Marth's Theatre (pt. 3): Continuing Terror, Alive and Well
The situation will only get worse before it gets any better. As most of the fighters face another round of torment in the Snake's Pit and Princess Elice's condition worsens, Marth and Ike will have a lot of pressure on them when it comes to saving Altea from certain destruction. And with the staff piece's location still unknown, will they accomplish their primary mission before everything falls apart? Also, from this chapter onward and until the next part of the story, we will be focusing more on the Rosträdgårdian monarch as he continues his search for Lillian.
Corruption…
It has many different forms, allowing it to penetrate even formidable defenses…
Very few are immune to this perversion of morality…
A person, circumstance, or anything of significant power can change the way the subject behaves…
Corruption introduces evil to the system…
Morality becomes meaningless to those affected by the twisted change…
A hero may fall and transform into an evil incarnation of his or her former self…
The Archanean ruler Hardin was subjected to this, resulting in betrayal and a widespread war that would have otherwise been avoided…
In his case, the change of heart was irreversible by peaceful means, leaving longtime friend Marth Lowell to end his life by force…
Inside the castle's throne room, noon…
"We should try heading back to the hideout," Ike suggested to Marth. "As far as I'm concerned, the Lords may already be planning to execute the others, so we should act as soon as possible."
"That is a risky move, my friend," the young king sighed. While he was speaking, the rays of the sun continued to pour into the room's open windows, providing a golden aura to the room. "The gases should be cleared out, but the Lords themselves still pose a threat. Besides, Lina's bound to have some tricks up her sleeves, which she may use if we encounter her again."
The mercenary froze for a few seconds. Given what Lina had brought into play the last time she was encountered, including the powerful mist that could paralyze even the strongest of beings, the Hero-King was, for the moment, a bastion of truth that was not to be ignored. "You're right. Even if unexpected circumstances refuse to let us into the hideout…"
"There is no doubt about it. If, no… When we head out to rescue our allies, we should expect even the bleakest or most absurd of possibilities. With my sister, I hope to cure her before she fully transforms, but I will admit that the failure to do such a thing is a possible scenario."
Ike glanced at his blade for a second. "When do we head out?"
"In a few minutes. Common legends state that vampires are inactive during the daytime, so this moment in time is where the forces guarding the hideout are theoretically vulnerable. Granted, not all Lords over there are bloodthirsty beings in a literal sense, although I see no other appropriate time. I will inform Caeda and Malledus about our departure."
"Let me know when you're ready." The mercenary strolled away from the throne room to obtain a light snack, leaving the young king with his near-corrupted sister.
Inside the elderly man's home in Rosträdgård, the following day…
"You are inside my home, Your Majesty," the man replied. "I found you in the forest while you were collapsing from your wounds; I can only assume that the Lords attacked you beforehand. Thankfully, they have no clue about this blissful home's existence, so you should have time to make a complete recovery."
"I am looking for Lillian… Have you seen her anywhere?" the prince sighed. His body struggled to sit up as he asked his question.
"That girl? The one who was given the power to sense the staff pieces? I am sorry, Prince, but her location is not known to me. I can, however, contact a few of my friends to use a device that can trace her possible whereabouts."
The young monarch felt some relief as he heard the last part of the man's comment; maybe there was hope in the effort to locate the gentle yet powerful maiden. The sinister Lords were still a problem, but the situation was no longer as bleak as it was before. Hope was a blossoming red rose that had yet to reach the stage of full maturity…
"Please, dearest sir, you must contact your companions as soon as possible."
"I will," the older man replied. "Rest assured, we will obtain her possible location before long." As the man strolled away from the room, he directed his focus at a bronze-colored telephone sitting on a desk in the middle of the living room. The living room itself was much like the bedroom in terms of aesthetics, but the area had fewer items; these items consisted of two sofas of similar proportions and the desk holding the telephone up. Several doors were present to lead potential wanderers into other areas of the house. The man grabbed the telephone's handset before pressing several buttons, labeled with numbers ranging from zero to nine, an asterisk, and a hashtag, to contact several close friends…
A few minutes past noon, outside the castle…
"Let's get back to the hideout," Marth declared. With the magical staff in hand, he teleported himself and Ike to the exact area where the duo initially warped to while escaping the gases. The barrier from before was no longer present and the morbid aspect of the building's architecture was reduced by the daylight present in Altea. Clouds were scattered and small, and despite the cold chills of winter still lingering without regard to time, the sun provided a feeling of warmth that would relax the body and mind of almost any living being. No such comfort was felt by either swordsman, however.
"I hope it's not too late to save the others," Ike muttered. "Master Hand will not be pleased if we lose several of our allies, especially to a cult that attacks innocents like a pack of malicious wolves."
The lower chambers of the building were possessed by a chilling force that, owing to being placed even further down than the Snake's Pit, was likely to impose upon an unlucky being the feeling of complete isolation. It would not be difficult to realize why; for each chamber, there was only one unaccompanied door leading to the rest of the building and, by extension, the outside world. No doorknob was present on the metallic surface, only a cube-like slot that could hold something of matching size and shape. Aside from only one possible way for someone to physically leave the room, there were no windows and just a handful of grass-colored lights to prevent the jet-black aura from completely taking over. Scattered throughout the room were small vessels designed to keep a person sealed within. Those that were not in use were left in darkness, but a dark blue light marked the ones that were occupied. The three colossal chambers had the maximum capacity of fifty potential victims, and the Smashers, who only represented an infinitesimal percentage of the interim population, were distributed throughout in a near-even manner.
Ganondorf, unpaired and illuminated only by his vessel's glow, was moderately isolated from the other captives stuck in his assigned chamber. Additionally, he was only person in any of the three chambers who was still awake, albeit barely. Igel's damaging effects had left him drained of energy, which was something that, without Power's gift of immortality, could not be avoided. The ability to conjure magic was almost entirely sapped, so he could not perform a feature on the level of a Warlock Punch or something equally powerful. Besides the poison's debilitating effects, the vessel's atmosphere was very cold, almost blood-freezing in a sense. Even with the armor on, or perhaps because of its presence, the Gerudo was still ensnared by the metallic captor's cold body. And that captor was seeking to chill him to no end, at least until the Lords entered this room to relocate him. Speaking of which, he could only wonder what they were doing…
I only wished to know about their society, and now they have already branded me as a potential threat to their well-being, he mentally considered. If I can muster the strength to teleport from this freezing prison, I might be able to speak with one of the leaders, perhaps that man who run the Snake's Pit…
With the traces of magical strength left in his mortal form, Ganondorf focused only on teleporting away from his prison. The struggle to perform such an action was undeniable, for his mental concentration was nowhere near its peak condition. On every attempt, dark energy would form around his body, only to then fade from existence. Some attempts were better than others, but there was no escaping or denying the fact; unless there was enough energy available, the darkness was a hungry entity that could not swallow its assigned host and regurgitate him elsewhere. Seconds transformed into minutes as the warlock kept trying and then failing. However, luck would soon shift direction for the better when he finally achieved teleportation.
It's about time… he pondered. Now that he was free from cold captivity, he could now begin his search for Kristoff. If he was lucky, that vampire would be found in a matter of minutes. The common Lords were still powerful enough to potentially subdue him, but if the conditions were close to ideal, he just might avoid confrontation altogether. His shaky stroll soon began, and within the first few seconds, he noticed what the other captives looked like. With one of Caeda's comments in mind, most of the unconscious victims were armored soldiers representing Archanea, though there were several commoners present as well. Why they were being held captive was shrouded in mystery, but with some of the Lords in the kingdom being vampires, it was possible that they were going to be used as a combined supply of fresh blood. None of them were awake, leaving their cold bodies still in the steel vessels. Limping past the only door in the room, which he had to force open because of the lock, Ganondorf found himself in a hallway that led to a four-way junction a few meters away. Small candles released the bare minimum of light required to dispel the darkness. The looping of his footsteps surmounted the silence of the building, even going so far as to form a symphony of near-endless noises. As he approached the junction, Ganondorf made his decision.
I shall travel to the door up ahead. I don't need the others to assist me. Passing through the door leading to the upper levels, Ganondorf was reintroduced to the rotten smell of the Snake's Pit despite merely being at the staircase leading up to that wretched room. The candles present assisted him in his trek to higher altitudes, although they ceased to offer further help as soon as he reached the door leading into the pit. The opening of the door allowed the foul odor to intensify, nearly killing off the Gerudo's sense of smell in the process. Due to the absence of the red lighting, conjuring a purple flame in one of his hands was the only method available in ensuring an illuminated pathway. Passing through the area where the Alpha Helveting initially emerged from, he entered another stairway, this one leading up to the haunting structure's main floor. The spiral-shaped ascent produced footsteps that echoed almost endlessly with time, but these noises were considerably more muted regarding reverberation. After what seemed like a long minute, the King of Evil finally reached the next room, which was the tower initially visited by Marth and Ike. Nothing within the tall extension's cold circumference stood out to him as unusual, but as he transitioned into the elegant throne room, he was introduced to something slightly startling to him…
"They sleep… here?" he, trying to analyze the scenery, mumbled. Within the throne room originally visited by Marth and Ike was a bed converted from the large and cushioned chair. Sleeping on top of the structure were the Lindqvist siblings. Lina, occupying one side of the bed, was dressed in her white undergarments. Her jet-black hair, in stark contrast to Agnetha's hairstyle, was scattered across her upper body like a wave of oily paint. On the other side of the bed was Kristoff, shirtless and dressed only in his black trousers. It was revealed to the Gerudo that the male vampire possessed a thin yet slightly muscular body. Additionally, as soon as the daylight pouring into the room was fully noted, Ganondorf suddenly remembered one common aspect of vampires.
"They sleep during the day," he sighed. "Regardless, I must wake the man up. Maybe he will give me the answers I seek…"
The approach towards Kristoff was close to silent, designed to avoid anything that could very well produce loud noises. A breeze of uncertainty stroked the warlock's skin as he considered the possibility of Kristoff immediately becoming hostile upon his awakening. It was extremely unlikely that the pit operator and his sister would allow him, much less any of the prisoners, to roam free inside the building. If his luck was especially terrible, he was even guaranteed to face execution. This was strongly concerning to him; as the Triforce of Power was not in his possession and presumably hidden in an isolated locale, getting killed now meant that there would be next to no chance of accomplishing his goals in the long run. With the dangers in mind, Ganondorf lightly tapped Kristoff at the neck.
"…" The thin vampire was unresponsive. Neither eyelid nor body shifted from one position to another, but this observation failed to deter the dark-skinned Smasher from his intended goal. Several more taps did provoke Kristoff to budge slightly, but it was not until his back was touched by the tip of Ganondorf's heavy sword that he was truly knocked out of his slumber. As the Gerudo concealed his weapon, he watched as the pit operator assumed a sitting position, silently and with no moan to echo throughout the room. However, as soon as the vampire's red eyes established contact with him…
"…!" In a panicked moment, Kristoff forced the Smasher back via powerful palm strike. The warlock was sent soaring into one of the room's windows, and as soon as he established contact with cold glass, he could hear a cracking sound behind him. There was some pain felt by him, but it was not too significant, especially in comparison to getting stabbed with a holy blade or shot by deadly arrows.
