Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [104]

Yvraine knew all too well what these degenerates Eldar in Commorragh liked.

 These guys were just a bunch of filthy bastards!

 Without exception, they took pleasure in torment, torture, and all sorts of cruel methods to satisfy themselves.

As an Aeldari of the Craftworlds, she had a free-spirited nature and loved adventure and excitement—otherwise, she wouldn't have become a pirate, nor would she have come to Commorragh and become a Wych Cult.

 But she still couldn't stand the perverse hobbies of Dark Eldar.

Aeldari possessed spirit stones and didn't need to torture others' souls in such a way. To be honest, she was beginning to dislike living in Commorragh.

 Although the people here were free, they were too free—so much so that they were cruel and disgusting.

"Don't get me wrong! I have no ulterior motives toward you, nor do I intend to torture or abuse you or anything like that. I just want to be friends with you."

This time, Rhodes finally had the chance to say everything he wanted.

 Seriously?! Were all Aeldari women's thought processes this wild?

This meeting with Yvraine—Rhodes had simply wanted to get to know her and make a connection.

 After becoming the emissary of the Eldar God, Yvraine not only had the power to resurrect the Council of Thirteen but also many other strange abilities.

For example, during the Webway Exile War, she resurrected a group of Rubric Marines under Ahriman's command.

 These warriors, who had long lost their physical bodies and existed only as empty shells, were brought back to life—causing Ahriman to break down and chase them into the Warp.

The Ynnead had granted her resurrection powers, but her form of resurrection was peculiar.

 She couldn't resurrect warriors of the Death Guard after they died, yet she could revive beings of other races.

"You just want to be friends with me? Do you admire my elegant performances in the arena, or is there another reason?" Yvraine asked.

"I am not a native of Commorragh. My family survived the Great Catastrophe through a unique method.

We found a special way to continue our lineage and discovered a new means to avoid the soul-draining symptoms, so I don't need to obtain souls through those perverse methods." Rhodes said, intending to throw out a smokescreen first.

"Are you joking? Do you mean your family has found another way to avoid the soul-draining symptoms?

That's impossible! What special method did your family use?" Yvraine asked.

The horror of soul-draining symptoms was something every Aeldari knew—whether Craftworld Aeldari, Exodites, or Drukhari.

The Craftworld Aeldari created the Paths, dedicating themselves to a single pursuit and abandoning other sensory pleasures to avoid the attention of Slaanesh, while using spirit stones and wraithbone to shield themselves from soul-draining.

 All Aeldari sought ways to prevent their souls from being devoured.

The Exodites had returned to a primitive way of life, living in a pre-civilized state.

 The Drukhari, on the other hand, still indulged in the luxurious excesses of a noble empire—becoming even more perverse and cruel than before, torturing others to extract soul energy and stave off soul-draining.

Only the followers of the Laughing God, Cegorach—those Harlequins who believed in his ultimate prank—were protected by some mysterious power, making them immune to soul-draining symptoms.

Could it be that, aside from the Harlequins, there were other Aeldari who had found a different way to avoid soul-draining?

 This was an unimaginable discovery!

"I came to Commorragh simply to communicate with the remnants of the ancient empire, but honestly, this city has disappointed me somewhat," Rhodes said.

"Then why did you seek me out? What reason do you have for approaching me? Do you wish to form a psychic bond with me?" Yvraine asked.

A psychic bond was akin to finding a soulmate—since the Aeldari were forbidden from romantic relationships in the conventional sense.

Even reproduction had to be done with strangers.

 For the Craftworld Aeldari, reproduction worked similarly to humans, but during the process, they could not allow any personal emotions to be involved.

 They could feel no pleasure. They had to behave like machines.

Moreover, both male and female partners had to be strangers—the slightest hint of love or affection was strictly forbidden.

During the gestation of new life, a continuous infusion of genetic material was required to sustain the fetus, and sometimes, even different individuals of the same race contributed at different times.

Thus, the birth of a new Aeldari life was incredibly difficult.

Some young Aeldari, unable to bear these constraints, chose to exile themselves and become Aeldari corsair.

"Alright, that's enough! I think we've talked enough for today. If you don't trust me, then please leave! Perhaps you just don't understand me well enough," Rhodees said with a helpless wave of his hand.

Mental love? What nonsense! These Aeldari think way too much, they're practically paranoid. No wonder they ended up creating the Slannesh.

