Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

Darcine's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at his brother, noting that his eyes had grown darker and were completely empty of emotion, but it wasn't just his eyes. His face was completely without emotion now as well. There wasn't a tightening of his jaw or a gritting of his teeth, there was nothing. It was as if he had become a completely unfeeling creature, and if what he suspected about this manifestation of his brother's power was correct, then he would be a mindless, unfeeling creature.

This power was something that was of legend deep in the minds of Barbarians from the beginning of their creation, but had never been seen. The red haired Barbarian had always thought it a myth, foolish ramblings of old men who glorified those that were more powerful than themselves. However, what he was seeing now was the thing that he'd always thought mythology.

Darville was that legend and that legend was known by one single name: Berzerker.

Berzerkers were said to be indestructible beings who would fight until they were finally killed. At the same time, it was said that Bezerkers usually pulled that power when they were about to be defeated so he wasn't sure how accurate the myths of Berzerkers were. Darville had been nowhere near being defeated by his brother and yet he had transformed into this transcendent being.

Darcine gripped the hilt of his scimitar sword and he narrowed his eyes on his brother. Since his transformation, the blue flame like energy had settled and was now gone, but the expression was the same. He looked like he was dead. It was because of this expression that he felt fear go through his body and fill him to the brim with it. His brother was a fierce warrior already, but now that he had transformed, he knew that there was no way for him to defeat the man.

This battle had just taken a downward turn for Darcine.

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Acheron moved faster than the Human eye could see through the village. He was moving towards the palace of the Elk, knowing that the Demon was most likely to be there. He didn't know that for fact, but he could sense the Demon's residual energy and it was coming from the palace of the Elk. He was ready for the battle to come with the other Demon, but he still didn't know what kind of Demon the other man was. If he knew what kind of Demon the man was, he would know what to expect and how to properly defend. He didn't need it of course because he knew he could handle the other Demon in battle. It was just a matter of finding him first.

The Chaos Demon saw the Barbarian women looking out the windows, and when they saw him going by, they ducked back into their homes so as not to be attacked. However, that wasn't what he was here for. He was here to do battle with the Demon and liberate the Elk from the Demon's influence. He didn't think that killing the Demon would make Darcine see the truth, but he had to kill the Demon anyway.

The snow was falling a lot slower now, but it was still falling and hitting the ground. He stopped as he walked between two homes, his senses on high alert, but it wasn't the Demon that he was sensing. No, he was sensing Darville and an amazing amount of power that he never would've thought would come from the man. It was a power that seemed to sing across the Tundra, announcing its arrival and he turned his head to look back to where the power was coming from.

What was that power? He had never felt anything like that from a Human before. It was an amazing power that seemed to come from the soul of the Human body and there was nothing more powerful about a Human than their spirit. It was the very thing that sent them into battle alone against hundreds and managed to kill dozens before dying themselves. That was a common occurrence among Human legends and lore, but he had seen it in person himself so he knew that not all of it was mere legend.

The Human race could do just about anything, even defy the Gods, when it was absolutely necessary. It was one of the many reasons that he respected the Human race and knew that they would evolve to be even better than they already were. In another few millenniums, there was no telling how much greater the Human race could've become and ascended to new heights.

That wasn't important right now though. What was important was finding the Demon and wiping him from the face of existence.

With that thought prevalent in his mind, the Chaos Demon moved even faster now, moving towards the palace in the bottom of the basin. Reaching the edge of the basin, he stopped and looked down at the palace. He could sense the energy that was radiating from the palace and he knew the Demon was within the palace.

Gripping the hilt of his broadsword in his fist, the Command Assassin walked slowly down the basin, angling himself properly with the descent so he wouldn't fall. Reaching the bottom of the basin, he stared out and he noted that no one seemed to be around. It was no surprise to him though. After all, he was fairly certain that most of the warriors were with Darcine and the women and children would be hiding in their homes, not coming out until it was safe for them to do so.

