Chương 22: Chapter 19

Krivax did his best to shake off the residual discomfort that came with being teleported. After the meeting, Vizier Hadix had ominously told him that he had something important to tell him and ordered Krivax to follow him. The moment the two of them had reached a secure location without any witnesses, the Vizier had abruptly teleported them both to an unknown location and Krivax had no idea what was happening.

As soon as Krivax managed to find his bearings, he quickly took a look at his surroundings, hoping he would be able to figure out where he was. He quickly realized that Vizier Hadix had taken him to an isolated cavern that was illuminated only by bioluminescent mushrooms that were growing on the cavern walls.

No matter how hard he looked, Krivax couldn't see any exits or entrances to the cavern, nor could he see any other nerubians aside from the Vizier who was patiently waiting for him to finish taking in his new environment. Krivax looked down at the teleportation locus that was under his feet and tried his best to read the various arcane glyphs that formed it. Despite Vizier Hadix making it seem otherwise, long-distance teleportation was not an easy magic that any mage could use without difficulty.

The locus, as far as Krivax could tell, served to make it easier for authorized mages to teleport into the cavern while simultaneously denying the spatial magic of those who were unauthorized. Unfortunately, Krivax was not knowledgeable enough about arcane glyphs to understand how the locus decided who was and was not authorized, so he decided to turn his attention back to the rest of his surroundings.

The two of them were standing on a platform that was suspended in the air by long strands of silk attached to the walls and ceiling, and in front of them was a silk bridge that led to a truly massive ziggurat that reached from the base of the cavern to its roof. Krivax was used to ziggurats being centers of activity as nerubians constantly entered and exited them as they went about their business, so to see one so devoid of life was… ominous and unsettling.

Standing completely still on both sides of the bridge were a pair of obsidian destroyers, similar to the ones he had seen earlier in the day. While they might seem like mere statues, Krivax knew that they would have killed him in an instant if he had come here without permission.

The things gave him the creeps since Krivax was well aware that they were titan-forged tol'vir that the nerubians enslaved millennia ago when they first moved into the lands that would become Northrend, turning them into killing machines under their control. I really hope Hadix didn't bring me here in order to get rid of me. This place gives me the creeps.

"Vizier Hadix, what is this place?" Krivax asked nervously, praying that his mentor was not about to break into some kind of villainous monologue.

"This place, Initiate, is the headquarters for the Order of Kal'tut," said Vizier Hadix, his voice more solemn than Krivax had ever heard before.

"A secret organization of Viziers to which I belong and one which I brought you here to learn about."

"What is the Order of Kal'tut, Vizier?" Krivax asked curiously, hoping that he wasn't about to be forcibly inducted into some kind of cult.

"Follow me," said Vizier Hadix as he turned and began making his way across the bridge and to the ziggurat.

"I will explain everything to you soon enough." Krivax couldn't help but ask another question as he hurried to follow the Vizier.

"If this ziggurat belongs to the 'Order of Kal'tut,' then where is everybody?"

"I informed the Order of our arrival ahead of time. You are not yet authorized to know the identities of the Order's members," Vizier Hadix said matter of factly.

"Many of them are still here, of course, but you will not see them until later." That really doesn't ease my worries that I'm about to be inducted into a cult, Krivax thought gloomily. The distance between the platform with the teleportation locus and the ziggurat was not very far, so it didn't take very long before they were walking through the entrance. A part of him was surprised to see that the ziggurat was not noticeably different from any of the other ziggurats he had entered before, aside from its emptiness.

One would think that the headquarters of some kind of secret organization would be a bit more… distinctive. That impression quickly changed once they exited the hallway and entered the ziggurat's first chamber. Krivax could see that there were many hallways connected to the room that were each visibly indistinguishable from one another.

The room itself was empty of any decorations or adornments aside from a few enchanted braziers placed in its corners, but in its center was an ornate plinth that supported a crucible that was filled with some kind of pitch-black liquid. Krivax didn't understand why, but something about the liquid disquieted him even from across the room. That feeling only grew as he reluctantly followed Vizier Hadix when he walked straight to the center of the room.

