Across the entire galaxy, deep, resonant bells began to toll in unison. From the Imperium Nihilus to the Sanctum Imperialis, from the ancestral holds of the Leagues of Votann to the colonial frontiers of the T'au Empire, wherever vermin crawled, the pests heard the chime.
In an instant, their base, meager consciousnesses began to swell. Where once they desired only to gnaw on the refuse of the gutters, now they hungered for more.
To seize more sustenance, they began to think with malice. To enact their wickedness, they rose upon two legs. Within the simple minds of trillions of rats, a malevolent sapience bloomed, and a sacred name etched itself into their collective soul: The Great Horned Rat.
The vermin chattered and shrieked His name, pleading for the profane wisdom to realize their filthy thoughts and for the terrifying strength of an upright form.
The first day's thirteen chimes concluded, leaving the vermin with a seed of evil desire. When the final thirteen chimes of the thirteenth day ended, all rat-kind would receive the Horned Rat's foulest blessing.
Driven by the horrific dominion of their god, they surged from the sewers to devour stockpiles, pull down travelers, and defile every "clean" or "holy" place with their droppings and filthy tracks. Whether on Imperial worlds or those claimed by Chaos, within the hulls of mighty warships or any outpost of sentient life, an unprecedented plague of rats erupted.
"All vermin are now within my grasp…" Lucius stood, arms wide, inhaling deeply. The rush of collective emotion and raw power caused his strength to multiply tenfold.
The Warp energy within him surged, expanded, exploded! Power! Absolute power! Against such an abominable god-fiend, what force in the universe could stand in his way? What in the warp could stop him now?!
The Emperor could sense the dark god's power swelling visibly, rapidly approaching the terrifying scale of His own shadowed half.
"Congratulations, darling... a reward well-earned. And to think, it was only a little game," Slaanesh purred, clapping softly in a show of seductive approval, as if genuinely delighted by his ascension.
Tzeentch wore the expression of a grand architect whose plan had reached fruition; such a seismic shift in the status quo only served to nourish the Great Mutator's own strength.
"Hmph!" Khorne let out a guttural snort of contempt, slamming his fist onto the table before vanishing into a pillar of brass-colored flame. Tzeentch followed with a mocking cackle, dissolving into a shimmering pool of indigo and violet light.
Slaanesh blew a lingering kiss toward Lucius. "Do try to be more mature next time, my sweet... we look forward to more friends joining our little sport." With a flourish of rose-hued light, the Dark Prince was gone.
Finally, there was Nurgle. The bloated, seemingly jovial Grandfather grinned through rotting gums. "We must discuss the finer points of the Great Plague another time, lad. And... you have such lovely children, though I do dislike how they extinguish life so utterly. Life should be shared, after all."
The Four were gone. Their presence vanished entirely from the dimension; they had clearly come only to witness how the Emperor would handle this new player at the table. Seeing the Emperor's tactical defeat had only added to their malicious amusement.
In this space beyond all dimensions, only Lucius, the Emperor, and Malcador remained, staring one another down.
To be honest, Lucius remained wary. He feared the Emperor and Malcador might resort to a "two-against-one" scenario to beat the Great Horned Rat back into the dirt. To truly match the Emperor in his current state, Lucius knew he would likely need another thousand years of growth.
"Sigh..."
The elderly man sighed, and the golden child, the Emperor, hopped down from the table. Lucius, suspecting this was a signal for an ambush, nearly bolted.
But the Emperor spoke: "Wait, Son of Man... Shadow of the Horn. I would have a word with you."
Lucius turned back. "What? Great Emperor, do you wish to lecture me on humanity?"
The Emperor narrowed His eyes, contemplative. "I can feel it. The humanity within you has not yet been extinguished. In truth, it is more concentrated than my own. Is godhood truly so vital to you?"
Lucius paused, then spoke slowly. "Of course it is. If it weren't, why would the mortals of the realms climb so desperately? If I do not become a god, what would I be in your Imperium? Another rotting cog, a corpse-part in a failing machine?"
At those words, gold sparks flared within the Emperor's eyes. "No. That is not the Imperium I desired. That is not the Imperium of my design. Humanity... was never meant to endure in superstition and slavery."
"Perhaps. But what can you do about it, Emperor?" Lucius asked with a hint of pity. He viewed the Master of Mankind with a mix of reverence and disdain, feeling the Emperor's political acumen and empathy were inversely proportional to His raw power.
The Emperor reflected for a moment. "No matter how you deny it, I see that you do not wish for the Warp to consume the Materium. Therefore... I offer you a bargain."
Lucius grinned. "A bargain? With the Great Horned Rat? With a Skaven? You are imaginative, Lord of Terra."
"I will be plain," the Emperor said. "I can offer you terms no other power can. I can help you secure your seat as the Sixth Pillar of Chaos. I can even help you seize the power of the Dark King."
The golden child spoke with absolute gravity. Behind Him, Malcador looked shocked and moved to protest, but the child silenced him with a sharp wave of His hand.
"The Ruinous Powers may seem welcoming now, but they are fickle and capricious. They would never offer you such standing. What say you?"
Lucius's smirk vanished. He frowned, suspicious. "Why would you do this?"
"For Humanity. For the Imperium..." The Emperor closed His eyes, silent for a long time before speaking with a heavy heart. "I am finding it increasingly difficult to suppress my Warp-self. If I surrender to it, I will destroy everything I have built. I do not wish to be a dry, distant god on a throne. I wish to return to my people, to guide them until they are free from the Warp's shadow."
Lucius rubbed his chin. "I see. You want me to consume your 'territory' to help dismantle this ticking time bomb within your soul, while gaining an ally in the process? A clever plan, two birds with one stone. But aren't you worried that once I grow strong enough to devour all the seats of Chaos, I will come for the Materium? I have no intention of staying in the basement."
The Emperor's eyes, swirling with golden fire, locked onto Lucius. He saw two images overlaid: a colossal, horned shadow and a young human. He smiled thinly. "Even that would be preferable to those four madmen. And when I truly stand again, I shall lead Humanity from the beginning once more. The question is… do you dare to compete with me?"
Lucius understood the subtext. If he didn't consume the Emperor's "divine" burden, the Imperium might not last a few more millennia. If he helped, the Imperium could rise again and fight for tens of thousands of years more. More importantly, he would gain a Warp "ally" rather than fighting a lonely war.
Would Lucius accept?
The black-robed figure grew towering and vast. His hood was pierced by thirteen pairs of twisted horns, revealing the true form of the Great Horned Rat.
A black claw, dripping with viridian venom, reached out toward the Emperor. A voice that sounded like a million rats speaking in every possible tone and emotion hissed: "Such a generous offer... how could I refuse? But the hunger... the hunger of the vermin knows no end."
"As it should be. If the threat of the Warp is removed, Humanity fears nothing. This has been proven over ten thousand years of coexistence between man and rat on Terra."
The golden child was enveloped in roaring flames, expanding into a cold, golden sun. A wisp of that freezing fire reached out, entwining with the claw of the Horned Rat in a pact of gods.
Lucius narrowed his eyes. He knew what the Emperor was implying: Since your influence is limited to the vermin, I would rather face you in an open struggle of civilizations than be backstabbed by the Four.
Malcador the Hero watched these two titanic entities reach their accord. He did not know if this was salvation or damnation, but he knew the Emperor was desperate, and he could only trust in his master's vision. He had to believe that in some possible future, the Emperor could truly suppress the god that was now poised to swallow the Warp whole.
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