Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 674: Open the door, Wild Wolf, the mysterious man is about to appear
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Ten thousand years later, in the lounge of the Destiny Steel Pharmacist Laboratory.

"I felt a tingling sensation on my skin from the very beginning."

Leman Russ said thoughtfully, putting down his Irish coffee*.

"What? Is it a premonition of danger? Well... don't you want to try this? The kitchen just sent us a spring garden cake - to be honest, although the grass looks too realistic, green and furry, I thought it wouldn't taste good, but surprisingly it's all dyed with pure plant ingredients... This bitter aroma is quite good." In front of Pallas was a large piece of half-eaten cake.

Magna sipped the raw promethium crystal juice and pushed a plate of freshly baked buttery glutinous rice seed pastries in front of Ruth.

"Thanks, it's delicious, but it's bad for my teeth, and I think if I eat any of the food here I'll pee out all sugar water - why the hell is this so sweet?"

The butler of the royal court, who had walked in with his back straight (Fearless's back was always straight) to serve new plates to the princes and the lord, looked as if he was about to faint with the greatest elegance that a Contemptor could achieve when he heard such rude words and dared to appear in front of the most noble emperor of the human empire in the galaxy.

"...I'm sorry, Rilano, but please don't faint here. You're too heavy." Pallas said embarrassedly. The ancient sage walked out of the door resolutely. Then they heard an opera-like lament coming from outside the door. The general meaning was that the day when rituals and music are in chaos is the time when etiquette officials are crying blood. It is urgent to pay attention to the education and etiquette training of the princes.

Of course, the object of this sigh is now sitting its pigeon butt comfortably on Pallas' head without even raising its eyelids.

“I still feel like there’s something threatening that’s getting bigger and bigger,” Ruth said. “But I can’t put my finger on it.”

"Ah." Pallas, who was enjoying his meal with the scene shown to them by the pigeons, suddenly made a pale gurgling sound as if the cake was stuck in his throat.

"what happened?"

"Uh... maybe you can see for yourself."

The Wolf King's two red-gold eyebrows immediately twisted tightly together when he saw the scene after Ramizarn and Perturabo BC rushed into the secret room of the Nidhogg.

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Moments ago, ten thousand years ago, the flagship of the Space Wolves' Third Company, the Nidhogg.

"Open the door!"

The Lord of Steel said loudly, and the black and white "Wolf King" was perched on his shoulder, cheering with his mane.

The armored hatch outside the core chamber of the Nidhogg was lifeless and looked like it was closed as if there was no one behind it.

"Open the door!" He raised his voice, "I know you are in there!"

The other Space Wolves belonging to the Third Company who were watching from afar were looking at this place anxiously.

Behind the cavernous dim light of candles, herbs dangling from the ceiling, and other decorations that made the space battleship's cabin look more like a cozy lair on Fenris, pairs of eyes stared at them, most of them golden with wolf-black pupils.

The reason why they did not surround them or take further action was obvious. The Wolf King was here, and the black and white dog's almond eyes were too delicate and beautiful for the Fenris Wolves. Just a glance from the dog's almond eyes was enough to make the wild wolves feel an unprecedented sense of crisis like a natural enemy. Many people would regard it as an ancient fear and look at the Wolf King's current body with awe.

The Iron Lord, who had just rushed into their hangar and then rushed all the way here, was not besieged because he was still accompanied by a group of Iron Warriors armed to the teeth - the Iron Lord brought his siege guards this time, and the numerous heavy weapons were also an obvious and huge threat to the Wild Wolves.

"Open the door! Ogwe of the Third Company! Wildmark of the Fifth Company! I know you and the others are inside! I am conveying the will of Leman Russ now! Do you hear me?! Open the door!!"

The black and white wolf king stood up at this moment and endorsed his brother's words with a long howl to the sky.

It seemed that the wolf king's angry howl had worked, or perhaps he realized that today's matter could not be glossed over like an ostrich burrowing into the ground.

The armored hatch engraved with Fenris runes slowly opened.

The first face that popped out was Ornn Evilwinter with a wound on his face. The chief rune priest of the third company was very recognizable by his white hair.

“Alpha Wolf, you are here. We did not mean to be rude to you.” He whispered, looking back and forth at the crowd of people outside the door, “It’s just that the situation inside…” He hesitated, “It’s not suitable for others to see.”

His eyes were fixed on the Lord of Steel as he spoke, and it was obvious that the Rune Priests were hiding some secret inside that made them willing to block the Wolf King from entering.

"I know what you are hiding." The Lord of Steel said suddenly. Ornn's pupils suddenly shrank and he subconsciously showed one of his canine teeth.

"So there is no need to hide anything from me." The Lord of Steel nodded and ordered his guards to spread out in an arc, with their backs to them. The thick Iron Cavalry-style siege terminators and siege shields formed an impenetrable steel wall with the sound of metal hitting the ground, blocking the view inside the hatch.

