Hello all, I hope you're all having a good Easter and please enjoy :)
Kal had to admit, this was a meeting he has been anticipating for a couple of days now. Maybe a little longer considering he heard of this Prophet a while ago and he didn't really know why but he wanted to meet someone who can claim to hold the age that he could. In his mind it would be an interesting conversation at the very least. Thankfully he wasn't disappointed "the Narru came shortly after and were able to save us. We've been on the run from the Legion ever since" he was told.
Of course, his heart went out to Velen and his people. The two were sitting at a small table in one of the many different rooms of the fortress, the Prophet even taking the drink that was offered. Everyone else had either left or was in the process of leaving to go deal with the news about this Dark Portal "can I ask" Kal started as he looked at the older man "this Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, you said that the three of you came together and formed the government that led your people. The entire world and all the people on it" he paused as he looked at Velen.
The old Draenei hummed to himself for a moment and looked at him closer. It was like he was weighing the decision of telling him any of this or not "yes, it was myself and Kil'jaeden for many years. Archimonde came years later but when he did we ruled and guided are people for many centuries" he told him.
"Impressive" Kal said as he listened to the tale. The fact that three people were able to rule over an entire planet was very impressive, not something that could have been done on Earth "But then Sargeras came. I have to ask, what was it that he offered that would cause not only two of the three leaders but two thirds of your people to join him as well" he knew it may be a delicate question.
Based on the way Velen frowned slightly, he thought so as well "Why do you wish to know that?" he asked calmly.
"I've met a being like Sargeras before" he started to explain "ever since I was told about him and his Legion, I knew that I would have to fight them if they came to this world. So, I would like to know about how they think" he said giving the prophet an idea about what his plan was going to be "if they can be convinced to betray all their principles once already, maybe I could get them to do it again by offering that which they want. Not that I would give it to them of course" he added.
Velen's eyes narrowed at him as he heard the request and was quite for a moment before responding "he offered to grant us a means of understanding we were lacking. Our people where knowledge seekers more than anything else, when Sargeras came to us and told us of his offer and all we would have to do is join him. It was enough for many" he looked down to the ground and he closed his eyes with sadness and disappointment.
"But not you?" he asked back with a tilt of the heard "where you not tempted?" he asked gently.
The woman who came with the prophet bristled at the words and the grip she had on Velen's staff tightened. Clearly protective "I was not" he answered "for years before the arrival of the Dark One, I received grave tidings in my meditation with the Narru. When he did come, there was no question in my mind. I knew exactly what he was, I tried to explain to Kil'jaeden and Archimonde both but it was too late, the minute Sargeras showed himself they fell under his persuasive gaze"
Kal didn't say anything for a moment, instead bringing hand up and placed it against his chin "Interesting, more cunning than I would have thought. Particularly if the Titans are as powerful as you claim. He could have just threatened to destroy your world if you didn't serve him" he started to think to himself.
"A waste of effort on his part" he was told.
"How so?" he said back with interest.
Velen frowned for a moment before he leaned further forward, taking another drink of the cup that held some Pepsi, Kal was starting to think he could make a business from these drinks "there is an... aspect to the Fel magics of the Legion that many fail to understand. There is a corrupting nature to the Fel, it is... addicting" he added.
That certainly did bring him up short. It never did occur to Kal that a type of magic could affect people like drugs could, he made a mental note to investigate that. That can be used, he wasn't sure how just yet, but it was definitely worth looking into "it would have been far too wasteful for Sargeras to kill when all he had to do was make a false promise, tell my people that if they consumed the Fel magic's they would have the knowledge they crave so much"
That was when the idea struck him "so hypothetically, if the Fel magic could be altered, or there was a biological weapon that could target those using Fel..." he trailed off.
Velen and his assistance eyes both widened as they heard what he said, no doubt they were both considering whether or not he was being serious or not "hypothetically" he started "if such a weapon could exist then it would target the entirety of the Burning Legion" he said.
Upon hearing that the thoughts in his mind started to take shape and the project began to form proper. That would need a lot of research but it was worth looking into.
Sylvanas Windrunner was walking down the slopes of mount Hyjal with her entourage, making their way towards their camp and portal back to the undercity. She led the group of course, her entourage of four of her best rangers following close behind her, Nathanos walking just next to her. Her thoughts while focused on the re-opening on the Dark Portal where very muddled, of course the Portal opening is a cause for concern but to be perfectly frank she had more things to worry about.
