Chapter Eighteen: Call of Raven
Authors Note: As the title suggests…well…okay…um…another chappie! Oh, and I'm sorry that I'm focusing more on OC's and I'll try to work on it…I think I made the mistake of adding to many characters so I'll try to fix it…sorry! Oh, and I'm on vacation right now and have been away from a comp…but I finally got to one so I'm gonna write the crap outta it! Much love to everyone and plz READ AND REVIEW!
Steve Fox sighed inwardly and ran a hand through his blonde hair. Several pesky strands kept brushing in his eyes as he walked at a semi brisk pace throughout the dark halls. Walking with him was Dimitri Helios…family friend and somewhat of a surrogate older brother figure to a certain Nephilim named Jamie Parker.
There was little said amongst the two…Steve didn't know Dimitri that well and the treasure hunter kept his handsome face stony and silent for the mission. They had run into some wayward Tekken Force members. They had attempted to take the two out, but Steve and Dimitri had made quick work of them.
Steve was rather impressed that Dimitri didn't just rely on guns to do the work for him; he also seemed to be a rather accomplished fighter…however he did take the Tekken Force carbine issue rifle and several of the clips. He offered one to Steve to accepted it…although he would never admit that he had really never fired a gun in his life.
As the two walked Steve started to reflect on the most recent turn of events…it was hard to believe that just two and a half years ago he had simply entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament to boost his already rather large ego…never in his wildest dreams would he imagine that just two short years later he would learn that demons and the forces of darkness were very much real, and some chosen, boy hero would be the only thing standing to combat it.
Steve wasn't much of a self absorbed guy…wasn't in his nature really, and after finding out that his mother was a highly paid assassin who was originally sent to kill him after being in cryo sleep for twenty years…well, he had definantly learned to keep an open mind.
He was worried though…everything seemed so much more frantic this time then his last foray into the demon realm…this time, it was all fast paced and crazy…he had been filled in to what was going on while en route to the Zaibatsu.
Chakra Orbs…Jinpachi Mishima…Kazama turning all Devil-y…and Kazuya on the side of good…it was all a bit overwhelming. Christie had taken it rather well, she, as usual, had learned to adapt to a new environment…prioritize, and focus on the main issues at hand.
While she wasn't exactly a major contributor to the fighting and the planning, she really was, in a lot of ways, the glue that held the group together. Immediately, she began to console Xiao, promising to get Jin back, and asking Jamie firmly, with hands on her hips.
"Okay, what's the sitch?"
Steve loved her, and after the fifth tournament, the two had decided to take a serious stab at a relationship…they never took their courtship very seriously…yet, the two had their own, cute way of doing things. After every fight she'd wait for him, and they'd go back to his flat order take out, and passionately, yet comfortably make love.
Steve wished he could go back to that, but he knew that Jamie needed their help, and he wanted to look out for the little guy.
This way then that, the floor that the two were on was virtually deserted…save for the corpses of the soldiers on the ground.
"This looks bad…" Steve whispered.
"Yeah…I haven't seen this kind of carnage since I was after the Ankh of Anubis in Cairo." Dimitri replied.
"So-"
Steve didn't get a chance to finish before Dimitri silenced him…they heard the heavy bootsteps of several Jacks…the unkillable robots that the two were warned well in advance to avoid until a way to stop them was found.
They were more then happy to oblige.
Quickly, the two ducked into the nearest door, and found that it was a lab. Blood, glass, broken equipment and bodies littered the ground. It looked like a war had broken out here, but beggars couldn't be choosers. As the two ducked, they noticed that the lab was actually rather large…in fact it seemed to connect to several floors…and on the ground nestled amidst the glass…a Chakra Orb gleaned like a birds egg in a nest of shards.
"Hey, that's-" Steve moved to grab it.
"Steve it might be a tra-" Dimitri moved to grab Steve, and he did…he had saved the British Boxer from having his brains spattered around the tile…but the red laser from the sniper rifle began creeping towards them again.
Another shot was fired…this one whizzing by Dimitri bicep and cutting a thin scratch in his arm.
"OH!" Dimitri called.
It sounded more like annoyance then pain…foot steps clambered up the stairs and through the hall.
"Wait here!" Dimitri said.
He handed the Chakra Orb to Steve.
"But Dimitri!"
"Listen, he might have some information that we may need…I'll be right back don't worry." He gave Steve a reassuring smile and dashed after the mysterious pursuer.
As Dimitri ran up the stairs Steve continued to sit on the tile floor…he held the Chakra Orb in his hand and smiled slightly.
"Um…'kay…I'll wait here I guess…" Steve murmured.
(New Scene)
Who the fuck was that! Doesn't matter, I'll figure it out…Steve'll be okay…after all, he's a boxing champ, and I gave him a gun so he'll be fine.
Dimitri could hear the mysterious sniper's bootsteps and he was gaining on him. This way then that, up stairs and through doors until finally he found himself in a dark chapel.
The décor, to Dimitri seemed pre-Renaissance…medieval in appearance…which raised another question.
"Why in the hell would a Japanese businessman want a room to look like this?"
He stepped cautiously through the room…beautiful stained glass windows adorned the walls and imposing, brown columns held up the high, arched ceiling. Snarling Gargoyles stared down at Dimitri. The only illumination came from several sconces that were doused in oil…flames spouted from them and Dimitri saw a high backed throne towards the end.
