Chapter 83 |
When Krivax had explained to everyone that he’d managed to find infiltrators approaching the portal hub by scanning Dalaran after hearing Mal’Ganis’ testimony, it was enough to send them all scrambling.
The dire news was impossible to hide from the staff and quickly sent the A.D.F headquarters into a state of chaos. Less experienced administrators, already stretched to their limits by the ongoing attack on Kul’Tiras, panicked after learning that there were Scourge infiltrators in Dalaran. People frantically attempted to contact their families, started making foolish mistakes due to lack of sleep, and began running through the corridors in a hurry to get to their stations.
Krivax did his best to project an air of a calm leader as he organized everything, but some of their frenetic energy was warranted as they needed to move very swiftly.
Emergency messages were being sent via magic to inform the Council of Six about the situation, a messenger had been sent to alert the city garrison, and Krivax had even sent one of his guards to muster the nerubian enclave to help defend Dalaran. Unfortunately, all of these things would take time that they did not have. The paths taken by the Scourge infiltrators were approaching very close to the city’s critical defense infrastructure.
As such, Krivax had urgently gathered every combat capable member of the A.D.F into an adhoc squad to hold off the enemy forces until reinforcements arrived. This group included himself, Rommath, Ironaya, Illidan, his remaining guards, a half-dozen Sentinels, and a few other miscellaneous individuals in their headquarters.
Krivax was tempted to leave Magister Rommath to handle the frenzy, but the Magister was needed as he was both skilled enough and had the necessary permissions to teleport within the city’s limits. This meant he would be able to position the assembled group to intercept the Scourge infiltrators.
The only difficulty was choosing which group of infiltrators they would be confronting.
“It’s faint. Much more so than the enemy group near the portals, but I can just barely feel a demonic presence moving through the Violet Citadel,” Krivax reported grimly, not at all happy to have his fears confirmed.
“A Dreadlord then,” said Illidan, his voice containing a mixture of excitement and grim determination. “One who intends to take control of the city’s wards. The Burning Legion’s tactics haven’t changed in the slightest since the War of the Ancients.”
The Scourge would be completely free to open a portal into the city and allow their forces to pour in while the Alliance would be prevented from mounting an effective defense.
It would be a slaughter.
“We need to focus on stopping one prong of their plan,” said Magister Rommath, his normally composed demeanor strained by the gravity of the situation. “Dalaran is only at risk of falling if both the portal hub and the wards are compromised. So long as we defend one, there is little the Scourge can do before the Council of Six intervenes. I suggest that we go to the Violet Citadel. It is far more defensible than the portal hub.”
“I’ll never refuse the opportunity to slay one of the Burning Legion’s dogs,” said Illidan, the fel green orbs behind his blindfold growing brighter with a deep desire for violence.
Krivax knew that there were few things that Illidan hated more in the world than demons and that he saw it as his purpose in life to destroy the Burning Legion. Should Magister Rommath teleport them to the Violet Citadel, he had no doubt that Illidan would absolutely tear the Dreadlord apart in short order.
That course of action was likely the objectively correct decision from a strategic perspective… but there was a small problem with that.
“If we go to the Violet Citadel, then a lot of people are going to die,” said Krivax, his words immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “Not only are there more enemies in the group heading toward the portal hub, but one of them is… absurdly powerful. If they go on a rampage, then it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to slaughter hundreds of civilians and raise them as undead before we can respond.”
Krivax couldn’t help but shudder as he remembered the faint glimpse of potent necrotic magic that he’d sensed beyond the concealment magic.
If scrying and scouting hadn’t already confirmed that the Lich King was stuck in a block of ice near Shen-zin Su’s head, then Krivax could have sworn that he’d sensed the leader of the Scourge himself. However, since it was Gul’dan who had become the Lich King rather than Ner’zhul, it made matters much more uncertain.
There was no telling what abilities such a powerful warlock may have manifested after becoming the Lich King that a shaman like Ner’zhul never did during the original timeline. Although, Krivax speculated that Gul’dan was likely the type to favor his personal power.
“It’s slightly riskier, but I’m fairly confident that Illidan is the only person strong enough to counter that threat,” Krivax continued, knowing that he would need to explain further if he wished to convince them. “Dreadlords tend to prefer subtlety rather than needless slaughter, so it's unlikely that they kill any more than necessary to achieve their goal. Besides, there’s a good chance that team Rhonin and the city garrison will be able to prevent them from seizing the city’s wards for long enough for reinforcements to arrive.”
Fortunately, the Kirin Tor had been wise enough to leave Archmage Cedric behind to head the city garrison, so Krivax genuinely thought the Dreadlord could be dealt with without them. He could tell that his argument was enough to persuade Illidan.
However, he could also tell that Illidan was less than pleased with this arrangement.
