"Hello there, Perithan. Your brother has been through a lot to find you."
[Lachtan...](Perithan)
[What have you done? How could you have fallen so far? Margrave demands justice, brother. I need justice!](Lachtan)
[They... told me it would be clean! Lift a few purses and send them on their way. Nobody was supposed to get hurt...](Perithan)
Looking at the pile of bones and skulls behind the man, Michael lifted an eyebrow but kept quiet. Judging by the collected dust onto them, it was likely that this 'Boss' wasn't responsible for the pile.
At least not all of it.
[I didn't kill anyone... I ran, and they punished me for it. You must believe me!](Perithan)
[*Sigh* You'll never convince the others...](Lachtan)
That was true. With the lousy reputation Perithan had, if they returned to the outpost, the Priest would surely keep him warm... very warm indeed...
[We can't return to Margrave. Can you walk?](Lachtan)
[Lachtan?](Perithan)
'As expected. Though... from the looks of it, the foolish brother is not lying. He looks like too much of a coward to take a life. Well... it's not like I wasn't expecting this. What was the saying? Blood's thicker than water...'
[These are old smuggler tunnels, right? We'll follow them south. Somewhere, no one knows us. Start over.](Lachtan)
Thinking about it, it did seem like a good idea. Some provisions and some gold coins were left in the bandit's hideout. The duo should be able to start over without any issues in a new place.
[Thank you for your help, Wanderer. He's an idiot, but he's blood. I can't just - Can I trust you not to tell anyone where we've gone?](Lachtan)
"Understood. Take care and have a pleasant new life. As for you, Perithan, I hope you've learned your lesson. If you keep this up, not only will you kill yourself in the future, but you'll implicate your brother as well."
[I know my mistake, Wanderer...](Perithan)
'That you got caught? *Sigh* This type of person doesn't change easily. Anyways, not my problem anymore.'
Leaving the brothers behind, Michael prepared to leave the Dungeon and the tunnels. Without quick travel available, he had no choice but to return on foot.
[ Quest complete - Bound by Blood
Reward 1: 13,974 experience points
Reward 2: 1,680 gold coins
Reward 3: Gem Cache ]
With the heavy experience gained, Michael reached Level 28. Now, four skill points were waiting for him to distribute, and his skill slot gained a new addition.
[ Class: High Necromancer
Attack Power: 623
Armor: 1195
Life: 770
--------------
Strength: 130
Intelligence: 155
Willpower: 142
Dexterity: 159 ]
After talking it over with Helen this morning and getting the other sisters' input, Michael decided to remove the skill point placed in the Stand Alone passive and re-invest it into the other better options.
First, he added a point to Terror, completing the four passive Shadow damage-related skills collection. With Gloom, Reaper's Pursuit, and Crippling Darkness, he now had plenty of ways to crowd-control his enemies.
[ Terror (1/3)
--------------
You deal 3% increased Shadow damage to enemies who are Slowed or Chilled, and 3% increased Shadow damage to enemies who are Stunned, Immobilized, or Frozen.
These bonuses stack and apply to Shadow damage dealt by your Minions. ]
Next, he added one point to his Ultimate's upgrade, Prime Bone Storm.
[ Prime Bone Storm
--------------
Your Damage Reduction is increased by 15% while your ultimate is active. ]
As for the last 3 points, after contemplating for a while, he added all three of them to Amplify Damage.
[ Amplify Damage (3/3)
--------------
You deal [12%] increased damage to Cursed enemies. ]
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With his Decrepify skill becoming a staple in his combo for damage reduction, slow, and cooldown reduction, adding damage increase - and 12% at that (after adding three skill points) - was quite an impressive feat.
The one thing he couldn't decide on was which of his minions to summon. Using Golem would grant him a tank with high Life points, a taunt, and an option to add more Corpses for his skill build.
On the other hand, using Raise Skeletons would grant him seven Skeletons, which might be even better at drawing aggro and deflecting damage from their summoner.
