Murlocs and Fishermen

The afternoon sun spilled across the maple forest, yet to Lanlos, the golden veins of light seemed tinged with an eerie, blood-red hue. A sense of unease clogged his chest, refusing to dissipate.

Finally, the view ahead opened up, and the sight of the familiar elven cottages allowed him to exhale a long, relieved breath. This village remained as peaceful as ever...

Just as Lanlos relaxed, a familiar face darted toward him, her movements frantic. "Lanlos, have you seen Sores?"

Seeing Ilana drenched in sweat and looking disheveled, Lanlos's brows knit tightly together. "What happened?"

Seeing that she didn't answer his question, a flicker of disappointment crossed Ilana's face before she hurriedly explained, "You know that after we returned, Sores went out on patrol alone. But we haven't received any word from him until now, and I'm worried..."

The shyness she usually displayed had been cast to the winds; worry made Ilana openly express her concern for Sores. Seeing her urgency, Lanlos nodded and interrupted her, "I understand, but don't worry. Sores's strength is reliable. Perhaps he discovered something unusual and is currently scouting it out."

For some reason, the image of the large group of Murloc Shaman he had encountered earlier surfaced in Lanlos's mind.

"Even so, he should have left us some kind of message. It's been a whole day with no news, could it be..." Clearly, Ilana had considered some grim possibilities, and in her agitation, she grabbed Lanlos's arm. The years of training were no joke; the elven girl's grip made Lanlos wince in pain.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Lanlos's frail health was common knowledge, and seeing his reaction, Ilana immediately let go, bowing repeatedly to apologize.

Lanlos certainly didn't care about such details and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry yourself blindly. The patrol should be back soon. Sores is a qualified ranger; he will definitely leave us a signal."

"Rest assured." Gently patting the girl's shoulder and seeing her gradually relax, Lanlos offered a faint smile before heading toward his residence.

Pushing the door open, the sunset's glow slipped into the room first, bringing Fergus's face into clear view for Lanlos.

He remained the same as always, nearly hunched over his desk, deaf to Lanlos's entry as he remained fully focused on his paperwork.

The old man truly loved the peace of this small space; one person, one pen, one book, formed an entire world of his own.

However, Lanlos had no heart to appreciate such detachment.

"Fergus, a Murloc Shaman has appeared at Golden Beach!"

Screech!

The quill trembled violently, its tip carving a long, jagged tear across the parchment. The splattered ink perfectly captured the shock in the old man's heart. "What did you say?"

Closing the door, Lanlos immediately recounted his encounter to Fergus.

"Nearly a hundred Murloc and a Shaman? Are you certain you didn't see wrong?" A rare, grave seriousness appeared on the wrinkled face as Fergus repeatedly confirmed the authenticity of the intelligence.

The latter curled his lip impatiently. "Although I have a limp, my eyes are not blind."

Seeing the other's firm insistence, Fergus fell silent. He then pulled out a sheet of white paper and dipped his quill in ink again. He had barely written a single character when Lanlos interrupted him: "What are you doing?"

"If it is as you say." The old man's dim eyes flashed with sharp light as he fluently composed Lanlos's report into a letter, with such efficiency that the latter briefly wondered if he were hallucinating. "The village militia cannot handle them; we need reinforcements."

As he spoke, Fergus sealed the letter. "Take this to Dika and have him rush to Sunsail Harbor immediately."

Catching the letter, Lanlos nodded firmly and turned to leave quickly. Judging by his agility, it was hard to tell he suffered from a leg ailment.

As mentioned before, Golden Branch Village had very little contact with the outside world, the only link being the messenger who traveled between here and Sunsail Harbor every week.

Dika was currently at the inn entrance tending to his treasure: a tall, sturdy Strider. Its sleek feathers were a pleasing emerald green; once it entered the forest, it was nearly impossible to track.

Although Striders were birds, they were much like the ostriches from Lanlos's former world; they could not fly.

As land mounts, they weren't exactly top-tier, lacking even the load-bearing capacity of an ordinary horse. But these two-legged creatures were incredibly fast, and their agile turning ability made them superior to almost any other mount in places like Eversong Woods, whether for combat or travel.

Coupled with their docile nature, they had become one of the most common mounts for High Elves.

"Dika, you have a mission." Interrupting the elf's daily grooming of the Strider, Lanlos shoved the request for reinforcements into his arms.

The latter was briefly stunned, but upon seeing the black feather on the envelope, he immediately turned solemn. "I'm leaving at once."

Too hurried to finish cleaning his beloved mount, Dika leaped onto its back and squeezed his legs hard against the Strider's ribs. As the creature let out a shrill cry, a gust of wind blew across Lanlos's face, and they surged out of the village gate in an instant.