"We didn't bring Magnus with us for this reason," he said, "and Russ is going in with me. There will be no secrets between us...right? Russ?"

Ornn Evilwinter looked at the Wolf King, whose big fluffy black and white tail was now half-raised, showing a state of wanting to agree but being hesitant. However, he raised his paw and solemnly tapped the shoulder armor of the Lord of Steel - this was agreement.

So they stepped into the room together, and the heavy armored hatch closed again behind them.

The interior space is actually completely out of tune with the outdoor atmosphere. If the decorations on other parts of the Nidhogg battleship are like the caves and fortresses of Fenris moved from their home planet, then this is almost the same as what a starship room in a civilization capable of building starships, genetically enhanced warriors, and other supporting equipment should look like.

The floor and walls are all made of polished steel, cleaned spotlessly. The surface is engraved with neat rows of Fenris exorcism runes and patterns of the gods' names. High-power modern lighting is installed on the ceiling, making every corner here as bright as day.

Equipment and instruments of different sizes were neatly arranged in front of the surrounding walls. Many cables and pipes leading out of them were inserted into the creature tied in the center. Life-sustaining pipes and other lines with different functions moved rhythmically with the heartbeat.

This is what people ten thousand years later and people now see: several wild wolves and bards are surrounding a sturdy steel cross, on which is tied tightly with iron chains a naked, seriously wounded and dying Space Wolf. Judging from his iconic red hair and beard and tall and strong figure, he is the third Rune Priest who has just appeared in Gasper Hauser's dream.

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"Ida Half-Wolf," Leman Russ whispered. "But not entirely."

"what happened?"

The wolf king ignored Pallas and continued to stare with a frown on his face. "What do you think, father?"

The pigeon opened its eyes and tilted its head to look at Leman Russ. "I think it's better to have less mystery. I can look forward to it."

"But mystery is power. Mystery is fear. Mystery is what keeps us alive."

“But everything should be done in moderation.”

Russ stared at the dove for a while, then he slowly gave an aggressive smile, "Then let me see what conclusions they can find."

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"What did you do here just now?" The Lord of Steel seemed to listen attentively, and then conveyed the Wolf King's question. "Why does this place reek of psionic energy and demons? How did Ida Half-Wolf fall into such a situation?" "Some empathy spells and memory-penetrating rituals, Wolf Aldmeri."

Another rune priest stepped forward. He was Othrel, a rune priest of the fifth company and one of the most powerful rune priests in the Sixth Legion. "We are trying to break the hidden closed space in the bard's soul. The evil spirit that made these structures in his memory and mind is not only very powerful, but also very sophisticated. Therefore, we want to explore it and make sure there is no problem or spy in to find out what is behind the barrier. This should be good for us. Ornn Evilwinter's intuition in this direction has always been accurate, so I allow this."

"Then why don't you ask us to transfer some Thousand Sons psykers? For example, Baleko Ushizar, who is a master of telepathy, or Ahriman, who is an expert in interpreting prophecies. With them here, we can get twice the result with half the effort."

"Is that even a question, sir?" Othrel bowed lightly. "I don't trust or invite those Prospero wizards to a matter involving all of our members."

"Uh." The Lord of Steel glanced at the various amulets on them and the talismans in the room, his meaning was self-evident.

"The power granted to us by the Spirit of Fenris is not corrupted by the darkness of evil, and it is used with the strictest self-discipline."

"The result of restraint in use is this?" The Lord of Steel pointed at Ida Half-Wolf on the steel rack. The dying Astartes was covered in wounds. The two most obvious fatal wounds were obviously from plasma ammunition. But even so, he was still alive. The maintenance cables that penetrated deep into his skin and flesh were arranged neatly and rigorously, and the technique was neat and beautiful, looking like the product of the top modern surgical operating room.

"This is an unfortunate accident. Today we changed the method of the ceremony. Orn tried to divert Casper's attention in the open, and let Ida approach from the dark while the poet and the thing in his mind were distracted to find out the truth behind the barrier."

"and then?"

"Ida Half-Wolf succeeded," said Ornn Evilwinter with sorrow and disgust. "He took the opportunity to break through the barrier, and then he encountered the evil spirit. He was touched by the evil spirit, and it possessed him, reshaped him, and then let him attack us. We fought back and defeated him back to reality, but Ida was too close to it and he couldn't resist. He can't go back."

The Lord of Steel turned his gaze to Ida Half-Wolf on the rack. The red-haired Rune Priest had disheveled hair and beard, tears streaming down his face, his eyes tightly closed, and he whimpered from time to time, shaking his head like a wild beast, saliva and tears scattering all over the ground as he shook his head.

"Forgive me, I know I am wrong," they heard the dying wolf mutter. "Forgive me, I couldn't resist him."

