I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 134 Sneaking In

On the surface, everything seems to make perfect sense.

After leaving the command post, Herbert quickly returned to his temporary residence in Peditia—an administrative building that had survived the war and was still relatively intact. The moment he stepped through the door, his taciturn entourage began a tense but orderly flurry of activity.

The heavy metal crates clanged as they were removed from the anti-gravity plate; the servo skull glided silently through the air, its mechanical eyes scanning each item that needed packing; squires in black uniforms hurried along, carefully loading various instruments and equipment into crates bearing the Inquisition's insignia. Even a passing guard soldier, with just a casual glance inside, would immediately draw the unmistakable conclusion: "They're leaving."

And indeed, that was the case. Herbert had no intention of lingering here. The human empire's territory was vast and boundless, and the troubles that needed to be dealt with were equally numerous. Now that the war in Peditia had settled, he naturally had to rush to the next burning world, the next troublesome place that required the Inquisitor's iron fist.

But this is just appearance.

In the brief moment that his loyal followers were packing their belongings, Herbert was absolutely confident that he could infiltrate the encampment of the two Martyr Chapters of Space Marines undetected and thoroughly investigate the area.

Where did this confidence come from? First, while he was leading the Space Wolves' lord in a lightning raid against the Greenskins, his guards left in the hive were not idle. They had already taken advantage of this precious gap to thoroughly investigate the positions of the two Astartes and the surrounding environment.

Secondly, and most opportunely—the Space Wolves, to celebrate this hard-won victory, were naturally deciding to throw a grand feast. The sons of Fenris, always generous, invited all the warriors they deemed "worthy" to share roasted meat and fine wine. The two Astartes from the Martyrs' Chapter were, of course, among those invited. This meant that their encampment was currently empty.

As an aside, thankfully the Space Wolves' battle barges had ample supplies. Otherwise, the scene of a Space Marine victory celebration ending up with everyone sitting around eating nutrition bars would have been far too abstract.

Finally, and this is the crux of Herbert's secret operation. Throughout his long career as an inquisitor, he encountered far more than just endless troubles. On the contrary, thanks to his unwavering sense of duty and dedication to investigation, he mastered forbidden secrets and alien technology far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

For example, on his flagship, in a secret room that no one but him was allowed to enter, were imprisoned many demons that he had summoned and imprisoned with runes—though this was nothing new to his Holy Hammer Order.

For example, the thing he is wearing right now.

Herbert entered his chamber, and with a thought, the black cloak covering his power armor began to change. It wasn't fabric, but a flexible material that seemed to come alive. Fine psionic patterns flashed across its surface, emitting a barely audible hum. The entire "garment" had smooth, elegant lines, completely unlike the rugged heaviness of Imperial garments, instead possessing a distinctly Eldar-like delicate and eerie beauty.

This was a psionic stealth suit. As Herbert infused it with his own psionic energy, the surrounding light seemed to be distorted and swallowed by an invisible veil. His figure began to blur and become transparent, eventually blending completely into the shadows of the background, as if he had never existed.

To the others, Inquisitor Herbert Hernampold emerged from his room again. His figure, shrouded in shadow, appeared somewhat stiff. He spoke in a cold, impatient tone to a servant carrying crates, a brief reprimand for being too slow. The servant immediately fell silent, his movements quickening. The real Herbert, however, had already vanished from the temporary quarters like a ghost. Concealed by his Eldar stealth suit, he became a distorted shadow, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, blending seamlessly into his surroundings. He moved swiftly and precisely towards his destination—the Martyrs' Chapter's temporary encampment.

The operation went even more smoothly than expected.

The two Space Marines' quarters were in a cleared, relatively intact tower, almost deserted except for a few servants performing routine cleaning in the corridors. Herbert easily infiltrated, finding nothing amiss. Space Marines, the Emperor's angels, were themselves the most powerful weapons, needing no mortal guards. Most of the time, guards were merely symbols of status and rank.

Herbert quickly searched the room. Based on his years of experience hunting heretics and the multi-spectral detectors built into his power armor helmet, he found no possible mechanisms or secret spaces. The air was thick with the scent of holy oil and metal, and he himself sensed no lingering psychic energy.

“They’re so brazenly displaying their power in public, they’re clearly not afraid of being exposed. So it’s no surprise that nothing is hidden in the room.” Herbert pondered silently in the quiet room, his gaze sweeping over the simple furnishings. “If it’s not hidden, then it’s openly displayed.”

His gaze swept across the unassuming room again, and soon, in an inconspicuous metal drawer, he found two notebooks. The covers were plain black synthetic leather, without any markings.

He decisively opened one of the books. The pages were filled with orderly symbols, each composed of precise straight lines and curves, regular and orderly, full of a certain geometric beauty. If this wasn't some complex code he couldn't crack, then it was a script he had never seen before.

Herbert knew he had found it. He was almost certain it was some kind of writing system. Using ciphers to write daily notes was utterly pointless; only ignorant teenagers would do that. He knew perfectly well that truly important core secrets would never be written down; those two Space Marines had definitely memorized them.

However, even if this is just their log or notes, it would still be absolutely worthwhile for Herbert. There must be extremely valuable information inside.

He activated the high-definition image capture function built into his power armor, and in a silent flash, page after page of symbols were completely recorded. Out of the inquisitor's characteristic caution, and to prevent this unknown script or notebook from possessing some kind of heretical function that interfered with electromechanical systems, he spent an extra two minutes, using his astonishing memory, to completely memorize these square-like symbols into his mind.

"It's time to evacuate."

Herbert quickly restored everything to its original state, placing the two notebooks back exactly where they belonged and closing the drawer. Perhaps other valuable clues lay hidden in the empty room, but continuing the search would only increase the risk of exposure exponentially over time. He couldn't afford that price.

(End of this chapter)