Chapter 318. Untangling Truths

With somewhat trembling fingers, Michael picked up a strand of green 'hair' - which he concluded to be the objective of his Quest only through the Sanctuary's help - and then quickly retreated after placing it in his inventory.

An audible sigh followed from Roina as she used more Sacred Fire to destroy the Sodden Growth and the remains of the dead person.

[One down, four more to go.](Roina)

"Mhm. Let's look around for the rest."

[Do these plants have any specific requirements for growth?](Evelyn)

[I am afraid they don't. They grow around the corpses of those drowned by the wight, fully encompassing and draining the bodies.](Roina)

[Almost like a parasitic funghi. Hmm... in that case, we should be able to find more inside some of these houses nearby. Shadow and moisture seem equally important to these plants, so it might prove useful to locate spots like that for the remaining four samples we need.](Evelyn)

As the Druid and the leading authority on flora, Evelyn's assumptions were agreed upon, and Neyrelle promptly asked Roina for details about their surroundings, trying to determine the best route for them to take.

Twenty minutes or so later, they located the second Sodden Growth inside one of the almost demolished houses.

"Well... this place is certainly... wet."

Stepping cautiously onto the 'floor' of the house and listening to the squelching noises his footsteps made, Michael quickly located the second objective alongside a small piece of a journal shining with a pale blue light.

Usually, this meant that whatever is written in that book might have a shallow impact on their Quest, as it could provide some leads or some background information about their target.

As the Necromancer was delegated to 'pick the berries' again, Neyrelle grabbed the journal and quickly searched for the relevant details.

What they found was... chilling.

[ Mold-spotted Journal Fragment - A decayed fragment from Isbeil's journal

I saw the girl again. A strange, reedy child, too pale, too thin, eyes too big.

But her strangeness cannot obscure how she looks like my husband. How much she resembles my Cecil. ]

After a short conversation, everyone stepped on eggshells, trying to avoid bringing up the recently deceased Cecil and this woman, Isbeil, who was most likely his wife. Michael and Neyrelle confirmed some of the breadcrumbs left behind for them.

For one, this wight creature should interact with its victims through an illusion of sorts, usually taking advantage of their vulnerable emotions toward family members or loved ones.

Secondly, it was highly probable that its influencing power over its victims would grow over time or through multiple uses.

Therefore, the victims would recognize the oddity of the creature at first, but after repeated 'visits,' their minds would no longer be able to distinguish between illusion and reality, or their logical thinking process might be severely damaged and become more susceptible to being influenced.

It took another half an hour, but the party was quickly able to locate the remaining three 'samples' of 'hair' needed and then turned to their Quest-giver for details on what to do next.

[I think that's all we'll find here. But it isn't enough. Let's check the beach west of here. It should have something more for us.](Roina)

As disgustingly terrifying as it sounded, the beach had indeed a higher probability of hiding these Sodden Growths since they grew on drowned bodies, and the tide could easily wash ashore such unfortunate people.

[ Side Quest update - A Sodden Pact

Objective: Investigate the beach with Roina

Description: You and Roina have collected the wight's hair from the village. She now wants to scour the beach for any remaining clues to the fiend's presence here. ]

The distance wasn't that far, and they quickly reached their target less than ten minutes after walking there.

One of the main reasons for this method of transportation was the large number of Drowned wandering the coastline.

Since they had already accepted a Quest relating to them, it wasn't a bad idea to clear more.

In fact, they had already killed more than 50 while searching around the ruined village, so everything they could find from now on was a simple bonus.

The beach in question was a small patch of land almost reclaimed by the sea, barely connected to the shore by a small 'bridge' made of planks.

Its surroundings were covered by small reef protrusions, and the Drowned Idols, Drowned Bells, and shipwreck debris lodged between these reefs stood to prove the unholy nature of this spot.

Roina rushed forward and saw another Sodden Growth, probably a more recent one judging from the pale face of the victim encased by these 'algae.'

It didn't take a genius to notice the woman's downcast expression, and Michael nodded to Neyrelle.

[Did you know him?](Neyrelle)

[*Sigh* Poor man. The body's so bloated I can't say if I knew his or not. At least he's got something left to give us for the ritual.](Roina)

[Ritual?](Neyrelle)

[Yes. I learned it from my mother before... everything. We'll use the wight's hair to find it.](Roina)

[How so?](Neyrelle)

[There is a Druid site of power at Linnéad. Meet me there as soon as you can.](Roina)

Watching the woman retrieve some extra pieces of 'hair' and a necklace from around the drowned man's bloated neck, Michael wanted to dig for more information.

It was obvious that Roina had dealt with this wight before, and she might even be 'familiar' with it on a more intimate level.

However, before he could do so, they watched as she retrieved another vial of Sacred Fire and laid the body to rest, after which she opened a portal and disappeared.

[ Side Quest complete - A Sodden Pact

Reward 1: 35,552 experience points

Reward 2: 2,850 gold coins

Reward 3: Elixir Cache. ]

[ Side Quest issued - Untangling Truths

Objective: Meet Roina at Linnéad

Description: Roina says her mother taught her a ritual that can locate the wight's lair. Now that you have its hair, she believes you can find the fiend.

She's asked you to meet her at Linnéad, a Druid side of power, to assist her in performing the ritual. ]

Slowly opening the Elixir Cache while checking the new Quest details, Michael retrieved an Elixir of Destruction and a Rare two-handed scythe.

Placing both in his inventory, he turned to their human GPS to ask for directions, even if he saw their next Quest Marker being at least an hour and some away. On horseback!

