URGENT NOTICE: Due to GoodMorningBeautiful2005 warning me that I can only post fifty chapters, I am going to cut this off at Chapter 30 and repost everything under Light Amongst Shadows. So if you get a bunch of email letting you know that I posted a new chapter and story, ignore them except for the new one. Just delete ten and open one. Sorry for this inconvenience, and thanks GoodMorningBeautiful2005 for warning me about this in advance before I hit chapter fifty and had to do more work.

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- Glad you enjoyed it, and I'm not so much concerned about when you review as much as the fact that you do. I love receiving input from any writers, and especially esteemed and talented ones. Thanks for the compliment on the Rule of Life. I don't know about addictive, or even that good, but thank you for complimenting my writing skills. I hope you finish that chapter soon and update it.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Thanks for the compliment, and thanks very much for the heads up on the chapter limit. If I can only do fifty, I'm going to have to cut this off at Battles For Weyard and start a new book like I had originally intended. Thanks very much for the heads up and I can't wait to see an update of anything you work on.

CrazyOttsel- Glad you liked the chapter, and its all right that you didn't review both chapters. That would have been nice, but a little redundant. And yes, I deliberately made Benedict's note too late, but the point was to show that he had even overcome his resentment and jealousy of Jak enough to try to help him out. I like that motto.

Red Mage 04- I hope you didn't get a flu shot. I hate them: they give you a cold for 365 days. You always wake up, and you never have the flu, because you always have a cold. Of course, you get to do NyQuil… Getting distracted, sorry. I'm glad I blended the different elements together, as I did not want one lacking and another dominating. As for Daxter, when isn't he a pervert? Glad you're looking forward to the next chapter, because you get a glimpse of a new Channeler. I wont say much, but she was the first one to volunteer, so for anyone reading this, you know who you are. I hope you update as well: I want to see how Vegar reacts to Jak's returning.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

Dark Assassins

"Wow," Veston breathed as he entered the Forbidden Jungle, amazed at the beauty. "There's so much greenery," he said softly, as though he feared disturbing the tranquility that one felt upon entering the forest.

"You act as though you've never seen a jungle before," Daxter remarked. Jak agreed: Veston was overreacting to the forest. Sure, it was beautiful, Jak thought, but the way Veston was acting, one would think he had never seen more then three trees at once.

"Never one as big as this," Veston said as he put a hand on a tree, his hand looking small next to the seven foot trunk. He took his hand off and focused his mind on the upcoming task. "So where exactly is this stuff we're looking for?" Jak and Daxter looked at each other before looking at Veston and shrugging.

"You don't even know?" Veston asked disbelievingly.

"Why should we?" Daxter countered hotly. "It's called Forbidden Jungle, genius. I've been here three times, including this one." Jak looked at his friend curiously: he had been under the impression that the first time Daxter had entered this place had been back when they had gone the Blue Eco Temple. Daxter looked at his friend rather sheepishly. "I followed you and Keira here a year ago. I think I might have ruined the moment by mistake." Jak's eyes widened as he remembered…

"Jak, are you sure we should be here?" Keira asked nervously as she followed Jak into the forest. Jak turned around and grinned while nodding his head. Though it was forbidden for any to enter unless they were of age, Jak had been sneaking in here for three years. He wanted to take Keira to a place he was sure she would enjoy. He pointed to a tall rock that stuck up above the trees. Keira's eyes widened in fear as she looked at how tall the small mountain was.

"You want me to go up there?" she squeaked. Jak nodded enthusiastically. As they began to climb the mountain, Jak was pleased to see Keira relaxing as she climbed. He kept an eye on her, making sure she was above him. In case she slipped and fell, he would be able to grab her and help her before she hit the ground. As Keira pulled herself over the top, Jak followed and quickly tapped her on the shoulder. He gave her a red bandanna, instructing her to cover her eyes and let him lead her. Keira did so without hesitation; she knew Jak would die before he allowed her to come to harm.

Jak led her across the precarious plateau, lifting her off the ground when it got too uneven for his liking. He got behind her as they neared the edge and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from going forward. Keira bent her head and removed the blindfold, opening her eyes slowly.

