(walks out, humming Neodammerung under his breath)
Hello everybody, glad to be here, as my neck of the Florida panhandle just managed to dodge a bullet with Dennis deciding to make a last minute swerve to the west. My sympathies to anyone who was hit by the storm though, or if you know of anyone who happened to be caught in its path.
Also, sorry about my song butchering, I've been listening to the tune from Matrix: Revolutions where Smith and Neo were duking it out throughout the whole time that I was writing this, as it seemed somewhat appropriate.
Anyway, to those of you who have been so kind and reviewed.
Dunce- Glad that you liked Jynx's methods of persuasion, and I hope you like this chapter too, hehe.
Lunatic Pandora1- Actually, I think a couple of the Final Fantasy games did have something called tinfoil armor in it as a joke. And yes, I did once again come up short in the originality department and have to take that line from Starcraft. I'm sorry if this irritated you, and you'll probably see some more influence from that game as the story progresses, especially if I manage to get the sequel out.
Xeno Freak- Thanks for that bit of info on EVA, and I can tell you that Errol's death will be very, very painful. It might be tweaked just slightly, but for the most part, I think when he finally does manage to kill his nemesis, Jak do via a method that might remind several people of the not so epic confrontation between Emperor Palpatine and Luke Skywalker. Also, I'm glad that you told me what you thought of kung-fu Kor, I always thought it would be sorta funny if the players saw him suddenly break bad on a bunch of K.G. Also, thanks for the ideas regarding new powers. I'm not sure how I'll be able to introduce them, but I'll do my best, though if you read the Mar's Tomb Chapter, you'll see that it wasn't just Dark Eco users who were banished in this story, but for those who do, Jak will have something special hehehehe. On a final note, you made mention of the Soul Reaver, and I've a question for you. Is it just me, or does Light Jak look disturbing like Raziel when he has his scarf up?
SRHumphry727- I'm pleased that you liked Jynx totally thrashing Sig, I always wanted to see someone kick the crap outta him, no offense to the Wastelander, I just thought it would be funny. Also, I hope you enjoy my other story, and this chapter as well, though I feel obligated to tell you that this one is going to be bloody. Thanks for the idea as well, I'll try to find a way to work it in.
MariaShadow- Hoped someone would enjoy Jynx's little remark, and yes, Errol did make a big mistake, albeit a rather clichéd one, as you think after all this time, villain's would realize that to threat the love of the hero is never a good thing to do, and end results tend to be a little hazardous to their health. Hope you like what happens to the little sadist.
ChibiSess- Hehe, sorry about how sadistic I made Errol, but I thought that it would just make people happier when he finally kicks the bucket. About how I described Sig moving, I never really thought about it, but now that you brought it to my attention, I suppose yes, he could indeed have been making one heck of a racket, the thought you presented me with actually had me holding my sides in laughter ). Also, I regret to inform you that Dark won't be making as much use of his claws anymore, following this chapter, but hopefully what he starts to use in favor of them will appease you, and let me tell you that Errol will have some bad things start to happen to him. (cackles fiendishly).
Paska- Ahh, Morrowind, I finally managed to get that for my computer, and my dark elf is currently running around with some samurai armor that was created by a guy named Ronin, and let me tell you, armed with a daedric katana, he looks like a one Dumner army, (plus Ronin was able to get a shield to look like a wakazhasi, so even though I can only use it for blocking, it still looks like I'm dual wielding, which is awesome!) There will be some influence from the daedric weapons as far as Kitetsu is concerned, though its appearance is going to be tweaked one final time before all is said and done. Thanks for the idea though, and hopefully you'll like the chapter. Thanks for the body armor as well, you'll probably see to it that I make good use of it. (bows humbly).
SeventhSpanishAngel- I hope your vacation was pleasant, and I apologize about the cliffhanger. And let me tell you that yes, Jak will be going very, very postal in this chapter, and that there will be lost of blood and death involved. Hope you like it.
Shakai- Thanks for the gun-blade idea, it won't be something that I give to Kitetsu, but seeing as how I hadn't thought of anything to give to a certain character who will play a predominant role in the sequel, I think I know what to have him wielding now. And yes, Jynx has a heart, and I was thinking about bringing in something from FFVII. I've been toying with the idea of giving Jak an armored trench coat similar to the one that Spirit wears throughout the game, but I haven't decided yea or nay yet. What do you think? Also, have you noticed that between the final fantasy games, and DMC, that it's always the strange, silver haired dudes that are capable of unleashing the biggest cans of butt whooping?
Farr2rich- I'm sorry that Jak won't be losing an arm, though knowing his ability to heal in this game, he'd probably just grow it right back. However, I still plan to use your idea, and it may become obvious who will be receiving that kind of technology when this chapter is over. And don't worry about Errol psychotic sadism, he will suffer, of that, rest assured. Also, thanks for the ideas, I had already planned to have D.J. using lighting bolts, but I'd never thought about flames, must think of a way to get that in. Also, great idea on explaining how the nuke weapon works. Best of luck to ya in your writings, and I await an update eagerly.
dude- I'm happy that you liked the story, and I hope that this chapter has proved worthy of the time that you have spent reading this tale. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter, if you can.
Air of Mystery- Thank you for your input, and I hope that you found my own review of your story to be useful, ( I've never been very good at giving advice). Hopefully, I can help you disprove that myth about D.J. being a merciless killing machine. I mean sure, just because he's capable of unleashing death and destruction doesn't make him bad, I mean, look at the Jedi, in one of the comics, Yoda's throwing twenty thousand ton Separatist transport ships into each other, does that make him evil? Sorry, ranting again. Hope you like the chapter.
Exardas- hehehehehe, rest assured Errol will so find a new definition of pain and suffering before all is said and done. Though, regretfully he will return. However, he shall not do so as a cyborg, that role has already gone to someone else. Also, unlike the actual game I shall at least attempt to explain how the hell he comes back from the dead. On another note, I'm sorry I haven't been able to review your story, I've been very, very busy lately, I'll try to get to it soon, I promise.
