A Drow's Dilemma Ep. 46: Treasure

The older drow met the yuan-ti's enthusiasm with surprise. A muffled, strangled noise hummed in her throat. She was entirely unprepared for the male's immensely favorable reaction to her suggestion. Of all drow, Ashyr was probably the most accustomed to males being so bold, but not quite on this level, and definitely not coming from a male whose interest in her had been tepid at best before that moment. She was extremely quick to catch up, though, and responded with at least as much enthusiasm as he gave her. The ranger always did like a bit of initiative in her partners. One arm twisted around to take hold of his head, the other pressed against the small of his back to hold his body close to hers. Ashyr found that his tongue was exactly as delightful as she thought it would be. She was going to enjoy this.

As Ashyr met his lips, the Yuan-ti's agile fingers played over her frame, moving from her rear up her body to her arms, and then one hand down her arm to take hold of her ring finger. With a squeeze, he temporarily deactivated the ring, leaving her naked in his arms. His hands, slightly cool and silky hard, moved back to her rear, picking her up and carrying her over to one of those rugs.

Surprise made her temporarily break their kiss. "Hey! I thought those weren't supposed to be removed by anyone else! Oh. Right. Forgot who I was talking to." She grinned at the libidinous snake man who had by that time carried her to some particularly luxurious piles of fabric. Ashyr seemed quite pleased with his attention, though she could only verbalize her enjoyment with another happy hum. What happened to gathering loot as quickly as they could? The thought entered her mind, and was justified just as quickly. She needed a morale boost; that was sort of part of the treasure this room offered, since Slas said himself that he wasn't in the mood anywhere else.

"I did not remove it. Though I could." Slasjowskew said boastfully. After setting her down, he slithered out of his own clothing surprisingly quickly, then resumed kissing her, starting with her mouth then down to her breasts, his dexterous tongue twisting around her nipples. Then, without asking if she was ready, he inserted himself between her legs and thrust his slightly cold, scale-hard cock forward into her womanhood.

"You are the best-" Ashyr began to agree before feeling herself impaled. It was an unexpectedly quick insertion. Thankfully, though her mind hadn't been quite prepared, her body was more than ready. She arched her back and moaned the rest of what she was going to say. "-the best thief I've ever met." And that was saying something.

"Of coursse I am." Slasjowskew said dismissively.

She chuckled at his confidence. Then her legs wrapped around his hips a pulled him into her, trying to set the pace of his thrusting. He was stronger than he looked, and very forceful, not seeming to cooperate with her attempt to control the pace. He was also not the most generous of lovers, mostly just seeming to ignore the woman underneath him in favor of pounding her while looking around at the treasure. He closed his eyes and mouthed something incomprehensible in his native tongue. Meanwhile, her hands took that opportunity to explore every inch of his body that she could reach. She had a feeling that she might not get another chance at this. Another woman may have been annoyed at Slas' treatment of her. Another drow would have been furious. She was pretty much a toy, a substitution for the treasure that surrounded them. Ashyr didn't care. Even without being able to control the pace - or perhaps because of it - her body was beginning to surrender to pleasure. The warmth built in her body until she was just at the edge, and-

"Stupid adventurers, thinking that they can loot the hoard before they face the final boss."

When the sound of the ghost's voice came, Slas's lust snapped away, and he darted from Ashyr like a snake exposed to sudden light. Crouching on the pile of gold, he unsheathed his daggers. Ashyr's reaction toward the sudden voice was almost as quick as the yuan-ti. She separated from him and shifted into fighting position in an instant. "Fucking cunt tease..." Ashyr grumbled to herself as he clothing popped back on.

Selene had been mere moments away from yelling at her cousin to stop letting Slasjowskew fuck her into the carpets. It was great that the older drow found a way into his pants and all, but the younger drow really wanted to get out of there. Before she could say anything, however, her worries were realized. Not that it would have mattered even if they ran out of the room when they were reunited; Caleldra's return was too quick.

Caleldra slowly appeared in the air, floating with a slight, sad smile. Wards visibly appeared on all exits from the room. "What was that you were saying about needing to hurry away?"

