Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

Fenris, Asaheim, The Wolf King's Council Chamber

Without any spoils of war, Jorin, riding his thunderwolf, returned ahead of Sanchez.

Beside a warm hearth, the Fenrisians listened silently as Jorin recounted what had happened, speaking in "Furnace Tongue", Juvjk language.

Suddenly, the Wolf King slammed his massive hand down on the table. Mead splashed and dripped to the ground.

Freki and Geri, lying on the floor, bristled and straightened up.

Leman Russ's piercing blue eyes swept over the gathered warriors. Any Fenrisian he looked at felt as if they had fallen into an icy lake.

"You are sons of Fenris! Fenrisian warriors do not fall!"

He rose, with Freki and Geri following at his side. Striding up to Jorin, he clapped his broad hand on his shoulder.

"Old friend, since you've chosen to accept the transformation, I believe that once you ascend, you will defeat Nareth's whelp."

Jorin's icy expression softened slightly at Leman Russ's trust.

After encouraging Jorin, the Wolf King turned to the others and continued:

"We won't sit idle. Hunters of Fenris always find a way."

With each word, Russ instilled confidence into the Fenrisians. His deep blue eyes glinted as he crouched and gently patted his wolf brothers.

"We are a pack. Fenrisian wolves are not lone wolves, and we are no fools."

"Those who underestimate the pack… will become bones in the snow."

The shaggy, wild-haired Fenrisians howled and rose to their feet.

Knock knock knock!

A knock came, ill-timed. The Wolf King's eyes narrowed; he already knew it was Nareth's "whelp."

"Let him in."

Russ returned to his throne, sitting atop furs.

The Reaper Lord entered the chamber. Hundreds of Fenrisians in filthy pelts glared at him like a pack of wolves.

The "Hunter" sensed it instantly: despite their primitive armor and iron chainmail, despite their crude steel swords and axes, their powerful physiques and overwhelming presence marked them as true warriors.

Each one alone was dangerous; together, they were deadly, even to Astartes.

Sanchez showed no fear. He didn't even touch the weapons at his waist. He simply walked toward the Wolf King.

The "Provoker's" raised chin and aura of challenge made the "pack" breathe heavily, barely restraining themselves from lunging at him.

With every step, the "Provoker" felt a strange warmth bubbling within.

Unlike the furious pack, Leman Russ's rage faded as he watched the Reaper Lord approach.

Before Sanchez could speak, Russ said:

"Sanchez, you've won the second hunt."

"The third hunt will be a pack hunt, with thirteen members. Your target is the Ice Troll King."

The Shadow of Order could sense Russ's dismissive tone and didn't ask questions. He simply replied:

"As you command."

The Reaper Lord activated his comms and sent a message to his agents active in Asaheim:

"Bring me everything on the Ice Troll King."

He also contacted the Throne of Shadow Soverignty, requesting a transport ship to deliver the corpse of the Witherwing to their Father.

An hour later on Fenris, aboard a deck sectioned off to cater to his personal preferences, Nareth stood over the massive corpse of the Witherwing Wing.

Activating his warp sight, he observed the creature. Only the pituitary gland and eyes were usable as primary materials for Sequence 8 of the Visionary pathway "Telepathist," a sequence higher than the "Spectator".

Nareth severed the dragon's head, sent it back to the Kingdom of Disorder, and then contacted Sanchez.

It was time to check in on his son's progress.

After hearing Sanchez's briefing, Nareth reconstructed the encounter with the Fenrisians in his mind.

'The Provoker ' always damages social relations, both through passive abilities and active behavior. Considering Sanchez provoked not only Leman Russ but many Fenrisians, the digestion process should be faster, though I won't know exactly when until I see him again.'

After a pause, Nareth said approvingly:

"Sanchez, well done. You defended the legion's honor."

"No need to worry, Leman Russ may appear a brute, but it's a façade. He won't harm you."

"From what you described, he likely sees you as a whetstone. Feel free to act even more provocatively."

Bathed in the warm light of approval, the Reaper Lord felt as though the icy storm battering him had turned to heat.

Inside him, a metaphorical star seemed to shatter. The Provoker spoke passionately:

"I will win, I won't disappoint you."

Nareth responded:

"About your third hunt, I know a bit."

