Demonic Skies *On Hold*

Chapter 23: *Title Withheld*

AN: Title held until bottom of chapter.  Will change after a week.

Crunch!

Cough!

Following the dissipation of dust, Aidan coughed as he dusted himself off. With an ugly look on his face, Aidan picked up the yellowish skull that lie on the ground and put it into his storage ring. Looking forward, Aidan pressed his hand against the stone pillar released by the trap. Willing his magical energy into the stone, it evaporated into dust.

Buried beneath the rubble were the rest of the remains of his skeleton. Counting the five used over the last two days, this made it the sixth to die in this passage alone, bringing the total now to eight. Turning back, Aidan once again returned to the ruined town to find his next victim.

Passing the waterfall, Aidan circled the pool of water and came upon Narissa. Her white legs spread out from under her dress and playfully kicked in the pool. It stunned Aidan who had never seen her so vibrant a stark contrast from her frigid demeanor during the short time within his home. It was, slightly amusing and he could not help but crack a small smile.

Across from Aidan and Narissa were a group of skeletons and zombies. Looking at his crooked smile filled them with a profound sense of dread. Not sparing time, they left to inform their brethren of the Demon's return.

Aidan was unware of his underling's feelings concerning his recent actions over the last few days. As he approached the town, he found the outskirts oddly quiet, furrowing his brows. Sensing his own undead were hiding from him filled him with an intense feeling of displeasure. He gave them life and they dared not to pay up?

Snort. Aidan spread out his spiritual awareness. He could faintly feel his undead in the vicinity, congregating, hiding it seemed.

"Damn, that walking bundle of ill-will has come once again," spoke a meek skeleton in a feeble tone.

"Poor Yellow," a zombie said solemnly, lowering the mood in the room.

"What is he doing?" asked another.

"Does it matter?" asked a small, child sized skeleton.

"Not really. I would prefer not to die like the others," replied one of the higher zombie undead.

"Aren't we already dead?" cackled a skeleton, its jaw unhinging and falling out one of its sockets. Reaching its jaw, it put it back in place and continued its haunting laugh.

"It's not like he wouldn't bring us back, right?" asked the meek skeleton.

"If it's like the other times, then no. But you all know what happens afterwards, right?" asked the high zombie making the others shudder. "Under the pretense of paying back the materials, revived undead are made to suffer. Look at poor 'Toothless', had to spend months out in the middle forests hunting for materials. He only just finished his 'debt', can you imagine?" asked the high zombie.

The others nodded. Their master's miserly personality was well known within their undead legion. Though as undead they had few needs but even they could grow tired. If they had the choice, they would rather roam the inner forest and chance a shadow grizzly than on of their master's orders.

"So this is what you think of me," asked a dark voice from the shadows behind their group.

Turning reluctantly, the undead stared into the shadows where a pair of white teeth revealed themselves in a white smile. The Demon had found them.

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Aidan and the small skeleton walked the passageway. Over time, the traps increasingly became magical mechanisms rather than physical ones. As such, the little skeleton lacked the need to be assaulted by traps.