>>144394

Not three minutes ago your Sybarite made you an offer you were quite surprised by. She essentially offered to let you in on her schemes and was offering you a chance at greater power. It sounded great. Which is why you're naturally quite suspicious and have spent the last three minutes analyzing every possible way this might bite you in the ass. You've assembled quite the list.

For one thing, it may not be a genuine offer. It might simply be a trap. For all you know, the second you say 'That sounds interesting' every member of the Kabal might draw their pistols on you, having been working for Trinost all along. You admit this one is a little far-fetched, if for no other reason than that it would require some degree of loyalty to your Archon... and you've yet to find reason why anyone would inflict that on themselves.

Another distinct possibility is that it is a very real offer, but you're simply being set up as the fall-guy. Bryltarra may very well make you a co-conspirator in her games, but the second your partnership is inconvenient, you're left holding the bag so-to-speak. You wouldn't be surprised if you were told that she selected you simply because you don't have a great reputation and thus are much more disposable than other potential agents.

And yet another possibility is that Bryltarra is simply a loser. It could be that the arrangement is safe insofar as you can trust your partner not to betray you too early, but that there's a very good reason Bryltarra is only a Sybarite. She may be politically inept, or unknowingly a pawn of someone greater who has no intention of allowing their sacrificial piece to become too much of a threat to their own power base. Associating with her may only benefit you in the extremely short-term.

Still... despite these concerns (And these are merely the top few that come to mind, your list goes on) you're still intrigued... Bryltarra may become a platform you can use to propel yourself upward in the vicious arena of politics that defines Commorragh. She may prove useful... you may be able to use her more than she is able to use you. It's a risk... but possibly a risk you're willing to take.

>"Explain yourself. What would you want out of this partnership... and how would I benefit?"
>"Well... I should tell you are merely one of many clamoring for my attention... but I suppose I can be bothered to consider your request."
>"No."
>Write-in?

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>>144395
>>Write-in?
Interesting...What would an aspiring maiden such as yourself want with a charismatic person like me i'm curious?

But your request does intrigue me, lets here it.

>>144530

Of course, we should follow the first law of Commoragh here. If you're worried about getting betrayed by someone - make sure to betray them first!

>>144530
I can't help but read this in 'Monsiour Candie's' accent. I think the wording might be a tad... out of character. Other than that yeah let's get dat ho to spill the beans.

>>144395
It's likely we're not the only one she's asked about this. While our ego would like us to believe we're a super special golden child of success. That would be a fool's folly, i'm sure she has other allies, other co-conspirators.

It would be a good idea to know who they were.

We'll need to know who's working for whom when the ball drops and we want to secure allies ourselves.

I vote we play hard to get. Tell her we need some time to sober up and think about it. But either way, I think we should agree.

Let's just try not to appear over eager like some drunk tart in a mini-skirt...

>>144395

You assume a mask of impassivity to hide any reaction to this proposal. Any Commorrite that has survived for more than a decade in the brutal realm of backstabbing and false-alliances is able to do so, else they'd have been used up and thrown away long ago. You staple your fingers and pretend that what is being discussed is no more interesting to you than a passe discussion about the weather. It would do no good to appear over-eager or entirely uninterested. For the former, you might stumble into an arrangement without seeing all the factors that influence it. The latter may simply slam shut a door that you didn't mean to close.

"This is... an interesting proposal. I'd like to know more."

Bryltarra rolls her eyes once and takes her seat again, apparently having expected an answer either immediately or for you to follow her. You'd prefer to keep the discussion in a crowded area, if for no other reason than that you'll have witnesses should anything... unexpected happen.

"It's simple, really." She half-whispers, locking her eyes with yours. Her expression is equally devoid of emotion, to the point that you two would probably appear to be having a staring contest were it not for your lips moving. "You know things. You can get information. That's useful. I have information already, I need some holes filled in. If you can do so, it would benefit us both... and you would get the immediate benefit of a measure of authority over our squad."

You tap your foot impatiently, despite feeling no need to rush the proceedings. Just need to keep your potential 'partner' on her toes and not think you can be easily won over.

"Fair enough... but what's this information you have?"

Bryltarra smiles, but it doesn't come close to reaching her eyes. Her glare is chilling.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Verynthor. I'm offering you resources already, don't be so greedy as to think you can get everything out of this deal without proving you'll do something in return."

"Oh? And what exactly should I do?" You ask, quirking an eyebrow.

"Nothing you weren't going to do already." Bryltarra's mouth twitches. It seems her mask is cracking more easily than your own. She seems frustrated. "Find the Wrack you heard about. Ask questions. Share the information with me. Then we can plan our next step."

>"Is it 'our' already? You're certainly overly familiar.
>"Too much being asked for too little in return."
>"Well... I suppose if I'm just cutting you in on information I was already going to get... So be it."
>Write-in?

>>144761

"Done. I'll find you when I know more."

No need to pussyfoot around the issue.

>>144761
Seems like she's got a temper like Ortaem, but hides it better than she does. Only just...


We could provide whatever information we can "share." Afterall, we'll be the first to get the info and be able to determine what gets shared. (And what we keep to ourselves...)

But people will likely take notice that we're all buddy-buddy with our Sybarite all of a sudden having all these meetings with her, we need either a middle-man or means of contacting her discreetly.

I highly doubt Bryltarra's acting alone on this one. If she truly is, then that's pretty curious... Even Scary.

>>144990

Bryl thinks we're dumb and easily exploited.

The trick here will be burning her with mediocre intel until we can take her place.

>>144761

You drum your fingers for a few moments more, not to give yourself time to think, merely to piss off Bryltarra a bit more by making it seem like you need time to think. Eventually, you steeple your fingers together again and stare at her blankly.

"I have considered what you have said." You think you can hear the Sybarite grinding her teeth in frustration. You remind yourself not to pull this kind of stunt when you actually have something to lose. For now though, it's highly amusing. "And I have decided to take you up on your offer." You extend a hand. She Bryltarra roughly slaps it rather than shaking it. You cringe internally.

"Took you long enough... Listen, Sollint. I think you're useful, but not indispensable. So don't test me or you'll find just how I've managed to stay in charge of this little band of ours for as long as I have." You refrain from mentioning that the length of time she has been leading the squad is the same amount of time she has NOT been leading the Kabal. "So, find this Kremmyk, find any information that would be useful, and find me. I'll be waiting." Before you can interject or ask any further questions, Bryltarra shoots you one last glare that tells you 'no, really, I'm done talking this time.' and promptly makes her exit, no fanfare or anything. You're fairly certain only a few of your squadmates actually noticed her leave.

With a sigh, you pick yourself up and rejoin Ortaem and Jekkyt, snapping your fingers at the slave-girl that had been entertaining you previously. Luckily for her, she was not busy with another Kabalite and thus comes running promptly to your side. You've decided that you don't care what she hears, as you're going to refrain from specifics and you seriously doubt that this slave, as young as she is, could possibly have an understanding of the Eldar Lexicon great enough to pick out any important details from your conversation. Plus, you'd appreciate a little destressing that comes from having an inferior being grovel at your feet.

"So..." You begin, taking your place back at the table, to the only mild interest of your companions who had been gorging themselves in vice while you were away. "That was interesting."

Jekkyt nods sagely. Whether he actually has any idea what you're talking about or not is anyone's guess. Ortaem merely grunts and makes a passing comment about your balls being bigger than your brain.

"Anyway... we should probably think about what our next plan of action will be." Jekkyt raises a hand, you raise an eyebrow.

>"We should check the markets, look for anyone who might know something. And interrogate them."
>"Perhaps we should sit in on our dear Archon's Court... see if anyone there knows something."
>"Well, you'll never guess what Bryltarra just told me!"
>"Write-in?"

>>145084

Slave markets seems like the best bet.

If two no account streetrats found out about this guy, chances are that we can do better

>>145084
If we're seen at the Archon's court so soon after our meeting with Bryltarra she might take that the wrong way...

I say we have a looksee at the Market, if nothing else than to maybe browse what's going on.


Oh. And mention nothing of what was spoken of between us and the Sybarite.
I'm sure if Jekkyt or Ortaem could make a better offer on what we uncover, we'd be screwed...

>>145045
We can't just keep feeding her mediocre info though. If it's not up to scratch, Bryltarra will either cut off the deal, cut off something of ours, or both...

We'll have to Choose what information to feed her.

Afterall, this deal only lasts as long as she's satisfied with what we find. Or if we find better leverage.

>>145143

To be honest, if this other guy seems like a true up and comer, it might be best to betray our friends and join up with the new guy.

Its possible that the Shattered Masks have some overarching strategy by ceding territory and generally doing nothing important, but I have no idea what that might be.

A new Kabal might offer better employment opportunities

>>145191
Yeah, there are a lot of possibilities at this stage, but a lot of unknown variables too. One of the bigger ones seems centered around how our Archon brokered "peace" between our rivals.

And why, all of a sudden. There's a Haemonculous, looking for Kabalites from not only our Kabal, but our rivals. Rival's which we've stopped killing...


At this stage, the gears are turning in my head and my brain is in full tinfoil hat conspiracy mode. I have a theory, but we can only wait and see.

It's never a good option to put your eggs in one basket anyway.

Unless you like omelettes.

>>145084

>"We should check the markets, look for anyone who might know something. And interrogate them."

"Well, I suppose the markets will have an abundance of information for us, if we know where to look." You remark, running a hand over your slave's exposed shoulders to feel her skin. As pleasant to the touch as her flesh is, you're mostly doing so because you can tell it causes her great discomfort, and that alone delights you.

Jekkyt merely shrugs again as he puffs on his pipe. "If you say so, chief. I'll be sure-"

"Whatever you're thinking, you can forget about it." You cut the skimmer pilot off. "I'm planning to cover all our bases in this one, no half-assing things. That means I need you to apply yourself, not sit in the hangar getting high. There's something that I need you specifically to do."

Jekkyt raises a suspicious eyebrow as you grin maliciously.

"I want you to gather information from the Cult of Bitter Fear." Immediately, his expression darkens and he snuffs out his pipe, putting it down on the table.

"If I do this, you will owe me. Big." You're about to turn to address Ortaem when he snatches a hand out and seizes your shoulder. "I'm not fucking around, Verynthor. This is a debt I intend to collect on." This is the most serious you've seen Jekkyt in... Perhaps ever. You nod cautiously and he lets you go.

You clear your throat and address Ortaem, as you had meant to before. "Right, well... While Jekkyt has an ear to the ground in that particular area... Ortaem, would you mind accompanying me to the markets? Cast our net as wide as possible."

She merely shrugs and gets up, though you note that she's studying Jekkyt rather intensely.

You get up from your seat, roughly shoving the slave girl away to indicate you're finished with her and nod to your companions as you make to leave the establishment. The rest of your squad seems quite content to enjoy what's left of the amount you paid the owner.

