Hell to Pay [Private|Job]

She stumbled down and lost her footing, getting damaged by the broken ground. However, before it can deal more damage to her, Raven flew up, gaining immunity from the earthquakes for a while. She was starting to get annoyed at the giant golem too. Closing her eyes, she thought of what she must do. In all honesty, the monsters were nothing for her. SHe could defeat them quite easily. But, what she was not ready to do was waste her spells on it when she had a lot more of fighting to do later. Shaktari was still out there and she didn't need a Sherlock to tell her that she had gone to the volcano again.

The giant was quite tired too as the last attack she made had dealt a considerable amount of damage to it. Sighing heavily again, Raven bent her wings forward, aiming straight at the big demon. Thanks to its size, she wouldn't miss. She made use of her wings like a machine gun again, sending sharp feathers after feathers at the big creature. It seemed to pierce deep because the beast growled in pain, loud enough to have Raven cover her ears. It went down on its knees and Raven took the opportunity to deliver a  direct punch to its face.

The ground shook as the big structure fell with a big thud. Raven wiped sweat off her forehead and went down to catch some breath. She looked at the dead demon one more time and turned around, deciding to go back to Keigo for a bit. She walked slowly as if she was dragging herself. All the fighting has started to give her a headache. It was also very tiring to handle monsters after monsters. She wanted to take a break before heading to the volcano. Next time she find Shaktari, it would be her death, Raven decided. Halting, she turned her head around to stare up at the sky. 'Where had that bird like being gone? Who was it?' Raven wondered, drawing her bottom lip to bite at it. She had to figure it out. Maybe, just maybe, that bird like being that saved everyone was someone she was very close with? Her hands automatically went up to her crow pendant and gave it a light squeeze. "Kuroe. Where are you? Is it you?" her words disappeared in the air as she stood in the middle of a burning village....alone.

She sighed, tapping her fingers on the table. She was currently back at William's house, waiting as he made her food with whatever was available after the whole escapade. Keigo was running around the house, looking out the window then and now to see if those demons really were gone. When she came back to them, William and Kei go had been waiting with "weapons". Keigo had a big bowl on his head for protection and a baseball bat on his hand for fighting. When he jumped in front of the tired Raven with it, she had stared at him as if he was the most stupid person in the world, snorted and then walked right past him after ruffling his hair.

NO matter how many times she told them she had destroyed the demons and that they were safe, they didn't seem to believe her. Williams kept making glasses and covering the whole house with it while Keigo paced around the room. By the time a bowl of rice was placed in front of her, Raven was tired of waiting. At least they were more energetic now than how they were before, Raven scoffed at her own thought and gratefully took the bowl of rice in her hand.

She used the chopsticks and wolfed down the food in a matter of minutes, reminding Raven how tired and hungry she was. "Aahh shouldn't I be chasing Shaktari down?" Raven thought out loud, gaining the attention of both Keigo and Williams. "You are seriously gonna do it?" William asked, placing a plate of fried fish in front of her this . "Fiore is going to get destroyed if I don't," she replied in a matter of fact tone, and her companions exchanged glances before sitting down with her. "Aren't you scared? How are you going to deal with all of them by yourself?" Keigo asked, his small hands forming fists as he tried to keep his anger down. She couldn't blame the kid. He just lost his father thanks to those demons, after all.

Sighing, she placed a hand on his head and patted. "Don't worry. I'll take them out. I'll get revenge for you as well. For now, just take care of yourself," she told him, smiled and got up. "Thanks for the food. I will visit again later," she told them and started walking away, giving them one last glance before going out the door. She would remember them.

Dusty weather, clouded sky and dried up ground. Raven's eyes wandered all around them aimlessly as she walked towards her ultimate destination. Shaktari had taken away a few humans and had sped off to the raging volcanoes again. It left with no other option for Raven but to follow the demon. After all, she had to put an end to them and if possible, find the identity of the savior back in William's village. The half destroyed village was in the background now, at a distinct distance. The fire had died down long ago and now, in its place, settled in a deep and dark dusty cloud over it. It would clear up too. When the rain washes away the dirt and that day's crisis, sorrow and sadness clouded in the hearts of William and Keigo and many others will be washed away as well. Then, a rainbow will definitely form in their hearts, connecting feelings and hope. Sighing, it was what Raven believed. She would be the one to paint that river of seven colors into their hearts. She will make the rain fall over them. Soon. Very soon.

