To those who reviewed:
CrazyOttsel- Thanks for the compliment. I hope that you find the secret behind the monsters acceptable, as I decided that for the final plot twist I have I needed Gol to have a new army. If you could email me or send me a message, I'd be happy to clear any confusion with Alecis. Oh, and I hope you saw what I added to Chapter 35. There was a section there that I accidentally left out, which I just found and loaded, so it might help the romance there. I might not update today (computer got damaged in a thunderstorm) but Monday at the latest Chapter 45 will be up.
GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Yup, the secret will be revealed. I sent you a couple of emails, but I guess you didn't receive them. I need to know a few things before I turn out the new chapter, which I plan on writing at night on my senior trip this weekend. I'll have it to you by next Tuesday if you can give me what I need before I leave. It's not a lot, just what happens, who fights who, who wins, and what are the powers I can use? I hope you see this, because I'm putting my own story on hiatus until I turn out your chapter.
Silver-WindScar- Actually, I don't believe in that saying at all. I believe that perfect practice makes perfect, but that's me. And yes, you WILL update :P. Thanks for the reassurance- now I don't have to change anything! Lazy! (dances and emotionally scars witnesses).
Disclaimer: I don't own this, save for the demented stuff I added.
The Necromancy Portal
"Explain to me again the nature of these creatures," Alecis asked wearily as she put a hand against her head and rubbed vigorously in an attempt to alleviate a headache that was starting.
"Well, they were all skin and bones. It didn't look like they had any internal organs or blood. They had bright yellow eyes that you could sense. Like, if they looked at you, you would know, and you could tell when they were facing you and looking somewhere else. Two long, pointy ears that looked as though they were just skin poked through a straw hat covering their heads." Keira summarized. "And another thing. They had a lot of metal. They had swords, as well as plated armor over their hips shoulders and chest."
Alecis closed her eyes, knowing that what she dreaded had truly come to pass. "Those creatures... are the Shirhak."
"Shi... rhak?" Veston asked, trying to pronounce the new word.
"Yes. They arrived through a Necromancy Portal. The Portal works one way only. It allows the demons that inhabit Legatee to slip into our world. The worse part is that anyone killed by a Shirhak and dies because of it becomes a Shirhak themselves. When a Shirhak is destroyed, the tormented soul inside is freed at last and given eternal rest in Foretaste, so although the Shirhak were once elves, don't feel any qualms about killing them." Everyone sat still as they tried to understand what had happened, and tried to predict how this could affect the war.
"Wait, what's this Necromancy Portal you mentioned?" Margaret asked, wondering if the portal might be the way to stop the Shirhak.
"The Necromancy Portal is a portal that links our elfin world to the demonic realm. It was crafted by an evil Precursor that fell from grace and started a war with the remainder of the other Precursors. You see-"
"Wait a second!" Daxter shouted. "Are you trying to tell me that the Precursors killed one another?"
"Yes, and a horrible war it was. So powerful was it that the war nearly destroyed the entire planet." Alecis paused to let this fact sink in before she continued. "Anyway, halfway through the war, the dark Precursor created the Necromancy Portal in an attempt to summon the demons. But he realized that he needed a great amount of power to open it first, which is why he tried to get to the Dark Eco Silos. After changing the original function, he tried to open it, but a group of noble Precursors found out about his plan and slayed him. Unfortunately, they could not change the function of the Dark Eco Silos back to its original one."
"What was the real intention of the Dark Eco Silos?" Keira asked, wondering if the history of the Precursors could get any weirder.
"To save the world. The Precursors gathered all of the excess Dark Eco that was killing the world and put it in the Silos. They then intended to blast it out into space, but one Precursor thought that they should use the Dark Eco as a weapon and try to conquer other worlds. This was the war, and the war is now coming to an end."
"What do you mean?" Veston asked, getting a headache from all this new information.
"There was an ancient prophecy. I'll read it to you." Alecis raised her hand and a scroll glowed bright blue before zooming into her hand. She unfolded it and cleared her throat.
