Intrigues of the Soul Hunters – Chapter 7: Blood, Opportunity, and Desperation

Chapter Summary: Vallus is back, and the siege against the Midnight Reapers is still going. Will these new reinforcements be enough to turn the tide, or will Khirareq fail after all?

Author: Khodexus

Rated T: For graphic concepts, and violence. No Adult situations, no cussing.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights for the worlds or characters in Warhammer 40,000. Those rights are owned by Games Workshop. I do own the rights to my original characters depicted here, in as far as they differ from the worlds created by Games Workshop.

Warning! This fic is MUCH darker and more graphic than my Harry Potter fic. Not suitable for children.


As the Ash Phoenix drifted back into the Soul Hunter's hangars Vallus could see that a lot of craft were missing, and he had a sneaking suspicion where they'd gone. His ship was undamaged, had gone completely undetected even, as far as he was aware, and while some small amount of wear was expected from travel through the webway and in space, it was nothing that could be noticed even by his keen senses.

6 metapulses seemed to have changed a lot in his absence, he mused. He strolled casually down the ramp at the back of his hunting ship with his helmet tucked under one arm. It had taken him closer to 8 metapulses, or about 1 standard day in Imperial time, to make his way out of Commorragh to the tunnels that led to Khirareq's target star system where he'd killed the grey knight. Then he'd spent another 7 metapulses getting back after the sabotage raid.

However, thanks to the vagaries of the webway paths he'd traveled, only a third of that time had passed here. Which meant that whatever plot Khirareq had been up to in his absence was most likely still under-way, and he was definitely refreshed enough to participate.

He surmised looking at just how many plots were vacant in the expansive hangar that Khirareq had a large offensive planned that couldn't have even waited for the Dueling Lord's return. The timing must have been fairly critical, yet she also trusted that Vallus would be able to finish his own mission and return in time to aid if needed. What's more, he fully hoped that he was needed. A chance to battle yet another worthy foe along with one more chance to prove his worth to his Archon was something to be desired in Vallus' book.

He leapt to the ground before the ramp was finished lowering, and snapped his gauntleted fingers at the first warrior he spotted passing by. "You there, does the Lord Archon Khirareq have additional orders for me?" He requested, wondering if she'd left instructions behind.

"Orders?" The soldier replied nervously, "I do not know, perhaps you should ask…" The cowering creature's reply was thankfully interrupted, by a much colder and informed voice.

"She wants us to join her." Hierarch Zul's silky smooth baritone carried easily across the wide chamber in the relative silence that prevailed in the absence of the majority of its occupants.

"Us?" Vallus' own voice was a bit quizzical, with one black eyebrow arched in incredulity. "She wants me to fight alongside you?" Despite Zul's fearsome reputation, Vallus was not actually afraid of him. He understood the politics behind their positions, and was confident in his own skills. Still, they'd never really gotten along, not that this was common knowledge to anyone but them and the High Archon.

"Do not worry, my proximity will not be hazardous." Zul offered, smiling to himself, easily catching Vallus' veiled wariness despite his experienced attempt to appear nonchalant. "I am to lead forces of my own."

"Well that should be interesting." The Dueling Lord's reply was accompanied by a toothy sardonic grin, "I don't think I've ever seen you don armour before. I take it this is a rather large scale conflict we're entering into?" He moved a little away from his ship as he spoke, and his Incubi descended behind him, followed by the curious Mandrakes and the 2 warrior squads he'd taken along.

"Indeed, and all is not going according to plan." The Hierarch responded as he motioned for Vallus to follow him, turning towards where a few raiders were waiting, their engines already warmed.

"I'll be right with you." Vallus replied, earning a nod before he turned back to survey his hunting ship, and the troops he'd brought with him. He singled out the lone surviving warrior who'd attempted to assassinate him earlier, and motioned him forwards. His Incubi surrounded them, and made certain the upstart had no way to escape.

