Surprised though he was, as a warrior with a veteran's memories, Dick would never make the mistake of getting distracted in combat. He took the opportunity to step back, and the longsword in his hand plunged into the top of another murloc's head as it tried to approach him, claiming another life.
This undoubtedly enraged the purple-skinned murloc. It charged again, but Dick hopped nimbly to the left, dodging its thrust. As he turned, his longsword cut a wound deep enough to expose bone across its body.
The purple-skinned murloc's stats also appeared before Dick's eyes.
"Slark" "Elite" "Humanoid" "Strength 22, agility 15, stamina 30, arcane power 0" "Assessment: Its existence is an insult to the word 'elite.'"
"Heh, an elite. No wonder!"
Dick chuckled and stopped retreating. This creature was stronger than he was, but less agile, so there was no need to be afraid. He pushed off hard and charged the purple-skinned murloc, engaging it at close quarters. Although its harpoon was powerful, it was useless in a close-range struggle.
Elite creatures were another feature of the game. Every kind of creature had powerful individuals with physical abilities far beyond their peers, and some even had special skills. Only seasoned veterans or small groups of several people could stand against them.
Above elites were rare elites, monsters of an even higher tier that carried richer loot.
Slark before him was just such a creature, twice as strong as an ordinary murloc and nearly twice as large. Had it faced Dawi, it could certainly have won easily. Unfortunately, it faced Dick, a monster who did not belong to this world.
"Die!"
Dick roared, ducking beneath Slark's whistling harpoon thrust, and slammed his heavy shield into its ugly face. The full-force blow sent the murloc staggering. Dick stepped forward again, his Glimmering Longsword gleaming with deadly light as it pierced Slark's neck with precision.
Yet the murloc still did not die. Instead, the intense pain let it break free of Dick's control, and it bolted to the side with Dick's longsword still lodged in it, shoving through the unsuspecting ordinary murlocs encircling them and breaking their formation.
Dick's prowess also left these murlocs trembling, afraid to advance. He extended his left foot and levered up the harpoon Slark had left on the ground. Taking it in hand, he weighed it briefly, then hurled it like a javelin.
Slark was already gravely wounded. Even as an exceptionally built elite murloc, it could not hope to run very fast with those injuries. Dick was practically shooting at a stationary target. Once the harpoon left his hand, he did not even look, swinging his heavy shield into the face of another murloc approaching from behind.
"Pah, a bunch of cowards!"
Holding his shield in front of him, Dick casually picked up a crude stone axe from the ground to use as a weapon, then charged through the nearly terrified-out-of-their-wits murlocs behind his shield.
In the game, murlocs were typical bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Seeing that even Slark, the strongest among them, had died, the others promptly scattered after Dick charged through them for a while.
Dick stood panting where he was. He knew the battle was not over. The fleeing murlocs must have gone for reinforcements, and there were two more murloc villages nearby. They had to leave before the murlocs arrived.
Just then, Timmy hurried out of the murlocs' cavern, his shrill voice drawing Dick's attention.
"Mr. Dick, come quickly! We found something else!"
"Hmm?"
Dick pounded his numb left arm.
He ran toward the cavern. Dawi could not possibly be unaware of the threat posed by the murlocs, yet he had still chosen to send Timmy to fetch him. That meant Dawi really had discovered something extraordinary. "Who is this?"
As soon as Dick entered the dim cavern, his gaze was drawn to a man covered in wounds from the murlocs' torture. The rescued children stood around Dawi, watching him wipe the man's body.
"I don't know. He only said he was a soldier of the empire and wouldn't tell us anything else, so I sent for you."
Dawi spread his hands to show there was nothing he could do. Dick nodded, knelt on one knee beside the man, whose breathing was already very faint, and spoke quietly.
"I'm Dick Tang, formerly a corporal in the Third Reconnaissance Squad of the Fourth Legion of Lordaeron. Soldier, do you have anything to tell me?"
That introduction made Dawi's eyes widen. Even he had heard of the Fourth Legion's great reputation. He had never expected Dick to have been a soldier in that legion before retiring.
Those words also seemed to restore some strength to the dying soldier. He pointed with difficulty at Dawi and the children, and Dick nodded.
"Dawi, take the children back first! Don't worry about me!"
"But the murlocs..."
"They can't do anything to me. Don't worry!"
Dick gave Dawi a meaningful look. The latter hesitated, but obediently led the children out of the cavern. Only then did the soldier struggle to speak.
"I... I'm one of the Royal Knights, code name 'Hunter.' Dick, I've heard of you. The man who crossed Silverpine Forest alone and brought back important intelligence. I need your help now... cough, cough. You may very well lose your life over this!"
"Beep... quest triggered: A Close Call" "Help 'Hunter' deliver vital intelligence to his contact."
