Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
Three years and three weeks…And here we are.
The finale of Jak IV: The Avenging Angels.
If I said that I wasn't reflective this past week, I'd be lying. This battle made me think quite a bit over the last three years. I've had my high and low points, and I've faffed about quite a bit with this fic. That said, I've grown as a writer and a person over the course of this story and I'm proud of how far its come. To those who want to ask how to do stories like this or think it can't be done…It can.
One of the most important things I have come to learn about being a writer, be it on this site or it be professionally, is to never give up on an idea that resonates with you. If you truly are passionate about something, give that passion form. I have always thought the Jak series to be unfinished, and I dedicated this story to finishing it properly. Lost Frontier and Jak X don't really count for me.
Yes, I had a lot of moments where I lost my inspiration with this story. I had no means to replay the games which did take a toll on my inspiration, which is also why canon characters did not get a more critical role in the story than they did, but in the end I managed to get this story nearly finished. With one final chapter to go, to tie up all the loose ends, I can finally say this 3 year- long project is coming to an end.
Thank you to every single person who has made it to this point. It means more to me than I can say.
But, every story has its end, and we're drawing ever so closer to that end for this story.
Shoutout to those who reviewed last chapter, which includes KrimzonShadow, StaticBomb93, DaibenDarkKitty64, Mooman1706, Oblique Strategies, and Ways. Thanks for the support, everyone.
In the spirit of things, I have made an effort to treat the final battle much like the boss fights of Jak II and Jak III, with a few bits inspired by Kingdom Hearts II. I sincerely hope you all enjoy the second to last chapter of this story.
Here it is. The finale to "Jak IV: The Avenging Angels."
Enjoy.
Chapter 44: Finale: A New Era
"There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it." ― Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars."-Og Mandino.
"A villain must be a thing of power, handled with delicacy and grace. He must be wicked enough to excite our aversion, strong enough to arouse our fear, human enough to awaken some transient gleam of sympathy. We must triumph in his downfall, yet not barbarously nor with contempt, and the close of his career must be in harmony with all its previous development." ― Agnes Repplier.
Metal Head Homeworld:
Jak, Nightingale, Havoc and Daxter took stock of their surroundings, a world fitting the title homeworld of the Metal Heads. The sky itself was a strange black color tinted with red and purple that held an odd beauty, despite the massive spires filled with Metal Head gems that rose to the sky. The surrounded area itself was a wasteland of sorts with the dark red ground having the texture of a chalky clay. So alien and strange was this world, that even Daxter had no words. Havoc however walked forward, interestedly looking around before being the first one to speak.
"Its surprisingly like Earth…See?" Havoc said as he removed his helmet, shaking his black shaggy mane of hair for a moment, his dark red eyes narrowing after a few moments. Havoc inhaled deeply before exhaling, coughing a little as he shook his head.
"I can smell it in the air. Raw Dark Eco, in its purest and deadly form. And…Its coming from the palace." Havoc said as he pointed towards the bone white citadel in front of them, whose doors glowed purple as threads of black energy streamed out of it. Havoc put his helmet back on and said "Don't try what I just did, by the way. This place is earthlike, in the basic elements, but if either of you two did that you'd waste away by the sheer amount of Dark Eco in the atmosphere. Its practically toxic to anyone but the Metal Heads."
"There's really that much?" Night asked Havoc.
"The Metal Heads thrive on the stuff. Its not much of a stretch to think they have huge amounts of it on their homeworld. What surprises me is that there aren't more Metal Heads around to greet us." Havoc said casually, looking around. Havoc's observation was correct, as there were no Metal Heads in sight.
"Odd…Maybe they're off protecting something. I doubt the Queen has them idling around doing nothing." Nightingale suggested, earning a nod of agreement from Jak and Daxter.
"Makes sense. Maybe they're protecting the Queen?" Daxter said as his eyes flashed white.
"Hmm…We'll have to figure that out later. We don't have much time." Daxter said as he pointed to the palace in the distance, where the sound of ethereal laughing could be heard.
"Looks like she's waiting for us. Let's go meet our majesty, shall we?" Nightingale said as she pulled out her shotgun, cocking it. Jak nodded and walked in front of the others, leading the way towards the Palace and walking up the white pathway pf quarried stone that led to the Queen. As Jak stopped at the base of the stairway that led to the Palace, a grand display of marble-like stone that shimmered and glowed, Daxter tapped him on the shoulder. When Jak looked towards him he received a thumbs up in reply before snapping his fingers.
The Kedical appeared in his hands, forming in a flash of golden light. Daxter allowed the Champions to look at the ultimate weapon for a few moments before hiding it once more, for when it was ready to be used.
Jak turned back around and looked up at the imposing structure and began walking up to the massive doors in front of them. Daxter held out a hand, and the doors flashed gold and orange before they opened, allowing the heroes entrance.
The foyer of the palace was rather barren, to the surprise of Jak. Metal Head gems lined the wall, as well as a myriad of gemstones that seemed to have strange properties, glowing strange colors at irregular intervals. The ceiling stretched onwards into the air, with strange architectural arches and buttresses and other such things the heroes had no words for. It was an art style of another race, one as ancient as the Precursors themselves.
The group continued to walk, with their weapons drawn, and explored the palace, though Daxter was able to hone in on the source of the horrible darkness that they had been feeling since arriving at the world. Within ten minutes, they had found the throne room.
It was a massive circular chamber that had a strange feel to it. As though the room itself made them feel small and weak, due to the creature that ruled from this room with absolute authority. The walls of the palace were jet black, and resembled a sort of jagged stone-like material that resembled obsidian, while the floor the heroes walked on looked like a mixture of glass and white marble. The walls were decorated in rough yet strangely elegant runes, depicting a story of sorts. Nightingale snapped several pictures of the runes along the walls, hoping to translate them later. There was history here, after all.
As she turned back forward, she became aware that the creature in front of them was smiling as she shifted her position on the throne she sat on.
"Welcome to my palace. The seat of power for the most powerful race in existence." Arranst said quietly, eyeing the three Champions with a wide smile.
"Shut it. We're here to kill you, so let's just get on with it." Havoc growled, taking a step forward and pointing Umbra at Arranst.
"Kill me? Very well…But first, let me tell you a story before we fight. To see if I am truly the monster that you should be focusing your attention to." Arranst said as she got to her feet. The three Champions took a step forward, only to find a massive wall of black fire in their path.
"Once upon a time, eons upon eons ago…A race of god-like entities created themselves. No one knows quite where they came from, but I believe their power spawned into being one day and the rest snowballed from there…Now, this race of beings had the blessed power of creation, and from the void that surrounded them…Made life."
"The Precursors." Nightingale breathed. Daxter starred at Arranst with a hard expression, listening intently but all to ready to strike her down.
"Things progressed from there…Life began to develop from the foundations of Eco, and more and more of the race were created, to make even more life. The race spawned all sorts of unimaginable creatures with their genius...Animals and beings of all sorts of shapes and sizes…We were one such race. Created from the darkness…The Dark Eco that the Precursors could not control. And like the Eco we were born from…We couldn't be controlled. Despite that, we loved our masters. The Precursors and the Hora-Quan lived peacefully together for a very very long time, living in ways that we hoped they would approve of…" Arranst said quietly, shaking her head.
"We were proud and powerful, however, and were born with the instincts to destroy and hunt. We were the ultimate predator race, just like our masters made us to be. Yet we were spurned and looked down upon for being spawned by the Dark Eco…You fools call me a heartless monster…You know nothing of what our race has suffered. How much pain we felt at being shunned by the very beings we loved for making us…We strived to make our lords and mistresses happy, and yet we saw the look of disgust in their eyes when they beheld us…And from there, the seeds of hate and resentment began to take root."
Arranst looked upwards, her eyes becoming blank for a moment as she said "How long did we serve our masters, before we saw the truth? Eons…Eons upon eons before we saw them for who they truly were."
"They were Gods, yes. But they quickly became content and lazy upon their throne of power. Their homeworld was the grandest Utopia. Visiting ambassadors from foreign planets would weep upon the beauty of the capital city…But while they lavished in their power, we sat on our homeworld trying to rein in our instincts. We were killing ourselves in order to attempt to prevent ourselves from attacking the others race, as was our instincts. Our drive…We did so much to appease them, even going so far as to destroy ourselves…Until one day we decided enough was enough."
"So you attacked the Precursor homeworld and slaughtered all of them? Just because they didn't like you more than the other races?" Jak asked skeptically.
"Looks to me like you made up a reason to go after the Precursors." Nightingale said to the Queen, who smiled sadistically.
"Yes…That's what I told my children. They of course believed it, because it is what I believed. The Precursors had to be taught that they couldn't get complacent, and that their disgust of what they had made was an unforgivable crime for a race of gods. Gods should not have the capacity to hate…They should only be able to support and love, and shouldn't invoke those traits in the beings they themselves had made, no? They had a duty as the protectors and creators of the universe…and in the end they turned their back on us and…that was when their decline began…By my hands. I decided it was time for my race to rule over theirs…And every other race in existence." Arranst said quietly, a small smile on her face.
"They allowed themselves to be corrupted by the very elements they themselves created. This was a moment of weakness that I just couldn't pass up. We made an alliance with the so called "Dark Markers", Precursors tainted by the all-powerful Dark Eco that made us, and together we razed the Precursor homeworld…Killing every Precursor in existence." Arranst said with a note of horrible glee in her voice.
"But you missed a few." Daxter pointed out.
"Yes…And after that the alliance between us and the Dark Makers fell apart, and we were left to our own devices. I have spent the better part of my life hunting down the last few specks of your pathetic race, young Daxter. One that allowed themselves to be destroyed because of their own weakness and complacency. And now…I will finish what I started so long ago!" Arranst said as her eyes flashed purple, creating a force of wind that blew the four heroes back several steps as the fire separating them vanished.
Arranst stepped down from the thrown and kicked off of the ground, soaring high into the air with a small laugh, flaring her wings quickly as force radiated from the all-powerful Metal Head Queen, culminating in an evil black aura of Eco that surrounded the Queen.
"Come, heroes! Let's see whether your precious Prophecy can stop the mightiest being in the universe!" Arranst proclaimed as she threw out her arms and legs, flaring out her wings as her deadly stinger-tipped tail hung below her.
Havoc let out a roar of fury, his black wings sprouting from his back, before he kicked off the ground and soared towards the Queen, who laughed and held out her hand, creating a horrible net of Dark Eco that ensnared Havoc, sending him falling to the ground with a yell.
"Havoc!" Night yelled out, only for Havoc to break free a moment later.
"Hmm…We need a plan. What we went over may work, but it centers on Jak. We have to work together to beat her." Nightingale said to Havoc, who nodded in agreement after a moment.
"You fools."
All three Champions were suddenly engulfed in a massive black explosion, sending them all crashing to the ground as Arranst lowered her palm, as if in benediction. Arranst's eyes narrowed as her smile widened, her pupils flashing red momentarily.
"I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I cannot be stopped now. And once more…Now that the seals the King made are gone, I can finally travel to your world and tear it apart!" Arranst growled as Jak got to his feet, slashing Yvantael at Arranst and sending an arc of gold energy towards her. The Queen vanished in a flash of black light, reappearing a few feet away.
"But first…You four will fall. And with you, the hopes of the Precursors." Arranst said as she raised her hands in the air, summoning forth a jet black ball of raw energy that she fired at Jak, who slashed at the ball with Yvantael and sent it right back at her. Arranst leapt into the air with a great burst of speed and dove at the heroes with a screech, causing them to scatter and open fire with their weapons, causing the Queen to cackle as the bullets bounced off of the black aura around her. Jak switched to the Peace Maker and fired off a shot, only for it to uselessly fizzle out as it struck the Dark Goddess.
"You will have to do better…" Arranst purred as Jak got put away his Morph Gun and got into a fight stance with Yvantael. Nightingale swore quietly as she held out her palms, charging up a Light Strike and firing it Arrant, who swiftly dodged it and sent an arc of black lightning at Nightingale, who flew into the sky to dodge it while firing with SMG's.
"Dax, you remember what we went over?" Jak said to his best friend, who smirked and silently sent telepathic messages to Havoc and Nightingale, who quickly agreed to the plan. Havoc and Nightingale landed on the ground next to each other before firing a combined burst of Eco, Light and Dark, at Arranst, who suddenly yelled out as the tidal wave of Eco rushed her, forcing her backwards into the wall. Jak ran forward and jumping into the blast, allowing it to carry him forward as Arranst fought her way free, only for Jak to stab her in the chest with the blade.
