A Nerubian's Journey - Chapter 57

Krivax felt like his brain must have stopped working from the shock because he remained silent for an awkwardly long time before coming up with a response. And when he did, it wasn’t exactly the height of diplomatic eloquence. “Uh… what’s going on here?”

“You understand what is happening perfectly well, Vizier Krivax,” said Nozdormu, his expression amused and indulgent as if he were talking to a particularly slow whelp. “I have already watched this conversation play out, but my siblings aren’t quite so fortunate.”

“We heard what the Keeper said about your soul, mortal, and we know that you’re the one who sent that letter to Krasus,” said Malygos, staring at Krivax with suspicion in his eyes. “You obviously know far more than someone like you should. Given that Nozdormu insisted on our presence for this conversation, I assume your strange knowledge is more comprehensive than what you placed in the letter. Explain how you know what you do and why your soul is older than your body.”

Krivax pushed his mind to the limits trying to think of a way out of this situation but kept reaching the same conclusions. Every single person in the room was stronger than him, was able to detect his lies, and would be unwilling to accept him holding back relevant information.

Fortunately for him, they at least seemed reasonable enough to hear him out rather than just taking the information forcefully. Krivax was under no illusions that he could prevent them from doing so if they decided to stop playing nice.

“Vizier Krivax, please take a deep breath and calm yourself,” Alexstrasza said soothingly, noticing his panic. “All we want is to understand how you know as much as you do. If you truly are the one who sent that letter to Krasus, then I owe you an immense debt of gratitude. I won’t allow you to suffer any undue harm.”

It didn’t escape Krivax’s notice that the Dragon Queen specified harm that was undue, but her words still helped calm him down regardless.

“That’s… complicated, and a bit of a long story,” said Krivax, speaking between deep breaths as he focused on calming his nerves.

“If you’d prefer, I could always just pull the information from your mind,” said Malygos. The half-mad dragon’s tone was completely flat, and Krivax couldn’t tell if his words were supposed to be a threat or a genuine offer.

Either way, Krivax very much didn’t want Malygos rummaging through his mind. Not only because of general privacy concerns, but Krivax wanted to avoid dealing with the whole ‘fictional world’ thing. Malygos was unpredictable enough on a good day without adding existential questions on the nature of reality to the mix.

“Well, mortal?” asked Malygos, scowling impatiently.

“Uh, no. Just… give me a moment to get my thoughts in order,” said Krivax.

He half expected to receive a sharp rebuke or an annoyed response, but Malygos merely huffed and kept his silence, much to Krivax’s relief. After several moments of contemplation, Krivax took a deep breath and just decided to stick as close to the truth as he could, addressing each problem as it came. There wasn’t much else that he could do, given the circumstances.

Maybe… this will turn out alright? Krivax thought to himself, trying to remain optimistic. There’s a lot that they could help with that I can’t do on my own.

“If you’ve heard what Keeper Archaedas said about my soul, then you can probably guess that this isn’t my first life,” said Krivax, deciding to just start at the beginning. “Are any of you familiar with the concept of reincarnation?”

“We are. I’ve never experienced it myself, but there are several different methods to reincarnate oneself with magic,” said Alexstrasza, her expression becoming pointedly neutral. “Were you a necromancer prior to your reincarnation? Perhaps a shaman?”

“No traces of Death magic were detected in the anomaly’s soul,” said Archaedas, his gravelly voice echoing throughout the room.

“No. I was just a regular human who had never used magic in his life. I remember dying and then waking up in an egg,” said Krivax, speaking slowly and he chose each word carefully. “Shortly after I hatched and received my new name, I realized that I had a… vast amount of information about the future timeline of this world. I didn’t like what I saw, so I did my best to change things and… here we are.”

Krivax doubted that the Aspects would fail to notice that he was hiding something, but he felt it was still worth it to try. The Aspects traded thoughtful glances with each other… or Malygos and Alexstrasza did at least. Ysera still had her eyes closed and seemed as if she was barely present, while Nozdormu already knew how this conversation would play out and was just watching patiently.

