IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTES BEFORE DELVING INTO THE STORY!

DON'T KNOW THE LORE? NO PROBLEM!
Hop over to Archive of Our Own (AO3)! There you find me under the same nick, and I've written a lore guide for readers new to the setting!

Also, additional goodies on AO3 include:
1. The full, uncensored verison of the story with explicit sex and violence scenes
2. The story is much more up to date over there, as it's a lot easier to update it than around here
3. Accessability version of "Into the Devil's Eye" (WIP), with long chapters chopped into shorter bits and formatting that's easier to read for people on the spectrum
4. My second story, "The Colour of the Black Heart", smut-heavy Drukhari fanfic, featuring a different MC (but still from our dimension) paired with Mr. Overlord. I know, the premise sounds very similar, but I promise, the contents are not!

Please don't send me messages through the fanfiction-app, but I happily accept messages via PM on the website.

I don't see app messages when I log into the desktop version, hence, I don't reply! (just found messages from 2017, so embarrassing!)

Firstly, the horror element in this story is not the jumpscare or lovecraftian kind, but rather the mental, slow kind of horror that gradually develops over the course of it.

Secondly, keep in mind, this is a story about Dark Eldar and their incredibly slow intrigues.
What seems to be the case in the beginning, might not be the truth.
Don't believe anything anybody tells the main character, especially when it is Asdrubael Vect.
Don't jump to conclusions.
Don't jump ahead. You most likely miss something important.
Let. The. Story. Be. Told.

Thirdly, this is not a love story, even if it leans towards it in the first few chapters. Don't believe anything you read. It may contain some crazy and twisted relationships, but if you came looking for a true romance, you have to look elsewhere, sorry!

Fourthly, huge thanks go to my beta and co-author (she didn't write per se, but her ideas MASSIVELY improved this story), SindelV, whose great efforts in correcting the thing and tonnes of suggestions help me along greatly. We are having too much cruel fun with this. ;)

Fifthly, I am a terribly slow writer. I tend to take 5 months and up for a single chapter, as I think my words over carefully and also take great care in keeping my work scientifically accurate and as close to canon as possible, which ends up in a lot of researching.

The last thing I want you to know, dear reader, is that I know that several people have criticised that my heroine stays somewhat too calm. Please note three things before finding it too unrealistic:

1. She (and others around her) notices herself several times that she is by far not as afraid as she should be.
2. There is a reason why she is so calm, the reason is revealed in chapter 25.
3. I am aware of this fact and I have my reasons to write her that calm.

Also, some of the reviews that are attached to my story may no longer be accurate, since I overworked the whole thing several times and it has nothing to do with the original stuff I posted here.

If you can overlook these facts better and they disrupt the story less for you and make you enjoy it more, I am happy about that and cordially invite you to enjoy my story.

Chapter 1

Caught

"I am all your nightmares. I am the legends your forebears whispered of in fearful tones. Every terror you have never imagined comes from me. Look upon my majesty and weep at the terror I have wrought upon you and your kin. I am an artist, and dread is the colour I splash across the canvas of your mind."
— Archon Anas Vaenix of the Kabal of the Sundered Eye

I AWOKE IN the middle of the night. I was housesitting in the countryside on the weekend; a boring thing, but as a student, I took every job I could get.

As I was rising from my slumber, I felt that something was amiss; I opened my eyes and realised that it was far too dark outside. The streetlights were out. Was this a blackout? I got up and went to the window of the bedroom, but it was impossible to determine what was going on. I wanted to take a look, just to be sure, after all, if something major was happening, I had to call the owners of the house. I dressed in a hurry, took the key and went to the ground level. Making my way in darkness, as the lights inside did not work too, which spoke for a blackout, was not easy.

Still, I shivered, my hackles rising. I had the distinct feeling that something was off. Severely so.

What was happening?

Because of this dreadful feeling in my stomach, I took the rear exit of the house, just to be sure that I could peek at the street before I rushed into something I wanted to avoid. As I exited, I took a look at the fields, which the house stood at, but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on there. As it was summer, a warm wind blew through the high grass and made it rustle, making it look like a living creature.

I really would have liked to take some kind of weapon with me, but since true pacifists lived here, not even the knives were good for anything.

I decided to have a peek at the street, though I had the terrible feeling that it was not a good idea. However, I was too curious to let something that unusual in my life go to waste; I really cherished the action.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I carefully eyed around one corner of the house and experienced my first shock.

Now it was clear to me why there was no light on the streets. Something that looked somewhat like a plane, whose design I had never seen before in the real world, sat in the middle of the street. It had burrowed itself into the bitumen. Because of the blacked out streetlights, just the moonlight shone on the eerie scenery. After a second I realised that this was a spacecraft. Was I going crazy? As it was a new moon, it was hard to make out details, which made it complicated to be sure what I was looking at. What was happening here?! Was this nothing but a dream? Why had I not heard what had been going on?
I pinched myself. It hurt. No, this was definitely real.