"Ice trolls, also called Snow Ogres, are massive beasts native to Asaheim. They're kin to ice daemons but even larger, taller than dreadnoughts."

"Ice trolls use entire trees as clubs, and their bite is strong enough to crush power armor."

"Unlike most beasts, they possess a degree of intelligence."

.....

After ending the call, Nareth recalled that in 892.M41, the Wolf Lord Harald Deathwolf returned to his native Tidal Hound tribe after hearing it was attacked by ice trolls.

He led the tribe to victory and personally decapitated the ice troll chieftain, fashioning his pelt into a cloak.

'Though Sanchez won't wear power armor and his combat ability is reduced, he's a 'Provoker' and has twelve 'Hunters' aiding him. They should be able to defeat an ice troll tribe.'

Having judged the situation, Nareth issued his next command:

"Deliver the Witherwing's corpse to the Void Hunter. It belongs to Sanchez as a trophy."

Then, Nareth returned to his desk to consider the allocation of five newly arrived Relic-class warships in the Fenris system.

'Lion El'Jonson used these as secret weapons. He never deployed them casually. They were pivotal in the Battle of Salamas against the Night Lords.'

'But I know the future, and I have the Dice of Prophecy. I could acquire a Blackstone Fortress, Gloriana-class battleships, or even seize the Abyss-class Battlehip of the Word Bearers. No need to keep these hidden. Better to distribute them across the Chapters to form complementary fleets.'

Having decided, Nareth issued the orders:

"The Emperor's five gifted Relic-class battleships are to be distributed to the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 8th, and 9th Chapters."

These, along with the 7th, had performed better than others in battle.

The six Chapter Masters leading them had also earned Nareth's recognition. Their doctrines and development paths were now well-established.

Then, he turned to the highest-priority reports from the Triken System, three in total.

First Report: From Chief Apothecary Mikael

Fifteen cohorts returned from the Crystal Mirage, totaling 33,511 candidates.

All underwent augmentation surgery.

Their average age was 4.2 years older than previous 29 cohorts.

Result: rejection rate increased from 43.36% to 45.18%.

Nareth looked at the number of successful new Shadows of Order: 18,371.

He nodded, satisfied. Slightly higher than expected.

'As an 'Apothecary,' Mikael played a crucial role. His concoctions reduced rejection reactions during surgeries.'

Another note from the report:

Of the 11,140 who failed augmentation, only 104 died.

All survivors have joined auxiliary forces.

Nareth wrote his approval:

"Chief Apothecary has fulfilled his duties with excellence. Return him to the legion flagship for commendation."

Setting down the data slate, Nareth's enhanced mind instantly recalculated total legion numbers.

'With the new Shadows integrated, the legion now numbers around 85,000. Two reasons prevent exact figures: First-wave recruits from legion-controlled systems haven't joined yet. While new Terra-born join daily from Luna, there are constant casualties across warfronts. Gains and losses balance each other. Without real-time data, only estimates are possible.'

'I've only been back for under a decade. The Eleventh Legion's growth rivals the Thousand Sons at their peak. (Not counting the original 2nd and 11th legions, the Thousand Sons were the smallest.) Even so, this pace is promising; 185 years remain before Horus falls.'

Leaning comfortably on his throne, Nareth smiled in contentment.

'The Vostoyan veterans who followed me have all been transformed. The growth spike is over. Unless a massive war breaks out, the legion will now grow steadily. Even if the Emperor sends us as the main force to fight the Rangdan, by the end of the Great Crusade, our numbers should approach 300,000.'

Sitting upright, he picked up the second report from Marlena:

Phase 1 of Triken Prime's development is complete.

The world now qualifies as an Agri-World, capable of feeding 13.5 billion people.

Phase 2 has officially begun on Triken II.

Third Report: From Wojciech.

Triken Prime has finished industrialization.

Industrial bases and shipyards have been built without harming the environment.

After a brief thought, Nareth issued new orders:

"Proceed to Cypra Mundi. Accelerate construction of shipyards and industrial hubs."

Three days later, five battleships filled with kraken and sea-dragon meat departed for their assigned Chapters.

Meanwhile, on Asaheim, the hunt for the Ice Troll King officially began.

..

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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