Disclaimer: All Jak stuff belongs to Naughty Dog. Raleigh, Demon, Rezinhren, Blade and the use of Shadow Eco belong to me.
Heya! Chapter three is finally up and I have to say, this was a really fun chapter to write. The usual warning applies: I didn't write this to amuse everyone, I wrote this to amuse myself. If you read it and review, I'll be forever happy 'cuz no one's reviewed me yet and I'm beginning to wonder if you people are even reading this sniffle. Please review, despite my previous disclaimers I really do value your advice...
Chapter Three
Walking On the Dark Side
Demon left Jak's home and spent a few hours re-familiarizing herself with Spargus City's general layout. Few things had changed in the timeless city since Demon had been outcast, so there really wasn't much to become reacquainted with. Sure, a few of the old hovels had blown down and been replaced by new ones, but that was just about it, and Demon's photographic memory served her well.
Just like before at the Arena, Demon was getting antsy. Her skin crawled as if covered with ants, her eyes darting from point to point as if expecting an enemy to spring from every shadow. It wasn't a good feeling.
After all her years alone in a desert Demon should have known to trust her instincts more than anything else. Instinct alone had kept her alive for this long, and instinct alone would keep her alive…
Unless she did something stupid.
Of all the random and nonsensical places to suddenly change form, the main square of Spargus City just about had to take first place. Demon was merely standing in the middle of the semi-crowded market square when a peculiar feeling of muted pain clawed into her head. Her temples were throbbing painfully, along with her fingertips and spine. She felt almost feverish, nearly ill, though it couldn't have been clearer that nothing was wrong with her.
Demon was just walking along when the pain in her back redoubled. She staggered in surprised reaction and of course in pain before falling to her knees. People were turning to look, many people, many people horrified by the bolts of pure Dark Eco randomly striking the square. These bolts stemmed from Demon's shaking form, exploding across the market and high into the cloudless sky.
When she finally gave voice to her agony, Demon's scream of pain was the feral roar of an untamed animal seeking nothing more than release. Even pain-wracked, thoroughly distracted Demon could hear that hers was the cry of a monster.
I told you I would find you, the half-familiar, rasping voice of the elf of Darkness purred in Demon's head. Now let me manifest before the Dark Eco I am channeling kills you. I don't want you dead, and I am more or less sure you don't want that either.
What the… Then Demon realized she was talking to the Dark elf from her dream, the one that represented Darkness embodied. When did you get here?
Just now. Now, are you going to let me do my job, or are you going to persist and kill yourself?
Gee, I wonder.
Get out of the way. Now. Or so help me, I will kill you myself. Demon felt herself shoved from her own body, shunted into a little-used corned of her mind as the elf of Darkness took her over, body and soul.
Ebon black spread swiftly across Demon's tanned skin, followed by twisting purple and red patterns resembling serpents. Horns sprouted from her brow, foot-long spikes from her backbone and six-inch talons from her fingertips. Only the eyes, bloody crimson through and through, remained the same.
What are you doing, you crazy-
What I'm doing is saving your life.
What the hell are you! The elf of Darkness just laughed, an eerie hissing chuckle that sounded so incredibly evil it sent chills down Demon's back.
Me? I'm only Dark Eco embodied. And my name is… well, you can call me Blade.
How fitting. An Eco Demon named Blade.
Blade sighed, a sound similar to that of a fitful wind gusting through a set of iron bars. Why does everyone automatically assume I'm evil, just because I look the part?
Demon was ignoring her new alter ego, too busy concentrating on somehow finding a way back into her own body. She wasn't the one in control of her own movements, and quite frankly it made her angry. Demon was a person continually in charge, and it really rubbed her pride the wrong way to, for once, not be in complete and utter control.
Blade was motoring Demon's body towards a less crowded area of town. It was only when no one else was around for quite a distance that the Eco Demon relaxed, leaning back against a sandstone wall and grinning sadistically for no apparent reason.
"You should be more careful where you transform, Koro… if you're not careful you're going to hurt someone other than yourself."
Let me go!
Blade chuckled again, her rasping hiss of a laugh chilling Demon more effectively than a gargantuan bucket of ice water. "And whoever said I was holding onto you? You're free to do as you wish, provided you can make me cooperate. Which is highly unlikely."