"AGH! THAT BLASTED SWORD!" Arranst snarled as she swung her hands downwards, releasing a massive blast of Eco that disrupted the attack of Night and Havoc. She calmly walked towards the heroes, her hands clenched into fists, her anger quickly vanishing. They were mere insects to her…No threat at all.
Arranst smiled widely as the three heroes rushed her, slashing and stabbing and firing blasts of Eco at her as the black aura around her flared back into existence, allowing her to easily withstand their weapons and their attacks. Arranst grinned as Havoc stabbed at her stomach, only for her tail to come and smack into him from below, sending him skyward with a yell.
Nightingale soared into her from the side, firing her shotgun multiple times directly into the face and chest of the Queen, who laughed as the bullets failed to harm her. The Queen struck at Nightingale with her tail, forcing the Champion of Light to swiftly dodge attacks. The Queen let out a small growl of annoyance as the young woman quickly managed to dodge all of her strikes, so in a fit of fury she swung her arms around created a whirlwind of darkness that enveloped Night, tearing at her from all sides.
"Night!" Jak yelled as he raced forward, slashing at the Queen, who blocked the sword with her claws. Jak continued to frantically attack the Queen, but she knew his tricks and wouldn't allow the blade to harm her like before. Jak couldn't even hit her with the energy that resided within the sword, for the Queen would just dodge it.
"Guys…we need to rush her together. Go when I give the signal." Jak said to the others. Arranst held out her hands and fired a massive ball of Dark Eco at Jak, who swung Yvantael as hard as he could and sent the ball flying back at the Queen.
Arranst dispersed the ball of darkness as Nightingale and Havoc flew at her, firing balls of Light and Dark Eco at her, which she managed to dodge, though she didn't see Daxter above her, charging a ball of Gold Eco from his staff.
"EAT IT!" Daxter yelled as he fired the ball of energy as Arranst looked up. The Queen was hit face-first with the powerful ball of deadly Eco, causing her to shriek in agony as the two energies within coursed through her.
"NOW!" Nightingale yelled as she charged up a ball of Light Eco, with Havoc doing so as well with a Dark Eco ball a moment later. Jak, despite himself, smirked at the Queen's pain and began charging up energy within Yvantael as Havoc and Nightingale fired their balls of energy at the stunned Queen, who screeched as she was engulfed in Light and Dark Eco.
"Jak!" Daxter yelled as he landed on the ground. Jak flared out his wings and rushed forward with a burst of speed as he raised Yvantael high into the air, and as he neared Arranst he slashed her across her chest as hard as he could, unleashing the stored up energy within the sword.
Arranst went soaring across the room, crashing harshly into the faraway wall and landing on the ground with a cry of pain, blood streaming down her chest and her eyes tightly shut.
"There we go! We got her!" Nightingale said with a laugh.
"Don't get too excited. We surprised her. But, if we can do something like that a few more times, she'll definitely start tiring." Havoc said with a small smile on his face.
"Get ready!" Daxter yelled as the Queen got to her feet, shaking with fury as she clenched her claws in fury.
"How dare you…YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE INSECTS!" Arranst screamed as she rushed towards the group of four, who scattered. Havoc made a move to rush Arranst from the side, only to be smacked out of the air by the tail of the Queen, who began firing streams of energy at Nightingale, who quickly flew away to dodge the attacks. Jak slashed at Arranst, who grabbed the blade with her claws and head-butted Jak viciously in the chest, sending him to the ground. Arranst locked eyes with Daxter as he pointed his staff at her and grinned horribly.
"Do you think you can avenge your race, little one?" Arranst purred before she suddenly ducked under a Light-Eco charged kick from Nightingale and slashed at her with her claws, spraying the floor with blood as Nightingale fell to the ground.
"Night!" Jak yelled out in worry, getting to his feet and holding his chest, trying to heal away the broken ribs Arranst had just given him. Havoc got to his feet as well, firing a series of rocket-like blasts of Dark Eco at the Queen as she neared Daxter, who had his teeth bared in anger.
"You did have a point you know…We shouldn't have looked down on you like that. Maybe it's the way you were made…" Daxter said to the Queen, even as she took the attacks from Havoc directly like they were nothing.
"But that doesn't excuse slaughtering everything in sight. You were made to be predators, but that doesn't give you the right to be monsters." Daxter said as he charged up a ball of Gold Eco again, only for Arranst to slash her hand downwards, creating a massive wave of Dark Eco that rushed through Daxter and sent him crashing senseless to the ground.
"I will no longer hold back. You fools shall feel the full extent of my fury." Arranst growled as she turned around, starring down the three heroes.
"We'll never get a chance to hit her like before with Dax out. Night, go help Daxter. We'll hold her off!" Jak said as he and Havoc rushed Arranst, who cackled with glee before flying at the two Champions. Jak slashed at Arranst while Havoc fired a nonstop barrage of Dark Eco blasts at the Metal Head Queen, but the Queen was too quick and had caught on to their attack patterns, avoiding them with ease.
"Should I indulge you before you die? Or should I make you suffer!?" Arranst growled as she sidestepped a slash from Jak and stabbed at him with her stinger, impaling him through the stomach.
"Jak!" Havoc yelled as he fired off a fireball of Dark Eco at the Queen, who swatted it aside like it was nothing. Jak fell to the ground, desperately trying to heal and wound despite the Dark Eco and poison coursing through his system. Havoc was attacking the Queen by himself, shouting at her all the while with fury evident in his voice. Arranst then vanished and appeared in front of Havoc, lunging forward and grabbing him by the throat and holding him effortlessly in the air. Havoc struggled for a moment, trying to stab at Arranst with Umbra, but he was disarmed easily.
"Poor Jazon…You never knew when to give up, do you?" Arranst purred as she squeezed the life out of the Champion of Darkness, despite the immense amounts of Dark Eco he was blasting at her.
"You'll…pay…for…this!" Havoc hissed, loathing in his voice.
"You know…I wonder if I can recreate the death of your brother with you? I had so much fun, torturing him with my children. All the while, you got to watch. So much-" Arranst was cut off as a Havoc twisted in her grasp and aimed a kick at her head. To everyone's surprise, the kick sent Arranst stumbling away from the sheer amount of force put behind it. Havoc fell to the ground, panting heavily, before a blast of Dark Eco smashed into him, sending him to the floor.
"Impressive…But futile. Prepare for the end!" Arranst cried as she drew her stinger back, only for her body to become engulfed in a fiery ball of golden energy, causing her to howl in pain as she staggered forward.
"NOW!" Daxter, now recovered, yelled at the Champions. Nightingale reacted first, leaping in front of Arranst and firing a ball of Light Eco at her just as Havoc fired a ball of Dark Eco at her. The Queen of the Metal Heads began to shake with pain before the enchanted Blade of Mar slashed open her back, spraying more of her black blood everywhere.
"You…you…" Arranst panted in pain, feeling the effects of the attacks already. It seemed, when combined, they could truly do great amounts of damage to her. The Queen tried to summon the aura that allowed her to deflect attacks, but it failed.
"Looks like your cheap ass shield can't save you." Havoc said as he drew a pistol, firing it Arranst, who snarled as the bullet bounced off of her.
"Fools. Your pathetic little weapons can't even begin to harm me." Arranst growled as she flew at Havoc,
"I may have to resort to going there…Yes…it may be my only chance…" Arranst growled as Nightingale fired a stream of bullets from her SMG, with most of the bullets bouncing off of the armored exoskeleton of the Dark Goddess. Arranst lunged at the woman, who soared into the air and dodged a deadly slash that would have cut her to ribbons. Arranst glared skyward before smashing her tail into Jak as he soared towards her, Yvantael raised to strike.
"Hey!"
Arranst ducked to avoid a shining white comet racing towards her that landed on the ground as it soared overhead, only to rush back towards Arranst and slam into her chest, sending her flying backwards with a curse. Arranst righted herself in midair and glared at Nightingale, who was crouched the holding two knives in hand, both of which were now glowing bright white. Arranst flew at Nightingale, who jumped back as the Queen slashed downwards at her, flipping backwards and hurling a knife at Arranst, who swiftly smacked the knife away.
"Little girl, so big and brave. Remember how your beloved Precursors ruined your life? I was watching you as well, young Iris…And I know how they ruined you." Arranst purred as she advanced towards the young woman.
"I also remember how you destroyed Haven City. You're responsible for the deaths of all of my friends, because you just couldn't just leave the Precursors alone. Destroying their planet wasn't enough…You had to hunt every last one down, and destroy every being that crossed your path along the way…They may have hurt me but they made me who I am today. And in the end…You're just a monster." Nightingale said as she put away her knives and pulled out her SMG's, opening fire.
Arranst slowly walked towards her, walking through the stream of gunfire before she slashed at Nightingale, who soared backwards and put away her guns, drawing her shotgun instead and flying forward. Nightingale spun in midair, barely avoiding the deadly tail of the Queen before Night fired her shotgun into the Queen's face, causing her to flinch.
This was all Night needed, as she put away her shotgun and dropped to the ground, springing upwards and hitting Arranst with a Light-Eco filled uppercut. Arranst fell backwards with a snarl of pain as Nightingale soared above her, only for be swatted out of the air by the Queen's tail, sending her crashing to the ground. Nightingale tried to get to her feet, only for a great beam of Dark Eco to hit her in the stomach and cause her flying across the room.
"Hey Arranst! Forget about someone!?" Havoc bellowed as he swung his fists, hurling flaming balls of Dark Eco at the Queen, who shook off the attacks and turned around to see Havoc advancing towards Arranst. The Queen smirked and slunk towards Havoc, firing blasts of Dark Eco at the Champion of Darkness, who created a protective aura of his own that managed to weather the attacks.
"Every time I try and wrap my head around your supposed logic in even turning against the Precursors, trying to understand why…I just don't get it. How can you be so inherently evil?" Havoc asked Arranst, who's smirk turned into a grin.
"Some of us are evil, more for who we are inside as opposed to those who are forced to it. I am a monster, for what I have done. But in the end…I enjoyed every moment of destruction me and my children have unleashed. They share in my joy." Arranst replied as she drew her hand back slowly. Havoc prepared himself for the strike, but Arranst vanished into thin air. Havoc blinked, only for his back to explode in agony as the claws of Arranst slashed him open, coating the floor below with red.
"Havoc!" Night yelled as she flew at the Queen, who ducked under a kick and stabbed at Night with her stinger, with the attack barely missing her. The blast of Dark Eco that erupted from the stinger did not miss, and sent Nightingale flying across the room and causing her to crash into the wall so hard she couldn't get out of it.
Arranst chuckled darkly as she drew her stinger back to finish Havoc off, only for a horrible burning sensation rip open her back. Arranst grunted in pain as she whirled around and blasted Jak away, knocking him backwards and sending Yvantael spinning out of his grasp. Jak crashed onto the ground but managed to roll to his feet, pulling out the Peace Maker and charging up a shot before firing it. The Metal Head Queen tried to fly out of the way, but the ball of deadly electricity smashed into her, sending volts throughout her body as she snarled in annoyance and pain. Jak switched to the Piercer Rifle and took aim, firing at her chest and head several times before Arranst exploded in a shower of Eco, only to reappear in front of Jak and backhand him in the face, sending him to the ground with a trail of blood streaming from his helmet.
"Jak!" Nightingale yelled as she tried to free herself from the wall, doing so after a moment and fired several Light Eco bursts at Lady Arranst, who growled in pain as the blasts erupted around her.
"You…little…" Arranst hissed before a light voice cut her off.
"Hey. Wanna stop hurting my friends?" Daxter asked, releasing the charged up ball of energy that he had been charging while the others kept Arranst distracted. Arranst let out a yell as the energy hit her and sent her to her hands and knees, her tailing randomly firing bursts of energy at anything that came near here, out of instinct for her to protect herself.
Havoc managed to get to his feet, shaking as he pumped Dark Eco into the horrible gaping wound on his back. It healed and the wound would stay closed, but it would hurt him immensely. He'd have to be more careful from here on out. Nightingale let out a yell and fired a massive beam of Light Eco from her palms, putting her all into creating as powerful an attack as possible. Havoc quickly gathered his reserves and held out his hands, charging up the energy quickly in his palms and letting loose a fiery burst of Dark Eco. The light hit Arranst, quickly followed by the dark.