"Yea, but the true war had not been fought, but only postponed. One day, a powerful evil will rise and wield the Dark Light as a power. But all hope shall not be lost. For the defenders of Weyard will rise up against his twisted empire of the undead and challenge him. Armed with the blood of the planet, they will rise up to challenge the bringer of the Dark Sun, the beacon for all destruction. The battle will rage back and forth until finally Light meets Shadow. Only then will the true victor emerge, and a new era of destruction or redemption will be ushered in." Silence met this strange pronouncement as everyone realized that the events that were happening in the here and now had been predicted by the gods themselves more than a millennia ago.
"Hey Alecis," Veston said after a few minutes of contemplation, "do you have any idea what's going on in the Lurker Fort on the Mountain?"
"That reminds me. One of you are going to have to climb the mountain using the dirigible and destroy the Fort."
"Well, we planned on doing that anyway, but why?" Margaret asked.
"Because of Gol. I told you about the Necromancy Portal. Well, it needs an enormous amount of power to be opened, and Gol used the Dark Eco Crystal that he had been storing inside his fake arm." As Jak heard this, he suspected that the Crystal might have been what gave Gol the power to stop Eco Sabers and Eco based attacks with his metal gauntlet. "He's now having a new one constructed in the Fort, and if he gets it, he will be just as powerful as he was before. Without the Crystal though, he is weakened slightly, which means you will have an edge on him."
Jak happily thought of Gol's reaction when he found out that there was an "accident" in the Lurker Fort.
"I can get you up the Mountain by letting you take the dirigible, but you will have to sneak back down later."
"Why?" Margaret asked, a slight quaver in hr voice.
"Gol will believe me if I say that whoever snuck up the Mountain did so when I was contacting him. But the jig would be up if I allowed you to come down in plain sight. He would never believe I allowed the perpetrators to get back down, especially if he sees the dirigible returned afterwards." Margaret swore under her breath: the thought of climbing down Snowy Mountain terrified her, but she put her fear to bed, knowing that she would deal with it when the time arose.
"Wait a second Alecis," Keira said, thinking of something. "Is there any way to close the Necromancy Portal?" The Sage smiled.
"As a matter of fact there is, and it is the goal you already have in mind- close the Dark Eco Silos."
"What good'll that do?" Daxter asked.
"Well, once opened, the Portal requires a sufficient amount of Necromantic energy to remain open. With the Dark Eco Silos open, the black sun that is orbiting Weyard emits powerful waves of Necromantic energy. Even if the portal is undergorund, it will still receive the power."
"So does that mean that Dark Eco is Necromantic in nature?" Keira asked.
"No. Dark Eco is simply an impure Eco. If there was a way to purify it, then the power that Eco would possess would be almost unimaginable."
"So, by re-opening the Dark Eco Silos, the back sun will vanish, the Necromancy Portal will close, and the world will return to normal," Veston summed up.
"That's the gist of it."
"So the plan for us is to head to Pampas Islet and free Tarea while Veston and Margaret climb the mountain and stop Gol from receiving another Dark Eco Crystal," Keira said.
"Close, but I would appreciate it if you would make a slight detour on your way to Pampas Islet," Alecis said. "There is an uncharted island about fifteen miles southwest of Pampas Islet. It is inhabited by two Channelers: a Storage Channeler named Richard and an Adaptor Channeler named Meredith. They are master of fighting without weapons. I suggest you visit them and consider training under their tutelage for a week or so. Doing so will definitely give you an edge with fighting." Keira looked at Jak and he nodded and shrugged.
"All right then, I guess we'll visit them. They, er, are friendly, aren't they?" Keira asked.
"Of course. A little blunt and brutally honest, but I would trust them with my life." Alecis declared.
"All right then. We'll split up tomorrow," Veston said as he rose and walked outside the hut, being careful to stay out of sight of everyone. He paced back and forth, mentally preparing himself for the next day, which would be his toughest challenge yet.
The next morning dawned bright and cold for the group. Jak, Daxter and Keira bade farewell to Veston and Margaret, finding it harder to split up with the elves they ha come to know so well. After assuring each other that one day they would reunite, Veston and Margaret boarded the dirigible.
