Summary:
Last chapter our heroes were tortured, marked, and thrown once again to the cruel arena to fight hordes of Orks. Our protagonists struggle with the unwavering sea of green skins rushing them as Thalindra uses her powers to maintain of the group alive.
Now at the end of it all, stands Morkfang who challenges Marcus to an honorable duel, to see which of the two groups will come at the top.
Shadows of the Dark City 6
Elyria had a glass of Bloodthorn wine while sitting on her throne overseeing the fighting happening in the arena below, and the Succubus had to admit she was impressed with the fighting in display right in front of her even more due to the Mon-Keigh who were managing to hold themselves off from the incoming hordes of green skins.
She expected they would die in the first wave of enemies, but now that the last cage was opened and they were coming from all sides and these inferior life forms managed to stand their ground still, it was indeed very impressive.
However the Dire Loser and the Witch were giving a subpar performance, they were holding themselves back opting to assume a defensive stance instead of an offensive one. Elyria had studied enough from Asuryani culture to know the power the Farseers had, if Thalindra wanted she could easily kill an entire wave with her mind, and her warrior was skilled enough to hold himself unarmed against the Incubi, so it was easy to deduce he could hold himself pretty well against multiple Orks.
But still, they were holding themselves back sticking to the sidelines of the human formation, the Drukhari was starting to consider that they may be working together, which is not far-fetched considering that the leading figure of her cousins was an empathetic fool. This complicated things a little, she did not outright exclude the possibility of an unlikely alliance, but to be honest she expected that the Eldar would simply stick to their guns and let the primitives die, so seeing as how they are lowkey aiding the Mon-Keighs, it put a small hurdle in her way of trying to take these inferiors out of the picture.
The stars of the show were always supposed to be their cousins, she had to even admit to being shocked to see the "mighty" forces of Ulthwe reduced to two, although both of these were highly dangerous and skilled opponents, having an entire Aeldari force reduced in the first trial was a shameful display, in contrast, the humans are managing to hold themselves together pretty well something her keen eye had not failed to noticed.
Yet even as entertaining as these humans are proving themselves to be, their time on this show...her show is due to the end. If they manage to survive this trial Elyria already has in mind something that will for sure take this pesky vermin out of the stage.
Her internal musings are cut short a the recent arrival beside her, and just like she predicted her father who was annoyingly late to her current display.
"Well did I miss anything?"
Kaltharis Vex said while taking his seat in an armchair beside the throne, those who were reserved for her guests or her father. He unclasped his dark cloak giving it to Zeraliyah a former Exodar who was bought as a slave by her father and is his personal caretaker and mistress, going anywhere her master goes.
Zeraliyah's eyes are a vivid yellow, bright, and filled with a haunting depth. They retain a glimmer of her former life and what surely can be seen as quiet defiance that refuses to be extinguished. She has high cheekbones and a regal bearing, with skin that is fair and unmarred save for the cruel scar of the obsidian fang marking her face, signifying her current status as her father's property. Her face is delicate yet strong, with full lips that rarely smile.
Her hair is braided into a long ponytail, being of a striking light blue. On her body is dressed in attire befitting a Drukhari slave, crafted from fine dark purple cloth, and golden chainlinks maintaining the entire attire together, it is created in a way to accentuate her figure while allowing ease of movement.
The Exodar's body is different than your average warrior's, which denotes her probably civilian-oriented life, the lack of scars, tattoos depicting nature and strange animals, and her curvy and soft body were the main signs of her previously sheltered life. Due to her overall body shape, build, and refined elegance, it is easy to deduce her value as a sex slave, which certainly is quite expensive, however, her father was never someone to settle for less not batting an eye about buying the beauty off the Khabal of the Thousand Needles.
Stopping beside her master in impassive silence, Elyria then laid her gaze upon her father.
"The Mon-Keigh are putting up a show holding the Orks off. Expected them to be dead on the first wave but they didn't..."
Kaltharis hummed while staring at the fighting going on, his gaze turned analytical as he observed the contestants.
"The Farseer are helping them." His reply was short and with surgical precision as he kept his gaze completely focused on Thalindra.
Elyria nodded at her father's conclusion.
"Yes I believe the same, both of them are too close to the human's position and they are retreating and advancing as if in sync with the Mon-Keigh."
"Welp this changes things, but to be honest I'm not surprised given who we are dealing with..."
Her father retracted himself into his mind as he observed all the fighting down below. The Archon was famous for taking his approach to studying fighting and war very seriously as he is doing now.
Elyria doesn't know much about her father's life in general, but from the few memories she has of some things her mother told her the Archon served as a personal guard of the Dark Lord of Commorrogah himself, and since then, the Druchii was obsessed with the whole logistical and strategy side of war.
Looking at the chaos unfolding in the arena once again the Succubus notices her slaves retreating to a higher position to be more effective in holding the incoming hordes off, their shots were precise and destructive bodies of Ork being lay down upon the ground, some tumbling down the artificial hill.
"They are starting to tire, but I fret we are running out of Orks by now."
She said her words carrying a fake worried tone, snapping her fingers Elyria called her retinue to her.
"Vespera, verify with the backstage staff if we are running out of the green filth. And if we are you can throw our little secret at them..."
The Wych quickly nodded acknowledging her Lady orders, turning to run out of the lounge to see the errand given to her done.
Satisfied the Succubus just raised her cup expecting a new dose of her favorite wine to fill her cup, which is carried out the instant she lifts it from one of the members of her entourage.
However, being too engrossed in the show she failed to notice that her father had left leaving only Zeraliyah in his stead. Raising her eyebrows in a silent inquiry the Exodite only answered with a solemn turn of head in a clear negative sign. 'Weird' was all she could think of before returning her attention to what truly mattered, that being her spectacle.
Kaltharis Vex had his undivided attention trained on the events transpiring in the arena, trying to figure out what was happening amidst all the chaos. The Mon-Keigh should have been done for by now, he wished so after what happened in Arina but once again here they were trampling over hordes of Orks, as if they were of a different breed than the pathetic humans he was used to face.
The Archon knew this had the finger of one naive Seer. 'Of all beings in the galaxy you choose to help them?' was all the Drukhari could think of, he was disappointed weirdly, Kal expected the Farseer to be cold and calculating, almost a machine. But what met him was a very empathetic and foolish woman who stubbornly believed in a false sense of morality.
