Ultimate Assassin Saga: Escape

The younger Chaos Demon nodded, and without a word, he rose to his feet. Then, he turned and walked back to the door, leaving the office. Acheron hadn't said a word and that worried him slightly. What the hell was going on with him? It didn't bode well for this mission, that he was sure of. However, he'd given him the mission and there was no reason to pull him off of it yet. No, he would leave him on it, but with one unknown condition: he would work the case with a companion - a spy if you will - watching his every move.

The Emperor raised a hand and waved it, signalling to the being in the shadows. The being took a single step out of the shadows and was revealed. It was an Imp which was perfect for spying missions such as this one. The Imp was about four foot tall and rail thin. It was hairless with green skin and large glowing ruby red eyes. It had long thin arms that were topped with over sized hands and the same with his legs. Protruding from the creature's back were small; bat-like wings.

"I want you to watch my brother." Azrieal told the green skinned creature as it crouched on the floor next to his desk. It's ruby red eyes glowed and it nodded it's small head. It hissed, obviously relishing in going to work once more. "He is acting oddly and I want you to watch him closely. If he makes one wrong move, I want you to report it back to me." He turned his head to look at the Imp and the Imp nodded it's head again. Then, the Imp disappeared into the shadows once more to do as he'd asked.

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Acheron walked free of the gates of the capitol of Dalkia and he felt freer than he had only a few seconds ago. He was leaving behind everything that he'd built tonight and all for a reason that he'd never thought existed for him: love. Yes, love was what was driving him to leave, but not for his brother. No, love for his marks or at least one of them anyway. He knew Trissieal all too well, and judging from how intimate he'd been with her in the past, he knew that he couldn't kill her. That simply wouldn't be possible and he wasn't going to fight it.

However, he had to keep that from Azrieal and he knew that it wasn't going to be easy. His brother had spies everywhere, in every country all over the Center Continent. His brother seeing what he was doing wasn't what he was worried about. No, it was him sending Demon after Demon to kill him or bring him back and he knew that he would. No one betrayed Azrieal and got away with it, not even him. He would not allow his younger brother's betrayal to go unpunished. He would make an example of his brother in front of everyone to show that he was still in control and he was still as harsh as he'd once been.

None of that mattered to Acheron. All that mattered to the Chaos Demon was reaching Trissieal and her son. He would protect them from anything and everything that his brother threw at them. With that thought in mind, he broke into a run, and to anyone that was looking upon him, he would've appeared as nothing more than a black and silver blur moving across the land. He was leaving his old life before, and even though he didn't know what the future brought, he didn't regret this for a moment.

No, he relished and loved what he was doing: leaving behind the life of bloodshed and deception for one that would hopefully be better. It was a three day walk from the capitol of Dalkia to the Wilds, a land of pure anarchy that had no leader or any kind of government. However, with his running at this speed, he could be there by nightfall.

Chapter 3

Acheron had traveled the entire day and had decided to take a rest for the night. The only reason he was able to tell the difference was because he was between the borders of Dalkia and the Wilds. He could look back and see the blood red sky with black lightning that marked Dalkia, but he could also look in the other direction to see the dark night with the silver stars in the night. For him, the stars and the velvet colored sky was beautiful to him. He'd missed the sight of such beauty when the Mages of Dalkia had put up the imposing sky of the Empire, and now that he was gone from his home, he didn't miss it in the least. After all, it wasn't his home. No, he had no home and he could wander wherever he wanted to.

He could see in the distance the tall trees of the Wilds and he knew that those trees were the first sight of his new future. However, it was night time now and there was no reason for him to begin just yet. No, he would rest for the night and then begin when the sun was up tomorrow.

The Chaos Demon moved around, picking up different twigs and sticks for his campfire. Once his hands were full of the twigs of different sizes, he walked to a part of the grassy clearing and he dropped the wood into a pile. Then, he began to move around the grassy slope, placing sticks in a circle and then building a tepee of twigs in the center of the thick circle. Once he was done, he lifted a hand and drew on his magic. Flames began to lick at his hand and he touched the wood with his flaming hand. The wood caught immediately, going up in flames and burning bright. The orange and yellow flames cast shadows on his face, creating an eerie glow in the night.

