Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
OK, most of this chapter is filler. Some of it is not. Which is which? Well, read to find out.
I don't own anything except my own characters. Also, special shoutout to JakMartheDarkWarrior, Oblique Strategies, and Ecofreakrsa17. As always, thanks a ton for the feedback! Hopefully this early chapter makes up for last chapter taking so dang long.
Also, if you're looking for a good Jak and Daxter fanfic, check out Oblique Strategies' "Marooned' & 'Haven's Last Mission' and its sequel, "Separated". Both are very good stories and I recommend fans of Jak and Daxter to check them out.
Enjoy!
Chapter 8: The Storm on the Horizon
"AH! That hurts Jak!" Nightingale howled out in pain.
"Give me a second. I'm nearly done. How did you talk me into doing this again?" Jak muttered as he rubbed the burn gel on Nightingale's back.
"Ah! Please, just hurry up! It burns like hell" Nightingale grunted.
"Done"
"Thank the Precursors. I hate that stuff" Nightingale said as Jak helped her bandage her still injured back.
"Well, maybe if you stopped trying to go on missions and just recover like a normal person, you'd get better!" Jak said with a reluctant smile as he washed his hands in a nearby stream.
Nightingale slipped on her shirt and said "Shut up"
"It's true you know. You didn't have to go with me to get that Precursor Fragment." Jak said with a sigh.
"Yes, that's true. But it just felt…" Nightingale stopped herself.
"Felt?" Jak prompted.
"Never mind. Come on, we're late for dinner. Sharpshooter said he may have found a lead." Nightingale said quickly.
Ever since the duo had brought back the Relic Fragment five days ago, all of the Agents were tasked with going into the desert to find more of them. Even Nightingale had joined in and had gone out with Jak and Daxter into the desert. So far, nothing.
Jak and Nightingale walked down the hallway and into the Mess Hall, where they saw Rune and Sharpshooter eating dinner. Jak and Nightingale sat down and ordered their dinner, and then Jak asked Sharpshooter what the newest development was.
"Well, it's not really a development. It's just some chatter I heard with one of the Agents. Apparently the Hunters have found several of these Fragments themselves. And what's more, is that any AA Agent they see go into the desert, they attack. We've seen a 20% increase in injuries due to an increased number of Hunter attacks" Sharpshooter explained.
"Whatever these Fragments are, they want them bad" Rune said.
"Well, short of breaking into the Sanctuary and stealing it from Disten's office, they're never going to get their hands on all of them" Nightingale said softly.
"Anyway, These Hunters…we know they have ties to the Metal Heads. We've known it for years, even without any actual proof. They were created specifically to disrupt our missions against the Metal Heads, so they have to be in league with them" Sharpshooter said.
"But are they doing it willingly, or not?" Daxter asked, popping up out of nowhere.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Jak asked with a grin.
"Hey! I wouldn't even be like this if it wasn't for you!" Daxter complained, gesturing to his small stature.
"Yes, but you don't really care about that anymore, do you?" Jak said.
"Not really, now that I have…PANTS!" Daxter said hopping onto the table and showing off his snazzy pair of jeans.
"Good for you" Sharpshooter said stuffing a small potato with garlic seasoning into his mouth.
"Anyway, I say that the most important thing we need to do is make sure the Hunter's don't get all of the fragments to whatever these things make" Rune said.
"Seems like a good plan" Nightingale murmured.
"Good day everyone!" a voice said as the door opened.
It was a man in rich purple colored armor with gold trimming. The man himself had well kept black hair and a combed goatee and mustache. His brown eyes swept over the table and said "Hmm…I don't suppose there's room for one more, do you?"
"No, there's plenty of room Royal, come join us" Sharpshooter said.
The man came over and sat down, looking tired.
"3 runs into the desert in two days. The Chief has been running me, Crash, and Nymph ragged" Royal sighed tiredly.
"Jak, I don't think you've met Royal yet. Agent Royal, meet Agent Chiaroscuro, our newest recruit. He's ranked number 29th. We just call him Jak. Jak, this is Agent Royal, ranked 21st on the Leaderboard" Sharpshooter said.
"Pleasure to meet you" Royal said politely.
"Likewise" Jak said shaking the man's outstretched hand.
"HEY! What about me?" Daxter asked.
"That's Daxter, the rodent who went toe-to-toe with a Metal-Pede and lived to tell the tale" Sharpshooter said with a smirk,
"Really? Very impressive, for one so short" Royal said, sounding genuinely impressed.
"Thanks!...HEY! Who're you calling short Fancy pants!?" Daxter yelled.
"Fancy Pants? I am amongst one of the first Avenging Angel Agents I'll have you know, and I was one of King Damas's advisors back when he was ruling Haven City!" Royal said, sounding offended.
"You knew my fa-I mean, you knew Damas from way back then?" Jak asked.
"Yes. He was a good man, and very good leader. After he fell from power, he spent so much time looking for his long lost son, Mar…I do hope he found him before he died. You see, I hadn't spoken to him in a while, and now I'll never have a chance to chat with him again. I'm one of the few Agents who know enough about Precursor Lore to where I can translate some of their language. Recent findings have been keeping me busy to the point where I can't make regular visits to Spargus" Royal said.
"Really? Have you found anything interesting?" Daxter asked.
"Yes. I heard tales of a special door. It is mentioned several times in Precursor lore. It is very special, and can be only opened by those of a certain bloodline. According to the Precursor text I've been reading, if this person can open the door, they will receive the Precursor's Blessing." Royal said.
"This bloodline…do you think it's from the House of Mar?" Jak asked.
