Ultimate Assassin Saga: Woodlands

The Dwarf raised its shortsword - really it was little more than a dagger, but for a Dwarf, it would be a shortsword - and it swung at his knees, intending to cut him down to size. With rapid movement, he lowered the Diamond Blade and blocked the attack. When the Dwarf's sword was knocked aside, he plunged his blade forward and stabbed right through the Undead creature's forehead, blood erupting from the wound. Pulling his blade back, the creature fell over onto the ground, dead.

Acheron's booted feet pushed on, moving deeper into the Zombies and closer to the stone. His Diamond Blade blocked and countered each attack that was brought upon him, cutting down his enemies. He disemboweled one Goblin that attempted to sink its spear into his stomach and decapitated a Human Zombie who had attempted to smash his skull with a huge warhammer.

His progress was halted by a charging Minotaur, its pickaxe swinging again and again at him, the swings growing more reckless. He merely backed away from the creature, avoiding the pickaxe and trying not to get sliced to pieces. At the same time, he was searching for an opening in the Minotaur Zombie's attack for him to take advantage of, but he could see none just yet. The more he dodged though, the more it would make the Zombie swing, and the more the Zombie attacked, the more likely it was to leave itself open to a counterattack.

Suddenly, the Chaos Demon became aware of another presence. It was coming up from behind him with two scimitars in its hands and was coming right for his back. He cursed, realizing that he was cornered between a Minotaur and an Elf Zombie. However, he couldn't simply keep doing what he was doing or try to change what he was doing because if he did, his death would be an instant result. There had to be a way out of this and he just wasn't seeing it.

Then, an idea popped into mind and he realized how perfect it was to get out of his situation. Smiling to himself, he continued to do what he'd been doing before: stepping back to avoid the mad slashes of the Minotaur Zombie and moving closer to the Elven Zombie that intended to knife him in the back.

When he got close enough, the Command Assassin dove to the side, avoiding the large pickaxe the Minotaur brought down. He somersaulted across the ground and came up to his knees just in time to see the Elf's scimitars plunged into the Minotaur's gut while the Minotaur brought his pickaxe down, obliterating the Elf at the same time. He watched as the two creatures fell, blood pouring from them and he knew that neither one of them were a threat any longer.

Getting to his feet quickly, Acheron searched out for the stone once more. Seeing it only a few yards in front of him, he pushed on, his blade out in front, cutting down any and everything that got into his way. His Diamond Blood was slick with blood by the time he reached the stone and he stared at the nearly insubstantial rock, its runes glowing with that sickly green light, obviously giving the stone power.

There were no Zombies around him so he could take his time. However, the Chaos Demon didn't have the time to take his time. The Star Elves were being slowly overwhelmed, their mortal forces not enough to take on the ever coming Undead. He had to destroy this stone quickly and end the Undead once and for all.

With that thought in mind, the Command Assassin raised his blade and swung at the egg shaped stone. The Diamond Blade arced towards the stone and he could feel the power in his arm, the power to end the threat to the Star Elves. The blade neared the stone...and passed right through it as if it wasn't even there.

Acheron stumbled with the sheer force of his attack, and when he regained his footing, he stared at the stone. It was still standing, fluctuating back and forth, seemingly mocking him. He could feel the power of the stone washing over him, enveloping him and he felt the utter hopelessness buried deep within him coming to the surface, nearly overtaking him. If he were a lesser man, he would've laid down his sword right then and there to accept his death. As it stood, he held tightly to the hilt of his Diamond Blade and he tried to figure out what to do.

It was obvious that he couldn't simply slice through it and destroy it. That much had been proven a second ago when the blade had passed right through it. It was as if the egg shaped stone wasn't even on this plane of existence so he couldn't cut it down. When that passed through his mind, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in surprise.

That was it.

