|
Post by legacygirl on Nov 3, 2007 18:48:27 GMT -5
*Thunder rolls and lightening flashes in the sky* I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack..... *Cricket noises*
Ahem. Got the message about the move, and I'm transferring TFR for your pleasure. 'Cause I know that at least one person (WARSOUND) is enjoying it. Oh, and in case anyone cares, the themesong to this is 'Dark Wings' by Within Temptation. Choosing a song to go with every fic I do is just one of my many quirks.
Prologue ~ Release
A girl with short brown hair was steadily climbing a hillside with practised precision. She never faltered, and always seemed to know where the next handhold was. The black and purple rat-like animal clinging onto her shoulder for dear life, however, looked less sure of his situation. "Hey, girl, you sure this is a good idea? Precursors alone know what's in that Dark Eco silo." "Don't worry, Jurun. We'll be fine." The girl replied confidently. "What could happen?" The ottsel addressed as Jurun muttered something to the effect of "famous las' words", but did not pursue the matter. As the two of them scaled the hillside, the air grew a little colder, but neither of them felt it. The girl had been coming up here every day for as long as she could remember, and so had easily built up a tolerance to the fluctuating temperatures – and Jurun had his thick ottsel fur to protect him from the chill that spiked the air. Trees changed slowly from the many broad-leafed varieties on the ground to evergreens, and thick brambles slowed their ascent further. But the sky was blue, and the sun valiantly – if fruitlessly – attempted to warm them. The forest below them would have the feel of a summer's day to it. Jurun thought wistfully of the lake near their camp, and how nice it felt to swim in it. He wasn't sure what instinct was telling him that what the two of them were doing was a very bad idea, but just thinking about what might be waiting for them in that silo sent a shiver down Jurun's spine. Yet it was for that exact reason that he hadn't wanted his friend to go alone.
The girl noticed her companion's shudder, and gave him a reassuring smile. She continued the ascent, until most people would have given up either from exhaustion or pain, but she was stronger – far stronger – than most people. Soon, they came to a flatter part of the hillside, and the girl heaved a sigh of relief as she slumped back onto the long, tickling grass. Jurun leapt from her shoulder just in time, and did a quick scout of the immediate area, more from habit than because he expected anyone to be around. The forest and its surrounding area was the only place Jurun had ever known that wasn't infested with Metal Heads. He remembered trying to explain the monsters to his companion when they first met. He'd been unable to believe that there was someone on the planet that had never seen a Metal Head. It was just about ridiculous enough to be true. Jurun had never been one for reflection and complex thought, having lived mostly in one slum or another, but there are some things that strike even the least scholarly as odd. So rather than traipse back to the nearest town, he stuck around. There was another strange thing – her memory was… odd, to say the least. The girl had no memory of anything that had happened to her before the forest, not even her name. Jurun had his suspicions as to what had caused this, but kept them silenced. "Jurun, you okay?" A voice pulled the ottsel away from his thoughts and back to the present. The girl was looking at him worriedly. That was the thing about animal thoughts. You came back from them to realise that either you hadn't moved from the position you'd begun your thoughts in, or you'd been babbling what you were thinking about. From his companion's expression, Jurun guessed it had been the former. "'Course I'm okay, dollface!" He replied, jumping flamboyantly onto her shoulder, making her giggle. "Come on – ain't we got a silo to go open or somethin'?"
The girl climbed the remainder of the hillside, and there it was – glowing brightly in the midday sun. The silo. Here, the smell of Dark Eco was almost overpowering, but both had learnt to live with it and so it bothered neither of the companions. Engraved on the silo were strange glyphs – Jurun guessed they were Precursor text – but as neither of them knew how to read them their secrets were lost. The girl tentatively approached the mammoth structure, and reached out a shaking hand. As the girl nervously placed her palm on the ancient Precursor metal, feeling the sheer power of the Dark Eco beneath the surface, both she and Jurun held their breath. For a few strange moments, nothing happened. The world seemed to freeze, preparing itself for what was about to happen.
Then, with an almighty shudder, the hairbreadth crack that ran across the centre of the silo's lid began to widen. Beneath it, a sea of Dark Eco waved gently. Both elf and ottsel gasped at the sheer amount of Eco – neither had ever seen so much before. Then, a ripple of intense power flooded out from the silo. The concentrated power of so much Eco had created a force that wracked the entire planet. The girl started to shout, but fell unconscious before a sound could pass her lips, crumpling to the floor like a trodden-on flower. Jurun was also struck by the force, but he managed to stay conscious – albeit barely.
A disembodied cackle rose from the purple depths. Two figures rose from the evil liquid. One was male, one female – and both had long platinum blonde hair that darkened to a golden blonde towards the tips, and their skin was tainted a dark blue. The female – dressed in an assortment of Precurian armour – cackled again, spinning around and stretching her limbs, while the man – a long blue trench coat obscuring most of his other clothes – smirked evilly.
|
|
|
Post by legacygirl on Nov 3, 2007 18:53:31 GMT -5
Chapter 1 ~ Reverberations
Jak opened his eyes, face down in the sand, and groaned deeply. He blinked blearily as he tried to remember what had just happened. He'd just been talking to Seem about Light Eco – and then… something had happened. Something so completely strange and alien that the Wastelander couldn't quite grasp what had occurred. A ripple of Dark Eco had rushed over the Wastes, and immediately had an effect on him. At first, Jak had thought he'd be safe – after all, he'd only emptied out his store of Dark Eco the other day. But the immense power had quickly driven him over the edge, forcing him to turn Dark against his will for the first time in over two years.
