(Flash of light, followed by a being covered in crimson robes materializing)
Greetings to you all on this fine day, and I do hope you're enjoying yourselves. Been working long and hard on this chapter, but despite my best efforts, it still looks like its going to come up about 400 words short of my lofty goal, and for that I apologize, and hope that a ninety six hundred odd word and twenty page long fight seen is enough to please you. As for me, well, I've picked up a bit of a stomach virus, and its irritating the crap out of me, despite the inhuman quantities of pepto that I've been downing. (cherry flavored my arse!)
To those of you who were kind enough to review my works.
MewmiC- Yep, it's Tarath. Our little Precursor friend has played a very large role in the history of everything that's happened here, and next to Jak, Daxter, and Keira, he will be one of the biggest characters in the sequel, as there will be several 'flashback' chapters during which you'll see his past and learn where he's coming from and all that, as I wish to make him one of the most human and fleshed out OCs that I've ever created. AS for the battle, I hope it pleases you. (bows).
animedragongirl- Couldn't hide it from you, could I. Thanks for the fanart, you really gave her a good look, and for that I couldn't be more grateful. I hope you enjoy the science club, and if you plan on drawing anything more, please let me know. Thanks for the advice about reactions as well, I've got something up my sleeve…I just hope it works. (nervous anime style chuckling)
FaiyaaNoRyu- Thanks for the input, I'm flattered that you liked it. As for the battle, I hope you find it to be enjoyable, and there are a few comical moments in it. And yes, our Channeler and his soul mate are going to tie the not in the time between the two stories, so you already know the ending to the sequel is going to be different than the one in the game. (glares in the direction of N.D. headquarters) I'm also hoping to be able to fill in some of the game's plot holes and make a few AU concepts appear within, among which will be yet another more painful demise for Errol, and a heap of Veger torture.
MariaShadow- Sorry about the cliffe, but I felt that the battle deserved a chapter to itself. Hopefully the wait will have been worth it, and there is one part in here that is vaguely like the Shelob battle in LOTR…Fool of a Took! (sorry, I've had way too much caffeine.)
Farr2rich- Sorry to have offended you. (bows meekly) and sorry that you had to wait a week to get to read this. You're right about the remaining chapters, though. As for updating, I hope to see the next bit of your story soon, and did you get the list that I e-mailed you back?
Philoworm- Got the e-mail that you sent, and thanks man. Zidon won't be an ascended Channeler, but his skills will be above average, especially when he's walking around in Precursor crafted armor. (They may have been breeding the Channelers to die for them, but the Ancients were going to send them into battle well equipped to do the job.) One thing I want to be sure on though is his weapons. The Kodachis are like knife sized katanas, right? I googled the word that that was about the only thing I got besides some weird anime character. That asked, I hope you like what I've been able to come up with.
SevethSpanishAngel12- Here it is, and don't worry about me having rushed it, as its been proofread by animedragongirl, and not much gets past her. As for Tarath, let's just say there's a lot more to him than meets the eye, but you'll have to wait for the last chapter to find out more on him. Still, I hope you enjoy the fight, and that I've managed to pull off the 'epic' that I was going for.
Evil Manic- Never particularly cared for the Tough Puppy myself, and I was planning on an environment and vehicles that are sorta reminiscent of the 'Mad Max' movies, as I noticed tons of influence from the game. (plus, it never explained how the Wastelander buggies got their juice). As for the battle, I think I made it good, but please let me know what you think of it.
GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Glad you liked the Channelers' origins, as I don't think that was ever explained, and I thought it would be grimily funny if it turned out that they were just supposed to be bioweapons. (I sorta hinted towards that in the Mar's Tomb chapter, when Sentinel refers to the group as being 'results of an experiment') Also glad that you liked the chant, and that this chapter has been worth the week long wait.
SRHumphrey727- Here it is, the grande-finale of the story, the epic battle between Jak, Kage, and Kor, with Haven's fate being on the line. Also, got your e-mail this time…a very sobering story, and a good lesson, thank you. (bows). Hope you like this chapter.
Air of Mystery- Hmmm, can't seem to remember that story…I think I'd better go reread the bible and figure out where that one was. No religious influence in that, really, I just thought it would be interesting if they were supposed to be super weapons (as let's face it, imagine an army of twenty thousand Channelers rushing in at you…scary no?) Hope you like this chapter, it might be my best one yet…unfortunately, though, considering the quality of some of them, that's not saying much.
DarkStarPhoenix- Well, if you didn't hate me for that cliffhanger…never mind, I'd be giving stuff away. Thank you for offering the mission idea, and Jak will have his work cut out for him back in Haven in the sequel, as the death bots will have two kinds of command and control battle mechs (one light, one heavy, with weapons ranging from laser submachine guns to energy blades, flamethrowers, missile launchers, plasma cannons, and grenade launchers so large, they have to unfold from the thing's back and be fired from a kneeling position). As for your battle idea, I had planned on doing something similar to that, and I have little doubt that you'll be able to spot it. Hope you like the chapter. (bows)
YamiTenshin14- So, it appears as though I'm not the only one who hated that that was about the only thing Kor did in the fight. Rest assured, I have completely purged that from the battle, and the Metal Head Leader is going to put up one heck of a struggle. AS for the L.E.U., the person will start out with only defensive abilities, but once she 'ascends' like Jak did, she'll get some offensive abilities, don't worry.
Lunatic Pandora1- Yeah, but aren't all heroes allowed one 'evil laugh' right before they storm in to kick butt? As for the blade idea, I'm not sure if I can work it in, but I'll try, so thanks for it, and I hope you like the chapter.
Jetrex12- No, Daxter will not comment on the battle, though there is something rather funny that he does about halfway through, you'll know it when you see it. As for the ideas, animedragongirl submitted a drawing to me on a concept, and I think I'll be going with that. Thanks though, especially for the 'shield' idea, cause that's going to get used, believe me. (bows)
anon- There is a scene like that in the fight, but thanks for the idea anyway, I'm grateful to receive them, and I hope you enjoy what my demented little mind has managed to turn out.
Light-Eco-Sage- I hope you succeed in getting an account set up, and I pray that you manage to update your stories soon. (I really like the wedding one that you're doing, as Ashelin going 'bridesmaid crazy' on Torn was freaking hilarious, as was Jak having to put up with the paperartzi in Sage's Legacy.) I'm also glad that you liked the Channeler's origins, as I really wasn't certain how well that was going to go over. That said, I hope you enjoy the showdown between our heroes and Metalus, Leaderous, Egotisticus.