“So, you would accept a greater risk that the entire city falls just to protect a few hundred lives?” Illidan said, his expression contemptuous. “To be a leader is to make difficult decisions. This weak-willed nonsense will bring nothing but disaster.”
A part of him agreed and wanted to defer to Illidan’s vastly greater experience in dealing with matters such as this… but Krivax couldn’t bring himself to do so. Illidan may have been instrumental in defeating the Burning Legion during the original timeline, but Krivax couldn’t ignore the many times the reckless and obsessed night elf’s decisions had caused irreparable harm.
Sometimes, the so-called ‘difficult decision’ was merely a convenient excuse for callousness, and Krivax didn’t want to go down that route. He still regretted the tremendous loss of life when the C’thraxx had attacked the Lordaeron Capital City.
He could only hope that he wouldn’t live to regret it.
“I understand that it’s a risk, but we have a duty to do what we can to protect the people of Dalaran,” said Krivax, meeting Illidan’s gaze directly without hesitation. “With your help, we shouldn’t have much trouble defending the portal hub from the Scourge, unless you lack confidence in our ability to stop them?”
“I doubt nothing, aside from your strategic acumen,” Illidan responded with scorn before pausing to take a deep breath. “However, I will follow your lead in these matters, and we will see what comes of this decision.”
Krivax wanted to say more, but they had very little time to waste.
“Magister Rommath, please teleport us now,” said Krivax, turning toward the high elf. “I can feel them approaching the portal hub. We must leave now if we’re going to prevent them from entering the building.”
Magister Rommath nodded gravely and instructed everyone to gather around him as arcane energy began swirling around him. After several moments, the spell was completed and Krivax felt the familiar sensation of spatial magic wrapping around their group and pulling them to the other side of Dalaran.
Almost immediately, they were greeted by the sight of startled Kirin Tor guards who had yet to be informed of the current emergency. They were brandishing spears at them with wild eyed expressions.
“Halt! Spatial magic in this area is permitted only to authorized members of the Kirin Tor,” one of the guards said immediately, hesitating only briefly when got a good look at their group. “Present your credentials and allow yourselves to be examined for illusionary magic, or prepare to face immediate detainment.”
Krivax was torn between appreciation that the Kirin Tor guards were performing their duties so diligently and frustration at the waste of crucial time. Given how on edge the Alliance was due to the war, all of the guards were extremely tense, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
As the only person in their group who was technically a member of the Kirin Tor, Magister Rommath was quick to step forward and present his credentials, a shimmering badge imbued with magic denoting his position.
“Are you the commander of this post?” Magister Rommath asked the guard that had addressed them, a broad shouldered human who introduced themselves as Commander Reynolds . “Gather your forces and prepare to defend this location. The Alliance Defense Force has reliable reason to believe that it is about to be attacked by powerful Scourge infiltrators.”
“Please instruct them to avoid alerting the enemy before they enter the building,” Krivax added quickly before the Commander could send out orders. “We want to prevent fighting in the streets as much as possible in order to limit civilian casualties. It would be best to trap them inside and then strike.”
“And bring me some weapons,” Illidan said while scowling contemptuously toward his Sentinel guards, who immediately began protesting. “That is, if you truly wish for me to be of any use.”
Krivax was truly glad that every nation in the Eastern Kingdoms had decided to place their garrisons on high alert, because the Commander merely nodded without complaint and immediately began shouting orders to his subordinates. Fortunately, the portal hub was built somewhat with defensibility in mind to prevent unauthorized individuals from easily leaving or entering Dalaran, so it only had a single entrance and sophisticated wards.
This meant all of the civilians who happened to be inside could be quickly and efficiently evacuated to a safer part of the building, while the defenders took positions near the entrance to create a choke point.
Meanwhile, Krivax and Illidan both made their way to a nearby room away from the entrance. There was a significant possibility that the Scourge could potentially notice the very distinctive Fel or Life magic emanating from them, so they needed to go somewhere where they wouldn’t immediately be detected.
Naturally, the Sentinels refused to leave Illidan’s side and joined them as well.
Once they were there, Krivax cast a scrying spell over the portal hub’s entrance while Illidan concealed their presence with his own spell. There was a decent chance that the Scourge would notice that they were being scryed, but they would probably not realize that their cover was blown. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for critical infrastructure to be under constant monitoring, especially during such tense times.
Chances were that they’d simply planned to push their way through an unprepared defense force before any reinforcements could arrive.
Unfortunately for them, that wasn’t going to be allowed to happen.
While it felt longer, it had only been around ten minutes from the moment Krivax had first sensed the Scourge’s presence to when they were fully prepared to fend the portal hub. The speed and sense of purpose with which everyone moved was impressive, and Krivax saw nothing but determined expressions as he steeled himself for battle.
He could even sense that the city’s garrison was responding quicker than expected, and were already converging on the Violet Citadel.
“What do you know of their capabilities?” asked Illidan, his tone serious and sober as he took a few swings of the enchanted blades provided to him by the guards.