"Jak! Come on!" Nightingale yelled to her boyfriend as he got to his feet. Jak blinked as he held out his hand, causing Yvantael to fly into his hands. Jak channeled the massive stores of energy within himself and focused it into the sacred sword he wielded in the name of his ancestors. In the name of the Precursors.
In the name of every single being destroyed by the malice of the Metal Head Queen.
Jak grit his teeth, ignoring the pain, and flew at Arranst as she slowly turned around to face him. Jak lowered his arms and suddenly raised them as he soared into Arranst, slashing her from hip to shoulder with the legendary sword of the Precursors, a massive burst of Gold Eco rushing out of the sword and into the Queen directly. Arranst flew backwards with a cry and smashed into the wall before falling to the ground.
Jak landed on the ground, panting slightly along with the others. It had taken every bit of energy they could throw at her, but they had managed it. They had beaten the Metal Head Queen-
"No…noooooo…No. No. No." Arranst moaned, getting to her feet, coated in black blood as her body began to wrack with tremors. Arranst let out a howl of pain and fell to one knee, closing her eyes tightly as she let out a roar of fury and a burning hate that made Jak shiver.
"NO! I CAN'T LOSE! NOT TO WORTHLESS LITTLE INSECTS LIKE YOU! THE PRECURSORS WON'T BEST ME! NOT NOW! NOT EVER!" Arranst screamed as the entire palace began to shake horribly, with the floor shaking horribly as the Queen rose to her feet once more. Arranst let out a howl of fury as a massive pulse of Dark Eco erupted from her body, sending the four heroes flying across the room with yells of pain.
Arranst smashed the ground with her fist, shattering it like glass and revealing a massive gaping hole in the ground the seemed to lead downwards into the depths of the planet. Arranst stood tall, slowly flying into the air, somehow looking majestic despite the heavy amounts of damage she had taken.
"You fools…Are stronger than I expected. Once I reach the core of the planet, I will have access to the power of every Metal Head I control. And then your powers will mean nothing!" Arranst growled as she flared her wings and dove into the hole.
"We have to go after her!" Jak grunted as he got to his feet.
"How can we catch up with her? She's no doubt faster than all of us." Nightingale asked the three other heroes.
"Give me a second." Daxter said as he snapped his fingers, creating a flash of light in front of them. As the light died down, a strange vehicle was revealed to have spawned in front of them. It resembled a large zoomer of sorts, with two small platforms on the sides of it with handrails on them. The sleek and fluid design of the vehicle spoke volumes of the powers that Daxter and Tess had developed, as Jak could tell by the small little symbols along the sides of it that it was his handiwork. In addition, there were guns and devices outfitted with the zoomer, most of which seemed to serve no obvious purpose to Jak, but probably made sense to Daxter and Tess. The gleaming golden vehicle shuddered to life as Daxter vanished and reappeared on top of the vehicle.
"Jak, you drive! Night and Havoc, take the side-platforms!" Daxter ordered as the heroes jumped onto the zoomer, which began to glow white and gold and floated upwards before speeding off down the hole, into the darkest depths of darkness below the surface of the Metal Head homeworld.
Meanwhile:
"Defense Protocol 12. Go!" Tech muttered as he swung his arms, which began glowing bright green, around himself. Commander Yvlsa growled in annoyance as a wall of shimmering light enveloped the group as a cascade of Dark Eco blasts raced towards the group. Tech grunted at the effort of keeping the shield up, protecting them from the onslaught from the Metal Heads.
"Impressive, Stephen. But it will take more than that escape with your lives." Yvlsa growled as he advanced towards the genius, only to duck under a fiery kick from Phoenix, who was swiftly blasted away by an arc of Dark Eco as Yvlsa slashed his arm towards her, sending her to the ground.
Tech swore quietly and said "Phoenix, I can keep them at bay, but you have to protect me. If this shield goes down, they'll mow us down."
"I'M…TRYING!" Phoenix growled furiously as she got to her feet. She saw Rune weakly press both of her hands against her chest, with both of them glowing bright green. She had to end this fight quickly.
Phoenix drew two of her knives and jumped at Yvlsa as he began to run at Tech. Phoenix wrapped her arms around the neck of the Commander, jamming both of the knives into his chest with a yell. Yvlsa grunted in pain and threw Phoenix off of him and drew his hand back, seeking to impale her, when a series of yellow bursts of Eco hit him square in the face, causing him to stagger back with a groan of pain. Phoenix looked back and saw Rune laying on the ground, aiming Aptos (which was in its Yellow Eco forma) at Yvlsa, a pained expression on her face.
"Ali, are you-" Phoenix began to say before Rune screamed "DUCK!"
Phoenix ducked her head, barely dodging a slash from Yvlsa that would have decapitated her while Rune fired another stream of Eco, hitting Yvlsa in the face once more, causing him to stagger back with a whine of pain.
"My eye…You little brat…You'll pay for that." Yvlsa growled, turning towards the twins, who starred at the blackened eye socket. Yvlsa let out a growl and lunged at Phoenix, who jumped back and fired a stream of flames at the Metal Head, who dove through the fire and slashed at Phoenix, who swiftly dodged the attack and dove back through the fire, avoiding Yvlsa as he turned around.
Tech chanced a glance back at the action, seeing Phoenix battling with the Metal Head Commander and seeing Rune drop Aptos on the ground and try to use her new Healing Hands Enhancement once again, a developmental enhancement he designed that was inspired by Jak's Light Restoration ability. It still wouldn't be enough to get her out of danger, as she had lost way too much blood. They needed to end this quickly and get her back to the Watcher for urgent medical attention.
Meaning he had to lower the shield and deal with the Metal Heads.
Tech lowered the shield and held out his hand, creating a massive white flash that blinded the Metal Heads long enough for him to shoot a stream of ice and fire from his hand, bathing the Metal Heads in red and blue beams of energy.
"Come on, get those bastards!" one of the other Agents yelled as the group opened fire on the Metal Heads in front of them. Tech flew into the fight and dropped down next to Phoenix as she jumped back, crouching low and charging up a fireball in her left hand.
"Any ideas?" Phoenix asked.
"I have many. Give me a moment." Tech said with a nod as he held out his hand, firing a small stream of missiles at Yvlsa, who rushed at the duo, slashing at the missiles as they hit him and weathering the explosions with ease. Tech and Phoenix jumped apart as Yvlsa swiftly ran at them, sending arcs of energy rippling through the air as he slashed at them, forcing Pheonix back as Tech ran forward, shooting fire and Light Eco from his hands. Yvlsa fell back with a yelp of pain as the blasts managed to pierce his armor, which usually made attacks such as this feel like nothing. He'd have to get rid of the genius's edge…otherwise he'd be hard-pressed to survive.
Tech flew forward, swinging his foot around and kicking Yvlsa in the face, sending him flying backwards. Yvlsa flung out his arms, stopping himself in midair and landing on the ground, scowling as Tech fired massive beams of energy out of his hands, causing Yvlsa to dodge once more.
"Looks like I'll have to use my secret weapon." Yvlsa muttered as one of the beams missed him by a hair. As Yvlsa raised his arms, Phoenix shot a fireball at the back of the Meta Head, surprising him and leaving him wide open for a direct attack from Tech's laser beams. Yvlsa snarl in pain as he fell to the ground, eyeing the black blood pooling around him with fury. He rose to his feet as static began to appear all around the monster's body, within moments becoming engulfing in a jet black surge of energy.
"Behold your fate!" Yvlsa roared as he spun around, slashing downwards towards Tech, who made a move to dodge the attack, but was ensnared in the net of Dark Eco turned lightning.
"Stay…awake…I've got to…" Rune murmured, pumping more and more Green Eco into her chest. She knew speaking drew upon her fleeting strength, but she had to stay awake, at least until she stopped bleeding. It hurt beyond words, she could feel the Dark Eco inside of her.
She watched her little sister fight with the powerful Metal Head Commander, a being who was entrusted by the Queen to make sure that the Metal Heads preserved here on earth, and was holding her own for now. But it wouldn't last long. She could tell her sister was tiring, not used to playing defensive for so long against someone who wasn't bothered by the flames that she could wield.
Tech crashed onto the ground, convulsing and screaming as the electricity tore apart his prized armor, literally ripping bits of it off of him. Tech felt the armor's true weight for the first time since he belt it, and felt the lightness and strength it gave him fade away.
"What did you do!?" Tech growled as he struggled to his feet, his body spasming in pain.
"I made sure to brush up on my specific species ability to convert Dark Eco into electricity. Took a bit of doing with some of the Hunters, but I learned how to short-circuit your armor. Its powerless, like you. Without it…You're not threat." Yvlsa chuckled as he sidestepped a punch from Phoenix, kicking her roughly in the side and sending her to the ground. The young woman got back up, firing a stream of white flames out of her palms and causing the Commander to snarl as the flames rushed by him before he became aware that the foolish human was just in range for him to send her down.
Yvlsa smirked as he slashed forward, causing Phoenix to stop her assault and fall back, but not before Yvlsa slashed downwards, sending two arcs of Dark Eco at her and sending her hurtling into the wall, where she fell to the ground, screaming as more Dark Eco flooded her system. The armor helped protect her from most of the Dark Eco attacks, but it hurt like nothing else.
"N-no…I can't…I have to get up. I have to keep fighting…" Phoenix muttered as she tried to get to her feet. She saw her sister lying there in a pool of her own blood, fighting to stay alive. She seemed to have stopped the bleeding herself, using the Healing Enhancement Phoenix forced her to keep. Rune had tried to make Phoenix take it, but she refused…in favor of something more her speed.
Which seemed to be exactly what she needed to beat this bastard. However…It was risky.
"What's life without risk? And if we can't beat these clowns, then…"Phoenix trailed off, clenching her fists in anger. Metal Head and Hunter. Both of which dared to try and stop them from saving their world. Both of which had seen fit to try and kill her family time and time again…
No more. She had seen enough. It was time for her to do something to tip the scales in their favor. Havoc had said the Queen was connected to her children, right? If Yvlsa died, the Metal Heads would falter. The Queen would even be thrown off by the death of her second in command…
Phoenix looked at her sister one last time, seeing her try and sit up but fall to the ground with a cry of pain, chest heaving with effort…
"That's the last time I see someone hurt her…" Phoenix growled, hate and fury pounding through her veins as she clenched her fists. Phoenix screamed as she got to her feet, her body engulfed into raging white flames. Arch and Vin yelled at Phoenix to stop, but she wouldn't be held back by them. She wasn't going to stand by and watch her big sister get cut down like Beast was.
"Agent Phoenix! Please, your body can't handle the levels you're pushing the new enhancement to! You'll only-" Arch pleaded with Phoenix, who cut off communications with the A.I.
This time…She'd be there to protect her sister. She'd be there to make sure no one else died. This time…she'd be the hero.
Meanwhile:
"Gilgamoth! Crush them!" Gallus commanded the Metal Head as it roared furiously, causing the Avenging Angels to open fire on the massive monster from the depths of the ocean. A monster that hadn't seen the light of day in millennia.
"Any plans!?" Crash yelled as he opened fire on the Metal Head, which didn't even register the massive chaingun's rounds being shot into its thick armored body. Instead the Metal Head reared back and lunged at the Avenging Angels, who threw themselves to the side to avoid being crushed. The Hunters, however, were not so lucky, and were crushed by the weight of the massive monster as it smashed into the cliff, biting down at thin air.
Disten rolled to his feet and fired a massive blast of light from his staff, hitting the side of the beast and causing it to roar in annoyance as it reared its head back and opened its mouth, charging up a massive ball of Dark Eco.
"Fools!" Gallus muttered, feeling his head begin to throb. Pain…such pain…it cleared his head for a moment. What was he doing…No, he was destroying the fools that dared step in front of him and his goals.
"Gallus…The Champions have proven that they are not to be taken lightly, Dispose of the fools before you, before I reconsider lending you my aid in the form of the Giglamoth." Arranst growled in Gallus's mind.
"Yes, my Queen." Gallus muttered as the pain faded, with Gallus swinging the staff at the group of warriors getting to their feet.