Daxter the otsel- Glad that you like the tale, and may this chapter also be pleasing to you. How's your own story coming, by the way, as I've been wondering when you're going to post it?
To everyone who read, but did not review, I hope that you have found the mediocrity of this tale bearable, and that I have not somehow scarred you all.
Lawyers: Don't, own, anything, get it through your skulls!
I would also like to once again extend my sincerest thanks to animedragongirl for proofreading this, and for the fanart that she's done (Check it out at deviantart, there's a link to her page at her profile)
As was the case in Chapter Twenty Three, I want you all to know that without your advice and support, I would never have been able to get this far in my story. Thus, once again, I dedicate this chapter to you, the readers, may you please find it worthy of your attention.
&
Endgame
The two stared at each other, both the Ascended Channeler and the Hora-quan Overmind awaiting that subtle signal, that unconscious 'bell,' that would trigger the fight of the century.
As luck would have it, a bolt of lighting struck near by, and as the thunder swept over the Nest, both combatants launched themselves at each other, screaming battle cries at the top of their lungs.
Once again, Kor demonstrated that he was far speedier than a creature of his size should be, and lashed out with both of his forearms in an attempt to turn Jak into a fillet ala elf. However, the Ascended Channeler was not going to be taken down by such a simple move, and he vaulted up and performed a back flip, before coming down with both blades out. He then swung them, taping into his vampiric strength. But even then, Kor was swift, and brought an armored forearm up to block the blows.
Kitetsu and its phantom copy were deflected by the Hora-quan Overmind's armored carapace, with little more than scratches to show for all the power that had been behind them. With a wicked smile, Kor then brought his scorpionic tail into the equation, lashing out with it with enough force that it went about two feet into the ground as Jak just did manage to get out of the way.
'That was too close.' Kage murmured, 'eyeing' the damage done by the attack.
'No kidding.' the dark elf responded mentally, as he leapt to the aside to avoid another such blow.
The Metal Head Leader brought his tail down a third time, and once again Jak was forced to jump aside to avoid being impaled. However, he didn't dodge quite as far this time, and as the stinger imbedded itself in the ground once again, he lashed out with both blades, only to find out that Kor's tail was armored just as heavily as his forearms were. Apparently, the Fallen Ones had thought of the potential vulnerability of that body region, and sought to prevent it from becoming prematurely detached from the rest of him.
Once again, the monstrosity's talons came in at him, trying to rip him open. This time, Jak opted to attempt a different tactic. He vaulted out of the way, and threw both katanas at his foe, aiming for the glowing gold eyes that kept boring into him. Kor ducked the attack with relative ease, just as the dark elf had planned.
From his hands he summoned the ever familiar dark lightning, willing it to go forth and strike his destined foe. The Channeled Dark Eco struck the massive Hora-quan, but once again, it did little more than generally piss Kor off.
The Metal Head Leader snarled in wounded pride, before throwing out a Channeled attack of his own, Yellow Eco crackling over his taloned hands before he unleashed it upon Jak with a roar. The dark elf kicked it into overdrive, moving like a blur to get out of the blast range of the attack, which took out a good chunk of Kor's living room.
He reached up and grabbed his blades as they arced back towards him, and for a few seconds, he and Kor just stared at each other, each of their minds trying to think of a way in which they might triumph over the other.
Jak was finally beginning to understand one thing though, Kor was far tougher than he had anticipated, and he was at last starting to realize how this guy had made a career out of finishing off one of the most powerful races in the universe.
Kor, on the other hand, was mildly impressed by the fight that Jak was putting up, and it seemed as though for the first time in centuries, he was actually going to be in a battle long enough for his adrenaline to get pumping. Still, he had every reason to believe that he was going to win this conflict. After all, he had never lost before, and he saw no reason why that should suddenly change.
And so, with a ferocious smile that did justice to his true nature, Kor charged at the dark elf, and lashed out with his right hands. Jak dodged to the left, as he had anticipated, and the Ascended Channeler found the other set of talons there waiting for him. The Heir of Mar saw the attack coming, and managed to avoid most of it. However, one talon did strike him shredding his armor's vest and drawing a line of dark blood across his chest. He managed to dodge the rest of the attacks, willing the searing pain in his chest to go away until Kor ceased his assault, and looked down upon him with a smug expression.
"First blood to me, it would seem." he rumbled with a wicked chuckle.
"Last blood counts for more!" Jak screamed, before hurling himself at his foe once again.
He threw the shadow blade in his left hand, and conjured up a dark bomb at the same time, before chucking it straight at Kor's chest. The Hora-quan Overmind swatted the phantom katana away with his left hand and brought his right arm up to block the Channeled attack, and he succeeded in stopping them, though a slight grimace and growl attested to the fact that they caused something a wee bit more than a mild discomfort.
Jak had anticipated his foe blocking the attack, and once more the whole purpose of the assault was to serve as a distraction. Too late, Kor realized he'd taken the bait, and felt a pain run down his chest as he realized that he would now have an 'X' shaped mark on his chest to share with his other scars as Kitetsu and a new conjured shadow blade bit into him, provided of course, he survived the battle. However, he wasn't about to let Jak press home the sudden advantage that he had, and he leaped away, coming down halfway across the chamber with an earth shattering thud. He gave a brief glance down to his chest, while Jak whirled his two swords around, letting him know that he wasn't going to win this fight without taking a few hits of his own.
Kor realized that despite everything, he had still underestimated what the Ascended Channeler was capable of dealing out. He'd fought many battles in the eons that he had lived, but it had been ages since someone had managed to score a hit on him, let alone one that would leave him with a permanent reminder of the fight.
And so it was with considerably more caution that the Metal Head Leader reengaged his opponent in mortal combat. He also felt it a wise decision to begin to tap into his abilities a little bit more.
Jak was forced to teleport away from the barrage of Yellow Eco attack that came his way a moment later, and he realized that Kor apparently cared little for the fact that he was ripping his home apart. As the gigantic Hora-quan raced at him a moment later, he pondered his options, wondering what he could do to get the odds in his favor, and keep them there.
And it was then that he realized that Kor did have one weakness that he might take advantage of: his defenses were impressive, but he did have blind spots and areas where they didn't cover.