"What are you doing here?" the vampire hissed. As he prepared to confront his foe, he magically summoned a flintlock pistol resembling Johan's, with the only difference being the green-and-dark yellow color scheme.
"Wait…" the Gerudo replied. As he stood back up, he raised one of his hands to persuade the vampire to calm down. Nevertheless, the black-haired man continued his approach. "I am not here to fight you. I just wish to speak with you on a certain topic that has been lingering within my mind for the past two days. You would be wise to provide an answer to me."
Kristoff was quick to offer a rebuttal. This dark-skinned man was lying, he believed, and liars were never to be trusted. "Why should I listen to your request, especially since you were the one who quartered the Alpha Helveting? Do you sincerely believe that I will be coaxed into providing important information to you? I should lay waste to your mortal form this instant."
"You never gave me a choice when your precious bug and its brethren started attacking me! Besides, my intentions are… different from the other people that once entered this building. And I mean this with the most truthful of statements. Now, will you let me offer my story, preferably without any bloodshed?"
Kristoff gradually lowered his weapon upon hearing the last statement. The way the Gerudo sounded during the last statement almost spoke genuine interest in the Lords, and the fact that he stated that his intentions were different from the other prisoners… It was almost possible that he was indeed telling the truth. Furthermore, he was reported to be alone during the sweep, whereas most of the others were in pairs; it was reasonable to assume that the warlock likely had hidden motives in mind. Lastly, for the prisoners stuck in last night's bout in the Snake's Pit, there was truly no choice but to participate in a fight to the death. Had the warlock's true intentions been discovered before, history would have played out differently.
"Very well," the vampire spoke, lowering his weapon as he did so. As he assumed a calmer mental state, waiting patiently for the story was the only option available for the moment. At the same time, his black-haired sister began to awaken from her slumber. "I will listen to your story, and if I believe your intentions, I will share some acknowledge of the Holy Serpent's followers with you."
"…?! What is he doing outside his cell?" Lina snarled, surprised by Ganondorf's presence. She conjured her thorny whip while preparing to butcher the dark-skinned Gerudo. "He should be executed immediately-"
"Calm yourself, my sister," Kristoff quietly ordered. The last thing he needed was a misunderstanding to flare out of control. "This man is here to explain his true intentions. If what he is saying is true, then we shall grant him the knowledge of our organization's inner workings. You must keep your whip concealed, lest he permanently denounces us."
The female vampire, after a moment of reluctance, teleported her weapon out of existence. The dark-skinned fighter appeared astoundingly suspicious to her, but if Kristoff was right, then she was better off listening as well. "So, dearest fighter in dark clothing, what is your story? What sets you apart from the others, including that meddling Marth?"
Ganondorf cleared his throat before continuing. "I'm glad you asked, madam. I shall tell you the full story of the events that have transpired until now."
With Marth and Ike…
"How many books do they have?" Ike muttered. Right now, he and Marth were inside the library previously visited by Pit and Ganondorf. After knocking a nearby Lord unconscious, the two swordsmen immediately were immediately mesmerized by the fountain on knowledge. From the hundreds, perhaps even thousands of books in clear vicinity, it was safe to assume that the Lords were seekers of knowledge, not content with being intellectually confined to a comfort zone.
"I can only imagine that you can read so many books before your mind begins to burst," Marth replied. While speaking, he slowly ascended to the next floor with his longtime ally. "Regardless, it appears that these cultists wish to achieve a level of near-omniscience. Knowledge is a form of power, after all."
"I guess so, but I don't think the books here will give us any advantage over the diabolical cultists." Indeed, the books offered nothing about the Lords and their potential weaknesses, even when discounting the fact that they were written in a foreign language familiar only to those from the homeland of Lillian. With nothing better to do, the two swordsmen passed through the door leading into the same hallway visited by Ganondorf. As the cold air chilled their bodies, they proceeded to open the closest door to their left, but this decision would turn out to be a near-fatal mistake…
"Intruders!" a Lord, sitting on one of the beds, shouted in a furious tone. All ten cultists in the room, excluding the female vampire at the far end, were instantly thrown into high alert, resulting in them attacking the two Smashers. Marth had no time to counter an ice shard aimed for his shoulder, resulting in immediate bleeding, while Ike was shoved into a wall when a shadowy sphere pounded him in the chest. Both men were wracked by pain, and that pain was undeniably serious, whether it was focused or equally distributed.
"Die," one of the cultists snarled. She attempted to electrocute Marth, only to lose her head when Falchion was swung in a horizontal manner. Ignoring the black blood that stained his clothing, the Hero-King stunned another cultist with a straight punch before knocking him unconscious with the flat side of the powerful blade. Meanwhile, Ike vertically cleaved his foe in half to produce a bloody mess tarnishing the floor's dull yet clear appearance.
This is a mistake I never wish to commit again, Marth pondered. He and Ike skewered one cultist each, but just when the former was about to execute his foe, one of the surrounding foes kicked him into the floor. Ike was forced to protect his ally and friend by tossing the skewered cultist into the incoming aggressor; both were subsequently decapitated.
"Thank you," the young king muttered. As he slowly stood back up, he countered an incoming fist with a sword swing that left one cultist dead and another injured. The injured foe was then horizontally sliced in half by a rushing attack from Ike. Both remaining cultists in the fight conjured an icy attack that left both swordsmen partially frozen. The victims were far from defenseless, however.
SHINK! SHINK!
Reaching as far as his body could stretch, Marth performed two horizontal slices at the foe closest to him, one at the waist and one at the neck. Ignoring the blood that soaked the room, the Hero-King utilized Falchion to shatter his icy prison into an immeasurable number of pieces. Ike was stabbed in the abdomen by an ice shard, but as soon as Marth was out of range, the mercenary plunged Ragnell into the ground.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion of blue flames simultaneously melted the ice and roasted the cultist's body and clothing. No shrill screaming sparked into existence, for the enemy was instantly killed by the blue wave of flaming death. Meanwhile, the vampire at the far end of the room finally woke up after being subjected to enough loud noises. Curiosity overshadowed her stupor as she wondered what was occurring inside the room, and it only took a few seconds for her to pinpoint the source.
"What in the…" As her eyes caught the sight of unconscious and slaughtered comrades, so too did the invading swordsmen fall into plain view. Given that their appearances were stained with the bloodstains produced during the fight, it was obvious that they were the ones who brought a deadly end to the group.
"I will kill you…" she hissed. It took a leaping motion to approach the Smashers, but alas, her attack was all for naught. In less than a second, Marth thrusted his blade into her heart, with the resulting wound oozing copious amounts of blood. While the woman was paralyzed by agonizing pain, Ike swiftly ended her life in the quickest manner possible. Marth swiftly lowered his body to avoid accidental injury.
SLASH!
"Now that we have taken care of the problem, let's move on," Marth sighed, his eyes locked onto the woman's severed head. "I don't think we will find anything of interest here."
"Point taken," Ike replied. While leaving the ruined barrack, he and the young king strolled at a slower pace to listen for any noises that could be hidden behind the doors, especially if there were hostiles inside. Neither fighter, however, took note of the unconscious Lord waking up a few minutes later and noticing the dead bodies around him. Predictably, he was filled with panic; if the intruders continued their assault on the hideout, the mission to obtain the staff piece would eventually become a colossal failure.
"Miss Lindqvist… must know about this incident immediately," he groaned, coughing mid-sentence. Wasting no remaining time, he proceeded to establish a telepathic connection with Lina, who, unbeknownst to the common soldier, was in a conversation with Ganondorf.
Inside the castle…
She's regaining her strength, but I fear she might already be reaching the midpoint of her transformation, a recovering Caeda, now clothed in a uniform slightly darker than what she had worn last night, mentally remarked. Indeed, Princess Elice was back on her feet after remaining bedridden for several consecutive days. This event was something of a true miracle to the queen; she and Malledus, only hours before Marth and his group arrived, once predicted that the young monarch would remain physically incapacitated until her full transformation was fulfilled. Fate, it seemed, was now proving that prediction wrong. The elder sister to the heroic Marth was now clothed in her usual uniform, and she was taking steps across the room with neither assistance nor drawbacks.
"I see she is recovering quicker than we have predicted," Malledus, standing to the queen's right, stated. "And to think that she would remain stuck in that bed for almost a full week, or worse… Regardless, she should have some self-sustainability. Her gradual transformation into a vampire still worries me, however."
"Marth and Ike have recently departed from this castle to confront the Lords once again," Caeda responded, keeping her eyes on the young princess. The pain from the queen's stab wound and cracked bones still ached to no end, but it did little to break her focus. "I am confident that, with the experience earned from last night's battle, they will take down the aggressors with less difficulty. No matter how difficult the situation may be, I will always maintain a firm hope that is forged from iron-"
Elice lost track of the conversation as she sat in front of a mirror mounted on one of the room's few tables. Even with her gradual recovery from total weakness, she still felt an unnerving feeling within her mind and body, far worse than having butterflies in her stomach. Such fear was stemmed from the way her red eyes appeared, sharply contrasting with the peaceful vibes of the world's oceans. Evil was the dominant aspect of her irises, its corrupting influence undeniable and, if the worst kind of scenario was to be fulfilled, eternal. Since the attack, she had never gotten the opportunity to analyze her appearance… until now. This disturbing realization was now provoking the young princess into crying softly. She immediately resorted to fighting back tears, but as the action was carried out, a sinister voice began to whisper inside her mind.
You will kill them all… Their blood shall be yours to take… Give into your sweet desires…
Elice became far more distraught as soon as she heard those words. Within seconds, it was already clear to her that the strain of vampirism was starting to strangle her mental faculties with murderous urges and destructive temptations. She tried to ignore the voice, only to realize that doing so only increased the volume of the harsh words. The urge to cry also worsened to the point where it was extraordinarily unbearable and inevitable.
No man or woman can stop the inevitable… Your brother will be the first to go…
"Stop…" the princess moaned, shedding a tear as she spoke. "Leave me alone…" As the voice grew louder and harsher, it began to sound almost like her own, albeit filled with a sinister aura. Even worse, hallucinations in the form of her reflection speaking to and darkly smiling at her were revenants that quickly left her mind infected with images visible only to her and no one else.
Do you honestly believe the world you live in will remain standing for long? Nothing will prevent the wave of destruction from drowning the pitiful inhabitants guarded by your family, and you will become one of the many harbingers of pain, a warrior made to slay all those who oppose the Holy Serpent.
