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.
Amathist Fwirrel- Yup, good ol' Catch 22's. I wouldn't banish Jak to a lump of rock. I want to put him and everyone through hardship, but I also needed to give them a reasonable chance of survival even while taking away any hope of actually escaping the island. After I got the idea of banishing Jak for doing something good, (irony) I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean and noticed that Barbossa banished Jack to an island, but gave him food, shade and shelter. Hehe, I just realized Captain Jack Sparrow and Jak have the same name. I'll be honest: I don't get the joke. If you'd said Timon and Pumbaa, then I would have gotten it, but I don't know who Ant and Dec are… Anyway, thanks very much for your kind review, and hopefully my next chapter will be up later today.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.
Unforeseen Aid From An Unexpected Source
"Jak! Stay out of that corner, its mine!" Daxter shouted as he glared at his friend.
"Shut up Daxter," Keira shouted as she continued to try to light the fire. It had burned out again: for some reason the wood here did not burn. Not even Jak's Eco Fire could burn for more than ten minutes.
"Don't tell me to shut up you grease monkey!" Daxter called to Keira.
"What did you call me you little rat?" Keira said as she glared over at the small orange animal. Jak quickly stepped between them, keeping one hand below Keira's neck while holding Daxter in his right hand. Jak winced as Daxter scratched him in an effort to get Jak to let go, but Jak was adamant. Keira and Daxter glared at each other before their bodies slumped down in exhaustion.
"Sorry Keira," Daxter muttered as he looked down at the ground. Jak loosened his grip and his small friend climbed across his arm and sat on Jak's shoulder. Daxter leaned against Jak's shoulder, panting because of the heat.
"It's okay Dax. I guess we're all a little touchy because of this place." Jak nodded in agreement with Keira. The days were unbearably hot, but worse than that was the nights, when the water that Jak had collected from a stream would begin to freeze.
"We gotta get the Legatee off this place," Daxter sighed.
"But how?" Veston asked as he entered the small cave, a bundle of wood strapped to his back.
"Why'd you bother getting wood: we can't burn it?" Cara asked as she looked up from the stone where she was cutting some fruits they picked from the trees.
"This isn't from the ship. While I was collecting more fruit, I fell of the tree. My sword came out slightly and sheared a thin layer of the outer covering off. I peeled more back and found that those trees have wood underneath, so I cut some off and figured we might try burning it."
"Oh. Nice job," Cara said as she smiled at her former first mate. Veston nodded at the captain and smiled proudly. As he sat down and began to undo the straps of the pack on his back, Jak came over and helped him out. As the wood cluttered to the ground, Jak turned on his Red Eco Box and gathered a small ball of flame. He brought it closer to the wood and it burst into flame. He tossed it into the fireplace they had created and dumped the rest of the wood on as well.
Half an hour later, the wood was still burning, and everyone was celebrating the fact that they now had a way of keeping warm at night other than huddling together and shivering while hoping that the body heat from everyone else would warm them. As Jak poured himself some more juice, Keira began to cough.
"Is there anyway that we can cut a hole in the top?" She asked while she coughed. "The smoke is making it hard to breathe." Jak nodded and had Keira lie down before he flew to the top of the sixteen-foot tall cave. He gathered what little Yellow Eco power he had felt and summoned an Eco Blade that was only half the length it usually was. Using his Blue Eco powers to move himself in the air, Jak carved a small hole about two feet in diameter in the ceiling. The smoke billowed out and went spiraling up into the night sky.
"Thanks Jak," Keira said as he landed. Jak smiled at her, but frowned when he was her face: it was red and puffy. He got up to get her a glass of cold water, but by the time he had gotten back, she had already fallen asleep. Jak ripped a sleeve of his shirt off and doused it in the water. He draped the rag against Keira's forehead and frowned when she did not respond. He looked over at Cara and Veston, but decided not to bother them. They looked very busy discussing a way to make a raft and get off the island. Cara seemed to be protesting, saying that they would have no way to steer, and that they could wind up in a place far worse than where they were already.
