Chapter 283. Onyx Watchtower
[ Ornate Triune Letter
A new age is upon us, brothers and sisters. Gone are the days of our blind supplication to the Three.
The Horned Mother has returned, and it is in her shadow that we now walk. From her hand, we will sap true power.
We will be reborn, not as the servants of uncaring masters, but as favored children.
Go forth and spread the word. Offer blood in our Mother's honor. Embrace the birthright that is ours. ]
Moving through the tunnels as he reconfirmed just how much of a headache fanatics were, the Dungeon Quest changed.
[ Dungeon Quest update - Dark Ravine
Objective: Slay the Favored. ]
Within the Ancient Cavern, Michael got to live the true 'Mines of Moria' experience, to the point where he even fought three different Balrog-like demons - A.K.A. the Favored - shouting things that he would be embarrassed to say in front of other people.
Besides the Rare items the Favored contributed, another Rare Tempering Manual for Weapons dropped, though there was nothing he could use for his current skill build.
With his inventory full, he quick traveled to Ked Bardu, where he entered the first shop he could find, and dropped all his items on the man.
297,717 gold coins richer, he stepped back into the blue portal and continued his exploration.
The only thing left to clear was the Boss Room.
Following his previous decision of not chasing after mobs and prioritizing clearing speed, he left alive a full two mobs, before standing face to face with Mother's Judgement.
[ Mother's Judgement (Boss) - Level 53 ]
The Boss's use of red lightning spells was annoying, especially since it could teleport and reposition itself outside the area affected by Corpse Explosion.
She still fell under 15 minutes, and Michael collected two Rare items, one Rare Tempering Manual and one Legendary wand.
[ Osseous Gale Spinal Wand
Legendary Wand
583 Item Power
-----------------
487 Damage per Second (-13 compared to the currently equipped item)
* [325 - 487] Damage per Hit
* 1.20 Attacks per Second
* +6.0% Lucky Hit Chance
------------------
* +31% Damage Over Time
* +50 Intelligence
* +76 Maximum Life
Legendary Aspect: Bone Storm consumes up to 8 Corpses to increase its duration by 7.0 seconds (Necromancer Only). ]
It was a hard choice after seeing the +31% Damage Over Time Affix, but in the end, Michael decided to keep the scythe equipped.
After all, the scythe could be used as a melee weapon if push comes to shove, but the wand, not so much.
Exiting the Dungeon, he searched for his next target and found the Mournfield.
[ Dungeon: Mournfield (Level 50)
Description: What walks here is living and dead and will rob you. ]
Wondering why the undead cared about worldly possessions, he got back on his horse and made his way there.
It was already close to 11 p.m., so he contacted Helen and Mina to let them know of his situation, as well as reminding them that he would be spending the night out.
He also discovered that Tuya had been 'retrieved' and was now staying as a guest at the Pink Palace until she could afford to find a different place.
Saying good night to the duo, he steered his horse through the Path of Stray Souls.
Fortunately, with his increased attributes, night vision wasn't an issue.
Because of that, he found another one of those strange glowing statues with a weird purple glowing spiral on the ground.
This one looked like the statue of a king, proven by the crown on his head and the longsword in his arms.
Why the longsword? Because it gave 'Arthur of Camelot' vibes when the Necromancer first saw it.
[ Faded Plaque
Most of the inscription has been lost to time.
A few barely legible words read: ...dare... PROVOKE... ire... fate... ]
Wondering if it was somehow connected to the Archangel of Fate, Itherael, he shrugged and continued on his way to the Dungeon.
Once inside, he was surprised to see a large field filled with greenery.
[ Dungeon Quest issued - Mournfield
Objective: Slay all enemies in the Overrun Encampment. ]
"..."
Sighing while thinking that the Sanctuary really wants him to level up, he topped up his Elixirs and began slaughtering mobs.
Another Legendary dagger dropped with similar stats as the wand, except for its +36% Damage Over Time, which tempted the Necromancer.
In the end, with the scythe having a longer reach, he decided to stick to his current equipment in terms of weapons unless something ridiculous dropped.
"Here we go!"