And so, it was with those weaknesses in mind that Jak charged at his foe once again. Kor lashed out with his talons once again, but this time Jak executed a diving role underneath them. So great was his momentum, in fact, the he went right up underneath the massive Metal Head, and he promptly jabbed both Kitetsu and its shadowy twin up to their hilts into Kor's gut. He was them forced to dive out of the way as the Hora-quan Overmind tried to run him through with one of his legs, and nearly succeeded in doing so.
Needless to say, being stabbed in his underbelly did not help Kor's temper in the least bit, and he whirled around with enough speed to kick up a small wind in the chamber, getting the dark elf back in his sights so that he could try and crush him again. He spotted Jak quickly enough and he brought his fists down once more, rattling the whole chamber with the impacts as he tried to turn Jak into an elven smear on the floor. After putting many a dent in the ground with those failed strikes, he reminded Jak of his tail, twisting it to where the stinger was curved downward, and then bringing it down at an angle. Jak ducked and rolled forward, barely managing to keep his head upon his shoulders as he heard the unnerving 'whoosh' that his foe's attack made as it passed overhead, missing him by mere inches.
Kor struck out once more, slamming his palm down in an attempt to reduce Ascended Channeler to a smear on the ground. However, the dark elf had had just about enough of being on the defensive, and realized that he needed to start attacking again if he was going to come out on top in this clash.
And so, as his foe once again tried to turn him into a two dimensional object, he just barely dodged out of the way, and then, tapping into his inhuman speed, he rushed up Kor's arm, making it all the way to his shoulder and digging both of his weapons into the unarmored joint.
The Hora-quan Overmind roared in pain, and brought his other hand to the wound, nearly squashing the dark elf in the process. Fortunately, our hero was able to get clear before Kor turned him into a two dimensional object, hopping off and once again diving underneath the gigantic Metal Head, before once again given Kor a dosage of his unique brand of acupuncture.
Kitetsu and its phantom twin were never able to inflict much damage, even when the devastating Juyo style was used upon the Metal Head Leader. But even pinpricks can become lethal if enough of them are inflicted. Such was Jak's philosophy as he continued to dash about, striking everywhere he could while Kor attempted to keep up with him.
He leaped to the side as the massive stinger on the end of his foe's tail came sailing at him in an attempt to run him through. He avoided most of the blow, but didn't get completely clear, as it slashed through his armored trench coat just below the area where the ferrosteel pauldrons ended, drawing blood and a hiss of pain from the dark elf. Still, Jak did not allow himself to focus upon the wound, and instead, performed a vampiric leap, getting himself up on Kor's back. He quickly dashed forward to where the Hora-quan Overmind's abdomen melded into his chest, and began to hack away at the unarmored portion of the joint.
Kor, quickly realizing that he was now in a rather compromising position, began to thrash about in an attempt to dislodge the Ascended Channeler. This had the result of Jak taking the Dark Eco blade in his left hand and jamming it in up to the hilt as a sort of anchor during the wild ride that occurred thereafter. All the while, Kitetsu was hacking away, drawing blood and eliciting roars of frustration and pain from the Metal Head Leader.
If one listened closely enough, one might be able to pick out the sound of Daxter cheering and whooping as Kor thrashed around like an animal at some sort of bizarre rodeo.
However, just as the Metal Head Leader reached the point where he was possibly considering using his tail on the dark elf, never mind the consequences of what would happen if he were to miss, he finally managed to dislodge him.
Jak kept a level head as he flew through the air, dispelling the shadow blade in his left hand, and spreading out said hand and both feet as he hit the floor to absorb the impact as he skidded for several feet before he was able to completely stop himself.
Once again, there was a lull in the fighting as both combatants tried to formulate new strategies and tactics.
Jak grumbled a bit inwardly, wishing that his memories of this particular part of his life were not quite so fuzzy, as the knowledge would have come in handy. Still, he supposed that he'd just have to make due with what he had.
He refocused he attention upon the now, though, as Kor came charging in yet again. As before, the Hora-quan Overmind struck out with his taloned hands at first, but as Jak dodged, his foe revealed that he was wising up on that strategy, and he lashed out with his tail. So great was the speed of the limb, that Jak knew he wouldn't be able to find the time necessary to build up the required focus to teleport out of the way, and so he simply twisted to the side, avoiding the razor sharp stinger blade on the end, but still getting a bone crunching smack from the scorpion like appendage.
He smacked against the edge of the chamber, hard. And while the breath might have been driven from his lungs, and a good number of ribs damaged, he still maintained enough focus to notice the Metal Head Leader coming at him to finish the job. However, a well placed pair of dark bombs, followed by a proverbial thunderstorm of Dark Eco succeeded in driving Kor off and keeping him at bay until the dark elf could sufficiently recover from the monster's attacks.
Daxter, still watching the battle, let out a sigh of relief as his best friend proved that he was not yet down for the count. And deep down, he wished there was some way that he could help out, some way that he could do something, anything, to help tip the odds in Jak's favor. Alas, even had he been an elf, rather than cursed with this miserable and pathetic excuse for a mortal shell, he doubted there would have been much he could have done.
And so, the Ottsel was forced to make do with having front row seats for the greatest clash in recent history.
Which was getting back underway as Jak summoned a phantom blade and threw himself towards his foe once again. By this time, several things had been established in this clash. First, while both combatants were gifted with incredible speed, Jak held the edge in reflexes and maneuverability, which therefore allowed for him to score more hits. The second, was that Kor was the undisputed stronger of the two, so when he did connect with Jak, the dark elf sure as Hades felt it. The Metal Head Leader also had greater endurance than his elven foe, and had significantly more combat experience.
These were advantages that both warriors attempted to make use of to the best of their abilities, With Jak staying in close and slipping around Kor's defenses, while the Metal Head Leader kept pivoting about in an attempt to keep the Ascended Channeler in his sight range, and trying to get that blow in that would mark the end of the battle.
Several minutes, and a few pain filled roars later, though, Kor quickly realized that his current strategy was not working against Jak, and knew that he was going to have to find a new one.
And so he spread his wings, and took to the air, buzzing around the chamber for a few seconds before unleashing his Channeling abilities upon his foe. Jak leaped up out of the way of the first blast, answering the attack with a dark bomb. With a surprising amount of grace, Kor barrel-rolled out of the way of the attack, and it impacted harmlessly upon one of the chamber's walls, though there was a decent dent left where it had struck.
