Vrishka awoke to a cloying musky scent, not unlike the herbs
she smokes. Her eyes were as always not much help and she squinted in the gloom.
Something felt off about this place, it had the same feel as the churches to
Lolth.
Blinking she focused and saw that the room she was in was
made of unworked stone, the walls where grey and had no windows or openings at
all. Around the ceiling hung purple and red drapes of an unknown kind of silk, the
room was furnished with four finely crafted obsidian chairs all around a long
table of black wood.
Each chair had cushions of silk and appeared to be comfortable.
The table was laden with Drow food and drink. She had never seen a feast of
this luxury before, picking herself up she moved over to the table and took a
goblet of some kind of wine and took a drink.
The wine tasted excellent, the liquid fizzing slightly on
her tongue. A strange mix of fruit and something else, slightly bitter and
coppery, Vrishka’s head swam delightfully and yet something nagged at her.
She reached for another goblet and stopped as her fingers
touched the cold metal, hesitating she frowned. Something was off about this
place, how did she get here? Her druidic senses were dulled from the alcohol.
“Please do not restrain yourself my Lady” the words were
spoken in Drow, the accent high and noble.
Vrishka turned to the source of the sound reflexively reaching
for the dagger of assassination in her robes, the turning motion made her head
swim and she staggered a little. Bracing herself on the table she peered at the
speaker her eyes as always not much help.
“Do not be alarmed, you are more than welcome here” The
voice had a smooth enchanted touch to it, like molten silver in moonlight.
Vrishka blinked and sat down at the table her hand still on
the dagger’s hilt, she had not yet used the weapon given to her by the Empress
and wondered what powers it might possess.
“Where am I?” she said her eyes focusing on the figure as he
drew nearer to her.
“This is my pocket, a little piece of the planes all for me”
The figure looked like a Drow, only taller and a touch leaner. His eyes blazed
with a green witch fire. Vrishka watched him move, every step closer to her
caused her head and heart to pound a little harder.
“Your spells will not work on me, I am an Elf” Vrishka
protested, feeling the enchantment gathering around her in a heady soporific
haze.
“Do you believe that?” the figure smirked as he walked
around to the back of her chair.
“You are not a surface elf, your kind has the Spider Queen’s
nails dug through the soul. Do your friends know what plane you best fit?”
There was no taunt in his words, only a sweet malevolence.
“They know nothing and WILL know nothing of that” Vrishka slide
her hands around the hilt of the dagger. A spark of anger cutting a small hole
in this creature’s bewitchment.
A hand came to rest on Vrishka’s shoulder, she could feel a
chill through her robe. It was horrifying and exciting in equal measure.
“Won’t you stay here with me awhile? Perhaps we can help
each other” The fingers on her shoulder increased their grip and she felt the
fabric of her robe tear. The figure’s nails bit into her flesh and she felt a
numbing cold flow into her veins.
“You won’t be needing that blade my dear, please eat.” He
commanded.
Vrishka let the dagger fall back into her robes and reached
onto the table, taking up some meat. She could not tell what kind of meat it
was, only that it was on the bone and seemed to be some kind of small mammal.
Obeying the command she started to eat, the meat was spicy
and filling. It did share the same slight bitterness of the wine. Vrishka
started to whisper as she ate slipping words out between bites, she reached to
her shoulder and placed her hand on the figure’s. His skin was cool to the
touch and soft as gossamer.
“This meat is so
good, perhaps I will stay” She said trying to concentrate on her whispered
words, she stroked his fingers with her own and said the last of her words.
“I am ready” she said, slipping out of the chair and turning
to face the figure, he was stunning. She wiped her lips with her index finger
and embraced him.
“I’ll stay here with you, I don’t want to leave” She said
looking into the green witch fire of his eyes, rocking forward onto her tiptoes
she lent in close to kiss him.
“I slew a Red Widow yesterday, she dared to challenge me”
Vrishka breathed, “Did you know that male spiders have to be careful when
mating?”
Her lips made contact with the figure’s, she felt the ends
of her nerves blaze with sensory input and delighted in it, revealing in the sensation
before releasing her spell.
Her own lips pulsed with magic and erupted against his open
mouth, her poison spell took effect. The effect was instant, her saliva
transmuted into magical poison filling his mouth and dribbling down their lips.
The figure started in surprise but she held tightly to him as poison ran down their
chins and hit the stone at their feet, it sizzled in puffs of green smoke.
She felt the figure shudder and his grip on her weaken, with
a smile she drew back from him the spell still making green poison drip from
her mouth as she spoke.
“A male can only mate when the female allows it, to try
otherwise is death.” She pulled the chair out and watched the figure drop to
his knees.
“You have opted for death, but how you die and how long it
takes is up to you” She knelt down at next to the figure and drew the assassin’s
blade. Taking the blade she swiftly shredded his clothing leaving him
vulnerable.
“Those who have studied under Lolth remember how to torture,
I may not worship her anymore but I do remember her lessons.” Vrishka placed
the blade flat side down against the skin on his chest.
“You asked if my friends knew my alignment, but tell me. Do
you know?” She ran her tongue over her lips to collect the last of the poison.
“I need to leave this place, you are going to open a portal
or planes walk to let me leave” Vrishka raised the dagger to her lips and ran
the blade against her tongue coating it with the spell poison.
“You are going to die” She smiled and moved her face into
his field of view, the figure tried to speak but his words were unintelligible,
is tongue to swollen to form words. Vrishka placed a kiss on his lips and felt
them crack open to weep more poison down his face.
“You do not have to die here, I can save you. Open a portal
and I will brew the anti-venom you require.” She held the blade up so it caught
the light, giving him a good view.
“I will torture you until you do as I bid, I have nothing to
loose being stuck in this pocket of yours. You should know I am a powerful healer.
You will not die for a very long time.” She scooted over him to sit on his hips
and leaned over him, her eyes glinting with sharp intelegence.
“Now then let’s discuss leaving this place hmm?”
A Portal opened just outside Portlandio and Vrishka stepped
out into her home realm, she smiled as the scent of the night air filled her
senses.
“Hmm where have my friends gone I wonder? I should get
cleaned up. I have a meeting with Yi Bang to attend” she said aloud and started
to walk back into town.
Those that passed her in the street took her for a physician
of some kind, her robes had the scarlet stains of what appeared to be surgery.
