The Little House in Westfall

By now the boat had drifted far from the dock. In the faint moonlight, the Skeleton Warrior stood with a Bone Blade in one hand and a Bone Shield in the other, its white bones gleaming under the moon, red soul-fire flickering in its eye sockets—a truly fearsome sight. The other two Skeleton Generals, covered in Bone Armor, looked comparatively ordinary.

"You... you're from the Scourge?" the Goblin Overseer stammered in Common, his face a mix of shock and terror.

Li Shaolin was about to reply when one Skeleton General's Bone Armor expired. With a puff of black mist, it reverted to a Skeleton Warrior.

"Close one!" Li Shaolin breathed a silent sigh of relief. He'd forgotten to reapply the armor to that one. Good thing he'd ended up on this boat by chance, or those people would have been scared to death.

Seeing another skeleton appear, the three men grew even more panicked. Convinced he was tied to the Scourge, they hesitated in fear and didn't dare attack.

Seizing the moment, Li Shaolin silently issued an attack command. Instantly, his three summons lunged, their Bone Blades swinging at the men's heads.

Smack! The Goblin Overseer's Decoy was slashed apart by the Skeleton General's blade. A second strike plunged into his chest. The Skeleton General, a tier-three skeleton, was already above Li Shaolin's level at 13—far beyond what this half-trained Goblin Overseer could handle.

The other two Skeleton Warriors engaged the two bodyguards. Their skeletal forms made the men flinch and cower, barely able to parry, unable to strike back.

The Sword Fighter, seemingly terrified, blocked one Bone Blade with his sword, then turned and leaped into the river, swimming for the shore.

Sssht, sssht! Two Bone Fangs struck him in the back, sending a wisp of blood spreading through the water. Li Shaolin's mana had just enough for that attack; after firing it, he could only watch as the Rogue struggled and splashed toward the riverbank.

The Axe Fighter, seeing he was outmatched, seemed ready to follow the Rogue's lead and jump into the river. But Li Shaolin wasn't about to give him the chance. With a command, the three skeletons converged and struck together. Three Bone Blades pierced him through. Blood trickled from his mouth, his eyes went wide, and he was clearly done for.

Gasping for breath, Li Shaolin slumped down onto the boat. The fierce fight had drained not only his mana but nearly all his stamina. Now that it was over, his whole body felt weak and sore, and he wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep. But that escaped Rogue could still cause trouble if left unresolved.

The small boat, with no one steering, continued forward on its own, apparently driven by some kind of underwater mechanism. Goblin tech was no joke.

The Rogue had just barely made it to the riverbank. He lay there, laughing up at Li Shaolin, when suddenly a hissing sound came from behind. A web shot out, pinning him in place, and a large green spider crawled slowly toward him.

"Karma!" Li Shaolin watched, sighing. This world was full of dangers—you could never let your guard down. As he finished the thought, the Rogue's miserable screams rang out, then faded into silence.

He summoned the Clay Golem to absorb the bodies of the Goblin and the fighters. On the ground were left an axe, a short sword, a pouch, a small Compass, and a few scattered red tube-shaped bombs.

He stowed everything into his Storage Space. Luckily, he had a massive 64-slot space, so there was no worry about running out of room. He opened the heavy little cloth pouch—it was stuffed with gold coins. A rough count put it at over a hundred. Looked like the Dock Master had been skimming plenty.

The boat seemed locked onto a destination, moving forward on its own without needing to be steered. It was late at night, so he wasn't worried about the Skeleton Warrior being spotted by the Mage Tower's surveillance.

Lying on the bow, he felt a flood of emotions. Ever since he'd crossed over, he'd been busy every day, never a moment's peace. Now he had no idea where he was drifting to.

Feeling a bit cold, he pulled a quilt from his Storage Space and covered himself. Before he knew it, he'd drifted off to sleep.

When he woke, it was broad daylight.

The small boat had stopped at what looked like a tiny, abandoned dock, gently bobbing with the waves. The three skeletons were still faithfully standing guard on the boat, their white bones gleaming crystal-clear in the morning sun—quite a sight.

"Crap." Li Shaolin scrambled up, pulled out the Book of the Dead, and dismissed the skeletons.

Taking a closer look, he realized this didn't seem to be Elwynn Forest anymore. The yellow soil exposed under the morning sun and the drooping willows by the riverbank were all different from Elwynn Forest.

