Vierna was glad to be back home of course there were more than the regular guards that met her when she strolled through the gate fallowed by the alien Elves. There were even more gawkers when she lead Kiras and Riza to where they would need to fly up into the balcony where only noble born could go. She wasn't entirely surprised that they both were right behind her when she walked through the terrace door.
Matron Malice was sitting on her spider throne looking very perturbed while she drummed the armrest of her throne. "I hear that you've made some new friends while you were out Vierna." She spat more than spoke while getting to her feet.
Vierna reeled back thinking that Malice was going to strike her, but Kiras stepped between them making Malice halt in her tracks. Malice was trying hard not to cower under the piercing gaze of the emerald eyed beauty that stood in front of her. The ruby eyed elf placed a hand on her hip and was snickering behind her other hand.
Kiras rolled her eyes when she felt Riza's thoughts. I wouldn't call this funny, Riza. She sent right back. That was when Rizzen and Zaknafein walked in they both went wide eyed when they saw the pair of Night Elves.
Goddesses, Zaknafein thought when he saw the two.
Not far from the truth, he heard them both say in his mind making his eyes go wide and water.
Malice scowled when she noticed the tears running down Zaknafein's face. Weakling male, she thought making both of the Night Elves glare at her which caught her off guard.
"You can read minds," Zaknafein spoke while rubbing the tears from his eyes.
"They don't understand our language," Vierna said with a sigh.
"Oh," Zaknafein switched to the common language. "Would it be too bold of me to ask you for your names?"
Malice, Rizzen, Vierna and Briza who just walked in all gapped at Zaknafein when he used the language of the surface dwellers.
"Where did you learn to speak like that," Malice demanded.
Zaknafein shrugged. "I do have friends outside of our house." He then smirked when he heard the taller Night Elf lean over and whisper "Jarlaxle," in the slightly shorter ones lengthy ear.
Riza and Vira ignored Malice they both walked over to Zaknafein and smiled down at him. "I'm Riza," she said holding out her hand.
Zak looked at her outstretched hand and was puzzled for a moment.
"I'm Kiras and Riza would like you to shake her hand…" Kiras smiled. "It's kind of a greeting where we're from."
"Ah," Zaknafein clasped her offered hand and shook it. "I like this alien greeting." He said with a wide smile.
"Enough of this foolishness," Malice's outburst made all of the beings in the room turn to her. "I know that you both wish to commune with our goddess to see if she can help you get back to where you are from." Malice had calmed but there was still contempt in her voice.
Malice lifted her head and stormed past Riza and Zaknafein breaking their hand hold. "Follow me and we can speak to our goddess." Malice turned her head. "And get you back where you belong!"
Kiras, Zak or Riza weren't at all pleased with Malice's attitude but they followed her anyway. When they arrived at the appropriate room that was hidden behind a set of double red doors that had an emblem of a spider on it Zak and Rizzen halted. They both knew that males weren't allowed inside this room unless they were to be given as a sacrifice to their unmerciful deity.
I don't like this, Zak thought to himself. If they are both goodly goddesses from their respective planets how will Lolth react when she meets them? He looked at his open hand the one he used to shake the hand of a true goddess. He made a fist before covering it with his other hand and holding it tight to his chest.
"What you are doing is more than just blasphemy," Rizzen harshly whispered. "Zak if you even think about becoming a worshiper of either of those two then Malice will sacrifice you to Lolth."
"And it would be worth it," Zak shot right back without even a shred of fear or doubt in his tone nor his eyes. "My soul is not for that damned spider I want to belong to a real god…" he glanced at the closed red doors. "or goddess!"
Rizzen had half a mind to kill Zak right then and there, but even he wasn't stupid enough to test the weapons master. With a hand on the hilt of his sword he muttered several curses before abruptly turning and heading off for his chambers. Zak stood to wait patiently for the conversation between goddesses to end.
Matron Malice, Briza, Maya and Vierna all stood around a black cauldron. Riza scowled and winced at the absurd words that poured forth from Malice's mouth while she summoned a being that would be a conduit or mouthpiece for their goddess. When the final words were spoke a roaring flame and smoke billowed from the cauldron and there inside the smoke was the most disgusting form Riza and Kiras had ever seen.
