Just as Torn predicated Jak and Daxter left to the Stadium just as the sun rose, Naruto at their heels. It was painful to head to the Stadium and seeing so much death on the ground. Everyone was dieing, the Metal Heads didn't care if you were a part of the Krimzon Guard or Underground, and they didn't care if you were armed or not, they just killed.
Jak parked the Krimzon Guard Bike next to the Rift Rider and slid off, Naruto following his lead. The Stadium was still clear of Metal Heads and it seemed like most members of the KG and Underground had left to fight of Metal Heads. Keira smiled at them as the got closer.
"The Rift Rider's finished. But if my father's right, and the Ring is somewhere in the Metal Head Nest, how are we going to get the Rift Rider there to use it?" She asked. Naruto jumped as Brutter jumped out from behind the Rift Rider pointing at the sky. Even Jak and Daxter seemed shocked to see the Lurker pop out of nowhere.
"LOOK!" Brutter yelled causing them to look at the sky where a large Transport Balloon was coming in. "Brutter just knew friends would need lift if Metal Headers attack."
"Brutter, you the man!" Daxter said as the balloon landed. The Lurker smiled largely, his smile infectious to those around him.
"Lurker balloons are finest lifters in world, but they is easy target." He continued. Jak nodded and looked at Keira and Naruto.
"Right. You guys get the Rift Rider to the Nest. I'll stay here and defend your take off and get away." Jak said. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Daxter bet him to it with a complaint.
"Once again, being your friend SUCKS! I wanna go on the balloon!" The ottsel whined.
"I'm not leaving you alone to fight off hordes of Metal Heads by yourself Jak." Naruto said firmly.
"I'll be fine, but they'll need someone to protect them on the way to the Nest." The once hero said. The fox teen frowned.
"But…"
"It's the best way." Jak said. Brutter nodded in agreement.
"You keep Stadium safe while we prep balloon for lift away." The Lurker then looked past them, his golden eyes widening. "Oh no! Here they come! Metal Headers!" Naruto, Jak, and Daxter whip around to see a whole army of Metal Heads charging down the stairs into the Stadium. Keira and Brutter were already running towards the Transport Balloon as the two Sages used their powers to lift the Rift Rider.
"They'll never make it." Jak said pulling out his Blaster gun, while Daxter climbed on his shoulder. Naruto flexed his claws before taking after Keira and Brutter.
"I'll protect them and the balloon! You watch after the Sages!" Naruto yelled, grabbing a Metal Head by its back and throwing it into a tree as it tried to attack Keira. It was nothing but pure adrenaline as they fought their way to the balloon and then fought to keep it safe. Every now and then the fox teen's sapphire eyes would glance at Jak, Daxter, and both Old and Young Samos.
When the Rift Rider was fully loaded onto the Transport Balloon the three Lurkers, including Brutter, started to work on lifting the balloon. Naruto held onto one of the ropes as the balloon started to smoothly float upward. Keira was sitting beside the Rift Rider with both Sages.
"Up! Up! And away!" Brutter yelled as the figure known as Jak with Daxter on his shoulder got smaller. Naruto smiled as he heard Daxter yell at them.
"Must be nice floating away while we DIE down here!"
"We'll meet near the Nest! See you soon!" Keira yelled down as Jak and Daxter kept getting smaller and smaller.
"Be careful Jak!" Naruto yelled as loud as he could, briefly seeing Daxter yell something at Jak. Then they were gone. The fox teen sank to his knees as they floated above Haven.
"Kor….Construction Site…." Vin's dieing voice said over Jak's com-link.
"Vin? Vin!" Jak yelled as the connection ended. The once hero shared a look with Daxter before quickly getting on an abandoned Krimzon Guard Bike and speeding towards the Construction Site.
Once there he paused on the wooden slope leading down into the Construction Site. There with four guards was the Baron. Jak raced down to confront him but Kor landed cat-like in-between them. The Krimzon Guards turned and pointed their guns and the Baron turned to face the two newcomers.