"Close, but no. Though the Prophecy, and yes, that is what it is, says that the only one who can open the Precursor Door is one who comes from a long line of those who can fluently speak the Precursor language. They must be accompanied by one of Mar's bloodline, and by a "one of us". That means that whoever can open this…door, must be accompanied by a descendent of Mar, and a Precursor. Not much more than that" Royal said, sounding disappointed.
Jak and Daxter looked at each other and nodded slightly. The group ate their dinner and Jak, Daxter and Nightingale went walking around the Sanctuary, looking for something to do. Nightingale decided upon the library, seeing as it was nice and quiet, and usually people were so absorbed in reading that they wouldn't listen in on people's conversations.
"Ah, I love the library" Nightingale sighed, sinking into a comfortable leather chair.
The library itself was a well lit area with several book cases full of tomes, book, novels, and scrolls. Containing everything from the Origin of Precursor Orbs to proper Leaper Lizard handling. It had very warm and relaxing atmosphere.
Jak sank into one of the chairs and said "So, when will you be able to go on missions again?"
"It should be soon. Maybe in three days I'll be ready. After all, I have to make sure that me and my new armor are compatible, especially with the new armor enhancement I had implemented"
"Armor enhancements?" Jak asked.
"Yes. Each of our armor's have special abilities. Like your suit for example. Tech told me that your armor enhancement is a Light and Dark Eco Extractor. Everyone starts out with one, but the higher up in ranking you get, the more armor enhancements you get. Right now, with me being number one, I have three armor enhancements, I could get a 4th, but I haven't gotten around to it yet" Nightingale said.
"What are your armor enhancements?" Jak asked.
"Well, I have-" Nightingale began to say before someone interrupted her.
"HEY! Shut it! Some of us are trying to do research!" a woman growled from somewhere to the left of them.
It was a young woman with crimson colored hair that went down to her shoulders. She was dressed in red armor with pink trimming, and had on black reading glasses on. She wasn't looking them, but her voice was very annoyed because she said "Well?"
"Sorry to disturb you" Jak said semi-sarcastically, causing the woman to look around in annoyance.
"Hey, you better-" the crimson haired Agent stopped in mid-sentence, staring at Jak.
"Well, well, well, aren't you the cute one?" the Agent said getting to her feet and walking over to Jak and Nightingale.
Nightingale confusedly looked at Jak and the Agent and said "Um, Jak, this is Agent Nymph. Nymph, this is Agent Chiaroscuro"
"And who the hell are you?" Nymph asked Nightingale rudely.
"I'm Nightingale" Nightingale said, sounding surprised.
"What!? No way…no freaking way" Nymph said, sounding shocked.
"Why do you sound so surprised? Is it because she's never talked before?" Jak asked.
"THIS is Nightingale? The Badass in Black? The Silent One?" Nymph laughed.
Nightingale frowned and said "Yes, I'm Nightingale"
"It figures as much. So, what's someone like you doing hanging around with a stud like him?" Nymph asked, sounding disgusted.
"Excuse me?" Nightingale said, sounding confused.
"Hey. Leave her alone" Jak said, stepping in.
"Oh, fine. I have to go anyway. See you later handsome…" Nymph said with a smile as she walked away from the duo.
"She's usually never this unfriendly towards me…was it something I said?" Nightingale asked, sounding confused and worried.
"No. Just ignore her" Jak said.
"OK" Nightingale said softly.
The two Agents continued to talk until Nightingale was too tired to keep going. They both walked down the hallways, casually talking until they reached Jak's room. Nightingale gave Jak a small hug, blushing pink, and walked to her room, bidding him good night.
Nightingale turned the corner and plowed into someone. Nightingale stumbled backwards and growled angrily "Watch where you're going next time!"
"Oh, excuse me Nightingale!" a familiar voice said sarcastically.
It was Nymph, looking at Nightingale as though she were an insect. Nightingale frowned and said "What is your problem with me?"
"I have no problem with a hideous semi-mute freak like yourself" Nymph said coolly.
"Hideous?" Nightingale repeated, sounding surprised.
Nymph smiled and said "Oh yes, not mention a freak"
"A freak? Why are you saying these things?" Nightingale asked.
"Because you deserve the truth. As does your friend, Jak" Nymph said.
"Jak? What does he have to do with this?" Nightingale asked.
"And stupid too apparently. I don't have time for this, I, unlike you, have things to do. Why don't you go get your legs shattered again, huh? Do everyone around here a favor" Nymph said coldly as she walked away.
Nightingale flinched at the horrible memory and whispered "They don't all want me to get my legs broken again…do they?"
The Next Morning:
Jak and Daxter woke up, feeling well rested. It was a nice change of pace, living at the Sanctuary. They were, for once, safe. Sure, they had to go on dangerous missions like usual, but they didn't have to wake up to explosion outside and the screaming of dying people, or in the heat of the desert on a rough mattress.
Jak got dressed in his working out clothes, since he was planning on beating his previous record for the obstacle course, and exited his room. Nightingale was waiting for him outside, looking apprehensive.
Hey Night" Jak grunted.
"Hey there!" Daxter said.
"Morning…" Nightingale muttered, sounding depressed.
"What's up?" Jak asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Well…it's nothing…come on, let's go eat" Nightingale said quietly.
The trio made their way to the Mess Hall where Rune and Blade were sitting down, eating bacon and eggs. Nightingale remained silent for the entire meal, and when the others asked her what was wrong, she simply shook her head.
"Was it that girl from last night? Nymph was it?" Jak asked.
"Nymph? She's ranked 25th on the Leaderboard. I think she's a pilot for one of the Raven-ships" Rune said.
"She's kind of annoying though, and she's always been a little jealous of those in the Top 7." Blade said.
"Not you. She respects and admires you" Nightingale mumbled dejectedly.
