Life Gem

Kalei was delighted too, but the joy soon gave way to the exhaustion brought on by casting spells one after another. All he wanted now was to find somewhere quiet to rest. He never wanted to stay in that oppressive stone cavern again.

He gripped the Crescent Staff and walked unsteadily out of the chamber.

Arenia and Jinli, who had been waiting by the entrance, hurried over to meet him. Both wore relieved smiles. Jinli was the first to tease him. "Kalei, you little rascal, you've surprised us again! Come on, tell us—how exactly did you cure him?"

Arenia rarely showed such a gentle expression. She nodded approvingly. "Well done. You were very brave."

Kalei briefly explained to them how he had treated Ugo.

Jinli sighed. "I see. You're intelligent, and you're brave too. It's hard to believe someone your age could behave like that."

Kalei grimaced, at a loss for how to respond.

Arenia, meanwhile, gave him a rare reproachful look. "You were a little reckless. Don't do that again."

Kalei hadn't expected even Arenia, a serious and disciplined Sentinel officer, to say something so caring. His heart warmed a little, and he nodded. "All right. I'll be more careful next time."

So they wouldn't disturb Ugo's rest, the three of them brought Linda and the others outside the cave and waited on a level patch of grass.

It wasn't long before Ulu came running out excitedly to tell the other Furbolgs that Ugo had recovered. A chorus of "Awooo!" rang through the valley.

Ulu specially arranged for a few fluffy little Furbolgs to bring out baskets of fresh wild fruit and jars of honey to serve Kale and the others.

The fruit was sweet and tart, and the honey carried the fresh scent of the forest. They were considered delicacies among the forest's finest, but the Night Elves found them rather ordinary.

Still, as guests, they couldn't refuse their hosts' kind offer, so they had to eat some.

Kale set down his staff and picked up a plump peach. He took a bite, and its sweet juice spread through his mouth. Then he heard Jinli ask, "What's that?"

He followed her gaze and saw a bright red, gemlike object that had fallen from his staff.

Only then did Kale remember that the furious life force he had drawn from Ugo with the staff hadn't dissipated. Instead, it had automatically condensed into a red Life Gem.

Kale picked up the gem, and a line of information immediately appeared on his panel: "You discovered a Life Gem."

Name: Life Gem

Quality: Epic

Description: A gem condensed from life force. It contains a considerable amount of life force, as well as Ursoc's angry will.

Kale was startled. It was an Epic-quality item.

He sensed it carefully. The gem clearly contained a substantial amount of life force. Absorbing it would surely do his body a world of good, but the force carried Ursoc's furious will, which would make it difficult to use.

He rolled the gem in his hand and smiled. "This Life Gem was formed from the life force I just drew out of Ugo. What do you think? Should I give it back to him?"

Jinli glanced around and, seeing no other Furbolgs nearby, quickly waved her hand. "Don't be silly, child. This is a rare treasure. If you handle it properly, it'll help you with your training. Finders keepers—put it away."

The other five Night Elves, including Arenia, nodded too.

The Night Elves were a wealthy people, but they wouldn't turn down a benefit placed right in front of them.

Seeing that they all agreed, Kale put the gem away without a qualm, treating it as payment for Ugo's treatment.

Kale had just put the gem away when a light, quick set of footsteps sounded in the distance. Uerga came hopping over, followed by the oddly dressed female Furbolg.

After talking for a while, they learned that the female Furbolg was Uerga's mother, Morissa.

Morissa and Uerga thanked Kale especially, and invited him to their home.

Kale couldn't think of what he would do at a Furbolg's home, and they still had things to take care of, so he had no choice but to decline their kind offer.

Morissa didn't insist. She stayed to play with Uerga for a while before leaving.

After eating their fill, they fed some food to their Sabers and Stags, then sat down to meditate where they were, recovering their mana and stamina.

Before long, heavy footsteps sounded nearby.

They turned to look and saw a gigantic Furbolg, four or five meters tall, striding toward them. It was Ugo, fully recovered!

He was even bigger than before, with bulging muscles and glossy fur. His eyes gleamed, and he exuded an imposing presence.

The group watched in astonishment. Of the seven of them, even Jinli, the most experienced, had never seen a Furbolg this large among the Timbermaw Tribe, one of the largest Furbolg tribes. He was practically the King of the Furbolgs.

Kale hadn't expected Ugo to grow so large simply by drawing on the small amount of Ursoc's power in his bloodline. It was hard to imagine how powerful Ursoc must have been.

He checked Ugo's strength again and discovered that Ugo had actually broken through the level 60 limit and advanced to the Hero rank.

Ugo was clearly very pleased with his current state. He strode over and stopped in front of them, then gave Kale and the others a bow in what was, by Furbolg standards, a very elegant manner. In a voice like rolling thunder, he said, "Friends of the Night Elves, you have earned the friendship of the Bristlelimb Tribe. And you, Kalei—you saved my life. You'll be my friend for the rest of my life."

Kalei quickly returned the bow. "It's my honor, Chief."

Ulu stepped forward behind him. "Me too, Kalei. If you'll have me, I'll fight for you for the rest of my life."

Kalei waved a hand. "There's no need for that, Ulu. Chief Ugo, you know why we came. We're running out of time, so please make your decision soon."

This time, Ugo's attitude was much better than before.

Without hesitation, he thumped his chest. "A decision? Yes, I've already made up my mind."

"I'll take my warriors and join you in this battle, but we'll need to discuss a new plan."

Kalei asked patiently, "Chief Ugo, do you have a good suggestion?"

Ugo plopped down on the ground. From somewhere, he produced a piece of hide and spread it out in front of them. Then he pointed at it with one long claw. "Our ancestors collected this map of the area around Bearclaw Valley. Your plan could work, but you'd face too many enemies. It's far too dangerous."

They bent over the map and saw that the smooth hide bore a rough sketch of the terrain around Bearclaw Valley.

They studied it for a while but couldn't make sense of anything.

Jinli asked, "Chief, you know what we're trying to do. Do you know where the corrupted Magic Tree is?"

"Of course I do. The Magic Tree isn't on the mountain or in the valley. It's underground, right here."

They followed his finger and saw that the Magic Tree's location was almost at the center of the map—in other words, beneath the mountain. Their expressions shifted.

Ugo continued, "According to your plan, you can reach this spot by going in through the valley. But there are lots of tunnels and forks dug by our ancestors along the way, and every branch is guarded by Corrupted Furbolgs. I don't think the strength we have is enough to handle them."

Arenia studied the map for a while before saying, "Since you disagree with our plan, where do you think we should enter?"

Ugo grinned and pointed one long claw at a spot on the map.

They looked and saw that it was behind the mountain, almost on the far side of Bearclaw Valley.

Kalei asked in surprise, "It's so far from the valley entrance. Can we get in from there too?"

Ugo nodded. "It's a secret, one known only to the chiefs of each generation. I can't tell you the details. In short, there's a secret passage here that leads straight to the valley entrance. We can enter here, go as far as this spot, then turn north toward the Magic Tree and catch the enemy off guard."

The others were astonished. If there really was a secret passage there, their chances of success would improve considerably.

Jinli couldn't help asking, "If you have a secret passage, why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Ugo and Ulu glanced at each other, smiled, and said nothing.

Obviously. If they'd told them earlier, who would have treated Ugo?

So don't assume the Furbolgs are stupid just because they're round-headed, furry, and look so honest. In reality, they're quite cunning.

But Kalei and the others didn't want to dwell on that now. At least they knew about the secret passage, and with the Bristlelimb Tribe's help, they had a much better chance of purifying the Magic Tree.