Chapter 216. Remembering the Goose
Complaining inwardly about another tragedy he had to hear about just when his mood got better today, Michael approached the redhead lad and patted him on the shoulder.
The young man was startled and somewhat awoke from his drunken stupor.
"Did you take this sign?"
[This here trophy? Sure did! Nicked it to honor dear Tavish, my best mate.](Nairne)
Speechless, Michael scratched his head, not knowing how to continue the conversation.
[He's not around anymore. The goatmen tore him to pieces in this spot, not three nights ago...](Nairne)
"I'm sorry about your loss."
[*Sigh* I thought to bring the Goose to him. One last drink together beneath her wings.](Nairne)
"..."
As much as he tried hiding it, the thick scent of grief was still present in his voice upon mentioning his lost friend.
Judging from how Torben introduced the duo, they were probably best friends. Losing someone like that is akin to losing a family member.
[We agreed to a 'List of Last Deeds,' you know. Could you help me finish it? I like to think it'd give Tavish some semblance of peace. Prove he's not to be forgotten.](Nairne)
Pondering for a moment, Michael nodded in acquiescence.
"Sure. What do you have in mind?"
[If we place his dagger at the locations on the list, it'll mark our mischief eternal. It's in this chest over here, alongside Tavish's other belongings.](Nairne)
"Before that, drink this. You're bleeding."
Handing over a Healing Potion, Michael looked at the young man and couldn't help but remember his cousin Vic. Since they were young, they've been in a similar relationship, where they were each other's best friends, as close as blood brothers.
He couldn't help but wonder how he was doing.
'I'm sure he's fine. He was already expecting his second child. Haha! I'm living in continuous adventure while he's changing diapers! What a win!'
[Oh, I never notice a few scrapes. A bit of blood just shows your commitment, eh, Tavish? Luckily, the booze has me without sense.](Nairne)
"Just drink it. What about this List of Last Deeds?"
[Oh, aye. We were at the Goose one night when Torben mentioned an old hunter lost to wargs. Tavish couldn't imagine going out that way. Tossed about grand deeds that needed doing before he passed. So we had a contest of courage, assisted by the Goose's finest supply, and put our promises to paper.](Nairne)
"..."
[No task too daring. No embarrassment discouraged by pride. The greater the risk, the greater the drinks to follow.](Nairne)
The lad downed the Healing Potion and chased away its taste with another swig from a bottle that reeked of strong spirits.
Then, he opened Tavish's chest, holding the man's belongings, and took out a small dagger. Handing it out to Michael, the redhead laughed with great gusto.
[Let's get to it then.](Nairne)
[ Side Quest updated - Remembering the Goose
Objective 1: Place Tavish's dagger on the entrance statue at Maddux Watch
Objective 2: Place Tavish's dagger on the old crane in Old Heimberg
Objective 3: Place Tavish's dagger in a Highland bear den
Description: Nairne confessed to stealing the Under the Goose Inn sign. She says it's part of a promise she made with Tavish before his death - a 'List of Last Deeds.'
If you help her complete this list, she'll return the stolen sign. This is her last opportunity to bring closure to Tavish's passing. Fulfill their promise. ]
Doing a 180 and turning to look at the redhead 'lad,' Michael was stumped upon seeing the Sanctuary classify Nairne as a 'she.'
Holding back his questions, the Necromancer realized just how much worse the pain of losing someone was if the two were more than just best friends.
"*Cough* Where should we go first?"
[Hmm? Oh... The closest should be Old Heimberg.](Nairne)
"Let's go there first, then."
Returning to the inn, Nairne took a horse from the stables after saying something to the stablemaster, leaving the man speechless and shaking his head.
Still, Michael didn't miss the man's slight smile.
Traveling on horseback through the plains, the duo reached a place infested by spiders. It took Michael and his minions ten minutes to fully clean it, revealing a dilapidated shack, as well as a massive wooden crane overseeing a small waterfall.
Nairne dismounted and asked Michael for the dagger. Placing it around her waist, she climbed the creaking crane clumsily until she reached the top.
There, she took out the dagger and inscribed Tavish's name alongside hers. Coming back down, she looked at the dagger with some pain in her eyes as she recounted the story of the place they were in.
[No matter the bounty, mercenaries always avoided Old Heimberg's eight-legged nasties. But Tavish was no coward. He swore he'd climb the old crane and show them who's high and mighty around here. Now, all that remains are empty boasts...](Nairne)
"And those who remember them."
[What?](Nairne)
"As long as there's someone who remembers those empty boasts, then it's fine. We all die eventually. What matters is to have people that remember you. Tavish has you, doesn't he?"
The redhead girl nodded while fighting back the tears, asking Michael to head to the Maddux Watch next.
They encountered more spiders and even undead this time around, with Nairne even helping Michael uncover a Dungeon.
"Light's Watch, Maddux Watch... Yet another fallen bastion of the church, huh?"
[Yes. Oh, right! Tavish interrupted a Cathedral service once. Nipped a prayer drape for his cold feet. Priest was furious! He never graved a church again but swore he'd thumb his nose at the lot. Heh, what better place than their old nest taken by the undead?](Nairne)
The Necromancer was initially worried when he saw the girl walk toward the Dungeon entrance but sighed in relief when she stopped before a statue, where she similarly inscribed her name and Tavish's.
Only the bear den was left, and Michael led the way after setting a mark on the MAP to where the Sanctuary pointed them.
Leading the way, he cleared most of the Blood Clan goatmen lying around, after which they stopped in front of a small collapsed cave in front of which tens of bones of people, goatmen, and other animals were strewn about.
