//------------------------------// // Spargus: Enemy Assaults // Story: Jak and Daxter: Heirs of Mar // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Thanks to the speed that Alvin, Simon, and Theodore used while in their true forms Jak and his sisters were able to reach the Wasteland in no time, probably between fifteen to thirty minutes based on what Twilight counted, and it didn't take them any additional time to reach the Precursor Temple, as once the desert appeared in the distance the brothers had shifted their course to line up with where Seem and their monks were positioned, under attack from Errol no doubt, meaning they were able to reach the temple in no time at all and landed in the open area outside the opening. With that done the siblings took a moment to climb off the backs of their friends, who shifted back into their Ottsel forms and returned to where they usually rested, before readying themselves for whatever might be inside Seem's temple, since they had no idea what sort of creatures Errol could send out to do his bidding, which was followed by them heading for the opening so they could tackle the enemies that were currently bothering their allies. Such a thing brought Jak and his sisters to the circular area that they had been in during their first visit to this place, which caused them to head up the wall to their right and use a glider to head over to the volcano, but their focus shifted to the enemies that teleported down into the area that they were standing in, as in three dark skinned humanoid creatures that had purple spikes attached to their arms and back, though it looked like the Dark Troopers, as Twilight felt like calling them, could summon barriers with something attached to their left arms and had bits of dark energy gathering around their right hands, meaning they were protecting themselves before attacking their enemies. As they faced the three Dark Troopers, however, the main door closed not a few seconds later and more enemies teleported into the chamber they were standing in, forming a ring of at least twelve around the sibling, though that caused Jak to nod his head for a moment as he drew his blade and rushed forward, drawing upon bits of the surrounding Eco to boost his abilities as he sliced through the barrier and cut his first foe down, leading to Daxter jumping over to another one and stabbing it with his Eco blades. As that happened Cozy shifted into her battle stance and smashed her way through the barrier of her first Dark Trooper, before she turned around and jumped over another one as it tried to blast her with its grenade style attack, who she beat into the ground before picking her target up and sent it flying into another one, while the last one continued to move to where she was fighting and she rushed over to it, slamming its head into the ground. Starlight used a bit of her own power and moved slightly faster for a time, where she spun her staff around and knocked around her foes before any of them could even touch her, even though Twilight figured that she had tapped into some of the Eco that was in this area, and it took her no time to take down the enemies that were coming her way, who ended up shattering into bits of Dark Eco as they were defeated. Twilight, however, decided to test out the new weapon mod they had been given for tearing down the Factory and removing one of Haven City's threats, where she focused on the second Dark Eco gem of her bracelet before waving her hand at the four Dark Troopers that were in front of her, something that was followed by a few rings of energy emitting from around where she was standing and caused her targets to float into the air. In that moment she chuckled, allowing Jak and the others to see what she was doing, that the Mass Inverter actually released a field of anti-gravity near the one who happened to use the modification in question, causing Twilight's enemies to no longer touch the ground and just float in the air for a time, where she rushed towards them and punched each of them once before returning to where she had started, something that allowed them to see that the force of her attacks sent her targets flying. Once they left the field that she had created, or maybe it timed out since there had to be a limit as to how long such a thing could exist for after being used, the Dark Troopers broke down like she had beaten them like her siblings had done, making her wonder if the Mass Inverter allowed the user to take out enemies with a single attack, before deciding that it didn't matter right now as they focused on what else needed to do. With the first group of Dark Troopers taken care of, and they were sure that no more were coming after them, Jak and his sisters headed through the door that would allow them to head deeper into the temple and found that a couple of Dark Troopers happened to be guarding the path, before reaching the small chamber that happened to have a Dark Eco Vent in the center of it, where each of them topped off their Dark Eco before heading into the next chamber, where they found a number of Dark Troopers waiting for enemies to show up. Jak considered a new option as he had Starlight summon one of her barriers around them, before he loosed a number of Reflector blasts at the walls and then retreated once he had done what he set out to do, allowing them to watch as the beams bounced off every wall while striking down the enemies that were guarding this part of the temple, causing them to chuckle as the barrier was dropped. With the next group of Dark Troopers taken care of Jak and his sisters found that the passage that lead to the second side of this temple massive Precursor statue had collapsed, no doubt