Acheron walked slowly between the buildings, his eyes trained on the palace rising up in the distance. He knew that if anyone were to see him, he would appear as an imposing invader who was casually walking through what he was going to conquer. He didn't care what they thought of him. He was here to free the Elk from the Demon controlling them and there was nothing that was going to derail his intentions.

He could still sense the power coming from behind him, but since it was coming from Darville, he didn't worry all that much. He would find out later what that power was that he'd obviously brought forth from his own being, but as for now, his own battle was more important.

The Chaos Demon stopped thirty feet from the front door of the palace and he stared up at the windows of the palace, narrowing his eyes as he attempted to see if there was anyone in them. In one of the windows, he could see a man's face and he knew that it had to be the Demon. After all, every man of the Elk were at the edge of the village and readying themselves for a new King. It had to be the Demon.

"Show yourself, Demon. I would see you dead and there is no other way, but to fight." Acheron announced loudly, his voice carrying across the snow covered land to the palace. He knew that the other Demon heard his words, and if he didn't comply, he would simply go in after him. It wasn't a request for the other Demon to come out, it was an order and an order wasn't something that you could refuse.

The Chaos Demon stared at the outline of the other Demon in the window, and for some reason, he had a feeling that he knew him. His energy had felt familiar the entire time, but he was yet to discover why that was. Since he was a Demon and he was in his path, he was sure the Demon had been sent to kill Acheron. He was a high mark on the list he was sure and he was certain that the bounty was a high amount of gold, not to mention that whoever killed him would take his rank of Command Assassin.

Just as that thought entered his mind, the Command Assassin sensed magic shimmering right in front of him. Lightning quick, he leaped back to avoid being sucker punched and possible killed. The moment his feet touched the snow again, he looked at the spot he had just been in and he saw the Demon standing there, his hand outstretched. If he had been there, the man's hand would've easily touched his stomach, and whatever power he had planned to use, could've tore him apart.

When the other Demon raised his head to look at him, Acheron realized that he knew the man. It was one of his fellow Assassins, Tessla the Lightning Demon. As was usual for Tessla, he didn't look happy about being thwarted. It was obvious that he'd planned to end this with one strike, but what he hadn't counted on was his lightning fast reflexes. That was what had saved him after all.

The Lightning Demon lowered his hand slowly to his side and he glared at Acheron. It seemed to Acheron that the man's eyes snapped and crackled like there was lightning within them. Considering what kind of Demon he was, it wouldn't be any sort of surprise. Elemental Demons were well known for their mastery over their element and being able to bend it to their will. So, it was actually quite likely that the lightning he thought he saw in the Demon's eyes was real.

"It would seem that you haven't lost a step from your transition from Command Assassin to traitor." Tessla said, his voice soft and smooth. It was an almost seductive quality, but being a Demon himself, he wasn't lulled into complacency. That sort of trick only worked on Humans and other mortal races, but not on Demons of the same Flight. "I find that refreshing. I would rather prefer killing you at your peak and taking your rank as Command Assassin. It will make my victory even sweeter."

The Chaos Demon scoffed and took hold of his broadsword with both hands, holding it out in front of him. His emerald green eyes appeared to glow in the coming darkness, and while the darkness didn't bother him any, he knew that Humans had an aversion against fighting into the dark hours. He drew himself from his own reverie and decided to worry about his opponent at this time, not something else that meant little to nothing in the grand scheme of things.

"There is a reason why you aren't Command Assassin now." Acheron replied finally, his voice empty of all emotion. He was careful to keep his emotions under tight control and not let anyone see what he was feeling while he was doing battle. What he believed was that if they could see what you're feeling, they can see what you're thinking and they can see what you're thinking, they can defeat you. "It's because you were too weak to take it from me when I was still loyal to Dalkia. That hasn't changed, Tessla. You're no stronger now than you were a year ago and there is only one conclusion to this battle: your death and defeat."

Tessla's eyes sparked with his anger and he shot forward at high speed, aiming a clawed hand at his head. A Human would've been unable to follow the movement and would've been killed, but he was no Human. The Chaos Demon dodged to the side, allowing the attack to go right past him and he lunged forward, slashing at the other Demon's head.

