Chương 68: Chapter 55

"You know, I wasn't quite expecting this much walking," said Krivax as he chugged down another stamina potion and recast the ward protecting him and his guards from the desert heat of the Badlands.

"Blame yourself for being too big to ride the rams!" Trixie called out from atop a large pink mechanostrider, the ostrich-shaped machine easily keeping pace with the dwarven rams.

"We'd be making better time if you hadn't brought so many guards."

"Yeah, well, Azjol-Nerub can't just let me run around without any guards," Krivax grumbled as he stepped over debris from a broken orcish catapult.

"Especially not when there might be Horde running around and I'm about to enter a potentially dangerous Titan facility."

"Where's your sense of adventure, Krivax? Weren't you excited to get away from all your diplomatic stuff?" Trixie asked teasingly.

"My sense of adventure died when I realized we would have to walk through several miles of desert," Krivax deadpanned.

"Ha! You best get used to it, lad. The life of an Explorer isn't glamorous," chuckled Brann Bronzebeard from the front of the caravan. Along with Krivax's eight guards, Brann had brought along several Explorers' League researchers and wagons carrying important surveying equipment. Since much of the equipment had very sensitive enchantments, they couldn't be carried along in a spatial bag.

"Besides, it's not like you'll be here for long. I'm sure you need to get back to your important business. What with the trials goin' on and all that." Krivax groaned at the reminder. The summit had lasted an entire week as they hashed out the details of their agreements and the so-called Dalaran Trials began. One by one, the Horde leadership was being pulled out in chains from the Violet Hold and brought before an Alliance tribunal to answer for their actions.

It was a necessary process, but it had already been a month since they started and Krivax wasn't interested in sitting through the rest of them.

"Do you know how much farther we have to go, Brann?" asked Krivax, hoping that he didn't sound like an impatient kid.

"If I have to keep drinking these potions, I'm going to end up with alchemical poisoning."

"Shouldn't be too much longer now," said Brann, retrieving the map to Uldaman from his saddlebag.

"Accordin' to the goblins you hired, we just need to head west as soon as we enter the Badlands from Loch Modan and look for a cave." Krivax hoped that he was right." Have you been to many locations left behind by the Titans before?"

"A few times, but only a few of them had anythin' we could work out," Brann admitted.

"One of them was why my brothers and I started the Explorers' League! We found some hints that the Titans were related to our people's origins."

"I see. Well, I'm glad to be traveling with someone with your experience," Krivax said, genuinely relieved. Considering how dangerous Titan facilities could be, Uldaman was one location in which he didn't fully trust his metaknowledge.

"Aye, lad. There's no need to worry, I've brought a lot of useful gadgets to make sure we don't get done in by any nasty surprises," said Brann, gesturing toward the wagon hauling the equipment.

"Plus we've got those scary guards of yours. I hear you nerubians are really good fighters underground, so we should all be safe." That was true enough. Azjol-Nerub took his safety very seriously and decided to send some very capable warriors to escort Krivax. If he had not argued that he needed to be part of the expedition due to his experience with sensing and countering Void magic, Krivax wasn't sure the council would have allowed him to go at all.

"So, what are those 'gadgets' actually for?" Krivax asked curiously.

"Oh, it's just a wee collection o' contraptions our pals in Gnomeregan whipped up," Brann explained, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Last time we stumbled into a Titan-related site, we faced some terrifyin' defenses. They really didn't want folks diggin' into their secrets. These gadgets ought to help us detect them early on and deal with them when needed."

"I made this one so that we can monitor our path back to the camp," Dulink, one of the gnome tinkers who had joined the expedition, said as he pulled out a gnome artifact that looked like a cross between a camera and a ray gun.

"This one detects any motion and automatically freezes them solid." Krivax glanced dubiously over at the wagon filled with strange machines. Warcraft was a setting that frequently delved into things that would be more fitting in a sci-fi novel, which often made things very confusing. He had already given up on figuring out how gnomish technology worked a long time ago, but he knew it tended to be… unpredictable at best. The less said about goblin technology the better.

"Well, I hope they work the way that you expect them to. If this place is anything like the facility in Northrend, then we'll be needing them," said Krivax, knowing full well that Uldaman contained many potential dangers.

