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Royal Road

SomethingOtherThanRain

A Nerubian's Journey by Fizzicks

Chapter 15

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Trixie Tinkwrench huffed in annoyance as she checked the battery on her Poultryizer. It was unfortunate that the battery required sensitive internal components that were highly sensitive to temperature. Already the cold of Northrend had rendered one of her favorite gadgets useless.

There was nothing Trixie loved more than turning her enemies into chickens and watching them run around in panic, but it seemed that she would have to rely on her trusty Shrink Ray until she returned to the Eastern Kingdoms. She had hoped that the new components would stand up to the cold better than they did, but unfortunately, they did not.

With a sigh, Trixie put away the useless gadget and began preparing herself to disembark from the ship. They had almost reached Moa'ki Harbor, and she was one of the few people who spoke the tuskarr language, so she would need to be ready to greet the natives as soon as they arrived.

Trixie moved over to the mirror and quickly tied her pink hair into two pigtails; pink was not her natural hair color, but one of her little brother's gadgets had malfunctioned and changed her hair to the color it was now. She didn't mind the color and reversing it would be too much trouble, so she had just left it the way it was.

Once that was done, Trixie put on her tinker goggles and quickly tested their functions so that she could be sure they wouldn't fail her when she needed them most.

Taking a look in the mirror and deciding that she was ready, Trixie exited her cabin and made her way out onto the deck.

The first thing she saw was Malzie Stonehallow standing at the bow of the ship and looking through a spyglass toward Moa'ki Harbor.

Trixie weaved her way through the Lordaeronian sailors who were rapidly preparing the ship to dock and made her way to the only other member of the Explorer's League on the ship.

"How's everything looking, big man?" Trixie asked the middle-aged dwarf man. "Does it look safe to continue approaching the village?"

"Aye, lass. Everything looks fine," said Malzie as he put away the spyglass. "The tuskarr have a few of their warriors waiting to welcome us at their port, but that's nothing special. Chieftain Ko'nani's there waiting for us as well."

Trixie hummed before flicking a switch on her goggles and turning her gaze to the tuskarr village. Her vision instantly zoomed in on the port as if she were looking through a spyglass.

As Malzie said, there were several tuskarr warriors patiently waiting by the port alongside their massive Chieftain. One of the tuskarr was waving a large green flag signaling that the ship had their permission to dock.

Trixie didn't notice anything different about this from the previous times she had sailed to Moa'ki Harbor, so she switched her goggles back to their normal setting and turned her attention back to Malzie.

"So have you had any luck in convincing the merchants to stick around any longer? The more time I have to scout, the better."

Trixie's role was to survey as much of Northrend's land as possible in preparation for a larger expedition that would take place sometime in the future.

The Bronzebeards were keen to explore the continent for lore about dwarven history and had instructed the Explorer's League to plan an expedition, but such things took time. Logistics and funding for the expedition were currently being planned and argued over in Ironforge's Senate, but the Explorer's League thought it prudent to gather as much information about the continent as possible beforehand to make things easier.

Given how quickly they managed to find evidence of ancient structures, it seemed that there was something worth studying in this frozen hellhole at least.

Unfortunately, without that funding, she and Malzie were forced to travel with merchants who did not share her goals. The Lordaeronian merchants occasionally sailed to Northrend in order to trade relatively cheap metal ores for exotic furs, whale oil, waterproof hides, ivory, and alchemical herbs with the tuskarr and the native humans.

It would likely be a very profitable venture if not for Northrend's extremely hostile environment.

"Nay, not much luck there," said Malzie with a wince. "The humans just want to trade and leave as quickly as possible. Not much appetite for adventure amongst them."

"I guess that's to be expected," said Trixie. "Maybe if we're lucky, you'll find a gold vein. That'll have the continent completely covered in humans and we'd be able to come here whenever we want."

"Ha! You're not wrong, lass, but I doubt we'll get so lucky."

Trixie and Malzie spent the next few minutes making plans so that they could scout as much as possible within the limited amount of time that they had.

Their discussion was interrupted by the loud bellow of the ship's captain.

"Prepare to dock!"

Experienced human sailors got to work as they prepared to tie down the ship as they approached Moa'ki Harbor's port. Trixie did her best to keep out of the way of the Big Folk as they went about their business. She had learned the hard way soon after leaving Gnomeregan that humans did not often look down, especially while they were distracted.

Soon enough, the ship was pulling into a dock and the human sailors were throwing ropes to the tuskarr so that they could tie them around the dock cleats.

The whole process took quite a while to complete, but the ship was eventually docked and the captain was approaching Trixie after leaving the ship's helm.

