Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Resting her head on the back of her hands, she smiled at Raven and Erika as she concluded her hourlong blabber.

"Much like humans and other humanoids play their part, so are we supposed to, or in due time the balance will be toppled–and when that happens, the heavens will crumble with the clouds, the hell's flames will be quenched by the marina and the glistening river of Stellaris consumed by Andromeda's great expanse."

Half of what she'd said had been in riddles, even so, her points have been perfectly illustrated. In essence, the primordials were god-like demons with powers that were otherwise reserved for heaven's citizens. And those powers kept the gods distant as well as the named demons and the imps working under their strings.

With those facts established, the matter of their treasury came next. To which, what Asmodia had to say, inspired more confidence in her plan than it did before.

"They hoard souls, the bigger their pantry the more their underlings lust after it," leaning back into her chair, Asmodia wiped her tea-wetted lips and turned her gaze sideways at Erika. "And given the nature of Maria's wish, it's not impossible that her soul has been kept amongst a stack of millions in some powerful devil's hoard."

The plan still hinged on a lot of assumptions, but since it was just as possible for it to be true as it was impossible for Maria's soul to survive for so long, Raven didn't yet dismiss the idea and instead placed the decision-making for once they ventured into the hells.

The tea party past that point ended rather quickly. Asmodia slipped back into Erika's body and Raven decided to talk with Arche and then the other monster girls. It was his way of calming himself since they were the least affected by the revelations. Arche was even saddened by the fact that what she thought to be an excellent nest was about to be taken down, one wall at a time.

Amelia on the other hand was still somewhat perturbed, but being surrounded by what was essentially a support system at this point, her anxiety was quite easily lowered. Mino, Maine as well as Ophelia were unbothered either way since they'd lived in bloody tyranny or were tyrants themselves.

"It's a shame really, having to take down such a beautifully constructed piece of art," said Arche with Mino nodding along to her side.

"I wouldn't mind keeping it as if the people in those bricks weren't alive," Raven responded, trying not to give them any hope that the mansion would remain the way that it was.

Parting with the girls with that response, he made his way back into the mansion and to the room where Liliyana and Amedith were both looking after Maria. Upon getting there, he noticed Mel in the room as well.

"Where's Aria?" Raven asked, having not seen her throughout the day.

Noticing him walking into the room with that question, Mel looked up at him and quickly responded. .net

"Helga's house, she's apparently gone to train. Knucklehead doesn't even have a clue what's happening here I bet," ignoring the last part of her sentence, Raven instead focused on Maria who was lying in bed and being watched by Amedith and Liliyana.

Her eyes were wide open and she didn't seem to be in any more pain. Even so, somehow there lingered in the air a hint of her anger, all because she wasn't allowed to kill herself.

"How is she now?" Moving closer beside Liliyana, Raven tried to get an update, but before the devil could say anything, Maria spoke up herself.

"Why are you doing this?" Staring sideways at Raven with her limbs bound by Amedith's holy chains, Maria struggled to unshackle herself, but all her attempts failed. "I told you I wanna die! You think you can change me but I don't want to! I won't! Don't you desire power too? Isn't that why that dark elf is training?

To get stronger and increase her chances of survival! I was doing the same and will continue if left alive!"

For a moment Raven wondered if he should use his gift to pluck the suicidal thoughts out of Maria's head. It would be brief and easy, a solution to a lot of their problems. Moving forward, he placed his hand on her feet to peer into her mind–but like a jolt of lightning, his attempt to cull her misery was met with a charged zap.

"Tch…" Clicking his tongue, he drew his hand back to look at his palm.

It was burning with a dark spot in the middle of his hand.

"I can smell a demon…" Liliyana muttered, her eyes glued to Raven's injury.

"I suspected as much," feeling a strange presence looming over him, Raven figured that the devil with whom Maria had made the deal was interfering with his attempts to cure her artificially. But even in that failed attempt, something became clear.

'If Athenia's gift isn't working then the demon must be a primordial.' The knowledge was both a curse and a blessing, as now Raven was left to determine whether to pursue the deadly heist that Asmodia was talking about.

The devil herself had no reason to worry, after all, her species lived to cause chaos. And in this proposed plan of her, she was obviously looking for thrills beyond what would be considered normal for mortals.

"Put her to sleep, I'll talk to her again later," Raven ordered Liliyana, and although the devil didn't like his tone, she did as he asked and put Maria to sleep with her peculiar magic.

Hoping to talk to Maria more once she was more mentally sound, Raven dismissed the others and sat down at the edge of her bed. Watching over her sleeping, he couldn't help but feel conflicted, after all, she was a woman deserving of sympathy but somehow at the same time, she deserved none.

'Not everything can be black and white I guess…' Thought Raven, still struggling with what to feel about this strange ex-queen lying in front of him.