Once again, in case there was something wrong with your e-mail and you did not receive the responses I put to the reviews you so kindly gave me, here they are below.

Silver-WindScar- Don't worry, I really don't have any intentions of killing Jak. I just felt like saying that to generate some suspense. Do me a favor though: tell me how to send myself in reviews, because I would do it all the time just for fun. Scaring people on Halloween, hehehe.
Random Person: Oh, I wonder what people think of my story? (Opens review section)
Me: (Making scary noises as I pop out).
(Random Person faints and I call the hospital before hopping back through the screen, laughing insanely).
And don't worry, I am sure you would be able to thoroughly kick my ass with absolutely no risk whatsoever on your part. Glad you were entertained (bows). Well, since the guy entering Jak's room had a small sword and was taking care not to be noticed, you can be sure he's not anyone good. Don't worry, when all is said and done (if you stick with me long enough, that is :P) you will be very glad at the pain and suffering that Gol has to go through before dying. Here, have a chapter and a gallon of "Ass-Glue," its on me.

Red Mage 04- Well, the real battles are taking place this chapter, and I do hope you enjoy them. Glad you like the struggle in Jak's head, but it won't result in him being shadowy, but it will have another side-affect. And Gol will also make Jak's life super miserable a bit later. I sent you an email with the picture as an attachment, so please let me know if you received it.

animedragongirl- Thank you very much for all of your reviews. I was pleased when I sqaw the first, and then three more came through and made me do a dance. Sorry about the poor structure in Struggles For the Future. I didn't realize that I was skipping around. I'll try not to do that so much this time around. Ack, grammar. Well, thanks for pointing out my numerous mistakes with the there/their/they're group. Don't worry about the height thing, because I actually came up with something that will hopefully please you. I won't give you details, but someone comments on your height and then they get a thrashing. Smart-ass joke-cracker, got it. I will make you that way. Good, me you and Andrew can drive everyone else insane now (insane evil laughter). Glad you liked Mark Twain, since I have a few more of his more colorful quotes coming up. Yup, good ol' Rule Number 1. I have so far come up with six, so you know what the quotes are going to be for the next month and a week. Thanks again for all the reviews and I hope this chapter pleases you.

CrazyOttsel- As I said with Silver-WindScar, don't worry, I have absolutely no intention of killing Jak. I just did that to generate a little suspense. I'm flattered by your compliments and I hope that this chapter is just as good, since I generate a little more suspense. Well, hope you like it.

Disclaimer- I do not own any of this, lawyers, please get this through your heads: I am getting sick and tired of saying it. Seriously. I'm in bed now in a half coma from saying it too many times. The only cure is to let me own the Jak and Daxter franchise.

The Gathering Darkness

Daxter continued to pace back and forth across the room, completely unaware that an unwelcome figure had slipped past the armies that were fighting. He turned around to get another glass of water for Jak and paused. He could have sworn he had seen the swish of a cloak vanish into the hallway. However, it had been so brief, so momentary, that he decided that he must have imagined it.

Daxter walked into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. He walked back to Jak's room, never noticing the figure that followed him on the ceiling, crawling after him like some weird type of spider. The long knife was drawn again, the obsidian blade gleaming eerily in the failing light.

Jak's small friend put the cup of water on Jak's bedside table and looked with pity at his friend. Suddenly, Daxter stiffened. He was sure he had heard a creak. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, attempting to convince himself that the creak had been nothing more than the house settling and his mind playing tricks on him in the dark. But even as he took in that breath, he knew without a doubt that something was seriously wrong. On the air was a foreign scent, one that he was not familiar with.

Outside, the Assassin went rigid. Suddenly the scent of fear hung heavily in the air. Briefly, he wondered of the rodent had somehow figured out that he was in the house, but that notion was quickly dismissed. In all his seventeen years of service, never once had he been detected: not until it was too late anyway. Most of his victims always let out a gasp of pain as he slit their throats, which was why he took care to cover their mouths. He took a step forward, balancing his weight so that he would not cause another creak to sound through the house: his first and biggest mistake.

As the Assassin looked in through the crack in the doorway, he knew something was wrong. Gol said that the rodent would never abandon the Channeler, and yet there he was. Jak lay there, oblivious to the fact that his killer was drawing ever closer towards him, bringing his dagger up and reversing the grip so that it was held like a knife. The Assassin looked around and seeing an open window, decided that Daxter (was that the creature's name?) had left to bring reinforcements- a foolish decision. By the time they got back, the deed would be done, and this blasted Adapting Channeler would be dead.

With deadly accuracy, the knife came down, its target Jak's heart…

And sank into the table beside the bed.

