The Wayward Son

Commorragh, Slave Chamber 4, Seiras

After Ashera was gone, the librarian took a brief moment to reflect on her advice. He decided to take it immediately as he began to explore the slave chamber some more. A short stroll later, Seiras walked into the main open part of the chamber. It would be more appropriate to call it a prison yard or a slum as many people were banded together in various areas and groups with obvious segregation. They varied from gangsters, soldiers, civilians, and even a few abhumans. It was very similar to the last slave chamber, but with notable differences. This chamber had a lot more aliens than the last one. Some of them were actually unfamiliar to Seiras which was strange considering that he as Deathwatch marine was knowledgeable on many xenos races.

With determination and focus, the space marine quickly surveyed the area for anyone that might be potentially useful in his escape. To his great surprise, this slave chamber was filled with more fighters than the last one. This was likely by design as the former chamber must have been primarily civilians.

'A decent amount of tattooed thugs in here…they're definitely hive gangers or some type of pirates. That group over there all has matching tattoos on their arms. I might look into them if I need a few extra bodies. Though I don't think they're trustworthy or dependable. I doubt any of them could keep a secret either,' Seiras thought as he briefly eyed the thugs.

Unlike the ones in the last chamber, these guys didn't seem to doubt that he was an Astartes. One looked petrified when he made eye contact with Seiras and froze up instantly. The librarian gave them a look of disgust, 'If they're anything like the overseers in the last slave chamber, then I don't want anything to do with them. Granted I doubt a group like that would have much success in here.'

A moment later, something caught Seiras' attention when he noticed a group of four kabalites. They were currently dragging a woman away from one of the groups. Normally, Seiras wouldn't have cared, but this group of people looked like Imperial Guardsmen due to their iconic flak armour that they were still wearing.

"Major!" one of the guardsmen shouted as the restrained woman was pulled away from them. One of the kabalites pulled her head back and held a blade to her cheek.

He spoke sadistically to the nearby soldiers, "Not a step closer, monkeigh, or I'll carve off her face!"

"Let her go you alien filth!" the vocal guardsmen shouted at them.

The four Drukhari kabalites were all wearing prestigious armour, and Seiras quickly identified that they were trueborn. He found it strange that they were in here and even more unusual that they targeted these guardsmen.

The vocal guardsmen angrily charged in as he tried to tackle one of the kabalites. Despite his best effort, one of the trueborn kicked him to the group. He then proceeded to pull out a shock rod as he beat the downed man with brutality.

"Hey, you no hurt Sarge!" a loud and deep voice followed.

Seiras watched with surprise when he spotted an Ogryn with these guardsmen. The massive abhuman ran in to help the downed man, but despite his large size and strength, he was hopelessly slow at fighting three of the kabalites as they circled around him and beat him down with weapons.

The leader of this small group of Dark Eldar kept the major in his grasp still and spoke loudly, "Enough of this petty resistance! One more outburst and I'll rape her in front of you!"

"Khrem, stand down! You too sergeant!" another man's voice sounded.

The voice was immediately identified as a commissar's. Seiras was surprised that the man still had his uniform on. With reluctance, the ogryn and the angry sergeant both remained on the ground and unmoving as the Dark Eldar group smugly took the officer away. One watched the rear with a splinter rifle while the other three turned around to exit the chamber. All of them stopped in their tracks and looked shocked when they saw Seiras in front of them. The four kabalites looked noticeably concerned as they didn't move or respond for a moment.

All of the nearby guardsmen also perked up with shock when they spotted the librarian blocking the Dark Eldar. Finally, the leader of the kabalities growled at Seiras, "Out of the way, monkeigh! You don't want to get involved in this!"

Taking a single step forward, Seiras shook his head, "Why is that?"

"I thought Renfaeda killed this monkeigh…why is he alive?!" one of the others spoke in gothic to the leader.

"You thought wrong," Seiras countered with a dark tone.

The trueborn were undoubtedly scared as the librarian walked closer towards them. As he came in a body's length of them, three of them held up their weapons defensively.

"Get the fuck back, space marine! We'll gun you down if you try anything stupid!" one of them shouted.

"Trueborn…I take it none of you were on Corun were you? I doubt you'd be pointing weapons at me otherwise," Seiras said with disgust.

They all traded concerned looks with one another as they tried to circle around Seiras with their hostage. As they attempted to pass him, Seiras side stepped to block them.

"Where do you think you're going?" Seiras asked them dangerously as he blocked them two additional times from passing him.

"Move, or this bitch dies!" their leader threatened as he held the blade up to the major's face causing a light cut over her cheek.

Seiras blankly stared at them with indifference, "Whether you kill her or not, you're not getting past me."

"Fuck you! Kill him!" their leader shouted to the other three.

All of them began to open fire with their weapons but were unable to hit Seiras as the Astartes juked left and charged. He ran through their group knocking three of them down with relative ease.

They all split apart into different angles to shoot him again but were too slow to react as Seiras grabbed one of them to use as a meat shield. Holding the kabalite up, Seiras blocked a number of their splinter rounds. His meat shield didn't last long to the friendly fire and was quickly discarded as Seiras came charging in again. He reached another warrior and immediately ripped the rifle out of his grip before elbowing him in the face.

The disarmed kabalite went flying as blood spewed out of his mouth. Before he even reached the ground, Seiras shot him midair several times and immediately spun around firing onto the third kabalite that was attacking him. With precise shots, managed to injure the trueborn. Before the alien could recover, he went charging into melee range.

The injured kabalite looked up with horror just in time to see Seiras grab him by the head. With furious force, the Astartes snapped his neck and tossed him aside. The kabalite leader was already fleeing at this point with his hostage over his shoulder.

He threw a grenade back to stop Seiras as the space marine came barreling after him. The dark eldar moved with remarkable speed. It was almost comparable to a wych's. As the blast cleared from his grenade, he briefly looked back in confusion when he didn't see Seiras. Deciding not to concern himself with it, the surviving trueborn bolted as fast as he could.

His hopes for escape were cut short as a massive blur blindsided him out of nowhere. He and the human woman that was on his shoulders both went flying to the ground from the tremendous force.

The trueborn kabalite quickly got up and noticed his former hostage trying to move away from him. He didn't have the chance to reacquire her as Seiras ran in to kill him. The Astartes was wielding one of the other kabalite's daggers now and had a bloodthirsty look on his face. The trueborn leader drew his shredder rifle and began to open fire with unrestrained ferocity to force the librarian back.

His shots were ineffective as Seiras moved faster than he could anticipate. The librarian easily snatched the rifle out of his grip and tossed it a considerable distance away. The female guardsman hostage wasted no time going after the weapon as Seiras and the kabalite got into a brief knife fight.

Swinging his own dagger with furious speed, the kabalite did his best to fight Seiras in melee combat. Unfortunately for him, he was hopelessly slow and pathetic against the Astartes.

After a feeble missed stab, he felt Seiras grab his arm. Squeezing with full force, the librarian twisted the alien's forearm around causing him to shriek in agony. The dagger in his grip fell out of his hand a moment later.

"The archon won't be too pleased when he hears about this! You won't get away with killing me!" the trueborn threatened.

"Somehow I doubt Faelan will care…I watched him laugh as I murdered his own men on Corun. I hope you enjoy whatever Slaanesh has in store for you, Eldar…" Seiras said darkly as he began to carve off part of the kabalite's face.

"ARGHHH!" he screamed in pain as Seiras scalped his head. The screaming was extremely loud as it echoed for nearby slaves to hear.

After carving off half of the flesh on the kabalite's head, Seiras then stabbed him in the throat to kill him. He followed up by lifting the body off the ground and impaling it against the closest pillar.

'Maybe now they'll think twice about coming in here again,' Seiras thought to himself as he walked away from the impaled corpse.

To his surprise, the female major was still standing nearby. She had the shredder rifle in her hands. He expected her to be shaken and fearful, but she looked mostly calm. The other guardsmen seemed to be looting weapons from the dead kabalites. They all slowly approached Seiras but were noticeably concerned about how he would react to them.

"You have my thanks, space marine. I heard you were in this chamber, but I didn't expect you to help us." The female major broke the awkward silence as she addressed him.

