Chapter 183. Finding the trail

Slightly ashamed, the Necromancer found the study and abandoned his search for clues.

Descending the stairs into the basement, Michael wondered if the people of Sanctuary had a thing for setting their studies at the lowest level of their homes.

Unfortunately, his pondering was cut short by the Sanctuary.

[ Main Quest update - Dark Omens

Objective: Inspect the blood petals. ]

"THE WHAT!?"

Scared, Michael looked around as goosebumps erupted across his hands and back.

Fortunately, after peaking around the corner and seeing that only tables and bookshelves were around, he sighed in relief. 

"Fuck! I almost pissed myself! What the hell was Lilith doing here!?"

Looking around the study, he found a string of blood petals leading to a larger area covered by them.

Michael was curious why Donan hadn't cleaned the place since they looked almost like blood splatters, but he realized that it was likely that man couldn't see them. 

Entering snooping mode, Michael looked for strange books and found a couple that might be relevant.

[A weathered tome entitled 'The Book of Wards.' Notes are scrawled in the margins of a section above Fire Magic.]

[A stack of papers bearing the title 'The Fall of Astaroth.' It appears to be an unfinished chronicle of Donan's battle against the demon. Numerous lines have been crossed out and rewritten.]

[A large tome entitled 'Grimoire of Ash.' The pages are filled with ancient writings about Hell's fire demons, including one passage about Astaroth, the Charred Duke.] 

The Sanctuary helped Michael find the relevant details without fully reading the books. 

But that only served to confuse him further. 

'Didn't they kill Astaroth already? Why the hell is he still researching him? Just to review past glory? Also, aren't wards used to lock something up? Fuck me sideways! I knew this shit was a trap!'

The Necromancer's first instinct was to run away, but he stopped himself in time. Taking a deep breath, he approached the blood petals and touched them.

A small wind blew, and the petals rose from the ground, surrounding him until his vision turned dark. Then, he saw Donan.

In a disembodied state, Michael looked around the room. It was mostly dark, if not for the eight large candles on the walls, which offered some semblance of a dim light.

At the table, Donan was writing with a quill, stopping and sighing occasionally. He was obviously tired. He placed down the quill and rubbed his nose bridge to relieve the tension, planning to stretch for a while before restarting his writing process.

But before he could, all the candles in the room were snuffed out, leaving him in complete darkness. Then, emitting a soft red light, a strange arch appeared in his study out of nowhere.

The arch had a corridor inside it, leading to a red curtain, the only light source in the room. Two statues guarded the arch; both represented women who looked away from the corridor.

Everything about this structure screamed evil, especially the face sculpted at the very top of the entrance. The head of a man or a woman with two long horns seemed to look down on Donan from it, admonishing the poor fool for his lack of awareness.

[Grant...me... entrance...](Distant Voice)

The low, whispering voice of a woman disturbed the silence of the study, forcing Donan to stand up from his desk.

The Horadrim stopped in front of the arch for the briefest moments, only to courageously enter and traverse the corridor. When he reached the red curtain, he winced at the sight of it. It appeared to be made out of flesh.

Hesitating slightly, he extended his left hand and pulled over the veil covering the source of the red light.

Sure enough, Lilith was behind it, moving closer to Donan with each step she took. The Horadrim tried to stay calm, but his shallow breathing and retreating steps revealed the anxiety in his heart.

[No... no, this can't be...](Donan)

By the time he retreated from the corridor, Lilith was also in his study. She was calmly looking at the man and the room itself.

It was obvious that she was here for a specific purpose. 

[I know who you are...](Donan)

With his back against his desk, unable to retreat any further, Donan stood face-to-face with Lilith. 

The ever-shrinking distance between them put immense pressure on the man, but he did his best not to cower in front of the demoness. 

Unfortunately for him, Lilith wasn't impressed.

Extending her right hand, she gently touched the Horadric symbol around Donan's neck, playing with it in amusement. 

[And I know you, Donan.](Lilith)

The gasping and panting of the man increased considerably, and he was barely able to maintain consciousness. Lilith's voice continuously attacked his psyche, trying to demolish whatever few remaining defenses he had left.

[Old. Tired. Each day, a struggle to live up to your own legacy.](Lilith)

Ignoring her gentle whispers and more concerned with the wings behind her back extending all the way to the study's walls, Donan caught his breath and managed to mutter.

[What do you want with me!?](Donan)

With a smile, Lilith mentioned a single word.

[Astaroth.](Lilith)

[He's dead!](Donan)

[Astaroth cannot die. Not by your hand.](Lilith)

Lilith's hand extended from the necklace up to Donan's neck, caressing his face as she moved her face closer to his ear.

Like the gentle whisper of a lover, her voice rattled the Horadrim's mind, causing confusion and lust to briefly appear in his eyes.

[What have you done with him?](Lilith)

Just as Lilith was about to win, a flash of hurt passed through the man's eyes, and he regained clarity. His breathing was still labored, his heart still anxious, but his will was firm.

[Away... demon! I deny you.](Donan)

A slight surprise appeared in Lilith's eyes as she turned to look at the man's face again. Her nails roamed across his beard, now sporting more gray hairs than lush dark ones.

She touched Donan's lower lip with the nail of her thumb and pulled it back. A slight wound, now oozing blood, appeared.

[You have grown so frail... I can make you the hero you once were...](Lilith)

Just then, Lilith noticed a painting behind the desk, and her eyes flashed for the briefest of moments.

Her face now sported a slight smile as she retreated a step back from the Horadrim. Just then, Donan finally managed to recover his bearings.

