Chapter 142

---Kaelac's Bane, Webway Portal---

Hunkered down in a shallow cave, as the temperature continued to drop, Amallyn impatiently waited for the Drukhari raid leader to arrive. Having waited over two hours now for him, after being told it would only be twenty minutes, her patience had been exhausted. Believing they had forced her to wait for their own amusement, as was typical for Drukhari, Amallyn was about to leave when someone finally came out of the portal.

Covered in freshly bandaged wounds, the male Drukhari looked annoyed and pissed off about something. Turning to the men standing outside the portal, he asked them a quick question, which prompted them to point at her cave. Rising to her feet to greet him, the Drukhari let out a long sigh as he wandered inside.

"Took you long enough.", Amallyn stated with an annoyed look, "Your men need to learn how to better tell time."

"Oh, piss off, bitch.", Raider Tahrath Xosh spat, scowling at her, "While you have been twiddling your thumbs here, some of us had to deal with an emergency."

(AN: Not a canon character.)

"An emergency?", Amallyn pressed him, raising an eyebrow.

"The two Archons will explain things to you when they arrive in a few moments.", Xosh answered.

"Wait… I did not request a meeting with someone that high up the chain…", Amallyn remarked, ready to use her safe word to trigger an emergency teleportation back to the New Genesis.

"Yeah, I am fucking aware of that. The emergency is the reason they decided to come here.", Xosh elaborated further, with a pained expression, "Now stop asking me fucking questions!"

Knowing any aid she offered him would be shot down, Amallyn took a seat again and began to wait. Arriving a few minutes later, in force, the two Archons ordered their subordinates to set up a defensive perimeter before heading into the cave with their bodyguards. Taking a seat, the two female Archons wasted no time getting straight into things.

"I hear you have some news related to the shitstorm going on in the Webway.", Archon Aestra Jhromys stated, looking her in the eyes, "If it is a bunch of bullshit, I will cut your fucking head off. Is that clear?"

"Calm yourself, Jhromys; I am certain your people vetted the information before it reached our ears.", Archon Aurelia Malys assured her with a mocking smile, "Unless, of course, you are saying your subordinates are too stupid to do that."

"My people know how to do their fucking jobs, Malys.", Jhromys snapped, "I am just making sure this bitch knows our time is precious."

"Enough!!", Xosh snapped, "How about we let her speak, then- "

Executing the man without an ounce of hesitation, Jhromys was none too happy about being berated by a lesser person. Having one of her subordinates haul his corpse away, she told the man's subordinates to leave unless they wanted to join him. Clearing out in a hurry, the two Archons turned to Amallyn, ready to hear her information.

"Firstly, my partner and I found some people that may belong to you.", Amallyn said, pushing a button on her earpiece. "Please send them down."

Teleporting in the group of Drukhari survivors, Amallyn promptly relinquished responsibility for their well-being to the Archons. Honestly relieved to be rid of them, she was certain her fellow Eldar would sleep better without them onboard anymore.

"Now this is a surprise. What is a group of rangers doing with Drukhari? Is this retribution for all the problems we give you?", Jhromys inquired with a smirk.

"Actually… my… My partner is a human man named Victor von Stark. His armada found them aboard a small group of Chaos vessels.", Amallyn explained, with a flushed expression.

"Is this true?", Malys pressed them.

"Yes, ma'am. All of us were snatched up while we were out looting ancient ruins or raiding Craftworlds.", a male Drukhari acknowledged.

"Ruins within or outside of the Webway?", Malys asked for clarification.

"Within, ma'am.", he answered.

Looking at one another, Jhromys and Malys were none too happy to hear that. This meant the incursion into the Webway was far worse than they had anticipated. Dismissing the survivors, Malys told them to return to Commorragh immediately through one of the many alternate routes.

"If you take one of the main routes in, you will encounter a horde of enemies engaging our defenders.", Malys warned them.

"Commorragh is under siege!?", Amallyn gasped.

"Yes, Commorragh is in bad shape right now. The enemy somehow bypassed all our safety measures and flooded into the city without warning. Fortunately, we were able to seal off the entrances they were using…but it came at quite a hefty cost.", Jhromys admitted. "We were searching for answers when we got word of an Eldar Ranger seeking to meet with a lowly raider boss about issues with the Webway. You have our full attention; now speak."

"On the same vessel we found those Drukhari, we also found thousands of Eldar from various Craftworlds swallowed by the Dathedian. In every case, they were overrun by swarms of daemons that came from within the Webway. While Biel-Tan managed to push our assailants back, their people were wiped out in less than an hour.", Amallyn stated. "Given everything that has happened, it is safe to say an Aeldari or Drukhari leaked our method for navigating the Webway to the enemy.

Opening their mouths to refute that, the two Archons took a moment to think about it. No other sentient race in the galaxy could navigate the Webway as well as the Aeldari people. For the enemy to suddenly figure out how to navigate it, there was only one real explanation.

"I presume you have an inkling of who did it?", Malys inquired.

"Yes, I do. I am almost certain someone from the Craftworld of Altansar traded the secret for safe passage out of the Warp.", Amallyn said with disdain, "Every one of us has been suspicious of them since their remarkable return from the Eye of Terror. We wondered how they managed to pull it off, and now we know how."

Having already held suspicions it was likely them, hearing an Eldar say it was all the confirmation they needed. Concocting plans for how to make them pay dearly for their transgressions, they ordered their subordinates to prepare to leave.

"Before you go, I would like to make a request of you. Would it be possible to have the raiders refrain from actively hunting on this world for the next few days?", Amallyn inquired, "We are about to enact a plan that will weaken the Dathedian and possibly push back the Eye of Terror. If you are unwilling to agree, Victor will wipe them out alongside the forces of Chaos."

"Oh, will he?", Jhromys laughed. "Does your pissant partner think we are as fragile as you?"

"Victor is no mere human; he is a Primarch.", Amallyn corrected her with an angry look. "He slew a Greater Daemon alone, then proceeded to massacre a host of Daemons without breaking a sweat. Not only that, but he also possesses technology on par with the Necrons, if not greater than them. You would be wise not to underestimate him."

Surprised to hear she was partnered up with a Primarch, a fiendish smile crept upon their faces. Remembering too late that these were the wrong sort of people to threaten with force, Amallyn stood up and placed her hand on the dagger affixed to her hip. Reaching for their weapons as well, the Archons and their bodyguards were about to subdue her when they suddenly stopped moving. Engulfed in an overpowering aura, their survival instincts began screaming at them not to draw their weapons. Glancing out into the blizzard, they noticed the silhouette of a towering man within the storm, his oppressive gaze fixed squarely upon them.

'She brought him here with her!? Why didn't those morons say that!', Jhromys thought, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

"T… tell Primarch Stark to come visit us sometime in Commorragh.", Malys said, as one of her bodyguards keeled over and began foaming at the mouth. "We will be more than happy to welcome him as an honored guest. He may be interested in watching fights at the Colosseum or browsing many of our offerings in the markets."

"I will let him know.", Amallyn responded with confusion as she looked out into the blizzard. 'Is there something out there? I cannot see anything.'

Swiftly retreating into the Webway, dragging the fainted bodyguard behind them, the two Archons and their convoys vanished without another word. Uncertain about what just happened, Amallyn was just relieved she did not have to take them on alone. Asking for a teleport back to the New Genesis, she was ready to get something warm to drink and take a hot bath.