"Ah..."
Dick sighed somewhat sadly. "Tell me. A veteran isn't afraid of death!"
"Cough, cough. Good... listen carefully. I can only say this once. Prince Arthas is leading soldiers in an investigation into the source of the plague. He should be near Andorhal now. I'm part of the advance force. The source is in Stratholme. Cultists... the Cult of the Damned. They're the culprits. They've been hunting me all along."
The Royal Knight's voice suddenly grew hoarse. Just after he uttered the word Stratholme, a wisp of black smoke rose from his chest. With its appearance, his body grew increasingly weak, its vitality all but exhausted. He struggled to grip Dick's hand, finished his final words, and rapidly crumbled into a pile of bones.
"The murlocs of Blackwood Lake and the trolls of Zul'Mashar are all their accomplices. I can't hold on any longer. You must, must bring this news to the prince. Their target is... is the entire kingdom! Grain, the grain is the source of infection... ugh..."
Feeling the bones cradled in his arms, Dick wore a subtle expression. Though he felt pity for the man who had died so horribly, he realized that history now rested in his hands.
If he was not mistaken, it was this Royal Knight's report that sent Arthas to Stratholme, triggering the series of changes that followed. In the end, Arthas returned as a death knight commanding the Undead Scourge and nearly overturned the entire Northern Frontier. Now, the origin of all of it had fallen into his hands.
Dick stood and gave the corpse a regulation military salute. After gathering the Royal Knight's belongings, he headed out of the cavern, but a strange thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
What if I conceal this information instead of bringing it to Arthas? Could that change the prince's fate?
After careful consideration, however, Dick dismissed the idea. According to Hunter, more than one Royal Knight was hiding in Stratholme. Even if he said nothing, other Royal Knights would deliver the news to Arthas after some time.
"Hmm... looks like I'll have to make another trip to Andorhal!"
Dick returned to the surface. From a distance, he could already see the rippling green waters of Blackwood Lake and the densely packed murlocs beneath them. The reinforcements had arrived, and it was time for him to leave.
He quickly ran toward the undergrowth. Once he was far from Blackwood Lake, these lowly creatures naturally would not chase him to the ends of the earth.
An hour later, as the sun sank in the west, Dick returned to Darrowshire. As expected, Dawi and Timmy were waiting to welcome him at the entrance to town.
Seeing Dick return safely, Dawi rushed up and gave him a firm hug. Patting Dick's back, he said loudly,
"I knew mere murlocs couldn't take your life!"
Timmy stood behind Dawi. When Dick turned his gaze toward him, the little rascal bowed to him, quite unlike his usual self.
"Thank you, Mr. Dick. If it weren't for you, Aruf and the others would have died."
"Hahaha, you boys had better stay away from dangerous places from now on."
Dick laughed heartily. He reached out and rested a hand on Timmy's head, ruffling his hair before preparing to follow Dawi into town, but Timmy called him back.
"Mr. Dick, please wait!"
Timmy unstrapped his blackened Dwarven Rifle and respectfully offered it to Dick. "This is the rifle my father left behind. He was once a fine hunter, just as famous as Redpath. Mr. Dawi has agreed to teach me some fighting skills, so I won't need this anymore. Please keep it as a memento."
Dick had intended to refuse, but recalling how he had obtained the Glimmering Longsword, he hesitated and accepted the blackened, shabby-looking Dwarven Rifle. He made an encouraging gesture to Timmy, slung it over his back, and followed Dawi into town.
That evening, dizzy from drinking, Dick said goodbye to Dawi and Redpath and returned to his room with the rifle on his back. He fetched a basin of water, picked up a cloth, and began cleaning the rifle, which clearly had not been maintained in a long time. His intuition told him this was his reward for completing the quest.
Although firearms were no longer uncommon in the human world, those handcrafted by the dwarven masters of Ironforge were still rare treasures. A little over ten minutes later, after Dick wiped away the last smear of black grime, the exquisite short-barreled rifle seemed reborn as it rested in his hands.
Its silver-white barrels lay side by side, engraved with a few black designs. It had a polished mahogany grip and a simple sighting groove. Dick held it in his hands, and both its weight and feel suited him exceptionally well.
Once it was clean, the weapon's name appeared in Dick's field of vision.
"Timmy's Toy Gun" "Blue" "Accuracy +15, durability +15, damage bonus +20" "Special effect-knockback" "Description: A true masterpiece, with the potential for further improvement."
"Good stuff!"
Seeing these stats, Dick could not help slapping his thigh. With something like this, he would have another measure of security when he set off for Andorhal tomorrow.
Perhaps Hunter himself had not known what sort of person he had entrusted his mission to. With Dick there, Prince Arthas's journey toward death was destined not to go so smoothly.