The stone wasn't on this plane. Or rather, it wasn't in the mirror dimension. It existed on this plane and it could be gotten to, but he couldn't do it in the mirror dimension. He had to be on the other side if he intended to cut down the stone and end the threat to the Star Elves. With that thought bolstering him, he turned and he cut down the nearest Zombie, cutting a bloody swath through the Undead back towards one of the Warrior Lords. They would know how to get back to the normal Mortal Plane so he could destroy the stone. The problem was going to be getting to them.

There were so many of the Undead between him and the nearest Warrior Lord. Sirius was the nearest Warrior Lord, his double headed javelin spinning in circles around him and cutting down the Zombies all around him. He presented himself like a tornado of action, and just like a tornado, his destructive power was immense, wiping out anything that got too close to him.

The Chaos Demon raised a hand and blasted the nearest Zombie in the face with blue fire. The creature cried out in pain and fell to the Jungle floor, unable to stop the flames from eating through its skull. He raced past the creature, moving towards the Warrior Lord.

"Sirius!" Acheron cried out, warning the man that he was getting close. The other man raised his head, his javelin stopping its spinning action immediately, but he didn't stop fighting. He met Acheron's eyes even as he brought his javelin down on the back of one of the Zombie's skulls, splitting it in two. Reaching the Elf, they stood back to back, defending one another. "I need to know how to get back to the Whispering Jungle on the other side of the mirror dimension."

He could sense the Elf's disbelief before he expressed it. "You're going to abandon us?" Sirius cried out in shock, obviously not expecting this. He brought his javelin down once again, the razor sharp blade of the weapon slicing deep into the chest of another Zombie, repelling it with just the one blow. "Now, when we're in the middle of a battle for our lives?"

"Listen to me, damn it!" Acheron practically shouted, his frustration pouring from his frame. His Diamond Blade rang as he blocked the huge axe of another Elf, knock it aside and he decapitated the creature. Then, he turned his attention back to the Elf at his back before speaking again. "I can't destroy that rock on this side! I need to get to the Mortal Plane so I can slice through that rock and end this whole thing!"

His words were met with silence. He waited for the man to answer, but he didn't just sit there and do nothing. No, he continued to fight, his sword raising to block another strike and repel the next attack with a slice of the Diamond Blade. The fighting was getting even more intense and he could see that they were multiplying with each minute that passed, the numbers getting almost too much for them to handle.

"The trees!" Sirius shouted suddenly, startling him, but it didn't stop him from cutting down a Dwarf Zombie that approached him. He heard the whirl of the other man's javelin as it swung through the air and a short second later there was a cry of pain from one of the Zombies. "You have to go to one of the rune marked trees, touch it, and fill it with magic. Then, you say the word Vos and it will create a portal to the Mortal Plane."

It sounded simple, but if there was one thing that he knew about magic, it was never easy. He would have to do this quick or end up getting killed. He couldn't afford to die now for several reasons, the main reason right now being that he didn't want the Star Elves to die. They were a kind, inventive race and they deserved to survive above all else. He would have to pick his moment to break rank with the other man and tear towards one of the trees. Otherwise, he would get the Warrior Lord killed, and after helping him, he damn sure didn't want the man to die.

The Command Assassin held out his left hand and he began to summon on his magic. The air shimmered before four bright blue swords of pure energy appeared. The swords slid around one another in a circle in the air, presenting a very frightening sight to anyone on the other end. Before the Undead could figure out this was an attack, he sent the blades shooting into the crowd of Undead, obliterating them with the single attack, hundreds disappearing with the attack. That didn't matter though. As long as the stone was still there, there would be more and they would never end.

Seeing the clearing he'd made, Acheron darted forward. His booted feet picked up more and more speed as he ran, heading for the nearest tree. When he reached the tree, he looked around to make sure none of the Undead were coming towards him. That done, he placed his free hand on the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. He quickly began to fill the tree with his magic and he felt it respond, becoming active. When enough magic had been shed, he opened his eyes.

"Vos!" Acheron cried out loud, his voice carrying across the battle. He didn't see it, but people stopped what they were doing and looked. The Undead stared uncomprehendingly and the Star Elves gaped at him, obviously surprised. He knew that there were those that would think he was fleeing, but they would know different once he returned. He just had to get to the other side, do what he was going there to do, and return. Then, they would understand.

