A Nerubian's Journey

[Fizzicks]

Sam was not quite certain what was going on, but his current leading theory was that he was waiting to hatch out of an egg after dying and reincarnating.

His evidence for this?

He had been falling in and out of consciousness for an unknown amount of time and he could feel a hard enclosure around him that grew smaller each he awoke. His body also felt different from a human's, and it was gradually becoming easier for him to think. Hopefully, the newly born members of his new species would be more capable than a newly born human.

Sam did not want to flop around uselessly for years.

Oh, and he also remembered his death. That was a fairly important piece of evidence.

One of the benefits of his current circumstances was that he had plenty of time to process his emotions while he was incubating. He had already cried and despaired, and even if he hadn't fully come to terms with his death, he accepted it as something he could not change.

Now, most of his focus was on trying to move his new body and escape his prison, but he had no idea how long it would take for him to hatch. He could tell that he had extra limbs, but it was difficult for him to guess what species he had been reincarnated into.

Sam hoped he was something awesome, like a dragon. Those extra limbs could be wings, right?

While Sam found himself awake, he usually spent his time testing the confines of his prison until he ran out of energy and fell back asleep. It was during the middle of this routine that he felt something prodding at his prison from the outside, causing Sam to feel a thread of panic.

I really hope I'm not about to be eaten by some predator before I could start my dragon adventures.

As his egg was breached and he saw something aside from darkness for the first time in this life, the first thing Sam felt was disappointment that he wasn't a dragon. He knew he was not a dragon because dragons did not have eight eyes.

The second thing Sam felt was terror because he was being stared at by the hideous face of a giant spiderlike creature.

Sam felt himself freeze in fear as he was lifted from his egg—viscous liquid still dripping from his body—and manipulated back and forth by the giant monster.

After a few moments it seemed as if the creature was satisfied, and it placed Sam down on the floor to move onto another egg. As the creature turned its attention elsewhere, Sam gradually calmed down when it became obvious the monster didn't intend to eat him.

Looking around, he found himself in a dark cavern filled with large amber-colored eggs that looked to be covered in strange pustules and wreathed in webs. Several other small versions of the spiderlike creature were standing around and also looking around and taking in their surroundings.

Sam looked down at his hands only to have his fears confirmed when he saw that he had three scary-looking claws and an arm that was covered in chitin.

Well… this fucking sucks. Why couldn't I have been reborn as something other than some kind of ugly spider monster?

He took note of the fact that the other newly born spider monsters seemed to be much more aware of their surroundings than a newly born human would be. Sam was also able to move around with an acceptable amount of dexterity despite not being used to having so many limbs.

Unless all of the other spiderlings were also reincarnated individuals, it seemed that the newly born of this species were intelligent and physically capable from the moment they were born.

Could be worse I guess. If these guys are intelligent then they must have developed some kind of society and I don't feel mind controlled so they're probably not some kind of hivemind.

Sam focused on analyzing his surrounding to the best of his ability in order to avoid thinking too hard about his death or his new body. He had done his best to come to terms with his circumstances while he was incubating, but having the harsh reality shoved into his face was not pleasant.

If he was going to reincarnate, Sam would have much preferred to be something humanoid if he couldn't be a dragon.

Hopefully, these spider folk didn't follow the standard tropes common to insectoid races in Earth's fiction. Sam didn't want to be treated like some kind of disposable cannon fodder.

Thankfully, there were some positive signs in that regard. The spider creature who was continuing to free the young spiderlings from their eggs seemed to be doing so with a significant amount of care.

If Sam was about to be sent to die like an expendable zergling, he doubted the creature would be so careful.

He could see that the adult only had a few more eggs to examine, so Sam decided to use that time to acclimate himself to his new body.

Moving each of his three digits one by one, Sam discovered that his fingers were still flexible despite being encased in chitin.

That was a bit strange, but Sam decided to ignore it. There were so many things about this situation that didn't make sense that focusing on them would be a useless endeavor.

Sam moved all six of his legs as he walked around in a circle, marveling at how natural his movements felt. Feeling emboldened, he decided to try spinning around in circles, curious as to whether or not his new body could handle it.

A few moments later, Sam was dizzily interrupted by the sound of a skittering sound that drew his attention to the adult spider thing that was looking down at him.
Sam froze and looked back and forth between the adult and a nearby spiderling that had decided to mimic him by spinning in circles. Sam hoped he wouldn't be eaten for being a bad influence.

He and the adult had a short staring match before the creature made some more skittering noises—noises which Sam was beginning to suspect was a language—and picked him up.

For a moment a part of him believed he was about to die, but the creature simply placed Sam gently down onto its large abdomen. Strange instincts compelled him to hold on to the creature tightly, and he somehow knew that he would have no trouble adhering to the adult.

As soon as Sam was properly situated, the adult spider turned its attention to the rest of the spiderlings. The creature moved its forearms in a strange motion and a moment later its hands seemed to glow in a strange, whitish purple color.

Sam flinched at the sudden and strange feeling of a foreign presence in his mind. The telepathic message did not come in any words that he could understand, but a clear meaning was conveyed regardless.

"Ascend my body, hatchlings."

The other newborns seemed just as surprised as Sam, but they did not hesitate to obey the adult's orders. Soon enough, Sam was sharing his mount with eight other baby spider monsters, although he was too busy marveling at the display of magic to notice.

If Sam was given the opportunity to learn magic, it would almost make being reborn as a spider monster worth it.

Sam was pulled out of these thoughts and he turned his focus to holding his grip as the adult suddenly started moving at speeds a giant spider monster should not be allowed to achieve. Very quickly, Sam was carried out of the caverns in which he was born, and he got his first glimpse at the society he had been born into in this life.

Sam found himself being transported through a giant cavern wreathed nearly completely in webs and filled with black and gold structures. These webs reached from the roof of the cavern to its lowest level, allowing members of his new species to quickly skitter in and out of the numerous tunnels connected to the cavern that was larger than Sam could estimate. In addition to the spider people that were skittering around, there were also strange creatures that looked like some unholy combination between a spider and a bat flying through the air in packs.

As the adult carried him through a confusing series of tunnels, Sam was looking at his surroundings, feeling both a sense of awe and growing dread.

Awe, because this completely alien society was one of the most amazing things he had ever seen. Dread, because his surroundings were starting to seem a bit familiar.

When he was brought into a smaller cavern with what seemed to be an ornate temple built into the wall and connected to the rest of the cavern by a bridge of webs. On either side of the doorway allowing entrance to the temple were two obelisks that floated over some kind of magical rune etched into the floor.

The architecture was like nothing he had ever seen. It most resembled ancient Egyptian or Mesopotamian style architecture except visibly influenced by the presence of magic and the spider folk's large sizes. The area was illuminated by crystals engraved into the wall that glowed an eerie blue and the structure was built wide and open to allow for the massive spider people to come and go in comfort.

A few of the spider folk were skittering in and out of the temple, but they paid no attention to Sam and his fellow hatchlings or his mount as he was carried inside. He noted with interest that the spider folk inside the temple seemed to be wearing black and red silk robes.

This was in stark contrast to all the other spider folk he had seen before who wore nothing at all.

Eventually, Sam was brought into a room occupied by a spider person with a uniquely strange appearance. While all the other spider folk he had seen before looked like some kind of six-legged spider with two arms and a spiderlike head connected to a humanoid torso, this one was completely different.

It had a spiderlike head that connected to a humanoid torso with four arms with three fingers, each that moved dexterously to cast magic as Sam and his peers were brought further into the room. Its lower half had only four legs, but where the rest of the spider folk looked like centaurs that were longer than they were tall, this one stood up straight to reach a massive height.

The adult spider person Sam was clinging to carefully lowered its body and bowed while saying something in its strange clicking language. The taller one ignored it and finished casting its magic and a violet-colored magical glyph covered the floor of the entire room.

Sam was still staring at the magic in wonder when the spider person he was riding spoke again.

"Hello, hatchlings."

Sam nearly fell to the ground in surprise, the adhesive properties of his new body's limbs the only thing keeping him from doing so. Even though the sounds the creature was making did not meaningfully change, this time Sam found he could understand its meaning.

With a quick glance around, he could tell his fellow newborns were similarly surprised.

The creature let out a harsh clicking sound that Sam somehow knew to interpret as laughter.

"That is always amusing. Do not be afraid, hatchlings. The magic of Seer Kuk'ir allows you to understand our language without having learned it. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Custodian Kriltes."

Sam wasn't sure if he should respond—or if he even could—but Kriltes continued speaking as if he was not expecting a reply.

"Welcome to Kilah'Kuk, a city belonging to Azjol-Nerub. We are Nerubians. That means little to you now, but you will be taught all of this soon enough," said Kriltes, unknowingly causing Sam's growing dread to reach a peak.

"I have brought you to Circle of Viziers for your Naming Ceremony. Seer Kuk'ir has cast a Glyph of Comprehension so you are able to understand the significance of this moment even if you have not yet learned to speak our people's language," explained Kriltes as he began removing the newly born Nerubians from his body one by one. "Seer Kurk'ir cannot maintain the Glyph indefinitely, so we will begin the ceremony immediately. I have watched and guarded over your eggs as is my duty, and now I shall name you."

Sam could not bring himself to pay much attention to the ceremony, despite its apparent importance. The moment he had learned that his new people were called Nerubians, Sam had completely stopped paying attention.

The Nerubians were an insectoid race of sapient spider people in Warcraft, a popular high fantasy franchise created by Blizzard Entertainment. The Warcraft universe primarily focused on Azeroth—a death world that was constantly being devastated by the schemes of multiple Lovecraftian deities and an endless army of planet-destroying demons led by an insane god.

The Nerubians were a race that lived on the Azeroth's northernmost continent of Northrend. They largely played little role in the world's history until an orcish shaman by the name of Ner'zhul had his soul mutilated by the second in command of the demons. Ner'zhul's mortal form was destroyed and he was bound to a cursed sword and helmet, becoming the Lich King.

The Lich King then set out to conquer Northrend and create an army of undead that he could use to attack the rest of Azeroth. The War of the Spider lasted a decade, but in the end, the Nerubians were not able to survive the Lich King's endless aggression and were almost completely slaughtered and turned into undead slaves.

A small portion of Sam's attention managed to overcome his turmoil and focus on Kriltes as he approached Sam to give him his name.

"I have seen your inquisitive nature, hatchling. The intelligence in your eyes is obvious, even if you have not been hatched for long. Maybe one day you might grow to become a Vizier," said Kriltes solemnly. "I name you Krivax."

Kriltes moved on to the next hatchling, leaving the newly named Krivax to come to terms with the fact that he had been reborn into a species fated to be nearly completely destroyed.

Fuck…



---------------


An: Feels a bit weird to introduce the MC with one name, then change it right at the end, but I don't like writing in first person and never using a name in third person would have been weirder.

 

[Fizzicks]

Krivax called on his mana and carefully pushed his intent into a strand of silk threads, desperately hoping that this time he would succeed in infusing the simple spell into the material. Custodian Kriltes had told him that if he wanted to become a Vizier, then this would be good practice.

So far, he was not having much luck.

Krivax clicked his mandibles in frustration as the spell once again failed and the silk fell to pieces. With a sigh, he started the uncomfortable process of creating a new thread with his spinnerets.

It felt… extremely strange, and Krivax didn't know if he'd ever get used to it.

"Peer Krivax, what motivates you to put so much effort into an exercise that frustrates you?"

Krivax turned his attention to the young nerubian, who was watching his actions with curiosity. It had taken some effort, but he had become fairly proficient in deciphering nerubian expressions.

"You know that it is my goal to serve our people by becoming a Vizier, Peer Masruk. Why do you ask?"

Masruk fidgeted and swayed back and forth in a motion Krivax recognized as a sign of nervousness.

"We were both born in the same cluster of eggs, yet you are so certain of your future path and I am not."

It's not like I have many options if I don't want to become some kind of undead abomination, Krivax mused, with no small amount of frustration.

After learning he had been reborn as a nerubian, Krivax had put a lot of thought into how he could avoid being killed by the Lich King. He had settled on a few different ideas, depending on information he did not currently have, but all of them required him to gain the knowledge and political power of a Vizier.

Still, there's no point in getting mad at Masruk. It's a bit comforting to know that young nerubians stress out about picking their future careers as much as humans.

Krivax had been worried at first that his new people were one of those fantasy races that were cartoonishly evil, but instead, they were just isolationist xenophobes. Which… wasn't great, but at least he didn't have to worry about being forced to do evil things himself.

"There is no need for you to already be certain of your path, Peer Masruk. Many of our peers also remain uncertain. That is why our elders have arranged for today's demonstration."

Nerubian society was not as simple as Krivax had expected. He had assumed that they were like ants, with everyone being born into a role from the moment of their birth and answering to the Queen without question.

Krivax was glad to learn that was not the case.

The nerubians did reproduce through Queens and those Queens did hold a lot of political power, but it was not absolute.

Both the Spiderlords and the Circle of Viziers also held considerable political sway in nerubian society. In hindsight, this was not that surprising, given that the Queen spent a significant amount of time creating new nerubians, during which she was too distracted to rule.

The caste system was another thing Krivax had learned was different from his expectations. Most Spiderlords and Viziers were born and raised for their roles, but there was some room for exceptional baseline nerubians to elevate themselves.

According to Kriltes, it was possible for the Queens to reforge the bodies of those who proved themselves particularly useful to the Kingdom. That had done a lot to motivate Krivax's fellow hatchlings, the lure of ascending to a higher caste was powerful.

Krivax did not know everything about Warcraft lore, but he was fairly confident nothing like that had existed in the franchise, a fact which made him feel both relief and apprehension.

Relief, because that meant the world he found himself in was more than a video game with contradictory lore and multiple species whose people possessed one-dimensional personalities.

Apprehension, because that meant he couldn't guarantee that his knowledge was accurate.

What if an important plot point was changed because it was too internally inconsistent to be translated into a real world? At the time that he had died, the Warcraft franchise was nearly thirty years old, after all. There were bound to be plenty of things in the lore that didn't make sense.

Krivax pushed away his negative thoughts. Ultimately, there was nothing he could do about it other than be mindful of the possibility that his knowledge might be wrong. He already wasted an entire week worrying about the possibility that the Lich King would start conquering Northrend before Krivax could make any preparations.

Eventually, he decided not to worry about things he couldn't change, which was probably good advice for someone who knew too much for his own good.

"Peer Krivax, the demonstration is about to begin," said Masruk, pulling Krivax from his wandering thoughts.

Sure enough, a few groups of adult nerubians were skittering into the center of the amphitheater that had been reserved for the Warriors, Weaver, and Viziers to present themselves. They bowed to the group of Custodians, who were sitting in their own section of the amphitheater, before the Warriors stepped forward to present themselves first.

"Hatchlings of Kilah'Kuk, you have worked hard for several months to make yourself fit to serve your people. When your education is complete, Underking Kuk'arak will send where you will benefit our people the most," said a large armored Nerubian who represented the warriors. "However, your placement will be heavily influenced by both your talents and your interests. I am Warrior Nishalmis, and I am here to explain how you may serve your people as a Warrior."

His tone was firm and full of conviction as his voice easily carried over the amphitheater.

"The Warriors are the protectors of Kilah'Kuk. We enforce the laws of the city under the direct command of the Underking, and answer to the High King of Azjol-Nerub during times of war."

Most of this had already been explained to Krivax and his cluster by Kriltes, so he returned part of his focus to his spellweaving. However, he didn't completely ignore the presentation as the Warrior explained their duties. If you read between the lines, it was possible to learn a lot about a society by paying attention to how they structured their propaganda.

One interesting this he had learned was that the Warriors were responsible for controlling the city's Jormungar, which were giant worms nerubians used to carve out tunnels.

Eventually, Nishalmis finished explaining their responsibilities and moved on to the practical demonstration that would allow the Warriors to show off their skills.

Everyone else gave Nishalmis and his sparring partner—another large armored nerubian—room as they moved to the center of the stage. The venue grew completely silent as the two Warriors stood completely still and brandished their spears at one another.

Just when the tension was reaching its peak, Nishalmis moved almost faster than Krivax could track and thrust his spear at the other Warrior. The sound of their weapons colliding sounded like a gunshot in the otherwise quiet amphitheater.

The two warriors traded blows with strength and grace that Krivax felt should not be possible. He could even see small fractures forming in the structure of their makeshift arena.

Both Krivax and the other hatchlings were completely captivated by the display.

Eventually, the unnamed Warrior made a mistake that resulted in Nishalmis disarming him of his weapon. He tried to compensate by stomping on the ground with enough strength to cause a clap of thunder to sound out across the venue and fissures to grow around his feet. The sound and shaking ground caused many of the younger nerubians to stumble or flinch, but Nishalmis easily kept his balance and ended the fight by placing the end of his spear to the Warrior's neck.

