A Drow's Dilemma Ep. 23: Paladin

Ashyr let out a sigh of relief and satisfaction. Curiosity let her to meet her eyes and note their color. Then the drow's lips spread in a self-satisfied smirk. For a while she was worried that she might not be able to manage to sate the sex-starved nymph. She had managed it, though. Ashyr Duskhaven: sex goddess of the drow. Ashyr stretched herself out with a happy groan.

The twins were still with Caleldir, although even the two of them seemed to be slowing down. Caleldir was just about unconscious. "Do you want a turn with our cousin?" One of the twins asked Althaia.

The young nymph began to shake her head, but thought better of it, and nodded. "Please." She leaned over to Ashyr, speaking too low for her sisters to hear. "I think we should give him a rest."

The giggling twins carried Caleldir over to Ashyr and Althaia, depositing him snugly between the two of them. Caleldir gave Ashyr another weak smile, which Ashyr returned with a tight hug and tired smile of her own before Althaia gave him a kiss on the cheek that seemed to knock him unconscious. "We are going out for a swim." One of the twins said. "Remember that we get to sleep by him tonight." So saying, they dived off into the water.

With gritted teeth and an angry expression, magic gathered around Selene and shot into the two nymphs that still swarmed around her. They immediately dropped into deep, peaceful slumber. "Oh thank Lolth." The younger drow said with monumental relief. "I could only handle two of them with that spell." She scrambled away from the pair as if they were vipers on the verge of striking again, though she knew they should sleep for another few minutes.

"I can definitively say that tonight he's had more sex than the rest of his life combined." Ashyr had had a lot of sex that night, too, but it still paled in comparison to her lifetime of exploits.

Althaia looked over the sleeping Caleldir. Briefly, her eyes went purple and she licked her lips. Then, shuddering, they went back to blue. "Poor fellow." She said sympathetically. She looked back up at the now freed Selene. "You must be a mage of great talent." Althaia said to Selene with admiration. "To be able to affect nymphs with an enchantment like that. Some sort of special spell penetration?" She stood up, easily lifting Caleldir and hoisting the unconscious man on her shoulders. "But that leaves us with a very good chance to get away. I cannot wait!" Although she was undeniably an adult, the glee in her eyes was positively childish.

"Let's get out of here." Both drow cousins agreed at pretty much the same time. Together, the drow helped each other up. Both found it just a little difficult to stand after that marathon of sex. With each other to lean against, they walked with minimal clumsiness after the nymph. Althaia walked with enviable grace and strength even after all that. Both drow found themselves quite jealous. Selene want to far as to just cast a strength spell on the both of them until their bodies had time to recover naturally. Ashyr chuckled in amusement at this. Her younger cousin did not like seeming weak in front of people who weren't Duskhaven females.

Walking over to the cavern wall, Althaia pressed an outcropping of stone. With a slight glow, a door opened to reveal a passage going deeper into the hill. There was a small passage going downwards on a meandering incline, the walls thick with dark green hanging vegetation interspersed with glowing fungi. Althaia led the way, which was a good thing as there were several different passages going off in various directions. "I managed to have some of my animal friends retrieve your gear for you." She said with satisfaction. "It will be waiting for us where the caverns spill out into the forest. But first, I need to collect my belongings. Unlike my sisters, see, I collect trinkets from when people lose things in the forest. And when sprites and suchlike lift things from passing caravans, well, by the time I get my hands on them, it is usually too late to find the owners, so here they are!"

The room that the Nymph led them to was a cozy, dry one with a mishmash of books and miscellany that ranged from the worthless, like blue glass beads, to the terrifically expensive like a gold-and-emerald necklace. She quickly shoveled everything into a bag of holding, except for a single ring, which she put on. There was a glow, and she was wearing a set of monk-like robes. Still carrying Caleldir, she turned to the Drow. "Excellent. I am packed. Let's go." She led them through one of the other passages. This place was turning out to be something of a labyrinth.

"I don't want to be here when the twins find out what's happened." Ashyr agreed.

Althaia giggled. "I see you gathered who is in charge around here. Elysia and Elissa are generally the ones who have all the 'ideas'. It was their idea to kidnap you three." She craned her head. "Speaking of which..." The sounds of annoyed chattering came from upstairs. "I think that they have discovered our absence. Let's hurry!" Althaia picked up her pace until the two drow had to run after her. She still made the movement seem effortless though.