"Kor, what's going on?" Jak asked as the old man stood.
"I'm sure you know…deep down in your darkest nightmares." Kor said, his eyes going dark and his teeth becoming jagged fangs. Jak took a few steps back as Daxter started to shake a little at the display. "We've met before, remember?" Kor asked, his features going back to normal. "Everything's going exactly as planned." He said before walking away, casting aside his cane as dark laughter escaped him.
Everyone watched, horrified as the old man's body started to twist and wings and legs started to sprout from his body. Daxter's eyes widen as he remembered the features of the Metal Head Leader Hologram they saw in the Baron's Palace so long ago. "It's the Metal Head Leader!" The ottsel yelled.
The massive Metal Head before them chuckled. "Now you see! Without the shield wall disrupting my powers inside the city, I am my full potential now!" Praxis took a few steps back, drawing his Eco Sword from its sheathe as all the guards trained their guns on Metal Kor. "So for the last time, give me the Precursor Stone!" The Metal Head roared down at the Baron.
"If the city must die, then we all die!" The Baron yelled, foolishly charging at Metal Kor with his guards. The Metal Head Leader simply shot a beam of condensed Dark Eco at them, sending them flying into a wooden and steel skeleton of a new building. Jak rolled away, watching at the skeleton fell down on itself.
"I will find that Stone if I have to crush the city one brick at a time!" Metal Kor yelled as he took off in a rage to find the Precursor Stone. Jak rushed to the remains of the building, throwing aside wood and metal. He heard a dieing cough as he chucked a large piece of metal off the body.
"Praxis…" Jak said as the Baron's face greeted him.
"You are the supreme weapon, Jak. And I made you." Jak glared hatefully at that statement. "Still, any leader worth his salt always has his backup plan…" Praxis said as he fished out a remote from his armor. He pressed the button and from the center of the site raised a large Piercer Bomb, with the Precursor Stone on it. "Remember, the first rule in making a bomb…is to always make two." The Baron said feeling the last of his life slipping away.
"You would have both made great weapons." Jak knelt down next to Praxis, raising an eyebrow.
"Both?"
"You, and Naruto. He is one of nine great beasts spoken about in Precursor legends. I tried to get him to unleash his power, but he grew insane with it. He can never be controlled, just like you." The Baron said. Jak waited for a moment then stood and walked towards the bomb. Baron Praxis was dead.
Daxter raced ahead, slipping into the space between the Precursor Stone and the inside of the bomb. "Man, what a mess a junk in here! All jumbled coils and switches! Should I unhook the blue wire? Wait a minute! Are ottsels color blind? Let me just break a few more things and see if anything pops loose…" Suddenly the Precursor Stone shot out from the bomb coupled with a 'BOOM!'. Daxter chuckled from where he stood inside the bomb, his upper body where the Stone once was. "Ha! Ha! Gottcha!" The ottsel jumped down and climbed up Jak's shoulder. "Like candy from a baby!" With that the two left the site, Precursor Stone in hand.
"What as that?" Keira yelled as a large flash of green lit up the dark sky far away from them. Naruto stood from where he sat cross-legged. The only ones that didn't fully stare at the place the flash once was were the two Lurkers working, but even they glanced every few seconds.
"That was Mar's gun." Old Samos said as a wind blew the balloon a little to the left, which the Lurkers responded angrily to.
"That means Jak's near the Nest with Daxter." Naruto said thinking about how many Metal Heads might be there and how strong they were, even if a large chunk of the army was inside Haven at the moment. The fox teen pulled out his com-link and stared at it, as if willing Jak would call.
He let out a sigh and tucked it back into his pocket. The blond stared at the Nest they were slowly approaching. Jak better be safe as well as Daxter.
Jak stared at Metal Kor, the Precursor Stone held at his side. The Rift Ring was filled with energy in the Leader's den. "Finally, you've decided to join us," The Leader said, moving his scorpion-like tail to reveal the kid, trapped in a blood colored orb. "And you brought the Precursor Stone." Metal Kor said, sounding positively delighted. "Good. The boy will now play his finally part." Jak glared at the Metal Head after he glanced at the innocent boy.