"Move over Jak, I'm driving," Keira said as she shoved Jak aside. He looked at her sulkily but did not protest, seeing as he had driven everywhere lately, and Keira had built the Zoomer in the first place. "Use this time to rest Jak," Keira said as she turned on the Zoomer. "You don't know what the training will be, but you know it won't be easy." Jak nodded and wrapped his arms around Keira's flat stomach, squeezing her slightly as he adjusted himself on the seat. He buried his face in Keira's hair and vowed to stay awake as long as he oculd in case Keira should need him.
Right before falling asleep.
Keira smirked slightly as she gunned the motor and took off, starting slowly so she would not wake Jak before they arrived on the island. As Keira drove, she reflected on how much their lives had changed ever since she and Jak had become an item. Even though she had experienced more grief and seen more battle than most full grown elves, Keira knew that if she had to choose becoming friends with Jak again, knowing what would happen if she did, she still would.
Three hours later, Keira finally arrived on the island. It matched Alecis' description, and she saw two elves making their way towards the Zoomer. She rose and was pulled back by Jak, who pouted slightly. Keira tried to get up again before telling Jak to let her go. Asleep, his only response was to pout, shake his head, and pull her closer. Keira turned and gave him a kiss, and Jak's arms relaxed, letting her shake him awake. After explaining to him what was happening, Keira and Jak, with Daxter on the latter's shoulder, waited for the two Channelers known as Rich and Margaret to arrive...
"I can't believe they're going to do it," Andrew whispered gleefully as he watched Bryan and Lauren approach Gordy and Willard. Tiffany shushed him, leaning around the side of the house so she could hear better.
"You Gordy?" Bryan asked with the air of wanting to get the worst over with as soon as possible.
"Yeah," Gordy said gruffly. Bryan sighed and, still not believing he was really going to do this, opened his mouth.
"Pardon me miss, could I have this dance?" He asked as he performed a curtsey. As he did that, Lauren sauntered up to Willard and hoisted him up on her shoulders. Willard started clapping as Gordy looked at Bryan in utter disbelief, his right eyebrow twitching. Bryan's cheeks flamed as he heard hysterical laughter break out from behind him. He and Lauren turned around to see their four companions rolling around in hysterics. Bryan's cheeks flushed redder, this time out of anger.
"You... you..." he spluttered, lost for words.
"YOU!" Gordy roared. Andrew smiled at the stout man, who ran up to him and shook his hand fiercely. "You sly old fox. Where've you been?" Andrew told Gordy the entire tale, with Cara, Liz, Tiffany, Bryan and Lauren also giving their accounts.
"By the Precursors," Gordy muttered as he stared out the window. The sun had long since set, and the red moon had risen above the sands that swirled as a wind disturbed them.
"So now you know why we're here. Bryan and Lauren will stay here and guard you, lest the old bag of bones finds out what we're up to."
"And me," Cara said.
"What! Why?" Tiffany exclaimed.
"I don't know, but I think its what I need to do," she said with a shrug. "Call it a hunch."
"This works out perfectly," Tiffany muttered to herself.
"Anyway, how will you get us to Gol's Citadel?" Gordy asked, a slight quaver in his voice.
"The Warp Gate. We'll teleport you to The City in The Sky and then transport you from there to the Citadel," Liz said.
"Well, all right. We'll do it, but we won't like it," Gordy said gruffly.
"Duh, Gordy," Willard said as he flapped his arms to get his partners attention.
"Yes Willard?" Gordy said, with the air of talking to a child.
"We gonna make the bad man's tower go boom?" Willard exclaimed.
"Yes Willard," Gordy said, a little shortly.
"Well, now that that's settled, I think we should all go to bed," Liz said as she got up ad stretched.
The next morning, Tiffany, Andrew, and Liz got on the horses and began their journey.
"How long'll it take us to get to Wasteland Metropolis?" Liz asked.
"Seventeen days."
"A week," Andrew and Tiffany answered at the same time.
"Since when can your horses go three times faster?" Andrew asked.
"Well, I never showed you guys this. My horses are a little... unique," Tiffany said evasively.
"How so?" Liz asked.
