Jarlaxle needed to rile Alex up just enough so she would be angered to strike him. An idea came into his mind and he pushed his body forward, roughly kissing her on the lips before pulling away with a wide smirk. "Strike me now or I do that again!"
Alex stepped back, shock and anger burning in her eyes. She lowered her head and fell to her knees, desperately trying to think of a way out of this situation.
Jarlaxle raised her chin with his finger. "There is no other option my dear."
Looking to him, "I cannot do this, nor can I watch others suffer for my actions."
"You must decide."
"I cannot!" She punched her fist the ground and the snakes writhed excitedly.
"Would you prefer your friend to suffer more for your actions?"
Alex looked up at those words. "What would you do to her?"
Jarlaxle had her attention. "It's just what I would do to her, but would Pharaun would do as well."
Her eyes darkened. "She has suffered enough!"
"We'll make her like us through pain," Jarlaxle said. "An emotionless killer who seeks to strike down the innocent. She will suffer unlike no one has and it will be all your fault for you will watch her turn!" He paused, "that is of course unless you take the first step and strike me with that whip that has been bestowed upon you."
"She has suffered enough," Alex said. "Let her be."
Jarlaxle laughed. "Oh really? You know that we will not let her be."
Alex growled. "NO!" She stood quickly and lashed at him with the whip, her anger getting the better of her. When she realized what she did she fell to the floor, dropped the whip, and felt tears in her eyes.
Jarlaxle savored the pain and smiled as he reached to taste his own blood. "Well done my dear, well done. How did it feel my dear?"
Alex looked up at him and hissed. "You bastard!"
He laughed. "Come now, you cannot deny that you enjoyed what you did. That raw aggression was a thing of beauty. You cannot deny that it felt good."
"I enjoyed nothing!"
"Do not deny your feelings."
"You tricked me!" Alex started to cry. "I have tainted myself, and it's all because of you!"
"I did not trick you," Jarlaxle said. "I only made the feelings you were suppressing come out. You cannot blame me, especially since you were the one in control of the whip."
She shook her head and sobbed, "no."
"Yes," he said taking a step toward her.
"No, never again," she said.
"My dear, there is no such thing as never," Jarlaxle said, "you know that as well as I do. And of course you cannot deny your own word again."
Alex started talking aloud to herself, blocking out Jarlaxle's presence. "How? How could I have given in so easily? I have not gotten stronger at all." She shook her head and more tears fell. "Kristi would be better off with out having to worry about me."
"You've slowly gotten stronger," Jarlaxle said. But yes, she would be better of., She'd make a fine assassin if the guilt of her friend's death weighed heavily on her...yet they are a strong force to reckon with together.
Alex wallowed in her guilt; not realizing how close Jarlaxle really was to her.
"You cry openly admitting a strength," Jarlaxle said, "you do not mind displaying emotion, your friend on the other hand is different." He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
Alex stiffened and broke out of his grasp, backing up toward her bed. She crawled onto the bed and away from him, backing into the wall as Jarlaxle slowly advanced. "Stay away from me!"
"Why my dear?"
Alex looked around wildly. "I said, 'stay away.'" She pushed herself harder against the wall.
Jarlaxle restrained himself. "Fine," he said. Motioning to his wound. "I really should take care of this anyway. Did I mention that the whip contained poison?"
Her eyes widened. "Poison?"
"Yes, it should be taking its affect right about-," before he could finish he collapsed in front of Alex.
Alex gasped and stared in shock. "Now what do I do?"
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Pharaun put an arm around Kristi and murmured, "how about we go to the tavern again and celebrate?"
Peeling his arm off her shoulder. "Celebrate what? And in case your memory is fogged the last time we went to a tavern you couldn't hold your liquor and I just happened to be whipped! Unlike some, I learn from past experiences."
"Ah yes, but that was only because you switched the drinks. This time I promise you, no potions or whips involved," Pharaun said.
"A promise? From you?"
"Yes, you have proved yourself this day."
"What?" Kristi was thoroughly confused. "Proved myself? What did I prove?"
"That you can think like a drow," Pharaun said. "That is the first step."
Darkly, "what's the second step?"
Pharaun ignored her question and took her hand. "Will you take me up on my offer?"
Kristi sighed, "fine. Lead the way." I need a break anyway. "And let me guess, I have to put on a drow disguise again?"
He nodded. "Of course, otherwise you would not even get out of this building alive."
She waved her hand, muttered a spell, and let the illusion of a drow form wash over her.
"Beautiful," Pharaun said.
Kristi rolled her eyes.
"Shall we be off?"
"Fine," she said, following him.
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Larenil approached Alex from the shadows and tossed her a scroll. "Only the holder of the whip can reverse the poison," she said before exiting abruptly.
Alex caught the scroll. "What…umm," she looked down to the scroll. "should I really do this?"
Jarlaxle moaned from the ground in his unconscious state.
She looked around and sighed, "I could escape." She paused and knew she couldn't try it without Kristi. With a sigh, "I can't leave him like that. He just may help us back home." She opened the scroll and read it aloud, reversing the poison.
