Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
Four months…
Man, time flies.
There's a lot of reasons why this update took so long, and normally I'd apologize for it. But the fact of the matter is that real life and obligations take precedence over what I want.
I needed time to back away from the story and focus on other things. The Freelancer Collaboration, "Apocalypse: Dawn of the Dead", and issues of a personal nature. Another is that I wanted to finish up my first story before I buckled down on this one. Now that I'm two chapters away from finishing up, I can now return to this story and ready to buckle down on it.
Though in my defense, I lost the chapter twice over the course of three months, because my laptop sucks ass, and internet issues kept me from getting it up earlier.
Also, I teased some big news for the story, so here it is.
As I mentioned before, there will be major revisions done to this story as it worked on, starting from the beginning of course. This is a list of just a few if the revisions.
-Major Spelling/Grammer edits
-Inclusion of scenes involving Arch and Vin's relationship and how it developed.
-Sharpshooter, Blade, Rune, and Phoenix's introduction into the Avenging Angels.
-Havoc's backstory.
-And so much more.
The revisions will start once A:DOTD is finished and revised, but rest assured that this story WILL be given the attention it deserves…I would also like to take this time and say that I wish I could have taken a break from other chapters, because I added several things to this chapter that would have never been put in had I not taken a break from this story and not dealt with it for a while.
I do want to sincerely thank those of you who have stuck with the story and continue to offer me feedback and support. You guys inspire me to keep going, and I thank you for that.
So, shoutout to those who reviewed last chapter which includes ScreamGirl4998, a guest reviewer,Kazan645, evilanimegenius, Ways, Tyler, StaticBomb93, Oblique Strategies, a new guest reviewer known as 1Fanfanatick, Ruka, and four new reviewers known as DaibenDarkKitty64, DarkJamesWolf, FromBeyondTheOmniverse, and A fan . or not. Thanks for the love everyone, you guys are the best.
Here we go!
Enjoy.
Chapter 35: Crash and Burn
"Revenge is not a noble sentiment, but it is a human one."-Rudy Giuliani
The Lost Ruin: Outer Levels
Nightingale took point, sending a small ball of light ahead to illuminate the dark passageway. The cave so far had been a winding staircase downwards, something that Jak was not a big fan of. It was too narrow and dark, with the walls seemingly closing in on him…
He wondered then if he suffered from claustrophobia or something…
Then again, he had experience with these sorts of ruins…maybe it was anticipation. This was, after all, one of the most scared of the Precursor Ruins…within the deepest depths of the Catacombs.
"Hey Jak?" Night's voice was impossibly loud in the dark silence, despite her voice being a whisper. Jak moved beside her and said "Yeah?"
"What do you think we'll find down here?" Night asked Jak, who shrugged.
"I doubt there's any Metal Heads down here. This place has been sealed off for centuries, right? We're probably going to find traps and puzzles down here." Jak said as he pulled out a pistol and aimed in the darkness.
"Though having a weapon ready won't hurt things." Jak muttered, deciding not to take a chance. Daxter shuddered and said "You really think nothing is waiting for us down there?"
"Probably not…but like I said, it's never a bad idea to consider it." Jak replied softly. A few more minutes of walking later, the material of the stairs they were going down changed from stone to a curious sort of marble substance. Jak then realized that there was a faint light ahead, and Nightingale said softly "Be careful…we don't know what's down there."
Daxter rolled his eyes, though the others didn't see him, and the group continued. Minutes passed on, blending into some unknown amount of time. The silence and dark began to wear on Jak's nerves, and he shook his head, trying to ignore his unease. Nightingale glanced at him and after a moment, walked closer to him, grabbing his hand.
Jak looked at her and said "What's up?"
"You OK?" Nightingale asked Jak, concerned.
"Yeah…this is just…a hole. I've never been in a cave like this before. I've gone to the Earth's Core before, and I've never felt this…"
"Encaged?" Night asked.
Jak shook his head and said "No, not that…I don't know what it is Night. This place is different. Can't you feel it?"
Nightingale nodded and said "It does have a strange vibe to it, doesn't it? As though it wants us to keep going…to see if we can find the secrets within…"
"Well, when a ruin starts talking to you I start wondering if I'm the only sane one." Daxter commented with a smirk. Nightingale rolled her eyes while Jak chuckled and said "Hey, you've done good so far. As long as you're kicking Dax, I think we'll be sane."
"Plus, I can use my God Powers on anything that comes our way!" Daxter said in a confident tone, wiggling his fingers and striking a pose. Nightingale fought the urge to laugh, but stumbled down the steps as Jak lunged forward, grabbing her hand and pulling her back towards him. Nightingale glanced down and saw that the steps had suddenly dropped off.
Below them was a steep drop to a room below them, utterly massive and lit with torches that burned a gold color. The walls were lined with Precursor Metal, decorated with thousands upon thousands of glyphs and runes written in a language only Nightingale could speak.
"T-thanks Jak," Nightingale said gratefully as she took a step back.
"Looks like we have to fly down." Jak noted, seeing the lack of stairs. Nightingale and Jak both entered their light forms clasped hands before diving off of the cliff, Daxter swearing loudly as they did so. Both landed lightly on the ground, floating a few inches off the ground before their feet touched it. Nightingale and Jak deactivated their light forms and gazed around the massive antechamber with awe.
"This place…its beautiful." Nightingale murmured, eyeing the elegantly carved runes that glimmering in the torchlight, light that seemed to give the room a comforting feel. Jak looked around and said "This place…it feels safe."
"Yeah, I get that vibe too." Daxter said in agreement, looking at the flames of a nearby torch with a smile. Nightingale glanced at the clock at the corner of her visor's display and noted that it was nightfall already. Time seemed to have sped up, or they had made more progress downwards than they had thought.
"What now?" Daxter asked the two heroes.
"We go in." Night said with a small laugh. Jak drew Nightingale's knife, flipped it in his grip and aimed his pistol into the dark stairway that led further down.
"Ladies first." Jak said with a smirk. Nightingale laughed and said "My, what a gentleman."
"You two better tone down the gushy stuff or I'm gonna lose it." Daxter grumbled as Night and Jak laughed, descending further into the ruin in high spirits.
Meanwhile:
Kras City Outskirts:
As the Raven-Ship descended towards the ground below, Jet smiled a bit as he eyed the bustling city below. Kras City…one of the few places in the world free of the Metal Head's and their influence, and a place where excitement and danger lurked around every corner.
In truth, he realized that this place was the city Haven would never be…Despite the gangs and the dangers of the infamous sport that made Kras City as wealthy and well-known as it was, this was a safe place…
Crash then remembered why he was here. The AA needed information…and to get that Crash needed get to Mizo. Crash stood in the back of the transport, his mind racing as he too thought about the infamous crime lord.
