Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Krivax found himself feeling a bit out of place as he listened to Malygos explain who Deathwing was to the Council of Six.

This wasnt his first time meeting with important people, but it did feel strange to be literally magically summoned into a meeting by the Aspect of Magic himself. Warcraft lore was ambiguous enough that judging the exact strength of its characters was fairly difficult, but it was undeniable that the Aspects were among the most powerful entities in Azeroth. When it came to arcane magic specifically, there was probably nobody who could be considered more knowledgeable than Malygos aside from the Titans themselves.

Krivax could tell that aside from Krasus, the Council of Six truly had no idea who they were currently talking to. They would not be nearly so calm otherwise, given that Malygos had likely forgotten more magic than the members of the Council would ever know.

Krivax really hoped that Malygos wasnt going to go crazyor crazier, that isand declare war on Azeroths mortal magic users. He already had one crazy dragon to deal with, and he really couldnt handle the stress of dealing with another.

Glancing discreetly at Archmage Kelthuzad and Prince Kaelthas, Krivax couldnt help but note that he was currently standing in the same room as more than a few potential future villains.

One problem at a time

Krivax turned his attention back to Malygos ongoing explanation. Although the majority of the information being shared was accurate, Krivax could tell that Malygos was withholding a few of the more sensitive details. Specifically, he was not telling the Council of Six anything about the fact that the Aspects had been empowered by the Titans; instead, he basically described them as simply the leaders of their respective Dragonflights.

The Titans were some of the most powerful entities in Warcraft lore and were strong enough to easily destroy entire worlds.

It made sense to Krivax that the Aspects werent exactly eager to freely share that kind of information, especially when they didnt need to. Even without taking their special Titan-gifted superpowers into account, the Aspects were still far beyond the Councils ability to handle.

The Council of Six quickly started to grow skeptical as Malygos continued to describe exactly how out of their league Deathwing was.

I dont mean to offend, but you must realize that this is all very difficult to believe, Archmage Modera said doubtfully. Krivax had a feeling that if Malygos wasnt obviously capable of killing her without much effort, her response would be much less polite. Are you truly telling us that youre some kind of ancient dragon that has been alive since before the Sundering?

Malygos scoffed and sneered at the Archmage before responding, No. The event that you refer to as the Sundering is still a relatively recent event from my perspective. What Im telling you is that I am an ancient dragon that has been alive since before the deformed offsprings of the Vrykuls began referring to themselves as humans, since before a tribe of adventurous trolls became suffused with arcane energies and began referring to themselves as kaldorei, since before the AzjAqir Empire was shattered and some of its remnants began referring to themselves as nerubians. That is how old I am, mortal.

The Chamber of Air was dead-silent for several moments before the quiet was suddenly broken by the outraged voice of Prince Kaelthas, You dare to compare my people to trolls of all things?! Ive never heard a more ridiculous claim in my life!

Hmph. You elves never change, Malygos said disdainfully. You never enjoy being reminded that youre no different from the rest of the mortal races. Like a hive of slightly larger ants that cant help but feel proud of their insignificant superiority.

Kaelthas had always been rather calm and laid back whenever Krivax saw him, so it was rather interesting to watch the princes face grow red with anger.

Thankfully, Archmage Kelthuzad was smart enough to interject before the prince could start shouting at the ancient dragon who could probably kill them all easily.

Youve made many wild claims, but they are rather difficult for us to authenticate, Kelthuzad said calmly. If you wish for us to believe your words, then it would be quickest if you simply showed us your true form. We have no real way to verify whether or not Lord Prestor is a dragon as you claim, just as we cannot verify the ancient origins of the elves or humanity or corroborate anything youve said.

I dont see why you cant when theres a little nerubian standing in this very room, said Malygos, gesturing carelessly at Krivax. As one of the three kingdoms founded by the remnants of the Aqir, Azjol-Nerub is one of the oldest mortal civilizations on Azeroth. The nerubians should have an adequate understanding of the history of your races.

Krivax froze in fright as every eye in the Chamber of Air suddenly turned to him.

Vizier Krivax, is there anything that you can do to corroborate the claims made by this individual about the history of our peoples? asked Antonidas, speaking for the entire Council.

Uh well, Krivax said eloquently. From the historical records that Ive read, the elves first appeared during the early portion of Azjol-Nerubs history. Before that, it was just us and the trolls. I can confirm that humans descend from the vrykul. Our records of those times are quite extensive.

After a moment of stunned silence, it was Ansirem that decided to question Krivax, If you were aware of such a fascinating part of our ancient history, then why didnt you share it until now?

Because I forgot

Hed always intended to bring it up at some point, but Krivax had always had more important things to worry about, Well I was forbidden to do so at first due to concerns that you humans might attempt to wake the vrykul from their slumber. After additional defenses were created, the ongoing war has made it so that Ive been preoccupied with my role as a diplomat. It always seemed like there were more important things to worry about.

