18 Chapter 18. A new quest
Not wanting to show weakness, Michael followed his new acquaintance, Vani. It wasn't because he wanted to, but more because he had to...
[ Quest complete - Dusk on the Mountain 2
Providing reward: New Quest! ]
[ New Quest issued - Dusk on the Mountain 3
Description: Follow Vani. ]
Wondering if the system was glitching, he reluctantly followed Vani into the large building where many people could be waiting in ambush.
His weapon was still ready to strike, as he was a petty person, maybe even more so than Aylin. If this woman led him in the middle of an ambush, she would be the first to join him in the world of unliving.
His four Skeletons also stood ready to enter the fray from their dimension, so he wasn't wholly unprepared.
[There is evil stirring in the ruins to the North. That poor monk back there must have gone inside.](Vani)
Hearing the exposition a newbie player usually gets when encountering their first NPC almost made Michael stumble. To make matters worse, that man back there was a monk!?
He had just about enough of those bald donkeys, as the last one he saw literally summoned a demonic queen. Holding back the impulse to run back and join the angry Oswen in kicking the monk around like a football, he focused his attention on his surroundings and the oversharing Vani.
She opened the door to the inn, and he saw a lady standing next to a stand filled with weapons that gave him a toothy grin.
[Even a holy man like him was driven mad by whatever he saw.](Vani)
Vani dragged him closer to the warm fireplace, moving aside one of the men who looked ready to jump on top of the coals.
There were two other people besides the lady vendor, but Michael didn't have time for introductions, as the NPC Vani took her job too seriously.
"It isn't safe here if what the monk said it's true."
[Could you protect us from whatever is out there? We have nowhere else to turn.](Vani)
He honestly didn't know how to feel at the ridiculous question. Didn't they meet, like, minutes ago? Where is this trust coming from?
Maybe her NPC senses are tingling, making her realize his identity as a Wanderer.
Realizing he wasn't treating this situation properly, he awkwardly coughed and responded while trying not to break character.
"If there is evil lurking in those ruins, I will drag it into the light of day."
Though, he regretted acting like a child not even a moment later, realizing it was goddamn nighttime. Where the fuck was he supposed to pull out daylight from? His ass?
Fortunately, Vani was in NPC mode and thoroughly ignored his ignoble declaration.
[Truly? Oh, thank you!](Vani)
"Don't worry about it. First, if you don't mind me asking, I have a couple of questions."
[Sure! Go right ahead.](Vani)
"My apologies if I seem too brusque. I finally found some shelter from this damn storm, and I find out demons are running wild nearby..."
[I see. I'm sorry it's a bit cramped in here.](Vani)
"It's still better than a cave out in the open."
[That's true.](Vani)
"How about an introduction? What can you tell me about the people here?"
[Elenta over there went a bit deaf last year. You might need to speak up around her. As for the other four, you can talk with them yourself. They're not shy.](Vani)
Nodding at the five people eyeing him curiously, Michael returned his gaze to the NPC information trove that was Vani.
"What is this place? It's Nevesk, right?"
[Ah. Nothing special about our little town, but it's home.](Vani)
Seeing that she was unwilling to say anything further, he continued the conversation to avoid awkwardness.
"What about the monk? Do you know anything about him?"
[No. We'll do what we can for him. Might have to keep him in the shed for now, though - he tried to bite off Oswen's fingers.](Vani)
He wanted to continue asking questions, but the woman turned towards the fireplace, reluctant to continue.
Instead, he turned around and greeted Elenta.
[What's that? You said something?](Elenta)
"Just a greeting and a thank you for taking me in."
[Oh, you poor thing! Traveling in this awful weather.](Elenta)
"No worries, I've been through worse."
After making more small talk, he turned to the closest person near Elenta.
[My name is Stanis, Wanderer. I am a Healer. If you have any empty vials, I can fill them with some Weak Healing Potion.](Stanis)
"A most welcomed gift, as I am about to head towards the ruins."
He handed over the three empty vials he kept, yet he only received a nod from Stanis at the mention of the word 'ruins.' Michael wasn't overly worried about being poisoned, as the system would identify the vials in his small bag.
He tried putting there the antidotes given to him by Martel, but the system didn't acknowledge or identify them.
Thanking the man, he turned to the shivering companion to his right.
[The name is Torvi. If Devmir is taking up all the space by the fire, just give him a shove.](Torvi)
[Hey, I heard that! The fire looks good, but I should watch it a little longer to make sure it doesn't go out.](Devmir)
The duo's antics drew laughter from the others in the room as Michael went over to shake hands with the 'fire-keeper.'
"Thank you for sharing the warmth."
[A warm hearth... There are still things to be grateful for in this world.](Devmir)
A strange choice of words prompted the atmosphere to turn somewhat heavy. Michael thought it might be because of recent loss and remembered the corpse of the child he found outside.
Luckily, the lady with the weapons saved his ass.
[The woods around here are dangerous. I don't have much to offer, just a few swords and an apprentice wand. My name is Isbel.](Isbel)
"Michael, as you probably heard already."
[Mhm. Take a look and see if you can use anything. I brought these straight from Kyovashad. Gotta protect yourself out there.](Isbel)
After perusing and inspecting the weapons more hands-on so as not to give away his newbie Wanderer identity, he disappointedly told her that his weapons were about the same and changing to a new one before heading into battle was a poor idea.
Finally, after investigating for all clues possible from the six people in the inn's reception room, Michael exited the building. He could push the issue but was afraid of drawing suspicion instead.
Once he stepped out, he felt the air around him displaced, as he just experienced his first level up.