He looked at her curiously for a moment. She had purple eyes and medium length blonde hair that barely touched her shoulders. Seiras found her eye color curious, 'Purple eyes? That's not a natural color for a regular human.'

"No need to thank me…I would have killed them regardless," Seiras replied as he looked over the guardswoman.

She sighed, "You have no idea how grateful we are though. That group's been taking all of our officers away one at a time. Maybe now they'll think twice about fucking with us."

"How many of you are left?" Seiras asked.

"Our last headcount was 48, but they took our commander and a number of others for one of the arena fights. We're down to 37 now if you include our ogryn," the nearby commissar interjected as he walked up to the Astartes.

He had green eyes and faded brown hair from what Seiras could see under his cap.

Looking closer at the other guardsmen now, Seiras tried to identify their regiment, '127th…and that looks like the Cadian emblem on their flak armour too. These guys are Cadians? No wonder they're not shitting themselves in fear. Almost half of them have purple eyes. That's strange.'

"You're Cadians, yes? How did you end up here?" Seiras asked.

"We're from the 127th Cadian Regiment. We were sent to respond to a forgeworld that stopped paying its tithes…seemed like a routine order restoration campaign until these damned Eldar ambushed our fleet. They captured a lot of the brass…all of them are dead. Our commanding officer Colonel Kalum was the last high-ranking officer besides me. I'm his XO Major Arika Medina. This is Commissar Duncan Kavka…we're the last two officers from our regiment."

"What happened to Colonel Kalum?" Seiras asked the woman.

She looked away briefly before answering, "His arms and legs were cut off in the arena and he was strung up…you killed him a spear during your fight in the arena."

'Wait…that guy I killed was a Cadian Colonel? Damn…that's a shame,' Seiras thought briefly.

"I see…" Seiras trailed off as he didn't know how to respond to that information. A normal person might have apologized, but he didn't.

"We don't take that personally just so you know. You gave him a clean death. You have our thanks for that. The colonel deserved better than to be mutilated by those alien bitches. Other than the commissar and myself, the rest here are just grunts and a few veteran sergeants. That ogron with us is Khrem." Major Medina followed up.

The ogryn Khrem finally regrouped with them as he walked over and spoke, "You big like me. You faster though!"

"He's a space marine Khrem...one of the Emperor's Angels of Death," the Commissar explained calmly.

"You...Space marine?! He from vid fight right?!" the ogryn sounded amazed.

The commissar nodded, "Yes, he is."

'Ogryns aren't intelligent, but they're damn strong. He's bigger and stronger than me. I could definitely use some muscle like that,' Seiras thought approvingly.

"How long have you been here, major?" Seiras asked after a brief silence.

"I couldn't say, my lord. Probably a few solar weeks. There were a lot more of us when we first got here, but we're down to about ten percent of our original numbers. Most have been taken to the arenas to fight…a few of the female troops were taken as pets by kabalites. I assumed that was likely my fate before you arrived," Major Medina answered.

'I'm surprised they waited that long to take a female officer. She's luckier than most in here,' the librarian thought as he nodded silently.

"Has the haemonculus taken any of you away?" Seiras asked curiously.

"You're talking about the one with the extra arms that floats around? The really creepy looking one? She comes by every now and then and takes a lot of slaves. They never come back. She took a few of ours when we first got here, but it's mostly the wyches and the kabalites that mess with us," the major replied a bit grimly.

"Pray that you don't suffer that fate…I've seen her lab. It's the last place you want to go." Seiras replied as he looked them over silently again.

'These Cadians will make useful allies in my escape, but I don't know if it's in my best interest to ally with them this early. They're trustworthy, but it could make them targets and bite me in the ass if I reveal too much information to them. I suppose the best option is to keep them on a need to know basis. At the very least, I should establish a rapport with these guardsmen.' Seiras thought logically.

"My name is Seiras, I'm a Deathwatch Astartes," Seiras told them a vague shred of information.

"Deathwatch? You're with the Ordo Xenos then?" Commissar Kavka cut into the conversation.

Seiras nodded, "I am typically, but my Kill Team was assigned to an Ordo Malleus inquisitor as backup. We were tasked to fight a fleet of traitor Astartes along with a company of Imperial Fists and White Templars."

"Interesting, but I suppose the Ordo Malleus needs all the help it can get now with the Black Crusade tearing across the galaxy…" the commissar noted.

"Across the galaxy? I wasn't aware it had reached that far. We repelled an invasion fleet in the Armageddon Sector in the Justicar Sub-sector, but that's the only major attack I've heard of. Has their crusade actually passed Cadia?" Seiras asked confused.

They all looked at each other a bit surprised by Seiras' question. Major Medina shook her head a moment later, "You haven't heard? Cadia was destroyed…I'm surprised you didn't know that if you were with an Inquisitor."

"What?! How?!" Seiras said with disbelief.

The major shook her head, "Abaddon the Despoiler crashed a Blackstone Fortress into the planet. It tore a warp rift across the entire galaxy. How have you not heard about this?"

"I…don't know," Seiras said disbelievingly.

'This definitely explains the abnormal warpstorms,' Seiras thought concerned.

"You must have been on the good side of the warp rift, because the other side of the Imperium is cut off from the Astronomican," she said grimly.

Seiras shook his head, "Were any of you at Cadia when it fell? Why would the Imperium have you quelling a forgeworld when Cadia's gone?"

"That's just it…the forgeworld we were on stopped paying their tithes because they were captured by Chaos forces. We were trying to keep them contained but these damnable Eldar took advantage of our weakened state and kidnapped our regiment's leaders," Commissar Kavka added.

'Cadia's fallen…I can't believe it. This Black Crusade has gotten even worse! I have to get this Ferrus Manus clone out of here. It's going to take a primarch's help to stop Chaos at this rate…' the librarian thought with concern.

Before Seiras could say anything in response, one of the sergeants joined the conversation, "Lord Seiras, do you think it's possible to escape from this place?"

Seiras glanced at the man briefly before nodding, "Yes, but it's going to take subtlety and patience. We're in the webway after all and only Eldar know how to navigate it."

"Wait, you think it's possible to escape?" Major Medina gawked.

The librarian nodded, "With a ship and a dependable force of combatants, it is possible. Though, it would require an Eldar pilot to escape the Webway."

"So it's not possible then? Where the hell would we ever find an Eldar willing to pilot us out of here?" the sergeant sighed in disappointment.

"Even if we could, that's heresy…" the commissar interjected dangerously.

Seiras looked at the man and sighed, "Indeed it is…but I'd rather face a charge of heresy than be trapped in this accursed hellhole and tortured for the rest of my life."

"You're suggesting we work with Eldar to escape? Even if it did work, we wouldn't be able to trust them. Not to mention, we'd be executed the moment we returned to the Imperium." Major Medina whispered furiously with disbelieving eyes.

"I'm with the Ordo Xenos, I can get you all exonerated. I've probably killed more aliens than your entire regiment, so I doubt anyone short of an Inquisitor would question my defense of a willingness to improvise. We're in an unconventional situation and it requires an unconventional solution. I don't like it anymore than you do, but it's the only real option we have," Seiras explained convincingly.

The commissar looked unconvinced, "You're seriously telling us to work with xenos?"

"I'm not ordering you to do anything…I'm not your commander. All I'm saying is we're not getting out of the webway without an Eldar's help. Heresy or not, I have no intention of staying here for long. I would welcome you as allies, but I have no qualms about leaving you here if you can't follow my plan," Seiras stated quietly and sternly.

"It's your call, Major Medina. Morally, I can't agree with it but logically it's the only solution," Commissar Kavka said grimly.

Major Medina sighed as she looked over at Commissar Kavka, "He's an Astartes, and he's with the Inquisition. I'd never suggest it myself, but if he thinks it's possible, then we should consider it. I want your word that we won't be tried as heretics if we escape though…do I have it, my lord?"

Seiras nodded, "You have my word as an Astartes. I'll defend your integrity to anyone if they question you. If we're to be sentenced as heretics then I'll gladly die with you."

"Well with that settled, there's a gaping issue with this plan. How in the warp are you going to convince an Eldar to help us? Those smug knife-eared aliens would gladly sacrifice all of us without a second thought." Major Medina shook her head.

The librarian was silent for a moment before answering, "There are craftworld slaves in this Kabal. I'm certain I can convince some to work with us."