"Even blort worms are more attractive than this slug," Riza muttered while Kiras folded her arms under her chest and nodded.
"Great handmaiden of Lolth I summon you to ask a question," Malice and the others all bowed down to the slug being making Riza and Kiras cover their mouths to choke back the bile that had welled up.
Handmaiden…this thing…what the frak kind of deity do these beings worship? They both thought.
"Speak your question," The Yochlol billowed. "Lolth does favor House Do'Urdon."
"Actually," Malice turned to the two taller Elves who were not prostrating themselves before their deity's servant which irritated Malice more so than she let on. "It's those two who have the question for the Spider Queen."
Riza and Kiras went wide eyed, took a quick glance at each other and then at Malice before bursting out laughing. Now not only was Malice irate but all of her daughters were too.
"What the fraking hell," Riza walked right up to the Yochlol. "You're telling me that this thing is a handmaiden to a goddess!"
Kiras strode up to the melting monster in the smoke and flames too. "I've never been more insulted!"
Their outrage caused Malice and her daughters much confusion. Isn't it us who were supposed to be insulted? They all thought.
"I don't want to speak to some slug," Riza leaned in and sneered at the Yochlol who actually jerked away from her both startling and surprising Malice and her daughters.
"I want to speak to a real goddess," Kiras walked right past Riza and pulled her blood sorjin from the mithril chain wrapped around her waist. "I want to speak to a goddess like Elindil!"
The name alone made the smoke billow and flames dance, even the Yochlol's eye twitched sending shockwaves down the Drow Elves' spines.
"Or," Kiras continued. "I want to speak to a god like Eendril!"
Again the Yochlol reared back and was even melting at a faster rate making Malice think that its body wouldn't be able to keep up with how fast it was dissolving.
"Frak… I'll even settle for my new daddy Chaos!" That was it Kiras ignited her blood sorjin bathing everything in a dark blue glow. "Your boss is no goddess! She's nothing more than a bug!" She held her blood sorjin aloft making all of the Do'Urden women sweat and worry because they knew what was coming. "That makes you the slug of a bug! And…" Kiras plunged her blade into the eyeball of the waxy creature making it cry out in agony before it vanished in a mix of black, blue and orange flames and smoke. "YOU'RE DEAD!"
Kiras stood by the cauldron panting while everything settled around her. Malice, Briza, Maya, and Vierna were horrified. Their mouths hung agape while they looked at the distraught Night Elf who was holding a glowing bladed weapon in her hand.
"Good job," Riza started to slowly applaud. "You've killed the slug…now…" she stopped clapping and walked up to her placing her hand on Kiras's shoulder they both looked into the now empty cauldron. "Do you want to kill the bug?"
Malice and her daughters couldn't believe what they were hearing. Kill Lolth? Was such a thing even possible? They all thought while the air in the room started to charge with some unknown energy.
Things began to lift off the floor as if the gravity was shut off even Malice was shocked when she too began to float off the floor. They all looked on in fear and awe when Kiras was bathed in a bright green glow. They had to shield their eyes when she produced green and white flames around her.
Kiras's emerald green eyes glowed with such fury that Riza was even worried. Kiras turned to her. "Lolth is no goddess!" She shut off her blood sorjin, her hand griped it tight while her arm went limp. "I want to go back home…" She looked at Riza with tears in her eyes.
Zaknafien burst into the room when he felt the small explosion only to see Kiras in flames and sending out waves of energy that to him felt like heaven, but when he noticed Malice and her daughters floating a few inches off the floor with horrified looks on their faces he guessed what had happened and he smiled wide because of it.
"I see that Lolth was as helpful as she usually is," Zak headed inside the room only to find that he also started to float after taking a few short steps. "I'm sure she didn't tell you what you wanted to know." Zak was undeterred he'd come to absolutely love this new goddess and he wanted nothing more that to make her his patron deity. Lolth can go frak herself, he thought with a smile.
Riza smiled at him. "You are presuming that the bug is actually a goddess." She shook her head. "She's a pretender at best. That Lolth or spider… whatever the frak she is she isn't a deity and from what I felt from her slug that Kiras killed I'd say she's one of Skath's divine and we are at war with Skath."
