Unknown Location

I slowly came too, but I had no idea where I was. I could see that I was laying in a bed, a fire was burning nearby, but this was not the Keep of Shadow's Fall and if this was the former fortress held by House Dhalmass. I would be willing to bet, running back buck-ass naked all the way, to Eternal Night, I was somewhere else. So I continued to look around and stopped as I studied the pitch-black figure that was studying me from a nearby chair.

Since becoming a Vampire and Elder my senses had been heightened by several magnitudes while I was within Fate Online. All of them screamed not to fuck with this being, that it was ancient but while I should be weary I was not afraid at all. Something about the figure seemed familiar. "Are you going to lay there or join me, Jacob? Or do you prefer Kevin?" she asked and I froze in surprise.

I knew I was still in the game, but the normal V.I.s did not know the real names of players. It was a protection for us, one that this being just broke, no shattered. Her laughter filled me with both fear and hunger causing her to smile as her laugh became full-on throaty with the promise of so much more. I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths as I got out of the bed and thought for a second.

Her knowing my real-world name was the key. Only the A.I.s of Fate Online had access to the player base and all our personal information. That narrowed down the available candidates to only a few beings. I opened my eyes and moved to the chair opposite the cloaked and hooded figure. Talking had given away the sex of the figure, but a being like this could change their sex like I changed my shoes if they wanted to. "Are you female or is this part of the game you are playing with me?" I asked 'her' and while I couldn't see it, I could feel the smile and I saw as she moved her robes exposing one very nice shaped leg before crossing it over the other and throwing her robe back over it.

"I am very female Kevin and you have been just as intriguing to me as I am to you. Yet you have stayed away from any shrine and so this is the first time we have had a chance at a face-to-face so to speak," she replied and I nodded in acknowledgment.

Her words eliminated Adam and Eve, the overall governing A.I.s of Fate Online as well as the Primordial of Balance, Ophion, and the Primordial of Light, Aether. That left one and only one Primordial, "You are the Primordial of Darkness, Nyx. Why would you be interested in talking to me?" I asked her and she smiled as she drew back her hood and smiled at me.

"Correct, I am Nyx the Primordial of Darkness. As to why I am interested in you, are you not a Harbinger? You are one of my Dark Templars, your actions are a reflection upon me. You have resurrected the Vampires and although they are weak now, they can become a power again. You are already on that path to help them with that, just keep being you. You should be aware that you have made a mortal enemy today and House Dhalmass will not forget your actions and while Lolth might dwell in my darkness she does not answer to me. Consider this a word of warning about both." Nyx stated and I smiled, she was telling me stuff I already knew would happen as soon as I set in motion the powers against the Drow House, but by Lolth's own rules, the spider goddess couldn't move against us openly. House Dhalmass had to stand or fall on its own merits. "Don't get cocky, yes you won one battle, but the war is far from decided. Remember the Drow are comfortable with face-to-face confrontation but prefer politics and shadow wars. House Dhalmass will come at you sideways if they can, but you have time to prepare." she warned me and I snorted.

"I know Nyx, but isn't it against the rules to tell me any of this? Much less interfering with one of the gods or their worshipers." I asked her and she snickered.

"Please, House Dhalmass is a rotten branch of Lolth's family tree, she should have cut it a long time ago. She failed so I will use you to do it, and thus you and by extension, the Vampires will grow stronger and more powerful. You will need it and the Dark needs leadership, I think you have a shot at stepping up but you are not the only one." Nyx replied with a smirk and I frowned, but before I could respond she cocked her head as if she heard something. "We are running out of time and your Thralls grow worried that you still sleep despite being healed. You must do three things to assure you ascent, get the seal, save the drake, and claim the fortress as your own." Nyx commanded but before I could do or say anything she was in my lap and kissing me as the world dissolved around me.

Underdark- Unending Abyss Region

Ruins of House Dhalmass Fortress

I woke up and groaned as every muscle and even my brain screamed at me to go back to sleep but I ignored it, "HE IS AWAKE!" someone shouted nearby and I nearly fell back screaming as I swear my brain convulsed.

"Be quiet, I told you he needs time to heal. The backlash from destroying the crystal should have killed him, but between that damned blade, being an Elder transformed, and his sheer pigheaded stubbornness, he survived." Drax commented and I peeked one eye open and gave the Orc my best smile.

"You say the sweetest things Drax, it's like you love me like a brother." I quipped causing the Shaman to snort and shake his head, but I detected amusement and he was fighting a smile. I looked for Moonlight and spotted the blade and rapped the hilt. "How are you doing buddy?" I asked the blade earning another groan, but this time from the blade itself.

"Boss, please don't ever make me eat a Lich again. That thing tasted disgusting! Please, give me skeletons and zombies all day, but no Lich's!" Moonlight quietly quipped causing me to chuckle and wince as I clutched at my head again.

"Got it, no Lich's or Legendary items on your eating menu," I told the blade before looking at Drax who snorted in amusement again. "How did we do? How many losses did we suffer from the battle?" I asked the Orc and he looked at me.

