Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

Second Company Captain of the "Faceless Ones," Erling, strode up to Joffel, clad in black armor, and struck up a conversation as expected.

"Joffel, I heard from the supply ship's captain that Lord Nareth received a warm welcome on Terra."

The adjutant of the Tenth Company was already used to the Faceless Ones' habit of chatting after battle. They were typically silent before and during combat, and orders on the command channel were always brief. But after a battle, they became much more talkative, often seeking out the Shadows of Order warriors for conversation.

"Indeed," Joffel replied proudly, straightening his back and smiling. "Lord Nareth was cheered just as loudly as Lord Horus was on his return to Terra."

As the Faceless Ones and Shadows of Order were happily chatting, First Company Captain Suárez crouched beside the corpse of the Orkish warboss he had slain. Using his chainsword, he sliced off one of the creature's thick arms.

He glanced around briefly, then bent down and, seemingly inspecting the corpse, opened his mouth to reveal his distinctively sharp teeth and sank them into the orc's arm.

In that instant, Suárez's pupils dilated slightly, and his brows twitched.

It was delicious.

His tongue tasted a salty, savory flavor like ham, while his teeth sank into something tender like mushrooms.

The meat fibers unfurled like silk in spring wind. green-colored strands laced through the texture, releasing sweet juices beneath a crispy outer shell, like morning dew rolling off pine needles.

A low hum escaped his throat, cut short by the sudden, icy clarity of flavor.

All around him, the other Faceless Ones wore looks of satisfaction. Before tasting orc arms, they'd worried that these filthy, muscular limbs, reeking of xeno' blood, would be disgusting.

But now, they had learned: the stronger the Ork, the better it tasted.

This was the Faceless Ones' unique gift.

Suárez opened his mouth wide and devoured the entire arm, smacking his lips in satisfaction.

After swallowing both of the warboss's arms, it was like he'd eaten two hams wrapped around tender mushrooms. His battle-weary body now felt brimming with power.

He flexed and assessed himself.

'Hmm… strength hasn't improved yet. I need to eat more.'

From past experience, the Faceless Ones had discovered a pattern: consuming xeno flesh could enhance their abilities, but only if they ate enough. And the stronger the Faceless One, the more they had to eat for the effect to manifest.

Right now, he had eaten his fill, but it wasn't enough. He was too full to continue.

Regretfully glancing at the remaining meat, Suárez walked over to Joffel and resumed the conversation as planned.

"Your two companies are also patrolling in this region."

"Yes. By order of the Gene-Father, searching for a lost colony," Joffel replied, narrowing his black eyes slightly, casting a subtle glance at Suárez's slightly bulging stomach.

The Shadows of Order had keen senses. He recognized the faintly bloated look and that familiar feeling. After every battle, one captain would talk with him, and soon after, another would show up… always looking like he'd just eaten a feast.

'Some special Faceless Ones' rations?' Joffel silently wondered.

As he pondered this, Suárez spoke again.

"What's the outcome? Do you need the Faceless Ones' assistance?"

Life under Nareth's command was far better than hiding in fear under Horus. The warriors of the Second Legion hoped this new arrangement would continue.

"The Third Company discovered Cypra Mundi," Joffel replied. "After the Daxos Twin World System, this is another major find. The Dark Lord seems quite adept at exploration."

Joffel smiled. He had heard that Cypra Mundi had great potential, similar industrial capacity to Vostroya, at the intersection of many Warp routes, with multiple stable Mandeville points nearby.

"That's excellent news," Suárez said with a grin. "Our techmarines captured some round, toothy creatures. They look like pets the orks kept, perhaps the Primarch will like them."

"Oh?" Joffel's attention snapped to Suárez's words, momentarily forgetting his earlier suspicion.

He followed the Faceless captain to a cage.

With sharp perception, Joffel noted it was shielded by an energy field.

Inside, a dozen red, round creatures rolled about, snarling and chasing each other, each one with vicious teeth and bulging eyes.

After observing for a moment, Joffel said, "Lord Nareth might indeed be interested in these red little monsters."

Recalling the reports from various expedition fleets encountering the orks, he added cautiously, "Suárez, I've heard the orks have bizarre reproductive abilities. Could transporting these things be risky?"

"Don't worry, Joffel," Suárez scoffed. "When we found them, they were being kept separate from the orks. I think they're different."

He smirked. "Besides, they look like they could be crushed with one hand. Even if they multiplied, they wouldn't pose much of a threat."

Joffel studied the cage for a moment longer before giving a cautious recommendation.

"Use a dedicated transport ship. If anything goes wrong, it'll be easier to contain."

"Alright."

Suárez, who genuinely enjoyed fighting alongside the Shadows of Order, readily agreed to the precaution.

One by one, the cages of Squigs, captured and confined by the techmarines, were loaded onto the transport ship, which immediately began its return journey to Vostroya.

At the same time, Nareth completed his conquest of the Araneus Conitunity and began awarding medals to warriors who had performed exceptionally.

The Primarch himself pinned a medal onto the chest of Kion, newly promoted to Fifth Company Captain of the Fourth Chapter, giving him a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.

The medals had been designed at Nareth's instruction and forged aboard the Throne of Sovereignty's Shadow by tech-servitors under the watch of legion artificers.

The back bore the High Gothic initials SC·FD, and above it, the word "Araneus".

The medal was a black circle with a red, eight-legged spider in the center, symbolizing the defeat of the Araneus Continuity.

Anyone who contributed to the campaign received a medal, whether an Astartes, a guardsman, a ship commander, or an artillery officer.

But only those with truly exceptional contributions were awarded directly by the Primarch.

This included Chapter Master, Captains, Legionaries, and even mortal officers like Diana Pauline.

Those who weren't decorated by the Primarch received gray badges instead, awarded by their direct superiors.

After the ceremony, the 7th and 12th Chapters departed under Nareth's orders, headed for Triken, guided by a star chart submitted by the Telavars.

Their mission: eliminate the local xenos and take control of Triken.

Nareth, meanwhile, led his Sleepless, Hunters, his honor guard, on a hunt into the underhive.

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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