Hello to everyone, and I apologize in advance for the lateness of this update, as things have been hectic with exams and all that crap, and there are numerous family events going on, which is why the review responses have been sporadic in their timing. IF I have forgotten anyone, please let me know so that I can respond to you, as I do appreciate the time you take to review. Also, due to exams, animedragongirl has not had enough time to beta check this in its entirety. A checked version will be put up as soon as she is done and I have made the necessary corrections, but I didn't want to make you people wait any longer for something you take the time out of your lives to read.
Also, several of you have expressed concerned over what fate will befall Daxter. Worry not, for he is indeed a Precursor, and will eventually find himself numbered among the Dragoons in time for the assault upon the Day Star. This means that he will be armed with a dual bladed staff, and some nifty telekinetic powers, so he will eventually be getting Darth Maul on the bad guys, if you need a mental image.
That said, I hereby swear upon my immortal soul that I own nothing save those characters that I have created within the depths of my own demented mind.
&
Bigotry and Rage
Walking at a fairly rapid pace, the dark elf and his best friend quickly made their way through a tunnel and into the Spargus City Monastery, drawing more than a few double takes along the way.
When they entered, the dark elf took advantage of the HUD viewing screen afforded by his armor to look around at the Monastery. It was plain for the most part, being carved from the same adobe styled rock as the rest of the city, and lacking anything resembling statues or paintings within it. Simple and pragmatic, like the people who dwelt in it.
A monk was there waiting for them, and upon seeing the strange looking suit of armor, his eyes also widened in shock, causing Daxter to roll his own eyes and mutter something under his breath. However, the monk recovered form his shock more quickly than most, and made haste to scoot over to the duo, before bowing in front of them.
"His highness and Lady Seem have requested your presence immediately, exile." He stated, a slight note of awe in his voice.
"Did they say what they wanted to see me about?" Jak inquired, cocking his head slightly and crossing his arms over his armored chest.
"No, but they said that it was of the utmost importance, and they left me to guide you to them as quickly as was possible." the monk replied, before quickly turning upon his heels and heading out down on of the side corridors.
'Why do I not have a good feeling about this?' Kage muttered, a frown forming on his fanged jaws.
'Probably cause knowing Seem, this isn't going to end well.' His host responded, his reptilian eyes narrowing inside of the helmet he wore.
Sure enough, that would prove to be the case as the monk led both him and Daxter into a chamber in which she was, along with Kleiver and Valthos.
Off in the back, they could see several monks rushing medical supplies, salves, bandages, and the like to where Seth was. A touch of anxiety came over him, and he couldn't help but wonder if the lanky Wastelander was going to come through. After all, many of the injuries he had received had been rather nasty looking.
"Is he going to be alright?" the dark elf inquired as he removed his helmet, shaking his head as he did so.
The three of them looked up suddenly, as they had apparently not heard his approach. Their reactions were all slightly different to his new choice of wardrobe, but all held large amounts of shock and disbelief, and Seem's mixed with a look of downright hostility towards him. Still, it wasn't everyday that some exile you plucked from the desert came back from a mission clad in the armor of a legendary savior from six hundred years ago.
"He'll be fine, though it's going to be a long time before he'll be able to leave a bed," Valthos said, his eyes still roaming over the ancient armor that the Ascended Channeler was wearing, "but we had a few questions about what happened."
"Such as?" Jak ventured, uneasiness present in his tone of voice.
"The wounds upon his chest," Seem said, her tone biting and venomous, "the burns are laced with Dark Eco."
Instantly, both he and Daxter knew what conclusion the monk had reached and what she doubtless planned to do about it. It was all the dark elf could do to suppress a growl of frustration. Here he was, having saved a man's life, and simply because of the nature of his genetic code, it was being assumed that he had attacked him in the first place. Deep within his mind, he could feel Kage's fury start to build, and truthfully, he wasn't really all that surprised. After all, the oni was driven by an honor code, and having his host suspected of treachery left and right simply because he had been born a little different from most people was really starting to get on the Dark Eco demon's nerves. Still, Jak's guardian devil tried to hold his peace, and resigned himself to growling and muttering under his breath.
