After several hours of travel the Monster Mashers crossed the continent of Alfheim and arrived at the border between Ljósálfheim and Dokkalheim. After showing their guild identification cards they were let through with a minimal search. It didn't take long after crossing the border to reach the first Yggdrasil gate. The party did its normal thing of touching every gate on the way to the capital of the nation. The villages they passed all seemed surprisingly small with a handful of buildings made of molded stone. “These buildings are actually just the entrance to the gate. Like the gates in walls of a normal town. The bulk of the village is actually underground like an ant colony.” Racknar explained as they passed through.
Then when they reached the capital things were different. Sharp pointed stalagmite looking bits of earth with windows and doors carved into them sat inside a more traditional molded stone wall. The use of sharp and pointy edges and decorations on dark buildings made of natural stone were a sharp contrast to the light elf kingdom. Racknar gestured to the buildings. “The real city looks just like this, but upside down and connected by bridges. The smaller buildings are access points to the under-city. Buildings carved into stalactites and stalagmites in a cave under an upper city of stalagmite buildings. The palace and main temple will be down in the under-city while the guildhall will be up here. Again as always the main buildings will be at the center of the city.”
With a show of identification and a quick search the party was allowed into the city. Racknar let out a small growl. “Seems the drow are so far the least trusting of outsiders, but even then that search could have been more thorough. They didn't even ask us to empty our bags of holding or to check inside my Dimensional Doorknob.” Davy chuckled. “What are you expecting? Post nine eleven TSA?” Racknar gestured with his hand. “I mean if it were up to me, yeah. I'd be paranoid as fuck about assassins and shit using guild licences to get in through the front door with no issues and killing me in my sleep. Then again I've played Creatures and Catacombs with some unsavory people.”
Davy let out a grumbling hum. “By that you mean edge lords and or murder hobos. Not that we haven't participated in some mild murder hobo fuckery.” Marionette gestured to the people walking on the street. “You realize we are having this conversation publicly, in front of everyone?” Krys'tal hummed. “I doubt they care. To many people it'll just sound like gibberish anyway.” Ariagoria growled. “We should at least be more careful. Reborns are not uncommon.” Racknar clicked his mandibles. “You do have a good point. Maybe we should make more liberal use of telepathic linking.” Ariagoria looked away, avoiding eye contact with Racknar. “On second thought, talking out loud is fine.”
Racknar tilted his head, causing his neck to crack lightly. “Is there some reason you have misgivings about doing that? The way it works has it only projecting surface thoughts that you are actively wanting to project. It's not like Krys'tal or Davy are reading your mind.” Ariagoria sighed. “Yeah well… I don't trust myself to not think something dumb or embarrassing out loud by mistake. The longer the skill is used the higher the chances something will slip.” Racknar cracked the other side of his neck. “What are you worried about sharing? You know the party wouldn't judge you for most things. Our group is filled with weirdos and freaks.”
Ariagoria nodded. “That is true. Each and every one of us has issues, some of them carried from our past lives. But still, it gives me the hebee-jebees to use metal linking. It creeps me out a bit, okay.” Racknar nodded. “That's understandable. Hearing voices in your head definitely isn't something most people would be used to. However, understand that the ability will be utilized when needed regardless of your feelings.” Ariagoria sighed. “Anything for the mission, right? You can see me in my underwear but it's a platonic task because it's for the mission. I thought you got your emotions back. Do you really feel nothing when looking at me?”
Racknar managed a confused face. “Would you… want me to? I mean you are actively trying to be celibate.” Ariagoria raised an eyebrow. “You have a point, but you are a human male who is into women so I expected some kind of reaction.” Racknar chuckled. “I do my best to be professional, but it's not like I felt nothing during the endeavor. I have two people who both want to date me and you are not one of them so saying I find you physically attractive feels pointless.” Ariagoria let out a laugh. “So you do find me attractive?” Racknar clicked his tongue and spoke with a growl. “I feel like you're trying to mess with me and it's pissing me off.”
Ariagoria gestured with her hand. “There we go. Some genuine emotions. So you really have changed. It's fine to show or express some emotion from time to time.” Racknar’s fangs drooped a bit. “My ability to emote is limited with this face. Happy, sad, angry. I haven't managed to be able to display much beyond that unless you count winking as being flirty.” Marionette crossed her arms and huffed. “Why are you trying to get a ride out of Racknar anyway?” Ariagoria shrugged. “In a way, you could say I'm doing it for you. Racknar isn't used to having it displaying his emotions. So I'm trying to keep him emotionally honest in order to get him used to showing or voicing his emotional state. This'll make it easier to tell what he's feeling in a moment so you'll be able to tell when he's finally ready to try and romance someone.”
