As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me, in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them.
Red Mage 04- Yeah, it is sad that I had to kill off some friends, but hey, war is hell. And people die, no matter how harsh that sounds. Hehehe, you might have influenced my writing a little bit, and I actually feel happy about that. I'm influenced by one of the best writers on the Web. Sorry about the errors, as I am far from being perfect. I will try to make this chapter as good as possible. I really liked that quote, and if it quite all right with you, could I make that my Rule of Life #7. All credit would go to you, since you told it to me. Let me know, and I will appease your greatness with sandwiches and chapters.
GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Yup, Jak is back. Hehe, that rhymes. Yup, Gol will most definitely, without a doubt go to hell. A living hell. I'm impressed: you know people from Naughty Dog. God, I wish I could meet one of them and just congratulate them on making such a great game that I could write a horrible story about. I have no idea who Envy is, but if they read this then I thank them. And if they aren't could you please thank them for me? You ordered me to update, and here is the chapter that you so desired. What can I do except look at one of your works, as you have been gracious enough to read this unmitigated crap.
Keeroshu- Yay! You're back! Aw, its okay that you didn't read my last chapter. Yup, hell, I mean, school, is unfortunately giving me seven tests this week! EVIL! Gol I wish I could use Eco. It'd be great if a teacher gives me a test and I just burn it and then they can't prove it. And then no one can take it because I burn them all. Ah, well, I can dream. I hope Your great-aunt feels better, as everyone has enough trauma and tragedy enough now without the death of a family member. Congratulations on your speech, and if it was half as good as your writing, I'm sure it was superb. Chapter Nine will be up? (calls friends and throws a gigantic party, with candy, and root beer, and other things that can make me high on sugar). You're invited by the way. Everyone's invited. Yup, Jak's out of the woods, as you say, and now the real struggle can begin. Unfortunately, Sandover has not seen the last of its problems, since this chapter things will go down even further. Ironically, this will somewhat reinforce Rule of Life #4. I honestly don't care when you read this, I'm happy when you do. Can't wait to see what happens between Jak and Colle next chapter. One last note- thanks very much for the email, and you will be pleased to see that Cara makes two debuts in this chapter, but you won't see yourself in action until next chapter.
Silver-WindScar- Yup, the two finally got their moment. To be bluntly honest, I was gonna save that for the second to last chapter, but then my friend suggested a theme that I thought would be very useful, so I moved the kiss up a few chapters. As to the high-powered fan, uh… military? I hear Area 51 has great things like that. And thanks for making me one. Glad it takes a lot to scare you off, but trust me, one second in my mind would send you into a horror induced coma. On a happier note, enjoy the chapter.
Amathist Fwirrel- Yay! Free from exams, you are. Mimicking you, I an talented at. Hehe, you need therapy. But then again, NOT having people is what makes such colorful characters as ourselves, eh? You give me far too much credit, my talented friend. To be honest, knocking Daxter out was the only way I could think of to get him not to disturb the two of them. The only downside is that now I have to throw in all kinds of mushy stuff, which will make my writing look worse than ever before. As to the spiders, who knew? Me! Hahaha! Actually it was… hey wait, who are you guys. No, not the jacket. Wait, rooms full of sponges? Yay! (whistles as nice men in white lead me off into a truck.)
CrazyOttsel- YAY MY 100TH REVIEW! THANK YOU! You didn't think it was sappy? Thanks very much. Actually, I made the spider blind for one reason: there would be no way Daxter could pull of injuring the thing if it could see him. Yup, Jak is back, and he's ready for some action. Not all with Keira. Yeah, but honestly, everyone can't survive war, and I needed Mike and Kristen to be killed for a purpose later. Benedict is good, but remember what Maia said: he will die in three days. Well, I can't say that Jak and Benedict will be bosom buddies, but Benedict is going to try to make it up to Jak, who will forgive him. Remember, Jak is pure and has no malice or hatred in his heart. Not permanent at least. Thanks for saying you loved this chapter, and I hope that I will continue to please you.
animedragongirl- I am deeply sorry that the last chapter displeased you so. I won't have so many skipping arounds any more, and hopefully that will make it better. I did indeed reread this chapter, but since it obviously didn't do the trick, I will start doing it more than once. I am sorry that this work is such an eyesore, but if it makes you feel any better, I am trying as hard as I can to make it nice. Since it isn't enough, I will just have to try harder. As for Rule #3, I have discovered that it is indeed true, both from observation and experience.
