Emerges humming to the tune of Imperial March)
Hello again folks, and please pardon the tune butchering, I've been playing Star Wars: Battlefront lately...Dark Troopers rule!
(Glances around sheepishly)
At any rate, to those of you kind enough to review my amateur work.
MariaShadow- I'm glad you liked my feeble attempts at a romance between Jak and Keira, and if you liked Jynx's reaction, well, just wait until he shows he new gear off in this chapter. (cackles insanely)
Xeno-Freak- Thanks for the advice on the powers it was very handy. As far as the romance ins concerned, it will still be mostly a subplot, as this is predominantly an action type story. Also, about the power distribution between Jak and Kage, they are somewhat different, though both tend to rely equally upon their Channeling abilities and their blade skills. There are differences, however. Kage is the more powerful of the two, but there are things that he cannot do, such as turn himself invisible, that Jak can, so each of them would have the advantage in different situations. Also, as to your remark about the kids, they'd probably just be normal Channelers, as the whole ascended deal is a strictly random thing. Thanks again, and I hope that you like this chapter too, as Jynx and Torn will both unleash their new gear upon several unfortunate K.G.
ChibiSess- That's kind what I meant about the romance being more fluff than anything else, I can't write it to where its decent in a non sappy kind of way, any advice on that? Also, glad you liked the little name change, I figured that if D.J. was going to be something of a split personality on this story, that it would be more appropriate for him to have a more individualized name, if you know what I mean. Also, did you get that e-mail that I sent to you a few days ago? I'm sorry if I irritated or annoyed you in any way. (cringes in expectation of pain)
Every Heart Bleeds- Hmm, didn't realize that I was spelling it wrong...and now I'm stuck in a dilemma, should I continue to spell it this way for the sake of uniformity, or should I change it? What would you do? Also, The attachment part of my hotmail been acting up lately, but I can give you the website where I found the picture originally. Head to ( barhaven. casualvillain. com /Art/ VincentArt/ erikachaos. jpg) and see if that gets it for you. If not, let me know and I'll try my best to send it to you via e-mail (gives hotmail account a death glare).
Philoworm- (bows over and over again) Thank you, thank you, thank you for those ideas. The dark bolt sounds like a good way to try and stun a target or otherwise deal with something that needs to be taken alive. The shadow flare sounds like a good name for the haidoken style attack that Kage has, and the shield will be used as well. Already have an overload style attack, though you won't see it until the showdown with Kor. Please let me know if you think of any more, and thank you once again.
animedragongirl- My sympathies to you on the flight...I don't know if I'd be able to stay sane being on a plane that long. I'm also sorry about the typos and about the romance being sappy, would you happen to have any advice on how to make it better? Also, thank you for the idea on dragons, I was trying to think up an idea for some armor for our mysterious Light Eco user to have, and I think a dragon scale style might do nicely. Finally, you mentioned some drawings, where might I be able to go to view these?
Lunatic Pandora1- Well, if you liked dual wielding...wait, must stay quiet about that...at any rate, you heard right about Ninja Gaiden, Game Informer awarded it the most difficult goon type enemies in history award due to the Spider Ninjas that attack you throughout the game. They always work in squads of three to five, and I might add, are not affected by the Law of Inverse Ninja, which is to say nothing of Doku, the demonic samurai who actually carries Kitetsu. Also, I'll keep my mouth shut about Errol, but let's say I'll be taking a slightly different route than the game did. And I want to thank you for to idea of the Dark Tyrael. There will be a villain in the sequel who I hadn't really gotten a good idea for a 'look' yet, and I think that will be just about perfect for him.
SRHumphrey727- Hey, got your e-mail, and I must admit, Little Miss. Anonymous is doing pretty good, enough so someone like me, a diehard JakxKeira fan, can overlook that one little detail and focus on the rest of the story. Glad you liked the last chapter and I hope that you enjoy this one just as much.
Air of Mystery- Thanks for the vote of confidence, and yes, Kage is sorta Japanese, and the whole well mannered deal is honestly how I feel he would be, plus its a nice little 'Ha' to everyone who portrays him as a mindless killing machine. As for Jak's eyes, they're still blue, just altered, and they only turn red when Kage is manifesting himself. Hope that clears things up a bit, and I hope you enjoy this installment of Risen Demon.
dude- Sorry man but your e-mail address didn't show up, but if you're still trying to find the picture then head to http/ barhaven. casualvillain. com /Art/ VincentArt/ erikachaos. jpg and it should pop up, if not, give me an e-mail and I'll try to attach it to the reply.
To those who read but did not review, I hope that my attempt at a romantic interlude did not physiologically scare anyone of you for life.
To those lawyers who are so pathetic as to have to cruise around here looking ofr a frivolous lawsuit, for the last bloody time, I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!
That done, here is chapter twenty six.
&
A Race, a Revolt, and an Ottsel in Distress
This was it, the finale of all of his trials this day, and as he slipped his helmet back on, he couldn't help but think back to all the things that had happened before now.
Six weeks had passed since the incident at the Fortress, and that time had been a busy one for the Underground. They hadn't been raiding or sabotaging, or anything of that nature, as the elder Samos had advised patience, and the others had reluctantly listened to him.
Instead, it had been a time of preparation and scouting. Jak had spent his free time, the little that he had, practicing, as getting the hang of the Juyo style had been something of a challenge, being so universally different from what he was used to. But, despite everything, he was at long last beginning to feel more comfortable using it. Torn and Jynx had spent their time with the Shadow, planning their next move, which was going to be a big one. As for Keira, she'd had her hands full trying to make all the modifications to Jynx's armor, and Torn's once she'd managed to get him to cough his up.
