Shadows of the Dark City

by TheChristianPrimarch

Marcus, an Imperial officer captured by Drukhari on the planet of Arina, is forced into a life of combat in the gladiator pits of Commorragh. To survive this nightmarish reality, he is forced to ally with Xenos, including Thalindra, an Eldari Farseer. He quickly finds himself pushed to the limit by a Succubus who wishes for nothing more than to see him suffer...

10. Chapter 10

Summary:
The test to get rid of the Humans and Tau approaches, with our heroes now being close to facing another deadly challenge, start to question what they should do to survive Elyria's sick game. Arandur's face-to-face with the sadistic Succubus has shaken him up enough to question his overall demeanor until now and Thalindra is taken to the Haemonculus table to be healed and studied, while the others just wait.

One thing is certain Marcus will be fundamental in finding a way out of the deadly challenges that encroach on them.

---

Quick Notes:

So I am making this note at the beginning of the chapter to announce two important things:

1º - I am proud to announce that BillyFish1409 is officially the editor of this story, and has helped me a lot when it concerns refining, reviewing, and making this whole thing on a far more superior quality than before. So share some love, go check his work out, and appreciate that this awesome dude is helping me deliver higher-quality content for you guys;

2º - This is the conclusion of the second Arc of the story, so that is why it took some time to release it, so next time when it comes to an arc conclusion I'll warn you guys, so you don't think I dropped this story, that being said, I hope you enjoy the next 20k words that conclude this Arc of the story!

---

Shadows of the Dark City 10

Of all the places Thalindra had trodden in her life, this place was by far the worst. She was good at hiding her discomfort, but being in this place was suffocating, the suffering, death, and negativity seeping through the walls.

This place vibrated as if alive, and she wasn't past believing that it indeed was. It was well known and documented that the Haemonculi had an absurd control over life and death, their flesh crafting arts making them capable of sculpting any biological matter to fit their necessities. For Vyle, his imagination was the only defining limit to what he can do.

Another strange thing the Seer noticed was that the spire itself had flares of energy, which made her even more confused and unnerved, since it could mean the entire building was in some way alive, complete with a soul which was now flaring around them erratically, its black and shadowy aspect filling the rooms as shades until they reached their destination.

But of all of the many dreadful and distorted things she witnessed while going towards the laboratory of Acharon, nothing caught her more by surprise than the Haemonculus himself. Through all the possibilities, this single Eldar, by some work of his dark arts or Asuryan knew what, managed to do the impossible...he had no apparent soul.

Where his flames of life would burn even in shadows and perversion such as Elyria's, it was completely absent of any kind of flaring, in fact looking at him she could not peer at his very core. Not once through all her path, had the Farseer managed to witness such an anomaly. Her mind raced thinking about how could this be, trying to figure out from some of her studies a plausible explanation for how this creature managed to accomplish that.

Her inner musings were cut short as Vyle guided her to the other side of the lab far from the green bubble cell. The Drukhari pointed towards a black metallic operating table as he spoke, his voice maintaining his sickening calm and soft tone.

"Sit over there, we will begin shortly."

Once again the Farseer chose to comply, knowing full well that the entirety of this structure was a weapon in itself, so even if she managed to hit him with a well-thrown bolt of energy they would be killed by whatever this place is.

The Haemonculus turned his back to her as he kept fixing something in a hovering cart next to the bed on which she was sitting.

"Thalindra Starweaver. How does it feel?"

He spoke nonchalantly as he kept his focus on whatever he was doing.

"What exactly?"

Her tone was emotionless, not wanting to give him any reaction whatsoever. His response was a short, soft laugh.

"Being here in Commorrogah. I gather that a place such as this to someone like you can be literal poison to your soul."

"Yes...Indeed it is."

He hummed as the Drukhari turned towards her, a strange device in his hand, looking like a chrome aluminum tube with small metallic tentacles going out from its end. They wriggled around as if they were alive.

He almost appeared to glide as he moved around the Seer, and although he was taller than her, no sound came from him as he stopped behind her.

"Well, the procedure is simple. I'll let this little tool of mine connect with your central nervous system, and from it, I can attest any damage caused to your frame so I may repair it."

"However I'll give you one small warning though...it is going to hurt. Quite a bit."

Before she could react he shoved the device on her lower back, the moment the cold metal of the object touching her back as a searing pain took hold of her. She felt the multiple probing tentacles tearing her skin, wriggling around her as it fused with her nerve endings. She could feel every little movement and every single wire of the tool merging with her nerves.

She couldn't help but scream as the pain pulsated with the device still inserted, her head feeling like it could explode, her consciousness to the point of fading due to the sheer pain of having such a sensitive part of her being so unceremoniously probed.

But just as this horrible suffering started, it ended as the Dark Eldar took the device away to a small biomechanic terminal. He inserted the tube into an opening to the side as he let the machine run its proceedings.

"A horrible procedure, but unfortunately short."

He spoke more to himself than to her as he kept his gaze glued to the screen in front of him. After some moments he nodded at the results before gliding towards another cart to her right side.

"Your body is in perfect condition, but your brain appeared to sustain some damage due to overuse of your psychic abilities. The solution to it is very simple, although you won't have time for it. And that is rest, a deep meditative state as your kind is very familiar with for a longer period could fix the problem in its entirety. But you don't have the luxury to do so..."

He turned around a needle filled with a deep red liquid in his right hand.

"I'll inject you with this potent concoction of mine, directly into your cortex. This will force your body to enter an artificial healing coma, lasting a single cycle instead of the long and rather boring time you would need to be fully restored. You'll be as good as new!"

He finished with enthusiasm as he stood before her once again the long needle between his fingers.

"But before we do that, I have a final question for you...Do they know?"

Her eyes widened in confusion as he stared at her, his expression betraying nothing. Not being able to see his essence and hear his thoughts at this moment left her in a very tight spot.

"Do they know what you are? What have you done? The Mon-Keigh I mean..."

"You don't know me, and whatever you think you may know is wrong. And both of your questions? Take them back to the void where your wretched mind should remain."

Her reply had come before Thalindra could stop to ponder if she should have uttered them, even more so being face to face and so close to one of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy. However, his response was far from what she expected, as he let out a simple and short giggle.

"Oh dear, I must have hit a soft spot. The thing is Farseer, that although I find your empathy for the meat to be quite amusing, this whole thing won't work out in the long run and you know it."

"The humans may be dumb, but they are not clueless animals, they'll come to piece this puzzle together eventually, and before you know it...you will die with a blade in your back."

"And what do you know about them? Since I've seen far too many of them to have a better grasp of their nature than you that I guarantee."

Thalindra did not back down, this time she maintained her verbal resistance to the absurdities uttered by the Haemonculli. His response was a long, drawn out laugh, broken by maniacal giggles and cackles, as if mocking her response.

"Dear...I know everything about them. I know what their entrails look like, how their brains respond to 1000 different types of cuts with different blades, I know how their screams sound like after one week of uninterrupted torture, I know how they respond to seeing their loved ones be maimed and gutted just right in front of them, but especially the expression they make when I drag my blade through their still beating heart right in front of their eyes..."

With his words the Seer noticed that all she read about the Haemonculli was an understatement of the real thing, a monster with no semblance of ethics, morals, or even limits. He talked about such atrocities as if they were akin to drinking water. Acharon did not hesitate, stutter, or even alter the volume of his voice as he replied to her, such a clinical posture unable to be put together with such vile obscenities.

"...And I also know that they don't take kindly to someone who destabilized and obliterated an entire planet of their kin bearing their so-prized Imperial banner."

This made her eyes widen since no one aside from Ulthwe should know of this information, all of her operations were dealt with in secrecy, especially this one, so how in Isha's name could Vyle know that?

"Oh? You wish to know how I know?"

He asked as if reading her mind once again, which made her question if this monster had similar abilities to her, something she hoped was wrong.

"Any Haemonculli worth his weight has eyes and ears far beyond the walls of the Dark City. Dear...Your people are not as secretive as you imagine they are, especially with someone of your caliber."

His answer instantly made her do a double take, his words implying that either someone was talking too much to the point of this information reaching Commorrogah of all places, or that someone back home was a spy for the Dark Ones.

"You lie! No child of Ulthwe would act as a spy for your ilk!"

"You would be surprised, my dear, at how many proud Asuryani sell themselves for promises of riches and pleasure..."

Before he could finish, the Farseer threw a single bolt of energy towards the hulking Druchii, and as if he were made of liquid his body opened a hole to let the bolt pass by, closing itself on exit.

"Tsk...Tsk...Tsk Thalindra you are so naive. Do you really think you can hurt me?"

In a moment she felt the searing pain in her head, which prompted her to drop back into the surgical table, rolling in agonizing pain, his voice coming to her in its usual suave monotone.

"I'm far older than you think Farseer, and not some opponent you can throw things at and kill me. No no no, many had attempted to punish me for my words, but let me tell you something..."

He leaned in, fingers away from her ears.

"All of them failed, and they were far smarter than you, dear child. So be good, and let me talk will ya?"

She grit her teeth, refusing to let a single whimper out of her mouth as he kept her gaze on her.

"Will ya?"

This time the pain doubled in pain as his voice rose in volume, his eyes brightening with teal light at her reaction.

"WILL YA?"

Acharon's tone for the first time in this entire conversation got coarse and rough, being far more threatening than Thalindra was comfortable admitting. Not being able to bear the pain she let out another scream.

"YES!"

With that, the pain instantly ceased as the echoes of the horrible headache still lingered.

"Good, now that this is out of the way...understand that I'm merely warning you out of genuine worry. Is not every day that such a fine specimen comes through that door."

Vyle's voice was back to his usual soft passive tone as he straightened up his black robes.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, the humans. Be wary of them, if you expect that things will remain civil, drop such notions quickly. All of you are to be put in the Arena to give a show, not to be friends. The audience wants blood, intrigue and drama, expect Elyria to do whatever it takes to provide that, so be mindful."

He shrugged at her one final time.

"I expect that you survive for a loooong time here Thalindra, and after that... I understand you and your kind you are free to die in a ditch somewhere for all I care."

Then, in a single motion, he shoved the needle in the middle of her forehead before she could react or do anything, the Haemonculli pushing its contents deep in her brain. It hurt considerably, but faded with the sudden urge to fall asleep. And so she did, the Seer falling limply on the operation table as Acharon stared her down.

---

All of them stood in complete silence, hearing everything happening to the side of their holding cell. The conversation in Eldari, the scuffle, and the threatening tone of the Haemonculli all made Marcus thrice as worried as before, not only for the Farseer but with himself and his men.

Janessa and Ellias stood near the entrance, desperately trying to get a glimpse of whatever was happening, while Darius just sat on the ground beside the Captain, both trying to focus on anything aside from the noise outside this space.

Kais leaned against the wall, his gaze shifting constantly between all who were there, while Arandur just stood in lotus position his eyes closed in deep meditation next to him, giving no reaction whatsoever to the worrying sounds from outside the bubble.