The hatchlings did not cheer or clap—nerubians were generally not prone to such public displays of emotion—but Krivax could tell they were enraptured.

The defeated Warrior surrendered and bowed to Nishalmis, who returned the bow and turned back to face his audience.

"If you wish to protect your people and gain the power I have shown you, listen to your Custodians. They will instruct you on how you can better your chances of becoming a Warrior."

Krivax distantly noted he had become too distracted and his spellweaving had failed again.

What he had just witnessed was not something that was naturally possible. Of course, arthropods as large as the nerubians were already impossible by the standard of his old world, but regardless, the Warriors had displayed strength far beyond what they should be capable of.

Kriltes had already explained Intuitive Magic to them in great detail, but it was still amazing to see it in person.

Intuitive Magic was the explanation for why people carrying pointy sticks could compete in a world with guns, magic, and spaceships.

Every living being in this world possessed magic. Spellcasters actively transmuted their magic into one of the greater magical forces in the universe and used that magic to achieve their goals. Eventually, their magic became so attuned to one of these forces that using other kinds of magic, while still possible, became significantly more difficult.

On the other hand, Warriors like Nishalmis honed their skills to such a point that they instinctively use their personal magic while fighting. Intuitive magic explained how Warriors were able to accomplish impossible feats of strength, Rogues were able to turn invisible and nonsapient lizards were able to breathe lightning.

If any of Krivax's peers expressed a desire to become Warriors, then Custodian Kriltes would teach them the appropriate exercises to hone their skills enough to use Intuitive Magic.

Seeing that the Weavers were about to start their presentation, Krivax once again turned his attention to spellweaving. If he managed to attune himself to arcane magic, the Underking would almost certainly assign him to the Viziers.

Feeling a bit motivated, Krivax tuned out the Weavers completely and put his full focus into his spellweaving. The nerubians practiced a form of magic that allowed them to put magic into their silk and then use it at a later time. It was similar in principle to the Rune magic that the vrykuls used.

The Weavers were a group that took care of everything that the Viziers and Warriors didn't, so Krivax didn't feel a need to pay attention to them. They did the farming, building, crafting, and general labor for nerubian society. The only reason they were called Weavers was because nerubians used their silk for pretty much every occupation in their society.

There was probably some historical or political explanation as well, but Kriltes only had a general overview of nerubian history.

Krivax was surprised when he successfully infused his intent into the silk thread; this was the farthest he had ever gotten into this exercise.

The next step was for him to transmute his personal magic into arcane and push it into the thread. According to Kriltes, this was the easy part; all he needed to do was focus on his mana and think 'orderly' thoughts.

Despite being told that it'd be easy, Krivax was still surprised when his hands glowed with the violet color of arcane magic and the silk thread began to release a white light.

Krivax wanted to jump up and start dancing, but nerubians didn't do things like that nor was this the appropriate setting. Instead, he stopped the silk from glowing by deactivating the spell, tied it in a particular knot that would help preserve its magic—somehow—and stuck it to his abdomen.

"Congratulation on your success, Peer Krivax," said Masruk.

"Thank you. Have any of the presentations caught your attention?" Krivax cheerfully asked his fellow spiderling, feeling greatly relieved by his achievement. Succeeding in the exercise meant he was much more likely to attune to arcane magic and be assigned to the Circle of Viziers.

"Yes. I wish to become a Warrior," Masruk said firmly.

Krivax tilted his head at the certainty in the voice of his… friend? Acquaintance?

"Are you certain, Peer Masruk? The Weavers and Viziers have not yet finished their presentations."

"Yes. I am certain."

Krivax watched for him to explain, but instead, Masruk just continued to stare longingly at the group of Warriors.

With a nod, Krivax turned his attention to the Weaver, only to find that they had already finished
their speech.

The tall Vizier languidly walked to the center of the amphitheater and silently swept his gaze over the audience. When the Vizier's gaze reached Krivax, they seemed to pause for a moment before immediately resuming their scan of the crowd, leaving Krivax to wonder if he had imagined the moment.

After the Vizier finished looking over the crowd, they nodded once to themselves and immediately began speaking.

"I am Vizier Malas. Most of you will not meet the requirements to join the Circle of Viziers, but for the few who may, I will explain to you our function in nerubian society," said the Vizier with obvious disinterest. His bored tone and his disinterested body language made it clear he did not consider this a valuable way to spend his time.

"The majority of the Circle's members will find themselves handling administrative work for the city. At this point in your education, your designated Custodian has already administered basic lessons on nerubian laws and history," Malas drawled. He sounded as if he was reciting a rehearsed speech he had given one too many times. "If you demonstrate proficiency in these topics, you may be assigned to become a Vizier."

"The rest of our organization is dedicated to the acquisition of knowledge in all of its forms." Malas still looked largely disinterested, but Krivax hear a glimmer of passion in his voice.

"Whether through the creation of new magics, the discovery of old knowledge, or the study of the lesser races, the Circle of Viziers seeks a greater understanding of the world."

I'm not really sure why, but I'm getting major Sith vibes from this dude, Krivax thought with a small amount of trepidation. I hope not all the Viziers are like this guy.

"If you seek knowledge and power beyond your imagining, speak to your Custodians and begin walking down the path of magic."

With a wave of his hand, Malas conjured a fire that flew through the air and circled the audience. Many of the young nerubians cowered when the flame turned into multiple streams of fire that twisted and turned through the crowd before flowing back into Malas's palm.

In a display that Krivax felt was a bit theatrical, Malas crushed the ball of fire in his palm and began walking away without further comment.

With all the presentations concluded, the Custodians started making their way to their respective clusters of hatchlings.

As he followed Kriltes out of the cavern, Krivax couldn't help but feel that regardless of how theatrical the Vizier had been, Malas's display of magic had definitely been highly motivational.



—-----------


AN: I intend to try to stick to canon for the most part, but there are two things I intend to directly change.

1. Kel'Thuzad says the nerubians are dedicated to wiping out everything who aren't like themselves, but they haven't been in a war since losing to the vrykul and there's literally a taunka village right over the entrance to Azjol Nerub. Regardless of what they are in canon, in this story they are xenophobic and isolationist instead of outwardly genocidal.

2. I also changed some stuff with how the bronze dragons work, just because I don't want half the story to be centered around Krivax dodging them or me making up implausible excuses for why they didn't smash his egg before he was born.

There won't be too many time skips after we get past the adolescent learning stage.

 

[Fizzicks]

When Krivax realized he had been reborn into a fictional world as a giant spider person, he expected much more monster-fighting adventures and fewer academic tests. It seems that even in a fantasy world, he wasn't able to escape test anxiety; though to be fair, Krivax had very little to be anxious about. He was as prepared as he could possibly be for his coming-of-age examinations.

Ceaseless efforts to attune himself to arcane magic had borne fruit and the many late nights he spent studying made him certain he would be sent to the Circle of Viziers. He had completed his basic education in nerubian language, writing, laws, and web weaving now it was time for him to prove his mastery to the academic administrators. He already completed his combat and web weaving examinations, now he only had to finish the written portion and then demonstrate his magic.

Krivax finished scribbling on the silk-woven parchment as he completed the portion of the exam dedicated to Azjol-Nerub's history and moved on to the portion dedicated to its government.

Azjol-Nerub was nominally an empire that was ruled absolutely by High King Anub'arak, but in practice, political power was fairly decentralized. Considering the empire covered half of Northrend, it was not surprising that regional cities far from the capital held a lot of say in their own affairs. Especially when it took a significant amount of time to travel from one part of the empire to another; portals could only support a limited amount of traffic due to leyline restrictions, after all. This meant that if the capital wished to rule over far-off territories, they would need to delegate power to local governments.

One would think that the nerubian lack of family units would prevent the creation of an aristocratic class, allowing the Spiderlords to hold absolute power over their cities, but this was not the case. The Warriors, Viziers, and the various groups of Weavers all held significant power in nerubian society and frequently acted to protect their own interests.

Of course, the capital had created a legal framework that would allow for them to quickly centralize power during times of war, but Azjol-Nerub had seemingly been in a state of peace for millennia. Nerubians as a people seemed to have little interest in fighting the other races of Northrend. In fact, they seemed to have barely any interest in the surface world at all!

It was deeply vexing to Krivax to discover how absurdly insular the nerubians were. It would make his job much harder.

Krivax reined in his wandering thoughts and refocused on the exam; the test was simple, but he still needed to give it the attention it deserved. He carefully finished the exam, making certain to put great care into writing legibly.

Soon enough, Krivax finished the written portion of the exam and gave his completed parchment to the administrator. Nerubians valued efficiency, and the city wished to assign their newest generation to their positions as quickly as possible, so the administrator immediately started grading the exam the moment he received it.

Kriltes had told him that the Custodians were constantly reporting the progress of the clusters they were responsible for and that most of the administrative work for their designations had already been completed. The examinations were simply a method of verifying the Custodian's observations, and if no inconsistencies were noticed, then he may be assigned to the Circle of Viziers by the end of the day.

This seemed a bit fast to Krivax, but frankly, he was glad for the expediency.

Even if nerubians matured much faster than humans, three years was a long time for someone who used to be an adult to be saddled with a babysitter. Krivax was looking forward to ditching his Custodian and regaining some semblance of autonomy.

Krivax left the administrator to his work and started making his way to the magic exam. He ignored the administrators he saw who were hastily skittering by and carrying piles of parchments. Today was a busy day for them, and the testing center was a… hive of activity.

Krivax held himself back from snicking at the pun as he entered the testing room. He doubted the proctors would appreciate his levity on such an important day.

"Hatchling Krivax, correct?" asked the administrator responsible for overseeing the test. The room was typical for nerubian architecture, the only distinctive feature being an arcane glyph situated in the center of the room. "Are you prepared to demonstrate your magic?"

Krivax did not enjoy being called a hatchling, but he recognized that it was unavoidable until he was assigned to his position.

"Yes, Administrator. I am prepared to demonstrate the results of my learning."

The proctor chittered approvingly before speaking. "Good. The arcane glyph will record your demonstration. I will then weave the recording into a web and deliver it to those responsible for your designation. If you are as skillful as your Custodian claims, then I expect your designation to be a simple one."

Krivax was surprised to hear the proctor's words. Over the past three years, he had not heard much praise from Kriltes, so to hear his Custodian had spoken well of him to the administrators was unexpected. Perhaps Kriltes had not wanted him to grow arrogant?

Krivax put the matter out of his mind. He had more important things to worry about at the moment.

"Thank you, Administrator. I am glad to know Custodian Kriltes thinks so highly of me. I shall endeavor not to disappoint him."

"As you should," said the administrator with noticeable approval. Krivax had found most nerubians reacted well to formality and politeness. "Step into the glyph and demonstrate a basic Illumination spellweaving."

Spellweaving an Illumination spell into a thread of silk was the exercise young nerubians were taught in order to attune themselves to arcane magic. If he couldn't do something so simple by now, then there was absolutely no chance he could be assigned to the Circle of Viziers.

With a quickness that spoke of extensive practice, Krivax spun a thread of silk and swiftly infused it with a spell of Illumination, causing the thread to silk to glow brightly. Finished with his spellweaving, Krivax presented his work to the administrator.

After a few moments of inspecting the spell, the administrator nodded his approval.

"Well done. Your next task is to steadily channel arcane magic into your hands and alter the arcane energies between fire and ice."

"Understood."

Krivax put away the spell-woven silk to his abdomen and began channeling arcane magic, pushing it into his hand. After he succeeded in attuning himself to arcane magic, the process of calling upon it was as simple as breathing. Learning how to alter that magic between fire and ice had proven much more difficult, however. Thankfully, after a significant amount of practice, he had gotten a hang of it.

Krivax focused on thoughts of heat, energy, movement, and passion as he willed his arcane magic to become fire. Sure enough, a comfortable flame that did nothing to harm him materialized in Krivax's hands.

"Good. Now ice," the proctor said after a moment of examination.

Krivax started altering the fire back to arcane without responding to the praise. His proficiency was not yet good enough that he could alter arcane magic without concentration. Once the fire had returned to the familiar violet glow of arcane magic, Krivax started the process of altering it to ice.

He found that ice came to him much easier than fire as he focused on thoughts of cold, lethargy, stillness, and deliberation. A blue glow grew in his palm, and Krivax could feel the temperature of the room noticeably chill.

"Well done. It is rare that a hatchling can alter arcane magic between fire and ice so quickly. Your ice magic is particularly skillful. I am glad to see Custodian Kriltes did not exaggerate your abilities. I suspect deciding where to place you will be an easy decision."

Krivax bowed to the nerubian and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you. It is through the guidance of my elders that I have achieved such learning."

That was not true. He had learned most of his magic through his own efforts. Kriltes had merely given him the right exercises and pointed him in the right direction, but nerubians are a communal people who appreciated open displays of loyalty to the greater nerubian society.

I worked my ass off to learn how to do this. If I wasn't capable of this much after putting in so much work, then I'd be hopeless.

Krivax did not know exactly how he compared to his peers in magic, but he suspected his talent was either average or slightly above average. The only magic he had encountered so far that came somewhat easily was ice magic. Thankfully, a work ethic brought upon by a constant feeling of impending doom was enough to compensate for talent somewhat. Krivax doubted he would become the next Jaina or Khadgar, but he was still proud of what he had managed to accomplish.

After answering a few questions on magical theory and receiving more compliments, Krivax thanked the proctor and left to meet Kriltes at his cluster's predetermined meeting point. The Custodian was already there waiting, but everyone else besides Masruk had yet to finish their assessments.

"Greetings, Peer Krivax. Congratulations on completing your assessment; I know you are eager to finally join the Circle of Viziers," said Masruk as Krivax approached the meeting point.

"Thank you, Masruk, but I have not yet been assigned to the Viziers," Krivax responded fondly. He had not grown close with any of his other cluster mates aside from Masruk. Spending all of his time learning and practicing his magic was not a good way to make friends.

However, while Masruk was a bit stiff and overly formal, he was the only one who had gone out of his way to socialize with Krivax. He found Masruk to be kind and a good friend, so the two of them got along relatively well. It helped that Masruk had decided to become a Warrior and offered to spar with Krivax on occasion.

In a world as violent as Azeroth, it was important for Krivax to learn how to fight with magic, so he agreed without hesitation. While the prospective Warrior defeated Krivax more often than not, at least he was now capable of casting a well-aimed frostbolt while being charged by a giant spider person.

"Your designation to the Circle is nearly guaranteed. I know how hard you have worked for this, Peer Krivax. There is no need for modesty."

Krivax merely nodded his agreement. What he said was true, after all.

"You have worked hard as well. You will make a good Warrior, Masruk. You are managing to wield your Intuitive Magic more and more skillfully with every passing day. My carapace is still aching from our last spar."

It was a good thing that nerubians were so hard, especially because they lacked access to widespread healing magic. They had some knowledge of nature magic, but that was mainly limited to accelerating the growth of their farming and forming bonds with jormungar or with nonsentient arachnids.

"Thank you. Would you like to join me in eating while the rest of our cluster finishes their assessments?"

Krivax perked up and agreed eagerly. It had taken him a while to get used to nerubian food, but he'd grown to enjoy it.

After requesting and receiving permission from Kriltes to go get some food, the two of them left the administrative center and traveled to the merchant section of the city. Kilah'kuk did not have a very large merchant class given that many things were provided by the government, but things like food, recreational items, and luxury goods were sold in the merchant section.

Krivax went straight to his favorite vendor, a farmer who created an edible silk thread that he covered in a delicious variety of insects. He offered the vendor a few pieces of copper and received a long string of silk covered in insects.

At first, he had been curious why nerubians traded with copper, but apparently, there was something special about the metal's magical properties that made it very suitable to be used as a currency. The same was true for silver and gold, which were also used as currency by Azjol-Nerub, as well as cobalt in some cases.

Krivax thanked the man and made his way to a cavern covered with giant bioluminescent mushrooms. In his opinion, it was one of the best places in the city and was his favorite place to enjoy a meal.

Krivax enjoyed his meal and made small talk with Masruk while trying to push away his anxious thoughts. He knew that there was no reason for him not to be assigned to the Circle of Viziers, but he couldn't help but worry that some kind of freak accident would sentence him to a life of farming bugs.

If that were to happen, he didn't have a backup plan other than running away and hoping for the best. There was simply too much information necessary for his future plans that could only be accessed by members of the Circle.

He didn't have much time to stew in his anxiety, however, because he was soon interrupted by his Custodian.

"Hatchling Krivax. Your designation has been determined."

If Krivax still had eyebrows, his Custodian's words would have caused him to raise them as high as he could. Given his unfortunate lack of human facial features, Krivax settled for clicking his mandibles in confusion.