"Hey! Are you doubting gnomish technology?" Trixie protested indignantly.

"Yes," was his deadpan reply. Trixie huffed at Krivax's response, while Brann just laughed.

"Oh, don't be so hard on the lad, Trixie. He'll learn to appreciate gnomish inventions soon enough." The two of them continued to bicker until they finally closed in on their destination. When they did, Krivax was surprised by how unremarkable the entrance to the Titan facility actually was. If not for the enchanted marker left behind by the goblins, he wouldn't be able to distinguish it from any other hole in the side of a rocky cliff.

Deciding that it would be a good idea to scout ahead before running blindly into a dark cave, Krivax established control over one of the skitterers he had brought for this exact purpose. After casting the spell that would allow him to look through its eyes, Krivax slowly sent the skitterer forward into the cavern entrance in search of any dangers.

"Well? Spotted anythin' yet?" asked Brann after waiting for several minutes.

"You're going to need to give me a little more time than that. The caverns are expansive and I'm taking things slowly," Krivax replied, his voice distant as he focused on the skitterer's vision. He could already tell that this place was different from what his metaknowledge suggested, as these caverns only had a single path in Warcraft.

"However, I've already passed by a few dangerous beasts down here. A lot of giant bats, and even a pack of basilisks." The skitterer was lucky that it was too fast for the six-legged lizard creatures to catch, or it would already be sitting in one of their stomachs.

"Basilisks? Don't they need to eat a lot? What're they doing just sitting in an uninhabited cave?" asked Trixie, her voice filled with confusion.

"Notice anythin' odd about those beasties, lad?" Brann asked, concerned.

"Basilisks in particular are prone to being changed by magic." Krivax quickly directed his skitterer to the closest pack of the beasts and checked.

"Most of them have giant stone spikes growing out of their backs. One of them looks like it's mostly made of jade."

"Aye, we can be certain we've found the right spot. Y'see, critters like those tend to sustain themselves on magic and stick close to spots filled with it," Brann said excitedly. The other researchers from the Explorers' League were just as excited and began eagerly talking among themselves, but Krivax didn't allow it to distract him. He knew that they were about to walk into somewhere incredibly dangerous, and he intended to scout every nook and cranny so they didn't stumble onto anything they couldn't handle.

The caverns were mostly empty and quiet, but Krivax felt his caution had been proven warranted when he spotted a half dozen goblin skeletons in one of the tunnels. He had enough experience with fire spells that he could tell that they had all died by a concentrated gout of flame. After repeating his findings to the rest of the expedition, the mood among the group quickly sobered.

"Any sign of what killed them?" Trixie asked, her expression solemn. Instead of answering, Krivax directed the skitterer down the tunnel where the goblin remains were found. As the skitterer advanced, it came upon a large cavern containing two crumbling and worn-down statues carved in such a way that they appeared to be holding up the ceiling. In between the two statues stood a gate made of a material that resembled marble.

Strange arcane runes covered the front of the gate, but only half of them still glowed with any magic; their light flickering weakly. The rest had long since faded, leaving the runes barely legible. Krivax couldn't help but wonder what the gate to the Titan facility had looked like when it was still in a state of good repair. In the heart of the cavern stood an unmoving figure, a large humanoid golem made of stone and metal.

It stood at around eight feet tall, had proportions far bulkier than any human, and had rune-covered arms. Krivax recognized several of the runes as being related to fire. It was clear to him that the golem was the one responsible for killing the goblins and would likely attack anyone who tried to enter Uldaman. Krivax reported his findings back to Brann, who seemed torn between excitement and solemnity.

"By the gods, a Titan golem!" Brann exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder. He wasn't the only one, as the rest of the expedition was similarly amazed.

"I've seen similar constructs before, but they're usually dormant or broken down. This one's still functionin' and guardin' the entrance!"

"Imagine how much we could learn from it if we took it back to Gnomeregan," Trixie mused, her voice nearly reverent.

"We'll have to be careful if we want to get past it without taking any casualties," said Krivax as he directed the skitterer back to the surface.