Light-Eco-Sage- I'm sorry to hear about your internet problems, I've had a few of my own lately, and it forces us to redirect the wiring in our house. Also, glad that you liked the fact that Jak and Keira are once again a couple, wouldn't dream of breaking them up. On another note, while I cannot guarantee that Errol will have his butt kicked, he will have something handed to him, so to speak. (cackles fiendishly) . Hope that you update your own stories soon.
animedragongirl- Sorry to hear about your computer woes, Xeno Freak probably said it best in his review, and I personally feel that it is a mistake to allow anyone of these blasted things to realize that you are in a hurry, as that's when things really start to go haywire. On another note, your right that I didn't clarify whether or not Jak had transformed, and in hindsight, I probably should have gone wee bit further. Hopefully I'll be able to clear things up in this one, and hopefully it'll be enjoyable (crosses fingers).
To those who read, but did not review, I hope you have found this fic worthy of your time and effort.
Lawyers: I own nothing but those characters that I have created, get used to it.
Also, for those of you reading, I'm not sure if it merits it, but I have decided that I will rate this chapter as a 'M' due to D.J.s viciousness and the amount of gore involved when he makes his debut in his new form. I might be erring on overkill here, but just to be safe, you have been warned.
And, I want to extend my thanks to everyone whose ever left a review for me thus far. Your ideas and advice have helped me to come as far as I have in this story, and I don't think I'd be posting it today were it not for your help. This chapter is dedicated to all of you, with my sincerest gratitude.
&
Demonic Ascension
Errol felt a twisted combination of curiosity and fear make its way through him as he stared at the dark elf. His eyes were still the same burning sapphire that they had been before, but now, they were no longer the eyes that belonged to an elf. Slitted, reptilian pupils bored into him, the darkness in the center reflecting his own visage back at him, and he took an involuntary step back away from where Jak lay.
Keira, too, managed to summon up enough strength to look up from her prone position upon the metal floor. Through the pain that made its way through her, she was able to see the emotions and feelings that churned within the depths of the one she loved. Fear, for herself, and for all of them, and a rather good deal of righteous fury directed towards their captors. His eyes themselves spoke of something, that this latest treatment had changed something about himself in an utterly irrevocable manner. He started to struggle, thrashing against his bonds, trying to break free.
It was then that a certain Commander of the Krimzon Guard, who seemed to have finally found his backbone, stepped forward, assuring himself that there was no way Jak could break free, and decided to try and taunt the demon that he now realized was trying to manifest itself.
"Struggle all you want, you mindless little fiend," he said with a smirk, getting up to a point where he could have practically spat in Jak's face, "you're not going to get loose this time. You see, we took the liberty of changing the material of your restraints, that's solid ferrosteel you're trying to break."
However, his smile was quickly wiped off his face, once one appeared on 'Jak's' visage. In the next instant, complete with a battle roar, a veritable storm of Dark Eco lightning sprang from his body, blowing Errol off his feet and sending him crashing into a wall, more than a little dazed. Even then, with its nemesis struck down, the creature that dwelt within Jak did not relent, did not stop its attack. The storm surged upwards, striking the machine that was responsible for the injections, and completely destroying it. From there, it coursed its way over to where the consol was, and within seconds, it had been turned into slag.
As luck would have it, that particular console also served as the power regulator conduit that keep electricity running through the cell block. This resulted in the entire area being plunged into darkness, and also turned the cell doors into little more than decorations, as they could now be opened with a simple push.
However, for the most part, the guards could have cared less about the forty odd prisoners that were now no longer contained, they were more focused on what was happening concerning a certain dark elf. This, when combined with their inability to see what was going on, had one inevitable outcome.
Chaos.
The roars from where Jak was suddenly became rather pain filled, and an obsidian sphere, even darker than the pitch black abyss that the cell block had become, covered him. There was a strange pulsing sound, and all who knew of the demon that dwelt within the young elf braced themselves for any possibility. After a few seconds, the orb faded, and Keira heard a weird beating sound that she was certain that she'd heard before, but in her brain's pain addled state, was unable to recall.
Less than ten seconds had passed between the time when Jak had destroyed the power conduit and right then, but even as the emergency lighting came on, painting the entire cellblock with an eerie, hellishly red glow, all present found the lab table empty, with nothing but slagged ferrosteel restraints to show that it had just held something.
"Where'd he go?" Errol snarled, putting a voice to everyone's thoughts, and drawing a heavy blaster pistol at the same time.
Seeking to find an answer for their superior, the commandos began to look about, their fingers sliding down to their triggers, and ignoring the fact that several Underground members had come out of their cells, among them Samos and company.
Errol, walking by the remnants of the destroyed computer consol, heard a strange rattling sound, and looking over, saw something that stole his breath away. Kitetsu lay there, but it was not the blade that had been used by those of the Mar linage for so long. Now, the katana was a solid obsidian in color, and the runes written into its blade were a blood red crimson, while the sword itself had grown in size, now being something closer to four and a half to five feet in length. Furthermore, the katana was the source of the vibrations.
It happened just as one of the commandos looked up at the ceiling, noticing a strange, dark patch that the emergency lighting didn't cover. The blade suddenly gave one more violet shudder, and shot towards the roof. Its abrupt flight was halted as a taloned fist suddenly shot out of the darkness, and grabbed it. Then, a pair of red eyes became visible, burning like twin hell-forges and another growl filled the air. The answer to Errol's question had been found.
Back down on the ground floor, commandos exchanged uneasy glances, something that Sig and Jynx, who had been ignored completely, also did.
"How'd he get up there?" Sig muttered, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Beats the heck outta me." Jynx replied, his voice awe-filled, as he was still struggling to believe what his eyes were telling him. "But I'm praying that he's still on our side."
As if to answer Jynx's prayer, the demon suddenly threw Kitetsu. The blade arced out, spinning around, and its target was one of the commandos responsible for flooring Keira. And let it be known that that was no coincidence. There was a sharp hissing sound, and a small spatter of blood hit the floor, before the blade curved back around towards its wielder, who grabbed it out of the air with relative ease.