But soon everything went silent, no screaming, scuffling, or conversation to be heard. The atmosphere tense enough it could be cut with a knife, all of the prisoners waiting expectantly for whatever would come next. Like clockwork, the tall figure glided towards the cell, his frame being even bigger than their impromptu quarters.

He stopped as the bubble structure moved around to give an entrance to the Haemonculli. He slithered inside with Thalindra supported by his frail-looking arms, the Drukhari then simply letting her fall to the ground unceremoniously as the Seer's body hit the floor.

"Alrighty then...who is next?"

His tone was completely void of any emotion aside from an eerie calm, his eyes shining in delight at their reactions: all different variations of fear and apprehension. Then he let out his dark mouth curl into a devilish smirk, showing his pointy silvery teeth.

"If no one volunteers...I'll have to choooooose!"

The last words uttered by the foul being were in a mocking sing-song manner, making it clear that just as with everyone else they met in this accursed city, the Haemonculli saw their suffering as some kind of distorted play.

Marcus sighed, knowing if he did not stand up, one of his men would be next to suffer whatever Acharon had in store. Just like in the marking ceremony, it was his duty as an Imperial Officer to take responsibility for his men, to be the one to make a stand as an example for them all.

So just like that, the Captain raised himself from the ground and stood in front of the Dark Eldar, his teal bright eyes staring right at his very own soul.

"Hmmm...This Mon-keigh has courage, I like that."

With that, he stepped towards the exit as the bubble once again opened. Vyle stood at the other side waiting for Marcus to follow him outside. Not having any choice in the matter he just did what was expected of him and followed the tall Druchii towards another place in the lab.

He conducted him toward the table and ordered him to sit, the Captain complied without any words just being there. Vyle rummaged through some of his tools before turning with a weird tube thing with wriggling metallic appendages.

Acharon without much ceremony stepped behind him, lowering his head towards his ear and in a whisper uttered in a sweet tone promises of blinding pain.

"Prepare Mon-Keigh, this procedure is quick, although each extremity of my tool will connect to your spine to assess the amount of damage you sustained, and which areas need my attention. And this will be one of the worst pains you ever experienced in your life...so let's see what colors your soul will make, shall we?"

In a quick motion Acharon shoved his tool in his back, and the moment it touched his skin he felt it as the device searched for his nerves and merged with it. The Haemonculli was not lying it was one of the worst pains he ever felt, but before he could scream bloody murder he remembered Thalindra's words: 'Don't give them a reaction since if you do, they'll know how to break you'.

With that, he certainly screamed inside his mouth, using all his willpower to let his howls of pain be stuck behind gnawing teeth and his sealed lips. But just as it started it ended with Vyle quickly pulling it from his back as he moved towards a small terminal to the side, inserting the tube that was moments ago probing his spine.

He stared without any reaction as it displayed some information in that Xeno language of theirs, but his expression slowly changed with each new piece of information on the display until his eyes widened and he turned towards him.

"You're one of the most fascinating Mon-Keigh to ever cross that door young one..."

He inched closer, his eyes still wide as he kept analyzing all of him, circling Marcus.

"No augmentations, not a single enchantment procedure, no kind of artificial advantage whatsoever...But still managed to survive wounds that should kill you ten times over..."

The Drukhari eyes traveled around his figure, stopping once in a while to peer at the terminal as if to see if he was not mistaken.

"How, I wonder..."

His tone had a subtle hint of curiosity and fascination, a rare show of emotion in his otherwise impassive tone.

"Almost all of your lower and torso bones were broken or fractured throughout your life, over hundred different scars spread across your body. Some of them dating from when you were five years old, the most surprising, shrapnel fragments in your left calf from ten years ago..."

Without any warning he shoved Marcus back to the table, quickly rolling up his left pant leg to inspect the old wound, his frail fingers tracing all the patched skin.

"It must have hurt a lot, having your muscles almost completely torn by that considerable chunk of metal. I could only wish to witness such a delicious moment."

Acharon's black tongue licked his lips as he looked at the scar, his eyes blazing with teal light. It was clear that the Haemonculus was satisfied with the mark of his conflict-ridden past. He slithered away towards a hovering cart, his back to the Captain.

"What is your name Mon-Keigh?"

His voice was back to normal, although the curiosity was still there.

"Marcus..."

The Officer answered hesitantly, not knowing why exactly he was being questioned about his name, especially from someone like Vyle. From what little the hulking Druchii did, he certainly was just as bad, if not worse, than the other inhabitants of this Emperor-cursed city.

With his back still turned, he continued the line of questioning as metallic echoes filled the room. Whatever he was working on sounded unpleasant, to put it lightly.

"What is your rank amidst your defunct force?"

"Captain."

This made him perk up, but once again he resumed working in whatever was above the cart.

"A considerable position for someone like you. How long were you in the service?"

"I joined at 18."

Vyle turned towards him, in his hand a strange device that looked like a weird crab with shiny black metal parts. However, what caught his attention was the expression on Haemonculus' face, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung agape, as if in shock.

But then his lips trembled frenetically before he in a very theatrical manner started laughing maniacally as if he were a villain of some old play.

"This is perfect! Sublime even! Do you know how rare someone like you are?"

Marcus frowned at the wretch before him, his eyes shifting from weariness to confusion.

"What do you mean by that Xenos?"

More maniacal laughter followed his question as if it was some well-elaborated joke.

"You don't have any idea, do you? It makes me wonder how clueless about your existence you are, especially after everything you went through."

"No, I don't, and I don't take kindly for those who mock me Xeno, even if it is you."

Acharon wiped his eyes as little droplets of dark liquid dripped from its corners. He laughed so hard that the Haemonculus cried, and for the Captain, it was clear that the Druchii in question was finding this line of questioning highly entertaining.

"Oh no, no, no...I'm not mocking you, I'm just amazed at how ignorant you are of your value! Do you know the average survival time for a frontline Guardsman is?"

Marcus only turned his head side to side.

"Fifteen hours, Marcus. That is the time most of your ilk manage to stay alive in the hellscape of the trenches and battlefields of your dear Imperium. However, you not only managed to live enough to climb the ranks, but also survive twelve years of a life that was supposed to kill you in fifteen hours!"

"You are a valuable specimen, one worth of my craft and blade. One I would gladly cut open and rebuild into a perfect weapon. You're an "Aonann-am mìltean", a rare breed, a Mon-Keigh worth his weight in gold!"

His smile only got bigger as he explained gleefully a concept that completely eluded Marcus' understanding, for nothing of what this Xeno uttered made any sense to him.

But before Acharon continued on his confusing ramblings, the Haemonculus took the strange creature and left it at Marcus's chest. Its spiky legs moved quickly on the surface of his clothes, making the Captain instinctively stand up and slap the creature away as it moved quickly around his body.

The being then simply stopped right in the middle of his back before using a small needle structure underneath to pierce his clothes and skin. As soon as he felt his skin being pierced, the Captain groaned in pain, trying to reach his back to take the thing off.

Yet he felt a strange cold yet soothing liquid be injected into his back, making his body instantly relax, his knees feeling like jelly as he collapsed towards the ground.

"This small contraption I created, and injected into you, is a small dose of a personal mixture of mine. It will speed calcium production in your body to seal off those cracks in your ribs."

Vyle lowered himself to the ground, taking the human in a bridal style carry back towards the table, his eyes observing the Imperial's reaction.

"However, I still need to make some repairs to your internal organs, especially after the blow you received. We can't risk you dying from internal bleeding can we?"

Putting Marcus gently on the table, Acharon turned back to the cart containing his tools, once he turned around The Imperial almost fainted after noticing the huge strange saw instrument.

"What do you plan to do with that?"

"I told you Mon-Keigh, repairs..."

All that could be heard throughout the lab was the contained screams of the Guardsman as the Haemonculus tore his body open without any form of anesthetic.

---

Elyria stared in satisfaction at the structure built by her Initiates. Although the idea behind it was simple, its design had a clear purpose of finally eradicating the Mon-Keigh from the equation, closing in even more on the Farseer as the main course of her "menu".

"Lady Elyria, It has been almost a cycle now. Won't you think that Acharon was due to have finished repairs to your property by now?"

Vespera asked with uncertainty, trying to avoid the ire of her superior. However, different from what the Wych expected, the Succubus just put a hand on her chin in thought before snapping her fingers.

"You're right! I was so focused on the preparations that I almost forgot that I left them with that dreadful Haemonculus."

"Now come, we need to fetch them! What use is our "play" if the actors are not here yet?"

With that, both of them went side by side away from the Arena, the spire of Acharon their destination.

---

The winds howled over the sound of battle around him, people running and screaming as the shells of enemy artillery hit close. The filth on the other side of the battlefield kept firing their weapons nonstop, as the bullets flew around, some sounded like the crack of a whip, too close to comfort. But the Captain did not care as he stared at the person pointing a gun at him.

Even amidst all of the hell around them, Marcus didn't move, his eyes glued to hers.

"How could you?"

Eighteen-years-old. Blond. Female. Wearing the standard uniform of the Guard, her hair previously tied in a tight military bun, but now flying in the wind. Her blue judgmental eyes did not leave him as her laspistol aimed at his face, some meters away from him.

"I had no choice, Nora, it was them or us..."

His voice carried a deep sorrow and remorse, that although what he said was true, it still pained him greatly to have taken that decision, and she could notice that.

"Don't frakking lie to me, Marcus! You always had the choice, but you chose to let them die so you could live!"

"Nora, listen! You don't understand how this works. If they order you, there is no other option aside from obeying. There are no buts, if you go against it you and your men are the next in line on the firing line."

"Then so be it! At least you'd have balls and die as a true hero doing the right thing, one who stood against the injustice being committed!"

"No, I would die unremembered alongside my men, known as a heretic, my act of defiance giving even more credence to their baseless accusations against your father."

"So killing them was the right call then?"

"No, but..."

"Was it Marcus?"

"No, but please let me..."

"WAS IT?"

"THEY WERE ALREADY DEAD!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs as her eyes widened at his outburst, his eyes containing the unbridled fury of a man who had enough of her, this war, and life itself.

He had reached the boiling point, the last semblance of tolerating his situation breaking at that moment. The Imperial knew the weight of what he was saying, but at this moment he was too exhausted to try and bullshit his way out of this.

"The moment the order arrived they were dead. If it wasn't the 88th it would be the next one, maybe one who would not have any mercy or qualms of torturing and killing them. To the higher-ups, they were heretics and needed to be dealt with as such, doesn't matter what me or you think of it..."

His tone was somber, his words seemed far more to himself than to her. In a moment he could not help himself and wondered if this was a way to justify or rationalize the decision he made all those years before.

Nora's eyes burned with anger but the twinges of doubt were there as well. Maybe she knew that already, or thought his words were hiding the truth, one that haunted him since his childhood stuck in that horrid place.

Her lips trembled with a mixture of sorrow and fury as she uttered another question that sounded almost like a plea towards the Captain.

"Tell me the truth!"

His last words were not enough, she wanted more, but if what he just uttered could be considered heresy, the next ones were a crime against the Imperial Creed itself.

"You can't handle the truth, Nora..."

"Please...just tell me why?"