The Lightning Demon's hand came up, blocking the blade and knocking it aside without any adverse effects. Then, he swung his other hand with his claws outstretched and ready to tear through his stomach. The Command Assassin reached down and grabbed the Lightning Demon's hand at the wrist, stalling the attack just as quickly as it came. He stared into the eyes of the Lightning Demon, and from the look in his eyes, it looked like he was entirely pissed off.

Acheron gripped the hilt of his broadsword and he slashed at the man's arm, intending to take it off at the elbow. Tessla tried to pull his arm back, but it was impossible. Acheron's grip was to strong and the blade cut through his flesh, severing his arm.

The Lightning Demon cried out as his arm was severed from his body, blood flying from his arm as he stumbled back and he went down to one knee. The Lightning Demon growled as he looked up at Acheron who continued to stare down at him and he gazed right back, his eyes empty of all emotion. The Lightning Demon's other hand began to glow with his magic, and just as it began to glow, he raised his arm, aiming it right at Acheron. Lightning flew from his hand, arcing towards Acheron, and if it struck him, he had no doubt the attack would kill him.

The Chaos Demon dodged to the side at the last second, allowing the attack to go right past him and slam harmlessly into the snow behind him. He was a little worried about one of those attacks hitting one of the homes and obliterating it with the people inside. It was at that moment he knew that he had to finish this battle as soon as possible. If he didn't, someone outside of the battle could get harmed or killed.

"I'm going to kill you!" Tessla cried as he rose to his feet and rushed at him, only one arm useful now. The Command Assassin watched as Tessla's hand glowed once more with his lightning attack and he swung his arm for his head. If the attack landed, it would tear his skull apart and leave him with a bloody nub for where his skull once was.

The Chaos Demon raised his sword, blocking the magic attack. However, there was no way for iron to stand up to pure magic. The attack was stalled by the iron blade of his broadsword, but as the attack continued to come, the blade began to creak. Then, to no one's surprise, the blade shattered from the hilt, but the lightning attack was also nullified when the blade shattered.

The Command Assassin leaped back and stared at the creature. He raised the ruined sword to his face, staring at the empty hilt and he sneered. He'd had a feeling that this was going to happen eventually, and even though his blade was gone, it didn't take his battle abilities away from him. He'd used a sword for many years, but he was just as adept with his claws as he was with a sword.

Acheron's lips peeled back, revealing his teeth and he allowed them to lengthen into fangs to show his distaste. He threw the hilt of the broadsword to the snow and he faced the Lightning Demon, waiting for the creature to attack him, but he was yet to move. Seeing that he had the time, Acheron flexed his hands at his side and he felt his fingernails lengthen into razor sharp claws that could rend through anything, even the strongest of steel or diamond.

Then, with a wide grin on his face, the Chaos Demon seemed to disappear from the spot where he stood. However, he merely moved so fast that he only seemed to disappear from the spot he stood, but he was moving as fast as he could, intending to strike the creature down. The Chaos Demon drew back his claws and he swung at Tessla's neck, intending to cut his head from his body with one fell swoop.

The Lightning Demon suddenly ducked the attack, allowing his claws to pass over his head and bringing his full bodily momentum forward. The Lightning Demon moved forward, slamming his shoulder into his stomach, knocking his breath from him and he flew over the Demon's head. He tumbled and fell to the snow, his back hitting hard into the snow. He groaned, and when he looked up, he saw the Lightning Demon striking down with a magic encased hand. If that attack struck, he was screwed.

Acheron rolled quickly, avoiding the attack. He heard the sound of the magic encased hand hitting the snow, causing an explosion of power, but he couldn't allow himself to be caught up in marveling at the power of the attack. If he did that, he would be dead. He quickly got to his knees, and finally, to his feet. He snarled at the Lightning Demon who had gone down to one knee and he still had his arm buried in the snow beneath from his strike.