Anon- I am deeply sorry that I have not written this story good enough for you. As to your initial suspicion: you are correct. I originally intended to make this a novelizing, but then one idea entered my head, and then another. By the fourth chapter, I decided to go along with my idea and see what it would look like. By those girls, I assume you mean Kristen and Lauren. One is now deceased and the other has a significant role to play before the book is done. You are right on another point: that I got the Blue Eco Temple from the Temple and the lost Precursor City. Sorry that I could not make the others to your liking, but my limited and almost nonexistent talent can only go so far. Yes, I decided that Jak should not have been able to fully penetrate and discover everything within the Temples, so I put in hidden chambers and such. The "hidden area," you referred to is actually just that, but it will be revisited and explained. Hopefully, I will be able to improve my battle scenes, and the second showdown with Gol will be much better- if you stick around, that is. I will admit that my romance scenes are nothing to be desired, but I was hoping that with time, I had improved. Ah well, that simply means that I must try all the more harder to make them satisfactory. Yes, I stole from Star Wars, yes, I decided that Jak and Keira and everyone else needed occasional time off, and yes, I allowed Gol to win. I thought that those would make my story original, but I'm sorry that you find them to be such eyesores. That scene between Jak and Keira, when she wakes him up with a kiss, yes it was cliché, but I couldn't help myself. It seemed to be the most romantic thing I could think of, since I wanted the two of them to become an official item. Once again, I apologize that I was unable to create a satisfactory story for you, but seeing how high your standards are, I really think you should check out my favorites list. Red Mage in particular has created a masterpiece entitled Risen Demon and War of the Ancients, so if novels are your thing, he is the best I can recommend. For humor, animedragongirl is good with The Jak and Daxter Prank War. Silver-WindScar, Amathist Fwirrel, Keeroshu, and Light-Eco-Sage are also excellent writers, so if I am not good enough, I highly suggest that you take up them instead. I am confident that they will be able to give you whatever you desire.
Disclaimer- Good news. I have been given a serum that will let me say that I don't own the Jak and Daxter franchise without getting sick.
Mysterious Alignments
A loud crack split the silent air as the red moon shone down on Weyard. Gol looked up at it with approval before focusing his mind back on the task at hand. He made his way up the desolate street to the large building in front of him. Two burly elves stepped out of the shadows and advanced menacingly. Gol looked up as he threw his cloak back and they backed off, nodding slightly as he passed them and additional security.
As Gol entered the large building, he thought about that female companion of Jak's. If it wasn't for her, Jak would be dead, and he could have transferred his mind and powers to Jak's body.
"Gol. What are you doing here?" a female voice asked. Gol's eyes narrowed at the elf addressing him as though he were not a Sage.
"I was here to ask if you have reconsidered my generous offer," he said dryly as a sword was drawn and pointed at his throat.
Large green eyes narrowed at him as the sword was raised and pointed it at his heart.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slice you to bits right now?" she snarled.
"Because, you stupid girl, if you kill me, any chance of saving your mother will be gone," Gol drawled. He smiled in satisfaction at the cringing of the girl on front of him. "I promise you, I have an arrangement that will benefit us both. All I ask is for one simple errand." The girl's eyes narrowed again: she did not trust this elf. His sudden appearance was too coincidental with their chief's illness for her taste. The majority of her people hailed him almost as a Precursor for his ability to take a deadly substance and bend it to his will, but she could practically smell deceit and blood coming from this man. Unfortunately, she was unable to do anything about it: the laws of her island strictly stated that until her mother died or was unable to communicate, she still held control over the island. And unfortunately, her mother seemed predisposed to believe this man.
"So, if you can save my mother, why don't you?" the girl ground out through clenched teeth.
"I require something, and your mother has been… reluctant to give it to me," Gol said, his eyes flashing slightly in the dark as he finished the sentence. He noticed the princess' gaze and immediately put up his hands, keeping them open but preparing to kill her if she made any move towards him. "Nothing like that. But as your mother refuses to give me what I desire, perhaps you will be more… accommodating."
The girl shivered at his tone of voice, sure that she would regret her decision. But an image of her mother surfaced in her mind: the dark red hair full of tangles from tossing and turning at night; her normally tan face pale and flushed as terrible waves of pain wracked through her body. Another image, this one of her father, surfaced as well. She could remember seeing him in the coffin that her people sent out to sea like it was yesterday. He father's green eyes, just like her own, closed so hat no one would see their cold, dead look. She especially remembered her father's hair: bright red strands braided together as was customary on her island.
"All right. What do you want?" she muttered.
"Not what. Who." Gol said. At her confused stare, he sighed and explained. "Ninety eight miles northwest of this island is a continent. On the southern coast is a small fishing village called Sandover. There are some people there that I want dead, but I do not want you to do it for me. There are two elves there named Bryan and Lauren. I want you to bring them here, safe and unharmed."
"So I'm to just grab two random people and hope that they are the ones that you need?" the girl asked dryly.
"Lauren is fourteen years old. She has blond hair that goes down to her lower back. She has blue-green eyes, and usually wears black pants, dark blue shirt and a metal claw with a crystal earrings and necklace. Bryan is seventeen years old, and has short spiky blondish-brown hair. He has blue eyes and a tattoo on his right shoulder of a Lurker Scorpion. The two of them are always together, so after you find one, the other will not be too far off. As I said, I want you to bring them here and keep them locked up. When I come to collect them, you will receive your payment."
"Oh no. You don't expect me to just do a favor without receiving some kind of assurance. I want something now," the girl said. Not wanting to aggravate the girl and possibly stop a potentially useful ally, Gol sighed and extended his left hand. He waved his fingers in the air in intricate patterns and various Precursor artifacts appeared.
"Here. A dozen of my most precious artifacts. Do what I have asked, and I will give you fifty more, along with your mother's cure." Impressed as she was by the artifacts gleaming in the moonlight and infatuated with images of her mother healthy, the girl nodded her head. "Good. Now, I must be off. I have other matters to attend to tonight." Gol nodded his head at the girl before disappearing into thin air with a loud crack.