A low moan to his right caused Jak to jerk to the present. Shaking his long blonde hair out of his face, Jak turned to locate the source of the noise. He immediately found it, and gasped. Seem was laid about ten feet away, bleeding from several deep gashes to her side, so deep they penetrated her armour. The cap she usually wore had fallen off, allowing her white hair to fall messily – but not unattractively – over her face. "Seem…" Jak muttered, attempting to stand, but a sharp pain in his leg caused him to crumple to the floor with a curse. Steeling himself, the young Wastelander tried again, ignoring the harsh protestations from his leg. Half walking, half crawling, he made his way over the monk. Did I do this? He thought bitterly.I must have done… Seem turned to face him, and a faint glimmer of a smile twitched at her pale lips, though her scarlet eyes had dimmed slightly. "Mar, you must-" She began, but broke off to cough harshly, blood spattering her front. "Don't talk, Seem. Here, let me help you." Jak interrupted before she could begin again. Gently, he lifted Seem into a slightly more upright position, careful to avoid her wounds. Jak drew in a deep breath, and tried to calm himself, adopting the meditative position that Samos had drilled into him in Sandover, aware that every second Seem was losing more blood. It didn't help him concentrate on relaxing. When he felt calm enough, Jak drew upon his store of Light Eco, allowing it to engulf him. Laying a now glowing blue hand on Seem's wounds, the flesh flowed unevenly back together. When he was finished, Jak observed the thick scars marring the monk's side. It was nowhere near as good a healing as Samos or even another monk could have given, but it would do for now. For a brief second, Seem's hand brushed his, and she smiled fully. It was only the second time Jak had seen the monk smile like that. The first had been when she met the Precursors. Then Jak realised the obvious, and his heart skipped a beat. "Seem…" He began. "Yes, Mar?" "Where's Daxter?"
Gol cast an appraising look over the immediate area. It appeared that either the silo had somehow been moved – which he found unlikely – or time had passed. And quite a lot of time, at that. The Sage guessed roughly that at least one or two hundred years had left their mark upon the planet since he and Maia had been entombed in the silo by that… that child and his rat. Where before there had been sharp cliffs, there were now easily climbable hills, covered in long grass. Below there seemed to be a forest of sorts. Gol drew in a breath, and an all too familiar pain sparked in his lungs. Ah. So no changes there then, though the air held the bitter taste of Dark Eco. The Sage glanced at his sister. She too remained unchanged – and even with her skin tainted the same deep blue as his she was as beautiful as ever. She was staring quizzically over to a nearby outcropping of rock. Gol followed her gaze, and saw two figures lying spread-eagled on the grass. One was elven, a teenage girl with short, unruly brown hair. She was either unconscious or dead – though Gol guessed the former. The other figure was similar in stance and build to the creature that had aided his imprisonment. Yet the colour was strikingly different – instead of that headache-inducing, ridiculous orange, this creature was black, streaked with a deep purple. Almost as if it ad been tainted by Dark Eco. Gol almost smiled at the ridiculous thought. Animals could not wield Eco of any kind – even the most stupid elf knew that.
"Orange Lightening?" Seem shook her head. "No, Mar, I have not seen him." Jak attempted to stand again, forgetting in worry for his friend about the wound to his leg. Once again the Wastelander fell to the ground. Grimly, Jak pulled back the frayed fabric around the wound to examine it. There was a knife buried halfway up the blade in his leg, scissoring through muscle. Gritting his teeth, Jak grasped hold of the hilt, and pulled. Even though he'd braced himself, Jak still swore colourfully, in too much pain for a few moments to care about the blood pumping from the hole. He only really became aware of it when the blood trickled down to his ankle. Almost automatically, he wiped it away, then took off his bandana and wrapped it around the wound. Jak stood again warily, and tested his leg, sagging slightly with relief when he was able to walk. But after a few steps, the bandana came loose and fell to the floor. Rolling his eyes, the young Wastelander reached for the red cloth, but grasped only empty air. Looking up, he saw Seem standing with it in her hand. Without a word, she tied the makeshift bandage around Jak's leg more securely, almost gently. "There." She said quietly when finished. "That should hold, but you should have it healed soon." "Thanks." Jak replied, feeling a little hotter for no apparent reason. Now to find Dax. He thought, once again glancing around in case the ottsel was cowering in a corner.
Meanwhile, in a garage far to the north of Spargus, the Wastes, and Haven, a teenage girl was lying in a crumpled heap next to a car, arms wrapped protectively over her head. After a few moments, she tentatively sat up, rubbing various parts of her body, and running her fingers thoughtfully through her long black hair. What in the name of Jak was that? She wondered to herself, shaking her head. A boy – older by a couple of years – ran into the garage, panting. "What the hell just happened, Liana?" He asked, leaning against a wall. "I have absolutely no idea." Liana conceded. "But you can bet it'll end up having something to do with my brother, Kirone." "Doesn't everything?" Kirone asked, lighting a cigarette, and smoothing his black hair back into its usual style. "Yeah… I guess so." Liana gestured towards the car she'd been working on for the annual Chizoku Port racing Championship they were entering next month. "Finish this would you, while I go see what's going on? That was one hell of an Eco ripple." Without waiting for an answer, Liana strode purposely from the garage; indigo eyes alight with a mixture of apprehension, exasperation and amusement.
