Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

It was amazing in size. The amount of power coming from Darville was something to be envied and to be compared to that of the Gods. At least, when comparing his power to that of any of the other Barbarians. She looked beyond her two brothers and she saw something even more amazing: thousands upon thousands of Barbarians stood at the back of Darville, obviously supporting him in what he was doing here and what he was doing here was to become the King of the Elk once more.

She knew that it was more than that though.

When he won the fight, Darville wouldn't just be the King of the Elk tribe, but King of the Tundra. That much was obvious from the many flags that flew through the crowd, showing the many Barbarian tribes that were spread throughout the crowd of many warriors.

The Barbarian girl turned her gaze to her oldest brother and she wondered what was running through his mind at that moment. The emotionless look on his face was a bit frightening and she felt a shiver of pain race up her spine as she continued to stare into his eyes. He didn't even look like the same man as he stood there glaring at their brother, his power flexing around his frame, sometimes fluctuating and sometimes framing him perfectly.

It was a frightening sight.

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Darville stood stock still staring at his brother standing before him, and in this new state, he could sense the fear that coursed his brother's veins. It was a palpable thing that colored the air and filled him with excitement. He found himself enjoying his brother's fear, but he knew that he couldn't allow that to control him. If he did, then he would go insane and he would fight until he was finally put down. That wasn't what he wanted.

He knew the legend of the Berzerker and he knew the downfall of having the power. There was the positive of course and that was the only reason that anyone ever sought the power. To become a Berzerker was something that every single Barbarian - no, every Human - could attain, but it was a little difficult if you didn't know how. It was about transcendence. Transcendence of one's mortal self and allowing the energy that flows through every person's body to take control of them, to fight with instinct instead of mind or heart.

The positives of being a Berzerker were obvious. One was given an inexhaustible amount of power to use at his own will and use for as long as he wanted. True, it didn't make your invincible and you could be injured, but in the heightened state, you wouldn't feel it. You felt no pain and no remorse while you were a Berzerker. There were obvious downfalls to being a Berzerker though, and because of this, many people never sought the power.

The downfalls were that as long as one was in the transcendent state of being a Berzerker, their instincts often took over their bodies. Instincts - especially in battle - could be fierce and extremely powerful. In fact, one's instincts could overcome their mind, heart, and soul in everything. In such a time when one's instincts were what drove them, one had to pull back his power slightly and not allow them to control his body completely.

"I don't care about your power." Darcine said, his harsh voice cutting him from his reverie and he narrowed his eyes on Darcine. He was standing, staring defiantly at him and looking tense. It looked like he was really ready to leap into battle and run him through, but he wasn't worried about his brother's speed. In this form, he knew that he was much swifter than his brother and anything he could throw at him, he could dodge. "I am the King of the Elk and I will keep my position. Not even the power of a Berzerker can defeat me!"

Proclamation made, the red haired Barbarian leaped forward with a battle cry and his scimitar held high overhead. The Exile watched his brother approach, and even though he could've easily dodged to the side, he decided to show his power by standing still. He flared his aura out, creating a sort of barrier against the attack just before his brother's blade slashed against it, but it couldn't slice through.

He stared into his brother's eyes as he was suspended in the air and he showed the indifference in which he regarded him with. He saw the rage in Darcine's eyes at noticing the look, but he said nothing as he flared out with his aura once more and sent the other man flying back. He rolled through the snow, and while he would like to show his brother how much more powerful he was than his brother, he decided to put it to an end now.

Pulling his aura tight around himself, Darville leaped forward, moving so fast that he was no more than a blue blur atop the white snow. He hefted the broadsword quickly and slashed at the neck of his brother's. The red haired Barbarian's eyes widened in surprise as he saw his brother approach, but he couldn't avoid the strike, not even at the last second. The blade bit deep into the flesh of his cheek, biting deep and slicing from one side of his head to the other, severing the top half of his brother's head from the bottom.

Boots sliding in the snow, the blonde haired Barbarian stopped and stared into the sky, noting that the snow had stopped falling. He could see the sun dipping behind the horizon in the distance and he felt a smile breaking over his face at the sight. Then, he turned back to look upon the rest of the Barbarians who were staring at him, obviously recognizing him as the new leader of the Elk. However, it wasn't just the Elk that looked upon him this way. It was all of the Barbarians.

Allowing his Berzerker power to slide back into him, Darville turned to face the Barbarians and he smiled. He was now officially the King of the Tundra and it felt good.

Acheron sat at the table with the two Barbarian siblings and he watched them eat. The two Barbarians tore into the food on the table, acting as if they hadn't eaten in days when he knew for fact that they had ate just this morning. However, they were Barbarians and nothing else could be expected from a Barbarian. He smiled and shook his head, closing his head as he allowed his thoughts to come to him.

In the past five months, there had been peace among the Elk tribe. There had been no sign of the Dark Races from Shadir or any other forces in the past five months and he was sure that he knew why. The Elk tribe was no longer the simply fifty thousand strong they had been before, but strong over the number of five hundred thousand. This was because the other Barbarian tribes had united under the banner of the Elk tribe and created a united front. They had built onto the Elk village, making it a lot larger and far more powerful than ever before.

The Chaos Demon was glad that Shadir had decided to back off and leave the Tundra alone. It was obvious that the King of Shadir had decided to leave them alone because they were too powerful and he didn't want to sacrifice his own people, even if they were just members of the Dark Races. If Shadir had decided to push onwards with their plan, he would've remained and fought at the side of the Barbarians, but he could see now that it wasn't necessary.

The Shadirans weren't coming and there wasn't going to be a war. Peace was reigning over the Tundra now, and with the Ice Demon serving as allies as well, no one would dare to attack them. He was still unsure why they had left Dalkia, but from what he'd gathered, they were pledging their loyalty to him through this action. It was because of this that he entrusted the protection of the Elk tribe and the Tundra to them.

