Chapter 10: "Ties That Bind"
Seem stood on a balcony of the desert palace just off from one of the large halls. The moonlight glistened across her armor and in her crimson eyes as they gazed skyward. Her expression, however, was quite grave. More stars were absent from the sky. The Darken was much closer. The ominous patch of complete blackness in the night was almost pressing on her already, constricting around her heart.
She looked down, bowing her head. If even the Precursors were wary of this foe, it was in no way certain they would survive the coming challenges. So much suffering, so much death, simply to answer some dark being's insatiable lust for corruption. It was so… imbalanced. Her expression tightened, her eyes closing as she realized tears were clenching her throat. …It must not end this way.
In the hall itself, a dark claw gently reached around the first edge of the opening to the balcony. Frost eased into view, his glowing eyes focused on Seem's back as she stood, head-bowed, cast in moonlight. Even as he sympathized with her apparent sorrow, unsure of the specific reason, he could not help noticing how majestic and beautiful she seemed in that moment. Disciplining his thoughts, he brought her apparent sadness into his own focus, and finally spoke. "…Ms. Monk?"
Her head came up and she twisted, her eyes blinking wide with her surprise.
Frost quickly raised a hand. "I apologize for startling you…"
Seem relaxed, pressing one hand to her front with a faint smile. "It was not your intention. I was… elsewhere." She turned back, looking up at the sky gravely.
Frost gently stepped onto the balcony, and drew up on her right, looking up where she was focusing. "…Is that the Darken?"
She simply nodded. Then she found her eyes drawn down to his face as he considered the shadow in the sky himself. Though he seemed quite serious, as expected, there was a calmness, a peace in his manner she had not seen before. It reminded her… "…May I ask you something, Frost?"
His attention focused on her immediately. "Of course. What is it?"
Seem paused, unsure how to phrase herself, but then nodded, and said, "Something happened while you were resting. I did not bring it up before, in case it would embarrass you for some reason."
Concern took hold of his expression, but he nodded attentively.
The monk smiled gently to let him relax a bit, and she saw that it worked before she continued. "The Metal-Heads were quite docile, as I told you before, but there was more to it. They seemed almost saddened by your condition, sympathetic."
His eyebrows rose faintly. "They were…?"
She nodded. "And… they responded to me, became submissive when I approached. One Leaper, the one whose leg you were healing when I visited the nest before," she explained with a faint nod and gesture of her hand, "allowed me to pet it. It was quite gentle, and remained very submissive. Do you have any explanation for this?"
The uncomfortable anxiety on his face intrigued her, but she waited for him patiently. At last, he managed, "Though the specifics of their behavior is not something I can explain, since they are independently minded creatures who happen to obey me, I think…" He looked down, pressing his lips together.
Seem tilted her head, realizing he was deeply embarrassed. She was glad she waited to ask in private, and felt as though it would have been better left un-asked.
He did continue a moment later, however. "You know they are connected to my mind, yes?"
She nodded patiently.
"…I think they were…" he looked down, clearing his throat a bit. He was calm and slow, which implied to Seem that he was controlling his body's energy already. "I think they reacted to my perception of you."
Seem nodded once more, gently. "Forgive me, but I had suspected that."
Frost tipped his head with closed eyes. "I would never doubt your shrewdness, Ms. Monk."
Her own conflict was starting to rise up into her thoughts, but she calmed it. Her curiosity, however, was becoming quite powerful. She looked at him, tilting her head faintly to the side again, focusing up into his closed eyes. "Are you… afraid of me?"
Frost's reaction was instant. His head snapped from left to right in a lightning fast shake, and he looked into her eyes, eager to inform her of the correction. "I am afraid of harming you."
The intensity in his low voice and blazing eyes actually startled her, and she eased back slightly. Guilt surged in her chest as he retreated, his hands up apologetically.
"I-I apologize, I was… I…" he looked down firmly, obviously upset with himself.
Seem shook her head, stepping closer. "No, no. Please. I apologize. You only surprised me, you did not scare me."
He looked at her with a pitifully sorrowed expression. "I still made you pull away." He glanced down to the right, out over the city. "For all my good intentions, I don't handle myself very well."
His body twitched, and he snapped his eyes back to her with his own surprise as he felt her hand rest on his left shoulder. He eased, looking into her softened, sincere pools, glistening with moon and star light. "Your action spoke of your sincerity, not your lack of control. Your meaning surprised me. I did not realize you were so concerned."
Frost's eyes drifted down to the hand on his shoulder, and Seem paused herself, pensive as she realized his right hand shifted, wanting to come up to hers on his shoulder, but stayed down at his side. He looked back into her eyes with a surprising amount of emotion. "…You… you bring peace to my mind… my heart more than anyone else, Seem." His voice was low, very soft, weak with guilt for what he was saying. He could see the growing shock in her eyes, a serious, deep shock. He looked down before continuing. "My rest… When I rested under your care…" He had to look into her eyes again. "It was the first real rest I've had since I became… this…" his claws came up, open, simply revealing themselves to her.
Seem let her hand come back gently, looking softly at his hands, and back up into his eyes.
Frost smiled through his more taxing emotions. "I will always be grateful for your kindness, Seem. You've already saved my life more than you know. I… I'm sorry for… for not keeping myself restrained in my regard for you," he looked down to the side again, his claws coming down finally. "I know it must make you awkward around me…"
Seem was also looking down, her deep conflict shivering through her eyes as she held a hand to her front again. The effect she had on him, his gratitude… seeing what he had done for her already… She squeezed her eyes shut, and calmed herself down. There was more than her feelings at stake. She inhaled, steadied her nerves, and focused on him again. "Frost…"
He looked up at her gently.