Gol blinked several times, fully alert. He noticed that the girl was spasming – going into Eco shock, no doubt. Then Gol realised two things. One; It must have been this girl that had opened the silo, and two; she must be a Dark Eco saturate to have absorbed the excess in the first place. Without thinking about what he was doing, the Sage flew over, staring curiously. It was definitely Eco shock, and a bad attack at that. The rodent was shaking her vigorously, and obviously had no idea how to treat Eco shock. "C'mon, you can beat this! We've done it - we've opened the silo! You can't quit now, dollface!" It muttered, babbling. "Move." Gol growled at it. By now, Maia had joined him, watching on, interest sparked.
|
|
|
Post by legacygirl on Nov 3, 2007 19:11:31 GMT -5
Chapter 2 ~ Realisation
Jak searched the Temple from top to bottom before he found the small orange ottsel. Daxter was laid on a table, surrounded by female monks, telling – as always – one of his long-winded stories. "So there I was – face to face with the nastiest Wasteland Metal Heads you've ever seen! Razor sharp claws, and huge teeth, all set to devour me whole…" There was a collective gasp from the monks. "What happened next, Orange Lightening?" One of the younger ones asked, hand over mouth. "Hang on a sec, sweetheart, I'm comin' to tha'. Now… did I panic? Nope! I summoned my highly-trained godly powers – and struck them down!" With this, Daxter leapt up, acting out the scene. Jak rolled his eyes – unseen so far – but decided to let his friend finish. After several minutes of exaggerated story-telling which the monks – for all their supposed intellect – swallowed surprisingly easily. They didn't even seem to spot Daxter's not-so-subtle increase of the foes he was facing. The number of Metal Heads had started at two, then gradually the number climbed to twenty. "There you are, Dax." Jak called, acting as if he'd just walked in. The ottsel looked up, and grinned. He took a running jump from the table and landed neatly on his friend's shoulder. "What happened?" The ottsel asked. "Liana called while you were… ya know… and wha'ever it was happened there too." "I don't know." Jak answered truthfully. "Is Liana okay?" "Peachy." Daxter replied off-handedly. "She said call her back." Jak nodded, and swiped the abandoned comm. Daxter had presumably been using from the table, pressing a few buttons as he walked away from the dumbstruck monks. They always acted the same around the Wastelander – quiet and reserved. Respectful but afraid. And what had just happened proved they had good reason to be so.
The face of a tanned, raven-haired teenager appeared on the communicator's screen, surrounded by various tools. Liana seemed to be in a garage. "Jak? Are you alright?" She asked, looking worried. "Relax, Liana." Jak instructed the younger girl. "I'm fine. Did… whatever just happened affect you too?" "Yeah." Liana rubbed her temples with a small wince. "But not too bad. What about you?" "Oh, not much." Jak lied. It wasn't that Liana was uncomfortable with Dark Jak – hell, she was probably the only person except Daxter who didn't feel too uncomfortable about it – but Jak made a point of not talking about his darker side too much. "Do you know what it was?" He continued. Liana let out a long breath, which resonated as a rush of static over the comm. "Nope, except it was some sort of Eco ripple." She admitted. "The monks should have at least some idea, though." "Eco ripple?" Jak repeated blankly. Liana shook her head in mock exasperation at his lack of knowledge. "Hey, not all of us grew up surrounded by monks, ya know!" Daxter butted in sarcastically, then froze as he realised what he'd said. Jak shot him an 'it's okay' look, and returned his attention to Liana. "Right – Eco language for dummies." The ex-Wastelander began, with the tone of one remembering something memorised from a book. "An Eco ripple is the after-effect of a large amount of Eco – usually pure – being released, or moved from one place to another. Could be impure though, I suppose, if the amount was large enough." Liana trailed off deep in thought, then saw that both Jak and Daxter were still somewhat clueless. "It's simple – say you have a load of Eco – in this case, Dark – in… oh, I don't know… a silo, say? If it had been locked up tight for even a few decades, the air around it becomes contaminated. If the Eco were to be released, it would send a jolt around a set area, depending on how large the amount, and how long it had been locked up… Jak? Jak? What is it?" Liana felt panic rising in her throat at Jak's expression. It was one of barely suppressed horror and disbelief. He gulped a few times, apparently to calm himself. "Liana… I need to go check a few things. See ya." With that, without waiting for an answer, Jak terminated the connection. He turned his head to the ottsel on his shoulder. "Dax… you don't think it could be…" The Wastelander let the implications hang unspoken. Both of them knew what could happen if the Eco ripple had been caused by the opening of the Dark Eco silo that had become the tomb of Gol and Maia Acheron. The two wallowed in silence for a few moments, before Daxter cleared his throat. "'Course not! Besides, even if it was… that… then, well, Gol and Maia'll be loooong dead by now, right? Who could survive a few hundred years in Dark Eco?" Jak let out a sigh of relief. Of course, neither he nor Daxter really certainly believed that, but hearing someone say the words helped. "We should get back to Haven." Jak decided. "Samos will probably know better than us."