[ Bandit's Notes
Gold. Jewels. Relics. If it shines, bag it up. The burial fields are haunted by old magic, so keep watch for the dead and follow Jaym's orders.
If Jaym is killed, Junpo and Kala are in charge. ]
Imagining a scene where the bandits decide to play graverobbers and a devil suddenly claims this place as its Dungeon, effectively trapping them in this temporal loop forever, Michael couldn't help but pity the fools.
Making a mental note to never mess with graves, he continued his spring cleaning.
The next Dungeon Quest asked him to find and kill the Bandit Captains, which were, unsurprisingly, the three people named in the letter.
It was a bit annoying to deal with them due to their Suppressor modifier blocking spells and ranged attacks, but they still fell nonetheless.
After collecting the goodies, he faced the Outlaw Sharpshooter in the Hallowed Recess, a bit disappointed that it wasn't a 'named' Boss.
Fortunately, his bad impression of this generic Boss changed after seeing what it dropped.
Comparing it to his currently equipped one, he swapped them instantly.
[ Osseous Gale Loop
Legendary Ring
436 Item Power
-----------------
* +3.2% Resistance to All Elements
* +3.2% Fire Resistance
------------------
* +6.5% Physical Damage
* +12.0% Damage to Distant Enemies
* +108 Maximum Life
* +2.1% Lucky Hit Chance
Legendary Aspect: Legendary Aspect: Your Bone Storm consumes up to 8 Corpses to increase its duration up to 8 seconds. (Necromancer Only)
+125 Armor (Chipped Skull slotted) ]
[ Unyielding Commander's Band
Legendary Ring
588 Item Power
-----------------
* +5.0% Resistance to All Elements
* +5.0% Cold Resistance
------------------
* +50 Intelligence
* +6.0% Attack Speed
* +97 Maximum Life
* +2.1% Lucky Hit Chance
Legendary Aspect: While Army of the Dead is active, your minions gain 84% increased damage and take 90% reduced damage. (Necromancer Only) ]
With his Intelligence attribute finally overtaking all others at 459 points, the Necromancer left the Dungeon while seriously considering changing his Ultimate to Army of the Dead.
Just that one Legendary Aspect was sufficient to make his minions incredibly overpowered.
He could see a scenario where they take only 10% damage from the Boss while dealing almost double the damage.
Adding a Raise Skeleton to buff the Skeletons further...
"*Sigh* I really need to figure out what to do with my skill build. Anyway, let's take care of the Triune Quest next. It's better to have an empty Quest interface."
Riding south for about ten minutes, an urgent notification popped up on his 'screen.'
[ Stronghold nearby - The Onyx Watchtower ]
Realizing this was where the Triune members were headed, the Necromancer opened the MAP and saw that the Quest area and the Stronghold Event weren't overlapping.
On the contrary, the Side Quest was further south.
Since his Thorns Elixir and the Antivenin were still active, he decided to experience a night raid for the first time in his life.
Sneaking inside the Onyx Watchtower from between the cliffs, as instructed by the system, the Event Quest finally appeared.
[ World Stronghold Event joined - The Onyx Watchtower
Objective: Purge the bandits and raze their encampment
Description: Just yesterday night, the bandits stormed the Onyx Watchtower and took the guards stationed here, as well as the normal residents hostage. Purge the evildoers and help the rightful owners reclaim their Watchtower. ]
Realizing that this would be the first Stronghold where he wouldn't face demons or monsters but rather humans, the Necromancer was a bit intrigued.
No matter how he looked at it, taking over this Watchtower was a bad move on the bandits' part.
Did they have a different motive?
Initially wanting to try and play assassin again, Michael slowly approached the guarding post, only for the towering Quarterback to give him away.
As smart as his minions were, he couldn't exactly order him to crouch. And even if it did... he would still be over two meters tall.
Sighing, he concluded that a perfect assassination was still possible as long as no survivors were left alive to tell the tale.
He had to kill four different Elites, but the Boss strangely didn't appear even after all the commotion he had made.
One of the items he found was a Storeroom Key, which hinted at the location of the final obstruction in his 'perfect assassination' plan.