Her eyes were changing from anger to desperation as her entire body shook, the young Guardswoman on the brink of collapse. For the first time through this conversation, he could see the young recruit who came to him, wishing for a new platoon after hers was killed off.

With a sigh, he started explaining something that if overheard by the wrong person, could result in their execution. But she deserved the truth, if nothing else.

"I know that they were good men, and also know that your father was no traitor, but at the end of the day... someone in a distant officce decided that he and his men needed to bite the dust..."

The young girl kept her gun trained at him, not moving a muscle, her icy gaze upon his as she allowed him to continue.

"The truth is that the Imperium is a mess on so many different levels, and there are a lot of very incompetent people running it, this, in turn, leads to what happened to your father. I've seen plenty of good men die based on far less than what your father did, and like I previously said, the moment the order arrived there was no other choice, it was either that or follow in the same footsteps."

"They were innocent."

Her words were soft yet powerful as they left her trembling lips, the desperate affirmation of a grieving and vengeful daughter. Yet in this very moment, an old memory came forth as he remembered one of the very few things his mother had ever said to him.

A simple phrase that contained all the Imperium's philosophy, one that put Chaos at bay and to protect humanity from its corrupting grip. Marcus knew this was not the right time to utter such foul phrases, but at the end of the day, they were the truth, the Imperial truth, and one who was the basis for the death of his friend...and her father.

"Innocence proves nothing."

With a loud gasp, Marcus woke up in a cold sweat from the warm bio-organic ground, looking frantically around, once again the first to come to in his little group of surivivors, not counting Arandur, who seemed to be in the middle of extreme stretching.

He stopped to take a look at his torso, his shirt damp with blood. Rolling it up to take a good look at his upper body in search of any scars or cuts, he was surprised to find himself unmarked. Still, there was a worrying amount of blood spilled all around him.

His breathing was also far better than before, not feeling a single twinge of pain, his lungs completely free to expand with each breath. Oddly, even if the Haemonculus had torn him open with a blade as if he was meat on the butcher's table, he did patch up his insides. His body was not aching in any place whatsoever, including his calf which had fragments of shrapnel from years ago, and he was filled with renewed vigor as he clenched his fists.

Whatever Vyle had done to him had worked in a very twisted way. He couldn't remember much since halfway through he passed out under the horrible pain of having your insides handled roughly by the Dark Eldar.

Soon however he heard the groans of others beside him, his men starting to awaken from their pain-induced stupor, Kais being the last one to regain consciousness.

"Did that actually happen or was it just a nightmare?"

Ellias words rang through the bubble, surprisingly the first one to answer him was the Dire Avenger currently doing some weird extreme yoga pose.

"It did, I'm afraid."

His answer was short and direct, the Corporal was confused by the sudden change in demeanor of the usual hostile Eldar, but still nodded at him to acknowledge his answer.

"So what now?"

All of them were pretty shaken up by what just happened, but they did not have time to dwell on it, Marcus did not know how much time had passed since he went unconscious.

"We wait for Elyria to fetch us, as that thing said..."

All of the group remembered the warning given by Acharon as he took Thalindra to his table. So they stayed put waiting, not knowing how much time had passed since they each went under the knife, but soon those reveries and anxiety were cut short as all of them heard the door of the Haemonculus lab open, and through it came two unwelcome yet familiar figures.

---

Elyria walked with the same grace and arrogance fitting of her. The heels of her armored boots clicked on the ground as she walked towards the bubble, a satisfied smirk on her face as she looked at all of them. She proceeded to circle it as a shark would do its prey, her eyes glinting with predatory satisfaction.

"Are they ready?"

The sweet tone of her voice did not betray the foul nature of its owner, her intimidating gaze fixated on the occupants of the cell, especially the unconscious Farseer.

Then, as if coming from the shadows itself, Acharons towering frame appeared behind her.

"As per your request, they are in peak condition for your next show."

His tone was soft as always, and just like the other Drukhari in the room, did not betray the deepness of his perversions.

"I see... what's up with the little Witch over there? She was supposed to be awake."

"Yes, and she should be in a little while. Had to inject a psycho-regenerative drug into her, the Farseer's brain has been pushed to the limit far too many times. I had to take some measures to avoid you losing your precious attraction."

"Main attraction, Vyle, don't forget that."

"Quite...however, I would like to discuss something with you."

It was clear that his words surprised the Succubus. It was rare that Acharon wanted to discuss anything, let alone something of import. The Haemonculus was known to be aloof and rarely left his spire, a shut-in who refrained from the world outside his creations and minions, so if he wanted to discuss something, it meant business.

Instantly shifting from her usual demeanor of a queen of the arena, Elyria took on the "dealer face" a nickname coined by her father, for when she wanted to barter something out of him. Being well-versed in manipulation and the transactional nature of relationships that were natural for the dwellers of the Dark City, the Wych crossed her arms as she stared at the teal eyes of Vyle.

"Go on..."

"You see...I wish to buy one of your fighters right there."

He pointed with his skeletal fingers, his expression not exposing a single emotion as he stared back at her. However, the very subtle giddiness of his voice betrayed something, and Elyria needed to confirm this unprecedented action.

"Which one of them? I would never consider selling the Farseer to you, my father would..."

"I'm not interested in buying her, my sights are upon the human officer. Marcus, I believe. I can never remember their simplistic names."

She looked back at the bubble, and to be fair, all of their uniforms looked alike, so it was hard for her to discern which one the Haemonculus was referring to.

"Raggedy trench coat. Short brown hair."

Once again she searched for the human being described only to find him in the middle of the soldiers paying attention to their conversation, for the first time since acquiring him she truly stopped to lock eyes with the human. Now she remembered, the same one who defied her in the marking ceremony; given his position, it was possible that he was the culprit in ruining her fathers raid.

His eyes were a deep amethyst, similar to her purple ones, his gaze different than most humans. For the first time since acquiring those Mon-Keigh, she noticed that something about him was off. She kicked herself for not seeing it earlier, the marking ceremony certainly was a giveaway that this man was something more, something that Acharon took notice of before her.

It was time to ascertain if her conclusions in this little game of theirs were correct, so there was only one way to make sure.

"What are you willing to give me for his life?"

Her tone was indifferent, betraying no emotion or the folly she loathed to admit was hers alone. Now the Wych just had to wait to see if the Haemonculus would show his hand.

"Name your price."

She was startled at the lengths he was willing to go to for the human. His disposition to let her decide the price of this transaction proved that something about this human caught Acharon's eyes, something quite rare enough to warrant such disposition on this deal, which only meant one thing:this Mon-Keigh was far more valuable than previously thought, and even with a Farseer in her posse, Vyle's eyes were set upon him alone from her group of slaves.

"Why such an interest for someone so unremarkable?"

She faked ignorance, making it seem that she was not unto the Haemonculus game, her goal to make him believe that she was unaware of the gold in her hands.

"Imperial Officers are far more valuable material to some specific kind of Wracks, and they are rare to come by in this side of the city. The interest is rather simple."

For the second time in this conversation, his tone betrayed his folly, the subtle giddiness of his belief to be fooling her, betraying the exact scheme he was plotting to deliver.

"Acharon," she said with barely hidden contempt as his poor attempt to hide his true goal, whatever that was. "We have done many deals in these past centuries, and I would agree to such a valuaaaaable offer if I did not make a promise to my father to make these humans meet their end in my arena. Sorry, no can do."

And with that, she turned towards the entrance of the cell waiting for the Haemonculus to open it.

"I could clone him you know? Your father would never be able to tell the difference."

His tone now had a subtle hint of frustration revealing he truly wanted to buy Marcus, which only enhanced his value in her eyes.

"So in the name of our good professional relationship, you can make a clone of him, I'll allow it."

She then gave two taps upon the entrance of the green bubble structure.

"Also I would've known he was a clone, and I would never go back in my word with my father...never. The matter is settled."

It was obvious bullshit; she had gone behind her father's back many times, but still, unquestionable obedience was the perfect excuse for this situation.

With a long sigh, the Haemonculus accepted defeat as he opened the cell to allow its occupants to leave. All stood quietly observing her as Elyria looked at every one of them, before finally having enough of the silence.

"All of you OUT!"

---

And so they obeyed, the first to leave being Ellias, followed by Jax, Darius, the clopping hooves of the Fire Warrior, and soon enough Arandur, carrying the unconscious Thalindra before Marcus left. He chose to stay and try to gather what was going on, noticing both Drukhari looking at him similarly to how a guardsman would look at a new fresh pair of boots on a corpse.

It was clear that something had happened, their eyes betraying the existence of some hidden agenda, but he had no time to spare as he followed those out, but not before from under Acharon's long robe a biomechanical tail whipped out, black and shiny, to stop him from leaving.

"An cothrom mu dheireadh ath-bheachdachadh..."

His soft voice spoke containing a very subtle glint of anger. With the Xenos words, the Succubus in a quick maneuver fetched him, throwing him on her shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes. He thought of resisting, but at the moment was not sure what was happening. Despite his own reservations, he chose just to wait and see.

"Faodaidh tu a thoirt leat agus a phutadh sìos do asal, is esan leamsa."

Her tone was angry, her entire posture screamed of someone preparing for a fight, which only made Marcus even more nervous. Succubus and Haemonculi stared each other down before Vyle decided to raise the proverbial "white flag" by lifting his hands in mock surrender.

"Ceart gu leòr...Ceart gu leòr. Tillidh mi air ais a-nis, na bi ag iarraidh trioblaid sam bith le d' athair no ri Cult. Ach thoir an aire air Elyria gur e seo an aon rabhadh a bhios agam dhut..."

Then with a small soft laugh, he finished his argument.

"'S e creachadair a th' anns an duine seo. Chan eil e coltach ris an fheadhainn air a bheil thu cleachdte, mura h-eil thu faiceallach ithidh e thu. Thugadh rabhadh dhut!"

After his warnings, he pulled his tail back to let them go, and Elyria did not waste a second to leave the dreadful lab of Vyle. But before going through the threshold, Elyria turned towards Acharon.

"Chluich thu do làmh ceàrr. Tha fios agam gu robh thu a 'cur dragh ormsa an-dràsta a chuir thu fòcas air agus chan ann air an Farseer. Mar sin tha thu a' toirt rabhadh don neach ceàrr Vyle, mura h-urrainn dhut fiù 's do chlàr-gnothaich fhèin fhalach, ciamar a bhiodh dùil agad a bhith a' taomadh ris an canar " creachadair""

With those words, the Succubus and her assistant departed back to the arena, Marcus still awkwardly hanging on Elyria's shoulder.

---

Kaltharis was bored out of his mind, being the first to arrive at the VIP lounge. His uninterested eyes stared at his daughter's design for today's show, at least delighted to know that she had followed his advice after all.

Zeraliyah stood behind him, her soft hands giving him a relaxing neck massage. For all her faults, the Exodite was very skillful with her hands, most certainly she would be a proper mate to someone back at her home had not been raided.

"Kal..."

Her soft words came to his ears, the all too familiar tone she used when wanting to make a request, and one that was too cozy to be used in public.

