Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

There were many foolish notions among the Elk tribe and one of them was marriage. Marriage was about equality, but no woman could ever be equal to even the weakest man. Men were better, stronger, and more level headed. Women were weak, whimpering little creatures who were easily taken control of and used. Women rarely fought for their own freedom, to afraid to die to stand up for themselves. That was why the women of the Elk would no longer be recognized as equals, but slaves for men to own.

Many foolish men would object to his policies concerning women, but none would challenge him. He was the King after all and no one challenged the King. That was such an alien notion that none would think of it and he would continue his reign unencumbered. Women would be put in their place where they should've been all along and men would be treated as they should be. They would dominate the Tundra and he not just be the King of the Elk, but the King of the Tundra. Many people held notions of love, respect, kindness, and mutual admiration of one another, but none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was power.

Power was what kept the world turning and it was power that had established every kingdom and every society in the world. Anyone who said otherwise was a fool and powerless. Of course, he himself had a little extra power himself and he knew that he could gain more if he wanted it.

Tessla was on his side, and true to his word, he had helped Darcine become King. He was still around despite his distaste for Demons, but he could see the Demon's tactical mind. He had good plans that were useful to Darcine and he liked to believe that was the only reason he was still around. Of course, Tessla's existence had to be hidden from the rest of the Elk because they wouldn't understand and they might just challenge him if they thought he had a Demon influencing his decisions. In the end it really didn't matter.

Once Darcine had wiped out the other Barbarian tribes and gained control of the Tundra, their partnership would end. Tessla would have no choice, but to leave. If he didn't, he would be shown just how might a bunch of Humans could be and he would be shown his place in the world as well. Demons were powerful creatures, that much was true, but they were to be slaves or corpses. There was no other alternative possible.

At his own thoughts, the Elk King laughed softly. His laugh filled the room and the three girls awoke, all trembling in terror as they saw their King standing by the window still naked. All three hoped that he would just allow them to leave, but not one of them believed that was going to happen. They all thought the worst and rightly so.

The Elk King was not a kind man and he cared little for the creature comforts of others. As long as his own comforts were taken care of, everyone else could go to hell as far as he was concerned. He turned his attention to the girls and he smiled. Seeing their fright, he felt his cock begin to stir, and before too long, he was fully aroused. All three girls cowered, wishing that it would be over, but they knew that the man was going to violate them anyway. No matter what they said, he would take what he wanted and there was no way to stop him.

"Hello my pretties. Shall we begin again?" Darcine asked, his question a rhetorical one and his voice dropped low with his returned lust. He walked across the room, his cock bobbing from side to side and nearly making a few of the girls sick. They didn't like this man and in fact found him disgusting, but they could not do anything to free themselves. They simply feared him far too much to do so.

As Darcine climbed onto the bed, all three girls retreated mentally within themselves, never to be seen again as more ravages were placed upon their bodies and minds, but each girl had a strong spirit. They made a promise to themselves: he could break their minds and their bodies, but their spirits would remain intact.

The next few hours were not kind to the three girls.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sunlit morning found Darville standing with his friend and waiting for the Barbarians. The other tribes had arrived in the night, and much to his surprise, they were a huge number. When taken all together, they numbered in the hundreds of thousands. He didn't understand how it was that his brother ever hoped to wipe out all these men and keep his own tribe strong. It was truly a mystery, but not one he would be able to solve so he let it go.

Acheron seemed unaffected by the whole thing, standing beside him and staring at the Barbarians that would follow him into battle. Among the forces, there were men who hoisted the banners of the many different tribes among them. There was the Bear, Deer, Wolf, Rabbit, Crow, Eagle, Vulture, Hyena, Turkey, Chicken, and several others. They were truly an amazing sight all huddled together, and with this many warriors, he knew that Shadir would never come into their borders seeking to control. There was simply to many of them for Shadir to be able to control and they were all hoping that they would see that so they wouldn't invade the Tundra.

