Remnant's hunter

Chapter 3

"I-I think you've had enough, sir."

"What?" the muscled man belched and rose to his feet, though perhaps staggered might have been a more accurate way to put it. His body swayed and for a moment it seemed he might sit back down again, perhaps horizontally on the floor, but he caught himself on the bar and pushed on. "You got any idea who I am? I'm not done until I say I'm done."

"S-Sir..."

"I am a proud member of the Branwen Tribe. I am-"

"You are drunk," a calm voice spoke from behind, freezing the bandit. "And the lady says you've had enough." Toji wrinkled his nose at the smell. "I'm inclined to agree."

The bandit, who was easily six and a half feet tall, didn't turn to face him. He didn't need to since he recognised the voice, as most had come to in the two weeks that Toji had spent with the tribe. At first his presence there had been a source of amusement and entertainment, a lamb to the slaughter of Raven's twisted humour or idle curiosity. They'd put up with him, but he'd been a weak and pitiful thing to be mocked.

It hadn't taken long for one of them to push their luck, and for Toji to show them how a demon could make your life a living hell. A bandit having to taunt him into a fight, and didn't end well for him. Oum rest his soul. Seeing him get killed with his bare hand. Shoving his hand through the bandit was a shock for everyone, he even bypass the dead man's aura. A scary sight that was.

News of his strength had spread fast, and the fact he didn't have a weapon meant remarkably little when it came to the difference between he, a veteran of the campaign against the six eyes, and having to be one of deadliest sorcerers in the world.

"I don't want no trouble," the burly man said, backing down. "Maybe the woman is right. Sorry," he added, this time to the women behind the counter. One of the earlier ones had balked at his demand to apologise to a civilian.

No one had since. Toji nodded. "Good boy." He watched as the man took his fellows out, closing the door softly behind them and causing not a single bit of mess. The others in the tavern, bandits and normal folk both, quickly returned to their own conversations.

He didn't stay for any thanks from the woman, paying for his own drink and leaving a moment later, stepping out into the warm midday sun. Two whole weeks with the tribe, and though he'd have balked at the idea initially – and still did – he had to admit that he could feel his body getting stronger. Fighting many years can boring for having to kill the targets he was assigned. But he know the one that made him push to the limit of survival was that damn Gojo. He was arrogant, he knew that. But the past is the past. He wasn't alive in his own world, he come to realize that. His work, his clan, his work..........his family.
But none of that matters, he sure they'll be alright. He hope.

The world was different say the least. But hey, what could ruin it?

"Oi, fuck-face!"

Toji sighed.

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" Toji asked, not really needing to turn to know Vernal was behind him. "I'm fairly sure Raven isn't impressed with your cussing. Either am I. Also I have a name, brat."

Vernal's pout was in full force when he finally turned to face her. The girl had been greatly offended by what she saw as him humiliating her in front of Raven, but had for some reason decided that this was all the more reason to hound him for further spars. He'd hoped Raven finding out would put a stop to it, but the damnable woman had simply smirked and said the best sought to grow stronger by challenging those greater than they. She'd then complimented Vernal's drive, which had pretty much sealed his doom.

"Fight me!" Vernal cried, holding her wooden sword out towards his chest.

"Didn't I beat you just this morning?"

"N-No..."

"You tried to ambush me the moment I stepped out of my tent," he recalled, unimpressed. The girl flinched and looked down to her feet. The worst part was she probably didn't even feel bad for having used such a duplicitous tactic so much as the fact it hadn't worked.

"I'll do better next time."

"You're missing the point here."

"No I'm not, now fight me!"

He'd never been good with children. Hell, he abandoned his own for the sake of doing his job. But in the meantime, he knew children wanted the attention when something or someone is interesting to them. Case in point, himself. But he didn't want to deal with her today, so he came up with the believable excuse.

"I have a meeting with Raven," he said instead, opting to lie through his teeth. "She'd be angry if I was late."

"You do?" That got a reaction, as it often did. "Hngh." She scowled. "Fine, but you have to fight me later. I'm going to kick your ass and prove I'm stronger than you."

'Not by a long shot, kid.' He thought with a smirk. Sadly, he doubted Vernal would ever grow strong enough to challenge him, but there's potential if she actually listen.

So it was now, that she looked up from a scroll she was reading a message and chuckled. "Using me as an excuse to escape Vernal again, are we?"

"She's a handful." Vernal had stopped some distance away, too shy to approach. "But, she's a somewhat of a good kid."

"Hmph." Raven brushed some of her black hair over one shoulder and smiled cockily at him. "If you really want rid of her you should beat her down," she said. "Make her regret challenging you so much that she avoids you."

"I've already beaten her a few times. She's stubborn."

"I meant that you should go further. Break her arm or leg, or maybe drive her until she can no longer move and then go further. Leave her weeping for mercy."

"I know what you meant," he said, frowning at her. "And I'm not doing that. She's only a child, no matter what she says."

Raven shrugged. "Then put up with her constant pestering, I care not. I merely gave you an option which would solve your problem. It is your choice on whether you act on it."

"Can't you say something to her?"

"I could, but why would I? You can either show your strength and disabuse her of approaching you, or harden yourself and put up with her." Both methods involved being strong, of course. Nothing less could be expected from her. "How is your health?"

Toji crank his arm to the side to let the joints to feel loose. "Same old. Same old. I just ready to get this fight over with."

Raven smiled. "Perfect. A little longer and you and I shall have the chance to cross blades. I look forward to it."

The fight was something she often brought up, though oddly enough more in a teasing way than any real lust for battle. Oh she was excited, but there seemed to be something more to it. If he didn't know better he'd have said this was all an attempt to recruit him into the tribe. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But he, in the Branwen Tribe? Not a chance. Even if they'd saved his life, his morals wouldn't stretch far enough to let him become a bandit.

"But I don't think that having me as a opponent in a effort to leave can make it more dull." Said Toji.

"And how can you come to take conclusion?" Asked Raven.

"Like I said before, you're not on my level to try to take my head. Even though you have a couple of good for nothing brutes and killers around you, it seem that you haven't fought someone better than you."

She got up and stares at the man that trying to rile her with jabs. "And you believe that you're the solution?"

He shrugged. "You'll never if you try."

"So, what do you intend to do from here when our battle concludes?"

"Try to 'fit it' so to speak. I know that some documents and having those "scrolls" can be valuable in my hands. So, on my own little journey to be...me."

"So what were you before?"

"...". Toji's silence was telling.

So was Raven's delighted grin.