Making a fire wasn't enough however. He listened to his stomach growl and he winced. He hadn't eaten anything for several hours. True, Demons didn't have to eat because they weren't mortal beings, but there were side affects to not eating. A Demon would grow weak in body and mind. They wouldn't be able to focus and their power would suffer because of it. Demons didn't need sustenance to live, but they needed it to survive. So, with the flames of his campfire leaping, he got to his feet and he walked away from his camp for the night, intending to search out food for the night.

He moved through the grass of the clearing, crouching low and reaching out with his aura to search out the aura of an animal. After several minutes of waiting crouched in the high grass, he felt it. A small aura only fifteen feet north of him and it was moving towards him. He licked his lips and waited for the being to get closer to him. He could tell from the size of its aura that it was a rabbit and he knew that it would be enough to fill him. He could tell that it was thick and juicy. He waited.

The former Assassin drew on his magic and a razor sharp dagger appeared in his right hand. When the rabbit was right in front of him, he made his move. His large; masculine hand shot out and closed around the rabbit's neck. The creature cried out in pain when he squeezed and drew the beast towards his face to kill it. It was in fact thick and juicy with thick dark brown fur. Its tiny black eyes looked at him, its fright a palpable thing. However, he would end the creatures fright quickly enough.

Acheron gripped the hilt of his dagger tighter and he plunged the blade into the rabbit's belly. The creature squeaked as it's blood leaked out and it struggled hard to escape. There would be no escape. After a few more seconds of bloodletting, the rabbit grew still and it's eyes glazed over with death. He said a prayer to the Goddess of the Hunt to take care of the little rabbit's soul and then got to his feet. His long strides brought him back to his undisturbed camp in less than a minute. The flame was burning just as bright as it had been before, but he knew that any normal flame would need tending to. Because this one was magical, it didn't need any sort of tending and it would continue to burn until he put it out.

The Demon lay the rabbit body down on the ground next to the fire. Then, he carefully worked his dagger through the flesh of the rabbit and began to separate the thick brown fur of the rabbit from it's meat. When he was done with that, he laid the fur aside for later use. You never knew when you were going to need the fur of a rabbit. He cut the head off of the rabbit and began to pare the meat from the bones. He laid the meat aside and he set aside the bones of it, but he saved one rib for later.

With all that done, the Chaos Demon picked up the stick and slid the chunks of meat through the flesh one by one. When he was done with that, he sat cross legged at the fire and he held it over the flames to cook it. While the flesh of the rabbit cooked, he thought and his thoughts were quite dark, though not uncommon.

He knew that betraying his brother had consequences and desertion was betrayal. Azrieal would send operatives after him when it became apparent that he wasn't doing his job and he didn't look forward to that. He would be hounded by Demon after Demon after Demon and some of them he might even know. If it came down to it, he would kill even his friends if it meant staying away from his brother. And all of this because of one woman.

Trissieal was special to him and he knew that there was no way that he could kill her. No matter what, his heart would never allow him to sink his blade into her heart and watch her die. He just couldn't do it. He didn't even want to. In his mind, this was the reason for him to break away from his brother that he'd been waiting for and he'd finally gotten it. He didn't regret it and it wouldn't have mattered if he had anyway. There was no going back now, and if he tried, there would be a kill on sight order put into place. He wouldn't even put it past Azrieal to come after him himself.

Acheron was drawn from his reverie when he smelled the cooked meat. He pulled the stick with the rabbit meat on it and he sniffed at it to make sure it was done. The delicious aroma that wafted from every piece of the meat told him that it was in fact done. With his hands, he slid a chunk at a time from the stick and popped it into his mouth, chewing quickly. He was still cautious of his surroundings and that was why he had his aura extended to search the area, making sure that nothing could sneak up on him. He smiled at the irony of the situation. He'd learned to be cautious when he was in Dalkia and now he was using that against the one person he'd never thought that he would have to watch his back with: his own brother.

