CHAPTER 6

The sound of water gently rises me from my slumber.

I could feel the aftertaste of something salty on my lips. Raising my hand to feel my face, I notice it’s slightly damp.

Looks like I was crying in my sleep again. Stupid dreams.

Slowly, I begin to blink away the drowsiness and find myself staring at a black and white rocky ceiling. My body is so sore. There’s the dull ache constantly lingering in the background, that small throbbing similar to after a long workout.

I use my hands to push myself up when I accidentally prick myself on something sharp.

“Ahh-!”

All pain was forgotten. Drowsiness is gone. I clasp both my hands to my mouth in disbelief.

No way…

Did I just…

Was that…

“My voice?” A soft sound escapes my lips. It sounds different from what I remember. Soft. Soothing. Yet somewhat familiar.

The sound of my very own voice made me recall what happened. Calira. Ryul’s betrayal. The ceremony with the Abyssal Sisters.

I can’t believe it. The ceremony actually worked.

Hehe, I can’t believe it. I’m actually laughing and sounds come out. I have to keep both my hands clasp around my mouth to help muffle the noises, but I can’t help it.

Tears began running down as it once again stains my face.

How long has it been?

…

I did what any other girl would have done after losing their voice for half their life.

I cried.

The silent sounds of sobbing and soft giggling echoed throughout my enclosed cave and probably across the Underworld. I bet even a Thrall could find me.

But I don’t care.

I’m barely considered an adult in the eyes of society, so technically I’m still a kid.

I’m allowed to cry, right?

If only my sister was here to cuddle me.

After my tears have run dry, I finally take stock of my situation. I’m in a small cave, that much was obvious when I first woke up. In the corner, there is a slow drip of fresh water seeping down the wall and accumulating in a small pond.

Getting up, I walk over to take a sip using my palms as a makeshift cup.

As I see my reflection, I realise I am still naked.

Great.

Couldn’t my new Sisterhood at least give me clothes?

At least they left my earring. I don’t know what I would have done if they took it away.

My thirst now sated, I begin to further investigate the cave. Maybe the Abyssal Sister’s hid something useful. They wouldn’t want their newest recruit dying straight away.

Nearby the small freshwater pond, I notice a small depression near the wall. Walking over, I find myself staring at a neat bundle of folded grey leather clothes with a matte black dagger on top with a dark belt.

I let out a small giggle. Looks like the Sisterhood does care.

Ahh, it feels good to actually hear myself again. Now I can make people hear my sarcasm rather than express myself through body expressions. Wait. Who am I kidding? I’m still going to give people my favourite eye roll when I see something stupid.

A quick inspection of my weapon shows that it’s a typical Drow dagger with jagged curves on both edges and a naturally curling tip at the top indicating it’s for slashing rather than stabbing. Ironic since the dagger is what is used most to stab a Drow in the back. Although, slashing the throat is also a common way to kill someone you hate.

As I wear the clothes, I can’t help but notice the pants and long sleeved shirt is extremely tight fitting. Tight as in almost stuck to my skin tight. As in hugging my body tight. I even had to jump a few times just to get it to fit.

Tight leather pants. Tight leather shirt. I don’t think the clothes leave anything for imagination... I’m basically wearing a skin suit!

Simple clothes yet I can feel my face going bright red just imagining how I currently look.

First, they make me strip naked, then they give me such embarrassing clothes. Maybe they're…

Then the sudden realisation hits me. But I am too stunned to believe it.

No way…

Don’t tell me…

The Abyssal Sister’s are all lesbian?

At first, I thought the Abyssal Sister’s are made up of all girl’s simply because… Well, Drow society has always been ran by a Matriarch. However, if they’re all lesbian, it would explain the gender of the Sisterhood.

Life suddenly makes sense.

Being girls, at least the Sisterhood remembered to include a hair tie. With my hair now in its ponytail, hopefully, nothing is able to catch me by my hair. Maybe I should cut it shorter later? But big sis always liked my hair long. Maybe I should begin braiding my hair again.