The Assassin cursed as Daxter landed on his head, digging his claws in the creature's scalp. Although he liked to think himself a kind and gentle creature by nature, Daxter scratched and bit the Lurker's head, fury driving him to inflict as much pain as he possibly could. Although the small formerly elfin animal knew that he had no chance of actually killing the Lurker, he hoped that he would be able to distract it long enough for Keira or someone else to come back and discover this intruder.

As the Assassin tried to rip the rat off his head, the he nicked himself in the arm with the sword that he was carrying. Although it was a minor wound, one that one could normally ignore, the creature's arm immediately went numb. He had coated his weapons with poison so that in the scenario that he was discovered, a killing blow did not have to be dealt in order to incapacitate any anonymities.

As the right arm went numb, the Assassin dropped his dagger and howled in pain as it sank right through his foot. He struggled to pull it out, but with his left arm occupied by Daxter, it was a feat that was proving to be immensely difficult. Finally, he tore his foot from the dagger, but since he had been unable to pull it out, the only way to do so was to slide his foot through the dagger effectively slicing his foot in half. As he howled with pain, Daxter leapt off its head and watched coldly as it died, the toxins on its dagger flowing through its blood and eating its skin from the inside out. Eventually the skin was so thin that the blood and organs spilled out over the floor. The acid continued to eat away at the remains of the corpse while Daxter leaned out the window and proceeded to empty everything that he had eaten that day out of his stomach. When he finally turned around, the blood and everything else had vanished- including the floor. Daxter shouted as he scurried over to Jak, the bed falling through the weakened floor.

As they landed, Daxter looked around and was pleased to discover that he was relatively unharmed. His blood turned ice-cold as he noticed a tunnel. As he realized that the Lurkers had been digging under the town in an attempt to bypass any security, Daxter heard the sounds of approaching creatures. Red eyes shined in the darkness as the creatures to which they belonged stepped out of the shadows, eliciting a scream from Daxter's throat…

The pain. Oh by the Precursors, the pain, Margaret thought through the haze of pain that swept through her body. Her head felt as though it had been used as a hammer. And that might as well be the case, she decided as she rubbed her skull. Suddenly she became aware of the scent of roasted flesh. She stood up and looked around, shaking from a combination of fear from having narrowly avoiding being eaten, and apprehension at the dead Lurker in front of her. She recognized Eco Lightning's work when she saw it, but who had fired it. And more importantly, whose side were they on. She looked closer at the corpse and saw small arcs of purple colored electricity traveling up and down the smoking carcass.

Margaret looked over at Benedict and saw him with his hand outstretched. His eyes were filled with anger, but it seemed to be directed at the Lurker that had tried to injure her. "Bro- brother?" Margaret whispered, wondering at him. Although she had had a shouting match with him, she had not seen his body, nor had she for a week. With the exception of his eyes, he looked as he had before this mess had started and pulled his soul to darkness. "Why did you save me?" she asked quietly, for the last time they had come face to face, they had battled and Margaret had dealt him a nearly fatal blow.

"Sister…" Benedict whispered, the yellow in his eyes beginning to recede. Margaret showed no external changes, but she was celebrating wildly inside. She knew how difficult it could be to bring oneself back from the darkness and she no wish to disturb him. She had nearly joined him that day in Wasteland Metropolis, when Gol had goaded her into nearly killing him ruthlessly and mercilessly. Her presence had once again sparked the goodness she knew was still within her brother, and the darkness within his heart was beginning to ebb. Benedict began to walk over to her slowly, his eyes now white and black. Margaret reached out to him with her hand open, ready to embrace her brother again now that he was returning to the light.

Suddenly, Benedict fell to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in agony. Margaret rushed over to him but stepped back as a shield of solid Dark Eco rose over him, preventing her from reaching her sibling. His screams grew louder and louder as the shield grew darker, until finally they both ceased to exist. Margaret looked at the prone form of her brother and felt her heart move up into her chest. Although she had loathed her brother for turning to Gol's side, and although she had blown a hole through his chest, she had never really wanted to kill him. Now, as she watched his still body, tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she closed them. As she turned away, unable to bear the sight of her brother any longer, a small movement caught her eye. Margaret turned and saw her brother's chest move. A wave of relief flooded her body, making her feel almost giddy: her brother was alive.

Margaret ran to him but stopped when she saw his face. His eyes were no longer yellow and black, nor were they white and dark brown. The parts that were supposed to be white were now a solid black, while the pupil had turned into a fiery red. Margaret looked into the eyes, looking for a small trace of her brother, but to no avail. All of a sudden, Margaret realized the truth: there was no look of recognition in his eyes, only hatred- hatred, and a desire to kill everything that moved. Without a word, he summoned a Dark Eco Blade and rushed in, screaming an incoherent battle cry as he swung his Eco Blade at her head.

