Chapter Text
Khadgar, a student of Dalaran, was checking on the list of employment opportunities. He undoubtedly one of the most promising students of the most prestigious school, who has never missed a scholarship for every semesters. However, he often needed a temporary job for money to meet his living expenses, for he was not born to a wealthy family.
Therefore, checking on quest board was one of his routine, looking for fine job which wouldn't take too much time of him to study yet pays reasonable money. It always was hard to get such job, for most of students in need want it.
He looked through posters and notes on the board with little hope as always, just hoping he could get a job from school library or assistant sort. It pays less but at least doesn't take his time that much. But today, luck was with him. He found a small note on the board.
Job Description : Organizing library/ pet sitting.
Date wanted : As long as a applicant is available.
Hours needed : Three times a week, an hour or two.
Remarks : Offer accommodations if needed.
Khadga's eyes widened when he read about the pay. That much? Gods must love me, the boy thought. If he takes a job, he would afford not only his daily expenses but also several volumes of books. The books he'd always only drooled over from out side of the bookstore. It was just a perfect for job waiting for him. Besides, it seemed no one even had read the note yet, as if it wanted to be seen only by Khadgar himself.
Like a little cat trying to steal a fish from a street vendor's cart, he quickly looked around the corridor. Some students passed by but no one gave attention to him nor the board. Thrilled, he snatched the note from the board, wearing broad grin on his face, thanked Gods for this fortune.
Few hours later, Khadgar stood gloomily, harboring some suspicion on his luck. After all, it might not Gods' favor he thought he had. Khadgar found himself stood in front of the most mysterious manor in the world―Karazhan. He pulled out folded note from his pocket and checked the address on it again, hoping he took a wrong street. His hope soon crashed. This was it.
Swallowing hard, he faced the manor squarely. Even under the bright sunlight, it was spreading eerie aura all the way around. Khadgar quivered as sudden chill ran down his spine.
'So, it was not like no one ever had read the notice. It was rather no one ever had wanted this job.'
He'd heard many stories and rumors about this lonely residence. Every one who has ears knows about this spooky manor. A crazy count, ghosts wandering around, a beast howling through nights, and so on. There also was rumor that everyone who entered the manor became insane, and even that was for anyone who was lucky enough to manage to come out. Some were missing without trace, they said. There were just countless and endless gossips.
Khadgar was so tempted to give up the job and turn back to Dalaran, but thought better. The money. The books. All he need to do was just bearing one or two hours, then the books will be his.
'So be it.'
Khadgar clenched his fist and strode to the front door, crossing extensive garden. His hand momentarily froze when he found the grotesque door knocker―a raven holding a metal ring in its beak. The raven, it was the crest of the count's family. Khadgar felt spooky when he got kind of feeling that the raven actually alive and staring at him.
'No. I won't be intimidated before I even start it!'
Staring back the raven, he lifted the ring and struck the door. The young man's self resolution crashed so soon when the door opened and a man's face showed up between narrow gap of the door.
"You are the New Young Man?"
Ghostly voice crawled out from the whip―slender old man. The old man was pale and lifeless as if he just walked out of his own tomb. It made the young man recall one of the rumors about this manor, the one of walking corpses around the garden.
"Khadgar, sir, from Dalaran."
Khadgar barely managed to answer with chocked up voice. The elderly man introduced himself Moroes, a steward of Karazhan. When Khadgar handed a letter of introduction from Dalaran, Moroes just shoved it into his vest and led the boy directly to the library. Every steps the old man took made Khadgar quiver with fear. He walked as if his body parts were not so very cooperate each other. It seemed not weird at all if his head or limbs fall apart right now. How old was he? The student wondered.
"The count's gone, out of manor, for business. You can start organizing the library, nonetheless."
The steward's words came in one ear and out the other. There was no time to regret for young Khadgar that he miss the most famous scholar in the world, the count Medivh. The boy admired the count for his academic achievement and always wanted to meet him in person. However, Khadgar, overwhelmed, forgot such longing and just laughed. Surprisingly innocent laughter bursted out.
It was a library but not an ordinary one. A large chamber two floors high. Sunlight streamed through narrow windows. Rather dim, though, as much as any other library or bookstore. A large antique tables and chairs welcomed Khadgar. It bore history of the illustrious family of its owner.
