Chapter 80 |
Malygos didn't often use magic to split his mind into multiple instances despite the undeniable usefulness of doing so.
Even for someone as skilled with magic as himself, such magic came with distinct risks. His history of… minor mental instability only aggravated those risks to unacceptable. However, temporary moments like these, when he needed to simultaneously attend to multiple important tasks, made him grateful to have such abilities at his disposal.
Currently, Malygos had a rare guest in his lair in the form of Alexstrasza. The two of them were wearing their mortal guises as they listened to Krivax deliver a report on the ongoing mortal operations in Pandaria.
The operation was in its preliminary stages, with the Alliance gradually transferring personnel to the continent via portal and establishing a base of operations on the continent. This stage would last until the Alliance's actions were discovered by the enemy, at which point they would transition into a full assault.
Once that happened, Malygos and Alexstrasza would then lead an assault by the Dragonflights on the Scourge’s stronghold on the Isle of Thunder. A multi-pronged attack was the best way to utilize their element of surprise, as their enemy should have little to no warning that they’d managed to bypass Pandaria’s concealments.
This was why the two of them were currently waiting in Malygos’ lair. Teleporting two people to a precise location several thousand miles away was already a difficult task. When you included the general interference being caused by the growing Void corruption in Pandaria and a lack of familiarity with the destination, even the Aspect of Magic needed to prepare a ritual in the corner of his lair.
He and Alexstrasza were fully prepared to begin the assault at a moment's notice.
Malygos had to admit that he was somewhat looking forward to the matter. It had been a long time since Azeroth had borne witness to the full might of a Dragonflight. Those green-skinned mortals had surrendered far too quickly for his liking, after all.
This was a… convenient opportunity to give the world a reminder of who exactly they were dealing with.
In the portion of his lair where he kept the majority of his enchanted instruments, Malygos was engrossed in his work. These devices, arrayed with meticulous care, served to analyze and gauge various magical phenomena.
One particular device was levitating the body of a female pandaren, who had been killed by the Scourge, steadily in the air before him. Malygos wouldn’t normally look twice at a dead mortal, but the manner in which this one had been killed grew more concerning the longer he studied it.
Not only was the corpse covered in crimson pustules that seeped a watery red fluid, but it was also twisted and deformed in an unnatural manner. Despite being magically preserved only a few moments after death, the mortal’s fur was already matted and falling out in clumps, revealing discolored skin showing signs of advanced necrosis. Its snout was elongated and pulled back in a silent snarl, revealing more teeth than pandaren should possess, while its limbs were knotted and gnarled like the roots of a diseased tree.
Malygos had long since been aware that the Lich King and the demons controlling them could potentially make use of magical diseases. Krivax’s description of the so-called Plague of Undeath that turned mortals directly into undead had made that perfectly clear.
However, Malygos’ analysis of the matter had determined that the creation of such a terrible affliction would have taken even the Lich King significant time to perfect. Studying the corpse made it clear to him that those efforts were further along than Malygos had anticipated. Traces of both demonic and necromantic magic could be sensed in the corpse, along with nearly imperceptible hints of something much more out of place.
Malygos was surprised to find even the smallest amount of Life magic weaved into the plague’s magical signature, but every examination affirmed that to be the case.
Malygos didn’t like it when his enemies did things that didn’t make sense. It usually meant that they had done something annoyingly clever and were about to make his life far more difficult than necessary.
Deciding that he needed to look into the matter more closely, Malygos cast a spell that caused the dead mortal’s stagnant blood to flow out of the corpse and coalesce into a small floating sphere. Life magic had a tendency to concentrate in blood more than any other types of magic, so Malygos suspected that a careful study of the blood could yield valuable insights.
Ignoring the concerned expressions of his sibling, Malygos focused intently on the sphere of blood as he wove spells to isolate the distinct magical signature. Slowly, Malygos filtered out the necrotic and demonic energies until he was left only with a perplexing sample of Life magic. Not only was it completely out of place with the other forces in the blood, but it was also so pure that it had actually coalesced into a liquid form.
Malygos studied the sample for several more moments before deciding to turn his full attention to the little prophet’s report. Alexstrasza knew far more about Life magic than he ever would, so he may as well wait until he had a chance to discuss his observations regarding the plague with her before continuing.
