A Nerubian's Journey

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The Order is already stretching its resources and influence to its limit, Hadix, said the figure of Seer Ixit being displayed through the scrying crystal. We have few enough resources and trusted personnel in the Eastern Kingdoms as it is. We can scarcely afford to send someone to go investigate the Horde at this time.

If our colleagues cannot afford to offer me support, then they should cease their incessant demands, Ixit, Hadix said gruffly, more than a little annoyed.

The Order had been asking for some time that Hadix take on a mission to examine the Horde for the Voids influence while refusing to understand that such an endeavor would take more time than he had available. This had been going on ever since some analyst had reviewed the reports that Stormwind had made on the Hordes magic.

Unfortunately, there was only so much that Krivax could do to provide him an alibi during his absences, so such a mission was completely out of the question. Besides, given that Hadix had been detecting an increase in the amount of Void energies in Capital City recently, his time was better spent where he was.

I understand your frustrations, Hadix, but you are one of the most powerful mages in the Order, said Ixit, attempting to persuade Hadix. We do not have any assets in the Eastern Kingdoms more well-suited to this task than you are.

Then that seems like something that we should change, Hadix said adamantly. I am well aware of my worth, but the Order is more than capable of assembling a team capable of accomplishing what you are asking. Why have we not done so?

The risks simply outweigh the benefits, Ixit admitted, sounding reluctant. The High King has grown increasingly suspicious as a result of some of the Orders more overt manipulations recently. Ive even begun to notice that Elder Nadox is treating me with suspicion.

Hadix found himself slightly surprised by his colleague's words. Much like his student, Krivax, Elder Nadox was one of the few Viziers he had met that was unfortunate enough to be burdened with an overabundance of empathy and sentimentality. If Nadox was truly beginning to suspect Ixit, someone who Nadox had taken on as an apprentice the moment he had joined the Circle of Viziers, then matters must truly be growing dire.

Hadix had already reached the conclusion that it would be nigh impossible for the Order to hide itself or the existence of the Void given the current circumstances, but it seems things were progressing faster than even he had expected.

Damned fools

Hadix was, contrary to what his own student might think, among the portion of the Order who believed that their extreme secrecy hurt their efforts more than aided them. Ignorance was rarely a strong defense against threats after all, but he was in the minority.

I see. I suppose then that it must be difficult to transfer more of our members to the Eastern Kingdoms without providing the High King with a good explanation, said Hadix as he considered the situation. Most Viziers of his skill and power were individuals with important positions in Azjol-Nerub and couldnt be transferred easily without a good excuse. Still, I am unable to spare the time to investigate the Horde, for all of the reasons that I have already explained.

Ixit sighed before nodding his understanding, Very well, Hadix. While you are here, I may as well update you on our investigation into Dalaran and the Kirin Tor.

Please do, said Hadix, suddenly feeling far more interested in the conversation.

Hadix spent the next thirty minutes speaking with Ixit about the Orders various interests in the Eastern Kingdoms. Given that many of the Orders leaders were influential individuals with busy schedules, it was rare that they would have the chance to have a large meeting. Therefore, Ixit was the one who was generally responsible for keeping Hadix informed on current events.

After Hadix has been obligated to leave Dalaran and return to Capital City, thus ending his investigation into the Kirin Tor, the Order sent one of their best investigators to replace him. Hadix was confident that they would be able to uncover Dalarans secrets. After all, keeping and uncovering secrets was a skill that the Order of Kaltut had been perfecting for millennia.

According to Ixit, their investigation made it fairly clear that the humans were aware of the Void to a certain degree, referring to it as Shadow magic. The investigation had not yet been completed, and would not be completed for quite some time, but there was no indication that Dalaran knew about the Old Gods.

Hadix wondered how it was possible for them to be aware of the Void, yet remain ignorant of the Old Gods.

