Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows of Amn Enhanced Edition Novelization

by SilentGuy2011

Not long after the siege of Dragonspear Castle incident, Ralis, the hero of Baldur's Gate is forced to leave the Sword Coast under very dark circumstances. Soon after, Ralis and his companions are kidnapped, and brutally tortured. Why? For what reason? And who is this mysterious mage?

37. Chapter 37 Viconia's Anxieties

"The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything."

-Friedrich Nietzsche

---

Day after day, night after night, I find myself overcome with more doubt and fear of how far The Spider Queen is willing to come after me. I shouldn't feel like this, not while I have Nightsinger by my side, but somehow, I know that is not enough. Shar does not defend the weak, she supports those who are strong in body and mind. I am dead no matter what I do, no matter where I go, no matter who I look to for protection. Ralis and his "friends" cannot help me no matter how hard they try, the misguided fools... Elghinn orn plynn ussa (Death will take me)... He should know this. So why does he waste his efforts on supporting me? L'alurl abbil zhah dosstan (The best trusted friend is yourself). Yet why do I feel so drawn to him? Am I a fool for thinking otherwise? Am I a fool for opening my feelings to a jaluk rivvin? (male human?) Trust is death, that is one of the many life lessons we drow are taught from childhood. Yet I opened up to him about my brother, and some part of me keeps berating me for exposing my deepest sorrows... I should not feel ashamed. No. I shouldn't. Ralis has proven himself to be far superior than any drow male I have known next to Valas. He is powerful and courageous. The only flaw in his personality is his constant rejection to the divine blood in his veins- that is the source of his strength.

Some son of the Lord of Murder he is! He is a wael (fool) for thinking about rejecting his divine heritage! Fools with common sense would kill to obtain the power that he has! But still, he emanates a physical and emotional strength in him that I can't help finding myself drawn to. Though he is a naive fool, he has a few redeeming qualities, I admit. His unwavering sense of determination... I am not... No, I won't deny it anymore. I won't deny this from myself any longer. I find Ralis the most desirable male I've met since my first year living on the surface world. I lust for him, I want to vith (f**k) him before that wingless butterfly, or that annoyingly insipid wild mage or that riddle throwing darthiir get the chance. But how? I doubt that he would lie down with me if I try to tease him with my ebony form, he would just resist his desires. Unless... Wait. He responds willingly to compassion more than lust, now that I think about how often he responds to the wingless one's bawling. Yes. I know what I must do now. I just have to wait until the time is right. And then, soon, I will have him all to myself. I won't let that whining wingless butterfly, or the insane wild mage or that riddle throwing elf beat me to it.

- Viconia DeVir

---

A tenday later, Ralis and his remaining party who went with him to Resurrection Gorge managed to return to Arnise Hold. Upon their return, a merchant from Nashkel named Tolmas Bendelia, informed Ralis that a gang of bandits raided his caravan on the road between Crimmor and Amnwater and demanded that Ralis pay him 500 gold pieces to re-compensate him for the loss otherwise he will foreclose on every farmland the Arnise family has had for the past several generations. Ralis paid Tolmas 500 gold pieces to prevent that from happening. Also, seeing this as an opportunity to keep Dorn away from Anomen for a while in case he learned about Dorn's deeds from the Radiant Heart, Ralis gave Tolmas another 500 to hire mercenaries to take care of the bandits, and in addition, to the mercenaries, Ralis sent Dorn to go with the hired mercenaries as extra muscle to hunt down and punish the bandits that attacked Tolmas's caravans.

An hour later, close to highsun, Ralis was in the courtyard with Nalia and Tashia playing with Nalia's four dogs.

"Here, Sparky! Come on! Get the stick, boy!" Ralis chided playfully as he wagged the stick in his right hand at Sparky, and the dog tried to grab the stick in its mouth several times, but Ralis kept pulling his arm away every time.

Tashia was playing fetch with Spot, Nalia was brushing Rex's head with a comb for dogs, while Peanelian was playfully chasing Rover around the courtyard.

"You're a good boy, aren't you, Rex?" Nalia cooed at Rex as she scratched his head.

"How long have you had these dogs?" Tashia asked curiously as she kneeled down and scratched Rex under his mouth, and she saw him close his eyes shut and pant, a sign that he is enjoying being scratched.

"Hmm. I've had them for three years. Rover is the oldest. I'm surprised he is able to almost outrun Peanelian at his age," Nalia said as she watched Rover and Peanelian race by them near the flowerbeds.

"Yeah, he is a pretty peppy dog," Tashia nodded in agreement.

Nalia stopped scratching Rex's head then she stood up.

"Tashia, do you ever wonder about Marala?" She asked.

"Wonder what about her?" Tashia asked, then looked up at Nalia.

"She seems to... have led a troubled life. She cares deeply about Althir, I know that much, but..." Nalia's voice trailed off and she moved her mouth a few times but never spoke, as if she became mute or something, then she closed her lips.

"But what?" Tashia became concerned.

"I get the feeling that she is grasping straws. She has convinced me that Althir is not an evil man, but still, he can be unnecessarily harsh at times. Do you understand?"

"I think so. I've never been around him often, but I noticed that he hardly speaks to anyone besides Marala and Ralis," Tashia said.

"Why Ralis? What's so special about him besides the fact that he is a child of Bhaal?" Nalia asked.

"I don't know. Why don't you go an ask him?" Tashia asked, nodding her head towards the fort's entrance.

Nalia opened her mouth but chose not to say anything.

At that moment, Ralis threw the stick.

"Catch the stick!" He commanded to Sparky as he threw the stick.

Barking happily, Sparky turned back and ran for the stick which landed near the well in the middle of the courtyard. When Sparky got near the stick, Rover and Peanelian breezed by him, running around clockwise around the well but never running into Sparky for a few seconds, then they broke away going to the eastern corner of the courtyard. After they ran away from him, Sparky picked up the stick and ran back to Ralis.

"Good boy, Sparky! Good boy! Here's a treat for you," Ralis said as he removed the stick from Sparky's mouth then gave him a pellet of his favorite brand of dog food, which has the flavor of beef.

At that moment, Ralis heard the doors behind him creak open, and when he turned around, he saw Jan step outside, his face covered in soot.

"Jan?! What the hell did you do?!" Ralis exclaimed, getting a hunch that Jan probably destroyed something.

His shout caught the attention of Tashia and Nalia.

"Made a slight miscalculation, I did, when I was modifying my Flasher Launcher to shoot not just crossbow bolts and Flasher Master Bruiser Mate bombs, but also darts. It didn't go so well. Which reminds me of the time when-"

"Jan, shut it!" Ralis snapped.

Jan scowled back at him while placing his hands on his waist. "Well, I never! Your mother should have taught you better manners, mister!"

Ralis groaned and shook his head. "Why are you coming to me with this? Can't you go to Waukeen's Promenade and buy what you need?"

"Yes, I can, but I just came by to ask you if you would like to come with me. Please say you will."

"I'll think about it. Just give me time to get dressed into my armor," Ralis said, then walked into the fortress entrance, leaving Nalia and Tashia alone with Peanelian and the three dogs, and Jan walked back inside to find a restroom and clean the soot off his face.

As Ralis headed up the stairs to the second floor of Arnise Hold, Anomen caught up to him.

"Hold, Ralis! I need to speak to you for a moment," Anomen said as he climbed up the stairs with Ralis.

"What is it?" Ralis replied.

"I just received word from the Radiant Heart. There is a blackguard half-orc on the loose in Amn. Every knight in Amn is in an uproar about it! This villainous creature has slain many honorable knights and eludes justice!" Anomen exclaimed.

Ralis didn't reply, he just kept walking, and when he and Anomen reached the second floor, he tried his best to put some distance between himself and Anomen. The young paladin noticed the silent treatment Ralis is giving him and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face him.

"Ralis, I know Dorn is the one they seek. Every paladin in Amn knows him by name! Ralis, please tell me you did not permit this... vile creature to perform his evil deeds!" Anomen said.

Ralis could see the anger and sadness in his eyes, and he didn't know what he could tell Anomen. What should he tell him? That he allowed Dorn to slay Firejaw and Terpfen in hopes that he might see the errors in being an instrument of death for a demon? How can he say that when Dorn is still the same power hungry man despite the fact he is no longer a blackguard anymore?

Ralis opened his mouth but didn't know what to tell Anomen.

Anomen grabbed both of Ralis's shoulders, squeezing tightly and shook him hard.

"TELL ME YOU HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!" Anomen shouted.

"I didn't! I didn't!" Ralis exclaimed as tears leaked from both of his eyes.

He knew it was a lie, but he didn't know what to tell his friend.

"Then why do you continue to associate yourself with this... heathen?" Anomen demanded.

At that moment, Mazzy came walking down the hallway heading their direction.

"What's going on here?" She asked.

"I received word from the Radiant Heart that Dorn Il-Khan has slain many honorable knights, and now, every paladin in Amn is after him! I want to make sure Ralis had nothing to do with the deaths of those knights!" Anomen explained to the Halfling.

Mazzy turned her attention to Ralis. "Well, Ralis? Were you involved in any way?"

Ralis gulped before speaking.

"No," he finally said.

Anomen and Mazzy looked skeptical, which made Ralis's heart race slightly faster.

"Ralis, you are the reason why Anomen and I tolerate his presence. You mean to tell me that he went behind your back and slayed those knights without your knowledge?! How could you be so careless?" Mazzy asked.

"He was a blackguard! He had ways of eluding my notice!" Ralis exclaimed.

Anomen frowned in confusion. ""Was"? What do you mean "was"?"

"He is not a blackguard anymore!" Ralis said.

Anomen loosened his grip on Ralis's shoulders slightly.

"We discovered that his patron, Ur-Gothoz had betrayed him. Dorn was so blind in his pursuit of power, he never realized that Ur-Gothoz was making a target out of him until it was too late. Dorn came back to me telling me he realized he should have never agreed to be Ur-Gothoz's blackguard. However, on his way back to me, he said that he was approached by another demon, a rival of Ur-Gothoz named Azothet, who told him there is a way to obtain more power and break free of Ur-Gothoz's control. She told him the location of Resurrection Gorge, and Dorn took me there. Inside the large tree of the gorge, Dorn summoned Ur-Gothoz and Dorn and I killed him, then Azothet appeared before us revealing her intention to becoming Dorn's new patron. I reminded Dorn with the warning not to become the pawn of another demon. He listened to me, and we killed Azothet too, so he is no longer a blackguard anymore. He may be far from redemption now, but his liberation from being a blackguard is a significant step. Please, give me one more chance to redeem him, I beg of you," Ralis pleaded.

Anomen looked uncertain at what to say. He looked down at Mazzy standing next to him, and she nodded slowly. Then Anomen released his grip on Ralis's shoulders, and Ralis rubbed the aching pain out of them.

"All right, Ralis, we will try to tolerate his presence once more. But if he encounters any fellow knights of the Radiant Heart or their allies, do not expect us to assist him. We will fight against him, and we expect you to do the same. Understand?" Anomen warned Ralis.

He nodded. "I understand. I promise to help put down Dorn if he can't be redeemed," Ralis said solemnly, then walked down the hallway, and Anomen and Mazzy watched him go.

"He has a good but naïve heart, Sir Anomen. I've never met anyone like him so determined to redeem someone evil," Mazzy said.

"Aye, I agree, Mazzy, but I can't help wondering if there is more going on than what we are led to believe..." Anomen said.

Mazzy thought over his words. "What you say merits some thought, but I don't think we should jump to conclusions," she said.

