In the days that followed, Kalei didn't rush to investigate the Satyrs or his father. He no longer worried about the shadow of the Emerald Nightmare, either, and he stopped fretting over the countdown to the opening of the Dark Portal.
He let himself completely unwind. He spent his days enjoying a leisurely life with his mother, Velina, helping tend the flowers and plants in the yard, and his evenings listening to her tell stories about the village's past. At the same time, he stepped up his training, working to adapt to the changes in his body as quickly as possible.
More than ten days passed. Through training, Kalei brought his body into peak condition and mastered quite a few Arcanist skills, which helped clear his mind.
That evening, Kalei finished his training in the yard. As he gazed at the moonlight outside the window, he suddenly felt cooped up at home. He decided to take a walk by the little river outside the village and get some fresh air.
As soon as he reached the river, he spotted Lox crouching quietly beside it, staring at the water. He had no idea what Lox was doing.
Curious, Kalei walked over and tapped Lox on the shoulder. "Lox, weren't you going out to sea with your dad to practice fishing? What are you looking at here?"
Lox didn't answer right away. Only when Kalei came up beside him did he point into the water and ask, "Kalei, do you know what kind of fish this is?"
Kalei followed his finger and saw a large-mouthed fish with silvery-gray scales. "That should be a Stone-Scaled Cod. What about it?"
"It is a Stone-Scaled Cod," Lox said, "but can't you see something's wrong with it?"
Kalei leaned closer and studied the fish. Its silvery-gray scales glimmered in the moonlight, and it swam normally. He couldn't see anything strange about it. "Nothing seems wrong. It looks perfectly healthy."
"When Stone-Scaled Cod are young, they usually have black spots along their sides. As they mature, the spots gradually fade and disappear. Look at this one. It's clearly an adult, but the spots on both sides haven't faded at all."
Kalei stared at him in surprise. "How do you know so much about this kind of fish?"
Lox replied without expression, "Didn't I tell you? I'm a Night Elf who's going to become a master fisherman. Of course I need to know about every fish on this continent. How else could I become a master?"
Kalei opened his mouth, then fell silent. He had to admit that Lox was damn right.
"All right, even if this fish has spots on both sides, something could've gone wrong while it was growing. What does that prove?"
"If it were just one fish, I wouldn't be surprised," Lox said. "But over the past few days, I've found five or six like this, all in this little river."
"There's something else I noticed, too." He picked up a stone and tossed it into the water. The Stone-Scaled Cod barely moved, then did nothing at all. It had completely lost its natural wariness.
That caught Kalei's interest.
He picked up a larger stone and aimed it at the Stone-Scaled Cod's head.
The stone struck the fish with a thud. But the Stone-Scaled Cod only swayed where it was and flicked its tail a few times. It still didn't try to flee, and even its attempts to struggle were feeble.
Kalei was astonished. He quietly drew on the natural energy within him and sensed the fish's condition. Its vital signs seemed perfectly normal, which left him baffled. "That's strange. What's wrong with this fish?"
Lox grinned. "Well, Kalei, are you baffled now, too?"
Kalei nodded honestly. "I am. You know so much about these fish. Do you know what's wrong with them?"
Lox thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, but I suspect the fish in this river have been affected by some kind of force. It's made their bodies degenerate and grow weak, almost as if they've been cursed."
"Oh? Why do you think that?"
"Have you heard the rumors about the Sword of the Master over in Darkshore?"
Kalei knew the whole story behind the Sword of the Master, of course, but he couldn't tell Lox. So he pretended not to and said, "Well... I've heard of it. The story goes that it was a weapon used by the gods. They killed a monster with it, and the monster's corpse lies beneath the weapon."
Lox lowered his voice. "Have you heard that the monster beneath the sword is still alive and can affect the world outside?"
Kalei knew the monster was still alive. He also knew it had once served the Old Gods and was named Soggoth the Slitherer. The Sword of the Master had merely sealed Soggoth away; it hadn't killed him outright. But he was curious how Lox knew any of this.
So he feigned surprise. "Oh, how could that be? I've never heard of it."
Lox smiled smugly. "You've never been to Darkshore, so of course you haven't heard. That's where the rumor started."
