Ultimate Assassin Saga: Woodlands

Amber felt her heart skip a beat at that thought. What if the Emperor had accidentally summoned something much more powerful than Hell hounds? What if he'd summoned something that he couldn't control? Something that could destroy them all?

No, no she had to be confident in the Emperor's knowledge and abilities. He was the most powerful and most feared Mage for a reason. He knew what he was doing, she had to believe that. If she didn't, then her loyalty would be in question, and if there was one thing she knew, her loyalty was all that really mattered to her. She had nothing else in her life that mattered.

The Cutthroat watched as the last of the creatures came through the portal, and almost as soon as the last one left the Abyss, the lights stopped. The very second the green light from the spheres stopped, the portal disappeared and locked the Abyss away from the Mortal Plane once again. She couldn't help but feel partially grateful for that little miracle.

She saw the Chaos Demon lower his hands and she also noticed that they were no longer pulsing. The spell was already finished so of course they wouldn't be pulsing. He'd done what he'd set out to do and there was no reason for him to use any more magic. In fact, it was likely that he couldn't use any more magic without doing serious damage to himself. After all, even the greatest of Mages had limits, and as great as the Chaos Demon was, he was no different than any other Mage when it came to that rule.

The Human Mage steeled her spine and she raised her head high. Then, she took a step forward and then another until she was walking straight up to the Emperor without a worry in the world. She stopped right beside the tall blonde man, and even though she had the strong impulse to look at him, she resisted. Besides, there was something far more important than what the Emperor looked like.

Like seeing if what had come through the portal had actually been Hell hounds or some extremely powerful creature that they weren't going to able to control.

The dust was yet to clear, still obscuring the creatures that had come from the Abyss. Amber continued to watch the dust, hoping it settled soon for her own peace of mind, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. Just as she was giving up on the dust settling, she saw movement and one creature moved through the dust, revealing itself to the two onlookers.

The creature was large and lupine like with sleek, hard muscles that rippled just under its midnight black fur. Its blood red eyes glowed menacingly out of a face that was extremely elongated with a wet snout and about six inch long razor sharp fangs. Its legs were as thick around as a tree trunk and its large paws were topped with inch long razor sharp claws that looked like they could rend anything to pieces.

In short, the creature was a Hell hound.

Even as Amber watched, more of the hounds stepped through the smoke, appearing like an army of saviors come to destroy those that would dare to betray their master. Each one was almost just like the last one, but there were subtle difference. When she looked closer, she saw that one of them were walking up from the back of the pack towards the front, and even though it was nearly identical, it had one very different feature about it: its right eye was scarred so badly that it was forced shut.

She gulped, fear filling her as she watched the hounds in their stillness. The one hound reached the head of the pack and it stood in the front, glaring at them with its one good ruby red eyes. It looked like it hated them, but it didn't move either. It was obvious who this hound was: the Alpha, or leader, of the pack.

Despite her own fear, she could sense none coming from the Emperor at her side. In fact, she sensed excitement and relief coming from him. The fact that he was relived the spell had worked and they now faced down one thousand Hell hounds spoke to his mindset. No one in their right mind would be happy to see a thousand Hell hounds in front of them, glaring at them like a piece of meat, but somehow he was.

Suddenly, the Chaos Demon turned his head and he looked at her. His emerald green eyes burned like fire, searing her very soul. However, it wasn't a negative look in his gaze. No, it was an appreciative gaze and she nearly blushed under it. She'd never felt the impulse to blush in many many years, but here she was feeling like a teenage girl under the stare of this man.

"You did well, Amber." Azrieal said in a kind tone and he smiled. It wasn't a smile that put her off or a smile to placate her, but a real, genuine smile. One that spoke of gratitude towards her. She smiled back, but before she could reply, he spoke again. "I would like for you to keep at my side for a while. I would like for you to see the power the Dalkian Empire for yourself."