The girl sighed and went back up to the palace, motioning for her hidden bodyguards to collect the artifacts for examination and diagnosis.
As a political battle over the island's next course of action with the council approached, a battle of a different kind was about to begin nearly a hundred miles away.
"Cu- curse that whelp. What the hell is he?" Gravis asked as he stumbled out of the nice hole his body had made in the mountain. His body began to slowly regenerate the skin that had peeled off from the force of the Yellow Lightning blast that Hatu had hit him with. He looked up as he heard a twig snap and saw a man throw back his hood. A familiar face looked at him with disgust and anger. "You!" Gravis roared as he lunged at the offending and advancing figure.
"Me." Sett's face was thrown into sharp relief in the blue light. "I assume we have nothing to talk about?" he said as he drew a katana.
"As a matter of fact, we do!" Gravis snarled before drawing a vial out of a pouch on his belt. He threw it at Sett, and the legendary swordsman sliced it in half before it could hit him. Multicolored liquid splashed all over him, and when the dust cleared, Gravis smirked at the small figure of what had just been a six foot tall, two hundred and fifty pound full grown elf of pure muscle. In its place was now a three foot tall thirty pound elf that looked more like a child.
"A little present from Gol," Gravis sneered.
"That's the best you can do? Please don't tell me that you thought this would intimidate me," Sett said as he adopted a fighting stance. Gravis blinked in incredulity before summoning an Eco Blade and leaping at Sett.
Sett quickly drew his katana (which had shrunk proportionately to him) and leapt a good ten feet back at his opponent. As Gravis saw this, he was astonished: Sett had leapt a little more than three times his height. The two landed about two feet away from each other and the battle began.
Sett struck for Gravis' feet, and no sooner had his attack been intercepted did he spin to his right and attack again, moving so fast that even Gravis was hard pressed to keep up with him. Gravis got one offensive strike in after about three minutes, but it was thwarted almost before it began.
Sett leaned forward and kicked off the ground, spinning his body sideways like a top and effectively becoming a proverbial tornado of death. Gravis blocked the seven blows before switching hands and spinning around to continue living: something he was in no way eager to stop doing. As Sett landed, Gravis struck forward, but his attack became a block as Sett continued to spin after landing, giving himself incredible speed and surprising power for someone so small in stature. He performed another spinning leap and sliced the very tip of Gravis' remaining hair off.
Sett swatted away another attack as he landed before rapidly putting Gravis back on the defensive. Sett had watched the fight between Gravis and Hatu, and noticed that Gravis' defensive power was lacking. The only thing that had allowed him to easily defeat Jak and Benedict in the past was the Channelers' lack of swordsmanship at that point. He rushed in, his stab at Gravis' left knee getting deflected, but Sett stubbornly kept up his assault.
He struck nineteen times in four seconds, nearly exhausting Gravis with his nightmarish speed before leaping into the air again. As before, Gravis was forced to quickly spin around and switch hands to avoid getting impaled. As it was, he nearly was. Sett struck again with his right arm before spinning around and striking again. Gravis quickly lowered his Blade and was nearly made shorter by a foot and a half: he had been expecting another jump. As Sett rushed in again, Gravis locked their swords, planning on breaking the lock and gaining the offensive.
Sett saw through this feeble strategy in an instant and broke off the lock first, driving Gravis' sword away before leaping into the air again. As he passed over Gravis' head, Sett glared at the Lurker, letting it know that there was no hope for it and that Gravis would die before the day was done. Gravis swiped at the ground, hoping to take Sett by surprise, but it was not to be. Sett stepped back and performed three more sideways leaps, the third one going clear over Sett and landing on a wide, flat boulder.
Gravis threw his Blade, using a trick Gol had taught him to make it come back, but that split second was enough. With his enemy unarmed, Sett rushed in and landed in Gravis' chest. Gravis fell off the small cliff they were on and landed on the ground, his hilt landing right next to him. Sett sent a small beam of Blue Eco out of his sword and forced Gravis' body down another good foot or two. Sett landed on the outside of the small hole he had created and smirked when Gravis stepped back when he got up.
"You still have much to learn. A true swordsman is perfect on both offense and defense." Gravis growled before summoning another Dark Eco Blade and trying to get out of the hole he was in. Trying being the key word. Sett had planned his attack out. There were now three advantages that were his: his head was now even with Gravis' shoulder; Gravis' movement was greatly reduced; and Sett was in a perfect position to either prevent Gravis from getting out of the hole or killing him as he tried. Gravis noticed these points quickly and swore.
As he continued attacking, Sett had to give Gravis credit: even though he knew he was beaten, he refused to go down. Sett knew Gravis' mind- Gravis was going to fight until he was either killed or unable to move. Either way, Sett could not deny that Gravis had a true warrior's spirit. For an instant, Sett lamented on the fact that Gravis could have done so much good had he not been raised by Gol. He quickly put the feelings of pity aside and resumed his attack.