"You seriously think we can trust Craftworlders?" the commissar asked.

"They want to escape Commorragh just as much as we do. I'm certain they'd welcome any help in getting out of here. We can all go our separate ways afterward," the librarian explained.

Kavka frowned, "Yeah, but what if they try to betray us once we're clear?"

"Then I'll kill every last one of them. I'm a psyker…so once this collar comes off my neck, nothing in this place is going to be able to kill me," Seiras reassured them.

Major Medina looked at him confused, "A space marine psyker? You're a librarian then?! Why didn't you use any psychic powers in your arena fight?"

"This collar negates psychic ability. The moment it comes off, I'll be much harder to kill," he convinced them further.

"You've made your point then, Lord Seiras…we're yours to command. What should we do in the mean time?" Medina asked anxiously.

"For now, just stay out of trouble and don't draw attention to yourselves. I doubt any kabalites are going to want to come in here after I killed those four. Also, it's best to keep the plan a secret. For your own safety, I am going to keep you on a need to know basis…just be ready to act when I call for you," Seiras explained.

They all nodded as the major responded, "Understood, my lord. We'll try to keep a low profile."

"Good…I'm only trusting you because you're Cadians. Don't disappoint me," Seiras responded sternly.

"Lord Seiras, what about the PDF forces in here? Do you think it's a good idea to recruit any other humans to escape with?" Major Medina asked.

"It all just depends on how things turn out. Most of them are dead weight, but if the scenario presents itself, I won't object to their help. Just don't get any delusions of saving a lot of people," he sighed.

"As you say, my lord. We'll do some scouting around and find out if anyone else is worth taking. We'll be discreet," she nodded.

"I can't believe these xenos even captured you in the first place. Judging by the way you killed them without your power armour, I can't even imagine a platoon of those guys overwhelming you…especially if you had other Astartes with you," the same sergeant from before changed the subject.

"I got separated from the others and I got captured by the archon and his personal retinue. Even despite our reputations, space marines are still human. We still make mistakes," Seiras said distantly.

"You're tough as hell, I'll give you that. I was convinced you were dead after that last wych stabbed you in the chest," the man noted.

Seiras ignored the comment as he began to depart, "We'll speak again later. I'm going to continue my recruitment."

"Emperor watch over you," Major Medina replied as the librarian left.

As Seiras walked away, he noticed quite a few nearby onlookers that had been watching the interaction. He doubted any of them were able to hear the quiet conversation he and the guardsmen had, but they were definitely curious as a few immediately tried to go and speak to the Cadians.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Seiras continued wandering around for another few minutes spotting other various human gangs and xenos huddles here and there. Currently, he was trying to find the Kroot Shaper that Ashera mentioned.

Eventually, he spotted a large gathering of Kroot sitting together in a circle at the other end of the chamber. Tau of various castes were unsurprisingly close to them for protection. Part of him always detested that the stronger race was subservient to the weaker one. Tau were very pathetic without their technology, and many lacked a real killer instinct. Kroot on the other hand were legitimate xenos warriors and proved dangerous for regular humans even without weapons. While he wasn't fond of any xenos, Seiras had a much higher opinion on Kroot than most alien races.

This further section of the slave chamber appeared mostly inhabited by non-humans. The nearby aliens appeared especially wary of Seiras' arrival in their personal area. This was no doubt exacerbated by the flesh blood stains covering him. Some of them had probably already heard about him killing the kabalites as well. Seiras briefly glanced at a smaller group of Tau and Kroot twenty meters away from him in some type of private cell room.

They all froze and went wide-eyed as Seiras looked inside at them for a moment, 'Mostly Fire warriors by the looks of it. The two tall frail ones must be their air caste pilots. A few earth caste judging by their stature. Three water caste.'

Seiras had a small measure of understanding when it came to the Tau. With his home sector being close to Ultramar, he had seen these xenos more than most space marines typically would. That was even before he joined the Deathwatch. He knew what the Greater Good was and he knew the difference between the various castes. Fire Caste was the warrior caste. Earth caste were the builders, engineers, scientists, and artisans. Water caste were the traders, entertainers, and politicians. Air caste were the explorers, pilots, and naval force of the Tau. He wasn't very familiar with Earth or Water castes as they were both civilian castes, but he was aware of their various physiological differences. His slaughter of the civilian Tau on Kronus had given him a decent exposure to them.

'I wonder why these Tau are sitting away from that other big group? Even the various Kroot with them are separated. These ones seem to have matching symbols on their clothing. Their skin color seems a bit darker too. I don't see a Kroot shaper in that big group over there. One of the ones in this smaller group might he him,' Seiras noticed as he stared at them for a moment.

They all seemed a bit hesitant to say anything or even move as an awkward tension followed. Seiras briefly glanced over at the other Tau group at the far end of the chamber. They were all staring in his direction as well. No doubt they were wondering why he was eyeing up the other Tau group.

The nearby smaller group of Tau seemed to finally understand Seiras' reason for staring as they saw him look between the two groups. One of them actually approached him much to the shock of the others. He could barely believe the xenos' bravery as this one wasn't even a fire warrior…it was a water caste female.

"Is there some way we can help you, Gue'ron'sha? Your presence over here is distressing our warriors." the female water caste Tau asked him in gothic. She spoke the language remarkably well much to his surprise. He didn't know what the word she spoke meant, but he quickly figured it must have been their word for space marine.

"Why are you all sitting in here away from the rest of your kind? Doesn't your race believe in complete unity?" Seiras asked the alien.

Despite his usual hatred and skepticism for xenos, he wasn't in the mood to be his usual Astartes self right now. He knew that he had to be civil in this slave chamber and look for information and potential allies. That included aliens as well as humans.

'Melisara sent me here for a reason…I should learn all I can about the inhabitants in this chamber and find any more allies possible. The Exarchs seem to think the Kroot will be a big help…what do I have to lose by trying to recruit them?' Seiras thought to himself.

"We are from the Farsight Enclaves. We are followers of O'Shovah. Your Imperium knows him better as Commander Farsight. We are a splinter faction from one of the expansion spheres that lost our Ethereal guidance. Ever since then, we have diverged from the main faction. O'Shovah believes that the way to the Greater Good lies away from the control of the Ethereals. The others over there disagree and so they do not like or trust us. We remain civil with each other, but we've agreed to separate," the xenos explained articulately.

'I've heard of the Farsight Enclaves…I didn't realize they were a splinter faction of Tau. It's hard to imagine a schism among these pious xenos. The Ethereals must control them somehow then. I remember how drastically the Tau we killed on Kronus retreated and broke when their Ethereal died. Strange…' Seiras thought to himself for a moment.

"How did you end up here?" Seiras asked her.

The water caste female glanced back at her group of twenty or so followers before speaking, "I was an Ambassador for O'Shovah. We were seeking to contact the Imperium about the growing threat of the Tyrannids as you Gue'la have termed them. Before we reached our destination, a raiding party of these aliens captured us and brought us here. I must admit I found it surprising that the Eldar would commit such heinous atrocities and enslave other races like this. I had previously assumed they were one of the few reasonable races in this galaxy."

"These are Dark Eldar…Drukhari. They're not the same as Craftworlders or the Aeldari as they call themselves. All of them have access to the webway though. They're two different factions of the same race but millennia of separation have caused them to diverge into sub-species," Seiras explained.

"I see…I was beginning to notice a disparity between these ones and others we've seen before. Oh, forgive me I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Por'O'Vior'la Kim'ria…Ambassador to the Farsight Enclaves," she introduced herself.

Seiras blankly looked at her before responding, "I didn't ask for your name, Tau."

"Yet, you seemed civil enough to converse with us. Forgive me if I offended you, but I thought it would be ruder to not introduce myself," she replied civilly.

'I really don't care what her damn name is, but for the sake of this plan I should at least try to be civil,' the Astartes sighed mentally.

"Por'O'Vior'la Kim'ria? Is that entire thing your name or is it a list of titles and surnames?" he asked.

"It refers to rank, caste, home of origin, and the personal name," she answered politely.

'Whatever…I'll just call her ambassador or something if I have to,' Seiras thought carelessly.

