Well, time for chapter 2, not quite sure what else to say here, so just enjoy.
And yeah, this is an exposition chapter, so bear in mind when reading it. Mostly this is to answer some unanswered questions from Ashla's past.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to this fanfic.
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CHAPTER TWO:
LESSONS
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This wasn't the first time I worked with Ashla. Early into my career in the Shadowchasers Ashla was one of several Shadowchasers that worked with me during the Raivan crisis.
What was that? Well that's kind of a long story involving a renegade member of Morgana's Kin (yeah, we have renegades too, they're not common, but we have them). I won't go into all the details, but long story short, it strained the relationship between us and the Shadowchasers.
Ashla always struck me as an honorable woman and I've always enjoyed working with her. This time, the stakes where higher than ever before.
October 19, 8:35 PM.
Atlantic City, Ashla's Apartment.
Leslie poured herself a mug of coffee with a sigh as she and Ashla sat down at the table. "This is going to take a lot of explaining," Leslie said with a sigh. "First of all, what do you know about the deal your mother made with Lolth?"
Ashla frowned, that had always been a bit of a sore subject with her. "What I've told you and your predecessor before really," she said with a shake of her head. "My mother believed that making a deal with Lolth would give me a lot of power. She basically sold me into divine slavery to Lolth in order to increase her own standing."
"And it almost worked," Leslie said with a nod. "The only reason the plan failed was because you turned against her and Lolth. Did you ever wonder why Lolth was willing to make such a deal?"
Ashla blinked a little at that, she had to admit that she had never considered that before. Lolth was a Goddess who had many worshippers among Dark Elves, and she had very little reason to single out a specific Priestess and her daughter. There was nothing particularly special about her clan, why had she been singled out?
"I never really gave that much thought," Ashla admitted to her friend. "Do you have an answer?"
Leslie took a long drink of her coffee and set the mug down on the table with a sigh. "One of my allies recently took a trip into the Abyss," she said. "Its not a very pleasant prospect, I've been there a few times myself, and I'd rather not repeat the expereience if possible. Anyway, she met with a contact within the Demonweb Pits and she learned something that we had not been aware of before. Lolth has a proxy, and she's preparing for an operation against the Shadowchasers and Earth itself."
"That's not very unusal, is it?" Ashla asked. "I mean, most deities have proxies, and even if they're interested in becoming the next Shadow Queen or something, I don't see how this affects me specifically."
"I think you'll understand when you hear the name of the Proxy," Leslie said with a frown. "Her name is Nayriss Da'rok."
Ashla was stunned at that news, she would never forget that name. Nayriss Da'rok, was her own mother.
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October 19, 8:40 PM.
Atlantic City, the Silver Spider Casino.
At the same time the two Shadowchasers where talking, a female Dark Elf stepped out of the front door of the Silver Spider. The Casino had only recently been completed in downtown Atlantic City, and many of the employees hired where Dark Elves and other Shadowkind that preferred the nighttime.
Yanni Jizelle was one of the Dark Elves hired at the Casino as a Blackjack dealer. A college student, Yanni was one of many followers of Eilisitaree that lived in and around Atlantic City, and had only taken the job to pay for tuition.
She walked over to her car and opened the driver's side door and slid inside. She tried to start the car, but it couldn't start.
"Come on... don't die on me..." Yanni muttered to herself, she had just gotten the car checked out, how was it acting up now? She sighed and took out her phone and hit a programmed number.
"Hey Yanni, is everything okay?" A voice replied when she picked it up.
"Yeah Kira, I've got a bit of car trouble," Yanni said with a sigh. "I'm in front of the Silver Spider, is there anything you can..."
Yanni jumped out of her skin when someone rapped on her window with a slight metallic sound. She turned to see a figure with their face overshadowed by a hat and a bandanna pulled over their face.
"You scared me," Yanni said, she was breathing heavily, but maybe this person could help her. "My car doesn't seem to want to start, could you give me a hand?"
"Get out of the car," the figure said.
"Kira, I'm..." Yanni started to say into the phone, then realized that she didn't get a signal. That was weird, there was always a signal around the Casino. She started to head for the passenger side door before a fist slammed through the window and grabbed her. "What the hell are you doing?"