Already? I knew it could happen pretty quickly, but this seems unusually fast. Has the rest of my cluster even finished yet?

"Vizier Hadix is here to escort you to the Circle of Viziers," said Kriltes. In the three years Krivax had known him, the Custodian had always been dutiful and stoic, but now he could hear a note of pride in the older nerubian's tone.

Krivax turned his attention to the entrance of the cavern and noticed a Vizier wearing teal robes and the traditional Vizier headdress, waiting patiently for Krivax to approach him.

Turning to the man who had been responsible for caring for him for the past three years, Krivax bowed deeply in an expression of gratitude. They were not particularly close due to Kriltes going out of his way to avoid forming a parental relationship with his cluster, but he was still due respect.

Unlike Masruk, who he would be keeping in contact with, it was unlikely he would have any reason to meet with Kriltes after he left with the Vizier.

The Custodian nodded at him stoically and after taking a moment to arrange a later meeting with Masruk for them to talk about their designations, Krivax made his way to the waiting Vizier.

The Vizier had a purplish carapace that was not commonly seen in Kilah'kuk, whose residents generally had brownish carapaces. When he spoke, it was obvious from his accent that he had been born in the empire's capital.

"Hmph. Hatchling Krivax, correct? You are the talented young one who requested to be assigned to the surface world research division of the Circle of Viziers?"

"Yes, Vizier Hadix."

"I see," Hadix said impassively. He looked over Krivax for several moments before continuing. "If you are as smart as the results of your examination suggest, you are likely wondering your designation was concluded so swiftly."

Well… yeah. Kinda want to know why I'm being singled out. I think I've done pretty well for myself, but it's not like I'm some kind of magical genius.

"It is as you say, Vizier. I am quite curious."

"Hmph. Come with me then, Initiate Krivax. I will explain to you the circumstances of your designation and your future role in the Circle."

Without waiting for a response, Hadix turned and started making his way out of the cavern, obviously expecting to be followed. After making a final glance at his former Custodian and waving farewell to his friend, Krivax followed the Vizier to the next stage of his second life.

 

[Fizzicks]

Krivax was filled with a sense of both excitement and trepidation as he followed behind the Vizier. Excitement because he was finally about the reach the goal he'd been working toward for the past three years, and trepidation because things were about to get a lot more serious for him.

Until now, the only thing he could do to further his goal of not becoming a zombie spider was to grow and learn as quickly as he could. There would still be some more research and learning to do after he gained access to the information available to the Circle of Viziers, but after that, it would soon be time for him to start fighting against fate.

Krivax was so preoccupied with such thoughts that he remained in complete silence as he and the Vizier traveled through the city. Thankfully, it seemed like Hadix was not one for small talk either.

Krivax noted with slight discomfort the degree of deference nerubians seemed to afford Hadix as they passed by. It wasn't exactly surprising given he'd been living as a nerubian for three years and grown to understand their culture, yet such reverence was something he'd always found hard to get used to.

Eventually, the two of them reached their destination, and Krivax got his first look at the Circle of Vizier's headquarters. He'd already known the Viziers worked in a ziggurat similar in design to Naxxramas, albeit smaller, but it was another thing to see it in person. Now that he could see it with his own eyes, Krivax understood why the Scourge had decided to expropriate the nerubian ziggurats for their own purposes. Even with his budding magical senses, he could immediately tell that the building was absolutely drenched in potent magic.

The building itself was massive by the standards of nerubians. The only reason it was not the biggest building Krivax had ever seen was due to this not being his first life. The ziggurat was wreathed in carefully crafted webs that allowed for Viziers and Initiates alike to skitter easily from floor to floor through its many entrances.

After a moment, he realized that he had stopped to stare at the ziggurat and that Vizier Hadix had continued without him. Krivax hurried to follow the Vizier; he had a feeling Hadix would not be impressed if he managed to get lost on his first day.

Passing by many Initiates—and a few Viziers—going about their business, he struggled to keep track of his surroundings as they passed through a series of confusing hallways. The building was too large, the roof was too tall, and there were too many Initiates skittering about and disappearing into random rooms.

Eventually, Vizier Hadix turned into a hallway that was notably less active than the ones they had passed earlier. Krivax had a feeling that they were reaching their destination.

The farther they traveled, the fewer initiates they passed by and the less rushed they seemed to be. It was rather amusing to watch them startle and try to act busier as Hadix passed by. Soon enough, they reached a room that Krivax assumed to be the Vizier's office. That was confirmed to him as Hadix closed the door behind them.

Hadix did not immediately start speaking the moment they had their privacy, so Krivax decided to take the opportunity to look around.

Some parts of the room looked like something he would expect from one of his college professors, namely the bookcases lined against the wall and the desk messily covered with various papers. However, the collection of skulls that belonged to various surface world creatures made it hard for him to confuse the Vizier with a harmless college professor.

Krivax felt a bit concerned that he'd seen a troll's skull in the office of his new boss before he'd gotten to chance to see an actual living troll.

"Fascinating, isn't it? How different they are from us?"

Krivax was brought out of his thoughts by the Vizier's words. He turned to see Hadix staring at him with a searching gaze.

"Yes, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax, hurrying to agree. "The creatures of the surface world are very interesting."

The Vizier's body language did not change, but somehow, Krivax felt like Hadix was pleased with his answer.

"Hmph. Before I explain the circumstances of your designation and explain your role here, I would like to ask you a question. Why did you request to be assigned to the Surface World Research Division?"

Krivax took a moment to consider his answer. The real reason he had requested to join this division was because it was the best way for him to acquire the information he needed and further his plans.

When he first started to think of ways to avoid dying to the Lich King, the first plan Krivax considered was to run. This plan didn't last for very long given the problems with it soon became obvious. Even if he were to ignore how difficult it would be to escape Azjol-Nerub in the first place, if he ran, then he would be a giant spider person on a hostile continent with no allies. He would likely end up dead even before the Lich King became an issue.

Krivax then considered making the Lich King someone else's problem by pretending he could see the future. Unfortunately, this plan would have to be relegated to a last-case scenario. If he tried to play himself off as a prophet, they would assume Krivax either possessed some kind of gift with such magic or he was pulling nonsense out of his spinneret. If the leadership had some way of verifying if he was telling the truth about future events, then they would also be able to tell he was lying about how he knew what he knew.

Krivax really did not want to tell anybody the full truth. Not only because he didn't want to find out if nerubian xenophobia extended to former humans, but also because the information in his head could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.

After deciding he couldn't run or pretend to be a prophet, Krivax had moved on to thinking about ways to help the nerubians defeat the Lich King. The problem was, the Lich King had managed to defeat Azjol-Nerub, the Drakkari, and turned many dragons into Frost Wyrms in the lore. Even if Krivax knew about him beforehand, he was still a threat that was hard to plan against.

Eventually, Krivax settled on two possible plans, depending on a few different factors. If the Lich King appeared before Krivax could find a different option, then he would focus his efforts on convincing the nerubians to ally themselves with the trolls or dragons against the Lich King.

This was not his favorite plan for a few different reasons.

Firstly, he didn't know whether or not he could actually compel such an alliance, even in the face of an existential threat. He had no idea what nerubians wartime politics would look like and the internal politics of the Drakkari and dragons were a complete mystery to him.

Secondly, there was no guarantee they would win, even if they all worked together.

As far as Krivax could tell, since the Lich King was defeated by forces that came from outside of Northrend in the lore, then trying to pull the Alliance into the conflict was the best course of action. He had thought long and hard about how to actually make that happen.

If the nerubians were to learn of the continents south of Northrend, they would likely be very willing to support a colonial expedition, despite their xenophobia. After all, Northrend is not a hospitable land, and the nerubians understand the risks of putting all of their eggs in one basket.

If Azjol-Nerub established contacts with the Eastern Kingdoms, then the Alliance would become aware of the Lich King the moment he popped up. Even if the governments of the continent didn't offer to help, that contact would still be invaluable to the nerubians.

Not only would they have somewhere they could run in the worst-case scenario, but it would also offer them access to new technologies, magics, and resources.

There was a possibility that Krivax would arrive at the Eastern Kingdoms only to discover that the Alliance did not yet exist, but if that happened then he would have plenty of time to prepare for the future.

However, this plan depended on Krivax being able to prove to the nerubian leadership that other lands besides Northrend both existed and were within their reach.

Krivax did not know for certain whether there was regular travel between Northrend and the Eastern Kingdoms, although, he did think it was likely. He knew there were humans native to Northrend and that the governments of the Eastern Kingdoms were aware Northrend existed, so it was unlikely that contact was completely nonexistent. Even if it was uncommon, Krivax found it extremely likely that there would be some people who traveled to Northrend for either trade, exploration, or research.

So why did Krivax ask to be assigned to the Surface World Research Division?

Well, because it was simply the best place for him to learn about the surface races and gather evidence for the existence of the Eastern Kingdoms. If that failed, then it was also the best place for him to push for an alliance with the other races of Northrend.

Obviously, all of this was not something he could say to Hadix.

"I requested to be assigned to this division because I believe our people may be able to benefit greatly from the surface world, Vizier Hadix."

"How so?" asked Hadix. While his tone remained even, the focus he directed to Krivax was intense. "Azjol-Nerub is the most advanced civilization in the known world and does not lack resources. What could we have to gain from the surface world?"

"There are many resources that can be found on the surface that may be of use to our people," said Krivax. He did not know the Vizier's opinions on the surface world, but it was probably safer to emphasize his desire to help Azjol-Nerub. "The surface world holds countless unknown plants with potentially beneficial alchemical properties. Also, even if those who live on the surface are less advanced, there is still much we could potentially learn from them if only we were willing to talk to one another. Different people mean different magic, ideas, and knowledge of the world that we could use to benefit our people."

Once Krivax started explaining his point of view, he could not stop himself from speaking passionately on the subject.

It had been extremely frustrating for him to be reborn into such an amazing and fantastical world, only to be completely surrounded by people who possessed absolutely no interest in it. Now he was finally speaking to one of the few people in the city who might share his interest, and he couldn't hold back the desire to reach out.

A small part of Krivax expected derision for his interest and a large part hoped for commiseration. Instead, he found himself surprised when the Vizier started to chuckle.

"You remind me much of my colleague, Vizier Malas," said Hadix after he finished laughing. "You seem to share his remarkable enthusiasm to learn more about the surface races. Though I suspect your perspectives are quite different."

Krivax was thoroughly nonplussed by the comparison. Malas? That creepy dude who showed up to explain the role of the Viziers a few years ago? I would have never guessed that guy studied the surface world.

"Ah. I can see you are familiar with him," said Hadix, his tone amused. "Were you one of the young Hatchlings fortunate enough to watch my misanthropic colleague try to convince the younger generation to follow in his footsteps?"

Krivax was not sure how to respond to that, but the longer he hesitated, the more Hadix seemed to grow amused.

"Yes, Vizier Hadix," Krivax said cautiously. "I… had not expected for Vizier Malas to be interested in studying the surface world."

That guy gave me the vibes of someone who would be more interested in studying void magic in his evil lair.

"Vizier Malas is quite fascinated by the surface races, especially the Drakkari and their magic," said Hadix. Krivax could feel himself growing eager for a chance to finally meet a nerubian who lacked the disinterest for the other races so prevalent in the rest of their species.

"At first, Malas wanted to see if he could summon a spider Loa from which he could gain power, but he eventually learned that without knowing its name, summoning such a being would be impossible. When his ambitions proved infeasible, he managed to create a regenerative potion by kidnapping lone Drakkari and harvesting them for their magical blood. The Circle was quite impressed."

Krivax sighed internally as his growing excitement turned to disappointment.

Damn it, I should have known.

"It seems my suspicions about your perspective differing from my colleague were correct," Hadix said perceptively. "If I were to guess, I would assume you wish to research the other races in a less… antagonistic manner. Correct?"

Krivax held back a wince. He still was not sure what stance the Vizier held towards the other races, but this was not something he could lie about. His tolerance towards other races would eventually become obvious.

"No, Vizier. I believe a cooperative relationship with the other races would offer a chance for us to mutually benefit from each other's knowledge and strengths. We could teach each other so much about the world, and I find myself… disheartened that my people do not seem to share my opinion."

After Krivax finished speaking, Vizier Hadix remained silent long enough for him to begin feeling nervous. However, when he did respond, it was not with an admonishment, but rather with a question.

"How much do you know about the historical reasons for Azjol-Nerub's isolationist policies?"

Krivax found himself surprised. He'd asked Kriltes about those reasons for a long time, but he was never given a satisfactory answer.

"Very little, Vizier. Everyone who I asked simply told me this was the way we had always been."

"Hmph. That is unsurprising. The Kingdom's propaganda is extremely effective for the common nerubian," said Hadix with a hint of disdain. "We of the Circle of Viziers, however, must strive to perceive the world as it truly is, rather than how others wish for us to see it. If you would like to know more about the insular nature of our people, then I suggest you study the Nerubian-Vrykul Wars."

Krivax was taken aback to be so easily pointed toward explanations that had eluded him for so long, but he was also very grateful.

"Thank you, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax, bowing to the older nerubian. "I will take your words to heart and study this matter at my earliest convenience."

"Good," said Hadix, nodding in approval. "As a member of the Circle of Viziers, you will have access to libraries of information not available to outsiders. You will also have access to the libraries of our Research Division. You are now an adult. There is nobody who will tell you which direction to point your spinneret, so I expect you to spend your time wisely."

Krivax felt a growing greed for knowledge after hearing the Vizier's words. Free access to these libraries would offer him a chance to not only advance his plans but would also allow him to learn more magic.

"I understand. This is not an opportunity that I intend to waste, sir."

"Hmph. See that you don't. I had to expend significant political capital to ensure you were assigned to this Division, so I would be quite upset if my investment was wasted."

"Investment?" Krivax asked with trepidation.

"Correct. Your potential was judged to be quite high. Without my intervention and your stated preference, you would have likely been designated to either the Arcane Research Division or the Lost Knowledge Research Division."

"My potential is high? I understand my performance was likely better than average, but I don't feel like I am someone worth fighting for, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax uncertainly. Had he misjudged his own progress so greatly?

"While your talent in magic is not prodigious, it is significant enough that when paired with your abnormal work ethic, you have succeeded in drawing attention," Hadix said matter-of-factly.

Krivax felt strange to be described as someone who drew attention; in his previous life, he had been a wholly average individual.

"After learning of a fairly talented hatchling who wished to join my Research Division, I pushed to make certain you would be designated according to your preferences. Most of the Division's Initiates were designated here against their stated preferences. This is both to your benefit and your detriment."

Krivax waited for the Vizier to continue talking, but he didn't, so he decided to respond to the obvious prompt.

"How so, Vizier Hadix?"

"Joining this Division is to your detriment because we are not as prioritized for resources as the other Divisions. It is to your benefit because you shall be the sole recipient of my tutelage. Congratulations. Most Initiates strive to gain the attention of a Vizier for years after their designation."

Krivax immediately started bowing and expressing his gratitude to the older mage. Personalized instruction would definitely allow him to learn faster than trying to figure everything out on his own.

"Enough, your gratitude is unnecessary. If you wish to thank me, then work hard to ensure my efforts are not wasted on you. Your performance and future contributions will reflect on both myself and this Division, so I expect much. If you fail to live up to your potential, then you will be relegated to performing administrative duties for the rest of your time here."

That would suck. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a fantasy world as a low-level bureaucrat.

"I will work hard to prove myself worthy of your attention, Vizier Hadix."

"Yes. You will," said Hadix sternly. "If you do not, then any ambitions you might have will fade away. In return for good performance, I shall allow you to pursue your goals in regard to the surface races, and perhaps aid you. Without my assistance, it is doubtful you would succeed in securing permission to go to the surface or contact the other races. I confess, it seems unlikely to me that your efforts will result in significant benefits for our people, but it is a good enough research project for a young Initiate."

Krivax did not know how to respond to the Vizier's speech, so he fell back on bowing and polite gratitude. Over the hour, Hadix would detail his expectations to Krivax in great detail. The Vizier would only allow him to go to the Surface after he gained a certain amount of proficiency in magic and proved himself capable of protecting himself. Apparently, he would also be expected to learn some skills that could benefit Kilah'Kuk.

Members of the Circle of Viziers were expected to perform tasks that required skilled magic such as alchemy, enchanting, or complex magical silk crafting. It made sense to Krivax; if the Circle was not expected to do such things, then they would likely spend all of their time researching esoteric magics that would fail to justify their funding. Krivax was not certain which of these skills he would focus on—likely whichever took up the least amount of his time—but Hadix ensured him he did not need to choose immediately.

