Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Krasus, also known as Korialstrasz, felt a slight unease as he listened to the Council of Six discuss the most recent news about how things were developing down south. According to all reports, the situation was dire, and Krasus could see the Council members increasing their assessment of the Hordes threat.

Have we truly not had any success in our attempts to contact Ironforge or Gnomeregan? asked Ansirem, his voice filled with surprise.

All of our attempts have been complete failures, Kelthuzad said bluntly. While the Hordes magic is not particularly sophisticated, it has a certain strength to it. Perhaps if I knew more about the magic that they use, then I would have a better idea of how to overcome them.

Kelthuzad spoke the last part while staring pointedly at Antonidas, who simply ignored him completely.

Krasus knew that Kelthuzad held the Grand Magus responsible for not allowing him to study more dangerous magic firsthand. Privately, he was grateful that the mortals were smart enough to severely limit the study of such vile magic; he knew far more than they did how dangerous such studies could be, especially in regard to the corruptive powers of Fel and Void.

Even the nerubians dont seem to use Void magic anymore, and they are literally descended from creatures formed from the Old Gods ichor, he thought in the privacy of his own mind.

There had once been a time shortly after the nerubians disastrous defeat in their war against the vrykul that some among his people had proposed attacking the creatures while they were at their weakest. After all, their race had been servants of the Old Gods at the time and was thus considered to be a threat to Azeroth.

Ultimately, it was his beloved queen, Alexestrasza, who had opposed the destruction of an entire race of sapient beings, regardless of how dangerous they might be. Krasus had not agreed with his beloveds decision at the time, even if he had kept his thoughts to himself, but he now saw that his queen was far wiser than he.

He was still surprised at how much the creatures had changed after not seeing them for a few millennia, and no matter how closely he studied them, he could find no trace of the Old Gods influence. It seemingly showed that even the Old Gods forces could grow common sense and abandon the malicious entities.

Krasus couldnt help but chuckle to himself at the thought.

Has there been any news from Capital City on any progress made by the Council of Seven Nations? asked Antonidas, continuing to ignore Kelthuzad as the Archmage glared in his direction.

The Grand Magus had a bad habit of bluntly changing subjects that he didnt want to discuss, or that he knew would go nowhere

My contacts in Capital City tell me that there are signs that Gilneas and Alterac are loosening their opposition, said Krasus, choosing to speak up since he was the one who knew the most about what was happening in Lordaerons capital. Ive heard rumors that King Perenolde was scared stiff over how quickly the Horde managed to conquer Khaz Modan, and even King Greymane seems to be disturbed.

Living as long as he did made it convenient to form relationships with all sorts of people who knew valuable information. Especially when he could share information with his fellow members of the Red Dragonflight or their Dragonsworn.

After all, he wasnt the only dragon secretly living in mortal society.

He himself had a Dragonsworn, a half-elf named Garek Autumnband, who lived in Capital City and served him faithfully.

Good, Antonidas said with satisfaction. Perhaps the two of them will end their useless bickering and we can finally take the fight to the Horde.

Have you had any luck in convincing your father, Prince Kaelthas? asked Krasus. Given that his mortal form was an elf, it was most appropriate that he be the one to ask such a question.

I have not, said Kaelthas, his expression growing frustrated, as it often did when discussing his father. Neither my father nor the Grand Magister are interested in joining this conflict, and do not view the Horde as a significant threat to Quelthalas.

It was well known that Prince Kaelthas had many disagreements with his father and Silvermoons magisters about how unwilling his people were to cooperate with outsiders. The prince was much more interested in learning from and collaborating with foreign people to the point that he actually spent more time in Dalaran than Silvermoon.

Krasus had known the prince for many centuries, and it made him feel optimistic that Quelthalas would have such an open-minded king in the future.

Have they been made aware of Anduin Lothars status as a direct descendant of the Arathi bloodline? asked Krasus, referring to the agreement made by Quelthalas to repay the debt they owed for the Arathi Empires assistance during the Troll Wars.