“—rtunately, the Kirin Tor has been more effective than anticipated, but we doubt that will last for much longer,” Krivax said through the scrying mirror from his office in Dalaran, referring to illusions being used to hide the Alliance’s movements. “Undead Cloud Serpents have been seen scouting our location in increasing numbers, so the Alliance is preparing to begin the next phase of the operation very soon. Likely within the next few hours.”
That was within Malygos’ expectations. The Lich King’s control of Pandaria’s coasts, the growing portions of land corrupted by the Sha, and the ongoing war between the natives and the undead meant that there were limited areas for the Alliance to operate undetected.
That the mortals had managed to transfer their forces to Pandaria for several days without being attacked was already a minor miracle.
“That is troubling to hear, but it was always inevitable,” Alexstrasza said, her voice tinged with concern yet undeniably steadfast. “What of Krasus? Has he yet managed to make contact with the Wild Gods protecting the mortals of Pandaria?”
Since the enemy was undead, Alexstrasza lacked the usual melancholy that came before they were forced to confront and destroy living creatures, a fact Malygos was grateful for. Alexstrasza was always far more focused and effective when there was nothing holding her back.
“Krasus has been successful in opening dialogue with the August Celestials, particularly Xuen, the White Tiger,” Krivax responded, relief evident in his voice. “They seem to be very glad to have assistance against the undead. By all accounts, the Scourge are quickly growing in number and power. The Celestials would not have been able to hold them off forever.”
Malygos nodded, somewhat satisfied by the news. Very few Wild Gods could even come close to matching an Aspect in power, but every ally was valuable in a war against the Burning Legion’s pet necromancer.
“Good. Then our plan is much more likely to succeed,” said Malygos, thinking back to the many weeks he and Archaedas had worked to create an artifact capable of capturing a powerful Dreadlord. “I assume that the mortals we’ve entrusted with the device are in position?”
“Vizier Hadix and his team are already on Pandaria,” Krivax dutifully reported. “They’re simply waiting for the assault to begin in earnest before moving forward.”
That was good. He had no doubt that things would change soon, but everything seemed to be progressing as planned so far.
For the next several minutes, Malygos listened as the mortal briefed them on a variety of issues, eventually focusing on their preparations to defend against a potential counter-attack.
At first, Malygos hadn’t been particularly worried about the Lich King attacking the mortals while he and Alexstrasza were busy assaulting the Isle of Thunder. Even if the Scourge managed to slaughter a few coastal cities, that would hardly be enough to make them a threat against a being as powerful as himself.
However, Malygos had certain suspicions about the plague that gave him pause.
Malygos listened carefully as Krivax detailed the efforts to defend and fortify the most likely targets for the Lich Kings to attack, which included Kul’Tiras, Gilneas, and Stormwind. All three mortal kingdoms had capital cities which could be accessed by the ocean and be the source of plenty of undead soldiers to the Scourge should they fall.
Fortunately, it seemed like the mortals were smart enough to take the threat seriously this time. Krivax had more than a few petty complaints about the ruler of Kul’Tiras being ambivalent toward the Alliance, but it seemed like even their military had been placed on high alert.
Another potential target was the defenseless orcs still in internment camps, but measures had been taken on that front as well.
The fact that his Flight, through the efforts of the Azure Circle of Mages, had improved the deplorable scrying magic of the mortals helped circumstances significantly. It was utterly absurd that the Horde had managed to destroy Stormwind during the First War without anyone noticing, no matter how many minds Neltharion had twisted. Now, any significant attacks on the Alliance would be discovered minutes after it occurred.
When combined with the teams of moderately powerful mortals that Krivax had prepared to respond to the Lich King, it seemed like the mortals were prepared to defend themselves. At least long enough for him to finish his business and return in time to save them from any counterattack.
Oh, how Malygos wished that he could return to sleeping in his lair for decades and leaving the forces of Azeroth to defend themselves.
Malygos continued to listen as Krivax elaborated on the status of the mortal defenses. Eventually, there was nothing else that they needed to hear from the little prophet, so Malygos decided to end the conversation and wait for the next phase of the operation to commence. Just as he was about to do so, Alexstrasza decided to speak up.