“That sounds like it must have been a very… disorientating experience. Do you know who or what did this to you?” Alexstrasza asked compassionately.

“I don’t,” Krivax said honestly. He wished that he did, but figuring out the circumstances of his reincarnation was well beyond his ability.

Krivax turned his attention to the Aspect of Magic and felt himself grow tense once he noticed the mad dragon studying him with blatant suspicion in his eyes. His fears were validated a few moments later when Malygos spoke. “You’re hiding something, mortal. Cease wasting our time and tell us everything that you know before I lose my patience.”

“It’s… I’m not hiding anything maliciously. It’s just really hard to explain,” Krivax said hesitantly. “I was human in my last life, but… not one of this world.”

Krivax went on to explain his extradimensional origins while leaving out the matter of this world being a fictional one back on Earth. They were marginally more surprised than when he talked about the whole reincarnation thing, but everyone was already aware that this world wasn’t the only one. Still, it was rather strange even to them. Malygos, Nozdormu, and Archaedas asked plenty of questions surrounding his old world, and Krivax did his best to answer them. It soon became clear to Krivax that they were all incredibly interested in discovering the nature of whatever power sent him to this world. The things that he knew surpassed even what Nozdormu could foresee, as his vision only extended to the prophesized Hour of Twilight.

Krivax had personally never given it that much thought. He didn’t see much point in wondering about the nature of the multiverse or the actions of forces beyond his comprehension.

Obviously, they all didn’t see it the same way and wanted to make sure that there wasn’t some godlike entity using Krivax as a tool to manipulate Azeroth. A lot of time was spent on that topic, but there really wasn’t any evidence one way or another, so they were forced to move on.

Everyone also seemed quite interested in the differences between Earth and Azeroth, such as their technology, the lack of magic, and humans being the only sapient race. The Aspects seemed to consider it a good explanation for why Krivax was so strange by Azerothian standards.

The conversation eventually progressed once it became clear his old world wasn’t influenced by any power that they were aware of. Krivax felt a great deal of relief when Alexstrasza proposed they move on to talking about his actual knowledge of Azeroth’s timeline, and he thought for a moment that he was actually going to get away with not revealing the true nature of his old world.

He shouldn’t have underestimated the perceptiveness of creatures that had lived longer than he could fathom.

“And is that all, mortal? Are you hiding anything further?” asked Malygos, studying Krivax carefully.

Krivax knew he couldn’t deny it, so he decided to stick close to the truth. “Nothing relevant to the fate or safety of Azeroth. I understand how important this is, but there are some details about my previous life that I’d like to keep private.”

Krivax genuinely felt that the whole ‘fictional world’ thing didn’t matter. He’d always been the kind of person to go with the flow and didn’t care much about existential questions. However, there was no telling how the crazy dragon would react, so he’d just prefer to avoid it entirely if possible. Also, a part of him wanted to test how the Aspects would react to even a small amount of defiance. Krivax would tell them whatever they wanted if they pushed him, but at least he would know what kind of people he was dealing with.

“And you think you’re qualified to know what is and isn’t relevant to the safety of Azeroth?” said Malygos, sneering contemptuously. “Allow me to make your situation clear since you seem to have problems understanding. You will tell us what you know without omission, or I will take the information directly from your mind.”

“Your threats aren’t helping anyone, Malygos. The truth spell has shown that Vizier Krivax genuinely believes it to be irrelevant to the fate of Azeroth. He’s done much for us all, and we can afford to show him some courtesy,” said Alexstrasza, chastising her sibling.

Krivax was relieved to see Nozdormu and Ysera both nod in agreement. Archaedas was a bit harder to convince, but the Keeper relented when Krivax swore that it was nothing that could impact his duties. Malygos was the only one who wanted to force Krivax to tell them everything.

“Courtesy? I’m showing plenty of courtesy by being as patient as I am,” said Malygos, glancing at the Dragon Queen. “Do you all truly believe that we can trust a mortal with such important knowledge? To judge what among that knowledge is relevant?”

