“What have you done?!” Lord Aldos Relsyn stared in enraged horror. “All that effort to remove this obsession with personal vendettas… and now you have a group of them with a personal vendetta against us! This is not the reason we toppled the Corruptor, Kalimos!”
“Suddenly afraid to shed blood?” Savona sounded positively smug. “It’s hard to stoke the fires of war when you’re not willing to carry the torch, ‘Lord’ Relsyn.”
“Silence, you dark-eyed harlot,” the Nightborne warlock snapped. “I will deal with you later.”
“Savona is my servant, Aldos… not yours.” All manner of deference was absolutely gone from Kalimos’ voice. “I am not your servant, either.”
Relsyn’s eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t. You can’t.”
“I can, and I will. You are too concerned with public opinion, Aldos. You can tell yourself all you want about why you rid yourself of Urgan… or should I say ‘Murgan’?” Kalimos grinned down at the diminutive figure next to him, which screeched at him in Nerglish - as he had been transformed into a murloc. “My reason was vengeance. I lived eons in the Nether, burning all these pathetic civilizations… and yet this one small man had the temerity to kill me? I could not allow that to stand.” He grasped Relsyn by the shoulder… and pushed, hard. The Nightborne had no choice but to collapse to his knees. “I bowed to Sargeras, and nearly paid the price for it. I will not bow to anyone again. Certainly not to you.”
“But you said --”
“I said it, and I meant it… then. I was recovering my strength. I am not so weak now.” Kalimos smiled evilly. “I think it is time to drop our pretenses, Aldos. At least between you and I. You may be the leader… but I am the master.”
Relsyn seethed with rage, but self-preservation warred with pride. He was already an exile, so submissive was not too far off… “As you say,” he whispered, his tone thick with hate.
“I am so glad we can agree.” Kalimos glanced behind him to the silent gathering of the Path’s chosen. “Now then. Word has come to us of an… interesting development in an area off the western coast of Pandaria. Apparently Dalaran teleported to that region… and then was completely obliterated.”
“Dalaran destroyed?” Brother Galedeep, who had been there often during the Legion war, was surprised at this. “How?”
“The very powers you wield, my friend… but on a grand scale. I think this ‘Harbinger’ has made her point.” Kalimos actually looked pleased. “The war has begun, Septimus. This is what we have waited for.”
“But which side are we on?” asked Zaidu, the ex-Sundered Flame evoker. “We have no love for the supposed forces of order, but we saw what happened in Aberrus, and the powers that corrupted Sarkareth - and Fyrakk. I’m not sure we want this ‘Harbinger’ to prevail, either.”
The eredar warlord nodded. “I agree completely, Zaidu. This is why Sargeras created the Legion; while Kil’jaeden had us hunting for the draenei, the Dark Titan was burning planets corrupted by the Void. Especially those, like Azeroth, with their own souls… Titans waiting to be born. This is what we do now - inspire conflict as a means for our world’s so-called guardians to remain alert. Warriors are always looking for a new war… and if it’s one that keeps this little world we’re forced to share spinning, so much the better.” He glanced at the well-dressed figure next to Zaidu. “Captain Vizka, I believe you said you wanted to get some wind in your hair. Up for a voyage?”
The Zandalari privateer grinned. “Give de word, Lord Kalimos.”
“I would like to accompany the captain, Master,” Savona spoke up. “To scout the way ahead for you.”
Kalimos glanced at Vizka, who nodded. “Fair winds to you, Captain.” Vizka and Savona bowed their heads and left.