Ah, the circus, a place where families could go for huge amounts of joy, children ran here and there, their eyes shining with excitement from the illusions the acts of performers brought, the adults also watching in fascination. People going here and there, getting an unforgettable experience at the Circus Del Piacere. With such an environment, everyone would think it was the best place to be at...at least before it grows late into the night.
The dream like environment faded as the hours passed by, with the last spectators leaving, darkness taking over the place…
"Please don't make me!"
"End me!"
"I belong to no one, wait until I get out of here you starfallen pieces of stardust!"
Screams, cries, pleas, growls, those were the types of sounds one would hear when entering a hidden place within the circus. There were cages lining both walls of the room: slaves, monsters and others imprisoned, getting more and more agitated as the time came, the time to entertain the circus master.
What would he want this time? No one could guess.
He was a twisted man, sometimes pleased with just watching a couple of acrobats perform some acts, while other times he would make his slaves fight each other, or pit someone against a lion or some other ferocious beast…
Then there was the really messed up stuff. The dark creatures, the monsters, the abominations. The circus comes to life, in the most literal of senses. This man was no normal toon. No, he could make a wave, a jerk, or twitch of his hand and objects would move, the floor would spin, things would appear out of nowhere. However, there was a rumor that under no circumstances could this power of his reach past the circus.
Unfortunately for our heroes, they weren't leaving the main tent any time soon…
Jak couldn't believe this. Okay, he could, since at this point he was sure this was going to be his luck for the rest of his cussing life!
All they wanted to do was relax! First this Circus Del Piacere arrives into the outskirts of Toon Town, then a letter arrives at Oddswell's house inviting the questers to visit it! Since they are famous and all of that jazz, something about the circus owner wanting to thank them for their efforts blah blah blah and then boom! The moment the majority of the spectators leave, they get escorted to the main tent, and just like that they were trapped with all kinds of toons threatening them with guns! Cussing great!
"I'm so glad you could make it to our little show! It was quite an honor having heroes come to my circus," the circus master exclaimed with a big smile on his face as he walked towards them. "And it was so kind of you to bring me a present! You didn't have to bother!"
"Present?" Daxter asked while tilting his head to the side.
"Master Dominous, the cage to contain the beast and the torture chamber are prepared," reported one of the circus employees. "We also checked the lights and music, everything's ready for the spectacle."
Dominous clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! All that's left to do is for my new pets to be prepared!" Then his gaze met Jak's own. "I'm excited for my new beastly demon."
Everyone froze except for the Asheli brothers, Torn used his dodge covering them in smoke, guns went off, Jak saw the silhouette of Daxter and grabbed him by the arm. It was confirmed, coming here was a bad idea!
The demon started looking for an exit. He found what seemed to be a hole in the tent, an opening into darkness, but that was probably due to the time. He quickly hurried, not letting go of Daxter's arm—Since when did Daxter feel way less soft ... and more like rope? Jak turned around to find a bundle of ropes which were shaped to look like his little bro. What kind of trick was this!? Just as this thought crossed his mind, he felt something sharp piercing through his neck, a syringe. As his vision blurred, he noticed Jinx turning to look at him with panic in his eyes... Then everything went black.
"Jak! Jak! Where are you?" Daxter didn't even have time to breathe, it was all happening so fast! The smell of smoke wasn't helping him focus on finding his brother. Then he saw him, running towards—he raced after him as his heart grew fearful. "Jak! Stop! It's a trap!"
Pain flashed through his arm, then more white hot pain raced up his leg. A punch was thrown at his stomach, forcing him to fall on his back.
"Leave my brother alone!" Daxter cried in desperation.
A foot kicked him right in the snout, snapping his teeth close on his tongue and blood began to trickle from his nose.
"Bad dog! Stay down!" A man had his foot on Daxter, preventing him from standing up.
Daxter was about to protest when the man's hands snatched his mouth and covered it with something. He tried to talk but a dog muzzle kept his muzzle firmly sealed.
