The fact that it took an ETERNITY for me to update this to full version should speak volumes about how much time do I have to spend on writing. I am sorry to say that it seems more and more impossible to continue the closer the end of my last high school year gets (end the closer i get to those exams in May. Damn those to the Abyss !).

Because i am so very very close to finishing a certain story arc and moving towards another (one filled with fillers, combat, kinky sex between/with unusual things and the power of the DARK SIDE !)I decided to keep writing through the next week in order to make the last chapter of this arc.

What is more problematic is what comes after. There are only two things I could do : Put the story on an official hiatus until at least half of May or continue writing, albeit at a painfully slow if erratic pace.

I'd say the deadline for the decision is about two weeks, but I do promise to let out the next chapter before chosing either thing.

In the meantime, PLEASE review. It is really much much easier to dedicate time and effort to writing this story every now and again when i do certain things (among those seeing the number of votes for maximal rating increasing, though I do not get the chance too often lately), and certainly seeing a personal and specific response would help.
Still, I cannot promise anything since, to me at least, the situation sucks hard as my amount of free time decreases and i get the less and less desire to spend what little of it I am going to have in the next two months on writing a fanfic.

This is officially the full version of this chapter. The word count is 30 008. So, yeah, it's the longest so far. For people who already read the incomplete version, I marked the interval with repeated " ||| " signs.

Enjoy.

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Chapter XI
Venomous Words

The news of Casavir’s fate had only reached their ears moment ago, but Light New what she should do. What she will do right now.
She’ll do what she has only done twice in her life. Her last resort. Her almost never used way of dealing with problems, with difficulties, something she was sure she would never again resort to, but something which seemed to be the best way to solve all the problems in the Cosmos, at least to males of most species.

Yes.
The tavern. Alcohol. Lots of it. She needed to get drunk.
That’s precisely what she needed right now.


Maenaz woke up.
Valsharess was still asleep – curious, as elves shouldn’t have the need of sleep at all.
Still, it was because of his dream that he couldn’t sleep any longer.
Problem was, that while he was incredibly agitated, almost scared, he had no idea what the dream actually was about. He just couldn’t remember.
But he had a sudden desire to hunt down somebody as high in Neverwinter’s hierarchy as possible. And quickly.
He threw a look at Valsharess.
Something was odd. Missing.
He quickly got into his gear and started gathering a group of drow whom he considered to do best in the last battle.
They had a mission to accomplish, and to hell with the Empress’ authorization.
It was unreasonable, and he couldn’t understand why he needed it so much. He couldn’t even remember the dream that affected him so.
But he really needed to see the Neverwinter Nine’s symbol of an eye – soaked in blood.

They were pacing incredibly through the last part of the desert – Master Xardas urged them to move as fast possible.
It seemed like he changed slightly after both Dorna and Xanos fell in battle. Seemed strange as he could just bring them both back regardless of their faith or will, it appeared. Still, despite the fact that risk of death was normal part of being an adventurer and regardless of whether or not it was their quest that he supervised or his quest that they just accompanied him on, Master blamed himself.
She was beginning to fear that their time together would end one way or another – even if their quest wasn’t ended after finding Garrick, Xardas could simply decide that it is too dangerous for his students to continue and send them back to Drogan.
Wait…
Why did she fear it so much ? And “Their time together” ? What a poor choice of words !

But… she guessed she couldn’t deny a certain attraction she felt to her teacher. He was slightly laid-back and had a healthy amount of confidence, but also seemed extremely responsible… and mysterious.
Hell, why was she so crazy about this whole mystery aura he had all of the time !
Now, when they finally new if not the full extent, then at least the kind of his powers, she seemed even more interested. He used druidic spells but wasn’t a druid. In addition, he had an incredible blade – a sword that somehow seemed incomplete, but even so possessed unique powers and was of incredible quality. Definitely not the work of man.
In addition, her master was a sorcerer, which strongly suggested he was a descendant of some exotic race – either a dragon or something even more otherworldly.
These things just kept amassing, increasing her initially shy and a bit unwanted (on her end as well) interest in the man that joined Drogan in teaching them.
However, he was growing distant and she was sure that in case more problems arose, he wouldn’t want to have them around. Well, she could argue – she didn’t fell in battle, not once, and the idea of them traveling JUST with each other seemed… interesting.
But if he was really set in his decision, she knew she wouldn’t be able to oppose him.
So, practically prayed in her thoughts so that he won’t send them away.
This did seem… unhealthy, but she wanted to know him a bit better, and she didn’t want this adventure to end yet.

The encampment was within sight, and Mischa cemented her decision not to let things simply end here.



And yet another drink.
Light of Heavens did not have troubles coupling with stress. She rarely bound emotionally to people, but understood loss. She did not have actual parents so she shouldn’t be disappointed that someone left her.
And somehow this whole situation seemed so hard for her and so depressing that she had to resort to this.
Xardas left. Casavir died. An evil too powerful for her was roaming around free. And she couldn’t simply take all that on her shoulders. Somehow, after all those hard years of fighting and being alone, a disappearance of two men and an appearance of another one – one who posed a threat greater than most she encountered – could overcome her and push her into depression.
And yet another drink.
Light had heavenly reflexes, as befitted her name, and her senses were sharp. All this was dulled and drown by alcohol, but even so, she could see a flash of blonde hair and a movement of a hand of another as she raised the glass to her mouth.
She already started formulating the plan of beating this girl down and returning to her relief, but of course, before her mind managed to start to work, a gentle hand lowered her glass and another patted her on the back.
- Drinking ? That’s so unlike you, Sister.
Joy. She was actually planning to punch her own sister in order to drink more alcohol.
Such a hopeless wreck she was that she decided she should drink more to forget about how pitiful she was. Of course, the pretty blonde next to her made that plan a lot harder to go with.
- I’m fine, Joy. I just…
- You’re not fine. I only saw you drink once in your life.
- It was twice, actually.
- Big difference. But that means you only try to get drunk if something terrible happens. Is it because of what happened to Casavir, or is it something else.
- This, too. I mean…
- You’re feeling guilty. You think you should go with him.
Sister always was too good at reading her. Especially when she was drunk.
- Yes. Instead, I was acting bitchy. I let a brave man die because… because…
- Calm down, Sis. Express it however you want, but talking may help you.
- It’s because of this bastard !
- Well, the person who killed him is certainly powerful, and must be sto…
- No, you don’t get it ! Not him ! I’m talking about this whole Lord Captain ! That son of a bitch Xardas… He… I just don’t get it ! He achieved so much, could have so much, and he simply turned away ! He saved the continent, had one in a million chance of purging this land for years to come… and he turned away !
He left me here to train his hopeless pitiful idiots of Greycloaks while he himself is acting like a guy trice his age teaching some idiotic useless bastards how to be adventurers ! Making heroes of the “younger generation”, fuck !
- Oh… and this is what you feel ? Anger ?
- Yes !
- Because he left you ?
Light considered, and answered.

- I… don’t understand any of this, Light. I was completely fine when he was leaving, and then, just the day after, I felt so drained… I felt like if the entire purpose of sitting here and training these recruits… was gone. I do not understand why I was so resigned all this time nor why I am so angry now, but…I just don’t know what I should do.

Joy embraced her and pulled her closer.
- Sis… You’re a strong person. One of the strongest women I’ve ever seen and heard of. You’re a good fighter and you have a great personality, it’s just that…
- What ? Where did I fail ?
- Light… you always had troubles when it came to finding yourself a goal and working towards it. You mostly wandered around and waited till opportunity to do good presented itself. When you joined forces with someone, you were always among the ones who were lead… And those alliances lasted shortly, but from what I saw, you always seemed more… whole and more cheerful when you weren’t alone and had somebody to focus your will and efforts, someone who gave you a light and a goal.
- I… don’t know…

Light was slightly weeping. Still, Sister’s words seemed to be accurate. She always wondered where the hell this childish irritating girl could suddenly get all these reasonable and wise words from.

- That’s not all, Sis. This Xardas… nobody earlier affected you that way. He seems a special case, so with him suddenly gone, it’s understandable that you feel emptier, you find it harder to concentrate, to do something…
- But why is it like that ! I always could simply move on and continue with my work after parting with my friends and allies ! So why is it like that ?
- It’s as I said… You simply found a greater purpose alongside him and wanted to continue, and now, when that is impossible, you feel hollow and tired. All you need to understand, Sis, is that he is coming back… He’s not going anywhere permanently. If you do nothing in the meantime, it’ll seem like a very long time. But if you just give yourself that slightest push and do what you always did, the time will be shorter. And when he returns, you’ll be happy you’re able to continue with your great visions of bringing good to the world instead of being angry or sad that he was gone.
- I…
- That’s all it takes, Lohi. Just try it.
Light smiled. Yes… it did seem… reasonable.
- You damn tease. You know I hate when you call me that.
- Ohhh, it just sounds a lot cuter than “Light of Heavens”, doesn’t it ?
- You’re the one who is supposed to be cute ! I am the great champion of Lathander, and today I am leaving on a new quest ! A new mission to inform the wizard Sand and Lord Nasher of the danger that has appeared in the land !
- Fine, fine, miss Heavens. I salute you and wish you success with your important mission. Fare thee well.
Light grabbed her sword and slowly adjusted to the weakened balance…
- I may need a few hours…
- Yes. Definitely.
- Oh, and Joy…
- Yes ??
- Thank you.
- Always a pleasure, dear.

Light went to gather her supplies, her armor and get the alcohol out of her system. Joy couldn’t help but smile as she went on with those little uncertain steps, and chuckle as she left.
- Could it be ? Ohhhh, that would be so sweet… If my dear sister finally got a crush on someone… I hope that “bastard” doesn’t make her wait too long, or she might just do something stupid and impulsive when he returns ! And he seems a bit of a late bloomer with these things… Sure hope Sis will become happy ! Fufufu…


After quickly solving a certain wine issue, they entered the temple of Ao. This certainly seemed strange – a temple to a god who apparently should exist, but no mortal can confirm this for sure – he was apparently seen in a few places during the Time of Troubles, but those might as well be ravings of lunatics and religious fanatics, and doesn’t answer any sort of prayers.
She would have to ask Master and Dorna how they felt about this cult later.


Xardas did not wish to waste time philosophizing with the Aoists, so he decided to simply aid Garrick as fast as possible and leave.
The woman who took care of him, Valana, apparently did what she could, but since they couldn’t count on divine magic here in Ao’s encampment, the wizard was still in a bad condition.
The archeologist also asked them for help, though he had trouble speaking.
Mischa was about to help him herself, but Xardas stopped her and moved his hands over the man, casting a Heal spell and immediately improving the man’s condition to…
Well, suffice to say that it did not seem like if he was ever hurt.
- Thank… you. I am Garrick Halassar, and you ?
- I am Xardas Carolinger, a co-worker of Drogan Droganson, and those are our students, Mischa and Dorna. Supposedly, you can help us identify a certain magical item.

Xardas handed Garrick the crystal. He inspected it for a few moments, then he suddenly got excited, cast some spell, inspected it further, finally lowered his hands and just said.
- It’s a mythallar. How the hell did you get it ? Doesn’t matter. You’ll tell me about this later… What I’m more concerned about is whether you bringing this here is in any way connected to the attack on my excavation… Yes… she probably sensed the crystal in the vicinity and thought we have it. Makes sense.
- Is everything all right ?
- Yes, I’m just trying to gather all the pieces of information together… You see, this thing is a Mythallar, a powerful artifact from ancient Netheril. I am currently studying their civilization, however I have no idea about what a mythallar was used for. However, if one is destroyed… It could cause great damage to the surroundings.
- And how do you know this ?
- From ancient manuscripts I found. I read a story about a mage who walked into his greatest rival’s house and shattered the thing, destroying everything in a radius of many miles. Apparently, they’re not that durable.
- I see…
- Some time ago, we found a room with a portal that we assumed was used by Netherilians to travel from city to city. We didn’t manage to activate it, because of the morning’s events.
- What happened ?
- Just before the dawn a strange, hooded and cloaked figure appeared, leading a bunch of monsters and demons. One of them threw me at the wall and left me to die like this, but I managed to regain consciousness and come here.
- This the hooded figure use the portal ?
- She tried, but I don’t think it worked. Apparently she expected to find the mythallar with us, and needed it in her plan. She was very nervous.
- She ?
- I assume it was a woman… from her voice, I mean. Well, the silhouette was far more feminine than masculine as well. When she didn’t find the crystal among us, she got very upset, said she can wait no longer and begin working at the portal, sending her minions to find it. She is either still in the ruins or she managed to cross the portal and is on the other side…
- Either way, she must be stopped.
- You’re probably right. She probably expects to find and use ancient Netheril treasures there… And she needs the mythallar for her own ends.
- From what you learned… Is Netheril magic and artifacts still a danger, after all those centuries ?
- It may be so… After all, some Netherilians live to this day, and it was a Netherilian who managed to destroy a deity and almost cause a world-wide cataclysm with a use of a single spell which wasn’t even the work of his life. I’d say they’re most certainly still dangerous.
- Then it’s settled. I’m going in and killing the whore. Mischa, Dorna, you’re staying here. I must do this alone.
- But, Master, you cannot attempt to do this alone !
- You’ve both grown a lot since we left Hilltop, but to take any of you would be pointless. I cannot worry about your safety.
- What about your safety !?
- I agree with Mischa. If the Netherilian artifacts are really so…
- Shut up. Both of you. I’ve already fought ancient civilizations. I’ve brought down creatures that you only see in your worst nightmares. I haven’t used even a shred of my true power so far before the moment I took down Kel-Garas. So, be quiet. I will do this alone. You will remain here, safe and sound.
- What if you fail ?
- I will not.
- I think I have the answer to this problem. I can use a spell that will allow me to reach Drogan. He will probably soon be here, seeing his access to portals, magic and summoning and so on.
- Well… I still think I can deal with it myself, but having Drogan to back me up certainly wouldn’t be so bad.
- Master Xardas ? – Dorna asked.
- Yes ?
- Not only did you refuse our help after us going through all the trouble of training and fighting all these creatures, but right now, you sound like you think that Master Drogan is less powerful than you.
- Do I ?
- Yes.
- Well… I guess you’ll never know, right ?

[“There he goes. That mysterious smile of his again. Damn it, now I almost want to see him and Drogan fight. He seems so confident that he is more powerful than the dwarven Harper that… Well, I guess it is like he says. We’ll never know… unless we follow him there.”]

- I am rather sure that given his many years of further experience and the fact that he is a wizard as well as a cleric of the goddess of magic, he is the more powerful one.
- You’re entitled to your own opinion.
- Returning to the topic… I will cast the spell now. If you require it, you can rest here, as it will get dark soon, but if you’re able to, I’d suggest moving out as soon as possible.
- The girls should get some rest. I still have my full array of spells left and I plan to use them.
- Maybe you should wait until Master Drog…
- No. We don’t have enough time. You really shouldn’t worry, I CAN deal with the issue myself.
- I agree with Xardas here. There is little time.
- So, it’s decided. I’ll be leaving now.
- Good luck – the remaining three people who participated in the conversation exclaimed at once.
Xardas just smiled, turned around and left. Garrick then left to rent tents for himself and the ladies.



Of course traveling through the land on foot and without any serious cover had to bring her some trouble.
Still, Light did not complain about meeting the dark elves. She had some frustrations to vent out against them.
It was hard and tiring to fight against a couple of opponents at once, but Light was clearly having the upper hand against the drow.
Still, she did not complain when a group of fighters suddenly intervened, and once the fight was over, she realized that Neverwinter may as well already be informed about who is the problematic person in this area.
Because before her stood a woman who was, by all means, a member of the Neverwinter Nine. Light did not see many of them in her life – only two, in fact - mostly because her history with Neverwinter was only beginning, and this woman was among those she never saw.
And she seemed the slightest bit suspicious of her.
- Welcome, traveler. If I may ask, what are you doing in these lands at a time like this ? And who exactly are you ?
- I am called Light of Heavens, and I am a warrior in service to Lathander and to Lord Captain of the Crossroad Keep, Xardas Carolinger.
- Ohhh, so you serve Xardas ? Then I take it that you’re on a mission of sorts ?
- Yes, m’lady. I am supposed to contact the wizard Sand and deliver a message.
- If I may ask… what would this message be ?
- It concerns the matter of the drows’ attacks… as well as death of one of Sand’s and Xardas’ traveling companions, Sir Casavir.
- One of Lord Captain’s companions died ? Where ? When ?
- It was only yesterday morning… Or two days ago already, as I don’t know the hour. He died fighting the commander of the drow who are attacking the land.
- So… there are drows of this power level after all…
- Well, actually, this…
- Fine, Light of Heavens. You may go. I am supposed to hamper the drows’ patrols as well as to retrieve a certain magic item. You should proceed with your mission and inform Neverwinter of the sad news.
- Lady, if I may, this…
- We’re leaving.


[“What the hell ? Doesn’t she even listen ? Who the hell is she, even ?”]
As the Nine’s men paced beside her, she grabbed the shoulder of one of them. He tried to move forwards, but it just took a moment for him to realize that she was far stronger physically than he was.
- Tell your Mistress that she should be cautious. The commander of the drow isn’t a dark elf – he is human. And he knows these lands.
- I will. You can let go of me now.
She did as asked, the soldier massaging his aching shoulder as he murmured something to himself.
She hoped he will inform his leader of the danger. Well, she had someone else to inform about it.


