[ Quest issued - The Cleansing Flame
Objective: Light the Ritual Brazier
Description: Priest Matvey has asked you to light an old brazier built by the Knight Penitent to ward off evil. ]
Unfortunately, this time around, there wasn't much in terms of insight in the Quest tab. Unsurprisingly, given the strange and secretive nature of this outpost.
'I don't want to meddle too much, but it seems that not even the HQ of the Church is aware of the burnings happening here. Maybe an anonymous tip would save the lives of a few innocent people Matvey would want to use as an 'example.' Dark times require extreme measures, but it still doesn't sit well with me. If I can do something about it, I will...'
Checking the MAP for the markers and bringing Lachtan to his brother was top-priority. The location was southeast of the outpost.
Then, he could go north toward the brazier and light it up. Finally, he would go into the Dungeon and wrap up the day.
'Since there's a waypoint here, I can return to Kyovashad after the Dungeon and teleport back to Margrave tomorrow morning.'
"Okay, Lachtan. Let's go find your brother."
[Thank you, Wanderer. I'll follow behind and try not to burden you too much.](Lachtan)
Not even five minutes into the trek outside the outpost, Michael had already dealt with five Wargs, one Volkodan, and two Treewraiths.
He was beyond amazed at the still-standing outpost in the middle of the wilderness.
[I knew he was desperate, but... *sigh*](Lachtan)
Hearing the man's mutterings behind him, Michael ignored it for now. If it were important, he would find out eventually.
Another surprising thing was the Dungeon discovered near the outpost, called Maulwood — quite the... cute name. The young Necromancer could already imagine the beasts he would face there.
Fortunately, the roads were filled with herbs, and he could pick six more Gallowvine and 4 Biteberries.
When they reached the spot where the merchants were attacked, a gruesome scene greeted the two people.
[By the Light! This is horrible! What about my brother? Do you see any clues?](Lachtan)
"Let's split and search."
Looking at the merchants, Michael immediately understood why the hunters assumed it was bandits. Everything of even the smallest value was stripped away from the corpses.
There were some bandit corpses also. They seemed to have died from arrows to the neck, probably the handiwork of the hunters of Margrave.
'The strange part is those crisscrossing wounds on their forearms. They seem to form patterns but are probably old scars. There's not enough blood to show they were tortured and killed after... obtaining them in the process. This is getting creepier by the second...'
Michael picked up five more Biteberries around the camp and found some empty barrels. Undoubtedly, whatever goods were inside were ransacked after the attack.
[These scars...](Lachtan)
"You've seen them before?"
[I didn't want to believe it... but I've seen those scars before, on unsavory types who sometimes met with Perithan. It seems he's indeed fallen in with them.](Lachtan)
"I'm sorry to hear that. What do you want to do next?"
[I have to find him; I have to bring my brother to justice.](Lachtan)
Hearing the strange tone through which the man said those last words, Michael already knew how this Quest would go if they found Perithan.
[ Quest update - Bound by Blood
Objective: Help Lachtan find the bandit hideout in Sinner's Chase. ]
Asking for the man to follow closely behind, Michael reached the main road where two 'Marauders' were standing guard.
Seeing how the Sanctuary identified them as enemies, and they attacked without any warning, Michael disposed of them without much fuss.
[These are the Western Tunnels. They should lead to the bandit's hideout. I don't know the location, though.](Lachtan)
"No worries. We simply need to search thoroughly..."
Thinking it would be a good idea to take out the trash in the process, Michael advanced calmly through the well-lit tunnels. Human presence was evident.
After clearing some oversized bats, he heard the 'big brother' muttering to himself again. He was obviously struggling, trying to convince himself.
[He's gone too far this time. He has strayed so far from the Light...](Lachtan)
Keeping silent, Michael continued his duty as bodyguard. Finding a ladder, he realized he should be close to the hideout.
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Clearing some more bats and some 'Arsonists,' Michael carefully explored each nook and cranny. In his honest opinion, he was doing these bandits a favor. Dying at his hands was quick and painless.
