|The Temple|
Valentine fought desperately to keep the smirk off her face when Jak gagged once again as they went down the Precursor elevator. She had never thought Seem's potion would come in handy for getting Light Eco levels in order, and Jak had been a not so grateful guinea pig. Not that she needed a reminder of the taste, which was the reason she had avoided the kiss he had tried to plant on her as revenge. She let out a quick chuckle as Jak shuddered. "I'm sorry, but your face was just soooo…mfffphahaha" she burst out in laughter, doubling over.
Daxter was almost doing the same when reminded of that particular look on the hero's face, if it hadn't been for Jak eying him to see his reaction. Valentine wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes, standing up straight with a big inhale of breathe. Honestly speaking, it had been his own fault. She didn't know what it was, but he was keeping a secret from her. And as far as she had seen, it had something to do with Mar's artifacts. Why else would he be so fidgety every time they had come near that specific door?
Jak's face lit up immediately when they reached the lower platform. "Ah, this looks like something more my speed."
She followed his gaze, eyes landing on what looked like a vehicle before suppressing a moan. Cars, always cars. When would there be something that required something more of her skills, like say hack a computer or something? They stopped near it, looking around them. "Looks like a garage of sorts." She mumbled. This had been the way that Seem and Veger had walked off to, and she didn't think they had missed any sudden corridors.
"It looks a bit like the Catacombs we saw back in Haven, when the Metal Heads there destroyed the palace." Daxter said, scratching behind one of his ears.
Valentine clicked her tongue at that remark. "Veger wanted the Catacombs for something as well." And he had for some reason involved Seem in his plans. But for what reason? "That path led nowhere different than this place… so did they use the car?" And where did the car lead? The further they went the more confusing this entire thing got.
Jak sat down in the car. She could see him running something in his hands along the dashboard, starting it with a slight hum. Now she was sure she had seen something! But why didn't he want to tell her what was going on? Ugh… even more questions that needed answering and she didn't have all the variables.
The trio jumped up in surprise when the communicators started beeping. "Hello?" she answered awkwardly.
"Valentine, where the hell are you?" That was Damos' voice, and he didn't sound happy.
"Underneath the temple, father. Me, Jak and Daxter were just exploring a little bit." She said, trying to sound as if there was no possible way she could get hurt. Well, Jak was here, so she had pity with anyone who would actually try it.
She heard a sigh that sent so much static through the line she was surprised the speakers didn't bust. It was a small miracle they even had reception down here, seeing as how far down the elevator had gone down. "You are not supposed to be down there. I have a Metal King that's sick as a dog in my city, the entire Council that wanted to see how much you know about Spargus law and your students are running wild in the streets."
Valentine doubted it was that bad. Though there was always a possibility the hatchlings had knocked over a few stalls, but that was hardly 'running wild'. "But I had a day off and…" she doubted for a moment if she should inform Damos about the situation between her and Jak. They were pretty much safe from any concerned father attack down here.
"And nothing! Get back up here." Damos commanded her.
Valentine had been standing next to the elevator the entire time, and she feared she had some pretty bad news for her adopted father. "Well… I think the elevator is busted." She said, holding the communicator away from her ear. Jak and Daxter could very well hear the entire conversation from a distance, the way Damos was shouting.
"What do you mean, the elevator is busted? Young lady, if you're telling me you can't be bothered to walk a few stairs-"
"There aren't any stairs." She interrupted, before handing Jak the communicator. Actually she pretty much threw it at him, but she couldn't bear any more bombardments on her eardrums. If there had been stairs it would have taken them months before they got back up either way. "Looks like it's the car." She commented to Daxter. Behind them Damos seemed to be a lot calmer talking to Jak than to her.
"Yeah well, it should at least make the boy here happy." Daxter replied with a grin as he pointed to Jak. "You know cars are his thing."
She nodded, before Jak tapped them on the shoulder. "Damos says that if we really can't get back the normal way, we proceed and see where we end up. Also, he wants to inform you that you have a curfew."
Valentine sputtered. "A what?"
"I'm fairly sure it was a joke… kinda." Jak said, sounding like he wasn't sure at all. "Are you guys getting in or what? Let's see what this puppy can do!"
|Later|
Five minutes later they were almost out of the insane Precursor track, and having one small problem. "Uhm, guys?" Jak yelled above the noise of the car.
