Hel & Back Chapter 8
Victory?
By Dino Pollard
The chopper ride to the island was a long one, and the tension in the air was so thick that you could cut through it with a knife.
Aeris allowed herself a sideways glance at Sephiroth. He sat near Vincent, remaining ever-silent. She noticed a resemblance between the two, but she dismissed it as just a similarity in their pasts and personalities.
Reeve sat beside the pilot, staring out over the horizon. Knolan, Jonah, and Calibretto all stood together, with Cloud, Tifa, and Barret near her.
“I hope they’re all right,” she stated, breaking the deathly silence.
“They’ll be fine,” Tifa said. “They have to be…”
“Maestro was very concerned about Helspont’s power,” Sephiroth noted. “Who knows what he could do to them?”
“That’s enough,” Cloud ordered. “Stop that kind of thinking. They’re alive.”
*****
“The time is coming.”
“What do you mean?” Reno asked.
“You will find out when the time comes.”
“You must be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?!” Reno exclaimed. “I’m getting a little pissed off at your cryptic answers!! I want to know what’s going on, and why you needed the Turks!!”
“That is none of your concern.”
“You will do as you are instructed.”
“No questions asked.”
“If you have a problem with that, then leave.”
“I just might do that!” Reno stated. “I’ve had it up to here with this cryptic bullshit, and unless you come straight with me, you can forget about the Turks assistance!!”
“Very well.”
“Just be warned that before you go, we will have to kill you.”
“You and your team are expendable.”
“Expen—“ Reno began. “You can’t be serious!!”
“There is a revolution coming.”
“If you want a place in it, you will follow orders.”
“Well?”
Reno said nothing, just hung his head and solemnly nodded.
*****
“Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap!!!!” Yuffie exclaimed.
“Shut up!!” Cid ordered. “Shit, it’s bad enough we’re about t’ die!!!”
“How observant of you,” Helspont stated with a grin. “I like that in a corpse.”
He hurled the flaming orb in his hands at the team.
“SCATTER!!” Shen ordered, leaping away. The Eternal Blade was drawn and he held it firmly in his hands, prepared to face his ages-old enemy.
“You…” Helspont muttered, a clawed finger pointing at Shen. His eyes began to light up with flames. “You are the one who imprisoned me. The final Eternal…”
“I defeated you once, Helspont,” Shen said, defiantly. “I can do it again.”
“I eliminated your pathetic ‘team’ centuries ago, and I can do the same to this smaller one!!”
“I would want nothing more than to see you try,” Shen stated. He lifted his sword up. “Come on, hell spawn. Come and face me!”
“You are challenging me, Eternal?” Helspont asked. “Have you forgotten what happened to the last Eternal who challenged me?”
“I remember it all too well,” Shen replied, his eyes filled with hatred and terror. “He was my father…”
“I killed him gladly, taking pleasure in the fact that I had made you an orphan,” Helspont stated. “Now, you will join your pathetic warrior of a father!!”
“DIE!!” Shen yelled, leaping at Helspont. He began slashing furiously, utilizing every skill he ever learned over the years. Unfortunately, none of it was helping. Helspont easily evaded every parry, every thrust, every blow. Nothing connected.
Then, an etheral blast emitted from his palm, throwing Shen back against the wall.
“You okay?” Zack asked, helping him up.
“Don’t try that again,” Red ordered. “We must attack him together. One-on-one will accomplish nothing.”
“I know…” Shen said. “I know that better than anyone. I—I lost it.”
“Then we shall make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Red stated. “Zack and Cid attack with Shen. Hit him from every angle while Yuffie and I use Materia spells.”
“So… who’s gonna start?” Yuffie asked. She looked over to Red, his brow furrowed in concentration as a green aura began to surround him.
“Comet2!” he exclaimed. Throwing his head up to the sky, the aura vanished, and several large, flaming boulders formed in the air, rocketing down on Helspont.
Yuffie took this opportunity while their opponent was shaken. Concentrating on a crimson orb on her armlet, a red aura surrounded her as she cried out, “Tidal Wave!!”
The aura expanded all around her, engulfing her. Then, she vanished with it. In her place, a small, pool of water formed in midair. It expanded, then exploded. The towering serpent called Leviathan stood before Helspont. With an inhuman wail, a wave of water appeared behind him, pouring over the enemy.
Then, Leviathan vanished, and Yuffie reappeared.
“Oh yeah!” she exclaimed. “I’m just too good for words!!”
