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.
Silver-WindScar- Thank you for the compliment on the chapter and the rule of life. I did make it slightly confusing, but yes. Gol is indeed able to read Jak's mind. Before, he used to have to concentrate to be able to pick up Jak's thoughts unless he was in close range. Now he can pick up whatever Jak feels whenever he wants. Do not worry, I have a way to flip it around and use the mind link against Gol, even though Gol can shield his mind from detection. So until Jak finds out about the link, he is vulnerable and so is everyone else around him. In addition, he cannot be taken by surprise.
GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Hey. I respect your laziness, because I am lazy as well. Jak was never poisoned, so I believe you mean Benedict. He was the one with the seed and took it out, so he was set to die in three days two days ago. Meaning tomorrow, since I'm bad at describing the things. He knows he is going to die, so I'll have to try to make that a touchy scene and I'm really bad at that. He will have a final fight, and I hope I can make it good. Dark Angel and Forever and Always. I'll be sure to check that out.
Keeroshu- Nope, Jak can't talk, and I actually plan to fix that problem in Renegade. Yes, I had a blizzard, which is apparently only a foot of snow. Got a free snow day, so I wasn't complaining. I liked Maine, but I went during a heat wave, so I didn't enjoy being outside unless I was submerged. I did think that Cara might go too fast, but this is how I see it. You don't have to agree, I'm just stating it. First, you (and I mean you in the story) neither likes nor trusts Gol. She was reluctant to do what he said, and trusts Jak because she can sense that he has pure intentions. She was supposed to kill Jak, but again, she was reluctant to once she met him. Even if I had to, I would be reluctant to kill someone if I met them if they were like Jak. Yes, Gol is a very good villain. Personally, I think he's going to come back if he can escape the Silos through the catacombs. That will be the fifth game, and it had better be a good one. And if it isn't… I will play it anyway because I'm helplessly addicted to Jak. Thanks for the vote of luck: I'll need it.
animedragongirl- Damn. I was hoping to surpass each chapter. (Meaning I will just have to try even harder). Thanks for the congratulations, even if I don't deserve it. Life handing you a shovel is simple. Let's say your entire family dies (God forbid). You think you have hit rock bottom. Life "hands you a shovel," but taking away your house and giving you Lou Gehrig's disease. Sorry you didn't get snow, but glad you have such warm weather. One thing I hate about New York: cold frikken winters. Ironic yes. I know. Extremely good guess, but Brigand's Bastion is not being burned down. That comes next. You did get the culprit down pat (hands out cookies).
TheAgent- I'm glad you like the story, but it is more than halfway finished. I honestly am a fan of short stories, but it's the long epics that really draw me, which is probably why I made this so long.
CrazyOttsel- Yes. Two days. I am dead serious, and I am grateful that it was good enough for you. I always try to leave just a tiny cliffhanger, and even though this chapter doesn't have one, people will still want to know what is going on. Since you didn't touch on the subject, I assume I fixed the romance thing. If I ever, EVER, mess that up again, please tell me how and I will try my utmost to fix it.
Disclaimer- I don't own Jak and Daxter… (wishes I did)
Articulo Mortis
A man swabbed in black robes stuck his head out of his cave and looked up at the sky. As he gazed up, he could see the red light of the moon behind the thin cloud layer. A feeling of shame and sorrow swelled in his heart: shame that he had helped create this twisted world and sorrow that not only had he allowed himself to take the dark path, he had tried to murder family and friends. More than once since he had been redeemed, he had contemplated suicide, but the idea was quickly dismissed. The man knew he was going to die very soon; he had only an hour left. A great deal of time had gone into pinpointing the exact moment of death, which would be at nine thirty seven P.M. this very night.
"What have I done?" the man asked the sky in an agonized whisper. As if to mock or taunt him, the clouds parted, and the red moon was shown in its entirety. The man looked at the ground, painful memories going through his mind. An image of his parents' faces surfaced in his mind's eye…
"So, he is a Channeler?" a woman asked.
"Yes ma'am," the doctor responded, a mixture of pride and uncertainty in his voice.
"What does that tone mean?" the woman asked, a hint of accusation in her voice.
"Well, there might be a problem."
"With him?"
"Possibly."
"What is it?"
"He has much anger. His abilities were revealed only when his emotions were pushed to their limits, correct?"
"Yes, but what does that mean?"