The Portal was far too far away from Lordaeron to be something she needed to worry about at the moment. Let the others deal with it as far as she was concerned. She and her people had their own problems at the moment, namely that damn lich Kel'thuzad and of course those idiots in the crusade. The war for the plague lands was entering a stalemate with no-one coming out the victor.
Between her own forces within the Forsaken, the wannabe heroes of the Scarlet Crusade and the undead and Death Nights of Naxxramas. No-one was winning this fight and it was grating on her nerves. Despite the best work of her Alchemists within the Undercity, creating the most devastating of concoctions. It only seemed to hold the ground against the holy magic of the Crusade and artillery fire and support that the necropolis gives the Lich King forces.
To be perfectly frank, she would much rather have stayed there and helped. Only coming to this meeting to sate her curiosity about this new alien that seems to have made his home here and despite it all, she was glad she came.
Assuming that he could get this... satellite network up and running quickly, it might be the changing factor they need in order to beat back their enemy's. She would need to leave someone of importance within Lordaeron just encase he could build them quickly and a watch station could be set up in the old city.
She hated to admit it but the aliens help would be very much appreciated in the fight. Not only for control of the plague lands but Northrend as well. But that can wait until she had the chance to speak with them again, perhaps there was something she could do to try and convince him to fight for them, maybe make an appeal to the knowledge seeker in him, from what she could see at the very least he seemed very driven by a drive to know more. Not the worst motivation she's seen someone have.
"My Lady" a voice called behind her with a noticeable worry to it that caused all present to turn around and see what it was, their weapons drawn, a possible ambush was always their minds. However, the reason for the concern was not what was expected. The small machine that interrupted the meeting to tell them about the Dark Portal and the one who showed them inside was heading towards them.
"Pardon the interruption" it spoke, stopping just a few feet away from them, hovering calmly in the air "but Master El was wondering if it would be possible for him to have a moment of your time, Ranger General Windrunner?" it asked, starring directly at her.
She was quite for just a few moments before nodding "if he wants to speak he can come, though I'm not walking all the way back up" she nodded to the Mountain "I've got things to do"
"I don't doubt it" a voice called directly behind her. Turning around quickly with her bow drawn and arrow notched, Nathanos doing the same with a blade, her dead eyes widened at the sight of her host standing not even three feet in front of her "that will be all Kelex" he said to the machine "please make sure we don't have any other surprises like what Staghelm did" he ordered.
"Yes master" Kelex said bowing slightly before turning to leave.
"I'm sorry for the unexpected visit" he said softly "but I would like to speak to you for a moment" he added.
She narrowed her eyes at him before she lowered her weapon, the others behind her all doing the same "you want to talk then do it while walking, I can't delay my return anymore then I must" she said walking around him and heading back to the exit point.
To Kal's credit, he was quick to stand beside her and walk forward with them "I was wondering if I could ask about your current situation in the Plague lands" he started.
"It's a stalemate" she replied quickly "despite are best efforts, we haven't been able to gain an advantage over the enemy. Though thankfully neither have they, despite what those fanatical idiots are channelling with their magic or that fucking necromancer coward floating in the necropolis" she told him, no doing anything to hide the anger in her voice. Something that was shared by all around her but Kal himself.
"The Crusade" he started "from what I've been told they're very... strong in their faith"
The way he refused to directly acknowledge how evil those in the Scarlet Crusade idiots are grated on her undead nerves and she turned her head to scowl at him "yes, they're strong in their faith. Their faith that compels them to kill my people who were not even allowed the decency of death" she seethed.
Thankfully he seemed to have gotten the point she made as he looked ahead with an awkward look on his face "the necropolis, Naxxramas. From what I've been told it's the strong hold for a necromancer. The Lich Kings second, correct?" he asked.
"Kel'thuzad" Nathanos spoke up first on the other side of her "that damned Lich is the reason Lordaeron fell to the undead in the first place" the anger coming off of them was palpable.
The alien was quite for a moment as he took the words in, Sylvanas didn't doubt that he was thinking about certain things that he has learned "Ranger General, would you be willing to discuss the possibility of short-term partnership between me and you?" he asked.
'That was bold' she thought to herself quickly, she has not even left yet and he's already trying to make secret deals. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion of the offer. Expecting the trap that he was setting, perhaps planning on using her own words as a means of blackmail. She mentally shook her head, that wouldn't work though, would it? What need would he have for blackmail, assuming he really was as powerful as he let on, he doesn't need that.
Despite all the thoughts going around in her head, the only thing she showed was a small frown for others to see "What type of partnership?" she asked him, crossing her arms.