Now... How discretely are you going to be looking around, and who specifically are you going to question?

>Discretion is pointless. Answers are more important.
>We won't be found out because of impatience. It'll be slow, but we should be careful in our questions

>Question gangers
>Kabalites that aren't immediately hostile
>Merchants
>Write-in?

>>145235
As discreetly as discretion requires.


Maybe we should check the Merchants. If the gangers are intending to gather Kabalites for whatever reason the Haemonculous wants, then they're gonna need hardware.
The local merchants will likely have seen them if that's the case, they may even be able to tell us what colours they're sporting, namely what gang and what territory they operate from.
And that might give us a place to focus our search.

On a side note: Who are the Cult of Bitter Fear? And why does Jekkyt have such a reaction from having to investigate them?

>>145280

The Cult of Bitter Fear is one of the Wych Cults that most closely borders your Kabal's territory, their arena being a reasonable walking distance from the streets claimed by the Shattered Mask. As for why Jekkyt has a reaction, well... Before he drove the Raider, he was a Reaver, not a Kabalite. He most frequently raced in the Bitter Fear's arena, which is why you thought he'd be best to sniff around there as he might still know some of the people that lurk around the arena and that way have an ear to the Wych cults while keeping Ortaem, the better fighter, closer at hand. You'd have to ask him yourself as to why he acted the way he did.

>>145280

Backing this.

Don't mind us! Just a couple of halfborn scum making idle conversation.

>>145235
>We won't be found out because of impatience. It'll be slow, but we should be careful in our questions
>Question gangers

They're the safest option, disposable, though they might not know a lot

>>145303

No doubt Jekkyt had a bad time as a racer before jumping over to the Shattered Masks.

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>>145235

They say discretion is the better part of valor. Frankly, you think that 'valor' is a term invented by idiots to console themselves when charging blindly into overwhelming odds didn't work out as well as they thought it would. Regardless, you abide by the sentiment that just because your opponent can be challenged for all to see doesn't mean they should. It may not be as glorious to shiv someone in the back, but dead is dead.

You apply this philosophy to your hunt for information. While part of you yearns for the point at which you'd have the ability to simply make yourself known and demand that all your inferiors in the immediate area (read: Everyone) simply bow to your whims, you're smarter than that. It'll take some time, but you're content dancing around the point if it ultimately makes you less of a target.

The next few hours are a disappointing blur of dead ends as most merchant feign ignorance and the groveling of slaves before masters. You enjoy beating a slave every now and again for your own enjoyment, but even you are starting to find it monotonous when you've been listening to the same overseers threaten and torment the same slaves for this long. Eventually though, your efforts bear fruits.

An arms dealer, one of countless in this particular patch of stalls, seems to know more than the rest. Perhaps you wouldn't guess it from looking at him, given his pitiful countenance and apparent poverty. You consider yourself a fine purveyor of firearms, and you'd swear that half the Splinter Pistols at his stall would misfire before you even pulled the trigger. Shoddy garbage... but it's possible that that is precisely why he knows what he does. You recall that the gangers you fought originally were not exactly top-of-the-line in their armaments and equipment. It would stand to reason that they'd only be able to hang around merchants of this apparent quality.

He seems dumbfounded when you address him, perhaps because you're one of only a handful of Dark Eldar in the immediate area that is wearing Kabalite armor, much less bearing the sigil of a Kabal that has a modicum of local influence. This lane of stalls is evidently not for those who wish to be seen.

"You. Merchant. I want to discuss business." You said to him, evoking the tired, fish-eyed look he gave you as if he were wondering if this were a cruel prank. "Yes, you! Come here, you miserable worm." You say, irritably. After this much time asking questions without answer, you're beginning to grow impatient. Thankfully for your temper and his life, the merchant doesn't question you a second time and promptly comes skittering towards you away from stall. It's almost as though he's confident nobody will steal form him.

"Yes, oh powerful and mighty Kabalite?" He begins to bend and scrape obsequiously, to the point that you're starting to fear he'd actually kiss your boots.

(Cont.)

>>145464

"Get up." You command him. "I just want to know about the local gangs. I'm assuming you do business with them." He blinks at that once before nodding vigorously.

"Yes, but I'd always reserve my wares for a Kabal-" You raise a hand to interrupt him. As if you'd ever consider using something so poorly made...

"I'm not here to buy... for now." Perhaps if you get his hopes up, he'll be more willing to divulge what you want. "I want information... and that is something more valuable to me than weaponry, right now." He fixes you with a quizzical expression.

"What is it you wanted to know, sir?"

>"Tell me what gangs are most powerful around here."
>"Which gangs have you done the most business with?"
>"Do any Wracks haunt this area? Any at all? Or is it all the impoverished?"
>Write-in?

>>145466
>"Which gangs have you done the most business with?"
>"Do any Wracks haunt this area? Any at all? Or is it all the impoverished?"

>>145464

>"Which gangs have you done the most business with?"
>"Do any Wracks haunt this area? Any at all? Or is it all the impoverished?"

Perhaps encouraged by the vague, vague promise of a potential sale, the merchant eagerly awaits your questions, ready to answer. Whether he answers honestly or not is another issue...

"Tell me... of the vagabonds and incompetents that you traffic with, who do you most often make sales to?" The merchant doesn't take even a moment to think, evidently having the answer close at hand.

"Ah, yes... there are two around here that most often buy goods from me, and some of the other arms dealers around here. They would be the Flensing Whips, and the Bloody Columns." You have to hold back laughter. The Bloody Columns? That's the best name they could come up with? That's just sad...

"Their territory is nearby, both of them are relatively small, though. They have reputations as thugs and killers, but they're far from the most powerful of their kind around." The merchant continues. And yet they've been making purchases... curious... now if only I had a better idea of what it meant...

"And are gangers and whores the only ilk that haunts these stalls? Or do others pass through? Hellions? Reavers? Perhaps... Wracks?" At that, the merchant tenses up and his previous eagerness to answer your question seems to disappear. That must mean I'm asking the right questions.

"W-well... occasionally, I've seen a Reaver racer pass by, but not usually for weapons... mostly they just use this as a meeting place, don't buy anything..." He seems quite hesitant to continue. You tap the powersword at your hip to encourage him to speak. "I h-have seen a... Wrack... once..."

"And?" You're not in the mood to be stonewalled after finding the first real morsel of information all day.

"And... well... It was the most disturbing thing I've ever seen."

"I don't care for your personal opinions, I want to know facts. Did it have any markings, any coloration of the flesh that might make it identifiable? When was this? Who was it with? These are the things I wish to know, not how frightened you were."

He raises his hands in an attempt to placate you. "I-I don't recall much specifically. I had been packing up my wares at the time. It was maybe... a week ago? Time isn't so easy to keep track of... It didn't seem like it was with anyone... it just sort of... wandered. Oh! There was one thing... by chance, one of the merchants across the way was being threatened by some... 'customers' what said they were being ripped off. So they started beating him, with their bear hands. The... Wrack... watched. Intently. And then when they were done beating the hell out of him, the thing went over to them and started talking... That's all I know, I swear! I booked it after that."

>>145507
This.

>ima twaddle off to bed for now, keep up the good work OP and have fun all the rest of ya!

>>145673

You nod occasionally at the long, rambling story. It's pretty vague, and you're not sure how much is fact and how much is personal anecdote... but it's the first real clue you have to go off of.

"Now... were you gonna buy anything?" The merchant takes the first real 'assertive' tone you've heard from him this whole time. You quirk an eyebrow at that.

"What makes you think you've given me anything worth buying?"

"I-"

"Will keep quiet. Listen... what you've said may or may not be useful. Right now, they're just words. But... should I find out that this leads to anything useful... you may yet be rewarded." The merchant's eyes glaze with greed as he nods his understanding. No wonder this idiot is at the bottom of the barrel. He's taking me at my word.

>Continue questioning this particular merchant
>Look elsewhere, find more leads
>Call it a day in the markets, see if Jekkyt or Ortaem turned up anything on their own
>Write-in?

>>145686
>Continue questioning this particular merchant

Point me in the direction of either this merchant or these customers

>>145692

Good idea. This merchant is so unimportant we might consider killing him on general principles when we're done, btw

>>145742

Eh might be useful to keep someone so easy to string along around

>>145742

Why kill him? We need to make more of an.....'example'. String him up for all to see, by the tendons

>>145748
>>145767

Well, if we string him up, then we only encourage people not to talk to us at all. Better to kill him quietly so that nobody can follow our trail of intel.

>>145686

>Continue questioning this particular merchant

"Now... there is one more thing you can do for me. Tell me who these customers were, where I can find them, and the same for the merchant."

"Well... I hate to disappoint you, my beneficent patron... but the customers turned up dead, not a day ago." You quirk an eyebrow at that. It sounds... a little familiar... Sure enough, your suspicions are soon confirmed by the merchant. "Yes, just under a day... I think, you know how time can be... anyway, those two turned up dead in an alley, near here. One had a nasty Splinter round in his stomach, both of them seemed a bit... stabbed to death." Well, it seems you've closed that line of information, unwittingly. Hindsight is 20-20, as they say.

You abruptly clear your throat. "Yes, well... tragic, I'm sure." He nods and clucks his tongue sadly. Neither of you are kidding yourselves with that, of course. "But... their victim?"

"Ah, yes... unfortunately, I've not much information in that regard. He decided, probably for the better, to pack up his stall and move down a couple rows. He sold narcotics, so it isn't as though he'll be wanting for a target demographic... I didn't know him well enough to give much more than that." He shrugs. "That really is all I have, sir." His calling you 'sir' is vaguely irritating, you're starting to find... Probably best to finish up here. Cold-blooded murder in broad daylight probably wouldn't be wise in the neutral ground of a marketplace. Besides, this fellow seems quite easy to pump for information. If you really want to dispose of him, you can do so later, with less witnesses. For now, you leave him a small token of your esteem: a bronze knife you stripped off a slave in your recent raid. It wouldn't sell for any reasonable amount, seeing as bronze is about as primitive a material as they come, so you kept it for your trophy collection only to find that its primitive design was too unsightly for you. This way, it at least serves a purpose by sending a message. 'You have done well so far, but don't forget that I can end you in a heartbeat.'

He seems to get the message as he quickly mutters something or another about 'Such a kind overlord...' and pretends to have never met you, looking everywhere that isn't your general direction. What a gullible old sot... Quite surprising that he's still alive.

The Dark Kin don't have philosophers necessarily, though you're sure the question of 'how do the mightiest of Archons fall and regimes change in a night, yet the lonely trader of whores continues on through years to come?' is probably as eloquent a philosophical conundrum as may arise in the Dark City.

Questions of how the world works aside, you should be getting on to more important things...

>See if you can find that Merchant your arms dealer mentioned
>Forget that, see if you can't find something of interest in the market proper
>See what Jekkyt and Ortaem have turned up
>Write-in?