However, it was not its atmosphere, but its contents that amazed him. Rows and rows, shelf after shelf, tome over tome, There were books everywhere his eyes laid. Boxes and steaks of books towering him. Scrolls and mysterious artifacts scattered around every desks and chairs. It was like every knowledge of the world was contained in this single personal library.
Khadgar's voice cracked and trembled with rapture when he finally gather himself and managed to asked.
"Can... May I read some of those books if the count doesn't mind?"
"He would never mind."
Gods truly love me, Khadgar assured himself. Otherwise, they couldn't bestow him this dreams-come-true library. It would take a considerable time to organize it though, for it seemed the books and scrolls were not sit in by any order. But, the more time it would takes, the more time he could stay with those books. What a heavenly job it is!
Despite the excitement Khadgar had already, there was more left for him. Before he threw himself into the pool of books, Moroes led him downstairs. It was dark. The only light there was a lamp the old man brought. Khadgar had to struggle to adjust his eyes to darkness to keep going, not falter.
He stepped down from the last step of a spiral stairs and gasped, The basement had no windows, no source of light at all. Khadgar heard metallic sound. The sound of a heavy chain clanking each other and against the floor. Khadgar quivered at the crisp noise. He felt sorry for whatever pet the owner of his manor kept in here. It was not a good place for a pet, for any living creature.
So the young student asked in raised voice, as bright as he could make.
"So this is our little fellow?"
Before Khadgar took a step, skinny fingers snatched him by arm from behind. Before the boy could ask anything, low growling scratched his ears. His instinct caught his limbs, froze him where he stood. As his eyes adjusted, he found gleaming two orbs floating in the darkness. The eyes, eyes of savage beast. Khadgar snatched the lamp form the old man's hand, reached it out front.
A lion. With proud golden mane around his neck, a big lion was staring at him. Khadgar barely stood, gasped. Only thing he could do was just keep breathing.
Not paying even tiniest attention to the shocked boy, Moroes plainly explained.
"This is the pet you're going to take care of."
"What?!"
The boy shrieked. Apparently the lion did not like such noise. It roared, finally made Khadgar flopped down onto the floor. As if his cowardice satisfied it, the beast let out short growl which sounded just like smirk to Khadgar's ears.
"His name is Lothar. I hope you get along with him well."
Old steward's voice crept into Khadgar's ears.
Khadgar almost abandoned this job. If not the books in the library, he certainly would have. A small artifact Moroes handed to him also helped him to make such decision. It was a small medallion, shaped of a raven. He saw the lion afraid of it and tried to stay away from it when Moroes hold it out toward the beast. So it seemed every 'pet sitting' tasks required this artifact to secure his safety. The tasks included feeding, keeping the beast and the basement clean.
With such magical artifact, and without any risk to die tragically out of the beast sharp teeth, then why not? Khadgar clutched the medallion in his fist hard. He'll keep this job.
"Who keeps a lion in his house, anyway?"
He couldn't resist to chafe at the odd taste of the owner. He was a animal―friendly person, always loved and loved by animals, but a lion was too much. A lion was to be kept in a cage, not in the basement. In his entire life, a lion was just an animal that he could find in an illustrated guide book to animals, or only could see in a zoo once in a while, in distance, over iron fence. he'd never thought about having it, feeding it or brushing its mane.
He managed to think out the intimate relationship of the owner to the mayor of Stormwind City. Born to the illustrious family and the most well―known scholar himself, the count Medivh was a dear friend of mayor Llane Wrynn, who also was inherited the most eminent family's name, power and fortune. Their long and firm friendship was well―known by every citizen, Khadgar assumed that the count would have had no difficulties in having a lion in his own house like a dog.
Khadgar stared the medallion on his palm again. In a rectangular flat metal, a raven opened its beak as if it was about to hunt something. Adorned with small gems, it shined under the dim candle light. Even at a glance, it was such a priceless object with no doubt. Someone could made good fortune even sell it at giveaway price.
Only those who doesn't have worries keep a lion right under their bedroom. Why not? They probably all were bored with their fancy worry-free daily life. They would surely want any kind of trouble to break their boredom. The privileged class often have weird taste, Khadgar dourly thought.
He glanced at a picture hanging on the wall. A portrait of a mid-aged handsome man standing by a desk full of books and scrolls. Anyway, Khadgar thought, one of those lucky riches offered him the library. As long as he had free pass to it, the boy thought he could live with that. He positioned in the middle of the library, started devouring the books. No. organizing books, officially it was.