The arbiter nearly collapsed when he saw that alien xenos dash past him yet again.
Wasn't this a deliberate mockery of Imperial authority?
A surge of righteous fury lodged in his chest, neither abating nor diminishing. He strode over to a weathered Mechanicus transport nearby, thumbed the activation rune, and engaged the engine.
Noting the promethium reserves were adequate, he accelerated in pursuit. He refused to believe that even an Eldar's legs could outpace Imperial wheels!
"Phoenix Lord, this human sustenance is surprisingly palatable!" After Kyganil had relaxed his vigilance somewhat, he began consuming the grilled meat with unexpected appreciation.
While the Drukhari queen fled in disarray, the Eldar sat calmly enjoying Imperial cuisine and fermented beverages. If this scene were transmitted across the Craftworld communication matrix...
By Isha's grace! She would certainly receive numerous envious glances from her fellow Aspect Warriors!
"You appear to have no intention of eliminating Lelith?" Jain Zar held a vessel of fermented drink, studying Kei thoughtfully as he consumed the roasted protein kernels.
Despite Lelith being effectively trapped, this Dimensional Demon God had yet to employ any attack that would cause her actual harm.
"Your Emissary has hesitated for millennia without reaching a final decision, why should I concern myself with such matters?" While speaking, Kei had already locked his perception onto Lelith, who was still running near Jain Zar and Kyganil.
He casually gathered half the prepared foodstuffs from the table and stored them in the Primordial Realm, for Teresa and Clare's subsequent meal.
"Emissary Yvraine..." Jain Zar's expression shifted slightly.
Compared to Kyganil, who had only recently joined the Ynnari, she possessed far greater knowledge regarding Lelith Hesperax.
Lelith, once a respected figure among the ancient Eldar before the Fall, was the Queen of Knives, champion of the arenas. She had once fought alongside Yvraine in the Crucibael before their paths diverged dramatically...
"Don't overanalyze the situation." Kei leaned back against the crude Imperial furniture, offering no further explanation.
He was disinclined to expose others' hidden pasts. The conflict between Craftworld Eldar and Drukhari had persisted for millennia.
Based on Yvraine's capabilities in the historical records, wielding the power of Ynnead and able to challenge Lelith with the Cronesword Kha-vir, if she truly desired Lelith's permanent death, no amount of cunning or evasion would have preserved the gladiator queen. With countless opportunities across such vast stretches of time, Lelith would have perished countless times over.
To suggest it was merely because the Emissary was preoccupied with awakening Ynnead and combating Slaanesh was insufficient.
Ten thousand years encompassed more than fleeting moments. More likely, Yvraine harbored conflicted sentiments. Lelith, after all, had once been a significant figure in her own personal journey.
Without absolute conviction to eliminate her, Yvraine simply adhered to the pragmatic necessities of the Ynnari cause. When Drukhari raiding parties appeared, her forces would intercept them, preventing the spread of soul-thirst across the surviving Eldar populations.
But should they ever confront one another directly, for the sake of the Ynnari path and for the fulfillment of prophecy, Yvraine would show no hesitation.
Leave such matters to fate's weaving. Could Lelith comprehend Yvraine's perspective?
Undoubtedly.
Otherwise, when Cegorach's schemes suggested using her as bait to draw Yvraine into the open, she would not have responded with such vehemence.
"I am no novice to these ancient conflicts." Jain Zar inclined her head slightly, choosing not to elaborate further on Yvraine and Lelith's complicated history. Certain matters, if not recorded in the Black Library, clearly indicated that the Emissary preferred they remain obscured.
Kyganil, who had been attentively absorbing their exchange, straightened his posture upon hearing her declaration.
Indeed, even he had witnessed years of conflict. He was no uninitiated youth in these matters.
---
Crackle~
Dozens of kilometers distant in the upper atmosphere, a bizarre vessel, resembling a segmented razorwing with barbed spires protruding from every surface, the Torture-class Raider.
It tore through reality via a hasty Webway breach beyond the area affected by the Labyrinthian Circuit's interference. The primary vessel wasn't particularly massive, spanning only a few kilometers. But the dark matter wings extending from either side stretched over ten thousand meters.
Even unaugmented human eyes could discern its silhouette against the darkening sky.
When the first citizen noticed the anomalous shape, panicked exclamations erupted. The residents of Solenfar Outpost, who had just witnessed an arbiter pursuing a xenos with a primitive vehicle, descended into complete disorder.
They fled en masse away from the threat.