She smiled. "I am very glad I could help you find some measure of peace. You have also saved my life, quite literally, more than once. I owe you much, many of us do now. Please believe me when I say that you have the nobility and kindness you're trying to achieve. You are a very good man," she tilted her head down to emphasize her point, "and I am honored to have met you." She bowed gently, and gestured with her hand, whispering in the strange language.
When she looked up, she saw the powerful emotion in his eyes again, but he pulled it back and smiled warmly, sincerely. "I am very glad you see that in me…"
Seem stepped closer, and pressed her hand to his chest, looking into his eyes. "It is not just what I see."
His eyes closed, but he smiled still. "Thank you…"
She found herself smiling back, but then her eyes flared a bit with private panic. She pulled her hand back as smoothly as she could manage, and forced a calmer smile as he looked up at her. Frost saw a kind of pain behind her eyes, and his expression softened with concern. "Are you alright?"
How selfish of me… She smiled, bowing her head for a moment, and looked back at him with a sincere happiness in her eyes. "I apologize. I was allowing myself to be troubled by something else."
Frost smiled easily. "I'd be quite arrogant if I thought myself more important than what's coming. You're always looking out for everyone, Seem."
He had no idea how much guilt exploded in her heart at his words. "…It is something I try to maintain…" she replied as honestly as she could.
Her companion did, however, see something in her eyes at his response, and he realized there was something she was deliberately keeping private that he'd coarsely struck. Tilting his head, Frost offered another gentle smile, and asked, "You were never in Haven City, right?"
The shift in topic allowed her to relax, but she tilted her head. "No. Why?"
"I think you would have liked the gardens there. My sister did, because they brought the planet back into the city, despite the walls. She thought they were the most beautiful part of the city." No sorrow found his voice this time, he was just fondly reminiscing.
Seem grew more curious. "You have a sister?"
Frost only became more serious, he didn't let his mood fall completely. "She died when the palace collapsed, with her family."
Seem's eyes flared, and she raised a hand to her mouth. "Forgive me…"
He smiled, shaking his head. "Please don't apologize, you had no way of knowing she was dead. Her death… is why I joined the city guard. During the final assault on the Metal-Head nest, I had to improvise, and it resulted in…" he raised his claws up limply, as if they were objects he was showing off.
Softened by his sincere fondness, Seem also smiled in the same, subtle way, and replied, "You loved your sister very much…"
He nodded easily. "She was my best friend, and her husband and children were some of the best people I've ever known."
Turning serious, Seem looked at him. "Is her death…" She shook her head, looking down. "I apologize, I should not have started that…"
Frost was curious. "No, it's alright. What did you want to say?"
Seem gently looked at him. "Your rage comes from feeling responsible for her death, doesn't it?"
The darkened man nodded calmly, but he added, "Among other things," with a controlled gravity in his eyes.
The monk bowed in front of him, gesturing and whispering another prayer. "Thank you for sharing this with me," she finished as she straightened.
Frost bowed to her this time. "And thank you for sharing your beliefs with me before."
A gentle humor softened both their expressions, and Seem tipped her head. "It was my pleasure."
"Likewise."
Seem looked down with a soft laugh, and Frost admired it for a heart-beat before catching himself. He cleared his throat lightly, and said, "I've disturbed you for long enough, I imagine. Good night, Ms. Monk."
She almost corrected him, but instead nodded, bowed, and said, "Rest well, Frost." She gestured, "May our makers watch over you."
"And you," he replied in kind, and only then did he smoothly flow out of view, back into the castle.
Seem looked back over the city, her expression falling into a grave, saddened visage. It seemed that his welcome by his friends only made him more fond of her in some ways… or was she just imagining things because of her own desires? She sank her head into one hand, almost crying. She caught her breath, steadied herself, and nodded while she lowered her hand. "I need to meditate… I can not allow my feelings to blind me, now least of all." And so she left the balcony herself.
(Later…)
A little later that night, Keira was walking down one of the palace halls, wiping her grease-marked hands on a rag before a yawn called one up to hide her open mouth. She blinked her dry eyes a few times to moisten them, and smiled drowsily. It had been a long day, but she was working out some of the minor kinks in the Zoomer, and had stood in on the first strategy meeting between the allies. It was so good to see Frost back, however much he'd changed.
Glancing off to her left as she walked, she admired the Spargus cityscape. The hall itself was entirely open on that side, just supporting pillars and a waist-height balustrade blocking the edge. The palace had a certain primitive elegance to it she found charming, the craftsmanship and intricacy of the carvings on the supports quite disciplined. She took a moment, drifting up to the center of one section of the balustrade, looking up at the sky with a wan smile. Though the ominous void in the sky was disturbing, she let her tightened eyes relax as the moon came into her focus.
Tilting her head, idly amused, she realized the soft glow of the moon almost looked like one of Jak's eyes in his luminous, winged form. Keira blushed a little, but looked down with a soft laugh at herself, and moved off, her hand trailing along the banister until slipping free.
Her apparent destination was the modest, wooden door at the end of the open hall, past the last branch deeper into the palace itself by some meters, two other rooms in the right wall. She passed their doors, her hand just touching the door-handle when she paused, abruptly clutching her arms around herself with a shiver. "Wow… I guess it just took this long for that night chill to set in this far from the main desert," she muttered, and then pushed her door inward, stepping into her room.
It was a simple space. A bed lay by its head against the back wall, a small balcony waited beyond the sculpted frame that was the left wall, and a closet, restroom, and small dresser were arrayed along the right wall, starting from the back. Keira, however, stopped just past her door, wincing a bit as she crossed her arms tightly with the cold, her breath actually misting from her shaking lips. She only had the vague notion that something was not quite right before she jerked with fright, her door slamming shut.
