Ultimate Assassin Saga: Woodlands

She'd explained what Acheron had done for all of them.

At the thought of their Demon friend, he began to wonder where he was. The man had been gone for a while now and it had been a half hour since the battle was over. He was beginning to get worried so he decided that there was only one way to put his own worry to the side: he had to go find the man.

Without a word to anyone, the Warrior Lord walked over to one of the nearby trees and he placed a hand on the tree. After filling it with magic, he spoke the word, and a second later, the portal to the Mortal Plane opened. He stepped into the portal, and in only seconds, he found himself on the other side of the portal, standing on the Mortal Plane for the first time in over one hundred years. Shaking off the fact that the Mortal Plane was exactly the same as the mirror dimension, he set out to find the Chaos Demon.

The Star Elf walked towards where the stone had been, thinking that it would be in the same place. The moment he got close, he could tell something had happened here. Trees were slightly bowed over by some unknown force and one tree had been snapped in half by something. Stepping through the bushes between two trees, he entered the clearing and he frowned at the sight of the large pedestal across from him. There were hundreds of stone fragments around the pedestal, seemingly having been blown apart and it was at that moment that he realized what he was looking at: the egg shaped stone.

When that thought passed his mind, Acre saw something else. Laying face down on the ground only a few feet from the pedestal was a large, black clothed form. Laying next to the large body was an all too familiar sword: a Diamond Blade.

It was Acheron and he wasn't moving.

Fear and worry driving him, the Star Elf ran across the clearing towards where the other man lay. Kneeling down at his side, he grabbed the man's armor by the neck and he used all of his strength to turn him onto his back. His eyes were closed and his skin was slick with sweat. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was leeched of color making the dark bags under his eyes really pop out.

"Damn it, don't you dare be dead." Acre raged, his anger covering up his worry for the man. Even as he said this, he reached out and pressed his fingertips against the side of the man's neck. He had to search for a moment, but he found a pulse there: quick and steady. Blowing out a breath in relief, he smiled a little and allowed his worry to leave his body.

Bracing himself, the Star Elf grabbed the body of the Chaos Demon and he lifted him, throwing him over his shoulder. Grunting, he remained crouched and picked up the Diamond Blade from the ground before he straightened. The man was extremely heavy and he was glad that he didn't have to go too far with the man. Reaching a nearby tree, he placed a free hand against the tree and filled his magic.

When the portal opened, Acre stepped through the portal with his Demon friend unconscious thrown over his shoulder.

Acheron slowly came awake, but he didn't open his eyes just yet. Instead, he took stock of his body and how he felt. His body still ached from the attack he'd launched on the stone, but it was a dull ache, no longer racking his entire body. He didn't know how this was possible, but he wasn't too worried about it. As for the rest of him, he was fine and perfectly able to move without being filled with pain.

The Chaos Demon opened his eyes and stared up at the roof. The smooth wood of the ceiling was high above his head and he continued to stare at it. Well, at least he knew one thing: he wasn't in the palace. Wherever he was, he had no idea, but he was fairly certain that he was with the Star Elves. After all, he could sense the Elves nearby and they were all worried about something.

Thinking maybe it wasn't over yet, the Command Assassin sat up quickly. He stopped though when the world began to spin around him and he groaned. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to ride out the disorientation. After a few seconds it had passed and he opened his eyes once more. He had to make sure the Star Elves were okay and the war was over. Otherwise, all of this would've been for naught.

Groaning because of the dull pain that throbbed in his body, he pulled back the cover and crawled out of the bed. He frowned when he didn't feel the cool air on his entire frame. He looked down and he realized that he was wearing his pants. Well, he definitely hadn't put himself in the bed to go to sleep. He would never go to sleep in his pants if he could help it. That meant that someone had to have helped him into the bed.

Acheron frowned, trying to remember exactly what had happened. He remembered fighting the Zombies and realizing that they were manifesting from practically nowhere. Then, he'd realized that it was because of the stone and he'd attacked it. However, his sword had passed right through the stone and he'd realized that he couldn't destroy it in the mirror dimension. He'd gone back to the Mortal Plane, and after a couple of pain filled tries, he'd managed to destroy the stone. After that, he'd passed out and that was all he could remember.