Margaret ducked under the vicious strike and once again looked into her brother's eyes. There was a complete lack of rationality or recognition within his gaze, and so she came to the quick conclusion that whatever this… this thing might be, it certainly was not her sibling. She knew that when he had fallen to the ground, screaming, he had been trying to fight whatever was intruding his mind. Briefly, she wondered if he had been under Gol and Maia's control this entire time, and if he had, how was she to break their tyrannical grip on him?

As a piece of her hair was separated from the rest of her head, Margaret stopped thinking and began to concentrate on the battle at hand. As she ducked under another strike, Margaret saw what her brother was trying to do and rolled forward underneath him. As she rolled, Margaret threw her fist up and hit Torqueo in a very tender part of his body. As he fell to the ground, she quickly sprang up and tried to think of a way to incapacitate him without killing him. Figuring that knocking him out and tying him up would be sufficient, Margaret walked up to the quivering body and Channeled some Red Eco into her body, intending to strike him on the back of the head. As she neared him, the body glowed purple and a shield of Dark Eco formed, preventing her from getting any closer to the body.

Torqueo rose and began swinging with reckless abandon, not really caring what he hit as long as it was something alive. Margaret backpedaled furiously, leading her opponent to think that he was winning before hitting him in the chest with a blast of Yellow Eco. Torqueo went flying back, his hands opening and releasing the Eco Blades that he had been wielding. As Torqueo skid along the floor and did a reverse somersault to land on his feet, Margaret ran in and began Channeling Red Eco. As she came closer, Torqueo threw a wild punch at her face. She caught it and blocked to the inside, allowing her to score a few hits on Torqueo's ribs. Torqueo spun around and elbowed his sister right in the face. The two of them charged up their hands with Eco, Benedict using Dark, and Margaret using Yellow Eco. They threw one punch each and caught the other's hand with their free hand. They began to try to out muscle each other, but seemed perfectly equal in power. Streams of Eco danced around the place, slaying any elves or Lurkers that were unfortunate to be caught in the deadly stream.

Eventually, Margaret's slender frame and Torqueo's bulk began to assert themselves. Torqueo leered at his sister as he pushed her to the ground, his fingers tightening to maximize the pain that she felt while he had her in his grip. As he pressed more of his weight down on her, Torqueo grinned at the prospect of killing this defiant wetch and feeding her to his fellow Lurkers. So focused was he on his victory that he didn't realize until it was too late what his sister was up to. Margaret curved her spine as she dropped onto her back, rolling along the floor. As her brother went above her body, she kicked out, using both her natural strength plus the momentum she had gathered as forces to slam him into a side of the mountain. Torqueo looked up and saw Margaret coming in to fight him. He threw a Dark Grenade at her.

Margaret jumped over the first one, and rolled underneath the second one. She got to her feet and the two Channelers circled each other in their fighting stances and tried to find a weakness in the others defense. Torqueo lost patience and lunged forward, trying to beat his sister with brute force. Margaret had summoned Blue Eco and was using it to block his attacks before they got so much momentum that they would hurt her. As they fought, the two of them circled each other until Torqueo was driving her backwards into a cave. Although she was concentrating on the battle at hand, Margaret realized that she needed to reverse this, as being in the dark with such a deadly adversary would probably not prove to be very conducive to her health.

Margaret finally saw an opening and kicked Torqueo right in the chest. As she jumped over his stunned form, Margaret realized she had made a critical error. As Torqueo's hand closed ever her ankle and he threw her forward, Margaret realized that after the original attack, she had done nothing to stun her opponent further.

"I should have hit him harder," was Margaret's last thought before her head hit the wall and her world went dark…

Gravis stayed calm and collected as he moved his Eco Blades around to intercept the Eco Sabers that Hatu was swinging at him. As his blood started pumping and he got into the fight, Gravis looked around and saw Benedict on the ground, clutching his head and screaming.

"Good. The seed is almost fully mature," he thought. He reveled in the thought that Benedict would die without ever knowing why he had chosen the path that he had. To think that it was his true decision was a laughable concept.

Gravis paid for letting his mind wander when Hatu leaned back and kicked him in the mouth. Blood gurgled up and Gravis spat a mouthful out, causing Hatu to stumble back as some of the crimson liquid splashed onto his face. Gravis took advantage of the Lurker's distraction and cut right through the hilts of one of his Eco Sabers, leaving him with the blue one. Hatu leapt back so that the two were about four feet away. Gravis looked at his opponent and saw a small trickle of blood going down Hatu's right eyebrow. As it got closer and closer, Gravis prepared to leap forward when it entered the eye and Hatu would close it. As the blood touched the eyelash, it happened. Hatu squinted for a second before closing his eye shut. Gravis launched forward, his Eco Blade hissing in the otherwise silent approach he was making toward his enemy. So focused was Gravis on making the killing blow that he didn't see Hatu open his eye, the blood still not in it.

