Chapter II: Two years later
GAH: Thanks for being so patient guys, it took me longer than I would have liked to get this thing up. My dad told me the wrong date for our trip, (it was a fairly long trip) ; and before anyone else asks, I know it isn't precursor junk, but I'm really against swearing... Anywho, let's get going! (To answer another question, the rest of the story is coming silly!)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Jak and Daxter franchise!
We rejoin our heroes two years after they crash-landed in this strange new city called 'Haven'. And if there was one thing they'd learned it was that the name was misleading. On the brighter side, Jak had become, possibly one of the most valuable fighters in the underground, fully trained in both hand-to-hand combat, and in using weapons.
The mute in question was currently fast asleep in the room he had been issued apon joining the underground. His arm was hanging limply off the side of the bed, just far enough for the tips of his fingers to touch the floor. He was on the edge of the mattress, perfectly balanced, it looked like if you so much as looked at him hard enough, he'd fall off.
It had been a particularly hard week, and it showed, every time Jak turned around, there was something else that needed to be done. Groggily, he opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Daxter was curled up at the foot of the bed, completely oblivious to everything around him, or so it seemed. The channeler arose from the bed and swatted a strand of hair out of his face.
Sure he might have looked a little different, but being the go-to-guy for Torn, Jak didn't really have time to worry about his appearance. Plus the weather wasn't anything like it used to be in Sandover, the temperature was lower, generally speaking, and his old sleeveless tunic wasn't going to cut it. The same went for his sandals, the mute had opted for boots over anything else. The only other differences were that he now wore a red scarf around his neck, and that his hair was longer than it had been before.
(A/N, he looks like he usually would in Jak II, but has anyone else noticed that Torn and Jinx wear red scarves too? Seriously! Check 'Jinx has a plan' in Jak 3, you'll see!... Hey, that rhymed…)
Jak picked his goggles up off of the nightstand and put them on, keeping his hair out of his face. He looked back at Daxter, the ottsel was sleeping as soundly as he was two minutes ago. Jak sighed, he might as well wake his friend up now, not that it was going to be enjoyable for anyone involved. He reached down to tap Daxter on the shoulder, but his hand never actually reached the ottsel.
Instead, the mute got a faceful of pillow as Daxter scurried off, laughing as only he can. Jak rolled his eyes and put the pillow back on the bed.
"I gotcha that time!" Daxter exclaimed proudly from the nightstand, leaning against the lamp. As you might have expected, the lamp tipped over...onto Daxter's tail, effectively immobilizing the ottsel.
For a moment Jak considered his options, on one hand he could leave the lamp there for a couple minutes and (hopefully) teach his friend a lesson, or...
"Ow!" Daxter yelled, as the realization hit him, about as hard as the lamp had. Naturally Jak took the second course of action, the "right" thing, and removed the lamp from the ottsel's tail.
"Okay….that's the last time I do that….." Daxter grumbled, hopping from the nightstand to Jak's shoulder.
As expected, Torn had something for the duo to do the moment they emerged from the room. "You know that banner in Dead Town?" The rebel asked.
"…What about it?" Daxter replied suspiciously.
"None of the newbies have been able to reach the dumb old thing, care to show them how it's done?" Torn asked with a smirk.
The look on Jak's face was easy to read, 'That's all?' it said. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty for you two to screw up later." The second in command said, rolling his eyes.
Daxter jumped off of Jak's shoulder. "I resent that!' He complained.
"Jak messed up on the last mission!" The ottsel exclaimed, conveniently forgetting to mention that the only reason the mission had gone awry was because he had managed to lose his balance rather high up… Jeeze, who woulda known that pebbles were potential hazards to ottsels?
With an inaudible sigh, Jak placed Daxter back on his shoulder and headed in the general direction of Dead town. Precursors only knew how they could manage to screw this one up…..
The ride itself could have been considered a disaster. Sure he could ride the old A-grav zoomer without calamity, but Jak just couldn't get the hang of how to work these more advanced ones….
As compensation for this small problem, the mute resolved to go as fast as possible, hopefully hiding the fact that his knowledge of these zoomers was possibly surpassed by a crocadog….
At the pace the two were going, it was no wonder they reached Dead Town so quickly. Have you ever had the chance to see ooblek in action? It's a mixture of cornstarch and water, and it travels in much the same way Daxter got off of the zoomer. In a slow, unsteady drip. Jak rolled his eyes and seized the ottsel, then proceeded toward the entrance to Dead town.