The figure pulled the door open and dragged Yanni out. It reached into the car and removed a duel disk and deck from the floor and tossed it to Yanni. "Duel, now."
Yanni shivered as she slid the duel disk onto her arm. It wasn't even her's, she had only dueled once or twice in her life, and had been holding it for her sister. Maybe if she could run now she could get in contact with the Shadowchasers.
"There is no escape," the figure said as if it had read her mind, it took out a cord with a metal clasp on the end. It swung it around and grasped Yanni's duel disk with it and attached the other end to its own. "Now, lets duel."
"Yeah..." Yanni said nervously as she drew her opening hand.
(Yanni: 8000) - (?: 8000)
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October 19, 8:50 PM.
Atlantic City, Ashla's Appartment.
"That's impossible, my mother is dead," Ashla said with a shake of her head. "I saw her die myself 150 years ago at my clan's compound."
"I know, and that's what everyone has believed since then, including your old clan," Leslie replied with a sigh. "We where surprised too, but we've managed to put together a lot of the details on what happened 200 years ago before you where born."
Ashla listened to what Leslie was saying, but she had a hard time believing what she was hearing. Nayriss Da'rok, her mother, was dead, Ashla had killed her in self defense when she left her clan.
"What do you know about Divine Proxies?" Leslie asked Ashla.
"About as much as anyone does really," Ashla replied. "They're the most powerful servant of a deity, like the Shadow Queen for Grazzt or Calla for Tiamat. Unlike a High Priest, they make direct contact with the deity, and gain a lot of power from them."
"That's a decent summary," Leslie said and shook her head. "Up until 200 years ago, Lolth had a Proxy named Jadis. Jadis was killed in a battle during the Blood Wars against one of Lolth's enemies, and Lolth started looking for a new proxy in late July of that year."
"That was a few months before I was born..." Ashla said with a realization. "Are you saying that my mother, made a deal with Lolth to make me her new Proxy?"
"We can't confirm this of course," Leslie said with a nod. "So word gets to the pregnant Nayriss Da'rok that her goddess is looking for a new proxy and she saw an opportunity to increase her own standing. She performed a ritual that formed your connection to Lolth while you where still in the womb."
Ashla frowned, this story was nothing new to her, she had always known about the contract her mother made with Lolth. But there was something that she didn't understand still.
"If I was supposed to be the Proxy, why did it take 50 years?" She asked.
"We're, not entirely sure," Leslie admitted. "The most we can gather is that something was interfering with her power that made it slower than usual. Do you have any idea what that could've been?"
Ashla thought back to her childhood, there was only one thing that jumped to mind that could explain it. She closed her eyes, and her mind wandered back to that night when she turned against everything she had believed in.
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150 Years Ago.
Da'rok Clan Compound.
A younger Ashla snuck up through one of the tunnels that lead to the surface. Unlike most of her clan, she had always been interested in spending more time on the surface, and snuck up there as often as she could.
She finally pushed a rock out of the way and stepped out into the moonlight. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool night air on her skin. She heard a soft sound begin to pick up, it was music that she had heard many times on nights just like this.
"Ashla my child..." A soft feminine voice echoed from behind her. Ashla smiled, she had never seen the source of the voice, but it had a kindness to it that she trusted. "Something worries you."
"Its my mother," Ashla said with a sigh. "Sometimes it feels like she's expecting something, more out of me than I can give."
"You've given your mother all you are to give," the voice said. "I want you to know that you're not alone in this world. Your mother wants you to think that you have only one destiny, to serve her Goddess."
"I was pledged to Lolth..." Ashla said quietly.
"Did Lolth or your mother ever ask your permission?" The Voice questioned.
"Well... no," Ashla admitted. "My mother made the deal before I was born. I never had a choice, but, what other path is there for me?"
"I can offer you another path," the voice replied. Then Ashla felt two arms wrapped around her neck in a warm and loving embrace. "I've been watching you for a long time, my child."
"Who are you?" Ashla asked and turned around and her next thought fell silent on her lips. A female Dark Elf stood before her with long white hair that framed her body, she looked at Ashla with a warm smile, but radiated a power from her that Ashla could recognize as divine magic.