Mizo…just the name sent shivers down his spine. Very few knew the man's true identity, and Crash was not among them. All he knew was the Mizo was a ruthless strategist and a master manipulator, and had risen to the top with an empire of crime to rival that of Krew.
But that meant he had connections…very valuable connections to the underground. And Crash was the Avenging Angels link to that seedy side of the coin…
Crash shivered as he got up from his seat and stretched, picking up his bag and glancing back at Jet, who had just landed the transport.
"You sure about this?" Jet asked warily. Crash sighed and said "Yeah…its got to be done, man."
"Alright…well…" Jet paused awkwardly as he lowered the rear door, letting in the evening moonlight.
"Good luck." Jet said to Crash, who smirked and said "Luck's for losers, Jet. Keep an eye on Vivi, got it?"
"Got it." Jet said as the door closed behind Jet. He then had his transport rise into the sky once again and with a small smile he shot off into the night, leaving his friend down below. Crash looked at the fading transport with a somber expression until he heard a smooth voice say "Daniel Hawali?"
Crash whirled around, drawing a pistol and aiming it at the hooded figure standing behind him. He then realized the man he was aiming a gun at was flanked by two armed guards aiming rifles at him.
"That'll do Danny. Come now…we should get inside where it's safe." The man said in a smooth, calming tone. Crash nearly burst out laughing at that, but managed to contain his laughter and simply chuckled at the man who smiled widely at him from underneath his hood.
"Mizo…good to see you're well." Crash said, lowering the pistol and clipping it to his belt.
"Ah…see? Was that so hard?" Mizo said in a smooth tone, causing Crash to shudder, his cheer vanishing in an instant. Now was where the games would begin…and he wasn't confident he could keep up with Mizo.
"Maybe. I'm not a big fan of playing though." Crash said as pulled his bag over his shoulder.
"Too bad. I need all my best players on hand. Troubles brewing and we have to be ready." Mizo said sharply as he turned around. He glanced back at Crash and said "You know what I expect of you, Daniel."
"And you know why I came back. I need info." Crash said to Mizo, who raised an eyebrow. He then turned back to Crash, taking a step forward. Crash didn't break eye contact with him, and Mizo's face turned to a dangerous smile.
"You've grown a spine…good." Mizo said as he looked away. Crash frowned and said "What aren't you telling me?"
"It seems that I have a lot to catch you up on. Krew's heir has made their play, and we're assembling what we've got to combat her team. She's recruited some of the world's best drivers…"
"Too bad for her you've got me." Crash said in a low voice. Mizo smiled and said "I'd expect nothing less from a former Kras Grand Pre Champion."
"That was years ago, Mizo. You know I'm retired." Crash said in a tired tone, earning a scowl from Mizo.
"And that means nothing to me, Daniel. Razor happens to be retired as well, but as you very well know, he and you will have to come out of retirement if it means that my empire flourishes like it has never done before."
"What exactly have you gotten me into, sir?" Crash asked the crime lord, who looked at him for a moment, his anger fading slowly but surely. Mizo then said "We are facing a time of war, Daniel. We are putting everything on the line here, and I want my best racers on hand so we can be ready."
Mizo then reached towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Razor can say whatever he wants, you're a Champion. You were at the top of your game when your brother died…You left behind us to hunt down Metal Heads, but remember that you were the heart of the team. With you back…"
Mizo smiled, a thing that sent a shiver down Crashes spine, and said "Victory is all but assured. I will stack the deck in my favor however I can…"
"That much is obvious, Boss." Crash muttered as Mizo removed his hand from his shoulder. He then took a breath and said "I'll need my car prepped with all the latest advancements, and a full bio on every single one of the bastards I'm going against. Anything you can get for me, the better. If this is as big as you say, I'll need anything you can get me."
"Once a champion, always a champion Daniel." Mizo laughed suddenly before becoming serious once more. "You of course won't be alone on the track. You will lead the team, and Razor will step eventually. UR-86 will join if absolutely necessary, in case of an emergency."
"You're sending that thing out on the track? Jeez, this is serious." Crash muttered.
"She must not win!" Mizo growled as he snapped his fingers. One of the men rushed forward and opened the door to the rather luxurious car behind him and said in a annoyed tone "Now, the hour is late. We'll retire for the night and get you back into the swing of things tomorrow."
"Alright." Crash said as he glanced around at the city he had left behind…the lights, and moon looming overhead, the sound of cars, not Zoomers roaring in the distance…The air was more or less clean and comforting…A smile spread across his face.
It was good to be home.
Meanwhile:
Sanctuary:
"Come on! He said it was urgent!" Nymph said to the others as they walked down the hall with her leading the way.
"Ugh, couldn't it wait until morning!?" Chill growled as Blade carried in bridal style in his arms, trying not to sow how annoyed he was. Disten was the only one really dressed, in his usual suit. Everyone else had thrown on some sort of shirt over their pajamas (or in the case of Chill, forced into clothes).
"No, Vin said its urge-" Nymph began to say before a blue hologram popped up a nearby terminal, one that lead to the Armory, and said "Urgent! Get the heck over here! Now!"
Vin vanished without further adieu, and the others made their way towards the MCC, yawning and shuffling down the hallway in silence, though Disten looked pensive. As they arrived, they saw several technicians starring at a swirling blue whirlwind of data while Vin starred at it. It had a strange sort of beauty to it, as though they were starring into the very essence of another being.
"Wow…what is it?" Chill asked curiously as she was set down on her feet by Blade.
"This is the raw coding of Arch. Her memories…her personality…everything. I can't stabilize it at the moment, but I can get her ready for-wait a sec…why am I explaining this to you?" Vin asked Chill, who shrugged. Blade chuckled and said "OK, so what's up? Can you put her back together?"
"No, not at the moment. But I'm close! Really close! I can reform her, but keeping it together and creating the holographic shell for her is the difficult part. That's what I need you guys for." Vin said to the warriors.
"OK, so how do we help?" Nymph asked.
"Well, back when I was human, I used to have a special workshop at the Power Station. I still have a lot of important equipment there that can be of use to you guys, and a lot of data stored there that can help me finish putting Arch together." Vin explained.
"So what exactly do you need?" Chill asked.
"A very specific file that contains a few programs that will let me finish the job. If you can get me that, I can restore Arch." Vin said with a tired smile.
"We'll need to get there ASAP. Come on!" Nymph said as she strode to the door.
"Wait!" Vin yelled.
"When I left the City, I had some automated defenses running a separate server, just in case something happened to me. I have no control over it, so you'll have to find a way to disable it before you get to my workshop." Vin warned them.