When Ralis reached the end of the hallway, he turned left down a "T" junction, walking past several windows that allowed sunlight to shine in from his right. He walked past the conference room where Nalia's father usually meets with nobles and merchants to discuss business things, and in there he found Althir speaking to Marala. They hadn't noticed him yet, but they were speaking to each other, and the strangest thing, Ralis saw Althir laughing when Marala told him a joke. A very stark contrast to the cold and emotionless Althir he knew. Ralis cleared his throat loudly and Althir and Marala looked at him.

"Am I interrupting anything?" He asked.

"No, no, of course not, Ralis. In fact, I'm glad you found us, I would like to speak to you for a moment, in private," she said, then she looked back at Althir and he nodded once to show he didn't mind.

"All right," Ralis agreed, though he had no clue what she wanted to speak to him about.

Marala walked outside the conference room where Ralis stood then shut the door, leaving Althir in the room alone.

As Ralis and Marala slowly walked down the hallway with sunlight from the windows shining down on them, they began their conversation.

"So, tell me Ralis, has a girl stolen your heart yet?" Marala asked.

Ralis frowned, wondering why she opened the conversation with such a personal question.

"... Not yet. Why?" Ralis replied.

"Because I was wondering if Althir has told you that romantic relationships shouldn't be pursued," she said with a serious look on her face.

That sounds like something Althir would tell me, Ralis noted in his mind. Out loud, he said: "Why would he tell me something like that? Does he prefer that I remain a virgin all my life?"

"No. He is only trying to protect you," Marala reasoned.

Ralis felt incredulous now.

"Protect me? Protect me from what?" He exclaimed, stopping and turning his entire body to face Marala.

"From yourself," Marala said.

Ralis shook his head. "I don't understand."

"He is only trying to protect you based on what he experienced."

Ralis still gave her a blank look.

"Did he tell you about how I died?" Marala asked.

"... No, he didn't," Ralis admitted.

"I don't remember anything about what happened after my death, but Althir and his companions and I were fighting the demon lord known as Orcus," Marala said.

Ralis had a feeling he heard that name before. As a matter of fact, he has. "Orcus?! You're talking about the master of the undead Orcus?!"

Marala nodded. "The same one. 40 years ago he sought to dominate the major cities of Faerun, but Althir stopped him, at the cost of losing me."

"If you died, how are you here? And what does his loss have to do with me?" Ralis asked.

Marala stopped maintaining eye contact with Ralis for a second. "Like I said I don't remember anything. I woke up, finding myself in an empty hotel room in Keczulla one day. I don't remember how I got there, or who put me there. It took me a while to get my bearings and find out where I am and what is happening. I asked locals about an assassin in gray, and they told me that he has been sometimes sighted in the company of a band of mercenaries led by you," Marala explained.

"So that's how you found us!" Ralis said.

Marala nodded. "And to answer your other question, Althir wants to make sure you don't suffer the same pain he felt when he lost me. He knows all too well how painful it is to lose a lover. He cares about your well being, he just doesn't show it in a warmhearted way."

"I... I had no idea," Ralis stammered once.

"I am not implying that you should not have a girlfriend, by all means, Ralis, go out there and find your soul mate!" Marala said enthusiastically with a friendly smile and slapped Ralis's back playfully but with enough force to make Ralis stagger forward a couple steps.

Though he was caught off guard, Ralis laughed as he and Marala continued walking down the hallway.

"That's easier said than done! That would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!" He told Marala.

"Well then, look no further than your own backyard," Marala winked at him then headed back towards the conference room where she left Althir.

Ralis turned around and looked at her with a puzzled frown.

"Hey! What does that mean?" He called.

As she opened the door, she said, "Why don't you ask Aerie or Tashia? Maybe they have the answer you are looking for," she replied before entering the room and shutting the door.

Ralis sighed, shaking his head and continued going down the hallway. He met with Jaheira in a room at the end of the hallway speaking to Yoshimo and Valygar about her predicament, betraying the Harpers to secure Abdel's freedom.

"Hey, Jaheira, can I ask you something?" Ralis called standing outside the door.

Jaheira glanced over at Valygar and Yoshimo. "Hold that thought for a moment," she told them, then she approached Ralis. "What is it?"

"Well, I wanted to tell and ask you something," Ralis said.

Jaheira crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Ask away," she said.

"When Dorn, Edwin, Hexxat, Neera, Viconia, Cernd and I returned from Resurrection Gorge, on our way back to Murann from Jhaansciim, I noticed towering above the forest trees huge blocks of stone that looks more like bedrock worn smooth by sea winds a mile northeast from Jhaansciim. The local people there say the name of those towering blocks of stone is called Khalid's Wall."

"So...?" Jaheira didn't see the point.

"So? Don't you get it?" Ralis asked with a grin. "I had no idea Khalid was so popular in Amn that they had a wall built and named after him!"

Jahiera rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Ralis, how could you be so naive? That wall was NOT named after the Khalid you and I knew, it is named after an insane pasha of Calimshan who died a thousand years ago! There are several men in Faerun back then and today who are named Khalid, it is a common name in Calimshan. Get that through your thick, childish skull," Jaheira ordered harshly then turned around and approached Valygar and Yoshimo to continue their conversation.

"Pasha" is a Calishite title for guild masters or clan leaders in Calimshan, and its a word of the Calishite Alzhedo language, a language commonly used in Amn, Chult, the Nelanther Islands, Tethyr, Waterdeep and several other regions in Southwest Faerun.

Ralis felt confused and hurt. Jaheira didn't need to snap like that. As Ralis left, he heard Yoshimo say:

"Don't be so severe on him, friend Jaheira, he has not seen as much of the world as we all have."

Ralis heard Jaheira reply: "That may be true, Yoshimo, but he needs to understand that some people could have the same name, it doesn't mean it is the same person."

---

Later at highsun, Ralis and Jan went to Athkatla alone together to Waukeen's Promenade to buy some parts to repair Jan's Flasher Launcher.

"All right, Jan, what exactly do you need?" Ralis asked as he and the gnome walked into the Promenade among many people, entering the large stadium-like ring littered with merchants and people looking for a good item to buy.

Jan dug into his chest pocket, slowly revealing a notebook in his hand and handed the notebook to Ralis.

"Its all right here," he said.

Ralis studied the list on the notebook as he followed Jan deeper into the crowds of people. The list is long, describing 40 items to buy! And they are all turnips!

"Jan! This is your grocery list!" Ralis angrily handed the notebook back to Jan.

"It is?" Jan examined his notebook as soon as he took it from Ralis' hand. "Oops! My mistake!" Jan giggled, placing the notebook back into his pocket.

"Just... lead me to whoever is selling what you need, okay?" Ralis suggested with a resigned sigh.

"Will do," Jan nodded, and he led the way.

As Ralis followed Jan, he examined his surroundings, turning his head left and right. He saw a merchant man who appears to be from Calimshan judging by his style of clothing and the blue turban wrapped around his head. He was shouting to customers walking by:

"My selection of arms and armor are the best south of the Sword Coast! I have right here a genuine sword used by the founder of Baldur's Gate, Balduran himself!"

Ralis looked up at the sky and saw a Calimshite man riding a magically flying orange colored carpet overhead about 20 feet in the air, slowly flying northwest.

"You sir! You with the brown hair and green armor!" Ralis heard someone nearby say.

He turned to his left and saw a Tethyrian native merchant looking straight at him from behind his merchant stand.

"Are you addressing me?" Ralis asked him.

The merchant nodded. "You look like the adventuring type. May I interest you in an especially interesting helmet?"

Ralis felt a little intrigued. "It depends on what kind of helmet it is," he replied.

The merchant crouched down from behind his stand then stood back up holding a helmet made of pure, bright iron in his hands. The helmet has no horns or a face plating to protect the wearer's face.

Ralis stepped forward, studying it carefully, then looked at the merchant in skepticism.

"Looks like a plain old helmet to me."

"No no no no, good sir, this is no ordinary helmet! This helmet is imbued with powerful magic energy," the merchant said.

"What, pray tell, does it do?" Ralis asked with a bored sigh.

"This helmet is known as the Helmet of Opposite Alignment. If you wear it, the arcane energy from the helmet masks your true alignment. For example, if you are good, wearing the helmet masks your good alignment and makes you appear to be evil to those who try to identify your alignment," the merchant explained.

Ralis had an idea. If he could buy this helmet and convince Dorn to wear it when he comes back from punishing the bandits who attacked Tolmas's caravans, the helmet will mask his evil alignment and in addition to him no longer being a blackguard, every paladin in Amn will be thrown off track in their hunt for Dorn for probably a few months or more.

"How much is that helmet?" Ralis asked, digging into his coin bag.

"300 gold pieces, sir!" The merchant said.

"You got yourself a sale, sir," Ralis said, causing the merchant to smile, and he suspected that the merchant hasn't been able to sell much of his products this week.

Later, after buying the helmet, he found Jan who stood not far northeast from where the merchant who sold the opposite alignment helmet. He looked down at the helmet he bought in his hands, hoping that the merchant didn't rip him off, then he turned his attention to Jan ahead of him and noticed that he is heading towards a merchant who is showing people a strange device. It looks like some kind of wagon, but it is made of rusted metal.

"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen and feast your eyes on the world's first steam powered wagon!" The merchant exclaimed, grabbing the attention of many people, including Ralis and Jan.

Jan rubbed his chin as he examined the wagon.

"Hmm... A fine piece of craft," he said.

"You're not thinking about taking it apart, are you?" Ralis asked him as the merchant began to tell his intrigued customers the kind of parts he used to construct this prototype steam powered wagon, and how it needs no horses to pull it.

"No, perish the thought, Ralis, I'm merely considering asking the good man if I can buy the parts he used to make this spectacular machine. It reminds me of the inventive work of my great-great-great grand-pappy Jebediah Jansen. I've been told that he had invented many useful products long forgotten today that only my family now uses today, like the turnip beer blender, the prototype turnip launcher- my turnip launcher is based on his original design, and turnip paste, which makes very healthy toothpaste, gets rid of all the plaque in your teeth very effectively, if I do say so myself. And-"

"Jan! Do you love to rattle on people's nerves with your irrelevant, drawn out stories? Go do what you came here to do!" Ralis demanded impatiently.

"Irrelevant?!" Jan looked up at Ralis in outrage. "I come from a long line of inventors, mind you! What do you know about your family history other than the fact that you're a child of-"

Ralis quickly crouched down and covered Jan's mouth before he could utter that last word.

"Ixnay! There are some things you need to keep your mouth shut about," Ralis whispered harshly.

Jan calmed down, and Ralis removed his hand from Jan's mouth.

"I apologize, Ralis. Sometimes I get offended when people insult my heritage," Jan said.

"Whatever. Go ask the man if you can buy some of his parts, all right?" Ralis sighed.

Jan approached the merchant and asked if he could buy the parts he needs to repair and modify his Flasher Launcher. The merchant agreed to sell the parts... and to Ralis's dismay, the parts cost 1,999 gold pieces!

---

A few hours later, word spread throughout Arnise Hold that a visitor has arrived searching for Mazzy. Ralis, Mazzy, Jan, Abdel, Aerie, Viconia and Tashia met the visitor at the front courtyard near the drawbridge. The visitor is a male Halfling named Danno Fairfoot with thin sideburns but no beard, clean cut brown hair and bright hazel eyes. He wore a dark brown tunic with thick leather boots too, and he had a tired, distressed look on his face for a second, then appeared relieved to see Mazzy.

"Oh, Mazzy! Thank the gods that I've found you! I've hurt Pala!" He exclaimed as he approached Mazzy with his eyes moist with tears.

Mazzy looked confused, especially when she noticed that Danno's eyes look droopy, as if he never slept at a single inn on his way here.

"Slow down, Danno. What happened? How is Pala hurt?"

