The staircase was so steep, Daxter and Dar needed to maintain constant vigilance in order to prevent themselves from falling backward. One false move could send either of them to an untimely demise. It also didn't help them the slightest bit that the stairwell received no light whatsoever. As a matter of fact, Daxter missed the mysterious blue-flamed torches they had seen in previous areas of the dungeon. Naturally, he and Dar had their lightsabers out and activated, but just handling their weapons on a steep climb such as this made it more difficult to ascend the staircase without losing their balance. "We haven't been climbing for that long," huffed Dar, "but these stairs are already wearing me out." "No kidding," Daxter panted. His thighs were burning and his energy was almost spent. Are we even getting anywhere? he wondered. How much longer are we going to be led on this wild goose chase? For that one moment, Daxter ab... Read more »
Daxter wiped his eyes with his sleeve, then finally turned to face Dar. "Dar," he said, "there is something I'm not telling you. Y'see . . . the truth . . . is that—." Then to Daxter's surprise, a stone wall boomed in front of him out of nowhere, cutting him off from Dar. "What the—?" Daxter walked slowly to the mysterious barrier and ran his hands against it. He was startled to hear yet another boom! behind him in the direction where they came from. It was another wall that prevented him from going back the other way. This is weird, he thought. Then he heard Dar's muffled voice bellowing from the other side of the wall. He couldn't make out what he was saying, but he inevitably tried to answer, "DAR! You're not hurt, are you?" No reply. "Well," Daxter said to himself. "Looks like I have no choice but to keep going." I just hope Dar will be okay . . . . Daxter advanced down the corridor, which wa... Read more »
The boom of the door echoed as it shut behind Daxter. He felt a light nudge on his shoulder; Dar was trying to get Daxter's attention. "It's all right," Dar whispered, "you can open your eyes now." Daxter had hardly realized that his eyes were still shut, though he had only closed them a moment or two ago. [MP3-1]Daxter slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in a dark room, lit only by what little light that had existed outside. It was an enormous entrance hall. The first thing he noticed was a wide staircase that stood on the other side of the room. It led up about twenty steps, and then branched off perpendicularly to the left and right at the top. Towering above the staircase was a stained glass window that decorated the entire back wall. No visible illustrations were visible in the glass, partly because less than half of it was shattered. Dangling from the ceiling was the largest chandelier Daxter had ever seen; it made the ... Read more »
Daxter and Dar stepped outside of the cave, immediately shielding their eyes from the light of the morning sun. For the first time, they had the chance to observe the landscape that existed beyond the cavern they had slept in. Just as Daxter predicted on his way to the cave the night before, there was yet another clearing below them. But unlike the one they had crash-landed in, this clearing was much larger and had very little snow on the bottom. In fact, Daxter could see blades of grass emerging from the ground. Beyond the clearing, about a half-mile away, was yet another mountain. But Daxter soon realized that they would not have to climb it once he took notice of where the ledge they now stood would lead; to their left, the ledge curved off slightly to the right where it merged with a snow-covered hill, which would lead around the clearing, to the top of the mountain, and off on the other side. "If what Vector said was true," s... Read more »
The new stretch of the mountain pass was just as difficult to manage as the first. Although this passage was nowhere near as claustrophobic as the one before, Daxter faced several complications that almost made him wish he were moving through a tight space right now. For one thing, he carried an unconscious Dar, enveloped in Daxter's cloak, on his left shoulder. He was only thankful that Dar did not weigh any more than his current mass, or else Daxter may have been forced to leave him behind. Secondly, the snow on the ground grew deeper and colder as he progressed. At first he was buried up to his ankles in snow, but in little time the snow reached his knees. Carrying Dar on his shoulder was the least of his problems; now Daxter was more preoccupied with the fact that the pads of his feet felt like ice cubes. For much of the time, Daxter debated on what to do regarding the darkness of the night that blanketed the Whispering Mountain... Read more »
Daxter unburied his face from the snow. He lifted his head further from the ground and looked around only to find the same thing in all directions: snow, snow, and more snow. He rubbed the back of his head as he brought himself to stand on both feet. My head . . . . Daxter was ankle-deep in snow, but otherwise unscathed. He patted off the snow that covered his shirt and pants, then turned around to see Dar and Vector in front of what was left of The Valorian in the middle of the clearing they had crash-landed in. The front of the ship was separated from the body. All that had remained of the tail was scattered in a path of debris behind the wreckage. He looked up at the sky to see that the storm had passed; dark clouds and all. The sky was light gray, almost white, and snow flurries took place of the rain. "Daxter!" exclaimed Dar. He ran to Daxter as fast as he could through the snow. "Are you okay? How ... Read more »
Daxter could barely fight the G-force that filled The Valorian as he clenched his fingers around the armrests of the seat. "EH . . . VECTOR?!" Daxter managed to bellow. "YEAH?!" Vector yelled back. "COULD YOU SLOW THIS THING DOWN . . . A LOT?!" "HUH? OH, SURE THING!" Vector tinkered with the dashboard and the ship began to decelerate gradually. In response, the roar of the ship's engine died down to a subtle rumble. Before long, Daxter finally caught his breath as his organs repositioned themselves in the correct places. Holding his hand over his chest as he slumped in his seat, he turned to Dar and asked: "Are you . . . okay?" It was clear to Daxter that Dar was experiencing similar effects. "Yeah . . . I'm alive . . . I think," he huffed. Vector switched The Valorian to autopilot and then turned to face Daxter and Dar. "Heh-heh. Sorry about that, guys. I tend to get a little carried ... Read more »
Daxter caught up with Dar about halfway to the Precursor Academy, hardly fatigued from sprinting across the outskirts of Precursor City. He was too preoccupied with what King Gorm had explained to him after lunch to feel any physical strain in his thighs. He hated that the King would send two under qualified warriors to take on a mission that could potentially result in their demise. But he did say he tried to talk the council out of it. I can't really be mad at him for that. Daxter joined Dar as they strolled along the sidewalk. Both of them had remained silent, save for the sound of Daxter's cape flapping in the gentle breeze. But like he said, no one knew for sure if Thrad was the kidnapper in the first place. I could be freaking out for nothing. "So . . . is it true?" Dar asked to break the silence. "Hm?" Daxter broke his train of thought and turned to Dar. "You really are Daxter, aren't y... Read more »