He has, which is the only reason that my father is even considering sending aid, said Kaelthas. Although I doubt whatever force they send will be as substantial as it should be. Ive been disappointed by my father and the Convocation enough times to know better than to expect Quelthalas to mobilize its entire military for a threat they consider beneath them.

Krasus didnt doubt that the princes assumption was accurate; there was little chance that Quelthalas would be providing large amounts of military aid against the Horde unless they were personally threatened.

A part of him wanted to look down on them for that kind of mentality, but he wasnt blind to the fact that many among the Dragonflights felt similarly. Perhaps there might be wisdom in his people remaining generally uninvolved in the affairs of mortals, but the longer he lived among them, the more difficult it became to find such wisdom.

His own Dragonflight was by far the most empathetic towards mortals, but even their good intentions had a tendency to be distinctly patronizing.

The rest of the meeting was dull yet necessary as they discussed logistics and went over ideas of how Dalaran could best contribute to the defeat of the Horde. It wasnt until near the end of their scheduled meeting time that someone brought up mention of the people that had been on Krasuss mind since their arrival to the Eastern Kingdoms.

And what of the nerubians? Kelthuzad said as the conversation began to lull. Is there anything we can offer to convince them to aid us against the Horde?

The Chamber of Air was silent for a moment as the gathered Archmages considered the question before Prince Kaelthas let out a derisive chuckle.

I sincerely doubt it, said Kaelthas. The majority of their Viziers remind me far too much of several Magisters that Ive spoken to over the years. It doesnt help that they are even more unlikely to view the Horde as a threat given their kingdoms geographical isolation.

It was certainly a fair point to make, although not one that filled Krasus with much optimism. There was little chance that Azjol-Nerub would consider the Horde to be a significant threat to their kingdom, and they would probably even be right not to. The idea that the Horde could transport a significant force to Northrend, march who knows how far through endless snow, and successfully assault a powerful underground kingdom likely filled with all manner of horrifying creatures was laughable.

However, just because the Horde was not likely to be a threat to their safety, did not necessarily mean they were not a threat to the nerubians interests. The only problem was that Krasus didnt understand them enough to give an accurate guess as to what they actually wanted from the Eastern Kingdoms.

Without that kind of information, it would be hard to convince the nerubians to enter a war that largely did not affect them.

After taking a look around, Krasus could tell from his colleagues' frustrated expressions that they had likely reached the same conclusion.

The Council discussed a variety of methods they could use to persuade the nerubians, but none of them seemed particularly viable. The most feasible proposition was to leverage the relationship the Church of the Holy Light had with the nerubian Spiderlord named Anubrekhan, but it was doubtful that would be enough to change the policy of an entire kingdom.

If we are unable to convince Azjol-Nerub to fight the Horde, then we must turn our focus to the resources that we can gain from them, said Antonidas, causing the room to grow quiet as they considered what the nerubians could offer short of sending their warriors.

Perhaps they might provide material goods? They certainly seem to have more than enough ore, offered Kelthuzad, stroking his beard with a thoughtful expression.

Lordaerons diplomats have already begun negotiations with the nerubian delegation for the exchange of valuable goods, said Krasus, remembering what his contacts told him about the ongoing situation in Capital City. The negotiations are progressing slowly given how Azjol-Nerub seems to be nearly as averse to trading and interacting with outsiders as Quelthalas but they thankfully are progressing.

If Lordaeron is already in negotiations with them, then the matter should be left to them, said Modera. Their silk could be useful for creating the appropriate armor for our mages and soldiers.

The few samples of nerubian silk that, more so than even the rare queldorei silk, they had managed to acquire proved to be highly durable, fairly resistant to bladed weapons, and possessed certain qualities that made it extremely well suited to enchanting and channeling arcane magic. It was similar to chainmail, in a way, but in cloth form.

