Chapter XIIL: The Haven Metal-Head Nest
Muse: LES hasn't eaten any real food in days, so forgive her if she writes anything weird.
LES: (writing) 'Erol is brought back from the brink of death, but Jak can't kill his own cousin, so Erol lives and takes over the world. Keira leaves Jak for Erol, she's into the whole Robot thing, and they get married and have a couple robot kids. Jak turns his affections to Ashelin, but she cheats on him with Kliever. Jak kills himself. The End.'
Muse: O.o Okay... just put down the pencil and go buy yourself a hamburger or something.
LES: (sing-song) I've got no money! Hahahaha! (insane laughter) See, Jak! That's what you get for having sex before marriage! You die and go to hell!
Jak: (is burning in hell) That makes me feel loads better. Besides, you made me do all that, you wacko!
LES: I did, didn't I?
Jak, however, was completely unaware that Ashelin had just confessed her love for him, nor was he aware of the possible compilations of that crush. So he walked up to the Freedom League vehicle. Jinx was sitting behind the controls.
"Hey, Jakkie-Boy, looks like we're teamed up again!" Jinx exclaimed.
Jak jumped into shotgun. "Listen, Jinx, could you not call me 'Jakkie-Boy', 'Pretty-Boy', 'Blondie', or any other of your weird nicknames?" Jak asked. "It's really annoying."
"Sure thing, Jakkie-Boy." Jinx said. Daxter laughed while Jak rolled his eyes.
Torn walked out of the Head Quarters and walked over to the explosives-filled vehicle. He glared at Jak angrily as he passed. Jak glared right back. "What the hell is your problem?" Jak demanded.
"You're my problem, you bastard!" Torn growled.
Jak rolled his eyes again and bit his tongue to stop an angry reply. It only partially worked. "Is this about Ashelin? You don't have to be a genius to see that there's nothing between us! You can have her!"
While Jak spoke, he noticed that Torn's hand inched towards the dagger that he carried at all times. He was just itching to whip out the dagger and stab Jak through the heart with it. He wasn't overly worried. His reflexes were several times faster than the normal elf's. He would be able to tear Torn into bite-sized pieces before the dagger left its sheath.
Torn seemed to realize that the potential fight was not one that he could win. As much as he hated to admit it, Jak was a far better fighter than himself. And, even though he had never been properly trained in swordsmanship, none but the best sword-masters could hope to match the speed and power of his blade. Even Torn wasn't stupid enough to bite off more than he could chew. Besides, Torn could see a bit of insanity in Jak's eyes.
The insanity that Torn saw was merely Jak's animal-like instincts... his dominance instincts to be exact. Jak felt that his superiority was being challenged! He would not submit to a creature weaker than himself. It was like when he was in prison... when he was more animal than elf.
Torn backed down from the fight and Jak grinned. He had won!
"Okay..." Jinx said uncertainly at the display of pure testosterone. "Can we go now?"
"Whatever." Jak sat down in the seat and took control of the gun.
"Remember, this is a mission." Jinx reminded the young elf. "Don't let your judgement be clouded by whatever argument you and Torn are having."
"Sure. But it's hard when, in a single accusation, he accused me of, not only being unfaithful to my girlfriend, but cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend!" Jak hissed. "Cheating on Keira with Ashelin? Yeah right. Not in a million years! There are things about Ashelin that I'd never be able to get over."
"Just out of curiosity, what would that be?" Jinx asked.
"Well, for one, she's Praxis' daughter." Jak said. "Even now, she's a reminder of the torture I endured on her father's orders!"
"Will you two quit talking back there?" Torn demanded. "This mission is going to be hard enough without me worrying that you idiots will slip off into meaningless conversation."
Jak then proceeded to call Torn several things in less-than-clean language. But he was careful to use the Ancient Language so that Torn wouldn't be able to understand him. If he knew what Jak called him, he probably would have tried to kill him right then and there.
Torn knew that Jak had insulted him and/or swore at him. But Torn's pride wouldn't allow him to ask Jak for a translation. So he merely glared at the young punk, asking himself for the billionth time how such a cocky, arrogant, and rash man like Jak became such a good fighter (his only redeeming quality). Torn dropped the issue and started the engine on his explosives-filled vehicle. One thing was for sure, this may be the start of a long feud between the two elves, one that wouldn't end until Torn was sure that Jak wasn't after Ashelin.
Jak took control of the weapon's system in the Freedom League vehicle. He was in 'evil' mode, and he wondered just how good his aim was. For example: how close could he shoot at Torn's head without spilling brain matter all over the place?
Jak was sure it was millimeters.