The little wolfie was picked up. When he was turned around he managed to see Torn being choked by a rope that acted on its own and was slowly enveloping him like a snake, Asheli was... was that blood coming from Asheli's head?! The dish man looked desperate and mad, looking at his fingers and shaking his hands with force. More circus employees covered him, and though Daxter could no longer make out the battle, by the scent of blood —oh wait, that was probably his own nose bleed— by the sounds of pain Asheli was making, the wolf was afraid one of the toughest toons he had ever met would soon be down.
A ray of hope and worry hit him as he remembered, Jinx. Where was he? Daxter tried to spot him, but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe the adventurer had gone to help Jak! He was sure the cat wouldn't let anyone hurt the demon! If Jak was with Jinx then he would be safe!
"You cussing cat!" a scream from the circus master came from somewhere. "You...you—"
Yes! Mr. Jinx was going to show that guy what he was made of, he probably already had Jak by his side, oh thank the stars, he was so relieved.
"—You cussing cat! ...You didn't even last a minute! Hahahahaha!"
Wait wha— his thoughts were interrupted as the adventurer himself was tossed across the tent and landed next to an unconscious Ashelin and Torn. No... No way. Daxter whimpered, if only his mouth was free, he could bite his captor and run to assist the adventurer, but he was only forced to watch... like always.
He was carried away from his now defeated friends, he couldn't help but get filled with a nauseous feeling seeing the rope burns on Torn neck, some unfamiliar symbols glowing on Asheli's body, and Daxter's breathing caught in his throat when he saw Mr. Dominous approach Jinx with a whip. Daxter couldn't bring himself to watch, but the moment he closed his eyes he heard the terrible crack— one, two, three times.
Why did this have to happen? It all went down too quickly to process it. Where was Jak? What were they going to do to him?
Daxter opened his eyes a little and only then he noticed he was being dragged in the same direction Jak went. Jinx's screams were getting further and further away.
When Jak woke up he immediately stood. Jinx! Daxter! Where? Where were they?
He found himself chained up, all sorts of instruments scattered around him. He tried to use his strength to break the chains but nothing happened. They only glowed and something like a rune shined on them. Runes? His mind went back to the Voodoo Queen. She had used something like runes to keep him from moving when he and Torn fought her. Oh no! The others! He needed to get out of here!
The sound of steps echoed across the floor, getting nearer. Jak saw a man entering the dark room, and he was carrying his little bro! He also had a... "You starfallen schmuck!" Jak's eyes glowed red. "You cussing- I swear if you don't get that thing off my bro's muzzle, I'm gonna tear you apart limb from limb!" He tried to fight, struggling to free himself, but the runes wouldn't allow it.
The man put Daxter down and gave him a scary look. "Wrong, beast, I will be the one to tear you apart, unless I get you to cooperate."
The man then proceeded to ask Daxter a bunch of yes or no questions, ha! Like Daxter would give them anything about the parts or Nightmare Night!
Then Jak noticed Daxter suddenly get very nervous. He followed the wolf's line of sight. A big black hairy spider was approaching him. Oh uh. Please don't notice! Please don't notice! Ah cuss, the man noticed.
"Oh? What's wrong little wolfie? Afraid of spiders?" The man said in a mocking tone. "But they are so pretty! With their long legs and eyes oh! Let's not forget about the venomous ones, those are the best! Have you seen them attack? How they crawl from the smaller and darker places and climb anything?" He said as he moved to grab the arachnid.
Oh no, if he thinks he is going to do that to Daxter, he's got another thing coming "You do what I think you're going to do and I swear- leave my little bro alone!"
"What are you going to do? Will you stop me if I do this?" The schmuck placed the spider on Daxter's muzzle. Daxter's eyes filled with pure panic as the creature walked over him. His brother struggled against his bindings, choked cries emanating from his throat.
Jak was consumed by pure rage. The runes on the chains grew brighter and brighter, trying to contain him. His body got hotter... and hotter... and hotter... It was the demon's turn to panic as a familiar feeling hit him like a truck. Oh stars, anything but this… Not now...