Not pausing for an instant, Jak sheathed Kitetsu and charged up his ever familiar Dark Eco lightning, letting it crackle over his fists for a few seconds before he willed it to streak towards his foe. The outspread web of electricity hit the Metal Head Leader, and coursed over him for a few seconds, inflicting some damage, and making him that much angrier. However, before Jak could begin another attack, Kor retaliated with some moves of his own.
The Hora-quan Overmind snarled, and charged up an attack in both of his fists, before unleashing the technique upon Jak. This time, the dark elf didn't move, and there was a bright flash, followed by a thundering explosion as the attack struck, stealing everyone's vision for a short moment.
The light cleared, and Jak was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, Kor let a malicious smile come to his face, until he heard something come shrieking in at him. He turned to face the noise, and received a dark bomb right in his chest. The impact and resulting detonation rocked the Metal Head Leader backwards, and left him to wonder just how in the name of his makers Jak had gotten out of the way of the blast. He then recalled that the dark elf had escaped a similar situation just before the battle, and came to the conclusion that his foe had a new trick up his sleeve, and that he had best be wary of it.
The Ascended Channeler went on the offensive again, lashing out with energy ball and dark lightning, throwing everything he had at his foe, knowing full well what the price of failure would be. Kor weaved back and forth, returning the favor whenever he could, determined to finish off this bastard wretch, and the room was soon filled with craters and the like as testament to their epic confrontation.
As the battle raged, the two combatants eventually moved over to one side of the massive chamber, and while energies continued to crackle back and forth between the two of them, Daxter at last saw a manner in which he could help. Still lying there upon the ground, was the Precursor Stone. Not truly knowing how much use it would be, but realizing that leaving it out there in the open was probably not the best course of action, he dashed out to retrieve it.
At the same time, Jak let out a cry of fury, and unleashed some Dark Eco lightning at Kor. Once again, with a deceptive amount of agility, the Metal Head Leader dove out of the way. The blast continued onward, and as luck would have it, struck the strange prison orb that was holding Alex captive. It crackled over the surface of the orb for about two seconds, before the lightning shattered it, dropping the boy to the ground.
The young prince hit hard, and awoke with a pain filled groan. Opening his eyes, the first thing that he saw was the fierce battle being waged between Kor and his future self. Naturally, survival instincts kicked in and the first thing he did was try to find some place to seek shelter before Murphy's Law kicked in and an errant blast found him as a target. The first thing he saw was Daxter, who was practically bent double trying to carry the Precursor Stone out of the battle zone. Upon reaching a suitable bit of shelter, and Ottsel promptly let go of the stasis chrysalis, and dove behind it.
He was somewhat surprised when a green haired six year old joined him a few seconds later, and the irony of the situation was not lost upon him.
Heading back over to where the dark elf and Metal Head Leader were busy trying to blast each other into the great beyond, things were much the same. Kor would lash out with an attack, and then Jak would evade and retaliate with his own Channeling abilities.
More and more as the battle progressed, the Hora-quan Overmind lauded himself for his decision to wipe out the Channelers once he began to realize what the Precursors were up to, as he was quickly realizing just how potent an army made up of tens of thousands of them could have been.
However, as another dark bomb hit home upon him, he was also beginning to realize that he was going to need to alter his strategy yet again. Jak was good, and had been watching the ways in which he would dodge rather carefully. The end result was that the Ascended Channeler's aim was improving exponentially, and Kor was finding himself catching attacks rather than dodging them with increasing frequency.
The Hora-quan Overmind was far from stupid, and he knew why he was having problems. Despite the fact that in this situation, Jak could not take advantage of his Juyo blade skills, the environment was still rather small, and suited the elf far better than he. The problem: Kor needed more room to maneuver. The solution: take the battle to the air.
He charged up a massive amount of Yellow Eco, and then sent the assault straight to the roof of the chamber, figuring the destruction of that portion of the Nest a small price to pay for final victory. Their living quarters were practically wrecked beyond repair at any rate.
There was a deafening roar as the ray of energy impacted upon the ceiling, and ripped the top right off of the nest. There were a few small bits of debris that fell downward, but most of it had been vaporized by the explosion.
Once the smoke was clear, so to speak, Jak looked up, and saw Kor hovering up in the air, waiting for him.
'Looks like it's your turn, Kage.' the dark elf remarked as he looked up into the roiling storm clouds.
'Do not worry, I shall make him suffer for his crimes.' the oni growled as Jak let him take control.
The ever familiar orb of black energy surrounded the Ascended Channeler, and the cry purifying agony that accompanied it changed into a roar a moment later. Then it was over, and Kage stood upon the floor of the chamber, his draconic wings spread wide and the altered Kitetsu held within his grasp, looking every bit the Angel of Death that he was.
With a battle cry that screamed for Kor's lifeblood, the demon took off, the powerful strokes of his wings propelling him towards his destined foe.
Keira instinctively shielded her eyes along with everyone else on the balloon as the top of the Metal Head Nest exploded, turning night to day for a few seconds.
The speed of the seemingly primitive Lurker balloon was rather amazing, and they were already within a mile or so of their designated target.
Unfortunately, if the gasps coming from Brutter and his comrades were to be any indication, it appeared as though Jak hadn't quite been able to finish the job of yet.
As the flash cleared and they looked out once more, she reached down and brought up a pair of macro binoculars, trying to get a better idea of what exactly was going on. Sure enough, Kor floated above the shattered nest, his wings fluttering so fast as to nearly be invisible, and she instinctively felt for the morph-gun that was slung across her back, before common sense caught up with her and she realized just how useless that weapon would be against something like him.
After all, if he had been responsible for the destruction of the Ancients, she highly doubted any weapon of elven design could pose much of a threat to him.
Fortunately, she spotted a certain winged demon a few seconds later, and watched as the two foes hovered in front of each other for a few seconds, each apparently waiting for the other to make the first move.
Lightning crackled in the sky once again, and the battle chose that moment to resume in earnest.
Daxter squinted up through the new skylight in the Metal Head Nest, desperately trying to see what was going on up there. However, he quickly found his efforts to be an exercise in futility. At least, until he looked around and spotted Keira's backpack lying amidst some rubble.
Frantically, he shot up and rushed over to it, Alex close on his heels. The furry rodent reached the pack, and quickly unzipped it before diving inside, rummaging around through it and throwing things out.
