//------------------------------// // Precursor: The Journey Begins // Story: Sons of Damas // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Jak, Shining, and Daxter sailed easily to Misty Island, deciding to find out what it was about that place that was of such significance that Samos would make a special point of saying they weren't allowed to go there when the name of the place had never been mentioned before. "So...why do you think he made that point?" Daxter asked. "Do you think it's especially dangerous?" "Maybe it's especially scar-r-r-ry!" Jak teased, making his voice echo ominously to tease Daxter, who splashed water at him, struggling against his own sea sickness. "Maybe something significant will happen there that will change our lives forever and Samos knew the best way to get us there was to tell us we weren't allowed to go," Shining suggested jokingly. Jak and Daxter glanced at each other. "It...does sound like something Samos would do," Daxter pointed out, taking the joke a little too seriously. Jak chuckled. "I'll bet you 50 Precursor Orbs that's not the case at all." "You're on!" Daxter countered back. "Do either of you even have 50 Precursor Orbs?" Shining asked. "I've got 50 stashed here and there in Sandover Village," Daxter pointed out. "And I spotted 50 back on Geyser Rock, even if I didn't collect them given what happened to our packs," Jak added. Rolling his eyes, Shining took the wheel and steered them into the dock at the edge of Misty Island. Once there, they saw the plain grey stone with various large bones sticking out of the stone walls. The entire place was quite grim, dark, and foreboding. Under the light of the torches, they found their way to a large amphitheater. Hiding behind a large skull, they saw a large group of Lurkers gathered, and two blue skinned beings they didn't recognize warped in in a cloud of purple. "Continue your search for artifacts and Eco," the emaciated male gasped out, his voice echoing and raspy. "If the locals possess Precursor items, you know what to do." He then slumped over himself, as though it took that much of an effort just to speak. The scantily clad female spoke up then, her voice much stronger. "Deal harshly with anyone who strays from the village," she snapped. "We will attack it in due time. And...if those three cross your path...eradicate them." Hearing all this, Jak, Shining, and Daxter withdrew silently, trying to get to a safe distance. Some distance away on the island, as they approached a deep pit filled with purplish-black liquid, Daxter spoke up. "Can we get out of here now?" he begged. "This place is giving me the creeps!" "Don't trip on the Precursor artifact," Shining warned, pointing to a large canister covered in Precursor runes. Daxter shrugged as he picked it up. The trio stared down into the pit. "Yeek!" Daxter shouted. "What is that dark ooze?" "I'd guess Dark Eco," Shining offered. "It has the same overall consistency as other Eco types, with the same energy reactions taking place over it...but I've never seen so much Eco in one place..." Daxter shuddered, tossing the canister to Jak. "Can we get out of here now?" he begged. "Uhh..." Jak began as the canister he'd caught glowed red in his hands. Shining and Daxter quickly turned to face him...only to scream in fear. A massive blue Lurker in bone armor had leapt down to attack them. As Daxter and Shining backed up defensively, Jak acted quickly, hurling the canister at the Lurker...only for both to explode. The explosion knocked all three of them back, knocking Daxter into the Dark Eco. When he popped back out, he was no longer human. He now stood as high as Jak's knee, with orange and tan fur, a short tail, and round ears atop his head...though he was somehow still wearing his gloves and aviator's cap, which had shrunk somehow. "Man that stung!" he gasped out, his voice confirming it was the same person. Shining stared. "Daxter...you're an ottsel." "I'm a what?" Daxter asked. "He's a what?" Jak agreed. "Well, he looks like a cross between an otter and a weasel," Shining pointed out. "What else should I call him?" Daxter promptly started screaming and freaking out. "...and that's what happened," Shining finished explaining to Samos. "So was I right that you knew something was going to happen and deliberately goading us to go?" "Are you questioning me?" Samos demanded hostilely. "Especially after so blatantly disobeying me?" "Yes," Shining countered. "Because you instructed me during my lessons to question everything, especially you, because some of your lessons would be deliberately misleading to teach me to think for myself." Samos glowered at him for a time. "I don't know which is worse," he grumbled. "Having Jak as the indifferent student, or you as the excessively clever one." "So...can you help us change Daxter back?" Shining asked happily. "Nope," Samos replied quickly. "You were right that what you found was Dark Eco, and Gol and Maia were the only ones who knew enough about it to do anything like that. However, they moved to the far north, and the teleporter gates in the villages further north run by the other sages have been turned off." "Which means we need to get through Fire Canyon," Shining replied. "Well, on the off chance of that I suggested Jak talk to Keira about heat shielding." "She needs some power cells for the Zoomer," Jak stated as he and Daxter came in. "She's designed it to use a heat shield that will protect us on the way across the Fire Canyon, and she mentioned that the townsfolk might have some power cells we could use." "Which means greasing a few palms with Precursor Orbs," Daxter added. "Not how I wanted to win that bet..." "I guess it's time to head back to Geyser Rock and grab the ones we left behind, then," Shining agreed.