Mischa waited till she was sure Dorna was asleep and Garrick wouldn’t be aware of her sneaking out. The whole action seemed wrong and very unpaladin-like, but she had to do it.
After all, she would get the chance to see how powerful Master really was, and she would finally have an adventure with just the two of them.
Because hopefully they’d have everything done before Master Drogan arrived.
She got out of the tent, running silently next to Garrick’s and moved towards the excavation site. Pacing next to the temple, she wanted to make a quick prayer to the deity to ensure good luck in tonight’s journey, but remembered the temple was… well, Ao’s, so no point in praying.
She practically jumped through the entrance and quickly started looking around.
Of course. Low-light conditions. Gods, curse the fact that almost every other race sees in these better than humans.




Xardas was fighting one of those mages’ creations. A shield guard, if he wasn’t mistaken. The thing was every bit as dangerous as the skeletal blackguard he fought in Kel-Garas’ tomb, and physically even stronger. Xardas wasn’t sure whether the creature had any sort of magic resistance or not, so decided to simply take it down by force. He covered himself with Stoneskin for better protection and proceeded to put his weapon on fire to deal greater damage.
Dodging one of the strikes, he lashed out against the creature with the ancient blade, but while the hit certainly had some effect, he decided not to hold back too much. Xardas retreated a bit and cast another spell.
He certainly liked what this one could do to his body. He felt a sudden rush of power in his hands as his muscles pulsed and accepted the magical power inside themselves. Taking a deeper breath he realized just how much more efficient his lungs became, not to mention the additional flexibility that came from the spell.
The golem charged upon him, but Xardas was two moves ahead. At least. Jumping onto the fing’s stretched arm, he propelled himself and shoved his blade straight into the being’s head, before twisting it and pulling it out. Not checking if that was fatal, he struck the golem in the back with a powerful slash. The thing still moved and managed to get in a thunderous punch that threw Xardas into the wall.

- Ho, ho, not bad… But that’s far from enough as far as I’m concerned…

Xardas used another spell, but it’s purpose was different this time around.
He concentrated and dodged another punch, only to run the golem through with his Silver Sword. He then unleashed the shards from the handle, the fine blades clashing inside the metal construct, damaging him further and finally pushing it to malfunction. The giant body was about to fall to the ground when Xardas pushed it away, using his enhanced strength in the last moments. Then, the shards left one after one through the hole his thrust made, reassembling into the Silver Sword once again.
The Aura of Vitality was about to dissipate, but he was quite aware of the movement just a bit behind him.
So, he made the last use of it. He made a tremendous leap and was about to finish it with an extremely powerful slash, if not for the fact that the aura stopped working mid-jump and he barely got the balance right. The attack was blocked.
- Whoah, Master, you could at least look at what you’re striking before you do it !
- Mischa ? What on all Baatezu are you doing in here ?
- Um, well… I was searching for you, but that’s done now… I saw you fight that golem from the other end of the corridor, but as soon as you suddenly started making those tremendous jumps I lost sight of you. Damnit, Master, I never knew you had such physical capabilities !
- I don’t, actually. That’s just the effect of a spell.
- Well, pretty good spell it is !
- I’m more interested in why you went out of your way to disobey my commands and came here just in the moment I was ending my fight with a rather nasty golem that could have ripped your head off, and almost got me to do it myself because you can’t at least, like, make your presence known to me in a freakin dungeon full of monsters.
- Well, I was…
- No, wait. I have a better idea. You turn around and you leave where you came from. You go to your tent and sleep like a good girl. Is that fine ?
- No.
- Excuse me ?
- I said no, Master. I came here to help and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
- I said you’re going out of here. I am not about to.
- I never died.
- What the hell does…
- I know what is the point of this, Master. You’re worried because both Dorna and Xanos fell in battle. But I did not, and they did it doing what they always wanted to do – adventuring. And that is the risk of it. I know you and Master Drogan went through the beginnings once, and perhaps one of you died once or twice already. But if we are to be real adventurers, you can’t take the danger out altogether. We need it to become real heroes, otherwise, we’ll just always be wannabes. And it’s hypocritical to claim you don’t need anybody’s help after putting all this time and effort into training and adventuring with us. This is exactly the moment I can become ready to be a true adventurer, the one who fights real magical beasts and monsters and defeats evil undead and so on. And you’re not taking that away from me, master. I want to have a proper, real adventure, with us as partners, teammates, comrades, not you as somebody who watches over so I don’t break my nails or get a nasty scar.
Xardas went silent for a moment, considering.
She did have some good points.

- I guess… You’re right, Mischa. You’re talented for sure, but without a little struggle, it’s all for nothing. I’ll give you your little “adventure”, but be prepared that Drogan will be ready to kill you once he gets here.
- Little adventure ? I thought it was all like “she’s a danger to the whole North” a moment before.
- Well, believe me, compared to what I once went up against, a single hooded figure with a couple of monsters and summoned fiends is nothing.
- Ohh… is that so ?
- Believe it or not, your call. I got this sword on that adventure.
- Well, I have to admit this blade is pretty amazing… What is it, exactly ?
- It’s a mostly-reconstructed sword of a former mistress of Githyanki race.
Mischa walked closer to her master, her eyebrow lifted a bit with a curious and inspecting look on her face.
- I heard of Githyanki, but I can’t tell just how impressive this is. I guess… You used it to finish this whole big bad monstrosity you just said you defeated ?
- Yes. A companion of mine said it was the only thing that was sure to hurt it.
- Seems like a curious coincidence.
- You don’t know the half of it.
She smiled.
[“Was she always this pretty” ?]

- Could you tell me that story once we…
Xardas turned around and started walking through the corridor.
- Master ?
- It’s a given. But first we have to get this done.


Xardas was slightly nervous. This whole thing was getting out of hand. He couldn’t keep his pupil in check, and now he was seeing her as “pretty”. Attractive. She was a bit too young, and that seemed… sick, right ?


- Sut’rinos Maenaz ! The patrol sent south went missing !
- Any idea on what happened ?
- No, m’lord. There is no additional information, nor was a larger force known to move as far as we know.
- Thank you. It seems we may have found what I’m looking for.
- If I may ask, Sut’rinos Maenaz… Why did we so suddenly leave on this mission ? And are you sure Jalil Valsharess will sanction it ?
- Tell me, man… Who is Valsharess’ second in command right now ?
- I believe that would be… You.
- Exactly. And as long as those do not collide in any way with her own desires, which they don’t, my objectives are the most urgent and important matters right after hers. When I joined Valsharess, we made a deal. And that deal automatically, in my mind, makes her sanction this mission. Because this is what I joined her for. Killing fucking Neverwinter Nines and anybody with them. Is this enough of an explanation to you ?
- Yes, Sut’rinos Maenaz. I apologize for speaking out of place.
- Fine. Now go. We have a dog of Nasher’s to track down.




After meeting a sphinx and answering it’s riddles (Master Xardas could see right through them !), now it were Formians they met. It was problematic, because initially they were quite aggressive, but then, the Queen herself stepped up to talk to them.
She always wondered about the nature of the spheres, because in her mind, the world was largely just black and blue. However, curiously, Formians did not offend her senses, even though they fought them just a moment before – they simply were there, and she couldn’t feel evil in them, at least not currently. However, from what she knew, some of the things Formians did could be pretty merciless, so she should keep an eye on them.
The creature spoke (telepathically of course), of how their kind was being repressed and attacked by “beings of Chaos”. The formian queen proposed that they should join forces in fighting these creatures and, in return, they would come to Master’s aid at one time where he found himself outnumbered.
- So be it, Queen. I accept your offer.
[“Then a day of joy this is, for strangers go to battle chaos together. I will be true to my word. When you leave, we shall repair the walls, so you won’t be able to return here. Farewell, fighters.”]


He had a few Slaadi to decimate now, and he wasn’t going to wait too long with doing this.
It wasn’t hard to find them, with their powerful, lively, shifting essences practically shining inside the empty, spiritless underground… He wondered if Mischa’s senses could feel them, too. As far as he knew, Paladins were only capable of detecting evil, and while they held a potential for mischief and even for destruction, most Slaadi were not, in fact, evil.
At least to his knowledge, that is.
There the two of them stood, against a single blue slaad and two red ones. Meaning he basically got the weakest ones… Mischa could probably take them on alone by now, albeit with some problems.
But she wasn’t alone, and he wouldn’t underestimate his opponents anymore.
He rushed straight into the group, Calling lighting and sweeping his blade at the blue slaad. The creature could dodge the blade but not the electrical discharge that followed, and it was then struck down by Mischa, who didn’t hesitate to follow her Master in the assault.


Then, she faced the weakened Red Slaad that withstood Xardas’ lightning.
Slaadi offended her senses a little bit more than the formians, although she couldn’t precisely grasp why. Curiously, when she attempted to examine their aura’s, she couldn’t feel them – something which suggested that her abilities as a paladin weren’t honed enough to feel evil inside the creatures from Limbo.
Because they were undeniably evil, right ?
So, Mischa didn’t hesitate, unleashing a flurry of blows against the slaad. Dodging it’s jaws as they attempted to sink into her, she focused all her strength and used her paladin abilities to Smite the thing.
It fell down.
Meaning it was evil, right ?

She turned around to see her master. He obviously wasn’t very quick about finishing his particular opponent, simply dodging it’s attacks. Finally, he swung his mysterious blade down at it, if a bit half-heartedly.
The slaad did not manage to dodge, and she could see it’s condition was bad and it wouldn’t take much to finish him off. Master didn’t slice him in half or anything to kill him, though.
Instead, he cast a spell, Shocking Grasp unless she was mistaken.
He grabbed the being and discharged electricity into the being, but it seemed… controlled. Xardas then drew back at the last moment. The slaad collapsed onto the ground, but managed to start to slowly lift itself up.
Xardas did nothing.
The creature got up and it simply stared at the half-elf for a moment. He nodded, and it ran away.
- Master ! Why did you let it go ? This foul creature should be…
- I don’t know much about Slaadi, Mischa, but they’re not evil by nature. In fact, in normal circumstances, I’d say I feel more drawn towards the philosophies of Limbo than the one-and-only “correct” philosophy model we can see in Mechanus, Arcadia… or Acheron. And these are the places where these so-called “Axiomatic” beings come from.
- But aren’t slaadi the aggressors ? Aren’t they at fault ?
- These races have been in conflict ever since they’ve met. It’s natural for them. It’s like the Blood War, except neither side was willing to give themselves fully to the conflict. Unlike demons and devils, there’s no common ground here. Nothing to fight for.
- But this slaad can be dangerous to us, humans, as well…
- He will return to the Planes eventually. Probably sooner than later, after that experience. Even this kind of life has value, and also… How do you expect people and other creatures to become good, to recognize the value of mercy and compassion and all these things, if you prefer to strike them down rather than reeducating them ?
- I… but… does that mean I should let fiends live because that can make them seek redemption ?
- Fiends ? You’re talking about the very incarnations of evil here. Open your mind. You have to think about the possibility of what your actions may bring, but keep your intellect intact,There are huge differences between evil humans, evil monsters, slaadi, and fiends.
- …
- Well, at least that’s what me and Drogan tried to bash into your skull all this time. Only I decided to give you a direct example.
- I thought you weren’t supposed to be my teacher on this mission.
- Oh, right, pardon me. I just wanted… to show you the alternative, that’s all. After all, once we’re finished with this, you’ll already be a pretty good paladin in terms of skill… But it’s far more difficult to gain wisdom than to gain power.
- Do you agree with Master Drogan that this… makes me a very possible failure as a paladin ?
- Not exactly. I met a paladin who renounced allegiance to the city he served, and immersed himself in a berserk-like fight with orcs some time after… and he finished becoming pretty much the best Paladin I know. Though a bit stiff.
- This… Casavir you spoke of ?
- Yes. He’s the man.
- Did you have many companions in your travels ?
- Oh, Gods know I sometimes thought there were TOO many ! Still, I’m glad I met them. Every single one of them… Maybe with one exception.
- I’d like to meet them one day, if possible. I’d be excited to learn more about you and people you traveled with before we met.
- I guess that could be arranged, in time.
- I’m glad. Let’s go now, we have…
- You have to stop a certain witch from putting her hands on some major Netherilian artifacts and instead you both engage in pointless chatting about Xardas’ past. There’s simply too much to tell, Mischa. And I hoped the boy will be wise enough NOT to take you here.

A shape appeared in the shadows. Short and stocky build, a staff in it’s hands…
- Master Drogan !
- Well, hello, old dwarf. You see, our dear paladin student followed me here and I concluded she was already skilled enough to help me anyway.
Drogan came close enough to be seen, his eyebrow raised skeptically.
- Well, I wonder, because I do not see Dorna here.
- Mischa made more progress than Dorna when we traveled together, and to put it blatantly, she left Xanos to bite the dust. I’d say we don’t have to treat her like a student anymore, and we may as well consider her learning finished if she succeeds here.
- Well, if you say so. I’m not here to lecture you two, anyway. I suppose since you’re of similar age, you could develop a different sort of relationship than the student-master one. Anyway, I came a bit late because I had problems of my own… But still, I am cured and ready to help.
- It’s good to see you, Drogan.
- Good to see you both as well. You see, while we were being harassed by some of her servants, me and Ayala learned some interesting things about this person we’re about to fight. You see, her name is Heurodis, and she is a powerful witch… A sorceress, I believe. One thing is certain – she was an apprentice of a dreadful, cruel and mighty lich Belpheron. This lich was once a great threat, having spend his un-life… and some of his original lifespan as well learning the secrets of ancient Netheril. He passed this knowledge onto his few apprentices, but we believed them all dead. It seems Heurodis seeks a way to possess the power of the ancient Netherilian mages. Are you aware of what kind of power we are talking about ?
- Pretty much so. Don’t forget that what I fought was basically the result of one Netherilian mage using his power to grasp something that was only barely beyond his reach.
- Yes, I always forget. But, if Heurodis gets this kind of power… we’re rather doomed, so, we should stop her. Even if actually using Netherilian magic would prove impossible for her, the threat is too big.
- How is it possible that she hid herself for so long ?
- That is a good question. Belpheron could, if unchecked, once become a threat to entire Faerun. It cost the Harpers much to defeat that lich. The fact that once of his apprentices operated in hiding for so long only speaks of her skill.
- But Master… Didn’t Lady Mystra took steps to ensure that Netherilian magic cannot be used again ?
- Oh, yes, it would be limited. Neither Heurodis nor perhaps even Belpheron could grow as powerful as ancient Netherilians, but it would still be a force to be reckoned with. Only the Gods’ Chosen may possess magic of this level.
- And you know, Drogan ? That’s what I like about this world. It’s always us the small fries that have to save it, but while all like to tell us the horrible consequences of our possible failure, there are like at least twenty other guys who could have easily get the job done in our place.
- I’ve been sometimes wondering about the same thing.
- Back to the topic on hand… Heurodis has already stepped through the portal, which means we have to follow her.
- Damn it ! Then we have no other choice. We have to activate the portal and follow her. Are you sure you want to take Mischa, thought ? And does she want to go ?
- It’s her call. She’ll manage.
- Well… we have a chance to stop a great evil, one of magical kind, at that. Master Xardas, Master Drogan… of course I want to go ! It’s what I was born for !
- I’m glad to see at least one of us is enthusiastic about doing this. Well, let’s get to activating this portal.


It was simply improbable. Impossible. And she simply couldn’t conceive it.
Everything was simply turning against her now.
Powerful mortals on the surface, Daarthiri attacks on her forces outside and on the outskirts of the Underdark, Maenaz going off on his own (leaving her alone in the bed, no less !) to do whatever-he-was-doing with her forces… Lloth damn it ! And Samael damn it, too !
It seemed like she would have to pull her forces back to Underdark for the time being and return with a proper invasion plan later.
Something which wouldn’t please her… “mate”.
Well, she had her own ways of keeping him satisfied… but right now she was so pissed off at him simply FUCKING LEAVING that she wasn’t sure whether she even wanted to use them !
Now, she had to get him back at her side and make him fight against the arrogant Farie elves that seemed intent on breaking the connection between her and her servants in Underdark, and Valsharess was aware that if she couldn’t get reinforcements, the surface world would prove more dangerous for her than her homeland.
And the annoying thing was… Maenaz wasn’t under her control as much as it seemed initially. True enough, he’s done quite a bit of work in Underdark and he proved that he could fight powerful beings of the surface world, so he was keeping up his part of the deal. But she hoped between her promise and… added benefits (not that she did not enjoy… scratching that particular itch), she could turn him into a willing champion of her cause, his own becoming less of a main purpose.
Well, it didn’t. He simply took her forces and decided to force her to be true to her part of the deal.
Such foolishness ! She would get to Neverwinter eventually, but it seemed the city had capable defenders, and with her current forced split of her army, she might not be able to overcome the city if they had more defenders like Casavir… and especially not if his master had returned.
She wanted to get out of the surface, and quickly.
The problem was, some of her best man were away with her very best man doing his bidding.
The entire situation sucked badly.