"I'll show you," Tiffany said before letting out a loud whistle and gripping the reins tighter. "Hold on tight!" she shouted as she leaned back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that her companions had done as she instructed.
Knotting one hand into Charlie's mane, the Channeler put her other hand in a praying position. The horses leapt forward with lurches that almost unseated Andrew and Liz, set their hooves upon a pathway of air, and stretched out their strides in what seemed like an ordinary gallop- except that with every step, the horses were climbing higher and higher into the skies.
The first think Andrew noticed was the cold, which increased as he mounted higher, and the strengthening wind, which made his eyes water and his ears ache, and blew his hair back from his face. Maestro's rhythmic stride felt almost identical to what it had always felt like, save that the motion was more fluid, without the jarring impact as his hooves struck the ground. Except for that one detail, Andrew could almost imagine himself riding along on the ground in an ordinary fashion- so long as he didn't look down. For a long time, he was very careful no to do that. He clung to Maestro's back like a burr, crouching low over his neck with his eyes screwed shut, and when he gained the courage to open them (mostly because he decided that it was worse to not see what was going on than to see) he looked down and realized that they weren't very far up, only a mile or so. For someone who had climbed mountains before, the height no longer seemed a problem.
At least, it didn't seem a problem to Andrew. Liz, however, was a different matter. Finally, she mustered enough courage to look down at the ground. Glowing in the light of the black sun, it swung dizzily beneath her in remote but perfect detail. Eventually, it lost its intimidation and became more appealing as Liz realized that she was experiencing the power of flight: precious few elves had had the privilege she was entitle to.
"By the Precursors. Cara doesn't know what she's missing out on!" Liz shouted, earning herself a grin from her companions. Tiffany gripped the reins of Charlie and shouted at him to move faster. The horses took off like shooting stars across the sky, making their way to Wasteland Metropolis.
Jak studied the individuals before him and realized they were not what he had expected. Richard was about five feet nine inches, with dull gray hair that stuck straight up. His deep brown eyes were alert, the markings of a fighter, and his body gave off a sense of authority and power. The woman was no less intimidating. With silver hair braided down to her back, and eyes to match her spouse's, she looked every bit the master fighter. What intrigued Jak was their hands, which had tattoos. On Richard, there was a yellow crescent on his right hand and a red crescent on his left. Margaret had a blue diamond on her left hand and a green diamond on her right hand.
"Who're you? And what are you doing here?" Richard asked gruffly. Before Keira could yell at the newcomer for being rude, his companion did it for her.
"Rich! What kind of way is that to talk?" she asked in a low voice before apologizing.
"My name is Keira, and this is Jak-" who inclined his head- "and Daxter-" who gave a sleeping grunt and turned over in his sleep.
"So. What are you doing here?" Richard repeated, earning himself another smack. "I mean, what brings you to our island?"
"Alecis: the Master of Precursor History. She said you could train Jak," Keira said.
"Aye, I could, if the boy would speak up for himself," Richard sad, eyeing the two elves with a level of trust and friendliness. After all, if they were lying, he would soon know about it.
"He can't speak. He's a mute," Keira said, not flinching as the brown eyes narrowed at her. Meredith rolled her eyes and welcomed them to the island before insisting Keira come with her so she could get something to eat. Jak was left alone with Richard, who strode up to him and clapped him on the shoulder, suddenly warm and inviting.
"Come on then lad, let's get to work!" Jak looked slightly taken aback: they were going to train now?
"Hey gramps. Don't you need an afternoon nap?" Daxter asked. He had only pretended to be sleeping, not really wanting to have to talk to newcomers, but couldn't resist.
"Don't think low of me just because I'm old," Richard said as he continued walking. Jak shook his shoulder to quiet his companion before Richard turned around and threw a punch aimed at Jak's nose. The young Channeler reacted instantly: leaning back and kicking Richard in the ribs before skipping back and entering a fighting stance. "Good reflexes, but you need more strength on that little love-tap," Richard said. Jak's eyebrows went up in surprise: he had not tried to hurt his teacher, but he believed that the kick should have at least ached in some way.