Pain, nothing but pain consumed him in an instant, his body twisted, he tried to hug himself only for the chains to stop him. No! No! No! This couldn't be happening! Don't scream! His throat hurt with how tight it constricted. He tried to contain the coughs, but then another wave of pain washed over him. His insides were burning! "Aaaaaaaaaaah!"
The man turned around from watching Daxter with an amused expression to see Jak, ink dripping from his body. Then a wicked smile formed on his face. "Mr. Dominous, it's happening!" He ran out of the room.
Mr. Dominous voice was heard outside. "Then don't waste time you idiot! Go get the acid!"
Jak's body was melting, he couldn't see, he couldn't think straight... but he tried to focus anyway. Acid? For what? From one moment to the other what seemed impossible occurred. Even more pain overtook him! Not only were his insides burning, but every single fiber of his being felt like it was slowly being torn apart! He wasn't strong enough to hold back his screams or tears anymore.
How long was this taking? Were these merely seconds? Minutes? It didn't take long for not only his screams to fill the room, but Daxter's as well. His brother! They were torturing him! He must be mortified!
Was he being moved? He didn't know! Now his body was going numb. Why was this taking so long?! He then heard Torn screaming, then Asheli, then Jinx. This was too overwhelming, he doubted he could keep it together.
Everything happened so fast again, in one second he stopped worrying about the spider when Jak gave a terrified scream. Daxter turned to look and saw something that made his heart skip a beat, his brother was having an ink attack! In the worst of times! His eyes got watery as he was forced to watch Jak suffer, but then these monsters did something too cruel, they dropped acid onto Jak's already melting body! They! They! He had to do something!
In a flash Jak was placed in a cage nearby, three clowns surrounded him. Daxter tilted his head curiously as they started impersonating the voices of his friends and then his own, they started with a couple of sentences, then increased their volume until they were yelling, crying and faking screams of pain. What was going on, Daxter couldn't deny that hearing all of this made him cringe but why?
Wait a minute. The Dominous guy said something about a beasty demon. Did they want Jak to go beastly? Wait, if they made him angry enough then...oh uh, Daxter fought with all his will to take off the muzzle, if only he could console his brother, calm him down! Please stop with this barbaric thing! Please! He finally freed his hands and tore the muzzle off. His breath caught in his throat when he heard a growl.
"About time! I was getting impatient!" Mr. Dominous exclaimed. "I thought my big show would be ruined if I didn't manage to break him. Guess he really goes angry when his friends suffer uh?"
"B-B-Jak?"
That wasn't his , no way! What stood before Daxter was a huge figure, it had 6 limbs, huge claws, a pair of wings and really sharp teeth. Somehow Daxter got away from his captors and found himself standing in front of the cage.
"Jak?"
"Hey kid! You better get back here if you don't want to be torn into pieces."
"Come on Pesel, let the creature have a meal," Mr Dominous chuckled.
Daxter should have listened, because the moment he tried to get his hand through the bars to touch what had been Jak, the demon almost yanked his arm out of his body with its teeth.
Some other circus employees shot at the demon with darts, runes were appearing on his body too. Daxter wasn't sure how to feel, he didn't fear Jak, he would never! Jak wouldn't hurt him even if his life depended on it. But was this even Jak? ...He quickly shook the thought away, of course his big bro was still there somewhere!
He just needed to get him to calm down! He had to free their friends! Jinx or Asheli had to know how to change him back to normal right? Or they could go to Hat, even though Daxter didn't really trust that, but he was sure there was a way for Jak to come back!
"Alright Pesel, get the dishes ready. The show must go on"
"Gah!" Ashelin slammed his fist against the cage bars, he punched the metal over and over again in frustration. He was trapped along with Torn and Jinx. The clowns that were guarding them watched him struggle and laughed.
"You better save your strength!"
"20 bucks that he dies"
"Make that double!"
Asheli grabbed the bars of the cage, clenching his teeth. "When I get out, I'm gonna tear those stupid heads with ugly makeup off each and every one of your bodies!"
That only got the clowns to laugh harder.
One of them got too close to the bars and a punch landed right on his big red nose. Asheli saw who had stolen that pleasure from him. It was Torn.