Because most metal armors were not conducive to effective spellcasting, which was why the majority of mages were limited to robes and magical means for their defense. If they could equip their military with armor that used such material, then it would be a substantial boost to their combat effectiveness.

I will raise the matter with their delegation when I see them in Capital City, declared Antonidas. Is there anything else relevant to the war that we could gain from them?

After word about the Hordes successful conquest of Khaz Modan reached the nerubians, they declared their intention to return to Capital City as soon they finished situating their enclave. It made sense that they would want to be at the place where the most important political decisions were taking place during such a tumultuous period in history.

The gathered Archmages shared thoughtful expressions for several moments, but nobody voiced any further proposals.

I have an idea although I admit it is quite unorthodox, said Ansirem, speaking hesitantly after seeing that everyone else kept their silence.

According to her surface thoughts, she seemed to believe that he was some kind of Bloodthistle dealer getting in contact with a client.

Krasus took a quick second look at the spells attached to the letter and decided that they probably werent dangerous. The portions that he didnt recognize seemed to be some kind of anti-divination magic to hide the sender's identity and not any kind of curse meant to cause him harm.

Thank you, said Krasus as he took the letter from the goblin. Your delivery is complete. You may leave.

About time. My arm was starting to get stiff, grumbled the goblin. You ever need something delivered, just ask for Mel Ficklewink! You dont got to worry about me asking any questions or talking to any guards.

After giving her pitch, the goblin quickly scampered off, likely not wanting to push her luck with a mage who she believed to be some kind of drug dealer.

Krasus watched her for a moment before quickly making his way into his home, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was alone, Krasus immediately cast a diagnostic spell on the letter, causing a three-dimensional arcane glyph representing the spells to form in the air in front of him.

Hmm how clever.

Aside from the anti-divination magic, the other two spells cast on the letter were recognizable to him. One was a spell that would recognize when the letter's intended recipient made physical contact, setting off a timer that would activate a secondary spell after fifteen minutes. The second spell would create a small burst of fire that would immediately destroy the letter as soon as it activated.

Under normal circumstances, a mage as skilled as Krasus would easily be able to cast a counterspell to remove both pieces of magic, but there was one problem. Both of the spells were connected to the anti-divination magic, which would need to be removed first if he wanted to cast the counterspell.

Given that he had never seen such magic in his very long life, there was little chance he would be able to remove it in a mere fifteen minutes.

Realizing that he was on a time limit, Krasus decided to test the magic and quickly cast a divination spell that should tell him every person who had touched the letter within the last few months.

He watched in fascination as his spell seemed to be immediately caught by the anti-divination ward before being absorbed and somehow used to actually strengthen the ward.

How fascinating Ive never seen anything like it

It had been a very long time since Krasus had seen magic that he did not recognize at all, and it immediately made him suspect that the letter had been written by a nerubian.

After all, they were currently the greatest source of new and unknown magic around and were also the people whose motivations he understood the least, so it would make the most sense if it came from them. That, along with the fact that he had sensed someone watching him near his home shortly after his conversation with Vizier Krivax.

It was unfortunate that he didnt have time to examine the magic in detail, but given how much effort went into sending him the letter anonymously, its contents were likely important enough that he shouldnt waste any more time.

Krasus broke the letters seal, unfolded the parchment, and immediately stiffened in shock as he realized that the letter was addressed to Korialstrasz.

There arent many people who should know my true name. Was this letter sent by another dragon? A dragonsworn agent? But then why the subterfuge?

As Krasus began reading through the contents of the letter, shock turned to confusion, and then to disbelief at the letter's outrageous claims. After the letter mentioned the Dragon Soul, a dark artifact the Dragonflights had taken great lengths to keep hidden from the world, Krasus began taking the claims a little more seriously. Few should know that it even existed, and nobody besides the highest members of his Flight should know that it had recently gone missing.

It was only when he reached halfway through the letter that his disbelief vanished and turned into utter, all-consuming rage.

