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The Mercenary (Beautiful_Disgrace and I)

Ike had seen a few dragons in his day, but none seemed more vicious than the one that was rushing through the ranks like a coiled snake They were holding, but barely. Their formation was crumbling, and they were slowly starting to sink back as Ike cut a swath through their forces. His dark blade howled for blood, and he fed it with his wide swings and brutal stabs. He wasn't expecting to see a dragon, nor one so fast rear up on him as Ike brought his blade up for defense and he slammed into the ground, buckling underneath him with a painted grunt, eyes widening a fraction. That...hurt, a lot.

"Traitor," Yong snarled. "You caused my lady pain! Your head will be your apology!" he said, snapping at Ike's head, which he dodged.

"Not today," Ike growled, slamming his knee into the dragon's stomach as he growled and lurched back, giving Ike the room he needed to rush forward and swung. Yong's hand caught the blade, the dark aura was useless. But the blade itself was potent, even as blood ran down the many edges.

"Today, and always. Your Goddess is a lie, mine is supreme." Yong snarled, flames roaring out of his mouth as Ike ripped out his blade in an arc of blood and held up his sword, flames rolling over his sword as the dark aura surrounded him. Ike grit his teeth in frustration before battering away the line of fire and rushing forward, swinging his blade downward as Yong easily skittered out of the way and lunged. Ike blocked again, the impact was solid as Yong pressed down, and Ike grit his teeth to hold. They were losing...there were too many of them, they had pure numbers where they didn't. Every moment here was a lost life, one that would take years to regain.

They had to retreat.
 
It seemed like there were endless numbers...all because of that large black cloud that loomed for miles. They had no hope of winning...not like this. Samus could see how tired people were getting, and Robin has already gone through a few spell books as she tried her best to fend off the dragons.

"Nephenee, I'm going to secure an escape route. Please hold the village for as long as you can." Samus told her.

"Rodger that! Be careful, y'hear?" Nephenee asked as she speared her lance clean through another demon. Samus nodded once and then took off to secure the escape route. She could only hope Robin and the others could hold their own for a little while much longer. She headed off to the basin, but the moment she got there, she came face to face with more than two hundred enemy troops. How did they manage to get here so fast?!

"Well if it isn't the little shadow..." A familiar voice purred from behind her. Samus' eyes went wide before she quickly whirled around with her tanto's, and immediately they clashed against steel. "Samus," Ganessa began with a grin. "You're looking quite well. It would be an honor to cut your head off and hand it to mother..."

Samus glared defiantly at her as their blades struggled against one another. Ganessa was different...she was more of a threat now. More confident, that smile wasn't what it used to be. She had gotten better and Samus could tell just by the way her form was. She had to take this seriously.
 
"Ooh, this is the shadow?" Another voice, far and near...one that lingered against Ganessa's shoulder. Real, and yet not...his eyes glittering red with potential. "Pretty..not pretty enough, do we kill this one?"
 
"Yes, we do...that way, even if Ike manages to slip away again...he'll drown in a sea of despair." Ganessa answered as shadowy magic began to gather around her blade. Samus knew what was coming next, she quickly moved out of the way as darkness trailed over her feet. It was painful, but she escaped most of it. "March forward! Kill them all! Don't let anyone escape!" Ganessa ordered her men, who immediately started advancing. This was bad.

"But you," Ganessa moved forward again and stabbed her sword towards Samus' stomach. Samus moved one of her blades to parry it to the side, stabbing quickly at Ganessa. When her blade struck true, she narrowed her eyes. Something was wrong. "You're mine..." Ganessa told her as her body started to fade into simple shadow. Wait...the real one, where was she?!

Suddenly she felt an intense heat all around her. Samus looked up, and she could barely make out a dragon, but she heard Ganessa's laughter just before a large blast of dark magic came down upon her. Samus did her best to dodge, but the moment it hit the ground, it exploded into black flames.

She was sure she got caught in the blast...she couldn't outrun it no matter how fast she was. She threw up her arms in defense, shutting her eyes for a brief moment as she awaited impact. But when she felt nothing...and the heat disappeared...she opened them only to see the flames dissipate against some barrier of golden light. Samus looked down in confusion and there she was.

"Sorry I'm a bit late to the party," The girl began as she lowered her sword and then grinned up at Samus. She was covered head to toe in blood...had she already been fighting before this? "But my friends and I were dealing with things on the southern end of the barrier...we had to kill everyone in sight so they wouldn't make it over here." It wasn't just her and Lethe. Magnus and Gaol came along to, and a few other warriors that wanted to fight for Sona's cause. It wasn't much reinforcements, but Sona had something that would bail them all out of this..at least so they could get away.
 
