> Jak & Daxter: Eco Roses > by PrismStrike > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Precursor: Dreams > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dreams were always the same, ever since she could remember she had been having this exact same dream. It started off with a large, well maintained rose bush sporting dozens of flowers in bloom. Then slowly what could only be described as a pony that looked vaguely like her would show up and begin tending to the flowers. Watering them then removing dead or dried out leaves. After a short while of doing that the pony would clip several roses from the bush keeping the stems at a decent length, before depositing them into a satchel worn around the creatures waist. The scene would then shift abruptly and she would see the pony creature running through a forest with a look of terror upon her face. Looking behind the pony she sees about half a dozen small, metallic creatures chasing the poor frightened mare. The chase lasts for sometime until the pony comes to a bridge and a set of stairs. Making for the bridge the pony stumbles and goes tumbling sidelong down the stairs with several painful sounding crunches and yells. The metal monsters chasing the pony though make no such mistake, rapidly descending down the stairs after the pony. Just when all seems lost a bright flash emanates from a nearby cave bathing the metal monsters in a rainbow colored light petrifying them. Roseluck wakes with a start sweating and crying as she has become used to doing each time she has had the dream. Looking out her window she thinks of what Samos had told her as she looks out the window near her bed into the night sky. "Sometimes dreams can have great and deep meanings and sometimes they are just recurring nightmares" Those words had helped her for many years now, though they never stopped the dreams from coming. Suddenly she hears some movement and she turns to see her brother now standing behind her. "The dream again" Jak asks her with some concern in his voice always hating to see his sister like this. She nods and says with a sigh "Yeah... the same as always. A well maintained rosebush followed by a pony being chased by metal creatures." She hangs her head slightly letting out another sigh before continuing on. "I really just wish they would either stop or start making sense" Jak not really knowing what else to do puts his arms around his sister giving her a soft, caring hug. "I really wish there was someway I could help you out. Perhaps an adventure once the sun is up to help take your mind off of it" The thought of an adventure makes her smile softly returning the hug to her brother. "Thanks Jak. You are really a great big brother." "Thanks, sis. Now try and get back to sleep there is still a few hours left before dawn. Then tomorrow we will think up something to help get your mind off things." Jak gives his sister a warm smile before tucking her back into bed. "Sleep well and hopefully no more of the dream tonite" Roseluck smiles as she closes her eyes listening to her brothers soft footsteps as he makes his way back to his own bed. Roseluck found herself waking up several hours later with the sun already well up, telling her that she had slept in today. Quickly going through her morning routine and getting dressed in the standard clothing for the villagers of Sandover, though modified to allow for her tail to be able to move freely and without the shoes they wear as none of the villagers seemed capable of making a shoe that would fit properly over her hooves. Rushing off outside of her and her brothers small hut she just about runs right into Samos the Sage. "Slow down child, what is the rush for today?" The green eco Sage asks her rather gruffly while waving his staff in her direction. "Well... I had the dream again last night..." She starts only to be cut off by Samos. "Again... I am sorry to hear that I know how it affects you little one." Samos says something bordering on genuine empathy entering his voice before he straightens up, resuming his normal demeanor. "And I trust you remember what I had said about dreams right" She nods softly. "Yes Samos I remember. Now if you don't mind Jak said he would come up with an adventure for us today to help get my mind off it so he must be waiting for me in the village somewhere" she smiles thinking of what her big brother could have come up with for them all to do. Samos of course just sighs before motioning for her to go "Alright Roseluck but remember stay away from Misty Island" "Alright Samos" She calls out as she runs off into town to look for her brother. Sometime later she finds her brothers Jak and Daxter down on the beach pestering the seagulls once again. "Hey Roseluck so kind of you to finally join us" Daxter yells out as he is the first to notice her arrival "We have only been waiting for you forever" "Hey Daxter, hey Jak. So what is on the agenda for today" She asks as she walks over to them sitting down on the beach making herself comfortable. "Well Daxter found a boat and he thinks it would be a good idea to go and explore Misty Island." Jak says with a somewhat bemused tone not really thinking much of this plan. "I don't know, Samos has told us over and over again to not go there" She says before Daxter can go off on a tangent of why they should only to be cut off by him before she can continue. "Oh screw old log head, he doesn't know everything. Besides that just makes it all the more interesting, don't you want to find out why he doesn't want us going there." Daxter says enticingly. "Well yeah of course but we should do what Samos says." She fires back at him before both of them look to Jak. Jak sighs a little after thinking it over for several minutes. "Well I did promise you an adventure sis and there isn't much better for an adventure than somewhere we haven't been before" "Alright you win. Daxter we will go to Misty Island...but if something bad happens I reserve the right to say I told you so." With that the trio of siblings head off to where Daxter had left the boat he had found stashed. It being just a short walk from where they had met, climbing into it they then shoved off on the start of the greatest adventure of their lives. > Precursor: Misty Island > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is a short while later as the trio brings their boat up onto the beach of the dark grey island, the sky overhead having turned an ominous purple during their trip. Roseluck despite her earlier protest against it is the first off the boat quite literally jumping from it onto the beach. "Ha Ha a new adventure awaits us here. I can just feel it." leaving her brothers shaking their heads a little as she begins wandering around the beach. "She must really want to forget about last night" Daxter whispers to Jak softly as they watch their sister go running around the beach, looking at different things. "Yeah she always gets like this after having that dream, though i didn't know you heard her." Jak replies watching her stop to pick up a small shell "Yeah I did, but figured you had it covered" Daxter says in return before the pair decide to go and catch up with her. "Hey there slow pokes, I thought you would never join me" She giggles as her brothers