"What is this?" He steadied himself, jumped out of the boat, and casually summoned the Clay Golem. Then he took out the map the mage from Azshara's Tower had given him. A careful look showed he was beyond the map's range—he had no clue where he was.

Feeling hungry, he pulled bread and milk from his Storage Space and ate.

After eating his fill and thinking it over, he fired a few Bone Fangs to sink the boat, so no one could use it as evidence. Watching the boat slowly sink beneath the water, he headed off.

The yellow soil was overgrown with weeds. As far as the eye could see, it was lush and vibrant.

The more Li Shaolin walked, the stranger it felt. The soil here was good—flat and fertile, much better than the rocky, tree-covered land of Elwynn Forest. Why wasn't anyone farming it? Was there some other reason?

As if to confirm his guess, the weeds rustled ahead. A dog bark rang out, and a gray-and-white wild dog-like creature burst out.

Seeing him, it barked at the sky. In an instant, two identical creatures appeared behind it, circling toward him.

"These aren't domestic?" He figured—if such good land was left barren, there were no settlements, and no settlements meant no pet dogs.

He used Detection. They were Mountain Dogs.

Not daring to be careless, he quickly summoned the three skeletons and cast Bone Shield on himself. After a night's rest, his mana was fully restored, so he could cast spells again.

The Clay Golem charged first, raising its fists and slamming down.

These Mountain Dogs were even smaller than the Forest Wolves he'd seen before. Even with three of them, Li Shaolin had three Skeleton Warriors on his side. A quick round of slashing took them down.

"Heh, I wonder if their pelts are worth anything." Li Shaolin pulled out the Skinning Knife he'd bought in Goldshire and tried to skin them.

But he'd never learned the skill properly. After half a day of effort, he'd only made a bloody mess, failing to peel the hide. Plus, fleas were jumping all over the Mountain Dogs—if any got on him, he'd be itching to death.

"Forget it." After struggling for a while, he had to give up.

He moved on, and soon spotted a small wooden cabin ahead.

In just half an hour, he'd killed five or six packs of Mountain Dogs. This land really seemed to nurture wildlife.

As he got closer, he realized it wasn't really a cabin—just a few planks nailed together into a shelter barely enough to keep out the rain. A wooden wagon frame was parked nearby, tied to a White Horse, two Sheep, and a Cow.

Looking past the cabin, he saw what seemed to be a large farm, golden fields stretching out, with figures moving in the distance. But it was too far to make out details.

He dismissed the skeletons, keeping only the Clay Golem, and cautiously knocked on the door.

Creak. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged farmer's face, full of fear. But when he saw Li Shaolin's appearance, he seemed to relax and stepped out.

"Young man, do you need some help?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I ended up here by accident last night. I don't know where this is. Could you tell me?" Li Shaolin didn't dare mention the boat—if the man knew something, it could be trouble.

"This is Jason's Farm in Westfall. From here, not far ahead, you'll see the wall that borders Elwynn Forest and Westfall." The man pointed to the left. Sure enough, a massive wall was faintly visible.

"By the way, uncle, I see a farm over there—is that Jason's Farm? I was thinking of resting there." Li Shaolin thought to himself, So I'm in Westfall. I'm not going back to Elwynn Forest—those boring mages are always running surveillance.

The farmer shook his head nervously, waving his hands. "Young man, is this your first time in Westfall?"

Li Shaolin nodded, a little puzzled. What difference does the first time or the tenth make?

As if sensing his confusion, the man paused and said, "The lands of Westfall are crawling with wild beasts and gnolls, and over at Jason's Farm, it's the Defias Brotherhood who've taken control."

"I see." Li Shaolin was still curious and asked, "The soil here looks excellent—fertile and flat. Why don't the authorities drive out the beasts and the Brotherhood?"

"Don't even mention the authorities." The man shook his head. "We residents get no support or help from Stormwind City, and the garrison at Sentinel Hill is practically useless."

"Why?"

"Ah, we're a bit better off—being close to Westfall Fortress, which guards Elwynn Forest, keeps us somewhat safe. But even so, we move every few days. See, I'm fixing up this wagon; once it's done, we'll flee. As for the common folk living elsewhere, they're terrified every moment. And the soldiers here don't even get paid." The man spoke with a bitter expression.

"If the soldiers aren't paid, why do they stay? Wouldn't they just desert?" Li Shaolin found it hard to believe.

"Sigh, the ones who remain were gathered by the knight-captain. They've got nowhere else to go, no place to settle, so they've organized themselves into a militia to fight the thieves and bandits around here. Most of them are holed up at Sentinel Hill."