"I suppose my full name might seem a bit long to a Gue'la. It is typically uncourteous to refer to one by their personal name unless you are well acquainted, but I will allow you to use mine for simplicity's sake…you may call me Kim'ria if you wish Gue'ron'sha," she responded diplomatically.

He looked this water caste female over for a moment and examined her appearance. She was distinguishable from the others given long and elaborate hair. It was an almost a blackish purple color and was braided in bizarre ways. With multiple tails coming from two swirled buns on the side of her head. Hairstyles like this were only really common among civilian Tau as most fire warriors had none at all or some type of ponyails. Her skin was a cyan color, but it appeared slightly darker in complexion than former water caste Tau he had seen on Kronus. He quickly figured that the Farsight Enclave Tau must have had naturally darker complexions as all of the ones in this group looked a bit darker. In addition to her elaborate hair, the alien had deep blue eyes which seemed somewhat unique on a Tau.

'I'm shocked she can maintain a somewhat regal appearance in this shithole…the Dark Eldar haven't even touched her by the looks of it.' Seiras thought bewildered.

Seiras turned his gaze to her nearby allies and looked them over as well. They all seemed amazed that he was talking Kim'ria in a non-threatening way. He quickly counted them, 'Nine fire caste…6 males and 3 females. Two air caste…one male and one female. Three water caste…two females and one male. 4 earth caste…three male one female. 6 Kroot…all male. That one in the back looks bigger than the others and he's wearing a robe. He must be the shaper!'

"Your name is Seiras, correct? Forgive me if I pronounced it incorrectly," Kim'ra broke the following silence catching his attention again.

He looked at her surprised, "How do you know my name?"

"The Eldar female called you that during the arena battle," she quickly clarified.

The Astartes nodded, "Oh, that makes sense. You're surprisingly observant if you remembered that."

Despite obscurely standing by the entrance to this particular chamber cell, Seiras could still see a number of onlookers gossiping and staring at him from a distance. He didn't know who looked more shocked between the few humans on this side of the chamber or the main faction of Tau. Many of the watchers looked noticeably nervous and curious.

Nevertheless, Seiras doubted anyone in here wanted to risk his wrath. The fact that they could see him walking around alive after Renfaeda killed him was also probably a matter of grave concern.

Seiras tilted his head as he looked back at Kim'ria confused, "I'm surprised you have the nerve to even speak to me if you saw what I did to those wyches in the arena and the kabalites that that were in here. Even my own kind have been avoiding me for the most part."

"I don't really condone such brutality, but I'm not a warrior. It may sound hateful to say, but I believe those eldar deserved what you did to them. The one whose head you crushed in the arena led the assault that captured us. I did not celebrate her death, but I do approve of it for the Greater Good. Her interruption in our mission has vastly delayed diplomatic communications with the Imperium. It will bring about countless deaths that could have been prevented," she replied.

'You won't be so happy when you see Mokaela alive again…' Seiras thought disgusted.

"To be honest, I am amazed to see you are still alive. After that last one took you down, I was convinced you were dead. Truly you space marines are impressive warriors. I can see why the Gue'la hold you in such high regard now," Kim'ria added after a silent pause.

Seiras shrugged, "It might have been better if I did die…being a slave in this place is one of the worst fates in the galaxy."

"It's rather abhorrent what they do to people in here. I just don't understand why a race would do this to others and even their own kind," Kim'ria shook her head.

"Why haven't they done anything to you or your group yet?" Seiras asked. It was obvious to him that they were untouched given how none of them were scarred, crippled, or looked completely hopeless.

Kim'ria shook her head, "I'm not sure. Maybe it's just because we haven't been here for very long. The monstrous Eldar with multiple arms that they call the Haemonculus observed us several times but never did anything. She might be saving us for later…"

'Melisara didn't mess with these guys? Did she really expect me to ally with all these Tau and Kroot too? That can't be a coincidence. Melisara's planned this far ahead?' his thoughts trailed off for a moment.

"Are you the leader here?" Seiras asked as he looked between Kim'ria and the Farsight Tau behind her.

"As ambassador I have authority over all matters excluding military and battle. I am the highest-ranking Tau here though…so the others have been looking to me for administrative leadership. The Kroot Shaper Harru is also a high-ranking member of our group. We were separated from the Fire Caste Commander we came with. Between the two of us, we've been working on getting out of here," she stated calmly.

The space marine looked away for a moment as he pondered the situation, 'There has to be a reason Melisara didn't touch them. Ashera thinks the Kroot will be useful if I recruit Harru. Though that means these Tau have to come along too. I don't want to recruit too many aliens…they can't be trusted. Not to mention, how would the guardsmen react to seeing me ally with all these aliens? I guess they'll just have to get over it.'

"May I ask you a few questions, Seiras?" Kim'ria drew him from his thoughts.

"Ask…but don't expect answers for every question," Seiras stated coldly.

She nodded before speaking, "What chapter are you from?"

"You know about chapters? You're better informed than I expected. I'm a Blood Raven," he answered.

"Blood Raven? I have heard horrible things about that chapter. They sieged the great city of Tash'n on Kronus…they killed the ethereal Aun'El Shi'Ores and slaughtered countless civilians," she said with widened eyes.

"I was there with the fourth company. We slaughtered half that city and left the other half to cannibalize itself," Seiras replied with stoic coldness.

Kim'ria eyed Seiras for a moment with a bit of anxious fear, "I am surprised that you would even speak to us then considering your history of murdering our kind."

"That hardly matters here since we're all slaves right now. I have nothing to gain by slaughtering your kind in this place," he stated logically.

"Fair point…though I am saddened to know that you bear hatred for the Tau. It is such a waste that our two empires cannot coexist peacefully," Kim'ria said sadly.

Seiras scoffed at her, "Last I heard, your 'Empire' had several hundred planets. The Imperium stretches across the galaxy and has over a million. To compare yourselves to us is insulting. You're not even half as big as Ultramar."

She stared at him disbelievingly, "A million worlds? Truly? I must admit I find that difficult to believe."

"You should believe it. The Emperor and his space marine legions conquered most of the galaxy during the Great Crusade over ten thousand years ago…and before that humanity rivaled the Eldar Empire in the Dark Age of Technology. Our kind has existed and ruled the stars since before yours even invented fire and tools. Your race might be prosperous, but you haven't faced any real horrors in the galaxy. Mankind holds the darkness at bay. Chaos…orks…necrons…tyrannids…even these depraved dark eldar. Your kind hasn't even scratched the surface on how horrible and cruel this galaxy is. Take a look around you…this is a taste of the hell we live in," he followed.

"Forgive my ignorance on the matter then. Commander Farsight has spoken numerously about just how massive the Imperium is and why they haven't actually tried to destroy us yet. He encourages us to learn from your kind and to ally with you whenever possible. He believes none of us will survive unless we unite against the darkness for the Greater Good," Kim'ria replied.

"There is no Greater Good…there is only war," he scoffed at her.

"The night is always darkest before the dawn. The Greater Good is about more than-" before she could continue, Seiras immediately stopped her.

"Spare me the speech. It might sound pretty to some backwater humans on a forgotten world, but I'm a space marine. I'll never trust the good of humanity's future to aliens…that's no better than slavery in my eyes. It's an insult to the Emperor and all he stood for," Seiras interrupted with disapproval.

She frowned at his statement but quickly let it go as she changed the subject, "It is not my intention to offend you, but I would prefer that we be allies in this place. Whether you believe in it or not, all of us coming together to stem the tide of darkness is for the Greater Good…not just for Tau, but everyone."

Under normal circumstances he would have either murdered them or completely avoided them altogether. However, given her earlier comment about working on escaping, he decided to humor the idea. He was already up to his neck in heresy…what was the point in avoiding working with more aliens?

"Allying with you is exactly why I came over here. If you're adamant about escaping, then I'd be more than willing to work with you…" Seiras spoke quietly.

Kim'ria seemed relieved but confused by his words, "Really? After saying all of that, you claim you're here to help us?"

He nodded, "It'd be more accurate to say you're helping me, but yes."

"Ambassador, are you sure it's a good idea to trust a Gue'ron'sha? He just admitted to slaughtering Tau on Kronus. How can we be sure he won't betray us?" an overzealous fire warrior interrupted them.