"No…" The princess's tears were now dropping at a slightly faster rate. She slammed her eyelids shut to avoid staring into her moving reflection's face. However, she could somehow still see the facial expressions shown in the mirror. "I will never… become a slave… to your evil deeds… Marth will save me…"
He may be viewed as a powerful hero by many, but he is truly nothing more than an insignificant fool who has the gall to think that he and his allies can prevent the resurrection. As the reflection spoke, her grin only grew wider and more demented. Fate will play out the way it should, and no one can change its path. You will kill…
"Princess?" Malledus, having overheard the princess's quiet crying, questioned. He slowly approached her position to better analyze the problem. "Are you alright?"
On second thought, why don't you start by slaying your advisor? He will make an excellent source of blood for you. It is for your own good; you must feed to survive.
"I will not…" Elice, now louder than before, moaned. As the advisor came closer, the urge to kill slowly began eating away at her willpower. "He is a friend… that I cannot betray… He must live… Malledus, please stay away from me…"
Kill him…
"Elice, speak to me," Malledus spoke again. He was now just a few centimeters away from the princess, unaware of the potential threat to his well-being. "If you have any concerns, I will help you to the best of my abilities."
Kill him…
"No, I will not!" Elice's eyes were watery and filled with agony. As she struggled to resist killing the elderly man, her reflection in the mirror was snarling out of bottomless anger, obviously dissatisfied with her counterpart's refusal to obey orders.
KILL HIM NOW!
"Elice, are you…" Malledus reached out to gently touch the young monarch, hoping to comfort her soul. Comfortable feelings were never transferred, however…
"STOP!"
WHAM!
"What…!" Caeda yelped. To say that she was surprised by the sight of Malledus getting hopelessly launched across the room, especially by the young princess herself, was a complete understatement. Never had Elice exhibited superhuman strength rivaling what the strongest of beasts could pull off. The magical infection within her body was obviously to blame for this starling event, and as far as anyone in the kingdom was concerned, there was no other possible source. However, she had never witnessed anyone, much less Elice, earning absurd strength at this point in the transformation; even the more durable victims took longer to earn their superhuman power. After the advisor was stuck to the farthest wall, which now had cracks crawling from the point of impact, the queen rushed over to his position and slowly carried him to where the bed was at.
"This is unexpected…" Malledus, wracked by cranial and overall bodily pain, coughed. He was assisted by Caeda during the process of sitting on the bed. Meanwhile, Elice, while no longer experiencing hallucinations, was outright terrified by what she had committed.
I nearly killed him… I shouldn't have done that… For the moment, I can no longer bear to be around anyone… Possessed by sheer panic and guilt, the young princess quickly fled from the room. Caeda initially attempted to call her name, but after noticing the tears and distraught expression, the queen suddenly retracted her plan. It was better to focus on Malledus and his injuries, not on the princess's latest action. The room fell silent as the footsteps echoed from outside until they ceased to exist.
With Marth and Ike…
"Strange, you'd think the Lords would in the dining room right now," Ike commented, noting the lack of Lords inside the dining room. Indeed, despite the day only being a few minutes past noon, no cultist was present to feed on whatever type of cuisine was native to his or her world. Instead, only the furniture and architecture were present to greet the two fighters. Silent was the chilled room, with the humming of pipes being the only audible sound. As the Hero-King and his partner searched the room for a pathway to the captured Smashers, they noticed a noteworthy addition to the ceiling, its presence illuminated by the combined light of the sun and chandelier.
"What is the significance of those pictures?" Marth asked, noticing the portraits of the five captains on the ceiling. One of the figures, Lina specifically, was easily recognizable by him, but the other four were mysterious strangers not known to him or anyone in Altea. The redhead's dark smile, even in comparison to the blood pouring down from Lina's mouth, disturbed him the most; it was possible that she was the most malevolent of the group. He could only imagine how she treated her victims, especially those who posed no significant threat to the Lords. Conversely, the young man's appearance stood out as something extremely atypical of a common Lord, much less a potential leader of the sinister organization. How he earned entry into the group was beyond the Hero-King's knowledge. As for the other two men, they looked like cold-hearted killers compatible with the ideology regarding the Svärtad Orm, yet their facial expressions were less disturbing than the redhead's.
"Besides Lina, whom we are already aware of, they might be important people within the cult, but I digress." Ike kept his blade down as he examined the portraits. "I can only imagine how encountering all five of them simultaneously would be like."
"With last night's battle in consideration, battling one is certainly bad enough. Being forced to take on all five of them, however, would be a nightmarish scenario to deal with, and we should be lucky that such a fate hasn't befallen us." As Marth and Ike ascended to the next level, they could feel the air grow even colder, harsher to the skin. It was as if a force of nature was playing a cruel prank on them, disregarding their desire for warmer sensations. While silence was still dominant, there was the sound of a voice speaking in a language unknown to the two swordsmen. The ongoing message could not be deciphered, although the ritualistic tone, filled with fire, was suggestive of cult-like activity up ahead. Just like the few minutes prior to encountering the poor woman inside the top of the tower, disturbing images invaded the mind of each Smasher as time passed by. The images were essentially duplications of what came before, except that the imagined environment was different. Instead of possessing the architecture present at the tower's peak, the room was reminiscent of the building's main hall and had pews placed on the ground in an orderly fashion.
The front was home to an altar, the place where the sacrifice was to take place. The dead body present was to be gutted to somehow please the Svärtad Orm's murderous desires…
Dozens of Lords were present in the pews, eager to watch the bloody ritual unravel. Their faith was rooted firmly in the demon itself…
The speaker at the front was in the process of declaring the rites that would express the loyalty of those who were faithful…
The knife was coming down, ready to pierce soft flesh…
Upon reaching the top of the staircase, Marth slowly creaked the door open and soon encountered what was a near-perfect replica of what he imagined the room to be. Most of the building's inhabitants were fatefully hypnotized by the ritual of blood, and said ritual was taking place at an altar overshadowed by an oily painting of the horrible demon. The marble table, though initially hard to examine due to extreme distance, lifted the body of a near-unconscious Altean, possibly a commoner, several meters off the ground. Surrounded by dim lighting, the lavender-haired woman appeared to be mostly nude. In fact, the only thing that kept her genitalia and breasts shielded from peering eyes was a white, opaque cloth soaked with blood. As Marth and Ike looked on, they noticed the speaker at the front approaching the would-be victim with a knife in hand. It did not take them long to realize that the woman was about to be sacrificed.
"And so…" the cultist, whose robe was marked by a blue variant of the organization's logo, spoke, "We, the loyal ones, present this rich sacrifice to you, O Holy Serpent, and we shall satisfy your thirst for blood. This we proclaim with the blossoming of the black rose and the alignment of Terramythica's moons, and henceforth shall we proclaim your divine name to all the nations, all the realms, and to every living soul swimming in the flow of the universe."
Squelch…!
"…!" Ike gasped, trying not to shout. Words could not describe the terrible feelings invading his stomach as he watched the woman getting her chest cut open. Even worse, the still-breathing victim started wailing in pain as cold steel shattered her nerves and opened a pathway for blood to leave her body. The mercenary strongly desired to look away, but he just could not bring himself to do so. Horror kept his eyes locked in place. Similarly, Marth was also paralyzed by the nerve-wracking feeling, and in his case, he almost felt his body go outright rigid.
I would not want to be in her place, neither now nor at any point in the future, the Hero-King remarked in a disturbed manner. With no way of passing through the room without detection, he and Ike proceeded to turn back and search the other areas of the hideout. However, their luck was about to turn extremely sour…
Thump-thump-thump-thump…
"What in the…?!" Ike gasped. His heart pumped even faster as he realized what was happening. The echoing of footsteps increasing in volume meant one thing… and that event would result in his and Marth's deaths if nothing were done soon. Ragnell and Falchion, two mighty swords, were brought into play, but fate was about to play a cruel trick on the two swordsmen…
BOOM!
"Ahhhhhhh!" Marth yelled. A shadowy sphere supposedly formed from thin air launched him past the open door and into the larger room, right into a spot where the Lords could easily observe his injured form. Ike, triggered by the sudden attack, swung his sword in a horizontal manner, which only led to him getting attacked in the same manner as his ally. Meanwhile, the cultists already present in the room swiftly twisted their heads to notice the unwelcome guests in their building. Their eyes were filled with bloodlust as the desire to kill grew exponentially stronger.
"Ah, we have some unexpected newcomers," the speaker, while snapping the woman's neck and placing the blade on the table, sighed. He had never witnessed the two swordsmen in the past, unlike most of the Lords residing in this building. Such foreigners were possibly natives to this world, a belief which was only partly true. "What, by the serpent's grace, draws them to our domicile?"
"Damn…!" Ike groaned. The projectile, besides inflicting harsh damage, left him winded and temporarily incapable of standing up. His pain was harsh enough to where he almost felt like being stabbed repeatedly, and out of every injury he had suffered, that was saying a lot. While he and Marth were still grounded, Lina suddenly teleported into the room, having been alerted by the only survivor of the recent skirmish. Several Lords, who were wearing stealth-equipped suits, revealed themselves as they emerged from the stairway.
"Ah, so you two have come back for your friends…" the vampire, now fully clothed, whispered. "It is quite remarkable to see you rescuing them, all while underestimating our true power and rudely interrupting a conversation I was having with a special individual on certain matters. I was originally going to attack you during the upcoming night, but because of your foolish mistake, I will instead send you to the Snake's Pit to join the other captives."
Special individual? Marth, observant as ever, pondered. There was someone, possibly an outsider, collaborating with the diabolical cultists, but there were no clues as to who that individual might be. Who is she referring to?
"We've beaten you… the last time you fought us," Ike grunted, his courage and determination unaffected by Lina's cold stare. "And if it wasn't for the mist you blew into my face, Marth and I would have…"
The vampire summoned her whip as she approached her fallen enemies. She was going to make them pay for what they had done last night. "Would have what? Pushed me out of the town? Dear arrogant fool, you are representative of the men who think they can best any opposing force, even if that force is in the guide of a delicate lady-"
"What? I never claimed to be invincible, so why don't you-"
WHAM!
Ike felt his physical strength collapse as Lina stomped on his stomach, much to Marth's dismay and to the delight of a few Lords. The vampire herself smirked slightly as she continued speaking. "Had my brother not called me back to this place, I would have finished you and Marth off in seconds. I suppose this day will act as recompense for my failures of yesterday…"
The Hero-King, now realizing the severity of his dilemma, prepared his staff for use, hoping to escape Lina and her group's wrath. Using his cape as a way of disguising his intentions, he placed a firm grip upon the magical staff to prepare an escape route from this ominous building. Ike was kept close to him, as the muscular mercenary also needed to escape from this threatening scenario. What neither Smasher truly considered, however, was Lina quickly noticing Marth and his actions relating to the staff.
BZZ-CRACK!