Gravis lifted his Blade up and Hatu delivered a powerful sidekick right into the ribs. His enhanced strength was such that he was able to send Gravis through a tree. He leapt onto the splintered trunk and looked down at Gravis. The Lurker got to his feet and bared his teeth at Hatu, who merely turned his Eco Saber back on and held it in his right hand away from his body to the back, a mocking posture. Gravis roared in fury and indignation as he summoned an Eco Blade, leapt at Hatu, and began the duel.

Gravis landed as he aimed a blow for the head and Hatu blocked it effortlessly. He had noticed a definite increase in his swordsmanship lately, no doubt due to the after effects of the Synthesis. Gravis didn't really care that Hatu blocked the blow, since he was going to use his momentum to continue to strike until the time came when Hatu made a mistake and Gravis would kill him. Hatu backpedaled, never letting Gravis get the upper hand, preferring to lure his unsuspecting opponent into a false sense of security. He parried and deflected the incoming blows, keeping a close eye on his surroundings all the while. As he backed up, Hatu noticed a boulder behind him that he would have to leap over, a move that would leave him exposed for enough time to be sheared in half. As Gravis' next strike came in, Hatu caught it with his Saber and twisted as he swatted it aside, moving his entire body along so that he could get away from the boulder. As he moved clockwise around his enemy, Hatu brought his Saber up in an attempt to cut Gravis' legs off- a move that was intercepted and swatted away. As he parried the incoming attack, Gravis spun his Blade further than he should have; leaving both his opponent and himself wide open for a split second. Fortunately for himself, he recovered first and delivered a hard front kick to Hatu's chest. Hatu went flying back and did a back flip as he landed, spreading his legs to absorb the impact.

Gravis rushed in again, hoping to use his new aggressive style of fighting to overwhelm his opponent with powerful, brute force blows. He swung his Blade in a wide arc from the right and barely allowed Hatu to block it before reversing hi momentum and spinning around. Such was the force behind his attack that he nearly made Hatu cut himself with his own Saber. He continued to press the assault, giving Hatu absolutely zero reaction time when it came to blocking attack after attack. Hatu made sure that he appeared to be struggling, for while he was not wearing himself out, he still was not fast enough to block and counter. So instead he allowed his body to relax, taking his time when it came to blocking the techniques, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Gravis made a mistake.

As Hatu blocked a vertical strike coming down, Gravis flipped his Blade around and brought it up from underneath, causing Hatu's Saber to go to the side. As he swung for the killing blow, Hatu stepped back and resumed his defensive stance. Gravis and Hatu swung at the same time, and when their swords impacted each other, Gravis grabbed Hatu and pulled him forward. Hatu went with the motion and reversed the grip, twisting Gravis' arm so that he bent forward. Gravis instinctively brought his Blade up behind his back, blocking the blow that he knew was coming. Knowing that it wouldn't serve him any use, Hatu let go and the two Lurkers circled each other, waiting for the other to attack. Or at least, Hatu did, while Gravis tried to find an opening that he could exploit. To his dismay, he could not find one: Hatu seemed to have perfected his defensive posture, leaving no part of his body unprotected.

Gravis charged in and Hatu noticed that he brought his hand just a little too far out. He kicked the hand that held the Blade and it opened, dispersing the energy harmlessly into the air. He brought his hand down for a killing strike and Gravis caught his sword arm while grabbing him around the throat. Hatu gasped in surprise as Gravis tightened his grip, cutting off air to his lungs. He leaned back as Gravis put his weight forward, smiling grimly as he lowered Hatu's Saber to the wielder's throat, hoping that this would become the end of this conflict. Hatu gathered up his fleeing strength and kicked Gravis in the leg. The spot he hit was a bundle of nerves causing the leg to give out and letting Hatu push the bigger Lurker off of him. As he gasped for breath Gravis got up and ran at him, kicking him in the ribs. Both hit the ground and Hatu got up first. As Gravis charged again, Hatu sidestepped and hit him in the ribs with a round kick, forcing the Lurker back on the ground. He turned his Eco Saber back on- when it had shut off he had no idea- and brought it crashing down. Gravis quickly summoned a Dark Eco Saber and blocked the deadly attack.

