Haha, always a good day when an Elf gets schooled. Duels are pretty common in Dalaran so it shouldn't be much of a scandal.
The more scandalous thing is that a teacher was revealed as utterly incompetent in front of honoured guests, because Dalaran prides itself on having the best educators. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to poach a Nerubian Vizier to come and teach Warding while acting as an ambassador.
I hope Hadix doesn't embarrass the elf too badly, but it should at least make it apparent to the citizens of Dalaran that the Nerubians are peers -if not superiors- in most magical disciplines considering they've had far longer to work at it than any other race and their bodies are specifically designed to better channel and learn magic.
The more scandalous thing is that a teacher was revealed as utterly incompetent in front of honoured guests, because Dalaran prides itself on having the best educators. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to poach a Nerubian Vizier to come and teach Warding while acting as an ambassador.
I hope Hadix doesn't embarrass the elf too badly, but it should at least make it apparent to the citizens of Dalaran that the Nerubians are peers -if not superiors- in most magical disciplines considering they've had far longer to work at it than any other race and their bodies are specifically designed to better channel and learn magic.
I apologize if this is a stupid question but what how does the light affect the void? I am not that well versed with Warcraft lore and this seems important.
Also seeing an elf get schooled (HA) always brightens my day so thank you for that.
The WoW magic system isn't always clear, but it's generally considered a wheel separated into 6 categories of primordial magic with a lesser version most mortals can manipulate.
At the top is Light (Holy) and at the bottom is Void (Shadow), polar opposites and their clash at the beginning of the universe is what created reality and all the other magic types.
Then on the sides is Order (Arcane) with its opposite Chaos (Fel), and then Life (Nature/Druidism) and its opposing force Death (Necromancy).
There is also the magicks of the four elements, Chi, Spirit, and Decay at the centre of the wheel that's a mix of categories, but they're a bit harder to define.
For the purposes of your actual question, magic works best against its opposite. It's a bit strange to think about because that means Void is equally good against Light, but Light still works a lot better against Void than any of the others could possibly do. They unravel each other I suppose would be the way of putting it, though if one has more power or will behind it then I suppose that might also tip the balance.
There's a good illustration of this if you type in "WoW Magic Wheel" into Google image search - unfortunately the link won't work for me posting it here.
At the top is Light (Holy) and at the bottom is Void (Shadow), polar opposites and their clash at the beginning of the universe is what created reality and all the other magic types.
Then on the sides is Order (Arcane) with its opposite Chaos (Fel), and then Life (Nature/Druidism) and its opposing force Death (Necromancy).
There is also the magicks of the four elements, Chi, Spirit, and Decay at the centre of the wheel that's a mix of categories, but they're a bit harder to define.
For the purposes of your actual question, magic works best against its opposite. It's a bit strange to think about because that means Void is equally good against Light, but Light still works a lot better against Void than any of the others could possibly do. They unravel each other I suppose would be the way of putting it, though if one has more power or will behind it then I suppose that might also tip the balance.
There's a good illustration of this if you type in "WoW Magic Wheel" into Google image search - unfortunately the link won't work for me posting it here.
Chapter 28
Thanks to massgamer for beta reading.
Krivax closed the book on Dalaran's laws as soon as he finished reading the portions on magical duels and moved to return it to the bookshelf filled with recently purchased books that Hadix thought would be useful for his student's continued education.
Call him paranoid, but while Hadix might be confident that he was more than capable of handling anything that came his way, Krivax wanted to learn everything he could beforehand.
Apparently, magical dueling was a tradition that had been brought to Dalaran from Quel'thalas, unsurprisingly, and was a method that mages sometimes used to settle disagreements. It made sense to Krivax, in a society that had access to potent magical healing and powerful arcane defenses, fighting to prove a person's magical competence or to resolve a feud would naturally be more common than on Earth.
Especially given the fact that Azeroth was an extremely dangerous place, which naturally led to cultures and people that were generally more hostile, combative, and martial-focused than Earth.
Of course, there was a bit of bureaucracy involved in scheduling a magical duel that had taken them two days to arrange. Both of the participants had to go in front of an official and give their consent by signing a contract stating the terms of the duel. There was also a hefty fee to pay for the facilities and all of the supporting personnel, which Flametrail had insisted on paying in full due to some kind of cultural expectations placed on the challenger, but the duel itself was a relatively straightforward matter.
The duel would take place in a venue prepared for such occasions, a small stadium that would allow interested parties to watch. Both of the participants would be protected by the stadium's numerous defensive enchantments, and there would be mages and healers ready to intervene as soon as things looked to be going wrong, but there otherwise were few rules other than to nonlethally defeat your opponent in magical combat.
There was a rule that prohibited the usage of magical items, which Krivax had worried would extend to spellweaving, but an administrator had ensured him it didn't after learning what spellweaving was. The fact that spellweaving reserved a portion of the caster's mana and only imbued magic into silk temporarily put it into the same category as protection spells that were crafted beforehand.
It was much closer to precasting a spell than permanently enchanting an item.
As long as both participants were informed of the situation, then spellweaving didn't break any rules. When Arcanist Flametrail was made aware that Hadix would be spellweaving, he hadn't seemed to care, and Hadix was more than willing to take advantage of that arrogance.
"I still don't understand why that elf would be dumb enough to challenge you," said Krivax, huffing in frustration. "Didn't you make it abundantly clear that you outclass him, Vizier Hadix?"
The Vizier was hanging from one of the webs attached to the wall of their assigned lodgings while weaving a spell far more complex than Krivax could understand into a long strand of silk. He wasn't even done with his spellweaving yet, but the silk already glowed with an unreasonable amount of arcane energy.
"There's a possibility this scenario was arranged by the city's leadership in order to test my abilities. If that is the case, then this an acceptable outcome because it will allow me to show some of what we are capable of, but the most likely explanation is simply that people often make irrational decisions," said Hadix as he prepared himself for the coming duel. "That is especially true when they are highly emotional. Besides, if our historical records on the elves remain accurate, making detrimental decisions due to their own arrogance is a feature inherent to their species."
Krivax very carefully did not react to that hypocritical statement as he watched Hadix continue his spellweaving.
"Hmph. Don't think that I don't know what's going on in that odd little mind of yours," said Hadix, huffing in amusement. "Arrogance is only arrogance when it is undeserved. Otherwise, it's simply having a good understanding of one's capabilities. The difference between me and that elf is that unlike him, my understanding of myself in comparison to others is accurate."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax, trying his best to keep a straight face and sound as genuine as possible. "I was not thinking anything derogatory about you at all."
"I see that those lessons I gave you in how to properly lie have had some effect," Hadix said dryly, turning his attention away from his weaving to glance at him. "Perhaps if you continue practicing for a few decades, you might become a skilled enough liar to make me second guess myself."
Yes, Vizier Hadix, I have no idea why I thought you were arrogant. How odd of me.
"So you're certain that there's no possibility that you will lose?" Krivax asked curiously.
While he had studied under Hadix for a significant amount of time by now, he did not actually know that much about his mentor. Krivax knew that Hadix was more powerful than the average Vizier, but he didn't know how powerful that was, nor had he actually seen a full-on battle between two fully mature mages.
Ignoring the potential diplomatic headaches that this might cause him in the future, Krivax was actually feeling a bit excited to watch the duel. What kind of person wouldn't want to watch a fight between two wizards?
"Certainty does not exist when it comes to a fight between two mages," Hadix said firmly. "There's every possibility that I will lose, although that remains exceedingly unlikely."
Krivax was surprised by the Vizier's answer, he had expected the Vizier to say something like, 'Don't insult me by asking ridiculous questions, Vizier Krivax. That pathetic elf couldn't harm me if he lived for another millennium!'
"That isn't the answer that I was expecting to hear," Krivax said honestly, curious to hear the Vizier's perspective.
"There are many among the Circle of Viziers who would have given you an answer more similar to the one I suspect you were expecting," said Vizier Hadix, his tone uncharacteristically solemn and his gaze far off. "But that is merely because they lack experience in actual combat. There were many times throughout the years that I have seen members of the Order die to those under the sway of the Void, even when the enemy was weaker than them. In combat, anything is possible, and that is why it is wise to deal with your enemies quickly and quietly or avoid a fight whenever possible."
Krivax wasn't quite sure what to think about that, it certainly wasn't what he had been expecting from the Vizier.
"If that is the case, then why did you antagonize that elf and accept his request to duel?"
"Because, Krivax, aside from the fact that his incompetence offended my sensibilities, there is very little that irritates me more than a teacher who fails to take their responsibilities seriously, especially one who teaches magic," Hadix hissed out, his tone filled with anger simply at the thought of it. "If a mage agrees to teach the next generation, then there should be a minimal expectation that they do not sabotage their students through either incompetence or disinterest."
Krivax paused as he stared at his mentor, considering what the Vizier had just said.
For all of the time that he had known Hadix, he always considered him to be relatively uncaring about most matters of morality. Oh, he knew that Hadix wasn't some kind of monster that trampled over people for no reason, but he also knew that the Vizier didn't have the slightest qualms about getting his hands dirty if he needed to.
The fact that Hadix felt strongly about this topic was not something that Krivax had expected. Even if he did care about the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship, Krivax wouldn't have expected him to get so riled up about it.
Although looking back, his mentor had always treated matters of his education seriously. From the moment that Krivax had first come under the Vizier's tutelage, he had never failed to answer his questions on magic with… relative patience. If Krivax wanted to learn something and Hadix was busy, then he was always provided with an appropriate spellbook, which were all fairly valuable, or Hadix would get back to him later.
He also acted responsibly with the other members of the Surface World Research Division as far as Krivax could tell.
To him, that just seemed like common decency, but he could also remember hearing examples of Viziers treating those under them with… much less decency during his time in Kilah'kuk.
He was a bit curious about how strongly the Vizier felt on this topic, and he could tell that Hadix was lost in his thoughts and wasn't paying him very much attention, so he decided to see if he could learn more.
"Well, I suppose I should be grateful that Arcanist Flametrail is simply incompetent," said Krivax, keeping his tone casual. "I doubt I want to know what you would have done if he'd been sabotaging his students intentionally."
Hadix's expression immediately grew menacing enough that Krivax felt a shiver of dread go through his carapace.
"No, you do not."
The Vizier's tone was dark enough that Krivax abandoned any intentions to probe Hadix further. Though he had gotten used to the Vizier's dominating presence, he still wasn't brave enough to dip his mandibles into what looked like a personal subject.
Seeing that Hadix was in no mood for further conversation, Krivax decided that it would be a good idea to bury himself in his spellbooks until it was time for them to leave in a few hours.
Elder Vizier Malab's Advanced Ward of Mental Protection was much more difficult to learn than Krivax had initially hoped, so most of his recent efforts were dedicated to learning the Order's Anti-Divination magics.
Soon enough, one of the delegation's warriors was knocking on the door and informing them that the venue had been prepared for the duel. The walk to the stadium was a quiet one, although Krivax could feel his excitement growing as they made their way through the streets of Dalaran and grew closer to the stadium.
When they reached their destination, a large building not too far from the Violet Citadel, the two of them were quickly ushered in separate directions by a few guards. Hadix was escorted to a preparation room and Krivax found himself being taken to the seating arrangements prepared for him and Vizier Crinis.
Which was in fact just a section of the stadium stands that was filled with large cushions. It wasn't exactly easy to make a chair for a nerubian after all, so Krivax supposed this was the best that they could figure out.
I guess they must be pretty comfortable at least because Vizier Crinis is looking pretty cozy.
The female Vizier looked more than a little pleased, laying down on a large cushion and reading through her notes. Crinis had taken it upon herself to learn more about Dalaran and their government over the past few days in preparation for their important meeting with the Council of Six. Krivax had noticed a marked increase in respect for Dalaran from the Viziers in comparison to the amount of respect they had for everyone else in the Eastern Kingdoms.
Krivax greeted the Vizier and moved over to his own cushion nearby, folding his legs under himself and lowering his body as his warrior escorts, including Masruk, took defensible locations nearby while doing their best to remain unobtrusive.
Krivax had wanted to chat with Masruk while watching the fight, but the warrior in charge of his protective escort made it clear that he couldn't spare his friend while Vizier Hadix and Anub'rekhan were away. It was fine for his friend to hang out with him while they had the overpowered Vizier or Spiderlord by their side, but when that wasn't the case, Masruk needed to spend more time doing his guard duty and less time making conversation.
It wasn't ideal, but Krivax understood the necessity, there would be plenty more opportunities for them to chat when it was more appropriate to do so.
Oh… I like this.
The moment he sat down, Krivax was immediately surprised to find that the cushions were enchanted. He wasn't exactly sure what spell it was enchanted with, but he could tell that it was supernaturally comfortable, warming, and contouring itself to his body just the perfect amount.
It wasn't as good as a well-made cocoon blanket, but it was still really nice.
God, I love magic. It almost makes it worth it to be reborn in a deathworld that's facing multiple future apocalypses.
After taking a few minutes to enjoy the cushion, Krivax decided to take a look around the stadium to see if he could see anyone else that he recognized. After all, he was certain that there were more than a few important people who would be interested in watching Vizier Hadix participate in a duel.
There were many people in the stadium, mages, and non-mages alike, most having likely come to see the 'newcomer' take on the 'home team' as it were, including several important-looking individuals who were wearing emblems of the Kirin Tor on their robes, but nobody that Krivax recognized. Unfortunately, just because he was familiar with some of Dalaran's most important members due to his metaknowledge, that didn't mean that he would recognize them after they became real people.
Of course, the person that Krivax most wanted to find was Krasus, but he had no idea what the Archmage actually looked like.
Just as Krivax was about to give up looking through the crowd and pull out some bugs to eat while waiting for the duel to begin, he was nearly thrown from his seat in shock by a voice speaking up next to him from seemingly thin air.
"Vizier Krivax, how are you enjoying your arrangements?" Archmage Runeweaver asked calmly, having approached Krivax sometime while he was distracted. "I apologize, but this is the best we could do on such short notice given your physiology."
"Archmage Runeweaver, I wasn't expecting to see you here," said Krivax, widening his mandibles together in a gesture of surprise. After their initial tour, he hadn't seen very much of the Archmage given that someone as important as him obviously had more important things to do than babysit their delegation.
"Well, I do find myself feeling a bit guilty for failing to ease tensions between Vizier Hadix and Arcanist Flametrail during their argument. You are members of a diplomatic delegation, after all. Though to be honest, I also find myself curious about the results of this bout," the Archmage admitted. "We rarely get to host mages outside of Dalaran and Quel'thalas after all. It would be interesting to see how our peoples' compare in magical combat."
"I doubt there is anything that you could have done to interrupt the argument after it had already started, Archmage," Krivax said genuinely, understanding his mentor well enough to know that he wouldn't have listened to the Archmage. "As for the match, what do you think about Arcanist Flametrail's chances?"
"Well he did not earn his rank and position lightly, I can say with confidence," said the Archmage, creating a chair-shaped arcane structure with a wave of his hand and sitting down next to him, the previous seats having been removed due to the nerubians' needs. "While he is not an Archmage he is still a member of the Kirin Tor and was made a teacher because of his experience and study of wards of nearly all kinds. I hear he even knows a thing or two about the defenses of Quel'Thalas itself, the most potent in the known world. That is most likely why he took Vizier Hadix's… criticism over his skills and knowledge so personally."
"Do you know if he has any experience in combat?" asked Krivax, curious about the mage who had challenged his mentor.
"I don't know," Runeweaver admitted easily. "Quel'thalas does not share information like that about their mages easily, for all that we are likely the kingdom with the best relations with them, but it is very likely that he has. The elves have been at war with the Zul'Amani, forest trolls, for most of their existence, much longer than the human kingdoms have stood. This means that many of their magisters have no lack of practice when it comes to combat and centuries if not millennia to hone their skill."
"It does not matter how much experience the little elf has," interrupted Vizier Crinis, not bothering to look up from her notes. "The gap in ability between him and Vizier Hadix is simply too vast for him to overcome."
"As you say, Vizier Crinis," said Archmage Runeweaver, obviously not taking her words to heart. Given that he didn't have any experience with Hadix, it wasn't surprising that the Archmage was just writing her words off as arrogant blustering.
Krivax and Runeweaver made small talk about the upcoming duel for the next several minutes before he had the idea of asking the Archmage if he could point out important figures in the crowd. The man didn't see any particular problem with it, given that most of these figures would be meeting with their delegation in the future, and easily agreed.
Unfortunately, while Runeweave pointed out many people in the crowd, Krivax found that he didn't recognize any of their names. Just as he was beginning to lose hope of seeing any lore-important individuals, the Archmage spotted a particular elf on the far side of the stadium.
"Hmm… I could have sworn Kel'thuzad would have shown up. He must be busy with his experiments," muttered the Archmage before raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, I wasn't expecting to see Prince Kael'thas without his usual escort."
Krivax immediately turned to where the Archmage was gesturing and saw an elf man looking effortlessly handsome, as most elvish men did but this one especially so, dressed in an ornate, red robe, and leaning back comfortably in his seat. He seemed to be chatting amiably with a middle-aged human man sitting in the seat next to him, who Runeweaver identified as one Archmage Drenden, and looking exactly like a man that didn't have a care in the world.
