A Drow's Dilemma Ep. 81: a Home

Author's Note:

A Drow's Dilemma began as a one-on-one roleplaying project and has been converted into a chapter-by-chapter format for weekly posting with the permission and assistance from my partner. It will contain a considerable amount of sexual themes such as femdom, lesbian, straight, 'reverse' rape, BDSM, group sex, romance, and other themes. The main goal of the story, however, is to tell an epic tale of adventures, gods and goddesses, fae, and nymphomaniacs. This episode and every episode to come will be available for free on Literotica for the foreseeable future. All characters that engage in sexual or suggestive situations are mentally and sexually mature: the human equivalent of 18 for their race.

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Episode 81: Down

Tsabdrin and Caleldir walked back into camp, having calmed the male drow after his panic attack. The female drow were sitting up in their shelter facing each other with their legs around each other's bodies. Their lips were wet with kisses, but they were focused for the moment at the two males walking into the small clearing they had made. When they determined that there was no one dangerous joining them, Selene let out a tired sigh and leaned forward to press her forehead against the edge of Ashyr's neck and shoulder. Ashyr looked tired, but with that tiredness came equal parts protectiveness. And perhaps a little anger. There was nothing like the distress of a loved one to remind her of the quest they had, and the importance of completing it as soon as possible.

"Hey," Ashyr greeted Caleldir with an almost-smile. The female ranger reached out towards her mate and beckoned him to join them.

As was expected, no attention was paid to Tsabdrin -- at least not by his relatives. His expression went completely impassive upon seeing them. Then he laid himself down on his own separate makeshift bed with his back to the rest of the group and his hood pulled up to cover his face. After that, the animal companions hesitantly walked into the clearing until he wordlessly pointed them to their own bed. One of the allosaurs obeyed immediately, which eventually convinced the other. Bard outright refused, and instead chose to pace and play guard dog.

"I thought I was stronger," Selene muttered. "But it was always just the paladin. Just being in the same castle and eating a couple of meals with her was enough," the mage explained. She seemed embarrassed about the whole thing now. Embarrassed and completely emotionally drained.

Caleldir sat down next to the two female drow. The women shifted closer to Caleldir. Both of them looked a bit calmer for it. "I had hoped that you had gotten over your need to rely on Althaia." Caleldir sighed. "But it seems that that was not the case." He looked pensive. "I am not sure how exactly to diagnose your mental condition, whether this needs a cure, some drug or spell, or if we simply need to try to go on until you can figure out the solution on your own. To be painfully blunt, I am afraid that this might be something you will have to do for yourself. But I promise that I will be there for you in any way that I can be. I can, for instance, mime at the paladin's aura using my emotion magic. It is a poor substitute, but should help you sleep at least."

Caleldir did not like being unable to be of any use, but for now, he could not do much. Just press on. "We should try to get some more sleep."

[Excuse me, but I can put an aura of restfulness over my pocket dimension.]

All three drow twitched slightly when R.I.S.A's voice came unexpected to their little shelter under the stars. It was only a mild surprise, but they were still on edge after nightmares and psychic attacks.

A blink. An idea struck Caleldir. "I have the necessary alignment, R.I.S.A., and you are by the standards of this world technically a minor goddess. Would it be possible for you to give me the ability to manifest a Paladin's aura?"

Silence for a little bit. When R.I.S.A. spoke again, her voice sounded as blushing as the A.I. could. [Yes, I could, but in order to do that... well... I would have to... Well, my other personality could help with that.]

"That won't be necessary, Caleldir," Selene told him. There was a spark of determination in her eye as she said this. No more magical emotional help from others -- not unless it was an emergency. Obviously, it wasn't helping her long-term; they were freezing the gash on her psyche and not letting it heal. "I need to learn how to cope in case I'm separated from a Paladin aura. We can't reasonably assume that I can stay near you or Althaia one hundred percent of the time for the rest of my life."

"I can admire the resolve," Caleldir replied. "I really hoped that this would vanish of its own accord once we were back in control of Duskhaven, but I suppose you cannot afford to plan on that." He sighed. "But, in the case of emergencies, or to give yourself a break, I am here for you."

[And so am I,] R.I.S.A. added.