Jak turned his attention back to Keira and debated covering her up or leaving her exposed. He decided to place her near the fire so that she would be warm but wouldn't burn up. He sat down next to her and kept a vigilant eye on her, hoping that her face would become paler again. It was normal for her cheeks to have slightly reddish tinge to them (Jak enjoyed it: he thought it looked cute on her), but never before had her face been so red, not even when Daxter had caught them kissing. Jak was sure that she was not embarrassed from asking him for help, but was certain that she had gotten sick from either the island or inhaling too much smoke.
All through the night, Jak kept an eye on Keira, even after the fire burnt out and the sun rose, causing rolls of heat waves to wash over the entire party. Keira began to take a turn for the worse, sweating and shaking. By noon, everyone noticed Keira's sudden illness and was wondering what could have caused it. Cara theorized that perhaps an insect had given her something, since the mosquitoes had ravaged all of them every night. Veston countered this by wondering why no one else had fallen prey to the disease of that was indeed the way it was transmitted.
"Maybe she just has a fever," Daxter wondered out loud. Jak shook his head and pulled the cover he had placed over Keira's body when he had felt her forehead and found her to be freezing last night about half an hour after the fire had burned out. Keira's entire body shivered as though freezing despite her being drenched in sweat. Her clothes were drenched as though she had gone swimming in them, but Jak hardly paid attention to such minor details. Daxter fell silent. Jak was right: this was no ordinary fever.
"Could it be the smoke?" Veston asked, as he had heard Keira complain about the smoke. Jak nodded slightly to show that he agreed with this thought. The conversation was halted by a massive blast resounding through the air.
"What in the name of the Precursors was that?" Daxter screamed after he had taken his hands off his ears when the sound had stopped. Jak stuck a finger in his ear and rotated it: he could no longer hear what was happening. He shook his head violently, almost dislodging Daxter, but finally he got his hearing back.
"It sounded like a," Cara began, but did not finish the sentence. She looked over at Veston, who had the same bewildered look on his face, confirming her thought that the sound was indeed what she thought it was.
"Let's go check outside," Veston said quickly and the group followed him outside. Jak and Daxter's jaws dropped- there was the Apprehender, just as they had left it in the middle of the sea.
"How the Legatee did it get out here? And if it drifted, then what was that blast we heard before? Unless it came from the ship, in which case, who's on that ship?" Jak thought as he cautiously made his way towards the ship. Suddenly a very short creature swathed in robes appeared at the top of the bow.
"Let's go everyone!" it shouted. Jak stepped back in shock, for the voice had been that of Sett's.
"But he couldn't be here now," Jak thought. "And even if he was, he's not so short."
"Trust your first instinct Jak," the creature said as he jumped off the ship and landed in front of them all. He threw back his robe, revealing a smooth face with green eyes, short silver hair and a slightly wrinkled forehead. The ears that stuck out of his head were small, but the edges were rounded rather than pointy. Jak suspected that such a curving would give Sett (if this creature was indeed Sett) better hearing than most.
"Now is not the time for the story of why my appearance has changed," Sett said as he walked towards the cave. "We must work quickly, and time is of the essence." Jak nodded and went into the cave and getting Keira. He carried her out and showed her to his old trainer, hoping the wizened elf would have some idea to the causes of her condition. Sett took one look at the prone female elf and his eyes widened.
"We must get her out of the sun," he said quickly. "Take her to the ship and watch over her Jak," Sett barked as he went into the cave to see if there was anything useful he could take with them on the journey back to Sandover.
Jak flew up to the ship and went back for Cara and Veston.
"Who is that Jak?" Veston asked as Jak flew him into the ship.
"He used to train Jak in swordsmanship. But I don't know why he changed so much," Daxter answered. Jak landed and Veston let go of Jak's hands. Jak flipped off the ship and gathered Cara. She asked the same question, and Daxter answered the same way. After depositing Cara, Jak repeated the sequence with Bryan and Lauren. After Jak landed, he left everyone and went to check on Keira. She had not improved, if anything she looked worse, Jak thought as he stroked her hair. He knew he had to relax: he was going to make himself sick if he kept feeling so stressed, but he couldn't help it. He heard footsteps approaching and by the sound of them, Sett had gotten back on the ship and was approaching him.