Seconds before the staff was to perform its job, the force of the captain's electrical blast sent the young king flying into the air. While this sudden change of events did not prevent Marth from successfully teleporting back to the center of his comfortable hometown, two new problems arose so suddenly that he initially tried to deny their existence altogether. First, the electrical currents had inflicted significant damage to the staff; the pearl on the top was cracked and lacking in color, and to add aesthetic insult to material injury, the resting place was covered in soot and horribly deformed. No longer were the wings beautiful, as they were now cursed with ugliness. The second, more serious problem came in the form of a certain mercenary's absence.
"DAMN IT!" he furiously yelled, ignoring the fact that there were commoners around him. With that single attack, things had instantly taken a turn for the worse. Not only had he lost his only method of reaching the hideout in seconds, but he was now the only Smasher in his group who was still free to wander around Archanea. Ike had slipped outside the staff's effective area following the electrical demon's attack.
"By Anri's grace," he forcefully sighed, "This cannot be happening to me…" His eyes refused to look at the commoners, who were observing his bout of frustration as he stormed into the castle. The only thing left for him to do was to inform his wife and advisor about the disastrous mission, but little did he know about the worsening situation inside his home. While passing through the front doors, he did not expect to see his sister off to his left, crying softly and on her knees.
"Elice?" he gasped. Something was wrong, he believed. "What are you doing out here? I think you should still be resting in the bed."
"I am strong enough to walk… on my own," the princess, through a waterfall of tears, whimpered, "But that is not why… I am shedding tears… My t-transformation…"
The Altean brushed his hair before asking more questions. "What about your transformation? Is it getting worse?"
Elice focused her eyesight on her brother before regaining the courage to speak. It was at this point that her eyes were revealed to be redder than usual. "I think I'm going through the midpoint… of my transformation. I am having these thoughts in my mind… ordering me to kill those I trust… And my strength is equal to that of the fiercest of beasts... I nearly killed Malledus by accident because of it…"
"…?" The Hero-King, as he listened to the story, suddenly noticed the presence of fangs inside his sister's mouth, placed right in front of her canines. Granted, they were nowhere near as sharp as the ones present in Lina and her subordinates, but they were still sharper than normal human teeth. This was a disturbing detail to note, and with details like this one, it was better to avoid sugarcoating it. It would be unwise of him to lie in front of her face.
"My sister, I don't mean to disturb you, but you have fangs growing inside your mouth."
"What…?" The princess stopped crying momentarily as she took the opportunity to physically examine her teeth. Utilizing both a single finger and the reflection provided by Falchion, she could feel and observe the sharp extensions present inside her mouth. As the revelation was absorbed by her mind, she could not help but subtly shake her hands out of shock and disbelief. The transformation was progressing faster than she and everyone else initially believed; at this rate, she was going to become a vampire before Marth was to obtain the staff piece and eliminate the attacker.
"No… How can…" she gasped. Tears once again streamed down her face like raindrops.
"Elice, calm yourself," Marth demanded. Even though the road to victory was rough, there was still a strong incentive to keep fighting until the bitter end. "I know you didn't try to intentionally kill Malledus, and I am certain that there will be enough time for me to go after your attacker. You cannot be losing hope right now. Remember the times when Gra and Hardin held you captive? You never lost hope during those bleak moments. The circumstances of this situation are undeniably darker, I will admit, but I still believe there is a way to restore harmony in Altea. And if I must suffer harsh punishment while defending this fair kingdom, then so be it."
The young princess, upon hearing her brother's lengthy statement, finally gathered the willpower to hold back her tears. It was indeed true that the circumstances were harsher and certainly more difficult to overcome, especially since the attacking cultists were not known to the same degree as Medeus or the rogue Archanean army, but there was still a glimmering ray of hope left in this world. For now, she would have to keep her support for the Smashers alive and well.
"You are correct… There is still hope for this world… and me…"
"I just need to come up with a plan before it's too late," Marth muttered. While speaking, he guided his sister back to the throne room. "I will not let Lina and her servants topple this kingdom."
Inside the Snake's Pit, nighttime…
WHAP!
"Get in there!" one of the cultists demanded. Her attacking hand was strong enough to force Ike backwards a few meters. With dozens of Lords present in the room, the mercenary was left with no choice to comply with the order. As he joined the other Smashers, excluding Ganondorf, inside the hellish pit, yelling became present in copious amounts, stemming from each cultist's desire to witness bloodshed. The black blood spilled during the previous night was still present, although it was now dried and faded. Once again, Kristoff was at the podium to act as the announcer.
"Welcome back to the Snake's Pit," he sighed in a dark tone. "You are now in your second round of battling, and it appears you have a newcomer among your ranks."
"How'd ya get stuck inside this place?" Pit mumbled, noticing the muscular fighter's presence. "And have you encountered Ganon by any chance? He was here last night, but I'm not seeing him anywhere."
"Let's just say that a rescue attempt went horribly wrong," Ike responded, uncomfortable with providing the answer. "As for Ganondorf, I haven't seen him all day." With Ragnell still in his hands, he patiently stood still for whatever unpleasant fate awaited him. It took a meager amount of time for the black-haired vampire to introduce the opponents for tonight's match, silencing the crowd in the process.
"You will now be facing the Jord-Marodörer, creatures that can take virtually any ground force by surprise. They are not fully integrated into our army and have yet to be utilized by the other captains, but they have experienced astounding success in the few battles they have taken part in. Only an incredibly powerful warrior can go even with or overpower these valuable assets to our organization. Pray that whatever you have in your possession can help turn the battle to your favor."
"And to think that this adventure couldn't get any uglier…" Toon Link moaned. Since he had no opportunity to replenish his supplies during the previous night, especially due to the poison that left him out for many hours, it was unreasonable to believe that this fight would be any easier. Nevertheless, it was his job as a hero and his ultimate duty as a Smasher to fight off evil forces, no matter how vicious they were. Speaking of poison, he now started to wonder how he was somehow cured of his condition...
May Hyrule's good deities bless us with the best of luck, Link, armed and ready, mentally pondered. While remaining still, the ground beneath his feet began to rumble, albeit weakly at first. Meanwhile, Ganondorf casually strolled into the pit with a blank look on his face.
They're coming, he pondered. While the rumbling slowly intensified, he slowly cracked his knuckles as a way of preparing himself for the upcoming battle. The red lighting irritated his eyes by a slight amount, an annoying property of what was otherwise an unremarkable addition to the environment. After a few seconds of waiting, the incoming terror was formally revealed in a way that nearly forced Toon Link and Pit to hop backwards.
CRACK!
"Ugh, they look even more disgusting than those stupid bugs!" Pit gasped. While some of the fighters thought otherwise, especially with the now-deceased Alpha specimen's look in mind, there was still a trace of undeniable ugliness inherent in the six foes suddenly emerging from the bloody ground. Like the Helvetingar before them, the wormlike Jord-Marodörer possessed wrinkled skin and pitch-black eyes that would have frightened a lesser person to the point of death. These were the only similarities, however. The earth-digging creatures were color in shades of dark blue and brown; the colors were, admittedly, not as disturbing as what was present on the bugs, but they were still not enough to detract from the ugly aura witnessed by the Smashers. The creatures were noted to be completely legless, and their mouths were home to elongated tongues hidden behind rows of flesh-piercing teeth. In comparison to the Smashers, they were also large enough to potentially swallow an unlucky victim whole. Overall, the Jord-Marodörer were just as intimidating as their insectoid comrades and possibly even their human owners.
"I wish you the best of luck, my friends…" Kristoff commented in an ironic yet caustic tone of voice. In his mind, it did not matter if the Smashers won or lost this fight. If they did get far enough, their last challenge would utterly crush them, for the force that awaited them was far stronger than any of the creatures used for the Snake's Pit. At the same time, the Lords resumed their continuous yelling. Once again, they were ready to witness massive amounts of bloodshed.
"Let's get this battle over with," Ganondorf grumbled under his breath. Not taking any chances this time around, he leaped into the air before crashing into a foe's head with the powerful Wizard's Foot. While rebounding from the attack, he also drove his sword into the spine of a second monster, which just so happened to be approaching him from the left. Pit attempted to launch an arrow from a spot of relative comfort; this attack ended in failure when his target sent out one of its tongues to capture him. Within seconds, the angel was smashed into the ground numerous times before getting tossed into the assortment of hanging corpses.
"I wish Lady Palutena could see this right now…" he slowly moaned. Not too far away, the two Links stood side-by-side as they worked with Zelda to fight off two of the incoming Jord-Marodörer, one of which had recovered from Ganondorf's earlier attack. While the Hylian monarch brought a Phantom into play, the swordsmen took a defensive stance when they noticed acidic projectiles and tongues flying into their direction. Despite being slower than the Helvetingar, the monstrous beasts were attacking at a pace quick enough to keep their foes busy. Link, upon seeing an opportunity to attack, fired off his Clawshot to reach the back of a charging worm. What caught him off-guard, however, was the intended target rolling along the ground to throw him off and nearly crush his body. Reactions with the speed of a jaguar were all that saved him from meeting a suffocating end. Ike, on the other end of the pit, plunged his sword into the ground when a foe came close to swallowing him whole.
BOOM!
The resulting blast left the wormlike monster with serious burns on the face and temporary blindness. To add on to the damage, the muscular mercenary started striking at the forehead with swings far quicker than what was expected of a heavier sword. Everything was progressing smoothly until a second foe dragged him down with one of its tongues. He was then launched into the carnage-soaked fence, with painful results.
Marth should be feeling incredibly lucky right now, he pondered. His sword was used to counter a slapping attack from the same opponent that tossed him. At least he isn't stuck inside this hellish environment.
"If I had Power in my grasp, I would have laid waste to every single one of these worms in an instant," Ganondorf sighed. With no way of contacting Lillian or becoming a ferocious beast that was unrivaled in raw power, taking down the gargantuan worms would have to be done the old-fashioned way. He soared into the air with one leg pointing at the ceiling, complete with a trail of smoke emerging from the foot. With a short grunt heard by nobody but himself, he plummeted like a nuclear warhead while right above one of the Jord-Marodöder, and as soon as he came within striking distance…
BOOM!
The resulting explosion decimated a large chunk of the creature's flesh, revealing a jet-black layer of organic tissue underneath. A low roar echoed throughout the room, its deep and throaty characteristics starkly contrasting with the high-pitched shrieks of the Helvetingar. Dozens of Lords increased the intensity of their yelling as they witnessed the spectacular display of magical pyrotechnics, although they were not doing so out of support for the Gerudo. If anything, they were only displaying their hatred of him, especially since he was the one who brought last night's battle to an abrupt end.
"Let's see if I can find the weaknesses of these worms," he grunted. He conjured an electrical sphere to stun his main foe, though the blob of acid launched by the same creature forced him to crouch down. When they started reaching out for his flesh at multiple angles, he swiftly sliced apart all but one of the slimy tongues. The one that managed to avoid the fate of its counterparts performed a maneuver that surprised even Kristoff.
SQUELCH!