The mechanical doors unlocked with a click and opened, allowing anyone daft enough to leave the 'safety' of Haven's walls, access. Several frog-like creatures were hopping around the outside of the door. All three of them turned their heads unanimously at the sound of the doors being opened, it would have been a truly humorous sight to anyone outside said doors. As Jak stepped out into their territory, the creatures (called Goobers by the ever-so-lovable people of Haven city) croaked a battle-cry and attacked.
It wasn't too daunting, the slimy green amphibians could only take one good punch. Jak leapt over the first goober, and landed on the second in one fluid motion. One down, two to go. Pathetic. The one that was now situated behind the mute, thought it saw an opening, and attacked, it would be the last mistake the amphibian ever made.
Jak flipped back over the first and (right before landing) sent the toad-frog mutant flying higher in a swift uppercut. The third goober was by far the easiest to handle, with a pitiful croak, it turned tail and fled into the 'water'.
"Buh-bye ya stupid reptiles!" Daxter yelled. Jak held a hand up to his temple, it was times like this that he wished the ability to speak hadn't been denied to him.
The rest of the trip wasn't too eventful, a couple of snorkletooths (the orange things with the fangs) tried to ambush the duo, to no avail. The old buildings, though they may not served as shelter, were surprisingly useful bridges. Even if the stone didn't look anymore reliable than the water….
Out of everything in Dead Town, the stone tower was the worst though. The makeshift steps leading to the banner were cracked with age, and had endured much at the hands of the weather. All in all, a metal head couldn't trust them with its thoughts, few and far between as they may have been. Jak and Daxter were even more hesitant to leave their lives to this pathetic excuse for stone, and honestly, who wouldn't be?
((A/N It took me forever to come up with the metal head line, if it sounds lame, don't blame me. It was an hour-long case of writer's block!))
After a few moments of thinking, Daxter pointed out the obvious. "It's the only way up." The ottsel said pointedly.
Jak hesitated, took a deep breath, and then jumped onto the first of the blocks, and without a second thought, leapt to the next, then to the next and so on. Predictably, the stone disintegrated almost as soon as he landed on it, and it was only due to the concentration that had been put into the task they didn't fall to their deaths. The stone steps were just that, stone, and they could only take so much abuse before crumbling.
Daxter hopped down from his friend's shoulder and attempted to pry Praxis' banner from the cracked ground, without success. The ottsel tried a couple more…interesting methods before Jak took pity on him and tugged it from its hole in the rock.
"Why'd you do that!" Daxter demanded. "I had it under control!" The rodent complained.
But before anymore could be said or done, the tower began to collapse, it seemed that the removal of the banner was all the encouragement it needed.
The two tumbled down, landing on a tarp that had been pulled taut, giving it the effect a trampoline would have. Jak, not missing the chance for a dramatic entrance, spotted a cord, and slid down to the ground on it, completely unaware that he was going to be upstaged by Daxter…
The ottsel in question had attempted to follow his childhood friend, without success. He landed on the cord, but not with his feet, oh no, not by a long shot. Instead he landed in a…rather sensitive spot, and was sent flying even higher in the air, before landing safely on the ground….with his face.
Torn had been waiting for a couple of minutes, as usual a new mission needed to be completed. The rebel was slightly worried when he realized the two were nowhere in sight…and apparently not moving. But he dismissed the possibility without another thought, and his faith was rewarded as he saw Jak racing up the unsteady old bricks in attempt to reach the banner. He waited while Daxter tried to pull the flag from the stone, to no avail of course.
The real shock came as the building caved in, and the two fell. Try as he might to hide it, Torn was actually quite fond of both Jak and Daxter, though the latter tended to get on the rebel's nerves a lot more. The fact that two of the only people in the Underground he cared to call his friends could possibly be dead unnerved him. He was relieved when he caught sight of Jak sliding down a cord, but the absence of Daxter puzzled him until the ottsel landed right next to Torn. He had to admit, as annoying as the rodent was, he was good for a laugh.
Torn smirked as Daxter got back up. Jak was shaking with silent laughter as he returned the ottsel to the usual perch on his shoulder. "Whadda ya want Torn?" The ottsel asked icily.
"The baron's getting desprate." Torn said a hint of guilt hidden deep in his voice. "He's shut off all the water to the slums, just to get to the Underground." The rebel said, pausing to let this new development sink in.
He knew to continue when Daxter's self-satisfied expression changed to one of the deepest disgust, though Jak was obviously thinking ahead, judging by the enraged expression on his face. "Innocent lives will be lost if we don't do something." Torn added, the depression in his voice even cut through Daxter's good mood.
"We're on it." The ottsel said, voicing both Jak's and his own thoughts.