"Don't call me that in public, slave..."

"Apologies my Lord...I just wished to ask something, if you may allow it."

He signaled with his hands, giving her his permission to proceed.

"May I excuse myself back to the spire?"

This was to be expected since he bought her, the Archon knew she hated all of their gatherings and culture, but especially the gladiatorial fights and the parties that came with it. The drug and sex-riddled events alongside the unwarranted and abundant bloodshed were not something endearing to the Exodite's tastes.

It was a shame really, since this was one of the very few events he enjoyed in the Dark City, especially the gladiatorial fights. It was mental exercise to watch two enemies with totally different approaches to battle go at it. The drugs and sex were just desserts for him, but he knew very well that his tastes were not shared by his prized companion.

"Not yet. When you start to see the guests getting hammered you can go, and ask one of the guards to take you back."

"You're too kind my Lord."

Her words were filled with honest gratitude, they managed to make his dark and shriveled heart flutter, it was one of the small things she did that managed to get these reactions out of him. However, everything in the Dark City had a cost including some "favor" done in "goodwill".

"Be mindful to prepare yourself for me. I won't let you rest until I'm completely satisfied, do you understand?"

Her cheeks had a faint blush at his words, just like she knew how to press his buttons, the Archon also knew how to press hers. Zeraliyah nodded agreeing with the terms given by him.

Once turning his attention forward once again, he couldn't help but loath himself a little for letting the Exodite have so much power over him. He had already fallen for this trap once before, one that almost got him killed, but the truth is that his only weakness has always been love.

The correct way to deal with this Exodite should be to make her gag herself upon his mighty cock, to utterly humiliate her, to show all his kin how Kaltharis was able to make even the most promising of the Exodites kneel before him to give very sloppy and slow head, but the truth is...

From the moment he saw her in that auction, that pesky feeling he tried so desperately to snuff out came forth. Just like when he met her for the first time...

Damn him for allowing this weakness to fester, some sweet words and her calling him by the nickname reserved for when they were alone in his chambers were enough to make him give her what she wanted. Without any kind of punishment, humiliation, or some depraved act that would certainly break her.

He hated himself for allowing all of this to happen, he felt ashamed, just as the first time when he noticed that he had in him to feel those things. But at least the jewel of his crown was not fated to such inclinations as him, that was certain, Elyria was ruthless, cold, and calculating the perfect and shining example of what a true Eladrith Ynneas is supposed to be.

She was born to conquer Commorrogah, to be the perfect example of someone of House Vex should be. And that above everything else is what brought a smile to his face, in the end, his daughter had inherited her mother's ruthlessness.

"Hello, father!"

'Speak of the Mandrake...' he thought as his daughter's voice reached his ears. This brought a smile to the Archon's face as he greeted her daughter with his signature smirk.

"Well well, I was starting to think I would have to oversee their work now!"

He joked as he pointed towards the many initiates of the Cult of Strife who were finishing up setting up the arena.

"Shut it. I was busy fetching the attractions of this night. And I must say Father, the discovery I made while at Vyle's will blow your mind..."

This made him perk up a little. Elyria was known for her theatrics, but when it came to talking to him, she was always straightforward. In other words, she had some good shit to share with him. He hummed, signaling to his daughter to proceed with whatever information she was holding.

"Get this! Vyle wanted to buy one of the fighters off from me, even to the point of trying to fool you to get me to close the deal."

His face contorted into a contained frown, Kaltharis was not happy with the start of this.

"He wanted the Farseer didn't he? I knew that old sleazy Haemonculus would want her the moment he had the opportu..."

He was cut short as Elyria raised her hand, shutting him up instantly.

"Now here comes the best part! He was not interested in the Witch, what he was actually interested in was one of the humans. An Imperial Officer, the brown-haired one who faced Morkfang in the last fight."

That made him squint his eyes in confusion, not expecting this situation. What someone like Acharon would want with that puny human?

He had to admit that what Mon-Keigh had done in the last show was impressive, even with the clear intervention of the Farseer a single human standing up to an Orkboss and surviving is a feat worth noting.

"He can be the one responsible for your failed raid in Arina!"

This made Kaltharis widen his eyes in surprise, now starting to piece the information laid by his daughter together.

"We thought that all leading humans were killed off in the second incursion, that only those four of the main bulk of the defense force were alive. However..."

"This Marcus guy is an Imperial Officer, he may be involved at least indirectly in the defense plan of the second site. Which means..."

The Archon stood up excitement present on his face.

"Which means I can possibly measure up the strategy of the human who bested my approach!"

He cackled maniacally as he understood the possibility presented to him. Kaltharis finally had everything he needed to up his game considerably, first with the Farseer and now with the bastard who managed to outplay his game.

Things were looking up for him in this season!

"Exactly! And based on the Haemonculus reaction to my refusal to take his deal on the Mon-Keigh life, he is far more valuable than we previously thought, we may as well be sitting on a gold mine here."

Indeed things were looking up fairly well for him this season...

---

Thalindra was back in the gardens of Ulthwe, facing the entity wearing Eldrad's face. Itwas different from the usual friendly smile it normally wore, now deadly serious.

"It has begun Thalindra."

The tone was somber and strict, the spirit meant business, and whatever warning it was bringing it called for her full attention.

"What has begun Spirit?"

"The chain of events that will lead to your freedom, however, I've come to warn you."

"Warn me of what?"

The Farseer was starting to get worried with the line of this conversation.

"The One who will come to take the suffering upon himself, he will gather the eye of the darkness to his person, away from the light. His sacrifice saving the servant of Isha, since his light, although dim, will hide the star that is yours."

Something flashed in her mind it was quick but she could see a familiar figure walking away from her his back was the last thing she saw before he marched towards the shadows.

"Heed my words Thalindra, since they come from a place of worry. Keep following your path, and let the Sufferer follow his. Remember these words, they are your salvation."

With a loud gasp, Thalindra came back to her senses, quickly sitting up as if awoken from a nightmare, chills coursing throughout her body.

"Thank the Great Mother you are awake."

The gentle voice of Arandur greeted her as she looked at his figure sitting near her. His expression was one of relief at seeing his friend alive and well.

"What did I miss?"

She wanted to be up to date on whatever may have happened after the dreadful Haemonculus had injected that foul liquid into her brain.

"Not much, aside from that we are due to fight somewhere in the next hour."

This made her look around the room, noticing they were in the now very familiar prepping room. Kais stood leaning on one of the walls nibbling on one of those dreadful food tubes, and the humans in a corner talking amongst themselves. She was still waking up her mind's eye, so their feelings and discussion were still hazy to her.

"They brought us some more of this disgusting food and water, they are at that table in the corner if you're feeling hungry. Or desperate."

True to the Dire Avenger's words, in the far wall was a table with grubs and a large bucket of water. However, the Seer's appetite was shut down at the moment, the experience before being here taking any semblance of the need of sustenance away.

"I'm fine at the moment, but thanks. Anything else worth mentioning?"

He looked sheepishly at the ground, she knew what he wanted to talk about before he could even open his mouth.

"You don't need to do that."

Arandur sighed at the Seer's words, but he decided to do this anyway, it was not a matter of needing, it was the right thing to do.

"Yes, I need to..."

With that he turned his full attention towards her, the Dire Avenger stood up and got on one knee awkwardly before starting something that very few Eldar did.

"I ask for forgiveness, Farseer Thalindra, proud daughter of Ulthwe. Forgiveness for doubting your command and your visions, to question your wisdom. I doubted you at first, I thought you went mad, but now I understand something that I previously did not..."

His face twisted in shame and desire for atonement.

"You wanted to spare the Mon-Keigh from all of this. And although I don't care one bit for their lives, no one deserves this. No one. And you understood that better than any of us and decided to do the noble thing and fight for them, even though their lives mean nothing if compared to ours."

The Seer puts a comforting hand on his shoulder a simple gentle smile on her face as she looks at the Warrior's eyes.

"I accept your request noble son of Ulthwe, servant of Khaela Mensha Khaine. Consider any past due paid..."

With that, she helped Arandur to stand up once again patting his shoulders comfortably.

"As I said in the beginning, you did not need to ask for forgiveness. I made a decision that day, one which delivered us to this fate, but I had already made peace with the consequences of that choice. All who followed me at that time did not see the situation the way I saw it. Many don't understand and will never be able to, but by the blood of my ancestors that was the last straw."

"I should be the one asking for forgiveness, for not being able to uphold my vows as a Seer to our home and not you, Arandur."

Her sorrowful tone made the Dire Avenger widen his eyes. He was going to interject in her defense but she was quicker.

"Yes, I know that I failed to uphold my honor as a Farseer, and no sugar coating will change that. And I'm ready to face the consequences the moment we get return home."

He was going to reply again until he heard her last words, his eyes looking at her in a stupefied manner until it widened in delight. Before he went on a tangent as he usually did in these situations, she just winked at him before turning around and proceeding towards the human group.

Her towering figure stopped just in front of them.

"May I speak with you, Marcus?"

---

The soldier was so entertained in the game they were playing that he almost jumped out of his skin as her silent form stood behind him.

"Oh... o-of course Farseer Thalindra."

With that, he departed from the group which now looked at her with reservation. The Captain let her guide him to a wall away from the prying ears of the others.

'What is the matter?' He asked within his mind, only to receive a gentle response back.

'Use words, not your mind.'

Not understanding her reasoning but complying anyway, the Imperial coughed at his hand before speaking normally.

"What is the matter?"

"We need to discuss the next event."

"I'm all ears."

"I'll consort with the treads of fate to learn what is our enemy's next folly. In the meantime, you must prepare your men for the coming hour..."

"Coming hour? What do you mean by that?"

Her gaze took a serious glint as she stared right at his soul.

"The hour to put aside our differences and join forces."

---

Althorin waited in the corner of the tavern, the hood covering his head leaving only his eyes to peer at the other occupants of the dingy place. Many people were gathered at the other tables, ranging from other Eldar to many other kinds of Mon-Keigh. A common scenery for a Pirate outpost in the fringes of the galaxy, one he hoped to never have to set foot on again.

The smell of cheap Lho-Sticks and booze assaulted his senses, this alone was enough to give him a massive headache. The Exarch had grown way too accustomed to the Craftworld life which in turn prompted him to forget how places such as these looked and smelt like, and to be honest, he deeply hated it.

He took a cup filled with a cheap imitation of Asuryani wine to his mouth, the taste offending his tongue, but it was the only thing mildly consumable from their menu and stuck with it.

Staring as the liquid settled inside the tinted glass, he barely noticed another presence sitting just in front of him.

"You certainly took your sweet time, Ellyn..."

The one in front of him just did a hand sign that even in the politest of translations could be summarized as "Fuck off". This prompted Althorin to finally look at the one he was expecting.

The Corsair in question was the same as the last time he saw her, her long red hair braided into a simple ponytail with a golden pin. Her undamaged eye was just like the hair were a deep bright red the other was covered by an eyepatch made of a lavish dark plum color with a single rune of her banner on it. Something Althorin always wondered was how she lost her left eye, but never once did she tell him its tale.

