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Description
The Metal Heads were, are, and always will be a difficult species to tamper with. Even throughout my time they have been troubling me, from my days as a child, to my adult years, up towards my time of demise.
I have been told a lot of dangerous bedtime stories about them back in my dwelling place - the Mall section of Haven City. I was brought up as a rich child, getting everything that I rightfully owned, and respecting the others' decisions around me.

-DEVIANTART.COM PRESENTS-

The fear of these creatures left me to start preparing myself for the worst - being ambushed by plenty of them. That has left me to start building up a lot of physical, mental and spiritual strength within my adult days to help me become what I am.
Even seeing them roam outside the city walls has often left me feeling a bit fearful - I have heard that many have went outside and got devoured by some of those creatures, their bones being picked away in an instant, their blood being sucked dry from their flesh.

~A fanfic by RexRock~

Haven City itself was a safe enough location for us to take in and appreciate the value of security, as provided by the King of the city at the time. He knew how to make the people happy, from the richest nobleman down to the sickest slum dweller.
His decisions may have sounded a bit gentle to me and my past relations at times, but they have managed to give a lot of hope to the people, knowing that the Metal Heads would be gone within the days to come.

-SACRED DESTINIES-

Throughout his time of rule, no one got that far as to storm the home of the Metal Heads, several hundred miles South West from the city. No one knows why he refused to put it to an end that soon, and no one ever will.
As a matter of fact, most of the citizens of Haven City were curious over the Metal Heads and how they came to be. Even Precursor history books didn't provide enough information to realise their origins and figure out a way to destroy their army.

---

There was one fateful day in particular, when I learnt about the strongest ordeal for the Metal Heads and their attacks. And it all came via word of mouth spreading its way from the Southern parts of the city.
The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. What a place it was to sit down and drink over what the day has in store for us. I often went there a couple of times a week to find out as much as I can upon the creatures' next attacks.
The bartender, Krew, seemed to be a well proportioned man of his time. He looked able to stand on both legs, which over time gradually struggled to hold his rapidly growing weight. Even I never knew why he could eat so much, but I have assumptions that they could be just to calm his nerves.
   "Aye, what can I get you today, young sir?" he asked me with his strong British accent.
   "Just the usual pina colada", I replied back. "And no cherries this time."
He gave out a nod of the head, and within several seconds a bright white smoothie-based cocktail was thrown into my direction. I took a sip of the strong taste of pineapples blended in with dark rum, clueless upon what he would say to me next.
   "Say, you heard the news about the incoming Metal Head attacks on the city?"
   "I'm afraid I haven't!" I shouted back with shock.
   "Well, from what I heard, the walls around the Eastern Slums area seem to be getting a bit weaker. We should hopefully gain enough eco to stop the wall from decaying within the next week or so."
He started walking his way around the bar, my eyes trailing around him. I brought my hand back, and brushed down the light brown hair brought on top of my head, leading down towards my bushy moustache. And then, he came to a stop, giving out an eye twitch towards me.
   "Speaking of Metal Heads, I have a splendid idea to keep the Hip Hog up and running", he chuckled. "You see how empty this place is?"
He brought out his hands, and showed what the room was like. It seemed a bit vacant to my view, what with the small boxing ring in the middle not quite doing any favors. There were barely any decorations being placed upon the tables, making things a bit unwelcome for visitors. But what got Krew more interested were the empty shelving units brought around the bar.
   "I'm thinking of hiring someone to hunt down some of the Metal Heads, and put their heads up on display", he smiled.
   "I think that's a very controversial idea you've got in mind", I said back with a curious look. "Wouldn't the citizens turn away from the sight of Metal Head bones?"
   "It's not the bones that they're interested in, but their plates of armor. You'll look back at me once the vision comes true, and I'll be honored because of that!"
He placed his hand to his chest and gave out a welcome smile upon his face. At the same time, I took one final sip of the cocktail, instantly emptying the glass, and looked on at him while walking out of the bar.
   "As long as your supporters can carry you, you'll cope just fine!"
My very remark to him caused him to end up jumping off the ground and almost falling into the boxing ring. Before anything could happen, I came near him and took a hold of his flab-filled belly, instantly bringing him back onto both feet.
He gave off one curious look towards me, leaving me to give off an anxious look. I then released my grip from him, and leave him to waddle his way back towards the bar, the strength of his legs slowly becoming weaker than they were when I first stepped in.
I walked out of the saloon, and back out into the scenic view of the port of the town. At this stage, ships were coming through with their shipments of Dark Eco for the city's energy sources, from the smallest PDA through to the tallest tower of the city's power controls at the Drill Platform over the mountains of the West.

