The Raven Society

Chapter II

The next morning, Raven walked the streets of Cragshire with the dark velvet hood of her cloak pulled tightly around her head. In the boiling heat, the blackness of the coat only intensified the sun's rays, but today was not a day she had felt like getting stared or pointed at for being a sickly mercato. She was tired of seeing the venders hide their wares and mothers pull their children behind their backs to protect them from the eradicated disease.

Head down, Raven shoved her way through the doors of the town brothel, and passed the dirty and vile men in line, waiting to get their chance so that they could fulfill their disgusting needs. As she walked past, a couple men whistled, ogling her lean body and expensive weaponry.

"You boys wouldn't want to lay in bed with this cagna," Adriana purred, entering the room through a curtain of beads. They silenced immediately, instead looking at her enormous cleavage and big blue doll eyes. As she stood in her ten-inch platform heels, Adriana looked each man dead in the eyes, and let a a small giggle of joy, and, it seemed to Raven, of complete contempt.

When she was done, she finally turned to look at Raven. 

"How's business, Adriana?" Raven asked. She couldn't help but to revel in the faces of the men behind her as they slowly realized what she meant by her words in their drunken stupor.

"Quite well," she said, flippant as always, and led her down the hall. All throughout were cheap mirrors and sparkles, dressing up the place in every way possible. Even the air was thick with perfume. Adriana herself, even though she was not an employee, was still dressed in skimpy lingerie that showed off her big breasts and curvy shape. They stopped once they reached the unadorned and plain wooden door at the end of the hall.

"You know," Adriana began, suddenly serious, "you would always have a job here if you wanted it." She ran a long, manicured nail down the side of her face. "You certainly have the looks for it. And some men would... relish in your history," she said, hinting at her scar.

Raven smiled. Even though she did not exactly agree with her business of choice, Adriana was a crude business woman and a hard worker. Most importantly, she was a good friend.

"You know that I would never stoop that low," responded Raven. "No matter how hard it gets."

She nodded in understanding, and walked back down the hall, heels clacking as she went. Even though she ran the business here, Raven knew for a fact that she only employed girls who went to her for help and were willing to do the job. In a sick, terrible way, she was doing them a favor.

Raven took a moment to compose herself before opening the door, hinges creaking as it was swung wide. Her body hummed with energy as she entered, light spilling through the gaping holes in the roof. Her boots upset the dirt floor beneath her, causing her to cough up the loose gravel that she inhaled. She looked around the room. In the center was a boxing arena, and off to the sides were dummies and other training accessories. By nightfall, the room would be filled with drunk, idiotic men taking their chances betting on fighters. She looked up at the cage that hung there. When it was time, the cage would descend over the ring, stopping anyone from entering or exiting unless there was a clear winner. Blood, ages old, stained the ground. A lot of people who entered that cage never came back out.

Raven slipped off her cloak and laid it on top of a lonely looking chair off to the side. Free of the heavy velvet, Raven strode to the center of the dirt floor, ten feet or so from the ring. Taking in a deep breath of the dank air, Raven swept her leather-clad arms high above her head, hands sweeping to grasp the hilts of notte ed edera and pulling them out of their sheaths, which whined softly as the air kissed the metal. The steel of the blades seemed to hum with energy as she held them in the air; just waiting to be used. She glanced up at the swords. They glinted in the little ray of sunlight that entered the room through a slit in the wood.