Well, thankfully for Torn, Jak never experimented with his aim, and never shot closer to Torn's head than a good foot. They made it without major indecent to the Metal-Head controlled Farming District. Torn drove up to the sealed door of the Metal-Head Tower. He lined up the vehicle and abandoned it at just the right moment. The zoomer flew into the door and exploded, blowing a large hole into the Nest... a way inside.
"Ashelin..." Jinx spoke into the radio. "Phase One complete."
Ashelin answered and sniffed loudly, as if she had been crying. Jak, Jinx, and Daxter all stared at each other. "Great job. Now, Jak, I want you to fight your way through the Metal-Head Tower, destroy everything that moves, and find some way to destroy it. After destroying the Metal-Head Tower, this war should be a walk in the park. But, still, be careful. Without you... everything would be lost."
"Enough, Ashelin." Jak said. "I know the full extent of my failure... even better than you do. I will not fail. I'll win... or I'll die trying."
This phrase seemed to drive Ashelin into a panic. "No, please, you can't let yourself die! You don't know how precious you are to... this City..." She disconnected suddenly.
Jinx laughed at the conversation he just heard. "Hey, man, you may not feel anything more for her than friendship, but she most definitely cares about you... in a loving way. The only thing that conversation lacked as an 'I love you'."
"I don't really care how she feels about me." Jak said rather coldly. "I'm already in love, and I would kill myself before I allowed myself to fall out of love with Keira."
"That serious, huh?"
"That serious." Jak confirmed.
"So... how long before you get really serious with this girl?" Jinx asked.
"Yeah!" Daxter piped in. "Are you gonna marry Keira or what?"
Jak didn't answer, instead, he merely jumped out of the fighter and walked over to the makeshift doorway. Daxter, jumping up onto his shoulder.
They entered the large antechamber of the Metal-Head tower and instantly met resistance. Several Metal-Heads of various species ran into the room. As soon as Jak saw them, a Dark and Light sword appeared in both hands and the Metal-Heads stopped, staring at the sight before them. Metal-Heads, despite appearances, are not dumb beasts, and they knew the stories of Mar. The one that stood before then looked like a figure stepped out of legend, they could definitely see the resemblance. He looked exactly like a younger Mar, except with a few deliberate mistakes.
The Metal-Heads eventually got over their spell and one roared a challenge and launched itself at Jak, followed by the others.
The two Eco-blades flashed in an intricate pattern and the first Metal-Head fell to the blood-soaked ground in ribbons. The few that couldn't stop before they reached Jak had their heads cut off or their hearts cut out.
The other Metal-Heads stopped and stood back. One gave an order in a hiss and the others surrounded him. Jak wasn't unduly worried.
The Metal-Head behind him jumped at him. "Jak!" Daxter warned, but Jak was already counterattacking.
Like lightning, Jak spun around and spin-kicked the Metal-Head in the jaw. It would've survived and walked away with a broken jaw if the force of the blow hadn't propelled him into a wall, shattering its skull instantly.
Several more attacked from all angles, but Jak kept up with them, cutting them to pieces with the Eco-blades.
Finally, the attacks stopped and Jak was surrounded by dozens of Metal-Head bodies. The elf stepped over the bodies and through the portal that led to the main room of the Tower. It was pretty empty except for a large platform at the top. The only way up was to fly. Jak quickly let his Light Transformation overtake him, his huge, feathery wings erupting painlessly from his back.
"Ugh! Why do we always have to go up?" Daxter asked. Being an Ottsel, Daxter had a natural fear of heights... unless he was in a tree.
"In all my time adventuring, I've learned that the prizes tend to be at the top." Light Jak said with a shrug.
"Yeah, along with the crazy monsters that try to kill you." Daxter grumbled.
Light Jak spread his wings and took to the air, flying up to the platform which was several hundred feet up. A huge tower that was taller than the Palace... if it was still standing.
After several minutes of hard flapping, Jak made it to the platform and landed, instantly changing back into his normal form.
Something was waiting on the platform... a Dark Maker, but it was the largest Dark Maker Jak had seen yet. It stood over ten feet tall and had claws that were a foot and a half long! It turned around and bared its teeth in a strange smile. "Jak, Son of Mar, let me just say it is a pleasure to meet you at last." The Dark Maker bowed to him, a mocking gesture.
Jak walked over to it, well aware that his head only went up to the Dark Maker's middle. "You're Karnac, aren't you?"
"Very astute, Chosen One." Karnac said. "Yes, I am Karnac. I am honored that you know of me."
"I've heard your name once." Jak said. "So... you're the Dark Maker Leader?"
