Neither of them could convince the other with words. Vulkan was much more stubborn than they had imagined. This might be a good thing, as it meant that he would not be easily shaken, even if the price was the blood of more offspring.
But during the conversation, Finus gradually realized that Mortarion was not really trying to admonish Vulkan, but rather was judging him by his words and actions.
Why is he so wary of the Brotherhood? Unless...
The deepest fear emerged from Fenus's logic. He didn't want this to be true. He would rather hope that the truth of the matter was that Mortarion himself was a madman.
But is this possible
Not long after they left the Fireforge, Lord Medusa received an invitation from the Lord of Death, and their conversation was far from over.
Unlike Mortarion, who would never board another Legion ship unless necessary, Fenus did not have to go through that much, so he went happily.
———————
Endurance
The Lord of Death sat comfortably in his own chair, and he obviously looked more relaxed than on the Fireforge. On the other hand, the Lord of Medusa did not look so comfortable.
Just as Vulkan liked to embellish the Fireforge with heat and fire, Mortarion liked to cover his room with a light and warm poisonous gas. He even took off his breathing mask - only then did Fenus realize that it was not a gas mask, but a gas mask.
Perhaps Mortarion is a madman.
[Welcome, my brother.]
Mortarion spoke casually, raising his hand and signaling the servitor to pour wine for the two Primarchs. The slightly turbid wine in the simple copper cup reflected the poverty and dimness in the room.
Finus slowly shifted his gaze towards Mortarion.
[Please forgive me, compared to those legions that care about life, the Death Guard does not care too much about things other than war.]
Mortarion indifferently took another small pot of wine from the tray held by the servitor, and then added a little more to his cup. Finus clearly saw that what was poured out of the pot was a pure black and smelly liquid, with some unknown black dregs mixed in.
Now Fenus ranked Mortarion at the top of the list of the weirdest Primarchs, and he decided to take Mortarion's credibility down a level.
Realizing that Finus had been staring at him, Mortarion spoke, though his eyes were still on the wine.
[This is my... some personal hobbies, slightly toxic. ]
The poisoned wine would allow him to speak better, the acrid, corrosive liquid would sting his esophagus and cause his stomach to cramp, reminding Mortarion of his years in Barbarus, making him realize that he himself endured hardships all the time, survived them, and became tougher.
His mood will improve.
For someone who survives on pain, a better mood is not a good thing, so Mortarion rarely drinks. He usually drinks when he swears an oath with his warriors to help himself remember that moment better.
This was the second time he had drunk with his "brother", the first time being with Horus, but to Mortarion it was nothing more than bland water.
He wanted to try again to see if there was any new possibility for him.
Finus gave him a skeptical look, but Mortarion ignored him and took a sip, feeling the oral mucosal cells exploding in the venom, which was like swallowing a dense needle.
[They are all freaks.]
Mortarion said, shaking the glass in his hand slowly.
[I thought I had adapted to this "family", this corner full of tyrants, murderers, and egomaniacs, but I found out that I was wrong. Vulcan's existence shocked me. ]
Finus carefully raised the wine glass in his hand, took a careful look at the turbid wine, and then took a sip.
Unexpectedly, instead of the rough taste, Fenus's senses were overwhelmed by an inexplicable spicy pain - this glass of wine was definitely poisonous.
And Mortarion kept watching Fenus's movements.
[You are not bad either.]
Finus made a fair and objective judgment.
Mortarion laughed.
[At least my hands are not made of iron.]
he said, taking another swig.
Previous contact had already made Fenus accustomed to Mortarion's occasional sarcasm. Fenus moved his hand, and in the dim reception room of the Death Guard, the metallic luster became dim.
Finus chose his words carefully, recalling the previous conversation, and gradually a clear thread was formed between Mortarion's words and actions -
[I think... I'm the first one you met?]
Mortarion paused, and then a smile appeared on his lips.
[I am the first one who can communicate rationally.]
Finus spoke hoarsely,
[Then I guess your last experience might not have been that wonderful.]
Mortarion's smile deepened, but there was a hint of pain in it.
[You guessed it right, so I don’t expect too many normal people to appear in this “family”. ]
Finus took another sip of the wine. After the spicy feeling of the first sip, he began to get used to the turbid liquid. The stimulation brought by the toxin faded, and he even began to find it bland.
After all, he had survived on Medusa by eating rotting corpses and rusty metal screws, so at least this wine was made from plants and protein.
[But you yourself do not have the qualities that I can trust, Mortarion.]
Mortarion paid no attention to Finus's accusation. He spoke casually,
"This conversation is your opportunity, not mine, my brother. Don't you realize this? Do not challenge my remaining goodwill, Finus.]
[I always thought that among the three of us, only Vulcan had good intentions.]
