[color=gray][right][i]n the time of the reveal,
All shall make sense.
But for now, just enjoy the ride~[/i][/right]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/lNnPcGc.png?1[/img][/center][hr]
[indent][indent]There was a moment before they had set off from the grasslands to the mountain that Raiko was worried. Though Aoi and Kage were typically laidback and often acceptive of his usually-lax demeanor and the actions that always followed from it. His biggest worry was when he saw that priestess’ staff start to react when Aoi and Kage approached them. While he had no personal attachment to the girls and would likely not cry over the spilled milk, he didn’t want to see any blood being shed when the situation got a little tense. Thankfully for Raiko’s quick thinking, it was resolved before the problem got worse. The mention of Ryoshi and Kaito was what saved this from turning ugly.

Oh if only that’s where it stopped. Before anything could be done to prevent the next course of action, specifically on Aoi and Kage's part, the two respectively had rendered the trust that Raiko thought he had with these two to nothing but mush. Revealing his name wasn’t the thing that did it, though the one called Ren seemed to be taken by surprise by it. No, what really did it was Kage snatching the staff from her hands and then, of all things, Aoi speaking about eating her.  

Raiko hid his actual worry about just how serious they were about that when he looked to the two women. [color=b5484b]“Don’t worry, it’s just a figure of speech.”[/color] Raiko was lying of course. He knew that, while Aoi and Kage liked him and gave him free reign on most things, they never feigned the joy they had out of eating humans. Still, Raiko wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to these two. He wasn't one that offered to bring them to Ryoshi, so they were his responsibility.

The half-demon looked over to Ren’s direction, seeing frozen where she stood. For whatever reason, she wasn’t able to register anything that Raiko had said to her. Whether he repeated her name or waved his hands in front of her, she was lost in her own world. “Ah well, there’s no time for this.” 

Letting out a sigh, Raiko scooped her up, supporting her neck and legs with his arms. He was easily able to lift her up and run while she was still in her arms. Whether or not she snapped back into it wouldn’t matter because the distance that Raiko’s own speed allowed him to cover had them arrive at the base of the mountain within a minute. It didn’t take much longer than another twenty seconds for Raiko to catch up to Kage and Aoi as they reached the top of the mountain where the Shadow Serpents all resided. And though the return of Raiko and Ryoshi’s top demons was a welcomed sight, Raiko saw nearly instantly the vile snickering the others had when they caught the scent of humans.

Raiko glared at all of them, his eyes glaring red. [color=b5484b]“If you want them, you’ll have to go through me.”[/color] He declared, firmly putting them on notice.

That seemed to set them straight. Raiko could hear Aoi and Kage laughing, though they didn’t comment. Instead, the group traversed a few minutes away from the common area of the mountaintop to where Ryoshi was always at. Unlike before, however, Raiko noticed that Ryoshi wasn’t drunk. On top of that, he didn’t appear to be happy, specifically with Raiko.

[color=6699cc]“So what’s this I hear about you interacting with the humans, Raiko?”[/color]

[color=b5484b]“Now before you lose your shit, maybe just hear me out.”[/color]

[color=6699cc]“I gave you [i]one[/i] rule. You are to not interact with them. Did I not make this clear when we took you in?”[/color]

[color=b5484b]“Now hold on just a--”[/color]

[color=6699cc]“And here I thought you had it in you. I thought you would be loyal to those who looked after you.”[/color]

[b][color=b5484b]“WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME, YOU ASSHOLE!”[/color][/b] At that moment, a massive pulse of demonic energy came from Raiko’s body, flaring up a deep red color, the shape of a dragonic-like spirit hovering three feet above him. 

[color=6699cc]“Is this really how you want to play it, Raiko?”[/color] Ryoshi stood up, the demon revealing its form to be a humanoid demon of humanoid size. He had pale white skin with a scaly skin, though it wasn’t nearly as bad as Aoi. His was subtle. He had white hair and wore a dragon skin pelt over his head. 

As soon as Ryoshi took a step forward, his own demonic aura flaring up, easily outweighing Raiko’s. The sudden move by Ryoshi had caused Raiko to stand his ground, but inside he wasn't prepared to fight Ryoshi right here and now. It had seemed that Aoi and Kage were thinking the same as they would prepare to back up, their feet sliding backwards against the dirt. It did seem as though the two were about to fight, but Ryoshi’s aura disappeared as soon as he saw Kaito next to Aoi. [color=6699cc]“My Kaito! You’ve come to me!”[/color]

[color=b5484b]“Well if you would have listened to me, I would’ve told you we brought her to you,”[/color] Raiko commented, scoffing.

Ryoshi had completely ignored Raiko and ran past him, picking up Kaito in a loving embrace. 

Meanwhile, Raiko looked over at the priestess. She didn’t seem to be out of her daze. [color=b5484b]“You okay over there?”[/color] Raiko asked her, snapping his fingers in front of he rface, hoping to get her attention.
[/indent][/indent][/color]