Was that a sign that the influence of the Old Gods was lesser in the Eastern Kingdoms when compared to Northrend? Did that imply that the Eastern Kingdoms did not house a prison similar to Ulduar? If so, then what did that mean for the effectiveness of Ulduar if the evil entity that it imprisoned was still able to spread its influence to the nearby lands?

Too many questions. Too many implications. It was impossible for Hadix to reach a conclusion without gathering more information, yet with the stakes so high it was difficult to stop his mind from running away from him.

Hadix had known deep within his soul the threat that the Void posed to the world for nearly his entire life. From the moment that Elder Yelrin had betrayed him and the Order had taken him in, Hadix had promised himself that he would dedicate his life to fighting against the influence of the Old Gods.

There was a time that Hadix had believed that the Order was winning that fight, but with every new discovery he was starting to believe that he had been woefully naive.

Hadix tiredly turned his attention back to Ixit; the Seer had stopped speaking and was looking at him expectantly.

Ah, I must have been lost in my thoughts.

Hadix cast a quick spell that would allow him to recall the auditory information of the past few minutes before responding to Ixit, Kalimdor? No. I have not heard any mention of such a place. Why do you ask?

I thought not. Kalimdor has come up an unusual number of times during our investigation as some kind of mythical land west of the Eastern Kingdoms, Ixit explained. There is little evidence that it actually exists, merely many ancient human legends, but the Order is not willing to dismiss the possibility out of hand after we failed to know about the Eastern Kingdoms. If you hear anything about Kalimdor, make certain that you inform us.

Understood.

Hadix wasnt certain how he would react if there was yet another troublesome continent out there filled with unknown threats. The Eastern Kingdoms alone already made his life far busier than it had been in centuries, however, Hadix wasnt too worried. After all, it was far more likely that Kalimdor was merely some manner of human legend.

How many unknown continents could possibly exist in one world?

Aside from that, the only other subject of interest that we have uncovered are vague references to demons and something that the humans refer to as Fel magic, said Ixit, stumbling slightly over the Common words. One of our colleagues believes that the description of this Fel magic matches something from our historical records around the time of the Great Sunderings. If you hear anything about Fel magic, we would like to hear about that as well.

Hadix nodded his affirmation. It had become common practice that the Order would keep him apprised of the topics that they were researching when it came to the Eastern Kingdoms. There was no telling when some throwaway comment made by some mage or noble would be of interest, so it was best that Hadix knew what to listen for.

Just as he was about to ask for more information, Hadix paused as his attention was drawn away as he noticed Krivax passing through his wards.

Im afraid we shall need to continue his conversation later. My apprentice is returning from his clandestine meeting with Stormwinds leadership, Hadix announced.

Oh, Vizier Krivax? What do you think the humans wanted?

I have no idea, but if I know Krivax, then its likely something that is going to make my life more troublesome than it already is, said Hadix, already resigning himself to whatever irritating matter Krivax was about to present to him.

Life was easier when his days were spent hunting down fools who had been corrupted by the Void and watching over other Viziers with too much ambition and not enough good sense.

Hadix put away the scrying crystal and turned to wait for his student to arrive. When Krivax walked through the door carrying documents with a pensive expression on his face, Hadix immediately knew that his predictions were about to become true.

"Vizier Hadix! Stormwind shared some important information during the meeting."

His expectations were quickly validated as Krivax explained what happened during his meeting with Stormwinds representatives.v3l.B11n.

How is it that you always manage to find yourself in these kinds of situations?

Thankfully, this situation was not as drastic as the time his student upended nerubian society by discovering an unknown continent. Still, receiving confirmation that a human was using magicalmost certainly Void magicto manipulate the minds of his fellow humans was not a small matter. Many of his peers in the Order were already reaching the conclusion that it would be extremely difficult to hide information about the Void, especially after they discovered that the Kirin Tor already knew more than they would prefer.

First, his Queen stated that she must inform the other Aspects of Deathwings survival and thus she and most of her consorts flew north for Wyrmrest Temple. Alexstrasza made it clear that while she would do her best to get her siblings to spring into action there was truthfully little the Dragonflights could do directly so long as Deathwings latest pawns held the Dragon Soul without risking enslavement or worse.

