Unwilling Guest

Lead into the basement it was surprisingly untouched, unlike the Night Parade the drow had done nothing to the basement of this building, yet their presence was easy enough to feel in the near by rooms. Pellanistra lead Xing Lei in and reclined against a stack of boxes, "Why so eager to leave Kobolicus, alot of opportunity in a civil war, each side needs things that those of our calibre can provide easy but charge obscenely for."

Xing Lei glanced around and shrugged his shoulders, "Wealth does not motivate me. Nor does the outcome of the war. Your spellweaver?"

Pellanistra sighed and shrugged looking to Fedrex, "Please place those two in the backroom, your pay is there too."

With a shout the dwarf took off with a sprint, Xing Lei might not care about wealth but as a mercenary he most definitely was! Disappearing into the back room another drow appeared. This one, a male, was dressed in a pitch black robe trimmed in red. Glancing to Pellanistra he nodded lightly, "Calimar Luen, house wizard and First Boy of House Luen at your service. You needed a portal? Since my sister demanded I'll provide."

Pellanistra frowned and held up her hand, "Before my brother begins I need to consult with him on house matters for our involvement in this civil war." Motioning to a side door she flashed a smile, "If I could have you wait in the next room with your women?"

Xing Lei cast her with a wary eye, the drow woman raised her hands, "No tricks nor traps Kobolicus, I know well your prowess it would be foolish of us to try and trap you in such close quarters."

Walking over to the room she opened the door revealing a rather simple space, a few chairs were placed along the back wall that looked a touch out of place but otherwise it was a featureless room. "See, no traps, no ambushes. Just a waiting room while we deal with a house matter. So if you please?"

Xing Lei narrowed his eyes but nodded, walking between Osilliaice and Alustriea to not be separated from them. Entering the room it was as Pellanistra said, it was a simple room, the three chairs were high quality, the only other feature was a door to one side. Leaving them to the chairs Xing Lei moved to check the next space when he heard Pellanistra laugh softly, "Still don't trust me Kobolicus? Smart."

Whirling he saw the smiling drow woman close the door with a click. Racing back he grabbed the handle and pulled, the simple wood door shattered in his grip as it was ripped right off its hinges. However beyond the doorway was no longer the basement. Rather than the bare basement what laid beyond was a stone storage chamber, crates and barrels occupied most of the space. Running back to the other door he meant to check he opened the much more sturdy door to a lavish hall way. A thick carpet ran down the length, drow warriors stood guard at several intervals, a couple turned to regard the kobold and flashed mirthless smiles his way, they had been expecting guests so did not bother with the kobold.

Closing the door Xing Lei frowned at himself, he had felt no connotations of power, no formations or spatial techniques. This was a straight up mystic enchantment. Looking to his mate and Alustriea he shrugged, "Sometimes I hate magic."

Walking over to the two he drew them down onto the chairs as they looked to him, "The entire chamber was a trap, when Pellanistra closed the door we were shifted from one spot to another, if I hazard a guess Cheth Rrihinn. Seems they're rather insistent on my help."

"Yes, we would." Stepping in through the hall door Pellanistra slipped inside and closed the door behind her, after a moment the door was opened again, only instead of the guarded hallway a lavish bedroom greeted all eyes. Stepping through again the drow smiled, "Kobolicus, if you would, last teleport. So much easier had you not broken the other door you know. Calimar is quite put out that his initial casting was destroyed."

"And if I refuse?" Xing Lei frowned crossing his arms over his chest and standing between the drow and the two behind him.

"Then we shall simply leave you a bedroll and let you use that storage room for your stay, but I would think an actual bed more enjoyable along with the bathing chamber through the opposite door, but if you would rather slave conditions, it is not like we cannot accommodate your preference." Pellanistra said simply walking forward. "There is no escape from this Kobolicus. You are in the heart of our House in the city of Cheth Rrihinn. Until we are ready to dismiss your service it is a long trek through countless miles of unrecognizable tunnels before you see the surface again. Each mile monster filled both in terms of beasts and simple environmental hazards. You, yourself, might make the trip, but with two in tow?"

Xing Lei frowned but had to relent, reaching the surface was a trek of great danger to be sure but first they'd have to get out of House Luen and all the house had to do was leak Alustriea's identity and every drow in the city, and who knew how large that city was, would be after her. "Very well what do you need of me?"

Pellanistra clapped her hands, "Ah smart choice! First things first though." Turning to regard Alustriea the drow smiled viciously and stated calmly, "Wishya!"

Alustriea gasped as the hood suddenly constricted around her head, the hood pulling in tight as the formerly featureless mask turned into something like a fluid and melded to the elven womans face. Her face could clearly be seen, the shock and struggle in her eyes clearly seen despite the red glow as the hood molded to her head. Slowly the face mask darkened, shifting from a plain bone white to a more obsidian black, from the smooth hood sprouted long white tendrils, that began to overflow like a thick mane of white hair. Collapsing she gasped for air as the mask finally parted around her lips, Osilliaice held her arm as the mask finally finished its transformation.

