Editing The Jewel And The Sage

Lelith had finally done it. By what seemed sheer chance, the renowned succubus had ambushed the Farseer Eldrad, encountering him and a small contingent of troops while on an unrelated raid. She had immediately jumped at the chance to take down such a legend. Her own subordinates had already caused his to scatter, and she was now tracking him through a dark forest.

Lelith walks into a small meadow, and sees Eldrad there, sitting at a small table for two, a fine meal set up, the other chain sitting openly for her to sit at.

"Well my dear," The old Farseer says. "You spent awhile looking for me. Why not sit down for a nice meal before you try to kill me?"

Lelith simply did not know how to process this. Was it a trick? Was it even real? Was she fucking dreaming? "What's your game Farseer?"

Eldard chuckles "Just an offering of a nice meal and a chat Lelith. You must be hungry after all that raiding you did. It would be a crime to kill me on an empty stomach; you would be thinking of food as you savored the kill."

Lelith's stomach grumbles. It had been awhile since she last ate. She begrudgingly creeps towards the table and sits down. The chain is very nice and cushioned. She looks at the meal before her: a glass of wine and a cooked avian creature. She examines is thoroughly.

"It isn't poisoned you know. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have told my men to flee when you arrived," Eldrad says, amused.

"You planned for this?" Lelith says, taking a sip of wine. It's extremely flavorful. She knows the taste, Vect had given her a few bottles several centuries ago. The vintage was grown before the fall of the Empire.

"Well of course my dear. It isn't every day you get a chance to meet the jewel of the dark city's arenas."

"So you went out of your way, went into an active war zone, just so you could have a dinner date with me?"

"That is correct. And I must say, you are even more beautiful in person. I've never been able to catch one of your fights, but a harlequin friend of mine has always sent me recordings of them. The way you fight is an art form in itself."

Despite herself, Lelith could not help but blush. Many had attempted to flirt with her. Most of them are dead or else currently being flayed by some haemonculus or other. Yet Eldrad Ulthran was a legend, not some mere pretender or sycophant. "What's your end goal here Ulthan? Do you want me to turn away from my dark and twisted ways? Is that it? Did you see a false future where I leave my home and come work for you?"

"Please, call me Eldrad. And no Lelith, I can see no future where you'd ever fit in on a craft world. Commorragh is your home. But do I need a true motive to have dinner with a beautiful woman?"

Lelith sighed. She had admirers, legions of them. Most were deluded or outright insane. She had no equals in her home. All were either beneath her or in high places like Vect. Well, there was Drazhar, but he wasn't a people person. They'd been on a single date, and the fight had ended in a draw. "Fine Eldrad, I'll indulge you."

The date was nice. Lelith didn't know if Eldrad had cooked the meal himself or not, but it was quite delicious. She told him about some of her most pressing fights, he told her about some interesting bits of ancient history concerning some old noble house that were still extant in Commorragh. Both an interesting history, and a piece of leverage if she ever needed it. Alas, the peace could not last forever as Eldrad stood from his chair. "I really need to get going. Truly, my men would be lost without me. They can't even read the maps I give them. This was nice Lelith." Eldrad turns to leave.

Lelith gets up "Eldrad wait!" Lelith runs over to him, grabs him and kisses him. The old Farseer has a shocked look on his face as Lelith pulls away.

"In all the possible futures I saw, I never saw that."

"Do you see if we'll meet again? You're an interesting chat, a nice change of pace from everyone in Commorragh."

Eldrad smiles "Don't worry my dear, I have seen that we will indeed meet again. Raid away from the dark city twice more, and on the third I will be waiting to the east."

"Bring more wine next time," Lelith says with a smile.

"I shall," Eldrad says before leaving. Lelith stays alone in the meadow for a few minutes, taking it all in before she hears the crack of a twig and pivots to see a clumsy mon'keigh hoisting a weapon.

"Die xenos bitch!" he yells, opening fire. Lelith sighs, ducking the hail of lasgun fire and dash behind the man, separating the entire front half of his skin from his body with a few choice cuts.

Dates were certainly nice, but Lelith couldn't deny she was very good at fighting.