Section Eight: The Jack's Tears
Three days after liberating the Tornado, the three boats glided into the Bay of Tears, the Hawke and Inferno still towing their crippled brethren. Almost immediately krakens surfaced, escorting them the rest of the way in.
"Nothing changes, does it?" Fox remarked, looking at the Dark Carnival as the Inferno slid into the pier.
"Not as far as I can tell." Falco replied.
"Are you sure that it's safe for us here?" Elgar wanted to know.
"Why? Are you nervous?" Asked a low, creepy voice from behind them.
All three shot into the air, and Fox managed a laugh once he had turned. "Baron Mirth. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes, and a productive while. We're still appreciative of the land we expanded to, I assure you." The skeletal figure replied, looking down at the much shorter mortals he was speaking to. "What brings your lot here, McCloud?"
"We need to speak to Momus."
The Baron lifted an eyebrow. "Indeed. Care to tell me why?"
"Not particularly."
That drew a laugh, and the Baron nodded once respectfully before leaving the boat, strolling down the just-lowered ramp.
"Who was that?" Tempest wanted to know, sword halfway drawn.
"Sheath your weapon, Tempest." Fox replied calmly. "That was the Baron Mirth, one of the Jack's high command. He controls the Krewe of Bones." He wove his group together. "All right, most of us know the routine, but for those who don't, we're allies with the Blood Bayou, so keep your weapons in check."
"And it helps to have a sense of humor." Alan remarked, grinning. "Trust me. And if you can, stay away from Lord Quick, it's never a good thing when he's being nosy."
As usual, the Carnival was in full tilt, and the new arrivals on the three ships made it even more chaotic then usual. But unlike the rest of the world, the Bayou was in a strange sort of limbo. Barely affected by the outside world, it barely changed day to day, continuing on with its bloody, merry proceedings with complete disregard for time… or for life. Most civilized nations were of the opinion the world would be better if the Bayou was wiped off the planet for good, but standing between the Bayou and those kingdoms was the Phoenix Kingdom. In the negotiations, it had been decided that though the Bayou owned their land, they would remain part of the Kingdom, which protected them. It also protected the Phoenix Kingdom, or at least one border: no one was stupid enough to try to come through the Bayou to attack.
Fox took a long look around and huffed to himself. Nothing had changed, the evil still grated down his spine, but this was evil that meant no harm, or at least to him personally. Most of his group had found tables and were waiting, the newer members of the group trying very hard to be ignored by the crowds. Fox didn't mind, as long as everyone stayed out of trouble, he supposed, walking up to the door of the Jack's building and lifting a hand.
The door creaked open, and the Jack glanced up, then laughed out loud, standing and striding over to him. "Fox McCloud! It is about time that you found time to visit here again. I almost didn't believe the Baron when he told me not moments ago that you were here." The Jack grinned, tossing his mask over his shoulder absently. It bounced off the ground and landed on the throne. "You didn't even invite me to your wedding, you brat."
"Yes I did, you didn't come." Fox replied, grinning back.
"Huh." The Jack rubbed his pointy chin, tilting his head to one side. "Maybe you're right, maybe you're right. Well, you didn't come here alone, where's the rest of your ragtag menagerie?"
"Waiting outside on the boardwalk."
"Well, you might as well introduce me to the new members. Sashima already told me your group size has basically doubled, right before she told me she was going on vacation." The Jack gave him a look as they walked out of the building. "What did you do to her?"
"I didn't do anything."
"I'd doubt that, but then again, you're married."
Fox decided to ignore that as they walked side by side down the wooden sidewalk, watching units of the Bayou dive out of the way, hastily kowtowing to their leader then scrambling away. His group heard them coming from a good distance, and were standing by the time they got there.
"Twelve." The Jack lifted an eyebrow. "Do you pay these people to follow you around, Fox?"
"We do it of our own free will, believe it or not." Falco replied, smiling a touch. "How are things here, Lord Momus?"
"Less chaotic then most places." Was the bland reply. Elgar and Tempest looked at him as if he was mad, which was correct by most standards. "So, introduce me to the new recruits, McCloud." Fox did so, running through the list of names absently. The Jack took it in stride. "Interesting pack you have here. Now, out with it, young man." He poked Fox in the chest with a long nail. "Why have you drug all these people here? This isn't a popular place to relax, so I know you aren't taking a vacation."