"I've been reaching out to you for a long time, Ashla," the woman said. "I am Eilistraee, and I have been watching you since you where a child. You've never agreed with what your mother forced on you, even if you where always afraid to tell her."
"I've been hearing your voice call out to me for years..." Ashla said, she was still in awe. "But, why me?"
"I reach out to any of my children who don't believe in Lolth's teachings," Elistaree replied. "And one that was touched by Lolth herself like you... I think you deserve a chance to live your life as you want."
"Are you asking me to turn against my mother?" Ashla asked with a frown. She was well aware that it wasn't unusual for Dark Elves to turn on each other, even on their own mothers. "Why should I do that?"
"Its your choice," Eilistaree said. "Your mother enslaved you to Lolth, and I can give you an opportunity to escape that. The choice is yours."
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October 19, 9:00 PM.
Atlantic City, Ashla's Apartment.
"Eilistraee," Ashla said finally.
"The Dark Maiden?" Leslie asked, she looked surprised at the mention of the Goddess. "I know you've been worshipping her for as long as I've known you, but what does she have to do with it?"
"There are stories about Eilistraee reaching out to Dark Elves," Ashla said with a snap of her fingers. "When I was growing up, I would sneak up to the surface above my clan's compound. Over the years, I heard things, first harp music, and then a voice calling out to me."
"You're saying that Eilistaree reached out to you personally?" Leslie asked. She had heard rumors about this ever since she had first met Ashla, but no one knew for sure.
"The night before I left my clan, I went to the surface again," Ashla continued. "Eilistraee appeared to me, or an aspect of her did at least. She helped me realize that I needed to break from Lolth. She gave me that push, you know what I mean?"
"I see," Leslie said and nodded in understanding. "It wouldn't completely interfere with the contact with Lolth, but if she was contacting you over the years, it would lessen the influence over time."
"Okay, so that could explain why I never fully became Lolth's proxy," Ashla said. "But then why is my mother the Proxy now?"
"Payment probably," Leslie replied. "When you broke the connection, Nayriss was taken as payment by Lolth. Lolth needed a Proxy, and Nayriss was a convenient choice."
"You said I'm in danger, what did you mean by that?" Ashla asked, afraid what the answer was going to be.
"It seems that you're sort of a, spiritual linchpin," Leslie replied. "Your mother can't get access to the full power of a Proxy as long as you're still alive."
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October 19, 9:05 PM.
Atlantic City, the Silver Spider Casino.
(Y: 1400) - (?: 1700)
Yanni had managed to survive for this long despite her lack of knowledge of the game. She had managed to destroy some of the mysterious figure's most powerful monsters, but now she had no idea if she would be able to defeat this monster.
On her opponent's field was a large monster with a strange design. It looked like a golden mechanical bear that was torn in several parts and wore a purple hat and bowtie. It was an Xyz monster, and Yanni had managed to get rid of two of it's units, but it still stood strong.
The Dark Elf shivered, she hadn't seen anything like the cards the figure used. It was almost like they went out of their way to try and terrify her. She had Invader of Darkness on the field equipped with Axe of Despair (3900/2500).
"Uh, Invader of Darkness, attack that Nightmare Fredbear with Dark Invasion!" Yanni said nervously as the fiend rushed forward with his axe and slashed at the bear.
"I activate Nightmare Fredbear's effect, by detaching Nightmare Foxy, it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle," her opponent said casually and held up a card. A mechanical fox in disrepair jumped out of Nightmare Fredbear's chest and pushed back the fiend.
"I, end my turn there..." Yanni said nervously. "But at least you can't use your big bad bear's effect again."
(Y: 1400) - (?: 800)
The figure drew its next card and placed it on its disk without a second though. "I sacrifice my Nightmare Fredbear and remove from play my three The Nightmare Hour spell cards," it said and took three cards out of its graveyard.
Nightmare Fredbear vanished, the monster that replaced it however looked almost identical to the previous monster only it was black and nearly transparent (4000/0).
"Now Nightmare, destroy Invader of Darkness!" The figure commanded and the fiendish bear rushed forward, slashing through the monster. "Now, Nightmare's effect activates, you take life point damage equal to the level of your monster times 200."
"Wait, what?" Yanni asked, then screamed as Nightmare slammed its claw into her.