---

My home back then was located at the Southern parts of the Mall section right at the top of the city, instantly bustling with the entertainment range at the West, and the upper class homes being located more to the East.
Upon heading up the stairs of my own home, I looked upon my surroundings and saw light green candles lighting my way up. They gave off a warm sense of aloe vera to my senses, instantly causing me to smile as I went up.
As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, I went into one of the larger rooms located among the corridor. The door was open, and I instantly saw a young girl with ginger dreadlocks in her hair, and the sweetest blue dress any child could wear.
   "Ashelin!" I cried out to her.
She gave off a light smile, and gave off a warm embrace upon my legs. I crouched down, and gave her a reassuring pat back, knowing that she herself was the sparkle of my eye to return straight home to.
Yet, she too could have been devoured by the Metal Head attacks if she wasn't careful, just like her mother ten years ago. She was the sparkle of my eye, the smile upon my face, and the soul of my heart back then.
It made me wonder how hard it was to bring her up all on my own. But she seemed to be happy enough with a loving father to take hold of her and wait for after a day around the city.  It even made me think of what she could grow to be within the future months-
   "Red alert! Red alert! Walls at Eastern Slums decaying!"
My heart jumped out from its place upon the sound of the voice, and Ashelin gave out a light squeal from her small mouth. This left me to start making my way towards the window, and take a look around the streets below me.
And down there, it seemed like a war zone was slowly starting to show, with several civilians leaving their way out from the Mall towards the Slums, wanting to take a close look towards the scene.
But it wasn't until a few seconds later when some of which started to make their way back towards here, scared out of their wits. And from right behind them, two of the most terrifying armored silver creatures started to make their way towards me, with their glowing yellow eyes and sharp oozing teeth ready to strike fear towards us all.
   "Oh my God, the Metal Heads are coming through into the Mall section!" said one nearby civilian.
   "Quick, run!!!" shouted another.
While I looked on at the view, Ashelin took a look down at the streets towards the left of me. And she too was just as terrified as they were. I looked on at her, and her quivering emerald green eyes. My attention was soon turned to a nearby closet at the other end of the room. And without hesitation, I took her over there.
   "Ashelin, you hide in here! I'll try and protect you at all costs!"
I opened the door, which it in itself gave out a light creak. She started to shake with fear at every stomp the creatures gave out. To make things safer for her, I passed her a glowing candle to help calm her down upon her time in there.
The door was shut, and it wasn't long until I started to head down towards the ground floor of the building, ready to guard my little girl at all costs. The thuds started to sound more powerful, leaving me to shake slightly upon my broad fingers.
Some of their giant legs started to show upon the window frame shown upon my front door, with the light from their glowing eyes starting to get much stronger as time went by. And then, one of which reached my door, instantly pushing it off its hinges.
   "ROOOOOOOOOAR!!!"
It fell upon the ground with a slam, instantly bringing dust up into the air. My facial expressions slowly started to become much more fearful, knowing how powerful they could easily be over time.
With them blocking the door, I had no choice but to look around and try one last resort upon trying to block them off - heading towards the kitchens and finding something that could at least help me keep those monsters far away from the upper floors.
So that left me to dash to the back of the house and search in every drawer I can find for a suitable weapon. But nothing there was strong enough to penetrate the armor. That left me to go out through the back door and start looking for any passers by for a weapon.
A nearby knight, one of the King's strongest defendants, started to walk near me, carrying a long blade within his grasp. And with a careful approach, I hid in the shadows, and as soon as he passed me I took the blade and dashed down the cobbled back streets out into the open.
   "Hey, give that back!" he screeched at me. "I need that to try and defend myself with!"
I looked back at the knight, showing lack of care for him upon what he would do. I soon made my way onto the main streets, looking onto the Metal Heads trying to break into my home. It was then that things were about to get personal.
I launched the blade at the beasts, which instantly retaliated against the burning green light brought around it.  It gave out a hiss back at me, before it started to try and charge into me with such speed and stamina.
I sidestepped out of the way, leaving it to come to a screeching halt. And then I fought back, striking the blade upon the tips of their claws, leaving it to roar and cover its front paws with its neck. I smiled upon there, before...
   "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Ashelin's screams! My ears pricked up, and I looked behind me at the sight of my home. The window seemed to be broken, and that could mean one thing - more of those monsters have made their way through inside.
I instantly went in, storming my way up the stairs, with the force of my thick clothing extinguishing one or two of the candles as I made my way up there. I didn't have time to care about the flames then - it was HER that I care about the most.
The door to the largest room upon the first floor was left hanging on one of its hinges. That left me feeling fearful as I made my way into the room, looking on at the broom closet that I left her in.
   "Ashelin!!!" I called for her.
From out of the door, one of the Metal Heads themselves emerged - a smaller one, I could admit, but with more nimble claws being brought upon it. With a scowl on my face, I slashed it upon its head, instantly releasing its grip upon my daughter. She then took cover under the bed, as the beast flew out of the window and started making its way back out into the open.
   "Get back here, you miserable beast!!!" I called out towards the monster.
I took a stronger hold upon the blade as I went towards the window, hung from the edge and landed safely upon the ground. Once there, the nimble creature was seen standing upon the ground, guarding the larger coward still protecting its front paws.
The smaller creature gave out a much sharper hiss as it started coming straight towards me, its front claws outstretched. I brought out my blade to block them off, but even the burning force of the green light didn't cause it to move back at all.
It brought back its claws, content with the blockage, before it started making its way straight towards me again. While that happened, I overheard voices of more of the King's knights in conversation with one another as they tried to take down a stronger amount.
   "The Metal Heads are getting stronger! Quick, we need to sort out the Shield Wall defenses!"
   "Aye, captain!"
The shield walls - the one thing that could stop more of these creatures from getting in. If they could have been sorted out sooner, then Ashelin and I could have escaped from the fight as a couple of safe citizens.
Instead, I had no choice but to continue retaliating. Alongside the nimble Metal Head came more of its species, all coming towards me. I fought as hard as I could, instantly scarring their unguarded stomachs and setting injuries upon their heads, causing them to start making their fall towards the ground.
Twenty Metal Heads instantly fell within a few minutes, weakened by the devastating attacks. But the war wasn't quite over yet, as more creatures seemed to be making their way in towards me, ready to feast upon me.
   "PAPA!!!"
Ashelin's cries brought my attention back to the window, seeing her look on at the fight from the top floor. I was still determined to settle things, especially for her. Then I looked on at the beasts and tried to tackle them as far as I could go.
Within them, a giant one started to make its way towards me, steadily making its way towards me. I tried to block it, but in an instant it brought out its claws, and struck me right at the right hand side of my head.
A painful gush started to form, and my right eye started to lose its eyesight. The pain started to soon take over me, as more and more Metal Heads started to surround me, inflicting even more damage upon there.
Yet in the end, it all turned too much, as my vision slowly turned to darkness, and the sounds of my surroundings faded straight into silence.

