Master and Servant

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

Well the fates had certainly been busy in regard to the fell drow of Arith. Such was the musing of Rhyldrin has he lay upon the comfortable love seat in his private quarters in Nefarious Works' Chapter House in Navahla. Paling green eyes gazed absently at the ceiling while white locks found themselves pressed against the back of his head and the inside of his forearm. The warmth from the fireplace found within the wall behind the piece of furniture his body currently rested upon, while unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, acted as a subtle pleasure since only the lower half of his body was actually covered by clothing. His dark skin, which like his eyes, had grown paler over the last couple of years, seemingly glistened in the dull illuminations of the room. However, if someone were to dare reach out and touch his dark surface, they would find that it wasn't the least bit wet. Perhaps it was simply a trick upon eyes which weren't even present?

Thinking back on the events of the previous month and the actions he had taken to become stronger a single corner of that sinister mouth finally began to twitch. Dark tones serenaded the empty room, the result of him voicing a single thought on the subject, "still far from my capacity." Such a statement would be considered arrogant by most but it wouldn't lessen the truth behind it. His own research, his Legacy weapons, Mercy's book, her Legacy weapon, his experiments, and his risks all served as single stones in the foundation of the monumental wonder that was Rhyldrin Ken'rae. Where Necrosis came into existence due to the evolution of a race forged by the powerful, Rhyldrin was becoming one of the forging powers himself. That is what made him more dangerous than the Mist Beast, more terrifying then the Empress, and more sadistic then their brood... He wasn't just growing and evolving, he was controlling both. "Master of Death...."

He let the last statement linger upon his tongue and in his mind for nearly a minute before his etched abs constricted slightly to bring his body to a sitting position. Liquid like movements brought his legs up and around so that his feet could rest upon the floor before he stood to make his way over to his liquor collection. Selecting a bottle and bringing forth a glass he poured himself a drink before turning to gaze into the flames. His wrist moved his hand in a motion required to swirl the liquid within the crystal vessel before it was finally brought to his parting lips so that he could taste the flavors of the wine.

[Ivy Tangleweb]

“Why do you want to be the master of death anyway?”

Her legs were swinging over the lip of his glass, one arm braced against the edge as her wings were folded neatly at her back; the tapered tails dipping into the liquid while she picked something out of her teeth with the tip of a claw. Briefly she held out her hand and inspected it, deep black eyes closing in a slow blink before she flicked whatever it was off into the ether and returned her attention back to the drow, perfectly at ease reclining in his drink.

“Deaths boring. Just a pile of bones with nothing to say for themselves. Life is much more interesting, Master, do that instead.”

Heavy maddish accent was laced with amusement, a half grin flashed that revealed distinctly pointed teeth, the diminutive 6 inch tall woman kicking her heels against the edge of his glass and making it ring deliberately. Though she called him 'Master', there was something about lounging in his wine glass that seemed contradictory to the usual subservient behaviour you would expect from one using the phrase.

“I mean-”

A green light throbbed from her skin and engulfed her, the faerie vanishing from the wine glass entirely before he could either throw the vessel or otherwise harm her for ruining his refreshment, reappearing with a lean taken against the wine bottle itself, her wings flaring out and flicking sticky droplets every which way. Her clothes were soaked with the stuff but she did not yet seem to mind, her present outfit being little more than scraps of leather and some netting holding it all together. A small puddle was soon forming at her feet and in danger of staining the wood.

“-when you die, you lost the game. Why rule the losers when you can lord it over the winners circle?”

Absently, she ran her finger over a drop of wine and popped it in her mouth, her face instantly screwing up as she made some disgusted sounds.

“Ych. Far too sour. That must be why you are so surly all the time. Do you have anything sweeter?”

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

Speaking of the fates... It had been quiet, if only for a few moments, but now his peace had been shattered by the a little insect. While he didn't immediately avert his gaze to look upon the servant currently resting upon his glass he did let out a sigh upon her words. The ladies of fate were, for a lack of a better term, bitches. Even for all the evil Necrosis had managed in his life time it wouldn't be enough to suffer Ivy and yet here Rhyldrin, though arguably on a path to one day surpass the monster, was stuck with this damned locus. 

