Rising up from a Nobleman to Intergalactic Warlord!!-Chapter 178

Believing that the cesspool that was Commorragh needed to be purged and its hostages/slaves freed, I contacted my Eldar allies, grandfather, and uncles to coordinate a joint liberation effort. Agreeing to a temporary alliance to save the Drukhari victims, they left the battle planning in my hands as neither side had much information on the dark city itself. Tasking Commander Yoma, from the Special Operations and Intelligence division, with the responsibility of intelligence collection once we arrived, she and her people would slip into the city while I kept the enemy's attention fixated on me.

"Not to be rude, but are you certain your people will be able to safely operate in Commorragh? The Drukhari are masters of detection and stealth; one whiff of trouble and they will turn the place into a bloodbath.", Yvraine warned me.

"I have absolute confidence in Yoma and her people. There is no need to worry about them.", I responded, believing they had the skills and technology to ensure their success. "The more pressing topic is determining what will become of the Drukhari children. While I have no issue slaughtering the adults, my forces and I will have no part in killing children."

"The Ynnari will take charge of the children and those who surrender during the battle. Using my power, I will cleanse them of their bloodthirst and destructive urges.", Yncarne answered telepathically. "We will take full responsibility for their rehabilitation and execution should they become a danger to themselves or others."

"We will do what we can, but do not be surprised if we end up wiping out all the adults in Commoragh. The Drukhari are also masters of deceit; I would not run it past them to fake surrender just to get close enough to stab us in the back.", I remarked.

"That is a fair point; I would like to leave it to those on the ground to make the call then.", Yncarne compromised.

Accepting his terms, I requested everyone to begin preparing to mobilize within the next four hours. Assuring them that the results of Commorragh's survey would be made available to them before the attack, we disconnected from the call to begin organizing our forces. Wanting to take just the Endless Horizons into the fray this time around, I relocated the city-ship to my territorial space and easily convinced my family to sit this one out.

---Commorragh Spaceport---

Carefully maneuvering my flagship into the only dock that could accommodate us, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Lileath, Samus, and I teleported down to the forward hangar to disembark. Having the women take a moment to double-check their equipment, as we were certain to run into some trouble, I draped a grey cloak over Lileath's head and her shoulders. Acutely aware of the Drukhari's disdain for the Aeldari Pantheon, except for Khaine, it was crucial that they remain ignorant of her presence among us. Thankfully, Lileath possessed only a tiny sliver of her original power, so we only needed to avoid letting them see her face.

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(Luxion)

"Show me...", I requested, feeling a headache coming on.

Bringing up a camera feed from the bow of the ship, Archon Aurelia Malys and several of her high-ranking subordinates were standing at the forefront of the gathering crowd. Keeping onlookers back with a deadly glare, her unexpected presence here left me concerned and confused.

"You have got to be kidding me, damn it...", I sighed, a bit grateful it was not Vect or one of the more reckless Archons. "I had hoped to avoid running into any of the Archons until after we returned from the forge, but that is no longer possible. From this point onward, be ready to fight at a moment's notice. Archon Malys is one of the most prominent leaders in Commorragh; she did not get to where she is now via diplomacy... "

Switching their weapons from incapacitate to kill, Bo-Katan and Samus gave me a thumbs up once they were ready to move out. Telling Lileath to stick close to me until we were safely out of the city, the goddess clung to my arm tightly, like her life depended on it. Deploying the light construct ramp and opening one of the hangar doors, the five of us calmly disembarked the ship and stepped onto the pier. Turning to face the crowd, several dozen Drukhari took several steps back while the humans stayed in place with relieved smiles.

"One of the Emperor's Sons has come to save us!!", an older man cried as they began to kneel and bow their heads in respect, "Praise be to the God Emperor!!"

"Get the slaves back in line!", one of the Drukhari dockhands snapped.

"Lay your hands upon them at your own peril...", I warned them, my voice reverberating within their chests, "I will not stand idly by and allow you to harm the Imperium's great treasures."

Mentally opening the other forward doors, hundreds of Helldivers and Zaku mechs began marching out of the Endless Horizons, ready for a fight. Taking up positions behind us, they leveled their weapons at the Drukhari and waited for one of them to make a wrong move. Having lost terribly during the last scuffle in Commorragh against five hundred Space Marines, Malys did not want to test their luck against six times that, especially since we were far more heavily armed.