"It means this child has enormous potential, but that potential is locked away in his mind, surfacing only when he has great need of it. With proper training he might one day be able to fully control it, but until then his power will surface only occasionally. The risk is when he becomes an adolescent. You remember as well as I do how emotions sway and how quickly they can peak, for no reason at all. He might abuse his power unintentionally."
"So he will not be trained?" The father asked, more than slightly angry that his son would not be trained because his power showed itself during a Lurker attack.
"But I was trained," the man thought as he gazed over at Sandover. He felt he did not deserve to be there, for he had tried to destroy it. More memories surfaced, ones of his early teenage-hood…
He had been walking down the street that led from the Sage's house to his own. A smell permeated through the air and the boy instantly recognized it as Lurker. He ran home and found his father. "Dad! The Lurkers are attacking again!" His father immediately stopped hitting the punching bag and turned around.
"Well what are you waiting for? Go get 'em," his father shouted as he went into the closet.
"By myself?"
"Yes son. We've trained you, and you have the Sage's wisdom and power. I have faith that you can do this," is father said as he put a hand on his son's shoulder.
"He was right. I did do it. And I managed to keep my temper," the man thought as he returned to the present. Guilt once again rose in him as he saw images from his brief time as an agent of evil…
"Please have mercy!" A woman screamed as the man walked towards her. Lips curled into a cruel smile as he looked down through yellow and black eyes without pity.
"Mercy… is for the weak," he said as purple electricity flowed from his fingers. The woman screamed as the Dark Eco entered her body and ravaged her flesh. A sick laugh came from the throat as he ceased his attack. "Now, I'll ask you again. Where. Is. The. Precursor. Eye?" He asked, punctuating every word with an electrical blast.
"In… in there," the woman moaned as she pointed to a wall. The man extended his hand and a ball of Dark Eco shot forth, obliterating the wall and revealing a hidden room. A Lurker Scout went into the room and collected the artifact the man was searching for: an eye for a Precursor Robot.
"Thank you for your cooperation," the man said as he smiled at the woman. He briefly considered putting her out of her misery, but he decided against it. After all, she had stabbed him and therefore deserved to suffer.
"Burn in Legatee," the woman wheezed. "You are nothing but a monster, and mark my words, you will die a monster…" she said as her head hit the floor: she was unable to keep it up any longer. The woman gave a great shuddering gasp before dying at last…
"How right she was," the man thought as he stepped into the moonlight. Purple energy crackled around his body as he looked to the north and closed his eyes in concentration.
"YOU!" a voice roared. The man turned around and saw a half-Lurker, half-elf launched itself at him. The man fell to the floor and Hatu raised his hand and extended his claws. "I'm going to kill you once and for all Torqueo," the half-breed growled as he brought his hand down. Benedict focused the pulsating energy within his body and erected a shield. Hatu was thrown off and landed on the ground.
"I am Torqueo no more," Benedict proclaimed as he stood up. Hatu tensed his body, but as Benedict stared at him, he realized that the madness and hatred that had filled his eyes was gone. He raised his hands again, wary of a trick.
"Prove it."
"I swore once to help you destroy the Dark Lords. I became one and now it is time for me to fulfill my promise," Benedict said sincerely.
"Not enough."
"I still love Keira…" Hatu tensed his body up at this statement, but his jaw dropped at Benedict's next words. "But my love for her has evolved, and I no longer desire her. I now desire her happiness. I've seen her with Jak, and I'm happy for her." Hatu nodded slowly: he knew that Torqueo would never have been able to do or even say such a thing.
"Margaret saved me, and now I have to repent for my sin."
"What do you mean?"
"Do me a favor Hatu,"
"What?"
"There is a note in that cave." Something in Benedict's voice made Hatu's ear twitch.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm going to die," Benedict said softly.
"What do you mean? You look fine to me."
"Maia. She implanted a Dark Seed in me."
"Isn't that the-"
"One that kills the host within three days of removal? Yes. It was removed three days ago."
"Will it hurt?"
"No. What will happen is simple. The Dark Eco in my body will cause my body to detonate."
"Then why not Channel the Eco out?"
"I tried. It is more painful than anything you could possibly imagine. I can Channel any type of Eco other than Dark."
"So what are you doing."
"Maia did this to me, and now it is time for her to pay."
"What are you doing?" Hatu asked, slightly more aggressively this time.
"If my body is going to explode, then I am going to take her down with me. With only Gol remaining, it will be much easier for you guys."
"That's suicide," Hatu gasped.
