Trouble at the Western Temple

The most common connection between Sunstrider Isle and the outside world, apart from the sea, was the great bridge linking it to the western side of Silvermoon City. Intricate patterns were carved into the white arching bridge, which spanned dozens of meters. Though it looked slender, it was exceptionally sturdy.

Seated in the carriage, Lanlos kept his eyes fixed on Silvermoon City, which was drawing ever closer. It had to be said: although human magic was on par with, or even surpassed, that of the High Elves in some respects, Dalaran could hardly compare to Quel'Thalas in terms of its history and foundations.

Take the floating Fastherin Academy alone. It would be many years before Dalaran made a breakthrough in levitation magic.

Lanlos looked away and took a map of Quel'Thalas from his pocket, slowly unfolding it. In truth, when he'd first seen the familiar map, he'd felt quite nostalgic.

Unlike in the game, Silvermoon City was still a perfect magical capital. There were no ruins, no Dead Scar running across all of Quel'Thalas, and many little villages scattered in out-of-the-way corners that had never appeared in the game.

What was even more surprising was that Quel'Thalas was far larger than Lanlos had imagined.

Take Eversong Woods alone. Even if you followed the main road without stopping, it would take nearly a week to travel from Silvermoon City to Quel'Thalin—not counting sudden incidents like being attacked.

No wonder no one had been able to come to Quel'Thalas's aid when the Lich King attacked. From what Lanlos knew of normal marching speeds, neither Dalaran nor the other members of the Alliance could do much, with the Eastern and Western Plaguelands blocking their way.

Likewise, it would take Lanlos at least two days to reach the Western Temple.

When Lansan told him there was a chance to come here, Lanlos had agreed almost without thinking. After all, this was a Ley Line nexus.

Azeroth's Ley Lines had not formed naturally. Ages ago, the Titans, roaming the Astral Realm, discovered this newly born kin of theirs. Though still in the slumber of infancy, this world's power was unlike anything they had ever seen. But the Pantheon was horrified to find that Void Energy clung to the planet's surface like a layer of rotting flesh, and that this blighted land had fallen completely into the clutches of the Old Gods and the Black Empire.

To save their kin from being consumed by the Void, while ensuring their own immense power did not cause irreparable harm to this newborn world, the Pantheon created a host of constructs: the Titan Keepers. The Titan Keepers imprisoned the rampaging Elemental Lords in four elemental planes and swept through the Aqir. But even these Titan-forged, wrought from steel and stone, had their minds twisted by the mighty Old God Y'Shaarj. Fear took hold of them, and malice flourished in their hearts.

The war reached a stalemate. Left with no other choice, the Pantheon intervened personally, despite the risk of harming Azeroth. Aman'Thul himself descended from the storm-wracked skies, seized Y'Shaarj's mountain-sized body, and wrenched it from the planet's surface.

The unbeatable Old God was torn in two. Its dying wail shook the mountains and destroyed countless nearby Titan-forged. But Aman'Thul had not realized how deeply Y'Shaarj's tendrils had sunk into Azeroth. Ripping it free inevitably left a vast scar on the planet's surface.

The life-giving source of the nascent Titan, an enormous torrent of unstable Arcane Energy, burst forth.

Later, after they had imprisoned the remaining Old Gods, the combined efforts of the Titans and their creations brought the surging energy at the wound into balance. It left behind a lake shimmering with magical light, later known as the Well of Eternity. The Arcane Energy that spread across the world stabilized as well, forming the earliest Ley Lines.

In time, the crowning of Malygos, the Dragon Aspect of Magic, and the explosion of the Well of Eternity further stabilized and strengthened Azeroth's Ley Lines.

They were called Ley Lines because they formed a vast web beneath the land of Azeroth, channels through which immense Arcane Energy flowed. Where these channels converged, Ley Line nexuses held tremendous magical power. The more channels converged, the greater the power they contained.

"You're finally here." As soon as Lanlos climbed down from the carriage, a female spellcaster in robes came up to meet him.

"May I ask if Ley Line Warden Velania is here?"

"Ah, I'm right here in front of you. Young man, you need to work on your eyesight." The woman flashed a bright smile and playfully tapped the tip of her nose.

