Siege

"We're almost there. Put away your Scourge summons so they don't see them. And watch out for the mutated Watch Golems and Harvest Golems in the pumpkin fields—they don't recognize anyone." Sulonna reminded Li Shaolin from beside him.

He quickly pulled out the Book of the Dead, stowing the three Skeleton Warriors and the Clay Golem inside, and asked curiously, "What's the deal with those golems?"

Sulonna sighed. "They're supposedly products of goblin tech, powered by lamp oil. It seems all the golem fuel in Westfall has been swapped out by VanCleef's Goblin Engineers. I don't know the details—goblins are always so secretive."

So that's it. The Brotherhood must have secretly sold altered fuel to the farmers, causing the golems to go haywire and attack indiscriminately. But with the people driven off, what use were the golems? Not that anyone expected the Defias Brotherhood members to do any labor.

Drawing closer, he saw that the promising harvest in the pumpkin fields had been ruined. Yellow-furred Bloodfang Boars wandered through, rooting at the ripe pumpkins. Occasionally, a Carrion Bird or two swooped overhead, landing on the pumpkin trellises to scavenge. The Watch Golems still instinctively drove off anything that came near, their arm-mounted scythes slicing into the boars and making them squeal in pain.

"Halt! This is Brotherhood territory!" A masked figure appeared before Li Shaolin and Sulonna, a gleaming dagger in hand reflecting the harsh sunlight.

"Please inform Benny Blanco that Sulonna from Elwynn Forest is here to see him," Sulonna said quickly, pulling out a red mask to show she was also a Defias member.

"Fine, wait here." The mask alone might not mean much, but Sulonna's was a high-grade captain's item, demanding his attention.

Before long, a hearty laugh rang out: "Sulonna, is that you? Where's my good brother Erland?" As he spoke, a Defias member with double-layered shoulder guards and two Blackwater Sabers at his waist stepped out of a house. This must be Benny Blanco, known as Iron Wrist.

"Huh? Where's Erland? And who's this?" Benny asked in surprise.

Sulonna stepped forward, her voice pained. "Erland was killed."

"Who? Who killed my good brother? Tell me, and I'll avenge him!" Benny roared in fury at the news.

Li Shaolin's heart raced. If Sulonna ratted him out, today would turn into another bloody fight.

"There's trouble brewing inside Elwynn Forest," Sulonna said, wiping a tear from her eye, her words vague.

Benny waved a hand. "Alright, let's talk inside. Tell me everything clearly. I'll speak for you with VanCleef. These people are truly hateful—pressuring you right after Erland's death."

So they all entered the small house together.

"Something's off! This old bastard didn't show a hint of surprise when he heard his good brother was killed. And how does he know about the pressure on Sulonna inside Elwynn Forest?" Li Shaolin felt a twinge of suspicion. This Benny Blanco was probably trouble too.

"Alright, Sulonna, let's stop here. I'm heading back," Li Shaolin said, tugging at her sleeve and giving her a meaningful look.

"So soon? Weren't you still looking for something here?" Sulonna asked, puzzled. Maybe she thought finding Benny meant safety.

"And this is?" Benny asked again.

"Oh, he's Li Shaolin, a distant relative of Master Karnak. An 11th-level mage," Sulonna replied.

Benny frowned, then blocked Li Shaolin's path with a smile. "Since you're here, rest a while. The roads aren't safe. I'll have two of my men escort you back tomorrow morning."

Pressed by both of them, Li Shaolin steeled himself. Even if there's a trick, so what? Am I scared? Two mutated skeletons are already strong enough—the three Elwynn Forest captains teamed up and still got killed. Why fear one man? With that thought, he stopped worrying and followed Benny into the room.

Benny whispered something to a lackey, then said with a smile, "Come, sit. I'll have them prepare food and drink." As he spoke, the lackey stepped outside.

With nothing to do, Sulonna recounted what had happened in Elwynn Forest, pinning Erland's death on Aili, who was on a class quest, and detailing how the other captains had ganged up on her. After all, her standing in the Defias Brotherhood depended on this Iron Wrist.