Karnac laughed. "Hardly. I am one of the many generals in the Dark Maker army... little better than a pawn like yourself. Our true Leader, whose name can never be spoken for fear of assassination, is in another galaxy, overseeing the fighting on a much more... important planet. In fact, its the same planet where the Precursor Elders are." Karnac paused. "I am here to offer you a deal. Personally, I am rather sick of this stupid little back-water planet. I don't understand why the Precursors hold your race in such high regard when there are so many other stronger... more intelligent races out there."
"What's the deal?" Jak interrupted.
"Very well. As you well know, our Champion is badly injured, so he is unable to fight you." Karnac said. "He is dying."
"So, are you giving me the win?" Jak asked.
"No. We propose a tie. You have injured our Champion, and he will be dead within hours. So I will injure you to the point where you'll be unable to fight."
"It's no good." Jak said. "Even if I agreed, I have healing powers. With time, I can heal even fatal injuries. I'd be ready to fight again within a few days."
"I suppose saying I'll injure you is the wrong phrase. 'incapacitate' would be more appropriate." Karnac said.
"So... you're gonna kill me." Jak said with a growl.
"No. As easy as it would be, I won't kill you. It is against the Ancient rules. Even we Dark Makers must respect the rules laid down for us eons ago. We can't risk killing you and starting a war with the Precursors." Karnac said. "Actually, we are going to make you incapable of just about everything except breathing."
"So... what you really want is my soul." Jak said, finally understanding. "How do I know that you aren't just trying to get me out of the way? If I become a life-less puppet, there will be no one to protect this planet from you."
"Quite right. But we Dark Makers only want repayment for the humiliation we suffered at Mar's hands five hundred years ago. You are his direct descendent, and as his great-great-great grandchild, you will be the one to pay the price."
"So... I have to reap the punishment for a mistake my ancestor made five hundred years ago?" Jak demanded. "What about my planet! Stop avoiding the question, Karnac!"
"You show a surprising amount of love for this back-water planet." Karnac observed. "Very well, give up your soul to us, and we'll leave this planet and never return."
'Don't do it!' Light said. 'Nothing is more precious than your soul! Even a wounded soul is still a soul! Don't give yourself up!'
'Don't do it!' Dark snapped. 'If you do give your soul up, than I shall never go on my lovely rampages again!'
So they were selfish after all... human... they were out for self-preservation first and foremost.
"Jak, you can't do this!" Daxter said. "Think of your friends! Think of Keira!"
"Be quiet, freak!" Karnac hissed. "This is his decision, not yours!"
Jak remained silent for several seconds, his brow furrowed, as if in thought. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, and then shut it just as quickly. Several seconds later, he finally spoke. "The time comes when every hero when he must give up his life for the greater good. I never imagined that I would instead give up my soul and live out the rest of my days as a self-less puppet."
"Jak...?" Daxter asked.
"I'm tired... inside and out." Jak said. "I guess I've been somewhat of a Deathseeker since I arrived here... since prison. If Karnac promises to keep his word... I'll do it."
"Jak!" Daxter yelled. "Think about Keira, if not anything else!"
"I am." Jak said sadly. "And I'd rather see her safe and lonely than dead in a million years."
"Keira can't survive without you!" Daxter yelled. "She nearly died the last time you seemed to have lost your soul!"
Jak looked right at Daxter. "You'll have to watch over her." Jak said, grabbing Daxter off his shoulder and setting him down on the ground. "Life is pain, and I can't take it any longer." Daxter saw something strange in Jak's eyes when he looked right into them. "Just tell Keira that I love her, and I wish it could have been different." The words, though it was something that Jak would have said, didn't feel right at all. There was no love in those words, as if someone were speaking the words through Jak's mouth...
Daxter paused, thinking. He had seen Jak be controlled by Tiatin before. Could a Dark Maker have the same power... to control people? Daxter saw a small grin appear on the Dark Maker's face and he realized that Karnac was influencing this entire conversation. Jak was not himself! He couldn't help his actions as Karnac forced Jak to give up his own soul! "Jak! Get a grip on yourself! Karnac is controlling you!"
Jak looked at Daxter strangely, his eyes were blank... no emotion what so ever. "No one is controlling me." The elf said. "Karnac said himself... it's my decision."
"No! Jak! You can't let him do this to you!" Daxter yelled.
"Shut-up, freak!" Karnac growled, sending a blast of Dark Eco straight at Daxter. It connected, but Daxter appeared to be unharmed by the deadly blast. But that wasn't the worst of it. Jak hadn't even blinked at the attempt to kill his best friend, more proof that he wasn't himself. The real Jak was currently trapped in the back of his own mind, unaware of what was going on.