"Seth was attacked by a Fallen Precursor scouting probe, one of the things that crash landed here the other day." He stated simply, his slitted azure eyes boring into all present. "That was what gave him those burns, and slashed his chest up like that."
"And where was this scouting probe when I showed up, mate?" Kleiver inquired, a frown upon his scarred visage.
"You didn't see it, because by the time you got your fat butt to where we were, Jak had already blown the damn thing up!" Daxter exclaimed in a loud and indignant voice, as he had also grown tired of watching Jak have to put up with this drek. "I mean, I know you got a scar running down one of ya eyes, Michelin Man, but how could you not see all the smoldering wreckage? For the love of the Precursors, it only left enough recyclable parts lying around to build a new dune buggy out of them!"
"I assumed that those were part of Seth's vehicle." The stocky Wastelander muttered to himself, now very much subdued.
"Yeah well, ya know what they say about assuming." The ottsel continued, crossing his small arms over his chest and glaring up at the large elf.
"Besides," Jak said, his voice cold and directed towards a certain tattooed monk, "if I had attacked Seth, he wouldn't be breathing right now, and I wouldn't be hiding it from you guys. I would have had a good reason to do so and I would have told you flat out why I did it."
Valthos looked like he was going to speak, but Seem cut the Sand King off before he had a chance.
"As if your word was worth anything around here, Dark One!" she hissed, her crimson eyes narrowed at the dark elf, who matched her glare for glare. "You are a corrupting influence just waiting for the chance to destroy us all!" she then turned to face Valthos. "It is unwise to keep him here among us, your majesty, he should be cast back out into the Wasteland and left as we found him. As long as he resides here, we are all in danger."
Jak felt the words, so hauntingly similar to the slander that Veger and the other councilors had spewed at him on the day of his first 'trial,' hit him with the force of one of Kor's strikes, and he visibly winced. He closed his eyes and stared towards the ground, his fists clenched as he tried to hold back his anger and his sorrow.
However, a certain alter ego within him was not so inclined, and something happened then that had never before. Jak felt something snap inside of his mind, and before he could do anything, found that he had been stripped of any control over his body. In an instant, he realized what was happening.
Kage had had enough.
There was a flash of darkness from around the Ascended Channeler, and the conversation halted. Kleiver instinctively reached for his weapon, while Valthos took a step back. Seem, not knowing what to make of this phenomenon that she had never before observed, simply stood where she was. A pain filled growl came from within the orb of night, and it quickly became a roar.
The monks that had been attending to Seth emerged just in time to watch Kage finish wresting control from his host and manifesting himself.
Valthos took another step back as he stared upon the oni for a second time. If the Dark Eco demon had been intimidating before, he was now doubly so that he was clad in the transformed Mar's Armor, and even he, one of the bravest souls in Spargus, felt a bit of fear start to well up inside of him as the looked upon the snarling devil.
With a feral cry, Kage leapt forward, as always, leaving that strange after image of himself behind, and grabbed Seem around the throat, before coming up and slamming her against the wall, hard. His hellfire red eyes glowed like coals and he bared his fangs as he forced the struggling monk to look at him, before he began to give her a piece of his mind.
"Listen," he growled in his distorted voice, shaking her once to stop her futile flailing, "I have had my fill of listening to you slander my host, and while he may be willing to take the higher road, and put up with your bigotry, I for one, have had it!"
Gasps reached his sensitive ears, and the air around him literally stank of fear. That was so much the better as far as the honor bound oni was concerned, as it would help him get his point across all the more effectively.
"We have served your king, aided your people, and attempted to find your on missing compatriots," he continued, his burning eyes narrowing to mere slits as he continued to vent his range, "We have done nothing to deserve the poisonous words you speak about us. It was bad enough for Count Veger to throw us out of Haven after saving him and the miserable hides of the rest of his men from Kor's wrath. My host nearly gave his life to destroy that devil, and exile was the thanks that he got." He then paused, his nostrils flaring as rage dilated them. "And on my honor, I will not allow such a fate to befall him again." He spat, before pulling Seem close, until the nose at the end of his slight muzzle was touching hers. "So keep your slanderous tongue with its hateful words behind your teeth, monk, or the next time, you will find it dangling from my talons!"