As Sett attacked, he proved once more that he was far more agile and powerful than one would expect, given his size. The only bad thing about his position was the fact that it was much easier for Gravis to on the offensive. He blocked a horizontal blow and countered with a sideways swipe of his own. Gravis blocked the katana and pushed forward, hoping to send his smaller opponent back. Sett redirected Gravis' attack and used it to propel himself off the ground again, jumping to his right at an angle so that he stayed on the outside of the hole he had created. The last thing Sett wanted was for Gravis to be able to free himself, since it would make the fight drag on, and Sett needed to get back to the village to see how everyone was doing. He steadied himself on the uneven rock with one hand and continued to fight with only one limb. Gravis was impressed with Sett's skill: not only was he defending himself with only one hand, but the reduced-in-size elf was actually managing to go on the offensive for small periods of time. Sett brought his sword sweeping in from the right side with such power that Gravis blocked for only an instant before deflecting it instead. As Gravis made a stab, Sett once again pushed off the ground, spinning to the left this time in that odd way of his as Gravis brought his face back an inch to keep it connected with the rest of his head.
Sett landed and once again blocked a horizontal strike, making a mental note to himself to make Gravis pay the next time he tried that underhanded tactic. He jumped back and spun in midair once, keeping his katana at a diagonal angle so as to deflect any incoming attacks. He saw another swipe coming in and decided to change his tactic; instead of blocking it, Sett jumped over the incoming attack and stabbed at Gravis' skull on his way up. Gravis barely deflected the blow in time and spun around to keep his eyes on his foe. Sett continued to jump around, never staying in any place too long. Contrary to what Gravis might be thinking, Sett knew that he would not be tiring his body out any time soon. Sett felt freer than he had in a long time. It had been thirty years since he had been able to use his true power. As he fought, Sett let his emotions fly free, but he kept them in enough of a lock so that they would not let him injure himself or take an unnecessary risk. Above all, Sett kept his emotions away from hatred. Anger he channeled through his body without hesitation, but he would never allow himself to use his hatred as a weapon again. As he blocked another blow, Sett remembered the last time he had let his emotions get the better of him… and what the outcome had been.
Sett leapt off the ground again, ricocheting a blow aimed at his hip with a horizontal block. As he landed, Sett jumped once more without even taking the time to attack. Gravis angrily brought his Blade down and to the right and Sett smiled. Gravis brought his Blade up for another attack, only to find that Sett had blocked him. The two of them struggled for a moment before Sett let Gravis go and began his unorthodox manner of fighting again. He thought of a way to end the fight and spun as he jumped for the last time. He deliberately spun too far and Gravis made a pass at his back. Sett let go of his sword and spun around. He grabbed his weapon and knocked Gravis' Blade to the outside. He locked eyes with Gravis for an instant, and saw that Gravis knew it was over. Gravis' eyes widened slightly as he realized his mistake, and he gasped as Sett's razor sharp blade pierced his gut.
Sett tightened his grip and completed his slash, his sword going right through one of Gravis' lungs and out his side. Gravis fell back and landed on his back. Sett sheathed his sword and walked over to the dying Lurker.
"How? How did you defeat me?" Gravis gasped: talking with one lung was harder than one thought.
"Simple. This is my true form. Gol's master cursed me to that form that you have seen before. No doubt Gol intended to deform me even further, not knowing that I could be my full potential again." Gravis nodded his understanding as his vision dimmed. Sett turned to go, but paused as Gravis called him.
"Sett…" Gravis gasped. The elf turned around and stood over the weakened and dying form beneath him. "Please… grant me… a warriors… death," he pleaded. Sett nodded grimly: he could not deny such a fighter his final wish, and especially such a one as that. He unsheathed his blade and held it above Gravis' neck. Gravis closed his eyes and smiled as Sett lowered the weapon, cutting through Gravis' neck and beheading him.
"Farewell Gravis," Sett said softly as he left. As he left the sight of carnage and death, he turned around and sent a blast of Yellow Eco at the small cliff above Gravis. A small avalanche buried the great warrior. Sett bowed his head one last time before he turned around and left for Sandover. He was happy that Jak was now awake, but worried about Samos' turning and rumors of Gol creating a new army. Sett threw his hood over his head as he reached the village and leaned against a rock, deciding that he would talk with everyone in the morning. The red moon shined brightly in the dark, casting an eerie glow over the land.
Jak woke up without opening his eyes. He felt a warm weight leaning against his chest and looked down, expecting to see Daxter. Instead, he saw the blue and green hair of the girl he loved. Memories of last night came flooding back, and Jak's face turned red as he remembered how he and Keira had kissed. He tightened his grip slightly on her stomach possessively and she wiggled closer to him in her sleep. Suddenly, Jak remembered Daxter and wondered where his friend was- and how long it would take for him to spread the story of Keira and him around the village. He spotted his friend off in the distance by a small pile of wreckage and for an instant thought he was dead. Jak relaxed when he saw the steady and unchanging rhythm of Daxter's breathing. Jak looked around and realized that he was laying down with Keira in a crater where his house had been. A monstrous spider was curled up in the distance, and the sun shining down on him was not green, but… black? With a red perimeter? Jak had to know what was going on and decided to wake Keira up. He shook her shoulder gently and smiled when he heard her mutter.