“I don’t mean to pry, but it’s clear to me that something is concerning you,” said Alexstrasza, her voice annoyingly empathetic as she spoke to the mortal. “Is everything alright, Vizier Krivax?”
Malygos couldn’t help but sigh, resigning himself to having to endure an emotional interlude while they had more important things to discuss. Given that Alexstrasza was fond enough of the mortal to offer him a sliver of her power, it was little surprise that she would be concerned for his well-being.
“Uh, there’s nothing wrong with the operation, if that’s what you were wondering,” Krivax said hesitantly, clearly taken aback. “It’s just… I suppose I’m feeling a bit nervous is all. From the moment I reincarnated in this world, the very first thing I worried about was the Lich King. I know that there are greater threats out there, but it was the Scourge who destroyed Azjol-Nerub in the original timeline. It feels… strange to finally reach this moment after so many years of preparation.”
Malygos hummed thoughtfully even as Alexstrasza’s expression turned sympathetic and she began offering the mortal comfortable platitudes.
From what he knew of the mortal, it made sense that this would feel like a particularly special moment to him. Krivax was quite young, his soul being only a few decades older than his body, so he’d yet to experience the endless cycles of conflict and resolution that Malygos and his kin had grown numb to.
He wasn’t normally one to offer comfort, but Malygos couldn’t deny that he owed much to the mortal.
Perhaps a more practical accounting of the situation will suffice?, Malygos mused to himself.
“There is little need for you to worry. You’ve done an adequate job of preparing Azeroth for this moment,” said Malygos, interrupting his sibling’s comforting words. “Compared to the events that happened in your vision, the Alliance now has the aid of both Azjol-Nerub and the Dragonflights. Not only that, but the Lich King has been denied the luxury of a decade to grow and consolidate their forces on Northrend without intervention. In a direct confrontation, it is the defenders of Azeroth who hold the advantage.”
Naturally, there were a few negative changes which Malygos neglected to mention. The Eastern Kingdoms had much less time to recover from the Second War and the kaldorei were much less involved with the rest of Azeroth than they apparently would have been, but those were minor concerns from his perspective.
Saving Malygos from his… declining sanity was of more value than any number of elves.
“Make no mistake, this is not a conflict that will end quickly,” Malygos continued, seeing that he had the mortal’s full attention. “The Dreadlords know that they are weak and will seek to hide their pet necromancer from us for as long as possible. But you’ve done all that you can to ensure our plans have the best chance of succeeding. Regardless of what happens, I have no doubt that we will be victorious.”
Surprising even to himself, Malygos found that he fully believed his own words. Despite the many sacrifices they had suffered, Azeroth had managed to face and defeat the Burning Legion’s endless waves of demons during the War of the Ancients.
Compared to that, what do we have to fear from the Lich King?
Turning his attention back to the conversation, Malygos realized that both Alexstrasza was giving him a knowing, appreciative smile that made him want to growl, while the mortal seemed genuinely reassured.
“Thank you. That’s good to hear,” said Krivax, his posture relaxing. “I suppose you’re right. At this point, I’ll just have to trust everyone else to handle things. We’re a lot better off than we would have been, and there are many competent people helping out. So, I’m sure everything will be alright.”
Seeing that the mortal had been sufficiently reassured, Malygos decided to end the conversation before Alexstrasza could drag it out any longer.
“Indeed. If your confidence regarding our chances of victory should falter in the future, simply remind yourself that you’ve chosen to fight on the same side as myself,” said Malygos, assuming that was the greatest reassurance anyone could ask for. “Now if there’s nothing else, there are matters that Alexstrasza and I need time to discuss before our assault on Pandaria.”
A strange expression came over Krivax’ face that resembled… amusement?
Before Malygos could discern what the mortal found humorous, Krivax composed himself and nodded. “Of course. I will inform you the moment that the Alliance is ready to begin the next phase of the operation. Until then, Lord Malygos. Queen Alexstrasza.”
After exchanging a round of farewells, Malygos dispelled the scrying spell with a flick of his wrist. As the scrying mirror grew dark and Malygos was left alone with Alexstrasza, she immediately turned to him with a gaze that was still frustratingly pleased.