The woman twisted around, her body open and taut as her alerted eyes focused on her door… and slowly rose up along the two black talons just touching the top, along the sinewy, thick, twisted limb… to the curled up, faintly shifting mass of a huge Prowler. Keira was one of the only people who knew the creature by sight, his tail slowly swaying on the right side of his curled body, which she couldn't understand clinging to the wall so easily for its girth. The malevolent, crimson pools glowed all too clearly in the gloom of her darkened room, focused on her in their narrow, sharp malice.
"Good evening," Jalnoth rumbled from the shadows near the ceiling, his voice vaguely muffled by the solid plate of bone-like armor across his maw.
Keira's heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt short of breath. When the wraith started to unfurl, one leg elongating to the ground by the ominously coiling talons of its toes, she stumbled backward a few steps. The beast seemed to glide straight down into her eyes, his body stretching from the roof, only to crouch back down as his face flowed toward hers. In a heart-beat, they were nearly touching, Keira's head tilted back as her horrified eyes reflected the glow of his own.
Another voice made Keira awkwardly twist her neck in renewed fright toward her balcony.
"Call to Jak…" Maia whispered with seductive satisfaction, gliding into the chamber, and looming right into Keira's face, her feet never touching the ground as the air vaguely distorted amid waves of purple luminescence evanescing to the floor.
Hearing her dearest friend's name made Keira snap back to reality. She firmed her expression admirably, and shook her head. "No. I won't be bait for him."
Maia only gave Jalnoth a dry stare, one eye-ridge raised high. The massive claw snapped up from the left, and Keira yelped as it clamped around her left arm, which had come up on instinct to defend her face. The young woman cringed, wincing from the pain as Jalnoth slowly squeezed around her narrow forearm with his four talons. Her hand was already going numb.
Focusing on the blue-green-haired girl again, Maia enunciated the words clearly into her long ear, almost hissing through gritted teeth, "Call to Jak…"
Tears were watering Keira's eyes as she realized what was going to happen to her. "…No…" she breathed, looking at her arm.
Jalnoth slowly squeezed further, and Keira strained her throat, clawing at his talons and falling to her knees in front of him, tears dripping down her cheeks. She whimpered, but was remarkably silent. Maia frowned darkly, becoming fully upright as she set her hands on her hips. "Trap or no, calling to him gives you a far greater chance of survival, girl. I know he cares for you. You're Samos' little girl, yes?" she finished with mock-lightness, leaning back down at Keira's head. "You helped him deal with Gol and I oh-so-long ago. Right?"
Keira was shivering from the dull, throbbing pain in her arm, but managed to respond with a firm tone in her pained voice. "And… he'll… do it again…"
Maia tilted her face down to look at Keira's from the side, almost folded completely over herself. She smiled mockingly. "You think so? You sure he'll have the heart after you're dead? His precious little… mechanic-girlfriend?"
With tears still in her eyes, Keira's face clenched with controlled anger, her right fist coiling tight. In an abrupt surge, she rammed her fist back across Maia's face, forcing the darkened woman back from the sheer surprise of the blow, and leapt up, driving both feet into Jalnoth's chest, crouched as he was.
Keira yelped again as the other claw shot in, clamping around her neck and shoulders. She gurgled, choking with a tight squeeze, Jalnoth's eyes unmoved. Maia started laughing as she rubbed her black cheek with the back of her right wrist. "You do have some spirit, girl, I'll give you that much credit." She glided closer again, Keira kicking and clawing at Jalnoth with her free limbs.
Seeming to lose interest in her, Maia looked to her companion. "Take her, as planned. I'll take care of the hero."
Jalnoth focused on her in turn. "How…?"
"I have my methods. Now get going." She firmly pointed at the balcony.
Keira's eyes flared as she felt herself rush through the air, her arm loose, but her neck still powerfully clenched in the monster's grip. "N-No! Leave him be! You don't have to fight us, Maia!" she rasped around her constricted neck.
She only saw Maia's smile, and heard the haunting response as Jalnoth pulled her over, onto the roof of the palace. "I won't fight him. I'll just kill him."
Unable to stand it, Keira stretched her neck, pulling on Jalnoth's talons, and screamed, "NO! Jak!"
Maia laughed as she heard the scream from back in the bed-chamber, and idly looked to the bed. "Mm…" tilting her head as if listening for something else, she smiled with dark relish, and moved deeper into the room…
Just a few moments later, the door to Keira's room burst open from the outside. "Keira?"
Jak froze, his hands on the handle, Daxter on his shoulder, looking around. They both saw her lying in the bed, the covers pulled up over herself. Jak winced, and then started to blush. Daxter cringed. "Told ya you were hearing things, Jak… Or were ya just trying to catch her changing?"
"Dax!" Jak whispered sharply, swatting his friend upside the head. "I just thought I…"
"…Jak?"
They both froze, caught, and focused on the bed, where the muffled voice had come from. Then Jak's brow creased, realizing Keira was acting strangely. He started into the room. "Keira… are you okay? You sound a little…" He came around on the right side of the bed, Daxter not thinking much of it, but then the covers flew off the bed, and a rush of purple light blinded them both.
An explosion shook the palace, and Jak and Daxter flew out of Keira's room, slamming into the floor of the hall, and tumbling back to a halt several meters from the damaged doorway.
Jak was back on his feet, Daxter on his shoulder, as Maia floated out into view.
"Well hello there, hero. It's been a while." She grinned.
Jak's fists clenched, Daxter clinging to his shoulder, staring at Maia in dark shock. "Where's Keira?" Jak roared back.
