Chapter 2: The Circles of Seduction.
Realms of Chaos, The Marcher Fortress
The past few hours of Malekith's progression through the Marcher Fortress was strange to say the least. He expected to fight his way through a fortified fortress of daemons, but he was instead met with a refuge of celebration and blissful happiness. Everything inside of the twisted Slaaneshi stronghold seemed pleasant initially, but it didn't take him long to realize the place was unholy and far more disturbing than he could ever imagine possible. This place perfectly surmised the true insidious nature of chaos and it completely reaffirmed Malekith's disgust in it. Daemonettes and mutated mortal servants of Slaanesh were everywhere in the fortress partaking in disgusting, hedonistic acts depravity and obsession.
Malekith wasn't entirely certain whether these mortals were brought here by some means or if they were souls trapped in this realm, but ultimately it seemed irrelevant since none of them were in any state to ever leave this place. He couldn't even begin to imagine what their cognitive abilities were at this point since nobody he encountered was entirely sane.
The inhabitants aside, the fortress seemed like it was designed to be a pleasure den more than a bastion of defense. Instead of gatehouses, barracks, or war rooms Malekith instead found courtyards, ballrooms, and lavish dining halls. The architecture itself was immaculate and beautifully unique in all facets, but they were deceptive in appearance. An initial observation of even the most basic item such as a table would seem beautiful and well-made at first but looking at it for too long would reveal a hidden disgusting side to its makeup. Malekith wasn't entirely sure if this was because he was able to see through the illusions if he focused or if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Ultimately, it didn't matter, because he did not want to touch anything in this place.
A closer look into everything revealed a repulsive sight of corruption oozing into every square foot of this fortress. This ranged from skin hanging from radiant chandeliers, hearts on dinner plates decorating tables, and even tentacles caressing out of the walls against tender bodies. The worst sight was a living statue of flesh in the entrance chamber that was made from the flesh of genitalia he assumed. Malekith almost gagged at the sight of it and was horrified to see people in the fortress rubbing their nude bodies against it or saturating this disgusting monument of sin with bodily fluids. The people eating at tables seemed to be enjoying fine meals initially, but a closer observation revealed some were cannibalizing others or even their own body parts. Then there were the people bathing in some type of acidic substance in a public fountain bath. They were moaning in pleasurable pain as it seared away their skin.
The worst part of all of this was the blatant smiling and brain-dead stupor every mortal inhabitant seemed to be in. It was as if they were high on a drug he had no familiarity with. All of the inhabitants inside the Marcher Fortress appeared to have no sense of reality as they endlessly feasted, danced, publicly fornicated, and even dueled in various areas within. The entire thing made the Atharti nights of pleasure look tame in comparison. He thought he knew what pleasure and indulgence were, but these people clearly found a level beyond mortal comprehension. The fact that someone could take joy in self-mutilation or eating their own skin was beyond explanation.
While initially, Malekith simply walked past these disturbing sights without drawing any attention to himself, he did not go unnoticed for long. Countless mortals and many disguised daemon attendants had approached him during his trek through the massive castle and did their best to tempt Malekith with anything and everything a person could possibly want. Beautiful concubines begged him to fornicate with them, maids and butlers constantly walked up with platters of delicious looking food and drink, and even blacksmiths came up to admire his armour and offer him additional items that a "great warrior" of his stature deserved.
He found it particularly obnoxious when some human woman started following him around like a sick puppy. Despite being a human, she had mutated a claw on one of her arms. The pitiful woman must have asked him at least a dozen times if she could 'be his slave' and that she had 'always desired an elf master'. Malekith didn't even give her the courtesy of a glance and luckily lost her several chambers later.
The line between mutated mortal or guised daemonette was very difficult to make a distinction between as everyone who had spoken to him within these walls had been very warm and welcoming. Other than being blatantly insane, they could all pass as charming mortals. For the early parts of his progression, Malekith simply ignored these 'people' as he constantly searched for a way through the fortress. It was almost like a maze navigating its inner halls and every new room or chamber he passed through seemed more excessive and distracting than the last. The fact that he drew the attention of everyone in his vicinity didn't help either.
Malekith stood out like a wolf amongst sheep next to the many mentally compromised inhabitants. His commanding presence and stoic apathy to the debauchery all around the fortress made him a point of obsessive fascination to anyone he passed. Everywhere he went, was met with intrigue and excited greetings as if he was the most interesting person they had ever seen before. The most noteworthy occurrence was a group of daemonette minstrels singing a beautiful song about chasing your dreams. It seemed wholly pleasant and innocent at first, but Malekith found the lyrics a bit disturbing. The worst part was when they started singing about him and how great he was. A spine-tingling chill filled his body that daemonettes seemed to know so much about his life. The most horrific part was how the song referenced his childhood and things even druchii didn't know about him.
That horror aside, he found it bizarre that even the fully exposed daemonettes inside didn't try to attack or stop him…especially after he killed a host of them and beat N'kari on his way in here. Some of the daemonettes that spoke to him actually complimented him for that specifically. That and the minstrels' song implied that they knew who he was and were unlikely to attack unless he dropped his guard. He made it a point to not do so and remained on high alert the entire time.
It was difficult to ignore them though as his daemonette admirers were extremely charming and likeable…even to a hateful, brooding mastermind like him. One of them had actually said something that made him feel good. She simply just thanked him for humbling N'kari and said that some of the keepers and heralds would like him for it.
The sheer friendliness of the daemonettes inside was more unnerving to him than any of the horrors he had witnessed in the realms of chaos thus far. All of them had unique personalities and acted in different ways to evoke a response from him. There was something truly malevolent and evil about these temptress fiends that few could properly describe. Malekith understood these creatures somewhat. They were simultaneously beautiful and repulsive. Both alluring and terrifying monsters that hid their malicious intent beneath promises of indulgence and creepy faux smiles. Not only were they junkies for sensation, but they fed on extreme emotions. The most common ones being euphoria, fear, and anguish. They practically fed on these things the way vampires fed on blood. They craved any form of attention, and he knew better than to react to their antics with anything other than emotionless stoicism.
With that said, some came very close to actually lowering his guard. The most notable example was a daemonette "maid" who offered to give Malekith directions out of the fortress since he seemed bored. He almost accepted her offer since she came across as completely harmless and spoke both plainly and softly.
Daemonettes were the most dangerous type of lesser daemon in Malekith's opinion due to the fact that they could almost pass as mortal-like in their mannerisms. What they lacked in magical ability or combat prowess, they more than made up for in charm and psychology. It was as if they instinctually knew what people wanted. They were also otherworldly fast and notoriously unpredictable. There was a certain uncanny valley that one experienced when looking at a daemonette. To a normal mortal, they would be beguiled and charmed from afar and frozen in fear the moment the deathly fast sirens got close. The Slaaneshi daemons seemed to take great pleasure in allowing their victims a moment of clarity and horror when their guises dropped.
Daemonettes had a very intoxicating musk as well. He had some resistance to their pheromones as they were less potent than N'kari's, but even he wasn't wholly unaffected as he actually found them hard to look away from whenever he made eye contact. Even their full daemonic forms had a certain aesthetic appeal and primal beauty that one could objectively admire. Nobody else inside had the willpower to resist the daemonettes as they aggressively insisted on catering to every whim of the inhabitants. It was a good thing that Malekith hated people and socializing, because a normal sociable person would stand no chance in his place. A weak-willed person would see this place as a paradise. His own neurotic insanity and excessive paranoia was probably his only real defense mechanism against the allure of this place.
Malekith almost couldn't blame the captives here for wanting to stay or falling prey to this fortress' delights, but the witch king could easily see this place for what it was…a gilded prison designed for harvesting souls. This was even more apparent when he started encountering other daemons that weren't aligned with Slaanesh. The sight of a bloodletter gorging itself with chalices of blood while dueling a daemonette was one of the most egregious examples of this. She hyped him up constantly during their duel and remarked that he was the best bloodletter she had ever seen.
The daemonette even asked him to train her how to fight. He found it peculiar that a daemon of khorne seemed so joyously pleased to practice swordsmanship with slaaneshi daemons. It also seemed to help that they were practicing on victims as well. The daemonettes seemed to understand the bloodletter's desires quite well as they acted aggressive and bloodthirsty like him. One of the daemonettes was also carving up skulls for him remarking that they would make a great tribute for Khorne. Even other daemons weren't immune to the psychological manipulation and endearment of daemonettes it seemed.
In another chamber, there was also an iridescent horror of Tzeentch surrounded by countless books and intricate puzzle cubes. The horror obsessively solved them one after another. One of the daemonette attendants was encouraging him with excitement and convinced the horror that these puzzle cubes held the secret to breaking a seal to a vault of the old ones in the mortal realm. As he kept solving them, Daemonette attendants kept bringing him more.
They would all remark how smart the horror was and how Tzeentch would be impressed if he could succeed. Most even promised to follow him eternally if he could unlock all the cubes. While the tzeentchian daemon persisted, he was constantly stimulated with conversations from the daemonettes. One was waxing philosophically about the true nature of chaos and how all daemons should work together. Another mentioned the Old Ones quite a few times. Hearing the daemonic insight about the Lizardmen gods was very interesting. They apparently didn't know that much about them...at least these lesser daemons didn't. The daemonettes promised ways to reveal more to the iridescent horror and remarked that Slaanesh actually knew things about them that even Tzeentch didn't.