Jarlaxle slowly awakened and looked to her, "wise decision." He goes to stand, but falls down onto the bed. "You could have betrayed me."
"I know," she said. "Don't try to get up." She pushed him back down. "I don't know why I am doing this, but," she trailed off.
"But what, my dear?" He was injured, but not as badly as Alex thought.
"I can't just let you suffer. It's not my way," she said, sitting at the edge of the bed.
He sat up. "My life is one of suffering."
"I know that," Alex said, "but it is something that I do not know if I'll ever be able to accept."
"You must accept the suffering," Jarlaxle said.
"I know I must, but it just something that is hard for me to do," Alex said with a sigh.
"You must overcome it my dear, if not for your sake but for your friend's," Jarlaxle said. "The house of the Matron Mother is full of suffering."
"I know," Alex said. Looking to him, "which House is it that we are going to? Is it the first House? House Baenre I think it is?"
"That is correct," Jarlaxle said.
Alex groaned. "This is not going to be easy then is it? I can see it in your eyes, do not try to hide it."
"No it is not going to be easy," Jarlaxle said. "Has it been easy thus far?"
She shook her head. "No, no it has not. But I thought it would get easier from here with our training."
"It will get harder," Jarlaxle said, "much harder."
"Is going to the Matron Mother the only way to get out of here? Isn't there another way?"
"Well, you could attempt to brave the uncharted Underdark alone and suffer death in a multitude of ways without us, because we would be tracked down and killed if Pharaun and myself were found accompanying you," Jarlaxle said.
"But you are a Mercenary leader, and I know you have many enchantments about you," Alex said. "I know that you could get out of here."
"Well of course I could, but unless you would like to leave your friend behind…you and I could go to the surface," he said trailing off.
"I," Alex thought for a moment, "no, I cannot do that. We came here together and we will leave here together."
"Of course," Jarlaxle said, "but the offer still stands…if you change your mind."
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Kristi looked to Pharaun. "Are we going to the same tavern as before?"
"No, this one is a little further into the city," Pharaun said.
Kristi muttered, "great."
"Oh don't sound so excited. You will enjoy it there," Pharaun said.
She rolled her eyes in reply, but she did start to really observe the city life in Menzoberranzan.
"Do you enjoy the sites of this city?"
"It's unique. The architecture is very well crafted and the inhabitants themselves are each different," Kristi said.
"Yes, there is no other City like it," Pharaun said leading her further into the city, close to where most of the nobles lived.
Kristi started getting a little worried, but maintained an aura of confidence for the sake of her disguise. "Are we close to the tavern?"
"Just about," Pharaun said, "it is the finest tavern in the city. Most of the Nobles go here. Mainly males, but once in a while a high priestess will come in."
"Great, just great," she said. "Mainly males and the occasional priestess."
"Yes, my child, but do not worry. Usually the members of my house do not enter," Pharaun said.
"Me? Worry?"
"Like I said it is only once in a while that my family comes in here. It is then that we will have to worry," he said nonchalantly.
"Just curious," Kristi said, "what would happen if a member of your family just happened to walk in?"
Pharaun smiled. "They would try to kill me of course. Remember they exiled me, and as long as they know I am alive they hunt me down."
"Well, as usual I'm reassured," Kristi said with a sigh. She noticed a taver called The Spider's Lair. "Is that it?"
"Yes my dear, it is," he said. He led her into the tavern and over to a booth in the corner.
She sat down and noticed other males staring at them, so she flashed them a glare. Turning to Pharaun, "so now what?"
"Relax and enjoy," he said. He ordered two glasses of the finest wine from the bar and handed one glass to Kristi. "Here."
Okay, Pharaun wouldn't pull something in a tavern full of nobles and I sense no spell in the drink, so bottoms up. "Yeah…relax." She sipped the wine and found that it wasn't bad.
"Do you like it my child?"
"Will you stop calling me that," Kristi said. Looking to the drink, "yes, it's okay."
Pharaun smiled. "Then what do you suggest I call you?"
She shrugged. "How about my name?" I'm 18 and a frickin adult. I can VOTE! Wait…there's no voting in the Underdark…damnit!
"I could do that, but where is the fun in it?"
Kristi grit her teeth. "Fun…riiight. Your little mind games won't work on me."
"Speaking of fun, why don't we have a little?"
"What kind of fun?"
"Watch and see," he said. "I am a wizard after all." He whispered a spell and directed to a noble sitting at a table nearby. The spell, which was a small lightning bolt hit the noble in the rump causing him to jump in surprise and yelp in shock, causing the other around him to laugh.
Kristi help back a laugh. "This is your idea of fun?"
"It relieves stress," Pharaun said, "just as long as you do not get caught. You try it."
Kristi muttered a spell, causing a chair to slide away from a noble that was about to sit down at a table. The noble fell down causing many in the tavern to laugh, much to the embarrassed and flustered noble's sputtering.
Pharaun laughed quietly. "Now, try that one over there," he said pointing to a female priestess.
"Are you crazy! That priestess will sense the spell towards her the second I invoke it," Kristi whispered.