Eventually, they finished their talk and Krivax felt optimistic as he left the Vizier's office to go find whichever administrator was in charge of distributing supplies to the newly joined Initiates. Vizier Hadix's assistance—as conditional as it may be on Krivax's continued success—would make many things easier. Not only that, but while the Vizier did not seem particularly enthusiastic about Krivax's goal of establishing communication with the Surface races, he did not seem to be derisive or dismissive either.

It felt… nice for Krivax to have someone who would support him, even if that support came from selfish intentions.

Looks like things are looking up for me.

 

[Fizzicks]

Krivax was glad Hadix had given him permission to access the Circle's historical records because reading about the Nerubian-Vrykul Wars was genuinely fascinating.

Millenia ago, when the nerubians were not quite so isolationist and the vrykul still roamed the continent, skirmishes between the two races were common.

The first war lasted for several years and started when Azjol-Nerub began expanding into vrykul territory. The nerubians leveraged their superior mobility and ability to navigate underground to harass vrykul settlements before their Warriors could respond. The vrykul were superior Warriors in a straightforward fight, and they had tamed powerful proto-dragons, but that mattered little when confronted with nerubian guerrilla tactics.

Several times the vrykul managed to cleverly ambush nerubian forces and strike solid blows against Azjol-Nerub, but with their farms burned, their craftsmen killed in their sleep, and their civilian population living in fear, it seemed as if they would lose the war.

However, that began to change when the vrykul runeseers managed to develop magic that would allow them to map the tunnels that the nerubians used to navigate their territory. From that point on, the vrykul managed to ambush nerubian forces with far greater frequency, yet they still lacked the ability to directly attack nerubian strongholds.

Every time the vrykul Warriors would attempt to enter the tunnels and take the fight to their enemies, the nerubians would simply collapse the tunnels and quickly dig new ones with their jormungar. This, combined with the damage they had already taken meant the vrykul were still likely to lose the war.

Fortunately for the vrykul, the tides of war changed in their favor when Magnar Icebreaker discovered he could find the weak points in glacier walls and use his vrykul strength to dig tunnels directly into nerubian strongholds.

At the time, Azjol-Nerub's military was almost exclusively centered around defeating their enemies through the use of superior mobility and hit-and-run tactics. When that advantage was lost, they hardly stood a chance against the superior combat forces of the vrykul.

The first Nerubian-Vrykul War lasted several more years, but Azjol-Nerub eventually saw that they would not be able to win the war without reforming their military doctrine, so they retreated to the safety of their underground kingdom.

For the nerubians, who believed themselves to be the greatest species in the world, this was a humiliating defeat that had immense political consequences.

The High King of the time, Anub'Zikith, lost much of his popularity with the various Underkings, Queens, and political factions throughout the kingdom. Reading between the lines, it was obvious to Krivax that Anub'Zikith only managed to hold on to power by purging his political enemies and promising a renewed war with the vrykul.

The High King whipped up Azjol-Nerub into a jingoistic zeal and focused the nerubians on reshaping their military into one that could defeat the vrykul. Interestingly, these efforts are how some of the nerubian Flyers and nerubian Skitterers managed to gain their sapience.

When the leaders of Azjol-Nerub realized they needed to develop the capability to fight their enemies in head-on engagements, they struggled to find a way to do so. Simply put, the vrykul Warriors outclassed the nerubian Warriors to a tremendous degree. After all, the vrykul spent their entire lives cultivating their strength and learning how to become better Warriors. The only Warriors amongst the nerubians who could stand toe-to-toe with the vrykul were the Spiderlords.

Understanding that they could not overcome their enemies with quality, the leaders of Azjol-Nerub instead decided to overwhelm the vrykul with quantity, a tactic their people were well suited for.

However, a problem quickly arose.

While the Queens could produce large numbers of nerubians, and those newly born nerubians were able to be trained to an acceptable level within only a few years, they still could not sustain a swarm capable of overwhelming the vrykul.

The reason for this was simply that they did not have enough food.

A baseline nerubian had significantly more body mass than a human and required more food to sustain themself as a result.

Azjol-Nerub was able to sustain a large population due to careful planning and the use of magic to significantly increase the amount of food they could produce.

In order to overcome these limitations, High King Anub'Zikith directed the Queens to create a new caste of nerubians that could be both produced in large numbers and required less substance. This was a difficult task for the Queens, given the nerubians they created still required a proportional amount of energy to sustain their biomass.

Their efforts were mostly fruitless until Queen Zilnara the Fleshwarper stumbled upon a method to modify the nerubian Flyers and Skitterer in ways that allowed them to subsist partially on magic.

Previously, these templates of nerubians had limited intelligence and were generally used for repetitive menial labor. However, after Zilnara's modifications, these nerubians could be produced in large enough numbers to be useful to Azjol-Nerub's military.

While Intuitive Magic allowed the vrykul to rely on the quality of their Warriors to fight back the nerubians, the large quantity of nerubians that the Queens could now produce would prove to have a quality of its own.

The only problems Azjol-Nerub faced in integrating the nerubian Skitterers and Flyers into their military were due to their lack of intelligence. While the more intelligent castes of nerubians were capable of controlling their less intelligent brethren, the nonsapient nerubians simply weren't smart enough to execute complex battlefield maneuvers.

Fortunately, the problem was easily solved by the Queens granting sapience to the most capable members of the caste.

The newly sapient Flyers and Skitterers were not only very capable of controlling and directing the rest of their caste, but they also developed a form of Intuitive Magic that increased their strength while leading a swarm.

With this, Azjol-Nerub succeeded in forming an army that consisted of large swarms of Nerubian Flyers and Skitteres, arachnathids, and baseline nerubian Warriors. The army would quickly overwhelm their enemies with their numerical superiority while the traditional nerubian forces focused on ambushing vulnerable targets.

After reforming their military, Azjol-Nerub might have succeeded in defeating the vrykul in the second Nerubian-Vrykul War, if they hadn't made a fatal mistake.

For reasons that remained unexplained in the historical records, High King Anub'Zikith made the extremely foolish decision to attempt an assault on Ulduar with the intention of stealing its secrets.

In a single day, a large section of the army that had been painstakingly prepared by Azjol-Nerub was destroyed by Ulduar's defenses, and the vrykul immediately took advantage.

Despite losing a large portion of their forces, the second Nerubian-Vrykul War lasted for many years as the nerubian Flyers and Skitterers proved their worth. Powerful vrykul Warriors would find themselves covered in innumerable Skitters and proto-dragons would fall from the sky as Flyers webbed their wings.

Unfortunately for Azjol-Nerub, however, their efforts were made futile when Magnar Icebreaker entered the war with a large host of powerful vrykul Warriors.

By then, Magnar was a legend to both the nerubians and the vrykul which meant that the resulting shift in morale became a death sentence for Azjol-Nerub's war effort.

The nerubians suffered a series of humiliating defeats against Magnar that forced them to once again retreat to their underground sanctuaries, except this time the High King did not survive his failure.

Anub'Zikith was immediately deposed and his successor instituted a series of isolationist reforms and propaganda campaigns that served as the basis for their current insular policy.

For many centuries, nerubians were completely banned from leaving the underground kingdom and all mention of Ulduar was purged from the records. The only reason Krivax knew that the location they had attacked was Ulduar, was because of his meta-knowledge. In the records, the location Anub'Zikith decided to attack is only referred to as a "place of forbidden knowledge and artifacts."

Reading Azjol-Nerub's propaganda was almost as interesting as reading about the war. It boggles the mind how the kingdom's leaders were able to successfully paint the surface simultaneously as a land of existential danger and pathetic life forms unworthy of consideration.

Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised, back on Earth lots of regimes were not shy about painting their enemies as both weak and a grave danger, Krivax mused as he put away the historical documents Hadix had given him. I suppose I should just try to be grateful they've eased up on their isolationism enough for Hadix to get me permission to travel to the surface.

For the past few months, Krivax had been studying as hard as possible to reach the requirements Vizier Hadix said he needed to reach before he would be allowed to seek out the surface races.

While Krivax was a bit annoyed, he was still grateful he only needed to convince one Vizier rather than the city's government.

Krivax spent the next few minutes reading the Tome of Introductory Spatial Magic that Hadix assigned him to study before he was interrupted by a loud sound coming from his chest.

Flinching at the sudden noise, Krivax looked down to see the web he'd infused with a time-delayed alarm spell glowing brightly and releasing the noisy ringing sound.

Crap! I forgot about my spar with Masruk!

His friend was generally very understanding whenever Krivax lost track of time while studying, but it still made him feel bad to leave Masruk waiting.

Quickly donning the silk robes given to all new Initiates of the Circle—it felt really nice to be able to wear clothes again—Krivax left his assigned room and made his way out of the ziggurat.

The distance between the Warrior's training yard and the Circle of Viziers was quite large, but Krivax had set his alarm to give him enough time to travel there.

Fortunately, he was recognized and quickly let in by the armored guard when he reached the Warrior's headquarters. Unlike the Circle's ziggurat, the Warriors resided in a part of a city that differed from the rest of the city only in its military nature.

Ignoring the armored Warriors glancing at him and his robes in curiosity, Krivax swiftly made his way to the training yard.

Thankfully, he knew where he was going, and once he reached there Masruk was easy to find.

Krivax watched as his friend practiced spear exercises, slightly surprised at how much faster his movements had become since their last meeting. Masruk spent most of his time practicing, and it showed.

Seeing no reason to delay, Krivax skittered past the other training Warriors and greeted his friend.

"Hello, Masruk. I wasn't late for our meeting this time," Krivax said cheerfully. After devoting most of his time to learning so he could travel to the surface as quickly as possible, he started to really look forward to his occasional spars with Masruk.

It was nice to have an excuse he could use to socialize with his friend while also training. Most members of the Circle lacked any combat training, but Hadix insisted Krivax needed to learn how to fight if he wanted to go to the surface. As a result, Krivax decided the best way to accomplish this was by frequently sparring with Masruk.

He wasn't complaining, Azeroth was too dangerous for him to remain helpless.

Apparently, Masruk had not noticed him, because his expression was one of clear surprise when he stopped his training and turned to look at Krivax.

"Krivax, I was not expecting you so soon," said Masruk. Krivax couldn't help but feel pleased that his friend had finally stopped addressing him formally, it took some convincing to get him to stop calling him "Peer" or "Initiate" after they started meeting again. "Usually you would not arrive for another half hour."

"I know. I felt bad about always being late so I asked Vizier Hadix to teach me a spell I could use to alert me at a specified time."

Masruk merely nodded his understanding, he was not one to care about spells or magic unless it was related to combat.

"Good. Then we have more time to spar."

Krivax snorted in amusement and moved to take his place in one of the nearby wide-open areas set aside for spars without comment. He knew from experience that Masruk would not be able to focus on socializing until they both finished their spar.

Once he was ready, Krivax turned to face Masruk—who stood on the other side of the sparring area—and indicated his readiness.

Masruk took on a ready stance, pointing his spear in Krivax's direction and preparing to charge while Krivax prepared to start casting as soon as the spar began. They both knew they would need to use every second wisely.

Sadly, they didn't have a referee so they would need to use their own judgment on when to start.

After a few tense moments of staring at each other, Masruk suddenly began charging as quickly as he could and Krivax started to cast a Frostbolt.

Krivax was aware that he had very little time to cast magic before Masruk reached and quickly subdued him, but thankfully he was not without options.

As Masruk charged at him with blisteringly quick speeds and swung his blunted blade at Krivax's side, three things happened simultaneously.

First, Krivax finished casting his Frostbolt, sending a projectile of frost into Masruk's side. The spell did not create any actual ice, but the frost magic carried a kinetic portion that caused Masruk to stagger.

Second, a long string of silk was shot from Krivax's spinneret into one of the nearby walls, which he promptly used to pull himself away from the Warrior.

Third, Krivax threw a ball of silk—one which he'd imbued with a spell through spellweaving before the fight—at Masruk.

Well, calling it a spell might be too generous.

While spellweaving was powerful, it was a complex magical art that didn't just allow him to store whatever spell he wanted and use it whenever he felt like it. Learning how to weave a spell into his silk was almost as difficult as learning the spell in the first place. Krivax simply didn't have enough for that given his other obligations.

But even if he could, the mana infused into the silk would not recuperate until the spell was unleashed. If that weren't the case then the Viziers would have already taken over the world by machine-gunning out Pyroblasts at everything in their way.

Fortunately, throwing a bunch of arcane energy into a strand of silk and crushing it into a ball was both cheap in terms of mana and rather simple.

As Krivax was pulled towards the wall, the ball of silk attached itself to Masruk's side. Even as he started to cast his next Frostbolt, Krivax willed the arcane energy in the silk ball to release itself, causing Masruk to be knocked down by the improvised arcane missile.

There was a limit to how much arcane magic he could stuff inside of a silk ball safely, and that limit was actually rather small. Thankfully, while his arcane silk bomb was a bit weak, it was still enough to knock Masruk over given he'd already been pushed off balance by the Frostbolt.

Krivax ruthlessly fired a second Frostbolt at his friend while he was knocked down and started casting another.

Even though he currently held the advantage in the spar due to his trick, Krivax knew he could still lose the fight. Masruk could take a lot of punishment before being forced to yield and Krivax was now backed against the wall, meaning he could not use his silk to run away again.

He'd not yet learned many spells he could cast while moving, so was forced to stand his ground and continue throwing Frostbolts.

The second Frostbolt hit, but Masruk merely grunted, picked himself off the ground, and started charging Krivax for the second time, albeit with less speed due to the Frostbolt's slowing effect.

When the third hit, Masruk was visibly straining himself not to concede, but still he charged.

Krivax was impressed, while they were both obviously holding back since this was a friendly spar, three Frostbolts at that strength would have been enough to force a concession the last time they met. It was good to see his friend improve himself.

Just as he was about to cast the fourth and hopefully final Frostbolt, he was surprised to find his concentration interrupted as a rock crashed into his chest. The rock was not enough to actually injure him, but it did succeed in slowing down his casting.

With a burst of speed he should not be capable of after tanking three Frostbolts, Masruk quickly closed the distance and swung his spear into Krivax's side.

Krivax winced but didn't panic. Normally, such a blow would fully interrupt his spell and decide the result of the spar, but this time he had a trick up his sleeve.

Instead of his casting being interrupted when the blunted blade struck him an icy barrier materialized and absorbed a portion of the blow's strength.

Krivax could see Masruk's surprise as he finished casting the fourth Frostbolt directly into his chest.

He was also sure Masruk could see the surprise in Krivax's eyes when that failed to end the spar.

For a moment, he worried that his friend was continuing the spar past a safe point out of a desire for victory, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Masruk was far too honest and cared too much about the safety of those around him to allow a friendly spar to become unsafe.

From there, the fight devolved into Krivax scrambling—and failing—to fight off a fully armored Warrior in melee range. Imagine how surprised he was very surprised when a lucky blast of unrefined arcane magic to the face actually resulted in Masruk conceding.

The two young nerubians spent the next few minutes catching their breath and hydrating in companionable silence. Not for the first time, Krivax wondered how the nerubian cardiovascular system functioned and how his body managed to not overheat without sweat glands.

After a moment, Krivax dismissed the matter as magical bullshit, like the rest of his body's oddities.

Once the two of them caught their breath, they started to discuss the details of the spar and give each other advice. Krivax curiously asked his friend how he was able to withstand so many Frostbolts.

Apparently, one of Masruk's teachers taught him how to use his Intuitive Magic to dampen incoming damage.

Masruk, don't you know that using multiple specs is too overpowered?

Krivax had no room to complain, however. He was perfectly capable of using ice, fire, and arcane spells, even if he did favor ice.

Masruk then asked him about the Ice Barrier spell, and he explained that Vizier Hadix had insisted he learn it.

"Krivax, what drives you to learn magic with such fervor? You have explained to me that your mentor requires this of you, but you have not shared your goals."

Krivax shifted nervously as he considered his friend's question. Until now, Masruk had never outright asked about his future goals and Krivax had never volunteered the information.

He would be… disappointed if his friend shared the xenophobic attitude of the rest of their people. However, he knew this wasn't something he could hide forever, so it was best to just rip off the bandaid.

"Well, you know that I asked to be designated to the Surface World Research Division, right? I want to connect our people to the other races that live in this world because I really believe we can all benefit a lot from dialogue and cooperation. A lot of our people consider the other races primitive and unworthy of attention, but I want to change that kind of thinking"

Masruk was quiet as he processed his friend's words. He was aware that other kinds of people existed, but he had never put much thought into them. Unless they were a threat to his home, then why should he care about them?

His friend's interests seemed strange to him, but Krivax had always had a different perspective compared to the rest of their cluster. Masruk had long grown used to his friend's eccentricities, so he would try to show interest in Krivax's passions.

"These other races. Do they have strong Warriors?"