The Wastelander walked quickly to the garage, and the exit to the Wastes. Jak squinted at the desert. It looked calm, and so instead of taking a car and arranging for someone else to pick it up, he just pulled out the hoverboard Keira had given him years ago. It still worked as well as the first time he'd used it, when he didn't even know it was Keira behind that curtain. It took Jak about ten minutes to reach the Air Train, and he slumped down onto one of the seats as it set off, Daxter doing likewise. "I really don't like this." Jak commented. "Whether Gol and Maia are still alive or not, that much Eco being let out…" He shook his head. "It's not good." "Yeah, well, all someone's gotta do is go an' close it again, right?" Daxter replied with forced optimism. "An' who says it's the Silo anyways?" Jak raised one green eyebrow disbelievingly, and then sighed. "I dunno, Dax. It's weird… I can sort of feel that it's the Silo, y'know?" "Nope." Daxter answered honestly. "But I bet Ol' Greeny's gonna have a fit when he finds out about this."
When the Air Train docked in South Town two hours later, the city was gloomy and overcast, yet the people and the Freedom Guard were walking about with new optimism. The victory over the KG robots and the Metal Heads had given everyone new hope, and now everyone went about their business with enthusiasm rather than with the resignation that they would die. Even from their position on the other side of the Port, the Naughty Ottsel sign was clearly visible in all its orange neon glory. Tess had finally arranged for someone to come and fix the sign, so now the Ottsel head was attached to the rest of its body rather than stuck on the trident. As he walked over, Jak noticed that even now some Havenites looked at him through narrowed eyes – their stares full of suspicion and distrust, even hate. The Wastelander had long ago gotten used to the looks he received, but that didn't really make them that much easier to bear.
|
|
|
Post by legacygirl on Nov 3, 2007 19:17:16 GMT -5
Chapter 3 – Revelations
As the two friends entered the Naughty Ottsel, Jak saw that the Eco Ripple must have affected Haven too. Everyone was tense, and there were no patrons in the bar – only Ashelin, Torn, Keira, Samos, Jinx and a few other high-ranking Freedom League guards were talking in low voices, along with Onin and Pecker, who were sat a little away from everyone else, as always. "Jak." Torn greeted him as he walked in. "Do the monks have any idea just what the hell happened?" "No." Jak sighed. "Well, not really-" He was cut off by Samos. "Of course they don't!" The elderly Sage huffed. "Nobody does. All we know is that somewhere, a large amount of Eco has been released." Onin began to 'speak', waving her hands frantically. It was a sign of the seriousness of the situation that Pecker hadn't instantly picked a fight with Daxter. "Onin says there are dark forces at work." The monkaw reported. "Someone has released a darkness that has gone unseen and untouched for centuries. Onin says that this is not the only trial this planet faces. Onin says that you will have to choose your enemies carefully." The last part was directed at Jak. "Well what does that mean?" Daxter wondered. "Would it kill her to talk simply for once?" "What do you mean, 'choose my enemies carefully'?" Jak asked the old woman. By now, everyone was silently awaiting the old soothsayer's reply. After a few moments, Pecker began to speak again. "Onin says you must be careful, Jak, that you do not fight yourself. Onin says that darkness must be fought with light, and forgiveness. Only then will peace be found within yourself. Onin says you will have to travel far to the north." "Oh Precursors." Jak muttered, his fears now almost certainly confirmed. Keira and Samos too looked uncomfortable, and Daxter had gone rigid. Torn looked halfway between anger and exasperation. "Look – what is it you four know that we don't?" "There are silos." Samos began, taking the opportunity to be a storyteller. "Filled with the planet's stores of Dark Eco. Before we came through the Rift Gate, the Dark Eco sages were attempting to release the Dark Eco in them to-" "Wait." Ashelin cut him off, looking sceptical. "I know you guys came from another time, or whatever, but you honestly expect us to believe that old fairytale?" "F-F-Fairytale?" Samos stuttered, looking ready to have a heart attack. "Now you listen here, young lady…" "What do you mean?" Keira asked, speaking for the first time, ice crystallising on her words. Ashelin looked defiant. "Well, come on, every kid knows the story. It's been passed down by word of mouth for centuries. The two Sages that tried to destroy the world with Dark Eco were sealed inside the silos by a mute boy and his pet ottsel, helped by a Green Sage and his daughter…" Ashelin trailed off as she realised what she'd said. "Holy Precursors." "Yeah, the penny's dropped, huh?" Daxter commented from Jak's shoulder, striking a pose. "But just to let you know – I was the real hero of that adventure. Jak just tagged along." Everyone ignored him. "So what now?" Torn asked looking as though he dearly wanted everything to make a small semblance of sense. "You're saying that this story really happened, there really are two lunatic Sages trapped in a silo, and… what? Someone released them? Somehow I don't find that likely." "Right." Daxter muttered under his breath, only Jak being able to hear. "'Cause you really expected that I was a freaking god too, didn't ya?" Jak rolled his eyes and returned to the situation at hand. "If you don't believe us, ask Onin." He said, looking Torn in the eye. Onin took her cue and began to whirl her hands again. "Onin says that Jak is telling the truth. Onin says that you will have to confront the Acherons. Onin says that you will need all the help you can get, and every Dark Eco channeller you can find should also go." "Dark Eco channellers?" Jak asked sceptically. "Wouldn't Light be better?" Pecker shifted uncomfortably on Onin's hat. "Pecker…" Ashelin began in a dangerous tone. "Um… Onin says Pecker doesn't know." The Monkaw tried hastily to cover up, even though Onin was silent. "Onin says that you should all go now. Time is, um… wasting! Now go, all of you!" Nobody was convinced in the slightest, but the monkaw's words made them realise that there were things to do. It looked like hey had to prepare for a trip north.
