Red Mage 04: Your most welcome for any advice I was able to provide, but as to any other emails, I have not recieved them, so if it isn't too much trouble, I would like you to send it again. Thanks for complimenting me on the detail, as I always think that I need more in my work. As for Keira, I believe that she always knew how to fight. Her people and the Lurkers constantly battled, so she must have known somew self defense. You will be happy to hear, I hope, that the Yellow Eco Temple is coming up next chapter. Good luck in your own work, which I shall read and review on Monday, as I'm dead tired now.
Keeroshu: I did indeed have fun on the cruise, and I hope that whatever you are doing while you are away, you enjoy it. My sincerest apologies for having not reviewed your work, but I've been busy. I'm going to do it tomorrow (Monday).
Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. This.
If anyone gets confused, look at the bottom of the story and all will be explained.
Aboard The Dirigible
Jak and Samos shimmied up the tether leading to the dirigible for what felt like an hour to Keira. They frequently stopped so that Jak could take out the patrolling Lurker Hawks with his Hookshot. At last they reached the top and Jak pried open a door so they could get inside. Keira quickly ran to a map of the ship and tore it off the wall.
"Okay. It looks like if we want to find the Blue Eco Cannon, we need to shut off the entire ship's power, because it says here the Cannon is in a safe." Keira explained as she pointed to a spot on the map. "If we try to blow it up, we might wind up blowing up the whole dirigible," she added, as she saw Daxter open his mouth. Daxter shut his mouth and pouted, not only because they couldn't do it an easier, and in his opinion a more fun way, but he had become predictable and Keira knew how to shut him up before he spoke.
"So all we gotta do is shut the power down? That sounds easy. I say we split up. I'll go with Keira, and Jak can go with old lump-on-a-log." Two stares and a glare met this new come on attempt from Daxter.
"Actually, Daxter, you're right; we do need to split up. It says here in order to shut down the whole blimp, we need to hit four switches at the same time. I'll take the path through the engine room, since I'm good with machines. Daxter, we're really going to need you, because one of the rooms is only accessible through a ventilation shaft, and you're the only one that can get through something that small okay?" Keira asked him, hoping he would say yes. She normally wouldn't have worried, but the map clearly outlined all of the dangerous booby-traps that he was likely to encounter.
"You can count on me Keira." Daxter said with his cocky grin firmly in place. Keira pointed at the ambushes and opened her mouth, but Daxter (as usual) beat her to it. "I know it's going to be dangerous, but Jak saved me, so I owe him big time. And besides, I want revenge on these bastards for turning me into this. And for attacking the village," he added in a growl. Jak, Samos and Keira stared at him; rarely did they see such enthusiasm from him.
"Well anyway, that's two switches down. Dad, I think you should go through the greenhouse section; there's some rare species of plants there that can produce small quantities of Eco. I think Jak should go this way," she said as she traced a path through the ship to a corner labeled with a red circle. "It's guarded the heaviest, and it's the longest, but it also runs through the Eco Cache. Not only will you be able to recharge all of your Eco Boxes, but you'll also be able to blow up all of the Dark Eco they have onboard." Jak smiled and nodded, causing butterflies to erupt in Keira's stomach briefly. She shook her head and refocused her mind back on the task on hand. "Okay, everyone take a communicator." She handed two to Jak, who gave her a puzzled look, as did Daxter, as he hadn't received any. "Daxter, I want you to go with Jak, since the shortest and safest route to switch is right above Jak's switch."
"Gotcha."
"This is a very good plan Keira. Okay, everyone ready? Communicator's in place? Rodents on shoulders are firmly secured?" He asked, getting affirmative nods from Daxter, Keira and then Jak, respectfully. "Okay then men. And woman. Let's move out."
Jak nodded and set off down his corridor, his brain registering how very general-like Samos had sounded. It was almost as if he was used to giving soldiers assignments and commands. Jak shook his head and sped up, anxious to get to the switch first, so he could impress Keira.
