To those that were kind enough to review:
Silver-WindScar- Thanks again for the comment on the rule. I won't run out of them anytime soon ; ). Yup, threw in just a little suspense (I have to), but it'll be cleared up by Sunday. Thanks for the good luck.
CrazyOttsel- I'm honored that you think so highly of me that you would put me on the top fav List. Yup, he finally noticed her (I'll go into that either this or next chapter) and yes, I think Klaww will be dead for real, as it is difficult to live with half a brain gone.
Amathist Fwirrel- Nope, I imagined it too: P. Wow, you're evil to him. Yes, the Channelers are emerging, and actually, you gave me inspiration for this chapter's title. No, they're not bred like rabbits, but I do have an explanation for why there will be eventually over a dozen. I'll give you a clue as to how may to expect: more than twelve, tournament style. And it's a, well, I already told you about the tournament. Thanks for the good luck anyway, I think it helped my opponents get a pass (there were too many competitors and they moved up a level without fighting by sheer luck).
Keeroshu- I agree: school causes more problems than it gives us to solve. Actually, I got the names from my dogs. I have a Bernies Mountain, a Black Lab, and a Yellow Lab that we had to put down when he got arthritis and couldn't walk. If you think Veston is funny, you should meet the nut I based him on. Thanks a lot for such a lengthy review, and I do hope that school will get off your case and try to stop sucking your life out. Three weeks? Your lucky: I have until the middle of May. Good luck on the finals!
animedragongirl- Yup, didn't think anyone would see the two of them getting together (feels rather pleased with himself). Good, I was hoping you would find the explanation adequate. Blech, geometry. I guess it only sucks being busy when your stuck being busy doing something you don't like to do. I love swimming, but three hours a week? That's a lot for just laps and stuff. Um… never mind (after reading through your schedule).
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.
"How Many of Us Are There?"
Jak, Cara and Tiffany walked cautiously into Volcanic Crater, wary of any hidden attacks or traps. Jak looked around for Santar, but did not see the Red Sage in his hut, nor did he see him anywhere in the village.
"Where do you suppose lard-o is?" Daxter asked, wondering why he hadn't been fried by the Red Sage (and happy because of that fact as well). "I guess he saw me comin' and took off," he said as he flexed his chest, making it bulge forward about half an inch. Cara and Tiffany rolled their eyes, whereas Jak didn't even bother. A sudden explosion to the left caused the trio of Channelers to look at the arena where Jak had once trained Benedict, about five months ago. He motioned for the others to take the long way as he jumped off the bridge and flew above the lava to reach the arena. He saw Santar slam his fist into the ground to stop himself from skidding back. Jak landed quietly and decided to watch to see what would unfold.
"This is pointless you know. You can't defeat me," Santar said in his deep slow voice.
"Maybe not, but I'll keep fighting," another voice answered. Jak looked up over the rock he was hiding behind and saw a man standing in the arena, his light brown hair blowing from the winds created by the lava. His dirt brown eyes were narrowed in concentration, but not anger or hatred. His skin was much darker than Jak's, which surprised the young Channeler, as he was outside an average of fourteen hours a day. It was clear that the man fighting Santar was in the peak of his life, which made Jak place him to be somewhere in his early twenties.
Santar rushed forward and punched at the man, who dodged the blow and caught the arm before smashing the Red Sage into the rock with such force that the surrounding area cracked slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Jak saw Emma and Cara making their way to the arena. No doubt they had seen the fight and were trying to save the man. Not that Jak thought the man needed it: he seemed to be doing quite well on his own. He was strong enough to lift the Sage over his head and throw him right at Jak, the Channeler thought. He shook his head and did a double take. Jak leapt into the air and narrowly avoided a beam of Yellow Eco that crackled through the air.
Jak felt his hair to make sure that it was all still there, as he had felt the beam come dangerously close to destroying one of his ears. He landed and put his hands up, showing that he meant no harm.
"Who are you!" the man shouted as he summoned another ball of Yellow Eco. Jak's eyebrows rose, the only indication that he was surprised to have found yet another Channeler. But this one was able to store Eco in his body, or else he was able to suppress his aura when he Channeled.
"No," Jak thought, "it's definitely the former: I can see his aura slightly. He did a wonderful job of suppressing himself the last time I was here."
