Cirque du Mort

[Aqua]

Great chapter! I look forward to the next one.

[Davy Jones]

Originally Posted by Davy Jones

Feminae et viri, pueri et puellae! Venite legiteque hic novam fabulam! Euge! Nunc nos legimus!!! (the previous was in Latin. I did not use a translator- I am studying Latin).

Herr Merlin, it reads: Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls! Come and read this new chapter*! Hurrah! Now we read!!!

* fabulam means story or play, but I don't think the Romans had chapters, so I used fabulam there.

[R0ad H0g]

Good chapter, so Harmony is Helios's daughter... its like a strange version of Star Wars.

[Davy Jones]

Interesting speculation YOU RUINED THE SURPRISE!!!!

[Haku]

Very nice update indeed and the irony was quite unexpected.

[pk para]

Ok, ive finaly caught myself back up
but great job with the story

im glad it was written as well as it was cause otherwise catching up on all that would have been no fun

but really, great job

when the peeps for the tourney were introduced i really started wondering what it would be like if my guy and requim had had a show down
(and bty, reqium has gotten even more interesting)

can't wait to see the ending

edit:ahhhh wth? only two emoticons? im upset *emoticon*

[Davy Jones]

Congratulations on your catching up, Herr Para. Now, without further or do, I present the latest installment in our tale, perhaps one of the last... Note: Yes, the title is off of the song by DragonForce (never try it on Expert on GH, your head will explode)

-*42*-

Through the Fire and Flames

When the dark portal that Treble escaped into disappeared, Dirst jumped up off of the ground, his eyes fixed on Sidrix with maleficent intent. He gripped his keyblade well, then charged at the Nobody with a yell. Sidrix stood up and braced himself for the blow, keyblade held horizontally in a defensive position. Dirst ran and met the Nobody, swinging with a rage that had been unknown to him until now. He began to speak, his words coming in between swings.

"You... idiot," He cried, his strikes useless against the agile Nobody."You've... gotten... her... killed!" Without warning, he stabbed at Sidrix. The Nobody expected the sudden move and effortlessly stepped aside. The force of the motion not hitting Sidrix sent Dirst off balance. He fell forward and landed heavily on the tiled floor of the onion dome's chamber. Sidrix quickly dug his heel into Dirst's spine, placing his keyblade at the other's neck.

"Give me one reason not to kill you. And not an emotional one, because a: I won't care, and b: It would only make me angrier, if I had a heart."

Dirst did not have to reply. Requiem kicked Sidrix in the back, knocking the unsuspecting Nobody onto the floor next to Dirst face down.

"Oh, please," the Reflection assassin said. "You were going to kill his little girlfriend. People have killed for smaller things than revenge and lost love." He paused, then quipped,"Trust me; I should know."

Sidrix grunted, disappointed with the outcome of this encounter. Dirst got up, stretched his arms, then walked away from the Nobody. Sidrix jumped up in one fluid motion, throwing his weight up and back in a small acrobatic feat. He walked in the opposite direction of Dirst, rolling his eyes nonchalantly.

"Okay..." Trisn said, breaking the momentary silence. "Where to now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Requiem retorted."Lotus Tower!"

Trisn sighed. "Sorry, I was never filled in by a certain all-knowing assassin."

Requiem smiled. "Don't mention it." Requiem then nodded to Sidrix. Without need for more signal, the Nobody waved his hand. A dark portal appeared, marring the white space in the dome like blood on a tuxedo shirt. Requiem entered, followed by Dirst, and then Trisn. Before entering, Trisn turned to Sidrix.

"Next time, its my turn."

The Nobody feigned a smile, then pushed Trisn into the portal. Sidrix then strolled into the portal, allowing it to shrink and disappear behind him.

&&^^~`~^^&& &&^^~`~^^&& &&^^~`~^^&&

"Well, this is a touching reunion."

Helios sat in a wicker chair opposite Harmony, who was seated on the sand-covered floor. Behind her stood Treble, who was pointing his Gatling gun at her head.

"Please cooperate," Helios continued. "I'd hate to ruin this lovely boat with you blood." Treble smiled at the joke. For one, Helios couldn't care less about the girl. And secondly, the Ironclad of Lore was many things, but definitely no 'lovely'.

Upon leaving The Impenetrable World, Helios had teleported as far along the path to Lotus Tower as he could: Mystic Port, a hellish inferno of a world that marked the only departure point to the truly impenetrable Lotus Tower. Upon reaching Mystic Port, Helios used his grasp on the element of fire to carry them safely through the flames and onto the Ironclad of Lore, the dilapidated warship that looked like an ancient relic, a museum piece more than a functioning ship. But it was useful if not elegant.

"So, Harmony dearest, here is what I want you to do," Helios stated as if her bandying instead of threatening. "You are going to wield the Genesis key for me, so that I can become the holder of one Nexus Stone."

Harmony spoke up defiantly. "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

Helios laughed. "Ah, you remind me so much of her." He quickly grew serious. "If you're attitude is so inclined, then I will be forced to terminate your existence, my dearest."

Harmony was confused more than afraid. My dearest? Earlier, when Helios had taken hold of her, he had refered to her as 'his sunshine'. And who was the woman that she reminded Helios of?

"It seems my language has confused you, Harmony," Helios said, his knowledge of her psyche scary scary at best compliment. "Allow me to explain. You remind me a lot of your mother. How do I know this?"

"Because you and your little slave here killed her!" She screamed.

"Yes, I did kill Leia and Balian, but that is of no consequence here. She and he did not see her death coming. They knew me from a previous engagement, but you did not."

Harmony was a baffled by his explanation, but suddenly it dawned on her. Mother and Balian had known him because...