Throughout all his years in this line of work, he always was one step behind the Farseers, he had seen what they could do and the true danger they posed. Heck, he studied and bettered himself so hard only so he could beat them and be more efficient than even those who had the gift of witchery on their side, so now that Kaltharis finally did it...the one he bested was a complete and utter fool, frustration was not the best word to describe what he felt now.
It was predictable that she would help the Mon-Keigh, but to see a mighty follower of the path of Seer stoop down to such a level, was disheartening, and filled his head with questions more than answers.
Tired of this entire charade he decided to go to the lounge bar to try and distract himself from this shitshow, opting to go silently to not disturb his daughter from her moment. He signals to his Mistress to zip it and not disclose where he went, wanting to be left alone at least for the time being.
He approaches the corner of the room where a small well-decorated obsidian bar was, a Wych serving many of the attendees who stopped there to get a refill of their drinks or to ask for some drugs.
Sitting on one of the stools made of charred wraithbone he waits in silence for the bartender to fetch his order, the young Druchii turns to him with a devilish smirk usually worn by those who are serving high-profile attendees.
"What could I get for you Lord Kaltharis?"
He pointed out one of the bottles on the top shelf containing a very old and expensive beverage known as "Mead'hag Thruim", a very strong alcoholic beverage made from the fermented trunk of a rare old species of Aeldari tree. The Wych fetches the bottle and a shot glass preparing to serve the mead for the Archon, however, Kal stops her once she puts the cup on the counter.
"Leave the bottle."
Widening her eyes, the bartender held herself from commenting how expensive the entire bottle was, deciding to simply comply with Kalthari's request. Not wasting a single moment the Archon opened the bottle and sipped slowly at the drink as he enjoyed the bittersweet taste of the beverage.
Nevertheless, his moment of peace is cut short as someone sits beside him and this someone is not hiding the fact that they are staring right at Kal.
"Well, well if it is not Kaltharis Vex...the infamous Archon of the Obsidian Fang."
And with that, his entire night was ruined by just the voice of this despicable excuse of a Drukhari.
"Well if is not Axaran Merus the "dreaded" Archon of the Kabal of the Dreadful Blades..."
Merus had seen better days that was for sure. Since a supposed failed raid in Traxon III the Druchii were not the same, and everyone who knew him from previous runs-ins and gatherings knew that well, even more Kal since both of their Kabals traded often in the past. But since that event, Axaran became a huge pain in the ass for more reasons than he could count for.
His cape was ragged and badly kept, some holes being old and denoting a lack of care for his former regal appearance. His armor was double the thickness of what archons normally wore, which took all the elegance of the well-crafted wraithbone plates.
His helmet was just as thick making him look even more ridiculous. Also, another pretty weird thing is that for a long time now he had not seen the Drukhari publicly without any of his usual double-layered dark and white armor.
"Is this the way to speak with a former trading partner? Your house and Kabal made a fortune at our expense, we even went to The Great Hunt together!"
Kal could not help himself and sighed at the Archon's words, being too tired and annoyed to deal with Merus's shenanigans, even more so in an event promoted by his daughter.
"Look Merus this is not the time for your usual stick...Just let me enjoy my drink alone."
If he got the meaning of Kaltharis's words he did not show it as he kept pushing his usual proposition that soon followed after trying to appeal to former connections.
"You know pretty well that we could score big if we went to Traxon III! I know all their defenses, I studied all their regiments, military doctrines, and vantage points. We could go there quickly raid these specific positions and then retreat before they even notice what happened to them."
He could not help to scoff at his words, even though he had heard this proposition at least two times now, every time it happened it sounded more absurd than the last.
"Merus you talking about strategy and studying the art of war is one of the most absurd things to hear coming out of your mouth. Forgive me but being a planner was never your forte and I doubt it suddenly is now."
While Merus was wearing a helmet, Kal knew he struck a cord into his already fragile ego, but for some reason, instead of going away or confronting him, he kept going on with his crazy idea.
"That is why if you accepted we would thrive! Kaltharis you were always seen as a great tactician and strategist, if we join both your intellect with my resources and strength we could win this off!"
"Sorry Merus but while I do acknowledge your strength I have no interest in raiding a place like that even more one that has been empty for some time now. If you truly studied that planet and took notice of the fact is void of any value, you would have reached the same conclusion everyone you made this proposition came to...that the juice is not worth the squeeze."
He raised the bottle to take another swig at his expensive beverage however the other Archon caught his arm in the middle of it, the stare through his lenses was intense and promised uncountable promises of pain and murder.
"Are you afraid of a bunch of Mon-Keigh Kaltharis?"
"Sigh...The planet is empty Merus."
With wrath in his voice, he replied not dropping the subject.
"Are you such a spineless Drukhari who could not risk himself a little to win a score? Did your last defeat at the hand of the humans so bad that you lost your edge?"
Oh now he gets it, for a while now he could not understand this obsession with going to a deserted planet, but now everything made sense to the strategic mind of Vex. Merus never spoke of what came to be of that raid, never giving any details whatsoever, he just sold some Mon-Keighs and never breached the subject of what came to be of that entire endeavor.
This in Drukhari society could mean two things:
1º He is either hiding some very valuable booty, so gloating himself of it, or saying too much could endanger this newfound valuable source of resources or...
2º Merus got his ass kicked by the humans and due to shame, he hid this fact for a long time now. Also, all the shame for being bested by primitives could make him obsessed with the idea of regaining some semblance of honor or superiority by defeating those who prevailed against him.
With his last attempt at offending him or trying to hurt his ego to get an impulsive reaction out of him, he ends up revealing his entire "game". With a cocky smile, the Archon of the Obsidian Fang just turned to Axaran and with a simple jest silenced the annoying Druchii:
"Projecting now are we?"
This instantly got a reaction out of Merus who in a scream of rage tried to punch him, but Kal was quicker and more well-trained than his fellow Archon, due to his past as an Incubi for the Kabal of the Black Heart. With a swift kick towards the counter, he pushed the stool away evading the blow altogether doing a very fast back flip.
Merus just stared at him dumbfounded, his breathing ragged and filled with pent-up anger.
