Cracking the Precursor Stone

Chapter 7

A/N: I do not own Jak and Daxter or any of their incarnations but will forever be grateful for their existence!

Black eyes blinked several times quickly. Suddenly he felt more than a little lightheaded. Jak shook his head to clear his thoughts. It felt like he had been in a fog all morning. Ever since fighting… Fighting the Baron…

Abruptly, Jak stiffened and looked around.

Why was he at the Precursor Temple? He had just been in Mar's Tomb! How the hell had he gotten here?

He then immediately became aware of his hands being rubbed. Looking down, Jak thought he was going to vomit. He was absolutely towering over Kiera and Tess who for some strange reason were talking to him like they would a crocodog, "That's a good boy, Jakkie! It's ok. Everything's ok."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

That was Jinx's voice. What was he doing here? Jak looked up, standing on top of a slope, which Jak still loomed over, were Vin, Torn, and Jinx. Vin looked at him like he was a giant puzzle to solve, Torn looked like he needed a strong drink soon, and Jinx looked mildly amused about it all.

None of that made him feel remotely better because none of it changed the fact that Jak was fucking huge!

Feeling his heart race and becoming all too aware of the panic starting to set in, Jak's breath caught when he felt someone else touch him, but this time near his wrist. Obsidian eyes instantly sought out the source and found his favourite pair of blue eyes staring back at him.

Daxter's face was oddly quizzical as he spoke, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, "Jak?"

Without even realizing it, a ragged whisper escaped from fanged mouth, "Dax…?"

All present immediately were silent. Jak felt his skin crawl as everyone looked at him. Honestly, how could they not? What else was there to look at but a gigantic freak? Then Jak felt a rush of energy and saw his body light up in a purple glow before he promptly grew several more feet.

That was it. He was officially panicking now, "I…"

"Hey," Catching on to his friend's distress, Daxter began rubbing his wrist gently, "Hey, it's ok, Jak. Just try ta breathe, pal."

But having Daxter's relatively tiny hands on his wrist only made the difference all the more obvious. The urge to flee began to overwhelm him and Jak tried to stand up. That apparently was a mistake. As he stood, he felt a not insignificant amount of weight pulling at his back, unable to counterbalance it, he took a hasty step back and found his ankle catching on something that was not just part of the landscape. No, he felt the sensation from something that felt almost like a third leg. Too busy trying to figure out what the hell that meant, he succumbed to gravity's pull. With an almighty crash, Jak fell on his ass. The fallout caused boulders to be dislodged from nearby cliffs while frantic birds took to the sky.

Desperately trying to figure out what the hell was going on, he tried to scoot backwards only to have two structures, that were very much not his back hit the side of the mountain. Scrambling onto his knees, Jak finally had the wherewithal to turn and look over his shoulder just in time to see two enormous wings stretch out. Black eyes followed past them down to his butt where what was clearly a tail smoothly transitioned from his rear.

His ears were ringing, and he was hyperventilating, and it was a Mar-damned miracle that throughout the roaring within his head, he heard a familiar voice piercing through, "JAK! JAK, YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN! IF YOU DON'T, YOU'RE GOING TO GET US KILLED!"

Automatically, both of his ears shot up vertically as ebony eyes widened in worry. It didn't matter how freaked out he was about his current situation. If Daxter needed his help, Jak would make sure he got it. With no small amount of effort, Jak shoved his panic aside and sought out his best friend.

There, stuck on a tiny piece of levitating Precursor metal was Daxter. Meanwhile, Tess and Kiera were hugging each other out of both terror but also necessity since there was hardly room for one let alone two people on their own little platform. It was then, Jak realized that when he fell, he must have caused the chunk of cliff his friends were on to fall away. By some miracle, the Precursor platforms that had been lodged within the ground for the last millennium still worked when they were freed from their earthy prison.

With the collapse of the ground, Jak's other friends had been forced to retreat. Now, the three huddled at one of the lower floor entrances of the temple. Thankfully, with walls of the building constructed from Precursor metal, the entire structure was far more sturdy appearing undamaged from Jak's fall. Relieved that at least half of the group hadn't been put into accidental peril by his doing, Jak's attention shifted back to the ones suspended over the chasm.

