Chapter XXIIX: Back To Spargus
LES: Man, before I started writing this chapter, I was majorly sick. Headache, nausea, high fever… I was just really under the weather. What's worse than being sick for three days? Being able to miss school, but being too sick to do anything except sleep! I couldn't even watch those dumb soap operas because they made my headache worse. But now I'm better, and my muse is bugging me again.
Muse: Rest is for the wicked! I gave you a break because you were sick, but now it's business as usual!
LES: (sighs and faints)
Muse: What? Lessie? Light-Eco-Sage? (growls) Great.
It was a particularly nice day in Haven City, a balmy sixty degrees. At least, it was a nice day to people who were not used to hundred plus degree weather.
Jak was sitting at one of the tables in the Naughty Ottsel bar with a large blanket wrapped around him as he shivered. Torn watched in amazement from across the bar. "You know, I don't get you at all." Torn commented. "How can you be cold? It's nice out today."
Jak scoffed. "You've never spent time in the Wasteland desert."
"Jak's right." Daxter, who was nearby, said. "The desert's freaking hot. It makes days like this seem freezing cold."
"I've got good news for you then." Torn said. "Got a call from Samos this morning. Seems they've discovered some interesting Precursor ruins out in the forest and he wants them activated."
"And why is that good news?" Jak asked. "Activating ancient ruins usually means a lot of trouble for me. It's not a walk in the park to activate ruins that haven't been active for eons. They don't have 'on' switches, you know."
"The good news for you is that all the items needed to activate the ruins are located in the Wasteland desert." Torn said, Jak looked up in interest. "And seeing as you know that desert, you are the best man for the job."
"And while I'm gone, you're gonna work on a way to get back to HQ, right?" Jak asked.
A shadow of a smile appeared on Torn's face for a split second. "A little eager to get back to HQ, are we?"
Jak's eyes narrowed dangerously, and then his expression changed so dramatically that it was scary. He smiled. "Not as much as I expect you are."
The smile on Torn's face was instantly replaced by a look of anger. "What are you saying about me and Ashelin?"
"I didn't say anything. You just told me."
Torn's face blanked. "That comment abut me and Ashelin was uncalled for!"
Jak's eyebrows raised and Daxter laughed at Torn. "As the official judge of this conversation, I hereby rule that Jak's comment was not out-of-line considering that you had just brought up his relationship with Keira."
Torn growled. As much as he hated to admit it, Daxter was right. He decided to pretend the last thirty seconds hadn't happened at all. "Samos gave me a list of the artifacts you'll need to find… he said that you'd know what to look for." He brought out a small piece of paper, which obviously had the list of artifacts on it, and began to read off it. "Holo Cube, Quantum Reflector, Beam Generator, and a Prism."
"Sure, I know what they are." Jak said, remembering Samos' endless lessons about the various Precursor artifacts.
"Really? So… what do they do?" Torn asked.
"No idea." Jak said. "But I do know what they look like."
"So, are you up for a little artifact hunt?" Torn asked.
"Sure, why not?" Jak wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and shivered. "It's not like I have anything better to do around here than freeze."
"Good. Ashelin managed to somehow get a transport down here and it leaves for Spargus in…" Torn paused, looking at the clock above the door. "Ten minutes." Jak threw the blanket off and was about to walk out the door when Torn stopped him. "One more thing." Jak turned around and Torn tossed him a small holographic emitter. "Use that to call when you what to come back."
"Sure." Jak pocketed the emitter and walked out of the bar.
Daxter winked at Torn. "Good luck with the whole 'Ashelin' thing." He said before he walked out after his larger friend.
Torn growled, not-so-secretly glad that the rat was going back out into the desert.
There was not much to be said about the ride out into the Wasteland. It was long and boring. Daxter suffered the most, however, seeing as it's Daxter we're talking about. Daxter was only thankful that it wasn't like the last time he went out to the Wasteland when Jak was first banished when he had been smashed into a small compartment with Pecker for an hour.
But, finally, the transport began to land. Jak looked out the small window to get his bearings and was surprised to see that they were just on the other side of the plains that stretched out before Spargus. The walls of Spargus rose above the hot sands a mile away.
The Dark Elf pulled down his goggles over his eyes and pulled the scarf over his nose to protect his face from the swirling sands.
