The Prime took his first ground shaking step away from the throne and the inferior rat messenger darted well out of reach, just in case the Prime's rage was misdirected as it so often was. The throne rooms massive drums seated just behind the great seat of power where struck hard and fast as Skaven from all over the room jostled for place and position. The Prime roared over his shoulder "No drums," and the beating stopped as quickly as it had started. Leaving behind a forced silence in the throne room from those who didn't know what to expect next from their Prime. The distant screams of excitement and confusion from the bound and caged slaves was now the only sound left other than the nearby scuttling of clawed feet on dirt.

The Prime strode forward and it's commanders fell in behind him from out of the darkness. "We are heading to the Skorge tunnel by the shortest route. By the time I arrive I want three packs of my two headed mutants waiting ahead of me." Multiple commanders wearing old blood red robes went racing off ahead screaming orders of their own. "I also want three hundred slaves from nearby cages to fall in behind me." He roared.

"Behind you sire?" Squeaked one rat before he could stop himself, shocked that any Skaven leader would be ahead of his core army, but not one giant thumping heart beat after he had spoken the Prime had turned on the spot and with one hulking swing the rat who questioned his Prime was decapitated. Its head still airborne somewhere in the giant throne room as the short tempered leader turned once again and carried on his march as if nothing had happened. Some of his lesser commanders falling back a few paces just in case killing one rat wasn't enough to calm his rage at being questioned.

The massive leader stomped his way out under the ornate archway followed by most of his commanders. Only those of such low rank that they wouldn't be noticed had taken advantage of the fresh kill and taken the time to hack off a limb so they could eat along the way. Food was given easily to the leaders and higher grade commanders in the Skaven world but if your rank was low then any available food source had to be used to avoid starvation. It was not unheard of for the slaves and mutants to resort to eating their own filth in order to avoid starvation.

After twenty minutes of walking the twisting and stinking passages a small pack of high ranking Skaven fronted by the mighty Prime entered the huge Skorge tunnel. The first thing the Prime saw to his left was the blood red robed commanders stood with multi tasselled whips in their claws. Ahead of them stood three packs of the two headed mutant variant carrying all sorts of basic melee weaponry. To his right stood the three hundred, or so, slave Skaven. Most of the Primes following commanders took the only sources of light with them as they removed torches from their subordinates and dispersed into the groups of slaves to help take control of the lesser vermin.

"March!" He bellowed and whips cracked and troops moved forward amongst screams of pain, terror and pleasure in a universal tone. A standard bearer and an unusually silent drummer moved to the Prime's side.

Thirty minutes later the Prime called out in a less aggressive voice than normal "Assassin?" Not two breaths later a Skaven wearing a neat hooded robe, neat by comparison to others anyway, blended out of the darkness and fell into perfect step with the Prime. As soon as the assassin was visible the Prime kept an eye on him. Quite simply it was too risky not to.

"When we stop I want you to take half of the pack from behind us and their commanders and quickly lead them through side tunnels until you find the back of the Dwarf pack. Wait for them to pass you and follow them at a sensible distance unseen and unheard. All of this must be done in complete silence! Once I start the attack you may lead your troops into the battle."

"Will we stop soon?" The assassin nearly whispered.

"Yes, they are getting close." Replied the Prime with confidence.

"How can you tell?" From any other rat asking one let alone two questions of his Prime would have had him meet death but the Prime liked his Assassin. Liked using him at least.

"I can smell them, three miles ahead." And with his answer the deadly little rat bled back into the darkness. A few giant clawed foot falls later and the Prime halted his noisy pack.

"I will have complete silence until the enemy are only a tails length away!" He commanded of his troops and leaders to their bemusement. After the initial stunned silence the horde erupted in to action. The whips cracked and the orders ran out, as the Assassin could be heard taking his troops away. Bickering rats were beaten until quiet and the general howling and screeching of the pack died down to silence.

"Out the flames." He announced to his horde in the growing quiet.

A few minutes later the only sound that remained was of the troubled breathing of some of the mutated slaves. The Prime turned to look at one of his lesser commanders as his eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness around them.

"You." His rumbling voice rang out into the near silence.

"My Prime." The terrified rat responded shrinking slightly at being directly addressed for the first time in its life.

"Take all the slaves who can't breathe quietly and march them behinds us 200 feet. Then keep them quiet until blood is shed."

Five minutes later the Primes small army normally so loud was silent as the dead, at least silent as the dead who don't return. A slow and horrifying grin spread across the Primes scared face. For a whole half hour the rats stayed silent. A remarkable feat for any army but for a Skaven slave horde it was truly unbelievable.