Her face was decorated with scars from past fights, her body cloaked by a large trenchcoat made of the finest cloths Aeldari could produce. Golden patterns adorned it, making it a very fine and certainly expensive article of clothing.

Under it, she wore purple wraithbone armor, a Splinter Pistol strapped to her belt alongside a Drukhari blade.

"I take the time I need to take, and you should be grateful I'm even entertaining this conversation. The last time we saw each other, you ditched me to go back to your boring and limiting life back on Ulthwe."

Althorin sighed, knowing full well where this was going. He had hurt her pride the moment he decided to reject the now ancient offer of the Corsair Queen. But this was almost a thousand years ago, he expected that by now her anger about the whole matter would be far less than this. Aeldari pride certainly was a very powerful thing when it came to holding grudges, so in a way it was understandable, yet a part of him thought the exercise childish.

"Ellyn, any time of the day I would "love" to delve into the past we shared and how things could have ended better, but I come to you in a place of despair."

"You left a letter on your pillow before completely disappearing...You didn't even have the balls to tell your decision! And now you ask me to put aside all of that and simply indulge in whatever you wish out of me?"

"Yes."

This made her stop his tone was not one filled with anger, but exhaustion. It was clear for all the years she had known him; this situation was different than the others. But still, she was above all else a Corsair and a Queen nonetheless, so whatever it may be, he owes her something...

"Want to be heard by yours truly? Say that you're sorry and admit that you're a coward."

Without hesitation, he raised himself from the chair and knelt in front of her, and in a single yet determined voice obliged to her request.

"I, Althorin proud son of Ulthwe, request your forgiveness, and come forth with the admission of being a coward for not telling Ellyn, Corsair Queen of the Star Reavers my decision."

The Corsair did not expect him to do it so fast and with no hesitation. She had known the Exarch for many cycles, and Ellyn knew he was one of the most prideful Eldar, not a statement to be made lightly. For him to just throw all that way to have her help him, the situation must indeed have been serious.

"That was far easier than I expected..."

Still looking at him on the ground, she let out a sigh, knowing that whatever was coming would be something quite dreadful.

"You can go back to your seat now. Let me hear what made Althorin, Exarch of Ulthwe be in such despair that he just prostrated himself to me..."

Without any further ado, he sat back in front of her, taking a swig of the foul drink before grimacing as it scorched his throat.

"My daughter Thalindra was captured in a Drukhari raid."

This made her eyes widen in realization, a cold grip tightening at her stomach. Ellyn understood now why he had come to her of all people and his despair. His voice dripped of sorrow and anger, fitted for a father who had just lost one of his children to Commorragh.

"I want you to gather some information for me. I know you have ears across the Dark City, and I also know you have contacts with some of the dreadful Khabals down there, so use this to find anything about her."

She thought his request over before answering with a mere sigh.

"Listen, I don't want to be the one to say this to you, but since we are having this conversation, I must. The chances of finding anything about your daughter, let alone finding her alive, are pretty slim. The Dark City is gargantuan in size and is a labyrinth, even an Eldar in that place would get lost if he did not have a guide. And the population of those who dwell there are innumerable, finding her in the midst of all of that forsaken place is nothing short of impossible..."

"I know that pretty well Ellyn, but she was no ordinary Eldar, she was a Farseer. The capture happened while they were in an operation to seal off a tear in some backwater planet, half of the force came back through the portal, and gave us a very detailed description of the banner of the Khabal in question. This should help you with this investigation, wouldn't it?"

For the second time in this conversation, her eyes widened. Taking witches of any kind inside the Dark City was prohibited, and it was a very known fact that Vect himself did not allow their presence within the confines of Commorrogah. But this information also helped to severely decrease the options of perpetrators, to some Khabal dumb or influential enough to have a possible pass at this.

"Do you have the drawing of their symbol by any chance?"

Althorin nodded, fetching something off the great hood he was wearing, a simple parchment of clear paper with a very precise and refined drawing. In a mix of relief and dread, it was one she recognized very well.

"Obsidian Fang. If these are the guys who took her... they're bad news all around, not much aside from those who trade with them is known. However, the one commanding it has a reputation for being a former personal guard of the Dark Lord himself."

The Exarch only stared back at her, his focus on her words unrelenting, his tone devoid of emotion as he questioned her.

"Who is their leader?"

"A reprobate known as Kaltharis Vex."

This name made the eyes of Althorin change to a fiery red, brightening up with the unbridled rage of a father.

"And where do I find him?"

His tone was hateful, the ire dripping from each word as it left his mouth. Not once in her entire life had she seen Althorin in such a state.

"What? You can't be seriously considering barging through his front door like a maniac, are you?"

"YES, I AM! HE STOLE MY DAUGHTER FROM OUR FAMILY, DRAGGING HER TO THAT DREADFUL PLACE TO SUFFER ENDLESS TORMENT. AND IF YOU THINK I FEAR HIM OR THAT DESPOT KNOWN AS VECT, I FACED FAR GREATER THREATS THAN THE LIKES OF THESE MEN!"

He was on his feet, his chair flying away behind him as he stood, his body shaking with unbridled fury. The thirst of Khaine was consuming him with despair of losing his child, but still, Ellyn had consideration enough for the old Exarch to bring him back from his bloodthirsty haze.

"Althorin, unnecessary. Sit down, the others are staring..."

True to her word, everyone inside the tavern where staring at them as shame ate at him. Quickly, the Eldar simply took his chair from the ground, sitting upon it once again. His eyes shifted back to his usual green color, as his demeanor changed from wrath to calm once again.

She waited as the others turned away before continuing.

"Look, there is the right way of doing this, unfortunately, that way isn't yours. This is one of the things that should be done my way, the Corsair way..."

Allyn raised 3 fingers in the air lowering one as she proceeded with her explanation.

"First, money, lots of it. Since I'll put a prize for anyone with information about your kid, this will be way faster than if you go there and try to beat the information out of someone."

"I have plenty of riches saved up, and if that is not enough, I believe Eldrad could help."

She nodded before lowering another finger.

"Second, we will need to learn of any possible rivals or better yet rival Khabals who might want to take advantage of this situation. Understand that the Drukhari are simple-minded in a way. Their main goal is to make a profit, take pleasure from it, and acquire victory over those who they despise, so no Archon would pass the opportunity to screw with an enemy."

"Alright...but how we will do that?"

Allyn laughed at his question before answering as if a mother was explaining something to their child.

"There is no "we" in this part or the next. You will have to trust me, like I said we will do this the Corsair way... baby."

Althorin groaned but only nodded waiting for her to lower her last finger.

"Third and last! Organize a rescue plan using the last two steps, but also with inside information. Drukhari always fall short of loyalty, there is a reason the ones at the top of the food chain are so paranoid, so it is only a matter of finding said person, then squeeze everything we need to proceed and save her."

Spoken like a true Corsair, she had everything figured out. He was glad to suck up his pride and ask for her help, as he understood that from all the people he came to know treading his path, only she would be up for this. Most back at home would consider it a lost cause or that Thalindra was already dead. But he digressed, knowing that going around their backs like that could get him some flak, especially from Eldrad, but it was for a good cause, one he was not ashamed to partake in.

"Good, sounds like a plan. And thank you for helping me, I know the last time we saw each other was not on the best terms, but I promise to repay you in kind may one day you need it."

Moving her hand to dispel his formal gratitude, the Corsair queen only looked at him with amusement and jest.

"Ay ay Althorin, don't need to be so uptight. While you're an ass, you still saved my life and also used your status to reconnect with my long-lost sister, so consider what I'm doing for you a friend's favor."

She nodded at him, a small smile adorning her face as she stared back at him.

"And the fact I still find you cute after all these cycles helped a lot in your case. What do you say if we..."

Althorin raised his hand, cutting her off his face was apologetic and awkward, but his tone was firm and sincere.

"No... We don't want to go there; some things are better to stay in the past. Me and Aralith are back together as well, what's left of our family restored, and I love her with all my heart. I can't accept your offer."

Allyn pouted at his words, scoffing at his answer.

"No fun, as always."

A small smile adorned his face she stared back at her.

"Indeed, Allyn. Indeed."

"What do you say we have some drinks before leaving? I want to know more about what you've been up to, after leaving me in that cheap Inn."

His face flushed in embarrassment, remembering his fumble at the end of their relationship. He nodded anyway, not finding any harm in speaking a little with his newfound ally in this endeavor.

And when the drinks arrived, and both drank to their heart's content, the Corsair Queen could not help herself and wondered if their relationship would change should she succeed. Allyn hated the concept of remorse, but now that the only love of her life stood at the other side, gleefully telling the stories of his dear daughter with another woman and she could not help herself and feel for once in a long time the twinges of doubt on the life she had chosen...

---

The crowd was already filling the many rows in the arena, all the preparations ready as her special guests arrived and entertained themselves. She remained focused on the main platform, waiting any moment now for her show to start.

"You appear excited my daughter...I can only guess what you have prepared for us this time."

Kaltharis spoke beside her on his throne, his mistress sitting on his lap as an obedient pet.

"Indeed Father, I took great care in creating the perfect environment to finally rid ourselves these Mon-Keigh."

"Is a shame in a way really...if this so-called Marcus were to die before I could speak to him, I mean. To be honest, him dying a horrible death is equally appealing."

The Succubus let out a giggle, imagining how the silly humans and Tau would look like trying to go through the course she created. Even with the help of the Witch, they would still need to pull their weight if they wanted to survive.

If by some minuscule chance they managed to pull through this, this would still raise their value as slaves. Being able to survive a third show of hers was no mere feat since they were designed to kill their prey in the slowest yet efficient way possible.

Vespera arrived carrying news of the backstage preparations, the only thing she waited to give the green light to the announcer.

"Are we ready to start?"

"Yes, Lady Elyria," the younger Wych said as she bowed in a sign of submission and compliance.

"So go and tell the announcer on with the show! My guests are waiting for this spectacle."

With a last bow, Vespera ran off in a hurry to execute her Superior's orders.

Seeing her go, the Succubus could not help herself but wonder back to her interaction with Vyle, the way the Haemonculus had almost forced that human out of her hands almost beyond reason. Never once did she see that Drukhari react in such a way but to be fair, for the most part he was distant and disconnected from everything, going through the motions of the many jobs he had with the Khabals and Cults. But not this time, going as far as to confront her to try and get his way, his shining eyes giving away something she knew very well...Passion.

Not the boring one, but the one associated with their craft, their reason for being. Similar to her when giving a marvelous performance or organizing one, Acharon showed passion to have that human as his personal molding clay to do as he pleased.

One thing was certain she from now on would pay close attention to "Marcus", this show being the perfect test to evaluate his worth. And if he managed to succeed like last time, she would need to double her efforts to kill him.

"Let's see Mon-Keigh how you fare against what I prepared for you..."

She licked her lips as she stared at the platform waiting for the moment that hell would break loose.

---

Her vision was hazed as if it were filled with smog, but even with this impediment, with the details muddled and the events in random order, this did not affect what she was searching for.

