Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

With Darcine as King, the Elk could finally return to their natural roots and thrive once more. However, he knew the King and he knew that the man didn't want to just be the most powerful Barbarian tribe of the Tundra. He wanted to be the ONLY Barbarian tribe of the Tundra. Once they had wiped out the rest of the Barbarian tribes, they could proclaim the Tundra wholly theirs and rule it with an iron first.

Of course, to do so they would have to return to the village that they would leave behind. However, that was an acceptable loss. They had to allow their nomadic nature to fade into the past to give way to their new future. To do so would allow them to become the power that they were meant to be and hopefully they would be able to expand their power beyond the Tundra into other parts of the Wilds.

To Gage, all that mattered right now was taking the Tundra and ruling it with an iron fist. However, he knew that eventually when they were large enough, their descendants would begin to look at expanding. Maybe they could expand their lands and create their own Kingdom, ruled by the Barbarians. They could become a very powerful Kingdom that would rival the powers of the Dalkian and Manatheran Empires.

With glory and grandeur glowing in his eyes, he no longer felt the snow blowing around him. All he felt was the warmth of his thoughts and the warmth that would come from being the most powerful thing in the area. The Tundra would be theirs, of that he had no doubt. What happened after that, he didn't know, but he didn't really care either. For right now, they had to focus on the Tundra and taking over the snow covered ground. Otherwise, all their ambitions would mean nothing.

With those thoughts in his mind, the General turned and looked at his men. They were walking behind him, each one ready for battle and killing. He could see the looks of blood lust on their faces clearly and he felt pride in seeing that. These were the real men of the Elk tribe, not the foolish weaklings who crafted beds, made weapons, and stitched clothing. No, the warriors were the real men of the Elk tribe and he would see to it that once they returned to the village speaking with the King in regards of the other men, maybe making them lesser class citizens.

Why should people who weren't good enough to wield a sword be equal to their protectors? They weren't important, and if they were to be killed, it wouldn't matter. All that mattered was the warriors and the King of the Elk. Those were really the only one's important to the Elk. Even the women really meant nothing. In his mind, women were nothing more than breeding stock and a way to let off sexual tension. They shouldn't be considered equal to warrior men either.

He smiled at his own thoughts and he was sure that when he suggested the changes to the class system that the King would accept them. After all, Darcine was a fair minded man and he would be able to see that he was right, that women and non-warrior men were not equal to warrior men. They were less than important, and because of that, they should be considered lesser class citizens.

Gage shook his head, banishing his thoughts and he turned back around, staring forward at the wide expanse of snow covered ground. There were several hills that rose high and then tumbled downward, but the terrain wasn't on his thoughts. What was on his thoughts was the fact that they were within a mile of the first Barbarian camp and they would soon be upon it. Also on his mind was how they were going to raid the village and what they were going to do exactly. He had his orders from the King to kill everyone, but that the women were to be raped first. That he had no problem with, but he was trying to figure out how they were going to do that while dealing with the men.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he saw a faint outline in the distance of the village. He smiled widely as he relished in the thought that battle was going to be coming soon. However, they couldn't just charge right in without a set plan on how to deal with the men and women. He held up his hand in a fist, signaling his men to stop as he himself stopped in his tracks.

The General turned around and stared at his men. He could see the battle lust still in their faces and he loved it. His men were eager to do battle and they were even more eager to kill. That was what being a Barbarian was all about. They were suppose to want to kill and they were suppose to relish in it. That was what made a Barbarian, no matter what anybody said. He knew that King Darr had believed that warfare wasn't necessary and that they should be more forgiving of their enemies, but that wasn't who they were.

The Elk tribe had been warring with other tribes for generations, and just because one King thought differently, that didn't mean that they weren't a race of warmongers. They were meant to fight and kill, that was just how it was. Darr had been weak and had sought peace while every other Barbarian tribe was set in their warmonger ways.

"Today men, we do our tribe a service. We have sat idle for an entire year and it's time that we draw our weapons against our enemy once more." Gage told them in a strong voice filled with his conviction and quite a few of the men grinned widely, thinking of the devastation that they were about to bring to the other Barbarian tribes. "What we are to do is go after the men. Kill the men and leave the women be until we have done so. If the women flee, it doesn't matter. We will hunt them down like we would a snow wolf, and when we find them, we will take care of them just how King Darcine wanted us to."

He heard a few chuckles among his men and he smiled. He had informed them of what King Darcine had ordered him and his men to do to the women. Not one of them had blinked an eye and all of them had seemed eager to go right away. It was the mark of someone who was wholly and truly loyal to the Barbarian King of the Elk tribe of which they should be proud of. King Darcine was already shaping up to be a great leader, and no surprise, they had been right about the man's abilities.

Without a word, the General turned back to where the outline of the other Barbarian village could be seen. With a smile on his face, he held up a hand and signaled for them to move forward. The General continued to walk ahead of them, his hand on the hilt of his broadsword, and when they finally got close enough, he drew his sword. He heard the sound of the other Barbarians at his back drawing their weapons and he smirked.

This Barbarian tribe didn't stand a chance against the Elk.