"I got it now Merus! Throughout all these years of you trying to bring someone to your cause, it was not due to a hidden booty or some exotic riches. Oh no, no, no no! It was actually..."
The Archon screamed bloody murder before rushing in for another strike at Kal who simply evaded with a Cheshire grin on his face.
People around them stopped what they were doing to spectate the on going scuffle between both Kabal leaders. He tried blow after blow to land a hit, but Merus knew the head of the Obsidian Fang was quicker and more well-trained treating all of this as entertainment.
"It was actually..." a blow almost hits his head but he continues evading with precision and grace "...the notion someone somewhere on that accursed planet landed a blow against your ego, and you can't bear the knowledge of that. So here are you hoping for some twist of fate this someone is still there wandering waiting for your righteous vengeance."
Putting all his strength into his next attack Merus tries for the last time to hit Kal, but just like previous attempts the other Archon evades easily. Merus was out of breath, having to stop to breathe and collect himself after his failed attempts to hurt his adversary.
"Your suggestions are an absurd treacherous Vex! I have brought slaves from that endeavor, I tore asunder their men and women. I'm their harbinger and no one can dispute that, I have the receipts of my victory!"
The crowd around them stared in interest at their interaction, most curious and bloodthirsty for a political "discussion" as they called it.
"A few hundred heads do not prove nothing, a successful raid depends on the total amount of riches brought, and those being far more valuable than the expenses generated in the pursuit of the said riches. So say what you want you have no real proof to show that you did not get bent by the Mon-Keigh."
Merus growled in anger at his words his knuckles closing and opening in a sheer display of anger.
"Yeah? What about your last incursion in Arina? Everybody here knows you failed on your last raid to a bunch of primitives."
Touche...he for the first time in all this discussion managed to give a decent comeback to his provocations.
"What about it? You can't win it all, and learning to know when to retreat can be the difference between life and death."
"AHAHAHAHAH! So who are you to judge me!? You just admitted losing and still are here trying to sound all high and mighty while you conceded to the fact that you are a coward with no concept of warrior's honor!"
Now was the time for Kal to laugh at his remarks, finding it endearing to a fellow Drukhari speaking of honor.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH! Honor? Give me a break! We are Dark Kin, and our only priority is to make a profit and survive, by doing both of those things our existences are fulfilled and justified. Also, you realize that you end up confessing to losing in Traxon right?"
Checkmate, Merus in his attempt to shun him ended up giving away the very real fact of his obsession with raiding that forsaken Imperial planet. He did not have a comeback to that as all started whispering to each other and staring at the other archon with judgmental eyes.
"Yeah I lost in Arina and to be fair I don't give a fuck about that. There is always the next endeavor, a booty to plunder somewhere, I won't get stuck on this single fact for the rest of my life. Crawling from social gathering to social gathering trying to fool someone idiot enough to fight your battle for you."
He walked slowly towards Merus his piercing gaze commanding authority and respect, each step being filled with grace and intimidating strength.
"So if you're so keen on getting revenge, just fucking do it! And stop trying to get people to join you on your private crusade against the Mon-Keigh, want to speak of honor? Honor the balls you have in the middle of your legs and go out there and do something!"
While both had almost the same stature the overall aura of Kaltharis made Merus shrink on himself, his entire posture gone in the intimidating Archon's presence.
"If you want to get close to the proverbial sun and melt, be my guest...but stop being such a pain in the ass for once, so ill ask again to leave me alone with my drink."
This time the other Archon did not reply anything to him, opting to quietly leave the lounge, the crowd around them that were previously silent started laughing and resuming their activities.
Marching once again to the counter he fetched his drink and decided to go to the window to see the end of the fight, any time now may be the moment to his daughter's little surprise...
Marcus and Morkfang stood still staring at each other, the human staring at the towering orkboss. Both were in complete silence their gazes analyzing each other the all-familiar rush of battle starting to take hold of his mind, as the cold grip of anxious expectancy got hold of his gut.
Both groups were circling them, making a makeshift fighting area, all in complete silence waiting for one of them to make the first movement. All it could hear was the noises of a waiting crowd who were on the edge of their seats expecting the first strike.
And then it started as Morkfang raised his weapon high and tried to crush Marcus upon its blade, the Captain was quicker and managed to evade the first strike rolling away from the sharp scrap sword. Raising to a crouch he fired some shots of his Lasrifle aiming for the head, however, although the Ork was huge, his agility and speed did not leave wanting as he blocked the shots with his left arm, hitting a plate of scrap just underneath his captain coat.
Once again the big Xeno tried to swing his weapon in a vertical slash to cut the Imperial in half, however, he threw himself to the ground in a desperate effort to not get hit by the sharp blade. It misses for a few inches the air blowing his hair as it passes near his head, with a roar Morkfang tries to use the momentum to slash down at the soldier on the ground in hopes of delivering the finishing blow.
Marcus rolls on the ground to evade the multiple blows delivered on the muddy ground, the Orkboss frustrated with missing his multiple strikes can't help himself and shows his annoyed tone his displeasure at the Guardsman's agility.
"Oi, ya slimy git! Quit runnin' around and face me like a real fighta!"
It was obvious that Da Brutal was starting to let his annoyance get the best of him, as every strike was even more off the mark than the last, so taking this opportunity he waited for an opening in one of the Ork's blows to take some shots at his face, yet even though Morkfang is getting distracted by his frustration he has awareness enough to retreat raising his left arm to defend his face from the incoming fire.
Taking another opportunity as his vision is obscured by his arm the Captain fires shots against his unarmored gut, the energy shots manage to penetrate the green tissue, but even though Marcus' shots rang true it did not cause any noticeable pain or hindrance to the Orkboss movements. So he fired some more against the hulking green warrior, shot after shot none appeared to infringe serious damage enough to deter his opponent.
Then his gun made the well-known and infamous click, the power pack ran dry and this meant he would have to reload, but still, he did not have time to do that as Morkfang lowered his hand a cruel smile adorning his face.
"Hehehehe, my turn now, ya skinny 'umie!"
With a quick movement of his left arm he delivers a blow to the side of the Imperial which sends him flying towards the crowd, one of the orks stops his fall helping him get to his feet before roughly shoving him to the middle of the circle again.