It was hard to believe from looking at him now that in a potential future this guy would go nuts on Fel juice, and still would if Krivax's actions didn't change things for the better…
Krivax was just about to ask Runeweaver to tell him more about Kael'thas when he was interrupted by the sudden activation of the enchantments on the stadium's walls. Krivax watched in amazement as a massive arcane barrier slowly rose to separate the audience from the dueling arena.
It didn't take long after that before Vizier Hadix and Arcanist Flametrail were both teleported into the barrier, causing chatter among the audience to immediately pick up.
Then a magically amplified voice rang out across the stadium, its source unknown but its function not in doubt.
"In accordance with the rules and regulations of Dalaran in regards to the matter of duels of honor let it be known that Arcanist Flametrail of Quel'thalas and Dalaran has legally and fairly brought forward a challenge to Vizier Hadix of Azjol-Nerub, of which the latter has freely accepted. The stakes of this duel have been decided by the former and state that should Arcanist Flametrail prove victorious that Vizier Hadix must apologize for insults given, while Vizier Hadix has not given any terms for victory," the nameless announcer explained to the audience, causing the crowd to grow quiet.
The announcer seemed to remain quiet for several moments, allowing everyone to absorb the information before their voice rang out across the stadium once again.
"This is a duel until one side surrenders or is unable to continue battling, with every effort to be made from both participants to refrain from intentional killing blows or the use of forbidden magics within this contest of skill. The usage of magical items is expressly forbidden. Do you accept these terms?" the announcer asked the aforementioned participants.
"Upon the honor of my house, I accept these terms," Arcanist Flametrail readily agreed, his voice also magically amplified, most likely by the magics of the arena itself.
"I agree to these terms," said Vizier Hadix shortly, his voice cold and firm as he stared down at his opponent.
"Then, without further ado, let the duel… commence!" the announcer yelled out, signaling the start of the fight.
The moment that the announcer finished speaking, Arcanist Flametrail didn't hesitate to immediately send a massive ball of fire flying across the arena. The pyroblast was far bigger than anything that Krivax could have produced, and it was cast quicker than he had thought possible.
However, Vizier Hadix seemed far less impressed than Krivax felt, as he merely scoffed derisively and shattered the enormous fireball into three streams of flame that he sent flying back to his opponent from multiple different angles.
The Vizier let out an appreciative hum as the flames dissipated harmlessly the moment they impacted a shimmering ward surrounding the elf, who cast a spell that caused multiple identical images of himself to appear throughout the arena.
"Hmm. Clever, it seems that Flametrail has mixed multiple mirror images with his illusions. Something like that takes more than a little skill," muttered Runeweaver, sounding reluctantly impressed.
"What's the difference between a mirror image and an illusion?" asked Krivax, beginning to feel a little worried as he watched all the magically created imitations begin casting a spell.
"An illusion is just that, an illusion created by a mage that is incapable of affecting the real world," the Archmage explained, not pulling his eyes away from the fight. "A mirror image on the other hand, is a replication of a mage that possesses the genuine ability to cast magic, albeit in a reduced form and at a high cost in mana. Casting both at the same time makes it difficult for an enemy to discern which attacks are real and which are fake, and all this on top of trying to figure out which one is the real caster."
As if to emphasize the Archmage's point, every single image finished casting the moment he was done speaking, resulting in a massive barrage of fireballs simultaneously flying toward Hadix from every possible direction.
Krivax could feel the intense heat from where he was sitting, even through the stadium's barrier. He was certain that if it were him in Vizier Hadix's position, then the only possible result would be him becoming a very crispy spider. He could feel his worry for his mentor grow.
That worry proved unnecessary, however, as the massive barrage of fireballs passed through Hadix as if he wasn't even there, smashing into random parts of the arena instead. Most of them were indeed illusions, but several of them burst into explosions of fire that disrupted several of the Arcanist's illusions.
"It seems Flametrail isn't the only one who enjoys using illusions," said Runeweaver, sounding slightly surprised. "That was masterfully done. Not even I managed to detect it until it was disrupted. And to cast an invisibility spell at the same time, that's not easily done."
Sure enough, the image of Vizier Hadix flickered and dissipated, seeming to leave the images of Flametrail standing in the arena alone.
To his credit, Arcanist Flametrail didn't hesitate to begin constructing a magical barrier around himself, but his efforts were immediately shown to be useless.
Exclamations of surprise could be heard throughout the stadium as Vizier Hadix seemed to appear from under Flametrail, the ground of the arena flowing around him as if it were mud as he ascended from below. The Vizier grabbed the surprised elf with all four of his hands and lifted him off the ground before pulling him toward his arachnid face, mandibles open wide.
Krivax had never seen a person lose all color in their face faster than Arcanist Flametrail did. He was certain that it would be a long time before the elf lived down the shriek of fear he let out as he hastily teleported himself to the other side of the stadium.
Hadix, on the other hand, seemed to be in much better spirits, if his mocking laughter was any indication.
"How dare you?!" shouted Flametrail, his expression twisting from one of fear to deep anger.
Vizier Hadix didn't bother to respond, other than by casting a quick spell before stomping on the ground with both of his forward feet, causing the stadium to shake as the earth cracked and spikes of earth rose to skewer all of the illusions and mirror images.
"What a powerful display of geomancy! How is that possible?" exclaimed Runeweaver as he rose from his seat, his eyes growing wide.
Arcane magic lent itself to easy manipulation of fire and ice for reasons that Krivax didn't fully understand, maybe arcane magic just lent itself to temperature regulation, but manipulating the earth was much harder and was generally something much more common among shamans.
However, Azjol-Nerub was an underground kingdom and thus had a lot of motivation to develop their ability to manipulate the earth via arcane means.
Archmage Runeweaver wasn't the only one who was surprised; Flametrail also seemed to be stunned as he looked around at the multiple spikes of earth rising out of the ground.
Hadix didn't seem interested in giving his opponent a chance to recover as he once again opened his mandibles wide, allowing a huge swarm of hissing locusts to emerge from his mouth and fly across the stadium in the elf's direction.
Flametrail yelled out what Krivax assumed was a Thalassian swear word and frantically threw a stream of fire at the swarm, revealing it to have been an illusion and causing it to dissipate.
The mage seemed to show an expression of relief, which instantly became panic as two intertwined orbs of arcane magic came flying through his flames and smashed into his body, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling across the ground.
Krivax was impressed to see that Flametrail actually managed to cast a shielding spell while rolling across the ground that saved him from the next barrage of arcane magic that followed immediately afterward.
"Oh… for a moment I believed that your people were actually able to summon swarms of man-eating insects at will," muttered the Archmage, sounding a mixture of relieved and tired as he sat back down.
"No… but I do know some Spiderlords who like carrying them around on their person," Krivax idly mentioned as he watched the very exciting fight.
"Of course you do…"
From that point onward, Flametrail focused almost completely on defense, leveraging his expertise in warding magic to survive an onslaught of spells coming from Vizier Hadix. This eventually resulted in the elf panting in exhaustion as he stood inside an impressive barrier of arcane energy.
"Flametrail's almost completely out of mana… but if that barrier is as powerful as it looks, I wouldn't count him out yet," said Runeweaver, leaning forward in his seat.
"Why's that Archmage?" asked Krivax. "Things seem pretty hopeless for him from my perspective."
Just as Runeweaver was about to answer, Flametrail brought both of his palms together and closed his eyes.
Krivax had no idea what the mage was doing at first, but he was soon able to understand when Flametrail began to breathe in a strange pattern and a vortex of mana started swirling around the elf.
"Flametrail is using a technique called evocation," explained Runeweaver without prompting. "It allows for a mage to regenerate a large amount of mana in a very short amount of time. It's normally not something that is safe to use during combat, for obvious reasons, but this might be the perfect scenario. If he manages to regain all of his mana, then he'll be in a much better position to fight Vizier Hadix, who's likely running low on mana himself by now."
Krivax doubted that Flametrail would be able to win, even if he did regain all his mana, but as soon as he saw Vizier Hadix pull out the spellweave he had been working on earlier, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to find out.
The silk glowed brightly with arcane energy, and was woven into a shape similar to what most people would usually expect from a spider web
"If this is the extent of your capabilities, then I see no reason to continue this farce," said Hadix, throwing the silk into the air.
Krivax watched in amazement as the silk immediately expanded into a massive web-shaped dome that surrounded both him and Arcanist Flametrail. Its effects were immediate as the vortex of mana that was previously circling around Flametrail began to fly off on its own and into the web.
Pieces of Flametrails barrier began to crack like glass and also began floating toward the web.
"What is this?!" shouted the panicking Flametrail, immediately using some of the mana he had regained to throw a ball of fire at Hadix. The fireball barely reached a few feet before redirecting itself into the web, dissipating harmlessly the moment it made contact.
"This is something of my own creation," said Hadix, sounding smug. "Simply put, any magic you cast while under its effects will find itself stuck in my web, so to speak."
"Impossible!"
Flametrail frantically threw spell after spell at Hadix and even tried running out of the magical web barrier, but every spell he cast was useless and he barely managed to get himself unstuck the first time he tried physically touching the web.
It wasn't long before Flametrail was once again completely exhausted, but this time without any barriers to protect him from the telekinetically thrown rock that smashed into his stomach, sending him doubling over in pain.
"You cannot win. Concede while you are still conscious enough to do so," said Vizier Hadix, fully prepared to follow through on his threat.
Arcanist Flametrail snarled in rage and shot a furious expression toward Hadix, but after a few moments he seemed to collect himself and realize that he had no other options.
"I concede."
"And thus the duel is decided! The victor, Vizier Hadix of Azjol-Nerub!" declared the magical announcer the second after Flametrail conceded, the arcane barrier around the arena lowering and magical letters projected into the air spelling out the winner's name for all to see.
And despite one of their own losing, Krivax watched as the stands exploded into cheers at the impressive display of magical combat, even the Archmage next to him standing and giving a respectful applause.
"Told you," Vizier Crinis' smug voice sounded out as she also raised and followed the crowd's lead by giving her colleague a polite round of clapping as well.
As for Hadix, he simply took everything in with a huff and made his way to the exit while his opponent picked himself up and did the same with as much grace as he could, likely off to see a healer about his many bruises.
All the while Krivax cheered for his teacher, a new level of respect welling up inside him.
I'll be taking a short two-week break to go through my outline for the next portion of the story.
I've also written a lot more than I'm used to in a short amount of time, although probably not as much as some, so taking a moment to recharge my batteries is probably a good idea before we get into the next arc.
Thank you all for the support.
If you want to read ahead or support me, then feel free to check out my patreon
Discord is also available if you just want to chat.
Krivax closed the book on Dalaran's laws as soon as he finished reading the portions on magical duels and moved to return it to the bookshelf filled with recently purchased books that Hadix thought would be useful for his student's continued education.
Call him paranoid, but while Hadix might be confident that he was more than capable of handling anything that came his way, Krivax wanted to learn everything he could beforehand.
Apparently, magical dueling was a tradition that had been brought to Dalaran from Quel'thalas, unsurprisingly, and was a method that mages sometimes used to settle disagreements. It made sense to Krivax, in a society that had access to potent magical healing and powerful arcane defenses, fighting to prove a person's magical competence or to resolve a feud would naturally be more common than on Earth.
Especially given the fact that Azeroth was an extremely dangerous place, which naturally led to cultures and people that were generally more hostile, combative, and martial-focused than Earth.
Of course, there was a bit of bureaucracy involved in scheduling a magical duel that had taken them two days to arrange. Both of the participants had to go in front of an official and give their consent by signing a contract stating the terms of the duel. There was also a hefty fee to pay for the facilities and all of the supporting personnel, which Flametrail had insisted on paying in full due to some kind of cultural expectations placed on the challenger, but the duel itself was a relatively straightforward matter.
The duel would take place in a venue prepared for such occasions, a small stadium that would allow interested parties to watch. Both of the participants would be protected by the stadium's numerous defensive enchantments, and there would be mages and healers ready to intervene as soon as things looked to be going wrong, but there otherwise were few rules other than to nonlethally defeat your opponent in magical combat.
There was a rule that prohibited the usage of magical items, which Krivax had worried would extend to spellweaving, but an administrator had ensured him it didn't after learning what spellweaving was. The fact that spellweaving reserved a portion of the caster's mana and only imbued magic into silk temporarily put it into the same category as protection spells that were crafted beforehand.
It was much closer to precasting a spell than permanently enchanting an item.
As long as both participants were informed of the situation, then spellweaving didn't break any rules. When Arcanist Flametrail was made aware that Hadix would be spellweaving, he hadn't seemed to care, and Hadix was more than willing to take advantage of that arrogance.
"I still don't understand why that elf would be dumb enough to challenge you," said Krivax, huffing in frustration. "Didn't you make it abundantly clear that you outclass him, Vizier Hadix?"
The Vizier was hanging from one of the webs attached to the wall of their assigned lodgings while weaving a spell far more complex than Krivax could understand into a long strand of silk. He wasn't even done with his spellweaving yet, but the silk already glowed with an unreasonable amount of arcane energy.
"There's a possibility this scenario was arranged by the city's leadership in order to test my abilities. If that is the case, then this an acceptable outcome because it will allow me to show some of what we are capable of, but the most likely explanation is simply that people often make irrational decisions," said Hadix as he prepared himself for the coming duel. "That is especially true when they are highly emotional. Besides, if our historical records on the elves remain accurate, making detrimental decisions due to their own arrogance is a feature inherent to their species."
Krivax very carefully did not react to that hypocritical statement as he watched Hadix continue his spellweaving.
"Hmph. Don't think that I don't know what's going on in that odd little mind of yours," said Hadix, huffing in amusement. "Arrogance is only arrogance when it is undeserved. Otherwise, it's simply having a good understanding of one's capabilities. The difference between me and that elf is that unlike him, my understanding of myself in comparison to others is accurate."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax, trying his best to keep a straight face and sound as genuine as possible. "I was not thinking anything derogatory about you at all."
"I see that those lessons I gave you in how to properly lie have had some effect," Hadix said dryly, turning his attention away from his weaving to glance at him. "Perhaps if you continue practicing for a few decades, you might become a skilled enough liar to make me second guess myself."
Yes, Vizier Hadix, I have no idea why I thought you were arrogant. How odd of me.
"So you're certain that there's no possibility that you will lose?" Krivax asked curiously.
While he had studied under Hadix for a significant amount of time by now, he did not actually know that much about his mentor. Krivax knew that Hadix was more powerful than the average Vizier, but he didn't know how powerful that was, nor had he actually seen a full-on battle between two fully mature mages.
Ignoring the potential diplomatic headaches that this might cause him in the future, Krivax was actually feeling a bit excited to watch the duel. What kind of person wouldn't want to watch a fight between two wizards?
"Certainty does not exist when it comes to a fight between two mages," Hadix said firmly. "There's every possibility that I will lose, although that remains exceedingly unlikely."
Krivax was surprised by the Vizier's answer, he had expected the Vizier to say something like, 'Don't insult me by asking ridiculous questions, Vizier Krivax. That pathetic elf couldn't harm me if he lived for another millennium!'
"That isn't the answer that I was expecting to hear," Krivax said honestly, curious to hear the Vizier's perspective.
"There are many among the Circle of Viziers who would have given you an answer more similar to the one I suspect you were expecting," said Vizier Hadix, his tone uncharacteristically solemn and his gaze far off. "But that is merely because they lack experience in actual combat. There were many times throughout the years that I have seen members of the Order die to those under the sway of the Void, even when the enemy was weaker than them. In combat, anything is possible, and that is why it is wise to deal with your enemies quickly and quietly or avoid a fight whenever possible."
Krivax wasn't quite sure what to think about that, it certainly wasn't what he had been expecting from the Vizier.
"If that is the case, then why did you antagonize that elf and accept his request to duel?"
"Because, Krivax, aside from the fact that his incompetence offended my sensibilities, there is very little that irritates me more than a teacher who fails to take their responsibilities seriously, especially one who teaches magic," Hadix hissed out, his tone filled with anger simply at the thought of it. "If a mage agrees to teach the next generation, then there should be a minimal expectation that they do not sabotage their students through either incompetence or disinterest."
Krivax paused as he stared at his mentor, considering what the Vizier had just said.
For all of the time that he had known Hadix, he always considered him to be relatively uncaring about most matters of morality. Oh, he knew that Hadix wasn't some kind of monster that trampled over people for no reason, but he also knew that the Vizier didn't have the slightest qualms about getting his hands dirty if he needed to.
The fact that Hadix felt strongly about this topic was not something that Krivax had expected. Even if he did care about the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship, Krivax wouldn't have expected him to get so riled up about it.
Although looking back, his mentor had always treated matters of his education seriously. From the moment that Krivax had first come under the Vizier's tutelage, he had never failed to answer his questions on magic with… relative patience. If Krivax wanted to learn something and Hadix was busy, then he was always provided with an appropriate spellbook, which were all fairly valuable, or Hadix would get back to him later.
He also acted responsibly with the other members of the Surface World Research Division as far as Krivax could tell.
To him, that just seemed like common decency, but he could also remember hearing examples of Viziers treating those under them with… much less decency during his time in Kilah'kuk.
