert. Where have you been?" Sig asked, coming closer and pulling her into the throne-room proper with almost fatherly care.
The relatively slight monk met Jak's eyes for a heart-beat, finally pulled near some of the fresh water by Sig. She knelt down and scooped some into her mouth, but quickly rose to speak. "Then you know my urgency. I went into the desert last night, to investigate the location of the darkness I saw in a new vision—"
"And, and?" Daxter impatiently snapped at her, only to get a smack from behind by Jak.
Seem just gave Jak another glance from looking to Daxter, and then focused on Sig. "It was indeed there, and I have never felt such a cold, ancient darkness. I was almost brought to collapse, and before I could take my Leaper—"
"You rode into the desert on a LEAPER?" Sig snapped in appalled shock.
Seem's eyes tightened, but she only continued, "Marauders surrounded us—!"
"Marauders?" everyone blurted out this time, Jak almost dropping his gun.
"I don't recall exactly what happened…" Seem trailed off unnaturally, remembering despite her urgency what she had promised Frost. "…A wasterlander found me, fought off the marauders, and shared shelter with us during the storm. I departed as soon as it was possible to arrive." She dropped to her knees in front of Sig. "Please, your majesty! I must beg you to go to this place and destroy the evil beneath it! They are coming!" She only raised her head to look pleadingly up into Sig's eyes.
Sig was a bit awkward, but nodded. "O-Of course, Seem. We were just heading out to find you. Come with us, and show us the place. We'll be able to figure something out."
"Thank you!" Seem rasped, rising abruptly and heading for the lift already.
Jak hurried after her. For some reason, the little tufts of hair visible through her torn cowl surprised him. He'd expected her to be bald beneath, for whatever reason, and the short, pale hair suited her. "Seem, there's more to it. Onin was telling me that you might be the key, since not even she could sense the Darken coming until now." Daxter, Tess, and Sig were not far behind.
Seem looked at Jak with further surprise, a great deal of emotion on her usually calm, collected face. "Onin believes I…? The Darken?" And now that she could focus on Jak as the lift descended, the part of her new vision flared in her mind. "Y-you…"
Jak's brow creased. "Me?"
"I remember now… the darkness in the sands. It is somehow tied to you, hero, but… I can not explain how."
The young man turned grave. "I don't like where this is going…"
"And you're taking me with you…"
Daxter got another smack upside the head. Sig took the lead, however, once they reached the bottom. In the city garage, they piled into a longer, taller Gila Stomper truck, Tess scrambling back to the main gun, Seem and Daxter taking the rear seats in the 'cockpit', while Jak and Sig sat in front. Sig quickly accelerated out through the doors, and into the desert.
Seem touched the device Frost had given her beneath her armor. "I hope it is not too late…"
Jak locked and loaded his blaster as they drove. "It's not."
(Author's Note…)
First, again, thank you for the positive reviews. I'm very glad others are enjoying this story. I especially appreciate that my portrayal of the characters seems authentic, because I consider that almost the most important part of a story, fan-fic or original.
I realized (and feel unbelievably stupid as a fan-boy of her character) that I've been misspelling Keira's name so far. I caught it before posting this chapter, and I'll revise the previous ones after I finish the story proper to save some time. I also realized that the larger Metal-Heads from the nest battle actually have four legs, not three, so I'll revise that on along with the typo of Keira's name.
My apologies for the errors, and I hope you liked this chapter.