"I asked you a question!" the man shouted again, his eyes narrowing. Jak knew that he would not be able to mime his way out of this predicament, and prepared to fight not only the Red Sage, but this man as well. Fortunately, Jak's salvation came from a very unlikely source.
"Jak! How did you get here? Zeorro never reported this!" Santar said in outrage as he climbed out of the rock pile at last. Jak turned to face him and saw that, just like Zeorro, Santar had a purple contraption on his back that was controlling his mind.
"Jak? The Jak of Sandover?" the man asked in a disbelieving tone. "But, you're… just a kid." Jak wrinkled his nose in distaste- he hated being called a kid. "I didn't know it was you." Jak smiled as if to say no hard feelings and the man stuck his hand out. "Name's Andrew Gause. What do you say we bring down the big guy and then we get acquainted?" Jak nodded as he stood next to the man and adopted a fighting stance. Santar looked at the both of them before hitting a button on his left gauntlet. A large piece of metal shot out, which Santar caught before engulfing the metal in fire. Jak watched in fascination as the metal twisted until it became a red sword. The blade was split into two prongs that extended straight off the hilt about three feet with a two inch gap between them. Small spikes extended for a quarter of an inch every three inches on the blade, giving it an almost saw-like appearance.
An explosion behind them made Jak and Andrew spin around. A proverbial army of Lurkers were pouring out of the Mountain Pass. Jak knew that, skilled though they were, Cara and Tiffany would never be able to hold their own against that many. The sheer numbers would soon overwhelm them. He felt torn between his duty to the land and his duty to his friends. If he stayed and fought Santar, he might be victorious, but he would sacrifice Cara and Tiffany. On the other hand, if he left and saved his friends, Andrew might not win, and Santar would then be able to inform Gol that Jak was not stuck in Sandover as the Dark Sage assumed.
"I'll help the two girls with the Lurkers," Andrew said as he began running to help Cara and Tiffany, both of whom were already trying to suppress the threat. Jak nodded gratefully as Andrew glowed blue before speeding up.
"Well now, looks like it's just you and me Jak," Santar said, an insane glint in his eye. Jak nodded and summoned a Yellow Eco Blade as Santar's blade once again became wreathed in flames, only these, Jak was sure, were meant to do additional damage, not change the sword. Jak summoned his own Eco Blade and pumped more Eco into it, hoping that increasing the strength would allow it to stand up to this metal blade.
Santar roared as his entire body burst into flames and he charged forward. Jak hastily turned on his Blue Eco Box and held his hand out, hoping to cause Santar to be hit by the backlash of his own technique, like Zeorro had done to him. Unfortunately, all it did was slow Santar down enough so that when he rammed Jak, the Channeler didn't have any of his bones broken. Jak picked himself up off the floor and jumped over another attack of the same caliber. As he jumped, Jak bent forward and spun in the air so that he was facing the Sage rushing by him. Jak let a ball of Yellow Eco fly from his hand, striking Santar in the back. He glared at his bad luck as his attack missed the mind control device mounted on the Sage's back by less than an inch. As Jak landed, he stuck his hand out and pivoted before pushing off and landing on his own two feet.
Santar roared again and swung his blade with all of his considerable strength behind it. Jak blocked it with his Eco Blade, but slid back three feet from the sheer brute force behind the attack. As Santar swung again, Jak threw his Blade into the air and slammed both of his forearms against the metal, confident that his armor would be able to stand up to the attack. Unfortunately, the young Channeler forgot to take one small detail into consideration. Although his armor held up to the attack, the shockwave reverberated throughout his body and fractured the bones in both his arm. He opened his mouth in a silent cry of pain as he staggered backwards, his arms limp. Santar rushed forward and stabbed forward. Jak tried to regain his composure and dodged to the side, his arms flapping uselessly beside him. Daxter quickly assessed the situation and scurried down his friends body to turn on his Green Eco Box. The healing Eco swept through Jak's body, giving him back his full mobility. Jak saw a downward slash coming and shot his arms up, crossing them in an X fashion. He blocked the attack for only an instant, knowing that if he tried to out-muscle the Sage, he would only succeed in either breaking a bone or being cut in half, neither of which appealed to Jak very much.
