Chapter 271. Blood and Sweat

After a brief silence, Beatrice sighed from the other end of the 'line.'

[I'm sorry, Michael, but even if she's a genius, I can't take her.](Beatrice)

"Huh!? Why?"

[I just spent an arm and a leg to order Heart of the Forest pills from the Druids of Hawezar, and the number is fixed for the people I had already selected previously. If I were to accept her, she would fall behind the others, and I don't want to see that happen since it would damage the party balance.](Beatrice)

"Then, do you mind if I bring her to Helen?"

[Ugh... so that was your goal from the start!](Beatrice)

"She does use two swords, and among you guys, Helen is the best one to teach her."

[Fine, fine! Do what you want.](Beatrice)

"Thank you. I owe you one."

[Just cook some good food tonight.](Beatrice)

"Ugh... that might be difficult. I might end up returning late today, so it would have to be next time."

[Okay, okay! Get lost already! I have tons of things to do.](Beatrice)

'Hanging up' after thanking the generous woman once again, Michael turned to Tuya, who was still crying but was also looking at him with a hint of curiosity.

[Is the Beatrice you talked to by any chance...](Tuya)

"Yup. The Wanderer Representative of the Dry Steppes region."

[Then, miss Helen...](Tuya)

"She's one of the Representatives of Fracture Peaks, as well as my girlfriend. Recently, she's been recruiting newbies for a training program that aims to create Elite Wanderers."

[And you want me to join? I'm not a genius...](Tuya)

"Unlike newbies I've seen so far, you have the experience of being a mercenary for over two years now. You'd do much better than most."

Talking with the girl for a while longer, he realized that Tuya was a big fan of Helen.

Apparently, the tigress once came to Beatrice's aid in dealing with a Stronghold Event that somehow coincided with a Dungeon Break.

The heroic gait of his girlfriend while mowing down swathes of demons with each strike prompted the young and impressionable Tuya to want to emulate her. Therefore, the two short-swords.

[By the way, thank you for returning this to me.](Tuya)

Seeing her hug 'little Tuya' close to her chest and realizing she calmed down considerably, Michael smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Now that you agree to come to Fractured Peaks, there's one more problem to solve."

[What is it?](Tuya)

Winking at the woman, the Necromancer called Helen this time and explained the situation.

Hearing that a fan of hers became a Wanderer recently and that she used two swords just like she did, the tigress was easily hooked. 

Furthermore, unlike Beatrice, who struggled economically, Helen was a rich heiress.

Nevermind one newbie. Even if he were to bring over ten, the pretty tigress would take them in, no questions asked.

Hanging up, he turned to the expectant young woman and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Helen agreed. The only problem is bringing you to Kyovashad. Since you can't use the Waypoint, you can only travel there directly."

[Must I go there by myself?](Tuya)

Seeing the resolute expression on her face, akin to a person ready to step into hellfire, the Necromancer was temporarily at a loss.

Coughing to cover his awkwardness, he quickly explained the situation.

"Helen said that in ten minutes, a group of high-level Wanderers would arrive in Alzuuda. They will bring you to Kyovashad safely within two days at most."

Hearing his words, Tuya thanked him repeatedly, promising not to embarrass him.

After some pondering, Michael decided to become this girl's sponsor if she passed the training without problems. 

That way, he could force Helen to focus her attention on her more. 

Who knows, maybe she would even accept her as her 'apprentice.'

[ Side Quest complete - Blood and Sweat

Reward 1: 17,072 experience points

Reward 2: 2,120 gold coins

Reward 3: Salvage Cache. ]

After handing Tuya over to the ten high-level Wanderers who came to escort her, Michael decided to 'pay back' the tigress the best he could since it shouldn't have been easy to get ten such veterans to act as escorts.

With the night still a fair distance away, he opened his Quest interface to figure out what he had left to handle.

Except for the Crane Tribe appointment he set for tomorrow, he was surprisingly close to the Hubris Smiles Back Quest.