"Oh Jak," she breathed in wonderment. Birds flew across a pink and yellow sky as the bright sun set on the horizon. The trees were dark, only enhancing the brightness of the sky. Clouds that were near the bottom of the sun looked like giant fluffy animals that glowed pink and yellow hues. Jak smiled, glad that he had found a way to both impress and please Keira. She looked at him, her eyes twinkling and shining. Jak took a step forward, his azure gaze locked with her emerald one. Her wrapped his arms around her waist and let his hands settle on her back and she gently touched his shoulders and pulled herself closer. Jak lowered his face onto hers as Keira raised herself up on her tiptoes. Both of their hearts began to pump faster as their lips got closer and closer.

A resounding crash made the two of them jump. Jak look around, his eyes trying to find the source of the noise that had interrupted his special moment with Keira. He looked down and saw that the mountain had begun to crumble away. Jak grabbed Keira around the waist and pulled her closer her close as the slab they were standing separated and began to slide down the small cliff. Jak kept shifting his weight to keep his balance as they neared the ground. Just before the rock impacted, Jak leapt up into the air as hard as he could. His efforts pushed the rock onto the ground even harder, but it also delayed his landing. He and Keira both landed as though they had jumped from a foot high step.

Jak looked around and thought he saw a red creature dart through the trees. Before he could persist, however, a roar made him turn around. He saw a Lurker Ram buried underneath the rockslide. As it roared again, it breathed for the last time in its life. Jak looked at Keira and ran over to her when he saw her lying on the ground. He relaxed when he realized that she had only fainted from the ordeal. He sighed and picked her up, the mood ruined as he walked back to the village, not looking forward to have to have to explain this incident to Samos…

A sudden suspicion entered Jak's mind as he remembered the long ears and matted red hair that he had glimpsed that day as he looked at his friend.

"Yeah, it was me. I wanted to see what you guys were up to and the Lurker Ram attacked and I ran away," Jak raised his eyebrows and Daxter quickly continued. "I ran to take care of the twenty other Lurker Rams that would've ambushed you if it weren't for me." Jak shook his head along with Veston as they continued on their way, unaware that a person dressed in dark green was following them, a katana strapped to his back…

Margaret sighed as she looked out the window. "What's wrong?" Keira asked as she sat down with a mug of hot chocolate. She wasn't a fan of coffee or tea, but the weather had gotten so cold due to the rapidly approaching winter that she needed something to warm her up.

"Nothing," Margaret mumbled.

"C'mon Margaret, you know you can tell me anything," Keira said, trying to coax her friend, who was obviously upset, into revealing what was wrong. "Is it Benedict?"

"Sort of," the Channeler mumbled.

"Then what is it?"

"I don't have anyone!" Margaret sighed sadly.

"What do you mean? Me, Jak, Daxter, Lauren, Bryan, Cara and Veston are here for you."

"And that's the problem," Margaret grumbled.

"What's that means?" Cara asked as she came out of her bedroom. Keira had allowed her to sleep in her kid room, before she had moved downstairs to be closer to the garage.

"Everyone has someone… but me."

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked as she came out of the bathroom, combing her long blonde hair.

"Keira has Jak, and I'm happy for you. He's a great guy, and he really likes you. You have Bryan, and I'm happy for you guys too. Cara has Veston, maybe not as an item, but you guys have each other to talk to."

"Look Margaret, you'll find someone. Everyone always does. Me and Jak have been together forever," Keira said, trying to consol her friend.

"So have me and Bryan," Lauren added.

"And me and Veston have known each other for seven years," Cara joined in.

"Trust me, somewhere out there is a man for everyone," Keira said as she put her hands on Margaret's shoulder. Margaret offered a small smile. "And I feel sorry for the one who gets Daxter," Keira added. Margaret chuckled and looked much better with a smile on her soft face. "C'mon girls," Keira said as she stood up, "I got an idea for a project."

A crack resounded and echoed through the damaged Citadel as Gol arrived, the Dark Eco in his system already having headed the wounds he had sustained by Jak. "That miserable Channeler," Gol grumbled as he opened his eyes. "He'll pay for this when I…" Gol trailed off as he surveyed the destruction of the throne room. Chairs were smashed, the walls were damaged (one was completely destroyed) the throne chairs were now a pile of ashes, and there were scorch marks all over the floor and ceiling.

"What in the name of Legatee happened here?" Gol asked nothing in particular as he noticed a twenty-foot crater in the corner. The explosion had been so big that it had blasted apart the floor, cracked the ceiling, and done damaged to the floors of the lower level. He saw a light in the corner and saw that he had a prisoner. "He had better know what happened here," Gol snarled as he teleported himself to the dungeons.