Ashyr turned to the female copy of Caleldir and flexed her hands in an automatic motion that seemed strangely natural. The twin blades appeared in her hands, ready and seeming determined to fight their erstwhile guardian. She was sorely tempted to run right in to attack, but thought better of it. Ashyr didn't want to be caught in a fireball or an errant nymph blade.

Caleldra narrowed her eyes. "Those weapons..." She muttered. "I see that you have found some powerful allies. She smiled broadly again. No matter. When you defeat me - and I know that you will, for I have seen the future - I will still win. Every possible path leads to my victory, especially the one that you are on now." Several orbs, as blue and ethereal as the ghost herself, appeared around her head.

"I will delight in making you scream." The pregnant drow growled loud enough for the whole room to hear. That particular line was met with more disapproval from the staff-turned circlet. Selene didn't care; she had to protect her baby from the madwoman. Next came acceptance from her newfound artifact. The drow mage could feel the power of it flare to protect her body and strengthen her mind. Even as she spoke, she began to pop protection spells onto herself.

Caleldra's eyes twisted towards the Yuan-ti, who twitched, about ready to leap at her. "You, I find the least interesting. Odd that you would be the most powerful. Still, one driven only by greed is a sad figure." She flicked an ultrablast of psionic power at him, ripping the very reality around him. Slas dodged, of course, but she sent several more just as powerful, and every time he was forced farther away. One of the orbs peeled away from her, and flew towards Slasjowskew, shooting off blasts of energy of every description to harry him. She then turned towards Althaia, and, waving her hands, several weapons leapt up and began to strike at the nymph. "Heh, relative of my husband. Let me see how strong you really are. Probably more potential than the snake, I must say." Althaia did not reply, instead she focused on keeping the blades from biting into her flesh.

The other two occupied, Caleldra's attention turned to Selene. "It seems that my original plan to take revenge on you was futile, Selene. But no matter. By picking up that weapon, you have punished yourself sufficiently. Soon, the Selene I saw in your memories will cease to be. And once you become unrecognizable, a light imitation of your former self, looking with horror on your own past, well, then I will know satisfaction. But until then, I will be happy just hitting you with the pain of your victims." She hit the mage with a potent mind-altering burst that burrowed into her past, found pain that she inflicted on others, and then revisited it twofold on her. Scratches and cuts appeared all over Selene's body, making her gasp in surprise.

The floating ghost now finally focused on Ashyr, who was desperately looking for an opening to attack. She softened. "I... What..." She faltered. "Caleldir loves you too much. The feelings overcome me. I cannot fight you." Picking her up with telekinesis, she flung her to the other side of the room, into a pile of magic silk cushions

Ashyr let out a surprised yelp when she felt herself getting flung back onto a surprising soft place in the treasure room. If she hadn't been so intent on killing Caleldra, she might have found her journey through the air quite fun.

A haughty smile spread across the pregnant drow's full lips (though not before quickly checking if Ashyr was okay). "You see the future quite imperfectly, madwoman." Selene gloated. Caleldra must have been quite unhinged if she could see the future and still chose her current course. he merely grit her teeth, and powered through the near overwhelming sensations of pain revisited. Everything she had done to her 'playthings' had been likewise inflicted upon herself by someone else. Where else could she have learned her various kinks? But she was strong-willed even for a female. Where certain treatment would break the mind and body of a weak-willed male, Selene only grew stronger. Excepting, of course, what had happened with the Duskhaven males. Such was more psychological torture than physical.

"I will not change." Selene insisted through clenched jaw as fire began to form at her fingertips. She immediately knew her words to be a lie. It was not something she could dwell on. She needed that bitch gone before she put too much stress on her body for her unborn to take. "But even if I do, my past cannot haunt me more than it already does." For what pain could match the torture of losing a gifted daughter in front of one's own eyes? Just as the words left her lips, she flung her arms outward to try to sear the ghostly Caleldra with all the might of her newfound magical power.

Meanwhile, Ashyr snarled and scrambled up to try to run back at the madwoman. The older drow would have no qualms with fighting a woman who refused to fight back - not when she was actively trying to hurt her party. The fact that she looked exactly like Caleldir... well, that would be a little harder to overcome. Ashyr had to try, though. She could already see the signs of stress at the edges of Selene's visage. All that stress couldn't possibly be good for her unborn. "Sorry, handsome: you're on your own!" She called out to the snake make, who she could see briefly as she ran.