"Because of my looks and the fact that I'm the highest ranked Male of the Leaderboard since Havoc disappeared. She's a horrible flirt too, very immature" Blade said with a disapproving sigh.
"It's nothing…really, everything's fine" Nightingale muttered.
"If you say so Night" Blade said, not believing the gloomy statement.
A few hours later, Jak, Daxter, and Nightingale were back in the Armory, looking at some of the weapons in detail.
"This is one of my favorites. This particular shotgun is the one I had when I finished the mission that led me to become the number 1 ranked Agent" Nightingale said softly, holding the shotgun in her hands.
"You don't seem like a shotgun kind of girl" Daxter snickered.
"Well, I'm full of surprises" Nightingale said a smile, the first one she had on her face since last night.
Suddenly Rune burst into the room and said "Jak, we need your help. One of the Eco vats is leaking and we need your powers to help stem off some of it!"
"Hold on. Later Night, I've got to do this real quick. Meet me in the Library, OK?" Jak said.
Nightingale nodded and Jak and Daxter dashed off with Rune. Nightingale sighed and put away her shotgun.
"Putting up the old shotgun for good?" came a familiar voice.
"Nymph" Nightingale said turning around, spotting the crimson haired Agent.
"I honestly don't know why you bother trying. You're not going to be the top Agent for long. Not with you getting injured" Nymph said.
"Last time I checked, I'm still top Agent" Nightingale calmly.
"Because you're the Chief's favorite little Agent. I honestly doubt that you'll stay that way for long, what with your loss to Havoc, who in my opinion, did the best thing for the AA by knocking you down a few pegs" Nymph said.
"What is your problem with me!? What have I done to you to treat me like this!?" Nightingale asked.
"You don't remember? My first day here…my very, first, day. You made me a laughing stock in front of all of those in the Top 7!" Nymph growled.
"It was an accident, I didn't know you'd-" Nightingale began to say before Nymph cut her off with a loud unbelieving scoff.
"Whatever, like I'd believe anything coming out of your mouth. And just so you know, he doesn't feel the same about you" Nymph said with a grin.
Nightingale blinked and said "W-what do you mean?"
"Oh you know. Chiaroscuro, he doesn't feel the same about you. He befriended you, out of pity. After all, why would someone as gorgeous as him fall for a witch like you? You couldn't even talk to people a month ago, and here you are trying to make Jak like you?" Nymph laughed loudly, causing Nightingale to frown.
"That isn't true! We trust one another! He's my very first friend!" Nightingale yelled, clearly upset by Nymph's cruel words.
These were words that shouldn't have been said, because Nymph laughed again and said "And only! Think about it, why didn't any of the Agents came down to help you after you got the hell beat out of you by Havoc?"
Nightingale realized she…was right. When she was being attacked, no one had come to her rescue. No one. She somewhat recalled Jak snarling before falling unconscious. Maybe she was helped after that…maybe they were just unable to make it to her in time.
"I know it wasn't like that" Nightingale said firmly.
"Heh, pig-headed idiot. You'll get yours soon enough" Nymph said with a grin as she turned around and walked away.
"What could she mean by that?" Nightingale said softly, still hurt from Nymph's insults.
Meanwhile in the Wasteland:
"The Precursors…you revere them, like gods in this realm"
Havoc chuckled and said "Well, they made everything in this realm, Lady Arranst"
"Pathetic. They are nothing, compared to my true might" the mysterious voice growled.
"So, why me?" Havoc asked.
"Didn't I tell you? You are the chosen one. The Dark Side of the Prophecy, the one that speaks of me and my champion. That…is you, little one" the dark voice laughed.
"And you think my…powers, can help you?" Havoc asked.
"Of course. You amongst my followers are the best of the best. You are the Chosen One" Arranst said to the former Avenging Angels Agent, who smiled.
"Chosen one…I like the ring of it. So, what's first on our agenda for today?" Havoc asked, sitting down on a large rock.
"We must hone your skills. There are a nearby group of Marauder Bandits that should prove to be sufficient for our purposes" Arranst said smoothly.
"Well then, let's see what these powers of mine can do!" Havoc growled as dark lightning crackled around his fingertips.
Havoc slowly walked towards the group of Marauder Bandits and took cover behind another rock before they could see him. He looked at the Marauder group, who were busy torturing a Wastelander who had crashed his car in the desert. The man was close to death, but the Marauder's didn't care. Havoc grinned.
"By the Precursors, how I love the sight of chaos in the morning" Havoc chuckled, pulling out a small knife.
"Please…j-j-just k-kill me and be d-done with it" the eviscerated man begged the ten Marauders', who shook their heads laughing.
Suddenly there was a wicked purple flash out of nowhere and Havoc appeared in midair, his face in a scowl. His small knife was now a three foot long sword, pulsating with a strange purplish energy. Havoc swung the blade in a circle and beheaded two of the Marauders who were standing next to the spot where he appeared at the same time.
Havoc landed on the dune while the Marauder's blood soaked the sand crimson. Havoc smiled at the Bandits who were looking at him in shock and said "Who's next?"
The remaining Marauder's eyed their fallen comrades and charged at the former AA Agent. Havoc ducked under a sword and ran the owner through with his own sword, which began to tear at the Bandit's internal organs the moment it entered his body. Havoc tore the blade free and punched another Bandit in the face, causing his face to cave in completely. The man fell to his knees, screaming dully until Havoc put him out of his misery.
"Oh, this is way more fun than killing Metal Heads" Havoc laughed as the fourth bandit's skull fell to the ground, followed by his body.
"SIC EM!" Arranst laughed.
"Of course, my Lady" Havoc grinned as he dashed forward, sword swinging.
Havoc dismembered two Marauders' at once before kicking one in the chest, causing him to rupture both lungs at once, and punching the other in the throat, effectively breaking his neck.