"I don't want any of us ending up like those goblins." The Captain of Krivax's guards, Rahtep, asked, "Can the golem reach the ceiling? If so, we can clamber onto the cavern's walls and attempt to web its joints from a safe distance." Krivax replied, "Unfortunately, I think the golem's arms can send flames at anyone on the ceiling. However, I think jamming the spears into its joints can immobilize the golem. I can cast a barrier to protect you briefly from the flames."

"Very well, Vizier Krivax," Rahtep replied and turned to command the guards.

"We could probably deactivate it with some of our gadgets, but we should probably save them for the gate and the rest of the place. I don't want to have come all this way just to get stopped by a door!" said Trixie.

"I think we should tackle the golem head-on," Brann said, thoughtfully stroking his beard.

"It'll give us a good idea of the state of Uldaman's defenses. We can always retreat if the golem is too powerful and come back with more equipment and bodies if needed. After all, we're not that far away from Ironforge." Once the preliminary plan to deal with the golem was decided, Krivax summoned a ball of light to illuminate the way and directed his guards to the front as they all began making their way carefully down the caverns.

There were a few occasions in which they were attacked by the giant bats Krivax had noticed earlier, but his guards easily skewered them as soon as they got close. Thanks to his guards, Krivax didn't even have to fight and he could focus on scouting ahead with the skitterer and expand the tunnels with geomancy as necessary. When they finally reached the cavern where the Titan golem was standing, the group paused to assess and prepare for the confrontation with the golem.

The researchers without any combat experience fell to the back while the rest of the expedition prepared for a fight.

"Alright everyone, let's do this carefully and efficiently," Brann called out and he readied his rifle.

"Remember, our goal is for all of us to get through this alive." Not seeing the need to give a dramatic speech for a single golem, Krivax merely nodded toward his guards, prompting them to advance slowly into the cavern. After a few moments, Krivax, Trixie, and Brann followed behind as everyone spread out to surround the golem. Unfortunately, they didn't get very far before the golem seemed to detect them and suddenly activate.

The golem's body creaked and groaned as it came to life, the runes on its arms flaring with bright red-orange light. Its eyes glowed the same fiery hue as it slowly turned its head towards the nearest nerubian guard and spoke with a robotic voice. Despite speaking in a language Krivax had never heard before, he was still able to understand its meaning.

"Unauthorized intruders detected. Initiating defense protocol." With those words, the golem lifted its arms and released a stream of red-hot flames that lit up the previously dark cavern. Krivax immediately leapt into action, throwing up an arcane barrier to protect his guards from the golem's attack. The barrier held, but Krivax could feel the strain on his magic as the flames licked against the protective shield. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Trixie fired at the golem with her shrink ray, but it seemed to have no effect. Brann's heavily enchanted rifle was powerful enough to blow a hole through the construct's head, but it simply ignored the damage and continued to spew flames. Fortunately, Krivax's guards were all experienced warriors equipped with the best gear the Azjol-Nerub could provide.

Simultaneously, eight nerubian warriors charged at the golem spear first from different directions, piercing all of its joints and preventing the construct from moving any further. It continued its attempts to attack, but a single immobilized golem that had already been degraded by age wasn't much of a match for the barrage of attacks by Brann, Krivax, and the nerubian guards.

It took some effort, but Krivax's guards rained down blows relentlessly until the golem's eyes eventually ceased glowing and its body shut down. Once he was certain that the danger had passed, Krivax let out a sigh of relief and made his way over to the inert golem. His guards, led by Rahtep had removed their spears from the joints and took up a loose cordon around the chamber.

"Well, that was unexpected," said Trixie as she ran up to the construct and started examining it.

"I thought a golem made by the Titans themselves would be a whole lot more dangerous."

"I don't think this means much. There's no way to know how functional it was after all this time, and it was only a single golem," said Krivax, doing his best to prevent the rest of the expedition from getting too full of themselves.

"For all you know, we could open that gate and find a hundred of these things waiting for us." Krivax hoped that wouldn't be the case, but it was a possibility, albeit a distant one. There was a time when the Keepers were able to construct entire armies of artificial beings, but most of the ones in Uldaman were probably too degraded to function. Brann nodded in agreement as he studied the golem with open fascination.

"You've got a point there, lad. We'll proceed with caution, no matter what we've seen so far."