"Before we left I told you that whichever of the two of you performed the best in the coming mission I would set free." He reminded him, granting the frightened soul a gracious smile, but quickly twisted it into a mocking grin. "Well it seems your partner performed so well, he actually sacrificed his life for my cause."

The warrior's face fell, and grew ashen as he stammered, "But Lord Vallus, I…"

The Dracon cut him off with a raised hand and a quick word, "Since you failed to outdo his efforts, the punishment falls to you." He sneered, enjoying the terror on the unfortunate's face as he motioned for two of his incubi to take hold of the assassin, and drag him away.

The soon to be torture victim screamed, and struggled of course, but he was no match for the enhanced strength of Vallus' bodyguards. His cries were nothing now compared to what the Haemonculi would soon draw from him, and that thought alone was enough to make the Dueling Lord chuckle to himself, before turning back to the Hierarch.

Now it was Zul's turn to arch one silver eyebrow, but he did not ask for an explanation, nor did Vallus offer one. "You were saying, Hierarch?" He made a slight bow as he followed his Lord's closest lieutenant across the hangar.

"The Lady Khirareq is besieging the fortress of the Midnight Reapers Kabal, and while she has secured a great deal of his defenses for her own use, the last reports reveal a significant amount of resistance still, and the High Archon himself is still at large.

"Fortunately, most of her troops are intact, including two troupes of Harlequins which insisted on joining shortly before the fight began."

Now there's a surprise. Vallus thought to himself. Last time I saw harlequins in combat was when I was still a Sybarite under Khirareq's predecessor. "Insisted?"

"They made a bargain, it was rather unexpected, but it will be interesting to see where this leads." The pale man drawled, pausing in front of one of the few remaining raiders left in the hangar. "I've been ordered to gather the Soul Hunter's first Aspirant squad." He went on to explain, gesturing to the warrior wybarites and wych hekatrixes waiting by the transport. "I am to lead them into battle myself."

Vallus knew that Aspirant Squads, as they were called, were fairly rare in Commorragh. They were comprised of squad leaders from the rest of the army who were then given a chance to prove themselves by undertaking exceptionally risky missions in combat. It was a way to test their loyalty and allow them to potentially earn advancement in rank. Such squads were organized for specific missions, and in other times, were simply dispersed to command their individual units.

The Dracon had never actually witnessed the formation of such a unit before, but Khirareq was just the sort of person to call on an unorthodox tactic of this nature when the situation merited it.

"So you'll be supporting me with these, and what else?" Vallus asked carefully, wondering how much of their forces formation and disposition was being left up to him, and how much the Hierarch had already chosen.

"Some warriors and wyches." Zul replied calmly, smoothing one strand of his snowy hair back behind one pointed ear. "And an anti-infantry Ravager. Most our requisition is up to you."

The Dueling Lord thought carefully, turning back and surveying the hangar, and thinking about what forces he knew he could call on, before moving away to make his choices.

It didn't take them long to get underway, Vallus sent his mandrakes ahead first, then gathered his troops and transports, and in only a few terr-pulses another sizable contingent was en-route to reinforce Khirareq's siege.


Dracon Gnarsyl found himself intrigued by some of the unusual heavy skimmers the Midnight Reapers had in their Hangars, and he would have liked to commandeer one, and see how it performed. But unfortunately, the hangar doors had been completely blocked, and the warriors he'd sent to try and clear the wreckage had been shot at by a group of securely entrenched sharp shooters somewhere outside.

Khirareq had put him in charge of taking control of the defenses of this fortress, and using them against their own. They'd been quick and efficient when they'd arrived, and had been able to capture most the base defenses largely due to the element of surprise. But things had been going against them after that, and the blockade in the hangars was only the start.

After securing the hangars he'd made his way to Archon Khroest's observatory tower, his golden hair coiled and braided around his neck to keep it out of his way during the fight, from here he could survey virtually the entire fortress, and give commands or warnings to all their armies at once.