In fact, she'd gotten so determined to get these new and improved Katarn armors out and up to snuff in record time that she was exhausting herself.
Which had Jak concerned over her, for once.
It was little different on this day, where he had walked in from an extended scouting trip to find her making some adjustments to the racing zoomer that he'd been practicing on out in the forest. His superior reflexes and endurance had made the woodlands an ideal, if insanely challenging practice track, the theory being that if he was able to maintain a constant high rate of speed in a densely wooded area, then maneuvering on an open track would be a cakewalk.
She smiled energetically up at him as he purposefully made his footsteps louder than normal, so as not to startle her. However, he frowned when he saw the bags under her eyes, and eyed a stained coffee mug, very much empty, on the tool chest next to where she had been working.
"How many of those have you had today?" the dark elf inquired, gesturing to the mug.
"Three or four." She responded, before a yawn suddenly came from her, despite her best efforts to silence it.
Jak folded his arms and stared at her, a frown coming over his face as he did so. Faced with this sort of scrutiny, Keira reluctantly divulged the rest of the sentence.
"Pots." she muttered, lowering her eyes to the floor.
The dark elf's own widened upon that, and he stood stock still for a moment, the cogs of his mind trying to process what he'd just been told.
"When was the last time you got any sleep?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Her response was a nonchalant shrug, before she turned back to her work. However, before she could so much as pick up her hydro-spanner, she found herself picked up by the dark elf, and he began to carry her, kicking and struggling, to her room.
"Jak, put me down now!" she exclaimed, punching him in the chest a few times. "I've got stuff I need to do!"
"Not until you get some rest." He told her, getting struck a few more times as she attempted to squirm out of the position that she was in.
If the Ascended Channeler was bothered by this in any way, form, or fashion, he did not let it show, putting up with Keira's struggles as he gently eased her room door open, and walked inside. A few seconds later, the mechanic felt the relative softness of a sheet covered bunk as the dark elf deposited her on it. She promptly tried to rise, but found that Jak's hand's now gripping her firmly by the shoulders, holding her in place.
She again tried to push him off for a few more seconds, before she suddenly ceased. Afraid that he might have somehow hurt her, Jak was instantly back up on his feet, his eyes wide with panic. However, that panic was short lived, as he saw the easy rising and falling of her chest, and realized that her artificially induced energy had apparently deserted her, and that she was already asleep.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he bent down, and laid a gentle kiss upon her forehead, before heading back out to her workshop, and gently closing the door behind him.
'She is a puzzling creature.' Kage mused abruptly.
'That she is, my friend, that she is.' Jak replied, smiling faintly.
It was a good sixteen hours before the aqua haired elf emerged once again, awakening him from a meditation. She looked refreshed, if ready to murder him. However, she took one look at the clock up on the wall, and promptly forgot her desires to inflict bodily harm upon Jak, instead rushing over to a comm. unit and dialing up Jynx's frequency, telling him that something was ready.
A few minutes later, there was the hissing sound associated with a hydraulic door opening, and both of them looked over, and found Torn, Jynx, and Ashelin walking in, accompanied by both Samoses, and Tess, who had Daxter held in her arms.
"Hey, Keira," Jynx said, an eager gleam in his eyes, "you said that you'd finished with the modifications."
She nodded enthusiastically, and motioned for Delta Sixty Seven to accompany her to another room, saying that they would be right back.
"Any idea what Jynx was talking about?" Jak asked, staring around at the others.
"Not really sure." Torn replied, shrugging his shoulders. "He just said that there was something really important that she had to show us."
"I see." the dark elf said, before falling silent.
About seven minutes later, Keira emerged, a grin practically splitting her face in half. As the others waited in silence, she performed an elegant bow, and looked back up to them.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she proclaimed, excitement teaming in her voice, "it is my extreme pleasure to present to you the latest in Haven City's modern military fashion."
On cue, Jynx stepped out from behind the curtain, clad in his armor. Torn, observant as always, noticed that the armor appeared much the same as it had before, except that the forearms were bulkier now than they had been, and when Jynx walked forward and turned around, that there was similar expansion upon the back region as well.
"Katarn Mark, Two, battle armor." The mechanic said, gesturing to Jynx, who promptly assumed a combat stance, both of his submachine guns drawn in the blink of an eye.
Jak stared around at the others. Ashelin seemed a little confused as to where this was going, as did the Shadow. Samos, on the other hand, had that mysterious smile upon his face, and his eyes shined in pride for his adoptive daughter. Tess seemed in awe, as this was the first time she'd really been able to examine one of these legendary soldiers in full gear, as things had been a little too frantic back at the Fortress. Daxter, well, he simply seemed bored.
Keira going into an explanation of the armor's 'modifications' ripped the dark elf back to earth, and he gave her his undivided attention.
"All the protection that you've come to expect from your old gear, with the added benefit of three things." She said, and Jynx put his guns away to demonstrate for her. "The first is a grappling hook, integrated into the right gauntlet." She said, and Jynx made a fist, causing the barbed head to appear out of the slot. "The hook is attached to a four hundred foot, quarter ton grapple line that is powered by a compressed CO2 canister that is capable of up to ten shots before needing to be replaced."
Torn nodded approvingly of this new addition, but Keira was only just beginning.