Really? Demon replied sarcastically.
"Yes, really. Now, which way out of here?"
I have no idea. And why do you care!
"Because I, unlike you apparently, care whether or not a lot of innocent people bite it." At this Demon growled, baring her teeth in a grimace of anger and pain.
Two hours later Blade finally relinquished control of Demon's body. The she-elf staggered, feeling a new and rather disconcerting strength in her muscles and a throbbing ache in her head. Then she realized, she was back at her cavern home out in the desert…
There's something you forgot here, Blade said emotionlessly in Demon's head.
"You're still here!"
Do you even have a brain in that thick-as-boards skull of yours? Of course I'm still here, where else would I be?
"Oh, I don't know, maybe bothering someone else?" Demon replied in a tight growl. Her headache was increasing in intensity, and she still couldn't accept the fact that a thoroughly sarcastic alter ego seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her head.
Where's the fun in that? It's so much more fun to annoy you. Besides, now that I'm here I have no intentions of leaving. Took me long enough to find you…
Demon just shook her head, resigned to never fully understanding Blade. She was also becoming rather resigned to the fact that Blade really wasn't going to just disappear.
"What am I looking for?"
I'd like to know that myself. And you don't have to speak aloud. Just form the thought and send it to me.
Like this?
Exactly.
Demon's senses seemed better than usual as she crept across the sandy desert floor to peer into the once-comforting darkness of her cave. Nothing had invaded her sanctuary since she had left it, but there was a pungent and elusively familiar scent pervading the air.
It's hard to believe you of all people lived like this, Blade remarked out of the blue. Demon jerked in reply, startled by the voice in her head.
Are you implying that I'm weak?
I am implying that you are…unusual. I find it interesting that you should come from such a humble beginning.
I wasn't born here ya know.
I'm aware. I can see all of your memories… ugh. And I'm not entirely sure I wanted to see that one… Demon could just visualize Blade shuddering in disgust. All and all it was a truly amusing image.
Eyes adjusted once again to the light and lack thereof Demon stepped into her home, heightened senses stretched to the limit in search of any enemies. She was startled to realize she could hear everything, from the slow, dull thudding of her own heart to the rasp of the wind over the surrounding sand dunes; she could even smell the kanga rats in their dens beneath nearby stones and the reek of something very dead not so far away.
A faint flicker of purple-Dark Eco perhaps? Demon wasn't so sure of anything now- sprang from her outstretched fingertips and towards her weapons stash. Without hesitation Demon dug into the pathetic pile of abandoned and scavenged weapons, looking for anything that wasn't an all-too familiar crossbow or well-worn dagger. Finally Demon's fingers brushed against a slick blade that felt disconcertingly warm against her skin. With an almighty wrench the she-elf tugged the blade out from its hiding place. Needless to say, the unnecessary force of this pull sent Demon flying to land flat on her back with stars in her vision.
And I was told you'd be as graceful as a panther, Blade growled sardonically. You're clumsier than that oaf Daxter.
Wait a second. How do you know about Daxter?
Why do I have to continually repeat myself? I can see all your memories, including your recent ones. Come on, Koro; put two and two together…
You know what? Shut up. And my name isn't Koro.
Blade snorted rudely. Well EXCUSE me. So sorry I have offended you, Mistress Thick-skull…
I said it once, I'll say it again: SHUT UP! Another bolt of Dark Eco snapped from Demon's fist as she roared the last two words in her head, and the blade she clutched flared suddenly with an intense red-and-orange blaze.
You know what? Ow, Demon spluttered. Glowing lines had seemingly been inscribed on the insides of her eyelids, an after-effect of the blade's glowing aura. The riotous colors burning into her eyes made her head hurt.
Get up, Blade ordered coldly, completely ignoring whatever pain had reached her. Now.
"Fine, bossy-lady," Demon remarked aloud, hoisting herself to her feet. Her grip on the blade tightened compulsively until with a slight yelp Demon dropped it. Blood was seeping from her palm, which was bisected by a thin, surgically precise gash.
That is very interesting, Blade remarked, sounding only slightly interested. Now are you going to hold the thing properly or am I going to have to do it for you?