"We need information."
"Oh, indeed? What on?"
"The Titan's War."
The Jack blanched before he caught himself, eyes narrowing. "Indeed." His voice changed, now odd. "Why?"
"We think that the darker gods are trying to bring back Mormo."
There was a long silence. "We'll speak tomorrow." And with that, the Jack was gone, walking swiftly back to his throne room.
"What's with him?" Slippy wanted to know.
"I take it that's not a good sign." Tempest said drolly.
"He's not normally so…" Peppy searched for a word.
"Grouchy." Falco offered.
"Overly simplified, but correct."
"We'll see how it goes tomorrow." Fox finally said. "We'll take tonight off. And please, don't get in trouble! It's known by now that you're my allies, but I don't trust Lord Quick. Be careful."
Alan grinned, perching on a railing and sawing away on the violin. He was back at the Bayou, which meant that he was recharging, and Sashima was taking time off so she could spend time with him. That made everything better to him of course…
He watched the crowd absently. The world had gotten a little rougher lately, even with the balance reestablished, and by some byproduct of that, the Bayou had a larger and more diverse population. He caught a few Drow here and there, of all things, as well as a wide variety of other beings. His group was wandering around, a few already retreated to the inn, the others finding things to do. As last time, Bill found the gambling tables, and most of the others found the dance floor.
"You travel in… interesting company, bard."
"Hmn?" Alan paused in his playing, glancing over his shoulder. An elf? Well, why not. "I suppose that I do, yes." He agreed after a moment, smiling a bit.
"Most of these folks are well known, but who exactly is he?" The elf pointed his chin at Tempest, who was wandering by, in discussion with a skeleton.
"That's Tempest."
"You don't know his real name?"
Alan gave him a look, then grinned. "Why should I ask? I don't use my real name anymore."
"Oy." The elf wandered off.
Tempest sighed, leaning on the railing of the docks and staring out at the strange, purplish water that filled the bay. This place was so clearly evil, and yet his current leader, an extremely devout follower of Heironeous, had nothing against it. To him, it was almost odd, but he understood in a way. Fox had been allies with the Jack for over two years now. They almost seemed like friends—almost. It was fairly clear they didn't exactly trust each other, or that it would take a very small thing to make them enemies. Or maybe he was wrong about that…
"Himo Galanodel. Long time, no see."
Tempest froze, looking over his shoulder. Leaning against a wooden post, mostly shrouded in a cape, was an Elven figure. He couldn't see the face, but he knew the voice. He could never forget that voice.
"Or should I say, 'Tempest,' since that's apparently what you're going by now." The figure laughed to itself. "So tell me, how by the grace of any god did you survive, hmmmm? Those wounds were deep, I made sure of that."
"Heian Nerrivous." Tempest snarled, turning fully to face the figure. "I should kill you right now."
"If you think you can." The elf brushed back the hood of his cape, grinning evilly. "You didn't have any luck last time. Nor did your father… or the rest of your family…"
With a shriek of rage, Tempest pulled his sword and charged. Heian was more then ready, blocking the blade and returning the attack, which was only blocked. The two backed away from each other and began to circle, both holding their swords at ready. They had both had the same training, and knew each other's moves.
They attacked at the same time, sword blades ringing as they clashed, moving too fast to be clearly seen. It went on nearly ten minutes before first blood was drawn, Tempest's sword taking a wedge out of one of Heian's ears. Heian nearly lost his sword in shock, going on defense, fighting with one arm and using the other to hold his ear, blood dripping out from between his fingers, teeth bared in a snarl.
"First blood to me." Tempest grinned, forcing Heian onto defense. "And one small thing about our last confrontation, Heian: I was wounded. I had three arrows in me already. I was already dying." He dealt another slash, this one scoring his enemy's arm. "And you really wonder why you won."
