Chương 53: Chapter 43

As Krivax began writing the transcript of the meeting between Malygos and the Council of Six, he couldn't help but feel like things had completely gone off the rails. Not only was Malygos forcing the Order of Kal'tut to reveal itself to the High King, which was mostly a good thing as far as he was concerned, but the crazy dragon had also been casually dropping world-changing information throughout the entire meeting.

Krivax could already picture the room full of Viziers that would be frantically analyzing the transcript in front of him. Malygos had all but confirmed to Azjol-Nerub that Kalimdor truly existed and that it was inhabited by 'mortals' who were at least powerful enough to be compared to Dalaran. That didn't even begin to touch on the demigod comment that Malygos made, which was guaranteed to catch the attention of the Circle of Viziers. There was also that reveal about elves being descended from trolls…

I'm sure a lot of people are going to have a field day with that. However, none of that could compare in terms of importance to the existence of the Dragon Aspects and the corruption of Deathwing. He had every expectation that the High King would react strongly once he was informed about the existential threat that was Deathwing… Krivax just wished that he didn't need to be there when he heard about it.

According to what Hadix told him, the Order of Kal'tut had continued to remain reluctant to reveal itself to the High King, even after they had been told about Malygos' ultimatum. They apparently had a difficult time believing that Malygos was truly as powerful as Krivax and Hadix had told them. That lasted for all of a single day before Malygos somehow got wind of their reluctance and decided to show them the error of their ways.

Krivax didn't know how Malygos learned about the issue so quickly or what he did to convince them otherwise, but the Order of Kal'tut was now reluctantly onboard with abandoning their secrecy. He probably used some kind of ridiculously overpowered divination magic, Krivax mused to himself. I would have loved to get the chance to watch Malygos scare the hell out of someone who wasn't me. It'd probably make me feel a bit better about the whole thing.

After a decision had been made, the Order frantically started to plan the best way to present themselves to the High King in as sympathetic of a light as possible. Krivax could guess that a large part of that would be them doing everything they could to hide their more… controversial actions while simultaneously gathering evidence of the good that they had done for Azjol-Nerub over the millennia.

In addition, they also wanted to prove to the High King that he would need them, which was why Krivax had been provided with an Elixir of Perfect Recall and told to write the transcript. All of these preparations had taken several weeks, which was enough time for Hadix to get all his limbs back, much to Krivax's relief. Hadix assured him that High King was extremely unlikely to do anything dumb or drastic like having them all executed for treason.

Anub'arak was widely considered to be a wise leader who rarely acted on emotion, so he would probably do what was best for Azjol-Nerub regardless of his personal feelings on the matter. Hadix predicted that Anub'arak would, at worst, force the Order to be dissolved and reformed as a formal organization under his command. Still, there was no guarantee that everything was going to turn out all right.

Rulers aren't generally known for reacting well to learning that their subjects are ignoring their authority and keeping important secrets related to national security. A secret conspiracy as pervasive as the Order of Kal'tut, no matter how 'benevolent' they might be, could be considered to be a direct threat to the High King's power.

"Vizier Hadix, why are we the ones who need to reveal the Order to the High King?" Krivax asked, not for the first time.

"Shouldn't something like this be handled by people who… aren't us?"

"A member of the Order's leadership will be in attendance as well, Krivax," Hadix patiently responded, not bothering to look away from his spellweaving.

"We have been ordered to join them because I am the one who was investigating Deathwing, and you are the one who has had the most contact with Malygos." Krivax dearly wished that those reasons were less compelling than they were.

"And you're certain that the High King won't decide to have us imprisoned, killed, or exiled?"

"Certainty does not exist. There's every chance that the High King could suddenly take actions contrary to the way that he has ruled for the past millennia," Hadix said solemnly.

"However, it is exceedingly unlikely that he will actually do so."