"We have to subdue that beast." Disten said as he pointed his staff at Gallus, firing several bursts of Light Eco at him. Gallus swiftly deflected the attacks with his Staff before swinging it above his head in a circle, with the staff flashing purple a moment later.
"Submit!" Gallus called out as he swung his staff. Gilgamoth fired several streams of Dark Eco from the massive ball charging in his mouth, causing the Avenging Angels below to scattered once more, even as they repeatedly shot at the massive Metal Head as it loomed overhead.
"Gilgamoth! Stop fooling around and crush them!" Gallus barked at the Metal Head, spinning his staff in a circle and firing a blast of Dark Eco at Chill, who ducked under the blast and fired an arc of ice at the General, who yowled as his chest was incased in ice, causing him to fall to once knee.
"Looks like Gilgamoth is trying to still get orientated to being on the surface and awake. If we can beat it before it's adjusted, we can defeat them." Disten said with a small smile.
"We need a plan, people! How do we take this thing down?" Crash said again, reloading his chaingun with his last batch of ammo.
"I've got it. Me and Daxter made a special device used to amplify ones abilities. It was inspired by some of the older technology, and its use it a bit limited, but it should be able to help." Tess piped up.
"Aren't you the weapons expert!? We need a freaking nuke, not a device that should help!" Shadow demanded of Tess, who crossed her arms and scowled.
"Yeah, but I'd rather not blast everyone off of the cliff. But it you insist!" Tess said as she snapped her fingers, causing a small rocket launcher to appear on her shoulder.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Tess yelled as a golden rocket fired out of the end of the launcher, soaring towards Gilgamoth, who turned its head in time for the rocket to exploded violently in its face, causing the creature to roar in agony, falling backwards into the ocean. Gallus landed lightly on the ground, watching the downed Metal Head with a scowl.
"Worthless. It'll be up in just a moment. More than enough time for me to finish you fools off." Gallus growled as he turned around to see the Chief flying forwards him. Gallus swung his staff and met the Chief's halfway, with shockwaves of Light and Dark Eco rushing outwards. Gallus grinned manically and threw back the Chief as Chill swung her hands downward, sending a wave of icicles racing towards Gallus, who leapt into the air, laughing.
"You have fire in your soul and ice at your hands! Let's see how you measure against darkness!" Gallus yelled as his body became a flaming black fireball and raced towards Chill, who grinned under her helmet and fired a series of ice blasts at the General as he raced towards her. As he came closer, he noticed that Chill's body was shimmering, and as he got within twenty feet of her, her body vanished and was replaced with the a bronze and gold patterned circle with the Precursor symbol for "Victory" on it.
"WHAT!?" Gallus roared as he smashed into the disc, which sent Light Eco coursing through his body and sent him flying over the cliff and out of sight.
"As I said…I made a special shield that can seriously put a hurting on him. The trick is getting him or that overgrown snake to hit it." Tess said as the shield vanished.
"Can we just put it in front of the snake the next time it tries to attack?" Shadow asked Tess, who shook her head.
"Precursor tech is incredible, but not perfect. And this is just a prototype. We should wear down the Gilgamoth and save the Uwrequa Shield-Trap for Gallus." Tess explained.
"I'd say it takes at least two more hits from the thing before Gallus is done. That had to hurt him really bad." Tess said as he starred at the cliff.
"How bad we talking here?" Crash asked.
"It was supposed to have been able to kill anyone with Dark Eco in their veins. If Gallus is alive, which I suspect he is…Then it may take a little more." Tess said quietly before a massive roar filled their ears. The Gilgamoth rose out of the water, bleeding heavily from its face and looking livid, though not as furious as Gallus, whose face was contorted in fury.
"You will pay…very very dearly for that." Gallus hissed as he rose from the Gilgamoth, which quickly began firing balls of Dark Eco that the group. Due to the immense size of the cliff face, the group managed to find room to dodge the projectiles, though Shadow was thrown backwards into the building as one of the balls exploded at her feet.
"Shadow's down. Shit." Crash said as he threw on his barrier, protecting him as he avoided the attacks from the ancient Metal Head. Disten looked up at Gallus, who narrowed his eyes and swung his staff, sending a ball of energy at the Chief, who swung his staff and sent it back at the General. The Gilgamoth growled quietly, but awaited further orders from the General.
The soldiers watched as the two legendary warriors sent the deadly ball of energy back and forth, with the ball of Eco slowly turning a golden-orange color as the Light Eco from Disten's staff mixed with the Dark Eco in the ball. Gallus's frown grew as he frantically hit the ball towards Disten, only for the Chief to swiftly spin his staff in a circle and bash the ball of light with the end of his staff, sending the ball racing towards the General, who was blasted with the ball of Eco and began screaming in agony.
"Nice one, Chief." Crash said with a grin as Gallus fell to one knee, clutching his skull.
"Idiot! Again and again these worms make a fool out of you…And I spent all that effort making you strong." Arranst cooed in Gallus's head as he snapped his eyes open.
"No more." Gallus growled as he leapt from the beast, landing on the ground and fired a blast of Dark Eco at Chill and Crash, causing them to go soaring through the air and land painfully on the ground from the sheer force of the attack. Gallus sped forward and met Disten as the two warriors began to fight in earnest. Disten frantically blocked the quick and powerful strikes of the General, who found he no longer could hit the same man that he made a fool out of but days before.
"You see, Gallus…Unlike before you were strong in your convictions. You hesitate, ever so slightly when you attack us. Why?" Disten asked quietly before he ducked under a swing from Gallus, avoiding a deadly burst of Dark Eco from the General in the process, and smashed the front end of the Ivaline into the man's face, blasting him with Light Eco. Gallus stumbled backwards, only to be hit with a beam of light and several bursts of ice, causing him to retreat to the head of the Gilgamoth once more, which lunged at the group.
"Not so fast!" Tess yelled as she made the Uwrequa Shield-Trap appear in front of the monster, causing it to smash into the golden disc, sending Light Eco surging through the body of the massive Metal Head. Gallus fell to one knee, panting from the pain as the Light Eco tore through his body.
"N-no. NO! I will not falter! You shall all die like that miserable excuse of a King!" Gallus yelled as the Gilagmoth opened its mouth, charging up a massive pulsating ball of raw Dark Eco. Then, a voice cut across the cliff.
"Why don't you say that to my face?"
Gallus turned around in time for a ball of light blue energy to crash into him, causing him let out a small groan of pain. The wounds were quickly catching up with him. Where was the strength he had before? He should have been able to easily bat those fools…Was it the doing of Arranst? Gallus looked to his left and saw a lone figure standing atop of a small transport, drenched to the bone and battered by very much alive. Sig leapt down from the Raven-Ship, looking at it as it swiftly flew downwards, before he turned his head, watching at Gallus with a determined look in his eyes.
"You're a hard man to kill, King Sig. The Queen told me you managed to kill one of her best Metal-Pedes by yourself." Gallus said to the King, who nodded after a moment. No hint of a smile or amusement was on the King's face. This was a serious battle to the death…And he wouldn't be making a mistake like that again.
"That said…You will not be surviving this. Prepare for the end!" Gallus said as he drew his hand back, curling it into a fist that sparked with Dark Eco as the Gilgamoth snarled above him.
Meanwhile:
Jak was immediately reminded of a larger version of the catacombs as he raced down the massive tunnel. Dark purple panels seemed to line the infinitely spanning hall as the group of four heroes soared through the depths of the planet, trying to catch the fleeing Queen.
"There she is!" Daxter yelled as the Queen came into sight.
"What!? How!?" Arranst growled as she spun around, her hands charging up with deadly Dark Eco.
"Jak, keep this thing from taking too much damage! This is our only chance of keeping up with her!" Daxter warned as Havoc and Nightingale got to their feet, with one hand holding the rails.
"Got it." Jak said with a nod as he revved the zoomer and raced towards the Queen as she let loose a wave of Dark Eco. Jak grinned as he shot to the left and pressed the shield button on the zoomer, creating a gold and white glowing shield of Eco that withstood the blast for a few moments, just long enough for them to escape from the blast.
"Havoc, can you protect us from her attacks? You're the one out of us with the best endurance, and her attacks shouldn't be that hard for you to block." Jak asked Havoc, who nodded and placed a hand on the console. Arranst fired a black laser at the zoomer, which Jak managed to avoid by rolling the zoomer out of the way.
"You'll never reach the core! Come my children, defend your Queen!" Arranst yelled as she let out a piercing shriek that echoed throughout the catacombs. Moments later, Wasps flew out from the holes surrounding the group and began to firing at them. Jak grunted as the lasers blasted them from all angles, despite Jak's effort at avoiding the blasts as Havoc smashed his head into the railing.
"AGH! That hurt, jackass!" Havoc barked at Jak, who rolled his eyes.
"Cut it out, you two! We have to focus on keeping this thing airborne and taking that Queen out before she reaches the planet's core." Night reminded the two warriors, who nodded.
"Guys…you may want to look down." Daxter said in an oddly horrified tone. The group looked down to see millions…millions of Metal Heads swarming below, throughout all of the catacombs. All of them looking at them and watching the battle unfold…
"Daxter!" Jak yelled as he revved the zoomer forward.
"I can help fend them off! Night, can you help Jak speed this thing up?" Daxter asked the Champion of Light, who nodded.
"If this thing runs on Light Eco, then no problem." Night said as she placed a hand on the side of the vehicle, allowing a flow of Light Eco to channel into the zoomer.
"Don't overdue it. Boost when you need to, or you'll tire me out." Night warned Jak, who nodded before he activated the zoomer's boost, shooting them towards the Queen as Jak opened fire with the weapons on the zoomer.
"BEGONE!" the Queen shouted as she soared through the Catacombs, weaving left and right as Jak pursued her, firing upon her back as she flew away. Jak was aware of Daxter rapidly blasting the Wasp Metal Heads out of the air as they tried to swarm the zoomer and shoot it. Havoc threw up shields as Arranst flung blobs of flaming Dark Eco at the group, and growled as it hit shook the vehicle, an example of how powerful the Queen was, even injured.
"Jak, use your own powers on the zoomer! If you use them while boosting and using Havoc's shield, you can knock the hell out of the Queen!" Daxter yelled to Jak, who grinned wickedly.
"Guys, hold on tight!" Jak yelled as he began pumping Gold Eco into the zoomer, all the while Havoc created a light purple shield around the zoomer and Nightingale made the zoomer boost through the Catacombs. A golden aura engulfed the zoomer as it neared Arranst, who turned around a moment too late as Jak slammed the vehicle into her, releasing a massive wave of Eco directly into her. The force sent the Queen hurtling down the passageway, screaming in pain as she frantically tried to stay airborne.
"Damn you Precursors! DAMN ALL OF YOU!" Arranst screamed as Jak boosted towards the Queen once more.
"Hey, hold it. Let us take a breather. This thing isn't exactly Eco-friendly if you catch my meaning!" Havoc said to Jak, who nodded and began to fire at the Queen, who continued to fire beams of energy from her tail, though with Havoc and Nightingale tiring, the Queen managed to score a direct hit on the back of the transport, creating a massive black mark on the vehicle.
"Talosin Zoomer Damage Gauge at 87%." a smooth robotic voice spoke to Jak.
"Be careful! If Havoc tired out, you'll have to keep avoiding the Queen!" Daxter said to Jak, who dove twenty feet to avoid a fireball of Dark Eco. Jak became aware of a few Wasps flying in front of them, so he swiftly blasted them with the guns on the Talosin Zoomer before he focus his attention on the Metal Head Queen again, only to find her slowing down.
"So be it!" the Queen barked as she spun around, flaring her wings before she flew at the group. Jak rolled to the side to avoid the Queen as she flew by, slashing at the Zoomer with her deadly claws. Arranst spun around and flung out her hands, creating several waves of Dark Eco. Jak tried to avoid them, but one of the edges slammed into the zoomer, causing it to shake violently.
"Talosin Zoomer Damage Gauge at 74%."
"Havoc!" Jak yelled.
"On it!" Havoc replied as he grit his teeth, supplying power to re-activate the shields of the Talosin Zoomer. Nightingale pumped Eco into the vehicle as well as Jak soared towards the Queen once more, crashing into her chest with the bladed tip of the zoomer as a burst of Gold Ecp erupted from the Zoomer.
