Chapter 6: Foes Revisited
"So you are the marauders that dared to attack our city?" Damos inquired in his weathered voice.
"Marauders? Us? No, no, you misunderstand, sir," Josh tried to explained, but was quickly silenced.
"You are to compete in the arena. If you live, you'll be set free. If you lose, you'll be executed," Damos calmly stated. Riza and the group gasped in shock at the sentence. For simply landing in the desert, the party was being treated as they committed a murder or treason.
"But we've done nothing wrong!" Charlie exclaimed, stepping forward.
"Let the arena decide if you are right or wrong. Lower the platform!" The order of Damos rang throughout the stadium and the said platform lowered toward the stage, where the bloody performance was to be played.
Riza, Charlie, and Josh stepped off the platform, a guard waiting for them took of their shackles. They rubbed their wrists, looking about the stage. On the outer perimeter were shacks on sturdy stilts, possibly housing their soon-would-be opponents. "So what do we do?" Riza asked her small party.
"Survive," Josh stated. Charlie and Riza nodded.
"Release them!" Damos's scratchy voice boomed, and the doors of the shack dropped open. Marauders jumped out, but usually looking human, with their intimidating spiked armor, they looked more demonic, with their bronze armor taking more of an onyx look, their ears bent and zigzag in nature, skin a pale black. Damos whispered, switching back to his burly voice, "Le's see how they do wit' 'em Heartless Marauders."
"Riza, Charlie, don't hold back. I sense a great darkness from their beings. It's feels familiar, like the signal of the Heartless," Josh informed, summoning his Bladed Staff.
"Great, so no remorse for the heartless! C'mon kiddies!" Charlie unsheathed her Elemental Blade of the Gods, and turned its power to wind, hoping to try out the Wind Scar. Riza brought forth the Key of the Ukaizr, slipping into her attack stance. "Come and get me, you despicable bastards!" Charlie charged, starting off with Dragon Hurricane and High Winds Strike, sending the Heartless Marauders into the bubbling lava. Riza went into swift attacks like Ninja Rush and Silent Screamer, her victims leaving this world in puffs of dark haze. Josh was mixing his techniques up, destroying them with Ixion Gigaspark, Anima Death Chains, and Bahamut Fireblast, slightly weaker than their true forms of use. The Heartless Marauders were defeated in minutes.
The party stood around the stage, all looking up at Damos, who was seething with disappointment and anger. The darkness around him accumulated, and shot out landing before the team in the middle of the stage. The real Damos passed out slumping against his throne. The black mass stood and took form. Riza instantly recognized the form of a bulky man. The other two were at a lost.
"Uso," she growled.
"Hey lil Ukaizr, lon' time no see. How 'bout t'is time we finish it!" The dark Uso charged Riza, who dodged his strike. She countered with Silent Screamer. She connected with Uso's side which left him in a silent scream. He regained himself and swiped at the ninja. He knocked her to the ground, skidding across the stage. Josh and Charlie rushed to her side just as she stood up. "Sorry I can't stay, but I got a meetin' with some people that are lookin' into destroyin' this lil' desert. A fella named Erol wan's revenge an' I'm the guy fer it!" Uso left through his shadow, leaving Riza and the rest confused.
Jak made his appearance, hearing the name Erol brought shivers up his spine. "I know Erol, and if that dark guy is working with him, nothing good is going to come out of it." Jak turned to leave, but Riza caught his attention.
"Why are you trusting us? You leader declared us marauders, shouldn't you be, like, killing us?"
"No, you won in the arena, and I realize that the Damos that issued that command was not our Damos. Now, are you coming or not?" Jak again turned to leave but he communicator device beeped on and hovered in front of him. The voice that came over was Seem's, the female precursor monk:
Jak, you must come to the temple at once! We're being attacked by Dark Makers and some dark one is controlling them. They might be working for Erol. If they get what they seek...there might be no hope left for us.
"Seem. We gotta go, now!" Jak ran to the elevator platform, and the party soon followed.
The four were cramped in the Dune Hopper, driving them back to their ship. There was no way they could still be in the high-jumping machine when it was over a ravine. "There's your ship now!" Jak yelled over the howling winds. He pulled up toward the ship, letting the three off, "I'll meet you by the temple, just follow my signal." Josh gave him a thumbs up. The small party climbed into the gummi ship, turning nobs and pushing buttons to get it up and running.