In front of her laid an obstacle course, filled with different platforms and pipes, many of which had spikes or some kind of trap made to kill or push the ones above it towards their death down below into a pool of boiling blood.

It was a long course, made in a way that resembled, in a twisted manner, the ones back on her beloved Ulthwe, made to train the reflexes of the young. But through the chaos of the vision, the liquid under the platforms raised and lowered as if it moved, making it clear they had to take care of the levels of the scarlet fluid under them.

She called forth the rune of the Savior, one which was commonly used to find an exit or a way to leave a dire situation. It worked most of the time, but sometimes in one's path there was no foreseeable way of getting out of a situation. She thanked Isha and Asuryan for that, as it showed a small pressure plate on wall far off to the side next to a platform. Thalindra did not know what it achieved since the rune was not working one hundred percent due to the suppression field, but enough to know that whatever they needed to do to get through this was right there.

Opening her eyes, the Seer turned back to the group, sharing her findings.

"They have prepared an obstacle course; it resembles in a way the ones we use back on Ulthwe. However, they are filled with traps and finished with a pool of boiling blood under the structure."

The captain hummed as he heard her words.

"Is it safe to assume due to the similarity to the ones you guys use, they aren't, shall we say, human friendly? That and-Kais, what are you again?"

He answered with annoyance in his native tongue, which thanks to Thalindra all could understand as 'Tau'.

"Tau...So going back to what I was saying, it appears to me that we got the short end of the stick on this one."

Thalindra nodded gracefully, her frame towering over them as she called forth some kind of smoke to illustrate what she had seen in her vision.

"In a way it is hard for us too, since it has all these different traps. Nonetheless, it's clear to me that all these contraptions are intended to kill you all, leaving me and Arandur alive or to end us all. Either way, the Dark Kin would be satisfied with both scenarios."

She used her powers to highlight some parts of the smoke in a blinking red, showing the vague shape of columns and spikes.

"These are some of the traps we may encounter there, the columns are made to roll across the platforms to knock us into the boiling blood down below. Now these ones..."

Another part of the smoke flashed a strange yellow as it displayed other similar columns as the ones previously presented.

"They are similar to the others, but they have retractable blades, razor sharp of course, to cut, tear, and pierce anything that it comes in contact with."

"So, they are throwing us into a deadly boot camp?" Ellias questioned Thalindra, and while it sounded like a jestful inquiry, his tone was serious.

"Indeed, however, there could be more hidden from me, since this place gets in the way of my ability to peer the treads of fate."

"So, what's the plan?" asked Darius as he stared at the smoke projection.

This made everyone freeze, with the Farseer changing her focus back to Marcus, prompting the rest of the party to look at him as well.

"What, is there something on my face?" he asked in confusion while pointing to his nose.

Thalindra sighed before dispelling the mirage she created, her tall frame in front of Marcus.

"The treads we walk may be muddled, but they are clear in one thing: you are the one to bring us to victory, not me."

With those words, all widened their eyes in shock, especially Arandur, who was completely baffled by his Seer's words.

"You must be joking Thalindra, he is but a mere mortal! And you're putting our very lives in his hands? I trust you, but this is going a bit far don't you think?"

He spoke in accented Gothic as he frantically questioned the other Eldar. However, although he dreaded agreeing with the Dire Avenger, he had to admit he had a point.

"Look, he's right...I may be an experienced Imperial officer, but what we are dealing with here is far beyond my pay grade. Hell, we have you, Thalindra! You can read minds, the future, and even blow things to pieces with only your brain, I can't possibly compete with that! So why are you pushing this onto me?"

For what appeared to be the hundredth time now she gave a simple yet gentle smile, that while appearing to be just a gesture done to soothe his worry, managed to also make his heart flutter. He worried she may have taken notice of that sudden skipped beat, but she did not outright show any reaction to it.

"Fate is mysterious by nature, even for those who can see its many ramifications. We can peer at the branches and the trunk of this "tree", alas, we can never precisely see its end. But one thing is certain, just like with a path if you take a specific turn at the right moment, it leads you somewhere, and the road we are on depends on you to guide us towards the correct turn."

He had to laugh a little at her words due to the sheer absurdity of it, he was just a normal Imperial Guardsman, Marcus while had survived plenty was in a completely alien territory in all meanings of the word. He did not even know what the Drukhari could throw at them, so how could he of all beings be the one to guide them?

"Look I don't know where this is coming from, but there is no way in Throne's good name I'm the right pick for this..."

Thalindra stepped forth once more her now towering form just in front of him, making the Guardsman look up now, her eyes with an intensity particular to them, her expression was serene yet determined, and the gentle smile was replaced by a thin line.

"Fate cares not for what you think of yourself, or your own insecurities. What must be done, will be done, since the alternative is for all of us to die horribly. Do you want that, Marcus?"

While she was not trying to intimidate him, he felt uneasy. Not once had he been in the face of such sheer force in all meanings of the word, and it didn't help that Thalindra was the tallest person he had ever known But in the end, she deserved an answer, one that came from deep within him, one that got him through all the hell before this one.

"No, I do not."

This made the thin line of her mouth curl up into a sincere smile.

"Good. Get to work then..."

---

The crowd was cheering as the familiar voice of the narrator broke the stillness caused by the expectation of the fight.

"Dwellers of the Dark City I welcome you for the spectacle of this evening! The Scarlet Death Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuun!"

Lights shone through the arena, the beams of light moving around before settling on the obstacle course in the center of it.

It had various metallic platforms supported by tall steel-like beams, on top of them a myriad of different obstacles such as walls, axe heads at the end of pendulums, and many other kinds of devices made to either stall or kill its participants. The structure showed the marvelous and precise designs of the one who had envisioned its construction, that person being none other than Elyria herself.

The Succubus stood still staring right at her newest work, one she hoped would either kill the pesky Mon-Keigh allowing her to focus on finally breaking the Farseer and her lackey, or it would prove something to her.

Something that was under her nose and she did not pay attention to it, and in a way, she hoped that all her suspicions after Vyle's little stunt were just overthinking on her part, but the truth is that the Wych may have indeed failed to take heed on the nature of that officer.

If this human called Marcus was indeed one of the human leaders responsible for her father's failure on Arina, this definitely sets himself apart in all meanings of the word.

To confirm this, besides the results of this fight, she would use a little something that came with the implants on their necks, that would allow her to understand what was going on more than just the action that was about to happen.

'Let's see how all of you pathetic worms will play this little game of ours... especially you Marcus.' Elyria thought as a devilish smirk took hold of her dark lips.

---

The elevator they stood on slowly rose, all of them completely encased by darkness as the platform under them moved silently. Their breathing was the only thing they could hear amidst the faint sound of the crowd above.

The Officer knew well his part in the plan, and he would play it. He knew at the end of it all he and his men would need to trust the Xenos. Soon they were engulfed in light as the deafening roar of the crowd surrounded them, all struggling to stand as their eyes accustomed once again to the light.

"And to face this magnificent obstacle, the ones being called "The Merry Band" will have to survive one of the most lethal obstacle courses made for losers such as them!"

"The Merry Band, what a stupid name..."

Darius stated what every one of them thought as he struggled to shield his eyes from the light.

"Losers my ass...till now even with all their silly games we're alive."

Ellias muttered it angrily while staring down the crowd, his nose flaring in anger at the remark made by the narrator.

"Now is the time for all of you suckers to receive what you came for! Let's start this rumbleeeeee!"

And with that, a loud, distorted horn reverberated, signifying the start of the fight. There were no enemies in sight, but the captain knew they had to be quick, nodding to Thalindra before allowing Arandur to take position in front of them.

"Remember Mon-Keigh, follow my lead, heed every word I say, and by Asuryan's grace don't fuck this up."

All of them stood quietly behind him, and then Thalindra in a single movement started floating and taking flight towards the last platform where the pressure plate was according to her vision.

Arandur broke in a sprint towards the end of their platform, but he was mindful to hold back the speed to allow the humans to keep up with his tempo. Reaching the end, he jumped the gap between theirs and the next one. Looking back, he saw Kais as the first to join the Eldar on the new platform, then Ellias followed by Darius. However, Janessa was frozen at the end of it, her eyes staring at the boiling pit below.

"I can't...I can't do this."

Marcus stood there behind her, his gaze on her.

"Move private, we can't stop!"

Then her eyes turned to him and in those orbs, he noticed something he was very familiar with, something primal and powerful: fear.

"By the Gods, what now!?" Arandur screamed, his eyes filled with fury as he stared at them on the previous platform.

"She is scared of heights," Marcus said matter of factly.

His eyes still glued to hers, Janessa looking at the ground being proof enough of his assessment.

"Perfect," mumbled the Dire Avenger as he kept his gaze trained around them.

"Janessa, we don't have time for this. You trust me, don't you?"

She nodded as her eyes shifted between him and the boiling river of blood.

"We will do this together; we jump on 3 okay? No hesitation just follow me, I know you can do it."

Then he went back some steps, which prompted the corporal to copy him, both side by side as they prepared themselves.

"1...2...aaaaand..."

Marcus looked at her one last time, giving her a nod which she answered back in kind, both ready to beat the first obstacle.

"3."

The moment he uttered it, they both ran as fast as they could before finally jumping to the next platform. Janessa did the same, however she kept her eyes closed the entire time to avoid triggering her fear.

They flew for an instant before reaching the next platform, both looking at all the others who were waiting for them. Arandur was the first to break the silence, his tone afflicted with a tinge of anger in it.

"If any of you want to stay alive, be quicker, better, and above all fearless. Since if your female keeps this up, all of us will die."

Then without further ado, the Eldar turned once again, running on the platform towards the next. But this time it had something prepared for them. Two columns came floating as if by magic towards it, the first one rolling down on the ground, aiming to throw Arandur to the ground, or worse, push him towards the pit below.

He was quicker though, managing to evade it easily. However, the next one came hovering towards his head which he managed to evade by mere inches, almost hitting his face full force. He landed gracefully on the ground, but there was no time for him to breathe as another column came at him, its razor-sharp blades moving and rotating menacingly as they prepared to skewer him.

Arandur barely had time to evade as one of the blades got a nick out of his armor. Once again, he managed to land gracefully while looking back at the others who were left behind. He now realized that the traps that came for him would also target the others.

'Shit.' That was all he thought as he ran back to help the humans out of the oncoming traps flying and rolling in their direction.

Marcus had observed very closely the pattern of movement of the traps, while he was certain he could not evade it like the Dire Avenger did, he was certain he could avoid being hit.

"The first one is aiming towards our lower bodies, jump as high as you can on the count of 3. After this one a second comes to hit us mid-flight, so try after jumping to lower your profile as much as you can."

And so, they prepared, all getting in position to execute the maneuver.

"1...2 and 3. Now jump!"

The moment he ordered all of them to jump in unison it was not as high as a certain Eldar, but it was enough to avoid being hit by the rolling column. In the middle of the air, all of them curled up to lower their profile, managing once again to evade the other obstacle.

But this left them to fend off the last trap, the rolling spiked column that was quickly gaining speed on them. The captain barely had time to think before hearing Arandur's voice.