"You're strange, very strange—so strange that you don't seem like an Eldar at all," Yvraine suddenly stepped in front of Rhodes, bringing her face so close to his that their noses practically touched.

What the hell! Those Dark Eldar are much easier to deal with. They don't overthink things like this; they're just a bunch of perverts, so it's easier to fool them. But these Aeldari? Not so simple.

"Maybe it's because my family has been disconnected from Eldar society for too long! After all, it's been over ten thousand years," Rhodes said.

"Oh! Then, Lord Loki, may I ask you a question?" Yvraine suddenly asked.

"Hmm? Go ahead," Rhodes nodded in response.

"How do you manage to avoid soul-draining? Can your kind… procreate normally? I mean, with emotional involvement?" This was a question that had plagued Corsair for years.

Because they didn't dare try. Many bold and adventurous young couples had attempted it, only to have their souls drained the moment they experienced joy. Both participants' souls would be instantly devoured by the Slannesh.

Unless they learned from those Dark Eldar that torment others' souls in the Web realm, no one could escape this fate.

"That's a family secret, not something I can share," Rhodes said.

What could he do?

He didn't know how to solve it! Maybe if he could extract a new monster, he'd find a way, but for now, he had nothing.

"You're such a strange guy! You claim to like me and brought me here, but all you do is say weird things. Our kind has suffered from soul-draining for so long! Unless… you're not an Eldar!"

Yvraine suddenly had a realization. She leaped into the air and, without any warning, delivered a spinning kick straight at Rhodes' face.

However, the one who got hurt wasn't Rhodes—it was Yvraine, the white-haired girl who had just kicked him. She was now squatting on the ground, clutching her foot and rubbing it furiously.

"What the hell is your head made of? Are you kidding me?" Yvraine grimaced, rubbing her calf while staring at Rhodes as if she had seen a ghost.

That kick just now felt like hitting an incredibly hard plate of ceramic steel. This guy's head was tougher than the ceramic steel power armor worn by Space Marine!

"You shouldn't have attacked me so suddenly. That stung a little!" Rhodes said as he rubbed his forehead.

Come on, girl! My current physical condition is beyond anything you can imagine. I can survive in the vacuum of space! Never underestimate the defensive power of a cosmic monster. Even though it's only one ten-thousandth of Bemstar's strength, combined with Red King, my current physique is downright monstrous.

It's so strong that Rhodes has even been struggling to adapt to certain aspects recently, like when he's having fun with Elena. Rhodes can't fully enjoy himself because he's afraid of using too much strength and causing an accident. So he let Elena take the lead.

Looks like he'll have to figure out a way to improve Elena's physical condition, or else he'll be stuck looking but not touching.

"I just wanted to confirm whether or not you're an Eldar. Can your kind procreate normally?" Yvraine asked.

"Yes, we can," Rhodes replied.

She's so concerned about this question. If I keep being vague, she's just going to keep doubting me. That kick earlier was probably her way of testing whether my physical condition matched that of an Eldar. Now, after that kick, she should be convinced I'm not human.

"Really? Then… can you suppress the soul-draining symptoms for your partner? I mean, for someone who isn't from your race?"

"???"

"If you can, I'd like to try," Yvraine said, a bit excited.

If it's possible to experience normal love, who would want to settle for spiritual love?

Many young members of the Aeldari left their Craftworlds because of this, and she was one of them.

"Sorry! I can't do it, there's no way." Rhodes touched his nose and said.

He had no way to help! Otherwise, Rhodes might have been quite interested in these stunningly beautiful Aeldari girls.

At the very least, their physical resilience wouldn't be harmed by his monstrous physique.

It's said that rogue traders have had such relationships with Eldar girls, but only with the Dark Eldar.

As for the Aeldari, unless you don't mind them dropping dead immediately after—or even during—you'd better not try.

In the end, Rhodes sent the enthusiastic Yvraine away. If she stayed any longer, he was seriously worried his cover would be blown.

It was easy to fool the Dark Eldar, but the Aeldari could see through his facade.

"Hehe! How many masks are you wearing on your face?"

"Who's there?!"

Rhodes immediately activated his armor's defense system, glaring around the room with vigilance.

An Eldar dressed in a jester's uniform was grinning at him.

"I like wearing masks to deceive people too."