"Ready? Lift off!" Josh pulled the thruster back for the hover jets to kick on, blowing sand out from under it. The main engines roared to life, the gummi ship followed the Dune Hopper to the temple in one piece. The Dune Hopper and gummi ship landed outside of the giant arc entrance. Before they got out, Josh went over to Riza, "Here, this might come in handy." Josh placed his now slightly glowing hand on her forehead, "The power over fire, Ember Buster."
"Thanks, Josh," Riza felt warm inside from the power of fire now within her.
Jak and Dax met the trio outside of the large stone doors. He took out his Blaster looking at the doors. "Let's go kick some Dark Maker and Heartless ass!" Jak rushed in, his gun already blazing, Daxter whooping and hollering on Jak's left shoulder. Riza withdrew her Keyblade, and was slashing away, as was Charlie, with her sword in its wind form. Josh casting small spells like his Ember Buster and Icy Daggers. As the Dark Makers and Heartless fell, more took their place.
Charlie called out, "Riza! Jak! Get to the monk! We can handle--son of a--this!" She attacked another Dark Maker with Twister Strike, sending it crashing against the wall.
"Just be careful with the temple!" Jak ordered.
"We'll be back as soon as we save the monk!" Riza and him ran off, deeper into the temple.
"Ember Buster!" Josh fired another fireball, destroying the marauder Heartless and launching a Dark Maker into a wall. He and Charlie went back to back, surrounded by the dark creatures. "Think we can handle this?"
"Hell yeah," the swordswoman smirked.
"Jak!" Riza yelled as they come to face more Dark Makers and heartless. He took out his Plasmite RPG and fired two grenades, one hitting the Dark Makers, the other bouncing off the ceiling and hitting the Heartless behind them. They made their way down to the dark eco chamber, where three Dark Makers and four marauder Heartless awaited them.
"I got this," Jak said. In a flash of purple energy, stood his dark form. "Let's go boys!" Jak roared, and went into a fury of flying fists and claw swipes. The whole thing lasted four seconds. Jak returned to normal, gestured for Riza to follow.
"How did you do that? Go all pale and berseker?" Riza asked, following Jak down a corridor.
"I was experimented on with dark eco," he stated, recalling the horrors of the baron's 'hospitality'. Riza did a silent 'oh', and left the topic alone. The three, counting Daxter, who's been oddly quiet. "Dax, you ok? I haven't heard a sarcastic comment since we got here."
"Just fine buddy," Daxter replied, smiling. Jak nodded, and opened the set of stone doors. On the other side was a room with a walkway all around the center floor. Dark Makers, Heartless marauders, and neo-shadows appeared. "More of these guys?" Daxter slightly cringed.
"No problem! Delayed Death!" Riza rushed toward the dark foes. Before she could land her attack, the Dark Maker's shield repelled the ninja. "What the hell? Son of a..." Riza recovered from the shock of the tactic and leaped into the air, "Try this! Shinobi Slam!" The force of power between Riza put behind the blow and gravity, broke the shield, and slashed the Dark Maker in half. "One down.." She turned around to see four Dark Makers, two Heartless marauders and five neo-shadows surrounding her. "Damn it...Fine!" she took out a small smoke bomb from her pouch and threw it to the ground. The smoke screen distracted the dark creatures, which Riza took advantange of. She slipped behind them and cut them down to size in a matter of seconds; they didn't know what hit them. The smoke cleared and Riza was left standing. "Serves ya right, you damned creatures of hell." Five minutes later, Jak and Riza finished of the waves of the vile beasts, and continued on.
The duo fought the waves of foes, as Daxter watched and cheered them on. They made it to a ruined part of the temple, cold and damp. Jak stopped a second to refill on light eco and crack open a couple of pots and vases to find some discarded ammo, they took this time of peace to catch their breathes. "How you holding up, Riza?" Jak inquired.
Riza nodded and held a thumbs up while she leaned against a crumbling wall. "Ready?" She pushed off the wall. He nodded and the two, silently, headed off. They once again stopped by a mass of darkness.
"I'm tired of this! Riza follow me!" Jak headed toward the door. "Stay here, behind the door so you don't get blasted." Riza hid behind the door, just as she was told. "Ok you bastards, get a taste of some serious dark eco!" Jak powered up to Dark Jak again, leaping up and releasing his Dark Blast. The discharged dark eco destroyed all the enemies, and put some new scars into the ruins. Jak rushed into the doorway, Riza close behind, Daxter's fur a little frizzed with the electric-like charge of the dark eco Jak let off. The two ended up in a large room with a gigantic statue in the middle.