Ahead of her laid the imperial volcano, looking so majestic that Raven had to admit, the sight was quite difficult to avert your eyes from. However, that day, the darkness that surrounded it was nothing more than scary. Deep and dark, the volcano looked as if it would erupt any second. In the midst of all that cloud of dust that arose from it, Raven could swear she saw the red, shining and anticipating eyes of a monster. It was lustful, as if it wanted to devour something, as if it could not be sated otherwise.The only problem she saw was that what it wanted to devour was the whole world itself. Demons sure had a thing about battles and conquering, didn't they? They lurked in the shadows, attacked from behind and pulled the strings called sins in people's heart. She knew that feeling. That intense feeling of wanting to crush everything small between her fingers. What made her different from Shaktari, though, was that Raven had learned to lock that part of her deep within a chasm inside herself, never to be trodden and never to be unlocked. If a day comes, when the darkness inside herself will be projected out and posed a danger to the people around her. She would take herself out.

In a distance, Raven saw it. There was something glowing, terribly bright and at the same time, giving off a dangerous aura around the area. She was a good ten meters away from them and even though her eyesight was quite perfect, Raven still had a hard time making out the figures that stood so far from her. But then, just as she closed the distance step by step, the ones forming a fence like structure to block her from her destination became clear. Her violet eyes made out the shape of one mage, tall, fairly good looking with a star shaped black tattoo under his right eye stood like a tree, not moving a bit, holding a lamp and smirking while to his left and right were two hell hounds. One of them had drool slipping out of the corner of its mouth while the other had a blank expression on its face. She noticed that on the second one, a deep, fresh scar was running diagonally from left to right on its right eye. While its companions looked quite amused at the sight of the Raven covered in bruises, this one just stared at her as if it was anticipating Raven's every move. For a second, both of their eyes narrowed at each other till Raven broke the silent challenge, pointing her gaze towards the mage holding the lamp.

"We have been waiting for you, Guild master or Sabertooth," he taunted, finally moving as his body shook in silent laughter. Did she look that comic to everyone else? Raven wondered, questioningly raising an eyebrow at him. "Sorry. Sorry! I just expected something more," he laughed, having the drooling hound laugh with her. When they rumbled with laughter, Raven stood at a five meter distance, expressionless as ever. She had no intention of joining in on their stupidity.

Sparks of red flashed through his and the hound's eyes and they slowly started to step up. The mage stopped a few feet from her while the hound circled her like it had found its new favorite toy. Hadn't she dealt with quite a lot of them already? She shook her head, predicting beforehand what they are about to do. It was never a surprise with idiots, after all. In exactly five seconds, the hound would pounce on her and the fire mage would send one of his fireballs at her, she deducted, her eyes never leaving the mage's.

The member 'Raven' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

One, two,...Raven counted in her head, getting ready for the attack. Just as her mind read out five, the hound jumped, extending its black claws, sharp like swords and powerful like fire, out towards her. It threw its mouth open mid air, giving Raven a view of its yellowish fangs which, if she looked closer, had races of dried blood. She wasn't the first one it had bitten apparently. And the mage, well, he didn't waste a second in forming a ball of fire in his hand. It was of the size of a basketball, covered in flames with something deeper burning in a shade of blue and white in the middle. They timed their attacks to suit each other perfectly and if it was not for the small yet significant fact that Raven had managed to figure out their motives, she would not have been able to dodge them; especially by jumping to the left and out of their way. She managed to avoid the deadly attack of the hound. However, the ball of fire the tattooed mage had thrown meant to hit her, had found its mark on the hound's back. And as the connection was made, the ball of fire expanded and burst, hitting Raven's left shoulder and burning part of her left arm as she was too late to avoid the complete damage his attack had dealt. What was more crazy, was that, the hound which got hit was burning in a mix of blue, white and red fire.