If they did however, they would defend themselves.

Suddenly, the Barbarian noticed the Barbarian King walking towards him and he was holding something in his arms. He couldn't see what it was because it was wrapped in fur, but it was long and weapon shaped. He narrowed his eyes and wondered what the man was doing with that. He found himself surprised when the King of the Bear tribe stopped in front of him and smiled.

"I believe that the King of the Tundra should have a weapon that suits his position." Dalan said with a wide smile, naming his new position. The Exile stared at the other man, surprised that he'd be willing to call him that, but feeling pride wash through his entire body as the title settled over him, feeling like a well worn glove that he'd lost only to find once again.

The Bear King held out his arms with the fur wrapped weapon held in them and a smile on his face. Darville hesitated for a moment, and then, he took the fur covered weapon from the man. Unwrapping the fur, he stared in wonder at the weapon in his arms and he stared into the eyes of the Bear King before looking back at the blade, amazed by this great gift.

It was a sheathed sword that was a little shorter than a broadsword. The hilt was a dark, shining blue with a spike on the end of it. He dropped the fur on the ground and he gripped the sheathe of the sword before drawing it free of its sheathe. He stared at the silver blade and he found himself amazed at the sight of it. The blade was a light blue, razor sharp, and with runes carved all down the blade from guard to tip.

"It is made of Ice steel." Dalan's voice drew him from his wonder and he stared into the eyes of the other man. He had taken a step back and was smiling as he looked at him, his hands on his hips as he had stared at the weapon. There was a look of wonder in his own eyes, but he masked it mostly. Then, he spoke again. "The sword is called Icebrand."

"Icebrand." Darville repeated softly and he felt the power wash through the blade, over him. This blade was powerful, and with this weapon, he felt like he could do anything. He felt that he could slay even a Dragon with this weapon. Then again, maybe not a Dragon. Maybe he would not go seek out a Dragon to slay with the weapon, but fight the war that he needed to. After all, he was the new King of the Tundra, and with his faithful blade, he felt that he could do anything.

Sheathing the sword and strapping it to his left hip, the Barbarian turned his gaze outwards towards all the men willing to fight with him. He looked across their faces and he saw something that he never would've though he'd see on the faces of rival Barbarian tribes: respect. He smiled and turned his eyes to his friend, noting that he was standing off to the side a little watching this whole thing. He had his arms down by his side and was watching him. When the Barbarian looked over at him, he smiled and nodded his head to him.

The Exile felt that he had even Acheron's approval, and with that, he could do anything. No longer did he feel that he had betrayed anyone. No longer did he feel worry. No longer did he feel that they couldn't win and that his brother would rule all. No, he felt as a King should. Powerful and just.

"Let us go!" Darville cried out in his best Kingly voice and he smiled when he heard the others let loose battle cries. Turning, he walked at a swift pace and he listened to the others walking behind him. It was amazing to him that they were so willing to follow after him and go to war with him. They didn't know him from anyone else, but they were willing to go to war at his side.

He only wished that his father could witness this glorious sight.

XXXXXXXXXX

Diana sat in her room, her eyes closed and trying to block out the images of her rape. It still plagued her and she knew that it would probably continue to plague her until the last days of her life. She was trying to overcome what had happened to her, trying not to feel that it was her fault, but she found it a very difficult thing not to do. She had brought the man to her room after all, seduced him really and she'd gotten what she deserved.

She shook her head. No, no woman deserved to be violated. Women had the right to say no to sex and expect the man they were with to stop. Just as men were allowed to say no, so were women. Men and women were equal with very few differences between them. Instead of vindicating themselves of how different they were, they were suppose to celebrate the fact that they were much the same, but things seemed to have changed.

In the short time that Darcine had been in charge, he had changed many things and not one of them were good for the women of the Elk or even the men. What really worried her though was that her brother seemed to be growing more and more insane with each passing day. He'd always been a little extreme, but nothing like this. It was abhorrent what he was doing and there was no one that could stop him.