"Cara and Veston and getting the ship off the sand and from here we'll head back to Sandover. By then Keira should be back to normal." Jak looked up at these words. "Yes, I think I know what's wrong with her. I just need to examine her briefly." Jak was slightly uncomfortable about leaving Keira alone, but he reasoned with himself that if he couldn't trust his old teacher with Keira, then he couldn't trust anyone. He stepped out of the room and waited about a minute and a half before Sett said he could come back in.
The small elf collapsed into a chair and held a hand to his forehead. "It's just as I thought. You were all right. This is no ordinary disease. It's not even a disease. it's a combination of sunstroke, dehydration, and a fever." Jak was puzzled at this, the fever and sunstroke he could understand, but dehydration? They had plenty of juice and water in the cave. "To be honest, she probably wouldn't have gotten sick at all if it weren't for the dehydration. It seems she hasn't drunk anything for four days. Or eaten anything." Jak's eyes bugged out at this. He looked down at the sick elf lying on a bed. His eyes began to fill up with tears at the thought of losing her, but Jak quickly blinked them back. Now was not the time for tears; now was the time to figure out how to get Keira better. Cara and Veston walked in and Sett repeated what he had told Jak to the two of them. He then repeated it to Bryan as he walked in carrying Lauren, who, Bryan claimed, had fallen asleep due to sunstroke.
"Okay, then we need to keep her in the shade. Veston, get a cool compress for her head. Sett, I want you to go outside and keep an eye on the ship while we care for Keira down here. She's in good hands- I took a course in medical care when I went to school." Sett nodded at Cara's orders and went outside. "Daxter, I want you to find the kitchen and get something soft for Keira to eat. Bryan, go with him and get some water as well." Daxter made a smart-aleck salute, but hopped off of Jak's shoulder onto Bryan's and the two of them left to do as they were asked. Jak looked at Cara, slightly hurt because she didn't seem to have a need for him.
"Don't worry Jak, I have a very important job for you," Cara said, guessing at Jak's train of thought. "don't overreact, but there was a reason I sent everyone else out of the room. We need to get her out of those clothes." Jak's face erupted at this statement but he tried to keep his reaction under control. "Get some clothes out of the dresser over there," Cara told him as she took the covers off of Keira. Jak got a pair of red sweatpants and a dark blue baggy shirt out of the drawers. They were much too big for Keira, probably because they were for Ollie, Jak thought.
"Good. I need you to hold Keira's body as I undress and redress her," Cara told Jak. Jak once again blushed, but nodded. He stood behind Keira and sat next to her. He positioned her on his lap and undid the straps of her overalls. He then closed his eyes as he felt Cara remove the pants. As they came off, Jak could feel Keira's legs right against his. He noticed how smooth they felt, not to mention muscular. He wondered how Keira got so in-shape and made a mental note to ask her when she woke up.
"Okay Jak, stand up," Cara said as she pulled the soaking wet pants off and threw them on the floor. Jak stood up, eyes still tightly closed and lifted Keira about an inch off the ground. Cara pulled the sweat pants all the way up and tied them so they wouldn't fall down. Jak at down again and opened his eyes as Keira shuddered slightly. He gazed at her for a split second before he saw Cara put her hands under Keira's shirt and pulled up. Jak closed his eyes again as Keira leaned back after the undressing and he felt her back against his chest. Cara pulled Keira forward and unhooked the strange piece of clothing Jak felt going across Keira's back. Cara looked up at Jak and half smiled, half smirked.
"Here's a guy whose made out with Keira, and yet he's so uncomfortable about taking her shirt off even when she has clothing on underneath. He really is innocent," she thought as she pulled on the shirt. After Keira was dressed, Cara tapped Jak on the shoulder and told him he could open his eyes. Jak laid Keira down and quickly left the room, his face a perfect imitation of a ball of Red Eco.
Jak breathed deeply as he walked out onto the deck of the ship. He had never seen Keira wearing anything less than a bathing suit that one day on the beach, and he had just been forced to hold her while she was undressed. Jak thanked the Precursors that Cara had thought to send Daxter out of the room. His friend would have loved to have been there, yet Jak, even after holding Keira while she was half-naked, still had no idea why Daxter enjoyed looking at females. As the sea air cleared his head and his face returned to its normal tanned look, Jak decided that his friend was merely weird and that he (Jak) was normal. After all, women were just like men, save for the chest and the lower half of them.