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>>145778
>>145767

From a humanitarian standpoint, it's a terrible thing that you're discussing the merits of murdering someone quietly versus taking them out in public

From the standpoint of somebody running a Dark Eldar quest, I couldn't be prouder. You little murderers, you.

>>145791
>See what Jekkyt and Ortaem have turned up

>Write-in
>>145809

"Alright, you idiots turn up anything at all?"

I gotta say, this quest is like one I'm doing right now. Only replace dark eldar with chaos, mix it with Abbadon Quest and you get something glorious.

>>145791

See if we can find the narco merchant, we're on a roll here.

>>145846

You can roll a 1d100, with the best result of three (Barring crits) being kept. Your target to get under is 40. You're not necessarily the most persuasive of fellows.

That said, unless you critfail this, I'm comfortable saying you shouldn't worry too badly if you don't pass this. It's really a 'find him or don't' situation. Except crits, because... crits.

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>145852

I'll roll for narco merchant finding but I'm pretty sure the other two guys want to find our squad.

>>145865

...ok, totally honest, probably because I'm a pessimist, I assumed the roll wouldn't succeed. Or at least not immediately. Well. I guess now it's a matter of asking others if they're OK taking the success and chatting the narco merchant before talking to your squad.

Lucky rolls...

>>145880

Can we radio to our squad? Do Deldar have the equivalent of Snapchat?

...

SnapWhip? PainChat? ShardChip?

>>145930
ScreamTime, obviously

>>145930

>>145979


You two. I like you two.

Deldar app store aside, you do have a commbead (or Dark Eldar equivalent) built into your armor's collar. Given your rank as a Kabalite warrior, you basically only have your squad's frequencies. Luckily, that includes these two. So I'd say, yes, you can call them.

>>145999

Let's phone home then while we march over to the narco merchant.

>>145836
Are you QMing the DoomDunk Chaos thread? I've been playing in that since chapter 1, shit's cash. Both quests keeping me entertained through my finals.

>>145791

You press a finger to the button on your armor's collar that activates your commbead, having tweaked the frequency to just register for Ortaem and Jekkyt.

"I'm following up a lead. I may be a bit, so unless I call for you, just continue what you're doing. We'll meet after I deal with this particular interrogation."

"Got it. I'll be waiting in the market's center." Ortaem responds over the comms. Jekkyt doesn't respond, though you're chalking that up to the nature of his own investigation more than anything else. He may be too deeply ingrained in something to properly message back.

Regardless, you spend perhaps half an hour following leads and making threats and promises before getting a location to check for your narcotics merchant. Perhaps because you have a more specific line of questioning, or perhaps because the merchants in this stretch of the marketplace can't afford bodyguards, you're able to make headway in your investigation much more quickly. You have a name to go on, Korrabe, as well as a locale to search. If your sources are correct, and they'd better hope for their safety that they are, your person of interest should be right here in this...

"Brothel." You mutter under your breath. Oh, grand... You don't have problems with brothels in principle, you see it as just another facet of the vast network of vice that underpins all of Commorragh, but you're not fond of seedy buildings that are often populated by those with the least to lose. Particularly in a neighborhood you're unfamiliar with. Well... no point turning back now... I should just make this quick and then follow-up with Ortaem and Jekkyt...

Almost immediately after you enter, you find yourself in a dimly lit building that has the aesthetic principles of an inn, down to the various booths and servers providing alcohol to patrons from a bar. It even has a staircase leading upstairs, though you're fairly certain that you don't want to find your target in any of those rooms...

"Hello, handsome..." A sultry voice grabs your attention. "Are you looking for pleasure? Or perhaps... pain? I can give you anything you desire... and more besides.~" Turning to see the one speaking to you, you find that the one propositioning you is actually another Dark Eldar. From the way she's dressed, you doubt she's a slave, either. The material of her 'dress' (If you can call something so revealing a dress) is far too rich for slave trappings, particularly for an establishment in this part of Commorragh. Her eyes are a cold, unloving blue and her hair is a striking white, flowing long down her back. She may not be a warrior, but you feel that you shouldn't underestimate this one.

"What would bring me pleasure is to find a certain individual." You respond, trying to stay as neutral as possible so as not to give away anything you don't need to reveal yet.

(Cont.)

>>146244

"Ah... a special request? I'm sure I've got the girl you're looking for... or boy, if that's the mood that's striking you." She smiles at you the way an overseer hawking slaves would smile at a potential buyer.

"I'm not looking for... that kind of encounter." Almost immediately, her smile leave her face and she fixes you with a glare.

"Then I'm afraid you have come to the wrong place, my dear."

"Hear me out, madam. I'm looking for a certain patron. I'm just asking questions, not causing trouble."

"We don't divulge the names of clients here, so you're probably no-

"I'm looking for Korrabe, the narcotics merchant. I know he's one of the poorer customers here, but I'm sure that my visit can encourage him to patronize your establishment more frequently, should it all work out. I'm merely asking for a moment of his time, not yours."

"...his booth is that one." She says, finally relenting and jerking a thumb in the general direction of a specific booth. "But understand this, servant of the Shattered Mask... just because your kind tend to frequent my brothel doesn't mean you own the place. No touching any of my products without payment. And if anything causes Korrabe to not pay up, it'll be on your head. Make it quick." You nod appreciatively and hurry over to the indicated booth.

In the confines of the shadowed, grimy booth you find Korrabe, reeking of alcohol and slumped over the table. He doesn't have any servants attending him, unlike most patrons. You take that as a sign of his lack of spending money. Slowly, after noticing that someone's shadow is blocking what meager light was in the booth, he looks up at you. You can see several nasty bruises that seem to only just be recovering. His nose still seems to have a broken crook in it.

"Who the hell are you and why should I give a bloody damn?" He asks, oh-so-politely.

>"I'm your better."
>"I'm your friend."
>"I'm the one who killed the gangers that harassed you a little while back.
>Write-in?

>>146245

"I'm a rich nobody and you can stand to make a profit, that's why."

This guy is probably too drunk or too depressed to respond well to threats. Better appeal to his hope and bribe him a little.

>>146276
This. Offer him shekels.

>>146245
>"I'm a rich nobody and you can stand to make a profit, that's why."
>Oh and those gangers who did this to you, well they won't be interrupting our business here today, lets talk.

>>146276

Let's go with this

>>146391

I don't want to mention the other gangers to anybody. As of right now, Commoraghat at large sees these as separate incidents. No need to starting connecting the dots for lowlife scum like the narco dealer.

>>146245

"I'm just someone who is willing to help you have a good time. All you need to do is answer a couple simple questions."

Korrabe looks up at you and squints. "You're a Kabalite..." He says simply, apparently too out of it to add anything more to the conversation

"Yes." You respond, equally as simply. "That means you know I can afford any promise that I make to you. I don't skimp out on my arrangements. Provided they're beneficial to us both."

He promptly looks up at you for several seconds before letting his head drop back onto the table and emitting a low moan. "Oh... what the fuck do I care? Have a seat or don't, not like I could bloody stop you from fucking me over if you so pleased..." His outlook on life is certainly realistic, you'll give him that.

"So..." You start slowly, a little unsure how to get the conversation started. "You've seen better days, I take it." He grunts. "So why come to a brothel if you're not going to... peruse the menu, so to speak?"

He groans and sits up again. His eyes are bleary as he struggles to focus on you. "Because I'm frankly not sure I can afford it. I mean, yes, I have the cash, but ever since those stupid cunts from the Flensing Whips came to my stall and shook me down, I've too afraid that some other asshole is going to come by my stand and steal my product! It's got me concerned for my livelihood... such as it is." You shrug at him.

"I heard those two turned up dead in an alleyway. Why's it still a problem?" Korrabe visibly stiffens at your words.

"Dead... you say? I thought that was just rumor... did you see it? They're bodies?" You shrug at him and he narrows his eyes, trying very hard to focus on you and perhaps make out a facial feature or two. "Who exactly are you?" You smile and chuckle at him.

"Nobody. Just someone that can help you, if you help him. Sound simple?" Korrabe produces a bottle he'd evidently been keeping under the table and takes a long swig from the bottle.

"Fuck it... can't be worse than what's happened to me recently... shoot." Your smile broadens. Finally. Progress.

"After the little incident where those two attacked you... they were approached by a Wrack, correct?" He takes another swig from the bottle and nods. "Did you hear anything that it said to them?"

"Only bits and pieces." He says with a shrug. "Keep in mind, I was on the ground, trying to stop my face from bleeding. What I did hear... well, it said something about an offer... from a master... and it was probably the most feminine Wrack I've ever heard. Mind you, I haven't heard a ton of Wracks speak in my life, but you get the idea."

This would seem to corroborate what the gangers themselves had said about this 'Kremmyk'.

>Continue questioning Korrabe
>Finish up and meet with your squadmates
>Write-in?

>>146568
>Finish up and meet with your squadmates
Thank him, and pay him. That should give him an idea of what shit he's involved in.

>>146568
>Finish up and meet with your squadmates

"This information is useful to me and that's all I wanted to check, I will be in touch about this matter. For now, make sure you don't die and I will perhaps find in in my benevolent heart to improve your lot in life."

Get some contact information from him and then go back to our squadmates

>>146568

>Finish questioning

So - what's really happened here? A female Wrack named Kremmyk went to the shitty side of town and convinced some gangers from the Whips to attack some shipment that she knew about. But those guys we killed were jokes - no way that they could have succeeded. They''re not worth murdering in their own right, which means that they were hired to attack the shipment and fail.

But why hire some goons to make a failed attack? Kremmyk must be trying to get something done with the botched attack...maybe she's trying to pin a leak in someone else?

>>146568

"Well... that's essentially all that I needed to know. Trust me, that alone is quite helpful." Another swig from his bottle as he nods drunkenly before his head snaps up, having remembered something suddenly.

"Hey... how're you gonna... make this worth my while?" Oh, you ARE stupid, aren't you? You sigh internally while still keeping an outwardly amiable expression.

"Friend... I know who you are. And I have many friends who would be willing to frequent your stall, should they hear from me that you have decent product at a better price than those uppity merchants in the 'better' parts of the marketplace." He nods slowly, understanding. He doesn't seem entirely happy about the idea of non-instant gratification, but he understands.

"If you really need something to make you feel better about this whole affair... have yourself a lay. That is what this establishment is for, isn't it?" You smile and motion at one of the nearer human slave-girls, scantily clad and living little to the imagination. "That one, for instance. Think of it as treating yourself... in fact, it will be my treat, to you... friend. Just remember not to bring this up to anyone." You put your hand on his shoulder in a gesture that appears friendly, though you squeeze with enough force to make clear that it can quickly turn from an amicable arrangement to a hostile one.

Whether he'll take you up on this offer or not, you decide to make sure the whole affair is squared away. You approach the madam of the establishment again, all smiles. She returns your smile, though you're quite certain the frost from her eyes alone could melt your soul.

