Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long everyone! But finals and whatnot killed me real good. But, I'm on winter break finally! So I will be able to develope the story a bit more now. So, here is Chapter Eight! Enjoy!

Chapter Eight
Fight For Life

Jak and Torn were lead into the depths of the palace-like area, the guards posed with guns on their backs the whole time. The chains upon their wrists were beginning to dig into their skin, making them cringe a bit. Moving at a fairly quick pace, the two fighters moved down a long staircase down into the lowest levels of the building. Once the stairs had ended, the pair found themselves within a tunnel lit by dim candle light. At the end of the stretch was sounded like their destination. The sounds of people cheering and clapping echoed as the two men glanced at each other.

"This is the last time I ever listen to Sig," Torn muttered under his breath as he kept up with the younger man's stride. "Hell, this is all your fault in the first place."

But Jak did not respond to the man's harsh words. He kept his eyes forward up on the end of the long tunnel. This was not the time to start a fight with him. Whatever was at the end of the tunnel, they would have to deal with it together. As they left the darkened hall, the two men flinched at the sudden brightness of the area.

The Spargus Arena was one of the largest things Torn and Jak had ever been thrown into the middle of. It was a giant open-topped canyon, for the whole star-filled sky hung above. Three massive tiers housing all of the wastelanders of the city encircled the base floor, which was nothing more than a steel platform suspended over a pit of lava. Four towers were posted in the corners of the metal floor as the orange liquid bubbled and lurched up from the ground below. Past that, at the far end of the arena, was the vast ocean, though now it was dark and fearsome looking against the desert's harsh winds.

The two prisoners glanced at each other as the crowd erupted in a chorus of hissing and boos at their enterance. There was a thin plank of metal connecting their exit from the tunnel to the steel floor. Glancing over their shoulders back at the guards, they took quick notice of their guns. Letting their eyes narrow, Jak started forward over the lava with Torn close behind him. As they began towards the floor, the captors moved back into the tunnel and lowered a barred gate to ensure no other exit for the men.

"They aren't even going to remove the chains?" Jak questioned as he moved onto the platform quickly with Torn at his heels.

Rolling his eyes at the young man, Torn wiggled his arms slightly, "That would be a no kid."

Looking up and around at the people in the stands, Jak couldn't help but feel slightly in awe. Within all his time in Haven, no one had really told him about the true wasteland. Sure, he knew it was a dangerous place, filled with marauders and monstrous metalheads that he had never seen in the city before. But, never something like this.

Suddenly, the crowd grew quiet letting Jak's thoughts come back to the matter at hand. Turning to look behind him, the young man saw a large platform, housing a man who held his hand up to silence the people within the arena. He was a tall individual with a fearsome look lingering in his eyes. White hair was pulled back into dreads with an intricate crown about his head. Bronze armor was upon his shoulders, arms, legs and chest while the rest of his outfit was made of leathers and lighter fabrics. His boots were tipped in armor as well, though it was a steel looking spike at the ends of it. Within his hand, he held a large version of a peacemaker. Unlike Sig's, it too was the color of his armor.

"In the unforgiving Wasteland, we value strength and survival above all," he began, gaining everyone's attention. "We will see where you two stand soon enough."

Torn stepped forward, letting his eyes narrow at the man, "And who the hell are you?" he snarled, feeling his blood boil at his words.

Smirking at the words, the man moved to sit in a large throne behind him, "I am Damas. King of Spargus." Looking down at the two men, the king couldn't help but give a twisted sort of grin. "And you outsiders will now face your death for crimes towards this city and the crown."

Jak felt his blood run cold at the man's declaration. The idea of fighting to the death was not the thing that made him feel surprise and shock. Instead, it was how the man had addressed himself. All Jak could think back to was the words that Sig had spoken to him that night in his room. As much as he could not believe it, it had to be true.

"Jak, snap out of it!" Torn shouted at him, breaking his thoughts. "Help me get these chains off."

Shaking his head out, the young man looked to the resistance leader, raising an eyebrow. "What?" he questioned, his voice sounding slightly gone.

The crowd continued to cheer at deafening tones about them as four large steel crates lowered down from the highest tier of the stadium. The large boxes rocked back and forth as something was moving within them, awaiting the chance to jump out and strike out at whatever was in their path. Taking note of this, Jak glared up towards where Damas sat. Despite what or he might have been to him, this was not the moment to think about it.