---

I never knew how long the darkness and silence occurred to begin with, but they slowly started to regain themselves over time. My ears started to pick up the light sounds of a few footsteps coming near me.
I opened one eye, and instantly saw myself in a room filled with white decor and hospital beds. I started to feel worried about my surroundings as I tried to open my other eye, but no matter how hard I could, it almost felt like that eye had a padlock placed around it.
Within my vision, a nurse with long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes started to make her way towards me, with a reassuring look showing upon her. Her white gown and the Red Cross shown upon her headgear instantly told me that she was a nurse.
   "Are you alright, sir?"
Her voice sounded so soothing, almost reminiscent of my only lover. I looked at her, whom started to show a reassuring expression upon her. Trying to recover my senses, I opened my mouth to speak, as for possibly the first time in eons.
   "Where..." I tried to force the words out from my mouth. "Where am I?"
   "You're in Ward 9 of the Haven City Hospital, where the road to recovery is a pleasure for all."
Her tone may have sounded cheery to my ears, but the thoughts of being placed within a hospital almost worried me. I would have thought the Metal Heads would have instantly killed me, but... how the Hell could I still be standing here? Or rather, lying down like this?
   "I can't be here - what happened to my head injuries?"
She went towards a nearby desk, and picked up a circular brown hand mirror. She placed it in my hands, showing beautiful reflections of the hospital from its flat angle. I felt curious over why she could give me an object like this.
And then I brought it up towards my face to see the answer why. It was there that I learnt the horrible truth - my hair was gone, and so was my right eye. In their place was metal plating, instantly being brought in for protection around my more fatal injuries. Although grateful for that, I still felt concern for her.
   "But... why did you do this to me?" I asked her.
   "I heard from the King's knights that you fought bravely around the Metal Head attacks two weeks ago."
   "Two weeks?!?" I exclaimed in shock.
   "And you know what the city needs don't we - a lot of bold fighters to help the armies die out for good."
Two weeks... I still can't get the remark out from my mind and out into reality. How could I remain unconscious for that long? With that question going through me, I easily forced a smile towards her and gave out a light nod at her.
   "I'd like to say thank you for your support."
She gave off a reassuring nod back, instantly giving in a nice essence of warmth straight through into my heart. While that happened, I sat up and cautiously brought myself back onto both feet. They felt a bit unstable, but I soon managed to find balance in no time.
   "Anything else that I can help you with?" she asked me back.
   "Did anything else happen within the past two weeks?"
She fell silent. Something was telling me that something didn't turn out right for her. That left me to start wondering what happened that could have easily upset her like that. And then she opened her mouth to speak, her eyes still showing shock.
   "As far as I know, we've got a nice collection of newspapers dating back from three Tuesdays ago. I'm sure you'll find what you need in there."
She pointed outside, leaving me to smile and nod at her appreciating my thanks for her. I then made my way through outside, wanting to take a closer look towards those newspapers for myself.
My emotions still went wild upon what kind of thing might have upset her during my time out. Knowing women I could imagine a hairdressing salon closing down, a beauty queen stepping into a mud puddle or maybe their favorite pop music song being banned from local radio stations.  But it wasn't until I reached the stands myself to see the horrors that really shocked her.