"The meaning behind my statement eludes you... slave." 

He finally looked down as the fae picked at her teeth.... how lady like.... and for a split second his mind was visited by a memory of a drawing he had seen in a book somewhere. It was a text book from a long lost university of magic.... Hogworth or something and the chapter in question focused on... Ah yes, cornish pixies! A single corner of that dark mouth turned upward despite the situation as he remembered how rather ridiculous the bug eyed things looked. Damn... like an annoying fly that caught movement right at the last second the fae disappeared before Rhyldrin could trap her in the glass with his free hand which had been slowly lifting from beneath the crystal vessel.

"Control is everything... I care not for those who have fallen to death. They are weak and pathetic." 

Watching her as she shook herself of his drink he lifted his free hand to his forehead and pressed two fingers lightly against his skin. Shaking his head slowly he would exhale once more before moving forward to pick up a towel. Not caring if he hit the mark he tossed the fabric in her direction to let it soak up the mess she had made. If it managed to cover her up and muffle her voice all the better. He had long since given up on attacking her directly, their game of to annoy and be annoyed, as well as all of the banter, attacks and rage that went along with it, was now a subtle dance. One day though, one day he would catch that bug and take pleasure in ripping off her wings!

"As the Master of Death I will control who dies and who doesn't and in doing so shall become immortal..."

It was like talking to a child. A child that was annoying and constantly buzzing. He went to take another sip of his drink before stopping at the last second. He of course remembered she had just taken a swim with her surely dirty and swampy wings in the wine. Growling he would move to the sink to dump the remaining liquid before retorting in a less than mild manner.

"There is nothing sweet enough to help you..."

[Ivy Tangleweb]

“One point for the elf! I don't just enjoy listening to my own dulcet tones.”

Lifting a finger to score a 'one' in the air, she wrinkled her nose endearingly in his direction. While Ivy may have shared some traits with her pixie cousins such as her sense of humour (just wait until Rhyldrin looks inside his weapons cabinet), her physical appearance was not one of them. Elegant features, slender limbs and a graceful body that was perky in all the right places: she was a hot little commodity, which was why that psychopath (the other one, not Rhyldrin) had trapped her in the first place. But being only six inches tall, while perfectly proportioned for that height, she wasn't exactly everybody’s flavour and those deep black eyes with fluorescent yellow-green iris were somewhat alien and off putting, especially if you saw them glinting at you in the middle of the night when you thought you were alone.

So yes, she was a far cry from a bug eyed floppy eared pixie, but still probably not someone you wanted to take home to mother.

As the towel came flying for her she opened her arms wide and embraced it, letting herself get knocked down instead of porting out of the way and wriggling around underneath it, crawling to the edge and poking her head out while gathering it around her like a babushka. It wicked the wine from her skin and clothes as she watched him wax melodramatic and stomp about the room, it made her laugh.

“It still sounds boring.”

Yawning a little, she squirmed around inside the towel to scrub the remains of the wine away, coming out from her little nest once she was dry with her hair sticking up every which way before it began to settle.

“Ohhh don't sell yourself short. My tastes are wide and varied, I'm sure you have something in here that will tantalize my senses. I did not take you for a quitter!”

That said, she turned and with a flick of her wings began to flutter around the collection of bottles, peering at labels and tilting her head this way and that before finding one that had an interesting name and what she thought was a good colour. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the cork in both hands and gave it a few tugs, her wings working overtime as she pulled at it: soon whizzing out of the way as physics played a part and the bottle was knocked over onto its side with the cork sadly still in place. Idly, she watched it roll sedately across the table and fall over the edge, peering down to see if it had smashed.

“Hmm. I hope that wasn't too expensive.”

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

Off putting when you think you are alone? How about the very concept of those eyes staring at you while you slept? It was a good thing that Rhyldrin feared little and by little we don't mean Ivy's height! She would receive a side-ward glare upon her naming him an elf and there was an urge to try and sneak up and flatten her beneath the towel as she squirmed about like a captured insect.

"Feel free to be on your way then, we certainly don't want you bored..."

