NOVEL NEXT Chapter 170 The Kraken Spire
The Wolf King's sapphire-blue eyes flashed, this competition would allow no room for luck.
In a split second, the Primarch conceived the terms for their hunting contest.
"The duel will still be held in three rounds. The first round's target is a Thunderwolf, one of the fiercest of Fenrisian wolves. But it's not about killing it; they must earn its recognition."
"If your boy succeeds, he'll gain a powerful companion."
Leman Russ glanced at the psychic beast lying beside Nareth's feet and sneered,
"A real, trustworthy battle companion isn't some spellcasting pet."
"Whoever earns the loyalty of the largest Thunderwolf wins the first round."
The Wolf King's aggressive gaze made the gyrinx uneasy. Its tawny fur bristled, black eyes locked warily on the Primarch.
Nareth calmed the beast through their psychic link and replied evenly,
"A companion so strong it makes others tremble in fear?"
Ignoring the fury behind those blue eyes, he simply said,
"Fine."
Nareth knew Russ was right, Thunderwolves were the most renowned subspecies of Fenrisian wolves.
The largest, the Black-Maned Wolves, could grow as large as a Rhino transport. Thunderwolves were slightly smaller but even more muscular, strong enough to carry a fully armored Space Wolf into battle.
Russ's eyes were now locked onto Sanchez's black power armor.
"A hunt on Fenris is a trial for true warriors, not for cowards hiding in metal shells. Does your cub dare shed his armor and join the hunt?"
Nareth recognized the tactic; Russ's brutish language was a deliberate provocation, meant to goad and remove what he saw as unfair advantages.
He couldn't change the fact that Jorin hadn't yet undergone augmentation, but he could push Sanchez to relinquish the defensive edge of his power armor.
Before Nareth could respond, Sanchez stepped forward,
"Of course. I'll strip off my armor and take only a combat blade. I'll hunt by Fenrisian tradition."
Three Fenrisian hours later, Sanchez had shed his Mark II armor and donned light gear. He carried a short blade the length of a mortal's longsword, and ventured into the blizzard alongside the Jorin.
The eyes of both the Shadow of Order and the Fenrisians turned to the duel, even setting aside their mead and roasted meats.
Nareth whispered something to the Emperor, then departed with his Shadow of Order.
The "Hunters" were sent into the wilds. Nareth, along with Szczesny, Jorginho, and twenty-eight other Beyonder chosen along the path of the "Tyrant," boarded gunships heading toward the Sea of Storms.
Previously, when Nareth used Supernatural Intuition, he had already marked several sites rich in potion materials. His first target: a sea dragon nest.
Sea dragons on Fenris are enormous aquatic reptilian predators, roaming the turbulent Sea of Storms.
While terrifying to the Fenrisians, they were also essential to the islanders, sources of materials used for longboats and island homes.
The specific nest Nareth targeted was a massive underwater cave surrounded by dense Fenrisian krill, drawing in countless sea creatures.
Which made it the perfect feeding and nesting spot for more than a dozen sea dragons.
Hovering above the waters, Nareth issued a command to the Order's warriors, now clad in light armor rather than their power suits:
"Into the water. Hunt the aquatic predators."
Szczesny leapt first, plunging into the Sea of Storms like a fish returning to its native waters.
The "Folk of Rage" was invigorated, but did not forget his lord's command. He dove deeper.
His people, born of fury, moved like sea creatures. Within seconds, thanks to his night-vision organs, Szczesny locked onto a target.
A fish feeding on krill was suddenly swallowed by a torpedo-shaped predator fish.
Before it could enjoy its meal, the sea dragon struck, engulfing the predator in a single gulp.
The massive reptile felt something disturb the current above it and turned its head sharply, only to see a bronze-skinned human daring to charge directly at it.
Roaring, the sea dragon lunged with jaws wide open.
But the Folk of Rage twisted sharply, fish-scale patterns glowing faintly on his skin, his arm swelling with power. He threw a punch.
"Raging Blow"
It smashed into the sea dragon like a cannon blast, knocking it unconscious.
Nareth sent others to hunt nearby targets and brought two sea dragons back to the "Kingdom of Disorder," where the Jokaero could use them to refine the Sequence Seven "Seafarer" potion for the Folk of Rage.
Afterward, he summoned Szczesny and Jorginho back to the gunships to ascend as "Seafarer."
But there was no time to rest. Nareth flew toward another key location on Fenris: the Kraken Spire.
Unlike Asaheim, the Kraken Spire was a semi-permanent landmark, sometimes above the sea, sometimes sunken beneath it. At this time, it had emerged once again, becoming a graveyard for krakens, Fenris's deadliest sea monsters.
During the Fire Summer season, volcanic activity could thrust the rocky island upward along with other seamounts.
For island tribes, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance: the island was strewn with kraken bones, some buried for thousands of years.
But with Fenris sliding into winter, the Spire was slowly sinking again. Anyone seeking its bounty had to act fast.
As Nareth's gunship approached within a dozen kilometers, his superhuman vision saw a brutal scene in the water.
Using Warp Insight, he observed two krakens with dim life-signs raging against greedy humans who dared invade their resting place.
The sea was red with blood. Broken planks, sea dragon skins, and severed limbs floated in the churning waters.
One of the smaller krakens, about 800-900 meters long, rammed a longboat into splinters.
The larger one, an Iron-Scaled Kraken, nearly 5 kilometers long, left destruction in its wake.
Fenrisians rained arrows and spears upon the smaller beast.
Wounded, the aging kraken bellowed its rage. It no longer feared death, only wished to rend these grave-robbers to pieces.
The Iron-Scaled Kraken, however, was nearly immune to their weapons. Arrows bounced off its iron-like scales. Even those few that pierced them failed to penetrate the bony shell beneath.
Nareth turned to Szczesny and Jorginho:
"You've just become Seafarers, and what better way to celebrate than with a gift? A longboat, delivered straight to you."
"Go. Kill those krakens."
With that, the extraordinary warriors leapt from the gunboat, forming two strike groups led by Szczesny and Jorginho.
Their targets: the ancient beasts of Fenris.
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