---

I saw the papers lying cautiously among the stands near the reception area of the hospital. With light steps, I slowly started to make my way over there with my hands fearing the worst upon what happened.
The papers did show some news upon the ambush last fortnight, and I felt relieved when I heard that the walls at the Eastern Slums are more stable now, but one thing that scared me the most was that the attacks went straight towards the city's palace around the center of town.
I looked on one front cover... and another... and another. And they all said the same thing - the King of Haven City was killed by the attacks, his wife following shortly afterwards. I felt shocked upon what had happened then.
   "They..." I tried to speak, but the shock was still overtaking my lungs. "They couldn't have gone that soon, couldn't they?"
   "I'm sorry for what's happened to them. They were such bold rulers around there."
The voice caused my ears to prick up again, and I looked behind me to see the Nurse from the wards upstairs coming back towards me. Her expressions slowly started to become more and more teary-eyed.
   "What happened to their only son?" I asked her again. "Wasn't he the heir?"
   "I presume that he went missing soon after their demise. I have no idea why, but it sounds interesting to hear about it though."
She looked down with hopelessness being brought upon her, with her hair slowly trailing their way among her back and shoulders. I came to her and placed some of her long locks behind her head, looking closer towards her fearful expressions.
   "Besides, aren't babies a bit risky to have as kings?"
I nodded with agreement at her very comment. Then she soon brought herself back into a regular standing position, although this time she started to look more confused than ever. Her legs soon started to shake like jelly with every passing second.
   "I've got a bit of concern over what kind of ruler this city could end up next" she sighed. "They've traced the family line as far as they can go, but they're struggling to find a suitable replacement."
   "I could have sworn the family line was much larger than that...!" I whispered in return.
   "Never thought it ever will be, though."
She lowered her head, looking worried that the royal family line has finally come to an end. That left me feeling cautious on how Haven City can survive without someone on the throne, someone to reassure the citizens, someone to guide the people to freedom...
Several visions came through to my mind - the Metal Head attacks upon the Mall section, how I bravely defended Ashelin from those gruesome creatures, how I fought bravely against a whole army of them, and how I fell upon the stronger swarms...
My remaining eye widened upon the very visions, and that soon gave me an idea. If Haven City needed a strong leader at this time of crisis, then it had to be a time like this when there's a savior to protect them from those devilish creatures.
   "Wait right there!" I smiled at her.
In a flash, I rushed outside, and started to make my way towards the center of town. The thoughts of the nurse's expressions soon started to flow within my mind. I could almost tell what she was thinking - could it be anxiety upon seeing this as the city's darkest hour?
I made my way along the winding path leading out from the Mall section, making every last corner I can towards the center. Several cars started to zoom past me as fast as they possibly could above me as time passed.
And then, I made one final turn, and saw the Palace of the city right in front of me. With a more determined approach, I started dashing towards there, ready to make my mark upon the city - an everlasting mark of determination and fate.

---

My years as the ruler of Haven City soon started to fly by like flies among the woodlands up towards the North Western regions of the city. Within time, my marks slowly started to show upon the city, from statues around the Palace area through to posters brought around the city.
No one knew how long the memorabilia could last soon after my departure from the world, but I was still proud upon how long that I tried to put the city together. The rare problems with a Dark Eco experiment I tried to deal with within the past seemed a bit problematic at parts, but I still managed to cope with that just fine.
I almost had my chance when taking the Precursor Stone from the Tomb of Mar, ready to send that upon the Metal Head nest to end all life. But it was better being all life rather than having them trying to kill us off.
After my ill-fated day upon the construction site of the city, when the leader heavily inflicted my soul ready for escape into the afterlife, I was still content with that Dark Eco experiment being ready to help defend the city for the near future.
Again, I am unsure about how long he could last. But even leaving Ashelin as the Governor of the city has also done a lot to give a lot of reassurance to the people that laid their eyes upon me, either showing fear upon me or respecting me as graceful as they can.
As long as they continue to defend the city as strong as they can for the future it holds, that will do just fine to satisfy me. There may be some citizens that could either remember me or want to forget me, but I am still content with how they fared in their battle for freedom against the Metal Heads.

As long as the city is at peace, then I, Baron Praxis, will be at peace too.

---

“Sacred Destines” mini-fic is © Rexy 2004. The Jak II universe is © Naughty Dog 2003-2004. All rights reserved.