"Just a few more minutes Dad. I don't wanna go to school today…" Keira sighed softly. Jak shook her a bit harder and Keira's eyes flew open. She leaned forward and stretched not realizing Jak was behind her. As she heard his breathing, Keira turned around and stared at Jak, both their faces turning red as they remembered what had transpired the night before.
"Jak, I…" Keira started to say, but stopped when Jak reached forward and embraced her. Keira wrapped her arms around him and the two of them stayed like that for a few minutes. Eventually, Jak's curiosity returned and he let go of her. He pointed to the sad excuse of what twelve hours ago had been a house, the spider, and then the sun. Keira sighed and began to explain the situation.
Thirty minutes later, Jak and Keira were climbing out of the cavity. For once, Keira was faster due to the atrophy in Jak's muscles. Still, Jak never once groaned or made any movements that indicate he was unhappy. It might have been hard for him to move, but at least he could move and wasn't in the prison to which he had been condemned for a month. He reached the top and grasped Keira's hand as she helped him up. Jak got up off the ground and looked around. Fortunately, the village hadn't suffered to badly from the attack. With some hard work, Jak knew that they might be able to rebuild the two damaged houses by the end of the day. After placing Daxter in a pile of grass, Jak began walking around the town, stopping after every minute or so to catch his breath.
Jak felt like a wimp. Here he was the great "hero," of Sandover, and he was stopping every sixty seconds to catch his breath. He ground his teeth in frustration, but calmed down when he felt Keira's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, vowing to turn away of he saw pity in her gaze. When he locked eyes with her, Jak saw nothing except admiration. He instantly felt better: Keira did not feel sorry for him because he could not move as he once could, but rather respected him for not feeling sorry for himself and for trying to get back on his feet.
"Its okay Jak," Keira said as she pulled one of his arms around her shoulder. She walked with him, letting him lean on her as he needed so he could make better progress. Keira felt pride swell within her heart as Jak determinedly continued moving, knowing how crucial and precious time was in this infected state of affairs. She knew that with his willpower, Jak would be back to normal in a few days. Normally, Green Eco treatment could be used, but as she did no know the proper amount to give him and how often, Keira decided not to mention it. Her father would know, but he wasn't around. Keira could only hope that someone in the village would know, as the treatment would allow Jak to be fully healed in as little as two days. Much as she disliked taking shortcuts, Keira knew that the sooner they got moving, the sooner they could try to reverse what Gol had done, if it were even possible.
"Jak," she said softly, and Jak paused in his strides to look at her. "Can we reverse what Gol has done?" Jak smiled and nodded. He took her hand and began writing with his finger in it. Keira read what he wrote out loud. "Samos said… that if … we reopen… the Silos… the Dark… Eco will… return and… all will… be set right." She looked back up at Jak, her eyes filled with hope, an emotion she had forced herself not to feel for a month for fear of being hurt. But now she let hope penetrate her fully and reveled in its glorious feeling. She suddenly noticed Jak was walking again, making his way slowly towards the Eco Vent in the middle of town. "Jak, what are you doing?" she asked as he stopped her from moving and stepped into the Vent. He lifted his arms and began moving them around. Salvageable pieces of wood and other such materials began flying together to make a building that was about twice the size of Samos' hut. He looked up at his creation with pride before sitting down and leaning against a wall.
Keira sat down beside him and smiled at him. Jak smiled back: although it hadn't done much, he felt much better at doing something for his village finally. He leaned on Keira's shoulder and they turned to look at each other. Jak realized that no one was around and he leaned in. Keira saw what he was doing and moved towards him, their lips meeting fiercely. All the years of frustration of not being able to express themselves (particularly Jak) showed themselves as they embraced. Eventually, they decided they would like to stop in favor of catching their breath, but this break was short. Their lips met again, but this time in a softer and gentler way. Jak's hand reached up and began to run through Keira's hair. Keira smiled as she reached up and started massaging his scalp.
A whistle caught their attention and they broke apart. Lauren, Bryan, Margaret and Daxter were standing before them, huge grins on their faces. The four of them burst into laughter as they saw Jak and Keira try (and fail) to look innocent and as though they had not just been caught making out. Eventually Keira started in, and Jak began to grin.
After catching his breath, Bryan wiped his eyes and looked at the two. "Always wondered when you two were gonna grow up and get together," he said as he expended his hand to Jak. Jak grasped the hand and Bryan pulled his friend up. Jak embraced his friend, and Bryan hugged him right back, happy that his friend was all right.
Three hours later, the six of them were celebrating in Samos' hut. After filling in the house, Jak had shown that Samos had trained him in Green Eco Therapy and was able to use enough to return his mobility and strength. Regaining his swordsmanship, however, would be a different matter. Skilled though he was, Jak was rusty from a month of not moving, and while practice helped prepare one for combat, real battle was always different than practice. Jak was happy when Bryan offered to train him using training swords. Keira was enjoying the party, but made a mental note to talk to Margaret. Though her friend laughed and joked along with everybody else, Keira knew her, and could tell that the Amplifier was hiding something.
"So, what we doin' tomorrow?" Daxter asked as they finally settled down.
