LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

"I am Thor. Son of Odin. God of Thunder. And I run not from a fight." The Mighty One bellows to his friends and all the swarm of Trolls stationed above. "I say we stay!"

Thor readies his hammer, summoning his might against the oncoming storm.

"And show them just who they're dealing with? Aye, because they look positively petrified, brother." The Mischievous One sasses with worry. "I don't think they very much care who you are. We're soon to be nothing more than a nice, lovely stain in about near three seconds!"

As does Loki summon his own bag of tricks.

"INCOMING!" Sif shouts, prepared to face the end head on with honor, along with all of her friends. Or what's soon to be left of them.

Eyes to the sky, Loki instinctively steps in front of Sigyn. The woman may be strong, stronger than most, but there's little a couple of swords can do when faced with something the size of a small barn descending upon them and fast.

Hel, he's not even sure there's all that much a Trickster like himself might be able to do, either. Besides act as her own personal and very attractive Jotun shield, mayhap. Loki would gladly put himself in harms way for Sigyn.

That is if he absolutely has to, of course.

And this time?

Welll...

The Liar is nothing if not a survivor.

The boulder hits them square on. Or it would have if they were actually there. Instead, the massive thing smashes to the ground, phasing right through the illusions in their stead.

Thor turns his head so fast, tis a wonder it doesn't snap right off his thick neck.

"LOKI!" He shouts.

Staring at the crater where his brother had been not two minutes prior, Thor's not even sure what he's supposed to be feeling in this moment. Whether he's to be relieved that both Loki and Sigyn are somewhere safe and unharmed or angry that his Trickster of a brother had left it up to them to fight his battles for him. Mayhap he shouldn't even be surprised, really. Tis the Mischief God's nature to flee. But one thing's for certain, as more boulders start to fall, they had better go and find them before the inevitable happens.

"DAMMIT! FALL BACK!"

And so they run.

Though they have no idea where they're going, Thor and his crew head in the direction Loki had been leading them, wondering to themselves if this was his plan all along. If the Liar had all the while been leading them into a trap. At least some would surely like to think so. Mostly Sif.

But Loki's currently busy dodging his own set of obstacles. With Sigyn flung over his shoulder like a sack, the Liesmith books it straight out of the line of fire. Fast. He holds on tight to her legs and runs with everything he's got.

"PUT ME DOWN!" The woman hollers, hitting at the small of his back with the butt of her sword.

But for all her struggling, it only makes the Trickster secure his grip on her tighter. No matter what happens, he will not let go.

"I can fly up there!" She yells at him. "I can take them!"

"You'll only get shot down." Loki returns in a hurry. "There's too many of them."

Her safety isn't up for discussion. Especially after the last time they'd gone up against these barbarous creatures. Both he and Sigyn were lucky to make it out alive when faced with a small battalion of Trolls, but now? To say they're outnumbered is an understatement. We're not talking dozens. Nay. Hundreds. The entirety of their army and all with the home field advantage. These beasts know the secrets of this land better than even the Trickster, himself. To stay and fight would be suicide. So Loki doesn't care one bit what Thor says, or how much Sigyn protests. Call him a coward, but he's taking his woman and getting the Hel out of there.

"We need to go back!" Sigyn continues to shout.

"Not on my life!" Loki shouts right back at her.

"But Thor and the others..."

"Will be just fine!"

A lie.

Sure he hopes Thor will be alright, but let's face it, the Odinson and the rest of his crew are already likely dead and getting dragged off to the camps to be skinned and prepared for supper. Volstagg alone will probably feed the hungry beasts and their brood for the better part of a week!

But Loki knows when to fight and when to flee. Which side benefits him most and when to abandon ship altogether. Tis the only reason the Liesmith has survived as long as he has.

So while Loki does love his brother and cares deeply for Thor's safety, nothing could ever outweigh the care and concern he has for that of his own skin. And when it comes to Sigyn? Nothing even comes close. Loki would sooner throw Thor to the hounds of Mephisto's Hell than to let his heart suffer even the slightest of injury. He'd sooner die, himself.

"But I can FIGHT! You KNOW I can fight! LET ME FIGHT!" Sigyn urges, thrashing about.

The woman's stronger than she looks. Sigyn can easily make Loki do what she says and both he and she knows it. It doesn't take long for her to use that strength to her advantage against him. Not that she wishes to hurt him, of course (not this time, at least), Sigyn just wants to make Loki drop her. Which is easily accomplished by a well-placed elbow to the spine.