They would likely have to wait for the right opportunity to strike, something that Korialstrasz was to help with by gathering as many of their dragonsworn agents as he possibly could, their mortal beings the only ones who could potentially be used to help take the Dragon Soul back and leave Deathwing open for the Aspects to strike against.

They had even directed the Red Dragonflight to aid the Alliance in their mortal forms in any way that they could, to hide from Deathwings eyes and less likely to be a direct target of the Dragon Soul should it be brought onto the battlefield. As a natural consequence of their long lives, many of their members were powerful and influential, so their aid would be no small boon to the Alliance, even in their less directly powerful forms.

There was still much to do, but Korialstrasz would soon have to return to his duties as one of Dalarans leaders. It was important that he was there to help make certain the Kirin Tor did what it could to fight against the Horde, especially now that they understood Deathwing was using the Horde to further his own goals.

It was a shame that they could not simply inform the Council of Six of the Dragon Soul and have them aid in securing it. Korialstrasz knew his colleagues well and understood that there was too much risk that one of them would seek to use it, likely to a much greater effect than the Horde.

Many dragons believed that if mortals had their hands on such power they would not easily part with it, seeking to use it to raise themselves up on their strength. When Korialstrasz thought of how Kelthuzad would likely react to such an artifact, even if he didnt believe the man capable of enslaving others against their will, he found it difficult to fault them for their assumptions.

Still, that did not mean that it would be impossible to leverage the mortals to their advantage. Wielding the Dragon Soul properly took some amount of training, so there was little danger as long as the mortals remained ignorant of the artifact's true nature.

Korialstrasz was interrupted from his thoughts as he sensed a sudden flare of magic which indicated that the Chambers portals were being used. Korialstrasz could feel his mood lifting as he saw his queen passing through the portal and making her way into the chambers.

Im glad to see you, my love, Korialstrasz said warmly as she approached. How was your mission? Did everything go well?

It was difficult, but my efforts have borne fruit, said Alexstrasza, sounding tired yet satisfied. My fellow Aspects have agreed to join forces in order to confront Deathwing. Malygos was hostile to my approach at first, but he agreed once he understood the situation.

Korialstrasz was not surprised. There was likely not a single soul on Azeroth who hated Deathwing more than Lord Malygos.

Any further conversation was put on hold as the portal began to flare up again and the other Aspects started arriving one after another.

The first was Ysera, Aspect of the Green Dragonflight and Mother of Dreams. Krasus had not seen her in millennia, yet the feeling that he felt while in her presence was not one that he could ever forget. Korialstrasz felt as if he was standing in a peaceful and verdant forest, slowly drifting off to sleep as a sense of tranquility permeated the Chambers.

In another situation, Korialstrasz would be glad to allow himself a peaceful nap, but the business in front of them was obviously too important for such a thing.

Turning his attention away from Ysera, Korialstrasz glanced at the Aspect that followed behind her.

Nozdormu, Aspect of the Bronze Dragonflight and commonly referred to as the Timeless One was someone who Krasus had not seen since the War of the Ancients. Korialstrasz could understand why the man was rarely seen outside of the Caverns of Time. Responsible for protecting Azeroths timestream, it was not uncommon to rarely see any bronze dragons out and about, let alone their lord. Out of all the Aspects, he was likely the one who was the most consistently busy.

The last to enter the Chamber should have looked regal, powerful, the picture of wisdom and intelligence among all the Aspects but Lord Malygos looked anything but. Malygos, Aspect of the Blue Dragonflight, looked as if he had not seen fit to take care of himself in millennia, which he likely hadnt. The dragon that many had once called the Guardian of Magic walked into the Chamber of Aspects with eyes that held an equal measure of pain, apathy, and hatred.