Once he got close enough that the crucible was within touching distance, Krivax noticed that both the plinth and the crucible were covered in a dense array of arcane glyphs. After opening up his magical senses, Krivax was astonished to discover the powerful wards that were connected to the objects. However, as powerful as these wards were, it was the pitch-black liquid that drew his full attention.

Directing his magical senses to the liquid made Krivax feel as if he was suddenly looking over a dark unending abyss while being utterly certain that something he could not see was looking back in turn. The longer he looked, the more he felt as if could hear the sound of whispering voices and see flickers of movement in the corner of his vision. Once he noticed feelings of doubt, despair, and panic growing inside of him, Krivax hurriedly turned his attention away from the dark liquid.

"Vizier Hadix, what is this?" asked Krivax, struggling to keep his internal panic out of his voice.

"This is something that I asked the Order to arrange for us," Vizier Hadix said calmly.

"It is a sort of tradition for those who first learn of the Order to witness a… demonstration of what this liquid is capable of." Without further comment, Vizier Hadix reached into one of his spatial bags and pulled out a still living lobster, and then casually threw it into the crucible. Living creatures were much more difficult to spatially store than objects, but magically storing a non-sapient lobster with such a simple soul was well within the Vizier's ability.

Krivax watched with trepidation as the liquid seemed to reach out to grab the lobster as it approached. The crucible was obviously not very deep given that the crustacean was not fully submerged, but that only made it easier for him to look on in horror as the shellfish slowly mutated. At first, parts of its previously red shell became varying shades of purple while others morphed into some kind of strange fleshy substance.

After a while, small wandering eyes and tiny mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth could be seen growing randomly across its body. By the time the mutated lobster began to grow small twisting tentacles, it was obvious to Krivax that he was looking at a crucible filled with some kind of… liquid Void. He was already aware that the Void was nothing good for the vast majority of living creatures, but this was significantly more disturbing than he had expected.

Krivax tore his gaze from the grotesque display once the tiny mouths began to scream in incoherent anguish. Vizier Hadix must have thought that he had seen enough—or maybe it was just too dangerous to continue—because he swiftly telekinetically lifted the mutated lobster out of the crucible and threw it onto the ground. For a moment, the thing seemed as if it were about to start running at them before the Vizier began burning it with a stream of arcane fire until nothing but ash remained.

"What you just witnessed was the effect that concentrated Void energies have on a living creature," said Vizier Hadix grimly as he ended the stream of fire.

"The Void is a malevolent force that seeks to corrupt all living creatures unfortunate enough to enter its grasp. It is the duty of the Order of Kal'tut to prevent the malignant Void from spreading its poisonous influence to nerubian society by any means necessary." Krivax gave himself a moment to recover from the very disturbing example of the Void's corruptive powers, something he was aware of before but was quite another thing entirely to see in person.

His mentor said nothing as he composed himself and asked the first question that came to mind.

"I–If that is the goal of the Order, then why is it so secret?" asked Krivax, confused. Considering what he knew already and especially after watching a display like that, he felt like the Void was something that everyone should know about. Who wouldn't support the suppression of something so obviously evil?

"You said that the Order of Kal'tut was a secret organization of Viziers. Why don't you have any Queen or Spiderlord members in the Order?"

"Good questions, Initiate," Vizier Hadix said approvingly.

"Before I answer them, you must learn about the history of the Order's creation. The beginning of that story starts with a nerubian by the name of Kal'tut, who was a Vizier that lived during the times of the second Nerubian-Vrykul War." As he spoke, the Vizier turned and started to make his way to one of the many seemingly identical hallways connected to the room. Once they entered the hallway, it became immediately obvious to Krivax why this was where the Vizier had chosen to lead him.

All along the walls of the hallway was a colorful, intricately woven mural made from high-grade nerubian silk that depicted what Krivax assumed were historical scenes. The very first scene depicted by the mural was not an army of nerubians doing battle with the vrykul as he had expected, but instead showed the nerubians invading what he was sure was Ulduar.

"Do you remember from your studies how the second Nerubian-Vrykul War began, and the events of the war that preceded it, Initiate?" asked Vizier Hadix.