"For right now, we need to sleep. We don't know what will be at the entrance, so we really should be at our best. We should sleep in R.I.S.A. for the rest of the night," Ashyr concluded. Her eyes turned upward to cast a regretful look at the sky. So much for spending her last night under the stars. It was worth it for Selene's comfort, of course, but still... The female ranger dug the little R.I.S.A. figurine out of her pocket and activated the portal.

[I wanted to do the great unveiling when you all were a bit more awake, but for now, I can just deposit you in your bedrooms. I am afraid I gave you, Tsabdrin, your own off to the side, over the stables so you can be closer to your dinosaurs. I hope you do not mind.]

"I don't mind, R.I.S.A." Tsabdrin reassured the A.I. He certainly didn't want to be permanently stationed in a room that he would constantly have to leave every time things got heated between Caleldir, Ashyr, and his sister. He wasn't sure what was worse to watch -- his sister, the other male, or the non-inclusive Ashyr. All sights were terrible in their own way. Being alone at that particular moment, however... well, he would deal as he had done for a little under a century

And so, when the party entered the portal, Tsabdrin found himself in a large, very nice, well-furnished bedroom that mixed Drow Underdark style with a more airy fae feel. There were several large windows looking out into a starlit forest, with a cool, pine-scented breeze blowing through. The luxurious bed was large enough for two comfortably, but besides the bedding itself, the rest of the room was rather empty, ready for him to put his own stuff in it. There was a door going off to a small bathroom, another leading the rest of the house and another that was a wide spiral staircase to the stable below, where the dinosaurs had been deposited.

While in her 'normal' personality R.I.S.A. was not quite as sexual as she was while taking her more concretely biological form of Risa, the A.I. was still partly a succubus. And able to split into as many bodies as she wanted to. So, seeing how lonely Tsabdrin seemed to be, she was at very least willing to keep him company. And so, the A.I. appeared in his room trying to look as helpful as possible.

[If you need anyone around, I am here,] she said cheerfully. [Would you like it if I stayed with you tonight? Or would you rather be alone?] She meant physically, of course. This was already in her pocket dimension, so she would pretty much always be here in the presence sense, though not visible.

Tsabdrin gave R.I.S.A. a long look. He was actually quite tempted to send her away and wallow in his own misery. Which he felt would have been an incredibly childish thing to do. "I'd like for you to stay," the male drow told her with a half-hearted smile. "At least until I fall asleep. Could you-" He sighed and looked embarrassed. Other Risa did this, but this was the slightly different R.I.S.A. Tsabdrin wondered how this version would react. "Could you rub my neck until I do? It calms me so you wouldn't have to do it for long."

The A.I. nodded. [My electrical fingers and hands are quite skilled at calming massages, provided you do not dislike the tingling feeling they have. I cannot really stifle that.]

And so, the A.I. kept Tsabdrin company, rubbing his neck in an almost motherly way until he fell asleep.

The room for Caleldir, Ashyr, and Selene was of very similar architectural design: an elegant and airy cross between drow and faerie, but quite a bit bigger. And higher up. While Tsabdrin's room seemed to be on the second floor, theirs was on the third. The massive bed was able to comfortably hold four or five. It was dimly lit with crystal chandeliers softly glowing with silvery light, and the similarly colored moonlight coming in from the many tall windows. Outside was a deep forest of dark firs and pines and black oak.

R.I.S.A. appeared in her preferred physical appearance: nude but undetailed, floating just over the tiled and carpeted floor in front of one of the windows of the master bedroom. [Like the design style? I build a little over two cubic miles of space here, wider than it is tall, so about three miles square. With the great mansion as the nexus, this pocket dimension goes about one mile in each direction. The forest is empty right now, but one day I hope to fill it. And grow it much bigger. The mansion here is based on the Empowered Mage's Magnificent Mansion spell made permanent at my current caster level, so it is, considering the height of the ceilings, about 16,000 square feet. Most of the rooms are right now bare and empty, but I at least have a bedroom and bathroom for you and Tsabdrin, the stables, and a garage to keep the Spider-Tank in. The moon and stars are divine-level illusions, made in such a way that they cannot be seen through. Right now I can only create night in a cool summer, but eventually we will be able to do night and day in any season.] The A.I. gave a grin that indicated she was proud of herself and anxious to please in equal measure. [Althaia and I designed this place based on her preferences mixed with my records of drow architecture. I hope you like it.]