"I can't help you against the Scarlet Crusaders" he started as the group started to make their way towards the portal point that was being guarded by a small contingent of other Forsaken "from what I can tell they're just people who believe in what they do. I can talk to them, try and convince them..." she let out a scoff and started to walk a little faster to outpace him "look, I have a code of morals" he said and the Banshee Queen was forced to stop moving as he seemingly appeared right in front of her, stopping her path.
She very nearly bumped into his chest and being forced to stop so suddenly made her stumble for the moment, seeing the slight against their leader. Her entourage and those stationed around the portal all held their weapons ready "I don't care about your morals" she said back coldly "if you want to talk to those fanatics then by all means. But if your 'partnership' involves any corporation between my people and them. Then perhaps you are not as smart as I was led to believe" she walked around the man of steel and stood beside the portal, with a nod she told the others to move through it.
Clearly not happy with the orders for them to go first, but they did obey her all the same and the column started to move through the magical gateway. He knew that she would be moving through last which gave him time to make his case "those morals are what keep the power I have from going to my head" he started, looking right into her eyes, not caring the evilness within them "and you of all people should be thankful for that" he added with the nod towards her. The anger coming off of her now becoming more directed at him due to the vailed would-be threat "I know what they're doing is wrong and I will stop them if they cross the line but I won't kill them for it" he explained.
Taking a step closer to the undead, now the two being the only one's present. To be fair to her however, despite being alone and faced with the sheer unrivalled power he wielded, she didn't back down or shy away "the Lich King and his forces on the other hand, are a completely different matter" that seemed to cause her frown to cease.
He had no problem fighting them, he's heard quite a bit about the forces of the Lich King and the man himself of course. From what he's seen and heard, those armies are pure evil and those trapped in servitude, he had no doubt that death would be a much-needed release from pain, a mercy. At least that's what he thought, he doubted very much that those who claim the title of Death Knight are those that want it. He knew he would be needed to help deal with it.
He considered just flying up to Northrend and dealing with them himself was two things, number one being that from everything he's heard, the Lich King was once a very noble and just man before his fall. He wanted to know how this fall happened before he acted, the second thing was the heavy amount of magic present around the continent, not to mention this fortress that he calls home. Icecrown from what he's been told. He couldn't take the risk of something happening to him and he himself being used as a means to control all others.
Sylvanas gave him a speculative glare as she heard that, the anger replaced with suspicion "what will this partnership of yours entail?" she asked him, wanting to get an understanding of what the conditions would be.
"I understand that they are both your enemy, but the Lich King and his are mine while the Crusaders are not. I would ask that you dedicate all of your forces to the Crusaders and leave the Scourge to me" he said calmly and took a step back so she wouldn't feel like he was forces this on her "I give you my word I will knock Naxxramas out of the air and wipe out all of their forces" he said.
The frowning eyes came back onto her face and the guarded stance also came back quickly "and in return? Or are you claiming this to be such an act of charity?" the sarcasm on her voice was easy to see since she was laying it on so thick Clark felt that it could cut a piece of cake.
He slowly shook his head "in return for that, you stay out of it" he offered "everything aboard that necropolis is mine, the weapons, the magical concoctions and the prisoners" that was the offer.
She clearly didn't like it based on the way a small snarl escaped her lips. This time it was her who stepped closer towards him, going so far as to go closer than he did with her, their chest almost touching each other. The necromantic magic clinging to her seemed to escape her in waves, if it wasn't for the ring on his finger, he would properly be feeling very sick right now "you think that I would allow some interloper the chance to steal the kill that is ours?" she asked him.
"From what I've been told you only care about two things" Kal started, not backing down from the challenge that she was giving him "your own revenge against the one who did this to you and the people who are in your care" his eyes softened, and he reached up, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She recoiled from the touch, he could have held on for a lot longer of course but he didn't want her to feel trapped her "I can't explain in words how sorry I am that this has happened to you and your people but" he added quickly before she could scoff and turn away "if you give me your word that you will not get involved in my attack on Naxxramas. I will give you my word that I will use all my power, all my strength and all my technology to find a way to undo what has happened to you and your people"
The wind began to ruffle up some nearby leaf's and her eyes narrowed even more than they already were... somehow. It was quick, he would give her that, but it wasn't much to him. He leaned back in time to avoid the dagger that laced with a type of dark magic, if it could him then there was no doubt it would have hurt. To his eyes, it was all in slow motion, as her hand was in the air before even she had a moment. The weapon was spinning in her hand ready to be brought down on him, but it was just too slow.