"Right, you're going to fight me right now," Richard said, entering a fighting stance of his own. Jak noticed that the front hand dropped, and the head leaned forward. Jak's hands went to his Eco Box Belt and Richard shook his head. "No gizmos or Eco. Just you and me. You have to be prepared to fight without Eco, because one day, it will happen." Jak nodded, but gulped when Richard picked up two falchions off the floor and leveled them at Jak. His breathed easier when his opponent put them down on the other side of the arena.
Only to gasp for breath as Richard darted in and punched him in the chest.
"C'mon boy, let's see what you got," Richard said with a smile as Jak started to fight.
"So what is Rich doing with Jak?" Keira asked, slightly apprehensive. Meredith put a plate of hot soup down in front of the aqua haired girl and smiled warmly.
"He's going to fight Jak, neither of them using Eco. My husband doesn't believe in using it outside of serious battle."
"He won't hurt him though, will he?"
"Of course he will. Not seriously, but your friend is going to go to bed with a few bruises tonight," Meredith said with a smile. Keira ate the meal and spent the next hour and a half filling Meredith in on why they were journeying north. Just as she finished her tale, Jak limped in, Richard coming in behind him.
"Jak!" Keira shouted in distress. Jak smiled weakly at her: his face was covered in bruises, and blood was leaking out of a wound in his arm, which was covered in bruises as well. Keira looked at Richard, who was sporting a bloody nose and two deep bruises on his chest.
"Your friend there has a lot of potential," he said thickly. "But he leaves his head wide open, and he has to learn how to parry better, not to mention pull his leg back faster when he kicks. To his credit, he managed to hit me a few times," he added, seeing Keira turn a dangerous shade of red. Meredith also noticed and swiftly intervened.
"Look here Keira, Jak will be better in the morning. We have medicine that will accelerate his healing. He'll be in some discomfort, but in the morning, the bruises will be gone and he won't have a limp. He must be very good already if he was able to hit Rich. Normally, they only get one blow in- and you can't even tell." Meredith forced a spoonful of gray sludge down Jak's throat, who immediately started coughing and gagging.
"You should go to bed. You can take him in there and sleep with him tonight. Just keep it quiet," Meredith said with a wink, which caused Keira to turn a shade of red she had not thought possible. Meredith and Richard chuckled as they left Keira alone with Jak, the latter of which was confused as to what Keira was so embarrassed about.
Over the next week, Jak continued his training, and he was rapidly improving. He went to bed sore every night, but was also happy.
On the seventh day, Keira looked outside and screamed to alert the house hold.
"SHIRHAK!" she shouted. Jak bolted out of bed and looked out. Sure enough, scores of the creatures were advancing upon the house. Rich and Meredith came downstairs.
"Well now Jak, this is your first test. Go out there and deal with them. We'll watch," Meredith said cheerfully. Keira looked at her in shock, and even Richard seemed uncomfortable with the idea.
"Maybe I should go with him. After all, he-"
"No Richard. He needs to do this alone. You can do it Jak," Meredith added.
"He better," thought Keira, "or I'll skin you both."
"He ain't goin' alone," Daxter said. "I'm goin' with him," he declared as he climbed Jak's shoulder. Jak smiled at his friend for his loyalty and stepped outside and immediately charged the enemy, dodging blow after blow and retaliating with deadly results.
"See," Meredith said calmly. "He's more than capable of handling this on his own." Richard nodded, impressed with the progress his student had made, while Keira watched in admiration- and prayed that Jak would not be injured.
An hour later, Jak came back in, sweaty and breathing heavy, but unharmed. Richard and Meredith roared with approval and forced a drink on the young teen. Jak chocked as he spit the drink out but decided after a second taste that he liked it.
"Takkin. Puts fire in the blood," Richard said with a grin. "And my wife here makes it with no alcohol, so you don't get stupid," he said as he passed a cup to Keira, who had a reaction similar to Jak's.
After the party, Richard and Meredith got serious. "Right then, you had best get to Pampas Islet. We'll wait for you to defeat Tarea, just think of it as a lesson, and then we'll join you," Richard said as he led the two young elves and their furry companion to the Zoomer. "Good luck, but you won't need it Jak," he said with a fond smile. Jak got on the Zoomer and took off for the large island in the distance. Richard watched until they left his sight and his wife came outside.