"In the left gauntlet," she said, and Jynx made a fist with his left hand, causing a green crystal to shoot out, the distortions forming around it, "is a close combat, eight inch vibro-blade, capable of tearing through titanium-A like its nothing." She said glancing around, a crooked smile coming onto her visage, stepping back to a light switch.
"And last, but certainly not least…" the mechanic stated dramatically, before flipping the switch, and plunging the room into darkness, which lasted for about six seconds before she flipped the switch back on.
Jynx was nowhere to be seen, and everyone looked about, trying to see what had become of the soldier.
The answer was found when Tess suddenly felt Daxter be yanked out of her arms, and whirled around to find him being held up in the air by his tail, struggling uselessly to escape the grip of a blur.
"…Active camouflage." Keira said, her voice triumphant as Jynx phased back into view.
"Virtual invisibility," the soldier mused, bringing Daxter in close to his visor, which still possessed its otherworldly glow, "a million uses, and counting."
"Put me down, dang it!" Daxter fumed, his tiny fists hitting Jynx's forearm, but the Ottsel succeeded in doing very little other than amusing the soldier.
"Put him down, buddy." Torn said, "we got a reputation to maintain, and the public probably won't like it if word leaks out that we're abusing dumb animals."
"Yeah, so…" Daxter began, before his brain registered exactly what had been said, "Hey!" he snarled in his high pitched voice, twisting about as best he could to see the tattooed commander.
In the next moment, laughter, ranging from stifled giggles, to full throated bellows, erupted from everyone else in the room. Daxter slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned, his skin turning a shade of red that was visible even underneath his fur. Eventually, he managed to wriggle free from the Delta's grip, and landed on the floor, dusting himself off while grumbling threats underneath his breath.
Jynx was the first to regain some measure of control, and he looked down at his right shoulder, upon which was a strange symbol.
"Keira, I love the mods you gave my suit," he began once the others had stopped as well, "but what I can't understand is just what in the nine hells this is supposed to be." He said, gesturing to the mark, holding out his shoulder to where everyone else could see it.
The others peered at it, puzzled and unsure of what to make of it. Everyone, of course, except for one elf. Samos used all of his willpower to hold back another laugh, he would have never expected her to have remembered those little childhood tales after all of these years, and yet she had.
The symbol that Keira had taken the liberty of emblazing upon Jynx's armor was a strange suit of armor, a large, two handed sword gripped with its hands. The figure was running forward, and the blade was raised up to strike down a foe. What made it truly bizarre though was the cloak, which seemed to be made of blue flames, and the eye slit, which was similarly lit.
"That's a revenant." the aqua haired elf responded.
"A what?" Jynx inquired, the bafflement in his voice giving the others a good guess at what his face must have looked like.
"Old legends tell of them." the mechanic said, switching her voice to an almost identical, if more feminine, version of her father's. "They say that when great heroes fell in battle, before they were able to complete whatever divine quest they were on, that the gods would bind their souls to their armor, charging them to complete in undeath what they could not in life." She paused for a moment or two, letting what she had said sink in, letting them realize where she was going with this. "Rising from the ashes of defeat, a revenant would continue on, until it had completed what it was commanded to do."
There was silence for some time, as glances were exchanged. At last, someone decided to voice their opinion.
"Revenants…" Jynx said, his fingers scratching at the bottom part of his helmet. "Has a nice ring to it…whadda ya think, Torn?"
"I think," his squad mate began, looking over to him with a grim smile, "that its time that the two of us did our own little rising from the ashes."
There had also been something for Jak, much to the dark elf's surprise, and Keira had been swift in yanking him in that room as well, and reactions to it had been mixed, to say the least.
Nonetheless, he'd liked it, though he was a little concerned that she'd had to go to the black market to get the materials for it. Still, he was once again all but blown away at the genius she'd proven herself to be.
"I still can't believe you're wearing that thing!" Daxter exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air, as he jogged to keep up with Jak, as he wasn't quite comfortable sitting on his shoulder just yet. "I mean, you look like a total dork!"
"One Ottsel's opinion." Jak retorted. "Yeah, I was a little nervous at first, but I guess the shoulder pads won me over." He said, tracing a finger along the left pauldron of his new coat.
It was a bizarre looking bit of protective gear, consisting of two primary parts. The first was a vest like bit of armor, made of a material called 'electro-mesh' that, while not quite as protective against blasters as normal armor, was still highly flexible and no more restrictive than a normal piece of clothing was. The second, was what had caused Daxter's reaction. It was, quite literally, an armored trench coat. It was almost identical to a normal one, except that it was once again made from electro-mesh, and of course, the shoulders.
What made these stand out, was the ferrosteel pauldrons and upper arm plates that Keira had somehow managed to stitch on. It definitely made him stand out in a crowd, but as she'd pointed out, a triumphant smile upon her face, all of Haven already knew what he looked like, and it wasn't as if the K.G. was exactly eager to go toe to toe with him either.
He also had gauntlets made of the same combination of materials, the ferrosteel stopping at his wrist, while a small plate on the top part of his hand ended at his knuckles, allowing for him to retain the dexterity that he needed to be able to use Kitetsu skillfully. A pair of plate armored boots completed the outfit, allowing for both foot protection, and maximized headache inducing capabilities.
True, it was out of the ordinary, but then, Jak had never really been one to stay 'in' with fashion.
And so, clad in that equipment, he'd walked into the Hip Hog Heaven, where Krew had wanted to discuss some things with him. What exactly he hadn't said, and something about that made him anxious in a way. It wasn't fear, just that feeling that he sometimes got that something was about to happen, something big.