"My lady, you have done me a great service. I have encouraged my dear Korrabe to indulge himself as much as he likes, and I will see that whatever he purchases here tonight will be covered." At that, the madam's smile seems a bit more genuine.

"Well... that is good to hear. I am glad that all went well this evening... now, when you say all of his indulgences are covered..." Your own smile broadens to match the businesswoman's.

"All of it. Just make a receipt out to Bryltarra Hivaret and I'll have someone pick it up. You know where the Shattered Mask lives, so you know that this matter will be settled swiftly. You have more than my word on that." Her smile becomes ice again.

"Oh, I'm sure I do, dear Kabalite... just know that if anything goes wrong, well... some powerful individuals have made visits to my humble establishment. Some you may know..." You reach for her hand and, when she doesn't resist, take it in your own.

"My dear madam... I will deliver your payment personally if I have to, just to see that there is no bad blood between us. I would hate to earn the scorn of someone who commands such a den of pleasure." You're somewhat sincere in that. You'd prefer to not be banned from any whorehouses, if you can help it. You swear that when she rolls her eyes at you, there's a hint of playfulness.

(Cont.)

>>146872

Rather than draw out the exchange any further, you make your way to the market center and grab your squadmates' attention over the comms. Ortaem shows up in mere minutes, leaving you both waiting for Jekkyt to meet you at the appointed place. It takes him almost an hour and when he does come to meet you, he's strolling up casually, and surprisingly without his pipe. His eyes are still bloodshot, but there's a shard, dangerous focus in them. You're not entirely sure if that's good or not... sober Jekkyt is a little more intimidating than you thought.

"So... shall I tell you what you little errand taught me, or do you want to share with us first?" He asks.

>"You first. What did you learn?"
>"I'll share my findings."
>"Ortaem? Learn anything of value, or were you just zoned-out?"
>Write-in?

>>146876

"Uh, you first? You look a little off."

>>146876
>"You first. What did you learn?"

Oh shit, I think we owe him big for this

>>146876
>>"You first. What did you learn?"
After you my friend you look like you've had quite a time.

>>146872
>Just make a receipt out to Bryltarra Hivaret...
so THAT's how we'll be dealing with the merchant.

>>146876

>"You first. What did you learn?"

You nod at Jekkyt to indicate that he should speak first. He shrugs and keep his eyes focused on you the entire time. That mere fact that he can do that without threat of spacing out is kind of unsettling to you... you've only really known Jekkyt as a junkie and a slacker. Seeing him on his toes is beyond strange.

"Well, I learned that even if I had been able to keep racing at my old haunt, the spectators and such would still be sadistic failures and whimsical cunts. So nothing new in that regard. Trying to ask anything from the Reavers turned up very little, partially because not many of them wanted to talk to me. But the feeling is mutual there, so whatever. The more important contacts were the spectators that remembered me and weren't so fucking insane that they'd be useless. Which narrowed it down to a handful. Just so you know, the Cult of Bitter Grief tends to attract maniacs to their events."

Jekkyt sighs and puts his hands on his hips for a moment, as if he were just exorcising some very uncomfortable encounter. "Anyway, a couple of my 'former fans', I guess you could call them, were willing to give me the low-down on the recent events of the arena, and more importantly, the upcoming events. You'll want to hear this much." He pulls a flask from his hip and takes a swig, which is odd to you because you're pretty sure Jekkyt doesn't usually drink, even if he isn't smoking. Stranger still, it seems to be just water. "A rival cult, the Cult of the Doomed Soul, is hosting a big tournament at their arena. The arena isn't the important part. The important part is how I heard this." He pauses for a moment, as if gauging your attention. Oh, don't keep me in suspense here, Jekkyt... You quirk an eyebrow and gesture for him to continue.

"I heard all this when I was asking around, discretely, I might add, about your Wrack. There wasn't much, but when it reached certain ears, I was put face to face with someone who claimed that they had information on the Wrack that would benefit me. He said me, probably thinking I was the primary investigator. I tried making him an offer of some kind of trade, but the smug bastard said he wanted to make a bet out of it. He said that he would wager his information about the Wrack, which is supposedly which Coven it belongs to, in exchange for my information, the Wrack's identity, over the outcome of the Doomed Soul's tournament. Apparently this guy is a big gambler. He said that I, and I interpreted 'I' to be you in this context, should meet him at the arena in about three hours if I was interested in hearing details." He takes another long swig from his flask at this. "Sorry... not used to talking this much... but I guess that's just part of the debt you're gonna owe me. Oh, and this guy I mentioned? He's a Sybarite of the Screaming Skulls. Another Kabal mentioned on the 'do not touch' list by our mystery Wrack."

(Cont.)

>>146987

Well... that's a hell of a lot of information to process all at once... A bet with a Screaming Skull Sybarite over information? You think that the Wrack's Coven alongside her name could be enough information to find whoever is pulling her strings and what game they're playing at and how it involves your Kabal... and more importantly how it could benefit you...

"Oh..." Jekkyt interrupt your thoughts. "And that debt you owe me? I can't cash it in right now, but I'll tell you exactly what I want." Before you can refocus on what he's saying, he is uncomfortably close to you. "I want my bike back, Verynthor. The one I lost. The one I was cheated out of. It's not that I don't appreciate this whole song and dance we do as Kabalites, but I didn't appreciate being force into it. And I sure as shit didn't appreciate having my ride taken. Now if you'll excuse me... I need a fucking smoke..." With that, you're pretty sure Jekkyt is about to leave. Probably to go get high, like normal. Fuck, if that means he won't go on a verbal rampage for another half hour like that, I'll take the stone-out-of-his-gourd Jekkyt any day.

>"Wait, wait wait. Hold up. I still need your help."
>"Alright, have fun. I'll just handle the rest with Ortaem."
>Well, time to go meet this Sybarite then, no time to waste.
>Should probably hash out a strategy before moving on...
>Write-In?

>>146996
>>Should probably hash out a strategy before moving on...
I can't believe im saying it but lets get our Sybarite in on this, there's no way this is gonna play out by the book, and the info they are offering if it was so good they would have acted already. They need us more than they need them, plus the gamblers certainty made to smell a fix.

Whatever it is we do learn rather than just have our Sybarite know I suggest we go one up, so that when she tries to make a move we can make our own, and take her place as she tries to bargain with info they now thanks to us already know.

Something is very fishy.

>>146996

Let him go, he seems all bent out of shape.

Let's go meet the Syb and figure out what 's actually going on

>>147020

Wait, this is a good point. We should check with our Syb. This could be a hit on us.

"Come back in three hours and we'll bet on it!" smells like bullshit to me.

We already know that there's a lady Wrack setting up a big race and that some of the Kabals in the race are on our do not touch lost.

>>147034
The doomed soul are the ones setting up the event. The screaming skull are attending. A sybarite of their kabal is betting against us for the information on the wrack.

>>146996
This sounds awesome and all, but did ortaem keep her thumb up her butt all day? I am sure she has something for us. On the side, how hard can it be to find a specific reaver bike?

>>147256
I agree. What did Ortaem find? As for the bet we should get there early to see how the game has been rigged (because it obviously is) so that we can rig it the other way. I guess that falls under plan mostly.

>>146996
Who has Jekkyt's jetbike? And do we even know what it looks like?

But yeah, let's confer with Ortaem first and then discuss how we can rig the upcoming game in our favour.

I'm really sorry that I haven't posted the next part of the quest. Something has come up suddenly that has made posting difficult. I'm still going to post and keep the quest going, I've just hit an unexpected delay... Very, very sorry about this.

>>148542
Relax boss. Take your time to do your thing. We will wait for it.

>>148542

No worries man.

This quest has been simmering nicely, I'm just glad you're keeping up with it.

File: We_Happy_Few_logo.jpg (84 KB, 860x514)

84 KB JPG

>>148542
Real life takes priority; dont fret about it.


But while browsing dem innerwebz I found a game which had a nifty logo. Instantly reminded me of the Shattered Mask

>Drawfriends, get on this

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132 KB JPG

>>149355
hum I had a different idea about the logo, but that is REALLY nice. I will get on it.

>>146996

You decide to let Jekkyt leave, figuring it best to not push the ex-Reaver any further for the time being. Perhaps I you're lucky, he'll forget about this supposed debt of yours with time...

"Well, more to the point... Ortaem, what did your own investigations turn up? I should hope that having hours to yourself in the marketplace wasn't in vain." She returns your questioning with a shrug, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

"The good news is that I actually found multiple Wracks to question in the marketplace. The bad news is that they're not easily interrogated, at least in any useful way. Apparently they don't have much in the ways of social circles, so Wracks who don't belong to the same workshop, even if it is the same Coven, probably don't know each other. They mostly just droned on and on about how they served their masters, and none of them seemed to know the name 'Kremmyk' or anything related to our Kabals." She shrugs again. "It seems that none of them really had any thoughts beyond their immediate tasks and how best to please their masters. They're kind of simple, really..."

Well, that's disappointing. You can't necessarily blame her for the unreliability of torture fetishists, but it's frustrating all the same.

Perhaps you should consider contacting Bryltarra and compare notes... See if you get some kind of support with regards to this Screaming Skull Sybarite... But doing so creates the problem of how you'll contact her without revealing your association to Ortaem.

>Forget it, just let Ortaem know
>Tell Ortaem you're done for the day and split up, meeting Bryltarra in private
>Just go to meet the Sybarite, take Ortaem with you as backup
>Write-in?

>>149592
>Forget it, just let Ortaem know
>Just go to meet the Sybarite, take Ortaem with you as backup

You know as well as I do I am being played for usefulness in this set up. I need you to help make sure I end up on top and if I am on top then so are you.

>>149592
Let's tell Ortaem that the Sybarite has tasked us with this problem. As an "Order." But lets mention none of the reward for our own part in this scheme.

She's probably already suspicious as to why we were talking with Bryltarra in the bar earlier and then suddenly went on a Fact-Finding mission immediately afterwards.

>>149425

I REALLY like this design. I always like to see variations and different takes on these sorts of logos, and I encourage anyone to draw as they please. That said, if you're alright with this, I'd like to start using this drawing to open threads as it better relates to the story.

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330 KB JPG

>>149663
Oh wait for the next one. This one I was trying to make something with textures, didn't quite appeal to me (I was tired). I will be making another one, see which of the two you prefer.

By the by, I am also working on portraits for Jekkyt, Ortaem and homeboy Verynthor. I did a Jekkyt already but I didn't enjoy how it turned... too... dirty? Humany? I don't know, didn't like the feel. I think I tried to hard to make black bloodshot eyes... Ortaem is coming out too. Again, sorry for the piss poor quality.

>>149608
>>149648

I think we should keep this information separate guys.

