Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 240 Hunting the Salamander

“That’s what I like most about you, Vulcan.” The Emperor’s smile deepened, his admiration evident in his eyes.

"You are an extraordinary person, with strength and wisdom far exceeding those of ordinary people, yet you can use the kindness in your humanity to balance your inherent arrogance and suppress the rightful condescension."

"This is the kind of you I expect and am willing to see."

When the obsidian crumbled layer by layer, Vulcan's decision to ignore the outcome and let the mortals leave earned him the Emperor's great praise and high commendation.

When obsidian breaks, due to its unique material structure, the edges of the fragments form a serrated structure, with a thinness approaching the nanometer limit, and a sharpness far exceeding that of ordinary blades.

In the ancient Neolithic period of Terra, tribes living on the edge of the volcano gathered obsidian to make spears to capture prey, which could pierce through the thick-skinned animals with a light toss.

The competition between the two extraordinary individuals exerted too much pressure, causing the obsidian desktop to succumb to its strain.

Obsidian fragments can shoot out like flying blades, piercing through dense crowds and causing bloodshed.

Vulcan's expression was serious; in order to protect the safety of the crowd, he was willing to concede defeat and withdraw his powerful strength.

The moment he was willing to concede defeat to protect the people, his expression visibly relaxed. He didn't answer, but his eyes showed only relief.

“Kindness and compassion are precious,” the stranger continued, drawing Vulcan’s attention back to the contest: “but they must not be excessive.”

As he spoke, the outsider stopped exerting force and withdrew his immense power.

The obsidian table shattered into pieces, clanging as it hit the ground, its sound mingling with the outsider's sermons and reaching Vulcan's ears.

"So, for the sake of victory, should I sacrifice their lives?" the black giant retorted, countering the lecture with a question.

The stranger shook his head slightly and said in his calm voice, "At times, we must pay the price for victory."

"You probably haven't considered what would happen if I won your loyalty and, as your master, ordered you to kill everyone present."

The outsider's sharp question not only silenced Vulcan, but also the Nocturne aliens behind him.

How to choose between a vow of loyalty, goodwill, and compassion?

“I will become the one who breaks the promise, and let them live,” Vulcan said stiffly, his neck stiff.

His words surprised everyone; the Emperor and Doom raised their eyebrows, and the mortals trembled with emotion.

He was to become a "dishonest person." Vulcan prepared for the worst, even at the cost of his own reputation, to protect the people behind him.

"No, no, no." The emperor's face was serious; this was not the answer he wanted.

He wanted his son to know that kindness is a great quality, but it needs to be used carefully, not abused as it is now.

In order to perpetuate compassion, Vulcan chose to destroy himself so that more people could live.

This sacrifice deserves respect, but it is not something to be encouraged.

“Your kindness and benevolence are somewhat narrow-minded,” the Emperor said, looking directly into Vulcan’s bloodshot eyes, patiently guiding his son’s goodwill: “It is about focusing on the ‘small acts of kindness’ in front of you without considering the consequences.”

"True goodness requires considering the bigger picture and using appropriate kindness and compassion to save more people..."

“No…” Hearing the stranger’s words, Vulcan shook his head firmly and asked forcefully, “If kindness requires calculation, can it still be called ‘kindness’?”

"Kindness lies in its starting point; it has no distinction of size and is the purest human will."

"It has been imprinted in our genes since ancient times, when our ancestors were still eating raw meat and drinking blood. When an ape extends its hairy hand to help another member of its kind who has fallen, kindness is exemplified."

"At that time, they may not have known about interests, but they knew what kindness was."

"Kindness has no size, only willingness or unwillingness."

“I choose to help them,” Vulcan said with a smile, turning to the side and raising his hand to let the outsider see the person behind him. “I am ready and willing to pay the price for this goodwill.”

"Even everything you own, even your life?" The emperor raised his voice, trying to teach his son how to properly use kindness.

“If it really comes down to exchanging my life for yours, I’m willing to do it.” Vulcan answered the stranger’s question without hesitation or doubt, his eyes burning with a fervent light.
People may have different social statuses, but life is equal and precious, regardless of its value.

