Mortarion strode in front, with the Forgemen and the Soulless clearing the way for him. Fenus followed behind him in confusion, but did not disturb Mortarion's actions.
Following the same instructions, the Death Guard blew open the first door, and Mortarion stepped directly through - then he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Not an illusion
A strong smell of blood hit his face, and a thin layer of blood accumulated, dripping reluctantly from Mortarion's pale helmet boots as he walked.
Human corpses were lying on the ground in pieces.
In the very center of the room, the Fire Dragon Lord stood sadly with his war hammer, and at his feet was the Eldar witch whose neck had been strangled.
As soon as the Lord of Death stepped into the room, the firewood warriors led by Vulkan immediately saluted him. From the reactions of the firewood warriors, Mortarion judged that Vulkan was not yet willing to punch him in the face.
It's just... Mortarion glanced at the Eldar corpse. He could still understand Fenus, but this was...
[Are you mourning the Eldar, Vulkan? There is no need to mourn over one body for so long. There are many more out there.]
Finus made a dissatisfied sigh behind Mortarion, but Mortarion ignored him and stared at Vulkan.
Vulkan turned around. The good news was that the Fire Dragon Lord had not lost some of his original qualities like the Gorgon. Vulkan's face still had the mixed expression of compassion and guilt that Mortarion hated.
A dried tear mark hung on his dark face.
Under the gas mask, Mortarion made an inarticulate sound of disgust.
[I know this Eldar, Mortarion.]
[What? Did it tell you some vague prophecies, too, or do you take it very seriously?]
Mortarion felt Fenus behind him shift in disapproval, but the Gorgon remained silent.
[No…]
Vulkan said softly,
[She was one of the Dark Eldar who attacked Nocturne, and she killed a blacksmith I knew.]
[Now that you have taken your revenge, why are you crying? ]
Vulkan was stunned by Mortarion's highly aggressive words. He subconsciously rubbed his face with his fingers, but he could not feel any tears except sticky sweat stains.
[I... am not grieving for the death of this Eldar, my brother. The humans here are corrupted. When I saw them, they were abusing this Eldar by imitating the Dark Eldar's methods.]
Vulkan took a deep breath, and he felt the tip of his tongue trembling.
[The human civilization here has been corrupted, it is unimaginable... it is intolerable... The Eldar here saved these people from the Dark Eldar, but they absorbed the culture of the Dark Eldar instead, and they began to abuse their former abusers. ]
Vulkan took another deep breath, anger burning quietly in his chest, and he made his resolve even stronger.
[This planet... needs an extermination order.]
He had hoped to save the humans on the planet, but now he realizes there is nothing he can do.
Vulkan waited for his brothers' reaction—would they contradict him, would they ridicule him
But he looked up and saw Mortarion looking at him with complicated eyes.
The Lord of Death spoke,
[… Vulkan, what you mean is that you think the human civilization on this planet is hopeless, so you want to use the extermination order? ]
Vulkan nodded slowly and heavily. He had killed these unarmed people, and he had to bear the consequences.
Finus, who had been following Mortarion, spoke up. After leaving the illusion of the snake demon, the Lord of Medusa had obviously recovered quickly. Perhaps he simply wanted to stop himself from thinking about that incident.
[… Vulkan, you have too much affection for the local humans. This is not a good thing. Your empathy will destroy you and your legion. ]
Vulcan looked back at Finus and said softly,
No, it shapes us, and I've come to understand that this is what he wants us to do.
However, while Fenus and Vulkan were talking, Mortarion said nothing. The Lord of Death breathed laboriously under the gas mask, as if wondering why he was here.
Finally, Mortarion spoke in a low voice, interrupting the conversation between the two Primarchs.
[Let's get out first, and then cast that damn extermination order - No, Vulkan, don't look at me like that, I didn't agree to your extermination order because of the savages here. ]
The Lord of Death left first, and before walking out of the door, Vulkan clearly heard Mortarion curse in a low voice.
He didn't understand what he was cursing, Mortarion was cursing in Barbarus.
But his curse must have been very dirty.
———————
[Fire Forge]
The Salamanders' Glorious Queen is simply a large blacksmith shop, with furnaces burning with blazing flames everywhere. The Salamanders seem to treat the furnaces and steel as some kind of decorative stickers that can be pasted anywhere.
The Lord of Death was lazily leaning on a large sofa, with his scythe casually placed next to the armrest of the sofa. In front of him was a small decorative fire, and the flames made crackling sounds.
The Death Guard ships were hovering near the Salamanders' ships, and if necessary, Mortarion could order them to attack immediately - which was why Mortarion was staying on the Salamanders with peace of mind at the moment.
Perhaps there is another possibility, that is, Mortarion does not think that a man as empathetic as Vulkan would suddenly go mad or become corrupt.
… He is so… kind, kind to the point of being foolish.
Mortarion leaned back on the sofa, waiting with satisfaction and a little silence, as if he had sensed the loading of the whirlwind torpedoes through the trembling of the deck under his feet.
Finus was walking around anxiously and uneasily. His movements were very restrained, but they still couldn't hide his uneasiness.
Mortarion glanced at Finus. Compared to Volgan, the Lord of Death could understand Finus's behavior.
Even after five standard Terran hours, Mortarion still could not understand Vulkan's thinking.
[Sit down and talk?]
