After a hearty breakfast he had prepared for the ladies in the morning, he left for Zivek's Blacksmith.
After his second Dungeon run yesterday, there were an additional 12 Magic items and 3 Rare ones that he had to get rid of.
Furthermore, the Rare items were all swords or knives, disappointingly enough.
Zivek handed over the materials in exchange for the items, bringing Michael's collection to a much higher point than before. With Helen's advice on foraging, he was able to find some much-needed plants for Alchemy as well, rounding up his total gains.
-12 Blightshade
-9 Lifesbane
-25 Gallowvine
-28 Biteberry
-14 Reddamine
-6 Howler Moss
-14 Grave Dust
-38 Demon Hearts
-20 Veiled Crystals
166 Iron Chunks
91 Rawhide
30 Silver Ores
19 Superior Leather
1 Crude Skull
1 Crude Amethyst
53 Emerald Fragments
46 Saphire Fragments
46 Amethyst Fragments
49 Skull Fragments
'Mhm! Now, it looks much better. I'm tempted to add the two gems I have to my current items, but I'm not sure if it would be a good idea, so I'll wait a while. According to Helen, there's a small chance of destroying the gem per each extraction done, so I'd rather not risk it, seeing that I have only two of them. Well... onto Nevesk, it seems...'
Looking at the MAP, his first Quest to solve appeared there. It wasn't the Call of the Underworld, but rather the annoyingly Blood of the Mother, which he really wanted to avoid if possible.
His first encounter with the small city of Nevesk was all but pleasant, and if possible, Michael wanted to avoid reopening that traumatic wound in his mind. But from the looks of it, there was no way of skipping this Quest.
Taking a deep breath after stepping into the Waypoint leading back there, Michael checked the position of the Quest marker and realized it was in the yard close to the warehouse where he confronted the corrupted people who drugged him that night.
Remembering the 'action' he had to go through that day brought a grimace onto his face. However, that soon turned into a frown as he saw the man responsible for the Quest shivering in the cold.
Voszalko waved at him as he rubbed his shoulders to relieve the wintry air around his body.
[Damned cold! Come - speak with me!](Voszalko)
"Why did you have me return here, Monk? You said I would see the truth, but all I see here are the remains of a burnt town. At least, the people are working hard to rebuild..."
[If you do not look, you will not see! Search for a... ritual blade or the demon's blood. Something of the faithless, something you can touch!](Voszalko)
"Look here, old man! I didn't come here to play 'find the stick' with you. Actually, who the hell are you!?"
Michael was surprised at his irritation. There was something about this Monk that rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it made him wanna smack the guy flying.
[Who am I!? Damn! I am Voszalko! I am Kyovashad! I have lived here for fifty years! I was once the Angel's most favored priest! And now? Dung-slick newcomers don't even know my name!](Voszalko)
Further suppressing the urge to punch the man in the face, Michael took a deep breath and continued asking.
"*Sigh* What makes Nevesk so important?"
[It is not important! It is a vile shithole! But to you? To you, it's a place of birth. Ach! You will see! Hurry up and search!](Voszalko)
Watching the Monk search through a hollowed tree stump and some broken crates, Michael looked around and decided to play along.
He tried to stay away from Nevesk, as it gave him a strange vibe after all he went through here, but somehow, he kept returning here for some weird reason.
Furthermore, this yard... there was something off about it. Calling to him...
Walking around the warehouse, he found a weatherbeaten chest semi-buried in the snow. Unknowingly, he approached it beyond his willingness to do so, creeping Michael out.
Upon opening it, a small pouch filled with red silky petals found its way into his hands.
[Well? What have you found?](Voszalko)
Seeing the Monk stay behind him with a grin, Michael knew he had exploited the connection between the blood he was fed and this pouch to locate it.
This Monk... he was annoying beyond words.
"I found petals of blood..."
[AH! You see? Do you see how the petals pulse as they touch your skin? You are sullied, just as I said! The demon burrows into your soul.](Voszalko)
Stolen story; please report.
"Less drama, more solutions, Monk. What does this mean?"
[A terrible fate! But... perhaps Voszalko will help you. An exorcism. This is what you need!](Voszalko)
Remembering how exorcism of the 'possessed' was done by Vatican priests in movies he saw back on Earth, Michael was repulsed by the idea.
The thought of being strapped down to a bed at the mercy of this crazed Monk didn't sit well with him.
[Go to Mercy's Reach and search the crypts. You will find a holly relic - the Child's Caul, touched by the Angel himself. I will require this to purge the blood.](Voszalko)
"Of course, there are crypts involved... Wh..."
Before he could continue questioning the Monk, the system deemed the first part of the Quest completed.
[ Quest complete - Blood of the Mother
Reward 1: 3,317 experience points
Reward 2: 1,040 gold coins ]
[ New Quest issued - Shroud of the Father
Quest objective: Find the Child's Caul
Quest description: To exorcise Lilith from your body, Voszalko needs a forgotten relic of the Church: the Child's Caul. He said you can find it somewhere in Mercy's Reach. ]
Seeing the description, Michael wanted to give up on this annoyingly creepy Quest, but witnessing the experience bar stay at 3,535/82,940 made him have second thoughts.
The young Necromancer continued his interrogation and decided to milk the Monk of all possible information.
"This doesn't make sense. Why was a Holly Relic of the Church left in Mercy's Reach?"
[Ask the false pilgrims! They flocked to the Angel's presence once. But... He asks for patience of them, and how do they respond? They spit at His feet!](Voszalko)
'Less drama...'
