Ultimate Assassin Saga: Woodlands

In his mind, the best defense was a good offense.

Darville lunged forward, his boots barely touching the mat as he rushed her. She remained completely still as he rushed her and she visibly tensed, obviously ready for a fight. What she wasn't ready for was her brother and his surprising agility. Just as he reached her, instead of attacking her from the front, he leaped into the air and flew over her head, landing with his front to her back only inches from her. He dove his dagger towards her back, knowing that he could stop it before it cut into her, but at the same time he knew that she was going to dodge the blade attack with little problem.

Indeed, she did just that. She leaped forward nimble as a cat, somersaulting across the ground and she somehow came up to her knees facing him. Then, she pushed to her feet quickly and darted right at him, her dagger flowing across the air to slice through his shoulder. He saw the strike coming and he countered accordingly, their daggers clanging together as he blocked the attack, knocking her dagger aside. He followed it up with a thrust towards her chest with his own dagger, but her dagger came up quickly and blocked the attack, knocking his own blade to the side.

The two siblings traded shots like this over and over again for several minutes. Standing toe to toe, they fought hard and fast, their speed as well as skill being put to the test by their opponent. That all changed when she knocked his dagger aside, and instead of attacking him with a blade strike, she kicked him in the stomach, sending him stumbling back a couple of steps with a gasp of surprise.

The Elk King regained his footing and he stared at his sister in surprise. She was standing only five feet away from him, her stance wide and her dagger held up in a defensive gesture. He hadn't expected her sudden change of tactics, kicking him in the stomach. He should have expected it, but he hadn't and all that was left to do was really start trying to win this sparring match. If he didn't kick it up a notch, she would beat him and he couldn't have that. She needed to know that he was stronger than her so she knew humility and didn't end up getting herself killed because of her own overconfidence in her abilities.

"Having trouble breathing, big brother?" Diana suddenly asked, obviously gloating. Her smile was wide and filled with her overconfidence. He hated to rob her of that, but he knew that he had to. She had to know that gloating before you'd defeated an enemy was something that could get you killed, and even though he didn't want to, he'd have to be the one to show her that.

He said nothing to her taunt, allowing her to have that overconfidence for now. He narrowed his eyes, watching the movements of her body and trying to predict when she would lunge forward. Seeing her knuckles tighten slightly around the hilt of her dagger, he knew that it was coming...about...now. Just as he'd predicted, she lunged forward, her dagger swinging through the air towards him.

He watched it arc through the air towards his face and at the last second, he side stepped the attack. The blade passed harmlessly past his face and missed his body completely. Before her arm could do a full arc downwards, he lifted his own arm holding his dagger and he hooked it at her elbow. Then, before she could react, he flipped her over onto her back and he spun so that he was staddling her back, holding her arm with the dagger in it down with the tip of his dagger at the back of her neck.

"Yield, little sister." Darville said in a serious voice, knowing that the battle wasn't over yet. Until she yielded, their sparring match would continue and she would have the opportunity to turn this whole thing around, but he wasn't going to let his guard down. He was going to hold her fast and make sure that she couldn't get away to counter his hold.

She struggled under him, trying to free her arm, but it was no use. She was pinned, and with the dagger at the back of her neck, she had to be careful or she would be cut deep. He didn't want to harm her, but if she kept struggling, he might accidentally cut the nape of her neck. Finally, she stopped struggling and he heard her sigh heavily, obviously disappointed in not being able to get away from her brother to continue the sparring match.

"I yield." Diana said in a miserable voice, effectively ending the match. As soon as she said it, he removed his dagger from the back of her neck and he got off of her, letting her up. He stepped away from her and she pushed to her knees, but she didn't get up right away. Instead, she sat there on her knees and she stared at the mats beneath her knees. "I failed. I'm still not good enough. Damn it!"