"Wait a moment now, there is no reason for us to start a bloodbath.", Malys shouted, subtly motioning for her subordinates to drag the idiot dockhand away. "It is a pleasure to meet the Bane of Chaos in person; we did not have the chance to formally meet during our last encounter on Vigilus. Where is your Eldar consort, Amallyn, if I remember correctly?"

"She and the rest of my family are back on my homeworld preparing for an upcoming military operation.", I answered, sensing Yoma and her team slipping into the city unnoticed. "I did not come here looking for a fight, Archon Malys, but I will readily take up arms if Imperial citizens are being harmed before my eyes. A snap of my fingers will summon my armada and bring down the full force of the Second Legion upon you. Is that what your peers desire?"

"Fuck no, you are welcome to take all of them.", Malys answered as the humans within the crowd began running toward my flagship. "As your Eldar consort likely told you, we have been slowly losing control of the Webway due to the actions of a traitorous craftworld. Since we last spoke, our forces have lost control of all our normal routes and over half of our alternatives. At this rate, we will be completely cut off from realspace aside from the opening you came in through. In exchange for releasing your civilians, I would like to barter for food supplies to keep our war effort going. Slaves can be replaced; starving soldiers cannot."

"Four hundred tons of food for all the humans you have working on the docks.", I offered, maintaining a stone-faced expression. 'Hehe, looks like I will finally be able to dump all the experimental crops I grew during the testing phase of my accelerated crop seed production. They all look perfectly normal and are edible, but they lack most of the nutrients that the perfect product has. In effect, anything they use during these next few hours will be equivalent to eating paper.'

Accepting the deal without a second of hesitation, the genuine look of relief on her face suggested the situation here was far worse than she said. Taking some extra precautions, in case this was a ploy, I ordered the medical team to do a full battery of tests on the liberated captives before sending them on to Terra.

Depositing the promised supplies on the boardwalk, Malys proceeded to check several of the containers to ensure I was not ripping her off. Having her bodyguard sample a few items, when the Drukhari Succubus gave the thumbs up, she commanded the remaining dockworkers to carry the supplies to her warehouses immediately.

"For what it's worth, thank you for the supplies.", Malys spoke, shocking both Lileath and me. 'Fuck... I never thought I would utter those words to a stupid Mon-keigh...'

"Is your head on straight, Malys? Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would hear the words 'thank you' leave your lips. Just how terrible is the situation here?!", I questioned, causing a smile to form on her face.

"Haha, I like you, Victor. You are far less stuffy than most of the other Mon-keigh I have spoken with over the years.", Malys cackled, relaxing her guard a bit. "To be brutally honest with you, the situation here in Commorragh is fucking terrible. With no way to regularly resupply ourselves, we have had to increase the number of torture rituals we perform to make up the difference. While it helps numb the hunger pains, nothing beats a hard drink and an actual plate of food."

"I was under the impression that you inflict pain on others to sustain your body and soul. Is that not accurate?", I inquired, genuinely curious about this information.

"Ha! That is just a stupid Mon-keigh conjecture. Aeldari are flesh and blood just like everyone else in the galaxy. Our bodies require real sustenance to survive, though it is true that the pain we inflict on others replenishes our soul essence.", Malys answered with a smirk. "So, what brings the infamous mortal who brought down She Who Thirsts to Commorragh? Looking to add more Eldar women to your entourage, or maybe you fancy an opportunity to bed yourself a Drukhari woman?"

Vehemently shaking my head, I informed her that we were looking to gain access to the Webway from Commorragh. Confused by what a human like me would want inside the Webway, she was about to ask for more details when the crowd began to part for another of Commorragh's residences. Confidently striding toward us with several of her subordinates, Lelith Hesperax gave us a toothy smirk. Turning away from me, Malys walked up to Hesperax with an annoyed glare.

"What do you want, you fucking whore?", Malys growled as her bodyguards rushed to her side, "Did Vect send you over here to check things out for him? Tell that cowardly shithead to climb down from his tower and actually help us organize our defenses. I am tired of dealing with his proxies; either he comes down willingly or I will drag his ass down here myself!"

"I am not here on behalf of Vect, but I will make sure to pass along your message to him. My days of serving as his courtesan are long behind me, though I suspect yours may be upon you very soon.", Hesperax snickered, enraging the Archon, "For your information, I am here for more personal reasons. A close associate of mine asked me to assist the Mon-keigh with his objective, and that is exactly what I intend to do. Is that a problem?"

