After Helen heard that he would visit her father the following day, she decided to accompany him to see Zivek and complete the two Priority Quests.
According to the girls, they've all gone through the process upon hitting Level 27, and there wasn't anything special or complicated about it.
Walking through the bustling streets, Michael pulled Helen closer and whispered in her ear.
"Since I'm meeting your father, should we buy him a present?"
[Stop it! People are watching. Also, no. Father doesn't like presents. He says they don't imply gratuity but rather an obligation of return. But... it would be nice to have dinner with him one of these days. Lately, he seems to drown himself in work in order to forget mother... It should be their anniversary soon.](Helen)
"I see. Hmm... Do you want to schedule something for tonight then?"
[No. If you're out doing Quests and you get delayed, it would leave a bad impression if you don't show up for the event you proposed. Let's wait until you return.](Helen)
"That seems fair enough. Let's do that."
The couple made small talk and continued to enjoy each other's presence as they made their way to the Blacksmith first.
As energetic as always, Zivek yelled at the duo for pestering him daily but still took Michael's items and handed him the materials in exchange. He gained 12 Iron Chunks, 3 Silver ore, 2 Rawhides, and 2 Veiled Crystals.
[You might want to start upgrading your items, lad. It's not good to hoard materials when you can invest them in your safety.](Zivek)
[I agree with Zivek. If you need more materials, you can always grind Dungeons for a couple of days, and you'll have more than you require.](Helen)
"Hmm... that makes sense. What about this shield, Zivek? How much would it cost me to upgrade it?"
[Hoh? Legendary grade already? Seems like you're doing just fine, lad. Let's see... Based on its materials, I can only upgrade it four times. The first time costs 640 gold coins and 10 Rawhides; the second time, 1,280 gold coins, 10 Rawhides, and 3 Superior Leather. If you want to go further, the third time costs 3,200 gold coins, 15 Rawhides, 5 Superior Leather, and 3 Veiled Crystals. As for the final upgrade... hmm... 9,600 gold coins, 20 Rawhides, 8 Superior Leather, 6 Veiled Crystals, and 2 Coiling Wards.](Zivek)
"So that's... 14,720 gold coins, 55 Rawhides, 16 Superior Leather, 9 Veiled Crystals, and these Coiling Wards? I seem to have everything in stock but Coiling Wards. What are those?"
[Materials that result from salvaging Legendary items. Looks like you don't have those, huh? Hmm... I can charge you 5,000 gold coins in exchange for those two Coiling Wards. What do you think?](Zivek)
Seeing Helen nudging him to accept, Michael realized Zivek was probably giving him a good deal. He nodded his head and paid the price quoted.
After that, Zivek threw them out and told them to return two to three hours later. He should be done with the shield by then.
Looking at his gold reserves dropping back to 95,507 while the stored materials required for payment almost being cut in half each, Michael's heart was bleeding.
[Stop being so stingy! It's an excellent shield for your level. We can check with father and see if you have any good Aspects you could imprint on it. If not, leaving it as it is also makes for a good choice. After all, crowd control Aspects are rare.](Helen)
"So you also think I should swap back to the shield and scythe combo?"
[I was thinking more along the lines of that Rare wand and the shield. After all, not only would your survivability increase, but so would your attributes.](Helen)
"I see. And this has nothing to do with the shield having Thorns, right?"
[Ehm...](Helen)
Seeing her 'I got caught' expression, Michael burst into loud laughter, drawing attention from the surrounding people. Ever since he mentioned his Golem's ability to inherit half of his Thorns, her mind has been sent into overdrive trying to find a build based on Thorns for him.
It didn't help that some of his passive skills granted him Thorns, and he even had to experiment this morning by adding the three skill points he had to that passive. In the end, he gained 138 Thorns from that skill alone.
Coupled with the 41 from the shield and the 25 from the amulet, he would reach a grand total of 204. That meant whenever an enemy struck him, he would instantly reflect a nice 204 damage.
"Don't tempt me any further, woman! I don't want to be a sandbag for the demons. Unlike you, my specialty is Intelligence and Dexterity. My Willpower and Strength are lagging behind too much for such a build to work. Also, you have passed 1,000 Life points at my level, while I have only 720. It's good and all if you can reflect all damage, but you still have to be capable of taking the hits."
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[But, think about it! With the Skeleton Defenders also taking 50% of your Thorns, as well as the Golem, wouldn't you demolish any Dungeon even if you are solo?](Helen)
Imagining the scene where enemies would attack him and his minions, only to get killed by the Thorns, Michael's mouth couldn't help but twitch. Wasn't that the extreme version of 'Why are you hitting yourself'?
"I'll consider it if I can get more armor and better minion-buffing items. It does sound quite powerful, to be honest."
[I know, right? Especially with the Taunt of your Golem. Combine that with your crowd-control skills and the Corpse Explosion... you should breeze through Dungeons even after the third Class Awakening.](Helen)
Seeing her hopeful eyes, Michael couldn't bear to say no, so he simply changed the subject tactfully after promising her he would make an effort to make the build work.
'It's similar to girls wanting matching rings or necklaces with their boyfriends. Only that, in this case, I need to become a sandbag. I won't lie, though... imagining a Boss dying after hitting me a couple of times sounds much better than having to fight him for a couple of painful hours.'
On the other hand, Helen was overjoyed seeing him ponder it so seriously. Imagining herself alongside Michael, letting his minions charge forward while the enemies killed themselves while attacking... it was almost unbearable.
