Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

Once he was done, the Chaos Demon looked up at Darville. He was still chewing the last bite of his rabbit, but he seemed a million miles away. He was so lost in thought everything else didn't matter, but he would have to get him out of this mindset soon. They had to get moving and soon. The longer the Elk tribe was under the control of that Demon, the more horrors that would rack the village.

"We need to speak." Acheron said in a soft, but firm voice and he waited for his response. The man raised his head and looked at him, frowning. It was obvious that he didn't understand what they need to talk about, but he would understand soon. He could only hope the man wouldn't be mad at him for keeping this from him. "It's about what I saw when we were leaving the village."

The look on the Human's face bespoke of his confusion and he couldn't say that he blamed him. After all, he had seen nothing and for him to bring it up hours and miles later from the village was obviously confusing to him. He sat the stick down in the snow and he straightened his shoulders, staring right into his face.

"What is this that you speak of?" Darville asked in confusion and worry. His dark blue eyes glowed with the feelings that obviously rocked through him and were obviously filling him to the brim. He was leaning forward, his hands on the knees of his crossed legs and it was almost as if he was demanding for an answer from the Chaos Demon, not that he blamed him.

If it were him, he would feel the same way. If he had been exiled from the people that he loved, he would want to know everything that he'd seen and everything that the other person had heard. He could share the feeling, and because of that, he didn't take offense to the way he made the question sound. It was of no doubt an order, but he let it slide.

Sighing, the Command Assassin ran his hand over his face and he pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to tell him, but at the same time, he knew that he had to. If he didn't tell him, it would piss him off and he would lose a vital friend. Also, he would lose his ability to make allies with the Elk tribe by putting the rightful King in place of the Elk tribe. He looked up and straight into the other man's eyes.

"When we were out of the village, I saw a Demon standing on the edge of the village." Acheron finally replied in a calm voice and he waited for his reaction. He reacted just how he expected. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped open wide. Before he could open his mouth to rage about it, Acheron continued. "I think that he had something to do with this whole mess. I think that he and Darcine may be working together to usurp the throne and take control of the Elk for some purpose, though for what I don't know."

The Barbarian stared at him, surprised. It was as if he didn't know what to say and that was a very likely thing. After all, how often were there Demons in your village manipulating your people? That was something very rare and they both knew it. The Chaos Demon sat with his hands on his knees and he continued to stare at the man.

"Why did you not tell me of this earlier?" Darville asked suddenly, his voice low and deadly. The Command Assassin cursed inwardly and he knew just what the man was thinking. He was thinking that he had done this on purpose so he could leave the Elk tribe to the Demon. He was probably thinking that he was going to say something about leaving the one's that betrayed him to the Demon. "I would've charged in and killed that Demon, liberating my people from it."

The Command Assassin nodded his head and smiled a little. He shook his head and stared right into his eyes. He'd fully expected that to be his response and he couldn't blame him. If someone else had been responsible for his greatest shame, he would've felt the same. However, this wasn't something that he could allow and he would have to calm the man down before he rallied himself up so he could go back to kill the Demon.

If he did that, he would be killed and Acheron couldn't have that. He needed the man and the Barbarian needed him as well. The Barbarian only needed him to provide strength and ideas for a way for him to return to his people. However, Acheron needed him because he was the rightful King of the Elk, and with him back on the throne, he would have the alliance of the Elk without a doubt.

He just had to figure out a way to get him back.

"That is precisely why I didn't tell you when I saw the Demon." Acheron told him in a strong and commanding voice. The Barbarian frowned and tilted his head to the side. It was obvious that he didn't understand his reasoning, but he would soon. He continued. "If you had rushed back into the village to kill that Demon, you would've failed. That Demon would've disappeared and it would've appeared that you were attacking the village you had just been exiled from. You would've been killed for that and that's why I didn't tell you when we were on the outskirts."