"You like him?"
"Of course. He's a good lad."
"He's powerful."
"Yes. Maybe, just maybe, he can accomplish what we failed to do..." Richard said as the two walked back into their hut.
"Damn these things," Bryan exclaimed as he threw away his metal blade. A stronger Shirhak had appeared and cut it in half with a broadsword. Bryan summoned a Blue Eco Blade and spun it in circles, creating rings of Blue Eco. As the rings hit the various Shirhak, the monsters froze in place, becoming easy targets for Lauren and Cara. Bryan shot a beam of Eco out of his left hand while twirling his Eco Blade in his right to parry a strike and behead the Shirhak that had attacked him.
Cara was faring slightly better then Bryan, having kept her blade. She had coated the hilt in Blue Eco and was throwing it like a boomerang, using the power of the Eco to return it to her. Lauren was keeping the Shirhak from getting to close to the Coordinator using her trusty bow and arrow. Unfortunately, she did not notice one armed with a spear get close to her. Bryan did however, and threw his body into her, getting her out of the way at his own expense.
Lauren turned around as she heard a gasp of pain and saw Bryan on the ground, lying in a puddle of blood and Blue Eco. She shook with rage as she fired three Yellow Eco tipped arrows into the skull of the spearman and sank down to her knees. Her body seemed to glow blue as she wept in agony. She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and filled with rage.
"STOP!" she screamed. Miraculously, everything did just that. Shirhak froze in mid-strike as well as mid-leap and even the sands being blown around by the wind was frozen. Everything stopped, save for Bryan, Lauren and Cara, who all looked around.
"Lauren! You're a Channeler!" Bryan exclaimed before passing out. Lauren stared at her own hands in amazement before turning on Bryan's Green Eco Box and sighing with relief as his skin knit itself back together.
Charlie, Maestro and Harry touched down after a week's journey on the outskirts of Wasteland Metropolis.
"Everybody ready?" Andrew asked as they marched into the town, ready to challenge Potentia.
"Yup," Tiffany said as she instructed her horses to stay safely away. Liz nodded, calming herself and readying her mind for the epic battle to come.
"Damn heights," Margaret muttered as the dirigible made its slow, steady way up the mountain. She didn't even want to think about climbing down, but, like before, she figured she would deal with that problem when it came.
The two Channelers entered the Lurker Fort, having been told of the secret entrance. As they looked around, Veston noticed that the Fort had a definite feeling of wrongness that filled the air. Just as he was about to mention this fact to Margaret, a green cloud erupted in front of them, and a blue slash of energy went flying by.
Veston and Margaret both dived in opposite directions, Veston summoning his Red Eco Blade while Margaret concentrated her powers and coated her arms in Red Eco before setting her own skin on fire. Having perfected this move, however, Margaret felt absolutely no heat whatsoever, but her tests had proves that her new attack could melt rocks away.
Veston swung his blade and smiled when he heard a grunt come from the green smoke that was rapidly dissipating. As the smoke cleared, Veston saw his nemesis, and he realized that stronger Shirhak were beginning to leak through the Necromancy Portal. A six foot tall demon with a single, blood-colored eye stared at him and snarled as it lifted a broadsword that was as long as Veston was tall. The monster swung it horizontally and Veston leapt into the air and landed on the blade. He raised his Eco Blade and prepared to stab the creature, only to be blasted backwards by a Red Eco beam that was shot out of the monster's eye. As he went flying back, Margaret rushed in and stopped the sword with her bare hands, the fire lacing her fingers melting the blade away.
As the blade melted in two, Margaret dashed forward, jammed her fists into the monster's chest and began flooding the inside with flames. Veston darted forward and beheaded the beast, watching without pity as it fell backwards, crumbling away all the time. By the time it hit the ground, its body was little more than a pile of ashes, easily scattered by the wind from Veston and Margaret's footprints as they crossed the chamber and entered the main hall of the Lurker Fort.