"Blade, Chill, Nymph. You three make your way to Haven first thing tomorrow and get that file and anything else Vin needs. He'll remain in contact with you until you reach the Power Strip." Disten said to the warriors, who nodded.
"I'll wake you up in a few hours so we can get here and back before anyone sees you messing around in there." Vin said to them,
"Gotcha. Give us a few hours to rest, and we'll be all set Vin." Blade said to Vin, giving him a reassuring smile. Nymph nodded, smiling a bit and said "I can't wait to talk to her again"
"Thanks again guys, this means a lot to me." Vin said gratefully as the clusters of data slowly stopped spinning and dispersed before forming a ball. Vin starred at the ball as the warriors left the room, leaving Vin alone with the Chief.
"Vin…Do you really think you can repair her?" Disten asked the A.I, who nodded slowly.
"Its not such much as repairing her as recreating her from what fragments I saved. There was enough for me to get an idea. She should have the memory and personality of her old self, but I'm not sure how she'll function until we recreate her. Tech left a good bit of data, and I managed rebuild her from those instructions."
"But getting that data from your old lab will stabilize her, and she'll be back?"
"Hopefully, yes." Vin said in a softer voice. Disten smiled a little and said "Arch has a place in many of our hearts, despite what you believe. She's designed after a former Agent who passed away, many years ago."
"Really? Arch never told me that." Vin said, sounding surprised.
"Yes…Arch is, in a way, a reincarnation of a very dear friend that fell to the Hunters, more than ten years ago. Tech must have considered her very important to him in order to create an Artificial Intelligence in her image." Disten said softly, a faraway look in his eyes. Vin then wondered how many of the people Disten had cared for fallen in the fight against the Metal Heads…how many of his beloved Agents had fallen to protect the innocent in the name of the Precursors?
"Arch is special." Vin said softly, snapping himself out of his thoughts.
"Yes…she has all of the qualities of a human, and despite what most science says regarding A.I, we in turn treat her as one. She has also, in turn, saved people and cared for us…Crash, for example, suffered from horrible nightmares that threatened to drive him to death upon joining here. He had no regard for his life and would take trips into the Wasteland, determined to kill whatever he saw so he could finally be freed of whatever plagued him." Disten explained as he sat down in a chair. Vin floated over to Disten, amazed, and asked "So...what did Arch do?"
"One night Crash was planning to drive the Devastator right into the Marauder Fortress, which of course would have resulted in his death and the deaths of many Marauders. Arch managed to convince him to stay and offered him advice. She consoled him and helped him see that he could get past his problems. Arch refused to say more to me, out of respect for Crash's privacy, but ever since Crash has regarded that A.I as a close friend. Much like many of us do." Disten said in a distant voice, reflecting on the memories.
"I see…" Vin murmured.
"Yes…We hold Arch in high regards, which is why we will not rest until you save her. We stand by you, Vin." Disten said as his eyes rested on the man floating in front of him.
Vin blinked in surprise as Disten said in a soft voice "You're the only one who can save her. We're counting on you."
Disten turned away and walked out of the MCC, leaving Vin to his thoughts.
Meanwhile:
The Lost Ruin: Inner Depths
"Hey, I see a light!"
"Don't go towards it! I don't wanna die!"
"…"
"…"
"…Hey, I thought it was funny." Daxter grumbled.
The trio exited the tunnel once more and found themselves in a ruined passageway of sorts, with several floating platforms ahead of them with massive blades swishing through the air. Jak smirked and said "About time. I was wondering where the actual challenge was."
Jak and Nightingale jumped into the air as they turned into their light forms, soaring forward and weaving in and out of the blades with ease. As they neared the farthest platform, lasers suddenly shot from all directions at them, and they both conjured a Light Shield to protect themselves, the barrier's melding a creating a domed shield of light. Both warriors grunted as the lasers slammed into the shields with more and more force at a quicker rate, but they held firm.
Finally, as the platform reached the far ledge they had been travelling to, the lasers stopped shooting and the two let the shields drop.
"Thank god that's over…" Nightingale said with a tired laugh.
"That escalated quickly." Daxter said with a smirk, eying the two heroes catching their breath.
"Ugh, do we have to keep stopping to take breathers? You know, the fate of the world hangs in the balance and all that?" Daxter complained loudly, his voice bouncing off the walls. Jak and Nightingale exchanged a glanced and tapped their radio's, causing their helmets to suddenly cut off all sound. Daxter continued to rant for a few more minutes until he caught on that the others were now ignoring him, and promptly began to insult the two of them while they couldn't hear him, which turned into a very amusing game…
Until Nightingale turned her hearing back on and heard Daxter call her something that made her blush scarlet and angrily chase him into the next room.
"You guys are going to set off every trap in this place." Jak muttered as he switched back on his hearing and ran after them. A few moments later Daxter hastily apologized and then pointed out the light room up ahead.
"Actually, this place doesn't seem to be heavy heavily guarded, save for the traps along the way earlier. I imagined something much more…complex for a ruin like this." Nightingale said in a wondering tone as they stepped into a new room, illuminated by a series of glowing golden torches. There seemed to be no path forward that they could see.
"I doubt the place itself will be very heavily guarded, what with the amount of passageways that require one of us specifically to open it. Its like the guy who writes this is trying to be smart or something," Daxter said dryly, pointing to the massive Precursor Statue holding a sword above a large basin filled with a clear liquid of some sort. Daxter sighed and said "Wanna bet that things wants my blood?"
"You make it sound evil, Dax." Jak laughed as Daxter scampered off towards the statue. As Daxter approached it, a deep voice growled at him and said "Greetings, those Chosen by the Ancient Ones. I order to proceed, proof of the blessing that the Precursors have given you is required."
"Told you." Daxter grimaced as Nightingale offered him a knife. Daxter pricked open his finger and let a drop fill the basin. As soon as Daxter's blood hit the water, it turned a bright golden color and began to shine.
"Incredible…" Nightingale breathed as the Basin flashed white. A massive beam of light shot towards the ceiling, but dissipated quickly. The statue then began to move to the side, revealing another passageway downwards.
"Come on, let's gooooooo-" Jak began to say before a yawn cut him off. Nightingale laughed and said in a singsong voice "Someone's getting sleepy."
"Am not." Jak scoffed.
"Someone needs to go to bed earlier." Daxter laughed.
"Shut up." Jak muttered, crossing his arms.
"Maybe we should take a rest. I'm getting a bit tired too." Nightingale said to the other two heroes. Daxter rolled his eyes and said "Incredible…Ah well, what can you do?"