"Man," Magnus grunted. "Medusa got busy, didn't she?"

"We'll help with the front," Gaol confirmed, her voice booming in her dark armor. "Start moving everyone for a retreat!"
 
"You heard the lady, Samus." Sona began as Lethe jumped over to her side. "Get everyone to safety, I have to go over to the front lines. Special delivery from Ashunera and Palutena to Medusa." She had been holding it for a long time, actually...and now was the perfect time to release it. She slid on top of Lethe, who didn't seem to mind her riding on her back so they could get to where they needed to go faster.

"..Thank you, Sona. Don't do anything rash. I will join you when everyone has retreated." Ganessa wasn't above them anymore..that blast must have drained her for the time being. Or perhaps Sona warded her off..either way, she was grateful.

Lethe took off, leaving Samus behind. Sona would leave all her personal feelings behind. She had a job to do.
 
This dragon was resilient, and brutal. Ike had spent more time trying to keep himself safe than actually attacking, his claws skirted him every which way...and at this point, he was just playing for a battle of attrition. He had to keep him occupied, so they could last. But it was exhausting...he had no idea how he'd keep it going.

"I see Medusa found a powerful new toy," Ike panted heavily as Yong growled.

"And you are a powerful traitor...but I have the gift of a true Goddess on my side!" Yong snarled, letting out a blast of flame as Ike scrambled out of the crater. Yong lunged, but was repelled with a furious snarl by the flash of a blade as Yong curled around himself with a growl.

"On your feet," Chrom said quickly. "This fight isn't over." The last person he expected to help him, let alone the tired and weary former ruler of the land he slaughtered.

"...Right," Ike said, rising up with a faint breath. "...How is everyone holding?"

"Badly," Chrom murmured. "We need to finish this fast, Ike. Or we're going to get left behind."
 
They were going as fast as they could, and Sona had to make sure she did this right. She felt tingles running through her body as she slowly drew out the power that Palutena had given her. The power she was supposed to use to stop Ganondorf and Medusa before all this happened. It wouldn't be enough to win, but it would be enough to fight another day.

She heard Chrom just as they arrived to meet with Ike. She felt...relief. Nothing but relief to see him okay. She cleared her throat. "No you won't. You won't because you're retreating now." As soon as Lethe came to a stop, Sona dismounted from her. She ran her fingers between her ears and looked into her eyes. "Be strong. I'll catch up to you..just help them get out of here, okay?" She gave her a smile, but she could see Lethe's disapproval in those large, violet orbs. "Heh, time to be a pain in the ass..." She didn't give Chrom or Ike enough time to say anything to her, she advanced towards the Dragon who had recoiled. Her power was there, and she could bring it out just like she had before.

She took in a deep breath and remembered....she remembered when she had done this before she was mortal. The flame that was deep within her, that felt warm and protecting. She could channel it now...and she raised Ragnell high in the air. She grinned at the dragon before her who Chrom had struck, the wind picking up around her as her blade started to illuminate and hiss white.

"Medusa, I know you're watching...here's a little something from Palutena and Ashunera, the TRUE and RIGHTFUL Goddesses of this world!" With that, Sona's borrowed magic erupted from her body and shot up high in the air, piercing the heavens. The dark clouds immediately evaporated, and the gray sky suddenly lit up. Then, orbs of light began to hail down from the sky. It was enough to completely banish whatever evil abominations from the underworld it touched. Medusa's army of zealots wouldn't die from it, but they sure as hell wouldn't like it if they were struck by it.

To the Ike and the others, it would feel like..hope. Similarly to the last time that Sona had done this. It was invigorating. Sona could only laugh as she struggled to stay on her feet. At least she was still conscious this time.

Hopefully the others had already started falling back.
 
Ike glanced up to the sky in surprise, his blade hissing in fury. Yong bristled in annoyance, but skittered away. They had bought enough time...now they would mop up the problem. As shameful as it was that he did not bring Ike's head, he knew well enough that he would get a chance again.

"Sona," Ike said quickly, putting her arm on his shoulder to hoist her up. "Chrom, we need to go-"

"I know, I know," Chrom grunted, parrying a swing and cutting the man down. OF course, that was when the help came. Magnus rushed in like a tornado of death, his massive blade effortlessly cutting down a line of people like some people flick their wrist. Gaol was beside Ike, or rather...the massive armor was. Two long strides and her blade slammed into the ground in a shockwave of dark energy.