Of course, the pleasure and catering were only one side of the spectrum. Some areas in the fortress had people and daemons being aggressively tortured and mutilated in ridiculously insane ways. The things they did put druchii torturers to shame as even Malekith found it difficult to listen to or watch. That was saying something considering he was used to watching people getting flayed alive or castrated. Words could scarcely describe the torture some of these poor souls were subjected to. The absolute worst one was a plaguebearer of nurgle who was actually screaming in pain from the torture being inflicted on him by daemonettes.
Malekith was relatively informed on daemonology, and he knew that nurgle daemons couldn't really feel pain. Most were jovial and apathetic to things like fear and torture. The fact that this one was screaming in pain for 'grandfather' and that he was 'scared' was absurdly wrong. If these daemonettes could break a plaguebearer, then even Malekith himself was not safe from the various types of pain these vile monsters could inflict. He made sure to avoid looking directly at whatever the daemonettes were doing to the pitiful being and quickly passed that room to avoid them. Some were practically orgasming from the other daemon's psychological suffering. They appeared to be 'bathing him' and that was all Malekith cared to interpret from that horror show.
As he got deeper and deeper though, the attendants inside became increasingly aggressive and bold in their attempts to seduce him. Fortunately, none had dared to touch him yet, but he was expecting it soon due to how persistent they were starting to become.
Guised and fully exposed daemonettes were soon following him everywhere he went. The way they smiled, the hungering stares, and their subtle stalking was making him extremely paranoid. This became obvious when he saw the same daemonette pass his path at least four times. Each time she would slowly turn her head to smile and blow him a kiss. Several other familiar looking ones stood at a safe distance but were coincidentally present everywhere he went. He wasn't sure how they were getting into the next chamber ahead of him or if he was just starting to see things, but Malekith had a very bad feeling about it.
The further he progressed, the more blatant and shameless they became…until eventually Malekith realized that dozens of daemonettes were surrounding him and starting to block his various paths forward. Most were still in illusionary disguises, but Malekith could see through half of it as they looked like horned, half-naked elves to him.
He was just waiting for one of them to attack at this point as his guard was fully up and his paranoia was at its limit. He subconsciously started walking faster and eventually he passed into a large hallway chamber which thankfully led to the bridge he saw earlier from outside. The witch king continued his progression after chancing a brief look back. Nobody was following him now for some unusual reason. He wasn't quite sure why, but it did little to ease his paranoia and stress. For several minutes he walked in silence and glanced back every ten or so seconds to make sure nothing was stalking behind. The eerie silence was only filled by the metallic clanking of his brisk marching. Something wasn't right. There was no way he could get through the Marcher Fortress THAT easily.
The hallway he was in stood nearly twelve times his height and had the width of a city street. Countless other hallways intersected with it similar to a road system, and Malekith felt a sense of dread every time he passed an adjacent one and looked down them.
He just knew something was going to try and ambush him. Strangely enough however, no ambush or last-minute trap ever came. He would have almost preferred to be attacked or have the daemons attempt an ambush. The complete absence of any resistance to his progression and the eerie silence was beyond concerning.
'They're just going to let me cross the bridge without any retaliation. Do they consider me no threat? Are they convinced these circles will ensnare me? None of this makes sense.' Malekith shook his head as he finally got to the winding bridge and exited the Marcher Fortress.
Taking in the view beneath the bridge was awe-inspiring. Nothing in the Realms of Chaos was beautiful or admirable in his opinion, but from his vantage point Slaanesh's realm at least looked beautiful. It was nearly impossible to make out any details, but the Palace of Slaanesh was visible at the bottom. It looked enormous…easily the size of Naggarond. It was possibly even two or three times the size, but his vast distance from the structure made a proper estimate impossible as it resided at the bottom of a deep concentric ringed pit in a valley.
Malekith let out a heavy sigh as he took in the landscape ahead of him, 'This could take weeks or even longer. Thanks to my armour, I can probably make it without food, but I might need water and rest for this journey. There's no telling what losing my crown will do to me now that I'm back to normal. I suppose I can make my own water and find a few spots to rest along the way. Worst case scenario, I just sustain my body with Dhar and pour magic into the runes. Though I'll need to save a great deal of strength to fight N'kari and Shalaxi…as well as getting out of here.'
Realizing that staring at his destination wouldn't get him there any sooner, Malekith finally began his dreaded descent down the winding bridge.
Circle of Avidity
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed since he began his trek down to the first circle, but Malekith eventually reached the end of the bridge. He had encountered very few souls or daemons along the way and most of the trip had been boring and tiresome. The only interesting thing that happened was a flock of furies trying to kill him. They stood no chance.
He had spent the majority of his time reflecting on the past and thinking about his conversation with Asuryan. His eyes were focused directly on his path ahead and his mind was completely aloof as he almost mechanically strode forward in a trance-like state.
Upon arriving, Malekith snapped back to clarity and looked around curiously at his destination. He found himself in some kind of magnanimous temple without a roof. The night sky overhead seemed to glisten brightly as if the stars themselves were diamonds to be plucked from the heavens.
Marble, granite, gold, and silver primarily made up the entirety of all the surrounding architecture. Every square foot of this place seemed like it was created by a master architect with unlimited resources and time.
Not only that, but everywhere he looked, Malekith saw piles upon piles of treasure practically littered in mounds. It was a treasure hoard the likes of which he found impossible. He doubted this much gold even existed in the entirety of the mortal realm. There was enough treasure here to make every individual man, elf, and dwarf in the world richer than the vaults of Karaz A Karak.
Malekith had never cared for jewels, money, or treasure though. He had countless magical artefacts and a hoard of treasure in Naggarond already. They meant practically nothing to him. He quickly realized that this first circle was meant to tempt greed. Despite all his terrible traits as a person, Malekith was not greedy when it came to wealth. Certainly power-hungry, but not for the sake of being rich. Everything he owned or aspired to take had a purpose and a meaning behind it. He never understood why people desired money just for the sake of having it.
Weak people seemed to believe that money brought them power and status. He had the complete opposite mindset to them. Currency was simply a means to an end and money couldn't buy anything that was truly worth having. That included die-hard loyalty, glory, and especially love.
Even if he didn't have his iron will, Malekith doubted this place would be capable of tempting him. For treasure and wealth were fleeting and meaningless even to his immortal life. It came and went and only had the value that societies placed upon it. Those with actual power could always get more wealth on a whim and only cowards and fools believed that wealth could elevate their true power or status in the world.
Malekith carelessly walked past the mountains of gold and gems and continued on his journey. Along the way, he spotted numerous statues made of gold. They were quite unusual as some were in bizarre positions that implied they had touched the bountiful hoard of treasure. Some of the statues were even touching each other. It didn't take a genius to figure out that touching these statues would deliver the same fate unto him. Even the grass and the trees were made of gold and sprinkled with diamonds and rubies. The road he was walking down was lined with silver, amethysts, and emeralds. They were sharply contrasting in color and seemed to make each other more noticeable.
The area was annoyingly bright as everything reflected light and gleamed in his direction. The treasure itself would even move as it often collapsed in front of him with some incredible item conveniently appearing in the perfect spot for him to claim. It was as if the treasure itself was begging him to take it. Malekith simply ignored these distractions as he kept walking. The sight of skeletons intermingled everywhere in the sea of treasure was quite telling. Taking any one thing from this place would damn a soul to a fate worse than death. Every new area he would venture through possessed even more impressive mountains of treasure than the last.
Some had even caught his initial curiosity such as what looked to be a Hammer of Vaul. Nevertheless, he kept his pace and kept going for gods know how long. Malekith had of course encountered unfortunate souls and daemons along the way. He had even seen some suffer grim fates as they gave in to their own greed. The most noticeable example was the sight of an ogre carrying so much loot that he eventually collapsed beneath it. Another unsightly example was the sight of a nobleman being eaten alive by insects that had apparently been intermingled within a pile of gemstones. That certainly explained the skeletons.
Malekith encountered no daemonettes along the way oddly enough, but he did see other daemons fall prey to temptation. A golden statue of a bloodletter gripping a massive sword was the most memorable one. Nothing had been particularly challenging for Malekith during the majority of the first circle, and to his utter relief, he eventually reached the end of it after passing a pair of massive statues.
In the distance he could see a great lake, but the sight of endless gold was wholly absent marking an end to the Circle of Avidity. Malekith paused briefly to take a break, but he didn't bother looking back behind at all the treasure he passed up. Something about lingering on it seemed like a bad idea.
'I suppose that's one ring down. Part of me expected they'd make this more difficult. At least some kind of guardian to block the end of each circle,' Malekith thought as he continued onwards.
In truth he actually expected there'd be some kind of daemon boss at the end of each circle waiting to predictably stop him from progressing. The fact that there was nothing of the sort in addition to how easily he cleared the Marcher Fortress only made this place seem more sinister.
It was as if the inhabitants wanted people to venture deeper into Slaanesh's realm. They certainly must have had high hopes in the defenses these circles of seduction provided because a disciplined army could surely penetrate this realm without much effort.
Granted Malekith was quick to realize that not everyone was as strong-willed as he was. He doubted even a common druchii wouldn't be tempted to loot treasure in the previous circle.
'My Black Guard could probably make it through this place if they were with me here. I know Hellebron easily could too. For all I know mother has probably already made this trip before. Alright, well one down and five to go,' the elf thought confidently as his journey continued.
Circle of Gluttony
The following circle was not quite what Malekith expected. The lake he saw on his way down the path actually turned out to be a wine lake that was dotted with islands and bridges. There was a sickeningly appetizing aroma in the air and a dryness as well. With each step he took, he felt himself becoming thirstier and for the first time in millennia hungry too.