Through the window he could see the large wing of skimmers, including Khirareq's command skiff that was their greatest asset, sweeping across the base, raining high concentrations of fire all along their path to suppress the worst of the Reapers' resistance. He couldn't see the High Archon herself on the deck of the command craft from this distance, even with the light enhancing effects of the observatory windows, which made the ever-present shadows almost imperceptible, but knew she was there as he'd been monitoring all troop movements as well as he was able.

He chuckled to himself as two of the Soul Hunters' ravens and an allied night screamer flew past the observatory; close enough to make the structure rock from the backwash of their engines. They were fighting in formation together, and so far had avoided most incoming fire. They knew to stay away from the base defense turrets, which were the only weapons available to their enemies that could readily track them and shoot them from the sky.

The enemy had retaken the barracks, but not before Gnarsyl's men had slaughtered the hapless soldiers inside, or taken them captive. He'd denied the Reapers' Archon yet more reinforcements by having his men below seal off the entrances to the armouries, where many of the Kabal's forces were now stuck until they could manage to blow themselves out without blowing themselves up.

And yet, a significant portion of Khroest's troops were still active, launching raids at strategic points within the fortress, and reclaiming key structures one at a time. After the fiasco in the Barracks Gnarsyl had instructed all his troops to make sure they had an escape route secured, so if they were overwhelmed they could fall back, rather than be slaughtered to a man like the team manning the barracks tower turret when Khroest had stormed the structure with his retinue.

Most the raiders he could see flying about were empty, and sticking together in tight formations for mutual defense. Their passengers were all mostly on the ground by now, either defending specific locations, or (in the case of the harlequins and scourges) hunting specific targets. He watched the scourges leaping between rooftops on their anti-gravity 'wings' as they approached one of the defense towers, which was trying to shoot down the Soul Hunters fighter craft.

His attention was drawn to some movement he could see along the main central corridor, which, while largely covered over by support beams, still had enough gaps for him to make out enemy troops, even if he couldn't get a good read on their numbers or disposition. He opened a psychic channel to one of his own warrior squads holding a fortification at the end of the lane, where the enemy movements seemed to be heading.

"Sybarite Jices, I believe the enemy is approaching you from the central side of the corridor, can you confirm?" He asked, watching closely through the shimmering crystalline window. He'd last seen Archon Khroest leading a sizable force nearby, and thought it could be them advancing down the covered street.

"Yes, Lord, we have already opened fire." The sybarite thought back. "There seems to be a lot of them, should we fall back?"

"Yes, regroup with Hrien's 'Face of Flames'. Near the plasma generators." Almost every individual squad in most Dark Eldar armies had names. Face of Flames was the name of one of Khirareq's dark lance teams.

He quickly and efficiently opened another channel, this time to the lovely Dracon Lethis, who had just recently come in range according to the sensor feed from his psi crystal. "Lethis, my dear, have you found your way out of the tunnels yet?" He asked her, lounging back against the holotable map display behind him.

"Of course I have." She replied irritably, her concentration only loosely on the communication. She was probably a bit busy fighting someone wherever she was.

"Can you clarify your position for me?" The Devious One continued, scanning down below through the window. He had yet to see any of hers or master Threchul's forces, and they should have been visible by now if they'd fought their way out of the escape tunnels.

"We're still indoors. And we sent the raiders overland, since they wouldn't fit down here. Have you spotted them yet?"

"Yes I have." Gnarsyl responded quickly. "They've joined up with some of Khirareq's forces up here along with your reavers and ravagers, and are aiding in the skirmishing effort."

"Well that's good to know." She grew silent a moment, though he felt a surge of elation course through the feed and knew that she must have dispatched whomever she'd been fighting. "As I said, we're still indoors, but there seems to be some sort of power plant above us."

Now that was good news. Gnarsyl grinned to himself and quickly double checked the holo-map display he'd found earlier when he'd come up here. There were only two power facilities in the fortress, one main plant, and a smaller backup supply. Both were in places in which Lethis or Threchul's forces could be useful.