due to the currently ongoing attack, though later they would help Seem fix it up, once they had some time to do something like that, before they moved into the area that had a cracked wall, as Jak had a feeling it was what they were looking for. Sure enough Jak and his sisters found a number of Dark Troopers guarding the chamber that all of the barricades had appeared in, when they first learned the Dark Invisibility power and practiced using it in this area, though that didn't stop them from lashing out at their enemies, while at the same time Daxter jumped at one of the Dark Troopers and sliced right through the barrier protecting his foe like it was paper, before he beat his target into the ground and opened the way for Jak and his sisters to move forward. As Jak expected one of the walls was cracked and by channeling the power of his Dark Form into a Dark Blast, like they had figured out back in Haven City, he smashed the section to pieces and allowed them to enter a large area they had walked by some time ago, when they used the Time Freeze power to stop a bridge from collapsing so they could access a station that had a vehicle of Precursor make, to reach the Eco Mine Mar had built, so this was the lower area of where they had passed by, and sure enough all sorts of enemies were scattered around the area. This time around Jak and his sisters took an alternate route to dealing with the mass of Dark Troopers who teleported down into Seem's temple, as they separated from each other and used their Mass Inverters in four different locations, floating all of their enemies and knocked them around like they were toys, no doubt causing some annoyance to their enemy's ranks, that was if the Dark Troopers did more than grunt and groan at everything. At the very least it would annoy Errol to no end, knowing that the four of them were just toying with his minions while they fought their way through the temple, before Jak smashed through another old stone door and revealed a passage that lead back into the main chambers of Seem's temple, though a few moments later they found another vent, the Light Eco variety, and found that the door behind them closed within seconds, allowing them a chance to rest and recover some power before heading deeper into the temple. Due to the fact that none of them had to rest, since not a lot had happened since they started dealing with Errol's assault on this place, which was odd and might meant that Errol might have found what he was looking for, though what they discovered at the end of the main passage caused them to smile a little, as it was the third and final side of the massive Precursor statue, meaning that Jak was about to gain another power before they focused on stopping Errol. Once again you stand before me, brave ones, and once again, your heroism shall be rewarded. the Oracle said, as it spoke as soon as Jak and his sisters came to a stop on the platform that was in front of it, while at the same time Daxter and his friends stood off to the side, just in case Twilight and her sisters gained even more power than what they currently had, but they remained silent as they waited to see what happened next, I give you a new Light power, one which will help you reach new places... places only in your dreams. Daxter was in awe as he witnessed what happened next, as when the light around Jak died down his friend had the aura of his Light Form, though this time around he had a pair of wings that looked like they were made out of tendrils that had the same aura as the rest of his body, while Twilight and Cozy remained unchanged, meaning they might not have unlocked any new powers, before they found that Starlight had six fist sized orbs floating behind her back, in a circular pattern, and each of them were a different color, representing the types of Eco in their world. At this point no one was surprised by the addition, as Starlight and her sisters were far different than everyone else and the Precursors continued to confirm that as time went by, though none of them said anything as Jak decided to test out his new power, by flapping his wings to move over to the right side of the chamber, revealing a passage that brought them back to the upper part of the area they had just passed through. From there he used his new power to move from pillar to pillar, carefully making sure to land on all of them while his sisters remained around him, just in case his power gave out at the wrong moment and caused him to fall into the depths of this area, though based on what they were seeing it looked like his power was far more stable than what they originally thought it would be, meaning he didn't need their assistance and allowed them to focus on tracking down Seem, or even Errol for that matter. What they found was that the broken pillars formed a perfect path to the edge of the temple, where they found Seem hiding in what could have been the rafters at one point in time, either before Errol's attack or before parts of the temple broke due to age, though there was a hole in the wall the monk was resting near and it just so happened to allow someone to focus on the Day Star, while off to their left rested a Warp Gate that likely returned to the entrance of the temple, though as soon as they noticed that Seem was sitting near the wall, with their body wrapped around an artifact that they were trying to hide, all four of them landed nearby and rushed to their aid. "I... I am fine, Jak. There is no need for you or your sisters to waste energy on me," Seem stated, where the siblings could see that they must have been struck by something while defending the artifact that they were clutching, only looking up to determine who was in