"We can rest here for the night." Jak said as he set down the supply bag and glanced around, eyeing the golden torches that illuminated the room. Daxter scampered off to reseal the doorway, not liking the large gaping hole in the room.
Nightingale nodded as Daxter jumped back on Jak's shoulder and said "Sounds good to me. No point in continuing if we're tired, right?"
"Right." Jak agreed, taking off his helmet, with Nightingale doing the same a few moments later.
"This place feels like the one earlier…it feels like someone's watching over us. Doesn't it?" Nightingale asked as she sat down against the wall. Jak nodded and said "Maybe the Precursors are keeping an eye on things."
"Oh, they probably are. But that doesn't mean that they're going to help…we've gone this far without their help, we can keep going." Daxter said as he jumped off Jak's shoulder with Jak sitting down against a nearby wall. Jak leaned against the wall and said "Dax, you keep first watch, OK?"
"Why me?" Daxter asked in an annoyed tone.
"Because I'll take second, which is the hardest watch. Night takes the last watch. We'll rest for a few hours, and then get back to it." Jak said to Daxter, who nodded in understanding. Nightingale sat down on the ground next to Jak and leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder.
"You sure?" Night asked Jak, who nodded. Nightingale then yelped as Jak suddenly pulled her in front of him and within moments, he was holding her in his arms with her head resting on his chest. Nightingale smiled and relaxed, closing her eyes as Jak wrapped his arms around her. Daxter shook his head with a small smile on his face before he said to Jak "You want me to wake you when two hours pass?"
"Yeah. Two hours for you, then me, then Night, and we get going." Jak said to Daxter, who nodded and looked around the hallway. Jak closed his eyes and relaxed, knowing that Dax was on lookout. Even though Daxter joked around a lot and looked stupid, Jak knew him to be much sharper than the others thought. He had a great deal of trust in his best friend, and knew that Daxter could be serious when the situation called for it. He and Night would be safe to rest around Daxter's watch.
And with that, he sighed softly and fell asleep, his arms wrapped around the black-haired beauty on top of him.
Two Days Later:
Kras City:
Shadow's eyes opened slightly, and her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the small room she slept in.
Their accommodations weren't exactly as luxurious as she would've hoped, but it would do. As in, it was clean, had a door that could be locked, and had a bed. Other than though, the place was rather dull. She rolled over and looked at the face of her fiancé, and her heart caught.
Tech's face was covered in small burns, the result of a incident earlier today that resulted in an explosion. Shadow was ready to start shooting people then and there, but Tech maintained his composure and shook it off, and continued to work. He maintained that keeping their cover and staying low was the only way to keep them safe, but she knew he was doing it for her. The dark shadows under his eyes also betrayed his assertions that he was "just fine". He was running himself ragged trying to keep Mizo happy and his cover intact, and was working on fixing the damages to his armor and modifying her own in the meantime.
He was going all of this so they could stay in the same spot a bit more, allow her some comfort and security instead of staying on the run like he could've done had she not been there. He was willing to do so much for her…
And what had she done in return?
Nearly killed him, made him worry nonstop, and force him to work himself to death just so they could be safe in the same place for a short while…
Shadow's eyes closed shut as she whispered "Nothing…I do nothing, but you give everything…"
Shadow slipped out of bed, glancing at her sleeping fiancé with a small but sad smile. She loved it when he was sleeping, though for purer reasons than what the person reading this may be thinking.
She regarded her fiancé as one of the most intelligent people to grace this planet, as evidenced by his foresight and knowledge of the Precursor lore and artifacts. In fact, most of the knowledge she knew was either gleaned from Arranst or from Stephen.
However, she realized that she loved it when he was sleeping, because it meant he was resting. That magnificent brain was given a chance to rest and cool down, so to speak. She knew her husband had to be pushed himself to his limits as of late, trying to protect her from their enemies as well as safeguard the last fragment to the Gate to Darkness.
She hated seeing him do this, run himself ragged, and so she realized that the best way for him to relax was either sleep, or for her to drag him away from his work and spend time with her. She knew it was a bit selfish, to keep him from what he loved…but she worried. She hated that he tried so hard to protect others, despite being scorned for what he did.
He was just trying to save who he could…he had did it out of love. She closed her eyes and said "I just wish there was something more I could do…ugh, I feel so useless."
"Zelda?"
Shadow blinked in surprise and saw Tech looking at her, confused and tired. Shadow sighed and said "Sorry."
"Its fine." Tech yawned, sitting up in his bed. He glanced out of the window, eyeing the dark sky and the rising sun peaking out over the horizon and said "Still morning, huh?"
"Yeah. We still have a few hours before the test race or whatever Mizo called it. Go back to sleep." Shadow said to her fiancé, who blinked and said "Where're you going?"
"I don't know…I-" Tech suddenly threw the blanket off of him and said "Where you go, I go."
"You don't have to protect me, Stephen." Shadow said in a soft voice. Tech got up and walked over to Shadow and said "It's not that…its…"
"Yes it is…you keep trying to protect everyone, and I'm…I'm tired of seeing you do this to yourself. Just stop." Shadow hissed to Tech, who blinked in surprise.
"What?" Tech said, stunned.
"You're always giving your all, all the time! You worked so hard back at the Avenging Angels to give your friends an edge again the Metal Heads, you worked even harder to slip General Dark info to keep me alive, and now you're working harder than ever to keep the world safe…You never worry about yourself." Shadow said as she turned away from Tech.
"I hate it. You're so selfless that you're being selfish. You never stop to think about the people who worry about you…" Zelda muttered.
"I…I never knew you felt that way," Tech said in a low voice, running his hand through his hair tiredly.
"I hate seeing you do this…I do. You're always trying to protect people, and then you beat yourself up whenever things go as planned…Just-" Shadow trailed off as a pair of arms grabbed her and pulled her back. She sighed as Tech rested his chin on her head and said "Zelda…remember what I told you?"
"You're going to have to be more specific," Shadow replied in an annoyed tone.
"No secrets. That's how we got this far, didn't we? Absolute trust…how am I supposed to do this without you keeping me sane?" Tech murmured in her ear. Shadow shivered and whispered "I'm just scared…"
"Of losing me?" Tech asked. Shadow nodded, only to find herself being turned around. Tech bent forward and kissed her on the lips, and after a moment the two separated, with Tech smiling at his fiancé tenderly.
"I will fight as hard as I have to, so that we can live happily ever after. We'll be fine…" Tech murmured.
"But you're only human, Stephen. You can't keep going this to yourself." Zelda murmured, resting her head against Tech's shoulder. Tech held her for sometime, and then after a few moments felt her shaking in his hands.
He then realized she was crying.
