Kratch had hesitated for a long time over Gnawdwell's proposal to trade Stormvermin for Ironclaw Warriors. On paper, it was an exceptional bargain, but for a Skaven, watching an ally turn a profit is often more agonizing than suffering a loss oneself. Yet, as Kratch wavered, the tactical situation on Vigilus underwent a seismic shift.
Haarken Worldclaimer had once declared he would conquer Vigilus in eighty days, spearheading a vertical assault from the hive spires with a host of Chaos Raptors and Heldrakes. However, following the retreat of Clan Pestilens, the Skaven threat had dissipated. With the bulk of the Orks distracted by Clan Rictus, Marneus Calgar seized a rare moment of respite. He ordered the controlled demolition of the hive spires, effectively gutting Haarken's primary vector of attack.
The campaign culminated in a titanic duel between Calgar and Abaddon the Despoiler. Though Abaddon grievously wounded the Ultramarines Chapter Master, Calgar managed to land a thunderous "Rising Uppercut" that sent the Despoiler flying, a humiliating display witnessed by all.
In the Warp, the Four Gods, and Lucius himself, collectively face-palmed at the sight. Classic Abaddon, they mused.
Furious, Abaddon prepared to deliver the killing blow with Drach'nyen, only to be interrupted by a desperate psychic transmission from Haarken. The Vengeful Spirit was under a sudden, devastating ambush; the legendary flagship was in danger of being lost forever. Seething with rage, Abaddon abandoned his prey and teleported back to his ship.
Thus, the Imperium secured a pyrrhic victory on Vigilus.
Deep within the Realm of Ruin, Lucius shook his head. "Truly worthy of being the Golden Corpse. The Imperium retreats on all fronts, the Imperium is on the brink of collapse, the Imperium is practically dead... and then the Imperium delivers its victory speech."
Under these circumstances, Kratch was forced to abandon the Stygian Spires and retreat into the deep-earth, reverting to the Skaven's preferred mode of subterranean insurgency.
The Imperium, sensing a waning tide, immediately dispatched several Space Marine Companies and dozens of Astra Militarum Regiments to purge the remaining xenos. However, these forces vanished into the lightless depths without a trace.
In truth, they had been dragged into the primary hive-nest of Clan Rictus. Millions of humans were corralled in the filth: civilians, Guardsmen, Sisters of Battle, and even captured Astartes. They were heaped together in a mass of suffering while hundreds of horned Grey Seers began a synchronized, profane ritual.
"Great Horned Rat, manifest Your divine power-might!!"
The Grey Seers shrieked. Below them, millions of humans wailed in terror or whispered frantic prayers, while the Astartes roared defiant oaths of loyalty to the Emperor. None of it moved the Skaven.
Kratch Doomclaw, a warlord known for his audacity, had decided that the contract with Clan Mors was too restrictive. To bind himself solely to Gnawdwell would turn Clan Rictus into a mere vassal, a prospect that went against the clan's nature as opportunistic profiteers.
Instead, Kratch gambled on a masterstroke. Since he could not hold the surface of Vigilus, he would tear open a Gnawhole directly beneath it, connecting the Northern and Southern galactic zones to ensure Clan Rictus could continue collecting its "toll."
The risk was astronomical. Even the Grey Seers could not guarantee if the Great Horned Rat would grant a boon or a catastrophic punishment. To tip the scales, Kratch offered every prisoner captured since Clan Rictus's arrival as a single, titanic sacrifice.
As the Seers chanted, the smoke from the censers shifted from a warm yellow to a baleful, sickly green. Out of the swirling miasma, a colossal, skeletal rat-skull manifested.
The Skaven instantly collapsed to their knees, chattering and prostrating themselves in frantic worship. The humans were paralyzed by dread, save for the Astartes who bellowed, "Daemon! The Emperor's judgment shall find you!"
The Great Horned Rat reached out with a spectral claw. In a single, swift motion, it harvested the souls of millions. Their bodies collapsed into empty husks instantly. The souls of the millions were consumed like crackling sparks in the God's gaping maw.
"Yes-yes! Horned Rat! Great-mighty Horned Rat!"
The Skaven's fear intensified, their scent glands musk-ratting in terror. They prayed simultaneously to be noticed and to remain invisible to their mercurial and cruel deity.
In the Warp, Lucius watched the spectacle. As a former fan of the setting, he understood Kratch's failure; against Calgar and the concentrated might of the Imperium, a single clan stood little chance. But as the Great Horned Rat, he could not simply overlook failure. To grant a blessing without a price would lead the verminkind to believe their god had grown soft.
And Skaven require no mercy.
"Useless filth, yet Clan Rictus is still required. Rejoice, for you live, but a humiliation-punishment is mandated," Lucius muttered within his divine realm.
Consuming those millions of souls had been like a delectable confection, sating a fraction of his hunger. It was also his first taste of non-Skaven souls; their convictions, psychic potential, and raw essence were now woven into his own power. Around him, the Verminlords and daemons of the Skaven-realm chattered with malicious glee at the prospect of a mortal's suffering.
Lucius let his shadow-aspect descend into real-space, his voice echoing like a hollow wind from the abyss: "You disappoint me, rat-thing…"
Kratch fell into a fit of trembling. "No! No, Great-Mighty One! It was not my fault-mistake! It was the Pestilens-things! Those treacherous, stinking cowards!"
The skeletal skull's eyes flared with green balefire, and Kratch Doomclaw found his voice instantly choked.
"I shall impose a minor penance," the God intoned. "Since you style yourself 'Doomclaw,' you shall sacrifice ten thousand souls to me every day. Fail, and the next soul I claim shall be yours."
"Yes-yes-yes!" Kratch gasped as his voice returned, his head hitting the floor in a rapid-fire kowtow.
The Great Claw then struck the air, shattering the fabric of reality.
A massive, glowing green rift tore open, a Gnawhole analogous to a Warp-nexus. It established a direct corridor from the Zavka System to Vigilus, ensuring the Skaven would forever have a dagger at the throat of the Nachmund Gauntlet.
This was Lucius's intent all along, but broken-breaking the will of his subjects while expanding his reach was simply good business.
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