Murlocs and Fishermen

The afternoon sun slanted through the maple grove, but to Lanlos, the golden veins of light carried an unsettling tinge of blood-red. A feeling of dread clogged his chest, and he couldn't shake it for a long time.

At last, the view opened up ahead, and the familiar elven cottages made him breathe a long sigh of relief. The village was still so peaceful...

Just as Lanlos was relaxing, a familiar face came rushing toward him with its owner: "Lanlos, have you seen Sores?"

Seeing Ilana's disheveled appearance, her forehead slick with sweat, Lanlos furrowed his brows. "What happened?"

When he didn't answer her question, a flash of disappointment crossed Ilana's face. Then she hurriedly explained, "You know, after we came back, Sores went out alone on patrol. But we haven't heard anything from him, even now. I'm worried..."

Her shyness had long since vanished. Concern made Ilana openly show how much she cared about Sores. Seeing how anxious she was, Lanlos nodded and interrupted her. "I understand. But don't worry. Sores is more than capable. Maybe he noticed something unusual and is scouting it out."

For some reason, a large group of Murlocs he'd encountered earlier suddenly came to mind.

"Even so, he should've left us some kind of message. We haven't heard from him all day. What if..." Clearly, Ilana had thought of some troubling possibilities. In her panic, she grabbed Lanlos by the arm. Years of training had made her grip strong enough to make him grimace in pain.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Everyone knew Lanlos was sickly and weak. Seeing his reaction, Ilana immediately let go and repeatedly bowed in apology.

Lanlos didn't mind the little mishap and waved it off. "Don't worry yourself over nothing. The patrol should be back soon. Sores is a capable ranger. He'll have left us a signal."

"Don't worry." He gently patted the girl's shoulder. When she began to relax, Lanlos smiled and headed for home.

He pushed the door open, and the last light of sunset slipped into the room ahead of him, illuminating Fergus's face.

The old man was as usual, almost sprawled over his desk. He didn't even notice Lanlos coming in, completely absorbed in the documents before him.

The old man truly loved the peace of this little corner of the world. A man, a pen, and a book made up his own private universe.

But Lanlos had no time to appreciate his tranquility.

"Fergus, there's a Murloc Shaman at Golden Beach!"

Scratch!

The quill suddenly jerked, its nib leaving a long gash across the parchment. Ink splattered everywhere, revealing the old man's shock. "What did you say?"

Closing the door, Lanlos immediately told Fergus what he'd encountered.

Nearly a hundred Murlocs and a Shaman? Are you sure you saw that right?" Fergus's wrinkled face turned unusually serious as he asked again to make sure the report was accurate.

Lanlos impatiently rolled his eyes. "My leg may be lame, but my eyes work just fine."

Seeing how certain he was, Fergus fell silent. Then he quickly took out a sheet of paper, dipped his quill in ink, and had just written a character when Lanlos interrupted him. "What are you doing?"

"If what you say is true..." The old man's dim eyes gleamed sharply as he swiftly turned Lanlos's report into a letter. He worked so quickly and smoothly that Lanlos almost thought he was imagining it. "The village militia can't handle them. We need reinforcements."

As he spoke, Fergus had already sealed the letter. "Take this to Dika. Tell him to leave for Sunsail Harbor immediately."

Lanlos took the letter and nodded firmly, then turned and hurried off. Judging by his speed alone, it was hard to tell he had a lame leg.

As mentioned before, Golden Branch Village had little contact with the outside world. Its only connection was the courier who traveled between the village and Sunsail Harbor each week.

Dika was outside the inn, tending to his prized possession: a large, sturdy Strider. Its smooth feathers were a pleasing shade of emerald green, and once it entered the forest, it was hard to spot at a glance.

Although Striders were birds, they resembled the ostriches of Lanlos's old world. They couldn't fly.

As land mounts, they weren't exactly ideal, and their carrying capacity was even worse than that of an ordinary horse. But these two-legged little creatures were incredibly fast, and their nimble turning made them superior to other mounts in a place like Eversong Woods, whether in battle or on the road.

Combined with their gentle nature, this made them one of the High Elves' most commonly used mounts.

"Dika, you've got a job." Interrupting the elf's usual cleaning of his Strider, Lanlos shoved the urgent letter into his arms.

Dika was briefly taken aback. But when he saw the black feather on the envelope, he immediately grew serious. "I'm leaving now."