"Maybe. But staying here and waiting to die will be more horrible than anything else. And there is another thing,"
"What?" Hatu asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"I know my body is going to explode, but I don't know how big the explosion will be. I don't want to take out innocent lives, hard though that may be to imagine."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to give that note to Margaret when I leave."
"But going there unarmed is suicide," Hatu protested, trying to talk some sense into the friend that had become an enemy before returning to the light.
"I know going there is suicide."
"But I can make it easier for you," Hatu said.
"Really?" Benedict asked as he raised an eyebrow. Hatu nodded seriously. "How?"
"The Eco Belt. Keira still has a couple leftover, and I don't see why I don't 'borrow' one for you."
"You're going to steal?" Benedict asked, shocked that Hatu would do such a thing.
"It's not stealing if I always have access to them, nor if I am using them for a good cause, right?" Hatu asked with a grim smile.
"I suppose…" Benedict muttered.
"Good. I'll go get one for you," Hatu said as he rushed back to the village.
"Why are you helping him?" Wartstal's voice sounded in Hatu's mind.
"I trust him. He seems redeemed. And if he manages to kill Maia, I'll take some satisfaction knowing I helped."
"True. All right brother, I'll trust your judgment."
Hatu snuck into Samos' hut and found a full Eco Belt. He began to sneak back out again, creating as little noise as possible. For all he said, he did not want to explain why he was here or what he was doing. Such questions he did not want to answer.
"Here it is. One Eco Belt, primed and ready to go, as promised," Hatu said as Benedict put his belt on.
"I can't tell you how much this means to me," Benedict said as he began to concentrate on teleportation.
Hatu nodded and stepped back. Once a faint bubble began to surround Benedict, Hatu ran forward and touched Benedict's arm. He felt as though his body was being compressed from all angles. When the pressure lessened, Hatu opened his eyes and saw himself lying down in the throne room, for lack of a better term, of Gol and Maia's Citadel.
"So, he returns," a harsh female voice said as Maia, one of the Dark Lords and sister to Gol Akaron, stepped out of the shadows.
"Maia! You sowed the Dark Seed into my body!" Benedict spat. Hatu tried to move but his body had not yet recovered. Or at least, it didn't feel like moving.
"True," Maia said as she picked at her fingernails.
"And now I shall kill you!" Benedict roared.
"We shall see," Maia hissed as her aura flared to life. Benedict stood his ground as her energy signal passed by him. He waited for her to make the first move: now that his mind was clear, he knew that charging in against a Dark Eco Sage was definitely not one of the wisest choices he could make.
They both acted simultaneously, running one way and firing Yellow Eco Blasts from Benedict while Maia launched an identical attack comprised of Dark Eco. The blasts hit each other and the larger Yellow Eco Blasts nullified and cancelled out the Dark Eco Blasts. Benedict ran at Maia, who leapt into the air. Benedict looked up in time to see Maia throw a disk of energy. Benedict barrel-rolled out of the way and shot a small blast of Yellow Eco. Maia simply allowed gravity to take over for her as she landed to avoid the attack. Benedict rushed up and changed his Eco Boxes, deciding to use his Red Eco Box. Maia called upon her Sagely powers to increase her strength.
After a few minutes of exchanging blows (neither damaging the other significantly), Benedict leapt over Maia. She turned, and as Benedict landed, he leapt again, flipping over her again. Maia spun again, but was not quick enough this time and received a booted foot in her chest. Benedict watched as Maia pried herself out of the wall and shot back at him. At the last second, Maia shot up and gathered energy until she unleashed ten thin beams of power at Benedict, each one emanating from her fingertips. Benedict pivoted and danced ridiculously on the spot to avoid them. As he dodged, Benedict shot several large blasts of Yellow Eco at the Dark Lord. Maia cut through said attacks easily, but Benedict had been prepared for that. All the Dark Eco did was split up the attacks so that instead of six or seven powerful attacks hitting her, twenty or so mild blasts impacted against her and she went falling down, dazed from the unexpected twist.
Maia summoned an Eco Blade as Benedict rushed to greet her and sent waves of energy at her adversary. Benedict leapt over the incoming attacks and summoned a Red Eco Blade. He brought his sword up in a horizontal slash to the right, but a vertical block stopped it.Benedict decided to go with the momentum and spun around. In the middle of his spin, Maia punched him in the back, her strength amplified by the Dark Eco in her system. Benedict stumbled forward and fell to the ground. He pointed his Blade behind him and shot flames out of the end, hoping to stave Maia off for a few crucial seconds. Maia flew into the air to avoid being cooked extra-crispy. Benedict got back up and brought his sword down and to the left, but again he was deflected. This time, however, Benedict did not spin around, not wanting to repeat the same mistake twice.