Underneath the bronze platforms, golden light flickered and with it came Jak's realization that said chunks of Precursor metal probably didn't have a whole lot of energy left. When they ran out, his friends would plummet several hundred feet to their certain death. Inching carefully forward, aware the ground beneath him likely wasn't as stable after his tumble, Jak crawled towards the edge. Unfortunately, every time he got just close enough to try and attempt to grab his friends, the ground would collapse under his massive weight, and he'd have to quickly hop backwards.

After the third try, black eyes widened meaningfully in Daxter's direction. Jak didn't know what to do and they were running out of time. Daxter just slapped his palm to his forehead before calling in an exasperated voice, "You have wings, Jak. Maybe you should use 'em?"

Looking over his shoulder to said appendages, Jak's ears sank. He had no clue how to use them. He was more likely to just collapse more of the mountain when he fell back to earth after what was sure to be a failed attempt at fruitlessly flapping the things. "I don't know how, Dax."

"That's yakbullshit!" Daxter gestured in emphasis, "You flew Tess and I here from the prison less than an hour ago with no problems."

"I… I did?" Jak barely could remember fighting the Baron in Mar's Tomb this morning. Given how low the sun now was in the sky, there was clearly a large chunk of time that was apparently missing from his memory.

"Ya did." His friend's freckled face was confused, "You seriously don't remember?"

It didn't take a lifetime of friendship to tell Jak's expression clearly showed he had zero memory of the last few hours.

"Eep!" Both girls cried in unison as their platform dropped a foot before stabilizing. Keira's voice was shaky as she shouted, "I don't want to rush you, Jak, but do something!"

Seeing the platform the girls were on shiver ominously Jak felt instinct take over. He spread his wings and launched off the cliff just in time to see the last bit of light leave the bottom. Jak's fist closed around the pair just as the Precursor metal lost the last of its ability to levitate before plunging into the abyss below. Banking his wings, Jak made a turn in the air and managed to grab Daxter in his other hand before he glided over to the temple proper and landed, a bit unsteadily to his feet. Crouching down, he released his charges on the ground.

Despite successfully saving his friends, Jak's ears were sullenly low as he folded his wings down onto his back. "Guys, I am so sorry."

Still catching their breath from their near-death experience, neither Daxter, Tess, nor Keira spoke first, "Don't worry about it, Blondie," Jinx took a long drag from his cigar before exhaling, "Your smooth moves came through in the end."

"Those same ones collapsed half the cliff." Jak snapped darkly.

Jinx shrugged, "A minor detail."

Just before the giant got a chance to retort, another wave of energy rippled through him and he gained yet another few feet to his already substantial repertoire, "What the hell?!"

"We could ask you the same thing." Torn crossed his arms and glared up at him, "Why the hell did you think eating the Precursor Stone was a good idea?!"

Jak just gaped at the former KG, "I did what?"

Yet, before the words were out, he could see it.

He had been desperate; the Baron had the Stone and his friends and was getting away. Jak was too weak. He needed to be stronger. The Precursor Stone held untold power and with it he would have his revenge. Then there was a flash of blinding light, and that wondrous liquid had started flowing down his throat and with it came such power…

"Shit…" Shaking his head briefly to clear his thoughts, Jak continued, "I did."

"No kidding!" Vin was madly typing away on his data pad, "Your energy levels are off the charts, and they keep growing by the minute! Based on my most recent data points, you'll be at around 200 feet by this time tomorrow."

Jak just gawked at the tech-savvy elf, "I'm going to be what?"

"Well, 226 feet and three quarters of an inch if you want to be exact about it." Vin answered.

The monstrous elf could only moan before sinking belly down onto the ground and burying his face into his hands. By this time, Daxter had regained enough of himself to walk over to his massive friend and pat comfortingly on his head, "It's ok, big guy. I'm sure there's something we can do to fix ya up. After all, we got some o' the best minds in Haven right here."

