Demonic Skies *On Hold*

Chapter 09: Deal

AN: Don't forget to vote and check out my other works.

Aidan and Donald arrived at the house and began to set up. As today's guests would be in large numbers, Aidan opened up a larger sitting room and sealed off the other rooms of the house. With his magic none of them would be able to explore his home freely and for good reason. His first year owning the house, he had set up so many magical traps that he had lost count. He was still rediscovering traps to this day. The magic cordoning off sections of his home were more for the guest's safety than anything else at this point.

"Still can't get over your home. Still get robbers?" Donald asked with interest.

"Every now and then. Not as many three years ago but enough to test my home's defenses," Aidan nonchalantly explained.

"Don't want to move out of the slums?"

"No need," Aidan dismissed the idea shaking his head. "Wouldn't want to trouble those people with having to send new people to stake out a new place. Good help is so hard to find these days after all," Aidan finished with a slight chuckle.

Donald smirked. He knew about those old families sending people to investigate Aidan. Ninety percent never returned. Sending people to investigate his new home would prove equally fruitless resulting in more meaningless deaths. However, they would still send them. Many people wanted to pull Aidan to their side but he remained stubbornly neutral.

"Will you be okay?" Donald asked with concern.

Aidan smiled. "I'll be good," he placated Donald. He understood the other was concerned those old nobles would sooner kill a wild card like him rather than risk him going over to their enemies. However, such attempts, though often, never bore fruit. The average level of experts and mages in the city were something he could easily deal with. As for those above him, he was confident in his ability to flee.

Finally it seemed like the guests had arrived. The first was Donald's father Ian Markson to arrive with his guards. As large as the sitting room for this time was, there was limited room. Aidan had one guard stay inside and had the others wait in the opposite room. Captain Galldred came with a few of his men and like Markson only one was allowed to accompany him. Jebbs, Girland, Valland and Bernard were the last to follow and likewise were accompanied by one bodyguard.

"The first items were retrieved by luck. I will offer the items to Captain Galldred and Sir Markson first," Aidan explained and retrieved the first smaller, damaged carapace and the second larger, undamaged one. All men held their breaths. Even Galldred and Markson who already knew were still blown away.

"T-these. What creature did these come from?" Jebbs asked with fear in his voice. He had never seen a carapace so large before.

"These came from a mature Goliath Stalker corpse I found in the middle region. I assume something attacked it, forcing it out of the interior region," Aidan lied through his teeth with a smile so practiced it was unnerving. "Captain Galldred?" Aidan asked to get things rolling.

"Sigh. We can only afford the one I am afraid," Galldred said helplessly. His guard was hopelessly underfunded by the city council. He was deeply appreciative to Aidan who sold items like this directly to him saving his guard much needed gold.

"I can sell the big one for sixty thousand gold and the smaller one for thirty five," Aidan explained.

Galldred had his smith come forward and look at the two. He whispered some words into Galldred's ears and then retreated to the back.

"We will purchase the smaller one," Galldred said and took out the bag of coins.

Aidan took the bag without weighing it. Though he trusted Galldred as a man of his words, his trust was not completely unfounded. The miser that Aidan was, he could accurately determine the amount in the bag by the weight and sound of the coins. Even Donald, his father, and Jebbs would sigh at this 'skill' as merchants themselves.