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// Precursor: Boggy Swamp 
// Story: Jak and Daxter: Children of Eco 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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	Once Jak and Pinkie had recovered from their adventure in the Lost Precursor City, and had given their clothes enough time to dry off from their swim, they rounded the corner and talked to the warrior that was still lamenting over his crushing defeat. He ignored the trio for a few minutes, causing Daxter to get a little impatient, but he only raised his head when Pinkie mentioned that they had come to make the trade with him.

"Oh, wonderful," the warrior said, just as Jak handed over the ninety Precursor Orbs he had requested, "you brought me the Precursor Orbs. Alright, I'll fix the bridge... but don't ask me to get involved with that creature again!"

With the trade completed the warrior released the planks he had removed and restored the bridge, though he also seemed to throw in a Power Cell for some odd reason that Jak decided not to question. With the walkway restored the trio knew that they could power the Blue Sage's machine and lift the boulder that was blocking their path, but they quickly decided that taking a detour through the swamp was of more importance. The mere thought to the machine made Jak look over in its direction, where he spotted Keira working on it, no doubt making sure that it was fully operational for when he and Pinkie returned with the required Power Cells.

As they approached the entrance to the area known as Boggy Swamp, where Lurkers were apparently fishing for Precursor artifacts of all shapes and sizes, they opened the last Scout Fly box for the Rock Village and collected yet another Power Cell.

With the Power Cell secured the trio entered the swamp, which was filled with green colored water, walkways and poles they could use to get around some of the obstacles that were going to be in their way, and weeds that grew to about half of Jak's height. The first enemy they encountered was some sort of rat like creature, one with red fur and a tendency to bite at anything near it, but it proved to be no match for Jak's fist. The moment the creature had been taken care of Pinkie smashed a nearby crate and found some Yellow Eco in it, to which she allowed it to sink into her body as she turned to some of the nearby metallic boxes.

"I wonder," Pinkie said, allowing the Yellow Eco to form a bit in her right hand before she threw a fireball at one of the nearby boxes, though that was followed by the box being blown to pieces and releasing the orbs that had been trapped with it, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Jak watched as Pinkie opened fire on all of the remaining boxes in the surrounding area, releasing all of the orbs that had been locked within them, before she bothered to collect her prize. He briefly remembered Samos mentioning something about the powers of the four Eco colors, though he forgot that the Yellow Eco allowed people to shoot fireballs from their hands in addition to whatever the Yellow Sage used the Eco for.

When all of the Precursor Orbs had been collected, and a nosy rat creature had been taken care of, the trio followed the path as it took them over some large vines, causing them to leap from one large stone to another before they came to the area's first Scout Fly. They then jumped off of the log they were on and approached an area that was filled with some sort of black liquid, though they were sure that this would harm them and they all decided not to let it touch them while they were here. Jak, wanting to take a turn with the Yellow Eco, allowed the Eco to enter his body as he aimed at what appeared to be a group of large bats that would no doubt attack them if they got close. It didn't take him long to put all of the bats down, though before the Eco charge ran out he also took out a few Dark Eco crates to make their journey much easier.

They made their way over the floating planks that served as a bridge and spotted a Blue Eco vent, one that allowed them to collect a few more orbs without getting in the black liquid, but before they pressed onward they also used the launch pad behind the vent and went flying into a small area. The place they landed in had two rat creatures waiting for them, which were easy to take out with a single punch to their faces, though they collected the nearby Scout Fly before they launched themselves back to the area they had just come from. Jak and Pinkie then made their way over some spiked pieces of wood that shot up out of the ground, only to recede into the ground after a few seconds, though on the other side they found some Yellow Eco waiting for them.

It was rather easy for them to use the Eco to blow up the nearby rat nest that the creatures were crawling out of, though once it was gone they continued over some move spiked vines and found a frog creature waiting for them, which they ended up putting down as well when it tried to zap Jak with its tongue. They then came to what appeared to be a split in the path, as the way forward brought them to a tether that was keeping the zeppelin tied in place in the sky above their heads while the path on their left would no doubt take them to another tether. Pinkie charged forward and snatched a floating cluster of Yellow Eco, to which she opened fire on the nearby stone that was blocking off what appeared to be a Yellow Eco vent, freeing it so she and Jak could open fire on the rat nests in front of them.