Jak held up his hand and Veston stopped instantly, his body being used to following orders as soon as they were given. Jak looked around suspiciously at the surroundings, his sixth sense giving him an uneasy feeling.

"I don't get it Jak. It seems nice and quiet to me," Veston whispered as he walked up to Jak.

"Exactly," Jak thought as he looked around. "The forest is never this quiet unless there's an intruder." He closed his eyes and tried to stretch out and get a sense of his surroundings using his hearing and other senses. He heard a branch snap back and grabbed Veston before leaping back. A man dressed in white and black robes landed in front of them, two Eco Sabers embedded in the ground exactly where Jak had been a second ago.

"Which one of you is Jak?" the man said in a hissing voice as he pulled his weapons out of the ground. Jak noticed that they were dark purple, quickly sending any theories that the man was here to only test his skill out the window. He stepped forward and turned on his Yellow Eco Box, summoning an Eco Blade. The man darted ahead, aiming at Jak without another word. Jak quickly parried the incoming attacks, finding it highly difficult. The man was extremely quick, and in addition to that, he liked to attack from both sides. Jak turned on his Blue Eco Box and was able to level the playing field for a few seconds.

Within thirty seconds, Jak was again struggling to keep up with the mysterious assassin. Jak wondered how the man had gotten such a dramatic increase in speed as he once again struggled to keep up with them man. Jak leapt back and checked his Blue Eco Box to see if the reason he was having trouble was because he had ran out of Eco. Jak was shocked to see the readout drop by one percent every three seconds. Jak looked at his enemy to see that one of his hands was covered in a sheet of metal- and that it was glowing. Jak turned his Eco Box off and the metal stopped glowing.

"So I was right," Jak thought as he rushed back in to face the mysterious assailant. "He was draining my Eco. I wonder how much he got before I stopped him." Jak kept his attack up, doing much better now that the man was using only one Saber. As Jak swung down, the man parried Jak off to the side and stuck out his metal hand. A shockwave came out and blasted Jak back twenty feet, where he only stopped because his back came into contact with a tree. Veston leapt in as Jak got up, and the assassin quickly brushed him aside by moving a finger of the metal hand.

"I wonder if he's really a Channeler," Jak thought as he got to his feet. The man seemed only able to harness the Eco by moving the hand. Jak wondered whether the machine might not be the source of the man's power. Jak leapt over another shockwave with his Blue Eco Box and rushed in as he landed. As he got closer, the man stuck out his hand and Jak was hit by an invisible wall. He hovered in midair and watched as the man drained the last of his Blue Eco. He threw Jak into a tangle of thorns and Jak winced as the barbs cut is skin superficially. Veston rushed in and tried unsuccessfully to out maneuver his enemy. Jak tried to get Veston's attention as he saw his friend turn on his Blue Eco Box, but it was pointless: he couldn't move very fast if he didn't want to get hurt. Jak gritted his teeth and ripped his way out, wincing as the sharp needles dug and ripped his skin.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Jak was suspended in the air again as the man floated Veston in the air. He placed his hand on the Blue Eco Box and Jak watched as blue electricity flowed through the entire arm. When he was done, he threw Veston aside and walked over to where Jak was hanging in the air.

"Sorry about this Jak," the man said softly as he raised his metal hand and spread his thumb and pointer, "but I cannot allow you to live," he finished as he closed his fingers together. Instantly, Jak's windpipe was crushed and he gasped for breath. After thirty seconds, Jak's head began to spin, the lack of oxygen getting to him. A roar followed by a gasp of pain preceded Jak falling to the ground. He looked up and saw the man clutching his left hand: the one covered in metal. Bryan attacked again with his katana, but the assassin had regained his senses and dodged out of the way. He tried to blast Bryan back, but Bryan had remained in the shadows and had studied the assassin's patterns instead of attacking right away. It paid off, since he knew where the man was going to strike next.

The assassin leapt back and was tackled to the ground by Jak. The Channeler raised his Eco Blade, but was blasted upwards by the man. He landed by Veston and the two were shocked by Blue Lightning before they could react. After ten seconds, the assassin was confident they would be paralyzed long enough. He turned around and punched Bryan in the gut with his metal hand. The force plus a blast sent Bryan flying back, his hand dropping his katana. The assassin shot a blast of Blue Lightning and Bryan stuck out his hand as though that would strop the attack.