"WHAT!" Daxter screamed at Cara. "You're tellin' me that Jak got to hold Keira while you dressed her?" He shouted. Cara glared at the rodent: Keira had told her about what a shameless pervert he was.
"Listen rat, you friend was sick and she needed to get out of her clothes. Since Jak knew her the longest and isn't obsessed with seeing her naked, I chose him to help me."
"Damn it Jak, what I wouldn't give to see what you saw," Daxter muttered as he glared at Cara, who smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, Jak didn't see a thing. He kept his eyes closed the whole time."
"You're joking right?"
"No. But I want to ask you something."
"Why Cara, I'd be more than happy to go out with you. I knew you couldn't resist such an animal," Daxter said while narrowing his eyes and sliding his hands down his chest. Cara rolled his eyes at him and shook her head.
"No you idiot. I was thinking: does Jak like Keira?"
"Of course. Why? Do you like Jak?" Daxter said slyly.
"No," Cara said, her face not turning even light pink. Daxter noticed this and decided if she could say that without blushing even slightly, then she must be telling the truth. "It's just… Jak seemed really uncomfortable with Keira getting undressed near him. I thought that he would liked to see her still half clothed, but he acted like he couldn't wait to get out of here." Daxter whistled softly, as his suspicion about Jak was finally confirmed.
"Well, If you're wondering if Jak likes Keira, watch how he looks at her. He loves Keira. It's not so much that he doesn't want to see her without clothes, it's just, he doesn't think it's proper. You see, he never knew his parents, and his uncle raised him. Jak had the message that 'the female body is sacred and should never be looked at without proper clothing,'" Daxter quoted, imitating Jak's uncle's accent perfectly. "So ever since then he has never looked at Keira unless she's clothed, or in a bathing suit or she said he could. Plus, I don't think he's fully grown up, if you know what I mean," Daxter finished. Cara looked confused at the final statement and Daxter rolled his eyes. "You know, hit that age where he wants to see Keira when she isn't fully clothed."
"Oh. So he's normal, he just hasn't hit puberty."
"Pretty much."
Veston walked in and Daxter and Cara both went quiet, a mutual agreement that since what they discussed wasn't important, they didn't have to repeat it for Veston.
"So Jak, how has fortune treated you lately. Ah, but that's a silly question. With the opening of the Silos, your life can't have been very peaceful lately," Sett mused. Jak nodded, but thought that his life had improved greatly. Not only were he and Keira much closer, but he had found out that there were more civilizations than anyone had thought, and made two new friends who were Channelers. He looked at Sett and pointed at his former teacher before spreading his arms apart and bringing his palms together.
"Ah yes. I suppose I should tell everyone," Sett said as he spun the wheel slightly to the left. Jak nodded and went below. He got everyone to follow him and brought them all up to Sett.
"I suppose that I should start at the beginning. This is my true form. No, I'm not kidding," he added as Jak's mouth dropped and Daxter opened his to talk. Cara and Veston did not seem surprised, as they had never seem him when he was a towering six feet six inches.
"I was born with a defect that stunted my growth and prevented my muscles from developing beyond a certain point. When I was twelve, I decided to take up sword training . Because of my size, I was only accepted in one school. I learned a form called Makashi, and I proved to be most excellent. In fact, within six months I was just as good as the teacher. I politely left the school and moved on to learn another form. It was the same with Jar-Kai and Shien. I mastered both of them and was considered to be the best swordsman at the age of fifteen.
After mastering the three prominent forms on our continent, I decided that what I needed was to make as form of my own. This was partly out of arrogance, as I wanted to be remembered, but it was mostly out of a determination to show that though I was born with a defect, I was not only capable of learning sword techniques, but of creating them as well. I created a form called Wushu, which I have never taught to anyone, but I have always used it. I love it because people other than me can use it, if I could find someone to teach it to. It is very acrobatic and very articulate when slowed down. Spinning, jumping very high and running very fast is what differentiates this form from all others. Due to its aggressive nature, it is an excellent form to use against single enemies. I know for a fact that others might find it leaves the user open to attacks from multiple opponents and so decide that it is wise to use Wushu in a duel, but not in open warfare. I have found that by extending one's awareness and reflexes, this form can bring down armies. I took down seventy Lurkers that ambushed me on my way to The City of the Sky. The key to Wushu is emotional control, as is letting one's emotions fly free.