He could barely stand on his feet the blow had seriously taken the air out of his lungs he even suspected that this single hit managed to break some ribs. Marcus was struggling to breathe as the pain radiated from the side of his body, this would be a pain in the ass, even more so if he did not find a way to kick this guy's ass to the curb, but he sincerely had no idea how.
Then it came as a very discreet thought on his mind a single image one he knew the meaning of although he did not grasp how or why since he was never one versed in mechanics. The image was a valve system present on his mechanical legs, one small part which was in the middle of the mess of cables and random scrap, the Imperial knew that if he managed to land a blow there be it with his knife or gun the Orkboss would come tumbling down to the ground.
Having a plan of action in mind he quickly stood staring at the Da Brutal with fierce determination, which in turn prompted the towering Xeno to smirk.
"Wot, you ain't done yet, 'umie? I thought me punch woulda knocked ya out good!"
Returning a cocky smile he replied to his opponent's provocations:
"I'm just getting started Xeno scum."
This made the Ork smiler get bigger showing his pointy and sharp teeth, his eyes glinting in satisfaction.
"Den let's keep goin', ya weedy 'umie! Show me wot ya got!"
Both roared as they resumed their fighting, the Officer slid on the ground taking his Lasrifle back from the muddy ground, and the Orkboss tried a quick slash which the Imperial evaded rolling between his legs.
Taking this short time for his opponent to turn Marcus took a fresh power pack from his pouch reloading the gun with quick and precise movements, the energy gun humming back to life. But before he could take more shots at his enemy Morkfang was quicker and taking the momentum of the turn to try another swing at him, instinctively the Imperial threw himself back to avoid the sharp blade, but he wasn't fast enough to evade making the sword superficially cut his torso.
The strength of the blow was enough to shake his balance and send him to his ass. And while this injury hurt, the Officer had gone through far worse throughout his career so this was just a small nuisance to him, not wasting time while sitting on the ground he aimed and shot his gun against the tall Ork's legs.
All the beans of concentrated energy tore the mangled and sharp scrap that the Xenos's legs were made of, each one exposing more and more of the inner workings of his right leg. Soon he managed to expose the valve he saw on his mind, taking the opportunity to aim at the frail part Marcus prepares to take the lucky shot but is cut short by another image that quickly arrives in his mind...
A very precise thrust would soon come and pierce his torso killing him almost instantly, not having time to make sense of this he believed in this random vision in his mind and rolled to the side evading by millimeters what would have certainly been his sure end.
He had not time to think about it as another image soon followed suit, he would try to deliver a powerful punch to his gut probably hindering him from continuing fighting and that would surely bring defeat upon them. For the second time in this fight, he chose to believe that vision and stepped back evading the attack.
"Wot da zog!? How'd ya dodge dat?"
Morkfang had a puzzled expression on his face as he stared at the Imperial, it was obvious that the Xeno did not understand how could he evade such powerful and well-timed attacks, since moments ago he almost got killed by him.
Marcus could not help himself and smiled at his confusion.
"Skill Xeno...skill!"
And with that, he ran towards his opponent gun in hand evading slash after slash, each one of his opponent attempts being predicted by the visions in his head, each time he successfully evaded, only furthered the confusion of the Orkboss who could do nothing only stare dumbfounded at the complete change in the Human fighting style.
"Dis don't make no sense! 'Ow come ya were gettin' squashed by me a moment ago, and now yer dodgin' all me attacks?!"
He would quickly reply back before the Ork stopped to look somewhere behind him, his red eyes widening in shocked realization before turning to him with a scowl.
"Yer cheatin'! Dat sneaky Eldar over dere is helpin' ya, and dat ain't fair!"
At the Morkfang words, Marcus could not help but be confused, the meaning of his words evading him completely.
"What do you mean by that?"
The Orkboss was furious marching in front of him before pointing out to someone in the crowd behind him, and the moment he followed the Xeno's green finger his gaze met Thalindra's, who was impassively watching the fight, her expression betraying nothing.
He still did not understand the meaning of Morkfang's words.
"She's helpin' ya! I can tell she's a witch from 'er staff and fancy clothes—she's messin' with our fight! Eldar are sneaky, but 'er lot are the sneakiest of 'em all!"
Turning his gaze towards her one more time the Imperial only sees her steely gaze fixated on him and nothing more, her overall demeanor betraying nothing. She could do such a thing? Is she showing these visions in his head? And if she actually could do that, does that mean she can invade minds?
His questions are interrupted by the angry Ork who starts marching away from him towards Thalindra.
"If I catch ya messin' with me fight again, it won't be him facin' me—it'll be you! I know all about yer kind's trickery. I've scrapped with yer lot before and smashed ya every time, so back off or I'll krump ya!"
He towered over her his nose flaring in anger his piercing scarlet gaze stuck on her. Morkfang was trying to intimidate her, but his only reply was to stare back at her aquamarine eyes piercing through his.
Tired from staring her down the Orkboss flared his nose one more time before marching back to the middle of the fighting area once again.
"Now wot was we doin'? Oh right!"
With that, he delivered a quick blow with his whole forearm on Marcus' side sending him flying once again stopping just short of a spectator Ork who laughed at his face.
"Now dat's more like it! C'mon, face me, 'umie. Time for ya to meet yer end!"
All the Orks around them laughed as the Guardsman struggled to raise himself from the ground, blood dripping from his mouth as the Orkboss marched to him. He spat the blood from his mouth to the ground as he tried to raise his weapon, however, the pain at his side was overwhelming as he barely could aim properly.
Now standing in front of him Morkfang smirks cruelly at his obvious struggle to remain on his feet.
"Got to admit, squig, ya got spirit. If ya were a bit taller or one o' dem blue boyz, ya mighta had a chance to beat me. But as ya are? Ya never stood a chance from da start…"
He got the Officer with his large hand raising him from the ground as he pressured his frail human body. Marcus could only gag as the Xenos slowly pressured more and more.
The Imperial struggled to take his Laspistol out of the holster, all the while struggling to breathe as his body slowly got crushed by the large hand.