Maia laughed, holding one hand near her mouth where she floated. "Don't worry about your girlfriend. Jalnoth is keeping her very good company. You're familiar with him, I believe."
For a heart-beat, Jak's expression fell empty, horror seizing him at the idea of what that monster would do to… His fists clenched, and he trembled, curling over himself. He suddenly roared, Daxter barely hanging on as his friend practically exploded, his body warping into his darkened form, crackling with dark lightning, his onyx eyes focused balefully on the floating woman. "Maia! If he harms a hair on her head, I'll rip you APART!"
She grinned. "My, my, that's quite a temper you have there, hero." Her own expression flattened darkly. "You are welcome to try. I do hope Keira's arm is doing better now."
Daxter wailed as Jak rocketed off the ground, the flooring splintering in a wave from his departure, and Maia burst to meet him, a wave of dark energy pulsing from her feet. They slammed together, the ground, wall, and ceiling exploding along the line of impact before a shock-wave of dark energy pulsed out, incinerating the debris before it could land.
The two twisted into the ground, Jak rammed his left claw across Maia's face, driving her into the damaged flooring, but she violently sent both feet into his chest. Dark Jak flew back, his talons digging into a pillar, and swung himself back into her, slamming her into the wall. Maia roared from pain and rage, her own body crackling with power, and she rammed her right knee up into his face, coiled up, and hammered both feet back into his reeling body. Her senses stretched with her release of power, revealing the shock-wave exploding out from the blow in excruciating detail, Jak folding around her legs and their crystalline boots, and Daxter barely holding onto his friend's shoulder.
Roaring from pain, the dark warrior slammed back through the balustrade, but drove his left claw down into the floor before he could fly off completely. Baring his teeth at Maia as she extricated herself from the rubble of the wall, Jak yanked himself toward her with a fresh roar, his wake storming with power as it peeled off his body in arcs and bolts, his arms pulling back on each side, his legs curling up behind him. As he came, Maia pulled her right fist back, her feet spread apart, dark energy building around the extremity. She screamed like a feral beast herself, and wrenched her fist toward him, stepping into his full-bodied leap.
Jak's claws snapped in, crashing into her fist. The force exploded with yet another wave of energy and shattering floor, but Jak yanked her arm down to the side, growled into her face, and then rammed his right boot into her stomach. Maia grunted painfully, her throat gurgling, and exploded into the wall, a centric wave of force shattering the surface and raining the debris back down around Dark Jak, Daxter grinning on his shoulder.
"See how you like that, ya old hag!"
Dark Jak just growled. "Where is she?"
Maia wrenched out of the crater her body had made, giving him a darkly satisfied glare. "Doesn't matter if you can't get through me, now, does it?"
Daxter mock-winced, "Ooooh, wrong thing ta say!"
Jak reeled back, rising into the air, and sent his right fist rushing down at Maia's head, but she suddenly screamed, her back arching and her arms jerking taut at her sides, her hands clawing at the air. Maia exploded with power, a dome-wave of distorted air and purple energy ripping out of her form. Jak flew back, but flipped completely over, and dragged his claws back through the floor, battered by her energy, Daxter wailing as he flailed off his shoulder.
Maia marched forward, her boots grinding the rubble to dust amid her storming energies. "If I am to be a slave to this power…" she rasped, coming upon Jak as he resisted the raw force of her attack, raising her right fist, her glowing eyes fiercely focused on his own, "you can be sure I'm going to use it!" Her fist shock-rammed down into Jak's head, energy ripping away from the impact, and his head slammed through the floor. Daxter flipped off into the far wall, diagonally down the hall, off to Maia's left.
Her energy storm started to fade, but Maia abruptly jerked to her left as a crimson bolt shot past her head. She focused down the hall furiously, her hands sparking with power.
"Jak!"
The dark warrior looked up to see Torn, both guns firing, Ashelin, and Sig firing at Maia with their weapons. The commander himself had just called out to the transformed hero. Seem was standing behind them, her own face marked with alarm at what she was seeing.
Maia growled, her left hand raising to form a shield of energy against Sig's peacemaker blasts and Ashelin and Torn's pistol shots, creating a storm of explosive light and force ahead of her. Tess even appeared, scrambling between Torn and Ashelin, hefting a rifle herself (the weapon nearly twice the length of her body). "Get away from them!" she shouted, firing rapidly despite her entire body pulsing with the shots.
With energy building in her other hand, Maia pulled it back. Seeing she was ready to throw it through her own shield, Sig lowered his gun. "Take cover!"
The five comrades dove to the sides just as Maia unleashed, the sphere of dark eco power ripping down the hall and nearly decimating the stairway at the opposite end, leaving a sizeable hole on the outer side.
And then Jak surged up, ramming Maia back into the wall. They struggled there, energy crackling around their bodies, arms locked.
Daxter shook his head, recovering, and looked up to the others. "Not… the best day… to be an ottsel," he muttered, still a bit dizzy.
Maia finally twisted out with Jak into the open hall, the two still struggling. Jak roared. "Where is Keira?"
Torn's eyes widened. "They've got Keira?"
Seem, crouching against the left wall behind him, felt ill in sympathy for the other young woman. If I'd only sensed their presence sooner…
Ashelin reloaded her pistol. "Then we have even less time to send this monster packing. Let 'er have it!"
Tess reeled out from cover with her rifle, Torn rolling along the ground as he fired, Ashelin and Sig firing from the right side, the governor crouched in front of Sig, who unleashed a fully charged shot with the peacemaker.