When Krivax looked back on this moment in the future, he would blame his reaction on many things. The Aspects of Magic’s constant threats, the stress that he’d accumulated since arriving in Azeroth, and being called ‘untrustworthy’ by one of the least trustworthy people in the room.

“I’ve done nothing but do my best to use this knowledge responsibly,” said Krivax, his words coming out in an angry chittering hiss as he glared at Malygos. “You have no idea how much worse things would have been without my intervention. I refuse to be lectured about trustworthiness by someone wh—”

Krivax angrily forced his mandibles shut as he realized that he let his emotions get the better of him. He’d always prided himself on being able to control himself, but his current situation was sending his emotions spiraling. Unfortunately, Malygos didn’t seem particularly interested in letting the matter rest.

“Don’t stop now, mortal. Tell me what it is that makes me so untrustworthy,” said Malygos, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t think that I haven’t noticed how you look at me. Tell me what great crime I’m destined to commit.”

“I… don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Krivax, feeling his anger leave him.

“Malygos, perhaps the mortal is right. If destiny has already been changed, then it may be better to leave certain matters unsaid,” said Alexstrasza, placing a concerned hand on her brother’s shoulder.

“I’ve never been interested in ignorance. Speak, mortal. Tell me what fate you believe would have awaited me.”

Krivax could tell that Malygos had no intention of letting this go. He didn’t care very much about sparing the cruel dragon’s feelings, but he was concerned about how Malygos would react. Krivax only hoped that the other dragon Aspects would rein him in.

“Several years into the future, you decide to… focus your attention on your role as the guardian of magic. You do this by attempting to redirect the leylines of the world to the Nexus and siphon all magic away from the mortal races. This event causes widespread damage throughout the world and triggers a conflict called the Nexus War. You were defeated and killed by a coalition of mortals and the Red Dragonflight.”

The room was completely silent after Krivax was done speaking. The two titan-forged giants and Nozdormu barely had any reaction at all, while Alexstrasza looked horrified and Ysera seemed faintly surprised. Malygos himself was completely expressionless as he glanced at Nozdormu for confirmation, only to fall into thoughtful silence when he received a nod in return.

When Malygos’ reaction finally came, it wasn’t at all what Krivax was expecting. “I see. I was expecting worse.”

Krivax was so startled that he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Is that really all you have to say?”

“Do you expect me to act like I’m surprised?” Malygos asked, rolling his eyes. “That sounds exactly like something that I would do. The only unexpected detail is that Alexstrasza managed to put me down before I did more damage. I didn’t think she had it in her.”

“I dearly hope I’m never forced to make such a decision,” said Alexstrasza. Her eyes were conflicted as she looked at her sibling, and her voice was quiet with grief. “Malygos, do you truly care so little about your death that you barely find it worth mentioning? I understand how difficult matters have been for you, but Sindragosa wouldn’t want this for you. She would want for you to find happiness, not to be so… self-destructive in your grief.”

“Sindragosa is dead, at the hands of Neltharion. She isn’t here to tell anyone what she would have wanted,” said Malygos, practically hissing out the words as he glared at Alexstrasza and his skin crackled with magic. “When are you going to learn that there is no happy future waiting for any of us, sister?! Neltharion was wrong about many things, but he was completely correct to say that the Titans’ blessing doomed us all to horrible ends. There isn’t a single thing that this mortal has said about my future that surprised me.”

“You dare to besmirch the Makers in my presence?” Archaedas boomed out with more emotion than Krivax had ever heard from him. The very earth beneath them began to shake and the air grew heavy with power, but Malygos wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

“Keep your opinions to yourself, you over-glorified golem! I have no interest in listening to the words of a single-minded construct that only cares for the few duties its creators gave it,” Malygos said contemptuously to the Keeper before turning his attention back to Krivax. “Tell me, mortal. Am I wrong? Is there a happy fate waiting for the rest of my siblings?”