Jak wrapped his hands around the large gauntlet and pulled it to his left hip as he raised his right leg and brought it around his body. He bent the leg and brought the knee up to his chest before shooting it out in a perfect side kick. Even without the power of Red Eco behind it, Jak's strength was still sufficient enough to crack the barrel that surrounded the Sage. Santar stepped back as he glared at Jak with a newfound respect and wariness. Jak glared back, a fire in his eyes, causing them to practically glow. Neither combatant took notice of the intense heat of the lava, nor did either one seem to care that ash and dust blew around the arena. As a lava bubble burst, sending a shower of sparks into the air, Jak rushed forward…
Only to dive to the left as Santar slammed his blade into the ground. Flames enveloped the sword, but quickly left, causing a stream of fire to flow across the ground. Fortunately, the path of the attack was narrow, and thus, relatively easy for Jak to avoid. As Jak landed, he summoned an Eco Blade to his side, which he immediately put to use deflecting a stream of fire from Santar's free hand.
Jak waved his Eco Blade back and forth as Santar threw a large ball of Red Eco that issued a torrent of fireballs at Jak. As he blocked and parried the projectiles, Jak realized that with him on the defensive all the time, it was only a matter of time until Santar wore him down. Therefore, the most logical thing to do was to gain the offensive. The real question was: how? Santar's stamina and strength made him nearly impossible to take down with brute force. Jak leapt over another stream of flame from Santar's sword and realized that he would have to find a way to turn Santar's strengths into his weaknesses. Again, the solution sounded good, but the tricky part would be actually doing it.
Santar rushed in again and Jak jumped over a swing, only to have to bend backwards under a punch. Jak bent back until he could place his hands on the ground and then he kicked Santar in the chest to force him back an inch while he back-flipped onto the ground right-side up. Santar threw another hook punch and Jak ducked underneath it before using the Sage's own momentum to slam the burly elf into the ground. Suddenly, the solution screamed itself into Jak's mind: the aremie! He remembered seeing it explained back when he was eleven, recent enough for him to have remembered a couple of the moves. Although Jak didn't fully understand the style, he knew it had to do with manipulation of momentum, balance, and weight to turn the enemy's own attacks against him. At the time, the style had been used mainly by martial artists to take down bigger and physically stronger Lurkers.
Santar slashed downward again and Jak summoned two Eco Blades before crossing them in an X again and diverting the sword into the ground. Jak's hands were preoccupied, so he leapt off the ground and smashed his foot into Santar's face, closing his eyes as he did so to avoid getting them filled with ash. As Jak landed, he pulled his goggles down so that he would not have to worry about something like that happening in the future.
Santar roared in fury at not having killed Jak yet and decided that a different tactic was needed. And for a different tactic, the Sage of Red Eco would require a different type of weapon. Santar leapt into the air about twenty feet, crashing down as his blade melted and took on a new form…
"This isn't looking good!" Tiffany shouted as she shot a beam of Red Eco at a group of incoming Lurker Brutes. The ape-like Lurkers were disintegrated under the attack, but Tiffany knew she was losing power, and fast. Unlike Cara, she did not have the luxury of an Eco Box, which (Tiffany noticed) the Coordinating Channeler wasn't even using, opting instead to use her sword.
"I know!" Cara shouted back as she decapitated a Lurker Scout and kicked the body into an incoming trio of Generals.
"Why aren't you using your Eco?" Tiffany called.
"I can't Channel Eco, only manipulate what Eco is outside my body," Cara called back before realizing that Tiffany would be able to make better use of the Eco Belt than she could. She took it off and threw it across the battlefield, shouting to get Tiffany's attention. The Reflector Channeler caught the Box and hastily strapped it around her waist before whistling with her two fingers. She gave a long shrill whistle followed by a short loud one that made Cara want to cover her ears. Suddenly, Charlie and Harry burst through the incoming army, their hooves hitting and stomping on Lurkers. Tiffany mounted her steed, but Cara shook her head. She wasn't used to fighting on a horse, and she didn't want to hurt herself or Harry. Tiffany nodded and whistled the short blast again. Harry neighed and galloped back into the village, taking its time to crush any Lurker stupid or slow enough to remain in its way.
