The sun was high above in the noon sky, beating down on the hot, shimmering sands. Khorne's realm was far to the west of Arcadia on a volcanic plateau surrounded by a great desert basin, accessible only by a sprawling network of ancient stone roads. To prepare for the journey, Admu had changed out of her more elegant dress and back into her traveling clothes, with a wide-brimmed hat to shield her face from the sun (finding one which fit over her horns was not easy). Russ found the clothes made for him by the eccentric seamster surprisingly suitable, and so continued to wear them. Being a primarch, Leman was not bothered by extreme conditions, hot or cold. Admu as well seemed to be unphased by the sweltering climate, simply excited to explore another new and exciting realm. It was quite beautiful, in spite of its harsh conditions: great painted mountains of reds, browns, and grays lined the horizon, and deep, shaded canyons crossed the landscape like ancient wounds in the earth itself. Far from lifeless, the desert was teeming with organisms hardy enough to survive in the harsh, desert climate. Dense, thorny shrubs with leaves as tough as stone carpeted the places where the sand gave way to thick clay sediment, lorded over by towering, solemn trees and cacti with armored, spiked exteriors. In spite of their forbidding appearance, they bore brightly colored flowers in a myriad of hues. It appeared that even at its most threatening, life still held an innate beauty. Wandering the desert Russ could spot great herds of armored beasts and hardy grazers, as well as great predators which put even the wolves of Fenris to shame; Russ expected nothing less from the denizens of the war-god's realm. Fortunately, the creatures all seemed to avoid the roads and paid the two travelers no mind, likely an instinct ingrained into them by clashes with the servants of Khorne. They stopped at an oasis at the side of the road, resting in the shade of a great palm tree, refilling their canteens, and washing the abrasive dust, sand, and salt from their skin. Russ sat on a large rock, staring at his hands. Ever since he had arrived in this place and been deprived of his wargear for… understandable reasons, he had felt on edge. The primarch could handle himself, power armor or no, but his encounter with Khorne and the baneblade-sized bear in Nurgle's forest had shaken his confidence in his previously unmatched strength and combat prowess. In particular, Russ replayed his first encounter with the war god in his mind. The strike he had intended for Admu (Russ felt a curious pang of emotion upon remembering this detail, but quickly dismissed it) and Nurgle was no light swing. He had put all his power, all his fury into that charge, yet the black-armored warrior god had swatted him away like he was a child. There was no doubt in Leman's mind that Khorne's trial would involve fighting of some kind, but he had trepidation over his own skills as a warrior for the first time in… well, ever really. Leman had felt doubt and worry before battle in the past, but almost never did that extend to worrying about his own safety. It was a strange and uncomfortable feeling.
"Hey, mister Russ, what were your brothers like?" Admu said. Leman snapped to attention, dragged away from his anxious thoughts. "You told me about your father the Emperor, but not about your brothers. What were their names?" she said.
"Well…" Leman said. His ordeal in the bowels of Slaanesh's palace had made remembering his brothers - especially the ones who had betrayed him - a sore subject. Even more so than before. "There's Lion El'Johnson, Rogal Dorn, Roboute Guilliman, Vulkan, Jaghatai Khan, Corvus Corax… Ferrus Manus... Sanguinius..." Russ trailed off with a sorrowful tone, unable or unwilling to finish the list.
"Wait, why do all of them have different last names? Aren't they all your brothers? They should all be Russes, right?" Admu said, her head tilted. "Lion Russ, Rogal Russ, Roboute Russ, Vulkan Russ…" she said, counting off the names on her fingers. "And then big Emperor Russ!" she said, her arms outstretched. Leman chuckled.
"Well, you see, we weren't all raised together despite being brothers. Our father created us on his homeworld of Terra, but we were scattered across the galaxy as infants by the chaos gods-" he said, failing to catch himself before the words left his mouth. Leman hadn't intended to mention them in front of her, but the girl seemed to have a supernatural ability to draw information out of him through friendly conversation.
