Ku'Motsk IV

IV

	Not long after, any who could afford it had a life insurance pact with a coven. Though he found the haemonculi and the abominations they created to be repugnant, even Ku’Motsk had to admit their usefulness and at least they had taken to covering up the faces of those awful things. The amount of social and political power they had gained from the big revelation made them practically untouchable. Even the old orthodox houses could do nothing against them without suffering far worse.
	Other trends were more in line with Ku’Motsk’s taste, and the former admiral spent much of his free time in the gladiatorial spectacles of the ever-growing wych cults. The women were astounding to behold, and the fantastic creatures reminded Ku’Motsk of the wonders he had seen in the void. Even the increasingly dour and isolated Kieres seemed to enjoy the events. Afterwards, the pair usually found themselves talking of their days in the void. After one of such excursions, Kieres turned to his friend as they walked down the avenue.

	“Don’t you get tired of this, Ku’Motsk?”

	“What, the dark city?” Kieres nodded, “Of course, from time to time, but what else is there? This is all that is left of our race, odd that it may be.”

	“We could always go back to the way things were,” Ku’Motsk laughed, but Kieres furrowed his brow, “You can’t tell me that you don’t long for it. Imagine the thrill of the void, of plunder and war, with you as lord.”

	“Our patron has treated us well over these two decades, my friend.”

	“Our patron, our lord,” said Kieres bitterly, spitting on the black pavement below, “This great lord who makes my lord, a warrior worth following, bow to the whims of a spoiled child.”

	 Ku’Motsk could not help but feel that his loyal lieutenant was right. Otelhar had spent the last decade warming up to Ae’Rhinia Nakhar. The duke’s only daughter was as quiet as her father was boisterous, and few believed she was as competent to rule. The girl spent nearly all of her time in her room. Her father claimed that this was because she was sickly, but it was well known that she simply spent all of her time in a nearly comatose state from heavy Dreamway use. The admiral used all his charm to get her interested, bringing her gifts of exotic chemicals and doting on her every whim. Unbeknownst to Otelhar, she was well aware of his motives, but she put the right words in her father’s ear all the same. Months after his chat with Kieres, Ku’Motsk was called in to the ducal chamber. As the captain came to meet his master, he saw a very pleased Otelhar.

	“This new assignment should be perfect for you, wanderer” Otelhar said smugly as he walked out of the room.

	“Lord, what does he mean?”

	“Well, my boy,” the duke began gravely, “It seems as though we won’t be seeing each other for a while. Otelhar has informed me that there are opportunities near the edge of our territory that only a fool would pass up. Our great house is uniquely equipped for these due to location of Uris’ portal in realspace, as well as your unique nature.”

	“Realspace? Are you talking about sending me back to the void?”

	“You and as many of your original men as you can muster, I trust that at this point I can leave the specifics up to you. This is a tremendous opportunity for both of us, Ku’Motsk. The artifact Otelhar spoke of is a relic of the old empire, ancient and exceedingly powerful.”

	“But, how do you know that Otelhar’s information is even accurate. This sounds nothing more than another indirect attempt on my life.”

	“That’s preposterous; Otelhar has nothing but the highest respect for you. His faith in your ability clearly exceeds your own, the boy practically worships you. I will hear no more on the subject, you have one month to make the necessary preparations.”

	That clever bastard had been working all the right angles this whole time, his subtle manipulations left Otelhar unimpeachable in the duke’s eyes. As Ku’Motsk walked toward his chambers, his thoughts raced. It was true he longed for his days as a conqueror and pirate, but to return to the void under Otelhar’s terms was unacceptable. He would have to make his plays very carefully if he wanted to survive this. The first thing to do was talk to Kieres.
	Ku’Motsk told his lieutenant of Otelhar’s plot, and was unsurprised by the younger warrior’s excitement at the prospect of a return to their old life. When the captain told him that he would not be going, Kieres was furious. Once Ku’Motsk told him of the plan he had concocted, that rage quickly faded. One month later, Ku’Motsk said goodbye to the newly appointed captain Kieres and left the port of Uris with three ships under him.
	The journey to their intended destination was to last one year, and the men under Ku’Motsk had little more to occupy their time with than intoxicated dueling in the storage bay during off hours. The former admiral had heard of these practices, but permitted them with the understanding that they helped keep the men sharp and reduce tension. On a particularly frustrating day, Ku’Motsk went down to the storage bay after hours. The men stopped abruptly, one of the fighters dropped his hands and was subsequently knocked out. Ku’Motsk just chuckled and stepped into the arena.
	His opponent, Silys Vath, was one of those eldar recently admitted into the fleet. Vath had joined upon hearing tales of the fleet’s unique style of naval combat, the lightning raids and boarding actions that redefined warfare in the dark city. He had been a jetbike rider throughout his life and jumped at the opportunity to fly into the unknown. He now faced the man behind it all in the arena.

	“All right,” the imposing voice of Ku’Motsk broke the silence, “Let’s get started.”

	The countdown began, and the two squared off. Ku’Motsk leapt forth, striking Vath in the gut with a knee. The younger fighter stepped back swiftly, reducing the momentum of the force, and retaliated with a punch to the chin. The captain was somewhat burly for an eldar, but he surprisingly fast. In a fluid motion, Ku’Motsk arched backward, dodging the punch and knocking his opponent to the ground. Veth leapt back up, he maneuvered around the captain and delivered a powerful kick to his chest. Veth hesitated, but the captain returned to form in an instant, grabbing his foe’s foot and sending him crashing to the ground. The fight was over, and Ku’Motsk was impressed.

	As Veth returned to his feet, the captain stood over him, “That was the best fight I’ve had with anyone except Kairies in years. Silys Vath, right?”

	“Yes, sir. It was an honor, sir. Thank you, sir,”

	Ku’Motsk laughed, “You will be with me when we reach Vrkova, I need strong fighters at the front.”

	A year had passed in no time at all, and in no time the verdant planet Vrkova lay before them. Cursory studies of the planet had revealed a single eldar settlement in the southern hemisphere. Ku’Motsk had come prepared for war, he was not expecting this. He landed outside of the rustic little city and, as promised, Vath was with him. As the landing party approached the settlement, eldar came flocking from everywhere to meet them. Then, Ku’Motsk was surprised a second time.

	“Admiral Ku’Motsk, we meet again,” said a silver-haired, somber looking eldar in long brown robes.