Heian leapt back, then spat some low, demonic-sounding words. Tempest yelped as pain seared his eyes, making fireworks explode across his vision as he staggered away form his enemy, one hand desperately clutching his sword, the other covering his burning eyes. Heian laughed and began his attack anew, Tempest frantically defending himself one-armed, nearly fighting blind. It was only a matter of time before Heian was drawing blood, a long slash up Tempest's leg, then a stab into his chest, cracking two ribs and barely missing his heart. Tempest fell once the blade had been pulled off, sword flying from his hand and collapsing.
"You loose because you try to fight with honor." Heian remarked, propping a foot on Tempest's chest, holding the tip of his sword to Tempest's throat. "And because of that, you will always loose."
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Heian turned toward the noise, then yipped in surprise as a small whirlwind hit him, throwing him off balance and forcing him away from Tempest. After several minutes of confused chaos, Heian had the form by the tail: Yipsnarl the kobold, who was still snarling and trying to get to him. "Now, this is laughable." He remarked, looking at where Tempest was still lying, struggling to get up.
"Not sure… what's so funny about it…" Tempest wheezed in reply. "Looks to me like he cut you up pretty good."
Heian looked down at himself, frowning at the many shallow cuts that covered his chest and arms. "That he did." He pitched the Kobold over his shoulder, directly into the bay. "I'll let you live for now, Himo." And with that, he was gone, disappearing into the shadows.
There were several long minutes of silence, then with a series of sputters Yipsnarl climbed back on the docks, shook vigorously, and hurried over to Tempest. "You ok?"
"Not… really. Do me a favor, and go find Fox. Hurry."
Yipsnarl nodded and scrambled off.
"Ok, here's a question, and not one I like." Said Peppy, passing mugs around. "Theoretically, who is the Jack going to side with when this heavenly struggle truly hits the mortal plane? The Bayou is evil, but has never really cared for the world outside it."
"Good question." Fox admitted. "And I'm not sure. They did side with us against Andross, but that's because we were offering them something in return for being our allies. The thing is, I don't think the Bayou is under any god."
"Some of the beings are, though. I know there are followers of Mormo in the Bayou." Said Alan, taking one of the mugs and downing it.
Sashima nodded. "Plenty of them, too. But I'm not sure if they'll ultimately answer to the Jack or to her, though."
"I suppose it would be something to ask the Jack after he tells us his story." Said Bill, money bags full from taking those playing cards with him for everything they had.
"I agree… awk!" This was added when Fox was tackled to the ground by a kobold at high speed. "Hey, watch it, small one."
"Come on, come on!" Yipsnarl stood, grabbed his hand, and tugged.
"Where do you want me to go, and why?" Fox asked as he stood, dusting himself off absently.
The kobold leapt up, grabbing his shirt and bracing against his stomach so they were nose to nose. "Tempest is hurt!"
"What?!"
Tempest coughed weakly, lifting his head when he heard footsteps pounding down the dock toward him. "About time… you got here…"
"What happened?" Fox demanded, crouching next to him, wincing when he saw the wounds.
"Long… story…" He looked at Yipsnarl. "Thanks."
Katt and Rita elbowed Fox to the side, much to his general annoyance, looking at the wounds. "This isn't good." Rita said after a moment. "The blade was envenomed. We won't be able to heal this very well…"
"That… would explain… the burning…"
"No, don't talk." Rita looked at Fox, feeling helpless.
"We take him to the Jack." Said Alan. "Trust me." He added when everyone gave him a 'you-really-are-crazy' look.
"All right. Trusting you has gotten us this far." Fox shook his head. "I'm going to have to carry you, Tempest." He remarked, then slid his arms under the Kensai's back and stood.
"I don't think… I'm in any shape… to argue." Was the weak reply.
The Jack, who had been silently stewing on his throne, looked up when he heard noise outside his throne room. He had set the doors to locked, but it didn't seem to matter: those outside kicked them open with one hit. "You're pressing your luck, McCloud." He remarked, narrowing his eyes. "And you're getting blood on my floor. What happened? Didn't you tell your people to stay out of trouble?"
"He's mortally wounded." Fox replied, ignoring the implied threats. "And he hasn't got much time left. We can't do anything to help him, either." Guilt and worry came into his voice.
The Jack stood. "Tell me what happened later, then." He said, walking over and looking at Tempest, who had slid from consciousness. He waved a hand, and the floor was promptly covered in pillows. "Set him down. I don't need to have the spells I'm going to do affecting you as well."