It clearly expressed its pain by throwing himself back on the ground, howling, on his back with its paws up in the air, clawing at something nonexistent. As much as she wanted to put it out of its struggle, Raven was unable to do so because the mage, after getting over his initial shock, had heartlessly forgotten his companion to take Raven down with a surprise attack. She managed to slip past him and at the moment they formed a 'x' with their bodies crossing each other, Raven drew her right arm forward and slammed it back on the mage's back, easily breaking the middle part of his vertebral column. When the mage fell, unable to make out any words and his mouth left wide open, Raven stood up straight, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes till her attention was dragged towards the last hound. The smart one.

Partly dazed and partly attentive, Raven eyed the remaining hell hound with curiosity, especially its scar that still had blood trickling down the eye lashed to the ground. The small pool of blood that it made on the ground seemed to affect the hound not even a little as it stepped towards her, his movements precise and determined without any unnecessary expression or moves.

"The one that gave me this wound smelled just like you," it claimed, lifting one of its front paws up to point at the fresh scar and then tracing the would with one finely polished and sharpened claw. It didn't look angry or ready to pounce on her when it spoke. In stead, it looked like one of those tamed animals you would find in the circus or the zoo which are usually proud of themselves and far refined to actually growl at the people passing by.

It moved audibly towards her, each paw raising thump like sound each time it met the hard, dark, stone covered ground. When the sounds stopped, the hound was standing nose to nose with Raven, glaring deep into her with an underlying hatred. It wanted to shred whatever that had given him such a humiliating defeat into pieces so small that it can't be traced. Though that is what Raven should have been occupied with, her thoughts were speeding past the hound and towards what it had said earlier.

'The one that gave me this eye smelled just like you'

What was that all about? How can anything smell just like her? Her first intention was to pass the hound's words like it was a joke, something meant to freak her out or play with her head. But as she thought harder on it, a nagging voice from the back of her head told her that she shouldn't be taking it so lightly. After all, the hound did belong somewhere close to the species of dogs and when it came to sense of smell, dogs were legendary, The thought of getting someone's scent mixed up for a dog was unheard of. If that was true, then that meant the hound standing in front of her had ran into someone that gave off the same scent as her. To the violet haired mage, there was only one possible answer rushing into her head. No matter how much she told her heart to stop hoping, it kept muttering one name.

"Kuroe?"

The hound growled loudly, unwillingly pulling her out of her thoughts. The smell of something burning hit her noses hard when it opened her mouth right in front of her face, making Raven make a face that clearly showed what she was thinking. That must have actually made the red beat snap because it was swinging its paws at her, positioning itself in a way that made it seem he was much taller than Raven. She caught his paw in her hand, struggling to hold it away from her smaller figure. When it shifted its weight on its hind legs and raised its body high enough to strike her with the other paw, Raven caught it too, both her hands now holding one of its front paws.

Unfortunately, the red hound's weight overpowered Raven and she fell, with her back on the ground while she still held its paws away from any vital part of her body. It snickered, growling straight in her face again, reminding her of the tiny little huge detail that she forgot about him. His fangs. "Why do you smell like it?" he asked, his bad breath hitting Raven like a pile of old cloths. She turned her face away from it, now looking at it from the corner of her eyes. "I have no idea what you mean," she blurted out through gritted teeth, raking her brain for an appropriate spell to use in the situation. Kuroe and the mysterious bird like being was least of her worries now. "Your scents are almost identical. I have never met two people who resembled so much in their smell before. I have seen identical twins. Even they have different scent on them," the hound informed her, its eyes, like two pools of molten lava, staring intensely at the troubled woman. "Identical?" she muttered, now getting quite confused about it herself. There was no way that Kuroe could have the same scent as her. Sure, she admitted that it was almost the same but it was never as strongly identical as the hound had just stated. In fact, for Raven, it was far too easy to differentiate Kuroe and herself. She had never gotten a strong scent of herself when she was near Kuroe.

"You must be mistaken. Kuroe could neve..."