"Lend me some Eco!" Cara shouted. Tiffany nodded and threw a ball of Yellow Eco at Cara, who caught it using her powers and spread it over he sword so that it looked like she was wielding a katana forged out of solid light. She screamed a battle cry as she ran at the incoming Lurkers while Tiffany started using slashes and thin beams from her horse. Cara glanced at them and noted how fluid the two moved together. As Charlie landed on one Lurker, caving its chest in, it reared its back legs and socked another under its chin, sending it flying. As the steed did that, Tiffany punched a Lurker that tried to leap on the horse before sending a pencil-thick beam through three Lurker Generals. A sudden explosion to her left, however, made Cara look to the village entrance…
Jak once again jumped over a hook punch thrown by the possessed Sage. The metal had changed to cover Santar's large hands, like metal gloves. Jak had seen the Sage shatter a boulder to pieces using a punch, and was in no way eager to have the same thing done to him while the hands were covered in red-hot metal. Therefore, he was keeping his distance, doing his best to not get pounded into pulp. Santar spun around and Jak realized the Sage was more flexible than he had originally surmised as the foot of the Red Eco Sage came up and hit him in the chest. Jak went flying back and hit the back of his head on a rock. His brain had just enough time to register the fact that he had probably just lost the battle before everything went dark.
"JAAAAAAAK!" Daxter screamed as the Sage got closer. Daxter turned around to glare at Santar and found himself darting forward like a viper, ready to inflict as much pain as he possibly could on the possessed Sage. Santar slammed his foot into the ground, sending a small shockwave through the ground, which Daxter used to simply leap into the air and land on Santar's face. The enraged Ottsel wasted absolutely no time in sinking his fangs and claws into the crimson-colored elf, gagging when blood filled his mouth.
Santar slapped at his face, hoping to merely crush the pest and be rid of it, but Daxter had anticipated this move, having done this to multiple people by now, and dodged the attack, giving any onlookers the humorous sight of the mighty Red Eco Sage slapping himself. In retrospect, Santar realized that he probably shouldn't have put so much force behind the attack as his nose broke. Santar howled with pain as he clutched his face and tried unsuccessfully to stop his eyes from tearing up. Daxter took full advantage of the Sage's preoccupation by clawing and slashing the Red Sage's left arm up, sometimes ripping pieces of flesh out and either spitting or throwing them to the side.
As Santar slapped his arm, Daxter darted away, realized that though the injuries he was inflicting were irritating, would not defeat Santar, and tried to think of a way to stop the Red Sage's rampage. He crawled down the Sage's leg, making sure to dig his claws unnecessarily deep as he crawled around. Though they were hardly mortal wounds, these pinpricks drove the Red Sage nearly psychotic with fury. Daxter darted by the leg and made his way into the barrel. Santar sighed in relief, thinking he had shaken Daxter off before he screamed as agony erupted in his inner thigh. Daxter shouted something, but Santar was not paying attention as he began clawing at his armor, trying to get it off so he could rip the little rodent apart limb by limb, stuff the limbs into the mouth and then roast the little rat slowly (still alive) over an open fire. Oh yes, he would suffer, Santar assured himself as he finally got one of the straps off, made slightly more difficult by the fact that he was hopping around in pain as Daxter continued to shred his flesh.
Finally, the armor dropped to the ground and Daxter screamed in surprise right before he was yanked off Santar's chest, making sure to tear one last chunk of flesh out. He continued to bite and scratch the hand holding him, hoping to cause the Sage to drop him, but Santar was so pleased with finally catching his quarry, and preoccupied with delightful thoughts of torturing his nemesis that he didn't even feel the pain.
Nor did he notice Jak send a fairly large blast of Yellow Eco his way.
Santar roared in pain as the power enveloped his body. Jak happily noted that the bulk of the Sage had protected his friend, but was curious to see that the device on Santar's back remained intact. Memories of Zeorro flooded back, as he remembered the blast had been electrical that had hit the machine. Jak realized that Zeorro's attack hadn't destroyed his machine, it had simply overloaded it.
Jak ran forward before Santar could react and jumped into the air, kicking the machine with all his strength. Unfortunately for Jak, all he did was succeed in hurting his toe. Jak leapt and clutched his foot, dodging to the right and blasting Santar in the face with a Yellow Eco Grenade. The Sage's reaction pleased Jak: he dropped Daxter. Jak caught his friend and gave him a high five before charging up a blast of Yellow and Red Eco. He gathered as much as he could into a single fist until that fist crackled with energy begging to be released. Jak charged forward, fully intending to fulfill the Eco's desire…
Andrew charged forward, enveloping his body in Yellow Eco. The combination effectively turned him into an arrow of destruction as he barreled through Scouts, Generals, and even a few Grunts, who were known for needing an enormous amount of damage to go down. As he saw a boulder come up, Andrew ran even faster, blowing through the boulder as easily as if it were paper. He stopped and bent downward before looking up, his body giving off a palpable sense of power. Even the mindless Lurkers who did what they were told simply because it was the first order that was given were slightly hesitant to go near this new elf. Andrew watched slowly as the Lurkers surrounded him and gathered that the Lurkers were thinking two things, both of which they were horribly mistaken on. One was that they were cutting off an escape route, and the second was that they were hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers, a tactic that would no doubt have worked on a victim less knowledgeable about fighting than himself.