Keira made her way down the engine room hallway, thinking about Jak, and how light she felt whenever he smiled. She frowned; why was it the one she liked so much was burdened with such power? She remembered how Samos had told them that with great power came great responsibility. Jak seemed to have taken that lesson to heart; he always used his power for good. She had never seen him use his power for selfish gain; it was always to protect someone. She stopped her train of thought as she heard footsteps. Peering around a corner, she saw the Lurker Scouts patrolling the room that the engine was in. She took aim and chucked her wrench at one of them. A satisfyingly loud thunk followed, shortly followed by the unmistakable sound of a body slumping to the ground. She jumped around the corner, drawing her bow and arrow as she did so. Two seconds later and both of the Lurkers that she hadn't hit with the wrench fell to the ground with arrows sticking out of their heads. Keira sighed with relief that she had managed to take them out without raising an alarm, but suddenly, five more Scouts entered the room. She froze as they stared at each other for a second. She quickly drew her bow and arrow and took the five of them down, wasting only one arrow in the process. She continued on her way to the door, but once she got there she stopped.
"I wonder..." she muttered to herself as she stared at the engine. She hesitated for a second, but then began working on it, fiddling with everything. After a few minutes, she gazed with satisfaction at the sabotage she had managed to inflict.
"By the Precursors. I didn't realize the Green Tulip existed anymore." Samos walked through the greenhouse section of the dirigible, gazing around at the rare species of flora. He walked through slowly, not wanting to miss anything. He gazed at the various plants that the Lurkers had collected. Part of him wondered why they had bothered to save these plants, when usually all the Lurkers cared about was destruction. Suddenly he realized he had become surrounded by Lurker Flyers. He raised his staff and spun it in his fingers. A green disk rose up and expanded until it was fifty feet in circumference. It sliced through the Lurkers, who dropped to the ground, as they were unable to support themselves on inch long wings. As they began wailing in pain, the elderly mystic shot beams of Green Eco at them and effectively shut them up by blowing their heads to pieces.
"So uncivilized," he muttered as he continued in his way, consulting his section of the map.
"Jak, look out. They're coming up behind us." Daxter called as Jak sprinted down a hallway, checking his map to make sure he was heading towards the Eco Cache. He turned around and saw Daxter was right, the Lurker Kickers were indeed gaining on him. A crazy idea suddenly sprung into Jak's head and he began slowing down enough so that the Kickers could gain on him. When he saw one of them stretch its puny arm out for him, he stopped short and drew his Hookshot. As they turned around, the left one got a metal arrowhead straight through its head at the point between the eyes. As it slumped, Jak pulled on the Hookshot and made it slam into the other Kicker feet first. The second Lurker Kicker gasped for breath as it felt the claws on the first Lurker's foot puncture its throat. As it thrashed around on the floor, blood gushing out of three inch deep holes in its neck, Jak lifted it up by its head and snapped its neck, killing it off much faster. Jak looked with satisfaction at his work but then frowned; if another Lurker was to come, it would be obvious that there was an intruder. Jak snapped his fingers as another crazy idea came to his mind. He twisted and entwined the arms of the Kickers and then threw them up at the ceiling. As their claws sank into the wood, they stayed up there, not in plain sight. Jak also noted with some happiness that the ceiling was so high up that they would not be noticeable; he knew where they were and even he had to stare to see them.
"Nice job Jak. I could've handled them with a snap of my fingers, but I figured I should let you get some training in." Jak smirked at this; Daxter always knew how to make him laugh. If he could, Jak would have laughed at the sight of his friend flexing the muscles that he didn't. He settled for shaking his head and continued deeper into the dirigible.
As Keira rounded another corner, she spotted a long hallway. "Great. This is probably just another hall with a bunch of Precursor-forsaken traps in it just waiting to kill me." She looked around, but couldn't see any traps. "That doesn't mean there weren't any, I just can't see them." She grumbled to herself. As she took a step, the tile she put her foot on sank slightly and suddenly arrows flew at her from the walls, and from the looks of the tips, they were poisonous, Keira thought right as they closed in on her.