After creating my own sword, I went on a journey to Pampas Islet. I visited Tarea and inquired about a sword created by the Precursors that I had heard about. According to legend, it had the power to harness Eco and change its shape based on the wielder's desire. She told me that the only reference she could find was that of 'an island swathed in light and darkness.' Naturally, I had no idea what that meant, so I decided to visit Samos. I arrived when Keira was three and Daxter was four. You might remember that you dropped a box on me and laughed at how I could fit in it." Everyone looked at Daxter, who appeared to be thinking hard.
"Oh yeah. But then you stuffed me in the box and pointed out that I could too," he grumbled. Jak smiled while Cara and Veston snorted in laughter. Sett chuckled and continued with his tale.
"Anyway, Samos theorized that I needed to find somewhere that was brightly lit yet plagued by darkness. He would not reveal the location of such a place to me, saying that the Precursors hid such a powerful weapon for a reason. As I left your village, I spotted Misty Island. I decided that going there might provide me with a clue, since it was an island. As I arrived there, I noticed that the perpetual mist seemed to be bright, but the island itself was rich in Dark Eco. I decided that this must be the place and after a week of searching, found the Precursor Blade. After leaving the island, I decided to show it to my father. He had moved to The City of The Sky, so I decided to take a pilgrimage there.
When I arrived in The City of The Sky, Lurkers were raiding it. So I decided to use my form to hold them off. Unfortunately, I saw my father be eaten alive by a Lurker Troll and I became enraged. I lost control over my emotions and began slaughtering them. That wouldn't have been a problem, except that I got carried away and wound up killing fifteen people. Sage Plagueis, the ruler of The City of the Sky, happened to be related to one of the families I had killed. He gave me a potion that took away the very things that made me a master of Wushu. I went back home ashamed of myself and vowed never to lose control again. I was not so foolish that I would give up swordsmanship completely: I knew I could still do good with the blade.
A month later, I was summoned to The City of The Sky by Plagueis. He told me that he had decided to reverse the transformation. Upon arriving in the city, I was blamed for causing the death of the Dark Sage, who was cut to pieces in his sleep. I was exiled and I returned home once more."
Silence accompanied the tale. Jak thought that the story made sense, since Gol had admitted to Margaret and Benedict that he had murdered the former Dark Sage and took his place.
"We need to get ready," Cara said. "With this ship's speed, we should arrive in Sandover in a few hours."
Everyone got up and began doing something. Jak and Veston gripped the ropes on the sail and pulled on them to straighten the slackening cloth. Cara took over the wheel while Sett climbed the mast into the crow's nest and played lookout. Bryan stood still, as he knew nothing about ships, until Cara saw him and yelled at him to do something.
"I don't know what to do!"
"Can you cook?"
"Yes," Bryan responded, slightly defensively.
"Good. Go and cook dinner for later: we won't arrive in Sandover until dawn." Bryan nodded and went off to the kitchens. When he arrived he looked in the pantry and discovered not only meat, but vegetables as well.
"Hmm. I'm thinking of making some chicken francese," he thought to himself as he gathered the necessary ingredients.
"Good job Jak," Veston said as they finally got the sails right. "Thanks for the help, but I can handle it from here. Why don't you go in and keep an eye on Keira; we don't want her getting any worse." Jak nodded and went inside. He sat down next to Keira and placed her head in his lap. He looked down at her and stroked her hair, hoping that she would pull out this illness soon. If she remained unconscious much longer than it would be harder to re-hydrate her. As it was, all he could do was put a cool compress on her forehead and allow the water to soak through her skin and cool her burning body.
Keira moaned slightly and worded something with her lips. Jak leaned closer, hoping that she was trying to talk. "Jak…" she moaned before slipping back into her dreams. Jak frowned: he had been hoping she would wake up.
"Hey Cara! Let me know when you want dinner." Bryan shouted as he went back up deck after gathering all the ingredients.