"Huh? Who are they?" she asked.
Eh, may as well get this out of the way. Leman thought.
"Your… papa, he's a nice man, right? Your uncles and aunt too?" Leman said.
"They're the best! Uncle Khorne likes to act all tough, but deep down he's a big softie." Admu replied, giggling.
"Well, where I'm from, far away from this place… there are… beings, which share their names. Nurgle, Slaanesh, Khorne, Tzeentch… although their titles are all they truly share in common. These 'chaos gods' are foul, ruinous beings. They wreak havoc and destruction all across the galaxy, leaving nothing but horror and death in their wake. I spent millennia wandering the immaterium, battling their servants and enduring whatever tortures they flung at me. " Leman said, taking in a dark tone. "When I first arrived here, I mistook you and your father for servants of these chaos gods and attacked blindly, though now I know you are of a much different… nature." He said. He looked over to Admu, who had a strange expression which seemed to be somewhere between confusion, pity, and fear. Suddenly, the girl leapt towards him and squeezed tightly.
"Oh, mister Russ, I knew you had a good reason! I could see you were a good person deep down; I just knew it. I'm so sorry those awful chaos gods tormented you, I'll do everything I can to help you from now on! I mean, I have been kind of doing that anyway, but I'll do it twice as much now!" she said, nearly crying out of joy and sympathy.
By Fenris, does this girl's infectious benevolence know no limits? he thought as the fox-deer-demi-goddess nearly smothered him with her iron embrace. Noticing his discomfort, she let the poor man go and blushed a bit.
"Anyway… the chaos gods scattered me and my brothers all across the galaxy, as a way to try and stop my father from combating their influence. He spent centuries looking for us, and by the time he reached most of us we'd already been 'adopted' by our new homeworlds, in one sense or another." Russ said. "I was raised by a she-wolf, myself. Certainly not the educated upbringing of someone like Guilliman. Though, considering the temperament of his seneschal… perhaps he did have a she-wolf as a mother." Leman had a good laugh at that one, fondly remembering Tarasha's willful and fiery demeanor.
"Wow, you were separated from your parents when you were a baby and raised on a completely different world?" she said. He remembered what Nurgle had told him about her and realized he had probably never told her.
I wonder where she came from… he thought. Best to leave that subject for another time.
"We better get going, I have a feeling we don't want to be caught out here at night." he said, rising to his feet. The two gathered their things and continued along the road.
The plateau which hosted Khorne's fortress was, in reality, only a part of the immense battlements which the war god had erected around his castle. Before the plateau was even within eyesight, outposts and ramparts were littered along the rocky desert, arranged in a defensive formation. By the time they approached the first mammoth wall which encircled Khorne's realm, the plateau was only barely visible on the horizon. The wall itself was made of weathered sandstone, intricately carved yet highly utilitarian. The gate which led deeper into Khorne's territory was a huge structure of dark cast-iron, wrought with the imagery of fearsome beasts and menacing faces to ward off any unwelcome wanderers. A guard atop the great wall waved them in, and the gate opened with a thunderous creaking sound. After passing through several concentric rings of defensive battlements, they finally reached the foot of the plateau. It was then that Leman realized the fortress was not only atop the plateau, the entire plateau was the fortress. Pillars of smoke spilled out from artificial portals on its side, originating from the great furnaces the war god used to arm his warriors. Waterfalls spilled in and out of its exterior, funneled into the fortress's depths to feed the great forges within. Buildings and defensive structures were carved into its cliffs, as if they were growing out of the rock itself. Buttresses ringed the plateau's edges, each resembling a small hive-city rather than a structural support. It was a construction which rivaled that of the Fang, and perhaps even the Imperial Palace upon Terra itself.
Dorn would have my head if he heard me say that. Russ thought, bearing a smirk.