When he heard Masruk's question, Krivax couldn't help but chuckle in surprise and relief.

"Well, I think they should. I don't know for certain, but neither does anybody else. Seems like something worth figuring out, no?"

Krivax tried to persuade his friend to be interested in the world outside of Azjol-Nerub with stories about dragons, the Drakkari's Loa, and foreign magic, but it was only when he started talking about the vrykul that Masruk became visibly interested.

"These vrykul, they are powerful Warriors who all went to sleep? They defeated us in a war?"

The nerubians were aware of the slumbering vrykul and generally did their best to stay away from their resting grounds. Even after many millennia, Azjol-Nerub was not interested in a third Nerubian-Vrykul War after how poorly the first two went.

"Yes, they're very strong. They even forced the kingdom to change its military doctrine," Krivax said excitedly. Even if their interests were a bit, it was nice to see Masruk curious about something outside of Azjol-Nerub.

Eventually, after exhausting his knowledge about the documented feats of strength displayed by vrykul Warriors and then explaining what he knew about Drakkari Warriors, Masruk made a surprising announcement.

"I will join you when you go to the surface," said Masruk.

"Why?" Krivax asked, befuddled. "You've never expressed an interest in the surface before today, why would you want to go there now?"

"The surface seems unexpectedly dangerous. If I go with you to the surface world, not only will I be able to meet the Warriors of the other races and see their skill with my own eyes, but I will also be able to protect you from these threats."

Krivax was not quite sure how to react. Nerubians did not often express concern for one another, so he was touched by Masruk's worry. He was not certain if Hadix would agree to allow Masruk to accompany him to the surface, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Over the long years of peace, the Viziers had accumulated significantly more political power compared to the Warriors. Assigning a relatively unimportant Warrior like Masruk to protect Krivax on the surface should not be too much of an issue.

"Really? I'm touched. Thank you, Masruk. I will be much safer on the surface if I am accompanied by Masruk, Defender of the Weak."

"For some reason, I feel like you are mocking me," Masruk said evenly.

"Why would you think that? Anyone with sense would feel safer in the presence of Masruk, Guardian of the Helpless."

"Given you are indeed weak and flimsy, I feel like these titles are appropriate."

Krivax and Masruk spent the rest of their meeting bantering and catching each other up with their respective training.

When Krivax left to return to his studies, he felt a little more eager to finally finish his training. He was very close to fulfilling the requirements Vizier Hadix set out for him to be permitted to travel to the surface.

Krivax was already motivated to learn as quickly as possible by the threat of the Lich King, but now that his friend wished to join him, he was feeling even more impatient to finally set foot outside the underground kingdom for the first time.

I wonder how Masruk will react when he sees the sky.



—-----

AN: Changed nerubian spiders to nerubian skitters for the sake of clarity.

This chapter was mostly for a little bit more worldbuilding and an excuse to show some of what Krivax has learned. Chose the spar scene because I wanted a chance to show what he's learning rather than just telling you he's learning stuff. Sadly, it's a bit hard to write a compelling fight scene when both participants have a small repertoire.

We're almost to the point where Krivax can go to the surface. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Fizzicks]

Special thanks to Massgamer for beta reading this chapter.

Discord in my signature if you want to chat.

------

Krivax focused every bit of willpower he possessed into maintaining the Ice Barrier between him and the steady onslaught of incoming Arcane Missiles.

Vizier Hadix had already evaluated his comprehension of magical theory, general surface world knowledge, and combat. Thankfully, he'd met the Vizier's standards in all these topics. After Hadix decides his Ice Barrier is sufficiently durable, then there is only one more thing he needs to do before Hadix would allow him to go to the surface.

That's if my Ice Barrier is actually good enough. I don't think I'll be able to hold this for much longer.

Krivax channeled as much arcane magic as he could handle into his barrier while simultaneously altering it into ice.

His pride was more than a little hurt by the bored expression on Hadix's face as he casually cast Arcane Missile after Arcane Missile without pause. Krivax could feel the confidence he'd gained since joining the Circle diminish with every lazily cast spell he struggled to defend against.

Finally, the barrage proved too much and Krivax let out a shocked cry as the Ice Barrier shattered to pieces. Fortunately, the Arcane Missile he half expected to smash into his face never came.

"Adequate," said Hadix, lowering the single hand he'd previously been using to cast. "Protective magics are the singularly most important kind of magic for any Mage who expects to find themselves in a combat situation. Your Ice Barrier is sufficiently powerful to ensure you do not die the moment you reach the surface. I am now confident the resources I've invested in you will not be needlessly wasted."

Krivax took a moment to catch his breath before responding.

"Thank you, Vizier," said Krivax, bowing to the older nerubian. "I am grateful for the opportunities I have been granted and I will strive to prove myself worthy of these privileges."

Even if Hadix only favored him with the intention of furthering his own interests, the Vizier's assistance had been invaluable to Krivax. There was no way he would have been able to learn as much as he had in such a short amount of time without his help. Both personal instruction and access to otherwise inaccessible stores of knowledge—combined with constant studying—placed Krivax far ahead of where he would be without the Vizier's assistance.

"Hmph. We shall see. Now that you have demonstrated your capacity to survive on the surface, you will now explain your plans and intended goals. Which of the surface races do you intend to approach, how shall you gain their trust, and what do you intend to gain from this endeavor?"

"I intend to approach the Tuskarr, Vizier Hadix," Krivax said with confidence.

He knew Hadix was likely already aware of his choice since Krivax had spent much of his time trying to learn the Tuskarr language. It was fortunate that several centuries ago, a member of the Surface World Research Division had grown curious enough about the walrus people to study them. Sadly, she eventually lost interest in the Tuskarr and turned her attention to other research projects.

"Be sure to remember the limited lifespans of the other races, Initiate. It is likely their language has changed notably since our Division last researched the creatures," lectured Hadix, confirming that he was keeping track of Krivax's studies. While the lifespan of a baseline nerubian was only as long as the lifespan of a human, the Viziers, Spiderlords, and Queens could all live for a few millennia.

Krivax did not believe the language would have drifted too much over the past few centuries. His difficulties in communication would more than likely stem from simply not knowing enough of the language. Thankfully, while translation spells were far too advanced for Krivax to learn at his current skill level, Hadix had been kind enough to offer his assistance. The Vizier had promised to give him an artifact that would be capable of translating his intentions, even if the specific meaning were unable to pass the language barrier.

"Given you are able to properly communicate with the Tuskarr, how will you gain their trust? It has been noted over the years that many of the surface races find our appearance to be… intimidating."
Well, yeah. I think anyone with sense would be terrified if they saw a giant spider person.

"It was noted by the most recent Vizier to study the Tuskarr that their culture holds a particular reverence for the concept of fishing. When I approach them, I intend to offer a fish as a sign of good faith," said Krivax. When he said the word fishing, he used the Tuskarr word for the concept, because the nerubian language did not have its own equivalent.

"Fishing?" Hadix questioned, pronouncing the foreign word perfectly on his first try. Damned centuries-old wizards and their absurd intelligence.

"It is a Tuskarr word describing the act of hunting aquatic creatures, primarily for sustenance, but it is also an action that holds great significance in their culture," Krivax explained.

The nerubians' underground kingdom did have access to water sources below the ground that were large enough to sustain their people—along with caverns with high humidity that specially made webs were placed in to collect condensed water—but fish and other aquatic life were much less plentiful than on the surface.

The closest approximation the nerubians had for fishing was a small community of Weavers that used silk webs to catch the occasional fish that flowed into their underground rivers.

Krivax had only learned of these fishing nerubians because he specifically looked for them after learning of the Tuskarrs' traditions. However, even they did not have a word for what they were doing as it was simply a hobby that did not produce nearly enough food to become its own industry. The fish served more as a rare luxury dish only the fishing Weavers occasionally enjoyed.

Thankfully, the fishing Weavers had been willing to teach Krivax how to weave their special silk nets. He hoped it would be enough for him to catch a fish that could impress the Tuskarr.

"Hmph. Very well. Your reasoning is sound," said Hadix. "Why have you chosen to target the Tuskarr specifically, and what do you hope to gain from them?"

Truthfully, Krivax had chosen the Tuskarr because their maritime traditions made them the race most likely to be aware of travel between Northrend and the Eastern Kingdoms, aside from the local humans that is. Unfortunately, the Surface World Research Division had very little information about humans.

After all, very few nerubians would be interested in studying a species whose name was a combination of the nerubian words for "vrykul" and "birth defect."

The nerubians were aware that there were humans living in both Grizzly Hills and the Dragonblight, however, their societies seemed to be rather underdeveloped and disunified.

Krivax couldn't share his true motivations with the Vizier, so he would have to rely on an approximation of the truth.

"The Tuskarr are noted to be a semi-nomadic people who are most accustomed to environments dissimilar to our own," said Krivax. "They are the race most likely to expand our knowledge of the surface world. In addition, while their magic is similar to the Drakkari, there are some notable differences as well that are worthy of research."

"Oh? How so, Initiate?" Hadix questioned with visible curiosity.

"There have been no observed instances of the Tuskarr worshiping any Loa," said Krivax. "Yet there are multiple recorded instances of their shaman performing feats of magic comparable to the Drakkari."

Krivax vaguely remembered that the Tuskarr worshiped some giant sea monster thing, but the nerubians didn't know that.

While nerubians were curious about shamanism, they generally looked down on any form of magic that gained power from more powerful entities. As far as the Viziers were concerned, any power easily gained from an outside source was just as easily lost.

When Krivax asked Hadix about Vizier Malas's attempts to summon the spider Loa, he'd learned that the Vizier had intended to steal some of the Loa's power for himself. It seemed to Krivax that something like that would be difficult to accomplish, but he didn't know enough about the subject to be able to judge.

"Hmph. Interesting. Perhaps this venture of yours will be worth the effort after all. Now, tell me what route you intend to take on your journey."

"I'll first take the portal to our outpost past the Forbidden Caverns," said Krivax. The Forbidden Caverns were a series of ancient tunnels in the Howling Fjord that were dense with Saronite. The tunnels had been quarantined by the nerubians and an outpost was constructed that allowed travelers to bypass them with portals.

The nerubians did not have any large cities beneath the Howling Fjord, so the portal system was easily able to handle the relatively light traffic.

"From there, I will travel to the surface and make my way to the closest known Tuskarr settlement," Krivax continued. He'd chosen to approach the Tuskarr village in the Howling Fjord rather than the ones in the Dragonblight or the Borean Tundra, simply because Hadix was unable to grant him permission to travel to the capital or En'Kilah.

Azjol'Nerub's capital—uncreatively named the same—resided beneath the Dragonblight and En'Kilah resided beneath the Borean Tundra, but neither would allow him to make use of their portal stations.

Krivax spent the next few minutes explaining in detail the route he planned to take, the potential dangers he might face, and the supplies he had prepared.

When he finished, Vizier Hadix spent several moments contemplating in silence before finally nodding his approval.

"Very well," said Hadix. The Vizier reached into his robes with one of his four hands and retrieved a glowing disk that was emanating magical energy. "Your preparations are sufficient for the task in front of you. I believe you have earned this."

Barely able to contain his glee, Krivax accepted the disk that would permit him to access the city's portal to the Howling Fjord outpost and travel to the surface. He had spent years working to reach this point, and soon he would finally take his first steps outside the underground kingdom.

"Thank you, Vizier," said Krivax, bowing once again in gratitude. "Will this allow Masruk to come with me to the surface as well?"

"Your gratitude is unnecessary, you have earned this through your own efforts," said Hadix, waving one of his hands disdainfully. "As for your companion, assigning a low leveled Warrior to escort an Initiate on his research project is a trifling matter. The guards have been instructed to allow you both passage tomorrow. The disk merely serves to verify your identity."

Tomorrow? I was not expecting to go so soon.

"Tomorrow, Vizier?"

"Is there a reason to wait?" Hadix responded dismissively.

Krivax considered the matter and decided that, no, there was no particular reason for him to wait. He'd already managed to make all of his preparations a long time ago, so the only thing he was waiting for was permission. Every day that went by was another day that the War of the Spider drew closer.

Krivax spent a few more minutes going over some of the smaller details with the Vizier before saying his goodbyes and retiring to his room.

Skittering over to his makeshift kitchen, Krivax plucked a beetle from the Iceweave Web and tossed it into his mouth.

The Iceweave served as a form of nerubian refrigeration device by freezing anything that was placed onto it. While Iceweave was available to most nerubians in all but the most isolated of communities, Krivax was particularly proud of this Iceweave because he had made it himself. Members of the Circle were highly encouraged to find a way to use their specialized skills to contribute to society in ways other than research.

This could be done in many ways, whether it be through alchemy, enchanting, or other such specialized magical professions. Instead of picking one of these, Krivax had chosen to learn magical silk crafting for the simple reason that it was the least time-consuming profession that was available to him.

There was also the fact that being able to produce silk with fantastical properties that could be turned into magical items was very useful.

Krivax placed an assortment of insects onto the Flameweave Web and decided it would be a good idea to sort through his prepared supplies while he waited for his dinner to heat up. Frozen beetles were a tasty snack, but the rest of his meal would need to be heated before he could eat it.

Krivax opened up the spatial bag he had spent several weeks of his salary to purchase.

The bag contained food, notepads, troll blood regeneration potions, a large knife, and a variety of different tools he would need for his journey. Krivax reached into his robes and placed the artifacts he had been given by Hadix into the bag. These artifacts included the identification disk, an emergency communication device, and the artifact that would translate his intent.

The scent of freshly warmed insects interrupted his organizing and Krivax put away the supplies before skittering over to the Flameweave Web so he could enjoy his dinner.

After he finished eating, Krivax considered going to visit Masruk so they could talk about their journey, but ultimately decided against it. Masruk would have already been informed by the Warriors that he would be escorting Krivax tomorrow, and anything else they needed to talk about could wait until he woke up.

Krivax looked at the messy stack of books sitting in the corner of his room. Normally he would still be studying around this time, but he would need to be well-rested for the coming day, so it would be best if he went to sleep early. Krivax climbed onto his sleeping web and allowed the silk's enchantment to wash over him, causing him to instantly feel drowsy.

With a wave of his hand, Krivax caused the illumination stones embedded in the ceiling to cease emitting light, plunging the room into darkness.

Krivax fell asleep only a few moments later while still thinking about the coming day and the challenges that awaited him.

 

[Fizzicks]

Thanks again to Massgamer for beta reading. Discord if you want to chat. Enjoy.

---

Fortunately, Krivax was correct about Masruk already being informed about their imminent adventure. When he arrived at the Warrior compound, his friend was already fully geared and ready to leave. After quickly double-checking that they both had all the necessary supplies, the two of them left the compound and started making their way to the city's portal station.

As the two of them made their way through the crowds of nerubians going about their day, Krivax went over the route they would take and the potential dangers they might face. While they had already talked about it extensively, it was worth repeating.

Krivax was not expecting the route to be particularly dangerous, but those expectations were built on research that was already centuries old and imperfect metaknowledge. The worst things they should encounter before they meet the Tuskarr are shoveltusks—which they should easily be able to handle—but one could never be too careful.

Fortunately, the portal station was located relatively close to the Warrior compound, so it did not take the two of them long to arrive. The building was guarded by armored guards and administrators could be seen inspecting anyone coming and going from the portals.

Following the helpful signs that pointed them in the direction of the correct portal, Krivax and Masruk skittered past a few of the busier portals until they reached the correct location.

The portal itself looked like a tear in reality with its edges illuminated with a violet outline. With his magical senses, Krivax could feel magic being diverted from the nearest leyline, through the building, and into the portal in a constant effort to keep it from closing.

"Greetings, are you two Initiate Krivax and Neophyte Masruk?" asked the bored-looking administrator, who was presumably assigned to this portal.

"Yes. Yes, we are," said Krivax, speaking for the both of them. Reaching into his spatial bag, he retrieved and presented his identification disk.

"I see," said the administrator as he inspected the disk with his magic. "Barely anyone uses this portal aside from those assigned to maintaining the outpost, so your names caught my attention."

The administrator spoke with a questioning tone, but Krivax simply pretended he couldn't hear it and responded with the nerubian equivalent of a smile.

Seeing that he wouldn't be getting any interesting gossip out of Krivax, the administrator seemed to lose any interest in the two of them and quickly finished processing them.

Stepping through the portal was an incredibly strange feeling for Krivax. While the transition from one location to another was far more seamless than it would have been if he was teleported, the abrupt changes to all of his senses were still very jarring.

From one moment to another, everything from the lighting to the air to the ambient magic was suddenly different. Krivax idly wondered which parts of the environment the portal was designed to filter as he and Masruk adjusted to the changes in their senses.