The door hissed open, and the dark elf walked inside, drawing more than a few stares due to his wardrobe, which when combine with his way of carrying himself, apparently had quite an effect on his intimidation factor. Walking forward to the bar, he got his usual from Sig, and sat down, waiting for Krew.
He didn't have to wait long, as the putrid mound of flesh came around form the back soon enough, his hover craft straining under his bulk.
'It still baffles me as to how such a small thing can support his weight.' Kage rumbled inside of the Ascended Channeler's mind, causing his counterpart to struggle to hold in a snort.
"Ahhh, Jak, timely as always." Krew replied, oblivious to the oni's remark as his sinister grin appeared on his bloated face and his many chins practically jiggled in excitement.
"What's this about?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow from behind his glasses.
"You know that the big race is two days from now, and from the many accounts of your driving skills, I have little doubt that you're going to go all the way." the crime lord informed him, rubbing his pudgy hands together. "This means that it's likely going to come to a showdown between you and Errol."
"Where are you going with this?" Jak asked, having a sinking feeling that he knew what Krew was about to ask of him.
"My boy, whether you realize it or not, most of the people are fed up with Praxis, and you've become something of a symbol to them." the gangster replied. "And one thing you can be sure about, is that these townies will bet everything on a little bit of hope. What better time to make a load of cash, ey?"
"You're asking for me to throw the race to Errol?" Jak said, disbelief in his voice as he stared at Krew.
"Yes, Jak, just let him win." Krew confirmed, that eager gleam appearing in his eye once more. "What do you say, ey?"
"I say," the dark elf responded with a chilled tone as he turned his back to the gangster, "that you're going to lose a lot of money. Because I plan to race against Errol, and I plan to win."
One could have heard a pin drop in the Hip Hog as the Channeler finished. Sig paused in the middle of wiping out a mug, while Daxter's large eyes darted back and forth between his friend and the blimp of a man that hovered scant feet from him. Even the patrons had gone silent, their own conversations forgotten in the wake of this confrontation. For several seconds, this unusual phenomenon continued, until Krew once more broke the silence.
"If that's your decision, Jak, then I suggest that you don't get too comfy," the crime boss growled, anger in every syllable, "no one is irreplaceable."
"I seriously doubt that you or anyone on your payroll could take care of me, Krew." Jak replied, taking another sip of his water.
"There are other ways of brining you down, Jak," the gangster hissed, backing away from him, "there are others who could be gunned down. For example, that rodent would make a fine trophy or…"
That was a as far the obese man got before the dark elf whirled around, his coat flaring out behind him in a strangely dramatic way. Before Krew's mind could even begin to process what was going on, Jak threw out his hand, and purple lighting arced its way from his fingertips, crackling through the air and striking the repulsor lifts of his hover craft. They exploded after less than a second of this abuse, and the overweight gangster found himself once more in gravity's hold.
He crashed to the ground, and before he could even so much as cry out, felt something cold, and very, very sharp pressed against his thick throat. He looked down to find a blade, and followed it, and the arm attached to it out of find Jak standing next to him, his glasses pulled down so that Krew could see the reptilian slits that his eyes had become.
"Threaten any one of my friends again, Krew, and I swear on a stack of holy tomes, I'll kill you without a second thought, you got me?" he spat, his voice full of venom.
Krew remained silent, but Jak was confident that he had managed to get the point across. He motioned for Daxter to follow him, and they left the bar.
Sig chuckled inwardly, having little love for his employer. There was just something about that elf, the way he carried and handled himself, the way that he didn't like being pushed around, and his steadfast loyalty to his friends, that reminded him quite a bit of a close friend of his.
And it left him to wonder.
Since that time, neither Krew nor Sig had contacted him, and Jak was pretty certain the he'd effectively turned in his notice in regards to the gangster's employment. And frankly it didn't bother him that much, as he'd never liked the overweight blob of grease in the first place, and now that he had his powers back, there was nothing he could really gain from their partnership anyway.
As for today, well, he'd smoked his competition, and that just left this one final heat, and even then, the only challenge he saw here, was that of Errol himself.
"Hey, Jak!" came a voice that made him smile beneath his racing helmet.
He turned, and found Keira walking towards him, a frown on her face.
"What is it, Keir?" he asked, calling her by her nickname.
"I want you be careful," she said, her voice concerned, "Errol's dangerous on the track, and this time you can bet he'll be out for blood."
"I'll be careful, don't worry about a thing," the dark elf told her, reaching out to stroke her face gently, "I didn't come through all of this to get waxed during a speeder race, nor do I intend to buy it when our little plan gets underway."
She smiled and nodded, before pulling him close, causing Daxter to let out a suggestive whistle. The two elves ignored him, holding onto each other for a time, before Jak at last broke the embrace, and hopped on the speeder bike, starting it up and easing it out onto the track.
His faster racing times had gotten him one of the front spots, as logic dictated that placing your speedier racers in the back of the starting lineup would make for a very nasty looking piece of modern sculpture. And so he sat where he was, starring over the readout H.U.D. on the main display screen, checking to make certain that all of his systems were in full working order.
Before long though, he heard another bike come up next to him, and he looked over to see his nemesis, his eyes, visible due to the fact that his helmet visor was up, burning with an almost insane rage as he glared at the dark elf.
"I want more than just to win today, Eco Freak, I want you!" Errol hissed, his left hand balling up into a fist.
Jak's reply was an ages old elven salute to a most hated foe, one that involved the use of a certain finger. Errol recoiled, shock and anger manifesting itself in what part of his face could be seen, it having been a while since anyone had dared to give him such a gesture.