"Dis fight was rigged from da start, 'umie. Ya thought ya had a chance against Morkfang? I know ya ain't dumb enough to think ya did. They want ya dead, and I'll be da one to give 'em dat, not 'cause of their sick pleasure, but 'cause I want it too. Goodbye, Marcus. See ya on da other side, 'umie."
His entire body was filled with a renowned vigor his heart drummed on his chest, determination taking hold of him as in a swift movement he managed to get his Laspistol and shot at the exposed valve in his leg. High-pressure steam leaves the prosthetic limb as Morkfang stumbles struggling to remain on his feet, but gravity does its job pulling the towering Ork to the ground, and in the process, he releases the human.
The Imperial takes huge gasps of air as he regains control of his breathing. Relief is all he can feel as he is allowed to normally breathe again, and then he shifts his attention to his opponent lying on the ground struggling to raise himself up. He gets to his feet and limps towards the Ork rolling on the ground, each step making his body radiate with pain, but he pushes on as he goes to the fumbling Morkfang.
Noticing the approaching human the Orkboss tries to swing his blade kneeling on the ground with his only other good leg, but Marcus evades it although clumsily, which prompts him to fall to the ground, taking his breath away.
Morkfang having his mobility severely hindered can't close the distance so he just swings around in hopes of striking the Guardsman in case he keeps approaching.
Struggling with the pain on his side and his damaged lungs the Imperial turns to his side aiming at the other leg of Morkfang shooting it with consecutive shots until one of them manages to hit the same valve releasing another wave of steam. The Ork falls on his ass as both of his prosthetics fail, completely taking his mobility, his swings become even more erratic and frantic Marcus just stays on the ground, his conscience threatening to go away as his lungs struggle to supply his body with oxygen.
Morkfang stops as he gets tired from swinging his polished blade around, throwing himself on his back his breath ragged as he stares at the sky just as Marcus is doing, both opponents completely out of the fight, and unable to continue. The crowd booed as both fighters just stood there breathing until the Orkboss started laughing.
"Oi, Marcus, ya still up for a scrap?"
The human filled with dizziness could only make a no with his head as he let out a raspy.
"No way in the warp pal."
"I reckon... How 'bout we call it a draw, eh?"
Marcus took a huge gulp of saliva as breathing became even harder.
"That would be good..."
Morkfang laughed in his raspy voice with visible tiredness
"Den a draw it is!"
Marcus hummed as his eyes closed being too tired to maintain consciousness. The Captain was officially out of it, and the moment he collapsed Darius rushed to his friend's side taking his medical bag with him Janessa and Ellias quickly joined as they accessed their captain's situation.
Elyria was enthralled by the spectacle of the duel both human and Ork locked in a crude display of combat. She had to admit this was not her cup of tea, far more opting for elegance and grace in the art of trading blows, but the Succubus had to give credit to both who were putting on a very entertaining show.
That is until they ended up reaching the current situation where both lay on the ground raggedly breathing, the opponents deciding to call a draw and give up fighting. The crowd booed at the shameful display, her guests who were previously enthralled by the duel were now frowning in reprobation at the scene.
The Mon-Keigh thought they could decide when to stop fighting. If they think they hold some kind of control over their lives, they are deadly wrong, and she'll kindly remind them who is wearing the crown.
"Vespera fetch me the voice caster..."
The Wych was quick to fetch an abomination of an instrument made of a fusion of wraithbone and living flesh taking the said object to her lips, the Succubus addressed the fighters down the arena.
"Meat I give you all 30 seconds to resume the fight to the death or else all of you will die. So is better heads start to roll or all of yours will."
This should work, nothing better to rile up the fighting spirit than the promise of death. If they want their lives they'll need to fight for it, and there is no better incentive than this.
However, the Orkboss while on the ground replied to her his booming voice ringing through the comms of the lounge.
"Da fight's done. I fight for meself and me boyz, not for yer sick fun. Our duel's a draw, and dat's it. No more blood from either side, not even if it costs our lives!"
A vein popped out on Elyria's forehead at the clear defiance shown by the green skin.
"I'll give you one more opportunity to do as I say or else..."
The Ork branded his fist in the air screaming with rage and defiance in his voice looking right at her, and even though they were a considerable distance from the pit, the Succubus could feel the wrathful gaze of Morkfang.
"Shut yer gob! Morkfang Da Brutal don't take orders from no pointy-eared gits. We obey no one! If ya want a fight, come 'ere and face me yerself!"
She raised an eyebrow at his defiance, her anger giving place to annoyance. The infamous green skins were always known for their stubbornness and unruly behavior, and this right here was the perfect example of that, this brute really thought he had some kind of choice, but now it was time to show them the reality of their situation, to all of them.
"Fetch me the kill switch I had enough of this dreadful display..."
Vespera nodded before going away to fetch Elyria's ultimate trump card, one that she didn't like to resort to but this foolish fungi forced her hand.
Thalindra was relieved by the result of the fight, Marcus had proven himself a competent fighter and leader although she gave a small help using her abilities to predict the Ork's movement and to give him the strength necessary to get his pistol.
But now that the fight was done the Seer could see the extent of the injuries inflicted by Morkfang, the Imperial was resilient surviving blows that could have easily killed an individual of his species, yet he was still human. Marcus had 4 cracked ribs, one pierced lung, and heavy internal bleeding in one of his kidneys, the punch delivered by the Orkboss was certainly lethal, if he did not receive specialized treatment and fast the Mon-Keigh would die.
The Farseer was worried about his condition even more knowing that Darius did not have the necessary resources to treat the extension of his injuries, so this left only one choice for her. Thalindra started moving towards the lying figure of Marcus, Arandur took notice of this and grabbed her forearm.
"Thalindra what are you doing?"
She turned her aquamarine eyes towards her long-time friend, and with a calm voice answered:
"I'm going to help him."
The Seer shrugged the arm off before continuing to step towards the humans but was stopped by the Dire Avenger stepping in front of her one more time.
"Look I know exactly what you did there back at the chamber, I know you healed all of us. So I know you're pushing yourself beyond your limit even now! The suppression field is hard to manage as it is, but if you keep using your powers in such a manner .COLLAPSE!"
She was appreciative of his worry, but right now there was no time for such a thing, if Thalindra didn't intervene now his life would be surely lost. So having no option she just shoved her friend aside continuing towards Marcus.