Fox did so as the others in the group looked at the floor. "Pillows?" Sashima finally asked.
"I improvised, ok?" The Jack replied, crouching next to Tempest, ripping open Tempest's tunic. "You'll have to lend him a shirt." He remarked. "And you were right to come to me. This wasn't done by an envenomed blade, it was done by something else, a cursed blade maybe. It's sucking his life force out. He's going undead."
"Well, do something about it already!" Alan shouted, frustrated, then winced when the Jack glared him into the ground. "Sorry, boss."
"I'm sure you are." The Jack grumbled. "When did I become so humble that I deal with mortals like I am at their levels?" He pulled his wand out. "This is going to hurt." He remarked to Tempest's prone form, and pressed the white end of the wand to Tempest's chest.
Tempest, unconscious or not, still yelled. The others winced, watching with wide eyes as the wounds regenerated perfectly, then all of the scars that Tempest had had also disappeared. Only then did the Jack remove the wand, and Tempest sat up with a gasp, eyes wide.
"Feel better?" The Jack asked in a snide voice.
"What was that?"
"You regenerating a good chunk of your flesh, since you were about halfway to being a zombie. Unless you really want to be a zombie." He added, flipping the wand around so the black end pointed at Tempest.
"No, no. I like being alive." Tempest assured him.
"Good for you." The Jack stood. "So, I brought your friend back to the world of the living. What do I get in return, hm?" He looked at Fox.
"What do you want?" Fox asked warily.
"How about a decent explanation on why you want me to dig up some very unhappy memories about the Titan's War?" The Jack poked Fox's chest nearly hard enough to draw blood with one of his long nails. "Why do you think the new Parthenon would want anything to do with Mormo? She's an unruly, selfish bitch of a woman, and I don't know why anyone would want to bring her back, especially after all of the trouble they went through to chop her up so messily."
"Ugh." Rita muttered, shuddering.
"You knew her?" Peppy asked after a moment.
"I had the bad luck to meet her, yes." The Jack replied. "I've been around a very, very long time. Mormo is by no mean a nice woman."
There was a long, silent pause.
"You'll want to talk to Elgar, I suppose." Fox said finally. "He's the one who brought our current quest to us, so he can give you the most accurate background."
"All right, go get him. Now. And I don't care if you have to wake him up. There's no longer any point to delaying this more."
Elgar yawned, looking around. The pillows had been dismissed to wherever they had come from, and now the throne room had been transformed into a meeting room, assorted chairs having been summoned in, the oddest of which was some sort of hammock-chair which Alan and Sashima were sharing. He flopped in an armchair, looking around at the others. "So, I get to tell my tale again, hmn?"
"As soon as the Jack returns." Said Falco. "You missed all the excitement."
"So I was told." He glanced at Tempest, who had dug a clean tunic out of his pack. "Why the sudden rescheduling? I thought we were going to do this in the morning."
"We don't know, and yes, that was the plan an hour ago." Said Slippy, yawning.
"I keep forgetting that mortals sleep." Said the Jack's voice as he came in from a back room, working his hands in gloves.
The entire group gaped. The Jack had undergone a transformation. Instead of the jester-like outfit and mask (or paint, when he wasn't wearing a mask), he now wore old-style Elven clothing—very old style. Now, instead of looking at the dark, insane leader of the Bayou, they were looking at an Elf from ancient times, covered in scars, eyes glittering with an odd, maniacal light.
"Uh." Said Alan, now sitting bolt upright. "Boss…?"
"Yes indeed." The Jack cackled, looking down himself. "My god, it has been so long…"
"By the style of clothing, I think we have all inferred that." Said Peppy very carefully.
"And when you're several thousand years old, you won't look near this good, so don't complain." The Jack flopped in a chair, propping his feet up. "Well, you're going first as far as stories go." He looked at Elgar. "So start to explain already."
Elgar took a breath and launched into much the same explanation he had given Fox so long ago, but slightly edited now that he really knew what was going on. Fox jumped in once the story carried that far, explaining what had happened at Morningstar: Adkins' betrayal, the attack, the conclusion that had been reached. The Jack listened silently, tail twitching, hands laced across his stomach. After the explanation finished, there was a very long silence.