I ducked into the shadows again and sneaked to the other edge of the house. It was even a bit darker, as some trees stood there, which blocked out what little light came from above. I hoped that I would be able to risk a more detailed glance at the ship.

As I peeked around the corner, my eyes grew wide and I whispered, "Oh shit." That was all I could think and say. Nevertheless, it was a mistake to even whisper it, because the creature that was now looking at me through a gleaming red visor, had heard me.

Drukhari.

Why in the nine hells, including all possible and impossible races, did it have to be Dark Eldar?

I turned around and ran, realising in the same second that it was superfluous, because he was easily ten times quicker than me. Since it was a fight or flight situation for me, I decided to flee, for fighting was absolutely not an option here. I had never run faster in my life, but his paces closed in on me. Then, a jarring noise hit my ears.

And then the pain cut in.

I fell with a scream of agony as something sharp pierced my left foot and I was sure that my Achilles' tendon was severed. I went sprawling on the ground and then just lay there, gasping and cursing, tears in my eyes. I tried to get up, but the searing sensation clearly showed me that I would go nowhere; I fell back onto the ground with a pain-wrecked grunt.

I was not even done thinking when I was hurled onto my back and then took a hard hit to the face, forcing me to spit blood and to black out for a second. I was very well aware that this was only a gentle caress compared to what Drukhari usually preferred for their prisoners. I took some time to recover from that, rolling onto my side, hands in front of my face and gasping in pain. Finally, I managed to grunt, "What was that for? Just because I wasn't that easy to catch?" In the same second, I wondered whether I was out of my mind to be that cheeky to a Dark Eldar.

I did not get an answer, but he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me with only one arm onto his eye level, choking me. My struggling was futile; he did not even seem to notice it. This made me realise how strong this race was. I looked into the gleaming, vermillion eyes of the visor, fear now slowly creeping up my body and I breathed heavily, fighting for what little air I was allowed to have. He pulled me closer to him, then he said, "You've earned yourself the special treatment." That boded very ill for me. I felt that he looked evaluatingly at me for a few seconds – I thought I heard a regretful sound – then he added, "What a shame."

My stomach grew cold because of these words, for I was all too well aware what this meant for me. I had fucked up. That cheeky remark would cost me dearly, that I was sure of.

Without letting me say anything, he threw me over his shoulder, which I received with an agonised gasp; I was grateful that it was the left one that did not bear any spikes. Then he went back to his brethren.

I did not struggle; it would not have made any sense, plus it might have pissed my captor off and would get me hit a bit more, just to be beaten into submission. My left cheek was already swollen, but this was no surprise when thinking that I had been hit with a metallic gauntlet in the first place. I was rather relieved that he had not dislocated my jaw or broken my cheekbone.

He carried me back to the ship and dropped me on the ground there, which made me yelp in pain, as my injured leg hit the ground. I remained lying on the floor, trembling in agony and fear. I was now in the company of other prisoners (he did not bind me; it was not necessary, since I could not run anywhere) and he spoke to one of his colleagues. There were not many prisoners around; I figured that I was one of the first to be caught, especially considering that their ship was basically parked beside the house I had been in.

More out of necessity than desire, I took a look at my left foot. I fought down nausea and bile that filled my mouth as I looked at the wound, because I found that he had shot a tridentate dagger into my foot, which had eaten itself into my flesh and bone. I bled strongly and felt light-headed. Nevertheless, I was sure that I would not die of exsanguination, because Dark Eldar knew too much about torture, to let their victims die of something as banal as blood loss.

Also, I now was sure that they had killed the lights on purpose, since they could see in the dark (with or without helmets) and humans could not. It made it easier for them to work and it scared their prey, which they naturally enjoyed.

I was not left with my fellows in misery for very long (I was not able to talk to them, since all of them were blindfolded, gagged and bound), because my already well-known friend and his colleague came to me, pulled me between them, laid my arms around their shoulders and lifted me. They let my feet go loose, which was not very pleasant, but I gritted my teeth and made no sound, since this way of travelling was absolutely better than walking. They carried me through the ship. I was not able to identify anything, since the ship was darker than the night. Finally, we arrived at our destination, a dimly-lit room, barely enough for me to perceive anything. My sight was blurred, as the lights were pale blue and not strong enough for acute vision. There, they laid me down on a daybed, which let me sit up, and bound me to it. I was already delirious because of the blood loss and commented, "As if I could run…"

Where did I take the guts from to still keep going after what the Kabalite had said? I had to be going mad.

They did not comment on my statement and left me without a word.