“NOW!!” Shen commanded, leaping at his ancient foe. Cid and Zack backed him up, hacking and slashing.
“ENOUGH!!”
In the blink of an eye, the five heroes were thrown back, suspended in the air. Helspont’s eyes were glowing brightly.
“You never said he could do that!!” Zack exclaimed.
“I didn’t know!” Shen replied.
“You fools have been an annoyance for too long, now!!” Helspont shouted. “This is the endgame!! And I shall be the only one walking away from it!!”
“Sez you, fool!!”
“OHMYGOD!!” Yuffie exclaimed. “I’VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO HEAR EBONICS!!”
“Shaddup!!” Barret ordered, as he unloaded ammunition at Helspont. Behind him stood Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Sephiroth, Vincent, Reeve, Jonah, Knolan, and Calibretto.
“Your day has come, Helspont,” Shen stated, standing up.
“Not likely,” he replied. “There is much you do not understand.”
“We understand plenty!” Cloud exclaimed, as he became engulfed in a red aura. “Ultimate End!!”
Helspont found himself sucked down into some sort of a black void. Nothing all around him but darkness. He unleashed several inferno blasts, yet they quickly dissipated. Then, off in the distance, he saw something break through the darkness. It grew closer and larger, and brighter. It was some sort of knight, that slashed at him. He felt nothing but the sting of pain. He was followed by eleven other knights, all inflicting a different sort of damage on the Bringer of Destruction.
Then, once he thought the ordeal was over, another, final knight appeared. Much larger than all the others, and much more majestic in appearance. This thirteenth knight lifted his blade, and brought it down, cleaving through the villain’s very soul.
With that, the void vanished, and he found himself back in the chamber, standing alone against his enemies.
“No…” he muttered. “It can’t be over… not yet…”
There was a flash of light and the scent of brimstone as Helspont became engulfed in his own flames.
“NO!!!”
After that, he was gone. Nothing left but an empty husk.
“He burned himself out,” Red noted.
“That’s it?!” Barret exclaimed. “Damn, that wasn’t HALF as tough as Jenova an’ Seraph!!”
“Maybe he wasn’t as powerful as we all thought he was,” Cloud said. “But now, we need to search for—“
“Don’t bother,” Vincent stated. “Hojo’s gone.”
“Hojo?!” Zack exclaimed. “How is that scum still alive?!”
“Long story,” Cloud replied.
“He’s still out there,” Vincent said. “I must find him.”
“We’ll help y—“ Aeris began.
“No,” Vincent snapped. “My responsibility.”
Aeris turned to look at Sephiroth. His expression was blank—impossible to read. She knew the hatred he bore for his father, and she knew that he would gladly take pleasure in the man’s death. Yet, she had to admit that she was somewhat pleased that Vincent was so adamant about others joining him.
“This is finished with,” Cloud said. “Let’s go home.”
*****
“I truly hope you aren’t getting any second thoughts, Rufus,” Hojo stated, once their chopper was in the air.
“Not at all,” Rufus Shinra replied. “I’m fully prepared and ready to take back what’s rightfully mine.”
“Good,” Hojo said. “How much longer?”
“About 10 minutes,” Frost replied. “We’re nearing the eastern continent now.
Hojo sat back in his seat and grinned. Within a few minutes, the chopper landed near the Mythril Mines. Once they disembarked, the mountain opened up to reveal a large, hanger bay.
“Welcome to Seido, gentlemen,” Frost stated.
A grin spread across Hojo’s face once more. Everything was falling into place.
*****
Ancient Island. Once, it was where the fabled Temple of Ancients was located. That is, before it was destroyed five years ago. Now, thanks to President Reeve’s habitat plan, it’s been converted into a small, yet thriving town.
Now, Garrison Cohn, Akira Hyroshima, and Charlotte Colde were taking a much-needed rest after the past few days. Monsters recently appeared, constantly attacking the town. SOLDIER was called in to investigate. Then, in the middle of battle, the monsters simply retreated.
“Tomorrow we leave for Midgar,” Garrison stated.
“Damn…” Akira muttered. “I enjoyed it here.”
“Can’t we just stay a few more days?” Charlotte asked.
“No,” Garrison replied. “We—“
He was cut off as some sort of creature made of flames appeared out of nowhere, and walked towards him.
“You cannot be allowed to interfere.”
With that, the fire-creature lifted its hand, and the three SOLDIER officers became engulfed in flames.
The being then laughed an inhuman laugh.
.