"Impressive…" the vampire sighed; his voice projected away from the microphone. "I have never seen one of these creatures perform such an action." The tongue tore through the Gerudo's flesh and nearly punctured one of his lungs. Admittedly, the pain felt by him was severe and, for a short moment in time, left him paralyzed. It was only through a sudden jerk from the creature's direction that he suddenly plunged his sword into the ground to break free from the tongue's grip. With Pit's help, he then inflicted enough physical blows to leave the creature disoriented for the time being. Meanwhile, Zelda's Phantom was sustaining major damage from acid being fired in its direction. Granted, its sword did stun a few of the worms and even left one with serious injuries, though its advantages of power and high durability were not helping it in the long run. Toon Link, who stood close to the monarch herself, held up his shield to prevent a blob of caustic fluids from striking his face.
SPLASH! Sssss…
The younger fighter's shield kept most of his body safe, the former's theoretically perfect defense only ruined by several drops flying past it to strike the owner at his cap and even at the very edge of his forehead. Despite how tiny the droplets were, he felt several nerves ignite in a way that was never experienced during the most painful of Smash battles. Now overcome by panic, Toon Link yanked his cap off and proceeded to grind the affected area against the ground, ignoring the threatening Jord-Marodörer and the fact that his wounds could get infected by contact with foreign agents, especially those from blood. Zelda, noticing the sudden defeat of her Phantom and the ever-increasing bleakness of the situation, decided to tap into a special type of magic to help her comrades. While concentrating, a veil of light began to swallow her body whole, and then…
POOF!
"Teleportation… from here?" Kristoff gasped. He started to wonder if the Hylian had somehow bypassed the room's shielding or not; earlier today, he had even double-checked for any problems found within said shielding, which there were none. A second cloud of magic then appeared in the room, with a thin figure suddenly bursting out of it.
POW!
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about," Pit chirped. Zelda, having pounded an attacking worm's eyes, was now in the guise of Sheik, an agile fighter whose appearance was borrowed from members of the Sheikah tribe. Barring the red eyes, her face was obscured by a veil over the mouth and parts of her lighter hair. Her uniform was colored with varying shades of blue, ranging from light blue at the shoes and outer thighs to navy blue at the forearms and inner thighs. Pieces of white cloth were wrapped around her ponytail, wrists, fingers, and upper scalp. The torso was branded with an eyelike symbol decorated with three red triangles pointing upward and a long marking facing downward. Her appearance was complete by a long scarf on her neck and a knife along her right hip.
"May Nayru guide me to victory," she, in a deeper voice, sighed. With a short grunt, she tossed needles right into the eyes of one particularly aggressive foe.
SPLACK!
Inside the castle, same time…
"…" Marth kept his head low throughout the dinner taking place inside the castle's dining room. While some of the Temple Knights, Elice, Caeda, Malledus, and a few servants prevented loneliness from setting in, he was still plagued by a strong feeling that was lingering in his mind since being separated from Ike. Anger it was not, but instead, guilt hanged over his head like a dark cloud. Twice now had he left an ally inside a place that was Hell incarnate to anyone who was not on good terms with the proprietors, and he could only imagine how Master Hand would react if he were to obtain word regarding several losses within the organization. Worst yet, if he did hear about how the Smashers in Altea were led to their untimely demises, he could very well expel the Archanean king from the Smash Mansion, and all that would take was the snap of a few fingers. If he wanted to remain on good terms with the mighty commentator and leader, then the young king had to rescue his allies, no matter how dangerous or ominous the adventure became.
"You look disturbed, Your Majesty," Malledus quipped. "What's on your mind?"
"To think that going back to the hideout was a good idea…" Marth slowly replied. "Only a shallow-minded fool would think that. Now I have no means of quickly reaching my allies if I wanted to do so, and on top of that, traveling back and forth between this town and the mountains will be such a chore to deal with. Furthermore, I fear that the others are already dead by now… I need to contact a person who knows about their well-being."
While temporarily leaving the dining room, the Hero-King established a connection with Lillian, who was still resting in the comfort of the mansion. Both Caeda and Malledus took note of the way his face appeared. The stress of the whole situation was starting to overcome him; if things continued to worsen, his mind would implode from the weight of his shortcomings and losses. Elice, on the other hand, was plagued by the sinister voice's hissings for the second time.
Oh, just look at these people. Their blood will be so delicious… Wouldn't you agree, Princess?
"Marth, it appears that you have something to tell me," Lillian spoke to the king. "What is it?"
"Lillian, how are the others?" muttered he. "I have been separated from them for most of the journey and I need to know if they are still alive."
"Though you have interrupted me in the middle of an important action, I will see if they are still among the living." The maiden paused for a few seconds to perform what had been requested of her. As he waited, Marth struggled to figure out what she had meant by "an important action". Was she doing something behind the entire organization's back? Now that his mind was focused on the question, he was brought back to the moment when he noticed her in the living room. At that point, he once believed that her kind possessed the potential to deceive others to fulfill their own dirty goals. And throughout the adventure, he almost forgot about that possibility, but it was those three words that suddenly rejuvenated suspicion of her. If he ever returned to the mansion, he would have to start an investigation on her.
"They are still alive, but most of them have weak traces of Igel in their bodies," Lillian spoke. "Only Ike is still healthy. Igel is a dangerous poison immune to most known cures and can kill in minutes. Vit Hjärta is the only serum available for those who have fallen victim to poisoning."
"I see," Marth sighed. "Also, did you know that Lina Lindqvist's group has vampires? I think we should alert the other groups, if they are still away from the Smash Mansion, about this. There might be vampires in other worlds."
The maiden, unexpectedly, did not respond. In fact, just seconds after she heard Marth's comment, she abruptly severed all contact with him. It was here that his suspicion continued to grow. He tried to think otherwise, but her latest action was now leading him to assume that she had hidden motives that would possibly spell doom for the Smashers. He could only hope that he was not the only person who was starting to have second thoughts about trusting her. Deeply enveloped in increasing distrust was his mind that he himself almost failed to take note of the loud hissing and subsequent yelling from the dining room.
HISSSSSS!
He focused on the large doors behind him as he feared the worst. That had better not be what he thought it was!
SLAM!
Presented in front of him was a scene of Elice, now surrounded by Temple Knights, attempting to attack Caeda with her still-growing fangs. The sharp teeth appeared to extend from her gums as she prepared to drink blood. Malledus, with the help of a servant, began pulling the princess away from the stunned queen. Luck suddenly took a turn for the worse when the young woman slapped the advisor to the ground before punching the younger man into an unlucky Temple Knight. Marth was filled with horror as he noticed the expression on his sister's face; no longer was it peaceful and sweet, for it was now filled with a ravenous character commonly seen on hungry predators. It also appeared outright murderous, almost as if Elice was seeking to bloodily punish Caeda for something she had done, no manner how innocent the queen was. Several Temple Knights attempted to intervene, but all of them were pushed back by the princess.
"NO!" Marth yelled. Rushing past the fallen soldiers, he lowered his body before swiftly pinning Elice to the ground. As support, he pressed the flat portion of Falchion's blade against her throat. The princess, driven mad by her thoughts, immediately resorted to fighting back via fierce scratching of the face in front of her. Her nails failed to meet flesh, but they did force Marth to keep his head up for a full minute or so. Malledus, still on the floor, kept Elice's arms restrained until she finally calmed down. Once her mental state fell back into normal parameters, the princess was almost unconscious from a lack of oxygen, resulting in her taking a huge breath as Falchion was removed from her throat.
"Marth…?" she sighed, now overcome by guilt. "I… I am sorry… I attacked Caeda when she tried to comfort me… I was trying to fight off… a voice in my head… It told me to kill everyone in this room… As soon as she came close to me…"
"You weren't in control, Elice," Marth asserted. "The magic inside you is slowly taking over. As soon as you are done with dinner, why don't you rest up for a while?"
Although many of the room's inhabitants were left disturbed by this latest incident, the dinner continued without further ado.
Inside the Snake's Pit…
"RRRAAAGH!" Ganondorf yelled. Ignoring the fact that his opponent was regenerating from its wounded state, he glided across the front of its body with his sword, producing a massive incision that bled out onto the environment. With the addition of a Warlock Punch to the head, the unlucky Jord-Marodör was left horribly mutilated and stunned for a few seconds. Only a nearby comrade, through the utilization of acid, spared it from any further damage.
Ssssss…!
"This…again…!" The Gerudo was forced to sacrifice the integrity of his cape to wipe off the substance burning through his skin, and his actions left him distracted long enough to get tossed around by the same enemy that previously attacked him. Predictably, he was forced to teleport when he was about to be grabbed again. Ike, who was trapped in one of the pit's corners, was ruthlessly whipped by numerous tongues that allowed no opportunities for a counterattack. He swung Ragnell to give himself some breathing room, but only one tongue was sliced apart. The others continued to harass him like there was no tomorrow.
"Must break free…!" he grunted. As a last resort, he decided to perform one of his most well-known moves, a move which he had learn during the struggle for Crimea's well-being.
WHOOSH…
"Aether!" Ragnell was thrown into the air before it was caught by Ike and then sent on a downward path, slicing apart any tentacle that attempted to halt its momentum. Upon landing, Ike executed a second strike that split the creature's upper mouth in half. Also, because of Sol, a special skill from his world, Ike felt the mending of some of his wounds when he was finished with his attack. Not content with stopping his assault, the mercenary proceeded to slice apart the rest of the tongues that sought to either impale or strangle him.
"Now's my chance," he grunted. Barely dodging a fatal shot of acid, he baited the monster into swallowing him so that he could find a way of destroying it from the inside. Meanwhile, Sheik and Pit were dishing out significant damage with their attacks against a Jord-Marodör. Arrows and bombs held by chains allowed blackened blood to spray onto the environment, although they did not stop the creature's healing factor from doing its job.
"Dang," Pit chirped, "These creatures can take a lot of punishment-"
CRACK!
"YOW!" A single foe from behind utilized its rear to whip the angel with surprising speed. Sheik tapping into her mystical powers to teleport from danger and to where her ally was about to land. With the strength in her body, she strongly withstood the pain resulting from someone colliding into her. Her success, unfortunately, was cut short when a Jord-Marodör popped her into the air with an earth-rattling bounce.
THUD!
Both Smashers were subsequently mowed down by a foe approaching from the right. Meanwhile, the two Links were struggling against the two monsters that left them backed into a corner.
"C'mon, this can't be happening to us," Toon Link moaned. Fatigue was the unseen specter strangling his body to the point of exhaustion, even when ignoring the wounds sustained in the battles, and it was putting him at a disadvantage against the worms. His boomerangs, though handy at long distances, were ineffective due to their lackluster power, which decreased even further as time passed by. His swings were becoming increasingly slower, leaving him more open to counterattacks. In his mind, it was only a matter of time before he was to meet his end, no matter how bravely he struggled. The older Link was also starting to tire out, but his higher endurance stopped from being as severely affected as his cartoony counterpart.
