As the group was preparing to leave the city walls of Cerrigar, Michael took his time and assessed the situation of this settlement.
Fortunately, even after their encounter with the Charred Duke, the glenfolk were able to recover both physically and mentally.
With a single look in the crowd, you could easily spot at least three to four people with burn marks on their skin, but none would hide their scars.
Instead, they would wear it proudly, a symbol of their survival against an otherwise impossible-to-defeat opponent.
Exiting through the southeastern gate, the Necromancer compared the piece of paper they got with the MAP and set course for the Downs.
[The weather looks terrible... It might rain soon.](Evelyn)
[It's just some water. Let's go!](Tia)
[So these are the Fetid Farmlands. Michael, you said you did Quests here before?](Neyrelle)
With the hyper-trio 'activated,' the Necromancer had no choice but to retell the stories of what he encountered in this place as they left the road and cut through the wilderness.
Passing through the Greenglen Meadows, they quickly located the first Altar, 'defended' by a group of wild boars and giant pythons.
Curious about his damage increase, he asked the girls to let him do the honors and charged forward.
With a Reap, he caused the first Corpse to appear, which he then used Corpse Tendrils and Corpse Explosion on.
Without adding Decrepify to the mix, the first damage tick was already 2,600+ points.
'And that's before I reskill. Hehe! Nice!'
As he was enjoying his power-up, the girls ignored him and activated the first Altar of Lilith they found in Scosglen.
Michael did the same and was rewarded with 4,400 experience points.
Since they were in a rush, the group left for the Harrowlfields next, where the second one was 'housed.'
Finding the Unhallowed Pit covered in goatmen and spiders, the Necromancer took the frontline after realizing this place was where he did one of his Quests.
Tia and Evelyn were incredibly pleased when they ended up facing two Elites and the chieftain of the goatmen's tribe, a Unique.
So he let them have their fun and bully the poor bastards as Neyrelle buffed the duo from behind.
After they activated the Altar, Michael couldn't help but ponder the levels of the monsters they had met up to this point.
'Level 58. It probably has to do with the fact that Tia is Level 60. Either way, that's good for us since higher-level mobs give more experience.'
[We missed one!](Neyrelle)
[A goatmen!? Where?](Tia)
[No. An Altar. It's back into the Harrowfields to the west. Hmm... the place is called Wealaf Rise.](Neyrelle)
"Let's go then."
The Necromancer had some recollection of this place but couldn't associate it with a Quest or Event, so it was almost as if he was visiting for the first time.
True to the glen terrain, except for the trees and bountiful nature, the one thing that stood out was the castle's ruins, which were overtaken by bandits.
Seeing the bloodthirsty imps immediately jump into action, Michael was somewhat worried about the girls' future. How would they find partners if they were this violent?
'*Sigh* I need to have a conversation with Mina. We must set up some rehabilitation courses. Otherwise, they'll become barbarians in the near future.'
Finished dealing with the mobs, Evelyn and Tia suddenly shivered, looking around confused. They were sure a threat was nearby but couldn't connect it with their party member.
The Altar was hidden in one of the dilapidated buildings, adding another 4,400 experience points and an extra 10 Renown to the Necromancer.
Since he decided to turn his brain off for the day, he allowed Evelyn and Tia to be the main damage dealers, Neyrelle to be the buffer/guide, while he would act as their guardian and debuffer.
With Neyrelle pointing the way, everyone hopped on their horses and made a beeline for Wraithstead.
There were a total of 34 Altars to be activated, and it was already noon.
"...and then the Druid decided to remain in Wraithstead and help the farmers protect themselves without them having to transform into werewolves."
[So he hooked up with the woman he saved?](Tia)
"*Cough* *Cough* ...pretty much. Not only that, he even subdued Iveta."
[The Battle Priestess of the Cathedral!?](Evelyn)
[That's impressive!](Neyrelle)
Michael had to agree with their appraisal of Artair, but he declined visiting the man temporarily.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
After all, they were on a tight schedule, and he wasn't sure they could collect all the Altars today if they lingered in one place for too long.