"Good evening, Explorer Tinkwrench," said Captain Stanton Prescott. "Will you be handling the translation for the negotiations between the walrusmen and the merchants?"

The man was hired by a noble family to captain their trade ship and was competent enough to learn the language of the natives, but Trixie could tell that the man preferred to interact with 'primitives' as little as possible.

Prescott was supposed to be the one responsible for handling the translation, but once he found out that Trixie and Malzie could speak tuskarr, he was more than happy to pass on the duty to them. Trixie was the more diplomatic of the two, so the responsibility was effectively all hers.

"Yes, Captain Prescott," said Trixie, hiding her annoyance with the human. "I will handle the translations."

"Very good," said Prescott, turning away and leaving without another word.

Once the human was gone Malzie muttered a dwarven insult under his breath that had Trixie struggling to hold back laughter.

Once the gangway was lowered, Trixie did not hesitate to leave the ship alongside Malzie and the human merchant who was a young man named Oscar Smythe. The rest of the ship's crew would need to wait for them to finish greeting the tuskarr Chieftain before they could be given shore leave.

"Greetings, Chieftain Ko'nani," Trixie said politely in the tuskarr language as their group approached the Chieftain and his warriors. "I am happy to see you again. Thank you for allowing our ship to dock in your village's port."

"Greetings, Explorer Tinkwrench," said Chieftain Ko'nani, struggling to pronounce her name. "Much has happened since the last time you visited our shores, but I am glad to see you as well."

Much has happened?

Trixie was just about to ask the Chieftain what he meant by that when she was interrupted by the human.

"Ask the walrusman if he has prepared the trading goods for the ores."

Trixie huffed in annoyance but translated the merchant's words, although a tad more diplomatically.

Her curiosity only grew when Chieftain Ko'nani hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I'm afraid we will need to renegotiate our current trade agreement in regards to your ores."

Trixie couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise. She knew that the tuskarr dearly needed metal ores in order to make weapons that they could use to fight off tribes of wolverine people and those giant four-legged marauders who regularly attacked their villages.

What had changed since the last time that they were here?

Predictably, the merchant puffed up in outrage the moment Trixie finished translating the Chieftain's response.

"Renegotiate?! Why should we have to renegotiate after traveling so far? Ridiculous!"

Trixie barely held back an exasperated sigh. Even if the Chieftain did not speak much Common, he would still be able to understand the human's body language and tone of voice. Nonetheless, she did her best to relay the human's question as diplomatically as possible.

"Our village has made a trade agreement that has opened up another source of metal ore for our people," Chieftain Ko'nani said evenly. Trixie was impressed that she could only see a small amount of smugness in the Chieftain's expression. "Our new trading partners are able to offer us sufficient amounts of ore for our village more cheaply and regularly, so if you like to continue trading with our village, then we will need to renegotiate."

Trixie and Malzie looked at each other with wide eyes.

Who else could possibly supply the tuskarr with large amounts of ore? Goblins?

"Chieftain Ko'nani, if I may ask, who has your village started trading with?" Trixie asked without translating for the human. She wanted to figure out what was going on before the merchant had the chance to say something stupid. "As far as we are aware, there are no other merchants traveling to Northrend from the Eastern Kingdoms."

"That's because they are from Northrend," said the Chieftain. "Our new trading partner is a large kingdom by the name of Azjol-Nerub."

Once Trixie finished processing the Chieftain's words, she could barely hold back a gasp and had to resist the urge to jump up and down in excitement. She could tell that Malzie was similarly enthusiastic.

As far as the Explorer's League knew, the only intelligent life that inhabited Northrend were the tuskarr, a few scattered villages of humans, some kind of bison people who the tuskarr referred to as taunka, and the ice trolls.

There were also the wolverine people, the giant marauders, and villages of murlocs, but those could hardly be considered as 'intelligent life.' There were also the occasional sightings of Naga, but that had yet to be proven.

But if this 'Azjol-Nerub' was a large kingdom, then where did they come from and why had Trixie never heard of them before?

"Just to be clear, Chieftain, are the people of Azjol-Nerub of a race that you had never met before?" asked Trixie, giving voice to the biggest question on both her and Malzie's minds.

"Yes, they are." Chieftain Ko'nani confirmed with a calm that Trixie currently envied. "Their people are called nerubians, and according to them, they live in an underground kingdom that spans most of the continent."

This time Trixie was unable to control herself as she let out an involuntary gasp and her eyes grew wider than they had ever been. She turned to Malzie and sure enough, he was in a similar state to her own.