Krivax glanced nervously at Nozdormu, who was locked in a conflict with his evil time-traveling future self and was passively walking toward that destiny. He then looked at Ysera, who dedicated everything to fighting the Emerald Nightmare and barely paid any attention to the physical world. In the original timeline, she would become corrupted and end up being killed by her closest allies. The answer must have been obvious from his expression because the madness in Malygos’ eyes only grew and the dragon began quietly chuckling and muttering to himself. The magic around him grew turbulent as he dissociated from reality, and Krivax felt as if he was standing in the same room as a mana bomb.

At that moment, Krivax looked around the room and suddenly understood how Azeroth had gotten to such a bad state despite having so many powerful protectors. They were all just so… incredibly dysfunctional. It was obvious to Krivax that despite what Malygos might claim, he was extremely bothered by what he had heard.

Even while Malygos was laughing madly to himself, Nozdormu and Ysera both looked distant from what was happening. The former looked as if he was watching an interesting television show that he’d seen many times before while the latter seemed barely present. Archaedas and Ironaya looked as if they didn’t understand what they were seeing at all.

Alexstrasza was the only one trying to actually talk to Malygos and pull him back to reality, but her efforts weren’t having much of a result. Krivax felt like he should say something, but he didn’t think a motivational speech from someone like himself would be particularly helpful. Still, it was probably better to say something rather than just sit back and watch while the crazy dragon lost his mind.

“You’re right that the future isn’t kind to you or your siblings, but that can be changed. Alexstrasza should have been captured by the Horde, yet we successfully prevented that from happening,” said Krivax, hoping a more logical argument would get through to Malygos. The mad dragon turned his gaze in Krivax’s direction, but his eyes were glassy as if he barely understood where he was. “Your fate is easy to avoid, so long as you know about it. I can even tell you where Sindragosa’s body is so that you can give her a proper burial.”

“Sindragosa? I… wasn’t able to find her. The magic of the Dragon Soul was too strong. It lingered. Made scrying for her impossible. I could have found another way, but I… stayed in my lair for too long,” said Malygos, his voice growing progressively more lucid as he pulled himself out of his haze. “You know where her body is, mortal?”

“Yes. It’s on Northrend. In the region of Icecrown,” said Krivax, grateful that Sindragosa was an important enough character for this information to stick with him.

The room was tense and silent as Malygos processed this information. Krivax watched him cautiously, unsure of how he would react. After a few moments, the madness in the Aspect of Magic’s eyes began to fade as he regained some of his composure. His voice was calmer, though quiet and tinted with sadness. “Tell us about the future, mortal. Keep your little secrets. If you’re wrong and whatever you’re hiding turns out to be vital to Azeroth’s survival, then I suppose that is just what this world deserves.”

Krivax let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure if Malygos had truly changed his mind or if he just stopped caring, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Aspect of Magic carelessly cast a spell on him that enhanced his memory recall, and Krivax resolved to share all of his metaknowledge for the first time.

We’re going to be here for a while, Krivax mused to himself.

Deciding the best place to start was the beginning, Krivax started by telling everyone how the Second War would have proceeded without his intervention. Alexstrasza had already known what fate would have awaited her, but he could tell that hearing the… gruesome details wasn’t pleasant for her, or anyone for that matter. The Dragon Queen was more than a little grateful for being spared such a fate.

Krivax found himself speaking for several hours as he meticulously shared everything of importance that he knew.

The Third War and the Burning Legion’s second invasion. The Lich King, the plague of undeath, and the destruction of Lordaeron, Quel’thalas, and Azjol-Nerub.

The Old Gods and their slow escape from their prisons along with the Qiraji swarm and other Void entities like Xal’atah. The creeping corruption of the Emerald Dream and the forces behind it. Deathwing’s resurgence from Deepholm and his near destruction of the world, along with the Elemental Lords. Queen Azshara, her underwater naga empire, and her relationship with N’zoth.

The hidden continent of Pandaria and the numerous threats hiding within, such as Manti’vess and the Sha. The various conflicts between the Horde and the Alliance, as well as the Burning Legion’s third invasion of Azeroth through a portal created in the Tomb of Sargeras by an alternate timeline Gul’dan.