"Enough! I know what I smelled and I know what he looked like. He was much like a crow too. He called himself Kuroe so fondly stating that it was the name given to him by his beloved friend"

Though the hound practically spat the words out to her, Raven's head was filled with the thought of Kuroe. So this thing the hound was talking about was indeed her beloved Kuroe. However, she still did not get one part of this whole story. How on earth did Kuroe smell almost just like her? They had similarity but never something quite identical. There were many factors differentiating Kuroe with Raven, after all. But the hound looked so sincere, so stubborn at its conclusion that Raven, for a minute, believed it. What she had to find out now, was how exactly this sort of similarity came between them. She had nothing to explain it. Kuroe was not even from her world. It was a beast that belonged closely to the species called crow and she had met him in a market while she was out traveling. A merchant was selling him with his enchantments on, forcing him to stay on his beast form for a long time to keep it on display to the passing mages. Raven had set him free after a long verbal fight with the owner which in the end, resulted in Raven having to use her magic to deal the final blow on the furious shopkeeper. Kuroe had just tagged along with her after that, quickly growing together, becoming best friends, exceeding the level of master and pet into something more. They never had to actually speak to understand each other. In fact, their eyes conveyed more than a thousand words whenever they met and Raven and Kuroe both knew what each other wanted. For them who are from different worlds to have actually almost share the same scent sounded absurd to her.

"Now I will pull you apart. But don't worry," it sneered at her, bringing its nose close to her forehead. "I would leave bits of here and there for your beloved Kuroe," the hound roared and threw its head back, intending to bring it down and strike Raven. But Rave, who was already prepared for it, parted her lips, sending powerful sound waves at the beast as she screamed louder. It looked like it was resisting at first, but the force of her spell drove it back, making it easy for Raven to completely push him off of her. It staggered and struggled to keep its footing until with a pitiful howl, it fell to its death.

Thanks for the information, mutt, Raven thought, rubbing her sore wrists that had been holding off the hound's paws. With a clearly irritated grunt, she wondered what Shaktari even fed those things. They weighed a ton and was packed with brute strength and power. If Raven had not been slightly stronger than it, she should have been dead by then. But more importantly, the obstacle placed between herself and her destination was now gone. The dark towering structure of the volcanoes, lined with blazing red here and there once more appeared to Raven's violet eyes. Hopefully, Shaktari had no more surprises in the way for her.

Bearing that thought, Raven resumed her walking. Her mind did run into things like Kuroe on the way. In fact, whenever she thought of him, she found a huge wall in the middle, preventing her from going forward. Was there something about Kuroe that Raven was not aware of? As low as those chances were, it wasn't something to dismiss completely either. Sighs, sighs and more sighs escaped her without her permission, her mind blanking out every time she felt she reached a conclusion. Her bruised and beaten body didn't help the girl with her active thoughts either. Her body, especially her arms continued giving her pain, sending pricking sensations to her, giving her the feeling that something was harshly biting into her flesh.

Her left arm was already burned, more than half of her shirt's sleeve was burned off, leaving the reddish skin these exposed. Put in very simple words, she looked as if she was going to drop dead any moment. All the running around plus encounters with Shaktari and her monster friends had given Raven a good beating. She couldn't remember the last time it took her so much effort to complete a quest. But then again, on every other occasions, she either had her previous team or Fred with her. It was much easier with all of them together and she missed Cirven and Aayla who had just gone missing all of the sudden. They weren't even there to see her take up the position of Sabertooth guild master. Of course, it had hurt her and when she thought of asking Kiersa about it, her own busy schedules along with Kiersa's pulled them apart from spending time with each other. She remembered Mary too, not as much as she did before, but she still remembered her.

She could experience the slight shaking of the ground beneath her as Raven stood about 200 meters away from the volcano. She could hear Shaktari's victorious voice even from that distance. She would have to face that demon again. She would have to defeat her and maybe, just maybe, she would meet Kuroe again. The hound had told her before that it had met someone with the same name and that this one had passionately declared that his name was given to him by his master just like how Raven had given Kuroe his name after the whole fighting with his captor incident. The memories were bright, clear and beautiful to the raven girl who had pretty much started to stare off to the distance.

She wanted to meet him again. She regretted the fact that she had forgotten Kuroe almost entirely during her fight with Ikaros. She could only remember that he was carried away by the crow demon guardian Raven had managed to summon at the very last minute. Most of all, she remembered that her beloved pet was at the verge of death, barely holding onto whatever bit of life he had left, wanting to come back to Raven. She just couldn't get his smile out of her head.