I was not alone for a very long time, because shortly after they left, another Drukhari entered the room. I was able to see his face and I was all too well aware with whom I was dealing.

His head was shorn, his eyes were black and so were his lips. His skin was pale and reflected the light in a waxy manner, the ears were pointed, fitting his clear-cut and somewhat shrunken features, along with his skinny and lithe build. To his gown and flesh, a lot of equipment was attached, including a number of snake-like mechadendrites, which floated like living serpents behind him. His feet also did not touch the ground, because he slithered into the room upon an elongated spine. Altogether, he indeed had an exceedingly creepy appearance.

I knew that what I called 'mechadendrites' here had a different name, since that term actually referred to the devices which the members of the Adeptus Mechanicus used. However, since I lacked a better term, I decided to go with that.

I shook my head in disbelief and stated, still delirious, "Why do I immediately deserve the honour to be torn apart by a Haemonculus?" It was only possible for me to explain my gallows humour because I was so dizzy and all at sea. Also, I had a good guess about the answer. This, probably, was the 'special treatment'.

I was surprised as he laughed. It was the cruellest and coldest laugh I had ever heard and his multiple vocal chords added to the disturbing sound of that laughter. Also, his hoarse, yet somehow darkly coaxing voice needed some getting used to as he answered, "You know a lot about my kind, mon-keigh child, if you know what I am. But I can assure you, I am not here to torture you… at least not right now. The captain wants to speak to you and I will see to it that you survive until then." Somehow, though right now this was good news, the words bode ill for me. Nonetheless, I was relieved that I had been wrong about my estimations of what would happen to me.

I rested my head on the daybed and closed my eyes. Cold sweat was on my forehead, but I was surprised that it was not fear-sweat; rather the pain made me perspire all over. I was afraid, however, by far not as much as I should have been, but I did not know why. I truly should have been scared witless by now, being in the same room with a Haemonculus, which usually meant that one was about to experience the most exquisite torments. Maybe I was still in shock or it was because I still had some wild hope that I was interesting enough for the Dark Eldar to not be reduced to a mere torture slave. All things considered, this was very unlikely.

I opened my eyes and was surprised again as I felt a slight stinging sensation in my left arm crook. I saw that he injected a clear substance into me. I wanted to ask him what this was, but I felt its impact immediately because the pain was dulled. Additionally, I felt as if I had chugged a bottle of vodka at once. I giggled in a drunken stupor as he took the needle out of my arm. With a dim sight, I looked into his black eyes and he asked me, "What's so amusing, child?"

I shook my head, still amused, and answered, "I'm still wondering what this is all about. Getting pain relief as a prisoner of your kind? Seriously? I'm not that stupid and naïve to think that this is all there ever will be for me. And, woo, this stuff is really nice!"

It seemed my words had amused him, because he chuckled softly. "This is just a precaution. You could otherwise faint when I tend to your wounds, because removing those daggers from flesh is indeed complicated and truly agonising. Believe me, even with this analgesic, you will still feel enough!" he said.

Then he took hold of my head and shone a flashlight in my eyes, which was quite painful, and this treatment left my eyes watery. He said, "Interesting. You seem to react exceedingly strongly to this medicine, stronger than I've ever seen in a human. How do you feel?"

My grin was pinched, I wanted to wipe away my tears, remembered that I was bound and commented, "Ah, I almost forgot!" He chuckled, I continued, "But back to your question: I feel as if I chugged the biggest bottle of alcohol I was able to find."

I saw him nodding and he commented, "Hmm, this explains the utterly slow adaptation of your pupils."

I winced as he took hold of my injured leg. Even the slightest touch was excruciating and I appreciated I had been given an analgesic. I did not know what he did, because my sight was blurred and I felt terribly light-headed. I gritted my teeth as a precaution, which had been a good idea, because seconds after I did it, he began to remove the dagger from my flesh. It hurt like hell. I tried to be as quiet and hold as still as possible; it was not always achievable for me, for I flinched, squirmed and gasped in pain. The Haemonculus was not impressed by my tiny attempts of defiance; he held me quite sternly and I was not able to mess with his work by squirming.

I did not know afterwards how long he took, but it was far too long for my taste. He had sealed my wound, applied a bandage to it and had put my foot in splints, so I could not rip the wound open. My head had cleared until then. He turned to me, while cleaning his instruments from my blood, and said, "Impressive. The last mon-keigh I treated in this manner screamed during the process. You are tough."

I laughed without joy, trying to seal the pain away, but I failed miserably and replied with a pinched tone, "I bet that you'd like to find out how tough I really am."

He grinned (god, those pointed teeth did not make this grin pleasant) and responded, "Possibly. But I don't think you would last longer than a few hours before you would beg me to kill you." He fixated my head with a leather clasp against the daybed for treating the swollen parts of my face. "Nevertheless, I am surprised that you are not afraid of me, despite your knowledge about my profession."