The remaining Marauder's eyed the warrior with fear, and ran towards their Buggy. As they tried to start their car, Havoc began to walk over to their car. The driver frantically tried to start the car, and when Havoc was twenty feet away, he finally succeeded in getting the car to start. The group of Marauder's shot off into the distance, leaving Havoc laughing.
The Marauder's looked back after a few seconds, and saw to their relief, Havoc was gone. One of them yelled out, and the others turned back around to see Havoc standing on the hood of the car, grinning evilly.
The lead Marauder slammed on his breaks, sending Havoc flying off of the car. Havoc landed lightly in the dunes, thirty feet away.
"Finish them" Arranst whispered in Havoc's mind.
"With pleasure" Havoc said, lifting a hand towards the remaining Marauder's, charged with Dark Eco energy.
"DARK BURST!" Havoc yelled as a huge burst of Dark Eco shot from Havoc's palm.
The attack slammed into the Marauder's Buggy, causing it to explode violently. The resulting explosion killed the remaining Marauders instantly.
"Well done…though you missed one" Lady Arranst said to Havoc, who looked at the Injured Wastelander.
"P-p-please…h-help me" the man begged Havoc.
Havoc summoned his blade once more and flicked his wrist, splattering the sand with blood once more.
"Sleep, forevermore" Havoc murmured.
"Excellent work Jazon…I believe you're ready for your next step. I have a mission for you" Arranst said silkily.
"Of course My Lady, I will serve you however I can" Havoc said softly.
Sanctuary:
Jak stood in the library, getting impatient.
"Where is she?" Jak asked Daxter, who shrugged.
Nightingale was supposed to meet the two of them two hours ago They had last seen her in the armory, and Jak had even went here after waiting in the Library fir thirty minutes.
"She's never late like this. I wonder what's up" Daxter asked.
"Oh, hi there Jak!" a familiar voice said cheerfully.
It was Nymph, wearing a sparkly pink low-cut dress. She was walking towards them, looking extremely pleased with herself.
Daxter sighed and said "No comment"
"Really? Jeez, I guess having your girlfriend turned into an Ottsel pretty much sealed the deal there, huh Dax?" Jak said under his breath.
"You betcha!" Daxter laughed.
"Hey there Jak. What are you doing in here?" Nymph asked.
"Waiting for Nightingale" Jak said shortly.
Nymph laughed lightly and said "Why? She's nowhere near good enough to be seen in your company. Especially for one so…powerful and handsome, as you"
"She is a flirt" Jak thought to himself.
"So, since Nightingale was so rude as to not show up, why don't you come hang with me?" Nymph asked sweetly.
"No, I-" Jak began to say before Rune came into the room and said "Hey Jak! Sharpshooter's added a new Armor enhancement to his rifle. Want to come watch him test it?"
"We'd love to!" Nymph said enthusiastically.
Jak scowled and Daxter shook his head as Nymph grabbed Jak's hand and pulled him out of the room. Jak growled angrily, he didn't like this woman, not one bit.
Jak, Daxter and Nymph passed by a beautiful looking potted plant, where a certain young woman was hiding. She looked out as the group passed, and brushed her long black hair out of her face to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing.
"Jak…and Nymph? How could this happen?" Nightingale whispered, sliding down the wall in despair.
"He…he'd rather spend time with that…harlot, than with me!?" Nightingale said as tears rolled down her face.
"M-maybe…I don't deserve someone like Jak…wait, what am I saying? He deserves someone who cares about him, not a horrible person like Nymph!" Nightingale said.
"But had he ever held your hand before?" a small voice in Nightingale's head asked.
"N-no…"
"Then Nymph must have something you don't" the voice reasoned.
"Maybe I should go talk to him later…" Nightingale whispered.
Meanwhile:
"All right Blade, what've you got for me?" Sharpshooter asked aiming his upgraded nipper rifle.
"OK, sending out the drones" Blade said in the control room.
They were all gathered in the Training Room. This was where Agents could test out their weapons and armor enhancements and train. Beast, Rune, Chill, Jak, Daxter, and Nymph were gathered in the room, watching Sharpshooter as he took aim with his bone-white sniper rifle. The tip of the rifle had a small ball of energy charged up at the tip.
"All right, go!" Blade said from the control room, pressing several buttons.
Several metal flying discs with rotating razor blades on them, shot around the room, flying around Sharpshooter. Sharpshooter grinned and fired his rifle, which instead of a bullet; a huge red laser flew out and destroyed one of the flying discs.
"Impressive. So you can upgrade your weapons too?" Jak asked Chill, who smiled.
"Not just that, It's whatever can make you more efficient in the field. Weapon upgrades, armor upgrades, custom weapons, and so on. Like me, my suit has three upgrades in it, all of them working alongside each other to make me a force to be reckoned with against the Metal Heads" Chill explained.
"So what are your enhancements?" Daxter asked.
"If we get a mission together, I'll show you" Chill said with a small chuckle before turning her attention back to Sharpshooter, who was firing at each of the flying discs.
A huge red laser slammed into each disc, courtesy of Sharpshooter, who had yet to miss a shot. When there were only two left, Sharpshooter waited a full minute while the discs spun around him, before he suddenly whirled around and fired into the air. The beam shot into the air, and just at that moment the two discs flew behind one another and were both obliterated by the laser.
"Nice!" Chill said clapping her hands.
"That's some serious firepower" Jak said clapping his hands too.
"That was badass! Where can I get one of those?" Daxter asked Beast, who chuckled deeply.
Rune was cheering loudly while the others continued to clap for the Agent who holstered his rifle and took off his helmet, grinning widely.
"Thanks guys. I'll be a terror in the field with this enhancement" Sharpshooter laughed.
"Wasn't it amazing Jak?" Nymph asked Jak, clinging onto his arm.
Jak was quickly getting annoyed with the crimson haired Agent. The entire time she was with him she had bombarded him with compliments and continued to belittle Nightingale in any way she could. Jak's frustration with her presence was rising, and he would be glad when the day was over.
"So, where do you want to go?" Daxter muttered to Jak as the duo left the Training Room.
"We need to find Nightingale. She didn't meet up with us earlier, I'm starting to get worried" Jak muttered to Daxter, who nodded in agreement as they walked down the hallway.
Unfortunately, Nymph clung onto Jak's arm tighter and said "Well then, we can look for her together!"
"That's not what I meant-" Jak began to say before Nymph glanced behind them and smiled.
"Well, maybe I will leave you. Good night, Jak" Nymph said kissing Jak full on the lips.
"Hey, back off sister!" Daxter yelled.
Jak pushed her off of his and wiped his mouth in disgust.
"Oh, hello there Nightingale. So good to see you again" Nymph said beaming at someone to Jak's left.
Jak turned and saw Nightingale standing about ten feet away, looking as though someone had punched her in the stomach.
"How…h-how…could you!? After all of the horrible things she's said to me! You kiss her!" Nightingale whispered as her eyes filled up with tears.
"Oh yes. We both agreed that you should've never broken your silence Nightingale. It'd be best for everyone if you kept your trap shut for all eternity" Nymph said cheerfully.
Nightingale looked at Nymph and Jak and said "Is that so…?"
"Night, you know that's not-" Jak began to say before Nightingale strode up to him and slapped him as hard as she could in the face.
"I knew I never should've trusted you. I was right before, you can't trust anyone but yourself" Nightingale said as tears rolled down her face.
"Nightingale! It's not-" Jak began to say before Nightingale round-housed kick Jak in the face, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Hey! Nightingale!" Daxter said jumping off of Jak's shoulder.
"I can't believe I thought you'd…you'd…" Nightingale trailed off before breaking into tears and running down the hallway.
"Mission Accomplished" Nymph said cheerfully.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" Jak roared angrily.
"Because. I hate Nightingale. I've hated her from the moment I met her. And I swore that after she embarrassed me I'd find a way to make her regret ever crossing me. I saw the way she looked at you, so I took the easiest route to breaking the, oh so powerful, Number 1" Nymph said gleefully.
Daxter growled at the crimson-haired Agent. He may have been a smarta$$, but he cared about his friends. And Nightingale had been through enough hell without people like Nymph making her life harder. Daxter looked at Jak and was grimly pleased to see the feral glare of Dark Jak looking back at him. Jak spoke, but his tone was very calm.
"I've never met someone so stupid" Jak said.
"What did you call me?" Nymph asked.
"I called you stupid" Jak said taking a breath, trying to calm his rage.
"Don't call me stupid!"Nymph said.
"You're right Jak, to call her stupid would be an insult to stupid people!" Daxter said.
"What did you just say!?" Nymph demanded.
Jak walked over to Nymph, using some of his Dark Eco because his control over his anger was slipping. He grabbed her by the throat tightly and hurled her into the wall, causing her to yell out in pain. Jak strode over to her and picked her up by her throat and growled at her.
"Let me just get down to it. I don't like you. You're a terrible person, and you make me sick. You've done nothing but annoy the hell out of me for the one day that I've known you. And worst of all, you've driven off one of the people I call a friend. I'm ashamed to have ever met you, and I hope for the good of all of the good people in the Avenging Angels, you crawl back to whatever hole you slithered out of" Jak growled, every syllable laced with dislike.
Jak's face was less than a centimeter from Nymph's face, which was wide-eyed in pure fear. She had heard rumors, but she had never felt anything like this before. Jak snarled at her one last time and let go of her, letting her fall onto the ground. Nymph curled into a ball and whimpered as Jak stormed away.
"Daxter, go find Rune, get her to help you find Nightingale" Dark Jak growled.
"On it." Daxter said hopping off of Jak's shoulder and scurrying down the hall.
Jak reverted back to normal and walked through the hallways, checking every room for the number one ranked Agent, and couldn't find her anywhere. Jak even checked the Bathing Grotto, and Nightingale was nowhere to be found. Rune came running up to Jak, with Daxter scampering behind her, and said "What's going on?"
"Nymph said…some bad things to Nightingale, who hit me and ran off. She's done nothing but piss Nightingale off for the past 24 hours, and then she kissed me and Nightingale ran off, crying. We've got to find her" Jak said.
"Wait, why was she crying about that?" Daxter asked.
"Hell if I know, we'll ask her when we find her" Jak said turning around and walking down the hallway.
Rune chuckled a little to herself and Daxter said "What's so funny?"
"How dense Jak is. He really doesn't see why Nightingale is so upset?" Rune asked.
"Well, unlike me, he really doesn't have much…experience, in this sort of thing." Daxter said with a shrug.
"Ah. Well, Nightingale will be in a place no one would expect to look. That's what I'd do" Rune said.
Jak scoured the entire facility for five hours, looking for the top-ranked Agent, but to no avail. Finally he decided to go check his ranking and point total on the list, wondering who was at what ranking. He vaguely recalled there being one in The Pit. Jak made his way there and promptly bumped into someone, who fell to the ground.
It was Nymph.
"H-hi…Chiaroscuro. Umm…s-sorry, about bumping into you, I was-" Nymph began to say nervously.
"What do you want?" Jak snapped.
"I'm sorry! OK!? I'm sorry I was such a horrible person to not just you, and to Nightingale. I was…jealous of her. I've always been jealous of her. Ever since the day I met her" Nymph said.