With a sharp cry, Loki drops to his knees and Sigyn tumbles forward. Dirt and debris flying all about as boulders continue to fall in around them. The sky burns with the terrible things. Great rocks lit aflame and thrown from the heavens like meteors, exploding at their feet.

Grabbing at his back, Loki groans in pain as he struggles to right himself. All the while, Sigyn easily climbs to her feet, reaching for her swords as she sets her stance for battle.

A panic washes over Loki, watching as her wings begin to manifest. In his heart, he knows she'll fight until her last and dying breath. He knows she'll stop at nothing to win the day. To be a hero. But that's the problem with heroes, isn't it? Always so selfless. So expendable. Tis tragic, really. The way they're always dying for what they think is just and right.

That's why he'd rather play the villain. Save his neck and have a little fun along the way. Which was fine and good until she came along and mucked everything up. Then things got... Well... Let's say complicated.

That's when the rules changed. Suddenly his own neck didn't seem so Godsdamned important anymore. And playing the villain took on a whole new look. A whole new twist.

Since when did Loki become the hero of his very own book?

"Dammit, Sigyn!" Loki shouts above the din of war. "Sov godt!"

Surely using his spells against her counts as an act of betrayal, but who the Hel cares if it means saving her stubborn arse.

Sigyn's eyes roll to the back of her head. Her body sways unsteady on her feet like a blade of grass blowing in the gentle mountain breeze. She falls. Wings sparkle and fade to the ether as Sigyn gives herself to the realm of sleep.

Despite the sting in his spine, Loki's fast on his feet, quick to catch her descent.

"Gotcha."

Sigyn crumbles in his arms, her body limp, almost lifeless as he cradles her gently.

"Sorry, Sunshine." Loki lulls softly to her sleeping face. Gathering Sigyn up, he hoists her back onto his shoulder. "You can be cross with me all you like when you wake. Promise. But I can't have you running off and getting yourself killed. Not today, Love. Live to fight another day, and all that..."

This time she has no choice but to let Loki save her, even if she doesn't want to be saved. Especially if she doesn't want to be saved. For her he'll be the hero. Always.

And she'll be mad at him, sure. You can trust even a liar on that. But Loki hardly has the time or care to stress about it now. Their relationship has been in a constant flux of lovers tiffs lately, anyway. In fact, he likes to refer to their current state as the "Three F's." They'll fight. They'll fuck. And then, she'll forgive him. She'll get over it. At least until the next fight, and then the cycle starts anew.

"Well it's about time you showed up."

Loki senses someone at his back. Several someones to be exact.

"Sorry." Thor grunts. Coming to a stop behind his brother, he instructs his fellow team members to hold. "I wasn't privy to the plan."

Grinning like a madman, Loki turns to greet his brother, Thor.

"Plan?" He snickers, motioning with his free arm to the scene unfolding all around them. "Oh, nay. This is chaos!"

And it is.

Bombs explode in midair, boulders crash, and fire swelters the landscape. The Trolls refuse to let up, not even for a moment to catch one's breath. Tis war. Chaos at it's ultimate best.

"Well, then you must feel right at home." Thor remarks to his brother.

"Shall I give you the tour?" Loki plays, offering a curt, little bow.

"Please." Thor grins right back at his brother. "Lead the way!"

"Boys, mayhap if you're done playing?"

Sif reminds them of their current situation. That they're all just sitting ducks here. The longer they sit and wait, the more likely to be pummeled, or burned, or clobbered, or eaten, or any number of horrible things, really. With Trolls, tis more than not all of the above.

"Right..." Loki gathers his focus. "Follow me."

Holding onto Sigyn, Loki sets his magic to work, unleashing all his greatest tricks whilst Thor and his warriors follow like ducks in a row. The ground fills with fog, a thick smokescreen in which to hide within. As does he set loose his illusions. Twelve sets of Lokis and Sigyns and Thors and the rest, all running this way and that to throw the Trolls off their one and true tail.

A series of bright green explosions act as a diversion. Lightning flies. Electricity filling the air whenever a rogue boulder travels too close to the group. Thor and Loki work as one cohesive unit, together in their attempt to save their friends and reach the nearest portal unscathed.

They haven't even the chance to realize they're working together. Both Loki and Thor are currently far too preoccupied in staying alive to apprehend the fact that they actually make a really good team. Just like old times.

Rubble the size of small pebbles rains down upon them, clinking against their shields and armor as Thor unleashes a mighty strike against one such boulder which had had them dead to rights. It bursts and breaks apart midair before it ever gets the chance to collide with its mark.

"Straight ahead!" Ducking, Loki shouts over the explosion.