Kalei laughed. "Is that so? But it doesn't seem like you've been to Darkshore, either."
Lox cleared his throat. "I haven't, but my father has. He said people there don't dare go near the Sword of the Master anymore."
"All right. Let's say you're right. But what does that have to do with the fish I asked you about?"
"How could it not be related? Do you know why people avoid the Sword of the Master? They've found that if they stay near it for too long, their bodies may degenerate, as if they've been cursed. That's just like what I've observed in these fish."
Kalei froze, then quickly asked, "When did you first notice something wrong with these fish?"
"About ten days ago, around the time you came back from Maestra."
Ten days ago was when Kalei had returned from Bristlelimb Village to Moonshadow Village. Was it a coincidence? A trace of unease stirred in his heart.
He grabbed Lox by the shoulder and asked, "Where did you first find one of these fish?"
Seeing Kalei's expression, Lox answered honestly. "About three kilometers upstream. Why? Is something wrong?"
"I don't know yet, but this feels unusual. I'm going to check upstream."
"I'll come with you. I know this area well, and I want to find out what's going on, too."
Kalei looked at him. "You can come, but you have to listen to me on the way. If we run into any danger, run immediately. Got it?"
Lox looked unconvinced. "Kalei, aren't you being a bit dramatic? We're in the village. What danger could there be?"
"Better safe than sorry. I've been through some things lately that taught me danger can hide even in places that seem safe. Just make sure you listen to me."
"Fine. You're the combat expert, so I'll do as you say. Come on, let's go."
Lox and Kalei followed the little river upstream.
The river was called the Purple Sand River. It began in the mountains to the northeast and took its name from the purple sand and stones in its riverbed.
They followed the river for nearly twenty minutes, gradually leaving the village behind, until they reached the mouth of a gorge.
It was just past midnight. The moonlight was neither bright nor dim, and most of the villagers were out in the square. No one noticed the two of them leave.
Standing at the mouth of the gorge, Kalei glanced toward the mountains beyond it. "Lox, do you come here often?"
Lox shook his head. "This whole area's deep mountains and gorges. Why would I come here? I only drop by now and then to look at the fish in the river. But I noticed you were looking around the whole way here. Did you find anything?"
Kalei frowned and shook his head. Lox's observations about the Stone-Scaled Cod had reminded him of the Old Gods' Curse of Flesh, a force that could cause any living thing to degenerate. He'd thought the power of the Old Gods had appeared here, but they'd come all this way and he'd found nothing.
He silently mocked himself. After the Furbolg crisis, he'd become a little too suspicious, reading far too much into everything.
He turned to head back, but suddenly felt as though someone in the gorge was watching him.
He spun around and scanned the gorge, but saw nothing.
Seeing him hesitate at the entrance, Lox came over and looked into the gorge. "Did you find something?"
Kalei thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever been into this gorge?"
"I went in once, a few years ago. There wasn't much to see—just trees, more trees, and a few houses someone had built."
Kalei's eyes lit up. "You mean someone lives in there?"
"I don't know. When I went in, I only saw the houses, not anyone living there. They were run-down, and there was barely any furniture inside. I doubt anyone could live there."
Kalei shook his head without answering. He was certain something had just put him on alert, and it had probably been a person. He wanted to go in and confirm his suspicions, but with Lox there, he had to put that idea aside for now.
Lox might be brave, but he had no combat ability. Kalei didn't dare take him inside and put him in danger.
He made up his mind and waved. "Come on, let's go back."
Lox looked at him in surprise. "You're not going in?"
"There's no point. It's getting late. Let's go back."
"Man, what a letdown." Lox muttered in disappointment, but still turned and followed Kalei back.
Kalei's mouth twitched. He wanted to take Lox in there and teach him a lesson, but decided against it. They'd grown up together, after all. He shouldn't get him into too much trouble.
The two retraced their steps, their shadows stretching long in the moonlight. After following Kalei all that way and seeing nothing, Lox was bored. At the village entrance, he said goodbye to Kalei and went home alone.
Watching him walk away, Kalei thought of the fish in the river, the gorge hidden in the woods, and the houses inside it. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it all seemed. He decided to get to the bottom of it.
To find some clues, he decided to start with the gorge and ask the village chief about it.
Before you continue