With that, he stepped back until she was at arms length from him, and then he let go. Seem crashed to the ground in an unceremonious heap, and there she lay, staring up, wide eyed, at the creature that had threatened her. Kage stared down at her as well, growling again, and his tail thrashed back and forth in clear agitation as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Abruptly, the Dark Eco demon growled, and relinquished control back over to Jak. The transformation took about two seconds, and when it finished, the Ascended Channeler stood where his alter ego had been, panting.
'I am sorry…' Kage began, before Jak cut him off with a mental reply.
'Don't be,' he said, a strange weariness to his voice, 'you're just trying to look out for me and Dax like you always do…and who knows, maybe if we're lucky she'll leave us alone now.'
He turned to leave, pausing just long enough to grab the helmet to his armor and then motion for Daxter to come along. However, before the two friends had taken more than a few steps, Valthos cleared his throat. The two of them stopped, and looked back over their shoulders at the ruler of the Wastelanders.
"Just to let you know, Jak," he began, "your second trial is happening today, just as soon as the storm dies down."
"I'll be there." The dark elf said, before taking his leave.
They hadn't gone more than a few steps outside when Daxter, who had had a strange expression upon his furry visage ever since Kage had relinquished control of his host's body, immediately began to break out into a deep, gut shaking bought of laughter.
"Oh man!" he exclaimed as Jak looked down at him, "Did you see the look on her face when ole tall, dark, and dangerous grabbed her and started chewing her out?" he suddenly doubled over, clutching his stomach in a hopeless attempt to regain his composure. "Jeez, first Veger, and now she who could not keep out of her mother's makeup kit, this is going to be a day that I remember for a long time!"
Jak desperately wished that he could join in with the laughter of his companion, but instead all he felt was fatigue, and not just cause he'd been on his feet, running around and doing everything from sparring with a Precursor high commander to battling one of those scouting probes to going on search and rescue mission for about the past thirty six hours. No, the fatigue he felt was simply world weariness, a feeling as if the weight of the bigotry and prejudice being thrown at him was just sapping his energy.
Why? Why did people everywhere have to be so shortsighted? Why did they condemn him for a choice that had not been his?
For a brief, fleeting instant, he stared down at the armor, the Precursor forged equipment that his ancestor had used for most of his life, and he wondered if Mar had had to put up with this sort of stuff.
Two hours had passed, and the storm had finally died down. Now, the Spargus city combat arena was filled fit to bursting. Rumors of Kage and the fact that he had somehow acquired the Armor of Mar had apparently increased the turnout, and all of the desert dwelling elves eagerly awaited the coming fight, those who had been here previously anxious to see what new tricks the dark elf would show them, those who had not curious to see if this mysterious exile was everything gossip made him out to be.
He waited on one side of the metal proving ground, half listening as Pecker rambled on again, though he did spare a glance to one of his HUD screens, and zooming in, found Daxter making certain signs behind the monkeet's back. However, even the ottsel's antics couldn't dull the pain and the barely suppressed rage that coursed through him at the current moment. Kage was also silent, and Jak could sense a great degree of guilt coming from his guardian devil, no doubt once again blaming himself for getting them into this mess.
Once again, the dark elf found himself wishing that none of this had ever happened, that he could just be back in Haven, enjoying the few months of peace that had come from the destruction of Kor. Once more, he simply wished he could hold Keira in his arms and forget all about impending invasions of disgruntled Ancients, the attacks of Metal Heads, or anything even vaguely resembling a Death Bot.
Alas, his pleasant day dream was not reality, as Valthos' cry for the battle to begin quickly reminded him.
He looked up, and saw that his opposition was being brought in. This time, it was about fifteen Wastelanders, three of them carrying assault rifles.
Suddenly and without warning something within him snapped, and he looked out over the audience using the screens of his helmet. In the same place as last time, he found Seem, still staring down at him with an expression of contempt. He looked over the rest of the crowd, who was screaming at the top of its lungs as the blade carrying Marauders charged him.
Rage exploded within the dark elf, so much that even Kage seemed surprised.
If they wanted a monster, a creature that destroyed and slew any who came near, then that was what they were going to get.