Finus stopped walking and looked deeply at Mortarion. Vulkan went to command the deployment of the Extermination Order. The Lord of Fire Dragons asked himself to personally participate and remember this inevitable crime.
[Here? ]
Mortarion hid his gaze in vain beneath the shadow of his hood.
[There is no one here, or any eavesdropping equipment. I asked Vulcan for a private room, and our "kind" brother actually prepared one for us—he didn't even take it to heart.]
Finus glanced at Mortarion, then he began to look around the room, and Mortarion was sure he would come to the same conclusion as he did.
And Fenus was more familiar with these metal products than he was.
Finally, Fenus was silent for a moment, then sat opposite Mortarion.
His sharp gaze was hidden in his deep eye sockets.
Mortarion looked at him.
[It is just an illusion. Its purpose is to arouse your deepest emotions and make you lose your mind.]
The corners of Fenus' mouth pursed into a straight line, and he thought of the two Eldar... they... didn't act like they had any malicious intentions.
[I reserve my own opinion, my brother, and what did you see in your vision? ]
Mortarion looked away and said incoherently,
[Pretty much, close friends die, offspring fall... that's all, they can't think of anything more distinctive.]
Finus asked,
[Are you completely indifferent to this, Mortarion?]
Mortarion sneered.
[You should ask yourself, Finus, why do you react so strongly? ]
The corners of Finus' mouth twitched slightly.
[I don’t think this is just an illusion, it’s too real, so real that my senses think I’m not being deceived.]
These words made the Lord of Death, who was leaning on the sofa, sit up straight. Mortarion leaned forward, holding the armrests tightly with both hands, and a curious light flashed in his eyes covered by the hood.
[Fenus, if you insist on doing this... Assuming that all this is true according to your reasoning. Then, what will you do? ]
[I mean, my brother, if... your dear friend Fulgrim is really corrupted.]
"Bang!"
There was a sudden sound of metal collision. Mortarion held up the scythe, and fierce sparks lit up between the scythe and Fenus's hand. Fenus left his seat, and it seemed that he still hadn't given up the idea of punching Mortarion.
[Reason, my brother.]
Mortarion still maintained his sarcastic tone, but his voice was trembling, and it took a lot of strength to confront Fenus.
Finus, who was sitting opposite him, was staring at him straight, his iron-gray eyes full of anger. He was like the wild beasts in his hometown, so angry and so impulsive.
[Mortarion, I warn you for the last time. You are not allowed to mention this matter again—either in front of me or in front of others.]
He looked at Mortarion, and to his surprise, Mortarion laughed softly, seeming to be pleased with Fenus's attack on him, although the laughter made his scythe that was blocking Fenus tremble.
[You want to silence me, what are you willing to pay me? ]
Finus suddenly withdrew his hand, which made Mortarion stumble forward, but the Lord of Death quickly restored his balance. He still sat there sideways, looking at Finus with interest. Finus was standing there awkwardly because of his previous gaffe.
The Lord of Medusa spoke coldly,
"Is this what you want to do, Mortarion? What do you hope to take from me after you have taunted me?"
To his surprise, Mortarion dropped his smile, and the Lord of Death stared at him grimly.
[No... I just... feel familiar with your current situation, a sad familiarity, Finus.]
What I want...
Mortarion whispered,
[I want to hear your opinion on this matter - if it is true, what would you do?]
Mortarion stared at Fenus, and he thought of himself.
Finus stared at Mortarion cautiously and angrily, and Mortarion looked back at him calmly, with no ripples in his eyes, as if guaranteeing his words.
So Fenusi carefully sat back in his seat, lowering his head in annoyance, but he was not upset about his reckless behavior.
[If I follow my way of thinking, the future will be so absurd... ]
Fenus gasped, and the face of the snake monster reappeared in front of him. The face was similar to that of his best friend, but it carried the breath of blasphemy and depravity. Desire wrapped around the snake's body like a veil. The monster teased him and told him a story that only the two of them knew.
… Fulgrim is supposed to be noble, and even Fulgrim himself cannot tolerate blasphemy and frivolity.
If that day really comes, Fugen himself will be the first to feel that life is worse than death.
As his best friend, Finus would choose to personally eliminate his pain, even if it would cause Finus himself to fall into hell.
Then I will do what I did to him before—that's it, nothing more.
The two were silent.
After a long while, Mortarion spoke slowly.
[Very good realization.]
Finus said sarcastically,
[If you hadn't discovered the truth, what qualifications would you have to judge me? ]
Mortarion stared at him, his hood pulled back, his eyes unblinking like a robot's.
[Of course I have... my brother, because I made the same choice as you.]
Finus paused.
[What did you see, Mortarion?]
Mortarion looked at him calmly.
[The illusion is not worth mentioning.]
[Do you really believe that it was an illusion? ]
[Who knows.]
Mortarion said, returning to his original lazy self and winking at Fenus.
[Whether it is or not, it doesn’t matter, but it does expand the boundaries of our imagination and tell us that there is a possibility in this world. ]
Fenus stepped forward hoping to question Mortarion further, but the door was flung open and Vulkan stood there.
Vulkan looked at the two Primarchs who were looking at him. Fenus was staring at him in surprise and anger, while Mortarion had an expression as if it had nothing to do with him.
[Excuse me, both of you... Should I knock on the door first? ]
Fenus made an annoyed sound, and Mortarion said lightly, "As you wish."
3.7k, no more, yay!
(End of this chapter)