Her shout was sudden, and if he hadn't been expecting it, he would've been startled. As it was, he continued to stare at her and he waited for her to get to her feet. She quickly pushed to her feet, but she didn't raise her eyes to look at him. Instead, she kept her head down, obviously hanging it in shame. The way he saw it, she had nothing to be ashamed of. She'd fought one hell of a fight, and if he'd been someone else, he probably would've lost the fight. As it was though, she'd lost the match and she was beating herself up over it.

"Calm down, sister. You did well." Darville told her in a soft, comforting voice. Her head snapped up and she looked at him, her eyes sharp with her anger. However, he could see the gleam of tears that burned in the back and he felt his heart hurt for her, but he refused to show emotion. He had to be analytical and not appear as a big brother placating his sister. "If I were anyone else, you would've won that match. I'm one of the best and you know it. As it stands, I think you're ready for an independent hunt."

The red haired Barbarian stared at him, shock evident in her face. She knew what it meant for one to go off on an independent hunt. To go off on an independent hunt meant that you were nearly ready to join the Elk tribe as a warrior. When you returned with a large animal like a snow wolf or a snow bear, you were considered a warrior of the Elk tribe. It was a great honor for a young Barbarian and she'd been training for less than two months in the arts of battle. For her to be selected for an independent hunt so early was completely unheard of, and if she was to be successful, she would be the youngest female warrior of the Elk tribe in recorded history.

"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" Diana asked suddenly, her voice filled with fear. However, he knew that she wasn't afraid of failing on her own part. She was afraid of failing him and making him look like a fool for sending her out there so early. He had no fear of her doing that so he smiled at her and he nodded his head.

"I know that you will succeed, sister." Darville said with a kind, warm smile on his face. He stepped closer to her and he lay a single hand on her shoulder. She stared up at him, her dark blue eyes wide and staring at him like the small child that everyone seemed to see her as, but he knew better. She was a grown woman, and as a grown woman, she could be just as deadly as any man. "You have the blood of our father rushing through your veins and you will return in success, of that I'm one hundred percent certain."

The red haired Barbarian stared into his eyes, her own dark blue eyes filled with worry. However, they soon cleared and she straightened her spine before raising her head, her head held at a regal angle. She'd already thrown back her shoulders and her posture was completely straight.

The Elk King narrowed his eyes on his sister, and after a moment of staring at her, he nodded his head. Then, he turned and walked to the target, pulling the daggers free of the target. With the ten daggers in his hands, he walked back to his sister and he held them out, both hands held out with the daggers laying upon his palms. She looked down at the daggers sitting there in his hands and she reached out, taking them from him.

"Go with the Gods." Darville told her with total confidence in her. He watched her tuck the blades away in different spaces on her body and he smiled when the last was in its sheath. She looked every inch the warrior she was trying to be. "May the Gods bless your hunt and have you return a warrior of the Elk."

With that, he bowed his head low at the waist to her to show his respect and he could see that she bowed her head to him as well. They both lifted their heads and they smiled at one another. Then, he took a step to the side and held his arm out, signalling for her to go. She nodded her head once and she walked past him, heading for the door. He watched his sister as she opened the door to the training gym and she stepped out, shutting the door behind her.

The Elk King smiled and he turned towards the door. He put his hands behind his back and he stared at the door for a moment. The training of his sister had gone well and had brought the two of them closer together, creating a bond that couldn't be broken. He could feel that bond and he was sure that she had felt it to.

The next time that Darville saw Diana, she would be a warrior of the Elk.

XXXXXXXXXX

Diana knelt behind a ridge, the stone buried in the snow pressing against her knees and keeping her awake. Her eyes narrowed on the snow and she waited. She was a patient person so hunting was no problem for her, but it was starting to get late. If she didn't find a big game animal soon, she was going to have to set up camp and sleep out here. After all, she couldn't go back to the village without a big game carcass and she knew that. If she did, she wouldn't be allowed to be a warrior of the Elk.