Once outside, Jak had to fight down a tempting impulse to go Dark. The monster whispered words in his ear, cajoling and enticing him. Do it, Jak… You know you want to. Take some of that anger out on the city… Dark crooned. Go to hell. Jak thought back, driving the demon to the back of his mind. Already there, Jak. Already there… He laughed, before being shut off. "You okay, Jak?" Daxter asked, looking worried. He'd obviously read the signs. Jak sighed, and swept some stray hair off of his face, the lack of his bandanna annoying him already. "I'm fine, Dax." He assured the ottsel. "Now what? Do you really think that the Acherons are back?" Daxter shuddered so violently he almost fell from Jak's shoulder. "I sure hope not, buddy. It was bad enough the firs' time 'round." "I wonder what Onin meant by taking every Dark Eco channeller we could find." Jak went on, musing more to himself than anyone else. "I mean, everyone knows the only other channeller is Liana… Oh no. No way is she going." Jak didn't care what the old soothsayer said – there was no way on this planet he was going to let his little sister go north and let the Acherons get within ten miles of her. Daxter shuffled undecidedly on his shoulder. "Well, she's a tough kid, right?" The ottsel pointed out. "Aw, I dunno. This whole thing's givin' me the shivers." "I'll go." Jak said flatly. "I'll take the two of them on alone if I have to, but there is no way Liana is going. I mean, she's just a kid." "No younger than you were, if I recall, Jak." A voice pointed out behind them. Jak sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "That's not the point, Samos." He retorted, trying to keep his temper. "We didn't have any choice as to whether or not we fought Gol and Maia. Liana doesn't need to be involved." "Onin did say that you'd need Dark Eco channellers." The Sage said. "Liana has very good control of her powers, and she can more than look after herself." "That's not the point!" Jak half-shouted, and then took a few deep breaths to stop the Dark Eco sparking around him. "I've already lost my parents. I don't intend to loose my sister too, and you can't say she wouldn't be in danger by chasing the Acherons." "He's got a point, Green Stuff." Daxter injected. "We took 'em alone before, and we can do it again, right Jak?" "Yeah." Jak replied, trying to block out Dark, who had taken advantage of the temporary lapse in his concentration to come to the fore of his mind again. "Yeah, Liana's better off staying in Chizoku Port." Without waiting for an answer from the Sage, Jak turned and walked away.
Ashelin was bored. Since Onin's revelation, and Jak's story coming out into the open, she'd gone to the Power Station to ask Vin to get her the original story of the Acherons out of the Archives. When she'd been told the story as a child, Ashelin had never known the tale to last more than twenty minutes, and so had envisaged around a dozen or so pages of print. What she'd actually received was closer to a hundred or so, and on top of that the file was encrypted in Ancient Precursor, meaning that before she could read the d**n thing it had to be translated. Deciding that it would be more bearable in her office, Ashelin had brought the papers back to the newly re-built Palace and set to work. Two hours later she had made minimal progress. Grimacing, the Baroness drank the last dregs of her cold coffee and decided to take a break. This is the last time I use the mindset 'know your enemy'. She thought, staring out over the city. How come the original is so long?
Ashelin turned back to her desk, and decided to re-read what she'd already translated. It might give her the will to go on. Shuffling the six or seven pages into order, she began to read. The wording was more complex than the traditional version, and something of it made Ashelin suspect that this had been written closer to the actual sealing of the Acherons than the present.
It has finally happened. Two boys from Sandover Village – that area under the responsibility of Samos Hagai – allowed their curiosity to better them and travelled in secret to Misty Island. Oh, how many times we tried to tell the villagers! We warned them more times than I could count in a lifetime – even with Blue Eco coursing throughout my veins – that Misty Island was a place of mystery, inhabited only by those foul Lurkers for a reason! That reason being, as any young child could tell you, the huge amount of Dark Eco that lies dormant there. After all, why else would mist constantly shroud that foul place, even during the warmest summer's day? Alas, there will always be those that will not listen to their elders. Yet the discovery they made, and the accidental transformation of one of he boys, was one that opened our eyes to the happenings around us.
Thus I, Luzavre Zenoku, the Blue Sage of Rock Village, will put down the tale to hever-bark, in the hope that future generations of our glorious planet will learn from our grievous errors, and keep Dark Eco where it should be – locked away from elven eyes, and elven mistakes! And I pray that nobody will ever again open the Silos, for who knows whether the Acherons were truly killed. If the world were once again subject to their tyranny, I fear for its very survival.