On the other hand, dying on the pyre is not a better or more pleasant alternative.
The first Elite showed up as a Maraurder with the Nightmare modifier. It fell quickly, though, as the many oversized bats served as a Corpse factory.
"Tough, this is a surprise."
[A shrine? A winged woman?](Lachtan)
"A demoness. Lilith, to be more precise."
[What!? The she-demon!? What... what are these bandits doing around her altars!?](Lachtan)
"That, my dear sir, is an excellent question."
Walking to the Altar and infusing his Essence into it, Michael received the experience gain notification and was forced to play host to a drove of Skeletons rising from the ground.
One was an Elite Captain, having both the disgusting shield and the Poison Enchanted modifier.
"No camp to be found. I guess we can only check that cellar."
[Cellar?](Lachtan)
"Mhm. It's a flooded mine but could serve as a bandit hideout. Let's go take a look inside."
[This... alright.](Lachtan)
Unexpectedly, the cellar wasn't the hideout, but it did activate an Event once he entered.
[ Word Event issued - Flooded Mine
Objective: Purge the cellar. ]
"Short and sweet. Also... Lachtan was sent out, huh? Hopefully, he doesn't run too far while I take care of this. I need all the EXP I can get."
Only some walking corpses were inside the cellar. However, the chest in the middle gave Michael bad vibes.
And sure enough, after he cleared the corpses and touched the chest, he was pushed away by a forcefield.
[ New Event issued - Cursed Chest
Objective: Survive the enemy assault.
Mastery: Massacre enough enemies. ]
With the Event-ception happening, the young Necromancer had no choice but to deal with the undead continuously spawning from the ground.
Skeletons, Phantoms, Wraiths, and even a strangely strong Elite popped up.
[ Hellcaller Corpse Axe (Elite) - Level 32
*Summoner: Creates three summoning circles through which demonic creatures can be called upon every 2 minutes. ]
Seeing the short timespan in which he could call for reinforcements, Michael decided to wrap up the fight fast.
Fortunately, this time, he also managed to finish the Mastery objective, and the Elite even dropped a Legendary Scythe.
Without hesitation, Michael inspected its attributes.
[ Stone Scythe of Frenzied Dead
Rare Scythe
336 Item Power
-----------------
216 Damage per Second (+31 when compared to the currently equipped item)
* [158 - 236] Damage per Hit
* 1.10 Attacks per Second
* +7 Life on Kill
------------------
* +8 to All Stats
* +5.5% Vulnerable Damage
* +3.0% Damage over Time
* +7.5% Damage to Distant Enemies
Legendary Aspect: Each time one of your Summoning Minions damages an enemy, they gain 10% Attack Speed for 3 seconds, up to 30% increase(Necromancer Only). ]
Laughing madly inside the empty cellar surrounded by corpses, Michael swiftly swapped weapons. All things considered, the newly equipped Scythe gave an extra eight attributes, not to mention the additional damage.
He could already deal up to 400 damage with the previous weapon when the Corpse Explosion miasma area was stacked. With the new one...
"Heh. Enough dawdling. I need to get out and find Lachtan. Oh, right! The chest. Let's see... Resplendent Chest, huh? There are 2 Rare item boxes, one Magic, some gold, and 2 Biteberries inside. Good enough for me."
Feeling happy to the point of singing after gaining a Legendary weapon, Michael found his way out of the cellar.
An anxious Lachtan greeted him immediately.
[Thank the Light, you're alright! I was starting to worry I won't ever see you again.](Lachtan)
Looking behind the man, he could see the reason for his anxiety. With a large cloud of bats and some bandits on the sides, there was no getting out of this alive for him.
However, Michael didn't point it out and just took care of the monsters. With one zone cleared, there was only one left.
Climbing down through the ladder, the duo descended into the tunnels and continued forward.
And surely enough, after traveling a little forward, they were able to find the hideout. It was a Dungeon, nevertheless.
[Let's go. I'm ready. Let's find my brother!](Lachtan)
"Hold up. You can't... enter... the Dungeon!?"