Thank you… mother. Now leave me alone. I don't need your help to wield a sword. How hard can swordsmanship be?
Blade groaned, and an image of the Eco Demon smacking herself in the head flitted into Demon's mind. A lot harder than you seem to realize. Now get to it already, we don't have all year.
Demon's warrior-sense and instincts all said this sword was trouble. Against her better judgment Demon wrapped her sweaty fingers around the hilt of the blade and lifted it from the ground.
Then the world dissolved in a series of flickering, distorted images seen through another's eyes…
Flash! Demon saw an elf eerily familiar to herself, minus the fact that this other elf had dragon's wings sprouting from her back and a red-blazing sword in her hand, standing in the midst of a battlefield with drawn sword raised. The elf shrieked a metal-bending battle cry that echoed dismally across the blood-drenched field. No one returned the challenge and the elf grinned evilly, accentuating the four scars across one eye.
Flash! The scene changed, flashing to a raw-boned brunette woman with the same sword sheathed at her side. Once again the elf seemed familiar, elusively so. Perhaps it was the swift, measured stride, the restlessly roving eyes or even the slightly rebellious, thoughtless air that surrounded the woman, but Demon felt oddly connected to this new elf…
Flash! This time it was a man, wielding the same glorious blade against a throng of attacking Metal Heads. The same familiarity bound Demon to this man, and she noticed that he too, just as the previous elves, had slitted eyes that seemed to bore straight into your soul and lay your memories bare.
Flash! Another woman, this one blonde and almost dangerously curvy with the same crimson-glowing sword held point-down in her hand, stood facing a mob of angry elves in red armor. Demon knew beyond any doubt that the red ones were Krimzon Guards- how she knew this not even she could say, but she knew. A hostile, calculating grin flitted across the blonde's face, revealing sharply pointed canines.
Flash! The room was dark, the blackness defied only by the faint, guttering light of a single candle. A female elf clad in wickedly spiked black armor sat by the candle, deep green slitted eyes never leaving the gleaming edge of the blade she sat polishing. At the elf's touch red runes flared along the blade, proving it to be the same blade the previous elves had wielded. All was silent, still and peaceful; crickets chirped somewhere in the background and a soft, sighing night wind mingled with the twitter of nightbirds and the distant murmur of a nearby river.
Abruptly the stillness was broken as a male elf dressed in starlight-colored armor appeared from the shadows, a silvery-blue-glowing sword appearing in his hands as he stormed towards the tent.
"You lied to me, Koro! You lied!" the elf-man shouted accusingly, pointing not a finger but a faintly glowing sword blade towards the female elf. It occurred to Demon that the voice was somehow familiar…
The red blade came up in a lightning-fast parry, blocking the vicious stab and showing both elves with sparks.
"I do not ever lie, Mar… I spoke only the truth, nothing more…" Sudden fire blazed in the she-elf's eyes and she expertly twisted her own blade, wrestling the silver blade from Mar's hand. "The truth you were too blind to see!"
Flash! There was a different feel to this vision, a tense, coiled feel that sent a chill down Demon's back. The same two elves from the previous vision, the ones identifying themselves as Koro and Mar, stood back-to-back besieged by Metal Heads. The two swords, pulsing wickedly red and blue, hissed through the cold winter air in perfect harmony. Every strike was in perfect control and under perfect direction, always slamming into the proper target.
Mar and Koro fought brilliantly, yes, but every warrior must at one time fail in the line of duty. One of the lowly Metal Head Grunts managed to dodge past the interweaving blades and dug his claws into Koro's side, deluging himself with hot blood. The warrioress elf staggered and collapsed to her knees, the now-familiar red-marked blade slipping from her limp grasp to clatter, glowing runes fading, to the floor. Mar battled on, tears blurring his vision, before he too was overwhelmed. Bleeding from a dozen wounds, Mar knew too well that his death was upon him and though he despised that fact, he knew his duty had been done well. The elven lands were more or less safe… besides, death was not an ending, not a failure, simply a transformation and the continuation of the journey. If he was to fail now, he would do so with a clean conscience.
Mar joined Koro on the floor, handsome face calm and lit by a final half-smile. It was the look of a man forever resting in Death's embrace, a man at peace with the world and all who dwelt in it.