The snow blew hard across the Tundra, and if weren't for the fur lined cloak that fell around her ankles, it might've bothered her. True, she was born on the Tundra and she was use to the cold, but her flesh still couldn't be bared to the cold. She was still Human and the extremes of weather still affected her like it would any other Human.

The moment she'd left the village, she'd pulled the wide hood of the cloak up over her head and it kept her face as well as her ears warm. The wind blew around her, but the cloak was thick and repelled most of the snow as well as the cold. The cloak was made of the flesh of a snow bear that had been killed by Acheron himself and her brother had made the cloak for her personally just because it had been killed by Acheron.

She was glad that she had the cloak that was made from the fur of the snow bear that her second father had killed. It made her feel warm and created a cocoon of warmth that she loved more than anything else. Her dark blue eyes cut from side to side and searched the Tundra. Still there was nothing, but she knew that there had to be some sort of game out here somewhere. She frowned and doubted herself for a moment, but she banished that thought immediately. She needed to keep her confidence if she was going to do this and be successful like her brother thought she was going to be.

The ridge she was kneeling on gave her a full view of the land before her for miles, but anyone on the other side wouldn't be able to see her. It was the perfect spot for a long range attack and she knew it. However, she had to find a mark first before she could concern herself with anything else. She couldn't return to the village without a big game kill and she knew it.

The Barbarian girl reached under her cloak and she slid her hand across the hilt of her dagger at her hip. She felt the confidence she always felt when she felt the cool metal of the dagger and she continued to wait. Her patience was waning quickly, but she was doing all that she could to snatch hold of it and keep it tight to her, to sustain her. This hunting was hell on her patience.

Suddenly, she saw movement down on the Tundra and she crouched lower. She narrowed her eyes and she searched for that moment of movement again. She saw it again and then again, moving a little further away from her position.

She could clearly see the creature and she shook her head, surprised. It was a small snow bear, its snow white pelt nearly camouflaging it completely in the snow. If she hadn't seen the movement, she never would've seen the creature, that much she knew. However, she had seen the movement and she knew that this was her chance. If she could take down a snow bear and bring it back to the tribe, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be accepted as a warrior of the Elk.

All she had to do was kill the bear.

Diana knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but she had confidence in herself that she could do it. It was just a bear after all with no real sentience, acting on pure instinct at all times. She was a Human and Humans created plans when they did much of anything. It was this fact that made her confident in the fact that she could take down the beast. She would have to be careful though. Bears were known for their resilience to injury, and if you didn't take it down quick, it would be upon you, mauling you before you could flee.

She watched the creature as it ambled along, obviously unaware of the fact that it was being hunted. She slid her hands down to the hilts of the two daggers at her waist and she took a deep breath. Drawing the daggers, she sighted the creature with precision centered eyes. Then, she moved her arms out from underneath the fur cloak and she let the daggers fly, one after another.

The Barbarian watched the two daggers fly through the air and they slammed into the bear. One slammed into its throat and the other slammed into the haunches of the snow bear. The creature cried out in pain, but it didn't fall. Instead, the creature turned and started looking for the one that had injured it. It didn't even stumble despite the dagger stuck in the bear's haunches. Any other creature, the dagger would've crippled it, but the bear was resilient and it looked around, searching the area for her.

The red haired girl took a breath and waited. The creature threw back its head and roared, frustrated at its inability to find the one that had injured it. The creature didn't turn away though. Instead, the creature began to amble around in a tight circle, obviously waiting for her to attack again and the snow bear wouldn't have to wait too much longer. She was going to attack again soon, but she had to make certain that her next strike was right on the mark or it would see her and rush her.

Diana reached to the small of her back and she drew the dagger from there. Still kneeling, she waited until the creature had turned more towards her. Knowing that this was a gamble, she flung the dagger and watched it fly across the whiteness of the Tundra, the black of the dagger obvious when you knew what you were looking for.