"How's that feel, bitch!?" Havoc roared at the Queen, who kicked the Zoomer away from her as she flew away, trying to frantically heal her wounds. Jak smirked as he realized that the wounds they were dealing the Queen were too numerous or severe to repair on the spot. Combine that with the Gold Eco that could deal tremendous damage to the Queen, it had seemed as though she was on the ropes.
"Don't count her out yet! She's bound to start getting desperate!" Daxter warned as he scampered to the front of the zoomer, eyeing the Queen as she soared down the tunnels. Jak boosted the Zoomer again, racing after the Queen as Havoc quickly threw up Dark Eco shields to avoid the massive lasers the Queen was firing from her tail.
"You couldn't just give up and die, could you!? All things come to an end! Why can't you Precursors just accept that!" Arranst roared as she hurled a colossal wall of Dark Eco at the heroes that crashed into them, causing the zoomer to spin wildly as it shuddered and spurted.
"Talosin Zoomer Damage Gauge at 59%."
"Jak, we've got to take her down!" Daxter yelled.
"Tell me something I don't know!" Jak replied with a scowl on his face as the Queen smirked at them, flaring her wings out and creating black arcs of energy that Jak was forced to avoid, lest Havoc expand all of his energy protecting them.
Arranst quickly grew frustrated and flew at the Zoomer once more, ignoring the gunfire directly at her and slashed at the vehicle with her claws, forcing Havoc to create a shield around them to protect them as the Queen assaulted them, even going so far as to land on the zoomer's shield and start slashing at it, causing Havoc to yell in pain as his energy levels began to plummet, even at some points causing the shields to flicker for a moment before coming back online. Every time the shield's would falter, the Talosin would take more and more damage.
"Talosin Zoome rDamage Guage at 23%."
"You can't keep this up forever, you know!" Arranst laughed as she drew her tail back, only for the zoomer to suddenly spinning around the throwing the Queen off. As she righted herself, the Queen fired a blast of Dark Eco at the Zoomer, only to see it racing towards her with a fiery golden aura around it. The Zoomer smashed through the attack with ease and crashed into the Queen for a third time, causing her to scream in pain as the Golden Eco rushed into her. Daxter raced down the vehicle and over to Arranst, jumping into the air and smashing the end of his staff into her face, sending another burst of deadly Gold Eco into her. The Queen let out a scream as she was freed for the boat, drenched in black blood.
"You…just don't know when to quit…" Arranst snarled before she let out a growl, a massive black raging aura engulfing her as the growl turned into a roar. The Queen spun around and shot down the catacombs, with the heroes giving chase. After a few moments, they realized that they were coming to the end of the passage. Jak felt a shudder go down his spine as purple light filled the tunnel, but he urged the Talosin Zoomer onwards, toward their final battle.
Meanwhile:
Yvlsa continued to trade blows with Tech, who was having trouble landing a hit despite the armor enhancements he possessed (he managed to get three of them back online after but a few moments. Yvlsa snarled in triumph as he ducked under a kick from the genius and swung his own foot upwards, kicking the green-armored agent in the jaw and sending him flying away. Yvlsa took a step forward to finish Tech off before he could get in his way again, before he became aware of the room getting hotter.
Yvlsa turned around in time for a flaming boot to kick him savagely in the face, causing him to fall to the ground a short distance away with a moan of pain. He looked ahead and saw Agent Phoenix standing in a wraith of white flames that burned around her.
Phoenix rushed at Yvlsa as he got to his feet, swinging her fist and punching the Metal Head Commander full in the face, sending him hurtling backwards into the wall as he fist caved in the armored exoskeleton protecting his face. Yvlsa's body flashed purple as he flipped around in midair and landed on the wall, growling softly.
"You…You're stronger now. I can tell that now I'll have a decent fight." Yvlsa chuckled as he kicked off of the wall, rolling into a low crouch. Phoenix let out a scream as the flames around her burned even hotter, causing the Commander to grin. Tech turned around and saw the Metal Heads advancing towards them, and began helping fight them again.
"Very well, Agent Phoenix. Let us battle." Yvlsa said as he sprinted at the flaming agent, who fired a sweltering wave of white fire towards the Metal Head, who shifted his arms into an X-position and barreled through the flames and smashed into Pheonix, who skidded backwards with a grunt before firing a white fireball from her hand directly into the Commander's chest, causing him to fly into the air in a burst of flames.
"Phoenix! You have to turn it off! I told you it was a last resort!" Tech yelled at Phoenix as he frantically fired attack after attack off at the swarming Metal Head around him, trying to hold them off. He glanced to his left and saw Chase extract himself from the wreckage of one of the ships, looking battered by still able to fight. Chase quickly jumped to Tech's side and said "Heal Rune, I've got this."
The few remaining AA agents who were still able to fight joined Chase's side and began to repel the Metal Head as Tech flew back towards the fiery and deadly battle taking place. Rune was trying to sit up, but the Dark-Eco laced attack was quickly weakening her. Tech landed on the ground, casting a shield and got to work.
"Allison, stay with me. OK?" Tech muttered as he tapped several buttons on his arm, causing his hands to shudder as small rods extended from his finger tips. It had taken a lot of doing, but he managed to outfit his armor early on with a Green Eco Medical System, allowing him to treat wounds in battle. He had only used it a total of 8 times in his life, but he knew that it was necessary. He thanked the Precursors that he had gotten it back online.
"This won't save her," Tech realized as he frantically tried to seal the massive wound in Rune's chest. The Green Eco he was using may have been the best thing for a type of injury like this, but the chances Rune would pull through dwindled with each passing moment. She needed a team of medics and Jak or Nightingale to help her, not some mobile healing device. That said, it'd keep her alive for the moment and keep her from bleeding out.
"Guys, we're pushing them back!" Chase yelled as he ducked under a stream of gunfire from a Spyder Gunner and violently kicked it in the leg before jamming the speared tip of his gunstaff through the weaker bottom area of the creature, yanking it free before the creature limply fell to the ground. Chase saw a trio of Grunts racing towards him and grinned savagely before his body became engulfed in a surging blue aura.
"Time to pick up the pace, am I right!?" Chase growled as he shot forward with an insane burst of speed, cutting down the Grunts with ease. Chase swung the gunstaff he wielded wildly, frantically shooting at the Metal Heads as they poured into the room. He was worried about Rune and the others, but he had to keep the Metal Heads off of them.
"Come on guys! You're the Avenging Angels! This should be easy as hell for you!" Chase yelled at the two Agents next to him, both of which exchanged a look before running forward with yells of fury, gunning down a legion of Ginsu Metal Heads that had flown into the room.
Phoenix danced around the slashes and stabs of the seasoned Metal Head Commander she brawled with, using every bit of her training to stay alive. Her body screamed at her in protest, but she pushed away the pain and focused on the fight. If she could just stay standing and beat this guy!
Yvlsa felt himself feeling something he rarely ever had felt before together. Glee and fear. On the one hand, he loved a challenge. It was something he never got to experience. Even amongst his own kind, he was powerful beyond belief. And now here…Was an opponent for him to face on the field of battle with even footing.
"You're good! With the power-up, you're about on par with me! But that won't last forever, now will it?" Yvlsa asked as he stabbed forward, overextending himself and allowing Phoenix to knee him in the stomach, cracking his powerful exoskeleton and causing him to snarl in pain before she drew back her fist and punched him full in the face. Yvlsa staggered before vanishing in a flash of light and reappearing behind Phoenix, kicking her in the back and sending her to the ground with a cry of pain.
"Tech…You have to help her…" Rune coughed as she got into a sitting position at last, grasping Aptos once more. Tech looked at Phoenix and swore quietly.
"That attack short-circuited my armor. Without it…I'm useless. I've got my backup generators keeping my base enhancements going, but that won't beat Yvlsa. He's a warrior through and through." Tech said as Yvlsa dashed and slashed around Phoenix, who was obviously tiring. Rune felt nothing but pride for her sister, facing such a deadly threat on her own. She was worried about the enhancement, though. Tech said it was to be used for very short intervals, like Beast's Red Eco enhancement, though this was on a much larger scale.
"Tech…Inject me with the Light Cartridge." Rune said weakly, handing him Aptos. Tech looked at Rune and her sister for a moment before nodding and grabbed the rod-like spear, slipping a Light Eco cartridge into it. After a moment, he plunged it into the bloody wound on Rune's stomach, creating a bright flash of light as Rune screamed in pain. Phoenix and Yvlsa both looked at the two Agents on the ground, but were even more amazed when Rune got to her feet, holding a second Light Eco Cartridge in her hands.
"You've got about a minute before you collapse. Use it wisely." Tech said as he got to his feet, aiming his pistols at Yvlsa and opening fire. The Commander tensed as the strange green bullets flew from the tip of his pistols. Yvlsa growled as the bullets struck his armor, and growled even louder in annoyance when a glowing green chain of energy shot out of Tech's hand and wrapped around him. Yvlsa let out a yell and struggled to break the chain, which he found he couldn't get a chance to do because Phoenix kept attacking him.
Rune remained standing on her feet, feeling her strength quickly deplete. She had maybe a minute before she was down for good, with no amount of technology or Eco helping her rejoin the fight again. She decided that if Phoenix could use her last resort…she could too. She put away the Light Eco Cartridge, and pulled out a purple and black one.
"Tech…I'm sorry." Rune said as she slid the Dark Eco cartridge into Aptos, causing it to flare up with purplish energy and cause Rune's hair to stand up on end as spikes emerged from the length of the rod.
Rune screamed as Dark Eco flooded her body again, though this time she felt her body stop shaking and felt strength return to her. Rune tightened her grip on Aptos, slapped her left hand on the orange mark and lunged at Yvlsa, punching him in in the chest and causing him to hit the ground. Rune and Phoenix exchanged a look before throwing themselves at the Metal Head Commander.
Yvlsa got to his feet, only to be rushed by the two twins. Try as he might, he couldn't get an opening now. Every time he found a chance to strike one twin, the other was there to protect the other. Yvlsa found himself growing tired as well, having used a great deal of Dark Eco and being worn down from the fire and bullets.
Yvlsa kicked out at Phoenix, finally getting a chance to attack, and sent an arc of energy rushing forward Rune, sending her towards her sister. The two sisters crashef into each other, but got to their feet, panting heavily. Tech slowly sat up, wincing in pain as he saw the two sisters get to their feet.
"They have just a few more seconds…make them count." Tech thought as Rune held out Aptos, sliding in a white cartridge while muttering something to Phoenix, who nodded.
"What now…I'm at my limit…" Phoenix gasped as her sister shook her head. Rune shook her head and said "Just a bit more…If we can hit him with Aptos in its light form, it should do it."
"Together?"
"Together."
The two sisters ran forward as Yvlsa darted towards them, blades extended and ready to finish this troublesome girls off. Before he was within slashing distance, a wicked purple and white flash blinded Yvlsa in his remaining eye, causing him to wince in pain, but after a moment he realized that the two sisters were now in front of him, drawing their arms back with their weapons. Yvlsa attempted to stab the two sisters, but became aware of a force pulling him forward, which was the plasma chain wielded by Tech as he tried to make sure the Commander didn't move. For one brief second…Yvlsa smiled to himself, knowing he was bested by true warriors. His Queen would carry on without him…
Both sisters drove Aptos through the skull of Yvlsa, with a wicked blast of Light Eco discharging into the skull of the Metal Head Commander, who let out a strangled growl before falling over to the ground, finally dead. Tech looked over at Dark Eco generator and held out his hand, charging up a massive pulsating ball of green energy before firing it at the generator. The ball of energy latched onto the middle part of the massive generator.
"I can detonate that energy blast when we get out of range." Tech panted before he heard Chase yell out. Tech spun around to see both of the twins fall to the ground, with Rune finally having passed out from overexertion. Phoenix was unmoving, and Tech ran over to her and ripped off her helmet, seeing the young twin's eyes slowly closing.
"Rune!" Chase yelled, running over to her side, the Metal Heads in the room all collapsing to the ground behind them.
"She shouldn't have used that Dark Eco enhancement. It saved us all, but she shouldn't have used it when she was so weak. She'll likely never be able to fight like she used to again, what with all the internal damage Yvlsa did to her. It's a miracle she's not dead already." Tech said with a shake of the head.
"You make good healing enhancements, Stephen." Rune said weakly, drifting in and out of consciousness.