"What?" Valentine shouted back, digging her nails in the seat while Daxter clung to her neck for dear life. It couldn't possibly be worse than this thing not having seat belts. What did people have against seat belts?
"I can't really find a brake on this thing!" Jak's reply sent her stomach in rapid whirls. What did he mean, there weren't any breaks?
"You're sure?" Daxter yelled, his nails digging in Valentine's skin.
"Positive. We're going to have to jump!" Jak yelled, reaching out a hand for Valentine's arm, holding on to the steering wheel with his other hand.
Valentine swallowed. "I don't suppose-" Her sentence was cut off by Jak suddenly standing up, using the momentum to pull both her and Daxter out of the riding vehicle. She screamed, landing on the ground with a painful thud, both Jak and Daxter landing partly on top of her. "… we have any time to prepare?" she finished her sentence. Yep, that felt like a new bruise. She watched as a cut across Jak's neck zipped close with Light Eco. Lucky bastard.
Daxter was the first one to recover, scurrying across the ground to look for an exit. When Jak helped her up she flinched. Placing a hand where she thought there would be a bruise there was some moisture to be found. 'Great, I'm bleeding.' She thought to herself, not happy with the idea that she was weakened.
"Something wrong?" Jak asked her. She shook her head, smiling. The pain didn't feel that bad, it just had a bit of a stinging sensation. He frowned at her and before she could protest he turned her around, examining her thigh. "You're bleeding." He stated, making her roll her eyes. Thanks Captain Obvious.
"How does it look?" she asked, not able to see that specific spot without some mirrors around.
"You're bleeding, but not that much. Can you walk?" he nodded when she demonstrated she could walk just fine, but kept the concerned frown on his face. "Well, it'll do for now. Just don't go kicking stuff." He warned her as they walked towards the elevator.
She walked as fluently as she could, in an attempt not to make Jak worry too much. She didn't actually feel any blood – that was what she told herself – so the wound couldn't be that big. And she had no problem getting around, so that was good for her. Riding up on the elevator she supported herself on her good leg. If only she could see the damn wound, or if Jak would be able to get a decent look at it without her having to take of her pants.
"Whoa, check out this place!" Daxter said, climbing back to Jak after noticing Valentine's wound.
Jak whistled as he checked around. "Looks like some kind of Eco mine." He commented.
Valentine nodded, pleased he had picked up on that. "When Mar built Haven City, he carved out these rocks to get to the raw Eco power." She looked around the abandoned mine. "Even before Praxis took over there wasn't enough Eco left to warrant a standing force here."
"That Mar guy never must have slept much, right?" Daxter commented with a not so impressed snort. "I mean, he built the city, he built the mines, he built that big-ass grave for himself. Is there something he didn't do?"
Valentine smirked. "Well, now that you mention it... Mar didn't do all of it himself. According to the stories my mom told me the Ashanti family was around at that time as well. My family functioned as bodyguards for the Mar family back then, and it's said we helped out with the practical side of things." She had been named after one of Mar's personal attendants back then, a woman who had helped with the design of the Eco grid in Haven.
"This means we're actually closer to Haven, doesn't it?" Jak asked her. The two of them looked up at the sky, to the setting sun. She nodded, amazed at how fast the Precursor vehicle must have been to get them here in this amount of time.
"Maybe we should get a move on." She suggested, looking around her. Apart from some standard pests there wasn't anything really dangerous around here, but still. "I'd prefer not getting caught here after dark."
Jak nodded when she pointed that out, already having spotted several specimens of the local wildlife ready to attack them. "That looks like the way to go." He said, nodding his head to the big gate at the end of the mine. They made their way to it fairly easily – though Valentine never failed to be impressed with how good of a shot Jak was.
They stopped at the gate, which failed to open for them. "Now what?" Daxter asked, waving his hands towards the contraption as if it had somehow insulted him personally.
Valentine let out a sigh of relief. "Now I can do something useful for a change." She said with a wink. "Watch and learn boys." She said, placing a hand against the gate, closing her eyes. She could feel the surge of Eco in the gate, following it to determine how it flowed. Though the lock was infinitely more simple than hacking into the security of a research facility, the flow of Eco had subsided remarkably. She gritted her teeth, forcing the Eco to obey to her will.