Breaking into a sprint, Jak charged towards his adversaries, not even bothering to draw Kitetsu. He quickly closed the distance between himself and his foes, and as the first one brought his two handed scimitar down to try and chop him in half, the Ascended Channeler sidestepped. In a move that was a blur of motion, he lashed out with a closed fist, slamming it into the side of the Marauder. Muscles ripped, sinew snapped, and bones broke under the power behind the blow, and the armored elf howled in pain, crying out at the top of his lungs as his ribs shattered under the assault.
A second punch followed that first one, slamming into the man's kidney and causing it to all but explode as Jak's vampiric strength, back up by the hardened Vibrium that composed his new armor, sealed his opponent's fate. However, wishing to add some more drama and perhaps cow the rest of the attacking group, the Ascended Channeler did not stop there. As the dying elf fell began to fall, Jak leapt up, spinning around and causing the war braids on the back of his helmet to flare out in a way that made him look every bit the living engine of destruction he could be. He stuck his leg out as he completed the round house, bringing his foot against the head of the Marauder.
Like an overripe melon struck by a blow from a hammer, the elf's head practically collapsed as the blow struck home, throwing the corpse to the ground, where a ominous red and slightly clear liquid began to leak out from the helmet, quickly spreading across the ground.
Jak didn't even spare it a backwards glance, already targeting the next opponent.
This Marauder wasn't wearing a helmet that covered his entire head, and his face was exposed. Recognizing that the dark elf's sides were not quite as armored as the rest of his torso, the desert elf brought his weapon in from the side, trying to hack into Jak's abdomen. However, with the speed that had made him notorious as a one elf army, he merely swatted the blade down with his left hand, and brought his right up into the face of his opponent, palm first. The blow hit the Marauder square in the nose, and it shattered in an instant, driving the bone up into the brain of the elf, slaying him just as quickly.
Lucky number three came charging in half a second later, his war cry making his approach painfully obvious even if the Heir of Mar hadn't seen him on the rear view HUD screen or motion sensor. In the blink of an eye, Jak spun about and reached up with both of his hands. The Marauder couldn't keep the shock from manifesting itself upon his face as the downward descent of his weapon was suddenly halted as the dark elf slapped his hands together as if in prayer, trapping the scimitar neatly between his palms.
Not wishing to give his foe any time to react, the Ascended Channeler pushed himself closer, to where he was literally toe to toe with the other elf. Tapping into his superhuman strength and speed, Jak shot his knee forward, slamming it into the groin of his adversary. The Marauder's eyes bulged outward behind his helmet as he felt the rather sensitive targets of the attack become crushed by the strike. Naturally, this broke his concentration and his strength in a rather effective manner and as Jak released his grip upon the sword of his adversary and ducked to one side, the blade fell to the ground and clattered harmlessly against it.
Without a moment's hesitation, the dark elf spun about, coming up behind his adversary, who was currently in the process of going to his knees whilst he clutched his wounded area, his mouth opened in a silent scream of agony. Reaching out, the Ascended Channeler grabbed the Marauder's head, and with a sharp twist, snapped his neck.
He was immediately forced to sidestep a blow from behind as another enemy came charging in, roaring as he thrust his blade forward. A minor glance down at the HUD screens told Jak exactly where his foes neck was in relation to himself, and without even bothering to turn around, he shot his left arm out, his hand flat like a knife. With all the strength he could muster, the dark elf slammed the blow home.
Another blade clattered to the arena floor as the Marauder dropped, his hands clutching around his throat and the crushed windpipe inside of it, gasping out his life like a fish out of water.
Four down, eleven to go.
An abrupt shouting of his inner demon caused him to look over to where the ranged Marauders were, and he saw that they were training their rifles upon him. Not wishing to take any chances, Jak realized that disposing of them would be a good idea, and now that the whole populace of the desert city pretty much knew what he was and what he could do, he had no qualms about using his powers to thin the ranks of the enemy.
Which was exactly what he did, and the crowd gasped in awe as Dark Eco vapors suddenly appeared around the Ascended Channeler, before they quickly enveloped him. There was a crack, and when they cleared, the dark elf was nowhere to be found. One would have been able to see the Wastelanders seated in the arena lean forward in their seats, wondering what had happened. Their question was answered about a tenth of a second later when another crack echoed throughout the combat area, and with a similar burst of mist, Jak reappeared, now within about forty feet of the rifle carrying Marauders, who were frozen in place, stunned by what they had just observed.
