Chapter 194. Votive Passing
It wasn't hard finding the first fallen hunter. It was a woman, still carrying a bow in her hands and the quiver still firmly attached to her back.
The Sanctuary identified her using the following words:
[ Her quiver only holds a single remaining arrow. ]
No doubt, proof of her courage in the face of inevitable death. She didn't run, didn't bargained, didn't cower. Instead, the quiver was emptied before she found her rest.
The corpses of different creatures, including goatmen and other wildlife, surrounded her, forever accompanying her into the Spirit World.
His minions dug the hard rock and soil much easier this time, probably benefiting from previous experiences. Michael placed the Ward of Passing atop her grave, according to the Chieftain's wishes.
"I don't know your customs, but I hope you rest well. Hopefully, Airidah is right, in which case, your sacrifice will be the embers starting a wildfire within the glen. In that wildfire, let's pray that not even the ashes of the invading enemies remain."
The second hunter was a man in his late twenties at best.
[ His throat slashed open. Eyes stare calmly, accepting death. ]
Imagining the man surrounded by enemies and finally subdued, all he could do left was accept his death and pass on.
After digging another grave and planting the Passing Ward, Michael found the possible culprit of the hunter's death. A group of over thirty goatmen, two of whom were Elites.
Disposing of them silently, he continued his search for the next person.
Another young woman, probably around 18-20 at best, rested with her eyes closed against the rocks.
[ She dragged herself here in her final moments. Her face holds a grin of satisfaction. ]
When burying her, he saw the many wounds on her body. The skin on the palms of her hands was especially torn, showing how much she struggled in wielding her weapons.
She undoubtedly won, but the wounds on her back and sides proved fatal. After burying her and placing the Ward, a bunch of strange snakes, longer than three meters each, attacked him.
[ Corpsewinder (Minion) - Level 53 ]
As he was killing them, ensuring the new grave remained undisturbed, he could hear a voice singing through labored breathing and heavy coughs.
[Though light fades... *Cough* we do not disappear... *Exhale*](?)
Searching through the Ancestor Heights for the source of the voice, he found a group of five hunters. Four were already dead, while the last one was barely breathing, surrounded by Wraiths.
Clearing the spirits, Michael approached the man.
[*Breathing heavily* Unseen, unheard... we are always here.*Cough*](?)
"*Sigh* It doesn't look like you're making it out of here alive. Not with those wounds... I can't heal them..."
[In memories... of those held dear. Thank you... Maisie... *Exhale*](?)
Realizing that the hunter couldn't see or hear him, the Necromancer closed his eyes. Another five graves were dug, and the remaining Wards of Passing were placed there.
"Hopefully, it's enough. If not, the Chieftain will take care of the rest. 'Maisie,' huh?"
Looking at the handmade torc in he took from the dead hunter's hands, Michael placed it in his inventory.
[ Side Quest update - Votive Passing
Objective: Deliver the Handmade Torc to Maisie
Description: A dying man in the gills held this handmade torc and whispered thanks to Maisie before passing.
You should visit Braestaig and see if Maisie knows of this man or his torc. ]
The handmade necklace wasn't the only acquisition during his return to the Ancestor Heights. There was also an item called 'Ravenous Predator's Offering.'
It was a sealed cache, similar to the two he found after he first arrived in Kyovashad. He still remembered the two Quests he had to kill monsters in, using wisps of their souls as keys to unlock the objects.
[ Side Quest issued - Ravenous Predator's Offering
Objective: Harvest spirit energy from wildlife
Description: You found a cache sealed by powerful druidic magic. To open it, you must slay wildlife in this area and feed it their spirit energy. ]
Much to his happiness, the goatmen, quilboars, and snakes counted as the energy gained after being killed. There were also two large bears, which he stuffed in his inventory after killing them.
He made sure to do so with his sword, careful not to infest them with Essence, as that would ruin the meat's taste. According to Helen, they had delicious meat.
Michael had also leveled up halfway through his killing spree, finally only one level away from his Second Class Awakening.
