The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"It's a hassle to talk about it, but I almost lost my life back then. Just as our warship was about to sink, a unique guy appeared. We were very familiar with the Aeldari; they were good trading partners. At first, I thought it was just an Aeldari, but it turned out he had characteristics of both Aeldari and humans. He was very powerful, his psychic abilities were dozens of times stronger than mine, but even so, our ship eventually sank, and I was the only survivor. At the critical moment, a psychic vortex brought the two of us to Commorragh, a place you should be familiar with."

Sojourn's mouth was already open in surprise.

"You and Ol'Rode went to Commorragh?"

The old Hearthkin narrowed his eyes, grinning widely.

"Ah, yes. At the time, I hadn't even heard of the place. I originally thought it was just some kind of... ark of the Aeldari, until I got lost one time, was captured, and thrown into an arena. That's when I realized those frantically screaming Aeldari were not the same as the Aeldari I knew. I was almost in despair because Ol'Rode had always acted arrogant and indifferent, and didn't care much about others. In fact, my initial impression of him was terrible, but when I was almost killed by a Wyche, he appeared in an unexpected way and rescued me, but in doing so, he angered the grand noble who owned the arena. We were forced to flee through the complex streets of Commorragh."

As he spoke, he took a deep drag of his smoke, and a light from his past youth appeared in his eyes, even the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out a little.

"Hmm, an unforgettable time. I believe I must be the only Hearthkin with this kind of experience. We argued and complained to each other, but we relied on each other, fought bloody battles, and could entrust our backs to each other without reservation. We disguised ourselves as mercenaries and peddlers, crawled through brothels and menageries, hiding all the way. Unexpectedly, we even made a bit of a name for ourselves, until one day Ol'Rode suddenly left alone. He said he was going to solve the problem completely. I waited for him for a long time and he didn't come back, so I quietly sneaked into that grand noble's mansion, wanting to see if he was dead. But I found him in an unexpected place."

Then Old Vokker stopped, holding the pipe in his mouth, looking at Sojourn with a somewhat childishly mischievous expression.

"Guess what?"

"Uh, where was he?"

"In the Commorragh noblewoman's bed, the one who had been chasing us."

"Hmm—"

Looking at Sojourn's astonished expression, Old Vokker released the pipe and burst out laughing, but after only two laughs, he started coughing because he choked.

"...Cough, cough. Alas, but it was a scene I'll never forget in my life. But at least it was indeed resolved. Ol'Rode and I were finally safe. Afterwards, he relied on his own powerful personal charm and strength to thrive in Commorragh. Every night it was either a Wyche High Priest or a famous socialite, almost never the same. Sometimes he even brought back two or three... But he always liked to call me a 'dwarf pet,' although I knew it was for my safety, it was still annoying."

Listening to the ancestor's romantic affairs, Sojourn awkwardly picked up his wine glass and took a sip. Suddenly, he thought of a question.

Ol'Rode was a man from ten thousand years ago, so that means...

Sojourn immediately put down his glass, looking at the old Hearthkin with awe.

"Vokker, Lord of the Kindred, have you really lived for ten thousand years?"

"Ha, you're not thinking there's a ghost standing in front of you, are you?"

"Hmm, I'm just surprised by the lifespan of the Hearthkin."

"My lifespan isn't entirely natural. If you take away the thousand years I slept in the Ancestral Shrine, and the chaotic time during warp travel, my real age is less than five thousand years old. Of course, this age isn't normal. Most Hearthkin only live for a little over a hundred years. It's because I was wandering around the ancient temple ruins under the city in Commorragh with Ol'Rode, when I accidentally drank a potion called the Fountain of Youth. Hahaha, now that I think about it, it's really funny. I was just thirsty and grabbed it and drank it. Ol'Rode was half dead with anger at the time, saying that the good stuff was stolen by a stupid donkey."

"That's still amazing... How did you leave Commorragh afterwards?"

"Strictly speaking, we didn't leave, we escaped."

"Why?"

The old Hearthkin smacked his lips, and that teasing smile appeared on his face again.

"That Ol'Rode, while rolling around, actually rolled onto the bed of that noblewoman's daughter, who was about to be married, and she was going to marry the eldest son of the second noble family in Commorragh. The noblewoman didn't make a sound at first, but someone leaked the news, and as a result, when she and her daughter were attending an arena ritual, the guy who was cuckolded personally led assassins to attack. At the time, Ol'Rode was entangled by that Blood Bride grandmaster with a scheme, which led to both of them being killed. Ol'Rode, who arrived late, broke the Commorragh taboo in a rage, using his powerful psychic abilities to kill all the assassins, and peeled off that guy's skin, turned his insides out, and threw his soul directly into the warp, killing him so thoroughly that he couldn't be resurrected. This act immediately shook the entire Commorragh, and then came the swarms of pursuers. He and I fought our way out, and finally, with the help of a Wyche High Priest, we escaped Commorragh in a small boat."

Hearing this, the corner of Sojourn's mouth twitched. Ol'Rode's uncontrollable lower body had indeed caused a big problem.

Seeming to know what he was thinking, the Hearthkin shook his head and sighed:

"Actually, he regretted it quite a bit. Although he was a wanderer at the time, he was by no means a heartless person. He told me that he was going to take that girl away from Commorragh, not just sleep with her and leave."

After speaking, the Hearthkin took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it lightly on the edge of the table beside him.

"After that, his personality became much more restrained. Although he still couldn't avoid flirting, he knew how to keep his distance. After leaving Commorragh, we experienced many more adventures and travels. At that time, the Great Crusade of the Human Imperium was nearing its end, but the situation was not stable. Ol'Rode was constantly running around for his cause."

"Do you know what his cause was?"

Old Vokker nodded.

"He told me about his parents, his family, and the tragedy of the Outcasts. I can say this bluntly, he hated the Imperium very much. This hatred was even somewhat twisted, but you don't have to think of him as an extremist. As his travels and experiences grew, his views also changed. In Commorragh, he saw the Aeldari's eternal enemy tormenting this race. At the edge of the galaxy, he witnessed the madness of the Necron dynasties. In those rifts of the Empyrean, he witnessed the terrifying power of the Ruinous Powers and their endless servants. As our journey was coming to an end, he explained his views to me. He believed that the situation of the Human Imperium could easily become a breeding ground for Chaos. The Emperor of Mankind's so-called truth was a complete lie. Perhaps its original intention was good, but the result would definitely be bad, because lies will always be exposed one day. At that time, the anger of those who feel deceived will incinerate the entire Imperium, even humanity. And the characteristics of the Ruinous Powers determine that they may not really want to destroy humanity. In fact, maintaining a brutal, corrupt, and ignorant Imperium may be exactly what they want."

More updates tomorrow~