approach her. "So where should we go exploring first?" She asks them before looking around properly at something other than the beach itself. "Well there seems to really only be one path from where we landed so I would suggest taking that" Jak points out as he quite literally points to the only path available. "Actually guys... even though this was my suggestion... well I am having second thoughts about this. I really think we should head back now." Daxter says in a near whimper, his bravado from earlier gone as he stares up into the purple colored sky. "Don't be a scary cat Daxter, we have an adventure to go on" Roseluck shouts as she charges off down the path. Leaving Jak to only shrug and follow along with Daxter bringing up the rear. After a short bit the trio hears some noise coming from just up along the path they are on. Taking a moment to jump in behind a rock for cover, peering over it they can see a large clearing where there are quite a number of creatures consisting of Babaks and Bone armor lurker's. Daxter goes to say something only for two more figures to suddenly appear in a flash of white and purple. Both of the figures are humanoid but sport strange grey skin, red eyes and white hair. One is distinctly female while the other being male begins speaking to the gathered group of creatures. "Continue your search for artifacts and eco..." he stops there to take a large gasping breath before continuing on his voice raspy and almost mechanical sounding. "If the Locals possess precursor items... You know what to do" he stops there only for the female to start speaking next. "Deal harshly with any who strays from the village, we will attack it in due time and do not need any meddlers from it finding out about our plans before we are ready. Any found having come to the Island are to be killed on sight. No prisoners. PERIOD." Roseluck finishes repeating what the two humanoids had been saying, to her brothers, to what is obviously now their troops, her more animal like ears being much sharper than either of her brothers. The trio decides to retreat a little back down to the beach to discuss things. "Well that isn't good at all" Jak says bluntly as the trio return to their boat. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!" Daxter practically whisper screams at the other two fear plain as day on his face. "No." Comes Roselucks response "We have to find out what those two are doing here and why it is they want artifacts and eco, we also have to find out how they are planning to attack the village." She stomps her hoof in the sand refusing to leave without doing so. "She has a point there Dax, we should at least poke around a little more see if we can't find anything else out." Jak says with a chuckle at Daxters defeated look. "Oh Alright but now its my turn to say I told you so if something goes wrong" Daxter jokes slightly while glaring at his sister. "Alright, Agreed." She says with a smile before racing back off up the path. After exploring along it for awhile the trio comes to an area with some stairs leading up to a slightly elevated position overlooking a circular walkway with a big pool of some blackish purple substance in the middle. As the trio approach the center pool Daxter not watching where he is going goes to step upon what looks like some kind of precursor artifact, when Roseluck grabs him by the collar stopping him from even stepping ad possibly slipping on it. "Hey you gotta watch where you are going Dax, wouldn't want you tripping around here now would we." She says as she lets him go and picks up the strange looking device and begin to examine it. Only for Daxter to take it from her and go into a rant about Samos and how he is always going on about the Precursors. While talking he gives it a toss into the air behind him, Roseluck having to move quickly to catch it, where it begins glowing but Daxter just continues on talking as he walks closer towards the pool of roiling black and purple goo. Just as he turns around and notices the glow from the device a large blue skinned, yellow eyed creature wearing bones for armor and wielding a large club drops down in behind them. "I think we are in trouble" Daxter exclaims as he tries jumps in behind Roseluck trying to hide behind her. The creature roars and raises its club as it glares at the trio. Roseluck takes one hard look at the device then hefts it over her head, charges at the armored creature before throwing it into the face of the large club wielding enemy where the device explodes as puprle gas is released from it. The force of the detonation throwing her backwards into Daxter flinging him into the pool below with a yell. "DAXTER!!" Both her and Jak Shout only for something to be spit out of the pool a moment later, hitting the ground, bouncing a few times before coming to rest on his back. "BY the testicles of the Precursors that hurt!" The now small, orange, and very otter-weasel like creature exclaims in Daxters voice. "I told you all we should have left when we had the chance... What??" The little otter-weasel looks at Roseluck and Jak as they stare at it "Da..Daxter..." Roseluck whimpers out looking at the little otter-weasel, tears threatening to break free from her eyes and flow free down her face. "Is..is that really you..." "Who else would it... Woah..." Daxter goes to give his trademark sass but is caught off guard as he is swept up into his now much bigger sisters arms in a crushing hug. "BY THE PRECURSORS!! I thought we had lost you when you fell into that black pool." She cries out holding the now otter-weasel tightly against her. "Not to break up this great show of love for me but... Ummm why are you so much bigger than me now?" Daxter ask's once he manages to break free of his sisters death hug. "Uhh well how to put this...your are now a small, orange colored, otter-weasel looking thing" Jak finally chimes in on the scene with a barely suppressed chuckle At that realization Daxter frantically looks himself over doing the only logical thing that comes to mind afterwards. Having a total freak out. "WHAT THE IN THE ACTUAL FUCK!!" He proceeds to drop onto the ground and pound on it screaming out the same phrase over and over for several moments before straightening himself up. "Ok, I'm fine, I'm fine." Only to look down and proceed to freak out again with more screaming as he jumps up and latches onto Jaks shirt screaming into Jaks face. "Daxter, Daxter Calm down." Jak tries to pry him off of his chest and stop him from screaming into his face to little effect. "WHERE ARE MY PANTS!?!?!" Is the only response Jak gets from Daxter followed by laughter from Roseluck as she falls to the ground taken in by a full belly laugh. "HAHAHAHAHA! you get turned into a completely separate species and all you are worried about is pants." She manages to say between bouts of laughter. A moment later it hits both Jak and Daxter and they end up beside their sister laughing for several minutes. Once the trio have gotten themselves under control they make their way back to the beach, get onto their boat before making their way back to Sandover Village and Samos the sage to see if there is anything they can do for Daxter, along with telling him about what is happening on Misty Island.