Though Nak resented Andy, he had already come to think of him as one of his own. So, with a mixture of doubt and trust, he kept at it for several days. But things never happened the way Andy had said they would. Instead, Nak's wife had started asking him suspiciously what he was doing, leaving him speechless!
Nak finally lost it. In almost an instant, he turned on Andy and stopped believing his nonsense. He even stopped letting Andy join the night patrols.
Before long, Andy had been living in Razorfen for nearly a month. Ever since Nak had left him behind, he hadn't once stepped out of that little cave. Every day, he lay on the small bed, full of regret, muttering to himself.
"I told myself not to tell him, not to tell him. And look where that got me! Now he won't even let me go on patrol!" Andy complained to the cave ceiling.
"Whose fault is it that you're so stupid? Why did you tell him so bluntly? You know Nak's a stubborn, straight-talking sort!" the Monster Spirit grumbled in Andy's mind.
"What am I supposed to do now? I was going to help Nak sort this out, then leave. And now I'm stuck here again!" Andy tossed and turned on the bed, thoroughly vexed.
"What can you do? Stay here. It's not dangerous, and who knows if you'd run into some Orcs out there?" the Monster Spirit said.
"Come to think of it, why haven't the Orcs crossed Ashenvale and entered the Barrens? This is Horde territory, after all!" Andy mused.
"Who the hell knows? Who knows what Orgrim is thinking?" For once, the Monster Spirit didn't act as if it knew everything. "Why didn't he keep advancing into Ashenvale after taking Azshara Beach? The Elf forces hadn't even assembled yet. Instead, he waited until their entire army had gathered at the border before attacking."
Just as Andy was about to speak, someone knocked on the door of his cave.
"Okay, stop knocking!" Andy shouted as he got up. "I still need that door!"
Andy opened it to find a burly Quilboar guard, who greeted him with a blast of foul breath. "Hurry up. The elder wants to see you again!"
Andy covered his nose and took two steps back, muttering, "What have you been eating? Your breath stinks!"
"What did you say?" the guard demanded, glaring at him.
"I said I heard you!" Andy replied, thoroughly annoyed.
The guard snorted, grabbed his spear, and left Andy's cave. Andy tidied himself up, then dawdled his way to Sonata's cave.
"Andy, I heard you haven't been going on patrol with the others lately. Why is that?" Sonata asked.
Andy thought, You've got some nerve asking me that. But of course, he didn't say it aloud. "Nak won't let me go."
"Why? Did you two have a fight?" Sonata asked. Before Andy could answer, he continued, "That's just how Nak is. When something comes up, you have to humor him a little. Say a few kind words, and it'll blow over."
Andy pursed his lips, wondering why Sonata had suddenly called him over to say this. Why hadn't he said anything when Nak first kicked him off the patrol?
When Andy didn't respond, Sonata seemed to think he had something on his mind. But he didn't give Andy a chance to speak. He waved him away and told him to join the patrol that night.
That evening, when Nak arrived at the entrance to Razor Gate with a torch, Andy was already waiting there with one of his own. Nak glanced at him but said nothing, simply walking past him and out the gate. Andy quickly followed. Nak didn't even look back or tell him to leave. Seeing this, Andy figured that old fox Sonata must have said something to Nak.
Halfway through the patrol, Andy suddenly caught up and stepped in front of Nak. "Nak, just trust me one more time. Let's go back right now and see for yourself if I was telling the truth!"
"You still dare bring that up?" Nak roared. "You've made it so I can barely face my wife these past few days!"
"Then tell me this: didn't Sonata tell you today that you had to bring me along tonight?" Andy said firmly. "Didn't he also say you weren't allowed to refuse?"
"You... How did you know?" Nak stared at him in shock. "Were you eavesdropping on us?"
"I had no interest in eavesdropping on you two!" Andy rubbed his chin and said coldly. "I was wondering why he was acting so strangely today. So that's what this was about!"
"What are you muttering about?" Nak asked, looking at him in confusion.
"Come on, follow me!" Andy grabbed Nak by the arm and started back. "Today I'll show you what the truth looks like!"
Andy dragged Nak back toward Razorfen without giving him a chance to argue. By the time they arrived, it was the dead of night, when everyone was fast asleep. Only one cave still had a dim light burning inside.
Andy gestured for Nak to be quiet and led him toward the cave with the light. It was Sonata's. Andy motioned for Nak to press his ear against the door. In the stillness of the night, the faint sounds from within carried clearly to both of them.
Inside Sonata's cave, the scene was truly something else—passionate and vivid. It wasn't something most people would dare look at. On a broad bed, two naked Quilboar were tangled together, making muffled grunting noises and laughing wantonly.
Andy listened from outside, inwardly astonished. Nak, meanwhile, had gone ashen, his body trembling. Andy glanced sideways at him and was about to say he'd been right, but then he noticed Nak's condition and realized something was about to happen. He reached out, but grabbed at empty air. Furious, Nak had already kicked the door open and stormed inside, cursing under his breath.
Sonata and Ina, Nak's wife, had been lost in the throes of passion. The two Quilboar were startled. Ina let out a terrified scream and snatched up a nearby hide to cover herself. Sonata, still caught up in the moment, was furious that Andy and Nak had interrupted them. As he got dressed, he shouted for the guards to seize them.
"Let's see who dares!" Nak drew the short knife at his waist and roared at the guards. For a moment, they looked at one another, none daring to make the first move. After all, Nak was still a prince, even if the title no longer carried any real weight.
"Seize them! They tried to assassinate me!" Sonata shouted angrily. Among the Quilboar, attempting to assassinate an elder of the Thornweavers was a grave crime, whatever the reason!
"Sonata, have you no shame?" Nak shouted furiously. "You took the position that should've been mine, and I let it go. But now you've gone after my wife. I... I'll fight you to the death today!"
Andy grabbed Nak and glanced around. The cramped cave put them at a serious disadvantage, so he slowly pulled the furious Nak back out into the yard.
Sonata spotted the tall Andy, and his anger flared. He came to the cave entrance and pointed at him. "You! You're not a Quilboar at all. You're some unknown foreigner no one's ever seen! Guards, seize him! Tomorrow, I'll burn him at the stake!"
As soon as Sonata finished speaking, a powerful Quilboar, a head and a half taller than the others, slowly stepped out from among the guards. "Let me capture him for you!" The Quilboar's voice boomed even louder.
Looking at the Quilboar, Andy wasn't exaggerating when he thought that if the creature got down on all fours, it would be a real boar!
"Immediate quest triggered!" the Monster Spirit announced again. "Defeat the Quilboar Guard Captain! Success: all attributes +15. Failure: death!"
Andy gave a wry smile. What kind of bullshit quest is this? It's obviously success or die!
"Let's see who dares touch him!" Nak bellowed, rushing out from behind Andy.
Andy patted Nak's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look. Then he said, "Let me take him on!" You can't do my quest for me. If you do, the system might count it as a failure. Then I'm done for!
Before you continue