Chapter 32. Intel gathering

Seeing Michael return, Lorath smiled and beckoned him closer.

[How was it? Did Orzen give you any trouble?](Lorath]

"Not really. I just had to pay to get your weapon back."

[Ah, apologies.](Lorath)

Seeing no intention of paying him back, Michael rolled his eyes and let the issue rest. Instead, he wanted some answers as payment.

"He also gave me this amulet. What is it?"

[Mh... this old junk... The mark of the Horadrim. An ancient order of scholars and mages sworn to protect the Sanctuary from demons. These days, we are few in number...](Lorath)

Hearing the word 'Horadrim,' Michael did a double take, surprised that the old Hermit was part of this impressive order he kept hearing about. Old man Al, Gonk, the trio... pretty much everyone knew and worshiped these guys as if they were the Avengers.

Seeing as that was the case, the young Necromancer wanted to milk the man dry of any information he might have. Sanctuary or not, information is power.

"I have lots of questions for you."

[I know, but time waits for no one. There is another Horadrim. Donan. Your questions will be mostly related to Lilith and demons in general. Donan's breath of knowledge about demons is matched only by his hubris.](Lorath)

"Sounds like he could help us in the upcoming struggle."

[Mhm. You should seek him out in Scosglen.](Lorath)

"I'll do just that. With more information, we can be better prepared."

[That's fine. But don't forget about the Cathedral. I already sent word, and they'll be expecting you. They should prove to be valuable allies in the near future.](Lorath)

"You're not coming with me for the introductions, at least? It would make things less awkward."

[I can't. I need to visit the Dry Steppes as soon as possible and find out who the Pale Man is. Join me when you can... just be careful.](Lorath)

Seeing the Hermit's worried gaze made Michael frown and throw a questioning glance at him.

[Your ties with Lilith, the visions you see - you are the key to finding her and putting a stop to whatever she has planned.](Lorath)

"I guess... Some quick questions, then, before you leave. The answers should be handy before I meet with Donan, and I doubt I could ask the Cathedral for a proper answer for them without being branded as a heretic."

[Okay.](Lorath)

"First of all, the villagers in Nevesk. What were they doing in those ruins? I encountered something in the Dungeon called the Chamber of Calling, and it had multiple interconnected diagrams drawn with blood on its floor. A Baron descended to get rid of me, and something tells me it's not easy to bring over the 'nobility' of Hell in this realm."

[That's true. A high enough price must be paid from our side to open up a door large enough for such an entity to cross. They probably forced the Sanctuary to leave the door open, so it issued you a Quest to close it. As for what the villagers were doing... sacrifices. Summoning demons. They were honing all the 'wonderful' gifts that Lilith granted them.](Lorath)

"Makes sense... Tell me more of Inarius."

[The Cathedral loves to go on about him, so you'll learn much more from them instead. If you can sift through their bullshit, that is. They'll talk about his imprisonment in Hell. His valiant escape and glorious return here - the world he created. But they never mention how being tortured in Hell for a few millennia turns you into an arse.](Lorath)

"Great... A fallen angel that's stupidly strong, egomaniac, and mentally unstable. *Sigh* Sounds delightful."

[Haha! Don't let the fanatics of the Church hear you, though. You'll end up on a pyre before you can say anything else.](Lorath)

Nodding and seeing the man already saddling the horse, Michael thought of the more critical questions he could get an answer for. And there was this one thing he didn't share with Lorath about his encounter in Nevesk.

"Lilith's return, was it prophesied? Or rather, are there any relevant prophecies related to her?"

[There was a prophecy, yes. It foretold the rise of the Prime Evils. The return of Lilith and Inarius. The doom of our world. Inarius adopted the prophecy for his own selfish purposes - put it in the Cathedral of Light's gospel and made it seem like he would be the hero to save us.](Lorath)

Remembering the voice in his head reciting the damned thing, Michael understood how Inarius made it seem as if he would save the world. If Hatred represents Lilith in this gospel and Inarius is the Light, then 'the spear of Light piercing through Hatred's heart' makes much more sense.