He was a bit curious about how strongly the Vizier felt on this topic, and he could tell that Hadix was lost in his thoughts and wasn't paying him very much attention, so he decided to see if he could learn more.
"Well, I suppose I should be grateful that Arcanist Flametrail is simply incompetent," said Krivax, keeping his tone casual. "I doubt I want to know what you would have done if he'd been sabotaging his students intentionally."
Hadix's expression immediately grew menacing enough that Krivax felt a shiver of dread go through his carapace.
"No, you do not."
The Vizier's tone was dark enough that Krivax abandoned any intentions to probe Hadix further. Though he had gotten used to the Vizier's dominating presence, he still wasn't brave enough to dip his mandibles into what looked like a personal subject.
Seeing that Hadix was in no mood for further conversation, Krivax decided that it would be a good idea to bury himself in his spellbooks until it was time for them to leave in a few hours.
Elder Vizier Malab's Advanced Ward of Mental Protection was much more difficult to learn than Krivax had initially hoped, so most of his recent efforts were dedicated to learning the Order's Anti-Divination magics.
Soon enough, one of the delegation's warriors was knocking on the door and informing them that the venue had been prepared for the duel. The walk to the stadium was a quiet one, although Krivax could feel his excitement growing as they made their way through the streets of Dalaran and grew closer to the stadium.
When they reached their destination, a large building not too far from the Violet Citadel, the two of them were quickly ushered in separate directions by a few guards. Hadix was escorted to a preparation room and Krivax found himself being taken to the seating arrangements prepared for him and Vizier Crinis.
Which was in fact just a section of the stadium stands that was filled with large cushions. It wasn't exactly easy to make a chair for a nerubian after all, so Krivax supposed this was the best that they could figure out.
I guess they must be pretty comfortable at least because Vizier Crinis is looking pretty cozy.
The female Vizier looked more than a little pleased, laying down on a large cushion and reading through her notes. Crinis had taken it upon herself to learn more about Dalaran and their government over the past few days in preparation for their important meeting with the Council of Six. Krivax had noticed a marked increase in respect for Dalaran from the Viziers in comparison to the amount of respect they had for everyone else in the Eastern Kingdoms.
Krivax greeted the Vizier and moved over to his own cushion nearby, folding his legs under himself and lowering his body as his warrior escorts, including Masruk, took defensible locations nearby while doing their best to remain unobtrusive.
Krivax had wanted to chat with Masruk while watching the fight, but the warrior in charge of his protective escort made it clear that he couldn't spare his friend while Vizier Hadix and Anub'rekhan were away. It was fine for his friend to hang out with him while they had the overpowered Vizier or Spiderlord by their side, but when that wasn't the case, Masruk needed to spend more time doing his guard duty and less time making conversation.
It wasn't ideal, but Krivax understood the necessity, there would be plenty more opportunities for them to chat when it was more appropriate to do so.
Oh… I like this.
The moment he sat down, Krivax was immediately surprised to find that the cushions were enchanted. He wasn't exactly sure what spell it was enchanted with, but he could tell that it was supernaturally comfortable, warming, and contouring itself to his body just the perfect amount.
It wasn't as good as a well-made cocoon blanket, but it was still really nice.
God, I love magic. It almost makes it worth it to be reborn in a deathworld that's facing multiple future apocalypses.
After taking a few minutes to enjoy the cushion, Krivax decided to take a look around the stadium to see if he could see anyone else that he recognized. After all, he was certain that there were more than a few important people who would be interested in watching Vizier Hadix participate in a duel.
There were many people in the stadium, mages, and non-mages alike, most having likely come to see the 'newcomer' take on the 'home team' as it were, including several important-looking individuals who were wearing emblems of the Kirin Tor on their robes, but nobody that Krivax recognized. Unfortunately, just because he was familiar with some of Dalaran's most important members due to his metaknowledge, that didn't mean that he would recognize them after they became real people.
Of course, the person that Krivax most wanted to find was Krasus, but he had no idea what the Archmage actually looked like.
Just as Krivax was about to give up looking through the crowd and pull out some bugs to eat while waiting for the duel to begin, he was nearly thrown from his seat in shock by a voice speaking up next to him from seemingly thin air.
"Vizier Krivax, how are you enjoying your arrangements?" Archmage Runeweaver asked calmly, having approached Krivax sometime while he was distracted. "I apologize, but this is the best we could do on such short notice given your physiology."
"Archmage Runeweaver, I wasn't expecting to see you here," said Krivax, widening his mandibles together in a gesture of surprise. After their initial tour, he hadn't seen very much of the Archmage given that someone as important as him obviously had more important things to do than babysit their delegation.
"Well, I do find myself feeling a bit guilty for failing to ease tensions between Vizier Hadix and Arcanist Flametrail during their argument. You are members of a diplomatic delegation, after all. Though to be honest, I also find myself curious about the results of this bout," the Archmage admitted. "We rarely get to host mages outside of Dalaran and Quel'thalas after all. It would be interesting to see how our peoples' compare in magical combat."
"I doubt there is anything that you could have done to interrupt the argument after it had already started, Archmage," Krivax said genuinely, understanding his mentor well enough to know that he wouldn't have listened to the Archmage. "As for the match, what do you think about Arcanist Flametrail's chances?"
"Well he did not earn his rank and position lightly, I can say with confidence," said the Archmage, creating a chair-shaped arcane structure with a wave of his hand and sitting down next to him, the previous seats having been removed due to the nerubians' needs. "While he is not an Archmage he is still a member of the Kirin Tor and was made a teacher because of his experience and study of wards of nearly all kinds. I hear he even knows a thing or two about the defenses of Quel'Thalas itself, the most potent in the known world. That is most likely why he took Vizier Hadix's… criticism over his skills and knowledge so personally."
"Do you know if he has any experience in combat?" asked Krivax, curious about the mage who had challenged his mentor.
"I don't know," Runeweaver admitted easily. "Quel'thalas does not share information like that about their mages easily, for all that we are likely the kingdom with the best relations with them, but it is very likely that he has. The elves have been at war with the Zul'Amani, forest trolls, for most of their existence, much longer than the human kingdoms have stood. This means that many of their magisters have no lack of practice when it comes to combat and centuries if not millennia to hone their skill."
"It does not matter how much experience the little elf has," interrupted Vizier Crinis, not bothering to look up from her notes. "The gap in ability between him and Vizier Hadix is simply too vast for him to overcome."
"As you say, Vizier Crinis," said Archmage Runeweaver, obviously not taking her words to heart. Given that he didn't have any experience with Hadix, it wasn't surprising that the Archmage was just writing her words off as arrogant blustering.
Krivax and Runeweaver made small talk about the upcoming duel for the next several minutes before he had the idea of asking the Archmage if he could point out important figures in the crowd. The man didn't see any particular problem with it, given that most of these figures would be meeting with their delegation in the future, and easily agreed.
Unfortunately, while Runeweave pointed out many people in the crowd, Krivax found that he didn't recognize any of their names. Just as he was beginning to lose hope of seeing any lore-important individuals, the Archmage spotted a particular elf on the far side of the stadium.
"Hmm… I could have sworn Kel'thuzad would have shown up. He must be busy with his experiments," muttered the Archmage before raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, I wasn't expecting to see Prince Kael'thas without his usual escort."
Krivax immediately turned to where the Archmage was gesturing and saw an elf man looking effortlessly handsome, as most elvish men did but this one especially so, dressed in an ornate, red robe, and leaning back comfortably in his seat. He seemed to be chatting amiably with a middle-aged human man sitting in the seat next to him, who Runeweaver identified as one Archmage Drenden, and looking exactly like a man that didn't have a care in the world.
It was hard to believe from looking at him now that in a potential future this guy would go nuts on Fel juice, and still would if Krivax's actions didn't change things for the better…
Krivax was just about to ask Runeweaver to tell him more about Kael'thas when he was interrupted by the sudden activation of the enchantments on the stadium's walls. Krivax watched in amazement as a massive arcane barrier slowly rose to separate the audience from the dueling arena.
It didn't take long after that before Vizier Hadix and Arcanist Flametrail were both teleported into the barrier, causing chatter among the audience to immediately pick up.
Then a magically amplified voice rang out across the stadium, its source unknown but its function not in doubt.
"In accordance with the rules and regulations of Dalaran in regards to the matter of duels of honor let it be known that Arcanist Flametrail of Quel'thalas and Dalaran has legally and fairly brought forward a challenge to Vizier Hadix of Azjol-Nerub, of which the latter has freely accepted. The stakes of this duel have been decided by the former and state that should Arcanist Flametrail prove victorious that Vizier Hadix must apologize for insults given, while Vizier Hadix has not given any terms for victory," the nameless announcer explained to the audience, causing the crowd to grow quiet.
The announcer seemed to remain quiet for several moments, allowing everyone to absorb the information before their voice rang out across the stadium once again.
"This is a duel until one side surrenders or is unable to continue battling, with every effort to be made from both participants to refrain from intentional killing blows or the use of forbidden magics within this contest of skill. The usage of magical items is expressly forbidden. Do you accept these terms?" the announcer asked the aforementioned participants.
"Upon the honor of my house, I accept these terms," Arcanist Flametrail readily agreed, his voice also magically amplified, most likely by the magics of the arena itself.
"I agree to these terms," said Vizier Hadix shortly, his voice cold and firm as he stared down at his opponent.
"Then, without further ado, let the duel… commence!" the announcer yelled out, signaling the start of the fight.
The moment that the announcer finished speaking, Arcanist Flametrail didn't hesitate to immediately send a massive ball of fire flying across the arena. The pyroblast was far bigger than anything that Krivax could have produced, and it was cast quicker than he had thought possible.
However, Vizier Hadix seemed far less impressed than Krivax felt, as he merely scoffed derisively and shattered the enormous fireball into three streams of flame that he sent flying back to his opponent from multiple different angles.
The Vizier let out an appreciative hum as the flames dissipated harmlessly the moment they impacted a shimmering ward surrounding the elf, who cast a spell that caused multiple identical images of himself to appear throughout the arena.
"Hmm. Clever, it seems that Flametrail has mixed multiple mirror images with his illusions. Something like that takes more than a little skill," muttered Runeweaver, sounding reluctantly impressed.
"What's the difference between a mirror image and an illusion?" asked Krivax, beginning to feel a little worried as he watched all the magically created imitations begin casting a spell.
"An illusion is just that, an illusion created by a mage that is incapable of affecting the real world," the Archmage explained, not pulling his eyes away from the fight. "A mirror image on the other hand, is a replication of a mage that possesses the genuine ability to cast magic, albeit in a reduced form and at a high cost in mana. Casting both at the same time makes it difficult for an enemy to discern which attacks are real and which are fake, and all this on top of trying to figure out which one is the real caster."
As if to emphasize the Archmage's point, every single image finished casting the moment he was done speaking, resulting in a massive barrage of fireballs simultaneously flying toward Hadix from every possible direction.
Krivax could feel the intense heat from where he was sitting, even through the stadium's barrier. He was certain that if it were him in Vizier Hadix's position, then the only possible result would be him becoming a very crispy spider. He could feel his worry for his mentor grow.
That worry proved unnecessary, however, as the massive barrage of fireballs passed through Hadix as if he wasn't even there, smashing into random parts of the arena instead. Most of them were indeed illusions, but several of them burst into explosions of fire that disrupted several of the Arcanist's illusions.
"It seems Flametrail isn't the only one who enjoys using illusions," said Runeweaver, sounding slightly surprised. "That was masterfully done. Not even I managed to detect it until it was disrupted. And to cast an invisibility spell at the same time, that's not easily done."
Sure enough, the image of Vizier Hadix flickered and dissipated, seeming to leave the images of Flametrail standing in the arena alone.
To his credit, Arcanist Flametrail didn't hesitate to begin constructing a magical barrier around himself, but his efforts were immediately shown to be useless.
Exclamations of surprise could be heard throughout the stadium as Vizier Hadix seemed to appear from under Flametrail, the ground of the arena flowing around him as if it were mud as he ascended from below. The Vizier grabbed the surprised elf with all four of his hands and lifted him off the ground before pulling him toward his arachnid face, mandibles open wide.
Krivax had never seen a person lose all color in their face faster than Arcanist Flametrail did. He was certain that it would be a long time before the elf lived down the shriek of fear he let out as he hastily teleported himself to the other side of the stadium.
Hadix, on the other hand, seemed to be in much better spirits, if his mocking laughter was any indication.
"How dare you?!" shouted Flametrail, his expression twisting from one of fear to deep anger.
Vizier Hadix didn't bother to respond, other than by casting a quick spell before stomping on the ground with both of his forward feet, causing the stadium to shake as the earth cracked and spikes of earth rose to skewer all of the illusions and mirror images.
"What a powerful display of geomancy! How is that possible?" exclaimed Runeweaver as he rose from his seat, his eyes growing wide.
Arcane magic lent itself to easy manipulation of fire and ice for reasons that Krivax didn't fully understand, maybe arcane magic just lent itself to temperature regulation, but manipulating the earth was much harder and was generally something much more common among shamans.
However, Azjol-Nerub was an underground kingdom and thus had a lot of motivation to develop their ability to manipulate the earth via arcane means.
Archmage Runeweaver wasn't the only one who was surprised; Flametrail also seemed to be stunned as he looked around at the multiple spikes of earth rising out of the ground.
Hadix didn't seem interested in giving his opponent a chance to recover as he once again opened his mandibles wide, allowing a huge swarm of hissing locusts to emerge from his mouth and fly across the stadium in the elf's direction.
Flametrail yelled out what Krivax assumed was a Thalassian swear word and frantically threw a stream of fire at the swarm, revealing it to have been an illusion and causing it to dissipate.
The mage seemed to show an expression of relief, which instantly became panic as two intertwined orbs of arcane magic came flying through his flames and smashed into his body, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling across the ground.
Krivax was impressed to see that Flametrail actually managed to cast a shielding spell while rolling across the ground that saved him from the next barrage of arcane magic that followed immediately afterward.
"Oh… for a moment I believed that your people were actually able to summon swarms of man-eating insects at will," muttered the Archmage, sounding a mixture of relieved and tired as he sat back down.
"No… but I do know some Spiderlords who like carrying them around on their person," Krivax idly mentioned as he watched the very exciting fight.
"Of course you do…"
From that point onward, Flametrail focused almost completely on defense, leveraging his expertise in warding magic to survive an onslaught of spells coming from Vizier Hadix. This eventually resulted in the elf panting in exhaustion as he stood inside an impressive barrier of arcane energy.
"Flametrail's almost completely out of mana… but if that barrier is as powerful as it looks, I wouldn't count him out yet," said Runeweaver, leaning forward in his seat.
"Why's that Archmage?" asked Krivax. "Things seem pretty hopeless for him from my perspective."
Just as Runeweaver was about to answer, Flametrail brought both of his palms together and closed his eyes.
Krivax had no idea what the mage was doing at first, but he was soon able to understand when Flametrail began to breathe in a strange pattern and a vortex of mana started swirling around the elf.
"Flametrail is using a technique called evocation," explained Runeweaver without prompting. "It allows for a mage to regenerate a large amount of mana in a very short amount of time. It's normally not something that is safe to use during combat, for obvious reasons, but this might be the perfect scenario. If he manages to regain all of his mana, then he'll be in a much better position to fight Vizier Hadix, who's likely running low on mana himself by now."
Krivax doubted that Flametrail would be able to win, even if he did regain all his mana, but as soon as he saw Vizier Hadix pull out the spellweave he had been working on earlier, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to find out.
The silk glowed brightly with arcane energy, and was woven into a shape similar to what most people would usually expect from a spider web
"If this is the extent of your capabilities, then I see no reason to continue this farce," said Hadix, throwing the silk into the air.
Krivax watched in amazement as the silk immediately expanded into a massive web-shaped dome that surrounded both him and Arcanist Flametrail. Its effects were immediate as the vortex of mana that was previously circling around Flametrail began to fly off on its own and into the web.
Pieces of Flametrails barrier began to crack like glass and also began floating toward the web.
"What is this?!" shouted the panicking Flametrail, immediately using some of the mana he had regained to throw a ball of fire at Hadix. The fireball barely reached a few feet before redirecting itself into the web, dissipating harmlessly the moment it made contact.
"This is something of my own creation," said Hadix, sounding smug. "Simply put, any magic you cast while under its effects will find itself stuck in my web, so to speak."
"Impossible!"
Flametrail frantically threw spell after spell at Hadix and even tried running out of the magical web barrier, but every spell he cast was useless and he barely managed to get himself unstuck the first time he tried physically touching the web.
It wasn't long before Flametrail was once again completely exhausted, but this time without any barriers to protect him from the telekinetically thrown rock that smashed into his stomach, sending him doubling over in pain.
"You cannot win. Concede while you are still conscious enough to do so," said Vizier Hadix, fully prepared to follow through on his threat.
Arcanist Flametrail snarled in rage and shot a furious expression toward Hadix, but after a few moments he seemed to collect himself and realize that he had no other options.
"I concede."
"And thus the duel is decided! The victor, Vizier Hadix of Azjol-Nerub!" declared the magical announcer the second after Flametrail conceded, the arcane barrier around the arena lowering and magical letters projected into the air spelling out the winner's name for all to see.
And despite one of their own losing, Krivax watched as the stands exploded into cheers at the impressive display of magical combat, even the Archmage next to him standing and giving a respectful applause.
