Chapter 212. The Wrong Hands

After clearing the monsters, Michael turned to look at the airhead, who was already inspecting the surroundings.

She led the other two girls forward as the two men dealt with the spiders, bringing them to the ruins mentioned by the Sanctuary. 

The stone buildings were old and worn, with more than half sinking into the ground. The grass was knee-high, covering the tracks of any footsteps that might've walked this area in the past.

[Well, don't just stand there! Help me search.](Aria)

Rolling his eyes at the airhead, Michael turned to Neyrelle, who explained that this place used to be a druidic settlement. Since Vasily himself is said to have lived there, they might be able to find traces or artifacts of significant history.

Remembering that it was the name of the first Druid, the Necromancer acquiesced and began inspecting whatever items he could find through the grass with the Sanctuary's help.

[ Crumbling Basket

A simple basket that will no longer hold anything. ]

[ Boiled Leather

Long scratches and tooth marks mar the boiled leather. ]

[ Battered Shield

The broken remains of Druid charms. ]

[ Stone pile

A pile of stones. ]

Michael was close to blowing his top because of how annoying the Sanctuary's description of the objects he found was. Aria's voice stopped him in his tracks.

[It seems like graverobbers got here long before we did. Let's do one last search. They might have missed something near the water.](Aria)

The young woman was surprisingly bossy, and one could even describe her as 'professional' when she did archeological digging around the objects he or the others found.

Also, her guess regarding the water was spot on, as they were able to find a worn carving near the small lake close to the ruins.

Evelyn found it and quickly ran to Aria to show it off.

[I found this!](Evelyn)

[This is excellent, Evelyn! You have a keen eye. It's a talisman, a focus. See the face: a fox or a wolf. Druids learning to shapeshift use them to focus their power.](Aria)

[Mhm. I used a similar one in the past when I learned my Werewolf transformation. This focus seems stronger than the one I used, though.](Evelyn)

[That's why it would make for an excellent artifact to study after I get to Túr Dúlra. Let's go. There's one last stop I'd like to make before leaving for the Stronghold.](Aria)

Michael frowned and gestured at Gonk, who also entered an alert state. This situation was similar to the one in the Downs, where the villagers found the carving and turned into werewolves.

Moving from the Dark Thicket, where they found the ruins, into the Southern Briars, where a large number of undead ambushed them, Michael kept feeling that they were being watched.

The Sanctuary also updated the objective to one asking them to bring Aria to a waterfall overlook. 

They reached the location pretty quickly and found a small hill they had to climb. Rather than calling it a hill, a cliff was more appropriate. 

Water came flowing from the top, and a narrow bridge allowed passage to the other side without the waterfall impeding travelers.

As beautiful as the sight was, the feeling of being watched intensified once they stepped on the bridge. 

Obviously, Aria wasn't bothered by this.

[I knew having a companion would be beneficial. What if I'd have been alone? Heh. What a beautiful place!](Aria)

[What do you know about it?](Neyrelle)

[Not much. Some people think the waterfall formed from an explosion of Vasily's power. That he -- Wait! Do you hear that?](Aria)

Rolling his eyes at the clueless girls, Michael and Gonk had already stepped forward. Michael and the Reapers blocked the back while the Barbarian and Quarterback charged at the front.

A large group of Worgen, in the form of Wargs and Volkdaks, attacked from both sides, thinking they had cornered their prey. This was most likely related to the worn carving they took from the lake since Gonk alerted him of the many paw prints in the soil around the water.

Disposing of them was pretty easy since the space they could attack from was reduced considerably on the bridge, and their fighting strength was nowhere near enough to break through the defenses of the minions or Gonk.

After the attack was dealt with, the girls returned to admiring the landscape, much to Michael's annoyance.

From there, they moved closer to the Stronghold as Aria told plenty of folklore legends she had heard about Vasily. Once in front of the entrance, the group finally parted.

[Thank you for your aid. And look, Túr Dúlra is right ahead! You can see Druids coming in and out! Maybe I'll see you here more often if you have time.](Aria)

As the girls promised to meet each other often, the Necromancer checked the rewards he received from completing the Quest.

[ Side Quest complete  -  The Traveling Scholar

Reward 1: 33,440 experience points

Reward 2: 2,550 gold coins

Reward 3: Gem Cache. ]

Walking into Túr Dúlra, Michael led the party to the Waypoint and traveled directly to Cerrigar.

They had postponed returning for too long, and Albard was probably impatiently waiting to see them back—not only to heal the daughter of the Great Tree but also to head to Túr Dúlra himself and explore it.

When Michael saw the Oak Tree again, it already appeared in much better shape than before, even if its Keeper was paler.

[You're back. Luckily, the Great Tree infused some of its energy into its daughter. Otherwise, I would've failed at maintaining it alive until you returned. Did you find what I asked you to?](Albard)

"Yes. We've been to the Underroot and found it. Evelyn."

The little Druid took out the root cutting and carefully handed it over to Albard.

Seeing the excellent condition of it, he praised Evelyn for her skills.

[The Great Oak was generous and gave you a good root! A good, clean, lively one, too! You did well in keeping it alive with your own energy, little girl. Our Tree was raised from a cutting such as this. It'll graft nicely and refresh her for another age.](Albard)

After thanking them, the Keeper got to work, and Evelyn helped graft the root under the man's instructions. 

Seeing how well-liked the little Druid was, Michael was certain that Hoduin was proud of his competent apprentice.

[ Side Quest complete  -  Daughter of the Oak

Reward 1: 16,720 experience points

Reward 2: 2,040 gold coins

Reward 3: Murmuring Cache. ]

With the Quest completed, the Necromancer disbanded the party and let everyone do their own thing. 