At the base of the immense volcanic plateau, the final gate was embedded into the walls of the mountain. It groaned like a sleeping beast as it slowly swung open, the fiery light of the furnaces within pouring out of the entrance. A squadron of guards marched out in formation to meet them, led by none other than the towering war-god himself, clad in black armor with a blood-red cape draped upon his shoulders.
"Greetings, Challenger Leman Russ… and lady Admu." he said. "Welcome to my home." he said. His voice seemed slightly less hostile somehow, though being in such a heavily defended fortress such as this would likely engender a certain amount of security. Leman doubted he could besiege it even with his entire legion at its full strength. Perhaps if he had the aid of the Imperial Fists… and the Ultramarines… and the Iron Warriors… and the Custodes, just for good measure. He dismissed his wargame planning and returned to the task at hand.
"Greetings. I am honored to be allowed into your gates." Leman said. Khorne spoke the language of honor and martial chivalry, which Leman understood. It was how he would have greeted a guest of the Fang, as rare as they may have been.
"Hiiii uncle Khorne!" Admu shouted, leaping towards him like an excited pup. He caught her in his arms, seemingly used to being greeted in such a manner.
"H-hello, my niece." he said. "I was… not expecting you to come here as well."
"Oh yeah, I'm mister Russ's number one companion! I'm like his bodyguard." she said, snickering. Khorne gave Leman a sideways glance. Leman shrugged.
"Very well, I will set up accommodations for the two of you." Khorne said. He turned his gaze to Leman. "The rooms will be separate. Very separate." Leman wasn't sure what he was implying.
They stepped into a massive elevator carved into the rock, seemingly designed more for transporting entire companies of soldiers rather than handfuls of people. It accelerated upward, drawn skyward by great chains which echoed all throughout the elevator shaft. As the platform sped upward, Russ caught glimpses of the layers as they passed by. Huge foundries with rivers of molten metal and stone flowing like water, legions of golem-like workers crafting unimaginable amounts of weapons and armaments for some unknown purpose.
From everything I've seen, this world appears to be rather peaceful… what possible reason could he have for amassing such an immense hoard of wargear? Leman thought.
The elevator came to a halt, and the gates opened up to the plateau proper. Surprisingly, it was relatively lush with greenery. Not on the level of Nurgle's forests, but still thriving. The combination of rich, volcanic soil and the cooler temperature at such a high elevation allowed for much more temperate conditions. The entire plateau resembled an immense barracks or military camp. Everything here was either pragmatic or dedicated to martial glory, in a way that filled Leman with a strange sense of familiarity. Upon closer inspection, the soil appeared to be tinged with a dull red hue, for a reason which would soon become clear to Leman. His attention was drawn to the familiar sound of metal clashing upon metal. A short distance away in a sort of makeshift arena, two warriors in powered armor were clashing with a murderous ferocity for a small audience. One appeared to be a human wielding a chainsword and a shield, while the other was some kind of scaled xenos with 4 arms, each holding some kind of vibrating blade. They each attacked one another furiously, deftly deflecting or stopping one another's blows with expert skill. To Leman, this was like no sparring match he had ever seen: these warriors were attacking with the intent to kill. Suddenly, the human warrior missed one of his strikes - Leman immediately knew what would come next. Taking advantage of the opening, the xenos warrior lunged forward and impaled the human through his chest with three of its blades, bright-red blood splattering across the earth. Admu yelped and covered her mouth in shock. Rage bubbled up within Leman's chest, and with fiery eyes he stepped forward to dispatch this murderer. However, Khorne stepped in front of them both.
"Ahem, Kelebrix, Shahadai. Must you shed your blood in front of my niece?" He said, admonishing the warriors like an annoyed teacher.
Incredibly, the human immediately got up and kneeled in spite of his wounds, with the xenos keeling alongside him.
"A-apologies m'lord, I hadn't noticed you arrive." the wounded human named Kelebrix said.
"I as well… apologize… profusely, I do." the xenos named Shahadai said with a peculiar cadence.