There's a narrow crack in the rocks up ahead. A tear in the universe. To the unsuspecting eye, it appears as any old crevice. But to the eyes of a Trickster, Loki sees eternity unwinding. Not to mention their only means of escape. Only problem being, the Trolls see it, too. They know the secrets of this land, their home, and will protect it with all their fury and their might. As will they stop at nothing to keep Loki and company from ever leaving this mountain alive. To them, they are trespassers here, and the penalty is death.

Loki can sense his illusions have been bested. Each and every one of them figured out and destroyed. Their spent magic all return to him, the caster of the spell.

He could create more illusions, sure. But that hardly seems worth it. The vile Trolls have got their scent now. With their ugly snouts, they can smells that fear in the air. That desperation some would mistake as hope as Team Thor runs under the cover of a thick green fog to safety. That faint light glowing in the fissure just ahead.

"Man was not... huff huff... meant to..." Volstagg wheezes.

"Shut it and RUN, Fat Man!" Fandral shouts at his friend. With the broadside of his sword, he deflects a stray pebble.

The Trolls have ceased throwing boulders now. Which is good. What's not so great, though, is the fact that they've begun descending the cliff walls. Like a swarm of angry fire ants, they rush down the rock face right for them.

"GO! GO! GO!" Loki yells.

Sif's the first to reach the portal, but lingers at the opening, apprehensive to step through despite Loki's shouting. She's no idea what awaits her on the other end. If what lies ahead could be just as bad, if not worse, than this. She doesn't trust the Liar. Not even a little. But Thor arrives and gives her this look. Now, him she does trust. Even if sometimes that trust is tainted by his brother's oft deception.

"I'll be right behind you." Thor says to her slow and sure.

Despite the encroaching madness all around them, Thor takes the moment to calm her nerves. He places a strong hand upon Sif's shoulder, reassuring the Lady that everything will be okay. Even if he's not so sure, himself. Despite the outcome, he knows that she'll pull through. He believes in her. Now he just needs her to believe in herself.

Just one look and a few words from Thor, and that's all the Lady needs. With a nod, Sif steps through the portal.

Next goes Hogun. Then Volstagg squeezes himself through with a little help from Fandral. Or more like a whole lot of help. The Dashing has to give the jolly fellow's big arse a nice shove to fit him through the gateway.

"Go."

Loki's not quite sure what's possessed him, but he tells Thor to go before him and Sigyn. Mayhap tis some strange camaraderie or brotherly love he hasn't felt in quite some time. Or maybe the Liesmith feels bad for leaving him when this battle first began. It could very likely be a little of both, really. Such warm fuzzies for his brother are uncommon. Maybe the big lug is rubbing off on him yet.

But the Liesmith hardly has the time to dwell and neither does Thor. The God of Storms clasps at his younger brother's arm, giving Loki a firm and trusting handshake as if to say see you on the other side. Then without a second thought he jumps in with both feet.

About to do the same, Loki holds Sigyn tight, prepared to make the leap into the branches of the World Tree, when something catches his eye. Someone which doesn't belong. Or mayhap she fits right in with this lot of ugliness and their creed.

Loki turns to spy Lorelei standing pretty atop the rocks, guarded by a pair of the disgusting beasts. Her generals. Even from this distance, he can see her grinning at him with her venomous lips. Puckering, the Seductress blows the Liesmith a kiss.

Scowling, Loki hugs onto Sigyn's legs a little tighter. He doesn't even mean to. Tis a reflex. A sign of protection which does not go unnoticed by that Harpy's eagle eyes. Not that she didn't already know of the Liesmith's one and only weakness. Tis hardly a secret. But it is so deliciously delightful to see the little snake squirm. And suffer.

All in good time.

Charging his hand with green magic, Loki sets his phasers to kill. With a sneer on his lips and a growl in his throat, the Liesmith shoots forth a blast of energy from his fingertips, aimed right at that grinning whore's lovely little head.

The Trolls on the battlefield have reached his position. One giant mitt swipes for him and Sigyn.

Loki stumbles back to avoid the direct hit, and falls right into the portal. Just in time, but not before catching sight of his eldritch blast miss its intended target. Lorelei goes unscathed. Unfortunately. Though the Troll to her right isn't nearly as lucky. The poor mind-washed thing took the hit for his Queen and has paid the all too painful price. Tis nothing but cinder now. A waste of a good shot.

Too bad it wasn't Lorelei.

Too bad.

He would have really liked to have taken the smile from off her twisted mockery of a face.

Next time.

Alas that mad grin is the last thing Loki sees before bright, prismatic streaks of color fill his vision. He can feel the pull on his body, that rush as the interstellar wormhole swallows both he and Sigyn whole.