“That was quite the speech you gave,” said Alexstrasza, her eyes sparking with warmth. “I never knew that you had a talent for encouraging people.”
Malygos scoffed, turning his attention back to the crimson sphere floating by his side. “It was merely an observation. We are indeed in a position to prevail against this latest threat. It would be foolish to not acknowledge it.”
“Even so, you did a wonderful job of raising Krivax’s morale,” said Alexstrasza. Her voice was approving, but Malygos could hear a hint of curiosity as well. “It was actually rather surprising. Even before… everything that happened, I wouldn’t have expected that from you.”
Malygos was both relieved and annoyed with how circumspect Alexstrasza was in mentioning his Flight’s near complete destruction by Neltharion and subsequent ten millennia of isolation and madness.
He’d been feeling better recently as he interacted with the remaining members of his Flight, but that period of his life was one that he was attempting to put behind him.
“I’m well aware that I’ve never been the most pleasant of individuals, but aren’t you the one who is always telling me that I should be more courteous?” Malygos asked, turning to his sibling and raising an eyebrow in challenge. “If the little prophet’s visions are any indication, then it is clear that Azeroth is going to change rapidly in the near future. Is it so unbelievable that I might wish to try changing with it?”
Malygos had already committed himself to changing, but his conviction to do so had only grown while piecing together the remains of his Flight. So many of them had been left hopelessly adrift while Malygos had stubbornly clung to the past.
There had been many who had attempted to help him, to make him realize that there were still people who were looking to him for leadership and guidance. But in his grief, Malygos had pushed them all away and remained mired in his own sorrow. If he wished to ensure that nothing like that ever happened again, then he needed to adapt and grow.
As loath as he was to admit it, Malygos could stand to be more like Alexstrasza, who had recently suffered the loss of her Prime Consort yet remained steadfast in her duties and compassion.
Though… he could do without emulating her naivete.
“Of course not, brother. I’m relieved to see that you’re doing so well,” said Alexstrasza, gently placing a hand on his shoulder as she walked to his side. “After everything that has happened, you deserve a chance to be happy. We all do.”
For a moment, Malygos decided to simply enjoy this rare instance of peace and companionship with his sibling.
Nobody else on Azeroth could even come close to understanding what he and the other Aspects had endured. Not even the oldest members of their Flights could comprehend the weight of responsibility that Tyr had placed on their shoulders or the world-changing decisions that they had been forced to make.
Malygos was not the most empathetic of dragons, but even he could acknowledge that none of them would still be sane if not for each other.
There were many reasons why Malygos hated the version of himself that Krivax had described on that fateful day in Uldaman, but leaving his siblings behind like Neltharion had done was among the worst.
Unsurprisingly, Malygos was the first to grow uncomfortable and soon found himself directing Alexstrasza’s attention to the sample of magical energy that he’d isolated earlier.
“Enough of that. There’s something that I would like you to examine,” said Malygos, deciding to steer their conversation back to more important matters.
Alexstrasza chuckled knowingly, but obliged and shifted her attention to blood floating by his side.
“What is this, brother?” asked Alexstrasza, studying the orb as her expression grew solemn. “I could feel your concern growing the longer you studied that corpse. Is the Scourge’s plague truly so deadly?”
As the Aspect of Life, a magical plague was naturally a matter of great concern to Alexstrasza.
“Before I answer, tell me what you sense when you examine it,” said Malygos, deciding that he didn’t want to bias his sibling’s response. “Does anything about it feel familiar at all?”
Alexstrasza glanced at him with a concerned expression, but she complied without further comment. Her eyes glowed faintly with golden light as she focused on the orb and called on her innate connection to Life magic. Eventually, her eyes widened and she turned to Malygos with a concerned expression.
“It… reminds me of the substance the Keepers once used when they wished to create life,” Alexstrasza said hesitantly, confirming Malygos’ worst suspicions. “I believe they referred to it as Anima, though I’m not quite certain. I never paid much attention to their methods of creating life since I’m capable of replicating most of their techniques through my own power.”