"I do what I can. Don't move…You may just make it." Tech said to Rune, who didn't reply as she closed her eyes again. Tech then looked at the other twin, garbed in her fiery colored armor that still glowed with heat, and his expression turned grim underneath his helmet.
"Michelle…She overused that enhancement. It was supposed to be used for short, thirty second intervals. She used it for over 3 and a half minutes…Her body just couldn't handle the strain."" Tech muttered, a cold feeling of dread settling on him.
"So? Take her back to the Watcher too, we can fix both of them up." Chase said, kneeling down next to Rune.
"Its not that simple…Her body is literally giving out on her, which is why she's not moving. At this point…her heart's already slowing down, and I can't do anything about it. By the time I get her back to the Watcher, she'll be dead." Tech explained wretchedly, hating himself for not putting more time into the enhancement, more fail-safes and the like. He should have had a way to have Arch and Vin shut it off manually, so that Phoenix couldn't shut them out of her com network.
"Can't you teleport?" Chase asked Tech desperately, who nodded reply but said "I can, but it also takes a lot of strain on the bodies of those teleporting. Both her and Rune likely die the second we get there. I nearly died when I teleported myself out of Kras City."
"Guys…its OK…"
Chase and Tech looked at Phoenix, who was smiling at them as she opened one eye, her breathing very slight. Phoenix moved her head so that she was looking at her sister, who slowly opened her eyes a moment later.
"Ali…I'm so glad…That I had a chance to protect you…Like you've always protected me all these years." Phoenix said as tears began to form in Rune's eye.
"No…Michelle, no. Please…don't…leave me." Rune whispered as she slowly reached for the hand of her twin. Rune grabbed Phoenix's hand and slowly pulled her little sister towards her. Chase and Tech watched silently as Rune pulled her sister into an embrace, tears streaming down her face as her sister quietly laughed.
"You should see the look on your face…you're so sentimental…" Phoenix whispered, closing her eyes.
"I love you. I'm so sorry…If-" Rune began say before was cut off by her sister who said firmly "No. Don't be sorry…It was my decision. And even knowing the outcome…I'd do it again and again. Family looks out for family, after all. Your my sister."
Rune nodded silently, and hugged her sister with what little strength she had left, murmuring "I'm sorry, Michelle…I love you so much. I just…I wish I could have helped you. Maybe if I didn't get hit by Yvlsa then you couldn't have had to resort to use that enhancement…"
"I love you too…Don't be sorry, and don't blame yourself…Just…be happy, OK? Please…be happy and be safe. Promise me that…you'll be safe…" Phoenix murmured, feeling her last bits of strength slowly fade away as he heart began to slow down.
"I…I promise…" Rune whispered as the tears rolled down her face. She closed her eyes tight, love and respect admiration clearly visible as she held her sister close. Phoenix sighed with relief, and with that Tech walked away, quickly organizing the remaining Avenging Angels agents to sweep the rest of the massive base and ordering a Raven-Ship to fly down to them ASAP. Chase remained still as Rune held her sister, crying silently as her sister's breathing slowed even further.
Phoenix closed her eyes as the last bit of life left her body, leaving her twin and everyone else behind as she stepped into the next life, victorious and happy that her final act had saved those precious to her.
Meanwhile:
"You won't be getting away with this." Sig said as he lowered his Peace Maker slightly, causing Gallus to laugh as the black aura engulfed him once more.
"Idiots…I will reign supreme over this realm, once I kill you. Once I defeat the Queen…Nothing shall stop me." Gallus chuckled as he suddenly spun around, firing an arc of red light at the Metal Head behind him from his staff.
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Gallus bellowed as the Gilgamoth roared in agony. The Metal Head thrashed about before throwing back its head, convulsing wildly as it let out one final bellow of pain before falling backwards into the ocean.
"I killed one of the ancients…Heh…And now you all will follow." Gallus growled as he advanced towards the fighters. Crash tried to get to his feet, but his broken leg was giving him problems while Shadow was still out cold.
"He's lost…" Disten muttered, earning Chill's and Sig attention.
"What?" Sig asked the Chief.
"He's absolutely out of his mind. Now that Arranst is fighting the others, the careful mind-control she had Gallus under is unravelling. He is literally losing his mind right now…And is all the more dangerous for it." Disten said quietly, a note of true loathing in the voice of the leader towards the Queen who caused all of this.
Disten, Sig, and Chill got into fighting stances as Gallus walked towards them, anger and madness in his eyes as his mind tore itself apart Tess flashed into existence and flung out her hands, creating a field of golden energy that enveloped Gallus, who let out roar of fury and let loose a shockwave of Dark Eco that broke the binds of the Precursor and fired a pulsating ball of Dark Eco at Tess, who was knocked back into the base from the force of the blast. Sig and Disten rushed the General, who began fighting off both of the seasoned warriors at once.
Chill waited for Gallus to knock away Sig to the ground before she leapt in, firing a stream of ice at Gallus as he made a move to strike down the Chief. Gallus swore as the ice enveloped him, only for Disten to fire off a shockwave of Light Eco from Ivaline, freeing Gallus from the ice and causing him to fly through the air, spinning around and landing on the ground in a crouch.
"How did that feel, you insane old man?" Chill said with a laugh.
"I'M NOT INSANE!" Gallus screamed as he leapt into the air, his entire body becoming a fireball once more. He rushed towards Chill, who fired a jet of icy energy to avoid the man as he sped by her. Gallus flipped in midair and landed on the side of the mountain, glaring at the group before he kicked off the mountain and flew above the group.
"BEGONE, FOOLS!" Gallus screamed as he began charging up a massive ball of Dark Eco before hurling it at the ground. Sig charged up and fired a shot with the Peace Maker while Shadow and Disten fired beams of Light Eco at the ball racing towards them, with Chill shooting two twin beams of ice at ball. Crash limped over to Tess, who was gathering her senses.
"Owww…That's it. Time to finish this guy!" Tess growled as she hopped on Crash's shoulder, shooting a small beam of energy at his leg and fixing his leg.
"It'll hold until you get to The Watcher. Now come on!" Tess said to Crash, who nodded.
Gallus let out a roar of fury as the ball he sent to the Avenging Angels came towards him instead. The General vanished in a black flash of light, appearing on the cliff once more as his staff glowed jet black. The General began wildly swinging his staff, sending arcs of energy flying in every direction. Shadow soared into the air, barely avoding being hit by three at once. Crash and Disten conjured shield's to protect them while Chill created a pillar of ice to hide behind.
Sig, however, had other plans. The King side-stepped the first blast sent his way and began charging up a shot with his Peace Maker. Gallus saw the King not take cover, and focused on him, quickly speeding up his attacks and causing Tess to throw herself in front of Sig, creating a golden energy shield in front of him, to protect him form Gallus. Sig smirked as the ball ball of energy suddenly turned green, and then turned deathly white and began to spark wildly.
"Sig…What the hell is that!?" Disten asked in horror, knowing that he had somehow found a way to charge the Peace Maker's shots to a ridiculous degree.
Sig replied by pulling the trigger.
Gallus was thrown backwards off of the cliff with a scream massive bolt of white lightning radiated off of the General, his scream growing faint as he fell off the cliff. Sig held up a hand, a signal to show that he suspected the General would be back.
As if on cue, the General shot up over the cliff and soared at Sig, tackling him to the ground with a savagely snarl. Sig yelled out as he fell to the ground, feeling at least four ribs break from the force of the move. Gallus vanished as the Avenging Angels opened fire on him, with Gallus appeared above them once more, charging up two fireballs of Dark Eco and hurling them downwards.
"Chief, we need a plan! His attacks are too erratic to dodge!" Crash yelled as Tess tried to keep up with the General, to no avail. She then saw a flash of gold on the ground and smiled, and quickly sent a telepathic message to the others.
"Gallus! How does it feel, knowing everything you worked for all these years is crumbling away at your feet?" Disten said to the man as he floated above them, flinging deadly bursts of Eco at the fighters below. Sig managed to get to his feet , barely avoiding the blasts himself.
"Shut your mouth! I am the Chosen One! Do you hear me! ME! I alone led the Hunters! I alone let her in! I alone with reap the seed and steal the power from the Dark Goddess!" Gallus roared as he landed on the ground. He glared at the man in front of him, panting heavily as the Chief slowly took off his helmet, a look of pity on his face.
"I am so sorry…Gallus. Thank you for everything you taught me, and what you helped build. In a way, we have you to thank and curse for what has happened today." Disten said with a sad smile
"Randall…Shut…your…MOUTH!" Gallus bellowed as his entire body became engulfed in a whirlwind of Dark Eco. Shadow and Chill blasted the Genera with every attack they could, but it was for naught. Gallus suddenly rushed forward, intending to kill his pathetic godson in this next attack. Every bit of his power was being used right here and now to end this.
"Forgive me." Disten said as he bowed his head for a moment, before his head snapped up.
Disten's foot shifted as he kicked a familiar golden disc, several feet wide in radius, out from under him. Gallus felt a pang of horror as he realized that he had been yet again tricked. The General smashed through the Uwrequa Shield-Trap completely, releasing a massive shockwave of Light Eco that sent all of the fighters falling to the ground, and causing Gallus to scream in agony as he clawed at his armor as blood poured down his body and the strength left his body…Gallus fell to his knees, screaming as the blood streamed down his face. He couldn't believe it. All these years…ALL OF THESE WASTED YEARS!?
"Gallus…" Disten said softly, walking forward.
"SHUT UP!" Gallus roared at Chief Disten, getting to his feet before he was bashed in the head by the staff his best friend once held. Gallus faded in and out of consciousness as Randall loomed over him, sighing deep as he raised the Ivaline high into the air.
"I am so sorry…Forgive me." Disten said before he drove the staff home, straight through Gallus's chest, coating the ground with blood. Disten stood there for a moment before he withdrew the staff and looked out over the cliff.
"Chief…You OK?" Chill asked quietly.
"No…No one should ever have to do what I just did. That man is the reason I am what I am today. He was like a second father to me, reinforcing and strengthening what lessons my father taught me and making sure I was prepare for whatever came my way. He was a hero to the Avenging Angels, a man of character and pride who never stopped fighting for the weak." Disten said quietly to the others.
"OR AM I!?"
Disten turned and fired his staff, but Gallus was already moving away, hands crackling with Dark Eco as got this feet, somehow someway still standing after a stab to the heart. Dark Eco poured from his body as he drew his hand back, readying himself for one final attack, when he paused.
"You have outlived your usefulness…Did you really believe that someone like you could overpower me? Could overthrow me? Pathetic…You were so much fun, but now our game has ended. Farewell, Gallus." Arranst whispered in his mind, causing Gallus to suddenly scream as a terrible indescribable pain ripped through his skull, sending him to his knees. Gallus howled in pain as a massive shadow rose up from behind him. Gallus fell to the ground, turning around and landing on his back, in time to see the Gilgamoth glaring down at him, bleeding heavily. The light in the Metal Head's eyes suddenly vanished as the Metal Head went limp, slowly falling towards the cliff, with Gallus directly below it.
"NOOO! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BECOME A GOD!" Gallus screamed as the head of the beast rushed towards him. He was too weak to move…
"At least I can die knowing that witch will die at their hands…No one will have her power…" Gallus thought as he closed his eyes. The Avenging Angels cringed as the head of the massive serpent smashed down on Gallus, crushing his body completely and killing him on impact. The head of the beast, with Gallus's bloody corpse crushed against it, slowly slid into the oceanic depths below and out of sight.
"What a way to go…" Chill said quietly.
"We beat him…We ended it." Disten said as he took a calming breath. He closed his eyes and uttered a small prayer for Gallus to somehow find peace, and for the Precursors to have mercy on him.
And then his thoughts turned to Jak, Nightingale, Havoc, and Daxter…And how they were faring against the evil behind it all.
"This is it! The core of the planet!" Havoc yelled as the cruiser floated through the massive chamber. Purple energy flowed all around the walls, where catacombs like the one they had just rode through led to other areas of the planet. The group could feel the raw power in the air, the immense levels of Dark Eco radiating from the core.
In the center of the room, the Queen stood atop a glowing jet black ball that gave each of the heroes a horrifying chill down their spine. The core…the core of the planet and the source of the Metal Head Queen's power.