Description
The Metal Heads were, are, and always will be a difficult species to tamper with. Even throughout my time they have been troubling me, from my days as a child, to my adult years, up towards my time of demise.
I have been told a lot of dangerous bedtime stories about them back in my dwelling place - the Mall section of Haven City. I was brought up as a rich child, getting everything that I rightfully owned, and respecting the others' decisions around me.

-DEVIANTART.COM PRESENTS-

The fear of these creatures left me to start preparing myself for the worst - being ambushed by plenty of them. That has left me to start building up a lot of physical, mental and spiritual strength within my adult days to help me become what I am.
Even seeing them roam outside the city walls has often left me feeling a bit fearful - I have heard that many have went outside and got devoured by some of those creatures, their bones being picked away in an instant, their blood being sucked dry from their flesh.

~A fanfic by RexRock~

Haven City itself was a safe enough location for us to take in and appreciate the value of security, as provided by the King of the city at the time. He knew how to make the people happy, from the richest nobleman down to the sickest slum dweller.
His decisions may have sounded a bit gentle to me and my past relations at times, but they have managed to give a lot of hope to the people, knowing that the Metal Heads would be gone within the days to come.

-SACRED DESTINIES-

Throughout his time of rule, no one got that far as to storm the home of the Metal Heads, several hundred miles South West from the city. No one knows why he refused to put it to an end that soon, and no one ever will.
As a matter of fact, most of the citizens of Haven City were curious over the Metal Heads and how they came to be. Even Precursor history books didn't provide enough information to realise their origins and figure out a way to destroy their army.

---

There was one fateful day in particular, when I learnt about the strongest ordeal for the Metal Heads and their attacks. And it all came via word of mouth spreading its way from the Southern parts of the city.
The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. What a place it was to sit down and drink over what the day has in store for us. I often went there a couple of times a week to find out as much as I can upon the creatures' next attacks.
The bartender, Krew, seemed to be a well proportioned man of his time. He looked able to stand on both legs, which over time gradually struggled to hold his rapidly growing weight. Even I never knew why he could eat so much, but I have assumptions that they could be just to calm his nerves.
   "Aye, what can I get you today, young sir?" he asked me with his strong British accent.
   "Just the usual pina colada", I replied back. "And no cherries this time."
He gave out a nod of the head, and within several seconds a bright white smoothie-based cocktail was thrown into my direction. I took a sip of the strong taste of pineapples blended in with dark rum, clueless upon what he would say to me next.
   "Say, you heard the news about the incoming Metal Head attacks on the city?"
   "I'm afraid I haven't!" I shouted back with shock.
   "Well, from what I heard, the walls around the Eastern Slums area seem to be getting a bit weaker. We should hopefully gain enough eco to stop the wall from decaying within the next week or so."
He started walking his way around the bar, my eyes trailing around him. I brought my hand back, and brushed down the light brown hair brought on top of my head, leading down towards my bushy moustache. And then, he came to a stop, giving out an eye twitch towards me.
   "Speaking of Metal Heads, I have a splendid idea to keep the Hip Hog up and running", he chuckled. "You see how empty this place is?"
He brought out his hands, and showed what the room was like. It seemed a bit vacant to my view, what with the small boxing ring in the middle not quite doing any favors. There were barely any decorations being placed upon the tables, making things a bit unwelcome for visitors. But what got Krew more interested were the empty shelving units brought around the bar.
   "I'm thinking of hiring someone to hunt down some of the Metal Heads, and put their heads up on display", he smiled.
   "I think that's a very controversial idea you've got in mind", I said back with a curious look. "Wouldn't the citizens turn away from the sight of Metal Head bones?"
   "It's not the bones that they're interested in, but their plates of armor. You'll look back at me once the vision comes true, and I'll be honored because of that!"
He placed his hand to his chest and gave out a welcome smile upon his face. At the same time, I took one final sip of the cocktail, instantly emptying the glass, and looked on at him while walking out of the bar.
   "As long as your supporters can carry you, you'll cope just fine!"
My very remark to him caused him to end up jumping off the ground and almost falling into the boxing ring. Before anything could happen, I came near him and took a hold of his flab-filled belly, instantly bringing him back onto both feet.
He gave off one curious look towards me, leaving me to give off an anxious look. I then released my grip from him, and leave him to waddle his way back towards the bar, the strength of his legs slowly becoming weaker than they were when I first stepped in.
I walked out of the saloon, and back out into the scenic view of the port of the town. At this stage, ships were coming through with their shipments of Dark Eco for the city's energy sources, from the smallest PDA through to the tallest tower of the city's power controls at the Drill Platform over the mountains of the West.