Even more embarrassing for the commander of the Krimzon Guard, was the fact that the Ascended Channeler's action was caught on the jumbo sized vid-screen that the stadium had in its possession, meaning that everyone caught a glimpse of this act of defiance.
'I think that victory should be easy enough.' Kage mused suddenly.
'You're awfully confident.' Jak responded, returning his attention to his H.U.D.
'You watched his own races,' the demon said, explaining himself, 'he has skill, that is irrefutable, but I think he has become complacent in his victory, as it's doubtless been a while since someone dared to be a challenge to him. He's been sloppy in a few of the turns, and made other mistakes that would have cost him the race under normal circumstances.'
'Now that you mention it,' Jak concurred, 'I think there were a few instances where he screwed up, I guess everyone's just too scared of him to try and beat him.'
'Fear can be a powerful motivator.' The oni stated, holding up a clawed finger, before falling silent as a hover platform came down in front of them, holding none other than Baron Praxis and a two elf honor guard.
"Greetings, all of you." The tyrant said, spreading his arms wide. "Let me congratulate each and every one of you for making it this far, but the true challenge lies with this race. Nevertheless, to the driver who conquers this track shall go the winner's trophy, bragging rights, and a tour of the palace." He stared around at them all, his gaze lingering upon Jak, and the dark elf swore mentally.
'He knows.' was all Kage said.
"With that," Praxis said, a smile making its way over his face, "I bid you all good luck, and ask that if you have to die, that you do so bravely."
His speech finished, the Baron's hover lift pulled back and away to the middle of the track, where he could watch from the best seat in the house, so to speak.
With one final glance at Errol, Jak leaned forward, his foot tensing against his speeder's accelerator.
One second passed, and he tightened his grip on the handlebars.
Two seconds, and a bead of sweat made its way down his forehead.
At the third, there was the sound of a gunshot, and in a flash, they were off, Jak and his nemesis instantly vying for control of first place.
Two elves entered a predetermined public restroom, sweatshirt hoods pulled low over both of their faces. Another elf, clad in similar gear, leaned against the far wall, nodding in acknowledgment of their presence. The person then gestured to two of the stalls, and left.
The two newcomers headed over to the pair that had been pointed out, and opened the doors. Within, they found a series of backpacks hanging from the inside walls, and began gearing up for what was about to happen. Even from here, they could hear the roar of the crowd as the final race began, and they knew that they didn't have much time.
As fast as they could, they unzipped the packs, and got ready, knowing that the first shots of this operation would fall upon their shoulders.
In a way, it felt almost comforting, to be suiting back up together after all of this time. True, they were about to charge headlong into one of their most dangerous missions yet, but for the first time in years, they'd be doing it together. It was that tiny detail, that brought some measure of reassurance to the two brother's in arms.
About five minutes later, they were done, which wasn't all that bad, considering how much room they had to work with. Almost simultaneously, they slipped on their helmets, and activated the electronic systems of their armor. Again, almost as one, they opened their respective stall doors, and stepped out.
Just as someone else was stepping in.
There was a bit of an awkward moment as the elf, who looked to be in his mid forties, stared at the two armored warriors, his mouth apparently having unhinged itself from the rest of his face.
The two gray armored soldiers also exchanged glances, before shrugging and activating something. A pair of bugged out eyes accompanied the dropped jaw as the two men faded into blurs, and walked past the civilian, heading out to one of the staircases leading up to the stands.
The wind howling past him, Jak blew across the finish line, a good three second lead between him and Errol. It had been a close one, but as his guardian devil had pointed out, the commander had made several critical mistakes that wound up costing him the race.
Jak kept going, heading around on a well earned victory lap as the other racers, save for Errol, cleared the track. All the while, a thunderous applause came from the audience, as they cheered him on.
He slowed down as he came back around to the finish line, throwing his arms up in the air in celebration before dismounting his bike. Still, he did not allow himself to be too distracted as he enjoyed his victory over Errol, as the sociopathic commander was still on the track, and it wasn't too hard for him to image his nemesis trying to run him over.
Thus, he had his back turned when Praxis came back on the hover lift, a grim smile upon his features. The Baron held up his hands, and silence fell over the stadium. Slowly, Jak pivoted back around and faced the usurper, removing his helmet as he did so.
"Well done, renegade," Praxis remarked, crossing his arms over his chest, "it seems there are other things you can do besides cutting down my men."
"Why don't you come down a little closer?" Jak inquired with a smirk, accentuating the statement with a 'come here' gesture. "You and I need to have a talk."
"You still don't understand it, do you?" the scarred elf replied, rubbing one of his temples. "Everything I've done, I've done for this city, to make it stronger, strong enough to crush our enemies. And for those who have died as a result, they are casualties of battle, and their deaths are inevitable!" he said, sweeping his arm about, his one eye gazing over the crowd.
However, as he did so, something caught his eye. Down in the pits, walking out into the open, was that female elf, Keira, he believed her name to be, that had been with Jak at the Tomb. She was once more clad in her armor, and held Kitetsu by its scabbard in her right hand, while the other clutched a rifle with an almost obscenely long barrel. He was puzzled as to what this meant, as there were several hundred guards posted in the stadium, a security measure just in case the Underground were to try something today.
However, before he could dwell on that anymore, the sound of an elf swearing at the top of his lungs reached his ears, causing him, along with the majority of the people in the stadium, to look to its source.