Something about the night elf’s demeanor had changed dramatically. His typical arrogance and self-assuredness had been replaced with the sharper, more lethal focus of a life-long warrior preparing for battle.
“Very little, other than that their leader is frighteningly powerful and that they are likely all undead,” Krivax replied as he monitored the street outside of the portal hub via scrying.
There were fewer civilians out there than usual due to Dalaran’s heightened state of security and the general sense of unease in the city. However, there were still far too many in the streets for Krivax’s tastes.
He wished that he could warn them and tell them to take shelter, but it was more important that the Scourge wasn’t alerted too early.
It wasn’t long before the group of Scourge infiltrators stepped into range of his scrying spell. There were eight of them in total, all ostensibly appearing like normal Dalaran citizens of various races, merely seeking to travel to one of the Alliance’s major cities.
Their leader looked like a human man with a calm expression and wore the robes of an apprentice mage. He moved with strange grace, and his presence emanated a sense of authority that couldn’t be hidden behind the concealment magics that shrouded him.
Illidan gave a curt nod. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. Even if they aren’t demons themselves, the Scourge is merely another facet of the Burning Legion and will crumble before me.”
Krivax didn’t react to Illidan’s proclamation and instead focused on the incoming Scourge. They were approaching at a casual pace and would hopefully be successfully lured into the building further away from Dalaran’s busy streets.
At least, that was their goal, but it became obvious that something had gone wrong when the leader of the Scourge infiltrators suddenly stopped the moment he stepped through the portal hub’s entrance.
Krivax let out a short curse as he watched the guard commander approach the infiltrator with a smile on his face, clearly intending to play the part of the friendly greeter.
“Good evening, sir. Is there an issue?” the guard-commander inquired, feigning ignorance.
A part of Krivax didn’t expect the Scourge leader to actually respond and instead just immediately attack, but he was pleasantly surprised when the man gave a slight smile, never breaking character.
“Ah, good evening,” the Scourge leader replied, his voice calm and smooth. “I apologize for me and my group blocking the entrance. I was just momentarily taken aback when I didn’t see any other travelers and that the wards were more intense than I expected. Has something happened?”
The guard-commander, to his credit, didn’t falter. “The ongoing conflict with the Scourge and their attack on Kul’Tiras has placed all major cities on alert. We have decided to take extra precautions just to be safe. As for the lack of travelers, it’s simply a lull in traffic. Please follow me so that we can get you all processed quickly and safely.”
There was a tense moment when the guard-commander began moving further into the compound with the expectation that he would be followed, only for the Scourge group to remain completely stationary with suspicious gazes. Krivax’s heart pounded as he let out a curse, fearing that they’d been discovered. He could feel Illidan and the Sentinels tensing next to him, ready to dash out of the room at a moment's notice.
Just as it seemed that the Scourge finally started following and moving further into their trap, Krivax was momentarily distracted as he sensed Dalaran’s garrison close in on the demonic presence in the Violet Citadel. A second later, there was a potent clash of Fel magic and arcane magic indicating that a fierce battle had begun in the heart of the city’s fortress.
The Violet Citadel was reasonably far from the portal hub, and nobody but Krivax should have been capable of sensing the fight taking place there, but he knew that assumption was wrong when the Scourge leader suddenly stopped again.
“Shit. Move!” Krivax called out, already rushing out of the room.
He was barely able to make it in time to throw out a stream of Life-infused flames that clashed against the overwhelming wave of necrotic energy unleashed by the Scourge leader. Even then, he was only able to save about half of the Kirin Tor guards who were positioned further away from the entrance
The ones closer, including the guard-commander, were killed nearly instantly. Their hastily erected arcane barriers shattering and their flesh rotting away in mere moments. Before their bodies could even fall, their eyes began to glow malevolent blue light as they fell under the control of the Scourge.
The magic concealing their enemies had fallen away, revealing them all to be pandaren monks, their bodies showing obvious signs of decay and emanating necrotic magic. Each of them carried staves made of blackened bone, decorated with glowing blue runes that pulsed with the same unnatural light as their eyes. They wore dark, tattered robes that flowed eerily, as if touched by an otherworldly wind.
Krivax had expected to see malicious and twisted expressions, but they instead all carried an unnerving serenity that felt completely out of place. All of them except for their leader.
The elderly male pandaren stared at Krivax specifically with an eerie intensity. His eyes were a deep, dark void that seemed to draw everything in and the necromantic magic emanating from him was unlike anything Krivax had ever encountered, drowning out all other sensation.
When he spoke, his voice was as if two different people were speaking in unison, with the deeper of the two sounding like something from the abyss itself.
All of this, along with utter hatred and focus with which he looked at Krivax was enough for him to conclude that the undead monk was somehow being… possessed or empowered by the Lich King.