For a moment, no one was sure of what had just happened, until the yellow armored soldier suddenly let out a scream fit to wake the dead, and fell backwards, revealing that he had just had his legs cut off right below his kneecaps. Then, aside from the screams and moans of the soldier, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned towards the creature that was hanging from the brig ceiling.
The next instant would provide the answer to Sig's question, and would reveal to Keira what the sound had been that she had heard.
The rest of the strange shadows that surrounded the creature were suddenly dispelled, and it relinquished its grip upon the ceiling, letting gravity take over. However, before it had fallen for more than a second, it suddenly flipped around, and a pair of massive, bat-like wings suddenly extended to catch it, their span easily encompassing sixteen feet.
There was a terrifying grace to the way in which the creature's muscle and sinew worked together to keep it aloft, something that was both strangely beautiful, and downright scary to the way in which it easily maneuvered itself to the ground. And, despite the pain rushing through her, Keira was unable to stop her analytical mind from comparing the demon's new look, to that of its old.
Overall, its appearance had had one heck of a makeover, as while its older form had at least retained some semblance to humanity, now it no longer in any way resembled an elf. Its head was now flatter, more animalistic, and its face had elongated into something that could best be described as a muzzle. Also, while it still possessed its horns, they weren't really curved anymore, and now seemed to come backwards off of its brow ridges. Its neck was also about twice as long as it used to be in body size relations, giving it a greater degree of movement in that region. Furthermore, its hair was now black as a raven's feathers, and came down to about halfway between its shoulders and the small of its back. These, when combined with its new visage, gave an initial impression of something that was barbaric and feral.
However, that thought would be immediately dispelled once one stared into its glowing hellfire eyes, which seemed to literally burn with some kind of otherworldly intelligence.
Traveling further down, its build was the next thing she noticed. Whereas before, the oni had been about Jak's size, it now stood about a foot and a half higher than Sig, and muscles pulsed and rippled underneath a skin that had changed from a pale white to a strange purplish red, with weird black marks, that almost resembled some kind of pagan tattoos, adorning several areas of its body. There were also its hands, or more specifically, the talons that were attached to them, which had now retracted to something in the neighborhood of about half an inch. This no doubt made it much easier for it to grasp its weapon. What was also unmistakable were its wings, and the small, three taloned 'fingers' sticking off of the two joints that were above its shoulders. As it landed, these strange appendages showed what they were for, as it folded its wings across its shoulders, almost like a cape or a cloak, and they apparently acted like a clasp or a broach or some sort.
There was also a winding, serpentine tail that came off of it, about five feet long, which waved back and forth ominously as it stood before them all.
As started walking, a clacking sound filled the air as its raptoid foot talons connected with the metal floor, its strides surprisingly smooth and coordinated for a creature of its size. What was more, the lower body was different as well.
Its legs were now triple jointed, coming back slightly from the kneecap until about three quarters of the way down its shin, where a second joint was, whereupon it angled forward until it reached its foot. As for that particular appendage, it too was angled off the floor, though only just slightly, with four toes being at the front of the foot, while a fifth one, apparently quite flexible, came off of its heel. It was that changeup, along with the wings suddenly sprouting, that Keira realized was probably responsible for Jak's agony filled scream, as having your legs twist about on you while a new set of appendages sprang from your back, had to be anything but pleasant.
Upon these, its strode over to where the fallen commando was, who was now muttering incoherently and struggling in vain to reach the door of the cell block, both of his stumps bleeding quite profusely. Upon reaching him, the oni stared down, as if trying to figure out what to do with this particular elf. A few seconds later, it seemed to have made up its mind, and it reached out with one foot, and brought it slamming down on the remains of the trooper's right leg, shattering what was left of the bone and causing the commando to scream once more.
But the elite soldier's suffering did not end there, as the creature brought its sword up above its head, angling it point down, and kept it poised there for one single moment, just long enough for everyone present to realize what was about to happen. Then, it brought the dark katana down, plunging it into the elf's back, piercing armor, flesh, bone, and from the metallic shrieking sound, the floor as well, effectively pinning the elf where he lay, before turning its eyes upon the other one that had been guarding Keira.
The moment those eyes made contact, the man's courage deserted him, and he turned to bolt. However, even as he did so, the oni leapt, and before he had even made it five feet, it came crashing down upon his back, bearing him to the floor, and quite effectively crushing his spine. Not surprisingly, another scream split the air. However, compared to some, this commando's demise was to be mercifully swift, if excessively brutal, as the oni reached down, and to the amazement of all, actually grabbed the man around his head with its foot. It raised the soldier, now limp as a rag doll, up, bringing its kneecap even with its chest, before driving the elite trooper's head into the floor with sufficient force to actually leave a fairly good sized dent in it. Needless to say, death was rather rapid, following a blow such as that.
Snorting disdainfully, the oni then turned around, and walked back to where the aqua haired elf lay upon the floor, still trying to get up, but finding the pain of her back wound too much, was unsuccessful, and her arms gave out. However, rather than feeling the cold hardness of the cell block floor, she felt herself supported by something that felt rather like tough leather. She was slowly rolled about as the oni, with infinite caution, picked her up. The elf opened her eyes again, and found herself staring into its own. But, rather than the burning rage that it directed towards Errol and his men, she saw instead, an undeniable shimmer of concern for her.
However, as it gently cradled her in its arms, one commando, apparently thinking to take advantage of this perceptible distraction, took aim with his rifle.
It would be his last mistake.
In a flash, the oni had twisted about, and sent a blast of purple lighting streaking towards him. Before he could even cry out, the soldier, and four of his comrades who were unlucky enough to have been standing too close to him, were struck down, slain by the Channeled attack. Their bodies hit the floor, their armor smoking and the horrid smell of charred flesh filling the air, their bodies jerking spasmodically for a few seconds as some of the dark electricity continued to crackle over them, before they at last went still.