"I dunno. Maybe in half an hour," she shouted back as she struggled to keep the ship in the right direction: a strong wind had picked up, trying to blow the ship off course to the west.
"I'll start it now then," he hollered over the sound of the wind. He went below the deck and back into the kitchen. He grabbed apiece of raw chicken and began slicing it into strips about a quarter of an inch thick. He found a frying pan and placed it over the stove. As he put enough oil only to coat the bottom of the pan, Bryan wondered how Ollie could have saved up enough for a metal pan. Around Sandover, metal was a rare commodity and was therefore very expensive. If only there was a way to manipulate Precursor metal, then metal would be cheaper than food.
His train of thought moved to Lauren as his hands took on a life of their own, as they always did when he was cooking. He thought back to only a month before Jak and Keira had returned. He had just gotten up the courage to ask Lauren to marry him. Just his luck, that evening, there was an earthquake and then the moon came up, red as blood. And then the next day, the sun had been black. He remembered how almost that day, plants had stopped growing so fast.
All this time, his hands had kept busy, first cracking an egg, then beating it with one hand while the other coated the chicken with a thin layer of flour. A smell reached his nose and Bryan turned around to see that the oil was smoking. He lowered the heat on the stove and dipped the chicken in the raw egg, making sure that everything was fully coated. He turned the heat back up as he put the egg coated chicken in the oil, smiling slightly as he heard the sizzling sound of the egg hitting the oil. He got half a dozen lemons and three cups of grape juice (again, where had Ollie gotten the funds to get all this food?) out of the cupboard and chopped the lemons in half before squeezing their juices into a cup and collecting about four ounces of lemon juice. He stuck his finger in the juice and tasted it, surprised at the taste. He looked at the mixture in surprise: this must be what that merchant had called "wine." Supposedly, all one had to do was squeeze the juice out of grapes and then put it in a basement for a while.
"That's how that old fisherman got all this stuff," Bryan thought to himself as he sampled the wine again. It had a bitter taste, but the aftertaste was sweet in his mouth. "The merchant said he had a fisherman cousin n our village, and that they were working on a project together." Bryan flipped the chicken, happy to see that he had timed it just right and had flipped it when it was golden brown. He waited sixty seconds and removed the chicken before covering it so it wouldn't get cold. He then poured the wine and the lemon juice into the sizzling pan and added half a handful of salt and pepper. As he mix the two repelling liquids, they eventually emulzified into a deep golden sauce. Bryan stuck his finger in the sauce and tasted it, since he was not used to making anything with wine. Normally, he used thin grape juice that had something else in it, he couldn't remember the name of the special ingredient.
Bryan poured the sauce over the meat and covered the entire thing before ringing the ship's bell, signaling that dinner was ready. Jak, Daxter, Cara, Veston and (to Bryan's delight) Lauren came in, he last one looking sleepy and slightly disoriented. Bryan filled her in on all that had happened and on Sett's story as they ate. Just as Bryan had hoped, the meal was delicious.
"Where is Sett anyway?" Lauren asked as she ate her fourth piece of chicken. Jak and Bryan had stopped at three pieces, Daxter at one, and Cara and Veston at two each. "What?" she asked as she cut up her serving and began eating it. There was just something about the sea air that made her hungry. Whenever she was out at sea, Lauren could eat more than a full-grown man.
"He said for me to come down while he steered the ship," Cara said as she filled her glass full of water. "I didn't want to at first, but he argued and then I smelled what Bryan had cooked, so I decided to come down."
"That was nice of-" Lauren's compliment was thrown off as the entire ship tilted to the side. In an instant, Jak, Cara and Veston had risen and were above deck, with Lauren and Bryan not too far behind.
What they saw disgusted them. A massive octopus had surfaced and was trying to destroy the ship. Sett was using his Wushu form to stave off the tentacles. Jak appreciated the beauty of Sett's form: his attacks, parried, thrusts and blocks were graceful and fluid, efficient and stunning. In short, Sett's fight was every bit as deadly as it were amazing to watch. Jak tore his eyes away from the splendid sight to the octopus. Branching off the eight giant tentacles were about two dozen smaller tentacles. And by smaller, they were about the thickness of Jak's body. After about five minutes, during which no one could do anything but stare as Sett staved off the octopus. After losing about half its body, apparently the octopus decided that the ship wasn't worth it and retreated. Sett sheathed his sword and turned around to see everyone looking at him. Jak's sharp eyes saw movement coming from the bottom of the deck and pointed, hoping Sett would turn around.