Maia strained, but Jak kneed her in the gut, punched her from below as she reeled, and ducked. Maia stumbled back, but flared energy around herself, blocking the deadly storm of firepower. "You can't stop me with those toys!"
Sensing something else, she suddenly twisted to her right, facing the open view of the city, only to find a cloaked mass rushing into her. Frost crashed into Maia violently, his cloak rippling amid his own storming energies. With his hood down, his fierce roar made his glowing eyes and armored, blackened form a frightful effigy before he and Maia crashed into the wall amidst a wave of purple lightning, which scattered across the wall and floor like a swarm of mad insects.
Dark Jak was still surging with power, ready to pound Maia clear through the wall, but Frost looked back over his shoulder, urgency coming through his fierce eyes and angry grimace. "Go, Jak!"
Dark Jak shivered, focusing on Frost for a split-second of uncertainty.
"Save Keira! You're the best chance she's got!"
Maia screamed as Frost tried to talk to Jak. "No! I'll kill him!" Energy started to burst off her hands and out of her eyes, but Frost grabbed her wrists and took her knee to his stomach with little more than a firm grunt, his own power surging around her, keeping hers occupied.
Finally, Jak realized what he was doing. His black eyes flared, and he suddenly screamed, reverting as his back arched. Daxter ran up to him, and watched his friend control his rage, suddenly exploding with blinding light. Both Frost and Maia stumbled away from the surge of pure power, but Light Jak wasted no time, his wings gently drifting down on his sides as Daxter hopped onto his shoulder. "Thank you, Frost," he said calmly, and then ducked down, his hands slamming together. In a blinding flash, he was gone.
Maia screamed in frustration. "Noooo!" She reeled on Frost, who was coughing in recovery from Light Jak's presence, down on his knees. "You miserable little—! It's time to put you out of your self-pitying misery!" Her left hand snapped up behind her without looking, blocking the storm of supporting fire from the others, and her right hand flared with energy, pulling back as she aimed down at Frost.
Ashelin's eyes flared with the others, Seem reaching out from her position at the wall, as she saw Maia's fist start to fall. "Frost, watch out!"
(Meanwhile…)
Despite time being frozen around them, Daxter knew his friend was pushing himself to the limit, even in his more peaceful state. Light Jak rushed through the air, his tendril-wings pulsing him higher and higher, his glowing eyes panning across the city, down the cliffs, around Metal-Heads, Wastelanders, and the first groups of Haven City guards who had arrived during the day.
His eyes focused down on the black wraith that almost stung his eyes with malicious power. …And there was Keira, her body frozen in anguish as she was painfully pulled up the cliffs just South of the city.
Daxter would have sworn his friend became even brighter, and then held on for dear life as the light warrior dove, ripping down through the air just as the time-freeze ended. Glancing at his friend, Daxter turned quite serious, realizing Jak was completely focused and calm, grave. Subtly shifting his wings to keep himself aloft, Light Jak rushed over the desert from the city, and then flapped his wings, rushing up the cliffs just as Jalnoth's tail vanished over the top.
Jalnoth himself rushed over the dark brown crags by his multi-jointed legs, making shocking progress for such rough terrain, Keira still gripped in his left claw by her neck and shoulders. The poor woman was in constant pain, hanging at an angle with her back, her left arm still badly bruised, and her body suffering from a constant difficulty in breathing. Combined with her fear that Jak was indeed going to be too well trapped to live, she was crying, tears falling back across her temples and into her hair.
Abruptly, she was let loose, and yelped as her back slammed into a flat rock on the top of the cliffs. She whimpered, curling over herself as Jalnoth crouched down, facing back toward the city.
"…He'll stop you…" she rasped, looking away, but firming her emotions.
"We shall see," the war-master muttered, his eyes glistening up as Light Jak swept down.
Keira felt him, her eyes rushing up to see the glowing, angelic warrior, who had landed neatly on a sharp rock just a few meters away, Daxter perched on his shoulder. Jak held his hands behind his back, his glowing wings gently idle behind him, his eyes focused on Jalnoth. "You have harmed my beloved."
Keira, despite her circumstances, blushed at his disciplined but sincere voice, tears from much more pleasant feelings coming to her eyes anew.
Jak continued, "You will not do so again."
Jalnoth raised his right claw. "I'm closer to her than you are, hero. Choose wisely. Surrender, or she dies in front of you."
"You are asking for it, buddy!" Daxter sourly snapped, his expression quite dark rather than sarcastic.
Jak's glowing eyes simply relaxed into a darker focus on the war-master. "You will not touch her."
Keira blinked, but they were both gone. She curled back from where she'd last seen Jalnoth, but looked around in alarm.
"Don't be afraid."
The ethereal voice rushed past her ears with such warmth. She let her eyes close as tears dripped down her cheeks, falling back against the soft front of her hero, light rushing around her. She looked up to see the world cast in gentle blue tones, Light Jak's shield surrounding her as he held her from behind. Jalnoth appeared, but didn't even bother attacking the shield as he stood in front of it.
Jak gently picked Keira up in his arms, and she just curled herself into him. She almost felt like her wounds had been healed in his simple presence. The luminous warrior himself rose to his full height, his wings relaxed, and let his shield lower as he focused on Jalnoth, Daxter grinning with satisfaction on his shoulder.
In a rush, Jalnoth lunged, and Jak took flight, bursting high into the air as the dark beast's fist shattered the rock into dust. Already building power in his free claw, Jalnoth twisted, unleashing a beam after Jak with air-shuddering force. Jak simply looked down, his shield flaring, the beam dispersed against the light power. However, the light warrior had to focus, and Daxter watched him clench his jaw as he drifted down, landing further away from Jalnoth, the beam still scattering off his power as he held Keira in his arms.