"Yes, Vizier, it was the second major conflict Azjol-Nerub engaged in with the vrykuls that began when we attempted to invade a 'place of forbidden knowledge and artifacts,'" said Krivax, repeating what he had read from the Circle's historical records.

"Years after our loss during the first war, High King Anub'Zikith invaded the facility with the intention of acquiring secrets and relics that could aid our people against the vrykul."

"That is what the records say, but it is not the entire truth," said Vizier Hadix as he continued walking down the long hallway at a steady pace. Soon the scene changed to an image of what Krivax recognized to be a portrayal of titan-forged creatures slaughtering the nerubians as they attempted to free an imprisoned Yogg-Saron. Even the simple image of the Old God was disturbing to look upon. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"Most of what the records say is true, but the High King's motives are different from what you know," said Vizier Hadix solemnly as he gestured towards the mural.

"The facility was more than just a place of forbidden knowledge and artifacts. It was a prison, and the High King invaded that prison with the goal of releasing its only prisoner, one of the Old Gods."

"Old Gods? The cruel and destructive beings that our people used to worship? I thought they were a myth." Krivax said, feigning surprise as best he could as he followed behind the Vizier.

"Unfortunately, they are all too real. In the past, worship of these beings pervaded every aspect of our society, and it was one of them who directed the High King to the prison," said Vizier Hadix. The murals gradually turned into scenes of the vrykul defeating the nerubians during the second war until they were pushed all the way to the city of Azjol-Nerub. The scenes depicted made it clear that the devastation that the nerubians faced back then was far more significant than what was publicly recorded.

The vrykul truly pushed them to the edge of calamity.

"Vizier Kal'tut was a trusted advisor to the High King, and he was forced to watch helplessly as Anub'Zikith was manipulated by the influence of the Old God into making a series of irrational decisions that brought the kingdom to near ruin," said Vizier Hadix. Krivax watched with interest as the mural began to show images of a Vizier arguing with a Spiderlord, only to grow increasingly desperate as his advice went unheeded.

Soon enough, Krivax was looking at the somber depiction of the Vizier looking miserable as he stood over the corpse of the Spiderlord.

"After losing the second war, Anub'Zikith was overthrown and killed, an event which devastated Vizier Kal'tut. Not only was Kal'tut a trusted advisor to Anub'Zikith, but they were also lifelong friends," said Vizier Hadix, his tone uncharacteristically sympathetic.

"The two of them had been born together, raised together, and had a relationship not unlike the one you share with your Warrior friend." Krivax felt a sudden pang of sympathy for Vizier Kal'tut. Just imagining being helpless as the Void twisted Masruk into a creature unlike himself made him feel a sense of overwhelming dread.

"While the kingdom's new leadership was content to blame Anub'Zikith for the failure of the war, Vizier Kal'tut was wise enough to see where the blame truly laid," said Vizier Hadix with unusual fervor.

"Vizier Kal'tut realized that it would be madness and folly if our people continued to follow the Old Gods' will, and sought to put an end to it. It would be the work of many millennia, but he and those he taught would see it done. The mural went on to show a gathering of Viziers working in the shadows, undermining the Old Gods' influence among the nerubians for thousands of years through countless methods while helping the kingdom rebuild, never showing themselves fully but always acting.

Waiting for the perfect chance to fully overthrow their 'gods,' they did their best to lead Azjol-Nerub into a more enlightened age where they alone decided their own destiny.

"Kal'tut eventually died, but those he taught continued his work long after his passing," said Vizier Hadix, his voice becoming increasingly passionate as he told the story.

"These enlightened few would build the foundation of the organization that would eventually be known as the Order of Kal'tut."

"Vizier Hadix, what are those?" asked Krivax, pointing towards a creature on the mural that he did not recognize. They seemed to be some kind of insectoid creatures, yet distinctly different from the nerubians. It was difficult hard to tell for certain, but it looked as if the members of the Order were hiding from them.

"It is not well known now, but prior to the Sundering our kingdom was in contact with two other kingdoms similar to our own," said Vizier Hadix with distaste after he saw what Krivax was pointing towards.

