Fury transforms into his dragon form and takes off at once. He circles the night sky eyeing his targets. Bones is walking alone down the hill dragging a massive ax. He has yet to use his ax and mostly settles on sending bone shards into any demons that dare cross his path. He left his summoned dead behind to help watch over the children and is now on a mission to build up his dead army.

Apper and I are by his side, sneaking through the trees in my shadow. The plan is simple. Fury and Bones create chaos, and Apper and I establish order. Well, Apper does the establishing. I'm more here for support. Not that we are afraid of her dying. That problem is quickly solved when Bones accepts the remaining sisters into the dungeon. My job is to ensure the job gets done with minimum setbacks. So, I'm more like the supervisor of this whole operation.

Bones is extra choppy in his hillside descent. Demons wither in his presence and then are summoned to his entourage. Out of nowhere, the walking dead begin humming a haunting but catchy tune. Highs and lows mix with a consistent beat produced by the sounds of the increasing marching speed.

A brave scorpion-like demon, with a hint of lion and gorilla features, attempts to block Bones' path. The warlock bard casually throws his ax in an overhand motion. The rapid release cracks the air as it splits into the large opponent's skull. The land rover becomes the skeleton's steed in less than a heartbeat.

The humming dead quickly descends the hill unbothered by the disruption. The volume rises as the challenge is extended to all. This is our home. The entourage continues to grow, both living and dead.

Seeing an apparent disparity in power, most demons are content to crowd and watch as the growing army marches through the forest. Still, the monsters keep coming, and the presence of a massive swarm bears down on us. As the opposition grows, so does the tension. The demons bare their fangs and claws. Weapons are unsheathed, and mana is held at the ready. Numbers quickly replace all fear with confidence. It's only a matter of time before they strike.

Throughout the madness, the humming does not stop. Somehow even the monsters’ discord is blended into the tune. On top of his steed, Bones lets his voice ring out loud and clear.

"Come, my friends.

I am the reaper of your despair.

Come, my friends.

Let us march into our end.

There is blood and power for all to share.

Come, my friends.

The end is near."

Bones' mind is cracked, for sure. Probably my mind as well because as much as I want to hate his rhythmic challenge, I can't deny it has a catchy air to it. For better or worse, the challenge does not end. Though it's more or less the exact words on repeat.

"Sweet peace of death, this is awful." Apper's face is actively cringing. "Can you whip me up some of that magical rope you got?"

"You mean webbing like yours?"

"Yours is shinier, and Kelly said it had come with noise-canceling features."

"It is high-quality fabric," I say in agreement. I know my web is quality, but hearing even Kelly thought it was quality brings a happy sadness.

"As it should be. It was harvested from my sisters," Apper morbidly jests. "Stupid death energy is messing with my mind. Are you going to lend me some rope or not?"

My answer is a magic cord that I hand over to her. She takes the rope and quickly wraps her head. "Thank you," her volume is louder than before. I forego any effort to speak back and give her a smile accompanied by a thumbs up.

The forest is crowded with demons and death. My gut begins spinning as I anticipate the slaughter that is about to happen. Stay the course, I remind myself. If not for me, for those that deserve better. The thought of the children without parents or support other than a few loose cannons is enough to steel my nerves.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

We're now at a tipping point. The demons have enough numbers that their retreat is no longer possible. Our progress is halted a mile short of our intended location. I was hoping we could walk right over there and begin working. That was never our plan, though. We knew what we were wading in.

Just as Bones is stalling on some line about the blackest night, Fury roars over our heads. Again, I wonder how Bones' has convinced the dragon to participate in his shenanigans. For the first time since our descent, I worry about my alliance. There's no way the dragon would allow himself to be a sidekick. Is he a hype man?

The concern is quickly blown apart as black flame ignites the forest, and the night is covered in darkness. "Boom," Bones gives his redundant signal 'go' word, and we begin our dark deeds.

The battlefield is wild. Bones and his army are vastly outnumbered and surrounded on all sides. Unlike his numerous oppositions, though, his army doesn't diminish. The longer the fight, the larger and stronger his army becomes. Instead of losing ground, they are gaining. Our tight circle expands as we walk closer to the river and lake.

Between fights, Fury’s black flames continue to devastate the demons. Our most significant advantage is Fury’s silencing skill. Unless the dragon falls or his mana gives out, we control the power.

Bones can capitalize on the power gap. He and his army are now slaying demons at a rapid pace. "Just like old times, right Cap?” He directs his question at me while he commands a scythe created from the dead to cut through the masses.

"Boss, I think you and I have a different memory of the old times."

"No." His denial drags as he slices through more. "Remember that time we paraded through the desert on the back of that massive scorpion you created by letting it kill you. Then we got into a fight with a bunch of spiders, and you sliced them all to bits."

"This is completely different."

"Not entirely. We've even got a spider with us."

"I guess fighting against the odds is getting repetitive." There is no sense in denying the truth there. "Do you think that will change?"

"Not anytime soon. You've heard Gene's stories. She's got what others want, and they will always try to take it if they can."

"They're just kids…"

"You know not everyone will see them that way." Bone creates another scythe and sends it into the back ranks for the monsters. Between the scythes and black flames, the crowd of demons has become significantly thinner, allowing us to move closer to our new home.

"We're going to need more power." It's hard to accept that we are not enough. Then again, if Gene and I couldn't keep six spiders safe, how will nine of us protect five hundred.

"Indeed. So, you ready to stop holding back?" Bones' questions give me a large and uncomfortable jolt. I push away the uneasy feeling and take the question at face value. I look at Bones, who nods to the growing light pushing back Fury's darkness. The demons grow in power where the light mana shines and can fight to their full capacity. Scattered in the dark are smaller pockets of light which are causing much more destruction to Bones' forces than the entirety of the demon army. It won't be long before the pockets of light converge on us.

"You'll keep Apper safe?"

"No one will touch her in my bone shell."

"You know you can't add bone to all your naming conventions and think that you're being clever. Right?"

"I'm just using the tools my summoner left me," Bones finishes his sentence with a grin while more demons are slaughtered. Apper is removed from my shadow and quickly wrapped up in a shell placed on Bones' mount. Shield-bearing minions are called to his side, increasing Apper's protection.

"You think you can take out a couple pockets?" Bones asks me.

"Do I have to?"

"No, it would just be less time-consuming?"

"We talking seconds or minutes?"

"Depends on your efficiency."

"Fine, I'll do it all myself." The system is broken. What's the point of having a boss if I have to do the fighting? That's the job of the top dogs. Pretty sure that was in Bones' promotion agreement too. Not only that, I have to fight what we guess are the demon bosses. Maybe I need to protest more.

Despite my reluctance, I begin to slip away, hidden in shadow. "You need to create a larger spectacle, though," I throw out the words like bait. Boss bites and loses it. Or that is what I like to believe happens. Like my slight actually leaves a mark. Either way, the fight reaches the second tipping point. Bones is done playing games.