Gul’dan was the only individual who had reason to hate him so intensely, and emanate that kind of power. A part of him was surprised given that the Lich King hadn’t manifested this kind of ability during the original timeline, but it made sense that a warlock as hungry for control as Gul’dan would develop such a power.
“You,” said Gul’dan through the undead monk he was possessing, voice filled with more hatred than Krivax had ever heard.
Before Krivax could react, everything turned into a flurry of movement as Illidan burst forward, twin blades glowing with fel energy as he sliced through undead mages with expert precision. From there, things took a turn for the worse when the monks jumped back with impressive speed, with the screaming of civilians soon following as they retreated to Dalaran’s busy streets.
Illidan immediately chased after them, with Krivax and everyone else quickly following. It became clear why the Scourge had chosen to fight outside when he saw bystanders being killed and raised as undead while the monks dexterously jumped between buildings, leaving chaos in their wake.
Men, women, and children were all running in terror as their once-familiar city streets turned into a horrifying battleground. With each dead civilian, the Scourge swelled in number and their relentless assault risked growing out of control.
Illidan was already engaged in close combat with the Lich King, each of them a blur of motion that sent Fel and necromantic energies exploding with each clash, while the other undead monks were free to run rampant.
It was good that the enemy was being moved away from the portal hub, but Krivax couldn’t help but feel a wave of fury at the sight of innocent people being killed for little more than a distraction.
“Focus on the monks and get the civilians away! Reinforcements are on their way!” Krivax yelled, directing the combatants running out of the portal hub as he began casting a short ranged teleportation.
A moment later, he disappeared and reappeared in a flash of violet light in between one of the undead monks and a gnome woman who was desperately trying to shield her child.
“Get out of here!” Krivax yelled to the civilian as he summoned his silk golem right before the monk was about to strike.
She reacted with impressive reflexes, allowing her to barely avoid being grabbed by the golem before leaping away from the burst of flames Krivax sent her way as the gnome family ran for cover.
As she landed, a group of the Kirin Tor guards immediately launched a barrage of various spells at her from every angle while Krivax’s bodyguards charged her spear first, only for the undead monk to summon a shroud of dark mist that seemed to absorb all of their attacks and hide her from view.
A few seconds later, she surged forward while ignoring the spear buried in her chest straight into the group of soldiers.
Many of them put up a good fight, burning through chunks of the Death Monk with fireballs or otherwise injuring her with enchanted blades, but the undead paid no mind to her injuries. The undead exploited her resilience to unleash a series of rapid, graceful strikes as dark magic flowed from her staff.
The few blows that didn’t outright kill a guard resulted in them being sapped of their very life force, leaving them withered husks. When her mist dispersed a moment later, it revealed that Krivax’s personal guard had suffered a similar fate, the corpses of several elite nerubian soldiers littering Dalaran’s street.
The sight reminded Krivax vividly of the Horde’s Death Knights during the Second War, except that these undead pandaren were far more deadly than even them. Given that Gul’dan was the original creator of the Death Knight, it wasn’t surprising that this new type of undead, which he couldn’t help but call Death Monks in his mind, held such a horrifying level of power.
Understanding that he would have to find a way to keep the Death Monk from escaping if he wanted to actually deal with her, Krivax took a different course of action the next time he teleported himself and his golem next to her.
While she easily managed to dodge his golem for a second time, Krivax paid that little mind and unleashed a nova of ice magic that froze the entire area around them solid. Every surface, from the ground to the surrounding structures was turned to ice, causing the monk to lose her footing.
Seizing the opportunity, Krivax’s silk golem swung down at the monk with a blow that they hastily tried to avoid, turning an attack that would have shattered her skull into one that merely took most of the left side of her body and destroyed her staff.
However, this attack that would be guaranteed to kill a normal person was a mere inconvenience to the monk as she jumped up and grabbed a stone chunk from the shattered road before hurling it at Krivax’s eyes with ridiculous precision. Such an attack naturally wasn’t enough to pierce Krivax’s magical defenses, but it distracted him enough that the monk was able to close in on him.
Even with only a single functional arm, the undead’s movements were still incredibly fluid and precise, managing to strike Krivax in a way that sent necromantic magic flowing into his body. He could instantly tell that he would be in extreme danger if not for Alexstrasza’s empowerment, but as it was, he was merely staggered. The Life magic acted like potent antibodies against an infection, protecting him from harm.
This was clearly not what Krivax’s opponent was expecting, and he exploited her surprise by simultaneously casting a geomancy spell that shook the earth beneath her feet and lunged forward to grab the monk. He wouldn’t normally have been able to successfully catch such an agile opponent, but the combination of the icy terrain and being knocked off balance made it impossible to dodge in time.
This meant Krivax was free to completely engulf the monk in Life-Infused flames that ate away at the necromantic magic animating her. The serene expression that the undead pandaren had worn throughout their entire confrontation was immediately replaced by one of agony as she did everything she could to escape his grasp.