"Then why are you preparing such a complex long-distance teleportation spell for the meeting?" Hadix glanced at him with a mildly impressed expression before responding, "I'm glad to see that you haven't allowed your diplomatic duties to prevent you from continuing your learning." Krivax perked up at the praise. He'd been putting a lot of effort into his spatial magic recently, as being able to easily travel long distances would open up a lot of options for him.

"As for why I'm preparing the spell, I have not lived as long as I have by refusing to prepare for events simply because they are unlikely." Krivax didn't have much to say about that, so he simply continued to write his transcript in silence. Hadix must have been watching him carefully, because he decided to speak up as soon as Krivax finished writing the last word, "If you are done, then we should leave as soon as we can. It would not do to be late for a meeting as important as this one."

"Understood, I'm ready to go," said Krivax, quickly storing the transcript in his spatial bag. Krivax followed behind his mentor as the two of them began making their way to the portal to En'kilah. Once there, it wouldn't take long to reach another portal that would take them to the city of Azjol-Nerub where they would meet the High King. At least there's no way that this meeting will be as terrifying as my last one…

Anub'arak could sense the tension of the council chamber's hidden guards as they waited for the arrival of his unexpected guests. Their caution was warranted given the circumstances. When several of the kingdom's most powerful Viziers used their political influence to arrange a meeting with the High King while refusing to explain the meeting's actual purpose, it was wise to be suspicious.

When those Viziers requested that the meeting be held privately with the High King without his council, it was perhaps time to grow worried. If Anub'arak was not as certain as he could be that there had not been any preparations made for an attempted coup, he would have never agreed to the meeting in the first place.

If he had not received several reports over the past few weeks detailing the suspicious behavior of many Viziers who were suspected of being associated with the mysterious conspiracy manipulating the politics of his kingdom, Anub'arak may have still declined. What he needed the most was to gather more information, and the circumstances of this meeting promised just that, regardless of how suspicious it was.

That was why Anub'arak decided to call for his most loyal Dread Stalkers as well as several Obsidian Destroyers to protect both him and the only council member who he had refused to be sent away. Anub'arak glanced down at Elder Nadox and saw that the Vizier was still speaking quietly into his scrying crystal.

After a few minutes, Elder Nadox finished his conversation and turned his attention back to his Anub'arak, "Your Majesty, Vizier Hadix and Vizier Krivax have both passed through the portal from En'kilah to Azjol-Nerub and will arrive in approximately twenty minutes. The Dread Stalkers are following them both closely and have failed to notice anything suspicious. Elder Nox'tir of Naz'anak has already arrived and is waiting outside of the council chambers."

"They are a strange group," Anub'arak commented.

"Have our investigations had any success in identifying a connection between our guests?"

"None aside from the obvious, Your Majesty," said Elder Nadox, his tone regretful.

"They're all suspected of being involved in the conspiracy, but there is little connection to be found otherwise. Vizier Hadix has met with Elder Nox'tir on a few occasions while in Naz'anak, but there are only a few recorded incidents of them speaking over several centuries. Vizier Krivax has never met Elder Nox'tir, nor has he ever gone to Naz'anak, but that is unsurprising given his relative youth." Anub'arak could feel his disappointment grow at the answer.

He was beginning to grow increasingly frustrated with the veil of secrecy that obscured these Viziers. Anub'arak momentarily considered dealing with them in a more… heavy-handed manner, but those thoughts disappeared as quickly as they came. Elder Nox'tir was a close confidant of Underking Anub'esset and was one of the most politically influential Viziers in Naz'anak.

Although Vizer Hadix lacked such political influence, he was a powerful enough mage that it would be unwise to confront him without gathering more information first. After mages reached a certain degree of power, accurately evaluating what they were truly capable of tended to become difficult. Anub'arak would simply continue to remain patient and learn as much from this meeting as possible.

"Your Majesty, Vizier Hadix and Vizier Krivax have arrived at the ziggurat's entrance," said Elder Nadox, pulling Anub'arak from his thoughts.

"The guards are confiscating their spatial bags and have begun searching them for enchanted items. Neither of them has shown any reluctance to the procedure."