Tech held his fiancé tighter as she sobbed in his arms. He wasn't exactly a love expert, but he began to think about just how deeply this problem ran. He realized she must not only be scared, but probably felt useless and frustrated and worried about all of this…how had he not seen this? He was so devoted to others, that he had neglected to realize that he was worrying those who he cared about most.
Was he really like that? Did he put others before himself that much? Maybe. He would go at it for days when he was committed, such as when he worked out a plan to steal the Fragments and save Zelda without damning the world to the Metal Head Queen. He had done the same thing when Beast had died, and he had worked on better armor designs for his friends for three nights without rest.
He was always on guard now, so he could keep Zelda safe…maybe he had stopped caring about what happened to him in the process, and that was what was upsetting her.
"I'm so sorry…I didn't know." Tech whispered in her hear, rocking her back and forth. Zelda looked at him with her now red and wet eyes and said "I-I just…"
Tech leaned forward and pressed his head against hers before saying "I know…You want me to start taking my own well being into account from now on, instead of running myself into the ground worrying about others…"
"But I have to do these things. I have to be ready for whatever comes our way…and I need you to be there with me the whole way. Otherwise…well, I'm fail." Tech murmured.
"But if you want me to take it easy, I will. I'll tone it down, OK? Just stop worrying about me…we're all strong in our own ways, and if you don't believe in me…" Tech trailed off.
"I do believe in you." Shadow murmured. Tech laughed a little and said "Then that's all I need. I'll tone it down though, OK?"
"OK…" Zelda whispered. She broke their embrace, wiping her eyes and muttering "Don't know what's came over me."
Tech sat down on the bed once more and said "It's only natural to worry about me, Zelda. I worry about you too."
"But as long as we're together, we'll be alright. I can protect you while you watch my back. Together we can't be beat." Tech said comfortingly. Zelda walked over to him, a sad smile on her face as she said "You're right…"
"If you ever get worried about me again, just slap some sense into me." Tech said to his fiancé as she slipped back into bed with him. Zelda smiled thinly and lightly tapped her fiancé in the face with the palm of her hand.
"I'd have to use a damn mace to knock some sense into you. I'll have to get creative." Zelda said with a shake of her head as she rested her head on his bare chest, closing her eyes. Tech wrapped his arms around her and said "Creative?"
"Maybe I'll build a catapult of some kind and send a flaming rock at you. See if that fancy suit of armor works against that." Shadow said dryly. Tech laughed and said "Well, it would probably-"
"Oh shut up." Shadow cut him off, jerking her head up and hitting him in the jaw. Tech grunted in pain and instead rested his chin on top of her head. Zelda sighed deeply and said "I love you."
"I love you too…"
"…Stephen?"
"Hmm?"
"You think those friends of yours can really find that sword?" Shadow asked Tech, who smiled slightly.
"I have no doubt in my mind that they will. Its only a matter of whether or not they're ready to receive it." Tech said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you in the morning…let's sleep."
"OK…"
And with that, the two wayward warriors fell asleep, tucked away from the world and safe in their loving embrace.
The Next Morning:
Haven City:
"Alright, let's get going!" Nymph said cheerfully as she hopped out of the pilots seat and onto the ground. Chill and Blade both rolled their eyes as they began to make their way into the city. After getting onto a larger Zoomer, the trio made their way towards the Power Station, which was locked down tightly.
"Now what?"
"Allow me." Vin spoke to them inside their helmets.
The door's laser defenses turned off and the door flew open, revealing a small platform surrounded by computers. The room was dark, illuminated by the blue of the computer screens and nothing else.
"That's all I can do from here, at least without Arch's help. Good luck." Vin said as his voice faded.
Blade whistled and said "He's got an impressive setup here."
"Vin always did go overboard when it came to his work." Chill said with a grin.
"Oh right, you two knew each other before you joined the AA." Blade said with a nod.
"Weren't you and him both informants or something?" Nymph asked Chill, who nodded and said "He was an informant, I was a spy within the city's nobility."
"Wow. Why did you join the AA then?" Nymph asked Chill.
"I wanted to take the fight to the Metal Heads, rather than deal with Praxis. I was promised that I could help people, and that dealing with the Metal Heads would give me a shot at revenge against the Baron eventually…" Chill explained as the door closed behind them.
"But Metal Kor beat you to it." Nymph said to Chill, who nodded and said "And he in turn got killed by Jak. It turned out for the best."
She felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and she looked to her left and saw her fiancé looking at her through his helmet. She knew he was smiling at her, proud for being so open-minded about the issue.
"Now, where the hell is this workshop Vin?" Blade asked aloud. Vin coughed in their headsets and said "Look in front of you and there should be a small stairway leading to the rest of the facility."
Blade glanced around and spotted a small stairway leading downwards, and after beckoning the two female warriors behind him he began to go down. Small blue lights flickered on as he continued to make his was through the dark stairway, and as he stepped onto the bottom of level of the complex, he regarded Nymph and Chill and said "This place seems so lonely."
"It has been a while since Vin was around to actually maintain the place." Chill remarked.
"Not just that…I think that-" Blade began to say before a loud beeping sound cut him off.
Whiiiiirrrr…
"What was that?" Nymph asked, glancing around. Blade scowled and said "Stay alert…"
"Russal! Above you!" Chill yelled. Blade didn't even look up before jumping back, but even then he was sent stumbling away as a massive robot crashed onto the floor, beeping and whirring furiously as it got to its feet.
"It's a KG Deathbot!" Nymph yelled as she pulled out a pistol and began firing at it.
"What the hell? How is it still functional!?" Chill barked as ice enveloped her, with two icicles shooting out of her palms like knives.
The KG Deathbot suddenly shuddered as several holes opened on it, and after a beat more turrets emerged from the robot and fired at the group. Blade swore and jumped to the side as Chill ran forward, the bullets bouncing off of her armor as she jumped upwards, slamming the ice shield against the gun of the Metal Head just as it was about to shoot a grenade at them, causing it to explode against its own body and send Chill flying across the room with a scream.
"NICOLE!" Blade yelled as Chill crashed onto the ground.
"Blade! Focus!" Nymph yelled as she made several copies of herself that charged at the robot, which quickly put down the clones with several blasts from its laser. The three that remained rushed at the robot and clawed at the underside of it, trying to rip at the unprotected parts underneath the mechanical menace. After a few moments, the robot managed to blast away the remaining Nymphs and caused the real one to go crashing onto the ground with a yell.
Blade slashed his Galvasword several times at the robot, which shuddered and whirred in protest as the electricity surged through it. As Blade took a step forward, several long and jagged icicles shot forward and slammed into the robot, causing it to stumble back. Chill ran forward and shot another flurry of icicles at the KG Deathbot, which fired several lasers in her direction, causing her to retreat once more.