He could just make out a flag blowing in the wind and it was settled in the middle of the camp. The flag itself was blue and emblazoned in gold was the image of an eagle. So, the Eagle Barbarian tribe were they? Well that wouldn't matter soon. The Eagle tribe was about to be wiped out and that was all there was to it.

Gage could see that they weren't even smart enough to station guards to warn if anyone was coming. It would seem that the year of peace between the tribes had brought complacency. Well, they would just have to make them pay for their complacency. Grinning, he raised his broadsword high in the air and he brought it down, signaling to his men to attack. He heard shouts from his men as they poured past him, all types of swords and other bladed weapons in their hands as they flooded towards the camp of the Eagle Barbarian tribe.

He could hear shouts of surprise and fears the Elk flooded towards the village. He knew that the fear and surprise had come from the Eagle. He grinned widely and he walked calmly towards the village, knowing that his people were to be victorious.

Entering the village for the first time, the General grinned as he looked around and he felt pride in his people. The Elk were slaughtering every man that put up a fight and even some that didn't put up a fight. However, just as they were ordered, they left the women alone, but to his surprise, the women didn't flee. Instead, they cowered near their tents and they obviously thought that if they made themselves the smallest they could that they would be left alone.

Oh, how wrong they were.

Gage looked up as one of the Eagle's slipped past his men and raced towards him with murder in his eyes. He was carrying a heavy hammer and was lifting the weapons high overhead to crush his skull. He didn't blink and he didn't hesitate. He darted forward, surprising the Eagle Barbarian and he slashed at the man. His broadsword bit into the flesh of the man's stomach, making him cry out and stumble backwards. His heavy war hammer fell from his hands as he placed his hands over his stomach and tried his best to keep his guts from spilling out, but that didn't matter. He walked towards the man slowly and he brought his sword down on the back of the man's neck, severing his head.

"Father!" cried a small voice in horror and he turned his head. He watched as a girl ran his way and he sneered. She was too young to be raped, but she was certainly showing more nerve than the grown women of the village. After all, she was coming right towards him and she looked completely unafraid of what was going on around her. It was a shame that she had to die.

The General allowed the girl to reach the dead Eagle's body and she fell forward on her knees, crying into his chest. Despite the fact that he was covered in blood, the girl sobbed into his body and didn't seem disgusted by it at all. She had just lost her father and it was amazing what some children would do for their parents. The General sighed as he raised his broadsword and he looked down at the girl. He was not a cruel bastard. He would make sure that this was quick and that she didn't see it coming.

He brought the blade down on her neck, slicing her head from her body. She never saw it coming and he had no problem with what he had just done. After all, his King had ordered him to kill them all and that was what they were going to do. It was his job and he was really good at his job. He spared a moment to look back at the severed head of the little girl and he felt something stir in his chest as he noticed that the head was turned so the child's dead eyes were staring into his face.

It was as if she was accusing him and judging him, but he didn't care. Or rather, he didn't want to care, but he knew better. He knew that the face of each child he killed would be in his memory forever and he would never forget them. While under King Darr's rule, they had been ordered to leave the women and children alone. That was where Darcine was different, and while he didn't relish in killing children, he was loyal to King Darcine no matter what.

Gage turned away from the child's accusing stare to do his job.

Acheron sighed and stared up at the night sky. The snow had stopped as it always did with the night and gave him a clear sight of the sky. It was a deep velvet with the silver stars twinkling in the sky, but there was no moon. The moon was dark tonight and he was partly glad for that. It meant that they could sleep out in the open and not have to worry to much about someone coming upon them in the night.

Not that many people's traveled at night, but it never hurt to be safe. You never knew when you might be discovered, and if you were sleeping, you wouldn't have much of a defense against nefarious visitors. It was thought that more powerful Generals and assassin were actually killed while they were sleeping than in actual combat.

The Chaos Demon was standing off to the side of the burning campfire. In fact, he was more than ten feet away from the fire and was just standing there, staring out at the wide expanse of the Tundra. He was struck once more just how beautiful the land of the Tundra was, but he knew that it was much more than just beauty. It was also a harsh environment that could crush a person's mind and soul if they weren't careful.

He could hear Darville shuffling around near the fire and he sighed. Both men were growing more disheartened as each day went by. They couldn't seem to find any sign of another Barbarian tribe, and if this kept up, they would never get Darville back on the throne. Also, there was his need to return to the village to see Diana and make sure she was okay. He missed her immensely and he had a pain in his chest when he thought of what her brother could be doing to her.

Diana had become much more than just a friend to the Command Assassin. He'd come to think of her like his own daughter, and like he would treat his daughter, he wanted to keep her safe from everything out there that could hurt her. That included Darcine. That especially included Darcine.

He hadn't known Darcine before, but now that he knew that he was more than likely being controlled by a Demon, he knew that there was nothing good that he could do. The Demon would twist the Barbarian King until he was no longer the same sentient being that he'd been and he would live off of madness, his mind filled with rage and killer intent. That was all that could happen. Demons gave power, that much was true, but that power was not freely given. The power that was given to Humans by Demons was always corrupt and always twisted the Human into complete madness.