A profound silence fell over the scene, and everyone who had heard Vulcan's words silently knelt before him.

A Primarch born for war, without using strategy or force, won the hearts of the Nocturne Starmen with the purest goodwill.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!" Clear applause rang out from outside the competition area, reaching everyone's ears.

They slowly rose, their gaze following the source of the applause, and saw the tall, out-of-towner sitting in a chair, clapping his hands and making a huge applause.

Doom raised his arm and gave Vulcan a thumbs-up, expressing his admiration for the good man, then fell silent and continued eating his fruit. Pure, unadulterated kindness was worthy of the King of Warriors' respect, but it remained only admiration.

As the Emperor intended to convey, in the dark and cold universe, kindness must be used wisely, or it will harm oneself.

Doom savored the sweetness of the fruit, but his heart was filled with worry for his brother's future.

Vulcan's brilliant values ​​will, in the future, become the sharp blade that tears and torments his soul.

But deep down, he hoped that Vulcan would remain kind and steadfastly uphold that brilliance of humanity.

This universe is so dark that those brilliant points of light are all the more precious.

The witch spirit trapped in the iron cage looked at the giant with a surprised gaze, a rare hint of admiration showing through its arrogant expression.

Regardless of race, kindness and compassion have always been the most respectable and admirable noble qualities.

The emperor suppressed his smile, his face showing a complex expression.

He was delighted by his son's noble character, but also troubled by the fact that his character was too noble.

“This is a draw,” he said, pulling his arm away from the obsidian shards. “Let’s begin the next match.”

Vulcan nodded silently. He sensed goodwill from the stranger, and also felt a kind of regret that the stranger was not living up to his potential.

He never understood where the two strangers came from, or why the person in front of him would give up a victory that was within his grasp.

The behavior of strangers is like being shrouded in volcanic ash, making it difficult to see clearly.

As a local of Nocturne, I also hope to gain more information from strangers in the upcoming competition.

Surrounded by a crowd, the two extraordinary beings engaged in various contests—building houses, harvesting crops, forging, and brewing wine.

Vulcan, being a local, was adept at these tasks, and with the power of the Primarch, he pushed the speed to its limit.

He can build a beautiful and tidy house in just half an hour; he can harvest crops with a sickle, harvesting hectares in just a few minutes; the weapons he forges are like divine artifacts, dazzling the eye.

In a series of competitions, the most surprising player was the outsider, whose efficiency was in no way inferior to Vulcan's. The two repeatedly tied in several events.

The Nocturne aliens realized the power of the outsiders.

Anyone with sound intelligence can see that the two sides are evenly matched and it will be difficult to determine a winner in a short period of time.

For eight whole days, Vulcan and the outsider competed in every imaginable event, all ending in a draw.

Some clever Nocturne aliens secretly set up betting pools, wagering on who would emerge victorious.

On the morning of the ninth day, the two sides returned to the town center for the final competition.

“Outsider.” Vulcan stepped forward and greeted the stranger, assuring him that the man meant no harm.

Doom and the Emperor simply nodded, offering no further comment.

"Today's competition is to hunt a fire lizard. Whoever has the biggest prey will win."

The host stood between the two and announced today's competition events, to which both nodded in agreement.

The crowd cheered loudly; today the outcome would finally be decided.

Salamanders inhabit volcanic clusters; they are incredibly strong and are at the top of the food chain on Nocturne.

The point of contention is that since neither of the two fire lizards is the same size, a winner must be determined.

This competition also motivated both sides to give their all in the hunt for the largest fire lizard to achieve victory.

"Why don't you go?" The Emperor turned to Doom and asked, trying to get him to go out and hunt the fire lizards.

Vulcan and Nocturne felt a chill run down their spines. They knew something about the short man's strength, but the big man had never made a move, so his true strength was hard to fathom.

"Heh." Doom let out a emotionless laugh, turned and walked towards the street vendors, exchanging the gems in his hand for some breakfast.

He never intended to participate in the Emperor's parent-child games.

Watching Doom's departing figure, the Emperor shook his head helplessly and strode towards the volcanoes to hunt down a fire lizard and decide the victor.

(End of this chapter)