"Where are my friends?!" the youngest of the dishes demanded. "What have you done to them?!" Torn reached out to grab the clown's shirt but they only retreated between snickers, which made him scowl.
"Doesn't that little bag of yours have something to get us out of here?!" Ashelin asked Jinx a little annoyed.
The cat had stayed silent most of the time, whip marks covered his body. He was in a corner with a thoughtful look, it wasn't until Asheli got his attention that he snapped out of his train of thought.
Jinx blinked a couple of times. "If I had it with me, then I could probably find something... but, for some reason, it hasn't come back, I... don't understand why."
"Maybe it was another trick? Asheli and I can't really use our blasts either."
Which was a bunch of moonrocks, Asheli thought.
"What you seem to have on your hands is a rune... but I'm aware of any rune that can hold my bag back for so long, then again, I have never used any on it that I remember." Jinx moved next to the Ashelibros. "By the looks of it, we're facing a foe with unknown and rare abilities, who knows what he wants us for. I just hope Jak and Daxter are okay."
The pair of Ashelis nodded looking down.
A trumpet sounded off in the distance, a band followed after with a lively tune. Employees went this way and that, getting ready. A group of tall, muscular men approached the cage, 4 of them grabbing the Ashelibros while the other 2 went for Jinx.
As they were dragged onto the stage, the voice of the circus owner got louder and louder.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is a truly special occasion, prepare to be delighted! Today we have quite the famous guests! I present to you, the heroes of the ill! The hope of toons! My most recent acquisition: The Questers!"
Tons of lights blinded Asheli as they entered the big tent: music, laughs, mocking words and whistles came from all directions. He couldn't make out the faces of the public, although he had a good idea of the kind of people who would be out entertaining themselves here this late at night. Scum, all of them.
Asheli had a bad feeling about this, like really, really bad. Jinx was taken to one side of the stage, the cat adventurer quietly searching for the Bbros.
"Asheli, they are..."
"I know Torn." And here they were, the once strong and feared Asheli brothers, now circus exhibits, their power useless against whatever spell that had been put on them.
"The rules of this game will be simple," Dominous told the public, "each minute that passes by with the Ashelis not defeating their opponent, Mr. Pesel here will stab the cat's body with a knife. Can they win before the cat bleeds out or one of his vital organs gets irreparably damaged? It's time to find out!"
"Alright you coward, bring it on!" Asheli shouted at the owner's face. "I can handle whatever you get in front of me, then you'll be next!"
"Asheli, I have a bad feeling" Torn whispered to him.
"Oh yeah? And if I put you against your brother?" Dominous asked with a malicious look. "Would you think the same?"
Asheli froze for a moment.
"I ain't hurting my bro." Torn declared "And I'm one hundred percent sure he would never hurt me"
Oh naive little bro, that wasn't entirely true.
"Even though I would love for you to contradict yourself, that's not the plan," Dominous answered. "Still, what I have in mind is bound to be something worse than your darkest nightmares coming true. Bring out... the demon!"
The crowd went quiet as they waited anxiously, various men came in pushing an enormous cage. Ashelis suffered a mini heart attack when he saw what it contained. A beastly demon was inside.
"C-C-Asheli that- we- this- it..."
Asheli couldn't blame Torn for being lost for words. This was messed up. Facing mobsters and debtors was one thing, but this... Suddenly Asheli saw his life flash in front of him and he struggled to repress a shiver. This was a whole new level.
"Look! It's Daxter!" Torn exclaimed.
Ashelin glanced over to where Torn pointed, where Daxter was being held by a man next to the cage. Where was Jak then?! Could the beastly be- No! No! That's not the pipsqueak!
He couldn't be!
"This is your opponent, dishes. Get out of this alive and perhaps I'll consider giving you all of your freedom back." Dominous went to sit on some sort of throne, placed on a sort of balcony that overlooked everything. The circus master moved his hand, causing some symbols to light up on the side of the stage, creating a magic barrier around it. Jinx was on the other side, watching with wide eyes.
