"This toast is for you, Lord Axis. Welco back to the pack!"
A Space Wolf who hailed from Fenris stood up and raised his cup to Axis.
"Haha! I rember you. Back when Russ and I held those eating contests, you were the one who prepared all the food for us!" Axis said, raising his own glass in response.
Whenever he and Russ hosted eating contests, many of the Fenrisian tribal warriors would cheer them on from the sidelines.
"That's right. Back then, hauling all that food really wore us out," said another Space Wolf, already drunk and swaying in his seat.
"Do you rember , Lord Axis?"
"Of course I do! I rember all of you. I rember life on Fenris, the hunts, the contests, and every ti I had to teach you lot a lesson," Axis greeted the Space Wolves warmly.
Every Company Captain, or "Wolf Lord," as they were now called, received a nod or a word from him.
Most of the warriors were genuinely enthusiastic about Axis's return.
However, a few only nodded politely; these were not Fenris-born Space Wolves, but rather mbers of the Sixth Legion who had been assembled by the Emperor on Holy Terra long before.
They never much cared for Fenris's wild customs.
"Lord Axis is the best eater on all of Fenris, and besides the Wolf Father, he's the strongest!" said one very tipsy Space Wolf, raising his cup.
"That's right! Even as a child, Lord Axis's strength already surpassed all the other tribal warriors," another warrior chid in.
Russ, seated at the head of the table, smiled quietly.
The strongest warrior among the Space Wolves now wasn't him, it was Axis.
Even if he tapped into his own hidden psychic power, he still wouldn't be a match for Axis.
That energy called "ki" was simply too destructive; and Axis hadn't even shown his full strength yet!
"So, now that Lord Axis has undergone the Astartes transformation, he must be even more powerful, right? After all, your surgery was perford on Holy Terra itself, and you're the only one among the Space Wolves who got to study there."
A less-than-harmonious voice rang out from the banquet hall.
The speaker was another Wolf Lord, though he preferred to call himself the Seventh Marine Captain of the Sixth Legion.
Ever since the Primarch's return, the Space Marine ranks and titles had all changed: Marine Captains were now called Wolf Lords, the Primarch's guards were called Wolf Guard, the Emperor was called All-Father, and the Primarch was called Wolf Father.
[tl/n: These aren't strictly canon, but can be counted as changes brought about by Axis.]
"Of course," said a forr tribesman, grinning and clearly anticipating a show. "I believe Lord Axis is now the strongest in the pack, besides the Wolf Father himself."
Other Space Wolves quickly joined in, boasting about Axis's strength.
They recalled that at age six, Axis could already outrun all the wild animals of Fenris, and single-handedly catch enormous prey that would take dozens, even a hundred n to bring down.
A few Space Wolves sitting among the crowd also recognized Axis.
When they had first arrived on Fenris, this little boy had always been at Lord Russ's side. Later, he'd been taken away by the Emperor, only to return today.
Back then, they'd thought that once he finished his Astartes transformation, they'd teach him the rules every new recruit needed to learn.
Well, now was their chance!
After all, fighting was a Fenrisian tradition, no way would this kid turn them down, right?
"Haha! Axis is my little cub," Russ laughed, "The Emperor took him to Holy Terra, where he received the finest combat training and a flawless Astartes transformation.
"Now that he's returned to the legion, by order of the Emperor, Axis will serve as a Marine Captain, a Wolf Lord."
The entire hall fell silent at these words.
Many Space Wolves had assud that, even if Axis was the Wolf Father's adopted son, he would have to start out as a basic recruit upon his return.
No one expected the Wolf Father to imdiately appoint him a Wolf Lord, especially on the Emperor's orders.
"Great Wolf Father, isn't this against tradition?" one Wolf protested.
"That's right, Great Wolf Father! All thirteen of our companies already have their own Wolf Lords.
"We all love and respect our Wolf Lords; there aren't any open positions for a new one," another Space Wolf objected.
"The companies will be re-ford and Space Wolves' 14th Company will be ford, making him our 14th Wolf Lord," Russ announced.
Each Space Wolves Great Company had several thousand warriors, and the legion itself now numbered in the tens of thousands.
It was ti to expand their organization.
"Even if we are forming a new company, the commander should be chosen from among the current pack.
"Axis has only just joined us; at the very least, he should spend a decade or so honing himself first!" an old Space Wolf objected.