The Cutthroat blinked at that, staring at him. He'd just asked her to stay at his side! Why? Did he have something planned for her? Or was he merely being nice to her? She would have to have faith that he was being kind and genuine with her.

"It would be an honor, my liege." Amber replied in a low, respectful voice and she turned her whole body to face him. He did likewise, staring into her eyes and waiting for her to speak again. "I thank you for this opportunity and I know that you won't be disappointed."

"I know that you won't." Azrieal replied, the corner of his mouth edging up in a small grin. It was a handsome grin that melted her heart, and if she wasn't so intimidated by him, she would love nothing more than to throw herself in his arms. "And also, I would appreciate it immensely if you would call me Azrieal, instead of my liege. We are friends now."

"Really?" the Human Mage asked in surprise, blinking a couple of times as if she hadn't heard him correctly. She watched as his smile grew larger and his gaze burned even deeper. He nodded his head once and she felt herself smiling as she looked at him. "Thank you, my...I mean, Azrieal. You have no idea what that means to me."

Indeed, she spoke the truth. The offer of friendship from the Emperor did mean a lot to her. Not just because it would give her power and respect over others in the Empire, but because the man of her affections seemed to return her affections. If he didn't, then the more time they spent with one another, the better. That way, she could work her charm on him and he would fall for her. She wasn't arrogant to think enough that he would be as easy as other men, but she knew that if she persevered, she would have him in her bed like she wanted.

A howl from the Hell hounds drew her gaze back to them and they seemed to be getting restless. They were moving around, pacing like they were ready to attack something any second. Being beasts of the Abyss, she didn't doubt that was very much what was on their mind. From what she knew of Hell hounds, they were dangerous and they were always hungry, willing to eat anything that got in their way.

The Human Mage saw that her male companion had noticed the hound's howl as well. It was hard not to when they were so loud and so close. However, he did more than she did. He walked slowly towards the hounds with his back straight and his head held high. It was as if he was challenging the might of the Hell hounds and she didn't know if that was a good idea or not. For something like that he could be ripped apart and the last thing she wanted to see right now was her new friend torn to bloody pieces in front of her.

The scarred Alpha Hound stepped forward to meet the Emperor and the canine-like creature didn't look like it wanted to back down. She could understand that on some level. He was the Alpha of the pack after all and if he backed down it would show weakness to his pack. Weakness was something that wasn't tolerated among canine creatures, especially Hell hounds. Any sign of weakness and you would be torn into bloody chunks.

The Demon Mage stopped in front of the Hell hound and glared down at it. The creature glared right back, its thick tail swaying back in forth. She didn't know if that was a sign of aggression or not, but she didn't suppose that it mattered this very second. They would know soon enough if it was aggressive towards them or not.

"Hounds, you are under my command. I am Emperor Azrieal, leader of the Demon Empire of Dalkia. I command you to lay down your aggression and bow before me." Azrieal said in a ceremonial voice, his voice echoing back through the Hell hounds and to her. She blinked and gritted her teeth, not sure that speaking to them in such a way was a good idea, but he pressed on. "I order your submission and your obedience. I have someone for you to kill."

Amber watched the creatures, not sure they would be willing to listen. However, they'd been summoned by him, and presumably, they were subservient to him. They didn't have any choice in the matter because of the spell, or so it was suppose to be anyway. As she'd thought before, she had no idea whether or not that spell of subservience had worked, and if not, they would tear him to pieces - or they would try anyway.

There were a few tense seconds, and then, the Alpha Hound began to move. It stepped closer to the Emperor and she held her breath, thinking that it was going to attack him. Right at the Emperor's knees now, the Alpha Hound hung its head and it bowed before him, laying its head on the barren ground between his feet, showing his obedience to the Emperor.

One by one, the other Hounds followed suit, bowing before the Emperor and showing their subservience to him. When the last Hound had bowed before him, the Emperor turned to face her and on his face was a big, happy smile. He was pleased that the spell had worked and that they were totally loyal to him. Acheron's days of freedom and life were up.