Malygos nodded, frowning as he considered the implications. “Then it is as we feared. Highkeeper Ra has almost certainly fallen under the control of the Scourge. Other than the Keepers, the only other stable supply of Anima on Azeroth is the Forge of Wills in Ulduar. So, that seems to be the most likely conclusion.”
As far as Malygos understood, Anima was effectively Life magic in its most concentrated and pure state. Not only was it a vital ingredient in the artificial creation of sapient beings, but it was also the substance which powered the Keepers.
As much as Malygos might malign Archaedas by referring to him as a golem, that was far from the truth. Despite their inorganic nature, Keepers were beings beyond even the most sophisticated of golems that Malygos, or any other mage, had managed to create.
No matter how complex the magic or how valuable the materials used in a golem’s construction, nobody had ever come close to replicating the power or intelligence of the Keepers. Malygos had long since concluded that doing so would be impossible without Anima.
Unfortunately, acquiring the substance would be impossible without accessing the Forge of Wills or harvesting it from a Keeper, whose bodies continuously produced the substance.
It was clear to Malygos that the Scourge was studying the substance and attempting to incorporate the knowledge that they gained into their experimental plague. That being the case, it was only logical to conclude that they’d acquired a stable source.
“It seems to be just as Krivax warned,” Malygos continued, recalling what the mortal had told them about Lei Shen. It was difficult to believe that a mortal had successfully kept a Keeper imprisoned in their palace, but the evidence was undeniable. “If Keeper Ra was found in a vulnerable state, then it’s possible that the Scourge has already corrupted him and turned him against us.”
Malygos was suddenly quite glad that Alexstrasza wasn’t being forced to attend to other duties like the rest of his siblings. Highkeeper Ra was among the more powerful of the Keepers when it came to combat, inferior only to Tyr and Odyn.
Malygos would have likely still won such a confrontation even if he was alone, but having Alexstrasza by his side would be a great help. After all, only a fool or someone seeking death would participate in a battle without giving themselves every possible advantage.
Alexstrasza sighed deeply, her eyes tinged with sorrow. “That is a grim prospect, but it was a possibility that we had already acknowledged during our previous discussions. We will face Highkeeper Ra together should the worst have come to pass. However, I’m much more concerned about the possible inclusion of Anima into a magical plague. It is difficult to predict what may come of such profane experiments.”
Malygos had similar difficulty imagining what might come of it, as he knew little about Anima. The Keepers were the only ones who truly understood the secrets of the Titans, and they weren’t fond of sharing more than the bare minimum.
Malygos made a reminder to himself that they would need to consult with Archaedas for his knowledge of Anima, but that would need to wait for a more appropriate time.
He and Alexstrasza spent the next several hours studying the plague and learning what they could from it.
Unfortunately, they were only able to discover that the plague was unnaturally virulent and resistant to Life-based healing magic. In addition, Alexstrasza noticed some similarities to a disease from Draenor which the native referred to as the Red Pox.
Her Flight had apparently made particular note of the disease after learning that the Horde had used a modified version against the draenei.
After determining that they couldn’t learn anymore with such a small sample, the two of them began discussing how they would approach a confrontation with Highkeeper Ra.
They momentarily considered calling for Archaedas to participate in their assault on the Isle of Thunder, but decided against it. Archaedas specialized in the creation and maintenance of Titan facilities, and would be of limited usefulness in a violent confrontation.
By the time Krivax finally contacted them and reported that it was time for them to begin their assault, Malygos felt like they had devised a decent enough strategy. After they received the message, he and Alexstrasza immediately made their way over to the already prepared ritual site in the corner of his lair.
The Scourge had erected fairly comprehensive defenses around the island preventing access via spatial magic, so they couldn’t teleport directly into the enemy stronghold. That being the case, Malygos would be teleporting them to the island’s periphery before then breaching the Scourge’s defenses and opening a portal for their Flight’s awaiting forces.
It was a simple plan, but the overwhelming power of two Aspects made complicated plans unnecessary.
“I suppose that it’s time for this again,” Alexstrasza said bitterly as Malygos slowly pushed his magic into the arcane glyphs surrounding them. “Although, I suppose I can’t truly complain. Even by our standards, it’s been quite a while since our last major conflict.”
