War Of The Champions

By Light-Eco-Sage

Rated: PG-13 for violence, language, romance (JK DT and one-sided JA later on) and sexual content (JK)

Summery: A serious re-writing of Jak 3. Five months after the Metal-Head Leader's death, and all Jak wants is to start living his own life. But fate has different ideas when he is thrown into a war that only has two outcomes: victory or death. Sequel to 'Back To You'

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the parts that I add. Jak 3 is created and owned by Naughty Dog.

LES: This is the story of Jak 3 with a lot of changes. (CoughthekissthePrecursorscough) This one starts very much like Jak 3 but will soon that it's own turn down a different road as Jak is presented a new challenge. I highly suggest you read 'Back To You' which is, by far, my biggest story yet! I was surprised when it ballooned to a whooping 45 chapters! Whether this story will meet or surpass that… it's hard to say. Anyway, this story will not begin in the Wasteland, but several months before Jak's banishment. It has been exactly five months since the end of 'Back To You'. So that means it is March 11, 2270 in Jak's world. (About three years since Jak arrived in Haven City and one year since he escaped prison.) Anyway… I hope that you will not be disappointed with this story!

Chapter I: The Dream

It was a dark room, filled with Dark beings. These monsters stood around a table, looking down at the pile of mutilated flesh before them.

"I do not know." One Dark being said to another. "This creature is badly injured. Its body is nothing but a lump of useless flesh. It is a miracle it survived at all."

"Are you saying that we, with all of our technology, can not fix it?" One demanded.

"Of course we can fix it." Another snapped. "But it will require total cybernetic transplants. But it is possible… for the most powerful creatures in the universe."

The sad creature on the table cried out as another wave of pain shot through it. Dark Eco cackled over its mutilated flesh.

"How can we be sure that this one is The One?" The first Dark monster asked. "We have an awful lot at stake on this battle."

"Silence!" The obvious Leader of the group ordered, and the rest fell silent instantly. "We know because this pitiful mass of flesh before us is the opposite of the Precursor's pet, his negative, his foil. And, once we are done with this… thing… the playing field will be leveled. In fact… I would say the odds will favor us!"

Another Dark creature nodded in agreement, whether he actually agreed with the Leader or he was just agreeing so he wouldn't get killed, it will never be certain. "Begin the cybernetic transplants."

The Dark monsters closed in around the table. A scream tore from the creature on the table as the beings began to experiment on it.

Several million miles away, a young elf sat up from his bed with a start. Jak Mar sat in a small room in the back of the Naughty Ottsel, where he had been living for several months.

Jak gasped for air, as if he had been running a marathon. His bare chest heaved as he tried to recover from the dream that he just had. He ran a hand over his face and found it slick with sweat.

Jak sighed. "It was that dream… again." For the same dream had been tormenting him for days. It was like the dreams he used to have about the Metal-Head Leader, except he wasn't dreaming about his own pain, but somebody else's.

Why? Why was he having this reoccurring dream? It seemed, who ever it was, had survived a terrible accident and the strange creatures were trying to save him… only to participate in a battle against… someone else.

Jak got up from the bed and wandered aimlessly toward a mirror, gazing at his reflection. There was a time when he would look into a mirror and see the image of his inner-demon, but now it was almost normal, as it had been since the Precursor cured him. But, he could still see a shadow of his Darker self. It was like someone had a double exposure of himself and Dark. The elf ignored the Darkness and concentrated on his real face.

A pale elf of twenty years stared back at him. Jak ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. Something was happening… somewhere out there. And, whatever it was, he was sure it meant him nothing but trouble.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door and Jak spun around. "What?" He yelled.

"Jak, you awake?" Then Jak's oldest friend, an Ottsel named Daxter who owned the bar, opened the door and brilliant sunlight shone in. The sunlight nearly blinded the elf. He must've slept later than he thought.

Jak covered his eyes. "Ugh! Now I am."

"Jeez, you look terrible." Daxter commented. "You sure you're not sick?"

"I'm positive." Jak said. "I don't ever want to get sick again! This last year has had more than enough sickness in it to last me a lifetime!"

"Comas… puking… almost dying…" Daxter counted the symptoms off on his fingers. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, you'd better get a shirt on cause your girlfriend is here to see you."

If the dream, Daxter, or the sun failed to wake Jak up, he was awake now. "Keira?" He began to rush around, trying to find a decent shirt in the general chaos of the room. Finally, he found something wearable, by men's standards. (If it smells okay, then it's good.) Jak pulled the black shirt over his head. "I'm good." Jak said.

He walked passed Daxter in a rush to see his girlfriend of five months.

Keira was waiting for him in the main bar area. She ran up to Jak without a word as he entered. She wrapped her arms around Jak's neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Jak gladly returned both.