"Spare power packs…" he muttered, and Alexander was forced to step back as they came flying out. "Lock hacking device…voodoo doll of Errol…pins, needles, other miscellaneous pointy objects…" he rambled on, before pausing for a second, and then sending something out that was a strange mixture of green and blue, and had probably been some sort of food at one point in time. "Ewwwwww!" he exclaimed. "How long has that been in here?"
At last he found the object of his search, and triumphantly hoisted his own pair of macro-binoculars into the air. He hopped out of the backpack a second later, and immediately looked up at the battle. He then frowned for a moment, before flipping the binoculars around, and staring out of the proper end this time, was able to see what was going on a thousand feet above his head.
They rushed towards each other, each one baying for the other's blood. Kage summoned a phantom blade as the distance closed, and time seemed almost to slow as they drew ever closer, ever nearer to the third phase of this history shaping conflict.
Then they were in striking distance.
Kor, his arms cocked back, brought his taloned fists in with all the strength he had at his disposal, kicking up a small wind with the force behind them. Kage, however, expertly dodged the blows with a mid flight twist followed by a dive that put him right underneath the Hora-quan Overmind. He struck out with both of his katanas, and was rewarded with a pain filled shriek from his opponent as he slipped them in between the armored sections of the carapace.
The demon then dodged to the right, barrel rolling out of the way as the enormous Metal Head tried to run him through with his tail. Fortunately, the only thing that Kor wound up hitting was the afterimages that Kage always seemed to leave in his wake. Snarling in frustration, the Metal Head Leader turned around, trying to get the oni back into his sight. Too bad for him that all he managed to do was present Kage with another chance to strike at him.
A thundering roar split the air as the oni got behind Kor, and thrust both of his weapons up to their hilts into his back, the armored carapace finally giving way this time, and letting Kor's dark blood flow down his back. The Metal Head Leader then performed another acrobatic maneuver that was seemingly impossible for an organism of his size: a front flip with a full three hundred and sixty degree twist. This dislodged Kage before he could inflict any further harm upon him. It also sent the scorpionic tail shrieking in towards him, and the Dark Eco demon threw himself backwards as best he could in an attempt to ward the blow. However, it did manage to graze him just slightly; not going more than an inch deep, which, thankfully, for a creature of Kage's nature was little more than a scratch.
Knowing that the wound would heal quickly; Kage sped back towards Kor as the Hora-quan Overmind whipped around to face him. However, as he closed the distance between them, Kor decided that now was a good time to show off yet another trick that he had hidden up his sleeve. He thrust his hands outwards, and focused his powers. This time, though, rather than the twin beams of energy coming forth, Kage instead found himself having to deal with a barrage of foot ball sized energy pellets coming towards him at a rather high rate of speed.
Frantically, the oni dodged to the left, and Kor turned with him, trying to lead him as he unleashed dozens of Yellow Eco bursts a second at him. One or two did hit, and wound up leaving some rather nasty looking burn marks as testimony to their capabilities. Nonetheless, the oni bit back a growl as he felt his infused blood get to work healing him, and retaliated by whipping Kitetsu and its phantom brother back and forth a few times, sending waves of Dark Eco streaking towards Kor. They connected on several places, causing the Hora-quan Overmind to snarl in a slight amount of pain, but he did not lose his focus upon the battle, and was soon coming back at the oni, bringing them both back into melee range, where the Metal Head Leader once more took the prize for strength, while Kage took speed.
However, while speedy the Dark Eco demon might have been, he did not always get off scott free, as a couple of times Kor did succeed in landing a blow, which usually sent the demon into a tailspin of sorts, though he always managed to pull himself out of them before Kor could capitalize upon the sudden advantage.
The two separated again after some minutes of exchanging blows, and another lull in the fighting took place, with both combatants simply moving about in a circle, each one formulating their next move.
Kor figured it was about time that he played one of the aces that he had up his sleeve. And so, he focused inward for a moment or two, and within seconds, felt the response. Kage was somewhat confused by the wicked grin that appeared over the Hora-quan Overmind's visage.
However, the oni quickly put two and two together once he heard a strange buzzing sound emanating from below him, and realized that there were a good number of Wasps, which had apparently been hiding amongst the canyons and whatnot in the event of such an emergency, were coming to join the fray. A frown manifested itself upon his muzzle, but if Kor wanted to play that way, then so be it, the Metal Head Leader would simply have to live with the consequences of his actions.
The demon flapped his wings to where he was propelled backwards it high speed, as he wanted to have a decent distance between himself and the Hora-quan behemoth that was determined to destroy him and his host. Once he had reached a satisfactory distance, the oni released his grip upon Kitetsu and dispelled the phantom blade in his other hand. However, the Blade of Mar did not plummet towards the ground, but merely stayed where it was, hovering by the side of its master.
Kage felt inward, and summoned up his powers like he had never before. He felt the electricity surge as it covered him, snaking its way across his outstretched limbs, caressing his skin and hair. Its contained power grew, ever stronger and ever faster, until it could be contained no longer, and the oni set the power free with a cry.
Kor's smug grin changed to a look of utter disbelief as he saw nearly a hundred of his children speed towards his foe, only to die screaming as a lightning storm of mythical proportions suddenly erupted around Kage, effectively turning him into the largest bug zapper in recorded elven history. The dark bolts flew through the Metal Heads like a gigantic chain lightning spell, ravaging their internal organs, destroying their nervous systems, and generally putting them through a few moments of unspeakable agony before they either plummeted towards the ground as oversized charcoal briquettes, or simply popped like grapes.
Kage opened his eyes as the attack ended, and once again they glowed hell-forge red. Kor felt them pierce his soul, and he was unable to hold back a pang of fear as he realized he had definitely underestimated what the Dark Eco demon was capable of unleashing.
And he'd thought that Tarath had been stubborn when it had come time for him to die.
Fear however, was quick to turn to rage as he remembered all of the children that had died at the hands of this freak. And so it was with a roar that drowned out even the noise of the storm above that Kor charged back in at him, Yellow Eco crackling in his talons. Several energy attacks were unleashed between both sides before the gap was closed, though neither was able to do anything more than superficial damage to the other.
As they reentered melee range, Kage once again summoned his phantom blade, ready to unleash both it and its original upon his adversary. They met with a thunderous din, as Kage brought both katanas in from the sides, a move that the Metal Head Leader blocked with a single forearm and then attempted to retaliate against, lashing out with the other limb.
