Chương 5: The Aftermath
The battle was over. It was bloody and brutal, but the inhabitants of Nocturne had repelled the invaders for the very first time. News travelled fast about Vulkan's and Nubix's feat of fighting the Drukhari head-on and defeating them all. The inhabitants of other cities came to Vulkan, wishing to show him their respect. Next to the mighty form of Vulkan, Nubix was more of a side character than anything else. But he didn't have a problem with it. If anything he preferred it that way.
Seeing the people of Nocturne coming to see him and pay their respects, Vulkan could see the admiration they had in their eyes for him. He saw the need for him and looking at his brother, Nubix knew that Vulkan was starting to be shaped into something great more and more. His inherent skill and power, the empathy he was taught on Nocturne and the fact that he chose to stand up to the Drukhari instead of run away, all formed the picture of a mighty man.
Vulkan stood over everyone who came to see him and addressed all of them. His booming voice sounded across the landscape and everyone could hear him in this moment.
"People of Nocturne. I am honoured by your visit. I hereby vow to crush all enemies and you all, the people of Nocturne will never again be forced to hide!"
"WOOAHHH"
"VULKAN"
"VULKAN"
"VULKAN"
...
Nubix looked at the scene and smiled. The greatest warrior did not conquer the planet he was sent to... it bowed before him, not out of fear but out of admiration and love.
Against this threat, Vulkan became transformed, and his legend spread across the world. He was the "fire-born" - an undefeated warrior whose superhuman strength had torn the slave-barges down from the sky and crushed the Xenos in droves, driving the Dark Eldar from Nocturne.
.
In honour of the victory over the Dark Eldar, in what was the year 832.M30 by the Imperial Calendar, it was decided to hold a festive tournament, including competitions in strength and craftsmanship common to the people of Nocturne.
Nubix was walking around and looking at everything. It had been a very long time since he had seen so many smiles on the faces of humans. His parents would smile at him to keep him from worrying, but he now knows that it was all an act to appear brave in front of him and give him a sense of security. He had not avenged them, but it was a start. The Drukhari would all get a taste of his fists and weapons in the years to come.
He walks to where the Opening Ceremony is being held and sees a peculiar scene that makes his blood go cold for a second.
A stranger has appeared. His skin is unusually pale, compared to the dark, swarthy complexions of the people of Nocturne, and his clothes are very strange, made of materials unfamiliar to the pre-industrial Nocturneans. But Nubix can see it. He can see the man behind the illusion standing there in front of his brother Vulkan. His mind's eye is screaming at him that this man is dangerous. No matter what others may think, he can tell that this man is powerful. When he looks at him, he can see a bright light, like looking at the sun.
The man in question looks at Nubix and tilts his head slightly. No one knows what goes through his head.
"So you would like to compete?" Vulkan asks the stranger.
The man nods his head.
"I see no problem with that. And you claim that you could best any man at the competitions?"
"Hahahaha" "Hahahaha"
The people who hear that laugh at the ridiculous notion as they compare the stranger with the superhuman Vulkan that towers over him. Nevertheless, the man only nods with his serene expression.
"Hoho, I accept your challenge, my friend," Vulkan says with a smile.
"How about a wager?"
"A wager? What kind?"
"Whoever loses the competition will swear his eternal loyalty and obedience to the victor."
"..."
Vulkan smiles at such effrontery and shakes his head. He can't see through the illusion of the stranger and can't see the shining brightness that is his aura. Before he agrees, Nubix approaches his brother and stops him.
"Vulkan, think about what you answer. Don't assume that you know everything and be cautious. If you can't live with the consequences, don't agree to the wager."
"What do you mean, Nubix? Do you know something?"
"I can tell you that the stranger is using an illusion to hide his aura and power. I believe that he is purposely doing that to get you to agree to his terms and then get your eternal allegiance."
"Hm ..."
Vulkan thinks about it for a while and looks at the stranger. There is a very small, minuscule smile at the corner of his lips as he overhears the words of Nubix.
"Haha, I believe in my strength, brother. You should believe in my strength as well. I accept your wager, my friend. Let us compete."
.
The competitions had begun. Each contest included many tests of strength and endurance. To see the upper limits of the physical might of the competitors. Nubix also attended the competitions as he saw it as a way to grow stronger.
The people of Nocturne were treated to the spectacle of two and a half godlike beings competing against one another, utterly astonishing the mere mortals around them with their superhuman prowess. Many of the contests had to be called a draw between Vulkan and the fair-skinned stranger, for there was simply no way to determine a victor. Nubix was also impressive for a mere human, but when it came down to it, he was nowhere near as impressive as the other two and had to give up.
For instance, the anvil lift, where the contestants were required to hold an anvil aloft above their heads for as long as possible, ended in a tie when the two superhuman competitors both held anvils aloft for half a day with no sign of tiring, while all the other competitors had given up after mere solar minutes. Nubix managed to persevere for 12 minutes and achieved third place but had to give up after that.