"Why are we still keeping him around now?!" Ogwe said gruffly while standing on the periphery. "I told you to execute him as soon as you got back! He's been contaminated! He's been corrupted! I don't want to keep this monster on my battleship for even a moment! And now the Primarch is here too! This is really a shame!"

The Third Company leader's grievances were obviously meaningful, but the black and white wolf king solemnly tapped him with his paw, and he shut up. Then the Lord of Steel stepped forward and looked at Ida Half-Wolf, who was forcibly kept alive, with curiosity, "So he can still talk. Ida? Ida Half-Wolf?"

"Even if he can talk, we can't trust what he says," said Orn Evilwinter. "Ida has been possessed by the evil spirit. Who knows if what he says now is what the evil spirit wants him to say to deceive us?"

"I think we should listen to him, at least let him tell us what he saw."

"He can no longer be trusted!" Ogwe whispered sternly.

"Let's listen. At least Ruth is here. He has the right to listen. Isn't that right? Who wants to step forward and ask?"

Othrel stepped in front of the prisoner, one of his arms still looking a bit stiff. "Let me do it," the Rune Priest whispered. "I feel like there's still a little bit of Ida Half-Wolf left in this, maybe we can get some information out of him."

"Ask." The wolf king typed out a line of words, "We are all listening."

"Ida," Othrel said, "the Great Wolf is here to listen with us. Remember your greatest honor and tell us what you can."

"I..." The bound creature raised its head and panted. The smell of the beast became strong, causing Ogwe to pace back and forth restlessly. "I took advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was diverted and passed through the door... It... It was so well made that even... the poet himself didn't know it existed..."

"What's behind the door?" This was the question Casper couldn't help but ask.

"Yes... I don't know who it is... but... that thing can undoubtedly pass through the door... into the poet's soul... it... peers out..."

"It seems that this guy is at least not Amon." The Lord of Steel said abruptly, and then kindly explained to them, "Amon is now completely unable to use psychic power and is under surveillance. I can guarantee it."

"And then?" Othrel asked.

"It crouches there... holding a blade, ahem, a blade, alien-forged, sharp as a whistle... It is sentient, my lord, it senses, it has a purpose, it was forged for a very malicious purpose... ahem, I see it, and then I see the weapon lying in wait in the wreckage, the swamp and the miasma, the poison and the quagmire, the battleship of metal..."

Suddenly the poor man shook his head frantically, as if recalling these things would make him extremely painful, and saliva flowed through the gaps between his lengthening fangs, through his skin and onto the ground.

"Ida!" Othrel shouted. "Are you still there?! Stay with us a little longer!"

"It's angry! It doesn't want me to see...! It doesn't want me to know its name!"

"what name?"

"Nemesis Blade...! Yes! Nemesis Blade!" The wolf screamed in agony, "It doesn't want me to know! It doesn't want me to tell you! But I will tell you! Yes! Nemesis Blade! It is waiting for that day! It will pierce Horus' body! It will split humanity from now on! It will make the Warmaster and the Empire cease to exist!"

"What nonsense!" Chief Ogwe squeezed over, "Sir! I have seen symptoms like this before, his lies are absolutely unbelievable! There is no doubt that the evil spirit wants to spread doubts and rumors through his mouth, which is undoubtedly a good way to divide and provoke us!"

"Father! I must tell you! Please! Father! Cough cough cough cough!"

More mucus gushed out of Ida's mouth and nose, and he looked even more painful, while the Lord of Steel's expression became even weirder, and the black and white dog flapped its tail and looked a little annoyed.

"Perhaps we should take these words into serious reference," Casper suggested cautiously. "Perhaps there is some truth in them?"

"No." The leader stared at the poet sternly.

"At least Ida is still trying to tell us now?"

"No, never believe the lies of evil spirits, poet. I have experience." Ogwe pointed seriously to the ground below Ida Half-Wolf's rack, "Alpha Wolf. Look."

The bright light above cast a clear shadow of Ida Half-Wolf's body tied to the cross on the smooth ground.

The pure black shadow that was clearly visible was definitely not the outline of a human. It was a wolf-shaped monster twice the size of an Astartes, with ears, a tail, and claws.

"Got it? So, not a single word these vicious and filthy people say can be trusted."

Ogwe stepped forward, drew his pistol, and pressed it to Ida's jaw, glancing at one of the two Primarchs present.

The wolf that was tied tightly to the rack raised its head in agony. Its tear-covered eyes were still searching for the leader of the pack in the room. "Please, father... you must... I know I am wrong..."

The Lord of Steel looked around the room. Ornn Evilwinter had a blank expression on his face, Casper looked panicked, and Othrel suddenly seemed to feel that the runes on the ground were very meaningful.

"Let's meet again in winter."

Ida's leader raised his finger and pulled the trigger.

(End of this chapter)