The moment the word left his mouth, the tree began to glow with the magic that filled it. He took a step back, watching the tree with some trepidation. The rune that marked the tree lit up and glowed a bright silver. Then, to his amazement, the tree disappeared only to be replaced by a huge gate of silvery light.

The portal had been opened.

Without sparing it a second thought, Acheron darted forward and leaped into the portal.

Rachel dodged nimbly, the blade of an Elven Zombie passing right past her. She raised the broadsword held in her right hand and slashed at the creature. At the same time, she plunged the dagger in her other hand to the other side. Either way the Elf Zombie dodged, he was going to get caught by one of the blades.

Sure enough, the Elf dodged to the side and avoided the strike of her broadsword. However, her dagger plunged through his jaw and out the other side, blood erupting from his face. She pulled the blade free and turned, blocking the attack of a Dwarven Zombie coming at her with her broadsword. Then, she swung her dagger down and sliced through the helmet of the Dwarf, cutting into its skull. The beast cried out and fell to the ground in a heap.

The Star Elf turned and looked for more enemies, but none of them were rushing him right away. Because of this, she had time to take in what was all around her, and what she saw, she didn't like. Her Star Elf brothers and sisters were falling in tandem, taking several of the Undead with them, but in the end, that didn't matter. The Undead were only multiplying, and eventually, if they didn't find a way to stop the Undead's ability to multiply, they would all fall. It was that simple.

The woman gritted her teeth and threw herself into the battle once more, her blades whirling and swinging through the air. With each swing, a Zombie fell in a heap of blood. She was able to dodge most of the attacks of the Zombies, only having to block here and there, but she knew that she couldn't last forever. Eventually, her stamina would wear down and she would be cut down. For now though, she was going strong and she wasn't about to give up.

A Giant approached her, its heavily armored frame appearing imposing and intimidating, even to her. Its large greatsword which it carried in one hand was held down by its side, but she had no doubt what he had intentions of doing with it. This Giant was heading right for her with a blood lust in its blood red eyes, and to confirm her suspicions, it began to raise its large sword in the air. It let loose a battle cry and she swung the huge weapon down at her. She watched the weapon approach and she knew that if it hit her, she would be destroyed by it. There was no way to survive such an attack.

Lucky for her, she was one of the most agile of Star Elves. Because of this, at the last second she was able to leap to the side, rolling across the ground and completely avoiding the attack. On her feet once more, she looked up and saw the Giant glaring at her with its blood red eyes, its sword having created a large hole in the ground where it had slammed down.

Tightening her grip around the hilts of her own weapons, Rachel shot forward at high speed and she focused right on the Giant. The creature lifted its sword, moving slowly and that gave her her perfect opportunity to take the beast down. She hefted her iron broadsword and she brought the blade down on top of its head, splitting it in two.

The creature cried out and fell back as she turned away, looking for more Zombies to battle with. However, there were none around her. Instead, they were fifteen feet away from her and being cut down by the Warrior Lords, the most noticeable being Acre. Acre was fighting sluggishly, the hits he'd taken earlier obviously effecting his style and she couldn't blame him. He'd been slammed with a Giant's club and sent flying. Knowing the force behind such an attack, he probably had a couple of broken ribs. It was commendable that he was still continuing to fight and doing a hell of a job of it as well.

Then, the Star Elf began to look for an obvious figure: Acheron. She looked through the numbers of Zombies, but she couldn't see his huge frame anywhere. She knew that he'd been the first one to rush into battle with a battle cry and swinging sword, but she couldn't see him now. Just where had he gone? Had he been killed sometime during the battle and she hadn't seen it?

The woman snorted and shook her head. No, there was no way the Undead had gotten the better of him. True, numbers always won over strength any day, but she didn't think that these creatures could've killed him so easily. If he'd been near death, he would've put on a show of it and taken hundreds of them with him. However, there had been no great show and that was why she didn't believe he was dead. He was somewhere around here cutting down the Undead, she just didn't see him.