Suddenly, something brushed against his aura and he frowned. The aura of the beings were familiar, but he wasn't exactly sure. One thing was obvious though: he hadn't sensed these beings in many centuries. What the hell were these things? There was only one way to find out and that was to remain where he was. After all, there auras were coming right for him and he sensed that they had malicious intent right on the surface of them. There were hundreds of them, and even though they were relatively small creatures, they were moving swiftly towards him.

The Command Assassin chewed the last bit of the rabbit meat and he got to his feet. He turned his eyes to the horizon where the beings that he'd sensed were coming from and he closed his hand around the hilt of his broadsword. On the horizon, he could see several crimson dots in the air, and even though they were small, they were growing larger. Their auras were just as small as they'd always been, but their auras matched their sizes. As they got closer, their features became more clear to him, and as their features became more clear, it became obvious to him what they were: Minions.

Minions were creatures born of the Abyss and most of them were chaotic creatures who killed anything that got in their way. However, Upper Flight Demons could take control of and command the Minions as their own. Once an Upper Flight Demon took control of a Minion, they would fight to the death and never attempt to break free. After all, their existences were tied to the Demon that controlled them and they lived only to serve. That was when they were most effective. They came in all shapes and sizes, but they all had one thing in common: they were evil.

It crossed his mind for a moment that Azrieal had sent them to attack him. However, he discarded that thought almost immediately. There was no way that his brother knew that he was betraying the Empire already. Azrieal was many things, but an all seeing being he was not and that was what it would take to know such a thing so soon. After all, he had no idea of his relationship with Trissieal in the past, and if he had, he never would've sent him after her in the first place. In fact, he would've hid the fact that it was happening in the first place so he wouldn't leave and try to stop it.

The Minions grew closer, and when they did, he was able to tell what kind of Minion they were: Bloodgoyles. Bloodgoyles were terrifying creatures that lived for nothing but death and killing. When they attacked villages, they found every living creature and they tore at their flesh with their razor sharp beaks. There were few beings who'd ever seen a Bloodgoyle and survived, but the Chaos Demon had lived in the Abyss so he'd seen many of them. He and Azrieal had never commanded Minions, but that was only because they had never needed their help.

The Bloodgoyles were five foot tall and extremely slender creatures. They were made wholly of the blood of the damned, but they could be cut into pieces with ease. However, regular iron weaponry wouldn't work against them and that's why they were so effective against most villages. Most races didn't know what the Bloodgoyles were and they learned far too late that their forms were mostly insubstantial so iron weaponry wouldn't work against them. Their heads were bird like with a razor sharp beak, but they didn't have any teeth. They usually pecked their enemies into little tiny pieces and swallowed them whole. The more they killed and ate, the larger they grew. Their wings were five foot wide and had bright green eyes on the inner parts of the wings that matched the shade of eyes that they had in their heads.

Acheron wasn't afraid of the Minions because he knew just how to handle them. They weren't that powerful after all. In fact, the only thing that they had going for them when it came to attacking people was that they were impervious to iron weapons and their extreme speed. However, he knew just how to handle the Bloodgoyles and that was why he didn't fear taking them on. The only way to deal with the creatures was magic. Magic was able to actually strike their mostly insubstantial forms and do them damage. There was nothing that they could do to take a magical attack and not be destroyed, unless it was a weak spell from a weak Mage.

He was no weakling when it came to magic.

The Chaos Demon's hand closed tighter around the hilt of his broadsword as they swarmed towards him. There were hundreds of them and he could sense the hunger from all of them. They weren't that large so he would guess that they were newly summoned Minions straight from the Abyss and that would make things much easier. He drew his broadsword and he held it in one hand down by his leg. Then, he chanted a single word and flames poured from the hand holding the sword. Before too long, the flames engulfed the silver blade of his broadsword and melded with the iron, turning the blade a glowing shade of orange and yellow.