SLASH!
The Master Sword sliced through two tongues in one swing, further contaminating the ground with foreign objects. To keep the creature from recovering, Link launched one of his last arrows into the void of a right eye.
SPLACK!
The older swordsman was quick to shield his ears from the roaring that ensued. Most of the other Smashers, however, were caught off-guard by this sudden event and were left with rattled heads. In fact, Toon Link felt like he had just gone tone-deaf, for his ears were temporarily sapped of all functioning. Ike, the only other fighter not affected by the horrible noise, was close to a strange multitude of organs with the same glow as the Alpha Helveting's only heart. After cutting through the walls of the digestive tract, he realized that the five pulsating objects in front of him were vaguely shaped like rings, occupying most of the creature's circumferential space. The mercenary was unfamiliar with the anatomy of worms, much less monstrous ones, but the glow was likely a sign of utmost importance. He attempted to contact Lillian about this discovery, only to come across one problem…
I see she isn't getting my call, were the words dashing in his mind. Ignorant of the magical barrier surrounding the room, he made a second attempt at contacting the mysterious maiden, which ended in failure. Annoyed by the lack of communication, he made the choice of taking matters into his own hands. With the power of Ragnell by his side, he created a far-reaching wound that transcended thick skin and opened new pathways for blood to spread its aesthetic influence. Low rumblings from the terrible roaring failed to distract him, and once he was finished with his final blow against the creature, he was suddenly thrust, by his own choice, back into the environment of the horrifying pit. The low moaning of the defeated creature drowned out the higher-pitched yelling of the Lords and the painful noises from injured Smashers.
THUD!
"One down…" Kristoff gasped. He had never expected one of the Smashers to eviscerate one of the Jord-Marodörer this early. It was difficult for him to admit, but the Smashers possessed the potential to easily and immediately surpass the Lords in terms of raw power. It was once predicted by him and Lina that they, the fighters, would perish from the Alpha specimen's raw power, but such a prediction had since been proven false. Likewise, it was also predicted that the Jord-Marodörer would, in lieu of the insectoid army's victory, rip apart their victims without mercy. But things were going down an unideal path; if necessary, he would have to change his plans for the Smashers. Ganondorf was the only exception, for his fate was already set in stone.
SSSSS!
"Not again!" Toon Link yelped. A burst of acid partly collided with his left elbow, with the resulting pain forcing him to drop his shield. Sheik did her best to protect him, although a single tongue eventually knocked her unconscious when it slammed her into the corpse-laden fence. The older Link tapped into the Spin Attack to keep numerous tongues at bay. Pit and Ganondorf were in the middle of the pit with two Jord-Marodörer, with each murderous worm seeking to make the life of each victim a living hell. Ike, now soaked in blood and ready to take down more hostiles, reunited with the Smashers to share important information with them.
"I found their weaknesses," he stated, almost out of breath.
"Wha…? Really?" Pit gasped. Relief dampened his body as he heard the first shred of good news for this night. "How do we put 'em down?"
"You need to destroy the glowing organs that are spread out across the creature's length. They're inside the body, of course, but a deeper cut across the back or sides should greatly benefit your efforts."
"Glowing organs… Just like the one noticed inside the Alpha Helveting, I'm assuming?" Ganondorf, who had just teleported to safety, questioned. "I must say, the Lords need to improve the design of each creature belong to them."
The blue-haired warrior kept his eyes locked on one of the worms attacking Link, who was desperately defending Sheik with every remaining iota of his physical strength. "Now that you have spoken, I have to agree. But, given the circumstances as of now, we should put aside our concerns for specific details. Let's give Link some assistance."
"Here we come, Link!" Pit, flapping his wings to boost the height of his jumps, now assumed the intent of helping the troubled Hylian, who was without a partner to back him up; Sheik was still unconscious, whereas Toon Link was being relentlessly chased by another one of the five remaining monsters. While falling through with his plan, he conjured a portable shield that blocked and even deflected a blob of dangerous acid. For all its usefulness, however, it was insufficient when it came to blocking a punishing blow from the creature's rear. In response, Ganondorf teleported right to his destination and almost commenced the bloody attack that was to pass. What halted him from carrying out his goals was the creature rolling around in self-defense, an action which almost left Link and Sheik painfully flattened. The King of Evil, never the person to accept a drawback in his plans, paralyzed his foe with a strong burst of electricity.
BBZZZZZ-ZAP!
"Now you're mine…" he deeply snarled. He felt his bloodlust being satiated as his blade was plunged into the stunned creature's back and then dragged across the entire length of its body. Screaming Lords and Ladies, aside from the almost-mute Kristoff, felt uncontrollable fury arise from within as they watched the second of the Jord-Marodörer succumb to death. Oh, they strongly felt like tearing off the Gerudo's head and feeding it to one of the remaining creatures…
"And the second has fallen," the vampire, with his back facing the pit, lamented. His right hand formed a shaking fist, subtly moving back and forth, as he spoke. "They, not the common folk, will feel anger flooding their minds if the creatures fail to wipe out the prisoners. I have shown much restraint throughout the past few days, but I feel that I should interfere to ensure that nobody, not even one of the fighters, will prevent us from obtaining the staff piece. However, the Gerudo has a different fate planned for him, which none of his allies are aware of."
WHAP!
"Ow…" Toon Link whimpered. The creature previously chasing him suddenly slapped him into the air and watched him fly into the new gate blocking the exit. Meanwhile, one of its comrades borrowed into the ground for a surprise attack on Link; the other two stood back and began spewing acid at the trio of Ike, Pit, and Ganondorf, retreating into the ground when the fighters started attacking them.
"Woah, looks like they're getting smarter," the angel chirped. "Man, I wish they could just-"
"Say no more, kid," Ganondorf interrupted. The last thing he needed was more annoyance from Pit. "Sometimes, I wish I could just kill you right now."
"What? I was just saying-"
CRACK!
"What!" Ike felt his body freeze as he watched Link get swallowed and then regurgitated by one of the reemerging worms. Sheik, now recovering from her unconsciousness, was also stunned by the sight of her most reliable warrior getting launched into the hanging corpses above. The unfortunate swordsman was beaten down by the weight of a few carcasses, which was already terrible enough for just about any fighter, much less any Hylian, but such injuries were only the prelude to something far more life-threatening.
SPLACK!
"I suppose he can join the corpses in a state of perpetual decay," Kristoff, with a small smirk, commented. He felt a shred of relief as he watched Link, who had just been impaled by an unoccupied hook, scream with furious agony. The Hylian felt like he had just experienced an internal organ being ripped from his body, an action which no one, not even the dreaded Ganondorf, had done to him. The sheer pain of it all was weakening his grip on the shield and sword he cherished the most, and his vision was losing stability because of immediate blood loss. He desperately struggled to free himself, but the hook's shape and his rapid decline in stamina kept him hopelessly locked in place. Only a rescue would save him from a slow death, but assistance was limited. Most of the other Smashers were distracted by the four remaining monsters in the pit; only Sheik was available for help.
"Farore, give him the courage to keep moving forward," the nimble warrior muttered under her breath. She teleported to where the wounded Smasher was at before gently liberating him from his would-be resting place. A Jord-Marodör attempted to dissolve both Hyrule natives, failing only when the Sheikah warrior teleported again, this time to relative safety. Meanwhile, Ike stunned his nearest foe, who had reemerged from the ground to attack, with the fiery Eruption. This furious attack completely scorched the worm's face and left it disoriented long enough for the mercenary to deliver the killing blow. Ragnell once again tasted blood as it ate through its victim's five hearts and left behind a clean cut in the wrinkled flesh. Ganondorf pushed himself to imitate the swordsman's action, albeit with little success; while he did teleport into the creature's gut, he was regurgitated almost immediately.
"Three dead…" Kristoff, with a feeling of dread, whispered. This was not how he imagined things to be.
CRACK! SHINK!
"AIEE!" Pit felt enormous pain as an emerging foe impaled one of his wings with a powerful tongue. His blades were helpful in cutting a few tongues apart, including the one that just attacked him, but the damage had already been done. Concern flooded his mind as he remembered one vital aspect of being an angel.
"I hope my wings don't get torn up, and if they do, I'm a freakin' goner," he moaned before resuming the fight. While Ike was out assisting Ganondorf in attacking one of the creatures, Toon Link gathered the strength to crawl from his resting place. It was only after he looked to his left that he realized how serious his counterpart's latest injury was.
"Ouch, that looks like it hurts big time," he mumbled. Sheik was close to Link and continuously examined the severity of his wound. The hook had punched a hole just beneath the fallen Hylian's ribs, almost tearing through a lung, and gave the two bystanders the opportunity to literally see right through him, even when clothing and blood were in the way. Link himself was wincing in pain despite his willpower, and his groaning was loud enough to be heard over the heavy shouting.
"Hey, do you have anything that might help him out?" Toon Link spoke again, now directing his attention to Sheik.
"Regrettably, I have nothing in my possession to mend his wounds," the veiled fighter responded. "The best we can do for him is to defeat the rest of the Jord-Marodörer. There are only three of those foul creatures left standing, so we must join the others in finishing this desperate fight."
"Yeah, I can't wait to rest up for the night… if the Lords even allow it." The younger swordsman, avoiding the giant corpses, then rushed over to Ike's position to act as assistance despite having no bombs and only one arrow. Pit's bow nailed several arrows into the back of an attacking worm, but none of the magical projectiles traveled far enough to puncture any of the five hearts. Ike rushed forward with a burst of absurd speed, which came close to striking the same foe.
WHOOSH…
The worm quickly retreated into one of the pit's existing holes and remained in the ground to discourage the Smashers from pursuing it. Therefore, the focus of the battle was inevitably shifted to the monsters left on the surface. Ike and Ganondorf directed their attacks at the leftmost foe, leaving the other Smashers, barring Link and Sheik, to attack the one on the right. Toon Link launched his final arrow into a black eyeball, dealing minor damage and significant blindness. Pit was swallowed and then regurgitated into the air by the now-angered creature; had he not utilized his wings to control his path and safely land on a Jord-Marodör's corpse, he would have easily suffered the same fate as Link.
"Man, that was SCARY," the angel squeaked in relief. "I'm glad I didn't get caught by one of those rusty things."
"Aether!" Ike shouted. After a quick leap, he brought Ragnell down to cut his opponent's face open, and even though regenerative powers nullified any permanent effects of the wound, the power of Luna left the creature defensively weaker. The second slash nearly eviscerated an eye and drew significant amounts of black blood from the body. Ganondorf, being the opportunist he had always been, approached from behind to begin cutting away at the glowing hearts. He successfully sliced apart one with his sword, but just when he was about to move on to the second…
WHAM!