Ashelin read through the rest of the translation, and then sat back, wide-eyed. The account given by the Blue Sage was accurate, to say the very least. The descriptions of the experiments the sibling Sages had undertaken were blood-chillingly reminiscent of her fathers'. Shuddering, the Baroness fought back an urge to throw the papers onto the fire that was burning in the room. Yet for all the description given of their experiments, no account was given of how to Acherons became as they were. Maybe it's in a later chapter. Ashelin thought. Or maybe they don't know. Either way, I'm leaving the rest for tomorrow. I hope for everyone's sake that they're dead.
|
|
|
Post by legacygirl on Dec 8, 2007 15:03:16 GMT -5
Sorry about not updating this for positively ages. I've been extremely busy doing tonnes of different things - not to mention I went through a period of writer's block with this. The block lifted earlier and I finished off this chapter. Just a note to help you understand something: In my Eco Theory 'Secondary Channellers' are people who can channel Light and/or DarkEco.
Chapter 4 – Conflicting Opinions
Maia smirked as the pool before her became cloudy once again, ending the scene of the redhead trying to translate their tale. So somebody knew they were here, and someone was planning to try and fight them. Maia had been scrying various scenes for over an hour – starting with Sandover, which had been reduced to so much rubble, and jumping through to the new town beside Sandover. It was… strange, and for some reason it made the Sage uneasy to see a place so cut off from the land. Even in the northernmost regions that Gol and Maia had made their residence had been home to some plant and animal life. But no matter. In fact, it would be a welcome reprieve from the monotony of the forest. Standing and stretching elegantly, the Sage contemplated once again upon all that had occurred since the release of her and her brother. Certainly, fortune had shined upon them, but had fate been twisted by something more powerful? Maia shook her head to dispel the thought. Contemplation would not answer her questions, and she would have to consider how best to dispose of any nuisances that stumbled upon this forest. A few images came instantly to mind, creating a smirk on her lips. Cackling to herself, Maia left the pool and went in search of her brother. Let them come. She thought. The only person who could be a danger is dead and gone, and has been so for centuries by the looks of this place. Ready yourselves, people of this planet, for your new rulers!
Liana awoke with a start, breath hitching in her throat. Her heart pounded as if she'd just been running, and she was covered in a night sweat. Groaning, the ex-Wastelander pushed back the covers on her bed and went into the small bathroom across the hall, pouring some water into a beaker. After downing it, she felt a little better, though the nightmare images of her mind kept resurfacing. Splashing some more cold water on her flushed face, Liana grimaced as she tried yet again – and failed – to block out her nightmare.
A woman was walking through a forest, the evening light making dense shadows on the long grass. The woman herself was strange, her long platinum hair falling loosely to her waist, tinted towards gold at the tips, and white at the roots. Her clothes were a mishmash combination of fabric and dulled Precurian armour. Her bare arms were a dark shade of blue, a colour that even in itself seemed evil. Suddenly a twig snapped and she stopped, as if aware that someone was watching her. "Who is there?" She cried, turning in a circle, her body instantly in a tense combatal position. "Show yourself, and perhaps I will kill you swiftly…"
A rapping on the bathroom door brought Liana back to reality. "Lia, you okay in there?" Kirone asked through a yawn. "You sounded like you were havin' a nightmare earlier…" "Yeah." Liana replied, trying valiantly to keep her voice from shaking, and lying through her teeth. "Yeah, I'm fine." Bad girl. A voice in the back of her mind reprimanded her through a veil of amusement. Lying to your boyfriend? What kind of person are you? Liana gritted her teeth and counted slowly to ten. Lately, that annoying little voice had been plaguing her almost to insanity. Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away. She mused. Afraid not, darling. The voice chuckled. You're stuck with me from now on. I am not going to have an argument with my own mind. Liana thought to herself, refusing to reply. She sighed again, and checked her reflection in the mirror, and yelped in surprise. "Liana!" Kirone exclaimed from the other side of the door, twisting the doorknob. "What's going on?" Liana gulped, trying to take a deep breath, unable to speak. Instead, she simply ran her fingers tentatively over the tip of her left ear, which had somehow become encased in Dark Eco crystal.
The tense silence was shattered by the sound of a communicator. It was Kirone's – that much could be ascertained from the cool female voice he'd installed to replace the mechanical one that came originally installed to announce the caller. "Caller unknown. Location: Kras Emergency Eco Treatment Centre." The communicator announced. Liana bolted out into the hall just in time to see Kirone racing for his communicator. "Hello?" He said into it, voice wavering with fear. "Hello." The voice was young and male. "Are you Mr Reinhardt?" "Y-Y-Yes." "Okay, son, don't panic but your brother was brought in just now. We think he's reacted badly to the Eco ripple that happened yesterday – but we don't know exactly what's wrong with him. Are you over sixteen?" "Y-Yes." Kirone was bordering on terrified now. Liana went over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, but he was too wrapped up in worry for his brother to notice. "W-Why?" "Oh, we just need to know in case we need you to sign anything. Medical legal stuff and all that." The man said dismissively. "Can you get to Kras?" "Yeah." Kirone seemed to regaining control of himself, but his whole stance was tense to breaking point. "I can get there in three, maybe two and a half hours." "Okay, son. Don't worry – your brother's in safe hands." Kirone hung up, and turned to Liana. "Precursors." He muttered. "I didn't know Razer was allergic to Dark Eco." "Maybe he isn't." Liana reasoned, at a loss for how to comfort her boyfriend. "Maybe… I got it! He could be a Secondary Channeller, right? If he didn't know up until now, then he could easily have gotten overloaded like I did." "Maybe." Kirone shrugged, unconvinced. "But how come it only happened now?" Liana bit her lip. "I don't know." She admitted honestly. "But I do know you need to get to Kras ASAP." Kirone eyed her with a half-smile. "I'm driving." He stated in a voice that allowed no argument. "We don't want to blow someone up." Liana couldn't suppress a grin at his throwaway reference to their escapades in Kras two years ago. "C'mon, then. I'll go get dressed."