"To be honest, I am curious about it myself and can't explain it. I know I should be terrified by now, I just… am not. Then again, I have always been a master when it comes down to handling things with a little gallows humour," I replied truthfully.

He chuckled. "An enlightened perspective."

"Well, at least I die enlightened."

I had the feeling that it was wise to impress the Haemonculus, since they were powerful and feared figures in the society of the Dark Eldar. Maybe his word in the ear of the captain could change or even improve my fate.

I gritted my teeth as he palpated the swelling in my face. He nodded and picked up a syringe, filling it with a red solution and he said, as he flicked some air bubbles out of the syringe, "This will hurt, child, and I am looking forward to your suffering. Nevertheless, try to hold still!" He additionally pinned me down with his other hand so I could not move at all. I closed my eyes as he drew closer with the needle to my face.

I could not suppress an agonised gasp as he inserted the needle into the swelling. The pain was not relieved as he injected the solution; on the contrary, it burned like fire. Tears were rolling down my face; the ache did not stop as he pulled the needle out. This treatment was much more arduous for me than the previous one.

The Haemonculus did not waste his attention on me as I lay there, wheezing and panting in agony, he just cleaned his instruments. Meanwhile, he said, his voice sounded absent, "Humans experience pain so individually, it is really intriguing. I can't help but notice that you can handle sharp sensations much better than dull pain."

I said between gritted teeth, "This may be because I know the former from being tattooed."

Now his attention turned back to me, "Tattoos? Where?"

"Right arm."

He seemed to be very interested in this, because he came back to me, picked a dagger and cut my right sleeve off. The Haemonculus freed my wrist from the binding, but wrapped his long-fingered hand around it and held me, observing my tattoos. His fingers stroked my skin gently, which gave me goose-bumps and made me shiver, because his touch was so delicate and his bony fingers only amplified the feeling, and he said, slowly, "Interesting and dangerous motives, especially for a human. Why do you know them?" My tattoos showed the sign of the Imperium, Slaanesh, Tzeentch and the Kabal of the Black Heart.

"In my time, all this only exists as a story, which provides the base for a role-playing game, whichever character you'd like, from whatever side you like. Materium and Immaterium. That is also why I know a lot about your kind. But I'd really like to know why you are here?"

He smiled, shackled my wrist again and said, "Alright, since you entertained me so well, I'll tell you why. We travelled back in time, using the strange fluctuations of the Warp, to observe humankind in its childhood, to understand it better, in many ways. This gives us priceless strategic advantages against your kind and a unique opportunity to find out more about the primal fears of humankind, a thing we can use very well indeed for our purposes. Take the oldest specimen of a race, expose it to different stimuli and you will know their greatest, deepest horrors in no time." It was easily audible that he enjoyed these words and what he said made sense.

"Why not come back with a bigger force and end this once and for all?" I asked, truly wondering about that.

The Haemonculus grinned maliciously. "I like how you think, but the thing is that this was a one-shot mission. Besides, why should we wipe out our easiest and most abundant prey?" He had a point there.

The Dark Eldar looked at the tattoos again and said, "But still, we can't leave them like this, it has to be clear to whom you belong and signs of Chaos are no good to wear in Commorragh. I will remove them."

With more fear in my voice than I wanted to show, I asked, "And how will you do that?"

Of course, he sensed my anxiety, grinned at me viciously with his pointed teeth and replied, "Are you afraid that it will hurt?"

I nodded.

His smile deepened. "Normally I would choose a method that would hurt. However, since you are already quite severely injured and the captain wants to speak with you, there is no point in weakening you even further. I will do it with a special kind of radiation, which will not harm or hurt you. In the same manner, I will give you a new tattoo, which will clearly show whom you belong to." He fetched a strange looking device; it was best comparable to a hand scanner. I was surprised to find that the whole process just took some minutes. In the end, I had a new tattoo, showing an extremely complicated sign with lots of helices, ornaments, and vertiginous patterns; I did not recognise the symbol, which surprised me, because I knew a lot of signs from the Dark Eldar society.

The pain started to wane and so did the swelling; I was happy that I was able to see better now and that my head also started to clear, but I still felt terribly light-headed. I was given banked human blood, because I had lost quite some. He stayed with me and we talked about the human society of the 21st century. I knew better than to withhold any answers from him.

We did not talk for very long, as another Dark Eldar came into the room. I somehow knew that he was the captain, for his black-dark-green and iridescent armour was much more decorated than those of the rest and his helmet was crowned with a blood-red tuft of hair, in which white gold threads were inwrought.

I finally got it. It just kept getting better and better!

This ship obviously was a ship of the Kabal of the Black Heart; I realised that because his armour was distinctive. It was now clear to me who had ordered this gambit.