He had served as an Astartes for fifty years and had originally been selected as a recruit on Holy Terra.
"This is the Emperor's order, and Axis already possesses more than enough strength. Among the Space Wolves, it is always strength that speaks the loudest.
"If any of you object, then challenge Axis right here and now. If you can defeat him, I'll appoint you the commander of the 14th Great Company, the 14th Wolf Lord," Russ declared.
The Fenrisians never broke up a fight, they encouraged their children to settle things with their fists.
Good brothers resolved their conflicts with a brawl, and everything was forgotten afterward.
Russ rembered how he and Horus once didn't get along, but after a good fight, Horus's attitude toward him improved greatly.
Russ naively believed it was the brotherly brawl that changed Horus's mind.
Though the truth was, Horus had simply realized he had twenty brothers, and the All-Father's love would inevitably be divided among them all.
If it ca to achievents, Axis had already outshone almost everyone in the hall.
Setting aside the battle armour, scouters, and even the faster-than-light ship he had provided the Imperium as a child, his recent feats, rescuing the Second Primarch and annihilating tens of thousands of Space Marines in one strike, were simply unparalleled.
Of course, those mories had been wiped, so those rits weren't officially attributed to Axis.
Otherwise, Russ would have had no problem making him even the legion's second-in-command.
But since there were objections, then let them fight for it.
Whoever won would beco the boss.
"That's right! If anyone wants to challenge the authority of the 14th Marine Captain, the 14th Wolf Lord of the pack, then co on, step up!"
Axis set down the at in his hand, clapped his palms, and spoke loudly, his voice booming across the hall..
He understood that Russ wanted him to establish his own authority within the Space Wolves and show his strength.
If that was the case, he wasn't going to hold back.
"Fine, then! I'll go first."
A Space Wolf stood up and strode to the centre of the hall, beckoning to Axis.
Axis smiled slightly.
"You alone aren't enough for ! Anyone who's not convinced, all of you co at once, doesn't matter how many, just co together!" Axis shouted, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Hahaha! Axis is right, if anyone is dissatisfied, go at him together! If you can defeat Axis, the last standing will be the new Wolf Lord!" Russ laughed, smashing his mug on the table.
"I'm in!"
" too!"
"Lord Axis, let us see your strength!"
In the blink of an eye, over a hundred veteran Space Wolves had stepped into the arena, all without power armor, spreading out and getting into position.
Russ and the Fenrisian warriors pounded their fists on the tables, drumming out a rhythm like the war drums of Fenris.
Axis smiled, rolled his shoulders, and a wild light flashed in his eyes.
More than a hundred muscular Space Wolves surrounded him, eager for battle, their bloodlust and the scent of ale filling the air.
"Co on then, brothers!" Axis growled, his voice booming like thunder throughout the hall.
A two-ter-tall Space Wolf veteran charged first, roaring as he swung his fist straight for Axis's face.
Axis tilted his head aside to dodge, then countered with a right uppercut, his fist landing squarely on the veteran's jaw.
Bam!
The veteran's massive fra was lifted off his feet and crashed down several ters away, instantly knocked out.
The crowd erupted!
Seeing their comrade felled in a single blow, several more warriors charged in at once.
Axis's figure blurred, and in an instant, he appeared before the group, sweeping out with his right leg like a steel whip, knocking down several Wolves in quick succession.
He caught an incoming fist with his left hand, twisted, and threw the attacker to the ground.
His right elbow struck another in the ribs, and with a clear crack of bone, the Space Wolf collapsed, vomiting bile.
Two warriors attacked from both sides, one went for Axis's waist, the other aid a punch at his temple.
Axis snorted sidestepped, locking his left arm around the waist-grabber's neck like an iron vise, then swung him up as a human shield.
Bang!
The other's heavy fist slamd into his own comrade's face, breaking his nose and spraying blood everywhere.
Before the attacker could react, Axis's leg lashed out, ribs snapping audibly as the warrior was sent flying like a broken kite.
Five more veterans rushed in, hoping to overwhelm Axis with numbers, but he only laughed wildly and his fists struck out in a flurry, fast as a hurricane.
The warriors barely had ti to react before their faces were smashed by a rapid succession of blows.
Cheekbones shattered, and they staggered backward before crashing to the ground.
In a matter of monts, the five veterans who'd rushed Axis were all laid out on the floor.
YEAAAAAGGGGGGHHH we did it! 200ps! Here's your bonus chapter!
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