I guess wearing the embarrassing clothes is okay, so long as I don’t get seen. I’ll have to move carefully anyway, lest I awaken some creature and get eaten alive.

I sit down near the small freshwater pond while contemplating my next move.

There’s a small tunnel on the opposite side of where I woke up, which I am assuming is the exit. The Elder mentioned that this is a trial. Given how I am in an unknown area with barely any supplies, I guess my primary objective is to survive? But what’s the point of surviving in the Underworld? It’s something you are taught as you grow up. No, perhaps it’s better to say I need to return to the city and get in contact with the Sisterhood and complete the initiation. Yet that still sounds too simple of a test. What’s a trait that the Sisterhood possesses that the common Drow don’t? Stealth?

Yes, the primary objective is to get in contact with the Sisterhood without being caught.

With my goal decided, I approach the only exit in this small cave.

A small tunnel leading outwards with ever narrowing walls. There exists a few natural twists and turns making sure that any creature from the outside doesn’t have a direct line of sight inside the cave. At one point I had to squeeze myself sideways just to fit through. Thankfully, with my small size, it wasn’t much of an inconvenience for me, yet I can see how the more adult looking Drow could potentially have problems. Someone like Calira would definitely struggle.

As I exit out of the tunnel I am greeted with a brand new world.

Gemstones embedded on the ceiling are radiating a rainbow of colours. Blue, orange, pink, purple. There are even colours whose name I don’t even know. The gemstones themselves aren’t radiating a particularly bright light. More of a dull shine with empty spaces of black and white in between.

My eyes adjusted to the brightness almost immediately, which is surprising. Drow eyes are particularly sensitive to light since it has adapted to the Underworld. Anything brighter than a beacon fire would require me to blink multiple times before adjusting to the environment.

A sharp sound echoes and wakes me up from my amazement.

Right, still in the Underworld. Dangerous creatures around every corner. Could get eaten. Focus Synthia! Ignore the pretty colours and let’s focus on not becoming the next meal.

Ah, thinking of the next meal, I actually haven’t had any decent amount of food since the food at the Inn before the scam took place. I don’t think the Sisterhood would bother to leave supplies hanging around anywhere nearby. It’s still a survival trial.

Okay, new top priority - find food.

Another sharp clanging echoed out within the cavern.

Instinctively, I faced the direction the sound originated, crouched and drew my dagger in a reverse grip.

I waited a few moments, ready to spring at any given moment.

My eyes dart around, taking in the surroundings as fast as I could. In contrast to the colourful lit gemstones above me, the environment closer to the ground is dark and dreary. A light mist of fog hovered above the ground, no higher than my feet. With every movement, the mist disperses only to be filled up again with fog in mere moments.

The environment beyond the initial cave reminds me of my visit to the Mighty Quagmire during my time in Calira’s crew. A forest of stalactites with overgrown fungi stuck to its surface in various sizes extend from the ground and towering high above me. Many of them even reaching the ceiling themselves. The only difference with this place and the Mighty Quagmire is that the ground isn’t trying to swallow you whole - not yet anyway.

Another sharp sound echoes around me. Now that I’m paying attention, I notice it distinctively sounds like metal striking some sort of solid object.

Could it be a territory dispute between two creatures? No, the lack of growls and movement would be more noticeable. To check it out or not, that is the question.

A rumble of my stomach once again reminds me of my hunger and need for food. Just a quick look. I could gather some supplies. If the situation is bad, I’ll just run away. Not that I intend to show myself. I gathered myself and began silently heading towards the sound.

A simple check using my inner eye and I feel the pull coming from the same direction as the sound. Now there’s no reason to even consider avoiding the disturbance since it’s on the way back. As Drow, there will always exist an instinctive direction to show where one’s race considers as ‘safe’. In this case, it is the capital city Conqueror’s Crag. The instinctive pull has something to do with being more attuned with nature, whatever that means. Not that I’m complaining.

Another sharp clanging indicates I’m now fairly close. I stop behind a stalactite that is reasonably wide enough with large growing fungi to shade its immediate surroundings from the colourful light from above.

