The iron-grey ships of the Space Wolves 5th Great Company traversed the Warp.
The Wolf Lord's den was as dim as ever. The hearth fire crackled.
But the Wolf Pack was not its usual jovial self. They drank in silence, cup after cup.
With a sharp crack, a Wolf crushed his bowl. Fenrisian mead seeped through his fingers.
Ozear Wyrdmake looked around at the oppressive, gloomy pack and spoke.
"We still have a chance to win."
Wolf Lord Amlodi Skarssen Skarssensson clenched his fist. How he wished he could win.
To defend the Wolf King's honor, he would pay any price. But his achievements lagged far behind Sanchez's, and his 5th Great Company was no match for Shadow of Order's Eigth Chapter.
He no longer had confidence in victory. The gap between him and Sanchez was too vast.
'Perhaps the Wolf King's proposed wager was only to create an opportunity for Wyrdmake to gather evidence of Shadow of Order abusing sorcery.'
Seeing no one, not even the Wolf Lord, respond, Wyrdmake frowned.
"I'm telling the truth. Staying close to Sanchez, I encountered the worm-creatures."
"Seeing those evil creatures made me sick..." Wyrdmake omitted his fear of being crushed by their evil will. "I'm certain that if Sanchez uses his sorcery against them, he'll die."
"When facing worm-creatures, Sanchez didn't unleash his flame spells. He struggled more and more, each time relying on his superb traps to make grenades explode inside them."
"But as our lines advanced, the worm-creatures we encountered grew stronger. In the last battle on Tigrun III, he was wounded."
A glint flashed in Wyrdmake's eyes. "Our chance will come soon."
"When he encounters a stronger xenos, he'll have to unleash his sorcery with full force. I'll get the evidence."
"If he dies, you can avenge him, win the wager, and reclaim the Russ Wolf Helm and the Kraken's Fang."
Skarssensson was silent for a few seconds, then said.
"I will act in advance."
"Of course, my Wolf Lord," Wyrdmake agreed. 'Once Sanchez uses his sorcery, he's dead.'
Aboard the Void Hunter, Bridge.
Sanchez casually rose from his command throne. The "Conspirer" thought to himself.
'The misleading illusion I carefully crafted has successfully deceived that sinister and cunning old wolf, Wyrdmake.'
'He won't realize my flame control doesn't come from the Warp, but from my Lord's bestowal.'
'It's time to close the net.'
He walked to the hololithic strategic table and stared at the star chart of Indra-Sul.
'Based on compiled intelligence, it's certain the Rangdan xenos are delivering a large number of corpses to Indra-Sul.'
'There must be Slaugth there.'
...
Northern Frontier.
Black and iron-grey ships transitioned to realspace, then naturally separated into two zones.
As if an invisible void barrier divided the two Legions.
But both fleets shared the same target: Indra-Sul, an Imperial world enslaved for years.
Ships adorned with various runes and the 5th Great Company's insignia unleashed wild, angry power.
Roaring wolf heads, etched on prows, spat blinding light.
Cannons forged by savage nature belted out vigorous flames.
The black fleet moved methodically. The four relic-class ships launched their hunting spears and arrows, piercing the spiked and flailed xenos ships before they could approach.
Combined, the four relic-class ships leveraged their range advantage, methodically reaping Rangdan vessels.
The Seventh Chapter's fleet reached the destination first, ahead of the angrily charging Wolves.
Wyrdmake, aboard a Stormbird, circumvented the combat zone and detoured to the Void Hunter.
Returning to the 6th level of the mid-decks, he sniffed the fading den odor and smiled smugly.
'The moment has finally arrived.'
'I will complete the Wolf King's mission and help my Wolf Lord win the wager.'
Upon setting foot on Indra-Sul's surface, Wyrdmake looked at the worm-device in the Techmarine's hands, his eyes full of surprise.
'Besides the witch-boys, Shadows of Order do have some tricks. They've invented this device to track the worm-creatures.'
'Sanchez always uses it to find them.'
'But this time, it will be his death.'
Wyrdmake sidled up to the Techmarine, asking curiously in a friendly tone.
"Techmarine brother, your device is truly remarkable, being able to specifically track the worm-creatures."
"Can it pinpoint their exact location?"
The "Archaeologist" looked up. He didn't answer immediately, his gaze going to the Reaper Lord.
Sanchez nodded slightly. Only then did the "Archaeologist" speak.
"This signal is very strong and hasn't moved. I believe it's at the seven o'clock direction, six kilometers away."
"It will guide us to victory." Wyrdmake smiled.
'Victory belongs to the Pack.'
Wyrdmake mounted a Land Speeder, a vehicle which, besides Shadows of Order, only a few Legions like the Iron Hands and White Scars possessed. Not a single Wolf had one yet.
Wyrdmake pretended to fumble, not very proficiently maneuvering to create distance from Sanchez. Then he opened his comms, using the Fenrisian battle-tongue to contact his Wolf Lord, now in orbit.
"Wolf Lord, Sanchez has pinpointed the worm-creature. Our opportunity has come."
"Well done, Wyrdmake." Skarssensson's tone was cold.
Wyrdmake gunned the throttle. The engine roared. He caught up to Sanchez, who was riding his Thunderwolf.
He looked down and to the left, his gaze lingering momentarily on the Russ Wolf Helm on Sanchez's head and the sword at his waist forged from the Kraken's Fang.
The "Conspirer" intuitively sensed those malevolent eyes on his back.
A nearly imperceptible smile crossed his face. The scheme was ready to close. He dug his heels into his Thunderwolf mount.
Wyrdmake stared intently at the battle. He saw the flames suddenly extinguish, and thought.
'Hmm? Sanchez lost before he could even abuse his power? Is his power that weak? Or is the worm-creature that strong?'
The great axe slammed into the ground. Its violent force pulverized a clump of worms stuck to the earth.
The "Conspirer" swung his "flame-infused" blade, slashing rapidly.
The "Conspirer's" psychic energy guided the fireball onward, drilling into the disgusting mucus inside the Slaugth's body.
He snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
With a violent explosion, the mucus inside the Slaugth's body burst into a cloud of grey-green smoke.
In the Kingdom of Disorder…
'The executors, especially the sinister old wolf Wyrdmake, have learned their lesson through these schemes.'
'But the instigator, Russ, only loses a cloak.'
'That still irks me a bit.'
'If I can conclude the decisive battle at Taxal by 869, I can then intervene at Dulan.'
'By obtaining the genetic defect of the Thirteenth Company Wolves captured by the Dulanites, as manifested by the Canis Helix, I can deter Russ from targeting me again.'
'And I can demand something else from him as compensation for an apology.'
His thoughts naturally diverged and expanded.
'It's not just about getting leverage over Russ. Dulan's unique technology is also worth a visit.'
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu