Xianna and Eluvia both looked embarrassed. After all, anyone would be unhappy if someone insulted their mother to their face. But Malcanthet had given them a death order: they had to invite Solam over. They could not lose their temper, so they could only stand there with fake smiles while cursing Solam to death inside. In their eyes, Solam was simply refusing a kindness when it was offered.
What was so bad about Ugudenk? Wasn't it just death? Dying for the Succubus Queen was the highest honor.
Some things simply could not be reasoned through.
After venting, Solam gradually calmed down. In the end, it was only an invitation. Given Solam's current status, if he truly did not want to go, he could simply refuse. As for Malcanthet's retaliation, Solam was not especially afraid of it.
Solam was no longer the rookie he had once been, someone who saw everyone else as a big shot. He now controlled three planes himself and commanded an army of a million. Even if Malcanthet really wanted to turn hostile, Solam was not without the strength to fight back.
More importantly, Malcanthet had plenty of enemies. If she truly drove Solam into a corner, he could either join Graz'zt or use Shami-Amour to seek refuge with the Queen of Chaos and still do quite well for himself. (As for Obox-ob, forget it. That guy still showed no inclination to accept the Tanar'ri.)
Times had changed. Solam's status had changed, and so had the situation in the Abyss. He truly had little to fear from Malcanthet.
Still, Malcanthet's invitation left Solam rather baffled. In his impression, Malcanthet was among the more reliable major powers of the Abyss. She was not as idiotic as Graz'zt, nor as unhinged as Demogorgon. Overall, she was fairly sensible. How