"Ahn'Qiraj and Manti'vess were kingdoms much like our own that also worshiped the Old Gods. Their influence made it much more difficult for the Order to free our people, but fortunately, that changed with the Great Sundering." Krivax remembered Ahn'Qiraj and Manti'vess from his metaknowledge, but he had not known that Azjol-Nerub had been in contact with them up until the Sundering.

Soon the scenes on the mural changed to a vivid depiction of the Great Sundering, a calamity that shattered the earth and reshaped the world. Krivax idly mused that the Vizier had a great sense of dramatic timing.

"After Azjol-Nerub lost contact with its sister kingdoms, the Order continued its efforts to free our people from the Old Gods," said Vizier Hadix. Krivax could tell that the story must be reaching its completion given that they had nearly reached the end of the hallway.

"In the immediate chaos of the years following the disaster, the Order struck hard and fast to remove the strongest supporters of the Old Gods and replaced them with their own. It took several more millennia, but we were eventually able to destroy or seal away any sign of the Old Gods, and nearly completely remove all memory of them from our society.

Krivax could feel a growing sense of awe as they reached the end of the mural and stepped through the hallway into the next room, revealing a library significantly larger than the Circle of Viziers back home. Krivax looked upon the rows upon rows of books and the few skitterers that were attending the library, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of secrets were contained in such a place.

"The Order has been forced to heavily rewrite Azjol-Nerub's history in our endless battle to keep our people's fate out of the hands of malicious gods," said Vizier Hadix with a hint of regret, however his expression soon turned to one of pride.

"This library not only holds all of the knowledge that the Order has accumulated since its creation, but it also holds the full and uncensored version of the history of our people." Krivax watched for several moments as the Vizier seemed to lose himself to his thoughts while gazing at the library before he decided that he should say something to continue the conversation.

"That's amazing, Vizier Hadix," said Krivax genuinely. It was good that the Order had made efforts to preserve the history that it was rewriting.

"It is," said Vizier Hadix, turning his attention back to Krivax.

"Even after our success, the Order of Kal'tut has continued to work from the shadows to prevent the Old Gods from ever again gaining control of our people. You asked me why our Order acts in secret and why we recruit only from the Vizier caste I will answer both now that you have an understanding of our history." Krivax waited patiently as the Vizier took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering the questions.

"Our decision to act in secret was, at first, a method through which the Order protected itself from the servants of the Old Gods," said Vizier Hadix.

"Once the vast majority of their influence was excised from Azjol-Nerub, we decided to keep our efforts secret due to the subtle and insidious nature of the Void, as well as the speed at which it can spread its corruption. The Order believes that if the Void was publicly known, then there would be many who intentionally seek it out, whether due to curiosity or a simple lust for power. This would allow for Void cults to more easily grow in our society without our knowledge."

That made some amount of sense to Krivax, he knew from his metaknowledge that the cults of Old Gods could quickly spread out of control given the success of the Twilight's Hammer. He faintly remembered that there was a bishop or something of the Church of the Holy Light who had been able to hide his ties to the cult and secretly spread its influence throughout Stormwind.

Not only would any aspiring cultists in Azjol-Nerub have difficulty learning how to wield the Void, but they wouldn't even know that there was an organization dedicated to hunting them. Krivax still had a few doubts about the necessity, but the Order's success spoke for itself.

"As for why the Order does not recruit outside of the Vizier caste," Vizier Hadix continued.

"There are a few different reasons, and the first is one of tradition. The Order was formed by the students of Vizier Kal'tut, and that tradition of Viziers recruiting either from their Divisions or from their personal students has continued ever since." Krivax did not miss the pointed look that Hadix threw his way, but the Vizier continued without commenting on the obvious implication.

"The second reason is one of practicality. Over its long history, the Order has managed to form its own methods of protecting its members from the Void's corruption that rely on the active use of arcane magic, something Viziers are best suited to using due to our makeup. Complete protection against the Void is impossible to the best of our knowledge, but as weak as these methods might be, any members of the Order who are not dedicated mages would be significantly more vulnerable to the Void."

Krivax was not sure that he completely agreed with those justifications. While he understood the power that tradition could hold over an organization as old as the Order, he still felt that the benefit of recruiting the other castes would outweigh the risks. Vizier Hadix nodded in reluctant agreement when he said as much.

