The Secondary Saga

[Jak Mar]

The Swamp of Sadness was a step away.

Jan Templar had Klaud. Things would be great, right?"

Close, yet so far...

As the group crept closer, there were voices surrounding Jan; the friendly and familiar ones of his group mates attempting to wade through the sucking swamp.

Jan traipsed in and muck devoured the boots that he had actually taken the time to polish. The horrid gunk also covered some of his ISA military outfit causing a sick repeated squishing and squashing sound"

Jan kept walking until a strange white fog blinded his attempts at trying to find Klaud. Jan yelled "KLAUD, IRIS?! Anyone?! "

"This was some cleverly established trap, wasn't it?"

The smiley white one's doing to test him...

He called out once again to hear nothing but echoing. Out of a desperate plea to find his men, his friends and form a new future for him and Klaud, his whole being screamed for fighting on.

Jan kept moving through the Swamp of Sadness, as he told himself "Keep moving, the ISA need you back home. Survival is key, survival is key. Our.. child needs a father... So much potential.. in me, I can't let this place take my life.

He was frustrated to the depths of hell but he wouldn't let this crap drag him down. He was dead set on finding his men, his friends and furthermore to form a new, safer future for Klaud and him. Jan pressed on as he mumbled to himself, his voice on the verge of cracking, "Keep going Jan, you're one of the best ISA soliders out there, so many see potential in you. You've done so much more than this, you can survive a stupid forest like this. Remember your military training, solider."

///

Jan found himself kicking mud off his boots. As hours passed, Jan was certain he hit the right spot, only to realise he had arrived at the same spot that he had departed from. He let out a low, agitated grumble. Jan had found somewhere to stop for a momentary breather, and rummaged through some ration kits he had stowed in his pack. He'd need them right away if he valued a full stomach and working head.

After he had taken what he had needed to eat and drink, a chill ran down his spine. Something.... no, somebody was out there... He just couldn't shake that jumble of fear, guilt and anger appearing in the emotions he thought he successfully repressed years ago. The hard-charging soldier kept telling himself that he had to find Omni, repeating the mantra that he would find the god and his friends and, most important of all, Klaud once again.

A voice popped out from the mist, like a mischievous poltergeist. One that was creepy, imitating and eerily disturbing, pierced the air. "Heh, so this is how you end up? The strongest ISA soldier in existence? Left to muck? Or is that a bit below the belt?"
Jan's eyes snapped open once again as he forced his legs into a rhythmic action, and a figure emerged in his vision.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Now, now don't say that, dear Jan. I'm only the strongest soldier out there. The group? They wanted you to die! You're just another soldier to them, a burden they'd rather have buried than follow then around like a lost puppy."
Jan finally saw a mirror image of himself, but instead in a Halghast outfit. Jan gritted his teeth and held his head with a vice-like grip. "NO! I would never betray the Vektan cause!"

The other Jan, in the Halghast suit laughed and a dark tone was elicited from is lips. "Oh? But you did. You supported General Adams before you knew he was going to betray your cause. Oh, I saw who was right in all this. You're nothing but a lost cause to the ISA..Let me show you something. You spent all this time wasting away with these worthless fools you call a group, when you could have found your friends instead. You know the swamp has defeated you. You are nothing but a slave to the ISA, fighting for a cause nobody cares about-"

Jan growled "SHUT UP, YOU DON'T KNOW ONE HELL THING ABOUT ME!"

"Oh? I see a traitor under all those things you call loyalty and trust."
The long-inflicted wound inside Jan bubbled like a geyser; everything he worked so hard for was disappearing in front of his eyes. No, there had to be something more. He had to fight his own demons and face them head on.
His friends were fading in front of his eyes along with Klaud. "No... Klaud! IRIS... Rico... Luger... Gregor... Guys I-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a hand lifted him up from the ground, and a familiar face emerged with a comforting smile, one he hadn't seen in forever. "Get up, Jan.. You are a strong man. You've done more good things in your life than the world could repay you for, and you should be proud of what you have accomplished. Wipe those tears from your face and get going toward Omni. We'll handle this from here. We trust in you and all that you do, that's why you are our leader."


Jan turned to see his friends in front of him in the smoke, everyone he had seen on Vekta.
Rico, Luger, Gregor and some other ISA men had shown up to show their support. But what really hurt him was something else... Something he dreamed he'd never have to face. The sharp click of a whip echoed, and he screamed at his men. "MEN, WATCH OUT". He was helpless, and couldn't do anything more than watch as the woman he loved had taken her whip and slaughtered his friends right in front of his eyes. Luger was the first to go. Sure, she fought back, but Klaud got the upper hand, her whip launching Luger through the bright fog, red liquid trailing from her limp body behind her. Rico was the next to fall. He spat at the fake Klaud trying to kill him, swearing up a storm calling out "HIG, You're as bad as them!" as his gun was helplessly snatched from him and another echoing "WHAP" had Rico reeling in pain from a plethora of bloody trenches in his flesh. "LUGER, RICO!"

Anger filled Jan's heart as he squeezed his fist. Gregor was downed, and Klaud was stomping on him as he tried to fight back. "Give up, Jan.. It's pointless... If your friends couldn't fight me, why do you think [b][i]you could?" [/i][/b]She threw a Jan disturbing smirk and cackled. The once-proud soldier fell to the ground, clutching the men he called his allies. He couldn't help but accept the responsibility for all their deaths, including Luger's.
Jan was at the point of throwing in the towel then; what reason was there to fight on? But the next occurrence stopped his thoughts dead in their tracks. The real Klaud burst from the fog and slammed the fake Klaud into the ground before smiling, helping Jan up. "Pick yourself up, Jan. These are only illusions; they aren't real. You can make it for me and everyone around you... Please... our unborn child needs a father."

Jan finally smiled and his courage flared up enough to finally kiss Klaud for real.

There was Jan holding Klaud and dragging her through the mud, they saw a way through. It was tough but they've made it. Right?

One more test...

Jan faced the traitor, General Adams. "Ah, Jan... Is this your new girlfriend?"

Jan frowned "Leave her out of this, Adams!"

The general had lost his mind this time "Of course, you were always a horrible liar, Jan."

Jan lifted his gun "You're a fake, a illusion to scare me."

General Adams laughed "Am I?" Vasari would be so disappointed to hear that.

Jan had enough and shot the fog, General Adams and Vasari had showed up. Keep trying, Jan...


Klaud squeezed Jan's hand "Let me handle them"

A loud clash of a whip slapped against General Adam's gun and Vasari's body.

There was a new dawning of a day. The fog had lifted and Jan found new purpose. "Klaud...I love you.."

[spoiler]Extras for Judges-
Higs- Helghast Slang[/spoiler]