Maia pushed Benedict's sword back again and copied his last attack; she came down and to the left. Benedict blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to slice off Maia's legs. Maia leapt over the attack and brought her sword up behind her head before slamming it down. Benedict blocked it and they began pushing against each other, each trying to throw the other off balance. Maia pushed her blade up, leaving Benedict temporarily defenseless, and then delivered a hard kick to Benedict's chest.
Benedict went flying back, but landed on his feet, using his agility and flexibility to regain his footing. He slowly walked towards the Dark Lord and swung his sword in a vertical path going down. Maia blocked this blow, but was caught by surprise whenBenedict swung his sword in the opposite direction and came up from below. The tip of his blade touched her skin, cutting but cauterizing the wound at the same time.
Maia hissed but otherwise ignored the pain and brought her sword crashing down on Benedict's head. Or at least she would have, had her enemy not once again blocked the attack. Benedict then turned his blade and came at Maia from below, only to be foiled and blocked again. Again and again they went back and forth. Any spectator would have been unable to discern one blade from the other if they had been the same color; as they were both moving so fast that the blades left blurs in the air behind them. Once again, Benedict came up from the ground and was blocked; both of them holding their blades firmly in place as they circled each other. Maia broke her off and did a triple strike, coming first across from the left, then across from the right, then straight down. Benedict blocked all three blows with relative ease and then resumed taking the offensive. He swung his blade across, making Maia lean back. Benedict was quick to press weight on the blade in an attempt to overbear her. Maia leaned so that her head was nearly to the ground and kicked Benedict in the chin.
Benedict stumbled backwards and received a Dark Eco Blast in the chest. He healed his body quickly and then quickly got up and stopped Maia's next attack- a downward stroke to the left. He back-flipped away and landed on his feet, bent down with one hand on the ground and the other in front of his face. He rose and charged Maia, swinging his sword in a straight thrust. Maia quickly parried it and the two of them once again danced around each other, attacking and blocking, pivoting and parrying in an attempt to win.
Benedict swung his sword to the left and then seemed to vanish into thin air. Maia heard air being cut through behind her and quickly turned around to stop the Blade that was coming for her neck. After her block, she moved her rapier down and then back up to put Benedict off balance. Benedict recovered instantaneously and brought his sword above his head and slammed it down, then brought it back and repeated the motion. Maia continued blocking and eventually had to take a step back. This one movement would prove to be her downfall, as Benedict was quick to strike again and again, almost to quickly to see. Maia tried one last attack: a downward chop with all of her enhanced strength behind it. Benedict blocked and put both hands on opposite sides of his sword. He pushed back as hard as he could and forced Maia to fall over. The woman continued trying to defend herself as Benedict's sword crashed against hers continuously, but eventually the redeemed elf prevailed. Bringing his sword across rather than down, Benedict made Maia's sword arm swing wildly out and then he brought his sword down for one final attack.
Or at least he would have, had Maia not teleported away at the last possible instant. She reappeared some twenty odd feet away and the two of them stared at each other. They put their weapons away and Benedict summoned his Yellow Eco Box, marveling at how much energy the Box could hold. After all he had been through, Benedict saw that he had only used about fifteen percent of the Box's total capacity.
Benedict ducked down and twisted to the right, feeling the heat from the blasts that he narrowly avoided being nailed by. He pushed off of the ground and pulled himself into a back flip as his foe continued to fire upon him. Benedict twisted about while still in the middle of his jump, and he saw more blasts coming his way as Maia continued to shoot at him. As Maia increased the frequency of her attacks, Benedict decided to take shelter behind the throne chair. "Surely she wouldn't destroy her sign of power just to kill me," he thought as he tried to collect himself. He knew his time was growing short, with only thirty minutes remaining at best. He realized that he had to fight two wars now: one against Maia; one against time.
Benedict felt a pause in her attacks and leapt into the air, throwing a Yellow Eco Grenade, which arced across the battlefield like a flare. Maia rebounded the technique before shooting Dark Lightning back across back at Benedict. A normal elf attacking her would have been killed, even if he or she had lasted fifteen minutes, but Benedict was like Jak: in no way normal.
