Chapter 4: Drows and Driders

by ~NeoGaea

"There you are," Daemon said walking into the library. "I've been looking for you. We've got breakfast ready."

"Well here I am," I replied. I was busy searching for something.

"What are you looking for?" Daemon finally asked.

"Your brother Suko told me you have a spell book. I'm looking for it."

"Why do you want it?"

"Well I may not be going home to my world anytime soon, so I figure I might as well know some spells while I'm here."

Daemon walked over to where I was and looked at the books then pulled out a book and turned to me. "You do realize that the possibility of going back home may become impossible once you learn magic because you're becoming more apart of this world, right?"

"That's fine," I said taking the book from him.

"You're a little too okay with this."

"I'm easy."

"Really? Then how come it's so hard to get you in bed with me."

I never looked up from the book. Fun. It's not alphabetical and there's no index. "Is sex all you think about?"

"No, cuz right now I gotta go take a leak. See you at breakfast." With that Daemon ran off.

I laughed and called out, "Why do guys call it taking a leak, but girls call it going to the bathroom."

"Because guys aren't modest."

I laughed again. After turning a few pages and not finding what I wanted I closed the book and went to the dinning room. Suko and Carlos were already there and so was Izi the little fairy. She was sitting next to Carlos' plate. They had already started eating.

"Sorry, for starting without you," Suko said after swallowing a bit of egg. "But Daemon said, "If she can't start eating with us, she can eat after us. And if it gets cold that's her own damn fault. Stupid human. …I better go find her." After Suko's goofy impression of his brother we laughed. "By the way where is my brother?"

"Taking a 'leak', as he put it," I said sitting down. I always sat across Daemon.

"He's really trying to impress you I see."

"Oh yeah. He just drowns me with his charm." I started eating. To my amazement my food was still warm. Well I don't know why I was amazed. Daemon did the same thing yesterday, when I was late. Then he would bitch about how I was late and say next time he won't be so kind to keep my food warm. I had been living with the dragon boys for about three days now. I've been living with them due to it being safer and at least I know someone here. I'll be getting my own place, as soon as I make up my mind where I want to live. I've checked out the map and NeoGaea isn't small. It's almost like a parallel world to my world.

Daemon soon joined us and as usual bitched about me being late and how my food next time will be cold. Gee could I call it or what? Suko rolled his eyes and Carlos looked up after stuffing a large bit of egg into his mouth. Izi was eating sliced fruit and berries. In a thimble was a milk and honey mixture she drank. I wanted to eat and read, but I wasn't coordinating right and I didn't want to get the book messy.

Daemon sat down and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and asked in a serious and concern voice, "Are you alright?"

"I am fine, Brother," Suko replied smiling.

It was a normal conversation with the two. Daemon was worried for his brother, sometimes Suko's left eye would give him pains: headaches, eye pains. But mostly because Daemon will forever torment himself, over the past. They were young; it was an accident that was caused by childish feelings. I may never know why he won't forgive himself. And in the years to come even after his wife insists, he still won't bring himself to forgive and move on. I will wonder in those years if it will be his doom.

"So what can you tell me about NeoGaea? You know seriously, we really need to rename this place." I finally asked.

Daemon laughed. After chewing his food and swallowing he answered my question. "Well I'm not the best person to ask. You'd need to see an elder or something. I may have studied and may still be studying the history, but I'm still not as good as an elder. They know the story better than I. But I'll tell you what I can. Um…well…the only types of people who can enter NeoGaea are those who are in some way or another connected to the magic world. Artists, Designers, Dancers, Musicians, etc can usually enter this world. Usually your hobbies and some of your occupations are keys, I guess almost anything you put your heart and soul into. Even sometimes the use of magic in your world can send you here even though magic isn't very strong in your world. Like I said, I'm not the best person to ask."

"You should have paid better to your lessons," Carlos said with a big grin then continued to stuff his face.

Daemon glared at his baby brother. "I don't see you paying attention to your lessons."

"I'm not the king," Carlos said this time with food in his mouth, so you could barely tell what he was saying.

"So Joslyn, what do you plan to be doing here in NeoGaea?" Suko asked changing the subject.

"Hmmm…I haven't really been thinking about it. I would love to get back to my sketches. And maybe start working on a book categorizing on the inhabitants of NeoGaea."

