18 Chapter 18

"In the right place at the right time"

Will decided to put the killing part of his plan on the back burner. "What about Dwarves?" he asked.

"Ghrr… You not mention measly rats in Lekhor presence, or you suffer!"

"Fine, you win. You're the best… But why are you all alone out here, and who are you on the lookout for?"

Will wasn't going to keep his word — he intended to ask question after question, thinking that the monster wasn't too bright an interlocutor.

"You ask many question. You not tell truth."

"Huh! This world is full of surprises," murmured Will. "No, no, I'm just glad to know that such strong warriors are in charge of mining around here, not those pathetic Dwarves. I merely wanted to know more about your noble race, that's all."

Raven shrugged and turned to leave. He wasn't sure if flattery would work, but preparing to flee in haste seemed a smart move.

"Ghrr…" Watching the stranger leave, the Horgh tilted to one side, then the other. "Stop! Walk here."

The expression on Lekhor's face resembled a smile. Will could not discern the meaning behind it, but the way he was waving his pick hammer implied friendliness. Raven smirked. He didn't know what good could come from talking to the monster, except learning something about the location.

"What your name, stranger?"

"White Raven."

"Rav-aghr-ah. Ghrr. Me, Lekhor. You beat small beard too?"

"Sometimes," lied the young man. "So, what are you guarding?"

"Monster snoops here around, small, but nimble. Bad for work, attack sudden. Me guard."

"Hmm. Can I help, Lekhor?" Will flashed a devious smile.

"Ghrr… You weak, stranger, but me, like you say, we strong warriors. You not die first fight, we fight together."

"Brave Warrior Help Defend.

Help the Horgh protect his fellow miners until the end of his shift.

Reward: +23000 XP

+30 gold

+6.5 lb Marts ore

+4.5 lb Emerald stone

Accept? Yes/No."

"I'm in! It's an honor to fight side by side with a mighty Horgh!"

Will felt a thrill course through him, though he had no intention of participating. His plan was to look busy during the fight, maybe score a few hits at the very end to gain more XP. The only flaw with this plan was that the game might not approve of his inaction.

Two hours after Will accepted the quest, the true monster appeared. It was thin, and resembled a mosquito with two long cords for wings.

"Blood-runner: level???

HP: ???"

"Time to go viral." said Will, and entered Stealth.

Record video.

"Beware, weak stranger! Beware cord and needle sting!" cried Lekhor, and attacked the parasite.

By needle sting he obviously meant the proboscis. The mosquito was nimble indeed, and fast too. It used its cords to push off the ground, and to swiftly change its body orientation, making its moves sudden and unpredictable. The wing-like structures on its back were particularly handy for when the gnat tried to get behind the Horgh. But Lekhor was no rookie — he saw that maneuver a mile away. He rolled over to the side and swung his tool, nailing one of the cords to the ground.

The Blood-runner shrieked, and yanked its bloody limb. Raven seized the chance and threw his dagger, aiming for the back of mosquito's head. It was Will's lucky day — the five-second stun followed the attack, but, since the monster's level far exceeded Raven's, the effect only lasted for one second. Thankfully, this was enough time for Lekhor to smash the monster over the head with his pick hammer.

The Blood-runner collapsed and shook its flattened head. In the meantime, the dagger returned to Will, and he attacked the monster from behind. The damage from Raven paled in comparison with Lekhor's heavy attacks, so it physically couldn't trigger aggro.

Raven successfully evaded the wounded monster's attacks. He even used the Twilight Walker, hiding in Horgh's own shadow. Eight minutes later, the Blood-runner was dead.