With a calm face, Kal walked to the side and waited for just a moment. For Sylvanas, it was as if he just disappeared from her and reappeared slightly to the side, her weapon hit nothing but air when she brought it back down "I imagine that you've heard that a lot" she quickly turned to him and threw her weapon at him with a power and aim that was meant to kill. He couldn't help but think that this might be that magical taint that Jaina told him about, that might be affecting the minds of the undead, even those who have free will.
It must be, Kal's made an impact on this planet and he's made a lot of promises that many believed and he pretty much just told everyone about the Titan and it's been made clear he's the best way to understand more about her. To kill him right now before he could even try and learn what he could to tell everyone. Yeah, that would not end well for her. If she had anyone, she could call an alley now. Killing him and she wouldn't.
"A lot of false promises and many types of disappointments" he continued, when she turned to charge at him with the blade. He let out a small puff of air from his mouth. Enough to knock the undead on her back though she quickly turned it into a roll and went backwards. In a crouching position as if she was ready to make another lunge at him "you don't have to trust me but encase it wasn't perfectly clear already. You've never met a man like be before" he started to walk forward towards her "in two days I'll head over to the plague lands and deal with the Scourge and their forces. If you just go on the defensive and let the enemy kill themselves against you, if anything you might have a better chance of winning since the Crusaders will see what I'm doing and try to get involved. Only to find a lot of undead waiting for them" he stopped right in front of her kneeling position "if you do that I'll..." he looked down and let out a sigh.
"No, I can't lie like that. The truth is I would have looked into a way of helping the Forsaken regardless. So I'm not going to haggle with something like that" he kneeled down in front of her, when he did so she made a stabbing motion with the knife. He simply reached out and grabbed her hand, not wanting to trust his skin to stop a knife that has magic on it "Two days Ranger General, just do me a favour and stay out of that one. Work on protecting your people instead" with that said he let go of her hand and stood up tall, he then turned and within a blink he was gone, only a puff of wind left in his wake.
Sylvanas Windrunner let out a small snarl as she could see he was no longer there. She stood up and was half tempted to go back up that hill and finish him off, she hated this, she hated him, she hated that in all her years of both life and un-life she's never felt so small, so weak. Seeing the dark magic seem to leak from her skin like a mist she quickly turned and left, not wanting to trust in herself to keep calm enough to do something stupid, she needed to go somewhere else and calm her mind. Then make her way to the Plague lands.
Six hours after his meeting with the undead, Kal was at work within one of two production units within the fortress. It wasn't too dissimilar to the factories on Earth that had many different conveyer belts expect these ones had tracks in the air and instead of robot arms that did the building it was monitor drones that were designed slightly different from the others, these where slightly smaller and had more arms and eyes, used for buildings.
Kal stood at a computer in the middle of the room, the conveyer belts going all around him. Building all the different satellites that would be placed in high orbit. Thankfully the basic Kryptonian design for the satellite was already in the system so he didn't have to do too much in terms of fresh schematics, the only thing he needed to do was try and get a new camera in the works that would specialize in deep planetary scans. Thankfully that only took a couple of hours to do.
Well, it was few hours in real time but for him with his speed, it would equal about a day of work. Not too bad. While he was doing that Kelex was working on making the machines, ten out of the fifteen where complete and when they were all done, they would get to work on building and installing the cameras. Not bad, from a timetable point of few. Though Kelex may have to do that last part on his own, his conversation with Sylvanas has been weighing on him and he wanted to try and find a way to help her and her people.
As of the moment, the Prophet Velen was the first idea he had that could bear fruit. He's been told about the different types of magic that the denizens of this world use. They can be used for many different reasons and based on what he's been told, those who want to use their magic to heal others use 'The Light' he's asked about this and according to Jaina the dark magics of the Scourge where two corrupting to be cured by The Light. So, he needed to try and find a way around that.
Which he did, when he and the Banshee queen where having there... conversation. Kal was able to take a single strand of her hair, in other words, a very small sample of her DNA. Glancing down to his waist he could see the vile that held in tightly. His plan was a loophole, that much he could admit freely. If the body was beyond repair, then he would just have to make a new one. Cloning might be an impossible thing for the people of this world and even most of those on Earth, for someone like him and his technology, it was child's play.