"That sounds like fun. We could use an updated book. There has been talk about creatures that aren't even in our books and I don't mean just hybrids."

"Then it's settled," Daemon spoke, "I'll go with you on your adventures for extra protection."

"Lucky me," I said drolly.

After breakfast I went to my room and gathered my large shoulder bag, my mechanical pencils, leads, erasers, and I put the spell book in the bag as well. Suko came in with a couple of sketchbooks. I already had one, but it didn't hurt to have extra. Once I was ready Daemon and I left the two brothers and in his dragon form, Daemon took us to a cave network near the Zandsabar desert. He told me that Dark elves lived there and so do driders. Driders I found out are like centaurs, human upper torso but unlike the centaurs their lower torso was that of a spider's. That peeked my interest since I never heard of one so that's why we're starting where we are.
Daemon landed and I hopped off. He then turned back into his human form and I handed him his clothes trying not to look. Which like with Daverin, was practically impossible. He was really built. So again I got to see more than I wanted, but the view wasn't all that bad really. He had a nice sized package to go with that six-pack abs. The down side was: I had no one to gloat too. Twice I had the best seat in the house and no one to call up and tell. Once he was dressed we went down the cave systems, it was a long and boring walk. But we eventually came upon the dark elves. First you heard voices and various sounds then you saw the "town". It looked like it was carved out of the cave it self. Not bad looking, but nothing to get excited about. It was kind of dreary. We picked our way down to the town area.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Said a dark elf, stopping us. "A human, my, my, my."

"Notice he has to repeat the short easy words. Must not be so easy for him to remember."

"What a sharp tongue. I'd love to rip it out of your head. But I see she belongs to you Daemon."

"I belong to no one," I said to him sharply and I glared at him darkly.

"Well excuse me," the dark elf said in a mocking tone.

I pulled out my hybrid and made it large as a staff, but Daemon grabbed my arms. "Don't get her mad, I saw her take down Nelos with this."

"The red dragon prince? She is something," the dark elf said looking at me in surprise. "Oh well he was a spoiled brat anyways,"

Daemon and the elf laughed and I was no longer part of the conversation. I looked around and found the gaze of eyes staring at me. I glanced to my left and sitting on a barrel was a dark elf. His white hair went passed his shoulders and a couple of strands of it hung down to his chest and he had it in the half up half down style. He had, like some of the other dark elves, brown skin and red eyes. He had no shirt or tunic, but armor on his left arm, and four straps connecting to a jewel in the middle of his bare chest. He had some brown leather garments, a brown leather belt, black leather pants and faded black boots. He was very gorgeous. Come to think of it, when I glanced back at the other dark elf in conversation with Daemon he too was good looking. Oh duh. Elves were known to be beautiful. Realizing I had been ignored I walked over to the elf on the barrel.

"S'matter? Never seen a human before?" I said with a laughing tone.

"Oh I have seen my fair share of humans. Just never one with such red of hair as yours.  Its practically coral. But what really amazes me is you don't find any of us repulsive."

I gave him a puzzled look, "I thought all elves where classified as beautiful."

The dark elf laughed. "Only wood and light elves are classified as beautiful. We dark elves are classified as ugly, hideous and repulsive."

"Well those people are blinder than a man without eyes."

"Heh heh. I'm intrigued with you. I've never had a human who found my kind non hideous. I didn't think you're kind existed."

I was a bit bewildered. "How could anyone thing such a gorgeous race be so ugly?" That drew silence, but I hardly noticed. "If it was me I'd tear them a new one.
He laughed again, "You'd have made a fine Dark elf, if you only had the correct breeding."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" I smirked snarkly.

"A compliment I assure you," He smiled. "So what brings you here?"

"Him," I said thrusting my thumb in Daemon's direction. The elf chuckled. "I wanted to do some categorizing and listing of the inhabitants of NeoGaea and maybe get in some sketches. So he offered to accompany me and this was the first place he suggested since I never heard of driders and I wanted to see one."

"You have guts."

"Yeah. They're somewhere inside my body," I said jokingly poking my stomach.

He laughed again. "I am Tramaiez. And you are?"

"Joslyn. Joslyn Wyvern Cross."