By the time the lightning had impacted the ground, Benedict had already left the area, using Blue Eco to augment his speed. He continued to zoom around the room, Maia's attacks hitting either the ground or the wall.
Maia grew frustrated as she launched attack after attack at her foe, only to have it dodged. She briefly considered just filling the air with attacks and not giving her enemy enough room to dodge with before she saw through his strategy. Benedict was luring her: keeping her attacking so that she would drain her own powers. She gathered two balls of Dark Eco and waited for Benedict to throw the next attack.
Benedict growled softly: Maia had cottoned on to his strategy. He charged in with a Red Eco Grenade in his hand. As Maia prepared for a distance attack, Benedict finished closing the gap and extended the attack into a Bade. He snapped his Blade up from the left side as he summoned another in his left hand, aiming a wicked strike for Maia's unarmored ribs. His weapon was a blur as it moved, but incredibly, Maia summoned an Eco Blade and slapped his attack harmlessly aside. As one of Benedict's Blades went off to the side, Maia thrust forward with the her other Blade. Such a blow would have run the Benedict right through if it had connected with him. Fortunately, Benedict had seen the attack coming, and he ducked underneath the strike. Benedict dropped to the ground before using his improved strength to catapult right over Maia and attacked with both weapons, hoping to take his enemy by surprise.
Maia had sensed such an attack coming, and rather than block it, she decided to teleport. As Benedict's weapons passed through naught but thin air, Maia reappeared in the exact same spot, only facing him this time. Benedict stepped back and launched a fireball at Maia, having seen Jak do it a few times he had been concentrating on earning this attack for two days. He had only mastered it a few hours ago, and was therefore hoping that such a power would come to him as readily in a fight as it did in training. Maia ducked and spun around, compressing one of her Blades to the size of a baseball before hurling it at Benedict. Benedict leapt over the attack while continuing to throw his pyro-based attack at Maia, pleased that he was able to harness his abilities as freely as he had hoped. Maia suddenly teleported again, purple fumes erupting with a loud crack as she disappeared. Benedict had about a second to wonder where she went before she reappeared suddenly in front of him, both her Blades back and coming in at him.
With speed that seemed unnatural, Benedict deflected both attacks and was forced to continue doing so as Maia kept up her assault. Benedict retracted both of his Blades and leapt away from the fray, sending a beam of Yellow Eco at his foe. The female despot ducked under the attack and threw one of her Blades, spinning it around so that it resembled a disk. As Benedict leapt out of the way of the attack, Maia threw a blast of Dark Lightning, hoping to hit him where he landed.
Benedict saw the attack coming and launched another beam of Yellow Eco, his attack overpowering Maia's and forcing his opponent to dodge to the right in order to keep all of her limbs attached to her body. She gathered her energy and threw a Dark Grenade at Benedict, who leapt into the air and came down only to find another blast heading straight at him. Benedict knew that there was nothing he could do to deflect or dodge the incoming attack and gritted his teeth. Nothing however, could prepare him for the unbearable pain that came with the attacks of Dark Eco. After laying on the floor, Benedict decided now would be a good time to heal, and he did so.
Unnoticed by either of the dueling Channelers was Hatu's groan of pain. Unnoticed, too, went his attempts to get up off the floor. As Hatu looked behind him to see what was holding him back, he was horrified to see that snake-like tentacles had slithered out of the floor and were holding him down.
Back at the legendary duel, both fighters had summoned a solitary Eco Blade and were staring at one another. Benedict knew that he would need more than brute force to overwhelm Maia, and he tentatively hit the switch on his Yellow Eco Box. To his relief, the pain that Jak had described did not wash over him, and he charged Maia, knowing that he would be prepared for nearly anything, be it a ranged or close combat attack. Maia's Dark Eco Blade came down in a mighty swing, meeting Benedict's upstroke halfway through, and the two began a strength contest. Eco Blade clashed against Eco Blade, and sparks of Eco flew from the weapons as they gritted against each other as though the owners hoped that theirs would cut through the opponent's.
With a burst of strength, Maia shoved Benedict's weapon down and to the left, before pushing off of the ground and bringing both of her feet slamming against the head of her foe. Benedict stumbled backward. Maia summoned another balls of Dark Eco and launched it at Benedict, putting enough power behind the attack to blast a hole through Benedict's chest.