All the subsequent contests saw similar outcomes, and by the end of local day 8, Vulkan and the stranger were tied in the overall tournament. To break the tie, the elders of Nocturne decided that the winner would be determined by the test of Salamander Hunting.
"Both contestants are given 24 solar Nocturne hours to forge a weapon, before using that weapon to hunt down and slay one of our reptilian salamanders," one of the elders declares.
"Normally, this task was assessed as being impossible for any mere mortal, but seeing the results of the past 8 days, we have decided that this would be but a formality for both of you. The elders included the caveat that the contestant who brought back the largest salamander will be proclaimed victorious."
And so the two contestants set off, to complete the final trial.
.
In the end, it came down to the final trial: Salamander Slaying. Both men had a day and a half to forge a weapon, then go out and slay the largest salamander, which is a large, heat-loving reptile native to Nocturne, that they could find. Vulkan and the stranger worked all day at their forges, neither pausing to rest.
As the day drew to a close, they emerged. Vulkan had forged a huge warhammer, and the stranger a keen-edged sword. They both climbed to the summit of Mount Deathfire, a massive volcano said to be the home of the largest Firedrakes, the most fearsome species of salamander, on the planet. Vulkan found his prey first, smashing its head off with a single blow from his hammer. As he carried the carcass back, the volcano unexpectedly erupted.
Vulkan was nearly thrown off a cliff but managed to grab onto the edge with one hand, stubbornly grasping the tail of his prize with the other. The mighty Vulkan held on for several hours, but his hold finally began to slip. It was at that time the stranger reappeared, carrying a salamander larger than Vulkan's own. The stranger quickly threw his carcass into the lava flow, using its heat-resistant hide as a bridge to cross over and save Vulkan.
Back at the celebrations, Nubix sat and thought about what it meant that he was here at this moment. The fact, that the stranger, who was in truth the Emperor of Mankind, was here now, meant that another chapter would open for him. Vulkan would leave Nocturne and travel to Terra, in order to learn from the Emperor and be ready when the time came to set out and support the Great Crusade. He would stand by his newfound brother and as a future, 'son' of Vulkan and a member of the Salamanders, his role was an important one.
The galaxy brought with it dangers that could only stem from the dark parts of human imagination. All races in the Warhammer galaxy sought to either kill everything else or rule the galaxy itself, while Chaos sought to sow chaos. And Nubix Orenn was in the midst of it all. In terms of Legions, he could have gotten a much worse start than the Salamanders, but he could have also gotten a better one. Nevertheless, it is what it is and Nubix had long gotten any hope of preventing anything out of his head.
He was going to be ready when the time came. All he could do was to grow stronger and fight. As long as he didn't die too soon, he might have a chance to make a difference when the time came. He knew that there was a Heresy which would happen in the future and Vulkan would die, or get tortured ... Sadly Nubix didn't know enough to be sure.
"They're back!"
The shout came and Nubix looked to the front seeing the two men. The large stature of Vulkan carrying a large head of a Salamander, while the smaller stranger doesn't have anything on him at all. The people of Nocturne are already celebrating, believing their hero to be the winner of the competition.
"Wohooo, Vulkan!!"
"Let's go our hero!!"
"Of course he won, he saved us after all."
Everyone already proclaimed Vulkan as the winner. But the large man dropped the Salamander's head on the ground, silencing the crowd at the same time. Nubix observes as something happens, which he doesn't think anyone on Nocturne expected at all. The large powerful man Vulkan kneels on the ground, before the stranger.
"Any man who values life over pride is worthy of my service. By saving me, you effectively lost your own larger Salamander head and lost this challenge. You might have lost the challenge, but you have won my allegiance and loyalty."
Everyone is silent and some gasp at the scene. The stranger suddenly smiles gently and drops his illusion, revealing a bright glow that almost blinds everyone.
"You are as honourable as I knew you were. It is time that I reveal myself to you ... my son."
"S-son?"
"I am the Emperor of Mankind and you are my son who was taken from me long ago. Now I have finally found you. You serve a greater purpose than you realise yet and I am here to show it to you."
"..."
Nubix sighs as he hears the Emperor's words. He knows that this will be a time that he will not be able to see Vulkan for a long time. At least he will be able to become a Space Marine for the XVIIIth Legion and wait for Vulkan to arrive and help them in the war effort.
.
Vulkan's only reservation on departing Nocturne was that he would not leave its people undefended, but in this, the Emperor countered that Vulkan's duty was not simply to one world but to many, worlds that knew the terror of the darkness and the feasting of alien horrors uncounted as Nocturne had and that Nocturne itself as the homeworld of a Primarch would forever be secured by his sons, the XVIIIth Legion which bore his blood.
The time for a great change had arrived for all of Nocturne and Nubix especially. The Great Crusade waited for no one and he had to up his game to keep up, while his brother Vulkan was away.
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