Malygos made no comment as he quietly focused on completing the spell. Before long, the ritual began to activate and he found images of their destination being conjured in his mind. It was a rather unremarkable spot several hundred feet into the air near the Isle of Thunder.
With a simple flex of his will, the two of them appeared high above the Isle of Thunder and simultaneously shed their mortal guises before regarding the soon-to-be target of their wrath.
Unsurprisingly, the Scourge had done an effective job of fortifying the Isle of Thunder.
Several spires emanating necromantic magic had been erected across the island, bolstering the undead troops and sustaining wards that would alert their leadership to any intrusion. Undead of all shapes and sizes moved constantly across the island as they transported materials to aid in the construction of fortifications.
Skeletal cloud serpents flew through the air as they patrolled the stormy skies, while the coasts around the island teamed with undead more suited for the seas. Those would likely be the most troublesome for the Dragonflights to deal with, as there was little stopping them from retreating further away from the island and harassing the occupying force at their leisure.
Malygos had yet to develop an effective way to deal with aquatic enemies, but that was not their main objective for this assault.
Instead, he and Alexstrasza would be focused on securing the sprawling citadel that could be seen in the center of the island, even from such a distance. The Throne of Thunder was one of the more impressive mortal palaces that Malygos had seen in his long life, surpassed only by the few created during the heights of the Kaldorei and Zandalari Empires.
It was all very formidable, and would be nearly impossible for a mortal force to assault without suffering immense casualties.
How unfortunate for the Scourge that they were facing two Aspects.
“I’ll concentrate on destroying the pylons,” Malygos announced, glancing at his sibling. “You should focus on clearing a space of undead for the portal. Once our Flights are granted access to the island, we can focus our attention on the citadel before the Scourge’s leadership can muster a response.”
Alexstrasza nodded, her eyes fierce as she gazed at the looming fortress and the hordes of undead guarding it. “Agreed. The quicker we disable their defenses and summon our Flights, the sooner we can end this and cleanse Azeroth of their taint.”
Malygos turned his attention back to his target, arcs of arcane energies crackling across his iridescent scales as he prepared to unleash his power. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”
With that, the two Aspects dove toward the Isle of Thunder, their massive forms leaving behind a trail of magic as hurtled through the sky like twin meteors. Each of them was completely focused, ready to fulfill their roles as guardians of Azeroth.
The undead reacted instantly as Malygos and Alexstrasza passed through the wards surrounding the island, rushing in the general direction of the intrusion with complete lack of fear. This only made it easier for Alexstrasza as she flew above the coast and unleashed a wave of vermillion flames, sweeping away any undead in her path and purifying the land beneath her of necromantic magic.
Malygos ignored his sibling as she landed in the center of a Scourge fort and roared so loudly that it could likely be heard for miles around, focused entirely on his own task. Deciding there was no need for any complex spells, Malygos channeled his immense arcane energies in a beam of concentrated power as he flew over one of the pylons.
The structure withstood his attack for several seconds longer than he expected, but eventually exploded in a shower of debris that rained down below. Without a moment’s pause, he moved on to the next one with the intent of destroying them all as quickly as possible.
At the same time, Alexstrasza effortlessly cleaved through dozens of undead with a sweep of her tail, obliterating their bodies beyond what necromancy could animate.
The Scourge attacked them both with everything they could possibly muster, from hails of arrows to modified siege weapons that launched foul alchemical filled with dark magic. Even the very skies seemed to turn against them as lightning fell down upon them from the magical storm above the island.
The attacks were so strong that even they began to sustain minor injuries, but it wasn’t far from enough to prevent them from fulfilling their objectives.
With each passing moment, the Scourge’s defenses fell one by one. The pylons shattered under Malygos’ relentless onslaught, their magical energies dissipating into the atmosphere. Alexstrasza’s cleansing fire left entire swaths of land free from undead, her Life magic anathema to their twisted existence. Lightning continued to rain down on them from above with increasing frequency, but Malygos was soon able to conjure an arcane barrier above them that deflected the onslaught.
Malygos was able to trace the source of the storm’s power back to the Throne of Thunder, and knew that none of them would have peace until they secured the citadel in its entirety.
