Gnolls by the River

Seeing this skill suddenly appear, Li Shaolin was also a bit surprised. It seemed that Skeleton Mastery could actually raise the rank of his summons. After all, of the three Skeleton Warriors he currently had, the two second-tier ones had only leveled up after a fierce fight with the Murlocs. If he maxed out Skeleton Mastery, would their names turn gold like that golem in the mine?

Thinking was one thing, but since it was daytime, he couldn't very well summon his Skeleton Warriors to study them properly. He'd have to wait until nightfall.

With a horse to ride, it wasn't long before Stonefield Farm came into view ahead.

Only then did he realize that when he'd fled Fargodeep Mine last time, he hadn't noticed such a wide road and had nearly been mauled by a bear in the forest. He couldn't help but chuckle at himself.

As soon as he stepped onto the farm, a sharp-eyed servant spotted him—it was the same young man who'd guided him before. The lad hurried over and bowed. "Lord Li, you've finally arrived. The matriarch has been waiting for you."

Li Shaolin was a bit surprised. "Bonis is waiting for me? What for?"

The young man dutifully took the reins of his black horse and called for another servant to lead it to the stable, then guided Li Shaolin inside.

Through the wooden door, under the blazing hearth fire, Bonis sat curled up in a chair reading, dressed in a sky-blue gown. The faint red firelight cast her slender figure into silhouette, exuding an undeniable charm.

"Cough, cough." Li Shaolin cleared his throat to announce himself. Toward this woman, he was as wary as if facing a venomous snake and dared not entertain any other thoughts.

Bonis looked up, and upon seeing him, a smile lit up her face. She rose to greet him, her expression naturally turning alluring, her willowy waist swaying—it stirred Li Shaolin's heart.

Forcing down the impulse, he dared not meet Bonis's eyes. This woman was far too dangerous; even the slightest move could bewitch a man. Steadying himself, he said, "Bonis, I'm here to talk about the Makrolen family."

"Oh? Did they come looking for trouble at the mine? Damn it, don't worry. Our families have been feuding for generations—it's nothing new. It won't be a big problem." Bonis's face flashed with anger, but she quickly suppressed it.

"That's not it. Well, let me start from the beginning." He sat down in a chair by the hearth and recounted the whole story.

After listening, Bonis's expression turned strange. She stared at him for a long moment, making Li Shaolin's skin crawl, before finally laughing. "That old man didn't take a liking to you and want you as his son-in-law, did he? Our families' feud has been passed down for generations, and he just let it go that easily?"

Li Shaolin's face flushed with embarrassment. I was thinking the same thing, but his daughter's already got someone else. Aloud, he said, "Come on, Bonis, don't joke. What do you think of this?"

Bonis furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, then nodded. "If it can really resolve the conflict between our families, I'm willing to help. I have over a dozen guards on the farm; I can spare half for you."

They discussed it a bit more, and then Li Shaolin remembered the errand Maybell had given him. "By the way, Bonis, is there a young man in your family named Tommy Joe?"

"Eh?" Bonis looked surprised, eyeing Li Shaolin up and down. "Lin, you're not a spy sent to dig up our family secrets, are you?"

"How could that be?" Li Shaolin quickly waved his hands, a little puzzled. Was there something wrong with this Tommy Joe?

"That kid loves fishing. He should be by the river west of the farm right now. But he's got a bit of a temper—best not to provoke him, or you'll just get snubbed." Bonis said.

He nodded, took his leave of Bonis, and hurried to deliver the letter to this Tommy fellow. Then he'd deal with the matter at Jerod's Dock and get to Westfall as soon as possible, to avoid being watched by that old man from Azshara's Tower. If the secret of his Skeleton Warriors got out, who knew what they'd think?

Out the door, he followed the direction Bonis had indicated. Sure enough, a small path wound along the edge of the farm toward the river.

As he walked, the gentle sound of flowing water reached his ears, and a small river came into view.

A young man with a robust back sat on a wooden chair, holding a fishing rod. Beside him, a wooden bucket occasionally splashed—looked like a good catch. What really caught Li Shaolin's attention was the two-handed greatsword stuck in the ground beside him, its blade glinting menacingly in the sun.

"Hey, are you Tommy Joe?" Sensing something dangerous about the guy, Li Shaolin kept his distance and called out.

The young man turned around, revealing a chiseled face. He nodded and shot back, "Did my aunt send you to call me back? Tell her I don't want the land, I don't want anything. Stop bothering me."

So there really is something going on in their family! Li Shaolin thought. He quickly explained, "I think you've got it wrong. I'm here to deliver a letter from Maybell."