"Surprisingly few for the sheer amount of destruction going on. Twenty-two among the guards, fifteen from the Blood-Fangs, and eight from the Earth-Cracker Tribe, relatively few for the size of the battle." Drax commented but I winced wondering who I would never talk to again. "You did your best Jacob, but battle costs blood and lives. It's unavoidable. We had a choice to stand against House Dhalmass or surrender our future to them. Even without the assistance of the Blood-Fang and Earth-Cracker Tribe, Eternal Night would have gone to war with them to get them out of the area. You gained their assistance and not only assured our victory but minimized the casualties." the Shaman commented and I shrugged my shoulders making me groan as it felt like there was glass in-between my muscles.

Before I could respond Drex strode into the tent and was quickly followed by a Kobold representative. "Good you are awake, we need to settle a few things. Spoils." the Orc commented and I looked, back and forth between the Orc and Kobold.

"Ok, first do either of your people not want anything?" I asked them and the Kobold nodded.

"We do not need slaves, nor want them." I nodded in acknowledgment of Kobolds' statement.

"Ok, but that does not mean you get more coin or other items. So the slaves are split between our two groups but since Eternal Night doesn't want slaves or need them, they will be freed." I told them and after a moment Drex nodded in agreement.

"Our Tribe has enough mouths to feed, but we have lost some of your warriors so if there are any acceptable replacements within the slave ranks that wish to join our tribe, we will accept them. Otherwise, they can all go to Eternal Night. Now what about everything else?" the Orc prodded and I chuckled.

"Coin and gems, cut and uncut, are split evenly three ways. Items, both common and uncommon grade are split three ways, anything above that Eternal Night has the first choice. We provided fifty percent of the troops and sustained the most losses, I can't go back to my queen with anything less." I told them and received grudging nods of agreement. "If anything remains of the item I destroyed, grind it into dust. No one gets any of that shit! Agreed?" I asked and they both chuckled and looked at Drax.

"You haven't told him?" the Kobold asked and the Shaman shook his head.

"No, my lord inquired about casualties, and then you arrived. I have not had time to explain the situation to him." Drax responded rather archly and I smirked and slowly stood by using Moonlight as a crutch.

"Ok, show me what you are hiding," I told them and Drex grabbed my arm and threw it over his shoulder to steady me as we walked out of the tent. It took me a moment to orient myself with the destruction from the battle still being cleaned up but I figure it out and pointed at the ziggurat. "What happened to that thing?" I asked absently as I stared at the gutted building.

The top two floors of the ziggurat were just gone and the bottom two were heavily damaged, to say the least. "You did that," Drex commented with a chuckle and I snorted.

"Ahh, I don't care how bad my farts get, they cannot destroy a building like that," I replied causing them to chuckle as we moved towards the building. The blast had heavily damaged the ziggurat, both the two nearest longhouses were also damaged, I was guessing from the shrapnel or blast itself.

"It was you destroying the crystal that did that. That necromancer had been feeding dozens of people to it, and the ziggurat acted as both a focus and channel for the item's power. Destroying the crystal was amplified by the building as well and killed the Lich's and Drow that were on top of the building instantly." the Kobold explained and I shoot my head.

"Do either one of you have a problem if my people claim this chamber as our own and any nearby resources?" I asked them and neither of them voiced decent.

"We also have another situation, House Dhalmass wasn't only using the Undead they were experimenting on a Shadow Drake, my lord," Drax commented and I whipped around and nearly fell over but I quickly regained my balance.

"Show me!" I snapped and the Orc took off and I kept up as best as I could.

A short walk revealed a small chamber had been carved from the rock face and a Shadow Drake was caged within it. It glared all-around at us and I strode right up to it and someone tried to grab me but I waved them off. "Can you understand me?" I asked the Drake. Most Drakes were fully sentient and if this one was, I could make an agreement with it. It nodded its head. "If you swear not to harm the people here, I will release you. I have no need or want to keep you caged, do we have an Accord?" I asked the Drake, formally.

It stood up as much as it could and stared into my eyes and I felt a slight mental pressure, but it wasn't an attack before it nodded. I partially drew Moonlight and sliced my hand open, "By my Blood and Bone I swear to uphold the Accord as stated. I will release you to return home and you shall harm no one here." I formally intoned and extended my hand.

The Drake sniffed the blood once, then once again before licking it and biting its paw and extending it my way. I collected a little bit of blood and consumed it sealing the Accord causing a slight tremor in the air as it was sealed. "Chalxae!" I called the Assassin dropped out of Stealth nearby and pointed to the bars. "Yes, please get him out of there and out of those chains and collar. She will free you so please help her as much as you can." I told the Drake before looking back at Drax.

"Anything else you want to tell me about that I missed while I was out?" I asked the Orc causing him to look around and nod slightly. I followed Drax and wondered what exactly House Dhalmass had been up to.