'Motherfucker! Scared the living lights out of me. Fortunately, nobody saw me cringe like a goddam coward. What the hell happened?'
[ Quest complete - Dusk on the Mountain 3
Reward 1: 800 experience points
Reward 2: New Quest! ]
[ New Quest issued: Darkness Within
Description: Enter Icehowl Ruins. ]
'Well... doesn't that sound lovely? Icehowl, my ass! I don't plan to enter there during the fucking night! Haven't you seen any goddamn movies, you dumb system!? It always ends poorly when the main character goes inside haunted places at night alone!'
Luckily for him, the system was up for negotiation this time around and offered him a timeframe he could work with.
[ Quest update - Darkness Within
Description: Enter Icehowl Ruins
Time remaining: 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 56 seconds.]
"..."
Looking at the sky and pointing his middle finger with mute rage, Michael walked towards the shed where Oswen and the monk were left behind.
He found Oswen standing outside, eying him strangely.
"A late introduction, but my name is Michael."
[Oswen. Watch out; he's a biter.](Oswen)
"I will do my best. Care to join me inside and ask the monk some questions?"
[You need a wet nurse or something? Piss off!](Oswen)
Not surprised at the cranky response, Michael shrugged and went inside. The monk was still curled up, muttering incomprehensible words. He thought the man might be possessed, so he focused on the sounds and tried to see if they were similar to the whispering voices he heard on his way here.
No luck, though.
'Well, that's about that. I can't knock on doors in the middle of the night and ask questions, as I risk getting punched in the best case or stabbed in the worst. Guess it's the Quest I must focus on.'
Luckily for him, the Sanctuary was kind enough to point out exactly where the ruins were on the foggy area, and all he had to do was walk around with the MAP opened while also making sure he didn't crash into buildings.
He wandered around for a bit but was a bit shocked that this camp was considered a 'town' by the Sanctuary. It was even smaller than the one he 'spawned' in.
Looking at the map and comparing it to the roads, he found that the road leading left from the shack where the monk was staying was somewhat highlighted on the map: a GPS function, no doubt.
The road to the ruins took him back to another set of open gates, making him question the sanity of the people inside this 'town.'
Gripping his scythe, he jumped on the spot slightly, making sure his blood ran properly. Then, after making sure he was past the gates and outside the visual field of the inn and Oswen, he resummoned his Skeletons.
[ Attack Power: 133
Armor: 165
Life: 40
--------------
Strength: 14
Intelligence: 15
Willpower: 16
Dexterity: 19 ]
Grinning at the extra two points per Attribute gained due to the level-up, Michael excitedly opened up the Abilities interface, unaware of the fantastic gift the Druid left with him.
Pondering for a while, he gave up on picking a second skill and instead opted for the improvement of his current one.
"A Dungeon implies multiple mobs. I can't get Reap since I'll put myself into dangerous positions to use it, so it makes no sense. Hemorrhage is pure garbage, so it's out of the question. I could grab Decompose, but what real-life bosses fight you one-on-one? They can call minions in-game, so I can't channel shit without risking a blow to the head."
So, he opted for the most cost-effective option.
[ Enhanced Bone Splinters
----------------------------
Bone Splinters has a 25% chance to fire two additional projectiles if cast while having 50 Essence or more. ]
Unsurprisingly, after spending another point, the previously blood road on the Skill Tree reached its destination and unlocked something called 'Core Skills.'
Thankfully, he was still next to the gates, so he quickly looked over the newly available options.
"It suffices to say that I can now understand why they're called 'Core Skills.' I can probably get to level 100 and still use them."
Walking forward and thinking of Level 3, he noticed he didn't even consider the Worgen he had killed before.
Curious, he took a slight detour to try and attract a few on his way to the Dungeon. It was quite a successful attempt, as over seven were aggroed. However, his four Skeletons did most of the work this time, as he attacked twice with his Bone Splinters.
"Got lucky with only the second skill usage triggering the effect. Hmm... The extra projectiles looked more like shadows of the real thing, yet the result was the same. Also... *Sigh* still no equipment drop, but with this gold, I finally made back the sum Aylin cheated me off.
Let's see how much experience these mutts provide... 140 points in total, meaning 20 per head. Not bad."
Staring closely at the interface, he finally pulled the numbers, which now showed - 406/1260.
He almost threw up again at the idea of fighting 50 wargs and shook his head in disgust.
"I guess the Dungeon will have to do. Gonk mentioned increased XP gain, and the trio confirmed that as well. Since it's early in my leveling career, maybe I can even go up several levels."
All things considered, he decided to head toward the objective and play it by ear. Since the Sanctuary put a timer on his Quest, he should get there first and maybe get enough time to inspect the new skills before starting a massacre.
He remembered seeing five square boxes this time, indicating an extra skill to pick compared to the basic ones. There were also two smaller round boxes.
"The bigger round box even had an enhancement option, so I guess those should be passive skills. Still, seven options to choose between is quite a lot. Also, they follow the same color scheme as the basic ones, meaning they should fall into similar categories."
The blue ones were Reap and Decompose in the basic section; this time, he also had two options to pick between when it came to the same color: Sever and Blight.
Blue stood for Darkness, as strange as it sounded.
The red ones obviously belonged to the Blood kind, Hemorrhage being the only option in the basic pool. As for core options, he had two this time: Blood Lance and Blood Surge.
Finally, the strange grayish-brown color was reserved for bone skills, just like the one he used. The core version was called Bone Spear.
"*Sigh* I need time to go through them, but it seems like I won't be able to any time soon. What is this bullshit even before entering the Dungeon!?"