"Welcome warriors of light," the voice boomed with a deep, scratchy tone to it. "Step forth. The time is short, and our faith is within you. We grant you two the last of our power; for Mar, we grant you the power of flight, and for the warrior of the key, the power to harness light eco within you and defense. Now, stop the dark force that is upon our land." The light within the slitted eyes of the precursor oracle flickered out.
Light Jak lead the way, flying toward the platform. Light Riza leaped and bound toward the same platform. They ran up the corridor and opened the door to find them made it to the second level of the ruined room. Light Jak charged up his eco, as Riza powered down the light power. Light Jak flew the crumbling columns while Riza just leaped to each one.
"Seem!" Jak called powering down, as he made it to the balcony, Riza appearing shortly after.
"Erol learned how to communicate with the Dark Cargo. Now it seems that all hope is lost. I was able, though, to save an important artifact from their clutches. Here, Jak. I was wrong about you, you have the balance needed to win this war," Seem said in her calm raspy like voice.
"Well as far as crazy, rubber wearing, precursor obsessed monks go, you're ok," Daxter smiled.
"I must thank you as well little one, for showing me the face of our creators," Seem petted Daxter under the chin. "Now you must go, and stop Erol, Jak. Before it's too late." Jak nodded and headed to the warp gate to the left; Riza bowed to the smaller monk and left behind Jak.
The three appeared out of the warp gate as the last of the dark creatures were defeated. "Why couldn't we just do that before?" Riza questioned, leaving the temple, heading to the gummi ship.
"One way only kinda deal," Daxter answered.
"You three head back to Spargus and hold off the Dark Makers. Dax and me haffta go see a precursor oracle," Jak hopped into his Dune Hopper, sped off. The party hopped into the gummi ship and fired up its engines.
Damos was surrounded by medics and officials. "I'm fine, damn it!" His voice boomed. The fussy medics backed away slowly. "Fuss over me some more and well need medics for you!" His beeper went off. It was Jak's battle amulet giving him a signal that Jak needed help. "I'm leaving, a mission just came up!" Damos grabbed his gun and went for the lift to bring him down and out of the palace.
"But sire! You're not fit to go out on a mission! Please sire, reconsider! He's an outsider, a freak," the head medic pleaded, a small plump man with a high voice.
"He's one of my people now, I can't turn my back on him," with that Damos left.
"One of these days, his protectiveness will get him killed. I just hope I'm wrong," the medic said solemnly, while he cleaned up his supplies.
"There's the city!" Riza pointed out.
"Let's land right outside the gate," Charlie pointed out.
"Hey what are those little bleeps on the sensors?"
"Boggies! Marauders!" Josh said frantically.
"Just land! I got these push overs," Charlie, said, reading he Elemental Blade of the Gods. "I've been dying to try out the Wind Scar InuYasha gave me." Josh nodded, and set the gummi ship down right next to the gate. Over the hill and sand dunes were marauder vehicles of all sizes, twenty-five catapult, twenty-five flaming vehicles, and fifty normal ones. Charlie jumped out of the gummi ship and ran toward the mass of deadly foes, "Ok losers! Kiss yer asses, good-bye! WIND SCAR!!" The yellow energy released destroyed the smaller cars and maimed the bigger ones, rendering them useless. She trotted back to the garage opening.
"Wow, that Wind Scar is some technique. I wonder what the Backlash Wave is like," Riza mused out loud.
"Muse later, fight now! Sand Storm Reaper!" Josh called out one of his favorite sand spells unleashing a whirling sand storm shaped like the grim reaper himself, much larger than Dust Reaper; destroying several neo-shadows and heartless marauders.
"Right! Ninja Rush!" Riza swiftly defeated five agile neo-shadows with in a second before they can disappear into the shadows. Charlie was slashing through the Dark Makers with its holy form, blinding the Dark Makers before severing their mid-sections or heads.
The party made it to the part of the city that overlooked the ocean, with a turret on a high rock. Fighting alongside the other wastelanders, the three where getting some ground on the dark forces. That was before a large Dark Maker appeared from the sky, crashing into the water, three miles off the coast. Its larger and frightening frame made its way toward the city.
"Josh! Man the turrets! Back home, you were the best with fire arms. A turret shouldn't be any different, right?" Charlie called to the sage.