"Let me know when you think you're close to the surface. You could be just in time to reinforce a trouble spot." He requested, cutting off the channel and turning his attention to something else he'd spotted.

He immediately opened another feed to the warrior squad stationed near the armouries as he noticed what appeared to be some explosions coming from the large structure. "Sybarite Bareon, be on alert, the enemy may have finally broken out of the Armouries. If you encounter them, fall back to…" He paused, looking out along the fortress to pick the proper spot, grinning to himself as he decided, "the Command Center. You should be able to support the Harlequins in that area."

"Understood, Dracon." The reply was quick and efficient, just the way Gnarsyl liked it.

There was a lot to do, if they were going to turn this back around in their favor, but with Lethis and Threchul approaching the surface, they should be able to make a push to retake a few things, but he wondered if it would be enough to counter the new reinforcements Khroest was likely to be getting from the armouries.

At that moment, he felt a hail, and allowed Khirareq to open a channel to his psi-crystal. "My Lady?"

"Are you still in the tower, Gnarsyl?" She asked him, succinct and direct as always.

"Yes I am. Lethis and Threchul should be surfacing near the primary plasma generator, or the backup plant. Khroest's main forces are moving that way as well. However, I believe the enemy has broken out of the armouries by now." He relayed the brief status report in an instant, having prepared it a little in advance.

"I am aware of that." The Queen of War replied quickly, though no hint of irritation was in her thoughts, "I want you to intercept them, I'm sending 4 raiders and 2 ravagers to accompany you. They are now under your command."

Her dracon smiled to himself as he responded, "As you command, my Lady." He was already moving towards the lift that would take him back down the tower to join up with his warrior retinue as she cut off the communication. He hoped 4 raiders and 2 ravagers would be enough to suppress the enemy forces fighting their way out of the armouries, no doubt with an abundance of extra weapons.

It didn't take long for him to relay the new orders to his retinue, or organize the tactics of the rest of the units assigned to him. Telepathic relays were very useful, considering how much faster thought was than speech.

It turned out only one of the raiders was actually occupied, and he quickly divided his own retinue into two squads to ride with the remaining raiders; one he led himself, and the other was led by his personal sybarite.

The complex was large enough, that he could see the far walls in either direction from the vantage point of his anti-grav transport. Each angled a little towards him thanks to the arched gravity in the webway tunnel's sloped walls. His path would take him past the central corridor, where he could take a look at how the fight in that area was going as they flew overhead then close to one of the walls near the main gates since, apparently, Khroest liked to store his weapons near the primary point of exit.

He ordered the skimmers under his command to swoop low, and circle the armouries, on the lookout for anyone who'd made it outside already. Scattered shots were fired as they passed a gaping breach in one wall, but quickly ceased as they passed again out of sight. He'd spotted several dozen warriors through the opening, more than a few carrying heavy weapons.

"As we come back around for another pass, I want the ravagers to move a little closer, and lower, draw their fire and disintegrate as many of them as you can. I want all raiders to target the upper levels with their dark lances, bring that building down on top of them if possible." A series of quick acknowledgements followed through their psychic feeds, so all were ready when they came back around for their second pass.

The enemy was ready for them; heavy weapons braced in as much cover as was available to open fire. Several dark lance beams cut the air, as well as some sizzling bolts of dark matter from a pair of disruptor cannons, a potent cousin to the disintegrator.

One ravager was hit, and wavered, but managed to stay in the air, the pilot pulling up out of the way of nearby obstacles. The armoury structure shuddered as it was pierced by half a dozen lance shots. The groan of cracking ferrocrete and the sifting of dust gave only a few seconds warning to the warriors on the ground before the building began to collapse on this side, crushing a very satisfying number of their foes.

"Excellent work, but don't let up, while they're still disoriented, close to rifle range and open fire!" The Great Widower was very pleased so far, as the craft of his wing maneuvered in concert, providing cover for the injured ravager and allowing the warriors on the 4 raiders to pick off the last of the enemy as they scrambled for their lives.