"Well, you can tell her yourself, if I don't kill you first. Now get out of my way" Jak growled stepping around her and walking into the pit. Jak noticed that though no one was in there, there was a banging sound similar to gunfire that could be heard if he stood still and listened.
"…maybe the shooting range? Weird place to go when you're upset, especially for Nightingale" Jak muttered as he walked towards the exit of the Pit.
Jak walked back into the hallways and met Rune, who said "I found her"
There was a silence and Jak said "Where is she?"
"The thing is, she doesn't want to see you. Or, anyone, really. She's…she's acting like she did before she became friends with you" Rune said with a sigh.
"If she goes back to acting like that, we may not be able to get through to her" Daxter said.
Jak turned around and said "I'm going to talk to her"
"Jak, she doesn't want to talk to you. She thinks that the one person she truly felt like she could trust let her down. I'll go talk to her, you find that idiot Nymph and make her go apologize" Rune said walking away.
Jak sighed and began walking back towards where he saw Nymph last, determined to set things straight.
Meanwhile:
Five minutes later, Rune was quietly standing behind a flower vase, with large blooming flowers that provided adequate cover from her target.
Nightingale.
The young woman just stood there with a sniper rifle, staring at the moon with a mournful expression. She then sighed sadly and aimed her sniper rifle and pressed a small lever next to her foot. A small disc shot out from a nearby disc launcher and flew fifty feet into the air and soared in front of Nightingale, who fired her rifle.
The clay disc shattered into several pieces and fell onto the ground. Nightingale reloaded and brushed her hair out of her face and looked right at where Rune was. Rune sighed and walked out from her hiding place and said "Nightingale, can we talk?"
Nightingale's gaze hardened and she aimed the rifle at Rune and placed her hand on the trigger. Rune sighed and took a step forward, and Nightingale fired her sniper rifle.
Rune winced as the bullet whizzed by her ear and embedded into the stone wall behind her. Nightingale shook her head in disgust and tossed the rifle on the ground and began to walk away. As she passed Rune, the agent grabbed Nightingale by the arm and said "Please Nightingale, I just want to help!"
Nightingale whirled around and glared at Rune, who looked at her in the eye. After what seemed like an eternity, Nightingale flung her arms around Rune's shoulders and began to sob.
"There there, it's going to be fine" Rune said soothingly as she pat Nightingale on her back .
"H-how could he do something like that? With that…that witch!" Nightingale sobbed.
"It's not like that Night" Rune said softly.
Nightingale let go of Rune and said "He kissed her, even when she said all of those horrible, cruel things to me! I can't believe I trusted him! He-"
"Nightingale! Calm…down. I'll explain everything" Rune said sternly, and Nightingale hesitated and nodded.
"Nymph, as you may have known, has been jealous of you for a long while. You had this image, before Jak joined the AA and got you to open up, of an unbeatable silent warrior who was unbreakable. And then we saw the true you. A beautiful, strong woman who had been tough for too long, and needed a friend. And there's nothing wrong with that. We've all cared about you for a long while Nightingale, we just stayed away because we were…well, you never spoke, and we thought you were just the sort of person who needed her personal space. We know it was for good reason, but still" Rune explained.
"I appreciate the space though…I didn't even realize what it was like to have friends until I met Jak in the Bathing Grotto" Nightingale murmured, and Rune smiled.
"Nightingale, it isn't just Jak who cares about you. We care about you too. You can trust us too" Rune said.
Nightingale sighed again and said "I…I know that…but Jak, he was my first friend"
"But that's not all, is it?" Rune asked.
Nightingale looked at her for a moment and shook her head.
"You do know that Jak is still shaken up over the loss of his friend, Keira? Right? He needs time to heal before he's even remotely-" Rune began to say.
"I can wait, Rune…it's just…I was…oh, to blazes with it. I was locked up in a Marauder stronghold for nearly five years" Rune showed surprise at this, but Nightingale didn't stop there "I didn't have a normal childhood. I'm not used to having friends…and I'm also…" Nightingale trialed off.
"You're not used to having feelings for someone?" Rune finished.
Nightingale walked over to the wall and leaned against it and slid down it with a sigh.
"Thought so. Look, Night. I'm not an expert on love, but if you want Jak to…well, you know. The first thing you have to do is forgive him. He wasn't at fault for what happened; Nymph was doing it to enrage you. She saw how you see him and she realized it was a quick and easy way to hurt you, and hard" Rune said walking over to Nightingale and sitting down next to her.
"Well, she was spot on then" Nightingale muttered.
"But you have to let this go. There are a lot of terrible people in the world. Havoc betrayed you and hurt you. Nymph kissed someone you cared about to hurt you. People hurt you Nightingale…it's a fact of life" Rune said.
"But it's getting back up after you've been hurt, and licking your wounds, with your head held high, that makes you grow" Rune said.
"…you're right" Nightingale said dolefully.
"I know I'm right. You're not used to actually being social with people yet. It's only been a short while since you started talking to others. It'll take some getting used to Night, but you'll come around. In the meantime, apologize to Jak" Rune said to the young woman.
"…if that's best" Nightingale murmured.
"Hey, do you want me to walk down there with you?" Rune asked.
"Please?" Nightingale said tiredly.
Rune stood up and helped Nightingale to her feet. She looked a tad unsteady, and had a slightly dazed look in her eye.
"Have you…have you been drinking?" Rune asked.
"A…a little. It only takes a little bit too…well, you know. I just wanted to stop thinking for a bit. Block out the pain any way I could" Nightingale said sadly.
"Drinking won't solve your problems. Nor will running away from them. You have to deal with them head-on" Rune said as she began to walk with Nightingale downstairs.
"Well, I can apologize to Jak...but what about Nymph?" Nightingale asked as she walked down the stairs, sometimes missing one and stumbling.