Eventually, Alexstrasza succeeded in carving out a massive clearing, leaving it completely devoid of any undead and covered with patches of newly grown vegetation left behind by her flames. At the same time, Malygos destroyed the last of the pylons, effectively neutralizing the magical wards that protected the island.
Without wasting a moment, Malygos landed next to Alexstrasza and began the next phase of their plan. The members of their Flights ready to participate in their assault were all gathered and waiting at the Wyrmrest Temple, where the most skilled members of the Blue Dragonflight were prepared to assist in the creation of a semi-permanent portal.
With so many powerful mages working toward the same goal, it hardly took any time at all before a violet gateway began to manifest before Malygos. The portal shimmered into existence, revealing legions of armored Drakonids and Dragonspawn that quickly began streaming through, weapons at the ready as they moved to secure the island.
The older and more experienced dragons took to the air the moment they passed through the portal, engaging in combat with any aerial undead who might threaten the advance of their ground troops. Although it had been many millennia since the Dragonflights had truly gone to war, Malygos found himself somewhat satisfied by the coordination of their forces.
There were many places where they could improve, but that would come with time.
Malygos would have preferred to spend his time studying the effectiveness of their Flights, but the magical lightning assaulting their position showed no signs of stopping, and even he could not maintain a barrier in perpetuity.
The Scourge’s ability to attack them constantly with such powerful lightning only made him more confident that Highkeeper Ra had fallen into their grasp.
After all, there was a reason that Ra had been referred to as the Keeper of Storms.
Malygos had no desire to be pushed to exhaustion before he faced such a formidable opponent, so he turned to Alexstrasza and with a mutual nod, they spread their wings and began flying toward the Throne of Thunder.
Both of them steeled themselves, preparing for the battle ahead with the knowledge of how much was at stake.
Securing the Throne of Thunder was one of the most important steps that they needed to achieve if they wished to defeat the Scourge on Pandaria. The only other mission of equal importance was the one being made by the mortals to capture one of the Dreadlords.
Should they succeed in both, then gained a massive advantage in this war before the Lich King could accumulate enough power to become a threat to Azeroth.
Malygos had no idea if the mortals would succeed in their objectives, but he had no intention of failing his.
Hidden beneath an invisibility spell, Krivax watched from atop a hill overlooking the battlefield as the Alliance experienced their first clash with the Scourge.
The Alliance had managed to establish a sizable base of operations before they were inevitably discovered by the Scourge several hours ago. Many lines of fortifications had been hastily erected, nerubian efficiency allowing the Alliance to build more robust defenses than one would expect in such a short time.
Several large trenches dug by jormungars had significantly dulled the first wave of undead, the creatures being destroyed by the hundreds as they were blown apart by the dwarvish bombs, gnomish landmines, or magical traps that filled them. Those that hadn’t been destroyed by the traps had found themselves trampled by their fellow undead, until all of the trenches were eventually filled by corpses.
Once the Scourge passed the first wave of defenses, they were then met by a steady stream of ranged attacks from the Alliance. Kirin Tor mages sent torrents of fire into the approaching undead, nerubian Viziers turned large swaths of the earth into mud, and a barrage of gunfire tore through the ranks of the Scourge like a scythe through wheat.
In the air, elite nerubian Lifeweavers along with several dragonhawk riders and gryphon riders battled with the undead cloud serpents. Those on the ground helped out in the aerial melee by shooting bullets and missiles whenever one of the cloud serpents got too low to the ground. Krivax observed a Lifeweaver equipped with specialist enchanted armor effortlessly hack off the arm of a cloud serpent in a single pass before swooping back down to impale it through the head with his spear.
It was a formidable display of firepower that offered Krivax a glimpse of how they could have survived against the Scourge in the original timeline.
Equally clear, however, was why the Scourge was such a serious threat that the entirety of Azeroth would need to rise against it. Relentlessly charging up the cliff upon which the Alliance had constructed their base, the Scourge moved on unyieldingly.
Unless their bodies were dismantled completely or an attack managed to destroy their heads, the undead simply ignored minor inconveniences such as bullet wounds or missing limbs. Even with the Alliance’s impressive powers, it was the Guardians of Nerub and the Knights of the Silver Hand who were most effective at holding back the ravenous undead.