For a moment, Michael wanted to ask about the one who created this prophecy but decided not to at the last moment. Something told him it wouldn't be a good idea to expose his ties with Lilith and this other strange power.

'I can't risk exposing too much before I know more. Since the Cathedral is filled with fanatics, getting more from them shouldn't be too difficult. If not, Donan can fill in the blanks. Using the Waypoints should make my life much easier... though I must travel on foot to Dry Steppes and Scosglen first.'

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Seeing the newbie Necromancer lost in thought, Lorath couldn't help but remember the old days. He, Donan, and another group of three fought against one of the Lords of Hell and managed to seal him away.

The losses they incurred, the vigor in their battles, and boiling anger... he still remembers all of it to this day—the folly of youth.

Petting the skinny horse's head, he jumped on its back and waved goodbye to the newbie. With how much he saw in his life, Lorath knew that this upcoming war would be on a different magnitude compared with the skirmishes in the past.

He couldn't help but think of this whole mess with Lilith and Inarius.

[Sometimes, our paths in life are set to collide; we just don't know it. Whether it is by accident or fate's hand, we can do nothing about it.](Lorath)

His mind kept replaying the events and his encounter with Michael, unable to stop complaining about the unavoidability of fate. A course set...

Already departing through the gates of Kyovashad, Lorath didn't look back but kept thinking of the entire situation.

[A Wanderer lost in the storm. Fed the blood of Lilith. Saved by a lone monk. Different lives and incidents drawn together... by what? Destiny?](Lorath)

He knew there was more the young man didn't tell him, and understandably so. Horadrim or not, he was a person Michael met only hours ago.

There was much he wasn't telling him either. Like the identity of the Pale Man.

[Is there a greater power pulling the strings? I do not know... But at this time, I know I stand a chance to protect humanity from the Daughter of Hatred and fulfill my oath. If she's gone, Inarius will focus on the invaders of this realm and deal with them to re-enter in the good graces of the High Heavens.](Lorath)

Shaking his head slightly, he reminded himself that plans can't keep up with the situation, so he should be more flexible. Nevertheless, he recognized this feeling coursing through his veins. Hope!

[The Wanderer's connection to Lilith gives me hope. Imagine that. Didn't think I'd live long enough to put these old bones to good use again...](Lorath)

A chuckle escaped his lips as the horse trodded on the beaten path. He could feel the confluence of many powerful beings thugging at the strings of fate, hoping to draw its favor.

The High Heavens were involved, the Burning Hells always had a foot in this world, Inarius and Lilith played their games, the Nephalem had stayed silent for too long, and other powers as old as the Heavens themselves were stirring awake.

[There is too much at stake this time around. I can't afford to let emotions cloud my judgment. Never again...](Lorath)

The snowstorm was slowly calming down, but there was still something brewing in the clouds. This was only the beginning.

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Seeing the Hermit vanish in the distance, Michael shook his head and pondered about the information he gathered so far.

'Leaving aside my weird connection to Lilith, the Sanctuary itself is pushing me in a direction that will surely put me face to face with her. Then, there's Inarius as well. I should get a feel for where the Cathedral stands in all this mess when I meet up with them.'

This trio of two higher beings and the world they created annoyed Michael. The couple had their beef to deal with, and the Sanctuary was caught in the middle.

'Lilith was a Princess of Hell before she somehow hooked up with Inarius. For the fallen angel, he probably met her when he was imprisoned in Hell. Maybe there's more to that story than meets the eye. Either way, they created the Sanctuary to escape the Eternal Conflict - the everlasting war between angels and demons.'

Arranging every bit of intel he gathered was akin to completing a puzzle. Some pieces fit, while others created even more significant gaps in the larger picture.