Acheron slowly regained consciousness, but he didn't open his eyes right away. Instead, he took stock of his situation. He could feel the hard wood under his back, legs, head, and butt. He could feel the sun bearing down on his face, bathing him in its warmth. He could hear the sounds of people moving around, going about their early morning work. It was that that really brought him from his sleep.

Eyes slowly opening, the Chaos Demon stared up at the sky and frowned. The sun was already high in the sky, obscured a little by the tops of the trees, but still quite bright. He blinked a couple of times and sat up, running a hand over his face. Letting his hand fall from his face, he blinked and looked around to get his bearings, unsure of where he even was at this time.

"Son of a bitch." Acheron cursed out loud low under his breath when he realized where he was. He hadn't left the roof of the hut last night. He remembered talking to Leera, and after his talk with her, he'd laid down on the roof to relax for a little while. It would seem that he'd fallen asleep instead of just relaxing and he wondered what the Star Elves thought of his lounging around on top of one of the huts of the village.

Then again, he wasn't so sure he wanted to know. They could be angry at him for it even though it wasn't that big of a deal. They might see it differently and he didn't want to chance their anger at him. He needed allies and they were his newest one's. Or at least, they would be once he'd gone after that power and destroyed it. That was his goal at this moment was to cleanse that power from the Whispering Jungle.

The Command Assassin could feel the stiffness in his shoulders and his back from sleeping on the hut. Wood wasn't the most forgiving of bedding, but it was better than the ground. Not that he had to sleep on the ground since he had a nice, comfortable bed in the palace, but that wasn't the point.

Laughing at himself, Acheron put his hands beneath him and he pushed to his feet. He didn't move to jump from the top of the hut, but instead stood there and looked out over the village. It still amazed him how different the village was from anything that he'd ever seen before. They had indoor plumbing, artificial lights, and other such conveniences so that they didn't have to go through a bunch of difficult tasks through their day. In fact, it looked like the only thing that was difficult in their lives was their farming and even that looked easier than anything he'd ever seen.

There were several farms on the outside of the village, the sheer acreage of the farms impressive and he found it hard to believe they could farm that land so quickly. Then again, it could have something to do with the strange machines that they employed to do it. Like the strange, metallic box-shaped vehicle with wheels like that of a cart on it and a strange mechanism with blades on it attached to the rear of the vehicle.

He'd seen more than one person climb atop these strange looking vehicles and turn it on somehow, driving it across their farmland. He didn't know the purpose for that because he believed that doing such a thing with a bladed vehicle would tear any vegetables you were growing in your farm to pieces, but there had to be a reason. They wouldn't destroy their own crops so the vehicle had to be helping them in some way that he simply didn't understand. Well, there was only one way he was going to find out.

He needed to ask them.

With that thought in mind, Acheron leaped off of the hut roof and flew through the air. Landing on the hard ground without a sound, he cracked his neck and stretched out his sore legs. Then, he set off towards one of the farms which was being worked at this very moment.

The Chaos Demon could hear the strange machine as it lumbered across the ground and he could see its dark shape in the distance. It was a slow moving vehicle, seemingly devoted to a slow and steady pace, but with a purpose in mind as well. Until he knew what the vehicle was and what it was for, it was going to perplex him he knew. He'd never seen anything like it anywhere else in the world and because of that he was certain that it was a piece of Star Elf technology that made their lives easier.

Walking between the huts of the village, he took no notice of the people walking past him to go about their daily business. However, the children that ran into his legs were hard to ignore and he stopped to look down at them. The child, a small slender girl child, stared up at him with wide, fear filled eyes and her cheeks turned bright red as her fear rolled off of her in waves towards him.

He hated that this child feared him, but it wasn't an uncommon occurrence. He was a very large man and most adults feared him because of his size so for a child to fear him was nothing new. It still hurt him though and he hoped that when he had children some day that they didn't show this same fear of him because of his size.