“Basically, the Burning Legion and the Old Gods take turns creating various crises for Azeroth over the next several decades,” said Krivax, feeling utterly exhausted when he was done speaking. Even leaving out the more inconsequential details that the immortals didn’t care about, there were still too many things that needed to be addressed.

“That is… much more than I expected,” said Alexstrasza, sounding overwhelmed as she echoed his thoughts. “I’m not quite sure where to start.”

“The Makers, are you certain that they are alive?” Archaedas asked, not for the first time.

There had been a variety of reactions while Krivax was sharing his metaknowledge, but the Keeper’s was probably the most intense when he learned that the Titans were still alive. When Sargeras killed the rest of the Titans, the Keepers had felt an influx of power and fragmented memories wash over them. To know that their spirits still existed in some form was an immense relief to them, and Krivax could practically see the construct become more alive at the news.

“I am. I’m not sure of the exact details, but I saw the Titans sitting at the Seat of the Pantheon and pulling Sargeras away from Azeroth moments after he skewered the world with his sword,” Krivax confirmed. He wished that he knew more specific details, but he had only been paying intermittent attention to Warcraft when that lore was being released.

“Then I know what must be done. Azeroth’s facilities must be repaired, the Old God threat must be contained, and forces capable of facing the Burning Legion must be prepared,” said Archaedas, his voice filled with determination and a sense of renewed purpose. Ironaya remained silent, but she obviously shared the opinion of her leader.

“That’s a lovely declaration, but not one that we are in any way prepared to fulfill,” Malygos said thoughtfully, his earlier apathy fading somewhat as he contemplated the challenges presented to him.

“What do you mean? You’re probably the most powerful beings on Azeroth, I feel like you should be able to solve pretty much anything given a prior warning,” said Krivax. The only good part of this whole situation was being able to hand off all of these problems to the Aspects, and he didn’t want to hear that they couldn’t help.

“There are several matters that we can solve in a relatively straightforward manner, such as finally killing that vermin Neltharion, slaying the trolls attempting to summon Hakkar, and hunting down the creature responsible for the Emerald Nightmare,” Malygos explained.

“I will not rest until I have personally ended Xavius’ life and felt his soul leave this world,” said Ysera. The normally reserved Aspect was practically shaking with fury over everything that Krivax had told her. “I will also need to speak with Tyrande about Fandral and Illidan.”

The Emerald Dream was a verdant dimension filled with nature that resembled what the world would look like if intelligent beings had never altered its surface, and was connected to all natural life on Azeroth. The Emerald Nightmare was how druids referred to the Old God’s corruption of that realm, which would be accelerated by a former highborne named Xavius.

There was a lot of complicated history involved in the matter, but it was reasonable to assume that Ysera probably hated Xavius more than anyone else in the world right now.

“I’m sure you will, sister. But there are still several threats that the Dragonflights cannot face on their own. Keeper, if we were to muster the full might of every Aspect as well as our flights and lay siege to Ulduar, what do you estimate our chances of success would be?” Malygos asked.

“Such estimations are difficult. We do not know how thoroughly Ulduar has been corrupted nor what steps Loken has taken to consolidate his power. However, your chances of success would be grim,” Archaedas said after a moment of thought. “Ulduar was the primary base of operations for the Keepers and is more fortified than any other facility on Azeroth. In addition, it is likely that they have prepared specifically for an attack by the Aspects.”

“So a direct assault is a very bad idea,” Krivax summed up grimly. “But what about Ahn’Qiraj? In my vision, the Alliance and Horde primarily only had to worry about the Qiraji. I believe that four Aspects and all of your Dragonflights should be able to deal with a kingdom that’s probably only as strong as Azjol-Nerub.”

“You’re correct. We likely could launch an assault on Ahn’Qiraj, secure the facility around the Old God, and allow Archaedas to repair it, but what then?” asked Malygos, uncharacteristically patient as he explained the situation to Krivax. “The Qiraji have almost certainly prepared to fight against dragons after losing their previous war. We would suffer significant casualties while subduing the escaping Old God and would be far less able to assist in the next conflict.”