Coupled with his Class allowing him to keep reviving the minions for as long as he had Corpses around, wasn't this Class just made for a Thorn build!?
No, she had to convince him further! It was a crying shame if he could not bring out the maximum potential of a Thorns build!
"Looks like we're here. Hmm? Why are you so lost in thought?"
[Eh? No, no! Nothing. Let's go in. Aunty Kratia and Aunty Idania shouldn't be too busy this early.](Helen)
Michael followed her while eying her suspiciously. It seems like this girl was up to no good again.
[Helen? Oh? And that child. Good to see you're still alive, boy.](Kratia)
"Miss Kratia, Miss Idania. A pleasure to see you both again."
[Hello, aunties! Michael reached Level 27.](Helen)
[Oh? Is it for the gem crafting Quest, then? Come here, boy. I'll explain things.](Kratia)
"Sorry for imposing on your time. Please tell me all you can about gem crafting. I am honestly interested in it."
[And what better person to learn from, if not Aunty Kratia.](Helen)
[Ah! I see you have an eye for quality! Hmm. You'll find no finer gem cutter in all of Sanctuary. Bring me your unhewn stones, and I will perform miracles. You will see!](Kratia)
Seeing Helen further gaslighting the poor woman, Michael held the smile threatening to show on his lips.
After the woman explained, it seemed that 10 gem fragments could make a whole Crude gem. Further on, 30 Fragments could make a Chipped gem, and 100 would qualify it as a Normal gem. The ranking of gems didn't stop there, as there was still the Flawless gem, which needed 350 Fragments to make, and the Royal gem, which needed 1,350.
As the Quest required him to do so, Michael took Helen's advice and crafted a Crude Ruby. Apparently, it could increase Life by a certain percentage after being socketed into Armor equipment.
With the deed done, the Quest silently disappeared from the interface, granting Michael 998 experience points and 840 gold coins.
'Well... it's better than nothing. After all, I only had to walk around and talk to someone about it. Being ungrateful for freebies is a big no-no!'
Waving goodbye to the two ladies, Michael and Helen headed to the neighboring shop, which belonged to her father.
The last time he was here, he got excellent advice about the Codex of Power and more details about Helen's path.
Demyan watched the duo enter the shop, and his face lit up with a smile upon seeing his little girl. Even Helen turned more childish in his presence, putting a smile on Michael's face as well.
[You should have reached 27?](Demyan)
"Yes, sir. Please tell me about Extraction and Imprinting."
[Mhm. As I'm sure you know, even seemingly mundane objects sometimes contain great power. I can help you wrest that power free. The process will break down the original object, leaving behind the pure aspect of its mystical power.](Demyan)
"I see. That means that only Legendary items have this mystical aspect, and only they can accept it, right?"
[Smart. You might think of it as ripping the soul from one body and transferring it to another. Not that I would ever dream of such a thing - certainly not in earshot of the Cathedral...](Demyan)
The man continued explaining how most aspects can be gained through Dungeon clearing with the help of the Sanctuary.
According to the man's hypothesis, once a devil noble creates a Dungeon, he does so through the use of his power and a portion of his soul. Therefore, upon clearing it, one can absorb that power in the form of a Legendary Aspect after getting the Sanctuary's assistance.
This idea was in concordance with his speculations since, even if it was a magical world or otherwise, the law of energy conservation holds true. The Aspects in the Dungeon couldn't be created from thin air, just as the experience gained by Wanderers wasn't.
[Hmm? Dinner tomorrow? I see. Are you heading for a Quest today?](Deyman)
"Yes, sir. I need to catch up to your daughter after all."
[Hmm. Make sure you put your safety as the top priority. After all, I don't want to see you dead and watch my little girl suffer.](Deyman)
[Dad!](Helen)
Watching the man tease his girlfriend, Michael sighed in relief. It seems he was either highly gifted at hiding his emotions or better overall than Helen thought he was.
Parting with the man, the couple headed for the stockades, where the Quest marker for Sight to Madness was. Michael and Helen were stunned to see that the Quest Giver was locked in place in one of the devices. Furthermore, his eyes... were missing.
[Hey, you two! I don't need eyes to hear you passing by me.](Vilek)
[What are you raving about?](Helen)
[Not you! You, there, yes you! Come now, don't be shy.](Vilek)
"How can I be of assistance, sir?"
[I need your help; that damned fanatic Theya stole my eyes. She wears them around her neck, and what horrid suffering I've witnessed. Please, no more. There's so much blood... I can't...](Vilek)
Michael and Helen looked at each other with consternation. If not for the Quest marker, they would've thought this man to be mad.
But the thought of having one's eyes stolen, yet still able to see with them... was too far-fetched even for the world of Sanctuary.
[You must believe me; I can still see from them. Theya and her flock have grown strong in Nostrava. Please, bring me back my eyes.](Vilek)
"Calm down, sir. I'll do my best to help you. Can you answer some questions we have first?"
[Sure, sure! Anything! Please, just help me retrieve my eyes.](Vilek)
"First of all, who is this Theya?"
[ Quest issued - Sight to Madness
Objective: Slay Theya and retrieve the Necklace of Eyes
Warning: The Stronghold must be conquered first. ]
Seeing as the Sanctuary accepted the Quest on his behalf, Michael rolled his eyes and waited for the man's response to his question.
The thought of conquering a Stronghold alone was... not very entertaining.