Andrew charged his body with Red Eco, making the air around him shimmer and distort slightly. He kicked an incoming General in the chest with his right foot as he rotated his body clockwise and back-fisted another Grunt in the nose, caving the beast's entire face in. He landed, swinging his right arm across his chest to deflect a swipe by a Lurker Cutter, an elf-shaped Lurker that had spikes coming out of its shoulders, head, fingers and toes. The Cutter took a step back before bringing its sharpened claws on its foot up, intending to cut Andrew that way instead. Andrew saw it coming and blocked the incoming attack with a downward X block so hard that his arms went though the leg and cut it right off. The Cutter hopped back on one leg, but its fate was sealed. Andrew brought his left fist back and his left foot up before pivoting his body and delivering a punch so strong that his entire arm went through the Cutter's chest.
Andrew yanked his arm out of the Cutter's guts and grabbed a General's head before bringing his right elbow in and shattering the face of the Lurker. Andrew then spun around with his hand flat, putting so much force behind this action that he decapitated three Scouts that were foolish enough to try to attack him. Andrew then leapt into the air and coated his body with Yellow Eco again. He aimed his body down and became a flaming meteor, causing an explosion as he hit the ground.
Cara watched in fascination as the man rose from the dust and ash that he had created. As he stepped out of the smokescreen, Cara sincerely hoped that he would not try to fight her, as she knew she would not stand a chance against this kind of opponent. Never before had she seen such powerful moves, not even from Jak. Granted, Jak was powerful, but he had a major flaw- he never did anything unorthodox. Cara would have to talk to the young Channeler about that: if Jak started using his imagination like this man, she knew that he would be able to defeat Gol.
"You with Jak?" the man asked her. Caranodded, still keeping her sword drawn in case this attempt at kindness was just a ruse. "Hey relax. I was fighting Santar when he showed up. I saw the army coming and decided that Jak would be able to handle the Sage."
"Oh, okay, then, WAIT, WHAT!" Cara screamed at the man. "YOU LEFT JAK ALONE WITH A SAGE? ARE YOU INSANE?" Andrew took a step back, getting nervous and thinking that maybe he hadn't made the right decision when he had decided to help this girl and the other one out. "I thought he would be able to handle himself," Andrew shouted back. Cara glared at the strange man before sheathing her sword and walking back to the village. "Hey where you goin'?"
"To help Jak. If you want to come, fine. If not, then I suggest you go into the Pass. There's a girl there that needs your help. Like Jak," she added scathingly.
"Hey, wait a minute, you can't just treat me like I abandoned him-" Andrew began hotly, but stopped when Cara spun around and half-drew her sword, pressing the sharp edge against Andrew's throat. Andrew looked down and made a strong effort not to gulp, as that might just seal his fate.
"Listen to me," Cara growled at him. "I don't know who in the name of the Precursors you are, and frankly, I don't give a damn. Your actions may have condemned our best hope and one of my friends to his death. You better go help my other friend, or you'll wish Gol will find you and kill you before I do." Andrew nodded as she removed her sword from his throat and marched off to the village. Briefly, Andrew considered telling her that there were still a score of Lurkers over there or so, but he thought it would be a better idea to just go and help the other girl he had see, hoping that she would be calmer than the one that had almost cut his throat.
Cara stood still as she watched Lurkers run at her and surround her. Though she knew the elf meant well, that still didn't stop her from being extremely angry with him, and unfortunately for the Lurkers, she had decided to vent her frustration and rage on them.