Twenty minutes later, more than eighty goatmen and some wildlife contributed their energy to opening up the cache.
[ Side Quest complete - Ravenous Predator's Offering
Reward 1: 12,594 experience points
Reward 2: 2,000 gold coins
Reward 3: Appeased Predator's Offering (Magic Quest Reward Cache). ]
Returning to Braestaig, he saw Arlo and Maisie still at the inn. After hesitating a while, he approached the girl under her father's curious gaze.
Handing over the handmade torc, he spoke softly.
"A dying hunter spoke your name before passing away. He held this torc in his hands."
[...](Arlo)
The man sighed and grabbed the pint of ale. He downed it, but the taste appeared to be bitter.
[A torc of protection. I make these for folk who travel the hills alone. It keeps them safe with the old blessings. But... if it's returned...](Maisie)
Seeing the teardrops she was fighting hard to restrain and hearing her shaking voice, Michael remained quiet. He didn't know how to comfort her, nor did he know the girl well enough to do so.
Also, she was more mature than most girls her age. He found similarities between her and Neyrelle.
[Airidah said all death has meaning. But... where is the meaning in this?](Maisie)
"..."
[They were good. Kind. No different from me or Dad...](Maisie)
"Airidah... she thought it was a necessary price to prepare for what's to come."
[Dad says you can't reach the road ahead if you forget to mind your feet. So... how do you reach the road if you lose your feet?](Maisie)
"Nobody is perfect, Maisie. We all make mistakes. Or maybe... just maybe she saw something more than what we can."
[*Sigh* I hope she sees the wrong now.](Maisie)
Walking away after seeing her father comforting the girl, Michael felt his mind unsteady. Just before he was preparing to leave the outpost, he heard the girl's voice from the inn.
[Though light fades, we do not disappear. Unseen, unheard, we're always here...](Maisie)
[In memories of those held dear!](Everyone)
"An elegy, huh? That explains it..."
Checking the time, it was almost 7 p.m., but he still had sufficient time to make it to one more place before returning to Kyovashad to rest.
After asking the sultry Chieftain, it appears that Tadhg, old man Baltair's son, lives in another outpost with a Waypoint.
[ Side Quest complete - Votive Passing
Reward 1: 12,594 experience points
Reward 2: 2,000 gold coins
Reward 3: Leather Cache. ]
Leaving Braestaig behind, headed to Corbach. On his way there, he joined hands with some Druids to clear the area of goatmen.
Due to their large numbers and the three Elites, they were quickly overwhelmed. So the Necromancer intervened by evening up the odds with some well-placed Corpse Tendrils and inviting his minions out to play.
He was not interested in the gold coins left or the Magic item boxes, so he straddled his mount and continued on his way.
Upon reaching the outpost gates, a guard named Dughall looked at him with unfriendly eyes.
[Newcomer? You best not be lookin' for handouts, too. Been having enough of those lately.](Guard Dughall)
[Easy there, Dughall. Ignore him, Wanderer. The situation here is a bit stiff lately.](?)
Following behind the middle-aged woman, he asked about the general situation in the outpost.
Old man's Baltair appeared to be right when he said there was a famine here. From the children to the elderly, there was a severe lack of food.
"What about using the Waypoints to ask for some relief rations at least? You can't be starving yourselves for weeks? What is the Chieftain doing!?"
[Mind your words, Wanderer! Ears are always open around here. Corbach's a bad place to go missing.](Elmear)
Thinking of the two bear corpses in his inventory, Michael pondered for a while and looked around. The woman seemed alone, and leaving tons of possible food in her hands was a certain death sentence with all the starved people around.
Deciding to look for the Chieftain after activating the Waypoint, the Necromancer looked around the outpost while keeping his ears open to the conversation that took place.
[Built the town walls meself. Still holding strong as ever. Better to die hungry in here than torn to pieces out there.](?)
[Old man Errol, stop bragging again! I'm too hungry to even complain about you... Say something, Darragh.](?)