Marionette loosened her stance. “Well you can stop now, I've been managing fine in that on my own.” Racknar chuckled. “It's fine, she's right that I am still adjusting to my newfound emotional sensitivity. I still try to be logic and mission focused but I want to be able to give you and Elizabeth a solid answer as to who I want to date full time and be honest. You both mean something to me, I care about you both. I'd rather not hurt either of you but my not choosing is only hurting both. I'll choose who I think is the better fit when I figure it out myself. I still have to do some soul searching as it were first. What I want in a relationship is important here too.”
Marionette crossed her arms. “I just wish it wasn't taking so long. I understand you have a lot of feelings to sort through and these things take time. You should consider my and Elizabeth’s feelings during this too.” Racknar nodded. “I have. Just be a little more patient. I swear I'll be ready soon. In fact, after we kill Lolith and lock in the dark elf alliance and have some downtime we'll return to Bramble and I'll take some time to meditate on it. You'll have my answer after that. Okay?” Marionette nodded. “I'll wait patiently for your final decision then.”
The party quickly located an entry point to the under-city that was close to the center. Climbing down to a stalagmite building and moving down to cross the bridges. Marionette looked down and whistled. “I can barely see the top of the taller buildings down there. How do you get from the upside-down building to those ones?” Racknar gestured to the side when a spider jumped from one tip to the other. She also saw a giant dragonfly buzz under the bridge at high speed with a rider on its back. “That's fucking cool.” Racknar chuckled. “Yes, it's all extremely neat. Thankfully we have our own mounts and won't have to rent just to get to some buildings. The temple should be this way. It'll be the hourglass where the tops of two stones meet.”
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Marionette grumbled. “I can hardly see down here “ Davy cast a spell and suddenly Marionette could see better in the dark. “Sorry Mari, I forgot you didn't have dark vision or some other method of seeing down here like the rest of us.” Marionette points. “Ah, I've spotted the building we're after.” Racknar looked where she was pointing. “Good work. Alright Monster Mashers, let's finally kill… do this shit.” The party went from building to building from bridge to bridge until they reached the entrance of the temple. There the guards blocked their entry. Showing them guild identification got them nowhere. “Dokkalfar only outsiders.”
Racknar sighed and reached for his ring of illusion and removed it. “How about you make an exception just this once. After all, just look at me. Clearly I was blessed by the spider mother to have such a perfect hybridized form.” The two guards eyed one another for a moment. “We'll let you in, your friends stay outside.” Racknar sighed and cracked the knuckles on all four of his hands. “I really was hoping I wouldn't have to do this the hard way. Unfortunately for you, fall damage is a bitch.” Racknar swung hard knocking one out in a single punch before his unconscious body fell off the bridge before Racknar slammed a fist into the second guard knocking him out two, dropping his body off the bridge as well.
Once the guards were gone Racknar kicked down the door and someone's his swords and shields. “And since we are fighting indoors I can't even try out my new weapon. Damn shame, but I'm not going to hold back on any worshipers of Lolith.” Racknar shouts into the temple. “Attention faithful of Lolith, if you want to live then find an exit that is not near me. I will offer no hesitation and no mercy outside the mercy of a quick death. Come at me, if you want to die!” Ariagoria patted his shoulder. “Is that wise, we just lost the element of surprise.” Racknar growled. “I'm done fucking around. It's high past time we found out. Today's lesson, the sound of drow skulks being smashed.”
Davy sighed. “Something must have pissed you off because you are being extra as fuck today. My brother in Christ, you don't need to go full slaughterhouse.” Racknar chuckled. “Sorry, I really like cheesy one-liners. It sounded cooler in my head but came out kinda edgy.” Everyone drew their weapons or in Davy's case a casting focus. Marionette tapped her dagger to the wall. “Well it's too late to turn back now. We're in this bitch until Lolith is dead. I just ask to avoid killing ordinary drow when possible. These people are being manipulated after all.” Krys'tal hummed as she made her body glow more to provide better light. “I'm sure we'll all try our best.” Racknar nodded, keeping the chainsaw function of his sword off. “I'll hit them with the blunt of my sword I guess. Luckily when the engine isn't in the entire thing also might as well be a blunt object.”
Make drow and even a few female drow come down the hall with either duel daggers or bow and arrows. Racknar let out a laugh. “Are you people even trying? Where are the casters? The clerics and paladins? This is a temple after all.” Arrows fired down the hall but Racknar batted them out of the air with his shields and swords. The dagger holders teleported behind Racknar. His eyes widened as he turned around. The assassins weren't after him, but the party behind him. Flames erupted from his arms and weapons as he swung six times taking out six of the assassins in a single hit while taking arrows to the back.