Looking around the room, he noticed a large table in the corner. On top of that table was a series of bottles of different colors. He frowned and walked over to the table, picking up one of the bottles. He looked at the contents inside and decided to find out what it was. He quickly uncorked the bottle and brought it under his nose, taking a whiff of the scent inside. Once the smell entered his nose, his head snapped back and he blinked a couple of times, surprised by the strong spell.

It certainly wasn't alcohol.

Shaking his head trying to clear the cobwebs, the Chaos Demon put the cork back in the bottle and sat it down on the table. He felt lightheaded all of a sudden and a bit drowsy. That made no sense to him though. He'd been sleeping for a while already and he'd just woke up. There was no reason for him to be sleepy again so soon and he wondered briefly if there was something wrong with him.

He placed a hand to his temple and he tried to will away the drowsiness, but it wasn't going away. Instead, it seemed to grow stronger and stronger with each passing minute. Then, suddenly, the drowsiness faded, only to be replaced with a state of euphoria that he'd never felt before. He blinked a couple of times, his body feeling lighter than it had ever felt before and he felt the overwhelming urge to laugh for no reason at all.

He was aware of the door to the room opening and he looked towards it to see who had entered the room. He could make out a tall, leggy silver haired Elf woman, but he knew it was no one that he'd met. It wasn't Rachel and it certainly wasn't Leera. So, just who the hell was this woman and why was she in his room? He turned his gaze to her outfit and he found himself wondering why she was wearing the clothing of a Healer. It was a long white gown that seemed to swallow her frame and hide her body.

"Oh dear." the woman said, her voice sounding muffled to him. He saw the look of concern in her eyes and she walked towards him. He couldn't seem to find it in him to speak, much less move towards or away from her. He just stood there and watched her until she was right in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Come now, sit down on the bed. You'll be okay."

The Command Assassin frowned at her words, but he was unable to resist what she was doing. She urged him towards the bed and he stepped back towards it. Standing next to the bed, he smiled a silly smile down at her before he bent and took a seat on the edge of the bed. The feeling of euphoria was yet to leave him, but to be honest, he didn't want it to leave just yet. This was the best that he'd felt in several years.

He watched the woman as she stepped away from him and walk over to the table. She picked up the bottle he'd sniffed and she frowned, nibbling on her bottom lip. She looked back at him over her shoulder and he smiled back at her, waving. Her frown only deepened as she sat the bottle back down on the table and she turned her attention back to the table.

With her head turned away from him, Acheron was able to check her out. True, the gown was voluminous, hiding most of her body, but it was tight around certain areas. He could see that she had wide hips and a very nice buttocks. He grinned widely and zeroed in on her rounded butt. It was perfect, and if she were closer, he'd be squeezing it right now.

The Chaos Demon felt his cock stiffen in his pants and he didn't even try to hide it. He couldn't seem to bring himself to care that she might turn around any moment and notice the bulge in his pants. In fact, he leaned back on the bed, resting on his forearms and he continued to stare at her backside, licking his lips. He hoped that she turned around soon so she could see how much he wanted to strip her naked and have her in this hospital bed.

The Elven woman turned around with a red bottle in her hand, but she stopped when she saw him. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red when she caught sight of his bulge. He didn't care though. He just grinned back at her, trying to get her to join him in the bed. It seemed to be working too because she was coming closer to him, red bottle in hand.

She walked around to the side of the bed and he followed her with his eyes. The state of euphoria just continued on, making his whole body feel good. He could no longer feel any pain anymore and he wasn't worried about anything that he normally would've worried about.

The Elven woman walked over to the table next to the bed and she picked up a small glass. He watched her as she uncorked the bottle and poured some of the liquid inside. Only about an inch of pure red liquid filled the glass and he frowned at the sight of it. What exactly was she doing? Was that some sort of alcohol? He doubted it, but he wasn't going to protest if she wanted him to take it.

He felt strangely cooperative at this moment.

"I want you to drink this." the Elven woman said, breaking his reverie once again and he focused on her face. She walked over to him and she held out the glass for him to take. He lowered his gaze to the glass and he frowned as he looked at it. The glass and its contents couldn't hurt him of course, but he was still hesitant. After all, he had no idea what was in the glass. He would've asked her what it was, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to speak or ask the question. His tongue was strangely thick and his throat had a knot in it, making it impossible for him to speak.

"Alright alright." Acheron replied with a huff and he took the glass from her. Taking a moment to stare at the red liquid, he sniffed it lightly and he found that it had a sweet smell unlike the other one that he'd smelled. Shrugging one shoulder, he put the glass to his lips and poured it into his mouth, taking it all in one gulp. He swallowed the contents with some effort and he coughed a couple of times, surprised by the strength of whatever it was that she'd given him.

Shaking his head, the Chaos Demon handed her the glass back and watched her walk back to the table. She placed the cork back in the red bottle and she sat it down on the table. The glass was sat next to it and for some reason he noticed that there was a smudge of red on the side of the glass. Then, the woman turned back to him and she stared at him with worry in her eyes.

Slowly but surely, the Command Assassin felt his euphoria starting to recede, and before too long, it was gone. He blinked a couple of times when he realized that he felt normal. Now that he felt that way, he was able to question why it was that he'd felt drowsy and then euphoric from just a sniff of that bottle. He knew that whatever it was that was within that bottle had done that to him, but he didn't know what the hell it was.

Well, there was only one way to find out. He raised his eyes to the Elven woman and he pinned her with a serious gaze. Her eyes widened and at that moment she looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but where she was now. She was like a cornered rabbit, looking for a way out, but he wasn't going to let her go just yet. He needed answers and since she was obviously the Healer, she could answer his questions better than anyone else could.

"What the hell was that?" Acheron asked in monotone and he got to his feet. He walked over to her, looking down into her eyes. Then, he reached past her and picked up the bottle from before. He held the half empty bottle in front of her face and he raised a brow. "All I did was take a whiff of this and all of a sudden I was drowsy, then euphoric. What is this stuff?"

"It's a potion that puts the patient in a state of drowsy euphoria." the Elven woman replied immediately and she sighed. She lifted a hand and ran it over her face, obviously fatigued. There was no doubt that as a Healer she'd gotten a lot of work lately. The battle had claimed many men and had injured even more of them. It was surprising that she was even able to spare the time to sit around and explain things to him. "It's often used to deal with more serious injuries. Pulling arrows from patients, pulling barbs, that kind of thing."

The Chaos Demon frowned and placed his hands on his hips. He stared into her face and he could admit that she was an attractive woman. That was probably why his erection was yet to go away, but he didn't plan on anything happening between the two of them. Besides, she would probably knee him between the legs and flee the room if he did try.

As for her explanation, he could see the benefit in that. When having to pull things from one's body, it could be very painful. For these people to have come up with a way to make it less painful was amazing and he found himself respecting them even more than before.

"I need to speak with the King." Acheron blurted suddenly and he blinked at his own words in surprise. He hadn't intended to say that, but now that he'd spoken the words, he knew it to be true. He needed to know exactly what had happened in the battle and if it was indeed over. If so, that meant that he had a new ally and he could move on to the next place he was needed. If not, then he would have to stay and find a different way to end the threat to the Star Elves.

He noticed the Elven woman nod.

"I shall tell him that you're awake and wish to speak with him." the Elven Healer told him, her voice low and soothing. He listened to it and he frowned. Why was she talking to him like that? Was she merely humoring him? If she thought he was going to lull him into a sense of complacency, she was wrong. Before he could question her about her tone with him, she turned away and walked to the door. She opened the door and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

The sound of the door closing behind her seemed to echo in the room and he stood there staring at the wooden door. The Command Assassin sighed and raised a hand. He ran a hand over his face and he realized that he felt tired. He would like nothing more than to go back to sleep, but he knew that he couldn't do that. The King would be here soon and he needed to speak with the man urgently.

Hands falling from his lips, he walked over to the bed and sat down.

All he could do now was wait.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, Acheron was still sitting on the bed and waiting. At this point, his patience was stretched thin and he was starting to get annoyed. However, he wasn't going to show his annoyance and allow his impatience to make him make a fool out of himself. All he wanted to do was get up and barge through that door to look for the Elf King, but he knew that he wouldn't do that. He was a warrior after all and the key to being a warrior was patience.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, the door opened and in stepped King Taro. The man stood there and stared at him, his eyes filled with worry. He could sense the worry on the man too and he frowned. Why would he be so worried about him? True, he'd been injured and dragged back to the Star Elf village, but he was far from dead. In fact, he'd never felt more alive at this moment.

The Star Elf closed the door behind him and he made his way over to the table with the potions on the top. He stared at the potions for a moment before grabbing the back of the chair that was pushed under the table and he dragged it across the room. He positioned it right across from him and he sank into the chair. He looked right at him and waited for him to speak. After all, he'd been the one to summon him, not the other way around.

The Chaos Demon took a deep breath and blew it out. Then, he focused his gaze on the other man and he found himself pulling together what he wanted to say. However, it was harder than what he'd thought it was going to be. This man hadn't been there during the battle, but he'd trusted him to go off and fight the battle to the victory. For that, he would always respect the man.

"What happened after the battle?" Acheron suddenly asked, surprising himself with how eager his voice sounded. The Star Elf stared at him with a smile on his face and amusement glowing in his silver eyes. It was obvious that he hadn't expected him to be so anxious to know these things, but he was. He wasn't going to apologize for wanting to know if this whole thing was over. "Are the Undead gone? Is what I believed to be true?"

"To answer your questions, yes to both. The Undead became the dead once more when you destroyed the stone. It's all over." Taro replied easily and he sat back in the chair, his arms resting atop his thighs as he looked at him. "Some fragments of the stone was brought back here and I've examined them carefully. The runes on the stone are reminiscent of our old enemy on our home world. They weren't evil, but we were enemies because we continued to slaughter one another. We know not how it got here, but now that it's gone, the Star Elves are safe, and for ridding us of the Undead, we pledge our undying loyalty to you. Also, there is one other thing as well."

The Command Assassin stared and waited for the other thing to be told to him. The Star Elf merely smiled and continued.

"We've decided to rejoin the Mortal Plane." Taro said without grand gesture or any pomp. However, with what he'd just said, there should've been. This was a big deal and he could hardly believe it. Before he could voice his opinion, the man opened his mouth and spoke again. "Tomorrow, the Warrior Lords and I will gather to banish the spell that keeps us here."

The Chaos Demon stared, surprised. This was a big deal and he could hardly believe it. Even though he'd planned on having the Star Elves as his allies, he'd never thought that they would come back to the Mortal Plane. He'd believed that they would remain in the mirror dimension and come whenever he needed their aid. However, with them on the Mortal Plane once again, it would be easier to get into contact with them and call them to arms.

"Then I guess I will be leaving tomorrow." Acheron answered, his voice even and calm. He stared into the other man's face and expected him to tell him that he didn't want him to leave. The man's face didn't change, and instead, he nodded his head once.

"Whatever you believe is best for you." Taro replied easily enough with a smile on his face. Then, he got to his feet and he stared down at him, his smile never leaving his face. He looked wholly supportive and he was surprised by this fact, but it wasn't an unwelcome thing. "I will see you tomorrow, my friend. Sleep well and may your dreams be filled with joy."

The Command Assassin nodded his head and watched the man turn away from him. He watched him walk towards the door, open it, and step outside. The door closed behind him with a sort of finality that he found himself surprised by. He also felt something else that was surprising: loss. He didn't want to leave the Whispering Jungle tomorrow, but at the same time, he knew that he had no choice. He hadn't spent as much time here as he had in the High Forest and the Tundra, but he'd grown quite fond of the place as well as the people.