"Come on," Chrom said, he wasn't going to argue with help...who the hell were these people?
 
Sona felt...strange being so close to him after so long. But she didn't argue with him. She was still trying to catch her breath from the ordeal. Still, now that the sky was clear, she could feel Lady Ashunera's watchful eyes. Now their Goddess would be able to help them escape.

Though an impending sense of dread made the hairs on Sona's neck raise. It was...blood lust. Heavy killing intent that made the skies thunder in fury. The loud rumbling almost sounded like foot steps. She was coming...they needed to move faster.

As Lethe tore her claws into the belly of a foot soldier, she suddenly caught a familiar scent. Lyre?! What was she doing here?! She didn't even hesitate, she split away from the others and headed towards where the scent was. She couldn't leave her here!

"Lethe!" Sona called out to her. It was no use, whatever Lethe was going after, she was determined to find it. "We can't leave her, Ike!"
 
"Chrom, take her," Ike said firmly, shifting the weight over. "Get her out of here, alright?"

"What? What about you?" Chrom blinked, but he was already heading into the front lines. "Ike! Hey!" He felt responsible, more than anything...

"I like that kid," Magnus sighed, moving forward to help. "Get 'em out of here, Gaol."

"Right," Goal said. "Come on, let's join the others!"
 
Lyre stood before Lethe, her tail twitching oddly at the sight of her sister. She wanted to see her, but not like this. Not around so much death and destruction...none of which she chose to take part in. Lethe just stared at her until her beast form released. She couldn't have sustained it for much longer anyway.

"Sister...why are you dressed like that?" Lethe asked, ignoring the chaos around her. The battle had all but ceased, they enemy knew they had won. "..Never mind. Let's go. We have to go..."

Lyre moved forward, embracing her twin sister tightly. She could feel tears stinging at her eyes as she got up the nerve to say what she needed to say. "..No. I can't. I just came to tell you to surrender, Lethe."

"W-what? Lyre, what are you saying?" Wait...that scent that lingered on her...it was...no. "Lyre...don't tell me...that monster...?!"
 
"Lethe!" Ike said his footsteps thundering over the battle worn ground. "Get away from her, now!" Of course, Ganondorf wouldn't attack either of them...but Ike? Ike was an excellent target. There was a rush of dark magic, and the throb of Ike's cursed blade warned him as he brought it up in time for Ganondorf's fist to slam against it. Ike dug in his heels, gritting his teeth at the smirking Gerudo.

"Well, well...look at this, Ike...you brought death to another corner of the world, you're doing our work for us, even now." he said as Ike narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.
 
Lethe couldn't believe it...she was utterly confused and horrified. What did he do? What did he do to her sister to brainwash her?! "Lyre...he's evil! You can't, you can't be his mate!" Lethe hissed as she grabbed her sister by her shoulders. Lyre just pushed her away.

"So what?! He's the strongest, we can't win against him. He will treat us well, we just have to surrender! Tell that to our King, Lethe. Leave and deliver this message! Surrender and live, or fight and suffer or die..."

After Samus had made sure everyone retreated, she immediately made a bee line for Ike. She passed Gaol and Chrom, only to see Ike up ahead...clashing swords with Ganondorf. This wouldn't end well. She could feel chills running up her spine as the rumbling in the sky stopped. By the time she joined Ike to give him back up, she was there.

Medusa was just behind Ganondorf, and Samus could feel her seething with anger. "So..the traitors finally show themselves..."
 
"Better a traitor than a thief," Ike murmured, settling into his stance with a grimace. "I see you found new pets, Medusa." This was bad, and it was getting worse...they needed to get out of here, now. But he wasn't leaving without Lethe.
 
"Don't seem so surprised. You were always replaceable." Medusa began, her lips curling up into a smirk as she glanced back at Lethe. "Still, you took things away from me before you left...so I think it's only appropriate that I take away something from you, Ike." She wanted him dead, but first she wanted him to suffer. Her eyes settled on the woman behind him, and Samus tensed a little under her gaze.

Lyre narrowed her eyes and then glanced back at Lethe. "..Please. Leave. Now, you have to go. I will be fine sister, it's you that's in danger. Run away." The other sister ground her teeth as her tail twitched in agitation.

"No...he did something to you. I can't. I can't leave you, Lyre! Not with that monster!" Lethe tried to reach out for Lyre again. What could she do?! What...how could she fix this?!
 