Cara unsheathed her sword, which was still a brilliant gold, and held it in her left hand, knife-style. As she unsheathed it, she rotated her body to the right, stabbing a Lurker in the stomach while bashing another one's head in with the sheath. She reattached the sheath to her waist and flipped her blade so that she was holding it normally with her right hand on the bottom. She spun the blade to her right, spinning it with her hand so that it tore through the armor and bone of a Lurker General before she stabbed forward and to the right. As the creature's surrounded her, Cara spun the blade with his fingers as she spun rapidly on the spot. Normally, there would not be enough force behind these strikes to do anything, but with an Eco-coated blade, all she needed to do was touch something to make it be sliced through.
Cara stopped spinning and thrust her blade through a Lurker Scouts foot as she did a split. She hooked her arm up, closely followed by her legs, and cut the poor beast in two down the middle. She then looked up and swung her blade at the sky. Streaks of Yellow Eco left the blade, destroying seven Lurker Flyers, before Cara redirected the energy to the ground and had it surround herself, dissuading any Lurkers that had thought of attacking her while she seemed preoccupied. Cara put the energy back over her sword and ran forward, another battle cry on her lungs.
As Cara cut through another ten Lurkers, she saw a Grunt leap at her from a tree. She threw her blade at him and took the Eco off, sending it through the final two Lurkers. As the dead bodies dropped to the ground, Cara brought the Eco back to her as she picked up her sword and sheathed it.
Cara arrived at the entrance to the village and saw Jak in the arena fighting creatures that seemed to be made of flames. She cried out, hoping to distract the creatures as she ran as fast as she could, her sword still glowing as she unsheathed it, ready to help Jak in any way she could.
"Jak, look out on your right!" Daxter shouted as Jak ducked under a swipe from one flame monster. He looked to his right and jumped over a creature that was ramming him. Jak looked over at Santar, who was smiling smugly, happy that he had at last found a way both entertain himself and kill Jak without risk of injury. The idea had been so simple: simply create creatures made of fire and manipulate them. Jak fired another beam of Yellow Eco through one of the creature's torso, but the beam simply passed right through, doing absolutely no harm to the monster whatsoever.
Santar laughed heartily as Jak was surrounded, thinking that there was no way for the Channeler to win. Santar winced slightly as he moved around in his armor, having finally managed to put it back on. That accursed rat had given him injuries that might last for days. Santar considered calling Samos, as he knew the Green Eco Sage would no doubt be glad to heal him, a servant of Gol Akaron.
Jak glared at the Sage and threw a scythe of Yellow Eco at a boulder before levitating it and hurling it at Santar. The Red Eco Sage was still laughing, and was surprised when two large rocks hit him. Jak took a small amount of comfort in the fact that he may have damaged the device when the rocks Santar was under began to glow red. Jak looked at the boulders in curiosity for only a second before they exploded, sending pebbles raining down on the battlefield. Jak was so stunned that he stopped moving and allowed himself to be surrounded by the creature, all of which eagerly attacked him.
Jak landed on the ground, exhausted after being pummeled in every direction by these invincible creatures. As he closed his eyes, he saw a streak of yellow and a battle cry. This was shortly followed by a cry of pain. Jak braced himself for the pain he thought he was about to experience, but the pain never came. Jak looked up and saw Santar lying on the ground, the machine on his back spitting out sparks, a golden blade sticking out of it. Cara walked over and picked it up, but not before shooting the Yellow Eco coating her blade into the machine. She looked at Jak and walked over to him, sheathing her sword as she did so. She stuck out her hand. Jak looked at her in amazement before taking it. Cara grunted slightly as she helped the boy up. For being only almost fifteen, Jak sure weighed a lot. She supposed it because his body was almost pure muscle.
"Thank the Precursors! I thought that no one would get that infernal device off my back." Santar exclaimed as he stood up. Jak smiled in relief: he no longer had to worry about being pounded to a pulp. As a wave of heat swept by, Jak grinned inanely before leaning backwards and passing out.
"Jak!" Cara exclaimed. Santar walked over to Jak and picked him up, wincing slightly as he did so: Daxter's attacks had hurt him badly. The two walked back, Santar carrying Jak and Cara allowing Daxter to ride on her shoulder.
Andrew and Tiffany walked back to Volcanic Crater, chatting lightly about high school together. "So you've been hiding here all this time? Why?" Andrew asked.
"Ever since Santar started acting strangely, I decided to hide out and train until I was strong enough to beat him. What about you?"
