Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

It hadn't even been a gradual shift like she'd expected. He'd gone to bed one day and the next he woke up acting insane. He'd only gotten worse since then and it showed no signs of slowing down. Anyone that dared not to bow to him was executed, even children. The people were growing fearful, but for some reason, all those that were around him, served him willingly and without wavering in their loyalty to the man. She didn't understand it and she began to wonder if there was some sort of magic going on here.

True, the Elk tribe wasn't known for their magic. In fact, you could count on one hand how many Mages there had been in the Elk since their inception thousands of years ago. However, she didn't doubt that Darcine could do it. After all, he would need every trick in his arsenal and that would be one that he could cultivate in secret before unleashing it when needed. That thought sent a shot of fear up her spine and she turned her head, staring out the window of her room.

The day was cool and calm, the snow falling as always. However, there seemed to be something worse coming on the horizon and she wasn't exactly certain of what that could be. What could be worse than the insanity of one brother taking hold while another wandered the Tundra with a Demon?

She shook her head.

She didn't want to know the answer to that.

Diana gritted her teeth in anger as she thought of her brother and she wondered just what had possessed him to do the things that he'd done. Why had Darcine changed so much when he had managed to hold it together for all these years? He'd held back his insanity for most of his life, but now, it was coming out in droves and not even Darcine could stop it from coming out of his being, revealing who he truly was in his heart.

The Barbarian frowned when she saw movement outside and she saw that there were many warriors coming towards the palace. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the men. Just what the hell was going on? Was the Elk tribe rebelling against her brother already? She felt elation at that thought, but judging from the fact that they didn't have their blades bared, she would say that that thought was for nothing. They weren't here to rebel. They were here to meet with her brother.

She frowned and wondered why they were here. Then, an idea occurred to her, and for the first time in several days, she smiled. Why should she simply wonder why the warriors were there when she could find out for herself without them knowing she was there? Eavesdrop on their conversation a little bit. Yes, that was what she would do since she had nothing else that she could do.

She quickly pulled on a black tunic, black pants, and black boots. Then, she made her way across the floor and towards the door. She opened the door, and after taking a second to look out to make sure no one was guarding her door, she stepped out into the hallway quietly.

Diana was a small slip of a girl, and because of this, she made for one heck of a spy. When the Elk had been a nomad tribe, it had been harder for her to sneak around because the tents were so closely packed together, but those days were over. In places like this, it was much easier to sneak around and not be seen even though there were people in every room.

She didn't know what she'd find. In fact, she was quite afraid of what she'd find when it came to the meeting with her brother and the warriors. She didn't like how they had come into the palace as if they had a true and meaningful purpose. The warriors were better known as Hunters and Hunters hunted for meat. That was all that they did and it made no sense for a slew of them to be meeting with her brother.

The Barbarian slid from shadow to shadow, careful not to be seen or heard. If she was caught eavesdropping, she didn't doubt that she would be punished and punished severely. Hell, knowing Darcine, she would be accused of spying and executed. Of course, that wasn't that farfetched when you considered who Darcine would think his sister would spy for.

Darville.

If Darville had asked her to, she would've spied on her brother no problem and without second thought. She knew that Darville had nothing to do with the death of their father and she'd first believed that everyone would see that it was a ruse all along. That hadn't happened though and she had to wonder why. It was clear that Darville couldn't be the assassin. It was simply too preposterous that he would've killed their father and remained in his home to be found the next day with the poison vial in his room.

There hadn't been any kind of hiding the vial of poison. It was out in the open, laying atop a table in her brother's room when the soldier's came. That just wasn't very likely and she knew it. Besides that, how did they explain the fact that the vial for the poison was in his room while he was found in their father's room, unconscious? It just didn't make any sense.

She was going to prove her eldest brother innocent even if it killed her and it very well could. Darcine wouldn't take to well to being betrayed by his sister. However, she wasn't a threat to him and he knew that. He had exiled the only true threat to his claim on the throne of the Elk after all and he wasn't going to come back any time soon that was for sure.

Women could not inherit the throne of the Elk. Even if she had been born the oldest daughter, it still would've went to Darville. It had to pass to son's because of the other Barbarian tribes on the Tundra. They all knew that with a woman in charge of the tribe the other tribes would fight harder so they wouldn't be shamed by being defeated by a woman.

That wasn't what they wanted.

When they did fight the other tribes, they wanted them to surrender and retreat. However, with a woman in charge, that would never happen. It was all about pride, and because of that, the women of the Elk tribe were mostly kept sheltered. Women could be Hunters and the like, but not one of them had every participated in a raid against the other Barbarian tribes.

Diana held no rancor over this. For one, she didn't want to be Queen because she would mess up severely and she wouldn't be able to handle having the fates of thousands of people in her hands. Secondly, she knew that her place was not in battle, but in caring for the homestead. There was just as much pride to be taken from caring for one's home than there was in battle. In many of the Elk people's opinions, the caring for the homestead was actually more important because it ensured the lives of the next generation of warriors and the next generation of domestics.

