Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Krivax closed the book on Dalarans laws as soon as he finished reading the portions on magical duels and moved to return it to the bookshelf filled with recently purchased books that Hadix thought would be useful for his students continued education.

Call him paranoid, but while Hadix might be confident that he was more than capable of handling anything that came his way, Krivax wanted to learn everything he could beforehand.

Apparently, magical dueling was a tradition that had been brought to Dalaran from Quelthalas, unsurprisingly, and was a method that mages sometimes used to settle disagreements. It made sense to Krivax, in a society that had access to potent magical healing and powerful arcane defenses, fighting to prove a persons magical competence or to resolve a feud would naturally be more common than on Earth.

Especially given the fact that Azeroth was an extremely dangerous place, which naturally led to cultures and people that were generally more hostile, combative, and martial-focused than Earth.

Of course, there was a bit of bureaucracy involved in scheduling a magical duel that had taken them two days to arrange. Both of the participants had to go in front of an official and give their consent by signing a contract stating the terms of the duel. There was also a hefty fee to pay for the facilities and all of the supporting personnel, which Flametrail had insisted on paying in full due to some kind of cultural expectations placed on the challenger, but the duel itself was a relatively straightforward matter.

The duel would take place in a venue prepared for such occasions, a small stadium that would allow interested parties to watch. Both of the participants would be protected by the stadium's numerous defensive enchantments, and there would be mages and healers ready to intervene as soon as things looked to be going wrong, but there otherwise were few rules other than to nonlethally defeat your opponent in magical combat.

There was a rule that prohibited the usage of magical items, which Krivax had worried would extend to spellweaving, but an administrator had ensured him it didnt after learning what spellweaving was. The fact that spellweaving reserved a portion of the caster's mana and only imbued magic into silk temporarily put it into the same category as protection spells that were crafted beforehand.

It was much closer to precasting a spell than permanently enchanting an item.

As long as both participants were informed of the situation, then spellweaving didnt break any rules. When Arcanist Flametrail was made aware that Hadix would be spellweaving, he hadnt seemed to care, and Hadix was more than willing to take advantage of that arrogance.

I still dont understand why that elf would be dumb enough to challenge you, said Krivax, huffing in frustration. Didnt you make it abundantly clear that you outclass him, Vizier Hadix?

The Vizier was hanging from one of the webs attached to the wall of their assigned lodgings while weaving a spell far more complex than Krivax could understand into a long strand of silk. He wasnt even done with his spellweaving yet, but the silk already glowed with an unreasonable amount of arcane energy.

Theres a possibility this scenario was arranged by the citys leadership in order to test my abilities. If that is the case, then this an acceptable outcome because it will allow me to show some of what we are capable of, but the most likely explanation is simply that people often make irrational decisions, said Hadix as he prepared himself for the coming duel. That is especially true when they are highly emotional. Besides, if our historical records on the elves remain accurate, making detrimental decisions due to their own arrogance is a feature inherent to their species.

Krivax very carefully did not react to that hypocritical statement as he watched Hadix continue his spellweaving.

Hmph. Dont think that I dont know whats going on in that odd little mind of yours, said Hadix, huffing in amusement. Arrogance is only arrogance when it is undeserved. Otherwise, its simply having a good understanding of ones capabilities. The difference between me and that elf is that unlike him, my understanding of myself in comparison to others is accurate.

I have no idea what youre talking about, Vizier Hadix, said Krivax, trying his best to keep a straight face and sound as genuine as possible. I was not thinking anything derogatory about you at all.

I see that those lessons I gave you in how to properly lie have had some effect, Hadix said dryly, turning his attention away from his weaving to glance at him. Perhaps if you continue practicing for a few decades, you might become a skilled enough liar to make me second guess myself.

Yes, Vizier Hadix, I have no idea why I thought you were arrogant. How odd of me.

So youre certain that theres no possibility that you will lose? Krivax asked curiously.

While he had studied under Hadix for a significant amount of time by now, he did not actually know that much about his mentor. Krivax knew that Hadix was more powerful than the average Vizier, but he didnt know how powerful that was, nor had he actually seen a full-on battle between two fully mature mages.

Ignoring the potential diplomatic headaches that this might cause him in the future, Krivax was actually feeling a bit excited to watch the duel. What kind of person wouldnt want to watch a fight between two wizards?

Certainty does not exist when it comes to a fight between two mages, Hadix said firmly. Theres every possibility that I will lose, although that remains exceedingly unlikely.

Krivax was surprised by the Viziers answer, he had expected the Vizier to say something like, Dont insult me by asking ridiculous questions, Vizier Krivax. That pathetic elf couldnt harm me if he lived for another millennium!

That isnt the answer that I was expecting to hear, Krivax said honestly, curious to hear the Viziers perspective.

There are many among the Circle of Viziers who would have given you an answer more similar to the one I suspect you were expecting, said Vizier Hadix, his tone uncharacteristically solemn and his gaze far off. But that is merely because they lack experience in actual combat. There were many times throughout the years that I have seen members of the Order die to those under the sway of the Void, even when the enemy was weaker than them. In combat, anything is possible, and that is why it is wise to deal with your enemies quickly and quietly or avoid a fight whenever possible.