The exile cursed and he slapped a hand against his knees. The sound of flesh smacking flesh filled the area and it was like a lone bird flying through a hurricane. It was a lonely sound and one filled with melancholy. The Barbarian cursed even louder, a string of expletives that he'd never heard used in the same sentence and he found himself impressed with the creativeness of the vulgar words.

"What are we going to do?" Darville asked suddenly, his voice soft and seemingly helpless. He stared into the man's face with a surprised look on his face. Indeed, there was a look of hopelessness on his face. He never would've believed that the man would ever allow that emotion to surface, not even in his mind. Darville shook his head and he laughed derisively. "The Demon has done well in his plans and there's no way that we can fight back against that. It has done well in banishing me and any hope the Elk tribe had at having a real, genuine leader."

"It is because that Demon is present that we have a chance to get you back on the throne." Acheron replied instantly and a little hotly. After all, he didn't want his friend giving up this early in the game. That simply wouldn't do. "Because of that Demon's presence, we will be able to get you back on the throne. However, we won't be able to do it the same way that I thought we would. It'll be much harder."

Then, the Chaos Demon explained to the Barbarian exile what they were going to do. It was long, drawn out and detailed, but there were no gaps to fill in. Once he had been told, the Barbarian had to admit that it was a good idea, though a bit foolhardy at the same time. After all, nothing like this had ever been attempted before and certainly not by an exile. Maybe that was why he felt confident that it would work and they would be successful.

With this new plan in mind, Darville began to feel more confident. His confidence boosted until he finally smiled and his smile was a wide one. He could reclaim the throne that was rightfully his and he could do something that even his late father never could've done.

He could unite the Tundra together under one banner and one leader.

The snow blew hard across the Tundra, obscuring the view of sentient being and animal alike. Two shapes appeared in the thick snowfall and they were easily trudging along as if they weren't effected by the walk. In fact, they weren't affected at all and that was because of what they were.

Ice Demons.

Glacier, Lord of the Ice Demons, walked side by side with his mate and the two had little issue navigating their way through the snow. This was their environment after all and no one else could move through snow like an Ice Demon. They were the only two of the Ice Demon clan that had teleported to the Tundra, but once they found a place to settle, they would bring the rest of their clan through.

There had been those that had wanted to come in his stead, but he'd shut them down. He was the leader and no one was going to do something dangerous in the name of the clan other than him. He'd even attempted to get his Mate to stay behind, but she was stubborn and he'd had to give in. Besides, he rather liked having her at his side and all alone together for the first time in centuries.

The Ice Lord cut his eyes over to his Mate and he smiled. Flake was smiling widely and humming as they walked, her green eyes aglow with excitement. This was the first time in her life that she'd been outside of the Empire and he had to remember that his Mate was much younger than him.

She hadn't been around - hadn't even been born yet in fact - when the last campaign had ended, carving out the last border of Dalkia. This was her first time outside of the Empire, and in this driving snow, she looked the happiest that she'd ever been in her life. He was glad that he'd decided to bring her with him, but he knew that if anything happened to her, it would be his fault. He would be the one responsible because he hadn't been strong enough to tell her no and insist that she stay home with the rest of the clan.

He simply couldn't do that. He loved her way to much to not allow her to have certain things. In fact, most of the clan joked that the Ice Lady was spoiled rotten by her Mate, but she didn't heed those words. It was just teasing after all and no one meant any harm.

Glacier himself knew that he spoiled his Mate, but he didn't care. After the death of his partner a short few weeks ago, he'd grown dependent on her. No one even knew of his partner's death, but there was good reason for that. He'd been spying on the Emperor for him. Luckily, it hadn't been the Emperor or any of his minions that had caught him spying. No, he'd been ambushed by thieves and stabbed to death in a dark alley while he was on his way back to the Ice clan compound.