"Blasted map. Can't these Lurkers even make an accurate map? I don't see this section of the ship anywhere," Samos grumbled as he looked around in bafflement. "From the looks of that sign, I'm in the northern quadrant of the greenhouses. And I need to go south so I can find that switch." Samos continued to gripe as he tried to get his bearings. Suddenly, a foreign odor made its way to his nose. "What is that smell?" It was unpleasant, but oddly seductive. Samos wracked his mind, trying to think of where he had smelled this aroma before. He gasped as memories of a certain afternoon flooded his mind.
"I still don't see why you wanted me here Gol." Samos' voice cut through the darkness of the caves, the light at the end of Samos' staff guiding them.
"It is simple. As you are the one who saved me from the Lurkers when I was just a savant." Gol looked fondly at the man that had saved his life and taught him so much. "And besides, you're not the only one I invited. Maya is here as well, is she not?"
"You tell me. You said that she would be here, yet I do not see her."
"Forgive me, my old friend. I should have made my meaning clearer. She has gone ahead, as my younger sister is impatient. She will meet us at the pools."
"What pools?"
"Samos, you know that I have desired to find Dark Eco, to take some with me so I could fully understand it. I know that you feel we should leave it alone, but I disagree. Dark Eco is a marvelous substance."
"Gol, we have been through this. Dark Eco is dangerous, and it is to be treated with a certain degree of fear."
"Samos, you were the one who told me, I think it was seven years ago, that we elves fear only that which we do not understand. It was you who prevented the fine villagers of Sandover from driving that boy out of the village. Why did they want to do that again?"
"Because they did not understand his powers. I know that Jak is a powerful Channeler, one that might be able to do things even we Sages cannot."
"And they feared him because they didn't understand him, correct?"
"You accurately summed it up. Where, might I ask, are you going?"
"I told you Samos; you will see when we get there."
"I meant with this conversation."
"Ah. Well, like it or not Samos, you are acting very much like the villagers did that day. You do not fully understand Dark Eco, and so you fear it. But if I were to discover all of its aspects and characteristics, I would be able to do what the other Sages can. I would be able to control Dark-"
"Gol, we've been through this. Dark Eco can not be controlled. It is too powerful. You might be able to understand it, one day, but Dark Eco is uncontrollable." Samos said sternly, peering at his fellow Sage over the rim of his glasses. He thought he saw a ripple of red stir behind the dark brown of Gol's eyes, but he blinked and it was gone.
"W shall see. Once I understand Dark Eco, I will be able to determine which one of us is correct. I will discover if Dark Eco can be controlled. Ah, Maya is up ahead, I can see her."
"Hello brother. Hello Samos." Maya greeted her brother and his friend.
"Greetings Maya. I hope you are well?" Samos inquired. He gave the very attractive woman in front of him a quick look up and down, and she seemed to be fine.
"I'm quite fine thank you. Well, shall we show him?"
"Yes, let's. Samos, this is what I wanted to show you, Maya and I have discovered a pool of Dark Eco, and we were wondering if you wanted to see it."
"Gol, you know I wanted no part in your Dark Eco investigation. But what is that odor?"
"Oh that? That's the smell Dark Eco makes when it turns into a gas phase."
"Is it safe to be breathing then?" Samos exclaimed in alarm.
Gol and Maya laughed at what they considered predictable behavior from the Green Sage. "Do not fret old friend. This is such a low concentration of Dark Eco that you could live here and nothing would happen to you." Gol said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.
"My brother is right Samos. If you do not believe us, then just look for yourself at the fauna here; perhaps that will put your mind at ease." Maya added, gesturing at the various creatures lurking in the shadows. Samos looked around and saw that the two of them were right; large, evil looking and dangerous though they always looked, Samos had to admit that the spiders were looking very healthy and average.
Samos remembered the scent well, but if he remembered correctly, the Lurkers knew he was there and they were releasing Dark Eco to try to kill them. Cursing them all mentally, Samos took off at top speed in the direction he believed to be south. As he made his way to the exit, the Dark Eco billowed around him and he held his breath. He put his right hand above his head and made a circle three times, his hand moving counter-clockwise and hoped that what he was planning.
