The remainder of the volcano proved to be more of what they'd already encountered, and was dealt with in a rather straightforward manner. The only hostiles they encountered were the spiked armadillos they'd encountered before and small red robots equipped with drills. Both were easily destroyed.
The major danger was the lava level, which continued to rise behind them as they climbed up, indicating the volcano was pushing its way towards an eruption. "We'd better get bookin' before we get cookin'!" Daxter warned the first time the lava rose towards them.
Near the top of the volcano, the Eco Seeker sat plainly visible, relatively easy to retrieve. "Now we just have to get out of here before we're roasted!" Shining announced. "Any ideas?"
"Keep climbing!" Jak barked out.
At one last Yellow Eco vent, the group was able to launch themselves out of the main lava tubes and back to the entrance of the volcano. "That was too close," Jak breathed in relief, taking in gulps of sulfur and soot free air.
"Let's get back to the Galleon," Shining suggested. "Maybe Keira can tell us what to do with it now."
As they took off in their Hellcat, a familiar voice suddenly spoke up. "So, where are we going, sonny?"
"Yeagh!" Daxter gasped out, spinning and backing away from the old man in the back seat. "Who are you? Where'd you come from?"
"He helped fix us up last time we were here," Shining explained. "What're you doing here?"
The old man cackled to himself. "I've been on that island longer than I'd care to remember. You boys are my ticket off!"
"Fair enough," Jak allowed before anyone could respond. "Just keep quiet unless you know something."
"I can do that!" the old man allowed as Jak steered back to the Galleon.
Once they met up with Keira aboard the ship, they introduced the old man to Phoenix. "This guy fixed up our ship after you crashed us," Jak explained, his voice neutral. "He seemed to want off the island. Figured he'd be helpful."
Phoenix stared at the figure cautiously, a frown on his face. "Do you know who you are, old man?" he asked carefully.
"Nope!" the old man responded readily before looking around. "This your ship?" He started futzing with his odd goggles, causing different lenses to pop out and shift position. "Nice gearing. Good coupling on the steering motivator." He shrugged his shoulders. "So where's this little device that everyone thinks can save the world?"
Jak, Keira, Shining, and Daxter all exchanged sharp glances. As far as they knew, no one had mentioned the Eco Seeker to the old man before this. However, Keira decided to show the device to him.
The man examined it carefully, seeming very interested. "Well well well...very nice manufacturing indeed. Good tolerance. Top notch." He turned it over in his hands for a time. "Can't help you," he concluded dismissively, tossing it aside. Shining seized it in his magic before it could fall too far, letting Keira catch it easily.
"But you said-" Jak began.
"I know what I said!" the old man snapped out angrily. "But I know trouble when I see it. The kind of trouble I've been trying to avoid."
"You remember something?" Keira asked, keeping her voice gentle to hide her curiosity, not wanting to upset him further.
The old man looked upward, seeming to sink into his mind. "Maybe...yes...I don't know." He shook his head ruefully. "I can see huge warehouses filled with Eco, vast and dark..." His voice faded, becoming softer, almost afraid. "...stacked as high as the eyes could see..."
Glances were exchanged all around. Jak was pretty sure he knew exactly what that meant. Warehouses of Dark Eco, huh? Sounds like Haven when Praxis was corrupted... Glancing towards Keira, he jerked his head gently towards the old man.
Nodding, she stepped forward, holding the Eco Seeker out carefully. "Please sir...we need to find a new source of Eco to help put the world back in balance. I know you can do this..." She gently placed the Eco Seeker in his hands.
The old man stared up at her. "You are the prettiest face I've seen in some time," he breathed softly, his facial muscles showing he was blinking under his goggles. He sighed, shaking his head. "This is nothing but trouble..." He smiled up at her. "But for you, my dear, I'll do my best."
As everyone stood back, he began explaining. "See, this whole device has a self fusing, locking mechanism, so not everyone can use - or misuse - the device." He began fiddling with the nodes. "If you just time the locking clock and reverse the polarity...presto!" As he said this, he twisted the device upside down and it popped open, revealing a glowing clockwork mechanism that immediately began to tick away. It functioned slowly, and displayed coordinates faintly in code.
"Not much power left in it," Jak murmured, kneeling to get a better look at it.
"Looks like it's pointing to a new energy fuel cell," Keira mused.
"So that means we go retrieve it to recharge the artifact?" Shining clarified. When that got nods, he sighed. "Great. Back to fetch-questing."
"It's pointing directly over the Brink," Phoenix warned. "Dangerous, to say the least."
"Hardly the worst danger we've ever been in," Daxter spoke up. "Besides, if we don't, we all die when the Eco storms spread beyond the Brink."
Phoenix sighed. "Agreed." He turned to one of his men. "Klaus, set course for the coordinates, with a detour at Far Drop so we can resupply."
As the pirates went about their business and the old man staggered into a corner to relax, Keira walked up to Jak. "You know what he is?" she whispered softly.
"Dark Sage," Jak confirmed. "And from the sound of it, he was involved in experiments like what I went through back in Haven. Probably has something to do with why he lost his memory...and probably has something to do with Duke Skyheed, or his Chancellor."
"Should we tell him?" Daxter offered worriedly.
"No," Shining interrupted firmly. "He's in a very fragile state right now. Expose him to too much too fast, his mind might collapse. If he's going to reclaim himself...he needs to do it himself."
They looked over at the old man sadly as he curled up in a corner, bits of machinery all around him as he settled down for a nap.