Questions filled her mind again and Raven hid her face in her palms, sighing heavily into them once again. 'What on earth am I sighing for again? If I keep this up, I'm gonna be a melancholic person soon,' she thought and laughed humorlessly at her own thoughts. It wasn't time for laughing and fun. She was starting to realize that. Although Shaktari wouldn't pose much of a threat to the violet haired girl, Raven was still worried for all the people she had managed to capture. So far, she had been slow in her quest while Shaktari had raced ahead of her. She had already collected enough humans for the resurrection and going by what the demon hunter had told her in his exclusive letter addressed to her, there were two more demons aside from Shaktari who would be carrying on this task about resurrecting their master. But that was details that she could take care of after she defeated Shaktari. Natural enemies as they were, and despite having an advantage over the vile reptile, Raven would definitely have a hard time killing off the slithering little thing.

Raven was starting to get carried away with her thoughts when she heard an ear splitting scream of someone shouting for help. She darted towards the direction the sound came from, evading rocks and obstacles along the way as she ended up on top of a small cliff, and when she gazed down, she could see molten lava flowing beneath it. "What the hell?" She asked herself, looking around, searching for the voice she had heard. If she was right, the sound was from a woman, probably between thirteen or fifteen. Or well, that is what she deducted from what she heard.

On the other side, she found one of the demons, holding tightly onto a girl. Unlike the others who had quickly succumbed to the strength of their captors, this one was putting up quite a fight. In fact, she almost had the demon running away for its life because the face it made somehow told Raven that he had just about enough. The girl was about 5'5 just like her and she had pitch black hair, tied in a ponytail and reaching just a bit above her waist. Her ruby red eyes shone as a very few rays of sunlight peeked out of the dark clouds, assisting Raven in completely taking in her appearance. Dressed in a loose shirt and baggy pants, she reminded Raven so much of herself, only, she was younger than Raven.

If Raven wasn't so very damn sure of the fact that her whole world was completely destroyed and she had killed every single being other than Ikaros from it, she would have mistaken the girl to be a crow demon too. And a pretty good one at that. In fact, when she looked closely at her, she seemed to be flying with every step, something you see in the footsteps of crow demons. The grace, style and feelings were all there. What was missing was the simple fact that she didn't have raven magic or any type of magic relating to crows. From what she could see, the girl was just an ordinary human with slightly more power physically than others. Moreover, her steps looked as if they were taught to her. Because, the movements were so perfect as if following some order and not exactly going by her style. The style she was currently displaying....that was Raven's. Now how on earth did this happen?

First it was the mysterious bird being that resembled Raven in scent and now it was a young girl that fought almost just like her? She saw room for improvement but the fact that she was able to do something so high level, at its own, was a big thing. She watched as the girl kicked the demon's head, following it up with a few punches and finally with a powerful push with her palms. It was strong enough to send the demon stumbling back and fall down the cliff to the molten lava below. In that moment, she seemed to notice Raven too.

At first, it was the look of awe, then it was surprise, then it was pain and finally, it was anger that Raven saw on her face. 'She is quite expressive,' Raven thought, bringing her hands back and crossing them. She tilted her head at the child in question while the child glared back in response. Now what had she done to anger her? She raised a fist at her and motioned a punching movement, telling Raven that she was going to punch her. "Funny" Raven commented with no tone of amusement in her voice.

Within a second, Raven was standing right in front of the girl, having crossed the distance with the help of her wings. Now, black feathers flew all around them as the both of them stared at each other as if the other was the most fascinating being in the whole universe. No one spoke a word. The silence was deafening but Raven's eyes slashed through most of her defenses, and from the depth of those red pools, Raven could read sadness and that one feeling of unwillingness to let go. However, what was she so scared of letting go?

Raven's lips parted, ready to voice out her question when she suddenly jumped on her, covering her mouth and still glaring at her. As Raven stared back at the angry girl, she started growling, giving Raven the impression that she wasn't human. But, Raven couldn't be wrong when she said she could not sense anything magical about the girl. All she had was her brute strength which was surprising as she looked horribly malnourished. If she went out of her way and told someone that this girl took out a demon, they would surely write her name under the list of crazy ones.