Outsiders would've called their way of life oppressive, but it really wasn't. Women were not seen as property of men and they could do or dress what they want. Also, if a man were to attack a woman, he would be jailed, and depending on the severity of his crime, he would be executed. Crimes like rape were rare among the Elk because of the final penalty: death.

Besides that, with the women at home taking care of the homes and the children, boys learned to respect women. They also learned to fear harming them and that was something that was lent to the creed of never hitting a woman. If a man were to assault a woman, it was very likely he would be attacked by any of the male witness', and even more likely, fatally wounded.

The Barbarian drew herself from her reverie as she slipped through the shadows and she stopped at the end of the hall. Taking a deep, silent breath, she peeked around the edge of the wall and she nearly yanked her head back as she saw the men. However, she held her head still and she watched the warriors in the middle of the audience chamber, staring up at the King who sat upon a throne of carved wood.

The Human frowned as she watched the spectacle, and she looked closer, she noticed something. One of the warriors was Gage, the Hunter, and he seemed to be the one leading the group. That thought was reinforced when Gage stepped forward and bowed his head to the other man.

"What do you have to report, General?" Darcine's crisp voice resonated through the audience chamber and to her ears perfectly. She could see his face and she could tell that his expression was yet to change, but depending on what this man had to say, it could change quite dramatically.

"My Lord, we have searched to the east and we found four separate Barbarian tribe camps, all a mile from one another. We aren't certain if they have allied with one another or not, but what is certain is that even all together, they are no match for the full might of the Elk tribe." Gage replied in a clear and confident voice. He was staring right at the King and he wasn't looking away.

Diana however was shocked.

Were they planning an attack on the other tribes of the Tundra? But why? There hadn't been a raid in over a year and she'd thought that it was finally all over. She'd hoped that there would never be any need to bloodshed again, but it would seem that under her brother's rule the Elk were now seeking out warfare instead of defending themselves like they had done under King Darr's reign.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard her brother speak once again.

"Good. Very good." Darcine said, his voice filled with battle lust and she felt a cold shiver go up her spine. She had heard that voice only one other time and that was when he'd gutted a Barbarian of another tribe for raiding them. The man had begged for his life, but Darcine's answer had been an unequivocal no. "I want you to gather all our forces together. Hunters and warriors. Then, I want you to take them to this place and attack these villages. We will be the only Barbarian tribe of the Tundra. We will show our might through our superior might and numbers."

The Barbarian girl felt tears well up in her eyes, but she fought to keep them back. To see just how twisted and filled with hate that her brother was hurt her to her core. It sickened her to think that she had the same blood he had flowing through her veins. If someone were to tell her that she wasn't actually his sister, she would rejoice at it. However, at the same time she would be in sorrow because that would mean she wasn't Darville's sister either and he was the best brother a girl could ever hope to have.

"It shall be done, my Lord." Gage finally replied, his voice also filled with his own battle lust. The man turned and intended to leave the room to do as his King bade him, but Darcine's voice stopped him.

"One more thing, General." the Elk King called out to the man and she saw him turn to look at her brother. The smile on his face worried her as did the gleam in his dark blue eyes. What was going on in that devious mind of his that brought him such sick, twisted pleasure? "If you can manage it, I want every woman raped before they are killed."

Diana gasped in surprise at this. He was calling for the rape of thousands of women? What the hell was wrong with him? Was he really so hateful and so insane that he would wish such a tragedy upon a league of people? How could he?

The General didn't even hesitate however. He just smiled and nodded his head. Then, he turned and he walked through his crowd of warriors with him. The problem was that he was heading right for the hallway that she was in. Cursing inwardly, Diana turned tail and she ran back down the hallway, moving as quietly as she could so as not to be discovered.

If she was found spying, she didn't know what her brother would do. He would probably execute her, but then again, that was the sane thing to do and he wasn't acting very sane right now. He had gone mad and there was no telling what Darcine would sentence her with if she was caught.

Reaching the door to her room, the Barbarian girl opened it swiftly and closed it silently behind her. She rested her back against the door and she panted heavily, fear heavy in her heart. There was nothing that she could do for her fear and she knew it. Her imagination was running wild with her and she knew that if she didn't get it under control she was going to go mad. She kept envisioning those men bursting into her room, laughing at her while they took turns raping her again and again until she was a bloody, unrecognizable mess.

She shook those images from her mind and she walked over to her bed. She sat down on the foot of the furs and she hung her head. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, she put her face in her hands and she began to cry, sobbing for the pain of the people who were about to meet the Elk. She sobbed for her father, Darville, Acheron, the Elk, and even from the fear that filled her body.

As long as Darcine held the throne of the Elk tribe, Diana's life would be filled with fear.

Darville walked beside the Demon through the snow and he wasn't so sure about the man's plan. It seemed insane from his perspective, but then again, it also seemed crazy for a Demon to enter a village full of Humans only to come out as trustworthy. If Acheron could do something like that, he could definitely do what he had planned. However, there was only one problem that he had with the plan.

Time.

Acheron had told him that it would take time, possibly even months. He didn't like that at all because he knew that he didn't have that kind of time. He needed to get back to the Elk tribe and he needed to take full control of the throne without the interference of his brother. If Darcine was allowed months of control, the Elk tribe would suffer for it of that he had no doubt.