"There is a reason I didn't publish an account." Said the Jack finally. "And I never will, either, though I don't see a reason not to tell you."
"What's the reason?" Julian asked after a moment.
The Jack closed his eyes. "Because I want the world to forget. Because I want to forget."
"If history is forgotten, we're doomed to repeat it." Peppy remarked.
"Yes, but if the world forgets, maybe the world can heal. Maybe I can heal."
Another very long pause.
"All right, I can't stand it any longer." Falco burst out. "Do you have any idea who odd that sounds coming out of you?!"
The Jack laughed out loud, eyes opening. "That's because all you've ever known is what I have become, Falco Lombardi. Do you think that I was always like this? No." He grinned. "Not at all. Look at me right now, all of you. This is what I used to be." He turned to Katt. "Look at my clothing. What social rank is this for?"
She looked at him for a long moment, then gaped. "You were a priest?"
"Once upon a long time ago." He nodded once, grin slowly falling. "Not a high priest, by any means, but a close follower of Corellon." He sighed, looking at the ceiling. "You're all young, and don't give me hell about that Peppy. You're all young. If you think that life now is hard, you don't have any idea. When the Titans still walked the earth, it was even worse. To be frank, the day the War started was long awaited. Anything to get rid of the Titans." He paused. "It was a very long war. It lasted over a decade. But the Titans did fall." He played with a necklace he wore, the pendant of which was the symbol of the Bayou. "You want to know if raising Mormo is possible, so let me tell you now kids, it's more then possible. It's been going on for the last twenty years or more. I'm stunned it's taken the newer gods this long to notice."
"You've known the entire time?!" Elgar burst out, curling his hands into fists. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Who'd listen to me?" The Jack demanded. "I'm feared, and I revel in the fact, but it has its disadvantages, human! And yes, I've known the entire time. I know everything that happens within the Bayou, and there are followers of Mormo within the Bayou. It's only now that there's enough power amassed to attempt the actual resurrection." He paused, then an absolutely evil grin spread across his face. "I am proud to say that none of the local followers of Mormo will be participating in the event. I've already had them taken care of."
"You had your own people killed?" Tempest blurted.
"I just saved your life, be careful to judge me. And yes, I did. Without a thought, without guilt. If they followed Mormo, they were far from 'my own people.' I told Lord Quick to take care of them." He studied his nails. "I daresay he obeyed. He knows if he does one more thing to anger me that I'm going to kill him personally." He glanced up at the group. "Stop looking at me like that."
"Tell us how to." Slippy said weakly. "You've just admitted to murder."
"You're sitting in the Blood Bayou. Think about it. This place is seeped in 'red-rum.' It's how some of the people here stay alive." He shrugged. "So, you know what you need to know. Mormo is indeed on her way back. What do you plan on doing about it?"
"We're not sure yet." Fox admitted slowly. "What do YOU plan on doing about it?"
There was a very long silence. The Jack closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, they were burning maniacal red. "If no one else does anything about it, I'm gathering my army and leaving the Bayou to stop the proceedings myself. If Mormo arises, my Bayou will be one of the first things she will try to take over, and I will in no way allow that. Plus, I just had a few hundred of her devout followers killed, and I doubt she's happy about it."
"And if someone does do something about it?"
"I trust myself, my followers, and no one else." Was the instant reply. "I don't care if the gods gather, I'm going to go after the ceremony site. I plan to leave in a week."
There was a long silence.
"You're not going after Mormo to defend your land, Momus." Rita said slowly. "You're lying, you've been lying. That may be a cover-up reason, but it's not your own, personal reason. You're out for revenge."
"Smart girl. Too damn smart for your own good." The Jack eyed her. "Yes I am, and I don't think I shall tell you why." He turned his eyes back to the ceiling, cracking his knuckles absently. "You're all dismissed. Go to bed, mortals."
They stood slowly and started to leave.
"Elgar."
The mage turned. "Yes, Lord Momus?"
"Is that half-fiend bastard of a sorcerer still running Morningstar?"
"I don't know who you're talking about, but it's Olicar Bendel running Morningstar now, and he has been for a long time."