What happened next took only a second, but it seemed to last an eternity.
As Sett turned, seven tentacles burst forth from the water and wrapped themselves around his body so tightly that Sett could not touch his sword. He struggled for a second before he was pulled off the ship. Everyone ran to the edge and watched in horror as Sett was dragged down to the bottom of the ocean.
Everyone stared in horror as Sett screamed at them to stop Gol.
"Hey everyone, where are we?" a soft voice asked. Jak turned around and saw Keira, swaying slightly, holding her stomach with a grimace and looking around confused. Jak ran over to her and hugged her close to him and lifted her in the air while spinning around. He carried her inside and sat her down. He pushed the remaining half dozen pieces of chick francese towards her. Keira grabbed a piece with her fingers and began eating it. As she reached for a second piece, Jak grabbed her wrist and she looked up. He stared at her before taking her palm and drawing in it.
"Why… didn't you… eat any… thing while… we were on… that island?" Keira looked up at him guiltily after repeating his question out loud. "Well, on the second day, when I prepared the food, I was looking at the portions and realized that even if we ate the bare minimum, one person would have to starve his or herself. And I know I should have chosen Daxter, since he's the smallest. But all I could think was if I didn't eat, then everyone else would be happy and okay. Everyday after that, whenever there was extra food, I gave it to you Jak. I just wanted you to be healthy." Jak shook his head at Keira's foolishness and handed her the plate of food. He stood up to get Keira a glass of water and heard her apologize softly.
Jak turned around and gave Keira the water, watching her gulp it greedily down. He got her another glass and watched as she finished the meal. As she put her fourth glass of water down, Jak leaned forward and pushed his lips onto hers.
"Go Jak! Slip her the tongue!" Daxter whistled from the floor. Jak and Keira broke apart and Keira looked at Jak, her face redder than it had been when she was sick. Jak was blushing as well, embarrassed that Daxter had caught them together, but he was also puzzled by what Daxter meant by slipping her his tongue. He shook his head and simply passed it off as Daxter being weird. Keira let out a yawn and Jak picked her up and brought her to her bed. He laid her down and sat down next to her, watching as she drifted off to sleep.
The next day, the entire company disembarked and they went back to Samos' hut.
"So, what's the plan from here?" Bryan asked.
"What else. Me, Jak, Margaret and Daxter go back north and try to find a way to close the Silos." At this announcement from Keira, there were protests from five people.
"Why can't me and Cara come?" Veston asked furiously.
"Me and Veston aren't invited because…?" Cara asked as she glared at the three of them.
"I'm coming with you guys whether you like it or not!" Bryan stated as he crossed his arms.
"You aren't stopping me from coming either!" Lauren shouted, taking a similar stance to Bryan's.
"When did you guys plan on telling me you were back, and why are you with the pirates?" Margaret called from the doorway. Keira ran up to Margaret and pulled the Amplifier into a bone-crushing hug. Margaret gasped for breath and Keira let go of her friend before explaining what had transpired over the past five days, with help from Cara and Veston.
"I didn't know Gol's reach stretched that far," Margaret said softly.
"Well, it does," Cara said a bit too shortly. "And can you now tell us why Veston and I apparently aren't welcome to join you?"
"Or me or Bryan?" Lauren added hotly.
"Let's see. Lauren, you know I love you and Bryan like family, but you guys aren't Channelers."
"Neither are you," Bryan retorted.
"But I build stuff for Jak and everyone else," Keira said calmly.
"But I can cook and use a sword," Bryan said.
"And I'm a better marksman then you," Lauren added. Keira sighed, but didn't want to argue. And the two of them had a point: they could be useful in and out of a fight.
"All right, you can come."
"Great, but what about us?" Veston asked.
"I didn't want to force you guys to come. You helped us, we helped you, so I thought that you weren't obligated to come with us," Keira said.