[Those of us who stayed true... we were starved, hounded, forced to leave behind what was most precious. So it was with the Child's Caul.](Voszalko)
Looking at the animated Monk, Michael pondered the validity of his words. His emotions didn't seem fake, but in stories and movies he had watched previously, these sorts of fanatics are the ones who usually bring about the end of the world...
"You were important once, you said, weren't you?"
[Important? Heh. I led the faithful through the Church's darkest days! I was His voice! But Prava - Light shines upon her - she changed all this. Her voice burned with holy fire... while mine could not. In time, I was simply another old priest... as was good and right.](Voszalko)
Hearing the passion in the Monk's voice, Michael furrowed his brows. There were no ill feelings of anger or discontent for losing his position of power. Not even jealousy of Prava.
But that in itself scared him even more, as it meant the man was a true fanatic. Someone who would willingly give up his life for the Church and Inarius if it would be asked of him.
[Enough of this. Go! Find the Child's Caul and come find me in Kyovashad. I need to rest.](Voszalko)
Watching the back of the Monk leave his range of sight, Michael opened the MAP and saw that both the continuation of this Quest as well as the Call of the Underworld were near Menestad.
Walking to the Waypoint, he decisively traveled there. All questions need answers, and this whole mess brought more questions he avoided unconsciously.
'I didn't want to think about it previously, but what of this body's past? Did the Sanctuary create one out of thin air for me? Or did I take over someone's life? In that case, is there a family out there looking for me? Waiting for me to return to them? Or is it similar to the novels I've read, and the previous inhabitant of this body died in the care of the Old Man back at the camp I woke up in, and I simply took his place?'
With the can of worms opened, there was no going back. For his peace of mind, answers were needed.
Otherwise, it could come back to bite him in the ass later on, especially since he forged a story about him being an apprentice of a Necromancer and then left to see the world.
It didn't sit well with him to lie to people he cared about, like Helen, but temporarily, it was the best solution. The truth... telling the truth might not be the best course of action.
'Let's see... from the way things worked so far, this Mercy's Reach is probably a Dungeon. Looking at its marker, it's North of Menestad, into unexplored territory. At the same time, the marker for Call of the Underworld is on the way there... I guess I'll take a look at that first.'
Michael also took the 'renown' into consideration as he looked at the MAP. At the moment, he was at 840 points of renown gained through Quests, Dungeons, and Lilith Altars found.
Except for the first skill point earned this way, there was also the extra potion capacity, bringing his total number of vials to five.
The good thing was that he was currently at Level 25, and he had earned a total of 27 skill points. 25 were through his levels, one through renown, and one brought about through his Achievements.
'And now I'm at 340/400 for the Third Tier of Fractured Peaks. Once I complete this Tier, I'll gain 25,000 gold coins and another skill point. So, Quests and new Dungeons are the way to go.'
With each Quest rewarding 30 points and the Dungeon 40, Michael would reach the Third Tier after wrapping up these two Quests.
[Excuse me, lad! A moment if you can!](?)
Looking at the hooded figure approaching him, Michael almost clicked his tongue in annoyance. A big blue exclamation mark was above this man's head, signifying yet another Side Quest.
"Hello, sir. What do you need of me?"
[The name is Meros. Well... an arrangement I made went awry, and I was extorted by the ruffian Luskas for 'protection.' He's camped somewhere near the pass to the northwest. Return the gemstones he stole, and I'll make it worth your while.](Meros)
"So... you need me to retrieve the goods you handed over as a protection fee. You are aware that I can't kill them for such a simple matter, right? Did you try talking with the City Guards about retrieving it?"
[I did... however, Luskas seems to have bribed them, and they look the other way each time he bullies the townsfolk for the 'protection fee.' Please, Wanderer, help me, and you'll do the entire town a favor.](Meros)
After agreeing and being thanked numerous times, Michael rubbed his temples. It seems that one can get many random Quests by simply walking around.
[ Quest issued - Gold well spent
Quest objective: Get the payment of gemstones from Luskas. ]
Sighing, Michael decided to deal with this Side Quest first since it was near the one needed for his Golem.
Judging the distance, the Necromancer realized it was only ten minutes away from the city's walls.
Once he reached the location, a strange look appeared on his face.
'Remnants of destroyed carts, as well as slayed horses... Are these people the famous bandits I used to read about? But this doesn't make sense. If they truly attacked merchants and passing carriages, the City Guards would deal with them, regardless of how much bribe they paid. This... something here is fishy.'
Walking between the 'battlements' arranged to stop entry, Michael soon reached the 'infamous' camp.
His expectations... appeared to be much higher than they should have been, as it was a small group of six underlings and a big dude sitting around a campfire.
As one of the underlings yelled the usual lines of 'Who are you, punk?' and 'How dare you trespass into our territory!?' Michael arrived in front of the big Boss.
The system identified him as Luskas the Cold-Hearted, while the remaining people were brigands and thieves unworthy of its time.
"I've come for the gemstones belonging to Meros."
[Meros sent you? That spineless merchant? Ha! This will cost him dearly.](Luskas)
"Listen, here, man! I'm not interested in killing you people. All I want are the gemstones, and we can end this peacefully. How about..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the system recognized all seven people as enemies, showing their Life bars and names in red.
Furthermore, Luskas appeared to be an elite.
[ Luskas the Cold Hearted (Elite) - Level 30
*Cold Enchanted: All attacks deal an extra 50 Cold damage.
*Frozen: Summons three balls of frost. Upon explosion, they freeze and deal 200 fixed damage in a five-meter radius. ]