Krivax considered the situation and realized where he had gone wrong with his assumptions. In Warcraft, most of these crises were resolved by the players of the game, who were represented in the lore as ‘champions’ of the Horde and Alliance. It was assumed that these champions were some of the most powerful individuals in Azeroth yet Krivax had never seen any evidence that these so-called champions actually existed.

If the Dragonflights actually attempted to handle everything that the champions dealt with in the lore, then they would quickly run into real problems like suffering increasingly severe attrition. This would make it harder for them to do their usual duties and couldn’t really be hand waved away like it was in the game. It was probably the primary reason why the Qiraji had been sealed away instead of being wiped out in the first place.

“The Lich King is problematic as well,” Alexstrasza said reluctantly. “We could likely destroy them fairly easily if they were found before they could build their forces, but Kil’jaeden will likely plan around that. Azshara is a significant problem as well.”

“She was your equal even during the War of the Ancients, brother. I imagine she would be much more powerful now after giving herself over to N’zoth,” said Nozdormu, smirking cheekily at Malygos.

The Aspect of Magic merely glared at his sibling before turning back to Krivax. “Not only that, but you have admitted that your knowledge has proven to be inaccurate at times, correct?”

“That is correct,” Krivax readily admitted. There were plenty of things in Warcraft that were either nonsensical or just didn’t translate accurately when they became reality.

Malygos nodded and asked Krivax a question that he had no idea how to answer. “Answer me this, little prophet. If the Burning Legion is hunting the Draenei faction on Draenor, then why have they not already fully conquered that world? They have already had more than enough opportunities to invade that world with their endless armies, yet you say that the Burning Legion won’t do so until after this Ner’zhul destroys their world. Why?”

Krivax considered the question and had no good answer. Gul’dan and the Horde had complete free reign over Draenor and would have had all the time in the world to open up however many portals they needed for the Burning Legion.

“I would assume that they were trying to hide their direct involvement, so they could use the Horde against Azeroth without attracting the attention of people like you,” Krivax said hesitantly, putting forward the only explanation that he could think of.

“That seems to match my analysis of Gul’dan’s memories,” said Malygos, nodding in agreement. “That being the case, do you believe Kil’jaeden will truly just leave Draenor alone? Or would he have any number of contingency plans and use demons specializing in infiltration to usher in an invasion whenever he pleased? You recommended during your recounting that we should rescue the innocents of Draenor and perhaps save that world from its fate, but one of us traveling there would be a monumental risk.”

“My brother is wise and sadly correct in this matter. I have much experience with dealing with future knowledge, and it is always a mistake to underestimate our enemy’s ability to plan and adapt,” said Nozdormu.

Krivax found it incredibly frustrating to hear about potential traps or dangers that weren’t included in his metaknowledge. Azeroth was already dangerous enough without adding even more problems onto it.

“Alright, I understand. You’ve detailed all of the challenges and difficulties, but I think the solution to this is obvious. All of you need to work far more closely with the mortal races,” said Krivax, desperately hoping the Aspects and the Keeper would agree with him. “In my vision, it was the mortal nations who rose up to defend Azeroth. Think of how much more powerful they could be if you all put effort into empowering them.”

The mages of Dalaran would be far more effective in their defense of Azeroth and policing of dark magic use if they were taught magic by the Blue Dragonflight. In the original timeline, the Bronze Dragonflight created an organization called the Timewalkers that trained mortals in their magic, and there was no reason not to start that early. The Green Dragonflight already taught druidism to the Kaldorei, but they barely interacted at all with the other races of Azeroth. The Red Dragonflight was already the most involved in mortal affairs, but they didn’t do anything to empower mortals beyond recruiting a few of them as dragonsworn.

Not just the dragons either. Krivax struggled to even imagine what amazing things could be created if Archaedas worked with Gnomeregan and Ironforge to advance their technology, to say nothing of the other Keepers if they were ever freed from the control of the Old Gods. Azeroth was a world that faced yearly crises, and Krivax had every intention of pushing for them to seize every possible advantage that they could.

