Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 487 Leaving the Valley
Prospero would be the tomb of the Fifteenth Legion, at least of past times.

Ctesias thought half-heartedly, nodding to the Iron Warriors who had hurried to the top floor of the Great Library and were coming in and out.

He was waiting outside the door, which was open. Looking inside, he could see several lecturers from the 15th Legion sitting together, most of them sitting in the order of their usual discussion. The lecturer from the Fire Phoenix School was absent-minded, and had been like this since he knew that his pyramid was destroyed. The position of the Black Crow was still vacant, and Azak Ahriman came to the first place, but he did not sit down.

Across the Thousand Dust Sun were strange warsmiths, none of whom Ctesias had ever met. The armor of Kedomo Fricks was a relic, taken away by the Iron Warriors themselves. Ahriman watched the whole process, the whole thing reflected in his eyes, and he did not interfere.

Ctesias moved slightly, scanning the dark traces left by the circle of ash on the ground that made the lecturers feel threatened. They could all feel that this was the mark left by the Dark Lord, but Azak Ahriman warned them not to ignore the other force that was interfering - even if there was no trace of it left.

"A treacherous and fickle force has set its sights on us, seeking our separation and suffering." Ahriman had said so.

One of the Iron Warriors answered him, "I have seen the suffering of your people here," his grief was restrained, but still clear, "and I have seen that the Imperium today does not allow you to exist here. We may have a fortress, but the castle cannot hold out forever."

"You have returned from Terra, so are there other legions willing to join the campaign?" asked another warsmith.

"Any Legion may obey the Emperor's will, but the Seventeenth is the most eager to do so," Ahriman replied. "Besides, the more loyal they are to the Throne, the more hostile they are to us."

He paused. "If you intend to clear your suspicion in front of the throne, you can also tell the Empire that you are under the control of Sky Owl. Iron Warriors, you have done enough."

"No amount of oaths can resolve the fact that the Fourth Legion is hiding thirty thousand Astartes. Moreover, we have heard that the human empire has long been suspicious of the Iron Warriors and the decision of our Gene-Father. We have heard enough of this kind of talk. Do not say any more, Master Ahriman."

Ahriman looked at him, then nodded. He was about to speak, but then he narrowed his eyes and looked towards the passage where Ctesias was guarding.

Here, some red shadows were coming up the winding stairs, their steps hurried and urgent. Their armor was once bright, but now it has been dulled by the unpleasant battles, like a dried blood-red crust. The scarabs on their chests reflected a faint light.

"Azak Ahriman, we are here." A vicissitudes of life voice entered their midst, and every word seemed to fall from a parchment scroll that was constantly falling. Amon appeared in the corridor along the stairs, and the staff in his hand knocked out a hollow echo in the corridor.

"Amon," Ahriman nodded, "Come on, I was just about to tell you what I'm going to do next."

“Defeat the Luna Wolf?” A gleam of anger flashed in Amon’s eyes, as if the Luna Wolf was being crushed between his teeth.

"That is not the case," Ahriman raised his hand and invited him in. "Even if we kill all the Wolves of the XVI Legion, what good will it do? Without the Luna Wolves, there must be Space Wolves. The one who sits on the throne is no longer the Emperor we knew, but few know that."

Amon looked at him. "So, what are your intentions in returning, our Chief? Our hatred is irreconcilable: between us and the Luna Wolves, between Prospero and Cosonia, between our dead and the Empire of Man."

The staff he held tightly in his hand fell gently to the ground again, and a cloud of dust fell down.

Ahriman lowered his hand and placed his palm on the top of the helmet on the table. "I will take our people away, Amon. I will lead the Prosperos away from the shadow of the empire, into the wilderness, into the Milky Way, to a place where no one is, a place that can protect the Prosperos in troubled times."

"Azak——"

"We are warriors, psykers, and sorcerers in the eyes of ordinary people. We are the ones who can truly fight against the Empire, and we are the ones who should bear this responsibility. But our people, the Prospero people, have suffered enough. This is the failure of the guardians..."

"I cannot let Prospero perish before my eyes, Azak," Amon said, a hint of psychic energy ringing in his voice.