"Interesting name. You are very lucky things had to change otherwise you and I may not be having this conversation. Not that everyone here is as easy going as I. But…things had to change since then."

"Since when?" I pushed gently. I really wanted to know what happened to cause dark elves to mellow a little.

"Since she came. The Chaos Empress. Not Tiamat, mind you, but the chromatic dragon had suffered as well from the hands of the Empress. No this was a living embodiment of chaos. Chaos had taken the form of a human woman."

"Why?" I asked. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

He nodded and continued. "About twenty-four years ago there was a young man who lived, his name was Adonis. He was said to be very beautiful. According to stories from your world he was named after a Greek god or something like that. This Adonis was human, but he could have passed for a high or light elf. He was fair of hair and skin and eyes as blue as the ocean. For a human he seemed to have a glow about him. And the Chaos Empress, or Fallon as she was called in human form, fell deeply in love with him. So she took on the form of a human so she may be with him."

"But?"

"She didn't realize when she manifested her human soul went its separate ways. For when she touched the youth she realized he was warm and she was cold. She couldn't understand what happed so she drained the life force of many living things nearby; trying to gain the warmth she lost. She didn't know that she drained Adonis until it was too late. She went mad with grief and started to drain the energies of every living thing since nothing meant anything since she lost her love. A group of different races, one from each race banned together and used all their powers to entrap the Empress in a dark tower. They first had to cover her mouth with a special mask that she could not take off herself to stop her from draining others.
They say she and her deceased lover still sit on thrones and she is secured to her throne in an eternal slumber. The area surrounding the tower is supposedly still dead and nothing can ever grow there again.  And each person responsible lost his or her life in the end saving NeoGaea. I don't know all of whom was lost, but the great Bahamut lost one of his sons, the centaurs lost their best physician, we lost our queen, and Daemon...no. No I will not go there, it is not my place. But please, do not ask him. Let him tell you on his own."

"Okay. Promise. Say to change topic, wanna pose for me?"

"Huh?"

"Well I came here to get info and do some sketches. And well, you're as good as a specimen as any. I hope I can also get a female dark elf to pose too."

Tramaiez laughed, "If you wish."

So four about thirty or so minutes I sat on the ground sketching Tramaiez. He pulled up his left leg and interlocked his fingers around it. He stared off his head turned to the ¾ view. Daemon was standing behind me watching and so was the elf he was talking to. A few other Dark elves came and watched. A few little kids dared to get close to me. First I drew a full body sketch with only a little bit of the barrel. Then I did a close up of his face, in the ¾ view, then a profile and then a front view. I pulled out my color pencils and colored it in roughly. Once I was done I showed him.

"Very good. It's amazing how good a human can be," Tramaiez said. I took it as a complement.

After drawing Tramaiez I took to doing a rough of their homes, which were all made of rock, looking mostly like large stalactites and stalagmites connected by bridges also made of rock. It was all large and complex. I sat there for about an hour or so drawing most of the stone buildings. Even for a sketch it was a pain in the butt to do. The central "building" had more jutting parts in it that it looked sinister almost demonic. After that sketch I even got a child dark elf to pose for me.

"Hey Lyn," Daemon called me.

"Lyn?" I questioned looking at him.

"Just a nickname. Anyways Since you have a warrior and a child, how'd you like to sketch their new queen?"

"New queen?" I followed Daemon and a female elf to a palace.

And there standing in front of a gold and black satin cushioned throne stood the queen of dark elves. And for the first time, I actually took noticed to my own figure. I hadn't really thought about it, but I was very curvaceous. Especially compared to the queen. She was long and lanky like normal elves, but unlike a few of the other females she wasn't very curvy and her breasts were small. She had long silver hair that went to her waist and short bangs. She was wearing a dark red velvet dress with silver trim and matching detached sleeves. The front of the dress was slightly opened with a little silver chain connected to each side.  She had on a silver necklace with a black stone in its center and dark red shoes with small heels.
She had a look of arrogance as she stood there with one leg sticking out from the split of her dress. Her right hand rested on her hips and she looked at me with her head slightly tilted down. She was not pleased with me. The female who escorted us here explained and after an exaggerated sigh the queen agreed to my sketching her. She sat in her throne with her legs crossed to the right side, and her head rested on her left hand. The right arm was sitting slightly behind her. She was so lacking that she look almost like a child in a chair too large for her. I sat cross-legged on the floor and began sketching her. Getting up only to do a profile image and a ¾ view. Again I used my colored pencils to roughly color in the image.