"You could have just said 'yes,' you know." The Jack said absently, then blinked, looking at him and grinning. "You mean you don't know?"
"What are you… are you seriously insinuating that…"
"Insinuate nothing, I've known him since he was twenty. Yes, he's a half-fiend. Look at his hands real close sometime. Or catch him without a cape or his robes." He turned his eyes back to the ceiling, laughing to himself. "Hell, if you think that's hilarious, the leader of Mezobarlin is a half-celestrial. Kind of backwards, don't you think?" He wove a hand in a general gesture of dismissal, and the group went.
"Bendel? A half-fiend?" Bill asked. The group had gathered again on the boardwalk, grabbing drinks as plague fiends with loaded trays happened by. "Was he serious?"
"Completely." Said Alan. "I've been here long enough to tell, and he wasn't lying." He grinned. "I should have figured it out, it's so glaringly obvious that Bendel isn't human…"
Elgar just sort-of shrugged, feeling a bit shell-shocked.
"All right, calm down everyone." Fox sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Well, I suppose we now know what we need to. What now?"
"I suggest we get some sleep and figure that out in the morning." Said Falco a bit wearily, and everyone agreed.
"You're smart, but you don't listen well. I told you to go to bed." The Jack said, not even looking up. He was back in his normal clothing, sitting slouched on his throne, wearing an unhappy mask. "You do know what the penalty is for purposely disobeying me on my land, right?"
"Death, dismemberment, you'll throw me to Lord Quick…" Rita shrugged, coming the rest of the way into the room. "You didn't tell us the entire story. I'm here to get the rest."
"I've changed my mind. You're brave, but you're stupid." The Jack grumbled, lifting his gaze to look at her. "I should just kill you now and get it over with."
"I'm not stopping you. You'll have to face Fox's wrath though, and I daresay he could do some damage before you stopped him."
There was a long silence, then the Jack snarled and wove a hand, and another chair thumped to the ground in front of him. "Sit down already. And I hope you're tolerant. It's not a happy story at all."
"I figured out that much." She replied, walking across the room and sitting slowly. "I knew it had to be something very bad if it turned you from your race and your god."
"It was a long time ago." He replied, slouching further and looking at the ceiling.
"Take your time."
"It's odd to remember it now, it doesn't seem real, it seems like some strange dream, or maybe a nightmare, taunting me with what could have been. I don't even know how long it's been, but it has to be thousands of years ago. The Titans were still reigning then, and the result was kind of like a feudal arrangement. Gods under the Titans, mortals under the gods. It was an uneasy arrangement.
Corellon Larethian was young then, of course, many of the gods were. He was left to his own devises for the most part, as he only had the Elves under him, and that let him carry on with business and pick his more devout followers without being lorded over by the Titans. I was one of them. I don't remember it very well… it seems to… happy to be real. I was under him for years, several hundred. I remember… I think I had a family, I had to have had one…
Then the darker years came, when the Titans started to consider themselves unbeatable, and did whatever they pleased. I remember when the moon was like another earth, beautiful, full of life, but then Gaurak cleared it of life, ate everything… I remember looking up night after night, praying to my god that something, someone could stop him as lifelessness spread across the moon… but nothing did. The moon died. She's still crying up there, mourning for her creatures…
The gods finally had enough, and in their effort to stop the Titans, they turned their eyes from the mortals of the world. Chaos broke out. It was hard, I remember that much. Those directly under their gods were suddenly abandoned as the war started. But it was too late for me, for my family.
My wife… my wife was a human, I remember that, and I don't to this day know what happened to her… if I was so happy, why was she so bitter? What happened? Regardless, Mormo… Mormo took her from me… and she would have recruited other women in the village, so I had no choice but to stop her, and to do that, I had to kill her. I did. The village didn't understand of course, all they saw was a man of their god suddenly turned into a murderer, ranting, maybe mad. The village turned inside out, death happened all over… I don't remember what happened to cause it. When I left, the village was no more. I burned it down. Anything to stop the corruption Mormo had started, and I decided it was time that Mormo left the world alone for good. Without the support of my god, I turned to other means, desperate to have enough power to have my revenge. Dark arts, sacrifices, anything. My notoriety grew. I was feared, and I found I more then liked the fact, and forgot about my need for revenge.