Miraculously, it did.

Bryan opened his eyes and saw something he had never seen before: a blade made out of Blue Eco. He swung it back and forth in amazement a few times.

"Damn, another one," the assassin cursed before shooting a torrent of Blue Lightning at Bryan. The adolescent stretched out his other hand and though the electricity came within a millimeter of his skin, it did not make contact. Rather, it surrounded and was absorbed into Bryan's palm. Bryan closed his eyes and concentrated on the power he felt inside of him. He extended his hand and a blast of air shot forth. The assassin barely dodged it, and as he rolled to the ground, a tree falling to the ground testified to the power Bryan now controlled.

Jak snapped back to reality after realizing that his nearly lifelong friend must be a Channeler. He began to rush forward, but Veston stopped him.

"Let me handle this," Veston said before summoning a Red Eco Blade. He smashed it into the ground and a ten-foot wall of flames shot up. Jak looked at him, but Veston looked very calm. "Don't worry: it won't spread unless I want it to. I'm just using it as a distraction." Jak nodded and they ran to Bryan.

"Lets go, blue boy," Daxter shouted as they got closer.

"No. You guys go ahead. I'll stay behind and try to stave this guy off as long as I can." Jak shook his head, but Bryan glared at him. "If I can defeat him, fine. But if not, then at least I'll have given you guys some time and he'll have killed the least talented among us." Jak reluctantly turned away, but not before putting his hand on Bryan's shoulder and smiling softly. Bryan smiled back and softly said, "get going before he gets past those flames." Jak nodded and he and Veston rushed into the forest.

Bryan turned around and watched as the man, outlined in black behind the flames, opened a small gap in the blaze. He stepped through and closed the gap.

"Come, fledgling. I'll deal with you before I kill Jak," he hissed as he put his hands on his belts and grabbed the hilts before straightening his arms and turning on his dark Eco Sabers. Bryan stared at the man and the two of them rushed at each other simultaneously, screaming battle cries at the top of their lungs…

"Why are you here?" Gol hissed as he struck Hatu with more Lightening. Hatu screamed as the power washed over him, causing waves of agony to crash over his body. Gol ceased his attack and Hatu gasped for breath, grateful for the respite, no matter how brief it might be. "So, you are determined to keep silent?" Gol said in a menacing tone as Hatu focused on Gol and spit on the floor at his feet.

"Fine!" Gol snapped as he put his hands on Hatu's temples. Gol closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to penetrate Hatu's admirable mental defenses. At last, he saw what he needed. Gol's brow furrowed as he concentrated on transferring the knowledge from Hatu's mind to his own. So intent was he on ripping the data from Hatu's mind that he didn't notice the change in mental patterns coming from Hatu's brain…

"That was noble of him," Veston said as he and Jak rushed through the forest, eager to put as much distance between the killer and themselves in the hope that the assassin would tire from Bryan and come after them. Jak nodded and Daxter didn't bother responding, as he was concentrating on hanging onto Jak's hair as they leapt into trees and began traveling like primates: swinging on vines and launching themselves off of tree branches. They landed after traveling like this for about a half an hour with nothing more eventful happening then a branch under Jak snapping and Veston grabbing a snake instead of a vine one time.

"Hey Jak, do you have any idea where the clay might be?" Jak shook his head as they landed on the ground, both of them too preoccupied with their problems that they hadn't noticed they hadn't landed on ground.

"Hey Veston," Daxter said, trying to keep the panic and fear out of his voice.

"Yeah?"

"What is it, that's not exactly water, but it ain't exactly earth?"

"QUICKSAND!" they both shouted, disturbing birds and other small woodland creatures that were running around, desperately trying to gather a bit more food before the winter truly began.

Jak looked around and tried to get his foot out of the quicksand, but to no avail. As he struggled on the force that was creeping up to his torso, he remembered what he had done in the early summer when he had been on his way to the Blue Eco Temple. Jak relaxed and mimicked his actions by calming down and held his breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he floated agonizingly slowly to the surface. He then lightly paddled his way to the edge and turned around. Unfortunately, Veston was thrashing around in an attempt to get out of the deadly environment. Ironically, such actions were causing him to sink even faster.

