Cain's Choice

The next day, Tyrel woke up groggily, his head aching slightly.

Before he even opened his eyes, the familiar scent and sensation told Tyrel that he was lying in his own bed. After all, he knew his own bed well enough.

At the same time, a faint fragrance reached him. It was just as familiar, and Tyrel instantly opened his eyes.

Skin as flawless as polished jade, a straight nose, slender ears, an angelic face paired with a devilish figure—it was Valeera Sangunar.

Tyrel immediately felt his face grow scorching hot. If he could have seen himself, he would have found that he was blushing all the way to his ears.

Fortunately, Valeera's eyes were tightly shut, and the smile at the corners of her lips showed that she was sleeping soundly.

It reminded Tyrel of their childhood, when Valeera had slept beside him just as peacefully. But things were different now. Both he and Valeera had grown up, and there were certain boundaries they had to observe.

Although he did not know what had happened after he got drunk, Tyrel knew that he definitely had not done anything to Valeera. Once drunk, he slept like a corpse. What could he possibly have done...

Tyrel carefully climbed down from his soft bed. Valeera had thoughtfully removed his plate armor, leaving him wearing only an undershirt patterned with phoenixes.

Tyrel put his plate armor back on as carefully as possible, then quietly opened the door. He could feel his heartbeat pounding unusually fast and clearly.

Once outside, Tyrel let out a breath of relief.

What he did not know was that after he closed the door again, Valeera, who had supposedly been asleep, opened her eyes and stared at the spot where Tyrel had been lying.

As a Rogue, she had noticed the moment Tyrel woke up.

Tyrel's mind raced, and he quickly realized that Cain Sunfury had set him up. Filled with anger, Tyrel went to find Cain.

Before long, he found Cain Sunfury still asleep.

Some of the High Elf Paladins had already awakened, but when they saw the furious Tyrel, none of them dared breathe too loudly, much less warn the sleeping Cain.

The more Tyrel thought about it, the angrier he became. Especially since the culprit was still sleeping there as though nothing had happened. Tyrel raised his foot, intending to kick Cain awake, but stopped midair in the end.

He stretched out a hand and gathered a large mass of icy water with Arcane Energy, then sent it crashing straight onto Cain's face.

"Fucking hell, that's cold! Who was that?" Cain instantly woke under the icy shock. He had just been about to curse when he saw Tyrel's Golden Eyes blazing with fury, and he instinctively shuddered.

A clear conscience feared no knock at the door. But Cain Sunfury, with a guilty conscience, did not have the same drunken courage he had had last night.

He stammered, "Um, good morning, Tyrel, I..."

Before he could finish, Cain Sunfury burst forth with speed even greater than a Rogue's and instantly fled the spot.

"Don't run, Cain Sunfury!" Tyrel had not expected Cain to turn and bolt immediately. Once he recovered, he hurried after him, using Blink to close the distance and Frost Nova to restrict Cain's movements.

Not long afterward, Lirath Windrunner poked Cain Sunfury's swollen, bruised eye socket and burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Cain, look at yourself! You look just like the Pandaren recorded in those ancient books! Hahahaha!"

Faced with his friend's merciless mockery, Cain Sunfury narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. "Is it really that funny, Rilas?"

"Hahaha, of course! You're even more ridiculous than those Goblin clowns." Rilas completely failed to notice the veins bulging on Cain's forehead or the fist clenched at his side.

Cain drove a heavy punch into Rilas's eye socket. Rilas had been laughing too hard to stay on guard and took the blow squarely, flying backward.

When Rilas climbed back up, his eye socket was just as badly swollen as Cain's. This time, it was Cain's turn to laugh. "You really do look like a Pandaren, Rilas. It suits you quite well."

"Cain, I'm not done with you!" Rilas charged forward and began brawling with Cain. Given their relationship, they certainly would not strike to kill, but their punches were viciously aimed, as though each wanted to ensure the other left no descendants.

Their fight only stopped when Tyrel intervened.

Tyrel sat between them and spoke only after a long pause. "I have an idea. I want to combine Arcane Magic with the Warrior path and create a new class: the Spellblade. I have already embarked on the path of the Paladin, so the Spellblade needs someone else to serve as its pioneer. My father entrusted this task to me, and the only people I could think of were you two."

The two who had been fighting grew serious when they realized this was important business. A Spellblade that combined Arcane Magic and Warrior abilities sounded like pure fantasy, but with Paladins as a precedent, it seemed possible.

Rilas and Cain exchanged glances. This was an unknown path. Unlike Paladins, who could directly learn from humans, Spellblades could only feel their way forward on their own. If they failed, they would waste their own futures.

Cain Sunfury knew that Lirath Windrunner carried the responsibility of the Windrunner Family. As the only male of the direct Windrunner line, he was destined to become the Ranger-General of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas.

Rilas also understood Cain's ambition: to become the next Sacred Blade holder of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, to become the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas's strongest Warrior.

"I'll do it!" (Cain and Rilas spoke at the same time.)

"Rilas, don't fight me for it. Go be your Ranger-General like a good boy. Have you forgotten the expectations Ranger-General Lirath, Ranger-General Sylvanas, and big sister Alleria have for you? If you have, don't blame me for beating some sense into you again." Cain raised his fist as though he would fight Rilas to the death if Rilas tried to take it from him.

Cain looked convincing now, but Tyrel and Rilas, who had grown up with him, both understood what he truly wanted.

"Cain, don't force yourself."

"A Spellblade is still a swordsman. What if combining the Warrior path and Arcane Magic makes me stronger than both of you? Then Mentor Saloren will definitely be happy to choose me as his successor." Cain had a point. A Spellblade was still a swordsman, merely one who also wielded Arcane Magic, and thus still qualified to inherit Quel'delar.

Tyrel and Rilas understood as well. Becoming a Spellblade did not conflict with Cain's ambition. A Spellblade still needed to hone swordsmanship, only while devoting part of his attention to Arcane Magic.

"Good luck, Cain." (×2)

"Ah, I always hated learning complicated spellcasting. Looks like there's no escaping this fate after all." Cain Sunfury rubbed his forehead, wearing an expression of deep distress.

And so the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas's first Spellblade was chosen: Cain Sunfury, the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas's strongest Spellblade.