Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 67 Crossroads of Fate

Guarding the main domain—the Royal Palace Council Hall.

King Norwick's body was hunched over, his strong muscles gone, his dry, gray skin like withered tree bark, and his shriveled veins like vines wrapped around his lifeless body.

His magnificent robe was covered in saliva and snot, staining his chest and legs. The robe clung to his thin, withered body, his skeletal frame clearly visible.

His head was bowed very low, almost level with the armrests of the throne.

His once thick, long hair is now just withered remnants of weeds, sparsely hanging from his bald head, a testament to the king's weakness and powerlessness.

The skin on his face was loose and wrinkled, and his eye bags dragged down, pulling down his lower eyelids and revealing cloudy whites of his eyes and dull pupils.

"My king..."

The throne guards knelt on one knee, as was the rule for King Norwick to keep away from him while he was conscious.

The guard turned his head slightly, unable to bear looking directly at the king, and spoke as clearly as possible without disturbing him: "Your eldest son has returned."

The voice echoed in the empty council chamber, but received no response for a long time.

"Uh……"

After a long while, the man on the throne, who looked as if he had died, finally let out a weak breath.

"Who...is there?" The simple question seemed to be drawn out over centuries, the hissing sound as if squeezed out of a throat.

If it weren't for the throne guards' keen hearing, ordinary people wouldn't have been able to hear what he was saying at all.

"His Highness, the guards, and the priest; there is no one else."

The guard should clearly and concisely convey all the important information.

"cough~"

Norwick snorted, but it turned into a low cough.

His body trembled as he yanked the last vestiges of reason from his muddled mind, forcing out a sound with all his might:

"Let the Queen see me, and let Elton Sena go and fetch Doom."

As he spoke, Novick's body arched and began to tremble violently, his long, thin nails digging into his withered palms.

The voice was urgent and pained: "Have Senna take the teleporter! Get Doom back as fast as possible!"

"As you command!"

The throne guards ran out of the council chamber.

He didn't understand why the king's body had weakened so much since returning to guard the main domain.

Novik was the only one left in the council chamber. He was convulsing on his throne, tears streaming from his eyes, cursing something and spitting out saliva.

He stopped after a long time.

His head was bowed, and painful tears fell to the ground and shattered. His voice, choked with sobs, gradually turned into a heart-wrenching cry of anguish: "Ennio... my beloved son... my eldest son."

"You will not be alone... I will use victory to commemorate you..."

"Gods... our game... will soon be decided!"

Then he sat up again, closed his cloudy, bloodshot eyes, and remained silent, awaiting the final answer from fate.

The order from the throne room was quickly relayed, and the king's will was carried out.

Doom led the Night Guard to the City of Truth, traveling day and night, and were less than a thousand kilometers from their destination.

"grown ups!"

Doom sat on the terrace of the war fortress, his mind racing, calculating various plans to destroy the City of Truth.

He was startled by the messenger's anxious voice and suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"Our reconnaissance cavalry have encountered friendly forces retreating from the blockade line!"

No sooner had the messenger finished speaking than a gust of wind blew up his robes, and the war lord, leaving a trail of afterimages, arrived at the command room.

"what happened!"

Doom's face was grim, his eyes fixed intently on the holographic image on the command platform, his voice tinged with anxiety: "What happened?"

The hologram showed a group of Night Guards, their armor riddled with wounds, and some of them were injured, but they didn't appear to be a defeated rout.

"grown ups……"

The Night Guard told Doom everything that had happened.

The rituals of the City of Truth, the ever-reborn demons, and Ennio's order to retreat.

Doom's face was ashen, his fists clenched. He was too late!
With his chest heaving, Doom quickly processed his current situation and began to plan his next move.

Orders were issued from his mouth and distributed by the messenger: "Send out cavalry to search for and gather allied forces, send scout cavalry to scout the City of Truth, and prepare a rapid deployment force to rescue Ennio."

The orders were issued swiftly, and the war machine began to operate under Doom's command, with each unit acting accordingly.

"I suggest you cancel the order you just gave!"

A bright, urgent voice rang out in the command room, rudely interrupting the war lord who was issuing orders.

An unexpected person appeared at the entrance of the war fortress command room, holding a helmet in his hands.

“Elton Cena!” Doom frowned. He couldn’t understand why Cena would be here.

Elton Cena.

Speed ​​Master! Lord of the Night Guard Cavalry, Messenger of the Throne, one of King Norwick's most trusted men, the fastest man in Nur.

He wore a special pressure-resistant power armor, had a cold and stern face, sharp eyebrows and eyes, his brown hair was combed back, and he carried a giant lance.

His appearance made Doom's heart sink. Could it be that the main domain was under attack?

"Put away your speculations; the main domain remains safe and sound."

Sena picked up a bottle of water and drank it all in one gulp, letting out a long sigh: "Your father, King Norwick, has asked me to take you back."

"Elton Cena!"

Harlan emerged from the rest pod and, seeing the familiar figure, excitedly jogged over, putting his arm around the Throne Messenger and pulling him into a tight embrace. The armor of the two clashed violently, clanging loudly. "What brings you here!"

The racing master and the champion swordsman are best friends who have gone through thick and thin together.

"Come and receive your master!" Sena punched Harlan in the chest, his joy overflowing.

"Something happened to the main domain?" Harlan's excited expression changed, and he immediately became alert.

The master and servant reacted almost identically. Sena smiled, his usually cold face showing no sign of distress: "The main domain is safe and sound. I have come on the orders of the throne."

“As for why…” Sena shook his head, having given no other instructions besides the order to retrieve Doom: “I don’t know either.”

"I will follow the orders."

Doom looked grave. He knew his father wouldn't speak without reason, and would never recall him at such a crucial moment unless it was extremely urgent.

Sena nodded in satisfaction. His men had done their job without any problems. With a slight smile, he reminded them, "You have three minutes to arrange your troops."

"The troops are assembling..."

The troops were ordered to assemble and remain stationed in place without being told. After some thought, Doom changed his order.

"The troops should be dispersed into units of a thousand men each, and placed in concealed areas to await further orders. They should not be too far apart from each other, and their encampments should form a defensive perimeter."

The City of Truth is now far more bizarre than it used to be.

If the Night Guards gather together, a single powerful psionic spell could inflict heavy losses on their own side.

"Let's go."

Having arranged everything, Doom walked toward Sena, who was waiting at the door, ready to leave with him.

"No need to leave! I brought a teleporter."

Sena pointed to a corner of the fortress where several forging technicians were assembling equipment.

Doom's pupils contracted slightly as he realized the situation of guarding the main domain was dire, and he even took out the precious cross-distance relic, the "fixed-point teleporter".

A remnant of the golden age of teleportation, used to traverse continents across planets; it was a convenient form of teleportation.

It is said that a certain engineer named Nuer created the teleportation device because he wanted to see his wife and daughter as quickly as possible during his spare time.

The specific principles behind it have been lost, but it is very easy to operate and use.

By setting up a transmitter at the point of travel, rapid point-to-point transmission can be achieved between the two machines.

"Ready." After setting up the teleporter, the forging technicians respectfully stepped aside.

"Let's go."

Harlan was already waiting by the teleporter, ready to go wherever Doom went.

Sena waved to them, indicating that he wouldn't teleport with them.

The message arrived as the mission was successfully completed. Rather than the unreal teleportation, the racing master preferred to drive the anti-gravity motorcycle and enjoy the adrenaline rush brought by extreme speed.

(End of this chapter)