Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

"The name of this secret organization is the Black Duke's Court."

Nareth addressed the six Beyonder warriors of the Shadows of Order, explaining its meaning:

"Black represents the legion's color. I am the monarch, and you are my vassals."

"Although few in number now, twenty-nine others who received my gift are currently undergoing transformation."

"In time, I will bestow power upon more within the Legion. Thus, the Court has a strict promotion system, one completely separate from your rank in the legion."

The six warriors said nothing, but their eyes sparkled with curiosity. It was a new system, different from the conventional military hierarchy.

"Your status within the Court is based on how many times I have granted you power.

Though you possess superhuman bodies, you must understand the meaning behind the powers I give you before you may advance again."

"Right now, you are Knights. The next rank is Lord, followed by Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquis, and Duke."

Nareth tied the names of the Court ranks to specific potion sequences:

Baron of Corruption (Sequence 6)

Count of the Fallen (Sequence 4)

Duke of Entropy (Sequence 2)

He also added Viscount and Marquis as intermediate levels, and to complete the hierarchy, placed Knight and Lord beneath Baron.

"Now then… heed your first command."

"Never speak of the powers I've granted you to anyone outside the Court, not even your battle-brothers."

His stern tone startled his six sons. They immediately responded in unison:

"Yes, Father!"

"Now return, and spread my ideals to more of the Shadows of Order."

After the six departed, Nareth sent a message to Marlena.

The "Planter" had arrived en route. Nareth had returned briefly to the "Kingdom of Disorder" to brew the Doctor potion.

A moment later, Marlena, her broad forehead smooth and gleaming, smiled as she looked down at Nareth's outstretched hand.

"Another blessing of power."

The biomancy psyker lips curved into a flawless smile. After sharing a psychic link with Nareth, she had developed a fragmented insight into him.

Despite Nareth's skilled concealment techniques, she could still sense part of his inner thoughts.

That mysterious distance between them seemed slightly less now. She better understood what it meant that Nareth, upon returning to the Imperium, was a Primarch.

Yes, he had divine power, but also emotions, rarely expressed.

Due to his position and strength, many crises that would terrify mortals, such as the warp predator that had nearly killed Marlena, barely registered to someone like Nareth.

She picked up the white potion and drank it in one gulp.

A moment later, after controlling the surge of power within her, she asked softly:

"Doctor?"

"Correct. I'll arrange a new role for you. You'll master the power quickly, but the start may not be pleasant."

Marlena arched her thick but delicate brows and probed:

"The medical deck?"

She knew Howard Fender and others were undergoing Astartes augmentation on the upper decks.

"That's right," Nareth nodded. "I want you involved in the process."

Typically, Apothecaries collect gene-seed but do not perform the actual surgeries. They oversee rather than directly operate on recruits.

And right now, all the new Terran recruits were undergoing transformation on Luna, carried out mainly by the Selenite gene-cults, not the Apothecaries.

While Nareth could arrange Marlena's entry, gaining the Apothecaries' trust would not be easy.

He turned to her and revealed his purpose:

"The Vostroyans undergoing augmentation are too old. Their failure rate will be high."

"As a 'Doctor', you can save some of them even if the surgery fails."

"You'll learn much from this, and it will benefit you in the future."

The Mother pathway lived up to its name: mid-tier practitioners could engineer lifeforms, while high-tier creations gained true sentience. Combined with Marlena's biomancy, which she could analyze biological tissue with her powers and manipulate it. The potential was staggering.

Nareth placed great trust in Marlena and saw her as a key Beyonder being to train.

"I won't disappoint you. With this power, I'll earn their trust quickly."

Marlena's tea-brown eyes shimmered with confidence.

"Come with me."

After clarifying the importance of joining the Apothecary team, Nareth led her toward the medical deck.

They took the Primarch's private elevator and descended.

Upon entering the hall, they were met with a bustling, orderly gene lab.

The Apothecaries had finished installing all the equipment. The air smelled of disinfectant and metal.

Under the tall ceiling, complex pipe systems snaked like veins, feeding life-supporting fluids and energy to the augmentation chambers.

Against a metal wall sat rows of organ cultivation tanks, growing hearts, lungs, and other organs needed for surgery. Apprentice Apothecaries examined each one carefully.

Black-robed assistants were scattered among hundreds of surgical pods, separated by tempered glass domes. They gathered around metal surgical beds.

Each Apothecary monitored multiple chambers, personally handling the most difficult procedures.

Nareth scanned the deck and was immediately drawn to chamber IV, 25 meters away.

There, Mikael and another Apothecary stood by a metal bed, surrounded by black-robed assistants.

A naked man lay on the bed, his body convulsing violently like he'd been electrocuted.

Nareth instantly recognized the man: Roslov, the very first follower of Nareth, now commander of the first regiment, a newly promoted Pugilist.

Nareth's heart sank. He strode rapidly toward the chamber, Marlena close behind.

When they were ten meters away, Roslov suddenly stopped twitching and fell stiffly against the surgical bed.

Mikael withdrew his medicae from his left arm and said flatly:

"Resuscitation failed. The candidate is dead."

Nareth's spirit vision confirmed Mikael's judgment.

He turned to Marlena. Hope shimmered in his eyes.

Understanding immediately, Marlena stepped forward.

"Primarch!"

Hearing the assistants' shout, Mikael looked up and saw Nareth. Shock briefly crossed his eyes, and he hurriedly opened the pod door.

Face to face with a mortal, he was about to reprimand her until the Gene-Father spoke.

"She is a 'Doctor.' Let her take a look."

'Doctor'

The candidate's already dead. No normal doctor can fix that...

Still, Mikael obeyed instantly and stepped aside, allowing Marlena entry.

She quickly approached the bed. The second Apothecary and assistants moved aside.

She opened her Spirit Vision. Unlike the "Corpse Collector," whose vision focused on death, the "Physician's" gaze centered on health.

After one glance, she confirmed: Roslov's organs were inevitably dying.

Still, she checked two more times before silently shaking her head at Nareth.

His heart dimmed.

He'd known adult transformation surgeries were dangerous, but he hadn't expected to witness Roslov's death personally.

The first follower. The most loyal.

Not dead on the battlefield, but on a cold operating table.

Roslov was the oldest of them all; he had the highest risk of death.

Even if he'd skipped surgery, he could never ascend to high sequences.

Even with the best life-extension tech, he might've only lived a few more centuries.

After a brief moment of sorrow, Nareth turned to Mikael and the others:

"All of you, leave."

"Marlena stays."

He was about to harvest the remnants of the beyonder essence left behind after Roslov's death.

"Understood."

Mikael, having chosen to follow the Primarch, knew what this meant.

The Primarch wants to say farewell.

As the Apothecaries and assistants exited the chamber, Nareth stepped inside.

...

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

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