front of them for a few seconds, something that seemed to be followed by a brief smile appearing on their face for a few seconds, or at least that was what it looked like and might have been their imagination, before they watched as Seem shifted for a moment to get into a better position, "I'm afraid that Errol, despite our best efforts, has at long last learned how to connect with the Dark Maker ship... if he can awaken its terrifying cargo, he will unleash horrors beyond our deepest nightmares... even you four might not be able to repel them if that happens." "Yeah, not too sure about that, given the power that the sisters possess," Daxter said, because he had seen the sisters, not to mention Jak, do incredible things with all of the powers they had unlocked so far and he suspected that Errol's plan had no chance of success, not when he considered everything that Twilight and her sisters were capable of and what the three of them might be keeping hidden from everyone else. "Regardless of that, not all is lost." Seem continued, where Starlight was sure that the monk seemed to think that, despite the seemingly impending doom that was coming their way, Daxter might be right, which had to shock them a tiny bit, but right now they were doing their best to remain still and not do too much, which was when Seem pulled their arms back for a moment and revealed a Time Map artifact, which they allowed Jak to take, "I was able to hide the most important artifact from Errol. I was wrong about you... about all of you, Jak. You, your sisters, and your Ottsels have the balance needed to save us all and end Errol's plans." As Jak accepted the artifact, which he planned on handing over to Twilight for safe keeping, Seem informed them that they were fine and that, after some time, they would be well enough to travel, especially since the rest of the monks were in all sorts of hidden areas that were scattered around the temple, protecting the other artifacts, so they would come out and check on them at some point, though that was when their communicator came out and caused the group to pause as they listened to what it might tell them. Jak, we need you and your sisters to return to Spargus, as quick as you can. Damas stated, where Jak glanced over to his sisters for a moment, who focused on what their father might have to share with them, though given what happened in the temple, and how they found a force of Dark Troopers attacking Seem's place, they had a feeling that Errol was trying to distract them with something else, like an attack on their father's new domain, The scope's picking up major movement out over the water, but we've confirmed that it's not a storm, it's... something else entirely. My guess, and the guess of my Advisors, is that this is connected to those Dark Satellites that Seem and their monks have reported, the same ones that all of you have dealt with. You're the best gunner we've got Jak, and your sisters have amazing powers that will aid us in some manner, so I want you four here in case we come under fire from the one who sent those satellites down to investigate our city and its defenses. Jak informed their father that they would be there in no time, made sure that Seem was fine with them leaving, just in the off chance that they wanted to come along, though they found that the monk stood up, despite the sheer pain that their body was in, and seemed to be entrusting themself to their care, causing Twilight to snap up a green barrier around them, to mend their wounds, before teleporting down to the opening they had landed in front of earlier, causing Seem to raise their eyebrows as they raised that Alvin and his brothers were dragons. In that moment Twilight paused and altered the barrier to be an aura around Seem before allowing them to sit on Alvin's back, though once that was done she, Starlight, and Cozy took off as Jak climbed onto Simon's back, where Daxter found that Seem was shocked by what was going on at the moment and said nothing as they headed towards Spargus with all the haste they could muster, as it sounded like the city might be trouble. Sure enough Jak and his sisters found that there was a dark cloud over the city as they neared it, as it was partly due to the time of the day and likely what their father had found, though that didn't stop them from flying over the main gate as Twilight deployed both Bronte and Pele into the city, to defend the citizens near the main gate, while the rest of them headed for the section near the turret, which was where Gaia set up a healing area with Shiva aiding her and those who came to be healed. Such a thing left her and Midnight to aid Jak, Starlight, and Cozy in making sure whatever threat their father detected didn't do damage to the city, though Alvin made sure to set Seem down in the healing area as well, just to be sure they got some attention, before the siblings found a familiar trio standing near the turret, Damas was standing next to two dark gray robed figures who had their hoods pulled back, revealing that Gol and Maia were present at long last, only they seemed surprised by what they were seeing right now. Instead of being able to say anything, as there was so much they wanted to say to the Dark Sages, Jak made his way over to the turret and climbed into it, activating its systems as he focused on what might be coming from the sea, though they were just in time to see a large creature burst out of the air and land in the water, some distance away from where Jak and the turret were resting, which had to be some sort of dark machine from the Dark Maker ship, one that seemed like it had to be a living siege machine that was designed to weaken a planet's defenses. In that