As reluctant as he was to meet with the bone dust-sniffing junkie since it was still only around 7 p.m., he could complete the Dungeon before returning to Kyovashad for the meeting with the Representatives.

[ Side Quest issued - Hubris Smiles Back

Objective: Speak with Orgai near The Grinning One. ]

Looking at the Dungeon next to it, Michael concluded that he would most likely have to venture in, so he reviewed its description in case it offered any useful intel.

[ Dungeon: Grinning Labyrinth (Level 50)

Description: These labyrinth halls have broken far greater warriors. ]

As for the reason why Michael considered the location of the Quest close, even if Alzuuda was quite far away, it was because of Fate's Retreat and the odd Waypoint, which activated by itself once he accepted the Quest.

Sure, there were plenty of curious things about how and why that happened, but except for the Sanctuary, who oversaw these teleportation portals, nobody else could mess with them.

Therefore, he stepped through Alzuuda's Waypoint without hesitation and found himself in a small open camp.

Leaving aside the only other person except for himself in a wide area around, the 'camp' itself was... pitiful.

Except for a small stand covered by some improvised umbrella made of tall sticks and a roll of cloth, the only other thing worth mentioning was a moderately big goat statue with some candles and open prayer books at its base.

Seeing how neither the candles nor the pages of the books were interfered with by the blowing wind, Michael concluded that either some higher power was at play here or the camp might be protected by runes just like Lorath's house and the hideout of the troublemakers near Under the Fat Goose Inn.

After gawking for a while under the patient gaze of the only other living being in a large radius, the Necromancer started walking toward Rakhaan, the Curio Collector.

He was dressed in gaudy golden clothes, with his inner shirt decorated with blue jewels that shone in the daylight. Not only that, but the expensive necklace he was wearing in the middle of nowhere hinted at both his wealth and his prowess. 

After all, it was pretty easy to become the prey of either bandits or cannibals since he had something that might interest both parties.

"Good evening. I was told you might be interested in this."

Taking out the strange ring he ended up with earlier this morning and handing it over, he curiously eyed the jolly fatty.

[Ah, yes. One man's junk is another... you know. Hmm? What a lucky find! You were right to come to me! This ring has a dark history of greed. Lustrous upon first glance, but ultimately worthless to sell...](Rakhaan)

"..."

[And what's worse, whosoever covets and steals the ring is cursed, marking them for death.](Rakhaan)

'Can it be said that the woman and her minions this morning died to the curse then? It's a bit of a stretch...'

[I do hope however it came into your possession, it was given freely. But probably best I hang onto it, just to be safe.](Rakhaan)

Seeing the man hide the ring in his sleeve without leaving anything up to negotiation, Michael raised a brow.

The situation was pretty odd, but he didn't feel any malicious intent from the man.

[Do come around again, should you acquire any more interesting pieces.](Rakhaan)

Hearing the words and mentally translating them into 'You can fuck off now.' Michael simply shrugged and continued on his way toward the next Quest Marker.

[ Side Quest complete - Sentimental Value

Reward 1: 34,144 experience points

Reward 2: 2,650 gold coins

Reward 3: Salvage Cache. ]

Moving forward, he wondered just what this Curio Collector's story was since he was obviously one of those hidden bigshots.

Deciding not to mess with the man, Michael curiously opened his Quest interface after noticing a slight change.

First, he was down to only three Side Quests: the Raising Spears, for which he had an appointment with the Chieftain tomorrow; the Hubris Smiles Back, which he was currently heading toward; and the Crucible of Worth, which he remembered he got in Ked Bardu.

"I think it was something related to fixing the broken weapon I retrieved for the Forgemaster of the Oxen Tribe. Just as well, I can wrap that one up on my way since it's pretty close by."

Satisfied with how things turned out, he looked at the new entry that popped up in the Priority Quests section.

[ Priority Quest issued - Tempering

Objective: Visit Zivek

Description: Tempering can be done at a Blacksmith and allows you to add Affixes to a piece of gear. 

