Moon clung on to Zeke as Selena guided them through the pitch black realm. "Can you really see in this place?" Zeke asked. "Of course. It's as clear as day to me." "How long till we get to see again?" Moon asked, clinging to Zeke's shirt tightly. "I do not know." "What!?" "Is she afraid of the dark?" "No!" She barked. "Normally no, but that's when she knows, that she can make light." "What do you mean, you don't know when we'll see again!?" "If the Elders deem you worthy, they'll cast the spell needed for you to see inside Mystara. If not you will remain blind, till you leave." Moon shrunk. Zeke started to hear murmurs and whispers around them. There were others near them. He couldn't make out what they were saying. Not that it mattered, he never paid enough attention in class, to learn Quenderin or any of its dialects. "Are we close?" "Judging by all the voices and eyes, I feel on us. I'd say so." "We're almost there." Selena said leading Zeke along.
'Well this explains, how the Drow have remained hidden for so long. A Rift within a Rift. Magic needed to see within it as well.' Clinging onto Zeke tightly, she felt safe. She could always depend on him being there for her. He was her shield, from everything. Selena came to a stop. Zeke heard some harshly spoken Drowish. Each word scrapping the back of their throat. Selena spoke back with soft words. The two exchanged words for a few minutes. Gasps rung out. "What are they saying?" He whispered. "Don't know." Zeke felt Moon jump and pulled her close. 'Fuck. How many are watching us right now?' Zeke thought, peering into the Darkness. "Child of the Beast! Child of the Nine!" A commanding woman's voice rung out. Zeke tried to follow the sound of the voice, but everything echoed in Mystara. "Yes?" Zeke answered hesitantly.
"Where is this Grimoire?" the woman asked. Zeke held his hand out, summoning the Grimoire. Another set of gasps rung out. "How did you come into possession of this?" "Uhh...well to summarise. Some asshole stole it from you guys. Then he sold it in our realm to a bunch of dumb assholes." "How did you force it to bond to you?" "It was trying to stay open. I just hugged it closed for a while, and then it did this." "He is a good man." Selena chimed in. "He is a Child of the Nine!" "Can I ask what that-" "SILENCE!" Several voices boomed. Zeke shrunk back down, feeling Moon shake. "Never mind." He whimpered. "You two are not welcome in Mystara. You will return the Grimoire and leave at once." "Okay, not a problem!" Moon said. "Let's go." She tugged on Zeke's shirt. "Wait!" Selena called out. Zeke could hear her, removing and unclasping the straps on her armour, hearing it clatter onto the ground.
Shocked gasps rung out, with the sound of people fainting around them. Zeke and Moon blinked, suddenly seeing the dirt at their feet. Their vision had been restored. Zeke looked up to see Selena topless. "Woah! What are you doing!?" He exclaimed blushing, and covering his eyes. Moon stared around in complete shock and silence. They stood at the base of an atrium, with thousands of crimson eyes staring down at them. Their white hair glowing against their obsidian skin. "Holy fuck." She whispered. They wore basic cotton clothes, ragged and worn. Selena dressed herself. "He is to see Arachnae at once. He has earned an audience with her." Zeke opened his eyes to see another Black rift in front of him. "Wait, what's happen-" Selena pushed him with a warm smile across her face. Moon watched Zeke disappear through the Rift. She panned around the room, seeing everyone staring at her. Five hooded Drows sat in front of her. "You child. Selena, has said that you wanted weapon and armour like her." She nodded hesitantly. "We do not have the materials, to recreate both. Choose one, and we will forge, what we can." "We...ar...no wait....yes armour. No wait! Weapon. I'll take the weapon."
They nodded. "Very well. Follow Selena." "Is Zeke going to be okay? Where is he?" "He is meeting our Goddess Arachnae." She froze in place. "I hate to ask, but is your goddess a spider?" "Yes, she is the goddess of all spiders." "Oh no." She gasped. Zeke landed on the ground, feeling something crunch under him. He looked around at the utter darkness. "What the hell. Where am I now?" "A Child of Nine, In my realm? They must have lost their minds." A sultry voice whispered. "Okay! Someone has to tell me what the fuck that is. Right now!" Zeke snapped. Arachnae emerged from the darkness. She took the form a beautiful pale woman, with soft deep black eyes, and long flowing hair. Zeke reeled back shocked. "You do not know, who you are?" "Lady, until a few days ago. No one has ever called me that. Now can you please explain, what or who, the Nine are?" "I am not here to be your teacher." She snapped, pacing around him. Her entire body shrouded in darkness. "Then why am I here?" "Because of this." A sharp black leg emerged from beneath her, covered in a thick bushy hairs.
Zeke stiffened at the sight of it, feeling it graze his hair. She removed a singular golden thread tucked within his scalp. His eyes followed her black sharp leg. "I see. My child has given you his blessing as well. You are interesting Zeke." "What the fuck was that black thing?" "Bring this back to my child. You know him as Weaver." "Seriously, what the fuck was that black thing? Was that your leg!?" He shuddered. The black leg curled out and placed a throbbing white silk sac into his hand. Zeke reeled back to scream. "I'll be watching you child." Arachnae's face disappeared into the darkness. Zeke watched on in complete horror at the nightmare before him. The darkness around him disappeared, and before him stood a colossal black hairy black widow spider. Above its black soulless eight beady eyes, was Arachane's deflated human face. "A-" She pushed him through the Black Rift. Zeke fell out of the Rift landing in the atrium. Screaming at the top of his lungs, violently trying to remove the sac from his hand. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"
Moon rushed over. "What the fuck is that thing!?" She asked poking it, feeling it stick to her. "EW GROSS! Get that thing away from me." "RETURN RIFT! MAKE THE RETURN RIFT, RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" Selena rushed over holding Zeke down. "It's okay. It is a gift from Arachnae." "BULLSHIT! GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!" He screamed thrashing in her grip. "You were right, he really does not like spiders." "Zeke, you haven't even returned the Grimoire yet." Moon said patting his head. "Don't care! Return rift right now!" "You need to be calm." Selena said stroking his hair. "Calm? Calm!? CALM!? I JUST SAW A GIANT SPIDER WOMAN! OR WOMAN SPIDER! I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!" He screamed flailing. "How do we calm him down?" Selena asked. "Zeke, if you move too much you'll break that sac in your hand." Zeke's scream turned into a wheeze, and he completely seized up, his mortified face frozen in time. "Well, that works." Selena said.