After they finished adjusting, they once again presented their identification to an administrator and waited patiently as they were processed. After they were done, Krivax was surprised to hear that the outpost's Gatewatcher had sent a Warrior to escort them to the entrance to the surface.

As the silent Warrior escorted them through a dizzying maze of tunnels, Krivax could tell that the outpost was manned almost entirely by Warriors.

Soon enough, Krivax and Masruk were brought to the most heavily guarded portion of the outpost. The entrance to the surface was swarming with Warriors and protected by a fearsome gatekeeper.

Krivax had occasionally seen Spiderlords at various points over the past four years, but always in passing. The Spiderlords held positions as leaders, guardians, and enforcers of the law in Azjol-Nerub's society, so as a young Initiate of the Circle of Viziers he'd never had reason to meet one in person.

Until now, that is.

The factors that determined the highly variable size of the Spiderlords were unknown to Krivax, but this one was truly massive. Standing at what he estimated to be at least eighteen feet tall, the giant beetle-like nerubian had a brown carapace that looked thick enough to shrug off any blade and two large scythe-like arms that could easily tear a fully grown man in two.

As the giant nerubian blocked the way and looked down at him with a searching expression, Krivax couldn't help but feel that both the Scourge and the Vrykul must be truly powerful to defeat such terrifying killing machines.

"You must be Initiate Krivax and Neophyte Masruk. I am Gatekeeper Gruth'ib" said the Spiderlord in an extremely deep voice. "Vizier Hadix has secured your passage through these gates. Beware, young ones. The surface is teeming with danger, and once you pass this threshold your safety is nobody's responsibility but your own. Are you certain you wish to continue?"

"Yes, Gatekeeper. We are certain," Krivax said with confidence. For a normal nerubian, this would likely be a truly daunting moment, but all he felt was an eagerness to take his first look at Azeroth's sky.

The Gatekeeper turned his gaze to Masruk, who simply responded with a silent nod of agreement.

"Very well. Present your identification and I shall open the way."

Krivax made to hand over his identification for the third time in the past few hours, only to hesitate.

He doesn't have any hands… how does he expect me to hand it over?

Just when he was starting to feel awkward, the sound of chittering at his feet drew his gaze downwards.

A dog-sized beetle was wildly chittering at him and waving its two front arms in a grasping motion. Krivax turned a questioning gaze to the Gatekeeper, but the Spiderlord responded with nothing but an amused expression.

Well… okay? I hope I'm not about to make myself look really stupid.

Crouching down, Krivax handed his identification to the beetle, who immediately grabbed it and skittered away toward the Gatekeeper. Gruth'ib spent a few moments examining this disk before turning to address his subordinates.

"Open the gates."

Krivax watched the Warriors open the gates as the beetle returned his disk. While the large black and gold gate was quite impressive, he couldn't help but focus most of his attention on the magic flowing through the walls. Krivax was not skilled enough with enchanting to understand what purpose the magic served, but his instincts told him that any attempted invader would find themselves quickly regretting their decisions.

Without further comment, Gatekeeper Gruth'ib moved aside with steps quieter than an eighteen-foot insectoid killing machine that weighed thousands of pounds should be allowed to have.

Seeing no reason to delay, Krivax bowed politely to the Spiderlord and started making his way to the surface with Masruk.

"Are you nervous, buddy?" Krivax asked his friend in an attempt to calm his nerves. While he should be feeling nothing but excitement, he had been working towards this for several years and now that the moment was finally approaching, Krivax couldn't help but feel a little anxious. "This is a big deal, you know? This is the first time we'll be on our own."

"I believe you are more nervous than I am," Masruk said evenly. "We will protect each other, and if necessary we have both the emergency communication device if we need help and the scrying crystal for non-emergency situations. Everything will be fine."
The emergency communication device was a magical tool that would send his location to Hadix along with a request for immediate assistance. The scrying crystal, on the other hand, would allow him to communicate with Hadix after performing a lengthy magical ritual.

Damn it Masruk, aren't you actually four years old? Why are you so much more relaxed about this than I am?

The two of them made small talk as they climbed the winding tunnel upwards until suddenly, the two of them took a turn and laid eyes on the surface world for the first time in their lives.

When Krivax saw the end of the tunnel open and saw the stars glittering in the night sky, he couldn't help but completely freeze. Only the impatient prodding of Masruk to move so he could exit the tunnel as well was enough to bring him back to reality again as it truly hit him how he was on a completely alien world than the one he recalled in his first life, as evidenced by the two moons hanging in the sky.

At least Masruk was soon struck by the alienness of the surface as well, if for a completely different reason.

"How high does the ceiling reach?" he suddenly asked, honestly curious.

"Those are celestial bodies, not crystals in a cavern ceiling. They can go on far beyond our ability to comprehend." He reminded him, still dumbstruck in his own way.

"Of course…" Masruk returned as they sat in a comfortable silence for a moment and simply took in the world around them. "Krivax, what is that?"

Krivax looked to the sky in the direction that Masruk was pointing, only to see a giant eagle—far larger than any bird that could be found on earth—flying through the night sky. If he still had the vision of a human, there would be no chance for him to spot the bird in the darkness, but nerubian eyes were well-adapted for the dark.

"That is a Duskwing Eagle," said Krivax as he looked at the giant bird with faint awe. Even after living in Azeroth for four years he was still easily affected by such fantastical sights. It still sometimes amazed him to see the various giant bugs, spiders, jormungars, arachnathids, and other such creatures in the Empire.

"Is it dangerous? Will it attack?" asked Masruk, gripping his spear tightly.

We're two giant spider people. I doubt there are very many predators stupid enough to attack us.

"No, I don't think so. As long as we don't threaten it I doubt it will bother us," Krivax said reassuringly.

Once the two of them adjusted to their new surroundings, Krivax decided to take a look at his surroundings to see if he could find out which direction they needed to go. Fortunately, there were a few landmarks that gave him a decent idea of where he was, namely the Whisper Gulch that was visible from the tunnel's threshold.

That location was understandably marked with notes that read 'do not enter' and 'hazardous' on the map Krivax had drawn using a combination of the Circle's research and his own metaknowledge.

The faint sound of waves, the scent of the ocean, and the occasional seagull also served to make the direction of the coast fairly obvious. It only took a few minutes of walking in that direction for the two of them to reach the edge of the tall cliff that overlooked the nearby ocean. This triggered another long moment of dumbstruck staring that only ended when Masruk started to ask questions about the ocean.

"So it's full of salt?" Masruk asked in astonishment. "How does anything live in it?"

"They are built for it, just like we are for the underground." Krivax shrugged.

Now that he knew the location of the ocean and the Whisper Gulch, it was only a matter of following the edge of the cliff until they spotted the Ancient Lift that connected the Isle of Spears to the rest of Northrend.

Given they were both well rested—and it was still nighttime—it would probably be a good idea for them to both get moving. Unfortunately, Krivax was not quite certain how long it would take them to reach the village, so he had prepared a few supplies that would make the journey easier.

Reaching into his spatial bag, Krivax pulled out two vials filled with a gold-colored liquid. Krivax was fortunate that he could earn a decent amount of money through magical silk crafting because stamina potions were truly not cheap. A part of him believes he would enjoy being able to learn alchemy himself… but it was more important for him to prioritize his time.

After handing one of the potions to Masruk he opened the vial and quickly downed the potion in one quick gulp. Potions often tasted incredibly strange, so it was best to drink them as quickly as possible. Immediately after Krivax finished drinking the viscous liquid, he felt a surge of boundless energy that to him felt inexhaustible.

Intellectually, he knew that the potion would only last for the night, but he still felt as if he could run at a full sprint for days.

"Let's go," said Krivax after putting away the empty vials. "It'll be best if we travel as far as we can during the night while most of the animals are asleep. We can set up a nest in one of the trees after the sun rises."

Once Masruk nodded his agreement, the two of them started to move at a quick pace while following the edge of the cliff. One thing that was definitely not captured in the Warcraft franchise was how quickly nerubians were able to move due to their large size and multiple sets of legs, especially when they didn't need to worry about their stamina.

Honestly, being a giant spider person who was larger than an adult human and also able to run nearly as fast as a horse had its benefits.

As they traveled, Krivax did his best to answer Masruk's frequent questions.

The young nerubian seemed to be interested in everything, from clouds to trees to the random wildlife that hurriedly moved out of their way. For Krivax, it was interesting to see all the animals that were present in this location that did not exist in the game, from stuff that wouldn't be out of place back on Earth to things he didn't even have names for. After a few hours of running, Krivax had seen rabbits, dragonflies, a strange fox thing with tiny antlers, squirrels, a few deer, and even a herd of shoveltusk grazing in the distance.

Thankfully, it seemed that he was right to assume the wildlife wouldn't be stupid enough to attack two large predators for no reason.

Like this, the two of them managed to cover a deal of great distance as they traveled the rest of the night without interruption. It was only when the sun started to peek over the horizon that their pace started to slow.

While their potions still had a small amount of time before they ran out, the two of them could not help but be entranced by the sight of their first Azerothian sunrise.

As the darkness abated and the animals began to grow more active with the early morning light, the two of them decided to find a tree they could build a nest in and use to get some rest. After all, it had been a long evening for the both of them.

The terrain was mostly flat and not heavily forested, so they would likely be able to see any incoming danger regardless of which tree they chose. Seeing no reason to pick one giant tree over another, the two nerubians made their way to a tree that resides on a small hill.

As Masruk started to prepare their rations so they could have a quick meal once they finished spinning their web, Krivax began to inspect the tree in order to make certain no Duskwing Eagles had already made a nest in it.

He had only just finished determining that the tree was unoccupied—and thus free for them to use—when he heard a strange bellow that sounded something like an angry boar.

Startled, Krivax turned his attention to the direction the sound came from, only to see a large shoveltusk charging the two of them and several smaller ones behind it nervously huddling together.

Krivax frantically began casting a Frostbolt while Masruk charged spear first at the incoming stag. While the adult shoveltusk was very strong, it had no chance of standing up to Masruk and Krivax.

Masruk's spear expertly kept the territorial creature at bay and Krivax's full-strength Frostbolts constantly smashed into the shoveltusk's side and left it slow and injured. With a quick thrust, Masruk buried his spear into the side of the creature, causing it to collapse and spit out blood.

By the time they put the shoveltusk out of its misery, the rest of the herd was already running off into the distance.

"Good job, Masruk," said Krivax as he looked away from the animal's bloody corpse. It was his first time killing another living being and even if it was just an animal, he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

It's fine. People go hunting all the time back on Earth. I already knew I was going to have to get used to stuff like this, so there's no point in making a big deal about it.

"It was easy," said Masruk. Krivax felt like he could hear some disappointment in his friend's voice. "The shoveltusk was not very intelligent. It continuously charged into my spear even after such tactics failed already."

Krivax ignored his battle-hungry friend's disappointment and started to wrap the animal's corpse in webs so they would have an easier time dragging it away. After all, it would be unwise to leave a corpse near where they intended to sleep when it could attract scavengers.

Once the two of them pulled the shoveltusk an acceptable distance away, they quickly climbed up the tree and began weaving their temporary nest.

When the tree was nearly fully covered in webs that would entrap any approaching predator, Krivax and Masruk unpacked their rations and turned to watch the sunrise. After they finished their meal and were preparing to go to sleep, Masruk decided to climb to the very top of the tree to see if he could spot any potential threats.

"Krivax, what are those?" asked Masruk, interrupting Krivax as he was busy trying to make his sleeping cocoon more comfortable.

With a slight huff of exasperation, Krivax climbed to the top of the tree so he could explain whatever this new sight was to his friend. For a moment, after he saw the strange shapes floating back and forth in the distance, Krivax had no idea what he was looking at until he suddenly remembered a particular Tuskarr tradition.

The Tuskarr flew large kites over their settlements as a way of signaling their location to one another.

Well alright then. I guess we'll be making first contact faster than I thought.

 

[Fizzicks]

Thanks to Massgamer for beta reading! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

---

Orfus sighed wearily as the light of the morning peaked through the windows of his small home. He was reluctant to rise so early, but he knew he had a long day ahead of him and important responsibilities. The representatives from Kaskala and Moa'ki had just left, and Kamagua needed to replenish its food stocks as a result.

Orfus understood that the Elders felt it was important to throw a feast for visiting clans so they could demonstrate their capability, but they weren't the ones who would need to hunt the shoveltusks. Fortunately, they would only need to hunt the beasts as a temporary supplement until the Fishermen managed to refill the village's food supply.

Lifting himself from the comfort of his bed, Orfus donned his whale skin vest, grabbed his personal knife and spear, and made his way out of his house to face the day.

As he took a glance around the Ancient Life Outpost, he could immediately tell that his friend, Lunk-tusk, had already left to go hunting.

Orfus huffed in amusement, his friend would rather hunt alone than spend time looking after the younger hunters. He wasn't too worried though, Lunk-tusk was a highly capable warrior and was more than able to take care of himself.

Ready to get the day started, Orfus walked to the middle of the outpost and decided to wake up the young ones.

"Wake up, short-tusks!" bellowed Orfus at the top of his lungs. "The sun is up and it's time to get moving! Tayutka does not feed the lazy!"

Orfus chuckled to himself as he heard the muffled curses of young men throwing themselves out of bed and frantically preparing for the day ahead.

Soon enough, four young men with short and shiny tusks were lined up in front of him.

After a short inspection, he was pleased to see that Hrajopo, Hogak, Iriunot, and Motak had all managed to prepare themselves properly for the hunt.

"Are you ready, short-tusks?" asked Orfus sternly. Even if they were not expecting any great danger, hunting—just like fishing—was something that should always be taken seriously. "I don't want any of you getting gored because you decided to do something foolish. Our people are counting on us to feed them, and your families are counting on you to come back home. I expect you all to follow my directions, am I clear?"

He usually preferred to be more relaxed, but he had learned the hard way that it was best to be strict with young warriors who were barely more than calves.

After receiving enthusiastic affirmations from the young ones, Orfus nodded and started to lead them north. Their people were not best suited to travel quickly over land or for long distances on foot, but that was not a problem when it came to hunting shoveltusks. The stags were extremely territorial and would end up attacking anything that approached their herd's feeding grounds. All Orfus needed to do was find a herd of shoveltusks, walk in its direction, and kill the stag that came charging at him.

In Orfus's opinion, hunting shoveltusks was far simpler than fishing, which was likely the reason why it was not nearly as respected and thus not worth many knots on one's counting staff. Even embroidery done by the womenfolk was worth more knots.

Still, it was something that needed to be done.

The only difficult part was actually finding a herd. Lunk-tusk had scouted a herd north of the outpost a few days ago, but they had already been walking for a while and were having trouble finding it. The lands were very flat, so Orfus was surprised they had not spotted it yet.

Orfus was looking around and growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of shoveltusks despite having been walking for nearly an hour when his search was interrupted by Iriunot's yells.

"Long-tusk, what is that?!"

Orfus looked in the direction Iriunot was pointing in and was immediately dumbstruck by what he saw.

There was a tall tree peeking over a hill that was covered completely in spider webs.

"Get behind me, now!" Orfus barked at the younger warriors.

There was no reason for there to be giant spiders this far from the Rivenwood, but there was always a chance something had driven them south. A riven widow was not itself difficult to kill, but its venom was a death sentence without immediate attention from a shaman. Orfus had a faster reaction time and thicker blubber than the rest of his hunting part, so it would be best for them to stay behind him.

After the short-tusks were safely behind him, he gripped his spear tightly and carefully inched his way forward. With every step he took closer Orfus expected a giant spider to come charging down from the tree. Strangely, he managed to make it all the way there without incident, and even after circling the webbed tree, nothing attacked him.

Orfus felt his apprehension turn into confusion as he confirmed the tree to be empty.

"There is nothing here," Orfus said with feigned confidence. The short-tusks slowly calmed down and started to gawk at the tree with curiosity. "Prepare to head back. This needs to be reported to the Elders."

He hoped one of the shamans would understand what was going on since it was quite odd for the riven widows to abandon a nest. Orfus was about to lead the hunting party back to the outpost, and then to Kamagua, when he was interrupted by a strange voice.

"Greetings!"

Orfus and his hunting party immediately brandished their spears and stood back to back. He frantically looked at his surroundings but was unable to spot the owner of the voice. Still, he pushed himself in front of his hunting party and pointed his spear toward the bushes to his left.

After all, in such flat lands, there were very few places a person could hide.

"Who are you? Show yourself, stranger!"

"I will," said the voice. They spoke slowly and their Kalu'aka was accented in a way Orfus had never heard before; are they a different race? Maybe a troll or a taunka? Perhaps a human? "But first, promise no attack."

They were worried about being attacked?

Orfus allowed himself to relax as it looked less and less likely that their hunting party was about to be ambushed.

