Chương 51: 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 wasn't 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 wasn't going to go crazy—or crazier, that is—and declare war on Azeroth's mortal magic users. He already had one crazy dragon to deal with, and he really couldn't handle the stress of dealing with another. Glancing discreetly at Archmage Kel'thuzad and Prince Kael'thas, Krivax couldn't 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 weren't exactly eager to freely share that kind of information, especially when they didn't need to. Even without taking their special Titan-gifted superpowers into account, the Aspects were still far beyond the Council's 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 don't 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 wasn't obviously capable of killing her without much effort, her response would be much less polite.

"Are you truly telling us that you're 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 I'm 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 'kal'dorei,' since before the Azj'Aqir 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 Kael'thas, "You dare to compare my people to trolls of all things?! I've never heard a more ridiculous claim in my life!"

"Hmph. You elves never change," Malygos said disdainfully.

"You never enjoy being reminded that you're no different from the rest of the mortal races. Like a hive of slightly larger ants that can't help but feel proud of their insignificant superiority." Kael'thas had always been rather calm and laid back whenever Krivax saw him, so it was rather interesting to watch the prince's face grow red with anger. Thankfully, Archmage Kel'thuzad was smart enough to interject before the prince could start shouting at the ancient dragon who could probably kill them all easily.

"You've made many wild claims, but they are rather difficult for us to authenticate," Kel'thuzad 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 you've said."

"I don't see why you can't when there's 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 I've read, the elves first appeared during the early portion of Azjol-Nerub's 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 didn't you share it until now?" Because I forgot…

He'd 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 I've 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 wouldn't 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 Krivax's corroboration does add some legitimacy to your claims, but I still believe we need more," Archmage Kel'thuzad 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 they'll once again forget within a few millennia." Then why did you bring it up in the first place?!

Krivax couldn't help but wonder with annoyance. 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 weren't 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 Aspect's ludicrous size, no mage could ever hope to ignore the magical pressure they'd 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 Deathwing's 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 wasn't even the Aspect's 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 Kel'thuzad study the world with cold arrogance, but not even they were able to remain unaffected. Malygos allowed this to continue for several more moments before he suddenly snorted and seamlessly returned to his mortal form.

"Now that you all have some understanding of what you are dealing with, we can begin discussing the role that you mortals will play in our confrontation with Deathwing, yes?" Malygos said into the dead silent Chamber. When the Council failed to respond, he simply nodded and continued as if such a response was to be expected.

"Good. Then, let us begin." The Council members glanced at each other with unexpected hesitance before they seemed to decide that their official leader, Antonidas, should be the one to speak for them.

"If Lord Prestor is a being like yourself, then why do he and his Dragonflight wish to destroy Azeroth? What is their motivation?" Oh… this might be bad.

"Simple. Both he and his Dragonflight have been driven insane by the Old Gods," said Malygos.

"The Old Gods are eldritch and malevolent beings that use the Void, what you refer to as Shadow magic, to corrupt sapient beings to further their goal of transforming Azeroth in a world of nightmarish death and despair." That earned more than a few shocked and worried looks.

"It would make sense if Lord Prestor, this Deathwing, is some manner of Shadow cultist," Kel'thuzad said thoughtfully.

"Shadow magic has been noted to be particularly effective at manipulating minds and thus would be the perfect tool in controlling the thoughts of others without them questioning it. Though I do wonder why we are not familiar with these so-called 'Old Gods' if they are using Shadow magic to drive people to insanity."

"The Old Gods were sealed away by the Titans in prisons in various locations throughout Azeroth, none of which are on this continent. The nearer one draws to these prisons, the more corruptive the Void becomes," said Malygos, before turning his gaze to Krivax.

"Given that one of these prisons is located in Northrend, I would expect that Azjol-Nerub would know more about the Void than the mortals on this continent." For the second time during the conversation, every eye in the Chamber turned to the only nerubian in the room, and Krivax struggled not to fidget as Malygos pinned him down with his gaze. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Shit…

Krivax was suddenly extremely glad that none of the Archmages were able to properly read his expressions or body language. Before anyone could ask him any uncomfortable questions, Krivax decided to speak first, "I've never heard about the Void myself, but there's a chance that such information is kept secret by Azjol-Nerub's leaders. I'll be sure to consult with my superiors as soon as this meeting is over.

However, I'm very concerned to hear about the prison on Northend, could you please tell me more about that, Lord Malygos?" It would have been completely unrealistic for Krivax to completely deny that Azjol-Nerub knew anything about the Void at this point, but as a member of the Order, he couldn't exactly tell them the truth without permission. It was better to keep his response as ambiguous as possible and go get help from Hadix as soon as he could.

The current situation had the potential to quickly become a disaster if the Council of Six decided to approach the rest of the delegation with their questions. Krivax wasn't looking forward to being labeled a traitor to Azjol-Nerub if the High King discovered the Order before they decided to reveal themselves. As far as he was concerned, the Order had officially reached the point where they no longer had a choice in the matter.

"A member of my Dragonflight will be sent to this city in order to facilitate communication. You can ask him your questions later," Malygos said dismissively. Krivax relaxed once it became clear that nobody would be calling him out on his lies.

"For now, let's discuss how you mortals can actually aid us in Deathwing's destruction." With a wave of his hand, Malygos summoned an illusionary image of a featureless golden disk in the center of the Chamber.

"This is an ancient artifact of great power known as the Dragon Soul," said Malygos, his voice shaking slightly and losing some of its detached arrogance. Krivax couldn't help but note that the dragon wasn't looking at the conjured image at all.