"Even if it wasn't as scary as I thought, this golem is still amazing!" said Trixie, her eyes sparkling.

"Imagine what kind of technology the Titans used to create something like this! I've examined one of Quel'Thalas' golems at Gearshaft University, and there's no way one of those would have lasted as long as this one before shutting down."

"I'm sure the High Tinker will enjoy studying it when we send it back to Gnomeregan, but I think we should move on," said Krivax, approaching the gate to Uldaman and looking at the flickering runes.

"You said one of your gadgets should be able to open the way forward?"

"Aye, I think so," Brann replied, running back to the wagon filled with equipment. Krivax was surprised that the rams hadn't made a fuss during all the fighting, but any ram given to King Magni's brother must be very well trained.

"High Tinker Mekkatorque personally made me something just for this. He called the contraption an 'Arcane Magic Disruptor,' so it should do the trick. Now where di—ah, here it is!" The device looked like nothing more than a plain black cube with a series of buttons and dials on one side. Brann fiddled with it for a few moments before aiming the cube at the gate. With a flick of a switch, the device emitted a beam of energy that struck the runes of the gate.

The air in the cavern crackled with arcane energy as the runes grew brightly before suddenly dissipating completely. A low rumbling filled the cave as the massive doors parted, revealing a dimly lit passage ahead. The expedition exchanged glances, their enthusiasm tempered by the unknown dangers that lay ahead.

"Alright everyone," Brann said, his voice serious.

"Keep your eyes peeled once we enter the facility. Remember, we're here to learn about the Titans and their history, not to become history ourselves. Krivax, you send one of your little skitterers ahead just in case." With a nod of agreement, Krivax did so and was immediately taken in by what he was seeing. Much of the facility was worn down by time, but it was actually in a far better state than he would have expected.

In Warcraft, Titan architecture tended to vary wildly and was based on cultures that existed back on Earth. If Krivax was to describe Uldaman, he would say it resembled a fantasy version of an ancient Greek temple. The halls were filled with large columns and intricate friezes depicting scenes of the Titans and their many creations adorned the walls. The high roof and the large furnishings made it clear that Uldaman had been built for humanoid beings far larger than Krivax had ever seen.

Despite there being no obvious light source, the entire structure was illuminated by an eerie light that made Krivax feel uncomfortable. As he directed the skitterer forward, it quickly became clear to him that Uldaman was much larger in reality than it was depicted in Warcraft.

"I think we're safe to move forward," Krivax said once it became clear that there wasn't an army of constructs waiting for them. As the expedition ventured into the ancient facility, Brann, Trixie, and the other researchers marveled at everything they saw. There were many times that the group had to stop for them to take notes and sketches of the various structures they found. Krivax continued to scout for threats ahead with his skitterer and stumbled upon several more golems.

Thankfully, they were rather few in number and simple to dispatch with a little planning and preparation. At some point, the group stumbled on the inert form of what Krivax recognized to be a Titanic Watcher, which were giant humanoid constructs created by the Titans to lead their armies and run their facilities. It was around fifteen feet tall, looked to be made completely out of stone, and was slumped over in a corner of the room with an oversized book and a strange staff at its feet.

Thankfully, the being didn't suddenly wake up and attack them, even when Brann eagerly ran over to the book and tried to read what was inside. Krivax wasn't willing to take any chances and he quickly grabbed the staff before ushering the group along when it became obvious that the book wasn't written in any modern language.

The rest of the exploration continued in that manner, with them occasionally destroying golems, Brann disabling traps before Krivax could clumsily activate them, and Trixie gushing over every piece of broken Titan technology they found. Krivax was enjoying himself just as much as he expected he would. Exploring the wonders of Azeroth was something that he had always wanted to do, but his duties had always gotten in the way.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before his skitterer stumbled on a room that sharply reminded Krivax how dangerous this place truly was.

"Everyone stay together and don't run ahead. We need to be extremely careful when we enter the next room," Krivax said solemnly.

"Another golem, lad?" Brann asked, gripping his rifle.

"No. There shouldn't be a fight, but I'm not sure how to explain it to you," Krivax said after a moment of hesitation.

