//------------------------------//
// Brink: Aeropa 
// Story: Jak and Daxter: Heirs of Mar 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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As everyone returned to the Hellcat, and got ready to depart after Keira and Tess made sure that all of their tools were back in their proper places, Jak and his sisters glanced up at the sky for a moment, just to make sure that everything was clear, before discovering that a large white airship, with a small number of gold and purple areas, that seemed to be under attack by the Pirates they had encountered upon entering the Brink.

"Looks like our swashbuckling friends are at it again." Jak commented, where he started to tap the controls that were in front of him and powered up the Hellcat once more, as it was time for them to show the Pirates that everything they were doing was wrong and that they were going to pay for what they had done so far, especially since he was a little annoyed that they had gotten in the way of their quest to find the Eco Core.

"We need to help that airship!" Keira stated, though she knew what Jak was doing and made sure everything was ready as well, while Daxter and Tess smiled as they returned to the turret, as once they were within range they would deploy and fire upon their enemies, while Twilight and her sisters remained silent for now, since there was nothing they could do, save for blasting some of the Pirates with magic, which they would try out if an opportunity came up.

Jak nodded as he took to the air and headed for where the large ship was located, something they learned was called the ABS Behemoth, due to a distress call for aid that Keira confirmed came from the large vessel in question, though not a few seconds later they opened fire on the Pirates, aiming for the wings since killing each of them seemed to be overkill, at least for the time being, though there were a fair number of foes for them to take out. Sure enough some of the Pirates noticed them and opened fire on them as well, pulling away from the Behemoth to attack their Hellcat, though Starlight walked over to where Daxter and Tess were standing so she had a better view of things, allowing her to send out small shields so they didn't take any extensive damage, since a repeat of what happened earlier would be bad for them, leaving Cozy and Twilight sitting there as they waited for the battle to be over. The Pirates, which Jak confirmed were good flyers, were also outclassed by him as he angled himself in a way that allowed him to break a wing of each Pirate ship, sending them down to the various small islands that were scattered around the Edge of the World, that way it would take them some time to rebuild their forces and assault anyone else seeking to explore this area. Daxter and Tess also joined him in breaking down the ships that were coming at them, though Keira also figured out that there were some drones among the fleet, in fact a vast number of the ships were drones and made sure the others had that information, so those flyers were destroyed in a matter of seconds, allowing her to activate a salvage device that was attached to their Hellcat, to collect the surviving scrap for them to use in the future, for repairs or purchases.

In the end, however, the Pirates ended up fleeing as Jak and the others tore through the ships that had been attacking the Behemoth before their arrival, though as that happened Keira found that the Behemoth was opening their docking bay for them, meaning whoever was in control of the ship wanted to thank them in person, to which they pulled into the ship and Jak powered the Hellcat down, even if it looked like the loading bay didn't have many people in it.

"That was some impressive flying, friends," a voice said, where they found a dark skinned male, who was wearing a purple tailcoat over a brown vest, with a red neckband, khaki colored pants, brown boots, and seemed to be using a cane, much like a noble person would when the group thought about it, though he did wait for them to climb out of the Hellcat before he said anything else, even if Jak and his sisters recognized the dark coloration of his skin, a sign of Dark Eco being infused into one's body, like Gol and Maia before they became Ottsels, "I am Duke Skyheed, leader of the Aeropan people, and Protector of the Sacred Eco."

"I'm Keira, and this is Jak," Keira replied, though she knew, just from the brief expressions that she caught from Jak and his sisters, that something was up with Skyheed and that withholding information would be the correct way to do things, just until they figured out if he was truly a friend or if he was secretly an enemy, before she beckoned to the others while she gave him their names, just so he knew who he was talking to, "along with his sisters Twilight, Starlight, and Cozy, plus our friends Daxter and Tess."

"A mixed crew, for such a small ship." Skyheed commented, where he was clearly thinking about the size of the ship and all of the people who had climbed out of the Hellcat, maybe thinking about whatever stories the people of the Brink might have heard about the siblings, something that would worry anyone depending on their situation, before he focused on all of them again, "Anyway, you have my thanks for taking care of those dreadful vagabonds... ever since we began looking for the Eco Core, the Pirates have increased their attacks on us. To be honest, I am surprised to find anyone out here flying solo, especially with how aggressive they have become lately."

"You're looking for the Eco Core?" Twilight asked, though while she said that she had to resist the urge to shudder, as she could feel something off about the Behemoth, what she had no idea, and it might play havoc with her body at some point, so she was hoping they got this over with and got back to their mission, but her siblings and Keira were focused on what Skyheed was saying, just to know what his answer was.

"Yes, because the Eco situation is worsening by the day and it seems to be our only hope," Skyheed replied, which made a bit of sense to the team since they knew it would fix things, though if Keira had her way they could do wonders for the rest of the world, before he sighed as he thought about something and glanced at the Hellcat for a few seconds, though it took him no time to focus on them again, "Still, it would seem that we're both enemies of the Pirates, as it seems they damaged your ship, so maybe you would consider allying with us and aiding us in our search for our salvation? Come, I will give you a tour of Aeropa, show you where you can make repairs to your ship, and maybe where you can rest before you head out to face the dangers of the Brink again."