Sand welcomed Light into his house… Shop… Both… Quite easily, remembering her as one of Xardas’ generals in the Keep. They talked some, but never had good contact. In fact, the only three people who truly gave her any sort of greater notice were Xardas himself, Casavir, and Khelgar, though he was more interested in fighting her at times.
Still, Sand behaved rather nice this time around.
- Before we get to the point… Would you like some wine ? Or something more… alchemical ? Unless simply some herbal tea will do.
- I’ll have tea.
- Fine.
Sand left for a moment, returning with some hot water in with herbs, and put the cups onto the table, leaving it to wait.
- So, what is it, aasimar ?
- I came on Casavir’s behalf, as he had asked for help with a certain threat.
- Well… what is it ?
- You’re already aware of the drow around here, aren’t you ?
- There were some reports, but I thought that this was a band of scouts or renegades.
- Well, they aren’t. It’s something big, Sand. Their commander… not even the true leader it seems, mind you… He defeated Casavir. Twice. Taking his life the second time.
- So… the message delivery is late. Damn it, I didn’t know any drow males were powerful enough to battle Casavir… though, true, his age was already catching up to him.
- I am afraid so. There was another part of the message. You see, this commander… He isn’t a drow.
- Well, that’s a bit surprising, but not much so. What kind of creature he is, then ?
- A human. Twenty-some years old.
- You’ve got to be shitting me. Maybe he looks so, but I know only of two people this age who could defeat Casavir, and those are Xardas and maybe Neeshka. If there are others, they’re outside the Sword Coast.
- Well, maybe he does something to preserve his body in the current state… However, Casavir claimed he was young. Moreover, he is a warlock like Amon Jerro, and Casavir learned his name during their first fight.
Sand gave her the tea as he kept listening, slowly drinking his own.
- Well, that could tell us something. Maybe I can research the name, or perhaps I even heard of him. There aren’t so many warlocks in the Sword Coast. Well, the nature of their powers usually makes them leave for the Planes or go into hiding. So… Who is it ?
- I believe this man is called Maenaz Carn’renor.
Sand almost drowned on his tea, only to spit it out spectacularly.
- WHO !?!

He found them, he was sure of it. The tracks showed that it was certainly a rather big patrol, with some elite heavy-armored troops, but he had a feeling this was something more.
[“ It’s a good thing if I manage to find a kill a Neverwinter Nine, but… What the hell is going on ? This dream made me want it so much like if my life depended on it. The feeling’s mostly gone, now, but… I cannot even remember the damn dream and I still acted on the impulse. Bet Sinvyl will have some questions to ask when I return.”]
He rallied his troops and followed the tracks. He should be able to catch up with his prey before dusk. He followed them for quite some time, and was being eager to rush for the kill.




- Wait… No ! No ! Why haven’t I noticed it before !? Such a fool I am !
- What’s wrong, Master ?
- Heurodis has altered the portal with a terrible trap ! It seems worse than any I have seen… These ruins will collapse, and the portal is so unstable it may close any time ! You have to get to the other side !
A great tremor shook the ground. It seemed Drogan wasn’t wrong.
- Feels like an Earthquake spell… Drogan, if you give me some time, I can stop it and then we can go through the portal !
- There’s no time for this, Xardas ! You’re not guaranteed to succeed nor can we be sure the portal can be opened again ! You have to go in NOW, while I can hold it !
- Fool ! Are you simply going to sacrifice yourself ?
- Master Drogan, if there is another way, don’t do this !
- We don’t have the time to find another way !
- Drogan you stubborn old dwarf, all I need to do is time to summon the right spirit and…
- You have to see this through. Heurodis must be stopped now, otherwise it’s pointless if we both survive ! Go, now !
- I’m not leaving you behind !
- You have to !
Drogan was unwilling to let this drag on any longer. Concentrating to the extreme, he summoned a powerful magical gust of wind, which threw Xardas through the portal before he could react.
- Go, Mischa ! He may need your help !
- We will stop her, Master, I swear !
- I know ! There is a greatness in him… and he sees similar greatness in you. I knew since I met you which path you will take, and now you’re ready to take it. Go now – and good luck. May the Mystra watch you.
- You as well, Master.
Mischa jumped through the portal.
The walls begun to crumble as Drogan Droganson started being buried alive.

Light was sitting there, listening to what Sand was saying. She could barely believe what she heard.
- You mean this man…
- Yes. He single-handedly stopped an invasion from Luskan… and more. He went to Luskan itself, killed one of it’s Great Captains and messed with the Arcane Brotherhood. Then, when Luskan came supported by quite a couple of monsters and by an ancient race… he destroyed the remnants of that race and stopped the invasion, defeating or killing all the enemy leaders. The only thing Neverwinter suffered is that we do have winter here now. Basically, if not for Maenaz, there would be no city King of Shadows could threaten.
- Then, what happened ? Why did he turn out like he is now ?
- Lord Nasher lessened his official role in saving the city, precisely because he left us and turned against Nasher himself. It still seemed improbable that he would simply openly attack the city, but it seems he did.
- But… why ?
- Well, it turned out he wasn’t as… infallible as we thought he was. While Maenaz was generally a cold and aloof man with a cool head and an analytical, intelligent mind, his motivation of serving the city turned out to be build on a weak foundation.
- What exactly ?
- There are rumors he fell in love with a Luskan spy… But I do not know the truth. Others say the horrors of the Source Stone changed him… and even others say that Morag’s spirit corrupted him. The least probable cause is that Maenaz was simply insane from the beginning and now decided to destroy the city he once protected, thinking himself a god… But those are the few more rational versions of the story I heard. Still, being a warlock, such dark deeds may well enough be expected from him.
- So, I suppose even the greatest heroes can fall… But, does that mean we cannot fight him ? Is only Xardas in his league ?
- Oh, believe me, King of Shadows was way superior to some old ancient lizard queen. When you count in the Sword of Gith… Xardas should be able to kick his ass right now. Only we don’t have him. If we could contact Elanee and Neeshka, or at least get Khelgar and battle him together, we would probably win.
- Then… If only I had acted earlier…
- Oh, stop. Don’t even start crying. Casavir was getting old, he knew full well that he will die if he tries to fight somebody of this power again. He was a great fighter and he was ready to make the sacrifice. No reason to blame yourself for anything.
- You sound mean.
- That is my specialty. Still, there is one person we must inform of this problem.
- Nasher.
- Yeah. The baldy.
- Fufufufu…


They were surrounded by the asabi, and Xardas just stayed on his knees for a moment, seemingly without regard whether he gets killed or not.
Mischa did care, however, but the enemies were too numerous.
Xardas rose a bit from the floor, growling, and then he let out a scream.
- NOOOOOOOOO !!!
Mischa suddenly felt unbelievable heat as a mass of flame narrowly missed her, but came down destroying everything else in the area. Even the giant statue of a medusa was burned, though the damage wasn’t as great as to the asabi.
Most of them simply got turned to ashes and the few stronger ones simply couldn’t survive the extensive heat and thorough burns. Their leader stood for a moment before he fell on the round, coughing, inhaling deeply, desperate for air and moisture as his body started to convulse.
Xardas was in no way finished, though, as a powerful wind rose and the sky darkened even more. A mass of thunders came down, roasting the remaining asabi bodies and destroying the statue’s head.
Mischa was stunned. She has never seen anybody unleash this much power before. It was a bit scary if nothing else.
Xardas remained on his knees.
- This idiot ! This stupid old dwarf ! Nobody asked him to do this ! I hate it ! Why couldn’t I saved him ? Why ?! It’s like with Grobnar again ! I should be able to save anyone ! I am the Lord Captain, the Kalach-cha, the Spirit Shaman… I am the damn Hero of Neverwinter, right ? Why couldn’t I save him ?

Mischa walked towards him, slowly and unconfidently putting her hand on his shoulder.
- Master… It was his decision. Maybe a brash one, but… he died like a hero, and like a faithful of Mystra should. He decided to sacrifice himself rather than risk our fate and the fate of this land.
- Nobody had to die during all of this ! I could have stopped the cave from falling, I know I could ! I am able to defeat Heurodis anytime, anywhere, and he shouldn’t have sacrificed himself !
- Master, trying to do everything by yourself wouldn’t change anything… Sometimes such sacrifices… may be necessary, as painful and hard to admit that is. I will miss Master Drogan dearly, but you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself…
- You don’t understand anything ! Nobody ever understands… People close to me shouldn’t be hurt, shouldn’t die before their time ! I’d never allow it… And yet they die ! First Amie, then Shandra… Callum, Grobnar… Even Qara and Bishop who left me… And now him… I… I don’t know why… But it seems… I…
- Master…
- I simply cannot stop people from dying… What kind of useless hero am I…
- This is untrue, Master ! You saved us many times, and you helped stop a threat from Netheril as well ! You said yourself that you stopped a great evil which was born from…
- I could never do this alone. I’d probably die in the West Harbor or not a lot later if others didn’t…
- Master, your achievements are your own… and you helped a great deal with shaping me, Dorna, even Xanos into the adventurers we are now ! Without you, Master Drogan could die a lot earlier, and I would be stuck as a nobody for the rest of my life !
- Drogan did all the work. You cannot give me credit after such a short time. I… really am useless. I don’t deserve being the Lord Captain… or the Hero of Neverwinter.
- Master, you are a hero ! For me, you are… you are…
- Mischa ?
There were quite some shocking things in his life, but he guessed what she did next pretty much made the top ten at the time.

Finally, he had them in sight.
An oh so perfectly, there it was.
The eye.
The friggin’ eye.
The cloak was worn by some bitch, a blonde… She seemed somehow familiar even from that distance.
Truth to be told he barely cared who the fuck was she. If he had the power he’d just gladly make them all explode into a bloody mess from where he stood.
Nobody in Neverwinter deserved mercy. At least, he didn’t know of anybody who did. He took out a scroll which he thought would be good for such a situation – after all, the patrol outnumbered his men quite a bit.
And so, Cloudkill would come in handy.
He jumped out of cover, and his men followed. Unrolling the scroll, he cast the spell, and has taken his enemies by surprise. Their back was a bit thinned out as some of the men died while other fell to the ground, inhaling and exhaling sharply, visibly weakened.
Of course, the other men just couldn’t rush at him through the cloud, so while they attempted to circle it, he put walls of fire in the correct places.
Finishing the spectacle with a glorious Eldritch Doom.
The remaining patrol members rushed to engage his drow, while he was only interested in the woman bearing the colors of the Nine.
Just when he was ready to blast her to whatever hole in the Abyss she belonged in, his hand, already embroiled in energy, stopped. He grinned.
- Oh my oh my… Who are my ol’ eyes seeing…
- Someone who would gladly stab those cursed pools of green, I believe.
- Now, now, Eltoora, that’s just not nice… I see you got a promotion ! Well, congratulations for getting out of your useless little…

Well, he recognized the spell, and dodged at last moment. Chain Lighting. This bitch knew what she should do. Still, she missed, too bad.
- I’ll kill you, Maenaz. And then I’ll make your corpse into a golem they’ll use to clean toilets in Neverwinter.
- Oh my oh my, so you’re still angry about that time, aren’t you ? What was I about to do to make up for turning down your offer to join your shitty Many-Starred Cloaks, marry you ? It’s not my fault that you were the ONLY member of the fuckin’ guild that could challenge me, and that was before I went to Port Llast !
- You should have been honored to have… Wait, this has nothing to do with this !
- It does ! You went for your strongest electrical evocation aiming for my head ! You’re still angry !
- I am not ! I must kill you because you’re a threat !
- And I must kill you because you’re a dumb bitch who joined the Nine ! Send Kelemvor my regards !
Warlock did not waste anymore time, attempting to blast the former leader of the Many-Starred Cloaks into oblivion, but she would have him work towards that goal. She dodged and send a crescendo of Fiery Rays against him and his drow forces. Maenaz decided to blast her patrol as well before he turned his attention to the woman.
This time she was more prepared, shielded from elements, with a Death Armor covering her. Maenaz didn’t care much about her tricks. He put a wall of fire straight onto her, and she moved backwards, unleashing a Lesser Missile Storm against the offender. The human man didn’t so much as take a step back and he ran straight at her, a blast accumulating in his right hand just as his dominant left was prepared to strike.
Still, he preferred to dodge her Fireball instead of taking it head-on. He managed to get his blast to connect, but just a moment before she put a Spell Mantle over herself. The blast was absorbed, but it also made another interesting possibility worthwhile.
He let his power reach out, and whispered the incantation. Ripping the protective spells off her, he absorbed them quickly, as he was about to be greeted with another Chain Lighting and this time he was unlikely to dodge.
The additional vitality proved itself useful just as he let his own strength go wild, a thundering Eldritch Doom nearly knocking the female mage out.
He rushed for the kill, swinging his blade at her, but the female managed to get a Teleport just in time.
He turned around to see her cast another spell, which he didn’t recognize. She unleashed a cone of energy in multiple colors, striking many of his men and actually killing two of them. He decided to end it there and focused to use another Eldritch Doom, this time to give her a lake’s worth of acid.
When it finally happened he knew she’d survive. She used another Protection from Energy and while not enough to weaken the blast to a non-lethal level, she did have a good enough reflex to save her life. He was about to finish her off, but she teleported away.
From the way she cast the spell, he guessed she would be running as far as possible from him. Unlikely she could get to Neverwinter, but he had to track her down quickly.
Maenaz quickly helped with the extermination of her men, and decided to move forward as quickly as possible.
- Men, she is my main target, and we will not be getting any rest until that woman is killed. There are two most likely trajectories for her escape, so we will split up and…
- Maenaz Carn’renor, you and your troops will be going nowhere.
A woman riding on a fiendish dog-like beast – like the one he used in the siege of Baravar’s fortress of Svirfneblin in the Underdark – rode towards them, with a stern look on her face.
Maenaz recognized her as one of the more elite Red Sisters and one of the few privileged to receive cleric spells from Samael.
- And why would that be, sister ?
- Jalil Valsharess commands you and her forces to return to the base immediately. We were attacked and there is a threat of losing contact with the remnant of forces in the Underdark. You are all to return to Valsharess’ side immediately.
- You’re kidding, right ? It’s part of the deal. I am allowed to…
- You STOLE Valsharess’ forces without her permission, left without informing of your location or activities, and did not return for a few days. Furthermore, you are refusing a clear order on Valsharess’ part to return to her side. I think we’re going to see you demoted for this.
- Order ? Demoted ? We had a deal ! I have the fucking RIGHT to grab as many of her soldiers as I wish and go taking revenge on Neverwinter wherever I want ! Don’t put me with the rest of you people ! I don’t take orders from Valsharess, I WORK with her… I’ve kept my part of the deal until now, and she must do the same. So leave, and tell this to her !
- You do not understand. Empress told me to bring you all back regardless of where you were or what activities you engaged into. Surely your man do not want to anger Valsharess… and I doubt you do, either.

True enough. She obviously had his troops attention. Well, he didn’t need to use them to kill the mage when she was alone, but they could be useful in tracking her down.
- Take them. I’m not coming.
- I was ordered to…
- Dos ruzzo'iso elg'caress ! I said I’m not coming ! I don’t give a shit about your fucking orders ! Screw yourself ! Tell Valsharess that I have more important things to do than doing the work of her soldiers !

Calling her a dumb bitch might have been overdoing it, but he wanted to make it clear he wasn’t going anywhere.
Of course, she turned out to be a dumb bitch.
- Male, I believe you should watch your tongue and simply follow Valsharess desires, as it would be best for all of us. I have an order, and…

She went silent when she saw his eyes being morphed by a terrible darkness, an unpleasant grimace on his face.
- I…am…not…coming…with…you. Understood ? This is the thing I’ve joined Valsharess for. Tell her I will return as soon as at least this member of Neverwinter Nine falls under my might. This is all. Unless you mean to fight me.
The male drows backed away a bit, and the fiendish beast lowered it’s head. The drow female suddenly seemed less confident.
- Well… but, Valsharess…
- I will deal with Valsharess. You - go to hell. Unless you prefer me sending you there posthaste.
Well, that was convincing enough, as the woman turned around and told her troops to move.
Maenaz on the other hand considered how to track miss Sarptyl.
Probably would have to use some summoning scroll or whatever. He didn’t care how to – he had to track her down.



She definitely wasn’t an experienced kisser, and perhaps this was her first kiss at all. The way her lips touched his seemed unsure and innocent, but at the same time, he remembered it was her who started this.
Finally, she pulled away from the long kiss, inhaling deeply. They just stared into each other’s eyes for some time, before she started to speak with a shaky whisper.
- Master, I…
- I have no idea what you think you’re doing, but are you sure that’s the correct way to address me after that ?
She stared in silence for a moment, understanding slowly worming it’s way onto her face.
- Xardas.
- So… What it is that you would expect now, young lady ?
- I… I…
She suddenly embraced him, drawing him close.
- I was thinking about you a lot for a long time… Almost since we met. Initially I denied those feelings, I thought it’s just curiosity or that I’m wrong altogether… And then, when I was sure, it simply seemed… It did not seem right. But… I believe I have fallen for you. I never met a man like you… Never met somebody who put so much faith in me and actually made me feel like I could achieve everything they believed I can. I… know it may seem strange, and I now that… with your elven blood, our lifespans may not…It’s difficult.
- Is this a confession, Mischa ?
- Of course it is ! The only thing I am asking for is a chance. Just please… give it a shot. Let me… be with you for even a while, even if it’s just a short time.
- Mischa, I…

She attacked his lips again as if trying to devour them, this time with a lot less shyness as her tongue slipped into his mouth. He was a bit to shocked to properly respond, thoughts racing through his mind.
Well, weren’t they supposed to save the world from an evil witch just a moment ago ?
Weren’t they ?
And what about…
What about Elanee ? Hell, even Neeshka… He traveled with her for a long time, but he avoided showing her any affection at all, despite knowing she probably had a crush on him.
And now, he was kissing with his student, whom he barely knew for weeks !
The thing was…
He didn’t find Neeshka as emotionally attractive as with Mischa’s complicated moral twists. Pure and innocent, but with a stubborn streak and a small penchant for being ruthless and reckless.
He wondered how she became a paladin, but knew she probably couldn’t be anything else.
Elanee…
Didn’t he say she was one of his reasons for leaving ?
Didn’t he say he wanted to check out if he truly loves her ?
Well, isn’t that one of the methods to… check ?