That had to be it.

Rachel pivoted on her heel when she heard the slavering cry of a Zombie behind her. In the brief instant she had to react, she saw an Undead Orc coming right at her and swinging its huge axe at her chest. If the strike hit, it would bite deeply into her chest and kill her. Before the blade could strike, she leaped back a foot, the blade passing right in front of her even as she did so.

The Orc Zombie was undeterred by this however. It merely hefted its battleaxe once more and darted at her again. She gritted her teeth, noting that there were a group of Goblin Zombies to close to her side so she could leap back again. Leaping to the sides would be out of the question because she didn't know if he would slash or hack at her. If she leaped to the side, she could still be caught by the blade and cut down. She didn't want to die here so she knew that there was only one thing to do: kill the Undead Orc before it got close enough to attack her a second time.

Gripping the hilt of her dagger, the Star Elf lifted the blade and threw it at the approaching Orc. The blade flew end over end through the air towards the Orc and she watched it fly, hoping against hope that it would strike true. A second later, the blade struck, sinking deep into the face of the Orc. The Orc cried out in pain, and because of its running momentum, it was sent flying forward even as it lost its footing, falling to the Jungle floor, dead.

She hadn't noticed it before, but during that whole attack her heartbeat had picked up. Now that the Orc was dead, her heart had slowed and was beating normally once again. Her eyes cut around at the battle, making sure that there weren't any more Undead sneaking up on her. Seeing no one, she darted over to the Orc's body and leaned down, pulling her dagger free of its skull. Armed with her dagger once more, she turned and darted right at the next layer of Undead, not slowing in the least.

The woman was stopped by a cry from above, and when she looked up, she saw one of her brethren falling out of the branches of a tree. She tried to catch the man, but the moment his arms hit her's, she wasn't able to hold his weight as well as the force of gravity. The man fell to the jungle floor, and when she looked down at him, she saw why he'd fallen from the tree. There was a razor sharp dagger protruding from his throat, blood pooling around the silver blade.

Looking down into his face, she recognized him as one of the Elves from the First Wave. He'd always been nice to her, joking about how she was just like the guys. After all, she was the only woman in the First Wave and many said that she'd only gotten in because of her beauty. Rumor had it that she was the sexual play thing of every unmarried man in the First Wave, but none of that was true. The First Wave soldiers weren't like that and she certainly wasn't like that.

Seeing the bow he held clutched in his hand even in death, an idea came to her mind. She wanted a better vantage of the battlefield so she could find and look out for Acheron. What better way to do that than to take his bow and arrows and become an archer in the middle of the battle?

Mind made up, the woman sheathed her bloody broadsword and dagger. Hands free, she liberated her brother in arms of his bow and arrows. She strapped the quiver of never ending arrows to her back and she gripped the wood of the bow in her hand. Feeling comfortable with the weight, she looked around, and seeing none of the Undead approaching her, she turned to one of the trees. She slung the bow over one shoulder and she leaped into the air, catching one thick branch in both hands. She swung herself up onto the branch and she leaped for the next branch, repeating the process.

Finally high enough in the air, Rachel unslung the bow from her back and she pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back. Gritting her teeth, she raised the bow and knocked the arrow back in it. Then, she pointed it at the battlefield and she narrowed her eyes, sighting down enemies. Letting out a deep breath, she released the arrow and let it fly.

Even as her arrow struck the first target, she'd already knocked another arrow and let it fly. She repeated the process over and over again, each arrow a kill shot. She was a surprisingly good shot, having never taken archery classes or really even seen it done before. It would seem that she was a natural archer and she began to wonder if she should be a long range warrior instead of a face to face one. That was a thought for another time though as she let another arrow fly and another target fell.

While she was firing off her arrows, Rachel was searching the area for Acheron, but still she didn't see him. It was like he'd disappeared from the battle completely, leaving them alone to fend for themselves. However, she knew that he would never do that. He was their friend and ally, their until the death if need be. That though didn't comfort her though as she searched the area again and again, still finding nothing.