The Sanctuary identified the place as a Highland Bear Den, nodding in response to Nairne's silent question.
She then approached the wall and worked hard for over five minutes, using the already dull knife to inscribe her name and Tavishe's on the stones.
[One night, Tavish came into the Goose screaming about a bear turning into a man, heh. Had Torben and me in stitches. 'Druids!?' Said he'd find their den and bop each one 'til they proved him true.](Nairne)
The Necromancer stayed quiet, seeing the tears falling on the girl's face. There wasn't much he could do since she had to sort out her feelings alone.
[It's done. *Sigh* Oh, I have to tell Tavish. We'll drink to victory!](Nairne)
[ Side Quest update - Remembering the Goose
Objective: Escort Nairne back to Loch's Bane Ridge. ]
Getting back on their mounts and rushing back to the pile of junk Nairne and Tavish called their hideout, Michael remembered the strange runes and the magical energy around the pile of trash they gathered.
It was undoubtedly a place warded by either Druids or Horadrim, which the troublemaker duo made their base.
They quietly dismounted as Nairne walked before the small grave the Necromancer hadn't discovered before.
[The deeds are done, Tavish! You've no reason to regret now... I didn't do this for you, you know? Said I did, but... you know better. *Sigh* Who's Torben to scowl at now? Can't imagine I'll rile him so...](Nairne)
Hearing the empty laughter as tears watered the small grave, Michael approached and patted the girl's head.
After crying her heart out for a while, she sat next to the grave and gestured toward the sign.
[Please, take the Goose back to her nest. I'm going to stay a while longer and finish this last pint with Tavish. Just one more.](Nairne)
Nodding, Michael got back on his mount and returned to the inn with the sign.
Torben looked surprised to see it in good shape and raised an eyebrow at the Necromancer.
"I retrieved it. Nairne borrowed it to help with Tavish's passing."
[Tavish is dead!? How!?](Torben)
"Goatmen. He died about three days ago."
[Damned beasts! The Goose won't be the same without him. And Nairne. They're why the Goose stays open, even during the hardest times. A respite from the darkness of this world. I'll go find that girl.](Torben)
The innkeeper took a horse from the stables and rushed to where Nairne was. Only now did Michael understand how much the duo was appreciated.
Tavish might've been the troublemaker, while Nairne only followed behind due to obvious reasons. As for Torben and the other residents of the inn, just like the man said, they enjoyed the shenanigans because they offered respite from all the bad shit happening out in the world.
[ Side Quest complete - Remembering the Goose
Reward 1: 58,520 experience points
Reward 2: 3,060 gold coins
Reward 3: Murmuring Cache. ]
Already slightly bummed by today's events, Michael slapped his face twice to gather up his resolve.
There was much more that needed to be done before noon, and he only had a couple of hours left.
Opening up the MAP to place a tracker for the second Quest, he noticed a blue exclamation mark near the area he previously visited with Nairne.
[ Side Quest: Claws at the Throat (Level 50+)
Description: Something sinister stalks the shadows of the Highland Wilds. ]
Frowning, Michael looked at the description and felt it was a bad idea to go there alone.
However, looking back at the people eating and drinking without a worry, remembering the troublemakers and Torben's love for this place, he sighed in defeat and headed up that way.
Passing through the Great Northern Plains and heading to the spot marked on the MAP, the Necromancer found a merchant wagon undisturbed on the side of the road, with its owner bleeding to death next to it.
By the time he got next to the man and wanted to hand over the Healing Potion, he noticed that the merchant had already stopped breathing a while back.
"What in the love of fuck happened here!?"
Seeing the pool of blood, Michael ordered his minions to set up a perimeter, just in case he got ambushed while searching for clues.
There seemed to be nothing in a pretty large area around him—no wildlife, no monsters, no other humans. Nothing!
"Fucking weird... *Sigh* Now, how the hell do I approach the man without getting a shitton of blood on my boots and pants?"
He first looked around the wagon and realized that the horse pulling it was gone. It was not killed; it just vanished as if it had never been there to begin with.
The harness used on it was on the ground as if it had previously lost the support of what it was sitting on, making the Necromancer think of his own mount.
"If that's the case, then it should be a similar type of contract this man signed with a stable master. Meaning that they should've been notified about something happening to the horse's owner. As for the wagon..."
Taking over five minutes to rummage about the wagon, even with his low expertise in playing detective, he quickly realized that nothing was stolen since nothing appeared to be missing from the merchant's cargo.
Removing theft from the list, though a bit appalled, Michael approached the recently deceased and inspected its wounds.
"Eyes open wide and dilated pupils. Not sure what that means, but coupled with the terrified expression on his face, this man should've met something pretty damned scary. As for the cause of death..."
The man's throat has been violently torn open. Ergo, the pool of blood around the wagon.
Michael carefully checked to see if there were any other wounds that would at least indicate a struggle, but he found nothing. The man's clothes were in order, and there was no way he would undress a dead man in the middle of the wilderness only to search for possible bruises or cuts.
Concluding that it might've been a single slash to the throat that ended the man's life, the list didn't narrow too much, but at least wild beasts could be removed. Same for thieves and brigands since the goods are intact.
After storing the merchant's body in the inventory and seeing a casket appear, the Necromancer patted his mount, who looked displeased.
"Sorry, love, but we can't leave the wagon out here. If the merchant has a family, at least they can use the goods to live properly for a while longer. And I would haul it myself, but as you can see, it's made for bigger 'people.'"
Getting a snort in response as he put the harness on the horse, Michael looked at the Quest interface, where he received a new Side Quest, asking him to return to Under the Fat Goose Inn for more information.