"I'm surprised you would ask for our help considering your capabilities. What would this entail, and do you have any way of reassuring our warriors that you won't kill us?" she asked diplomatically.

"I intend to recruit Aeldari slaves as well…it's going to take one of their kind to navigate out of the webway. I also need individuals that can fight. Your kroot warriors would be useful, and I could use your long-range firepower as well," he explained.

Kim'ria looked back at the Kroot Shaper and gestured for him to come over, "Harru, what do you think?"

The Kroot shaper walked over and looked up at Seiras with calm wisdom. He turned towards Kim'ria a moment later, "He killed the wych that captured us and is clearly no friend of these 'Dark Eldar.' I have never heard of a space marine willing to ally with non-humans, but I would be willing to accept the offer once he's proven we can trust him."

"How would you like me to do that?" Seiras asked them calmly.

"We need time to talk about this…come back later, and we'll have an answer for you," Harru responded.

Seiras nodded at the alien as he turned to leave. He sighed mentally as he reflected on the prior event, 'I seriously can't believe I'm recruiting Tau and Kroot to help me escape. What's next? Am I going to find an orc warboss or a necron to recruit? Am I going to ride out of here on the back of a carnifex? Why don't I just summon a bunch of daemons too while I'm at it…wait.'

Upon thinking that, Seiras' eyes lit up as a dangerously heretical thought filled his mind, 'Summoning daemons would be a big enough distraction…though I don't know if that's a good idea. The craftworlders would never approve, but it is a possibility if I can remove this collar. Maybe I should save that for a last resort…in case things go to hell. One way or another, I'm getting out of this Emperor forsaken place.'

As he wandered back past the Cadians, Seiras was surprised to see more Drukhari in the chamber now. There were only two of them, but they were not kabalites, wyches, or wracks.

'Incubi? What are they doing in here?!' the Blood Raven thought alarmed as he slowly approached the black clad duo.

Both of the fearsome warriors had full-face tormentor helmets with horns and a scorpion tailed splinter gun that coiled over the top. Of the two incubi, one was larger than the other, and they each carried different weapons. The larger one had a massive Klaive that he carried with both hands. The other was wielding two demiklaives…one in each hand.

They appeared to be investigating the scene of Seiras' earlier massacre of the dead trueborn. They didn't speak and they showed zero interest in the nearby Cadians or other slaves. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were looking for something…or someone rather.

Both warriors quickly spotted Seiras as he came into view and approached him. Dead silence filled the slave chamber as nobody seemed brave enough to make a sound.

Seiras stopped in front of the two incubi and stared at them briefly, 'I wonder what they want? Are they here to bring me to Faelan?'

The larger of the two warriors gestured for Seiras to follow them as he turned around and began to start walking. The librarian didn't move as he watched the incubus turn around after a few steps.

A moment later, Seiras saw the other incubus walk behind him as he jabbed him forward with one of the Demiklaives. Taking the hint, Seiras caught up to the front incubus and after a moment, both were flanking either side of him.

They walked to the elevator lift without saying a word which only left Seiras to dread the upcoming meeting with Archon Faelan.

Kabal Spire, Throne Room

After a long and silent trip, Seiras and his incubi escort finally arrived at their destination. Neither warrior had spoken one word to him, each other, or the various Drukhari they passed along the way. The only notable event that happened on the trip was the smaller incubus killing someone for asking a question.

As they entered Faelan's throne room, Seiras took in the surroundings with curious interest. The better part of the walk had been spent imagining what this place would look like, but nothing in his imagination came close to the reality. It was ornate and fancy in a sense, but also twisted and gross. Tapestries of flesh decorated the wall and spikes seemed all too common. Furniture was spread around the room and there was even a table in there. Seiras also couldn't help but notice a number of heads decorating various spikes all throughout the throneroom.

Examining the room's inhabitants, he saw he rest of the incubi were positioned around the room in strategic locations. Several were directly next to Faelan's throne. The archon was currently seated at his throne with a host of half-naked slaves all around the room.

The same red-haired woman that Seiras had previously seen on his ravager was sitting directly at Faelan's feet with a collar over her neck. She wore a bright red loincloth skirt that barely reached her knees. She had some type of promiscuous corset on that was open in the front and back. It loosely covered her bust as it wrapped around the collar on her neck. It was barely laced together in the front. It was the type of outfit you'd only expect to see a slave girl or a prostitute in.

All of the other human slaves were dressed in equally promiscuous outfits. Some others were lying by his throne, one was fanning his face with a large feathered fan, and one was dancing topless in front of him. A closer look revealed Maeralya was also present. The Lhamaean was sprawled over Faelan's lap with her legs hanging off the side of his throne's armrest.

She spoke with amusement at the slave girl dancing, "You're such a sexy slut, Sorellia. You're Khaine's perfect little whore aren't you?"

"Ah, there's my space marine! Come in, come in!" Faelan announced as he noticed Seiras and the two incubi enter.

The topless, dancing slave girl took her cue to get out of the way as the three of them walked directly towards the archon. As she stepped to the side, she got on her knees and sat next to Faelan's throne. It was only then that Seiras realized she was an Eldar.

Seiras stared at her briefly when he spotted the Howling Banshee mark on her forehead. This was definitely the exarch Sorellia.

Her eyes looked almost lifeless and she had an abundance of whorish makeup covering her face. Other than the loincloth bikini around her waist, she was completely naked. Her physique was every bit as impressive as one could picture a howling banshee's to be. She also had a glowing tan complexion that even Seiras couldn't help but admire. Many scars and bruises covered her body however, and the lipstick around her mouth was smeared.

The banshee's dead eyes were an orange gold and she had very long crimson hair. Seiras examined the noticeable choke marks around her neck that were evident even underneath her spiked collar. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the once proud warrior, 'I hate Eldar, but even I wouldn't wish that on a Howling Banshee…'

Sorellia perked up slightly with confusion when she saw Seiras there. Part of him was wondering what was going through her mind as the exarch seemed surprised to see him there.

Faelan noticed Seiras staring at the banshee, "Ah, I see Sorellia caught your eye. Pretty isn't she?"

"She's a craftworlder," Seiras said slowly.

"Indeed…Sorellia is a howling banshee we captured a while back. Don't let her sad face fool you. She's an arrogant little firebrand. She could easily kill most of the warriors in my Kabal. Now look at her. She's not so proud anymore. She's only proud to be my pet, aren't you Sorellia?" Faelan chuckled.

"Yes master. I live to serve," the banshee answered almost lifelessly.

Seiras looked at Faelan curiously, "Why do you enslave your own kind? I've always found it odd that dark eldar and craftworlders hate each other. Aren't you all kin?"

"Aren't chaos space marines your kin?" Faelan countered.

The librarian nodded, "Fair point, I suppose. Schisms exist in every faction."

'Even among the Tau apparently…' he thought immediately afterwards.

"I am most pleased to see Melisara was successful in reanimating you, Seiras. You look well, considering the abuse you took in the arena. When she came by to see me earlier, she had nothing but good things to say about you too. I find it interesting how much of a good impression you left on her. She's never one to exaggerate her admiration for others. I can see why Melisara likes you though. I myself have developed a strong admiration for your abilities," Faelan said with a disturbing friendliness.

"She's truly a genius, I'll give her that…" Seiras trailed off in sentence as he wasn't sure what else to say.

Faelan nodded, "Indeed. Anyways, this is my throne room as I'm sure you've learned by now. This lovely lady is my Lhamaean Maeralya. The others here are my incubi and Maeralya's personal slaves. This one at my feet is my personal slave, Meela."

'These women must be her living doll collection and the red-haired one at his feet must be the null,' Seiras thought.

The redheaded Meela immediately focused her attention on Seiras. Her amber eyes were unnatural and extremely creepy. Seiras felt a bit uncomfortable from her staring, but that was hardly surprising since she was a blank.

The librarian shrugged, "Melisara told me you had plans for me…what do you want, archon?"

"Straight to the point I see. Very well, get up Maeralya," Faelan gestured for his concubine to get off his lap as he stood up.

Seiras took this time to examine Faelan a bit more closely now. He could definitely see the resemblance between him, Renfaeda, and even Nelfaera. They all a similar eye shape and jawline, but his eyes were practically the same as Renfaeda's.