"Not this time." The once hero hissed, earning a laugh from Metal Kor.
"Oh, but this child is such a part of this! Such a part of you! Don't you recognize him? The boy is YOU Jak!" Jak and Daxter's eyes went wide in shock. How could that be? "And this place...this is where you began, in the future!" Daxter scratched his head in confusion.
"But how…?"
"You were hidden in the past on the hope that you would gain the skills to face me today. But Onin was wrong! Now that you've been altered with Dark Eco the Stone will never open for you!" Jak's cold, dark blue eyes narrowed at the Metal Head before briefly glancing at the Stone in his hands. "Your younger self, however, still has the pure gift! He alone can awaken the Stone and the Precursor entity, which sleeps inside!"
"This Stone is a Precursor?" Jak asked astonished. All along the Precursors were just a bunch of shiny rocks? Remind him not to laugh at Samos for talking to rocks ever again.
"The last Precursor Egg! Mar was clever. He covered his tracks well through time, hiding his last egg from me, and building the shield and city to defend it! It has been a long siege. But today, I will finally feed on the last Precursor Life Force!"
"Ah," Daxter said looking at Metal Kor with a 'are-you -seriously-that-stupid' look. "I think you're forgetting one little thing, Metalo-Maniac. We've got the Precursor Stone!"
"Not for long!" Metal Kor yelled, sending a beam of condensed Dark Eco at them, destroying the part of the nest Jak and Daxter were standing on. The two along with the Precursor Stone fell, all of them getting crushed under the rubble of the nest. Metal Kor's four golden eyes narrowed as a pure white hand shot out from the rubble, black needle-like claws flexing in the air before Dark Jak burst out from the pile, Daxter on his shoulder. Dark Eco snapped violently off him as his soulless black eyes glared at the Metal Head Leader.
"DIE ALREADY!"
Jak knew he had faced death numerous times and walked away, sometimes without a scratch. But, never had he faced death so many times before in one setting. Daxter screamed in his ear constantly and his claws had dug passed his tunic into his skin, but for some reason it kept him grounded to the fight.
The once hero had ran out of bullets for all his gun mods but for a single one in his Blaster mod. "JAAAAAAAAAK!" Daxter screamed in pure terror as his friend stopped and turned to face the charging Metal Kor. Jak could hear his heart beat pounding in his ears as he pulled the trigger. The Yellow Eco capsule exploded right on Kor's gem, making the Leader roar out in pain. He trashed and opened his wings.
Jak threw his body to the ground as Metal Kor's scorpion tail cut the air where he was once standing. His dark blue eyes watched in amazement as Kor's own tail whipped out and cut off his own head. Jak stood as the body fell back into the chasm at the center of the den while the head of Metal Kor landed next to the Precursor stone. The blood red orb that held Young Jak faded and the boy looked around in awe. His innocent blue eyes landed on the Precursor Stone and curiously touch it.
He fell back on his butt as the Precursor entity floated out of the Stone. Jak walked up next to his younger self, helping him to his feet as they all stared at the entity. "It is finished." The Precursor said. "Our ancient enemy is no more. Take hope brave one! The terrible darkness inside you is now balanced by a glorious light. We will meet again." Young Jak reached for the entity as it floated away into the Rift Ring, which was falling apart, as the Transport Balloon flew into the den.
"We haven't much time." Keira said seeing the state of the Ring. "I've set the coordinates back to our village." The balloon landed next to both Jaks and Daxter. "Let's go home everyone." Naruto looked from Keira to the Ring then to Jak as he jumped off the Transport Balloon. They were really leaving. His sapphire eyes widened as Jak shook his head.
"But we are home." Old Samos nodded to Jak's statement as he turned to his daughter.