Wait, that wasn't right. There was someone out there who could stop him. Two someone's in fact. Darville was still out there, and with Acheron with him, there was nothing those two couldn't do. They would find a way to return and put a stop to Darcine's evil rule. They had to or the Elk tribe would be destroyed from the inside out and Darcine would be the head of doing such a thing.

She only hoped that they returned in time and saved them all. They couldn't defend themselves against Darcine, she knew that, but Darville could. He was the rightful King and everyone knew it. There were many who were on the side of Darville once again, now believing that he had indeed been set up so Darcine could rule the Elk. It was a little bit too late for them to realize that their King had been the assassin of the late King Darr and they were all going to pay for it now.

They just had to hold on a little longer. Diana didn't know how she knew it, but she knew that something was going to happen soon. She didn't know when, but she knew it would be before too long and it was going to be something grand. Something that would change everything and put an end to Darcine's rule while placing Darville back on the throne where he belonged, but she had a feeling that it was going to be much grander than putting the rightful King back into place.

All that was left to do was wait and pray.

XXXXXXXXXX

Acheron marched beside the King of the Tundra and smiled to himself. Yes, it had a nice ring to it. King of the Tundra. He knew that now that Darville was ruler of all the Barbarian tribes, the Elk would have to accept him back as the King of the Elk. They had little other choice, but he was fairly certain that by now they would want him back having been subjected to the rule of Darcine for way to long.

By now they were beginning to feel the pain and hatred that came from their King. It would become apparent that he had been the one to really kill King Darr and that he'd exiled his brother so he could take the throne. What hadn't been apparent at the time of the trial would be apparent by now because their grief would've worn away some and they would be able to see with clear eyes.

The Chaos Demon's thoughts turned to Diana and he hoped that they had come in time. He hoped that she hadn't been hurt and that Darcine had yet to do anything to her. Maybe he was wrong about his lust for his sister, but he didn't think so. If he wasn't wrong, then he would have to get there soon and put a blade through Darville's throat. He would then turn his blade on the Demon when he showed his face and he had no doubt that the Demon would indeed show his face.

The Command Assassin was drawn from his reverie at the sight of several dark shapes up ahead and he stopped, his hand dropping to the hilt of his broadsword. Everyone else stopped as well, their own hands going to their weapons and readying themselves for a battle. They were all thinking the same thing at the very same moment. Had the Elk brought the battle to them?

He reached out with his aura, and when his aura brushed against another's, he frowned. However, he knew that it wasn't the Elk tribe and he straightened. He noticed that Darville straightened away from his brand new sword as well, and with his moving his hand away from his weapon, they all did. Acheron stepped forward, signalling that they were to stay where they were and Darville repeated the gesture to them, but he didn't follow after Acheron. He stayed put and decided to let him take care of whatever this was.

"Hail General." call a hearty voice and he frowned at the words used. He had called him General, but he hadn't gone by that title in nearly five hundred years. He stared at the man, noting that he had long dark blue hair and matching eyes. He knew this man, but he didn't know why and it bothered him that he couldn't place his face. The Demon must've realized this because he smiled and bowed his head. "I am Glacier, my Lord, Lord of the Ice Demon clan. We fought together in the great campaigns to spread Dalkia. Now, I come to offer you my assistance in anything you need."

The Chaos Demon blinked in surprise and stared at the man as if he'd lost his mind. True, he knew who he was now and he could recall the Ice Demon saving his ass more than once. However, he wasn't so sure that he believed they were there to help. He reached out with his aura and searched everyone's emotions, knowing that if there was any falsehoods it would appear in at least one of them. When he was done searching them though, not one of them had that falsehood and so he judged that they had indeed come to assist him.

"I welcome you into our force." Acheron replied, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear and it was obvious that no one was disgruntled about this. They all apparently trusted him and some might've even expected this. It sure looked from the expression on Dalan's face that he had expected it. Almost as one, the two groups joined together, intermingling without a problem and they marched on, this time more powerful than ever before with more hope filling their chests at their added allies.