I swallowed.

That was just great.

It solely could have been the one and only Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect, undisputed ruler of Commorragh, who was able to come up with such an idea, and it was no coincidence that he was believed to be one of the most cunning and intelligent beings that had ever walked the Materium and Immaterium.

This also meant that I would survive until I met him, if I was found important enough to do so.

The captain spoke with the Haemonculus briefly; I did not understand a single word since they used their language. I was quite sure that the translator did not do its job now since I was certain that one was around; the Haemonculus would not have soiled his tongue with a human language, Dark Eldar did not do that, unless there was no other way, and Haemonculi even less so. The captain seemed to be displeased, but the Haemonculus was not moved by his temper. After this short conversation the captain left, his heavy steps emphasising the notion that he was angry.

As he was gone, I asked, "Displeased superiors?"

The Haemonculus shook his head and answered, "It doesn't concern the two of us, though it would be a bad idea for him to challenge me. He was not happy with the way his men treated most of the prisoners since dead-alive prisoners are bad torture slaves. It seems as if I have quite the day before me."

I again looked at my tattoo in confusion. The Haemonculus noticed it of course and asked, "Are you wondering what kind of symbol it is?"

I nodded.

"It is the personal seal of the Supreme Overlord, marking you without question as his property, reminding everybody else that you are his and his alone."

This confirmed my suspicions that I would meet the Supreme Overlord, apparently no matter what. But why? What could he possibly want from a girl like me?

My heart sank again. How was I to survive this?

I was utterly confused by now and decided to take things as they came, for I had no choice anyway.

Shortly after he had finished his sentence, two warriors stepped into the room. The Haemonculus hissed something into their direction, which I could not understand, they answered rather hesitantly. With a smile, he turned to me and loosened my bindings, saying, "You will spend the rest of the journey with the captain. Believe me, this is the safest place for you to be. The word of your aplomb considering your handling of the situation has spread and many would like to have you as their torture slave."

"Will we see each other again?" I asked, strangely hopeful. Was I already going insane that I wanted to meet one of the torture masters of the Drukhari again?

He grinned, revealing his pointy teeth. Mockingly, he said, "Sooner than you think, my child, sooner than you think. Somebody has to tend to your wounds, agreed?"

The two warriors carried me just like the other two before them and took me away. The Haemonculus shouted after me, obviously amused, "I'm looking forward to it!" I was sure that I had entertained him quite well.

The warriors carried me for a while through the ship; I was not able to see where they were going, since it was utterly dark around here. At some point, I heard that we went into a room, from the feel of it quite big, but I could not see anything. I immediately felt that it was quite cold in the room – unpleasantly so – and I had to learn an important lesson: there was always a way for things to get direr. They shackled me in leather manacles, which hung from the top of the ceiling, leaving me hanging in mid-air. To humiliate me even further, they cut all clothing except my underpants from my body. I did not struggle, though I would have loved to, for it was pointless. Then, they left.

So I hang there, almost naked, freezing, exhausted and feeble. I closed my eyes, because I did not see a thing and tried to calm my mind; it was almost impossible, because, from the looks of it, the captain had some abhorrent things for me in store. My strength was already fading and I desperately needed to rest, but I was too stubborn to give up that easily. So I took a deep breath and tried to relax and fight my fear and desperation down. It did not work too well, but the fatigue flooding over my body dulled my aches a bit and I did not notice that my head sunk onto my chest as I fell asleep…

I awoke abruptly as I heard the hissing noise of the door and cold, dim light flooded the room. I blinked to clear my view and saw the captain, who stood in the door. I also recognised that I was clearly in his torture chamber, because the intended use of the instruments I could see on the walls and on some tables was all too clear. Yet again, I was not given time to process what I was seeing – which, undoubtedly, was for the better – because only a second later, he began to swear in a foreign language (I guessed that from his inflexion), went to one of the tables and took off his helmet. My breath stopped as he turned to me; I had my first look at him and with that my first look at a 'normal' Drukhari.

He was incredibly handsome. His hair was shaved into a long scalp lock, which he wore in a tight plait. His eyes were pitch-black (no pupil or iris was to be seen, they were just two black pits), his skin pale, as it was with every member of the Dark Eldar race. His facial features were clear-cut, gallant and utterly flawless, his build was wiry and lithe; his armour only underlined his features.

For a moment he sized me up, but it was not possible for me to determine whether he liked what he saw. Then he came to me, quickly, took me around my waist and untied my shackles. I fell; he caught me and carried me through the second door, which led out of the room, to another one. I noticed that I was shaking, partly out of fear, mostly because I was terribly freezing. The cold metal of his armour did not help at all.