Krivax wasnt quite sure what to think about that, it certainly wasnt what he had been expecting from the Vizier.

If that is the case, then why did you antagonize that elf and accept his request to duel?

Because, Krivax, aside from the fact that his incompetence offended my sensibilities, there is very little that irritates me more than a teacher who fails to take their responsibilities seriously, especially one who teaches magic, Hadix hissed out, his tone filled with anger simply at the thought of it. If a mage agrees to teach the next generation, then there should be a minimal expectation that they do not sabotage their students through either incompetence or disinterest.

Krivax paused as he stared at his mentor, considering what the Vizier had just said.

For all of the time that he had known Hadix, he always considered him to be relatively uncaring about most matters of morality. Oh, he knew that Hadix wasnt some kind of monster that trampled over people for no reason, but he also knew that the Vizier didnt have the slightest qualms about getting his hands dirty if he needed to.

The fact that Hadix felt strongly about this topic was not something that Krivax had expected. Even if he did care about the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship, Krivax wouldnt have expected him to get so riled up about it.

Although looking back, his mentor had always treated matters of his education seriously. From the moment that Krivax had first come under the Viziers tutelage, he had never failed to answer his questions on magic with relative patience. If Krivax wanted to learn something and Hadix was busy, then he was always provided with an appropriate spellbook, which were all fairly valuable, or Hadix would get back to him later.

He also acted responsibly with the other members of the Surface World Research Division as far as Krivax could tell.

To him, that just seemed like common decency, but he could also remember hearing examples of Viziers treating those under them with much less decency during his time in Kilahkuk.

He was a bit curious about how strongly the Vizier felt on this topic, and he could tell that Hadix was lost in his thoughts and wasnt paying him very much attention, so he decided to see if he could learn more.

Well, I suppose I should be grateful that Arcanist Flametrail is simply incompetent, said Krivax, keeping his tone casual. I doubt I want to know what you would have done if hed been sabotaging his students intentionally.

Hadixs expression immediately grew menacing enough that Krivax felt a shiver of dread go through his carapace.

No, you do not.

The Viziers tone was dark enough that Krivax abandoned any intentions to probe Hadix further. Though he had gotten used to the Viziers dominating presence, he still wasnt brave enough to dip his mandibles into what looked like a personal subject.

Seeing that Hadix was in no mood for further conversation, Krivax decided that it would be a good idea to bury himself in his spellbooks until it was time for them to leave in a few hours.

Elder Vizier Malabs Advanced Ward of Mental Protection was much more difficult to learn than Krivax had initially hoped, so most of his recent efforts were dedicated to learning the Orders Anti-Divination magics.

Soon enough, one of the delegations warriors was knocking on the door and informing them that the venue had been prepared for the duel. The walk to the stadium was a quiet one, although Krivax could feel his excitement growing as they made their way through the streets of Dalaran and grew closer to the stadium.

When they reached their destination, a large building not too far from the Violet Citadel, the two of them were quickly ushered in separate directions by a few guards. Hadix was escorted to a preparation room and Krivax found himself being taken to the seating arrangements prepared for him and Vizier Crinis.

Which was in fact just a section of the stadium stands that was filled with large cushions. It wasnt exactly easy to make a chair for a nerubian after all, so Krivax supposed this was the best that they could figure out.

That worry proved unnecessary, however, as the massive barrage of fireballs passed through Hadix as if he wasnt even there, smashing into random parts of the arena instead. Most of them were indeed illusions, but several of them burst into explosions of fire that disrupted several of the Arcanists illusions.

It seems Flametrail isnt the only one who enjoys using illusions, said Runeweaver, sounding slightly surprised. That was masterfully done. Not even I managed to detect it until it was disrupted. And to cast an invisibility spell at the same time, thats not easily done.

Sure enough, the image of Vizier Hadix flickered and dissipated, seeming to leave the images of Flametrail standing in the arena alone.

To his credit, Arcanist Flametrail didnt hesitate to begin constructing a magical barrier around himself, but his efforts were immediately shown to be useless.

Exclamations of surprise could be heard throughout the stadium as Vizier Hadix seemed to appear from under Flametrail, the ground of the arena flowing around him as if it were mud as he ascended from below. The Vizier grabbed the surprised elf with all four of his hands and lifted him off the ground before pulling him toward his arachnid face, mandibles open wide.

Krivax had never seen a person lose all color in their face faster than Arcanist Flametrail did. He was certain that it would be a long time before the elf lived down the shriek of fear he let out as he hastily teleported himself to the other side of the stadium.

Hadix, on the other hand, seemed to be in much better spirits, if his mocking laughter was any indication.

How dare you?! shouted Flametrail, his expression twisting from one of fear to deep anger.

Vizier Hadix didnt bother to respond, other than by casting a quick spell before stomping on the ground with both of his forward feet, causing the stadium to shake as the earth cracked and spikes of earth rose to skewer all of the illusions and mirror images.

What a powerful display of geomancy! How is that possible? exclaimed Runeweaver as he rose from his seat, his eyes growing wide.