He saw a K.G. grappling with something, he couldn't tell what from this distance, and gestured for one of his body guards to hand him his macro-binoculars. The elite did so, and as he zoomed in, Praxis saw the man struggling against something that was hidden in the shadows of a stairwell entrance. He blinked, but still the man appeared to be wrestling with nothing more than thin air. However, that theory, along with any that he might have been having some sort of freakish seizure, was promptly dispelled when blood began to gush from his throat as something penetrated it.
Grasping at his clearly mortal wound, the man fell to his knees. However, before Praxis could even digest this new threat, another guard, standing some twenty paces away, was made shorter by a head, again by some unseen assailant.
Then, almost at the same time, the hidden attackers became visible, gray armor phasing into view, causing several people to recoil in surprise. Memories flashed through Praxis' mind as he watched the two of them descend down the stairs, their steps perfectly in synch with one another. One, his armor carrying several black highlights, clutched a rifle in his hands, and the other, this time having orange flames, carried a couple of submachine guns.
The orange one then reached into his utility belt and pulled out something, before bringing it in front of his helmet and fiddling with it.
"Testing, testing," Jynx's voice came from over the P.A. system of the stadium, "would the tyrant on the hover lift please wave if he can hear me."
"Could you just get one with it?" Torn growled, his blood practically boiling from the close proximity of his enemies.
"'Baron' Praxis," the Revenant began, his voice now deadly serious, "for too long you have sat upon Haven's throne, which you took by blood. For years, you have used fear and intimidation to prevent anyone from standing up to you. You've had entire families thrown into prison or otherwise silenced, and you have trampled our rights and our freedoms into the mud!" Jynx paused, and looked around with his built in macro-binoculars, noting that everyone was in place for the operation. "Today, that changes. Today, marks the beginning of the end!"
"Bold words, Delta." Praxis shouted in return, mistakenly calling them by their old name, "But do you really think that the four of you are a match for everyone here?" the Baron finished his remark with a smirk.
However, that grin was swiftly removed from his face once a person who was in the front rows of the stadium, stood up, and removed a hood that had been covering up her face. The despot's single eye widened as he saw his own daughter staring back at him.
"Who said anything about there only being four of us, father?" she said, glaring at her old man.
Something about what Ashelin said put him on edge, and he stared about, wondering perhaps, if there were more hidden soldiers out there.
As it turns out, there were, but not in the way that he was thinking. However, moments before the operation swung into motion, he figured it out. Looking out over the various people in the stands, he had found it rather odd that a good number of them were wearing jackets, coats, and other long types of clothing. Though there was a slight chill in the air, it was not cold to the point where those types of articles were needed.
The very instant that Praxis figured it out, Jynx let out a war cry over the P.A., and hundreds of people threw off the concealing clothes, revealing weapons that ranged from heavy blaster pistols, to the by now infamous morph guns. A second later, a gun battle erupted within the stands.
Many K.G. were gunned down in the opening moments of the battle, killed by an enemy that had been sitting right next to them all day. Those that did survive the first few frantic moments of the fighting, quickly found themselves outnumbered and out maneuver, dodging and taking fire from all directions with virtually no place to take cover.
Praxis' elite bodyguards were quick to get the hover lift out of the area, with one of them knocking their leader down and throwing himself on top of him for good measure.
Jak, seeing the tyrant about to escape, felt within himself, calling upon his dark powers. However, a warning from his ears, Keira, and Kage prevented him from completing the intended attack. The dark elf wasted no time, leaping up and too one side as he heard the distinctive sound of a racing zoomer accelerating towards him. Still in the middle of his leap, he stuck his hand out, and Keira felt Kitetsu rattle within its sheath for a split second, before shooting off to answer its master's call.
The very instant that the Ascended Channeler felt his fingers grasp the hilt of the dark katana, he twirled about, bringing the blade up. Unfortunately, he aim was a wee bit off, so he merely sliced the front off of Errol's racing craft, rather than cutting up the rider as he had been intending.
Still, this effectively removed any form of control that the commander had over his speeder, forcing the sociopathic elf to abandon ship or face some really nasty consequences. He hit the ground, prosthetic shoulder first, his racing suit tearing itself open and his helmet cracking under the assault of the dura-crete, creating some very painful wounds, but nothing he couldn't deal with.
For now, his anger created a nice distraction from the pain, and he sent out the signal from his brain to the microchip, and Jak watched, temporarily surprised, as part of his racing uniform was ripped away, revealing his arm cannon. That was all the warning he would get before Errol opened fire on him, forcing him to weave Kitetsu back and forth in a frantic attempt to deflect the Eco bolts.
Still, despite everything, he managed to get enough of a break to somehow conjure up a dark bomb, which he hastily chucked at his nemesis. Errol's eyes widened, and he leapt to the side, launching off his own powered up shot as he did so.
Jak, quickly realizing that an attempt to deflect the blast was out of the question, threw himself over the barrier that separated the track from the pits area. He landed next to Keira just as the shot connected where he had been standing, and even from where he was, he was able to feel the concussion. He looked over to the aqua haired elf, and the two of them nodded rising up at the same time.
Only to find nothing.
They exchanged a glance between themselves, wondering why in the world the K.G. commander had suddenly decided to flee the scene. However, they were swift to realize that although one foe had escaped, there were still many that had to be dealt with. Keira leveled her sniper rifle, taking aim at individual targets, and began to pick them off with ease.