The transport door opened and Jak walked out. It was about a hundred and fifteen degrees out. Slightly hot, but nice.
The transport instantly lifted off and took off across the desert heading back towards Haven City, leaving the elf and the Ottsel in the blistering hot desert where he was more at home than the City of his birth.
He began to move across the desert towards the desert city and didn't have much trouble getting to the gates considering that he was now used to the hot climate and he had to walk a shorter distance than last time.
Within a few minutes, they had reached the gates of Spargus, which opened for him without complaint. He was instantly greeted by a familiar face.
Sig looked up from the Sand Shark, which he seemed to be working on. He stared at Jak like he was seeing a ghost. "Cherries?"
"Sig!" Daxter exclaimed, glad to see a familiar face that wasn't Kleiver's.
"Where have you chilipeppers been?" Sig asked. "The King's been in an uproar. Thought that you went out into the desert and got yourself killed!"
"I was only gone for a few days!" Jak defended himself.
"It doesn't matter in the desert. After a few hours, a missing Wastelander is given up for dead." Sig said. "It's tough, but it's impossible to survive out there for long. So, where have you two been?"
"Vacationing in 'warm, sunny' Haven City." Jak said sarcastically.
"Cold, huh?" Sig asked. "I know what you mean. I helped found Spargus four years ago, then moved into Haven two years ago to work for Krew. Took me quite a while to get readjusted to the weather. So, what are you doing back in Spargus?"
"Artifact hunting." Jak answered.
"Well, this is just the place to do it. Artifacts of every type's out there somewhere. You just have to find 'em." Sig said. "So, what type of artifacts you after?"
"Quantum Reflector, Prism, Holo Cube, Beam Generator… things of that sort." Jak said.
"Holo Cube? Well, you're in luck, cherries. That very artifact has appeared on our scopes. I was about to head out there to get it, but if you prefer…"
"I'll get it." Jak said, jumping into the Sand Shark.
"Now, remember the law of the Wasteland: Finder's Keepers. If you get it first, then it's yours. But the damn Marauders will have spotted it by now. The damn thing's giving off a hell of a lot of energy.
"Thanks, Sig." Jak said. "I'll be back before you know it." The gate of Spargus opened and Jak zoomed out in pursuit of the beeping dot on the vehicle's radar that represented the Holo Cube.
Ten minutes later, Jak had found the Holo Cube, which wasn't exactly far away, and had returned to Spargus. He had to hand it to those Marauders, they were persistent. They had chased him until he reached the Plains of Spargus. Then they turned around and drove back into the desert towards their fort.
Jak pulled into the garage and parked the Sand Shark back in its spot. Daxter picked up the small Holo Cube which vibrated with energy. "So, this thing's gonna activate those old ruins in the forest?"
"I guess." Jak said, staring at the Cube, which did not have any writing on it to give a clue as to what it does. "That's what Samos said."
"Why are these specific ruins so important anyway?" Daxter asked. "We've seen thousands of Precursor ruins and the only thing we've found in them is trouble."
"And something is telling me these ruins will be the source of a lot of trouble." Jak said, staring down at the small, innocent-looking cube. He sighed and pocketed it before jumping out of the Sand Shark and walking into Spargus proper.
Later that afternoon, Jak sat down on the single couch in his 'house.' Daxter flopped down on the space next to him. They were completely worn out.
Jak had been going on forty-eight hours with no sleep, and Daxter, slightly less. "What a day…" Daxter yawned, and Jak quickly followed suit. "But… I think it's time to hit the sack."
Jak was about to agree when someone knocked on the door. Jak sighed in exasperation and got up to answer. He opened the door. "What do you…" He began angrily, but then he trailed off when he saw who it was. It was Damas. "K—King Damas!" Jak gasped, unsure of how to handle the situation. "What—what are you doing her?"
"Just trying to find out where you've been." Damas said calmly. "We don't usually allow our warriors to just disappear without a word to anyone."
"I went to Haven City for a few days." Jak answered.
"Even though you were banished?" Damas asked disbelievingly.
"They lifted my banishment temporarily." Jak explained. "Seems they can't live without me."
"That's not the point!" There was a strange type of anger seeping into Damas' voice. It wasn't anger… more like disappointment… but it wasn't that either. "You can't just go and disappear for several days! We had given you up for dead! We thought that you went out into the Wasteland and died!"