"Instruct the guards to escort them here once they are done," said Anub'arak.

"I see no reason to delay this meeting when doing so will accomplish nothing aside from increasing the tension of my guards."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Anub'arak noticed one of the Dread Stalkers on the ceiling shifting nervously after being directly referenced. The High King made a mental note to inspect the discipline of his guards later but quickly turned his attention to the council chamber's entrance. He didn't have to wait for very long before his guests were escorted in.

Elder Nox'tir and Vizier Hadix were both wearing the typical inscrutable expressions that could be found on most experienced Viziers, but Vizier Krivax's expression was much more open. Anub'arak was easily able to tell that the young Vizier was quite nervous, and perhaps even afraid, which was already enough to cause his curiosity to grow. It made little sense to him that the Viziers would bring someone whose reactions were so readily apparent.

Any lies that they told would be far more obvious with Vizier Krivax in attendance. What are they planning? Anub'arak allowed his confusion to show as a guard followed behind them while carrying a stack of documents.

"Our guests insisted on retrieving those documents from their spatial bags before they were confiscated," Elder Nadox explained quietly.

"They've already been inspected for potential curses, so I allowed the guards to bring them in." Anub'arak nodded to signal his approval. The documents implied that the Viziers before him intended to voluntarily share important information. Not what I expected. Seeing no point in continuing to speculate when the answers were right in front of him, Anub'arak decided to simply wait for the Viziers to begin speaking.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Your Majesty," said Elder Nox'tir, taking the leading role in speaking for the group.

"You and your… colleagues made it quite difficult to refuse," said Anub'arak with obvious censure in his voice.

"I hope that this meeting is as important as you've implied. You would not like the consequences of wasting my time or requesting that I dismiss my council if this matter is a frivolous one."

"We would not dare go to such lengths for anything but the most paramount of concerns, Your Majesty," said Elder Nox'tir, in a tone of voice that was more deferential than Anub'arak would have liked. In his experience, people only acted overly servile when they knew that they were about to tell him something that he didn't want to hear, so Anub'arak was already preparing for the worst.

"I have come here to present to you news of multiple existential threats to the safety of Azjol-Nerub. I sincerely believe that a High King as wise and intelligent as yourself will understand why we took the measures that we did once you have been made fully aware of the situation." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Anub'arak ignored the blatant flattery and shared a surprised glance with Elder Nadox.

Neither of them had known what to expect from the Viziers, but they had both anticipated something much more aggressive from the conspirators.

"What existential threats do you speak of, and why have they not been brought to our attention before now?" Elder Nadox asked pointedly.

"For what reason would a Vizier from Naz'anak know more about what threatens our kingdom than the High King, and why have you come with two Viziers whose duties have them on an entirely different continent?" Anub'arak could see the tension among the three Viziers increase dramatically once faced with a direct question.

"Vizier Hadix and Vizier Krivax have both agreed to be here because they were both directly involved in several important events, and because they are both members of our organization," said Elder Nox'tir. Anub'arak allowed none of his shock to show when the Vizier so brazenly admitted to the existence of their secret organization.

"I'm confident that you've become aware of some of our actions in recent times, Your Majesty. The Order of Kal'tut would like to make clear that we are both loyal to you, and that we seek to do nothing but protect Azjol-Nerub as best we can as we have for millennia." Anub'arak remained silent once the Vizier finished speaking and took a moment to study the Viziers in front of him.

Elder Nox'tir was doing his best to feign that he was calm, but Anub'arak had been dealing with politics for most of his life, and he could see the tension in his body. Vizier Hadix was also feigning calm, but Anub'arak could tell that the Vizier was tense and prepared to cast a spell at any moment. Interestingly, Vizier Hadix seemed to be leaning slightly toward Vizier Krivax, likely intending to protect his student should anything go wrong.

Anub'arak couldn't tell whether or not Vizier Krivax was actually attempting to hide his expressions, but the young Vizier was clearly extremely nervous. The High King could feel that his Dread Stalkers were alert and ready to take action the moment he ordered them to do so. After taking a moment to consider his options, Anub'arak decided to ease the tension before someone acted foolishly.