"This thing is way tougher than the old KG Robots!" Chill yelled as she sent a burst of ice at the robot, freezing its leg to the ground. Blade suddenly dashed forward and stabbed the leg with a yell, shattering it. The robot's canons and lasers locked onto Blade, who looked up and saw the cold red eyes of the KG Robot starring back at him.
"Oh no you don't!"
The KG Deathbot suddenly froze in its tracks and then shuddered violently the legs buckled and a familiar timer began to sound. Blade dashed away from the robot and just a few moments later the robot exploded violently, leaving a charred bit of metal behind.
Chill and Blade turned around and saw Nymph holding a remote control, panting slightly. She tossed it aside and said "Even genius's need an emergency turn off button or something."
"Makes sense to me." Chill laughed as Blade strode over to a messy worktable. There were drives and drawers filled with discs and the like, though the three quickly found a silver drive that was glowing at regular intervals.
"This looks like what we need." Chill said as she starred at the drive.
"It matches the description of the drive he spoke about on the flight over." Nymph said as Blade held up the drive.
"Come on. Let's get back to the Sanctuary and get this thing to Vin. Then we'll have our Arch back." Blade said as he put away the file. Chase should be waking up soon too." Blade said as pocketed the drive.
Chill spotted a large empty bag nearby and swept everything from the table into it before saying "May as well ransack the place. Vin's probably got a load of other important stuff that he hid away in here."
"Good point. Come on, we should only stay for a few more minutes." Nymph said as she sauntered over to a monitor, sitting down in the chair and typing on the keyboard.
"Wow…its incredible…this guy did so much for the city back in the day." Nymph murmured.
"He was crucial in the fight against the Baron, and became friends with Jak and Daxter after they saved him if memory serves." Blade said as he put a few jump drives into the bag as well.
"And now he's going to help us stop the war once and for all…" Nymph said softly, smiling at the thought. Blade glanced over at Nymph and said "That's what this is all about. Ending it. Ending all of them."
"A world at peace…strange thought, no?" Chill pondered aloud. The others looked at her before realizing where she was going with this.
Aside from the Metal Head war, the world was peaceful. It was fighting for its life, not against one another. If the Metal Heads were gone, then the world would truly be one at peace…
The trio dwelled upon the thought of peace for some time before finally deciding that they had salvaged what was worth saving and departed from the lab, sealing it once more.
Meanwhile:
Kras City Raceway:
"Alright people, places!" G.T Blitz barked at the camera crew, which scrambled to their spots. The man smirked widely before saying "Showtime…"
The façade while standing in the spotlight was a stroke of brilliance on his part. G.T Blitz, AKA the evil crime lord Mizo, was deceiving the people of the world while basking in the spotlight…and satisfying his ego as well.
"Hello everyone and welcome to the first race of this season of Combat Racing! This scenic little road to hell is a favorite of mine, and will take our racers through the finer points of Kras City. Head to head death corridors, sharp turns, and a massive ramp for extreme air! Combine that all with the speed and danger you all know we can deliver and you've got a surefire way to bring the carnage!" the announcer yelled excitedly, causing the crowd to roar.
Crash smirked behind his helmet and said "God I missed this."
Tech regarded the racers and the annoying announcer with a smirk of his own. Mizo's disguise was very clever, since no one knew what the crime lord really looked like.
"Give them the rundown, got it?" G.T. Blitz said to Tech, who sighed and walked forward, clad in his armor (covered by a thick jumpsuit) and holding a data-pad. It was more of a safety thing than anything else, and this was just a crowd only event, not televised to the world.
"What the…" Crash muttered as a familiar figured walked onto the tracks, muttering under his breath before speaking aloud.
""Alright guys, like G.T Blitz said this is just a pre-show thing, so try not to go overboard, and try to keep your cars intact so I can finish the modifications. This is just to show the performance of your cars, and to show the others teams what they're dealing with." Tech said to the racers, earning a few nods. He then rattled off the names of the drivers, but stopped as a familiar one popped up.
"Daniel Hawali." Tech said as he looked at the driver behind the wheel, a strange sense of anxiety now filling him. He then met the eyes of the very familiar driver that was now glaring at him with a terrifying smile on his face.
"Crash?" Tech said in horror, taking a step back and dropping the data pad onto the ground. The former Kras City Grand Champion revved the Road Blade he was driving as a scowl curled across his face.
"Hello…traitor." Crash whispered as he shot forward, his car barreling towards Tech. Tech vanished on the spot and reappeared down the track as Crash turned towards him and shot like a rocket after him. Tech kicked off the ground as Crash raced towards him, trying to fly out of range of his weapons.
"Activate the barrier shield!"G.T Blitz barked at the nearby technicians, who scrambled away. A small force shield shimmered into existence around outside of the track, one of the few safety Precautions instituted so debris didn't fly and kill people and destroy public property. Tech soared into the air and cried out as a surging electrical pulse ripped through him and his armor, shorting it out and causing him to fall towards the ground.
"Too easy." Crash growled as he shot towards Tech, who was getting to his feet.
"Why keep him from getting away sir?" one of Mizo's mechanics asked softly. The crime lord chuckled and said "Hey, you've got to do whatever you can to keep the ratings high…and this is gold."
Crash slammed into the ex-Avenging Angel and sent him crashing down the track with a scream of agony. The armor had protected him for the worst of the hit, but his body still screamed at him in agony and the healing mechanisms in his armor were-
"Offline. They're offline…damn it!" Tech swore as he ran down the track, managing to activate his speed enhancement, which thankfully managed to comeback on. Crash let out a yell and his car shot forward, firing bullets at the retreating figure of Tech as he ran down the track.
"Now this is something you don't want to try at home kids!" G.T. Blitz laughed as Tech ran down the length of the track, weaving in and out of the gunfire heading his way. He could just turn around and blow up the car, as easy as it could've been, but he couldn't just kill one of his friends like that…not when he tried so hard to protect them…he had to play defensive for now…
"Looks like we've got a runner! Can the former champ of Kras City take down this mysterious foe, or will the Champs new reign be ruined before it can start?" G.T Blitz said as Crash rounded the corner, boosting towards Tech as he fired a bolt of ice over his shoulder, missing Crash's car.
"EAT IT!" Crash barked, as he raced through a deposit of Yellow Eco. He glanced down at the indicator as it randomly rolled through weapons before landing on two missiles. Crash pressed the button and smiled coldly as two missiles flew from the back of his Road Blade and soared towards Tech, who was too slow to dodge them again.