Blood to blood, ashes to ashes. It seemes death isn't so permanent these days, A softly accented male voice said inseide Demon's head.
Who the hell are you! Demon sputtered, disbelief practically written in bold letters across her face.
Rezinhren. I suppose you could say I am the spirit of the sword. Demon sat down, hard. One alter she could handle, but two? This was going to get messy…
Who and or what are you? Rezinhren chuckled quietly, grey-green eyes sparkling with amusement in Demon's mind's eye.
No one of importance. I am an elf just as you are, and before I fell I was one of Koro's bodyguards. When she died she left her blade to me, and somehow my spirit became bound to that of her sword.
What's the sword's name?
Darkflame, Rezinhren replied immediately.
I will caution you, elf, Blade's voice interrupted harshly, that I am the ruler here. Not you, not the foolish one, but me. If you don't like it I suggest you take up the matter with my claws.
I need no title or power, Eco Demon, Rezinhren said coolly, just a pupil to teach and a sword to wield.
Have it your way then. But I warn you: do not get in my way. You will not like the consequences if you disobey me.
Blade? Who exactly died and made you Queen of the Universe? Last time I checked I was the owner of this body. And lay off Rezinhren. Face it; he's the better fighter no matter what you say otherwise. Don't look at me in that tone of voice, it isn't nice.
Says who I care about nice, Mistress Thick-skull?
Cease. You two fight like an old married couple, and you're making my head hurt, Rezinhren commented mildly but commandingly.
And just why should I listen to you! Blade roared in rebellion.
Because if you don't, I may end up hurting you.
Is that a threat!
No, it is a mere statement actually. Now do be quiet, I believe we're making our host's head hurt, not to mention my own. Rezinhren was correct; Demon's was pounding like a drum.
My name's Demon. Now both of you shut up. I need to find a way back to Spargus.
And leave Darkflame behind? I think not.
Rezinhren, did you honestly expect me to just leave a weapon sitting out here when I was dragged by an Eco spirit out here to get it? Of course I'm taking the sword. Now let me think. Please.
Demon cast a last glance around the cavern she had called home, gathered up a few more quivers of bolts and left. As she did this she noted a new weight across her shoulders; a black-metal sheath emblazoned with flame-colored runes matching the ones across Darkflame's blade had appeared at her back. Demon shook her head and sheathed the sword, wondering how on earth she was ever going to put the thing to use.
Four hours, nine Metal Heads and two furious arguments later Demon finally staggered back into Jak's home. The other elf wasn't there, off on some princely errand that Demon didn't much care about. She barely had the energy to haul herself to the couch before sleep overtook her, drowning all thoughts in comforting shadow.
Demon did not sleep well. 'Not well', as in waking up every five minutes yelling. It seemed that Rezinhren's past was even more blood-drenched than Demon's and his memories of death, blood and pain invaded her dreams with a vengeance.
By the time the sun went down Demon just gave up on sleeping. For a time she sat on the too-soft couch, drumming her leathery fingers on one knee, before restlessness overcame her. The only problem was, there wasn't really much to do in Spargus, especially not when everyone was armed to the teeth and very dangerous indeed.
I never thought I'd say this… but I am bored!
What a surprise. Now will you shut up? I'm trying to sleep.
No fair. If I can't sleep neither can you.
Just you watch me, girly. Demon had a sudden mental image of Rezinhren casually wandering over to Blade and kicking her brutally in the gut.
I believe I quote you: shut up. Demon, if you are looking for something to do I could always begin teaching you to use Darkflame.
Eh, what the heck. Sounds like fun to me. Where do I go, what do I do?
If we were back in Haven I'd say head for the Forest, but clearly that is no longer an option.
It never was an option.
I am aware. Now, let's see… all we need is an open space with good footing.
And no innocent bystanders to get slaughtered when I mess up.
I hardly think that you will err- Darkflame came to you for a reason. So off we go.
So... yeah. That's chapter three, whaddaya think? Let me know (message, review, I don't care I just want feedback! And ideas would be nice too) and I'll update. If you people don't let me know... I might stop writing this! (Don't make me do it...please?) REVIEW ME! Oh, and sorry about messing up everyone's character... I can't write likeanyone other than myself it seems.