Chapter 32: 32: Ruined Ambush
"Ya ever think about how our species used to live?" Octus asked, surprisingly contemplative as they walked through the ruined city of old. "What were their lives like without the God-Emperor? Without the Imperium? Was Humanity even united under one banner?"
Octus walked through the ruins with the exploratory party at his back. He'd naturally taken the lead, an incessant, burning curiosity driving him to explore more. It was like he was being called deeper into the ruined city by something he couldn't even hear.
No one had an answer to his question and the crumbling, manmade structures around them couldn't speak to tell their stories. Only silence and the sounds of nature awaited them as they ventured past the statue they'd seen from orbit.
They walked through the decay of the ancient city along the cracked remains of a road. The once-great buildings and other superstructures blocked out the sun yet the party was not cast into darkness. Light streamed through cracks and holes in the concrete, bathing the ruined city in dim, almost eerie lighting.
A blanket of greenery covered the ground, extending up the exterior of skyscrapers as if reaching for the rays of sunlight that managed to pierce through the concrete canopy. The group continued on at a steady pace, left in awe by the physical evidence of Humanity's decline.
"I do not know, Octus," Ashe finally answered his contemplation with the uncomfortable truth. "I don't believe anyone alive does. Humanity's history has become a mystery to everyone except the God-Emperor. And he is not in a particularly 'sharing' mood."
Despite the sobering sight around them, Octus couldn't help but let out a humored snort, "Heh, yeah, I bet he ain't. He's got bigger things to worry about than the curiosity of one man…"
Octus fell silent for a moment before he continued, "Still… I can't help but wonder, ya know? Millions of people lived here at one point. They conquered nature, pushing it back with the strength of Human industry and potentially living like kings. Now, all that's left is the evidence that they were here.
"We don't know anything about them. We don't know their names or flags or culture. This incredibly advanced civilization has all but disappeared to the sands of time."
IV-20's heavily digitized voice broke the silence that followed Octus' uncharacteristic pondering, "##Shit's deep, G… Looks like this is gonna be one of those 'special stash' expeditions… I'm just here for that sweet, sweet archeotech~##"
Canoness Lilya let out a ladylike chuckle, "Fufufu~ It's always nice to have the youth take an interest in our past~ You continue to impress me, Octus~"
Geneva grunted, reluctantly admitting the same thing, "Yes, at least that head of yours is not completely empty…"
"Oh, ignore her~" Lilya waved off Geneva's comment before anyone could take offense. "She's just slow to warm up to people. You are doing a wonderful job so far, Octus~ You've worked so hard to improve yourself, both on the battlefield and off of it~ In fact… would you like to spar when we are done with all of this? I could help you ~sharpen your sword skills~"
"Uh… okay?" Octus agreed hesitantly.
It was one thing to spar with a Sister of Battle. It was another to spar with the Canoness of an entire Minor Order. And even he could notice the obvious innuendo in Lilya's words. Having Sabine confess her love to him and Sona confess her devotion had opened Octus up to the wonderfully carnal world of romance just as Lacey had hoped.
"Hmph," Geneva huffed. "Then I shall test him as well. Let us see if your time with Sister Sabine has been put to good use."
Octus was left somewhat dumbfounded, wondering how he'd been swept up in a sexually charged spar with a sweet and sultry Canoness and her thorny, cockblocking bodyguard. Weren't they supposed to be exploring? When did this adventure become about his love life? (Hint: it always was~)
Thankfully, Ashe came to his rescue with the barest hint of a blush on her cheeks, "A-Ahem… Perhaps we should focus on the current mission. There is still plenty for us to explore. I do not want to come back from this expedition empty-handed."
Octus, glad for the distraction, jumped on the change in topic, "So what? Ya think we should split up or something? Ya know, cover more ground and all that? I don't know if that's such a good idea…"
Everyone went quiet as they considered the pros and cons to Octus' suggestion. They would certainly cover more ground but they still didn't know what was out there. There was no guarantee that they were alone or safe on this planet, as evidenced by the supersized Grox that greeted them upon landing. With everyone mentally debating the pros and cons, no one noticed Violet go stiff as something distant and inhuman brushed up against her mind.
"I agree with Octus. We shouldn't split up," Lady said before her tone grew lighter, trying to break the tension that came with the reminder that they were on an unexplored alien world. "If we did that, I'd lose my entertainment. Watching Octus try and dance around the Canoness' advances is better than the best Pict-dramas~"
Geneva got all puffed up in defense of her Canoness, "How dare you?! Lady Lilya would never make uncouth advances during a mission! She is a picture of professionalism!"
Lilya just giggled, denying nothing Lady said.
"Lady, please…?" Octus pleaded. "We really don't need to be fightin' amongst ourselves right now."
Lady rolled her eyes but humored Octus and apologized, "Alright, my bad. Maybe I should have phrased that differently. No need to be so sensitive though…"
Violet twitched violently in the background, catching Octus' eye, "Vi? Ya okay?"
Violet glanced around frantically as if she was just coming back to reality. She'd just finished her psychic 'conversation' with Elodia and now knew her time was limited. Even now, she knew that Elodia's father and the other Exodites would have sensed the change in her mentality. They would have no choice but to spring their trap now.