"Shortly before his betrayal, Deathwing created it himself as a weapon that could be used against his fellow dragons. As long as it remains in his possession, the Dragonflights lack the ability to confront him directly." Krivax noted that Malygos failed to mention that the Dragon Soul could actually take control of dragons, and was not just a weapon. He had no doubt that the Dragonflights were concerned about what the mortal races might do if they learned the truth of the matter.

The only reason that Malygos had even shared as much as he had was probably only due to necessity.

"And that's why you've come to us," Prince Kael'thas said shrewdly.

"If dragons are unable to approach this artifact safely, then it needs to be retrieved by us."

"Where is this artifact currently? How well-guarded is it?" asked Kel'thuzad.

"We do not yet know," Malygos said with annoyance.

"We have reason to believe that It was most recently being held at Grim Batol by an orcish chieftain by the name of Zuluhed, but we've already managed to confirm that it is no longer in the possession of him or his clan."

"The Horde? Why would Prestor give it to them?" Archmage Modera asked suspiciously.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for him to either keep this artifact close or place it in the care of his family?"

"Due to the nature of its magic, it is fundamentally impossible for the Dragon Soul to be used directly by dragons. The Horde themselves are little more than a weapon that is being used against Azeroth." Krivax could tell that the Council didn't like hearing that the existential threat they were currently waging war against was merely a tool. For a group of Archmages who had always believed that they stood at the top of the world, it must sting for them to realize how wrong they were.

"If you wish for our aid and you truly do not know how well-guarded the Dragon Soul is, then perhaps there's something that you can do to tip the scales in our favor?" Kel'thuzad said with greed in his eyes.

"I'm certain that a being who refers to himself as the 'Aspect of Magic' must be in possession of a great deal of magical knowledge and artifacts." Krivax was almost impressed by Kel'thuzad's audacity, but he was mostly just terrified as the magical pressure in the room suddenly doubled and Malygos' expression twisted into one of derision.

"So like mortals to scramble desperately for power even while the safety of the world they live in is at stake. Are you under the impression that you are our only option?" said Malygos, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

"If there is one thing that I've learned since the Sundering, it's that greedy mortal mages should be dealt with quickly before their lust for power causes irreparable consequences. Perhaps I should do so now, and take my chances with soliciting aid from the mortals of Kalimdor. I'd rather avoid dealing with the troublesome demi-god that watches over them, but it might just be worth the inconvenience."

As someone who knew Malygos' potential future, Krivax couldn't stop himself from freaking out because he knew with certainty that the Aspect was genuinely considering killing them all. Fortunately, Krasus must have realized the same thing because his expression instantly changed to one of panic, "Lord Malygos, I'm certain that my colleague meant no disrespect with his very thoughtless words.

He simply believes that a matter this important cannot be left to chance and that we have a moral responsibility to seek every advantage possible."

"Archmage Krasus is correct," Kel'thuzad said quickly, realizing that he had stepped over a line and pissed off a three-hundred-foot-tall dragon wizard.

"I merely seek to do what is best for Azeroth, I apologize if my words have offended you." Arcane energy crackled throughout the Chamber of Air as Malygos silently glared at them. After a few moments, the Aspect glanced at Krasus and seemed to force himself to calm down. Krivax wasn't the only one in the room who let out a sigh of relief. I think my life just flashed before my eyes…

"How noble of you," Malygos said while sneering at Kel'thuzad.

"I suppose your argument is not without merit, despite your… dubious motivations. There may be some artifacts or spellbooks in the Nexus Vault that we could afford to bestow upon you, especially those that focus on combating the Void. You can discuss the matter with my representative, Kalecgos, once he arrives in the city."

"Thank you, Lord Malygos," Krasus said politely.

"The Council of Six is of course willing to aid you in the protection of Azeroth, regardless of what artifacts you might choose to provide us." The rest of the Council didn't hesitate to express their agreement and move to change the subject; nobody wanted to risk angering the unstable Aspect any further. The next thirty minutes were devoted to discussing the details of how they intended to retrieve the Dragon Soul.

Given the importance of the matter, it was quickly agreed on by the Council of Six that every one of its members would need to be prepared to participate in securing the Dragon Soul. The only matter of contention was on deciding which members of the Kirin Tor that would be joining the retrieval team. Malygos simply watched the proceedings with a bored expression on his face.

Privately, Krivax wondered how Krasus would manage to avoid participating in the attack given that he couldn't afford to risk getting near the Dragon Soul.

"Then it's settled," Antonidas said once they reached a decision.

"Aside from the members of this Council, the Kirin Tor will also provide the aid of Archmages Arugal, Drenden, and Karlain."

"I can commit Archmage Rommath to this endeavor as well," Prince Kael'thas said confidently.

"Unfortunately, I'm not quite certain how much aid I'll be able to secure from Quel'thalas, but I will make every effort that I can. As much as we might disagree politically, Grand Magister Belo'vir 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 I'll need to discuss with superiors, but I'm certain that both Vizier Hadix and Anub'rekhan 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 didn't 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 didn't 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 I've 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 Kael'thas.

"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-Nerub's knowledge of Shadow magic." Krivax let out a sigh as he once again became the Council's 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 Dalaran's 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 friend's 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, I've returned from a meeting with the Council of Six," Krivax called out as he began opening the door to Hadix's sleeping chambers.

"There's 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.

"I've 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 Kal'tut, its history, and its relationship with the rest of Azjol-Nerub's 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 couldn't 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 Krivax's 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 I've experienced up until this point, it is this moment that I've 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 brother's 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 ruler's 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 Deathwing's 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 Order's 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 he'll 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."