Mikael used his Spirit Vision to observe the "Hunter."
Once he confirmed the toxins in his body were neutralized, he ordered the squad to move forward.
The Shadows of Order grew increasingly cautious, scanning their surroundings with sharpened focus, ready at any moment to counter an ambush.
He sensed the heavy humidity in the air, it was as if they were trudging through thick sludge.
The ground was soft, their boots sometimes sinking, making every step far more laborious than usual.
They advanced to the droning hum of insects, each movement slow, deliberate, every step carefully measured and controlled.
They did their best not to disturb the vegetation, to avoid even the faintest sound.
In silence they marched, in silence they learned the Catachan way of moving.
As the jungle began to thin, the "Vampire" raised his palm downwards, signaling them to slow even further.
Though they were already nearly noiseless, they had to be even more discreet.
The Shadows of Order crept forward in crouched stances, and then they saw them, hulking behemoths the size of trains, shaped like multi-limbed scorpions.
The Shadows compared these scorpion-like giants to the information given by their Gene-father: Catachan Devils.
The "Vampire's" senses were sharper, he smelled four more of the same blood scent from nearby, along with thirty-seven smaller creatures.
He knew Catachan Devils lived in nests, formed by several adults and dozens of young.
Mikael drew his archeotech pistol and loaded yellow, capsule-like rounds into the chamber.
The weapon hailed from Necromunda, a relic of the Dark Age of Technology, capable of firing any kind of ammunition.
He raised it, aiming at the Catachan Devil's head.
Bang!
The round struck true. The shell burst, and yellow reagent spread rapidly.
The Devil roared in fury, whipping its massive head. Several towering trees were snapped clean in half.
The Shadows of Order broke into swift, silent motion, moving the Devil way.
The Devil's bulk made it slow, and the Shadows easily dodged its sweeping head.
They knew they had to avoid its scythe-like claws and venomous scorpion tail.
Even with power armor, those weapons could tear them to shreds, and right now, they had no such protection.
The giant beast turned, leveling whole swathes of forest as tree trunks and branches shattered in all directions.
Mikael fired twice more into its head.
Its movements slowed, staggering drunkenly, growing heavier and clumsier.
But then, from the left, the right, and ahead, tremors rumbled through the ground, more giants were coming.
The "Vampire" knew he had little time. He unfurled the Wings of Darkness.
From his back rose thick black mist, coalescing into a phantom pair of bat wings.
His speed surged. He bounded forward and took to the air.
Like lightning, he reached the Devil's head.
From his satchel, he hurled an amber vial that shattered across its skull.
Mist billowed, enveloping him and the beast's head.
The Devil roared again, weaker this time, its cry laced with fatigue.
It fought to lift its head, claws slashing wildly.
The Vampire's wings beat hard, carrying him out of reach of the desperate strikes.
Mikael's spirit coalesced into a whip, lashing against the beast.
As a Beast Tamer, he dodged, chanted, and struck, using his "Taming" to make the monster submit.
The Apothecary's amber concoction empowered his spiritual lash, making it almost tangible, thrashing again and again against the Devil's head.
The Vampire's wings faded, and he landed atop the Devil's skull.
It bucked violently to throw him off, but his reflexes were far beyond human. His feet tapped lightly, never losing balance.
Its resistance waned until, finally, when the Beast Tamer pressed his hand to its forehead, the struggle ceased.
Mikael invoked Animal Sense, sending his spirit flowing into the Devil.
At his will, the colossal body sank down.
"Climb on," he ordered.
The Shadows scrambled onto the train-sized creature.
Feeling its resistance, Mikael pushed his spirit harder.
The Devil yielded, letting the Shadows climb.
At his command, its segmented legs moved, carrying them forward out of the forest.
From atop the Devil's head, Mikael glanced back.
More Devils, both large and small, were closing in.
He drew a red vial from his pack, loaded it, and fired.
The round struck a tree three kilometers away, releasing a red mist.
The Devils smelled it, pungent, intoxicating. Frenzied, they charged toward it.
On the way, they tore at each other, giants splitting smaller kin in half, scorpion tails skewering the rest.
With the swarm lured away, Mikael urged his new beast to advance.
It bulldozed through countless trees, until three kilometers later, the Beast Tamer brought it to a halt.
He looked ahead: four kilometers out, sprawled across the ground, lay a cluster of frog-like creatures of varying size.
Mikael frowned deeply.
'From the Father's data: the Greater Catachan Barking Toad and its lesser kin are the most toxic and dangerous creature known in the galaxy'
'They appear harmless, but when startled, they unleash an explosion of toxins.'
'Everything within a kilometer dies and liquefies, including the toad itself.'
'The toxin is so virulent that respirators, power armor, even sealed suits cannot protect against it.'
He knew if that swarm self-detonated, every Shadow of Order but himself would be reduced to sludge.
The Beast Tamer raised his hand: stay still.
Man and Devil alike froze like statues, staring at the toads.
The Barking Toads croaked, unmoving.
Mikael's mind raced, calculating alternate routes.
Moments later, he abandoned the thought, detours would take them too far, and the Devil's sheer bulk would surely provoke the toads.
They waited two long hours before the toads finally grew bored, croaking and hopping away.
Only then did the Beast Tamer drive the Devil forward, out of the jungle.
When the tribesman in camp saw the beast, they were stunned.
Weapons raised, they prepared to attack, until the Shadows emerged from the flank.
One spoke in broken, halting Catachan:
"It… is… our… pet."
The locals were dumbfounded. They had slain Devils with great effort, but never had they heard of anyone taming one.
Lucas rushed forward, weapon in hand, then froze as he saw Mikael atop the Devil's head.
Word spread like wildfire through the tribes: the Shadows of Order had tamed a Catachan Devil.
From then on, every Catachan's gaze upon them changed.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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