Krivax held back a wince as his words were met with various incredulous looks from the whole Council. Even if there wouldnt be much immediate practical benefit to knowing more about the ancient history of their races, mages in general were highly interested in learning more about the world.

Krivax could tell from the looks that he was getting that the Archmages would already be bombarding him with questions if not for the dragon in the room.

Vizier Krivaxs corroboration does add some legitimacy to your claims, but I still believe we need more, Archmage Kelthuzad said with much more politeness than he had before. Mages respected knowledge almost as much as they respected power. If you are truly a dragon as you claim, then any doubt would be dispelled if you, as said earlier, showed us your true form.

Malygos studied the Council with an assessing gaze for several seconds before letting an aggrieved sigh, Very well, but once this is done, we will return to the matter at hand. I did not come to this city so that I could waste my time listening to mortals learn about historical events that theyll once again forget within a few millennia.

Then why did you bring it up in the first place?! Krivax couldnt help but wonder with annoyance.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

However, any thoughts that he might have had were lost as Krivax was suddenly confronted with the most amazing sight that he had ever seen in either one of his lives.

One of the things that Warcraft games were unable to properly express was the lore-accurate sizes of its characters. It was one thing to know that the Aspects were larger than most dragons, it was another thing entirely to be suddenly staring up at an eighty-foot-tall apex predator that radiated incomprehensible amounts of magic.

If it werent for the fact that the Chamber of Air lacked any visible walls and was enchanted to have an artificial sky, there would be no chance that the Aspect of Magic would be able to fit inside without drastic magical expansions.

Malygos true form looked down at the dumbstruck leaders of Dalaran with a smug arrogance that Krivax found difficult to fault him for. His entire body was covered with thick azure scales that shimmered with arcane energy, and his eyes glimmered with an ancient intelligence that made Krivax feel smaller than he already did.

Ever since he had woken up in Azeroth, Krivax had seen all kinds of grand and awe-inspiring beings, but nothing had ever made him feel as utterly insignificant as Malygos. The Aspect of Magic was so massive that Krivax had no doubt that the dragon could kill a Spiderlord simply by stepping on it. Even if he could ignore the Aspects ludicrous size, no mage could ever hope to ignore the magical pressure theyd feel as soon as they entered Malygos presence.

Hmph. I can see that you are all beginning to understand, said Malygos, his voice thundering throughout the Chamber. Look upon me mortals, and realize how little chance your people would have of surviving Deathwings wrath should we fail to stop him. Without the aid of me and my siblings, he would sweep you all aside with little effort and there is nothing that any of you could do to stop him. The only reason that he has not done so yet is because he still fears the combined might of me and my fellow Aspects should he act too openly.

Krivax could not even begin to imagine how anyone could hope to fight something like Malygos and to make it even worse, he knew that this wasnt even the Aspects full power! A large portion of his strength was still sealed away in the Dragon Soul and would only be returned after it was destroyed.

Krivax tore his gaze away from the Aspect of Magic and turned to look at the reactions of the Council of Six.

Every single one of them, except Krasus, was staring up at Malygos with wide eyes and open mouths that looked out of place on the normally composed Archmages. He was used to seeing Antonidas generally looking at everything with an aloof arrogance, and to seeing Kelthuzad study the world with cold arrogance, but not even they were able to remain unaffected.

I can commit Archmage Rommath to this endeavor as well, Prince Kaelthas said confidently. Unfortunately, Im not quite certain how much aid Ill be able to secure from Quelthalas, but I will make every effort that I can. As much as we might disagree politically, Grand Magister Belovir is a formidable combatant and would be a valuable ally.

Krivax could feel his optimism grow as it became clear that the Council was taking this extremely seriously and had no intention of holding anything back.

Vizier Krivax, what forces will Azjol-Nerub be able to contribute to this undertaking? asked Antonidas.

This is something that Ill need to discuss with superiors, but Im certain that both Vizier Hadix and Anubrekhan will be available to help secure the Dragon Soul, said Krivax. He was very glad that he had already talked with Hadix a bit about how they should confront Prestor before Malygos decided to kidnap him. I will provide the full list as soon as I am able.

A flash of dissatisfaction crossed Malygos expression at that answer, but he didnt seem interested in pressing the issue.

Very well. If that is all, then I shall take my leave, Malygos said as he opened a portal by his side. Do not delay on this matter for very long, mortals. Our attack on Deathwing will commence the moment that we discover the location of the Dragon Soul. And I suspect that we will succeed in doing so quicker than you might expect.

With that said, Malygos didnt hesitate to walk through the portal without looking back, causing everyone in the Chamber to relax as his oppressive presence left with him.

Out of all the meetings that Ive been in over the past few years this one was by far the most stressful.

Just as Krivax was busy wishing that he could go back to negotiating with tuskarr for shellfish instead of nearly being killed by Godzilla-sized dragon wizards, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the voice of Prince Kaelthas.