And without any further instructions, the mute was racing off to the Pumping Station. For the first half of the trip, Daxter stayed quiet, but the ottsel broke the silence as they reached the water-deprived slums. (Granted, that wasn't very long at the pace Jak was driving at…)
"I wonder how things turned out for Keira and ol' log nog…" The ottsel said, sadly voicing a fear both he and Jak had been dwelling on, it seemed as though Torn's gloom was rubbing off on everybody…
Keira hadn't ended up too bad off, her mechanical know-how had landed her a career in the racing business. Better yet, the job provided her with any and every tool needed to construct a new rift rider.
Two problems though, one was that she had only seen the rider once, how effective was the product of all her work really going to be? The second problem was a little more pressing though, she happened to be missing two of the vital components, the Heart of Mar gem and the Time map. Figures, she thought dryly.
The mechanic hadn't been too worried about the machine though, because the issue at hand was too agonizing to be ignored. What use would the rift rider be if Keira never found the others? What if something had happened to them? She'd never forgive herself if something had come about during her absence.
((A/N You can tell how I'd make her feel in the actual version of Jak II since something did happen… oohh, that could turn out to be potentially embarrassing…. –runs off and re-writes script for a latter scene- (distantly) Wait…. I need to finish the Chapter… -runs back to Ch3-))
What if they had ended up in that prison? The city's sorry excuse for law enforcement wouldn't have a problem finding something to use against them. After all Daxter appeared to be an overgrown rat at first glance, the fact that he could talk wouldn't help the weirdness at all.
Keira wasn't sure, but she hadn't met anyone in Haven City who couldn't talk, heck, everyone in Sandover could talk, everyone that was, except Jak. And that detail wouldn't have a positive effect on the guards either. Those stupid guards would try to arrest someone for sneezing too close to them.
((Sorry Silver-WindScar, I had a MAJOR case of writer's block and couldn't think of anything else… Forgive me? Pretty please? They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery!))
There were vicious rumors floating around about the going-on's in that place, the scary thought was that the Baron had approved of them! Not that Keira was a fan of Praxis, not by a long shot, in her humble opinion he was the worst thing to the city.
One of her clients had told her about the former king of Haven, a benevolent man by the name of Damas. One day, he and his family just vanished and both Keira and the woman telling her the tale were sure that Praxis had something to do with it. The whole thing was too suspicious, why would such a beloved ruler disappear like that?
To her surprise, the mechanic found herself wondering how different the city would be under the rule of King Damas. There wouldn't be an Underground group, plotting to overthrow him, that was for sure. It was without dispute, Praxis was the worst thing to have happened to Haven City.
Meanwhile at the Pumping Station the duo of Jak and Daxter had just found the valve to return the water to the slums.
((A/N Does anyone else find it odd that Torn didn't actually say where to go? And no I'm not hinting at anything, this is a JakKeira fic people! I just kinda forgot to put that in… plus I like talking about a sad Torn, sometimes I forget that he's huma- elven for pete sake!))
"Ah, the valve!" Daxter exclaimed, running up to said piece of equiptment. "Allow me." The ottsel said, attempting to turn the valve.
Jak rolled his eyes, this was going to be Dead Town all over again… Daxter tried with all his might (as much as that may be…) but the valve was just as determined to stay as it was. Finally the diminutive rodent gave up, and leaned against a pipe to catch his breath.
Seizing the opportunity, Jak turned the valve effortlessly, and the water ran freely out of the pipelines. (Maybe size does matter!) Unfortunately for Daxter, the ottsel was leaning against the opening of a pipe….
Jak blinked. Now where had Daxter gotten off to? The metallic thuds gave his positioning away though. And after every thunk, you could hear the ottsel begging for help. Jak sighed and jumped from the ledge, down to the end of the pipe.
"Jak, please help." Daxter pleaded from inside the plumbing.
The mute rolled his eyes and thumped the pipe, Daxter shooting out as a result. Jak looked at the soaking wet ottsel in an amused way.
"Okay, I get it! Next time, YOU turn the valve!" He yelled.
((A/N Darn it! That would usually be one of my favorite lines from Jak II! But the fact that Jak can't talk kinda messed it up! –sigh- He won't actually be granted that ability for awhile now….))
The two were on their way back to HQ when Jak abruptly stopped the zoomer right in front of a run down shack. Daxter, who hadn't been paying attention, was sent flying forward by the sudden halt. He was yelling something about 'give an ottsel a warning' when the mute opened the door.
"Woah," Daxter said, cutting his rant short. Inside the hut sat a precursor made oracle, just like the ones from Sandover. "It's one of those googly eyed precursor-" The ottsel cut his sentence short with one glance at the steely-eyed glare Jak was throwing his way. "..Things" He ended lamely.