Instead of explaining anything, Violet threw her arms out to her sides. As she did, a bubble of crackling telekinetic force came into existence around the party. Multiple Wraithbone arrows slammed into the shield as it was erected and Violet almost instantly stumbled.
Still, her shield held strong long enough for everyone else to react. Experience kicked in and they scrambled for cover. Octus picked up Violet along the way, ending up behind a mound of rubble that was once a wall as another arrow slit the back of his armored shirt.
"Funny how we seem to end up like this, huh?" Octus joked at the fact that Violet once again ended up in his arms.
Violet blushed but managed to pant out a couple of words between labored breaths, "E-Eldar… Ha… Ambush… Ha… Exodites… O-One of them… warned me…"
Octus did a doubletake at that last disconnected sentence, "One of them warned ya? An Eldar? What in the Warp…?"
Violet nodded, finally catching her breath, "M-Most of them don't want any trouble with us. The ones that are attacking betrayed their clan to do so."
"Shit," Octus swore. "So we gotta deal with the ones attacking us but keep an eye out for the one that isn't? Any way ya can do the psychic message thing and tell the others about that? I don't wanna start an all-out war if we can prevent it…"
"I-I can try…" Violet said, going silent for a second. "I-It's done. W-What next?"
"Next we do what we do best and try not to die," Octus said with a shit-eating grin.
"Come out here and fight me like Men, you knife-eared bastards!" Lilya yelled from somewhere else on the battlefield, sounding so different from how she normally did now that the thrill of battle was once again pumping through her veins.
Octus blinked, "Was that Lilya? Huh, guess she ain't Canoness for nothing…"
Lilya's challenge was answered by the roar of a Dragon. Then another. Then an Aeldari battlecry. Octus peeked over the cover he and Violet were behind just in time to see a literal dinosaur and the space elf who was riding eat a volley of burning Prometheum to the face.
Lilya stood in the open, holding down the trigger of a flamer as it spat cleansing fire upon the ambushing Xenos. Her back was covered by Geneva and Sabine, who were both rapidly firing their bolters into the ruins around them to flush out the Exodites. It was a beautiful triangle of death, a testament to the true carnage a Sororitas could bring to the battlefield.
But their enemies were no slouch either. Though they lacked high-tech weaponry, they made up for it with inhuman reflexes, speed, accuracy, and the ferocity of their Dragon mounts. Arrows pinged off the Sisters' power armor, carving shallow furrows everywhere they struck. Another Dragon and its rider tried to sneak up on Lilya, labeling her as the most obvious threat, only to be met by a combined strike from Sabine and Geneva's chainswords. The blades revved, chewing through the Dragon's neck and the rider's torso with monomolecular teeth.
"Where are Lady and Ashe? And Sona? IV-20?" Octus asked, looking around for the rest of their party.
His question quickly answered itself. Violet didn't even have to point him in the right direction. Lady and Ashe revealed themselves atop a pile of rubble and greenery, holding their own against the primitive weapons of the Exodites. Ashe had drawn her power sword, brandishing it against an Exodite Infantryman who got too close for comfort. Lady supported the Inquisitor from over her shoulder, spraying her Hellgun into the Exodite while they were matching blades with Ashe.
That Exodite went down in a mass of sizzling flesh and the pair of Humans turned their attention to the next. While not as efficient as the Sisters; Ashe and Lady were holding their own. IV-20 was the next one to reveal himself. He was… also fine, though his methods of fighting the Exodite were unconventional…
"##Ah! Not the stash! Not the stash!##" IV-20's digitized voice rang out across the battle.
The Dragon, who was trying to take a big bite out of IV-20's body, slowly went slack. IV-20 simply slipped out of its jaws, followed by a thick cloud of smoke. The eccentric Tech-priest sighed miserably even as a mechadendrite in the form of a thin, bladed, metal tentacle swept out from his body to separate the rider's head from their body.
"##Great… There goes my special stash…##"
Sona was the last of the group to reveal herself to Octus' eyes. He searched the chaos for her, unable to find where his bonded Blank had gotten off to. Then one of the Exodite archers had their neck disappear into an explosion of blood. Another slit throat followed the first. And still, the archers didn't even seem to panic. It was as if they didn't even notice something wasn't normal…
"Welp… That's everyone accounted for," Octus said with unusual calmness in his voice.
Almost all of his worries had disappeared after taking a better look around the battlefield. Everyone seemed to be able to handle themselves, especially against arrows and spears. The Exodites' weapons might have been made of handcrafted Wraithbone but it would have taken a direct hit to pierce through the carapace armor most of the Humans were wearing. And even more to pierce the Sororitas' power armor…
Octus turned back to Violet, "Ya wanna help or just huddle up here? Either way, I'll watch yer back. You're currently our squishiest combatant. But you're also something of a glass cannon. I'm sure ya could end this quicker than anyone else…"
Violet shivered but steeled her will with a stutter, "I-I'll h-help."