The Queen herself was panting heavily, her tail barely attached her body and her wings looked rather worn. Arranst's exoskeleton was heavily cracked and in some places, blood streamed freely down her wounds. But the Queen simply grinned at them, showing them she had plenty of fight left.
"Behold the core of Metal Head homeworld. Try as you might, little heroes…My strength is at its peak here. BEHOLD!" Arranst roared as she kneeled down and placed her hand on the massive glowing sphere below her. The sphere below her began to twist and morph, slowly turning bright yellow- the color of the gem in every single Metal Head.
"Come, my children throughout the stars…Lend me your strength so that we may cement our place in history as the undisputed masters of this miserable Universe! Together we shall destroy the last remnants of the Precursors!" Arranst proclaimed gleefully as the light from the core of the planet slowly began to travel down her arms, spreading through put her body.
"Get off the Zoomer, now!" Daxter yelled, and with that the heroes leapt from the zoomer and flared their wings, floating above the darkness that was the core of the planet. Daxter made the Zoomer vanished before a great light burst out of the core of the planet, creating a great shockwave that almost knocked the heroes right out of the air, blinding them as well.
"W-what's going on?" Havoc hissed as he looked up, only for him to let out a gasp of horror. Jak and Nightingale felt a pang of fear as well, while Daxter glared at the figure before them with a determined look on his face.
"This…power…its…it's too much…" Havoc whispered hoarsely as the harsh yellow glow faded. The group beheld Arranst as she loomed overhead, a sinister smile on her face.
"Fools…Witness the true power of the Hora-Quan!" Arranst yelled as she flared out her wings.
The Queen of the Metal Heads had grown to the size of a giant and her armor was now black with yellow streaks running across her body. The exoskeleton had seemingly hardened and repaired itself as purple veins of Dark Eco flowed through her armor and body, giving her more power and a more intimidating appearance. Her insect-like wings were utterly massive, with Metal Head Gems that glowed bright red embedded in them now. Worst of all, was the horrible waves of raw power that radiated from the Queen…power that made the immense power she had before seem trivial and made the heroes seem weak by comparison.
The Planet's Core had given Arranst the power of every living Metal Head in the Universe.
"What now?" Jak asked, trying to hide the fear in his voice. He hated to admit it, but now…He was losing hope. The Queen had merged her with the core of her planet and had gained more power than they could ever hope to have…They had lost.
"No. We can still do this. We can win!" Nightingale said, trying to sound confident. The three battered heroes readied themselves and as one, flew at the Metal Head Queen, putting their all into hitting her as quickly and as hard as possible. However, as Jak slashed at Arranst's body, he became aware that not even the sacred blade of Mar could hurt the Queen. Havoc slashed and stabbed and fired blasts of Eco at the Queen, to no avail. Nightingale created massive bursts of Light Eco that did absolutely nothing to the Queen, who simply watched as the heroes furiously attacked her. She was quite aware that the attacks did barely anything to her, so she waited for them to tire themselves out before she decided to break their spirits.
Jak, Nightingale, and Havoc then flew away from the Queen and began charging up beams of Eco from within the recesses of their bodies, using whatever they could spare to someone take down the Queen. As one, fired a massive blast of twisting, pulsating Eco that struck the Queen directly in the chest-
Only for the Queen to brush the attack aside with her claw and dispel it like it was absolutely nothing.
"Are you quite finished?" Arranst asked the heroes, who looked up at the Queen as she looked down on them.
"You did well…No one will ever say mankind did not try their hardest when it came to trying to defeat me. For a few minutes there…I was skeptical of my own chances." Arranst admitted before she let out a laugh.
"But to actually have to resort to merging with the Core…you little heroes are certainly worth the effort the Precursors put into shaping you. It's a shame they can't be here to see you all fail!" Arranst growled as she swung her hand towards them, smashing Havoc with her claw and sending him hurtling away with a scream of pain. Nightingale yelled out his name, only for her get sent flying across the room. Jak grit his teeth and starred down the god-killer, who smiled widely at him.
"Even you, with all of your strength, are nothing before me Mar. Submit." Arranst said before she slashed downwards at Jak, who raised his sword to block. Arranst swept Jak aside effortlessly, sending the bleeding hero flying towards the ground. Jak felt himself suddenly stop, with someone helping keep him airborne. Jak looked to his left, one of his eyes shut in pain, as he saw Nightingale looking at him with worry.
"She's so powerful…Not even the three of us attacking her at once phases her…What now?" Jak muttered.
"I don't know…" Nightingale whispered.
"Arranst!" Daxter suddenly yelled, a ball of light forming in his hands. Jak, Nightingale, and Havoc watched in interest as the light in Daxter's hand slowly died down, showing a bronze cube made of Precursor Metal.
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this…Because even I don't know for sure what it'll do…But here goes nothing!" Daxter yelled as the small box began to open of its own accord.
"Dax…What is that?" Jak asked before he felt a shiver.
Shiver wasn't the right word…A tremor rocked the entire chamber, but it was something on an entire other level. But no word could explain what happened next. All he could hear was Daxter, speaking. Everything else was drowned out.
"Many eons ago…The Precursors flourished. Flourished like no other civilization. However, we were still mortal, despite our powers. We may have been able to die, but we were Gods nevertheless…That said, we were not a race that was accustomed to death, but through the genius of the old ones, we found a way to communicate with those who passed." Daxter explained, his voice filled with strain.
"Through the use of a sacred relic, The Cube of Oracles, we found a way to ensure all passed souls enter this vessel, so that the true legacy of the Precursors would never fade away. Every time a Precursor dies, its soul finds its way to this cube. That way, all of the memories of the Precursors are preserved. We Precursors are a pretty patient race…Waiting for the day a hero can rise above the darkness and allow us to step forth and flourish once more." Daxter explained as a faint white light emanated from the box.
"What…no…You mean…" Arranst trailed off as small whispers filled the massive chamber. All quiet, but every single one audible. The words scratched the insides of Jak's heart and he felt the desire to flee and run away, but he remained still. Nightingale began shaking uncontrollably as the whispers grew louder. Havoc clutched head, tears running down his face as he silently screamed, but his eyes remained on the box.
The force being released from the box was too great for words. It tore at the very souls of the heroes, and even that of the Queen and Precursor in the room. The dormant souls of the slain Precursors were now released, and who knows what could happen next? Jak, Nightingale, Havoc, and Daxter could feel the spirits moving around them, whispering all the while.
"No…"
"They're too weak…"
"She's too strong…"
"What can we do?"
"All hope is lost…"
"The last of our line…defeated…"
"Our hopes were invalidated…"
"Save us…"
"How could this happen…"
"Doomed to wait for our annihilation…
Daxter continued to hold out the box, eyes shut tight as he quickly chanted in a songlike voice that only Nightingale could understand. The language of the Precursors. Arranst watched the Precursor, transfixed and unable to move. What was this…this ancient magic? She could only watch in curiosity as a small shiver went down her spine. He had to be lying…trying to bluff or trick her…There was no possibility that the box he held there was the Cube of Oracles…She had thought it lost…
"I thought they were heroes."
"I suppose we were wrong..."
"How can they beat her?"
"I guess the Queen really was the better-"
The voices ceased as a golden light burst out of the small box, with a warm and familiar voice saying "Do not lose faith, young ones. We are here, as we have always been. Watching and waiting…And now the moment has come…For us to reclaim our legacy."
Everyone except Daxter gasped as small orange-gold orbs of light began to fill the chamber. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of small little balls of light flickered into existence, and with that the murmurs shifted in tone.
"Yes…they can.."
"We're here…together…"
"Dethrone her…avenge us…"
"We are the fallen…"
"Together we shall triumph…"
"Do not falter…We are here…"
"You can do it!"
"Go forth! Defeat her!
"This ends with you four!"
"Be strong, heroes."
"Save us. Avenge us."
"Heroes…we give you our strength…what little of our legacy remains…We entrust to you. Our hopes…our dreams…our future and the future of all life rests upon your shoulders…" the warm golden voice spoke to the trio with wings.
The whispers began to chant in the sing-song voice, the language of the Precursors, and the trio felt a sense of hope fill them. Feelings of joy made their hearts soar and revitalized their spirit. As they began to gain confidence, they felt their bodies glow bright gold and strength flood their bodies. Havoc let out a laugh as he felt iron and power rush through him. Nightingale felt a tear run down her face, overwhelmed by the faith the Precursors that had fallen had in them, and the gift they had given them.
Jak grinned savagely as strength flood his body, causing his body to shine brightly like a star. Together, with the Precursors at their back, they could do this. He could do this…
As the Queen wildly looked around her, terrified out of her mind. This was fear Jak could use to his advantage. Use to avenge every single one of the people who had died at the hands of the Queen. Fear he could use to destroy her.
Jak's smile widened as the spirits of Usano, Elis, and Gud appeared before them, floating majestically.
"Mar. Iris. Jazon. We give you, our greatest gift of all. Contained within that cube, is the consciousness of our entire race. When a Precursor dies, their soul goes into the sacred vessel that Daxter now carries, the Cube of the Oracle. It is the greatest treasure of our race, like the Kedical and the Yvantael." Usano explained as he turned to Arranst.
"We will use our combined force to weaken the Queen. You should not have anything to fear." Usano said before he let out a singing wail, causing the thousands of spirits to rush the Queen at once. Arranst roared furiously as the Precursors rushed her, slashing and clawing at her body in vain as her body began to flash orange.
"Daxter, you must keep the connection open until you leave this planet. We're trusting this task to you." Usano said to Daxter, who nodded.
"Now…Attack my heroes! Fight the Queen and destroy her! Do it in the name of your families! Your friends! For the lives of every being in the Universe, destroy the Metal Head Queen!" Usano urged the heroes, who readied themselves as the Queen let out a roar of fury.
"NEVER! I will silence you and your pathetic heroes, and the Hora-Quan will rule!" Arranst roared
Jak Nightingale, and Havoc flew towards the Queen, with the spirits of the Precursors racing around them. Arranst roared as a massive black aura enveloped her, causing the gems on her wings to glow bright red.
"Havoc, take care of that shield! Nightingale, take out the gems on her wings. And Jak…Take her down!" Daxter yelled to the heroes, his voice resonating with the three heroes.
"Bow down, fools!" Arranst roared as she swung her clawed hands at the heroes, who swiftly rolled out of the way and righted themselves in midair.
"Guys, I'll take care of her shield. Be on standby!" Havoc said as he clenched his fists, the purple aura around his body flaring wildly as the Precursors lent him their strength.
"Be strong, Jazon."
"We believe in you."
"Beat that horrible bitch!"
Havoc grinned at the last whisper and rushed at the Queen as Jak and Nightingale flew out of range, waiting for Havoc's signal.
Havoc starred down the Queen in front of him, who hissed at the feeling of the thousands of Precursors circling her. Ancient powers that were made before her birth, now being used against her. It made her skin crawl…But she felt weaker. Felt vulnerable…
"DIE!" Havoc barked as he began to fire streams of Dark Eco, laced with white and gold light, at the Queen who winced in pain as the blasts tore through her shield. Arranst slashed at Havoc, her massive claw cutting through the air, but Havoc soared above her and fired a stream of purple flames at her, ripping through her shield. Arranst felt her shield fade away as the Champion of Darkness assaulted her, and within a minute the shield was gone.
"Nightingale! Its up to you!" Havoc yelled as Arranst fired a jet black beam of energy at him, hitting Havoc directly and sending him flying back. Nightingale took a deep breath before flinging out her arms to her sides, feeling her white and blue aura intensify as the Precursors gave her strength.
"You do it! We believe in you!"
"Don't ever give up, Iris!"
"Your songs will light our way. Go forth!"
Night shot forward with a great burst of speed as Arranst eyed her with hate, swiping horizontally with her hands and nearly goring Nightingale with them. The Champion of Light elegantly flipped in midair, drawing her shotgun and flying to the wings of the Queen, even as the swiped at her again.
"Now that Havoc has exposed her, she's open to attacks. Destroy the gems to reduce her hold on the Core!" Usano told Nightingale as she flew forward, blasting the gems as quick as she could. Nightingale suddenly was blasted away from the Queen, who released a shockwave of energy.