Jak stared around in amazement at the Eco Cache he had managed to infiltrate. There were literally hundreds of crates with every type of Eco: Blue, Red, Yellow, Green and Dark. Jak smashed all of the crates except for the Dark ones. When he had absorbed as much Eco as he was able, Jak blew all of the Dark Crates up with Yellow Eco. He then refilled his Yellow Box and left the Eco Cache. He took a few steps, then stopped. He nudged Daxter and pointed to a ventilation shaft.
"Oh no. Keira said that the safest route would be when you find your switch." Jak nodded and pulled out the map. He traced a path with his finger, showing a shorter, but definitely more dangerous, path. Daxter grumbled, but agreed, on the condition that Jak would have to fry him up some Yakow leg. Jak grinned and shook Daxter's paw. He handed Daxter the part of the map that showed the ventilation shafts and levitated his furry friend up into the shaft and waved goodbye. Jak continued, praying that nothing happened to his friend because of his decision. He cautiously made his way through the ship, taking out the Scouts that he saw. After five minutes of walking and having managed to avoid tripping any alarms, Jak was a bit disappointed; he had been expecting more of a challenge. Suddenly, a stomping sound caught his ears. Jak turned around and saw no less then ten Generals heading for him. An ironic smile made its way across Jak's face as he prepared for battle.
The Lurker General in the lead caught the Hookshot between the eyes. Jak reeled the body in closer to him and took the club from it. He tossed the body aside and flipped the club so that he was holding the thin side. Jak threw the club like a boomerang with such force that the front three Lurker Generals had their rib cages shattered. Jak noticed that two Generals had put their clubs down and their hands were glowing red. Jak was slightly surprised; he had never fought Generals while they Channeled Red Eco. They stood on either side of him and began wildly throwing punches at him. Jak blocked them both with one arm each. The Lurker on his left one of his punches out a little to long, and Jak seized its wrist. He continued blocking the one on the right and pushed it back a foot. He then smashed the Lurker that he had a grip on into the one on his right. As both of them stood still, dazed from this unexpected and unorthodox technique, Jak turned on his Red Eco Box. He gripped them both by their chests and hurled them away from his body and into the bodies of two other Generals. A bellow of rage from behind Jak caught his attention. Without even looking, Jak did a back flip, catching the General behind him by the shoulder. As Jak landed, he smashed the helmet of the General on the floor. He flipped it around and snapped its neck, feeling the General go limp in his hands. He dropped it and looked around for the last General. He didn't have to look long, as he promptly saw it running down the hall as fast as it could. It didn't get very far before a Yellow Eco blast tore a hole in its chest.
Jak sighed in satisfaction; while it hadn't exactly been challenging, the fight had at least let him get rid of the excess energy he had been feeling ever since he had killed, or more likely, incapacitated for a short time, that demon. Jak shuddered at he thought about how much more powerful it had become in such a short amount of time. Jak came to a fork, one road going left, one path going right, and a third corridor continuing straight. Jak consulted his map and saw they all led to the same place. The two one the sides had fewer snares (the one on the right was empty in fact) but both were about three times longer than the path that continued in the same direction he had been going in the entire time. Jak took a deep breath and entered the door, taking note that this was a significantly darker path than any he had yet to travel.
Keira got to her feet shakily. "That was a close one," she thought as she looked around. The arrows had made a few rips in her clothing, but other than that, she felt fine. She cautiously made her way through the hallway again, putting her foot gently down before putting any weight on it. After what felt like to her an hour, she reached the end and looked around. She saw the gigantic switch labeled "POWER" and walked over to it. Suddenly, the doors behind her slammed shut. She looked wildly around, positive that something was going to enter the room. The door behind her opened again. A single Lurker came out of it, making Keira go white with fear. Six feet tall, two feet wide, with a sunken chest, this Lurker was not very physically muscular. What worried her was the fact that it had two crossbows attached to each of its arms, with a chain of arrows on the sides. She gulped as she realized that she was going to have to try to kill a Lurker Archer, and that was something she had never intended on. She drew her bow and arrow and faced her opponent without fear.
