Tirion Fordring came over and helped his son up. He knew the boy was exhausted. Not only had he awakened the power of the Holy Light, he had also successfully learned two class abilities. Most importantly, at just eight years old, he had overcome his fear. Faced with the more powerful "Gentleman," he hadn't backed down. Instead, he had kept his cool and dealt with it.
He had a maturity and experience beyond his years. Tirion had spent so much time fighting far from home that his son had grown up without his father's care. He hadn't had a happy childhood, but he had learned to face difficulties on his own!
Tirion Fordring took out a bandage and tended to Taelan Fordring's wounds. Taelan asked, "Father, why didn't you use the Holy Light Spell?"
Tirion Fordring said solemnly, "My boy, you've made me proud! You're so young, yet you've already accomplished so much! You've only just awakened the power of the Holy Light. You don't understand it yet.
A Paladin's Holy Light is more forceful than a Priest's. It causes pain as it heals wounds, so we only use the Holy Light Spell to heal in an emergency."
"Also, son, we mustn't let power control our lives! We Paladins seek power to fight evil, not because we crave power for its own sake.
Remember this, my son! It's a strong will that makes you powerful, not the Holy Light!"
"The skills you learned are all very powerful. You must master them!"
"I understand, Father! Let's see what the 'Gentleman' left behind!"
Tirion Fordring smiled happily, too! It seemed that rummaging through corpses for loot was something that made everyone happy!
Next, the father and son dealt with the "Gentleman's" corpse. They collected a hide and two enormous tusks, and Tirion cut off the best meat from the boar and stored it in his Magic Backpack. He planned to barbecue it with John at Felstone Farm.
Then Tirion Fordring asked, "Son, do you remember the Gentleman's eyes?" Taelan replied, "They were red, and you said it had probably killed people."
Tirion Fordring said, "An old comrade from the Order of Knights is a dog trainer. Once, when he'd had too much to drink, he told me that bears and boars that have killed many intelligent creatures will have red eyes.
I don't know if it's true, but red-eyed bears and boars are especially berserk. They attack people on sight. They're extremely dangerous!"
"Father, let's look inside the cave." Taelan Fordring seemed to have thought of something, and fell silent.
Tirion nodded and led the way into the cave. Boars were usually filthy; they didn't care about cleanliness. But the Gentleman's cave was surprisingly tidy. A pile of hay lay at the very back, apparently the Gentleman's bed. On the other side was a heap of odds and ends, but not a single bone.
Taelan put on the gloves his mother had prepared for him and began searching through the pile.
"Ding! Congratulations, you have completed the quest: The Gentleman"
Congratulations, you have reached Level 4. You have gained one skill point. Current skill points remaining: 2.
You have gained 20 Points. Nephalem Hut unlocked.
You have received the quest reward:
Gentleman's Formal Wear
Quality: Fine
Head
+20 Armor
+5 Stamina
+6 Intellect
Equip: Increases your spell damage by 15 points
Who knows why the Gentleman liked this thing!
The 100% chance to gain a magic item property also granted you:
Gentleman's Powerful Belt
Quality: Fine
Belt
+40 Armor
+6 Stamina
+5 Intellect
Equip: Increases your attack power by 15 points
It can hold 8 more Healing Potions. You deserve to have one!
Tirion Fordring was astonished that his son had found two fine-quality magical items in the "Gentleman's" trash heap.
In this world, killing certain supernatural creatures did offer a chance to obtain magical items they had treasured, but the odds were painfully low. Had his luck just gone through the roof?
Tirion Fordring said, "Lucky boy! And that hat really is beautiful!"
Taelan Fordring knew that his father, as a high-level class-holder, couldn't possibly use equipment like this. He happily equipped the belt. He had to admit that despite its odd properties, it looked pretty nice. It was blue, with a glittering crystal embedded in it.
Its appearance proved that the Small Charm's 100% increased chance of finding magic items worked. That was great news!
As for the hat, its properties were excellent. It increased spell damage, and it was made of cloth. But it was shaped like a red wizard's hat with a bow. It was especially suited to Mages, Priests, or Warlocks, though the Alliance had no Warlocks yet.
