Short Stories (ErrInk)

An Unlikely Love - Chapter 6

  Ink walked with his grandmother through the square. Villagers were standing behind their little stands, happily greeting anyone that stopped by. Lily, being the wonderfully kind woman that she is, invited Error to join them.

  Lily, with a bread basket in hand, entered a clothing shop with the two skeletons trailing behind her. There was a woman standing behind a counter. She was years younger than Lily but she wasn't quite youthful either.

  The sound of people entering pulled her attention from a paper that she was writing on. A smile instantly came to her when she saw two familiar faces. Although, everyone was familiar to her. The villagers knew her as Tabet.

Tabet: Lily. It's so wonderful to see you. Have you brought Ink here to get some new clothes?

Lily: Not this time. In fact, I brought someone else.

  She said before motioning towards Error, who was looking at the clothing on the tables nearby. He had never seen clothing with such attracting colors and designs. Demons often wore dark colors to blend in with their surroundings.

  Tabet approached Error with her arms wide open. The demon backed away as he didn't know what she was doing. However he froze when the lady embraced in a welcoming hug, a village custom when meeting new people.

Tabet: Welcome to our home. Now let's see...

  She said as she walked around Error, getting a good picture of his figure. Error's spectral body had gained muscle from eating more and working with Ink outside, better fitting the clothes that was given to him. Lily was proud of herself for helping a once skinny body become strong.

Tabet: Strong handsome build. If I was a bit younger, I would have been in love with you.

  The lady said to Error in a flirty tone. He... didn't know what to think of that. He gave her a suspicious look without her knowing. Maybe all mortals that lived in this village weren't as good as he thought.

  Tabet wrote down notes on a paper before looking at Lily.

Tabet: Come back in a few days, I should have a good amount of new clothing for him.

Lily: How much does it cost?

Tabet: Nothing. It's on me. Ink helped my shop when I couldn't do it alone. This is my thanks.

  Lily and Ink thanked her before beginning to leave the shop. Error looked at her one more time which he immediately regretted as she had winked at him.

(Time Skip)

  Error walked into the kitchen after having bathed himself. He saw the old woman cooking dinner for them but he noticed that Ink was nowhere to be seen.

  He became curious as he was used to being in the same room as the farm boy.

Error: Where's Ink?

  Lily turned around. She looked around, seeming to not know herself.

Lily: I don't know. I didn't even know he left. Could you go and get him?

  He nodded before leaving the cottage. He assumed that Ink was in the small shed working on a new brew.

  The air was crisp which helped with clearing Error's senses. Normally in the Underground, the air and wind was thick with volcanic ash that often shrouded the ability to smell for demons. This caused them to rely off of hearing with sight being secondary.

Nocturnal animals bolted into the shadows of the trees at the sight of Error. He yawned from tiredness, the last time he slept being unknown to him.

He approached the shed and knocked on it. There was no answer. Strangely, this offset Error for some reason. The demon pushed the door open, being met with an empty room.

Error looked around, hoping to find Ink in some corner that he wasn't able to see clearly from the entrance. However the farm boy still appeared to be missing.

The demon rushed away from the shed and looked around.

'What other places could he have gone to?'

Error slightly panicked but refused to go to Lily to tell her of the disappearance. She was a sweet women that shouldn't be bothered with worrying.

It suddenly hit him, Ink might be in the forest. That's where Error met him in the first place.

Error whispered an incantation to show his wings that were once disguised. They lifted him into the air and carried him over the leaf canopy of the forest. He used the senses that were made for hunting.

He listened carefully for any sounds that weren't natural. Boots hitting grass, humming, talking, anything.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something that wasn't made by nature. It was Ink laying on the ground.

  Folding his wings in, Error dropped through a hole in the canopy and landed swiftly on the ground. Hiding his demonic traits, he feared the worst as he approached Ink's still body.

  Error towered over the farm boy and silently observed. He became relieved when he saw that Ink was still breathing.  Ink was just sleeping.

  The demon heard the howls of monsters in the distance. He sighed before finding a spot next to a tree trunk and sitting down. For the rest of the night...

He watched over Ink