He begun to undo the bindings of her armor, and she did not resist.
Rather, she leaned in for another kiss, and this time, it was his tongue that held dominance.
He realized he was already hard, and thinking was, colloquially speaking, becoming as hard as his manhood.
Holy fuck. Was he really about to do that ?
He stopped for a moment.
[“ Could it be I’m kind of being a bastard ?”]
She noticed he went unresponsive for a moment.
- It’s fine, Master. I… want this. I want you.

Okay. Pretty damn convincing. It’s her fault if they don’t become a couple after that, right ? He promised nothing.
No, wait. Xardas didn’t know he had a bastard mode.
And he definitely needed to get out of it.
He flipped her over, putting himself on top.
- Master, you don’t have to be so…
- Wait. I don’t think we should do this. I’m afraid I would only be hurting you in the end.
- Well, it’s true I’m a virgin, but there’s always a time…
- I worry more about the emotional hurt.
- Master ?
- Stop with this master bullshit ! I guess neither of us thinks straight here ! What exactly do you expect of…

She kissed him again.
- Please… don’t get angry ! I told you, just give me a chance, be with me for a time ! Treat me like if we were a couple… for now. I’m sure you’ll see my feelings are genuine… and I hope, with all my heart, that you will develop such feelings as well, even if now you’re not sure about them…
- Mischa, I… I could have feelings for you. That much, I can say. What I worry about is, if I don’t…
Mischa kissed him again while taking off her breastplate. Rubbing her thigh against his groin, she started ripping her upper clothing in two, revealing a pair of perky breasts. They were bigger than Elanee’s… Probably closer to the only other sexual partner he had.
He was slowly losing any sort of reason to think about them now.
She gazed up at him, her lips slightly parted, her breath erratic, as probably was her heartbeat. How did a paladin manage to pull that off ?
- Then look at me, dear Xardas. Look at me and tell me, honestly, truly, that you have no feelings for me.
Okay. That convinced him.

It’s not like pulling away now would be easy, even if he wasn’t convinced.
He touched her face, his thumb resting on her lips as he slid his other hand into her clothes to disrobe her completely. Still, she had that annoying lower armor, but this could be done away with in time. She put her arms on his chest, a bit reluctant to begin, but slowly, inevitably, she started to pull and tug on his clothes as she tried to take them off as well.
In a moment, he was taking off her greaves and trying to figure a way how to get the armor off her hips. It wasn’t as hard as he figured – a single pull there and there and suddenly it was far more loose. She pulled down the piece quickly, as he tugged at her clothing, pulling her pants off.
She had some rather delicious hips.
- So, are you going to put it in now ?
- Ohhh, I guess you could pull off the whole seduction move, but you really have no idea about how this goes, do you ?
- Umm… sorry…
- Just teasing you. Anyway, you’re a virgin, so… it’s going to hurt. It almost always hurts. And if we do it without proper preparation, it’s going to turn into quite some pain.
- Preparation ?
He decided to show her by example, running his fingers over her clit and starting to rub his hand against her genitals. Well, she was wet already, but he guessed it would be better not to go with just that.
The best thing to do would be to put some oral into play, but he preferred to take things slowly and he did not know what in fact paladins thought about oral sex at all.
Well, he was about to find out.
He gently guided her breast so he could take a nipple into his mouth, enjoying the silent whimper she made as his other hand played with her pussy.
He kept it up for a short time, driving her silent sounds into gentle moans. Then, he started kissing the way down to her abdomen, getting lower and lower…
- Xardas ?
- Hmm ?
- Xardas, what are you… Ahhhh… Whatt arr… OH MYSTRA you’re… ughnnn…
He lapped at her, calmly, set on making her ready for the real deal. She had an acceptable taste, but he did not have much to compare besides his own experiences, as he didn’t really engage in males’ talks about sex.
- Xardas, this is dirty ! It shouldn’t be done… AHHHHh… In such a way…
She could barely talk through all her moanings, but it was obvious she didn’t mean what she just said.

He started to nib and suck gently at her clit, which proved to be her breaking point as her body started to tense up and her breath became as erratic as the winds of Pandemonium.
He wanted to get her off right now, but sensed something was off. He slowed down from a moment, and, barely, cut off by pants and moans, she managed to make a coherent sentence :
- No… I…don’t…want…to…not…like…this…
Well, that was it, he guessed. She’ll just block herself mentally because it’s “dirty”. Since he’d rather not force her, it might have been a good idea to just get on with it.

Xardas lifted himself off her for a moment and delicately spread the lips of her labia. He lined his head with her hole, and slowly, delicately pushed himself in.
[“Pretty tight… I’m getting spoiled again… second virgin already, and all three girls I had were tight as hell…”]
Mischa gasped as his head touched her hymen. She looked at him and nodded.
He pushed the head further in, stretching her cherry until it couldn’t take anymore. A little bit of blood leaked out of her, covering his nether region.
[“It’s always a bit messy with those virgins, huh ? I guess some guys enjoy it, but she looks like in pain…”]
Xardas kissed her passionately as he rubbed her nipple, trying to take attention away from the pain. He pushed further in minimally and waited for her to adjust, just basking in the heat that radiated from her loins. Mischa ran her hand through his hair and broke the kiss.
- I… think I’m ready. It’s funny… That counts, right ? I’m not a virgin anymore…
- We can still stop now.
- No. I’m happy it’s with you, Ma… Xardas.

He slowly started rocking his hips, initially more in a circular motion than back and forth, trying to give her more time to adjust. Since she was taking it pretty well, he decided he might pretty well go straight to the real thing.
He took his hand which played with her nipple so far down between them, starting to massage her nether regions as he begin to rock his hips in and out of her. For a moment, she went stiff, but then her body started to respond. Mischa gasped, but it seemed pain was minimal.
Xardas was slowly building up his pace as he started to play with her clitoris again. Mischa was already on the verge of an orgasm moments before and couldn’t help screaming out. He stretched his body to support himself with his elbow just as he put the tips of his fingers of the other hand in her mouth delicately
Of course, it seemed she was in the shape to take on more of his weight. Xardas was pretty intent on giving his sweet paladin her first release, so he shifted a bit, pulled out and then thrust himself to the hilt. She moaned as she begun to suck his fingers, and he settled for a rhythm where he could see her body was giving slight spasms.
He was positive she was soon about to orgasm… And then *this* hit him.
Muscles in her entire body tensed up and spasmed as she constricted him with her legs, pulling him even closer. The strength of the motion surprised him, but what surprised him more was more connected to the fact that the tension went through *all* her muscles.

He stopped being smart about him being “spoiled” when her vaginal muscles gripped him like a vice, practically strangling his cock. He didn’t expect his student to be *that* strong, and this increased to her lower parts as well.
He whimpered as he tried to pull back, the powerful constriction giving him a feeling of incredible heat and tightness that he couldn’t help but enjoy thoroughly. He made a bit of circular motion to loosen the constriction a bit to be able to pull out and then pushed himself in.
Mischa’s moan was pure melody as she threw her head back, opening her mouth and panting between her moans, which she apparently tried to suppress but failed miserably. Her hold on his manhood did not loosen and Xardas concluded that it was both slightly painful and an incredible turn-on. Maybe it was because her muscles all tensed up and strained as she was starting to orgasm, but the tightness she had put his other girls to shame.
He begun pumping in the earnest, noticing with a bit of dismay that he was definitely leaking pre-cum and actually felt that his orgasm would come earlier than he expected, but decided to push her through her own with all his vigor. Mischa went slack-jawed and licked her lips nervously letting the tongue dangle on the side of her mouth for a moment as she let out a feral groan.
- Master !!

He seriously felt like if he was engaging in something pretty kinky as she obviously responded more when he was putting a bit more force behind his thrusts, and her vagina threatened to never let go of his penis or actually rip it off if she could get any tighter.
She screamed again and he could feel a milky liquid on his crotch. She obviously had some liquid to release this time around. He increased the pace of his thrusts as he started to suck her neck, the girl’s face suggesting that she might in fact have been loosing her mind a bit as she rode off the much suppressed first orgasm in her life.
Thankfully, the exact moment of her orgasm wasn’t as fatal as he feared, though the girl seemed to have some intimidating potential as far as coaxing seed from men went.
Well, it was her first time after all.
As her orgasm subsided, she got a little calmer, gently stroking his cheek.
- Xardas… that was amazing…
- Uhm… I think we need to work on your muscle control…
To his relief she became a lot more loose after her orgasm subsided, and he returned to mounting her.
[“Well, on my second virgin, I could give her an orgasm… Well, seems like I’ve gotten better since Amie…”]
He picked up on his pace again, this time pulling her legs up so she wouldn’t crush him if she suddenly got tensed up again. He tried shifting his hips a bit until he was sure that the best spot possible was being hit, as Mischa again tensed up a bit and her moans increased in volume. Her lips tugged and pulled at him, trying to suck him in even deeper as the heat and pleasurable tightness was made even better by her being very very wet after her orgasm.
Yes… it was enjoyable.
- Xardas… this feels great ! I never thought it would feel this wonderful… Please keep doing that…
Well she definitely wasn’t exactly the tease type. Pulling out, he gently stroked her labia and then her clitoris as he lowered her left leg, repositioning himself as she now lied on her hip. He pushed back in, this time supporting himself with both hands and he begun to fuck her in the earnest, his pace steady and his thrusts strong, sending a rocking motion through her entire body as she screamed with delight.
This position made the friction on his genitals even more sensible as he started to make sounds of his own. Mischa looked deep into his eyes as he noticed a building up hunger in her eyes which seemed to slowly make her satiation subside. He wondered if he just realeased a sex fiend into the world when she grinned slightly and spoke, her voice as lustful and provocative as he could possibly imagine the young, pure paladin to have.
- You’re going to come for me ?
Xardas couldn’t take her both how full of new-found sexuality her voice was as well as her somewhat surprising expectations and views when it came to sex, but not exactly in the way she thought he will.
He fell onto his elbows, slightly pushing her into the ground with his weight, and he snickered.
- What’s so funny ?
- You. Suddenly you act like some naughty girl from the borders of Abyss and celestials now why you expect me to come after I made a couple of sounds. I’m am moderately silent, you know, but that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to flood you after I start panting a bit.
- Well excuse me mister experienced, but you seemed pretty…

He silenced her with a kiss and gently stroke her bosom. Lifting his lips from hers, he smiled.
- Let’s change the position. That one is getting boring anyway. And don’t get angry, this is pretty good for me, and actually… quite many guys would have probably blew their load with you straining them like that. Girl, this strength is freaky, seriously.
- I am not complaining about your freakish completely unelven… big… deliciously warm and oh-so-fast-thrusting… organ, so could you please not embarrass me ? It’s not as easy as it seems, fine ?
He lifted her off the ground delicately as he placed a long, passionate kiss on her lips that slowly shifted to something more tender. She was rapidly changing between shocked, shy, hungry and aggressive as he did that. Putting her onto his lap, he slowly broke the kiss, a small line of fluid joining their mouths.
Her eyes were a bit teary as they stared deeply into his, and she put him inside her herself as they both sit up and started slowly moving each other’s hips, with him wanting to check the best method of doing it in this position and her trying to get more adjusted to the new way she was being penetrated.

Soon, the problem was solved and she was pretty much enjoying practically jumping up and down on his shaft as he rocked her inside his lap. They shared another long kiss, and she seemed to be getting better at that too, since this time they were both gasping for breath afterwards. Xardas hoped to bring her to another orgasm, but knew it may be hard to do so. Still, he lowered his head and started to suck at her nipple, the girl purring as the desire build up inside her. She never expected her first time to be so good, though was worried a bit about whether it spoke of Xardas exceptional physical prowess (of which she was sure, only didn’t know how far this “exceptional” run), or far greater experience (which would be… a bit awful to her).
Xardas started to respond to her rocking motions with far more vigorous thrusts than before, and it was shacking her entire body as she went up and down. Her breasts gained a nice jiggle to it as she threw her head back and moaned in ecstasy.
She was in a pinch, as she was torn between prolonging this pleasure or fully giving in to the rising desire that burned in her loins and riding it off like a wild animal would. She looked deep into his eyes and emotion flew through her, a sudden lust to make this man hers, to make him moan and call to her like she did when he gave her pretty much the most exciting feeling of her life.
Xardas gasped as Mischa suddenly pushed him down with her left hand, both her aggressiveness and strength (she must have been physically fitter than he was !). She started to hump him, her pace unrelenting, and he let out a half-suppressed moan. She expressed her satisfaction with a short coo and continued with her ministrations.
- Mischa, what are you doing ?
- Ohhh, I got rather eager… It’s fine, you can release your seed inside me…
- There you go with this again…
- It’s fine… You can stop holding back on me. I certainly won’t.
- As you wish.

As she was riding him, Xardas slid his hands down her back and onto her butt, steadying her as he started to rock back into her, the strength of their combined thrusts building up to a new level of pleasure for both. Mischa’s moans mixed with Xardas’ increasing groans, as he truly started to feel his seed build up in him. Mischa did seem like she could come like that, but could he hold on ?
She was getting more and more eager in her movement, and he felt her grip slowly increase in strength. Then faster… Faster…
Okay, now that she was squeezing his penis to death, he was sure he would either come first, or they would come together. He continued, but in the throes of passion observing her reaction was… hard…
- Yes… Xardas… This is great… More… More…
He could feel his seed starting to raise up, and had to make a quick decision.
He could give her another orgasm…
But then he realized there was no choice involved.
Well, with Elanee, she was pretty willing, she had a rather low chance of getting pregnant and they both had the feeling they were falling in love…
With Amie he was just an inexperienced young stupid virgin and they got lucky…
But wasn’t Mischa a very healthy young female with possibly high fertility and… well…
He hadn’t done this for a while. The load would be pretty big.
He tried to rise and pull out, but she was pulling him down quite effectively. TOO strong.
- Mischa, I’m about to…
- It’s… Fine ! Give it to me… Let’s come together… I want this…
He was sure the moment half of his being screamed “no” that he shouldn’t have made love to her at all.
But he was in a pinch, so he might as well try one of his special moves.
He regretted never using this with Elanee, but it was hard to concentrate, so…
He run his hands from around her breasts and abdomen and focused to the limit.
He felt the rush of vitality and suddenly she yelped and screamed as his thrusts gained velocity. He rocked inside her a bit, his orgasm pushed away for a moment, until he was sure she was off balance and pushed her over, getting in a couple more thrusts and furiously stroking her vaginal region. Mischa nearly screamed and he could feel that deadly grip go down on him again, only with less strength this time.
He reflexively pulled out and manually stimulated both himself and Mischa to orgasm, his seed shooting out and splattering in an impressive amount all over her body. They were both panting heavily and he nearly fell over on her.
That was way too much of a close call.
[“ So, you got off with your third girl in life. You should be proud of yourself, mister Carolinger. That makes you a stud. A male slut, in other words ”]
He shuld have known he would regret this later. Well, not so much the act itself… the fact that it came to it. The fact that he probably couldn’t involve himself with her.
Perhaps the fact that he already felt emotionally tied to someone else.
Well, of course he could do better things as “birth control”.
Spirit journey was in fact the ultimate move to do just that !
He lied next to her as they both were panting.
Something was wrong.
They weren’t *alone*.

- Master ! Master !
- What is it ?
- Mistress Eltoora’s golems ! She is in trouble, they’ve been called ! They’ve been teleported from her chambers and are now rushing somewhere !
- Inform the other Many-Starred Cloaks ! Send a word to Lord Nasher ! This is an emergency !
There were just problems. Constantly.
Only that the members of the Many-Starred cloaks did not know this would be a recurring, serious problem.

- My, my. I did not now Harpers taught THAT to their students… I thought it will be Drognan to come here, and what I see ? A pair of young birds ready to make a nest right under my nose…
He recognized the figure. That hood…
- Heurodis !
Both him and Mischa quickly covered themselves and reached for their weapons.
- Oh, don’t be shy ! That even got ME hot, and it’s telling something !
- Who are you, you freaking bitch, and what do you want ??
- Ohhh, let me just take off my hood. This should make things crystal clear.

That hiss… that short, paralyzing sting in the back of his eye…
In normal circumstances, defending from a medusa’s petrifying attack would be possible, even if not easy.
But he was drained. Unprepared.
He knew what was coming when he lost consciousness, his last feeling that of heaviness and coldness of stone…



He has tracked her down at long last.
Maenaz was a bit surprised at the amount of times she must have teleported and the distance she must have walked to reach this place, but he was sure – Eltoora was here. Thanks to summoning a Shadow Mastiff he was able to find the places where she ended her teleports, and then track her down. The summoning spell has ended, but he guessed that she could try to hide in a place like this – seemingly a complex of caves. And he wasn’t wrong. The magical energy of this place suggested that she used some kind of a spell – not exactly a summoning, but a wide-range spell that caused some sort of reaction in it’s intended targets.
Maenaz had no idea what this spell was, so it must have been something Eltoora thought up.
For a warlock, however, he knew quite enough about arcane magic to realize that she probably was trying to get reinforcements.
Well, he probably could kill her before that happened.
Entering the caves, he activated Dark Foresight.