Helios smiled,"Yes, my sweet Harmony, I am your father."

&&^^~`~^^&& &&^^~`~^^&& &&^^~`~^^&&

The first thing that Requiem noticed, before he had exited the dark pathway, was the immense heat that was pouring out of the blindingly bright opening ahead. He stepped out onto a stone pedestal about ten feet in diameter. The trio of keybearers appeared after him, gazing in wonder and disappointment at the world that unfolded before them.

"Is this Lotus Tower?" Dirst asked, staring depressed at the sea of fire that surrounded their small stone oasis.

"No," Requiem answered. "This place is definitely not it."

"Well, then why are we here?" Trisn asked, cursing Sidrix's lack of directions in his mind. "I could have gotten us through," he thought.

"Well, it appears that Lotus Tower is indeed blocked from all forms of travel save for one." Requiem answered. "So, if that is true, then this hell must be Mystic Port."

"And where is this one form of travel that can get us to Lotus Tower," Sidrix asked, blankly surveying the blazing world.

"That would be the Ironclad of Lore," Requiem replied, "which docks... somewhere on this world." As he said this, a strange grey image formed in the sky above. Dirst pointed it out first, and the rest caught on and watched as the angular shape formed into a strange ship, with two vertical smokestacks and closed gun ports hiding cannons on the sides. They watched as the Ironclad of Lore grew larger and larger until it landed on the fiery about one hundred yards from the pedestal that the four were on.

"So...,"Trisn began.

"How exactly do we get there?" Dirst finished.

Requiem sighed. "We have to walk."

"Walk?" Sidrix asked, unsure of this obviously flawed proposal.

"Aye," Requiem replied. "Through the fire and flames."

The three keybearers looked at Requiem as if he were crazy (Sidrix actually looked at Requiem as if he had done nothing whatsoever, but if he had a heart he would have been distraught.) Requiem turned to meet the gaze of the others, to which he just shrugged.

"Well, if you have no alternatives, I suggest we get going."

"I have an alternative," Trisn said. "A dark portal onto the ship."

"Negative," Requiem answered. "You can't get on; it's just as protected as Lotus Tower. So, let's get on with the pain." Without further ado, he jumped into the blaze and dashed towards the Ironclad. The other three watched as he disappeared into the flames. Trisn looked at them, then reluctantly followed his fellow Reflection's example. He jumped off of the pedestal about five feet, landing on his feet and quickly sprinting forward.

Sidrix sighed. "Might as well." He too jumped off of the pedestal and into the blazing planet. Dirst was left alone on the platform, contemplating whether this was suicide or not. He feared dying terribly in the fiery sheet that covered Mystic Port, but he then remembered Sora, Riku, Nire, and Harmony. If they were to be really avenged, he alone would have to make it through. And so, without further thoughts, Dirst jumped into the flames and ran towards the Ironclad of Lore.

The first sensation was a jolt from the landing, then the increased heat and the intense sting of the fire. He mindlessly set off through the inferno, trying to block out the pain from the blaze. Slowly, the Ironclad's grey form materialized ahead, and Dirst noticed that his pants leg was starting to light. He reached down inside his soul and found strength for a quick burst of speed. He dashed with renewed vigor towards the Ironclad, which he could see had a hatch open at ground level. Dirst ran forward and up a ramp into the belly of the Ironclad. Inside, he quickly stopped, dropped, and rolled on the ground, which to his relief was forgiving and extinguishing sand. Once he felt secure that he was not on fire, he looked around, finding Trisn and Sidrix standing at the side of the room, staring at him. Requiem sat in an old wicker chair in the middle of the sandy chamber.

"So glad you could join us!" Requiem sarcastically added. Dirst noticed that all of his comrades had scorched clothes.

"Shut up," Dirst snapped. He quickly stood up, looking in the direction of the hatch which was now closing with a horrid squealing noise like the screaming of a small banshee child. When the hatch closed with a loud thud of metal, the Ironclad lurched off of the world. Dirst looked at the wall with a pensive gaze, then a faint smile formed on his face as he thought to himself.

"Through the fire and the flames we carry on."

[Aqua]

Wonderful chapter! R0ad H0g's speculation was correct, I see. I will be very interested to see how this element of the story develops. As always, I am looking forward to the next chapter.

[Merlin326]

"Luke, i am your father, hooo purrr (closest i can get to writing out his breathing, lol)"
indeed, quite an interesting twist. i hope to see the next chapter soon, Jones.

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[R0ad H0g]

Yet another great chapter in the tale of Cirque du Mort.

[Haku]

Tardy once again, but the chapters never cease to amaze me of how well they're written and detailed.

[nojerom_14]

So dang late.... Missed two chapters completely.. So deeply sorry... Sincerest apologies... etc, etc...

But both of those chapters read together at once was so exhilirating! It was good! Better than good!

I'm at a lack of better wording right now!

XD

[Davy Jones]

Well, I've been giving this a lot of thought, and, ladies and gentlemen...

This next chapter is the end of Cirque du Mort.

Except for the Epilogue...
Fear not! There will be a sequel, but for now there is this (I'll take a little leave of writing after this through March and maybe April, then start again in maybe April or May)

[Haku]

Ah! Well that's both good and bad news but the good out ways the bad so that's wonderful to hear nevertheless.

[Merlin326]

all good things must come to an end at some point or another. even the very best of things (Harry Potter, Get Smart, Jak and Daxter, Star Wars, Pirates, and this fanfic) must eventually end.

but at least we shall see a sequal anon. the story doth contine, the heroes doth live on.

cant wait for the next chapter though. hope to see it soon.

with all due respect,
Merlin326