Benedict saw the attack coming and, stunned though he was, brought his Blade and swung it with all his might. The Dark Eco Grenade was hit by the Red Eco Blade and was deflected right back at the caster. Maia raised her hand and the attack impacted against her palm and was absorbed back into her body. Seconds later, Benedict launched himself forward and struck, hoping to hit Maia while she was concentrating on getting her energy back. Maia brought her own weapon up to meet the strike, swatting it aside and then following through with a wickedly powerful uppercut. Benedict dodged to the right and swung in at a horizontal angle, aiming for Maia's floating right rib. Maia swung her Blade in a wide arc before bringing it up from the floor. Had such an attack hit, Benedict would have found himself in two pieces, cut in half from the groin to the head. Fortunately, however, he had seen the attack coming and jumped back and up. Using the combined powers of Red and Blue Eco to go all the way up to the ceiling. He launched off the roof and blasted towards his adversary.
Maia saw the attack coming, and ducked beneath the strike, rolling backwards and pushing off the ground with her hands. As Benedict rolled forward and jumped over her, unable to stop himself due to the momentum of his previous attack, Maia kicked up and caught Benedict right in the gut with a powerful two-footed kick. Benedict hit the floor and vaulted up using his hands. As he balanced on one of his hands, getting ready to go back on his feet, he saw Maia launch a small spear of Dark Eco at him. He cursed mentally and, as he balanced and spun on one hand, used his Blade held in the other to swat the attack away. He pushed off the ground and used is free hand turn off the Blue Eco Box and opted to use the Yellow Eco one. The wisdom of such a move was revealed a second later, as a Yellow Eco beam split through the air. Maia jumped over he first attack only to be forced to deflect a barrage of fireballs. As she landed, Benedict swung his Eco Blade, causing streams of flame to erupt from the weapon and streak across the floor. Maia flew up and hovered in the air, sending a quick burst of Dark Lightning at her adversary to ensure he did not come any closer. Benedict, however, countered the Dark Lightning with a small wall of flames he erected in front of him, and he rushed forward as he changed back to his Blue Eco Box.
The two met moments later at break-neck speed. Benedict's crimson sword and Maia's mauve foil connected for a brief moment before both Channelers attempted another strike. Maia went up and over, coming down to the right, while Benedict went down and under before coming up and to the left. The two weapons clashed again, crossing each other midway through their strokes. As fast as she could, the dark elf broke off her attack and spun about, bringing her weapon around and aiming for Benedict's chest, a blow that surely would have left a mark had it connected.
However, Benedict was fast enough with his speed supported by Blue Eco to get his own weapon up in time to block the strike, and once again a blade lock ensued amongst the two rivals, sparks flying as red and dark vied for control of the battle. With a grunt, Maia broke the lock and backed off for a second, calling upon her powers, summoning dark lightning to his aid, while Benedict opted for a more defensive tactic, raising his shield of flames once again in an attempt to outlast his foe. Maia's black eyes narrowed, and she focused his powers to a greater degree, trying to shatter the Eco shield that her enemy had around himself. A grunt of pain could clearly be heard as Benedict flew backwards, hitting the wall when he had run out of room. He pried himself out and waited for Maia to attack him again.
Such a thing happened within a few moments. The corrupted elf shot across the room, dodging a beam of Yellow Eco and a narrow blast of fire. The Dark Lord shot up into the air before coming down, appearing as nothing more than a blur through the air. The two met again an instant later, blades hissing harshly through the air at each other as they slashed, chopped, thrust and spun, each seeking to pierce the other's defenses. Maia decided that she had better start using more powerful attacks, as she had underestimated the redeemed elf that was so determined to kill her before passing on. She extended her hand and focused, sending a telekinetic blast forward. Although Gol was much better at such attacks than she was, Maia's still packed enough power to send Benedict up and into the ceiling again. As he dropped, Benedict gathered most of his remaining Yellow Eco into his palm. He slammed it into the ground, and a massive explosion lit the room as the impact created a very nice imitation of a mega-ton bomb. The walls were blasted away and Maia, Sage though she was, knew that if she did not summon a shield, she would be hard put to survive such an attack. So summon a shield she did, though the sheer force of Benedict's attack drove her back seventy feet or so.
As Maia stood, she realized that she had definitely underestimated the amount of power her foe possessed, and realized that if he kept up these kinds of attacks, he might actually defeat her.
For many minutes, the battle raged back and forth, neither ever holding the edge for long. Benedict was getting desperate, feeling the barely contained power within him struggling to get out. Maia was trying to kill Benedict before he exploded, or at least incapacitate him. The force of his explosion would kill her if she was within twenty feet of him. As she rushed back n again, she swung her Blade down before melting it into as blast of Dark Lightning. Benedict, caught unprepared, was blasted back and once again found himself kissing a wall.