Krivax merely ignored her thrashing and occasional strikes until the only thing left of her was a pile of ash.
That took far too much effort for some nameless underling, Krivax thought as he let out a sigh of relief. The Scourge must have truly sent some of its strongest agents for this mission.
Turning his attention to the rest of the battlefield, Krivax became further convinced of this conclusion.
The streets had cleared of civilians by now, but the surrounding buildings had been devastated as each of the Death Monks held their own against multiple Kirin Tor guards. The Sentinels, fewer of them remaining than he remembered, had taken position to the rear and were doing their best to support the beleaguered mages with their archery. Honestly, it was likely that Ironaya was the only reason the Death Monks hadn’t managed to simply run past them all and attack the portal hub.
The Titanic Watcher had shed her mortal form and was towering over the structure’s entrance, her massive mace deterring any undead that approached as her inorganic body protected her from any necromantic attacks.
The number of dead was genuinely shocking, but Krivax could tell that the Scourge was extremely unlikely to actually achieve their goal. Despite the portal hub only having a few dozen Kirin Tor guards, each of them fought valiantly in the face of such a powerful foe while more and more arrived with every moment. Krivax could sense reinforcements quickly converging on their location, and even see a few nerubian warriors from the enclave crawling over buildings as they made their way to the battlefield.
While the Scourge infiltrators were powerful, they simply lacked the numbers to put up a prolonged resistance, and several of them had already been destroyed.
The Lich King must have also realized the same thing, because the undead he had possessed suddenly scowled and let loose an explosion of dark magic that sent Illidan flying away from him, before retreating toward the southern side of the city. Every single undead followed after him in a synchronized movement that made it clear they were being puppeteered much more directly than the typical Scourge minion.
Krivax wished that he could believe that Gul’dan was retreating due to his outmatched forces, but he could feel the Scourge heading toward a very important structure.
“After them, quickly! They’re headed for the Violet Hold,” Krivax shouted, realizing the magnitude of the threat.
The Violet Hold was not only a high-security prison, but also housed incredibly dangerous creatures that were imprisoned by the Kirin Tor primarily for research purposes. Should Gul’dan successfully release them, then Dalaran would suffer immense casualties before they could be contained.
The rush to the Violet Hold was a blur, with much of the city in a state of chaos as civilians attempted to get to shelters, clogging up the streets while the garrison attempted to establish some semblance of order. Both their fight with Gul’dan and the confrontation at the Violet Citadel were both very loud, causing the sounds of explosions to echo throughout Dalaran.
Ironaya stayed behind to ensure none of the Scourge attempted to double back and attack the portal hub.
As they approached, it was obvious that the Lich King was already at work as the guards who had been stationed at the Violet Hold had already been turned into undead, joining the other Scourge minions. The formidable prison’s entrance had been blasted wide open, wisps of necromantic magic still lingering in the air.
It took only a moment for Illidan to cut down the undead with contemptuous ease, allowing them to enter the prison. Inside the Violet Hold, the scene was exactly as Krivax had anticipated with many of the containment cells shattered and their inhabitants freed to wreak havoc. Magical criminals, monstrous creatures, and the Scourge were fighting against the Kirin Tor. It was unfortunate that Archmage Kel’Thuzad and Queen Kithix were not present in their labs in the Violet Hold as they would have been extremely helpful in dealing with the undead.
However, there was no sight of the Lich King, likely because they had gone deeper into the prison to free its most dangerous inhabitants. Krivax attempted to use his sensory abilities to locate the undead being possessed by Gul’dan, but found that the entire structure was covered with so much Death magic that it was like trying to find a single grain of sand on a beach.
Krivax fully intended to stop that from happening, so he immediately gathered deep into his reservoir of Life magic and let loose an inferno that completely engulfed all the undead in the way of the path leading deeper into the Violet Hold.
“Follow me deeper into the prison,” said Krivax, addressing Illidan as the night elf and his remaining Sentinel guards regarded him with a faintly impressed expression. “I doubt I’ll be able to handle the Lich King alone, and the majority of the Kirin Tor will need to stay here to contain the prisoners.”
For a moment, Krivax wasn’t sure if Illidan would follow his lead, given how arrogant the night elf could be, but he was surprised when Illidan merely nodded.
“Very well, mortal. But steel yourself,” Illidan warned, an uncharacteristic hint of caution in his voice. “I was able to sense the entity controlling that undead, and they are far more powerful than I anticipated. There are few beings on Azeroth who could have survived as long as they did in a fight against me.”
Krivax nodded in understanding. That was about what he’d expected. While Illidan had fought on even ground with a fully embodied Lich King in the original timeline, that was after the night elf had empowered himself further with Fel magic. That he would have difficulty fighting an undead possessed and empowered by Gul’dan wasn’t a big surprise.
Krivax could only hope that his contribution would be enough to tip the scales.