How true was that statement? Oh so very true! She was a nuisance on her best of days, the very thought of her being bored would be cringe worthy! Thankfully, at least for Rhyldrin's reputation, he didn't have the thought so he didn't cringe. The question is would he have cringed if that thought had popped into his head? A thought provoking question for sure!

"I hear essence of rat poison is very sweet, perhaps you should try that..."

His voice was close behind her as she inspected the bottles, he was crossing the room toward his selection after all. Though he saved the bottle, it was rather impressive with the subtle lifting of his booted toes, catching the bottle in a cradling gesture with his foot. Bending his leg at the knee he would lift the bottle into reach of his dark digits before he himself inspected the age and vineyard. Oddly enough, she had nearly broken one he felt like drinking. Yea, very odd.

"Imagine that... it was."

Moving down along the racks a bit he placed the dirty glass down before slowly piercing the cork of the bottle with a dark nail while slightly twisting his finger. Once the nail was anchored he placed pressure against the inside of the cork and while twisting the bottle in the opposite direction of his turning hand pulled it free with a pop. If she came anywhere near the opening he would attempt to beat her back with the cork equipped finger!

[Ivy Tangleweb]

Faerie were considered to be embodiments of nature. Physical representations of natural occurrences and elements. Fire fae, winter fae, flower fae, water fae with a myriad of different names, the list goes on. If Ivy were to be categorised as such, she would be the long reaching tree in madder that releases a toxin through its roots, stunning small animals that come to the marshlands to drink so that the waters themselves could gradually dissolve the meat from their bones, nourishing the plant. She would be the fly trap that secretes pheromones into the air, attracting insects of all shapes and sizes to land upon its blushing mouth: snapping shut and trapping it tightly until it succumbs to an excruciatingly slow digestion.

Ivy, is a poisonous fae. Small. Pretty. Completely natural, and hungry.

"Augh, but I have no where else to go! That pervertir had me caged up good and tight and then forgot all about me. By the time I was released by your hand, ma maison had been long swallowed by the swamp, perhaps for centuries, and my famille were scattered. What was I to do?"

She whined plaintively as she observed his neat little catch and twitched her lips as if she were impressed by the feat: it was pretty cool looking after all. She wondered how much of his energy went into showing off .. perhaps nearly as much as she put into hers! Fortunately, faerie were nothing if not energetic, and she did not bother to mention that while the swine had trapped her she fully intended to rip the meat from his face with her teeth the next time she saw him. In fact, she was a little disappointed that time had passed and her captor was presumably no more. Silly humans with their tiny lifespans.

"Essence of rat poison?"

Apparently, she gave this consideration.

"That gives me a pleasant tingly sensation in my tummy. It is not quite what I crave at this time. And besides .."

A flash of green, sparked from where she had been standing at the edge of the table and she vanished.

A flash of green, off on the far side of the room.

A flash of green, somewhere by the armchair he had lounged upon.

A flash of green, as she ported directly onto the bottle in his hands with her arms and legs wrapped firmly around it: grinning with pointed teeth that gleamed in the firelight before the green energy consumed both the fae, and the excellent vintage he had saved from a truly smashing end.

"... you have access to the good stuff onze. What is my incentive to leave?"

A flash of green, and she had returned to the table. The bottle itself had shrunk to a size suitable for the faerie so that she could hold it easily with one hand after Rhyldrin had so helpfully removed the cork for her. Lifting it to her lips, she took a long swallow and sighed appreciatively: yes, he had access to the good stuff after all, and the fact that it was expensive - and something he had wanted! - made it even tastier.

Having drunk her fill, she pulled the bottle from her lips and tossed it in Rhyldrin's direction: a brief sparkle of verdant green and the wine regained its full size. Maybe she would get to see his amazing feats once again? Surely he didn't want to waste such an excellent vintage, and besides, her mouth was as clean as anybodies: all he would have to do is wipe the neck!

In either case, she was prepared to port out of the way in case things got nasty.

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

Another display she would receive indeed! He listened to her responses, mocking her silently with "blah blah blah" mouthings and even a few motions of his fingers coming together as if to silently say, "blah blah blah!" A low hiss would emit from his dark mouth once again upon her little antics and taking his bottle. He responded with words that could have been laced with poison.