"It's perfect, R.I.S.A. Thank you," Ashyr told the A.I. warmly. "We'll make sure to give you plenty of power to do all you wish to it." This was said with a wink to Caleldir and a squeeze of her cousin's hand. "But for now, we'll try to get a little more rest. We went to bed fairly early tonight, so please wake us early if we don't get up by ourselves." It was sort of weird telling a functional demigoddess to function as an alarm, especially after how much power she displayed in making an entire realm for them. It seemed so... mundane.

The deific A.I. nodded. She was able to tell what Ashyr was thinking, more or less, from inference and expression. [Of course, I am at your service. Even if I am functionally a demigoddess. I was designed to be an ally, servant, and lady all at once, after all. The prototype that succeeded where the final version failed.] By her expression, the A.I. was thinking about her sister again.

Caleldir gave R.I.S.A. a quick, tight embrace for a moment, a nod to their shared history on this topic

[Oh, I also have provided quarters and a kitchen for Fucking the goblin. You can look that over later, though.]

Ashyr blinked. "Fuck. Fucking," she said as she lightly hit her forehead with a hand.

"No thank you," Selene said with a slightly disgusted downturn of her full lips.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, dearest," the older drow responded in slightly annoyed amusement. "I promised him a place in our dimension, and I was supposed to pick him up before we left. But I forgot. I'll be right back." She hauled herself out of the bed, popped back into the outside world, cast a quick animal messenger spell, and went straight back to join the other two. "Okay. Hopefully, that fixes it."

Selene pulled Ashyr over to the bed. The mage settled into the blankets in the middle of the large mattress, obviously intending to be between her lovers at least for that night. Ashyr and Caleldir obediently got on either side of her. The three of them drifted off to sleep shortly after.

Ashyr woke up on her own a couple of hours later, earlier than the time she wanted R.I.S.A. to rouse all of them. She sent a slightly sleepy Bard back the way they came to see about a certain goblin, then sat and meditated directly outside of the portal that she kept open as she waited for the rest of the party to wake up.

Some time later, Caleldir emerged from the portal stretching. "Good morning, Ashyr. Up early as always." He yawned. "Should we have R.I.S.A. conjure up some breakfast or dip into our more recent supplies?" He looked around. "Tsabdrin's not out yet, it seems."

"Am now," Tsabdrin said as he wandered out of the portal, and likewise emerged looking fresh and in not nearly as much emotional and psychological turmoil. He was joined by his animal companions, and then soon thereafter by his sister. Then they ate their meal -- consuming the leftovers from the most recent hunt -- and continued their journey towards the entrance of the cave.

Throughout the morning, Caleldir was quieter than normal, seeming content and rested, but thoughtful. Not quite to the level that he had been at after talking with Althaia (he seemed happier now that he had vented a bit on that topic) but it was clear that he was in deep thought about something.

Ashyr made their passage unhurried; there was a wolf and a goblin that they were waiting for. Before they got within sight of the cavern entrance, Fucking the Goblin riding an exhausted Bard joined the group. Apparently, the poor little goblin had been running after the party since shortly after they left the city. He was reasonably upset about being left behind after the promises Ashyr made. The oldest drow actually apologized, then went on to thank Bard for his service.

Caleldir gave the goblin a nod of acknowledgment. He found Ashyr's flustered apologies a little bit amusing and a little bit adorable, to be honest. That was a side of Ashyr that he could not remember ever actually having seen. It was cute, and normally he did not think 'cute' when he thought about Ashyr. Sexy, beautiful, seductive, compelling, absolutely. Cute, usually not.

These musings about Ashyr occupied a bit longer than they probably should have, but thinking about how much he was attracted to the dark elf was an improvement on his former train of thought, which had involved wondering about how much of his current life was the results of annoying gods toying with his existence. Aelsuna's manipulations were annoying enough, but what if other, even less savory divine beings... *Sigh*.