"I promise, stranger. We have no intention of attacking you if you do not attack us. We Kalu'ak are a peaceful people."

Orfus expected the stranger to show themselves after being reassured, but they instead called out again with audible hesitation.

"Remember promise. We look scary."

Orfus barely held back a scoff. He was a fully grown warrior of Kamagua. There was no chance of him being frightened to the point of violence by the appearance of some strange taunka or troll. He was even less frightened by the appearance of the small, tuskless humans.

"You need not worry, stranger," Orfus said soothingly. "No matter what manner of creature you may be, we promise we will not attack you."

After a few more moments of hesitation, the strangers finally walked out of the bushes and Orfus almost made himself into a liar.

As it was, he was able to hold back his instinctual reaction and focused his attention on stopping the screaming short-tusks from throwing their spears in terror.

"Calm down! Are you men or are you children?!"

After a lot of yelling, Orfus was eventually able to calm down the short-tusks enough that he didn't need to worry about them recklessly attacking the two giant spider creatures that could talk. Orfus shot a quick glare to the short-tusks and made it clear that he would be the one doing the talking.

"I apologize, strangers. Your appearances are indeed a bit more… startling than I expected," Orfus said as diplomatically as possible. "I am Orfus of Kamagua. Who are you?"

"I am Krivax," said the giant spider person who was wearing a robe made from some strange material. It then pointed to the other one next to it, which was wearing a set of metal armor and holding a spear. "This is Masruk. We want peace, not fight. We bring fish."

Orfus looked on in disbelief as the creature presented a Fangtooth Herring to them within a net of… more webs apparently, which made it clear who was responsible for the tree.

He was feeling distinctly uncomfortable with how much of their language and culture the giant spider person knew. However, his sense of propriety did not allow any of this discomfort to show on his face as he accepted the gift. To deny a gift freely given, especially one that was sourced from the bounty of the sea through the hard work of another, would be a great insult after all.

After the creature presented the fish, the short-tusks calmed down significantly and their expressions became much more curious rather than fearful. Orfus usually appreciated his people's kind and trusting nature, but right now it was his job to protect the young ones from a potential threat.

"Thank you for the gift, Krivax," Orfus said politely. The armored one seemed content to allow his companion to do all of the talking, so he directed his words to Krivax "I hate to be rude, but I have to ask. What are you, and what are your intentions?"

The fact that this creature was able to speak Kalu'aka and presented them with a peace offering in the form of a freshly caught fish meant that they had not approached his people by accident.

"Our people are called…"

The giant talking spider thing then started to speak in a strange skittering language, yet somehow, Orfus was able to understand the general gist of what it was saying. Was this some kind of magic?

Apparently, these creatures were called nerubians. Orfus did not know what a nerubian was, or if he would be able to pronounce the strange word, but it was not his responsibility to know such things. Orfus hoped that the Elders knew something about these creatures, or perhaps one of the Shamans would be able to contact an ancestor who had experience with them.

"We want peace. Trade. Friendship. No fighting."

Orfus carefully considered the creature's words as the short-tusks continued to lose their sense of wariness about the strange creatures. If these nerubians were approaching his people in a diplomatic manner and with the intention of fostering friendship and trade, then this was something that could only be handled by the Chieftain.

A part of Orfus wilted at the idea of how much hunting he would need to do if their village hosted more diplomats after the last ones had just left, but he knew he would do whatever his village required of him. Right now, the best way to handle these strange creatures was to learn as much as he could about them before he spoke to the Elders.

"I mean no disrespect, Krivax, but I know nothing about you or your people. I need to seek the wisdom of our people's Elders before I can allow you to approach our village."

"Understand. Not problem," said Krivax. The nerubian then seemed to hesitate before speaking quickly in its harsh language.

Whatever magic the creature was using to translate its intentions sent Orfus feelings of understanding and a desire to show him what they had brought to trade. Krivax also promised not to approach their village or outpost without their permission.

"Alright, if you would like to show us what you have brought to trade, then I'm willing to take a look and tell our Elders when I speak to them."

Orfus was not sure how much of what he said was understood by the creature, but he hoped that their strange magic would work both ways.

Krivax reached into a bag that they had been carrying over their shoulder, and Orfus was once again astounded as more of their arm disappeared into the bag than should be possible. It was starting to become clear to him that these nerubians were capable of feats of magic that the shamans were incapable of.

Orfus tensed as the nerubian started to pull something out of the magical bag, but rather than it being a weapon like part of him was expecting, it seemed to be a large roll of silk.

The giant spider people want to trade with silk. At least that makes sense.

By the time the nerubian was finished retrieving their trading goods, Krivax had pulled out several rolls of silk in various different colors and an assortment of metal ores. Orfus was feeling a bit out of his depth, he was a warrior, not a blacksmith or a seamstress.

Still, he would do his best to evaluate these goods so that he could present the Elders with as much information as possible.

"Can you explain what these are?" Orfus said respectfully. "I am not familiar with these items."

"Yes. Can explain," Krivax said eagerly. They then started to speak in their native language as they described the use of each of the objects.

Once they were done, even somebody as unfamiliar as him with the work of a seamstress could understand how valuable these silks were. By Issliruk, if what they said is true, then the reinforced silk could be used to make nets and ropes that would completely change how their people fished!

They even had silks that were able to heat anything that they touched. This could be used to make clothing that would protect the more vulnerable members of their community during the particularly harsh winters. Orfus could not immediately think of a use for the colder silk, but he was certain somebody in their village would find it useful.

When Orfus asked about the ores, he learned that they were all rather ordinary metal ores that his people were able to produce in great quantities because they apparently lived underground. Orfus was torn between feeling extreme horror at the thought of a race of giant spider people living beneath his feet, and glee at the thought of cheaper metals that could be used to make tools and weapons.

These nerubians must be extremely confident in their capabilities if they were willing to carelessly trade away metal ores.

Orfus looked at the younger warriors who were busy gawking at the silk and ores, and couldn't help but feel that the events of today would be worthy of being carved into their tusks.

Orfus spent the next few minutes asking clarifying questions, which the nerubian answered patiently. It was a bit difficult for them to communicate complicated ideas due to the language barrier, even with the spider people's strange magic, but they were able to muddle through.

When he was done, Orfus asked the two nerubians to wait by the webbed tree for them to return as he left to go speak to the Elders. Krivax agreed and also offered to give him a shoveltusk stag for them to bring back to his people.

That explained why we couldn't find the herd, he thought to himself as Orfus accepted but told them that bringing back the corpse would slow them down too much and that they would collect it later.

After Krivax agreed, Orfus bid the two nerubians farewell and started to drag his hunting party back to the village as quickly as possible.

"To think that there was such a people living in Northrend that we didn't know about…" Hogak spoke in wonder.

"As my father says, 'the world is wider than we will ever know,'" Motak followed up.

"I wonder what it is like living underground. It seems like a good way to avoid blizzards, but I think I would miss not seeing the sun or stars after a while," Hrajopo mused.

"You think they honor spiders like we honor walruses as reincarnated ancestors? Maybe they can even talk to them like the Shamans do…" Iriunot wondered out loud.

The four short-tusks continued to converse among themselves about their first contact with a race that no one, as far as Orfus knew at least, had even heard of and what they might be like.

Orfus let them since he was wondering quite a lot himself, and there was clearly no longer a need to be silent on this hunt turned diplomatic meeting.

As they hurriedly made their way back, Orfus couldn't help but wonder how he was going to explain this to the Elders. It was a good thing he had four other witnesses as well as the web net containing the Fangtooth Herring. He doubted anyone would believe him when he told them what he saw otherwise.

---

I set up a Patreon for anyone who wants to read ahead from my stockpile or just wants to support me.

I also have a Discord you can join if you want to chat.

Thanks.

 

[Fizzicks]

Thanks to Massgamer for beta reading this chapter.

---

Krivax barely stopped himself from pacing back and forth as he waited anxiously for the tuskarr leadership to send back a representative to speak with him.

His first contact with the tuskarr was going well enough so far—given that there was no violence involved, even if there was a bit of understandable fear—but Krivax couldn't help but worry about the next meeting. There were a lot of important things that depended on him successfully developing a peaceful relationship with the tuskarr.

Krivax had nearly panicked when he and Masruk returned to their temporary camp after successfully catching a fish, only to find it surrounded by armed tuskarr. It was fortunate for him that the walrus-people proved to be reasonable people who were open to diplomacy.

"Why are you so nervous?" asked Masruk.

"I just really hope this works out," said Krivax. In an attempt to distract himself from his worry, he decided to pass the time by making small talk with Masruk. "So what do you think about the tuskarr?"

"Hmm… they look strong, but they don't seem very fast. I would need to spar with one of them to form a complete opinion."

Krivax waited for his Masruk to say more on the topic, but he seemed content to leave it at that.

So much for small talk, thought Krivax as he gave in to the urge to start pacing.

Krivax knew that in order to accomplish his ultimate goal of finding evidence of the existence of the other continents, he would need to develop a certain amount of trust with the tuskarr. It shouldn't be too complicated for him to ask the tuskarr leadership if there was any contact between them and people from outside Northrend, but if they were suspicious of him then they might simply lie or refuse to answer.

Even if they did share their knowledge about lands outside of Northrend, Krivax would still need the tuskarr's assistance if he wanted to get into contact with them. After all, he doubted that the nerubian leadership would give much credence to the words of a "lesser race" for such world-changing information, so Krivax would need to be able to bring them actual evidence.

The first step in getting the tuskarr to trust him was to start trading with them. Things would become much easier for Krivax if he succeeded in building a mutually beneficial relationship. The various trading goods he had brought for this meeting were all things that were both relatively cheap for him to acquire and were likely to be very useful to the tuskarr.

It also helped that all the silks were the magical varieties that he was capable of creating himself, and that the ores were mined within Azjol-Nerub in such vast quantities that it would not be impossible for him to supply the tuskarr by himself.

The only metals that Azjol-Nerub truly considered to be valuable were either extraordinarily rare, such as titanium, or were used by them as currency, such as copper, silver, gold, or cobalt.

The only problem was finding something that the tuskarr could trade in return for these things.

While Krivax did not believe that the nerubians were a 'superior' race, it was still undeniable that their society was vastly more advanced than the tuskarr. Nerubians would not be interested in going out of their way to trade for knives made from shark teeth or vests made from the skin of a whale.

Krivax hoped that the tuskarr Elders would be clever enough to find something that the nerubians would want, or he would have a hard time justifying his continued interest.

Like this, Krivax anxiously tried to sort through his future plans while waiting for the tuskarr to arrive. It was only after a few hours had passed and he started to worry that something had gone wrong that he finally spotted a group of tuskarr that looked more official than the previous one heading in their direction from the Ancient Lift.

Finally, I guess it makes sense that their meeting would go on for a while when they need to figure out how to deal with the two giant spider people who randomly showed up.

When the group came close enough for Krivax to properly see them, he could tell that the warrior he spoke to the first time was accompanied by a few other warriors, and someone he assumed to be an Elder was leading the group.

The presumed Elder had long yellow tusks covered in carvings, a small mustache, carried a gnarled wooden staff, and was wearing an extravagant fur and leather jacket. Krivax could tell the exact moment the new tuskarr could see him and Masruk properly because they all immediately stopped moving and started to nervously talk amongst themselves.

Krivax tried his best to stay still and look as harmless as a nerubian could look while he waited patiently for them to gather their courage. Eventually, they started to move again, though their body language was notably more cautious than it was before.

"Greetings," said Krivax when they finally reached him. "Happy to meet you. I am Krivax. My friend is Masruk. What is your name?"

He did not have a firm mastery of the tuskarr language, but he decided it would be best to use it as much as possible instead of relying on magic to translate his intent. Ultimately, the best way to learn a language was to use it as much as possible.

"Greetings, Krivax," said the Elder in a feminine voice. It was very difficult for Krivax to determine a physical difference between male and female tuskarr, but now that he was looking, he could see that her tusks were slightly more curved and her hair was longer. It was also possible that she had breasts… but it was honestly generally hard to tell considering the stout and blubbery build of tuskarr.

"I am Elder Ko'kewi. These are Lunk-tusk, Kagonut, and you've already met Orfus. We greet you and hope for peace between us."

Hmm… so the one I was talking to is named Orfus. Good to know. I'm not an expert, but these guys look like skilled warriors.

It seemed likely to Krivax that the tuskarr had decided to approach him with a small group of skilled warriors as a way to offer sufficient protection to their Elder while not appearing overly hostile.

"We also want peace. We want to trade and exchange knowledge. We want to grow friendship."

The tuskarr delegation seemed to relax significantly at his words. It seemed that they were very willing to be friendly after they got over his appearance and realized they did not need to be afraid.

"I am happy to hear that," Ko'kewi said amiably. "Orfus has told us about the goods you wish to trade. May we see them?"

"Of course."

Krivax quickly laid out the various silks and ores he had brought to trade and presented them to the delegation. After that, he gave the same speech he already gave Orfus about their various uses. The tuskarr were visibly startled when the intent of his words started to be translated to them by magic, but they must have already been warned because they got over it fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, while translating intent was far easier than translating language directly, it was also much less clear. Krivax needed to repeat a few things during his speech multiple times for them to accurately understand his meaning, but they eventually understood what he was offering them.

Krivax felt comforted when he saw the visible greed in their eyes; it seems like he picked the right trading goods to bring.

"What do you want for these?" Ko'kewi asked with a feigned lack of interest after he finished speaking.

"I don't know," said Krivax honestly. "I have a few ideas, but I would prefer to speak with your leadership so that we might negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement."

It took a little effort to get the tuskarr to understand what he was asking, but after they did, they huddled together and started to talk about it quietly amongst themselves.

"We will take you to meet our Chieftain," said Ko'kewi after they reached a decision.

Once she was done speaking, the tuskarr called Kagonut stepped forward and delivered a series of stern warnings and threats about what would happen if they harmed anyone in the village.

While Kagonut was busy delivering his warnings, Orfus ran off to presumably get the body of the shoveltusk they had offered him earlier with Masruk guiding him.

I'm pretty sure I would be able to understand this guy even without magic. There's no need to glare at me so much, dude. You're the bad cop. I get it.

After reiterating his peaceful intentions, the tuskarr must have felt sufficiently reassured because they instructed him and Masruk to follow them back to their village. Orfus displayed the crazy strength of warriors in this world by easily carrying the wrapped-up shoveltusk on his back without any visible strain.

"Where are we going?" asked Masruk. Unlike Krivax, he did not know any tuskarr, and the magical artifact that translated intent only worked for those who held it.

"They have invited us back to their village," said Krivax. "I'm going to talk to their Chieftain about trade, and hopefully we'll be able to reach an agreement."

"Why are they willing to bring us into their home?" asked Masruk, confused. "Kilah'Kuk would never allow them to enter our city under any circumstances."

"I suppose they are just more trusting and open to outsiders than we are," said Krivax evenly. It was good that his friend was asking these kinds of questions and learning that different groups had different values.

Masruk contemplated that silently for a moment before he spoke again.

"The big one looks very powerful," said Masruk while looking directly at Kagonut. "You should request that they allow me to spar with him. I would like to test his strength."

"...Sure, buddy. I'll make sure to ask."

I just hope they are familiar with the idea of friendly spars.

The tuskarr seemed to be growing agitated by the two of them speaking in a language they could not understand, so Krivax decided to end the conversation there.

It was not long before they reached the Ancient Lift.

There was a small group of several buildings that likely served as an outpost that protected the Ancient Lift from potential threats. The buildings themselves seemed to be fairly well built, with thick thatched roofs and an exterior constructed with wood and stone. The support beams were made from what Krivax assumed to be whale bones, and the doorways were covered by some kind of leather and fur.

Although the design of the Ancient Lift looked simple, it was still a remarkable thing to see in real life. Krivax wasn't sure that some kind of primitive cable car that was in fact a vrykul boat suspended over the air by a rope was the safest way to travel, but he didn't have very many options if he wanted to get to the Isle of Spears without a boat.

The tuskarr probably understand the thing pretty well, and they don't seem particularly concerned, so I guess I should just suck it up.

The boat itself had a surprising amount of room and their entire group had no issue fitting inside.

Krivax was not certain how the tuskarr managed to start the thing when they were all safely aboard, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as they began moving.

As they approached the Isle of Spears, Krivax couldn't help but feel that the tuskarr had chosen a truly defensible location to build their village. Aside from murlocs, there were few things in the Howling Fjord that could threaten them when they lived on an island. Not only that, but the real island was much larger than it was portrayed in the game.

Krivax looked to one of the snowy portions of the island and gawked at a white, two-headed creature that was flying lazily through the air.

Soon enough, the boat passed over another tuskarr village—Iskaal, as Ko'kewi told him after being asked—and Krivax could see people waving up at them and staring in open curiosity. Krivax waved back at a tuskarr child and chuckled in amusement when the kid jumped in surprise and ran into one of the houses.