[We've been through that area before when we were searching for Lilith's Altars up there near the coast. Secondly, the Side Quest we accepted from the drunk sailor to find his friend is also close by, so we can complete both of them simultaneously.](Neyrelle)

Checking the details, he confirmed that the Quest Area for A Briny Fate was indeed less than fifteen minutes away from Linnéad.

Summoning their mounts, the group departed for their next objective, ignoring most of the Drowned they met on their way there.

After all, the request to cull these monsters was mostly applicable to the coast, where the fishermen's boats would return, and the beach itself, where some people might want to fish from.

Almost an hour and a half later, the party reached Linnéad and found Roina clearing some of the plants around the dubious altar.

[Good, good, you've arrived. Watch your step. The spirits here have a particular distaste for outsiders.](Roina)

Raising an eyebrow and nodding, the Necromancer understood the lack of Drowned in this area, even if there were no runes or barriers covering the site.

[This altar is empty. You must take the hair and light it at each shrine. When that's done, we'll have a way to find the wight. Remember, the spirits don't want us here, and every time you light a shrine, they'll get angrier.](Roina)

"That sounds... delightful."

[Try not to die. I don't want to do this alone...](Roina)

Rolling his eyes at the woman, Michael and his party left for the first of the three altars highlighted by the system.

[ Side Quest update - Untangling Truths

Objective: Place offerings at the Derelict Shrines (0/3)

Description: Roina has asked you to place and burn the wight's hair at the shrines around Linnéad to assist in the ritual.

She also mentioned the spirits here are not fond of visitors. You should be careful. ]

After ensuring everyone was prepared for combat, Michael took one of the strange fruits around which a strand of the wight's hair was tightly wound. 

Wondering just how the hell he would burn an obviously well-hydrated fruit, the Necromancer placed it on the shrine and watched it slowly burn on its own, rolling his eyes again at the ridiculousness of the situation.

'Logic and 'magic' really don't bond together well. Also, we collected six strands of hair from six different drowned victims. However, we're using only three of them to find the location of this creature. What does Roina plan to do with the rest?'

Mentally calculating the possible scenarios, Michael ordered his minions to repel the angered phantoms that appeared around the group and started assaulting them.

He didn't want to kill them initially, but they were too persistent, and he had no other option but to get rid of them so they could advance toward the next shrine.

After repeating the 'ritual' two more times and 'sacrificing' a salted fish and a small slab of venison, the party finished their assignment and returned to Roina, who was still busying herself with preparing the main altar for the 'tracking' ritual.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he gestured to the girls and approached the woman to properly interrogate her.

As an old hand, he knew how to approach the situation.

[Your methods aren't varied, but they are effective. Come and look; the altar is almost ready.](Roina)

"Looks like it. What is this place?"

[A Druid ritual site, as I mentioned. The spirits give power to the rituals we perform here, and we pay them by being harmed. *Chuckles*](Roina)

"How... kind of them."

[They created the ritual to find the wight. The first half usually quiets your emotions. That way, the wight cannot manipulate you. Turns out you can't do that without paying a high price.](Roina)

Seeing the grin on the woman's face, he wondered if this ghostbuster-wannabe planned to keep using them as meatshields even in future encounters with the wight.

He didn't exactly mind, as it was their 'job' to do so, but he noticed some undertones in her voice, meaning she was suppressing her emotions for some reason.

Probably noticing his silence, she flashed him a smile and returned to preparing the altar.

[Don't be scared. The wight never liked rage. I'm safe from her.](Roina)

"Is that so... You seem to know a lot about all this -- but you are certainly no Druid. My short companion over there would've noticed."

[Hey!](Evelyn)

[*Chuckle* And why do you mean by that?](Roina)

"I think you owe us an explanation since you're expecting us to dive headfirst into danger with you, no?"

[*Sigh* It's... a family affair. But you are helping and doing a fine job, too. I said the wight preys on the weakest. It may be cruel to call my mother weak, but... I lost her to it.](Roina)

"I see... Our condolences."

[Thank you. I would like for her -- it -- to take no more from me. From anyone.](Roina)

Michael's eyebrows furrowed violently. This slip of the tongue between addressing the wight as 'her' and 'it' signified a close relation between the two.

Sighing mentally, he knew this whole shitshow was about to get even more complicated.

[ Side Quest update - Untangling Truths

Objective: Speak with Roina about the ritual

Description: You've burned the wight's hair at the shrines around Linnéad.

Roina now calls you to the center of the site, claiming the ritual is working. You should speak with her about it. ]

[All of you, come closer to me. We need to be in the center of the site before we can proceed further with the ritual.](Roina)

As the group approached, the woman burnt the remaining three strands of hair, and a horrifyingly creepy statue emerged from the ground.

It looked like the head of a person, looking toward the sky with open eyes and gaping mouth, face covered in algae.

No matter how one looks at it, this stone statue resembled the face of a drowned victim, giving the impression of someone dead at sea, floating in the water while gazing at the sky... reluctant to part with the world of the living.

[*Gulp* What is this?](Tia)

[I saw my mother drawing this face over and over. But there... the inscriptions. It points us to where it is. Its lair lies to the very north of here. But there is a warning... there is a test.](Roina)

[Test? What test?](Tia)

[I am not sure. Test or not, this will end tonight. Make your way there. I'll wait for you.](Roina)

Shaking his head at the woman vanishing through the portal again, the Necromancer scratched his head while looking at the slightly frightened trio.

Wanderers or not, these were still young girls. The idea of meeting with a ghost after seeing this weird statue might creep them out, even if they had just slain over twenty phantoms while sacrificing offerings at the three shrines.