"I guess..." Josh said, running low on his magical power, switched to using his blade on his staff.
"Then go!" the girls called. Josh flinched. He finished off the Heartless Marauder he was dealing with, and quickly made it up to the turret. Charlie was right, it was just like using a large gun. He quickly got into the swing of firing off round after round, taking out the large Dark Makers. He was hitting their weak points with deadly accuracy, destroying the missiles they sent before they got close enough, defending the coast line. After five fell, they Dark Makers switched tactics; instead of coming from sea, they came by land. They landed in the middle of the district, crushing Dark Makers, heartless, and civilians who weren't lucky enough to get away quick enough. Josh swiveled the turrets around, firing off the bullets as fast as he could.
On the ground, Riza and Charlie, working with the civilians, were taking out the Dark Makers and heartless easily. "What's up with these guys? Shouldn't they be more aggressive?" Riza slashed off a Heartless's head.
"Maybe they think that Jak will fail, so they aren't pushing so much, knowing they'll just destroy this place anyway. It's a war tactic when the other side knows they'll win," the two were back to back now. "Less causalities on their side if they send out less soldiers." They split and destroyed more dark creatures, while avoiding friendly fire.
"Is that why there's more Heartless than Dark Makers? They'll use the Dark Makers for the post destruction of this world?" Riza blocked dark energy bolt from a Dark Maker, then countering with a horizontal slash to the midsection.
"Yeah. Take this you sonovabitch!" Charlie roared, using Saint's Answered Prayer, a long-range beam attack launched from the sword, destroying the Dark Makers and Heartless unfortunate enough to get caught in the blast.
When the fight at Spargus was happening, Jak made it to the Planetary Defense System, deep under the planet's crust. He saw the true faces of the precursors, which were ottsels! Just like Daxter. After a stunned silence, an "Oh my God," from Jak and gloating from Daxter "I'm a precursor! I'm a precursor!", the two made their way to the Dark Makers' ship, hopefully to prevent the Dark Cargo from being awaken by the now mechanical Erol. Jak was able to get out of the ship before it exploded into a billion pieces of space junk after causing serious damage to it and being caught by Erol. He landed in the garage, and watched a falling piece of large metal from the ship; but it wasn't a piece of debris, it was Erol in one of the escaped Dark Cargo.
Josh finished off the last giant Dark Maker, and made his way down the rock. The creatures were getting less and the citizens seemed to have them under control. The three, noticing the falling fireball, headed to the garage as fast as they could, just catching Jak hoping into the Sand Shark.
"Jak, wait! We're coming with you!" Josh hoped into the passenger seat as Riza and Charlie held on to the sides, getting as close as they could to the inside.
"Alright, ready to kick some Dark Maker ass?" Jak said, reading his goggles and red muffler.
"We're warmed up and ready to go," Riza said, on Jak's side. Jak nodded, and drove off toward the Dark Cargo.
Jak drove the vehicle under the Dark Cargo, where Daxter unleashed a hail bullets at the glowing purple weak spots, taking out three to five. Josh was using Thunder Clap Slap, Sand Storm Reaper, and using the last of his magical strength, finished off the legs with his Ixion Gigaspark; the thunderbolts homed in on the remaining weak spots. The legs gave out and the monstrosity began to fall. Last minute, Erol ejected the top part from the failing legs. Unstable, it crashed by the garage gates of Spargus; it skidded to a halt about a mile away.
Jak pulled up close by the limp upper body of the dark creature. The party left the Sand Shark and climbed up to its back. The head came alive and four tentacles sprouted from the back. Jak took out his Vulcan Fury, and switched it to the Arc Wielder, shooting the blue electricity beam from the heavy gun, destroying one of the tentacles in seconds. Riza, Charlie, and Josh hacked at theirs, taking slightly more time to destroy the remaining tentacles. Erol let loose dark squid crab creatures that divided in to smaller versions when struck. While they fought them, Erol used the heat beam that was fired from the main gun on the head. The team had a tough time dodging that attack, getting slightly warmed by the closeness it came or their clothes getting singed.
"Die Jak!" Erol growled from the cockpit of the Dark Cargo.
"You first, you metal-ass bastard!" Jak let loose a powerful blast from his Peace Maker at the exposed energy pumps on the back of the Dark Cargo's head, making one of the three pumps explode. The monster let out a pained groan, starting all over again with the tentacles.
"Again? Hell..." Riza groaned.