"Ever consider going to see if you can find either?" He of course meant her family or the one who had captured her. He himself was in part hoping the capturer could be found so they could repeat their earlier feat of imprisoning her.

He caught the bottle, not by the base or even by the neck. When she sent it sailing into the air at him, and only after it had returned to its original size, did he adjust his finger so that the cork forced its way back into the mouth of the bottle. He had lost his desire to drink from it for the moment. 

"Soon, if you keep drinking everything, you will have to speak in the past tense. The world be saved before I start stocking wine based on your appetite." 

He gave up on having a drink and instead moved to sit upon the chair he had occupied earlier, his glare leveling at her as he contemplated something. Lifting an arm he would extend a finger and point a nail in her direction, his gaze narrowing before small spears of fell energies began to form from the tips of his index nail. Soon they were shooting across the room trying to impale her in any way possible. He wasn't really trying to kill her... just maim or severely wound perhaps, but the look on his face really didn't show his intentions clearly.

Those that missed would impact against the wall and dissipate without damaging anything. If any did manage to hit their mark though, that being her of course, they would be solid and sharp! And so the next phase of their conversation had begun; target practice. Pew pew!

[Ivy Tangleweb]

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees .."

The lissome fae stretched luxuriantly as she extended the single word, balancing on the ball of one foot as every other limb and wing reached out as far as they could go. Chaotic strands of green and black fell down to tease the surface of the table as she contorted herself into an impossible position that had her staring at him so that he appeared upside down while her back arched and cracked pleasantly, her resulting grin appearing as a vicious little frown from his perspective.

"But then that would be boring. And you are much more amusing! Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb. And you .."

She actually giggled, bending as far as she could before her wings got in the way and she was scratching at the table with hooked fingertips, watching as he peevishly returned that cork and stomped over to his chair. Yes he was amusing. She had watched him in secret for a time (or, so she had thought) and the faces he showed her he had not shown anyone else: she was curious to see what other faces she could force him to make, what colours he could turn. Would the skin of a drow grow purple if you aggravated them long enough? Would it turn green if you disgusted them? He was so much fun! She was like a child tormenting a beetle .. only in this instance the beetle could vaporize her with a thought if it so chose.

"You walked into a covenant the moment you opened that box!"

Her giggles shook her little frame, even more so as those spears of energy began to riddle the room. Pushing against the table with her hands, she flipped over adroitly with a swing of her legs like a seasoned acrobat as one skimmed past her midsection, the small fae dancing along the table as she avoided one spear after another.

"You .. didn't .. realise .. what .. you .. diiiiiiiiid~!"

A misstep caused a spear to slice through her right shoulder, the fae hissing and spinning in place with the impact before she could reorient herself. Though her giggles were replaced with peals of laughter as a viscous dark green substance in place of blood oozed from the wound and down her delicate arm to drip on the table surface where it began to fizz.

A flash of bright green light signaled her departure from the table, the poisoned fae reappearing on the very limb that was releasing the bolts. As she physically touched his skin, a faint green hue pulsed along her bloodied arm until it formed a curious series of alien glyphs and sigils that wound tightly along the limb .. and if he looked down, he would see that the very same script was echoed on his own darker flesh. She gripped him firmly, her little mouth spread in a grin so big it threatened to rip apart the skin of her cheeks, feral glee shining deep within those black and fluorescent ringed eyes.

"Guessssssssss .. go on guesssssssssssss .. what do you think you did, my master?"

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

Yes, this "beetle" could vaporize her if he truly wanted to. Such a thought hadn't come to him for some reason. Why such a consideration hadn't openly burst through the front door of his mind was also a mystery. To call Rhyldrin patient would be akin to calling the Heart pleasant to be around, it just didn't exist as a concept. Perhaps he considered her entertaining? Or maybe he was curious in her as a creature. Whatever the reason, she still lived and he had yet to declare why.

"Such a distasteful trick to play on others..." 

