|Temple|

Valentine gripped the metal frame of the buggy more firmly. Daxter's sharp claws dug in her shoulder, not drawing blood, though that was probably thanks to the sturdy material in her shirt. Jak glanced at her sideways before turning his attention back to the road. "So what did she say exactly?"

"Something about big, dark creatures in the temple and how she didn't think she'd make it." Valentine replied, trying not to the think about the next jump coming up. If someone could just fix the Precursors be damned road, that would be nice! Above them Meta kept a sharp eye on the car, sending out displeased images about Valentine not flying with her.

"And then she asked you to come and save them?" Daxter informed, shouting to make himself audible over the noise of the car.

Valentine shrugged, her stomach queasy when Jak initiated the final jump. On the way down she closed her eyes. Of course Kleiver hadn't installed the safety belts either. "Not really. More like saying the last words and asking forgiveness. I told her to shut up and sit tight. She's the reason I actually survived these past few years. There's no way I'm letting her die."

Jak was about to reply when something dark appeared in front of them. The hero slammed the brakes and yanked the steering wheel, both actions to no avail. Screeching the car hit the creature in front of them, nearly toppling over as they did so. When they'd stopped dust billowed around them, no sound to be heard except the howling desert wind.

"What the fuck was that?" Daxter demanded to know, jumping out of the car to take a look. At once he started to panic. "Oh fuck, we're going to jail! We hit something. We created roadkill and now we're all going to suffer for it! Jak, what are we going to do?"

Valentine followed en suite, happy to get out of the car. Their hapless victim was sprawled on the ground, half the skull smashed in. Bits of gore colored the sand a rusty red, the unmoving body contrasting sharply with the sand.

With a trained eye she gave it a quick examination. With talons the length of her underarm and teeth like surgery needles there was no doubt about how things would go in a fight. Perhaps more disturbing was the gun implanted just beneath the creatures' open hand. "Dax, I'm pretty sure nobody is going to mind us killing that thing."

Meta made a rather strange, gagging sound as she landed a bit further. Then she sent Valentine an image of Ma'al and a shadow looming over him, dwarfing the Metal King. The emotion it evoked was clearly one of intimidation and even fear.

"What is it?" Jak asked, poking it with his gun. The body sounded dense, the skin almost as hard as armor.

"Fugly!" Daxter at once replied, scurrying back to Jak for safety.

Valentine knelt down next to the creature. "From what I can see, not very friendly. Must be a sentry we accidentally knocked out. It could be- yeowch." She hissed when she touched some of the still hot blood. At once dark sparks had flown towards her, giving her the familiar feeling of Dark Eco.

"If they're not the Dark Makers themselves then I'm guessing they're buddies. I've seen enough Metals to know they're not one of those. Guess Seem was right about something going on. Then again, appearances aren't everything. They might be frien-"

A shot slammed in the body, only inches from her nose. With a screech she fell back, seeing how a hole the size of a fist was slammed in the now certainly dead sentry. Dark blood sprayed the air. Jak already fired a single shot to their left. After that the only sound was Meta hissing at the unprovoked attack.

"Don't seem too friendly to me," Jak announced, seemingly calm with the situation. He checked his gun once more, switching for the yellow mod. He flexed his fingers, motioning Valentine to get back up. Daxter made a point of clinging to Jak's shoulder, looking around for possible threats. The rodent looked a little green around the snout.

Valentine dusted herself off, trying not to look at the hole in the alien lest she end up looking like Daxter. She didn't think she'd puke but then again, she hadn't seen alien guts before. She'd rather not risk it. "So… temple full of hostiles and Seem is somewhere in there. I don't suppose there's any way we can do this without getting caught?"

Daxter looked around. "Well, there's the four of us. Even if it's the Dark Makers I don't think they'll be able to stand against us."