“Mortals with power very rarely result in anything good,” said Malygos, scowling at the suggestion.

“I would not dismiss our young friend’s advice out of hand, brother,” said Alexstrasza. “If Azeroth is truly going to face so many challenges in the future, it may be worth the risk. The Dragonflights cannot possibly defend this world alone.”

“My Flight will be too busy with the Emerald Nightmare and hunting down Xavius to train a new generation of druids… but that might change in the future,” Ysera said reluctantly.

“I would only be willing to teach time magic to a small number of mortals for now,” said Nozdormu. “I feel like it may cause more problems than it solves, but it seems like an endeavor worth attempting.”

Even if it was the obvious choice, the Dragonflights had always shied away from involving themselves with mortals. Krivax was just glad that they were even giving it any consideration.

“I have more important matters to attend to than teaching magic to mortals… but I will not disallow my Flight from doing so if they so choose,” said Malygos, his expression as if he had just smelt something disgusting.

Krivax turned his attention to Archaedas, who remained silent for several moments longer before he finally spoke. “I am hesitant to seek the aid of those afflicted with the Curse of Flesh, but you claim that Prime Designate Odyn has done so already. The number of servants remaining in Uldaman is insufficient to maintain Azeroth’s facilities and develop a force sufficient to aid the Makers. Cooperating with the mortals seems like an unfortunate necessity.”

Well, it wasn’t the enthusiastic agreement that Krivax was hoping for, but it would have to be enough.

For the next hour, the conversation revolved around their plans to face Azeroth’s numerous threats. The general consensus was that they would seek to amass an overwhelming force before addressing each issue one by one. That way the attrition that the forces of Azeroth would suffer could be kept to a minimum.

The first threat to be dealt with would obviously be Deathwing. Archaedas made clear that the fastest method of accessing Deepholm was through the portal in Uldum. It would also be possible if he had the Hammer of Khaz’gorath, a powerful artifact left to him by the Pantheon, but finding it would take some time. Krivax knew that it was somewhere with the tauren on the Broken Isles, but he couldn’t remember the exact details.

Once Deathwing was dealt with, they would need to come up with a plan to address the Draenor situation and then Ahn’Qiraj would become the center of their attention. There was little point thinking of plans much further out into the future, as everything else would depend heavily on their circumstances.

Just as they were about to finish and Krivax thought he was in the clear, he suddenly noticed that the Keeper was staring intensely at him … and his expression was not friendly.

“What is to be done about the anomaly?” asked Archaedas, the implication of his words unmistakable. “The secrets of the Makers were not meant to be known by mortals. We also know nothing about the forces that sent him here.”

Krivax felt his blood go cold as he looked into the Keeper’s eyes. He knew then that Archaedas wouldn’t feel a single shred of remorse if he decided to kill him. The secret that he was referring to was in regard to the fact that Azeroth possessed a nascent soul that would one day develop into a Titan. This was the reason that the Pantheon, the forces of the Void, and the Burning Legion were all extremely interested in Azeroth specifically.

“When dealing with an entity capable of doing what they did to Vizier Krivax, it is best to simply act as if it doesn’t exist,” Nozdormu said calmly. “If any actions we commit or don’t commit could further its unknown goals, then why allow it to affect our decisions in the first place? Besides, I don’t see this timeline being harmed by allowing Vizier Krivax to continue on his current path.”

“I find myself in agreement with my brother,” said Malygos as he sneered at the Keeper. “Besides, it seems that the ‘secrets of the Makers’ are not meant to be known by even their most powerful servants. Had my alternate self known about Azeroth’s soul, I doubt he would have made the decisions that he did. I don’t feel particularly inclined to concern myself about their secrets.”

“The mortal has helped my Flight by pointing us toward threats we would not have seen until they were too late. He has my favor,” said Ysera.

“The power you wield was gifted to you by the Makers, yet you would forsake their interests so shamelessly?” Archaedas asked with growing anger.