The creature glanced about, growling, its slitted eyes boring into the enemy troopers, glaring as if to say 'anyone else want to try that?' The unspoken answer was a resounding no, and so, with the K.G. elites rather effectively cowed, it spread its wings, and took to the air, flying over to where Samos stood upon the third tier. Those troopers who happened to be near them, upon realizing its destination, beat a hasty retreat to other areas of the cell block, not that such a course of action would help them in the long run.
It alighted upon the topmost tier of the cell block gently, and slowly set the elf that was so dear to its host's heart, and in a way, its own, down in front of her adoptive father. Samos got down on his knees, and looked over the extent of his daughter injuries, which, while not something that one could simply slap a band-aid upon, were still within his abilities to deal with. Sighing in relief, he looked up, staring into the glowing coals of the oni's eyes, a sudden expression of rage upon his face.
"I'll take care of her," he said, his voice carefully measure, containing a fury that was entirely understandable considering the circumstances, "you just deal with them!"
And so saying, Samos felt deep within himself, calling upon some of his power that he'd stored up all these years, knowing that he'd need it for this very moment today. Releasing the pent up Green Eco, he sent it into his adoptive daughter, and watched as it rapidly went about its business. A couple of seconds later, she sat up with a groan, before staring up at the demon once more, which seemed relieved that she was alright.
The elder Samos abruptly looked to his younger counterpart, whose face was twisted into a mask of fear. It was understandable, considering that this was his first time ever laying eyes upon the creature, let alone in its new form. Furthermore, it was about to make one hell of a first impression. But, the older Sage was privy to quite a bit more knowledge about the creature than his younger self did. He knew, that despite its appearance and tremendously awful power, which did draw upon something usually associated with death and evil, that the oni's heart was not dark. This creature, devil or not, was far more noble than a good many elves could claim.
Abruptly, the demon turned around, and spreading its wings, leapt off of the tier and dove back towards where it had left the impaled commando.
The elf was alive, though it was obvious to all that his wounds were most definitely mortal ones. Still, he clung to life, if just barely, and was trying to remove the dark katana from his back. Walking up beside the stricken elf, the oni abruptly snatched his groping left wrist, before squeezing it, turning the bones to dust. However, the guard's scream of agony over that was very quickly outdone by what the oni did next.
It gave a single forceful yank, and tore the commando's arm right out of its socket, causing almost everyone on the ground floor to take an involuntary step backwards. It then flung the severed appendage away, taking careful aim to ensure that it landed at Errol's feet. However, the elite soldier, who was by now nearly mad with pain, would not be allowed to die from blood loss, as the oni suddenly lashed out, a gruesome death being the price that the elf had to pay for daring strike the soul mate of its host.
There was a collective gulp from Errol and his men, as the creature finished, and several of the Underground members who had beheld the spectacle quickly ducked back into their cells, relieving themselves of their last meals. As for the oni, it reached down, and with blood stained talons, pulled Kitetsu free from the floor, which was similarly coated and devoid of any piece of flesh larger than a standard credit. What was left of the commando was now scattered all over the area. It then turned its head upon its neck, staring at the soldiers once again, who felt their bowels begin to quiver with fear.
It was then, that something happened, something that added further surrealism to, as far as the Krimzon Guards were concerned, this nightmare come to life.
The oni spoke.
"We cannot be caged." it growled in a strange, distorted voice, narrowing its glowing eyes at the yellow armored troopers.
"We, will not, be controlled!" it roared, turning around to face them fully, flipping its dark sword around to where it was held like a knife.
For a brief second it paused, looking up, its eyes locking with Keira's, before it craned its neck around to look at Daxter, who had his head out of Sig's ammo satchel, his furry mug gawking.
"And," it said, its voice deceptively calm, "we will not let you harm those dear to us."
It abruptly snapped into an attack position, very similar to Jak's own, and glared at the troopers one final time.
"Know this, you fools, as Death embraces you!" it snarled, before charging the nearest group of commandos, its speed so great as to actually leave a continuous afterimage of itself behind.
It reached the first of its enemies before most of the elves present had even realized that it had begun to move, and it brought Kitetsu across his chest with a very slight upswing, while at the same time, bringing its left hand down, and revealing to all that while its talons may have been shorter than before, they were no less deadly, as it pretty much ripped the face off of a second foe. The third one to die had just managed to bring his weapon up, when the oni gripped its blade with both hands, and brought it down like a knife, plunging it up to the hilt in the commando's chest.
Three were now dead, and the majority of the elites had yet to even get their weapons properly oriented. This would prove to be a trend throughout the battle, if it could even be called that, as massacre-in-progress would be a better description.
The creature ripped the dark katana out of the dying commando, letting him slump to the ground, while it whipped around and pointed an outstretched hand towards a cluster of soldiers that were upon the second tier. Once again, lightning shot out of its talons, the Channeled Dark Eco striking them down before they even had time to react. Not pausing for an instant, the oni returned its attention to the commandos that were in front of it, who were beginning to employ a hasty counter fire. Nonetheless, it weaved in between the bolts for the most part, while the few that did hit caused no apparent damage, possibly due to its wounds healing so quickly, all the while cutting the elites down as if they were nothing more than yakows.
Errol, meanwhile, was quick to realize that all of these commandos, elite troops that would have sent fear into the heart of any sane elf, were absolutely no match for this hellspawn that he had just helped to create, if the fact that they were rapidly being turned into bloody confetti was any indication. Thus, he concluded that to remain where he was would not have been very conductive towards any of his life's ambitions, or, for that matter, his continued breathing. Fortunately, he was able to quickly locate a potential escape route that was out of the way, as a small group that had initially made a break for the door and met with a rather painful end. Unfortunately, said escape route happened to be a garbage chute. Even more unfortunately for him, the oni that was currently turning his men into meaty giblets seemed to suddenly take notice of him as he bolted for the chute, and with a snarl, sent Kitetsu flying at him.
In a move born from desperation, he leapt, twisting about in midair in the process. But, as he did so, he felt a searing pain suddenly explode in his left arm, and as he tumbled down, he suddenly realized why.
It had just been severed at the shoulder.
