Bearclaw Valley

Kale followed Arenia's instructions and hurried to the home of the old village chief, Bebo.

When he opened the door, the aroma of food greeted him. The old village chief had already had someone prepare golden roasted meat, soft wild-fruit porridge, and several plates of pickled wild vegetables—all foods that could quickly restore one's strength.

Kale had been hungry for most of the day, so he didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down and wolfed everything down until his belly was round as a ball, then finally set his bowl and chopsticks aside with satisfaction.

After enjoying a hearty meal, Kale asked the village chief for some food and Moonwell water before leaving, then strapped it all onto Big Black's back.

Big Black was very unhappy about the extra weight, but what could he do? It was his own fault for following such a terrible master.

Kale couldn't help it, either. The real world wasn't like a game, where you could have a space-saving artifact like a Magic Backpack. In the real world, a Magic Backpack was even more precious than the Crescent Staff in Kale's hand. How could a country farmer like him afford one? He could only make Big Black suffer a little more.

Once Kale had secured everything to Big Black, he rode him quickly to the village entrance. Arenia was already there with Linda and the others, waiting on their mounts.

Arenia was as taciturn as ever. When she saw him arrive, she merely nodded before gesturing for them to set out. Linda and the other three immediately spread out in perfect coordination, keeping Kale in the middle of the group.

The six of them passed through the valley entrance where they had fought fiercely the day before, amid the villagers' blessings, and entered a forest of towering ancient trees.

Clouds covered the sky that night, leaving the moonlight in the forest especially dim. It barely lit the path a few meters ahead.

Fortunately, the Night Elves were worthy of being the Moon Goddess's favored children. Even where the moonlight couldn't reach, a faint glow always appeared ahead of them at night, so they didn't have to grope their way through the darkness.

The group trudged along in silence for four or five kilometers. Suddenly, an owl hooted from the dense woods ahead.

Owls, magical creatures, were everywhere in Ashenvale, so Kale paid it no mind.

But when Arenia heard the call, she immediately patted her mount and brought the group to a halt.

The owl in the woods hooted twice more.

Keeping a wary eye on the way ahead, Arenia made a hand signal behind her.

Sera, riding right behind her, understood. She cleared her throat and imitated an owl's call twice.

Only then did Kale realize that the sound ahead might not have come from an owl at all. Someone could be using an owl's call as a signal.

Sera exchanged a few calls with whoever was in the woods, then said to Arenia, "It should be Lady Darkriver up ahead."

As soon as she finished speaking, a silver-white figure darted out of the darkness in the distance, moving as fast as lightning. When it drew closer, they saw that it was a Saber with silver-white fur, carrying a tall, sturdy woman on its back—Jinli Darkriver.

Unlike the image she'd presented in the village the day before, Jinli had taken off her usual linen robe. She now wore a fitted black leather outfit beneath a light green cloak suited for stealth. Her hood covered most of her face, revealing only her sharply defined jaw. She looked every bit the dashing ranger, with an air of mystery besides.

Kale took the opportunity to assess her strength. As expected, she was powerful: not only was she a hero-level ranger, but she was also a level 41 rogue.

Jinli reined in her Saber before them and pushed back her hood, revealing a rare head of pale yellow hair. She smiled. "Good evening, everyone."

They all returned the greeting. "Good evening, Jinli."

Jinli asked, "Tell me, what's the plan from here?"

Arenia turned to Kale. "You tell her."

"Uh... why does it have to be me again?" Kale grumbled inwardly. Why are all these veterans so fond of slacking off? But there was nothing he could do. He was the only one in the group who knew the full story.

Seeing how awkward he looked, Jinli couldn't help smiling. "Then I'll leave it to you, little Kale."

Kale was fine with being called Kale, but did she have to add "little"?

He wanted to object, if only to avoid always being treated as the junior. But as a member of the Night Elf younger generation, arguing with these old hands was a lost cause.

Kale could only explain everything that had happened in the village, including Sain's plot, the contamination of the Moonwell, and their plan to go to Bearclaw Valley and purify the Corrupted Magic Tree.

Jinli listened carefully, then smiled. "What a coincidence. I just came from Bearclaw Valley."

A glint appeared in Arenia's eyes beneath her helmet. "Oh? Did you find out anything while tracking that priest?"

Jinli nodded. "You guessed right. At first, I meant to kill him. Then I decided to spare his life and follow him to find their lair."

"I didn't expect the fellow to be so cunning. He deliberately led me in circles through the forest and secretly directed the Furbolgs to ambush me. I almost fell for it."