"Careful there, little one." Acheron said with what he hoped to be a kind smile and he placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Her little brow furrowed up in confusion and he could sense her fear of him waning. Good, that was what he'd been after in the first place. "You could've hurt yourself and then your parents would've been mad at me. We wouldn't want that, not would we?"

"No, sir." the little girl said in a small voice that was hard to hear. If it wasn't for his Demon hearing, he would've missed what she had to say completely. As it stood though, he heard what she said and he saw her face straighten out, looking up at him like he was just a normal adult who she was getting in trouble with. She lowered her chin to her chest and he thought he saw her bottom lip poke out in a pout. "I'm sorry, sir."

He heard the miserable tone in her voice and he knew that he couldn't let that pass by. He couldn't have her feeling bad for herself just because she'd been playing and had run into him. It wasn't that big of a deal and that was the only reason that he wasn't yelling at her. Well, that and the fact that she wasn't his child. It wasn't his place to chastise her and he knew it. That was for her parents to do, and even if they didn't, it still wasn't his business. They dealt with their children however they wanted to and it was no one's business but their own.

The Command Assassin went down to one knee in front of the little girl to even out their eye level though he was still much taller than she was. He bent his head down and he reached out to her, placing the length of his index finger under her chin. He made her lift her head until she was staring him right in his eyes and he saw the fear had returned to her gaze. He wanted nothing more than to allay the fear that she obviously felt when faced with him, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about that.

Her fear could only be overcome by her and her alone. No one could do it for her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Acheron told her in a gentle, kind voice and he removed his finger from under her chin. She didn't lower her chin like he'd thought she would and he was glad for that. It meant that she was at least a little bit more comfortable looking at him now than when she wasn't before. "You are a child and children play. I merely got in your way."

The girl looked at him in confusion, obviously not understanding why he would be defending what she'd done. It didn't hurt him for her to run into him and he really didn't mind at all. Children were precious beings that should be protected, but when they did wrong, they should be punished. She'd done nothing wrong on this occasion however. She'd been playing and he'd walked into her way. It was not her fault, but his so he took no offense to her running into him at full speed.

"What is your name, child?" Acheron asked kindly before she could respond. He stared into her eyes and waited for her answer. She blinked and looked at him with wide eyes, the jump in the conversation obviously disorienting to her in some ways. However, she still answered.

"My name is Emma." the girl Elf replied, her voice just as small as when he'd first started talking to her. He didn't know why she would retreat back into her shell that way, but he wasn't going to try to coax her out. It was obvious to him that she was just a shy individual and there was nothing he could do to get her out of that shell.

For the first time, the Chaos Demon noticed her clothing. They were threadbare, and even though they looked like the clothing of a peasant with patches sewn all over them, she didn't look as if she really cared. It seemed that to this child, money and the fine things in life meant nothing. Maybe it was because that she'd done without her whole life, but he doubted that. He'd heard nothing of a monetary system among the Star Elves and maybe they were like the Amazons in that regard: using the barter system.

A sudden idea popped into his mind and the Command Assassin smiled. He held up a hand with his palm out and he began to draw magic into it. It was obvious that she sensed the magic because she turned her gaze to his palm and she took a step back away from him, obviously afraid of what he was doing. Suddenly, a small, round red ball of rubber appeared in his palm and he smiled at her once again, holding it out to her.

"Play well, Emma." Acheron told her as he held out the ball and waited for her to take it. She bit her bottom lip and she stared at the ball for a moment. It was obvious that she wanted to take it, but she was unsure of herself. She kept casting her gaze between him and the ball again and again, maybe thinking that he was going to pull it back from her before she could take it.

Finally, the Star Elf girl child reached out and she took the ball from his palm. She held the ball in her hand in front of her face and she squeezed it between her hands, amazed by the texture of it. He smiled as she continued to squeeze it and she bounced it on the ground, squealing in happiness when it came back up to her hands. He chuckled a little bit, glad that he could bring some happiness to someone and he continued to watch her bounce the ball.