We need to be the only person who knows everything, or we run the risk of getting betrayed. Ortaeum is not our friend

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>>149663
>>149355
Ok, right file this time. I think this one represents better the kabal's colors so I will go with it. If you'd like to request anything boss, give me a scream.

>>149425
>>149691
>>150036
These are ALL excellent, I can't wait to see what you have in store for the other characters in the story as well!

>>149943
Yeah I suppose; but we also run the risk of them finding out and getting butthurt that they're our pawns.

>>149943

Seeing as this potentially has wider implications for you politically, I'd like to wait just a bit before continuing to make sure there's a wider consensus about your actions here.

>>150036

I like them both, honestly. I may just swap it up every now and again and use each for different threads. It's some good stuff, man.

>>149943

No she's not our friend but she is a trusted confidant who has been helping us on this issue since the beginning. She wants up the ladder just as badly as we do

>>150246

>trusted confidant

No. We're Dark Eldar, and literally everyone is ready to backstab everyone else.

This lady is only working with us because we're an unexpected partner in crime, not because she likes or trusts us

>>150343

We'll get much further working with people on our side, yes I realize that backstabbing will happen eventually but it is way too early on in the plans to have to worry about that from Orteam. Meanwhile we're being used by someone higher up the ladder than us and the best way to fight that is to have an "ally" on our level. It gives us a broader view of the issue at hand and backup if we're thrown under the bus or someone else to throw under the bus if needed.

>>150354

I politely agree with all of your points but you don't tell your business partners literally everything you know the second you know it, do you?

You wait a day or two, collect yourself, make sure everything makes sense first. That's all I'm asking for.

>>149592
We should keep it all on the down low for now. Us and ortaem should be enough for the race gambit I think. If they attack us we can always claim it was a turf thing, so we can keep anyone we wish in the dark.

But our chief weapons are darkness, fear and speed, so we shouldn't tally and pussyfoot about.

>>150132
Thank you boss. I will try to make more stuff later on. Perhaps a full body kabalite armour with our colours.

>>150125
Thank you. Much appreciated really.


by the by, drawfag posting from cell phone here. Did you all know Ortaem autocorrects to either Organs or Orgasm? Yup

It generally seems to be the opinion that you should head to the arena soonish with Ortaem in tow as backup, and keep your involvement with Bryltarra to yourself for now. If you want to tell her about it later, that's entirely possible.

Is all this acceptable?

>>150400
>>150471

Alright yeah I agree with that

>>150471

Sounds good to me

>>149592

You tap your wrist, pretending as though you have some sort of timetable to keep. Well, technically, you kind of do... you're not sure what exactly would happen if you missed this particular meeting, but there's no need to find out.

"It can't be helped. Let's just find this Sybarite, hear him out, and call it a day... focusing all our energy on this little errand would be pointless, especially since it has only turned up vague promises thus far, nothing concrete. Lead the way?" Ortaem merely nods and you follow behind her. As a former Wych herself, you trust your companion to know where the important arenas are.

Sure enough, your trek to the arena is a relatively safe one, insofar as any walk through the Dark City is 'safe.' No Hellions or Scourges swoop down from above, no thugs leap out to try and rob you, you're not accosted by any rival Kabalites... the most interesting things you notice are a few Harlequins gallivanting in their bright motley clothes, spreading word of a coming performance to be put on by their Troupe. I never did like clowns... give me the creeps...

When you do find yourselves in from of the arena's entrance, a thought occurs to you. "Wait now... how are we going to find this guy? We don't know what he looks like, only that he's a Screaming Skull. And he'd probably be looking for Jekkyt s-"

"Oh, there's no reason to worry about that, my dear friend!" The voice that greets you is overly familiar and immediately grating. You instinctively don't like it. Turning to the speaker shows that, indeed, you are being approached by a Screaming Skull. Three, in fact. The speaker is flanked by two others, who you assume are his cronies. He also seems to have a Wych clinging to his side in a way that stops just short of being obscene in public.

"I don't recall making your acquaintance." Or having any friends. "Just who are you? And why do you think you know me?" He chuckles at that and his Wych smiles coyly at you.

"You two are about the only members of your Kabal to be seen in arena in years, and after I just spoke with Jekkyt? I hazarded a guess that the two events were related. It's true that we've yet to be acquainted properly. So allow me to fix that. My name is Tegorrl Nokrent, Sybarite of the Screaming Skulls and purveyor of fine flesh." He give an exaggerated bow before abruptly groping his Wych, who in turn gives you a wink. "And you are?"

"Verynthor." That's all you'll give him, for now. He doesn't seemed bothered by that. In fact, you think he's actually been starting at Ortaem's tits whenever he thinks you aren't looking at him.

"Verynthor... very well. And, while I'm sure you will be the one I am dealing with, given your lovely companion's tacit nature..." He gives her a wink. You're fairly certain you can hear Ortaem's teeth grinding. "I'm merely curious... whose interests are you representing in this little exchange?"

>"My Kabal's."
>"An ally's."
>"My own."
>"Irrelevant."
>Write-in?

>>150748
"Why do you care? I mean, beyond the obvious personal interest in profit"

If pushed, say our kabal's. Whats good for us is good for the kabal, so it all works out right. Its not a lie technically.

>>150748
>"An ally's."

Implies that there are more people who have an ear into this without directly implicating anyone

>>150881
>An Ally's

>>150748

"An ally's. That's all that matters, isn't it?" Tegorrl clicks his tongue and gives a forlorn smile.

"A pity... I thought you were a big enough man to be the puppeteer, but in fact you're the one being stringed along." You can see why Ortaem wants to slit this guys throat. Even if he's not ogling you like he is her, he has a real talent for pissing you off. Part of you knows that's exactly what he wants, but you don't care... or rather, you can't convince yourself to care enough to not want to break his teeth.

Perhaps disappointed that you won't rise to his provocation, Tegorrl decides to move the conversation along on his own. "I just wanted to know whether you were a high roller or not. No matter... again, I get the impression that I'll be dealing with you directly, and I appreciate that. Shall we discuss the details in private? You needn't worry about guards, my accomplices will stay here."

He motions to the two goons that have been flanking him this entire time, silently. You get the impression that they may be completely empty in the head... or that the know the lengths their Sybarite will go to punish those who disobey him and know that their best chance at survival is compliance. Either seems likely. Before you can raise any further objections, they both bow and disappear, mixing with the crowd that's leaving the arena.

"See? We'll be completely alone. You, me, and our respective Wyches. Or former Wyches. Whatever your taste of consort, I don't mind." Oh, Ortaem is going to kill him dead if she ever gets the chance... You're at least partially aware of how much she despises being seen as nothing more than a hanger-on to someone more important, and being seen as an object of sex... funerals aren't really a thing around here, but Tegorrl may need to begin making arrangements.

You look at Ortaem, who looks like she's trying to drill a hole in reality with her glare, and motion with your head to follow. There will be a time and place to settle this, you're sure... just not here. Thankfully, she complies and the four of you take a route through the arena's infrastructure away from the actual fighting pits and towards what you assume to be the living quarters of the cult itself. You assume this because of the two very bored guards who are on duty and the way they immediately stiffen upon seeing the Wych hanging off of Tegorrl and let you through.

You soon find yourselves in a small room with a few cushions, a serving slave armed with refreshments, and a few modest pieces of furniture. Immediately, Tegorrl takes a seat on a cushion and leads forward, grinning at you.

(Cont.)

>>151237

"So..." He begins. "I take it that you're interested in the details of our bet?" You nod tentatively. "Very good! It's quite simple, really. All I propose is that you and I take a look at the slave pits, each pick a competitor, and train them with our own resources for the upcoming tournament in about three days. Whichever one makes it farther into the tournament wins! With luck, they may even face each other directly." Yes. Luck. And certainly not because of some meddling from your partner...

Tegorrl is far too pleased with himself. Apparently gambling really is a favorite pastime for him. "So, do we have a deal?"

>"Sounds good to me... let's have a look at our available stock."
>"I have questions, first." (Specify)
>"This deal does not appeal to me."
>Write-in?

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>>151258
>"I have questions, first." (Specify)
If you already have this information why have you not acted yourself?

>"Sounds good to me... let's have a look at our available stock."
But please let's go see who our lucky pair will be shall we

At-least we can wrack up the pain tokens and don't forget Slave Pens means we need to buy them...which is expensive.

>>151258
>"Sounds good to me... let's have a look at our available stock."

>>151258

"I take it you consider yourself a puppeteer of sorts?" You question the Sybarite. He smiles at you as if to say 'are you stupid?' and you merely smile back. "Why have you not acted on this information you have, if it's so valuable." His smile twitches for a moment and you think you seen the faint flickering of anger behind his eyes.

"Well, I know that a certain Wrack belonging to a certain Coven is asking questions about certain Kabals. What I know is which Kabals and which Coven... I don't know specifics about the Wrack. And if I can't find the specific Wrack, I can't find the specific master. And if I can't find the specific Haemonculus it slaves for, then I'm a bit short on information, aren't I?" His lengthy explanation merely serves as a way for him to glare at you for as long as possible to get his point across, you suspect.

"Fine, fine..." You say, waving a hand. "As keen as I am on enjoying your... companion's hospitality, I'd rather have a look at these potential slaves... see which one's are worth my time." You're treated to a toothy grin from Tegorrl.

"Splendid... I've already selected the slave I wish to use, so you're free to take your pick." Oh, but of course you're already prepared... heaven forbid I have a chance to see my competition while you get full view of what slave I'm choosing. You don't say anything, but you decide to follow along regardless, taking Ortaem with you. She actually has a modicum of experience with arena fighting, so she may have advice that would be useful to you...

As your party of four continues through the infrastructure of the arena, down into the bowels of the architecture, you raise a concern that's been nagging at you: cost. Tegorrl merely chuckles and waves his hand dismissively.

"Oh, don't let the worries of costs spoil your fun, Verynthor... how about this, then? The loser will also pay the costs of the winner's slave? Training and those associated expenses will still be our own business, but the slaves themselves won't be the concern of the victor. Sound fair?" You had been hoping he would say 'don't worry about it, it's all free', but you suppose that's about as good a deal as you're going to get.

Upon arriving in the slave pens, you're surprised by the quietness of it all. This many bodies crammed so tightly together, you had expected there to be greater upheaval... perhaps the Cult is simply that good at disciplining its wards... Well, it's quiet for a few minutes, then you hear very loud yelling and death-threats from one of the pens in the tongue of the humans. Curiously, you look over, and you are mildly surprised to find that the slave in question is vaguely familiar... insofar as you ever concern yourself with the visages of lowly Mon'Keigh slaves, you remember this one.

(Cont.)

>>151624

He was one of the humans you took quite recently on your raid. Already, snatched up from the markets and put to work. His screaming is soon joined by a large Ork Boy that seems to be incensed by the howling of his neighboring human. A quick whipping from one of the guards sorts out their little squabble in short order.

