The moon hung low in the sky, partially hidden behind some dark clouds. Undeterred, Raven made her way through the dark without much difficulty. The years of experience she had because of her job had gotten her adapted to seeing pretty well with bare minimal lighting.

Wincing inwardly as she accidentally stepped on a piece of twig, she waited tensely for any movement as the loud snap echoed in the darkness. Many silent minutes passed before Raven dared to make another move. The surroundings were as still as a statue.

She was in their territory, and the only element of surprise the situation required was that of her dropping an unexpected attack right on their doorsteps. Another step brought her further away from her car, but closer to her target. Her heart was thumping rapidly in her chest cavity, yet one would be unable to see her nervousness from the calm and aloof look on her face.  Dressed in completely in black, she would have blended in perfectly with the background.

The silence that enveloped her was deafening. Even in the day, the woods that Raven was going through at the moment was completely void of sound. The locals called it the Silent Borders, for there were no known living creatures in the entire patch of woodland. Every botanist who had came to study Silent Borders had reported the bizarre lack of any form of animals, only the presence of Yew trees and no other plants.

It was rumoured to be a piece of cursed land as yew trees were also regarded as the symbols of death. Everyone would have given the foreboding woods a wide berth.  

Anyone but Raven.

Symbols of death… Well, guess the title's pretty suitable for those poor plants, since they ARE very poisonous… Probably the main reason why there aren’t animals willing to live with those trees… My money's on witches starting these senseless rumours to keep people away from their rituals…

Amused by her own reasoning and mentally applauding the witches' ingenuity, Raven let out a small chuckle. All of a sudden, Raven became aware of the sound of a soft thud behind her. Sensing a presence behind her, her footsteps slowed to a still as she tightened her grip on the sword which she carried on her left.

"Oh! How silly of me… I almost tripped over my own shoelaces…"

With feigned exasparation, Raven knelt down on one knee and pretended to be distracted. Her opponents were devious and suspicious. It had taken her weeks of research before she managed to track down their nest. Baiting them with her distraction, Raven willed in her heart for them to fall for act.

A few moments later, her efforts paid off. A loud snarl suggested that it had launched its attack, and judging by the sheer loudness of that one single growl, it was a big one. Reaching into the pockets of her black leather jacket with her right hand, Raven rolled forward whilst kicking out behind her. Her foot came into contact with the body and kicked it backwards.

In her next move, she pulled out a small vial of clear liquid and removed the cork with a flick of her right thumb before splashing it in the direction of her attacker. The clear liquid sizzled against the brown, slimy flesh as its victim screamed in agony. Making use of the recovery time, Raven then reached into her jacket again while pushing herself off the ground. When her hand re-emerged, three silver daggers were held tightly between her four fingers.

"How does the cleansing feel, demon? I used holy water for that one extra thrill…"

A small twitch of her wrist sent the three weapons sailing across the air, pinning the wounded attacker firmly to the ground. Raven slowly circled the trapped demon as it thrashed about wildly, the silver burning its flesh.

It was a horned demon, brown and slimy, its single eye crimson. Although not the leader of the pack, it was a tier-five sprite, a pretty decent ranked hunt. Raven was disgusted by the black blood which was oozing out of its wounds. Using her left arm, she slowly unsheathed her silver sword as she came to a stop before her prey.

The demon stopped thrashing as its eye travelled the length of the blade, taking in the many sacred symbols carved onto the piece of silver. A smirk appeared on Raven's face as she noticed the fiend's actions.

"Scared? You should have thought of it when you attack,"

A shrill laugh echoed in the eerie woods as the demon laughed devilishly at her taunting words. Then as sudden as it had started, it stopped and the demon focused his single eye on the black hair girl standing before it with cruel evilness.

"You may destroy me, but we will destroy you!"

Climbing onto the body of the demon, Raven pressed the blade gently at its neck as she stared right back into its eye with cold determination. Her red lips parted slightly as she whispered the final words the demon would ever hear in its cursed existence on the mortal world.

"Vade ad inferos, you fiend,"