Zak and the rest of the Drow all felt like they were punched in the gut by a bag of bricks. Zak recovered first. "And is it safe to presume that you are?"
Riza and Kiras both eyed Zaknafien questioningly.
"What,—" Riza smiled in understanding by what he meant. "—if we are goddesses?"
Zak nodded and Riza shook her head. "I'm actually a Meserino Demoness," she changed back into her usual form making the Drow all pale at her new appearance.
A dark red skin adorned with black thorn like patters ran across her whole uncovered body. A lengthy red tail appeared and swayed behind her. A pair of jet black wings erupted from her back tearing her top when they did exposing her well developed navree. Her hair went from an ice white to a solid black with red highlights at the tips of each strand. Her eyes were still red but more of a blood red than a ruby, and her pupils became slits like on a lizard. She stretched her wings and yawned before wrapping them around herself like a cloak. She wiggled several of her red taloned toes extending and retracting her claws a few times.
Now that Riza was back to her demonic self Kiras decided to calm herself as well. She closed her eyes and the green and white blaze that surrounded her was swiftly shut off. All of the Drow that were suspended in the air were unceremoniously dropped to the floor.
"I hate to burst your bubble," Riza walked over to Zak and held out her hand to help him back to his feet. "But Kiras isn't a goddess," she glanced at the Night Elf warrior behind her before turning back to Zak. "She's only a light warrior right now."
Zak took the offered hand minding Riza's claws when he did, but with a quick yank she had him back up on his feet again.
"Kiras is a step away from being a goddess," Riza answered the question that Zak had on his mind. "But right now she's," Riza closed her eyes to think for a moment. "I guess you could say that she's in training."
"Well" Zak straightened up his shirt and pants before looking at Kiras. "She's a goddess to me."
Riza smiled when Kiras blushed. "V is half god and he's our husband so that actually makes her a half god demoness doesn't it?"
Zaknafien gasped. I know that term from the surface dwellers it's when a man and a woman become life mates or something close to that I think.
"It's a good thing that V isn't her Riza," Kiras gave her a wink. "He would have pounced on you for that."
"I would hope so," Riza immediately replied making Kiras shake her head and slap her face with her palm.
Malice and her daughters had no idea what to do. There was a powerful demigoddess and from the nonchalant attitude that the demoness had while the demigoddess was enflamed they all assumed that she was also extremely powerful. Two powerful beings that were probably more than a match for their goddess so much so that they weren't the least bit afraid of killing one of her handmaidens.
Malice noticed the look of rage on Briza's face she was staring daggers at Zaknafien who had taken more than a liking to the Night Elf demigoddess. "Briza stop," Malice quietly scathed a warning to her most volatile daughter who clenched her fist so hard it turned her knuckles white.
She glanced at Vierna who was still in a state of shock. She turned to Maya who had paled and was barely holding herself up. All four of the Drow women had their faith not shaken, but shattered by Kiras, who was happily talking to Zak like nothing had happened.
Malice knew that Zaknafien didn't have any faith in their deity and with the amount of power that Kiras had shown off and Riza not even fazed by her outburst. Malice wondered how much more powerful was the demoness and that thought made her pale. If Kiras isn't even a goddess herself then what about the goddess she spoke about… how much more powerful is her Goddess Elindil or those male Gods, Eendril and Chaos…I thought that Lolth was the goddess of chaos and there is a god called Chaos.
"Yes, there is," Riza turned to the pale Drow woman. "Chaos is the dar'tari or son of Skath who is the Dark God who tried to rule all of the universes." Riza walked over to the fallen priestess of Lolth, grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her high enough that her feet were dangling in the air. Malice clutched the hand around her throat but she couldn't break the vice like grip of the Meserino. "From the way that id'rthic slug felt I'm thinking that the bug you worship is actually one of Skath's minions."
Malice tried to speak, but she was having trouble even breathing. "Tell me slave of the bug if I kill you off and then your family will she intervene?" Riza brought Malice's face closer to her own. "Would she even care?"
"No," Zaknafien replied without even a moment of hesitation and the conviction in his voice made both Riza and Kiras's eyes widen. "She plays with us like we are her toys." Zak's eyes went to the floor and a frown formed on his face. "Slave would be an accurate term. I've been involved with the killing of children from a rival house."