One lucky enemy scored a hit on one raider with the runes for "cold wind" painted on the prow, and its engines failed, dropping it to the ground. The passengers seemed to be intact, and the gunner even had the presence of mind to blast one more heart from the chest of one of the Reapers with his dark lance.

That individual may just deserve a reward of some kind, Gnarsyl thought to himself, as he watched the last of their prey fall to splinter fire.

He quickly re-opened the channel to his Lady to give his report. "Khirareq, my queen, the armoury has been forcibly re-sealed, and all exsurgents eliminated. One raider has lost engines, and a ravager needs a new paint job. But I have no other losses to report." If there was one thing Khirareq could count on him for, it was to preserve her assets better than any of her other lieutenants. He prided himself on being efficient, and careful.

"Excellent news, Devious One. See if you can capture any other warriors that try to break out. We'll want slaves and equipment after this to recuperate our losses." Her reply was as expected, and while Gnarsyl wasn't very big on taking slaves; he certainly understood the value of it. They could bargain with any captured enemies for new soldiers, or turn them into forced labor.

The problem was, taking slaves meant getting closer than he was usually comfortable with. Which inevitably meant higher risk, more mistakes, and greater casualties. It was a fine balance between caution and reward.

But that didn't mean he didn't have some ideas how to capture the requested prisoners without compromising his tactics too much. In the mean time, he had a chance to go over the information feed he was still receiving, though it wasn't as detailed as if he could watch the battle from the observatory, and see if he couldn't offer tactical advice which would benefit their efforts further.

By this point, Dracon Lethis and Master Haemonculus Threchul had made their way to the surface and were engaging Khroest's main forces near the plasma generators. Khirareq was taking this opportunity to hunt down and exterminate the enemy's remaining skimmers roaming cautiously around the perimeter of the base, her own fleet of skimmers moving as a group to bring superior firepower to bear on the scattered wings of skirmisher craft.

Things were going well, but he wasn't sure it was enough. Khroest was overrunning the Dracon and Haemonculus, and the High Archon was meeting significant resistance, her efforts taking too much time for her to be able to come to their aid.

He was drawn from his musings by a sound nearby, a bit of rubble settling or falling. Quickly he had his craft triangulate the sound, and located where the enemy was digging their way out of the armouries.

His troops opened fire at point blank range as he came in low, before the warriors beneath could properly organize. At this distance the raiders would not be able to maneuver out of the way of heavy weapons fire easily, but at the same time, they could take down their targets with splinter weaponry, instead of disintegrators and dark lances, letting the toxic crystal shards paralyze and cripple their foes without killing them. In this way they could preserve more potential slaves.

Once those near the surface were mown down, he personally led his troops on foot, to take the fight inside the passage opening they'd provided, and round up whoever was left.


It was a near thing. Vallus thought to himself. The Dracon had arrived with his forces just in time to 'rescue' Lethis and Threchul from their enemies. Threchul he was certain would have made it out alive, but Lethis now owed him her life. Another Dracon with almost as much influence as the Dueling Lord himself, was indebted to him, and he would not soon let her forget it.

He and Zul had reviewed a summarized battle report given to them by Khirareq's Skiff Commander on their way in together. Discussing possible options before they flew over the outer wall, and down the central corridor. On his jetbike, Vallus had led the charge, right into the rear of the surprised enemy forces.

He'd brought a razorwing, a heavy bomber class space fighter that, while not as maneuverable as a raven, was devastating against ground targets. Energy laced webs of monofilament mesh had descended on skimmers and warriors alike, igniting into a brilliant lattice of tiny stars, burning through hulls and armour and disabling many of their opponents.

Then Vallus himself had hit the rearguard lines, slicing off a head with his dueling glaive as the blades on his jetbike ended two more lives at his breakneck pace. As he laid into the forces on either side of him, his momentum slowing considerably, two raiders, firing lance salvos at the heavy skimmers still fighting after the razorwing's pass, slowed and turned enough for Zul and his aspirants to disembark alongside a full squad of Syren Shiroq's wyches.