Watching the sociopathic commander escape, the demon let out a snarl of rage, before pivoting about and unleashing more Dark Eco lightning upon its hapless foes, while at the same time, sticking its hand up to catch Kitetsu when it came back to it. A moment later, it turned around and charged at another commando, who had just reloaded his gun, and was now in the process of leveling it and opening fire, sending a stream of Eco hurtling at the oni. A few bolts connected, but did nothing to slow it down, and as it got to within striking distance, it suddenly spun around and got behind him, sticking the dark katana out in mid twirl. This neatly severed the yellow armored warrior's head from his shoulders.
At the same time that that soldier's corpse as collapsing to the floor, it stuck out its right foot, and raked the talons along the chestplate of another trooper, tearing through the titanium-A as if it were wet cardboard, and utterly sundering the soldier's heart. It then, with a mighty flap of its wings, took to the air once again, coming down on top of another commando, caving his chest in, while simultaneously tossing out its blade again. It then swung its right hand, backhanding another soldier with sufficient force to break his neck and send his body flying. It followed the movement through, spinning around, and one unfortunate trooper found out first hand that the oni's tail was not there simply to look intimidating, as it smacked him across the chest, breaking his ribs and propelling him into a wall. He hit it with a wet crack, and slowly slid to the ground, his last vision being of one of his fellows being cleaved in half by a double handed vertical chop as the creature caught its blade again.
Meanwhile, though, Torn, never one for simply standing around during a time of action such as this, launched himself at a quartet of commandos who were taking aim at the creature from nearby. The first one never saw him coming, as the Underground soldier slammed his palm into his nose, which was not covered by his helmet, sending his nose bone into his brain, killing him instantly. The next one fell rather quickly as well, his skull caved in from a well placed kick from the ex-Delta's cybernetic leg. However, the other two, standing a little bit further away, heard the commotion, and promptly went to turn their weapons upon him. Snarling, he charged at them, knowing that he didn't have time to reach down and pick up the fallen soldiers' weapons.
Ashelin saw all this, and watched as the person she cared for so much hurled himself at his enemies, heedless of the guns being pointed at him. However, even as the denial began to work its way into her heart, as she watched what she feared would be his last moments upon the mortal coil, salvation came in a darkly comical manner.
For the oni had heard the ex-Delta's war cry, and had seen what was happening out of the corner of its eye. Its blade currently cutting through the enemy, as it had once more tossed it, it opted for a different tactic. It jumped, landing in front of a startled commando, and before the elf could even begin to react, reached out with its right foot, grabbing him around the face, and spinning around with nightmarish speed, before turning the elite soldier into an impromptu missile, snapping his neck in the process. Keeping up the momentum from its spin, it leaped once more, grabbed another unfortunate commando, and this time performed a back flip with similar results.
The first of the two yellow armored soldiers had just finished leveling his rifle, and was beginning to apply pressure to the trigger, when his comrade's corpse suddenly smashed into him, the force of the collision shattering bones and crushing some rather vital organs.
"What the…" his comrade began, turning just in time to receive the second flying commando right in his face.
For an instant, Torn stood where he was, and Ashelin did as well, with possibly the most dumbfounded looks in recorded elven history being plastered upon their tattooed faces. Both blinked twice, before turning to look down where the creature was wreaking utter havoc amongst the remnants of the troopers, unleashing another lightning storm that effectively reduced to number of surviving commandos to something in the area of thirty five.
It grabbed the runed katana out of the air again, spinning around and decapitating another elite trooper, before rushing at two more that were firing upon it. It blasted by them, a blur as it moved. Both commandos had sudden looks of confusion upon their faces, and an instant later, both fell, cut in half at the waist. The oni didn't stop to look back upon its handiwork, however, as it knew they were dead. Instead, it kept weaving and dancing about, slicing down the few remaining soldiers with sickening ease.
Yet more fire came at it from above, and it realized that it had missed a few pockets of troopers, a problem that it intended to rectify at once. Unfurling its wings, it proceeded to do just that, its membraned appendages propelling it towards the largest concentration of opposition at a nightmarish velocity. It came in hard and fast, its taloned feet latching onto the walls, which dented inward from the force being applied to it.
It lashed out, Kitetsu cutting through one soldier's arm, his sternum, and back out through his other arm as it relinquished its grip upon the wall. It landed on one hand, spinning around and bringing its dark weapon up to slice off one commando's legs, while at the same time, reaching out and grabbing another yellow armored trooper with its legs, before using them to literally tear the elf in half. The sheer ferocity of the attack stunned the rest of the elite warriors, ensuring that they died with barely even a struggle.
This left a mere six of the commandos, one twentieth of the force that had been standing guard in the cell block not a few minutes earlier. These ones were spread out into four groups that were in the corners of the various rooms. This time, the oni decided to show to all present a new trick that it had up its sleeve.
Ignoring the fire coming at it, opting to let its healing factor take care of whatever wounds it might acquire, it slammed Kitetsu into the ground, and unfurled its wings while balling up its fists. In its hands, and within the claws of its wings, four balls of concentrated Dark Eco formed. With a battle roar, it flung its limbs out, sending the attacks on their merry little way. The troopers had just enough time for their eyes to widen before the attacks hit home upon them, snuffing out their lives in an instant.
But even as the darkness was fading, revealing the half disintegrated corpses of its final enemies, the oni shook itself free of its battle lust, and a palpable sense of calm overcame it. Retrieving its blade, it took to the air yet again, flying back over to where Keira and the others were.
Back on the ground floor, untouched by the fighting, Jynx, Sig, and Daxter felt their jaws try to unhinge themselves as they stared around at the carnage. One hundred and twenty of Praxis' best men, cut down in less than four minutes. To say it was a stunning performance, was indeed an understatement.
"Holy…" Sig began, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Drek…" Jynx finished as he trotted over to some stairs that would get him up to the top tier. "Note to self: do not get on his bad side."
The oni meanwhile, was checking up on Keira, concern evident in its strange voice.
"Are you alright?" it asked, its red eyes looking over her for any further sign of injury.