Maeralya slumped back onto Faelan's throne and sprawled out comfortably on it as she watched the archon interact with Seiras.

"You fought well in the arena. I wasn't sure how well you'd handle yourself without your psychic powers and your power armour, but you surprised me. Also, I would like to thank you directly for killing Dracon Daeyal for me during our raid. I was getting sick of him, but I couldn't risk killing him and losing his family's support," Faelan stated casually as he paced in front of Seiras.

"You're welcome…I guess," the Blood Raven replied.

"I'm sure you've heard by now, but my name is Faelan. I'm the older twin brother of Renfaeda…your owner. She's the one who killed you the other day," he explained.

"I know," Seiras replied bluntly.

He chuckled as he examined Seiras for a moment, "Hmm…is that fresh blood I see stained over your skin? Did you kill anyone recently?"

"Four trueborn in the slave chamber I was in," Seiras answered.

The archon tilted his head, "You can identify the difference between trueborn and vatborn?"

"They wore trueborn armour, so it wasn't exactly difficult to discern," he said blankly.

"You fascinate me the more and more I see of you. I've encountered numerous space marines before, but never one that had any real understanding on how our technology works or how we think. That makes you valuable," Faelan grinned.

Seiras kept a blank look on his face as he responded, "If you say so…"

"Wait, he killed four trueborn kabalites in a slave chamber?" Maeralya piped up with curiosity.

Faelan rose a brow at the librarian, "Why did you kill them?"

"Because I could," Seiras answered bluntly.

The archon laughed at his response and nodded in approval, "Interesting answer, but I completely understand your logic. It's their own fault for putting themselves in the situation, anyway. You knew they meant nothing to me and that I wouldn't punish you for it…didn't you?"

"You're correct, Archon Faelan," Seiras replied.

"Melisara tells me that you have an improved agony circuit plugged into your limiter collar. Mind if I test it out?" he laughed.

Bracing himself for the inevitable pain, Seiras immediately collapsed to his knees as the agony collar overloaded his nervous system with indescribable pain.

Faelan released the trigger a few second later, "Hmm…that's a rather extreme response. You're not faking this pain, are you?"

A moment later he pressed the highest setting and held it down for almost thirty seconds. In that time, Seiras lost all clarity as he roared in agony and writhed on the ground.

"No, I suppose it's actually painful. That's good to know," Faelan noted as he let go of the trigger and let Seiras recover.

"Well it's good to have a failsafe for you in case you get any strange ideas. Regardless of that, I have an offer that I highly recommend you take," the blue haired archon said almost cheerfully as he paced in front of Seiras.

The librarian got back to his feet a moment later and looked at Faelan seriously, "What do you want?!"

"I find myself in a strange situation politically. You see, a rival Kabal has been encroaching on my territory recently, and its archon has convinced a few of our noble houses to switch allegiances and support her. This is unacceptable, wouldn't you agree?" Faelan said shaking his head.

"A female archon? Those exist?" Seiras deadpanned.

Maeralya laughed at his comment, "I like him already, Faelan!"

Faelan nodded his head, "Yes, they exist. Though they are rarer to see…not due to any lack in ability mind you, but for the simple fact that most trueborn females skilled enough to be an archon typically choose to become Hekatarii instead. That being said, a few of my Dracons are female. It's not entirely uncommon. Now a male succubus…that's something you'll see once every two thousand years."

Seiras found Faelan's upbeat and comical attitude a bit strange for an archon. He had an odd sense of humor and didn't appear to take himself as seriously as Seiras expected him to.

"Right…so how is your political situation relevant to me?" Seiras asked.

The archon grinned wickedly, "I want to send a message. Recently I've had my incubi make examples here and there, but that's starting to lose its fear factor if you catch my meaning. Sure, they're scary and they can kill everyone, but it just doesn't quite have the shock and awe it used to. It's what everyone's expecting. Now if I were to send a space marine to kill them…well that would turn a few heads, wouldn't it? I would like you to go and wipe out one of these noble families…the Khestri family."

"I don't follow…why does it matter who kills them?" Seiras said uncertainly.

"Whether anyone will admit it to your face or not, they know how dangerous you are, and they would be terrified to fight you. Imagine the fear they would experience seeing you back from the dead and working for me as you ravage their little spire. It's a nice big middle finger to rest of the Kabal and a perfect representation of my power in order to bring these doubters back in line. I want you to fuck their entire family to death. Fuck them harder than Slaanesh on nightbliss nectar and warpdust!" Faelan said excitedly with eager bloodlust.

Seiras looked at him confused, "You want me to mate with them to kill them?"

"It's a figure of speech, but if you want to capture a few and rape them, I won't object. Duke Khestri's daughter is rather pretty. He'd certainly grovel like a little bitch if you raped his daughter in front of him. She's a bit sheltered from what I understand," Faelan chuckled almost evilly.

The librarian looked at Faelan uncertainly as he changed the subject, "Am I doing this without a weapon?"

"Oh, of course not! I'll let you use your weapons and armour. As amusing as it sounds to imagine you slaughtering them half naked, you'll invoke much more fear wearing your gear and fighting for me," Faelan explained.

'He's actually going to trust me with my gear? Well…I guess with this collar, I'm not much of a threat to anyone who can activate it,' Seiras pondered briefly.

"Archon Faelan! Urgent message for you!" a nearby kabalite shouted as he bolted into the room.

"How urgent?!" Faelan asked with annoyance.

The kabalite sounded audibly concerned, "It's a private message from Lord Vect…"

"I see…very well. Stay here for a little bit, Seiras. I have to attend to something. Maeralya, keep him entertained while I'm gone. Give him good incentives and what not," Faelan announced as he headed for the exit with all of his incubi.

"Come, Meela!" Faelan announced as he looked at his null. She immediately got up to follow Faelan out of the room.

Seiras stared at Meela briefly as she passed him. He tried to detect any more clues about what she was. Until now he hadn't noticed, but she had a red aquila tattooed to her forehead. It was hard to notice before due to her long red hair, but Seiras stared at it curiously, 'She's got an aquila tattooed to her forehead? Only a warrior would get something that extreme. She looks very fit…a bit larger than a regular human woman too. She's probably taller than Jessenta.'

Once they all departed, the Blood Raven stood there awkwardly as he didn't know what to do now. He glanced at Maeralya and saw her fiddling with leg on the throne's seat. She was barefoot and dressed rather promiscuously, but that was hardly new to him at this point.

"So…how do you like Commorragh?" the Lhamaean asked him with a chilling friendliness.

"Worse than I imagined and better than I expected. It's been interesting at the very least," Seiras responded honestly.

The Lhamaean smiled, "You've had it much better than most here. Come, sit with me. Girls fetch me something for him to sit on."

Without even hesitating a number of Maeralya's living dolls shuffled to drag over some type of cushioned seat over for Seiras to sit on. It was rather large and looked like he wouldn't break it.

Reluctantly, Seiras sat down on it in front of Maeralya. She immediately got off the throne and sat next to him. To his disbelief, she slung her legs over his lap as she sat perpendicularly facing him. She lowered her head on the sofa, where a slave girl had a large pillow waiting for her. One girl began to fan her face as another gently brushed her hair.

The Lhamaean stretched out comfortably as she crossed her arms and stared at Seiras. She spoke with a relaxing tone, "So…I enjoyed your fight in the arena."

"Good to know," Seiras replied uncomfortably as he looked down at Maeralya's silky pale legs that were over his lap.

After a brief moment of silence he shook his head, "Why are you lying on top of me?"

"You don't mind do you? This is more comfortable than looking down at you from the throne," she chuckled.

The Astartes sighed, "I guess not..."

"Since we're in this position, do you mind giving me a foot massage? Be gentle though. I don't want those big hands crushing my delicate feet," Maeralya said smugly.

'She's the archon's consort…why is she getting so close to me?!' the librarian thought horrified.

"I'm not doing that," Seiras replied defiantly as he remained still.

Maeralya sighed dramatically, "Ugh…please?! My muscles are really tense. They've been aching all day and my girls just can't do it right."

"What would the archon think about that?" Seiras asked uncertainly.