"What?" Raven managed between the girl's hands till she finally let her go, pushing her away. "What on earth was that for, brat?" she snapped, turning to angrily glare at the girl. It surprised her whens he found the girl, almost at the verge of crying, biting her bottom lips as she tried to hold the sobs back. Raven flinched, hittig herself multiple times for being too harsh on a young girl. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so angry," she tried to solve the situation, ending up in the girl finally letting it go. She wailed like a child, whined and moaned as Raven sat there next to her, listening to it for the most part and occasionally falling deep into her thoughts.

By the time the girl had stopped and was sniffling, Raven was half asleep, almost completely forgotten about Shaktari and her plan to destroy the world. A hard poke on her side was what made her jump and look down at the pouting girl beside her. She looked like she was going to act like one of those kids that gives something away unwillingly, very unwillingly, when they actualy wanted to keep it so very badly.

As Raven raised an eyebrow at the girl, she started twirling a few locks of her hair between her fingers, licking her lips and making it seem as if she was trying to organize all her thoughts inside her head. She was shifting her bent knees from side to side too, ignoring the fact that it was hitting Raven's own knee as it moved. She sighed and pushed down the words and questions that rose to her mouth till the girl finally decided to speak.

"He said he would leave," she started, effectively getting Raven's attention. The violet haired girl slowly turned to her, not exactly expecting her to say something that was of use to her. After all, the girl had acted almost like a complete child a few minutes ago, breaking any sort of previous thoughts she had on the surprisingly strong girl. "My name is Violet," she said, putting her head between her thighs. "My master said that he would leave if his master shows up," she whispered, so low that if Raven did not have super hearing, she wouldn't have picked up the words the girl uttered. "My master's name is Kuroe...and he has been waiting".

Kuroe? Master? What? Raven wondered, staring wide eyed at the girl who was not even lookign straight at Raven. She seemed as if she was in pain and Raven was desperately trying to wrap her mind around the facts. "What on earth are you talking about? Are you telling me that Kuroe taught you to fight like that? You know where Kuroe is?!" the questions were fast, strong and loud. In her state of mind, Raven even forgot the fact that she was talking to girl far younger than her. She didn't stop even though she saw that the girl was getting incredibly scared of her by the passing second. Ravens claws grabbing hold of the girl's arms were the final nail to the coffin as the girl gave away and started crying again. She shook as she cried, finally snapping Raven back to her senses. SHe immediately let the girl go and stood up, turning hurriedly away from hr as she mentally scolded herself again and again for having no control over her emotions. Was this really the way the guild master of Sabertooth should even be acting? She would make a complete joke of herself if she kept that up.

However, before she could beat herself up more about it, th girl was up too, this time, looking at Raven with a sort of determination that she had seen on he when she was fighting the monster. "I won't give my master up to you. I want him to stay with me! He belongs to me now!" she practically shouted, her head glowing red with embarrassment or anger, Raven was not so sure. No matter what it was, she looked pretty stubborn on the idea of not giving Kuroe back to her.

"You don't have to give him back. Kuroe will come with me as soon as he gets a glimpse of me," Raven was equally determined and her words held truth, which was powerful enough over the girl's wishful thinking. Did she really think Kuroe would choose her instead of Raven? Well, if she did, she obviously didn't know Kuroe as much as Raven did. Raven and Kuroe were, is and will always be the most difficult combo to break. After some events, he may have taken her as his student or trainee or disciple or whatever. But in the end, Kuroe was her best friend and companion.

The girl was running away from her now. She was fast for a small girl, Raven admitted that much. However, Raven didn't need even a bit of her power to keep up with her. She was skipping effortlessly next to her as she tried her very best to speed past Raven. If she was lucky, the little girl would in time, lead her to Kuroe himself and if she was not as lucky, then they would end up facing another monster. Either way was fine for the violet haired girl though. As it was, Raven could easily take one or two of them out. THe girl was pretty good at defending herself too. A hut, a small or humble dwelling of simple construction, especially one made of natural materials, as of logs or grass. This was where she was lead to by the teen girl. She seemed to have completely forgotten about Raven because, her expression was changed from anger and disappointment to relief and happiness. Did she really think that she was safe? Raven sighed, shaking her head in irritation. Hopefully, Raven would find Kuroe in there and probably the answer to what happened to the demon crow guardian too.

