Fortress of Resilience.
Urian Vendraig raised his hand and dabbed the green bottle on the tip of his nose.
As the liquid vanished, he immediately felt his sluggish thoughts become clear.
He secured the bottle and charged towards a Cerabvore sixty meters away.
Urian dashed right, then rolled left, agilely dodging fireball after fireball.
He reached the fifth Cerabvore he had encountered in sixteen days, still in perfect condition.
Blades clashed. Sparks flew.
Urian swiftly sidestepped, avoiding the fireball hurled by the curved arm, and thrust at the xenos' thigh.
As his blade spun, a scene from two months prior, in the battle on the xenos' artificial war satellite, flashed through his mind.
Back then, plagued by poison, his thoughts sluggish, his movements slow, his strength and speed diminished, he could only barely win, and at great cost.
Since receiving the green fluid provided by Nareth, he fought each battle in perfect condition.
Cerabvores, which had once given him such difficulty, could now be calmly defeated.
'It is said to be the research of one of Lord Nareth's attendants.'
'His Lordship truly has an abundance of talented people under his command.'
As Urian pondered, his sword moved relentlessly, delivering a series of precise strikes against the xenos.
With a resounding crack, his blade tore through its personal energy shield.
As Vendraig slew the Cerabvore, Zadkiel walked towards the Primarch's Office aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty.
A smile lit his face. He greeted every Shadows of Order, Dark Angel, Ultramarine, and Emperor's Child he passed, savoring the words of praise that followed.
In just six standard ship months, he had gone from an obscure nobody to the celebrated commander of the Fortress of Resilience void battle.
When his father had dispatched him, he never imagined gaining such immense prestige.
Approaching the Primarch's Office, he still felt a lingering satisfaction. He almost wished he could walk the path again.
Zadkiel did not do so. He knew the prestige and honor he had gained stemmed from Lord Nareth.
When Lord Nareth summoned him, he would not be late.
Entering the grand Primarch's Office, he saw Nareth slide a bottle of potion towards him.
"Drink this."
Zadkiel picked up the black potion. He saw Lord Nareth offered no explanation.
Thinking of the opportunities and trust Lord Nareth had given him, he hesitated no more and drank it down.
Nareth, leaning back on his throne, had naturally chosen for the ambitious Zadkiel the "Lawyer" sequence, one he could influence in the future.
With a thought, he telepathically imparted the necessary common knowledge to Zadkiel.
After Zadkiel reined in the potion's power, he looked at Lord Nareth with awe.
With just one drink of a potion, he had gained unique abilities.
No years of surgery with the constant risk of death.
Zadkiel knelt and saluted his true master.
"I will serve You as my Lord!"
"The Feather-Quill Scions was just a name before, merely a conceptual product born in the alchemy lab of Colchis."
"Only upon encountering You were we truly written into being, born of the True Word You bestowed."
Nareth did not rise. He released his usually restrained pressure.
Zadkiel's body trembled. A commanding voice echoed in his mind.
"I accept your fealty."
Nareth withdrew his pressure and instructed.
"The war at the Fortress of Resilience is over. I have another task for you."
Zadkiel wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Please instruct me, my Lord."
"You will immediately lead the fleet back to the Caelium Gate."
Nareth calculated the voyage. Zadkiel would return to the Caelium Gate around Terra's November, when the Dice of Prophecy would be fully charged.
"After rendezvousing with Wilshire, assist him in seizing a ship."
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He thought with interest.
'The Slaughtersong ship. It was originally meant to be taken by the Word Bearers' legendary champion, Arguleon Veq.'
'Zadkiel participated in seizing the Slaughtersong. Even if he doesn't own it, it's roughly equivalent to the Word Bearers getting it.'
'Lorgar, your son helped mine get a ship, so it doesn't count as me taking from you.'
Nareth sent Zadkiel not just for the sake of the Word Bearers, but because the Slaughtersong was an intelligent ship with its own consciousness.