The moment the humans noticed her approaching, all of them aside from Darius stood up in apprehension their guns at ready for any wrong movement on her part.
Noticing the tension she raised her hands in a sign of surrender, and with the most calm and compassionate tone she could muster spoke:
"I want to help him, so please let me go through."
Ellias was nervous she could feel the anxiety and fear in his very essence, he feared for his leader's life, but also for her approaching him.
"What do you want from him Xeno? Planning on using some vile witchery on the Captain? If you're thinking of doing something like that you're very wro..."
"Ellias!"
Darius' voice interrupted the Corporal intimidation attempt, the medic was with his instruments on the ground trying his best to stabilize his Officer's condition.
"If there is someone who can help him now is her, so let her through."
Ellias turned to stare the Specialist down, rage and defiance on his very essence unsure if he should heed Darius' words.
"Ellias, .through!"
A moment of silence as all the parties just stare at each other, however, it isn't long before the Corporal steps aside letting Thalindra approach the unconscious form of Marcus.
She kneels right beside Darius her towering form double the size of the human medic, the Eldar gives a quick analyzing look throughout his body to confirm the actual position of the wounds she knew were there.
"From what I could gather he has what appears to be 2 broken ribs and a pierced lung. May or not be suffering from internal bleeding."
In a very strict and professional tone, the Seer replied to the diagnostics proposed by the doctor.
"Correction he has 4 broken ribs, and your assumption on the hemorrhage is indeed correct."
Stretching her arms she started to touch his torso focusing her mind on healing the gravely wounded Guardsman. The green emanation started to come out of her fingers as her healing touch mended his superficial and internal wounds.
The Seer's entire focus was on stimulating his body to heal itself, to accelerate the regeneration of bone, and for the tear on the kidney's wall to close it off stopping the bleeding. Her head hurt a lot in doing so, the Eldar knew she was pushing herself beyond her limit, but right now she had no choice aside to keep going.
"Fascinating..."
Was all she heard from Darius as he stared down at her work, the Specialist was impressed by her abilities, but also suspicious, since the clever human was already starting to put two and two together and reaching the logical conclusion that was her that healed them in the preparation room.
However, someone else was not happy with her help, that being Ellias who reeked of distrust.
"What are you doing?"
His words dripped with venom as he kept his stare on her.
"Helping."
Her answer was direct and left no room for discussion since she had no time for those, even more so now that the Ork was discussing with Elyria, riling the Druchii up. She knew that the Succubus would not be so patient for so long so the Seer needed to be quick to make this count.
The Corporal steps in her direction hostility irradiating from him, but soon he is stopped by no other than Kais who puts himself between her and the enraged Guardsman.
"Stand down Xeno Scum before I throw your ass..."
He can't finish his words as the Fire Warrior in a single movement throws him to the ground holding his arm between his legs and putting him into an arm lock. The Corporal could not help but scream in pain as the Tau held him in place, Janessa raised her Laspistol to intervene but Arandur had enough of all this opting to silently go behind the Guardswoman pinching a pressure point on her neck making her fall unconscious in an instant.
With a dull thud, the woman falls onto the muddy ground completely immobile. Ellias screamed in anger believing his comrade to be dead only for Arandur to tear a piece of cloth from his sash and kneel to gag the raging human.
Not saying a single word the Dire Avenger pinched the same spot on the Coporal's neck making his head limp. Having two of the more confrontational imperial soldiers unconscious was a huge help to Thalindra's need for focus.
Darius only stood there shocked seeing his friend's completlety knocked out, he couldn't help but ask Arandur.
"Are they going to be fine?"
The Dire avenger remained on his feet his gaze trained on the interaction between the Orkboss and the Druchii woman, and with an impassive accented tone replied.
"In some minutes they'll get back to their feet, so don't worry Mon-Keigh."
Kais released the now unconscious Corporal raising himself from the ground while dusting his armor off. Trading a look with Arandur before taking his gun and standing watch over the people on the ground.
Now that things got settled she kept her hands on the Captain's body the green aura around her hands helping to mend all. Yet this came at a cost as she could feel her nose bleeding from all the effort she was putting into keeping them alive.
Once this was done she would need at least two days to recover, or else her soul wouldn't manage using her powers and dampen the cursed effects of the dampening field.
The pain in her head was debilitating now, and struggling to keep her focus on the task at hand, Thalindra at least could now dial back her effort a little, since Marcus's condition was stable now. He wasn't fully healed yet since his broken bones were not completely regenerated, but his life was out of danger now that she managed to stop the internal bleeding and fix his pierced lung.
But her thoughts are cut short as she takes notice of Arandur's mind, he is worried. And if a Dire Avenger such as him is worried this could mean a problem, so changing her focus to what was happening around them she understood well why he was feeling this.
All the Orks around them started to hold their heads in pain aside from Morkfang, the Seer could feel their overwhelming suffering. They screamed in agony, the entire crowd cheered on as the Greenskins suffered.
The worst part of all is knowing that Orks are very tolerant of pain, so whatever is causing this to them should be a hell of a thing, something that if used on Eldar or humans would mean literal death.
But this didn't take long as their heads started exploding, one by one, explosion after explosion what remained of them fell to the ground in piles and piles of gore. At each explosion, the crowd was awed as if seeing a fireworks display, some even clapped to the more violent explosions.
What was happening was beyond gruesome, she did not hold any love for the Orks, but the way they were being killed as if they were a mere show of light was cruel even if they were green skins.
Morkfang could only look in stunned silence as the men blew in front of him, his mind taken by shock and rage. He turned a single look towards the balcony of the lounge where Elyria stood, a satisfied smirk on her face as she looked at hundreds of the fungi life forms perishing.
The Orkboss tried to raise himself from the ground, but not managing to do so he angrily crawled towards the wall of the arena, his nose flaring in anger as he dragged himself through the muddy terrain. She knew he wouldn't go far in the current conjecture, so Thalindra decided to give a last gift to the Ork and that was the rest of her energy, something that would power him up enough to try and exact his revenge.
And with that, she closed her eyes a last time before her mind faded to black, her entire being closing on itself to receive the so deserved rest it deserves.
Arandur observed with interest as the Ork went for the wall with renewed vigor, but his attention switched to his best friend swaying one side and to the other before finally losing her footing and her body started to fall. He was quick though managing to get her in his arms before she hit the muddy ground, her nose was bleeding profusely alongside her ears, and the Seer had pushed herself far beyond her limit, all for these primitives.
The Dire Avenger wanted to be angry at them, he wanted to tear them a new one, to stop them from making her push herself so hard, but he knew he couldn't. In doing so in the end he would be hurting her as well, Thalindra was far too empathetic for her own good.
Now all he had to do was to wait for all of them to wake up and for this complete shit show to end, however, he had to admit that seeing Morkfang killing the crowd in a frenzied rampage is gold. For the first time, he is happy that the Drukhari's complete disregard for life causes them to not take safety as a given since this Arena was not projected with the safety of its attendees in mind, which meant that the Ork did not have any real difficulties climbing to them and started destroying everything on his path.
The Dark Kin ran in different directions trying to evade the fury of the Orkboss as he threw chairs and dead bodies onto others, in his blind state of anger Morkfang did not discriminate killing absolutely everything that got in his way.
It wasn't long before the arena was emptying itself as the green skin rampaged around throwing bodies and objects. Now that there was no one to kill in the cowering crowd he started climbing to the Succubus's lounge, in his endless fury he went on ready to get revenge for his warriors.
In a way Arandur understood the creature as it climbed on, he knew that feeling of wanting to kill something so much that it overridden any other thing on his mind, he lost himself to the bloodlust of combat, to the thrill of the killing, to avenge those who had fallen at the hands of the enemy many times on his path. He knew pretty well all of these emotions that the Ork was displaying in his righteous wrath. Morkfang was just some meters away from his objective as the cowering Archons just retreated inside the room, but one of the Drukhari stood impassively watching the hulking figure climb on.
It was no other than the disgusting Elyria who with a simple carefree smile waited for the creature to arrive, he could see no fear coming from her, no hesitation just expectation. The Succubus wanted the Ork to get to her, she wanted to face the creature head-on, and this rang all different forms of alarm bells on the Eldar's head.
He understood now that between both of them, the true predator, the true monster wasn't Morkfang but Elyria, and she was well aware of it. The vile woman showed no anxiety or fear, she welcomed with open arms the hulking creature approaching her, so in a single elegant movement, she climbed on the rail of the balcony and jumped against the Orkboss a single dagger in hand.
All cowered out of her lounge only remaining her father, Vespera and her retinue, and herself. All aside from her waited with fearful expectation for the Ork to show itself, but her expectation was of a different kind.
The Succubus loved a good show, she loved all the planning and execution part of it, but if there was something she loved far more than this, was a challenge, similar to her father, although his area was far more of an intellectual one.
She loved fighting and utterly destroying her opponent, the thrill of defeating a skilled challenger was orgasmic and far beyond any known pleasure to her, so when she sees that hulking monstrosity climbing towards her she can't help herself but indulge its wants.
Climbing atop the rail she stares down at the pathetic fungi climbing towards her, taking the dagger out she prepares herself. 'Just a little closer' she thought as the roaring screams of the beast got closer.
Its fingers reached the ground of the balcony as it pulled himself towards her, but this was Elyria's moment, she jumped towards his face with her blade in hand she stabbed its right eye and with it made Morkfang groan in pain she jumped once again evading one of his arms who are trying to reach for her.
Using her dagger to stab his back and drag it down cutting from his neck to his lower back, exposing his vertebrae. Using her agility and armored claws she climbs around the beast, dagger in her mouth, as it tries to reach for her once more, the armored gloves dig and pierce its flesh in the process she uses one of her hands to deliver multiple cuts in every part she passes exposing even more of his insides to the world.
Like a spider, she climbs around evading grab after grab, until the Ork starts to lose its grip upon the ground of the balcony, but soon he notices the real reason why, when in the third lap around his body, Elyria swiftly cut the tendons of his left arm making lose its strength.
Morkfang is losing his grip as the Drukhari keeps its assault, he tries desperately to shake the woman off of him, but is futile as she keeps circling him cutting and stabbing with her sharp claws. Then in a single moment, she climbs his shoulders, her face mere inches from him a devilish smirk on her perfectly sculpted complexion.
"Ready to fall your poor thing?"
His eyes widened, and his mouth contorted itself to a hateful scowl. The Orkboss even in this dire moment could not help himself but feel pure hatred against the Succubus.
"Even if I die, I know someone will krump ya. Yer bound to lose when ya can't fight! You're a coward, a squig who'd never face wot ya send others to face. You're weak, and all ya bring on yer own choppa is shame. I, Morkfang Da Brutal, will get da death I deserve. But you? Only shame and spite will be waitin' for ya!"
Being finally over with this charade Elyria uses her dagger to cut the tendon of the arm holding him on the balcony, which prompts the hulking green skin to release its hold on the ground, then the Succubus uses the body of Morkfang to get enough leverage to get back to her lounge which she manages perfectly. The big Ork falls letting a mighty roar, as he travels a great distance before his back meets the cold and hard floor down below.
The Orkboss lay immobile his ragged breath coming through his nose as he stared at her, a small smile adorning his face as he thought he won this victory against her.
Elyria could not help herself and returned his small gesture with a Cheshire grin.
"Vespera?"
The Wych was beside her the moment the last syllable left her mouth, the younger Druchii curiously watching the Ork down below.
"Yes, Lady Elyria?"
Morkfang expression changed to one of confusion seeing both of them interacting while staring at his broken form, the taunting smile of the Succubus ever present.
"Take him to the Haemonculi, I want him alive and well. Make sure that they give him more sturdy and well-built prosthetics. His career in the arena will be a long one."
The Orkboss did not know what they were talking about, but he was intelligent enough to notice they had something in store for him, something made to make his existence even more miserable.
With a simple nod, Vespera went away from the room to obey her master's orders, leaving Elyria to gaze at the remaining group down in the trenches.
"Well, it looks like they survived another fight..."
Kaltharis stepped beside her accessing the situation of the arena, turning his analytical gaze to their cousins and Mon-Keigh.
"They are far more resilient than we expected."
She nodded to her father having no other option aside from agreeing with him.
"It has been a long time since I've seen a group survive two of my shows."