"I'm fine, Jak." she said, smiling faintly.
"That is good to know," the creature replied, breathing a sigh of relief, "though I feel that you should realize that the Channeler and I are not quite one in the same."
"Wha?" Keira asked, cocking her eyebrow at the demon.
"It is…complicated, we shall explain later." it replied.
Agreed," the Shadow concurred, staring somewhat uneasily at the large being not to far from where he was, "we need to get out of here and figure out a way to derail Baron Praxis' plans, before the heaven accursed fool somehow manages to kill us all!"
"Just a darn minute!" Samos interjected. "Our top priority is to find Prince Alexander!"
"What for?" his younger self responded. "Praxis already has the Precursor Stone, and said himself that the boy wasn't a threat anymore. Wherever he and Kor are, they'll be fine for the moment."
"Oh, look who thinks they've sprouted," the elder chided, before practically exploding, "if you had even half the wisdom that I do, you would understand the most important thing we could be doing right now is finding that boy!"
"Listen, you dried up old log, I run this show, and right now I say that Alexander takes secondary priority. I don't like the idea any more than you do, but Kor will make sure that nothing else happens to him." The Shadow countered.
"Do we have to separate you two?" Keira exclaimed, pressing her arms in between the two arguing Sages.
There was a sudden scream, and everyone turned to find Daxter, who had finally climbed out of Sig's ammo pouch.
"Dear Precursors!" the former elf exclaimed in panic, looking back and forth between the two green elves. "They're multiplying!"
At the same time Ashelin and Torn felt their breath leave their lungs, as they watched Delta Sixty Seven walk over towards them, an unseen smile stretched across his face.
"Jynx," Torn breathed, not daring to hope, "is that you?"
"No, Leader-Man," the pyromaniac shot back, "it's your guardian angel."
With cries of joy, and nary a care in the world for their reputations, the two elves threw themselves at the grey armored soldier, nearly crushing him with their embraces.
"Awww, guys," he said even as he struggled to breathe, his voice choked up with emotion, "I didn't know you cared so much."
"How are you still alive?" Ashelin asked, elated to see her old friend wasn't pushing up daisies.
"It's a long story." Jynx said, leaving it at that for the moment.
As for the others, well, the two Samos were still exchanging heated words, despite Keira's best efforts to stop them, until a certain eight and a half foot tall demon put in its two credits.
"Enough, both of you!" it bellowed.
Needless to say, both promptly shut up. Taking a deep breath, the oni continued.
"I do not know how long I can remain manifested like this, so we should be making escape our highest priority at the moment." it said in a calmer tone, eyeing both of them.
"If it's at all possible," Keira said, looking at it, "I'd like to get my raided equipment back. I don't know about anyone else, but I for one, would rather that the Baron not figure out how I built those things."
"That gets my vote, too." Samos said, nodding to his daughter, before he turned to face Jynx and Sig. "Did either of you two notice any rooms when you were trying to find us that looked exceptionally heavily guarded?"
The Wastelander and the Delta exchanged a glance with each other, and Sig mused for a second before snapping his fingers.
"There was one, had guards, mounted auto-guns, and a double sealed bulkhead, didn't look like it was too far from here." the armored elf responded.
"That sounds about right," Ashelin concurred, "I remember my old man saying something about a research lab somewhere on this level."
"Then that is our next stop." the oni said, twirling its blade.
They grabbed the weapons of the downed commandos, and quickly made their way out of the cell block, with the elder Samos pausing just long enough to grab Kitetsu's sheath, as it too had managed to survive the lighting storm that the oni had initially unleashed.
The last Krimzon Guard fell to his knees, clutching at his bowels as they spilt out on the ground. There had been six of them, who lay in pools of their own lifeblood, plus a trio of ceiling mounted turrets, which were now little more than slag. Once again, the creature had shown just how swiftly it could deal out death.
Now, the only thing that stood between them and the area where Keira's equipment probably was, was a large blast door. It was about seven feet around, and if it followed construction protocols, was every bit of two feet thick. Quickly, Ashelin stepped up to the door's control panel, and entered a series of numbers. Unfortunately, the result of this action was an access denied, followed by a not so silent alarm.
"Fierfek!" she swore, slamming her fist against the wall. "My codes don't work anymore, my old man must have deleted them already!"
"Then let us try mine." the oni growled, stepping forward and jamming Kitetsu into the ground.
It walked over until it stood about fifteen feet away from the blast door, and then it turned to face it, while Ashelin wisely decided to vacate the area. Then it closed its eyes, and took in a deep breath, and the air around it began to crackle and pulse, flickers of dark energy filling it. The demon brought its hands close together, and the elves watched as Dark Eco flowed over the creature's body, and covered its hands. With a roar, it stuck them out, palms open, and a beam of Channeled Eco shot straight out, impacting upon the blast door with a deafening explosion.
A moment later the attack ended, and when the smoke cleared, the blast door was naught but a memory. The various members of the Underground exchanged glances with each other, while Jynx was the first one to find his voice.
"Nice skeleton key." he remarked, a bit of his old humor present in his voice.
The creature turned to face him, and a small smile tugged at the corners of its jaws. Then it stepped forward, ignoring the stench of the melted titanium-A, but still being mindful of the smoldering edges. Keira was right behind it, looking about frantically for her equipment and her morph-gun chips. After a few seconds, she spotted them, the various pieces of her work, which ranged from blueprints and theoretical designs, to a few models that were near completion and some finished ones that had yet to be distributed. She also saw her own armor and her gauntlets, and dashed forward to grab them.
Others came in after her as she was donning her armor, grabbing what they could, while at the same time being mindful of just how valuable to the war effort what they were carrying was. As plans were gently rolled, and chips carefully placed in pockets, Keira finished equipping herself, and made a fist with her left hand. As it always did, the crystal in the gauntlet shot out, and the sound blade formed, distorting the air. She turned back to look at the oni, a crooked smile making its way over her face.
"Nice of them not to tinker with my toys." she said, uncurling her fist and letting the weapon return to its normal place.