"I hope my… careless students did not disturb you too much, Admu." Khorne said.
"Oh no, I'm fine. Papa has taken me hunting lots of times, I just… hadn't ever seen a real fight like that before." Admu said. Leman was honestly too shocked to speak.
"Balian, at attention." Khorne said, causing one of the spectators to rise in response. He was a human, no doubt, with dark brown hair and tanned skin. His face was rugged and youthful, with a roguish yet noble appearance. He wore a strange set of armor Leman had never seen before, appearing to be some strange mixture between powered armor and the exceedingly ancient depictions of warriors of Old Terra he had seen in the rembrancer archives of the Imperial Palace.
"Yes, sire?" Balian said.
"I must prepare our guests' lodgings; in the meantime, you may show the challenger Leman Russ around the fortress grounds." Khorne said curtly, before turning to Admu. "I would like you to come with me while I find you a place to stay. I would hate for your lodgings to be uncomfortable, so I would like your input." he said with a softer voice, patting Admu on the head. Admu looked at Leman with a slightly disappointed face.
"...okay, uncle Khorne. But only if I can help mister Russ prepare for his trial tomorrow. He needs me, I'm his right-hand girl!" she said enthusiastically. Khorne grumbled.
"...fine." he said reluctantly. He then turned to Leman. "We will begin preparations for the trial tomorrow. You may take this time to familiarize yourself with the fortress grounds." Khorne said, his voice returning to its normal, rough tenor. The war god left with his niece's hand in his, and his retinue of guards followed him.
"Is he alright?" Leman said, gesturing towards Kelebrix. The human was being helped up by Shahadai, and the two walked off laughing at some joke exchanged between the two.
"Ah, that's right. You are a newcomer; we don't get many of those nowadays. Yes, yes, Kelebrix will be fine. Wounds like that aren't enough to harm us, at least not permanently. Still hurts like the devil, of course." Balian said.
"You are… human." Leman said, struggling to decide which line of questioning to pursue first.
"...yes, I'd say about a quarter of us are. Oh, right, newcomer." he said. slapping his forehead. "Well, you see, when a warrior dies and is cast into the warp, one whose soul is too noble and great to be consumed by the ruinous powers, they may find themselves ending up here, in the service of Lord Khorne. I cannot claim to know exactly how he does it, but Khorne crafts bodies for us from earth, metal, and a drop of his own blood. The blood is what gives us immortality; so long as he stands, so will we." Balian said. Leman had thousands of questions whirling around in his mind.
"Wait, if you are human… when did you die?" he asked. Balian scratched his head.
"About… 40,000 years ago, give or take a few centuries?" he said. Leman was awestruck.
A true relic of the human race… this man was alive in the ancient days of Old Terra! Leman thought. Then he noticed that the human warrior seemed to come up to his shoulders, which he realized was quite odd considering how he normally towered over unaugmented humans.
"I am fairly certain that the humans of Old Terra were not 10 feet tall…" Leman said.
"Oh yes, well, Lord Khorne takes a few… liberties with constructing our new bodies. Can't complain, really." He said with a smirk. "Come, let us walk. We can discuss things while I show you around." Balian said. He gestured Leman to follow him, and they did.
"So, do you… worship Khorne? As a god?" Leman said as they walked along a grand courtyard. Balian laughed.
"Of course not, he is my liege but certainly not my God." he said. Leman looked confused. "I have served my God faithfully for my entire life, and afterlife as well I suppose."
"I have not met many who have managed to keep faith after spending any amount of time in the warp." Leman said. He was not sure if he counted himself among them.
"It is true, the servants of the enemy were far more… imposing than I could have ever imagined. Yet, my God saved me from their clutches and placed me here. I do not believe that was mere coincidence. No, I have a holy duty in this place. And so long as my soul burns with the light of god, I will fight on in his name. The 'gods' of this world are no doubt instruments of his will." Balian said, with the confidence only a true believer could hold.