"Impossible!" the Gerudo painfully roared. The worm suddenly snapped a part of its body into the air, leaving the would-be slayer soaring and separated from his sword. Numerous tongues reached out for the two Smashers confronting the monster, and the fact that some were sliced apart did little to deter the rest from capturing their targets. Ike held Ragnell close to his side when one slimy extension tried to disarm him. When it felt like the pressure was getting too heavy for him, he responded with a swift counterattack that gave him some time to evade. Ganondorf, still reeling from the earlier blow, was ensnared and pushed to the point of strangulation.
"No… You will not have me…" The Gerudo directed his mental focus to the powers of teleportation, allowing for an easy escape and the retrieval of his precious blade. Upon noticing what its adversary was doing, the Jord-Marodör attempted to launch him again, but Ike successfully unleashed a full-power Eruption on its forehead to leave it burned and unable to properly fight back. With a fit of chuckling, the King of Evil dug deep into the giant worm's back and sliced it open in seconds.
SLASH! Squelch… SLASH!
He took things a step further and proceeded to horizontally bisect the creature from the inside. Black blood dripped from his body as he floated in triumph, much to the chagrin of the spectators. Link and Kristoff were also angered by this event, albeit not as strongly.
"The fourth is done for…" the vampire hissed, unable to accept the success of the Smashers anymore.
Who does he think he is, a perfect warlock? Link pondered. Standing back up, he took note of Ganondorf's different failures throughout the years, barring the one time when he was said to have found success in a different timeline.
"Please, Link," Sheik demanded, "You must rest your body for the time being." The mystical fighter felt great concern from the thought of the swordsman overexerting himself in battle.
"I… can walk," was his response. His incentive to keep standing was none other than Ganondorf. If anything, he was not going to let that foul Gerudo steal all the glory available for the taking, regardless of the injuries he, the hero, previously sustained.
"If you are going to travel around the Snake's Pit, I shall accompany you." Sheik remained close to her friend and ally as he limped from his resting place. It was better for him to be protected by someone, a friend to be more exact, in the case of an unexpected attack. On the other side of the pit, Pit, Ganondorf, and Ike all combined their attacks to completely rip apart their common foe, with Toon Link providing extra firepower.
SL-SL-SLASH!
"Where did that last worm go…?" Kristoff asked himself in a near-inaudible tone. The difference between victory and defeat was now dependent on the last Jord-Marodör's survival. If it was slain…
"Well, I guess we can just rest now," Pit mumbled. "I mean, there're no more enemies to deal with, right?"
"Not exactly, Pit," Ike rebutted. As the one remaining creature was still alive, there was no way that this skirmish was over. "I saw one of those things go underground, and it never came back up. It might be running away, but I can't shake the feeling that it might be planning something of a higher magnitude… something that could very well mean the end for us."
"Yes, that is possible," Sheik whispered. "I myself am skeptical about that monster's return, but that does not mean we shouldn't prepare ourselves for that scenario."
"You speak of powerful wisdom," Ganondorf remarked. He plunged his dripping blade into the ground, exchanging blood for small pieces of dirt. "Perhaps we should take cautious actions, maybe even descend down one of the holes."
"Yeah," Toon Link added. "I guess we should go down-"
His sentence remained unfinished when he felt the ground beneath him rumble. Vibrations were initially subtle, either hardly felt by the Smashers or, in Pit's case, not even felt at all. The Lords, who had previously exhibited furious shouting, suddenly fell silent as they also felt the small tremors. As the rumbling intensified, Kristoff, perhaps the only person who failed to experience any degree of alarm or tension, was slapped in the face by a sudden revelation.
"The worm…" he sighed. "It's dispelling the earth beneath the Snake's Pit." With his last words, the ground suddenly cracked before imploding into the depths of the earth.
"Huh?!" Toon Link squealed. He fired off his own Clawshot to save himself, but the device only latched onto a decaying corpse. When the ground finally lost the final piece of its integrity, the rotten skin easily gave way under the weight of the young warrior. Sheik and Link attempted to teleport and latch on to a solid object, respectively; neither Smasher was successful in his or her endeavor, especially when the latter's reflexes were slowed by his wounds. The giant corpses also fell to the blackness below, and the Smashers descending with them shuffled around to avoid death by crushing. Only Ganondorf and Pit were spared from the chaotic event.
"Enjoy the final segment of your second challenge, my friends," Kristoff commented. "If you can defeat the last Jord-Marodör, you shall move on to your final test."
"Oh, you betcha!" Pit chirped with a confident grin. As he descended to even lower altitudes, he could hear an annoyed groan from the Gerudo.
Inside the torture room, past the blood chamber...
SQUELCH…
"Ah, you will be another one remembered by me," Lina, having emasculated another victim, giggled. While ignoring the screams, the now-robed vampire placed the removed organs into the box containing what she had removed from her previous male captives. She then decapitated the innocent man with her blade, allowing herself to earn yet another taste of fresh blood. Everything was pleasant until the tremor from below reared its head.
"What?!" she gasped. The structure of her high heels was extraordinarily fragile against the force shaking the hideout. Alarmed, she struggled to drag herself out of the room. "What is happening in the Snake's Pit?!"
Seconds before impact, Ike plunged Ragnell into the dirt wall closest to him, bringing his descent to a screeching halt. Sheik and the two Links also tried to avoid falling to their deaths, but the unstable pieces of dirt they chose to hang from stopped them from being just as lucky; all three were injured and knocked unconscious upon striking the unstable ground. Ganondorf and Pit floated down to relative safety, albeit without comfort due to the reemergence of the last monster.
"Time for some more action!" Pit exclaimed. As the Jord-Marodör prepared to spit another caustic projectile, the angel prepared his shield for immediate use. The potentially fatal shot was fired from the creature's mouth, and the metallic barrier was raised…
SPLACK! SSSSSS…
"Ah! Lady Palutena had better be seeing this!" The unfortunate fighter was left grounded as his right wing suffered the burning associated with powerful acids. His only method of reducing the overall amount of damage received was to bury the feathered addition into the ground, and that was exactly what he did. But it was still too late to prevent serious damage that could very well be permanent. Meanwhile, the still-floating Ganondorf launched an electrical blast from his left hand, which was swiftly avoided by the monstrous worm. A second blast was fired, though it also failed to leave a lasting mark on its target. Frustrated, the Gerudo teleported to the creature's back.
WHAP!
He was stunned and disarmed by the same attack that pushed him back the first time around. Even worse, his pain increased to a higher level when two tongues impaled him in the chest and buried him into the ground. The final blow, which was not stopped by Ike tossing Ragnell at the creature, was a powerful body-slam that shook the earth.
Crack…!
The Gerudo felt immense pain as he felt the monster's weight crush him. In fact, his physical injuries were so serious that they began to eat away at his mental concentration, effectively stopping him from teleporting. This event was extremely humiliating for him, the one who was known to Hyrule and beyond as the King of Evil; prior to this adventure, his most embarrassing moment was his easy defeat at the hands of Tabuu, who led the Subspace hordes into the serene World of Trophies. Of course, he had been oblivious to the tyrannical man's true power, but it still baffled him that he could be bested in a serious battle by someone other than Link or Zelda. And now, this scenario was serving him an unpleasant dinner: disbelief with a side of crushing pain. He hated to admit it, but someone was now required to rescue him from death.
"Not… like this…" he croaked. The creature crushed him again, only redirecting its attention to Ike when it was hit with a dose of Aether. Pit also made the effort to attack, though he was stopped cold by the worm swallowing and then spitting a chunk of the ground at him; he was knocked unconscious within the next few seconds. Ike, now the only fighter still capable of battling, sliced apart no less than five incoming tongues, which, as with all tongues in the other creatures, slowly regenerated thereafter. Through the extremely dim lighting, the mercenary used some of the corpses around him as protection from the burning acid launched at him, but he also made sure that none of his partners were left to die. His constant traveling around the pit maintained a firm grip on the monster's attention, preventing what would have otherwise been inevitable. The ground was unstable, however, and refused to allow easy movement throughout the collapsed pit. A minute or two passed before the Jord-Marodör lost its patience and opted for a more direct approach.
WHOOSH…
"This damn beast just won't give up…" Ike grunted. Having narrowly avoided a whipping attack with the strength to launch a smaller target, he ascended a nearby hill before leaping with a furious yell. Ragnell, in its purest glory, was pointed at the small area between the creature's eyes. The holy blade was ready to taste corrupted blood and deliver justice in the name of all that was good. Such an opportunity was abruptly delayed, rather unfortunately, when the worm rolled away, forcing the blunt fighter to miss his mark and nearly strike Ganondorf by accident. He tried to perform Eruption to give him some time, only to be ensnared by an incoming tongue. While being yanked forward, the sword slipped from his hands and buried itself into the uneven ground.
"Curse it all!" he yelled. While his physical strength was nothing to joke about, it still failed to break the absurdly powerful grip of the slimy tongue. The creature, now recognizing its victim as disarmed and incapable of causing destruction, filled its mouth with a potential meal. As this disturbing scene unraveled, Ganondorf, who was teetering on the edge of consciousness, felt burning concern in his mind as he considered what might happen to him.
"If that… thing… gets me while I… am disarmed…" he sputtered. Determined to win the fight, he slowly crawled over to where his sword was located. He still could not teleport because of his injuries, no matter how strongly he desired to do so. During the slow crawl, the Gerudo observed the other Smashers and took note of their incapacitated states; Pit was also noted to have a deformed wing, perhaps damaged by a caustic attack. Amazingly, the task to retrieve the sword was successfully executed without detection by the horrible worm, mostly due to the small hills and corpses keeping him obscured.
"If that worm thinks I am done for, then it is sorely mistaken," he grunted, focusing on slowly standing back up. With his precious weapon in hand, he stood still to regain the strength previously lost to major injuries. Although the Triforce of Power was not around to assist him, his endurance was still beyond that of the average humanoid. It had always been the reason why he could withstand serious punishment in years past, and it was not disappearing anytime soon. The waiting period soon expired by choice, leaving the warlock to attack the worm yet again. His sword was raised for the kill…
Inside the beast, Ike tumbled around as he furiously struggled to maintain his footing. Slippery was the floor beneath him, lacking the ability to provide friction for anything standing on it. The fact that the beast was constantly traveling around the unstable terrain only worsened matters for the muscular hero, and the lack of lighting also worked against him. His tumbling continued to drag him even deeper into the giant worm's body, all the way to the area where full digestion supposedly took place. Notwithstanding his lack of knowledge on the anatomy of worms, he was quick to observe the pool of acid in front of him. For some reason, the caustic substance possessed a subtle glow tinted with a hint of yellow. It was not as strong as the glowing hearts located above him, but it was still there. This strange property was never noticed during the earlier part of the fight, possibly due to the red lights.
"Something tells me that acid doesn't glow…" he whispered to himself. "And if this substance is the same acid being used to attack us, then I must keep my distance. I would rather not go back to the Smash Mansion as a dissolved corpse." Turning around, Ike began his trek out of the monster's body, staying close to the organic walls. Harsh movements started to worsen when he was farther away from the acid, but what he failed to realize was that the worm was about to confront Ganondorf, the survivor of brutal crushing and a man who sought the imminent defeat of his foe. Tongues, even in dim lighting, were seen leaving their resting places to attack the Gerudo, which gave the mercenary an idea.