Ike's posture didn't relax, the grip on his blade tightening. He hated how much he had to rely on this cursed sword, but it was the only thing he had left. "Lethe, let's go," Ike said tightly. "This isn't a discussion, we need to go. She doesn't want to come with us."

"My, it is nice to be on the front lines again," Ganondorf purred, flexing his fists a moment before a massive blade summoned to his hand. "Shall we, my love?"
 
"Let's." Medusa simply responded before disappearing into thin air, a trail of shadows lingering behind her. Samus pulled out several shuriken, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she awaited for Medusa to show herself again.

Lethe growled lowly before her attention turned to Ganondorf. He was going after Ike, she had to protect him. "This..isn't over. I will come back to save you, Lyre." Lethe forced herself to shift into her beast form again, ignoring the fatigue she felt from before. She then darted off to join Ike and Samus, leaving her sister behind. She..couldn't keep putting the others at risk. Not that she asked them to follow her.
 
"Get going," Ike ordered Samus as Ganondorf advanced with a rush of dark magic, Ike moved to block and their blades connected forcibly, vibrating against Ike's arms. He parried the blade away quickly, gritting his teeth. Ganondorf seemed hardly phased, and Ike wasn't surprised. They were just toying with them, they had the upper hand...and they knew it.
 
Lethe rushed in to attack Ganondorf while he was distracted with Ike, though she didn't expect to be rammed from the side by Lyre in beast form who hissed at her in warning. The two circled each other as Lethe tried to find a way around her, but it seemed like Lyre wouldn't let her get any closer and was ready to attack.

Medusa finally revealed herself as she laughed at the spectacle, pointing her staff towards Samus and sending a barrage of black deadly magical spheres at Samus. Individually they were easy to dodge, but so many of them made it hard for her to advance for a counter attack. Still, she threw her shuriken at the Dark Goddess the moment she had a chance. Medusa just warped again, this time directly in front of her. Samus just barely managed to throw up her blade in defense as Medusa swung her staff at her. She grunted as she struggled to keep her ground..she wasn't sure what she expected from a Goddess but she was stronger than she looked.

"Tell me Samus, dear..." Medusa purred as she looked into her eyes. "Which one of you will die tonight? You? Or him?"

"Neither," Samus defiantly answered before using one of her powerful legs to send a high kick towards Medusa's head. She simply put up her arm in defense, her bracer taking away most of the force. She wasn't phased at all, but Samus didn't give her any time to react before she backed off to put distance between them.

"Such a shame. Guess I will have to choose.." Medusa smirked. That annoying little fly was buzzing closer and closer again...so many choices. So many ways to make him suffer..
 
Ganondorf moved his sword back to strike again and Ike met it head on, dark energy slamming around them both as Ganondorf smirked in amusement. "Oho...someone has embraced their new life," he purred. "I sense more than just anger, mercenary...do you want to kill me that badly?"

Ike narrowed his eyes, but said nothing as he moved his blade to the side with Ganondorf's and slid off the deadlock, sparks flying as he swung wide, only for it to be intercepted with a loud clash of blades. He was too fast, it was like he was reading every single move he made, and just toying with him!
 
Medusa would humor Samus a bit more as she casually casted a myriad of spells at the woman. Some spells were extremely slow but numerous, while others were instantaneous. Either way, Medusa was quite impressed with how well Samus was evading and even at some points, counter attacking. However, her attacks wouldn't ever reach a Goddess who was so much higher above her.

"I grow tired of this game of cat and mouse..Let's see how much you truly care for that whelp, girl." With that single sentence, Medusa directed her attention at Ike and then shot a blast of dark magic directly at him while his back faced them. Samus gritted her teeth and then immediately ran over to her line of fire and threw her blades up in defense. The impact was...painful. She could only compare it to something like getting struck by massive energy shot without any armor. She bit her tongue until she tasted iron, but she didn't scream. She couldn't..distract Ike. But now she knew that she couldn't dodge anymore..not while Ike was distracted by Ganondorf. She heard Medusa's laughter as the tips of her fingers began to crackle with black electricity.

"Just stay there...my aiming is impeccable. No matter which one of you gets hit, you'll make an excellent ornament in my new palace.." She grinned wickedly, and Samus narrowed her eyes. So that's what she wanted to do. She...had to make a choice. And she wouldn't let Ike deal with both Ganondorf and Medusa at the same time.

"Just...let him go. Let him and Lethe escape with the others. You can do what you want to me." Her life didn't matter without him, after all. And..they just couldn't win.