"What?!" The queen, whom I later found out her name was Lunara, yelled. She looked at sketches in horror. "I don't look anything like that!"

Before I could say anything Daemon said it for me. "Yes you do. You lack sex appeal."

"How-How dare you!" She jumped to her feet.

I grabbed my sketch book out of her hands and had quickly put everything back into my bag and Daemon grabbed my arm and out we ran. He was laughing, but I was actually scared. No one stopped us, which was nice and we ran past the city and into cave dwellings. We finally stopped when we where almost out of sight of the city. It wasn't as dark as I expected, but the cave gave off a strange glow. There were little light green lights there too. They were like the ones from Daemon's home in the mountain. I found out on my second day staying with the boys that they were will-o-wisps. They were slightly smaller than fairies and pixies.

"That," I panted, "was mean."

"Admit it. You were going to say the same thing," He laughed slightly.

"It's one thing coming from a girl," I took a deep breath, "But it's really hurtful coming from a guy especially a good looking one."

"So you think I'm good looking?"

"Don't change the subject."

"But you do?"

I sighed and groaned, "Yes. So where are we?"

"The drider caves. They don't socialize often with Dark elves. With luck though we'll find a civilized drider or just a plain arachne either one works. They're basically the same species only driders have an upper human half and a lower spider half, where as arachnes have a regular human upper torso and and spider lower torso. It doesn't seem like much of a difference, but it's there. Driders tend to be more nuts then arachnes." He straitened up. I glanced back at the dark elf city.  "Don't worry, Lunara won't give chase, she's more immature and childish. She'll just throw a tantrum and throw a few things and scream, but that's about it. She's kind of one of the reasons the Dark elves are a bit mellow."

"That was still mean," I said looking back at him.

"If it's so mean, then stop smiling," he replied with a smirk. "She's actually younger than she looks. And she's not very experienced, been queen for a little over twenty years."

I could hear a twinge of pain as he said those last two words. "Is something wrong?" I asked as gently as I could.

"Nah. Let's go."  He started off and I followed, I didn't push it any further. "By the way, that dress she was wearing? You'd so look way better in it than she does."

"Let the subject go, Dae."

"Day? Don't call me that?!"

"Why not? You call me Lyn."

"Your nickname doesn't sound stupid."

I laughed. It wasn't long and we came across a drider. I about had heart failure. The drider was large like a huge spider with the upper torso of a male Dark elf; his hair was short and spiked. I hoped he was civil.  

"Who dares to enter drider territory?" the drider asked.

"Daemon, king of the black dragons and a friend, Joslyn. She wants to do a sketch of a drider."

"What human in it's right or even wrong mind… would…want…to…?" The drider paused in his question as he watched me subconciously stand on my head.  Daemon turned to see what he was staring at.

"How does the Dark elf part of you not get a rush from this? I mean I can understand the spider part, but the Dark elf part ought to be getting a headache." I asked. The two males just stared at me. "I don't think I can sketch like this." I flipped my legs over my head and stood up right. Daemon had to grab me cuz I was about to fall back. After thanking Daemon I turned to the drider. "So, can I do a sketch of you?"

The drider blinked then cleared his throat. "If…if you wish."

I had him stay in place and I sat on a broken stalagmite, or is it stalactite on the bottom? Oh well. I sat on one of them. I repeated the other process with the Dark elves and when I was done I showed him. And after a complement, I sat wrote down information about driders. Then we sat and talked for a while. Elijah. He told us that there were scorrow in the desert, which are half Dark elf or human and half scorpions.

"I smell…blood," came a voice behind me. I screamed really loud and it echoed, then I jumped to my feet and moved away.

"Vendoris," Elijah said.

"Brother, I do hope you were planning to share this feast of blood with your family."

Ah yes, Elijah did just mention, that driders drink blood. Erk! I was standing in front of Daemon and was backing up towards him.