As they continued to walk, Balian showed them the mustering grounds, where legions of warriors like himself were training. True to his word, many of them were human. Balian had told him that humans appeared to be uniquely suited for war since their birth as a species. The thought gave Leman a small swelling of pride. Yet, amongst the humans, he could spot xenos of nearly every stripe. Some humanoid, others not. Many of them he did not even recognize the species of. Still more were species thought extinct when he had entered the immaterium. Though, given what this place was, they may have in fact been extinct.
"What is it that you all do here?" Leman asked.
"Well, training mostly. Lord Khorne acts as teacher and commander to us all and has helped us to hone the skills we learned in life. Aside from that, we hunt the beasts in the desert and wastes beyond, patrol the roads and walls, keep ourselves busy with crafts and storytelling, and not to mention the raucous festivals. Arcadia may have the fanciest balls, but you'll never find a livelier celebration anywhere else. Granted, it mostly involves beating each other bloody, but nobody gets hurt." he said, laughing. Russ was starting to like this place.
The two approached a large crowd surrounding an arena, the gathered warriors cheering on the fight from the sidelines.
"What's that?" Leman asked.
"Oh my, you are in for a treat Leman Russ." he said, with a smile. "That would be the two champions of the Colosseum."
Looking between the crowd of warriors, Leman saw two combatants locked in brutal combat. One was unmistakably aeldari, given their size, proportions, and characteristic bone-sung armor. They wielded a polearm of some kind, a peculiar combination of a glaive, axe, spear, and scythe - in other words, a typically inscrutable and over-designed aeldari weapon. Curious that he should find one here, given what he knew about what happened to their souls once they died. The other was a hulking, brutish figure, clad in heavy armor except around their arms, which exposed their hyper-muscular form. The brute had a mask which resembled that of a cross between terminator armor and a wild boar, and wielded an immense, cleaver-like weapon coated in strange runes and symbols which seemed to glow with an eerie light. Judging by their dull, mottled, grey-green skin and immense stature (Leman estimated her to be at least as tall as Admu) they were certainly not human. The two warriors fought ferociously, the eldar wielding the polearm with blinding speed and haunting elegance, while the brute swung their immense cleaver with earth-shattering force. Leman could tell the two were evenly matched, the aeldari deflecting or dodging the brute's blows while the brute's stalwart defense blocked the eldar's deft strikes without issue. Even when one opponent managed to strike a glancing blow or minor wound, the other would soon return the favor. It was a complete and utter stalemate, one that was mesmerizing to watch as two impossibly skilled warriors clashed for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, the battle ended. Not due to either warrior besting the other, of course. This battle was destined to be continued for some time to come; this was merely a pause. The two put aside their weapons and shook hands, a universal sign of brotherhood and respect.
"Those two are the oldest souls here, and undefeated in the Colosseum. Only one who's gotten close to beating either of them so far is Musashi." Balian said. The two warriors noticed the primarch standing on the sidelines and approached. The eldar removed their helmet and revealed herself to be a beautiful woman with long, orange-red hair. She had pointed, elegant features, typical of the beauty sported by most of her race, but she also had a ragged edge to her, evidence of millennia spent perfecting the art of combat.
"So this is the mortal challenger I've been hearing so much about. What do you make of him, Grizhka?" She said speaking to the hulking warrior behind her. The brute also removed their mask, and surprisingly it was also a woman. Her face was strong and robust, bearing rough and almost bestial features, but she carried a savage, feminine beauty nonetheless. She had a wild and unkempt mane of pitch-black hair, and her eyes were inky black spheres with fiery golden-red rings as irises. She smiled menacingly, bearing her sharp and protruding teeth.
"Fresh meat." she said.
"It's an honor to welcome you, newcomer." the eldar said, holding out her hand. Russ reluctantly shook with her.
"...likewise." he said.
"Ah, where are my manners. This is Grizhka…" she said, pointing to her monstrous companion. "…and my name is Ulthanesh."