Maenaz wasn’t a rogue but he was nowhere near being clumsy, so moving silently through the cave was easy.
His additional sense made note of someone buffing himself up in the cave.
Of course, she would use invisibility. These idiots always did.
- Oh, come on, Eltoora. You can hide but there’s no way you’d run away now. I know you’re buying time for your stupid help to arrive, but you cannot expect to hold out until they come. Let’s make this quick.
- I am not a fool, Maenaz. I know quite well how hard you can hit. Now let me tell you, I plan on getting in a good strike eventually.
- Ohhh, you cannot surprise me. Believe me. I, on the other hand… Well, we have quite some time before your stupid help arrives. I can get through the whole cave with my ability. I’m bound to get a hold of you once. How sure are you of the strength of your spells ? Can they hold out against my eldritch spell-consuming jaws, or is your magic going to be devoured ?
- Your stupid infernal abilities are no match for the true Art, Maenaz.
- Fufufufu… that’s not what you said when you invited me to join Many-Starred Cloaks, Eltoora.
- I was wrong. In the end you’re precisely the same as the rest. Your powers only have use for selfish, nefarious purposes. Tell me the truth, Maenaz : You did make a pact with an evil power for these, haven’t you ?
- You think I lied to you.
- It’s obvious. You merely wanted to gain our trust. Just so you could eventually betray it. Natural warlock, what a stupid idea !
- I never planned to betray Neverwinter. It’s Nasher’s actions that led to that. And the actions of the bloodthirsty mob.
- Your motivations aside, answer me.
- No, Eltoora. Your concern is understandable, but… While I can’t be completely sure about the purity of my line, though there is no reason any fey lord, or a fiend, would want to mingle with it… But I never bought my powers. My soul is my own, and I didn’t trade anything else for it. I was born with a talent for those abilities.
- Can I trust your word ?
- Yes.
- Then tell me, Maenaz. What deity do you currently revere ? Did you stick with Kossuth, or changed your faith ?
- Tyr abandoned Aribeth. The only things I recall owing to Kossuth were taken from me once I lost my faith in him. I do not revere gods, Eltoora. I doubt I ever will.
- Maybe that was to be expected. I’m sorry, Maenaz… but currently I feel that you belong in the Wall of the Faithless.
- Thanks for being honest.
- My help will soon be here. I’ll give you a shot at winning, Maenaz. If you really achieved all you did by yourself… you deserve my respect almost as much as my hatred. But I WILL send you into the Wall.
- Try to. I will not fall until I see all of the Nine and Lord Nasher crushed under my heel, and until I see the citizens of Neverwinter shivering in terror.
- Here I go, then.

His Dark Foresight made an uproar as he gauged the threat.
High-level necromancy ?
What a bitch !

He turned around but was just a moment too late to dodge the attack. He felt something in his body stretch and crack as he felt a cut on his skin…
Blood violently erupted through it. He couldn’t help screaming in pain.
Avasculate ?

She was really better than when they met in Neverwinter for the first time.
He forced his body to move and it allowed him to dodge a Lighting Bolt.
She was rather covered up in spells but he had to strike quickly, so he fired an Eldritch Blast. She withstood and used Lesser Missile Storm, with him attempting to dodge, to no avail.
She was getting the advantage.

Maenaz used Eldritch Doom to shower her with acid and it definitely got through at least some of her defenses, as well as causing her to jump into his freshly-made Wall of Perilous Flames.
She directed his rod at him and suddenly three Flame Arrows were fired, though Maenaz managed to dodge reflexively. One of them still caused some damage and another hit him spot-on.

Eltoora was an Evoker Wizard…
And she had a rod with some Conjuration spells.
Smart girl.
He reached out towards her and tugged at the mass of spells that formed her magical protection. It started to crumble as he drew the energy to himself, consuming it.
- Well, well… I guess most female wizards would really miss it if they couldn’t use Conjuration, right ?
- I don’t get what your talking about !
She swung her rod and her body got covered with some deep orange, slightly burning armor.
- Well, you don’t ? I thought the guy made the spell specifically for women ! Wait, what was he called ? Oh, Evard.
Eltoora stood there for a moment. Her eyes widened and a blush came on her face.
- You… you pervert !
A moment without concentration. All he needed. A dark gray haze surrounded his energy-crackling eyes as he brought Beshadowed Doom on her. Eltoora got out of the pinch, but was blinded and quite heavily damaged. Still, she apparently believed she can hit him as she begun to cast a spell. With an intricate pattern of movement he run towards her, ready to plunge his sword into her body.
- You deceiving bastard of a pervert !
- That doesn’t sound ri…
That spell !

He suddenly stopped and quickly called for his Beshadowed energy, accumulating it in large quantity and tossing it about into a cone just as she fired her own spell. Prismatic Spray. Damn.
His ability blocked most of the damage and his resistance took care of the rest, however…
The color was green, which meant acid. But it wasn’t as he expected, and the moment the rest of the spell came into contact with his body, he felt a foul smell…

As he was starting to feel sick (poison, definitely poison), Eltoora exclaimed.
- They’re in range. Prepare yourself for annihilation, Maenaz !
She raised her hand on which a ring shined with magical energy.
His sense went overdrive and he wasted no time in activating his regeneration.
Four constructs immediately appeared in the cave, two Minogons, a Shield Guardian, and an Iron Golem.
Maenaz did not hesitate in firing an Eldritch Chain into them and retreating a bit before blocking their patch with a wall of flames.
Regrettably he fell into Eltoora’s trap as he jumped within the range of a Delayed Blast Fireball. The golems rushed at him quickly, so he struck a Minogon and the Iron Golem with Vitriolic Doom bringing the minogon down. He managed to dodge the Shield Guardan’s attack and engaged the other minogon for a short time before running it through with Enserric and bringing it down. Eltoora fired another Missile Storm and Maenaz realized he had to finish this quick, as even his regeneration was starting to have trouble. The Iron Golem managed to get in a weak punch before he was blown up with Eldritch Doom.
Maenaz engaged the Shield Guardian, repeatedly avoiding it’s blows and striking with Eldritch Blasts as the golem could soon hold out no longer.

He turned his attention to Eltoora, who proved so far to be more of a match than he thought.
But she was of the Neverwinter Nine. Which meant she was going down no matter what.
He dodged her fireball and rushed towards her, firing an Eldritch Blast on the way.
She dodged, but he already achieved maximum speed, and she missed with a Lighting Bolt. Maenaz was already upon her as he swung his blade down, drawing blood.
Eltoora struck out with Cone of Cold, and Maenaz soon answered with a well-placed Eldritch Blast which threw her off balance.
He didn’t need another invitation, plunging his sword into her as soon as she was defenseless.
That was it.

Eltoora’s hands slowly raised, one to the blade that impaled her and another to her wound, and she looked at him, trying to remain conscious.
She opened her mouth to speak, and after a moment was able to form a sentence.
- Many…starred…cloaks… do not… suck !
- All of Neverwinter sucks, Eltoora. All of it. For me, there’s no discussing it.
She grimaced, but it soon turned into a half-smirk.
- One favor…
- What ?
- Kill me… with something flashy… I don’t want it like that…
She was still looking into his eyes, which started to gleam, and that gleam soon turned into a full-blown shine.
He pulled his blade out, slowly stepping out of range. Finally, he pointed his finger at her, and they both nodded as a powerful wave of energy surged and came down on her, finishing the life of the former Many-Starred Cloaks’ leader and the newest member of Neverwinter Nine in one swoop.


Nasher was stunned as the woman called Light of Heavens and Sand left after informing him of the specifics on the drow threat.
Maenaz finally turned against him. And he was in the very vicinity of Neverwinter.
Which meant his life never was in as much danger as it was in now.
Well, that depended on exactly how many drow he had on his side. Still, in terms of ability of a single person…

Without Xardas no one could probably hope to match Neverwinter’s former champion. Especially if he had grown stronger. The only ones who stood a chance would be Xardas’ former traveling companions and the Neverwinter Nine’s most experienced members.
And, well…
That meant the army’s and populations’ morale would go down if the information would be revealed. He could declare Maenaz a traitor and ensure his life would be hard on these lands, but it might have caused some repercussions, even a rebellion as some of the citizens could still remember the deeds of whom they once called their hero.

Two days later, early afternoon.

Maenaz snickered as he saw the battle at the entrance of a cave, the elves going toe to toe with a slightly lesser platoon of drow.


Problems. There always were problems.
He rushed into the battle, entering it with Eldritch Doom.
His presence, as it turned out, was all it took to give victory to the drow.

Approaching the leader of the platoon, Maenaz saw a familiar face next to him.
Elamash.
Curiously, it was the osyluth to spoke first.
- Ah, our young rebel returns. Here I was, thinking you’re going to tell the... empress… to… well, tell her something not nice.
- Are you going to give me all this shit again and again ?
The leader of the drow, a Red Sister, thankfully not the dumb bitch sent to him, spoke.
- Valsharess seemed quite displeased with the fact that you decided not to answer to her summons immediately, Maenaz.
- I was busy fulfilling HER part of our deal alone, sister.
- The specifics of your deal are outside my competence, warlock. I will tell you the precise orders of the Empress now, and I’d ask you to listen and proceed according to them.
Maenaz let a smirk crawl onto his face. This was… interesting. Somehow, most of the Red Sisters speaking to him always assumed they were superior despite his far higher rank.
This one actually treated him like an equal, it seemed.
That was somewhat… rare.
- I’ll listen, but only because you’re asking so nice.
- In about half an hour, Ilivarra shall return from her mission and join us. Some time afterwards, Jalil Phaere herself will be coming to bolster our forces.
- And to what end ?
- We are to destroy the elven city that stands behind the attacks on us. In the same time, Jalil Valsharess will operate our forces in the Underdark, killing all transgressors in there. After our mission, we are all to return to Underdark to aid in another battle.
- Wait a moment. We are retreating ?
The priestess actually smirked as well.
- I thought you’d dislike that.
- But…
- As I said. Those are the orders. No point discussing them with me. Even you cannot overcome an order from Jalil Valsharess herself. Perhaps if both Ilivarra and Jalil Phaere decided to remain on surface for another mission it would be sufficient… but I doubt you can convince them to further your goal, as, if I understood, it will require more forces.
- Very well. I’ll ask them, but… I will follow those orders. Even if only to tell Sinvyl how exactly I feel about them.
He felt something trying to pry into his mind as Elamash looked at him intensively. The devil nodded, and Maenaz left his mental guard down for a moment.
[“ Valsharess is angry with you, Human. Not as much as I thought she would be, but… still. And yet, you return to her. Do you require her aid in your goal ?” ]
[“ I don’t see why this should interest you, devil.”]
[“ I am interested simply because of curiosity. Your power is greater than that of the Red Triumvirate, and yet you use it to further the ends and might of another. This is rare… usually only seen amongst the denizens of Light or Order. And neither you nor Valsharess belong to those.” ]
[ “Oh, I do not. But working with Valsharess is profitable, and I… I…”]
[“ You see her as valuable, in a way. I can sense this. Your outer thoughts do contain her, from time to time. I wonder how often she is in your inner thoughts, though. And what do you do when she walks among those. ”]
Maenaz’s eyes widened as a faint blush came on his cheeks.
[ “ What are you suggesting, Baatezu ? ”]
[“What could I possibly be suggesting ? I’m suggesting that Valsharess has been screwing the order of importance of some things in your head… for a long time. You should think about which ones of your aims are really important and which ones you should postpone or get rid of in order to achieve them. “]
[“I do things my own way, devil. ”]
[“So does she. “]
They spoke no more.



||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Valsharess stood upon a rock, watching her forces form battle formations, a fiend summoned by her slave himself by her side.
Well, whenever she had him summon a devil, she thought about how repellent the creature were as a race.
Now she wished he summoned a devil.
The giant fiend by her side lacked even symmetry, not to mention comeliness. A large creature with two arms, one of which was great in size and heavily muscled, the other looking more like Maenaz’s arm in shape, only red-skinned. The head was relatively large, with wing-like ears and jaws filled with terrifying teeth.
Not a pretty sight at all. Cornugons seemed attractive in comparison.
The giant creature spoke.
- Lady, do you wish to stay in the back or shall I assist you in attacking on the front line ?
- I came here to fight, but there is no reason for me to dirty my hands. I’ll stick to my spells… You however should go there and be useful.
- As you wish, Lady.
- It’s Valsharess, Baa…
The creature’s eyes narrowed as it slightly bared it’s teeth. True. He… it… was no devil.
- Anyway, go there and make yourself useful, as I said.
- So be it, *Valsharess*.


Maenaz was left alone… well, not exactly.
They stuck him into a tent with the priestess and, well, Ilivarra.
He could feel a bit of tension in the air. It only worsened when the priestess left.
- So, about returning to the Underdark…
- Yes ??
- There is a certain objective I would like to accomplish here before we do that. Do you think we could…
- No. We couldn’t. You disobeyed Jalil Valsharess once and you’re not doing it again.
- Listen, we had an agreement…
- I don’t care.
- This is really important to me.
- Of course. You wouldn’t disobey Valsharess for something unimportant. Like me.


[“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. This is pointless. If I cannot convince Ilivarra, there is no way in hell I could convince Phaere. All that remains is hope that Valsharess will agree to attack Neverwinter.”]

- So, you are bitter about that.
- Oh, no. Merely disgusted at how stupid and weak I was.
- Now you talk like a drow. I preferred the previous impersonation, though.
- I would still thoroughly enjoy kicking your ass, if that’s what you enjoyed in the previous impersonation.
- Oh, If I am forced to return to Underdark with just one member of the Nine on my count, I am quite sure this sentiment will be shared.
- But you’d rather fight them than me.
- You wish it was different ?
Ilivarra actually gave him a half-smile at that.
- You know I always enjoy a good fight.
- Even if you have to risk your life in it ?
- Especially if I have to risk my life in it. You experienced just how much that…
- …excites you.
- Yes. That’s why, if Valsharess gets angry enough with your… rebellious nature, you know who will volunteer to fight you first.
- Do one thing on your own and suddenly everyone speaks about some rebellious nature. I’m two ranks above you not without reason, Ilivarra. You cannot win.
- Dos phuul fridj tluin usstan'sargh.
- I am not being arrogant, I…

Another person entered the tent, cutting the conversation short with a quick “shut up”.
That was her.
The Bitch. Phaere Barit’tar. Well, teasing her about her demotion probably wasn’t a good idea right now.
- We were given the order to destroy the city of surface elves and return to Underdark to aid with fighting a certain… rebellious caste of Valsharess’ servants. We shall be aided by summoned fiends and duergar as well as orog mercenaries. The battle will be…
- Wait, wait, Phaere, why the hell do you act like the leader ?
- An odd question. Maybe because I am one.
- And why would that be ?
- I am the highest of rank ?
- And here I was thinking that you were above Ilivarra before I came to the picture.
- I was. It’s just that it is pretty clear to everyone that currently you do not have Valsharess’ favor.
- Ahhh, so nobody gave me an official demotion ?
- We assume you have been demoted.
- Well, certainly that is a biiigg assumption, though it may be true that everyone seems to… assume… that it’s true.
- I believe you should be silent and follow through with the plan, male. Unless you wish to face Valsharess’ wr…
- It’s a pity that nearly all drow women grew into such big pussies that the only thing they can currently do is to rely on Valsharess for everything.

Ilivarra gasped as Phaere made a bit of a shocked face, actually forgetting to breathe for a moment. Her eyebrow twitched uncontrollably as she started to grit her teeth.
- Oh, sorry, just my personal feelings. You know, if it wasn’t the high and mighty Right Hand that spoke to me, I might have thought you are simply afraid to challenge me by yourself.
- You annoying, rebellious, dumb, incompetent and unsociable male ! How dare you !
- You can only expect me to threat you with respect if you do the same, Phaere. You may feel safe… I will not kill you if only because you’re Sinvyl’s blood. But this asset does not have multiple uses… at least not with me. Do not expect to be both safe and have me submit to you just because you and *Valsharess* are family.
- You expect me to give you *respect* ?!
- Yes. What a shock it is, isn’t it ? Respecting a male. Well bear with it, because I am quite capable of both respecting females as well as kicking their asses. You are capable of respecting fiends. Treat this as similar category.
- And then I can trust you to follow my command ?
- This time, at least. Since it seems that, to you at least, the chain of command is ambiguous.
Phaere went silent for a moment.
- So be it, Maenaz Carn’renor of the Red Triumvirate. We have a deal.
- Fine by me.