Vizier Krivax, we did not have the opportunity to further explore the matter earlier, but there are some questions I would like to ask about the ancient history of our races and Azjol-Nerubs knowledge of Shadow magic.

Krivax let out a sigh as he once again became the Councils center of attention.

After fielding questions from the Council of Six for longer than he would have liked, Krivax finally managed to convince them to table the discussion for later.

Once he stumbled tiredly into Dalarans nerubian enclave, Krivax was immediately confronted with an extremely worried Masruk. Krivax quickly learned that Malygos casual kidnapping had not done anything to ease the warrior's worries. Eventually, he managed to appease his friends worries enough that Krivax was able to convince Masruk to let him speak with Hadix alone.

As much as he would rather curl up in a silk cocoon, Vizier Hadix needed to be immediately informed about the events of the Council meeting.

Vizier Hadix, Ive returned from a meeting with the Council of Six, Krivax called out as he began opening the door to Hadixs sleeping chambers. Theres a lot that I need to ah fuck.

Sitting next to Hadix in a seat made completely of arcane energy was a blue-haired elf who Krivax had sincerely hoped he would never see again.

Malygos casually lifted a single eyebrow at the unexpected swearing, Mortals are not usually bold enough to be so open about how much they dread my presence. The Aspect of Magic turned to Hadix, who was currently staring at Krivax with a long-suffering expression. Your apprentice is either quite brave or quite foolish.

If you ever discover which, please feel free to inform me, Hadix drawled from his silk hammock, obviously already tired of the current situation.

Lord Malygos! I apolo

Stop speaking, said Malygos, interrupting Krivax. Ive listened to enough mortal simpering for one day, and have no interest in listening to more. I am here because I have questions that you will answer truthfully. Questions that you responded to with lies when I asked you a few hours ago. If your answers are not truthful, then your paltry mental shields will not prevent me from ripping through your minds and finding the answers myself, do you understand?

Krivax felt his heart drop in dread as he glanced between the tired expression of Hadix and the grim one of Malygos.

Yes, Lord Malygos, said Krivax. He had no doubt that the Aspect of Magic would follow through on his threat if he said anything else.

Good, said Malygos, leaning back in his seat. During our meeting with the mages, you claimed not to know anything about the Void. Unlike the mortals, I am proficient in reading the expressions of the Aqir and their descendant races, so it was exceedingly obvious to me that you were lying. Not only that, but I can sense the foul touch of Void lingering on this mage. You will explain everything that you and your kingdom know about the Void, or you will suffer the consequences.

Krivax glanced at Hadix, but his mentor just looked back at him with a neutral expression. Seeing no way out of it, Krivax began telling Malygos everything about the Order of Kaltut, its history, and its relationship with the rest of Azjol-Nerubs government.

Once he was done speaking, Krivax began to shuffle nervously as Malygos quietly absorbed the information with an expression that was completely blank.

Suddenly, Krivax began to hear faint chuckles, and he couldnt help but feel astounded when he realized that they were coming from the Aspect of Magic himself. His shoulders began to shake, and those chuckles slowly twisted into an unrestrained laugh that sent shudders through Krivaxs body.

Oh, Neltharion! You truly are the most pathetic being to ever befoul this world! You were chosen by the Titans themselves, yet you failed to resist the Void when a race of mortal bugs born of their own blood managed to escape their grasp! said Malygos, continuing to laugh the entire time. Would the rest of my family still be alive, I wonder, if you had possessed even half the fortitude of these mortals?

Krivax took a step back as Malygos continued to devolve into a fit of laughter, curses, and eventually tears. Krivax glanced at Hadix only to see that the older Vizier was also extremely uncomfortable with watching the crazy dragon have a mental breakdown.

How is it after everything Ive experienced up until this point, it is this moment that Ive felt the most scared?

After a period of time that was far longer than Krivax would have wished, Malygos finally began to calm down and turned his attention to Hadix, You are the one who survived one of my fallen brothers traps, correct?

Yes, I am, said Hadix after a second of hesitation.

I expect you to participate in the retrieval of the Dragon Soul, said Malygos, still madly chuckling to himself quietly. Tell your organization that they will contribute their strongest mages to this endeavor. I do not care about your rulers suspicions. I do not care at all about mortal politics. If Azjol-Nerub does not contribute to its fullest, then your kingdom will be forced to face either Deathwings wrath or my own.

As soon as he finished speaking, Malygos instantly disappeared into nothingness, like a badly cut frame in a movie rather than the traditional flash of light that Krivax had begun to expect from teleportation.

The two nerubians were silent as they processed their emotions and thoughts over what they just experienced.

Eventually, it was Hadix that spoke up first.

It would seem the Orders secrecy is at an end, and most of its leadership and I will need to come clean to the High King as soon as possible and tell him everything, Hadix said in a tone of voice Krivax had never heard before from his mentor honest fear.

What do you think hell do once he hears everything? Krivax asked with concern.

Whatever he could do it would vastly pale in comparison to what that madman could do instead.