---

My home back then was located at the Southern parts of the Mall section right at the top of the city, instantly bustling with the entertainment range at the West, and the upper class homes being located more to the East.
Upon heading up the stairs of my own home, I looked upon my surroundings and saw light green candles lighting my way up. They gave off a warm sense of aloe vera to my senses, instantly causing me to smile as I went up.
As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, I went into one of the larger rooms located among the corridor. The door was open, and I instantly saw a young girl with ginger dreadlocks in her hair, and the sweetest blue dress any child could wear.
   "Ashelin!" I cried out to her.
She gave off a light smile, and gave off a warm embrace upon my legs. I crouched down, and gave her a reassuring pat back, knowing that she herself was the sparkle of my eye to return straight home to.
Yet, she too could have been devoured by the Metal Head attacks if she wasn't careful, just like her mother ten years ago. She was the sparkle of my eye, the smile upon my face, and the soul of my heart back then.
It made me wonder how hard it was to bring her up all on my own. But she seemed to be happy enough with a loving father to take hold of her and wait for after a day around the city.  It even made me think of what she could grow to be within the future months-
   "Red alert! Red alert! Walls at Eastern Slums decaying!"
My heart jumped out from its place upon the sound of the voice, and Ashelin gave out a light squeal from her small mouth. This left me to start making my way towards the window, and take a look around the streets below me.
And down there, it seemed like a war zone was slowly starting to show, with several civilians leaving their way out from the Mall towards the Slums, wanting to take a close look towards the scene.
But it wasn't until a few seconds later when some of which started to make their way back towards here, scared out of their wits. And from right behind them, two of the most terrifying armored silver creatures started to make their way towards me, with their glowing yellow eyes and sharp oozing teeth ready to strike fear towards us all.
   "Oh my God, the Metal Heads are coming through into the Mall section!" said one nearby civilian.
   "Quick, run!!!" shouted another.
While I looked on at the view, Ashelin took a look down at the streets towards the left of me. And she too was just as terrified as they were. I looked on at her, and her quivering emerald green eyes. My attention was soon turned to a nearby closet at the other end of the room. And without hesitation, I took her over there.
   "Ashelin, you hide in here! I'll try and protect you at all costs!"
I opened the door, which it in itself gave out a light creak. She started to shake with fear at every stomp the creatures gave out. To make things safer for her, I passed her a glowing candle to help calm her down upon her time in there.
The door was shut, and it wasn't long until I started to head down towards the ground floor of the building, ready to guard my little girl at all costs. The thuds started to sound more powerful, leaving me to shake slightly upon my broad fingers.
Some of their giant legs started to show upon the window frame shown upon my front door, with the light from their glowing eyes starting to get much stronger as time went by. And then, one of which reached my door, instantly pushing it off its hinges.
   "ROOOOOOOOOAR!!!"
It fell upon the ground with a slam, instantly bringing dust up into the air. My facial expressions slowly started to become much more fearful, knowing how powerful they could easily be over time.
With them blocking the door, I had no choice but to look around and try one last resort upon trying to block them off - heading towards the kitchens and finding something that could at least help me keep those monsters far away from the upper floors.
So that left me to dash to the back of the house and search in every drawer I can find for a suitable weapon. But nothing there was strong enough to penetrate the armor. That left me to go out through the back door and start looking for any passers by for a weapon.
A nearby knight, one of the King's strongest defendants, started to walk near me, carrying a long blade within his grasp. And with a careful approach, I hid in the shadows, and as soon as he passed me I took the blade and dashed down the cobbled back streets out into the open.
   "Hey, give that back!" he screeched at me. "I need that to try and defend myself with!"
I looked back at the knight, showing lack of care for him upon what he would do. I soon made my way onto the main streets, looking onto the Metal Heads trying to break into my home. It was then that things were about to get personal.
I launched the blade at the beasts, which instantly retaliated against the burning green light brought around it.  It gave out a hiss back at me, before it started to try and charge into me with such speed and stamina.
I sidestepped out of the way, leaving it to come to a screeching halt. And then I fought back, striking the blade upon the tips of their claws, leaving it to roar and cover its front paws with its neck. I smiled upon there, before...
   "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Ashelin's screams! My ears pricked up, and I looked behind me at the sight of my home. The window seemed to be broken, and that could mean one thing - more of those monsters have made their way through inside.
I instantly went in, storming my way up the stairs, with the force of my thick clothing extinguishing one or two of the candles as I made my way up there. I didn't have time to care about the flames then - it was HER that I care about the most.
The door to the largest room upon the first floor was left hanging on one of its hinges. That left me feeling fearful as I made my way into the room, looking on at the broom closet that I left her in.
   "Ashelin!!!" I called for her.
From out of the door, one of the Metal Heads themselves emerged - a smaller one, I could admit, but with more nimble claws being brought upon it. With a scowl on my face, I slashed it upon its head, instantly releasing its grip upon my daughter. She then took cover under the bed, as the beast flew out of the window and started making its way back out into the open.
   "Get back here, you miserable beast!!!" I called out towards the monster.
I took a stronger hold upon the blade as I went towards the window, hung from the edge and landed safely upon the ground. Once there, the nimble creature was seen standing upon the ground, guarding the larger coward still protecting its front paws.
The smaller creature gave out a much sharper hiss as it started coming straight towards me, its front claws outstretched. I brought out my blade to block them off, but even the burning force of the green light didn't cause it to move back at all.
It brought back its claws, content with the blockage, before it started making its way straight towards me again. While that happened, I overheard voices of more of the King's knights in conversation with one another as they tried to take down a stronger amount.
   "The Metal Heads are getting stronger! Quick, we need to sort out the Shield Wall defenses!"
   "Aye, captain!"
The shield walls - the one thing that could stop more of these creatures from getting in. If they could have been sorted out sooner, then Ashelin and I could have escaped from the fight as a couple of safe citizens.
Instead, I had no choice but to continue retaliating. Alongside the nimble Metal Head came more of its species, all coming towards me. I fought as hard as I could, instantly scarring their unguarded stomachs and setting injuries upon their heads, causing them to start making their fall towards the ground.
Twenty Metal Heads instantly fell within a few minutes, weakened by the devastating attacks. But the war wasn't quite over yet, as more creatures seemed to be making their way in towards me, ready to feast upon me.
   "PAPA!!!"
Ashelin's cries brought my attention back to the window, seeing her look on at the fight from the top floor. I was still determined to settle things, especially for her. Then I looked on at the beasts and tried to tackle them as far as I could go.
Within them, a giant one started to make its way towards me, steadily making its way towards me. I tried to block it, but in an instant it brought out its claws, and struck me right at the right hand side of my head.
A painful gush started to form, and my right eye started to lose its eyesight. The pain started to soon take over me, as more and more Metal Heads started to surround me, inflicting even more damage upon there.
Yet in the end, it all turned too much, as my vision slowly turned to darkness, and the sounds of my surroundings faded straight into silence.

