Leman came to with a jolt. Each and every inch of his body flared with pain, but the most acute of it was located at his spine. He rolled onto his front, dislodging a small drift of snow as he did so. His mental clock was resenting itself and he realized he had been out for… the better part of an hour or so. He cracked his neck and pulled the chains to his weapons. The weapons were intact; he nodded his head in affirmation. "Glory finds you Modi." He whispered his thanks to his fellow god of courage and bezerker rage who crafted these weapons for him. They were part of him after training with them for so long; they were not tools, but extensions to his body. Extensions of sharpened steel and leather hilts, much like his arms were that of flesh and bone..

Leman stood at his full height and looked at his fall. The snow made it difficult to see, but his other senses told him about an fifty foot fall, at the very least. He snarled, though he felt something different. Something wasn't right, something changed while he was out. He shook his head free of the thoughts and continued forward. He stuck to the shadows, just as the wolf needed to show his pride in battle, a cunning wolf would strike where his opponent was least expecting the attack. He pressed his back against the stone and peered around the corner. A snarl flickered across his face as he saw what was beyond the corner.

So Loki gathered allies. He snarled as the sons and daughter of Loki gathered. Fenris the wolf was crouched in his predatory stance. He was smaller, not by much, though he looked more like a large wolf then a behemoth. Hel, the goddess of death, plague and pestilence, stood by her father's side. Though he was far away, Leman felt his immune system battered by her powers. Finally, Jormungard was over head, drool falling from the corners of the serpent's mouth. Leman tried and succeeded of containing his rage. It was unsure on what he needed to do, but the thing now was to wait.

He tried to pick up their conversation, and he did so, though it was in bits and pieces then actual conversation. Fenris discussed on how he was ready to take the fight to Asgard, and Jormungard was ready to devour Thor. Hel remained silent as the others discussed on what they would do once they entered the halls of Valhalla. Their conversation was ended by the loud and deafening clap of thunder, followed by many different beams of light coming down from the heavens. Leman smiled wickedly as he knew that help had arrived.

The gods and monsters dispersed and Leman continued through the shadows. As he did, he noticed that someone else was there as well. He drew both of his swords and thrusted out to the shadows. The shadow responded and soon a massive Warhammer all but filled his vision. Leman blinked away the rage and looked at the one he almost ran through. It was the companion to Sigmund, Ralof if he recalled correctly. "Damn it friend!" Ralof cursed Leman as the two with drew their weapons from each other. "If this is how you great allies then I hate to se how you address your enemies."

Leman, despite the situation happening around them, chuckled. "I could say the same thing for you Nord. Tell me, what of the others? It would appear that you were the wiser one and remained in the shadows rather then to fight a fruitless battle."

Ralof shook his head, his deep yellow hair shook with the wind as he did, "Not much. They took them away to a large room, where they began to introduce them to something of nightmares, I got away before they saw me and I was wondering one what was the next action. Something did happen though. The elf must have came to her senses or something. I didn't see much but she was hacking away at her former comrades. I don't know if we can trust her yet but it is almost abundantly clear that he is no longer on their side, but it could mean that she isn't on ours either."

Leman's eyebrows arched as he heard it. Zelda was capable over coming Enchantments, impressive. He growled lowly and leaned in closer to Ralof. "Ralof, our time is running short. We need to get to the others and stop this ceremony from happening. If we don't then it will mean a whole lot more then you losing a high king." Ralof looked as if he wanted to object, but he remained perfectly quiet. He nodded grimly and the two, cloaked in the shadows, continued their way into the mansion.

Ike landed with a hard thud, Ragnell in his hand. Marth, Link and Lithia did the same not far away from him. Ike immediately began to process the area around him. They had entered through the lower level training halls, traditionally where the target practices simulators were to be. Link nodded to show that all was clear and notched an arrow into his bow, his calibrated augmentation holding the arrow in the string. Ike continued forward, trying as hard as he could not to make any noise as possible.

He heard movement ahead and raised a fist over his own head to signal a stop. He slowly peered around the corner and saw two Frost giants, he told himself. He nodded to the others and raised two fingers. Link pulled the bowstring until it was about ready to break under the pressure and Marth produced one of the flash bangs he acquired from Seattle. Lithia and Ike waited for the moment to get this over with.