Samos stumbled through the door and slammed them shut, gasping for breath. The shield he had erected over his body faded from sight. Even though the shield had protected his skin, if Samos had breathed, the corrosive powers of the Dark Eco gas would have wreaked havoc on his internal organs. Samos breathed deeply and consulted his map. Because of the landmarks in the room, the most noticeable being the control panel in front of him, Samos deduced that he was only one room away from the power switch.
Samos walked through the door and paused. He had been foolish not to expect a bodyguard. He assumed a battled stance and prepared to fight the Lurker Scorpion.
Jak leaped into the air to avoid the walls crushing him. He had noticed that the path seemed to be narrowing when he realized that the walls on either side of him were closing in on each other. He had tried to get to the end, but the walls closing in on him for the next fifty feet. At the last second he had leaped into the air while Channeling Red Eco. As he descended, Jak watched as the walls widened again, leaving room for him to walk again. As he looked down, Jak began to panic. The floor had given way, and a pool of nothing other than Dark Eco was waiting to devour him when he landed. Jak tried to grab on the walls, but he saw to his dismay that they were smooth, polished by the feel of it. Jak began to panic, his fear obscuring rational thought. Suddenly, he remembered his Hookshot. Jak quickly fired it ahead and up; not really caring what he hit, as long as it was sturdy enough to hold him. He heard a thunk and reeled himself in. He dropped down to the floor, which was mercifully still there. Jak began running as fast as he could; he didn't want to remain in this hallway any longer then was necessary.
As he ran, a whirring sound caught his attention. He looked backwards and saw three razor sharp throwing stars spinning toward him. Jak stood still and prepared to move faster then he had ever moved before. As the first one passed, Jak bent backwards until the top of his head was touching the floor. He pushed up with his arms, propelling himself into the air. As he did so, he did a split in the air, avoiding the second shrunken. Jak landed on the floor and stood up. He jumped into the air to avoid the final star, but saw, to his immense displeasure, that it was going to curve towards him. Jak twisted his body so that he resembled a Twizzler and the third shrunken flew right by him.
Jak landed on the floor and sighed with relief. Suddenly, a flash of metal sliced his arm, leaving a clean, but two-inch deep, gash in his left arm. His mouth opened in a silent cry of hurt as he clutched his arm. He looked up to see what had hit him and saw about a hundred or so shrunkens heading for him. Jak quickly Channeled Blue Eco into his body and stopped them all. With a sigh, he lowered his hands, and the hundred shrunkens that were supposed to be killing him fell, useless, to the floor. Jak healed his arm and turned to leave. Before he did, Jak looked back.
"Hmm. These are made of metal. Keira would probably love it if I could get her some; especially since metal is so hard to come by." Jak decided to show off to himself, so he Channeled Blue Eco and made as many shrunkens as he could fly into a special compartment of his backpack. Turning around to continue, Jak hoped he had seen the last of the booby traps for this hallway.
"Damn it! How did I ever let Jak talk me into taking this route?" Daxter wondered as he climbed through the ventilation shafts. "You gotta hand it to these Lurkers; they sure do know how to keep security up." Daxter grumbled as he snuck up behind yet another Lurker Rat and snapped its furry neck. Daxter sighed, eventually, the Lurkers were going to figure out about him, and when that time came, he was going to be in trouble. He reached the end of the ventilation shaft after about ten minute of frantic climbing. As he dropped down into the room with the switch, a tremor rocked the ship. Daxter got to his feet; it sounded like something had crashed through the wall of the dirigible. A sudden hissing sound made Daxter turn around. He gulped, and whatever skin he had that wasn't covered in fur went white. He remained perfectly still as the six-foot long Lurker Snake flicked its tongue out, tasting a foreign scent in the air. It turned its eyes on Daxter, coiled it body, and pounced at the immobilized ottsel.