Seeing the man pass through the film, Michael was stunned silly. Lachtan wasn't a Wanderer, so there was no way in hell he could pass through.
[ Quest update - Bound by Blood
Objective: Enter Cutthroat's Escape and find Perithan. ]
"Maybe it's a smaller Dungeon? Or something like a Cellar? But he was kicked out of that also... Part of the setting? Ugh! Fuck it! Let's get this shit done. It's starting to get on my nerves. Fuck! There goes my good mood..."
Entering the Dungeon, Michael found Lachtan by the entrance, looking anxiously around. The system updated the Quest once more, with the objective this time being 'Search for Perithan.'
"Stay behind me and stay quiet. We wouldn't want to alert them of our presence so early."
[Understood, Wanderer.](Lachtan)
Seeing his confused expression, Michael almost smirked but played along.
"What's wrong?"
[I can no longer overlook my brother's foul deeds. Light, grant me strength; bring your justice upon my own blood. Wanderer, please help me find him.](Lachtan)
"Understood."
Holding back the urge to roll his eyes, Michael advanced through the Dungeon. Upon remembering the elixirs he got as a reward, he hesitated but didn't use them.
Due to their limited effect, using them upon entering Light's Watch Dungeon was better.
Halfway through the Dungeon, he met the first Elite, which was easily taken care of. The bigger problem was the bandits called 'Slicers.'
"That's strange. They literally went invisible, and I couldn't see or hear them anymore."
[B-but your skill still seemed to work on them.](Lachtan)
"Corpse Tendrils? Yes... strange. After all, they disappeared from my perception, but the skill still caught them. I need to investigate it further. Let's keep going."
[Okay. Don't push yourself too hard. I want to find that bastard brother of mine, but I don't want the both of us dying in the process.](Lachtan)
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Reaching a locked door, the Quest finally updated again, showing the 'Find the Smugglers' key.'
With how small the Dungeon was, it took Michael only a few minutes and a dead Elite to find it.
'Now I can understand why Lachtan was able to enter. It's a smaller-scale Dungeon, and no Demons are involved. Maybe it was the Sanctuary that created it? But for what purpose?'
Going through the now-open doors, the duo traveled through the tunnels, searching for the lost brother.
If something was annoying about this Dungeon, though, it was the fact that all three Elites he met this time had the Poison Enchanted modifier. It was absolutely disgusting if they even grazed you.
It took a full Life potion to heal from the damage dealt by the poison, even if Michael had a somewhat high resistance to poison through his items and Class Awakening.
The tunnels were also long and annoyingly complicated. It took over 30 minutes to go through them until they finally reached a Healing Well.
'At least I reached my goal by taking these Quests. I'm already at 93,328/99,820 and have gained plenty of loot. The Scythe makes me the happiest of them all.'
"That looks like the Boss Room in the Dungeons. Stay behind me and try not to get involved in the battle. Hopefully, we can find your brother there."
[Understood. Be careful, Wanderer.](Lachtan)
Cautiously walking inside the cave, Michael was surprised after seeing Lachtan rush toward a person lying on the ground.
[Perithan, damn you! Are you alright!?](Lachtan)
Michael didn't have time to celebrate the reunion of the two, as the shadows behind him seemed to bend, and a silhouette came out of it.
[ Outlaw Sharpshooter (Boss) - Level 32 ]
Leaving aside the Boss's triple shot, the traps it let on the ground so seamlessly, as well as the smoke bombs he used to hinder Michael's sight... he was a true pain in the ass.
More than fifteen times, he was shot by the arrows and poison darts, but the damage received each time was less than 50 points, surprising the Necromancer.
The Boss was stupidly agile, though. He was too nimble for words, which annoyed him since he couldn't properly stack Corpse Explosion that way.
So, Michael did the only thing possible. He didn't move. He allowed the Outlaw Sharpshooter to use him as target practice while he did the same.
"Exchanging injury for injury. But it seems my Life points are higher than yours, fucker! Especially with my potions."
With the Boss dealt with, the only thing left to take care of was... the brotherly duo.