If what the Chieftain said was true, and there truly was such a large underground kingdom on Northrend that was civilized enough to trade with outsiders, then the implications would be… massive.

Trixie was quiet for long enough that the human's patience wore out and he started making a fuss about being ignored. Once she finished explaining the situation to him, however, he quickly quieted down as he understood the significance of the situation. Trixie could practically see little gold coins dancing in the merchant's eyes as the human thought about the possible trading opportunities this previously unknown kingdom could offer.

For Trixie and Malzie… this was the kind of thing that would get their names written down in the history books.

"Quick! Ask him to tell us what we need to do in order to speak with these 'nerubians.'"

Trixie eagerly relayed the human's question.

"As it happens, the nerubians wish to speak with you as well," said the Chieftain. "Once they learned that our village traded with people from lands across the ocean, they became quite interested in meeting you."

No sequence of words could have made Trixie more nervous than the ones that just came out of the Chieftain's mouth. She had come to Northrend to scout out the lands for a future expedition, not to lead a diplomatic meeting with a powerful kingdom that she had never heard of before!

She wanted to turn the responsibility over to Captain Prescott, but it only took a moment of thought to realize that would be a terrible idea. Not only was the man undiplomatic in the extreme, but it was unlikely that the man would agree anyways. If Prescott were some kind of ambitious noble, then he might take over the meeting so that he might gain as many benefits as possible, but the captain was a retired antisocial navy sailor that barely cared about anything aside from his ship.

She didn't even consider leaving the matter to Oscar. The only thing that the merchant cared about was money.

I'm not trained for this! I never took any diplomacy courses at Gearshaft University! I only took engineering and combat classes! What if I do something wrong and I make them hate us? What if I get us all killed or imprisoned?!

Trixie turned a panicked expression to Malzie

"It'll be alright, lass," Malzie said reassuringly. "I ain't going to lie to you and say that this ain't a big deal, but I'll be there with you every step of the way. You're a clever one and you've got a natural talent for talking to people. I'm sure everything will be alright."

Hearing the older dwarf's words reassured Trixie enough for her to take a deep breath and begin calming herself down.

He's right. I'm Trixie Tinkwrench! I'm a badass who graduated top of my class in combat and I've been an Explorer for nearly a decade! I can handle talking to people.

After giving herself a little pep talk, Trixie turned her attention back to the Chieftain.

I can do this. I can do this.

"If the nerubians would like to meet with us, then we are more than willing, Chieftain," Trixie said with a tone of confidence she didn't truly feel.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Chieftain Ko'nani. Trixie didn't like the sudden glimmer of amusement that she could see in the large tuskarr's eyes. "There is just one thing that you should know before I take you to meet with them. The nerubians have an appearance that I suspect you will find to be… greatly unsettling."

Trixie could feel her growing resolve stutter at the Chieftain's words.

"Oh? How so?" Trixie asked hesitantly.

"The nerubians are a race of giant spiderlike people."

I can't do this. I can't do this.

"I see," said Trixie, mustering all of her courage for her impending meeting with a race of giant spider people who belonged to a kingdom that allegedly spanned more land than any civilization in the Eastern Kingdoms. "Are they… friendly?"

Chieftain Ko'nani hummed in consideration as Malzie translated for the human. In any other situation, she would have been amused by how quickly his face paled.

"They are more friendly and diplomatic than some outsiders I've met," said the Chieftain, glancing unsubtly at Oscar. The human had remained quiet once Trixie started to ask about the nerubians, but it was obvious that the Chieftain had not forgotten his previous outburst.

"I understand, Chieftain," said Trixie. "I would like to meet with these nerubians."

Chieftain Ko'nani simply nodded and started leading them into the village. One of the tuskarr Elders went to tell the sailors that they could leave the ship and then followed after them a moment later.

The walk to the Chieftain's home, where the nerubians were presumably waiting for them, was not long enough. As the Chieftain ushered the three of them inside, Trixie did her best to suppress her fight or flight instinct as she prepared to meet the giant spider people.

It turns out that was probably for the best since she simply froze in terror when she laid eyes on the nerubians. If she hadn't prepared herself, Trixie was certain she would have already fired her Shrink Ray and tried her best to smash them with her wrench.

The two nerubians were nightmarishly large creatures with the lower body of a spider and an upper body that was shaped similarly to a gnome's, if one ignored their terrifying faces. One of the nerubians was wearing a full set of armor that was well designed for their body and the other was wearing a set of robes that would not seem out of place in Dalaran.

Trixie was used to living in a world where most things were bigger than her, but she couldn't help but feel like spiderlike creatures should not be allowed to grow so large… and she had seen actual giant spiders!

