Chapter 189. Fangs Bared
There weren't any Elites that popped up, so with his minions' help and sometimes using Corpse Tendrils to move the goatmen into the circle, the vial was filled with blood.
After grabbing it, Michael prepared to leave, but the gathered Blood Clan members seemed to have a problem with that idea.
It took another fifteen minutes to clear all the incoming enemies until they finally got scared and fled on their own.
"Well... color me surprised... They actually run away if they are overwhelmed, huh?"
He checked the MAP for the next Quest tracker and saw the Sanctuary updating his objective again.
[ Side Quest update - The Snare
Objective: Complete the blood ritual at The Wraithstead. ]
Realizing that it was time to hunt Worgen now, Michael resummoned his mount and gently patted the abused horse.
"*Sigh* It's not like I don't want to send you to more spa and relaxation, but you see me running around daily, right? We simply don't have the time..."
*NEIGH* *SNORT*
Mounting the horse, who appeared to be snorting in derision at him, the Necromancer traveled to his next destination.
He realized that his life had been very busy lately, but it wasn't too bad. At least he was now having more fun daily than back on Earth. Was he missing lazing around and wasting weeks playing online games on his computer? Yes.
Did he regret coming to the Sanctuary? Not really.
'In the end, it's a matter of perspective. There are two different lives. Back on Earth, I couldn't possibly imagine living a life where you have to fight invading monsters daily with your life at stake. Maybe in-game, but certainly not in reality.'
Minutes later, he reached Wraithstead and found the second Druid Ritual Site, where he placed the vial and waited for the enemies to come.
[ Side Quest update - The Snare
Objective: Slay Enraged Werewolves inside the ritual circle and collect their blood essence. ]
Repeating the process and having to find for almost forty minutes after the blood essence was collected, Michael finally managed to untangle himself from the frenzied Worgen.
Unlike the goatmen, the more of their pack they saw dying, the more enraged they became. They attacked him with wild abandon, not worried at all about dying in the process.
[ Side Quest update - The Snare
Objective: Speak with Artair at Wraithstead. ]
After checking the location and seeing it was only five minutes or so away on horseback, Michael returned to the farm where he first found Artair and Siofra. He found them again talking and smiling at each other, unbefitting their current situation.
The Necromancer's inner gossipy nature came out and immediately pointed its finger at the dirty couple.
'Tsk, tsk, tsk! He said he wanted to help the farmers, but who knew he also wanted to help them warm their beds? I cannot blame him, though. Siofra is pretty, and they are both young... Ugh, right! I am also outwardly only 18 years old or so. I need to remember how to stop acting like a middle-aged man...'
Approaching the duo, Michael nodded in greeting and handed over the vials of blood. Artair refused and asked him to keep them.
[While you were gathering everything, I was researching the ritual we'll need to perform. We are going to summon Una, and once we do, I will bind her to that location.](Artair)
"Will she simply come to us?"
[Yes. Her sanity should be mostly spent, so she can't refuse the call. We'll defeat her there, and I can seal the magic back within the totem. I know of an old barrow in Umbralwood where we won't be disturbed. It's like the same place where Una found the totem to begin with.](Artair)
"Do we need anything else?"
[No. Let's go!](Artair)
After parting with the woman, the young Druid seemed even more determined to finish this mess quickly and return. As for his reason behind it, Michael could bet his left glove that it was 60% his sense of duty as a Druid and 40% horniness.
[ Side Quest complete - The Snare
Reward 1: 39,337 experience points
Reward 2: 2,940 gold coins
Reward 3: Leather Cache. ]
[ Side Quest issued - With Fangs Bared
Objective: Enter the Abandoned Barrow
Description: You need to go to the old Druid barrow in Umbralwood. There, you can use the items gathered to lure and trap Una. ]
The barrow in question was a very... foresty Stonehenge. There were plenty of monoliths surrounded by overgrown grass and trees, with a cave-like structure artificially built in the middle of the place.
Michael felt intrigued about this place and added it to his list of places to visit with Helen once they could properly party together.
Following behind Artair and entering the mound, he curiously looked around. Lots of Druid symbols were carved or painted on the walls, and furs of different animals covered the ground.
[This is it. Place the items on the pedestals, and I will begin the ritual. The blood vials on the first two and the totem on the bigger one.](Artair)
'Tsk! Easy for you to say! You'll sit back and restrain her while I have to fight Una. Let's pray for an uneventful fight!'
Hearing the man chant something in a foreign language he couldn't understand, he watched, surprised, as a triangle of blood formed between the three pedestals.
Then, the blood dripped on the ground between them, creating a summoning circle he had previously seen plenty of times in the Dungeons.
Surprised, Michael had his minions surround the place and directly used Blood Mist to create a couple of Corpses.
A few minutes later, the summoning circle was complete, and a three-meter Una appeared in her werewolf form. Growling, she looked around and surprisingly spoke.
[Where is this!? *GROWL* It's you! The Druid! NO! You won't take this away from us!](Una)
Unfortunately for her, a similarly tall Quarterback blocked her path, not intending to give way like a gentleman should.
Michael instantly activated all the skills he could, but the woman had the Shadow Enhanced modifier. This was different from Shadow Enchanted, which only added fixed Shadow damage, as it actually summoned blood-red shadows of other werewolves, attacking Michael and Artair even if the Necromancer's minions blocked her.
Thankfully, Artair's binding worked, and her strength diminished with every passing moment. Weirdly enough, as Artair drew the werewolf's power out of her, she was becoming more transparent.