His voice echoed beyond the boundaries of the Great Library, gently sweeping across the sky above Great Tizca. His face became even paler, both from anger and from the psychic restraints.

He continued, "If you would leave our homeland behind, leave behind the legacy of Magnus, and send us aboard an ark of salvation from which we can never return, then I can only refuse you, Ahriman. You know what this means."

"I am no different. No one can leave his homeland," Ahriman said softly. "But there is a way, Amon. We need not abandon Prospero and go far."

"What road?"

"Amon, why not take our homeland with us? We can protect the entire Prospero through the torrent of the warp and go to the border far away from the center of the empire. We don't need to give up anything, we just need to pay strength and imagination. We don't need to disgrace our mission, we have to take it up."

Amon was stunned.

"How can we do this, Azak? Who can take the entire planet and the millions of people who are still alive to the far end of the galaxy? Besides, where can we go? Where is there a safe refuge in the holy land of this empire?"

His voice trembled slightly again, even though he asked urgently, he had been moved by Ahriman.

Are we really going to have to shed every last drop of blood to protect Prospero? The Luna Wolves, and all the people of Prospero?

Perhaps people were willing, and Amon was willing once, until the hope of regaining peace suddenly shone faintly in Ahriman's words.

"As long as we shed enough blood, it will be enough to carry our homeland."

Azak Ahriman said calmly, his voice cold: "There is no lack of power in our 'Ka'. This torrent is even enough to carry... the rebirth of a powerful entity. So, why can't we take our home away?"

The senior generals below all looked over. There was no ambiguity in Ahriman's words, and even the Iron Warriors could understand what Ahriman meant, and that was why they were surprised.

"If father were here, he alone would be able to summon a star. We cannot compare to him, so we have to settle for the next best thing."

Ahriman's voice gradually gained a calm authority.

"The magic is described in the Book of Magnus written by my father. I have brought this book back. Now is undoubtedly the time to use the secret method.

"And the power we need is in our souls, isn't it? The twenty thousand or so sorcerers we still have are more than enough to take Prospero to the edge of the galaxy.

"We will unite as one, with all our minds condensed into one thought, enveloping our Prospero, acting as an artificial Geller field. We are all excellent psykers, and navigation will not be difficult after the warp storm has dissipated."

As Ahriman spoke, Amon finally stepped into the room. He paused for a moment beside the Black Crow's seat, then sat down.

More than a hundred years ago, he had solemnly handed over the position of Black Crow Lecturer to his most outstanding student. Rituals, status, and power are closely related in mysticism. Now he has returned to his former position, looking up at Azak Ahriman standing at the head, as if he was remembering his appearance at this moment. "I can be the host of the ceremony, if you do not have the confidence and ability." Ahriman continued, "Is there anyone among us who is unwilling to participate in the ceremony?"

“Even if you ask every Thousand Dust Sun one by one, you will not get a negative answer.” The head of the Tianxiao School answered, his eyes seemed enough to cut through a person’s outer skin and see the shape of the soul itself.

Several Iron Warriors watched all this in silence. One of them seemed to remember something and moved his fingers hesitantly on the table.

“Is there anything you wish to say, sir?” Ahriman asked.

"Have you decided where to go?" the Warsmith said, standing up.

"We still need to discuss this. I have already selected several expansion areas. We may face more disasters, but we will no longer have to fight against the Empire."

"No need," said the standing Iron Warrior. "I have heard that there is a region where humans have lived in peace and stability for a long time. They are legitimate allies of the Imperium, regard Chaos as a great enemy, and are especially friendly to us Iron Warriors. If you have nowhere else to go, take Prospero there. Their kindness will not be rejected."

"Please say."

The Iron Warrior nodded: "Human Federation, Interrex."

Ahriman thought for a moment and nodded first. "I agree with your idea. If the Iron Warriors are willing to take Prospero in, I will no longer resist on behalf of anyone else. Do you have any other ideas, my brothers?"

"I can't think of a better place to go." Fusistaka said, and Tubek beside him smiled languidly, "I agree."