The wine lake looked quite inviting and for a brief second, he wondered what it would taste like. His curiosity quickly vanished when he saw some poor soul swimming in the stuff and drowning as he tried to stay afloat whilst drinking.
Malekith could feel his throat drying and his mouth salivating uncontrollably as he passed by tables where incredible meals had been prepared. He ignored a few of them before the sensation of thirst became unbearable. Finally, he paused and decided to magically conjure ice into his hands. The witch king sucked and chewed on the ice to provide temporary relief as he kept moving. It did little to alleviate his suffering, but it was enough to keep him focused.
Much like the feasters in the Marcher Fortress, Malekith would eventually realize that there was more to the feasts and the people eating them than one might initially notice.
People were gorging themselves at all these feasts and a quick dispelling of illusionary magic revealed that they were gorging on corpses. He almost gagged at the sight, but it did wonders to erase his hunger as he crunched on the self-made ice in his mouth and kept moving.
It was a good thing that he didn't remember the taste of food thanks to being trapped in his armour for so long, because that was probably the main reason why he didn't struggle nearly as much with his feeling of starvation.
After a while, Malekith started to find it easier to simply set every new banquet he passed on fire. The flames released a horrible smell not too dissimilar from the smell of burning corpses on a battlefield, but the smoke seemed to help in disrupting the intoxicating aroma. This of course upset quite a few daemons and deformed mortals along the way, but nothing gave him any challenge that dared to retaliate.
Finally, after what felt like days, he reached the end of the endless wine lake and took a road down further to the next ring.
Circle of Carnality
'That was unpleasant, but at least I'm a third of the way there. What did that daemonette say the names of all the circles were again? Avidity, Gluttony, Carnality, Paramountcy, Vainglory, and Indolency? So, this must be the circle of carnality. Judging by the name, I guess this one tempts lust? I had no issues dealing with sexual propositions in the Marcher Fortress. This one shouldn't be an issue,' Malekith thought assuredly as he kept moving.
The black-haired elven sorcerer found the following circle to be similar to what he was expecting. There was a beautiful meadow and fertile fields with all sorts of romantic and relaxing views everywhere. He could see various people of all races and genders joyously indulging in acts of intimacy in the distance too.
Unlike the Marcher Fortress however, most of the ones along the path were seemingly tame with various people kissing, hugging, or simply just cuddling together under trees. Many would wave at him and invite him over, but he ignored them more or less. Even the extreme acts of hedonistic sexuality did little to faze him as he felt almost numb to the sight of it. Perhaps it was simply years of witnessing the Cult of Pleasure up close or the blatant dissonance he had developed against intimacy over the millennia. Either way, nothing was enticing enough to distract him from his goal.
Sadly, that didn't mean he wasn't enticing to the predatory inhabitants of this circle. A good while into his walk, someone finally crossed directly in his path down the road and greeted him with far too much eagerness, "Woah…who might you be?!"
Staring at this person skeptically, Malekith noticed that she was an elf…supposedly. Her hair was long, gold and flowing. She had dazzling and friendly sky-blue eyes and a pearly smile to match. She was dressed up in some combination of mage attire and a skimpy nightgown. What disturbed Malekith about her appearance was that she looked a lot like the mage he killed at Finuval Plain. He couldn't be certain if that was a coincidence or if he was just seeing things.
The mere comparison was enough to snap him out of whatever daze her charm might have been able to put on him as Malekith scowled at her hatefully. It seemed this circle would play tricks on those with the willpower to overcome sexual desire.
"Something wrong?" the elf woman asked seductively as she came closer.
Malekith was quick to notice other 'elves' were starting to surround him now as they all came out of nearby buildings, meadows, or gazebos. They ranged from Asur, Druchii, and Asrai. All of them were incredibly beautiful even by his standard and they were dressed like harem slave girls. Every last one of them had a desperate lust in their eyes that greatly reminded Malekith of the pleasure cultists he had encountered in the past. The fact that some even looked like his mother's handmaidens was a bit disturbing.
Shaking his head Malekith laughed, "Yes, there is something wrong…what are a bunch of elves doing here?"
"Everyone calm down and give him a moment. Don't mind them, stranger. Everyone gets a bit excited when we get a new elf here…especially a handsome male elf. You look exhausted. Care to take a break and have a chat before you continue on your journey? You seem like a very interesting person," the elf mage perked up eagerly.
Malekith found it incredulous how most of these skimpy dressed elves were shamelessly showcasing their perfect bodies and standing in innocent vulnerable ways. It was a subtle form of seduction that would no doubt easily ensnare the weak-willed or sex-obsessed to pounce upon. What seemed strange about it though was Malekith was used to seeing female druchii behave and dress in this way, but certainly not Asur. It came across as extremely unnatural.
"You don't know who I am? I'm fairly certain I killed you." Malekith scoffed at the lead elf girl.
"Oh…maybe that's how I ended up here then? Judging by that impressive armour, you're probably a very prestigious dreadlord for the druchii. Who are you anyways? Why did you kill me?" the elf mage asked.
"If you don't know, then you obviously don't need to know," Malekith deflected.
'This creature is a reflection of my subconscious…that's probably why it looks like that mage,' Malekith deduced logically.
The blonde mage beamed foxily, "Oh? I like the mysterious types…looks like we have a bigshot here girls. Well, I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Amelysta. You're probably wondering why a bunch of elves are stuck here in Slaanesh's realm, right? Well, this is what happens to our souls when Slaanesh claims them. I'm not quite sure why, but he gave us all this beautiful paradise to live peacefully in. I think the dark prince chooses all the most beautiful people to live here. There are some humans in this place as well…though we typically avoid them. I don't remember much about who I was before I got here. I suppose I have you to thank for being here if what you say is true. In that case…care to make it up to me?"
Malekith glanced around at all of the elves around him and tried to discern some more information. They were all female…or could pass as female and every last one of them was gorgeous. They also all seemed quite comfortable with being in Slaanesh's realm, which was clearly a bad sign.
Amelysta seemed to notice Malekith's observation and chuckled, "I think Slaanesh just likes to collect the prettiest elves here for his harem. If I may be so bold as to ask…you don't like Asur do you? I know we were probably enemies in the mortal realm, but we're all the same race here and we stick together. Someone strong like you would certainly be welcome in our company. Perhaps I could show you around and we could get to know each other better?"
"I'll pass…" was all he felt was worth saying before walking past Amelysta and the mob of elves.
'This place is not what it appears…and these whores are definitely NOT elves,' Malekith thought cautiously as he kept moving without looking back. These creatures seemed like even more sinister versions of what he saw at the Marcher Fortress and their guises were far more powerful.
"Awww, don't leave. We could really use your help. Maybe you could help us escape?" Amelysta suggested as she grabbed ahold of Malekith's arm.
He reflexively ripped his arm free and shot a massive wall of chillwind ice between himself and the harem of elves. They all scattered and ran away from his violent outburst, and he wasted no time trying to lose this mob through a series of winding paths.
After a few minutes of evading them, Malekith took cover and chanced a look back. He could see the elves pursuing him in the distance, but it looked like they had lost sight of him.
"Malekith! This way!" someone called his voice. He recognized that voice…it was his mother's.
His eyes went wide with shock when he saw none other than Morathi grab his arm and pull him off the path and into a secluded grotto. She quickly yanked him into hiding and covered his mouth, "Be silent, son…they're chasing you."
An awkward silence passed as they waited for the mob of elven women to pass. All of them were calling out for him longingly with promises of flesh if he helped them. Malekith then peeled off Morathi's hand and stared at her bewildered, "Mother? What are you doing here?!"
"I came to find you after you threw yourself into the Realms of Chaos. Though I must admit, I did not expect to see you…like this," she smirked approvingly.
Malekith was currently pressed against a tree by Morathi with their faces much closer than he liked. Even despite this Malekith felt a slight bit of momentary comfort at the sight of his mother smiling at him. She leaned in a bit closer now and whispered affectionately, "I had almost forgotten how much you look like your dear sweet mother…oh my beautiful son. This reminds me of that night in the mountains. Just you and me…training. How long has it been since we were truly alone like this?"
Malekith immediately snapped out of his daze and pushed Morathi off with disgust, "What?! You're speaking of that?! Now?!"
"You enjoyed it as I recall…don't look that embarrassed. Your mother knows you so well. I know you've thought about it a lot since it happened. To be honest…so have I. Why do you think I never remarried? Because I only loved Aenarion…and you. I would do anything for you, Malekith. You know that right? Who needs a wife or a queen, when you already have me…the most beautiful and powerful elf in the world. I'm everything you've ever needed and that's why I'm here now." Morathi cooed seductively.
"Are you really, Morathi?" Malekith was beginning to realize that this was likely another trick.
"Of course, I am…now relax my son and let me tend to your injuries before we leave. I want to see if your burns are truly gone," she replied authoritatively.
"No, you're not Morathi…even daemons can't replicate my mother's glamour or that insufferable know-it-all look on her face. Get away from me, fiend," Malekith shook his head before throwing her off and slashing his sword through the fake Morathi.
His actions quickly beheaded her and caused her illusionary guise to dissipate into that of a daemonette herald. No doubt this one was well informed about who he was if she could sell this act so well. It was very likely that she was sent by N'kari.