The arbiter pursuing Lelith abandoned his vehicle, forced himself to maintain composure, and began coordinating evacuation procedures.
Suspended dozens of kilometers away, the Torture-class Raider, under Drukhari control, rapidly approached Solenfar Outpost. Without hesitation, it plunged directly into the interference zone, seeking to extract their Queen.
But before they could even pinpoint her location, the vessel's warp-based systems cascaded into critical failure, and the massive craft began an uncontrolled descent.
BOOM—BOOM—
A series of catastrophic impacts reverberated from dozens of kilometers distant. This only intensified the terror among the inhabitants of the Imperial settlement.
Lelith halted her futile flight, her face darkening with fury as she stared fixedly toward the crash site of her extraction vessel. She had already detected the presence of Kei, Jain Zar, and Kyganil.
Initially, she had intended to wait until the Raider approached close enough to provide computational support, hoping it might disrupt the strange dimensional prison constraining her.
But by the dark pits of Commorragh, those fools had plunged directly into the trap!
Now they were simply offering themselves for slaughter!
---
"Wait here," Kei rose from his position.
With a single step, he materialized near the crash site of the Torture-class Raider.
Though spatial manipulation had been denied to others within the domain locked by the Labyrinthian Circuit, as its architect, he maintained complete autonomy, much like a Webway Engineer with master runes, completely unfettered.
The enormous Drukhari vessel had gouged a massive impact crater in the desolate highland forest upon collision. Most of the Kabalite warriors inside had been violently thrown about and lay incapacitated, unable to recover. Some less fortunate ones had perished on impact.
With a sweep of his right hand, a prismatic cascade of energy from the Primordial Realm enveloped the area.
In an instant, the Torture-class Raider, along with all Drukhari aboard, was collected and stored within the now-expanded Primordial dimension. Only an enormous crater remained in the earth.
With another step, he reappeared before the food stall and resumed his meal.
"The matter is resolved?" Jain Zar's gaze held a measure of professional curiosity.
Without access to her psychic abilities to survey the situation, she remained unaware of what had transpired during his brief absence.
"Indeed. The vessel is now mine."
Kei, visibly satisfied with this acquisition, opened another vessel of fermented beverage.
Now, with the Labyrinthian Circuit supported by the Infinity Circuit Cortex, it had already begun infiltrating the Raider's spirit matrix data core.
Soon enough, all Drukhari technology would fall under his dominion! And the entire Torture-class Raider would serve his purposes.
"Phoenix Lord, Kei, she approaches." Kyganil instinctively reached for his harlequin's kiss weapon from its dimensional pocket. But realizing he couldn't access it within this field, he tensely adjusted his position and looked toward Jain Zar, who remained seated.
"What causes your apprehension? The one who should experience true dread is Lelith." Jain Zar rotated the vessel in her hand, a calculating expression on her face as she observed Lelith's approach with bitter composure.
Yvraine had previously granted her access to the Black Library's forbidden knowledge and weaponry. Even were she to confront Lelith independently, she would harbor no fear.
Yvraine's power drawn from Ynnead, far exceeded anything Lelith's combat prowess and narcotic-enhanced reflexes could hope to counter!
Moreover, Lelith clearly had exhausted all escape vectors.
Had she detected them earlier, she would have approached immediately, not delayed until this moment.
"That self-righteous Yvraine, still preaching about how 'Slaanesh is the consequence of excess'? Hypocrite! What absolute hypocrisy! That manifestation just now, if that wasn't raw warp manipulation, then what was it?! Deceiver!" Lelith stormed toward their table, muttering venomous curses with practiced grace. She claimed an open vessel of fermented drink and consumed it in a single fluid motion.
Kyganil glared at Lelith with barely contained outrage. Just as he prepared to respond, Jain Zar raised a hand, silencing him.
"The Ynnari path, when embraced by the Craftworlds, earns respect from those of equal insight and aligned purpose. But hedonism and cruelty, Drukhari earn no such regard." With a faint, cold smile and a gleam of ancient contempt in her eyes, Jain Zar spoke with measured disdain.
"Storm of Silence, indeed~ Your words flow more elegantly than that pretender Drazhar. Yet still, speaking of virtue while serving a nascent god? You are no different." Lelith appropriated a seat with predatory grace, positioned herself across the table with the confidence of an arena champion, and opened another flask of Imperial spirits.
Then she turned her attention to Kei.
"Let us dispense with pretense. I acknowledge today's defeat. Whatever the Ynnari have promised you, I shall double it. Acceptable?"
"You already lost. Why don't I just take it all by force?"