"The longer we're standing around here, the less chance we'll have of finding Seem alive. Still, they're your friend, Val. What do you want us to do?" Jak added, keeping a watch for any more enemies. Above them the Day Star was visible, a second sun lighting up in the sky.

She breathed shakily. What did she want to do? Preferably save everybody without someone getting killed, that would be nice. And that sure as hell wasn't happening if she kept standing around here. "We're going in. We came here to save Seem and we're not backing out now."

Those words were enough to draw a nod from Jak. Their little group stood in front of the temple gates, the shade only slightly less scorching than the sun had been. Valentine had to remind herself to keep breathing as they walked inside. Looking around they found hardly any signs that there had been an invasion until they reached the 'spider corridor'.

It seemed the spiders hadn't impressed the Dark Makers quite as much as they had Valentine. Piles of them were spread around, most of them hardly more than a few legs attached to a thorax. A few of them had survived the carnage, though the stragglers didn't seem interested in putting up a fight. The dead spiders frightened her more than the living ones ever had.

"I thought I couldn't hate spiders any more," she whispered, not wanting to attract any attention. They stepped around the bodies, making as few of them 'crunch' as they moved. Jak put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, nearly making her jump in the air. Visibility became lower and lower as the lit torches dwindled in number.

A sound in front of them made them freeze. Heavy footsteps stomped just around the bend, squashing a spider as they moved. Odd, zooming sounds mingled with a strange gurgle reached them. Meta sent an image of the creatures they had seen outside.

Valentine paused, holding up her hand in the air. She turned to Jak, pointing to herself and then to the road ahead of them.

He shook his head at once, holding up his gun in the air.

Another head shake from her. If he went shooting that thing they'd have the entire swarm on them. Sound traveled fast. She tried signing that to him but he'd grown rusty, not understanding half of what she meant. The longer they waited the bigger the chances they'd be discovered. Rolling her eyes she slid a knife from her boots, sending Meta the image to keep Jak here but to do it as quiet as possible.

Slowly she put her foot down, placed a finger to her lips and inclined her head.

Aggravated he nodded, gesturing for her to go along.

Valentine steadied her breath, making sure to tread lightly. One step at a time while she tried to ignore the blood pounding in her ears. Had the temple always been this hot? Still, picking them off one by one would be better than taking on all of them at the same time.

She scooted around the wall in one of the round rooms connecting the corridors. Before she had ducked inside the next one the footsteps grew heavier, moving towards where she was standing. With her heart leaping to her throat she stopped. The sound grew louder.

And the Dark Maker walked past her, not even noticing her there. There was only the heartbeat to make a decision. Let it walk towards Jak, forcing him to shoot a bullet? Or jump it?

The thing was her size and a half, but that didn't deter her. Taking a chance she sent out a mental message to the thing, the same like she did when dealing with lesser Metal Heads.

Luck wasn't with her that day. The creature jerked when her knife entered it's throat, but the reply to the mental attack was even more severe. At once she was thrown back against the wall, her arms losing all strength when the creature went in the offensive.

"INSECT!"

Valentine gasped for air as hot needles pricked her all over, screaming when the Dark Maker continued. "Surrender!"

She didn't even hear the shot, or the Maker falling to the ground. Her heavy breathing subsided when Meta licked the side of her face. With ragged breath she looked at Jak who had dropped to his knees next to her. "Guess taking them out slowly isn't an option."

She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, tasting blood. In her panic she'd bitten her tongue. "I underestimated them. Next time I'll be more careful."

They were strong, no doubt about that. But not stronger than Ma'al. It had been panic and surprise that had done her in.

"We have to go on. You ready?" Jak nudged her, though he didn't seem to happy about it.

She nodded, getting back on her feet. The rest of the way Jak took care of the Dark Makers. When they threw up a shield Valentine would mentally assault them, breaking their concentration long enough for Jak to kill them. It was hard work, and tiring. The longer they went on the more her legs felt like they could cave in any moment. When they found a room that had a trap in it she felt relieved; the Dark Eco was a different sort of control and granted her a breather.