"Vendoris, leave them be. He is Daemon, king of the black dragons and she…"

"And she is a human. And a young one at that," Vendoris finishing Elijah's sentence. "She will taste sweet."

He went to move closer to me, when I pulled out my hybrid before Elijah could move. "Don't make me squish you. And I can do it too."

Elijah grabbed his brother, "Leave her alone."

Vendoris hissed, "Why do you protect her? You know we need blood to survive."

"She's the first human to ever come to these caves willingly and unafraid of the way we look. Look at her, she's only in defensive mode because you want to drink her blood, but other wise she doesn't hate or fear us. Besides she's a human with red hair, you know the legends. What if it's her? Makes things the way it was."

"A human with red hair comes into NeoGaea after over twenty years and you immediately think it's her. Well if it is then let's kill her before the cycle happens again."

Vendoris went to attack and I swung and sliced off one of his legs. He let out a blood-curdling scream. And blood sprayed out of his sliced leg. He tried to attack again, but I sliced open his hand. Vendoris was getting pissed and I was getting sick. I never had seen so much blood in one moment. I had vaguely remembered when I attacked Nelos.

"You're loosing too much blood! Stop it and she'll stop hacking you." Elijah begged his brother.

Daemon grabbed my bag then my arm and we took off running. Vendoris was too weak to give chase. It wasn't long and we were back near the Dark elf city. We stopped to catch our breath and then we heard a scream.

"That was Elijah!" I ran back.

"Isn't running back defeating the point of escaping?!" Daemon yelled.

I didn't care, all I could hear was the echoes of Elijah's painful howls. By the time I got back his legs were ripped out from him. He was surrounded by other driders. Two older driders, I guessed where his parents.

"You let the human hurt your own brother?!" The older male snarled. "He's going to die Because of your foolishness!"

"And then you didn't even go after them?" The older female screamed. "You are a lousy excuse for a drider!"   

"And now you'll die," the older male continued. The other younger driders laughed with wicked smiles.

"NO!!" I screamed and all eyes were on me.

"Ah. The human came back. But why? Do you like this drider?" The older male asked a wicked smile across his lips.

"More than you!" Without thinking I charged and attacked. I was slicing and hacking driders. But I wasn't going to get closer to Elijah without a few wounds of my own apparently.

I dropped to my knees and cradled Elijah's head in my arms. He looked up at me and smiled and I could feel tears forming in my eyes. He touched my face with his fingertips. "I...never been touched by a…h-h-human before." Then his eyes closed and his arm dropped. I buried my face in his and the tears that were burning in my eyes fell upon his face.

"Aw, boo hoo," someone mocked.

"Poor little human lost her drider protector," mocked another.

All I could hear bleeding in my ears was cold laughter and mocking words. This wasn't supposed to happen. Someone shouldn't die for me. I am not worth dieing for. Why I thought that I had no idea.

The sounds of the cold laughter blended together and somewhere, somewhere in the darkness and shadows I could hear voices. Distant and empty. Revenge. It's the only thing. Revenge for the death of an innocent life.

No! I don't want revenge. I could hear my voice respond, but it wasn't audible for the driders for they were still laughing.

He died for no reason. Out of hatred, from his own family! Don't let him die in vain. Avenge him! Do it for Elijah! It's not fair, it's not right! Do what's right! Justice for the fallen!

It was as if all of my sanity went out the door. I don't remember picking up my hybrid after I laid it down next to Elijah.  But it was in my hands again. I stood up my eyes closed and my head hung down. I was still trying to grasp some sanity, but that was never going to happen just yet. I didn't even fight to regain my sanity. The laughter soon died and all eyes were once again on me.

"Aw, is the sad human wanna get revenge for her fallen friend?" A drider mocked and they laughed again.

But not for long for I sliced her throat open. I practically decapitated her. Everyone looked at me in horror and anger. I hacked at a few more before they regain their senses and attacked. Daemon had tripped and knocked himself unconscious for a while. And by the time he regained consciousness and caught up with me I was standing holding my bloody weapon in my right hand. I was bloodier than my weapon, but only because most of the blood belong to those I killed. Daemon just stood and stared, I turned my head to look at him and tears were rolling down my eyes. Daemon said nothing he was too unsure if he should move closer to me. Though my eyes screamed Help me!