Trixie was suddenly the focus of sixteen eyes as the creatures that she wished did not exist turned their attention to her.

"It's so small," said the large armored spider thing. The armored spider held up one of the toys that she had left for the tuskarr children during her last visit. "Greetings tiny creature. Do you have any more of these amusing devices?"

Before she could even hope to formulate an answer, the robed one started speaking with an overenthusiastic voice.

"Hello!" said the robed nightmare in the tuskarr language, opening and closing their giant terrifying mandibles as they spoke. Their accent was strange and their voice was too cheerful in Trixie's opinion. "My name is Krivax, and I'm happy to meet you. What's your name?"

Trixie tried her best to muster a response, but all that left her mouth was a terrified whine.

Royal Road

SomethingOtherThanRain

A Nerubian's Journey by Fizzicks

Chapter 16

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The first thing Krivax did once Elder Si'uigo escorted him and Masruk to the Chieftain's home was to ask the Elders for a private room he could use to contact Vizier Hadix. The shamans were all perplexed by his ability to communicate over such large distances, but he had a feeling that the Elders were growing accustomed to being surprised since they pointed him to a room without much fuss.

The Vizier had ordered him to inform him once the foreigners arrived, so he would do so. Krivax recognized that Hadix was taking this very seriously and was placing a great deal of importance on this matter. The Vizier would not appreciate it if Krivax had the chance to contact him and failed to do so. He asked Masruk if he would like to join him, but his friend was not particularly interested in speaking to the Vizier if he did not have to.

Once he was safely in one of the nearby rooms Krivax reached into his spatial pouch, pulled out the scrying crystal, and set it up in the center of the room. After Krivax cast the appropriate spells, Hadix responded almost immediately.

"Initiate," said Vizier Hadix as his visage appeared in the scrying crystal. "I assume you are contacting me about the wooden ship currently approaching the tuskarr village?"

How does he know that? Krivax wondered dumbfoundedly.

"Yes, Vizier," said Krivax. "The ship has nearly arrived and the tuskarr will bring the people from the Eastern Kingdoms to meet with me. If I may ask, how did you know they were here?"

"I asked an acquaintance to send a flyer to surveil the tuskarr village," Hadix said dryly. "Obviously, I could not leave such an important matter to chance. Just as I will not leave your upcoming meeting to chance, Initiate."

Krivax did not like the sound of that. He also wondered how the Vizier was able to find out what the flyer saw so quickly, but now was not the time to ask such questions.

"Do you intend to meet with the foreigners yourself, Vizier Hadix?" asked Krivax, hoping that wasn't the case. The Vizier was many things, but diplomatic was not one of them.

"No, Initiate, I do not," Hadix said evenly. "I recognize that you have a… talent for communicating with the surface races. It would be foolish of me not to utilize that. Instead, I have something else in mind."

Before Krivax could formulate a response, a bright violet light began to shine next to the scrying crystal. For a moment, he was worried that the Vizier had once again decided to teleport into a tuskarr village without permission, but when the light dissipated, he saw something unexpected.

A violet, see-through figure of the Vizier was standing in the center of the room looking like a ghost or a hologram.

"Only you will be able to see and hear this projection, Initiate," said the illusionary figure of the Vizier. "As long as the projection does not travel too far from the scrying crystal, I will be able to observe and oversee your meeting with the foreigners."

Krivax had no idea that the Vizier was capable of doing something like this, nor was he truly expecting the Vizier to participate in the meeting. The look on his face must have been one of extreme surprise because once the Vizier looked at him, he huffed in amusement.

"I fail to see why you are so astonished, Initiate Krivax," Hadix said sardonically. "Did you really believe I would allow an Initiate who has not lived for even half a decade to be in charge of a meeting that could potentially impact our entire kingdom without even the slightest supervision?"

Well when you say it like that, you make me feel like an idiot.

"Of course not, Vizier," Krivax said unconvincingly. "If I may ask, are you certain that the tuskarr Elders will be unable to sense your presence?"

"Remind me to teach you how to lie properly once you return to the city, Initiate," Hadix said derisively. "As for the shamans, don't insult me. Those 'Elders' would need to study magic for another century before they could even hope to sense me if I did not want them to."

Please stop speaking like a villain, Vizier Hadix. You're making me feel nervous about my future.

"As you say, Vizier," Krivax said readily. "Do you have any instructions or guidelines for this meeting that you would like to share with me?"