"So, what are we doing here?" Cara asked as they returned to where the battle had been waged a week ago.

"Now, don't freak out, but I want to collect some Dark Eco."

"WHAT?" everyone shouted at her.

"Are you crazy?" Margaret asked in disbelief. It seemed impossible that she thought she knew Keira's mind after that pronouncement.

"Look, you guys know I've been trying to infuse Eco into arrows. I've been wondering if I could do such a thing with Dark Eco. It might turn the battle in our favor. I just need a drop, but it'll take me a while to see if what I want to do is even possible." Everyone stared at Keira after this announcement, but this time it was a mixture of thinking she was crazy for thinking up such a plan, and thinking she was brilliant for thinking up such a plan. "Will you help me or not?" Keira asked, her eyes and tone pleading. Everyone sighed and agreed, Margaret the least enthusiastic. She had seen firsthand what Dark Eco could do to someone, and she was hoping neither she nor Keira nor anyone else fell prey to its twisted power.

The assassin attacked first as they met each other in the air, striking first with a blow coming across from the right. Bryan had just finished blocking this when his opponent spun around, swinging blindly with his left arm, the one covered in metal. The assassin continued forward while Bryan planted his feet and swung his Blade in an n arc over his head. This chop was deflected by his enemy, who quickly countered by bringing his Sabers across his body. Bryan blocked both strikes as fast as he could, and struck at his foe. The assassin moved with unnerving speed as he dodged to the left of the strike and swung first with his left, then his right Saber. He then spun around and brought both Sabers across at different heights.

Bryan leapt back out of the way of this attack and then charged forward, swinging his Blade down. As he did, he had to get the feel of a weapon that was completely weightless, yet was deadlier than a razor sharp falchion. His opponent blocked the attack and parried it with his left arm before striking with a wide curve with his right. Bryan blocked this move and smashed his Blade on top of the Saber that he had sent downwards. The assassin and Bryan struggled for a split second before breaking the lock and again attacking one another.

The assassin brought his Saber in his left hand up from below, and followed it as he stepped forward with a swipe from his right. Bryan was hard pressed to deflect both attacks without so much as a scratch on him. Bryan once again tried to cut his opponent in half from the head down, but this time the assassin brought his Sabers above his head in an X-block. He pressed upward and leapt over a low attack, as Bryan had followed the momentum of his Blade and allowed it to go behind his back before bringing it up and to the right.

As Bryan ran forward with the momentum of the attack, the assassin leapt ten feet in the air effortlessly, tapping into the Blue Eco stored within his arm to carry himself to an inelfin leap. As he landed, he twisted himself around and brought his Sabers down. Bryan stepped back from the strength of the attack before changing his momentum and running forward. He swiped at the enemy, but his opponent was now using his already formidable speed and Blue Eco. He dashed forward past the attacks so fast that it appeared to teleport. As he past Bryan on the left, the hired gun swung backwards with his right arm and then reversed the spin, attacking with his left hand. He tossed his Sabers between his hands and then attacked with his right arm. Bryan dodged the attack before going in and thrusting his Blade forward. The assassin parried the attack to the right and attacked again by slamming both his Sabers down. Bryan backed off and allowed the Sabers to hit the ground. He ran forward and tried to decapitate the opponent. As his Blade came down, the assassin held onto the Eco Saber hilt with his thumb and extended the fingers of his left hand.

Bryan was sent flying back as a blast of energy hit him in the chest, stopping only when he hit a tree. He rubbed his head with his free hand and looked up. He immediately leapt up upon seeing the assassin coming in, both Sabers ready to cut through skin, bone and muscle. He used the Blue Eco residing inside his body to propel himself fifteen feet in the air, coming down about twenty feet away from his opponent. He turned around and saw the tree he had hit be cut down by the Sabers. As the assassin rushed to face Bryan, he extended his hand and tried to concentrate on sending out a motion blast. He was able to, but unfortunately, the assassin apparently sensed it coming, because he crossed his Sabers across his chest and only skidded back about fifteen feet. Bryan took the opportunity and leapt at his enemy, but had not accounted for the assassin's being trained in fighting with Blue Eco. Using his left hand, the would-be killer sent debris littering the forest floor fly at Bryan. Bryan cut through the incoming projectiles, but the cost was high. He lost sight of the assassin, who continued to send debris at Bryan while lurking out of sight.