When they arrived back at the Precursor Statue room Daxter jumped from Jak's shoulder, relieved to be in a safe area. "Hey, goober eyes! Just so ya know, the temple is overrun. What'cha planning on doing against it?"

The statues eyes slid open as invisible cogs started to turn once more. "The Dark Ones will stop at nothing, yet we are unable to stop them. All our hope rests on you."

Valentine and Jak both sighed deeply. "Any chance you can tell us where Seem is?" Valentine asked.

It was silent for a moment. "The monks have retreated to the inner chambers. The path there is long and arduous, through rooms filled with traps. You can see the end of the path above you."

Jak considered the doorway, barely visible in the dark. "I don't think I've got enough ammo left to make the trip. What about you?"

Valentine shook her head. "The only way I'm getting all the way up there is if you're prepared to carry me. This place is too huge."

"You would do better to get to the catacombs and activate the weapon," the Precursor statue suggested.

"Yeah, well, this discussion is only open to the chumps that have to do the legwork. So you can shut your big trap," Daxter replied, making sure to hide behind Jak's legs as he made his point. He hadn't forgotten what had happened last time he'd gotten in a fight with the statue.

Meta patted over next to Jak and swiped Daxter in her mouth. Before any of them could protest the Metal Head flew up to the doorway depositing the struggling Ottsel. With what was a very toothy grin the animal looked down on the two remaining companions.

"What is it with you and the slobber every fucking time?" Daxter cried out from above.

Valentine shrugged. "Well, seems like that solves our problem. Never underestimate a Metal. Sometimes I think she's smarter than Ma'al."

Meta had no problem transporting them one by one and looked extremely pleased when she had completed this task. After a few kisses from Valentine and a pat on the head by Jak she considered herself paid well enough. The group looked down for a moment, towards the statue that had been especially unhelpful.

"I still think it's weird," Valentine commented in a whisper as they continued walking.

"What, the statue with the obvious need for some common sense?" Daxter asked her, his voice echoing along the corridor.

Valentine flinched at the sound, hoping there was nothing worse waiting for them ahead. "Yeah. I mean, it's not a pre-recorded message because they are talking with us. But… statues aren't sentient in general. But it doesn't look like it can move either or I'm sure it'd have helped us out a little bit."

"Wouldn't be too sure of that one," Daxter commented again. When he caught the glare from his friends he shrugged. "Well, let's be honest here, who's done all of the world-saving up until now? No matter what adventure we've had, they were as helpful as Kleiver's toothbrush."

"Can't really say he's wrong," Jak conceded.

Valentine grunted, crossing her arms over one another. There was still something weird about the statue and how it sounded. Odds she'd be able to ever find out what were growing slimmer by the second. Strangely enough the corridor they had entered had started going ever more and more upward, leading them to rely on Meta once more in some points. Valentine had never estimated the temple to be built so high.

Finally they entered a large door. The Precursor Steel gleamed faintly in the fading torchlight. Valentine started banging on it, the dull reverberations echoing in the hall. She thought she heard a faint whimper on the other side, but that could have just been the door creaking.

"Seem? You in there? Rescue mission has arrived!"

It was silent for a few moments. Jak came to stand next to her, pressing his ear against the door along with her. Faintly they could hear the monk's voice from the other side. "Valentine? I thought I told you not to come."

"You know how well I handle orders. Are you opening up or what?"

"Is the Dark Maker gone?"

Valentine glanced to the side. "What Maker, there was nothing when we got he-'

A shot landed right between the heroes, the heat scorching their faces. Valentine jerked her head to the side, seeing Jak do the same. But he had a gun and all she had brought was a few knives. One shot from him and the first assailant went down. She reached down her boot and flung a knife. It lodged in a throat. The Dark Maker gurgled, falling to its knees.