Malekith stared down at the body knowingly, 'Of all the forms they could choose to seduce me with, they chose my mother? Just how sick do these daemons think I am?! How do they know my past too?! I never told ANYONE about that time in the mountains…I was too afraid to talk about it. Then again…N'kari seemed to know something about it.'
The memory the daemon spoke of was from Malekith's youth back when he was learning magic from his mother. They would often take secluded trips to teach him Dhar in secret and there were a few times his mother got a bit too physical for his liking.
Morathi had always been a taboo-loving hedonist and was certainly not a model mother, but Malekith distinctly remembered that it had only gotten worse after his father died. At that time, he wasn't strong enough to say no or to do anything against his mother's will. He certainly considered it the initial incident that caused him to first start fearing his mother. Part of him began to wonder what Allisara would have thought had she learned about it. His late wife seemed perceptive enough to know that Morathi was controlling of him as she had even mentioned it to Malekith back before the Sundering.
It seemed as if Asuryan rationalized it perfectly though…Morathi wanted sole possession over Malekith's emotions and for a long time she had them.
Not wanting to think about those things anymore, Malekith shook his thoughts clear and focused back on his surroundings, 'I can't let myself get distracted by this twisted place.'
With a remarkable degree of speed, the witch king continued on the path as he left the grotto and returned to the road. He did not want to get caught off guard again and decided his best course of action would be to just start killing everything he saw. It didn't take long for more of the fake elves to find him again, but he simply slaughtered everything on sight. The following hours were bloody and rage filled as the daemonettes would take guises that were increasingly difficult for him to kill.
Fortunately, he was a sadistic murderer and never had qualms about killing seemingly innocent and beautiful women. He butchered them all without mercy. Before long, the daemonettes finally just gave up on their futile attempts to tempt his lust as Malekith brazenly walked through the rest of the circle unopposed. Eventually he reached the end of the circle, but before he could pass by the gate out of this field, two elves blocked his path forward. They were wearing forms that horrified him to his core. He recognized one of their forms, but he couldn't quite picture where he knew the other one from.
Upon staring at them closely, he finally had an epiphany…the unknown figure was Allisara and the other was his older sister Yvraine. Malekith had carelessly cut down everyone else on his way here, but it seemed the inhabitants of this circle had thrown him a curveball at the very end.
"Malekith, it's good to see you again dear husband," the fake Allisara greeted him warmly.
To hear her voice again and to see her long-forgotten face after all these years was enough to stun Malekith into inaction. He knew this wasn't real and yet he couldn't bring himself to attack these last two daemonettes.
He stared at Allisara longingly as memories of his past came flooding back to him all at once. They brought with them emotions he had long ago buried, and he couldn't do anything except stare at her. Allisara was just as he finally remembered her. She had auburn-gold hair the colour of fall leaves, eyes bluer than the sapphires of Saphery, and flawless porcelain skin that seemed softer than feathers. There was an innocent wholesome look to her features and a genuine, radiant benevolence surrounding her. He remembered it now…Allisara's visage was always able to calm his dark thoughts. Even this fake version of her seemed completely real to him.
The sight of Yvraine was another surprise that caught him off guard. Malekith glanced at the form of his sister and the former Everqueen with some degree of boyhood awe. He had never admitted it to anyone, but Malekith always found Yvraine beautiful. Some said she was the spitting image of Astarielle herself and Malekith could wholly understand his father's love for his first wife if that was true. Malekith hated to even think these thoughts, but he could have seen himself married to his sister…and not even just to be Phoenix King. It was a nasty thought, but it was a true and closely guarded secret he kept, nonetheless.
It was also part of the reason why he hated the newest Everqueen Alarielle so much…because she looked somewhat like his sister Yvarine. Obviously, not as pretty…but eerily familiar in the same way that Tyrion looked a lot like a naïve younger Aenarion.
"I was curious about something, brother…do you have feelings for me?" the fake Yvraine asked him knowingly.
Malekith was too stupefied to speak as he looked over at Allisara who was smiling. She giggled at the question, "Don't tease him like that Yvraine…my husband has always admired you. He told me as much…though who could blame him? You are the Everqueen after all."
"Well…I'm flattered to hear that. My brother is very hard to impress. He must get that from father," the fake Yvraine blushed as she played with her hair.
'This isn't real…move Malekith!' the witch king screamed in his mind.
Sadly, he couldn't force himself to react as the two gorgeous elves slowly came up to him. Allisara lowered Malekith's sword arm and pushed Destroyer out of his limp hand before pressing herself against him. She pressed her hands into his chest and cooed seductively, "It's okay husband…I'm not offended by your feelings. It's okay to love more than one woman."
The fake Yvraine then pressed against him the same way as she leaned in and spoke foxily, "If it's alright with your wife…then maybe we can reciprocate those feelings. To be honest, I've always fancied you that way too, Malekith…"
"I don't want this. It's…wrong," Malekith finally managed to say something.
"Wrong? You know, you could have us both, right? You could have anyone you please just so long as I'm the first wife." the fake Allisara moaned.
"I doubt Bel'Shanaar could satisfy me the way you can…I'm jealous that Allisara gets to be your wife. Come on and just take me for yourself already," the fake Yvraine added.
A weaker person would have folded right then and there and gave in to this twisted fantasy, but in that moment, Malekith thought about his mother surprisingly enough. He thought about her smiling at the death of Allisara. He thought about his wife dying for no reason. This resurgence of anger was enough to snap him out of his stupor as he felt his vision reddening.
"Get off of me!" he shouted at the top of his lungs flinging both of the fake elves off. Malekith then magically recalled his sword to hand and started to hack at the fake Yvraine.
He howled furiously at her while doing so, "You think my high-and-mighty sister would even see me as her real sibling…let alone lover?! Don't make me laugh, daemon! She always hated me, and I hated her too!"
After dicing up the fake Yvraine, he turned his hateful gaze to the fake Allisara, "And you…how dare you mock the memory of my dead wife with this pitiful performance!"
As he eviscerated these two daemonettes, Malekith was also venting his pent-up feelings of resentment against Yvraine and Allisara. These feelings were enough to overpower the strange lust he had almost fallen prey to.
After they were dead, Malekith stared down at the mutilated daemonette bodies as he thought about things. He never had a real relationship with Yvraine or Morelion. He had of course seen them at court several times over the years and they always had this distant stare as if they were looking down on him for daring to exist. As if his existence was an insult to the memory of Astarielle.
Malekith remembered those looks all too well. They seemed perfectly recaptured in the descendants of his siblings, Tyrion and Alarielle. That was just another reason why he hated both of them so much.
'I should keep moving…it looks like I managed to clear this circle finally. It was a bit more difficult than the first two. Halfway there now…I hope the next three circles aren't this emotionally taxing,' Malekith sighed mentally as he moved on.
Circle of Paramountcy
Malekith walked and walked for what felt like weeks and was only halfway through this awful journey to the Palace of Slaanesh. He couldn't even begin to comprehend how much time he had spent in the Realms of Chaos so far, but he did find it odd how this place hadn't twisted and corrupted him yet.
Perhaps it had something to do with the Flames of Asuryan or simply his own unyielding insanity to accomplish anything he set his mind to. Passing through a strange gatehouse, Malekith soon found himself reaching what seemed to be a massive elven fortress. He was currently on the high side of it and could hear the roar of a crowd outside.
'By the gods…what now?!' he thought annoyed as he navigated his way down and reached what looked to be a courtyard overlooking a city down below. This place was filled with elves…all of whom looked to be high ranking nobles or military leaders.
It was then that he realized that this elven castle was actually built on top of the Shrine of Asuryan. Malekith looked around in confusion as all the nearby elven princes greeted him and bowed as if he were the Phoenix King himself.
He then heard someone announcing loudly to a crowd of elves down below the courtyard over a magnanimous balcony, "Asur of Ulthuan, Druchii of Naggaroth, and Asrai of Athel Loren…Hear me!"
The crowd thundered wildly for a moment but quieted down slightly as the announcing elf continued, "Today we celebrate the greatest of days! The civil war is finally over, and the elves are one people again!"
The crowd went crazy with excitement as the announcing elf held up his hand, "Though it was long and tragic, and many stood in its opposition, who among our proud people could now deny the return of the ONE TRUE PHOENIX KING! In our greatest hour of need, Asuryan sent us an unlikely champion…one wrongly rejected long ago. He returned even despite our mistake and has saved us all from the daemon invasion! We all know him…the true heir of Aenarion! Give it up for MALEKITH! SON OF AENARION! HERO OF THE WORLD!"
Malekith was bewildered by this announcement as he reached the balcony next to the announcer at the exact moment his name was called. He almost felt teary-eyed seeing the endless crowd of elves down below erupting into cheers at the sight of their supposed hero and savior. They began to chant his name and cheer feverishly as if he were a god himself in the flesh. The emotions this caused were overwhelming. He used to have dreams about this…though they usually tuned into nightmares.
Malekith glanced over at the announcer uncertainly only to then realize that the announcer was actually the Phoenix King Finubar. He took a step back confused as Finubar knelt down, took off his crown, and presented it humbly to Malekith, "I was wrong to ever think I was Asuryan's chosen. That blessing and that honour truly belongs to you…my king. The Asur are wholly yours to command…as they should be."
The witch king stared at the crown for a moment before turning his attention back into the crowd. From various areas he could see tons of important elves that he recognized. All of the noteworthy Asur and Druchii leaders were there…even ones he knew were long dead.
The strangest sight was yet to come as another elf walked up to his side and held up a burning sword, "May I be among the first to pledge my undying loyalty and service to my uncle, Malekith! Long live the Phoenix King!"