"Keira, I'm afraid your Rift Rider must be used to send young Jak here," He mentioned toward the little boy who was staring at Samos' bird with a smile on his face. "To a place where he will grow up safe from harm. He must become old enough to complete," Young Jak was now trying to climb up onto the balloon, but the child was too short. Naruto smiled at seeing Jak lift his younger self onto the balloon. So all along the little boy was Jak…
Wait, that meant Jak was the true Heir to Mar all along! Naruto's sapphire eyes grew at the thought as Samos continued to talk while "The destiny he has fulfilled today."
"Wait a minuet!" Young Samos said. "It's you…I mean it's me! I have to take him back and watch over him don't I?" Old Samos nodded at the question. "Ahh, grub roots! Talk about being in the wrong time at the right place!" Naruto chuckled as this along with Old Samos. The fox teen looked at Jak, who knelt to talk with his younger self.
"Hey kid…you take care. Oh! And trust me on this…stay away from any wumpbee nests on your ninth birthday, okay?" Daxter laughed as he jumped off Jak shoulder and climbed up Naruto's.
"Now that's a story you need to hear!" The ottsel said as Jak placed his younger self in the Rift Rider.
"I sure hope I built this replica right." Keira said as Young Jak pulled off his Seal of mar and handed it to Jak. "I don't know if it…" Young Jak looked at Naruto and opened his arms as if asking for a hug. The fox teen smiled and walked towards him, pulling the little boy into a hug. What he wasn't expecting when he pulled away was for the younger version of Jak to kiss him on the cheek. The young boy smiled sheepishly with a faint blush on his cheeks. That blush was nothing compared to the dark red blushes on Jak's and Naruto's cheeks.
"It's perfect, Keira. This is the very machine we found…or will find later." Old Samos said.
"What? I just built this. After seeing the first one, I mean. It's based on what I remember from…" Keira said as Young Samos got in the Rift Rider.
"Honey," Daxter said, stopping Keira's rant. "The more you think about it, the more it hurts the head!"
"I'll take good care of the child!" Young Samos said as the Rift Rider lifted off the balloon. "And don't worry…I'll be back in time for the celebration." He said waving goodbye, as was Young Jak. "Fare well!" With that the two disappeared into the Rift Ring, just before it collapsed in on itself. Jak bowed his head for a moment before looking at Samos.
"Thanks Samos. Without you…"
"It's funny." Samos cut in. "The boy won't remember any of this."
"No…I do remember the light!" Jak said with a warm smile. Naruto smiled then rushed forward to catch Jak as he fell foreword.
"Jak?" The fox teen checked over the green-blond, noting his cauterized wounds. "There won't be a celebration tonight. Come on, let's get you home." Naruto said, putting one of Jak's arms around his shoulder and lifting him up by holding onto his waist.
"Brutter, does this thing have a round trip policy?" Daxter asked as everyone loaded back up on the Transport Balloon.
"We take you back, no problem!" Brutter said as the two Lurkers rushed to get the balloon off the ground and out of the Metal Head Nest. Naruto placed Jak down gently on the balloon's wooden floor, resting his head on his lap. Dark blue eyes watched as the fox teen fished out his com-link.
"Torn, this is Naruto."
"Naruto? Did Jak defeat the Metal Head Leader? Was he able to make it back to his time?"
"Yeah, Jak beat Kor. And that a yes and no answer to your other question."
"Yes and no?"
"The kid was Jak all along, so he went back in time to grow up, but Jak's still here." There was a pause as if Torn was thinking over the whole time paradox. "The more you think about it, the more it hurts the head." Naruto said quoting Daxter, who threw him a grin. "Just…We're coming back, and Jak needs medical attention."
"I'll have Duhon get ready. Tell Jak he did good." Jak smiled up at Naruto. "A large portion of the Metal Head army has fled the city. Guards and Underground members are sweeping the city to chase out the rest. Tomorrow we'll start rebuilding Haven."
We have come to an end...OF THE PART OF THE GAME YOU CAN PLAY! Hahahahahaha! I'm not ending it juuuust yet! We still got two more chapters!