Between the three units (Vallus, the wyches, and Zul's aspirants) they began swiftly slaughtering Khroest's forces, only to withdraw into buildings, alleys, and alcoves along the street as Khroest turned his guns to open fire on them.

That was when Vallus gave his signal, and Khroest's personal retinue was ambushed by mandrakes, who'd infiltrated ahead for just that purpose. Then at a second signal, while their enemies were still a bit disoriented, a full wing of kabal warriors on reaver jetbikes moved into position alongside a single ravager and let loose on the enemy. Disintegrator cannons from the ravager demolished any infantry in the open, while the wraithbone splinters fired from the bikes sought out their targets even around corners, decimating squads in cover as if the barriers weren't even there.

Finally, Vallus' entire force pulled back as the razorwing came around for a second pass, leveling the final heavy skimmer Khroest had brought to bear. Now they were back in the streets, moving away from the plasma generators, and leading Khroest on a merry chase, to give Death's Shadow, and Khirareq's head torturer some breathing room.

Vallus hoped some of his mandrakes, useful creatures that they were, had survived the assault, but he rather doubted it. They were too bloodthirsty to give up even when they were overmatched. Still, they'd served their purpose, providing a distraction at the perfect moment so that his attack plan could be pulled off flawlessly.

While there was a momentary lull in the fighting he activated a close range mental channel to speak to his Archon. "We are arrived, Lady Khirareq, as you no doubt already knew. But what you may not yet know is that my pincer attack went very smoothly. I have destroyed all of the skimmers Khroest had with him, including both his heavy siege craft. I've weakened his personal retinue, at least a little, and slaughtered several of his support units. He is pursuing me as we speak, which should allow Lethis and Threchul to regroup and maneuver for a renewed offensive."

His report, while detailed, was quick. Mental communication always was. It was one of the reasons the Eldar were so much better in combat than their enemies, their coordination matched possibly only by the brood telepathy of the Tyranid Hive Fleets, or whatever eldritch technology the silent Necrons used to communicate.

"Excellent!" Khirareq's mental voice practically purred with pleasure, "We will make a general of you yet, Vallus. Keep me informed." That was it. No additional orders, just keep her informed.

The Dracon could not resist the lusty grin that overcame his face, grateful that the mask of his helm concealed it. She was well pleased, and was confident enough to let him plan his own strategy for this fight. A general she'd said. That, to him, had to be a good sign.

He concentrated on the fight at hand, keeping his forces a few steps ahead of Khroest's. Khirareq was still trying to hunt down what was left of the enemy's skirmishers, and that task seemed to be going well, but stubbornly. The enemy was playing a cowards game, retreating constantly rather than committing their forces. It was preserving their lives for now, and preventing the High Archon from joining her Dracons against the enemy leader.

The Dueling Lord was just settling into another fighting position well within cover after pulling back yet again, when he saw Lethis and Threchul launch a pincer attack together from a side street. He tried to open a channel to the master Haemonculus to warn him Khroest looked to be prepared, but it was already too late.

The enemy's heavy weapons turned to blast apart Threchul's Talos before it could even close the short distance between the corner and the Archon's nearest forces, leaving a spasming wreck slumping down to the street to serve as cover for the Haemonculi and their wracks from the incoming fire around them.

Lethis' warriors took some losses a well, but they pulled back quickly, leaving their Lady Dracon to help Threchul's creations cover his retreat. Khroest did not pursue them either; he knew Vallus and his minions were the greater threat at present.

Vallus redoubled his efforts, moving back a little ahead of his raiders and jetbikes to take stock of the situation. He pulled his jetbike alongside the raider Zul and his aspirants rode on, "I think we will not be able to keep this up much longer. We've taken a few losses, but we're going to be forced into a corner eventually, or we'll simply have to retreat to the air and let any forces that have lost their transports fend for themselves."