That was what he murmured upon hearing her words of said convenient and after considering the gravity of the situation in general. As distasteful as it was, cursing a box, while certainly not old by any stretch of the imagination, did have a particular ring to it when she was taken into account.

"I wonder which one he used..... Perhaps it could be passed on."

Such words were followed by an acknowledging smirk upon hitting his target. He certainly wasn't attempting to vaporize her, but a little target practice never hurt anyone. He watched the blood and her antics curiously, and upon seeing the strange position she was able to twist her body into, well that certainly offered some possibilities if she wasn't able to use a thimble as a bath tub.

(General Knowledge Check Roll: 15 or Higher to know. Knowledge Skill (No Bonus), Voracious Reader (+2 Knowledge), Loremaster (+5 Knowledge), +15 Intelligence = Roll + 22)

18088005651-20

Failed Response:
He thought for a moment, looking down along his arm in somewhat distaste. Frowning ever so slightly he would look back to her with an uncaring gaze filled with raised eyebrows. Reaching down he would run a finger along one of the symbols before exhaling slowly.

"It would seem that I made you bleed on me..." 

Passed Response:
Looking along his arm he would study the symbols for a moment, his mind dwelling into the near fathomless pit of knowledge and experience. He couldn't read the symbols fluently but based upon the situation, her words and his general knowledge of such things he would lift a brow at her orgasmic like expression from being so excited. Slowly moving his other hand so that his fingers were upon his arm but in front of her he would attempt to flick her away.

"It would seem that based on whatever convenient your previous master placed on that damned box that some sort of bond has been established between us that exists on a rather deep level."

Oh yes, he sounded so pleased with that fact didn't he? Simply thrilled!1-20

[Ivy Tangleweb]

''Ding ding ding~!''

Releasing her grip on his limb, she then spun across his arm like a demented prima ballerina, arms stretched out wide as her wings billowed behind her and drops of ichor spattered every which way, hissing on contact with anything remotely solid and polluting anything that was not. It was a blood mages wet dream, thankfully none were in attendance to capitalise on her carelessness because she appeared to be positively euphoric as she twisted up the drow crafted bridge, the libertine fae then disappearing with a blip of green light and re-materialising right in front of Rhyldrin's nose, hovering in the air.

''I just knew master was smart! Félicitations! Hourra! Tu as gagné! And your prize ..!''

Eyes widened in a comical fashion as she slapped her hands to either side of her face in mock jubilation.

''Est moi~! Are your guts not simply squirming in delight like a sack of convulsing puppies my master??!!''

The markings had faded once direct contact had been broken, though there was no doubt that he would recall their shapes if he needed to, and perhaps on some subconscious level he could still feel the movement of the sigils as they pulsed along his skin, even though the twisted glow of them was temporarily extinguished. The covenant had been made and whether the contract was visible or otherwise did not change that simple fact. Giving a little twirl and a giggle, Ivy's expression then dropped all sense of levity as a snake shedding its skin, the joy leaving the curve of her mouth and her eyelids drooping to cover the majority of black sclera while her movements stilled save for the lifting of her blood stained arm so that she might examine where the markings had been.

''The only thing that is clear, is that a covenant had been made. What that may mean I do not know. What consequences that may have I do not know. It is something old. Primal. Absolu.''

But she fully expected that Rhyldrin would know, if not immediately then perhaps after some study of the box she had been held in .. whatever happened to that anyway? Everything after her immediate release was something of a blur, so whether Rhyldrin had kept the wooden vessel or destroyed it was simply unknown to this fae, but if the box was intact she would not be capable of deciphering any script that may cover its surface. Her knowledge on these covenants was expressly limited to what was (at that time, hundreds of years prior) common knowledge when fae in particularly mischievous moods would trick a farmer into a covenant with his cow, or a chicken, or a hated rival. The consequences of trying to break it could be dire .. or it could be completely harmless. Without the information there was no telling what would happen in this particular case.

Turning, she flitted over to the liquor cabinet and with a touch of her hand shrank a bottle, uncorking it with a fingernail and placing the rim to her lips. Several chugs later she pulled it away with an audible pop and sigh of satisfaction, turning her eyes to glance across at the seated drow with something of an impish glint.