Taelan tossed it into his Magic Backpack and said, "I can only keep this as a collectible!"
Tirion replied, "Son, if you meet a girl you like, you can give it to her. Believe me, there are plenty of young female apprentice Mages in Dalaran. This hat is beautiful. Lots of people will like it. Hahaha!"
Taelan pursed his lips. Tirion Fordring was a proper Paladin!
Of course, compared to Terenas and Mograine, Tirion Fordring could be considered an open-minded father.
He picked up a copper collar. It clearly belonged to some poor dog, and the initials J.F. were engraved on it. Tirion said, "This might have belonged to Janice's watchdog, Fingal. He's famous! Well, because he's especially lazy and eats a lot. John had to buy another hound named Norma. Then Fingal's temperament changed completely. He started working hard and patrolling the farm with Norma. Later, he went missing. It seems the Gentleman ate him."
"Right! Let's take this back with us!"
"Looks like there's nothing else!" Taelan stood up to leave, but Tirion went over to inspect the Gentleman's bed of hay. He pulled a doll out of it. It must have been beautiful once. Now it was missing one hand, but it was still in good condition.
"That's awful! Let's go back and ask around, see whose it is," Taelan said.
Tirion nodded. "Son, don't jump to conclusions yet. We'll go back and ask around carefully. On this trip to Lordaeron, I think I should visit my old friend Uther. If these lawmen had done their jobs, none of this would have happened."
Taelan Fordring said, "Father, when we get back to Hearthglen, we should also gather the Silver Hand knights and organize a party to thoroughly clear out the nearby forest."
"All right, son. I will!"
In truth, Taelan Fordring had a personal motive. If Tirion Fordring had retainers accompanying him, the outcome of that duel might change.
They put the doll away, then hurried toward Felstone Farm.
As soon as they reached the farm entrance, a burly middle-aged man came out of the house. He embraced Tirion, then slapped him firmly on the shoulder. "Tirion, it's great to see you again!"
"Indeed, John. I left home when the Second War began and only returned recently. We haven't seen each other in years!"
John saw Taelan and said, "I heard a few days ago that Taelan was injured. Is he better now? What happened? Injured again?"
Tirion Fordring said, "He's fully recovered physically, but he hit the back of his head on a rock and lost some of his memories. Sometimes he gets headaches that keep him up all night. This time, I'm taking him to Dalaran to have an Archmage examine him!"
"As for these minor injuries, he got them fighting the 'Gentleman'!"
They talked as they walked, and soon entered the reception room. Tirion took out the fresh pork and handed it to Janice. "John, this is fresh boar meat! I haven't eaten Lordaeron boar in a long time."
Janice asked, "You killed the Gentleman?"
"Yes, ma'am. My son, young Taelan, killed that boar with his own hands. It was enormous. It had even awakened into a magical creature, but my son still killed it. He's a fine young man."
As he spoke, he took out the Gentleman's two enormous tusks and handed them to John. Tirion never bragged about anything, but his son was another matter.
John ran his hand over the tusks. "They're enormous! And incredibly hard and sharp. Thank you, young Taelan! You've rid Felstone Farm of a great menace!"
"That boar often damaged the crops and had injured several farmers."
Taelan Fordring asked, "Uncle John, have any children gone missing recently?"
"How did you know? Little Lena went missing three months ago. Her grandmother searched for her like a madwoman, but there's still no sign of her."
Taelan Fordring took out the doll with one arm missing and handed it to John. Suddenly, he felt a little sad. "We found this in the Gentleman's cave. I think we shouldn't tell her grandmother yet. We should wait until the very end. I've already killed the Gentleman for her."
Tirion Fordring was glad his son was thinking of others. "Good. I'll leave it to you!"
John took the doll and asked Mrs. Janice to put it away safely. Taelan Fordring said, "The Gentleman was huge, so we got plenty of meat. Let's take some to the old lady later so she can have a taste, too." John agreed. Lena's disappearance dampened everyone's spirits. After they chatted for a while, Mrs. Janice soon prepared a lavish meal with the cook's help. Naturally, it included roast boar. They ate quickly, then went to rest.
Update delivered! I hope that world comes soon! Then we can go back to playing Hearthstone Battlegrounds!
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