Anub’rekhan in particular was a terror on the battlefield, glowing brightly with the Light as he burrowed his scythe-like arms into a sea giant and tore the undead in half with a single, fluid motion.
Overall, Krivax found himself confident that the Alliance would be able to successfully withstand this assault despite the Scourge’s relentless advance. The Alliance had chosen to construct their base in a location that was both rather defensible and quite far from the bulk of the Scourge forces.
Given that it had only been a few hours since the Alliance was discovered, the enemy commander had almost certainly been caught off guard and decided to attack with whatever forces they could gather. Coupled with the ongoing attack on the Isle of Thunder, he had a feeling that the Scourge leadership wasn’t having a particularly good day.
Krivax would normally be doing what he could to help in a battle like this one, but that was not currently his role.
He had two primary reasons to be on Pandaria, the first of which was his normal diplomatic duty of negotiating with the natives. It was good that Krasus had successfully made contact with Xuen and the Shado-Pan, but there were certain things that he simply lacked the political authority to handle.
Naturally, any such negotiations would need to wait until a later point when the Scourge had been pushed back and the Alliance had fully established themselves.
However, it was Krivax’s second objective which held much more importance.
“Come now, apprentice,” said Vizier Hadix, his stern voice cutting through Krivax’s thoughts. “I believe you’ve watched for long enough. The Scourge’s numbers are already beginning to diminish, so there’s nothing left here to see. We must leave soon if we are to reach the Dreadlord’s most likely location in any reasonable time.”
Krivax turned his attention away from the battlefield and looked to the other people also being hidden by an invisibility spell. When Krivax had first gone to Malygos and expressed his desire to capture a Dreadlord, they had spent a significant amount of time going over the specifics.
Although Malygos could easily overpower any of the Dreadlords controlling the Lich King, preventing such paranoid and cunning demons from escaping was no simple task. At the slightest sign of someone like Malygos approaching them, the demon would undoubtedly teleport away and cover themselves with countless layers of anti-scrying spells.
To prevent this, they had come up with two solutions. First, Malygos and Archaedas had created a powerful artifact that would apparently completely restrict the Dreadlord from escaping. Not only would it prevent any teleportation, but it would even capture any untethered souls in its vicinity.
That way, they could simply kill the Dreadlord without allowing it to return to the Twisting Nether. Something about the artifact’s construction did mean that they needed the assistance of Ironaya to activate it, but Krivax wasn’t going to complain about a Titanic Watcher helping out.
Secondly, Malygos would quite visibly be showing himself on the Isle of Thunder, far away from the Dreadlord commanding the Scourge on mainland Pandaria.
While they hadn’t narrowed down the exact location of their target, simple deductive reasoning had been enough to get a decent idea of the demon’s general location. Even with magic, the Dreadlord had to be relatively close to the bulk of the Scourge forces to lead them effectively, which excluded the Throne of Thunder.
That being the case, the Dreadlord would very likely be in the largest and most defensible Scourge location on the mainland. Malygos had also noticed a distinct bloodthirstiness in their strategies during his observation of Pandaria, so the demon would likely wish to be close to the fighting anyway.
It was this ambiguity in the Dreadlord’s location that led Krivax to join the mission when he’d much rather be organizing things with the A.D.F. Aside from Alexstrasza herself, there were very few people who could match his innate sensing abilities. Even most members of the Red Dragonflight couldn’t sense Life magic with his degree of clarity.
So long as he got close enough, Krivax would be able to instantly lead the team to the Dreadlord’s exact location.
The rest of the team had also been chosen for similarly specific reasons, ensuring that they would have the best chance of delving into the heart of enemy territory and living to tell the tale.
“Alright. I suppose you’re right. It would be best if we finished this as quickly as possible,” said Krivax.
With a nod, Hadix called for everyone to gather around before beginning to cast a teleportation spell. They would need to travel on foot under an invisibility spell once they were closer to their destination, but there was little sense in them traveling for what would be days unnecessarily.
With a final glance to the battlefield, Krivax resolved himself for the mission ahead as the familiar feeling of the teleportation spell pulled him to lands teaming with nothing but the undead.