Creaking the gate started to roll open, slowly, as if it wanted to show that it only did this reluctantly. Jak supported her when she withdrew her hand from the gate, feeling a bit woozy. She brought a hand to her cheek, pinching it. "I'm fine… just took more out of me than I expected." She hadn't tried the trick ever since they had received the Light Eco. Perhaps that was the reason it didn't work as well?
She allowed Jak to guide her towards the elevator, reassuring Daxter she would be fine in a moment. "It's just that there was so little Eco in the door left." She finally allowed.
"You did great, so stop worrying about it." Jak told her, backed up by Daxter as they rode the elevator down.
"Yeah hon', you really should be less hard on yourself. Even our boy here doesn't always do everything perfect. Just look at how long it took him to ask you out." Daxter added, pressing a padded paw against her cheek for a moment.
"The monks told me you were coming through the Precursor sub-rails." A stern voice announced as they walked into a rough hall carved of stone. The trio directed their gaze towards the new arrival, surprised at hearing someone else than themselves in this remote area. "Interesting, aren't they? The Precursors used them eons ago to build the world. "
That last bit was enough for Valentine to dislike Veger, for as far as she had given him a faint benefit of the doubt. Anyone who thought that death trap was interesting was trouble. Unless he had breaks on his vehicle, which would make him more the focus of some envy.
Veger continued his speech, ignoring the hostile glares Jak was sending his way. "The rail system leads deep into this planet where it's said the ancient ones wait to bestow unimaginable powers upon the worthy. I will save the world with that power, just as Mar did." He played with the staff he had in his hands, looking at it as if it were a loved one.
Was he talking about the 'upgrades' she and Jak had gotten recently? Because she didn't remember using those sub-rails to be brought into contact with the Precursor messengers. Probably not. She was more worried about the fact he had said the monks had warned him. This meant that Seem most definitely would know what was going on. The thought made her cringe a bit.
"You've done a great job so far, letting the Metal Heads destroy the palace and everything." Jak commented, having kept his tongue in check long enough.
"Oh, you couldn't be more mistaken, dear boy." Veger said, the amusement clearly audible in the rumble of his voice. He turned around, suddenly seeming more pressed. "We're on a time clock, children. That light in the sky, do you know what it is? Our nightmare has found us and the end is coming." Valentine didn't know what kind of nightmares Veger entertained, but hers had always more revolved around Praxis, Erol and the dungeons beneath the palace. Only the thought was capable of making her feel more cold in an instant.
"I needed quick access to the Catacombs below, so I attacked the palace myself." Veger said as if he were explaining 'one plus one' to a pair of schoolchildren. "It will be our little secret, I trust."
"Well, you're full of surprises." Jak said, taken aback at the brazen confession. His hand tightened the grip he had at her waist, making sure she wouldn't rashly attack Veger when he felt her tense up. Why shouldn't she attack him? She had heard of the destruction that attack had caused to her home town. For all they knew little Mar could have gotten hurt in that attack!
Veger's expression darkened. "And you're full of Dark Eco!" he snapped to them. Now that was the way to tick both of the two infected people off. "You two and the rat are an abomination." Rude much? She could feel how Jak slightly twitched, his hand reaching towards his gun. "But I will rid the planet of your scourge before long! Pure light will rule the universe, and I will be the bright light that shines to every corner of the world and destroys all shadows!"
"Uhm, excuse me, count Vulgar?" Daxter asked, raising his hand.
"It's Veger!" the count snapped back.
"Yeah, whatever." Daxter said, earning an appreciative nod from his best friend. "Isn't it kinda nice to curl up in the shade sometimes? Just chilling it…" Daxter said, jumping down from Jak's shoulder as he described the view, using his hands to shape a better picture. "… watching the hot babes prance around in their skimpy little bikinis. You know, just how they jiggle. I get this special tingling feeling in my tail then."
"Excuse me?" Valentine blurted out, temporarily distracted from the insulting villain.
Daxter chuckled. "Don't worry hon', I'm sure you'll be giving Jak all sorts of tingling feelings in his tail, if you know what I mean."
"What?" Jak gasped, nearly choking on embarrassment as Valentine started to sputter she didn't own a bikini.