More were coming after them. Valentine growled along with Meta at the sight of them. Then the Metal Head flung herself to the center of the horde, teeth flashing in the dim light. A Dark Maker thought to shoot her friend from behind.

"No you fucking don't," Valentine snarled, kicking it in the knee joint. With a surprised grunt it fell down on one knee. Not wasting time on fancy tricks Valentine slammed her knife where she supposed a jugular was supposed to be.

"Val, duck!"

She obeyed Jak's command, bullets spraying over her head only a second after. Meta had listened as well, snarling as more of the Makers fell down. The last one of the group fell down, twitching oddly as dark blood oozed from chest wounds.

"And stay down!" Daxter shouted. Then he looked at the girls in the team. "Not you, ladies. I was talking about tall, dark and fugly on the ground."

Valentine twitched as she could hear something in the distance. Heavy feet tapping on the ground as reinforcements were coming, ready to replace fallen comrades. With a jerk of her head she gestured for Meta to come to them. Behind her Jak was already banging on the door once more.

It opened before Valentine could join in. Seem pulled them inside before slamming the door shut once again. A few monks started to haul stray furniture in front of it once more, which explained why they hadn't been let inside sooner. "Is this all of them?"

Seem nodded before gesturing to a portal in the middle of the room. "Most of us managed to get away until the power broke down. We assume the Dark Makers have something to do with it."

Valentine nodded, surprising Seem by grabbing the woman in a bone-crunching hug. "Don't make me worry that much about you, stupid monk."

When Seem was released she shook her arms awkwardly, looking any direction except at Valentine. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You mean, you don't remember working with Veger or disappearing from Spargus?" Valentine asked, sarcasm quick to replace the relief she had felt at seeing her friend safe.

"How did you know?" Seem asked, before thinking better of it. "All I wanted was to keep my monks safe. But now Count Veger has decided to bring salvation on his own terms and the Dark Makers have started their descent on this planet. I warned you so you could protect Spargus."

"What do you mean, protect Spargus? You're the ones that needed protecting," Jak pointed out.

"We had accepted our fate. Do you think the temple is the only place the Dark Makers are going to invade? As we speak the city is probably under attack," Seem sounded a tad snippy.

Valentine and Jak shared the 'oh fuck our lives' look. Then both of them sighed. Valentine waved a hand towards the portal. "We're going to need Dark Eco if we're going to get out of here with everyone. Think we can drag one of the bodies in here?"

The monks nodded, none seeming too happy about actually doing it. Jak grabbed his gun just in case as he made for the door once more. Valentine moved to follow him but was stopped when Seem grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at her friend, raising her eyebrows in a question.

"Thank you for coming, Valentine."

She sighed, before showing a faint smile. "Well, I couldn't let you die out here. Who else is going to keep forcing gross concoctions down my throat? People like that aren't easy to find. But you have some explaining to do on the way back."

Seem nodded. "I will tell you everything I know."

Thanks to Sage for finding the time to read things over for me, even though they have so much work to do!
And shucks you all, I didn't expect you actually would feel somewhat sad it was ending. I'm supposed to be the emotional sap here after all. But never fear, at least this will be one finished fic - that is way long - you can always revisit for nostalgia's sake.

Oblique Strategies : I really don't like doing emotional chapters with 'tough' characters because there's so much chance of going OOC. Still, I'm glad you found it enjoyable. And Jak didn't get the Light Flight power because I thought it would overpower him a tad - a lot - and it's not really necessary for plot continuation whatsoever. But writing the temple was fun because Dark Makers!

M- Angel 05 : I know, but Valentine is not the type for the racing scene xD I might do an AU where's she's either a journalist or a struggling cop in Kras city though. But that's after I finish the other fics I've started because... Ugh, my brain gets too creative at times.

hiyaapapaya : Of course I remember you! And thanks for the encouragement, it really means a lot. I'm so happy that I was able to finish the story, especially after taking a few month's of hiatus every few times. I'm still amazed people have been reading it up until now ^^