'Furthermore, using Reapers with a 15% chance to carve a Corpse when attacking enemies, as well as the Cold Mages with the capability of freezing enemies and making them Vulnerable... Ugh... it's a tough choice to make, but in the end, I don't need extra damage from my summons or meat shields. What I need are more enablers for my main skills.'
Without any further hesitation, Michael added Raise Skeletons to the available skill slot and felt his connection to his minions strengthen once more.
Then, seeing Corpses in the Dungeon, he decided to use them as a sacrifice since it was his first time summoning them in a long while.
"Pathfinder, Goon 1 to 3, and Accountant 1 to 3. Mhm! It's good to have you guys back! Or girls? Or people... Ehm... yeah, never mind! Let's get moving. I have more Quests to complete, and Level 30 is in reach!"
Michael felt oddly safe with the Reapers moving at the front and the Cold Mages levitating around him.
It dawned on him just how much he missed the protection of these immortal bastards of his. He could now use and abuse them once more!
'And once the big dude joins as well with his taunt ability... hehe! Let's see... I got out of the tunnels leading to the bandits' hideout and need to head North. I'm curious to see what this brazier looks like and what it's made of. If it can be replicated, we can avoid civilian casualties in the future. Though... I doubt this thought didn't cross the minds of the locals before...'
Foraging for plants on his way there, Michael found 8 more Gallowvine and moved forward to his destination under the protection of his beloved minions.
It was a surprise, but the Ritual Brazier was in the middle of a small camp that looked strangely like a smaller outpost. The makeshift barricades served as walls and some torn-down houses on the sides.
"There's even a praying altar, as well as watchtowers. It seems like there's more to this than I initially thought. Hmm... Let's see. The Quest says to light up the brazier to start the ritual, but I don't have torches or anything of the sort with me. Does infusing my Essence in it work?"
It didn't. In the end, he used the flint stones left on the brazier, and after smacking them together for about 10 minutes, he could light it up.
*ROAR* *AWOOOOO*
"Fortunately, it didn't rain recently, so the wood inside the brazier is dry enough. Still... judging by those sounds, this Quest shouldn't be as easy as just this..."
And true to his thoughts, not even seconds later, droves of Worgen and Warewolf-like monsters charged at him from all four directions.
Fortunately, the Reapers took the brunt while Michael and the Cold Mages attacked from behind. The Elite was twice as big as the normal Worgen and had the Poison Enchanted modifier.
Two of his Reapers died in the attack but were swiftly called back to the frontlines not even a fraction of a second after it happened.
Just as the Elite fell and Michael thought the Quest was rather simple, the second wave made out of Wood Spirits rose from the ground. The Wood Spirits in question were five-meter-tall trees that had come to life and were slowly advancing his way.
As imposing as they were, the young Necromancer hoped to use their lack of speed by adding his Decrepify skill and the Frozen status his Cold Mages could inflict.
"Still... to see all four Reapers blasted 'out of the park' like in a baseball game after only one hit from that Elite... scary. Would I die in one hit?"
The Elite was just as tall as his compatriots but held the Tainted modifier, which added 150 Curse damage to every hit. It took a lot of grinding, but thanks to the plenty of Corpses left behind by the Worgen, he was able to somehow deal with it.
The problem appeared during the third wave, which consisted of only two oversized bats.
"The hell? I only swung my scythe once, and they died? That's it? Eh!? Me and my stupid mouth..."
Ten Blood Mages and five Revenants charged at him from the east and west directions, respectively, while in the south and north, two Elites of the same 'races' appeared. The Revenant Elite had the Summoner modifier, while the Blood Mage held the Vampiric one.
Thanks to the Prime Bone Storm, he managed to survive with his life intact. The Revenants were unrelenting with their melee attacks, while the Blood Mages attacked cozily from the backlines.
"I know it's a simple tactic that even I employ, but seeing it used against me doesn't feel nice at all! Thankfully, my Bone Storm can block most damage from ranged attacks. And with all of the monsters in the third wave done..."