Passing by the previously burnt farmhouses, which were currently being rebuilt, Michael nodded politely at the people who recognized him and left the village area behind.
The party soon found themselves in the middle of more ruins, as seen from the stone walls around them.
In fact, these half-destroyed walls were the only thing remaining as proof that this place once housed a civilization since nature reclaimed most of the space.
There were also plenty of Worgen to kill, ensuring the hyper duo would exhaust most of their energy by the point where they returned home.
The Necromancer simply cast Decrepify from the backlines as he patted the mane of his newly-rented horse.
Since he promised his contracted horse that he would get a week of R&R, he paid 500,000 gold coins to Oskar in Kyovashad and let the horse enjoy his vacation.
Sighing to himself at how his expenses couldn't keep up with his 'salary,' he followed Neyrelle's directions and located the fourth Altar of Lilith hidden behind a crumbling tower.
Once everyone received their rewards, Neyrelle checked the MAP and set the course for the next one.
[We'll move southeast to Umbralwood by taking the main road. Then, we'll move west after crossing the bridge to The Great Northern Plains. It should be only about three kilometers or so away from the crossing, so let's make haste.](Neyrelle)
After sending some more Worgen and other critters to the shadow realm, the group made it to their destination in less than twenty minutes, putting them ahead of schedule.
According to Michael's calculations, if all went well, they should finish 'collecting' the next morning.
However, if they kept up this fast pace, they might have sufficient time to sneak in a Dungeon or two before he had to meet with Natalia.
Explaining his train of thought to the trio, they immediately agreed to prioritize collection without getting entangled with the monsters too much.
After collecting the fifth one, the location of the sixth was close to the Under the Fat Goose Inn, but they temporarily aimed for the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th, only after which they'll return to the 6th.
From the Old Heimberg, where they dealt with tons of Undead blocking their path, to the Maddux Hill, where their pursuers finally gave up, into the Ard Lands and the Fells, where they couldn't escape fighting with the demons, the party collected the 7th and the 8th Altars.
Since they were in a rush, they took a shortcut through the Dead Forest, where the 9th objective was, and began a gauntlet-style battle with the demons crowding The Scar.
Much to Michael's annoyance, Tia picked a fight with a person they found on the way - Gaspar Stilbian - who received an 'enemy' status from the Sanctuary as soon as they crossed paths.
The little Assasin didn't bother engaging in conversations and instead directly attacked the Unique Elite.
The Necromancer was a bit worried since the enemy didn't have any modifiers recognized by the system, yet his attacks on the Golem created both a puddle of poison under the small giant and also burnt the flesh off him, signifying a possible fire enchantment.
His worries proved to be unnecessary after seeing how fast Gaspar's Life Points were being drained, with the minions taking the frontlines while all other party members attacked from afar.
The loot was pretty decent. 2 Rare item boxes, 3 Veiled Crystals, 1 Baleful Fragment, 1 Coiling Ward, 10 Iron Chunks, 10 Rawhides, 20 Gem Fragments each, and about 5,000 gold coins.
Much to the girls' delight, Michael declined 'partaking' in the spoils and allowed them to share it with each other.
The only item he was slightly interested in and asked the girls to put in their stash - which was in the Horadric Vault - was one of the Rare items they got.
[ Outcast's Handgloves
Rare Gloves
587 Item Power
-----------------
294 Armor
* +43 Intelligence
* +9 Life on Hit
Description: Those foolish few Monks who abuse their training for personal gain are banished from the Floating Sky Monastery and forced to wander the harsh and unforgiving lands beyond. ]
With a strange expression on her face, Neyrelle grew oddly interested in this Floating Sky Monastery and agreed to research it once they returned home.
The 10th Altar was quickly discovered and activated, though it was very close to the road leading toward the Blood Vale, where the 11th and 12th were hidden.