The oni, however, simply folded in his wings, and let gravity take hold of him. This not only successfully put him out of range of the attack, but also let him score a minor hit upon the arm as it passed over him. Kor snarled and brought his tail back into the equation once more, intent upon running the Dark Eco demon through.
A pump of his wings propelled the oni out of harms way, and put him a position to strike at the Hora-quan Overmind from the side, which was exactly what he did about half a second later, drawing a bloody line across his foe's jaw. However, a flurry of attacks drove him away before he could truly capitalize upon the move, and both combatants were basically sent back to square one, watching the other, seeking some sort of flaw that could be exploited for their gain.
About three seconds passed before they were at each other's throats yet again. Kage blasted forward, willing himself to move as fast as he possibly could, angling himself straight for where Kor's heart was most likely located. However, it was not destined to be the deathblow of the fight, as the Metal Head Leader's own razor fast movements forced him to take a detour, or suffer from some rather painful consequences. Instead, the Dark Eco demon opted for a different attack, barrel rolling to his left and dropping his altitude just a bit, he dove underneath the defensive assault that Kor threw at him.
The oni brought both of its blades together in a cross slash type maneuver, and the scream that followed no doubt caused some elven dead littering the area to sleep a little less peacefully.
But then, one could hardly blame Kor for his outburst. Matter of fact, he handled it pretty well for a guy who had just had one of his legs sliced off. Indeed, rather than breaking down in tears, he simply went mad with rage.
With a battle roar that could be heard for miles, the Hora-quan Overmind whirled around to face Kage, who quickly realized just how much he had angered his foe. Realizing that attempting to engage Kor while he was in this berserker like mode would not be the wisest of ideas, the oni opted for evasive action. He folded in his wings and dove towards the ground, Yellow Eco splitting the air all around him as he weaved back and forth, trying to throw off his adversary's aim as best he could.
He leveled off scant feet above one of the large plateaus that dominated the landscape, Kor hot on his tail and raining death down from above. His wings pumping in a furious bid to gain more speed, Kage spiraled over to his right, diving down into a canyon. The Metal Head Leader followed him closely, doing everything in his power to simply kill this damned freak of nature.
Through the ravines they flew, with the Dark Eco demon leading his nemesis upon a proverbial wild goose chase, diving and turning, maneuvering himself through obstacles that Kor could not hope to fit through. Unfortunately, said monstrosity simply opted to blow them apart to continue with the chase.
A couple of minutes later, deciding that this little chase scene was going nowhere fast, Kage decided to change his tactics. He spun around and threw a dark spear attack in the Metal Head Leader's face. Kor pulled up at the last possible moment, taking the attack in his chest. The blast, which had previously proven itself capable of blasting through more than half a dozen Metal Heads, did manage to penetrate the carapace, but pretty much ran out of steam after that. The Hora-quan Overmind, now enraged even more than he had been previously, charged up an attack of his own, before letting it fly. The oni flew up out of the canyon, and twisted to one side as a pair of Yellow Eco rays blew by him, nearly singing his hair.
Kor came up out of the ravines as well, and twisted about trying to locate his opponent. He did so, and blinded by his rage, charged towards the oni. What he failed to realize, though, was that Kage was hovering right in front of a rocky pillar.
Just as the Hora-quan Overmind reached striking distance, though, Kage zipped out of the way. Too late, Kor realized his error, and the result was a rather comical 'bug hitting the windshield' type moment as he impacted with enough force to leave a Metal Head Leader shaped crater in the rock.
However, as the demon charged back in, hoping to end the battle there and then, Kor retained enough sense of the world around him to retaliate. His tail came sailing in, and Kage, not expecting this, caught the blow square in his chest. The stinger laid his flesh open to the bone, and the force of it sent him sailing away.
He hit the ground, hard, and lost his grip upon Kitetsu while he began to bounce and roll over the rocky terrain, the stones slowly flaying him alive, ripping his skin and flesh away to the bone in some places.
After several seconds, he came to a stop, and he lay still.
Keira stared down through her binoculars, and felt her heart catch in her throat at the sight of him lying there on the ground, apparently unmoving.
"Come on," she whispered frantically, "get up, get up!"
Whether through some quirk of nature or twist of fate, he heard her, or Kage simply proved to be more stubborn than the pain that was coming from his many wounds, she never knew. However, regardless of which reason was the cause, the oni did slowly get back up to his feet as his wounds healed, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
As the innumerable lacerations closed and muscle, skin, and sinew knit themselves back together, the Dark Eco demon extended his right hand. Some distance off, Kitetsu jumped into the air and shot towards him, heeding the call of its wielder.
Once his taloned fingers had clasped 'round the blade once more, he summoned a shadow sword, and spreading his wings, roared with such strength and fury that Keira could hear him ever from where she stood in the Lurker balloon.
He was letting Kor know that he might have been beaten and battered, but that he was far from finished.
The oni then jumped into the air, and shot like a bolt of lightning towards his opponent, who had also recovered, and was balancing upon his seven remaining legs remarkably well.
They were at each other's throats again within seconds.
Their battle was as terrible as ever as it raged on, carrying both up into the sky once more after a time. However, before they had been at it for too much longer, a strange whining sound split the air.
"Holy mother of Mar…" Jynx breathed over the comm. as the approaching Hellcat's finally saw what they were up against.
"My thoughts precisely," Torn concurred.
Tess had told them about Kor's true nature, but having such a being described to you, then seeing him and realizing that you were about to go into battle against him, were two very different things.
"Cut the chatter and form up on our wings." Ashelin said in her best "I'm your superior and you're going to like it" voice. "We're going in full throttle, and if you can't see the target, I am going to personally beat the tar out of you for forgetting your glasses."
There were a few laughs at this. The humor wasn't good, but even bad humor reminded them all that they weren't alone in this battle.
Their engines wide open, the gunships closed the distance between the Metal Head Leader and themselves rapidly. Kor and Kage, meanwhile, were for the most part oblivious to all of this, as each was more worried about preventing the other from landing the blow that would signal the end of the mortal conflict.
They drew closer, and H.U.D.'s began to beep and warble, indicating lock-ons with their massive target.
"Open up!" Ashelin commanded.
It was an order that everyone present was all too eager to carry out.
The air was suddenly filled with Eco being spat from the quad blasters and side mounted guns of the elven cruisers. Both airborne combatants whirled to face the gunships, and Kage took one look and moved out of the way. However, Kor's rage was reaching the point where the destruction of the Dark Eco demon alone would not sate it, and so he simply hovered where he was.