"Please! You have to save her!" Danno sobbed, getting on his knees before Mazzy. "I didn't mean to do it. I bought a love potion from Wallace the peddler at the market square. I just wanted her to love me. She only had a sip of it and she collapsed."

Mazzy couldn't believe Danno would resort to such a nonsensical, outlandish move. "Danno, you fool, you need no potion! She's always loved you. We must go to her. Where is she?"

Danno stood up on his legs finally. "She is with your mother, Mazzy. How was I supposed to know it was poisoned? Oh, please hurry! I will meet with you in Trademeet," Danno said quickly and ran for the drawbridge where his pony waited.

"Ralis! We should get going and follow him!" Mazzy said.

"Right!" Ralis nodded and turned his attention to the three Arnise Hold guards standing behind them. "Guards! Inform Captain Cernick and Sam to get a wagon ready. We're going to Trademeet!" He ordered.

"Yes sir, Lord Ralis!" The guards said then left.

A minute later, Ralis, Abdel, Jan, Mazzy, Aerie, Viconia and Tashia sat inside a wagon driven by Cernick and Sam and they left Arnise Hold following Danno who led the way riding on his pony.

"So who was that guy, and who is Pala?" Ralis asked, turning his attention to Mazzy.

"Pala is my sister and Danno is her betrothed. I hope we are not too late to save her... Trademeet is such a long ride from here..." Mazzy rubbed her head, looking worried.

Ralis patted her back. "Don't worry, Mazzy, have some faith," he assured her.

Aerie, sitting on the opposite side of Mazzy, comforted her. "We'll get there in time, I know we will," Aerie assured her.

Along the way to Trademeet, they didn't stop until they got to Purskul, where they stopped to eat some food and drink ale, let their horses rest for several hours and such, then they continued on to Trademeet without resting in a tavern or inn, fearing that they might waste time that way. Actually, it was Cernick and Sam who didn't get much sleep, since they are the ones driving the wagon and making sure the horses pulling the wagon don't faint from exhaustion. Fortunately for them, when they were halfway to Imnescar, Ralis and Abdel, who got plenty of sleep nearly three days ago, volunteered to be the lancers of the wagon while Sam and Cernick rest in the wagon with everyone else, even though they had never driven a wagon before. Abdel noticed how extremely restless Danno is as he and his pony continued to lead the way down the road as hours passed. After reaching Imnescar, they rested for a day, then continued down the Trade Way road through the Sharp Teeth mountains. They got to Trademeet on the afternoon of the 5th day since they left Arnise Hold.

When they set foot in the town, Ralis noticed that Danno's lower eyelids looked dark blue colored and baggy, a sign that he never slept a single day on his way to Arnise Hold to inform them of Pala's predicament, and then back to Trademeet with them tagging along, but he still had energy to lead them to Mazzy's home, which is in the northeastern parts of the town. Mazzy entered the house first, followed by Danno, then Ralis. Everyone else stayed outside because the house of Mazzy's mother isn't big enough to welcome so many people. The house is small, two beds are set 10 feet away from the front door, the kitchen is in the northeastern corner of the single room, and the bathroom is past the door in the western corner.

They saw a halfling woman sitting next to one of the beds in a chair looking over another halfling woman lying in the bed, all of her body except her head covered by the bed sheets.

"Mother, what happened?" Mazzy asked.

Mazzy's mother, Vara Fentan, looked like Mazzy in so many ways, the only difference is she is obviously older and her hair isn't twisted into locks, her red hair is shoulder length with no hair accessories on them and she wore a plain brown shirt with dark blue pants with a pearl necklace around her neck. When she saw Mazzy, she grinned widely.

"Mazzy, I'm so happy you returned! Pala's been poisoned by the old gnome peddler," Vara exclaimed.

Mazzy, Ralis and Danno approached the bed Pala is in. Ralis saw that Pala doesn't look good. Her face is drenched with sweat, and her breathing is labored. And when Mazzy heard her mother accuse the gnome peddler, she immediately knew who she was talking about: Wallace, a fairly young gnome that Mazzy has known for six years who aspired to be a merchant in Athkatla but instead moved to Trademeet.

"Wallace? Why would he do such a thing?" Mazzy asked as they approached.

"I've no clue, Mazzy. You need to find him. Perhaps there is yet hope for Pala," Vara replied.

Mazzy blinked twice then shook her head. None of this is making sense. Wallace is no murderer or swindler. If he is the latter, he should know better than to be a swindling merchant in Trademeet, no one takes kindly to cheating merchants here, and there is a reason why.

"This is too much. I must find Wallace and unravel this mystery," Mazzy said.

Vara gave Mazzy a heartwarming hug as Danno stood near Pala, looking as if he would burst into tears uncontrollably.

"I believe in you, daughter. Go now, and save Pala. May the gods be with you."

Mazzy took a four second look at Pala as she wheezed continuously, trying her hardest to put air into her lungs and endure the pain the poison is inflicting upon her.

"I will save you, sister. I swear it!" Mazzy said, then she turned her attention to Ralis and his party.

"We need to go to the markets and find Wallace!" Mazzy said.

"All right, let's get moving!" Ralis nodded, then they left the house.

A minute later, they wandered Trademeet's markets, searching for the gnome peddler. Viconia made sure her hood covered her head completely so no one could see what she really is. Ralis and the others moved down the nearly crowded road looking left and right, watching all kinds of merchants and peddlers shout out decent bargains to potential customers wandering the markets. Ralis thought that finding Wallace here would be as hard as a lost jewel in a city.

Fortunately Mazzy with her keen perception spotted Wallace ahead when the crowds of people parted, offering her a much clearer view.

"There he is," she pointed him out, and Ralis saw that the gnome just sold a jar of containing some kind of liquid to a middle aged human man in Calimshan styled clothing and a white turban on his head, possibly an alchemist or something.

The man paid Wallace the gold pieces required to buy it, then left. After the man with the white turban on his head walked away with his jar, Mazzy approached Wallace ahead of Ralis and his party.

"Hold, gnome! I would have words with you," she called to Wallace among the chatter of merchants, customers and dogs barking in the distance.

Wallace noticed Mazzy approaching immediately. "Ah, Mazzy Fentan, is it? aye, it has been a long time, it has," he said warmly.

Mazzy stopped near his booth, crossing her arms. "It has, though not such a long time for Danno and Pala."

Wallace nodded in agreement. "You're right, I've seen them just last week. I expect wedding bells'll be comin' for the two of them," he smiled.

Mazzy narrowed her eyes at the gnome. "How so if you've murdered my sister?"

The warm smile quickly changed into an outraged and confused frown. "Murdered?! What do you speak of?" Wallace asked.

Mazzy took a few steps closer to Wallace's booth, standing on a chair in front of the booth meant for halflings to stand on to see the peddler's wares better, then she leaned close towards Wallace. Mazzy knew that if Wallace is guilty and of ill intent with his poison potions to Danno and Pala, and she reports him to the authorities here, word will spread through Trademeet of his dishonesty as a merchant, he will go down in Realms history as the first merchant to violate the Merchant's Peace, and his punishment will be so severe, he won't live to see tomorrow. She hoped that he is innocent, for his sake.

"The potion that you sold Danno is poison. Nothing can cure her. She's been in a coma ever since she had a sip of it," Mazzy told Wallace.

Wallace gasped softly. "Mazzy, I've known your family for a score of years. I'd never do such a thing," he said with sincerity, in his voice and in his facial expression.

"Then who would?" Mazzy asked, unsure if he is honest or lying.

"Why, I've a new supplier for potions. A young cleric here in town."

"What is his name and where is he to be found?" Mazzy pressed for more information.

"Barl is his name," Wallace replied. "He lives in the Temple of Waukeen. I am very sorry, Mazzy, I had no idea."

"I believe you, though I suggest that your discretion is lacking. Any responsible businessman would be sure that his products were safe. Your products certainly fell well short," Mazzy replied cordially.

"You're right, Mazzy. I'm very sorry," Wallace apologized once more.

Mazzy sighed. "Very well, Wallace. You didn't know." Then she turned around and looked up at Ralis. "It seems surreal, Ralis. It truly does, that my sister's life is truly at risk."

"So we go to the temple now?" Ralis asked.

"Yes, my friend. I thank you again for your support. However, I suggest we seek out the Temple Superior, Overgold Renwellyn. We've no proof of Barl's crime other than Wallace's word and my suspicions," Mazzy said.

It took them two minutes to find the temple of Waukeen. Once inside the clerics of the temple guided Ralis and Mazzy to Overgold Renwellyn's room. The others stayed outside the temple. Ralis and Mazzy met Overgold in his office.

"Good day to you, wanderers. What humble assistance can my Church and I offer?" he greeted Ralis and Mazzy as he sat behind his desk.

Overgold is a middle aged man with platinum colored hair, a small mustache and beard and has somewhat low cheekbones.

"We have come to speak to you about Barl, your grace. My small companion here, Mazzy, has good cause to believe that this fellow is an agent of evil," Ralis replied.

Overgold's right eyebrow rose up in confusion. "Evil? Among us? Surely you must be mistaken! Barl is a terrible acolyte, I admit. But I shouldn't think him to be evil," he said in surprise and skepticism.

"I assure you that this is true. Barl supplies Wallace, a local merchant, with potions... and one of those potions poisoned Mazzy's sister," Ralis said.

Overgold rose up out of his chair, walking around his desk from the left side. "This is a highly unusual request. Barl's not here in the temple at the moment, and his privacy must be respected... but if it helps clear things up, perhaps I could search his chambers," Overgold said with mild reluctance.

"That's all we ask of you, nothing more," Mazzy said honestly.

Overgold nodded. "Let us, then, put this matter behind us. I shall look into Barl's chamber right now. If I find hard evidence I will call Barl back to the temple and see what he has to say about it. Wait in the main hall, if you would," Overgold said, then they left the office.

Ralis and Mazzy waited in the empty mezzanine of Waukeen's temple, waiting for Overgold to finish his investigation. Three minutes later, Overgold arrived in the mezzanine from one of the doors upstairs and came downstairs to speak to Mazzy and Ralis.

"Perhaps your idea is not so ludicrous after all. I found some suspicious paraphernalia in Barl's chambers. An alchemy set and a symbol of Talona, the Mistress of Poison," Overgold said, showing Ralis and Mazzy a ragged gray-green piece of cloth with Talona's symbol on it, three amber teardrops in a purple triangle.

Talona is known as the goddess of poison and disease. Her followers experience pain as if it were pleasure, and like most followers of evil gods and goddesses, they believe that death is superior over life, though the truth is life and death have an unbroken balance, neither one is strong or weak.

"It all makes sense now..." Mazzy whispered in surprise and awe.

Overgold shook his head in dismay. "Members of the faith have have strayed during Waukeen's Absence, but never to these sorts of depths. I know not what to say, Mazzy. Let us summon Barl and see what he has to say about this."

No one knows what has happened to Waukeen after the Time Of Troubles. After the realm-shaking event that forced all gods (except Helm) to walk around Faerun as mortals, clerics of other faiths received high level spells from their gods or goddesses when they are a mile or less away from the deity they worship, but clerics and priests of Waukeen are limited to level 1 and 2 spells because of Waukeen's mysterious absence. Some fear that she died during the Time Of Troubles, others believe that she has been abducted by someone. The church of Waukeen would have completely disbanded four years ago, but Lliira, the goddess of joy, stopped Waukeen's worshipers from abandoning the absent goddess by acting as regent, answering prayers for magic spells, but this caused some clerics and priests to believe that Waukeen really is dead. The clerics of Waukeen at Goldspires near Athkatla are the first to accept Liira as Waukeen's substitute deity. As for the issue at hand, it took two minutes for Overgold Renwellyn to summon Barl to the temple.