As they fought their way into the deepest parts of the Violet Hold, Krivax did his best to conserve his strength for the battle ahead. Illidan held no such reservations, sending large arcs of green fire flying through the air with each swing of his twin blades, his Fel-enhanced speed turning him into a swirling tempest of death that left nothing standing in his wake.
Krivax could easily see why so many people had flocked to follow Illidan in the original timeline, and how the night elf had become instrumental in the Burning Legion’s defeat.
To be honest, Krivax had expected that they would find the Lich King in some large chamber where they would have their climactic fight. He’d always envisioned Gul’dan as that kind of cartoonishly evil villain, prone to theatrics and grandstanding monologues before engaging in battle.
That was likely why he was utterly unprepared to be ambushed.
It was likely only thanks to the layer of arcane shielding that he’d wrapped around his carapace the moment he entered the Violet Hold, along with his enchanted defensive gear that he wasn’t killed outright. Instead, the blow that impacted his chest as Gul’dan appeared from one of the shadow side passages only sent him flying into a nearby cell wall, making a large crack upon impact.
“You stole my destiny,” Gul’dan growled, his voice echoing with an otherworldly, abyssal tone as he launched a massive stream of dark magic toward Krivax.
Krivax watched in horror as his silk golem, which he’d hastily unleashed from its container in an attempt to block the attack, immediately began to decay and unravel upon contacting the Lich King’s magic. He’d only ever seen the thing be even slightly damaged by the most heavily enchanted of weapons and strongest attacks, but never as severely as this.
“It is because of you, that I was delivered to Kil’jaeden! It is because of you, that I lost everything!” Gul’dan shouted as he was forced to end the attack by Illidan, the night elf dashing forward and colliding with the Lich King. The resulting explosion of Fel and Death energies was enough to rock the prison, shattering many of the nearby walls.
Despite this, the monk being possessed by Gul’dan never took his eyes away from Krivax as he blocked Illidan’s ferocious strikes with an impossibly fast parry. “But it is no matter. I have acquired the power of a god, and I will use that power to destroy everyone who sought to deny me what was rightfully mine. Starting with you, that over-glorified lizard who killed me, and finally the Burning Legion itself.”
Illidan must not have liked Gul’dan ignoring him, because with a roar of primal fury he swung down at his opponent with both of his blades and unleashed a wave of Fel magic that forced the Lich King back. The green flames seared into the possessed pandaren’s form, causing visible burns across the undead’s flesh. But the Lich King didn’t falter, instead he let loose an unearthly growl and sent forward several dark, necromantic tendrils toward the night elf that decayed everything they touched.
Seeing that Gul’dan was fully occupied, Krivax stumbled up off the ground and used the last dredges of his Life energy to heal his cracked carapace. Meanwhile, Illidan’s few remaining Sentinel guards were locked into combat with a pair of Gul’dan’s Death Monks. It was fortunate that the majority of the undead monks had been either destroyed in the previous fighting or were preoccupied with the Kirin Tor, because Krivax doubted he would still be alive otherwise.
It was likely only because the Sentinels were among Tyrande’s most skilled that they could hold their own against such a powerful foe.
Once he had recovered, Krivax made a quick assessment of the battlefield and decided to focus on helping Illidan. The Sentinels seemed like they would be able to last long enough on their own, and Illidan would need his help to take down the Death Monk being possessed by Gul’dan
The battle between Illidan and the Lich King had taken the two of them out of sight down a nearby hallway, so Krivax hurried to catch up.
As he turned the corner, he was met with the sight of the two combatants locked in a struggle that few on Azeroth could even hope to participate in. Gul’dan’s necromantic magic was eating away at the stone walls of the prison while the souls of the slain swirled around him and attacked his opponent. This would be enough to overwhelm most, but Illidan merely burned through these souls with contemptuous disregard and let loose a flurry of blows against Gul’dan.
Krivax, knowing that he would be most useful supporting Illidan, focused on using his magic to distract the Lich King. Since the Violet Hold’s wards prevented him from using geomancy on the stone floor, he instead summoned several water elementals and joined them in launching spears of ice toward Gul’dan whenever there was an opening.
Even then, with the constant barrage of spells and powerful strikes from Illidan’s blades, it was obvious that they were still at a disadvantage. Every attack barely seemed to faze Gul’dan’s vessel, while the Lich King’s retaliatory strikes forced both Kirvax and Illidan on the defensive several times.
Krivax thought that the tides had turned when the Sentinels unexpectedly managed to defeat their opponents and joined the fight with a volley of enchanted arrows. However, he quickly learned that individuals who lacked protection from the Lich King’s overwhelming Death magic, such as Krivax and Illidan’s respective empowerments, could not tolerate Gul’dan’s presence for very long.
It only took a few minutes before the Sentinels began to convulse, their expressions twisted in pain as their life forces were sapped away by their mere proximity to the Lich King. Only due to Krivax’s quick ability to sense and deduce what was happening, he managed to save their lives by ushering them away from the battlefield.