I don't remember why I ended up on the coast that is now the Bay of Tears, but I remember watching Kadum's body cast into it, watching his blood wash up on the shore and poison the land. He was one of the last to fall, and I sat on that bloody beach and cried. It was over, and I had been left with nothing. I was shunned by my god, and I had been forced to do in my own family. I was considering giving up and letting myself die when I realized I wasn't alone.
I wasn't the only one to come to the Bay that day. Sitting beside me was who is now called the Demoiselle, and standing or sitting nearby were some others, all in situations similar to mine. They had seen me, caught up in my sorrow, and had been curious. It was only when they got close when they realized I was powerful. We camped together that night, on the bloody beach, watching the swamp corrupt, and decided we'd make our living here. To hell with the world, it had given us nothing. About a decade later was when the first stories of the Blood Bayou and the Dark Carnival started to circulate, and they've been circulating ever since."
There was a very long silence.
"And now, a group of very stupid gods have decided to bring back Mormo, and I just can't have that. I haven't gotten to take my revenge yet, but now's as good as time as any." He finally said, eyes closed. He had pulled off and tossed aside the mask at some point during the story, showing a painted face, and now a pair of tears had made the paint run in slow streaks, marring the bright pattern.
"I can understand why you didn't want to tell the group." She said after a moment. "I'm sorry I was persistent."
"No. I suppose you were in your right." He shrugged. "Go get some sleep. Believe me, tomorrow is going to be a busy day."
She stood slowly. "You know something that we don't?"
He sighed. "I know much you do not. Trust me."
The day dawned slowly, the skies lighting up red with the first rays of sunlight. Fox sighed, sitting on the ledge outside his window and watching it. The Bayou was good for parties, but miserable if you were trying to get some rest. The carnival never stopped, and so the noise never did either. That, on top of the scent of blood and the feeling of evil, had meant he hadn't gotten much sleep at all.
Fara wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him back in the window. "Come back to bed, early bird."
"I can't sleep here." Fox replied, trying to detach himself, then gave up and hugged her back. "It's going to have to wait until we're out of the bayou."
"You know, I'd almost like being here if you wouldn't go all twitchy."
"I'm sorry, I'm not meaning to." He huffed to himself. "Let's get everyone else up. We've got to figure out what's next."
Alan had just arrived at the door when they opened it, and stopped his hand mid-raise, grinning. "Good morning. Want me to wake up everyone?"
"That seems to be the tradition." Fox agreed, and Alan bounced down the hallway, kicking doors on his way down. After a few minutes, the doors started opening, and people drug themselves into the main corridor, yawning.
"So, what's the next step, Fox?" Slippy asked.
"We go talk to the Jack again." Fox replied. "He knows what's happening, and he seems to know where. And that's what we need to know."
Tempest followed along with the group, glancing around, feeling uneasy. He knew that Heian was still in the Bayou, and felt like he was being watched all the time. His wounds had healed miraculously, even the old scars fading, except the old one over his eye. It had reopened during the night. He had spent the pre-dawn hours trying to stop the blood flow, and now it was just a scar again.
Surprisingly, the Jack was waiting for them, or seemed to be. He was staring off toward the horizon over the Bay, eyes unfocused, ears twitching.
"Good morning." The Jack remarked over their shoulder when they stopped about ten feet behind him. "Lovely red sky, hmm?"
"Sailor take warning, I thought." Falco said.
"Not this morning." The Jack replied, voice drifting. "This morning, everyone should take warning. Do you feel that?"
The group glanced at each other, blinking.
"Not a damn thing." Falco replied after a long moment.
"Only the Bayou." Said Fox.
"McCloud, you should. Close your eyes and listen." The Jack shamed. "You of any should know this sound."
Fox blinked at the Jack's back, then did so, letting his senses wander. The Bayou was messing with him much like the desert had earlier in this adventure, making him blind-deaf to the real world. But when he concentrated, he could tell what the Jack was talking about. Something was happening, the world was… gathering? Why? He let his senses wander farther, and heard it.