There were no exceptions to the rule.

Demons who made deals with Humans for power always corrupted and that was just how it was. Most Demons were evil and only wished to do harm. He had no doubt that the Demon who lived among the Elk village was evil as well and wished to see them destroyed. However, he would go the roundabout way and make everyone suffer first before they all met their end. That was just how Demons operated and he knew that personally. He himself had always dealt outright with his strength and killed right away, never plotting or planning. He was a professional and didn't allow himself to get involved with a job to take joy from the killing. In fact, he took no joy from the killing. It was just necessary.

The chaos demon sighed and shook his head. He wanted nothing more than to go back to the Elk village and rid them of the demonic influence, but he knew that he couldn't do that. He hadn't been exiled, that was true, but they wouldn't trust him coming back alone. They would think that he was there to assassinate the King which he probably would be.

"Do you think she's okay?" Darville asked softly, still sitting at the campfire and he turned back to his friend. He was still sitting in the same spot, legs crossed and staring into the flames. He didn't even bother to look up with his own question.

The command assassin sighed, not sure how to answer that. If he answered truthfully, he would have to say that he didn't know, but that he doubted it. If he lied, he would have to say that she was fine and that nothing was going to happen to her. However, if he did lie and when they did return if something had happened to Diana, he had no doubt that his friend would be angry at him. Then again, if it took him being mad at him later for his friend to feel better now, he could do that.

"Your sister is strong." Acheron finally replied, his voice filled with his conviction and that much wasn't a lie. He waited for the man to look up at him, but he still didn't and that worried him. Was he coming up with all kinds of scenarios in his mind what could be happening to her right now? If so, it would drive him mad and would defeat the purpose for this whole thing. "She can handle herself. Besides, I doubt that Darcine, even influenced by a Demon, would harm his own sister."

Finally, the Barbarian looked up at him and met his gaze. His dark blue eyes were filled with worry for his sister, but he could also see a burgeoning hope. That hope was one of infantile and naivety, but the man needed it so he wasn't about to take it away from him. He was going to need that hope when dealing with the other Barbarian tribes as well. If they wanted to make allies with the other tribes, they were going to need all the hope and naive illusions that they could get.

"You have faith in Darcine's humanity." Darville said, his voice quiet, but he was able to hear him perfectly. It was as if the still of the day was carrying his words to his ears for him. He was broken from that short reverie when Darville's dark blue eyes filled with anger and rage. "I however do not. What kind of person could have their own father killed and their older brother exiled? He did these things to his family so I have no doubt that he will do something to Diana to. It's just a matter of time."

The chaos demon sighed and he had to admit that he was right. Darcine had had his own father killed and his brother exiled so he could take the throne. However, Darcine had no reason to harm Diana. She was no threat to his throne like they had been and he knew it. Maybe it was the one reason that he'd felt comfortable leaving Diana behind in the village of the Elk. It could be another reason all together, but he didn't know. It could be just about anything that lead him to believe that she would be fine with her own people. Not that he could tell his friend that of course.

The command assassin opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by several loud growls. He frowned and he turned sharply, searching the area for any sign of sentient beings. He found that there were five beings moving straight towards them at rapid speed, but they were less than sentient. They were intelligent, but they operated more on instinct and power than they did intelligence. It would seem that their intelligence was second hand and never used.

He found that interesting for some reason.

Acheron narrowed his eyes and he saw the dark shapes on the horizon coming towards them. As they got closer, he was able to make out more of their features and he cursed. He recognized the ape-like appearances of the creatures, covered in snow white fur and huge fingers topped with razor sharp claws. He knew these creatures only by one name, but he'd never actually faced on in battle. To be honest, he'd thought the Yeti was a myth.

"We've got an issue here." Acheron said in a worried voice and he turned his gaze to the still seated Barbarian. He wasn't sure how the man would fair in battle against the savage and extremely fast Yeti. He had heard the tales over the years, and if they were to be believed, these creatures were impressively fast as well as agile and strong.

The Chaos Demon turned back to the creatures and he noted subtle differences in the five Yeti. One was by far the largest, hinting that it was the male adult of the pack, but the smaller one was no less muscular, though it was shorter. Next to them were the other three and each one of them were smaller than the other two, but the same size as one another. It was obvious that the Yeti's here was a mated couple and the three smaller Yeti's with them were their children.

He heard foot steps behind him and he cut his eyes to the side, noting that Darville was walking up next to him. He heard his slight intake of breath and he knew that the man had seen the Yeti's coming towards them. He could almost make out the faces of the ape-like creatures and none of them looked too happy. But then again, he'd never seen the face of a Yeti before so this could be how they looked all the time and he wouldn't know it. This was his first time encountering the creatures after all.

There was no way he was just going to allow these creatures to attack him without any sort of defense. So, to put off the Yeti's, he wrapped his hand around the hilt of his broadsword and he drew the weapon, the steel gleaming in the darkness. The Yeti were closer now, just fifty feet from them and it was obvious from the way they were moving straight at them that they intended on barreling right over them, but that wasn't going to happen.