"You?" A flicker of disbelief crossed Lanlos's face. According to Lansan, Ley Line Wardens were powerful spellcasters. It was hard to judge an elf's age by her appearance, but from her mannerisms and delicate, gorgeous makeup, Lanlos was certain she was young.

"What, don't I look the part?" She seemed displeased by Lanlos's skepticism. Pouting slightly, she came closer with a wicked grin. "Why don't I personally 'watch over' you for a night, big boy?"

Was this really happening? Lanlos's eyes nearly bulged out of his head—not out of lust, of course, but sheer surprise.

Hahaha! So this was what a Charisma of 8 got you? This was it? This was it?

As he laughed, he suddenly started to cry, because he knew all too well that this had to be fake. His Charisma was only 8. Only 8...

"Ahem, why don't we talk business first?" Lanlos felt a storm raging inside him, but his face barely showed it. He was used to this by now. Meanwhile, the apprentices behind him climbed out of the carriage as well.

"Ugh, no fun." When Velania saw that her teasing had failed, her expression instantly turned icy.

What the hell were you thinking? Do you have no idea? I'd rather die than accept a handout...

Lanlos forced a stiff smile, cursing her out in his head.

By then, Velania had already turned her attention to the apprentices behind him. They were curiously eyeing her, her attire and demeanor making her seem about their age.

"Hmm, good quality, but not quite enough of them." Seeing only ten people, including Lanlos, the teaching assistant, Velania rested her chin on her hand and pondered for a moment. Then she quickly shrugged it off. "Oh well, it's nothing important."

"Come along, darlings. I'll explain your task in detail." Velania waved them over enthusiastically and led the way toward the center of the temple.

Lanlos glanced at the students as they passed him, chattering excitedly, and sighed to himself. Then he scampered after them.

She said "darlings," so that included me, right? Heh. Such a contrary woman.

North of Silvermoon City, across the strait, lay the Isle of Quel'Danas, home to the Sunwell. The island was itself an emerging Ley Line nexus and the sacred resting place of an ancient Troll. Of course, the Quel'dorei knew nothing about that. Not only had they poured a vial of Waters of the Well of Eternity onto the island, they'd built a city there, too. By the time the Trolls had realized what was happening and retaliated, their ancestors' ashes had already been scattered.

That was just a joke, of course. Thanks to the Sunwell's further enhancement, the Ley Line nexus on the Isle of Quel'Danas held an astonishing amount of magical energy. The Quel'dorei squandered that power lavishly, yet a huge amount still surged outward.

To keep the excess magic from threatening their new lands, the far-sighted Arcanists built several Ley Line nodes to redirect the magical energy from the nexus.

Several sanctums were built across Quel'Thalas. This not only expanded the reach of Ban'dinoriel, but also meant that whenever Silvermoon City needed the power, the sanctums could be shut down and the magic redirected to the capital.

Generally speaking, the magical energy near a Ley Line node was exceptionally concentrated, making it a dream home for spellcasters.

But Silvermoon City was the big draw, and most Arcanists preferred life in the capital.

The Western Temple was an exception.

It stood on an isolated island off the northern shore of Sunsail Harbor. Though the island lay within Quel'Thalas's borders, a wide river cut it off from most contact with the outside world. As a result, no one wanted to live there except the Ley Line Wardens.

This created a serious problem: a massive amount of Arcane Energy spilled out. The temple's energy converters ran day and night, but they were almost constantly overloaded. Even a perpetual-motion machine needed oil now and then, let alone such delicate devices.

Every half month or so, one or two devices would break down. Whenever that happened, the overflowing Arcane Energy created large numbers of Arcane Aberrations all the way from the Western Temple to the Quiet Coast at the westernmost end of the island. Occasionally, wild animals were also corrupted by the Arcane, grew ferocious, and attacked the elves.

With so few people on hand, Velania and her assistant couldn't abandon their duty to monitor the Ley Lines and deal with these minor problems. That made the regular cleanup of Arcane Aberrations the Western Temple's biggest headache.

Once Silvermoon City learned of the problem, it assigned the cleanup to Fastherin Academy. The students could hone their skills by using Arcane magic in real situations, while also eliminating the threat to the Western Temple—a win-win.