From the front door of the temple, Barl appeared, opening the door and stepping inside. He is a young man, two years younger than Ralis, it seems. He is around the same height as Anomen, he has no facial hair, he has high cheekbones, thin eyebrows, neatly cut brown hair, and piercing black eyes. He wore 2 splintmail body armor complete with gauntlets, greaves and armored boots, and he carried a 1 mace on the left side of his waist and a copper shield strapped to his back with Waukeen's symbol painted on it.

"What is it, Overgold? I am quite busy," Barl said wearily.

"Barl, I have just returned from your chambers. what do you think it is that I have found?" Overgold quesitoned the young man.

Barl scowled at him. "You should never have entered my chambers, old man," he scolded the man, pointing a finger at him.

"But enter them I did, Barl. I found alchemists' poisons, bottles and a holy symbol of Talona. You have betrayed Waukeen," Overgold said in a calm, accusatory tone.

Barl sighed, his body language showing signs of annoyance and repressed anger. "I refuse to listen to this. Get rid of these fools, Overgold."

"Barl, false cleric! You stand accused of attempted murder," Mazzy interjected.

Barl frowned at Mazzy with an expression that obviously said "who the hell are you?!" without having to actually say the words.

"This is ludicrous! Who in the Hells are you?" He demanded.

"I am Mazzy Fentan. Wallace the Peddler bought "potions of love" from you... poisons, in reality. You can no longer claim innocence as the Overgold has found your tools of evil."

Barl wielded his mace in his right hand, and pulled his shield off his back with his left hand. "I shall not leave myself in your hands. You'll not take me alive, wench!"

Mazzy and Ralis wielded their swords too, but like Barl, Mazzy had her own shield. "You've all but admitted your guilt, Barl. I no longer need to take you alive."

"Talona is my mistress. She will save me," Barl replied.

"You idiot! Talona saves no one! She'd rather leave you to pain and suffering, which you got coming in seconds!" Ralis snapped.

"You have committed the ultimate crime, Barl. You have turned your back on goodness and embraced evil. Talona cares not for her bumbling slaves, as you will soon discover."

Barl gritted his teeth, knowing Ralis and Mazzy are right. He's a dead man walking.

"All of you shall die! The glory of affliction shall anoint you and your fall will add to Talona's black glory!" He exclaimed.

"We'll see!" Ralis exclaimed as he charged at Barl.

Barl blocked Albruin with his shield, then blocked Kondar with his mace when the blade came at him horizontally. He noticed Mazzy coming to attack him, so he shoved Ralis back a few feet, then blocked her sword as she jumped to strike him in the chest. Overgold Renwellyn stayed away from the fight and cast a Bless spell on Ralis and Mazzy. Barl backed away from Ralis and Mazzy as they tried to surround him, cursing himself for being unable to find the opportunity to cast Call Upon Holy might on himself. Ralis and Mazzy backed Barl towards the stairway. Mazzy stayed in front of Barl while Ralis tried to flank him on the left side of the wide staircase. Barl made sure that he could see Ralis out the corner of his right eye. He had a feeling that Ralis would attack first again, and then Mazzy would follow. He assumed right. As soon as Ralis was away from his peripheral vision, he turned his head to see Ralis coming at him!

Holding his shield arm up, Barl used his shield to deflect the swords once again. He batted the swords aside and swung his mace down at Ralis's head, but he missed, his opponent dodging the blow and Barl nearly lost his balance with the force of his swing, bending his torso slightly downward with his mace when Ralis dodged aside, then Ralis came back with his right arm and punched Barl across his face even though he held Albruin in his right hand and could have ran the blade through his body since he is fully exposed, then Mazzy came at him with a devastating charge. Barl recovered when Mazzy got close, then she bashed her shield against Barl's shield, knocking him off balance slightly. He lost his footing on the edge of one of the steps and he felt himself beginning to fall from not placing his right foot correctly on the next stair step.

He fell to the side, and before he rolled down the stairs, he managed to save himself by using the shield attached to his left arm and his left leg to prop himself up again as he began to roll down, catapulting himself a couple feet in the air back up on his feet in an awkwardly graceful way as Mazzy and Ralis came at him again, and to his surprise, as he managed to regain balance on his feet on the stairway, Barl managed to parry Ralis's swords once again, and he kicked Mazzy in the face before she could attack his exposed area, sending her rolling 12 feet down to the ground floor, where Overgold used his cleric magic to heal her broken nose.

Barl grew more and more desperate as he parried Ralis's attacks with his shield and mace, he wanted to end them as soon as possible before Overgold could send more clerics to aid Ralis and Mazzy. When he parried Kondar with his mace, Ralis followed up with Albruin with the intent of knocking Barl's mace out of his hand, but he aimed too low at the weapon, and instead vertically cut one of Barl's middle fingers in half. Barl screamed in pain and dropped his mace. As he doubled back away from Ralis, holding his shield arm up, Ralis didn't attack with his swords, instead, he kicked at Barl's shield, then he lost his balance, falling back and landing on the stairway head-first, apparently breaking his neck, and he tumbled to the ground floor stopping at the foot of the stairs. Mazzy and Overgold looked at Barl's face and saw that he never opened his eyes, his mouth only hung open, and his body made no movements, other than his left arm muscles twitching for a second. Other than that, it is apparent that he won't be waking up anymore.

Ralis walked down the stairs to rejoin Mazzy and Overgold.

"Justice is served. Perhaps Barl has a cure for this disease on his person. We must obtain it and return to Pala," Mazzy said, then she inspected the belt pockets attached to Barl's waist, and she found a bright blue potion in a white vial from the fourth belt pouch. Mazzy was unsure if it is the cure, but she had hope it is because the liquid inside is brighter than the others.

"Indeed! Here is a bottle! It may not work, but what other choice do we have? The poison resists normal and magical cures," Mazzy said, showing the antidote to Ralis and Overgold.

"I am terribly sorry, Mazzy," Overgold apologized. "We had a viper in our midst and did not know it. I wish Waukeen's Blessing upon your sister. Perhaps that bottle is indeed an antidote."

"This is our only hope. Ralis, let us return to my house," Mazzy said.

"Let's go," Ralis said, then they left the temple, reuniting with Abdel, Viconia, Aerie, Tashia and Jan and returning to the Fentan home.

---

Vara immediately welcomed Mazzy and Ralis when they came in the house while the others stayed outside.

"Welcome home, daughter. Does your return bear good tidings?" Vara asked hopefully.

"We've found a potion that could cure Pala," Mazzy said, holding the potion in her right hand.

Vara gently took the potion into her hands and examined it carefully. "Are you sure its safe, Mazzy?" Vara asked with a hint of doubt.

"I don't know, mother, but we have no other choice. Pala is at death's door," Mazzy shrugged in dismay, hoping that it does work.

Vara, Mazzy and Ralis neared closer to the bed Pala is resting in.

"I trust in the gods, daughter. Use it on your sister and pray," Vara said.

Vara handed the potion back to Mazzy, and Mazzy edged closer to the bed, extending her left arm out, opening Pala's mouth slightly, then extended her right arm out, holding the potion over Pala's mouth, and slowly poured the liquid in. Pala had no trouble swallowing the potion, her only problem is she is having trouble breathing now.

Three minutes later, Mazzy saw the changes. Pala isn't wheezing anymore, and her face isn't as pale as it was.

"Well?" Ralis asked.

Mazzy looked up at Ralis and smiled. "She breathes easier and color returns to her features. It may be working."

Vara exhaled softly in relief. "Praise the heavens," she smiled.

"She is resting, now, and I am most relieved. If all goes well, I shall be ready to leave when Pala awakens again," Mazzy told Ralis.

"All right. If you need me, we'll be at Vyatri's Pub," Ralis said before he left the house.

---

Later that night at Vyatri's Pub, in Viconia's hotel room, she is asleep in her bed, snug underneath the bed sheets and her head resting comfortably on the pillows. However, appearances are deceiving, because she is beginning to have a dream. Or a nightmare, to be specific. In her nightmare, she found herself inside a very large, inverted cone of webbing made of planar materials not found in the Prime floating in a vast dark space. She is standing on webbing herself, so she is in no danger of falling into the void. Everywhere she looked up, she saw the planar webbing extending up out of sight into the darkness. At first Viconia had no idea where she was, but when she saw all the webbing, the realization slowly hit her with increasing fear. She is in the Demonweb Pits, the 66th layer of the Abyss. The fear washed over her like a waterfall. Lolth, the Spider Queen lives in this hellish spider related realm, and it is only a matter of time until she realizes the sole survivor of House DeVir is here in her domain.

"Ralis...? Ralis, where are you...?" Viconia whispered fearfully, turning her head left and right, but seeing no sign of her trustworthy human ally.

Amidst her fear, part of Viconia berated herself for showing a sign of weakness, looking for another person, a male, no less, for comfort when she has fought tooth and nail for survival alone for more than a hundred years, especially as a cleric of Shar.

"Viconia..." a voice whispered to her from behind.

She froze. She didn't move for five seconds at first, then she turned around, and behind her, standing nine feet away... she saw her brother, Valas DeVir. Though she knew it is too good to be true, she couldn't help smiling.

"Valas! Jhal... dos ph'ifna ulu tlu elghinyrr... (Valas! But... you are supposed to be dead...)" Viconia said, her smile slowly dissolving to a confused and partly wary frown as she walked cautiously towards Valas.

Her brother never replied to her, he just stood there, his face expressionless. Viconia took note of that, and it made her confused.

"Valas? Vel'bol zhah xusst? Ele wo naut dos telanth ulu uns'aa? (Valas? What is wrong? Why won't you speak to me?)" Viconia asked with concern in her voice as she slowly and warily approached him. "Ol zhah uns'aa, Viconia. Xun dos naut u'thet uns'aa? (It's me, Viconia. Do you not recognize me?

Still, Valas did not reply to his concerned sibling, and his facial expression remained emotionless, unchanging, hard as stone. When Viconia stopped five feet away from him, she dared not come any closer to him, as her survival instincts kicked in, telling her not to get any closer. Viconia looked at her brother in utter confusion, wondering why he is refusing to speak to her. She soon got her answer, though. She saw a large spider leg expose itself from Valas' back, and it startled her. Then before she could utter a single word, she saw another spider leg sprout from his back, then another, and the last four legs sprouted out in quick succession, shocking Viconia even more. She is witnessing him become a drider.

She took a few steps back away from Valas as the spider legs lowered to the ground, elevating Valas' body when they touched the webs, and the lower body slowly transformed into a spider's body, the bulbous abdomen raising up from the ground to be properly situated behind Valas' torso like a true spider. When his transformation into a drider was complete, he started to advance towards Viconia.

"Nau... Nau, nau, nau, nau, nau! (No... No, no, no, no, no!)" Viconia pleaded fearfully, then she lost her footing on the webbing and fell on her back.

She tried to crawl on her back using her elbows and legs, but the webbing stuck to her hair, making it difficult and painful to try to move when the sticky planar webs have a firm grip on her hair. She stopped struggling when drider Valas towered over her. Cold sweat washed over Viconia, fear gripped her heart so profoundly that she wished that someone like Ralis would come to her rescue. Normally she wouldn't plead for someone, not even a male, to come to her aid, but when the pressure is on, any avenue of escape is preferable. The forelegs of drider Valas slowly descended down to her face, and when the sharp ends of his forelegs touched her face, caressing her face gently like a lover would, she screamed.

Viconia's eyes opened wide and she sprang up in her bed, sitting upright, gasping for air. When she started to calm down, she started to get her bearings. She is in her hotel room, alone, and the room is almost dark, barely lit by the moonlight outside the windows covered by the silk curtains. She sighed in relief, somewhat happy to realize that she had only a nightmare.

No, Viconia thought to herself.