"My, but you are a worldly sort... you must get around quite a bit in order for you to be familiar with so many slaves..." You're fairly certain that there's some sort of hidden insult in there about you only being fit to associate with slaves, but you're not quite in the mood to retaliate just yet. You're far too focused on the slaves in front of you to properly retort.

"Ortaem..." You whisper covertly. "Help me out... which one's look like the most likely to survive in the arena."

"Well... if you want my opinion... not many of them. A lot of these slaves are broken just as physically as they are mentally... I see maybe three in here that would be useful." She points to each as she explains. "The Ork is large and powerful, and they can't quite discipline something so stupid... the human is fresh, we know because we took him. I vaguely recall him in the raid, and he seemed a decent enough warrior for a Mon'Keigh... lastly... well, there's that Tau." You look and find the grey creature in its cell, alone and strangely content-looking. "Most don't last very long in the arenas, but that one seems... I'm not sure how to put it... at peace? I dunno... It's your call, really."

Which slave to check up on first? You'll get an opportunity to scrutinize each individually, if you so desire.
>The Ork
>The Tau
>The Human

>>151633
>The Human

>>151675

Check the man first, Tau second

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>>151633

You approach the human first, Ortaem accompanying you but staying a healthy distance back. It seems she merely wants to observe and offer advice, you're the one who gets to ask the questions. Tegorrl remains at the entrance, watching you with content.

The human begins to rant at you at length as you draw near, but you don't understand any of it. Ah, of course... you neglected to turn on your translator. Time to fix that...

"-nd see you strung up by your own entrails, dark devils of the savage moon! May the crows feast upon your eyes!" You smile affably as he finished his latest bout of fury.

"I take it that you remember me?" To your surprise, he blinks at you.

"I've never seen your face before in my life, pale heathen. I merely recognize your patterns, and know that you are foul spirits from beyond the veil. Her, though..." He points to Ortaem. "I remember her... not her face, but her stance... her movements... she is a warrior of skill whereas most of your kind are spineless cowards." Ortaem snickers at you as you're insulted by the Mon'Keigh. Oh, that's rich... real rich coming from a filthy ape...

"So you don't know me... fine. I don't expect your empty head to be full of anything useful. Except how to fight. You are a warrior, are you not?" He spits at your feet at that.

"The best in my village." What a glowing recommendation that is...

"In a matter of days, many slaves will be sent to the arena to fight for the amusement of those that live in this city. While I don't necessarily care for the event itself, I care for the outcome... I am considering taking you as my personal champion." The human thinks, and considers this for a moment.

"No." You frown at him.

"I don't think you understand... without my patronage, you're likely to die. You won't be given a proper weapon, you won't be trained or fed or clothed... you'll be sent to die for the amusement of a cruel crowd as a warm-up for the main event. You may not fear death... but even you don't want to die a meaningless death, do you? One without glory? Unremembered?" That seems to be going somewhere, seeing the brooding look on the human's face. You've guessed that his culture values pride and legacy, being remembered by your descendants, the usual song-and-dance of tribal fools. "What is your name, warrior?" He looks at you.

"You tell me yours first, devil." You don't see why not.

"Verynthor. Of the Shattered Mask."

"Telipinu. Of the Children of the Wind. If she were to train me..." Again, he points at Ortaem. "I might consider your proposal... devil of the Shattered Mask."

>Question the human further?
>Inspect Tau
>Inspect Ork
>Go back to Tegorrl

>>151981
>Inspect Tau

Mostly just to see him and figure out his story. I like this guy though

>>151981
>Inspect Tau

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>>151981

You nod at the warrior and inform him that you may return to him later, but for now you have other business. You approach the Tau.

The grey Fire Warrior (At least you assume that's its caste, given its overall physique and place in the fighting pits) in squatting in a meditative stance and doesn't seem to notice your approach. At the very least, it doesn't lift its head to look at you as you approach it. A bit arrogant for a slave, I think.

"I apologize, I was not meaning to be rude." As if answering your thoughts, the Tau stands and bows its head to you before affably smiling. "I was unsure if you truly wanted to take your time looking at a being as lowly as myself when I am surrounded by so many other warriors." You tilt your head questioningly at the self-effacing Tau.

"Do you have a name?"

"Sha'La Ke'lshan Tovah." Of course it is... why does a race so young give itself names that stretch so long?

"And how did you come to be here in Commorragh?"

"Simple. I failed." The Tau's face darkens considerably as it tells its tale. "My unit was tasked with guarding a Water Caste delegation in transit to one of our Colonies in order to ascertain how well the Gue'vesa were under control. It was supposed to be a simple, short transit. In the process, our vessel was boarded by some of your Corsairs. You can guess how much of the rest went. I wasn't even able to die for the Greater Good. A failure, through and through..." You turn to Ortaem.

"He's brooding. And a Tau. Will he of any use to us in an arena tournament that would inevitably not allow him to use his guns?"

She shrugs. "Possibly... the fact that he's even still alive proves that he isn't entirely helpless at close combat... if he were to fight with a shardnet and spear, he accuracy might actually be of use to him. Plus, we could train him to defend himself... if that's what you wanted."

You look over the Tau once more. He's lean... has all his body parts attached... more surprisingly, he doesn't seem completely broken inside yet. Which is odd because you're of the understanding that without their precious Ethereal leaders to constantly drone on about their notions of galactic socialism they break more easily than a squad of Imperial Guardsman. There may be some value in this one yet...

>Question the Tau further?
>Inspect Ork
>You've made your decision. Go back to Tegorrl

>>152408
Remember fella's whom we don't take will likely be against us. The human personally dislikes us and while effective may just try to die a warriors death. The Tau interests me a little, why not ask him what each bit means..Tau get names from titles and achievements I believe....this dudes a Fire Warrior or Pathfinder...not even a squad leader I think.

naturally their strength is about the same... we are in an arena so weapons may be odd. Otherwise it's about training and awareness...I'm actually leaning towards the Tau because he understands tech better and will understand it better, plus if the enemy has tech he will have an idea how it may work.

>>152575

Backing this line of thought. The Tau shows most promise, let's choose him and shore up his piss poor CC skills.

>>152575
>>152771
Disagreed, sadly. The tau has greater morale (apparently) but a lack of physical prowess compared to a tribal warrior that was the stock of space marine chapters.

Now the Ork's only problem is its... abundance of simplicity. Their kind obeys the largest and strongest, they care not for "takitiks" and will only be as cunning as throwing a rock at someone's general direction before jumping them. The tau? The opposite problem. Too much brain, not enough brawl, harder to train, easier to crawl.

Since the ork seems too dumb and the tau appears not dumb enough, I'd say go for the human. Why? Because they are easy to trick, and trickery is the Eldar main dish. Make him believe he can escape, give him hope and a dream to pursue and you will find that humans can hit harder than orks and be quicker than eldar. I disregard the tau on the account that no amount of training will make him into a better physical specimen. The ork would probably survive both in a simple confrontation, but there is no telling who is Tegorrl's champion, so we need a modicum of cunning to go with that brutal. It is good to remember that our goal is not to win the arena; it is to survive it. Or in an extreme case, kill the competition. Eyes on the prize, people.

>>153119
Personally I'd like to see what an Ork Boy fed on a massive cocktail of combat drugs and narcotics could accomplish...

He'd likely die, but oh my; what a show!

>>153333
Orks are simple beings. Instead of trainning you would just spend the time feeding him combat slaves to fight and kill and stroking his ego, causing him to grow. Big orks get smarter and stronger, his natural toughness will let him win a primative fight with ease, and if he gets his hand on tech, provided we teach him he can use it, its liable to actually work due to the ork waaagh field.

Its all a case of intelligence to endurance/strength.
Tau is smart, human is balanced, ork is strong.
We need to know how the fights are laid out to understand which is the best choice.

>>153354
Or we could take him to a Haemonculous and turn him into some kind of Grotesque/Cybork hybrid and feed him frenzon for three days straight to see if he'll grow "bigga"

>>153356
Agreed with those stats.

I do worry about the Tau though, he seems more broken than the others. Warriors need that fire to will themselves to succeed over their opponent. It's hard to gauge if this Tau has that anymore. But at least the Tau is tech-savvy.

The Human comes from a primitive world and probably has had little experience even working with modern Imperial technology.
He also hates our guts, so some corralling might be in order to keep him focused.

I'm still eager to see what everyone else has in mind before we decide on this.

>>153382
Oh the Tau has fire, hes just not vocal about it.
he would easily do well in the later stages when interesting weapons come out.

Human is hit and miss. We need him to be an angry bastard, with trainning he could be passibly good.

Ork is pretty much guaranteed to savage the fuck out of the starting stages if its low tech, provided we teach it some simple cunning in a fight. Its also resistant to pain and heavy injury, so it'll survive middle stages if its pain weapons. Late stages might be a problem if hes not large or smart enough.


We need to talk to the ork, and we need to know how the competition is laid out.

>>153394
Yeah, we definitely need to at least hear all parties out. And we definitely need to know what the events are that our slave will have to participate in.

I'm also wary about Tegorri's choice in this match.... We'll definitely need some sort of "Contingency" plan in our training regime.

And by that I mean "Cheat like fuck"

Once again, I would like to apologize for the lack of content. In this case, Windows 10 has invaded my PC and is eating it. Hence, I'm now posting from my phone. So I will be posting an update. It will just take a bit to rip the operating system out of my comp.

>>153996
No worries,

tell Cortana I said "hi"

>>154011

I scrubbed cortana from my pc without a second thought.

She eats up a truly insane amount of resources considering she's a glorified search engine for your hard drive.

I would have deleted her reg files but she's too well integrated

>>153399

At minimum we should give the Tau space steroids to boost his CC ability.

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>>152408

"Your name... I'm told that Tau have long names with many meanings. What does your mean?" You're mildly curious... perhaps he's a blessing in disguise and his name means 'sage of death' or something equally menacing. The Tau gives another forlorn smile.

"As you wish... I am called Shas'La Ke'lshan Tovah. Shas is my caste, for I am a Fire Warrior. 'La is my rank, for I was a lowly warrior fresh from training. Ke'lshan was the name of the Sept I was raised on and Tovah is my given name... it means 'heart of ash'." Meh... guess they can't all be winners...

Nodded, you turn away from the sulking Tau and decide to give the Ork a look. A creature that brutish must have some value, if for no other reason than that such a mass of flesh could absorb so many more strikes that would prove fatal to other specimens. You take a whole five steps towards its cell before being verbally assaulted.

"Oi, youz gitz! Wottya tink youz Spikey Boyz iz doin', lokkin' up ol' Snuskrukk?! Lemme' out 'a dis cage! Best lemme out 'fore I get roit killy on da next guard wot comes near! Like 'DIS Git!" The large green mass of living fungus jabs a meaty finger in your general direction to punctuate his point. Even with your translator, you're unsure if all of his speech was parsed correctly... You're somewhat reluctant to step much closer after that tirade. You look to Ortaem and get a shrug.