---

I never knew how long the darkness and silence occurred to begin with, but they slowly started to regain themselves over time. My ears started to pick up the light sounds of a few footsteps coming near me.
I opened one eye, and instantly saw myself in a room filled with white decor and hospital beds. I started to feel worried about my surroundings as I tried to open my other eye, but no matter how hard I could, it almost felt like that eye had a padlock placed around it.
Within my vision, a nurse with long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes started to make her way towards me, with a reassuring look showing upon her. Her white gown and the Red Cross shown upon her headgear instantly told me that she was a nurse.
   "Are you alright, sir?"
Her voice sounded so soothing, almost reminiscent of my only lover. I looked at her, whom started to show a reassuring expression upon her. Trying to recover my senses, I opened my mouth to speak, as for possibly the first time in eons.
   "Where..." I tried to force the words out from my mouth. "Where am I?"
   "You're in Ward 9 of the Haven City Hospital, where the road to recovery is a pleasure for all."
Her tone may have sounded cheery to my ears, but the thoughts of being placed within a hospital almost worried me. I would have thought the Metal Heads would have instantly killed me, but... how the Hell could I still be standing here? Or rather, lying down like this?
   "I can't be here - what happened to my head injuries?"
She went towards a nearby desk, and picked up a circular brown hand mirror. She placed it in my hands, showing beautiful reflections of the hospital from its flat angle. I felt curious over why she could give me an object like this.
And then I brought it up towards my face to see the answer why. It was there that I learnt the horrible truth - my hair was gone, and so was my right eye. In their place was metal plating, instantly being brought in for protection around my more fatal injuries. Although grateful for that, I still felt concern for her.
   "But... why did you do this to me?" I asked her.
   "I heard from the King's knights that you fought bravely around the Metal Head attacks two weeks ago."
   "Two weeks?!?" I exclaimed in shock.
   "And you know what the city needs don't we - a lot of bold fighters to help the armies die out for good."
Two weeks... I still can't get the remark out from my mind and out into reality. How could I remain unconscious for that long? With that question going through me, I easily forced a smile towards her and gave out a light nod at her.
   "I'd like to say thank you for your support."
She gave off a reassuring nod back, instantly giving in a nice essence of warmth straight through into my heart. While that happened, I sat up and cautiously brought myself back onto both feet. They felt a bit unstable, but I soon managed to find balance in no time.
   "Anything else that I can help you with?" she asked me back.
   "Did anything else happen within the past two weeks?"
She fell silent. Something was telling me that something didn't turn out right for her. That left me to start wondering what happened that could have easily upset her like that. And then she opened her mouth to speak, her eyes still showing shock.
   "As far as I know, we've got a nice collection of newspapers dating back from three Tuesdays ago. I'm sure you'll find what you need in there."
She pointed outside, leaving me to smile and nod at her appreciating my thanks for her. I then made my way through outside, wanting to take a closer look towards those newspapers for myself.
My emotions still went wild upon what kind of thing might have upset her during my time out. Knowing women I could imagine a hairdressing salon closing down, a beauty queen stepping into a mud puddle or maybe their favorite pop music song being banned from local radio stations.  But it wasn't until I reached the stands myself to see the horrors that really shocked her.