It hurt to think of him and it imagine that the pain would never go away, but he would just have to drive on. He would want the Ice Lord to move on and be happy. That was what he was trying to do, and in a way, he was making sure that he made up for his partner's death by making sure that his Mate was protected by the best. And who was better or more powerful than the Lord of the clan himself?

Before the two Ice Demons had left, they had heard the whispers and rumors of the defection of the Blood Demon clan. Glacier had known about this occurrence, but he'd kept his mouth shut. Every Ice Demon knew of what they were going to do and they'd kept their mouth's shut as well. They were loyal to the former General as well and they wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize their coming to his aid once again.

For the most part, half of the clans in Dalkia hated and despise the Emperor. However, Emperor Azrieal had been too powerful in the past, and with his brother in his corner, he'd been impenetrable. Now that Acheron had deserted the Empire, it was likely that more and more clans would grow weary of the Emperor's treatment and they would rebel as well.

Glacier smiled at the thought and he nearly laughed. However, he curbed the impulse and he continued to walk with his Mate. The Emperor didn't even realize how tenuous his grasp on the Empire's power was and because of that, he would eventually fall. Dalkia itself could implode soon and no one would miss it. The other nations of the world would rejoice that the Demon Empire was lost and no one except for the Emperor himself would seek revenge.

And to think, all of this started because of one Demon and his betrayal of the Empire. It was truly amazing.

The snow finally let up a little, but it didn't fade completely. The wind still swirled, but at a less powerful force. It was still cold in the Tundra and that was what the two Ice Demons cared about. For their people to survive, they needed extreme cold and this was the perfect climate for that.

The Ice Lord stopped at the foot of a huge, snow covered cliff and he smiled up at it. It rose more than four hundred feet in the air and it did in fact look like a snowy mountain with a rounded tip. However, that wasn't what interested him. What did interest him was the fact that the stone of the cliff was smooth and had carved paths all around the snowy cliff from the bottom straight to the tip. The furrowed paths of the cliff were large enough to hold homes and the tip was thick enough to hold a palace without a problem.

He turned his Mate and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. They weren't tears of sorrow, but of happiness. She knew that they had found the new home of the Ice Demon clan and she was as happy as he was. He opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped when a sound interrupted him. It was a loud, thunderous growl and he turned his head sharply to search out the source of the growl.

He could see a dark shape taking form near the base of the cliff thirty feet away and he narrowed his eyes. He couldn't quite make out the creature, but he was sure that this was the creature that had made the cry. His suspicions were confirmed when the creature threw back its head and let loose another thunderous cry. Then, it stepped forward and more of its features came into view.

The creature walked on two legs and was shaped like that of a man. However, that was where any similarities ended. It was covered in shaggy bright white fur that would surely blend into the snow of the Tundra if it were to lay down and he was sure that this creature used its fur for camouflage. Its eyes were bright red and glowed out of a gorilla-like face. Its arms and legs were large, thick like tree trunks. Its underbelly was dark black like that of a gorilla and its hands were topped with razor sharp claws.

"What the hell is that?" Flake asked in a frightened voice and he could echo her sentiments. This creature was unlike anything he'd ever come across and he didn't know what to make of it. In fact, he wouldn't even know how to kill it other than the normal way of killing something. If this creature had any special defenses or skills, he would be screwed in this fight. However, his Mate was here and he couldn't allow any harm to come to her. He simply couldn't.

He watched the creature fall into a crouching motion and it looked to be protecting the area. He didn't care about that at all as he stepped in front of his Mate and he faced off with the creature. He stared into his blood red eyes and he saw fear there, but overall, it was filled with determination. The creature was ready and willing to die if it meant driving away the two intruders into its territory.

"I don't know what the hell that thing is," Glacier replied to his Mate even though it had been a rhetorical question. He wrapped his hands around the hilts of his scimitars and he drew the short blades. He held the blades out with his arms, guarding his Mate from the view of the strange, white furred creature. "But stay behind me. I'll take care of this beast."