"Yes, I do," said Hadix, his tone growing more solemn. "After you first approached me with what you discovered, I decided to share the information with only a few select individuals while further evidence was gathered. It was only after you brought me the map of the Eastern Kingdoms and the toy made by the gnome that I approached Underking Kuk'arak, Queen Mel'ras, and Vizier Silvos. I'm told that a few of my associates in the capital approached High King Anub'arak and his council as well."

"Really?" asked Krivax excitedly. Queen Mel'ras was the highest-ranking Queen in Kilah'kuk and Vizier Silvos was the Underking's most trusted advisor and the city's most influential administrator. "How did they react?"

"They didn't believe any of it," Hadix said bluntly. "Both Underking Kuk'arak and Queen Mel'ras cared little for the claims of a tuskarr shaman, although Vizier Silvos seemed to keep a more open mind. It was only after I presented them with the physical items that you acquired from the tuskarr that they began to consider the possibility."

Krivax hummed in consideration as he processed the information. It was not particularly surprising to him that the nerubian leadership needed a lot of evidence for them to begin changing their worldview. Krivax was about to ask the Vizier how any of this related to his impending meeting with the people from the Eastern Kingdoms when a scary thought suddenly caught his mind.

"Vizier Hadix, you said that your acquaintance was surveilling Moa'ki Harbor with a flyer and informed you when the ship arrived," Krivax said nervously. "Did your acquaintance inform anybody else?"

"I'm surprised that you caught that, Initiate," said Hadix, faintly amused. "He did. I expect that by now the information is slowly spreading throughout Azjol-Nerub's leadership. The wooden ship is unlike anything that the civilizations we know about are capable of. Soon enough, that ship will be the foremost topic of discussion for all of the kingdom's leadership. Once they move to gather information on the matter, I suspect you will become very famous."

Krivax suddenly felt as if his legs had turned to jelly.

He had known that this was a possibility from the day that he had decided that establishing contact between Azjol-Nerub and the Eastern Kingdoms was one of the best ways that he had available to protect himself and his new people against the threat the Lich King, However, when confronted with the fact that he had attracted the attention of large portions of Azjol-Nerub's leadership and that he was likely about to be pulled into a maelstrom of politics, Krivax couldn't help but feel nervous.

"I see," said Krivax after he composed himself. There was no point lamenting his circumstances when he had willingly and knowingly set himself on this path. "In that case, what goals should I have for this meeting, Vizier Hadix?"

Something like approval flashed through the Vizier's eyes before quickly fading away.

"That is a good question," said Hadix consideringly. "It depends greatly on how the discussion amongst the kingdom's leadership progresses. The leadership will understand that this is significant, but they will be greatly divided in how they wish to respond. If we wish to further our goal of initiating diplomatic contact with the Eastern Kingdoms and establishing a presence on their continent, then we will need to present our ideas to the leadership and shape the narrative to our favor."

…Our?

"Vizier Hadix, I did not know that you had such goals as well," said Krivax, confused.

Vizier Hadix looked down at Krivax assessingly for several moments before speaking.

"I do have such goals," said Hadix. "One day I will explain to you why, but that day is not today. Although, if things progress as I expect them to, then that day might be sooner rather than later."

Krivax had no idea how to respond to such an ominous statement.

"As you say, Vizier," Krivax said hesitantly.

"For now, put such things out of your mind," said Hadix. "If our objective is to convince the kingdom to send a diplomatic envoy to the Eastern Kingdoms, then your goal should be to secure the assistance of these foreigners. Not only are they the only ones who know how to operate their wooden ship and navigate to their lands, but their testimony on the potential benefits of diplomacy would be invaluable. Greed will be our greatest ally in combating the isolationist tendencies inherent to the kingdom's various political factions."

Krivax felt like that was a good point, and he believed the same. The foreigners would know best what resources the Eastern Kingdoms would be willing to trade, and if the leadership saw that they were reasonable, then diplomacy would seem like a much more attractive idea.

Privately, he thought that as long as the leadership fully understood the benefits of diplomacy, they would make the right decision. Krivax trusted in the power of sapient greed.

"I understand, Vizier," said Krivax. "I will do my best to secure the assistance of these foreigners."

"Good," said Hadix, pleased. "Our time for conversation is over, I can sense that the foreigners are approaching and that none of them are skilled with magic. I will watch over the meeting and direct you as necessary. Nobody aside from you will know that I am there."

After nodding his understanding, Krivax left behind the scrying crystal and made his way to the building's center room.

"I'm back," Krivax announced as he entered the room. He could see Elder Si'uigo and Elder To'a quietly talking to each other while Orfus laid back on a pile of pillows in a corner. "Are the foreigners on their way yet?"