"Well, we have to bury everyone, including Kristen and Mike," Keira said.
"And then we should really start planning our counter-attack on Gol," Margaret added.
"And let's not forget that we also have to liberate the forest," Bryan said. Keira, Margaret, Daxter and Jak looked at him questioningly.
"Lurkers started showing up there a few days ago, and we were planning on running them out. Now that we have you guys, it'll be easier than taking a nap." Lauren said.
The six of them agreed to go to sleep and discuss the details of the next few days in the morning.
"So, they plan to fight back…" Gol muttered to himself. His sister opened her yellow and black eyes and looked over at her sibling.
"Jak?"
"Yes. Apparently if they can open the Silos then the Dark Eco will return to it."
"What? But that was never in any of the legends we read about the Silos."
"Yes, but then again, we don't have a complete records of the Great War."
"True. So how do you know the plan on coming back," Maia asked.
"Well, it is common sense. We have Samos, which alone is a reason. No doubt they will want to free the other Sages as well. Benedict will no doubt want revenge, and then they will want revenge after he dies. And then the final part of the puzzle: my spy told us."
"Spy?"
"Surely, dear sister, you did not think that I would have that group go unobserved?"
"Well, you have so far…" Maia said.
"And the fact that I was unable to convert the Amplifier to the dark side of the heart was when I decided I needed a spy. After they got back to their village, my spy was planted and now nothing they do will take me by surprise."
"Well? Who is it?" Maia asked. "I want to know which pathetic life form not to kill."
"Our spy is…" Gol said as he mentally communicated the answer into her mind. Maia's eyes widened in surprise, and then delight as she realized the possible implications of their useful infiltrator.
"We are here to honor those who gave their lives to protect this village," the priest of Sandover said. An old man, some described him as a bitter person but only Daxter knew the truth. When his wife had fallen ill, the priest had prayed to the Precursors daily for her to get better. After months of agony, his wife finally began to heal. The day after she was able to walk around, the Lurkers had invaded for the first time. Daxter knew that had he and Jak gotten to the village only a few minutes earlier, the two of them could have prevented this tragedy. Daxter knew that Jak had been strong enough to save the priest's wife, but Daxter didn't blame Jak in the least for not doing so. Not only did Jak have no idea that he could have saved the wife, but the two of them had gotten back to the village as fast as possible. There was nothing more they could have done.
"Among the fallen elves was the noble Steve, whose only living brother has requested that he be allowed to speak." At this time, the decrepit old man stepped down from the altar and gave the audience to Steve's brother. As the man began to speak, Jak could feel and hear the loss and devastation that he had been through. Out of the two of them, Steve had been younger, and Jak knew that the man speaking felt guilty that he was alive, when Steve had so much more to live for. The one thing that Jak thought might console the man was that he would not be unemployed. As there was still a large amount of work to be done on the shelter Jak had built, Robert would no doubt have his hands full as the best carpenter in the village.
Keira nudged Jak, who turned to look at her. He saw her yes beginning to fill with tears, and Jak placed his arm around her shoulder, still feeling slightly awkward and afraid he might do something improper. Keira leaned in on him, and Jak relaxed: apparently, putting his arm around her was the right thing to do. Jak pulled the girl trying not to sob closer to him in a hug and the two of them held each other close, each taking comfort in the other's presence.
"And now, we come to the final two who perished here today," the priest said. Jak and Keira jumped: had it really been so long? They looked up at the sky and saw the red moon beginning to rise and that settled it: they had been holding each other for five hours, yet it felt like only a few minutes.
"Kristen and Michael perished at the hands of a Lurker Warrior, but managed to kill it as well. The two of them were like children at times, and yet they both shouldered responsibility that many adults in the past have never had to bear. Keira Hagia, daughter of Samos the Sage of Green Eco, has asked to say a few words about them." Jak looked at Keira in surprise: she had never mentioned anything of the sort. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before going up to the podium.
"Kristen and Michael perished at the hands of a Lurker Warrior, but managed to kill it as well. The two of them were like children at times, and yet they both shouldered responsibility that many adults in the past have never had to bear. Keira Hagia, daughter of Samos the Sage of Green Eco, has asked to say a few words about them." Jak looked at Keira in surprise: she had never mentioned anything of the sort. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before going up to the podium.
"Kristen was my dear friend, and I shall always miss her. Although she was sometimes a little overenthusiastic about certain things, she was loyal and true to the very end. Mike was also faithful to us, and was known for being a prankster. Although Daxter finally gained my respect when he tricked Mike into walking into the field infested with Stingers." At this point a collective laugh went through the otherwise poignant gathering before her. Keira continued to talk, throwing in comedic stories about all of the deceased elves. Soon, everyone was getting up to say a story about someone that they knew. Keira stepped down and walked to the back as everyone else (including Daxter) walked up to say something.
Keira sat down next to Jak and looked at him, a little embarrassed about revealing the depth of her and Kristen's relationship. Jak smiled at her: he was sure Kristen had heard the lovely eulogy, and was pleased to know that her friends were not about to take her death lying down.