"NO!" Shadow screamed as the missiles slammed into Tech, who was enveloped in a column of fire and smoke.
Meanwhile:
The Lost Ruin: Inner Depths
Jak ducked under the spinning blade as the ancient devices whirred around them, a floating platform above a sea of black floating in midair. They had been on the platform for some time, and had been dodging traps and projectiles for the better half of an hour, floating across a never ending chasm.
"Look, there it is!" Daxter called out, pointing forward. The three heroes looked at the ledge with a sigh of relief and gratefully stepped on it. A small entryway stood before them, and behind that was a small elevator lift. Jak, Daxter, and Night stepped into it, and after a beat it lowered them further into the earth.
"We should be nearing the catacombs soon." Nightingale said softly as they continued to descend.
"We'll have to take the Precursor Subrails to get to the sword." Jak said knowingly as the lift stopped in a massive open room that looked vaguely familiar…
"Yep. There's the catacomb car!" Daxter yelled, pointing at a small vehicle at the beginning of the track. Jak walked over to it and said "I'll drive. Night, hang onto me. Daxter-"
"Shoulder. As always."
"…right."
Jak hopped into the car, and after a moment Nightingale tentatively got in as well, and as Jak started it up he said "Hold on tight."
The car shuddered and floated into the air, and within moments it shot forward and went through he glowing blue barrier. Jak grinned as the car glided along the railway, weaving around the pits and bombs that were there to stop those who were trying to defile this venerable place. Aside from Daxter losing his grip and falling off the car, only to be saved by Nightingale's quick reflexes, the trio managed to make it through the subrails unscathed, thanks to Jak's experience with the ancient car.
Jak recalled the last time he had ridden one of the ancient railway cars…he had been chasing down Count Veger, who had watched his father die in Jak's arms before revealing his heritage. Jak had felt an anger, no…a rage like no other and gave chase to the man who had ruined his life and tore him away from his father.
"Hey big guy…you OK?" Daxter muttered in his ear, as though he knew what Jak was thinking.
Jak shook his head and said "I'm fine."
The car went through another blue barrier and the car slowed to a stop at a massive entryway like the one they had just left from. As the heroes dismounted the car, they noticed an ornate doorway at the other end of the room. The group quickly made their way towards it and found another lift, which they took to an even lower level…
And then the lift stopped.
"Wow…" Nightingale whispered in awe as they stepped into the new room the lift had brought them into.
The room was adorned with archways and pillars, all of which gleamed white in the golden torchlight that they had seen throughout the ruin. Intricate Precursor writing was scrawled all over the walls, glittering and shining as though written in liquid diamond.
The Door of Balance stood before them, in the shape of the Seal of Mar that Jak pulled out. The Door was gold and white though, and radiated power and purpose.
"As Mar's true heir descends into the depths, he will be tried by a true hero and find his inner strength. With the aid of the Champions of Light and Dark, the Door of Balance will be opened." Nightingale read the inscription on the door.
"But…how?" Jak asked, glancing around.
"We need Havoc." Nightingale murmured.
"Yeah, but we can't get him here." Daxter grumbled.
"Well, now what? We're here, and now we're stuck." Jak growled walked over to the door. He summoned forth and Dark and Light Eco within him and called forth both, turning into his Light/Dark form and slammed both of his palms against it, trying to channel Light Eco and Dark Eco into the Door. After a solid minute of trying, Jak reverted to his normal state.
"Look at this Jak." Nightingale called, pointing to a green circle in the middle of the room. Jak walked over to her and said "What's this?"
"The Circle of Slumber?" Nightingale read aloud, stepping onto the circle. Jak raised an eyebrow and stepped onto it as well, kneeling down and examining it.
"That's-" Jak began to say before the world swam around him. He felt a surge of drowsiness surge through him as he crashed onto the ground, with Night and Daxter doing so a moment later…
"Its about damn time."
Jak's eyes inched open as a figure slapped him upside the head, waking him up. Jak rolled away and looked up in surprise as a new figure smirked at him.
"Havoc?" Jak said in surprise, earning a nod in return. The Chamber they were in now was the exact same one they had just left, but it felt…dreamlike.
"Weird…I just fell asleep randomly at the Hunter Base in Haven. What the hell did you guys do?" Havoc asked Jak.
"Why should we tell you?" Jak asked Havoc, who shrugged.
"I'm back to normal when I dream. Arranst doesn't bother while I'm asleep." Havoc explained.
"We found the Door to Balance, but we can't gte through. Then we stepped on some weird circle and fell asleep. We don't really know what's going on." Jak grumbled. Nightingale got to her feet, yawning and started as she noticed Havoc.
"So…this is the true…bah, never mind me. How the hell are you supposed to get that thing open?" Havoc asked the others, scratching his head.
"No idea. I wish we could come up with an on how to save you, Havoc, I really do." Night said in a soft voice. Havoc smiled at the Champion of Light and said "Don't worry about me. I can hold on for a bit longer."
"So what are we going to do now?" Jak asked the two other heroes.
"Well…I've heard once or twice about this kind of dreams. All sorts of weird things can happen…do you think you can make your seals appear?" Havoc asked them.
Jak frowned but held out his hand. He thought of the red Seal of Mar…a gift passed down from his father…capable of so much, but he knew so little about it…
A small pendant materialized in Jak's hands, and as he starred down at the Seal in his hands, Nightingale gasped in surprise as the same thing happened to her.
"Nice. Now, point them at the Door while standing on those plates." Havoc instructed.
"Arranst won't be happy if she finds out…" Night murmured. Havoc sighed and said "No…she won't be. But, that's something I'm willing to deal with, if you can stop all of this in the end. I can keep my mind for the moment, and I'll be damned if I let that bitch manipulate me further…"
"At least that's what I keep telling myself…" Havoc muttered.
As if on cue, all three of the seals began to glow black, red, and white respectively before they shot beams of light at the massive door in front of them. Havoc coughed suddenly and fell to his knees, shuddering horribly. As the two other heroes turned to him, he smiled weakly and said "She knows…"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"
Jak and Nightingale suddenly sat upright, panting in surprise as they awoke. Even as the Door of Balance opened, they could hear the furious scream of Arranst…
"I hope he's OK." Night murmured as the door in front of them stopped moving. The three then shivered as a small gust of air blew past them.
"Enter…"
Meanwhile:
Kras City Raceway:
"CRASH! STOP!" Tech yelled desperately as his suit failed and crashed onto the ground, causing him to go tumbling onto the pavement. Tech got to his feet, only to yell out as Crash's Road Blade slammed into him, sending him hurtling down the track. After the missiles had hit him, Tech realized that his armor had been heavily damaged and was working at only 20% power, and needed major repairs. Half of his enhancements were offline, and Crash was on a roll.