Kiras gasped in horror and Riza's eyes turned to Malice and narrowed to slits. The amount of bloodlust and anger directed at Malice made her pass out. Riza released her letting her limp body crumble to the floor.
"I didn't perform the deed myself," Zak quickly raised his head and defensively waved. "I only killed the priestesses of Lolth, but I did watch on helplessly when our soldiers dispatch the DeVir children." Zak lowered his arms and clenched both of his fists. "Their screams still haunt me even to this day."
Briza had enough of Zak's blasphemy against their goddess. She rose from the floor and stormed over to Zaknafien but she was hoisted in the air and she felt like an invisible vise had been clamped around her throat.
"You will not touch him," Riza commanded with an outstretched hand. "Briza was it," Riza slowly walked over to her newest victim. "Zaknafien seems to be the only decent being in this city." She stood less than a foot away from Briza who was looking at her with hate filled eyes even though she was being choked to death. "And you want to kill him in front of me?" Riza showed Briza her fang filled smile which immediately turned her anger and hate into fear. "Are you brain dead? Or are you…" She snapped her fingers a few times with her free hand. "Kiras, do you know the word I'm looking for?"
Kiras shrugged. "Id'rthic," she shrugged. "Stupid, moron, slith for brains?" She offered.
Riza sighed. "Stupid will do." She turned back to her victim. "Or are you stupid?" She turned to Kiras again. "Will that work?"
Kiras nodded. "I suppose so."
Riza smiled in satisfaction while Zak was now trying not to laugh. Poor Briza, being tormented by two beings who are greater than her goddess… as if Lolth will come to her aid she's probably shaking in fear down in her demonweb pit.
Vierna had watched the whole thing unfold and she was now back on her feet. She walked over to Riza and placed her hand on her outstretched arm. "Please let her go," she pleaded which was unusual for a Drow, but it made Zak incredibly happy.
Has my little girl returned? Zak's mind raced back to a time before Malice had sent her to Arch-Tinith the school of Lolth where young Drow women were turned or brainwashed into priestesses, before she lost her innocence. Vierna still holds some of my values after all, Zak actually felt a fatherly joy which no Lolth worshiper could ever feel.
"Are you going to stop me Vierna?" Riza's gaze fell upon her.
Vierna shook her head. "I don't have the power to stop you." She bowed her head and started crying. "Ever since Kiras killed that handmaiden…" she shook her head. "That slug, Lolth has abandoned me…" she raised her head to look at Briza who was in a pitiful state. "I mean she's abandoned us."
"Apparently she thinks that we've found a new goddess," Maya spoke softly and didn't even lift her head as she sat up while her legs were still splayed out on the floor. "This is far more than just receiving her displeasure…" she clutched her right arm with her left hand. "This is excommunication…" She raised her head and she had tears running down her face. "We no longer belong to Lolth and now our house is doomed."
"And that wouldn't be a bad thing," Zak huffed.
"And what makes you think that this is the end of house Do'Urden," Riza dropped Briza who stayed where she fell. Riza's smirk turned into a full blown smile when the room was suddenly filled with an eerie red light. She turned to Kiras. "Looks like daddy felt your little outburst this time Kiras."
A giant disembodied eye looked down on all of the beings in the room before focusing on Kiras. "Ah, Kiras there you are!" Chaos's giant eye brightened. "There iloni now all of my…" he grunted making Kiras and Riza both chuckle because they knew that Elindil or Zaratha had elbowed him or worse. "I mean our kids have been found…happy?"
None of the beings in the room knew what Elindil or Zaratha had said to him but from what Chaos had said both Riza and Kiras knew that at least Visage and the others were safe.
"Hay, ari'thia if you're there tell Zereth that I'll be home soon." Riza took a deep breath.
"Yeah," Chaos's hesitation didn't please either Riza or Kiras. "About that…"
"What's going on dar'nra," Kiras put her hands on her hips and looked up into his eye.
"Oh…" he hesitated while he conversed with his wives. "It's just that the god of that universe is being a…" Chaos's eye close for a moment before reopening. "Oh yeah… a dick!"
Riza and Kiras's ears drooped. "Seriously," they both exclaimed at the same time.