It had flown itself here and now orbited its chosen planet.
Zadkiel was an excellent ship commander, able to play a role in intercepting the Slaughtersong.
"My Lord, By your will."
Zadkiel accepted the order submissively. Though he felt some reluctance at being ordered to assist another in seizing a ship, his Lord's will was paramount.
'I have just pledged my fealty. I still need time to prove my loyalty and value.'
'At least my Lord has given me room to prove myself, unlike Father with his endless preaching of the faith in the Emperor.'
'Lord Nareth treats his sons and people like Luther, very well. Once I prove myself, I will surely be rewarded in the future.'
As Zadkiel rose, he heard Lord Nareth speak again.
"When you report back, I will grant you new power."
Zadkiel, having risen through the ranks among the Word Bearers, was an excellent preacher and speaker. Nareth believed he could digest the "Lawyer" within a year.
Zadkiel's grey eyes lit up. "My Lord, I will certainly assist Wilshire in obtaining the ship."
Zadkiel left the Primarch's Office, passing Arsena as he entered. They exchanged nods.
Arsena walked to the eleven-meter-long table and spoke.
"My Lord, the Eighth Legion's task force will arrive in three days."
"And the commander?" Nareth asked with interest.
"Zso Sahaal."
Nareth nodded. His transhuman mind rapidly reviewed the data of the future master of the Claws.
This Terran-born Captain, rising to become a member of the Kyroptera, the high council of the Night Lords, in a Legion where only Nostraman blood was considered noble, was proof enough of his exceptional ability.
Nareth knew that in the future, after Curze took command, he often sent the Terran-born to the most lethal battlefields.
During the Heresy, Zso Sahaal deeply believed in the Warmaster's theory that the Emperor had withdrawn from the Great Crusade to become a god, betraying the Astartes Legions.
After the Heresy, with First Company Captain Sevatar missing in action, Zso Sahaal was elevated to First Company Captain, tasked with leading the Legion's elite veterans. But many in the First Company resented being led by a Terran-born.
After Curze's death, Zso Sahaal, believing himself chosen as the successor, recovered the relic, the Night's Crown, from a Callidus assassin.
Then, disagreeing with the ambitions of many in the First Company, he left alone.
Attacked by Aeldari attempting to seize the Night's Crown, he was trapped in a Warp storm during the battle.
Awakening ten millennia later, he crashed onto the hive world of Equixus.
Finding the Night Lords had strayed from Curze's doctrine that "fear is merely a means," and failing to reunite the young, uncorroded Legion members, he was branded a traitor and ultimately departed in obscurity.
Reviewing Zso Sahaal's experiences, Nareth thought to himself.
'Zso Sahaal is reasonably loyal to Curze, but not to the same degree as Balsar Kurthuri, Urian Vendraig, or Gren Vosotho.'
'Urian and Glen are close to being fully "corroded." There are signs with Baltha too. Zso Sahaal is also a distinct possibility.'
Two days later, as Zadkiel led his fleet away, Zso Sahaal, clad in Mark III Armor with the crimson son's emblem on his shoulder, entered the Primarch's Office.
"Lord Nareth, by the Emperor's command, I await your orders."
Nareth looked at Zso Sahaal, who had removed his helmet, revealing his pale skin.
He knew the crimson sons were all descendants of prisoners from Terra's prisons, raised in darkness and death.
Most were cruel and tyrannical. Zso Sahaal was one of the few who remained calm and self-controlled.
"Zso Sahaal, welcome."
"I will lead you to win honor. Arsena has prepared quarters for you."
Zso Sahaal's eyes lit up. Nareth's name was known to all on Terra.
Even in the lightless prisons, tales of Nareth cleaving Greenskins and slaying Mitus circulated.
Zso Sahaal had even fantasized about becoming a Shadow of Order, fighting under Lord Nareth, but his origins denied him the chance.
"It is my honor."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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