"But I want to come,. Now that I know the truth about Gol, how could I live with myself if I didn't join you guys?" Cara asked.
"Ditto for me," Veston added.
"All right, then you guys are welcome to join us," Daxter spoke up.
"Anyway, where would we go?" Veston asked, sadness creeping into his voice. "We were banished." To this inquiry, Jak spread his arms, making it perfectly clear that the two Channelers would have been more than welcome to stay here. Keira sighed and leaned back, rubbing behind her temples to alleviate a headache that was growing.
"Keira what's wrong?" Margaret asked. Keira looked up at her friend and opened her eyes.
"I could ask you the same thing. Something is bothering you: what is it?"
"Nothing," Margaret said defensively.
"Don't lie to us baby," Daxter said angrily.
"Well…" Margaret said hesitantly before telling them about Benedict's redemption and the note she had found.
"Wait a second. Whose Benedict?" Cara asked. Keira filled her in on what Benedict's life had consisted of. "So he's good again?" Margaret nodded. "But what's this note?" Margaret showed the party a piece of paper, which had small burn marked that reeked of Dark Eco.
"Dear Margaret,
By the time you read this, I will be dead. I have finally thought of a way to repent for all the sins I have committed. The reason I could wield Dark Eco was because Maia sowed a Dark Eco Seed into my heart. You know that; you pulled it out.
As its removed, the seed puts out a poison that causes my body to explode within exactly seventy two hours. I have decided to go to their Citadel. I plan to fight Maia. I don't expect to win, but as long as I can weaken her slightly and hang on to her as I explode, I'll take her down with me.
Sorry about all the trouble I have caused. Warn Jak that Gol plans to infiltrate his mind the way he did to me and try to seduce Jak to the dark side of the elfin nature.
Let Keira know that the Zoomer we got from her in Rock Village is still intact. Gol plans to take it apart on November seventh to find out how it works. To cross the Fire Canyon without it, go to the Forbidden Jungle. There's a special rock there that is soft as clay. If it heats up, it gets harder and less dense. You can make a raft out of it and it will float and protect you from the heat. That is how Gol will supply the Lurkers if they take over the town.
I'm sorry about all I have done,
Benedict."
Margaret read this note out loud, and when she was done, everyone was silent.
"He really was a good person," Daxter said. Everyone nodded.
"November seventh…" Keira muttered to herself. "But that gives us three days! What are we gonna do?"
"Its obvious isn't it? We have to get this clay, make a raft, and get to Rock Village before tomorrow night," Veston said. Jak nodded before standing up and pointing at Veston. "You want me to come with you?" Jak nodded and Veston clasped Jak's hand. Jak pulled Veston up and they got ready to go to the Forbidden Jungle. He gave Keira a kiss on the lips before leaving.
"Come back safe Jak," Keira thought as she watched him and Veston enter the forest five minutes later…
Well, here it is. I hope it was okay, since I typed it up Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Sorry there wasn't a lot of action this time: I figured I needed to move the plot along, and its harder for me to do so when there's battles going on. Now, for those of you wondering where Sett came from, its simple. He secretly boarded the Apprehender when Jak and Keira went chasing after Cara and Veston. He remained on the ship and followed them to the island. By the time he arrived there, Jak and everyone else had already been banished. Sett went around looking for them and saw the island. He noticed the smoke rising from the fire at night and decided to go there. Also, if you are wondering why I put so much detail into Jak being in the same room as Keira when she was getting undressed and redressed, I did it for a reason. Though Jak has killed, hated, been angry, and even been briefly mentally connected with Gol, he still is an innocent person. I debated putting that scene in at first, but decided that it would be a good idea to show that Jak has only pure thoughts of Keira, and that he thinks even making out with her is slightly perverted. The reason for that is he just hasn't fully hit puberty, like Cara and Daxter said. He's noticed Keira, but due to his naivety and the fact that he doesn't know anything about how children arrive, he never thought about Keira in that way. So, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and next chapter, Jak will get everyone what they need and everyone will make their way across Fire Canyon, where another Channeler will make his (or her) debut. Here's hoping I can make the journey into the jungle a good chapter.
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 #8 of Life (Inspired by Victor Frankl): To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering.