Ultimate Assassin Saga: Woodlands

The air was heavy in the room, seemingly pressing down on him, but he wasn't worried. There was nothing that could be in this building that he couldn't handle. He'd seen a lot of things in his time and there was little that surprised him. Hell, he'd survived the Abyss for more than a century of life and that was before he could properly defend himself so he was sure that he could handle anything on the Mortal Plane. Then again, he didn't know that he was still on the Mortal Plane. He'd gone through what seemed like a portal after all, and even though he'd been in the Whispering Jungle once more after going through the portal, he didn't know where he was now.

The Command Assassin reached the hallway and he stopped as he looked across the room, but he was yet to see anyone. He was yet to see anyone in the building and that worried him to an extent. There was no one around and that could mean many things. This building could be abandoned and the outside could be any Plane. He knew how the Abyss felt and he could sense that he wasn't in the Abyss, but he could be much of anywhere now. He didn't know the other Planes, and hopefully, he was still on the Mortal Plane.

The room was larger than any of the others that he'd been through so far, but he didn't know how long it was going to take him to get out of this room. He could be doing this for hours and maybe even days. However, he wasn't going to worry about that. He narrowed his eyes and he could see the thick stone door on the other side of the room. There was a large brass knob on the door that would lead him outside, and seeing as how he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, he walked across the room to the door.

He turned the knob and opened the door, stepping outside. He stood on the stone porch on the outside and he looked around, but he wasn't quite sure what he was looking at. There were several levels of hills, in a formation that looked like steps for the gods and covered in grass. Settled on those little hills were houses made of wood and they stretched all around in the huge circle the hills created down to the center where there was a large, sprawling castle made of what looked to be both wood and stone.

At first, Acheron didn't see anyone. Then, as his gaze adjusted to the area around him, he noticed several people moving around, but they were obviously not Human. He could see that they were all rapier thin with long hair of different colors such as black, silver, and a velvet color. There wasn't any sort of set clothing that everyone wore, men and women wearing different clothing of different material. Some had weapons, some did not, but every last one of them looked like they could handle themselves. Well, except for the children who scurried around the feet of their parents and the other adults in the area, laughing, playing, and causing general mischief among the population. There was the one thing though that told him exactly what these creatures were: the delicately pointed ears told him that they were Elves, though of which caste he couldn't tell.

Wood Elves tended to have the hair colors that varied from blonde to brunette and the occasional black, but that was rare. Also, Wood Elves could be thin or muscular, but the majority of them were thin. Wood Elves could be pretentious creatures, but what they lacked in social skills or toning down their arrogance, they made up for with their marksmanship. Their primary weapons were the bow and the arrow which made them mostly long range fighters, but they could fight hand to hand if they had to.

Sun Elves tended to have golden hair or different shades of red, but there was even the occasional brown. Their eye colors varied from every color from golden to pink, but not one Elf possessed red eyes. Red eyes were the indication of evil and wickedness. Every last one of them were thin, though what could be seen as thin was one thing and Elf thin was completely different. Sun Elves also happened to be skilled Mages, and while they did train with bladed weapons, the majority of them preferred to fight solely with magic.

Moon Elves had black, silver, and white hair period. There were no other variants of hair color with pure blood Moon Elves. Their eyes were either dark colors such as black, brown, blue, and even silver here and there, but they were rare. Their fighting style was hands on. They were the warriors who came out of nowhere with their swords and they preferred to fight hand to hand. If they lost their blade, they could fight with their fists and still have a hope to win the fight.

Not one of these Elves looked like the other castes as they walked around their own village, doing what they did every day. The Chaos Demon didn't know exactly what to do at this time and he worried about what would happen if he was seen outside of the building he'd just walked out of. At that thought, he stepped off of the porch and turned around to look up at the building that he'd just walked out of, somehow easily finding his way out.

It was a huge black stone building built in a circular pattern and rose for several stories into the sky, possibly over one hundred stories into the air. There wasn't a single window in the huge edifice that he could see and it looked as sturdy as any fortress. He had no idea what this place was, but it seemed that it had been built in the style of a prison, but there was no barring of the door so no one could get out so he had no idea what this building was suppose to be for.

He shook his head and the Chaos Demon turned around, looking back over the area, but he stopped when he noticed something that he hadn't noticed before. There was a light sheen in the air that covered every inch of the air from the grass to the sky, creating a shimmering veil of power. He reached out with his aura and attempted to touch against the veil, but his aura was repelled, leaving him blind to what exactly the veil of energy was that lay over the land like solidified air all around him.

The veil even stretched over each of the homes and each of the Elves around. However, they didn't seem to notice it at all. If they knew it was there, they didn't take any notice of it. Then again, if they had been the one's to put it in place in the first place, then they wouldn't notice any such thing. By now, they would've grown use to the old magic around them and it wouldn't bother them anymore. It would be an everyday part of their life, and when one was surrounded with such things every day, they tended to forget that it wasn't common in other parts of the world.

He was drawn from his musings when one of the Elves broke away from the rest and began to make his way towards the Command Assassin. He couldn't flee now that he'd been seen so he stood his ground and he ran his eyes over the male Elf, taking in his features. He was tall, around six foot two, and lanky of build. He had long midnight black hair with a silver streak on the right side and jade green eyes glowing out of an alabaster, ethereally handsome face. He wore a silver chain mail shirt, tight black linen pants, ankle high black leather boots with a silver buckle in the middle of them, an ankle length black coat, and a heavy black leather belt with a double edged, double serrated broadsword strapped to his left hip.

The Elf's stride was one of sure confidence. It was as if he knew no one around here would challenge him, and from the looks of the man, he wouldn't blame anyone if they left him alone. He had quite the dangerous aura about him and the way he held himself made the Elf appear as an important individual. The way he held his head was of noble stature and he had a feeling that this Elf was very important in his society in some way or another.

The Elf stopped right in front of him, his jade green eyes burning as he stared at him. The Chaos Demon raised a brow and straightened his own spine, staring back at the Elf without hesitation. He held no fear of this Elf and he could see no anger in the man's eyes. It was obvious the creature wasn't here to kill him or try to keep him captive. In fact, he had a feeling that this man had something to do with why he was still alive.

"I am called Acre." the Elf said, introducing himself without any further explanation and the Elf actually smiled. The Elf inclined his head slightly, showing his respect for him even though the Elf didn't know him from another being on the planet. While he was sure the Elf knew that he was a Demon, he wasn't exactly sure. After all, he didn't even know what kind of Elf he was. "I can see your confusion and all will be explained soon, but first, I would like to bring you to my King. Please, come with me."

The Command Assassin said nothing as the Elf turned around and walked back towards the hill area with all the homes. However, he was taking a straight path down towards the palace as he'd expected. Even though he didn't know the nature of these Elves, he was fairly sure that they were of the goodly races and they would make good allies. He followed after the Elf, his boot steps crunching the grass beneath his feet as he walked towards the palace.

Taking a deep breath, Acheron didn't allow anything to get to him and he trudged after the Elf - his name was Acre, if he remembered correctly - following without trying to look at anyone. He didn't want to piss anyone off and get them after him. He was here to make allies, not to make new enemies. That was the last thing he needed right now as enemies after all.

He had enough of those as it was.

The Chaos Demon took in the features of the palace, and even though it was made of wood, it still looked quite sturdy. It was large and sprawling, settled in the middle of the hilly area with the homes of the other Elves surrounding it on all sides, creating a defense for the one within the palace. The doors in the front of the home were tall and made of sturdy wood, but even with the armed guards out front, it still looked inviting to him. It looked like the type of place that would accept just about anyone inside.

He could be wrong of course, but he didn't think so. If he was, the guards at the front doors of the palace would point their razor sharp spears on him and run him through before he could get through the doors. Then again, he was being accompanied by Acre and Acre held himself like an important individual. He didn't know why, but he believed that he was some sort of noble or general of some kind.

"I come to see King Taro." Acre said to the guards once he stopped five feet away from the doors. Not taking any chances, the Command Assassin stopped behind Acre and waited to see what the guards were going to do. There was a brief moment when he thought they were going to be turned away and refused entrance. However, one of the guards nodded his head and both turned to the doors, gripping the handles to the big, double doors.

They pulled the double doors and they swung open quickly, making little creaking noise. He stared into the hallway beyond and he noted that it was well lit by the same crystals that had been embedded in the roof and walls of the tower. The floors were made of no nonsense wood and the walls were covered in thick mahogany. The walls weren't decorated with any sort of tapestries or paintings of any kind on the walls, but that didn't take away from the presence of power that seemed to permeate around the palace.

The Elf turned back to look at him, his jade green eyes empty of all emotion. It seemed that the Elf didn't care one way or another about him, but he'd just met the man so he didn't really care either. All he wanted at this point was to figure out what exactly they were and how he'd gotten here. He hadn't been here when he'd lost consciousness after all. He'd been struck down by a Wraith, and even though Wraiths weren't that powerful, they could kill just about anything by using their magic enough.

Well, he would be getting his answers soon and that was enough to galvanize him into motion, walking with the Elf into the palace of the Elf King. He heard the door shut behind him and he felt like the start of a new chapter had just begun, and if he'd known what the future would bring, he would've realized just how prophetic his own thoughts were.

Acheron waited patiently in a room in the palace. He was yet to have anything explained to him and it was starting to get on his nerves. His patience was swiftly drying up, and if something was done soon, he was going to explode. He'd come here because he'd thought that he was being brought to this King Taro that Acre had mentioned, but that wasn't what had happened at all.

Instead, he'd been taken to a room and told to stay inside until someone returned to get him. He had been here for hours and there had even been someone at his door before to bring him dinner. It had been a sumptuous feast of roasted chicken, corn, green beans, and some sort of potato that he wasn't sure was, but it tasted good. Also, there had been the large cup of cool tea that was amazingly cold and had tasted different from the usual pine needle tea that he was use to. The tea had been a completely different color too, a clear light green color instead of the muddy brown.

It had all been quite good and he'd eaten every last bit of it. However, other than that, he hadn't had any contact with anyone in the palace. It was starting to annoy him and he was starting to make him think that there was something wrong here. He found himself wondering if they were stalling him until they came for him at full force with their blades and magic ready to cut him down.

The Chaos Demon shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He felt the pounding behind his eyes, his headache starting once more, but he knew that it was going to leave him soon enough. He was a Demon and Demons were able to do away with any sickness that they might come down with, but it did cost them some energy that they might need for later. They didn't often fight off sickness' because they needed the energy to fight, and besides, sickness didn't really harm or slow them down at all.

He turned his thoughts to what had lead him to this place and he shook his head. He'd had to go through quite a bit to get to this place, and even though it had been a hard thing for him to do, he'd allowed himself to be taken in with no resistance or argument. He'd been come to by one person claiming to be the representative of the King of these people, hadn't had a thing explained to him, and somehow he trusted everything the man had said.

He'd never thought he could trust someone so quickly and so completely, but he had. The Command Assassin snorted and touched his belt where his Diamond Blade should've been. It was obvious from the confiscating of his sword that these Elves didn't trust him though. He didn't really mind not being trusted though because he was a Demon and it was likely that they already knew that. If they did know that, it surprised him that they would trust him enough to even be in the house where their King was suppose to be. Of course, that could be a lie to, but he hadn't sensed any deception in him.

Acheron's head rose up when there came a knock at his door and he found himself surprised by that. Why would they knock on the door when this was their place? Wasn't he basically a prisoner with no expectation of privacy afforded to him? Maybe they didn't think of it that way and that made him think that maybe things were a little better than he thought it was in the first place.

"Enter." Acheron called out calmly and he straightened his spine. He wasn't going to appear to be just anyone and he wasn't going to show any fear of these people. He was in their territory so they had the upper hand at this point and he wasn't going to give them any more ammunition than they already had.

The door opened slowly, making no noise whatsoever except for the sound of air shifting. When the door was fully open, he saw a single female standing in the doorway, looking right at him. Her eyes seemed to glow in the low light, but there wasn't an ounce of hatred or rancor in her gaze. Nor was there either of those emotions in her aura. She seemed to genuniely not care what he was and that brought him some comfort.

After all, if they were going to send someone to kill him, they would be heavy with hatred. Then again, maybe she was just bringing him to his execution. His thoughts whirling, the Chaos Demon rose from the bed and he stared down at the woman, taking in her features. She was gracefully tall with long black hair and glowing silver hair, but that was all that he could really say about her. Her clothing was simple, not made of any special silks or anything of the sort in a simple mute shade of green that didn't hint at any sort of riches, but it didn't denounce her as poor either.

He didn't know - or really care - about this woman's status among her people. The only thing he cared about at this time was getting some answers and maybe making friends with these people. He could use all the allies he could get, and even with the one's that he had, he feared that he wouldn't have enough by the time he was finished traveling through the Wilds. After all, they had set number of people in the Wilds, and even if he brought them all under one banner, it might not necessarily mean anything. Especially not when Azrieal could open a portal to the Abyss, summon Demons of all Flights, and bend them to his will.

"If you will come with me, I will take you to King Taro and all will be revealed to you." the woman said in a soft, soothing voice. There was no doubt from her curves that she was a woman, but if there had been any doubt before, her voice would've definitely put those doubts to rest. Her voice was decidedly and completely feminine with no masculine influence whatsoever. However, just because she was a woman and seemingly unassuming, didn't mean that she wasn't a threat to him and that she wouldn't sink a dagger into his back.

After all, she was one of these people, and no matter how nice she was, he couldn't afford to trust anyone at this time. If he let his guard down for even a moment, a dagger could slip between his ribs and end his life. Unlike other people's, these Elves might actually know how to kill him and he couldn't afford to take that chance. He carefully blanked his features and said nothing, not wanting to give away any emotions in his voice, but he did not his head to show her that he understood.

She stared at him for a moment, and after a few seconds more of staring at him, she turned away from him. The Elf woman walked straight out the door and down the hallway beyond, obviously expecting him to follow her. Not wanting to be left behind and maybe get lost, the Command Assassin followed quickly after her, but he decided to be careful about it so he kept just one step behind her just in case. No reason to appear to eager and overrun her after all. He didn't need any of these Elves having negative feelings or thoughts about him.

The decoration of the hallways was exquisite with several different paintings showing different scenery. There were paintings of battle where the Elves were going against different species, some that he'd never even seen before and that was rare for him. There were one's of nature scenes, like a great forest that seemed to rise up into the clouds and cast a shadow over everything else with a setting sun in the distance, but when he looked closer, he noticed something odd about the sky.

There wasn't one sun, but two.

Acheron frowned and he stopped in his tracks, staring at the scenery. One of the suns was golden just like the one he'd seen the other day, but the other one was blood red. In fact, it was the same color as the blood red sky of Dalkia, but he didn't think that had anything to do with it. Just what the hell kind of setting was this that there would be two suns instead of just one? After all, the Mortal Plane only had one sun and it was gold. There was no red sun, so just where had they come up with the idea for a second sun of that color?