Black eyes peeked out dubiously from under his wild mane of white hair, "I can feel the Precursor Stone in my veins… Hell even in my bones, Dax. I can't just vomit it up and expect everything to go back to normal."

"See, that's what I've been saying this whole time." Vin looked up from his screen, "No one listens to me."

Daxter rolled his eyes before looking around at the group, "Surely someone has some idea of how we can stop this?"

When freckled face fell on Keira she shook her head, "I'm sorry, Daxter, but I wouldn't even know where to start. Besides, my expertise with eco is all about what it can do in machines, not a living, breathing body."

Pleading blue eyes turned to the blonde bartender, "Tess?"

"Sorry, snuggle buns," Tess shook her head, "I'm all about guns. The only thing I know about eco is what it does in bullets."

Daxter hadn't expected Jinx to have any ideas, but the bombardier was standing beside Tess and so Jinx felt the need to add his own two credits, "I'm no better. I'm all about bombs, remember?"

His gaze fell on Torn, "Don't even look at me! My help got him out of the city and that's all I can offer."

Finally, Daxter's now-watering eyes fell back on Jak. Touched by how his best friend was trying to find a solution for him, the giant lifted his head with ears slightly less slanted, "Dax… I don't think there is a way we can fix this."

"But…" The redhead was gradually becoming more distraught, "We can't just leave you like this!"

Jak sighed, "We knew getting into this there would be sacrifices, Dax. This one just isn't what we expected."

Before Daxter could retort, the group's ears swivelled in unison to the sound of Torn's communicator going off. Pulling it from his belt the ex-KG gruffly answered, "What? Are you sure? But how did they get in? Krew?! That greedy ass! Why am I not surprised. Alright, I'm on my way. Get the call out to anyone with a gun."

Everyone looked at the Underground's Commander as he ran a hand over his face, "That was The Shadow. Apparently Metalheads are pouring into the city from the Under Port and it's all Krew's doing. Sig got the intel from one of Krew's sleezier lapdogs that returned from there just this morning. We got to get back now!"

"AAAAAHHHH!" Vin's grip on his data pad tightened, "They're already invading the Power Station. If the Shield Wall goes down, we can all kiss out butts, goodbye!"

"Calm down, people." Jinx put out his cigar with his boot before thumbing over to Jak, "We got an ace in the hole. I bet he could even give the Metalhead Leader a run for his money."

"You really think it's a good idea for me to go back into the city like this?" Jak had sat up into a kneeling position during Torn's communication and with one hand resting as a fist on the ground beside him the other gestured to himself.

"The place is already being overrun with Metalheads," Keira stepped over to place a comforting hand on one of his massive fingers, "I kind of doubt your presence is going to make things worse, Jak."

"Besides, Pretty Boy," Jinx smirked, "You were wandering the streets like an hour ago. Sure, you've gained like forty feet since then, but who's counting?"

"No one is when they're running from Metalheads." Tess smiled brightly.

Jak rolled his eyes, "Fine. What's the plan then?"

Torn had been frowning, deep in thought the whole time. Uncrossing one of his arms he looked up, with the light of revelation in his icy blue eyes, "The Shadow said there were hundreds of Metalheads streaming into the city, which means there are that many less Metalheads at the nest." He snapped his fingers, "Jak, I don't want you to go into the city."

The dark elf's ears sagged a little. After what everyone had just said he thought Torn would be on board with his presence. Apparently, that was not the case. He glared down at his clawed hands, "So what? I'm supposed to just sit here while Metalheads slaughter innocent people?"

"No," Hearing the fire in Torn's voice, Jak immediately looked up to meet icy eyes, "I want you do go and attack the Metalheads where it will hurt the most: their nest."

"That means taking down the Metalhead Leader!" Daxter gasped, "You really think Jak can do it?"

Torn gave a wry grin, "The guy absorbed the Precursor Stone, rat, which is supposed to be the most powerful thing on the planet. If he can't beat him then no one can."

