Secession in Elwynn

"Strange. Miser Capol is greedy and cunning—why would he let us leave so easily?" Sulonna muttered to herself as she walked.

"Don't dwell on it. Are we still heading to the Deadmines? Isn't VanCleef about to fight that People's Army leader from Sentinel Hill?" Li Shaolin asked. Behind him, five skeletons and the Clay Golem followed closely.

Sulonna stopped in her tracks. "What do you think?"

"Well, I figure the Deadmines are out of the question. I don't know if the People's Army is really going to attack Moonbrook, but the Defias are in chaos right now. If you go back, who knows how VanCleef will deal with you." Li Shaolin also halted, sitting on a stone slab as he drank water.

"True. The Brotherhood in Westfall has split into four factions, and the Deadmines are the most dangerous spot. Not just because of the People's Army's assault, but also..." She trailed off, hesitating, and stared at Li Shaolin without finishing.

"What's wrong? Is my face dirty? Oh, are you thirsty? Here, have some water." Seeing her odd look, he quickly checked himself over—nothing seemed off.

"No. Something should have happened inside the Deadmines by now. Don't you know?"

"What does that have to do with me?" Li Shaolin asked, puzzled.

"It involves your uncle, Karnak. You know he's a mage and also the Scourge Legion's representative in Westfall. Of course, I only know part of his plan—roughly, he was going to unleash a plague in the southern Deadmines to turn the dead into Undead. He's been missing for days, so I figure those Undead should be showing up soon. By the way, aren't you part of the Scourge Legion too? Do you know anything?" She tugged at his sleeve, curious.

"Cough. He never mentioned it to me." Just bringing up Karnak gave Li Shaolin a headache. That family connection was a temporary cover he'd made up, and the old man had long since reported to hell. Was he supposed to tell the truth?

Sulonna blew the dust off the stone slab and sat down beside him. "At this rate, VanCleef will go mad sooner or later. Who do you think I should throw in with?"

"Why do you have to throw in with anyone? Can't you just be a professional?" Li Shaolin turned his head to ask. Her body pressed close, and a faint fragrance reached his nose.

Hearing this, Sulonna sighed. "Stormwind City has my file. They won't tolerate me. Even if other lords wanted to recruit me, they couldn't. The only path left is to follow the Defias in rebellion."

"Rebellion?" Inspiration struck Li Shaolin. "Why not go back to Elwynn?"

"What for? It's already fallen apart." She shook her head in dismay, then froze, as if catching on. She grabbed his hands. "You mean... I should go back and rally them?"

"Exactly. Carve out your own territory. You've got the Consignee's Ring, so all of the Defias' funds in Elwynn are in your hands. Bribe a few capable Rogues, and it shouldn't be hard." As an outsider, Li Shaolin had no sense of loyalty, so carving things up came naturally to him.

"Do you think I can pull it off?" Sulonna seemed startled by her own rebellious thought, but she was a strong-willed woman. She quickly shed her girlish hesitation and asked with certainty.

This woman's shift was huge. In the few days they'd spent together, Li Shaolin had usually taken the lead while she just cooked or helped out occasionally. He'd forgotten she was originally one of the Defias' seven captains.

"Remember the treasure at Fabron's Farm? Once you're back in Elwynn Forest, use a boat to haul it away quickly. I'm worried Fabron's Farm will be taken over by other Rogues sooner or later. Combine those two funds, and it should be enough." Li Shaolin pulled the Pocket Watch that opened Fabron's treasure from his Storage Space and placed it in her hand.

She hesitated briefly, then gripped it tight. "What about you? Will you come with me?"

Li Shaolin shook his head. "I'm heading to that so-called Dust Plains to see what's going on with the Scourge Legion there." Deep down, he didn't want such a beautiful place to turn into the Plaguelands.

"Alright, then I'll set out for Elwynn now. Lin, take care of yourself." Sulonna wasn't one to dawdle. Understanding the stakes, she stood up at once.

"Oh, and when you get to Elwynn, if you're in real danger, you can ask the Stonemason Family for help. And if things get truly dire, life-threatening, head to the Fargodeep Mine. Here, take this Space Belt." Li Shaolin unbuckled the eight-slot belt the mage from Azshara's Tower had given him and handed it to her. They'd shared a bond, after all.

"Got it! I'll take the Official Road to get a horse—I'll be there in a day!" Sulonna nodded without asking why, turned, and walked away.

Watching her graceful, lonely figure fade into the distance, Li Shaolin let out an unconscious sigh. She was the first woman he'd been intimate with in this strange world (he didn't know what had happened at Stonefield Farm), and the only one who knew he had skeletons (everyone else who'd seen them was dead—he'd worn a Defias mask in the Golden Coast Mine). The feeling left a hollow in his chest, a faint ache.

"Alright, tonight I'll find a big Sunken Ship to sleep in!" Though it was still early, his mood was sour, and he couldn't be bothered to keep traveling.

That was his plan, but fate had other ideas. As he searched for a place to rest, he ran into several waves of Murlocs. Stuck fighting them off, he had no choice but to battle. Luckily, with the new Fire Skeleton Mage, his attacks were stronger, so he wasn't afraid. Before he knew it, the sky had darkened, and thick clouds rolled in—rain was coming.

Finally, the Black Skeleton sliced off the last Murloc's head. A crack of thunder followed, lightning splitting the sky and illuminating half the sea. In an instant, the rain poured down!

Li Shaolin quickly pulled out the Book of the Dead, stowing the Clay Golem inside. He'd just grabbed an umbrella from his Storage Space when a fierce wind howled in, snatching the umbrella into the sky. It vanished without a trace.

"Damn it! What kind of rain is this, coming so fast? I wonder how Sulonna's doing?" In no time, he was soaked through. The raindrops were as big as silkworms, stinging his cheeks.

Lightning flashed across the sky again, and in the distance, a faint light flickered. It seemed there was a lighthouse.

Seeing the glow ahead, Li Shaolin was overjoyed. There was no way he was spending the night in this downpour—never mind getting sick, the cold alone would be brutal.

He trudged forward through the rain, one step at a time, heading toward the source of the light.