Twenty-four hours later, Jak's eyes were pointed towards the heavens, wondering why he was being tortured so. Sitting through this speech by Mayor Manic was torture. Long, complicated words, half of which even Keira looked as though she did not know what they meant (which made Jak doubt their credibility) were being spewed out as the Mayor spoke with the town council. They were trying to decide what to do about the black sun. Jak knew better- and so did the ones he traveled with- to tell the village, knowing that they would stupidly try to open the Silos by force. Jak gave a frustrated sigh and slouched in his seat, grateful no one would notice since he sat in the back. Keira slipped her hand into his and gave him a look of understanding. Jak was grateful that Keira understood the uselessness and pointlessness of this meeting. Every second they were waiting was a second they could be instead fighting Gol.
Jak looked back at Keira, grateful that she could read him so easily. He had struggled with himself for the past year to express himself around her.
It had not always been so. Jak knew that he had not always thought of Keira in the way he did now. When he was younger, she had been a girl, something to avoid. He had respected her after he and Daxter had poured a bucket of mud over her head. Though she had been angry, she had not cried. On the contrary, she had laughed- right before punching him and Daxter in their faces. Jak still remembered the stunned looks in his and Daxter's face as they looked at each other right before Keira had stalked off. He had then viewed her with wariness, but not admiration or respect. Until, that is, that day he had seen her in her garage, her slightly chubby face frowning in a combination of frustration and concentration. She fiddled with another wire, and then her face lit up in glee as the lamp she had taken apart and was now rebuilding in a different design turned on. Jak had stood, shocked at the transition. He had only seen her pouting when she thought no one else was looking as she watched other children play at school, or glare at him and Daxter, a silent dare in her eyes for them to invoke her wrath once again.
Jak remembered the smile. At first, he thought that Keira had vanished, leaving a Precursor in her place. His next thought was how to get her to smile again. Finally, the thought occurred to him. He found a small amount of Blue Eco and pieced together a small version of what was now the Zoomer, using the Blue Eco to move the fans. When he had given it to her on her sixth birthday, Keira had squealed in delight and hugged him. From that moment, Keira, Jak and Daxter had become inseparable.
Yes, Jak thought, I loved her the, but then it was a way that was almost just like Daxter. I just wanted her to be happy, and I wanted her to be able to spend all her time with me. It was selfish almost, he mused to himself. Jak had never thought about her in any romantic sense, not even when he hit thirteen, the magic number as it was called in his village. Then, a month later when Keira turned twelve, she started avoiding him. At first Jak was angry at Daxter, thinking his friend had angered her somehow. Then, Samos had sat him down and explained how Keira was different from Jak physically.
"Funny," Jak thought as Keira nudged him and he straightened his stance in the chair, "I knew she was different from me, but I never knew what it meant." Even now, three years later, Jak blushed when he remembered Samos' lecture about how Keira's body was changing. Jak remembered the horror on Keira's face when her breasts started to develop, complaining about them and how the got in her way in almost every thing she did. Jak followed her loyally but red-faced as Samos went with her to shop for different bras. He had no idea why he was there, but Samos said that Jak might as well get used to it, though what exactly Samos was referring to was still a mystery to Jak.
Next had come the change in Daxter, who became obsessive about girls. Where they had used to spend their time playing on the beach, Daxter would now drag Jak around the village trying to ask girls out. All refused, but one had agreed on the condition that she go out with Jak afterwards. It was in that moment that Daxter had finally lost his cool with Jak and abandoned him, believing Jak to be stealing his spotlight. Only the intervention of Keira on his part had saved their friendship. Keira had said something along the effect of Jak not having hit that stage in life yet. Jak smiled again as he reflected when he had hit that point in his life.
He had woken up one morning just the same as every other day. But this time, he had began noticing girls. Oh, he had always seen them, but never before had he noticed them. He also realized that his body was changing. He was growing taller, and his shoulders were getting slightly wider. And he finally realized why Daxter kept staring at women's chests: there was an odd, sensual, alluring pull to the way that their breasts moved. Jak had stared, transfixed, at one girl before he realized that he was turning into Daxter, and from that moment on, he had vowed to not do that again. But the change was still there, and Jak found himself noticing Keira's body more often. The way her cream-colored skin looked after they went swimming, her cheeks pink, her eyes bright with exhilaration, and exhaustion. The way her lips stuck out when she pouted. The way her mouth would open and her cheeks would turn red when she blushed. After Jak had seen her blush once, he had always tried to get her to do it again. And especially the way her hips seemed to move when she walked. Always, Jak would notice, and always he rebuked himself when he realized he was doing it.
When did I start thinking about her romantically? Jak asked himself. Right before this whole mess, Jak remembered. That one night he had dreamed of her, her arms wrapping themselves around his chest as he pulled her close to him and kissed her. They would break apart for air occasionally, but they would then return to their fierce lip-lock with passion. Jak looked at Keira and smiled at her, happy that one of his dreams had come true at last. He heard his name mentioned and stood and walked up to the center as directed. He then endured a long speech about how he had returned and though had been unconscious was more than happy to serve the village once more. Jak noticed that all of this had seemingly been decided by him, and yet he had no memory of meeting with the town elders, respect though he showed them.
Jak looked with surprise as Keira got up and approached the podium. Only the fact that she was Samos' daughter allowed her to get up and task.