"Well, we all think she's an annoying brat who needs to be taught a lesson. So, I took the liberty of scheduling a one-on-one fight with you and her, tonight. In the Pit" Rune grinned.
"What? Are you serious? I'm-I don't have armor, and I'm…well, drunk" Nightingale said.
Rune scoffed and said "Are you honestly passing up an opportunity to settle this, woman to woman?"
"No, not at all. We're just not allowed to fight if we're drunk is all" Nightingale said sheepishly.
"Give me a minute" Rune smiled.
Ten minutes later, Rune had acquired a bottle of medicine that guaranteed to cure drunkenness in ten minutes. Another ten minutes later, Nightingale was sober again, though she still looked ashamed of how she had acted.
"Ugh, my head hurts though. Why is that?" Nightingale asked rubbing her temples.
"It's called a hangover Night, you get them after you get drunk" Rune explained as the two women walked down the hallway.
"Is that so?" Nightingale asked.
"Yeah, they're not fun. The medicine I gave you speeds up the body's natural ability to get the alcohol out of your system, though it only weakens the hangover" Rune explained.
"So, does Nymph know about the match?" Nightingale asked.
"Oh yeah, she's been running around to everyone from Beast to Chief Disten, begging for it to be stopped. She's freaking out bad" Rune chuckled.
"That's good" Nightingale said softly, with a small smile.
The two found Jak at the real shooting range, scowling in annoyance. He was NOT used to people having better aim then him, and Sharpshooter, along with several other Agents, all had high scores than him.
"This thing's rigged" Jak growled.
Rune walked into the room, though Nightingale hung behind nervously. Rune walked up to Jak and said "Jak…Nightingale has something to say to you"
Nightingale slowly walked into the room, her face looking at the ground. She very nervously walked closer into the room and up to Jak.
"S-sor…"
"What was that?" Rune asked.
"I'm…sor…s-sor"
"Nightingale…" Rune said sternly.
"I'M SORRY!" Nightingale yelled, falling to her knees, sobbing.
Jak let her cry for a few minutes, and waited for her to calm down. As her sobs became fewer, Jak knelt to the ground and looked her in the eyes. She looked up, her eyes bloodshot and splotchy. She looked as though she were utterly miserable, and truly regretted how she had acted.
"Nightingale…stop crying. Now" Jak muttered.
"I'm sorry Jak…I…I" Nightingale sobbed.
Jak sighed and said "You were upset, because you thought that I was with Nymph. That I agreed with the things she had said about you"
Nightingale nodded.
"She's a liar. You're an amazing person Nightingale. You're not weak, you are strong. One of the strongest people I know. And I'm glad that someone like you is my friend" Jak said with a small smile.
"S-so…you-?"Nightingale began to say.
"I'm not mad at you. You acted how anyone would have acted" Jak said.
"No. I shouldn't have taken out my fears and frustrations out on you. I'm-"
"Stop apologizing" Jak said firmly.
"But…"
"Nightingale. I forgive you. It's what friends do" Jak said giving the black haired woman a hug.
Nightingale gasped and hugged Jak back. She held onto him for a few moments before they separated. Nightingale allowed a small smile to grace her face and Jak said "I heard about your match with Nymph tonight"
"Yeah, I did too…about twenty minutes ago" Nightingale chuckled.
"How about we go get you set up in your temporary armor, since Tech is still making some last minute adjustments to your regular armor. And then you can help us get payback on Nymph. What do you say?" Jak said.
Nightingale smiled even wider and said "That sounds great"
The trio made their way to Techs' office to prepare Nightingale for some payback. Jak, Daxter, and Rune were eager to see Nightingale in action.
Two Hours Later…
"The following Battle Simulation Challenge is a one-on-one bout between Agent Nymph against Agent Nightingale. There are no weapon limitations and the winner will be decided when one of the combatants has been incapacitated." Arch said in the Pit Floor
"This is going to be good!" Chill grinned.
"I hope Nightingale gives her quite a thrashing" Royal said with a smile.
Jak grinned and yelled "Get her Nightingale!"
"Are both combatants ready?" Arch asked the two women o the Pit Floor.
"Yes!" Nightingale said confidently.
"Y-y-yeah…" Nymph said nervously.
"Commence Pit Challenge in 3…2…1…Begin."
"If you have anything to say now…do it" Nightingale said cracking her knuckles.
Nymph knew that Nightingale could easily beat her within an inch of her life with little remorse, especially with how Nymph had been treating her recently. She knew the only way to avoid getting put in the hospital was to swallow her pride and apologize.
"I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry about everything! It cruel, horrible, and wretched, and everything I said to you was a lie. You deserve your top-tanking on the Leaderboard, you deserve to be as beautiful as you are…and" Nymph's voice dropped so only Nightingale could hear her "and you're the only one out of us who deserves to have a chance with Jak"
"I appreciate you attempting to make things right, but to be honest, I'd really just like to see if I'm back to 100% yet, rather than beat the living hell out of you like you deserve. You're not worth the energy. So here's what we'll do. We fight and get this all out of our system, and you go back to whatever you did before all of this and leave me and Jak alone. Deal!?" Nightingale said the last part threateningly.
"D-d-deal!" Nymph said backing up.
"Good. Now let's do this" Nightingale said getting into a fighting stance.
Nymph dashed forward and tried to deliver a roundhouse kick, but it was swiftly blocked by Nightingale, who brought up her arm. Nightingale delivered a quick kick to the side of Nymph, who yelped and stumbled away.