"Told you," Vizier Crinis' smug voice sounded out as she also raised and followed the crowd's lead by giving her colleague a polite round of clapping as well.
As for Hadix, he simply took everything in with a huff and made his way to the exit while his opponent picked himself up and did the same with as much grace as he could, likely off to see a healer about his many bruises.
All the while Krivax cheered for his teacher, a new level of respect welling up inside him.
I'll be taking a short two-week break to go through my outline for the next portion of the story.
I've also written a lot more than I'm used to in a short amount of time, although probably not as much as some, so taking a moment to recharge my batteries is probably a good idea before we get into the next arc.
Thank you all for the support.
If you want to read ahead or support me, then feel free to check out my patreon
Discord is also available if you just want to chat.
Last edited:
- Location
- Russia
I just remembered an old fic with nerubians in russian fandom I have read years ago - there was described suspicion of Dalaran what elves don't teach them all what they know and so when Dalaran people/humans git a chance to learn from nerubian - they took it wholeheartedly
always_confused
Perpetually unwanted
- Location
- SEA
The difference between field experience and just getting straight As in an Academy, I expect.
That said, I think the solemn tone and far off gaze speak to a story, imo. Hadix knows what it is like to have lost something important in the fires of war, I suspect.
Last edited:
I assumed from Hadix' very dark and personal reaction to the idea of education being purposefully sabotaged and Krivax mentioning he'd heard about mistreatment of apprentices from other Viziers that Hadix was one of those apprentices who wasn't taught properly or even actively sabotaged - either by a Void-interested traitor or by someone intimidated by his potential.
Chapter 29
Looks like my break is canceled. After I finished going over my outline I just got bored when I wasn't writing. That wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I have the chapter finished and I don't see any reason not to post it.
Anyways, that was a mistake and I think I probably won't be doing that again unless I have some kind of emergency. I didn't realize how accustomed I had gotten to just writing as my hobby to the point that I didn't know what else to do with my time.
Anyways, hope you enjoy the results.
Thanks to massgamer for beta reading as always.
"And here is the room that you'll be waiting in until the Council of Six is ready to see you." said the friendly receptionist lady with a smile, gesturing to the open door that they had been led to.
Krivax followed the other Viziers as they walked passed the receptionist, a female gnome, and took a quick look around the waiting room. After seeing nothing of note aside from the enchanted cushions that had been prepared for them, he turned his attention back to the receptionist and asked her how long it would take for the Council to be ready to see them.
"I shouldn't be very long," said the receptionist reassuringly. "I'm sure the Council is very eager to meet you, given Vizier Hadix's impressive performance during his duel. Once they are ready, I'll come and get you all and bring you to the portal that leads to the Chamber of Air."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the receptionist quietly left and Krivax eagerly made his way over to one of the cushions and lowered himself down. It surprised him a little how well the mages of Dalaran were reacting to the duel between Hadix and Flametrail, and how much it seemed to improve people's opinion of the delegation.
That wasn't to say that everyone treated them poorly before and loved them now, but he had definitely noticed less polite smiles and more genuine interest. Krivax supposed that it made sense that the mages of Dalaran would feel a sense of respect for magical power and knowledge.
"The enchantments of these cushions are surprisingly complex for something so… frivolous," said Crinis, staring at her seat as she too made herself comfortable, causing Hadix to mutter something about elves.
"If this meeting goes well, then perhaps some of our own mages can learn these enchantments and apply them to our silk and weaves," said Krivax enthusiastically, imagining the possibility of cocoons even more comfortable than what they had now. "If Dalaran is truly that much better than our people at enchantment, then there's a lot we could gain from sending people here to learn."
"I don't particularly see why Azjol-Nerub would need floating silverware or obscenely comfortable cushions," Hadix said testily.
"Even if you don't have any interest in the enchantments themselves, I'm sure the Circle could turn them into something useful," said Crinis.
Krivax had been surprised to see how the Vizier's interest in Dalaran had grown over their stay in the city, and it made him feel hopeful that something productive would come from their coming meeting. After all, if she liked Dalaran and was impressed by it, then wasn't that a good sign that there were other Viziers who would feel the same way?
"Do you believe that the results of the duel will have any effect on this upcoming meeting, Vizier Crinis?" asked Krivax, interested in the Vizier's perspective.
"It's possible that they will be more interested in sharing knowledge, after having seen Vizier Hadix's power firsthand," said Crinis, her expression thoughtful. "But we already assumed that they would be interested in negotiating for a relationship similar to the one they have with the rest kingdoms of these lands."
Dalaran was an ostensibly neutral nation that had negotiated agreements that would allow other nations to peacefully send their citizens here to learn magic. Given that the majority of the human kingdoms' mages had studied in the city, and the crown prince of Quel'thalas himself spent most of his time in Dalaran, the benefits were obvious.
After seeing the city themselves, both Crinis and Hadix felt confident that the Circle of Viziers would agree to send people to learn in Dalaran. That was one of the reasons that caused Krivax to believe that Dalaran was one of the best hopes for cooperation between Azjol-Nerub and the Eastern Kingdoms.
"Aside from that, the most important topics of discussion will be the creation of a portal and the exchange of magical reagents," Crinis continued after a moment of consideration.
"Do you think you'll be able to create said portal? Even with the spatial disturbances caused by the Dark Portal?" asked Krivax curiously, knowing that Crinis had already talked about the Dark Portal and its disturbances with Antonidas and many other mages.
"If you had asked me that before we arrived, then I would not have had a good answer for you," answered the Vizier, sounding reluctant to admit her own inability. "But now that I've studied the nexus of leylines that this city was built upon and seen some of the reagents they have available, I'm confident that it should not be an issue."
"Where in Azjol-Nerub will the portal lead to?" asked Krivax.
"En'kilah, of course," said Crinis, looking at him as if he were stupid for asking. "Where else would the portal connect to other than the most magically innovative and magically advanced city in Azjol-Nerub?"
"Most magically advanced, perhaps. But most innovative? En'kilah hasn't made any significant innovations in centuries," said Hadix scornfully.
"Oh? And what innovations have Kilah'kuk had to offer our kingdom over the past few centuries?"
"I wouldn't remind you that it was one of our own that discovered the existence of the very continent you are standing on."
"That hardly counts as anything more than luck. Innovations require skill and creativity."
"If innovations require skill, then I suppose that explains why En'kilah has not produced any."
Krivax ignored their argument as he waited for the receptionist to return. He had long since learned that Viziers were able to start an argument over the most innocuous of topics and had become accustomed to tuning them out.
Thankfully, it didn't take very long before there was a knock on the door and Krivax was looking down at the tiny receptionist.
"The Council of Six is ready for you all if you'll just come with me."
Soon enough, the three Viziers were following behind the gnome as she led them up many flights of stairs as they ascended the Violet Citadel to eventually reach an innocuous-looking portal.
Seeing no reason to delay, Krivax offered a quick thanks to the receptionist and stepped into the portal. As soon as he shook off the momentary disorientation that always came with so quickly traveling to a new location, Krivax took a look at his surroundings and immediately knew that he was in the right location.
The Chamber of Air was a room without any visible walls, a gray stone floor with the symbol of the Kirin Tor etched into it, and a roof that looked like an open sky shifting rapidly as if time was sped up.
The various members of the Council of Six sat in comfortable chairs around the location where they had been teleported into, lacking the usual magical disguises they generally wore when meeting others. At first, the members of the Council had wanted to maintain their anonymity during the meeting, but Hadix had made it clear to Antonidas that he wasn't interested in negotiating with mysterious faceless figures.
"Welcome, representatives of Azjol-Nerub, although we have already met, I think it's best if my colleagues introduce themselves before we begin this meeting," said Antonidas, who was currently sitting directly to the front of them while offering them a gentle expression. The Grand Magus hadn't argued about the matter for very long, so Krivax assumed that anonymity was not something he cared very much about right now.
"If I may, I would like to introduce myself first," said the same elvish man that Krivax had seen yesterday during the duel. He exuded the same relaxed demeanor that Krivax had seen yesterday, and he was once again struck by the fact that this was the man who would go on to become a villain. "I am Kael'thas Sunstrider, crown prince of Quel'thalas. I must say, I was very impressed by your performance yesterday, Vizier Hadix. Arcanist Flametrail was an experienced opponent, yet you defeated him quite handily."
"Your appreciation is noted, elf," Hadix said dryly.
Krivax expected the prince to be annoyed by the lackluster reply, but he was surprised when Kael'thas's expression became one of amusement instead.
"I believe such topics can wait until after we've finished discussing matters of actual importance," said a middle-aged man with glassy eyes and a severe expression that made him look much more like a villain than Kael'thas. "I am Archmage Kel'thuzad. I look forward to working with your people and sharing knowledge that will benefit us all."
Krivax knew that it wasn't completely fair to judge a person based on their appearance or for things they have not yet done, but something about Kel'thuzad made him feel like he was looking at a dangerous person who wouldn't mind dissecting him if he could get away with it.
"I suppose it's my turn now," said Archmage Runeweaver, who looked much the same as he did yesterday. "I apologize for my deception, but the knowledge of who is a member of the Council of Six is not something that is typically shared. Obviously, this is a rather unique situation."
Krivax was a bit surprised to learn that he was a member of the Council, there was no way that he could have remembered such a minor character after all, but it made sense once he thought about it. It was in their interest to have one of their own be responsible for guiding them throughout the city and figuring them out in a less official capacity.
"I am Archmage Modera," said the only female among the Council of Six, nodding toward them stoically as she introduced herself. "Your duel against Arcanist Flametrail was a masterful display of magical combat, and I look forward to working with you."
Krivax didn't know very much about her, other than the fact that she alone among those present would remain on the Council far into the future, surviving a lot that her colleagues did not… except maybe Runeweaver since he vaguely recalled him being on the Council in the future as well, but he wasn't sure.
It was the last member that captured his complete attention, and both excited and worried him in equal measure since he now shared a room with a dragon, albeit one currently in a much smaller form.
Sitting next to Modera was another elvish man, though one with a slight build, delicate features, and silvery hair streaked with red. Archmage Krasus, otherwise known as Korialstrasz, future prime consort of the Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder and Aspect of the Red Dragonflight herself, was not a man who would blend easily into a crowd.
He was also the method through which Krivax intended to save Alexstasza from being captured, so he couldn't help but stare a little.
"I am Archmage Krasus," said the elf who was secretly a dragon. "I have heard much about you all from my friends in Capital City, nerubians. I look forward to learning more about your people."
Krivax was sure that he had heard about the nerubians from more than just a few friends in Capital City. After all, Wyrmrest Temple did reside on Northrend, and he was sure the dragons knew more about the nerubians than the people of the Eastern Kingdoms.
"Now that introductions have been made, let us move on to the first and most important topic of discussion," said Antonidas, his tone taking on a seriousness that it lacked before. "The Magocracy of Dalaran would like to officially extend an invitation to the kingdom of Azjol-Nerub to send some of its citizens to learn in our city. This is an arrangement that would benefit both of our people greatly, and would allow for the exchange of ideas and knowledge and foster a peaceful relationship between us."
"It would also grant you a significant amount of diplomatic legitimacy within the minds of the nations of these lands," said Kel'thuzad, pointing out the pragmatic benefits. "Most nobles prefer to keep their heirs close, but more than a few of them send their less important children here to learn."
"Archmage Kel'thuzad's words are true… if distasteful," Krasus said reluctantly. "The improvement of your reputation in Dalaran means the improvement of your reputation throughout the Eastern Kingdoms."
"Phrase it however you like, it doesn't change the fact that cooperation with Dalaran is entirely to their benefit," Kel'thuzad responded while rolling his eyes.
"The exact details would need to be negotiated with the Circle of Viziers, but after seeing your city for myself, I'm sure they would be somewhat interested in your offer," said Vizier Crinis, willing to speak up for the delegation now that they were talking about a topic that actually interested her. "However, if you truly wish for them to accept, there are a few ways that you could make the deal a little more… enticing. There are many who would view such a deal unfavorably due to the increased risk of outsiders learning our more valuable magics."
At the Vizier's words, Krivax mentally settled in for a long negotiation.
"Very well then," said Antonidas, nodding as this was the result he was expecting all along. "In that case, let's talk about the details."
"If you were to offer us guarantees that all of your techniques in enchanting would be shared with our students, without exception, then I'm sure the Circle of Viziers would look at your offer much more favorably," said Vizier Crinis, sounding for all the world as if the proposal she just gave was reasonable.
"Ha! How bold of you, Vizier Crinis," said Kael'thas, chuckling in amusement. "Dalaran's expertise in enchanting comes from Quel'thalas. Most of the city's greatest enchanters are quel'dorei, who are given strict guidelines for what can be shared. Are you certain that you should be negotiating with Dalaran, and not us?"
"Given that you, the heir to your people's kingdom, are a member of Dalaran's ruling council, I'm not sure that the distinction particularly matters in this case," Crinis said sardonically. "It is entirely within your power to change those guidelines, presumably, and if only most of this city's decent enchanters are elves, then that leaves some that are not."
"Our mastery over enchanting is a skill that we have worked hard on to grow over thousands of years, so you must think us truly foolish if you believe that we would hand over such knowledge so easily," said Kael'thas, pulling his gaze away from Crinis and turning his attention to Hadix. "Perhaps if you would be willing to share your knowledge of how to use geomancy with arcane magic, we could be persuaded to share a portion of what we know."
"Hmph, not likely. While our mastery in geomancy is also something that we have grown over millennia, it is worth far more than learning how to make self-cleaning brooms," Hadix said firmly.
"If not your geomancy, then Azjol-Nerub could also offer us information about Northrend," said Krasus, acting to mediate between the two. "I was very interested when I heard that your people shared information about the dragons with scholars in Capital City, or maybe you might be more interested in agreeing to supply Dalaran with your people's silk."
The negotiations went on for quite some time, with each side doing its best to get the most favorable agreement that they could. As Krivax watched the discussions, he was suddenly very glad that Vizier Crinis had grown an interest in Dalaran and had decided to take over the bulk of the negotiations, and that nobody was expecting him to match wits with the Archmages.
That would have been an abject disaster.
Eventually, they settled on an agreement in which Azjol-Nerub would send students to learn magic in Dalaran, including some tutoring in quel'dorei enchanting. In exchange, Azjol-Nerub would send a few of its mages to offer lessons in geomancy and warding, with the understanding that they wouldn't be sharing everything that they knew.
Valuable magical reagents that could only be found in the Eastern Kingdoms would be traded for nerubian silk and Northrend based reagents, although they would need to arrange for experts to properly value these items before they could agree on proportions.
Dalaran tried to argue for Azjol-Nerub to assist them in researching and exploring Northrend's surface in exchange for a reciprocal agreement for the Eastern Kingdoms, but Crinis successfully argued that such an agreement would be lopsided. After all, the Eastern Kingdoms were well explored and there were many nations they could negotiate an agreement with if Azjol-Nerub found something they wanted to research.
The Council eventually sweetened the deal when Antonidas himself offered to assist Crinis in the creation of the portal to Northrend and pay for the costs associated with the ritual.
"Finally," Krivax muttered under his breath. "I'm glad that's done with."
"Now that we've reached an agreement, all that's left is to discuss the logistics of the matter," said Antonidas.
Damn it…
What followed was a long discussion where they went over the logistical details of having nerubians stay in Dalaran to learn. Apparently, the nation that was sending their students would be expected to be the ones to fund their education. It made sense, the non-magical citizens of Dalaran would not exactly be happy if they were the ones being taxed to fund the education of foreigners.
This wasn't a large issue for a nation like Azjol-Nerub, which almost had more resources than they knew what to do with.
They also discussed where the nerubians would be staying, given that they had much different body types and required significantly different living conditions compared to the other sapient races.
"Do you really believe it's necessary for your people to have their own enclave like the elves do? I don't disagree with you given the circumstances, but it would be quite the project," said Modera, her expression thoughtful as she considered the issue.
"Our current accommodations are not nearly large enough to comfortably house members of the Queen or Spiderlord castes," explained Hadix. "Besides, I've watched more than enough humans quiver at the sight of me to know how much our appearances unsettle you all. I'm curious about your resistance to the idea of us living in our own area."
"Segregating you from the rest of the city is counterproductive to the goal of fostering connections between our people. I am not fond of Quel'thalas' enclave either, although I recognize that this is for the best." said Krasus, sounding reluctant "Still, Archmage Modera is correct to say that this will be a significant endeavor, especially if your people prefer to live underground."
"It would be easier if we could hire workers from Ironforge," said Runeweaver, sounding grim as he reminded everyone of the situation down south. "But given the circumstances…"
"With our assistance, that shouldn't be much of an issue," said Krivax, receiving a nod of agreement when he looked to his mentor. "The Jormungar make the construction of tunnels a simple matter."
"Jormungar?"
"Enormous worm-like creatures with crystalline spines along their flanks that we use to dig out tunnels."
"Ah…"
"With such creatures, it would indeed be much easier to dig the tunnels necessary to house our new students," said Modera. "Although we would have to be careful about digging your tunnels into the Underbelly."
"The… Underbelly?" questioned Crinis, her expression one of befuddlement.