Octus nodded, proud of Violet for overcoming her anxiety and fear, "Let's get moving then. Stay close behind me and pick off anyone ya can… Try not to kill-steal from the Canoness though… I don't think that will end well for anyone…"
Octus readied his weapons — a Mordian Pattern Power Sword he'd borrowed from Ashe's Guard regiment and a simple laspistol — and Violet mentally prepared herself to go on the offensive. Together, they stepped out of cover. Violet immediately threw her arms out, sending a way of force that bowled over Exodites and made their Dragons stumble.
The distraction was instantly capitalized on by the Humans. Sacred flame poured out of Lilya's flamer, immolating all that it touched. Explosive bolts detonated in knife-eared skulls. Razor-sharp Adamantium flashed, slicing through Wraithbone and flesh in equal measures.
Stereotypical Aeldari arrogance reared its ugly head as the Exodite leader only revealed himself now that Octus had. He stood proudly atop a rusting steel walkway high above the battle as if his kin weren't being slaughtered where they stood. Admittedly, he did cut an impressive figure though.
A mane of fiery red hair billowed in an unseen wind. Wraithbone armor gleamed and glittered in the rays of light that peeked through the concrete canopy above. His Dragon, ever loyal and with an exceptional sense of dramatic timing, roared by his side. Ilioch Auras stood strong and tall, the last bastion against the Mon-keigh filth that wished to pollute his paradise. At least, that was how he saw it in his mind…
The reality was less glamorous and less in his favor. Ilioch was losing. Their treasured weapons couldn't pierce the Mon-keigh armor. And the Mon-keigh fought more fiercely than they'd expected. They'd come expecting savages and found out why even barbarians could become warlords.
All of that was irrelevant to Ilioch. Fate was on his side. The World Spirit itself had drafted him as its champion. These primitive Mon-keigh stood no chance against the might of the superior Aeldari race. The Mon-keigh would be exterminated, driven out like the loathsome pests they were.
And Ilioch would be the one to do it. He readied his bow and his mind, nocking an arrow and a psychic attack in the same motion. Cut off the head and the Mon-keigh would quickly route. All was not yet lost. Raw potential energy was made manifest from the Sea of Souls, ready to be released with the slip of his finger.
A psychic storm churned the fabric of reality around Ilioch as he took aim at Octus. The inhuman speed of his draw meant none of the Humans had time to react. Violet was the only one with any hope to stop it and even she was too slow to do anything more than throw together the beginnings of a psychic shield.
Before Ilioch could let loose his arrow and psychic might, a clear, feminine voice cried out across the battlefield, "Father! You must stop! You will doom us all!"
The cry was accompanied by a screeching raptor that leaped in front of Ilioch's weapon. Elodia stared down at her father from atop her Dragon, facing their inevitable confrontation head-on. Ilioch scowled at his interrupting daughter but his focus wavered. With the lapse in concentration, his psychic attack faded back into the Warp.
"Daughter! You dare stand between me and destiny?!" Ilioch sneered. "Step aside, child. I shall end this and drive the Mon-keigh from our world once and for all."
Tragedy played across Elodia's face as she realized Ilioch would never see reason or mercy. His Path was set and decided. And as a 'proper' Aeldari, he would never stray from his Path…
Still, Elodia pleaded for peace, "Please, Father, think of what you are doing! Look past prejudice, look past tradition. See the true consequences of your actions!"
But Ilioch was too far gone to listen to the pleas of his own blood, "Step… aside… Daughter! Your foolishness has gone on long enough! The Dragonlord is senile in his age and you are tainted by vile empathy for a lesser species! There is only one Path forward! And I am the only one who can see it!"
"Ancestors… Forgive me for what I must do…" Elodia whispered, struck with despair but resolute in her decision.
Octus, Violet, and the others watched the scene play out with confusion. None of them spoke Aeldari, obviously, so they were just left to watch the tension ramp up and up between the father-daughter pair. At least, that was what Octus assumed was going on. They certainly looked related but he didn't know enough about the Eldar to definitively tell.
Octus found himself almost captivated by the daughter of the pair though. She was literally inhumanly beautiful. Her fiery red hair falling down her back looked like the sea at sunset. Her body was the perfect mixture of slender, muscled, and curvy. And the best part was that she seemed to be on their side! Or at least advocating for Humans-Eldar relations!
Still, he had the strangest feeling that he was watching the end of a family… The Eldars' expressions were somehow more muted and more expressive at the same time. It was strange, but watching them, Octus felt like he could almost understand them. And the picture they were painting together wasn't pretty.
Right before his eyes, a bond formed by blood and family… broke. Violet recoiled as the break between father and daughter had an actual effect on the Warp. The remaining Eldar — all that was left after the Sororitas' rampage and Sona's sneak attacks — hesitated as they felt the crashing ripple Elodia and Ilioch sent through the Sea of Souls. That hesitation was all that was needed for them to lose their lives as well.
With all of the other Eldar dead, all of the Humans turned their attention to Elodia and Ilioch. A single tear sparkled in the low light, drawing a trail down Elodia's perfect cheek. Ilioch was seeming unaffected by his daughter's pain and the fact that all his supporters were dead. He truly was too far gone to save…
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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