Closing his eyes, Jak began to focus on the restraints upon his wrists. He didn't want to go full creature, but just needed a slight surge of power to break such a pathetic idea of handcuffs. Taking in a deep breath, the young man could feel the dark eco pulsing through his body. As the crates and cheers got closer, he could feel his heart rate rising and his adrenalin pumping faster and faster.

With one massive pull of his wrists, the binds that held his hands together broken directly in half. The chains clattered to the metal floor below loudly as Jak shook out his sore hands and arms briefly. The crowd hissed and roared in disapproval as the watched Jak reached over to the man beside him and did the same thing for his chains.

"Thanks." He said as he took up a guard stance. Jak followed straight behind him in bringing up his guard as the crowd once again commenced their cheering.

The massive crates came to a halt a few feet above the arena, locking into position above where the two men stood positioned. The sound of bolts unlocking echoed throughout the open area. Jak and Torn watched carefully as large doors fell opened, letting the door swing back and forth. Silence fell over the arena all waited for what laid within. Before either of the city men could comment to each other, a low growling echoed from each box. It was a deep and hunger-filled sound as loud footsteps came from within.

"That doesn't sound like guards to me," Jak muttered to Torn, who nodded uneasily in agreement.

The staircases to the arena were narrow and hard to find a sturdy footing on. Sig and the others made quick work of them, sometimes skipping two stairs at a time to get to the middle tier of the area. The roars of the crowd were almost deafening to them as they came to the level that needed. As they had ran, Sig had managed to explain the rules of the arena.

According to the wastelander, the Spargus Arena was a battleground in which men of the wasteland would test their skills and abilities in competition against each other. The award to them would be battle amulets and the chance to serve under the king and royal guards. It was considered a great honor to win in the competition, although any outsider would consider it suicide.

As the group hurried around the outer rim of the 2nd tier, Keira and Ashelin managed to keep their strides up with Sig's at last. Daxter was still perched up the man's shoulder, letting his worry for his best friend become hidden from sight. It was clear that the small Ottsel was concerned, but he needed to be tough until they could reach wherever the man was leading them. They pushed and weaved back and forth between the spectators as they cheered at the words being spoken by the king.

"But what about prisoners?" Keira questioned through a heavy breath as she dodged a man and woman talking. "What do they do to them?"

Sig could tell there was worry in her voice, despite the panting and wheezing. He had gotten to the point of just shoving people out of the way, trying to clear a straight path towards the throne area. "The goal of the prisoner's fight is to have a swift execution without having to get the high council involved." He told back as they hurried along.

Ashelin had listened to every word carefully that the man had said. Her Krimzon Guard training kicked in they ran. She kept her gun in its holster, though let her eyes be quick to dart about the surrounding area. All of her senses were at an all time high as she kept a lookout for any type of danger. As she kept up with the others, she let her eyes fall to the side to where the main arena was in perfect view. Letting her eyes narrow, Ashelin couldn't help but let herself almost lose her footing.

"They're in the arena already!" She called to the three, grinding their speed to a halt.

Looking out to the open area below, Sig felt his heart race even faster. Sure enough, the large crates holding their competition were above his two friends. He watched as Jak looked up to Damas with a glare then proceeded to break his restraints about his wrists. As he got Torn's off, the massive boxes locked into position, causing the two into a full defensive. The crowd was beginning to kick up with cheers and hisses of wanting to see their deaths come quickly.

Keira ran to the railing to look down into the arena as the locks were being released from the doors. "Jak! Torn!" She called, fear in her voice.

"Keep quiet!" Sig roared in her direction, causing the blue haired mechanic to look back at him.

"What in the name of the precursors are they letting loose in there?" Ashelin muttered as she let her eyes grow wide with surprise at the sound of a roar echoing throughout the area.

As they watched in fear, four creatures slithered from the boxes onto the platform Jak and Torn stood upon. They were large things, almost the size of s transport vehicle from Haven. Leather-like skin the shade of a deep green covered it from head to toe while each large foot had claws like daggers. Its snout was opened to reveal lines of razor sharp teeth as a long black tongue hissed out at the air. Upon their backs, one wastelander guard sat, with a gun posed in hand.

Daxter let his jaw drop down in shock, "Sig! Those aren't soldiers!" he screamed in the man's ear, making him flinch slightly. "They're metalheads!"