Keira moved from side to side very gracefully, dodging the arrows the Archer was sending at her. If Jak had been there, he would have been marveled at the grace and elegance with which she moved. What worried Keira wasn't the fact that she was facing an adversary that had an unlimited supply of poisonous arrows. No, what worried her was that she couldn't keep dodging his ammunition like this forever. Forget forever, she wouldn't be able to keep moving like this for much longer. She looked around at her opponent and saw he was wildly firing, not really caring what he hit. Keira thought about anything that might help her, but she felt lost. His body was made for dodging fire while those crossbows were made for retaliating. "Wait a second, that's it. I can't beat him from a distance; anything I send at him will be useless. But what if I get up close? Is he a good fighter? Will I be able to beat him in hand to hand combat? Well, only one way to find out."
Keira began weaving in and out of the arrows going in the direction of the Archer. She got closer and closer, but started getting little nicks on her skin. Hopefully, they aren't too poisonous, she thought. When she got within a foot of him, she grabbed both his hands, preventing him from turning her into Swiss Cheese. She looked into his face and saw his eyes contract with fear. She pushed him from her body and drew her own bow and arrow. She launched three arrows at his chest and watched as they pierced his skin. As the Archer clutched at his chest, Keira got her wrench and brought it down on his skull. He sank down to the floor, dead, and she walked over to the switch. She slumped down to the wall, exhausted, and turned her communicator on. She had rigged them so that when they had all reached their appropriate switch, they would turn on their communicator. They all had three lights on them and when Keira activated hers, one light on each of the others would turn on. When all twelve lights were on, the communicator would count down. Keira smiled as she thought about how Jak would react if he saw her fight. With the thought of him carrying her away from the dirigible in her mind, she closed her eyes, and waited for the signal.
Samos blocked yet another blow from the Scorpion he was scuffling with. He pushed back with strength that one would not expect by looking at his small frame. He pushed the monster back and looked at it. Eight feet long, with dripping fangs, eight legs with razor sharp points, and a ten foot long tail, this was one Legatee of a creature, Samos thought. He saw absolutely no holes in its defenses, but he did see that its eyes were rather large. Samos stopped the dripping stings and twisted his staff. The two prongs on the top of his staff punctured the eyes of the Scorpion, which let out a screech. It began thrashing around on the floor, its razor sharp legs flailing in every direction as it brought its claws the size of Jak up to its eyes. Samos watched with pity as it thrashed around on the ground. Walking up to it, he placed the two prongs of his staff on its head and started sucking the life out of the Scorpion by draining the Green Eco from its body. Samos strolled over to the switch and activated his signal. He then sat and meditated, calming his mind and thinking about why the Lurkers were so active lately. He shrugged mentally and waited for the other two signals to come in.
"Precursor damn it! Can't these Lurkers stop with the booby traps? I sure hope Daxter is having better luck then I am." Jak thought as he blasted another Dark Eco Bomb, much like the one he had hurled at the Lurker General at Misty Island almost a month ago. He had stepped on a hidden floor switch and ten or so Dark Eco Bombs had been launched at him. After he had finished blowing the last of the grenades up, Jak Channeled Blue Eco and ran as fast as he could for the door, hoping to get there before he triggered another trap. He jumped headfirst through the door at the end and looked around after getting up. He stood up and saw a single Lurker waiting for him. There was something different about this one; he seemed far more intelligent than the rest of the pack. Jak couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a certain way this one carried himself that made Jak slightly uneasy.
Jak made a move as if he were going to attack and the effect was instantaneous. The Lurker jumped ten feet in the air and dived at Jak. It extended its three-inch claws and made a slash at Jak's face. Jak jumped to meet the attack and landed a punch right in its face. Jak smiled as he landed, only to feel a foot crash onto his back. Jak went flying forward and his face hit the wall. Hearing footsteps behind him, Jak waited until they paused and then vaulted into the air. The Lurker turned around and got Jak's foot in its face. Jak wasn't to be taken in again, as this time he started pummeling the body of the Lurker furiously, trying to knock it out. When its body rolled over, Jak turned around. Suddenly, an arm grabbed him by the throat. Jak struggled for a few seconds, trying to throw the Lurker off, but to no avail. Jak finally leaned forward and jumped into the air, feeling the body of the Lurker smash into the ceiling. Jak spun around to face it and saw, with a jolt of horror, that its body was as uninjured and intact as it was before Jak had damaged it. The Lurker let out a snarl and leaped at Jak, who Channeled Red Eco into his body and began using brute force to try to kill it. To his dismay every time he landed a blow, albeit he felt the energy of it, seemed useless: this Lurker type, whatever it was, seemed to regenerate and heal injuries almost immediately.
