Parting

"Thank you!" Andy finished the fruit and said to the little beast.

The little beast chirped twice and quickly darted into the dense canopy.

Andy glanced down at the ground. Do I have to spend another whole day climbing down? He made his way down the branch where he'd been perched, one careful step at a time. After climbing for a few minutes, he realized that climbing down was even harder than climbing up! When going up, he could look ahead. Although he knew he was dozens of meters above the ground, focusing all his energy on climbing made it less frightening. But going down, he had to watch where he placed his feet and keep an eye on how far he was from the ground. For someone like Andy, who was a little afraid of heights, it was sheer torture.

As the sun began to set, Andy dropped onto the ground beneath the tree. His thighs were still trembling, and his heart pounded.

"Now I can't even go back and get some sleep. I'm completely worn out!" Andy grumbled.

"That's good enough. You should be glad you didn't fall to your death on your first climb!" the Monster Spirit said inside Andy's head.

"You're just a support system. Shut up and let me rest!" Andy rasped, too exhausted to raise his voice.

Andy slept until the sun was beating down on him before he opened his eyes. He couldn't help feeling a little frustrated. It was already late. If he didn't start climbing again soon, he might not make it to the top of the tree.

Andy thought about finding something to eat first, but realized he wasn't hungry at all, so he gave up and focused on climbing.

Sure enough, the moon was already out by the time Andy reached the top. His whole body aching and limp with exhaustion, he collapsed onto the same thick branch and slept fitfully through the night.

The next day, Andy was woken by several chirps. He opened his eyes and saw the little beast dragging a large bundle of vines, hung with those red fruits.

Andy stroked its head, quickly ate his fill, said goodbye, then stuck his backside out and started climbing down again.

For more than ten days, Andy kept up the same routine: climbing up one day and climbing down the next. He hadn't managed to increase his pace by one round every seven days, as Nathas had told him to, but he could clearly feel his body changing. He was much stronger than before. There was something else, too: after eating those red fruits, he could go two days without food, and his strength came back quickly.

During that time, Hilar visited twice. He was surprised by what Andy was doing and couldn't understand it. Was this old fellow, whom even his teacher seemed to hold in awe, really training his student this way?

Andy still had no complaints. After all, it was for his own good. In the end, he was in pretty poor shape, and Nathas's method was an effective way to improve his basic abilities in a short time.

A month was almost up, and Andy had gotten faster at climbing. He could now manage one and a half round trips in a day.

Andy was pleased with his progress, but Nathas immediately doused his enthusiasm. "You've been training here for a month, and this is all you've got?"

"Yes, teacher," Andy replied. "I've made a lot of progress, and I'm much stronger now."

"What's there to be so proud of?" Nathas said. "You're still a long way off. Your body isn't nearly strong enough!"

"I..." Andy was at a loss for words. He couldn't figure out what this old fellow expected him to become!

"Never mind. This is enough for now. Don't climb trees tomorrow," Nathas said. "I have something to discuss with you."

Andy was baffled. Nathas was acting differently than usual today. Was something going on?

At daybreak the next day, Nathas dragged Andy out of bed and had him run a lap around Darnassus.

"Sit down. I have something to tell you," Nathas said. "Have you heard of Stormwind City?"

Andy's heart skipped a beat. Why was he asking about that? He couldn't say he knew. As far as anyone could tell, he was an Elf who knew nothing, born in an isolated region. If he said he knew, Nathas would be floored.

Sure enough, Nathas looked at Andy's hesitant expression and smiled. "Ah, I'm being foolish. How would you know?" It seemed he'd misunderstood the reason for Andy's hesitation.

"Stormwind City has fallen!" Nathas said, his face full of sorrow. "The great city of this human kingdom has fallen, and King Llane was assassinated. Lothar has fled with the remnants of his army."

The news sent a shudder through Andy. Stormwind City had fallen, just as expected—it had been captured by the Orcs. Although it would eventually be retaken, that wouldn't happen for several years.

But that wasn't all. The Orcs had begun their campaign to conquer Azeroth. Once the Eastern Kingdoms were finished, Kalimdor would be next.

"Malfurion is too stubborn and cautious! He knows an unknown enemy is attacking, yet he's still hung up on racial differences and won't send troops to help the humans!" Nathas said, his heart aching with frustration. "So, from now on, I'll teach you everything I know. How much you learn will be up to you."

Andy nodded to show that he understood.

Nathas took him to a secluded spot and said, "I gave you a copy of the Hunter's Crash Course Guide, but it only covers the basics. You still need to practice them. The skills used by Rangers are mostly based on those of Hunters."

"Teacher, you mean Rangers?" Andy asked.

"That's right, Rangers! I used to be a Ranger myself!" Nathas continued, "Rangers simply imbue their skills with a kind of magic, building on their Hunter abilities!"

"But, teacher," Andy said helplessly, "Malfurion said I couldn't sense any magic!"

"Hmph, that's their kind of magic!" Nathas replied. "He was talking about the forces of nature. You aren't a Druid, so of course you can't sense them. But the magic I mean isn't the force of nature. It's a special Ranger skill, a kind of advanced magic!"

"I don't have much time to teach you," Nathas said. He took a small booklet from his clothes and continued, "This contains the incantations for all the skills, such as how to enchant a trap so it becomes a magic trap, or how to enchant arrows, and so on."

"Then what are you going to do?" Andy first cursed Nathas in his head for being irresponsible, then asked aloud.

"I have more important things to do! I haven't been back in years. It's time I went home to see them!" Nathas's voice suddenly turned melancholy. "Andy, I know this is irresponsible of me, but I have no choice! Great events are bound to unfold across this continent in the coming years. I have to warn them to prepare. And you need to keep training. Those unknown creatures will certainly come to this continent eventually. It's only a matter of time!"

"Yes, teacher. I'll remember!" Andy knew Nathas meant the Orcs. Come to think of it, should he warn the Elves, too? After a moment's thought, he gave up. Who would believe anything he said in his current state?

"All right, Andy. I should be going. From here on, you're on your own. I hope we meet again someday!" Nathas patted Andy on the shoulder, then strode away.

"Teacher, who are you going to warn?" Andy asked, finally voicing the question that had been bothering him.

"The High Elves!"