Maenaz couldn’t help but realize he has done something like this before.
There was an entire mass of elves trying to defend against their forces. And they were probably failing badly as it was.
Elves weren’t half as defenseless as the svirfneblin were. They had powerful wizards and interesting magic items.
And yet he still noticed that it felt a bit like fighting with children. And killing them.
Only a bit, though.
Whatever the case, what worried him more was the fact that so far, he made the svirfneblin population in Underdark only a small part of what it once was and was destroying a whole city full of elves who tried to protect their homeland from their eternal enemy, but could not get Valsharess to do the same thing to Neverwinter.
They just butchered her enemies.
Didn’t seem exactly like an equal partnership, did it ?
These annoying elven archers once again.
Maenaz fired a couple of blasts at them and returned to engage the pathetic swordfighter that could have made carrier as a bard considering his physique and voice.
And then, an arrow pierced his side.
He blasted the swordsman and looked up once again.
Maenaz always considered himself to be good with his blasts. They were quick, deadly, efficient, and quite powerful.
Sure, there were instances in which enemies dodged.
Hell, he could remember situations in which he himself missed, not so far as just before his return to Neverwinter after gathering the Words of Power.
But for him to miss ALL the targets ?
He repeated his previous action, aiming at the first of the archers he detected and then dynamically moving from one to another, just tossing a quick glance to confirm the location.
Only the first blast hit.
Something was wrong. Either the elves were very good, or something was amiss with him. Because he could usually make those things connect while in middle of combat with practically zero time to aim.
And yet this time he couldn’t.
He decided to put the fault on the elves’ agility, for now. He searched for a bigger number of
Archers close to each other and used Eldritch Doom.
Well, that one struck it’s mark. Would be really strange if it didn’t.
Running forward, he and his drow companions engaged the elves in melee. After a momentary battle the drow decided to make the fight a bit less fair for the elves – unfortunately, for himself as well.
Many masses of darkness simultaneously appeared at the frontlines of the battlefield, engulfing both the surface elves and their dark cousins within.

Before the darkness cut off his sight, the warlock grabbed the nearest elf and impaled him on Enserric to ensure no surprising counterattack would be made.
Then it would be purely a random fight, probably. Only a few fighters could fight really well inside a sphere of darkness.
Most among them were probably drow, fortunately for him.
There was a moment of silence before his sword clashed with another. He didn’t manage to parry the second blow, and at least the fact that he was stabbed – the flash of the blade as well as flow of his own blood - allowed him to confirm how well could he see in this darkness.
It was frighteningly bad. It never was as bad as now, in fact.
Was the drow darkness somehow stronger ? Or was it a matter of quantity ? After all, many drow used the ability simultaneously.
Either that, or…
His eyesight was getting worse.
Improbable. Unless suddenly his humanity kicked in and decided his diet should be more healthy.
He released a blast that he knew missed, but it should limit the elf’s movement. Indeed, another strike came where he thought it would be, and the ray of energy he fired in retaliation hit it’s mark. However, he was quickly slashed twice, once from the back and once from his left side.
He waited for a moment and dodged another strike, but his right arm was cut by the blade of the second elf. A shallow wound, but still… He got a bit angered and decided to give both the elves and the nearby drow a run for their money, using Eldritch Doom with him just barely outside it’s range.
Unsure of who was hit and who wasn’t, he rushed forward, parrying another blow and punching the elf in the gut to stop the continuous attack. Instinctively, Maenaz moved to the side as another blade was about to run him through, and with a pirouette slashed the assailant deeply in the chest.
The elf he just punched, however, fired a Lighting Bolt straight into his back.
[“He is a wizard as well ? Stupid elves !!”]

Maenaz fired a blast into the elf’s general area and readied his sword. The other man was faster, however, and stroke him back. The warlock instinctively dodged another attack, aimed apparently for his left arm. He attempted to blast both elves at once and was pretty sure that he hit one of them.
However, it just wasn’t his day. A moment after the blast, he was struck by some sort of a bludgeoning weapon which threw him back a bit, only to be nearly pierced through by the other elf’s blade. That made it three on one, and it seemed the elves were having a better time fighting in the darkness.
Maenaz leapt forward and sensed another incoming strike of the bludgeoning weapon and dodged minimally while counter-attacking. At the same time, however, he had to cope with strikes from the other two elves, who sported cutting weapons and as such were a bit of a threat to his health. Miraculously he dodged the first elf’s strike and blocked the second one’s, managing to put a blast to the abdomen of the latter, but then he got smashed under the rib’s by the last elf’s mace (or whatever it was), which was just a premonition to being rapidly slashed by the last elf.
Maenaz noted that he should never never ever underestimate a bunch of enemies he never fought before any time again.
Because he was pretty sure that if he doesn’t do something right now, then the ex-Hero of Neverwinter and one of the probably mightiest men of Faerun would die getting his ass kicked by a trio of elves who didn’t accomplish a third of what he did in life, and that’s after adding their experience together.
He just needed to conclude that one simple thing before attempting to turn the tide of fight completely.
[“This would suck. Hard.”]
There were only two ways he could immediately reduce the apparent advantage those elves got from fighting in the darkness, and he concluded the one that would temporarily render their efforts to kill him fruitless would be the better one this time.
The ex-hero of Neverwinter flared his power to the extreme as he started to absorb the darkness around him, a passing feeling of satiating a hunger that suddenly appeared fleeing through his body as he felt himself getting revitalized.
Both the drow and the elves in the affected area quickly turned their gaze towards him, a bit shocked. He was about to bare his teeth and give his opponents a sadistic grin, when he noticed something which may have been part of the reason why he got his ass kicked in the darkness.
As he was disposing of the light-extinguishing clouds of blackness, his eyes reacted to light far slower than they should. As a matter of fact, they were both off.
His vision was obstructed – it seemed as if his right eye was detecting some black shapes while his left eye’s vision was simply slightly cloudy, which added up to giving him a less-than-perfect idea of who was standing where.
[“I… don’t understand. Everything seemed fine before…”]
Wait. No.
[“I missed. A couple of times in a row. Is something wrong with my eyes, or is it some sort of elven magic ?”]
He closed his right eye to get rid of the strange shapes. The left eye’s vision wasn’t perfect, but at least it was good enough as far as localizing things went.
It seemed he got rid of one of the elves. The one with a mace was a female, and the last one had an elven chain mail on his body and sported some tattoos – he would put his money that this one was the one responsible for the unpleasant discharge of electricity that went into his back.
He lost enough time already. He quickly discharged his accumulated power by blasting both elves through the wall, and turned around to see the rest of the area he cleared of darkness.
Turning his open right palm toward the first fair-skinned elf he saw, he disposed of another enemy.
Of course, he was aware of the fact they could attack him from the back and from the darkness’ side.
Which is way he always kept a wall of flames in his sleeve.
The dark points in his right eye’s field of vision started to reduce and just in time, as he noticed that he was about to be pierced by an arrow from his right side. He would thank the Gods for his ever-surpassing reflexes… if he still held any faith in them. At the last moment, Maenaz fired a blast that annihilated the arrows and pushed the shooter off the walls and down to his death.
It seemed the eyesight problem was slowly going away. Good for him.
Of course, it was a natural instinct for him to search for the big fish after disposing of the lesser difficulties.
It seemed that both sides had their problems as Ilivarra was stuck in combat against a Treant and a couple elves, while an elf that was quite easy to identify as a noble and possibly the leader of the city was defending against two drow and a fiend.
Maenaz blasted an elf that charged him away and moved toward his chosen target.
Climbing through the battlefield, the sarcastic part of him noted how most of his battles always went. Bang bang bang, loads of blood or metal parts flying, meeting the boss, everybody fails against the boss, he kicks the bosses’ ass and that’s it.

It was schematic. Boring. He sometimes wished the boss would turn on his own man or someone else instead of him did the job.
Of course, this probably wouldn’t happen. Not with this whole power differences thing. From the beginning to the end everything was screwed up in terms of who could beat who and taking down a dragon or a top-level fiend was never a given, but he was sure none of his buddies from his time in the Academy could survive in here, whether they would fight against the drow or the elves.
Growth in power was such a curious thing, and it seemed mortals, in truth, were not born equal.
As he climbed up to his destination, he was alone, as usual, leaving behind a mountain of corpses, as usual. Only the thing at the end of the way changed.
Desther, Arcane Brotherhood, Aribeth, Maugrim, Morag, Vix’thra, Valsharess, the Seer and other opponents he faced…
And now, the elven noble that was just outside his blast range.
He wondered if his ultimate nemesis, the final battle of all final fights, would be Nasher… or this Lord of the Crossroad Keep… or someone else. Maybe not even something human ? Maybe, after all this, he would end up fighting monsters again…
Maybe he would simply go and lose himself in the Spheres like many a powerful adventurer probably tried before him ?
Possible. But one single death made him sure he would only get more and more separated and alone along the way, and it would never change.
Moving ever upward only caused you to become more and more isolated, until there was nobody to catch up with you.
After all, the Overgod standing at the top of the world only sometimes interacted with the relatively few deities of this world, never with mortals, and he stood alone.
Maenaz wondered how far upward and how far into loneliness his path would bring him.
Philosophizing right now…
Just for a moment, he wished the elf would resemble Nasher. It might have caused him to go blind with rage and just butcher everything around him, instead of pondering on the ever-hungry void that started to consume his existence the moment he graduated from the Academy.

It turned out he probably was the true villain all along. Because a person who trades more and more for increased power is always a villain.
So, just like the stereotypical villain, he took advantage of the noble’s slightly distracted state and fired an Eldritch Blast.
The noble turned to him and suddenly presented his clenched fists.
With his vision having gotten back to full effectiveness at the least moment, he saw two flashes of light on the noble’s hands.
Based on instinct, he dodged left, avoiding a bolt of lighting but taking the bulk of a damage lashed out by a fireball. Still, it was preferable.
He glimpsed a move behind him and blocked a strike from another elf, just as he heard the noble scream.
He disposed of the arrogant rogue, turning to see what happened. Apparently, Phaere took advantage of the noble’s distracted state and started to kick his butt. Hard. After a short fight, she blasted the elf into the nearest wall (not nearly as spectacularly as he would be able to, mind you), and run him through with her sword, killing him instantly. Maenaz helped to secure her victory by Eldritch Dooming a group of elves that was fast approaching her to try and help their leader.


Looking at the battlefield, that was it. The elves’ numbers were dwindling, the magical beasts and treants that, in small numbers, but still, supported them were dead, and their leader was just sent to meet Kelemvor (or did Seldarine went differently about this ?) by Phaere.
And, last but not least, this time he did not have to do all the work.


The same day, in Neverwinter…

- So, Sand, are you sure you will be staying in Neverwinter ?
- Not exactly sure I’ll be “staying”. If everything else fails I may end up teleporting around the place. After all, Khelgar should be fully informed of the danger… actually it might be enough to just do this. I wouldn’t be surprised if the dwarves could handle the drow by themselves, and Maenaz… well, it would be risky, but Khelgar was always an extraordinary fighter, and ever since he took hold of the artifacts of the Iron Fist, he… well, he’s tough as hell.
- If you say so… however, is it true that some members of Captain’s old team are unreachable ?
- Actually when I think about it, most of the team is unreachable. Neeshka is probably playing a thief again, and only Gods know where. We might have created somebody responsible for setting up another great thieves’ guild in the future. All I know is that for now, she probably wants some rest from us. If we even consider Ammon Jerro, who would probably have the power to battle Maenaz, he disappeared before we even left the fortress. He might have went to other spheres… damn, something might have snatched him back to Baator already. Zhjaeve… To me, it seems she would have returned to the Githzerai in Limbo immediately after her mission ended. It makes sense. Also, the way she developed while in the team, she could make herself a name in one of their cities.
- What about Elanee ?
- Oh, yes. Elanee. No way that girl returns to us while Xardas is away, unless we’d be in grave and widely known danger. She just likes wilderness too much. And that’s where she is. In the wilderness. But damn me if I know where exactly she could be after all this chaos with the Mere of Dead Men.


The drow were marching to the Underdark’s entrance, birds flying above their heads. Maenaz noted, curiously, that there were almost only carnivorous birds, and, even more interesting was the fact that none of them were offset by a presence of one particularly large bird of prey, seemingly an eagle, that flied through the group and soon landed on some rocks near the entrance.

Of course, the warlock couldn’t see the moment of landing neither the fact that the eagle moved slowly towards the edge of the rocks to gaze upon the drow again. As it walked, the animal’s body elongated and its wings fell forward to support the growing weight, slowly shifting to slender hands. The feathers fell off, leaving the skin naked as it morphed into a pretty shade. The wings rested in disorder on the shapeshifter’s naked body before slowly changing back into clothing. The humanoid tossed her hair back and then moved it behind pointed ears with her hand. Sitting upon the high, cliff-like edge of the cave, she looked downwards, towards the drow that destroyed the hidden city of the elves.
She knew, however, that of the four greatest menaces in the group only two were drow.
The first and probably weakest of the group of four reeked of Baator more than Ammon Jerro did and matter-of-factly had to be a Baatorian, but something was off with him.
The second one was a drow that screamed “unnatural” to her. Covered with unholy tattoos from head to toe, she was too tall for standards of most surface elves, not to mention their Underdark cousins. Her body was ripped with lean muscles and an experienced observer would suspect that she added unnatural elements to her biology by means of some rituals or elixirs.
The other drow was far shorter and more slender and meek of build, but she seemed of higher rank. The shapeshifter knew that she was an exceptional assassin, someone so well versed in the dark arts that on the surface many would pay a fortune to hire someone of her skill. However, she also had other abilities. One usually gained from pacts with dark powers.
And here was someone whom she recognized to be the biggest threat. A warlock of power far greater than the abilities exhibited by his own companion.
The druid couldn’t help but compare him with two of her late companions. While possessing powers comparable to Ammon Jerro, he was many times younger than the old warlock, which suggested an astonishing potential… even if he was less human and more elven than he seemed from this distance, he still had to be young. His athleticism and combat abilities were just a notch below Bishop’s, which summed up gave a dangerous combination.
The thing was, the man’s visage didn’t suggest either such a violent personality or such extreme abilities. Because in terms of looks, calling him attractive might seem like an understatement. She recognized that the man’s personality and grim demeanor somewhat dimmed his otherwise alluring and interesting face, which had sharp but attractive features and a very penetrating, analytic and intelligent look about it. As far as elven standards went his build seemed well on it’s way to perfection, it’s athleticism – as opposed to bulkiness - and lack of body fat making it seem improbable that he was a pure-bred human.
Still, she knew that she would find him this attractive because of a different feature.
The eye and hair colors didn’t fully match and this man was taller, but in a strange, curious way, him and Xardas resembled each other. Elanee knew that it was more than on simple physical level – there was something about the way they stared and the way they moved that screamed they had something important in common. She just couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
However, their personalities had one drastic difference. This man gave off a terrible feeling, he was filled with anger and was incredibly desperate to achieve any purpose he had. A stark contrast to Xardas’ accepting, understanding, a bit easy-going and calm nature.
Elanee changed shape again to go down to the cave’s entrance to make sure that the drow disappeared deep within the darkness.


Valsharess returned to her forces after defeating the first tribe of orogs that dared to oppose her. Inside Underdark, the orogs were the bulk of the problem, so she decided to start by taking care of some of them herself. There were other Underdark creatures to deal with, as well as more Orog tribes, but she would plant those in care of her highest-ranking servants.
She had a different activity to participate in.

Ashtara gathered his troops in order to give orders to the scout and place the footmen as guardians in certain spots of the ruins. The scouts were supposed to bring them whatever seemed interesting or valuable enough. The whole scanning of the area usually took at least a few days, but the lizardman could afford to be patient. The only other thing attempting to salvage something in the ruins was the mysterious sorceress, and he would rather not cross paths with her. Everything she left untouched was as good as his.

Much later, in the Underdark…

Maenaz was summoned directly to the Valsharess’ fortress, along with the rest of the Red Triumvirate. Of course he knew that Phaere was probably joyous beyond words and practically twitched in anticipation of the punishment that Valsharess would supposedly unleash upon him.
Idiot. While he was uncertain as to whether he could defeat Valsharess in single combat (putting her archdevil “friend” aside), their relation was more or less that of equals and Valsharess was in no position to “punish” him, as in fact he wasn’t her servant.
Though that’s not what everyone else seemed to think.
The learned that Valsharess did not return from the battlefield yet, and as such Ilivarra proposed a momentary rest as well as a bit of healing. Not really caring about rest (as he was upset about having to return underground), and having nearly all of his injuries healed by a single potion and his own regenerative ability he decided to rush straight for Valsharess’ chambers.
The guards did not exactly like the fact that he was entering their Empress’ chambers, but they knew better than try to stop him.


Valsharess seemed to have overdone her room as far as decorations and size went, though he has seen people far more transfixed on this – namely the few nobles he visited in Blacklake district of Neverwinter. He did consider sitting on her bed for a moment, but that would seem weird.
He was about to do something just as arrogant and sit on her table, when he realized a reason why being here seemed… unreasonable.
Samael was in the room just next to this one. The only thing that separated him from his lover’s pet of quasi-deific might was a freaking wall, and he probably had certain orders as to what to do with those who entered here without Valsharess’ permission.
However, the fiend should know of his presence already, right ? Unless she somehow blocked it, he probably had some sort of a super-sense allowing him to know exactly what went on around. Even if he didn’t, he should hear him entering.
Perhaps the fiend, in fact, wanted him to enter.
Curiosity sometimes did get the better of him and this was one such instance. So, he approached the black, rune-covered, emerald-inlayed doors.
Now, he expected there was some sort of mechanism that would only allows Valsharess to open it, though he had enough experience with magical devices to try and open it unless it was done by the fiend himself. To his surprise, however, the door simply opened as he pushed them, with no resistance whatsoever.
He entered that weird room, which was as if taken in it’s exact form from one of the stories of those psychotic bards who attempted to simply scare the shit out of the listener. Though, he’d seen worse, of course. Pools of blood may be pretty common in Hell.
Or wherever ex-lords of Baator made their home.
It was Samael’s visage that somewhat disturbed him. When he last saw him, Samael seemed to be in his natural and usual form, if somewhat drained. Now, however, drained was the least of the words to describe him. His image was distorted and he seemed to have slight trouble in keeping his form as it was. His body was covered in strange scars, a couple of which opened, but flesh under them was shown only in flashes; Instead, it was as if shadow itself crept out of the wounds. One of his eyes lost some of it’s color and was bloodshot.
As expected. Ancient powers of Hell did not take well to slavery.