Errol cried out in pain as he landed amongst the garbage of the disposal unit. Not helping was the fact that he had not only landed among the refuse and scrap, but on his left side, further aggravating his already painful injury. Still, even and blackness rushed into to claim him, he fought back, willing it away, and staggering back up to his feet.
Struggling to keep his loss of blood to a minimum, the commander of the Krimzon Guard lurched over to the pressure doors that kept the unit sealed off from the rest of the fortress. He then proceeded unsealed the door, and stumbled out.
Due to the chaos, guards were roaming everywhere, and it was not long before a patrol discovered their commander and his near fatal wound. Quickly and efficiently, they got him to a med-bay, where medics would hastily stabilize him. Still, even as a very large supply of morphine was sending him away to dream land, Errol clinched his remaining fist, vowing vengeance upon the dark elf who had humiliated him for what he swore would be the last time.
By this time, the Fortress had enough alarms and klaxons going off inside of it to make most think that the world was probably going to end. And indeed, in some melodramatic way, with this proverbial Angel of Death running around inside of the prison, that remark was strangely appropriate.
But, powerful as it was, the oni was not alone in its fight. The Underground soldiers that had been chosen to escort the Shadow and Prince Alexander to the tomb had been the best within their ranks, their own version of the commandos. This, when combined with Keira, Ashelin, a Wastelander, and the last two members of the Delta Squads, made for a very lethal combo, as many a K.G. was to find out the hard way.
Such as one commando that began firing down into the hallway that they were in from a higher story. The elite trooper managed to get about three bursts off from his blaster rifle when Torn lobbed a plasmite grenade at him. His aim was true, and the explosive adhered to the yellow armored soldier's chestplate. There was a quick, panicky yell, swiftly drowned out by the subsequent explosion.
Jynx was busy too, as when they reached an intersection, a squad of a half or so dozen regulars came out, and charged them as only the greenest of rookies could do. A few seconds worth of retaliatory submachine gun fire later, and Delta Sixty Seven taught t a very prudent lesson to anyone who might have been watching through a security camera about making use of the invaluable nature of a miraculous little thing called 'cover.'
They came upon a corner in the corridor that they were charging down, and the demon took the lead again, leaping forward and latching onto the far wall with its talons, before launching itself around the bend, startling a few Krimzon Guards who had set up a small barricade. By the time the creature's comrades in arms were able to get around the turn, they found precious little that could still be considered opposition, as said soldiers were currently twitching out their lives.
No hesitating to admire the handiwork of the oni, they pressed on, desperately trying to get out of the stronghold before the K.G. could overwhelm them.
Some minutes, and about two hundred Krimzon Guard corpses later, things finally got a little more complicated for the Underground. As they approached a T shaped intersection, there came a strange clanking sound somewhere ahead, and all present paused in their steps, unsure of what to make of this. Then, they made their first appearance.
Ever since Ashelin had delivered those data disks to Torn, the Underground had known that the Baron and Errol had had their best scientists and technicians working round the clock on some kind of automated soldier project, and now, they beheld the fruits of their labors.
They were eight of them, in two squads of four, that came from around either corner. They were balled up, rolling towards the Underground, however, they abruptly stopped, and unfurled, standing up on two legs, while their hands, Keira noted, appeared to be little more than a pair of high powered twin auto blasters. That was about as far as she was able to get in her analyzing before the combat droids opened fire.
In a flash, the oni had spread its wings, a desperate attempt to provide cover for its allies. Nonetheless, some shots did get through and several resistance soldiers were hit, among them was the elder Samos, shot three times in his chest an arms before he could dive out of the way. Torn was hit as well, his cybernetic leg taking an Eco bolt as he leapt to on side.
Hearing her father cry out as he fell, Keira looked back, and a murderous rage came over her. Ripping the clip out of her gun, she switched it to its RPG mode, loaded up several shots, and promptly began to unleash her fury upon her mechanical opponents. She was not alone either, as the oni had heard the old Sages shouts as well. Snarling, it stuck out its left hand, and those present were shown that dangerous as these new killing machines were, they didn't stand up to well to the power of a Channeler.
The robots little more than flaming metal and slag, both of them turned back around and rushed back to where the Sage lay. His younger self was standing over him, trying to patch up the wounds, and for the most part, it seemed to be working. Still, Keira would not breathe a sigh of relief until they were out of here, that had been way too close for her liking.
Torn was having his own problems. While a shot to a robotic limb would be anything but fatal, he was suffering from a sudden inability to move said appendage. Snarling, he took out his knife, and sliced away at his fatigues until he could get a better look at the damage. As he did so, Ashelin and Jynx, both of whom had realized that he wasn't getting up, quickly came to his aid as best they could. Once the three of them had gotten the pant's leg out of the way, he looked at the sparking wires and circuitry, and let out a swear that grabbed everyone else attention as well.
"What's wrong?" Ashelin said, managing to keep her cool despite who it was that was wounded.
"Looks like the primary servo motivator's been fragged." Torn said with a growl.
"In English, buddy?" Jynx inquired, somewhat confused.
"This leg's now thirty five pounds of dead weight!" the Ex-Delta snarled, fiddling with a few things before tearing the smoking remains of his prosthetic off.
"In that case…" a certain pyromaniac replied, before getting down his knees and turning his back to his commander.
Torn slapped his forehead as he realized what Jynx wanted him to do. Reluctantly, and with a very obvious reddening of his face, he clasped his arms around Delta Sixty Seven's neck. The demolitions expert then stood up, and prepared to carry his stricken brother in arms out of the Fortress.
"I have never been more thoroughly embarrassed in my life." Torn muttered.
"Consider it me evening up the score from that time you bailed me out of that situation we ran into on our third mission together." Jynx retorted.
Ashelin opened her mouth to say something, but a shrieking sound cut her off. She turned, they all did, in fact, and saw the source of the noise. While they'd been occupied tending to their wounded, a commando had snuck up on them, armed with nothing other than a fuel rod cannon. A green comet streaked towards them, promising death, when something intercepted it. They ducked instinctively, and Keira screamed as a certain eight and a half foot tall oni went sailing back and Dark Eco splattered on the walls.