Suffering an ambush from over twenty bandits near the storeroom, after which the Boss himself joined the fight by one-shotting his Golem and trying to recruit the Necromancer, a fierce battle ensued.
[I could use someone like you on my crew.](Captain Ezmin)
"Unfortunately, I don't run with bandits. It's bad for my reputation."
[Then die!](Captain Ezmin)
The situation was terrible, but not for Michael. It was the Boss who had to fend off the attacks of the Reapers, Cold Mages, and, thirty seconds later, the Golem, putting him in a desperate position.
Unfortunately, over half of the mercenaries stationed here were killed, while the common folk were only slightly rattled.
Among the corpses of the mercenaries, a unique document found its way into his hands.
[ Formal Request
Captain Batai. It has been four days since Guulrahn called the Onyx Watch to their aid, yet still, we hold our posts. We, the undersigned officers, request your leave to march on the capital at once.
Let no one say that the Onyx Watch lacked the courage to fight for the Steppes. ]
Walking toward the Wanderer Shrine to rekindle it, Michael checked the Legendary Focus that dropped from the Boss and, after pondering for a moment, swapped his shield for it.
[ Molten Lotus of Empowering Reaper
Legendary Focus
600 Item Power
-----------------
523 Damage per Second (+523 compared to the currently equipped item)
* [349 - 523] Damage per Hit
* 1.20 Attacks per Second
* +4.5% Cooldown Reduction
------------------
* +13% Damage
* +45 Intelligence
* +108 Maximum Life
Legendary Aspect: Damaging enemies with Sever has a 14% chance to spawn a pool of Blight under the target that deals 56% bonus damage. This effect can only happen once every 3 seconds. (Necromancer Only).
Empty Socket ]
Realizing that he has to visit Zivek and Kratia, but it was already late, and the man might be already at home sleeping due to spending the previous night learning how Tempering and Masterworking functioned, the Necromancer postponed clearing his inventory and adding a new Amethyst onto his Focus for now.
Checking his experience bar, he was already at 1,422,976/1,863,000, having crossed the 75% mark of his level.
Now, preparing to leave the camp, he noticed a Waypoint and two Side Quests on the MAP.
Mentally drained by all these 'impediments,' he finally realized the meaning of 'suffering from success.'
He first registered at the new Waypoint and then checked the available Quests.
[ Side Quest: Kith and Kin (Level 50+)
Description: An old woman seeks mementos from those who have died of an ancient curse. ]
[ Side Quest: A Pound of Flesh (Level 50+)
Description: A man in a gibbet pleads for freedom. ]
Wondering what was going through the freshly-saved old woman's head to worry about the dead, as well as what the fuck a 'gibbet' was, the Necromancer made his way toward the nearby river, where the old lady was.
He was surprised to find a woman around 60 years old washing strange trinkets in the flowing water, somewhat creeping out the Necromancer.
"Excuse me for intruding."
[Hmm? Oh, it's you. You're the Wanderer that helped us clear the Watchtower. My name is Chabi. How can I help you?](?)
"Ms. Chabi, it's past midnight. Can't whatever you're doing wait until morning? You've been through a somewhat traumatic event, and I'm not sure staying with your hands and feet in the cold water of the river at your age is a good thing."
[Haha! Young one, I am not that frail. Also... *Sigh* how could I sleep?](Chabi)
Looking at the box of 'trinkets' the woman brought to the river bank, Michael noticed splashes of blood on the small items.
[These are mementos of the dead, child. The bandits killed one of the guards when they took me to the prison, allowing the blood to taint them. Now, I must clean them so the spirits won't be affected.](Chabi)
"I see."
Unequiping his boots and lifting his pants to his knees, Michael stepped into the river alongside the woman and helped wash the trinkets.
There were pierced coins, rings, amulets, earrings, nameplates, and many other types of souvenirs.
The Necromancer counted around seventy or so, and the old woman got out of the water only after they were all cleared.
Seeing one of her feet bleeding after probably scraping it against a sharp rock in the riverbed, he took out a Healing Potion and fed it to Chabi.