Without time to clean his beloved mount's feathers, Dika leaped onto its back and clamped his legs around its ribs. The Strider let out a piercing cry, and a gust of wind rushed across Lanlos's face as it shot out of the village gate.

"Dika, come take a look at my Strider. What do you think? I just bought it in Sunsail Harbor last week... Hm? Lanlos? Have you seen Dika?" A portly elven man emerged from behind the inn. He stared blankly at the spot where Dika had just been, then turned to Lanlos as if asking him a question.

"Fergus has an important letter for him to deliver. He's already on his way." After briefly explaining why he was there, Lanlos's gaze was soon drawn to the creature beside Hadro. "What's this?"

"Ah-ha! I bought this Strider in Sunsail Harbor not long ago. What do you think? It's sturdier than that prized bird of Dika's, isn't it?" Seeing Lanlos admire his property, Hadro grinned proudly and excitedly tugged at the reins, making the Strider squawk in protest.

"It's certainly impressive." Lanlos carefully studied the untamed mount and nodded in approval. He wasn't just being polite. As a former elven noble, Lanlos knew a thing or two about riding and animal husbandry.

"But I don't get it. Why did you buy a Strider? As a pet?" Lanlos changed the subject, and Hadro's smug expression froze.

Lanlos didn't need an answer to guess why he was showing off. After all, there wasn't much use for a Strider in a little place like Golden Branch Village. Add in its appetite and upkeep, and Hadro had paid good money for a world of trouble.

Smiling, Lanlos shook his head and stopped teasing the honest, wealthy man. He turned to leave, but a nimble figure suddenly dashed out of the village gate, making him put his raised foot back down.

"Ilana! Don't be reckless!"

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

"Useless! Go bring her back!" As the captain of Golden Branch Village's militia, Nicole was already gray at the temples, but he still had the mettle of a former soldier. His roar made the two young men's legs tremble, and they nearly fell over.

"Captain Nicole, was that Ilana who just left? What happened?" Before Nicole could keep blasting the two young men with his booming voice, Lanlos stepped forward. Ignoring the grateful looks from the others, he asked in a grave tone.

"Oh, it's you." Nicole glanced at Lanlos and spoke in a flat, slightly mocking tone. But the young elf clearly had no time for his habit of sizing up youngsters.

"Ilana is my friend. Please tell me what happened."

"Hmm..." Under Lanlos's sharp gaze, Nicole fell silent for a moment. "All right. I need you to inform Fergus anyway."

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

"What traces?" Lanlos's brows jumped. The Murlocs he'd seen came to mind, and his unease made him speak up.

"It's rude to interrupt people, young man. You need to learn to respect your elders..." Nicole glared and instinctively adopted the air of a man lecturing his militia. But the situation was urgent, and Lanlos had no time for it.

"Sorry, but please don't change the subject. As the go-between, I need to make sure the information is complete and concise."

Lanlos's words left Nicole with no reply. The young man had a point, and Nicole had nothing to argue with. He could only give a heavy snort and continue. "We found Sores's signal on Golden Branch Path. A sizable group of Murlocs has gathered near Golden Beach."

"That's all?" Recalling how Ilana had just rushed off without a thought for her own safety, Lanlos realized there had to be more to it. "Would Ilana really disobey your orders over just that?"

Nicole narrowed his eyes and hesitated briefly. "Sores is missing."

Lanlos's pupils contracted to pinpricks. He said nothing, but his shock was plain to see.

Sores had also come from the regular army. Though he was still a ways off from being an intermediate-level professional, he had far more experience than those fresh recruits. They were only Murlocs. Even if he couldn't beat them, he would never put himself in danger.

How could he have gone missing?

Seeing Lanlos's expression shift, Nicole knew what he was thinking. "But don't worry. Sores is an outstanding ranger. He should be safe. I'm more worried about Ilana..."

"By the way, Hadro, Dika asked me to tell you something." Lanlos stopped listening and immediately turned toward the inn.

Hadro was gripping the reins with all his might, trying to drag the disobedient Strider back. When he heard someone call his name, he instinctively turned around.

"Your Strider is great." While Hadro was distracted, Lanlos snatched the reins, swung onto the bird's back, and whipped his cane through the air with a whoosh, bringing it down hard on the Strider's rump.

"Gaaah!"

The Strider's shrill, desperate cry nearly burst Hadro's eardrums. He watched his prized possession vanish into the distance, his heart sinking into despair.