That would prove to be the last mistake of their lives, as Jak stuck out his right hand, his fingers spread apart. A mental command was all that was required to call forth the ever familiar purple lightning, and the poor fools had about half a second to react as they realized that it was headed right for them. They weren't fast enough, and two died instantly, the toxic substance burning through their bodies, their corpses twitching as they fell to the ground, their guns still clamped in their hands.
For the third, his fate was even more brutal, though many would argue it merely was preparing the Marauder for what was waiting for him in the afterlife. By some strange quirk, the Dark Eco lightning that streamed from the Ascended Channeler, didn't kill him instantly, and instead merely blew the elf backwards…over the edge of the arena.
Everyone present heard his screams as he plummeted towards the lava below.
Jak eyed his HUD screens, zooming in with a thought and looking at his eight remaining adversaries, and a grim smile worked its way over his face as he saw them looking back and forth amongst one another. He didn't have to see their own masked faces to know that there were expressions of fear on them, didn't have to be able to read their thoughts to know that they realized, with mounting horror, that this foe was beyond them and that they were dead men walking.
Abruptly, and with that strange, fluidic grace that he had possessed ever since he'd begun receiving his Dark Eco treatments, he pivoted on his heel, the war braids of his helmet flowing out behind him, once more adding to the already larger than life spectacle that he was putting on.
The Marauders made themselves, ready, gripping their weapons in white knuckled grasps as they prepared themselves for what was surely to be a last desperate stand. The audience watching held their breath, anxiously awaiting the next move.
Jak moved his head slightly, popping his neck.
The armored elves in the middle of the combat area swung their weapons a few times, and several of them licked their lips behind their helmets.
The dark elf leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing as he tried to formulate a plan of attack.
Sweat glistened upon the Marauders, and several of them were breathing so quickly that they were about to start hyperventilating.
And then it happened.
Jak pushed off with his left foot, charging towards his adversaries with a loud battle cry.
He crossed the hundred feet that separated them in less than three seconds.
The Ascended Channeler reached hit first target, and the desert elf brought his two handed blade in from the side, once more attempting to take advantage of the fact that there were no Precursor forged armor plates protecting him there. Jak, however, threw himself forward, and rolled underneath the attack. Before his foe could even really begin to figure out what was going on, the dark elf was rising up behind him, his right foot sweeping out in a round house that was aimed towards his foe's unprotected back. Anger in his voice, Jak screamed as he smashed his foot into his opponent's back. The vertebrae shattered almost instantly under the assault, and now paralyzed, the desert elf dropped like a sac of potatoes, his eyes wide in shock.
The Heir of Mar, however, was already heading for the next foe, leaping off of the ground and spreading his arms wide. He connected solidly with his target, the end of his twenty foot leap resulting in him bearing a Marauder to the ground. The elf's eyes widened as it happened, giving him the perfect view of an armored fist cocking itself back and then speeding towards his face. He gave a quick, panic filled scream as the blow streaked in, silenced quickly by the sound of cracking bone as Jak hit the Marauder with enough force to drive the metal of the man's helmet into his head. This did considerable damage to the Ascended Channeler's knuckles, but his enhanced healing factor quickly relieved any pain that he might have felt from the attack.
Quickly leaping back up to his feet, the dark elf spun around and charged up his powers once more, unleashing a quick, three shot dark bolt attack on a marauder that had been charging at him. The small balls of Dark Eco hit home, blowing the prisoner off of his feet. As the final shot had hit him in the face, the elf was mercifully dead before he even hit the ground.
Just five left.
It was then that Jak finally drew the blade of his forefathers, and Kitetsu's runes bathed his armor in an eerie purple glow. He quickly harnessed the blade's abilities and summoned a copy of it, before slowly and ominously scraping them against each other, letting the Marauders know that they truly had no hope, and that Death was coming for them.