"I kept facing him, and lost every time. But I always got away and kept trying. Then Jak and that other girl fought him and I just hope they won," he said, realizing that he should hurry in case they were still fighting Santar. Tiffany whistled and within moments Maestro had caught up to them. Andrew leapt into the air and came down lightly on Maestro's back before gripping the reins and causing the horse to go zipping forward. Tiffany looked at him for a second with a small smile before calling to Charlie to catch up.
Jak opened his eyes and saw that he was in Santar's house. He sat up and looked around. Santar was sitting in a corner, rubbing Green Eco on his legs and chest. Jak saw how carved up the Red Sage was and vowed never to poke fun at Daxter again.Speaking of which, Jak saw Daxter speaking to the Sage and for once, he was apologizing. "Sorry about that, buddy," Daxter said sheepishly.
"Its all right. I'd rather have the pain and be free than be healthy but enslaved," Santar reassured the rodent.
"Yeah, I guess."
"You're quite the fighter there." Santar said. Jak rolled his eyes, knowing that that would only inflate Daxter's already overly-inflated ego.
"Yup. Just the other day, this girl Keira…" Daxter continued talking, but Jak closed his eyes, feeling tired and stopped listening.
Keira. By the Precursors, how Jak missed her. They had been separate for only a day, and yet it felt as though it had been forever since Jak had held her, hugged her, kissed her. His body ached and longed for her touch. Jak saw an image of Keira in his mind, standing on the beach in her white tee-shirt and blue-overalls. The wind was lightly blowing her hair, causing two locks of hair to blow across her hearts shaped face. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she watched the birds fly around in the air, blessed with the freedom to fly. Jak imagined she would look at him, closing her eyes as she tilted her head to the side slightly and smiled. She walked over and put an arm around his shoulders. She leaned in and rested her head on his chest, sighing as he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She looked up at him and smiled again. Jak bent down to capture her lips with his own and-
"HEY JAK WAKE UP!" Daxter shouted, causing to Jak to jump out of bed, his fantasy shattered. As Daxter shouted that Jak had been sleeping for two days straight, Jak noted that even in his fantasy, Daxter ruined the moment. Then he realized what Daxter had said. He had been sleeping for two days? How was that possible?
"Its possible because you're so lazy," Keira said, grinning. She laughed as his face turned from puzzlement to joy. Jak ran to her and picked her up, spinning around on the spot before putting her down and kissing her. Keira ran a hand through his grimy hair and spun him around. Jak stumbled as Keira pushed him forward. "Nothing else for you 'till you get cleaned up." Jak wrinkled his nose at her and pouted. Keira gave a small smile, leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the nose. "There. Now go get cleaned up." Jak stuck his tongue out at her and saluted her.
"Amazing how she can get him to do anything, ain't it?" Daxter said as she walked back into the living room. Keira rolled her eyes at Daxter, protesting that she never forced Jak to do anything.
"He just doesn't want to piss me off. Something you, Daxter should start considering," she added, glaring at the small rat. Daxter shrugged: he had angered her so many times that he was no longer afraid of the ramifications of doing such.
"So what's the plan?" Andrew said as he stood up from leaning on the wall.
"Well, I hollowed out the mind-control device, and Liz crafted those eye thingies," Keira said as she sat down on a big chair.
"I know that. But where are we going? Snowy Mountain Island or through the Spider Caves?"
"I think the Spider Caves. Nothing lives there, so it'll be easier to get through undetected," Tiffany said.
"It was empty. We don't know what's changed since the black sun," Veston pointed out.
"Then Snowy Mountain Island," Cara said, thinking that that would be the best choice.
"But if we go there, then we have to deal with Alecis," Keira said.
"And if we do that-" Bryan started to say, but Lauren finished his sentence for him.
"Then we risk exposing ourselves."
"But we can't stay here. I don't think we can trust everyone in the village, and if Gol found out where we were, then we would be pursued by everyone," Andrew said.
"What do you mean?" Tiffany asked, shocked that there might be elves in the town loyal to Gol.
"Just what I say. I've received threatening messages for challenging Santar, saying that they would run me out of town."
"I'd like to see them try," Liz muttered.
"But that brings us back to our original question: where do we go from here?" Keira asked.
"This is a difficult choice. You run the risk of the unknown in the Spider Caves, but to go the route you know is to risk exposing yourself. Not easy whenthe world is against you," Santar said slowly.