"Run to the sides! You can't jump high enough to evade the blades!"

With that warning, all of them ran as quickly as they could out of the way, which prompted them to almost fall out of the platform, but they once again managed to evade the deadly trap, its blades missing them by inches.

"Run towards me! I can feel this platform vibrating, something is about to happen!"

And just like last time, they ran towards the edge of the platform after Arandur who broke into a sprint towards the next one. Without hesitation the Eldar jumped and so did those behind him, instants before the entire last platform tumbled as if it were a falling domino.

All stopped for a moment to look at what instants before was their ground now being consumed by the boiling liquid below.

"The platforms are also a trap...stay on top of it for long enough and you're dead."

The Dire Avenger tried to quickly explain the newly uncovered challenge, their situation now being far more delicate and dangerous than previously thought.

"Keep moving and don't stop, if we hesitate, we will quickly be all together in a very "cozy" bath of steaming blood."

Once again Arandur broke into a sprint, his elegant form moving in front while guiding them through this new set of challenges. Two spiked columns from each of their sides collided with each other, emitting sparks as the blades touched each other. They were positioned in such a way that the group could not go around to evade the colliding objects, so there was only one option.

"Follow my tempo! They act on a set interval of time, if you manage to follow the exact moment I run, you will be able to evade it."

The Dire Avenger did not waste time running towards the colliding traps, and with precise and well-calculated movements managed to evade the first, turning back to wait for them.

"Wait...now go!"

None of them hesitated before running, the trap almost nicking their backs as they barely avoided the first. And just like with the first, Arandur did the same with the second proceeding to evade the trap and guide them through the second.

Around the fourth one, they were almost at the end, all still unscathed by the traps as all of them felt the platform under them vibrating.

"Time is running short, run as fast as you all can and jump to the next one! Don't hesitate or you are dead."

And just like that he went through the last one, jumping towards the next and looking back at them expectantly. Just like he instructed, all of them with no hesitation went past the last one, the blades scratching their clothes but not deep enough to pierce the skin. In a single moment, they all jumped towards the next one.

The distance between this platform and the next was wider than before, but they could reach the other end with enough propulsion. This time their feet landed with the heels outside the cold hard ground, which prompted almost all of them to fall towards the pit. But the Eldar was faster managing to take hold of Janessa's and Ellias's shirts before they could lose balance, Marcus and the rest struggled to get back onto the platform.

With a loud crashing sound, they could hear the platform behind them collapse towards the liquid down below.

All of them stood breathing quickly, trying to process both their near demise and the grumblings of the crowd that they failed to do so.

However, they were on a roll, Marcus's plan working perfectly with Thalindra's vision. He could more efficiently devise a strategy to undermine the goal of the Drukhari to kill them.

The Imperial could not help but remember the planning phase before this fight...

It was dark as they followed the instructions to wait in the elevator shaft as the fight was due to begging.

"Ok hear me out, knowing what we know thanks to Thalindra it's safe to assume their approach is to break the weak links of the chain...that being us."

They were in a circle as Marcus pointed towards himself, his men, and the Tau. Both Eldar stood quietly hearing him out.

"So, it's safe to assume they will expect two approaches with predictable endings, the first being obvious: you guys leave us behind to reach the end saving your necks..."

He pointed to both the Farseer and the Dire Avenger as he explained the first scenario, and then he pointed to himself to proceed with explaining the second.

"Or you guys try to help us, we hold you guys back, we don't press that plate activating whatever it may be, and...we all die obviously."

However, the captain knew that there was a third option that would work flawlessly thanks to them having someone like Thalindra on their side.

"...Or we do the smart thing and tackle this in two fronts instead of one."

Looking at the Farseer both traded knowing looks, he knew that the Eldar was already in, on what he was planning and her nodding at him before uttering anything just showed her support for his idea.

"Thalindra will focus on pressing the pressure plate, while Arandur will focus on guiding us through the course. This way we raise our chances considerably..."

The other Eldar frowned at his idea, his tone carrying that all-familiar annoyance that Marcus was already growing used to.

"Why should I do this? My priorities are protecting my kin, so in other words you may understand it as protecting her! So having to guide you all like a bunch of younglings will certainly get in the way of doing that."

Arandur pointed toward his friend, showing them that the main source of his disagreement came from the fact that he wanted to stick by Thalindra.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Marcus could not help himself and groaned in annoyance as he proceeded to try and explain his reasoning.

"This obstacle course is made to kill us, so without anyone to lead the way with a better grip on what we are dealing with... that means certain death to me and my men."

The Dire Avenger raised his finger in the air ready to challenge his point before Thalindra shot him a look that cut him off before he could argue.

"Just do what he says."

"But Thalindra he is a..."

This time she raised her hand, a clear sign for him to stop with his grievances.

"If you trust me, you have to trust him also. So do what he says."

The Eldar just threw his hands in the air in frustration, before finally resigning himself to be quiet and keep listening to the human Captain's plans.

Coughing in his hand Marcus needed to make one last thing clear before they proceeded to face whatever waited for them.

"Once there we will go together, we aim to leave this course alive. All of us. So, stick together and do as Arandur says, just as if his orders were coming directly from my mouth...do you all understand?"

All his men nodded and funnily enough Kais as well. Now that they had a course of action, they just needed to stick with it.

He was thrust back into the present as the Imperial could only smile to himself. There were only two more platforms to go before they reached the end, while he noticed that the worst traps and obstacles were here, everything until this moment was going according to plan, that is until the narrator's voice broke the sounds of frustration of a booing crowd who wanted blood and was not receiving any.

"So, this is getting boring...how about we spice things up bringing in some guys to this party hm?"

'Shit' Was all Marcus could think as the crowd started cheering, all of them looked around trying to figure out what they had just heard. But then from the corners of the arena, the new challengers came...

From atop their Reavers came around sixteen of those well-known scantily clad warriors with spears and guns in their hands. Those on the front carried large polearms with sharp jagged tips, made to pierce and tear any meat it came in contact with, and on the back stood the "gunners" as if they could be called that, bearing multiple different weaponry that Marcus was not familiar with.

"Scream for the Wyches of the Cult of Strife, who come to deliver our prey their gruesome deaths!"

Another variable just entered the equation inside the captain's head. At first, he only expected the traps, but they discovered the entire course had some more tricks to show, such as the falling platforms making them have to run to not join the structure inside the pit below. And now they had aerial enemies to worry about, as if not having to evade deadly traps was enough. The difficulty was potentially raised with having Xeno warriors mounted on hovering bikes wanting to get a fast one on them.

Arandur did not waste any time as he barked an order.

"Run towards the end, try to analyze the traps first! I'll engage the ones who come for us, worry only about going towards the edge!"

Not hesitating, Marcus was the first to run towards the middle of the platform where a pendulum with axes moved about in random directions.

He could hear the Dire Avenger already engaging some of the approaching enemies, so having no choice, he turned towards the traps in front of them, taking a deep breath. The Imperial tried to gather all the knowledge he had acquired through his life, from the trenches to his childhood.

For a moment he stood there in silence, observing the sharp axe heads moving around and then broke into a sprint, his breath timed with each step as he ran with everything he had.

From the sound of the feet hitting the ground behind him, he knew they were following him closely. The chains rattled as the pendulums moved, the blades missing them inches, as they went on without hesitating.

One of the axes in front of them came towards the captain, but he managed to duck just in time, the blade cutting some strands of his hair as he kept going, almost losing his balance.

The others managed to evade the blades as they reached the edge, but then a loud noise made them look up.

Thalindra was far ahead of them, engaging the Reavers as they tried to hit her while the Seer maneuvered around the shots and attempts at hit their target. With grace and a movement so fluid that it was hard to register to his human brain, the Eldar managed to not only dash out of the incoming fire but also eliminate many of the vehicles using the blade of her staff with well-aimed strikes against the engines and their pilots.

The explosions of the bikes hitting either the platform or the boiling liquid below were what caught their attention. But at that moment came the realization that their main advantage, Thalindra, was being held back by the incoming onslaught of Drukhari.

Another variable that he did not foresee and could well mean the end of his plan and their lives was that everything hinged on her. While none of them knew what that pressure plate did, the Seer was certain that it was paramount that someone activated it.

Soon, Arandur joined them as he easily avoided most of the traps until he reached their position. But now another obstacle was between them and the next platform: a very narrow and crooked footbridge.

"We don't have time to think about it. Just hop on it and follow my lead."

And just like that the Eldar once again surprised him, standing above the improvised and highly dangerous structure. He made it look easy as he kept going foot by foot, as if an elegant and difficult dance he was going about, in a matter of instants he was on the other side looking at them.

Just like last time, he was the first one to go in hopes of inspiring his Guardsmen. So, he went without hesitation only to fail halfway, losing his balance and footing, but in the last second as he heard the gasps of those behind him, he managed to grip the structure with both hands, letting his Lasgun fall below.

"Shit..." He groaned as he made sure that his grip was firm before using the footbridge as if it were a bar to move toward the other side. Once he reached the platform, Arandur was quick to help him up. Finally on solid ground, he heard the Eldar sigh.

"All of you use this as a bar, I fear you guys don't have the dexterity required to use it as a bridge."

But before any of them could continue, they heard the revving of engines as two Reaver bikes came towards them, and without saying another word Arandur jumped in the air, managing to throw one of them out of the balance as it hit another. Both went towards the ground in a ball of flames; he just dropped himself on the ground.

"Marcus, help them up! I'll hold this scum off..."

He screamed from the ground as new Reavers approached their positions. Not wasting time, the captain turned his attention back towards his teammates and the Fire Warrior who readied themselves to cross the new obstacle.

The first one was Ellias, who due to his strength managed to easily go to the other side. Both now stood side by side waiting for Janessa, who due to her lighter frame and training did not struggle much to make it to them.

Then came Darius who although more on the thin side of humans, still managed with dexterity to make it safe and sound towards them. However, Kais was a bit hesitant when it came to be his turn, the Tau looking at the liquid down below before he gulped, gathering his bearings.

Marcus did not know any words of his language, and due to Thalindra being occupied facing multiple flying enemies, he doubted her focus on translating their conversations was still active.

So, he did the only thing he knew would be universal language, the thing that could incentivize the Fire Warrior to come. He knelt, going back to the footbridge gripping it as if it were a bar. Moving towards Kais, once he was close enough, he jerked his head signaling him to come and follow him.

And still with hesitation but this time acting, Kais lowered himself following the Guardsman's lead. Both went on slower than Marcus was comfortable with, but enough that they would reach the end. The captain was the first to reach the ledge and grip it as his Guardsmen prepared to pull him up.

But soon they heard the sound of the platform crumbling as the other side of the bar collapsed, and in this instant, turning back to look at Kais, he saw the Tau in a desperate attempt jump towards them. Seeing that he would inevitably fall he pushed himself to get his hand mid-air hoping his Guardsmen would get him in time.

And in this moment of faith, where their fingers interlocked, and the air hit both of them as they went freefalling, Ellias managing to get his foot holding with both hands.

Kais' red-eyes were wide open, saying something in his language that was unintelligible to Marcus. But soon both were brought back as Ellias pulled them with the help of Darius.