For about ten seconds, he did this, whirling the two weapons about, until finally, one of the Marauders couldn't take it anymore and his will snapped. Screaming like a man possessed, he stormed towards the living nightmare that he faced. With what appeared to be a sluggishness that indicated nothing but contempt, the dark elf lazily spun out of the way, swinging the shadow blade at his foe from the front, while bringing Kitetsu in from the other side. The end result was for the two dark katanas to pass within a hairsbreadth of each other as they sliced the elf in half just above his waist. He screamed again, this time in sheer agony as he fell apart upon the arena floor.
His two weapons cocked back, Jak charged the remaining four Marauders. Their bodies quivered in fear as this apparently hell-spawned foe charged them, the hissing of his weapons a melody of death. He reached the first one, and actually leaped over the swing his foe took at him, sailing over his opponent's head. As he passed, he lashed out with both weapons, feeling practically no resistance as they bit into the elf's flesh and tore through.
The Ascended Channeler righted himself and hit the ground just as the other elf's head and arms were falling off of his body.
He noticed another one racing in at him from his side HUD, and spun around to meet the elf head on. However, panic was written in the gait of his foe, and Jak merely extended Kitetsu. The Marauder, unable to stop himself in time, actually caused his own death as he impaled himself upon the Precursor forged weapon.
Ripping the weapon out of his foe, Jak turned, and quickly decided what to do next. With a cry, he swung both katanas, and lightning crackled down their lengths, turning into a pair of Dark Eco 'waves' as the swings completed themselves. They rushed towards two of the remaining three enemies, and slammed into them, eating through their armor, before tearing into flesh. Their screams were horrible to hear, but ended quickly as the Grim Reaper came to claim yet another two souls today.
The final Marauder completely lost the will to fight as he saw himself the sole remaining warrior aside from Jak, and he turned and fled as instinct overruled reasoning. The poor soul didn't realize that in an environment such as this one, there was precious little places he could run to, something that the dark elf trying to kill him quickly capitalized upon.
Jak took off after him, dispelling the shadow blade as he quickly closed the distance between the two of them. His battle cry caused the fleeing Marauder to turn, and the elf hastily raised his weapon to block the strike that came towards him. Kitetsu came in from below and sheered right through the steel weapon and kept on going, purposefully missing the Marauder by scant millimeters, while its wielder and master came ever closer. Reaching back with his left hand, Jak formed it into a knife shape, and thrust forward, aiming for the other elf's abdomen.
So great was the anger that fueled his strength, that his hand hit the desert elf's six pack, and his armored fingers tore trough flesh and muscle, as the Ascended Channeler plunged his hand up to about two inches past his wrist into the Marauder's guts.
An instant later, he ripped it out, taking with it a good deal of the elf's intestines and throwing them to the floor. Pain exploded through the Marauder as he fell to his knees, clutching at his bloodied organs.
However, even as enraged as he was at the moment, Jak was still capable of mercy, and a moment later, Kitetsu sang as it took the man's head off, ending his agony.
They were all dead now, but still his fury raged, demanding to be sated.
And so the elf turned, and faced the downed corpses of those he'd slain. He then sheathed Kitetsu, and proceeded to vent the last of his rage by cleaning house. Focusing his powers once again, Jak extended his hands, and those in the front rows of the arena swore for the rest of their lives that they saw his eyes flash purple behind the black visor, and in the next instant, a blackish purple mist sprang from his hands, shooting out towards the corpses. The mist suddenly separated, several comet like clouds breaking off from the rest of it and streaking towards the bodies of the more outlying victims of his rage.
The dark mist passed over the corpses, before settling to the ground. The crowd watched, mystified and several of them started to whisper amongst themselves, wondering what was going on. Their questions were answered moments later, when the mist dissipated, revealing that nothing was left of the desert elves who had fought Jak. Flesh, blood, armor, weapons, all had been consumed by the mist, and several Wastelanders gulped.
Jak started panting, the near two days straight of constant fighting and traveling finally taking its toll upon him, and his eyelids suddenly felt as if they were made of lead.
'Are you alright?' Kage ventured cautiously, concern also evident in the oni's voice.
'I'll be okay, I just need to rest.' Jak responded, a weary smile upon his face, and not for the first time, he felt strangely thankful towards Praxis for the Dark Eco treatments.
After all, sometimes it helped to have a guardian devil, and someone to talk to who could most definitely relate to where you were coming from.