Daxter watched the two, looking slightly uncomfortable. He had long ago told Jak he didn't like the idea of their relationship. While he had rooted them on for a bit, he soon became worried. He said they had been friends for years and a romantic relationship would only complicate it. Daxter worried mainly about them breaking up. If they did, he'd be friends with two people that most likely would be mad at each other. And if they stayed together they would become embarrassing to be seen with in public. So far, his prediction had turned out to be correct. Jak wasn't a very romantic person by nature, but when he was with Keira…

But Jak himself wasn't concerned with the fact that he and Keira had been good friends before all this happened. The way he saw it… they already knew everything about each other. Keira defiantly understood him more than any other person alive. He had told her everything… well… almost everything. He still had not told her that he was Mar's last living descendant. But, all it took was some time, a lot of patience and BAM! The perfect relationship.

Not that they had a perfect track record, by all means. Jak had once struck Keira so hard that it forced her to the ground and she had her own share of slaps and name-calling. But they had forgiven each other for all that crap. That didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was their love.

Finally, the couple pulled apart and Keira seemed to look at her boyfriend for the first time. "Oh my God, Jak, you look terrible."

Jak attempted to make it sound like his appearance was no big deal. "Well, I sort of expected a 'Oh my God! You're handsome!' But I guess…"

"No, Jak. Leave the jokes to Daxter." Keira said. "What happened?"

"Somewhere private?" Jak suggested. Keira nodded. They left the bar and went back to Jak's room. They walked in and Jak shut and locked the door to prevent Daxter from interrupting. Keira took a spot on Jak's bed and Jak took a place next to her. He took a deep breath. "I've been having these dreams lately."

"Dreams? What kind of dreams?" Keira asked.

"Like the ones I used to have about the Metal-Head Leader." Jak said. "They're of suffering and pain."

"You?"

"No, it's not me. It's… someone else." Jak said. "But I can feel his pain like it was mine."

"What… what does it feel like?" Keira asked, concerned and leaning against him for emotional support.

Jak's skin quavered under her touch. "Like I was being tortured again."

"Oh Jak…" Keira sighed. She recalled the day that he gathered up the strength to tell her about his torture sessions. It made her sick to her stomach how Jak said that he sometimes wanted to die… if only to end the pain. Now she truly understood the reason for his transformation. If he hadn't adapted, he wouldn't have survived. "But, like you said, it isn't your pain."

"I know." Jak said. "But I still have a bad feeling about this. My last reoccurring dreams almost came true, what if these dreams are just as real?" He paused and looked at Keira. "I'm tired of being a hero. I risk my life everyday for thousands of nameless and faceless people that I don't even know! And the only thing I get in return is pain and hatred."

The people of Haven City hated him and he knew it. How could they not? He did have the highest number of counts of murder for a single person in known history. There were even a few deaths that he had nothing to do with that were being blamed on him. Vin, for example. And he was the prime suspect in every murder case that has happened for the last five months, even though Jak had not killed anyone since Kor. Jak figured that it was only Ashelin that kept him out of jail. She had pardoned all of Jak's crimes that occurred during the Metal-Head war.

But the worst of it was the newly formed Haven City Council. It's self-proclaimed leader, an ugly old man named Count Vegar seemed to make it his personal mission to get Jak thrown into prison. But, as long as Ashelin kept Jak under her protection and Jak didn't do anything stupid like mass-murder a bunch of guards, he seemed to be safe. What did Vegar care that Jak had practically single-handedly saved Haven from the Metal-Heads?

Ashelin told him Vegar was a devote believer in the Precursors. He also happened to believe that Dark Eco was an evil substance. Therefore, anything 'tainted' by Dark Eco, like Jak, was nothing short of an abomination that should be destroyed. This also explained why Vegar kept calling Jak a 'tainted and unholy vessel' every chance he got.

Jak pulled out of his thoughts and looked down at Keira. Big mistake. Here they were… they were on his bed… locked in his room…

Lust that had been plaguing Jak for months consumed him. Ever since the defeat of the Metal-Head Leader, Jak had to fight these new feelings for Keira. He felt the same way before, of course, but he held himself back, telling himself it would be terrible on the both of them to join in a physical manner when his life was in jeopardy. Now that he wasn't dying anymore, that excuse was gone, and the urge to give into his lust grew harder and harder to fight.

However, Keira seemed to have little or no interest in sex. She had not spoken a word about it in months. This was quite literally driving the poor elf crazy. He found himself having extremely erotic fantasies and staring at certain parts of Keira's anatomy. What worried Jak the most was that one day he would snap and take Keira, against her will if need be… Precursors forbid.

Keira looked up at Jak and found him staring blankly at her… again. "Jak, are you alright?" She asked.

Jak snapped out of his trance. "What? Oh yeah… I'm fine." But, what Jak was thinking was: No! I'm not fine! If only you realized how much I want you, Keira! God, the lust is driving me crazy! But, for now, he kept his thoughts inside.

"Oh, okay." Keira said. She stood up and walked to the door. She unlocked it and half-stepped out. She looked back at Jak. "I love you." She said.

Then why won't you do it with me? Jak kept this thought inside too. She'd probably think he was a pervert like Daxter. Instead, he smiled. "I love you too."

She left. Jak held his head in his hands. "God, Keira, I don't know how much longer I can wait."

LES: That's right! Lust! Lots of it! They have been dating for five months and, to a guy, five months is nothing short of torture. Well, enough about Jak's sex life… or lack-thereof. Now we are moving on.