"They are," said Elder Si'uigo. "The spirits have informed me that their group consists of a gnome, a dwarf, and a human. The gnome will probably be the one to speak for them and assist with translating for the human if things are the same as they were last time."

Krivax was just about to respond when he was interrupted by Vizier Hadix.

"Instruct the shaman to translate the conversation with magic," Vizier Hadix said imperiously. "This meeting is too important to risk potential misunderstandings caused by a lack of proficiency in a common language."

He had already asked the Chieftain once why they did not use magic to translate between them and the merchants from the Eastern Kingdoms. According to him, the tuskarr considered it a matter of respect for outsiders to learn and use their language while in their lands. Not only that, but the ability to create an area of translation like Wumni did during their first meeting was not as simple as Wumni made it look. If the Elders of Moa'ki Harbor wanted to accomplish the same thing, they would need to work together to do so.

It was for this reason that negotiations with the merchants from the Eastern Kingdom were generally done in a combination of the tuskarr language and Common, which Elder Duuqni had a passable proficiency in.

Still, it wasn't as if he could say no to the Vizier's orders.

"Elders, I understand that your people usually prefer not to use translation magic during your negotiations with the merchants from the Eastern Kingdoms, but could I ask you to make an exception this time?" Krivax asked respectfully. "This is our first meeting with these people, and I would like to avoid as many potential misunderstandings as possible."

The tuskarr Elders discussed quietly for a moment amongst themselves before answering.

"We will grant your request as this is primarily a meeting between you and them," said Elder To'a. "However, you will need to wait for Elder Duuqni to return before we are able to cast the magic."

"Thank you, Elders. I am grateful."

"Your gratitude is appreciated, but unnecessary," said Elder Si'uigo. "In comparison to what trading with your people has done for this village, this is a small matter. I recommend that you prepare yourself. They are about to arrive."

Hearing the Elder's warning, Krivax moved to stand next to Masruk and turned his attention to the building's entrance.

He didn't have to wait long, because the group of people from the Eastern Kingdoms walked into the building.

The person at their front was a pink-haired female gnome with pigtails and engineering goggles strapped to her face. She wore a warm-looking coat over a practical set of leather armor that seemed like it had seen some use. Krivax could also see what seemed to be a wrench strapped to her side along with some kind of strange device that was vaguely shaped like a gun.

Behind her followed a middle-aged male dwarf who was also dressed in a practical manner and a young human man in heavy furs that could only be the merchant. Krivax had long since grown used to being a nerubian, but seeing a member of his former species after so long was an extremely strange experience.

Following right behind them were Chieftain Ko'nani and Elder Duunqi.

"It's so small," muttered Vizier Hadix incredulously.

"It's so small," muttered Masruk disappointedly, however, he quickly got over the gnome's weak appearance and asked a question that had been on his mind. "Greetings tiny creature, do you have any more of these amusing devices?" he asked as he held up the gnomish toy.

Krivax held back a snicker at the Vizier and Warrior unintentionally mimicking one another and moved to greet the gnome. She seemed to be very nervous, so he thought it would be best to act as friendly as possible to put her at ease.

"Hello!" Krivax said kindly. "My name is Krivax, and I'm happy to meet you. What's your name?"

Krivax began to grow concerned when the gnome's only response was a strange whining noise. What was wrong with her? She did speak the tuskarr language, right?

"Now that Elder Duunqi has arrived, we can use our magics to aid in translation," said Elder Si'uigo. Chieftain Ko'nani raised one bushy brow but didn't comment.

After a few moments of the three tuskarr Elders chanting in some strange language, a wave of magic washed over the building.

Once Elder Si'uigo nodded to him to indicate that the magic had taken hold, Krivax turned his attention to the female gnome and decided to try introducing himself again.

"Greetings," Krivax said in nerubian, pulling back some of his enthusiasm and allowing the magic to translate for him. "My name is Krivax and this is Masruk. What are your names?"

"I-I'm Trixie Tinkwrench of the Explorer's League," said the pink-haired gnome, visibly struggling to compose herself. "These are Malzie Stonehallow, also of the Explorer's League, and Oscar Smythe, a merchant under the employ of House Ashfort."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Krivax said politely. "Once I learned that the people of Moa'ki Harbor were trading with people from across the ocean, I knew that I had to meet you."

"Oh? Why is that?" Trixie asked nervously.

"Because my people were unaware of the existence of the Eastern Kingdoms until recently," Krivax responded, not missing the momentary expressions of surprise and apprehension that passed over her face. "Once I learned about you, I realized the great opportunity for trade and sharing of knowledge that could be gained from cooperation between our people."