Jak said that they would consider it, especially due to their run in with the Pirates, and Skyheed nodded, knowing that this wasn't an easy decision to make when they had only just met each other, before he informed them that the Behemoth would be reaching Aeropa, a city that was built on top of a massive piece of earth, one held up by Precursor metal, though it wasn't flattened like one would expect, so each street was on another level than the one before or after it, in about ten minutes, so it gave them time to rest and check out the ship.

"You guys felt that, right?" Jak quietly asked, speaking once he was sure that Skyheed was out of the area, since they had no desire for the Duke to hear what he had to say, and even if there were people around them he had a feeling that either Twilight or Starlight would form a barrier of some kind around them, though where was one thing he was referring to and he wanted to be sure that those who could feel it understood what this meant.

"Dark Eco... minuscule amounts, but there none the less." Twilight remarked, though it made her wonder if Aeropa would have a similar feeling to what she had felt from Skyheed's massive ship, because if it did she might be sick, since she had a feeling that a strong source of Eco energy, or even residue, might impact her awakening Ottsel nature and influence what was happening to her body.

Starlight, Cozy, Daxter, Tess, and Keira agreed with their comments, that they might have been wrong to help Skyheed out, because if their initial thoughts were correct, and he happened to be an enemy, that would mean the Pirates, in a very odd twist, were actually the good guys, though for now each of them decided to keep quiet and see what was going on before jumping to conclusions. Truth be told Jak didn't want to deal with another villain, especially so soon after dealing with Mizo in Kras City, but given that the fate of the world depended on their quest, which usually conflicted with the villain and their goals, he knew that it was only a matter of time until they clashed with whoever the villain was and tore down whatever foul plans they might have created, once he and his sisters had enough information anyway. As they did that Keira took a few moments to look over the ship again, with Tess helping her out, because they wanted to make sure everyone thought they were worried about it, and while she was she already knew that it was just fine, but this meant less questions were asked as people ignored them to do whatever their jobs were. Other than that there was nothing much they could do but wait for the Behemoth to reach their destination, though when it did Skyheed sent them the coordinates for the docking bay of his domain, allowing Jak, Keira, his sisters, and their friends to climb into the Hellcat before heading down to where the docking bay was located, giving them a good opportunity to see the mountain city in question.

When they landed in the docking bay the group climbed out, after Starlight made sure to protect it with a magical spell to prevent thieves from stealing it, before Jak lead the way as they entered the city of Aeropa, where they found that it looked like a peaceful city, with people walking around in Haven-like attire and with smiles on their faces, not to mention all sorts of tables, lights, and other things that made it look like a thriving city. Though there was only one problem with everything they were seeing right now, Dark Eco was in nearly everything around them, in minuscule amounts anyway, save for the depths based on everything Twilight felt as all of them walked down one of the streets, as the sewers likely held a massive amount of Dark Eco, something that caused her to steel herself and not be influenced by what she was feeling, since she was trying to slow down the changes. Jak, however, noticed Twilight acting weird and knew that something was up with his sister, something that Starlight and Cozy had noticed previously, even Daxter, Tess, and Keira had noticed it as well, as in the past she used her magic whenever she wanted, but right now she seemed to be holding back, in both magic and Eco, so it make her wonder if something was wrong and what that something might be. Of course part of him thought back to what Eon had told them, about Sages and the next stage of their evolution, but for now he decided to keep an eye on her while they focused on taking down whoever happened to be the villain of this adventure, so the moment something were to happen, like her collapsing for example, he could assist her.

One thing Keira told them was that she might have figured out a way to harness the bits of Dark Eco they had found back on the small island they had crashed on, using a method similar to the crystal, so it provided them with a needed boost to their melee powers, even if Twilight hesitated before allowing Keira to do the same to her, but once that was done Jak and his sisters found that their Communicator came out to speak with them.

Well, Jak! What do you think of our magnificent city? the Communicator said, where they found that Skyheed was the one talking to them, or at least leaving a message that they could think about before acting on it, though Jak and his sisters remained silent as the Duke spoke to them, just in case he revealed any useful information to them, When you're done sightseeing, come meet with me at the Eco Seeker Sanctum.

The group glanced at each other for a moment, as an Eco Seeker sounded useful and it meant they might need it for their own quest, to which they followed the map that was sent along with the message, so they knew where to go, and quickly made their way through Aeropa, passing under gates that raised as Jak, his sisters, and Keira approached them, where all of them found Daxter on his usual perch on Jak's shoulder and Tess did the same for a time, only she was on Keira's right shoulder, before they found the building in question... and found Skyheed standing next to someone who wore a set of attire that matched Skyheed's, only with a sash that made him look like a Chancellor.