Gravis rolled to the side and got to his feet, bringing his Blade up in an attack before attempting to drive Hatu back once more. Hatu, however, had grown tired of his defensive posture and now stood his ground. The two of them attacked and defended as they stood perfectly still, an agreement between them that they would not try to press against each other in case it backfired on them. The attacked without moving for well over half an hour before the two of them pressed against each other at the same time, worried that such a long fight would result in their fatigue, forgetting that their opponent had a limited supply of energy as well. They both leaned in before leaping back. Gravis, staying true to his new fighting style, immediately rushed back in and attacked again. Hatu swiped the attack away and leaned back, allowing his front kick the extra distance it needed to hit Gravis in the stomach. He quickly backed off, spinning his Saber unconsciously in his hands.

Gravis noticed the movement and whistled to himself: that move, that little twirl, had always been Wartstal's personal movement. "So that's why he's suddenly such a good defensive fighter; Wartstal must have transferred his sword talents to the runt," Gravis thought as he came in again. As he once again pushed Hatu back, the Lurker on the defensive leapt back and landed on the wall of the canyon. He pushed off and landed in the opposite direction, knowing that if he had continued going back, he would have literally been caught between a rock and a hard place. Gravis watched him land and kicked Hatu right in the face. Hatu went stumbling back, blocking as he wiped the tears that had reflexively formed out of his eyes.

Hatu looked at Gravis as his eyes cleared and saw a blow coming in at an angle that his Saber would not reach in time. Remembering what Gravis had done to him earlier, Hatu reached out and grabbed Gravis' wrist before coming in with his own attack. Gravis caught Hatu's hand and for a few seconds the two wrestled with each other, wanting to push the other down but not daring lest they accidentally impale themselves. Hatu felt Gravis begin to push him back and brought his head back. He slammed it forward and his skull smashed against Gravis' nose. He then let go of the larger Lurker and decided against going in for an attack: Gravis' eyes were still open, and he would not be able to fool the more experienced Lurker into making a mistake.

The tow once again went back and forth without gaining or losing ground, each desperate to bring this skirmish to an end. Hatu leapt back from a blow and landed on a small hill. He looked down at Gravis, thinking that such an intelligent Lurker would never dream of doing something so stupid as to actually try to jump over him. But that was exactly what Gravis attempted to do. Hatu waited for an opening and saw a way to hack his opponent's remaining arms off. He swung his Saber for the appendages…

Only to find that Gravis had twisted around the attack, losing some hair, but otherwise coming off unscathed. Hatu, however, was not as fortunate. His attack had left him wide open, and as Gravis landed facing opposite Hatu, he spun his Blade so that he thrust it right through Hatu's stomach. Hearing his opponent's scream of pain, Gravis smirked and turned around. Hatu had collapsed and rolled down the hill, a gaping hole in his stomach spewing blood and guts all over the grass.

Hatu looked up at his enemy and tried to move, but his strength had left him. "I'm sorry everyone," he thought as he struggled to keep alive. "I guess I just wasn't good enough." Then, Hatu passed out, and he knew no more…

Keira stepped back as the miniature Behemoth swung his Saber ferociously at her head, trying to separate it from the rest of her body. She desperately tried to recall everything that Hatu had taught her about defensive fighting. His philosophy was to let the opponent wear himself or herself out with the powerful blows, jumping around and roaring. This goal was to expose as little body areas open as possible, making a well-trained practitioner nearly invincible. She had watched him use his style in combat against Lurkers that came at him with Eco Sabers and was just how beautiful and graceful the form could be. Even though he always won, Keira thought it odd that he had never thought to pick up the Sabers that his enemies dropped, since they could be used on the good side. According to Hatu, if Keira wished to follow his style and use it as effectively as he did, then she was to keep in mind that the aim was to comfortably remain on the defensive until her opponent made a mistake; only then would she strike offensively.

"A hell of a lot easier said then done," Keira thought almost sarcastically to herself as the Behemoth attacked without pause. Between the blocking and parrying, Keira was unable to get a glance at his stance, let alone study it long enough to discover a weakness that she could exploit. Another thing that was counting against her was the fact that although it's size had been greatly reduced, the Behemoth had lost none of its legendary strength, and Keira could never block an attack outright. As she felt the force behind the blows that the Lurker was raining down upon her, she knew that by blocking them fully she would succeed in nothing but getting struck with her own Saber as well as her foe's.

Again and again Keira tried to attack, only to lose ground and be driven back. As she backed away from her opponent and they circled each other, Keira knew that it was useless: this Lurker was trained in ways that negated any strengths in swordsmanship that she might possess. Another tactic would be needed if she intended on coming out of this fight victorious- or alive, for that matter.

Suddenly Keira's vision was filled with sights of Jak. She suddenly knew all of the techniques that Sett had shown him while he trained in Wasteland Metropolis. She couldn't explain it, but she suddenly knew the ways of the Makashi style.

The Behemoth frowned: Keira had switched her stance and seemed oddly relaxed. He swung for her head but she blocked and with a small flick of the wrist, parried his attack and hit him on the side of the leg. He stepped back, shocked that she had managed to hit him. Being a Behemoth, the Saber had not gone through him, but rather caused a small scratch to appear on his skin. So small was the wound that it did not even bleed, but the mere fact that she had suddenly hit him unnerved the Behemoth. Keira took advantage of the Behemoth's temporary distraction and struck again, cutting his shoulder. The Behemoth snapped back to attention and defended against her attacks while attacking her at the same time. Although he was baffled as to how she was doing it, the female elf that he had been sent to kill was somehow intercepting his attacks and turning forcing him into positions that were advantageous for her. Suddenly, the tide of the battle had turned, and instead of him being the one that was driving her back, Keira was now inflicting minor scratches that did little more than irritate him with increasing frequency.

Keira could not explain the sudden calmness she was feeling, but she felt a presence that had been denied to her for nearly a month: Jak's. Somehow, she didn't know how but somehow, he was with her, providing her with strength and support. Quickly, Keira defended herself against the incoming attacks, inflicting nicks and pinpricks whenever she could. Not to say that she was purely on the winning side. A few of the Behemoth's attacks did penetrate her defenses, but fortunately she was able to get her defenses back up before his Saber did more than burn a hole in her clothes.

After half an hour, the two of them were still at it. Keira took a second to bring one of her overall straps around to the opposite shoulder to keep it from falling off. As the Behemoth lunged, clearly hoping to take advantage of this distraction, Keira rolled to the side and inflicted a wound across one of his eyes. As the Behemoth roared in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his eye, Keira approached from behind and prepared to decapitate the fallen Lurker. Suddenly, the Behemoth spun around and grabbed her around the neck. Keira was so shocked at this that she dropped her Eco Saber. The Behemoth hurled her fifteen feet away, where she rolled into a landing and grabbed the gauntlets that she had built a month and a half ago off of her back. She slipped them on and prepared for the fight of her life as the Behemoth approached, swing both Eco Sabers around his body…

Bryan and Lauren circled on the spot, the former armed with a beautifully carved katana that had been given to him by his father, while the latter had three arrows in her bow. One looked normal, but the ones on the top and bottom had a blue and yellow tip, respectively. The ongoing battle around them did not concern them- they had more pressing matters on hand.

Bryan, son of a farmer, was used to working with earth. Because of this, he could feel tremors in the ground that most people would not be able to perceive. He had his eyes closed now, trying to pick up any indication as to where the Burrower might be. He winced as he straightened his spine, the wounds that he had received from the razor sharp teeth of the Burrower now bleeding profusely. Lauren noticed this and took a small vial of Green Eco off her belt. She had raided Samos' stores, never telling Keira that she had been inside the Sage's house. Knowing the dangers that they faced, Lauren would have considered it nothing short of suicide to go out for such a battle unprepared for the likely possibility that someone would sustain serious wounds.

As Lauren pored some Green Eco onto a piece of cloth she had torn off her shirt, Bryan suddenly pushed her out of the way. She stumbled backwards and fell on the ground. She grumbled as she felt herself impact rock: she hadn't even the fortune to land on grass. As Lauren opened her eyes to yell at her boyfriend for shoving her, she paled. Bryan had shoved her out of the way of the Burrower, and that single distraction had proved to be his undoing. Snake-like tentacles had come out of the sides, and they were wrapped so tightly around Bryan that he couldn't even move his sword. She could tell that it was slowly suffocating the poor guy, if the fact that his face was turning a deep purple was any indication. She shook her head and picked up her arrows. Fortunately, the Burrower was so focused on choking the elf it had in its grips that it didn't notice the Blue Eco Arrow speeding at it until it had ripped its way through one of its "arms."

Lauren begrudgingly gave the Burrower some credit; though it did shriek in pain, it did not lose focus on its task. Instead, it merely swatted Lauren away by growing another set of arms and hitting her across the stomach. She got back to her feet and fired another arrow at the beast, this one infused with Yellow Eco. The Burrower saw the attack coming and tried to dodge out of the way. Unfortunately, for both the Burrower and its victim, one thin tentacle hit the arrows, which caused the aforementioned projectile to explode. Half of the Burrowers body was blown apart, leaving its pulsating heart and lungs, among other organs, exposed for all to see. Lauren fought the powerful urge to vomit and ran over to Bryan to see how he was doing. To her immense relief, he was not too badly damaged, though he would have some burn marks to show for this battle. Other than the slightly scorched skin, he didn't look too bad, Lauren reflected.