"So, you are here on behalf of Yvraine then...", Malys commented, a wicked smile forming on her face, "Very well, I will also lend my assistance in helping our dear friend here reach his objective. If I am lucky, the old sack of bones will come down off his throne and commune with the rest of us plebians."

Turning to Lileath for guidance, she telepathically told me which pathway we needed to head to. Relaying the information to the two Drukhari, their expressions soured greatly upon hearing our destination. Promising to get us as close as possible, they informed us that our pathway was currently contested between the Daemon and Drukhari. Uncertain how long they would be able to keep the entrance open, Hesperax suggested we get moving immediately before it was too late.

---Moonsight Passage---

Reaching our destination after a brisk thirty-minute run, we found the immediate area in a state of chaos. Currently under siege from a host of Slaanesh Daemons, led by The Masque, the Drukhari Forces were on the verge of total collapse. Frustrated that foolish defenders had not sealed the entry point before the enemy poured out, Malys killed two of the soldiers with a flick of her blade before looking upon the Daemonette. Feeling themselves beginning to lose control of their bodies, everyone began to mimic the Daemon's movements while I stood there momentarily confused.

'Oh wait a second, this is that dancing daemon that was cursed by She Who Thirsts, right? Wow, things must be desperate if they are sending bottom-of-the-barrel individuals in like her out to lead.', I thought, looking at the hideous exotic belly dancer. "Alright lady, the show's over. Time for you to take a hike!"

Turning their attention toward me, The Masque's subordinates let out an ear-piercing screech as they turned their tails and fled back into the Webway. Leaving their leader to fend for herself, the dancing woman began enthusiastically laughing as she began rapidly and melodically making her way toward me.

"Finally, the first good piece of news I have had all week! The mortal who struck down my mistress has appeared before me; I shall take revenge for Lady- ", The Masque began to say, before I seized her face with my right hand.

"Listen, you old hag, I do not have time to waste listening to you prattle on about avenging that whore. You should have taken the hint from your subordinates and fled, but I guess that is too much to ask for from an idiot like you.", I commented, casting the spell Smite on her. "Begone from my sight, wench!"

Watching cracks of light appear all over her body, the Daemonette began to scream in agony as her body rapidly inflated to five times her original size. Violently exploding seconds afterwards, everyone that had been entranced by her dancing abruptly fell to the ground. While the people that had come with me quickly recovered, those who had been guarding the area were barely able to breathe right now. Suggesting they take care of the defenders, I cast a multi-layer barrier spell on the opening the guards had been protecting.

"Aside from the Big Four themselves, no one is getting through that barrier without my approval.", I said, walking toward it with my group. "We will take things from here."

"You sure you do not want a guide?", Malys remarked, knowing humanity knew little to nothing about the vast passageways that made up the Webway.

Assuring her that we had everything under control, I stepped into the passageway first and obliterated the daemons who were not smart enough to run. Following me inside, once the passage was clear, Lileath took point and began leading us to the smithy.

"Tell me, when exactly did you start taking orders from Yvraine?", Malys asked as her people began cleaning up the area.

"Since it became crucial to the continued survival of the Cult of Strife. You may have thought his actions earlier were just a scare tactic, but that Mon-keigh has organized an operation to purge Commorragh of the Drukhari.", Hesperax answered, choosing to share this information with her for our own purposes, "The Eldar and Imperium have temporarily joined hands to destroy us and liberate their people. Honestly, I do not blame them; we have had this coming for a while."

"And you are helping them!?", Malys hissed, reaching for her sword.

"Calm the fuck down, whore. I agreed to help under the condition that my group is exempt from the carnage that is about to unfold. If you are willing to help, I am certain Yvraine will allow your Kabal to also join the Ynnari as well.", Hesperax remarked, "Whether we like it or not, the moment he arrived here, the fate of the Drukhari was sealed. It is up to you to pick which side you want to be on."

Electing to choose her continued existence over assured destruction, Malys inquired about what she needed to do to prove her worth. Suggesting that Malys have her Kabal safeguard the passages leading to Khaine's Gate, there was a very strong chance Vect would go nuclear once he was backed into a corner. As the self-proclaimed ruler of Commorragh, he would sooner destroy everything rather than allow others to take what he felt was rightfully his. Begrudgingly agreeing with her, Malys accepted the task and headed off to make the arrangements.