The dagger missed, slamming into the bear's shoulder and sending it sprawling to the ground. She could see the crimson blood that sprayed from its three wounds, but the creature was already getting to its feet. The snow bear threw back its head and roared before it began to race up the ridge towards her. Cursing to herself, the Barbarian knew that the bear had spotted her and was coming for her. There was only one thing she could really do.

Fight.

Knowing that stealth no longer mattered, the red haired woman pushed to her feet and she backpedaled, her hands going to her daggers secured inside her cloak. She drew the first two that she could find and she quickly flung them at the charging bear. They slammed home, one into its leg and the other into its uninjured shoulder, but neither one of those wounds brought it down. If anything, it pissed it off even more and it was more determined to kill her.

"Shit." Diana cursed under her breath, the word disappearing into the snow laced wind as she continued to backpedal, never taking her eyes from the bear. If she turned her back on the bear, there was no doubt in her mind that it would be upon her and there was no way she would be able to escape. Gritting her teeth, she drew two more daggers and waited to let them fly.

She couldn't see the snow bear because it was hidden by the ridge and her distance from the ridge. She waited for the creature, and the moment it showed its head, she was going to take it off. Her dagger was going to go right through its skull, and if that didn't take the bear down, she didn't know what would.

The snow bear crested the ridge, roaring in defiance and rushing towards her. The Barbarian gripped the hilt of her daggers and she was about to throw them. Before she could throw the daggers, a spear of ice flew down from the sky and pierced the creature through the back, pinning it to the snow covered ground. She stopped and stared at the creature, but the snow bear was still moving, though feebly. Before she could react, another spike of ice flew down from the sky and slammed into the bear's skull, its head exploding with the strike.

The bear grew still.

The Princess frowned, lowering her dagger. She stared at the ice spikes that were embedded in the snow bear and she knew that they had ruined the pelt of the bear. However, the ice spikes - and whoever had fired them off - had ruined much more than just the pelt of the snow bear. They had ruined her perfect chance to become a warrior of the Elk tribe.

Anger running rampant through her, the red haired woman began to search for the person that had fired off the ice spikes. She didn't even stop and think about the fact that whoever had fired off the spikes could easily kill her if she annoyed them too much. No, she was simply too angry at that person to think about that fact and she continued to search, but she saw no one on the ground. Then again, the spikes hadn't come from the ground. They'd come from above.

Realizing this, she turned her dark blue eyes to the sky and began to search. She saw a large form already floating down towards the ground. She gritted her teeth and she gripped the hilt of her dagger in anticipation. The form began to grow closer to the ground which allowed her to be able to see the features of the person. She could clearly see that it was a man, but other than that, she had no idea. His hands were swirling with what looked like wind, keeping him aloft, but he was quickly decreasing the winds surrounding his hands which allowed him to lower to the ground.

The intruder lowered himself completely to the ground, and as she watched, the winds surrounding his hands disappeared completely. She saw the smile on his face, like he'd done something good. However, the only thing that he'd done was ruin her chances to end this hunt today and that made her madder than ever before in the past.

She took in his features, catalouging them in her mind. He was tall, standing at six foot three, and muscular, probably weight about two hundred pounds worth of pure muscle. He had short cut light blue hair that he wore swept back off his forehead and ice blue eyes set in a pale, boyishly handsome face. He wore a long sleeve light blue tunic tucked into his black pants and knee high black leather boots.

He wore no weapons on his, but with an attack like those ice spikes at his disposal, he wouldn't need weapons to fight his battles. There was really only one thing that he could be with features and attacks like those: an Ice Demon. The Ice Demons were the allies of the Elk tribe, but she hadn't spent any time with them so she didn't know anything about them personally.

At this time, all she knew about him was that he'd ruined her hunt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Diana raged, her anger carrying across the empty Tundra. The man's smile disappeared, his expression being replaced with one of confusion. He even took a step back away from her as if he was a little frightened of her. She doubted that, but stranger things had happened. "You ruined everything!"