"Sorry kiddo," Chaos spoke on his wife's behalf. "But Ao and his father are being stubborn especially now that a Meserino Demoness and a Night Elf Light Warrior have fallen into their laps. I mean Eendril, Chaos and I are all trying to get you back but at this point I wouldn't hold my breath."
"What about Zereth," Riza raised the question. "He wouldn't abandon me here… would he?"
"King Zereth," Chaos spoke for himself again. "Is actually prepping to storm that universe and kill off both Ao and his father if the negotiations fail."
Riza face palmed. "Wonderful…"
"In the mean time," Elindil spoke through Chaos again. "I suggest you make yourselves useful and take out as many evil dark gods as you can while you wait."
"From what Eendril, or more like Halifel has told us is that there are a lot of evil lesser gods there so…" Chaos's eye brightened for an instant. "Have fun!"
"Thanks dar," both Kiras and Riza spoke with such none enthusiasm that it made Zaknafien and the other Drow shake their heads in disbelief.
Malice had woken up after being choked out by Riza. She went wide eyed when she saw, felt and heard Chaos who was legions above the power that Lolth held. Why did I ever think that Lolth was a goddess, she wondered then she was shocked by her own thought. What am I thinking… she looked up at the eye of Chaos again and shook her head. No the Night Elf and Demoness are right she isn't a goddess she's a manipulator and a plague, again she was shocked by her own thought. "What is happening to me," she screamed.
Chaos's eye focused on Malice who was holding her hands against her head as if trying to prevent it from exploding.
"You have been freed from the bug's—" Chaos's eye closed and then reopened. "—influence."
"We have to go now," Elindil spoke through Chaos once more.
"Wait," Zaknafien raised his hand and reached out to the giant red eyeball. "Please take me as your own!"
Chaos's eye shifted to him. "I'll see what I can do," Chaos closed his eye and spoke for himself. "I'm not sure if the god of your universe will let souls cross universes, but I will try to persuade him on your behalf."
"Don't you mean threaten," Riza muttered under her breath. "him Chaos?"
Chaos's eye gave the Meserino Demoness a quick glance, just from that she knew that he was smiling that sinister smile of his and most likely Elindil and Zaratha were too.
Zak in complete ignorance innocently nodded, "that is satisfactory," I hope that they succeed.
"Don't worry Zak," Kiras smiled wide and gave him a thumbs up when she was sure that Chaos, Elindil and from the way Riza abruptly turned her head away from her in order to hide that smirk on her face. Unfortunately for her Zaknafien didn't understand what a thumbs up gesture meant. "My mi'thia and dar'nra will never let their kids down."
Zak shrugged, smiled and nodded at Kiras before turning to Chaos and giving him a deep bow. The eye of Chaos closed before it vanished returning the room back into the dark filled hole that it was before he appeared.
"Should I start calling you ber'nan now," Kiras asked Zaknafien
Zak didn't fully understand but he figured it out. "I think it's a bit too soon to start calling me brother Kiras."
Malice didn't have any strength left after being face to face or in Chaos's case eye for that long. She sat down unceremoniously on the floor, she covered her face with both hands. "I've fallowed Lolth's teachings for so long," she whimpered. "Only to find out that she isn't even a true goddess. "Now Lolth has forsaken us and we're about to go to war…" she started sobbing which unnerved Briza and worried both Vierna and Maya. "Without her blessings we are doomed."
Riza offered her hand to Malice who looked at it with trepidation. "If you want to kill me then please do it quickly."
Riza scoffed at Malice's words. "I wasn't able to understand a word of what you said, but I'm not going to kill you."
Malice gave Riza a credulous look.
"At least not right now," Riza turned her head so that Malice wouldn't be able to see her laughing.
Zaknafien couldn't help but smile. Finally I might actually have a real family if everything goes right.
Riza stiffened up a bit and pulled a garment out of her U-gem she also used the verse to pull the halter top that she was wearing off the floor and into her hand. "I keep forgetting that V isn't here to show off to…or pick on."
"Is V your husband," Zak asked while watching Riza store her shirt inside of a dimensional pocket and put on a black top that covered most of her breasts and allowed room for her wings on her back.
"Yep," Kiras answered for Riza. "He's really cute especially those tails of his." She hugged herself and smiled. "They are so soft!"