Jak turned his Red Eco Box off, as it wasn't doing him any good anyway, and turned his Yellow Eco Box on instead. He threw Yellow Eco blasts as fast and as hard as he could, but the odd metal on the Lurker's forearms seemed to have the ability to deflect them. Jak started to get annoyed; everything he tried seemed to be ineffective. Jak ran at the Lurker and held his pointer and middle fingers together. As he placed them on the shoulder of the Lurker, Jak made a flicking motion with his wrist. The Lurker roared as its arm was sliced off. Jak smiled triumphantly, but his smile soon turned into a look of horror. From the bleeding hole that the Lurker's arm used to reside in came bones. They grew longer and longer, until Jak was staring at a skeleton of an arm. Muscles and blood surrounded the bone until it looked like the Lurker had a two-foot, purple, pulsating, slimy slug sticking out of its shoulder. Skin began to grow, until the arm looked exactly like the one Jak saw lying on the ground. Jak's eyes widened in fear; this opponent seemed invincible. Jak noticed a window nearby and suddenly thought of a way to kill his opposition.
Jak charged at the Lurker and Channeled Blue Eco to increase his speed. He rammed the Lurker in the gut and forced it through the wall. As it fell, Jak Channeled Red Eco and put his fists together. He slammed his hands into the Lurkers skull and sent it plummeting to the ground. Jak then sent the rest of his Yellow Eco at to ensure that it was blasted into pieces. To ensure that the Lurker would die, Jak used his Blue Eco to increase the speed at which the Lurker fell. Sighing, Jak realized suddenly that he didn't have his Hookshot. He began to panic as he fell and closed his eyes against the wind that was stinging his eyes. Suddenly, the wind stopped. Jak looked around and saw that his body was glowing a light blue. He looked down, and even though the ground was still five miles below him, it was not getting any closer. Jak looked at the blimp beside him and saw that he was level with it. Jak suddenly felt elated; he was flying. He couldn't wait to see what Keira, Daxter, and particularly Samos thought of this new development in his powers. Jak flew up and into the dirigible, landing in the same room that the switch was in. He picked up his Hookshot off the floor, he guessed it had fallen when the Lurker had kicked him in the back. He took his communicator out and noticed Samos and Keira had already reached their destinations.
Jak flipped his switch and waited; hoping that Daxter was okay. If anything had happened to him because he had taken the path Jak had told him to, Jak didn't think he would be able to handle it. He reassured himself by pointing out to himself that, if Daxter had been hurt, everyone on the ship would know about it. Even though he was small, Jak knew that Daxter could raise his voice to volumes that Jak had never heard before. Jak sat down by his switch and looked at the ceiling, thinking about how he might use these powers on his journey. He decided that before he used his Blue Eco powers to fly again, he would have to see how much power it took, and how long he would be able to do it for. Jak's thoughts then drifted over to Keira, and he dreamily imagined how nice it would be if he saved her life, and got a kiss from her. With the thought of his lips closing over Keira's, Jak closed his eyes and waited for Daxter's signal to come through.
Daxter suddenly leaped into the air and landed on the head of the Snake. As he held on, he realized the only way he would survive would be if he fought back. He began biting and tearing at the Lurker Snake with his claws, trying to inflict as much pain on it as he could. . It writhed and thrashed about, finally getting Daxter off. Daxter landed on all fours and started growling at the Snake, who hissed back. The circled each other, each not getting in the range of the other. The Snake lunged again, and Daxter darted to the side. As the jaws of the Snake snapped shut on thin air, Daxter jumped on its body and began tearing at it while running down its spine. The Snake spun around and lunged once more and this time its aim was true. As its jaw shut over Daxter's leg, he cried out in pain and anger. He extended his claws one last time and stuck them right behind the Snake's eye sockets. Trying to hold his vomit in, he turned his wrists, and the eyes of the Snake were gouged out. It writhed around on the floor, shrieking from the blood loss until it no longer had the strength to move. As it gave one last cry, it hit the ground with a splat, mostly due to the fact that it had landed in a pool of its own blood. Daxter shook himself of all the blood that covered him and opened the communicator that he had slung around his back. He flipped his switch and saw that the others had already hit their switches.