"I think you need to see this for yourself." Everyone exchanged worried glances, but they trusted Krivax's judgment and followed his instructions. As they entered the room, they were met with a sight that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The chamber was vast and circular with numerous doors and passageways branching off in every direction. The most striking feature of the room, however, was the seemingly endless amounts of unmoving malformed creatures being held behind barriers of arcane magic.

They were humanoid and about the same size as a dwarf, but far more bestial in appearance.

"What are these things?" Trixie whispered as if she were afraid to awaken the creatures surrounding them.

"I don't know, lass, but I think we'd be better off avoiding them," said Brann, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"I think you're right. We should leave this place and move on," Krivax agreed. He knew exactly what these creatures were, and his companions were right to fear them. Uldaman was created for the express purpose of containing the troggs, which were the Keepers' first attempt at creating sentient life. In the original timeline, the group that first discovered Uldaman inadvertently released the troggs, who then poured out of the facility and launched an attack on Gnomeregan.

This would start a chain of events that resulted in Gnomeregan being completely irradiated and a large portion of the gnomish population being killed. As they ventured deeper, they came upon several more rooms dedicated exclusively to storing the troggs. It wasn't until they stumbled into a cavern with a large model map of Uldaman in all its former glory embedded in the floor that Krivax finally found what he was looking for.

His true purpose for going to Uldaman was always so that they could, hopefully, make peaceful contact with the Keeper inside, and this model map was the key to doing so if his metaknowledge was accurate. While the rest of the group was gushing over the map and discussing amongst themselves, Krivax walked over to one of the model structures and gestured toward the keystone embedded into it.

"Brann, I think this might be some kind of key. It's shaped exactly like the staff we found earlier." Trixie and Brann quickly made their way over and saw that he was right.

"There's a good chance that it opens that gate," said Trixie, glancing nervously toward the forty-foot-tall gate on the other side of the cavern. It looked exactly like the one at the entrance to Uldaman, except the runes carved into its surface were still glowing brightly with magic.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to open it, though? We have no idea what's on the other side." If Krivax actually had no idea what was on the other side, then he would be the first to agree with Trixie. However, this was crucial to making peaceful contact with the Keeper, so he quickly moved to soothe her fears.

"I know it's a risk," Krivax acknowledged.

"But this is also our best chance to learn more about the Titans and this facility. We need to know more about where those creatures came from and what kind of danger they are. We've been able to handle everything that we've come across so far, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

"The lad has a point," Brann agreed, stroking his bushy beard thoughtfully.

"This place is the grandest archaeological find in our people's history. We've come this far, and we can't let fear hold us back now. If there's a chance that openin' this gate will give us the answers we seek, then we have to take it." Trixie hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's do it. Just… be ready for anything, okay?" Krivax nodded, gripping the staff tightly. He'd been preparing for this from the moment that he learned that Deathwing had escaped, and the time had finally come. As long as he succeeded here today, Azeroth would be saved from one of the most devastating events in its history. Krivax directed Rahtep and his guards to take up defensive positions before pushing the staff into the keystone with a click.

The model map of Uldaman immediately lit up as streams of magic flowed into the staff. After a few moments, it emitted a beam of magic into the nearby gate. Just like at the gate at Uldaman's entrance, the runes glowed brightly before suddenly dissipating altogether. As the gates swung open, Krivax felt the ground shake from the footsteps of the being that emerged. Unlike the Titanic Watcher that they had come across before, this one was very much active.

She stood at an imposing thirty feet tall and looked like a beautifully carved marble statue of antiquity. She carried a large maul and wore a robe of seemingly flowing bronze robe and metal greaves.

"None may steal the secrets of the Makers! Who dares disturb these halls?!" said the Titanic Watcher, her voice reverberating strangely as she swept her gaze over the expedition. Her eyes softened minutely when landing on the dwarves and gnomes present but immediately turned hostile the second she noticed Krivax and his fellow nerubians.

"Aqir! Disgusting spawn of the Old Gods! You dare befoul Uldaman with your presence?!" Before anyone could react, the Titanic Watcher was already charging toward them with its weapon raised. Krivax was barely able to conjure a barrier of ice around them before it swung down with murderous intent. Although he had grown much stronger since he first came to the Eastern Kingdoms, Krivax still felt as if his barrier was stuck by an angry Spiderlord.