Kal did not disagree as he hummed observing the odd group, some of them on the ground unconscious while the remaining ones standing made a perimeter looking around expectantly.
"If you want to send them, I would recommend focusing on eliminating the Humans and Tau first. It is clear that they are doing the dirty work for the Farseer and her lackey, and in turn, she is helping them with her witchery."
"Yes, I noticed that too, and your assessment is quite good actually. But now that they managed to win a second time and it ended up with a rampaging Ork killing many of the spectators you can bet your ass that they'll want more of this merry band of losers."
The Archon could not help himself and scoffed at his daughter's words.
"Yup this fight has certainly piqued the interest of many of the inhabitants of the Dark City, I wouldn't be surprised if they continue like this that even the Dark Lord himself would come to see what this bunch of weirdos are up to."
Elyria could not stop herself and giggling at the compliment uttered by her father, the mere image of Vect himself seeing one of her spectacles was enough to fill her gut with butterflies.
"Stop Father! You'll make me blush..."
Both laughed as they enjoyed this success, even though the merit was all hers, she couldn't help but appreciate her father's help in capturing them. This alone could open a lot of doors to her future endeavors and who knows be even more famous than the Queen of Knives herself.
Clapping her hands she turned to her retinue who watched in silence their interaction.
"Deactivate them, bring them back to their cells, and ask for the cooks to prepare a slave grub and water for them. Also, make sure to ask for the Haemonculi to heal them, I want them in peak condition for the next event."
The group of Wyches left to attend to her order as her focused gaze kept on her new mine of gold, this "Merry Band" would help her to get to far places, and by the Muses, she was looking forward to that...
When Marcus woke up he was back in the cell, besides Darius who just like him moments ago was completely out of it. The last thing he remembered before completely blacking out was fighting the enormous Orkboss, after that he did not have any recollection of what had transpired.
Looking around he sees Kais sitting with his back supported by the bars staring at his stretched hooves. The Tau changes his gaze to him, his noseless face a complete puzzle to the Guardsman who can't make a proper read of his feelings, before the Fire Warrior lets out a small smile.
He says something that completely evades his understanding which is strange since in the arena he could for some reason understand the meaning behind his words.
To not be impolite he just nodded as a sign of affirmation, this in turn satisfied Kais who smiled and turned his gaze once again to his hooved feet.
Changing his gaze to the rest of the occupants he noticed that Ellias was drooling from his mouth as he slept belly down on the cold ground,
and Janessa was curled in a corner her torso slowly rising in a calm breathing, sleeping peacefully as her form stood there.
Arandur was awake, his back supported in the bars as he kept his eyes closed, from the few moments he had spent with the Eldar he noticed they usually went to this state of suspended conscience and this is exactly what appeared as his graceful form sat completely still.
Then at last Thalindra who was supported in the steel bars, her body limp, her closed eyes shifted one side to the other in frantic motions, as her breathing was quick and erratic, her nose and ears had dried blood in them. If she was human he could attribute this to a nightmare or mental disorder, but since she was a Xenos he had no idea of why she appeared to be in some form of distress.
Marcus silently raised himself from the ground before trying to slowly approach the Farseer to assess her situation better, but the moment he got too close to try and touch her Arandur was upon him in a single moment his form above him as he held the Imperial on the ground, his grey eyes filled with murder.
"Touch her and I'll gut you with my bare hands Mon-Keigh."
His tone was but a whisper but conveyed so much rage that the Captain knew he wasn't fooling around with him. So through a raspy voice, he tried to explain himself.
"I just want to see if she is alright. She appears to be having a hard time..."
He is cut short as the Dire Avenger applies more pressure on his windpipe.
"You can help by being far away and not disturbing her. She needs to rest without any kind of interruption. Especially the ones coming from the likes of you."
He could not speak now as his neck was almost being crushed by the Eldar warrior, Marcus for a moment thought he would perish at the hands of this prideful and spiteful Xeno. Kais even raised himself from the ground to stare down at the other Warrior.
But then he released his hold letting air reach his lungs once again standing up in a swift and elegant move. His grey eyes remained on him the wrath and promise of pain ever present.
"Stay on your side of the cell. If you come here again I'll kill you and not even her will stop me. So by Isha's grace stand on your side!"
Then he turned sitting at the same position as before as if nothing had happened. Kais stared at the Dire Avenger with reprobation saying something under his breath that neither human nor Eldar understood, before sitting down again. Hesitantly he got back to his spot sitting with his back to the wall, letting his hands to the book in his pocket seeking the comfort of the familiarity of the trenches and his previous life, this book being the only remaining connection to his Imperial life.
"By the Emperor, if I knew that I would be stuck here I would prefer dying to a bolter round of an angry Commissar at the back of my skull than to go through this hell."
He could not help himself from dwelling on the past, of the small joys of military service, his mind being consumed by memories and anything that could take him from the fact that now he and his men were properties of sadistic Drukhari, stuck with three Xenos one of which was just itching himself from killing all of them.
So here we are! Thx for accompanying me until now, and I sincerely hope that what I have in store will further surprise and entertain you.
Also don't forget to check out BillyFish1409 new story "In a Big Country", it is a incredible Halo story with its second chapter already released so go there and check it out!
Now about the comments of the previous chapter!
Ferrus - Trust me, bro, no real-life big titty goth gf would hold a candle to your average Wych, we are talking here about levels of violence, abuse, and mental torture that no human could hope to emulate, so trust me...They are not that XD.
ksgrip - I'm happy you're enjoying thus far! And yeah Thalindra is that type of highly empathetic character so expect more of her kindness, not only towards Marcus but the others as well. And yup totally agree with you, having a romance with a Drukhari is not the same as with any other character, at least if you want to preserve their in-universe ethos, since with the Dark Kin there is no concept of a healthy relationship only of the sub, and the dom, one gives all the cards and the other just accepts it such as in the book Baeda's Gift.
expert93 - Indeed is only a small taste, things will get dark and horrible the further we go. This story is not for the faint of heart, so expect the Druchii to be even worse than they are being now.
With all that being said, I wanted to clarify that I will be reuploading "When Duty is not Enough" next week! So stay tuned.
Hope to see you guys on the next one! Take care, TheChristianPrimarch out!