"Tyrion?" Malekith spoke the other elf's name disbelievingly.
"If you'll have me, uncle…I will happily serve as your court mage and advisor," the voice of Teclis sounded next.
Looking around some more, Malekith then saw his mother on an adjacent balcony. She winked at him pridefully.
"Speech, speech, speech!" some of the elves started to chant as Malekith stood frozen in awe and some degree of happiness at this moment.
The sight of all the elves down below him was truly something else. He saw black guard and phoenix guard standing side by side. Corsairs stood next to sea guards, witch elves stood next to sisters of avelorn, and in the distance he saw an armada of black arks and dragonships all flying his banner.
Malekith thought about indulging in this crazy power fantasy, but deep in his heart he knew that this was not only an illusion, but it was impossible to accept even in his own fantasies. The witch king remembered the curt way Asuryan spoke with him and the god's words about how even if he did the right thing and became a hero like his father, the elves would hate him regardless.
Elves hated his father until he died saving the world and Malekith shouldn't ever expect anything different. This wasn't about him, his dreams, or his desire to fill his father's shoes anymore. He had to remember why he was here…remember Asuryan's ultimatum.
It was very difficult to turn his back to the crowd, but Malekith forced himself to walk away. What right did he have to feel any pride at all? He had been nothing but a pawn for most of his life and even now Asuryan expected him to die on this quest to prove himself. Countless protests erupted as Malekith humbly walked away. He couldn't quite describe the sickening feeling of self-hatred in that moment, but not even he could pretend like he deserved this kind of happy ending to his life.
This dream was impossible, but that didn't mean his quest was. Holding true to that thought, Malekith ignored everything else as he simply moved on. It was far more painful than he wanted to admit, as he often had dreams like this in his tower at Naggarond. Dreams where he could be everything he wanted to be…but he inevitably would always wake up from them feeling guilty about wishing for such things. That guilt would then turn to hatred and rage…which he usually took out of some mouthy dreadlord on the Black Council.
"King Malekith where are you going?! The elves need you!" Finubar called out to him.
'No they don't...maybe the world would have been a better place had I never been born. What's my purpose for being here? It clearly wasn't this,' the witch king thought self-pityingly as he could almost feel tears coming to his eyes.
Many elves tried to coax him back to the balcony or compliment him in any way they could to keep him from leaving. None of them were successful as Malekith simply shelled up in his own mind and kept going without looking back. He made no eye contact but stayed alert in case he had to kill anything.
Circle of Vainglory
After finally escaping the deafening cries of adulation in the previous circle, Malekith found himself in the fifth circle of seduction.
He let out a sigh of relief and was thankful for his progress, 'Only two more to go. There's no telling how difficult these last two are. What's this one called? Vainglory? Does it test pride? I assume that was what the last one tempted…that or power.'
This next circle seemed like an oversized hedge maze garden. The path was lined with roses and all manner of flowers and other things. While it was beautifully peaceful, it was also extremely creepy and wholly absent anyone else.
Malekith walked in silence for a while until he began to hear whispers along the way. They were inaudibly faint at first, but they only seemed to grow in volume the further along he went.
They whispered of his life, his accomplishments, and even his greatest prides. Considering how long of a life he had lived and all of the things he had accomplished, Malekith almost had a sensory overload listening to these whispers during the long trek.
The way they spoke of his life was said in a way that would instill pride in one's accomplishments, but Malekith felt no pride at hearing any of it. His entire life had been nothing but mistakes, bad decisions, and lingering regrets. It all seemed completely pointless. He couldn't take pride in being a great warrior since he was never his father's equal. He couldn't take pride in uniting the elves and dwarves since he also turned them against each other and ruined his promise to Snorri. He couldn't take pride in being the Witch King since that existence was only a result of his spite and burning need for retribution.
Malekith heard one whisper mention how he forged Destroyer and how it was such an amazing and unique sword that even Asur master blacksmiths would envy…yet Vaul never blessed it. Was it really that good of a weapon if Vaul didn't see it as worthy? Malekith couldn't take pride in his own mastery of magic either since he was not his mother's equal and was also somehow bested by a child mage like Teclis despite being far older than him. Not only was that shameful, but it was also embarrassing and ego-crushing. This entire circle had been deeply depressing and mentally exhausting.
The path seemed to open up a straight and clear way for Malekith to progress as he reflected on all of these moments in his life. Every moment from childhood up until he reached this circle of seduction was spoken along the way by the mysterious whispering woods. Not one thing caused him to feel any pride because all of his deeds in life and accomplishments were either linked to a failure or they were bound to something he felt ashamed of. The perfect example of that was Malekith felt ashamed to look like his mother even though she was arguably the most beautiful elf in the world. That was just one example of hundreds that he experienced in the Circle of Vainglory. He felt shame in the entire depraved existence of the druchii.
Asuryan was completely right…the dark elves might have started off with justified intentions, but the millennia of depravity and unnecessary cruelty was not something Malekith felt proud of. Slavery in general was something he regretted. Not because he felt some greater moral integrity to treat humans or Asur with dignity, but because the druchii couldn't really function without slaves. All they knew how to do was sail, kill, and scheme.
The longer he spent in the Realms of Chaos, the more and more Malekith had grown to realize just how ridiculous his ambitions were to conquer Ulthuan. He should have been spending his time making Naggaroth a kingdom to truly rival it. He had thought about it a lot after the Sundering during his many years of "languishing" as his mother called it.
As if he had been awoken from a sleepwalking coma, Malekith snapped back to attention when he realized that he was finally at the end of the hedge maze and could exit to the final circle.
'If I manage to get out of this alive, I think maybe I should stop being negligent to Naggaroth. All this time I've been wasting on trying to conquer Ulthuan could have been better spent building up my own kingdom. If my vision about the end of the world is true, then we'll need more defenses in the north.' Malekith began to reflect on the future as he finally exited the Circle of Vainglory.
Circle of Indolency
With each circle he completed, Malekith felt more and more mentally and physically exhausted. The last circle had also taken a toll on him emotionally as well leaving the witch king in a depressed and tired mood. He strode forward without much conscious thought as his gaze took in the last and final circle.
'How long have I been in Slaanesh's realm? It feels like a lifetime ago when I was at the Marcher Fortress…' Malekith thought to himself as he yawned aloud.
Examining the last circle, he now found himself on a very pleasant looking beach of some kind. The weather was perfectly temperate with just enough of a breeze to keep him cool and to tickle the sweat on his brow. The view was fantastic and part of him almost wanted to take a rest to admire it.
There was no obvious danger anywhere in sight and unlike the other circles, this one seemed like a well-deserved reprieve before reaching the Palace of Slaanesh. The elf's eyes began to grow heavy as his steps became less disciplined and slower.
Malekith saw a perfect area to take a rest up ahead and began to walk towards it with a delirious sense of joy. While he hadn't eaten or partaken in carnality during his many millennia in the Armour of Midnight, Malekith did sleep like any other elf. Oddly enough, it was actually one of his favorite things to do even with the constant threat of assassins and untrustworthy druchii everywhere around him. Sleep granted him temporary relief from his cursed life.
For a brief moment, he considered lying down and taking a quick rest. Something about this place was irresistibly relaxing and inviting. The crashing waves and the echoic sound of a distant harmonic melody only reinforced this wondrous ambience. In some ways it reminded him of Ulthuan.
'I…I suppose it wouldn't be too bad to take a short rest here,' he mentally debated back and forth trying to justify his desire to partake in a short reprieve.
'All of the circles have tested some type of sin. Greed, gluttony, lust, power, and pride. This is the Circle of Indolency…it must tempt sloth. I…I don't think it's a good idea to linger here. I need to keep moving,' Malekith finally snapped back to his senses when he realized the sheer danger of relaxing in a place that tempted sloth.
Despite his awareness of the dangers, the journey was harrowing and next to impossible. He felt every bone in his body growing brittle and every muscle reaching the limit of fatigue. His eyes grew heavy beyond description and keeping them open was pure agony.
'Must…keep…moving,' he thought slowly as the delirium of his weariness grew even more overwhelming.
He did everything in his power not to trip or fall over as he knew if his body touched the ground that he wouldn't be able to stay conscious anymore.
'I have to do something to keep me awake. I can't ever remember being this tired in my entire life,' Malekith regained a brief second wind as he desperately thought of some way to negate the adverse effects of this place.
A reckless idea quickly came to mind as he charged up magic in his hands and crushed it into pure dhar. Malekith winced in anticipation before imbuing himself with the dark power. Only the most desperate of Dhar sorceresses ever attempted to do this as it could easily exacerbate all of the negative side effects of overusing dark magic. Nevertheless, Malekith knew it would be enough to force him to stay awake. Not only was it extremely painful but it required intense focus. The bitter pain kept him from passing out and somewhat dispelled the drowsy and hypnotic feeling he was under.
Malekith's body began to glow with the chaotic winds of magic as the runes on his Armour of Midnight lit up violently. He winced in agony for a brief moment before regaining control of his senses. Something horrific happened upon regaining his clarity. Malekith started to see this circle a lot differently than he initially did. The sand he was walking on actually turned out to be finely ground bones. Its whitish color and the chunks of skeletons all around him clearly identified that fact.
The calm and ambient singing he heard from a distance was now starting to sound more like screaming. Malekith shook his head in absolute horror at the revelation. It seemed deathly apparent that anyone who fell asleep in this circle would never again wake up.
'This place is truly sinister…and to think I considered taking a break on this journey. I have to get out of this circle before the pain wears off,' Malekith thought desperately as he focused on his objective to reach the Palace of Slaanesh.
He traveled for what was presumably days…though it could have been mere hours for all he knew. Malekith was thankful that Dhar magic was so painful when used on oneself as the pain was the only thing that kept him conscious in this evil place.
His long journey finally ended after he came down one final hill and saw the colossal Palace of Slaanesh in the distance. A massive gateway marked the end of the Circle of Indolency and Malekith practically ran to it the moment it was within sight.
Palace of Slaanesh
Against all odds he was finally at his destination. Malekith sighed with relief as he passed by the large gateway and approached the colossal palace up ahead. The moment he left the Circle of Indolency, he felt his vigor return. True to his estimation from before, the Palace of Slaanesh was clearly larger than the entirety of Naggarond.
Malekith could see daemonette seekers riding around in the distance and stopped briefly to ponder his next move. He had been so focused on actually getting here that he failed to think of what he would do once he arrived.
Walking through the front door seemed like a bad idea, but he did not want to waste time trying to walk around the entirety of the palace looking for another way in. Plus, he had no idea where N'kari or Shalaxi could be. Then there was Slaanesh to worry about.
How would he actually deal with a chaos god in person? Would Slaanesh even care enough to kill him if he fought his way inside? What would the god look like for that matter? Everything Malekith knew about Slaanesh was fairly substantial, but he had no idea what to expect now that he was at the god's own palace.
He knew that the god was vain, easily bored, and supposedly so beautiful and perfect that people would forsake anything just to please him. Judging on how Slaanesh's realm affected Malekith, the witch king wasn't foolish enough to think he'd be immune to the dark prince's glamour. He also knew that Slaanesh desired elven souls above all others and that the god would probably take his if they crossed paths. Stealth seemed like the best option in this instance, but it would take forever to find N'kari or Shalaxi without direction.
'I should find a daemon to interrogate. One of these foul creatures must know where my targets are. I need a plan…maybe I should go capture one of those seekers.' Malekith thought as he briskly walked closer to the palace.
A decent trek later and he was still at a loss about what he should do. Almost absent-mindedly, Malekith began to walk towards the entrance. His appearance was noted by several of the seekers in the distance, but they seemed smart enough to stay away from him.
No doubt they were logical enough to assume that anyone who could make it all the way to the Palace of Slaanesh was no pushover. Even so…that boded poorly for him since they would undoubtedly warn N'kari.
'I really don't see another way in…and N'kari will certainly know I'm here now. I suppose I should at least survey the entrance to save time. It could take days to find N'kari and Shalaxi in this place…at least I assume it would. It's impossible to tell time in this gods forsaken hell!' Malekith ranted mentally as he walked up the steps to the palace.
He made it halfway up before something whizzed past his feet and landed in front of him. Malekith jerked back reflexively and stared at it. To his confusion, what he saw on the step right in front of him was a dart. This seemed highly unusual compared to the other traps and encounters he had witnessed thus far.
Malekith cautiously reached down to pick it up after glancing around for its source. He saw nothing and turned his gaze to the strange dart now in his hands. Staring at it closely, Malekith immediately realized that it was unique and magically enhanced. It also lacked any semblance of daemon or human design. In fact, it greatly reminded him of the darts the reptiles of Lustria would use when ambushing trespassers.
His elven instincts kicked in again as he heard another dart whiz down the stairs back where he came. Whoever was shooting these at him was clearly not trying to hit him as it landed near his feet. Analyzing its trajectory and the several follow up shots, Malekith finally seemed to understand that someone or something was trying to draw his attention.
Normally he wouldn't waste his time with something like this as it had the word 'setup' written all over it. Nevertheless, he had a bit of a gut feeling and decided to go along with the darts. He picked them up and followed their path along the way constantly searching for its point of origin as more led him along.
After about a minute and a decent distance off the main path to the palace, Malekith found himself near a twisted looking tree. He stared at it intensely and decided to speak, "Who's there and why are you leading me over here?"
His question was answered with the bizarre sight of a strange reptilian creature almost materializing in front of him. A moment later he figured out that it was camouflage not too dissimilar from a chameleon. The figure itself turned out to be a bipedal chameleon skink. Malekith had only seen a skink like this once before in person. From what he knew of them, they were incredibly rare and incredibly difficult to capture since they were smarter than most skinks and could turn invisible. Many of the druchii slavers that braved Lustria sought to capture chameleon skinks since their chameleon hides sold for absorbent amounts of money.
The chameleon skink chittered and clicked in its reptilian language at him, "Ata Kro Qua Zec Chotela Xlanex."
Now he was by no means an expert on lizardmen or their bizarre language variations, but Malekith did make it a point to learn some of it a long time ago as he did with many languages around the world. There were three variations of the lizardman language Saurian. They were High Saurian: which was what Slann would primarily speak in. It wasn't too dissimilar from Anoqeyån. Then there was Crude Saurian: the language of the Saurus and to some degree the Kroxigors. It lacked much vocabulary and was pointless to really know since Saurus rarely spoke. Finally, there was Skinkian: which was what this skink was speaking. Due to all the strange clicks and reptilian sounds they would make, nobody other than the reptiles themselves could really speak it fluently. An expert could understand it though.
Malekith could understand all three forms of Saurian to an extent as he had made it a point to understand the reptiles over his long years. Plus, the language was associated with lizardmen artefacts and their more advanced technology. Fortunately, High Saurian was very similar to Anoqeyån which was a more complex version of Eltharin. Slann were telepathic though, so they rarely spoke unless they had to. Some skinks could supposedly speak elvish and the tongues of men, but Malekith had never seen it before. Lizardmen were not the type of creatures that liked talking to other races after all. That made this creature's attempt to speak with him all the more bizarre.
Malekith did his best to interpret the skink's words, 'Ata…that means prophecy doesn't it? Kro means sacrifice or die, but Ata Kro means prophecy of death or impending doom. Qua Zec Chotela means fated enemy nearby. I know Xlanex means outsider which is what they use to refer to daemons as…so the creature is telling me that a daemon is nearby, and it has something to do with a prophecy?'
"I don't understand…a daemon is nearby related to a prophecy?" Malekith responded in Eltharin.
He didn't bother trying to communicate with the creature in Druhir as he doubted a skink would know the dark elf language variation of common elvish, Eltharin. Druhir was grammatically and fundamentally similar to Eltharin, but it implemented a lot of the black speech of chaos and wasn't really understood by anyone other than elves and chaos aligned factions. For whatever reason though, Druhir was the only elven language northmen seemed capable of learning however…albeit at an elementary level. Druchii typically learned many languages themselves since they were slavers and Malekith had long prioritized knowing as many as possible ever since his days of learning the dwarf language Khazalid from Alandrian and Snorri.
'What I wouldn't give to have Alandrian here right now to decipher this creature's chittering…' Malekith thought distantly about his long dead underling and friend.
From what he knew of them, the smarter lizardmen understood Eltharin as it was a simplified version of Anoqeyån. The language of Anoqeyån was supposedly the language of the oldest known beings in the world and according to many scholars was also the language of the gods and daemons. Anyone who was a master of high magic knew a lot about this language…though that primarily extended to only elves and lizardmen. Dragons seemed to understand it as well. Considering Malekith knew Qhaysh and Dhar and was familiar with summoning daemons, he knew Anoqeyån very well.
The skink perked up and tried its best to speak in Eltharin, "Trap ahead. Wait."
To his surprise, the creature was able to speak in elvish, though extremely crudely and with great limitation. The reptile also had an alien accent that was barely comprehensible. It could doubtfully string full sentences together, but at least they could find some common ground here to communicate. Part of him was fascinated by this unusual encounter at the Palace of Slaanesh of all places.
Just then a strange realization dawned on Malekith…what in the world was a lone skink doing here in the Realms of Chaos? Malekith reflexively took a step back and reached for the hilt of his sword. He spoke dangerously in Eltharin, "How did you get here? Are you even real?!"
The skink nodded its head and tried to speak in elvish again, "Oxyotl real. Here many years. Can't leave yet. Oxyotl notice you. Xlanex Hua warm-blood of ringed isle. Oxyotl trying to help."
"You're trapped here, and you noticed me? What is the purpose of all of this? You want to help me? I've never encountered a reptile interested in speaking with me before. I assume you need my help then?" Malekith noted.
Its words then slipped back to its own language before pointing between Malekith and itself, "Qua Xlanex Hua Oxyotl. Cho Ax Ata Zoaxla Xholankha Ata! Zlat Hua Tlazanikla! Conqua great plan."
'Hua means hunt…Cho means warmth and is the word that they refer to warm bloods as. Ax Ata means prophecy of chaos or fate. Ax Ata Zoaxla means greater daemon of fate. He's talking about a lord of change then? Hua Tlazanikla means we're being hunted. I think Xholankha is the name of an old one…though I don't really remember,' Malekith did his best to figure out the skink's ranting.
"I think I understand what you're trying to say…a greater daemon is hunting you? Is it a Lord of Change?" Malekith asked.
"Puzzle box of Xholankha. Ax Ata Zoaxla Hua Oxyotl. Qu Quaq Kai Tzeentch," the skink spoke in a strange mixture of its own language and Eltharin.
Malekith nodded in understanding, "I get it…so a Lord of Change is hunting you for this puzzle box of Xholankha? What is that and why would a daemon of Tzeentch be here at the palace of Slaanesh? Are you hiding here? What do you want from me?"
"Conqua, Cho Itz'xa'khanx. Puzzle box inside Xlanex god Oatl," the skink responded.
'Cho Itz'xa'khanx means warm blood of the ringed isle…or elf. Conqua means join. He wants us to join forces? It sounds like he lost this puzzle box of Xholankha and it's in the Palace of Slaanesh. Why would a skink ask me for help though? He seems to think I'm an Asur and not a druchii. Maybe he doesn't know the difference?' Malekith finally figured out what the skink wanted.
"You would ask me for help, reptile? What makes you think you can trust me? Your species hates mine. I'm hardly a moral person by your species' standards. I'm a dark elf," Malekith shook his head dismissively.
The lizardman seemed confused by his words and spoke in elvish as best it could, "Elves part of great plan. Trusted warm bloods. Elf can't be evil if he made it through the circles sane."
"So, you think I'm trustworthy because I was able to get all the way here and not fall prey to corruption?" Malekith confirmed.
The chameleon skink nodded, "Oxyotl thought it impossible for warm blood to endure Ax Xlanex Oatl. Elf strong-willed…Oxyotl can trust."
"How long have you been in the realms of chaos?" Malekith asked the skink curiously, "because most of your city temples have fallen into disrepair and the geomantic web is broken. Your kind rarely communicates with mine anymore. This is most unusual for us to be speaking."
"Oxyotl swallowed here during great catastrophe at Pahuax. Protecting Slann Lord Pocaxalan. Oxyotl took Puzzle Box of Xholankha from body. Slann Mage last command," the skink answered him.
The skink's name was apparently Oxyotl Malekith finally realized, and he was surprised to see that Oxyotl was beginning to speak a bit better in Eltharin. The lizards were instinctually intelligent and seemed to learn extremely quickly. No doubt their short conversation and Malekith's own speaking had taught the creature a bit more about how to talk to an elf as its grammar and accent improved noticeably.
'If he's been here that long than he's even older than I am! That was what…7 or 8 thousand years ago?!' Malekith gawked in disbelief. How could anything survive in the realms of chaos for THAT long? Part of him was horrified, but another part was amazed by how resilient this chameleon skink was. It was clearly not a pushover if it had been here for such a long time. Though he had no way of knowing if the skink was referring to the collapse of the polar gates or some other great catastrophe. Either way, this creature had definitely been here for millennia.
Even with the time dilation in the realms of chaos, it probably still felt like centuries at least to the skink. For the first time in his entire life, he had an appreciation for the cold bloods. They were truly resistant to chaos. Perhaps there was some credence to their supposed 'Great Plan' after all. This skink seemed to think he was trustworthy because Malekith made it through the circles. Maybe this creature could help him.
"How long you here? Cho Itz'xa'Khanx name?" Oxyotl asked him.
"I'm Malekith, king of the druchii and son of Aenarion. I doubt you've heard of me since you've probably been in here longer than I've been alive and I was nearly seven millennia old myself before ending up in here," the elf answered.
"Oxyotl Conqua Malekith? Alliance?" the chameleon skink tilted its head anxiously.
Malekith nodded, "Normally, I wouldn't even humor this as a joke…but I could use some help. If you're breaking into the palace to find your puzzle box then I can help you. I'm also here searching for some belongings of mine. My old sword and my crown. They are in possession of powerful daemons named Shalaxi and N'kari. Do you know of them?"
The skink nodded, "Oxyotl know daemon tongue. Heard name N'kari. Oxyotl saw it inside palace. Can't go through front. Too many foes. Entrance trap. Shalaxi Xlanex Zec. Stole box from Oxyotl. Mutual enemy of Malekith and Oxyotl."
"So, you know what Shalaxi looks like? She stole your puzzle box? In that case we have even more cause to work together to take this daemon down" Malekith replied.
Oxyotl nodded, "Bird Xlanex wants box too. Two headed Ax Ata Zoaxla Hua Oxyotl."
"Two headed bird daemon? Wait…are you talking about Kairos Fateweaver?! The Oracle of Tzeentch?! He's the lord of change hunting you?" Malekith gawked in horror.
The skink didn't seem to realize the significance of who it was referring to, but Oxyotl nodded in confirmation, "Ax Ata Tzeentch. Kairos wants puzzle box."
Malekith paused in silence for a long moment as he blinked in disbelief at the predicament he was now faced with. Helping this creature would likely result in crossing paths with Kairos Fateweaver. Malekith knew a fair amount about this particular daemon. It was one of if not the greatest spellcaster to ever exist. From what he understood, it was Tzeentch's most exalted greater daemon, and the Oracle could supposedly see all futures and all pasts. This legendary daemon had also battled his father once a long time ago during the creation of the vortex. If Kairos Fateweaver was nearby, then that all but guaranteed that the daemon knew they were here too.
The skink's desire to get Malekith's help seemed to finally make sense. Even as formidable as this chameleon skink probably was to get all the way to the palace of Slaanesh, Oxyotl likely knew he couldn't take on Kairos and Shalaxi without some help. Malekith himself didn't feel entirely confident about battling a sorcerer as powerful as Kairos. His father needed the Widowmaker to defeat that daemon.
"Malekith mage-priest, yes?" Oxyotl asked.
The Witch King nodded, "Yes, I am a mage. I can cast Qhaysh and Dhar. I know many lores of magic."
"Oxyotl help Malekith hunt Shalaxi and N'kari. Need mage-priest help to stop Kairos and escape Xlanex Oatl." The skink stated.
"It's a deal then. We'll work together…but I have to know why does Kairos Fateweaver want this puzzle box of Xholankha? Is it related to the prophecy you spoke of?" Malekith asked Oxyotl.
The skink nodded, "Puzzle Box controls time. Kairos Hua Oxyotl. Ata Zlaclanza Cho Dawn."
"So, this puzzle box is related to a Prophecy of Dawn and it can control time? I can see why a lord of change would be interested in that. Well, we shouldn't waste time here then. We need to recover our lost items before Slaanesh notices us," Malekith nodded.
"Xlanex god, Slaanesh away. Oxyotl waited for opportunity to enter. Oxyotl know hidden way inside Oatl. Follow," the skink responded as he began to scamper away and wave Malekith to follow.
Malekith followed the creature, but couldn't help but ask, "Slaanesh is away? Where?"
"'Court of the Covenant'. Xlanex Zoaxla N'kari spoke," Oxyotl answered as the two of them made their way a considerable distance away from the entrance to a tower wall.
To Malekith's surprise, he saw that it had a purplish colored rope hanging off the side. No doubt the skink had already surveyed the palace and had another way in. Malekith followed Oxyotl as the skink swiftly climbed the rope.
While he had a bit more difficulty due to the weight of his armour, Malekith's elvish dexterity made it possible to keep up with the lizardman…albeit with considerable effort.
As they ascended the tower wall and up to the ramparts, Malekith couldn't help but think how lucky he was, 'Not only do I have help now, but Slaanesh isn't even here at the palace? Maybe that's why Asuryan didn't seem to be concerned about me encountering Slaanesh. I don't know what the Court of the Covenant is, but it sounds like it might be a meeting between the Chaos Gods. This is bizarre, but I can hardly complain considering my fortune. If I make it out of this successfully, perhaps I should reconsider my opinion on these reptiles. Who would have thought one would help me here? I'm amazed this creature trusts me...maybe he's just desperate? I think I can trust him...at least for now. This creature risked a lot by trying to speak to me.'
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Alright, that's chapter 2 down. Took way longer to release than I initially planned, but that was mostly due to me not knowing when to stop. This was originally one really long super chapter and I ended up splitting it in two and releasing them together. Now I know the theme is excess here…but even I'm not immune to CHANGE. Hopefully, you guys found this continuation enjoyable.
So…I described the Marcher Fortress and the subsequent Circles of Seduction with as much detail as I felt was necessary to paint a clear enough picture of what Malekith is witnessing on his journey. I kept some parts vague in order to let your imaginations do half the work and so that this didn't go even longer. Now I could have easily gotten lost in the weeds and made half a chapter per circle going into boring detail…but that would be a bit tedious to read and for me to write. Consider my descriptions of this journey something of a summary. It took a long ass time for Malekith to get through it and you got the basic overview of how each circle went. Fret not though, my few readers, because I don't intend on rushing things once we get to the actual good stuff.
There are a few things I'll talk about regarding the circles and Malekith's encounters though them. So…Avidity and Gluttony are not the types of places that Malekith would fall prey to even canonically. He got through those first two circles fairly easily and there's no real reason to justify why here. The circle of carnality was a bit more difficult as it tempts one's deepest and most depraved sexual fantasies. Obviously, we saw some messed up stuff such as Malekith seeing a fake version of his own mother and even his sister. Now canonically, it's been retconned about the Malekith and Morathi (sexual) stuff…but personally I always sort of interpreted it as a she molested her son kind of thing. Morathi being obsessed with Aenarion and a hedonistic sociopath could very reasonably do that kind of thing to Malekith as he's her only tie left to Aenarion. This is a real phenomenon in our world called the Jocasta Complex where a mother forces her son to fill the role of a husband and jealously keeps him from romantic endeavors. Mothers with this condition are also typically narcissists and actively sabotage their own sons from "growing up". Morathi did exactly that even in the canon…so yeah. Don't worry though…Malekith isn't about that incest life (anymore). I just feel like it makes the strange love/hate relationship he has with his mother even more traumatic and psychologically scarring. I'll mostly leave this vague unless you sickos really want details. The part about Yvraine also makes sense to me since I don't think Malekith would have hesitated to marry his sister to be Phoenix King…especially if they didn't grow up together AND she looked like Astarielle. This is more or less here to showcase that our protagonist is not some paragon of moral justice and purity…he's even more messed up than HE thought he was as Slaanesh's realm reveals all of one's innermost desires and secrets. This is important in Malekith's mental rehabilitation from being evil. And yes I do consider Malekith closer to the evil/dark side on the grey spectrum.