Marth pulled the pin and tossed it around the corner. There was a moment of excitement, before the grenade exploded. Link spun around the corner and released the sharpened arrow against the first frost giant. The arrow struck home with a dazed giant and impaled the left lung, deflating it. Stealth wasn't going to be an option in this battle or any others in the mansion. They had to gain ground fast. The longer they waited, the more likely it was that Asgard was going to be invaded at any given moment. Ike turned around the corner and ran his sword through the heart of the first giant, who wailed in pain. Ike slammed his spare fist again and again into the fragile wind pipe. In doing so he stripped the last of the energy from the giant. The giant soon expired and Lithia along with Marth quickly finished the other one in no time at all.

Once they were finished they continued onward, there was no time to hide the bodies from the enemy. No words were spoken; none were needed for their survival. Ike led from the front, bashing or slashing aside anything that came into their way. The rage he had bottled up for a while was beginning to become loose as he disemboweled the next giant who came for him, parting the monster from left to right. He heard gunfire in the distance and leading the others towards it. He saw Snake, Samus, Peach and Cherry Bomb holding off against more of the ice wolves from the beginning of their journey.

Ike charged into battle, his sword ready. He dashed forwards and bashed the monster aside away from Cherry, who was reloading her firearm. The wolf snarled at Ike and lashed out with dagger like claws. Ike leapt backwards and waited for the monster to come again. When it did, Ike angled his weapon ready for a counter. When the claws struck his weapon, Ike brought his boot forward, crashing it into the monster's jaw and followed with Ragnell over his head. The blow cut through the wolf's thick hide and drew ice cold blood.

The wolf snarled but was soon blasted away by the combined fire of Samus and Solid Snake. Ike nodded his head to them in an appreciative nod and continued to fight against the monsters. They were slowly becoming fewer in number, and eventually the wolves began to fall back away from them. Ike lowered his sword after a while and looked to the others, who were likewise catching their own breaths. "What happened so far?"

Snake shrugged, "We got here and there were things to kill. We ran into a few of those fire giants. They may be flame retardant, but they sure ain't bullet proof." He snickered while Peach rolled her eyes. Samus said relatively the same thing, although they had not seen the Sentinel or the children yet. Ike nodded grimly and was about ready to speak when he heard the sound of a single person clapping. The all arched their heads towards the top of the stair case and saw Loki, the man dressed in red and black.

"A commendable effort." He said in a mocking tone. "While you may have the skill to take down those in my service, you have no chance of standing against me. All those who interfere with our plan will pay a price. Just as she did." He tossed something, or rather someone down the steaps twords them. The figure rolled down to a halt and they looked down at her. Ike did a double take whe he looked at it and soon the surprise was replaced with anger. Laying before them was Zelda, bands and feet bound and her primary veins slit. She was bleeding out, but it would take a long while for her do die from blood loss.

"I had hoped so much for her, but I forgot one crucial thing." Loki continued as Ike rushed over to her body. "Wisdom can overcome the darkness. Sadly, I forgot to extinguish the triforce from her when I expelled all her good and pure intentions. Her wisdom overcame my enchantments but not before I harvested from her what was needed from her." He laughed as Ike cradled the dying princess in his hands. Tears stung at his eyes and Link stood by him. She was Zelda again, of that he was certain. Her eyes were of natural color and none of the dark enchantments were upon her skin. "I will offer you one last chance heroes. Speak my words and forever will you bask in our glory. Speak them not an every one of you will die this day."

Ike rose from his feet and looked to the others. All looked as if they were ready to fight to the end, not matter what the odds were. "We reject the offer of yours, trickster. I may have no idea how you accomplished what you did and I have no idea what to think any more. But I do know this, I am no traitor. I would rather die than serve under your banner of enslavement and darkness." The others bellowed their answers to the offer. Snake made a very rude gesture with one of his fingers, Samus aimed her pistol at Loki, Peach shook her head and Cherry Bomb snarled.

Loki frowned. "A pity, but be thankful the death you seek is only a short while away. Lithia, subdue them. But do not kill them. I need them for the ceremony." No sooner had those words left the mouth of the trickster god did Samus cry out in pain as a spear sliced through her back. Lithia was grinning like a wild woman and turned to Snake, easily smashing him to unconsciousness. Link spun around with his sword drawn and Lithia turned her attention to him and snarled wickedly. The spear seemed to move by itself, and the incoming gunfire and combined sword might was being bashed aside as if it was nothing to her.