Seek out Zivek in Kyovashad to learn Tempering. ]

Confused by the sudden new mention, he called Helen again, only to hear Zivek complaining loudly in the background.

When he mentioned the word 'tempering,' the man's fuse appeared to have been lit, and he began cursing very loud, much to the Necromancer's surprise.

[He's angry since the Sanctuary modified how items can be improved. The previous enhancements are gone, and Uncle Zivek feels cheated, as he has worked his entire life perfecting those techniques, only for them to suddenly vanish. Now... *Pfft* he has to learn something called masterworking from scratch.](Helen)

[YOU BRAT! YOU'RE LAUGHING AT ME!?](Zivek)

[Ugh... I gotta go!](Helen)

"Okay. By the way, I might run late, so you can start the meeting without me."

[Any problems?](Helen)

"No. I just happened to encounter more Quests and similar things than expected."

[Are you bragging right now?](Helen)

"I wouldn't dream of it."

[*Snort*](Helen)

Seeing the connection drop, yet not fully understanding exactly what changed regarding item modifications, Michael decided to visit Zivek tomorrow and pester the man.

Still, the fact that the Sanctuary made such massive changes, starting from the levels of the monsters encountered to increasing the number of Quests, Stronghold Events, and other types of Events, and now even the way items are upgraded... something must be brewing.

"In the meantime, let's deal with this."

[ Side Quest issued - Crucible of Worth

Objective: Aquire an Oppresor Horn. ]

With the marked area for this Quest being less than five kilometers west of Fate's Retreat, Michael made it his first objective.

To his surprise, he was ambushed three times on his way there by tons of demons, most of which were the usual kind of dog-like demons walking on two feet.

They were also called 'Fallen.'

[ Vile One (Minion) - Level 51 ]

[ Vile Overseer (Minion) - Level 51 ]

[ Vile Shaman (Minion) - Level 51 ]

By the time he finished dealing with the third wave of excited mobs, he saw a blue-tinted object on the ground that made his eyebrows twitch.

[ Sealed Oxen Tribe Cache ]

Realizing the situation he was in, he accepted his fate and picked up the Quest Item without complaining too much since nothing would change even if he did.

[ Side Quest issued - Sealed Oxen Tribe Cache

Objective: Harvest demon fury from Vile Ones

Description: You found a sealed cache with the emblem of the Oxen Tribe. To open it, you must slay Fallen in this area and feed their fury to its lock. ]

As soon as the Quest popped up on his interface, a large number of Fallen alongside Plague Maggots were summoned around him and his minions, ambushing him for the fourth time.

The only good thing about the mess these ambushes caused was that the noise made by attacking or dying Fallen was sufficient to draw the attention of other demons nearby.

That's how Michael didn't have to go find the Oppressor for his Quest, but instead patiently waited for it to come running to him. Which it did, oh so foolishly, and eventually died.

Picking up the Quest Item from the ground and throwing it away in his Quest Inventory, he checked the updated details for his next 'ingredient.'

"From what I remember, the Forgemaster Gerti asked for multiple items."

[ Side Quest update - Crucible of Worth

Objective: Gather Silver Quartz from the Infected Dwelve

Description: Gerti needs materials to reforge the Great Axe.

With the demon horn fouling your backpack, you now need a rare ore from the Infected Dvelve of the Kotama Grasslands. ]

Seeing the word 'backpack,' which didn't exactly suit the inventory as a proper description, Michael smartly chose to stay quiet lest the Sanctuary have him carry the disgusting-smelling horn in his pockets.

Curiously checking the location of the Dungeon, he saw it was northwest of his current spot, probably about two hours away.

[ Dungeon: Infected Dvelve (Level 50)

Description: An abandoned mine now festers with maggots and disease. ]

Based on the time, he could only clear one Dungeon today before he had to return to Kyovashad to rest, so Michael decisively gave up the Infected Dvelve for now.

Instead, since the area marked for the Sealed Oxen Tribe Cache was less than half a kilometer away, he proceeded in that direction, hoping to hunt some more demons before continuing with the Quest he was working hard to avoid.