"I will not be put down so easily! Behold!" Arranst yelled as Arrant's back exploded in a shower of Eco, and Nightingale soon saw five massive stingers identical to the one the Queen had before squirming behind the Hora-Quan leader. Nightingale raced forward, putting away her shotgun and darting towards the left wing, aiming a kick at the closest gem. As Nightingale's boot connected, a white blast of energy, mixed with black and gold burst out of her foot, enveloping the gem and destroying it. A small explosion erupted from the Queen's wing as Nightingale soared away, only to dart forward and deliver several more kicks to the gems of the Queen and breaking two more gems, causing her connection to the core she had latched on to to be less stable. Arranst fired a series of beams at Nightingale, who weaved in and out of the beams and fired a massive burst of light at the left wings, shattering three additional gems before the Queen's attacks finally hit the Champion of Light, sending her flying back.
"Alright Jak. Your turn!" Nightingale said as she righted herself in midair, blood streaming down her body even as the wound she had sealed shut with the energy the Precursors were funneling into her.
Jak levelled Yvantael at the Queen of the Metal Heads, who closed her eyes as small balls of black goo began to form around her. These balls hardened and turned into glowing eyes, the same color of the eyes of Arranst. This eyes began to fire balls of energy at Jak, who let out a yell as the aura around him burned bright gold. Jak flew forward, soaring around and avoiding the projectiles that Arranst fired his way. With her shield gone and her connection to the Core growing unstable, it was time to attack her directly.
"Show her the true power of light and dark!"
"Fight for the fallen. For the everyone who was slain by her…"
"You can do it, Mar! We're backing you all the way!"
Jak grinned as he spun around, swiftly avoiding being shot by one of Arranst's five tails, and flew directly at the Queen, slashing her midsection with Yvantael and releasing a massive arc of golden energy that ripped through the Queen, who screamed in agony and caused the entire chamber to shake. Jak let out a harsh yell and quickly began to hack and slash at the Queen, even as she attempted to claw at the hero. Arranst's tails shot towards Jak, causing him to fly away and back off, but the damage was done, with several bleeding slashes made on Arranst's armor.
"We've only got a few minutes before our energy is gone! Keep up the pressure!" Usano yelled at the heroes, who nodded as Havoc flew at the Queen again. Havoc grimaced as the tails and eyes of the Queen began shooting streams of energy at him, forcing him to expand energy creating shields to block the incoming projectiles. He fired a nonstop stream of attacks as the Precursors urged him forward, destroying the Queen's shield once more. Nightingale rushed forward and quickly attacked the wings, and after an opening Jak dove in and slashed at the Queen directly.
Arranst slashed and attacked and fired beams of energy at the trio, but no matter how many times she hit them, their resolve wouldn't falter. She felt the wounds she had accumulated begin to catch up with her. Jak slashed off all of the extra tails on her back while Havoc and Nightingale managed to sever one of her wings. Arranst felt the Precursors tearing at her and screaming words of hate and fury, and couldn't get them out of her head.
"She's on her last legs! FINISH HER!" Daxter yelled as Havoc flew towards the Queen, his arms alight with black and gold flames. Arranst swung a claw at Havoc, who landed on the hand of the Queen and ran along the length of her arm, releasing a massive burst of Eco into her face, surprising and hurting her enough to rid her of her shield once more.
Nightingale took that as he cue to attack, aiming at the two gems on the Queen's remaining wing with her SMG's. Arranst fired several beams of energy at Night, who barely avoided the first wave and was grazed by the second volley of attacks. However, the Champion of Light wouldn't be denied, and managed fly forward and kick open the second to Last gem, releasing a burst of energy and creating an explosion on Arranst's wing. Nightingale flew backwards, dodging a slash from the Queen, before she darted forward and somersaulted in midair, landing a powerful kick on the final gem of the Queen.
"Do it. Mar…Go forth and deliver the final blow!" Usano urged the hero, who nodded. Arranst let out a harsh wail of agony as explosions of light wracked her body, though this allowed Jak a chance to fly forward and charge up his sword for one final attack. Arranst opened her eyes in time to see Jak charging at her like a shooting star, sword raised to strike. Jak neared the Queen, and Jak saw a look of fear in her eyes as he prepared himself to deliver the final slash. Jak soared into the Queen, swinging the blade of his ancestor with a savage yell of fury.
"NOOO! NO! NO! NO!" Arranst screamed as Yvantael sliced through her body, severing her tail and her connection the planet's core. Arranst collapsed onto the core of the planet, shaking and panting, but still alive, even as her body began to flash yellow over and over again as she shrank back to her normal size.
"Well done…But I am not so easily killed. You will never have a chance to destroy the core of the planet." Arranst laughed quietly, slowly rising to her feet. Despite most of her exoskeleton being cracked and broken and her tail being severed, she looked like she could still fight.
"See…That's where you're wrong." Daxter said with a small smile on his face.
"Arranst…You can die with your planet." Jak said as he removed Yvantael from the Queen's body, causing her to snarl in pain. Arranst writhed and snarled as the Memories continued to assault her, ensuring she could not find some way to retreat. She was done…
"Fools…I can't die, so long as the core remains intact. And the core is indestructible…You can't win. I'll break free from this little prison of ghosts and slaughter you and your friends like the insects that they are!" Arranst growled as she tried to get up, only to fall back onto the planet's core as the Precursors swarmed around her. Usano, Elis, and Gud watched on, smiling at the heroes before they vanished from sight, pride and respect on their faces. The Precursor spirits redoubled their efforts on the Queen as the Ottsel trio vanished.
"Nothing is invincible. Nothing or no one. Not even the Precursors…And neither are you." Havoc said quietly to the Queen.
"Daxter, the Kedical." Nightingale pointed out to the Precursor, who nodded. With a snap of the fingers, Daxter allowed the bomb to reappear and held it out before the heroes.
"What is this!? Some kind of weapon!? That is technology of the elders…Of the first victims of the purges! How did you get this!?" Arranst demanded, her eyes dilating with both fear and rage.
"Created by the old ones, finished by the next generation of Precursors and the Avenging Angels. You're done." Daxter said coldly as he raised his hand, floating high into the air, before he sent the bomb flying towards Arranst, the massive-speared tip of the Kedical piercing her through the chest, pinning her to the core of the planet. Arranst closed her eyes tight in pain, even as the furious Precursors whirled around and around her, and opened a single eye at the heroes.
"So…One legacy ends…Another is reborn…" Arranst whispered as a small smile appeared on her face.
"Every legacy fades, Arranst. Its time for yours to end." Daxter said coldly before he snapped his fingers, spawning the Talosin Zoomer a short distance away.
"Come on, we don't have much time to escape the planet." Daxter said as he vanished and reappeared on the Zoomer. Jak, Havoc, and Nightingale flew over to the Zoomer as Daxter held out his hand, curling it into a fist as he moved it towards Arranst. Arranst let out a long drawn out scream of anguish as the bomb suddenly began to glow bright red.
"Farewell, Lady Arranst!" Havoc yelled back as the Zoomer flew out of the Catacombs. Arranst trashed and screamed, trying to free herself from the ghosts of the innocent she had killed. But with each passing second, the Bomb began to flash red quicker and quicker, and after a few moments she realized the futility in it all.
"It seems…As though my legacy is over…" Arranst said as she closed her eyes and accepted her death as the Precursors overwhelmed her, smothering her completely.
Daxter urged the Zoomer to go faster and faster, with the group using every bit of energy that they had left to escape the planet before it exploded. Within a minute, the heroes had emerged from the catacombs and rushed out of the Palace, racing towards the Gate to Darkness. Daxter summoned the Precursor Staff and pointed at the Gate to Darkness, opening it up instantly.
"WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!" Daxter screamed before a massive tremor rocked the planet.
"YOU THINK!? YOU COULDN'T HAVE INSTALLED A DETONATOR ON THAT BOMB!?" Havoc roared at Daxter.
"IT WAS EITHER THAT OR THE CLOCK, AND I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO TELL HOW LONG WE HAD BEEN WORKING ON IT!" Daxter yelled as the planet began to crumble beneath them, cracks and fire gushing out from them.
"You built a clock in a bomb. Why am I not surprised?" Nightingale said as she shook her head.
"I'm not. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the bomb doubled as a margarita maker." Jak mused, earning a nervous laugh from Daxter who didn't meet his eyes. The group soared through the Gate to Darkness, escaping the massive planet-destroying blast that completely ripped apart the Metal Head homeworld, destroying the Queen and the Core of the planet. All over the universe, Metal Heads fell to the ground dead as the Queen that had been connected to them died.
The Metal Head threat…One that had been plaguing the Universe for eons upon eons…Was finally over.
The Talosin Zoomer flew through the Gate to Darkness, soaring towards the base before it stopped suddenly. Jak, Havoc, and Night jumped out of the vehicle, only for Chill and Disten to throw their arms around Jak and Nightingale respectively. Shadow met Havoc's eyes and simply gave him a nod and a smile.
"You did it…I know you did. I can feel it." Disten said as he broke apart from Night and looked at the other heroes, who nodded with smiles on their faces.
"Team A reporting in." a ragged voice spoke to the group.
"Stephen! We've been trying to-" Shadow began to say before her fiancé cut her off.
"We've made quick work of the base. We cut the power off completely, and killed the remaining Hunters. However…We've got a few casualties. Agents Wildheart, Veil, Rider, Phoenix amongst them." Tech said weakly, sounding exhausted.
"Phoenix…" Chill said quietly, shaking her head. The group remained silent for a moment before Tech said "Are the others back? The Metal Heads are all dead in here. They just dropped dead."
"Mission accomplished." Nightingale replied quietly.
"Thank goodness…its all over…" Tech sighed deeply before yelling "Its done! We beat them! The Metal Heads are dead! Every single one of them!"
Tech cut off his radio as cheers broke out, and the group on the cliff waited as ships landed all around the, with pilots and other Agents wanting to know what had happened.
Sig walked over to Jak and clapped him on the back, wearing a wide grin. "Your dad would be proud, Jak. You saved the universe today, and helped right a lot of wrongs."
"All of you did well. I'm proud to have known each and every one of you." Disten said quietly, smiling at the Agents around him. His family…His misfit group of warriors that were the most important people in his life…together they had won. Together, they had persevered. Together…They had avenged the fallen and brought peace to the Universe.
"What now, Chief?" Jak asked Chief Disten, who laughed quietly in response.
"We will do as we always have done…Pick up the pieces and rebuild, Jak. We now have a world before us, where we do not have to live in fear. We can live however we wish…This is a new era. Once we recover…We can prosper." Disten said as he gestured out to the ocean. Jak smiled as he looked up at the sun high in the sky. Yes, it had hurt beyond belief. Yes, the wounds he had suffered throughout his journey would scar him forever…
Nightingale wrapped her arms around Jak and kissed his cheek, and Jak felt a smile spread across his face. But in the end, he had grown so much. He and all of his friends had grown so much. The wounds he held today, both physical and emotional, would heal. It'd take time, but he'd get better. All of them would…He could almost see all of those who had fallen watching them now, smiling down on those they left behind. Most of all, he could feel the satisfaction and peace that the spirits of the Precursors felt now, knowing their race had been avenged. That a new era of peace would reign for a long, long time-
"Hey babe. Should we tell them about the next prophecy?" Tess suddenly asked Daxter, who opened his mouth to reply, only to be hit by a beam of ice.
"Gonna have to stop ya right there. I think we can hold off on that until we get home." Chill said cheerfully, eyeing the frozen Daxter with a grin.
"I agree." Havoc said as he crossed his arms, trying not to laugh at Daxter, who warped out of the prison and flipped off Chill, who began making rude gestures at Daxter in reply.
Well…things would be mostly peaceful.
End of Chapter:
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. THE FINALE IS DONE!
I hope you all enjoyed the final battle. I had a lot of fun writing it, even though it pushed me to my limits of writing because writing long ass chapters like this isn't easy, BUT GOD THAT FINAL FIGHT WAS AMAZING TO WRITE!
I jammed to so much music while writing this thing, though. God I love boss battle soundtracks!
Anyway, back to my usual nonsense.
Please leave your thoughts in the review section below! Let me know what you thought of the conclusions of each fight? What was your favorite moment? Let me know in the review section!
Catch the final chapter on April 30th!
Follow me on twitter at FlygonNick, and be sure to keep a watch on this story because I will be updating on the last day of the month. Stay beautiful everyone! You guys freaking rock! Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!