While he could freely admit it would take a long time to make clones for every single one of the forsaken. There were thousands of them after all, that's not even going into the logistics for the machines themselves, every single cloning pod would require three square meters of space, the power for that alone would be a problem. While the fortress might have a power source that could keep it alight indefinitely, the cloning pods would need to be connected to it and that brought its own problems.
The first one being that all around the fortress was mountains and forest, not something suitable for the amount of heavy machinery this would need. And of course, he couldn't just run power cables from the fortress to wherever the pods would be. The chances of sabotage are just too high. So that was a problem he would need to work on, it's not like the Forsaken had the decades of time it would take for them all to be brought back a dozen or so at a time.
He'll work on that, thankfully after the clone bodies would be made, it was an easy fix for what to do after that. All he would need to do is place both the clone and original into a machine he could make quickly and from there, the mind would be transferred from one body to the other. Same old mind but brand-new body. A complete loophole but he didn't care about that and he doubted the Forsaken would either.
Pressing the enter key, he completely the design for the new camera and so far it seemed that everything would work properly "Well done master, I shall start building the martials needed in the refinery" Kelex said to him.
Kal stopped for a moment and took a breath wondering what he should do next. He could head over to the Exodar but he didn't want to feel like he was pressuring Velen, no doubt he had many duties to focus on. He could use the Prophet to try and cure the hair as a last resort, perhaps using the most powerful Light user at the start would be overkill. Any user of the Light could be used as a good base line for this, though he would need to use someone who wasn't so biased. He's been told by Jaina that many users of the Light, mainly the priests are very... well, untrusting would be a polite way of saying it.
Completely fanatical would be another. So he would need someone who users the light well enough and isn't a priest, who the hell could that be? He had no idea how he would go about that but stopped himself, he did know a way he could find out. He just needed to ask the right person.
Turning around he started to make his way out of the production unit "Kelex, I'm going to head out. You've got this right?" he asked the A.I as the door opened and he stepped out.
"Of course master. I will handle everything, though you will be needed in order to place the satellites in orbit" Kelex said to him.
"Don't worry about that, I should be back soon" he said before making his way outside and shot into the air.
Jaina let out a sigh as she looked at the latest report that was sent her way, the first study into the being at the centre of their world. The Titan as she found out. So far the mages have found nothing of important but they did have some facts that supported Kal's statement that all the magic seemed to be coming from her. Though there wasn't much on it, simply a couple of notes that the deeper the teams went into the ground, the more easily able to cast magic they were.
Of course, it was only noticeable to the more experienced mages since they are more capable of sensing magical energy more passively. It wasn't much of difference, that much was true. Though she doubted that would change, even the deepest mines in the world are only a couple of miles deep and when it comes to how thick the planet really is. From the surface to the core a couple of miles wasn't even a pin prick in distance. It would take a long time before they got any real type of research on the Titan and even then, she found her mind plagued with thoughts on her.
What could they even do about her? Did they just confirm that one she would wake and kill them all in the process? Did Kal discovering the Titan just show them a doomsday clock they didn't know existed? What could it mean for them? was this is? Was that the fate of their world? just to birth a Titan and if that's the case, was that the point of all of the people of this world. Keep the Titan safe long enough for that to happen. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment.
A question for the philosophers she supposed. There could be a chance that this Titan could be born tomorrow or it could be another... million years? There was no telling how old the Titan was, how old was their world? Was the Titan always there with it or did she come later? Did she just pop in looking like a fully grown adult or was it like a baby in the womb, starting the smallest way possible and then growing but clearly it was going past looking like a baby and then an adult.
Another sigh escaped her, so many questions and very little answers "are you just incapable of speaking or is sighing all you know?" a voice called from the side of her, opening her eyes and turning her head. She saw her chambermaid.
Well, officially she was the chambermaid
Unofficially, she was Aegwynn the former Guardian of Tirisfal, retired of course. Mother of Medivh, someone who was able to beat the avatar of Sargeras himself and one of the most powerful mages to have ever lived. She's lost a great amount of her power since then, but she was no slouch either "Did you know about her?" she asked her now sort of mentor but mostly advisor.
"About who?" she asked, turning around from her seat and book as she sat in front of the fire. Jaina's study was quite lavish compared to others, it much compared to some she's seen from the High Elf's and a couple of others but the desk, chairs, tables, bookshelves, fireplace and comfortable couches in front of it. She has noticed a couple of the older mages comment on it in the past but what could they expect? She may no longer be a part of the Kul Tirus family since her father died but she did grow up a lady and so had grown used to a certain type of live style.