However, as the commando smirked and took aim again, the aqua haired elf leveled her own weapon. However, before she could pull the trigger, lighting flashed and thunder crackled, streaking past the resistance members and slamming into the yellow armored elite, blasting him back against the wall, and snuffing out his life.
As one, the Underground turned around, and saw the creature on one knee, supporting itself with Kitetsu, one half of its chest nothing more than a ribcage and scorched organs, while most of its body sported some rather nasty burns. As they stared, though, the wounds once again began to heal, albeit considerably more slowly than they had before. Keira raced over, and helped it back to its feet.
"We need…" it began, in some rather obvious pain, "to get out of here…now…." It took another deep gasp. "I cannot…stay…much longer."
A couple of seconds latter, it seemed to get a bit of a second wind, and trotted back up to the front of the Underground forces.
But it was right though, time was running out.
The horrendous shrieking of sundered metal filled their air, and what was left of two more K.G. hit the ground, effectively removed from the equation. From there, Jynx had rigged up another one of his homemade surprises, and had blown the main door of the Fortress wide open. The forty odd elves rushed out into the night, seeking the nearest alleys and side streets that they could get through.
Still, though, it was not without risk, as there was likely a city wide bulletin on what was going on echoing over every military frequency and channel right then. Further complicating this was the fact that their strongest team member seemed to be on his last legs.
Still, they weren't about to go down without a fight, as several patrols found out. Then, though, as a squadron of regulars stepped out of a back alley, assistance arrived in a most unlikely form. One of the soldiers, taking aim, suddenly felt a pain lance through him, and staring down, saw what appeared to be a spear protruding from his chest. He expired with a look of confusion upon his face, while his comrades, turning around, met with similar fates.
For a moment, everyone paused, uncertain about what had just happened. Then, one of the shadows stepped forward, his golden eyes reflecting the moonlight.
"Bruter?" Torn said, somewhat surprised as even more Lurkers came out of the shadows.
"Heard the reports." the Lurker replied, smiling faintly. "Thought you might need help." He quickly motioned over his shoulder, back towards where he and his brethren had appeared from. "Hurry, this way!"
Guided by their friend, the Underground soldiers quickly made their way towards a nondescript area of the Industrial section, where they at last stopped at a manhole cover that the Lurkers. Barking out an order to his fellows, Bruter stood at ready, his large eyes sweeping about as the cover was removed and the first of the Underground members began to descend into the sewers.
However, once they were about halfway done, Jynx stiffened, feeling a slight vibration in the ground through his boots. An instant later he heard it. It was a heavy, machine like noise, the sound of a large engine and something rumbling over the ground.
"Funny," he remarked out loud, glancing at Torn, who still clung to his back, "that sounds almost like a…" he trailed off for a second, the implication hitting him.
"Oh, hell!" his brother in arms replied reaching the same conclusion.
It rounded a bend in the road, one of its floodlights illuminating the whole force. For a moment, every one of the resistance soldiers had the proverbial deer caught in the headlights look, as they found themselves staring at a fully operation Scorpion assault tank. The driver also appeared somewhat startled, to have stumbled across the escaping fugitives. However, that surprise passed in a moment, and minding his orders, he promptly had the gunner of the tank ready the main cannon. It was then, that a roar distracted him yet again.
Standing in front of the Underground forces, was the creature, and without a second's hesitation, it unleashed one of its abilities, Channeling its power into a beam once more, and proving that double sealed bulkheads weren't the only thing it was capable of reducing to scrap.
The explosion that it created lit up the entire block, and everyone threw themselves to the ground to avoid the shrapnel generated, as an exploding assault tank did have the annoying tendency to create quite a bit of that stuff when it went kerplewie.
"Wow." Jynx muttered, looking over his shoulder at his squad leader once again, as a rounded piece of debris bounced and clanged its way past them.
However, the creature had reached its limit, and that attack had been all that it had left. It staggered, and its control left, its form returning to that of the dark elf. However, Jak was little better, and he swooned. Fortunately, Both Keira and Samos were able to catch him before he ate dura-crete, though he was most definitely down for the count, so to speak.
At the same time, the younger Samos made certain to grab Kitetsu, which had returned to its original state. And then, without any further interruptions, the Underground proceeded to live up to its name.
Meanwhile, watching from the safety of the Fortress' control room, Baron Praxis watched a security tape over and over again. He found himself unable to tear away his eyes as he saw Jak transform and wipe out the commandos that he'd had in position in case just such a scenario happened. As their progress continued, and the despot observed it cut down K.G., slag battle droids, and generally slaughter anything stupid enough to get in between it and the freedom of it an its compatriots.
At first he did not know what to make of this turn of events. Rage, disbelief, despair, all made their way through the heart of the usurper.
Finally, he decided to react to one of the strangest impulses. He started to laugh bitterly, a grudging smile making its way to his face. This caused some of the other people present to give him strange looks, but he didn't seem to care.
After an apparent eternity, he managed to find his voice.
"We wanted to create the ultimate weapon," he muttered, loud enough for those standing near him to hear, "an unstoppable biological engine of destruction." he said, and paused, looking to a replaying security tape from the brig. "It would seem as though our little 'weapon' has exceeded all of our expectations."
&
Okay, finally got this chapter done, and hopefully everyone will like D.J.'s makeover. If anyone wants to know what he looks like in greater detail, e-mail me and I'll send you a picture that I stumbled across some time back that gave me the idea. Also, I want to apologize and hopefully appease anyone still murderously enraged at the fact that Errol is still drawing breath. My defense for this fact is that I don't think it would be right to go and kill him off before first subjecting him to complete and total humiliation at Jak's hands.
Also, I still am open to ideas regarding guns, or Dark Channeling powers.
Also, any advice or constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms, as are flames, as I might be able to use them to torch my little bro the next time he starts to bug the holy crap outta me.
Thanks for you time, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please remember to have a great day.