[Hmm... let's take the 6th first. It would be better to do that since we'll have to return to this area otherwise, and besides Michael, nobody else has the Waypoint near the 'Goose' activated.](Neyrelle)
In fact, except for Cerrigar, who the girls traveled to alongside Gonk three days ago, they had no other Waypoint active in Scosglen.
That's why Neyrelle was also planning to activate those before doing anything else.
With the decision made, the group traveled through the Withered Scrubs and into the Glen Pine Pass, where they found the 6th Altar.
Next, they traveled to the Inn and registered themselves at the Waypoint.
[By doing this, we're a bit behind schedule, so let's run straight to the next objective.](Neyrelle)
Michael was a bit confused as to what their 'behind schedule' meant since it was only 2:15 p.m., and they had collected almost a third of the Altars.
Shrugging, he followed behind the trio as they took the eastern road through the Withered Scrubs again, reaching the wooden bridge leading into the Daudur Peats.
However, instead of traveling to Tirmair, they continued east and grabbed the 11th objective.
From there, they continued climbing the cliffs until they found a place they could use to descend into the Blood Vale.
Michael was surprised by Evelyn's reaction to the previously cursed forest since the first thing she said was that the forest was being 'revived.'
And indeed, not even five minutes after finding the Altar and activating it, on their way out of the vale and toward Tirmair, they met a group of three Druids working hard to remove the corruption lingering in the forest.
Greeting the hardworking Wanderers, the party arrived in Tirmair fifteen minutes later and activated the Waypoint.
"Where to next?"
[Five kilometers northwest of this place. That's where the 13th Altar is. There is a problem with the 14th and the 15th, though.](Neyrelle)
[What problem?](Evelyn)
[Open your MAPs and look north above the Blood Vale.](Neyrelle)
Following the little scholar's instructions, everyone did as they were told.
[ World Stronghold Event: Moordaine Lodge (Level 58)
Description: Hidden deep in the verdant forest, this lodge was once revered by the great hunters of Scosglen. ]
Realizing what she meant, Tia and Evelyn turned to Michael, showing two pairs of big puppy eyes.
"Okay, okay! But you'll follow my instructions. I don't want you to get hurt randomly because you are too excited. Got it?"
[[Got it!]]
[Then, let's take the Altar close by first and travel north after.](Neyrelle)
Since the spirits were up, the poor horses were rushed, and most of the monsters were ignored as the party collected the 13th objective and traveled to Moordaine Lodge at the fastest speed they could muster.
The distance was rather long, and by the time they reached the Stronghold area, it was already 3:09 p.m.
Following their crossing over a wooden bridge, Evelyn immediately reacted to something she sensed in the air.
[There's a strange scent here... similar to the one in the Blood Vale.](Evelyn)
"Mhm. I can sense it a bit, too, but it's thin. But it's demonic corruption for certain. *Sigh* If that's the case, whatever animals might be nearby would become aggressive. Prepare yourselves."
Before anyone else could offer their input, the Sanctuary reacted first.
[ World Stronghold Event joined - Moordain Lodge
Objective: Investigate the hunting grounds. ]
With the course set, the party slowly advanced.
Using the Cold Mages to block behind them, the Reapers and the Golem upfront, and the party in the middle, Michael ensured they would be protected in case of a sudden ambush.
Furthermore, Neyrelle and Evelyn sat between him and Tia, with Michael protecting the front and Tia covering the back.
'This shouldn't be too difficult, but it's better not to underestimate the enemies and overestimate ourselves. Furthermore, our party composition is pretty decent, especially with my minions acting as tanks.'
[Over there. Blood marks.](Tia)
Following the trail of blood, the party found a Thorn Beast ripped to shreds.
Once they got less than five meters away from it, the system prompted the group.
[ Hunted Thorn Beast
Signs of a blood struggle, but this kill was never dressed. It seems the hunt was interrupted. ]