Upon hearing the question, Jaina rolled her eyes slightly and then grabbed her staff. With a little bit of magic the project of the titan was shown in the middle of the room. The older woman looked at the image, of course she was told about it and Jaina filled her in on what she herself knew.
Seeing the image of the sleeping titan, Aegwynn closed the book and stood up from the chair, looking at the image closer "I didn't know about the Titan" she admitted but there was a hesitation.
Something Jaina was able to catch on to "but you knew something?" she asked back.
The older mage looked uncertain for a moment before she turned to look at Jaina "I knew there was always something more to Sargeras coming here" she started "the number of worlds in the universe, is truly staggering. Ever since my battle with the avatar one thought has plagued my mind. Why? Why would something like Sargeras, a titan, a being of power we can't even begin to imagine want this one tiny little world when there are countless others" she moved over to the desk and sat down opposite it her "I use to think it was pride, after speaking with the avatar for a brief time, I can tell you that he does feel it. Maybe he couldn't stand that there was a world out there that could defeat his own forces" she turned her head and looked back to the image "it seems I was wrong. I don't know if he wants to kill this Titan or corrupt it or... it could be anything" she admitted as she turned around and looked at the image.
"You're not wrong" both of the woman turned to see where that new voice came from. Turning to face the balcony, they relaxed upon seeing Kal leaning against the open door to the study "Expect about the countless planets, the ratio of planets that have life on a variety like this one is rare" he continued "I'm sorry for dropping in like this so suddenly but I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time?" he asked looking to Jaina.
Getting over her shock upon seeing him so suddenly, she looked to Aegwynn then back to him "of course, what can I do for you?" she asked.
Smiling at the invitation Kal stepped into the study "after the summit I had a conversation with Ranger General Windrunner" he started, from there he began to fill the two women in on what happened exactly.
"She attacked you?" Jaina asked, her voice one full of surprise "that's unexpected. She's normally one to keep her emotions in check from what I've heard and seen myself" she looked to her mentor for a moment who only seemed to shrug "oh of course. Kal, allow me to introduce you for Aegwynn the former Guardian of Tirisfal. She's been acting as my confidant for a while now. Aegwynn, I'm sure you've heard about our world's newest guest"
Kal smiled as the woman approached him, offering his hand to her and she gave it a strong grip as she shook it "it's good to finally meet you Kal-El, I'm grateful for all the work you're putting in to keep our world safe" she said, though their hands stopped shaking, she still held a grip on his hand and looked at him closely, tilting her head to the side slightly before a teasing smirk came onto his face "you were right Jaina" she turned and looked at the younger woman "he is handsome"
"Tu..." the younger mage stuttered as a bright blush appeared on her face "Aegwynn!" she yelled after a moment and her eyes looked to Kal who simply looked down and let a small smirk came onto his face "ignore her" she said quickly to the alien "she doesn't know what she's talking about, her old age is getting to her" she added.
Aegwynn let out a slight scoff at that before moving back to the fireplace "please, I stopped my aging a while ago" she muttered.
Ignoring the older mage herself. Jaina turned back to look at Kal "What can I do for you?" she asked quickly trying to move on from that admittedly embarrassing moment, also making the mental note that Aegwynn is someone she couldn't gossip with anymore.
Thankfully he didn't dwell on the comment and looked back up to face her "I was wondering if I could ask a favour of you" he said calmly.
An eyebrow rose on her head "oh?" was all she said back.
"The reason Sylvanas attacked me was because I brought up the idea of finding a way to fix their affliction" he started, those words defiantly got the attention of the two woman who both looked at him with a great amount of interest "I think that it caught a nerve with her, that she didn't want to get her hopes up like she most likely has in the past and it clearly didn't end well" there was a sadness to him as he said that.
"Can you do it?" Jaina asked him quickly as she crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair, though not in a defensive or angry way, more of a way of deep thought "there have been countless studies into the undead since they appeared and many of them where on the subject of curing them. All were met with failure" her own voice had some sadness to it after saying that, she never took part of the studies herself, her education wasn't focused on such things and she would just be a burden.
"That's going to be the difference" he said to her, looking down into her eyes as she sat behind her desk "I'm not going to cure them"
The sudden declaration was met with confused looks from both woman "but... didn't you just say you would help them be cured of the affliction" Aegwynn asked from her chair next to the fire, though she turned it round so she could face the other two.
"I never said cure" he countered with a shake of the head "I said I would fix it" he added.