Since the other nymphs did not know the terrain, Althaia easily kept them away. "I hope that you were not expecting a dramatic escape." She said as she finally stopped at a passage with a dead end that was obviously a hidden door. "Because that was positively anticlimactic." She opened the door and ushered the group out into the crisp night air in a very familiar portion of the forest. That hill of dried flowers was still there, with all of the group's gear sitting on top in a nice little pile. "And we are out." She said with satisfaction. "It would probably be best to keep running as long as we can though. My sisters can be pretty vengeful when thwarted."

"I'm am perfectly okay with anti-climax. Well. In escape plans, anyway." Ashyr informed the nymph with exhausted mirth. The grin that spread across her face at this statement was decidedly wicked. Despite how drained she felt, Ashyr continued her run up to their things. She grabbed Caleldir's cloak and immediately threw it over his sleeping form before she did anything else. She knew him not to be a fan of both nakedness and the cold. As for herself, she simply threw on her boots and undershirt and gathered the rest of her things in her arms. There was no way she'd have time to put on her armor. Selene had fewer things to carry and fewer things to wear. In seconds, and with the help of some minor magic, she was fully dressed and ready for travel..

When she realized the double entendre that Ashyr had used, the nymph giggled like a schoolgirl discovering dirty jokes for the first time in her life. She did frown a bit when the only garment they put on the soundly sleeping Caleldir was a cloak. "I seem to remember him wearing something else..." she said puzzled. "I was assured by the trees that they collected everything..."

"Yeah. He's taken to using illusions. His clothes keep getting ruined by one thing or another." Ashyr responded mildly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Selene smirk slightly at the memory. Ashyr debated briefly whether she should wipe that smirk off her cousin's face. Fortunately for the younger drow, now was not the time; the ranger needed to find her wolf. Bard was... somewhere slightly too far for either of them to feel much more than the other's life force. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much of a pain to reunite with him. There wasn't a scent trail for him to follow. "If your animal friends could figure out where my wolf is, that would be great." Ashyr told her while hastily lacing up her boots.

She furrowed her brow. "My animal friends are asleep now, for the most part. I shall ask the trees instead." She closed her eyes and swayed with the wind for a few seconds, then opened them. "Your companion will find us soon. While he could not track your scent, he can track the scent of your gear. He will catch up with us by-and-by."

Of course, their gear! Ashyr let out a steadying breath and refocused on their getaway. "Where should we run to? I assume you know this part of the forest better than I do." Ashyr asked the nymph.

Althaia hoisted back up the still unconscious Caleldir. "I might have given him too much sleeping venom." She said with a frown. "But yes, I do know the forest pretty well. You three were headed Northwest, right? This is the best way. Here! Have some minor magic to help speed you through the woods." After casting the spell, the Nymph ran off into the forest.

Ashyr enjoyed the magic to its full extent. She leapt forward after Althaia as fast as her legs would take her. Almost immediately a look of joy crossed her face. The innocent kind: no undertones of mischief or sexuality. She loved the forest at night. She was exultant in the pure freedom she had to run through the trees, even if she was running away from possibly murderous nymphs. Ashyr only wished that she had her gear on instead of being forced to hold it. It impeded her slightly.

Althaia reveled in the nighttime forest every bit as much as did Ashyr. This area, as a Nymph's grove, was a particularly fine bit of woodland. Now recovered from the rot that had sapped it, the flowering trees smelled of apple blossom even at night, and the light, cool breeze blew soothingly through the leaves underneath a cloudless sky. The moon was weak and waning, but the stars were brilliantly splayed across the heavens in sharper, clearer detail than they were in places no graced with such a strong connection to Faerie. Alas, the most beautiful part of the woods was the very one that they needed to leave with all haste for the same reason as its beauty: it was the domain of the Nymphs.

Selene ran along with them, but she seemed more bored with it all than anything else. Silly mage scholar and her lack of proper enjoyment of nature.