Midway through, the lackey hurried back in and approached the table.

"All set?" Benny cut off Sulonna's story with a flat question.

"Everything's under your control," the lackey nodded in reply.

"What's going on?" Sulonna asked.

Benny looked up, pushed back his chair, and stood. "Hahaha, Sulonna, you've got the Receiver Morgan's ring, don't you? I heard from Mogani that you conspired with Morgan to kill Erland, then murdered Morgan for the ring. I didn't believe it at first, but your coming here today makes it all clear." He clapped his hands, and seven or eight Defias members filed in through the door, weapons drawn, blocking the exit.

"Benny, weren't you and Erland good friends? Are you after the Receiver's ring too? Mogani's called the sly one—you believe his words?" Sulonna fumed, incredulous.

"Hmph, hand over the ring, and I might let you live. Otherwise, heh!" Benny drew his Blackwater Sabers with a sneer.

Everyone's fighting over that ring. What's the secret? No one would guess the ring was actually in Li Shaolin's hands.

"You!" Sulonna seemed furious, her body swaying slightly. Then a low whisper reached Li Shaolin's ear: "Run!" After all, Benny, as one of Westfall's three big shots, was no pushover, and with the other members, winning would be tough.

"Hahaha!" Benny's arrogant laugh was cut short as a "Baa!" rang out, and he turned into a white sheep, crashing to the ground—the mage skill: Polymorph. At the same time, a flash of black light hit the lackey beside him, plunging his vision into darkness—Li Shaolin's Lesser Blindness.

"Go!" Sulonna called out, and they dashed for the door.

Sulonna flicked her hand, and a ring of frost spread across the floor, freezing four nearby Defias members in place.

"Close the door!" one quick-thinking thug shouted. Two others near the door shoved it shut with a creak, just as Li Shaolin and Sulonna reached it.

Several Defias members drew daggers and closed in!

Sulonna grabbed Li Shaolin's sleeve. "Upstairs!" Though some were frozen or sheeped, they'd wake in ten seconds at most, making things tough. With all melee Rogues, two casters had little chance up close—better to create distance.

"Thump, thump, thump, thump," they raced up the stairs. Behind them, the few unfrozen thugs gave chase, but Li Shaolin turned and fired two Bone Fangs, bloodying one and freezing the others in their tracks.

"Get a table and block the door! All of you up there—I've locked the doors above; they can't escape!" Benny, now free from Polymorph, bellowed.

Hearing this, they looked around. Sure enough, there were only two wooden doors above, both padlocked. Benny had been vacationing at Fabron's Farm and stumbled on some Fabron family treasure, locking everything up to prevent theft. Of course, with Rogues around, a little lock was nothing—but who'd dare cross Iron Wrist?

"What now?" Sulonna's face paled. The locks wouldn't open anytime soon, and eight or nine Rogues were below—they were trapped.

"Damn it!" Li Shaolin cursed, his temper flaring. "Let's fight to the death!"

Just then, a hearty laugh echoed from below as Benny appeared at the stairway.

The stairs were narrow, only wide enough for two abreast. Benny stood at the front, his men close behind. With a series of soft "shh" sounds, the Rogues faded into Stealth.

Maybe overconfident, Benny didn't bother with Stealth. "Sulonna, one last chance. Hand over the ring, or else, heh."

"Benny Blanco, right?" Li Shaolin asked flatly.

"What? Want to come back as a ghost and haunt me? I'm Benny Blanco—think I'm scared? Hahaha! Even that useless mage relative of yours, Karnak, doesn't faze me!" Benny laughed loudly.

In an instant, a black book with a blood-red skull on its cover appeared in Li Shaolin's hand. He flipped it open and tapped lightly. The air twisted, and a Bronze Skeleton Warrior materialized before him, shield and sword ready, red soul-fire flickering in its eye sockets as if grinning at Benny.

Then, a sudden flash of black light!