She looked up into his glowing face, and he focused down into her eyes, seeing the deep gratitude and affection coursing out of them. He couldn't help but smile back, his shield becoming more powerful in that moment. Keira, however, saw the conflict in his glowing eyes, and she nodded. "You can let me down, Jak. I know you need to move better."
His old, confident smile appeared, and he nodded to her. Gently, he let her down, and she found that she was, indeed, healed from the warm power brimming from his form. With one last shared glance, he leapt toward Jalnoth, Daxter, as always, clinging to his shoulder.
Jalnoth ripped across the rocks on all-fours himself, his own jaw finally ripping open, his tendrils lashing out as he leapt for Jak. Light Jak snapped his wings back, propelling him straight into the dark beast. Jalnoth bestially screeched in pain, landing heavily as he grappled with Jak, but the wings coiled around his arms, forcing him to let go before they did as well. And then Jak twirled, his foot and each fist slamming into Jalnoth in a spiraling rush.
Stumbling back, his body steaming from the light power attacking him, Jalnoth could only look up as Jak stood on a rock in front of him, looking down gravely. "As I said… you will not harm my beloved." And then he rushed down, braced, and ripped up with his right fist, his wings flowing down against his back, Daxter barely holding on as he gave a holler of triumph himself.
The glowing fist smashed into Jalnoth's armored chin, and drove him straight up into the air. The beast roared in pain and frustration, but flew high into the air, arcing back, falling far away with no sign of catching himself too soon. Light Jak landed lightly, and rushed back to Keira, crouching down with his landing at her feet. She almost collapsed with relief, smiling around her fresh tears at him. "My hero…"
He came up, embraced her powerfully for as long as he could justify, and then whispered, "We have to get out of here," in her ear.
She just nodded, and let him scoop her up. He ducked, let Daxter brace, and snapped his wings as he shot into the air once more. In a flash, they were rushing back to the city.
(Back at the Palace…)
"Frost, watch out!"
He heard Ashelin's voice, his mind reeling from Light Jak's presence, but just as Maia's fist came hurtling down, flaring with power, his own red eyes snapped up to meet hers, and his hand shot in, grabbing her fist. She howled, the energy exploding along both their arms, dying off along their shoulders.
Frost smirked faintly. "What's wrong, Maia? Can't handle a little pain?"
Her expression flattened, and she dropped the shield behind herself, yanking her left hand around, grabbing his neck, and flinging him around her body, slamming him back into the wall. He struck, but didn't even pause before he belted her across the face with his left fist, sending her stumbling to the side.
Sig dropped his gun. "Ugh! They're too close. I can't fire at her like this."
Ashelin and Torn had lowered their guns as well, Tess finally dropping hers with a similar growl of frustration. Seem watched anxiously, finally rising to stand with them. "He forced her off before, but not without nearly killing himself."
Ashelin twirled her gun into her holster. "He can do it." Her eyes focused on her comrade intently.
Frost followed Maia after finally falling from the wall, and their arms snapped into a blurred rush of sharp, jerking impacts, each attempted blow meeting another, fists, forearms, and elbows locking and snapping apart amid storming, crackling power. Frost was slowly forcing Maia back, but she was clearly growing more frustrated by the second. Finally, she jammed her left foot down into his, making him pause from pain, and rammed her left palm up into his chin.
Flipping clean over himself, Maia came down on his back with her right fist, smashing him into the ground with a shattering blow. As she was standing alone, Tess and Torn each fired at her, but Maia only summoned a wall of power to block their shots as she yanked Frost out of the ground by a firm hold on his head-armor. She grunted with exertion, charging and ramming him straight into the wall, head-first. He slumped against the hole he made, and she kneed him in the chest, flipping him out of it. She followed up, as he twisted in the air, with a beam blast from her left hand, but her eyes flared as his own claws came out, crackling power crashing into her blast, exploding between them.
Both flew away, Frost flipping over and slamming to a crouch, one claw scraping off the ground as he finally skidded to a stop just in front of his comrades. Looking up, he saw Maia rise off the ground without effort, floating back toward him. Sig, Torn, Ashelin, and Tess took aim, Seem focused down on Frost with a mixture of concern and some relief in her eyes. He seemed wearied, but perfectly capable of fighting.
Sig narrowed his organic eye down the length of his weapon. "On me, people."
Ashelin gripped her pistol carefully, Torn twirled both of his, holding them laterally, right over left, crossed, and Tess cocked her rifle, aiming similarly to Sig himself. Frost pulled his claws together, purple-red energy and distortion building between them. "Ready," he rasped, his eyes glowing beneath narrowed lids.
With a full shot charged for his peacemaker, Sig smirked as Maia started to build energy in her hands. "Now!"
The blue-white sphere of energy burst free, spiraling toward Maia as crimson bolts and a dark-blast twirled after it. Maia laughed, wrenching her hands wide. Energy exploded in a violent arc from her two hands, expanding into a wall-wave, ripping down the hall. It paused with Sig's blast, took the crimson bolts with little effort, and paused again with Frost's dark-blast. The moment that dispersed, however, the wall burst around a rip-rushing beam of more dark energy, shooting straight toward Ashelin in the center of their group.
They were all too stunned to even dodge, and it was moving too fast anyway. Frost, however, sprang forward, his left claw aimed back, his right at Maia. His own power rushed out of both claws, the left claw's beating Maia's to his friends, and expanding into a protective wall, very much like Maia's own shields. The right claw unleashed a storming blast of purple-red lightning toward Maia.
Sig and the others ducked reflexively, but watched as Maia's blast did, indeed, disperse around Frost's shield, the Metal-Head leader landing as his attack continued toward Maia, stuck near the wall, between his friends and their enemy.
