Real Recognizes Real

Raki Za'Darmondiel.

***

I thought it strange how my sister followed after that large brute of a woman. She did so with purpose, as did I with this Gerdian. Yet the way she stepped after her and her canines showed adoration. Reverence, even. To think she, the twin daughter of the most esteemed Prime Matron Etyl Za'Darmondiel, parading after some human as if she were her idol.

The very thought was disgusting.

The one I chose to observe was just as large as her and us, at around 2 meters, although this one was much less brutish. She had smooth skin, kept nails, and a body almost like that of a drow paired with the deeply tanned skin, crimson-orange hair, and emerald eyes of Amazonia's Gerdians.

She was regal, for a human, with a headdress adorned in jewels, a long, almost hooked nose, and a simple yet elegant black coat with a blue tunic and bronze accents. She was a good leader, for a human, commanding respect and the utmost professionalism in her lessors. There was even a surface elf in her midsts, unfearing of the likes of drow.

These were all things worthy of respect. Yet even that wasn't enough for me to even think of admiring such an inferior creature. Not even her divinity was. It was only something to study. Thus I followed her out of the house and into the air on a mana disk, watching her and her cohort glide as if they were swimming through the waters.

They said little. Yet otherwise communicated using hand signals or sometimes sourceless shrill whistles to distribute themselves around the slums. Again, with a sense of purpose.

"They move with a sense of direction," I commented. "For what reason?"

"That's family business," this woman- Blude, said. "If you wanna join the family that's another story. My little Rippa is in need of a mortal suit."

"Hmphf! Never." I spat. "I am only here to see what makes you worthy of witnessing the legacy of Elg-Horr."

"Amun, you mean." She derisively huffed. "Or do you think he won't be able to hear you if you don't say his name?"

I began to reply when waves of deep blue energy seeping across the Falls demanded my eyes, but little else. There was no sense of power and little emotion in this mana. Only light spread through the Falls, making subtle but drastic changes to the environment before it returned to its source, somewhere in the depths of our House.

Many drow of the slums had not even noticed it. Only the aftereffects. The shifting of stone and the cascades of dust falling from the walls as the mushroom forests of our home withered and fell, never to rise again. Sources of amusement for the one called Blude.

"Seems like someone pissed Iris off." She laughed.

Iris. I remembered her as the self-proclaimed daughter of Amun. While she appeared to be nothing more than a human girl, the tales from above described a body as hard as metal paired with the fearlessness and stamina of the undead. Along with this one, she was given basic monastic training by Abbot Eiriol a short time ago.

Between then and now, they aged by several years and went through the evolution ritual. Now, she had interchangeable limbs that could transition seamlessly. All those things pointed toward her being truly powerful, yet she was still a human and thus was made powerful by Amun- a trait I was beginning to disdain.

Human. Halflings. Even goblins. He was uncaring who met his touch. Except, it seemed, when it came to drow; his own kind.

Their presence was reminiscent of the tales of legend from before the Rending- the era of the Gods roaming the Mortal Plane freely. It was said their mere presence changed reality itself. Sometimes in ways mortals couldn't perceive. That led to the decision among the Gods that eventually led to the Rending, and ended with our Goddess and others being banished to their realms indefinitely; making them dependent on faith and the actions of their faithful. And now, after all this time, Amun, Telin's Eternal Champion was here, walking around the Mortal Plane freely; gifting his power to any lesser creature who came his way.

How disappointing.

"He found us." I turned into those emerald eyes, wearing a subconscious scowl I chose to feed. Yet she continued with a gaze as still as the waters pooled around Spinner's Gate. "He noticed us from above. Us and something within us even he couldn't describe. All we know is that we were broken. All of us had gone mad or otherwise suffered from the harsh reality we call life, just like him.

"So, he came to us out of the blue- out of nowhere."

"Do not insult my intelligence, Gerdian. I know what appearing from the blue means." I sneered. "And do not twist your past into something that befits your station. He pitied you. A lesser creature, begging to become more like so many of your kind."

"If that's true then the irony of your station eludes you, little drow."

"I do beg your pardon?" I stepped toward her, looking her eye to eye.

"Funny thing, that. I was born in 1482. In the eyes of mortals, I'm still nine years old. But… just a few months ago, I went to Amun's divine realm to grow the fuck up. While you drow were here in these Falls, managing your slaves while the Matrons panicked over Amun's departure and schemed about his return, I was creating an empire- a domain you can't begin to comprehend.

"Six years, I spent becoming a Goddess. And then… well," She huffed in amusement. "History repeated. I returned to Nydorden Halls and, like Amun, I noticed a little drow from above. I noticed her and something within her that even I can't describe. Something I saw in myself, perhaps. And now, I have come out of the blue- out of nowhere, to pity a lesser creature begging to become more like so many of her kind.