In the end, she vanished, leaving behind nothing on the ground.
[*Sigh* I'm sorry it came to this. Her mind, body, and spirit had completely fused with the werewolf power. She is now asleep, sealed in the totem. I'll also seal the barrow later so that no one will be tempted to repeat Una's mistakes.](Artair)
"You can't seal it now? I'm worried something else might happen."
[I lack the materials but will take care of it by tonight. Don't worry; I also want to ensure the situation doesn't escalate further. Meet me back at the Wraithstead. I want to see how the other farmers are doing.](Artair)
Watching the young Druid step into a portal, Michael cursed at the man's horniness. He actually used quick travel to return to the farm where Siofra was.
How did he know? He saw the Quest marker update at that exact location as soon as he opened the MAP.
[ Side Quest update - With Fangs Bared
Objective: Speak with Artair at Wraithstead
Description: With Una defeated, the farmers should be free of the dark call. You should return to Wraithstead and check on them. ]
Reading the ominous description, Michael shuddered and summoned his mount outside the barrow. He rode quickly toward the farm, worried that the villagers might've turned berserk or something and would rip the horny Druid into pieces.
He was most vulnerable to Siofra, who also admitted to being affected by this 'dark call.'
Reaching the farm, he saw the duo talk with other farmers, smiling and accepting their gifts. Seeing the bags of grain, Michael's mouth corners twitched.
Stepping closer to Artair, he wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and inquired about the situation.
"How are the farmers?"
[Siofra says the call lingers, but it's quieter now. We have not cured them, but we have contained its spread. If we Druids had not lapsed in our duties, this never would have happened. I will stay here and help them learn how to live with it. I owe them that. Thank you for your help, Michael.](Artair)
Rolling his eyes at the man's obvious intentions, the Necromancer shook hands with the Druid and politely said his goodbyes to his future girlfriend, prepared to leave for Cerrigar. With all the running around he'd been doing since morning, it was already noon, and Iveta had already asked him twice about the corpses of the two Knights he reported.
[ Side Quest complete - With Fangs Bared
Reward 1: 56,196 experience points
Reward 2: 3,430 gold coins
Reward 3: Una's Lament (Rare ring). ]
Curiously checking the ring on horseback, Michael found the item's attributes to be... unsuited for his Class, but the description was somewhat interesting.
[ Description: A band of curious metal that belonged to Una, given to her by her lost love. The bad, a rare alloy, gave her fortitude and served as the last lonely tether to her withering humanity. ]
Confused, the Necromancer read the description multiple times in a row, ignoring the chasing spiders behind the horse.
The mention of this 'lost love' puzzled him.
'Wasn't Lorcan her husband? Did she have a lover? Or maybe her first love? Am I reading too much into this?'
Shaking his head bitterly, Michael realized he had become too concerned about silly matters such as someone's intimate life, probably infected by the paparazzi-like Tia and Evelyn.
Still, he couldn't salvage this item, as it reminded him of the Quest, so he decided to place it in the newly acquired stash alongside all the other similar items he kept at Helen's place.
Meeting with Iveta, he handed over the two coffins, and she thanked him for recovering the bodies. They were apparently newbie Knights who entered the Dungeon to gain experience but were unlucky enough to encounter an almost overflowing Sarat's Lair. Overwhelmed, only half of the party managed to escape in time, as the other two stayed behind to hold off the enemies.
Mentally pressing F for the fallen duo, he separated from Iveta and headed to the local Blacksmith, hoping to empty his inventory before starting his Runic Tablet search.
While waiting for his turn, he opened the two Caches he had recently gained and counted the profits.
'2 Blightshade, 2 Biteberries, 6 Gallowvine, 1 Lifesbane, 2 Reddamine, and 1 Howler Moss. Also, 15 Rawhides and 7 Superior Leathers from the other one. There are also the three Rare items that will get scrapped. Overall, it's not bad. Hmm... the Elixir Cache gave a Weak Elixir of Poison Resistance. A good find since poison damage is damn scary...'
[ Weak Elixir of Poison Resistance (requires Level 6)
--------------------
Increases Poison Resistance by 7% and Experience gain by 5% for 30 minutes. ]
Selling his items for materials also earned him 30 Iron Chunks, 3 Silver Ores, 9 Rawhides, 1 Superior Leather, and 15 Veiled Crystals.
Leaving behind the Legendary dagger, which he didn't know what to do with yet, and Una's Lament ring, he smiled in relief to see his much cleaner inventory.
A part of him wanted to return to Kyovashad for a quick lunch but decided against it, as he ate a sandwich he had previously prepared and downed a glass of fruit smoothie.
Less hungry and with his batteries somewhat charged, he teleported back to the Firebreak Manor, the closest point to his Quest-marked area. As for annoying Donan with his frequent appearance, he couldn't be bothered to think about that for now.
Nodding in greeting at the Knights Penitent and Wilfred, Michael set his tracker and ventured into the wilderness again.
'How interesting...'
On his way to the location, the Sanctuary identified over forty snakes, bears, wolves, quilboars, and other smaller animals who were apparently hostile to him.
Not only him, actually. As soon as he left their 'aggro-range,' they started grappling with each other.
'Is this the craziness the Druid mentioned? Maybe it was Lilith's presence that sent them into a frenzy. It might be a clue proving she passed through here...'
Still, it was all speculation until proven otherwise. Dismounting after he reached the Quest area, Michael started inspecting it more seriously. With the minion posse around him, he advanced further into the unexplored.