"If I can grab one of those tongues before it leaves the mouth, I will escape this disgusting place. I just hope nothing goes wrong while I execute my plan."
Outside, Ganondorf was levitating from the ground, albeit barely, as he prepared to slice apart several tongues. His bulky sword tasted blood within the next few seconds, though it failed to eliminate an incoming threat seeking to impale its owner. The warlock, now feeling the need for a more aggressive approach, mustered the strength to teleport right to the monster's forehead, where he then delivered a powerful Warlock Punch.
BOOOOOOMM!
As the Jord-Marodör experienced enormous pain and temporarily lost a chunk of its flesh, its tongues reached out to kill the threat at hand, but it was also, albeit unwittingly, removing Ike from its digestive tract. The Crimean hero, now freed from his place of confinement, retrieved his sword and drove it into his final opponent's forehead after ascending the same hill from before. Ignoring the loud and painful roaring, he kept his focus on the five hearts sustaining the monster's regenerative powers. Fast rolling did force him to temporarily abandon his objective, but his quick speed saved him from being thrown off and possibly crushed. Ragnell dived into the wrinkled domain of its last victim for the last night…
SHINK… RRRRRRIP!
"And so, it finally ends…" Ganondorf commented. After watching the mercenary destroy the five hearts with only his sword, the Gerudo rushed in to deliver an extension of the finishing blow. Specifically, he utilized his own blade to bisect the creature at an angle perpendicular to what Ike had left behind. The creature gave one last roar, this one signaling defeat, as black blood and caustic acid poured from its mutilated body. Strangely enough, the fallen Smashers were not disturbed by this noise in any way, not even stirring themselves awake. With the last monster's fall, Ganondorf and Ike finally took the time to settle down and wait for what was next. They hoped the next event was nothing too unpleasant, but such a thought was overshadowed by the revelation stemming from the fall of all hostile creatures.
The battle was finally over.
"I wonder what'll happen now…" Ike muttered to himself. As he buried Ragnell into the ground, he caught the sight of the Lindqvist siblings floating down from what was left of the Snake's Pit. Kristoff looked the same as he did during earlier nights and hours, but Lina was now wearing the signature cloak of the captains. Additionally, when she pulled the hood from her head, her hair was revealed to be tied into a bun.
"I was never expecting all this to happen," the brother commented, referring to the pit's collapse, "But you have proven to be powerful in the face of adversity. You have completed the second round."
"What will you do to us?" Ike responded, rearmed and struggling to keep his cool. Ganondorf remained still and emotionless as he waited for what was next.
"Oh, you will find out in due time," Lina giggled with a slight smirk. "Right now, you should be asleep." As soon as she was within touching distance, she splashed the same pink mist used on the previous night over the mercenary's face. The greater amount of mist used in this instance was enough to completely knock the victim unconscious; while losing control of his body, he dropped his sword and left it buried into the ground. With one conscious fighter subdued, the female vampire redirected her attention to the Gerudo.
"And as for you, dear Ganondorf… We have something special planned for you." Her fangs were noted by the King of Evil to be absent, possibly hidden in her upper gums, yet she appeared no less threatening.
"We would like for you to come with us," Kristoff added. He and his sister approached Ganondorf in a deliberately slow manner, almost as if prolonging the inevitable. The fighter was silent and still, not flinching for one second.
Inside the elderly man's home, the following night…
"Your Majesty," the owner sighed, having finished his phone call, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that my friends will be available for assistance. They will help you track down the girl."
"Wonderful, good sir," the prince replied. "What about the bad news?"
The man looked away for a second. "The bad news is that there is heavy Lord-related activity in their area, especially in the form of minor assaults on their hideout. Furthermore, some of my friends cannot travel out in the daylight for reasons that will become obvious later. We shall wait until the tomorrow night."
"I understand, sir. If it means reuniting with her, then I will wait. In the meantime, I would like to have some warm tea."
"As you wish." The older man left the room to brew several cups of fresh tea. He hoped this would help relax the young monarch's mind… and his own.
Inside the castle, midnight…
"I need to use our standing army to attack the hideout," Marth, now dressed in a long robe, sighed as he stared into the bedroom's mirror. Behind him were the sleeping Caeda and Elice, both resting in the large bed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to such an action, but as my allies are stuck inside that cursed place and the staff has been destroyed, I have no other choice. I have already asked the soldiers if they had a warp staff in hand, but they lack one altogether. And it will take a good amount of time for a new one to be created. For Elice, I will have a few Temple Knights and Malledus watch over her transformation. In the most ideal scenario, I may run into the vampire responsible for the attack and execute him or her, but fate doesn't always play out the way I want it to, so I must watch out for the possibility of failure. Malledus did not say whether Elice's transformation, upon completion, was permanent or not, but I hope that I can still save her if she does succumb. The weight of this adventure is truly heavy; it is beginning to remove hope from my mind, and so, I must remain strong in body and spirit. Many people are counting on me: Lillian and the people from her kingdom, beloved Elice, dearest Caeda, generous Master Hand, trustworthy Malledus, the commoners, and the Smashers scattered throughout the realms. Anri never gave up during his battles, and neither should I. For now, I will sleep to rejuvenate myself. I can only hope the dawn will guide me to victory…"
The Hero-King, tired and wishing for the heralding of tomorrow, silently strolled over to his bed before crawling onto it. His eyelids slowly closed as they entered another period of rest. He and his wife soon sailed away into a sea of unconsciousness without experiencing problems, especially those of the more nightmarish sort. Elice, while visibly asleep, was encountered by the voice for the third time. Once again, the demonic speaker assumed an appearance nearly identical to her counterpart's, barring the glowing eyes, extremely sharp fangs, bloody mouth, and evil expressions.
Aww… You must be asleep right now, the doppelgänger sneered. Her smile, sinister as ever, tore through any calmness left in the unfortunate princess. Pity… If you were awake like most vampires, you would already be tasting the blood of your brother and sister-in-law. But, given your current state, I guess that will need to be for another time. I know you can hear me, Princess. I know every thought buried within the darkest confines of your mind. I see everything you see and feel everything you feel. I am the hidden portion of your personality awakened by the offering of blood, the part of your mental self that you try to deny. I represent the liberation of your mind and body from the restraints that have been constricting you since birth. And soon, when the sixth day comes… I. Will. Become. One. With. You.
Elice shook slightly as she was unnerved by that long statement. She never desired to listen to anything the imaginary clone had to say, and she was not going to listen now. Marth was still around to save her from the source of physical and mental corruption.
Enjoy the rest of your mortal life while it lasts. You will soon become a loyal servant to the Svärtad Orm…
The princess awoke as soon as her counterpart started fading into the darkness. The room seemed normal at first glance; Marth and Caeda were resting on top of the bed, the gloomy darkness of the night was still present, and silence continued to dominate the soundscape of the area.
"Just a dream…" she sighed. With nothing else to do, she fell back into her slumber.
With the Rosträdgårdian prince, on the fourth night…
"Now is the time to leave, Prince," the elderly man announced. While guiding the prince, who was now clothed in a simple green uniform and a gray cloak to keep his identity safe, towards the front of the home, he came across the sight of his own vehicle: a golden automobile powered by magic and technology currently available to the kingdom. There were no wheels on the vehicle, for they were substituted by panels capable of defying gravity and rear-facing thrusters powerful enough to move heavier objects. Steam vents were present to rid the engine of excess heat in the event of mechanical problems. The windows were dark in color, yet they still possessed some degree of translucency. On the rear bumper was a panel with the following combination of letters and numbers:
QFL 082
The prince and elderly man, not saying anything, stepped into the comfort of the vehicle. As the ignition sequence came to pass, the panels and thrusters exhibited a white glow identical to what was noticed on the most scorching stars. It took the entire system only seconds to launch from the hill holding up the commoner's home and soar into the skies above. The night allowed the beauty of numerous nebulae, colorful aurorae, three moons surrounding the planet, and a bright comet to be fully exposed to the bare eye. One moon was red and, compared to the other two, smaller; it appeared to be orbiting around the second moon, which was sulfur-colored, larger, and pocketed with craters. The third moon was on the other side of the sky, floating in relative solitude. It was white and marked by only a handful of craters, which were smaller and less numerous compared to the second moon. Had his focus not been placed on reaching the destination, the prince would have been easily mesmerized by the scenery's undeniable beauty.
"We should arrive at the destination in approximately thirty minutes," the elderly man, driving the vehicle, spoke. "We should have enough time to get things straightened out."
"Can't you go any faster?" the monarch questioned. In his mind, he feared that it might already be too late to reach the maiden's most recent location.
"Yes, but if I do so, we will alert possible threats in the area with loud noises. It is better for us to stay quiet and not draw attention to ourselves." The man continued to drive, determined to reach the destination as quickly as possible. The prince simply remained still, filled with a mixture of hope and dread. Lillian was perhaps the one person who could either end the war or, if captured, exacerbate it…
The Lindqvist siblings want me for something… What exactly their plans are, I have no clue. Earlier today, they haven't confirmed whether they believed my story or not, and I now wait for whatever has been planned for me. Also, I must admit to being… slightly anxious. If they refuse to accept my explanation, I will invariably be forced into the terrible slaughter. But if they do believe me…
No. I cannot make any assumptions, not yet. I must wait to see how everything plays out. No one else has suspected me of anything, which may either be beneficial or detrimental…
-Ganondorf Dragmire
A failed rescue… Another castration… The prince being aided… Ganondorf and the Lindqvists speaking to each other… Elice attacking Caeda (intentionally) and Malledus (accidentally)… Lillian suddenly cutting off communications… Giant, murderous worms… Creepy hallucinations and nightmares… Yep, this is one massive chapter. And things are not going to stop here, I assure you.
A/N:
-The name that I used for the giant worms is derived from the Swedish jord (earth) and marodörer (marauders-marodör is the singular form). So, not as creative as Helvetingar, but hey, it still works.
-In Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Sol is a sword-related ability used to drain HP from a foe. How much HP drained from the target is equivalent to how much damage was dealt. Luna, on the other hand, cuts a foe's defensive strength in half. Aether utilizes both skills, though they were intentionally excluded from SSBB, SSB4, and SSBU.
-On that related note, Aether also puts out a second strike that deals more damage to a foe, but this was also excluded from the Smash series.
-This is, so far, the longest chapter I have ever written. Even when excluding the A/N notes at the beginning and end, the word count stands at around 18,000. When including the notes, the count increases to a length that is close to two thousand words longer than the final part of Mario's theatre, which is now the second-longest chapter of this story.
And if you are wondering where Johan is at, he is out in Rosträdgård… getting drunk, apparently. At least he is not bothering me.
Anyway, read and review.