Jak simply shook his head as he watched her. This whole operation had been dependant upon her to begin with, and she had performed admirably. The security around the stadium had been tight, but she had been able to sneak in during the night and effectively tweak one predetermined metal detector, and just that one. While the others had functioned as they were supposed to, that one had had its sensors altered to the point where Sig could have walked through it in full battle gear and it wouldn't have so much as peeped.
That had been the easy part, now it came time for them to win the actual battle. With that in mind, Jak called deep within himself, and was instantly answered with a certain bat winged demon appearing in his mind's eye.
'You up for some fun, buddy?' the dark elf inquired, raising an eyebrow.
'It shall be my pleasure to serve.' Kage responded. 'Do you wish for me to use Juyo, or the Ataru style?'
'Stick with Ataru for now, I'd rather not advertise the ace up our sleeve this early in the game. Jak told him, and the creature nodded. 'Also, try to keep the casualties to a minimum.'
'Did I hear you right?' the demon asked, somewhat confused.
'Call it a gut feeling, but I think there's going to be a time pretty soon where we're going to need every elf who can carry a blaster rifle.' Jak explained, getting a frown from his guardian devil. 'See if you can't 'convince' them to surrender instead.'
'I believe that is within my abilities.' Kage replied, a crooked smile coming over his muzzle.
And with that, the Ascended Channeler relinquished control over to his alter ego. The orb of darkness formed around him, and with an otherworldly scream, the oni manifested itself.
That cry was the thing the Krimzon Guards had been dreading, and many struggled not to try and flee as they saw the demon take to the air, its wings propelling itself towards the closest group at a nightmarish pace.
The squadron, which consisted of about eight guards, turned their attention away from the rebels they had engaged, and did a double take as Kage landed scant feet from them, a growl making its way from his throat. However, as the Underground soldiers ran off to deal with the next threat, the demon still refrained from attacking, opting to merely take few steps forward, while brandishing Kitetsu menacingly.
"Umm, Sarge?" One of the men ventured, his voice little more than a squeak. "I don't know about you, but getting down on our knees and begging for mercy is starting to look better by the second!"
"Your subordinate has the correct idea," Kage rumbled in his distorted voice, "throw down your weapons and surrender, and your lives will be spared."
Needless to say, eight blaster rifles quickly clattered to the ground, and were just as swiftly turned into slag via some Dark Eco lightning. And just as quickly, eight guards slumped to their knees, and placed their hands upon their heads, lest they wind up losing that rather vital body part.
'Nice work.' Jak replied, watching from within his own mind as the tactic worked.
The oni growled in both approval of the guards' actions, and at receiving that bit of praise, before taking wing to another location within the stadium, repeating the tactic that it used on the first group, with no small amount of success.
However, Kage was not the only one battling. The halls and passageways of the stadium had also turned into a battleground, and it was here that Keira, Tess, and a handful of other Underground troopers made their own assault, having made their way down there from the fight in the racing area.
After all, with the Dark Eco demon flying about in the main part of the stadium, the K.G. there were practically racing to toss down their weapons and give up before the thing had a chance to turn them into confetti. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for those in the bowels of this place, as they seemed all too eager to try and crush this rebel assault. Of course, considering what they were up against, try was indeed the key word here.
Lining up a K.G. in her assault rifle sights, Keira fired a four shot burst, and the elf dropped, his foot twitching as he expired. Not pausing an instant, she sighted another elf up, before dropping him as well.
The way clear for the moment, she shouted for the others to pick up the pace, and they quickly moved up, attempting to find cover before the next wave arrived to try and drive them back.
The Krimzon Guards were quick to answer their bold challenge, thundering down the hall, their minds knowing that they would destroy these insolent guerilla fighters.
However, their dreams of victory and glory were derailed when something very much unexpected happened. Literally from out of nowhere, came an assault, as Eco bolts seemed to materialize out of thin air, blowing out lights, and invisible blades slit throats.
Keira and the others held their fire as the K.G. panicked, throwing down suppression fire in all directions as they attempted to find who was killing them with such ease, and the mechanic herself was tempted to smirk. Unfortunately for the crimson armored warriors, the partial darkness, combined with the near invisibility of the two Revenants attacking them, made a lethal combination, and the last one died screaming, a wrist mounted vibro-blade slowly becoming visible through his shattered chest armor.
Their active camouflage switched off, the two Revenants materialized like wraiths in the semi-darkness of the hallway, their visors making them appear almost like their namesakes.
"Absolutely amazing," Jynx breathed, adrenaline surging through him and he stared around at the carnage that he and his squad brother had just unleashed, "I vote that the resident tech-head gets a medal for this once we finally win the city back."
"You won't hear any argument from me, brother." Torn replied, staring over to the object of their conversation, who looked ready to blush, despite the situation.
Fortunately, Tess bailed her out of such an embarrassing scenario by inquiring as to the status of the battle.
"Upper area's secure," Jynx replied, staring absently at his DC-17, before opting to reload it, "with demon boy hanging around there, the K.G. can't surrender fast enough, and they're behaving quite well, lest he change his mind."
"As for the rest of the place," Torn said, "Ashelin and her groups have pretty much got the eastern lower levels cleaned out, and the rest of the Krimzon Guards are starting to pull back. I think we might have actually won this one."
No sooner did those words leave his mouth, than a tell tale clacking sound began to emanate from further down the corridor, and Keira leapt over a vending stand, rushing forward as Kage rounded the corner, his red eyes shinning.
"You okay?" the aqua haired elf inquired, looking the demon over.