"No need to help me." Slasjowskew said, dodging back and forth. "Thiss iss rather fun, in itss way." He leapt up and stole the orb from the air. It vanished. "There. Ssinsce the three of you are not having any trouble, I will just continue to pilfer..." So, he did.

"Useless fellow." Caleldra scoffed. A sword flew through her. She looked stunned, her wound sealing over as she turned to Althaia, who had defeated her weapons by shattering them. The ghost smiled toothily. "As expected from my husband's kinsman!" She exulted. "Impressive indeed." She hurled several more psionic attacks at the nymph, but Althaia powered through them and leapt at her. Caleldra just flew higher, though. "You need better ranged attacks, though. Like the mage." She said this as Selene hurled bursts of fire at her. Caleldra merely phased out of existence, escaping the flames, but then Selene's memory hit her. The ghost screamed and fell to the ground, going corporeal again. "No!" She said, whimpering. The psionic attack had backfired. Again. How was it that this stupid drow continued to shrug off her psychic energy like this? That should not be possible! Fate itself was conspiring against, fortune was giving them an advantage they should not have. Twice now the die had landed against her; Caleldra was defeated.

Althaia put her blade to the ghost's... no, the woman's chin. "Odd..." she said, narrowing her eyes. "This woman is not a ghost, nor even dead at all."

The ranger slowed to a jog, then halted entirely in front of Althaia and Caleldra. She looked with questioning eyes over to Selene, who stood partially away from the group with a hard, triumphant look in her eyes. Then she looked back down at the now fallen woman with a sword at her throat.

Slasjowskew nodded. "Sshe wass jusst ussing pssionic energy to go incorporeal, and manipulate our mindss to persseive her ass a ghosst. That, and sshe iss a fetch."

"Oh!" The nymph said, impressed. "One of those creatures conceived by a ghostly parent?"

The Yuan-ti nodded. "That would be the casse."

Caleldra whimpered a little. "Just kill me." She said, sadly. "It is long past time that I died."

A strange sort of anxiety flared in Ashyr's heart then, for it was like looking at the sad, defeated form of her lover. She both wanted to angrily push Althaia away for threatening that Caleldir impersonator and kill the pathetic woman herself for stealing Selene away with clear intent to harm her. Ashyr was aware that, as the prime object of Caleldir's affection - an affection that Caleldra somehow shared as evidenced by her declaration that she couldn't harm Ashyr - she could be of real comfort to the sad, tortured woman now begging for death. That path was confusing and hard, and made Ashyr's heart hurt. The older drow's eyes flickered in the direction of the yuan-ti just out of her vision. That one was probably back to reveling in the spoils with orgasmic elation. He might even be willing to finish the 'conversation' that was cut short by the now whimpering woman. This could very well be her only chance to sample the otherwise standoffish male. Emotional pain and confusion, or pleasure and release? It was too much a temptation for Ashyr, for, when it came down to it, she was not a good person... she wasn't evil, either, but that did not bar her from being prone to selfishness now and then.

"Selene, she captured you. Only you know what she did to you. You decide what happens to her." Ashyr said. The decision did have a sort of balance to it, though Selene was very likely to completely overreact. With that said, Ashyr turned and stalked toward the yuan-ti to see if that spark had reignited. If not, she had quite a few ideas to coax it back to life.

Althaia gave Ashyr a disapproving glance. Unlike Ashyr, the nymph was pretty unambiguously on the good side, despite her racial issues with consent. Still, she could not judge the drow too very much for her libido.

The younger drow blinked at the older's decision. For a moment there, Selene was sure that Ashyr herself was going to go to Caleldra. It made sense to Selene why she didn't, though. She had also caught the pain in her older cousin's eye. Well, the mage wasn't going to complain about this arrangement. There was absolutely no fear in Selene's eyes when she approached Caleldra. After all, her most potent attacks with the mind had been unpleasant, but it seemed to have hurt the attacker more. Selene was quite sure that it was her own mental fortitude that brought this about. Whenever possible, the drow would always choose to see herself not as lucky, but as powerful.

