Although his emotions were deeply conflicted, the Daemon Demigod Vashtorr had no intention of showing himself. His memories of being chased by those Iron Clanks were still vivid. Besides, Vashtorr had sensed the presence of other powers.
The greed born from the Tech-Priests' thirst for technology was attracting both Tzeentch and Slaanesh.
And Tzeentch was the greatest obstacle on Vashtorr's path to godhood.
At the same time, another sinister power in the Warp was following the Orks' movements.
Gork and Mork watched the Orks fight from within the Warp, laughing and constantly passing judgment on the battlefield.
Though they were the gods of the Orks, they were unlike the other gods.
The Four Gods all liked to favor certain followers and create hordes of daemonic champions. Daemon Princes were all creations of this kind.
But there had never been an Ork chosen by the gods.
Nor were there Ork princes or daemon princes.
In fact, even someone who was not an Ork could receive Gork and Mork's blessings, so long as he fit the Orks' understanding of the world and earned their approval.
Commissar Yarrick was one such example.
Orks died in battle and were reborn in battle. Gork and Mork neither commented on it nor changed in any way because of it.
They treated everyone who acted in accordance with Orkish ways equally, regardless of their devotion.
In realspace, Iax had already destroyed four Ork Planetary Fortresses and begun advancing toward the next region.
The makeshift ships formed from adaptive combat cores that had completed their missions and returned were entering the Heart of the Forge's hypermass projection array in groups of a dozen or more. They were then miniaturized into distinctive little spheres and stored in recessed slots.
Whenever it reached a new location, the Heart of