"Oh..was that the woman from the stars surrendering? I believe I can arrange that...just hold still. It will be over soon." Medusa laughed just before a shock of electricity launched itself towards Samus. She stood there just before glancing back at Ike. She really hoped he would be okay..without her.

"Idiot!" Sona shouted as she jumped in front of Medusa's ray, letting it hit her square in the back. She let out a loud cry of pain, the force was enough to make her drop Ragnell from her hands. However, she shook it off and then glared up at Samus who was..surprised wasn't the word. She was..baffled. Why did this girl keep jumping in the way and saving her?

"S-Sona..you..." Wait..was she immune to Medusa's petrification? "Why did you do that? There was no other choice...we can't win." Samus muttered as she stared down at the shaking girl in front of her. She seemed like she could barely stand up, but yet she had more spirit in those eyes than ever.

"There's ALWAYS a choice! And there is always a way! Don't you get it?! You can't just sacrifice yourself when he cares about you so much! You can't just trade your life for his and expect him to be happy! Fool! He loves you!" Sona screamed at her as she struggled to hold her tears back. Samus just stared down at her blankly before her eyes shifted down..and her mouth dropped at the sight.

"..Sona. You're turning into...how could you say that when you just sacrificed yourself to save me!" She asked desperately as she felt a deep sinking feeling in her heart. All because she was too...stupid to understand until now!

"Because, the world needs him. And I wasn't sure that...he could go on without you." Sona muttered as she winced while Medusa's spell slowly started working it's way up her torso. It was incredibly painful...and numb at the same time. She was dying, she knew this feeling from before. But this time, she probably wasn't going to be saved. This time it was really over, and she was scared. But she only smiled at Samus. "Please, just take care of him. Just...stay alive." She couldn't hold on anymore. Everything went black, and at that moment she was completely petrified.

"Sona..no. Sona..." Samus desperately muttered as she went out to touch her but couldn't bring herself to. She was..was she really gone?! Her train of thought was broken as Medusa appeared behind Sona's body, chuckling darkly as Samus backed away a little, her eyes wide with..more confusion. Like she couldn't process what just happened.

"Poor little sword...she would have been happier just being an object...rather than a weak little mortal with worthless feelings. Her little display of heroism means nothing...nothing at all. I still win. And I will take this as my trophy." Medusa said as she picked up Ragnell with a grin. Ganessa always did like new toys...
 
He didn't need to see it, he felt it. He felt it like his own heartbeat as blocked another swing and parried, his breath coming out like a heavy, frustrated growl. His teeth gnashed, his fist tightened around Gurgurant. He wasn't strong enough, he was weak...worthless. His partner, more than that...his friend. His friend of a thousand battles, he could feel it. He could feel an empty void where there used to be something. A steadfast feeling of being with her, of always having her presence. Everything hurt, he was so tired of hurting...it was time to make other things hurt.

He could hear Ashnard's laughter, like a sick punchline at the end of a terrible joke. For all of his heroics, for all of his good hearted intentions...he had become the one thing he had tried so hard to avoid. He didn't know where that howl of fury came from, but his sword came fast, his eyes burning red with dark, horrible anger as Ganondorf's sword slammed to block, only to have it crack and shatter in a dispersal of dark magic. He backpedaled in genuine surprise, feeling pain ripple across his chest as he clutched it, noting very clearly that his armor was simply sheared across.

Ike turned and bolted, his fury giving him every inch of strength he needed as he grabbed Samus and ran. The only thing he'd see was Sona's frozen body, replaying over and over in his mind as they ran. His legs felt numb, but they had felt numb the moment he knew Sona was gone.

All of his fault, all of this. All of this was his fault.
 
Medusa watched as the three begrudgingly ran away. She could have stopped them...killed all three of them if she wanted to. But the look...no. The feeling of his anguish was too delightful for her. Revenge was a dish best served cold...and she wasn't finished with it. No, it was only the beginning. And the sword in her hand was the key to carrying out her plans.

She made her way to her lover, her eyes narrowing at his wound. One that would heal itself, but she would just count that as another sin that Ike had to repent for...slowly. "Are you alright, my love?"
 
"Mm," Ganondorf murmured. "That actually hurt, it seems that our good ex-general has some interesting capabilities indeed..." he said, waving it off casually. "Well then, we should slow down our offense as the troublemakers leave....send out scouting parties to follow their retreat. I'm sure they'll crawl into another hole in time."
 
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