[ Quest update - The Cleansing Flame
Objective: Return to Priest Matvey ]
Pondering for a moment while checking the MAP next to the burning brazier, Michael decided to attack the Dungeon first.
Judging from its location, it would be best to follow the initial plan.
"I'll clear the Light's Watch first, then head to Kyovashad for the day. Next morning, I'll take the Waypoint to Margrave."
However, his plan didn't work as well as he expected it to. After dealing with some Wild Skeletons, he was drawn into a World Event before attempting the Dungeon.
[ World Event joined - Cull the Wicked
Objective: Enter Radiance Field Cemetery. ]
Michael furiously stomped his way inside the building, complaining inwardly about how he only passed near the cemetery and not through it but was still forced to participate in the World Event.
Massive walls surrounded the cemetery, which undoubtedly belonged to the Light Watch. The buildings were just as huge, and a crypt was in the middle. It also looked well-maintained.
[ World Event update - Cull the Wicked
Objective: Slay all enemies. ]
With a very familiar sound, tens of Wild Skeletons rose from the ground. It was like a shop that held all possible brands, from the normal Warrior Skeletons and the Archers to the Axe Skeletons and Captains. There was even a disgusting Elite with the Poison Enchant hiding next to some Corpse Balistae, which Michael decided to deal with first.
Being hit by the Balista wouldn't kill him, but it sure wasn't pleasant to be thrown around through the air again. Especially after seeing his beloved Pathfinder suffer the said fate as soon as he entered the range of the monster.
"Finally, the last one on the mini-map. Damn it! There were over 60 of them. This is abuse! Where's my chest!? Don't tell me this bullshit isn't over yet?"
[ World Event update - Cull the Wicked
Objective: Defeat Ernaldus Gorethief
Mastery: 4:59 remaining. ]
While cursing, he looked at the mini-MAP, which showed a big skull in the middle of the cemetery where the crypt was.
The 'Unique Elite,' as he decided to call them, was patiently waiting for his arrival.
'These sorts of Unique Elites are usually people of great power in their previous lives, brought back in a corrupted form to mess with the living. As for this guy... judging by his name, is he a thief Wanderer? Or was, rather. If so, things would be difficult.'
Then, he saw the objective of the Event waiting for him. The creature looked like a corpse with rotten flesh, wielding an axe longer than his body.
The sight of it stunned Michael, as he was expecting either a bow or twin daggers or something instead of such a stupidly long axe.
[ Ernaldus Gorethief (Elite) - Level 33
*Vampiric: Each successful hit on an enemy heals you for 25% of the damage dealt. ]
The Unique Elite was slow, and after adding his Decrepify and his Cold Mages chipped in, he was able to kill it in less than 3 minutes, wrapping up the World Event.
There were no rewards except for a chest that opened by itself in the place where Ernaldus Gorethief fell.
"Let's see... More plants... that's 7 Biteberries, 3 Howler Moss, and 2 Angelbreath. Besides that, there are two Rare item boxes and 35 Murmuring Obos. It looks like I'll have to visit the Purveyor of Curiosities in Kyovashad soon..."
Leaving the cemetery behind, Michael smirked at his experience bar, which was showing 50,033/105,280. With the waves of enemies he killed at the brazier, on his way to the Dungeon, and during the World Event, he was already almost halfway through Level 28.
"Hehe! Helen will be annoyed for sure at how I'm speedrunning each level. Still... This is the previous Light's Watch, huh? Quite imposing..."
It looked like a fortress sculpted inside pure rock, as its walls followed the natural formation of the mountain.
After dealing with some skeletons and opening up a chest filled with gold coins, Michael walked before a strange statue of a hooded old man.
A few barely legible words read on a faded plaque at its base: Give aid to the meek and powerless.
Turning his head to look at the open doors shining with a strange light, Michael realized it should be the entrance to the Dungeon.
"Luckily or unluckily, among the drops gained from the cemetery Event were two Weak Precision Elixirs. But I can't use them until Level 30. So, let's put the Weak Elixir of Fire Resistance to work instead."