Eventually, their group descended safely unto the Isle of Spears, and Krivax and Masruk followed the tuskarr off the lift. Awaiting them was a pair of tuskarr warriors who were holding spears and riding giant turtles.

"Elder Ko'kewi, Chieftain Atuk awaits you and our guests."

"Thank you, Turtle Rider."

The two tuskarr followed along on either side of their group as they approached the village of Kamagua. While they entered and made their way to the Chieftain, Krivax took the opportunity to take a good look at the village.

For the most part, the buildings were built in the same style as the ones at the Ancient Lift's outpost—although Krivax did see one interesting building that looked like it was built down into the ground and a couple of large tents made of some kind of hide.

There were also rows and rows of boats lined up near the docks and a steady stream of fishermen could be seen coming and going. The villagers themselves seemed to be both fearful and curious of the two nerubians, but they remained respectful enough of the Elder not to approach and did not appear overtly hostile.

Soon, they were led into the largest building in the village which Krivax assumed belonged to the Chieftain.

The inside of the building had a large fire pit lined with stones in the center, and several doorways that led to different rooms. Colorful weavings and a variety of what Krivax assumed to be trophies were hanging from the wall.

The Chieftain himself was a large tuskarr wearing a dark brown vest and a thick fur coat. His tusks were long, yellow, and densely covered with intricately carved symbols. However, his tusks could not compare to the female tuskarr that stood next to him.

She was much smaller than the Chieftain, yet Krivax felt like she had a presence that filled up the room. Her hair was long and white with old age, and her tusks were the longest of any tuskarr Krivax had yet seen and were nearly completely covered with carved symbols. Like Ko'kewi, she carried a gnarled staff and her eyes held a wisdom that made Krivax feel like she could see all of his secrets.

"Greetings, outsiders," said the Chieftain. "I am Chieftain Atuk, and this is Elder Wumni. Welcome to Kamagua."

"Greetings, I am Kriv—"

Before he could finish his introduction, Elder Wumni let out a snort of irritation and pounded her staff onto the ground. Krivax didn't know what had just happened, but he momentarily felt a sudden surge of magic from the woman before it suddenly dissipated.

Krivax tensed and prepared for a fight when the old tuskarr suddenly spoke in what to him sounded like perfect nerubian.

"I'm not interested in listening to you butcher our language for the rest of this conversation, outsider," said Elder Wumni, completely unconcerned by the sudden tension of the two nerubians. "This magic will allow us to understand each other while in the confines of this building."

Krivax was completely dumbfounded. True translation magic was not a simple thing to accomplish, which was why the artifact Hadix gave him only allowed for the translation of general intentions. The Circle of Viziers had specific members who were trained to use such magic, and Seer Kuk'ir was the only nerubian he knew of that could cast a Glyph of Comprehension.

The fact that this old tuskarr managed to cast such complicated magic so casually was a… tad intimidating.

"Thank you for your assistance, Elder Wumni," said Krivax as politely as possible. "My understanding of your language is incomplete, and I hope to learn more from your people in the future."

Elder Wumni snorted with faint amusement.

"At least you're polite. As far as I've been told, you're already making a better impression than the last nerubian who came here. There's no need to introduce yourselves. Orfus has already told us your names."

"You have experience with my people, Elder Wumni?" said Krivax, forcing his voice to be as calm as possible, even as his mind was racing.

"Not me, but one of our ancestors," said Elder Wumni. "When I called upon them and asked, they told me that a nerubian like you decided to come here in the pursuit of knowledge while offering nothing in return."

She's probably talking about the most recent Vizier to try studying the tuskarr. That definitely sounds like something a Vizier would do.

"I will not lie to you and say that I do not seek knowledge, but I wish to do so in a mutually beneficial way that will leave us both enriched, Elder Wumni."

Elder Wumni stared at him searchingly for a long moment before suddenly nodding and turning her attention to Masruk.

"And you? Are you just a silent follower with no thoughts of your own?"

"I am Masruk, and I am here to protect and support my friend," Masruk said matter-of-factly. "I would like to spar with some of your warriors, but I am not otherwise particularly interested in you."

Krivax barely resisted the urge to bury his face in his palms.

Thankfully, rather than being insulted, the Elder instead started to chuckle.

"Very well said, Masruk," said Elder Wumni. With a nod to the Chieftain, she stepped back and allowed him to lead the conversation.

"I think we both know that the goods you have brought to trade are very valuable to us, outsiders," said Chieftain Atuk seriously. "I'm curious to hear what you wish for in return."

"I have a few ideas, Chieftain Atuk," said Krivax, shifting into a more comfortable position.

The negotiations were likely to go on for a while once they started getting into the specifics, so it was a good idea for him to get comfortable.

---

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[Massgamer]

Odd Spiderfolk​

"I have a few ideas, Chieftain Atuk," the 'nerubian', Krivax, said with what sounded like good cheer.

"Then please, share them," Atuk responded as he sat down on one of the seal hide pillows in front of the firepit while gesturing for his guests to do the same. Both Krivax and his companion Masruk did so, if not in the same manner as himself.

Both oriented themselves above the offered seats and then curled their legs until their 'lower bodies' touched the ground. Krivax folded his arms in front of him while Masruk laid his spear across his lap. It was… odd, but understandable given their different body shapes, more similar to the savage Magnataur than any Tuskarr, but much more polite and peaceful.

So far, anyway.

Elders Ko'kewi and Wumni also sat down, the latter with a sigh as she rested her old bones, while their party of warriors simply backed off a respectful distance… but still close given these strangers.

"First, you must understand that our kingdom, Azjol-Nerub, is very self-sufficient for the most part. We haven't interacted much with the surface world for a very long time since… Well, frankly many believe it has nothing we want or need. The Circle of Viziers, the order I am a part of, are among the only ones who still have an interest in the surface for research purposes, but even then most think we are better off on our own. I am one of the few who believe that the surface has much to offer us, but only if we lend out a friendly hand and speak with those who live here and get to know them. Hence, why we are here," Krivax explained.

He then paused for a moment before continuing. "Do keep in mind though this is mostly a personal venture. I have no authority to speak on behalf of my own city's ruler, let alone the High King. But I do hope our talks here might lead to something more official in the future."

Atuk hummed to himself as he digested the information. A whole kingdom living underground, apparently for a very long time and barely venturing to the surface, without anyone knowing was rather… distressing. Still, the fact they hadn't caused his people any trouble in the long memory of the ancestors was good, and even better this diplomatic venture by this curious and open-minded example of their kind.

Still, that left the question…

"If your people are so well off, then what could we possibly have to offer them?" Atuk asked outright.

"Well… if I can be frank, not a whole lot, but what you can provide can still help show the rest of my people that totally isolating ourselves is not in our best interests," Krivax said.

"And what would that be?" Elder Wumni asked with a slightly clipped tone.

"Knowledge is a big one," Krivax, earning a huff from the Elder Wumni. "Not your magic though! I get that the last nerubian here likely didn't leave the best impression. Viziers can be… a bit single-minded at times. While I would love to know more about it personally, I also would love to learn about your history, your customs, your traditions, your language, and everything you would feel comfortable sharing with outsiders."

"That would be something we'd be willing to share with guests freely. Our way of life is no secret, and so long as you'd be willing to share the same I think this could build the groundwork to a good relationship between our people," Atuk nodded at the easy enough request.

"As Shaman I suppose you'll be dumping that job mostly on me then," Elder Wumni grunted. "I suppose it won't be too different than teaching the calves."

"Thank you, Honored Elder, and naturally I will share with you my peoples' way as well. And if you ever feel comfortable teaching me a little about your magic I can gladly do the same," Krivax hummed and gave what Atuk thought might be his version of a smile… It was a little disturbing seeing the mouth parts in front of his face move like that.

"Don't go hunting whales just yet, boy," Wumni lightly warned.

"Of course," Krivax nodded before turning back to Atuk. "As for other things… is it true that you fish certain creatures from the waters that have an outer exoskeleton like us?" he asked while tapped at his chest, letting out a light clicking sound.

"Exoskeleton… you mean a shell? In that case, yes. We catch many crabs, lobsters, shrimp, clams, and other such creatures all the time in our traps and nets. Why do you ask?" Edler Ko'kewi questioned.

"Well, you see the main source of food for our people is fungus, algaes, protein-rich webbing, and especially raised and ranched insects, arachnids, and worms. Fish is a rare meal only few of our people actually eat, from whom I learned to fish from." Krivax explained.

No fish! Atuk thought in shock, not imagining anyone not taking part of the sea's bounty at least in some small way.

"Why not trade our excess fish and whale meat then for… whatever it is you use for currency?" Elder Wumni asked.

"We use coins," Krivax stated, sharing a convenient fact about how his people did business with one another that was similar to how their own did. "And unfortunately I don't think it will catch on since only a few of us as said actually eat and enjoy it. However, while I haven't tried it myself and I hope I can while we are here, that these creature's similarities with what we eat already will make a luxury market for those in my kingdom who come to enjoy them. This can be a very beneficial trade since it exposes my people to an aspect of the surface they like and you would likely earn much in exchange, be it coins or products."

That was an interesting idea… and it was harder to store shellfish than fish anyhow so they could sell the surplus during good seasons and use the wealth earned to better prepare for lean ones. Of course… this depended on whether the nerubians did enjoy shellfish…

Well, it was close to lunch anyhow.

"Then let us test it now," Atuk said with a smile.

---

Atuk chuckled a little as he took a bite of fried Fangtooh and shoveltusk, both provided by their guests to complete the gift giving ritual, alongside Elders Wumni and Ko'kewi as their guests dug into their own food… almost literally.

They were given steamed crab and lobster, with a side of oysters, to see how nerubians liked the taste of them, and the answer was apparently very much.

The chieftain watched as his guests dug into their food as if they hadn't eaten for days, cracking open the shells of all the foods with their teeth and happily sucking out the meat within. Masruk was especially eager, shoving a whole lobster into his mouth with only a couple bites, while Krivax was more restrained.

On the one hand it was a little nauseating watching them devour their meal with such gusto, but on the other he himself remembered his first solid meal of the sea's bounty very foundly too. His own children and their children were very much the same with their first fish as well. He could excuse a bit of messy eating considering the nerubians had never partaken of such fine meals before.

It was only after they cleared their plates that the nerubians recognized their rudeness and actually looked embarrassed, or as embarrassed as giant spider people could look.

"I- I apologize for our poor manners," Krivax bowed, followed quickly by Masruk.

"It smelled like nothing I've eaten before, and tasted like a mix of beetle and flyer- but better!" the warrior explained himself."

"I suppose that answers the question of whether or not your people would be willing to pay good coin for it then," Elder Wumni chuckled out loud at their shamed looks.

"Indeed, I am sure it will be the talk of the Spiderlord, Vizier, and Queen circles the second it reaches their tables," Krivax said. "Easily something they will pay a vast amount for."

"That is good to hear, though I doubt we can sell much all the time since there is only so much we can safely fish out of the sea every season without harming the population. You'd have to ask the other clans elsewhere if you want a similar deal," Atuk explained.

"If this grows as popular as I believe it will, then I am sure the High King himself will send trading parties to set it up," Krivax said with confidence.

"Hehe, good to know," Atuk smiled. "Now that we have shown you our bounty, do you mind sharing yours?"

"Of course," Krivax said as he reached for his 'magic bag' and began pulling out various items from it that should not have fit within something so small. It confirmed Orfus' earlier stories at least about the spiderfolk's strange magic, since Atuk knew of no ancestral items with similar abilities.

He then laid out several bundles of silk and a small pile of different ores before him, also confirming past reports.

"Since we live underground my people mine a lot of minerals pretty often and use them for all sorts of things. I am sure you can get things like iron and steel for cheap from us, but don't quote me on that since I am no merchant. We also mine precious metals like silver and gold, which we use in our currency along with copper and cobalt. I am sure you can find uses for that in tools, weapons, armor, kitchenware, etc."

"Indeed we can," Elder Ko'kewi said. "We value our tradition of making various things from the bones and teeth of the creatures we hunt, but we know the value of forged metal as well."

"Great to hear, but I'm sure you'll be more interested in our silk," Krivax said while unrolling a sheet and presenting it to them. "I don't like to brag, but our Weavers are masters in working it into all kinds of things: clothing, art, structures, stories, food, you name it. It can be woven into nets and ropes of great strength and longevity. As master fishermen I am sure you can see the benefit of it, but don't take my word for it. Take this and just try to tear it."

Elder Ko'kewi took the sheet offered to her, and after feeling it for a bit did as she was told and attempted to rip the flimsy looking sheet in twain… and failed.

Eyes widened all within Atuk's home as all the Tuskarr present watched as Elder Ko'Kewi failed again and again trying to undo the bindings that held the silk sheet together, all to no avail. She huffed a bit from exertion before huffing again and giving the sheet over to him in defeat.

Atuk merely held the thin and incredibly smooth piece of fabric before him, turning it over and over to see if there was any damage to it after all that effort or if there was some trick at play. Finding none of either he merely decided to also test its resolve against his own, in his humble opinion, great strength.

Yet no matter how hard he tried it did not break, and in his youth he had once pulled a small kraken to shore!

He merely looked upon the undamage sheet in awe before handing it to Elder Wumni.

The aged Shaman held the sheet within her hands, carefully rubbing her fingers through it while whispering under her breath, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"This fabric… the spirits like it," she simply said before handing it back to Krivax. "I've never seen anything like it. Not even the giant spiders of the Rivenwood could weave something such as that."

"To be fair, lesser giant spiders don't have our intelligence and skill," Krivax humble-bragged as he folded the sheet and put it away. "And our silk is also very receptive to magic, which is likely why your… 'spirits' like it. We weave many spells and magical effects into our silk for certain effects, but even in its base state it has countless uses. These are some of the most common ones, and in fact ones I made myself, magic and silk," Krivax said as he handed over another sheet, this time to Elder Wumni first.

"So warm," she said at once, rubbing her hands all over the sheet in surprise.

"That sheet contains an enchantment that my own robes hold we call 'minor flameweave', which in this case makes those who wear it have a constant warm temperature. I think you can guess how useful that could be here on the surface considering how cold it can get. That is not even getting into the Flameweave and Iceweave enchants which we use to heat up and keep things cool respectively, which can help in cooking and storing food. That is only the beginning though and I myself can enchant silk to have a wide variety of effects, and I am a total novice compared to master Weavers back home. And who knows, maybe you'll find them useful in your own magic like we do for our own." Krivax said towards Elder Wumni, who had at some point during the explanation wrapped herself in the magically warm sheet with a content smile on her face.

"So warm…" the eldery shaman simply said.

"I would assume that these magical… 'weavings' would cost a great deal," Elder Ko'Kewi pointed out.

"The more complex ones, yes, though minor ones can along with pure silk works tend to be pretty cheap since all nerubians can produce silk ourselves," Krivax explained.

Atuk hummed once more to himself as he considered things. From practicality alone these silk products could be very useful in nearly all aspects of his village's life, and the envy of the other clans once word reached them. All of which can be bought and paid for mostly through fishing, something they could easily do and then do more of once they had better tools.

It could be a very good deal.

"This is all very impressive and I won't deny that if a deal can be made that it would be foolish not to take part of it," Atuk stated, who was about to say more before someone interrupted him.

"If you are serious about wheeling and dealing with us you are gonna need to learn how to actually talk to us beyond broken words and magically transferred intentions outside these walls," Elder Wumni spoke up from her comfortable looking cocoon. "And since you seem so intent on getting to know the surface I say you should stay here and actually learn it right."

That earned more than a few shocked glances.

"You… you mean stay here? In the village?" Krivax asked.

"Where else are you gonna properly learn Kalu'aka than right here? Also, figure keeping you here for a bit and seeing how you do among our people is the fastest way to see just how honest you nerubians are in your peaceful intentions," Elder Wumni said. "Of course, assuming you both and the Chieftain are alright with it of course."

"I do not mind, so long as I can spar with your warriors regularly to keep up my strength and Krivax agrees to it," Masruk was quick to give his consent.

"Well… I wasn't expecting this so early, but so long as I inform my superior back home about my extended 'research expedition' then it should be alright. I have a magical tool on hand to let me do just that as well," Krivax nodded along.

"I would be happy to extend guest rights to you both for the time being, but if you plan to live and learn among us then you will be expected to contribute to the wellbeing of our community like all adult members of the Kalu'ak," Atuk warned them.

"Of course, that is something both our people agree on," Krivax readily agreed.

"Then on behalf of all Kamagua I welcome you among our tribe and hope in time you come to see yourself a part of it," Atuk intoned.

And so it was that Kamagua had earned itself two new… unique members.