"But this filthy fucking mouth!" She erupted with such speed I could not track her movements until a moment later when my mouth flared in pain from her rings grinding and crushing my jaws. "This mouth of yours is too dirty, Raki!" She growled, and I felt my feet release from the ground, tearing away the webs meant to keep them in place. "I don't like dirty, Raki. So, we're gonna have to clean you up a bit."

"I am the Prime Matron's daughter!" I growled, pulling arcana into and around my legs as I kicked and heeled her face and neck, blasting, slashing, and pummeling her to no avail.

Bloodied and bruised, she endured in a way I could not, tightening her grip around my jaw with each blow against her. "You wouldn't dare!"

With a maw filled with teeth as blood red as her eyes, Blude pulled my ear to her lips and growled like some vicious beast."She failed you as a mother, for she did not teach you what happens when you disrespect a Prime Matron. Nor will she care what happens to you, Raki."

With a feral sneer, her fist clenched as if my jaw had never been in her grasp. In turn, I felt more than I ever thought a body could feel. My body fell limp, opening me up to the monstrous strength of her flurry of punches.

Her blows were as calculated and precise as those given by us. Her first punch threw me away from her, ripping my jaw from my face before I bounced against the wall. I could hardly see her toss the remains of my jaw aside and appear before me in the next instant, breaking my arms with well-placed kicks to hinder my casting and crippling my knees with her absurd grip once I tried to flee, leaving only my face and body as viable targets.

My vision dulled amidst the onslaught. All I smelled or tasted was metal- blood. All I felt was a searing pain that rattled in my skull every time my body bounced or slammed against the stone. It numbed as cold drops befell my body, yet intensified when beautiful structures illuminated by Faerie Flames came into focus; bringing about waves of shame and humiliation and sinful thoughts. Sinful because, deep down, I knew them to be true.

No one would come to save me. Not my mother and not our Queen. To have been so easily defeated by a human- even one of this Troupe; such news would vibrate down the web faster than the throes of any prey. The Matron would mar me. Labeled a disgrace like Mala but with a worse sin, for I lived after my defeat, and I had no such abilities to exploit; only a responsibility to manage the chore slaves, like Ruel and her working slaves.

I just wanted her to kill me, for that was what Lilith demanded of my failure.

I needed her to... until she began to.

***

Chako Blude.

22nd of Quintetas, 1492.

Main Cephalothoraxian Chamber, Zimysta Falls. Shujen Kingdom Dark Sky. Depth: 242,969 km.

03:31

***

"What do you think, ladies?" I trilled to those behind me as I took another look down at the dangling calf in my grasp, giving her ankle a little squeeze to ensure she hadn't drowned in her blood before looking ahead to the gates at the top of the Falls.

To my surprise, those standing guard at the entrance didn't move nor speak as I swam past, dragging her like a sack of potatoes. On the contrary, they did their utmost to avert their gaze, even going as far as casting clouds of darkness around us to remove the problem from their sight.

It was just like Etan said. There was another set of twins in his family. His baby sisters, Raki and Ruel Za'Darmondiel. Both were extensively trained by their brothers and father, yet had zero combat experience and more, had no tolerance for pain. Both were industrious perfectionists who governed the House's slaves, but unlike her sister, Raki was reserved by nature. She was quiet and observant but wasn't shy when it came to asking questions or speaking her mind. Combined with her upbringing, that made her extremely judgmental, yet much less abrasive than her sister.

Quoting him, 'She has a way with words that can often be rude.' Her sense of superiority, however, was a trait common in all elves; drow, and others. Even Etan had it, to a certain extent. Not to mention, Amun.

Fortunately for her, these were all traits needed by the mafia.

Fortunately for me, I got the drop on her.

"I like her. She's got some bite." Sam whistled in our family tongue- the songs of orcas, followed by Redd.

"We do need another suit for Rippa. Pyrate too. Either way, she'll need some work before she swims with us."

"My thoughts exactly. Although, Pyrate needs another year. So Rippa it is." I grinned, pausing above the drink we arrived at to pull the little drow close and infuse my voice with power.

"Raki Za'Darmondiel. For you, I unplug the drain leading to my divine sea, where my child, Rippa awaits. Whether you sink or swim is your choice. But we both know what decision you'll make. So prepare for your induction into the Orcinus Mafia."

After adjusting to give a clear view for the lingering eyes, I leaned in to take a wide bite out of her stomach, and though such an act imbued the curse, it was only the first step in her induction.

Taking my time, I pushed her clothes away to open her wound more, enjoying her screams while I took my hand and fished around for her liver. It was released from her body with an easy tug, and then her body released to splash into the drink below. The prized organ was then made into a vessel for my power before it was tossed above, chased by the divine right of my words echoing to my heaven.

"Come, Rippa!"