Take a deep breath. Slow your heart rate. Remember your lessons you learnt all those years ago.

With renewed concentration, I strain my ears to pick up any noise. I hear nothing. Not even any breathing. Then I guess it’s time to try catch a glance at the situation.

Slowly, I peek around the stalactite only to be met with a scene that has me in utter confusion before it transformed into fear.

A mass of evil flesh in the shape of a mangled orb was floating erratically as it waved its many tentacles in a flurry of seemingly random motions whilst erratically hitting itself. The central scarred eye was half closed and it’s massive gaping maw was opening and closing in silence.

What in Aiur’s name is a Beholder doing here?! No, no, no. My mind races as I try to recall hearing any reports or rumours about a Beholder rising from the Lower Reaches, but my memory is blank.

I hurriedly drew back behind the stalactite to search the surroundings behind me. Upon seeing nobody sneaking up behind me, a small amount of tension is released. A Beholder is a natural Psionic race capable of mind slaving any sentient being in which they deem ‘lower’ than themselves.

Naturally, as a being full of pride and intelligence, they think all sentient creatures belong to the bottom of the food chain. As such they often enslave individuals by mind wiping their base personality and gaining complete loyalty. Such beings are known as Thralls.

Powerful and intelligent Beholder’s are one of the worst threats to the Underworld. Thankfully, most Beholder’s live within the Lower Reaches and seldom venture any higher. More commonly, they send Thralls out to ravage and decimate their enemies from afar. It’s for this reason that most Drow cities are located near a pathway to the Lower Reaches in a naturally defensible position capable of surviving a siege.

I snuck another peek at the Beholder to figure out why I haven’t died yet. As soon as my head was in view of the creature, one of its tentacles turned to face in my general direction with its eye wide open.

Damn it! I forgot a Beholder has an eye placed at the end of every tentacle. It doesn’t help when they have a lot of tentacles on their body as well.

Before I could run away a deep voice resounded in my head “Come out little Dylthra I know you are there.” The tentacle that faced me began to slowly turn to scanning the neighbouring Stalactites.

I breathe a sigh of relief at not yet being discovered. The Beholder appears to have contracted a curse of some sort. My brief glance showed that some of its eyes were frozen solid, crystallized like the gems which litter the cavern with fragments littered on the ground beneath him.

The clanging sound returned as the Beholder flicked one of its many tentacles against the ground shattering the crystal that blocked an eye.

“There’s no point in hiding Dylthra, I can smell your young mind even from here” the creature continued as it patiently floated above the ground.

The Beholder is weak. If I wait any longer it would eventually find and invade my mind, in that case, I can only hope that it kills me instead of defiling my body or before it simply eats me with its large gaping maw.

I formed a quick plan in my mind and resolved myself.

I launched myself directly at the Beholder. All of the creature’s eyes, crystallized or otherwise immediately focused itself on me. With the widening of its central eye, a faint purple outline began levitating the broken crystal shards on the ground as the Beholder prepared its attack. Thankfully, I am faster.

Time begins to slow down. My hand steadily flicks a rock at the central eye with perfect muscle control as I use the enchantment on my earring to gain better accuracy.

A high pitched scream came out of its sharp maw.

The shards that were in its Psionic grasp flies wide as it impacts into the stalactites behind me dispersing the mist on the ground, only to replace it with dust. The Beholder wails as my stone hit its centre eye, but that just made it even angrier.

Before it even gets a chance to react, I’ve already prepared my next move. Reaching within I tug and pull at Aiur’s Source, the familiar power began to travel through my blood toward my arm as I direct it to my raised hand.

A bright iridescent globe of light is conjured above my palm. Despite having closed my eyes in advanced, I could feel the sting and tears from having my eyes exposed to such an intensely bright light.

I may not be talented in the field of the Arcane, but I did learn a trick or two during my time as a thief.

Heh, a bright light hurts when your eyes are adapted to utter darkness. I can only grin at the pain the Beholder is experiencing. The sting in my eyes is irritating, but thankfully I only have two eyes to feel pain with whereas the Beholder has countless amounts of eyes.