That nightmare was just a warning. She is coming for me soon. I don't know how soon, but she is coming.

Her body began to shiver, not just from the cool breeze cooling her sweat soaked face and body, but also from the realization that though she has survived little more than a hundred years by herself, her survival instincts will not be enough to preserve her life this time. She needs allies, people she can trust. But who can she trust? Drow are taught not to trust anyone, not even their own family members. Though they understand the value of forging bonds, they do not see the value in maintaining bonds. Normally drow form bonds with allies they consider to be weak, not a potential threat. But in this situation, Viconia needs a strong ally to rely upon, and she knew it. The only person she knew she could rely on is Ralis. Through time and time again, he has proven to be trustworthy, and courageous. Though Viconia had not always respected him, she understood how valuable he is as an ally, she even acknowledged several times that he is worth taking as a lover, especially since he has the blood of a god running inside his body.

Viconia slowly climbed out of her bed, still shivering, and when her bare feet touched the ground, she closed her eyes, silently lecturing herself for planning to look to a male, a human male, for comfort. To her, it made no sense, after all she has been through against humans, being seen as a bogeyman of sorts thanks to the negative reputation of the drow race, being betrayed by the Midfallow family even though she should have earned their trust, and almost being burned at a stake by Beshaba cultists with dozens of humans crying for her blood to be spilled even though she committed no crime in particular. But she counter-argued against the prideful side of her personality, telling herself that Ralis' comfort is necessary for her survival, and that if the price for her survival is sex, then so be it.

Normally I would be angry at myself for thinking this, but I need Ralis. I need his courage, Viconia thought. I need his strength. I need his warmth. And I need his...

Viconia shook her head gently, gradually feeling sexually aroused at the suggestive, erotic thoughts she is having about Ralis even though she still fears her life is in danger, but she convinced herself that since the nightmare she had is likely a warning that Lolth or someone serving Lolth is searching for her, she might as well spend her final moments with the most trustworthy and suitable male available, which happens to be none other than Ralis. She headed for the door, opened it and walked out of her room into the semi-dark hallway, still shivering in fear at the possibility that Lolth might have sent some of her handmaidens hunting for her head.

---

In Ralis' hotel room fifteen feet down the hallway on the left side from Viconia's room, he lay in his bed half asleep on his back staring up at the ceiling in deep thought, thinking about Imoen, wondering what the Cowled Wizards could be doing to her and Irenicus at this moment. The possibilities terrified him a little.

Imoen... please still be alive. I know I'm taking a long time to get to where you are, but please, hold on for just a while longer... Ralis pleaded in his thoughts.

Before he fell fully asleep, he heard knocking at his door. Frowning in mild annoyance at being disturbed, he slowly climbed out of his bed, scratching an itch on his head as he approached the door, unlocked it, and opened it to reveal Viconia standing outside the room wearing only her nightgown, her head lowered slightly as if she is ashamed for some reason.

"If you would... if you would let me in your room for a moment, I would be thankful. I find myself uncharacteristically overcome with anxiety and I am not... eager to be alone for the evening," Viconia said almost haltingly, as if something had scared her to death a few minutes ago.

"Viconia, what are you...?" Ralis whispered in confused astonishment, then he pulled her into his room before anyone who is awake at this hour saw her and shut the door.

"What do you want, Viconia? I tire of falling victim to another one of your mind games," he sternly asked her as he locked the door.

"Please, Ralis... Do not make me beg. I implore you to stay with me but a few moments so that I may put myself at ease..." Viconia pleaded quietly, placing her right arm on Ralis's shoulder.

Ralis sighed and rubbed his forehead. He didn't know what kind of game she is playing, but he didn't have the heart to turn her down. If anything, she is acting almost like Aerie now, overcome with anxiety.

"Very well. A few moments," he reluctantly agreed.

Then he noticed something wrong. In the near darkness of his room, which is barely illuminated by two candles on a small wooden dresser near his bed, he could see Viconia's body shaking, as if she is cold or had just narrowly escaped from being chased by hellhounds!

"Hold, now... you are shaking visibly! What is the matter?" Ralis asked.

"I have been... thinking of Lolth. She is cruel, not known for forgiveness, and always takes revenge... collecting the lapsed and fallen. I know she will come for me," Viconia said in almost a whimper.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll be here to defend you," Ralis assured the drow woman, placing both of his hands on her shoulders and he could feel the moistness of sweat on the palms of his hands as soon as his hands made contact with her black skin which appeared slightly gray colored among the candlelight glow.

"It will mean... it will mean nothing. Lolth's reach is far... and I fear there is no escaping it..." Viconia whimpered.

"What makes you say that?" Ralis asked her.

Viconia gently tore herself loose from Ralis' delicate grip, turned her back on Ralis and took a couple steps away from him, nearing closer to his bed as she hung her head down as if she were ashamed of something.

"She will answer any summons simply to make a vainglorious entrance and impress the gathered. I have seen her power, what she does to those who fall from grace. It is because I have seen, because I have felt the lash of tentacle rods, that she will...will leave me to think I am safe or free and then she will come for me. I...I dream of Valas, sometimes, and I try to speak to him in my dreams. But he is only a monster, now, and I scream when his horrid spider legs caress me... I think...what can Lolth do to me if she has done this to Valas? What worse torments await me when she finally decides to come?!"

Viconia turned around facing Ralis again and this time he saw not only worry in her face, but also fear. Pure, genuine fear.

"Ralis, I am frightened to my very core!" She exclaimed fearfully, quickly approaching him and embracing her body against his in a very intimate hug that caught Ralis off guard, and he could feel her warm body trembling fearfully which convinced him that this is no act, she is truly terrified. "Do not leave me alone! Stay with me this night. I... I need to feel your flesh against mine, to embrace your strength."

Ralis' instincts screamed a warning to him when he heard her say that, and he realized what Viconia wants to do with him. She wants to "sleep" with him to feel safe, or more specifically, do some activity with him that involves... genital contact. Though Ralis does not hate Viconia, and he definitely does not think she is unattractive, having sexual intercourse with her or any other drow woman is something that he has never thought of, or fantasized about before, but the idea of it made him feel uneasy.

"Viconia..." He said softly, and she looked up at his face, her chin pressing against his chest. "...No. I am not interested in laying with you."

A part of him felt guilty for rejecting her pleas for comfort, but another part of him believed that he should give her some form of comfort that doesn't involve bodily or genital contact, even though he knew what she really wants to do to him to feel safe. Viconia felt her heart gradually beating faster the more she focused her mind on her fantasy of making love to a courageous male human Bhaalspawn to find refuge from the knowledge that Lolth still wants her head on a pike. Viconia stepped a few inches back, giving Ralis some space even though her hyperactive libido is making her feel the need to be close to him. More than that, actually. She wants to do everything a woman can intimately do with a man, and she doesn't care that he is human. In her eyes, Ralis has proven himself superior over all human men she has met, that includes the drow men she has known, proven himself worthy of her lust, and she wants to taste his superiority as badly as a hungry dog wants a slab of meat.

"I have a need, Ralis. A need that must be fulfilled... I must feel your strength within me and around me. Do not deny me this, Ralis... I offer to you all the pleasures that a drow woman may bestow if you but hold me this night. Do not resist me, Ralis. I shall enflame your passions, your senses..." She said as she slowly pulled the bust cups of her nightgown down, slowly revealing more of her ample bosom to show Ralis his reward at the price of obeying his libido.

He felt his heart jump in excitement when he saw her bosom trying to spill out when she pulled the bust cups of her nightgown down, coming very close to revealing her nipples, then he quickly averted his gaze, afraid that he would get aroused from seeing a sight like that. He was relieved that his manhood is not fully erect yet, but he felt something stirring within his body. He sensed that his body is demanding him to accept Viconia's offer, and he definitely felt his manhood slowly growing erect because of some of his blood flowing into it, but he continued to resist, ignoring his urges and blocking out the memory of seeing her breasts bulging proudly regardless of being contained in the brassiere cups of her nightgown, or at least trying to. He couldn't erase the memory out of his mind even if his life depended on it, they shone quite beautifully in the room's light and looked like two perfectly curved ham hock sized pieces of polished obsidian barely held in the cups of her nightgown. Although during his adventures he has seen several women from human, half-elf, halfling to elf wear clothing that partially or fully reveal their cleavage, even his own when a certain magical belt turned himself into a woman, he found the cleavage of a dark elf woman to be very fascinating, how the "Y" shaped cleft is still visible to his eyes in contrast to her grayish obsidian skin. He originally believed her skin would be so dark that her cleavage would blend in with her skin. But apparently his assumption turned out to be wrong.

And he inevitably found himself attracted to the dark elf. Though he knew it is completely natural for a healthy male human like himself to be infatuated to a beautiful woman with a perfect hourglass shaped body, he didn't want his romantic feelings to be fueled only by his lust because he knows from his disciplinary lessons from Gorion and the other monks of Candlekeep during his embarrassing moments at the age of 12 going through puberty that there is more to romance than simply sex. But regardless of his efforts to restrain himself, imagining how Viconia would look wearing lingerie or fully naked came easily to his mind and aroused him more than the time when he saw Flaming Fist Captain Schael Corwin not wearing her body armor back when they used to be together, before the assault on Dragonspear Castle, because Viconia is apparently more busty than Schael is, and Ralis once admitted to Korgan months ago that human, elf, half-elf, or in this case, drow women with fairly large breasts are more likely to turn him on. Since Viconia fits his preference and is showing telltale signs that she needs him to quell her hunger for sex, Ralis knew that soon his own sexual urges will overpower him and make him change his mind.

Like Viconia said, she has a need, and so does he. Both of them felt the sexual tension rising between them- it hung all over the room, and they knew that they can't ignore or suppress how they really feel forever. Actually, Viconia embraced her lustful feelings, but Ralis is trying to defeat his. He knew this is what his body has been craving for ever since his embarrassing first days of puberty nine years ago, but he never anticipated that one day he would make love to a drow woman. Most of the monks back at Candlekeep like Karan and Bendalis would not approve of this, and certainly Gorion and Khalid would disapprove too, if they were still alive, that is, but they are not here to criticize Ralis' choice of lovers.

Besides, in the end, it does not matter to his testosterone fueled mind that Viconia is not a human; all that mattered to him is that she is a highly attractive Underdark-native elf woman with skin black as charcoal or obsidian, alluring long white hair, mesmerizing red eyes, and last but most definitely not least, her nightgown which is slightly tight on her shapely figure, shows that she is so perfectly thick in the right places that she would make any man of any humanoid race drool like hungry hounds, including homosexual women like Hexxat. Hedonistic personality aside, Viconia is the embodiment of every adolescent teen's fantasy about the type of woman they desire to make love with. Though Ralis is not the depraved type, he felt his lust steadily growing stronger. The alluring appearance of a drow woman like Viconia is too fascinating for him to turn a blind eye on.

"I... do not doubt your ability, Viconia. And you are beautiful. But not like this, not in this manner..." Ralis said slowly while refocusing his eyes on Viconia, struggling to keep his eyes focused on her face instead of her cleavage because he is afraid that if he takes another look, his lust will overpower and take full control over him.

Viconia took a couple steps towards Ralis again and stopped a few inches close to him, but she did not embrace him again, however, he could hear her breathing heavily, and see the longing in her red eyes when he gazed into them, the kind of longing that is more lust and passion driven than melancholic. She truly has a strong desire to make love to him, and he found that a little terrifying and exciting at the same time, being the target of a woman's lust. He recalled that Neera and Schael never felt a very strong urge to sleep with him. As for Viconia, however, she had no doubts about her decision to have interracial intercourse with him. In drow society, since the women have all the power, courting is always conducted by them, not the men of their race. Drow women choose their lovers like a farmer selecting the most healthy and fertile bull to breed with cows to increase the population of his livestock, and male dark elves are expected to comply with the female who chose them as a lover, because rejection and/or seeking a coy or uninterested drow woman for a lover is an aberration in drow society because it puts females in subservient roles, which is obviously very offensive to them.

