The Great Thief

This normally gentle-looking lady fought like a madman with two weapons dancing around her like snowflakes.

That’s right – Garona’s weapon wasn’t a dagger, but rather two sword-like weapons that were longer than daggers. No one knew how strong she truly was, but these large blades flew like feathers.

She was a true Thief – fast as the wind, charming as a ghost. There was still an almost insurmountable gap between the players and the top NPCs.

Her opponent was short, definitely much shorter than a normal person.

Gnome!

Plus, it was a Gnome Thief!

Lu Li wasn’t in a hurry to help her. Being able to fight with Garona without seeming at a disadvantage showed that this Gnome was also an NPC.

This Gnome’s skill was also quite impressive, and his fighting style was even more unorthodox. His weapon was a different dagger. Lu Li felt uncomfortable as to why neither of these two expert Thieves used daggers.

Unless, Thieves weren’t meant to be skilled in using daggers?

Lu Li fell into a deep conundrum. The most important part was still that key Thief NPC figures came and went too mysteriously, especially those like Garona. He hadn’t even met any in his last life, so naturally, he didn’t know what weapons they used.

As for the female host who brought him into Ravenholdt Manor, it was hard to put her and the word ‘strong’ together in one sentence.

“Let’s stop here for today. We can determine a winner when we have time; your mentee is here,” the Gnome Thief said, then suddenly transformed into a dozen doppelgangers. They were smashed to pieces by Garona, but she still couldn’t find his real body.

Garona stopped and the weapon disappeared in her hands.

“Oh, it’s my busybody mentee. It’s so good of you to remember to visit when you’re so busy.”

It sounded like resentment, so Lu Li carefully replied, “Dear mentor, please forgive me. I’ve been busy this period travelling through the Dark Portal to the Outlands, and hadn’t found a convenient way to come back to Azeroth mainland.”

“Outlands…” The two NPCs both fell silent.

“What are the Outlands like now?” Garona faintly asked.

“Broken to pieces, but still full of vitality. Everything is recovering back to life,” Lu Li answered, as he knew what the Outlands meant for Garona.

It was Garona’s hometown. No matter how much pain she went through at Draenor, it was still the place she was born.

“This is such a great news,” Garona said. “Then, my dear mentee, why have you come this time?”

Why did she make it sound like he didn’t come unless there was something to do?

Lu Li awkwardly replied, “I need to enhance my Ring. According to Sir Remulos, the Throne of Elements should be able to satisfy my requirement. Yet, there were many crises hidden there and no ways to enter.”

“Is Gar’rok still alive?” Garona suddenly asked.

“You mean the Orc Shaman Gar’rok?”

Lu Li only just realised that Alfred hadn’t actually lied to him. The clue he gave him was completely right.

“That’s right – the Orc Shaman Gar’rok. He is a friend of Elements who is in charge of the communication between Fury and humans, and guarded the Throne of Elements by himself. Decades passed like days. In my memory, it was always so and now it should still be the same as long as he is still alive.”

“I actually already knew of this clue,” Lu Li said awkwardly, “But he is an Orc and I am an Elf – a Night Elf.”

“Ha, such a silly idea,” the Gnome Thief next to her sneered.

“Near the Throne of Element there is a grave. Go and offer a bunch of flowers. Then, you will receive a status effect that will allow you to communicate with Gar’rok. That grave is his wife’s grave,” Garona said.

“Do you know about Gar’rok’s circumstances?” Lu Li asked, wanting to know more.

“All you need to know is about him and his wife, which is enough,” Garona responded. “When Gar’rok was young, he was like his fellow clansman and gained his own romance. Dahaka was an ordinary Orc girl, and fell genuinely in love with the young and promising Gar’rok. Yet, their time of bliss didn’t last long…”

“One day, Dahaka suddenly died. Gar’rok rushed to his loved one and wept bitterly.

In the face of this sudden event, he didn’t know what to do. He found that Dahaka’s face was pale and her body looked as if the life inside had been robbed away, but he had no clue where to start.”

“Because of this, doubt existed in Gar’rok’s heart for a very long time. Until one day, he found a widow called Challe by chance who remained forever youthful. This then made him think that she had something to do with the cause of Dahaka’s death. However, he had no proof. He asked for help from a powerful assassin to search for the truth from Challe. The assassin didn’t ask twice and killed Challe.”

“In the face of death, Challe finally admitted that she sucked the life essence out of Dahaka because she was jealous of the romance between Dahaka and Gar’rok.”

“Well, that’s a pretty twisted story. Did Challe die?” Lu Li asked.

“Yes, she got what she deserved,” Garona said eerily, “Because she saw my face.”

Lu Li shivered and realised that the powerful assassin mentioned before was in fact right in front of his eyes. This meant that his mentor and Gar’rok had a strong friendship. Why didn’t she give him some sort of keepsake?

“I haven’t seen Gar’rok in a very, very long time. Please help me bring a bunch of flowers for his deceased wife. This isn’t too much to ask, is it?” Garona requested.

“Of course. I am very honoured,” Lu Li agreed without any hesitation.

“Okay, you go now. Say hi to Gar’rok for me,” Garona said, then paused and took her words back.

“Nevermind, if he asks of me, just say that I died in a far-off land, that I had died under the power of the Doomhammer.”

Lu Li noted down everything and left feeling satisfied.

These two top Thieves had a talk behind closed doors and both disappeared on the spot.

Lu Li returned again back near the Throne of Elements and felt a lot more confident. He had already bought the prettiest and most expensive-looking condolence bouquet in Stormwind City.

Dahaka’s grave was easy to find after asking around a bit.

Plus, it wasn’t far from the Throne of Elements. Gar’rok must not have wanted his wife to be too far from him.

Lu Li went to offer his bouquet, and instantly gained a new status: Gar’rok’s Friendship.