"The Underbelly is an informal name for the city's sewer system," Kel'thuzad explained evenly. "It contains a growing slum, home to Dalaran's less fortunate citizens, and is infested with giant rats, magical runoff from countless experiments, creatures that spawn from said runoff, and… goblins, who willingly choose to live there."
Krivax was surprised to hear that the Underbelly was a real place. He remembered the area from the lore, but an underground sewer slum seemed like such a… ridiculous thing to exist in real life.
"If your sewers are infested with unwanted residents, then why haven't you cleared them out?" Hadix asked curiously.
"We have, repeatedly, but as long as the conditions that created the Underbelly in the first place continue to exist, then it will simply continue to reform," explained Runeweaver, audibly frustrated with the situation. "At this point, the Underbelly is large enough that if we were to dismantle it, the consequences would be significant. It's simply easier to let it and those in it be, only occasionally sending exterminators down there when the vermin population grows too large and threatens to spill out onto the surface."
That made both Viziers cringe at the plain inefficiency of it all, something Krivax agreed with but also knew not all societies were as 'structured' as Azjol-Nerub.
"One other matter that we've failed to touch upon is potential membership into the Kirin Tor," said Antonidas, blatantly changing the subject. "There is much information we cannot share with those who are not members of the Kirin Tor, but such benefits come with significant responsibilities. Those that become members are expected to keep secrets, and while we would not expect anyone to act against the interests of their home nation, members of the Kirin Tor are expected to support Dalaran."
"More specifically, Dalaran has pledged itself to assist the other nations in defeating the Horde, if they ever manage to actually stop arguing and form their little alliance," said Kel'thuzad with a disapproving grunt. "Any of your people who join the Kirin Tor would be expected to assist in that goal."
"Would any of your people be interested in such an arrangement?" asked Antonidas, staring directly at Hadix without any subtlety.
The Viziers glanced at each other with matching expressions of consideration before Crinis took the initiative to respond.
"That is something that the Circle of Viziers would need to discuss extensively," said Crinis. "It would help if you were to fully explain the responsibilities that a member of the Kirin Tor would hold to your city."
"Of course," said Antonidas with an easygoing shrug. "Aside from the ones already mentioned, a member of the Kirin Tor would be expected to defend the city when it is attacked, perform certain administrative duties, and teach a certain amount of advanced magical classes per month. Naturally, those teaching sessions can be deferred if the individual provides progress reports of certain magical research."
"Members of the Kirin Tor are expected to teach?" asked Krivax, unable to stop himself from glancing at Krasus.
"They are," said Antonidas, glancing at Krivax curiously. "We have too few mages capable of teaching certain subjects, so such a system is a necessity. Why do you ask? Would you like to attend some of these lessons?"
"I would, Archmage Antonidas," said Krivax, jumping at the opportunity. "My mentor is more than capable of teaching me what I need to know, but I would be a fool to turn down the opportunity to attend the lessons of such accomplished mages."
More like I want to know when Krasus is teaching a lesson so that I can send a skitterer to stalk him and find out where he lives.
Krivax knew that Hadix wasn't the type of teacher to get jealous, and would only approve of him seeking to learn more on his own, so he wasn't concerned about his reaction.
"Very well," said Antonidas, sounding amused by the blatant flattery. "I will arrange for you to be sent a schedule of the lessons, and be given permission to attend."
After that, Antonidas turned his attention back to Crinis to continue his explanation of the duties of a member of the Kirin Tor. Once they were done, the Vizier nodded her understanding and promised to bring the matter to the Circle of Viziers.
Soon enough, they managed to finish discussing everything they could, and the negotiations were brought to an end. As he stepped back through the portal that would take him out of the Chamber of Air, Krivax couldn't help but feel optimistic.
Not only had the delegation managed to negotiate a favorable agreement with another government, but Krivax had come across an opportunity to advance his personal goals.
Today was a productive day.
If you want to read ahead or support me, then feel free to check out my patreon
Discord is also available if you just want to chat.
Thanks for reading!
Anyways, that was a mistake and I think I probably won't be doing that again unless I have some kind of emergency. I didn't realize how accustomed I had gotten to just writing as my hobby to the point that I didn't know what else to do with my time.
Anyways, hope you enjoy the results.
Thanks to massgamer for beta reading as always.
"And here is the room that you'll be waiting in until the Council of Six is ready to see you." said the friendly receptionist lady with a smile, gesturing to the open door that they had been led to.
Krivax followed the other Viziers as they walked passed the receptionist, a female gnome, and took a quick look around the waiting room. After seeing nothing of note aside from the enchanted cushions that had been prepared for them, he turned his attention back to the receptionist and asked her how long it would take for the Council to be ready to see them.
"I shouldn't be very long," said the receptionist reassuringly. "I'm sure the Council is very eager to meet you, given Vizier Hadix's impressive performance during his duel. Once they are ready, I'll come and get you all and bring you to the portal that leads to the Chamber of Air."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the receptionist quietly left and Krivax eagerly made his way over to one of the cushions and lowered himself down. It surprised him a little how well the mages of Dalaran were reacting to the duel between Hadix and Flametrail, and how much it seemed to improve people's opinion of the delegation.
That wasn't to say that everyone treated them poorly before and loved them now, but he had definitely noticed less polite smiles and more genuine interest. Krivax supposed that it made sense that the mages of Dalaran would feel a sense of respect for magical power and knowledge.
"The enchantments of these cushions are surprisingly complex for something so… frivolous," said Crinis, staring at her seat as she too made herself comfortable, causing Hadix to mutter something about elves.
"If this meeting goes well, then perhaps some of our own mages can learn these enchantments and apply them to our silk and weaves," said Krivax enthusiastically, imagining the possibility of cocoons even more comfortable than what they had now. "If Dalaran is truly that much better than our people at enchantment, then there's a lot we could gain from sending people here to learn."
"I don't particularly see why Azjol-Nerub would need floating silverware or obscenely comfortable cushions," Hadix said testily.
"Even if you don't have any interest in the enchantments themselves, I'm sure the Circle could turn them into something useful," said Crinis.
Krivax had been surprised to see how the Vizier's interest in Dalaran had grown over their stay in the city, and it made him feel hopeful that something productive would come from their coming meeting. After all, if she liked Dalaran and was impressed by it, then wasn't that a good sign that there were other Viziers who would feel the same way?
"Do you believe that the results of the duel will have any effect on this upcoming meeting, Vizier Crinis?" asked Krivax, interested in the Vizier's perspective.
"It's possible that they will be more interested in sharing knowledge, after having seen Vizier Hadix's power firsthand," said Crinis, her expression thoughtful. "But we already assumed that they would be interested in negotiating for a relationship similar to the one they have with the rest kingdoms of these lands."
Dalaran was an ostensibly neutral nation that had negotiated agreements that would allow other nations to peacefully send their citizens here to learn magic. Given that the majority of the human kingdoms' mages had studied in the city, and the crown prince of Quel'thalas himself spent most of his time in Dalaran, the benefits were obvious.
After seeing the city themselves, both Crinis and Hadix felt confident that the Circle of Viziers would agree to send people to learn in Dalaran. That was one of the reasons that caused Krivax to believe that Dalaran was one of the best hopes for cooperation between Azjol-Nerub and the Eastern Kingdoms.
"Aside from that, the most important topics of discussion will be the creation of a portal and the exchange of magical reagents," Crinis continued after a moment of consideration.
"Do you think you'll be able to create said portal? Even with the spatial disturbances caused by the Dark Portal?" asked Krivax curiously, knowing that Crinis had already talked about the Dark Portal and its disturbances with Antonidas and many other mages.
"If you had asked me that before we arrived, then I would not have had a good answer for you," answered the Vizier, sounding reluctant to admit her own inability. "But now that I've studied the nexus of leylines that this city was built upon and seen some of the reagents they have available, I'm confident that it should not be an issue."
"Where in Azjol-Nerub will the portal lead to?" asked Krivax.
"En'kilah, of course," said Crinis, looking at him as if he were stupid for asking. "Where else would the portal connect to other than the most magically innovative and magically advanced city in Azjol-Nerub?"
"Most magically advanced, perhaps. But most innovative? En'kilah hasn't made any significant innovations in centuries," said Hadix scornfully.
"Oh? And what innovations have Kilah'kuk had to offer our kingdom over the past few centuries?"
"I wouldn't remind you that it was one of our own that discovered the existence of the very continent you are standing on."
"That hardly counts as anything more than luck. Innovations require skill and creativity."
"If innovations require skill, then I suppose that explains why En'kilah has not produced any."
Krivax ignored their argument as he waited for the receptionist to return. He had long since learned that Viziers were able to start an argument over the most innocuous of topics and had become accustomed to tuning them out.
Thankfully, it didn't take very long before there was a knock on the door and Krivax was looking down at the tiny receptionist.
"The Council of Six is ready for you all if you'll just come with me."
Soon enough, the three Viziers were following behind the gnome as she led them up many flights of stairs as they ascended the Violet Citadel to eventually reach an innocuous-looking portal.
Seeing no reason to delay, Krivax offered a quick thanks to the receptionist and stepped into the portal. As soon as he shook off the momentary disorientation that always came with so quickly traveling to a new location, Krivax took a look at his surroundings and immediately knew that he was in the right location.
The Chamber of Air was a room without any visible walls, a gray stone floor with the symbol of the Kirin Tor etched into it, and a roof that looked like an open sky shifting rapidly as if time was sped up.
The various members of the Council of Six sat in comfortable chairs around the location where they had been teleported into, lacking the usual magical disguises they generally wore when meeting others. At first, the members of the Council had wanted to maintain their anonymity during the meeting, but Hadix had made it clear to Antonidas that he wasn't interested in negotiating with mysterious faceless figures.
"Welcome, representatives of Azjol-Nerub, although we have already met, I think it's best if my colleagues introduce themselves before we begin this meeting," said Antonidas, who was currently sitting directly to the front of them while offering them a gentle expression. The Grand Magus hadn't argued about the matter for very long, so Krivax assumed that anonymity was not something he cared very much about right now.
"If I may, I would like to introduce myself first," said the same elvish man that Krivax had seen yesterday during the duel. He exuded the same relaxed demeanor that Krivax had seen yesterday, and he was once again struck by the fact that this was the man who would go on to become a villain. "I am Kael'thas Sunstrider, crown prince of Quel'thalas. I must say, I was very impressed by your performance yesterday, Vizier Hadix. Arcanist Flametrail was an experienced opponent, yet you defeated him quite handily."
"Your appreciation is noted, elf," Hadix said dryly.
Krivax expected the prince to be annoyed by the lackluster reply, but he was surprised when Kael'thas's expression became one of amusement instead.
"I believe such topics can wait until after we've finished discussing matters of actual importance," said a middle-aged man with glassy eyes and a severe expression that made him look much more like a villain than Kael'thas. "I am Archmage Kel'thuzad. I look forward to working with your people and sharing knowledge that will benefit us all."
Krivax knew that it wasn't completely fair to judge a person based on their appearance or for things they have not yet done, but something about Kel'thuzad made him feel like he was looking at a dangerous person who wouldn't mind dissecting him if he could get away with it.
"I suppose it's my turn now," said Archmage Runeweaver, who looked much the same as he did yesterday. "I apologize for my deception, but the knowledge of who is a member of the Council of Six is not something that is typically shared. Obviously, this is a rather unique situation."
Krivax was a bit surprised to learn that he was a member of the Council, there was no way that he could have remembered such a minor character after all, but it made sense once he thought about it. It was in their interest to have one of their own be responsible for guiding them throughout the city and figuring them out in a less official capacity.
"I am Archmage Modera," said the only female among the Council of Six, nodding toward them stoically as she introduced herself. "Your duel against Arcanist Flametrail was a masterful display of magical combat, and I look forward to working with you."
Krivax didn't know very much about her, other than the fact that she alone among those present would remain on the Council far into the future, surviving a lot that her colleagues did not… except maybe Runeweaver since he vaguely recalled him being on the Council in the future as well, but he wasn't sure.
It was the last member that captured his complete attention, and both excited and worried him in equal measure since he now shared a room with a dragon, albeit one currently in a much smaller form.
Sitting next to Modera was another elvish man, though one with a slight build, delicate features, and silvery hair streaked with red. Archmage Krasus, otherwise known as Korialstrasz, future prime consort of the Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder and Aspect of the Red Dragonflight herself, was not a man who would blend easily into a crowd.
He was also the method through which Krivax intended to save Alexstasza from being captured, so he couldn't help but stare a little.
"I am Archmage Krasus," said the elf who was secretly a dragon. "I have heard much about you all from my friends in Capital City, nerubians. I look forward to learning more about your people."
Krivax was sure that he had heard about the nerubians from more than just a few friends in Capital City. After all, Wyrmrest Temple did reside on Northrend, and he was sure the dragons knew more about the nerubians than the people of the Eastern Kingdoms.
"Now that introductions have been made, let us move on to the first and most important topic of discussion," said Antonidas, his tone taking on a seriousness that it lacked before. "The Magocracy of Dalaran would like to officially extend an invitation to the kingdom of Azjol-Nerub to send some of its citizens to learn in our city. This is an arrangement that would benefit both of our people greatly, and would allow for the exchange of ideas and knowledge and foster a peaceful relationship between us."
"It would also grant you a significant amount of diplomatic legitimacy within the minds of the nations of these lands," said Kel'thuzad, pointing out the pragmatic benefits. "Most nobles prefer to keep their heirs close, but more than a few of them send their less important children here to learn."
"Archmage Kel'thuzad's words are true… if distasteful," Krasus said reluctantly. "The improvement of your reputation in Dalaran means the improvement of your reputation throughout the Eastern Kingdoms."
"Phrase it however you like, it doesn't change the fact that cooperation with Dalaran is entirely to their benefit," Kel'thuzad responded while rolling his eyes.
"The exact details would need to be negotiated with the Circle of Viziers, but after seeing your city for myself, I'm sure they would be somewhat interested in your offer," said Vizier Crinis, willing to speak up for the delegation now that they were talking about a topic that actually interested her. "However, if you truly wish for them to accept, there are a few ways that you could make the deal a little more… enticing. There are many who would view such a deal unfavorably due to the increased risk of outsiders learning our more valuable magics."
At the Vizier's words, Krivax mentally settled in for a long negotiation.
"Very well then," said Antonidas, nodding as this was the result he was expecting all along. "In that case, let's talk about the details."
"If you were to offer us guarantees that all of your techniques in enchanting would be shared with our students, without exception, then I'm sure the Circle of Viziers would look at your offer much more favorably," said Vizier Crinis, sounding for all the world as if the proposal she just gave was reasonable.
"Ha! How bold of you, Vizier Crinis," said Kael'thas, chuckling in amusement. "Dalaran's expertise in enchanting comes from Quel'thalas. Most of the city's greatest enchanters are quel'dorei, who are given strict guidelines for what can be shared. Are you certain that you should be negotiating with Dalaran, and not us?"
"Given that you, the heir to your people's kingdom, are a member of Dalaran's ruling council, I'm not sure that the distinction particularly matters in this case," Crinis said sardonically. "It is entirely within your power to change those guidelines, presumably, and if only most of this city's decent enchanters are elves, then that leaves some that are not."
"Our mastery over enchanting is a skill that we have worked hard on to grow over thousands of years, so you must think us truly foolish if you believe that we would hand over such knowledge so easily," said Kael'thas, pulling his gaze away from Crinis and turning his attention to Hadix. "Perhaps if you would be willing to share your knowledge of how to use geomancy with arcane magic, we could be persuaded to share a portion of what we know."
"Hmph, not likely. While our mastery in geomancy is also something that we have grown over millennia, it is worth far more than learning how to make self-cleaning brooms," Hadix said firmly.
"If not your geomancy, then Azjol-Nerub could also offer us information about Northrend," said Krasus, acting to mediate between the two. "I was very interested when I heard that your people shared information about the dragons with scholars in Capital City, or maybe you might be more interested in agreeing to supply Dalaran with your people's silk."
The negotiations went on for quite some time, with each side doing its best to get the most favorable agreement that they could. As Krivax watched the discussions, he was suddenly very glad that Vizier Crinis had grown an interest in Dalaran and had decided to take over the bulk of the negotiations, and that nobody was expecting him to match wits with the Archmages.
That would have been an abject disaster.
Eventually, they settled on an agreement in which Azjol-Nerub would send students to learn magic in Dalaran, including some tutoring in quel'dorei enchanting. In exchange, Azjol-Nerub would send a few of its mages to offer lessons in geomancy and warding, with the understanding that they wouldn't be sharing everything that they knew.
Valuable magical reagents that could only be found in the Eastern Kingdoms would be traded for nerubian silk and Northrend based reagents, although they would need to arrange for experts to properly value these items before they could agree on proportions.
Dalaran tried to argue for Azjol-Nerub to assist them in researching and exploring Northrend's surface in exchange for a reciprocal agreement for the Eastern Kingdoms, but Crinis successfully argued that such an agreement would be lopsided. After all, the Eastern Kingdoms were well explored and there were many nations they could negotiate an agreement with if Azjol-Nerub found something they wanted to research.
The Council eventually sweetened the deal when Antonidas himself offered to assist Crinis in the creation of the portal to Northrend and pay for the costs associated with the ritual.
"Finally," Krivax muttered under his breath. "I'm glad that's done with."
