Venom and Spite
"They must pay", Excrucia's voice was full of rage."Control your anger, sister", came Lann's icy reply. "My honour, more than yours, is at stake. But we can't let passions compromise our mission."
"Passions? Honour? This is not a matter of passions or honour!" the spirits bounded to the former wytch echoed her over the Whisper. "Torc and Inghfar are seriously injured and everybody in the Sprawl knows why. Even the lowest Parched will think they can push us around! But what do you know? You're no Drukhari..."
"Enough!" Yrule sharply cut her off. "What we were before being Reborn matters not!"
"But, Thanarch..."
"I've said 'enough'! Lann's right, we can't compromise our mission for petty revenge. But neither we can be seen as weak. I will let you lead a crew, Excrucia. Get to the Sorrowshards and hit the Bleaksouls in their assets. Turn that into a bloodbath and you'll have to answer to me, personally."
"As you wish, Thanarch". The former wytch strode out of the room, her spirits murmuring as if in frustration.
"How can you cave in to her demands, Thanarch?" asked Lann as the two were alone.
"I did not. I've asked her to control her passions on the battlefield. This is the arshest punishement a Drukhari can be subject to. Now leave me."
Lann hesitated for a moment, then turned to reach the door.
"Lann!" Yrule halted the Exarch just a step away from the door. "Doubt me again and I'll have to punish you as I've punished Excrucia."
Excrucia and Uless stepped into the attinic glare of the Sorrowshards platform. Behind them, Dis'ar and Barahir took position on a nearby structure to offer cover. Thresyn and Fachean swiftly moved to one of the Sorrowshards control nodes.
The Bleaksouls fanned out of their hideout, puzzled by the commotion.
Excrucia was nearly swept off her feet, her armour punched through by Dark Lance fire coming from the Shards. As she had predicted, even the lowliest scum of Low Commorragh tought the Void Phoenixes were easy game. Her rage washed over the Whisper and spurred the Ynnari into violent action.
Dis'ar and Barahir's fire forced the Scourge flying above the Shards to dive into a webway portal and to reappear on the other side of the plaza.
Fachean and Thresyn traded fire with Morghdrax and his escort, but the Ynnari had the worst of it.
Yariaq and Raveneth leapt through the portal inside the ruined Voidfall Tower. Raveneth materialised behind Ynado've. Yariaq stepped onto the open of the plaza, his eyes set on another control node.
Fachean and Uless charged Morghdrax and his crew from two directions, the Bleaksouls stunned by the psychic screams of Uless' bounded spirits.
Excrucia felt a rush of excitement as she prepared to join the fight. Then, from the shadows came Lakbyrn's poisoned dart. It found its way through Excrucia's damaged armour and halted her charge.
Dis'ar rained shurikens over Yariaq and sent him sprawling to the ground.
Barhair kept firing at the Scourge, but she flew behind cover...
...and levelled her shardcarbine at the combatants on the far side of the Sorrowshards, felling Fachean.
Raveneth quickly dispatched Ynado've. Pain and suffering were filling the Sorrowshards, a heady and exhilarating mist drifting all around.
Excrucia came to her senses just in time to see Morghdrax and Bahreneq toying with Uless.
And she understood. She had let her old ways get the better of herself. In doing so, she had exposed her brothers and sisters.
That was not what the Seventh Way had tought her.
She primed a blind grenade and tossed it into the combat, immediately springing to grab dazed Uless and drag her away.
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