The Hierach considered his words carefully as his sybarites and Hekatrixes continued lining up shots with their weapons, firing off their valuable ammunition with care and precision. "Do you have an alternative plan, Dueling Lord?" He asked him simply, obviously interested in whatever he had in mind.

"I do." Vallus replied, with yet another hidden grin. He quickly outlined his plan to the Hierarch, then watched as his raider turned and sped away, hopefully not drawing the enemy's attention too much as the Dracon turned to issue orders to his remaining troops.

Zul was going to find Khirareq's harlequins, and bring them along with his aspirants for a surprise assault. Khroest was on the lookout for such surprise attacks, but Vallus' hoped the danser troupe would still be enough of a surprise to gain significant advantage in this match.

In the meantime, he had his forces disembark from their transports after turning down a side alley. Warriors on foot would hold the defensive dead end against Khroest's forces, not giving any ground without making the enemy pay for it. The wyches would provide much needed backup should things get to close. Their skill in close combat would serve them well in that regard.

Vallus took the remaining vehicles, and bikes, up to the roof of a nearby building, waiting until Khroest's forces began to engage his ground troops before coming over the edge into the main street.

He had two emptied raiders lead the charge, only a single gunner and a pilot in each, with Vallus following closely behind on his jetbike, along with the other raiders. His ravager heavy weapons craft, and squadron of soul reaver jetbikes took up a position near the corner of the roof to rain fire down on the enemy from above.

Shots rang around them, splinters ricocheting harmlessly off the raiders in front, but shortly several black beams pierced their hulls, along with other heavier weapons fire, shredding them as the pilots leapt free, the vehicles smashing into the enemy formations and taking out a number of warriors in the process.

Vallus continued past their smoking corpses, banking up hard on his jetbike's controls. His exhaust blasted over the heads of yet more warriors as he stood up on the seat, his eyes locked on his targets. Archon Khroest saw him coming, and stood in place as the Dueling Lord leapt free, his bike crashing into the ground as he flew through the air, spinning once fully around, and swinging his heavy two-handed glaive in a spiraling arc that severed two helmeted heads, and three armoured limbs from the warriors of Khroest's retinue.

Vallus' momentum brought him face to face with the leader of the Midnight Reapers Kabal, and immediately a flurry of sparks resounded from their weapons clashing against one another. He managed to push the older eldar back several paces before the Archon took the upper hand.

Vallus was very skilled, he knew that; but Khroest had centuries more experience than him. His dueling glaive gave him an advantage in power, but Khroest's weapons were swift, and the triple blades of each were elegantly designed to make it easy to catch an opponent's weapon between them, even break it if the Archon had the right leverage.

A raider swooped low above them, close enough for Vallus' incubi bodyguards to leap free into the mass of more lightly armoured kabalites beneath. Their glowing pole arms cutting down body after screaming body without mercy, and without pause. Panic began to set in, as Khroest's sybarites tried to rally their forces against this threat. But most their weapons could barely scratch the powered armour the silent guardians wore, and it was only a matter of time before they reached Vallus to aid his efforts against the Archon and his retinue.

He had to be careful, not only because of the twin agoniser blades Khroest kept trying to slip past his guard, but also because of the warriors and lone sybarite of his retinue who fought to protect their lord. Vallus was good enough to take them all on together, but if he distracted himself long enough to finish the remaining combatants off, he would no doubt fall prey to Khroest's agoniser in his back.

His breathing increased with every parried blow, every clash of glowing shock field against his opponent's. Every step was so carefully planned in every moment that Vallus did a brief double take when an unknown warrior moved up behind the Reapers' Archon along with a full unit of warriors whose armour coloring was mismatched, and completely unfamiliar.

Vallus' braced himself to take on yet another opponent, but was surprised when Khroest did the same. Apparently this new figure was none of his either. A momentary pause fell between the three of them, before the helmeted figure leading these new warriors launched himself forwards at Lord Khroest. In one hand he carried an unusual pistol with twin barrels and an expanded ammunition core. The other was sheathed in a scissor gauntlet, each blade wrapped in a shimmering shock field.