As he read about what the orcs intended to do to his beloved, his face contorted into an expression of pure anger and a low growl started to form in his throat.

Flickers of flame danced along his skin even as the room around him began to shake. Books flew off of shelves and crashed to the ground, vials of potions shattered into pieces, and the ground beneath his feet began to crumble and crack.

His rage was so all-consuming that he actually struggled to retain his mortal disguise.

In a fit of unbridled anger, Krasus let out a mighty roar and a wave of magic exploded outward from him, tearing apart the room and only ending when it reached the wards, preventing his outburst from alerting all of Dalaran.

As the dust settled and the Archmage stood panting, surrounded by the wreckage of what had once been a peaceful and beautiful living room, he used every drop of willpower to push down his immense anger.

The very idea of the Horde using the Dragon Soul to do something so evil to the person he loved most in the world made him want to immediately shed his mortal guise and fly south so he could personally burn them all alive.

The only thing stopping him from doing just that were the other claims being made in the letter.

If Deathwing is truly alive and hes teaching the Horde how to use the Dragon Soul then stopping him wont be a simple matter.

If he was still alive, then Deathwing would be the only Aspect still in possession of all the powers bestowed upon him by the Titans. As powerful as Krasus was, his strength would be utterly insignificant when compared to the fallen Aspect of the Black Dragonflight.

After calming down, Krasus quickly read through the rest of the letter, filing the information as things to be dealt with later. Right now, the only thing he cared about was protecting his beloved.

However, the rest of the letter mostly detailed the relationship between the Horde and the Burning Legion, something that he already suspected, and about a specific orc by the name of Guldan. It was all immensely important, but not immediately time-sensitive from what he could tell, unlike the danger threatening his queen.

He could worry about the consequences and implications of that information later.

The moment that he finished reading, Krasus scanned the letter a second time so he could memorize its contents and immediately began making his way to the scrying mirror contained in his study.

Once at his mirror Krasus frantically cast a scrying spell that would hopefully show him Alexstrasza, and almost collapsed in relief when the spell succeeded, causing the mirror to show an image of her flying through the air accompanied by her other consorts.

Unfortunately, without them having a scrying tool on their end, there was no way for him to open up a channel of communication, though they were likely aware they were being watched.

After this is over, Im going to invent a portable scrying tool that can be used while flying. I dont care how long it takes.

After verifying that his beloved was currently safe, Krasus ended the scrying spell and moved to write a letter of his own that would be magically sent to the Grand Magus if he didnt return to Dalaran within a few days. If the Horde was in possession of the Dragon Soul, then the trip he was about to make would not be a safe one, and the Council would need to be made aware of the truth.

Krasus still did not completely believe the contents of the letter that had been sent to him, but if there was even a small chance of it being accurate, then he needed to take action immediately. If it was all a lie, then whoever sent it was going to be deeply regretful for their actions when he found them.

Regardless of whether the contents were true or false, whoever wrote the letter knew more than they should. Krasus would without a doubt do everything in his power to find them after the more important matters were dealt with, but what happens if he succeeds would depend on the veracity of their claims.

He already has suspicions about who could have sent it, but either way, he would know soon enough whether the contents were true or false.

Thankfully as a member of the Council of Six he had the right to cast unscheduled teleports in and out of the city whenever he wanted, something he was happy to abuse now.

In a violet flash of magic, Krasus appeared many miles away in a forest in the southern portion of the Arathi Highlands.

Due to the spatial distortions being made by the Dark Portal, this was as close as he could reliably teleport with such little preparation. It would be enough, now that he was far from civilization.

For the first time in a long time, the Archmage known as Krasus shed his mortal guise, and Korialstrasz took on his true form. With two beats of his heavy wings that scattered the surrounding leaves into the air, the red dragon lifted himself into the air and began flying to his queens location as quickly as he could.

I swear, if she is harmed, then I will not rest until I have killed every single person responsible.