The Chaos Demon really didn't want to use a lot of magic, but he also knew that if he wanted a chance at winning this fight, he would have to use his magic. When Tessla rose to his feet, he saw that magic already surrounded his whole arm, crackling and ready to kill in its intensity. The Chaos Demon flexed his claws, drawing his own magic into his claws, filling them with his own powerful magic to make them move faster and make them cut a little deeper.

"Today you die." Acheron informed the Lightning Demon with his voice empty of all emotion. Before the other Demon could respond, he leaped forward, moving as fast as he could and he swung his claws at the other Demon's arm. The Lightning Demon raised his arm to strike him with his magic encased his hand, but his strike never made it. Acheron's claws bit deep through the flesh of the arm at the elbow, severing his arm.

The Lightning Demon cried out in pain and stumbled backwards to get away from him. Both arms were pouring blood and it didn't look like he would be able to stand much longer. He was losing blood from his two severed arms quickly, and if he didn't staunch the blood flow soon, he was going to die from blood loss. Unlike Humans, Demons had to lose ninety percent of their blood before they died, but that didn't really matter. Even with no arms, he didn't doubt that the Lightning Demon would want to continue to do battle.

"Flaming Claws!" Acheron cried as he swung both of his clawed hands in arcs at the Lightning Demon and flaming furrows flew from his hands. The flaming furrows arced towards the other Demon, watching as the attack sliced deep into the Demon's body and caught fire. He watched as the flames engulfed the Lightning Demon, and even though he couldn't see the corpse yet, he could sense that the Demon's aura was already diminishing to practically nothing.

The Chaos Demon turned away from the burning heap of former Demon, proud of himself for liberating the Elk from the Demon. However, it would mean nothing if Darville failed in his battle with his brother. If Darcine won and remained the Elk King, he could do nothing to change that. However, the rest of the Tundra might follow him, though he doubted it. Basically, Darville had to win.

He walked on.

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Diana watched the battle from behind the battle in amazement. Acheron fought harder than she had ever seen before. She knew that he was powerful, but she never would've guess that he was as powerful as he actually was. He moved faster than she could follow, seemingly disappearing from one place to appear in another.

When the Demon was aflame and burning, she found herself smiling. She was sure that she shouldn't be smiling in the face of death, but with the death of this Demon, the Elk was free. However, there was still her brothers and their battle going on, of that much she was sure.

When Acheron turned around and left, she was sure that he was going to see the battle between the two Barbarian's. She knew that she had to see this as well so she followed quickly behind the Chaos Demon, but she did remain out of sight as she moved from house to house. Acheron didn't even seem to notice that she was there, but she had a feeling that he knew that she was there and simply didn't care.

The Barbarian walked slowly behind the Chaos Demon, his shadow cast over her like a long eclipse of the sun. However, she wasn't much use to the sun, and in fact, seeing the sun in the Tundra was a rare occurrence. In fact, there was only about two minutes of every day between the stopping of the snow fall and the actual night that one could see the sun before it sank below the horizon to give way to night.

Diana moved up the slight incline of the basin, heading for the top. She wasn't sure what she would see when she reached the top, but she did know one thing. Darville had Challenged Darcine, and if Darville won, he would be the new King of the Elk. She was certain that they would rather have Darville as the King because of his just ways and his honor.

There were those who thought Darville had truly assassinated the former King of the Elk, but she knew better. There was no way that her brother would've done such a thing to their father. Darville loved their father way to much and for him to poison King Darr for his throne wasn't a scenario that she could accept. However, if one had said that Darcine had done that, she could believe that because of Darcine's plots to win the throne.

Reaching the top of the basin, the Barbarian girl looked around, and when she caught sight of her two brother's, she gaped. Darcine was standing twenty feet across from her other brother with fear in his eyes and the reason for his fear was quite obvious. Her blonde haired brother stood there with his broadsword held down by his leg and he stared at Darcine with face devoid of all emotion, but there was something even more noticeable at that moment. Surrounding Darville was an aura of shimmering blue energy, and even though she had no idea what it was, she could sense the power coming from her brother.