Gonk promptly returned to Kyovashad since he had an appointment with Connie, while the two girls returned to Túr Dúlra with Albard. Michael wasn't too worried about them, so he let them have their fun.

Instead, he headed to the closest Blacksmith and got rid of all of his Rare and Magic items.

This, coupled with the findings on the way throughout the day, turned into 35 Iron Chunks, 6 Silver Ores, 32 Rawhides, 23 Superior Leather, 14 Veiled Crystals, 10 Blightshades, 10 Lifesbanes, 10 Reddamines, 10 Howler Moss, and 5 Angelbreaths.

Realizing that he had three caches to open, Michael sighed and opened them one by one. The Murmuring Cache gave him 50 Obols, bringing his total to 488/515, and a Rare item.

The Leather Cache offered 12 Rawhides and 6 superior Leathers, as well as a Rare item.

And finally, the Gem Cache offered 25 of each type of gem fragments, plus a Rare item.

After scrapping the extra three items, he gained three more Iron Chunks, one Silver Ore, two Rawhides, one Superior Leather, and three Veiled Crystals.

'*Sigh* After such a busy day, my experience is only at 568,029/1,571,130. And that's after I completed three Quests, one Stronghold Event, and one Dungeon. This... is a bit ridiculous.'

Worried about his future, Michael opened his Quest interface to see what was left to deal with. 

There, he saw the one requiring him to meet up with Artair, which he decided to deal with now.

[ Side Quest issued  -  The Wrong Hands

Objective: Bring the broken carving to Artair. ]

Michael tried contacting Iveta again before traveling to the Down farms but without much luck. 

Scratching his head, he decided to use his 'connections' at the Cathedral and inquire about the woman if he couldn't find her after visiting Braestaig. 

Since the town wasn't attacked, she was most likely either repositioned to a different location or recalled to Kyovashad or Kor Valar. 

'Or maybe she's on a small vacation. The last time we quested together, she said she'd turn off her Ring of Communication when relaxing so that she wouldn't be bothered by others. Let's hope that's the case...'

Taking the Waypoint to Braestaig, Michael arrived and saw the place almost the same as he left it. Even if he's been here not too long ago, with the mess he went through in Cerrigar, it feels like a couple of years have passed.

After finding some Knight Penitents to ask about Iveta, they confirmed that she wasn't recalled or moved to a different location. It's just that she took some days off, and they haven't seen her in a while.

Albeit worried, Michael headed toward the farms where he would find Artair and deal with the Side Quest first. Then, he would investigate if something happened to Iveta.

'I have a handful of acquaintances... I prefer not losing any of them.'

Summoning his mount and taking the eastern road toward the farms, Michael inspected the surroundings and realized that both Iveta and Celeste had kept their promise. He saw Wanderers and Knights patrolling the area in the distance.

This would result in much fewer monsters attacking, and such large numbers of powerful people might even deter the goatmen of the Blood Clan.

Taking in the farmland, which now appeared much healthier than before, the Necromancer nodded pensively, thinking back to the Great Tree in Túr Dúlra.

With its protection, the chance of famine occurring again was extremely low. Also, the farmers were now under the wing of the Wanderers and the Druids, meaning that they wouldn't have to resort to shapeshifting into werewolves to solve their problems.

From the Harrowfields into Wraithsteads, everything was looking much better, holding the promise of a better future.

Knocking on the door to Siofra's house, where he knew he would find Artair thanks to the Quest Marker, the Necromancer waited patiently until someone opened the door.

As for whom it was...

"Iveta!?"

[Eh... Hello, Michael.](Iveta)

Michael's mouth dropped open as he looked at the woman in 'civilian' clothing and Artair and Siofra behind her.

He thought something horrendous might've happened to her, and he was right! This damned bastard Artair was building himself a harem!

Purged! HE MUST BE PURGED!

[*Cough* Did you come looking for me, friend?](Artair)

"I'd be damned if I ever do that again!"

[???](Artair)

Taking a deep breath and holding himself back from punching the confused face in front of him, the Necromancer explained the reason for his visit.

He pulled out the carving from his Quest inventory and handed it over to the Druid.

"I found this broken carving; could it be part of another totem?"

[Hmm? Strange. Are there more than the one we found? It's good that you brought this to me. It's hard to make out the anima's form from the bit that's here... but I see the clawed limbs of a large, predatory beast.](Artair)

"Is it possible for the same thing that happened to the villagers to occur again, thanks to this one?"

[I am afraid so. This one appears to be part of a bigger totem. If you find any other parts, bring them to me immediately. I will ask others to scour the countryside for the pieces as well. We can't risk the fragments of this falling into the wrong hands again.](Artair)

The Druid offered some drinks - even if it wasn't his own house - but Michael refused as he had 'prior engagements.' 

He didn't really, but it was damned annoying seeing Artair's face at the moment. When he was planning to leave, Iveta had already put on her equipment and said she'd join him to Braestaig since her leave was almost done.

Seeing her kiss the Druid shyly, Michael rolled his eyes and wondered if he should summon Quarterback and beat the man for a couple of rounds.

[ Side Quest complete  -  The Wrong Hands

Reward 1: 16,720 experience points

Reward 2: 2,040 gold coins

Reward 3: Gem Cache. ]

Realizing that this was also one of those type of collection Quests, the Necromancer felt even more hatred while looking at Artair.

Then he remembered that not only did he have Helen, but he also slept in the same house as another four beauties. 

Looking at it objectively, wasn't he worse than the Druid!?