Now obviously, the canon Malekith would most certainly fail at the Circle of Paramountcy. It's everything he ever wanted…all of the elves acknowledging him as their hero and king. Yet, the only reason he's able to overcome this circle in my story is because of his talk with Asuryan. He knows this dream is impossible and that he doesn't deserve it. Even as selfish as he is, the Witch King isn't delusional enough to think the Asur will ever like him. Right now, Malekith truly believes that he has to become a martyr like Aenarion to ever gain any semblance of redemption in the eyes of elvenkind. Even knowing that, he's starting to come to the realization that doing so wouldn't even matter since the elves are doomed to die out without drastic change. In the past he believed that becoming Phoenix King was the only way to do this, but now he sees things somewhat differently. He's starting to believe that he should just make Naggaroth better instead of lusting after Ulthuan. He's beginning to accept responsibility for the depraved existence of the druchii and the responsibility of being their king. Will he be able to save his own kingdom…let alone the world? As you know in the canon end times, Naggaroth gets overrun and Malekith and Kouran have to fight Valkia. I went a bit off topic there…just food for thought dear reader. Expect Malekith's future priorities to focus on changing Druchii culture. That will of course bring about assassination attempts, civil wars, and scheming politics. After seeing Slaanesh's realm, you can bet he's not going to tolerate the Cult of Pleasure anymore…even if they supposedly worship Atharti.
The circle of Vainglory was probably the least descriptive one I did out of the six. For those that don't know, if someone feels any pride at the whispers they hear along the way, they are led off the path and bad things happen. Now I'm of the belief that one can get through this circle with some pride so long as their purpose outweighs their personal feelings. Malekith by this point in his journey is suffering from major depression and has had a lot of introspection by now. The prior circle filled him with nothing but regret and shame at how all of his actions in life made his dream impossible. Self-hatred and regret made the circle of vainglory easier to pass through.
As I mentioned there, he only makes it through because he doesn't feel proud of anything deep down. All of his achievements are linked to a failure, a betrayal, or a disappointment. His entire life is filled with shame, rage, and false bravado to cover up his own insecurities of not living up to his father's legacy. Not only that, but Malekith believes that everyone (including his own followers) hate him. He would have never passed this circle if not for self-loathing he feels about his own miserable existence. I don't think any other elf in the Warhammer setting other than Aenarion could normally get through this circle without plot armor or by being brought through it by seekers. If you think about it…all elves are insufferably and nauseatingly proud of EVERYTHING they do. You have to hate yourself or have an inferiority complex with an impossible goal to get past the Circle of Vainglory.
I feel like this circle is also the deadliest to other greater daemons. You'd have to be a self-hating bloodthirster like Skarbrand or an alien-thinking creature that can't see the world normally like Kairos to successfully get through without feeling pride. I also think Ku'gath could get through since even though he feels proud of his plagues, he also has an inferiority complex about not living up to the perfect plague Nurgle brewed originally. Having an obsession linked to an inadequacy is key to conquering the Circle of Vainglory. Characters like Malekith and Skarbrand could pass through it for the same reason…because they hate themselves and strive for an impossible task of achieving glory and redemption that they know they don't deserve.
A regular bloodthirster would have a much harder time as they're typically proud of all the glory they bring to Khorne or the skulls they've collected. In Total War Warhammer 3 Realms of Chaos, all the various legendary lords have to go through this circle to get to the palace. I don't think ANY of them could canonically make it except for the named greater daemons and possibly Tzarina Katarin (who canonically does in the game's canon but not official lore). I think the Ice Queen could make it because she's ultra devout and seems like she's always trying to live up to her father and her people. I believe all that bravado is just a front to cover up insecurity (similar to how I see Malekith). The dragon siblings are super prideful (especially Miao Ying) and I don't think they could make it normally. With that said…they are god-like beings. It's possible a god-like being could easily bypass the circle (Nagash, Ariel, Cathay Dragons, etc), but I don't count that as actually conquering the circle if you're a god/demi-god. Oxyotl obviously made it in this fic, so I believe many lizardmen character could. They aren't motivated by pride, but by cold logic and purpose. I'd be curious to know who you guys think could also make it through the circles and specifically the Circle of Vainglory without godly power.
As for the Circle of Indolency…it is without question THE most dangerous of all the circles to mortals. Malekith almost falls prey to this place and likely would have without his Armour of Midnight. He uses dark magic to inflict pain on himself to stay conscious here. You can't fall asleep if you're in agony.
Now originally, I planned on adding a "Boss" to the end of each circle that Malekith would have to fight, but I decided against it as it completely contradicts the point of the circles in the first place. Slaanesh wants people to come inside and go deeper (pun intended). Plus, this journey would have taken forever to write out If I did write this in. Darth Malekith is going to have plenty of boss fights in this story anyways, so don't fret if there's not much action yet.
Finally, we get to the most important part of the chapter…Malekith reaches the Palace and has an unlikely encounter with everyone's favorite Doomguy Assassin "The Only thing They Fear is You" Chameleon Skink…Oxyotl. Oh yeah boys…Malekith and Oxyotl are teaming up while being trapped in the Realms of Chaos together. As unlikely as this seems, Oxyotl doesn't know what dark elves are since he's been in the Realms of Chaos for millennia. He just sees an elf mage that managed to make it through Slaanesh's realm without falling prey to temptation. He also gets visions and Malekith was in one of his visions. I'll showcase the details of that later.
Honestly, I always thought something like this should have been canon. Timeline wise, he and Malekith would have been in there at roughly the same time…so this encounter isn't an impossibility. I think canonically, Oxyotl doesn't even get out until close to the End Times. Plus who doesn't want to see the best lizardman character (after Kroq-Gar) make an appearance in this story? I also kind of liked this idea since it will drastically change Malekith's opinion on Lizardmen and the Old Ones whenever he starts his quest to save the world.
Also, some skinks can canonically speak other languages. There was the whole deal with Marco Columbo in Lustria which is one example. I also vaguely remember some old fluff where Araby of all nations did some diplomacy with lizardmen. Skinks are very intelligent and social, so I don't think it's outlandish for them to learn the languages of lesser races. Obviously Slann are psychic so they can easily communicate with anything they choose to. Saurus and Kroxigor aren't talkative at all and it's certainly unheard of for them to talk to warmbloods. Though I'm willing to bet the really old and intelligent ones like Kroq-gar understand other languages even if they see no point in speaking them. Nakai was a first generation Kroxigor, so I'm positive he's super wise and intelligent for a Kroxigor since he's even older than most Slann. As for Malekith knowing some amount of Saurian, I mean the guy is almost 7000 years old, so I don't think it's unreasonable for him to know a lot of languages. He learned the dwarven language fairly quickly with the help of his best friend Alandrian and he also probably had to learn Anoqeyån to some degree in order to learn higher magic. This language is sort of like the biblical language Enochian in our world (or in this case the original language of the ancient world of WHFB) that has derivatives. Eltharin is a simplified version of this language and I imagine High Saurian is as well. It's similar to how Italian and Spanish are variations of Latin. That would make learning the other one easier for someone since they have many similarities. Anyways…I just wanted you guys to understand my justification for why Malekith and Oxyotl can communicate with each other.
So that brings me to a narrative/plot feature about WHY Oxyotl is still there. First of all, he's not a mage and he can't operate portals to get out of the Realms of Chaos himself. That's the main reason he's interested in Malekith's help. The other reason is Oxyotl is looking for the main MacGuffin of this story called the Puzzle Box of Xholankha which is currently in the Palace of Slaanesh. It was stolen from him by Shalaxi. Oxyotl is also being hunted in the Realms of Chaos by Kairos Fateweaver (who also wants this unusual relic). It's related to the Prophecy of Dawn and that is the main plot of this entire story and is related to the title. Malekith is about to get roped into the Great Plan whether he likes it or not.
For those that don't know, Xholankha is the name of the Lost Old One. He is most well-known for training a first generation Slann named Chiccotta (who was the Lord Kroak of the Southlands and ruler of Zlatlan, the lost city. Chiccotta purged the Southlands of all daemons before dying). This puzzle box was a relic that Xholankha left behind to Chiccotta. (It's non canon). Chiccotta gave the puzzle box to Lord Pocaxalan for safe keeping (the Slann Oxyotl served). Obviously, Kairos doesn't want the lizardmen getting this puzzle box and you'll find out why later on. As I mentioned, it can manipulate time. It can also suppress prescience (the ability to see the future). Lord Pocaxalan dies canonically to rapid aging into decay as well as the majority of Pahuax. Slight spoilers here, but Malekith's journey will involve finding the keys for the box. There are three keys, and they are spread across the world in possession of important characters. Hopefully that's enough to pique your interest in the direction this story is going.
Thanks for reading up till now. I'd appreciate any feedback you have, but don't feel obligated if you don't want to review. This story is mostly for me anyways, but I'm glad to share it with others. I hope you continue to follow this story if you made it this far. Chapter 3 is already done and should be up soon if not already.