I expand my senses to the utmost. My ears flick toward the Beholder’s wails of pain as my feet continue the mad dash to get within close quarters.

My instincts flare up. I hurriedly roll to the side when numerous clangs seemingly peppered the ground where I once was. A crystal shard seemed to have embedded itself into the thigh of my leg.

Arghh! It hurts. I grit my teeth to hold in a scream. Wouldn’t want the creature knowing my position while blind.

Without stopping, I once again charged at the creature with my eyes still closed shut as my adrenaline holds the pain at bay.

“Little Dylthra, you will regret this!” the Beholder screamed in my mind.

I could feel a headache forming from all this telepathic roaring.

Not good, I have to end this soon.

I once again feel the hum of power coalescing really close in front of me. I slash my dagger hoping I'm close enough. It hits resistance before cleanly cutting through the mangled flesh. The squishy sound on the ground indicates I just chopped off a tentacle. Good.

Suddenly, I feel an invasive foreign presence in my head causing me to stagger for a brief minuscule moment. The creature took advantage of my weakness and tightly constricted my limbs with a tentacle in each, splaying me in midair.

Shit.

“Hmph” The Beholder coldly snorted “Feel thankful little Dylthra, for you shall become a part of me. Be grateful that I am weakened and require your mind’s sustenance.”

My eyes furiously blinked away the bright spots of light impeding my vision. The creature's eyes glowed purple as it glared at me with its central eye.

The foreign presence in my mind began to move. Previously, it was lingering on the surface. Now I could feel it's psionic tendrils enter deep and spread me apart.

I began to feel utter terror as I no longer had control of my body. One of the tendrils opened a pathway to connect the two minds, I suddenly felt a flux of emotions presumably from the Beholder. Pain, hunger and pleasure. So much pleasure. No!!! This should not be pleasant, it should be revolting, yet it feels good. I'm almost tempted to simply give in to the ecstasy coursing through my mind.

Another tendril reached a different section in my mind as it began to shifting through my memories. It re-lived my life, through the images of when I was a child. The experiences as a thief. The love for my elder sister.

My mind was slowly being torn apart. The foreign presence was now at the very deep recesses of my mind. I felt it glance at my darkest secrets before looking away with no interest.

No. I can’t. I can’t die. No. Not without seeing you one more time. I got so many questions I need to ask you. No. No. I can’t die. I won’t die. I won’t let you! No, no. NO!

The Beholder flinched at my sudden outburst of emotions. It wasn’t expecting the helpless meal to fight back.

I felt myself grasp every single emotional thought and burst it outward. Horror, sorrow, concern, affection, sympathy and ecstasy. I recalled every memory that left an emotional impression and blasted it outward toward the Beholder’s mind.

The creature physically recoiled in shock. Its tentacles loosened its grip. I used this chance to plunge the dagger into its mangled central eye.

“Ahhhhhhh!!!” A high pitched screech of pain boomed as I twisted my weapon. Whether from its physical body or in my head, I couldn’t tell. All I could feel was a heavy migraine pressing upon me.

The floating mangled flesh that was once the Beholder dropped to the ground, its numerous tentacles dangling over itself in the process.

My body sagged down in exhaustion.

I couldn’t help but let out a breath of exasperation at my luck. I only came over here because I was hoping there would be food. Instead, I run into a Beholder - only one of the evilest and powerful creatures that dwell within the Underworld.

And I killed it. How the hell did I kill it anyway? I thought for sure I was a goner.

I shake my head in annoyance, the movement making me stumble to the ground. Doesn’t matter how I killed it. I’m alive.

I stared at the crumpled mangled flesh.

“May Aiur guide your soul” I softly chanted. Despite all its evilness, this Beholder was a worthy foe. If not for some sort of dumb luck, I would have died. For that alone, it has my respect.

What’s next? Am I going to stumble upon a sleeping dragon?

Nah, my luck can’t be that bad.

Everything will be alright.

Possibly.