"Explain yourself, now," Anub'arak ordered. Elder Nox'tir bowed and began to respond with visible relief in his expression, "Of course, You—""Not you," Anub'arak interrupted before turning his gaze to the youngest Vizier in the group.

"Vizier Krivax, you will be the one to explain this 'Order of Kal'tut' to me."

"Y–Your Majesty? Vizier Krivax is merely a few years old, surel—""He is the worst liar out of all of you, and I tire of being fed falsehoods," said Anub'arak, glaring at Elder Nox'tir and interrupting him for the second time.

"You and your organization have proven yourself willing to deceive me for my entire reign. I have no interest in listening to whatever story you intend to sell me, Elder Nox'tir. If you do not believe Vizier Krivax to be sufficiently qualified to speak for your organization, then you should have considered that before bringing him here." Anub'arak knew that he made the correct decision once he saw Elder Nox'tir glance at Vizier Krivax apprehensively.

"Vizier Krivax, know that my protection is available to you if you are being coerced," said Anub'arak, causing the anxious young Vizier to slightly startle. From everything that he had seen so far, he doubted that Vizier Krivax was being forced to do anything against his will, but Anub'arak felt compelled to make the offer regardless.

"Given your relative youth, you could not have been a member of this organization for particularly long." Vizier Krivax looked to his mentor for guidance on how to proceed, but he quickly calmed down and resolved himself once it became clear that he would be receiving none, "Your Majesty, I really don't know as much about the Order as Elder Nox'tir, but I will explain things as best that I can. I think I should start by explaining to you what the Void is, and then share what I was told about the Order's history…"

Anub'arak listened patiently as the young Vizier did just that. Despite the fact that Vizier Krivax lacked the ability to successfully lie to him, Anub'arak didn't actually believe everything that he was being told. Withholding accurate information from younger or less trusted members was common practice for any organization with something to hide. Still, hearing what the Order of Kal'tut told its new members was valuable, even if that information was not necessarily accurate.

Or at least, that's what Anub'arak thought until he expressed skepticism about the threat of the Void, only for Elder Nox'tir to eagerly offer to perform a demonstration that was traditionally given to their new members. Anub'arak carefully considered the risks before agreeing and allowing the Vizier to retrieve a 'bottle of concentrated Void' from his spatial bag.

The Dread Stalkers positioned themselves so that they could immediately skewer Elder Nox'tir at the first sign of treachery, but the Vizier did nothing aside from retrieving a bottle that contained some kind of squirming pitch-black substance. As soon as the bottle's stopper was removed, Anub'arak could immediately feel a strange sense of malice emanating from the substance.

Elder Nox'tir didn't hesitate to throw the bottle at a non-sapient skitter that had been called for the demonstration, causing it to quickly begin screeching in pain. Anub'arak would not have considered the Void to be any more dangerous than a common alchemical acid if it wasn't for what happened next. Throughout the entire demonstration, he had been telepathically connected with the skitterer so that he could more accurately determine the effects of this so-called Void.

That was why he could feel that connection began being corrupted only for some manner of strange and alien intelligence to slowly start taking over the skitter's mind. Once he felt that intelligence noticed him, Anub'arak ended his telepathic connection as quickly as he could.

"Kill it. Now." Anub'arak immediately ordered. It was only after he wasn't focused on the skitterer's mind that he noticed the physical changes that were taking place to the creature. They were not pleasant. Vizier Hadix didn't hesitate to burn the creature to ashes with a stream of flames. The council room was silent for several moments as Anub'arak and Elder Nadox processed what they had just seen. I can see why such a demonstration is considered to be traditional. It is quite effective.

Once he finished composing himself, Anub'arak suppressed his anger at having the existence of something so dangerous hidden from him and calmly ordered Vizier Krivax to continue his explanations. Unfortunately, the more that Vizier Krivax spoke, the more difficult Anub'arak found it to contain his anger. Halfway through, he ordered the Viziers to present any documents that they had brought that contained information about their organization.