The remaining Thousand Dust Suns expressed their approval in their own ways.

The Iron Warriors' generals looked at each other and quickly nodded one by one.

"We couldn't make a promise on our father's behalf," one of them said, "but we can't refuse the son of his best friend on his behalf. Besides, I believe in you... just consider it for the days you took us in, warriors."

Amon took a deep breath, calculated the time, and prepared to leave in a hurry: "Then, it's settled. When you confirm the feasibility of the ceremony, call me again, Azak."

He took time out from his command to come here, constantly worried about the battle situation at the fortress front. What if in this short period of time, the Luna Wolves broke through the Valperin Fortress and entered the Sanctuary Mountain? He couldn't accept it.

"No," Ahriman lowered his eyes and looked at the table covered with a long cloth. "Before that, there is another ceremony that needs to be prepared... Let's go guard the defense line first. Each of us must organize the warriors in our respective schools and inform everyone to prepare to welcome us... the exodus ceremony. After I have verified the other ceremony that must be performed first, I will come to you alone with the calculation results, Amon."

-

Orlanius Persson watched Morse send the ashes left by Erda into the howling wind, and soon he turned his head away, still holding the cross on his chest.

The other people present did not move. John Grammaticus raised his eyebrows and waved goodbye to his old boss. They, the immortals, will also have to say goodbye to the world one day, and today is Erda's day.

"Let's talk about Erda's last words," Morse said softly, turning back and, under Valdor's gaze and acquiescence, stepping into the cave. "Erda said that the Emperor came to Morro to find a successor, and then he was changed by the warp. What does this mean? She emphasized that he met a 'him' in Morro. Who is that?"

Orlaneus was the man the Emperor had asked Constantine Valdor to wait for, which was beyond Morse's expectations, but not beyond his understanding. No one knew what revelations the Emperor had received in the days when he issued his last orders, and they could only follow his footsteps as always, and complain about doing the part they were willing to complete.

Ole shook his head, then nodded hesitantly.

"When we came to Moro, I think Neos actually received some guidance... He didn't tell anyone, not even Erda, but I do know some details."

"He had nothing at the time, except for some fantastic ideas," Or smiled nostalgically, "What did he have to inherit? Besides, he was immortal.

"So when he mentioned this, I immediately knew that he had seen the shadow again."

"shadow?"

"The shadow on the cave," Or sighed. "That's where this metaphor in human history comes from.

"Neos had seen shadows in the dark cave a long time ago, but he had not seen the real thing. At that time, he thought that the shadows were real things... He asked me about it in Nineveh. I had not seen what he saw, but he knew that the shadows only spoke to him."

"After a long time, he asked me this question again. I learned that he was exposed to witchcraft out of curiosity, or in today's words, he explored the warp."

Perturabo frowned. Morse tilted his head toward him. "That's the courage of your father."

Orr continued helplessly, "He confirmed that they were projections from the Warp, but he never found their main body. His trust in the Warp may have something to do with this, Remus... Just like what you wrote in the letter you delivered for him, he believes that there must be other beings outside the universe to guide us and protect us... He believes that some beings have good intentions in their hearts."

"He didn't tell me." Morse folded his arms over his chest.

"He is a man of few words, you know." Orr defended the Emperor, "I have only heard him mention this twice. But I am sure that his coming here is related to those shadows. I also believe that he saw its truth here and had more exchanges... At least before that, although he knew about the Webway, he didn't care so much."

"Then?"

"Like you, Remus, we parted ways, and I haven't heard anything since," Orr said, reaching out to touch the blood-stained cave wall. Fresh traces of battle stretched all the way, thanks to Constantine and Erda.

"I knew it once," Constantine said dryly, glancing at Perturabo. "In the laboratory where you were born."

"Oh?" Morse prompted him to continue.

"The Master said that his creation in the incubator spoke to him," Constantine looked unhappy. "After that, the Master announced that he would keep a palace for you, Primarch, in the Imperial Palace. And he also gave you a name. He said that you proved that you are not just tools and weapons, but also vessels. I am sure that this is the same thing as what Persson said."

(End of this chapter)