Jain Zar closed her eyes. Following the description provided by Kei, she slowly began to enter the desired state.
He raised his hand and flicked a bit of magical energy into her body. When he previously scanned this sector of the Imperium, he had already detected traces of several Eldar.
Kyganil, the Harlequin exile, had also come to this region along with Jain Zar. However, due to an earlier encounter with Imperial forces, he had separated from the Ynnari warband and sought refuge. He was now near Solenfar Outpost, monitoring the movements of Drukhari raiders.
That settlement, Solenfar Outpost.
Kamar-Taj's space-traveling magic wasn't just about distance, it also varied greatly in terms of consumption and difficulty depending on how far you were going.
Using this kind of magic for the first time, the lower the difficulty, the better.
Jain Zar felt the energy within her, as if inspired by a sudden clarity. She raised her hand and made a slicing motion in front of her. A space portal shimmered into existence, glowing with starlike specks. It began about the size of a basin but gradually expanded large enough for a person to pass through.
On the other side of the portal, Kyganil, in his Harlequin garb with the mask hanging at his side, looked warily at the suddenly appearing spatial gate beside him.
When he saw Jain Zar on the other side, he let out a breath of relief.
"Storm of Silence, who accompanies you?" he asked, using Jain Zar's ancient title.
"A Dimensional Demon God from beyond the Webway."
Jain Zar stepped into the portal.
Kyganil quickly adjusted his posture to one of respectful readiness, not fully bowing as he might to an Autarch, but acknowledging the presence of a powerful entity.
"No need for such formality. Call me Kei."
Kei waved his hand casually at Kyganil.
Kyganil had been one of Yvraine's most loyal companions, encountering threats ranging from the daemons of Slaanesh to the assassins sent by Commorragh. His path had crossed Jain Zar's several times in service to the Ynnari cause.
Unlike her aspect of deadly grace, he embodied the enigmatic nature of the Harlequins, his manner contemplative and watchful.
"You weren't this accommodating with the Emissary," Jain Zar noted, her attention still partially on the portal's structure as she studied its operation.
"Yvraine carries the weight of prophecy. Without first establishing clear boundaries, misunderstandings could lead to catastrophe."
Kei stepped through the portal. He turned to look several kilometers away, at an Imperial settlement with manufactorum smoke rising from its structures.
Solenfar Outpost.
In the historical records accessed through the Black Library, this was where Lelith's Wych Cult raided during the Nexus Campaign, abducting the population to fill her gladiatorial arenas in Commorragh after her forces clashed with an Asuryani warhost.
"...It can traverse the Webway without waypoints?"
Jain Zar stayed quiet for a moment, not responding to Kei's earlier assessment of Yvraine. She continued examining the magical portal, which was still shimmering with golden sparkles.
"The underlying logic shares principles with the Webway. The existence of an anchor point affects its perceived difficulty and energy consumption."
"Perceived difficulty? You suggest that perception influences the material constraints?"
"What you perceive as subjective is merely an incomplete understanding of the underlying principles."
"And what principles would those be?"
"Discover them yourself."
"Vexing."
"Hahaha~ Indeed." Kei couldn't help but laugh. Clearly, Jain Zar had taken note of his earlier comments about Yvraine.
As the magical energy depleted, the spatial portal gradually faded. Jain Zar turned her attention elsewhere. Consulting the accumulated knowledge of countless lifetimes stored in her spirit stone, she asked, "The energy you've imparted resists my attempts to channel it."
"Your psyche is attuned to wraithbone manipulation. After millennia of battle since the Fall, your instincts for warp energies have become ingrained at the deepest levels of your being, beyond physical form, beyond genetic memory, to the very essence of your soul."
Kei looked southwest and mentally connected with his Labyrinthian Circuit.
With a wave of his hand, a multicolored light veil spread out, covering him, Jain Zar, and Kyganil. Unlike the psychically-attuned energies of the Eldar, this veil completely masked their presence from detection.
Before Jain Zar could inquire further, a distinctive pulse of warp energy swept across the area, probing and searching. That familiar tainted resonance caused both Jain Zar and Kyganil to adopt combat stances immediately.
Drukhari raiders? Has Lelith truly deployed forces to this sector?
"Be at ease. Their soul-snares cannot detect us through this veil."
Kei descended gently to ground level.
With a subtle manipulation of matter, his formal attire shifted into nondescript human clothing, suitable for blending among the mon-keigh. Except for his inherent presence, he appeared no different from any Imperial citizen.
"Lelith conducts a raid here? You intend to intercept her? To claim Drukhari technology for yourself?"
The tactical implications crystallized rapidly in Jain Zar's mind. She and Kyganil landed silently beside him.
Noting Kei's adaptation, she exchanged a glance with Kyganil before using her psychic abilities to alter their appearance, shrouding their Eldar nature beneath illusions of human form, necessary when moving among the suspicious inhabitants of the Imperium.