"Yes." the oni responded, nodding his head before looking to Jynx and Torn. "Most of our foes were wise enough to realize themselves outmatched, and have been directed to the race track, where a few soldiers guard them."
"That just leaves any reinforcements from the outside to deal with." Torn mused, before turning and racing off in that direction, the others hot on his heels.
However, when they arrived, they were in for a nasty shock.
Daxter scurried through the corridors, trying desperately not to be trampled in the stampede of civilians who were attempting to flee away from the fight. Abruptly, he found himself having to leap back to avoid the lumbering steps of one particularly overweight spectator, cursing loudly as he did so.
He ducked down one side passage, thinking it relatively safe for the moment, and paused to collect his thoughts.
He was surprised to find out that the Underground had been planning on launching an attack on Praxis during this event, and it rather bothered him that no one had thought it important that he know that. He began to recite a conversation in his head, planning on how to best convey righteous indignation once this whole fiasco was over and done with.
Unfortunately, distracted as he was, he didn't hear the footsteps behind him until it was too late. A shadow fell over him, and the Ottsel turned around, and found himself staring at the knee region of a battered yellow racing uniform. Looking up, he realized that he was looking none other than Errol in the eye.
"Uh-oh." He muttered, gulping and turning to run.
However, before he could so much as take two steps, the commander yanked the diminutive rodent off his feet, holding him up by the tail as he examined him.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" He said to himself, that old evil glint coming into his eyes. "Daxter, is it?" he asked, thumping the former elf upside his head when he failed to reply.
"What of it, psycho?" the Ottsel shot back, surprising himself with his amount of defiance.
"Today might just be my lucky day after all." Errol mused aloud, before a crackling sound emanated from a comm. unit on his waist.
"Yes?" he asked as he put it up to his ear.
"Errol," came Baron Praxis' voice from the other end, "pull everyone back, and do it now! The Underground takes this round!"
The Commander of the Krimzon Guard snarled in rage, but did as he was ordered, initiating an evacuation code through him comm.
He then made haste to get out of stadium, as while he had faith in his abilities, and a rather good hostage for that matter, he knew that there would be some resistance soldiers who wouldn't care about the fuzzy rodent clutched in his right hand, so great was their hatred for him. Thus to make himself scarce would be a good idea, until he could force his enemies, one in particular, to meet him on his own terms.
And so, not too gently carrying Daxter, the sociopath made his way to the entrance, sprinting all the while.
And so, with timing that made one wonder if fate had a grim sense of humor, Kage, Keira, and the other arrived just in time to link up with Ashelin at the stadium entrance, and watch as the last of the K.G. loaded up onto some drop ships, doing their best to get the hell out of there before anything else could go wrong.
Furthermore, they were just into time to watch Errol hop onboard one of the last ones. Upon seeing this high value target, guns were leveled, while at his host's urging, Kage rushed forward at top speed. However, as if sensing him, the commander promptly turned around, revealing Daxter, and the arm cannon that was currently pointing at the Ottsel's head.
The oni stopped short, roaring in fury at this tactic. And before he could think of anything to do, the ship began to lift off and pull away from the area.
"Coward!" Kage snarled, electricity surging over his balled up fist. "This is far from finished!"
"You're right about that, Freak!" Errol shouted back, before the sound of the powering up engines drowned him out.
The drop ship fled after that, leaving the rebels to their victory.
However, as Kage relinquished control, and Jak appeared once more, it became obvious that it was not a complete victory, as the dark elf radiated anger over what had just occurred.
Keira was much the same. Much as Daxter may have managed to grate upon her nerves, she still saw him as something of a friend, and thus the notion of him being in harms way like that sent rage through every fiber of her being.
Tess rounded out the trio, torn between fear at what Errol might do to the pint sized rodent, and rage towards herself for not making certain that he was safe. Keira laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, while Jak, panting to the point where one could practically see steam coming out of his ears, unleashed a dark bomb at an abandoned K.G. speeder bike, destroying it.
Even after that, though, he had to struggle to maintain a balance and not let his hatred overwhelm him again.
Nonetheless, all of them swore they would get Daxter back, even if they had to mount an assault upon the palace compound itself.
&
Okay, that looks like a good place to stop, and it seems as if Jak will once again have to bail Daxter out of a bind. In the mean time, it will let you imagine just what sort of fiendish tortures that Errol will be submitting him to...
Okay, for some reason the idea of Daxter being locked in a cage, forced to listen to opera music just popped into my head.
Also, as DarkStarPhoenix pointed out in a review, and animedragongirl has suggested, I am in need of a beta reader so I do not keep making these little careless mistakes that are driving me up the wall!
So if you'd like to help me out like that, let me know, and also don't hesitate to leave a comment or a constructive criticism, and I still am open to ideas regarding dark and light powers.
Also, just so you know, I went back and revised chapters eight and twenty one just a bit so you can tell my OC Precursor apart from the rest of his black clad buddies.
Finally, I leave you today with a quote from Peter Anspach's Evil Overlord List. Note, had the Jak and Daxter villains bothered to read these rules, these three inparticular, they likely would have won.
Rule Forty Nine
If I learn the whereabouts of the one artifact which can destroy me, I will not send all my troops out to seize it. Instead I will send them out to seize something else and quietly put a Want-Ad in the local paper
Rule Fifty Six
All members of my Legions of Terror will be trained in the art of basic marksmanship. Anyone who cannot learn to hit a man-sized target at 10 meters will subsequently be used for target practice.
And finally, Rule Fifty Seven
Before employing any captured artifacts or machinery, I will carefully read the owner's manual.