"Well, I didn't die in the Wasteland." Jak said. "So it really isn't a problem."
"Of course it's a problem!" Damas roared. Jak took an involuntary step backwards. "I don't know if you've looked around lately, but there is a lot of strange stuff going on in the world, things have been set in motion that can't be undone!" There was silence for several seconds before Damas sighed. "Just make sure you tell someone before you run off like that again, Jak." With that, Damas left.
Jak was left in complete shock. No one had ever yelled at him like that. Sure, he had to endure plenty of 'telling offs', especially from Samos, but this was different. But he couldn't quite put his finger on how it was different.
"What was that?" Daxter asked.
"You're asking me?" Jak asked. "I have no idea what just happened!"
"My old man used to yell at me like that." Daxter grumbled.
Jak blinked and then stared at Daxter. "What did you just say?"
"What? About my dad yelling at me like that?" Daxter asked. "Sure, I know that tone. It's the 'I-care-about-you-so-don't-do-anything-stupid' tone."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I think."
"You can't be serious!" Jak said. "Why would Damas act that way towards me?"
"Hmm… I don't know. However, it's clear that he's obviously taken a liking to you in a strange 'fatherly' sort of way."
Jak shook his head. "This can be sorted out later. I'm too tired to think, anyway."
Daxter yawned. "Hmm… I guess you're right. We'll probably wake up and find out that was all a dream, anyways."
(Dream State)
"Your Majesty, you shouldn't! It's suicide!" A strange and unfamiliar voice said. Jak looked around in confusion. He saw two men in shadows, conversing quietly. He couldn't see either of their faces.
"I must do this, you know that." A strangely familiar voice answered. "If I don't face the Metal-Head Leader, all of Haven will suffer for my cowardice."
"I don't understand. Why must it be you?" The other man asked.
"Sometimes…" The King, or Jak was assuming it was a King because he was being called 'Your Majesty'. "The son must pay for the sins of the father. My Greatest Ancestor made a mistake, and now his descendents will have to pay the price."
"A mistake? What mistake?"
"He missed his chance to strike. In a single blow, he could have ended two wars at once. But he was unable."
Jak grew confused. Two wars? But there was only one war… the Metal-Head War. What was the other war? Could it possibly be the War of the Champions? The shadowy men answered his question.
"But the Champion War ended, didn't it?" The man asked. "He didn't kill his opponent, but…"
"It doesn't matter." The King said. "He failed to kill him. So the War has not ended. It has only been postponed until a time when the next Champions in the lines of Champions emerge. Only the sons of the original Champions have the ability to end the wars."
"But… how will killing the Metal-Head Leader help end the war? Wouldn't you have to find Martin's direct descendant and kill him or her?"
"I've looked. But those old records were destroyed or lost. However, the Metal-Heads are merely agents to the greater power behind both Wars. To strike a blow against the Metal-Heads is to strike a blow against pure evil."
"But… your Majesty… what about Anastasia? What about your son? Anastasia's strong, but could she handle your loss? And the boy! He loves you very much, I can see it every time I look at him. I think your loss will be devastating to young Prince Mar."
There was a long pause. "In the event of my… death… will you look after them?"
The man bowed. "Of course, my liege. I will do everything in my power to protect your family."
The King turned to leave and Jak got a horrible feeling in his stomach, like something bad was going to happen. "Wait! Don't go!" Jak yelled after the retreating King. "Wait!" But it was no use. Jak didn't even really exist, so his cries went unnoticed. The King was already gone. Jak fell to his knees, because he finally understood what he had just witnessed. "Father…" It was his biological father, going off to face the Metal-Head Leader, a fight that would end with his father mortally wounded, never to be seen again.
Strange emotions filled Jak, threatening to overwhelm him. Even though Jak hadn't seen his face, it was the first time in living memory that he had seen his father. Unable to think of what else to do in the situation, Jak merely broke down and wept; secretly glad that no one was around to witness his tears.
LES: Kind of a strange note to end on for Jak. But you know what back-story means, don't you? Soon, I will reveal just what the heck is going on around there! Believe me, it's good, as I've been plotting this story out for months!
Note: Martin is NOT Mar!