"Too boring fer ya, girlie?" Uso's form emerged from the shadows.
"Uso!" Riza lunged for the dark creature, missing, and going off the edge of the back.
"Riza!!" Josh and Charlie shouted, running toward the edge. The ninja landed in the soft sand, walking away with newly forming bruises.
"Ow.." she rubbed her back. "Uso, Uso!!" She roared his name. A dark shadow appeared a few feet away.
His over exggareted muscled form appeared, "Lookin' fer me?" His heartless formed pulled away to let him speak. "I'll finish wha' I star'ed!" His Heartless form covered his face, leaving the glowing yellow eyes. He charged, Axe Fang at the ready. Riza eaisly dodged the clumsy swing. Back at her village, she trained in a desert climate, so she had the advatange. Uso, not use to the soft desert sand, constantly lost his footing. Riza landed powerful blows with her Keyblade, opening wounds all over Uso. Riza used her Ninja Feint Illusion, where she created an illusion of her Keyblade then when Uso blocked the fake one, he didn't expect the real one and was thrown from his spot and slammed against the back of the Dark Cargo.
"You won t'is time Ukaizr, but next time, you won' be so damn lucky!!" He left within his shadow.
"Damn him," Riza growled, looking upwards, toward the battlefield she fell off of; check that, leaped off. I hope they're ok, I wonder if I can get up there in time? She went to climb back up, but the body began to tremble. The ninja looked up to see Josh and Charlie leap off.
"Run!" Josh shouted, heading toward the garage, Charlie close behind. Figuring this would be a bad time to question why, Riza ran as fast her legs could carry her.
At the gate, the Dark Cargo exploded. A sand cloud was created and nothing was visible. When the sand cleared a few minutes later, Jak and Daxter walked away from the wreckage. Daxter smiled victoriously while Jak lifted his goggles and pulled down his muffler. Ashelin, a friend of Jak's, ran to them. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a well deserved victory kiss; Daxter smirked. Next to the small party was a large, muscular black man named Sig, in mostly spiked steel armor with yellow eyes. He smile, saying "Way to go Chili Peppers."
Riza felt the Keyblade tug at her. She drew the weapon, which pulled her in the direction of the palace. Charlie and Josh followed. Jak came by and Sig said they headed into the city.
Jak caught up with them, and Riza asked, "Jak, what's this building?"
"Damos's palace..." he said sadly. On the way to find the Planetary Defense System, Damos was killed under the Slam Dozer, an explosion tipped it. Damos was caught under it. The most shocking to Jak, though, was that Damos revealed he was Jak's father, without knowing it. Damos gave Jak Mar's amulet, saying to find his son, Mar; Jak's real name.
"Jak you ok?" Riza asked.
"Yeah, c'mon, you wanted to see the palace?" Jak lead the group to the upstairs. Up there, the Keyblade shook within its mistress's grip. A light shone behind the throne. Riza made her way behind it to see a key hole, the length of the back of the throne. Like in InuYasha's realm, Riza pointed her Keyblade to the keyhole as the locking beam did its job. This world was now forever locked off from the Heartless. Josh could feel their presence disappear. "Thanks Riza, Josh, Charlie. Without you, I think Erol might have had his way." Jak shook hands with the team.
"Ah, it was nothing! All in a days work," Charlie gloated, beaming. Josh just rolled his eyes, Riza chuckled.
"We should get going, you know Heartless to stop, worlds to save," Josh shrugged. They waved goodbye, and the team headed for their gummi ship; heading toward the Eastern World.
In the arena, Jak was being praised by the small rulers of the universe, as well as Daxter. Daxter was granted a wish, "You know what, I want a pair of pants...Like your's!" The Leader Ottsel shot Daxter's lower half to produce a pair of denim shorts, complete with a brown belt and a hole for his tail. His girlfriend, Tess, wanted a pair just like his, but she was human when she made that request. The trigger happy Leader Ottsel shot his precursor magic and turned the blond human in a smaller Ottsel form, outfit matching her previous form.
"Well, Jak, are you ready? There's something I want to show you," the Leader said.
"What?"
"The universe," he replied, waving his hand out.
The two climbed into the ship, seconds later. Dax watched his buddy leave in the precursor bronze ship. He turned around to see Jak behind him.
"Ah, I couldn't leave ya Dax. You wouldn't last a day without me!" Jak gave his ottsel buddy a noogie.
During it, Dax said, "Oh yeah! Life is good!"
TBC