As soon as they were back on the ground the speaker of the announcer raged back to life.

"Well, it looks like the Mon-keigh had a near-death experience right there! Let's hope they didn't soil themselves..."

The deafening roar of laughter could be heard as the crowd laughed at their near encounter with a gruesome death. But not having time to dwell and remembering Arandur's words, they all got on their feet and started running towards the last set of obstacles, this one by far the worst.

After reaching the middle of the structure from the ground big panels of an unknown alloy and two closed doors rose, both with strange runes etched into them. It came towards them at considerable speed, and none of them knew what this trap was about. Arandur soon joined them, and not having much time to explain since some Reavers were in hot pursuit, he screamed as he went towards the door on the right.

"We have to enter the right door otherwise we face certain death! The answer is the style of the rune in question, I can't explain right now, just follow me and go towards the one on the right."

The Dire Avenger ran with all his speed towards the right door, and soon all of them followed suit, Marcus glancing after they crossed the first one to see that the left had a spring spike trap that would activate it the moment they opened the other. Not having time to dwell on the designs of the panel he heard the answer to the next one.

"Left! Go to the left one!"

And just like the first time they did the same thing, but this time their pursuers had caught up to them and were shooting in their direction, but they were missing shot after shot.

Then came the last one, but this was different than the first and second, since it had 3 doors and none of them had any runes drawn on it. This made even Arandur freeze since he did not know what was the right one, and the panel was coming quickly, and not only that, but their pursuers were also still trying to shoot at them.

"What now!?" Screamed Marcus as he took his Laspistol out and started engaging the enemy to make their attempts at hitting them harder.

"There is no discernable marking whatsoever...this one I... I-"

Now all of them aside from the Eldar were firing back with all they had, as the panel approached quickly. Closing his eyes for instance he took a deep breath before breaking into a sprint.

"Right! Go for the Right!"

And so all of them did that without hesitation as they desperately ran after the Dire Avenger who jumped inside leaving the door opened for them, Marcus held his breath as he jumped through but he was surprised to see that like last time they had made the right choice and now were at the edge, towards the last platform.

"How did you know that this was the right one?" asked Marcus through his labored breathing.

"I didn't."

The short answer of the Dire Avenger was acknowledged as he kept looking towards Thalindra, still holding the attackers off amidst a chaotic and fast dogfight.

The Imperial wanted to confront him on betting their lives on a hunch, but he knew they did not have time for this as the platform they were in started vibrating.

"Mon-Keigh don't have the strength or body structure to do this jump."

The Eldar pointed towards the gap that separated them from their objective.

"So, I'll throw you guys there."

"What?"

Was the last thing he heard before being taken as a toddler by the Dire Avenger and thrown to the other side like a ragdoll, his back hitting the hard floor.

"Frakk!" was all he screamed as he felt his back hurting from the impact.

But soon he was joined by Janessa that had a similar ungracious fall, landing on her rear in a somewhat less painful way. Darius and Ellias, who although were bigger than him and Jax, showed far more grace in their landings, not being hurt as badly as them.

Kais, being the last, surprisingly landed on a roll not being shaken up by the impact of the fall, now the Eldar prepared to do the jump.

Arandur went back before going full speed towards it, but then the platform collapsed and this severely decreased his momentum as he had to prematurely jump.

Seeing where this was going and the fact that he was closest to the ledge for the second time, he threw himself towards it to offer his extended hand, and the Eldar managed to grab it, almost missing it by inches.

"By Asuryan's grace Mon-Keigh, don't let me fall!"

Arandur screamed from the top of his lungs as he held on for dear life, he was surprisingly lighter than the Imperial expected but still was heavy enough to make him work to get him back towards the ground.

"I won't!"

With a groan and a final pull, he managed to bring him back to the platform. All of them were back on solid ground, but they did not have much time to dwell on their short-lived victory as the platform started vibrating.

"What? This is too soon! Why is it starting to fall now!?"

Janessa screamed as she frantically looked around.

"The pressure plate!"

Darius exclaimed now realizing the possible purpose of the device on the small concrete-like rectangle on the far side of their position.

"Well, well, it looks like our losers ended up on the last trap! The moment they set foot in there they activated the tumbling mechanism, making them not have much time to activate it before falling to their horrible deaths! Well, it was good while it lasted, now let's say bye-bye to them, shall we?"

This brought a smirk to his face, since from the two other variables he failed to predict this one was the exact scenario he had envisioned while discussing the final touches of their plan...

The elevator slowly raised them up, fully geared and waiting as they ascended towards the arena, but in the silence of it Marcus shared the last point of his plan.

"The Drukhari are treacherous and vile. Thalindra can't see all of their bullshit thanks to whatever mumbo jumbo they are doing here, but we know for a fact that they'll have cards up their sleeves."

"And what those may be?" asked Darius as he fumbled with his gear.

"The last platform in Thalindra's vision was devoid of any traps, so this means that the platform itself could be a trap."

"What do you mean by that?" Arandur's was the next one to question.

"It means that once we get there, they will not simply let us reach the end goal, they will never let it be that easy. So Thalindra will focus on that pressure plate, if by some chance she doesn't get there in time due to some other shenanigans, we must do it. And when we reach there Arandur will have to run as fast as you can towards it, doesn't matter what, just go."

The Dire Avenger nodded.

"That of course if she doesn't get it which I found unlikely..."

He said with ever-growing admiration for the Farseer, and although she did not answer his statement, she awkwardly nodded at him.

Once again back to the present he saw the Dire Avenger break off into a sprint towards the pressure plate. All of them shifted their focus towards helping the Farseer shooting at the many vehicles in pursuit of the flying Seer.

Some of their shots managed to down more of the craft, leaving only six who kept circling and had to share their attention between those on the ground and the far more dangerous Thalindra who kept easily evading them.

Arandur was almost at the rectangle when the entire platform started tilting to the side, making him lose his footing and slide slowly to the right. The same started happening with Marcus and the others as they slowly lost their balance, falling on the ground clumsily with their bodies rolling as they tried to grasp anything while they started sliding towards their demise.

The Announcer's mocking voice spoke as the moment the platform started to radically shift towards the right side.

"Well, it appears that the meat wasn't fast enough to stop their fall! Let us all enjoy the spectacle that will be their pain!"

---

The moment she heard his words was her queue to step in and do something. Until this moment the Seer was avoiding using too much of her powers, the result would always be knocking her out cold for a great amount of time, but right now she had no other choice aside from abusing them once more.

In a swift motion, she burst forth in a cascade of energy shooting bolts of psyker power around her, knocking all the six Reavers out of the air. With them out of the way, she quickly flew down using her mind's might to tilt the platform back into place. It was heavy and far more strenuous due to the suppression field, but she managed to put it back into place, her group almost reaching the edge of the ground falling to their deaths. Thankfully however, that was halted by her powers.

The moment the ground was stable once again, Arandur broke into a sprint toward the pressure plate, reaching it and pressing with all his might.

A hiss could be heard as she felt the ground lock into place. The crowd booed as their challengers lay dead or were boiled alive in the liquid below.

All of the others joined her in the middle looking around frantically waiting for more, but soon the Announcer's voice broke the silence with a defeated sigh.

"Well, bad news people...they survived again."

More angry shouts and offenses could be heard as the crowd started to get rowdy with their victory.

"But the good news is...THAT BETTING ON THEIR DEATHS ON THE NEXT SHOW YOU WILL GIVE THE WINNER THRICE THE PRICE! SO, BE READY FOLKS TO SET YOUR BETS ON THE NEXT ONE!"

And just like that their boos and outrage changed to joy and cheer at the prospect of earning even more riches with their next bet.

Marcus then turned to her, with a simple smile of relief at having all of them alive and well after such a grueling task.

"You've done well Marcus."

Her tone was contained but she was obviously relieved to survive another of the Dark Kin's games.

"Thank you for believing in me...and my plan."

A smile came to her lips as she genuinely enjoyed his gratitude.

"You're welcome..."

And with that, all the noise was drowned out as both looked at each other, thankful for having crossed paths since this allowed them this victory, not one-sided and based on her power, but their joined effort.

---

Elyria was silent as she kept staring at the center of the arena below. Her father, different from her with his hand on his mouth, eyes slightly widened, and an expression of confusion.

"Well, I'll be damned. They survived this one...Was not one of your hardest challenges, but this recipe usually works and gets rid of pesky Mon-Keigh."

She answered with silence as her focus stayed on the officer cheering alongside his human companions. Her analytical gaze followed him as if a hawk observing its prey.

It was funny how in the end the implants made by Vyle were so useful after all, being the first time she had used its function to hear their interaction while in the fight, their dialogue and feelings broadcast directly to her mind.

She froze in shock when she heard him thanking the Farseer for believing "his plan". In the end, it has been him to best her in this particularly silly game, one no Mon-Keigh should have been able to. However, he had done so to the point of a Farseer such as Thalindra being okay into following his lead.

"Things just got a lot more interesting Father...I'm almost certain this is the human you are searching for."

This made him widen his eyes, realizing the meaning behind them.

"And what makes you believe so?"

This made her eyes glint with interest as she kept observing him closely.

"He is the brains behind their survival, not the Farseer..."

This made her father scoff in disbelief, but her demeanor left no doubt about the seriousness of her words.

"You're not playing...but how can this be possible? It is absurd! Never would someone such as a Farseer take heed from a mere mortal!"

Her lips turned into a knowing smirk.

"This is exactly what I want to find out. And I will... even if it means throwing everything I have at him."

She tapped the side of her chair in anger and interest as she thought to herself.

"Let the games begin Marcus, let's see the color of your entrails once you lose to my superior intellect. Only I can win at my own game human, and no one else. And I'll make sure that you remember that.'

Her attention remained on the Imperial as she imagined the cruelties about to be inflicted on him.

---

Wow, this certainly was a journey filled with action and tense moments am I right? Welp, I'm glad we have reached this point, finally ending an Arc to start another, I'm very happy for us to be here at this moment! Once again I want to thank BillyFish1409 for editing and helping me along this process, also we need to give a shout-out to Boyo99 who has been with me every step of this journey helping me along and giving me the support to strive to give you guys a "show" you won't forget.

Now that being said, I'll take a week off, since this one drained a lot of my juice, so after this sabbatical week expect us to come back with full force into the third Arc.

Before we wrap this up I would like to address some of the reviews left by you guys on the last chapter:

expert93 - I hope this fight satisfies your expectations, and hope the next developments to further excite you!

Philly billy - Thx man! Well I did study many things of RT to write this story, but it was not my only source to write this characters, however it certainly played a role in how I depicted Vyle, and indeed he is a pretty alien, even to Drukhari standards XD.

StrikerKostek01 - I'm happy you are liking them! I took great care when I imagined then on what I wanted them to be and the way their relationship would be built, so if you like the way things are playing out it means I'm doing something right...I thank you also for giving this a chance and may this story further surprise you. Hope to see you around Striker!

Thanks for you all to be with me until now, and hope you guys have a nice one! Until next time TheChristianPrimarch...