Although she ran ahead of them, Althaia still somehow found time to look back at the running Drow and continue the conversation. "So... Caleldir only wears illusions?" She licked her lips. "That is pretty hot, actually. How do you manage to keep your hands off of him?" "

"I don't" Ashyr responded. The grin on her face turned naughty for a moment before the sheer joy of running through the forest took her again.

Althaia giggled. "Anyway, I understand the benefit of clothing that is magical in nature. This ring is the best thing I ever found. Although it is way more than a mere covering. I think that it is what you would call 'An Artifact'."

All at once, the woods shifted to normal. They were now in virgin forest untouched by the races of the material plane, with tall, primeval trees and deep moss and ferns blanketing the ground. Althaia flowed to a stop. "We are clear. My sisters will not follow us any farther. We should sleep now."

Both drow were thankful to finally stop running, though Ashyr was a little sad to leave the lush forest despite the dangers it contained. It had been a long, emotionally and physically draining day for both of them. Selene put on hand against a tree and panted to catch her breath. The older cousin, however, had worked much harder at participating in the nymph orgy; even if she was used to running through the forest day and night, all that sex had made her extremely tired.

After she took a moment, Selene made a gesture and warded a small place around them where the ground looked soft and inviting. In her tired state, that 'inviting place' pretty much meant the entirety of the forest floor. "I refuse to go another step." The younger cousin said mulishly, even though it was clear that that was the idea all along. Her things fell to the forest floor with a thump.

Ashyr had a very similar mindset to her cousin. She set her gear down against a tree. Her concern was less about her own body being tired and more about Caleldir. Probably she shouldn't be too worried; he could die and it wouldn't be a big deal. Logic did not prevent her from being worried.

"I was not going to make you go another step." Althaia said confusedly. "I thought the idea was to make camp here." She magicked up a bed of leaves in the newly warded area and set Caleldir down on it, draping his cloak over him. "He should sleep until morning." She said after a moment. "I underestimated how tired he was. And how stressed." She looked to Ashyr. "I wanted to give him a rest after my sister's were through with him, and I knew that he was immune to enchantment, and so instead I used a magic sleeping venom in my kiss. Normally, it only makes someone a little sleepy, but Caleldir felt the full brunt of it." Her hands and eyes glowed green for a moment as she cast a spell over him. "That should regenerate any damage or exhaustion, physical or mental. He will be completely recovered by morning, I expect."

She lay next to Caleldir on the bed, although far enough away that there was no danger of them touching. "And with that, I am pretty tired as well." She said with an implausibly elegant yawn. At least she had stifled that Nymphen Aura that made it hard to look at her. "Good night everyone." Using her magic robe as a blanket, she soon drifted off to sleep.

The older drow pulled out the blankets from her pack and put them over Caleldir in addition to his cloak. She then took off her boots and curled up next to him with one arm and an leg draped over his body. Althaia was on the other side of him. Ashyr didn't care what the nymph did as long as Ashyr got to sleep with Caleldir. There was nothing to do for him but wait and sleep. That was exactly what Ashyr did.

Selene made her own bed slightly away from the rest of the people. She had quite enough of intimacy for the week.

Neither drow were plagued by nightmares that night. It was possible that they were too exhausted to dream. Ashyr opened her eyes to the predawn grey. There were two warm bodies on either side of her. One was exceedingly fuzzy and was in the process of licking her face. "Bard..." She said with sleepy chagrin. She pushed the excited wolf off of her and curled up against Caleldir again.

"Would you make that animal be quiet?" Selene asked with tired grumpiness.

The wolf was being pretty noisy. His tail wagged so furiously that the dewdrops that began to form on the foliage were spraying everywhere. Ashyr made no indication of telling him to do anything, but he suddenly jumped up to give the younger cousin the same bath he gave the older. At least he wasn't making such a racket anymore. No, that was Selene's job now. The ranger snickered to herself too quietly for her cousin to hear - especially over the indignant noises Selene made.

Gradually, Caleldir's consciousness returned to him. His eyes fluttered open. Well, he was naked, and in the arms of... Ashyr? And outside? He sat up, confused. "What happened?" He asked. Looking around, he could see Selene trying to fend off an overly-affectionate Bard, but that did not help illuminate the situation. He could feel a dull ache in his groin, as if it had been used too much for one lifetime.