He had already spoken with Lord Glacier of the Ice Demons and had informed them that he wanted to make sure that the Elk tribe was taken care of. Glacier had nodded and told him that they would take care of the Elk. That was all he needed to trust the man and he knew that if Glacier betrayed him, he would come back to slaughter them. Ice Demons were powerful, but even Ice Demons were a lower class of Demon compared to Chaos Demons. The battle wouldn't be easy, but he was confident that he could win such a fight.

He didn't have to worry about though.

The Ice Demon clan would take care of the Elk from their cliff side village.

Finishing his meal, the Command Assassin pushed back his chair and got to his feet. He looked down at the two Barbarians that stared up at him, both obviously knowing what was happening now after five months. He sighed and he nodded his head, telling them exactly what was on his mind. He was leaving and that was all there was to it.

"I must be going." Acheron finally said, his voice empty of all emotion. He had to keep his feelings from this because if he showed any emotion, it might set the other two off into their own emotional stances. "If I stay here any longer, the Empire might find me and come for me. I won't bring war to your door step if I can help it. It is for the best."

The Barbarian King sighed as he pushed back his chair and he rose to his feet. His dark blue eyes were filled with reluctance and it was obvious that he didn't want the Chaos Demon to go. They were good friends, and over the past five months, they had grown to be even better friends. Now, the Chaos Demon was leaving and leaving one of his first friends in the whole world behind at the same time, but he didn't allow his emotions to control him. He would see him again after all and there was no reason to become saddened.

"I understand." Darville replied, his voice carefully blanked of emotion, but his eyes weren't the same. His eyes were filled with kindness and a little bit of regret. He could understand that because he himself felt sad over having to leave his friend, but he knew that he had to. He would not bring death to these people because of his own selfish needs to have his friends close. The best thing to do was to go so he could protect them later. "You must go and may the Gods protect you."

The Elk King outstretched his large, calloused hand over the table and on his face was a smile of kindness. The Command Assassin looked at the hand, and while he knew that his own hand was much larger, he knew that he was considered to be quite large for a Human. He smiled and reached out, grasping his hand in his own, shaking hands with him.

That done, he release the other man's hand and he turned to the Barbarian girl still sitting. He watched her take a deep breath and push to her feet. Even at her full height, she was still ridiculously shorter than him, but he was huge. At well over six foot tall, he was taller than most men, but this girl was much smaller than most Human girls.

Acheron had learned of what happened to Diana when they were gone, and in anger, he'd gone looking for the man. The pockmark faced man had cowered away from him, begging for mercy, but Acheron had been willing to give none. Instead, he'd raised his claws and he'd sliced his throat, watching him bleed to death. He'd made sure that Diana was there to witness the pockmark faced man choke in his own blood.

Now, it was time for him to go and he wasn't sure that he really wanted to go. He thought of her like a daughter and he wasn't sure that he could leave her that way. Then, his thoughts turned to what would happen if he didn't leave and he sighed heavily. He wouldn't put her in anymore danger than he already had by staying this long. He had to leave and he had to leave now.

"What are you gonna do about a weapon?" Diana suddenly asked, her soft voice breaking him from his reverie. She had her hands clasped together in front of her and she was staring at the table, biting her bottom lip. Then, she looked up into his eyes and she seemed to straighten a little. "I mean, there is a lot of things in the Tundra and it'll be a few days before you get out of the Tundra, no matter which way you go."

The Chaos Demon smiled at her concern. She was obviously trying to think of a way to get him to stay a little longer and bringing up the fact that his broadsword had been broken was an obvious ploy. He didn't point that out however. Instead, he held up a hand and he pulled on his magic. Shimmering into existence came a brand new broadsword just like the old one, except this one's blade was forged of diamond which meant that it could slice through anything with one cut. In short, it was a Diamond sword.

The Command Assassin touched the sheathe at his side and it widened slightly to accommodate the blade. Then, he twirled the blade in a tight circle and he sheathed the weapon. He stared at her with a wide smile and he shook his head, knowing that she wanted him to stay longer, but he knew that wasn't possible. He had to go and he had to go now, no matter how much he might want to stay here with the Barbarians.

He watched the tgirl as she walked around the side of the table and she walked right up to him. She stared up at him, and then, she slid her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He stared down at her, surprised by this, but then, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back. She fit nicely against him, the heat of her body warming slightly and the curves of her body fitting nicely against his larger body.

He pulled back from her and he stared down into her eyes, regret filling his emerald green eyes.

"I must go." Acheron told her, his voice filled with sympathy and regret. Then, he pressed his lips to her forehead, kissing her affectionately and he heard her sigh. He pulled back, and after untangling himself from her, he held her by the shoulders, bending down his head to look into her eyes. "I will miss you most of all. I wish you the best, and one day, I will see you again."

With that, the Chaos Demon pulled away from her, and after nodding to the Elk King, he walked out of the dining room. He walked across the floor of the living area and down the hallway that lead straight to the front door. Reaching the door, he opened it and he stepped outside into the falling snow. He took a deep breath and he realized that he would truly miss this place. He'd been here for a little longer than six months and he'd grown to love the place like a second home, but he knew that he had to go on.

With that thought prevalent in his mind, Acheron moved, seemingly disappearing from sight as he moved to fast for the Human eye to follow. He stopped at the edge of the village and he looked back over his shoulder, smiling at the sight of it. Then, he turned back around and disappeared once more, running across the snow of the Tundra, heading west.

*****

*Authors note*

Thank you for taking the time and reading my story.

Please comment and tell me if you liked it or not. I have some plans for the next Installment.