Maia laughed once more, her left hand up, starting to absorb Frost's attack. He focused firmly, his arm tightening, the claw constricting, and she was finally forced to blast against his attack with her own. She, however, added another blast from her free hand back at the others again. She maintained both beams, forcing Frost to defend himself and his friends at the same time. His body was already shivering.
Seem held a hand near her mouth. "…He can not maintain this…"
This time, Ashelin seemed just as anxious, glancing from Frost, to Maia, and back.
Maia calmed her laugh, but remained amused as she focused down on the fiercely determined warrior fending off her attacks. "How cute. Still so protective of that little monk girl, aren't you?"
Seem glanced down, Sig, Ashelin, and Torn giving her a faint glance. Frost, however, just darkened his expression.
The floating agent of the Darken continued, "Tell me. Are you protecting all your friends… or just her? Who's really in the center of your mind right now, Frost?"
Seem looked up at Maia in grave anger, Frost still shivering with exertion.
Maia chuckled faintly. "You really are pathetic. All that devotion for a woman who can never look at you the way you look at her. You've even convinced yourself you can nobly ignore your affections… respect her choices."
Frost growled inhumanly, actually pushed closer to her, energy thundering down his body, crackling across the floor. "My emotions are my business, whatever they may be, witch. I will not regret returning kindness to a kind person."
As she watched, however, Seem's expression melted with her conflict, watching him stand against Maia. "…Leave him be…" she whispered, her hands tightening into fists, her head bowed.
Darkening her smile, Maia sent a surge from both hands, Frost groaning, falling to one knee.
Torn lowered his guns, his eyes showing rare urgency. "Oh come on. He can't hold this himself. We should retreat, at least let him lower the shield," he said to Sig.
Sig frowned firmly. "…I can't stand leaving him like this… but we haven't done much good…"
Laughing, Maia started to push her left hand toward Frost, his body shivering in waves. "That's right, Frost… You'll give your all every time… But it won't be enough. You know why, too. Deep down, you know you couldn't have her even if she was available."
Seem watched, heart-sick, as Frost actually waned at the words, his expression constricting in more than physical pain. Her eyes quaked with emotion, and she focused on Maia with grim determination. "How dare you mock him!"
Everyone, including Maia herself, abruptly focused on the monk in surprise, especially Sig.
Seem continued instantly. "He is a kind and noble man, who has not let a power beyond my darkest fathomings corrupt his humanity! You can show us all the power you have, Maia, and you will never show enough to prove his equal! I do not see you suffering on your knees for anyone!" She didn't dare let herself look down at Frost, his shocked eyes would reach too deeply into her heart, she'd exposed it too openly. "You mock him because you envy him! Do you not?"
Each of them, including Frost as he looked back to Maia, could see the words struck something deep. Maia focused on the young monk with an unbridled rage, an animalistic hatred that made her entire body shiver as her head tilted more and more to the side. She unleashed an unnatural roar that shook the entire hall, purple-red lightning exploding off her body, her beams halting.
Frost wheezed, finally letting his own power down for a heart-beat, but never took his eyes off Maia. Seem stood where she was, a strange power in her small frame, even Sig backing slowly away from Maia where she stood still. The dark queen shot forward, the already ruined floor of the hall bursting into the air in her wake. Though the realization of imminent death did enter Seem's mind, she just stood, looking into Maia's on-rushing, furious gaze without fear. Indeed, she saw a terrified animal lashing out in desperation, not a dark queen. A frightened girl.
And as Maia rushed closer, her perceptions flaring, Frost shot away from the side of the hall, driving himself back toward Seem as well, his eyes blazing with power and focus. He pulled just ahead of Maia, and then sprang off the ground.
Sig, Seem, everyone rapidly back-peddled as Frost and Maia twirled down into the ground with explosive force, Seem almost falling to her knees from the shockwave. Maia sprang up, her fist rushing down at Frost's face, but he swatted it aside, rising into her front. He drove her back into the far wall, and leapt back as she flipped into an arc-kick. She recovered, screamed, and rushed at him.
Frost twisted back, energy flowing around his fist as his own perceptions stretched, and he locked eyes with Maia over his shoulder. With a snap and rush of power, Frost was twisted into the end of his punch, his right arm out to the left, away from the friends he was protecting, and Maia was flying to the far end of the hall amid a trail of crackling power.
Moaning, Frost fell to all-fours, looking over as Maia flipped over, crashing to a halt. She managed to stand, but was obviously barely remaining on her feet, her own chest heaving around the shadow gem embedded in it.
Sig and the others aimed again, Seem barely keeping herself from running to Frost's side. In the end, however, they didn't have to do anything further. A pure light filled the hall, Frost averting his eyes, already aware of who it was.
Light Jak rose from his crouch in the center of the hall, Keira in his arms, Daxter on his shoulder, and turned, facing Maia. He let Keira down, who stood at his side calmly, staring Maia down along with her love. Light Jak stood in his usual calm, focused manner, his wings radiant and calm. "Retreat."
Maia's expression shivered with rage, but she calmed herself. "This isn't remotely over, hero. I survived your light eco before. I'll finish the job next time we meet." She gave one last glance down to Frost, between Keira and Jak. "Good luck, Frost. We'll meet again before the end."
She grinned darkly at Jak, and then shot into the air, rushing away from the city.
Jak reverted to normal, sagging over himself as the others collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Frost eased, breathing at the ground as he let his eyes close, catching his breath. When a gentle touch weighted upon his shoulder, he instantly looked up with soft surprise. His expression became gently wistful as he looked into Seem's eyes, the monk crouching beside him.