And so, with heavy steps, the Ascended Channeler made his way back over to the platform that would take him from the arena.
He had not left the Arena far behind when he saw Daxter scrambling down a corridor to meet him.
"Nice going buddy!" He exclaimed, giving him a thumbs up and then breaking into applause. "You sure showed those scumbags a thing or two," He then added in a far more subdued tone, "and I think that Seem's going to be a little more weary of you after watching that little bloodbath."
"You think?" Jak inquired, his voice tired, but a half smile came over his hidden visage.
In response, Daxter simply nodded his head rather vigorously.
A moment later, Valthos came around the corner with Kleiver and a certain multicolored monk at his rear.
"Not bad, exile," the Sand King said as he crossed his arms, genuine respect in his voice, "but some of your methods were unnecessarily rash, placing you in headless danger." He then cocked his head quizzically. "Didn't your father ever tell you to be more cautious in your fights?"
"I never really knew my father." Jak responded, and Kage winced inwardly, reflecting over the few memories he'd observed that his host did have. "I never saw him much; he was a real workaholic before he got killed."
After all, to tell the exact truth would have no doubt left these Wastelanders questioning his sanity.
"What happened to him?" Valthos asked, curious.
"He died in the assault on the Metal Head Nest about four years ago." The dark elf said.
"So," the ruler of Spargus growled, "yet another elf dead at the hands of dearly departed Damas."
"What's your problem with him?" the dark elf inquired, grateful that his helmet hid the look of rage that was plastered across his face.
"Isn't it obvious?" Valthos inquired, cocking an eyebrow at him and crossing his arms over his chest. "The fool launched a haphazard attack on the Metal Head nest that got the gods only know how many people killed, and paved the way for Praxis to rise to power and remove his wife and child from the picture. The blood of thousands is on his hands, or would be, if the idiot wasn't already dead…"
He stopped there, as he caught a good look at Jak.
While his face might have been hidden, every bit of body language screamed rage at the Ruler of Spargus. The Ascended Channeler's breathing was deep and bordering on panting, and dark electricity suddenly circulated around his hands. For a fleeting instant, the notion entered his head that the elf in front of him might just use his rather formidable powers to strike him down, and a part of him actually longed for that to happen.
However, it was not to be, as Jak managed to control himself, and while Kage my have been practically foaming at the mouth over the latest bit of insulting the dead, he was able to realize that striking down the Sand King himself might not have been the wisest idea. Besides, much as he despised it, Jak did owe a debt to Valthos for saving his life, which meant that until it was repaid, he would have to deal with the anger that the desert elf felt towards the father of his host.
Now feeling more tired than he'd ever been in his life, Jak abruptly spun about, intending to head back to his quarters and sleep for a good long while. However, something made him pause.
"I'm surprised that you stick up for Damas so much." Valthos said abruptly, and Jak simply looked down at him through the rear view HUD screen. "After all, you know what its like to lose your family because of someone else's ineptitude."
"What do you mean?" the dark elf inquired, still not bothering to turn around.
"I wasn't always out here in this waste." The Sand Kind replied. "Once I too came from Haven, and I had a wife and child as well."
"What happened?" Daxter asked, his voice strangely subdued.
"We were rather outspoken in our protesting of Praxis, and he took it upon himself to silence us." Valthos said, his voice barely above a whisper, and filled with bitterness. "I managed to survive and escape, but my wife and son were not so lucky."
'So that is why…' Kage muttered, his anger fleeing as the trio finally understood exactly what happened to make Valthos what he was.
'I think…I think that must be why he calls himself Valthos…' Jak concurred, as he realized what the Sand King had meant when he'd said both exile and shattered one were apt descriptions of himself.
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said aloud, before sighing and heading back to his quarters, his mind churning with all that had happened.
&
Okay, there's a good place to stop. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will remind you that a better version will be up at a later date. As for now, I will return to writing the next chapter, as it is the one in which Keira gains her abilities, and from the way things are looking, its going to be almost ten thousand words long…
Please feel free to tell me what you thought of the chapter, be it in the form of an idea for a weapon or a power that you wish to see, some constructive criticism so that I might improve, or even a flame telling me how horrible this story is.
Thanks to all who read this, and I hope that you all have a great day.