The Karnac-controlled Jak stood before the Dark Maker. "To end this war, I give my soul."
"Very good." Karnac grinned. "Now, wake up."
The emotion returned to Jak's eyes as Karnac released his control on him. He looked around in confusion. "What's going on here?" He demanded.
"You have just given my your soul, Chosen One." Karnac grinned. He held out a clawed hand and Jak felt a vicious tug at his chest. Jak was forced to his knees, clutching his heart, as the pain of literally being torn apart filled him. The tugging stopped, and Jak gasped, but he was still aware of himself... and his pain. "You've got a strong soul... it should've come with one good pull. Oh well. Even the strongest of souls can be ripped from their settings." The Dark Maker held out his hand again and the pulling began again, only stronger and more painfully then ever before. Jak could not help a cry that escaped his lips.
So... this pain will be the last thing I ever feel? Jak thought through the pain. Keira... I'm so sorry...
Suddenly the pain stopped and Jak fell forward onto the ground, barely able to support himself on his weakened limbs. He was still in one piece, his soul was not gone. Jak looked up weakly and saw the Dark Maker taking a step back from him. "What the... my word..." But Karnac wasn't staring at Jak... but just behind him.
He heard Daxter's voice off to the side. "Oh my God!" And then he felt someone touch his shoulder, and he was half afraid of what he would see when he looked around.
Finally, the weakened elf couldn't stand it any longer, so he looked over his shoulder and gasped in surprise. It was a sight he never thought he'd see in his whole life. It was Mar... in all the glory of his legend. The Ancient Elvin Warrior-King wore the armor that Jak wore now, for Mar had appeared as he had in his youth, when he was not much older than Jak. Jak instantly noticed the similarities between himself and his ancestor. They shared green hair, though Mar's hair lacked the blonde highlights that Jak's had. They shared the same face and build, but Mar's eyes were not blue... but green, matching his hair almost perfectly. He was also glowing, showing that he was little more than a ghost or a spirit.
Karnac recovered from the initial shock of having an elf dead for five hundred years appear before him. "Mar! What a pleasant surprise!" Karnac said with false warmth at his former enemy. "Five hundred years, hasn't it been?"
"Quite." Mar said simply, looking straight down at Jak. For an instant, ancestor and descendent's eyes met. And then Mar looked away from Jak and back at Karnac. "Why do you want my son's soul?"
Karnac growled. "So... you were the one preventing me from taking it... even in death... you are as powerful as ever." There was silence in the room for several seconds before Karnac answered Mar's question. "If you will recall your mistake made during the War of the Champions in which you were the Precursor Champion... or have you been dead too long? Well... someone has to pay for your mistake."
"Exactly... my mistake." Mar said. The Warrior-King moved around Jak, calmly placing himself between Karnac and Jak. "Is it right that the innocent should pay for the crimes of the guilty?"
"Forever questioning what is right and what is wrong..." Karnac mused. "Five hundred years hasn't changed you a bit."
"Likewise." Mar said. "Still attempting to sabotage your enemies, I see? I seem to remember a number of times you threatened my life..." Mar added quite calmly.
"It is what is right for me and my kind." Karnac defended himself. "Isn't that what you yourself said? That every being should discover its own right and wrong?"
"It's true. There are many certainties in this physical world... birth, death, love, and indeed, hate. But there is one thing that is truly uncertain, and it is right and wrong."
"For being so young on the outside, you are old on the inside, Mar." Karnac laughed.
"A King must be wise and cunning beyond his years." Mar said. "But, why do you presume that you have any claim to the soul of my children... just because he happened to be my direct descendent and heir? Which, by the way, is something that no being, no matter how powerful, can control." Mar paused thoughtfully. "Would it not be much more direct to take my own soul for my crimes?"
"But..." Jak began.
Mar turned around to face his descendent again. "Do not fear for me, young one." He said with a smile. "I have been dead for a long time and I no longer have a life on this earthly realm. Everything I knew... everyone that I had loved is gone now. But you, my son, your life is not yet over. You have those still that care about you... and love you. And I could never stand by and allow them to destroy your life for my sake..."
"Wait..." Jak said suddenly. "It was you! You were the voice that helped me all those times! You were the one that helped me disable the Palace security system!"
Mar laughed. "Indeed, it was me. I had to help you, because you have a great destiny, just as I did. You... have so much to live for. Whether my soul is in the afterlife, or the abyss where the Precursors yet reside, it matters not to me for I know that I live on through my children... through you." Mar paused. "Fight Vhfaoeii Lva Nameless One, and end this war forever." Mar turned back to Karnac. "You may do it now, Karnac. You have my permission, and I will not fight you."