She saw the shadow of someone come out of the hut, wearing multiple level of clothing in such a weather. It left Raven wondering what she had gotten herself into. However the man looked quite young and he had multiple layers of clothing which was odd seeing as the weather was too hot. Not to mention, it was also quite dark. Raven stared closely at the figure of the man standing there and was actually trying to figure out who the guy was. HE was definitely not Kuroe, after all. He had a smirk on his face and as if he was waiting for her, he was staring intensely at her too. Was he waiting for me? Raven thought she reached the hut. But at the same time, she was glad that there was someone that she could at least talk to about her predicament. If lady luck decided to shine on her, the man could have some food as well and as soon as she could finally replenish her strength, she could go straight back to fighting the demons that she was not too long ago. And as an added plus, she could probably find Kuroe here too.

The little girl raced far ahead and she was hoping to reach the hut before Raven. However, Raven was faster and she made it before the little smiling, almost looking victorious little girl. Sticking her tongue out like a child, Raven made it clear to the shorty that she was in a far different league from the small girl about the fact that her rival was faster than her and the one whose name she later came to be known Violet. Now Raven turned to look at the man who was waiting for them. The man was still smoking, amusement clearly visible in his surprisingly dead looking eyes. It hardly gave away anything and seemed to be piercing right into others for clearly getting a view of them. He seemed like a great judge of character and seemed like a wise man, though not hold. He was handsome, had a small black mark under his right eye. His hair was mauve in color and his eyes shared it. He didn't look like any average person for his muscles were quite developed and he looked incredibly strong in the eyes of Raven. As a girl, Raven would be lying if she didn't feel like drooling at the abs that was on display since the guy was not wearing a shirt.

She didn't dwell on that for too long, however, as she knew that she had more important things to take care of. This included finding Kuroe and taking out Shaktari at the top. SHe also had to go back to the guild and organize the event that she had been planning for a long time. Everyone in Sabertooth would be going on treasure hunting. She would be running it with Fred who would pose as the black angel with bad luck. SHe herself would become the white angel that would bring good luck with some twists and turns of course. It was going to be fun and she had to make it in time for it. Shaktari and her minions were not making it easy for the Raven girl, after all. She had been tailing the serpend demon for a long time that day and every time she managed to get near her, she seemed to just slither away from Raven. How tiresome was that? Raven thought, sighing and entering the hut tas the man beckoned her to do so. Should she?

"So you are the person that my father mailed to do his dirty work, wasn't it?" he asked when the surprised Raven stepped into the house. It was small, however, they had just enough room to fit in a dining table and a radio. There was a small regular cable to the side of the hut and it also seemed to have two rooms on optimum conditions. She believed it was best for two. It was nothing but the truth that it was small but had enough space for a queen sized bed in. He gave her an odd look and turned away from her. She believed that there was only two people living in that house because everything looked just about enough for a couple of people. So how was it that they knew her favorite little pet? Did he by any chance, drop on them and stay couple of days before he left? But that was not what she was to be concerned about. This guy had told her that it was his very own father that had sent that mysterious letter to her that one fateful day. "what do you mean by that? Raven asked and was answered with another smirk and complete silence from his part. Raven, finally snapping like a twig and having enough of this irritating, odd, damned game the man was playing, got a hold of his hair and pulled him forward, meeting his dead eyes with her own cold ones. "You must tell me whatever you know or i will definitely change that handsome shape of your face" she told him. However, the boy, this time smirked again and leaned forward so that his face was only a few inches away from her face. Raven's eyes widened and she pulled away bakwards but was stopped when he grabbed her face this time and pulled her forward to him. "What will i get if i tell you the whole thing?" He asked, breathing on her. "If you plan to go further, I'll burn that little ass of yours," Raven told him, slapping his hands away from her. She did think he was good looking, but that didn't mean she was going to let him play around with her. Especially, when comparing her magic power to his, his was way too low. He must be physically strong however, Raven thought. Defenitely out of the ordinary.