//------------------------------// // Precursor: Mists and Flames // Story: Sons of Damas // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// The trio arrived at Misty Island again in a short time, leaping to the docks from the speed boat. They all looked around carefully, determined to not fall prey to anything on the island that might seek their lives. The land itself was brown and dead, and the Lurkers in sight wore bone armor, made from the bones of massive creatures sealed in the stone. As they progressed, they caught sight of the sculptor's muse, a glittering green rodent about the size of Shining, looking not unlike a large squirrel with a tail that wasn't fluffy. Shining had no trouble getting the muse to come with them. He had a great deal of trouble convincing her to keep her paws to herself, much to Jak and Daxter's amusement. "Quit laughing, or I'll tell Keira this is how to get you responsive," Shining growled at Jak, causing the latter to turn bright red and quickly continue looking about the island, though Daxter only laughed harder. Continuing to explore, the trio made use of Blue Eco to ride a platform to a Power Cell atop a pillar of stone amidst the water. Further onward, they found a cluster of Red Eco, which strengthened Jak's physical attacks and the force of Shining's magic shots. Shortly after, Blue Eco opened the door to a large open area...where the trio immediately came under assault by a large group of Lurkers. "Jak!" Shining called out. "I'm going to try something!" He squeezed his eyes shut as he focused his energy through his horn. "What are you going to-" Jak's voice cut off as a sword made of magic energy and Red Eco appeared in the air in front of him. "Sweet!" he proclaimed, grabbing the sword by the hilt. "It'll last for about...ten minutes," Shining stated. "Make good use of it." Lowering his horn, he charged into the Lurkers as Jak brandished the blade. Once the Lurkers were all beaten - the sword allowed Jak to carve right through the bone armor some were wearing in a single swing - a stairway allowed them to make it back to the Dark Eco silo that had transformed Daxter. A Power Cell was available for collection on a wood bridge suspended above it. Further exploration led them to a Lurker ship, and from there to Keira's A-Grav Zoomer which she'd teleported in, though minus the heat shield which wasn't complete yet. Seeing numerous Lurkers floating on balloons to patrol the area around the island, Jak decided to take them out. The Zoomer turned out to be too small for Jak and Shining to ride, so while Jak handled the Lurkers, Shining continued to explore the island. When they met back up, Jak had recovered all the Precursor Orbs in the basin, and grabbed two Power Cells - one that had been floating in midair, and one that was revealed when all the Balloon Lurkers had been taken out. Shining, meanwhile, had grabbed the Power Cell on the Lurker Ship, one from up by the Lurker cannon after disabling it, and the one held by the Misty Island Scout Flies, along with the rest of the Precursor Orbs on the island. With everything gathered, the trio made their way back to Sandover Village. Returning to the sculptor's house, Shining managed to get the Muse to return to him. "My muse!" the sculptor proclaimed happily, cuddling the little critter. "You saved her! You guys really are the best. Here, take this Power Cell as thanks." Jak was happy to take the Power Cell, while Shining was happy to get away from the Muse. "Aw, she likes you!" the sculptor said happily. "Say, do you think ya might pose with her for a statue or two?" "Maybe later!" Shining called out as he raced from the hut. Laughing, Jak followed before leading the way up to the entrance of Fire Canyon where Keira would be waiting for them. On the way, they took a brief detour to the Oracle to get its second Power Cell for another 120 Orbs. Keira smiled as they approached. "I'm glad you grabbed a few extra Power Cells," she said happily. "I was able to streamline the Zoomer to handle a sidecar for Shining, so the two of you can cross together. But it needed extra Power Cells to both expand the Heat Shield and account for the cables that will let Shining amplify it with his own Shield, which should save your bacon should the temperature exceed 500 degrees." "I...think that's a bit much for me," Shining pointed out nervously. "I don't have that much magic reserves..." "Don't worry," Keira quickly reassured him. "I've released several blue coolant balloons throughout the canyon. Not only that, there are several Precursor structures that dip into the lava of Fire Canyon, but aren't melted. You can use those as jumps to get out of the heat for a time. Between the balloons and the jumps, you should be fine." "As long as Shining's shield actually does protect against heat," Daxter pointed out. "That's why this helmet is designed to funnel the energy through the Heat Shield," Keira explained, plopping the helmet on Shining's head and making the connections to his horn. "Also, once you're there, make sure to activate the teleport gate in the Blue Sage's lab, so Daddy and I can meet you there." "I guess we're ready as we'll ever be," Jak muttered as the trio climbed onto the Zoomer. "Good luck!" Keira called out. "I know you can do it!" As Jak steered the Zoomer, they discovered that there were Scout Fly crates scattered throughout the canyon, as well as Orb Crates. They managed to gather all seven Flies and all 50 orbs within the canyon, as well as the one sitting at the other end of the Canyon atop the Zoomer warper, which could only safely teleport inorganic material. As they entered Rock Village, Shining was breathing heavily. "I want some ice cream," he groaned out. "What's ice cream?" Jak asked in confusion. "No idea, but it sounds real good right about now," Daxter piped up.