"I got you three away." Althaia said cheerfully, already awake. The nymph was not naked, but her magical clothing was currently barely more than underwear. "Like I told you: I wanted a quest to go on. Which reminds me: what is our quest?"

"Ah. That." Caleldir rubbed his head. "We are heading to a haunted monastery to loot cursed treasure in order to build up enough power to take on an army of murderous drow who usurped House Duskhaven from these two lovely ladies." He looked over at Ashyr. "That is the gist of it, is it not?"

"That's about the gist of it." Ashyr agreed as she sat up with Caleldir. She had a relieved look on her face to see him up. Apparently, she hadn't yet learned how Caleldir could bounce back from abuse. "Selene knows more." She continued with a shrug. Her attention was not on Selene, but on the man next to her. "How are you feeling?" She asked gently her hand brushed against his shoulder affectionately. None of her actions were at all sexual. It hadn't even crossed her mind.

Caleldir smiled. "I am doing well." He said cheerfully. "A little sore, but nowhere near as much as I was expecting." He let out a long breath. "Yesterday was... Interesting. I am not sure that I would want to pay those four a visit next time we are in this neck of the woods. And I thought Drow were obsessed with sex..." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Althaia look a little contrite. "Not that you all are not completely lovely." He hastened to add. "Just even more insistent than I normally like."

"The usurpers were what I hinted at earlier." Selene said. She placed a hand on Bard's head, and he took on a dazed expression for a few seconds. It was enough to make him stop for a while. "It was a coup. Ashyr's brothers decided it was time for male supremacy. Killed anyone who disagreed." The younger drow stood and began repacking her bedroll and blankets. There was a far-away look in her eyes: echoes of past trauma. At least she didn't look so disturbed as before. That brief imprisonment actually seemed to have helped her a little.

It wasn't exactly a noble quest, Ashyr thought. There was a fairly understandable motive behind all that violence. Their house would surely fall under her brothers' leadership, but in the end that would probably be a good thing for the people of the surface. Neither Althaia or Caleldir needed to know that. They might change their minds, and Ashyr needed them. House Duskhaven needed them.

Althaia giggled a little, and turned to Selene. "So... we are on a noble endeavor to punish kin-slaying Drow? Smite evil where it lurks in a stolen demesne? Put uppity males in their place?" Caleldir snorted, but Althaia paid him no heed. "I like all of those things." She nodded, her blue eyes glittering. "This sounds excellent. I cannot wait."

"Something like that." Ashyr confirmed with a smirk. She stood and began to put on her clothes and armor.

"Well, now that we are all on board with the restoration of the Matriarchy," Caleldir said with mild irritation, "we should probably get going." Uneasily, he stood up. Then, he doubled over in pain as several runes over his body, invisible until now, began to glow.

The older drow paused with a frown when Caleldir doubled over in pain. "are you -" She began to say, but stopped when she saw his attire change.

Elegant, grey padded leather armor appeared on his body. After a few seconds, he stood up. "So... I guess that is what that does." He said, feeling the leather. "Huh. Not an illusion."

Ashyr blinked in slight confusion. "Damn." She said with a rueful smirk when he declared that it was not an illusion. When she turned back to putting her armor on, though, she looked pleased. That was one less thing to worry about, even if it meant not being able to touch his naked flesh whenever she wanted.

"We aren't obsessed with sex." Selene said firmly, ignoring the sudden and strange appearance of Caleldir's armor. Apparently, when he'd said that bit about drow being sex-obsessed, it rubbed her the wrong way. It was also possible that she just wanted to argue and the subject didn't matter. Ashyr had a feeling it was the latter. "We simply do not try to hide our enjoyment of it and are not ashamed."

"I'm sort of obsessed with sex." The older cousin said with her signature naughty grin. She made her final adjustments on her armor before twisting her body experimentally.

"You didn't use to be, remember. You were perfectly normal until you stopped spending time with my brother. And you only got worse when you came to the surface." Selene gestured at the forest disapprovingly. "Do not assume that all drow are like that." The younger cousin said, directing her words toward the other two in the party.

Ashyr rolled her eyes. "You are not a morning person, are you, cousin? I'm what Duskhaven needs and you know it."