In the second room, it was a bit warmer, still cold for me, but not as cold as in the torture chamber. I was glad that I could see, since a very dim light lit the room. This room had to be part of his quarters. He put me down on the footboard-side of a big bed, which had bedding made of black silk. Also, a table was in this room, which was lain with food and drink and some cupboards were here too, but everything was made out of black metal or stone and spikes and vertiginous patterns covered everything. He put one of the blankets around my shoulders, which I drew closer, shaking. Now I really felt how extremely cold I was and I had a hard time keeping my teeth from chattering, cold sweat on my forehead and I felt not too well. Although, was that really surprising? I had no idea how long I had been in this freezing room.

He came to me again, his gauntlets removed, and he had a cup in his hand, which contained a steaming liquid. He put it into my still shaking hands and said, with a sharp and tenor voice, "Drink this! It will calm your spirit and warm your body."

I was surprised as I smelt ginger, cinnamon, and honey. Obviously, the tastes of Dark Eldar and humans were quite alike, though their hobbies differed greatly. I thanked him, he smiled viciously at me for that and I took a small sip from the tea. Of course, I burned my tongue with it, but I was surprised that it tasted great and I was happy that this sip already warmed me pleasantly. The more I drank the tea, the calmer I got and I stopped shaking after a while. He took off his armour in the meantime and even left me alone for a short while, as he fetched his helmet from the other room. He put the armour on the armour rack, as was to be expected, leaving him only clad in a bodyglove now, whose function it was to shield his skin from the hard metal of his armour. Apparently, not all Dark Eldar wore armour that was inserted into their flesh.

I noticed that he was still somehow annoyed. He also took a cup of tea and sat beside me on the bed. I was happy that the bed was that high so I could let my injured leg hang down from it, since putting weight on it did not seem wise. As he sat beside me, I noticed how tall he was, even though he sat straight up and I was a bit huddled and crouched in my blanket.

Nevertheless, his kindness startled me, because Drukhari were known to revel in every bit of suffering. That he just had made me so comfortable did not fit this notion. I got the queasy feeling that my destiny could be a lot direr than one of a 'simple' torture slave. That, or I was the luckiest bastard that had ever been caught by the Dark Eldar.

I was not able to endure the silence any longer and shyly asked, "Incompetent subordinates?"

At first, he looked at me sceptically, then he started to laugh. His laugh also sounded gruesome and gave me goose-bumps, but I also figured that I had to accustom myself to the voices of Drukhari. It seemed as if I had amused him quite intensely, because it took some time until he stopped laughing. I took a sip of my tea and murmured into the cup, "Seems like I've hit the nail on the head."

I froze in horror and revulsion as he touched my hair gently and said, "You really are fascinating."

Focusing all my willpower, I replied, hating how thin my voice sounded, "How may I take that, my lord?"

He grinned, took a sip from his cup and answered, "The Haemonculus warned me that you are quite different from the average mon-keigh prisoner. He was absolutely right; it's been a while since I had a decent conversation with a mere human slave." The change of his words describing humankind bewildered me somewhat. Dark Eldar rarely called humans by their non-Drukhari term.

I was not able to tame my cynicism and replied, "Yes! I ascended from prisoner to slave!" I had to be out of my goddamn mind. Where was this courage and snide humour coming from?

He laughed again. "It's curious that you show no fear whatsoever."

I shrugged and said cautiously, "As I already mentioned to the Haemonculus, I don't know why that is so and it puzzles me as much as you, because I know I should be petrified right now. Then again it could be because I'm quite sure that you won't tear me to pieces?"

He made a malicious sound, leant over to me and hissed into my ear, something I was not able to take without flinching, "Why are you so sure about that?"

"Well… I'm quite sure that if I really was a mere torture slave to you, you would've started to ram pointy objects into me and not made me so comfortable," I replied, strangely confident.

"Hmm, what makes you think that this is not only a ploy to allay your alertness, so torture will be much more terrible for you in the end?"

His words made me stop for a second, for he was right. I considered them briefly then replied, "Of course, my lord, I am a bit too confident with that. But I happen to know that I am intended for someone else, because this tactical masterpiece – I am referring to your mission to find out more about humankind – could have only been planned by a certain someone. I know that I already bear his sign. This person will be interested in speaking with a prisoner who is not scared stiff and even understands the culture of your kind well enough to handle the situation mentally. So, it wouldn't make any sense for you to torture or even break me, because I talk to you anyway. Also, I am quite sure that Supreme Overlord Vect despises spoilt goods." I considered my words for a moment, then went on, "I'm sorry, my lord. Of course, you could gain something by torturing me; it would rejuvenate you, as it does to all of your kind. However, I'm quite sure that I'm of no use to your lord if I'm dead-alive and broken."

With a whistling sound, he exhaled sharply through his teeth. Surprised, he said, "Very impressive, my little one. For a mon-keigh, you are quite sharp."