"Why don't we split up?" Andrew asked as he pointed to a map Santar kept on the wall. "Look, me, Tiffany, Liz, Bryan and Lauren can go through the Spider Caves. Charlie, Maestro and Harry have been through them before, so I know that they will be able to get through again. Then Keira, Jak, Margaret, Veston and Cara can go to Snowy Mountain Island. You can free Alecis, and then maybe send a team to investigate the Lurker Fort on the mountain, make sure they're not developing a new weapon or anything. When the five of us get through the caves, Tiffany, Liz and me can ride to Wasteland Metropolis and Bryan and Lauren can stay and try to convince Gordy and Willard- yes I know them," he said as Keira opened her mouth, "to help us. Gordy is a master of architecture. If there is any weakness in Gol's Citadel's foundation, he'll be able to pinpoint it. And Willard is the only one who knows how to make Econite."
"Econite?" Bryan and Lauren said simultaneously.
"A highly explosive power that can destroy almost anything. I've seen fifty pounds of it actually shatter Precursor metal." Eyes widened at this pronouncement. "Meanwhile, the four others can go to Pampas Islet and we'll rendezvous either there or Wasteland Metropolis. So what do you think?" Andrew asked, slightly apprehensive about what they thought about this plan. A chorus of approval, even from Cara, relieved him. Jak walked in, his hair matted down with water as he toweled it vigorously.
"You know Jak, that's usually what a woman does when she gets out of the shower," Daxter said, grinning. Jak stuck his tongue out at his friend as Keira smirked.
"Trust me Daxter, Jak's a guy." Daxter's eyes widened for a split second before he smile a grin so evil that Gol would want to use it.
"And just how do you know that, hm Keira? Methinks you two have been doing else than locking lips." Keira and Jak looked at each other before blushing deeper than Santar's skin. Everyone burst out laughing at the two elves' shyness. Jak and Keira each snuck a glance at each other at the same time and blushed deeply again. After the two of them had managed to calm themselves down, everyone filled Jak in on the plan.
"Wait a second. The A-Grav Zoomer is built for two. How do Veston and Margaret expect to follow us?" Keira asked.
"I've learned a little trick where I can Channel Blue Eco into an object and make it move, thanks to Jak. Me and Margaret can just take a piece of metal or wood or something," Veston said, proud of his new power.
"Ah, I have just the thing," Santar said as he walked out and came back with a round metal disk. Veston took it gratefully before looking at the time.
"We have to go! You have to contact Gol in two minutes. Remember, respond as though you approve of what he's doing," Veston shouted as the group left the house. Staying in the shadows, Jak, Daxter Keira, Veston and Margaret parted with Bryan, Lauren, Cara, Liz, Tiffany and Andrew.
"Well, here we go," Andrew said as he led Maestro down the rocky path of the Spider Caves.
"Let's just hope it goes better than last time," Tiffany said as she kept firm grips on Charlie and Harry.
"What happened last time?" Lauren asked, causing Andrew and Tiffany to give each other identical looks.
"Ready Jak?" Keira asked as she wrapped her arms around him and hoped that she didn't fall off again. Jak nodded, hoping the exact same thing. Veston stepped on the metal disk and Margaret got on with him. Veston turned his Blue Eco Box on and Margaret activated her power, giving him more power so that they wouldn't run out before they reached the island twenty miles away. The disk levitated and Veston started the journey.
"Hey Jak!" Veston shouted. The bi-color haired Channeler looked over at Veston. "Up for a race?" Jak grinned as he revved the Zoomer and the two tore through the water, causing waves to rise up behind them as they sped off for their destination…
Hope everyone enjoyed this, particularly Daxter's glory, because I have some bad news. My parents have strictly limited my free time due to a bad grade in Spanish, so I may not be able to update once a week as I have been trying to do. Hopefully, I'll finish the next chapter over the weekend, since my punishment begins Monday. Hopefully, I will still be able to update this, although once I pull of an eighty in Spanish, this restriction will be lifted. On that note, I hope you all have had a good week, and I pray that you enjoy Easter, or whatever holiday you might be celebrating. Any questions, comments, ideas, flames, etc., just fill me in. Oh, and the explanation as to why there are so many Channelers will be filled in next chapter, in case people are wondering why there are now eight (the number is only going to be larger). See you in a couple of days (hopefully).
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 #12 of Life (inspired by Ben Parker in Spiderman): With great power, comes great responsibility.