"She won't, trust me on this one," Pharaun said. "You can do it."
Kristi concentrated on masking her identity and made the spell appear to come from another drow across the room. She mumbled a spell that caused the priestess' robe to wrap around the table and as she stood, she tripped, causing many males to stifle laughter.
"Well done!" The tavern had gone silent, but at Pharaun's exclamation, the priestess looks up in his direction. "Why hello there, dear sister."
Oh shit. Kristi glared at Pharaun.
The priestess walked over to them and in a not-so-nice tone said, "Hello dear
brother. And who is this with you?"
She smiled at Pharaun's sister. "I am merely a drow teaching a male some manners. She discretely grabbed the whip from Pharaun's side and twirled it in her hand. "May I inquire your name?" Mentally to Pharaun, (Is this the one who wants to kill you!)
(Yes, be wary. She is quite smart)
"My name is Greyanna, a name that you will know well," she said.
Pharaun stood and bowed. "What brings you to this place my sister? I would not expect one of your ranking to be here."
"That is none of your concern," Greyanna replied as she looked to him with a killer glint in her eyes. She raised her hand and four other drow stood up, armed and ready. "You can try to defend yourself this time Pharaun, but it will do you no good." To Kristi, "Come fellow priestess help me slay this menace and the Queen herself will praise you."
Kristi intervened. "Greyanna...may I have a word with you, outside of the male tainted ears of your brother and followers?"
The other priestess stepped aside and listened.
"Greyanna, as sad as this may sound I require the magical services of your brother, we have a meeting with the Matron Mother in a few days and it would not do well with me to lose the information and knowledge he possesses," Kristi said in her best 'priestess voice'. "Myself and a few other drow plan on acquiring information of our most hated surface cousins and unfortunately this wretch of a drow has a sufficient knowledge of the Underdark and the Surface plane," Kristi said
"And why would this meeting need his services?"
"It's for a small raid we hope to plan, but the information we still need to ascertain the location of the most inhabited places to raid. You understand we only want
to spread as much blood as we can," she answered.
Greyanna turned to her brother. "Is that so?"
Kristi snapped the whip toward Pharaun. "Answer her!"
Pharaun glared at Kristi. (You will pay for that later) "Yes."
"Then, why has this not been discusses with the 8 ruling houses? If there were to be a Surface raid, then the Eight Houses would be notified," Greyanna said.
"It is but a mere plan at the moment," Kristi said, "if the information we require is not sufficient enough the houses will be troubled with a matter of lesser importance. Surely you understand that we wish not to disrupt the affairs of the higher houses."
Greyanna shook her head and closed her eyes, muttering a spell. "I sense in your thoughts that you are not being truthful."
(Oh great, just great)
Kristi whispered a spell that blocked her thoughts. "My thoughts are my own."
"If you were a true priestess of Lloth you would not have to hide your thoughts," Greyanna said. She began to cast another spell as she motioned for the other drow to attack.
Pharaun took Kristi's arm and pulled her out of the tavern. "Time to go."
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Jarlaxle shifted. "My dear, if you don't mind could you rub a healing ointment on my shoulder to extract the venom?" He motioned to a salve on the table.
"You want me to what?"
"You heard me," Jarlaxle said. "My arms are weak and I cannot reach the spot."
Alex took the salve. "You have to sit up first."
Jarlaxle sat up and put a pained expression on his face.
"Does it really hurt that bad?"
Being a drow that enjoyed massages immensely Jarlaxle answered, "Yes my dear, the venom from one of those whips stings immensely."
"I'm sorry," Alex said rubbing the salve onto his shoulder.
Jarlaxle couldn't suppress a smile as he asked, "there's another cut lower, could you get that one as well?"
"Where is it located?"
"It's down my spine, you should see the scar," Jarlaxle said. "It's an old wound that flares up occasionally."
Alex saw the scar that ran along the small section of his spine and proceeded to apply the salve. "Where did you get this?"
"An unfortunate accident really, I was defending myself from a foe for my territory and they literally stabbed me in the back," Jarlaxle said.
"How… how can a society live like this?"
"It is the way here and almost always has been the way," Jarlaxle said.
"Almost?"
"Long, long ago the drow once resided on the surface with the 'faeries', but we were subjugated to the darkness, where we prefer it," Jarlaxle said.
Alex sighed. "I see." She stopped massaging the ointment onto his back.
"Something is on your mind?"
She sat back down at the edge of the bed. "No, nothing of importance."
"It must be important if it troubles you so," Jarlaxle said.
Alex shook her head. "Really it is nothing." She paused and looked to Jarlaxle, "do you honestly think we will get out of this alive?"
"As long as your friend stays out of trouble we just may," Jarlaxle said.
"That may not be so easy," Alex said trailing off.
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Author's Note: First instance of "never invoke a priestess' wrath"...which means yes, there will be more instances.In the future however, they will all have to worry about more powerful feminine figures.
Next chapter, Pharaun and Kristi are on the run from Greyanna…will Alex and Jarlaxle realize they're in trouble?