Krys'tal fired an ice arrow past Racknar, blasting the archers behind him with a cold explosion. Ariagoria slammed an assassin that teleported using her mace before casting a quick small healing spell on Racknar. Davy pointed his staff and a loud bang hit the archers making their ears bleed as they fell unconscious. Marionette started teleporting around and taking out the remaining assassins. “This area seems clear, let's run forward before more people get to us.”
The party moved forward when some medium to heavily armed drow came into the hallways. “There's the casters.” Racknar commented almost sarcastically. “Tis a shame you didn't come at us all at once. You just might have stood a chance.” Racknar rushed for the one with the thickest looking armor. Racknar slammed into him with six attacks, the first clearly enhanced with Infernal Strike in addition to elemental energies and it still took all three attacks to bring the enemy down. Though that could have been because he wasn't using the chainsaw function of his weapons in order to avoid fatal blows.
Davy and Krys'tal got to work with AOE damage spells as Ariagoria slammed three times into a heavily armored opponent with the first being boosted by magic and knocking him out. Marionette meanwhile was aiming for pressure points with the hilt of her dagger while teleporting around the shadows of the room. Something that was extremely easy in such a dark area. The entire room might as well have been a shadow minus right next to Krys'tal who was glowing to provide some light.
The remaining clerics and paladins make their attacks aiming mostly at Ariagoria and Racknar. Racknar barely felt it as several maces and swords smacked against his armor. Despite the fact several cracks and cuts were made into it. Ariagoria grunted in pain and started to focus more on defense and healing as Racknar focused on the more heavily armored paladins. Taking out a second target before hitting a third with a couple attacks before Davy and Krys'tal once again blasted the crowd the best they could without hitting Ariagoria but allowing Racknar to take friendly fire. After all, he could take the damage as long as he had Ariagoria and healing potions.
Marionette managed to take out one of the clerics and looked around to try and count how many people were left but it was hard to tell in this darkness. She instead moved from one target to the next and would just keep fighting until the area was clear again and the party could move freely once more. Her target actually managed to land a blow on her damaging the ironwood ash her arm was made of and crack it. She grunted out in pain from the attack.
Despite taking attacks from several opponents and even more as he moved, Racknar went after the cleric that hit Marionette. “You're dead meat fuckface! I've been going easy until now!” His chainsaw swords revved as the circular saw on his shields also revved. It only took two attacks to kill the man with Racknar then knocking out a second once he turned off the function. There were four people he took out in this second batch but thanks to that maneuver he was looking rough. Even focused healing from Ariagoria only did so much. Thankfully one more room blast combo from Davy and Krys'tal was all they needed to knock out the rest.
The party took a short rest to potion up and restore some of their magical resources in Davy and Ariagoria’s case. Once that was done, Racknar cracked his neck. We're going to start seeing Driders soon. Arcane Archers, Dread Clerics, and Arachnid Knightmare Paladins. Things are about to get heavy and that's before we get into the final chamber where Lolith and her strongest followers will reside. We'll have to start having to worry about debuffs and negative status conditions.” Marionette groaned. “I mean I guess I didn't expect it to be easy but with how smooth things were starting to go I kinda hoped.”
Ariagoria chuckled. “Things only went smoothly because we came prepared and Racknar is absolutely busted in small spaces like this. His biggest weakness is ranged enemies and we can cover that. We can also keep him healthy and boost his abilities to make sure he's always at or above his best. Our party is well built to work together. Combine that with Racknar's knowledge and our items and even when under to level we can stomp challenges. The only solid threats to us are the wacky shit that can mess with our stats and even then Racknar’s knowledge can help us avoid any serious situations resulting in permanent damage.”
Racknar growled. “Let's continue. The sooner we finish the sooner we can go home. I don't know about you but I miss my bed. The magical manor just isn't the same. No offense Davy.” Davy shrugged. “None taken. I mostly use the building summon spells as storage buildings because as places to stay although safe they always feel a bit creepy. I mean the manor is empty but the table always refills with food magically? It's just unsettling enough to make me question it. But since the building is the same every time I summon it I use the different tiers of the spell that summon buildings as portable storage, the same as Racknar’s Doorknob.”
Racknar started walking. “We're wasting time you guys. Let's get this over with. We can summon Arachne right in the main chamber as soon as Lolith is dead. Then we'll finally be done with this chapter of our adventure. We can move on and focus on other things. Lolith will no longer be looming over our heads and Arachne will be back in her rightful place as mother goddess of spiders.”