(Y: 0) - (?: 800)
"A pathetic display," the figure said, walking up to Yanni who had fallen to her knees. "But you'll still do nicely."
Before Yanni could say another word, she felt a sharp pain in her neck and fell unconcious.
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October 19, 9:08 PM.
Atlantic City, Ashla's Apartment.
Ashla sighed and leaned back in her chair. "This is still a lot to take in," she said with a sigh. "I joined the Shadowchasers to try and get away from my past, and in 40 years I've fought hard to make sure that I overcame that past. Now its come back to haunt me again."
"I know this has been hard for you, Ashla," Leslie said and placed her hand on Ashla's. "I've never met a Shadowchaser with a stronger, conviction than you have. You aren't controlled by your past anymore than anyone else is, and you make your own future now."
"My first day as an apprentice, you know what Jalal told me?" Ashla asked. "He said that destiny is never written in stone and that we live our lives based on our own choices. I never forgot that, and I've never strayed from this path. I don't regret the decisions I've made, but in the end I still have to live with them."
Leslie nodded and looked like she was about to say something else when Ashla's phone rang.
"I better get this..." Ashla said, answering the phone. "Hello?"
"Uh, hello, hello? This is Kira Fontaine, my roommate Yanni left this number in case anything happened to her," the girl's voice that Yanni had been talking to before says on the other end.
That caught Ashla's attention, she certainly knew Yanni, they had met a few years back at one of the gatherings that she had attended. She seemed nice enough, a medical student if she remembered correctly.
"Calm down Kira, what happened?" Ashla asked, getting a look of curiousity from Leslie. "Just start from the beginning."
"Okay, so Yanni was getting off work at the Silver Spider," Kira said, she had calmed down a little now. "She called me because her car wasn't starting, and then there was a sound like someone was wrapping the window and the phone call cut off."
Ashla frowned. "I'll check it out," she said, she hoped this was nothing, but it was better safe than sorry. "Just stay safe, okay?"
"Okay," Kira said, hanging up.
"Leslie, I hate to leave at this point, but there's a missing Dark Elf downtown," Ashla said.
"I'm coming with you," Leslie said. "Lets go."
Ashla nodded, and the two headed out of the apartment.
We didn't know it yet, but it was going to be a long night. There was a serious threat to Atlantic City out there, and it was going to be a long and hard journey to end it.
I was worried about how Ashla would be able to handle this, her own mother after all was threatening the world. That being said, I still had a lot of faith in her.
I just had to hope that it wasn't misplaced.
"Sweet memories
Flashing very quickly by
Reminding me
And giving me a reason why
I know that
My goal is more than a thought
I'll be there
When I teach what I've been taught
And I've been taught..."
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Nightmare Animaltronic Fredbear
Dark
8
Fiend/Xyz/Effect
3000/0
Three Level 8 Fiend Type Monsters with "Nightmare" in their name.
This monster gains the effects of all the monsters that are being used as overlay units. When this monster is attacked, remove one overlay unit from this card, this monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle.
Nightmare Animaltronic Foxy
Dark
8
Fiend/Fusion/Effect
2900/0
This monster can only be special summoned by the effect of the spell card "Nightmare Mode." While this monster is face-up on the field or in your Extra Deck, its name counts as "Foxy." When this monster destroys an opponent's monster as a result of battle, deal damage to your opponent's life points equal to that monster's attack points.
The Nightmare Hour
Spell Card
Sacrifice one face-up "Freddy Fazbear," "Bonnie," or "Chica" on your side of the field and special summon a monster with "Nightmare" in its name with the same name as the sacrificed monster from your Extra Deck.
Nightmare
Dark
10
Fiend/Effect
4000/0
This monster can only be special summoned by sacrificing "Nightmare Fredbear" with no overlay units and removing from play 3 copies of "The Nightmare Hour" from your graveyard. When this monster attacks an opposing monster, the monster is destroyed without damage calculation. Your opponent loses life points equal to the level of the destroyed monster x200.
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So there you have it, Chapter 2 of Into Darkness.
You're probably wondering what was up with that duelist with the Nightmare monsters? Well, you'll see more of that next time when Leslie duels for the first time since the original Dragon Lords fanfic in chapter 3, "Just Gold."
See you there.