"Now that we've reached an agreement, all that's left is to discuss the logistics of the matter," said Antonidas.
Damn it…
What followed was a long discussion where they went over the logistical details of having nerubians stay in Dalaran to learn. Apparently, the nation that was sending their students would be expected to be the ones to fund their education. It made sense, the non-magical citizens of Dalaran would not exactly be happy if they were the ones being taxed to fund the education of foreigners.
This wasn't a large issue for a nation like Azjol-Nerub, which almost had more resources than they knew what to do with.
They also discussed where the nerubians would be staying, given that they had much different body types and required significantly different living conditions compared to the other sapient races.
"Do you really believe it's necessary for your people to have their own enclave like the elves do? I don't disagree with you given the circumstances, but it would be quite the project," said Modera, her expression thoughtful as she considered the issue.
"Our current accommodations are not nearly large enough to comfortably house members of the Queen or Spiderlord castes," explained Hadix. "Besides, I've watched more than enough humans quiver at the sight of me to know how much our appearances unsettle you all. I'm curious about your resistance to the idea of us living in our own area."
"Segregating you from the rest of the city is counterproductive to the goal of fostering connections between our people. I am not fond of Quel'thalas' enclave either, although I recognize that this is for the best." said Krasus, sounding reluctant "Still, Archmage Modera is correct to say that this will be a significant endeavor, especially if your people prefer to live underground."
"It would be easier if we could hire workers from Ironforge," said Runeweaver, sounding grim as he reminded everyone of the situation down south. "But given the circumstances…"
"With our assistance, that shouldn't be much of an issue," said Krivax, receiving a nod of agreement when he looked to his mentor. "The Jormungar make the construction of tunnels a simple matter."
"Jormungar?"
"Enormous worm-like creatures with crystalline spines along their flanks that we use to dig out tunnels."
"Ah…"
"With such creatures, it would indeed be much easier to dig the tunnels necessary to house our new students," said Modera. "Although we would have to be careful about digging your tunnels into the Underbelly."
"The… Underbelly?" questioned Crinis, her expression one of befuddlement.
"The Underbelly is an informal name for the city's sewer system," Kel'thuzad explained evenly. "It contains a growing slum, home to Dalaran's less fortunate citizens, and is infested with giant rats, magical runoff from countless experiments, creatures that spawn from said runoff, and… goblins, who willingly choose to live there."
Krivax was surprised to hear that the Underbelly was a real place. He remembered the area from the lore, but an underground sewer slum seemed like such a… ridiculous thing to exist in real life.
"If your sewers are infested with unwanted residents, then why haven't you cleared them out?" Hadix asked curiously.
"We have, repeatedly, but as long as the conditions that created the Underbelly in the first place continue to exist, then it will simply continue to reform," explained Runeweaver, audibly frustrated with the situation. "At this point, the Underbelly is large enough that if we were to dismantle it, the consequences would be significant. It's simply easier to let it and those in it be, only occasionally sending exterminators down there when the vermin population grows too large and threatens to spill out onto the surface."
That made both Viziers cringe at the plain inefficiency of it all, something Krivax agreed with but also knew not all societies were as 'structured' as Azjol-Nerub.
"One other matter that we've failed to touch upon is potential membership into the Kirin Tor," said Antonidas, blatantly changing the subject. "There is much information we cannot share with those who are not members of the Kirin Tor, but such benefits come with significant responsibilities. Those that become members are expected to keep secrets, and while we would not expect anyone to act against the interests of their home nation, members of the Kirin Tor are expected to support Dalaran."
"More specifically, Dalaran has pledged itself to assist the other nations in defeating the Horde, if they ever manage to actually stop arguing and form their little alliance," said Kel'thuzad with a disapproving grunt. "Any of your people who join the Kirin Tor would be expected to assist in that goal."
"Would any of your people be interested in such an arrangement?" asked Antonidas, staring directly at Hadix without any subtlety.
The Viziers glanced at each other with matching expressions of consideration before Crinis took the initiative to respond.
"That is something that the Circle of Viziers would need to discuss extensively," said Crinis. "It would help if you were to fully explain the responsibilities that a member of the Kirin Tor would hold to your city."
"Of course," said Antonidas with an easygoing shrug. "Aside from the ones already mentioned, a member of the Kirin Tor would be expected to defend the city when it is attacked, perform certain administrative duties, and teach a certain amount of advanced magical classes per month. Naturally, those teaching sessions can be deferred if the individual provides progress reports of certain magical research."
"Members of the Kirin Tor are expected to teach?" asked Krivax, unable to stop himself from glancing at Krasus.
"They are," said Antonidas, glancing at Krivax curiously. "We have too few mages capable of teaching certain subjects, so such a system is a necessity. Why do you ask? Would you like to attend some of these lessons?"
"I would, Archmage Antonidas," said Krivax, jumping at the opportunity. "My mentor is more than capable of teaching me what I need to know, but I would be a fool to turn down the opportunity to attend the lessons of such accomplished mages."
More like I want to know when Krasus is teaching a lesson so that I can send a skitterer to stalk him and find out where he lives.
Krivax knew that Hadix wasn't the type of teacher to get jealous, and would only approve of him seeking to learn more on his own, so he wasn't concerned about his reaction.
"Very well," said Antonidas, sounding amused by the blatant flattery. "I will arrange for you to be sent a schedule of the lessons, and be given permission to attend."
After that, Antonidas turned his attention back to Crinis to continue his explanation of the duties of a member of the Kirin Tor. Once they were done, the Vizier nodded her understanding and promised to bring the matter to the Circle of Viziers.
Soon enough, they managed to finish discussing everything they could, and the negotiations were brought to an end. As he stepped back through the portal that would take him out of the Chamber of Air, Krivax couldn't help but feel optimistic.
Not only had the delegation managed to negotiate a favorable agreement with another government, but Krivax had come across an opportunity to advance his personal goals.
Today was a productive day.
If you want to read ahead or support me, then feel free to check out my patreon
Discord is also available if you just want to chat.
Thanks for reading!
Last edited:
xbox432
Lover of Editing
Heh, poor Krivax. The longer this goes on the more he's beginning to realize that he's no longer just an explorer and researcher, he's now a politician. With all the boring responsibilities that entails. I'm curious how many of the Viziers/Archmages in the room noticed him tuning out once the negotiations began. LoL, or that muttered "finally".
this an - this is an
rest kingdoms - rest of the kingdoms -or- other kingdoms
of the Alexstrasza - of THE Alexstrasza -or- of Alexstrasza
I'd assume it's because he's an Archmage-level enemy with an entrenched cult supporting him and publicly has done nothing wrong yet with the exception of being eminently unlikable and wanting to explore "all magic".
Krivax really can't do anything about him as he's still just an apprentice with no evidence to justify investigating him or getting into a conflict with such an influential man on Dalaran's council. Magically speaking he'd smite Krivax in an instant, so worrying about him is counterproductive, especially as Dalaran is ironically where you're safest from him as he would not want to make a move there of all places.
Though I imagine it's also down to the fact Krasus is a means to the end of ensuring Alexstrazsa doesn't get enslaved by the Orcs, which is a massive change to the timeline as the dragons weren't just terror weapons and major bonuses to their battles, they were instrumental to the Horde not getting their fleets ruined by Kul Tiras multiple times over and never making it north.
Kel'thuzad relative to that is not all that important, particularly as Alexstrazsa getting captured occurs long before the Third War or the Scourge gets rolling I believe.
I was more pleasantly surprised to find Kael'thas was amused by the "elf" crack, I often forget that before he was traumatized, made desperate, corrupted, and driven mad that he was actually a pretty cool guy by High Elf standards.
I'm also fairly sure Krivax raised Krasus' suspicions a tiny bit with the fixation, the staring, questioning about learning from them, and the fact Krasus is already clearly a bit uncomfortable that unlike every other Alliance race at present Nerubians actually know a hell of a lot about dragons - including their shapeshifting ability.
Most humans consider dragons to be rare, animalistic, magical monsters and would be surprised one could speak, let alone that they were ancient shapeshifting guardians of the planet with their own society. Nerubians live next door to them and while I doubt we have diplomatic connections to them, we know they can talk and engage with mortals.
It'd put Krasus in a very awkward spot indeed if the Alliance finds this out and decides to ask those intelligent Northrend dragons for help against the Horde or just opens diplomacy with them in general.
Chapter 30
Krivax huffed in frustration as he read through the letters scattered across his desk that had been sent to him from Capital City. He would much prefer it if the rest of the world would stay still while he spent his time enjoying himself in a magical city, but it seems fate was not so kind.
He could tell that events were slowly beginning to accelerate, and it wouldn't be long before things started to happen very quickly.
There was some good news, such as the Weavers finishing their analysis of the Eastern Kingdom's potential trade goods and discovering that Liferoot possessed potent and valuable alchemical properties, especially for healing potions, but most of the news was much less pleasant.
"What's bothering you, Krivax?" asked Masruk, pulling his attention away from the history book he had been reading. "Has something happened in Capital City?"
With Hadix off sneaking about with his investigations and Crinis off making her final preparations together with Antonidas to create the portal that would allow the first wave of nerubians to enter Dalaran, Krivax had been left alone in their shared room.
Which meant that Masruk hadn't hesitated to make himself comfortable and keep him company.
"Nothing has happened in Capital City," said Krivax. "But the situation down south has gotten a lot worse."
"What's happening down south?" asked Masruk, closing his book after the conversation turned to a topic that interested him.
"It looks like the Horde has most likely begun their invasion of Khaz Modan," said Krivax, his expression grim. "Trixie says that nobody is quite certain what's going on, but communication has become unreliable and the most recent messages don't leave room for optimism."
"Does that mean the humans are finally preparing for war?" Masruk asked with excitement.
"No, they aren't," said Krivax, growing frustrated as he finished reading through Trixie's letter. "The human kingdoms are paying close attention to the invasion, but both Alterac and Gilneas are still holding out."
While Krivax already knew that the Alliance wouldn't be formed until after the Horde conquered all of Khaz Modan aside from Ironforge and Gnomeregan, it was still extremely frustrating when dealing with it in real life. The war could have been over so much sooner if the human nations had confronted the Horde while the dwarves and the gnomes still had most of their strength.
The only thing that their hesitance would accomplish would be more unnecessary deaths. He could already tell that everyone would start scrambling after Khaz Modan finally fell.
"Cowards," Masruk spat disdainfully. "The Horde has already proven themselves to be a threat, why aren't the humans fighting them?"
"I don't know for certain, but I assume it's a combination of greed and selfishness," Krivax said as he put away the depressing letter and pulled out the next one. "Alterac is weak and has a hostile relationship with Stromgarde, if they lose too many soldiers during the war, then they risk being conquered after it's over. I imagine they want to see how well Ironforge and Gnomeregan do against the Horde before they make any commitments, hoping that they can grind them down against their defenses."
"And Gilneas?" Masruk asked after a moment of silent consideration. "Why are they so unwilling to cooperate with the other humans?"
Krivax took a moment to consider Masruk's question.
If I remember correctly, the only reason given in the lore is that Greymane was just an arrogant fool who thought he didn't need help.
"I don't know," Krivax said finally after failing to come up with an explanation. "From what we've been told, Gilneas has a fairly powerful military and defensible geography, they don't really have the same worries as Alterac. I've read they are pretty isolationist, not unlike Azjol-Nerub. Maybe they think even if the Horde comes they can fight them off without help, although I don't really understand enough about their politics to really give a good guess."
"Hmm. You should go back to Capital City and convince them," said Masruk, his tone completely serious.
Krivax turned to face his friend, completely befuddled.
"What makes you think I could succeed in convincing them when Lordaeron's best diplomats have failed?" asked Krivax, curious about his friend's reasoning.
"You're Krivax. You can convince the surface races about anything," Masruk said confidently.
Krivax couldn't help but simply stare at Masruk for a few moments in dumbfounded silence.
Oh, I get it.
"I'm glad you have so much confidence in me, buddy, but I don't think I'd be able to do anything that Lordaeron's diplomats couldn't," said Krivax, after taking a moment to compose himself. "The only reason I've been successful in getting people to do things is that the things I've been getting them to do were obviously in their own interest."
Masruk huffed mulishly and muttered something under his breath, but didn't bother arguing with him.
As Krivax read through the next letter, he wished he was actually as capable of convincing people to do what he wanted as Masruk thought he was; it would certainly make dealing with this newest issue easier.
It seems that the High King's order to discreetly evaluate how the kingdoms would react to the creation of a nerubian settlement was starting to show results. Diplomats from both Alterac and Stormwind had approached Anub'rekhan privately and expressed interest in perhaps ceding some of their lands for a certain price.
Normally this was the kind of development that Krivax would be more than happy to see… if it weren't for the fact that Alterac's deal was by far superior to Stormwinds.
The problem was that the current ruler of Alterac was Aiden Perenolde, a cowardly and opportunistic king who was only noteworthy in the lore for betraying the Alliance to the Horde, believing it was the best way to save his own kingdom. Krivax really didn't want to know what such a person could end up doing if he managed to secure an alliance with a nation as powerful as Azjol-Nerub.
While Stormwind was offering more land than Alterac, they were also asking that Azjol-Nerub involve itself directly in the war, something Krivax knew the High King would not find appealing. Alterac, on the other hand, was willing to cede a portion of its lands for a certain amount of treasure and diplomatic guarantees that Azjol-Nerub not attack Alterac, or allow Stromgarde to pass through their territory.
Their mountains would make prime nest-city locations, likely had resources that could be mined out easily by nerubians hands that Alterac would be the first to benefit from, and having a powerful empire sitting in front of the kingdom would seriously discourage Stromgarde's usual skirmishes with them if not outright stop them.
It didn't help that Alterac was situated in a location that could very well become a crossroads for trade between the various kingdoms if properly exploited
Krivax wished that he had a way to convince the leadership to go with Stormwind, but he knew that there was little he could do. Although he was the one responsible for leading the nerubians to the Eastern Kingdoms, Krivax was starting to feel more and more like he was caught up in a tide of events that he couldn't control.
It really made him once again hope that everyone would just stop doing things and allow him to enjoy his time in Dalaran.
As if to emphasize the foolishness of that hope, the sudden sound of someone knocking loudly on the door caused Krivax to let out an exasperated sigh. Ever since the duel, there had been random mages trying to meet up with Hadix for one reason or another. Normally, Hadix just sent them running with a threatening display of his magic, but he wasn't here right now so Krivax would have to be the one to deal with it.
With a short glance at Masruk, the two of them silently made their way to the door and opened it, revealing an elvish woman waiting on the other side. Krivax stepped out into the courtyard outside their lodgings, forcing the woman back, and closed the door behind him as soon as Masruk stepped out.
Krivax didn't know who the woman was, but he couldn't allow anyone outside of the delegation to notice that Hadix wasn't where he was supposed to be.
"Can I help you?" Krivax asked the woman, who was sputtering in outrage after being pushed out of the way.
The woman seemed to take a moment to compose herself before speaking, "Yes, I suppose you can. Are you Vizier Hadix?"
"No, I am Vizier Kirvax, student of Vizier Hadix. He is very busy right now and has asked that nothing disturb him short of the Council of Six themselves," Krivax said while making a show of looking the elf over. "And you are not one of them."
"I'll have you know I am Mirveda Summerfall, apprentice to Magistrix Landra Dawnstrider, and I come on important business!" said the elf, puffing herself up in anger at the slight.
"Are you here as a representative of Quel'thalas?" Krivax asked tiredly, already knowing the answer.
"Well… no. I here represe—"
"Then I'm afraid, apprentice, that Vizier Hadix is not very interested in speaking with you at this time," Krivax said firmly, already turning away to head back inside. He had enough experience dealing with situations like this by now that he knew politeness would not get him very far.
Unfortunately, Apprentice Summerfall was a little braver than most and didn't hesitate to grab onto his robe to stop him from leaving. Krivax noticed Masruk bristle and reach for his weapon, but he quickly called his friend off with his friend with a gesture
"This is a matter of the utmost importance!"
Krivax relented and listened to what the elf had to say, and was unsurprised to find that it was not actually a matter of the utmost importance.
Apparently, Magistrix Dawnstrider had been so impressed by Hadix's magic that she was offering to pay the Vizier if he taught her what she knew. However, after listening for a few moments, Krivax knew that nothing that the Magistrix had to offer was worth Hadix's time.
It was just about when the Apprentice was starting to tell him about how much of an 'opportunity' this was for them to receive the backing of someone as important as Magistrix Dawnstrider that Krivax had enough.
"As I said before, Vizier Hadix does not wish to be disturbed," said Krivax, removing the elf's grip from his robes. "Please leave."
"Excuse me?! I won't be leaving until I spea—"
"You will leave, or you will be removed," said Masruk, gripping onto his spear and moving threateningly.
Like most sane people, Apprentice Summerfall faltered when confronted with a giant, fully armored spiderperson, but seemed to be gathering her courage when their confrontation was interrupted by the opening of the door behind Krivax.
"You heard him, elf. Leave," said Vizier Hadix, sounding extremely annoyed with the situation.
"Vizier Hadix, I presume?" asked the elf, completely ignoring the Vizier's tone of voice. It was an impressive display of her lack of self-preservation. "Well met, I am Mirve—"
"I will not repeat myself," said Hadix, the magic around him beginning to grow agitated in a display that promised violence if the elf didn't leave immediately.