Blinking red eyes Alustriea looked to Osilliaice and Xing Lei and they were shocked to see the hooded mask had become like a second skin, for all intents and purposes from the neck up Alustriea looked like a younger drow woman. Pellanistra smiled, "Much better, the bodysuit is in a chest at the foot of the bed when its neck overlaps the mask it will adhere to her body, while it is possible to keep an iblith concealed in our House my siblings would eventually discover her and she would die. This little gift I show as a sign of good faith, while I've forced you onto my platform Kobolicus, I have no intention of making an enemy of you."

Alustriea coughed glaring at the drow woman, "Will the bodysuit be the same?"

Pellanistra grinned nastily, "Oh yes iblith, you may be of Kobolicus' protection but you are still hated iblith, make no mistake were I to have met you before I met him I'd have torn out your heart with my hands myself. But, you are his so I will tolerate your continued existence for the time being. Do not cross me girl and just suffer a bit as your hated kind should."

Osilliaice frowned and stood between the two elven women, Pellanistra turned to regard the lizardess and shrugged, "Fine, the disguise isn't an intentional torture, it's just its nature as it's the treated flesh of a doppelganger. Melding with anyone's flesh is painful, but the disguise is fool proof, detection spells and wards won't see anything wrong with her. Likewise since its melded to her skin it won't be disturbed of she gets injured."

Frowning she tapped her foot, "Now come in here and I'll let you settle in, I need to free up the door to report your presence to the Matron Mother."

Helping Alustriea up, Osilliaice and Xing Lei slipped into the room allowing Pellanistra to close the door. Moments later it was opened to reveal a dimly lit hall, the furnishing of the hallway was quite luxurious, it was obvious rather than a random storage area they had been shifted to a room in a better partnof the House. Slipping through the door Pellanistra turned and smiled, "Do not wander too far, at the end of the hall is a levitation tube that will grant you access to the first floor common area. Do not go out the main doors until I can get you a guest insignia, the guards and defenses will kill any without. Likewise avoid the third floor, my brother is hosting a guest from a nearby illithid community, I prefer your brains left in your skulls but those thought eaters don't listen to anyone. To them Lizardfolk and kobolds are basic lunch."

Chuckling she sauntered down the hall towards what she had called a levitation tube and vanished around a corner leaving the three to their room. Closing the door Xing Lei looked apologetically to the two, "Sorry for getting you two caught up in this, it seems I have still much to learn about the more intricate uses of magic."

Osilliaice hugged her mate as she held Alustriea's hand. "It's drow my mate, it is part of the education you never received, even in the tribe its taught to never trust drow, they are schemers of the highest order. They make deception an art form. Just never became a topic with the fall of Gruck."

Alustriea grimaced feeling her face, she was glad her hands weren't covered but the thought of a suit to change that made tears appear at the edge of her now red eyes, "In a basic summary going forward expect drow to scheme and be sadistic, they view literally everything underneath themselves. Only reason she's nice to you is due to your ability to rip her apart, as long as that holds true she'll more or less deal evenly with you, the rest of us, not so much."

Xing Lei frowned moving around the room, first to the chest to retrieve the skin suit, much like the mask it looked like a featureless sheath of cloth, though vaguely humanoid shaped, accepting it from him Alustriea and Osilliaice moved to the bathing chamber to put it on. Xing Lei frowned a few minutes later when he heard Alustriea cry out, though Osilliaice confirmed all was okay, the suit had to be put against naked flesh thus certain sensitive parts were just grafted to with expected results, a very upset Alustriea.

Sighing Xing Lei started hauling things from his ring, if they were to be trapped here for the time being he could help them train, likewise he needed to finish his own body tempering and start truly cultivating. Since he was stuck down here it was as good a place as any. When Alustriea and Osilliaice had finished Xing Lei set the barrels up in the chamber, least after completing a rank they could quickly wash up, he set his own in the bed chamber where he could watch the doors. To be expected the two were glad to resume while Xing Lei himself prepared something special. Rather than a barrel he replaced it with a cook's cauldron, the wrought iron should survive the beast blood a lot easier than a wood barrel.

As he was about to climb in there was a knock on the door, opening it slowly he noted a young human woman just outside, her pale skin looked like it had not seen sunlight in ages and was covered in scars, her face was pretty but her eyes were devoid of life. They looked at the world with a soulless hopelessness. "The Mistresses and Masters bid Kobolicus join them for an introduction to the House."

Glancing to the other door he asked, "My companions?"

The woman shook her head, "Head Mistress instructed this slave to affirm this meeting is between the nobles and Kobolicus."

"Who is the head mistress?"

The woman shuddered drawing back, "The Head Mistress is the Head Mistress, her name is not to be sullied with this slaves lips. Please follow this one to the main hall." Stepping away from the door the slave girl waited to one side in silence. Oddly enough for the apparent abuse she had suffered the girl bore no chains or collar and from the look of her she bore no slave tattoo unless her thin rags hid them.

Shrugging he first went to let the others know before moving to fall into step behind the slave, it was time to meet House Luen.