As he rejoined Illidan in their struggle against the Death Monk possessed by Gul’dan, he began to truly fear what the Lich King could do in person. Such absurd and overwhelming power was enough to drive anyone to desperation. Gul’dan was beginning to show signs of being visibly weakened, but Krivax and Illidan were both in worse shape.
After reaching the conclusion that the two of them would be unlikely to win a straightforward confrontation, Krivax began to consider other options. It took longer than he would have liked, but Krivax eventually recalled something about their current location and came up with a plan he thought might work.
Needing Illidan’s cooperation but not wanting Gul’dan to overhear his plan, Krivax took a moment to cast a spell that would open telepathic communication between him and Illidan. It’d taken a while to learn the spell, but he was more grateful than ever that he’d decided to ask Vizier Hadix to teach it to him prior to their mission in Pandaria.
“Illidan, help me lure him to Archmage Kel’thuzad’s laboratory. I have a plan,” Krivax projected his thoughts into the night elf’s mind. “Given how obsessed he is, Gul’dan will follow us. But we need to make it seem like we’re running away.”
It took a moment for Illidan to respond, but eventually did with a subtle nod.
With that, Krivax started to deliberately pull back, casting his spells defensively and making sure to move to Archmage Kel’thuzad and Queen Kithix’s shared laboratory. Illidan began to parry and dodge more than he attacked, feigning exhaustion as he retreated.
Gul’dan immediately took the bait, releasing a triumphant roar as he attempted to ensnare them with dark tendrils. “Running, are you? There’s nowhere to hide!”
Having visited Archmage Kel’Thuzad and Queen Kithix several times for various reasons over the years, Krivax was easily able to lead them through the twisting halls toward the laboratory. When he arrived there, Krivax nearly let out a cheer of relief as he saw that the Archmage had left behind several prototype samples of the same anti-undead alchemical concoction that he’d made use of in Pandaria, exactly where he had last seen them.
Wasting no time, Krivax telepathically shared the rest of his plan with Illidan moments before Gul’dan arrived.
Though calling it a plan may have been a bit generous when Krivax simply used every dredge of power he had to freeze Gul’dan to the ground for a fraction of a second. With swift movements, Illidan picked up one of Kel’thuzad’s vials and hurled it at Gul’dan’s frozen form.
The moment the vial shattered it was obvious that the elixir was having an effect on the Lich King, even if it was dramatically weaker than Krivax had wished. It was designed specifically to attack the necromantic magic that sustained the undead target, effectively stripping them of their will and removing them from the control of their master.
However, the Lich King was the most powerful necromancer to ever walk Azeroth, and it would take more than a single vial to severe his control.
Therefore, it was a good thing that Archmage Kel’Thuzad was the type of person who was rather obsessive in his research and had several shelves with various prototypes of the elixir.
The next few minutes felt less like a heroic battle and more like a crude brawl as Krivax and Illidan did everything they could to keep Gul’dan in the laboratory while pelting him with glass bottles filled with bright liquids. It was clear that the Lich King was beginning to lose control over his vessel, each successive impact making the Death Monk less and less coordinated in their motions.
Much to Krivax’s relief, he soon began to see signs that the undead pandaren was actually fighting against Gul’dan’s control. The previous unwavering, dark glow the pandaren monk’s eyes began flickering intermittently with a hint of awareness and confusion. His initial plan had been to simply weaken Gul’dan as much as possible, but his vessel turned out to be far stronger-willed than expected.
Eventually, with one final vial shattered against his form, Gul’dan let out a furious bellow as the necromantic magic surrounding the possessed monk receded dramatically.
“Don’t you dare consider this victory!” Gul’dan shouted, his hate-filled eyes locked directly onto Krivax. “I’m coming for you and this city! And when I do, no amount of trickery will save you!”
Uninterested in Gul’dan’s overdramatic threats, Krivax said nothing as he watched the undead monk suddenly collapse forward, the Lich King’s control over them severed entirely.
Illidan approached the undead with his twin blades poised to strike, but Krivax tiredly held out a hand to stop him. “Wait! He’s no longer being controlled. Killing him now would be senseless.”
Unsurprisingly, Illidan looked up at him like he was crazy, as the people of Azeroth generally didn’t tolerate undead in any form. However, Krivax’s perspective was a bit different since he recalled the undead who had managed to break free of the Lich King in the original timeline and fight against their former master.
After several tense moments, Illidan nodded and lowered his blades. “Very well. I will stay my hand for now, but you owe me an explanation. Both for this, and for the nonsense that the Lich King was spouting throughout our fight.”
Krivax couldn’t help but wince, not looking forward to that conversation. It shouldn’t be too much of an issue, since Tyrande was already aware that he was a ‘seer’ and should be able to keep Illidan in line, but it still wasn’t a topic he liked talking about.