Although Jak couldn't help but roll his eyes as the two talked like he wasn't even there, he wasn't bothered too much. Torn had a point. With so many Metalheads in the city, the nest would be vulnerable. There was no better time to strike. Ears perked in renewed confidence as he responded, "I'm in. Let's go kick some Metalhead ass."

"Come find us in the Port once you're done. Here," Torn tossed a new communicator to Daxter, "Since I assume you're going with him, you can be in charge of keeping us appraised of the situation."

Daxter caught the device, "Can do!"

Torn then dug a morph gun out of the duffle bag he had brought to the temple. "You better take this as well. I doubt Jak will need the backup, but he probably won't be able to keep your scrawny ass out of harm's way all the time."

"Hmph." Freckled hands took the weapon and holstered it over his shoulder, "I'll have you know that even if he is mega Dark Jak right now, he's still the sidekick and I'm the hero!"

Jak grinned down at Daxter as he offered a hand to fist bump, "Whatever you say, Dax."

His freckled friend was quick to oblige before the others departed with waves of goodbye and plenty of good lucks exchanged. Then, it was just the two best friends. Carefully crawling backwards out of the temple, Jak ensured he was on solid ground before transitioning into a crouch. He shivered as another wave went through him followed by another growth spurt. Daxter looked up from where he was taking inventory of his ammo in the pack Torn had provided, "Does it hurt?"

"Not exactly." Jak ran a clawed hand through his wild white mane, "Just feels weird. Like I'm being stretched from the inside." He then lowered the same hand to the ground, "It might be best to ride on my head. That way you can tie some of my hair around you as a safety line and use my horns for cover."

"Works for me, pal." Daxter accepted the lift up before hopping onto Jak's head. The giant patiently waited as he felt his hair be rustled by his friend. A few minutes later, he felt a gentle tug on his scalp as Daxter confirmed his knot's security, "Alright, big guy. I'm all set."

"Ok." Jak opened his wings and flapped them experimentally a few times, "Still not sure what I'm doing, but it worked ok last time."

The giant leapt forward and apparently did not time his flapping right because a second later he crashed belly down onto the plateau and felt the wind rush out of him. Daxter was hysterical as Jak slowly sat up and tried to catch his breath, ears tilted back in agitation, "Not funny, Dax."

"Oh, but it is!" His friend cackled while leaning his side against one of his horns for support. Miraculously, up until now, Jak's electric miasma seemed to consciously know to avoid his best friend. A yelp and the feeling of his buddy jumping backwards demonstrated that it could seek him out if Jak became irritated enough, "Ow! Watch the sparks, pal!"

"It's your own fault for being an ass." Jak pulled himself back up before determination seeped back into his voice, "Alright, no more messing around. This time is for real."

Taking a running start, Jak's huge footsteps echoed throughout the area before he jumped and with wings held open, began to beat them as fast as he could. His pectorals burned with the effort but then he was airborne and once he had enough height he whooped triumphantly before doing a loop-de-loop. His joy was followed by another pulse of energy that seemed to last longer than the previous few, but Jak didn't care. He was flying!

"Whoa!" Daxter called from Jak's glowing scalp, "You may want to calm down just a smidge, bud. While you were out of it, we figured out that when you feel any particularly strong emotion, it seems to prolong the growth."

That definitely deflated Jak's mood, "Great. So, I'm not allowed to feel anything?"

"I never said that!" Daxter rubbed the horn he leant against in reassurance, "I'm sure once your body finishes adjusting to the Stone, you'll be able to feel all the things without restraint."

"Right…" Jak didn't even try to hide the doubt from his voice. Still, now was not the time to dwell on it, "Which way am I heading, Dax?"

The redhead pulled out the map pre-programmed into his communicator and began the task of navigating to the Metalhead nest. It was finally time to end this war once and for all.

A/N Monster giant dark Jak ftw! Because why not? We are officially going into the second half of the fic now. Alas as much as I basically wanted to keep Jak a giant dark puppy he had to wake up at some point and this is the result. Things start to get real crazy next chapter… Mind if you've made it this far hopefully you are still enjoying my particular brand of crazy XD