Bryan turned around and ducked to avoid being hit by a tree branch. He rose and spun, shearing another branch in half. He looked to his left and saw a tree trunk being hurled at him. He held his Eco Blade in front of him and the trunk was cut in half, both sides passing him on either side. Bryan waited patiently for the assassin to emerge, which eventually happened. Bryan was forced back under a furious series of thrusts and swipes, unable to think of a strategy beyond not getting hit. The assassin thrust his Saber forward and left it out a fragment of a second too long. But that one instant was enough, and the attempted murderer found his Saber being flipped into the air as Bryan sent it out of his hand. Bryan then did the same to the other hand. He then tried to cut the assassin in half at the waist, but his attacker leapt into the tops of the trees. Bryan heard a rattling and saw the Eco Saber hilts go flying up into the trees. He leapt up and grabbed a vine, swinging on it to try to find his enemy. He landed on a thick branch and saw the assassin land on another one facing him. The two looked at one another for a second before Bryan leapt after the enemy. The two attacked while jumping, swinging, and sliding deeper into the forest.

Bryan eventually managed to land in front of his opponent, and had his Saber knocked away by a swipe. He ducked under the second Saber and received a spinning back kick in the chest. He fell off the branch and grabbed a vine with his free hand. The assassin leapt after him and cut the vine. Both of them started to free fall, with the killer on top. Bryan blocked and parried the chops that came at him as gravity brought them down to the ground. He landed and jumped over a swipe that would have taken his legs off and came down with an overhead that was blocked. Both combatants stood still as they tried to take the other down. The assassin blocked an incoming attack with another X-block and the two got into a blade lock. Bryan sent the assassin flying back, and was hurled back by another blast.

Bryan rolled backwards and swiped at the assassin, almost hitting him. The assassin rolled out of the way and levitated pebbles off the ground. They flew at Bryan, who winced as they continuously cut him. Eventually, he had enough and sent every ounce of Eco he had in his body at the assassin. Though he blocked it, the man was still hurled back fifty feet, through seven trees, and finally came to a rest after hitting a wall. The man looked up and saw an Eco Blade being pointed at his throat.

"You lose," Bryan said. The man sighed in defeat and closed his eyes, bracing himself for death. "Why did you try to kill Jak?"

"I had no choice. A week ago, Zeorro returned. But he's different and now rules the village with an iron fist. A man with a red metal hand gave me this arm and told me that if I killed a Channeler named Jak from Sandover, he would cure Zeorro." Bryan gritted his teeth- more deceit, courtesy of Gol.

"We can free Zeorro, and we'll do it for nothing, as long as you take us there."

"Sure, the Warp Gate is open until ten tomorrow morning. That's how I was able to get here undetected."

"Stay here," Bryan said as he turned around and began making his way for the Blue Eco Temple, sure that Jak and Veston were heading that way.

"Where are you going?" the man yelled.

"To tell Jak we found a shortcut! What's your name?" Bryan called back.

"Julio," the man responded.

Jak turned on his Red Eco Box and lit the quicksand on fire, hoping that it would harden. To his surprise, it glowed red and became rock solid. Jak walked over to Veston and summoned a Yellow Eco Blade before plunging it into the rock turned quicksand. He carved his friend out and as they walked off, Jak noticed the rock glow red once more before dissolving into quicksand again.

"Figures that what we're looking for is a deadly nature trap," Veston said sarcastically. Jak agreed, but his mind was thinking of ways to get the quicksand to the village. He and Veston combined didn't have enough Eco to keep it in solid form long enough to transport it, and trying to gather it up in buckets probably would only result in the bucket getting sucked into the quicksand. Both the Channelers sat down, exhausted, and tried to solve this new puzzling quandary.

"Could we go back and try to scoop it out in buckets?" Daxter suggested to the two. Jak shook his head. "Well, why not?"

"It would take too long. We have two days, and building the raft is probably going to take up one of them. We need to get the quicksand to Sandover by the end if the night. Doing it in buckets, even wheelbarrows, would take much too long to make a raft as big as we need it to be." Jak nodded and heard a rustling behind him. He spun around and held a ball of Yellow Eco out, ready to fire it in a second. Bryan appeared from the brush and held up his hand when he saw Jak's attack position. Jak put his hand down and waved to Bryan, surprised but pleased nonetheless that he had been able to defeat the assassin.