Benedict once again pried himself out of the wall and healed his body, feeling the pulsating feeling fade slightly. Benedict realized that by using Green Eco, he would be able to prolong the moment when he died. For how long he could do such a thing remained to be seen. Maia rushed forward, her hands coated in liquid Dark Eco that she kept hovering about a millimeter above her skin. Benedict knew that it he was hit, the Eco would not just hurt him: it would most likely eat through his flesh and bone all together. He focused more power into his sword in hope that it would allow him to use his weapon to defend with. As Maia struck, Benedict defended and was pleased to see that his theory had been proven correct. He was quick to intercept both strikes, but Maia, undiscouraged, spun around and delivered a kick straight to his chest, blasting him backwards off of his feet and crashing into a wall again. Benedict couldn't help but wince as he got up off the floor, knowing the blow had cracked his rib cage at the very least. Nonetheless, he stomached the pain and then took to the air as Maia rushed back towards him, a war cry resonating throughout the stadium. Using all of the powers that she had at her disposal, the Dark Lord leapt into the air, and rose thirty feet up before summoning two Dark Eco Blades and swinging both of her weapons towards her foe.
Benedict back flipped out of the way of the assault and, as gravity began to take its hold upon the warrior, he extended his palms towards the armored elf. The air in front of the Channeler began to distort and waver before bursting into flames. As he fell, Benedict launched his pyrokinetic attack.
With an oath, Maia executed a mid air dash to get out of the way, but was unable to escape the attack completely, The flames washed over her, turning his armor from gold to a darkened bronze as it was partially melted by the intense heat. The properties of her armor allowed her skin to go unscathed, but if she was to lose her armor, her powerful defense would vanish.
Benedict launched a few Yellow Eco Grenades at Maia, knowing the dark elf would dodge. He stood still as she rushed at him , concentrating on altering the course of his attacks. The balls of Yellow Eco struck his enemy and Maia fell to the ground, her back being the one place her magical protection did not cover.
"Get up," Benedict growled at his opponent. Maia heard him and rage boiled in her blood. Her eyes began to bleed black, just as the black parts turned a bright red. Rather than rising, Maia teleported and reappeared ten feet away from Benedict. The two ran in opposite directions, firing small Eco pellets all the time. Maia leapt in the opposite direction, moving with speed and agility to rival Benedict's. Benedict came up shooting his own blasts, his projectiles spitting rapid three shot bursts at the powerful elf. He felt the heat as Dark Eco sped by, coming within inches of making contact, and quickly reminded himself that although she was full of rage and was more likely to use irrational attacks, Maia was even more deadly than before.
On the other hand, this was not to say that Benedict was in any way inferior to his nemesis. He quickly proved this by activating his Blue Eco Box to enhance his physical abilities. He performed a super-elfin leap, completely leaving the Dark elf's field of view, and getting off no less than four bursts. The shots hit home and Benedict grinned grimly as he landed, knowing that although the armor protected her, the blasts would at least stun Maia. Said elf retaliated with several bursts of her own once she had lined Benedict back up in her sights, and while Benedict was able to harness his Blue Eco enhanced agility to dodge most of the projectiles or use his Red Eco Blade to reflect them. Maia did succeed in bringing several beams dangerously close to Benedict's ears. The Channeler fired as he leapt again, but as it was before, the shots connected, but did nothing to his foe.
Finally realizing that the armor protected her too well to be damaged by normal shots, the color Eco-harnessing elf quickly took cover behind a three foot high raised portion of the ground while he waited. The elf waited as he charged up a beam of sufficient power, his ears becoming his eyes. As his muscles tensed, Benedict waited for anything that would betray where Benedict was. Then, he heard the slight 'thump' as a foot moved through the floor. In an instant, he had sprang up and unleashed the charged up bolt.
Maia's eyes widened to roughly the size of Eco Orbs as she saw the small yellow meteor come sailing in towards him. The dark Channeler jumped to the side, but due to Benedict's ingenuity, still had some of her facial hair scorched off and felt a pain shot along the side of his head as bits of heated stone and metal pelted his face. Still, Maia counted her blessings when she looked behind her and discovered an eleven-inch crater where the blast had hit. Benedict growled at Maia as she formed a ball of Dark Eco that was roughly the size of a volleyball and squeezed it down to the size of a baseball. She tossed it at him, and he easily dodged it. After hearing a small noise, Benedict turned around and saw the ball had actually bounced off the rock behind him and rolled along the ground until it came to a rest right next to the elf.
Now it was Benedict's turn to feel his eyes grow wide, and he hurled himself from his cover. Still, the small Eco bomb was about the same as a grenade, and he had not gotten more than seven feet away when it exploded. A scream tore its way from Benedict's throat as the heat washed over him. His pain swiftly increased as he went right through a chair and came to rest. Benedict willed away the pain and nausea of his wound and stood tall as he healed himself. He then stared into the eyes of his foe, his own glowing orbs promising a hundred excruciating retaliations. Maia coolly summoned another Dark Eco grenade in her hand, smirking at her adversary.
Benedict was quick to take advantage of the distraction, putting another huge blast dead on a collision course with his archenemy. Too late, Maia realized the error of concentrating on past minor victories, and was blown off her feet as the comet connected with her upper body. She skidded for a small ways before coming to a stop. She inspected her armor and saw that most of the plating had been damaged by the bolt, but thankfully, nothing else had been harmed, or her future could have looked bleak indeed.
Returning her attention to the battle, Maia fired a grenade and as she expected, Benedict dove away and to the right, trying to get far enough away so that he didn't have to risk getting blown off the edge. Finally realizing it would probably take far more to kill his opponent than he had originally expected, the dark Channeler used her powers to send telekinetic blasts across the battlefield, the only things giving them away being the strange distortions they left in the air.
Benedict fired another large shot again, but this time Maia was ready, and dropped flat at the last minute. Quickly, Benedict ducked behind cover and healed the lacerations covering his body. He leapt onto the rock and sprung away, not wishing to get another Dark Grenade fired at him. What instead met him was another barrage of smaller bolts as the dark Channeler got back to her feet, having taken advantage of the lull in the fighting to also heal the scars on her body. Benedict's Eco Blade was quick to intercept these shots, sending them ricocheting about. This had the humorous effect of causing Maia to drop back down again as a few whizzed back towards her. If he hadn't been fighting for his life, Benedict would have smiled as Maia leapt in the air and was forced to twirl like a ballerina to keep his limbs attached.
By this time, Maia was beginning to lose patience due to the sheer stubbornness of her opponent. Opting to overkill, and assuming Benedict would not be able to survive by what he was about to do, Mia summoned her remaining power and launched a massive beam of energy at Benedict. Benedict saw his chance and dashed forward, using Blue Eco to keep his momentum and Green Eco as a shield. He plowed right through Maia's attack and grabbed her chest, pinning her arms to the side as he clasped his hands around her back. Maia struggled as Dark Eco crackled through the air. For an instant, Maia wondered about this, since she wasn't Channeling any Eco. Her eyes widened again as she realized what was happening.
"That's right Maia," Benedict snarled as the air around him began to heat up. Hatu watched Maia struggle to free herself, panic beginning to cloud her thoughts.
"I can't believe this," she muttered.
"Believe it," Benedict snarled as he skin began to crack. Purple light flowed from the breaks in his skin as he screamed in pain. Light began to gather around the two of them as the fatal effect of the Dark Seed finally finished its job.
Benedict shouted and Maia screamed along with him as the explosion started at his chest before engulfing everything around him within fifty feet. Hatu felt the wind from the explosion even from where he was, nearly a hundred feet off. Right before he passed out from the heat from the explosion, Benedict's dying words echoed in his mind.
"I will not die a monster…"
Okay, I know that Hatu and Benedict got along together WAY too fast, but I figured time was of the essence, and I couldn't have Benedict waste too much energy. In case you're wondering, the title is a Latin expression that means "at the point of death." I thought it appropriate seeing the ending of the chapter. As a side note, I just noticed this now. Why do the bigger droids in Star Wars have a blaster on only one arm? Install two! They can still use hands, but wouldn't it make more sense to have two? Wouldn't a Jedi find it slightly harder to deflect twice as many blasts? Sorry for the rant. I'll shut up and let everyone berate me for the horribleness (wow that's a word) of this chapter. Don't be too mean, and I hope everyone enjoys President's Day and whatever other days you might get off next week. And if anyone has any ideas for Rules of Life, I'm listening.
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 #6 of Life (inspired by an anonymous quote): Choose wisely who you are going to marry. This single act will determine ninety percent of your happiness and misery for the rest of your life.