moment Cozy pointed up at the sky and they found a few more dark machines heading down towards where they were fighting, meaning that Errol knew that Jak and his sisters had to be down here and was trying to wipe them out, to stop the potential destruction of the ship he was trying to activate, though Twilight and Midnight separated from each other as both rushed into the air, targeting two of the incoming attackers so they could dismantle them, even if this time Midnight would gather the dark material for the future, since leaving this behind seemed like a really bad idea. Cozy shifted her stance for a moment as she transformed into her berserk form once more, where she burst into the air and rushed over to one of the siege machines, swinging her clawed hands at the legs of her target and sliced through the metal with ease, causing her target to stagger as it shifted to one leg, before she struck the side of its head and sent it right down into some sharp rocks, breaking it to the point where it didn't try to get up again, meaning it must have been defeated with ease. While that happened Jak opened fire on those that weren't fighting Twilight, Midnight, or Cozy, targeting the upper and lower parts of the legs to take his targets down, leaving more stuff to be collected once they were done saving the city, all while Starlight focused on the city, since she felt that her powers weren't needed in taking down the siege machines that were coming from the water. Of course a few moments later some of the siege machines warped down and landed in the city, near the harbor to be exact, though Starlight sighed for a moment as she spun her staff, touched the Dark Eco orb that moved forward, and hit it like she was swinging at an incoming projectile, sending the orb flying through the air before it smashed into the head of the first siege machine, causing it to collapse where it stood before she focused on all of the other enemies that Errol was sending down to take them out. It didn't take Twilight long to land in part of the harbor and aid her in taking care of all the remaining enemies that were trying to burn Spargus to the ground, even though Twilight made sure to use her magic to dismantle the fallen siege machines and add the pieces to a growing pile that she and Midnight were creating, before she used her power to stall another one before shattering it into a display of pieces, surprising the Wastelanders as they took a moment to realize what she had done. While they were doing that Alvin and his brothers flew through the air and just attacked the siege machines before they had a chance to actually hit the water or the city, which would allow their foes to expand into their true form, and together they even brought one down before Jak or his sisters had a chance to target it, allowing them to focus on other enemies and not worry about this one, while Daxter stayed near Twilight and swung his Eco blades at some of his foes, taking down more Dark Troopers as the siblings focused on the siege machines that were being sent to destroy Spargus. Damas, Gol, and Maia lashed out at all of the remaining Dark Troopers that were attacking the city, doing their best to aid the siblings in their venture, though as time went by it looked like fewer and fewer enemies were being sent down to attack them, either due to Errol running low on minions to order around or he had completed his task and was cancelling whatever order he had given his forces, until eventually no more enemies remained, causing them to pause for a moment as the alternate Twilights returned to where the siblings were standing. Based on what they could see the darkness caused by Errol's attack had disappeared, though it was getting close to night time and that meant some time needed to be devoted to rest, though Gol and Maia stood there in shock as they used the Eco Glasses of theirs to discover just how much power the siblings and their companions had access to, though there was a smile on Damas' face, meaning he was very pleased with them. "You and your companions have done well, as I'm not sure we would have survived that assault without your aid, despite our preparations for such an attack," Damas admitted, showing that he was definitely pleased with all of them and that he knew that, just from watching the assault and doing his best to save the city, he and the Wastelanders could take care of the Dark Troopers, but the siege machines were another matter entirely and part of him was sure that Kleiver would have been overwhelmed if he had been on the turret earlier, before he reached into a pack he had brought with him and pulled out a chest piece made out of Precursor metal, "I was saving this for when you came of age, Jak, but you have proven that you are ready for it, while Gol and Maia can help your sisters figure out how to craft their own armor. And here, the third and final piece of your Battle Amulet, which when combined together form a beacon that you can use if you ever need aid, even though I suspect that it might go unused, given your powers." Jak nodded as he assembled the completed Battle Amulet and stored it away, though after that Damas lead them back to the Palace so they could talk, eat, and get some rest before he sent them back to Haven City, though now that Errol had declared war on his city he was planning on seeing if Praxis wanted some aid retaking what was left of his previous city, all while Twilight and her sisters knew they would be answering whatever questions Gol and Maia had for them, as there had to be many bothering them and this would allow them to figure out what the Dark Sages knew, before worrying about the obstacles that awaited all of them in Haven.