The Great Thief

Lu Li smacked himself on the head; how could he have forgotten about Innocent Child, who had just joined Ruling Sword? Innocent Child was ranked highly as a Druid, and was familiar with healing-type gameplay. He had always had a penchant for creating his gameplay style through alternative occupations.

Druids did not have the Magic damage output of a Mage, nor the physical damage output of a Berserker or a Thief. Neither did they have the efficiency in tanking like a Warrior or Paladin, nor the healing skills of a Priest. However, the creators of Dawn did not conjure up this class just for the sake of it. Druids were the jacks of all trades – they could heal, stealth, deal decent damage, and even tank when needed. As a skilled Druid, Innocent Child was a threat to many players during PVP battles. If Lu Li were to find a companion for his scouting mission, Innocent Child would be the best man for the job.

The players that Lu Li had chosen to bring with him were taken from the Instance Dungeon battle, and they were quickly gathered about at the Ice-Sealed Mountain Stronghold. The current Light’s Hope Chapel had fallen, and the Ice-Sealed Mountain Stronghold had become one of the Alliance’s outposts. Here, many players gathered together to take part in limited-time activities and events. It was also the site in the entire game that gave the most quests. No matter how low a player’s Charisma was, there would still be quests given to them. Such quests included burning corpses, which, while not a rewarding job, was at least available to everyone. However, the handling and odour of the corpses were unavoidable. Ever since the Cursed Priest began to spread and research the plague, the most efficient way of containing the spread was to burn the corpses.

“Thank God we don’t have to do that,” Scarlet New Moon said as he pinched his nose.

“Well, I mean, you gain Reputation and a decent amount of gold, and it’s not at all dangerous. It’s actually quite a decent job,” Innocent Child remarked. He had done much more distasteful jobs in other games, so burning corpses was not at all a problem for him.

“Maybe, but it’s still not very cost-effective. You have to buy antidotes from NPCs since the more corpses you get in touch with the more likely you are to catch the plague,” Lu Li chimed in.

“The economic system in this game is becoming more and more advanced…”

Innocent Child shook his head, admiring Dawn for its gold system. The ratio of gold to money in the real world was minimal, and with many measures taken for gold recycling, the in-game economy was quite steady.

“Shall we get going?” Water Fairy asked.

“Just a moment. Supplies should be coming any minute now,” Lu Li responded.

“I thought we were supposed to gather them ourselves. My bag’s full already,” Water Fairy said in surprise.

“What does that matter? What’s his is yours, and what’s yours is still yours, right?” Innocent Child chuckled.

“Ahem. We can’t be too prepared. The more, the better,” Lu Li said, ignoring Innocent Child. The supplies were sent by the club’s manager – White Bread. Lu Li himself had prepared health potions and other items for Stealth-type adventures. He knew that White Bread was quite feeble in real life and had recently decreased in online activity, but he needed information about the Plaguelands, and so had only exchanged a simple greeting and parting before heading off to see the Commander of Ice-Sealed Mountain Stronghold.

“Do you require information, Lieutenant?”

Ashram Varofest’s rank as Chief was much higher than Lu Li. He had a handsome face rarely seen in front-line fighters, and he always wore a smile brighter than the sun above Stormwind City.

“I hurried over as soon as I received a mission from the military, and require some assistance,” Lu Li opened up politely.

Ashram Varofest nodded and asked, “What would you like to know?”

“It’s about the Cursed Priest.”

If anyone knew about the Plaguelands, it would be either the Blood Crusades or locals like him.

“The Cursed Priest?” Ashram Varofest’s smile was replaced with an expression of hatred and anger as he roared, “Those scum are not the Undead, but mere humans. They’re traitors!”

“I see.”

Lu Li was unsatisfied – of course, he knew what the Cursed Priest was. During the raiding of Azeroth, the Burning Legion had handed many human captives to the Lich King for brainwashing. He stripped them of their conscience and corrupted them with the desire for violence and chaos. Those new converts would take part in the ravaging of Lordaeron, spreading the plague to countless Lordaeron citizens. They were cruel to say the least, but what could they do? The military lacked the strength to protect civilians, who were made prisoners under the Lich King. They had no choice but to carry out his orders. Even if some honourable figures decided upon killing themselves instead, they would be foolish to think that death was the end. With the Lich, they would only be turned into one of the Undead that would soon slaughter those who were once their friends.

“These living humans are savages compared to the Undead,” Ashram fumed.

“I understand,” Lu Li repeated, genuinely sympathising with the Chief’s rage, but it was not what he intended to ask. He needed to know about the comings and goings of the Cursed Priest in the Plaguelands, and where his base was. After all, as long as there were uninfected humans wandering around in the Plaguelands, they would need a camp as a safe zone.

“It is at Mount Hyjal where the Alliance and the associated tribes took down the Burning Legion…but they were not the only victors, because the Cursed Priest believed it was also the Undead’s victory. With the fall of the demons, the Lich King was finally free from their control and thus was able to carry out his plans with the help of Alsace the Death Knight. The Lich King dominated half of the Kingdom of Lordaeron and desired to expand his territory and control. The Lich King’s release was deemed a gift for the converts under the Cursed Priest and only made their desire to serve the King stronger. As Arthas destroyed the cage that imprisoned the Lich King, he obtained Ner’Zhul’s soul and combined it with the Lich King, making him the most powerful Lich King in the entire history of Lichs. No one objected to his actions then, whether it was the old Lich King or the current one. The converts were wholly loyal to him. Considering that the current Lich King had finally obtained a physical form, the believers were sure that he would one day go down to Lordaeron himself, undergo his coronation, and continue with his ambitions. They are a group of Necromancers skilled in dark magic, hoping that one day they will be immortal. They were terrifying.”

“Where are they? I was ordered to disrupt the Cursed Priest’s ceremony,” Lu Li interrupted the talkative Chief. No wonder he wasn’t promoted, despite his looks and records.

“Ceremony? What ceremony?” the Chief questioned in surprise.

“That information is confidential. I’m sure you understand. We don’t have much time left so I’d prefer you to keep things short and to the point,” Lu Li answered mysteriously. Even he didn’t know what ceremony he had to disrupt, but he had the image of a man of responsibility that would not have secrets kept from him.

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you,” Ashram nodded and spared no detail about what he knew.

“Thank you, that was very helpful.”

Lu Li was finally satisfied. Being the leading figure of the outpost, Ashram Varofest not only knew the activities of the Cursed Priest but even the positions of the Undead that guarded the believers. Knowing the positions of the Undead was important. If he were to head to the Plaguelands without seeing Ashram Varofest, he was sure they would be dead before even seeing their enemies’ base.

Smell! The Cursed Priest had trained a pack of dogs that subsisted on the flesh of rotting corpses. These dogs had two threatening skills. One was Ravage. It was a debuff that lasted an hour, which caused slow down, fatigue, and continuous damage. It was a critical skill to a thief since continuous damage meant they would no longer be able to sneak around. The other was a passive skill that strengthened their olfactory. As expected, their sense of smell was almost unfair, since without being anywhere near the dogs’ perceptual range, they would be able to detect Lu Li and his team’s presence just by sniffing the air.

“Now, since I see you all as my friends, “Ashram Varofest began as he placed a hand on Lu Li’s shoulder and smiled, then continued, “I have something that might be able to help you. However, I hope you understand that it’s not easy for me to obtain such precious items…”

“I don’t wish for my brothers to have to remain here indefinitely either. It would be an honour if I can change everyone’s lifestyle for the better,” Lu Li answered solemnly, and the two shared a great laugh before his departure.