Demonic Skies *On Hold*

Chapter 10: Grave Mistake

Aidan spent the following weeks alternating between time in the forest and procuring various texts. As a relic of history, the nearby forest was home to many discoveries of dark elemental texts. Even after four years, Aidan was still discovering such tomes in the book stores of the city. Most customers would be ignorant of their knowledge but as a studied historian knowledgeable in the lost tongue of Brecht, Aidan would not pass up the opportunity.

It was in the last week that he came across a journal. It was written by an initiate mage of the Demonic Skies Sect who established the Eternal Forest. One excerpt in particular, alluded to an area belonging to the main text library for the outer sect disciples. This was general knowledge not fully guarded and considered as valuable to the sect nut not detrimental should those secrets leak. If Aidan could find its location, there could still possibly be texts on dark magic and necromancer arts still intact. However, it remained that three thousand years had passed. It was not guaranteed landmarks matching the description of the journal would remain the same.

Aidan sighed heavily as he closed his journal and got up from his desk. He was still depressed over the loss of his experimental subjects. In particular, he lamented over a case involving a subject, who perfectly adapted to the dark element potion treatments without any visible external mutations. If he could only isolate the factor in his body in relation to the potion he could increase the success rate of acceptance in future subjects. Alas, the foolish Rolland destroyed all that work.

"What am I going to do about that child?" Aidan thought aloud. As it was, Rolland was a risk factor. Maybe it was better to cut his losses but Aidan couldn't justify either action as both were even with one another.

Aidan decided to clear his head. He had considered the slave market to acquire materials but that would raise questions of what he did with them. At least with the thieves he captured, he could make it look like he simply killed and disposed of them. Slaves would present questions he could not explain away and someone may catch on to the fact he practices necromancy. The stigma was not something he could easily wash away despite his history with the city. Even the Temple may take action against him.

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Aidan was casually walking in the commercial district. He had found a stall selling objects made by the Demonic Skies Sect. They weren't useful artifacts of magic but Aidan was a history buff and loved buying such things. It was perhaps the only time he was not such a spendthrift but that was only to the point of not paying past retail value for it. His skills at haggling would cause no end of gloom for those merchants. Feeling good, he was prepared to return home when he was stopped.

"Oh, why if it isn't Sir Aidan?" a youthful condescending voice called out form the crowd.

Sigh. Aidan recognized the voice but felt resigned to understanding his overall peaceful day is now over. Turning around, Aidan concealed his displeasure with a smile as though he were strolling through a bed of flowers rather than a sewer full shit.

"Young Master Kalter, a pleasure to see you," Aidan greeted the lanky youth before him. Drop dead. Spontaneously combust. Dragon shit fall out of the air and crush him, Aidan plead to the gods above.

"Hahaha. It is good to see you as well. Have you had time to consider our proposition," Kalter asked amiably, though the implication was inherent. Join us or die.

"Hahaha. I thought I already made myself clear that I will not join any faction," Aidan explained as amicably as he could.

As one would expect, this did not go over well with Kalter whose face contorted into a look of extreme displeasure as though he stepped in horse poo. Take a hint. Drop the matter. Please tell me someone told him about all the people who have been sent to kill me. Please don't be dumb enough to think I won't act in public, Aidan hoped in his heart.