"Are you injured?" she asked gently.
Frost shook his head faintly. "Just tired… Seem, I…" he trailed off as she shook her head.
"I only said the truth, you need not thank me for it. You protected us all once again."
Sig stepped up with Ashelin, Tess, and Torn. "No kidding, chili-pepper. That was some fight. You held up for us when it really counted, kid."
Frost only looked down in embarrassment at all their attention, Jak, Keira, and Daxter coming over.
"Daxter!" Tess yelled, tackling him to the ground. Her exclamations of worry and his attempts at calming her down droned on behind them as Jak and Keira stopped near the resting warrior.
"I owe you one, Frost," Jak said sincerely, offering his hand.
Seem eased back with a gentle smile as Frost reached up, shaking Jak's hand.
"Just… helping out…"
Jak shook his head. "If you hadn't shown up, I couldn't have gone after Keira."
Keira crouched down as well. "Thank you, Frost."
He just gave her a gentle smile, shaking his head. "Just helping…"
Ashelin nodded at the small group. "Still, I think we need to get you two to bed."
Jak looked to Keira with a gentle smile. "No kidding. You must be totally worn out after all that… I'm sorry I wasn't faster…"
Keira just nudged his shoulder. "Don't even start. You rescued me soon enough. But, yeah… I'm pretty tired…" she looked down a bit more seriously.
Sig nodded back to the steps. "Come on. Fresh rooms for both of ya."
"Thank you, Sig," Keira replied lightly, rising with Jak's gently supportive hands around her shoulders, starting to walk back with the others to the stairs.
Frost started to rise as well. "Yes… thank you, King Sig," he managed quietly.
Sig was about to help himself, but smiled as Seem gently wrapped her hands around Frost's shoulders, and helped him straighten up. The monk seemed quite calm, but Sig could tell Frost was blushing under his dark skin as the young woman helped him walk toward the stairs.
Practically alone together as they started up the stairs, Frost glanced down to Seem's face as she helped him walk, her hands softly bracing his arms, helping him stay upright more easily. "…It was very kind of you to say those things, Seem…"
She bowed her head, as if just looking at the steps, but was hiding the pained conflict in her eyes. "I saw you react to some of her words, and I did not want you to think so ill of yourself. If I…" she cut herself off quietly, looking further aside.
If he'd missed it before, he caught the pain in her manner this time. His expression fell with sympathy, and he stopped. Seem paused with him, but kept her face down.
"…Seem, what is wrong?"
"…I… started to say something I shouldn't have. Please let me dismiss it…"
There was such a deep pleading in her voice that he had no hesitation. "Of course, but… you seem very hurt… Did I—?"
"No!" she replied instantly. "It was nothing you did. I am struggling with something in myself, and in this dark time, I can not afford to waste my effort on it. Please, let me help you to a bed, you must be very weary."
He went with her gesture to keep walking, but looked down gravely himself. After a few minutes, however, she looked back to him, and their eyes met. She seemed calmer, more peaceful, as was usual for her. She offered a gentle smile. "You are not unworthy of affection, Frost. You are a very good man. Please do not let your enemies convince you otherwise in their jealousy."
She could see the shocked embarrassment in his eyes, and so she simply looked ahead, helping him walk. "The room is not far," she added as they moved over the end of the steps.
Frost finally looked back down. "Y-yes… thank you…"
He did not realize that, as they walked, she was looking away with a faint blush herself.
(Later…)
Maia dropped to her feet near Jalnoth on the cliffs far South of the city. She set her hands on her hips, looking down at him as he crawled back onto the top of the cliffs. "I think someone has been knocked off his high horse…"
"I would not consider your own failure a foundation for criticizing mine," Jalnoth retorted flatly, rising to his feet in front of her.
Before she could respond, however, they both crashed to the rocks, their shadow-gems surging with energy. Even Jalnoth screeched in pain…
Maia sprang to her feet… in the same darkness as when the Darken had contacted her. Jalnoth picked himself up on her right, and they both looked into the darkness beyond. Maia was frozen, her eyes shivering with fear as she felt it coming closer again.
The massive clusters of glowing crimson flared to life in front of them, Jalnoth cowering down into a low, submissive posture, Maia falling to all-fours herself, hoping it would not wash over her as it had before.
The thought-shattering voice returned to her mind, and she constricted toward the ground. I am disappointed. Obviously more than one war-master was called for. That a single creature, however strengthened by the Precursors, should halt you both is most… taxing.
It continued without seeming to notice their submissive postures. I am close now, Maia quivered at his words, and so we shall strike as one. Maia, he focused upon her completely, the woman gasping as her heart constricted on itself. Since you have failed my task for you completely, you will simply serve as a war-master in the coming invasion. Jalnoth and yourself are of equal rank now. And as such…
Maia's eyes widened, and she looked up at him. "No! Please! I will do as you say, but please don't—!"
She cut herself off with her own scream, black energy blasting into her chest and engulfing her body. Her eyes were the last part of her form to be consumed, and they were gazing upward in horror, tears sparking with energy rushing out of them… before darkness consumed her completely.
You belong to me…
(Author's Note…)
Sorry for the huge delay in updating. Had to go visit relatives over the weekend. I hope this chapter was entertaining. Next chapter focuses on character-interaction, so hopefully this action will tied you over in the mean time. I'll try to update faster, but please be patient if I fail in that endeavor.
Thank you, everyone, for the glowing reviews, yet again. I'm very glad you're enjoying this story, and I hope this chapter only continues your enjoyment. If anything that happens makes you stop reading, please post a review letting me know why. And, again, critiques always welcome.
--Cy