Karnac growled loudly. He knew that Mar had backed him up into a corner. If he refused to take Mar's soul, then Jak would know instantly that Karnac just wanted him out of the way. But if he did take Mar's soul, he would lose all of his claim to Jak's soul. The elf would go back to being protected, as always, by the rules of engagement. Karnac made the only choice he could, he held out a clawed hand for Mar's soul, just as he did for Jak's.
Mar began to fade away as his soul was pulled into the abyss, to be lost forever. But, before he surrendered himself completely, he turned to Jak. "Remember, my son, no matter where my soul resides, I will always live on through you and your heirs. As long as Mar's line continues... I will never truly be gone." With those final words, Mar's spirit faded away, to be lost forever... except in the souls of his heirs and children... in Jak.
Suddenly, Karnac roared angrily. He pointed a clawed finger at Jak, who stood up swiftly, ready to fight. "Mar may have just saved you from living out your life as a soulless puppet, but there is no law that says a Champion can't die in a falling building!" Karnac raised his claws up and there was a great crack, and then the whole building began to tip wildly. "Farewell, Jak, son of Mar!" Karnac disappeared in a flash of purple light.
Jak looked around wildly for a means of escape. If he was still in this tower when it hit the ground, he'd die. A small window caught his eye. He would have to fly from this wreckage. However, the hole was much too small for Jak to crawl through with his huge wings. He would have to crawl through in his normal form, free fall, and then transform on the way down.
Jak jumped over to Daxter and grabbed him. "Hang on!" Jak leapt for the window and crawled through it. Then he launched himself into empty space. For a cartoon-like moment, Jak hung suspended in the air, and then he began to free fall to the City streets several hundred feet down.
Daxter screamed that Jak was insane, and then kept on screaming. With a flash of light, Jak transformed into his winged-angelic Light Side. He flapped his large wings to get lift... there was none... only dead air... no lift or updrafts to help him. He was still falling.
He began to flap wildly in an attempt to get any sort of lift. If he hit the ground at this speed, every bone in his body would shatter, and he'd most likely die before he got the chance to heal his injuries. He fell another hundred feet.
Finally, when the ground was much too close for comfort... less than a hundred feet down... he caught an updraft. He spread his feathery wings, caught the warm air, and pulled out of his dive just in time. The falling tower fell past him and he paused to watch it. The tower fell and effectively destroyed most of the Metal-Head section of the City.
"You are crazy! You are insane!" Daxter ranted from Light Jak's arms. "If that didn't work, we could've BOTH died!"
Light Jak sighed. "Would you have preferred to be in there?" The Angelic Eco creature asked, pointing down at the ruined tower.
"Good point." Daxter said, clinging onto the front of Jak's shirt to keep him from falling if Light Jak should decide to let go of him. "This sucks. Ottsels aren't meant to be this high up!"
"You and me both." Light Jak said, disproving this statement by preforming a perfect backwards flip, which caused Daxter to scream again. And he began to fly back to HQ.
Unknown to Jak, hundreds of thousands of miles away, in space... Tiatin walked the halls of the Dark Ship, the Veelen. He encountered no resistance as he moved through the Dark hallways, sticking out like a sore thumb. Finally, he came to the room he was looking for.
Tiatin entered the room and found it empty, as he intended, except for the sad monster strapped to the table, drowning in its own vomit. The young Precursor could see right away, that Erol was only hours away from death, and the Dark Makers were powerless to stop the Light Eco from destroying his body and mind. Tiatin stood behind the table. "Poor creature." He said. "Sadly, it will be many hundreds of years before the Dark Makers realize that using genetic manipulation this way is folly. Creatures are not meant to become things they are not meant to be. A Channeler may become many things quite naturally, but not a being with no Channeling blood of his own. A non-Channeler should not become a Channeler for this reason..."
Tiatin put his hand just above Erol's forehead, being careful not to touch him. A white substance began to flow out of Erol's body and was absorbed my Tiatin.
Tiatin was absorbing the Light Eco from Erol's body...
LES: Okay, I admit it, the whole idea of Mar protecting Jak's soul was inspired by an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh: Dawn of the Duel. It was just such a great idea, though! I had to do it! Mar was hard to write for, because he is the only 'main character' that you never get to met, see, or hear. So I mostly winged it. Still, I think he turned out cool. And what the hell is up with Tiatin? Well... you'll find out soon. Stay tuned! This is Light-Eco-Sage... over and out!