"Again, no problem. We'll see if there are some shops that aren't completely destroyed and you can go shopping. I'm sure Jak won't-"
"Enough!" Veger finally burst out, stopping the entire conversation that had gone horribly off track. "We will start the cleansing of the world with your demise!" he held up his staff, red light flaring from it in strong waves. "Behold! I now command the very power of the ancient ones! And this time the Precursors will not have mercy on you."
They backed away when a Precursor robot burst from the wall. They had not seen this one coming. It focused on them, leaving Veger to slip out of a back door. The mental litany that contained several swear words raced through Valentine's head. Why were they always the ones who ended up having to deal with this stuff? At least this explained where all the Eco had gone to; the thing practically burst with energy.
As it pulled out a red energy beam Valentine glanced over to Jak. "Any ideas?" she asked him. The big bad guys were his department after all.
"Shoot it until it stops moving?" he suggested.
That might work for him, but she hadn't exactly brought a gun along for something that had started out as a date. "I guess?" she replied, having trouble to whip up a solution for a Precursor robot that appeared to be pretty sentient. Not to mention her thigh was hurting more than it had before that, so there was a big chance she wouldn't last through a lot more jumping.
Daxter jumped towards her, pulling her behind a small rock. "Just think of something, Jak will keep it busy." He told her.
Valentine let her eyes race through the room. She doubted the actual 'shoot until movement ceases' tactic would work, since Precursor steel was the strongest metal known on the planet. Oh, think, think, think! Jak seemed to be holding up fine for now, but… she had to tear her eyes away from him. The best way she could help him now was find out how to beat that thing.
Suddenly her eyes trailed upward. "Daxter, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she asked him.
"I'm seeing an old cart filled to the brim with explosives, but… oh… oooooh." He started to catch on to her plan.
"Jak!" she shouted, hoping she wouldn't distract him too much. "Shoot the cart up there!" she said. She narrowly dodged a shot aimed for her.
"What?" he yelled back, not able to hear her over the gun. She moaned, before picking Daxter up and flinging him to the hero. She was fairly confident Jak would be able to catch him.
She stood up taking a deep breath. "Hey, hunk o' junk!" she shouted, borrowing Daxter's previous phrase. The machine stopped attacking Jak, turning to her. She ignored every survival instinct she had that told her to run. "That's right, why don't you try attacking me?" she continued, mentally praying for Jak to finally get that cart to drop down on the robot.
It obeyed her orders, taking a shot at her. She jumped back, the rocky floor pulverized, leaving puffs of smoke trailing up. "Jak, if you don't hurry you're going to have a pile of ashes for a date!" she half-joked and half-urged him. She tried her best to perhaps stop the Eco in the robot itself, but she hadn't actually manipulated Eco without touching the casing first. Before she had to try the cart above the robot was shot loose, dropping down on the thing with a big explosion. Heat, rock and remnants of robot flew around the room, showering down on them without too much damage.
He walked up to her, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "Don't tell me you were worrying there?"
She let out a deep breath, trying to get her heart to stop from beating so fast. "I wouldn't call it worried. More something along the lines of evaluating past life choices in a movie-esque state."
"Oh yeah, the boys are back in town!" Daxter shouted, working off some adrenaline.
Jak grinned, picking up a piece of robot to examine closer. "Let's go top-side and see what kind of trouble we can get into." He suggested, sounding as if this had been an everyday occurrence.
Valentine let herself drop to her back. She'd almost forgotten what it was like running with these two. "Guys… let me catch my breath first, okay?"
Moon's note : I seem to be physically incapable of typing laughter, so thank you for fixing my short-comings Sage. No really, the thought of typing it sends my fingers into a knot of sorts... This writer has problems and sadly enough exams are one of them. Have pity on me, since I won't have much spare time from the 18th of this month until the 4th of next month. I'll try to write... Just.. ya know.
Actic Wolf 105 : Sweetheart, you can dream and you are most certainly free to tell me about those dreams! If I can fit it in the story, I will most certainly try ^^ Maybe I should type with emoticons more when replying to you guys, that makes me seem less strict, I think?
Slapped, severe guilt, dealing with emotions... It's pretty much the risk of being a hero.
Dear Guest : Contents of the flask : Seem's superdeluxe potion mix that nobody likes drinking. Valentine still had a flask left, so I needed some purpose for it. Yes, if fictional characters could get their hands on me I would be in trouble.