Once the bargain was struck, Vashtorr claimed the Tuchulcha Engine. In the Arkifane's grasp, the ancient relic shed its disguise as a masterwork blade, revealing its true form: an ovoid device bristling with bio-mechanical cabling. In exchange, the secrets of the Arks of Omen, the forbidden rites of their construction, were handed over to Clan Skryre.
An Ark of Omen is forged from the fusion of a Space Hulk, a mountain of daemonic offerings, and a corrupted Machine Spirit. Thus, the Skaven's immediate priority was to locate a derelict hulk and "sanctify" it in their own image.
The first step of any Skaven endeavor involves an appalling expenditure of lives. A Space Hulk is the ultimate 41st Millennium dungeon, a gravity-defying labyrinth of fused starships from a dozen different races. No one truly knows what horrors dwell within their lightless depths. Usually, they are infested with Genestealer cults or hibernating Warp-entities.
Clearing such a place was no obstacle for the Skaven. Ikit Claw issued the decree: though they were rivals, the Wolf Rats of Clan Moulder were the perfect tools for the task.
Under the crackling whips of the Master Mutators, wave after wave of Giant Rats and Wolf Rats were unleashed into a found hulk, a twisted conglomerate of Adeptus Mechanicus cruisers, Orkish roks, and sleek Aeldari vessels that had been lost in the Empyrean for millennia.
A "junk-pile" Skaven drop-pod slammed into the hull, disgorging hungry vermin. To these mindless beasts, the terrifying environment meant nothing; they sought only to sate their hunger. Only after these rats had marked every corridor with the stench of their musk glands would the first true wave of "expendables" be sent in.
"No-no problem! The Great Horned Rat sees-watches your efforts!"
Ikit Claw spun grand promises to the minor clans selected as fodder. No Skaven actually believed him, but given Ikit's offer of discounted weaponry, and the fact that they couldn't resist his Warp-lightning, the Clan Red-Tail pushed their Slave Rats into the breach.
The ensuing meat-grinder was a chaotic symphony of violence. Three minor clans and tens of thousands of Skaven were wiped out in hours. The final "boss" of the Space Hulk turned out to be a Bloodthirster of Khorne, trapped within the Waaagh! field of an Orkish engine. This Greater Daemon, further augmented by mechanical grafts, had been driven into a permanent frenzy by ages of bloodless isolation.
Grunting with frustration, Ikit Claw deployed his trump card: a Parasite Engine. This Titan-class land fortress, a gargantuan, wingless, mosquito-like construct topped with a massive metallic rat-skull, stalked forward on spindly metal legs. It unleashed its full arsenal: Titan-grade Poison Wind globes, Warpfire, and Warp-lightning cannons. The horrific mechanical Daemon was finally banished back to the Warp.
Ikit's heart sank as he inspected the deep gashes left on his Parasite Engine, but the prize was secured. His grief was short-lived; he soon realized the Space Hulk was a treasure trove of salvageable archeotech.
"YES-YES! Good-fine things!" Ikit Claw ordered his swarms into the interior to begin their "refinements."
To bind a Daemon as the Ark's core, the Grey Seers began their rituals to petition the Great Horned Rat. In the Divine Realm, Lucius felt the call. He chuckled. A Daemon-engine fueled by Skaven malice? For ambitious rats like Ikit Claw, who had a history of "independence" in the Age of Sigmar, this would serve as a perfect living monitor.
Lucius reached out and plucked a Vermin Herder from his ranks. This Daemon, tall and lithe as an Aeldari but without horns, was hurled through the Warp-rift.
A bolt of green lightning struck the deck. The Daemon emerged, taller than any rat, draped in warp-powered plate and humming conduits. Its appearance triggered a primal fear in the Skaven, the dread of a sheep facing a wolf.
"Vermin... I answer your-your call!"
Even Ikit Claw felt a chill. The Vermin Herder was a manifestation of Lucius's direct control. Ikit rubbed his paws and forced a sycophantic smile. "Yes-yes! For the Horned Rat, go-get in! Step inside!"
The Daemon offered a wicked smile and dissolved into a dark green mist, merging with the Space Hulk's systems. The engines roared to life, fueled by raw Warpstone.
"Aha-hahahaha!" Ikit cackled like a mad scientist.
In the Warp, Lucius watched with a strange thought: Did I just create a 'Ship-Girl' (Kantai Musume)? He shook the thought away. Regardless, it was time to move. Vashtorr was headed for the Farsight Enclaves to find the final fragment, aiming to assemble the Dissonance Engine, a device similar to the same technology the Old Ones used to create the Webway.
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