"But we don't have our power! How do you expect us to-"
"We won't hurt him," Torn proclaimed with determination in his eyes. "You can torture us all you want, but I promise we'll stand our ground"
Dominous snapped his fingers and Asheli felt a rush of power coming back into him. The cage was opened and the hellspawn got loose.
The beast went after the first thing he saw, the audience. It moved fast, crossing the stage in seconds, and tried to cross the barrier and reach the public but to no avail. Asheli was in shock, would Jak-
"Look out!" Torn pushed him out of the way just in time to not get ran over by the creature. It really felt like a game. Jak would thrash against them and poof! Torn would use his dodge to move him and his brother out of the way, only for the beast to strike again one second later.
It felt like this would be all they would do, until it's huge claws finally reached his brother from behind. Torn gave a cry of pain as he was nearly torn apart, his back covered in blood, the crowd cheered.
Asheli didn't have time to worry as he was thrown away, flying through the soon as he landed he quickly started to stand up, but apparently wasn't quick enough.
Crack!
The pain increased by the second as the demon on top of him forced him down with his claws, applying pressure to his arms and legs. The cracks on his body spread with the weight of the creature.
He thought it was all over when what used to be Jak opened it's huge mouth, sharp teeth glinting in the artificial circus lights... Then a blue blast hit the beastly demon on one of its big wings. Beast Jak gave a cry of pain and turned around, getting off of Ashelin.
Torn stood in the center of the stage, the tip of his finger glowing blue, some tears already falling from his eyes. "I'm sorry Jak, I really am" the demon charged furiously at the dish man. Sounds of growls and shots reaching Ashelis ears.
He had to stand up.
Come on, get up, his brother needed him.
He tried and fell, he did it again with the same results, pain invading his body.
Jak's words from that time when they had gone out for drinks after the group date resonated in his head: "Promise me that if I ever go beastly you won't let me hurt anyone, that you'll stop me"
He couldn't but...was Jak ever coming back? Was he even there anymore? Or did he just lost the demon that he had started to call his friend?.
Asheli glanced at the wicked man, the public laughing and cheering at the demon to kill them, Jinx with several knives piercing through his skin. When his eyes met the cat's, Jinx gave him one last look before falling unconscious.
Asheli finally stood up and took a long shaky breath. If he couldn't save Jak, he would at least keep his promise. Power ran in Asheli's body as he readied his super. Hopefully it would be strong enough to end things instantly, then the creature wouldn't suffer much.
"Jak!"
Asheli turned around to see Daxter running towards Beast Jak. The cuss?! How had he gotten down here?! What was he doing?! He tried to stop him but the Asheliman's legs gave out with barely a step. Torn tried to limp to the wolf but he was too far away. No one could save the wolf as those red eyes turned to him.
It raised a claw and slashed it down.
And froze, mere inches before touching the little wolf.
The silence was piercing as everyone waited with bated breath to see what would happen, what was happening, both wolf and beast still as statues. Suddenly, the beast lost it and grabbed its head between its claws. Asheli could make out tears falling from its eyes.
Daxter gulped, but stood his ground. "Jak. I know that you're still there."
The beast stopped and looked at Daxter.
"You— you are not the beast everyone thinks you are. You don't have to do this. You can come back and we'll move forward l-like we always do!" the wolf sobbed as he started to approach the demon. "I know what you are!" He took another step. "You're my brother!" The little wolfie held a hand out to touch it, seeming so small and fragile in the monster's shadow.
"Daxter look out!" Torn shouted. Asheli sucked in a breath when he saw the huge claw of the creature missing Daxter by an inch, thank the stars he ducked in time.
But that wouldn't be enough to make the pup retreat, from the floor he managed to force some words out of his mouth "W-where's my happy big brother?"
"Booooo!" The crow didn't hold back their discontent. The barrier went down and they started throwing all kinds of stuff to the stage.
"How dare you ruin my show! Bad dog!" a voice boomed above the rest.
Beast Jak's head snapped into the direction of the voice. It was Dominous, his large whip in hand, glaring at Daxter.
The demon growled at the man.
"You shut up!" Dominus snapped at the beast. "I'll show you what happens when someone ruins the spectacle!" he stated as his whip hit Daxter on his face hard enough to make him fall back.