Finus spoke,
[What do you want? Or, Mortarion, what should I give in exchange for your "goodwill"? ]
He watched Mortarion mutter something under his breath, and then the Lord of Death raised his hand to drink, and when he put the glass down again, only black dregs were left in it.
[You have to prove your worth first, Fenus - stop hanging around. If you still think I'm fooling you, you can leave the Endurance at any time.]
Mortarion said with a little annoyance, "Is this because he is drunk?"
Finus said nothing. He drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and then looked at the small wine jug.
[But I must point out that your hospitality is not very good, Mortarion. Why don't you give good wine to your guests? ]
Rarely, Mortarion was stunned, then he laughed, picked up the jug and poured wine for Finus, and also filled his own cup - this time he did not add "water".
Mortarion's eyes were wrinkled, and he was smiling.
[I suggest you drink just a little for the first time, and don't swallow it yet. This is my special brew, and it's stimulating enough for the original body. ]
Finus lifts the cup,
[You underestimated me. Perhaps you don't know the living environment of Medusa. Only the brave who can swallow the steel nails can survive in that scorched earth.]
Then he drank—
Finus almost vomited, his mouth was bleeding, he could feel the fishy and sweet taste mixed with the bitter liquid, which was neither fish nor fowl, but soon he could no longer feel it because the layer of flesh on his tongue had melted into the wine.
[Hmm.]
Mortarion watched Finus' performance happily. He counted the seconds silently in his mind, one second, two seconds... At the fifth second, Finus finally swallowed it.
Finus’s own resistance to poison was indeed quite good. Mortarion silently took a big sip. Maybe he could try cyanide next time.
Finus looked at Mortarion in disbelief.
[Do you usually drink this? This is... too exciting. ]
[Now you realize my perfect hospitality, Fenus.]
Finus looked away, smacked his lips, as if savoring the feeling just now, then he carefully raised the wine glass and smelled it, then took a small sip.
[It seems that I misunderstood you before,]
Fenus listened to the screaming sound of his esophagus. He felt his stomach was perforated and cold liquid was squeezing into his intestines through his abdominal cavity. It was painful, but it was nothing for them.
Finus took another sip,
So, Mortarion, there's more than one, right? If you're so cautious, then... more than just... Fulgrim
The pain in his gut was a good substitute for the pain in his soul, and the sight of his best friend blurring into the pain made the words come easy.
Mortarion ignored him and poured himself a third cup.
[continue.]
Mortarion said.
Finus clenched his teeth, and his gums were bleeding.
[Does he know about this? Have you talked to him about it?]
Mortarion glanced at him.
[I remember I said at the beginning that this "family" is full of freaks. Do you think the "father" of such a "family" can be any good? ]
[but,]
Mortarion leaned back against the sofa, as if he hated his own words, and the words spit out of his mouth like slugs.
[He is trustworthy, and we can only trust him, there is no other way - most people are not trustworthy. ]
[… Why?]
Mortarion spoke darkly.
[Because my commander chose him, and I trust my commander. ]
This sentence caused Finus to fall into a long silence.
[Okay, I take back my apology, you are a freak, my brother.]
Mortarion raised his hand.
[You should remember him - Hades, he is the master of the Silence Order of the Empire. If you are not stupid, then you should know what this title means. ]
Fenus was silent again, remembering Hades, past contacts, and the rumors of those who had returned from studying on Mars.
[I didn't see your commander in this battle. Was he transferred by the Empire?]
Mortarion nodded.
The next moment, Finus breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the wine and took a sip.
[So our father is also taking action, great—]
But in an instant his face turned pale again,
[Will he dispose of defective products directly? ]
Mortarion spoke slowly.
[And what do you do, Finus?]
Finus opened his mouth, he wanted to say something, he wanted to do something, he opened his mouth and closed it again, he thought of Fulgrim, he thought of those years, and finally, he said tremblingly,
[I hope... at least my memory can be cleared more cleanly by then. ]
Mortarion laughed.
[I appreciate your answer, but now that I and the Death Guard are still here, I don't think he's that harsh.]
Finus kept his head down and went straight to get the wine jug.
But things turned out to be beyond his expectation.
The flagon is empty.
3.2k, great!
Thanks to group u for helping me read the article
Recommend books, recommend books!
In This Life, Even Dogs Don’t Talk About Love
In my first life, I was licked by a green tea girl for 10 years. She said she only treated me as a brother and then got into someone else’s car.
In my second life, I realized that I would never lick again! I saved a white, rich and beautiful senior schoolmate. I thought I could have a sweet love and lie down happily, but who would have thought that the yandere senior schoolmate would create a psychological shadow in my life
In the third life, I got it! I really got it! If I fall in love again, I will be a dog!
In this life, I don’t even want to talk about love!
Woof! Woof woof!!
(End of this chapter)