Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 487 "The Diviner"

Ninglu looked at his honor guard member, William Wood.

William, from the 12th Regiment, had recently passed the test to become a "fortune teller".

"Are you sure?" the think tank member asked, having failed several times in his previous attempts to predict the future.

“My divination method is different from yours, and the ambush has already begun. The aliens may have stopped their psionic interference and joined the battle.”

Upon hearing this, Balsa Kuturi nodded slightly. The reasoning of the Shadow of Order made sense, but he was currently unable to use his psionic powers.

"Then please begin."

“I need his things as a medium to increase the success rate of my divinations,” the “diviner” said calmly.

"What medium?"

“I need the jewelry he used to wear.”

Upon hearing this, Balsa carefully examined the shadowy figure of order before him.

Unlike most think tanks that use force field staffs, Order Shadow carries a cane at its waist.

To the average person, it is a long staff, but by Astartes standards, it is merely a walking stick.

Even stranger are the runes engraved on the staff.
The think tank member looked away with a hint of doubt, curious about what the other party would do, and then spoke.

"Perhaps some of my comrades-in-arms have exchanged medals with Nerat."

Just as Balsa was about to make an inquiry on the communications network, Alkahas Far removed the blood-stained medal from the right side of his chest.

"The medals we received after reclaiming Jupiter's moon Io."

"Before arriving in Shana, Nerat and I reminisced about our time fighting side by side, and then exchanged our medals."

Balsa looked at the shadow of order. "Is it possible?"

"Yes, he can leave his mark on it."

William reached out his left hand to take the rune, his gauntlets soaked with viscous blood, and with his right hand he pulled out a bottle from among the dozen or so essential oils on his belt.

He would drip essential oils extracted from plants such as aloe vera, schefflera, monstera, and spider plants onto the medal in a triangular pattern. The dark red blood would quickly fade, revealing the runes engraved on it.

The "diviner" who activated his spiritual vision also saw the mixed colors mixed on it rapidly dissipate.

William flipped the coin over and dripped three more drops of essential oil onto it.

As the "fortune teller" put the bottle back on his waist, he stared at the coin. The mottled colors disappeared one by one, leaving two lines. A few seconds later, only the last line remained.

The "diviner" knew that it belonged to Nerat, a remnant of the medal he had carried for so long.

He drew a divination staff from his waist, which had been made for him by the armor master.

The armor master craftsmen are creating armor for the royal court monks, and has advanced to the knight level.

The Knight rank is currently limited to members of the Honor Guard.

When William was questioned by the armor master, he suggested that the armor be made for him for the time being, and asked the "mechanical expert" to make him a divination staff instead.

He didn't want to waste this opportunity before mastering the power bestowed upon him by the Father of Genetics.

William tried various methods, including the Force Field Staff from the Think Tank, the Legion's unique Osiris Mind Control Staff, and the Vladian Aether Staff, but none could perfectly utilize his divination abilities.

The "mechanical expert" met his needs and forged a perfect divination staff for him.

William drew his divination staff and pressed it against a rune.

With a buzzing sound, three thin crystal shards popped out from the tip of the staff.

He pointed his divination stick at the medal, and with a flash of light, the medal flew up.

A thin sheet wrapped around the medal, pressing it firmly against the top of the staff.

William gripped his black cane and glanced at his father.

“Let’s begin.” Ninglu nodded.

"As you command, Father."

William first infused four of the runes with psionic energy, and then the blackness in his eyes deepened as he entered a semi-meditative state.

The diviner felt his spirit becoming lighter and floating, and he silently prayed, "The location of Nerat Kirin."

After eleven repetitions, his hand left the black cane, but the cane did not fall; it remained standing.

A faint, invisible sound came from all around him. His deep black eyes were fixed on his cane, and he silently repeated in his mind once more, "The location of Nerat Gillin."

He had just finished reciting the words when the silver-inlaid black wooden cane fell to the eleven o'clock position. "Let's go." Ninglu took the lead and walked in the direction indicated by the "diviner's" cane.

Balsa stared at William's movements. Although his divination method also used psychic energy, it was not exactly the same as the one he had mastered. He didn't know if it was the same as the method of Chiko.

"Five o'clock."

The "diviner" gripped his cane and spoke in a low voice.

The fortune teller's voice was somewhat ethereal, as if it could penetrate into the unknown world.

The props used by a "diviner" for "finding objects with a divination stick" must be made of wood, metal, or a combination of both.

Normally, this requires two real divination sticks, shaped like a straight wire bent at a right angle, with the shorter side held and the direction determined by the rotation of the wire.

A "diviner" can perform divination using only a cane, without using a divination staff, but this does not allow him to utilize his precognitive talent.

The scepter designed for William by the "mechanical expert" was primarily based on extraordinary abilities, and he also drew upon his own psionic powers.

The column moved swiftly, the Nineteenth Legion soldiers, having received a replenishment of ammunition, following the Primarch and his Honor Guard in the direction indicated by the "Diviner".

"Diviners" use "divination sticks" to correct their direction; the direction the divination stick falls in is the direction obtained through divination.

At the same time, at Shana's No. 250 foundry.

Nerat led his company through the enormous furnaces, whose fires had long since died out.

He had been preparing for this hunt for a long time.

After discovering the neural collar, he decided to pursue the aliens who enslaved them.

Nerat didn't care about the lives of these people who betrayed their own kind; whether it was their will or not, they were just traitors.

He simply wanted to track down the aliens behind them and eliminate them; this was a more effective method.

In order to complete this hunt, he silenced the communication channels and severed contact with the Lord of Shadows.

Although Nerat respected Alkahas and considered him a great warrior leader, they had significant differences in their tactical philosophies.

Under the command of Lord Horus, the Shadow Lords have fully awakened their pre-ascension savage fighting habits, and they will slaughter any enemy they encounter.

Other Terrans, such as Nerat, follow a different approach: locate the target, raid, retreat before the enemy counterattacks, and then raid again.

Nerat and the Lord of Shadows had many conversations, and they respected each other, but they could never reach a consensus.

To ease their differences, they exchanged medals commemorating the great victory of Io.

Nerat gently touched the blood-stainless medal on his chest with his left hand, thinking to himself.

[Lord of Shadows, this time, I will prove you wrong.]
Nerat looked ahead and saw an upright scorpion-like creature with its four scarlet eyes turned in his direction.

It cannot be hidden, nor is it necessary to hide it anymore.

He turned on the company's communication channel, wanting to break the communication silence and issue combat orders.

The rustling sound made Nerat suspicious, and he whispered something.

"Attack!" came the rustling sound in response.

Nerat felt a shadow looming over him.

Shana II has a communication base station. The loss of communication connection is most likely due to enemy interference.

The communication interference means that the aliens may have discovered them.

This is a trap!
Nerat suddenly raised his explosive pistol and pulled the trigger.

The surrounding guards, a moment later, followed the company commander's movements and launched an attack.

The comrades in the company caught up within a few breaths. They did not rely entirely on the communication system, as they were used to various special situations in past battles.

Da da da!
Attacks came from all directions, with the aliens driving the enslaved masses to launch their attacks.

They were surrounded; it was indeed a trap.

Nerat immediately gave his three adjutants tactical signals to retreat!

The adjutants changed direction and launched attacks to the flanks and rear, searching for weaknesses in the encirclement.

Nerat, leading the honor guard, launched an attack on the target.

He needed to both hunt down the alien leader and draw the enemy's attention to create an opportunity for the company to retreat.

(End of this chapter)