"Everyone ready?" Daxter asked as he positioned himself between the handle and the wall.
"I'm up and ready to roll," Keira said.
"I'm good as well," Samos said.
They all threw their switch simultaneously. The effect was instantaneous; the entire ship went dark, and a loud grinding sound was heard, followed by an explosion.
"Um, Keira. What was that?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. I rigged the engine to come undone when the power went off, but I didn't realize that I would cause an explosion. I think we should get out of here now."
"About that. Anyone have any ideas?"
"Yes Daxter, I managed to come up with one. I want you all to leap out of the dirigible. Jak can use his Hookshot to get us all in one spot. Then I can surround us all with a shield as we float back to the ground."
"Good idea dad."
"One question. What are the odds that we die?"
"About 50:50 Daxter, but if we remain here then we all die for sure."
Daxter sighed and resigned himself for the worst. "All right. But what about the Blue Eco Cannon?"
"We'll have to surrender that to the Lurkers Daxter. Hopefully, it will be destroyed in the explosion."
Everyone jumped out of the dirigible and aimed for the center of the bottom. Jak was there with his Hookshot and was dangling already. Keira, Daxter, and then Samos grabbed onto Jak's leg. Jak released his Hookshot and they all started falling. Figuring now was as good a time as any to show off his newly found abilities, Jak turned his Blue Eco Box and flew at the ground. Everyone started screaming as Jak got closer and closer. When they could see the people of Rock Village, Jak slowed them all and he landed gently on the walkway to Zeorro's. Everyone stared at Jak, who rubbed his neck and grinned sheepishly.
"Jak, you can fly?" Keira asked, hardly able to believe it. Jak nodded, blushing slightly. "Well, I guess it was just a matter of time before you pulled off a new stunt that no one else can do. That's our Jak," she said, chucking Jak under the chin. Jak went red and he looked away; Keira still embarrassed him when she acted like that.
Daxter looked around, not wanting to disturb the two of them for once, but after not seeing Samos, he had to. "Hey, anyone see oldie?"
"I'm in here Daxter. And Keira, don't feel bad about losing the cannon. I'm sure it was destroyed along with the rest of the dirigible." Keira nodded, she was a bit ashamed. "Anyway, Jak, I want you to go back to the Precursor Basin. There you will find a purple glowing ring. When you fly through it, another will appear. I want you to keep flying through them all until there aren't any more. If Zeorro was right, this will allow us to enter the Yellow Eco Precursor Temple. When you get back, I want to talk to you about this new ability." Jak nodded, eager to gain more abilities with which he could defeat the Lurkers. He turned around and started walking quickly towards the Precursor Basin.
Sorry it took so long to update. I did this in one day, because when I got back from the cruise, my parents surprised me with a week-long camping trip. Needless to say, finding a computer in the woods to update with was hard, and when I found it, it was taken. Anyway, if you have any question, comments (I sound like a food product), or ideas, please submit them. And if you are confused as to how exactly this story went, read every third section. For example, after Keira's forst section ends, scroll down until it begins again and when that ends, keep doing it. Keira, Samos and Jak have four sections, Daxter has two. To help you out, I will put the order down here.
Keira 1. Samos 1. Jak and Daxter 1. Keira 2. Samos 2. Jak and Daxter 2. Keira 3. Samos 3. Jak 3 (awesome game btw). Daxter 3. Keira 4. Samos 4. Jak 4. Daxter 4.
Also, if anyone could give me some new Lurker enemies, I would greatly appreciate it, as I'm running out.