"Guys, that assassin is from Rock Village. He's actually not that bad a guy, but apparently Gol made a deal with him. He said he would release Zeorro from his control if he killed you." Jak's eyes widened in understanding. So that had been what the man had meant when he apologized. Jak could identify the man: if he hadn't known better, he would have believed Gol if he had promised to release Samos.

"Anyway," Bryan said, jerking Jak back to reality, "Julio says that we can teleport back to Rock Village via the Warp Gate until ten in the morning tomorrow. We need to go back to Sandover and let everyone know. Hopefully, we'll be able to take the Sage and the Lurkers by surprise. With a lot of luck, we'll be able to get Zeorro to return to our side." Jak nodded, wondering how Bryan knew s much about what had happened before he realized the obvious. Daxter had been with him, no doubt he had told Keira, and of course, Keira would tell everyone in the group everything that had happened, so as not to be caught unawares.

Keira was looking on the ledge of the mountain when her communicator suddenly went off. She nearly fell off, but her quick reflexes caused her to grab out and grab a protruding bit of rock. She steadied herself and took out her communicator.

"Yes?" she breathed, trying not to sound exasperated or angry. After all, it wasn't as though the person contacting her had timed it like that to make her almost fall.

"Hey baby," Daxter's cocky voice came back over the line.

"Don't call me that Daxter. What do you guys need?"

"Nothing, but we've found the clay."

"Good. Where is it."

"By the Blue Eco Temple. Turns out it was the quicksand puddle."

"So how are we gonna get it here by tonight?"

"We don't need to."

"What?" Keira said, confused as she climbed down the side of the cliff.

"This guy from Rock Village came here and tried to kill Jak, but then I leapt in and kicked his ass all over the forest. So I made him tell me what I want to hear and he told us that, hey!" Keira looked at the communicator in confusion. She could faintly hear Daxter cursing at someone to give him the communicator back.

"Hey Keira."

"Bryan?" Keira asked, now completely baffled by what was going on. "Where have you been? Lauren's been worried sick about you."

"Tell here I'm sorry for making her worry. I followed Jak and I have something to show you guys when I get back," Bryan replied before telling Keira what he had told Jak and the others.

"Okay," Keira said when Bryan and finished, "come back and we'll set off early in the morning. We'll take them all by surprise and hopefully Zeorro from Gol's control."

Later that night, everyone was enlightened as to the nature and rarity of the opportunity presented to them. The group agreed that Julio could stay in Jak's house, for which the former assassin was extremely grateful. He left astonished that though he had tried to kill their leader, the group had been understanding and compassionate. As he went to bed, he smiled, relieved to know that there were good people in this Legateeish world, and happy that there was a way for him to be redeemed. As he drifted off to sleep, Julio decided that his daughter had been right, and that he apologize to her when he returned to his home village.

"So, we'll get up eight, have a family style breakfast and then infiltrate Rock Village at nine thirty?" Cara asked, praying to the Precursors that they had finally reached a decision. To her relief, her prayers were answered. The entire group bade each other goodnight and went into separate.

"Bryan, wait a second," Lauren said quietly. "Why didn't you tell me you're a Channeler?" Bryan looked at her in surprise.

"I told you when I found out. I guess Gol knew and he wanted to capture me to work for him."

"But then why was he after me as well?" Lauren wondered out loud. Bryan thought quietly before snapping his fingers and beaming.

"Probably as a weapon. I would be forced to do whatever he told me or else he might hurt you."

"But would you-" Lauren began before getting cut off.

"Yes. I would attack Jak, hurt innocent people, maybe even kill. I would do anything to keep you sage from harm Lauren. Even sacrificing my morals, even serving a monster like Gol." Bryan said, his voice full of passion. Lauren looked at him, her eyes shining, before pulling Bryan into her and hugging him. The two of them went to bed and slept peacefully till the next morning.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said of a certain Channeler, nor could it be said of his girlfriend and companion. Jak woke up around two in the morning and looked outside. A thunderstorm was raging outside, sending rain down so fast and heavy that it looked as though the Precursors themselves were sending buckets down on Weyard. Jak remembered suddenly that Keira was sleeping in the garage and his mind said that she was fine, but his heart told him to go and check on her to be sure. Eventually his heart won and Jak darted outside and flipped over the railing before going inside Keira's part of the house.