"They're big and tough bastards that can take a lot of hits before falling over dead. I've even heard tales of some being decapitated and just having their heads sewn onto another body. The price you pay is that the brain evidently isn't a vital organ..."

You look over the brutish specimen that continues yelling at you, trying very hard to ignore the inane rants the spew forth from its mouth. This 'Snuskrukk' as it keeps referring to itself is a fine example of an Ork Boy, tough as old boot leather and just as bright. A number of lash marks mar his hide, but given his demeanor, it would seem that it was in vain. You can't control an Ork's temper, it would seem. You decide to ask the Ork a question... though you loath having to subject your ears to its dialect.

"You. Snuskrukk. Tell me... can you fight? With weapons, I mean. Not just your fists?" You find yourself peering in between the bars like a potential buyer of an exotic pet... which you suppose, you are, in a sense. The Ork gives a long belly-laugh, subjecting your nose to its foul breath. If I don't need you in my plans, I'll look forward to seeing you trampled by the beasts of the arena, filthy cretin...

"Askin' a' Ork Boy if 'e can fight iz like askin' 'im if 'e can be Brutal or Cunnin'! Uv course, ya pointy-eared git! A propa' Blood Axe iz always ready ta fight!" You roll your eyes. Apparently even simple creatures are full of bravado... "I just needz a Choppa in me 'ands an' I'll rip 'em ta pieces!" You eye Ortaem and the pit veteran thankfully comes to your aid again.

(Cont.)

>>154874

"He's talking about the basic knife-axe monstrosity wielded by most Orks when they're not bothering to fight from a distance. They're usually just slabs of jagged metal with hilts... at the very least, he's probably somewhat skilled in melee. And while not exactly the same, the low-quality knives and blades that most slaves are issued would at least be familiar to him... but I doubt he'd be able to grasp the concepts behind more advanced Wych gear like Hydra gauntlets or Razorflails. Which is probably fine, as I doubt any exist that would be built to the specifications of an Ork wielder." You sigh.

"Great... so he's a slab of muscle without any brain, is that it?"

"No necessarily... true, Orks are remarkably stupid... but they are capable of a certain animal cunning that can be surprising when underestimated... The Blood Axes especially have a peculiar habit of adapting to tactics they encounter from enemies, such as copying human strategies. If nothing else... he might be teachable." Oh? Perhaps he's not a lost cause after all...

>Go back to Shas'El
>Go back to Telipinu
>Ask a question of Snuskrukk
>Discuss matter with Tegorrl
>Write-in?

>>154881
I'd very much like to ask Ortaem about the matchups themselves. How many rounds, what consists of each or what typically would impede us given her experience as a former bloodbride.

>>154881

I still think the Tau would be our best choice if we equipped him properly and gave him a healthy dose of combat stims.

>>154881
>Write-in?

Discuss with Ortaem, she's familiar with the arena fights and also ask about the request the human made

>>154881

You pull Ortaem aside and ask about the set-up for most arena tournaments. You haven't been to an arena event in many years, and the one's that you've seen were not particularly grand in scope and scale. What are you supposed to expect from all this? One-on-one duels? A grand melee? Beasts being released?

Ortaem just gives another shrug, as she is wont to do.

"Well... it can be a lot of things. Frankly, I'm expecting some measure of all of them combined, with survivors moving on to later rounds. If I had to guess... I'd say that there will likely have a large mosh-pit melee to begin, just tossing in every slave that is participating in a free-for-all brawl until the Succubus has judged that a sufficient number of combatants have been slain to slake the crowd's thirst for the main event... then they'll probably have a few minor races, demonstrations that their Reavers are to be feared... then show off their Beastmasters' menagerie by feeding a few non-combatant slaves to the beasts... after their rounded up, they'll probably pair off the slaves from earlier, including whichever one you pick, and have them start fighting each other in brackets until only one or a few remain... other than that, I'm not sure. Specifics will usually vary from arena to arena, and even then it all depends on the mood of the Succubus organizing it. All I know about the leader of the Doomed Soul is that she's considered pragmatic, even to the point of forsaking tradition..."

Well... that's something to consider, you suppose. Perhaps you can scrounge up some intel before the event begins... "The human... would you be willing to train him with gladiatorial weapons?" Ortaem gives you a queer look, as though you had just asked her if the Tyranids would make pleasant company of tea and cakes.

"I suppose... I'd count it as a favor to be repaid, mind you. Besides, you can always just hire some private trainer... or take care of it yourself."

>Further questions
>Back to a slave
>Back to Tegorrl

>>155364

Well, I think we should buy the Tau

>>155510

What advantages do you think he would have in the arena though?

>>155523

He's familiar with modern weaponry and can use tactics, unlike the other two.

>>155584
True, though wyches use weapons geared mostly for melee. And the Tau aren't notable for being close combat fighters. Heck I'd wager even guardsmen could fuck em up if they could get close enough.

The human presents a decent all rounder. He has combat skill and even if he doesn't have the finesse of a Wych, I at least believe he can swing a sword and hit what he wants to hit.

The Ork, I'm bias towards Ork's since I played as em. So I'm not really the guy you wanna be hearing from on that.
But from a pure stat perspective, he's strong, tough enough to take hits and if he's a blood axe? Then he's cunning to boot.

I guess that about sums up some of the smaller points of em all.

>>155364
Im voting ork.

The mosh pits going to be a mess, but very few individuals will want to fight an ork in melee unless someone pulls a space marine from their arse.

Then in the individual fights, they wont give them ranged weapons, and an ork can take a javelin and keep right on charging. All we really need to do is teach it the concept of using a shield.

The tau is screwed if anyone gets him into a contest of strength. We need to ask the tau if he is proficient in martial arts or blade use. If he is then he is worth thinking about. Ork otherwise. Human is interesting, but hes going to be dead average.

>>155651
Last canon i read was that the Tau armor was minor power armor that brought them up to human level strength. They are weaker than humans pound for pound.

>>155364
I reckon we should leave the main chosen decision open for a little while, as I have a feeling folks will have some very differing opinions.
Just so we can feel out what everyone viewing has to say about it.

Also I just realised that this is the Dark Eldar equivalent of Pokemon...

Gotta Enslave Em all!

>>155661
On the other hand, the human has the most prospect for improvement and trainning. If our freind can stand teaching him. It all depends on how we roll with him.

Ork is easiest to buff up for the fight. We just have to trick him into growing bigger, then stick him full of stimms.

>>155684
Agreed. I realize that this is a decision sparking a lot of discussion, with a lot of good points from all sides. I don't want to lock in a decision until everyone has at least had a chance to make their pitch.

>>155694

I feel like the ork is going to be too bullheaded in the fight and I am willing to bet the guy we're up against has something tricky up his sleeve, I vote for the human as long as he gets trained by Orteam

>>155801

I'll vote for human instead of Tau to move things forward then.

Also lets look into delayed poisons that we can use to fix matches and what not

>>155801
Again, ork in melee = Just swing a big chunk of something around and watch everything crumple.

Unless its a space marine, ogryn or other big beefy mofo.

Blood axe means he has some brains, if not much.

But I respect the choice of human if folks are going for that. Still standing as orc for my vote.

>>155822
>>155810
>>155801


So far, I count 2 votes human, one vote Ork. That's only 3 votes however, so I'd like to wait just a bit more to get a few more opinions. If enough time goes by without any more input, I'll take the votes one last time, but for now, here's where we stand.

>>155364

You decide that you've gathered what information you can from the slaves at present... at least, useful information. You're sure the Tau could drone on about the 'Greater Good', the human about warrior's honor, the Ork about... things you're barely able to understand. Questioning them further would be redundant at this point. It's time to come to a decision. If there were gods worth praying to, I'd ask for their guidance...

You and Ortaem return to Tegorrl and his Wych, who seem quite involved in exploring each other's mouths with their tongues... it takes you a good, solid minute of waiting and more than a few clearings of the throat to finally get them to cut it out and look at you. Really, now... that's just plain rude.

"Ah... have you come to a decision about your champion, rival-to-be?" Tegorrl asks with a look that tells you he's more than confident that your choice will be pointless when put up against whatever representative he has managed to scrounge up. 'Champion' implies I can't do this myself... if I could, I'd rip any slave in the arena limb-from-limb just for kicks... "Well? Any warriors among this batch? Any you're willing to stake your name on?"

Your mouth twitches. Stake your name on? Leave your reputation in the hands of some lesser being? This Sybarite is quite full of himself... and apparently unafraid of similar consequences.

"Assuming that I don't decide to take to the arena myself, of course." You mean this mostly in jest, but you see a flicker of doubt behind Tegorrl's eyes at that. Oh? Not so confident that your pawn could beat a proper warrior instead of slaves, eh? Even still, it may not be wise... as it stands, you're only risking inconveniences if you lose a pawn. If you were to be defeated in the arena... well, you'd be disgraced at best, dead at worst. And that's probably the worst possible outcome to any scenario. And even if you win, if your face is shown in that arena, you can forget about subtlety...

"You could do that... but is it really appropriate? I mean, why sully your hands with such barbari- ahem, such personally dangerous things when you can send a lesser being in your stead?" Tegorrl quickly corrects himself, very conscious of his previously quite-amorous lover scrutinizing his speech. "All jokes aside, Verynthor, who are you sending into the arena to represent your interests?"

>The human.
>The Tau.
>The Ork.
>Myself.
>Write-in?

>>156354
I like the human for narrative reasons, as we captured him, and I feel he has most potential to grow character-wise and skill-wise. The other two are probably not far from as good as they're ever going to be. If he was potential space marine stock, he's probably also a good candidate for enhancement if we can get hold of/afford any.

On the other hand, a fuck-off big ork.

>>156354
>The human.
Humans are flexible, which means he might survive more fights.

>>156354
>>The human.
Ill just go with that, this whole things a fix, I know one when I smell one. While we will do what we can for our Human this will mostly be a game backstage.

>>156354

The human.

"Caught the human myself, you know. Seems only fair to see him through the rest of his life."

>>156354
>The human.

>>156354
>The Humies.

Damn op sure is good.

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>>156354

"I'll take the human, I suppose. His arrogance reminds me of you, somewhat." You both chuckle at that, neither one of you finding it particularly funny. "Besides... he's practically the my property already, seeing as it was my Kabal that snatched him up not too long ago. The Mon'Keigh you know over the one you don't, and all that." You're not quite sure if that's how the phrase goes, but that's alright.

Tegorrl smiles, apparently relieved. "A wise decision... humans make for fine entertainment, I find. They have more spirits and smarts than Tau and Orks, a nice middle-ground that any connoisseur of misery can appreciate." Now I'll just have to see if I can whip him into shape... Literally, if need be.