The elven pilots watched in disbelief, as their cannon blasts merely bounced off the Hora-quan Overmind's armored carapace. It was something that should have been impossible, not even Torresques, the most heavily armored of all the Metal Head breeds, could put up with abuse like that, let alone not even have so much as a scratch to show for it.
However, they quickly reverted back to reality when Kor roared at them, and charged forward. He wanted these arrogant and puny elves to know that they were doomed, that for all their courage and audacity, that they had no hope against one such as him. The Hellcats moved off, breaking formation as they streaked by him. Not about to let them go by unscathed, the Metal Head Leader opened his maw, and he revealed a new trick when he spat a blast of Dark Eco at one of the gunships.
It hit the cruiser, and ate through its armor in an instant, exploding when it hit the engines, and lighting up the night sky. Another one had its engine connector severed by his tail, and it went down, trailing smoke and fire until it crashed upon the rocky ground below, joining countless other wrecks that already littered the graveyard. A third one met with a similar, if more dramatic fate, as Kor pounced upon it, gripping it with his arms and legs, and literally ripping it apart at the seams, roaring again as it did so.
Kage dove in, thinking Kor distracted, and tried to end the fight again. However, he was once more swatted away, nearly being disemboweled by the stinger on the end of his foe's tail.
As luck would have it, his involuntary flight backwards would be halted courtesy of the Hellcat cruiser that Ashelin, Torn, and Tess were in. The Revenant and the lieutenant merely exchanged a glance with each other as the oni slammed into the canopy of their gunship.
With a groan, Kage opened his eyes, and lifting his head up from the spider web of cracks that he had just created, shook his head until he could see a single image again.
"Nice catch." he growled to the elves inside, before rolling off and spreading his wings.
The oni then extended his hand, and summoned his blade again. However, while his stomach wound did heal, it did not do so as speedily as it normally did. Kage was running out of energy, and fast. Kor, though, while very much battered, was still going strong, and currently chasing after a few more Hellcats, determined to destroy them.
Realizing that he would have to rely almost completely upon his blade skills to finish the battle, the Dark Eco demon rushed back towards the Hora-quan Overmind, a battle cry coming from his fanged jaws as he tried to turn his foe's attention away from the elven cruisers. It worked, and Kor turned back around to come after him, unleashing Channeled Yellow Eco attacks until he got close enough, and striking with fang and talon upon entering melee range.
He brought Kitetsu and its phantom twin in from below, crossing them and letting and X shaped blast of Dark Eco come blasting out of them, which the massive Metal Head blocked with his forearms. As it had been in the case of the dark spears he had used, the attack did do damage to Kor's armored carapace, but little after that.
The Hora-quan Overmind came back with more attacks of his own, throwing out another pair of Channeled attacks before rushing forward into a more personal kind of combat. He reached back to his sides and lashed out with both of his hands at the same time, his talons fully outstretched, and a quick upwards back flip was all that saved Kage from being torn in half. However, Kor made the mistake of overextending himself in his attack, and it took him a second longer to recover than usual.
That one second would be the first of two mistakes that would seal his fate.
Seeing a godsend opportunity in front of him, the oni quickly reversed his direction, and flew in at his foe, both of his dark katanas cocked back. With a cry, he swung.
There was a deafening silence for a moment, followed swiftly by a roar of agony.
Such a reaction was to be expected now that Kor had just been rendered half blind.
"Holy drek!" Jynx exclaimed, his eyes bulging out from behind his helmet. "Did anyone else see that?"
"Yeah." Ashelin said, shaking her head in awe at what had just occurred. "Remind me to have him recommended for the Legion of Honor award if we all live through this, but as for now, someone get in there and blast him where it hurts!"
"On it." came a reply over the comm. as one of the Hellcat gunships set itself up for an attack run upon the Metal Head Leader.
Kor lashed out blindly, swatting Kage away, a move that cracked several of the Dark Eco demon's ribs. However, despite the agony, Kage was able to get back to a ready combat stance relatively quickly.
Less than could be said of his adversary, now nearly mad with pain. What certainly did not help Kor's current disposition was when that other Hellcat that came in with its guns blazing, or the dark waves that came off of Kitetsu immediately thereafter. While little damage was done to the Hora-quan Overmind in either instance, the irritation was enough to practically shatter his hold upon rational thought for the moment.
It was then that he made the second critical mistake…he became so lost to his fury that he spat a blast of Dark Eco at Kage.
The oni made nary a move to avoid it, realizing what would happen if a Channeled attack of his own element were to hit him. While a normal Channeler would have some resistance to the attack, a being such as he and his host, so closely attuned to the shadows, would actually absorb the attack, just the thing that he needed to recharge his failing energy reserves.
Kor reached that conclusion at about the same time, and was barely able to hold back the urge to slap himself in the forehead and to let fly the largest 'D'oh!' in the history of the world.
The blast impacted, and the next thing that Kage felt was the power flowing through him. A smile came over his muzzle as he realized this might just be what he needed to finish the job.
'That felt good.' he said to his alter ego as he cracked his neck.
'Yeah, Kor, thanks for the recharge.' Jak said with a smirk, though the Metal Head Leader could not hear him.
Upon realizing the potential gravity of his error, said monstrosity decided he'd best get over there and squash the oni into a pulp before he could take advantage of his restored abilities, some of which Kor had little desire to be the target of again.
And as he headed towards his foe, he found himself forced to doge not only a lightning storm of Dark Eco, but also one of Kage's 'impulse' attacks, though two of the four spheres still managed to nail him.
"Come on, Cherry, kick his ass!"
Keira spared a brief glance at Sig, who was no doubt wishing that he too could fly so he could get down there and take his own crack at the Hora-quan Overmind. Brutter and his comrades were in awe as they watched the battle between the two warriors, and the aqua-haired elf honestly couldn't blame them. There was just something about their bird's eye view of what was going on that stirred up some primitive excitement within her, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but she suddenly felt as if she should have been out there with Jak. She just had this feeling that somehow, she and he should have been challenging Kor together, rather than her being stuck up here in the spectator section.
Granted, it was a rather close spectator section, as the two battling demons had come within about two hundred feet of them at one point, each struggling to bring the other down. As of right now, their fighting had carried them back over the nearly shattered nest.