Jak couldn't sleep. He'd never expected to, not after all that had happened that day, but it was still irritating him, and he knew he would be snappish and irritable the following day. Which was exactly what he didn't need right now, when they all had to work together. Frustrated, he carefully got out of bed, lifting Daxter – who had been asleep on his chest – onto the bed. Going over to the window, he looked out over Spargus. He still couldn't take in that this was really happening. Ashelin and Torn had sent clear hints that they wanted him to temporarily move back to Haven, but Jak had pretended not to pick up on them. Spargus was the only place he felt safe, and right now he had no intention of giving that up. The night air was still warm, but held a certain crispness that only darkness could bring. Glancing once more at Daxter, Jak pulled on his boots, not bothering to don a shirt. Maybe a swim would clear his head.
Jak met nobody on his way down to Spargus's small beach, and for that he was grateful. The young hero didn't think he could deal with any inquisitive looks or questions right now. Finding an easily scaleable part of the small cliff that separated the road from the beach, Jak found a couple of handholds, lowered himself towards he beach and then let himself drop, landing softly on the coarse sand. "I see I was not alone in my sleeplessness tonight." A lyrical whisper reached Jak's ears and to his surprise a smile came easily. "I had a lot on my mind." He replied, catching sight of the monk stood a few feet away. Seem's white hair hung in wet strands around her face and shoulders. Jak blinked a few times before he placed what seemed wrong with the monk, before realising that she simply wasn't wearing her face paint. It must have washed off whilst she was swimming, yet her skin was still pale. Seem nodded in answer to Jak's words. "Ill tidings sing in the wind." She murmured, and Jak was instantly reminded of the last time she had spoken those words, whilst the world was faced by the Dark Makers. "Many lives hang in the balance between night and day." Jak rolled his eyes when the monk was not watching, biting back an angry comment on her vagueness. Onin's words still bothered him. On a whim, he decided to ask Seem about the old soothsayer's words. "Onin said something strange." Jak watched Seem closely for a reaction. "She said I had to be careful not to fight myself. What does that mean?" "I would not know, Mar." Seem answered with pointed indifference, deliberately looking out over the ocean. "My mentor has many secrets that she chooses not to disclose to the rest of us – I presume for reasons of her own." Jak felt his jaw drop as he took in the monk's words. "Mentor?" He echoed. "You know Onin?" "Yes." Seem whispered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "I owe her many favours, not least for giving me home space… But that is in the past. Goodnight, Mar." Jak nodded at the self-dismissal – and the small admittance of her past, knowing it wasn't an easy thing to talk about for anybody – and moved to allow Seem to walk past him, but watched the monk as she walked to the other end of the beach and walked up a slope he hadn't spotted before. He waited until he was sure Seem had gone, and then dove into the sea, relishing the respite the waters brought from the ceaseless humidity of the desert.
The next day dawned with an air of restlessness. Jak and Daxter had left Spargus early in order to avoid questions, and arrived at the Naughty Ottsel only to be greeted by Ashelin and Torn – both of whom seemed not to have slept at all the previous night, if their demeanours and bloodshot eyes were anything to go by. Samos and Keira obviously hadn't arrived yet, which Jak was silently glad of. He didn't think he could deal with the Sage's 'advice', nor Keira typical manner when in a crisis – namely, panicking. "Any news?" He asked Torn, who was glaring at the empty coffee mug in his hand as if it had paid him a personal insult. "Tch. What do you think?" The Commander retorted sarcastically. Ashelin didn't even bother to glare at him, which Jak took as a sign that he'd been like this all morning, and was only going to get worse. "I think we all know the only way to tackle this problem is to send a team up north." The Baroness stated simply. "Jak, you'll be leading of course. I'll let you choose your own team, but I think Jinx and your sister would be good to have on board. I'd give my guns to go, but…" "I know." Jak agreed. "The city needs you more. You're right – I'll take Jinx. But Liana stays in Chizoku." "Feather-breath ain't comin', is he?" Daxter piped up. Ashelin and Torn sent him 'what-do-you-think' looks, and the Ottsel growled.