That seemed to be enough to get through to her because after a soft whimper of fear, she quickly made herself scarce.
"Leave us, Neophyte Masruk," said Hadix, turning to retreat back into the room.
Krivax assumed that Hadix probably wanted to talk about the results of his investigation, so he quickly followed the Vizier after giving a short goodbye to Masruk, closing the door behind him. It didn't take long for Krivax to realize that the Vizier was agitated by more than too persistent elves.
"Vizier Hadix, is everything alright?" asked Krivax, growing increasingly concerned as he watched his mentor pace back and forth in the room.
"I have not yet found confirmation, but I'm starting to believe that the higher-ranking members of the Kirin Tor are well aware of the Void," said Hadix, continuing to pace as he explained the situation. "I've even begun to expect that one of their members, a mage by the name of Ur, is actively practicing Void magic in the city."
Krivax wasn't particularly surprised to hear that; he was already aware from the lore that the mages of Dalaran sometimes practiced less reputable magic in secret, even if he didn't remember specific names.
"What are we going to do about it?" asked Krivax, doing his best to feign surprise. Thankfully, Hadix was too agitated to notice.
"I don't know yet," admitted Hadix, ending his rapid pacing as he took on a thoughtful expression. "It's obvious to me that the Order will need to establish a permanent presence in the Eastern Kingdoms. We'll also need to send some of our own people to join the Kirin Tor as quickly as possible so that we can continuously monitor the city for the Void's corruption."
"Then… wouldn't it be best if you joined them yourself?" asked Krivax, suggesting the solution that seemed the most obvious to him. It made him uneasy to see his normally stoic mentor so agitated, so he was glad that the Vizier was beginning to calm down.
He must really hate the Void…
"No. My time and skills are too valuable for me to be wasted on something like that," Hadix said matter-of-factly. "Besides, the Order was wise enough to include some of its own members within the initial group coming to Dalaran. After the portal is opened and I am provided assistance from my colleagues, it won't be long before I can finish my investigation, although there are still portions of the city that I won't be able to easily access."
"Really?" Krivax asked in surprise. "Isn't Dalaran's warding much worse than ours?"
It shouldn't surprise him as much as it did that there were places in the city that Hadix couldn't access, but he had seen for himself some of the spells that the Order had developed to sneak around in the spellbook that Hadix had given him. They were very good at going places where they didn't belong and remaining unnoticed while they did so.
That coupled with Hadix's personal strength had resulted in Krivax beginning to believe that nothing could stop his mentor from going wherever he wanted.
"The wards protecting the Grand Library are connected directly to the city's leyline nexus," explained Hadix, hissing softly in frustration. "Even if their wards are far inferior to our own, it's nearly impossible to bypass wards connected to such vast amounts of arcane energies, especially unnoticed."
Krivax silently watched his mentor for several moments as the Vizier started muttering to himself, seemingly losing himself in his thoughts.
"There's no need for us to make any decisions right now, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax when it became obvious Hadix wouldn't continue the conversation without prompting. "We still have some time before the delegation needs to return to Capital City. Our presence will be needed to help the enclave establish itself in Dalaran; there aren't very many nerubians who speak Common after all."
Krivax wasn't looking forward to spending more time resolving cultural misunderstandings, but it certainly was convenient that their part of the delegation would be staying in the city for a while longer. It meant that Krivax was confident that he would have enough time to handle his personal goals before he left.
According to the schedule that Antonidas had given him, Krasus wouldn't be scheduled to teach a class for at least a few more weeks.
"Hmph. You may be correct," Hadix admitted grudgingly. "I should have enough time to conclude my investigation before we leave and present my findings to the Order. My instincts tell me that these people are hiding something important, so I'll be recommending that the Order makes investigating the Kirin Tor a priority."
Oh, Vizier Hadix, you have no idea.
Krivax hoped that he would be there to see Hadix's reaction once he learned about the Burning Legion, a force that was just as much of a threat as the Old Gods. It would be nice when he wasn't the only one in the room quietly freaking out about the constant world-ending threats facing Azeroth.
"For now, we should begin making our way to Vizier Crinis," said Hadix, turning to face him for the first time since the conversation began. "I've recently received word that they are prepared to open the portal. Our presence is necessary to translate for those who do not speak Common."
"Of course," said Krivax, nodding eagerly and already moving toward the door. "Let's start making our way there now."
Even if he knew it was going to cause him many headaches in the future, it would be nice to have more nerubians in Dalaran and to start constructing their enclave. After living in Azjol-Nerub for so long it was hard for him to get used to living back above ground.
It didn't take long for the two Viziers and their Warrior escort to make their way through the streets of Dalaran and reach their destination, a heavily guarded building near the city's main guard house.
Even if it weren't for the two guardsmen wearing complete sets of enchanted armor and standing by the entrance to the building, Krivax would be able to tell that the building was important simply by the dense array of wards covering every inch of it.
It wasn't a surprise to him that Dalaran was taking the security of the location so seriously, given this is where they would be opening up a portal to a powerful empire that they knew little about.
The only reason why they would even consider such a thing is because they had absolute confidence in their ability to ensure their city's safety, and the guards and the wards were a part of that.
Vizier Hadix didn't seem to share his interest in the building's security and smoothly walked past the guards without any hesitation, forcing Krivax to quickly follow behind him.
Obviously, there wasn't much need to show identification.
As Krivax followed Hadix through the twisting and heavily guarded hallways, it became obvious to him that this wasn't the Vizier's first time in the building. Soon enough, Krivax followed his mentor through yet another nondescript hallway only to find himself in a massive chamber positively glowing with arcane energies.
Vizier Crinis could be seen standing in the chamber's center speaking with Archmage Antonidas as the two of them gestured to the arcane glyphs spread out across the floor. Several teams of mages were busy looking over a complex series of wards that were constructed around what Krivax assumed would be the actual portal site.
"Vizier Hadix! Good, you're here," called out Vizier Crinis from across the room as soon as she caught sight of them. "Please tell this human that this portion of the ritual is completely unnecessary. His paranoia is going to make this portal far less efficient than it could be. Why would we need to go to such excessive lengths to diffuse the portal's ambient arcane energy?"
"I understand things might be different where you come from, but this city has regulations about how much arcane energies can be legally permitted in such a small area," Antonidas said calmly.
"So you've said, but you've refused to explain the reason for the regulations, no matter how many times I've asked!" said Crinis, raising her voice in frustration.
"Then perhaps you should stop asking," said Antonidas, allowing a hint of annoyance to enter his voice. "You do not need to understand all of our laws, you simply need to obey them. The ritual will work fine, despite these modifications."
Krivax watched from the side as Hadix examined the portion of the glyphs in question before glancing at Antonidas. Krivax knew that he was probably the only one in the room who knew Hadix well enough to see the hint of suspicion in his eyes.
"This is not our city, Vizier Crinis," Hadix said finally after a long moment of silence. "If Archmage Antonidas insists on this modification, then we will obey his wishes."
"Ugh. Very well," said Crinis, her anger seeming to deflate once she realized that her colleague would not be supporting her. "We'll use the human's inefficient spell formula."
From there everything seemed to move very quickly as the mages prepared for the opening of the portal. Krivax watched as Antonidas personally verified the functionality of each set of wards before double-checking the arcane glyph for any flaws.
Feeling curious about the portal's security system, Krivax didn't hesitate to ask Hadix about it.
"There is no single security system for me to point out to you," Hadix explained patiently. "Dalaran is using multiple layers of defense to protect the portal from being used unauthorized, and only a few of them can be seen from here. I'm sure many of their defense mechanisms are secrets known only to the upper echelons of their government."
"Well, what can you see from here?" Krivax asked curiously.
Hadix seemed to ponder the question for a moment before pointing out a specific portion of the glyph.
"There. That portion of the spell determines where the portal opens up to. Do you notice anything different about it, Krivax?" asked Hadix in the same tone of voice he used whenever he was teaching his student.
Krivax stared at the portion that Hadix pointed out for several moments before he realized what he was supposed to notice.
"It's not using the leyline as a power source," said Krivax, amazed that they were able to connect different portions of the same spell to different sources of magic.
"Correct, it's likely that the source of magic that maintains that portion of the spell is kept in a secret, heavily guarded location. If it were ever destroyed, then anyone who attempted to use the portal would find themselves in an unpredictable location, assuming they survived."
Hadix spent the next few minutes pointing out various security measures, including a ward that would allow a mage to scry a small area on the other side of the portal and a ward that would prevent anyone from passing through unless it was lowered.
He would have kept going, but the Vizier ended his explanation when it looked like they were ready to begin opening the portal.
"You won't find anything, human," Crinis said smugly. "When it comes to spatial magic, my work is impeccable."
"One can never be too sure," said Antonidas, turning his attention away from the glyph and focusing on one of his mages. "Magus Sparklecrank, has the leyline's throughput remained steady?"
"Yes, Archmage," said an elderly male gnome.
"And the levels of atmospheric arcane energy?"
"Within acceptable parameters, Archmage."
"Very well then," said Antonidas as he approached the designated portal location. "I will begin opening the portal. Everyone else, begin making preparations to welcome our guests."
With that said, Antonidas gripped his staff tightly and didn't waste any time to begin casting the spell. Arcane magic immediately poured out of the man at levels that Krivax had never seen before; he was certain even the most magically incapable person would be able to sense the Grand Magus's magic.
It didn't take very long before the entire room was glowing brightly with violet light, and a large tear in the very fabric of space was ripping open in the center of the room.
As soon as the portal finished forming, the chamber quickly became a hive of activity.
"Wards are functional!"
"Attempts to scry the other side of the portal have been successful. One individual is attempting to use the portal. Individual matches the description of Warrior Cral'ral."
"Understood. Warrior Cral'ral is on the pre-approved list. Permitting entry!"
Krivax watched in satisfaction as the first nerubian stepped through a portal from Northrend to the Eastern Kingdoms.
One-by-one, nerubians were evaluated via scrying and permitted entry into Dalaran. Krivax did his best to translate between the guards and the arriving nerubians as they did their best to organize everyone.
It would have been nice if someone had remembered to cast a translation spell on the room.
Fortunately, it didn't take very long for them to reach the last nerubian on the list and his very large partner.
"Two individuals are attempting to use the portal! Individuals match the description of Worm Handler Crut'zok and a… jormungar."
"Understood. Worm Handler Crut'zok and his jormungar are on the pre-approved list. Permitting entry!"
While the nerubian that stepped through the portal was not visibly different from any other baseline nerubian, the creature that followed behind him was enough to command the attention of every mage in the room.
Slithering its way through the portal was an absolutely massive worm-like creature with rows of chisel-like teeth, a flattened, muscular body, and crystalline spines along its flanks. The jormungar was easily larger than a Spiderlord, and Antonidas was quickly forced to expand the size of the room with magic to accommodate the creature.
Every single mage in the room had stopped what they were doing to watch in astonishment as the jormungar finished passing through the portal.
"Well then," said Antonidas, sounding uncharacteristically shocked. "I had thought that you were exaggerating the size of these creatures, but I can see now that you were not. Although I fail to see how such a massive creature will safely make its way through the building."
Everyone who heard that took a moment to glance at each other awkwardly before staring pointedly at the Grand Magus.
Antonidas merely let out an aggrieved sigh before pointing his staff toward the hallway and getting to work.
Maybe a shrinking or polymorph spell would be easier? Krivax couldn't help but think for a moment before quickly brushing it off.
Still, if nothing else the arrival of the jormungar would help speed up construction of the nerubian enclave, and become Azjol-Nerub's first settlement outside of Northrend.
It was a good start and something to be proud of. It was his own efforts that had made this possible and now all he needed to worry about were the… several other matters that he needed to deal with…
I'm starting to think that what they say is true… the only reward for work well done really is just more work…
Krivax had a gut feeling that things were soon about to become very busy.
—------------
I'd considered doing a timeskip to directly after the portal has already been opened and the enclave was under construction, but it didn't feel right. I worry sometimes about chapters that don't have really exciting things happening in them, but sometimes I just need to write a chapter that sets up for things to happen later.
I also posted a thread for an original story that I intend to write periodically when I'm not writing for this. Feel free to check it out here on spacebattles.
If you want to read ahead or support me, then feel free to check out my patreon
Discord is also available if you just want to chat.
Thanks for reading!
He could tell that events were slowly beginning to accelerate, and it wouldn't be long before things started to happen very quickly.
There was some good news, such as the Weavers finishing their analysis of the Eastern Kingdom's potential trade goods and discovering that Liferoot possessed potent and valuable alchemical properties, especially for healing potions, but most of the news was much less pleasant.
"What's bothering you, Krivax?" asked Masruk, pulling his attention away from the history book he had been reading. "Has something happened in Capital City?"
With Hadix off sneaking about with his investigations and Crinis off making her final preparations together with Antonidas to create the portal that would allow the first wave of nerubians to enter Dalaran, Krivax had been left alone in their shared room.
Which meant that Masruk hadn't hesitated to make himself comfortable and keep him company.
"Nothing has happened in Capital City," said Krivax. "But the situation down south has gotten a lot worse."
"What's happening down south?" asked Masruk, closing his book after the conversation turned to a topic that interested him.
"It looks like the Horde has most likely begun their invasion of Khaz Modan," said Krivax, his expression grim. "Trixie says that nobody is quite certain what's going on, but communication has become unreliable and the most recent messages don't leave room for optimism."
"Does that mean the humans are finally preparing for war?" Masruk asked with excitement.
"No, they aren't," said Krivax, growing frustrated as he finished reading through Trixie's letter. "The human kingdoms are paying close attention to the invasion, but both Alterac and Gilneas are still holding out."
While Krivax already knew that the Alliance wouldn't be formed until after the Horde conquered all of Khaz Modan aside from Ironforge and Gnomeregan, it was still extremely frustrating when dealing with it in real life. The war could have been over so much sooner if the human nations had confronted the Horde while the dwarves and the gnomes still had most of their strength.
The only thing that their hesitance would accomplish would be more unnecessary deaths. He could already tell that everyone would start scrambling after Khaz Modan finally fell.
"Cowards," Masruk spat disdainfully. "The Horde has already proven themselves to be a threat, why aren't the humans fighting them?"
"I don't know for certain, but I assume it's a combination of greed and selfishness," Krivax said as he put away the depressing letter and pulled out the next one. "Alterac is weak and has a hostile relationship with Stromgarde, if they lose too many soldiers during the war, then they risk being conquered after it's over. I imagine they want to see how well Ironforge and Gnomeregan do against the Horde before they make any commitments, hoping that they can grind them down against their defenses."
"And Gilneas?" Masruk asked after a moment of silent consideration. "Why are they so unwilling to cooperate with the other humans?"
Krivax took a moment to consider Masruk's question.
If I remember correctly, the only reason given in the lore is that Greymane was just an arrogant fool who thought he didn't need help.
"I don't know," Krivax said finally after failing to come up with an explanation. "From what we've been told, Gilneas has a fairly powerful military and defensible geography, they don't really have the same worries as Alterac. I've read they are pretty isolationist, not unlike Azjol-Nerub. Maybe they think even if the Horde comes they can fight them off without help, although I don't really understand enough about their politics to really give a good guess."
"Hmm. You should go back to Capital City and convince them," said Masruk, his tone completely serious.
Krivax turned to face his friend, completely befuddled.
"What makes you think I could succeed in convincing them when Lordaeron's best diplomats have failed?" asked Krivax, curious about his friend's reasoning.
"You're Krivax. You can convince the surface races about anything," Masruk said confidently.
Krivax couldn't help but simply stare at Masruk for a few moments in dumbfounded silence.
Oh, I get it.
"I'm glad you have so much confidence in me, buddy, but I don't think I'd be able to do anything that Lordaeron's diplomats couldn't," said Krivax, after taking a moment to compose himself. "The only reason I've been successful in getting people to do things is that the things I've been getting them to do were obviously in their own interest."
Masruk huffed mulishly and muttered something under his breath, but didn't bother arguing with him.
As Krivax read through the next letter, he wished he was actually as capable of convincing people to do what he wanted as Masruk thought he was; it would certainly make dealing with this newest issue easier.
It seems that the High King's order to discreetly evaluate how the kingdoms would react to the creation of a nerubian settlement was starting to show results. Diplomats from both Alterac and Stormwind had approached Anub'rekhan privately and expressed interest in perhaps ceding some of their lands for a certain price.
Normally this was the kind of development that Krivax would be more than happy to see… if it weren't for the fact that Alterac's deal was by far superior to Stormwinds.
The problem was that the current ruler of Alterac was Aiden Perenolde, a cowardly and opportunistic king who was only noteworthy in the lore for betraying the Alliance to the Horde, believing it was the best way to save his own kingdom. Krivax really didn't want to know what such a person could end up doing if he managed to secure an alliance with a nation as powerful as Azjol-Nerub.
While Stormwind was offering more land than Alterac, they were also asking that Azjol-Nerub involve itself directly in the war, something Krivax knew the High King would not find appealing. Alterac, on the other hand, was willing to cede a portion of its lands for a certain amount of treasure and diplomatic guarantees that Azjol-Nerub not attack Alterac, or allow Stromgarde to pass through their territory.