"Well, in my time this knowledge is no education, rather fanaticism. The 41st millennium only exists as a story, designed for crazy people like me who love to role-play characters of every faction. And yes, this turns filthy sometimes." He grinned at me in a way I did not like. "Damn it, yes, of course, your people are involved if so." His grin got wider.

"Curious," he said in a strange tone, drawing out the word eerily. I did not like the look in his eyes and I was afraid what that comment would bring for me in the future. My nausea rose again as I realised that he might very well rape me. I chased the thought away with all my might, because I was quite sure that I would not be able to take this without snapping.

"And no, I'm no masochist. At least I don't like it when I get hit or cut."

Why was I telling him this?

I liked his gaze even less now, because now it was absolutely clear to me that he was undressing me in his mind. Then again, it was not like much of my clothing was left anyway,. I also did not like what I started to feel right now and I had the terrible notion that he knew about my feelings all too well. I tore my gaze away from him and said, embarrassed and taking a sip from my cup, "I think I'm going mad to tell you that without you doing anything to make me talk."

He started to laugh maliciously.

I looked at him, now totally confused.

"Oh, this is where you are wrong, my little one, I have done so. Not all interrogation techniques are in need of pain or pleasure to break the victim. Sometimes only a special feeling is required to make someone talk. So, in your case right now it was the feeling to please or even impress me." He stood, laughing, his eyes flashing with wickedness and he said to me, "Another cup of tea?"

I shrugged and answered in submission, "With pleasure. You folks definitely are better at brewing tea than we are."

He smiled, now mysteriously, and said, "We are better at all things."

"Absolutely, but this was definitely something I was not aware of." He answered my comment with a horrid smile.

Though he just had fooled me quite badly and educed things from me I would not have told so easily otherwise, without me noticing, I was not even mad. Why would I be? I knew that this was the most pleasant way for me to have information extracted from me by a Dark Eldar. As long as he enjoyed the game, I would not be so stupid as to ruin it for him. I was not fond of being introduced to barbs and spikes, though I somehow sensed that it would be unwise of him to do so in the first place.

He came back to me, I smirked and said, "Ah well, what do I expect of my race? We are quite stupid."

The captain shook his head and replied, "It's getting even more curious with you. Not only that you are little afraid, neither of me nor of what might await you, no, you even deny your own race."

"Have you ever looked at how they act today? By 'today' I mean in my time. Humanity is 90 percent made up of idiots. The remaining 10 percent are not enough to change anything about that. So, since I now know what the future will look like, it seems that nothing changes, even in forty thousand years."

He laughed. "I always thought that humankind is only cattle, just there for the entertainment of higher races, like us, however, you are showing me some perspectives that are very extraordinary."

"I'm thankful that you are listening to me. I also have to admit that I didn't expect you to be so… how shall I say… friendly with me."

He flashed a predatory smile at me. "Believe me, normally I'm not, actually, I never was with a slave, but you are interesting, child. How old are you, actually?"

"22 years, well, human years, that is," I replied.

He lifted his eyebrows in disbelief, taking a sip from his cup and saying, "That young! Amongst my kind, you would not even count as an adult. You are far-sighted for your age and believe me: I have dealt with enough of your kind, who were as old as you are now, to judge that correctly."

"Thank you, my lord, so they say. Besides, you have to consider that I don't originate from the Imperium, my mindset might be therefore completely different from what you are used to." I took another sip and said, changing the subject abruptly, "So, what's up next? Will you now start torturing me? Or have I become something like your whore?" I still did not know where I got this courage and cheekiness from and why I kept behaving like this. Somehow it gave me strength, but I was also aware that I was lucky that this particular Dark Eldar seemed to enjoy my demeanour. Another one might have torn me apart by now.

He inhaled sharply and stated, "Hmm, I have to say, those are both interesting prospects, but I won't lie to you. I'll test you a bit, to get to know what you can stand, what torments you the most and how experienced you are. You won't suffer permanent damage from this, because you are right, the Overlord despises spoilt goods. However, you will be my personal slave for the rest of this journey and will stay in my quarters. You won't leave my side, if I command you to; you will obey my every order, unless I lend you to somebody else. However, I guess, only the Haemonculus might dare to ask for you."

"A pity. I would have loved to see the ship. So, the Haemonculus is higher ranking than you?"

He smiled. "If you're a good girl, I might take you with me when I'm on duty. Then you may see some pieces of the ship. The Haemonculus does not outrank me; he is beyond such ranks, for he is one of our torture masters."

So, it was like I had read. I had to pry into the hierarchy to be sure.

I did not like his inflexion, but what could I actually do against him? All I could do was play his game courteously and amuse him as well as possible so he did not torment me out of boredom. I also felt that there was something more to the Haemonculus than I was told.