As for what to do with her... this... thing wanted death now. Selene was not in a charitable mood. No, Caleldra would live a while longer.

The right thing for the wrong reason.

Selene smirked at the exasperated voice in her head. "Wait, Althaia. Don't kill it yet." She said as she stalked forward towards the two of them.

Caleldra's eyes darted between Ashyr and Selene, before falling back down to the ground. This had been a terribly unfair fight. She should not have been able to lose, not against that one. The nymph, maybe, but not against the mage whom she hated so much. That, and her foresight was clouded, the future murky. But more than that, she had finally fallen to despair. Otherwise, she could still shred these interlopers, using more direct psionic attacks instead of those apparently useless mental ones.

Althaia clicked her tongue, and withdrew the sword from Caleldra's throat. "Well, she did not capture me, so I do not have as much of a say, but I am inclined to turn her over to R.I.S.A. I think that the A.I. will be able to hold her until we figure out what to do with her. Alternately, we can make her be our guide to the library, so that we can rescue her double from his own madness."

This thought perked Caleldra up a little. Only a little. She did not stand, though.

Slas, for his part, had not returned to cavorting in the gold. He seemed grim, and a bit thoughtful, but gave Ashyr a slight smile when she returned to him. "That wass a bit of a mood killer, I will admit." He stated. He sighed a little, then hoisted his bag over his back. "I am ready to leave here." He said. He did give her an appreciative ogle though. "Perhaps you would like to help me tally some of this once he get out of here, lovely." He licked his lips. Whether or not that was a euphemism was hard to tell. Probably not, but it could easily become one.

Althaia, who had been watching the scene out of the corner of her eye, giggled a little. "Heh. Shot down. Never happens to me." She muttered in amusement.

To Ashyr, it sounded very much like a postponement, not rejection. She could handle that, especially considering that not even every drow liked being watched at such a vulnerable time. "Alright, handsome." Ashyr conceded with and expression close to her usual mischievous grin. Apparently she wasn't going to press the issue. She didn't think she could even if she wanted to.

That said, Ashyr did find that, despite the Yuan-ti's sudden change in mood, she almost literally stumbled across a piece of luck. On the ground in front of her was a mask: a slight, translucently grey thing that seemed to practically ooze with power. Something told Ashyr that this particular item was something that she had been looking for. She crouched down in front of it, though she was hesitant to pick it up. Hadn't Caleldir once said that they should consult him before taking anything out of the Monastery? The swords did not count. Ashyr was pretty sure their binding to her was fate and unavoidable. Her hand was already in the process of reaching out towards it. Something told her that she needed this. The suspicious drow part of her had to ask; was it intuition, or something sinister from the mask itself? Probably the former. She lifted the item and examined it more closely.

"You said that the Monastery A.I. is weaker here? Or was that only further back into the sewers?" The mage asked the defeated fetch, ignoring Ashyr and Slasjowskew. "I need to rest and recover my spells and would really like to safely shove more of this stuff into R.I.S.A. We might have more questions to ask of you." Selene continued, her crimson gaze focused on Caleldra. "If you're really good, we might agree to let you lead us to Caleldir. Perhaps even meet him in person." And see the horror on his face when he realized what his other self had done to her, what she had done to other adventurers in turn, and, best of all, what she planned to do to Selene. Would she meet that horror and disgust with emotional agony, Selene wondered?

Ugh. Thinking that made her brain ache just a little. But it also made her smile.

"The Animatra is somewhat weaker this deep." Caleldra said petulantly. "But she is still present. If we go back into the sewers, and then travel for about a half hour, we will reach the edge of her influence. But do not think of trying to escape that way. The Duesterra Underworld is strongly affected by the curse, and though the Monastery A.I. will not personally attack, the place is an unsolvable maze." She sighed, standing meekly up. "I suppose that, if you are sparing my life, I am now your prisoner. There is a collar over there on the wall that inhibits psionic abilities. If you were to put that on me, you could ease your minds about whether or not I will turn on you."

Althaia affixed the fetch with a piercing gaze, then nodded. "As far as I can tell, Caleldra is telling the truth, at least partly. Still, I do wonder why you would volunteer that information."