An uneasy feeling started to form in Jaina's head as she heard that "Kal, this isn't some way of saying you're going to kill them all as a means of saving them, is it?" she asked, not knowing how to feel about such a thing. While she and most other mages knew what would happen to them eventually due to the necromantic magic that keeps them alive. Some might last longer than others but every single one of them is a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. There was more than one conversation she's overhead focused on the idea of wiping them out before they could become a real problem.
That in itself came with many problems, the biggest being is that all of the Forsaken lived in a large fortress that was heavily defended, not to mention they have the backing of the Horde so an attack on them would be an attack on the Horde, such an action would cause a world war
"No" his response to the question was quick and firm "that isn't what I meant, and I'll never think that is an option" he took a moment before he let out a sigh "I won't cure them because I don't think it can be done by me, as you know I can't do much when it comes to magic, I'm just not compatible with it" he admitted before he reached behind his back and pulled a small vile free.
"What is that?" Aegwynn asked from her seat.
Kal turned slightly so he could easily turn his head and look at both women "This is a small vile with some technology thrown in. Inside of it is one of the Sylvanas's hairs that was able to take when we had our... scuffle" he added, lifting the vile so both women could see it "I don't know how far you lot got in progress when it comes to curing the undead state but I don't think your colleagues thought this small" he turned his head to look at Jaina "do you think that someone who uses this holy magic 'The Light' would be able to cure even this small sample of the undead state?" he asked her.
Both women frowned in thought as they heard the question. While it was true, at least from what she's heard and seen in the reports, those who went to try and use The Light as a means of curing the undead state were met with failure, but she didn't hear anything that hinted they tried anything other than trying to cure their whole bodies "Oh, I see what you're going for" Aegwynn started as she looked at the vile "you think that if we could soke even the smallest fraction of the body in The Light's magic, it might force a cure to happen on it" she deduced.
"Exactly" he smiled at her "Curing the whole body seems to have proven to be too much for any Light user, I hope that this one sample wouldn't be the same case" he added before placing the vile back on his belt "the machinery in the vile is creating a type of stasis field that prevents the hair from decomposing since it's not connected to the body anymore... well, decomposing more than it already has" he added.
While the idea did have some merit in Jaina's and she could see it to be possible, there was a thought that she lingered on "but why?" she asked him sceptically "I can see curing that one hair while small is a milestone no matter how menial it may seem but why? What can you do with one hair?"
Kal smiled at the question "with one hair, I can create a brand-new body, exactly like the one this hair came from except for one thing. It'll be alive" he explained to them.
Both women looked at him in surprise at that statement "wait, you can create a body? Wha... how?" she found herself asking him.
"Science" he said to her "I'd be happy to walk you through the process but first I need to know if the plan is something that can be done rather putting a lot of recourses into a doomed plan"
Well, that was something they could both understand. However, Aegwynn looked at him as he spoke and her mind started to speak out to her, for a moment her eyes went onto Jaina and she could see the attraction that she had for him "I'll leave you two to that" she said before standing up and turning to make her way out "these old bones of mine require some rest" she added before making her way to the door.
"I don't understand she looks thirty at most" Kal said as she left, neither of them saw the smirk on her face. The truth of it all being that she didn't want Jaina to not focus on him, the girl needed to move on from the past, not that she was expecting him to suddenly jump him right then and there. She wanted to her to get used to being alone in a room with a man she liked, maybe she could get a flirt or two in there as well. It will be good for her in the long run.
"It's complicated" she said to him as she saw the door close after she left.
"Magic stuff usually is" he added with a small frown.
Jaina saw the expression on his face and had to ask, rising her hand slightly, she brought one of the chairs by the fire and brought it to the other side of the desk, giving him a place to sit "why is it you don't like magic?" she asked him.
Kal took the chair and leaned back in it, before answering the question. #########
The two spent the next hour doing nothing more than having idle conversation, it started with Kal speaking about how his relationship with magic was never a good one, from there it went to his hero career, to the Justice League and all its members, Jaina had a basic idea about them from the different pictures around his home and from there Earth in general.
Though it wasn't just him that spoke, Jaina went into detail about her childhood, growing up on the Island of Kul Tiras, discovering her natural talent for magic. She even started to speak of when she was young, she and her father went to Lordearon and she met Arthas for the first time. She didn't know why, maybe the Lasso around his waist had a passive effect that would affect those around it or maybe she just felt that it was something she could talk to him about.
Speaking about Arthas was not something she liked to do, not just because of how much it pained her heart to think about it but also she didn't want to ruin her reputation as a mage any more than it already was. She knew that she shouldn't care about such a thing but when you get to a certain level of power from a political point of view, reputation can mean everything. While it was an open secret to many that she and Arthas were together before his fall.