He felt his Mate's hands on his back and he took comfort in having her at his back. He knew that she would listen to him this time. Normally, she'd be stubborn as hell and go out of her way to disobey something that he said just to make him angry so they could make up after the argument. He knew that she wouldn't do that this time though. They were in danger this time and he felt confident that she would listen to what he'd told her.

The Ice Lord stared at the creature and it glared back at him, hatred in its blood red eyes. It pawed the ground slightly as if daring him to come closer. He knew just what would happen if he took even one step, but he wasn't afraid. This was a battle and he wasn't about to back down from such a creature. Hell, it didn't even have sentient thought! There was no way such a creature could be any real danger to him or his Mate, but he was going to keep his guard up.

One never knew.

"Let's go, you freak." Glacier bit out angrily and he knew that the creature heard him. It snorted and rose up to its feet once again, towering at over eight foot tall. He would've thought it was a Giant, but Giant's couldn't survive in the snow. He had no clue what this creature was, but it wasn't really all that important. All that mattered was getting past the creature.

Suddenly, the Ice Demon darted forward, his boots sinking deeply into the snow and slowing him down. However, he still moved gracefully and swiftly across the ground. The ape like creature didn't move, didn't twitch, didn't seem to acknowledge the attack at all. That would've worried him if this creature were sentient, but it was just a dumb beast and it knew nothing of tactics.

Ten feet away from the creature now, the Ice Lord leaped into the air and raised his swords above his head. With a battle cry, he brought the blades down, aiming to sever the creature's arms before he killed it. The white furred beast looked up at him, its blood red eyes glowing and filled with hatred. Then, faster than the eye could see, the creature's arms came up, catching him by the wrists and effectively stopping the scimitars from doing their job.

He only had a moment of surprise before the creature flung him through the air as if he were nothing more than a rag doll. He stared at the white furred beast as he flew through the air and he slammed into the snow hard. He rolled again and again until he finally came to a stop in a hump, snow clumped all around him.

Grunting in pain, the Ice Demon began to move again, trying his best to get up. He finally managed to get to his fours, his palms underneath him and he looked up, searching for the beast. Where the creature had been before, there was nothing and he began to frantically look around, but he could find nothing. There was no way such a large, hulking creature could just disappear that easily!

"Above you!" Flake's shout filtered to his ears and he heard the frantic panic in the tone. His eyes widened and he rolled forward, barely avoiding the attack from above. He heard the slam of solid weight into the snow behind him and he cursed himself for underestimating such a creature. This thing wasn't the dumb beast that he'd originally thought it was and it was far faster than he'd believed as well.

Glacier turned on his knees and he stared at the creature. It was crouched down in the little crater that it had made in the snow and its blood red eyes were turned directly on him. It looked furious and he could practically feel the rage of the creature pouring over him. It would seem that his dodging the attack that would've killed him had pissed off this white furred beast and it fully intended on making him pay for it.

He watched as the creature rose to its full height and he did the same. He would not back down and he would not run. Flake was watching, and even though she was no doubt scared for his life, he would fight on. Even if it meant his death, he would fight and he would make sure that he took this beast with him if he died.

Widening his stance, the Ice Demon tightened his grip on the two scimitars in his hands. Then, he darted forward with a battle cry, running as fast as he could and he slashed at the creature's stomach. The beast didn't even bother to block the attack and the blade struck the creature's gut. He smiled in triumph as the blade struck the creature's stomach, but he lost that smile quickly enough.

His blade bounced off of the black underbelly like it was a stick striking a rock and he didn't even have time to dart away. The creature roared and grabbed him by his shoulders, pressing a crushing weight down on his shoulders. His eyes widened in surprise and pain as it exploded down both of his arms to his very fingertips. In an attempt to escape the pain, his body reacted much like anyone else would. He slowly sank to his knees and he dropped his scimitars as his hands came to the large paws of the creature, trying to pry them free, but failing to do so miserably.