---

I saw the papers lying cautiously among the stands near the reception area of the hospital. With light steps, I slowly started to make my way over there with my hands fearing the worst upon what happened.
The papers did show some news upon the ambush last fortnight, and I felt relieved when I heard that the walls at the Eastern Slums are more stable now, but one thing that scared me the most was that the attacks went straight towards the city's palace around the center of town.
I looked on one front cover... and another... and another. And they all said the same thing - the King of Haven City was killed by the attacks, his wife following shortly afterwards. I felt shocked upon what had happened then.
   "They..." I tried to speak, but the shock was still overtaking my lungs. "They couldn't have gone that soon, couldn't they?"
   "I'm sorry for what's happened to them. They were such bold rulers around there."
The voice caused my ears to prick up again, and I looked behind me to see the Nurse from the wards upstairs coming back towards me. Her expressions slowly started to become more and more teary-eyed.
   "What happened to their only son?" I asked her again. "Wasn't he the heir?"
   "I presume that he went missing soon after their demise. I have no idea why, but it sounds interesting to hear about it though."
She looked down with hopelessness being brought upon her, with her hair slowly trailing their way among her back and shoulders. I came to her and placed some of her long locks behind her head, looking closer towards her fearful expressions.
   "Besides, aren't babies a bit risky to have as kings?"
I nodded with agreement at her very comment. Then she soon brought herself back into a regular standing position, although this time she started to look more confused than ever. Her legs soon started to shake like jelly with every passing second.
   "I've got a bit of concern over what kind of ruler this city could end up next" she sighed. "They've traced the family line as far as they can go, but they're struggling to find a suitable replacement."
   "I could have sworn the family line was much larger than that...!" I whispered in return.
   "Never thought it ever will be, though."
She lowered her head, looking worried that the royal family line has finally come to an end. That left me feeling cautious on how Haven City can survive without someone on the throne, someone to reassure the citizens, someone to guide the people to freedom...
Several visions came through to my mind - the Metal Head attacks upon the Mall section, how I bravely defended Ashelin from those gruesome creatures, how I fought bravely against a whole army of them, and how I fell upon the stronger swarms...
My remaining eye widened upon the very visions, and that soon gave me an idea. If Haven City needed a strong leader at this time of crisis, then it had to be a time like this when there's a savior to protect them from those devilish creatures.
   "Wait right there!" I smiled at her.
In a flash, I rushed outside, and started to make my way towards the center of town. The thoughts of the nurse's expressions soon started to flow within my mind. I could almost tell what she was thinking - could it be anxiety upon seeing this as the city's darkest hour?
I made my way along the winding path leading out from the Mall section, making every last corner I can towards the center. Several cars started to zoom past me as fast as they possibly could above me as time passed.
And then, I made one final turn, and saw the Palace of the city right in front of me. With a more determined approach, I started dashing towards there, ready to make my mark upon the city - an everlasting mark of determination and fate.

---

My years as the ruler of Haven City soon started to fly by like flies among the woodlands up towards the North Western regions of the city. Within time, my marks slowly started to show upon the city, from statues around the Palace area through to posters brought around the city.
No one knew how long the memorabilia could last soon after my departure from the world, but I was still proud upon how long that I tried to put the city together. The rare problems with a Dark Eco experiment I tried to deal with within the past seemed a bit problematic at parts, but I still managed to cope with that just fine.
I almost had my chance when taking the Precursor Stone from the Tomb of Mar, ready to send that upon the Metal Head nest to end all life. But it was better being all life rather than having them trying to kill us off.
After my ill-fated day upon the construction site of the city, when the leader heavily inflicted my soul ready for escape into the afterlife, I was still content with that Dark Eco experiment being ready to help defend the city for the near future.
Again, I am unsure about how long he could last. But even leaving Ashelin as the Governor of the city has also done a lot to give a lot of reassurance to the people that laid their eyes upon me, either showing fear upon me or respecting me as graceful as they can.
As long as they continue to defend the city as strong as they can for the future it holds, that will do just fine to satisfy me. There may be some citizens that could either remember me or want to forget me, but I am still content with how they fared in their battle for freedom against the Metal Heads.

As long as the city is at peace, then I, Baron Praxis, will be at peace too.

---

“Sacred Destines” mini-fic is © Rexy 2004. The Jak II universe is © Naughty Dog 2003-2004. All rights reserved.