"Greetings great warrior." The oracle said, rumbling to life. "As the judgment day of your planet draws nearer, the obstacles to overcome grow more powerful. Your long awaited return brings a great hope to the creators of your world." The ancient statue said.
Daxter looked back at Jak. "Did you understand ANY of that?" The ottsel asked. Miraculously, he had understood part of it, the judgment day part was a complete mystery to him. But why would the Precursors want him to come to Haven City?
The oracle paused, seemingly confused by the lack of understanding. "I see…you do not realize your role in time yet… how strange." The statue mused.
"If you're gonna keep yappin' to yourself, I'm outta here!" Daxter complained.
"Do what you wish animal." The oracle replied, unfazed. "I have no business with you."
The ottsel stared at the statue in disbelief, the precursor oracles were not supposed to act like that! So, without another word (and that in itself is an accomplishment) he stormed out of the shack, muttering angrily about being called an animal.
"I assume you wish to know why I summoned you." The stone statue asked. "As I was saying, we are fortunate you have returned, great warrior. For anyone without the pure gift of the precursors could not even hope to stand a chance against the trials to come." The great stone continued.
When this failed to inspire any answer from Jak, something seemed to click in the oracle's stony mind. "I had almost forgotten…" It mused. "The light always demands a payment in return for its power. It has robbed you of your voice, has it not?"
Unfortunately, poor Jak was completely lost by this point, and feeling terribly uneducated, so he settled for nodding. This did not go unnoticed by the oracle, however. It sighed, a raspy noise that sounded like two stones being rubbed together vigorously.
"You will understand in time." It assured the mute. "But for now, it is time to enhance the gift you have paid so dearly for, so that it can be of use to you."
Before anymore could be said or done, the oracle released a beam of light eco that hit Jak squarely in the chest. The unexpected surge of power forced him to double over, and he realized that, at this one moment, he was being exposed to more eco than he had ever come in contact with. (I mean during his whole life)
After what seemed like forever, Jak realized he was on the ground. He tried to get up, but found that all the strength had been sapped out of him. This did not come as a surprise though… So instead of rising to his feet, the mute settled for rising a few inches from the ground and thinking wryly to himself: It'll be a miracle if I stop glowing before the week's up.
But what came next startled the channeler. What's wrong with glowing? A voice asked. Caught completely off guard, Jak fell back to the floor. And of course Daxter chose that time to reenter the hut….
Controlling the urge to yell at the top of his lungs, the ottsel asked as calmly as he could: "What did I miss!"
The oracle seemed determined to ignore the rodent's question, and went right on along with his unclear speech. "Your planet has indeed left its fate in good hands." It said. Jak could feel his friend's eyes on him, he glanced at the ottsel as he pushed himself up off the ground, catching the tiny gasp said ottsel let escape.
You had to see it from Daxter's point of view, as long as he had known Jak, he had also known the channeler's clear blue eyes. But as his best friend glanced at him, his eyes were no longer blue, but a bright burning white. As the mute looked at Daxter questioningly, the ottsel found all words but three had deserted him. He had seen that look possibly a thousand times, but now…. "It's just…" He began, "…nothing…."
"Warrior," The oracle said, drawing all eyes (however strange) back to itself. "In order to save your world you must understand the light to its fullest extent. Let nothing hinder or intimidate you. It pains me to say this, but for the time, I can tell you no more." And with those final words, the oracle's presence departed.
"Any idea how to stop the glow?" Daxter asked, trying to hide the hopefulness in his voice, the channeler's eyes just… creeped him out. The mute in question shook his head. I have an idea…. The bodiless voice from earlier offered. Once again, Jak wondered where it came from, but he wasn't about to refuse help with this…minor problem.
Just relax for a minute… It said. Not knowing what else to do, the mute followed the instructions given to him, and found that control over his actions was slipping away from him. Gradually, the glow receded as did the presence that had possessed the elf.
"How'd ya do that?" Daxter asked. Jak shook his head in confusion, trying to comprehend the last ten minutes. Well, I can't say today has been boring. He thought as the two exited the hut and re-boarded the zoomer. I'll say. Said the voice….
GAH: Did anyone miss the pumping station crud? I hope not, I hate that place, maybe that's why I skipped it…. There was an interesting spelling error in here, when I was typing 'oracle' I accidentally typed 'orcycle' …Maybe it should be 'orsicle'? ;; Well, at least it's good for a laugh…. Hehe… I'm gonna have fun with 'the voice' not that's a complicated mystery to solve for anyone who's played Jak 3….. Hope you guys liked the extra-long chapter, I felt really bad about leaving you hanging for so long...