The Dessemus: Faces Old and New

[MagusKariusPrelune]

Originally posted by NovusVersaal

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A scream pierced the gloom of the night sky upon the Cardinal world of Halos. In a dark, dank ally way Lester; an ex-guardsman of the Necromundan Spiders screamed in the pain that only the damned and the very unlucky ever suffer. His skin was tearing away from his body, his muscled figure was whittling away into a small frail husk. He was on the verge of death. A foul creature called Covaay Claw caused his pain via its blasphemous witchcraft. Covaay held its outstretched talon towards Lester enjoying the slow painful agony he was wrecking upon his victim.

Suddenly a powerful voice called at the creature “Stand away from him Covaay!”<br>The creature turned “Novus! Or should I say Dessemus?” its sinister grin widened. Novus Versaal, The Dessemus, the champion of the Emperor and his loyal people stood facing Covaay. His long red dreadlocks obscured his young face and bionic right eye, yet this deceiving, Novus is 58 years old but thanks to juvanat drugs he looks in his mere 20’s. He wore a black leather long coat and a black body glove underneath; he wielded a highly ornate power sword,

“Your late! I thought you would hurry seeing as your comrade is in much discomfort!” Covaay snapped its hand causing greater suffering to the screaming Lester.
“Enough fiend!” Slammed Novus “I shall kill you again!”<br>“I believe there is a term third time lucky!” mocked Covaay, its power let go of Lester “Maybe I might have the pleasure looking down at your corpse!”<br>
Novus drew his power sword and charged at Covaay. The creature flew across the wet pavement hungry for his arch nemesis’s soul. The two slammed into each other, Covaay’s talons held Novus’s blade at bay. Covaay slimed, Novus spat at the creatures face in disgust. Novus disengaged his blade from Covaay’s grasp and dashed back. Covaay lunged again. The two were a spiral of melee, Novus strikes overhead, Covaay parried; Covaay slashed at the mid section, Novus blocked the blow. Novus took dashed forward and delivered two powerful horizontal swipes with his sword but Covaay flew back thus escaping the attack. Covaay drew some of its supernatural power and hurtled into Novus with terrifying speed and slamming him into the wall, holding The Dessemus by the throat with both talons.

“You smell frightened,” sneered Covaay
“Frightened!” choked Novus “Not likely! But your ugliness is painful on the eyes!”<br>Covaay pushed his face unclose to Novus’s. The Dessemus could smell the sweet putrid smell of evil upon the creature.
“I shall tear your….”<br>Suddenly a metal spike sprung out from Novus’s bionic eye piercing into the creatures face. Covaay let go of Novus and dived back, it screeched in agony. Suddenly a two bulk forms of Kroot warriors emerged from the shadows; their names were Leshi’er and Aunshule Koln, there were loyal friends of Novus.
“Aunshule!” Shouted Novus “Grab Lester and take him back to transport! Leshi’er where’s Fluffy?”<br>“Dealing with this bag of filth’s little friends” replied Leshi’er gesturing at the writhing form of Covaay. Novus picked up his sword and walked towards Covaay, black blood gushed from the creatures wound.
“Had enough Covaay?” demanded Novus
“To think I treated you as if you was my son!” howled Covaay
“That was when you was human, but then did I kill you then!” retorted Novus
“So what now? Kill me! Ha I will only find another host and come after you again traitor!” Laughed Covaay coughing up blood.
“And I will be waiting for you Covaay Lord of the Dead Faith” said Novus “And next time I will make sure you don’t come back!”<br>“Never!”. Covaay lunged at Novus. Novus stepped to the side, sliced the creature’s hands from its wrists and decapitated Covaay before its body hit the ground. A unearthly scream surrounded Novus, Covaay’s soul left its host body back to its void where it can wait for another body to possess.

This is the third time Novus had killed Covaay, once when “it” was amongst the living and now twice in its inhuman state. Novus did not know what vile powers Covaay possessed; he was no minion of Chaos that was for sure, Novus’s left eye could see with warp vision and he knew the disgusting form of a soul of the warp and Covaay was not one of them. At that moment he heard light footsteps behind him. He wheeled round to see the blood soaked form of the Arco Flagellant Fluffy. Novus had owned Fluffy for quite some time now and it had proved its worth as a formidable killing machine. The monsters flesh was of a deep brown with various chrome injection needles sticking out from its skin. It wears a mask of black steel with a bladed Mohawk on top. Novus said the trigger word “Cuddles” and the creature became placid and dozy. Novus walked up to his pet and patted it on the back, it purred in satisfaction. Novus looked at a data screen at the back of his pets head; it recorded Fluffy’s kill count. “17” said Novus “Very impressive” Fluffy purred again.
“When will we be rid of that Covaay?” moaned Leshi’er
“Probably never” replied Novus.

