After Nibelung joined the Word Bearers, Lorgar gained a new regular visitor to his office.
At first, Lorgar paid little attention to this newly arrived Perpetual. Too many people came and went in the Legion, each with their own habits and rhythms. There was no need to pay excessive attention to every one of them.
But he soon discovered that Nibelung was not quite what he had imagined.
Nibelung had lived for over thirty thousand years, making him only 7,500 years younger than the Emperor.
He had witnessed the construction of Egypt's Pyramids, fought in the Trojan War, served as a member of the Senate at the height of the Roman Empire, and ridden alongside the Mongols as their iron-shod hooves swept across Eurasia.
He had fought in countless wars, from clashes of swords in the age of cold steel to volleys traded by ranks of soldiers in the age of black powder...
He had lived through almost every stage of human military history.
From time to time, he also shared stories with Lorgar about the great battles he had fought in, from the Battle of Marathon to Agincourt, from the siege of Vienna to Waterloo, from the Somme to Normandy...
Lorgar gradually came to realize that, on the surface, Nibelung seemed aloof, even a bit of a show-off.
The way he had demanded a duel at their first meeting had certainly left an impression on Lorgar.
But the more time they spent together, the more Lorgar discovered that an entirely different soul lay beneath that cold, hard shell.
Once Nibelung got to know them, he spent practically every day shooting the breeze.
He argued with Angron about which melee weapons were most effective in actual combat, discussed stealth and counterstealth techniques with Curze, and even challenged Grom to drinking