"Sure thing asshole!" Crash barked as he flicked a switch, firing more two missiles at Tech's still form a few hundred yards down the track. Crash grit his teeth as the explosions enveloped his former friend and teammate and he sat and waited for the smoke to clear.
"You shouldn't have screwed us over man…" Crash muttered as the smoke began to thin out, only for an arc of blue energy to slam into the front of the Road Blade, encasing the hood in ice.
"What!?" Crash yelled as Tech stumbled out of the smoke before falling onto the ground. He got into a kneeling position, the armor plating horribly dented and sparking in some places with Tech's helmet cracked.
"Ste…Stephen! Can you hear me!?" Shadow asked worriedly as Tech faded in and out of consciousness. As the mechanisms in his armor began to heal him, he became aware that Crash was hacking at the ice with some sort of tool. Tech slapped his wrist and flashed white before warping another few hundred yards down the track, swearing.
"This is why I wanted to calibrate damn it!" Tech growled as he stumbled through a Green Eco power-up before realizing this strain was designed for just vehicles and did nothing to help his injuries.
"Well, I've been wrong before." Tech panted as he turned around. All of a sudden four missiles soared around the corner and slammed into him, sending him crashing down the track with a yell of agony and fire. Crash swerved around the corner, a dark aura surging around his car now.
"That was for Arch you son of a bitch!" Crash barked as his guns transformed into deadlier versions of themselves, powered by the Dark Eco chargers attached to the car. Tech landed a distance down the track and created several copies of himself which scattered along the track ahead of him. Crash growled and said "You're strong in that fancy suit of armor Tech, but on this track I've got the advantage!"
Crash boosted forward, going through another Yellow Eco powerup and a sadistic smile spread across his face as he saw the icon that popped up. He pressed the button and released a massive purple ball of lightning and soared ahead of him.
Tech sprinted as hard as he could, trying to stay ahead of the copies of himself running the track as well. If he could just get back to Zelda…he had to protect her. He had to get away…
He heard a yell from behind him and glanced behind him, and saw to his horror a ball of light that was destroying each and every one of his holograms and making its way towards him.
"No! NO!" Tech yelled as the ball soared towards him. He put on a burst of extra speed, straining himself and his armor as much as possible, but the ball of energy would not be denied and only went faster, eventually slamming into the back of him and causing him to scream in agony as electricity surged through him, sending him careening down the track and slamming into the far wall at the other end of the track.
"HOW DOES IT FEEL!?" Crash bellowed as he slammed on the brakes, stopping in the middle of the track.
"How does it feel, Tech? You're all beaten and ragged, despite your tricks and smarts. This is what happens when you stab your friends in the back…" Crash hissed to himself. He heard a voice murmur in his headset "Danny…please…you've…got to listen to me-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP! I'M DONE LISTENING!" Crash roared as he slammed on the accelerator, causing the car to shoot towards Tech as he stumbled to his feet. Tech flung his hands out in front of him and a flickering barrier of green light flared into existence Crash drove through a Blue Eco power up, filling the rest of his turbo meter.
Tech got to his feet, panting heavily and fighting to stay conscious. He held out his hands and said "Very well, Danny…"
"HERE I COME!" Crash yelled as the car screamed down the track, guns firing nonstop as the car gained speed. Tech grit his teeth and threw up a wall of white light, his strongest shield yet, but even as he activated it the shield began to flicker weakly.
"N-no. I can't keep it up…" Tech muttered as he looked up, seeing Crash head right at him. Crash smiled grimly the car neared its target, unable to move or get out of the way. The crowd watched in horror and awe as the car slammed into the wall of light, creating a massive fireball and a deafening explosion that could be heard from all across the city.
"NO!" Shadow screamed as an explosion engulfed the screen…it then went to static.
Meanwhile:
Chamber of Balance:
Jak and Nightingale walked through the Doorway, which was pitch black…
But even as they stepped into the room, they could tell it was massive just by the way their footsteps echoed throughout the room.
Nightingale grabbed Jak's hand and he gave her a reassuring squeeze in reply before a single golden flame burned into existence on the wall. And then another torch burned into existence, and then another. The three heroes watched on in amazement as hundreds of torches suddenly began to burn, illuminating the massive chamber they stood in. It was a beautifully carved room decorated in the same design as the Catacombs, with the walls lines with Precursor Metal and several intricate artifacts spinning and floating in midair. In the center of the room sat…
A snow white coffin.
""Greetings, young heroes…I have awaited your arrival for centuries…"
A small golden ball of light then floated up from the coffin, barely an inch around in size. The trio felt a sense of comfort from the ball of light as warmth and light suddenly filled the room.
"What you stand in is of the greatest secrets in our world…the Chamber of Balance. Only accessible by the will of the Precursors…and the guidance of the Champions of Light and Darkness…only through the aid of the Champions of Dark and Light can the Champion of Balance reach this scared place…"
The ball slowly grew in size until it was about as big as Jak's head.
"Now then…who are you?" the ball asked.
"Jak…no…Mar..." Jak said softly.
"Iris…though I'm known as Nightingale." Night said softly to the strange being in front of her.
Daxter cleared his throat and said "You can call me Daxter, Precursor Legend!"
"I see…you were blessed by the Precursors themselves, eh? Fascinating…it seems as though you three have come a long way, to reach this lonely place. I have awaited your arrival for centuries, as I have said before, and now that you are here…well, there is much to discuss." the strange entity said cheerfully flashing gold and white, though the wisdom and kindness in its tone was unmistakable.
"But…w-who are you?" Night asked the wraith softly, earning a light ethereal laugh in response.
"Who am I…well, I suppose there's no harm in answering that." The voice said as the ball began to grow in size once more, this time taking on the form of a man.
Little did they know it, but each of them were shivering as they felt waves of raw power emanate from the wraith as a pair of glowing cerulean blue eyes formed in the wraith's head.. He had a strong bulky build and short hair with long ears, but what caught their eye was the sparkling golden claymore now attached to his hip with a Dark Eco Crystal and a Light Eco Crystal craved into the pommel...in the shape of Jak's seal.
As the entity's voice grew stronger, it's eyes suddenly began to burn a dark gold color as it said "I have gone by many names over the years, young ones…but when I was alive and mortal…my name was Mar."
End of Chapter:
So…did I come back with a bang or what?
THE Mar has returned!? What sort of wisdom can he impart to Jak?
Who survived the explosion? Tech, the wayward genius or the vengeful Kras Champion Crash!?
STAY TUNED!
Until then, please REVIEW. Show your support and help kickstart the inspiration to get this story going once again!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!