Asheli had seen violent scenes before, but what happened next could get on his top 10 list.
Beast Jak didn't waste a second to launch itself over the man, who tried to get him off by hitting him with the whip repeatedly, which wasn't very effective with him pinned to the ground, and it only seemed to infuriate the demon more. In the blink of an eye, despite the best efforts of his employees, Mr. Dominous was crushed by sharp teeth.
The tent was filled with screams, some mobsters got their guns out, several bullets managed to hit Beast Jak, but it kept attacking everyone who crossed its way. Even though Torn was hurt, he still tried to keep everyone at bay. Others ran out of the place. No matter how many sedatives the employees shot at Jak, they couldn't contain the infuriated beast and it seemed Dominous was the only one who knew the magic inhibition runes.
Asheli managed to get on his feet, everything was in chaos. Okay, he had to think fast, what to do first? He limped to where Jinx was and freed the cat.
Torn went for Daxter. The mobsters weren't in view anymore, any not eaten probably had decided that the best option in this situation would be to never have come, and since that was no longer on the table, to get the hell out while they still could. The only threat remaining was Beast Jak, swallowing the rest of the employees, one by one.
"Daxter! Are you okay?" Torn asked, worried.
The kid was covering half of his bleeding face with a hand as he wept. "I-I'm fine, but the others—"
"Don't worry, I saw Asheli going for Jinx. How did you even escape?"
"They were all laughing a-and I walked to the man that w-was with Mr. F-Jinx while they were distracted s-so I g-grabbed a knife while he was looking at the s-show too and uncut my r-ropes, but I couldn't free Mr. Jinx and—"
"It's okay Daxter, we're all going to be okay," Torn assured, petting the wolf's head while heading towards Jinx and Ashelin.
"What you did was really stupid, but you were very brave. Torn, get Daxter and Jinx out of here. I'll go get Jak," instructed Asheli as he gestured to the unconscious cat.
"No, I can calm him down! I already did it once, please! You have to let me try!" Daxter begged.
"Guys, I don't think you'll need to get his attention," Torn said, pointing. They both turned to meet two big red eyes gazing down at them.
Silence…
The monster threw its head back, giving a loud shriek. Various snaps followed as it started to change form, getting smaller.
Everyone held their breath as the transformation happened. It was painful to watch so Asheli looked away. The next moment, Jak was on the floor looking normal again.
It had been days since the tragedy at the Circus Del Piacere.
Since it was a well known circus, the news about the circus owner and almost all of his employees' disappearance spread quickly. Some explained the various corpses found at the establishment with the rumor that the circus master, Mr. Dominous, was tied to the mob and had angered someone with power.
Jak didn't remember getting home, from what Daxter told him they all took a trip to the hospital first. His heart twisted as he remembered waking up there, then reuniting with the others only to see them covered in bandages... Daxter was wearing an eye patch. Torn was absent since his stitches ripped and needed to be repaired. Asheli could barely move without flinching...
Jinx wasn't doing much better. He had told everyone else it was fine for them to leave him at the hospital for a couple of days, that he also needed to go get his bag back from the abandoned circus once he recovered. The rest of the questers offered to help him, but Jak knew they all needed rest... and, to be honest, Jak felt like he needed to keep his distance from his friends. They tried to dissimulate it, but he could feel their eyes on him.
When they got back to the house, everyone asked questions, of course they did. The questers explained most of it, and, when Jinx finally showed up with his bag, he gave his point of view too.
But Jak knew there were missing pieces on what Daxter said about what happened in the torture chamber.
. . .
"Jak...are you coming?"
The demon turned around to see his little bro at the doorway of their room.
"I'll join you in a minute."
"Okay, but don't take long. We are all already in the dining room." With that, Daxter left, but not without giving Jak a worried look first.
And then there was another thing no one told him about. They thought he didn't remember anything about his time as a beast but no, he knew what he had done, where Mr. Dominous and his employees had gone.
The ghost of the flavor came to his mouth against his will, memories flooding through his head. He really REALLY wasn't hungry at the moment. Not at all
... not at all.