The Wolf and the Tearer
It was almost time to leave. When Seth and the portion of the Flesh Tearers had left Imperium Nihilus to travel back to the main Imperium, travel through the Nachmund Gauntlet had been difficult. Due to the danger in traveling through the Rift, Dante had told him to not bring many Serfs along for the journey. Therefore, most of the crew were Servitors. They had done their duty, gained reinforcements along with making contact with the Imperium. Now it was time to get back to protect the planets that had been isolated. There was just one last thing to do.
Seth was standing in the Victus' battle arena, wearing nothing but cloth leggings and carrying Blood Reaver. He looked up at the domed ceiling, smiling. Russ had challenged him to a fight and he'd readily accepted. It was an honor. A Primarch had wanted to duel him. He'd rather fight Guilliman, but he was busy with his Indomitus Crusade. A shame. He probably wouldn't win, but he would definitely make Guilliman bleed.
It wasn't that he didn't understand why the Primaris were necessary. Their ranks were depleted and there hadn't been enough Gene-Seed to rebuild as it was. But it felt... different. It wasn't the same. Nothing was the same. And if he was being honest, it frightened him. A Space Marine was not meant to feel fear in the heat of battle, but Space Marines could fear the unknown. The future was ultimately unknowable except to a few. And he was not one of those few. Would the Primaris, like Toivo, even learn to respect their traditions and customs? Would they just become Blood Angel versions of Ultramarines? Guilliman had loved and respected Sanguinius, he'd said so himself, but would he let them be themselves? It made him angry, not knowing. But that's why he loved to fight and Russ would give him a real fight.
"You look under-dressed for battle," a voice said behind him. He turned to see Russ dressed in a robe and leggings, Mjalnar slung across his shoulders.
"I could say the same about you," Seth said with a grin. He looked the Primarch up and down. Since the battle with the Red Corsairs, the Primarch looked simultaneously older and younger than he had when Seth had first met him. His hair was longer and snow white and his eyes were ice blue while his skin looked like it had gone through rejuvenat treatment with no markings to show it. He looked refreshed, the fatigue was gone. What had happened to him in the Warp and why was it just catching up with him now?
"I wanted to ask you something," Seth asked the Primarch. Russ motioned for him to continue. "Why did you try to bait me? And how did you know about... the Flaw?"
Russ gave a small smile. "To answer your second question: Cawl told us. My brothers know as do the Wolves that came with us. However, you don't have to worry about the Wolves telling your secret. To do that would be the ultimate hypocrisy and dishonor. We are not one to judge another Chapter on its flaws. But to answer your first, I just wanted to see if you would do what it took to fight an enemy. I wanted to test your resolve. If you didn't have the courage to fight a Primarch, how could you go against two-bit traitor like Blackheart?"
Seth nodded. "Makes sense. I have another question though. What happened to you in the Warp? How did you get that power you used to kill Blackheart?"
"I got it from... a friend. Someone I met in the Warp. Not a Daemon. Something else. It's something I cannot quite explain. Not now. But I think I know why I accepted it. During the Great Crusade I did my father's work without question. I killed those who my father ordered me to, including my brothers. The Lion told me that I enjoyed it. And the thing is, I believed it at the time. If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is wrong. But when you start to think of yourself as a monster? I grew to hate the person I'd become. And I think this is me trying to be what I think my father wanted me to be all along. A protector."
"A protector?" Seth contemplated that. "I am a being of two worlds. A destroyer and a protector. Sometimes it's hard to decide which is which."
"We're Space Marines, boy. We are who we are. What matters is when you're facing death and how you respond to it. Now, are we going to talk or are we going to fight?" He removed the robe in one swift motion and leveled it at Seth, one-handed.
Seth's face split into a grin. He held Blood Reaver two-handed and adopted a ready stance. "Then come and fight, Uncle."
It was the next day when Seth stood on the bridge of the Victus, facing the Gauntlet. The ships were prepared for departure and for the journey back. They would be home within a matter of months. He flexed his right arm and clenched and unclenched his hand. It still hurt. He'd lost, but it had been a good fight. But it had felt like Russ had been holding back. He would pay him back for that. No one held back for Gabriel Seth. You either fought like you meant it or you didn't fight at all.
"Chapter Master?" He turned to Captain Toivo. "Are you alright, my Lord?"
Seth nodded. "I'm fine, Brother. Don't call me 'Lord'. Just thinking about the next time I fight the Russ. I plan to make him get on bended knee before... he beats me again."
"But Chapter Master, surely you can beat him now that you've seen him fight?"
"He's a Primarch, Captain. He is on a level far above any of us." He laughed. "Let's go home."
The ships set forth through the Gauntlet. Back into the darkness.
Author's note: So the reason I made this is because I realized that those of the Blood Angel's Chapter and their successors were still in Imperium Nihilus so how did Seth get back to main Imperial space through the Rift?! Thankfully I did my research and found out about the Gauntlet so there's at least a probable explanation for it. Plus, I'm a fan of Gabriel Seth thanks to the Flesh Tearer stories by Andy Smilie so anything to do another short story featuring him. I do have a plan in the far future of this timeline for him.