"Was this not the Emissary's proposition?" Kei had indeed detected Kyganil's presence near this outpost, which was why he directed Jain Zar to use him as the psychic anchor for the portal spell.
Upon his initial arrival in this universe, [Wanderer of Countless Worlds] had allowed him to survey the sector, but he had not yet detected Lelith's forces or their movements. For simplicity's sake, he had planned to observe from this vantage point for several days. Despite his considerable power, constant vigilance across an entire planet was inefficient and exhausting.
It seemed almost too fortuitous, he had barely arrived when Lelith's forces appeared on the horizon.
That spatial distortion... It must be a Webway gate activated by the Drukhari Kabal.
A Drukhari raiding party.
An interesting acquisition target indeed!
His existing vessel could certainly benefit from their technology...
"...Would you demonstrate your capabilities to those who stand against She Who Thirsts?"
Jain Zar adopted a tone of formal respect, though her eyes held a calculating gleam. When she noticed Kyganil's neutral expression, she subtly shifted her stance to signal him.
"Indeed! We would witness your approach to these... challenges." Kyganil's delivery was stilted, lacking the natural deception of a true Harlequin performer. His attempt at expressing eager interest fell noticeably flat.
One glance revealed his discomfort with such pretense! His expression betrayed his thoughts entirely!
"Hahaha~" Kei laughed openly.
The enmity between Craftworld Eldar and their dark kin had been forged through millennia of atrocities, raids, and soul-theft.
Jain Zar, recognizing his capabilities, clearly sought to turn his power against the Drukhari threat! Her expression of respect was genuine enough, but her motivations were transparently tactical.
The three of them proceeded toward the settlement along what passed for an Imperial roadway. Though lacking the grandeur of a proper Imperial city, this frontier outpost, comparable to a modest colony, supported a reasonable population.
As dusk approached, humans, weary from their labors, gathered in small clusters to share the day's events.
An aging worker with agricultural tools shuffled homeward, grateful for another day's survival in the harsh reality of Imperial life.
Near a modest food vendor's stall, the proprietor had already kindled cooking fires to prepare the evening meal.
Sizzling protein strips released aromas that, while hardly comparable to Eldar cuisine, were enticing enough to the local populace.
"You there! Fine stock today! Good Imperial fare, officially sanctioned! Care to sample?"
The vendor called out enthusiastically to Kei, recognizing a potential customer of means. Even in the grim darkness of the far future, those in commerce develop an eye for profitable prospects.
The vendor had immediately identified him as someone of greater means than the typical inhabitant of this backwater.
"You have proper meat portions?"
"Indeed, indeed! Highest quality, blessed by the Administratum itself! Twenty-eight scrip per unit, how many shall I prepare, lord?"
"Prepare sixty units. Two servings of standard vegetable supplement, one flask of fermented beverage, and assorted protein varieties..."
Kei's order flowed without hesitation, leaving the vendor momentarily stunned.
"Your group intends to consume this quantity?"
"Regimental gathering. Additional personnel will arrive shortly."
"Understood!"
The vendor had initially suspected ostentation to impress companions but accepted the explanation of a military function without question. In the Imperium, one did not question the requirements of those who might serve the Emperor's armed forces.
Kei seated himself with Jain Zar and Kyganil at one of the crude metal tables near the stall. He accepted the vessel of fermented beverage, inspected it briefly, and poured a measure.
In this humble setting, surrounded by the grim reality of Imperial existence, he experienced an unexpected sense of his former life's simplicity.
"You originated on a human world?" Jain Zar studied him with the ancient wisdom reflected in her eyes.
"Indeed. Though in a different reality, not dissimilar in essence."
Kei consumed the contents in a single draught.
Though physically beyond such concerns as temperature sensitivity, the cool beverage still provided a pleasing sensation. The simple pleasure of that first taste after a period of exertion?
A universal constant.
Jain Zar said, "I hesitate to interrupt your reminiscence, but... do you possess Imperial currency? Eldar do not leave debts among lesser races."
She posed the pragmatic question with characteristic directness.
"Perhaps you could offer your services to the establishment."
Kei smiled. While Imperial throne-gelt wasn't among his possessions, he carried various precious metals from the Primordial Realm. In most realities, certain values remain constant.
"Your first portion! More following shortly, shall I continue with the remainder of your order or—?"
Before the vendor could complete his inquiry, a rippling tear in reality manifested above the settlement, and through this breach in the Webway emerged Lelith, deadly and graceful, her laughter cutting through the place.
"Behold, mon-keigh! Your doom and glory approaches!"
The vendor, bewildered by the sudden disruption, turned toward the source of the declaration. He gaped at Lelith's combat attire, her impossible agility, and the lethal promise in her every movement.
"...Emperor preserve us... is this some planetary celebration I wasn't informed about?"