"So this is the infamous Mishima Zaibatsu throne room…I've heard of it, but I never thought it'd be an actual throne room." He muttered.
He came from the rather wealthy Helios shipping family, so he had heard of the Mishimas…mostly the financial aspect of their life however…being an adventurer he had heard the stories of occult practices and pacts with Satan. Leading the lifestyle that Dimitri did, he hadn't completely dismissed the rumors…and had found out that they did indeed hold water when Jin Kazama, heir to the whole fortune had sprouted wings, horns and claws, and attacked them in London.
Dimitri was only twenty seven, but he had seen enough to last several life times…he had been invited to participate in the previous three Iron Fist Tournaments, but he had wound up having to cancel each time. During the third tournament he was in China exploring the infamous Emperor's Tomb…and had even opened up several unexplored regions of the tomb…finding that it had actually extended deep into a mountain.
During the fourth tournament he had been called to Egypt to look for the Ankh of Anubis rumored to give the holder the power to govern life and death…a rival adventurer had gotten to it first and unleashed a horrible plague throughout Cairo…and unleashing Anubis himself! Dimitri had managed to set everything right again (and had even managed to send Anubis back to the OtherRealm).
Finally, during the fifth tournament it was off to India…to find the Chakra Orbs…and now, he was helping his old friend Jamie find them and sabotage Jinpachi Mishima's plans.
Dimitri found it somewhat ironic that he was now working against the people who had hired him in the first place…of course, if he had known what the hell they were planning then he would have never signed on.
He smiled to himself.
"Can't believe I didn't see that one coming…I mean, I've been in this business for about five years…and whenever some fishy company comes a-knockin' they always wind up trying to kill me." Dimitri's blue eyes surveyed his dismal surroundings.
He brushed a strand of his poker straight black hair out of his eyes as he looked around…
That's when he saw it…
The tiny, blood red dot snaked it's way towards Dimitri… it crawled up his leg and settled on his forehead.
Dimitri looked up and for an instant, saw where the mysterious sniper was located…he jumped out of the way and let fly with some bullets.
"HELIOS!" The voice shouted.
"That's the name they gave me." Dimitri shouted from behind a pillar.
"How dare you interfere with my operation!"
"You're operation? Helluva job you've been doing…was it all the dead Tekken Force, the locked doors, or the rampaging, 'roid rage robots that made you fuck up and resort to shooting people?"
That did it…Dimitri heard the sniper smacking the butt of his rifle against his vantage point.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked.
"Have a feeling you're gonna start monologin' and tell me anyway." Dimitri quietly readied his rifle, and bought himself some time.
"I am the dark, harbinger of death,"
Oh lord… Dimitri rolled his eyes.
"The eternal void of darkness…the dark talon of death…I am Raven!" Raven jumped from his hiding place.
Dimitri was ready.
"Hi Raven!" He said with a smile and an overly friendly voice. "I'm Dimitri!" He cocked his rifle and fired.
Despite the darkness of the area, he wore a pair of sunglasses….probably night vision goggles or something.
Now that's not fair…I'd better even the odds a bit…
Like Dimitri, he wore a stealth suit…only he didn't have sleeves on his. His hair was bleach blonde…which clashed with his dark skin and his serious demeanor. He fired his rifle…and was satisfied that he managed to knick him on the arm…in the same spot where he shot Dimitri.
Raven growled, and whipped out two, deadly sharp daggers …he ran at Dimitri and leapt through the air…at the last minute, Dimitri rolled out of the way…Raven was fast, and almost slashed the adventurer to ribbons. Dimitri leapt up, but as he did Raven flung his daggers…both were aimed at his chest…he dodged one, the other landed in his shoulder.
"AAAAGGGHHH" He cried.
Raven smirked and walked towards the fallen adventurer.
"You think I did bad? You're the one with the Nephilim right? You fell right in my trap…just like those other idiot adventurers…all I had to do was leave something shiny on the ground…there were two Chakra Orbs in this building…I'll get the next one soon though, don't you worry…"
"Raven…" Dimitri said through gritted teeth. "I highly doubt it…"
Dimitri yanked out the blade and jammed it into Raven's lower abdomen. Startled, Raven staggered backwards and reached one of the stained glass windows.
"This…this isn't the end…I never…lose…" He leapt out the window and into the infinite darkness of the night.
"First time for everything." Dimitri said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
He winced in pain, but he knew that it wasn't too serious…all he needed was to do was wrap the wound and take a hemostat.
"This is Dimitri…Steve and I found a Chakra Orb." Dimitri said through the mike.
"I know, Steve came back with it…Jamie's trapped with Jin's little sister Asuka in a hallway for of Jacks!" Julia shouted.
"I'm going!" Dimitri called back in the mike.
"We'll meet you there…Hwoarang and Xiao found something that might stop them…Kazuya's on his way…he saved a girl who claims to know him."
"Alright, see you there!"
"Dimitri, be careful okay?" Julia said.
Author's Note: Alright, I'm not dead…I'm alive, just on vacation…I finally managed to get to a comp…sorry if this is a little anti climatic, but I only had a limited time on a comp…much love to everyone read and review please!