That means if Ralis wanted to have her as a lover back during the Iron Crisis and the Dragonspear Crusade, she would have been heavily offended if he tried to seduce her because back then she had little respect towards him. Back during the war against Caelar's crusade, Ralis once asked Viconia is she interested in him as a lover because she asked him out of curiosity has a woman taken interest in him yet, and she got offended that Ralis assumed that she was hinting that she is interested in him. But now, today, after understanding his personality more, she has unexpectedly accepted that he is a man worth respecting and taking as a lover, so she is a little disappointed that today he is trying to resist her flirtations. Very few surface dwelling males get the rare opportunity to make love to a drow woman, she expected Ralis to immediately jump at this opportunity, but she is not mad or irritated at him for trying to reject her advances at all. She knew that he is only caught off guard and made unsettled by her flirtations, denying what he desires deep down.

She also knew that she is too beautiful in his eyes to resist her flirtations and ultimately reject her, because she has everything she needs to ensure that Ralis feels the powerful desire to hold her in his arms, and make his manhood erect and solid as a rock. Her bust, waist and hip measurements are 37-25-37 by inches, her hips are equally wide as her shoulders with a 10 inch difference for her waist, the perfect hourglass measurements that would easily attract most humanoid males like flies to cow pies, and its all because of many generations of selective breeding in the DeVir family for her alluring beauty and slender yet buxom body, something that she takes great pride in. Not many women on the surface of Faerun have perfectly voluptuous assets like hers, especially other drow women. Because of this, Viconia felt confident that she can easily seduce Ralis out of his hesitance.

"When can it be perfect, Ralis? You are a valiant male filled with courage and a god's blood. I have seen you look upon my arlyurlen (breasts), and I am not displeased," she said, her voice soft and soothing to Ralis' ears.

Now she took a few more small steps closer to Ralis, getting so close to him that her breasts press against his chest, then she stood on the tips of her feet so that her face can be at the same height level with Ralis' face, since she is four inches shorter than he is. As she got close to him to kiss his lips, Ralis noticed that her pupils have dilated around her red irises, a clear sign that her amorous feelings towards him are real, but he doesn't know what it means when a woman's eyes dilate, since no monk in Candlekeep has ever taught him about the body language of women.

"Do not deny me, Ralis, and do not deny yourself," she whispered sensually before she closed her eyes and brought her lips into contact with his lips.

Her lips felt a little wet but moist, as far as Ralis could discern. Part of him wanted to push her away, to refuse her intimate advances before his lust completely takes over his mind, and makes him do something he might regret doing later, but he never pushed her back at all, he enjoyed it, he enjoyed feeling Viconia's warm body in close contact with his body, feeling her comforting warmth. He could feel his mind nearing the threshold of falling into the pleasure Viconia wants to bathe himself in, he felt his male desires trying to take control, he felt his heart pounding wildly and body temperature rising slowly, and he also felt his manhood growing erect slowly ever since he felt her warm body come into close contact. He tried once more to fight back the impulse as Viconia softly kissed his lips, but after his halfhearted attempt to push her away, his lust finally won. He started kissing Viconia back almost aggressively, surprising her, their moist lips smacking loudly, and he backed her up against the wall near the bed. She has finally awoken his inner beast.

They didn't fall on the bed yet, they still stood on their legs, but Viconia didn't stand on her legs forever, besides, she is four inches shorter than Ralis, ten meters shorter (Ralis is 1.75 meters tall, Viconia is 1.65 meters tall), he had to crouch slightly so that his head won't tower over her head while they were kissing. Instead, she wrapped her legs around Ralis's waist when she noticed that he is finally responding to his natural urges, and as they kissed aggressively, Ralis pulled off his white undershirt, revealing his thin muscular torso, then pulled off his pantaloons and underpants, which was not easy to do since Viconia's legs are still wrapped around his waist, then he started to help Viconia undress too, pulling at the shoulder straps of her nightgown off from her shoulders, and then slowly pulling her nightgown down her curvaceous physique until the shoulder straps reached the end of her arms and the heap of clothing rested around her waist, concealing everything at the waist and crotch level, leaving her torso completely bare.

Ralis stopped kissing Viconia and looked down at her naked breasts, admiring their plump size. He noticed that the color of her areola and nipples are a much darker shade of black compared to the rest of her skin, like her lips. Most of her skin is almost black as obsidian, but when she is near a light source her skin shows some shades of gray, but not her lips, areola and nipples, they remain pitch black even when exposed to light. Then he continued kissing his lover while gently fondling her uncovered ample bosom with both hands, something she did not expect him to be so bold of doing, but she enjoyed it regardless. In fact, she hasn't had her breasts massaged since her intimate nights with her second "husband", which was a few decades before the events that led to her exile from Menzoberranzan.

She didn't think Ralis would be bold enough to touch her chest. She knew Ralis for nearly a year since they first met last year during the iron crisis in the Baldur's Gate region of the Sword Coast, and she originally saw him as a idealistic, naive young man with misguided, childish ideals, wanting to be the noble, heroic person who isn't interested in obtaining power for personal gain and she also once believed that he has a weak libido, so seeing the lustful side of his personality come out for the first time is surprising and very fascinating to her because she has learned that Ralis has been subconsciously craving the opportunity to intimately touch a woman for some time. How long exactly, she could only guess.

"You surprise me, Ralis," Viconia said between kisses. "I see you have a lot of repressed lust in you. And here I was beginning to think that your libido was as barren as a northern monk's."

Ralis didn't know how to respond to that remark, but he wanted to prove her wrong about his virility, so instead, he replied with more kissing and fondling for a few seconds, then placing both of his hands around her hair, slowly brushing his hands through her long, white, silky smooth strings, and he also touched her pointy elf ears which protruded from both sides of her head under the thick strings of her hair. He still felt his manhood steadily growing more erect and stiff, steadily pointing directly at his lover's crotch, he could feel it touching her warm skin. If he weren't under the influence of his hormones he would stop himself before he penetrates Viconia, but he doesn't care what happens next anymore. Whatever happens next, he lost all intention of resisting. It has been many months since he has felt a woman's warm body in intimate contact with his, and when he was in a relationship with Schael Corwin months ago, they never did anything more intimate than kissing, she forced him to suppress and control his hyper libido because though she respected his strong desire to impregnate her, she simply wanted him to contemplate the responsibilities of becoming a father. Putting his libido in check for Corwin was difficult and emotionally painful for him, but with Viconia, he knew he can let his lustful feelings loose with her.

Viconia felt her human lover's erect manhood gently prodding her in the nether regions for a couple seconds like a sword blade with very dull edges trying to penetrate her skin to no avail, and before she started to believe that Ralis doesn't know where he should put his "sword", she felt the all too familiar feeling of a fully erect manhood finally penetrating her, the intimate union is obscured from view by her legs and the folds of her partially removed nightgown still hanging around her waist. Viconia smiled in satisfaction upon feeling her lover's erect manhood sliding into the lower regions of her body, feeling its warmth and powerful stiffness created strong bursts of pleasure rising up to her brain from her lower body, which caused her to moan positively while biting down on her lower lip. She finally felt Ralis's strength within and around her like she wanted. Ralis gasped as soon as he penetrated his lover, his mouth hung wide open as if something had astonished him, then he closed his eyes and let out a slow, shuddering exhalation while feeling Viconia's warm insides around his manhood and the bursts of body and brain numbing pleasure that shoots up and down every nerve in his body, an amazing sensation he has never felt before.

It felt twice as good as savoring the flavor of a rich and tasty sandwich, or steadily drinking a bottle of fine, sweet ale, these new sensations are familiar but different. Thirty seconds after they joined together, they fell on the bed, Ralis on top, Viconia below him. From that position, Ralis was eager to keep going, but they both noticed that her nightgown is still hanging around her waist, and he realized that he must allow Viconia to fully remove her nightgown first. To do that, he had no choice but to pull out of her and let her kick off her nightgown. After he did, Viconia used her hands to pull the clothing down her legs towards her feet and she lithely kicked it off, and the nightgown fell to the floor on the side of the bed. Now that Viconia is fully naked, no clothing left clinging on her body, Ralis eagerly reinserted his erect manhood into his lover and immediately started thrusting it as deep as he possibly could into Viconia while gasping in pleasure and grunting with exertion, his brain gradually becoming numb with pleasure and his heart beating faster and faster to the point when he could feel the inside of his chest heating up. He now understood why that Calishite man Viconia used to travel with for decades before the day he met her died when he was an old man; intercourse with her was too much for his old, weak heart to handle. Even though this is his first time getting deeply intimate with a lover, he knew what he is doing based on what little he knew from his basic studies on the subject of reproduction back in Candlekeep during his pre-teen years. It was an awkward subject for Gorion's fellow monks back in Candlekeep to teach Ralis, including Abdel and Imoen.

Normally monks abstain from teaching or talking about anything that involves the purpose and function of the male and female genitals, but they had to teach Ralis about the birds and the bees back when he was 12 years old because his first seven months of puberty were very confusing and awkward for him, more so than Abdel and Imoen's because Ralis was more curious than his adoptive siblings, he would frequently ask questions that made Karan, Bendalis and other monks feel uncomfortable. For example, he once asked them is it safe to penetrate a woman's "back door" even though poop comes out that way, and the only response Ralis got was awkward silence. Back when Abdel was 12 years old, he never asked any questions at all, he just absorbed in what he was told at face value and never read deeply into anything, but in his early years of puberty, he grew more aggressive and rebellious, which is natural behavior for maturing human boys, but Gorion took it very seriously, especially when Abdel used to insult Ralis and Imoen for studying. Trying to teach Abdel restraint and control over his emotions was a challenge for Gorion, more so than Ralis, but with Imoen, he had no problems with her at all.

As for Imoen dealing with puberty at the age of 13, she simply found the natural methods of reproduction rather disturbing, especially her monthly menstrual bleeding and getting a little fat in certain parts of her body, causing her to worry that eventually she'll get as fat as Winthrop, and she used to get offended whenever Abdel insulted her, calling her "Thick Hips" and other names that used to offend her, but she got over her fears eventually, and she learned how to ignore Abdel's childish insults and cope with the changes her body made. Despite the reality of his activity, Ralis vaguely couldn't believe that he is actually copulating with a drow woman. Years ago he always speculated that his future lover would probably be a human, elf or maybe a half-elf, like Neera or Schael Corwin, but he never imagined that his lover would be a drow, of all the known races in Faerun. Schael would have been severely upset about this if her love and trust toward Ralis hadn't faltered and crashed after everything in Baldur's Gate went sideways about Skie's murder, and Abdel and Winthrop will be shocked beyond belief when they learn that Ralis is no longer a virgin because of a drow woman who happens to be an exiled denizen of Menzoberranzan.

Three minutes later, Viconia decided that now is her time to be the dominant lover for a while and forced Ralis to switch positions, flipping him over, but still maintaining their intimate link. This time he is below her, and Viconia started to ride on him as if he were a wild, bucking horse, even though he wasn't trying to throw her off his body. Ralis could do nothing but brace himself because he is now completely at her mercy and is almost on the verge of fainting from feeling the sudden and merciless bursts of pleasure attacking his manhood, body and mind, each pelvic thrust from Viconia delivered intense waves of pleasure washing over him like a series of tidal waves, but that doesn't mean she wasn't feeling the waves of pleasure herself. The pleasurable feelings assaulting them acted like a double edged sword, taking no sides in the "conflict", making sure one lover is feeling what the other is feeling.