Once the rats were taken care of Jak loosed a well placed shot that destroyed the tether in front of them, to which the two of them collected the Power Cell that had been trapped inside the stone and any orbs in the immediate area, before returning to the other path they could have chosen from and moved forward.

Jak and Pinkie carefully made their way through the small tunnel they were in, making sure to avoid the spiked logs that came out of the ground while firing fireballs at the rats that were in their way, but they eventually made it to the other side... though they also freed another Blue Eco vent in the process. Pinkie spied a nearby launch pad and soon she and Jak were on their way to another part of the swamp, where they found a Scout Fly and another rat nest waiting for them. Thanks to there being two clusters of Yellow Eco in the area they landed in they were able to fire at the nest from both sides, effectively eliminating another one and releasing yet another Blue Eco vent.

'Why are there so many of these things out in the swamp?" Daxter asked, though despite the fact that he had meant to keep the small question to himself both Jak and Pinkie shrugged, as they had no idea why there were so many Eco vents in the swamp either.

Pinkie quickly grabbed the third Scout Fly before they jumped back to the area the launch pad they had used was located in, to which they used a nearby pole to help get them over the vines that were in their way. They then found four metallic crates surrounding a piece of the walkway, so Pinkie switched the Blue Eco that was currently inside her for the Yellow Eco that was resting nearby, before she opened fire and tore all four boxes open. Jak, still carrying some Blue Eco, jumped onto the small wooden walkway before jumping to a longer section, though he smiled to indicate that he had gotten all of the orbs that Pinkie had freed. They then used the walkways and the poles in front of them to cross over the dangerous water in front of them, up until they came to a higher point that had four boxes waiting for them.

It was then they discovered that they had a perfect view of the second tether, as Jak grinned the moment he opened the crates and found some Yellow Eco inside, which allowed him to blow up the tether, release the Power Cell that was inside it, and snap the second piece of rope that was keeping the zeppelin in place. As they made their way forward Pinkie grabbed the Power Cell before they jumped over more of the spiked pieces of wood that came out of the ground, where they discovered another Yellow Eco vent on the other side. Once they powered up Pinkie started blasting some metallic crates and collected the orbs they contained, while Jak took out the group of bats that were staring at the two of them.

Jak rounded the corner that the bats had been guarding and found a Scout Fly waiting for him, the fourth one he remembered, though he also helped collect the orbs that Pinkie had released before they entered another tunnel, one that happened to have a few crates of Dark Eco blocking their way and a launch pad that was covered by a large rock. The two of them loosed the last blasts they could use with their current Eco charge, where's Jak's fireball torched the Dark Eco boxes and Pinkie's destroyed the large rock. Behind where they found the Dark Eco boxes was yet another Blue Eco vent, which caused Daxter to moan in annoyance while Jak and Pinkie used the Eco to fuel the launch pad that had been blocked... where they entered a massive ring area that revealed what the Lurkers were trying to pull up.

It was then that they discovered that they had also jumped right into an ambush, to which Jak an Pinkie fought the large groups of Lurkers, and rat creatures, with either their normal attacks or throwing fireballs that were granted to them by Yellow Eco, which was dropped from their fallen enemies. With the two of them covering one side of the area, Jak on the side with the launch pad and Pinkie on the side without the launch pad, it was rather easy for them to claim victory, and a Power Cell, before they launched themselves back to the path they had originally been on.

"I wish we could stop running into those ambushes!" Daxter declared, while both Jak and Pinkie gathered some more Blue Eco so they could use the second launch pad in the area.

"Oh come on Daxter, its not like the Lurkers can overpower us," Jak said, patting his furry friend on the head for a few seconds, "and don't worry, we've got a few more tether's to clear before we're out of here... then we can deal with that monster and get one step closer to our destination."

