At dawn, the piercing cry of a hawkstrider startled Karin awake...
Looking at the sun rising outside his window, he knew his first night in Azeroth was over!
His injuries had improved enormously since yesterday... He could even remove the thick layer of bandages outright! Apart from a slight itching around his wounds and his still-pale complexion, there seemed to be nothing else wrong with his body.
Looking at the empty little green bottle on the table, Karin sighed in wonder. Perhaps this was what made a magical world so remarkable... With injuries like those in his previous life, he would have spent at least two months in bed!
"Karin! How are you doing?" Oliver's voice came from outside the door.
Oliver entered the cottage and was startled to see Karin so full of life. "Huh, your injuries are all better... Did the family send someone to bring you a healing potion?"
"Seems so... I found it by the door last night..." Karin replied evasively.
"Looks like the family hasn't forgotten us after all!" Oliver said, relieved. Then he looked Karin up and down. "Karin, can you go out now?"
"I think so, as long as I don't do anything strenuous!"
"That's wonderful!" Oliver said excitedly. "Looks like you won't have to miss this Magic Gathering. Come on, let's go to the Apprentice Horde!"
Before Karin could work out what he meant, Oliver had already pulled him outside.
"We need to hurry. Mr. Kirkland will be here in about half an hour!"
Mage apprentices were, as the name suggested, mages still at the apprentice stage. Anyone who had encountered magic but had yet to become a full-fledged mage could be called a mage apprentice! Apprentices could use magical items and cast some low-level spells, but there was still a considerable gap between them and true mages.
The Sunstrider Court divided all of Quel'Thalas into several geographical districts. The mage apprentices gathered together in each district formed an Apprentice Horde! The Sunstrider Court assigned one or two mid-level mages to each Apprentice Horde to provide regular group instruction, generally on the first day of every month. This was the Magic Gathering.
Of course, if an elf remained a mage apprentice for a decade or so without becoming a full-fledged mage, it was generally safe to conclude that the path of magic was not for him, and he could consider changing professions!
But Karin was still a long way from that! He and Oliver had only attended one Magic Gathering before and were newcomers among the mage apprentices!
Five minutes later, Karin and Oliver reached their destination.
The Apprentice Horde met in a small building on the western side of Fairbreeze Village. The two arrived rather late and could faintly hear the hubbub of conversation inside.
A tall elf stood at the entrance. He seemed to know Karin and asked in surprise, "Oh, Karin? What brings you here? Are you all right now?"
"I'm... I'm fine..." Karin answered while quietly asking in his mind, Eye of Truth, identify him by his voice!
"Scanning the host's memories... Performing comparative analysis... Confirming identity..." "The individual is Enclair Morningwind, a group leader of the Fairbreeze Village Apprentice Horde. He met the host at the Magic Gathering one month ago and is the host's closest friend apart from Oliver Sunfury..." the Eye of Truth said slowly.
One month ago, when Karin and Oliver joined the Apprentice Horde and attended their first Magic Gathering, they had met this enthusiastic elf, Enclair Morningwind!
Enclair had been a mage apprentice for almost two years and could even cross the First Ring threshold at any moment, shedding his apprentice title to become a novice mage! As their senior, Enclair had taken good care of Karin and Oliver after the two newcomers arrived at the Apprentice Horde.
Oliver had responded rather coolly and remained only a casual acquaintance of Enclair's. Karin, however, had been withdrawn since childhood. Having never been treated with such warmth before, he had regarded Enclair as a trusted friend and told him everything...
The old Karin had even foolishly told Enclair all about his secret crush on Vereesa four days ago, on the eve of the Midsummer Festival bonfire celebration!
And as his "dearest friend," Enclair had given Karin an excellent "suggestion": "If you bury these feelings in your heart, you'll never have anything to do with Miss Vereesa. Why not be brave and tell her how you feel? Perhaps she'll be moved by your sincerity..."
What followed was the scene at the Midsummer Festival bonfire celebration!
"Karin, why aren't you saying anything?" Enclair asked curiously.
Karin raised his head and looked over this "dearest friend," then a cold smile touched his lips.
Enclair took two steps back and said softly with an apologetic smile, "Karin, I really did mean well. I just didn't expect Miss Vereesa to be so heartless, or her suitors to be so cruel..."
Listening to their exchange, Oliver sensed that something was wrong and quickly asked, "Karin, Enclair, what are you talking about? What's going on?"
Karin said coldly, "This Mr. Enclair was the one who talked me into confessing my feelings to Miss Vereesa!"
"What?" Oliver's expression changed at once. He had long suspected someone had been pushing Karin into it behind the scenes, but he had never imagined it was Enclair, who had always seemed so warm and friendly!
"How could you do that!" Oliver growled. "Enclair! Karin always considered you his dearest friend, and this is how you treated him! You nearly got him killed!"
As Oliver suddenly turned on him, the smile vanished from Enclair's lips. He realized he could no longer fool this dim-witted Karin!
"Yes, I did it on purpose. So what?" Enclair said scornfully.
Karin and Oliver immediately fell silent.
"Why else did you think I approached a pair of nobodies from the Sunfury family?" Enclair sneered. "Let me tell you, Karin Sunfury. I noticed something in the way you looked at Miss Vereesa. That was the only reason I deliberately got close to you two!"
Enclair continued, "Karin Sunfury, did you think a useless wretch like you deserved Miss Vereesa? You were nothing but a pawn I sent to test her response... Still, I do have you to thank. You stopped me from rashly confessing to her myself..."
"So that's how it was!" Karin's face darkened as he grasped the whole story!
It seemed Miss Vereesa was quite charming indeed, and Enclair was another of her devoted suitors! But Enclair was smarter. By deliberately approaching and manipulating the withdrawn, foolish Karin Sunfury of before, he had turned him into a tool for testing Miss Vereesa's reaction!
"You!" Oliver looked at Enclair as though he wanted to kill him.
"What's wrong?" Enclair sneered. "Do you two want revenge on me for this?"
"Enough!" Karin calmly held back Oliver, who had nearly charged at him... The difference in strength between mages could be vast. He and Oliver had only been mage apprentices for a month; there was no way they could defeat Enclair, who had been one for two years!
"Karin..." Oliver said softly.
Karin shook his head, then pulled Oliver around Enclair and into the Apprentice Horde.