Reading through a complete list of their members did nothing to calm Anub'arak down. The Order of Kal'tut's membership list contained the names of many of the most powerful Viziers in his kingdom, including a member of his very own council, Seer Ixit. When the young Vizier began explaining why the Order of Kal'tut refused to recruit from the other castes, Anub'arak expected Elder Nox'tir to interject with a correction. When he didn't, the High King finally lost control of his patience.

"Allow me to repeat your explanations so that I can be certain that I'm understanding the situation correctly," said Anub'arak, his voice low and menacing.

"Your organization has hidden vital information from the rightful leaders of Azjol-Nerub for the past ten thousand years because you believe that Spiderlords and Queens are too incapable of properly protecting themselves from the Void, is that correct?"

"Of course not, Your Majesty! We have nothing but the highest respect for the kingdom's Spiderlords and Queens," Elder Nox'tir hurriedly denied.

"It's simply that Viziers are more proficient in using magic to shield their minds from the Void's influence!"

"I don't believe you," Anub'arak immediately responded, shooting the Vizier a glare cold enough to make him flinch.

"Would you like to know what I believe to be your organization's genuine motivations? I think it's far more likely that you all hid yourselves due to actual necessity at first until you all received a taste of power and decided that you didn't wish to share. If I investigate your members, I highly suspect to find that your organization uses its influence to elevate them beyond what they deserve. Is that assumption correct, Elder Nox'tir?" The Vizier very wisely decided to keep silent.

Anub'arak was glad, he wasn't quite sure how he would have responded if the fool tried to feed him another lie. Anub'arak turned his gaze to Vizier Hadix before continuing to speak, "If your history in particular is any indication, then the Order of Kal'tut seems to be more than willing to use its power to subvert our justice system. Or do you intend to tell me that it is a mere coincidence that your mentor was found to be guilty of practicing 'dangerous magics'?

Does your organization always recruit the students of the Void corrupted Viziers that it extrajudicially assassinates?"

"No, it does not," said Vizier Hadix, a flash of anger crossing his expression as he spoke up for the first time.

"I have never agreed with the Order's decision to recruit from only the Vizier caste, but you are mistaken if you believe that our actions have been only self-serving. We have prevented several potential catastrophes throughout your reign, and we've come to you now because we've been confronted with a threat that we cannot handle alone."

Anub'arak knew that Vizier Hadix was attempting to draw his focus away from the Order's deeds and toward whatever it was that threatened Azjol-Nerub, but he decided to allow the change in topic. His duty was to act in the best interests of his kingdom, regardless of his personal feelings.

"Explain to me what these threats are," said Anub'arak, directing his order to Vizier Krivax.

"Yes, Your Majesty. There are a few documents that detail them in great detail." Anub'arak listened quietly as Vizier Krivax weaved a tale about mind-manipulating magic and potential void cultists hiding among the human nations. He listened as the Vizier spoke about a corrupted dragon that was large enough to kill a Spiderlord with a single claw and collapse their kingdom's tunnels down on their heads.

He continued to remain silent as he spoke about his meeting with another mad dragon who possessed magical power that far exceeded even the most powerful of Viziers. Once Vizier Krivax was finished speaking, Anub'arak said nothing beyond ordering the Viziers to remain quiet as he read through the documents that they had brought and decided what to do with them. Anub'arak quickly scanned through the documents.

Many of them described events in which the Order of Kal'tut supposedly saved Azjol-Nerub from potential threats throughout the years. He set those aside first and began reading through the transcript of Vizier Krivax's meeting with the Council of Six and the dragon known as Malygos. Anub'arak paused halfway through reading when the document referenced a 'demigod' who lived on a continent named 'Kalimdor,' and cited a separate report which contained information on the Order's investigation into the Kirin Tor.