The Lhamaean eyed him with amusement, "Oh…you afraid he's going to get jealous if he sees you touching me. Faelan's not really like that. He likes sharing his girls for some odd reason. Take little Sorellia here for instance. I'm pretty sure every one of his incubi has had a go with her. He only gets mad if people touch Meela. She's his favorite."

'The archon has sex with a null? That's not a pleasant thought...' Seiras pondered for a brief moment.

Seiras glanced over at Sorellia who was still sitting on her knees at the base of the throne chair. She was staring intensely at them.

Maeralya looked over at her and chuckled, "Not that Sorellia minds though. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Yes, mistress. I love pleasing my masters," Sorellia spoke for the second time. While there was an audible sign of despair in her voice, she seemed completely serious when she said it.

"C'mon, Seiras…massage my feet!" Maeralya commanded.

The Blood Raven had shameful regret flooding his insides as he obeyed Maeralya's command. He began to gently massage her feet slowly and tightly. He tried not to think about what he was doing as he went about performing a pliability massage to her feet.

He would typically do this to his own muscles on occasion, and it was commonly done by chapter serfs when stretching a muscle to assist in healing.

"Ahhh, that feels so good," Maeralya practically moaned as she closed her eyes. This went on for almost a minute until Maeralya leaned up.

She let out a blissful sigh, "Get my calves too."

Against his better sense of judgment, Seiras moved his hands over and started massaging her calf muscles. Part of him was already aware of the inevitable horror that this was going to end up with her thighs next.

"You're definitely going to be my new masseuse. You've done this before haven't you? Is this how you get all the girls?" she said gleefully as she leaned back again.

"It's pliability muscle massaging. We use it to rehabilitate injuries and to relieve tendon pressure. There's no courtship or seduction involved in this," Seiras dismissed her comment.

Maeralya shook her head, "Oh really? Maybe you lack to stimuli we do then…Eldar love this kind of thing."

"I don't care." Seiras said stoically.

"Higher…get my thighs," she said as she kept her eyes closed.

Seiras stopped and looked at her, "That's too much."

"How so? There's nothing sexual about it. Didn't you say so yourself?" Maeralya asked.

'Damn her…' he mentally fumed.

Slowly his hands moved up to above her knees where he started to massage her thighs. He kept his eyes solely focused on the task and ignored her reaction. He was careful to avoid touching her butt or inner thighs as he performed his task.

The Lhamaean began to moan softly for a moment before opening her eyes again, "I can definitely see why Renfaeda fucked you now."

The librarian immediately stopped as he jerked away from her, "What?!"

"Yeah I know about it. I keep tabs on her every movement." she said wickedly.

Seiras sent her a death glare as he felt himself becoming angry. Part of him wanted to murder her for mentioning it to him, but he wasn't really in a position to do that.

"I know it's a bit humiliating to get dominated, but you're actually pretty lucky. Renfaeda might be an obnoxious bitch, but she's a damn sexy bitch…I'll give her that," Maeralya chuckled.

The librarian wanted to kill Maeralya so bad for that comment. His reaction and the reveal of information seemed to pique the interest of the nearby slave girls. Seiras briefly witnessed their reactions. No doubt many of them were surprised that even a space marine could get raped in Commorragh.

"I'm done with this, and with you!" Seiras growled hatefully as he pushed her legs off of his lap.

Maeralya maintained her cool as she laughed, "Okay then…but we're definitely doing this again. You have magic hands."

Seiras took this moment to take in the slave girls' reactions fully. Many seemed a bit distraught and saddened to see one of the Emperor's holy angels in such a heretical and humiliating situation. Some were clearly attracted to him as they offered warm smiles and inviting eyes.

"Sorellia, give Seiras a lap dance so he'll stop being grouchy," Maeralya commanded the howling banshee who was now staring intensely at the librarian with a bewildered look.

Upon hearing her name, the banshee looked at the Lhamaean briefly before obeying her command. Seiras almost leapt in shock when he felt Maeralya's hands snake around his back. She was now standing behind him and began to caress his shoulders.

"Thanks for the massage, now I'll give you one too. I'm courteous like that…" Maeralya whispered in his ear as she leaned over the couch massaging his shoulders, back and neck.

As this was happening, Sorellia started to dance promiscuously in front of Seiras. She moved with the grace that only an Eldar could have as she got increasingly more physical. Before he knew what was happening, Seiras felt Sorellia straddle him. The banshee grinded herself against him as she put her bust in his face.

"You can continue in a moment" Maeralya dismissed the banshee.

It was just in time too, because Seiras felt himself getting aroused from it. He thanked his fortune that the banshee was finally off of him.

"What the hell is the point of all this?! Get off of me," Seiras pushed Maeralya's hands away.

A moment later he felt a sickening sensation as Sorellia pulled out his manhood and began to suck it. He immediately tried to move away, but then felt a dagger pressed against his throat.

"Now now…why don't you just sit down and relax. This blade is coated in a paralysis poison, so don't move if you know what's good for you. Sorellia's going to give you a blowjob." Maeralya said coolly.

'FUCK!' Seiras thought furiously. He could do nothing now the howling banshee began to suck and lick with frenzied lust.

"You love that monkeigh cock don't you, Sorellia?" Maeralya said suggestively as she delighted in the banshee's situation.

To Seiras' disbelief, the banshee moaned in agreement as if to confirm that she did.

'What the hell have they done to her?! Am I seriously getting molested willingly by a craftworlder now?! Ashera was right…she's gone crazy,' Seiras could barely believe the insanity.

"Maybe later I'll have you lick my feet…would you like that, Seiras?" Maeralya snickered as Seiras tried not to focus on the pleasure he was feeling.

'Is she like the dark eldar version of Atia?! What's with people wanting me to touch them in weird ways?' Seiras thought disturbed.

"I hear he likes it when Eldar girls ride him. You want to test that out, Sorellia?" Maeralya suggested as she pressed the blade tighter against Seiras' throat.

As if on command, Sorellia immediately climbed on top of Seiras. He felt her slide down over his cock and moan loudly.

"That's right you little whore…you love it don't you? Give in to your lust and let him have you." Maeralya beamed.

Sorellia didn't even try to drag it out as she shamelessly pounded against him. Every bounce was accompanied by incoherent moaning and loud shrieks.

Lacking the same willfulness to resist as he did against Renfaeda, Seiras saw no point in allowing this to drag out and simply accepted it. He didn't quite reach his climax before he felt Sorellia spasming on top of him.

"I can't. I'm cumming! It's too much! UGHHH!" Sorellia moaned in her own language as she orgasmed. She rode it out for a while, but finally stopped as she leaned into Seiras trembling.

"You couldn't even make him cum, Sorellia…geez, I thought you were good at this," Maeralya laughed as she released the blade on Seiras' throat.

Not able to finish, Seiras felt a painful feeling in his crotch. Sorellia looked at him uncertainly as she finally recovered from her orgasm.

Seiras immediately pushed the banshee off of him as he stood up.

Maeralya shook her head, "Rail that bitch, Seiras…she couldn't even make you cum."

Looking down at Sorellia for a moment, Seiras sighed, "I'm not doing that."

"What have you got to lose at this point? You've already had sex with her. Might as well blow your load too," Maeralya laughed.

The librarian cursed his situation as he picked Sorellia up off the ground. The banshee looked a bit alarmed as Seiras grabbed the back of her red hair and bent her over the sofa.

"Getting her from behind huh? That's hot," Maeralya said with a sultry voice.

Sorellia began to moan almost painfully as the Astartes continued to penetrate her repeatedly. This position felt completely different and way more stimulating as Seiras spread her legs and thrusted nonstop. He tried not to think about the act as he let his mind go someplace else.

'One day, I'll be out of here…with Ferrus Manus alive again. I'll redeem my chapter in the eyes of the Inquisition. Gabriel, Jonah, all of the others…they'll be proud to call me their brother,' Seiras focused on his future plans. It was the only thing that kept his mind away from the shameful depravity that his body was partaking in.

"By Isha! ARGHH! I can't take it! It's so good! AHH!" Sorellia didn't take long to orgasm again as Seiras continued.

He finally reached his own climax and without thinking blew a load into her. Sorellia practically squealed as the sticky slapping sound got louder and louder. Once it was finally over, Seiras pulled out of her. The banshee collapsed on the sofa and shuddered for a moment as she recovered.