Arcane magic lent itself to easy manipulation of fire and ice for reasons that Krivax didnt fully understand, maybe arcane magic just lent itself to temperature regulation, but manipulating the earth was much harder and was generally something much more common among shamans.

However, Azjol-Nerub was an underground kingdom and thus had a lot of motivation to develop their ability to manipulate the earth via arcane means.

Archmage Runeweaver wasnt the only one who was surprised; Flametrail also seemed to be stunned as he looked around at the multiple spikes of earth rising out of the ground.

Hadix didnt seem interested in giving his opponent a chance to recover as he once again opened his mandibles wide, allowing a huge swarm of hissing locusts to emerge from his mouth and fly across the stadium in the elfs direction.

Flametrail yelled out what Krivax assumed was a Thalassian swear word and frantically threw a stream of fire at the swarm, revealing it to have been an illusion and causing it to dissipate.

The mage seemed to show an expression of relief, which instantly became panic as two intertwined orbs of arcane magic came flying through his flames and smashed into his body, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling across the ground.

Krivax was impressed to see that Flametrail actually managed to cast a shielding spell while rolling across the ground that saved him from the next barrage of arcane magic that followed immediately afterward.

Oh for a moment I believed that your people were actually able to summon swarms of man-eating insects at will, muttered the Archmage, sounding a mixture of relieved and tired as he sat back down.

No but I do know some Spiderlords who like carrying them around on their person, Krivax idly mentioned as he watched the very exciting fight.

Of course you do

From that point onward, Flametrail focused almost completely on defense, leveraging his expertise in warding magic to survive an onslaught of spells coming from Vizier Hadix. This eventually resulted in the elf panting in exhaustion as he stood inside an impressive barrier of arcane energy.

Flametrails almost completely out of mana but if that barrier is as powerful as it looks, I wouldnt count him out yet, said Runeweaver, leaning forward in his seat.

Whys that Archmage? asked Krivax. Things seem pretty hopeless for him from my perspective.

Just as Runeweaver was about to answer, Flametrail brought both of his palms together and closed his eyes.

Krivax had no idea what the mage was doing at first, but he was soon able to understand when Flametrail began to breathe in a strange pattern and a vortex of mana started swirling around the elf.

Flametrail is using a technique called evocation, explained Runeweaver without prompting. It allows for a mage to regenerate a large amount of mana in a very short amount of time. Its normally not something that is safe to use during combat, for obvious reasons, but this might be the perfect scenario. If he manages to regain all of his mana, then hell be in a much better position to fight Vizier Hadix, whos likely running low on mana himself by now.

Krivax doubted that Flametrail would be able to win, even if he did regain all his mana, but as soon as he saw Vizier Hadix pull out the spellweave he had been working on earlier, he knew that he wasnt going to be able to find out.

The silk glowed brightly with arcane energy, and was woven into a shape similar to what most people would usually expect from a spider web

If this is the extent of your capabilities, then I see no reason to continue this farce, said Hadix, throwing the silk into the air.

Krivax watched in amazement as the silk immediately expanded into a massive web-shaped dome that surrounded both him and Arcanist Flametrail. Its effects were immediate as the vortex of mana that was previously circling around Flametrail began to fly off on its own and into the web.

Pieces of Flametrails barrier began to crack like glass and also began floating toward the web.

What is this?! shouted the panicking Flametrail, immediately using some of the mana he had regained to throw a ball of fire at Hadix. The fireball barely reached a few feet before redirecting itself into the web, dissipating harmlessly the moment it made contact.

This is something of my own creation, said Hadix, sounding smug. Simply put, any magic you cast while under its effects will find itself stuck in my web, so to speak.

Impossible!

Flametrail frantically threw spell after spell at Hadix and even tried running out of the magical web barrier, but every spell he cast was useless and he barely managed to get himself unstuck the first time he tried physically touching the web.

It wasnt long before Flametrail was once again completely exhausted, but this time without any barriers to protect him from the telekinetically thrown rock that smashed into his stomach, sending him doubling over in pain.

You cannot win. Concede while you are still conscious enough to do so, said Vizier Hadix, fully prepared to follow through on his threat.

Arcanist Flametrail snarled in rage and shot a furious expression toward Hadix, but after a few moments he seemed to collect himself and realize that he had no other options.

I concede.

And thus the duel is decided! The victor, Vizier Hadix of Azjol-Nerub! declared the magical announcer the second after Flametrail conceded, the arcane barrier around the arena lowering and magical letters projected into the air spelling out the winners name for all to see.

And despite one of their own losing, Krivax watched as the stands exploded into cheers at the impressive display of magical combat, even the Archmage next to him standing and giving a respectful applause.

Told you, Vizier Crinis smug voice sounded out as she also raised and followed the crowd's lead by giving her colleague a polite round of clapping as well.

As for Hadix, he simply took everything in with a huff and made his way to the exit while his opponent picked himself up and did the same with as much grace as he could, likely off to see a healer about his many bruises.

All the while Krivax cheered for his teacher, a new level of respect welling up inside him.