Tegorrl's Wych snaps her fingers at a couple of the attending overseers and directs them towards the cell holding Telipinu and drag him out of his cell roughly, tossing him to the ground. It's quite unnecessary as he's no longer resisting, but there's little point in asking a Commorrite to be gentle. Here's hoping they don't damage the goods, at least... The human warrior is quickly fitted with a standard slave collar and brought before you. He looks you in the eye for a moment and bows his head slightly.

"I suppose you hold my life in your hands..." He says quietly before one of the overseers quickly strikes him across the face before handing you a small remote, which you assume is linked to the collar.

"Quite literally, in fact. Speak when spoken to, slave! You may be leaving our tender care, but don't forget the lessons we taught you. Never talk back to your masters and don't do anything your master doesn't tell you to. If you get killed on account of disobedience, it reflects poorly on us." The overseer says before returning to his post. Telipinu merely spits a small glob of bloody phlegm on the floor in response.

"Charming." Tegorrl starts. "Well, there you have it! Your very own pit fighter, drawn from the best stock the Doomed Soul can offer? Don't squander the opportunity, friend. And remember... the tournament is in a matter of days. Just over three, in fact. Keep in mind how much time you have to prepare your chattel. I'd hate to see such a promising warrior cut down before the climax of his performance." He says with a grin. I'll believe that when Vect willingly abdicates power... "Well... that business sorted, good luck, Verynthor! You'll need it..."

You and Ortaem are promptly dismissed and escorted out from the bowels of the arena, accompanied by Telipinu. You decide to take a good look at the slave now that you're out of the dimly light dungeon of the slave pens.

(Cont.)

>>156694

He's well-built, muscled... broad shoulders, powerful arms... you notice a few callouses along his palms, likely from swinging a weapon repeatedly... he hadn't been down in the pens long enough to suffer from malnutrition, so he still has a measure of healthy fat on his bones... bronzed skin, brown hair tied back in a knot... eyes alert, even after exposure to the many suns of Commorragh...

"Perhaps we'll make a champion out of you yet..." You mutter.

"One can hope." Ortaem replies with foreboding. "He'll need some serious conditioning to survive the arena... I don't think we can consider ourselves prepared unless he's capable enough to beat a fully-armed Wych with only a dagger. Because he may have to do so... And, we should take pains to ensure he doesn't... expire, before the actual event." Perhaps this won't be as simple as you had thought...

For his part, Telipinu is merely looking around at the various sights of the Dark City, taking in the landscapes of the alien port of souls. His expression is one of mixed disgust and great curiosity, as if one were looking directly at and couldn't help but marvel at the grotesque sin on display, even if it's disgusting.

"Well... to that end, we should probably take him back to somewhere secure... somewhere that the Screaming Skulls won't stick their noses, should Tegorrl decide to start messing with our plans..."

>"My apartment should suffice..."
>"We can have him mingle with the slaves at the Kabal's fortress, hide in plain sight."
>"...I don't suppose you or Jekkyt could hold onto him?"
>Write-in?

>>156706
>"My apartment should suffice..."

And I would take you up on that training, would you name the favor now or later?

>>156773

I guess this is fine.

Training should definitely happen. Can we afford any cybernetics or genemods or anything?

>>156706

>"My apartment should suffice..."

"I can house him in my own quarters... for now... though I'm not likely to get any sleep with him... physically close to me." You don't actually get much sleep in general, to be perfectly frank. You're too on edge from the possibility of any outsiders possibly breaking in... just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't happen eventually. "Now... about that training...?"

Ortaem fixes you with an odd look. "Ah... so you were serious about it? I guess I can... but... you will owe me."

You wave a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine... I owe everyone, apparently. Do you want to name something specific, like Jekkyt?"

"No, no... I don't have any need of your services... for now. But I will have your help in the future, don't you worry. I'll just have to have some time setting things up. Now..." She turns to Telipinu "Should we be having him start immediately?"

At this, your new slave starts. Even without your translator turned on, it appears that he knows when he's being talked about. "You devils may work me to the bone, fine... but at least have the decency to feed and clothe me. If you want me to fight in your service, treat me like a chief treats his warriors." You roll your eyes and thumb an icon on the control pad to his collar. Telipinu immediately crumples as electrodes in the shoot into the his skin and deliver a powerful shock, ending any argument from him. You adjust your collar to translate your speech into his own tongue again.

"You're not my warrior, yet. You're merely my property. And property doesn't make demands. It serves its purpose." You kneel down next to him. "I want you in fighting condition, it's true, but that doesn't mean that I won't discipline you when you step out of bounds. You have serviceable leather, you aren't starving to death. That's good enough. Now do as you're told."

"Y-you're... no chief, to me..." You roll your eyes at that. "A chief treats his men with respect." He rises to his feet again and stares you dead in the eyes. "A chief is also stronger than his own men. And I know you're not stronger than me. Your spirit is weak."

As tempted as you are to shock him again, you decide that would be counter-productive at the moment. You do want to start training him soon, not damage his nerves with electrical pulses.

"Let me make something very clear, slave... I know that you don't like me. And I don't care. I'm not particularly fond of you either. But for the moment, our goals align. You don't want to die a coward's death, I want you to kill my enemy's champion. Simple. You don't have to like me, nor should you, but don't disobey me. Is that understood." You're met with another blank stare.

"I understand that you're a man of words, not deeds, devil." He turns to Ortaem. "Will you be sparring with me, then?" She just gives another of her shrugs.

(Cont.)

>>157075

"I suppose I will be... though, just because we need you in fighting condition doesn't mean I won't be as harsh in training as ever." He actually grins at that.

"I should hope not. Dull intent leads to a dull fight. In my village, we did not permit boys in training from having their nightly meal unless they had bruises all over their body. Otherwise, they hadn't endured the rigors of a real fight." Or they were smart enough to dodge out of the way, you dullard... Primates like you always stand and fight rather than moving around... that can get you killed.

>No time to lose, all of us to our training site... and by that, I mean one of the abandoned alleys close to my apartment
>You two have fun with that... I'm going to go look into something else (Like finding Bryltarra and soliciting funds...)
>While rude, the human had a point... give him a quick chance to prepare before training, maybe a hot meal
>Write-in?

>>157079
>No time to lose, all of us to our training site... and by that, I mean one of the abandoned alleys close to my apartment

Lets at least see what we have to work with. Plus, we can be on the look out for anyone tailing us.

After that we can decide to go rooting for info on our rivals 'champion'.

>>157079
I will sound naive and maybe a bit insane, but with this one we might get farther by slapping him around a bit ourselves. He is attached to our name already, might as well make him into something... personal. Give him our own touch.

Let's hit the gym, eye of the tiger, but let's slap him a little ourselves before we give Ortaem the green to beat the living crap out of him.

Gotta inspire the respect we know we deserve on our own property, if no one else. We don't wanna be like our failure of an archon and demand loyalty without fear and fear without respect.

>>157615
>>No time to lose, all of us to our training site... and by that, I mean one of the abandoned alleys close to my apartment
While we at at it work on the idea of securing funds and as importantly, finding out about the compitition...I can't belive i'm saying this...but I have a crazy, and I mean damned crazy idea.

We go looking for this Wrack, we know a fair bit...we find them tell them someone is digging and is going to get alot of information to come after them if they win. Tell them whom he is, make sure he looses and we win, they will be reimbursed should we win...and at worst they can aid us in eliminating him.

For example we don't know what it is we are on the no fly list for so in a strange round about way...we may be a viable ally to them, secondly we may uncover more of the plot whatever it is, thirdly we can use what we learn to play both sides raising through the ranks of both groups...Gotta have ambition.

Out of curiosity; who has, or where is Jekkyt's bike?
Nothing was stated about it other than he want's it back, so I assume someone else has it.

>>157746
We still can't find the wrack without winning this match. But it ain't a bad idea to stack up our chances. If we convinced our stybarite to help us by either putting another slave in the pit to target our rival or going for him outside the arena it might just be dickery enough for an eldar gambit.

>>157797

You're not sure, yet. It could have been stolen, taken as collateral for a race, any number of things. You can investigate later.

Or, just ask Jekkyt when you get the chance.

Seeing as we're on Permasage, I'm probably going to wrap this thread up with one more big post and then archive it.

>>158868

Sounds good to me

"We don't have time to waste of philosophy. We need to have you be training, not yammering on about your old traditions. Come on. We have a schedule to keep..." With that, you and Ortaem manage to corral your ward in the direction of Shattered Mask territory, and by extension, your apartment. A few other Kabalites give you odd looks as you go by, but it seems to just be the surprise of seeing you bringing a slave back.

You direct your companion and property to wait outside the building as you ascend the steps and make your way back to your room to retrieve some training blades. You have things to think about while they warm up...

You fully intend to work Telipinu to the bone, if need be. But you're not so naive as to believe that this tournament can be one purely on a fighter's skill. People will cheat. Common opinion is that an arena brawl is a singularly dull affair without someone at least dying of poison before the actual fight.

You'll need better equipment... Possibly better weapons. Poisons. Maybe even combat stimulants, if you can custom order them to actually work with human physiology... All of that means you'll need to make a lot of purchases... As it stands, after your night on the town, you're not exactly riding high in terms of disposable income. Your best option may be to solicit Bryltarra for funds... If she knows that its going towards the cause of getting information about the Wrack, like you were told, she might be willing to fund your little foray into the arena.

Putting those thoughts aside, to be worried about later, you grab what you came for and come back to the small, deserted and dilapidated courtyard in front of your apartment building. You toss a practice sword at Telipinu and he manages to catch it, swinging it a few times to test its feel.

"Don't get any funny ideas with that. Its edge is dull and we're both wearing armor." He merely nods and returns to slashing the blade through the air a few times more before pointing it at you.

"In my village, we made it a point of introducing ourselves to our opponents before we dueled. I am Telipinu, son of Ammuna, of the tribe of the Children of the Wind."

You decide to humor him. You find that in general slaves are much more pliable when you beat them within the confines of their own rules. In this case, if all you have to do is introduce yourself, so be it. You mimic the gesture, pointing your own training blade at him.

"I am Verynthor, of the Kabal of Shattered Masks." He waits for you to continue. "Son of none."

He seems genuinely surprised. "So... You're a bastard." You are quite tempted to hit him right now.

"You'll have a lot to learn about the Dark City, mongrel..."

>>160072
>"Son of none."
This is funny to me.

>>160666
In the Dark City, we're all bastards.

Sometimes literal other times just by deeds.

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>>160072


GOOD GOD IT TOOK TOO LONG JUST TO MAKE THIS POST

All that aside, that's it for this thread, apparently, join us next time (Whenever the hell that is) as the training montage kicks in, with or without appropriate 90s music

I'll archive the thread, hope it was enjoyable, even if a bunch of unexpected delays came up, making it even more disjointed than usual...

Tune in next time for Kabalite Quest 4: Get Your Hands Off Me, You Damn Dirty Mon'Keigh