Maeralya reached down and felt the hot cum in the banshee's nether regions. She brought it to her mouth and started to lick it as if it were a pastry to be tasted.

"Hmm, a bit salty, but nice and warm. Try some Sorellia. That's space marine cum. Aren't you a lucky whore?" Maeralya goaded as she placed her fingers in the banshee's mouth.

Seiras let out a defeated sigh as he tried not to reflect on what he just did. At this point, he was starting to lose guilt over it because it had already happened too many times. The librarian focused on his future plans and let that stand as his lighthouse in the dark ocean he was in emotionally.

"How do you feel now, Seiras? Better?" Maeralya asked.

"Yeah…" he said distantly as he immediately put his underwear loincloth back on.

"Good, because there's plenty more where that came from. Ahaha…get it? Came from?" Maeralya chuckled at her own sexual joke.

He looked at her confused, "What?"

"Any of you girls want to have sex with Seiras too?" Maeralya asked her nearby slaves.

A number of them eagerly nodded and moved in closer. The female slaves all lined up in a row in front of Maeralya and Seiras. The Lhamaean sprawled across the sofa and watched with interest as Seiras stood there uncertainly. There were sixteen in total, and all of them were aesthetically pleasing and gorgeous.

"Are you serious? I just had sex with that craftworlder!" Seiras protested.

The Lhamaean scoffed, "Yeah and? That was an appetizer. I'll let you pick any of my beautiful monkeigh girls. They're the prettiest ones I could find…some cost me a fortune. Which one do you think is the sexiest?"

"I…don't-"

"You don't think any of them are?! Don't hurt their feelings now, Seiras. These poor girls have never seen a space marine before. I'm sure your impression of them means a lot," Maeralya interrupted him.

"That's not what I meant. I refuse to objectify them like objects. They're all pretty, and that's the only opinion I have on any of them. I'm not going to mate with them for your amusement," Seiras stated.

Maeralaya rolled her eyes, "It's more of a reward for them. Although…seeing you turn away such beautiful monkeigh girls makes me think you prefer Eldar females…am I right? Maybe you'd rather mate with me?"

"You're wrong," Seiras practically growled at her.

"Then pick one…you won't find prettier monkeigh girls anywhere else in Commorragh." Maeralya shot back.

The librarian sighed as he looked over the women briefly. All of them looked noticeably nervous and a bit intimidated by him. A few appeared bolder than others as they maintained eye contact. The one in the middle right had cropped brown hair with a large white streak running through it. What was distinguishable about her was the tattoo on her cheek. Seiras could barely believe his eyes as he looked at it. The tattoo was of a fleur de lis…the iconic symbol of the Sororitas.

'She's a sister of battle…and she just watched me have sex with a craftworlder. Emperor help me.' Seiras thought incredulously as he stared at her.

"Looks like you found your favorite," Maeralya said with a smug giggle.

The brown haired sororita looked notably shy and embarrassed as she avoided eye contact with Seiras.

"That one's Sylea…she's a beauty, isn't she?" Maeralaya announced.

"Where did you get her?" Seiras asked the dark eldar female.

"You interested in her? I'll assign her as your attendant then. She's yours to command…just don't damage her," Maeralya smiled.

The librarian shook his head disgusted, "I don't want her for that. I just wanted to know where you got her!"

"Some shrine world…I don't know. I bought her from Dracon Daeyal. I'd tell you to ask him, but you killed him in the last raid. I believe he told me she was a healer or something. Does that satisfy your curiosity?" the Lhamaean scoffed.

'A healer? She's a sister though…wait she must be a Hospitaller,' Seiras finally realized.

The brown-haired sororita looked at Seiras uncertainly as she spoke up, "If it would please you my lord, I'll proudly be your attendant. I'm am yours to command."

"Ah, so cute, isn't she? Still, what made you choose her though?" Maeralya asked.

'They must not know she's a sister of battle. I should keep that to myself,' Seiras thought rationally.

"I picked one…are we done with this nonsense yet?" Seiras changed the subject.

"You honour me my lord. I hope I can please you the same way the Eldar can," Sylea spoke softly as she bowed her head in subservience.

'Seeing a sister like this is even more disturbing than seeing Sorellia's state of mind. I'm thankful Jessenta or Selana didn't get captured. I can't imagine what foul things these evil xenos would be doing to them if they did,' Seiras thought as he felt a wave of concern for his lost allies on Corun.

Thankfully, before anything else could happen, Seiras heard someone enter the room. Faelan came walking in with an annoyed look on his face. He and his incubi all stood by the door as well as his null.

"Faelan, you're back? What's wrong?" Maeralya asked curiously.

He shook his head, "Nothing serious…Lord Vect and I just had conversation about The Kabal of the Poisoned Tongue."

"Really? Did he ask for your help in fighting them?" Maeralya asked inquisitively.

"No, but I was interested to learn that the Kabal of the Bladed Sun has allied with the Kabal of the Poisoned Tongue. Vect was most displeased that Archon Velatha has aligned with Lady Malys," Faelan sighed.

Glancing at Seiras now, the archon addressed him, "You ready to go kill some people for me, Seiras?"

"Yes archon," the librarian jumped at the chance to get away from Maeralya and the slave girls.

"Good. Let's go get you equipped immediately," Faelan stated as he began to take his leave. Seiras followed behind him as well as the entire incubi host.

Melisara's Lab

After a long and mostly silent walk, Seiras arrived with Faelan at Melisara's lab. The haemonculus peered from behind one of her lab's vaults as they entered and immediately levitated over towards them.

"How may I be of assistance, Faelan?" she asked.

"Get him his armour and weapons equipped…add a banner for me too," he ordered.

Melisara nodded, "Of course. Where are you sending him?"

"To wipe out the Khestri family's spire," he responded.

Turning towards Seiras now, the archon spoke seriously, "I have an important matter to attend to that requires my full attention, but I have no doubts in your ability to make examples of these dissenters to my rule. I'm sending you with two of my Incubi…Tullarias and Mairan. They don't talk much, but obey their every command as if it were my own. Make an example of the Khestri family. Butcher them hatred. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, archon," the librarian nodded.

"Good…I'll leave you to it," he replied.

"Here, Tullarias, take one of these trigger switches in case you need to nullify Seiras," the archon tried to hand one of the devices to an incubus.

He didn't accept it as he responded immediately, "Mairan and I don't need that..."

"Suit yourself," Faelan shrugged before leaving with 10 of his incubi.

The remaining two were the same ones that escorted Seiras from before. Their stoic reactions make it impossible to tell what they thought of the situation, but Seiras honestly didn't care. He did however know their names now. The larger one was Tullarias and the smaller one was Mairan.

Melisara chuckled at Seiras after Faelan left, "He only gets like that when Vect contacts him. Judging by his demeanor, I wouldn't be surprised if the Kabal ends up in full scale war soon."

"Full scale war? Who are they at war with exactly?" Seiras asked.

The haemonculus thought for a moment, "Some lunatic named Velatha. She's the newest archon of the Bladed Sun Kabal."

"How is she crazier than the rest of the dark eldar here?" Seiras asked.

"Well for starters, she's renounced Vect. That's a pretty stupid thing to do in Commorragh. Velatha is also well known for having the most incubi of any minor archon. Hell she's got an entire shrine completely dedicated to her. I guess that's not surprising since she worships Khaine. And when I say worship, I mean she likes to bathe in cauldrons of blood and what not," Melisara mused.

"I thought only Incubi worshipped Khaine here?" Seiras said confused.

Mairan and Tullarias both turned their heads towards him as they were no doubt curious about Seiras' knowledge on the matter.

"Yeah, well I guess that explains why she's got an entire Incubi shrine under her command," Melisara chuckled.

Melisara briefly glanced at the two incubi that were no doubt confused by Seiras' friendly interaction with her.

"Anyways, I'll have my wracks bring over your armour now. I wasn't sure how effective your force weapons would be without your psychic powers, so I went ahead and upgraded them to double as power weapons too. I also made you some more bolter rounds," she beamed.

'She upgraded my weapons?! If there's one Dark Eldar that's trying to make me like them, it's definitely her. Who'd have thought a haemonculus would be my greatest ally in this place?' Seiras thought incredulously as wracks showed up to equip him.