But I just said, shrugging, "Huh. Maybe he will make use of my skills as a biotechnologist."

"If that is so, I think, the two of you will have some things to talk about."

I was really glad to be dealing with a Dark Eldar who possibly was an exception to his race. I was sure that most would have only put me in a cage and would not have just tortured or raped me because they were commanded not to and at the end of the journey they would just have dragged me in front of Vect. This captain seemed to be somehow bemused by my perspectives and appeared to be interested in getting to know me. Nevertheless, I was also aware that all of this could be just a farce to extract more information out of me. Who would ever know?

It was also clear to me that I had no idea what his status in the Kabal was and I was sure that I would not be able to see through him for a long, long time. I deemed that such a mission would not be given to a newcomer, but rather an esteemed member; that again would mean that he would stand quite high in the esteem of Vect. However, who could really understand the scheming and thinking of an alien race, especially one as complex as the Dark Eldar?

I was torn out of my thoughts as he asked me a question which caught me off-guard, "Are you still a virgin, child?"

Dismayed, but amused, I started to laugh nervously. I shook my head and said, "No, far from it!" I stopped, chugged the last remains of my tea and continued, "Well… with one of your kind… I guess I am kind of a virgin, but measured by human standards I guess I'm more experienced than I should be."

He grinned, his teeth flashing. "This doesn't surprise me," he said. He came closer, I had to resist the urge to jump away, and whispered into my ear, "But you will see that it is something completely different with one of our kind. For you puny humans it is nothing but a game, for us, it is much more than that. Of course, it is a nice diversion for us, but it is also art. Our best can make any individual of any race dance on the edge of an orgasm for hours or even days on end, until they're not able to feel or think about anything different and until they want nothing else than that." My eyes grew wider, he looked at me intensely and stroked perfectly gently through my hair; making me shiver and my stomach cold and queasy again, as well as my wish to get away from him even more dominant. It took all my willpower to not jump away; but I also did not dare it, for I was sure that he would feel insulted by it and I did not want to know what he would do to me then.

"You love and hate the thought at the same time, don't you?" He laughed into my ear, his warm breath stroking it, and moved away again. "I think you have quite good prospects, perhaps you will be the Chosen One of a Dracon, a Hierarch or even an Archon someday."

"Chosen One?" I asked, confused and interested what this could mean. I had never heard this term before.

"Oh, these are the very best of our slaves. Lucky. Most skilful. Those who knew when to put a knife in someone's back, how to endure their master and those who obeyed without asking. Those are the ones that get rid of the slave collar. It is a long way, a bloody way, a way, which asks for unscrupulousness and intelligence in equal terms; but I get the feeling that you might have got what it takes," he explained.

"Who are you, that you can judge that so well?" I asked him warily.

He laughed. "Oh no, my little one, this game only works in one direction. You will learn who I am when and if it becomes necessary. Everything you have to know right now is that I am your master and you are my slave."

It was the cruellest thing he had done to me until now. Making so many promises, praising me so highly just to show me very closely what I was: a slave, a plaything to the whims of my master. It made me angry. I looked at him, looked calmly into those cruel eyes and said, with suppressed annoyance, "And what does the master now wish of his slave?"

My inflexion seemed to be too bold for him, because he seized me by my throat, pulled me closer to him and hissed, "That she shuts her mouth and lies down, to save her strength. A strength she will need awfully badly if she stays as insolent as she is right now!"

I saw that I had been too bold, dropped my gaze and said, aware that I had to be careful now, "As you wish, my lord. Forgive me; it wasn't my place to be that bold."

He let go of my throat, patted my cheek gently and said, "Good girl. You are a fast learner; this will help you survive." His inflexion made my stomach turn.

He made a head movement towards the bed and I obeyed. I lay down, covered myself with the blanket and closed my eyes. My ill-treated body relaxed because of the soft bed. The captain turned off the light and to my great dismay, he came to me. I could hear that he took off the bodyglove (I could not see a thing now) and lay down beside me. I winced slightly as his slender, but incredibly warm hand caressed my belly, then my breasts. I bit my tongue not to make a sound and held still as he did this, though I felt utterly sick and revulsion crept down my spine. He came closer, his warm breath stroked my hair and he brushed my forehead with his lips. Almost tenderly he whispered, "Good night, my little one!"

I forced myself to say, "Sleep well, my lord."

He turned me onto my right side (facing away from him) and I froze as he pulled me against him, so his body touched mine; with this, I felt that he was still wearing his underpants. His skin felt different than the one of a human, softer and smoother. I tried to relax, while he still caressed my belly. It was difficult, because all I wanted was to run away or to bite his hand, to make him stop. In these minutes I realised that the time with him would not be as pleasant as I had thought, what a naïve notion. At some point, though, the fatigue washed over me and I fell asleep, at the side of my master…