Or they would have, had the two statue adorning the entrance suddenly come to life and attack them. Veston leapt back as Margaret threw a massive beam of Yellow Eco at the offending Shirhak, destroying their armor and revealing the skin and bones of the creatures inside. Veston leapt forward, using his Eco Blade to cut through their bodies and shear them in half. Once again, the monsters wailed as they died, their bodies crumbling away as they hit the ground. Veston and Margaret headed inside the Lurker Fort at last, gagging on the stench of blood that hung heavy in the air.
It was clear that Gol no longer held any affection for the Lurkers whatsoever and had ordered them slaughtered. Organs hung from the wall as if they were decorations, the skeletons, stripped of flesh and muscles, were also hung from fans, as though the Shirhak had turned them into puppets before departing. Margaret retched as her eyes lay upon a Lurker that was lying on the floor, its own heart shoved into its mouth while its intestines were used as rope to tie it up. She leaned against the wall, slipping as she realized it was covered in blood and gore, and was quietly but very effectively ill.
Veston, while used to seeing nasty injuries and slightly sickening sights, was fighting the urge that Margaret had just succumbed to. Nevertheless, he managed to pull himself together and keep his breakfast inside his own body.
Until he saw the image that drove him over the edge: a Lurker and its child. The mother, for that was Veston assumed it was, had died trying to shield its young, who had had small pieces of its body hacked off and shoved into a homemade hole in its mother's hollowed out skull. Bile rose in Veston's throat and he opened his mouth, vomiting violently all over the floor.
After a few minutes, both he and Margaret regained enough of their wits to leave the room, vowing not to exit through that scene from a nightmare- even if they had to blow a hole through the wall.
Veston spotted a piece of paper on a metal door and grabbed it, trying to make out its message. Unfortunately, there were blood stains on it, so he could only make out a few words.
"Dark... Crystal on... level. System... ure. Squad... heck on... co Crystal." he read.
"What's that mean?" Margaret asked, the light filtering through the windows showing how pale she still was.
"I think it says that the Dark Eco Crystal is on the level that the Lurkers sent a team to. All we have to do is ride the elevator to that floor." Margaret nodded before digging her hands inside the seam of the doors and prying them apart. She sent a beam of Yellow Eco down the shaft and saw that the elevator seemed to be on the lowest level. She relayed the message to Veston, who summoned a Red Eco Blade. "Grab on," he said, right before jumping down the tunnel and jamming his Blade into the wall to control his descent.
For hours the two seemed to descend, until it looked as though they had descended the entire mountain from the inside. The two landed on the elevator so hard that they fell through the ceiling and landed- rather painfully- on the floor. They scrambled to their feet as they heard footsteps approaching. They looked up to see the Shirhak that had caused the damage upstairs... and had just finished wreaking similar damage down here. Without a word, Margaret gathered her powers and flung them at the offending Shirhak, noticing a small crystal made out of solid Dark Eco behind him. As the dust cleared, she guessed that the lone Shirhak had been guarding the Crystal.
"Stay back!" Veston shouted. Margaret looked at him just before a blast of Yellow Eco hit her in the stomach and smacked her against the wall. Veston looked at the offending Shirhak and realized, with a shiver, that he didn't have a scratch on his skin; or a nick in his armor...
Jak and Keira landed on Pampas Islet, ready to battle Tarea, the Master of Precursor Technology. Jak had finally conceded defeat and allowed Keira to partake in the battle that was coming up ahead. Dangerous though it would be, Keira had convinced him by saying that he would die if he was alone, and if he died, so did the planet's best chance for survival.
A cold wind blew from the north as Jak and Keira walked to the village of Pampas Islet, ready for the mind-controlled Sage.
"Very good," Gol muttered, "very good Jak. Make your way back to the Citadel. I will finally have my revenge on you, as I force you to slaughter your friends and become Lord of the Shirhak..."
Okay, this story is on hiatus until I can finish Chapter 11 of Dark Angel, a story by GoodMorningBeautiful2005. That being said, I would love any comments or thoughts you might have, particularly on the images in the Lurker Fort. I hope they didn't suck too badly. I hope you enjoyed this one.
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 #14 of Life (inspired by Stewart Gilligan Griffin): Once sand gets inside a household, it is impossible to get it all out again.