So focused was she on tending to her boyfriend's needs that she did not notice small tentacles begin to surround the internal organs of the Burrower. As it repaired itself and roared in fury, Lauren looked around for something to use, seeing as she only had a normal arrow remaining and she doubted it would do her any good. She spotted Bryan's katana and tried to grab it. As she reached for it, a tentacle wrapped itself around her wrist and picked her up. She turned around to see that the Burrower had once again captured Bryan, though this time she was with him.

As the foul beast literally squeezed the life out of the two elves, a command from its master surfaced in its mind. These two particular elves were not to be killed. Instead, Gol had instructed the beast to bring them to his Citadel, commanding the Burrower to bring them alive. On the upside, he had said that if the two of them were to struggle at all, the Lurker should not hesitate to inflict a certain degree of pain on them. The Burrower continued to squeeze until both elves passed out, and then it began to take them to its master for whatever insidious plans he had in store for them...

Mike charged the Warrior heads on, hoping to catch it off guard. As it swung its sword down to meet him, Mike dodged to the right, only to have a fist bigger than his torso impact his head. He staggered, or perhaps flew would be the more appropriate word, backwards and landed on the ground, an eerie greenish glow surrounding his body. Kristen made a move towards him before he got up, rubbing his face. The Warrior seemed stunned: that single hit should have shattered the elf's skull, or at the very least knocked him out. The beast then shrugged; if the elf didn't want to die, then the Warrior would be only too happy to force him to. As it charged Mike, Kristen timed her shot and let a Yellow Eco Arrow. As it impacted the armor of the Warrior and exploded, Kristen punched straight up in a victory gesture. When the dust from the explosion cleared, she was horrified to see that her enemy was relatively unscathed.

The Warrior decided that the elf that was capable of using Eco based attacks was more of a threat and decided that killing it would be the most practical course of action. Such action was usually not given to the lesser Lurkers, but the Warriors had evolved enough to gain a small sense of rationality. Unfortunately, they had yet to discover that if one had two targets and ignored one for the sake of killing the other, the one being ignored had a painful way of making its presence known.

Such was the case when Mike leapt onto the Warriors back. As he struggled to remain on the now enraged Lurker, he wrapped his arms around its neck. The fingertips touched and when Mike was hurled off, one of his hands touched the back of the Warrior. Mike's arm was nearly wrenched out of its socket as his body was halted in mid-air, the adhesive properties of the gloves surfacing. Mike stuck his other hand onto the back and found that the gloves' new function made staying on a snap. He took his left arm off the back to punch and nearly let go of the Warrior when he saw a small saw pop out from above the wrist. He watched it begin to move around, spinning in a fashion that reminded him of that high-tech thing his father had wanted. He strained his memory and tried to remember what it was called, a "buzz saw?" Yes, that was what the merchant had called it.

Normally he would never have done such a thing, but since the blade was made out of Precursor metal, Mike assumed it would be able to stand up to what he was about to do. He slashed across his body on the back of the Warrior and smirked with satisfaction as the blade sunk through the bone armor and rock-like flesh as easily as a knife goes through soft butter. Black blood spurted out of the gash he had made and the Warrior began flailing around in pain, one of its arms now limp. Mike figured he had severed a small portion of the spine with that attack, and was pleased at the thought that even if he died, the other Lurkers would surely kill this Warrior, for to have a disfigurement in their society was a death mark. He leapt off and was immediately hit by the flat side of the Warriors sword, which the owner of which had begun swinging it wildly.

Mike limped over to Kristen, moving gingerly so he wouldn't hurt his broken ribs. He slumped over when he reached his girlfriend, the strength that his determination to get over to Kristen fading now that he had achieved his objective. As she bent down, the two elves embraced. After what seemed like an eternity, Mike opened his eyes… and his blood froze at what he saw. The Warrior had risen and was now slowly making its way over to them. Kristen looked over at Mike and saw his petrified gaze and followed it. She too froze with fear as she saw their foe make its way over to them, its sword raised, blood dripping down the blade. The two elves wearily got to their feet, determined to take this foe down. The Warrior roared as it smelled their fear vanish and broke out into a run, raising its sword as it loomed over the two practically helpless elves…

Maia opened her eyes and smiled at Gol, who was still concentrating on keeping Jak contained within his own mind.

"It is finished. Benedict is no more," she said, grinning. Gol could not answer vocally, since his mind was occupying Jak's body, but he could hear her nonetheless.

"Excellent. That seed idea was a marvelous brain wave of yours Maia. It is just too bad that Jak is not good enough. He could amount to much."

"It is just as well. Even if we could tempt him with thoughts of the girl, he has nothing but pure thoughts. It is a shame though, that so much potential is wasted in such a weak form."