'The trio mentioned Lilith and Inarius having children, the Nephalem - beings so strong that Inarius feared them. When he got too paranoid, he banished Lilith to the Void and shackled his children's bloodlines to weaken them. Leaving aside the parental abuse, Inarius was locked and tortured in Hell for millennia which kind of fucked him up. Lilith suffered a similar fate at the hands of Inarius later on, only it was in the Void.'

Knowing the lack of information about this Void, Michael shook his head in annoyance. He heard nothing of the place, but based on previous novels he had read, it should be a bad place.

'And what happens when you lock up a woman with the title 'The Daughter of Hatred' in a shitty place after a bad break-up for thousands of years? Probably a nutcase that had enough time to concoct a convoluted revenge plan. Can I blame her? No. Do I want to get caught up in her schemes and die a pathetic and horrible death? Also, no. So where the fuck does that leave me?'

Sighing in frustration, Michael left after saying his goodbyes to the man owning the stables. Annoyed or not, being polite to the one person in this city who can ensure you don't travel this vast continent on foot was mandatory.

Walking away slowly, he realized that a couple of hours already passed since he arrived in Kyovashad and could see tons of people walking about.

'It's too early to return to Helen, and I don't want to look desperate even though I kinda am. I planned to wait until I brought my date here, but it would be good to book a room in advance at the Inn.'

While he agreed that he was thinking with his dick more than using his brain, the young man desperately needed to get laid and release some of the tension he had accumulated over the past months.

Walking toward the Inn, he was surprised to see a big placard similar to what he had in high school as a gazette where important news would be hung.

'Let's see. There's no name for the Inn, which is plenty weird but okay. They call the gazette a 'Notice Board,' huh?'

Thinking about it, Michael realized how weird it was that he could read this world's language in some cases, while in others, he couldn't. For example, everything written on the Notice Board was in the same weird characters he saw in the town priest of Nevesk's gospel.

But at that point, it could've been ancient Sanskrit for all Michael was concerned. Now though, even if the characters were the same, he could understand their meaning.

'Let's see... it says, 'At the start of the new month, Reverend Mother Prava will hold a sunrise sermon in celebration of the Divine Advent, the day Father Inarius returned to the world.' So it's about Inarius and more standard brainwashing.'

Realizing it wasn't important, Michael swerved back to the language issue.

'The only thing that makes sense is that the Sanctuary/system is helping me translate. It's beyond me why it just doesn't permanently teach me the language. It also raises the question of why is this notice important enough to be translated.'

Michael went inside the Inn, shaking his head and seeing nothing else on the notice board he could read.

People were already having breakfast, though no harsh 'adventurers' turned their heads to glare at him as he read in many novels.

'Guess everyone is too busy eating and drinking to bother with a newbie. Makes things easier for me...'

He walked to the counter where a middle-aged lady was writing something in a book, but it looked like unintelligible scribbles to Michael.

[Oh? A new face. Got plenty of those recently. Good for business but not good for the heart since it means that trouble is brewing. Welcome to the Sleepy Peaks. Are you looking for a bed, food and drinks, or maybe both?](?)

"Hello. I'll take a room, food, and drinks for a week."

[A week, huh? Single room?](?)

"Yes. Though, I'd prefer a bigger bed."

[*Smirks* I see. One of the better rooms we have is available. Is cleaner and cozier than the rest.](?)

"More expensive as well, I assume."

[Of course. It will cost 100 gold per day, including three meals and free drinks.](?)

He did ask before how much a room would cost, and the trio told him about 25 gold per day for a standard room and meals.

Even if what he was getting was fancier, there was no need for it to cost four times more.

"Isn't that too expensive? Why is it that high?"

[Better quality bed and sound isolation.](?)

Seeing the hostess wiggle an eyebrow in a very suggestive manner, Michael opened his mouth but eventually stayed quiet.

Luckily, he sold all his crap to Orzen.

"I'll take it for a week."

He was planning to put the sound isolation to very good use!