"Zeke. We need to stay here for a few more hours." Moon said. He let out a confused whimper. "My weapon is still being made. Violetta is also coming soon. If I make the return Rift. Everything we've done, would have been for nothing." Zeke took a deep breath, smiling at them. Selena reeled back confused and concerned at his new found composure. Moon gestured to lay him down. "Is he okay?" "Yeah, he's fine. He's just going to his happy place. So long as nothing reminds him, of why he had to go there. We'll be okay." "Are you sure it's okay to leave him like that?" "He's fine. Let's get something to eat. I've always wanted to try Drow food." "We have a great feast prepared." "Really?" "Yes, we've had a great bountiful harvest." "Oh, so what meat are eating this with?" Selena cocked an eyebrow at Moon. "We don't have any meat here." "What?" "Why do you think, I reacted the way I did, when you two fed me?" "Zeke! Wake your dumb phobia ass up! I'm doing no vegetarian dinner!" "You just said-" "I know what I said!" She snapped, shaking Zeke violently.
A few hours passed with Moon sitting beside the euphoric Zeke. She held her knees pouting, playing with a pebble. The sound of celebration rung out, with Selena and the Grimoire's return. She reeled back. "AH! THIS SUCKS!" She groaned. "Who has a banquet without any meat?" "A race, that doesn't have any safe lands to raise cattle." A woman growled from behind them. Moon spun around to see an elegant Drow, wearing a dark violet robe, wielding a wooden staff. The end of the staff coiled around a crimson crystal ball. She radiated a dominating energy, with her constant glare and flowing long hair. "Wake that worthless male up. He has something that belongs to me." She growled. Moon nudged Zeke. "Zeke, wake up. She's here." He happily continued to stare off into the distance. "You're holding a spider sac." "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Violetta held her staff out. "Silence." She casted, branding Zeke with a white magic circle. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He continued to scream, staring at his hand. Violetta cocked her head to the side. "How...?" "If you want him to shut up, get rid of that thing on him."
Violetta clenched her jaw. "If he is truly ungrateful to receive Arachnae's gift. Then I will remove it!" "Wait-" A black magic circle appeared in front of her staff. Moon leapt out of the way. "Shadow Slash!" A black sharp wave released out, splitting the ground apart, and dissipating against his skin. "AHHHHHH!" Zeke continued to scream. "Stop screaming, I assure you there is no pain...." She trailed off, her jaw hanging seeing Zeke flailing with his still attached arm. "ARE YOU CRAZY? WHO GOES THROWING DARK MAGIC AROUND LIKE THAT?" Moon shouted, flailing her arms in the air. "How is his arm still attached!?" She snapped. "What's going on!?" Selena asked rushing in. "Shut that idiot up and have him return my Grimoire, at once." "Damn it Zeke! Stop screaming!" Moon yelled. "Alright enough of this." Selena forcefully ripped the sac off his hand. Zeke became calm instantly. "You dare touch Arachnae's gift?" "He wasn't going to stop. Now if you want your Grimoire back. Ask him nicely for it." Selena growled.
Zeke summoned the Grimoire tossing it at Violetta's feet. "Keep a closer eye on that thing. I am not coming back to meet your Goddess ever again. Moon get your shit, we're leaving. Selena, you are amazing, and I will never forget you. However meeting a Spider goddess, potentially being set up by my boss, and getting thrown a egg sac onto me. Has left me with a dying urge to go home." Zeke took deep breaths after finishing his tirade. "Good leave. We don't want your kind here." Violetta growled. "Stop that!" Selena snapped. "They are my guests, and they are different than the others." "Why? Because you two fucked?" "Oh, shit she knows too." Moon said, with Zeke blushing. "Believe what you will. I choose to believe they are good people." "Tsk, there is nothing they could ever do, to make me trust their kind." "They have earned mine." Selena said summoning her great sword. "Take this Moon. It is yours." "HOLY SHIT!" She squealed in delight, grabbing the weapon. "Selena! What are you doing!?" Violetta exclaimed. She embraced Zeke tightly. "I will never forget you as well. I will see you off at the wagon." "Keep the Unicorns and food." Zeke said.
Violetta's staff hit the ground. The three of them looked up, to see her quickly scramble to pick it up and act like nothing happened. "Zeke are you sure-" He shrugged. "Yeah, you guys need it more. Besides, nothing screams Death Knight, like you riding on an armour plated Unicorn." She held Zeke even tighter. "Now I feel really bad for doing this." "Doing what?" He asked. Selena stuck the sac onto Zeke's back. "Now Moon." She opened a return Rift grabbing Zeke by his collar and dragging him through the rift. Selena waved them off. The two of them stumbled out of thin air, from where the green Rift was. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" "Come on, you idiot. We need to go report that we're back." "BUT!" "It's just a silk sac-" The two watched in silent horror as the sac broke, with a torso sized black and gold spider latching its legs onto Zeke. "Zeke, I need you to be very calm. I will get it off, but I need you to not-" The spider nuzzled its fangs onto Zeke's neck. He gasped before, he collapsed face first into the ground. "Well that works as well."