Nymph grabbed a VA71 and fired a few shots at Nightingale who effortlessly avoided the shots. Nymph scowled and continued to fire with increasing frustration as she failed again and again to mark the black-haired Agent. Nightingale then sprinted at the crimson haired Agent and kicked the pistol out of her hands and punched her in the stomach, sending her flying onto the ground.
"My turn" Nightingale said softly, grabbing a VA71.
"Uh oh" Nymph muttered as Nightingale aimed her pistol at her.
Nightingale quickly fired three shots at Nymph, who was barely able to roll out of the way. Nightingale laughed lightly and ran at Nymph, who yelped as she was tackled to the ground. Nightingale balled up her fist and punched Nymph in the jaw.
"That was for the tears I shed at your hands!" Nightingale yelled as she delivered another punch to Nymph's head.
Nightingale got to her feet and delivered a powerful kick to Nymph's chest, sending her flying into the wall.
"Every agent has their strengths and weaknesses. Nymph is a fairly competent Agent, but she is outside of her comfort zone, so to speak. Nightingale however, is an extremely well-rounded Agent in all fields, but her powerful legs are what truly give her the edge" Royal said to the others, who agreed with the man.
"Ah!" Nymph yelled out as Nightingale shot her several times in the chest with her VA71.
"You deserve this, you know that, right?" Nightingale growled.
"I thought you weren't taking this personally!" Nymph said as Nightingale raised her boot.
"I lied. It's what you did to Jak, and to me. And if you lie to me, there will be consequences" Nightingale said bringing her boot down once more on Nymph's chest.
Nightingale fired three more shots into Nymph's chest before picking up the young woman and tossing her back onto the ground. Nightingale walked over to the Laser Swords and grabbed two, tossing one to Nymph, who was very slowly getting back to her feet.
"N-Nightingale, d-do we really have to do this?" Nymph groaned as she got to her feet.
"No, we don't. But I want to" Nightingale said as Nymph grabbed her sword and activated it.
Nymph lashed out with her sword and caught the flat of Nightingale's blade and tried to knock the blade out of her hand. Nightingale let go of her blade and Nymph overextended herself, causing her to lunge forward. Nightingale fell backwards and did a monkey flip on Nymph, sending her flying onto the ground once more.
Nightingale snatched up Nymph's fallen blade and slowly walked over to Nymph, who was getting back to her feet. Nightingale pointed both blades at Nymph and said "Let's end this, shall we?"
Nightingale spun around and slashed Nymph from her left shoulder to her right hip, causing Nymph to yelp in pain. Nightingale then kicked Nymph in the gut and slashed her with both swords at the same time. Nightingale delivered a swift kick to Nymph's stomach and twirled both swords gracefully above her before slashing Nymph in the back, causing her to yell out in pain.
"I think we're done here" Nightingale said kicking Nymph to the ground, where she lay there, groaning. Nightingale placed both swords at either end of Nymph's neck and said "Checkmate"
"The winner of the Pit challenge is Agent Nightingale" Arch said, and everyone in the Watchtower cheered for the black-haired woman, who took of her helmet, grinning cheerfully.
"I expected her to do to Nymph, what Havoc did to her" Chill muttered.
"She's pissed, not evil" Jak replied.
"Not anymore, she's positively beaming" Rune said with a smile.
The door to the Pit opened and Nightingale walked in, still looking cheerful. She brushed her hair out of her face, and said shyly "So…um, how was it?"
"I honestly thought you should've beaten her up more, but hey, it was still satisfying" Chill said patting the young woman on the back.
"Good job" Jak said with a small smile, and Nightingale beamed.
"So, what now?"Royal asked, pointing to Nymph, who was trying to get to her feet.
"She'll be fine. Come on, let's go eat. I hear Turo's got this fresh baked apple pie that's out of this world" Sharpshooter said, and everyone left the room but Blade, who stood there watching Nymph make her way out of the Pit.
"I guess I deserved that" Nymph groaned as she got to her feet
"Short of getting the beating of my life, I think that went OK. Who would've thought Nightingale would be so…forgiving?" Nymph muttered as she limped towards the Watchtower.
"Maybe…she isn't as bad as I thought" Nymph muttered.
"So, you can walk?" Blade said scathingly as Nymph walked into the Watchtower.
"Ugh, I know! I deserved the beating that I got! I know! Give it a rest, Blade" Nymph said, sinking onto the bench in the Watchtower with a wince.
"Nightingale may have dropped it, but I won't. With everything that's been going on, I can't believe you did that to her" Blade said coldly.
"I said I'm sorry. Jeez" Nymph said abashedly.
"That doesn't make it OK. We need unity in these times, and Nightingale speaking and recovering can do only good things for the Avenging Angels. You're actions would have negated everything Jak's presence has done for her. As a fellow Agent and a friend of hers, I'm disgusted by your actions" Blade scowled.
"I…I never thought about it like that" Nymph said, sounding ashamed.
"You have to be open-minded about these things. We have to be united Nymph, lest we fall to the impending forces of darkness" Blade growled.
"What are you talking about?" Nymph asked.
"Think about it. Things have been changing around here. The attack on Haven City. Havoc going crazy and attacking Nightingale. The increased Hunter Agent attacks…there's a connection between these events…I can feel it" Blade muttered turning away from Nymph.
"Feel what?" Nymph asked.
"There's a storm brewing Nymph….and the when the storm breaks, well…let's just pray that we all escape from the downpour alive" Blade said darkly as he walked out of the room.
End of Chapter:
OK, that's the end of the filler. Way longer than I thought it would be. Next chapter will be way better, that's my promise. Spoilers! Next chapter will feature of the return our favorite Wastelander, Sig! Oh, and Kleiver too. Next chapter, things get serious. Please review and let me know what you think. Also, if you have idea for an Avenging Angels character and would like to see it put in the story, leave a review or message me! Until then, FlygonN out!