Thankfully Kal didn't seem to focus on that and instead asked about his fall, how it happened and what he was not because of it. Jaina told him what she knew which admittedly wasn't much but it was more than he had before. It was only fair after all, he told her about the war that ended his world, the least she could do was be honest about a heart break "I have to admit, I'm surprised that you're not heading towards the Dark Portal right now to try and help them deal with whatever is happening down there" he said to her.
"I will be shortly" she said to him "I'm going to be leading a team that will work on a way of making sure that the portal stays closed for as long as it can" the plan was simply one so she didn't feel the need to hide it from him.
He tilted his head to the side, a look of confusion present on his face, like he didn't hear it right "is there a reason why you don't just destroy the complete structure?" he asked and it was a fair question, so she answered it.
"There are two reasons for that" she started as she reached forward for the small cup of wine that she poured for the two of them "the first reason is that the Dark Portal is an active method of interplanetary portal travel, we can't just destroy it because what we could learn from it is worth the risk of it reactivating" she explained and based on the look of his face, it was something he could understand "the second reason is because despite how it sounds, it helps us in the long run" she stated.
That most definitely caused a look of confusion to appear on his face "what do you mean?" he asked her.
"Admittedly, we would prefer that the portal never existed" she started "but when it was first made, the forces of Outland created a portal to our world. The reason we can't just destroy it is because it was open for too long, the mages on the other side have had enough time to focus on where our world is. They'll still be able to open portals here, while they wouldn't be as big as the dark portal, they could still do it" Kal was paying close attention to everything that she was telling him and did his best to follow her words.
"The structure of the Dark Portal acts as an anchor that forces those from Outland always open the portal to that exact location, something we can guard against but if we get rid of it..." she trailed off allowing him to fill in the gaps.
"I see" he added nodding his head "so destroying the structure would get rid of the bullseye but the target would still be there" he said to her.
She thought for a moment before nodding "That's a good analogy for this" she agreed.
"Well, that's a pain in the ass" he added with a smirk as he took a drink of his own.
Jaina let out a dry chuckle as she heard that "not tempted to go through the portal yourself?" she asked him back.
He looked at her for a moment before answering "I did think about but the truth is I don't have the time. I need to finish the satellites and once that is finished, I need to head over to the Plague lands" he added, placing his now empty cup down back on the table.
That immediately got a reaction from her as her eyebrows rose and her eyes widened "Why are you going there?" she asked him, interest clear in her voice.
"I think that it's time I take a closer look at the Scourge, from what Sylvanas told me. Kel'thuzad is currently using Naxxramas as a base of operation for himself, I'm going to need to talk to him and it's not like he'll be honest, so I'll wipe out his forces and take him prisoner" he told her honestly, from what he could tell she seemed very interested in what she was hearing.
"I'd like to help" she said quickly and almost without a moment of thinking "I would be able to think of some way of binding him with enough time"
"You don't need to worry about that" Kal stopped her "I understand that you feel you have to do something given your history with him, at least from what I've been told" her eyes narrowed slightly "nothing explicit" he quickly added "just that you had some history with him before he became what he is now" thankfully that seemed to calm her down, no doubt she was thinking that he was either spying on her or something just as bad "How about this, please stay out of it and I'll let you talk to him once he's in custody" he offered with a slight tilt of the head.
She didn't say anything for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath "fine, but I do need to speak with that... monster" she snarled that last part and he could tell there was a real hatred there, it almost remained him of Sylvanas when they spoke and she got angry.
"Agreed" he said before standing up "thanks for the help Jaina. I'll be sure to speak to the archbishop when I can, most likely tomorrow once the Network is set up, or a little bit after I deal with Naxxramas" he started to move towards the balcony "this was fun" he added as she stood up and started to walk towards it herself, no doubt to see him off "we should do it again some time" he finished before he started to float into the air.
"Yes, we should" she said to him before he nodded back and turned around, she had to force herself not to flinch at the loud bang that followed or the burst of air. As she looked at the small dot getting smaller and smaller until it was gone. The smile on her face, lingering longer than she meant it too.
First things first, sorry for any gramma problems. there's most likely a lot but I'm in a rush already.
Anyway, let me know what you all think about this in the reviews down bellow. Next time we get the Network all set up and Kal moves in his first attack agasint the Lich King and the Scourge.
Next Story update: Return of Hope