Watching as the creatures encircled their friends, Sig cursed loudly under his breath. His eyes darted to Jak, who was whispering something to Torn. His eyes were narrowed as he got a nod from the man, who continued to hold his guard stance, though more firmly than before. It was then he noticed Jak's eyes dart back up to where Damas sat, watching the fight with a smile upon his face. There was such a hatred burning in his eyes towards him, Sig couldn't ignore it even if he had tried.

"Come on," he began getting the others to snap back to attention, "This isn't good. We need to get to the king."

Jak studied the situation carefully as he watched the large creatures slowly circle them. The metalheads did not have any control over their actions, for there were reins within the guard's hands. Each of the wastelanders held variations of guns within their grasps. Smug grins sat upon each of their faces while they led their creature about the ring, letting them sniff at their prey.

Leaning back to back with Torn, Jak let his eyes narrow slightly, "I have an idea." He told quietly, grabbing the man's focus. "Their weak point is the tail. They are completely opened. The metalhead is too slow to turn quick enough to make it around to grab anything from behind. All we have to do is get them from the tail, run up, and grab the guns from the soldiers while knocking them out."

"Oh. Is that all?" Torn growled back, giving Jak a reason to smirk at him.

Shooting a glare up at Damas, the blond snarled his lip, "This cocky bastard needs a little reality check." He could feel his blood pumping through him at a quickened pace, letting his heart race. Feeling the dark eco flowing through his muscles and blood, small sparks leapt from his skin. The purple lighting was brief in its appearance, but enough to cause the crowd to draw back in awe.

Torn took notice of the dark creature stirring within Jak, "Keep it in check kid," he growled. "We don't need them knowing everything about ya right off the bat." As one of the dragons snapped at him, the man withdrew closer to Jak. "If you think that half-baked plan of yours will work, then now's the time to try it."

Nodding, Jak let out a slightly demonic laugh, "Let's go take care of business."

Without a moment's hesitation, Jak took off towards the nearest metalhead and its rider. He moved like lighting along the steel floor, letting his heightened senses take over. The creature lunged towards him, revealing its rows of razor sharp teeth. Jak was too quick for it. Crouching low to the ground, the young man took to the air in an impressive high jump. Leaping over the dragon's jaws, he landed upon the edge of its tail. With quick and light steps, he hurried up to its back.

"How the hell?" the guard shouted as he released the metalhead's reins from his hand. Taking his gun up to his hands, the man rose from his spot and took aim at the young man.

And once again, Jak was too fast in his actions for the wastelander to keep up. Rushing forward, while managing to keep his balance upon the monster's slick skin, the elf dodged the fire with ease, coming up to the soldier's side. Raising his fist into the air, he slammed it to the side of the man's head. The force of the hit was enough to knock the man into an unconscious state and fall to the ground, letting his gun now come into the position of Jak.

The crowd roared in approval as the young man flipped forward from his spot upon the lizard's head. Taking aim with the gun, he fired the scattershot directly into its eyes, causing a monstrous roar to echo. There was a spin within his landing as Jak fell next to Torn, who had managed to follow the same process, though not with as much show as the younger man. Both managed to let a nod escape them as they took aim with their guns, causing the people to cheer.

"We're giving them a show apparently," Jak smirked, his voice slightly horse from the dark eco rising up within him.

Turning from their position, the group started off once again. Pushing and shoving people out of the way seemed to be their best bet of getting to the king before anything happened. As they ran, glances would be stolen back to the middle of the arena, just in case something major was to occur.

"There!" Sig shouted at last, getting the attention back to the front.

Before them was a small archway with a red curtain draped over it. On either side of it, two guards stood watch, weapons posed in their hands. They looked much younger than Sig, though seemingly a bit more battle torn than the man. Large scars were upon their faces and arms as their eyes remained narrow and alert of the surroundings.

Slowing his pace down, Sig slowly came to a halt in front of the men. Straightening himself up, he cleared his throat to gain their attention. Removing his peacemaker from his back, the man held it to his side as the soldiers glared harshly.

Keira and Ashelin stood behind him as the crowd once again picked up their screams and hissing at the pair below. "We're here to see the king," he shouted above the ruckus of the people. "He is expecting us!"

"And who the hell are you and your little friends?" one asked just as loud.

"Sig," he responded with a smile.

The two men quickly straightened up at the mention of his name. The both turned a slight shade of white as the quickly stepped to the side. "Commander Sig! Please, go right in sir!" They spoke in unison, bowing to show their respect. Keira and Ashelin would have shown how impressed they were if it weren't for the loud screams cursing their friends within the arena.