"Dika, come see how my Strider is? Just bought it from Sunsail Harbor last week... Hmm? Lanlos? Have you seen Dika?" A bloated elven uncle walked out from behind the inn, looking blankly at the spot where Dika had just been, then turned to ask Lanlos.

"Fergus has an important letter for him to deliver; he's already on his way." Briefly explaining his own origins, Lanlos's gaze was quickly drawn to the object beside Hadro. "This is?"

"Aha! Bought it from Sunsail Harbor not long ago. How is it? Much sturdier than that kid Dika's treasure, right?" Seeing Lanlos attracted by his property, Hadro wore a smug smile, tugging excitedly at the reins and causing the Strider to let out a dissatisfied cry.

"It is indeed quite good." Examining the untamed mount closely, Lanlos couldn't help but nod in praise. This wasn't just polite talk; as a former elven noble, Lanlos still possessed some knowledge of horsemanship and animal husbandry.

"But I don't understand, why did you buy a Strider? As a pet?" Lanlos's shift in tone caused the smugness on Hadro's face to freeze instantly.

Without needing an answer, Lanlos could certainly guess the man's desire to show off. After all, a small place like Golden Branch Village really had no use for such a thing, and with the Strider's appetite and maintenance costs, Hadro was essentially paying to suffer.

Shaking his head with a smile, Lanlos stopped teasing the simple-minded wealthy man and turned to leave. However, a vigorous figure suddenly rushed out of the village gate, causing him to put his foot back down.

"Ilana! Don't be impulsive!"

"Captain, she's running too fast..."

"Useless! Find her and bring her back!" As the captain of the Golden Branch Village militia, Nicole had graying temples, but his former military integrity remained. This roar made the two young men tremble so hard they nearly fell.

"Captain Nicole, was that Ilana who just left? What happened?" Before Nicole could continue to batter the two young men with his booming voice, Lanlos walked up, ignoring the latter's grateful gaze, and asked with a solemn expression.

"It's you." Glancing at Lanlos, Nicole's indifferent tone sounded somewhat sarcastic, though the elven youth clearly had no time to entertain his attitude toward the younger generation.

"Ilana is my friend. Please, tell me, what is going on?"

"Hmm..." Meeting Lanlos's sharp gaze, Nicole fell silent for a moment. "Very well, it just so happens I need you to inform Fergus."

"It's about Sores. We found the tracks he left behind..."

"What tracks?" His brow twitched, and the image of that group of Murloc flashed in his mind. A bad premonition made Lanlos unable to hold back.

"Interrupting others is very impolite, young man. You must learn to respect your elders..." Nicole's eyes widened as he habitually adopted his militia-training stance, but given the urgency of the situation, Lanlos had no heart to listen to any of that.

"Apologies, but please do not change the subject. As the intermediary, I must ensure the intelligence remains both complete and concise."

Lanlos's words cut Nicole off sharply. However, they were reasonable, and the latter could find no room for rebuttal, only letting out a heavy huff before continuing: "We found Sores's signal at the Golden Branch Path; a large group of Murlocs has gathered near the Golden Beach."

"Is that all?" Recalling Ilana's reckless behavior just moments ago, Lanlos realized it likely wasn't that simple. "Ilana shouldn't have disobeyed your orders just because of that, should she?"

Narrowing his eyes, Nicole hesitated for a moment: "Sores has gone missing."

Lanlos's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Though he didn't speak, his shock was written all over his face.

Sores had also come from the regular army. While he was still a distance away from being an intermediate-level professional, his experience far exceeded that of any fresh recruit. The opposition was merely a group of Murlocs; even if he couldn't defeat them, he would never have put himself in such a precarious position.

How could he have gone missing?

Watching the shifting expressions on Lanlos's face, Nicole naturally knew what he was thinking: "But there is no need to worry. Sores is an excellent ranger; I doubt he is in any real danger. By comparison, I am more worried about Ilana..."

"Right, Hadro, Dika asked me to pass a message to you." Lanlos stopped listening, immediately turning around and heading toward the inn.

Hadro was pulling hard on the reins, trying to drag his disobedient Strider back, and turned his head reflexively when he heard someone call his name.

"Your Strider is quite impressive." Taking advantage of the man's distraction, Lanlos snatched the reins, vaulted onto the bird's back, and swung his cane through the air with a whistling sound, slamming it hard against the Strider's rump.

"Gaa—!"

The shrill, desperate screech nearly shattered Hadro's eardrums. Watching his prized possession vanish in a cloud of dust, he felt his heart turn to ash.