Daxter decided to zip his lip this time as Jak and Pinkie launched themselves into an area that had a Yellow Eco vent, a rat nest that was likely blocking some Blue Eco for them to escape when they were done, and the third tether that they were searching for. With the Yellow Eco backing them it was rather easy for the trio to tear apart the rat nest, destroy the third tether, collect another Power Cell, and return to the main path they had left behind. They then followed the path in front of them, taking care of some more rats and another frog creature, before they rounded a corner and found the Flut Flut bird they had helped rescue back at Sentinel Beach... though that was before Keira opened a line to them and said that the bird could help them out.

Considering the fact that there was only room on the bird for one of them, excluding Daxter of course, they quickly decided that Jak should be the one to ride it, which was followed by him climbing onto the bird and running up the walkways above the ground they had been walking on. While Jak was moving around the area, collecting orbs and the fifth Scout Fly, Pinkie remained on the ground level and accessed another Yellow Eco vent, to which she opened every metallic box she could find and collected every orb that she released. After a few minutes Jak returned and put the Flut Flu back on the teleport pad it had been on previously, to which he told Pinkie that he had found another Power Cell as well as the sixth Scout Fly.

Pinkie briefly considered why there would be two Scout Flies so close to each other, in the same area no less, but then decided that there were more important things for her to focus on as she and Jak continued along the path they had been following. That path brought them to an area that had quite the number of Dark Eco boxes in their way, but they were able to walk around them and easily approached the man that was sitting by what appeared an outhouse or something.

"Howdy, friends!" the man said, waving a hand around, one that happened to be holding a jug, "Enjoyin' my beautiful swamp? I own these here parts... anything that doesn't sink into the mud that is!"

"Judging by the smell, I'd wager your bathtub sank in the mud long ago!" Daxter replied, apparently taking a moment to sniff the air and likely discovered the man's smell for himself.

"What's a bathtub?" the man asked, telling the trio that he had no idea what Daxter was talking about, before quickly remembering his own problems and shaking his head, "Anyway, I got bigger problems now. Seems some nasty Lurker varmints are grousin' abouts snatchin' everything they can get their grubby little paws on. Scared away my pet Hip-Hog, Farthy. He's been missin' for a nylon to a coon's age! I've been puttin' out his favorite snack, but those ornery swamp rats keep stealin' 'em! If you could keep them pesky critters away long enough, I just know Farthy would smell 'em vittles and come back! Will ya help me out?"

Jak and Pinkie, determining that the man must have something to offer them for their time, decided to agree to help him out, to which they gathered some Yellow Eco and opened fire on the rat creatures that were coming towards the treats that the man had left out. Between the two of them, and Daxter pointing out any rats that neither of them had taken out, they were able to clear them all out and the Hip-Hog eventually came back, much to the man's joy. The trio earned another Power Cell for their efforts and were quickly on their way, to which they climbed over the ledge that was next to the man's house and continued on their way.

They followed the tunnel they found themselves in, to which they didn't bother with the rat nest that they ended up passing until they came to some Yellow Eco. With the ability to fire some fireballs open again Jak smashed the nest, and the rats that were coming their way, while Pinkie opened some more metallic boxes and gathered the orbs that she freed. They also collected the final Scout Fly of this area and secured the Power Cell that it had discovered before being locked in the box, which was followed by them following the wooden walkway that was in front of them. Pinkie opened the additional metal boxes in front of them, allowing Jak to collect them with Blue Eco, until they came to a Yellow Eco vent that rested beneath the final tether.

With the Eco powering his body, and no enemies around to distract him, Jak loosed a fireball that tore the tether to pieces, released the Power Cell that had been trapped inside it, while sending the Lurker balloon flying now that it didn't have anything keeping it in position above the swamp. Pinkie collected the Power Cell before they made their way through the final tunnel that brought them to the entrance of the swamp, while at the same time they heard Samos praise them a bit for their work in stopping the Lurkers.

They made their way back to the village and traded their orbs to the geologist, the gambler, and the Oracle, gathering four more Power Cells to help them when they got to the Yellow Sage's village... because they knew that they were going to have to do something like they were doing with the Blue Sage's machine in the next part of their journey.