Stepping through the curtain, Sig and the others found themselves in the platform right behind the king. The man sat upon his throne, watching the events below without a word leaving him. There were no cheers and screams for death like his subjects did. Instead, he watched and studied carefully. So lost was he in the fight below, he didn't even take notice of the presence of the four. Taking Daxter off his shoulder, he handed the Ottsel to Keira.

Sig was the first to move forward towards the throne, moving quickly with his steps. Coming up to the side, he took a knee and lowered his head to the man, "Your Majesty," he began, his voice just loud enough for the man to hear. "I've returned from the city."

Taking his eyes away from the fight, Damas looked over in surprise. "Sig my old friend!" he announced loudly, rising from his spot. A smile formed on his face as he helped the man to his feet, quickly locking wrists in a handshake. "My council informed me you were here with people from the city. But I wasn't supposed to see you until tomorrow."

"I know." The man returned the gesture with a smile. But the grin slowly faded to a frown as he looked out into the arena, "But I think there has been a huge misunderstanding with this battle."

Following his eyes out to the fight, Damas watched as well. Jak and Torn ran about the arena quickly, dodging shots from guns and teeth from the metalheads. The younger of the two men managed to run up the tail of one of the creatures to get behind the ride. Clasping his hands together into a fist, he slammed his hands into the soldier's head, he knocked him unconscious. Taking hold of the gun, he then back flipped back onto the platform, firing the scattershot into the face of the monster. Torn followed the young man's example with ease to the point where both were armed and ready to fight back.

Damas gave a small nod of approval at the actions, "They are certainly proving to be impressive." He admitted quietly, letting his eyes narrow.

Looking at his friend, Sig released his wrist, "They are the people I brought from the city." He told flatly, grabbing the king's attention. "There was a misunderstanding with the guards and they thought that they were trying to harm your wife. It was all a mistake."

"They are the ones you told me about? The ones with the precursor item?" Damas questioned, glancing away from the fight once more. Sig could only nod to him, making the king furrow his brow in thought. "I cannot stop the fight now. You know that."

"You have to!" Sig bellowed, gaining the attention of the two women and creature, "They have information you will find helpful and they can tell you about what happened with the resistance force in the city. And they can't tell you all of this if their dead."

But the king looked at the man with a smug look upon his features, "Apparently your time in the city Sig has made you soft." Looking back to the battle, the man kept the grin upon his face, "I think your worry is unwanted and completely pointless."

Suddenly the crowd roared in approval, causing Ashelin and Keira to move forward in worry. The two woman moved past the wastelanders to the edge of the platform, letting their concern become apparent.

"Jak! Torn!" They shouted in unison, letting their eyes lock on the fight below.

Torn held up the battle rifle he had grabbed off the guard, aiming it at the large metalhead. He came back to back to Jak, who was doing the same thing after his little bit of showboating for the crowd to get the gun away from the guards. It was a simple task to rid the animals of the guards. With just one shot they had gone down easily. But the metalheads were a different case.

Firing off a shot into the creature's face, Torn gave a small grin. "Without the guards to lead them, their weakness is their face!" he shouted over his shoulder to the young man behind him. "Fire when they open their mouth!"

Giving a nod back to him, Jak smiled a twisted grin at the metalhead. Taking aim with his gun, he placed his finger onto the trigger. "You got me at the pumping station," he muttered to himself, "But not again." And with that, he fired a shot into the large creature's face. The metalhead recoiled from the shot, falling backwards into the lava pit.

The crowd erupted into cheers of approval as the monster drowned within the lake below the platform. The young man could feel his blood pumping as the dark eco moving through him, trying to force out his darker alter ego. Jak pulled his gun up as he kept the smile upon his face, "One down. Three to go."

"Make that two," Torn retorted, as he fired off shot that gained the same outcome. Turning in their positions, the two took aim at the remaining metalheads. "I'll take one and you take the other?" he questioned, causing the other to nod.

Before Jak could answer, Torn let a loud scream echo out as the audience cheered. The blond quickly turned to see the resistance leader on one knee, grasping his shoulder tightly as red slowly began to stain the fabric of his shirt. Across the floor, one of the guards held up a pistol weakly as he struggled to aim for another shot. Growling, Jak turned and let a shot fire at the man, hitting him directly in the head. The soldier fell to the ground limp, gaining a chorus of boos as the young man moved towards his fallen companion.

"Torn, you okay?" Jak asked as he slid to his knees with his gun up and posed to fire.