"Elves of Sandover! I know that this sun is causing problems. But as hard as it is, we must ignore them for now. Lurkers have been sighted in the village. It is thought that they are trying to sever the Eco flow to the village and so leave us defenseless. I ask what you think we should do. I propose that everyone that has an idea should be able to come up and state it." There was a literal stampede as nearly everyone tried to get up to the podium. Jak was surprised as Keira came down and grabbed his wrist.
"Why… did you… get… everyone… to go up to… the podium… and then… drag me… away?" Keira looked up with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "How else was I supposed to get you to myself?" Jak looked at the ground as he tried to figure out what she meant when Keira grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into her. Jak's mind vaguely wrapped itself around the fact that there was a shadow moving in the distance before it disengaged and he concentrated on only one thing: keeping contact with Keira. Once again, Jak's hands traveled up to Keira's head. One of them began stroking her hair while another was placed at the back of her neck and tilted her head back. Jak smiled to himself when Keira groaned softly as she ran her fingers through his hair again and pressed her body against his.
Keira pressed her body even closer to Jak's trying to eliminate any distance they might have in-between them. She felt his body stiffen all of a sudden and she backed off slightly and looked up at him. Jak's eyes were narrowed and he seemed to be staring at a spot on the ground slightly behind her. Suddenly he threw her away form him and spun around. A Lurker Ape gasped as Jak tightened his grip on its throat. Keira looked up at him and saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before. Along with the anger that she expected, Keira saw a glint in her eyes that she had seen before, but couldn't quite place.
Jak bared his teeth as he crushed the windpipe of the Lurker, enraged that it would dare to attack Keira. As the Lurker gasped in pain, Jak blinked his eyes and wondered what he was doing. He looked at the Lurker and brought it up to his body before snapping its neck, giving it a painless death. He turned around and helped Keira before closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"Jak. We should go to the house now," she whispered. Jak looked down at her and nodded, still confused at the anger that had flared so unexpectedly in him.
"So Gol. How goes the poison on Jak's mind," Maia asked as they stared over Weyard. The blood red light distorted the normally tranquil and beautiful planet, and Maia reveled in the fact that she was responsible for doing this to the planet.
"Good. He seems to be quick to anger, but has excellent control. I will wear down on that control, and eventually he will be a slave to emotions. And when that happens…" Gol looked at his sister.
"He will be easy to seduce, and then he will serve us," she said joyously.
"Tighten the ropes! Hoist anchor and set sail," the girl barked at her crew. The men under her command hastened to do as they were told, lest they invite their captain's wrath. Though she was a kind person, she could be quite harsh on the crew when they deserved it.
"Captain. We shall arrive at the village at sunrise tomorrow," her first mate said to her as he walked up to her. A man of twenty-two, his odd yellow eyes usually made one predisposed to mistrust him. Ironically, though he was a pirate, the captain saw an honor code in him that was matched only by the one that she abided to: her personal one. The first mate looked up at her, his brown, collar length hair blowing in the wind as the ship left port. He was dressed in his own clothes, as was first mate's privilege. His black leather vest, white shirt, long leather gloves and brown leather pants had been personally requested, and because the Queen (not to mention the captain herself) held him in such high regard, they allowed him to wear clothes that would normally identify him as a commoner. The bowie knife strapped to his right hip was sheathed, as it usually was. The only time the quick witted first mate drew it was when he failed to infiltrate an area using his master of disguise and languages- something that had only occurred once. The captain nodded to him and he went to oversee the crew to make sure they reached the island- Sandover, the captain had called it- by sunup.
Cara tossed her braided hair back. It was a combination of both her mother's and father's, causing it to be streaks of varying shades of red. The moonlight shone down on her exposed arms, lighting up the blue designs on her and causing them to appear purple. Her light blue pants, green tee shirt and leather straps on the shoulders and below the knees marked her for what she was: captain of the sleekest and fastest ship in her island's fleet.
"Get ready!" she shouted. "Remember you orders! Take what you want from the village but no casualties. And remember, the two elves must be taken alive!" Cara emphasized the final word. Her crew tended to get carried away occasionally and sometimes overran towns like animals. Cara rolled her eyes in revulsion as memories of their last escapade ran through her mind. Though they were pirates, she always tried to keep death to a minimum.
The wind blew with the ship, propelling it faster towards the unsuspecting town, and, anxious though she was about the upcoming task, Cara closed her eyes and smiled as she let the wind run through her hair- it was the part about going out to sea she loved the most.
Ah, I am finally confident that I have no mistakes. For once. Sorry that I didn't update last week: I had a gastro-intestinal virus (that's a mouthful, eh?) that caused some rather… nasty side effects. And I apologize in the length of it- I'm still a little run down. Fortunately, I'll be back to normal by next week. Although if that is anything to be happy about remains to be seen. Well, one or two new characters are revealed, and it should be easy for the person I contacted to spot herself. Let me know what you think of the new plot development, as well as any comments or ideas that you might have. Next week will arrive with a couple of battles along with a nice little revelation. And I apologize for the crappy scenes with Keira and Jak.
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 #4 of Life- Whenever you think you have hit rock bottom, Life has a way of throwing you a shovel.