“If the Makers wish to take back their ‘gift,’ then they are welcome to do so,” Malygos responded spitefully.

“I understand your concerns, Keeper Archaedas, but I think my siblings and I are all in agreement. Vizier Krivax has done much for Azeroth and me in particular. We will not repay this debt with treachery,” said Alexstrasza, her voice carrying a sense of finality. Krivax slumped in relief at the Dragon Queen’s words, reassured that she intended to protect him. The protection of the Aspects and Nozdormu’s claim that he was beneficial to the timeline seemed to be enough for Archaedas. “In fact, this debt was one that I intended to repay later, but now seems like as good of a time as any.”

Krivax was mildly confused as the Dragon Queen walked across the chamber toward him. “Uh, how do you intend to do that?”

Alexstrasza smiled at him gently as she stopped a few feet in front of him. “Vizier Krivax, you saved me from a fate worse than death. It is thanks to you that I was not captured by the Horde and turned into a broodmare. It is thanks to you that I was not forced to watch as countless of my children were killed in front of me, or compelled against their nature to attack innocent mortals. It is thanks to you that Rostrasza and Elorasza are still alive. Throughout your entire time on Azeroth, you have worked to make this world a better place and have succeeded in doing so. For all of this, I would like to offer you a boon that I have only given to a few other mortals over the millennia.”

Krivax watched in shock and awe as Alexstrasza outstretched her hand and breathed out a stream of vermillion fire that swirled around her palm and began to rapidly coalesce. He stared with wonder at a luminescent sphere of energy that held more power than almost anything he had felt in his life.

“This is a rather small fragment of my power, but your body could not handle much more than this. If you pledge to continue acting in the interests of Life on Azeroth, then it is yours. The challenges ahead will be significant, and I believe you could do much good with it,” said Alexstrasza, smiling encouragingly as she offered Krivax power that a lot of people would kill for.

Krivax wanted it badly. Being Azjol-Nerub’s lead diplomat offered him a lot of influence, but so many options would open up to him if he had more personal power. Despite this, Krivax didn’t allow greed to overpower his rationality and decided to ask a few questions. “All I have to do is continue acting in the interest of Azeroth? This won’t make me your servant or anything, right?”

“It would be a poor way of showing my gratitude if it bound you to my service. So long as you aren’t using this power for evil ends, it is yours to do as you please.”

That was a good enough answer for Krivax. He didn’t want to risk his position in Azjol-Nerub, but the High King wouldn’t fault him for this power if it didn’t divide his loyalties. Krivax would need to speak with Malygos about the story that he intended to implant in the expedition’s minds to explain the matter, but that was a small matter.

“Will it turn me into some kind of dragon-spider person?” Krivax asked, barely stopping himself from reaching out the sphere outright. The dragonspawn and drakonids were both humanoid races of dragon people who were created from mortals, so he knew it was possible. He would almost certainly accept the power even if it did, but Krivax wanted to have some kind of warning first.

“It will almost certainly have some effect on your physiology, but likely nothing so dramatic,” said Alexstrasza, seemingly amused by his question. “Your carapace might change colors or you could grow a few claws, but you’re unlikely to grow wings and a tail. I cannot say for certain as the effect of draconic magic on the descendants of the Aqir has never been studied.”

Krivax hoped that it wouldn’t be too drastic. He’d gotten used to being a Vizier and didn’t want to deal with a significantly changed body again. Plus every Queen in Azjol-Nerub would want to study him if he turned into a spider-dragon.

Still, Krivax’s answer was one that came without hesitation. “I accept.”

“Excellent,” said Alexstrasza, stretching out her hand as she presented the sphere to him. “Then I give to you a fragment of my power, Vizier Krivax. May it serve you well and make clear my favor to all who see it.”

Krivax’s hand shook with anticipation as he reached out to the Dragon Queen’s offered gift. As soon as he made contact with the sphere, Krivax was blinded to everything aside from the seemingly limitless surge of power flowing through his body. He could feel the Aspect of Life’s power settling deep within him and already begin affecting his body.

At that moment, he knew that his life would be changed forever.