Spitting a bit at the words, Torn placed his gun into in uninjured hand. "Keep goin'. Worry about this later." He instructed as he rose to his feet.

Nodding as he came to his feet, the elf turned away from Torn. Taking a step forward, Jak moved towards the monster without hesitation. But before he could pick up his gun to aim, he felt his neck burning where Mira had injected him with her mystery liquid. The pain was nearly blinding as he grabbed his neck, squinting his eyes closed. Letting out a groan of pain, he quickly took a knee, trying to rid himself of the feeling.

Torn watched as the young man hit the ground, letting his weapon leave his hand. "What the hell are you doing!?" he shouted firing off the weapon into the face of the other metalhead.

Shaking his head a bit, Jak could feel his body wanting to give into the drug. But all he could do was grit his teeth and ignore the wave of weakness that came over him. Taking hold of the gun, he came to his feet, taking aim at the creature slowly. The monster bared its teeth at him, hissing as it watched its prey get to its feet again. As he took aim at the creature, Torn came to his side. The man did not bother to ask if he was alright as he took aim with Jak. The two let their aim hold true as they fire in unison, sending the final metalhead over the edge and into the lava pit below.

Cheers of shock and disbelief spread like wildfire throughout the stadium as the final creature vanished under the lava. As Torn helped Jak to keep his balance, the large platform slowly began to rise from its position. The red headed man took hold of Jak's arm, placing it about his neck to try and get him some support.

Torn flinched a bit, the pain from his shoulder hitting him hard. "What's wrong with you?" He hissed, his tone still as harsh as ever.

Jak glanced to his side at him, letting his stern expression become clear again, "It's the injection from Mira. It's doing something to the dark eco in my body." He told back, his voice filled with exhaustion from the fight. They let their weapons drop as they rose to the same level as Damas. As the platform locked into place, the two looked up toward the king, awaiting what was to happen next.

"Jak! Torn!" Keira shouted as the two women and rat made their way out to them. The mechanic hurried to Jak's side with Daxter, asking him if he were okay. Ashelin came to Torn, questioning if he was alright. She showed a slight concern towards the man, more so than usual, though no one really took notice.

As Jak leaned against Torn for support, he felt Daxter hurry up to his shoulder, patting him slightly on the head. "Way to go Jak. I knew you would be fine." He stated boldly, letting himself act more confident than usual.

"You both have proved yourselves in the arena," Damas' voice announced, silencing the crowd. Looking up from their conversation, the small group looked to see the king and Sig standing strong, looking at them with stern expressions. "You have gained council with me for tomorrow afternoon. Rest for the night and regain your strength. Sig will give you the information later." Turning from where he stood, vanished from the platform without another word, leaving the others in question.

Letting a small bow escape him as his friend disappeared, Sig moved out onto the platform. "Not bad cherries. Not bad at all." He announced as he came up to the group. "We tired to stop the fight, but Damas said there was no need to. You two proved yourselves to be true wastelanders."

"A dream come true," Torn muttered sarcastically, causing the others to chuckle a bit.

"Come on. The guards will take us to our rooms for the night. You two look hell." Sig told, starting off towards the exit.

Looking up as Sig walked away, Jak watched the man move away. He knew that tomorrow was when he would be able to speak to the king about the item and speak to him on other matters. But for the night, he would be more excited to just find a bed to sleep in and rid himself of the pain that was coursing throughout his entire exhausted body.

High above in the third tier of the arena, a small group of people still lingered as they watched the group exit. They had watched the entire fight in silence, awaiting for the outcome to be something of interest. And, just as they had suspected, the results had been what they had thought.

Mira let a small clap escape her as she watched the weary warriors leave the area. She sat in her spot gracefully, letting her long legs uncross slowly as she rose to her feet. Tossing her long hair, she smiled as she watched Jak vanish from her sight.

"That young man is quite the fighter," she muttered, causing her men to nod in agreement. "I wouldn't expect anything less of the son of the great warrior Damas."

A small glance was stolen to two men that stood beside her. "You two were excellent in your performance. With the way you handled their arrest, I would have even believed you to be palace guards."

Smirking at her words, they bowed to her, "Thank you Mira." They spoke in unison.

Turning to leave, she snapped her fingers to signal her men to start off as well. "We'll just have to see where this will go." She told them as they began to move. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled as she let her eyes lock up on Jak once more. "After all, the prince will have a few more things to deal after tomorrow."

Author's Notes: I hope everyone enjoyed it! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Don't forget to Read and Review.