When Viconia closed her eyes while erotically grinding on Ralis for a few seconds, she almost immediately started to have memory flashes, flashes of bad memories during her decades of struggling to survive in the world above the Underdark, like being chased through the woods by human farmers and villagers armed with torches in one hand as a source of light so they won't stumble through the dark forest in pursuit, and pitchforks and other sharp tools in their other hand, or some only carried weapons or farming tools as weapons, staying near the illumination of those who held torches. In the memory flashes, the angry farmers and villagers hunted Viconia for several reasons, either because she had killed a few of their livestock to obtain a sizable amount of raw sliced meat and/or hen eggs to cook and eat at her temporary campsite, and in some cases, also because she also murdered a friend of theirs or a family member which she generally committed either in self defense or because they caught her in the act of stealing, and she had no choice but to silence the unlucky witness. Part of her wondered why her mind is conjuring up these memories while she is having fun with Ralis.

It is almost as if her psyche is trying to tell her that she has no reason nor business allowing a human male to put his manhood inside her, after all the unwarranted spite she has endured from his race, but she ignored the meaning behind the memory flashes, Ralis is the only human that seems safe enough to trust, and besides, the fantasy of copulating with him has always been on her mind for the past few months ever since he rescued her from the Beshaba fanatics, but she knew that she cannot forget the pain and anguish caused by both surface elves and humans alike. While recalling those painful memories of her time fighting for survival alone against all odds for almost seven decades, she channeled all the anger and hatred she had towards the human race into a feral, lustful desire to inflict so much pleasure on Ralis and his manhood that he might pass out from feeling the strong bursts of adrenaline attacking his brain. While panting and moaning in pleasure, he heard the bed making squeaking and creaking noises and could vaguely feel more beads of sweat rolling down his face and body, and Viconia's warm body joining the heat of his own body. His sweat worked hard trying to cool down his heating body, and his heart is pounding in his chest more quickly and wildly than before. While vigorously riding on him, Viconia had a few things to say to Ralis. She is enjoying herself much that she forgot how to say what she wanted to tell him in the human trade language.

"Dos ph'usst nin, ussta ssuorr p'luvt! Usstan ehmtu dos lu'dosst we'ha, rivvil! Ann whol ka'lith, waela jaluk! Xun ol! (You are mine now, my delicious prey! I own you and your penis, human! Beg for mercy, foolish male! Do it!)" She exclaimed in an angry tone even though she isn't technically angry, she is just playing her role as the aggressive lover.

Ralis didn't understand a single word that she said to him, but he wished that he did; he could only endure the waves of pleasure she is inflicting on him and try not to faint from the onslaught of pleasure assaulting him, even while every muscle in his body is now burning hot with steadily increasing fatigue, his skin becoming very moist with sweat, including Viconia, beads of sweat ran down her ebony skin, the candlelight is casting enough light to make her ebony skin shine beautifully in soft shades of gray. Even though she played the "frightened woman" part Aerie played to get Ralis's attention, she is truly afraid that Lolth has sent some of her most loyal drow servants, or more likely one of her handmaidens to hunt her down. But at this moment, none of that matters for now, now that she is in the hands of the most desirable male she has ever met, regardless of the fact that he is human, a race she is still not particularly fond of, especially after her experience with the Midfallow family from Beregost and the Beshaba fanatics back in Athkatla months ago.

But if Ralis were a dwarf, gnome, half-orc or elf instead, she wouldn't even think about having intercourse with him even if he proved himself to be a valiant and powerful man who is the progeny of a dead god, because she obviously doesn't find half-orcs sexually appealing for starters, especially dwarves, halflings and gnomes. The idea of having a man much shorter than herself as a lover is something she isn't particularly fond of. And though the drow generally dislike humans, the hatred they have towards their surface elf relatives runs far deeper. In fact, it is traditional for the drow to have an immense, blind hatred towards surface elves because of their misguided belief that their ancestors the dark elves were unjustly cursed by Corellon Larethian, the elf god known by title as Creator of the Elves and The Protector who is the leader of the Seldarine, the pantheon of elf gods, but the truth is it is no member of the Seldarine's fault that the drow fell to live in the Underdark, it is all because of Lolth's ambitions.

Ralis had no idea how long he could last enduring Viconia's lust driven pelvic thrusts. He opened his eyes, looked up at Viconia and saw her looking down at him with a lustful smile on her face and her red eyes gleaming as the strings of her long white hair danced around her head and face, and she constantly sighed and groaned with each rhythmic grind, but a minute later she started to get more aggressive with her pelvic thrusts, constantly shouting "beg" in the drow language with each aggressive rotation, still wanting Ralis to submit himself to her feminine power. Ralis continued moaning pleasurably as his manhood continued to get aggressively massaged by soft, moist flesh, but he never begged for mercy despite what Viconia commanded him to do earlier. That did not disappoint her at all, however. She is clearly enjoying herself, and Ralis took note of that. At first he didn't know what she was going to do next, but he didn't need to ask.

Viconia stopped grinding for a moment then bent her torso down towards him, bringing her face close to his, and she licked some of the sweat off his face three times. The first and second time on the left and right sides of his face, and the third time on his forehead. While she licked his cheeks, it did not bother her at all when her tongue touched the stubble hairs of his beard. From Ralis' perspective at this moment, her tongue felt almost like wet sandpaper, and he could feel her hot, steamy breath hit his face each time she exhaled while she licked him, but her breath didn't have a foul odor, just only a hint of a fresh chicken sandwich she had eaten recently this afternoon. After leaning down and licking him three times, Viconia straightened her body, still riding on his waist to feel more pleasurable sensations from his erect and stiff manhood still inside her lower body, then licked her lips in a very sensual way even though she tasted nothing from licking his skin. He didn't know why, but he found Viconia licking her lips as if his skin tasted sweet to her while gazing down at him with feral lust in her eyes a very arousing sight to see, almost as much as watching her breasts jiggle like two masses of gelatin in response to every movement her body made, seeing this made his manhood slightly harden more.

"Dos tyav ji ssinjin, ussta tet rivvil, usstan ssinssrin ulu mylthar dos (You taste so sweet, my lovely human, I want to devour you)," Viconia said lasciviously after licking her lips, her red eyes gleaming with predatory lust.

Again, Ralis vaguely wished that he understood what she said, or that she at least instead spoke Common instead of Drow. It is a little annoying for him to hear an ally or friend to speak a language he does not understand, but hopefully someday Viconia might teach him how to speak Drow.

Another three minutes later, Ralis and Viconia switched positions again, once again Ralis is above his lover once again, and thrusting vigorously, his body flattening against hers, her breasts pressing against his chest, his face in close proximity with her face. At this time, however, he could feel his stiff manhood preparing to release its load of semen, and he felt faint again as he felt the muscles in his body become more tense with each thrust, but he wanted more. He didn't want this to end, and neither did she. He thrust faster and faster, putting himself more at risk of fainting, and Viconia did something he didn't expect her to do. She leaned to the left side and started biting down hard on his left shoulder! Viconia mentioned she did this to the Calishite man she was with for a few decades, and now she is doing it to him! The sharp pain of Viconia's teeth biting down into his skin was almost overwhelming, but fortunately her teeth closely resemble human teeth, they are not designed to puncture skin like the fangs of a vampire.

Despite feeling the blind fury of both pleasure and pain, Ralis found the endurance to persevere, and he had an idea to remedy the pain Viconia is inflicting on him. He started thrusting faster, with a bit more vigor than before, pushing himself beyond his endurance's limit in hopes that the pleasurable sensations he is inflicting upon himself and his lover would overlap and drown out the sharp pain of Viconia biting down on his shoulder. It worked out well for the most part, it made the pain more tolerable, turning it into a numb, nearly mild stinging pain rather than a severe throbbing pain that would make a man want to cry out. Eventually Viconia became so overcome with pleasure that she finally stopped biting down on her lover's shoulder and resumed gasping pleasurably. She had to admit to herself that Ralis is doing fairly fine for a young human that has never pleasured a woman before, but her four deceased ex-husbands were more experienced at it.

"Qeeh! Vith uns'aa qeeh, ussta ssinssrigg! (Faster! F**k me faster, my love!)" Viconia urged excitedly.

Ralis instinctively obeyed and struggled to stay conscious while thrusting aggressively and trying to hold his semen in for at least a minute longer. But he soon realized that he can barely last 30 more seconds. He is exhausted, his stiff manhood painlessly aches with steadily increasing pressure from holding in his semen for the past two minutes and he knew that soon he will climax no matter how hard he tries not to. Though he is enjoying himself, he is fully aware that if he ejaculates his seeds into Viconia, a half-drow baby might start developing and growing inside her womb over the next nine months or more. But it is not an unavoidable outcome. Though there is nothing stopping him from pulling out again before he orgasms, he did not want to do that either, because being physically linked to Viconia feels too good to stop for a short moment simply to avoid the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy. Breaking physical contact with her would feel wrong to him, as if it would symbolize that he rejects their burgeoning romance.

This intimate union with Viconia feels oddly correct to him, as if they are two halves of the same soul finally reunited after decades of being separate from each other. The truth is, he is fearless at the idea of impregnating Viconia. He has already accepted her as his lover even though he originally did not want to have sex with her, and having a baby with whoever will become his lover is basically what he has wanted for some time, starting his own family. The way Ralis sees it, if he and Viconia end up having a child as a consequence of their lovemaking, then maybe it is meant to happen. He simply believes that instead of making sure that his semen does not enter Viconia's body, he should let it happen and let fate decide whether they deserve to have a child or not. Viconia, however, has her mind entirely focused on the moment instead of what might happen unlike Ralis. She never pondered over the possibility of having a half-drow child with him, all she cares about is spending what might be her last moments in the Prime Material Plane making love to this potentially powerful and courageous young male human before Lolth ends her life somehow at some time in the near future. Though determined to keep his lover entertained without pulling his manhood out of her again, he didn't last long.

At the very least, he managed to orgasm without passing out. He sighed in pleasured relief and his eyelids fluttered when he felt the muscles of his manhood undulate, making him feel the pleasurable tickle of his semen getting pushed out of his manhood. From Viconia's perspective when Ralis climaxed, she felt his manhood spasm suddenly, sending a strong burst of adrenaline rising up from her spine to her brain which made her moan pleasurably, and she knew at that moment that he let his human seeds fall into her, and she was not repulsed by that realization even though naturally she would be disturbed to know this since she doesn't like or respect humans. Years ago when she used to be with the merchant from Calimshan, she used to be unsettled with the realization that she must allow the man to defile her body with his human manhood, but she eventually learned to focus on the bright side of the situation and enjoy pleasuring him- because as long as she kept him entertained, she could make him go wherever she wanted, he was a slave to her feminine tricks.

But making love with Ralis is a different situation to her, he is more of a lover than a tool, and she had privately fantasized about making love with him for the past several months despite her honed survival instincts and arrogance as a drow woman telling her not to show respect to his altruistic demeanor. She smirked with pride because she considered herself one of the few lucky women on the face of Faerun to receive the sperm of a dead god's child, a rare honor that she could proudly say she beat her formerly winged rival Aerie to. Then, to Ralis' surprise, when he thought it was all over, Viconia suddenly flipped him over so that she can sit on top of him again, and without warning or explanation, she started to aggressively and violently grind her pelvis on him like before. Her intention is to prolong their union until she gets too tired to go on. Problem is, he is already very tired, including his manhood. She knew his manhood will soon soften due to exhaustion from climaxing, and that's a problem she wants to remedy. She is disappointed that he climaxed seven minutes after they linked up together, because her four deceased ex-husbands and the merchant from Calimshan lasted many minutes longer, an hour or little more, but it can't be helped. Ralis is merely a young and inexperienced human, he was a virgin, he has never done this before, she knows that, but she wants him to learn how to last longer, and learn how to hold his seeds for a longer period of time, so she decided to push Ralis beyond his endurance's limits by stimulating his penis to stay erect within her for at least a couple minutes longer.