As soon as Krivax finished speaking, Oscar's expression changed from one of apprehension to one of a starving man who had just been escorted to a buffet.

"Of course! That sounds great!" said Oscar. "I'm certain that the Eastern Kingdoms and Azjol-Nerub have much to offer one another. House Ashfort would be more than glad to cooperate with you and your people."

Krivax was a bit taken aback, although not displeased, by the enthusiastic merchant. It would make it much easier to convince them to aid him if they were this eager for trade, but that was something that he felt should be discussed later.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Krivax. "However, we can talk more about trade later. If I've learned anything over the past few months, it's that such negotiations take a long time, and I think our efforts would be better spent learning more about each other for now."

"Of course. Of course. Forgive my enthusiasm," said Oscar, dialing it back a little.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to hear more about your people," said Krivax. "Naturally, I will answer any questions you have about Azjol-Nerub as well."

"That sounds alright," said Trixie, losing some of her nervousness.

What followed was a long discussion about Ironforge, Gnomeregan, and Lordaeron, with Krivax asking the occasional question under the direction of Vizier Hadix. Most of what he heard were things that Krivax already knew, but he could see the projection of the Vizier looming over the foreigners and staring at them with an intense expression as he took in the information. A part of him wondered if these people were being irresponsible by sharing this information, but it was likely that all of this was considered common knowledge.

Once they were done, Krivax answered any questions that they had about Azjol-Nerub as promised. Although there were a few things that he held back under the order of Vizier Hadix.

"Your people's kingdom truly spans half of Northrend?" Trixie asked with wide eyes.

"Underneath it, yes. From En'kilah in the west to Naz'anak in the north and my home city of Kilah'kuk in the east, our kingdom is quite large."

"Hmph. Your people sound smart then, lad." said the dwarf, Malzie. "Under the ground is the best place to live after all."

"Malzie, you can't call him 'lad,'" said Trixie, admonishing her colleague. "You have no idea how old they are."

"We are a bit over four years old," offered Masruk offhandedly.

Krivax imagined that if they were drinking anything when his friend said that then they would have spit-taked. Not only them, but the tuskarr Elders were also trading incredulous looks. The topic of their age had never actually come up in discussion before now. How strange.

"The two of you are… four?" asked Trixie in disbelief. "How long is your lifespan? When do you become an adult? Are all four-year-old nerubians like you?"

Krivax ignored the Vizier's huff of amusement.

"Nerubian lifespans vary depending on their caste," said Krivax. "The caste that I and Masruk belong to lives approximately as long as your average human, assuming the humans of your lands live as long as the humans here. Nerubians mature more rapidly than most sapient races we have noticed, as we are both adults by our standards. How long do your people live for?"

"Gnomes and Dwarves can both live up to four hundred years," said Trixie, still slightly bewildered by the ages of the two nerubians. "I'm not certain how long the elves can live, but I know it's at least a few millennia."

Vizier Hadix perked up at this information. "Instruct them to tell you more about these 'elves.'"

"Elves?" asked Krivax.

"Yes, the High Elves of Quel'thalas," Trixie elaborated. "They are widely considered by most to be the most powerful kingdom in the Eastern Kingdoms. They live for a very long time and possess extremely powerful magic. I don't really know much about them because they keep to themselves."

Krivax couldn't tell what Hadix thought when he heard that, but after a moment of contemplation, the Vizier told him to move on.

There was one topic in particular that Krivax wanted to discuss, and he felt like now was as good a time as any.

"If I may ask, are there any ongoing conflicts in the Eastern Kingdoms? Anything in particular that you feel like we should know?" asked Krivax as calmly as he could. Even if the answer to this question did not tell him exactly when in the timeline he was, it would at least tell him if the creation of the Lich King was imminent.

Trixie considered the question for a moment before she responded.

"Not that I'm aware of," said Trixie, ignorant of the immense feeling of relief her words invoked in Krivax. "There is always conflict with the trolls and gnolls, but nothing major to the best of my knowledge."

Trixie looked to her two companions, seeking their opinion.

Malzie shook his head, and Oscar did as well after a short pause.

"The human hesitated," said Hadix. "Question him."

"Oscar, are you aware of any large conflicts?" asked Krivax, silently praying that the answer would be no.

Oscar hesitated for a moment before answering.

"They are merely rumors, but I have been told by some of my fellow merchants that there may be some kind of conflict happening in Stormwind," Oscar said reluctantly.

"Who is the current ruler of Stormwind?" asked Krivax.