"Maybell?" Tommy dropped his rod instantly, spun around, and grabbed for Li Shaolin's shoulders. "The letter! Give it to me!" The guy was impatient as hell.

Li Shaolin sidestepped to avoid him. No way—if this reckless fool grabs me, that'd be trouble. He quickly pulled the letter from his storage space and handed it over.

Tommy took the letter, holding it like a treasure. He opened it with the utmost care, as gentle as could be. Li Shaolin never expected that this tiger of a man could have such a tender side—it was an eye-opener.

Just then, "Oh-heh-heh" sounds rang out. From the open ground across the river, two monsters charged out—black-maned, long-tailed, with shaggy gray-green fur, yellow fangs, and blood-red eyes. A closer look revealed them to be Gnolls. Spotting living people on this side, they howled and waded across the river.

Tommy, still reading the letter, snorted at the sight of the Gnolls. He tucked the letter into his bosom, yanked the greatsword from the ground, and strode forward to meet them. Looked like he'd dealt with these creatures plenty before.

Li Shaolin suddenly remembered that in the game, there should be a Westfall Fortress nearby, specifically set up to deal with Gnolls. There was even a Gnoll camp, and wasn't Hogger the boss there? Recalling how fearsome Hogger had been in the mine, he shuddered.

One Gnoll had already crossed the river. With a grunt, it lunged at Tommy, its sharp claws gleaming in the sunlight as it swiped at his chest.

Tommy blocked with his greatsword, parrying the claws, then swung hard horizontally, leaving a gash on the Gnoll. By then, the second one had also climbed ashore and pounced with outstretched claws.

This Tommy was pretty skilled. He was probably fishing here to keep an eye on these stray Gnolls—after all, ordinary farmers couldn't handle such monsters, and being so close to the farm, any trouble would be bad.

Li Shaolin was debating whether to help when more "Oh-heh-heh" cries came from behind a large rock downstream. Two more Gnolls that had already crossed earlier burst out at the sound of their kin's calls.

Tommy grunted, kicked one Gnoll over, and with a mighty swing of his greatsword, cleaved another. He shouted at Li Shaolin, "Get out of here! Go call the other guards for help!" Ignoring the Gnoll he'd kicked down, he turned to face the two newcomers.

Li Shaolin understood now—three Gnolls were already this guy's limit. He'd have to step in.

With a wave of his hand, the Book of the Dead appeared. Black mist rose as he summoned the Clay Golem. Since Tommy was handling the two in back, he'd take care of these two—even if one was wounded.

The Gnoll Tommy had cut was bleeding heavily from the shoulder, one arm useless, but its ferocity undimmed. It roared and clawed at the golem. The one that had been kicked over scrambled up and followed.

Bone Fang gathered on his fingers. Even without summoning his Skeleton Warriors, he wasn't helpless. With the golem's slowing effect, the Gnolls' movements became sluggish. Li Shaolin locked onto the wounded one, flicked his finger, and two Bone Fang shot out.

"Shh-shh!" They struck the Gnoll in the chest. The golem spun around, ignoring the other Gnoll's attacks, and slammed its fists together like a giant mallet.

"Bam!" The Gnoll's skull shattered, and it crumpled to the ground. The golem, having dropped its guard, took several claw strikes that sent mud flying. But the soft earth flowed, and the wounds healed in an instant.

Tommy, worried about Li Shaolin, glanced over and was shocked to see he was a mage. He opened his mouth to speak, but the distraction cost him—a claw raked his waist. "Ow!" he yelped, quickly focusing back on his own fight.

Bone Fang gathered again and shot out!

This kind of magic was relentless—once locked onto a target, they could only take it. The Gnolls, unarmed and slowed by the golem, couldn't dodge the bullet-fast fangs. Two more "shh-shh" sounds, and it hit one in the waist.

"Heh heh heh," Li Shaolin chuckled darkly, gathering another Bone Fang.

The Gnoll howled in frustration, but the golem kept it pinned. Its claws flailed, tearing chunks off the golem, but to no avail. With a loud cry, the Gnoll leaped, trying to flee!

Slowed by the golem, it was too sluggish. Li Shaolin's Bone Fang struck its back again, leaving two bloody holes. But it finally broke free of the golem's slowing effect and escaped into the river.

"Tch. Without my Skeleton Warriors, this is pathetic." Watching the Gnoll get away, there was nothing he could do. His magic range wasn't great, and the golem couldn't keep up. He'd have to let it go.

He turned his attention to the two Gnolls still fighting Tommy.