Not seeing any way to avoid a future explanation, Krivax nodded in agreement before turning his attention to the undead monk. “Hello. I’m Vizier Krivax, leader of the Alliance Defense Force. Who are you?"
The undead monk was quick to respond with an urgent tone, but Krivax suddenly remembered that he hadn’t learned the pandaren language. Turning a sheepish gaze to Illidan, the night elf scoffed before casting a translation spell over the both of them.
Krivax wished that he knew how to do that, but translation spells were surprisingly complex and his time wasn’t unlimited.
“Let’s try that again,” Krivax said as he turned his attention back to the newly freed undead. “My apologies. Can you tell me your name?”
The undead pandaren didn’t lose any of his urgency as he responded, this time in what sounded to him like nerubian. “My name is Shang Xu, and you must evacuate this city immediately.”
“Oh, don’t worry. The city isn’t in any danger,” said Krivax, feeling relieved to learn that the undead was actually friendly. “The portal hub isn’t in any danger, and I can sense several of the Alliance’s strongest mages have already returned to Dalaran.”
Krivax wasn’t lying. The Council of Six had teleported back to the city sometime during their fight with Gul’dan and converged on the Violet Citadel. Not long before their arrival, the demonic presence had disappeared, most likely teleporting away rather than fighting multiple angry Archmages. He could feel that the Dreadlord had succeeded in doing something to Dalaran’s wards, but he doubted it mattered.
Even if the anti-spatial magic wards had been harmed beyond repair, the portal hub was fine so the Alliance would be able to reinforce the city even if the Scourge started teleporting in undead.
Though, it was a bit strange that the Council of Six was still here and hadn’t returned to help defend Kul’tiras.
Krivax explained all of this to Shang Xu, who shook his head in frustration.
“You don’t understand. Tichondrius is not one to rely on any singular plan,” Shang Xu urgently explained. “He knew that there was a chance Gul’dan would fail due to his obsession, so he devised an alternative plan to destroy the Violet Citadel’s tallest spire if the portal hub was not disrupted.”
Krivax felt his heart drop as he understood what the undead was implying. It wasn’t something that many people knew, but the tallest spire of the Violet Citadel was actually a powerful anti-siege weapon capable of channeling the city’s leyline nexus.
All of the Alliance’s plans to defend Dalaran assumed the full operation of the spire, which was why they felt comfortable leaving the city relatively undefended.
Krivax immediately ran out of the laboratory and began making his way out the Violet Hold, leaving a startled Illidan to follow. Once he exited the prison, it became clear that Shang Xu had been telling the truth as he saw the reason why the Council of Six had yet to leave the city.
The tallest spire of the Violet Citadel, once looming high over the city as a testament to Dalaran’s might, had been completely destroyed. The rubbles of its remains laid in the streets in front of the fortress, with Fel green smoke rising from the center of the impact.
“Thank the Sunwell that you’re here, Vizier Krivax.”
Krivax pulled his gaze from the horrible sight to Magister Rommath, who looked uncharacteristically exhausted as he ran toward his side.
“Magister, what happened?” Krivax urgently, though he already felt like he knew.
“We don’t know. The Citadel simply exploded after you entered the Violet Hold,” Rommath said grimly after taking a deep breath to steady himself. “But that’s not why I was looking for you. A few moments ago, I received a report that the Scourge was seen leaving Kul’Tiras and began moving toward the coastline of Silverpine Forest. The Council of Six believes that they intend to attack Dalaran and has ordered an evacuation.”
His worst fears confirmed, Krivax immediately began making his way to the A.D.F headquarters, so he could do everything he could to help evacuate, and then hopefully defend the city. The threat from Gul’dan, which he previously hadn’t paid much mind to, now seemed much more immediately threatening.
Everything that the Lich King had said and done during their confrontation, from his hate-filled words to his focus on killing Krivax, made it obvious that Gul’dan was indeed coming for him. Across Lordamere Lake, he could see every day a city that had suffered potentially irrecoverable harm as a result of his decisions, and now the Lich King intended to deliver an even worse fate to Dalaran.
Krivax had every intention of doing whatever was necessary to prevent that from happening. Oh, Dalaran might be vulnerable with the Violet Citadel damaged, the Alliance navy likely lagging behind in the Kul’tiran harbor, and the Aspects all unavailable, but hope was not lost.
Since he’d successfully defended the portal hub, the most powerful members of the Alliance would be free to arrive in Dalaran far before Gul’dan.
Not only that, but Krivax had been doing what he could to prepare Azeroth for the Lich King from the moment he hatched from his egg. This was what Krivax had been working toward for his entire second life, and if Gul’dan thought that destroying Dalaran was going to be easy, then the arrogant bastard had another thing coming.
I need to contact the High King, Krivax thought, his mind racing. I think this is an appropriate time for Azjol-Nerub to reveal Project Sanctum.