Ever since Deathwing had used the Dragon Soul to annihilate most of the Blue Dragonflight, along with his mates, Lord Malygos had not been the same

What few remaining members of the Blue Flight beyond their lord had struggled for millennia to fulfill their duties while he wallowed in his grief within the Nexus. Korialstrasz found it difficult to blame him; he could not imagine how hed be if his own beloved was taken away.

But the fact he was here was a hopeful sign, no matter his current state.

Korialstrasz cut his thoughts off as the Aspects gathered around the center of the Chamber, taking their places in specific spots that had been left open, and it wasnt long after that his queen saw fit to begin the meeting.

Welcome, and thank you all for heeding my call, said Alexstrasza, her voice echoing throughout the chamber. We have gathered here today because of a grave threat that has come back to plague Azeroth. Deathwing has returned, and he is once more in possession of the Dragon Soul. I do not believe it is necessary to explain to you all the consequences of this.

No, you do not, sister, said Ysera, sounding more grave than she had sounded since the War of the Ancients. As long as Neltharion is in possession of the Dragon Soul, not only are all of our Flights in danger, but the entirety of Azeroth is at risk as well.

Thankfully, the spell that we placed on the Dragon Soul millennia ago prevents him from wielding the artifact directly, Nozdormu pointed out. Unfortunately, he will have little trouble having his mortal agents use it in his stead. If the Horde, these servants of the Burning Legion, succeed in conquering the Eastern Kingdoms, then he will likely point them to the rest of the world as well.

His madness is truly great if he believes the Legion will stomach him using their agents for his dark masters once they return, Malygos muttered hatefully.

How do we know that the Horde are servants of the Burnings Legion? asked Ysera.

Oh, we know because of the mysterious letter that was delivered to Korialstrasz, said Nozdormu, chuckling with amusement.

Do you know where this mysterious letter came from? Malygos asked with annoyance, directing his question to Nozdormu rather than Korialstrasz. You have that irritating look in your eyes that you get whenever you know something that the rest of us dont.

Korialstrasz glanced at Lord Nozdormus eyes. He didnt look any different than normal as far as he could tell.

You know me well enough to understand that Ive already said as much as I wish on the subject, Nozdormu said dismissively. When I wish to say more, then I will do so.

Malygos let out a deep growl but did not pursue the matter. Korialstrasz had the feeling that this was a conversation that they had had many times before.

I believe that we should focus our conversation on Deathwing and how we intend to confront him, said Alexstrasza, putting the meeting back on track. Our most important goal must be securing the Dragon Soul so that we are able to attack Deathwing without risking being controlled. The Red Dragonflight has already begun organizing our mortal agents for this endeavor, and I ask that you all offer your aid as well.

My Flight has very few mortal agents outside of Kalimdor, but you will have whatever support we can offer, offered Ysera.

There have been many temporal anomalies in recent times, and Im afraid I cannot spare many to offer aid, but I myself will be available during this time, Nozdormu said evenly.

I am uncertain as to the state of the dragonsworn among my Flight, Malygos grudgingly admitted. I will need to consult with them, but you will have their support regardless.

Thank you, Alexstrasza said gratefully. Korialstrasz knew that the Aspects had not had much communication in recent times and that his beloved was glad for this opportunity to work with them closely again, regardless of the circumstances. If we wish to succeed in securing the Dragon Soul, then there are many things that must be done. The first of which is locating it

Korialstrasz listened carefully as the conversation continued, offering his own opinions when it was appropriate to do so. He knew more about the current state of the mortal world than most other dragons, so his contributions were essential.

He could only hope that they would be enough

Of course, we must now consider what our fallen brother intends to do now that his original plan to capture our sister has failed, Nozdormu pointed out. He never did like it when his plans did not pan out exactly as he wished, after all. He was hiding his presence before so as not to alert us, but now that he knows we are aware of his return he will likely act more boldly and openly.

He, like his depravity, will not lack options, Malygos stated.

As the Aspects all nodded and stared into the empty space in the Chamber, Korialstrasz could only dread that they would likely see the answer soon enough.