Before anyone could say anything else, the subject of Daxter's disquiet breezed in through the open door, and landed on the console in the middle of the room – Torn had reinstated it from the war. "Squawk!" Pecker ruffled his feathers uneasily, obviously out of breath. "Onin just had another vision." "And…?" Torn was in no mood to play games with Pecker. He was tired, pissed and overall moody. "She says the Acherons…" Pecker panted for breath. "Are planning to take over… Haven city…" Jak cursed. He'd been worried about this since he'd realised the Acherons were still alive. Of course the first object of their attention would be Haven – it was the biggest remaining city that was densely populated, with the added bonus that all of the people were still recovering from the war. "I'm leaving in two days." He declared, to general astonishment. "I don't care if anyone is ready or not. You just… You don't understand what you're up against here! The Acherons…" The young hero shook his head. "Jak's right." Daxter agreed bravely, despite his voice shaking slightly. "Trust me on this – you do not want the Freaky Twosome down here. It'd stink the place out even worse'n' usual." "Dark Eco doesn't smell that bad, Dax." A female voice announced, as Liana walked through the door, smiling tiredly, her eyes filled with worry. "Liana!" Jak exclaimed. "What are you doing in Haven?" His sister groaned. "Razer had a bad delayed reaction to the ripple." She explained. "Kirone got a call from Kras's EETC last night, and we left right away. He didn't need me hanging around, so I figured I'd come down here and see what was happening." Liana glanced at the bar. "Any chance of a coffee?" "The stuff's overrated." Torn muttered. "What kind of bad reaction?" Jak asked Liana, who had sunk into a booth, eyes closed and head lolling backwards. She smirked faintly at the question. "Would you believe he's an unregistered Secondary Channeller?" She replied. Stunned silence met her words. "That's what I thought too." She carried on, opening her eyes with an effort. "But it turns out that's what it is. Only reason it was delayed was because he asleep most of yesterday because of an injury he got when he was practising." "I didn't know channelling was affected by whether or not you were conscious." Ashelin admitted. "Yeah, it is." Liana confirmed. "What with channelling being a conscious thing, stands to reason you can only take it in when you are conscious when you haven't had training." "Yeah, yeah, thanks for the lecture." Torn interrupted, who had listened to one too many of Liana's Eco Theory explanations. "Can we please get back to the fact Jak has apparently gone crazy?" "You mean you've only just noticed?" Liana teased, a spark appearing in her now open eyes. "Sheesh. I've known it for four years." "I've known it fer seventeen." Daxter interjected, desperate not to be beaten in anything. Jak sighed and carried on speaking before an argument could escalate between the two. "Look – I said, you have no idea what you're up against here. Gol and Maia aren't just going to roll over and surrender because Haven has an army. They'd probably just see it as fun to see how many people they could kill." "Gol and Maia?" Liana was suddenly awake and alert. "As in, the sibling Sages? You do know that's a story, right?" "I'll tell you later." Jak replied shortly, in no mood to backtrack and repeat the argument of the previous day. "Anyway, the sooner a team leaves, the better." A sudden thought struck him. "Er, does anyone know exactly where the silo is now?" "Acheron Forest." Liana, Torn and Ashelin replied in unison. Jak and Daxter looked on in mingled amazement and exasperation. "Lemme guess." Daxter held up a paw." It was in the story, am I right?" "Got it in one." Liana agreed. "Can I come?" "No." Jak said immediately, attempting his best authoritive voice. "Why not?" "It's too dangerous." As soon as the words had left Jak's mouth he knew they'd been exactly the wrong ones. "That translates as: it's dangerous, but also cool and something I would totally be good at." Liana pointed out impishly. "No. It. Does. Not." Jak shot a pleading look at Torn and Ashelin, seeking support, but both became suspiciously occupied in making some coffee. Why do you always resort to arguing? Light Jak commented in his mind. It was rare that he spoke, but usually it was in exasperation at the continual sibling arguments. She probably resents being treated as a child. News flash, Light. Jak retorted. She is a child. Well, excuse me for advising you, I'm sure. The Light entity wandered off to the back of Jak's mind. The hero was aware of him striking up a conversation with Dark Jak, and then lost the connection. He sighed and turned to Liana. "Okay, I'll make a deal with you." Jak conceded tiredly. Makers, he needed some more sleep. "You can sit in during war counsel, and then decided whether or not you're coming." "Really?" Liana's voice was filled with hope, all traces of bitterness gone. "Yeah, I guess so." Jak confirmed, relieved that the argument was over.
"You sure about this, Jak?" Daxter asked his friend, after Liana had gone up to the bar to get some coffee. "It ain't D or L talkin', right?" Jak chuckled at the abbreviated nickname Daxter had created for his alter egos. "Nah, Dax. I did get a bit of advice, though." He silently wondered why he hadn't tried Light's advice before. You're afraid of living in harmony with us. Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Dark commented sarcastically. You, my friend, are the devil, not me. Light replied smoothly. Thank you for turning my mind into your battleground. Jak joined in with as much sarcasm as Dark. Blame him. Dark advised. Light bristled. I was only here to give a little advice! As I was saying. He directed the words to Jak again. You're afraid of living in complete harmony with us, afraid that you might actually need us now and again. Thanks for the lesson in how my own mind works. Jak said, before forcibly returning both entities to the back of his mind, where they were forced into silence, though not with each other, if the diminishing bickering was anything to go by. Makers. He thought again, leaning back against a wall with a sigh. I must have done something awful in a previous life.
|
|