- Come closer, human. You’re in no danger.
- I figured Valsharess would give you some kind of order to kill beings that enter her chambers. I also figured she would secure the entrance to this chamber, somehow.
- Well, there is such an order… but it seems it has loopholes. First of all, it’s specified that I am to kill “any drow outside of the Red Triumvirate that enters here without her specific permission”. Well, not only you’re a member of the Triumvirate, you’re not a drow, so technically you’re outside of specification. As for the door… it’s a different matter.
- Well, I thought she would make the door such that they would only open to her. It seems plausible.
- Oh, but she did. The problem is Valsharess failed to consider that the door wouldn’t be much of a challenge. You see, if someone wanted to enter here… let’s take Phaere, for example. She is so experienced in assassination and similar fields of expertise that she would probably be able to open the door using standard, if magically enhanced, thief equipment. Ilivarra could simply take a warhammer and power herself up until she was able to bash through the wall. Well, you… You could simply blast the wall. Or hell, as enchanted as they are, you could blast the door themselves. As a warlock, you may also have enough ability in using magical devices that you could attune yourself to the door so much that they would think you’re Valsharess. So, at this level… such protection has no meaning. And then, we enter the field of my level of power…
- You opened the door. You wanted to meet me.
- Oh, but of course. It seems that, slowly but inevitably, yours and Valsharess’ interests are clashing against each other. I’m not sure if you realized that it puts you in the danger of being eliminated. And it’d be a waste to see such an interesting creature die before learning more of it beforehand.
- Valsharess has no reason to kill me and you know it, fiend. We had an agreement and I am keeping my side of it quite well. Not to mention the kind of relationship we are having… And why the hell am I interesting ?
- Well, you probably always wondered where did your warlock powers get from. I’ll put your mind at ease. No fiend holds any claim to your soul whatsoever, so you did no fiendish summoning while being drunk and did not remember anything afterwards. Also, you have no fiendish blood in your veins. So, unless you made agreements with those creatures of nature from your native world, or one of your ancestors had an intimate relationship with them – which to my memory either do not produce warlock powers or do it very rarely – that would make you a certain interesting… exception to the rule.
- I have no fey ties I know of. So it seems that I am self-powered.
- And just so you know, if that is correct, it is the first example of such a creature in the history of Faerun. Unless I am missing something.
- There must be more to this meeting than you wanting to learn about what sort of creatures did my grandfather, great grandfather or whatever had sex with.
- True. I wish to learn of the nature of your agreement with Valsharess. What exactly did you gain from all the work you did for her ? I find it hard to believe you simply went for good sex.
- Why are you interested ? And what’s in it for me ?
- You’re already here. You may as well talk. Benefits may come later, in form you wouldn’t expect. I assure you… promise you that you will not lose anything by talking.
- Why should I trust a fiend ?
- Well, first of all, you know how they treat promises in Hell, do you ? And, well… you already trust a drow. Don’t pretend it’s otherwise. It’s just half a step deeper into the dangerous territory.
- Valsharess is supposed to help me attain my revenge on the city of Neverwinter. So far, she couldn’t uphold her part of the deal fully, which is why I attempted to do this myself. One of the stronger servants of the city and a member of the elite guard of it’s lord have already fallen to my powers, so, I did in fact gain a measure of revenge. So I intend to…
- Pardon me, but… Neverwinter is on surface, and a new elite guard may be recruited, right ? On the other hand, Valsharess has a rather secure grip on the Underdark… It doesn’t seem like you both gained in equal measure.
- There was a reason why I was called back here.
- Yes, I am sure of that. However, what was the reason you CAME back here ?
- …
- I believe you should discuss this as equal partners. I am sure Valsharess can be reasoned with and will happily give you something like half of her army to support your crusade.
- You’re mocking me.
- Yes. You’re stuck with her, simply. You got yourself so involved that you lost the sight of your goal. It seems your vengeance is losing it’s meaning. You may abandon that quest, eventually.
- I will not !
- It is only a possibility. After all, it seems that your craving for vengeance is secondary to your desire to please Valsharess.
- My desire to do what ?
- You know quite well, Maenaz. If you think about it deeply enough, you will recognize both the emotional attachment and the desire to please her… physically and mentally. You cannot deceive me in that matter. Though, you may continue to try to deceive yourself.
- So what ? What does it have to do with you ?
- It is simple. Our fates are similar. You see, my state… it is not the result of some perverse plays you and Valsharess may or may not engage in during intimate situations. I am forced to use certain abilities of mine to strengthen Valsharess on a day-to-day basis and this is how she retains her extraordinary abilities. However, the nature of our bond also allows her to slowly leech my power away. Being a fiend, I have a measure of regeneration from such things, and she can only keep part of the power permanently, but the effect is the same, in the end. She forces me to remain in this plane of existence indefinitely, which takes it’s toll on me. I am starting to grow weaker… which just serves to feed her predations. At a certain point, the effect will be irrevocable and the result will be that Valsharess will grow more and more powerful while I shall lose more and more of my abilities. At a certain point I will probably lose my corporeal form, she will drain the rest of my powers and part of my dark, quasi-divine essence and leave me to rot without it, while she herself will become immortal, if not quite an archfiend yet.
- And how is my fate similar to that ?
- You honestly don’t see any similarity ? Do I really have to spell it out for you ?
- Oh, I do not know your version of things.
- Maenaz… she’s using you. She used you to dispose of Seer, to butcher the Svirfneblin… she uses you to have fun when she wants and to experience a relationship with someone who is, at least for now, a peer to her in terms of power. She uses you to learn of the powers of the surface, and she may or may not want to bear your child in order to create a being with more potential than any usual drow. In short, Maenaz, you are being milked for her own enrichment. Once she has a safe measure of power advantage and will have enough of knowledge from you, you will live only for as long as you don’t bore her. Then, you will die. She may even halt your growth to ensure that you don’t catch up to her.
- Why should I believe what you say ?
- You don’t have to. You can believe in her, of course. Though I am surprised that you don’t recognize a certain difference in your attitudes. Do you truly believe that she is as emotionally tied to you as you are to her ? That she treats you more fairly than she does the Underdark denizens, her own race, even her own family ? She may be using you or hampering your growth and you won’t even notice. Hell, she may even actively try to poison or infect you and you would never think it’s her. Are you feeling well recently ? Because if not, you should speak to her about it. I am sure she has nothing to do with it and will greatly worry about your health.
- I do not take well to mockery, Samael.
- Every time you let yourself be manipulated by her is a mockery, Maenaz. She’s been doing it for hundreds of years before you were even born, and yet, somehow, you let yourself think you will be the one person she won’t try to manipulate. Somehow, you still trust her. It seems that she lets you forget about your vengeance and, because of that, do what SHE desires. It appears that she you have grown more fond of her than of what you lost to the ones you want revenge on. Of course, I may be wrong. Maybe it is different. You know yourself the best. You may be able to tell her of your true feelings soon, she is approaching us already.
- You know nothing. Nothing is as important to me as what I lost because of Neverwinter.
- Perhaps. And perhaps you’re just lying to yourself. To me, it seems Sinvyl has grown pretty important to you, and that’s why you keep up with all the mistreatments and the times when she… slips… in fulfilling her part of your deal.
- I don’t care about your freaking opinion ! I am leaving !
- As you wish. But… oh. I remembered something, if you would listen. It’s a certain interesting… language quirk. You know, for all the beauty and complexness of their language, the drow vocabulary seems somewhat poor.
- What the hell are you going on about now !?
Samael smiled. It would be an strange smile for the fiend, for it seemed gentle, natural and relatively genuine – however, it never reached his eyes. They were still staring with the cold intensiveness and venomous contempt, drilling through the flesh and glaring upon the naked soul itself.

- I just though I may aid with you learning their language. You see, drow find themselves at a lack of words in certain situations. I’m not sure if you noticed, but… There is no word in drow for “Love”.
That was it. Maenaz left, shutting the door behind.

Ilivarra was already in the room when he closed the room to the hidden chamber, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him. One look at his face told her that he was not in the right mood for teasing or discussion, so she kept quiet about it.
The fiend knew nothing. They never spoke about his past. Valsharess probably didn’t care to inform Samael of anything she knew. Yet, his remarks were getting more, more and ever more accurate, which did not exactly help to lift his worries.
Sinvyl and Phaere entered the chamber together.
Valsharess behaved as if nothing happened. She just moved to her bed, sat on it and spoke out.
- We’re temporarily withdrawing from the surface. I will attempt to learn more of where should we attack to gain a strategical advantage. Next time. We shall be fully prepared. However, the reason for out withdrawal are certain problems within the Underdark itself. First, we were attacked by the daarthiri, but they have been dealt with. What is more worrisome is that certain beings within the Underdark are turning against us, and two of those rebellions are particularly worrisome. Your hands will be required here to take care of these.
So, the topic of surface would be simply abandoned. While this would shut up Phaere’s talks about demotion, he had a certain problem of his own with not talking about this.
- I believe we should discuss…
- I did not finish yet. The two rebellious factions that require our direct attention are the remaining orog and bugbear tribes that refuse to acknowledge our superiority. Anything that helps them should be disposed of as well. Given the nature of this assignment I believe that Ilivarra will be best suited to deal with it.
- As you wish, Jalil Valsharess.
- Then there’s the other thing. You see, this one is a bit more complicated. The locals sometimes said that the vicinity of our area has once been the hunting grounds of a certain bunch of gibberlings, lead by a creature called a Phaerlin Giant. Of course, it would be no worry, had they not suddenly ally with the other two.
- Other two ?
- A powerful tribe of grimlocks is another thing that may have been a problem in itself had it not joined this strange alliance. The last part is something quite well known to our race, cousin. The chitines form the last piece of the alliance.
- Chitines ? – Maenaz asked.
- A former slave race of the drow that got free due to someone’s incompetence. Probably a male.
- Now if these were normal circumstances I’d say that we what we are seeing is the work of a Choldrith priest that created the alliance to strengthen it’s Chitine tribe or that the one who set up the alliance was a demon the mentioned creature summoned…
- But those aren’t normal circumstances. They wouldn’t be able to do those things.
- And that’s because ??
The three females in the room all looked at him as if he was a nuisance, and Valsharess spoke.
- You don’t need to know yet. So, Phaere will be taking care of this problem currently.
- What about the male ? Will he have another mission, serve under one of us, or do you want to spend some time… punishing him ?
- You’re not getting your old position back, Phaere, if that’s what you think. My Chosen’s abilities will be used to stabilize my position within Underdark, however it seems that he and I have to discuss our agreement more… precisely. Once that is over with, I will probably add him to whichever of your problems is more difficult to deal with.
- So be it, Sinvyl. I shall take care of my mission immediately.
- So will I, Jalil Valsharess.
- I guess that means I am supposed to sit here and listen to what you have to say ?
Ilivarra and Phaere looked at him and then at each other, their faces suggesting that they would prefer to see him punished for his insolence. Valsharess merely gave a subtle, dark half-smile and answered.
- Smart boy.


When Phaere and Ilivarra left, Valsharess stretched herself, half-lying on her bed, and raised her eyes to meet Maenaz’s gaze. She spoke out first.
- So, do you believe you have been treated unfairly ? Do you believe that I shouldn’t take my forces from you and take you and my whole army back to Underdark ? Do you think you’re ending up with the short end of the stick and I am not upholding our deal ?
- To an extent, yes.
- I guess you feel uncomfortable with that. Well, guess how I felt. You left me alone and gone somewhere with my forces without telling anybody anything. I thought all sorts of things. That you’re betraying me, or running away, or that you were so fucking displeased with me that you had to go and unload your frustrations or something. And I’ve been rather worried, mind you.
- It was an impulse. I did not want to wake you nor worry you with mere impulses.
- But you should. I would say I trusted you pretty much so far, so why wouldn’t you trust me ?
- I do. But, that’s not the issue. I was merely working towards attaining my reward.
- But I couldn’t yet afford to give you that part of your… reward.
- It’s the most important part. I doubt you can even call it a part. That’s the “reward” we agreed to.
- Oh, is it ?
- What do you mean ?

Valsharess rose from the bedding, raising an eyebrow skeptically, giving him *that* bewildering look.
- You are given every honor someone of my own people could hope for. When not fighting for either of our causes, you dwell in luxuries I doubt you had on your surface world. You are being treated as an equal or superior by the strongest members of my race, while usually rivvin are treated as trash by every single member of it. I never once threatened you, yelled at you or treated you unpleasantly. I lifted you above a member of my own family in station, and that’s despite anybody’s council, or simple good taste of my people. I treat you and talk to you as if we were equals. Basically, you’re treated like royalty. I believe this should be enough to guarantee your loyalty. Of course, you’re the powerful and ambitious type. You’re greedy, you crave more, far more, you want YOUR desires to be fulfilled, not merely lead a relatively pleasant existence while fulfilling the desires of another.
She stood up, approaching him in a steady pace. He felt himself tense up. This situation…
Didn’t it seem familiar ?
She was now standing just before him, gazing upon him with a smug, seductive look. She slowly sat in his lap, straddling his hips, and took his hands in hers. She held one of them while slowly raising the other to her left breast.
- Which is one of the reasons why I am allowing you to take this. Feeding your lusts… whenever you may wish to. You do realize that males dream about this, right ?
Was Samael right ? Was he satisfied with sex only ? Did he actually believe she had some sort of emotional bond with him ? And if he did, was it true ?
Most of all, how did HE feel about her ?
In all honesty, it seemed that he, at the very least, he couldn’t resist her.
It didn’t seem he ever even tried.
Whenever she tried to seduce him, he simply went with it. Fell for it. So easily…
She could be manipulating him that way, couldn’t she ?
He barely even noticed they were making out, and she already undid her top.
Really, how stupid it was to go into a brain-dead, childlike blissful state whenever her breasts got exposed ?
He was undecided between pulling her closer and pushing her away, but he managed to calm down a bit and was more and more decided on the second option. His lips and facial muscles suddenly strained and he pulled out of the kiss Valsharess was about to give. She gave him that bewildering look with a raised eyebrow again, and slowly pulled her hips up from his. Her hands went down to them.
- My, oh my, look how frigid we are... How dispassionate ! Are you that angry with me ? Or is it that I simply do not hold enough appeal ?
She pulled her pants down, while undoing the bindings of her lower armor, throwing it away. Forcing her hips upwards and forward, she again put her buttocks into his lap, only differently this time.
She put her finger on his lips as she delicately lowered his eyes towards her nether regions. With the other hand, she pulled them open as she spoke in a silent, sultry whisper.
- Maenaz, Ussta m'ranndii… I am the very best this plane has to offer. Those eyes, those lips, those breasts, those hips… They could model statues of goddesses after those. And they’re more than willing. You know how it feels in this, inside me… and just think about it… All this honey for just one bee. For you. Don’t tell me this suddenly lost any appeal to you.
Her bold display of her own insides coupled with the verbal enticement rose all sorts of feelings. It was a bit unlike her. Undignified. Slutty. Self-demeaning.
Maybe because it was this exquisite and proud creature that did it why it was so uncharacteristically freaking hot for him.
Everything suddenly fell back into place.
Valsharess had every right to be narcissistic. She had every right to seem so alluring to it. He had every right to fall for it. And he had every right to her.
As she said. All her honey for just one bee.

He controlled himself just in the last moment, just when he was about to jump and simply take her like a wild animal. Instead, his face mirrored her look from just moments before, a smug smile on his lips as he slowly lifted them and delicately nibbled at her collarbone, moving his mouth to her neck and finally onto her lips as they fell on the bedding.
He broke the kiss and disposed of his own lower clothing, posing his already slightly painful erection at her entrance. He didn’t rush it, and when she moved for another kiss, he pulled away. She smiled.
- You ? Being a tease ? I barely recognize you, m’ranndii.
Instead of waiting for an answer, she arched her back as she thrust her hips forward, with him gasping at suddenly being drawn inside her. As expected of Valsharess, her insides were as warm and wet as always. He nearly fell on her as he allowed her a moment to adjust, while Valsharess worked with hands and fingers to remove his upper armor and leave him as bare-chested as she was.
Before she was done, he decided there was no reason at all not to enjoy himself anymore, and so he started building up a pace as his hands slowly snaked down to her thighs and buttocks. She slid his armor down and next to her as she started to feel up his chest and the well-defined muscles of his abdomen.

Valsharess made some sort of a cooing sound and she parted her lips, drawing quickened breaths through them all the while looking on his face. The expression and sounds should be classified as cute rather than her usual seductive behavior or raw passion. She started to respond to his thrusts by arching her back in a flowing, rhythmic motion that seemed to pull him inside the most just at the end of his thrusts at some times, while denying him the full penetration at others, and he could tell that was her intention.
He groaned as he grabbed her by the waist during one such motion and started to practically devour her breast as he increased the pace, pounding into her with wild abandon, forcing an unusual shriek from her which flowed into a series of moans as he was satisfying himself with her body. He could tell she enjoyed it as well, but she started to block her moans, trying to say something coherent. Babbling slowly transformed into something else.
- You…know… I…hehe…hehate… being on bottom… but since I did… it’s my turn now, fine ?
- Impatient, aren’t we ??
Maenaz allowed her to fall on the bedding as he lifted himself from her, supporting himself with his hands as he continued with his wild pace.
Valsharess closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment, their flesh grinding against one another as she felt complete fullness and sudden near-emptiness that begged for the previous feeling to come back time and time again. After a moment, however, she opened them again, giving him that smug, skeptical, bewildering look with a raised eyebrow.