Malice picked herself off the floor and headed out to the main audience chamber. She was quickly followed by Briza and shortly thereafter by Maya.
"So what god do we serve now Malice," Briza asked after Malice slumped down onto her throne. "What does it matter Briza we've lost Lolth's blessings so we have no chance of winning the war that is to come."
"Are you so sure," Zaknafien seemed proud when he walked in. "Aren't you forgetting that we have two goddesses in our house right now."
"They aren't goddesses," Briza snapped.
"Nor is Loth," Zak fired right back. "And they are more than goddesses enough Kiras alone killed a Yochlol with that glowing sword of hers."
Vierna sighed. "I don't think that they would fight for us."
"And," Riza strode into the room. "What makes you think that we'd abandon you to your doom?"
Kiras headed over to Vierna who leaned over the back of Malice's throne. She suddenly grabbed Vierna and hugged her, by doing so she shocked most of the beings in the room but it made Zak and Riza smile. "Imperials never abandon beings in their time of need." Her words comforted all of those who were of House Do'Urden.
"Why does another house want to go to war with your house anyway?" Riza questioned.
Malice rested her cheek onto her fist and slumped lower in her throne. "Probably because they fear us, we did eliminate House DeVir several decades ago after they lost Lolth's favor."
"If nothing else Lolth loves to pit houses against each other in order to keep us in a constant state of fear and war." Zaknafien slowly shook his head. "All Drow do is attempt to curry favor with her no matter how depraved one needs to be in order to get it."
"And now we have no goddess," Malice gestured with her other hand. "We are on our own and it won't be long before every house in Menzoberranzan knows that we've been shunned by Lolth."
"Who cares about that fraking insect," Riza snorted. "You've got a Meserino Demoness and an Immortal Light Warrior on your side and you don't need a goddess to tap into your indren'freth or use the verse."
Malice, Zaknafien, Maya and Briza all stared at her with looks of confusion and dismay.
"I'm sorry I can understand common," Zaknafien began. "But I don't know what those words meant."
Riza sighed while Kiras held onto Vierna and rested her chin on top of her head. "Do you not know how to tap into your indren'freth? Or use the verse?"
Vierna didn't understand what Kiras had said but she was really starting to like this new Night Elf from a different universe.
"For the iloni of…" Riza walked over to one of the stone support pillars in the room and slammed her fist into it making a large chunk break off of it. "So the bug didn't even tell you about the three forms of power?" She cried in frustration.
Kiras startled them all when she sighed. "What exactly does she do for you?"
Briza folder her arms under her chest and straightened up to look more intimidating. "She blessed our spells and curses and she can help us know who our enemies are."
"Arcane arts—" Riza put her back to the broken pillar and slid down the side. "—really! She allows you to use the most chaotic, problematic, unmanageable, not to mention weakest of all the powers that we know about."
"To put it simply," Kiras closed her eyes while she spoke. "A good metaphor that our husband had come up with would be like knowing about a vast ocean yet the bug only offers you a thimble of water and that keeps you satisfied?"
"What's an ocean?" Maya turned to Zaknafien to see if he could clarify because like Vierna she wasn't fluent in the common tongue.
"It's a large body of water," Zaknafien replied. This whole communication problem needs to be resolved fast. I know that Malice knows the language and Briza does too, but Vierna, Maya, Dinin and Drizzt don't.
You're right Zak, Riza sent out her telepathic message startling the man. We need to resolve our language barrier fast. She pointed at Maya and beckoned her over to her. Maya looked behind her in confusion before she pointed at herself.
"Me," she asked in the Drow language. Riza nodded and beckoned her again. Maya hesitantly made her way over to the sitting demoness. When Maya crouched down at Riza's command she was startled and worried when the demoness suddenly grabbed her by the head and pulled her in for a kiss. All of the Drow went wide eyed at this, but Kiras was smirking.
They don't know about sharing memories and exchanging knowledge in the void. She held onto Vierna a little tighter which made the smaller woman fearful for a moment, but she instantly relaxed when she knew that Kiras wasn't going to squeeze her to death.
I actually like these aliens, Vierna thought made Kiras chuckle which reverberated into and through Vierna. No I really like these aliens, she actually closed her eyes and for the first time in ages she truly smiled.