There had been something different about his brother that day. Darcine had been...different somehow, though how he didn't know. There had been no visible change to the man, but it was just a feeling. His feelings were usually right so he knew that there was something vastly different about his brother. He didn't know what it was, but he would figure it out.

There wasn't a doubt in the Barbarian's mind that Darcine had been the one that actually saw to their father's death. However, if there was one thing that he knew about his brother, it was that he would never dirty his own hands with such a dirty job. So, he had at least one plotter that had helped him, and when the Barbarian found out who the plotter was, he would break his neck with his own two hands. That was a promise.

The Exile turned his head and stared at the face of the Demon at his side. He didn't have a trace of emotion on his face, but it was obvious that he was lost in thought. After all, if he hadn't been lost in thought and was paying attention, he would've noticed that the Exile was looking at him. However, the Demon continued to stare at the snow that he walked on and his eyes weren't focused on what was going on around him. He seemed a million miles away at that time in fact and he had to wonder what Acheron was thinking of.

He frowned as he stared at the man. The slope of his high cheekbones seemed delicate, but razor sharp at the same time. His jaw was stern and looked to be able to take a punch without a problem. His lips were thin and hard. His midnight black hair was a stark contrast against the white snow that fell from the sky and landed on his hair.

Suddenly, the Chaos Demon looked up and right into Darville's eyes. His emerald green eyes burned with conviction, and when he saw Darville staring back at him, he grinned. Darville blinked a couple of times, unsure of why he was smiling like that, but for some reason he had the impulse to smile back at his friend. Before he knew it, his lips were curling up into a wide smile.

"I know it's an insane plan." Acheron said suddenly, breaking the silence between them and the man ran his hand over his face. His voice was ironic and amused, but it also sounded self deprecating as well. "For all I know, the other Barbarian clans will kill us the moment we step into their eyesight. We have to try though and that's all I ask of you."

The Barbarian nodded his head, understanding fully what he meant. However, it was a good plan and they couldn't abandon it now. It was the only plan they had after all. It was a bit shoddy and it was full of holes, but it was the only one they could conceive of.

The Human opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped when he noticed that his friend had stopped in his tracks. He was staring into the snow towards the north and he was looking very intently as if searching for something. What the hell was he looking for? The Human walked up next to his friend and stopped, looking out over the land as well, but he could see nothing. There was just a bunch of snow and some buried rocks that protruded from the snow, but that was it.

The Demon cursed and he manifested a Bastard sword in his left hand. His emerald green eyes glowed as he turned his gaze to Darville and he held out the blade, bidding that he take it. Still not understanding, Darville reached out and took the weapon from him. He noted that it was perfectly balanced and the edge of the blade was razor sharp. This thing could slice through steel probably and it was quite apparent that it wasn't made of regular iron, but what it was made of, he didn't know.

"We're about to be attacked so be ready." Acheron said in a matter of fact voice and he turned his gaze back to the horizon. Meanwhile, the Barbarian at his side didn't understand. He could see nothing, but he was so intent on it and so sure of himself he believed that Acheron did indeed sense someone. So, out of his trust in his friend, he gripped the hilt of the bastardsword in both hands and he waited for the attack to come.

The swirling winds was all that he could hear for several minutes, drowning out any noise another force might have made. Then, he heard the sound of drawing steel, but he knew that that was just his friend drawing his broadsword. Nothing to worry about there. Then, he heard it and he knew that it had nothing to do with the man at his side: shuffling feet and angry growls.

Whatever was coming, it wasn't Human that was for sure. In fact, he'd be hard pressed to call those growls humanoid. It sounded like an non sentient being's attempt at speech and failing horribly. Then, the Barbarian was drawn from his thoughts when he caught sight of over thirty dark shapes on the horizon and they were approaching their very direction.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Acheron gave him a sharp look and he shook his head. The Exiled closed his mouth and he realized that Acheron was right. If he spoke, it would vibrate across to the other force and warn them of their presence. They needed all the help they could get with such a large force and the element of surprise was the best advantage one could get.

The Demon at his side turned to look at him and he held out his hand, pointing. He wasn't pointing at the force of whatever they were though. No, he was pointing somewhere over the Human's shoulder at something. So, the Human turned his head and looked upon whatever it was that he was pointing at. Just a few feet away, there was a large, snow covered cliff and it had the perfect angle for them to hide before ambushing the creatures.

Darville nodded his head to show that he understood. Acheron turned, and with his shoulders crouched, he moved past him towards the cliff. Darville moved with him, moving as silently as he could, only sparing a couple of glances back over his shoulder at the force to see where they were. They were still quite a ways away from their position so he was positive that they hadn't seen them, and even if they had, when they reached the position that they'd been in and they weren't there, they would be certain to think that it was just a trick of the Tundra on their eyes.

They reached the cliff and he noticed that there was a path deeper into the cliff, a carved furrow of sorts. He smiled widely, noting that this was even better. If they waited in this furrowed path of the cliff, they would be completely shielded from the force and they could completely surprise the other force whoever they were. He turned to look at his friend and he nodded his head, obviously thinking the same thing that he was.