Retrieving a flask from his spatial bag, he quickly threw it onto the ground and watched as a living, silvery liquid surrounded the expedition and formed a secondary shield between them and the Titanic Watcher. Krivax was extremely glad that he had purchased the flask from Archmage Karlain because his wall of ice shattered completely from the next attack.

"Brann! Try talking to her! She seems to think we're her enemy but she might listen to you!" Krivax yelled over the noise of their barrier being literally hammered. Brann hesitated for a moment, but soon stepped forward and raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Wait! Please, listen to us! We're just explorers here to learn about our history!"

"Silence, traitor! I'll not listen to one corrupted by the Curse of Flesh as they consort with the aqir!" Brann continued trying to plead his case and Krivax tried to explain that they weren't aqir, but the Titanic Watcher didn't seem interested in listening. Eventually, Krivax realized that this wasn't going anywhere and he decided to move on to his contingency plan. As he reached into his spatial bag Krivax could tell that she was watching him warily, which made his next actions much easier.

Channeling his magic into the Light-infused scepter that he had borrowed from the Church of the Holy Light, Krivax watched as the Titanic Watcher suddenly reeled back in surprise as she faced the entirely unexpected action. He had known there was a chance that the Keeper and the Titanic Watchers would associate him with the Old Gods, so Krivax had made sure to bring something that could prove otherwise.

Krivax heavily favored arcane magic and only had limited experience channeling the Light from practicing with Anub'rekhan. Without such a powerful object of Light, he probably wouldn't have been able to do so at all. That meant that it basically did nothing to the Titanic Watcher, but that wasn't his intention. A true aqir would never be able to even hold an object of Light, let alone use it. That was why when he unleashed its power before the Watcher and stood unharmed, it gave her pause.

One which he didn't hesitate to make use of.

"I am a nerubian of the kingdom of Azjol-Nerub to the far north! It is true we are descended from the ancient aqir, but we are not them!" Krivax shouted out.

"We have abandoned our ancestors' ways and freed ourselves from the Old Gods' and the Void's influence! We are not here to harm the legacy and works of the Titans, but to learn from it alongside its descendants!" Krivax stepped forward with his arms raised beseechingly, hoping dearly that his plan would work out. The Titanic Watcher stared down at him searchingly, studying Krivax and the other nerubians with a critical eye that seemed to see through them.

After several terrifying moments, she stepped back and lowered her weapon, the anger in her expression replaced by curiosity.

"I believe your words, creature," she said slowly.

"The Void clings not to your forms and no aqir I have ever known has spoken to me with such resolve, nor have they channeled the Light without sustaining great injury. Explain to me why you have come to Uldaman and how you have bypassed the facility's defenses." Krivax took a deep breath, grateful for the reprieve.

"Thank you. My name is Krivax, and we are part of an expedition led by Brann Bronzebeard. We've come from Ironforge and Gnomeregan to learn more about the Titans and the ancient history of the dwarves. We have no intention of causing harm or taking anything without permission." They had already picked up several items during their exploration, but it was obviously better to leave them behind than get squashed by an angry stone giant.

The Titanic Watcher considered his words, her gaze shifting between the members of the expedition.

"Your intentions appear to be genuine, but know that I am Ironaya and I am responsible for protecting these halls and all they contain. You have not explained to me how you managed to bypass our defenses. A party of your strength should not have been able to get past them."

"Well, we fought or deactivated what defenses we came across, but the things seem to be in a… state of disrepair," Brann explained with a grimace.

"Sorry to tell you, your ladyship, but I think you've been asleep for a really long time. We also used this little contraption to get past the front gate." Ironaya bent forward as Brann presented her with the Arcane Magic Disruptor and carefully picked up the device between her thumb and pointer finger, before bringing it close to her face and examining it.

"Still so clever…" he heard her mutter to herself in amazement before looking back down at them. Afterward, Ironaya finally turned her gaze away from them and took in her surroundings, especially the poor state of the whole map chamber.

"How long have I been in stasis?"

"There's no way to know, but I imagine you've been in stasis from at least before the Sundering," Krivax explained.

"The what?" Ironaya responded with obvious bewilderment. This… might take a while, Krivax thought to himself as prepared for a long conversation.