LES: The first of the three Tests of Manhood that I’ve come up with. Yes, I have three tests instead of two, and they are all outside Mar’s Tomb. Where’s the fun in being 100 faithful to the game? ‘Back To You’ is as close as I’m gonna get!

Chapter XXV: The First Test

Jak and Daxter stayed that night in the forest, in a small shelter near the parked KG Cruiser. Jak had decided to take Nar’s word for it, and decided that it was too late to complete the test. Besides, it would be better if he tackled this mysterious test fully rested.

But Jak got little sleep that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about his wife, and hoping that Keira would be strong without him. She was strong, but was she strong enough?

He was well aware of the fact that he had not fallen in love with Keira because she was anything like him, but rather because she completed the things that he was not.

She was not strong, brave, or adventurous as her husband. He had never cared about that.

She probably just wants to be able to settle down… so that we can be normal parents and raise our children in peace. Jak thought to himself. Unfortunately that probably won’t happen until Praxis is dead and I fix my Dark Eco problem.

After several more minutes of tossing and turning, he fell into an uneasy sleep where the only thing he could dream of was battle after bloody battle…

Late the next afternoon, Jak gathered his battle gear and made his way into the center of the Ruined Village, Daxter tailing him close behind.

Judging by the buildings, they had once been great structures. This village had probably been larger and more wealthy than Sandover, and Sandover and been the regional capital in the north five hundred years ago.

Some of the buildings carried signs of repair, but none of them had been completely fixed. The general rule for repair seemed to be As long as it’s livable.

“Why not just fix this place up?” Daxter asked, looking around. “This village would look a lot better if it wasn’t in ruins.”

“This village seems to be some sort of memorial.” Jak said, giving his best guess.

“A memorial? To what?” Daxter asked, confused.

“Probably to Mar and the destructive power of the Metal-Heads.” Jak guessed again.

“Correct.” A new voice said. They looked around and saw Nar approach. “It is a reminder to never underestimate your foes, no matter how powerful you are.”

“What happened to this village? Really?” Daxter asked.

Nar sighed. “This village was once the most powerful village in the South. And it had the highest concentration of Warriors in the world. Most villages at the time had anywhere from one to five Warriors, depending on the population. This village had over a dozen, I believe. But their Warriors fell to that all-too-common flaw among the ancient Warriors.”

Jak nodded in understanding. “Hubris.”

“Hu-what?” Daxter asked.

“It means arrogance.” Jak quickly explained. “Excessive pride in oneself. At least every Warrior is arrogant to some degree.”

“Like Achilles?” Daxter asked. “Man, he was a walking example, wasn’t he?”

Nar looked slightly uncomfortable, and for good reason. That was his ancestor. But he continued his story anyway. “The Warriors, including Mar who had just finished his training, believed that the Metal-Head dare not attack the village, because it was so well fortified and defended.” Nar shook his head. “They tempted fate. The Metal-Head Leader took it as a challenge and came to the village himself. The Leader personally obliterated this village. As far as the records say, only Mar managed to escape alive.”

“And became a Wandering-Warrior from that moment onward.” Jak finished. “A most embarrassing fate, since it means that you either cowardly abandoned your village, or saw it destroyed.”

“Yeah. Most Warriors would kill themselves rather than become Wandering-Warriors, cause no other village would let them stay around long.” Daxter said. “’Spect most of ‘em died of pure loneliness.”

“You know quite a bit about the Ways of the Warrior.” Nar commented.

“Well… that will happen when you are best friends with a Warrior, and the son of a Warrior. You pick up a few things.” Daxter said.

“I wish I could say the same.” Nar said.

“You’ve had some training in the Ancient Ways, but your training was not complete, am I right?” Jak asked.

“Yes.” Nar said. “When Haven was completed, Mar and Achilles were the only true Warriors left. Mar died shortly thereafter, choosing not to pass the knowledge on to his son. He had the misfortune of his first-born being a weakling, and his youngest being too young to learn at the time. Achilles tried to pass the knowledge on to his own son so that the sword-style would not die. But… Achilles followed his master in death before the training could be complete. My family passed down what knowledge we have, but we’ll never be masters of it.”

“What do you know?” Jak asked.

“The basics.” Nar said. “Sword-movements, and the importance of speed and strength. But we lack that one secret that would make us real Warriors.”

Jak nodded. The last secret that Nar was missing was the rarest and the most difficult to learn. In fact, it took so long, that it was often half a Warrior’s training, if they had the ability at all. The truly great Warriors were all Channelers and had learned how to supplement their Channeling abilities to their fighting style perfectly. They would use Eco to maximize their abilities in order to completely overwhelm opponents. During training, Jak had found himself a rare natural to this type of fighting.

“So…” Nar said, clearly desperate for a change of subject. “Are you ready for your first Test of Manhood?”

“Yes.” Jak answered.

“Very well. But first, I should tell you that it is solo.” Nar said, glancing at Daxter.

“Why?” Daxter demanded.

“Because it is a true test of courage.” Nar said. “Some of life’s greatest challenges are oft faced alone.”

“Yes.” Jak said in understanding. “Well, Dax, I should definitely leave you behind, because you are a great coward.”

“I am not!” Daxter grumbled.

Nar laughed. “Brave or cowardly, you cannot accompany him. Nor can you carry weapons. I promise you’ll have no need of them.” He pointed in the distance at what seemed to be a large cave in the side of a near-by mountain. “Do you see yonder cave?”

“Yes.” Jak said.

“Your task is to stay one night, from dusk til dawn, in that cave.” Nar said simply.

“Why? What’s wrong with the cave?” Daxter asked.

“The ability to face the unknown is a key element of courage.” Jak spoke before Nar answered.

“Indeed. And if you set one foot out of the cave before sunrise, you will fail the test, and never be given another chance. The Oracle guards the entrance of the Tomb day and night, and will destroy any unworthy intruder. Are you ready?” Nar asked again.

“I am.”

“Very good. We’ll have you safely transported to the cave.” Nar turned to one of his men and gave a quick order in their strange language.

The elf nodded and turned towards Jak. “This way, pilgrim.” Without glancing back, Jak followed the man away.

Once Jak was gone, Daxter spoke. “So… what’s so bad about this cave? A single night seems like a small price to pay to pass a test.”

“In a normal cave, yes.” Nar sighed heavily. “No one, even the strongest of elves, can last more than a night in that cave… most considerably less. The Cave of Fear… that’s what we’ve called it. When it was being created, several workers were driven to suicide within hours.”

“That bad?”

“The Cave has an ancient Precursorian spell of Mar’s discovery woven into the rock.” Nar said. “The magic of Mar’s spell brings alive a person’s worst fears, forcing them to live them over and over. Only a truly brave person can leave the place sane. Imagine living for one night with only your most horrid nightmares as company.”

“Jak’s not afraid of anything!” Daxter said confidently.

“Everyone has fears, whether they choose to admit it or not.” Nar said. “Personally, I’ve only set foot in that cursed cave once in my life.”

“And what did you see?” Daxter asked curiously.

Nar shivered involuntarily. “I didn’t stay long enough to find out.”

LES: Bet you’re all wondering what I’m going to make Jak’s worst fear…

Muse: Wumpbees?

LES: Nope. I’m being more original this time! In this story, the Wumpbee incident is an incident that would rather forget, but he’s not scared spitless of them. Hopefully, Jak’s fear will be more understandable, and considerably more frightening.