As he read through the multiple recorded references to Kalimdor, Anub'arak could feel some of his anger being replaced by a weary exasperation. Another continent? Truly? His mind turned to Azjol-Nerub's efforts to construct a navy before he forced himself to refocus on the matter at hand. Anub'arak ignored the tension in the room as he silently read through the rest of the documents.

Once he was done, the High King fell into deliberation as he analyzed everything that he had learned and attempted to settle on the best course of action. Eventually, Anub'arak reached a conclusion and his voice cut through the silence, "From this point onward, the Order of Kal'tut no longer exists. I will be sending immediate orders for its dissolution as soon as this meeting has been concluded, as well as orders for a thorough investigation into their activities and historical records."

Anub'arak simply could not allow such a powerful organization to exist outside of his control. The Order of Kal'tut in its current form was an explicit threat to the authority of not only him, but also every High King who came after him. He also needed to know definitively how much of what he had been told was the truth, and that was not something that Anub'arak could establish without a full investigation. However… the Void was still a genuine threat to the safety of Azjol-Nerub.

If these 'Old Gods' were not merely legends meant to fool impressionable hatchlings, and his people had originated from their essence, then the Void would always be a unique threat to the safety and autonomy of his people. Anub'arak studied the reactions of the Viziers. Elder Nox'tir was wearing a stunned expression, but Vizier Hadix seemed much calmer while Vizier Krivax looked to be… relieved?

The High King continued once he saw that none of them were foolish enough to protest, "A new organization will be created that will be dedicated to protecting Azjol-Nerub from the Void and taking on the Order's duties. This organization will be directly under the kingdom's control and will include members of all castes. The former members of the Order of Kal'tut may or may not find themselves reassigned to this organization from their current duties."

Such an organization was necessary, and it gave Anub'arak an excuse to potentially push troublesome Viziers from important roles by reassigning them away from their positions of power. It would have to be done slowly so as to not cause excessive political turmoil, but Anub'arak had no intention of ignoring those who had shown themselves to be unworthy of trust. After today, Seer Ixit would certainly not be on his council…

Anub'arak pushed those thoughts away and prepared himself to give an order that no High King had given in fifteen millennia, "Elder Nadox, once this meeting is over, call for an emergency gathering of my council. Inform them that Azjol-Nerub will be going to war against the Horde and that we must discuss the necessary preparations. We will also need to decide on who will be sent to aid Dalaran in securing the Dragon Soul."

The effect of his words was immediate as every single nerubian in the room showed expressions of surprise.

"War?! Your Majesty, are you certain?" Anub'arak nodded solemnly, "I am. If our investigations validate what I've been told to be true, then Deathwing is an existential threat to Azjol-Nerub and the Horde are being used as his tools. That is absolutely unacceptable. If our safety requires the defeat of the Horde, the retrieval of the Dragon Soul, and the destruction of Deathwing, then we will do everything in our power to achieve those goals.

Not only that, but constructing additional settlements in the Eastern Kingdoms has now become a necessity. We can't afford to not have a presence there when the next threat appears." Once his reasoning was explained, Elder Nadox seemed to quickly find himself in agreement, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good. Elder Nox'tir, you may return to Naz'anak. Your presence is no longer required," Anub'arak said dismissively.

"Vizier Hadix and Vizier Krivax, you both have much experience with the Eastern Kingdoms. You stay for a while so that you can answer any questions my council might have about either the Order, the Void, or the Eastern Kingdoms." In time, all of Azjol-Nerub's leadership would know of the Void, its origins, and its dangers so that they would be prepared. But for now, only a select few would be informed of the situation until the investigations were over.

Anub'arak had no intention of hiding what he had learned from his own advisors. As soon as the two Viziers expressed their agreement and Elder Nadox left to carry out his instructions, Anub'arak ceased paying attention to them and focused on planning for the coming war. Despite everything that he had learned since the discovery of the Eastern Kingdoms, Anub'arak still firmly believed that Azjol-Nerub was the most powerful civilization in the world.

He had no doubt that the rest of the world would soon share his opinion.