"Yes. Well, the Assassin should be here any second and, AARGH!" A mental scream sound within Maia's head.

"Brother! What is going on? Are you all right?" There was no response. "Hmm, he must be preoccupied with something. I won't distract him," Maia thought, but unease still filled a small part of her mind. What could be so urgent, or so powerful, that it could disrupt even her brother's concentration?

Jak went limp, tired of struggling against Dark Eco that bound him. Gol noticed this and a grin worked its way up his face. "Tired are you? Well, I would hate for you to be bored. Let's see, what can I do to liven this up for you?" He said, circling Jak, pretending to think.

"Actually, I'm quite bored as well. I wonder if I could find something in here to amuse me…" he mused as his extended his fingers. Streams of Dark Eco ripped into Jak's head and Gol disappeared into his memories and fantasies.

Gol landed on a beach, which he instantly recognized as the one that lied outside Samos' village. He snapped his fingers and Jak appeared, still bound. "Come, let's take a stroll down your fantasies," he said, a sick smile covering his face. Jak looked around and noticed how the sun was setting and the sea was calm. He gulped, knowing exactly where he was.

"I had a great time to day Jak," a female voice sounded. Gol raised an eyebrow at Jak, whose face began to resemble a glob of Red Eco.

"Lets see what's going on, shall we?" he said as he walked towards the sound.

There he was. Jak looked at himself and Keira, leaning against each other as they stood on a small hill and watched the sun set. Keira turned to go, but right before she took a step, she looked back at Jak. Jak watched as Keira approached his other form. As the imaginary Jak leaned down, Keira wrapped her arms around his neck. Jak watched himself smile warmly as he leaned down and kissed Keira. Gol turned around and sneered at Jak for his childish fantasies. As the two figments of Jak's imagination continued in their kiss, Gol snapped his fingers and another scene unfolded before their eyes. This one was similar to the first, with Jak and Keira being alone, just enjoying each other's company. A couple showed Daxter being turned back to normal and moving in with Keira and him. As scene after scene played, Gol watched every little idea that had ever entered Jak's mind.

Gol watched more of the scenes, commenting and making snide remarks to Jak, who felt his anger boiling. These thoughts were his; Gol had no right to see them. Then they arrived at one that finally sent Jak over the edge. It was the first one, but this time, Gol had tweaked one small detail. Instead of Jak and Keira happy together, Gol made it Benedict struggling with Keira. Benedict had Keira backed up against a wall and held both her of her wrists against the stone roughly. He crushed her body against his and lowered his mouth violently onto hers. As he finally forced himself on her, she protested vehemently. To Jak's horror, Keira's struggles eventually waned before she gave in. When they were finished, Keira stood transformed into a yellow and black-eyed demoness. This was the straw that finally broke the camel's back. With a roar, Jak ripped himself free of his bindings and tackled Gol. Instantly the scene vanished, to return them to the black place where Gol had held Jak before. Jak's hands went right for Gol's throat, who blasted him away with a beam of Dark Eco. Jak got to his feet, his body glowing yellow. As he fired a blast of Yellow Eco, Jak realized that while in his mind, he could Channel Eco as he wished. He flared his aura out until it matched Gol's and the two of them leapt at each other…

A mysterious figure climbed to the peak of the Fire Canyon. He looked down at the ongoing battle, apparently unconcerned about the massive amounts of blood being shed. If one was to get a look at the small part of his face that was not obscured by shadows, one would be able to see a lone tear make its way down his cheek. As he saw the Burrower wrap its tentacles around the two youths, his face hardened and where a man had stood a second before, there now stood a warrior. With practiced ease, the man crouched down, gathering some energy before he leapt fifteen feet in the air and came down at the bottom of the canyon without any sign of difficulty. Appearing as nothing more than a blur, he ran behind a rock, careful to stay in the shadows. His cape made a flapping sound in the wind, something he was not very concerned about. After all, in this fracas, who did he have to worry about spotting him? He stealthily made his way over to where Lauren and Bryan were struggling to stay alive, mentally cursing when he saw the Burrower begin to dig into the ground.

"Damn, they're getting away…" he said in a deep voice filled with pain and betrayal. Without a second thought, the figure dressed in black leapt into the hole, searching for the two teenagers that were so crucial…

Okay, cliffhangers galore! Well, next chapter, a lot of things will go down, but I think everyone will be able to figure out the main event by the name of Chapter Thirty-Four. Please, feel free to leave me your opinion, whether it be criticism, and idea, or even a flame.

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #2 of Life- Whenever you are raking leaves or shoveling snow, the wind will never blow in the direction that you want it to.