[Tsk! Heard the miller got her family a proper cabin after slipping the Chieftain a few gold coins.](Darragh)
[Something useful, damn it! *Sigh* When we left, I didn't have time to grab anything, let alone coin.](?)
[And whose fault is that, Malhin!?](Darragh)
Most people were talking, trying to forget hunger. What really set him off, though, was the conversation he overheard after passing near the house of a family. The husband, wife, and the child...
[Thy've five goats! They won't miss one. Tomorrow night, I'll go!](?)
[Torcul! Cailen is listening!](?)
[But dad... isn't that stealing?](Cailen)
[I don't want us to starve, Nessa.](Torcul)
[Mom?](Cailen)
[It's not stealing. It's making things fair, love. Aren't you hungry?](Nessa)
By now, he was already using the Ring of Communication to talk with Celeste. When she heard the conversation, she went silent.
After a deep breath, she asked if he had any relief rations he could use. She would send over food rations tonight. She also asked to mention it to the Chieftain.
After activating the Waypoint and asking around, he found the Chieftain's house. It stood apart from the others due to its clean appearance, as well as the smell of cooked food coming from inside.
Taking a deep breath, he entered unannounced, barging in the middle of a conversation between the Chieftain and someone else.
[Look at all Scosglen. Suffering everywhere. But here, we have hope. We can survive if we band together against sin! Huh!? Who are you?](Chieftain Eiruig)
Michael didn't answer and dropped the two bear carcasses on the floor instead.
"Wanderer Celeste, representative of Scosglen, will arrive tonight with food rations. I'd advise you to use the meat of these two animals and prepare some light food for the residents in the meantime."
Walking in the direction of the Quest Marker for Tadhg, he stumbled upon a strange sight: a small farm where a single woman named Isabail worked.
Apparently, this was the only farm the outpost had left.
[This here bit of land is all we have left, but it sure as shite ain't enough to feed all those mounts in there.](Isabail)
Realizing the problem and passing the details to Celeste, the representative made a note of it and said that the people who'd come over tonight would inspect the area and see what exactly happened with the rest of the farmland.
Though, from his experience with the werewolf farmers, he already knew that the goatmen wrecked everything else to pieces.
Walking to a nearby house, he found a middle-aged man working the small field behind his home, bitterly looking at the crops that were far from growing.
"Hello. Are you Tadhg?"
[Ye. Who's asking?](Tadhg)
"Baltair asked me to give this to you."
Handing over the small sack filled to the brim with food, Michael watched as the man's eyes widened and tears began dropping.
[F-from Da? Truly? Oh, thank ye! We haven't had nothin' to eat in days. The littl'uns can barely keep their eyes opened...](Tadhg)
Trying to decipher the words behind the heavy accent, Michael told the man about the food rations that would be delivered tonight, making the man sit on the ground with a tired look.
It was obvious he was starving and exhausted, but he kept working for his children. Such are all parents in the world, including Baltair, who, despite his old age, traveled to Braestaig despite the danger on the road to work and provide for his kids and grandkids.
[We miss him terribly, but he's done what needed doin'. He's kept the family alive. Thank ye again!](Tadhg)
Watching the man rush inside with the bag of food, cries of happiness could be heard soon after from two women. The man's wife and his mother, no doubt.
[ Side Quest complete - The Starving Strand
Reward 1: 3,148 experience points
Reward 2: 1,500 gold coins
Reward 3: Salvage Cache. ]
Looking at his experience bar that has now reached 93,828/689,724, Michael should have felt some shred of accomplishment, but instead, all he could feel was exhaustion.
More mentally than physically.
Opening up his stats page, he looked at the changes for a bit and then closed it.
[ Class: High Necromancer
Attack Power: 984
Armor: 4,990
Life: 2,371
--------------
Strength: 279
Intelligence: 338
Willpower: 377
Dexterity: 333 ]
It was time to return home for the day, rest, and continue tomorrow.