- This is far from enough to shut me up, and you know that. This, however, will do.
She rose from the bedding and grabbed him, pulling him closer and onto the bedding, devouring his lips and assaulting the inside of his mouth with her tongue. In a moment, he did not resist and found himself on his back, as she did savor a bit of teasing by lifting herself off him for a moment. She grinded her core against his abdomen as she slowly moved up, kissing his lips, then his forehead and finally allowing him some access to her breasts as she snaked her hand down to his crotch, stroking him, wiping him of her juices and drawing a bit of his precum onto her hand, then slowly straddling down, the hand moving up to her mouth as she tasted their mixed juices.
That was a bit too much and he could notice the look of triumph she gave to respond to his, one filled with desperate want. She went down and slid him inside of herself, arching her back and letting out a moan. She slowly gave a rolling motion to her hips, one to which he responded by slowly rising his hips from the bedding as they enjoyed a somewhat less rough bout of lovemaking.

He put his hands on her flat stomach, feeling the muscles tensing up as one his fingers irritated the skin, one hand going up towards her breast and one going teasingly to her nether regions. True, with all the wonderful softnesses of her body, Valsharess had a touch of athleticism as well. He started to play with her clit as they build up the pace, eliciting louder and more passionate moans as she got wetter and slightly tightened around him. He could feel she was close, but not quite there yet – her characteristical breathing, or at the moment of greatest pleasure, lack of it, clearly marked every orgasm of her he had seen thus far. However, when she started to thrust her hips erratically and she looked down on him, her hair flowing madly and her look wild, he recognized that she wanted him to just push her over the edge quickly.

Far from being a real tease as she could be, he pulled her a bit closer and lowered his hands to her buttocks to give himself something pleasant to grab, and immediately increased the velocity of his thrust. This was met with an approving moan from Valsharess, and a moment after he could recognize her panting and soft moaning as marking her release. Traditionally as she threw her head back in abandon and flooded his crotch with her juices, she was nearly suffocating, unable to draw in a proper breath as she rode her release, her core nearly pulsing as more and more juices leaked out of her and onto him, the delightful feeling of constricting tightness and heavenly warm informing him that he would probably not hold out long himself.
Valsharess restarted with a slower pace and a satisfied look on her face. His hands played with her hips and buttocks for a moment, while his mouth found another occupation as she leaned in for a kiss.
[“She kisses you more often. Is that a good thing ?”]
As they were making out, she leaned in even closer, her breasts pushing themselves into his chest, reminding him of another place where he needed to place his hand.
[“THAT surely is a good thing !”]
Of course, as soon as she withdrew, he followed the instinct, his hands raising to her breasts as she kept working on him with her hips, drawing him deep inside, her insides bringing him closer and closer to his own edge.
It was fine to come inside, right ?
Valsharess begun to pick up the pace again and he certainly started to hope it was fine, but as he continued to play with her breasts while her vagina was tugging and pulling on him and her thighs and buttocks were smothering his own body, she got a different idea.
- When I think about it, you seem positively transfixed with my breasts. They’re the part most to your liking, aren’t they ?
- Is something wrong… if they are ?
- I was thinking that perhaps you would like me to give you your own release… using them. I hope you can visualize what I mean.
Damn right he could.
Fine, flooding her insides with his semen suddenly seemed only like the second best option.
- I… would like that.
She lifted herself off him and slowly went downwards, allowing her moist lips to brush his thigh and her supple breasts to slide across his chest and abdomen as they finally came in contact with his groin. She put his member in-between them and pulled them together, and he gasped. He couldn’t help but revel in the feeling as she slowly started to move up and down, and he knew he couldn’t last long. To add to the barrage of feeling assaulting him, Sinvyl let her tongue ran across the tip of his member. Maenaz could already feel his seed flow and rise within his member, demanding to be let out, but wanted to enjoy the feeling just a little bit longer. The sight of his relatively pale skin against her mix of dark violet and jet-black was exquisite, but it only gave a shade of an idea about how extraordinary the combined feeling of her soft breasts and skilled tongue were.
Finally, the warlock groaned as his seed rose and practically blasted out, covering his mate’s cheeks, shooting onto her tongue and into her mouth and most of all coating those delicious breasts. Valsharess easily swallowed what she was given and smiled smugly, as she begin to lick and wipe off what was on her breasts, slowly and sensuously feeding more of his seed to herself.
However, in a moment he could tell she wasn’t done. With his juices still on her hand, she moved her head to his “lesser” head and started to suckle upon it, just as her jizz-covered palm went down between her legs, his eyes widening as he realized the whole impact of both the actions.

She was masturbating, using a hand coated with his semen. And she was preparing him for another round.
Luckily his erection had barely begun to go away, so she was able to keep it as it was. Sinvyl did not stay as she was for long, giving him a long final suck before his head left her mouth with an audible pop. Then she rose and, reverting her previous position, she turned around, lowering her hips until his tip first touched her moist lips and then disappeared as she stuffed him into her hungry sex with amazing easiness.
She straightened and pushed her hips down into him to draw him fully into herself, and in this position he could once again fully admire her hourglass figure. Though, to be honest, that was rather hard to do with his member being buried so deep inside her and her nearly divine bottom fully presented to him. Valsharess bended forward and started to move.
Maenaz watched in fascination as his member slid out and again disappeared into her womanhood, the view of which was a bit obstructed, but he didn’t really care since that obstruction was even more pleasant to watch. Her backside was just full enough that it gently struck his abdomen as she bounced up and down, giving him both a pleasant if fleeting feeling as well as something impressive to watch. Watching Valsharess naked was always a pleasure in and of itself, but feeling her womanhood slide up and down his length, drawing him in, constricting his member with surprising tightness, feeling himself buried in all that moisture and heat – to him, a virgin before he met her, it was practically indescribable.
The combined stimulation served to make him realize that another round probably wasn’t a bad idea at all, and he felt that feeling slowly return. Desire. Not as strong or wild as before, but it was there, and it would probably build up until he would achieve his second release.

He didn’t need much of that hypnotizing movement to reach out his hands towards her, but instead of going straight to his target, they instead went to her back, massaging it, causing her to arch into a close-to-impossible (at least for humans) curve as his fingers started tracing her vertebra down until they finally reached their destination. Valsharess stopped for a moment, just rolling her hips back and forth as he felt her ass, but he slowly begun the motion on his own, lifting her up and bringing her down as much as he could in that position, all the while trying to find a way to match the rhythm of his own hips to the movement of hers.
Sinvyl merely sighed with satisfaction as she lifted herself off him with just his tip remaining inside, and smashed back into him, sending a burst of pleasure that served just right to ignite back the feral lust that he felt during the first round.
He instinctively did something he always hesitated to do, knowing that unlike some human beings, Valsharess almost surely did not have a submissive or masochistic side in the slightest.
He spanked her.
Valsharess turned her head around, an inspective look on her face as he stared onto her lower backside as if hypnotized, his hand molesting the slightly darkening flesh as if he tried to tear it from the rest. Noticing she stopped, he looked up to meet her gaze.
He blushed.
- Aren’t you forgetting yourself down there ?
- Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself.
- You don’t see me hitting you during sex, do you ? We may do it as if we were some brutal savages once if that is to your liking, but I’d prefer to know beforehand.
- I won’t do it again. I promise.
- Yeah, right. Idiot. Do the other side. You’re not getting another chance quickly.
He tilted his head, but as she continued to stare at him, her hips seemingly starting to subtly move on her own from anticipation, and he slowly formed a grin. He raised his right hand and slapped her ass again, earning himself a loud gasp from Valsharess as her bottom shook deliciously. His hand remained in place, groping greedily as she begun to pick up the pace. She soon changed her position, supporting herself on her hands as she lowered her back close to his chest.
- The front desires some attention as well. Be gentle.
- Easy for you to say.

He did as asked while she was seeking a way to grind herself against him so that it would provide the most stimulation. Playing with her breasts, Maenaz noticed that they were still somewhat slick from her saliva (or was this what left of his seed ? Which breast received more licking and which was simply wiped with her hand ? He was so transfixed on the act itself back then that he couldn’t remember.) The warlock arched his back and started thrusting into her on her own. This earned him a moan in return, and his left hand stopped playing with the whole globe, starting to just lightly stretch and knead the nipple around.
This proved stimulating, as Valsharess found herself almost out of breath from the constant moans she emitted. Her body was tensing up and he noticed fast enough. He grinned lecherously as his right hand suddenly darted downwards to play with her lips, searching for her clitoris. Valsharess gasped but had no way to defend herself when he finally begun the mass stimulation of her more sensitive parts.
She emitted a satisfied growl as she tensed up further, picking up on her pace and biting her lips to stop her moans. She couldn’t, however, fool him as her breathing became shallow. He continued to play with her nipple and stimulate her lower regions until she finally went nearly stiff, her breath cutting out, her mouth opening agape to emit a moan she did not have enough air for. Maenaz’s efforts were rewarded as his fingers were coated in her juices that slowly slid down his shaft and onto his balls.

Valsharess fell upon him, the warlock thankful that he was doing it with a drow elf of all things – she was light enough that the sudden contact wasn’t hard or hurtful at all. What was a bit disappointing is that he nearly completely slid out of her, and neither one was moving down there at all. She was panting, and he felt that her skin was covered in sweat.
- You… learn quickly…
- Most drow males receive special trainings in this, right ?
- True, but… they’re so fucking passive and some a bit on the slow side… not to mention that I know of none with such fascinating endowment… What the hell did they feed you ? I’m starting to have doubts about your heritage.
- This size is relatively normal for my race. Quite a bit above average… but still normal.
Valsharess’ hand went down to their still connected genitals as she gave his balls a small appreciative squeeze and started to rub his shaft with her fingertips.
- Liar. Give me more. I need you deep inside me, hitting my end. I want to feel you burst inside me.
- I suppose we could arrange that. How shall we do it now ?
She let him leave her as she rolled over to his side and pulled her knees under her body.
- Take me from behind. Mind what you do with your hands this time, though.

Maenaz didn’t waste any time, nearly pushing her over when he acrobatically repositioned himself and grabbed her hips to push himself into her eager lips. As he thrust inside he repeated her own action by lifting the hand coated with her juices to his mouth and licked it off. He felt no repulsion upon tasting it, once again wondering how much better being “Valsharess” made her taste. His focus went elsewhere as he felt himself being clenched by her insides, the wonderful feeling of her slick walls massaging his engorged manhood as he felt the need and possibility of another release. He pushed himself in to the hilt, feeling the strange pressure on his head.
He was actually entering her cervix ? It seemed she was really build for someone shorter, and the action caused her to yelp and gasp with surprise. He withdrew, grabbing her buttocks instead of her hips, and he established a steady pace, the deep penetration and rather considerate movement earning him appreciative moans from the divine woman before him. His left hand crept up her spine causing her to shiver as he plunged into her more suddenly, his lips suddenly attaching themselves to her neck as he started to go faster, ravishing her and enjoying every second of it. She turned her head and went for a kiss as his left hand slid over her stomach and towards her breast. She giggled.
- Now that is a certain addiction I would like to see develop in you.
- It’s no addiction. Nobody could resist those magnificent mounds of yours.
- Don’t bother trying. I don’t want to see you try. Play all you like.
- I believe in this case I should say “Your wish is my desire”.
- Shut up and ravage me.
- Your wish is my desire.

He moved his hips in a more twisting motion as he continued to penetrate her, feeling that strange pressure on the tip of his member again. He almost wanted to check how it would feel if he pushed in deeper, but it would be hard in this position, and he probably would still lack a couple fractions of an inch to accomplish it fully in any position. Also, it seemed that while somewhat arousing, the action was painful to her. He started kneading her nipple and his hand went down to her nether regions, only to meet hers. She grabbed him and held him for a moment, slowly moving him downwards.
They caressed her nether lips together for a moment before her hand went further down and started tugging his balls. He could feel his seed building up and her ministrations only served to feed his desire for release, but he could sense she wasn’t far away from her own orgasm. Valsharess suddenly moved away from him, lowering on her hands and pulling him out as she moved forward. She laid on the side, her legs together, and spread her buttocks, presenting her glistening slit to him.

- Let’s finish it like that.

He moved forward, positioning himself at her entrance, and thrust in. The feeling was certainly a bit different and it wouldn’t be possible to use his skill with hands in this position, but as soon as he started thrusting, he found the feeling to be far more rewarding. Her soft globes of flesh were pressed against his abdomen and his testicles as he was fully in, and they seemed to increase the feeling of warmth in his groin to a nearly unbearable level. Valsharess seemed to enjoy herself only a bit less, her lips slightly parted as she was humming and cooing in satisfaction. Maenaz picked up the pace and found the sensation unbearable, feeling his orgasm draw in on him. He lowered himself, panting as he started to nibble on her neck and her ear. The caress as well as the increased pace caused her to emit more audible sounds with her siren voice. Maenaz knew he was about to pass a point of no return.
- I’m… about to finish…
Valsharess smirked, but her satisfied face was soon distorted and morphed into a look of increasing ecstasy.
- Blow it all inside me. Give me all you have. I’m… about to…
Maenaz did not let her finish, kissing her passionately on the lips as she drew in a fast breath with her nose before starting her traditional orgasming mantra, only this time she couldn’t breathe with her mouth and seemed even more deprived of air. They came at exactly the same time, her breath cut short and this time, he had certain asphyxiation problems as well, but did not want to part their lips. This load was initially small compared to the first one, but her wet, pulsing core quickly clamped down on him, coaxing out more and milking him completely until she received a satisfactory amount.
All the time he kept her lips on his, and she made some sort of sound which came out rather pathetic and quiet at both her lack of air, the intensity of sensations that passed through her and the fact that her mouth were quite blocked with his tongue.
After a moment of lying like that, she practically scratched the skin off his shoulder in a desperate attempt to pull him away. She was successful and she drew a bit of air, before attempting to scream but what came out more as a growl.
- You fool ! Do you want to suffocate me ?
- You seem to be close to suffocating when you’re particularly enjoying yourself anyway.
- We need to work on your behavior. You seem to have some sort of pent up aggression that you release on me during intimate acts.
- Sinvyl, I…
- Shhhh…Roll over and sleep. Unless you really have to go at round three. I’m afraid I am too tired for it, though.
- I’m practically dying. I just wanted to tell you something…
- Silence. I want to bask in the afterglow, not listen to your pillow talk.

He withdrew slowly, pulling out. She traced her entrance with her fingers, gathering some of the semen that leaked out. It seemed most was drawn deep inside her during her own orgasm. She put the fingers up to her lips and sucked, smiling as she pulled them out.
- They should sell our mixed juices as some sort of drink, really.
He blushed, though was a bit angry at the fact that he was supposed to shut up despite wanting to say something serious, while she could go on and on with teasing his sexual desire.

He rolled over, for the first time when they slept together facing away from her.
He didn’t really know whether he wanted to get closer to the drow goddess, or to push her away a bit and look at things with a cold head.
He went to sleep, aware that she threw him *that* look again, unable to understand why he faced the other way. This time, she decided not to force the issue.

Samael couldn’t help but simply sit down and sigh in annoyance.
Humans were really capable of overlooking much as long as they received good sex.
During his centuries of existence, time was rarely against him. This was one such time. He needed to be able to speak with the human more, as it seemed his worries and doubts were developing too slowly as they were. He was also wondering whether Maenaz even considered all the possible repercussions of engaging in repeated coitus with the being of Valsharess’ kind.
And those could be many. After all, thanks to their bond and leeching off his powers, she was already above the drow. Probably more than a drow, actually.
As he couldn’t learn what was the reason for Carn’renor’s vendetta, as well as being unable to use enchantments in order to bring him closer to the edge, he needed to stimulate the mind of the warlock to create a sufficient push on his own. His worries about being with Valsharess and his own insecurity, coupled with their talk should at the very least start the process.
What he did and will see and experience in the current would finish it. In her own web of sensuality, manipulations, lusts and ambitions Valsharess would eventually let her hold of the warlock slip.
Better sooner than latter. He was rather attached to his full level of might.

Despite some worries, Maenaz did have sleep that night. To say more – he dreamt.
He was somewhere outside, in a strange place. The ground had a somewhat odd color, slightly dulled, as if mixed with gray. There was little natural growth anywhere, and he noticed his field of vision was limited – past a certain point there were only shades and then, nothing.
Looking around, the warlock recognized where he was.
He was there already.
In his *dreams*.
It was *that* dream. The one he couldn’t remember. But slowly memories of it crawled back into his mind.
When he heard that voice, he was sure everything would go the same way. He was sure it was the very same dream.
- So, this is where you would put the memory of me away ? This is where you’d believe I end ? Where eventually I’d become forgotten ?
He was afraid to turn and look at the one who voiced these words. He did not want to look. It would be painful to repeat this dream, he was sure of it, but most of all, he was scared to look at the voice’s source again, not like that, not in this state, not after what he was doing lately. No, his gaze simply couldn’t meet those eyes.
Her eyes.
Aribeth.