The Metal Head Leader struck out, and succeeded in backhanding his adversary, going so far as to overreach himself to nail his opponent. Kage retaliated with a trio of dark spear attacks before the Metal Head Leader could recover from the overly aggressive move. All hit, but again, the damage done was minimal, as the energy bolts failed to do little more than make a spider web of fine cracks in the Hora-quan Overmind's chest carapace.
'By the Ancients,' Jak exclaimed, 'what the hell does it take to kill this guy?'
'I'm not sure,' his alter ego responded, 'but if things continue as they are, recharged or not, we're going to have problems.'
'Well, we do have one last ace up our sleeve.' the dark elf mused.
'Are you sure you wish to take that kind of gamble?' the oni inquired. 'If the attack fails the two of us will be helpless, and even if it does kill him…
'There's too much riding on this for us to be concerned about ourselves, Kage.' Jak told him, resignation in his voice. 'Do it.'
'As you wish.' the oni said with a slight nod of his head.
Back up in the balloon, Samos nodded grimly as he saw what point the battle was reaching. He grabbed a comm. unit off of his belt, and managed to get a hold of Ashelin.
"Samos?" she said, somewhat surprised that he was contacting her here and now. "What is it?"
"Ashelin, I need you and the others to make one more attack run on Kor." The Green Eco Sage told her, his voice deadly serious.
"What for?" Torn asked. "Our cannons don't even scratch him!"
"Kage needs him distracted for just a few seconds," was the answer he got, "now stop arguing and do it!"
Reluctantly, the eight remaining gunships proceeded to do as they were told, lining up for a gun run on the Metal Head Leader.
Kor heard them coming, and turned around to face them, snarling in rage as they opened up on him, every gun they had firing upon him. It was just the distraction that Kage needed, as what he was about to attempt would require a few seconds to charge up. And so, flying up to where he wouldn't have to risk an errant shot cutting him down, he proceeded to perform the technique.
The Dark Eco demon felt deep within himself, calling forth his power, all of it that he could. Lightning crackled and flashed between his talons, as it formed into a purplish black sphere, which despite all the energy going into it, remained about the size of a baseball.
Down below, another Hellcat gunship exploded as Kor raked it with his talons, and Kage knew that he had to do this quickly. Willing his power to come forth faster, he finally finished charging up.
Abruptly, the Hellcats broke away from the fight, leaving the Hora-quan Overmind to stare about as best he could with only two eyes, trying to figure out where his slippery little foe had gotten to.
He looked up and beheld the Dark Eco demon at about the same point in time that Kage grabbed Kitetsu, which was hovering by his side, and bringing it up over his head, stared down at Kor, righteous fury burning in his crimson eyes.
"For Sandover!" he snarled, before bringing the dark katana down and striking the energy ball.
The Channeled attack shot towards the Metal Head Leader like a blazing comet, giving Kor absolutely zero time to react.
It collided with him about half a second later, and the result was astounding, to say the least.
A massive orb of shadows exploded outwards, a darkness so pure and absolute that it seared they eyes of those who looked upon it, forcing them to shield their sight and look away. It quickly enveloped the Metal Head Leader, and even the roar the attack generated could not drown out the scream of agony that erupted from within.
The orb expanded to its full size, which was about a hundred feet in every direction, and stayed that way for about six seconds before it finally dissipated.
When it did, the first thing Kage saw was Kor about to eat dirt.
Back down on the ground, Daxter's eyes bulged from behind the macro-binoculars, and he quickly tossed them aside, grabbing Alexander's hand, and rushing away in a frantic attempt to not get turned into an Ottsel pancake.
They had just cleared the area when Kor set the world record for belly-flopping. For many moments, they coughed and hacked, as the dust around them settled. What they saw surprised them, as despite everything, all the missing limbs and open wounds where the last attack had eaten completely through his armor, Kor still lived. Slowly, as if any movement pained him, the Hora-quan Overmind looked up at his nemesis, the one prophecy stated would destroy him.
Kage stared down at him, his hellfire eyes burning with a power and fury that the Metal Head Leader could see even from more than eight hundred feet below. One single thought made its way through his mind, an option that he had never before thought of: escape!
He looked about frantically, and saw the Precursean warp gate hovering in the upper recesses of the chamber. Knowing it was his only change, Kor spread his battered wings, and took flight.
Unfortunately for him, and quite comically in Daxter's not so humble opinion, his lack of left eye vision was apparently already causing a loss of depth-perception, and his aim was a little low. Instead of sailing neatly through the Rift, to escape to a place where he would be able to recover, he hit the rim. The raw power of the machina device surged through him, and he realized in a single, awful moment of clarity, that he was dead. The power grew too great for him to hold, and it exploded, consuming his body, and leaving nothing but his scarred head as a reminder of what had once been the most powerful being on the planet.
Up above, Kage suddenly began to falter in his flight, as if he was unable to hold himself up anymore.
'Jak!' the oni exclaimed in warning.
'I know, buddy,' the dark elf said, resigned to what was going to happen, 'thanks for everything.
'It has been an honor to serve.' the demon responded humbly.
The last thing that went through both of their minds as Kage ran out of Dark Eco, and thus was no longer able to remain manifested, was Keira's voice, screaming their name as oblivion enveloped them, and Kor's verbal stab as to how they were meant to be used and then cast aside echoing through their minds.
Keira watched from the balloon, helpless, as first Kitetsu fell from the oni's grasp, before his body shifted back to that of an elf's, and gravity took its tyrannical hold over them.
&
(runs around, dodging spears, arrows, bullets, RPGs, and the like, all the while muttering a time stop spell under breath.)
Okay, (panting, followed by a brief glance upwards as I realize I am staring at the nose cone of a intercontinental ballistic missile. Gulps loudly, and then gentlly redirects the warhead)
Alright, I realize you are all about to rip me to shreds and feed my remains to the beasts of the world, but let me please tell you this: HE, DOES, NOT, DIE! Okay? I do not kill canon characters, it is only my OCs that meet with extraordinarily bizarre and painful demises, though I might make an exception in the cases of Damas and Veger.
Once again, I stress that there will be near divine intervention on Jak's behalf, and that he will be plucked from the jaws of Death, I cannot stress that enough, as it would be a rather boring sequel without the main character in it.
That said, please let me know what you thought about this chapter, as I really want to know if I managed to get the climax of this story down correctly. For once, I am actually going to beg you to let me know how I did, and as usual, I do accept flames, but constructive criticisms and ideas are what I value most.
Thank you all once again for everything, and please have a great day.