"On behalf of the Salamanders Legion, I welcome your return, great lord of the Word Bearers."
On the bridge of the Law of Faith, Vulkan's equerry, Athelles, greeted Lorgar as he entered, observing the Legion's etiquette flawlessly.
"Lord Vulkan has received your request," Athelles continued, stepping aside to clear the way into the bridge.
"He and his artisans have finished forging the weapon you commissioned. As agreed, they have also crafted matching blades for Lord Angron."
Lorgar gave a slight nod, his bronze face calm.
Beside him, Angron immediately grunted in interest.
"Follow me." Athelles turned to lead the way, his heavy footsteps echoing through the metal corridor.
"Your weapon is... rather unusual. Its weight is extraordinary, and it is secured deep within a reinforced compartment on the lower decks. Large hauling equipment cannot reach it, so we must ask you to retrieve it in person."
The party passed through the warship's grand corridors, heading deep into the lower decks.
Athelles explained as they walked, his voice particularly clear in the empty passage. "Father poured his heart into it. The sword blank was cast, hammered, folded, and quenched repeatedly in a furnace comparable to the core of a Stars. Its density is extremely high, and its structure is unique. Ordinary metals cannot compare."
They finally stopped before an exceptionally thick alloy door engraved with reliefs of flames and anvils.
Under Athelles's hands, the complex mechanical locks disengaged one after another. The airtight doors slid apart with a hiss, revealing a dim compartment beyond.
The room held nothing else. A single beam of cold light shone down from above, illuminating the object at its center like a stage spotlight.
A Greatsword.
It lay quietly across a reinforced pedestal, its design that of an austere, imposing German hand-and-a-half sword, but enlarged several