And speaking of goddesses, the one that he was strongly thinking about 'officially' becoming a follower of in order to cut down on other deities' ability to manipulate him (R.I.S.A., of course. That was actually what her little sister had been designed for in the beginning) had seemed extremely happy to welcome the goblin into her dimension. He could tell by the sparkle in her voice.

What Caleldir didn't know was that Ashyr's conscientiousness towards the little goblin was unprecedented. And she obviously wasn't doing it because he was attractive or desirable, so that sort of selfishness could be ruled out. Fucking was a good cook, yes, but they had an A.I. that was made for tasks like that. This was something very near an act of... ugh, goodness. Not that she was aware of that. She was too busy feeling guilty about leaving Fucking behind after the promises that were made. Especially when she saw how much it affected the little cook. Selene, however, did all the thinking for her older cousin. Which made her as pensive as the rest of the party.

With both Goblin and Wolf in R.I.S.A. for some rest and recuperation, travel was much quicker.

Roughly three hours after Fucking joined them, Tsabdrin announced that they were close, and picked up his own pace to scout ahead. The female drow dismounted and followed after on foot just in case there was a band of Male Insurrection-aligned enemies to intercept them. There were so such hostiles. There was, however, quite the disturbing sight to behold instead.

Bridged over the overgrown entrance to the Underdark was an equally overgrown but otherwise unweathered statue. An image of Lolth, recognizable by the eight spindling legs jutting directly from her lower torso and staggered across the ground, was being pushed face-first into the ground. Behind her, holding her there, was a beast of a man like a demonic, angry satyr. His cock was implied to be buried to the hilt into the chaotic goddess's cunt, much to the spider queen's chagrin. Such was the sheer heresy of the scene that the drow stopped in gaping horror as soon as they beheld the sight. There was no love for Lolth among them recently, but this? This was just... there were no words.

Caleldir wrinkled his nose in disgust. He had never worshipped Lolth and had no respect for the spider-queen at all, so it was not so much a blasphemy in his view as just a terrible unpleasantness.

"Completely tasteless," Caleldir said dryly. "And utterly stupid. How foolish are they to think that Lolth will not notice their little joke here? We had best get rid of the rebel Duskhavens before Lolth does something nasty to Duskhaven as a whole. And contemplate how we are to placate her once we have done so. I strongly oppose everything the spider-queen stands for, but so obviously antagonizing a being of her power..." he shook his head. "Idiotic." He glanced over at Selene. "Do you have any magic to destroy the offending statue and put Lolth's image back where it is supposed to be? Or should I cobble something up?"

"Yes. The image was not even supposed to be here. We must keep our entrance to our home a secret. What were those idiots thinking? Not to mention the flak we could get from this obscenity..."

"I had not considered the obvious secrecy aspect of it," Caleldir admitted. "A bit alien, I find that. I am used to this sort of route being an important trading passage or something, so you would openly advertise. But yeah, giant statues of goddesses being violated by satyr-like demons is a bit on the unsubtle side. You would think that they would still be trying to hide from the matriarchy of the capital or something..."

"Stand back!" Selene motioned with her hands until destructive, explosive fire enveloped the statue. When it was over, there were no distinguishing features in the rubble. Clearing the overgrown entrance would take a few more minutes as a result, but it was well worth it to mitigate the wrath of a goddess.

"We do have other places and other roads that for trade with other communities. Most of them are from the Underdark, but there are a couple that come all the way from the far south."

"That makes sense," Caleldir said thoughtfully. "I knew that the drow did trade at least somewhat with the surface, but how much of that was in the open, and how much was strictly black market, I was not sure. Back in my time, the drow as a whole did not trade with the surface much at all, except for the aforementioned black market. But that was in part because there were, like, a quarter as many of you. Or something. Blackdawn traded regularly with us, but they were a huge outlier, of course." Which reminded him: he needed to start working on his 'Blackdawn' disguise pretty soon here. Like, tonight. Before any drow saw them.

"Things have changed a bit since then. Our plans for this place, however, were less about trade and more about expansion." Selene explained as she began clearing away everything. "Thus, the secrecy for this entrance. Or at least that had been the idea until some fool erected that abomination. This had Irahc'vic written all over it. Only he's capable of such foolish insanity."