"In truth, I suspect that many of the Order's leadership are simply reluctant to share the political power they have gathered over the years," said Vizier Hadix grudgingly.

"There exists significant competition between the castes, and while what the Order does for our people is essential, no large organization is infallible." Krivax allowed himself to think over that for a moment before he decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since he understood that the Vizier intended to recruit him.

"Why me? Why now?" asked Krivax uncertainly.

"Am I not too…

'young and inexperienced to be recruited to an organization like this? Even if I'm going to become a Vizier soon, I'm still not exactly a powerful mage."

"Why would the Order only seek to recruit powerful mages?" asked Vizier Hadix, his expression visibly confused.

"Many of our most important members are administrators. We choose to recruit after making an evaluation of the Order's needs and the risk that the new member poses to its secrecy. If we only chose to recruit powerful mages, then our options would be vastly more limited." Krivax was glad that nerubians could not blush as he pushed down his embarrassment. He had unconsciously associated the Order with the Council of Tirisfal, and assumed that like them they were also composed exclusively of powerful mages.

In retrospect, it made sense that they would need members from many different backgrounds if they wanted to accomplish their goals.

"Where do I fall on this evaluation?" asked Krivax.

"At first, I had intended to wait a few decades as there was no particular need to induct you into the Order," said Vizier Hadix.

"However, circumstances have changed with the discovery of the Eastern Kingdoms. The Order needs to search these new lands for the prisons of the other Old Gods, as well as evaluate whatever influence the Void might have over its inhabitants. Given that none of the other members of the expedition are members of the Order your active assistance will significantly ease my efforts."

"How could I help?" asked Krivax. He couldn't see how he could do anything that the Vizier wasn't able to do himself.

"If I wish to properly evaluate the Eastern Kingdoms, then much of my time will need to be spent away from the expedition. Simply assisting me in keeping my movements secret as well as remaining vigilant for the Void will make it much easier for me to accomplish my goals. Connect with the locals as you have done with the tuskarr to see if you cannot gather information from them that I can use while also working towards the betterment of our people.

Anything that you can do to help the Order's overall mission while we are on foreign shores is why it is important that you do not remain ignorant. It is this need which has convinced me to bring you here today."

"And what about the risk that I pose to the Order's secrecy?" asked Krivax, curious as to how the Vizier had evaluated him on the other metric that the organization used to decide on recruitment.

"By that measurement, you rank poorly," said Vizier Hadix bluntly.

"You lack subtlety and you failed to properly withhold information during your negotiations with the tuskarr. Still, the Order has many methods of keeping its secrets, and the risk you pose is manageable." With that said, Vizier Hadix said nothing more and simply waited patiently. After a few moments, Krivax understood that the Vizier was implicitly asking for his decision on whether or not he would join the Order.

The answer seemed like a fairly obvious one, but he still took the time to think over the costs and benefits. The moment he had been teleported by his mentor to an isolated cavern that belonged to a secret organization, Krivax had been fully prepared to say whatever he needed to say to make it out in one piece. The fact that the secret organization was one that worked to fight against the Void simply made things easier for him.

Vizier Hadix had done his best to paint the Order in as benevolent a light as possible, but Krivax was not naive enough to believe that he would like the results if he declined to join the organization The only reasonable thing to do was to agree to join and hope for the best. After all, if the Order turned out to be an organization he didn't want to be a part of, he could always figure out a way to leave once it was… safer to do so. With that decided, Krivax told the Vizier his answer.

"You've made an excellent decision, Initiate Krivax," said Vizier Hadix, sounding immensely pleased with himself.

"Normally I would introduce you to some of the Order's members, but you have an important day tomorrow. I will teleport you back to Kilah'kuk so that you may inform your friend about your imminent elevation in caste. I am told that the process is a long one. We will have plenty of time to speak later about the Order and your duties as a member." Without wasting any time, Vizier Hadix began casting the spell that would take them back to the city.

As Krivax disappeared from the ziggurat in a flash of violet light, he couldn't help but feel nervous for his future. I'm really starting to feel like I've gotten in over my head.