XXXXXXXXXX

Darcine sat behind his desk, looking at the map of the Tundra and noted just how much like a long blob of nothing it looked. It was a simple oval shape that ran from east to west, barely split from the High Forest to the east, but it ran right into the Whispering Woods of the west. It was quite interesting to look at and see what their world looked like on a map, but he believed that he could make his world much larger. After all, there was a huge chunk of land to the north of the Tundra just waiting to be conquered, but he knew that they couldn't do so just yet.

The Kingdom of Shadir was too powerful to take on right now, that much he knew. They had hundreds of thousands of the Dark Races at their command and their numbers continued to grow. Any Mage worth his salt could summon one thousand of the Dark Races, but if they did so, they would drained of magic for a long time. They would be unable to use any magic for even the simplest tasks. That was just how much the summonings took out of mages and there was nothing to prevent that.

He knew of course that that only applied to Human Mages. Demon Mages on the other hand could use as much magic as they wanted to. They could seemingly drawn on magic for eternity, sucking even the land dry of its magic to use for their own gain. He only knew this because it was Tessla who had shown him his ability for magic and he had to admit that it was quite frightening. Demons were already powerful enough, but to add magic to their repertoire made them seem impossible to defeat.

The Barbarian sighed and sat back in his chair. He stared at the darkened wall of his office and he knew that he should turn on a lamp, but he didn't want to. He rather liked skulking in the shadows as he had done his entire life when he was plotting his next move of how to become the King of the Elk tribe. Now that he was the King, he could do anything he wanted and no one would be able to challenge him. He was the ultimate power among the Elk and they all knew it. That was why they stayed out of his way and tried their best not to piss him off. They were afraid of him, just how subjects should be of their leaders.

The Elk King was smiling widely as he sat in his chair, lost in his own thoughts. Then, he noticed the shimmering across from his desk and his smile disappeared immediately. He sat forward and he waited for the Demon to fully manifest in front of him. After a few seconds, Tessla stood in front of his desk and the Demon didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked troubled and that wasn't an expression he'd ever seen on his face./pp"We have a problem." Tessla said without preamble or any pomp. He seemed to simply want to tell him and be done with it. The Barbarian sat forward in his chair and placed his elbows on the desk, putting his fist in the palm of one hand while he waited for what the other man was to say. "Your brother and Acheron are on their way back to the Elk village."

The Elk King stared at the Demon, surprised that that worried him. Why would he be worried over a simple return? It meant nothing. The moment that Darville stepped into the village, he would be slain and Acheron along with him for aiding his return. So why was the Demon so worried over this situation?

"Why are you so worried?" Darcine asked, his voice low and demanding. Before, he never would've allowed himself to take such a tone with the Demon, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He sat back in his chair casually and scoffed, waving his hand as if to dismiss the Demon's worries. "He is but an Exile and will be killed the moment he steps foot into the village. The Demon with him will be killed as well. There is no cause for concern."

The Thunder Demon seemed to vibrate before him, his hair sweeping up on ends and the air grew heavy in the room. His fingertips crackled with lightning and the Barbarian King almost felt enough fear to beg for his life, but his pride - as well as his lost mind - foolishly caused him to posture in front of the Demon, showing no fear or deference towards him.

"Mind your tongue, mortal man! I am no fool and you will understand that!" Tessla exclaimed, shouting at the Elk King and he felt fear rocket up his spine. Even his lost mind was able to grasp the fact that he stood no chance against Tessla, and that if he tried, he would be killed. The Demon seemed to calm down some, closing his eyes a moment before straightening his spine, speaking once again calmly. "If it were just Darville and Acheron, I would not worry. However, he is not alone. He brings with him the rest of the Barbarian tribes of the tundra and the Ice Demon clan. More than two hundred thousand strong."