Marth thrusted forward and struck out at Lithia, she countered and slammed the end of her spear into the ground, causing a kinetic shockwave. The blast sent most of them of balance, allowing her to finish off Marth and with a back handed swipe to take out Cherry Bomb. The former was on the ground bleeding out and the latter was on the floor out cold. Link growled and looked towards Ike. "Tell me how we did not see this coming?" His voice was in a sarcastic tone and he lashed out with the Master Sword again at Lithia. She parried the blow, but left and opening for Ike to take. He thrusted Ragnell forward and pierced her armor and brought blood from the wound.

She growled in pain and back handed Ike across the face, allowing her to run him through. The blade ran him through the side of Ike, causing a grimace. She pushed him back unilt he was down on the ground. She kicked Ragnell up into her hands and finished Link off with a swipe from the side and an arrowed hand to the Adam's apple. Link toppled to the ground and was about to get back up but chains of eldritch energy held him where he was.

Ike tried to move but felt as if his wounds were weighing him down like a sack of cannonballs. He looked over as he felt his life source draining from his body. Ike looked over to Zelda, who was still awake and looking back at him. Her vocal cords were taxed, unable to speak as the blood drained from her own body. Yet her eyes did the speaking for er. She looked pleadingly into Ike's eyes, as if begging for forgiveness. Ike smiles sadly and with great effort, he reached over to her and grasped one of her hands. She nodded her head and Ike began to drift away into unconsciousness. "What should I do with her?" Lithia asked as she gestures twords Zelda.

"She is no longer of use. Leave her to die." Loki said as blackness became all what Ike saw.

Sheik walked silently through the dark hallways of the Mansion. She was separated from the others on the way down. Such was the power of the arcane constructs she was told about. She had not seen anyone since her arrival to the mansion. However, she did feel as if she was now the only sane person left on this world. She sighed quietly to herself and shook her head free of any doubts. Ike, Zelda or even Ulfric wouldn't want her to feel pity for herself. She felt an odd feeling when she thought of his name. What was it?

Her thinking came to a stop as she heard footsteps coming around the corner. She placed her back against the wall and uncoiled her chain. She spied the figure as he turned the corner. It was Captain Falcon and his shades must have been too dark to see her. She smiled under her cowl. It was time for payback.

She lunged forward and wrapped the chain around his neck. He gasped out in surprise, before she tightened the chain and brought him down to the ground with a thud. He managed to get a glimpse of her before she tightened the chain to its zenith. He struggled for a moment, but he couldn't escape her grasp. Eventually he blacked out from the lack of oxygen and Sheik uncoiled the chain from his neck. She rolled the body into a closet and made sure that no one witnessed the clandestine assault. Satisfied that no one did, she continued forward, silent as the grave.

She turned the corner and saw something in the shadows ahead, she eyed the thing who stepped out of them as well. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was reviled that it was Ganondorf. She then bitterly laughed that she never thought that she would be thankful to see him. Ganondorf shook his head sadly. "We were too late." He gestured for her to come with him, which she did. They moved to the main entrance, where the tell tale signs of battle was all around them and blood covered the walls. But when Sheik saw Zelda crumpled up on the ground, lying in a pool of her own crimson life fluids, Sheik broke into a run.

She picked up herself, actually her sister in soul. The wounds were lacerating ones, and she knew no magic to heal these wounds or any potions on hand to do so. Ganondorf didn't have any either. Sheik wept silently at her uselessness, even if she took of pieces of her clothing and use them as bandages, the bleeding would still happen. She could smell the poison that prevented the blood to clot. She doubled her fists in fury and slammed them into the granite beneath them. Her fingers cracked under the pressure of her punch and she wanted to kill whomever did this to her. "Damn it, is there anything we can do to save her!?" She whispered loudly to her self.

"You may not, but perhaps I can." A voice spoke out from the door way, and the two snapped their heads towards it. Out from it came a massive beast, with brownish yellow fur. It was a beat, and a monstrous one at that. The bear bore several darker patches of fur, markings almost. Sheik was about ready to throw a knife at the beat but Ganondorf stopped her. The bear approached Zelda and looked at her wounds. The bear then began to mutter words in a long lost language, and slowly the wounds began to close. Sheik watched in amazement as the magics flowed from the bear. Something felt familiar about this creature.

