Varex felt a sudden, sharp prick in his heart.
Ambition.
Raw, undisguised, blatant ambition.
Having successfully survived the three trials of birth, armoring, and battle, this new brother was starting to demand more. Once he beca a deputy, he would undoubtedly swell with even more pride, thirsting to topple the master from his throne.
The Warband Leader slowly chewed on the spreading hatred, and from it, he tasted a drop of naive sweetness. Yes, yes, yes... that's it. As long as the boy had a craving, Varex could hold him in his palm and use him like a common cur.
The initiates who adored the boy, the defiant Telax, and the scum who had pilfered every drop of chemical from the Apothecary... none of them were a problem now.
He could even fan the flas while this recruit cleared out the unstable elents, sending them all to their graves. If played correctly, he might even dig the boy's remains out of the ruins and keep them on his own bed as a reward for loyalty.
All it would take was a little honey and a lot of steel.
At the command of his will, the stimulants began to flow, pumped from his spine and diffusing through his nerves to every limb. With lightning speed, Varex struck, accurately catching the boy's jaw before he could dodge.
Fury flickered in those violet-gem eyes.
"If that is what you think, Enkidu, my child," Varex said slowly, savoring his own reflection in the boy's pupils, "then it is a pity. Your face is too plain, lacking beauty and creativity. Your body has not been reshaped by an Apothecary; it cannot keep pace with my combat."
The recruit's expression shifted. Varex recognized that emotion: terror.
But the flavor was still diocre.
He decided to turn up the heat.
"With conditions like these, you cannot truly beco my right hand. But if you insist on your demand, I suppose I could reluctantly let you serve as a decoration in my chambers."
"When I said right hand, I ant becoming your lieutenant!" the recruit hissed through gritted teeth. A more intense wave of emotion erupted, nourishing Varex's parched soul. "Not literally becoming your hand!"
"Oh, what a disappointnt." He let go, watching the recruit beat a hasty retreat before coming to a halt at a safe distance, anchored by his own ambition. "Being my hand is an honor. Did you know? From eons ago until now, countless souls have sought that privilege."
The Warband Leader walked directly toward him. The recruit tensed his muscles in high alert. The two circled and faced off like apex predators in the narrow confines of the inner sanctum.
Ultimately, however, Varex abandoned the idea of striking the boy down. He needed a blade right now, not a work of art that had yet to reach perfection. He walked to a trophy cabinet overflowing with plunder and shook the bone-chis hanging from it. The twin slaves instantly bolted upright and hurried out.
A mont later, a chest was carried in.
Varex gave it a kick. The carved human face on the chest smirked as it unhinged its lid, revealing a dense mass of Soulstones.
"If you wash away certain little stains within our Company, all of this shall be yours."
The recruit stared at the chest, yet his interest in the Soulstones seed lackluster.
"If I wish for such things, I can gather them myself given enough ti," the recruit said, standing his ground, his gaze shifting away from the jewels. "Lord Varex, if you do not wish to grant the position of Lieutenant, can you give a more... practical reward?"
"What?"
"I an: give the power armor to my initiates directly, instead of making them perform like Harlequins."
A thunderclap split through Varex's thoughts, detonating in his mind!
The recruit was faking it!!!
Ambition, the lieutenancy—none of it was his true goal!!!
Enkidu—the child whose birth he had personally witnessed, the first paragon of the new blood to earn his plate—his greatest dream was simply to spare his brothers from fratricide!!!
To achieve this, he was even willing to risk facing Varex himself!!!
How brave, how naive, how fragile, how... sweet.
Varex twitched in a near-manic ecstasy, staring greedily at Enkidu as if he were a deep spring of infinite vintage.
Trust, protection, loyalty, tenderness... Varex almost wept for these emotions that had long since vanished from the warband. They flowed over his nerves, bringing entirely new sensations. He wailed in a fit of hysterical grief, then burst into wild laughter, looking through tear-blurred eyes at the source of his joy.
As paynt for allowing him to experience these emotions again, he would grant the boy even more.
The grotesquely ornate doors opened, and a young Astartes erged, walking away at a brisk pace.
Enkidu looked haggard as he headed toward the ship's elevator. He felt a profound sense of exhaustion. As a person with a relatively normal moral compass, dealing with a lunatic like Varex was ntally draining.
Dealing with soone like Telax was simple: state your demands, present your leverage, and start haggling, while keeping a wary eye out for a backstab.
Varex was different. To get anything from him, neither deals nor leverage mattered. The only thing that counted was whether you could grant him more favor from the Dark Prince, or provide him with fresh emotions and sensations.
As a Slaaneshi Astartes who had road the galaxy for ages, Varex's sensory threshold was astronomically high. His pursuit of new experiences was chilling. While Enkidu didn't fully grasp why Varex had spiraled into uncontrollable behavior after he laid his cards on the table, one thing was certain: the man was starving for sothing they once had, but had long since lost.
In exchange for that montary thrill, Varex had given him exactly what he wanted.
Enkidu looked down at the chest he was carrying in both arms. He had already glimpsed the contents: Soulstones that Varex had stripped from Aeldari prey over thousands of years.
At least, a portion of his collection.
Enkidu pressed the button. The elevator grumbled with the noise of shing gears and turning winches. A mont later, two figures rose from below.
"Armand? Telax?"
He realized belatedly that he had indeed signaled Armand to fetch help when Varex had pushed him away. He had assud Armand would follow warband tradition and ignore it, but the veteran had actually brought reinforcents.
"It seems I don't need to see that bastard after all." Telax circled him suspiciously, his gaze lingering on the Slaaneshi-style chest. "Soone has received a reward from him."
...Words were useless.
Enkidu looked at him helplessly and decided to settle it another way.
"Watch your tone. If you're unhappy, we can settle it in the dueling cages."
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