Jak knocked on her door and heard nothing in response. He opened the door and heard a squeak of fright. Jak hit the light switch and Blue Eco turned on the lamp next to Keira's bed. Jak went over to her and saw her shivering.

"Hey Jak," she whispered. Jak wrapped his arm around her shoulder and was pleased to see that it calmed her down somewhat. He sat down next to her and picked her up. Keira stiffened, but then relaxed as Jak sat her on his lap, still wrapped in blankets. He leaned back and allowed her body to be surrounded by his warmth. Keira began to relax: her childish fear of thunderstorms vanishing with Jak's presence. Jak inhaled deeply, Keira's fragrance entering his nose and making him drowsy. Before long, he had nodded off to sleep as well.

"Everybody ready?" Keira asked as they prepared to go through the Warp Gate. It would be difficult, because they went through, they had sworn not to return until their task was complete. One by one, they hopped through the Warp Gate.

Jak emerged in Zeorro's hut and immediately noticed the change in the place. It had been turned into a study of Dark Eco. After searching the house, everybody moved outside and gagged by the powerful smell of Dark Eco. A pool of it was outside the house, and Jak eyed it apprehensively. He had a bad feeling that it would be a tool in his misery. A second later, he was proved right. A beam of Blue Eco originated from nowhere and Bryan, Lauren, Cara, Veston and Keira were all caught in its glow. Jak looked around and Zeorro fazed into view, a stream of Blue Eco coming out of his staff. He looked the exact same way he had when Jak had seen him the first time, except now his eyes glowed purple.

Jak rushed at Zeorro and leapt over a blast sent at him. As he got within striking distance, Jak raised his fist and Zeorro winked. Instantly, Keira was teleported in front of him. Jak stopped instantly and looked at Zeorro, anger written on every line on his face.

"This is the covenant. The two of us are going to engage in confrontation. If you are triumphant, I will discharge your acquaintances. If you are overwhelmed, I will release them into the depression of Dark Eco." Jak growled at the controlled Blue Eco Sage, knowing that Zeorro was not truly saying this. It all went back to Gol. "You have," Zeorro said as he took out a clock from his cloak, "thirty minutes. Otherwise, I will teleport Keira to Gol for experimenting. He is inquisitive as to how much Dark Eco a non-Channeler can carry before they expire."

Jak growled from the base of his throat as he tightened his fist. He took his fighting stance and reflected how much was riding on this fight. If he lost, everyone would suffer a horrible death. If he took too long, Keira would be tortured to death. Zeorro stood still, his staff held tightly, ready for anything Jak might throw at him. Jak dashed forward, and even without Blue Eco, his fury and motivation allowed his body to move like a blur…

Amidst the rubble at Gol's throne room, a breath could be heard. A single yellow eye opened up and focused through the rubble surrounding it. The pupil dilated as a grey hand, cut and deformed, rose from the pile of garbage and groped around. Dark Eco crackled at the fingertips as the owner tried to burn the debris so the owner could be freed from the hundreds of pounds above…

Back in Rock Village, a girl looked around the corner of Zeorro's house. Just as Jak lunged at the Sage, she ducked back and closed her eyes out of fear of being seen. She remembered the last time she had gone up to Zeorro. Though she loved the Sage like a father, she wanted the new person (what was his name? Jak?) to triumph. Perhaps if he was victorious, the stranger might be able to change Zeorro back to his old self. Though he wouldn't have a chance. Her unkempt brown hair about shoulder length moved from wind created by a blast that was no doubt due to the raging battle taking place no less than twenty feet away. She turned around the corner and a portion of her face could be seen as it entered the light. A scar in the shape of a crescent moon could be seen on the outside of her left eye. The cat-like pupil expanded slightly in the brown iris as she watched the boy with green and yellow hair shoot a blast of Yellow Eco at the Sage.

"I can't remain silent any longer," she muttered to herself in a musical yet sad voice as she mentally prepared herself for what she knew needed to be done.

Hope you enjoyed it. As I said above, expect a torrent of email next Saturday or Sunday if this is on your Alert System. Hope you guys like the fight scene, and please let me know if anything was unbelievable. Also, if anyone has any ideas for Zeorro's powers (no they won't be mixed with Dark Eco), let me know, as I am short on ideas. See you all next week!

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 #9 of Life: Don't say, "we don't play to win," and then keep score.