Once the wounds were closed, he bear nudged the princess, who began to stir. "She will be weak for a while, but will be combat ready in a few hours. However, I bring bad news. The children were taken away, and though I fought desperately to save them, I was overpowered and they were taken away from me." The bear snarled loudly, the bestial rage taking Sheik by surprise.

Zelda moaned and began to reach out with her hands. The bear lowered himself down next to her and allowed her to grasp onto him. Once she had a tight grip on his fur, the bear rose with the wounded princess on his back. The ceremony is going to be happening within a matter of minutes. All those who are capture will be placed to the sword. Their blood will the conduit for the bridge to Asgard. This way!" The bear broke off into a loping run, Sheik and Ganondorf not far behind him. The bear bashed aside those smashers who tried to stop them. They had to stop the ritual before it could activate.

Ike awoke with a ringing in his head. He looked around with his blurry vision and found himself… in some sort of chapel area. The others were not far from him, likewise bound as he was. There was an altar in the middle of the room, several giants attended the altar, sharpening knives and preparing bowls of salt. Ike noticed that his wounds were healed. Perhaps they didn't want any damaged offerings to whatever powers they served..A feeling of fear washed over Ike, knowing that he may soon meet his end at the hands of giants. He looked back on his life, wondering if he had any doubts, any regrets in his life. He paused as he though then nodded at his answer. He had none.

His neighbor, Ulfric, sat next to him likewise looking at the altar. The High king shook his head. "So it has come to this. I had always thought that I would meet my end on my old bed or on the fields of battle. Not like this." The Nord shook his head and looked to Ike, "What nation do you hail from, brother?"

Ike smiled sadly as he thought of home. Ulfric once told him that a Nord's last thoughts should always be of home. "Chimria." He remembered the images of home, of his adobe, his sister, and his other mercenaries. He remembered all of the images that came to his memory. He sighed as he knew that he would probably never see it again. He looked back to Ulfric, "Any regrets?"

Ulfric nodded, "While I regret nothing, there is indeed one thing I wish I have done before my mortal life was spent. " Ike arched his eyebrow asking Ulfric to explain. "I wished to find a partner for life, and I thought I found one here. Though it may not come to pass, I should not dwell on it any longer then I would have to. If I had a chance to relive life, I would do the exact same things as I have done before."

Ike nodded his head in affirmation and soon the room began to be filled with the giants, gods, and other monsters from the myths of Norse myths. Ike suddenly felt himself pulled up to his feet by two other giants and was dragged towards the alter. He looked to the other sane smashers amongst him and swallowed his fear. Face death bravely, so that the afterlife will praise you for being a brave soul he told himself. He was then brought before the two leaders, Loki and Lithia and forced onto his knees. "Ike Griel, I now offer you one last chance. Speak my words, or die."

Lithia bent over, her seductive armor and honeyed words were sweet to Ike. "Think about it, Isaac." She purred into his ears. "We could rule this world and the next together. A mighty general leading glorious battle, millions of followers ready to die for you. You could rescue me from my desires and liberate me every day. Think about the passion we have for each other, think about it." She planted her face before Ike, expecting a kiss to signify that he gave himself over to darkness and that he would now join their fold. Ike looked at her in the eye, she smiled as she awaited his promised devotion.

It didn't come, Ike snarled and spat in her eye. "I would rather die a thousand deaths then fall for your sorceries again whore. I know that if I joined your side, I would be nothing more than a pawn for your amusement. Expendable as you promise other men and gods with your sweet, honeyed words. I will die a free man on my feet, rather then to live a slave on my knees." Ike pronounced with a thundering voice, and many of the smashers yelled their approval.

Loki nodded solemnly, "So be it, you have sealed your own fate." Ike was then hoisted unto the altar. Ike kept his breathing calm and as they finished tying off the bonds Lithia raised a dagger over his heart. "And so the blood eagle begins." The Giants and others began to bellowed their approval and as Lithia raised the dagger. She would care into Ike, crack open his ribcage, lay his beating lungs out before him and sprinkle salt on them. She would perform the blood eagle and let the ceremony begin.

The main door blasted off it's hinges by a burst of both dark, light, and elemental magic. All turned their attention to the new comers. A bear walked through the smoke, followed by two Hylians and Ganondorf. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." The bear growled to the awestruck giants.

How about that for an entrance? Big battles coming up in the next few chapters, stick around. Remember to review.

Flame Falcon