Having learned so much from the man, Li Shaolin thanked him repeatedly. Since the man was about to move and would need money to settle down, he took out a gold coin as a token of gratitude.

"You're truly generous." The farmer was straightforward and accepted the coin, then called into the house, "Forna, bring me my map."

A moment later, a middle-aged farmwife came out with a map.

The farmer handed it to Li Shaolin. "This map covers all of Westfall. Hope it helps with your adventures. Oh, and if you make it to Fabron's Pumpkin Farm, there's a gold pocket watch left in a chest in my room—it was Fina's father's gift to us on our wedding day. If you find it, it's yours. I just hope it doesn't fall into those thieves' hands." The man's face was full of regret.

Li Shaolin bid the couple farewell. Looks like Westfall is anything but peaceful, he thought as he walked.

He unfolded the map. Thanks to the compass he'd gotten from the Goblin Overseer, he could easily pinpoint his location. Checking his position, he saw that behind Jason's Farm, the map showed a vast ocean. Why not head to the seaside for a look? If I remember right, the coast should be crawling with murlocs. Killing them would earn some experience. Once I level up and learn a few more skills, I can team up with others.

No sooner said than done. Seeing he was far from the main road, he summoned his three skeletons and, together with the Clay Golem, headed toward the farm.

Soon, he reached the farm he'd spotted earlier.

Golden oats filled the fields, and some things wearing farmer hats and brown leather vests were wandering among them.

As he got closer, he saw that these creatures had sharp sickles strapped to their wrists and bamboo baskets strapped to their backs, apparently for harvesting oats. But they just roamed the farm without doing anything else.

Puzzled, Li Shaolin cast Detection.

A name lit up: Harvest Golem, Level 10.

"Now that's high-tech." He was surprised. Who'd have thought this seemingly primitive world had such automated harvesting tools? Hard to believe.

Just then, one of the Harvest Golems seemed to notice them. With a clatter of chains, it charged forward.

Its gleaming sickle swung high, aiming straight for the Clay Golem in front.

Shiiing. Chips of clay flew.

The Golem landed a heavy punch on the Harvest Golem, sending it stumbling back a few steps before it charged again.

The Skeleton General beside him seemed impatient. With a sweep of its white Bone Blade, it slashed down. Sssss. A stream of black, oily fluid sprayed out, splattering all over the Skeleton General, turning its white bones into a mottled mess.

As the oil gushed out, the Harvest Golem twitched twice and then stopped dead.

Li Shaolin had the Golem punch it once more to make sure it was dead, then went over to examine it.

He tore off the leather vest, revealing a mess of mechanical gears inside. At the chest, there was a small leather pouch, from which the black oil was still leaking.

He stared at it for a while but couldn't make heads or tails of it, so he gave up.

As he moved on, he ran into several more Harvest Golems. But now that he knew their weak point, dealing with them was simple. He just had a Skeleton Warrior step up and give a light stab, puncturing the oil pouch, and that was that.

Up ahead, a small wooden cabin appeared.

Should I go in? After all the commotion of the past half-day, Li Shaolin was tired. Seeing a building, he naturally wanted to rest. And since he'd heard all the nearby residents had fled, it should be empty.

"Heh heh, kid. New around here, huh? Come on, pay the toll." A Defias member in a red mask jumped out from behind a haystack. But once he got a good look, his face went pale—Li Shaolin had three skeletons following him.

"Brotherhood scum—none of them are any good." Remembering everything that had happened, Li Shaolin immediately ordered his Skeleton Warriors to surround him.

"Ma!" The cowardly man bolted. But before he could get far, two Bone Fangs pierced his back, followed by the fall of the Bone Blade.

After everything he'd been through, Li Shaolin had grown numb to killing. It's just kill or be killed. No other choice.

He had the Golem absorb the corpse, then stepped into the cabin.

As he pushed the door open, a wave of medicinal herbs hit his nose.

The shelves inside were packed with all kinds of bottles and jars, while a table nearby was covered with herbs and materials. From the looks of it, this had once been an alchemy lab.

The fireplace was thick with dust, suggesting no one had been here in a long time, but a pile of charcoal sat nearby—enough to burn for a while.

A quick look around showed the cabin had all sorts of furniture and equipment, though no food or drink.

"Alright, I'll rest here for a bit. At least I've got a place to stay." Li Shaolin closed the door, had his Skeleton Warriors stand guard, then cleared a wooden stool and sat down to rest.