Their mountains would make prime nest-city locations, likely had resources that could be mined out easily by nerubians hands that Alterac would be the first to benefit from, and having a powerful empire sitting in front of the kingdom would seriously discourage Stromgarde's usual skirmishes with them if not outright stop them.
It didn't help that Alterac was situated in a location that could very well become a crossroads for trade between the various kingdoms if properly exploited
Krivax wished that he had a way to convince the leadership to go with Stormwind, but he knew that there was little he could do. Although he was the one responsible for leading the nerubians to the Eastern Kingdoms, Krivax was starting to feel more and more like he was caught up in a tide of events that he couldn't control.
It really made him once again hope that everyone would just stop doing things and allow him to enjoy his time in Dalaran.
As if to emphasize the foolishness of that hope, the sudden sound of someone knocking loudly on the door caused Krivax to let out an exasperated sigh. Ever since the duel, there had been random mages trying to meet up with Hadix for one reason or another. Normally, Hadix just sent them running with a threatening display of his magic, but he wasn't here right now so Krivax would have to be the one to deal with it.
With a short glance at Masruk, the two of them silently made their way to the door and opened it, revealing an elvish woman waiting on the other side. Krivax stepped out into the courtyard outside their lodgings, forcing the woman back, and closed the door behind him as soon as Masruk stepped out.
Krivax didn't know who the woman was, but he couldn't allow anyone outside of the delegation to notice that Hadix wasn't where he was supposed to be.
"Can I help you?" Krivax asked the woman, who was sputtering in outrage after being pushed out of the way.
The woman seemed to take a moment to compose herself before speaking, "Yes, I suppose you can. Are you Vizier Hadix?"
"No, I am Vizier Kirvax, student of Vizier Hadix. He is very busy right now and has asked that nothing disturb him short of the Council of Six themselves," Krivax said while making a show of looking the elf over. "And you are not one of them."
"I'll have you know I am Mirveda Summerfall, apprentice to Magistrix Landra Dawnstrider, and I come on important business!" said the elf, puffing herself up in anger at the slight.
"Are you here as a representative of Quel'thalas?" Krivax asked tiredly, already knowing the answer.
"Well… no. I here represe—"
"Then I'm afraid, apprentice, that Vizier Hadix is not very interested in speaking with you at this time," Krivax said firmly, already turning away to head back inside. He had enough experience dealing with situations like this by now that he knew politeness would not get him very far.
Unfortunately, Apprentice Summerfall was a little braver than most and didn't hesitate to grab onto his robe to stop him from leaving. Krivax noticed Masruk bristle and reach for his weapon, but he quickly called his friend off with his friend with a gesture
"This is a matter of the utmost importance!"
Krivax relented and listened to what the elf had to say, and was unsurprised to find that it was not actually a matter of the utmost importance.
Apparently, Magistrix Dawnstrider had been so impressed by Hadix's magic that she was offering to pay the Vizier if he taught her what she knew. However, after listening for a few moments, Krivax knew that nothing that the Magistrix had to offer was worth Hadix's time.
It was just about when the Apprentice was starting to tell him about how much of an 'opportunity' this was for them to receive the backing of someone as important as Magistrix Dawnstrider that Krivax had enough.
"As I said before, Vizier Hadix does not wish to be disturbed," said Krivax, removing the elf's grip from his robes. "Please leave."
"Excuse me?! I won't be leaving until I spea—"
"You will leave, or you will be removed," said Masruk, gripping onto his spear and moving threateningly.
Like most sane people, Apprentice Summerfall faltered when confronted with a giant, fully armored spiderperson, but seemed to be gathering her courage when their confrontation was interrupted by the opening of the door behind Krivax.
"You heard him, elf. Leave," said Vizier Hadix, sounding extremely annoyed with the situation.
"Vizier Hadix, I presume?" asked the elf, completely ignoring the Vizier's tone of voice. It was an impressive display of her lack of self-preservation. "Well met, I am Mirve—"
"I will not repeat myself," said Hadix, the magic around him beginning to grow agitated in a display that promised violence if the elf didn't leave immediately.
That seemed to be enough to get through to her because after a soft whimper of fear, she quickly made herself scarce.
"Leave us, Neophyte Masruk," said Hadix, turning to retreat back into the room.
Krivax assumed that Hadix probably wanted to talk about the results of his investigation, so he quickly followed the Vizier after giving a short goodbye to Masruk, closing the door behind him. It didn't take long for Krivax to realize that the Vizier was agitated by more than too persistent elves.
"Vizier Hadix, is everything alright?" asked Krivax, growing increasingly concerned as he watched his mentor pace back and forth in the room.
"I have not yet found confirmation, but I'm starting to believe that the higher-ranking members of the Kirin Tor are well aware of the Void," said Hadix, continuing to pace as he explained the situation. "I've even begun to expect that one of their members, a mage by the name of Ur, is actively practicing Void magic in the city."
Krivax wasn't particularly surprised to hear that; he was already aware from the lore that the mages of Dalaran sometimes practiced less reputable magic in secret, even if he didn't remember specific names.
"What are we going to do about it?" asked Krivax, doing his best to feign surprise. Thankfully, Hadix was too agitated to notice.
"I don't know yet," admitted Hadix, ending his rapid pacing as he took on a thoughtful expression. "It's obvious to me that the Order will need to establish a permanent presence in the Eastern Kingdoms. We'll also need to send some of our own people to join the Kirin Tor as quickly as possible so that we can continuously monitor the city for the Void's corruption."
"Then… wouldn't it be best if you joined them yourself?" asked Krivax, suggesting the solution that seemed the most obvious to him. It made him uneasy to see his normally stoic mentor so agitated, so he was glad that the Vizier was beginning to calm down.
He must really hate the Void…
"No. My time and skills are too valuable for me to be wasted on something like that," Hadix said matter-of-factly. "Besides, the Order was wise enough to include some of its own members within the initial group coming to Dalaran. After the portal is opened and I am provided assistance from my colleagues, it won't be long before I can finish my investigation, although there are still portions of the city that I won't be able to easily access."
"Really?" Krivax asked in surprise. "Isn't Dalaran's warding much worse than ours?"
It shouldn't surprise him as much as it did that there were places in the city that Hadix couldn't access, but he had seen for himself some of the spells that the Order had developed to sneak around in the spellbook that Hadix had given him. They were very good at going places where they didn't belong and remaining unnoticed while they did so.
That coupled with Hadix's personal strength had resulted in Krivax beginning to believe that nothing could stop his mentor from going wherever he wanted.
"The wards protecting the Grand Library are connected directly to the city's leyline nexus," explained Hadix, hissing softly in frustration. "Even if their wards are far inferior to our own, it's nearly impossible to bypass wards connected to such vast amounts of arcane energies, especially unnoticed."
Krivax silently watched his mentor for several moments as the Vizier started muttering to himself, seemingly losing himself in his thoughts.
"There's no need for us to make any decisions right now, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax when it became obvious Hadix wouldn't continue the conversation without prompting. "We still have some time before the delegation needs to return to Capital City. Our presence will be needed to help the enclave establish itself in Dalaran; there aren't very many nerubians who speak Common after all."
Krivax wasn't looking forward to spending more time resolving cultural misunderstandings, but it certainly was convenient that their part of the delegation would be staying in the city for a while longer. It meant that Krivax was confident that he would have enough time to handle his personal goals before he left.
According to the schedule that Antonidas had given him, Krasus wouldn't be scheduled to teach a class for at least a few more weeks.
"Hmph. You may be correct," Hadix admitted grudgingly. "I should have enough time to conclude my investigation before we leave and present my findings to the Order. My instincts tell me that these people are hiding something important, so I'll be recommending that the Order makes investigating the Kirin Tor a priority."
Oh, Vizier Hadix, you have no idea.
Krivax hoped that he would be there to see Hadix's reaction once he learned about the Burning Legion, a force that was just as much of a threat as the Old Gods. It would be nice when he wasn't the only one in the room quietly freaking out about the constant world-ending threats facing Azeroth.
"For now, we should begin making our way to Vizier Crinis," said Hadix, turning to face him for the first time since the conversation began. "I've recently received word that they are prepared to open the portal. Our presence is necessary to translate for those who do not speak Common."
"Of course," said Krivax, nodding eagerly and already moving toward the door. "Let's start making our way there now."
Even if he knew it was going to cause him many headaches in the future, it would be nice to have more nerubians in Dalaran and to start constructing their enclave. After living in Azjol-Nerub for so long it was hard for him to get used to living back above ground.
It didn't take long for the two Viziers and their Warrior escort to make their way through the streets of Dalaran and reach their destination, a heavily guarded building near the city's main guard house.
Even if it weren't for the two guardsmen wearing complete sets of enchanted armor and standing by the entrance to the building, Krivax would be able to tell that the building was important simply by the dense array of wards covering every inch of it.
It wasn't a surprise to him that Dalaran was taking the security of the location so seriously, given this is where they would be opening up a portal to a powerful empire that they knew little about.
The only reason why they would even consider such a thing is because they had absolute confidence in their ability to ensure their city's safety, and the guards and the wards were a part of that.
Vizier Hadix didn't seem to share his interest in the building's security and smoothly walked past the guards without any hesitation, forcing Krivax to quickly follow behind him.
Obviously, there wasn't much need to show identification.
As Krivax followed Hadix through the twisting and heavily guarded hallways, it became obvious to him that this wasn't the Vizier's first time in the building. Soon enough, Krivax followed his mentor through yet another nondescript hallway only to find himself in a massive chamber positively glowing with arcane energies.
Vizier Crinis could be seen standing in the chamber's center speaking with Archmage Antonidas as the two of them gestured to the arcane glyphs spread out across the floor. Several teams of mages were busy looking over a complex series of wards that were constructed around what Krivax assumed would be the actual portal site.
"Vizier Hadix! Good, you're here," called out Vizier Crinis from across the room as soon as she caught sight of them. "Please tell this human that this portion of the ritual is completely unnecessary. His paranoia is going to make this portal far less efficient than it could be. Why would we need to go to such excessive lengths to diffuse the portal's ambient arcane energy?"
"I understand things might be different where you come from, but this city has regulations about how much arcane energies can be legally permitted in such a small area," Antonidas said calmly.
"So you've said, but you've refused to explain the reason for the regulations, no matter how many times I've asked!" said Crinis, raising her voice in frustration.
"Then perhaps you should stop asking," said Antonidas, allowing a hint of annoyance to enter his voice. "You do not need to understand all of our laws, you simply need to obey them. The ritual will work fine, despite these modifications."
Krivax watched from the side as Hadix examined the portion of the glyphs in question before glancing at Antonidas. Krivax knew that he was probably the only one in the room who knew Hadix well enough to see the hint of suspicion in his eyes.
"This is not our city, Vizier Crinis," Hadix said finally after a long moment of silence. "If Archmage Antonidas insists on this modification, then we will obey his wishes."
"Ugh. Very well," said Crinis, her anger seeming to deflate once she realized that her colleague would not be supporting her. "We'll use the human's inefficient spell formula."
From there everything seemed to move very quickly as the mages prepared for the opening of the portal. Krivax watched as Antonidas personally verified the functionality of each set of wards before double-checking the arcane glyph for any flaws.
Feeling curious about the portal's security system, Krivax didn't hesitate to ask Hadix about it.
"There is no single security system for me to point out to you," Hadix explained patiently. "Dalaran is using multiple layers of defense to protect the portal from being used unauthorized, and only a few of them can be seen from here. I'm sure many of their defense mechanisms are secrets known only to the upper echelons of their government."
"Well, what can you see from here?" Krivax asked curiously.
Hadix seemed to ponder the question for a moment before pointing out a specific portion of the glyph.
"There. That portion of the spell determines where the portal opens up to. Do you notice anything different about it, Krivax?" asked Hadix in the same tone of voice he used whenever he was teaching his student.
Krivax stared at the portion that Hadix pointed out for several moments before he realized what he was supposed to notice.
"It's not using the leyline as a power source," said Krivax, amazed that they were able to connect different portions of the same spell to different sources of magic.
"Correct, it's likely that the source of magic that maintains that portion of the spell is kept in a secret, heavily guarded location. If it were ever destroyed, then anyone who attempted to use the portal would find themselves in an unpredictable location, assuming they survived."
Hadix spent the next few minutes pointing out various security measures, including a ward that would allow a mage to scry a small area on the other side of the portal and a ward that would prevent anyone from passing through unless it was lowered.
He would have kept going, but the Vizier ended his explanation when it looked like they were ready to begin opening the portal.
"You won't find anything, human," Crinis said smugly. "When it comes to spatial magic, my work is impeccable."
"One can never be too sure," said Antonidas, turning his attention away from the glyph and focusing on one of his mages. "Magus Sparklecrank, has the leyline's throughput remained steady?"
"Yes, Archmage," said an elderly male gnome.
"And the levels of atmospheric arcane energy?"
"Within acceptable parameters, Archmage."
"Very well then," said Antonidas as he approached the designated portal location. "I will begin opening the portal. Everyone else, begin making preparations to welcome our guests."
With that said, Antonidas gripped his staff tightly and didn't waste any time to begin casting the spell. Arcane magic immediately poured out of the man at levels that Krivax had never seen before; he was certain even the most magically incapable person would be able to sense the Grand Magus's magic.
It didn't take very long before the entire room was glowing brightly with violet light, and a large tear in the very fabric of space was ripping open in the center of the room.
As soon as the portal finished forming, the chamber quickly became a hive of activity.
"Wards are functional!"
"Attempts to scry the other side of the portal have been successful. One individual is attempting to use the portal. Individual matches the description of Warrior Cral'ral."
"Understood. Warrior Cral'ral is on the pre-approved list. Permitting entry!"
Krivax watched in satisfaction as the first nerubian stepped through a portal from Northrend to the Eastern Kingdoms.
One-by-one, nerubians were evaluated via scrying and permitted entry into Dalaran. Krivax did his best to translate between the guards and the arriving nerubians as they did their best to organize everyone.
It would have been nice if someone had remembered to cast a translation spell on the room.
Fortunately, it didn't take very long for them to reach the last nerubian on the list and his very large partner.
"Two individuals are attempting to use the portal! Individuals match the description of Worm Handler Crut'zok and a… jormungar."
"Understood. Worm Handler Crut'zok and his jormungar are on the pre-approved list. Permitting entry!"
While the nerubian that stepped through the portal was not visibly different from any other baseline nerubian, the creature that followed behind him was enough to command the attention of every mage in the room.
Slithering its way through the portal was an absolutely massive worm-like creature with rows of chisel-like teeth, a flattened, muscular body, and crystalline spines along its flanks. The jormungar was easily larger than a Spiderlord, and Antonidas was quickly forced to expand the size of the room with magic to accommodate the creature.
Every single mage in the room had stopped what they were doing to watch in astonishment as the jormungar finished passing through the portal.
"Well then," said Antonidas, sounding uncharacteristically shocked. "I had thought that you were exaggerating the size of these creatures, but I can see now that you were not. Although I fail to see how such a massive creature will safely make its way through the building."
Everyone who heard that took a moment to glance at each other awkwardly before staring pointedly at the Grand Magus.
Antonidas merely let out an aggrieved sigh before pointing his staff toward the hallway and getting to work.
Maybe a shrinking or polymorph spell would be easier? Krivax couldn't help but think for a moment before quickly brushing it off.
Still, if nothing else the arrival of the jormungar would help speed up construction of the nerubian enclave, and become Azjol-Nerub's first settlement outside of Northrend.
It was a good start and something to be proud of. It was his own efforts that had made this possible and now all he needed to worry about were the… several other matters that he needed to deal with…
I'm starting to think that what they say is true… the only reward for work well done really is just more work…
Krivax had a gut feeling that things were soon about to become very busy.
—------------
I'd considered doing a timeskip to directly after the portal has already been opened and the enclave was under construction, but it didn't feel right. I worry sometimes about chapters that don't have really exciting things happening in them, but sometimes I just need to write a chapter that sets up for things to happen later.
I also posted a thread for an original story that I intend to write periodically when I'm not writing for this. Feel free to check it out here on spacebattles.
If you want to read ahead or support me, then feel free to check out my patreon
Discord is also available if you just want to chat.
Thanks for reading!
- Location
- Land of Confusion
xbox432
Lover of Editing
Hmm, heh, Masruk's faith in his friend both shocked and embarrassed Krivax. And while it didn't add much, I did like the bit with them dealing with the Elf version of a Karen. A Ka'ren? LoL. Masruk was about thiiiis close to finally getting to use that guard training of his.
And, as a minor critique from an old guard myself, the fact that Elf was able to grab hold of Krivax is either going to hit Masruk's pride, or it should. Because no guard worth their salt should be happy with letting their guard down enough for their VIP to be manhandled. Let's just be thankful this wasn't an assassination attempt, and hope that Elf didn't place a touch based enchantment on Krivax's robes.
And, as a minor critique from an old guard myself, the fact that Elf was able to grab hold of Krivax is either going to hit Masruk's pride, or it should. Because no guard worth their salt should be happy with letting their guard down enough for their VIP to be manhandled. Let's just be thankful this wasn't an assassination attempt, and hope that Elf didn't place a touch based enchantment on Krivax's robes.