Oscar seemed a bit confused by the question, but he answered anyway.

"King Llane Wrynn. Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason. Merely curiosity."

Krivax could feel his earlier feeling of relief turn sour. There was no way for him to know for certain, but that conflict in Stormwind could very well be the First War. It was good to know that the Second War had not yet started, as far as these merchants knew, but that did not mean that he could afford to relax. After all, there wasn't much he could do to actually stop Kil'jaeden from creating the Lich King, and the time between the First and Second War was not as long as he would like.

Krivax thanked Oscar for the information and turned the conversation to lighter topics. They spoke briefly on a variety of topics, such as their respective histories, politics, House Ashfort's history of trade with Northrend, and the Explorer League's upcoming expedition.

There was even a moment where Trixie decided to show off her device—which was apparently a Shrink Ray—by using it on one of the lobsters that had been prepared for the nerubians. It was a moment that Krivax would cherish because it was the first time that he had ever seen Vizier Hadix so dumbstruck.

Eventually, the foreigners grew sufficiently comfortable with their presence and Hadix thought that it was time for Krivax to request their assistance.

He briefly described Azjol-Nerub's excessively isolationist nature—which explained to them why this was their first time learning of the kingdom—and then made his request.

"You would like to present us to your leaders and have us explain to them what they can gain from diplomacy?" asked Trixie, stunned.

"Yes, that is correct," said Krivax. "I believe that this would go a long way to convincing them."

Krivax watched as Trixie's expression alternated between concern and excitement.

"And you are certain that this is safe? If your people are so insular, then would they really be okay with an outsider entering their city?"

"Yes, of course. You will definitely be safe," said Krivax, lying through his mandibles.

There was no absolute guarantee that they would be safe if they entered Azjol-Nerub, but then again, they were in danger from the moment that the kingdom noticed them. At this point, there was already absolutely no possibility that their ship would leave Moa'ki Harbor without Azjol-Nerub allowing them to do so, not that they knew that, of course.

"My mentor has already secured permission for you to enter the city and meet with our leaders if you are willing," said Krivax, hoping for everyone's sake that they would be willing.

At least this time he was not blatantly lying. Vizier Hadix had already secured permission for this from the Underking.

Krivax watched as the foreigners turned to discuss the matter quietly amongst themselves. He could already tell that he would be receiving a positive response from their expressions. Trixie and Malzie both seemed to be excited about the possibility of being permitted into Azjol-Nerub, and the merchant seemed enthralled with the promise of great wealth that trade would offer him.

Sure enough, they seemed to reach a conclusion very quickly.

"We will need to discuss the matter with some of the people from the ship," said Trixie. "But I expect that we will be able to accept your request."

"Excellent," said Hadix, truly pleased.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Krivax, equally as pleased as the Vizier. "After you give me your full answer, I will need to contact my mentor to arrange for transportation."

Vizier Hadix caught his implied question and responded to him as the meeting turned to other topics.

"I will be ready to open a portal to transport you all to the city in a few days," said Vizier Hadix.

The Vizier was silent for a moment as his attention turned elsewhere before he refocused on Krivax.

"It is time for my participation in this meeting to come to an end," said Hadix. "The Underking has summoned me and I must go to him now. I can see that you have this matter well in hand, Initiate. Well done. Continue to gather information and be prepared to report it to me the next time we meet."

Krivax nodded discreetly to Hadix, signaling his understanding.

"Good. Enjoy your last few days on the surface, Initiate. I suspect that these will be the most relaxing days you have for quite some time."

With those last foreboding words delivered, the Vizier's projection quickly faded away.

Krivax held back a sigh as he turned his attention back to the conversation. It seemed like they had finally reached the point where the foreigners were renegotiating their agreements with the tuskarr.

He agreed with the Vizier that his coming days were likely to be more eventful than his current ones, but it might be worth it if whatever was to come did not involve listening to more trade agreements.

As he listened to Oscar complain about the length of their trip and promote the reliability of their business partnership, Krivax couldn't help but hope that he would not have to attend another meeting like this in the future.

At least once the kingdom officially manages to establish diplomatic relations with the Eastern Kingdoms, I should be able to hand things like this over to someone else. Right?

A note from Fizzicks

When I first started writing this story, it was for an audience that was already familiar with Warcraft lore, so there were some important things that happened in this chapter that were left implied, but not stated outright.

When Krivax asked for the name of Stormwind's current king, he was told by Oscar that the current king was King Llane Wyrnn, who died at the end of the First War.

The Lich King was created at the end of the Second War, which tells Krivax that he at least has several more years before the creation of the Lich King.

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