"Welcome back. I trust your stay with us has been enlightening?" Skyheed inquired, speaking like he was welcoming a few old friends to a place they hadn't been to in a long time, meaning he already thought highly of them and it made Jak more than a little worried about things, while the Chancellor seemed unhappy with how the Duke was acting, why would likely be revealed in some manner.

"We're still a few answers short." Jak admitted, though he decided not to say that they hadn't been given any time to think about what was going on and everything they had learned so far, something he was mostly leaving to Twilight and Starlight since they would explain the unknown aspects to him in a matter of seconds, while at the same time the others nodded to show that they agreed with him.

"And I have questions for you as well." the Chancellor replied, where he sounded like he had some great authority over the city, which might mean he was Skyheed's equal in some manner and that it was also his responsibility to make sure those under his care were safe and sound, something that was understandable since it was what Jak did whenever he thought about Haven and Sanctuary, "For instance, why are you out here on the Brink?"

"Please forgive Chancellor Ruskin, he gets... suspicious... when people with your sort of power appear in the nick of time, or right on time in some instances," Skyheed said, as he didn't want them to be annoyed with him and his Chancellor, no doubt due to what happened with the Pirates who had been attacking his ship earlier, plus he had to know something about all of them, though if that was true they were at a major disadvantage.

"Don't worry, we understand. We're looking for a new source of Eco, same as you." Keira replied, as it seemed like telling them that piece of information might be the best thing for them right now, since it might allow them to get further along in their quest and allow them to learn more about who was friend or foe, even if the siblings were keeping their eyes and ears open for anything else.

"Such a noble pursuit, from people of your age. We might be able to assist each other." Skyheed commented, to which he glanced over to Ruskin for a moment and nodded his head, something that caused the Chancellor to pull his hands out from behind his back, where he had been keeping them since before their arrival, and revealed a box shaped device that had to be of Precursor origin, given the coloration and design, which seemed like it could open in some manner, "This is the Eco Seeker, a device said to point towards any major source of Eco... we had hoped that it would point us toward the location of the Eco Core, but we haven't been able to unlock. However, with the Four Sages of Sanctuary among us, with one of our world's most skilled machinists with them, who happens to be a Sage in training herself, I'm sure that you will have more luck with it... and even if you can't do anything with it, I would entrust it to you, after seeing your skills in the Danger Course, since you might be able to unlock it."

That raised instant red flags in Jak's mind, as this was the first time that someone knew of them and reacted accordingly, as he was cautious enough to make sure they didn't turn against him and his people, though he said nothing as Ruskin handed him the Eco Seeker, where he focused his mind and found that, after some effort, he was unable to do anything with it, save for confirming that there was too much darkness for the artifact to work. On the off chance that they might be more successful than he was, given their magical nature, he asked his sisters to check and see if the same happened when they worked with the important artifact, only to find that nothing happened when Starlight focused on her power and the same was true for Cozy, which made him doubt his idea, before turning to Twilight for a moment, who rubbed her right arm as she stared at the artifact. It was another sign that something was wrong, what he had no idea and it really made all of them worry that she was hiding a secret from them, especially with how close all of them were, though Twilight sighed and took the artifact with her left hand, showing that it was more nerves since her sisters had failed to do anything with it, before she braced herself and pressed her other hand against it as she focused on her powers. What happened was that a surge of Eco power, the same that Jak and his sisters had felt when they tried to access the artifact, surged through both of her arms and seemed to shock her body, like it was interacting with her six colors or something, before Jak quickly took the Eco Seeker before more pain was inflicted on her body, causing her to huff as she fell to her knees for a moment, where some sweat appeared on her forehead.

With that done, and none of them were able to do anything, they decided to heed Skyheed's words and headed back over to the Danger Course, while Keira held onto the Eco Seeker since it didn't do anything to her, where Jak found a new style Blaster mod for his staff and added it to it before he and his sisters made their way through the Danger Course, scoring far more than the requirement as they showed Ruskin that they were very skilled in the art of combat, even though Twilight stayed with Keira since her body was still recovering, where Skyheed called them to the chamber the Eco Seeker was kept in for some final words before they got to work.

"The three of you have proven yourselves to be very capable, even if one sister was unable to participate at this time, but she may tackle it when her health is better," Skyheed said, speaking to the group when they walked into the chamber he had called them to, while Ruskin stood nearby and simply observed them for a time, especially since Twilight and Keira stood next to each other, before he gestured to the artifact in Keira's hands, "Our ancestors warned us about Dark Eco, and how dangerous it is... with the Eco Seeker, perhaps you can find the more fair Light Eco."

In that moment the wall to their left exploded as something interesting happened, the Pirate from before, along with one of his companions, swung down on the group while they were distracted, the main one taking Keira and the Eco Seeker as his partner grabbed Twilight, before both of them touched down near the opening, where one of their ships happened to be on the other side, and jumped out of Aeropa, taking off with Keira and Twilight being held captive, as Tess had been knocked to the ground in the chaos... to which Jak picked Tess up as he, Daxter, and his sisters headed back to the Hellcat, as it was time to deal with the Pirates and see what was truly going on.