Of course, there was almost no danger. Neither the Academy nor Silvermoon City would let low-ranking apprentices risk their lives. But nothing was ever certain, so someone had to look after the newcomers. Lanlos's task for the next few days was to play babysitter.

In truth, the job should have gone to Lansan. But Lanlos had dreamed of getting closer to this source of magic, so Lansan had gladly let him take the assignment.

Naturally, he didn't expect to sneak off and guzzle power from the Ley Line node. His main goal was the Arcane Aberrations. He hadn't met one yet, but these elemental creatures were made of pure energy, and that alone was enough to make his mouth water. Besides, according to Lansan, when they dissipated, they left behind pure Arcane Shards—like tiny mana crystals.

They could fetch a pretty penny if sold. And since the apprentices were doing the hard work of cleaning up, the temple wouldn't interfere with what they did with the Arcane Shards.

If he worked hard enough, Lanlos could take advantage of the area's unique conditions to raise his affinity for magic to the level he needed.

With that thought, Lanlos perked up again and quickened his pace.

"This is the Western Temple." Velania clapped to draw everyone's attention, then pointed ahead.

Even though he was used to Fastherin's jaw-dropping architecture, Lanlos couldn't help but admire the sight before him.

A tall tower stood ahead, its white walls adorned with intricate, orderly patterns in gold and red. The designs crisscrossed and intertwined, revealing something new each time he looked. An open spiral staircase wound up the outer wall to the Astrology Platform at the top. Several blue, diamond-shaped crystals floated in the air, slowly circling the tower's peak—but it was clear that three spots in the formation were empty.

"See those? Those are Conversion Crystals. They help us collect energy and send it where we need it. But three of them are damaged. My assistant is repairing them, and your task is to clear the island of Arcane Aberrations while the repairs are underway."

Whoa!

The crowd behind Lanlos erupted into an uproar.

"Every single one?"

"But there are only nine of us!"

Damn, so I don't even count as a person?

"That's enough!" Lanlos's temples throbbed as anger surged through him. He lowered his voice to a growl and, relying on his authority as the teaching assistant, managed to quiet their complaints. Though the students had treated him like he was invisible throughout the journey.

"Oh, you've got some presence, don't you?" Velania seemed surprised that this unremarkable young man had that kind of authority.

Lanlos was probably the only elf with a Charisma of 8, which made him highly sensitive to other people's eyes and tones. He could tell there was a double meaning in her words, so he expressionlessly nodded. "Yeah. Presence."

Brief and to the point.

Whether or not Velania understood what he meant, the Warden narrowed her eyes and grew unusually serious. "In that case, I can relax a little. This time, things are different from before."

"In the past, whenever a Conversion Crystal had a problem, we'd repair it right away and put it back in place. But as you can see, we still haven't replaced them."

Lanlos frowned. Her manner made him feel increasingly uneasy. "Why not?"

"The most important part of a Conversion Crystal—the Conduit Crystal—is missing." Velania looked just as grave and troubled as Lanlos. "It may have been blasted away by the magical energy surging from the Ley Line node when the Conversion Crystal malfunctioned. We don't know where it went."

Before coming here, Lanlos had done his homework. The Conduit Crystal was part of the Conversion Crystal, its input port. Without it, the Conversion Crystal couldn't channel the magical power from the Ley Line node.

"Have you tried looking for it?" Lanlos was first surprised, then confused. This was no small matter. The temple's Ley Line node diverted the Sunwell's excess power and supplied Ban'dinoriel with the energy it needed to function. If the Western Temple failed to maintain its usual output for several days, Silvermoon City would be furious.

"We can't spare anyone." Velania sighed helplessly. "To ensure that the Western Temple maintains its magic supply, I had to arrange for everyone to take turns acting as the Conduit Crystal. But since this morning, everyone's gotten used to working together, and I don't need to supervise them. So I'll join you in searching the island for the Conduit Crystal."

Well, this was quite a mess.

Meeting the Ley Line Warden's earnest gaze, Lanlos let out a long sigh. What a trap. If only he'd known, he wouldn't have signed up...