The music of the gods. It was quiet now, just starting, but he could tell it was going to progressively get louder until it was a deafening choir-scream. It was the cry of the legion. The gods were starting to call their armies. He caught the herald-trumpets of Heironeous, the flutes and drums of Corellon, the hymns of Pelor, all thrown together with the others in a wild, confused mix.
"Been a while since I heard that." Alan remarked, pulling out his flask and taking a drink then passing it automatically to Falco.
"Heard what?" Bill wanted to know. Most of the group was starting to get solidly confused. Rita had already caught on, and had dropped to her knees, falling into prayer.
"If you can't hear it, you'll hear it soon." The Jack said very slowly. "It'll start to peak within the hour, and it'll go on all day." He shook off and turned to them. "I knew the situation was bad, but this only confirms that it's worse." He snarled. "There's no time left." And with that, he shoved through the group, yelling orders at the top of his lungs. The Carnival screeched to a halt, and stunned silence fell over the Bayou for a heartbeat, then it exploded into motion. Preparing for war.
"What is going on?" Julian demanded, speaking for almost everyone.
Fox didn't reply, mentally singling Heironeous' call out of the mix, listening to the melody. His father had heard the music almost all the time. It was that which had driven him to crusade, to become legend. But it was rare that the gods put out their orders on such a massive scale. He never thought he would live to see the legions assembled. He had been proved wrong.
Alan felt the power start to grow and automatically stepped back, shading his eyes. Fox threw his arms open and let the bolt of white lightning hit him, power exploding around him in bursts of holy strength and spreading out from him. The group staggered backwards, stunned, eyes wide and holding their ears as the trumpets grew deafening for a few split seconds. Then it was over, and Fox had dropped to one knee, panting.
"I've never… never heard…" Peppy said, already on one knee. "My god…"
"Exactly." Fox said, looking up and still panting. "That, my friends, was the call to assemble the legions. The gods are assembling their armies. Heironeous used me as a contact to put his call out." He staggered to his feet and shook off.
"He's calling you to war." Fara said quietly, crossing her arms, an odd look on her face.
"I don't have much of a choice." Fox replied gently. "Besides, what I'm being called to do is what we were planning on doing anyway. Mormo's going to be resurrected soon, and the gods on the side of good are drawing their people to them so they can try and do something about it."
The group exchanged a look.
"When do we move out?" Tempest finally asked.
The remainder of the day was a long series of frenzied activities: making sure they had the supplies, figuring out where they were going in the first place, plotting their journey. The gods had chosen their gathering spot almost straight north of the Bayou, but it was several hundred miles. It would take a few days to get there.
Making their actions a bit tougher was the fact that the Bayou was impossible to get around in now. The Jack was pulling all the stops. Armor was being fitted, weapons made and sharpened, members of the Bayou racing through the Carnival to get things done. The noise of the carnival fully doubled because of the frantic preparation.
Fox made his way through to the crowd and got to the throne room without being crushed. The doors hung open, and the high-ranks of the Bayou were coming and going constantly. The Jack was standing, leaning on a table, looking at maps and lists. A heavy scimitar hung at his side, and his clothing, while still appropriate to the Bayou, was clearly a form of armor. He glanced up when Fox walked in. "Getting ready to leave, hm?"
"Yes indeed." Fox walked over, looking at the map. "I know this is going to anger you, but I'm still going to ask. Is this necessary?"
The Jack just looked at him for a moment. "You have more to give up then I, McCloud, and yet you're willingly walking into the slaughterhouse. Hell, you're running pell-mell for it." He snickered to himself, shaking his head. "It's going to be bad, McCloud. Thousands are going to die before this is over. Aren't you worried one of them might be you?"
Fox looked back. "I'm a soldier of my god, and so it's my duty to fight for him, Momus."
"In my opinion, the best thing that could happen to you is to loose Heironeous' favor." The Jack studied his nails absently. "And I know I'm not the only one thinking that."
"You mean Fara?" Fox blinked.
"She loves you more then anything, but she loathes the fact that your god has chained you with so much responsibility." He shook his head. "I know how to recognize such feelings, trust me." He held up a hand, cutting off what Fox was going to say. "Go find Alan. He has something to tell you I think. Then move out. The world does not have long."