He lunged forwards in an attempt to spear the archon's torso with several of his finger-like blades, and Vallus joined back in as well. He was surprised and wary, but not so foolish as to not take advantage of this sudden unexpected ally. He would not turn his back to him, certainly, but in the meantime, his own glaive met Khroest's off hand weapon, as the newcomer's energized blade hand met the other.

A quick series of blows pushed the Archon back, as the newly arrived warriors in rugged battleworn armour engaged what was left of Khroest's retinue freeing them of distractions. Against the two of them, their enemy was forced on the defensive, until his back was to the wall of a nearby building. One jarring blow from the Dueling Lord's glaive sent one of the Archon's agonisers skittering to the ground, sparking off the stone underfoot, as Vallus grabbed his remaining sword hand, and smashed it up against the wall.

His unknown ally wrapped one hand around Khroest's throat and held his 'scissor-hand' agoniser in front of the Archon's face, readying for the killing blow, but Vallus stopped him. "Do not kill him." He growled, as all movement ceased around them. Those warriors of the Midnight Reapers still alive waited with baited anticipation to witness the fate of their lord. They followed him, out of fear and ambition, but if he fell they would not want to waste their lives continuing the fight. The True Kin were nothing if not mercenary.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" The Dracon demanded, as the mysterious warrior drew back a pace.

"I also would be very interested in the answer to that question, seeing as it appears I am to be left alive… for now." Khroest's voice betrayed little hint of pain, or exhaustion as he regarded the adversaries who had brought him low.

Vallus' unexpected ally wrenched off his own helmet, revealing a face scarred not so much from battle, but in an almost deliberate pattern, perhaps the work of a torturer. His grin did not improve his appearance, but did betray his enjoyment of the fight and their uncertainty and discomfort over his actions and identity. "I am Dracon Kelnar, the Lost Paingiver." He began, "My master sent me here to aid the High Archon Khirareq, knowing that her enemy would give her more trouble than she'd care for."

Vallus frowned, looking over the man's well-worn armour. The coloring was so faded it was hard to make out, even at this close range. "To what Kabal do you belong?" He asked, letting a dangerous note creep into his voice. He kept Khroest pinned with one hand, but his dueling glaive was held between the Archon and this Kelnar, ready to strike at either of them should they provoke his reaction.

"Not a Kabal." Kelnar replied evenly, "I belong to the Whisperers Enclave. I have a message for Khirareq. If this battle is finished, perhaps you will let me deliver it?" He raised one imperfect eyebrow above an eye with a scar that looked to have almost taken his sight when it was given to him.

Vallus merely nodded. An Enclave meant he was an outcast, and probably had not set foot in the dark city for a long time. He'd taken quite a risk coming here, his message must be important.

It wasn't long before Zul came swiftly around the corner aboard his raider followed by two other transports with the Harlequins on board. Most of the remaining enemy surrendered, and were bound along with their master as captives.

Hopefully when the skirmishers still stalling Khirareq heard of the fall of their leader they too would surrender. But Vallus' part was done for now, as he reported his victory to Khirareq and kept a watchful eye on Kelnar and his warriors.


Author's Comments: This is the seventh chapter in what will hopefully be a series of short stories following the exploits of my Dark Eldar army list, the characters were interesting enough in my mind that I thought a little dramatization was in order, and I hope people enjoy it, whether or not they are familiar with Dark Eldar, or even with the worlds of Warhammer 40,000. Please inform me if you enjoyed reading this, and feel free to critique if you like.

Once again the copyrights for the Warhammer 40,000 worlds belongs to Games Workshop. All characters depicted in this story are copyrighted by me. The exception is the name of my main character (Khirareq), which I did not invent.

Special thanks to the members of www. who helped me work out some of the details for the harlequins in this and other chapters.