[Return to the darkness from whence you came! I said away!](Donan)

Looking at the panting mess of a man barely standing on his feet, Lilith disdainfully smiled at him.

The grin seemed to mock the Horadrim for his pathetic attempt at resisting the inevitable, as a storm of blood petals engulfed the demoness's body and made her vanish from the study alongside the strange structure.

Rubbing the dripping blood from his beard, Donan looked around and fell to the ground as soon as he confirmed that he was indeed alone again.

Darkness overtook Michael's sense, and he returned to the present with a gasp. His heartbeat was erratic, and he couldn't help but frown.

'Lilith's presence is different than before. If before she was calm and seductive, now it's like the silence before the storm. It seems that Rathma's death affected her greatly...'

The sound made by a blowing horn he once heard used in movies before battles between armies brought him out of messy conspiracy theories.

He saw the said horn near the mansion's entrance but didn't think it could actually be used.

*ROAR* *CRASH*

The sound was followed by whatever furniture was above the basement being trashed and violently smashed against the floor.

Realizing that the horn might have been used in response to an enemy attack, Michael summoned his minions and quickly left the study.

As soon as the Reapers charged ahead, a monster engaged them, surprising the Necromancer.

[ Blood Clan Maraurder (Minion) - Level 52 ]

A goatmen of a different affiliation than the usual Ice Clan he met. Still, seeing the servants either wounded or dead on the floor of the manor entrance, a frown appeared on his face.

The poor people must've retreated to the house for safety but were overrun by the goatmen. The few Knight Penitents and Inquisitors were fighting off the invasion, but their numbers didn't permit them to do more than save themselves. It was made apparent to the Necromancer that none of these people were Wanderers.

Leaving the Cold Mages and the Reapers to deal with the Blood Clan members in the building, Michael ran outside and summoned the Golem, allowing it to run wild.

With the pressure removed, the Knights could regroup and form ranks again while the Necromancer attacked the two Elites cornered in the fields.

Halfway through the fight, Donan and a group of five Knights and two Inquisitors joined the fight, all of them Wanderers. The fight ended with the home team's victory, but the losses were still apparent. Especially the commonfolk working on the mannor.

Following behind Donan as he rested in front of a statue depicting a woman carrying a small child in her arms, Michael curiously inspected it.

[ HERE LIES BRAEGA

BRILLIANT SCHOLAR

LOVING MOTHER AND WIFE 

I am with you as always

In every branch and stone

Born from this land, I was

And so to it, I return. ]

Looking at the tired man and noticing the cut on his lower lip, Michael wanted to say something but stopped himself.

[Goatmen. They've never dared come so close to the estate before. The runes and glyphs usually scare them away.](Donan)

"Perhaps they were drawn by Lilith's presence. I saw a vision of her in your study."

[What do you mean, a vision?](Donan)

"I don't fully understand how it works, but it isn't the first time. I've been on Lilith's trail using these visions to guide me forward."

[Full of surprises, aren't you? No wonder you caught Lorath's attention.](Donan)

The man paused and looked at the Knights moving the injured and dead away from the fields, separating the monsters' corpses from the humans.

His face looked even more tired and worried than before.

[Well... now you understand my predicament. The Daughter of Hatred in my own home! She must be furious I cast her out... *Sigh* It was late, and I couldn't think straight. She couldn't have entered my study since it's warded against evil, but I actually invited her in...](Donan)

"There's one thing I'm concerned about. That painting on the wall of your study, who are the others in it?"

[Why do you ask?](Donan)

"Lilith seemed to leave after seeing them..."

[Nafain and Airidah. The Druids who helped me slay Astaroth. Yes... yes... I think you are on to something. I resisted her so she might question them about the demon next.](Donan)

The man started pacing around, worried about something. He kept rubbing the Horadric symbol on his neck for comfort, though it didn't seem to work too well.

[There are knights stationed in villages near the Druids. If Lilith passed through, they must have seen her. Can you help me look for where she went? If you have been tracking her like you said, you are more capable of doing this task than me.](Donan)

[ Main Quest complete - Dark Omens

Reward 1: 34,481 experience points

Reward 2: 2,880 gold coins. ]

[ Main Quest issued - Encroaching Shadows

Objective: Search for evidence of Lilith near Braestaig.

Description: Donan spoke of Lilith's sightings near the home of Airidah, the elder Druid. You should investigate the nearby town of Braestaig for clues. ]

[ Main Quest issued - Feral Nature

Objective: Check with the Knights in Tirmair about Lilith.

Description: At Donan's request, you must head to the Shrouded Moors to find the Knights Penitent there and ask about Lilith's activities. ]

Michael realized that he was supposed to check the traces of both Donan's ex-companions and determine whether any of them caved to Lilith's temptation. 

Judging by how worried he was, the Necromancer could tell something was wrong. 

Still, he couldn't randomly approach the subject, as they weren't on the friendliest of terms, seeing that they just met today.

"What will you do now?"

[*Sigh* I must see to the dead here. If I'd known they were in danger, I would have closed off the estate... It's not like I need the crops they were working on. I just wanted to give them a way to earn coins...](Donan)

"You can't blame yourself for that. It was just... bad luck."

[Damn Lilith! She brought this on them...](Donan)

"Speaking of her coming here, Lilith doesn't seem to believe that you destroyed Astaroth. Is there a way that's true?"

[Of course not! Demons are arrogant creatures. She would never accept that our kind could vanquish Astaroth. What troubles me is why she is looking for him. What does she want?](Donan)

"Do you have any idea why she would search for it?"

[I do. Astaroth was from the Relm of Hatred, the place Lilith once called home. Perhaps therein lies the answer. I'll have to ponder this more...](Donan)