[MagusKariusPrelune]

Originally posted by NovusVersaal

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4 years later…<br>
In the space orbiting the planet Pech, The Inevitability; an ex Imperial Cruiser departed from the planet and entered warp space. The ship belonged to Novus, he borrowed it of from a rogue trader whose taste in pets was most disturbing; Fluffy was one of them. Novus stood on the monitor gallery on the ships bridge, staring into the void, which was the warp. He hated travelling in warp space, before he acquired his warp vision from the White Child he was oblivious to the danger and evil of the warp but now everywhere he looked he saw its terrible, unpredictable power, he also hated the fact he was aware of the Navigators actions… and mistakes. Novus sighed and took a sip of his amasec and fruit juice, the drink reminded him of an old friend.

The Inevitability was on a course to Ezaar VII; Novus’s home and his organisations base of operations. He had just quelled a Chaos infestation on the Kroot world of Pech. Leshi’er and Aunshule Koln’s clan had been under attack from a rival clan that had been mutated by a Chaos artefact that was discovered near that clan’s village. The artefact was destroyed and the tainted clan was eradicated and in return the clan swore an oath of service to the Dessemusian. Novus only helped the clan because of his friendship with the Kolns; he was champion of the Emperor, not the Shaper. Novus finished his drink and made his way to the holding deck.

The holding deck had become a shooting gallery; servo skulls were made to fly around aimlessly while Lester shot them down with his multi laser. Covaay had almost killed the ex guardsman, his body was in ruins. Novus gave him the choice of a merciful death but Lester would not have any of it, his love for battle was unquenchable. And so his body was remade, he had lost both his arms and his left leg. A multi laser was fitted to his left arm, his other had to be fitted with a device that would counter balance the multi laser, but now he can move as if the massive gun was the weight of a laspistol. “Your aim needs no improving friend, why do you still practise?” asked Novus
“Novus!” said Lester dryly “I have a gun for a arm! What else can I do? Play chess?”<br>“If you want it replaced for a bionic limb than I shall see it’s done,” said Novus
“And lose this baby? In your dreams” laughed Lester; he was about to blast down the last two when two well-placed shotgun rounds destroyed them.
“Too slow one arm!” mocked Brayak. Brayak came from the infamous planet Necromunda; he was a warrior of the Dead Faith and also a mutant. He still wore the uniform the Dead Faith, a sinister Skull helmet; in fact he never took it off. He wore because he said it hid away he “ugly mug” but Novus knew his mutation didn’t effect his face, he wore it took intimidate. Brayak wore a black baggy boiler suit and a dark brown body warmer over the top. His mutations were an atrophied right leg, which was held together by crude pinning and blades, which protruded from his spine, he like to have them on show. “Too slow?” replied Lester “Your mother didn’t….”<br>“Lets not keep this clean gentlemen” interrupted Novus, he knew they were joking and were good friends but still one does not have to hear such things.

Across the deck the Koln brothers were sparring, Leshi’er with his crystal arm and the blade on his multi launcher arm, verses Aunshule with the blades of his kroot rifle. Novus always enjoyed watching the two brothers fighting, their size would dictate slow yet powerful movements, this was not so. They fought with a terrible speed that even Death Cultists could appreciate and with the strength to rival an Adeptus Astartes. Aunshule had just one a pivot spin strike to the back of the lunging Leshi’er heads knocking him flat on his face. “Always too eager big brother!” said Aunshule; the voice of a kroot was very deep with a bird like rasp. Suddenly Leshi’er snapped his trunk like legs round with frightful speed taking Aunshule’s legs away from him. As Aunshule hit the ground Leshi’er held his blade to his brother’s throat.
“Always too confident little brother!” retorted Leshi’er. Novus looked ahead from the Koln brothers, in a cage seven feet away from the sparring area was Fluffy. Its pacifier helm was activated; it sat in its cage like a dog, as calm and as tranquil as one could ever be. It stared into nothingness, across its face was the biggest grin, it tongue hanged out to one side, drool was still flowing. “We going back home?” asked Lester
“Indeed, I need time to think,” answered Novus
“You alright boss?” asked Brayak “Looks like something’s troubling you?”<br>“Its nothing, I just hate warp travel!” laughed Novus, he was lying.

Novus entered his quarters; it was basic and practical, just how he liked it. He laid on his bed and thought about Brayak’s question. He was not all right, something was troubling him but he couldn’t work out what. For many nights his sleeps were troubled, by visions of terrible creatures made of shadow and the beloved Emperor weeping in despair. Novus knew this meant something, something was about to begin, something terrible….