The Assassin waited until the Bloodgoyles were close enough, and then, he leaped into the air towards them. The creatures shrieked as they swarmed towards him with their beaks aimed right at his head. He could feel their mindless hunger as he sailed through the air with his sword held tightly in one hand and he smirked. These beings would never realize that he'd imbued magic into his blade and they would be driven by their need to feed; to kill.

It was because of this that he was going to emerge victorious.

Acheron swung his arms and slashed through the nearest Bloodgoyle. The creature cried out even as it fell and dissolved into a puddle of blood. That was what it was after all: animated and shaped blood. The Bloodgoyles tried to swarm him; to overwhelm him and peck him to death so they could swallow him. He was sure that they could sense his Demon aura and he knew that if they could manage to eat him alive, they would become the most powerful Minions on the Mortal Plane.

His glowing broadsword swept back and forth, slaying any Minion that came close. The Minions that he slashed joined their fellow Bloodgoyle on the ground and became nothing more than a puddle of blood. However, there were still hundreds of them and he had much work to do.

The moment his boots touched the ground, the Bloodgoyles swarmed him, surrounding him on all sides and flying swiftly around him. He took no heed of this however. He stood tall and unafraid of these creatures. After all, he knew that he was going to be the victorious one this day. There was no way in hell the Minions were going to defeat him when Upper Flight Demons and cutthroat beings of Dalkia couldn't.

He wouldn't allow it.

Suddenly, the Chaos Demon shot forward with a battle cry and his sword held out in front of him. He slashed at the Bloodgoyles, destroying them one after another and not one of them were able to land a strike against him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that three Minions had broken from the whirling hoard and were flying right at his back. Drawing his magic once more, three throwing daggers appeared between the fingers of his left hand and he threw them even as he slashed through another Bloodgoyle. He noted that the magic imbued daggers slid deep into the approaching Bloodgoyles and they fell in a mass of blood to the grassy ground, coating it.

He fought for several minutes, slaughtering the Minions with practiced ease. He wasn't sweating and he wasn't tired. If he had to, he could go on the rest of the night battling these creatures and still come out the victor. However, he knew that their numbers were already dwindling and he'd already cut their number in half. They would have to do something soon or they would all be slaughtered with the utmost of ease. Then again, they probably didn't know or realize that.

Bloodgoyles weren't exactly known for forming coherent thought.

Several minutes of slashing later, the Minions changed their tactics. They flew high into the air above him and began to circle, appearing as nothing more than tiny; crimson and green dots in the night sky. Apparently, they believed that as long as they stayed up in the sky, he wouldn't be able to reach them. They were wrong and their mistake would be their undoing.

While they flew high in the air above him, the Command Assassin knew what he had to do. Looking up at them, he turned his blood soaked broadsword point down and he slammed the blade down into the ground. The blade sank halfway into the blood soaked ground beneath, but he took no notice of that. No, he had other things on his mind - like destroying these creatures.

With his hands freed, Acheron placed them flat together in front of his face and he closed his eyes. Then, he began to chant an ancient language that was older than himself and older than anyone else in existence on the Mortal Plane. It was an ancient, powerful language known as Infernal. He felt the power of each word flow through them even as he chanted, and when the last of his words left his lips, his eyes sprang open, looking upon the Bloodgoyles.

"Petrify!" he cried out, his voice filling the open field. His eyes glowed with red power as he said this and anyone seeing his eyes that way would've been cowed. The Bloodgoyles didn't flee as they should have, but that was to be expected. They were stupid creatures after all and it would be their ignorance that would be their death this day.

The moment the word left his mouth, the power was enacted in the spell, and almost as one, the Minions turned to stone. They were frozen in the sky as individual creatures, their gray statue forms appearing as strange obelisks to the gods. Then, gravity took over and the Bloodgoyles fell to the earth. When each statue hit the ground, it shattered into a thousand pieces, never to be fixed and put back together ever again. The battle was over.