"Xuat inbau ticondo pholor uns'aa, Ralis. Usstan tlun naut xunor xuil dos. Usstan telanthus Usstan tlun naut xunor xuil dos! (Don't get tired on me, Ralis. I am not done with you. I said I am not done with you!)" Viconia exclaimed angrily while aggressively rutting on top of him and hearing his pleasured groans intensify as she forced him to endure more pleasure than his tired body could possibly handle.

The final four minutes was torture for Ralis, but fortunately it isn't the painful type of torture, he is just simply not ready for more sexual punishment. While gasping pleasurably and sweating profusely, helpless against Viconia's lustful onslaught, he couldn't believe she is still not as exhausted as he is. She still has more endurance, but his manhood is too tired to stay erect for a few minutes longer, but somehow, by some miracle, it managed. However, the experience was strenuous for him, because it already did what it needed to do, which was shoot all of its sperm into Viconia's body, so basically there is no reason for it to stay within her much longer. It turns out Viconia was dead serious about her promise to Ralis that she will one day test his endurance using "physical endeavors". He had no idea what he would be in for back when she told him that. Now that he is experiencing it, he partially regretted that she wasn't joking about it, because her decades honed skills in the erotic arts is thoroughly wearing him out.

Four minutes afterwards, Viconia finally decided to stop. She is tired now, but not as tired as Ralis is. Regardless of that, she collapsed down next to him, knowing that he can't last another minute. Ralis is relieved that she finally decided to stop, because trying to remain awake and conscious against her lustful assault was a challenge that strained his endurance dangerously close to its breaking point- she literally rocked his world. He smiled softly while panting heavily with Viconia, feeling the cool breeze in the room cooling his warm, sweaty body, mentally noting that ejaculating his seeds was the most gratifying feeling he has ever felt. Releasing his load felt like finally putting down a heavy bag that was strapped around his shoulders for many hours, when his shoulder muscles ached for peace and relaxation from carrying such a heavy load for a long time. He didn't know until now that it is possible to feel both very exhausted and yet very refreshed at the same time.

He lay down next to her, panting heavily while feeling his sweat-drenched body cool down, tensed muscles slowly relaxing and his manhood slowly softening under the bed sheets, feeling like a very tired yet brand new man, and Viconia felt the same way. It has been nearly more than a century since she has made love to a male that she truly wanted to make love to, not counting the Calishite man who was the owner of the caravan from Calimshan who took her in decades ago, taking her where she wanted to go for a "fee", and in return teaching her how to speak the common human language.

Making love to the Calishite man was only a necessity, a requirement to survive, to get around Faerun without facing the hostility of elves, humans, anyone who would attack a drow without hesitation. Ralis is different from the Calishite man and other humans she has met, he is safe haven in a cold, callous world, and she appreciated that. She turned her head and looked into Ralis' eyes, both her eyes and his fluttering, trying to stay awake for at least a few seconds, and Ralis vaguely saw drops of sweat running down the obsidian skin of her face into the fabric of the pillow her head is resting on even with the slightly dim candlelight in the room. He gazed intently into her red eyes when she uttered her last words to him for the night.

"Ussta mrannd'ssinss... (My lover...)" She muttered to him in a soft, loving tone before she fell into some kind of trance, her eyes open, but not moving or responding to anything as if she were actually asleep, only her chest slowly rising and falling with each breath she took.

Ralis didn't know what those drow words meant exactly, but he had a hunch that it probably is something drow call their lovers, like how lovers in a romantic relationship call each other "honey" or "darling" affectionately, and though he didn't know for sure, his hunch is correct. Though he doesn't clearly know it, Viconia has basically admitted that she has grown quite fond of him. Before he fell asleep, Ralis noticed this his mind is swimming with emotions. Everything happened so fast. At first he didn't want to have sex with Viconia, but now that he has, he doesn't regret it even though he is the type of man who would marry a woman first before having intercourse with her, but he had no regrets at all. He also realized that maybe Viconia is destined to be his soulmate after all this time, she probably just embraced the idea through her lust before he did.

Could it be coincidence...? Ralis thought. No, I don't believe so.

He thought back to the day he met Viconia for the first time a year ago in the Year of The Banner. When he saved her from being caught by the Flaming Fist mercenary, and defended her from Kivan's unwarranted rage. Could it be that when their paths first crossed, it meant something more, even though they never felt anything between them at first back then? They traveled through the Sword Coast, fighting Iron Throne lackeys at every turn, and then against Caelar Argent's crusaders, yet their friendship was strained back then. Now, ever since he rescued her from the Beshaba fanatics, the strained respect they had for one another, despite Viconia's uncalled for outbursts, led up to this. It cannot be coincidence, it can't be. It feels too correct to be coincidence. A dark elf woman who is of an Underdark dwelling sub-species of elves that are so evil they are shunned by surface elves and humans alike, is exiled to the surface, and after more than a dozen decades of harsh survival efforts, meets a young human man who is one of the children of a dead evil god, yet has an honorable personality takes her under his wing despite the possibility that she might stab him in the back, and after little more than a year of adventuring together, grow to trust each other and become lovers regardless of their heritage? Sounds like that would make an bestselling romance novel. The elf of darkness falls in love with a human born of darkness.

He recalled that he never hated Viconia, but he was always cautious and wary of her presence when they first met, but protecting her from those who would kill a drow as soon as they see one, and he never lusted over her back then either, but the emotion must have been there inside him all this time, dormant like an inactive volcano, because here he is in bed with her, all it took was for her to make the right moves on him, as if she knew he would do such a thing. Ralis was unsure of who would be the love of his life, the woman he would lose his virginity to. He originally thought it would be Neera, or possibly Schael Corwin, but now, tonight, he got the answer, and though he never expected to have a romantic relationship with Viconia, of all women on the face of Faerun, he has no regrets that she has become his lover. But he knew that if Hexxat finds out what he and Viconia did together, she will be very jealous and angry at him.

But Ralis isn't worried about Hexxat getting mad at him, however. The concern that is currently on his mind is what might happen if a few weeks later Viconia becomes pregnant, since all of his seeds are at this moment inside her body, likely trying to create new life, one that is mixed with human and drow blood. How long is the gestation period for an elf woman compared to a human woman? Ten months? A year? The answer eludes Ralis at the moment. As far as he knew, Viconia has lain with other men before him, her four drow "husbands", and that Calishite merchant who kept her safe from harm on the surface for many decades from 1300 DR to 1368 DR are the only ones he knows of, and she has never claimed to have conceived a child from any of them, which could mean the drow race know of ways to avoid unplanned pregnancies, and Viconia might not conceive a child after all.

But if the outcome today is different, if Viconia's birth control method somehow fails her this time, will having a mixed child damage their relationship, or will she proudly accept her role as a mother of a half-human half-drow child? He hoped it would be the latter, because he found it difficult to imagine his life without her. He could only hope that Viconia is open-minded enough to even consider the possibility of becoming the bearer of his unborn child. Though he is not afraid of becoming a father, he is afraid of losing Viconia one way or another, because the jealous, power hungry drow goddess Lolth, known as the Spider Queen does not tolerate defiant drow. She is likely still after Viconia for her defiance so many decades ago. Ralis knew that if he lets Lolth take away Viconia's life, his existence would feel very empty. What can he possibly do about it? How can he protect her? How can a mere mortal protect his loved one from an arrogant, vengeful deity? This romantic relationship is doomed to fail one way or another, Ralis knew, but he had no intention of letting this happen. He is the mortal child of a god, not an average human, Viconia can count herself lucky for that.

As long as I live, Viconia, my love, I won't let a single minion of that damned Spider Queen lay a single sword blade on your flesh. I swear my life upon that... Ralis made his silent vow as his eyes finally closed shut, and he and Viconia fell sound asleep for the rest of the night, content that they satisfied one of their natural urges.

---

The next morning, Ralis slowly and groggily woke up. As he struggled to open his eyelids, he noticed that he no longer felt the weight of Viconia's head resting on his left arm! That realization made him shoot up wide awake! He sat straight up on the bed, wondering where Viconia could have gone. He noticed early morning sunlight streaming in from the windows as he rubbed his eyes, and when he turned his head to the left, he saw Viconia sitting at the edge of the bed, she had just got finished putting her nightgown back on. She turned her head and noticed that Ralis is awake.

"Well, I see that you are finally awake. I hope that your pathetic exertions of last night brought at least one of us some measure of pleasure," she said coldly, something Ralis did not expect.

All the warm, positive feelings that Ralis felt around him quickly disappeared once he heard Viconia's curt voice, his feelings replaced with confusion.

"Pathetic?" Ralis echoed. Was I that terrible? It was my first time, I admit, but... He shook his head to erase the doubt out of his mind. "It sure didn't take you long to run cold again," he remarked aloud.

"I am merely disappointed. Your performance pales in comparison to a drow male." Then Viconia bared her teeth. "My skin crawls with the thought that I allowed your rough hands to touch me!" She growled, then stood up off the bed, facing Ralis while adjusting the bra cups of her nightgown around her bosom.

I did much more than touch you, Viconia, and you begged me to do it even though I tried to politely reject you, Ralis remarked in his confused mind.

"Well, you seemed to enjoy yourself well enough last night, despite my so-called poor performance," He snapped back, but not in anger, but with strength in his voice, no meekness.

"Artifice, fool!" Viconia yelled as she leaned towards Ralis for the statement to hit him brutally like a slap to the face. "An effort to push you more quickly that you might pull your putrid and sweaty form away from my presence! The very sight of you disgusts me!" She headed for the door.

Ralis quickly climbed out of the bed, moved quickly past Viconia and jumped between her and the door before she could get two feet close to it.

"I don't believe you, Viconia. You opened your emotions to me... and now you snap shut again. Why?" Ralis asked.

"Do not attempt to render judgment on my mind, imbecile! Just... leave me be! Let me scour the stain of your touch from me... and be done with it!" She snapped.

Ralis sighed in defeat then stepped aside and let Viconia walk past him and she headed for the door, unlocked it, stepped out, and slammed the door shut, returning to her hotel room before everyone else in Vyatri's Pub wakes up, walks out their rooms and see a drow walking down the hallway wearing a nightgown, which would cause an uproar. Ralis didn't know what to make of Viconia's sudden change in emotions. He remembered last night really clearly, she had absolutely no regrets doing what she had done with him, she wanted this even though he was reluctant to do it. But... was it all a dream, a fantasy conjured up by his pleasure-stricken mind? Ralis thought this over as he took a bath, and then afterwards, put on his clothing and body armor.

Why is she like this? Why does she open up with her feelings to me one minute and close shut the next? Ralis thought. Is it a drow thing? Can humans and dark elves find common ground somewhere?

He knew he is asking himself questions that cannot be easily answered. As far as he knew, the concept of "love" does not exist in drow society. One thing for sure is, he never developed any romantic feelings for her until last night, during their intimate moment. And now, he can't imagine what his life would be like without Viconia. What worried him is, can she really imagine her life without him? There is another thing that worried him.

Oh gods... I hope she doesn't become pregnant, otherwise this unexpected farce will get much worse than it already has, Ralis forlornly thought, moaning in depression.

The very last thing he wants to do is to impregnate a woman who can't decide whether she loves him or not, that will just make this unexpectedly bad situation a lot worse. Question is, will it get worse, or will it get better? Ralis felt afraid of hoping for the best outcome, because he knows from personal experience that in romantic relationships, hope is the worst of all evils because it brings and prolongs torment.