"Later, I decided to turn the tables. I pretended the Furbolgs had injured me and fled, then doubled back to track them. That's when I discovered they'd been seen around Bearclaw Valley."

Arenia asked, "Did you scout Bearclaw Valley?"

"I went inside," Jinli replied. "There are a lot of Furbolgs in there, and the place is heavily guarded. It would be hard to accomplish anything alone."

Arenia thought for a moment. "Did you see any Satyrs in there?"

Jinli shook her head. "I didn't see any Satyrs. Maybe they're hiding somewhere else."

Arenia sighed. "It looks like this mission won't be easy."

"Here's what we'll do, sister. You lead the way. We'll find a place to lie low near Bearclaw Valley, then search carefully for the Corrupted Magic Tree."

"All right," Jinli said. "Follow me."

With Jinli leading the way, the group set off again.

The meeting place was about five or six kilometers from Bearclaw Valley. If they rode at full speed, they could have reached it in ten minutes. But to conceal their movements, they spent a full thirty minutes traveling through the mountains before reaching their destination.

Bearclaw Valley lay against a towering mountain, with sheer cliffs over a hundred meters high on either side. The walls were as steep as if they'd been carved with a knife. It was hard to imagine what immense force the Wild Demigod Ursoc had used in ancient times to strike this valley out of the mountain.

Kale and the others had no time to admire Ursoc's power. They quietly watched the valley from a distance, using the trees for cover. Outside the valley, they could see traces of man-made repairs, though the passage of time had long since buried them beneath flowers and grass.

Bearclaw Valley had only recently recovered from Fel contamination, and now it was being ravaged by shadow energy. Decay was everywhere.

There were no tall trees within a thousand meters of the valley, only a few hardy shrubs and weeds. Inside, the valley was even more barren. They could see a few Furbolgs moving about, but nothing else.

Afraid of being spotted, they didn't dare approach too closely. After watching the valley for a while from the edge of the forest, they withdrew into the trees.

They found a secluded spot and discussed what to do next.

Arenia looked around at everyone. "Any ideas?"

Linda said, "There are only seven of us. We can't attack head-on. We should find the Magic Tree first and figure out what's around it before we make a move."

"How are we supposed to find the Magic Tree in these conditions?" Philicia asked. "I just looked, and there are plenty of Furbolgs in the valley, including a lot of Furbolg warriors. Add that cunning Furbolg Priest, and going in there to search for the Magic Tree would be no different from walking to our deaths."

Arenia frowned and turned to Kale. "Can you use the power of a Druid to sense where the Magic Tree is?"

Kale shook his head. "No. A lot of the natural energy here has been corrupted by shadow energy. It'll be difficult to get it to help us."

Jinli raised a hand. "I could use Stealth to get in. The Furbolgs' senses are limited, so they probably wouldn't notice me. But if there really are Satyrs in there, like you said, that's another matter."

"I can handle one or two high-level Satyrs on my own. But fighting the Satyrs and all those Furbolgs at the same time would be beyond me—unless you can draw the Furbolgs' attention from outside."

Arenia considered it for a moment. "It's not a bad plan, but it's still too dangerous."

They considered one possibility after another, but for a while, no one could come up with a safe, reliable plan.

After a while, Kale's eyes lit up. He looked up and smiled. "I think we're making this too complicated."

"I took a look just now. Getting in from the front of the valley would be difficult, but we don't have to use the main entrance! Bearclaw Valley backs onto a mountain, with cliffs on both sides. We can circle around along the mountainside to the back, climb onto the cliffs, and observe the valley. Then, when the Furbolgs change shifts or let their guard down, we can climb down from the cliffs and bypass the guards at the entrance."

The women exchanged glances, looking at Kale in surprise. They hadn't expected him to be so observant and quick-witted at his age.

Jinli nodded with a smile. "Hmm, little Kale, that's a good idea. What do you think, Arenia?"

"If the Furbolgs haven't posted guards at the back of the valley, it could work," Arenia replied.

Luna said, "Then let's not waste any more time. The Moonwell might not hold out much longer."

Arenia thought for a moment, then said, "If everyone agrees, we'll go with Kale's plan. Jinli, scout ahead first. We'll follow at a distance and come to your aid immediately if anything happens."

"No problem!" Jinli sprang up, swung onto her Saber, and vanished into the night with a flash.

Arenia glanced at the others. "Get ready. Move out!"

They nodded, checked their gear, and followed Jinli toward the cliffs behind Bearclaw Valley.