''As I'm sure you have already realised, one way to break the covenant would be to simply dispatch me and go on your way ..''

Her serious mood was shattered with the grin that framed the neck of the bottle, pointed teeth shining as they came down to clink on the glass.

''.. but that would be far too easy for a man of your talents.''

Taking another drink, she watched him carefully, despite her nonchalant demeanour she was tensed to vanish in a flash if it looked like he was planning on taking that route anyway, consequences be damned. Ivy was banking on the possibility that Rhyldrin was just as bored with this life as she was, and relished a challenge if only to break the monotony. The terms of the covenant could be simple, or highly complex, and given that this was outside of his normal realms of expertise wouldn't it be something new and passably interesting for him to turn his hand to? At least, that was what Ivy hoped.

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

He knew she wasn't able to read minds, or at least he greatly assumed that she couldn't, so the irony and slight frustration in her disappearing and reappearing whenever he was about to lift a hand of tense interlaced fingers in an attempt to flick her away from his arm and then his face was almost comical. He wasn't too concerned about the covenant given the current depths of his wells of power and the fact that it seemed magical in nature. Regardless of his lack of morals, when it came to religion, he didn't really care much. You could even call him libertine. Despite such a possible observation had the markings veered closer to the divine or religious then he may have given it a slightly higher placement on his long list of time wasting issues. His tone was flat and empty as he responded to her question about puppies.

"Several litters in fact..."

He inhaled deeply for no other reason than to ravish the air of its oxygen in mass before the waste was expelled from his lungs. Shaking his head as she continued to speaking he leaned back into his chair and covered his eyes with carefully placed fingers of his dark hand. 

"Are the fae always so clueless?"

The question wasn't really asked to be answered as he didn't really care what the actual answer turned out to be. It wasn't even rhetorical so much as a means of venting his frustrations with the constant bantering and morbidity of Ivy. He felt and even heard the swirl of magics as she shrunk the bottle down to her size and the pressure that had been dictating his need to vent suddenly spiked once again.

"You have the manners of a drunken sailor..." He then heard her statement and continued with a smirk behind that face covering hand of his.

"Such mind games won't work on me my dear. I'm aware of how to remedy the current situation, nor am I concerned about any possible traps that the covenant may have already set. You're poor attempt at trying to make me so interested in the situation I allow you to live is rather beneath you."

He gradually removed his hand to reveal a gaze that was locked directly onto where she stood. Even though he had been acting as if he was perturbed he had kept aware enough to know exactly where she was the entire time and now that paling green gaze of his penetrated her very being.

"You still draw breath because I have a subtle feeling that you may indeed be of use soon."

[Ivy Tangleweb]

Her face was a mask as she watched him, the rim of the bottles mouth hovering just in front of her own. It was as if she had suddenly turned into a statue, this previously teleporting every which way fae who couldn't seem to keep still for longer than two heartbeats. But while her body remained unmoving the contents of her mind were working like crazy, putting together multiple scenarios and discarding them as entire drama filled epics were worked out behind her eyes. Finally, it was as if a key had been turned in her back as the poisonous fae sprang to life: twirling in place and releasing the bottle to send it flying in an arch towards Rhyldrin, her body vanishing in that typical flash of green sparks, coalescing just in front of his face and catching the liquor before a drop was spilled.

''A use?? Pour moi?? WhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatWHAT?''

Indeed, what type of job .. task .. wish .. assignment .. what manner of skulduggery would this fel drow need such a one as Ivy for? She couldn't begin to imagine! Or rather. She could. It was just there were so many possibilities she couldn't choose just one, and each seemed as unlikely and likely as the last. After a minute of wracking her brain, she took a swig from her bottle and smacked her lips, darkened wings taking her far enough away so that she could examine Rhyldrin in full .. her eyes dropping dubiously to his belt region.

''I do not think it would fit, my master.''

He had said subtle, but if rumors were to be trusted it was as subtle as a raging tarrasque so she doubted that he had those kinds of designs on her. Regardless, she flashed him a grin comprised entirely of needles and waited for him to .. ahem .. fill her in on his mighty plans.