I was right to bring Balasi here! Another point for Herald Stone. This peculiar Mardukryon youngling did lead to a new interaction with Healer Gula, but I didn't expect his problem to be connected to Potion Brewer Bawu.

But it did make sense now that I thought about it—SpartanDonkey told me that Bawu was in the tunnels to hide from the villagers that were angry at her deadly experiments. The Borple that Balasi ate must've been an escaped subject of Bawu's experiments. Strangely a lot of names start with 'B' in that sentence.

I glanced at Healer Gula as she waved her crooked staff over Balasi's head.

Was she staying in this shop and away from the Healers' Lodge, in contrast to other professions congregating in their Lodges, because of her sister's crimes? She shouldn't be held accountable for Bawu, but it was expected that there’d be a level of resentment towards her as well, especially since deaths resulted from the incident.

"Can you cure Balasi?" I asked. Mardukryon younglings should be taught that not all shrooms can be consumed, especially those that can walk and fight back.

"Yes...yes," replied Healer Gula. "If I used a treatment of Kolob Larvae paste infused with the essence of a Marbella Root, I can force his body to expel the dangerous toxin from inside him."

"Expel in what way?"

"In every way possible," she replied.

I didn't need elaboration on that. "Do you want me to gather this...larvae and, uh, root? I didn't quite catch their names. I'm going to help Balasi because we're friends from jail. The bond we shared is unbreakable."

Healer Gula stroked her chin. She had cut her tusks and filed their edges short, so she couldn't make the usual Mardukryon gesture while thinking. Other Healer NPCs that I had seen didn't have their tusks cut. Doubtless, there was some meaning to it.

She said, "In a day or two, this youngling here would be able to cleanse his body. But what an agonizing time he'll have. Instead, he could ingest the neutralizing agent of the potion inside him."

"That sounds way better," I said. "Questing time for Herald Stone. I'll get right on hunting the ingredients for it, or do I need to get that from someone else?"

"I already have them here." Healer Gula went to the back of her shop. I followed her. The strings of beads hanging from her horns tinkled as she bent her front legs down to rummage through the bottles inside a chest. It was the same chest where I found Bawu's potion that I had drunk earlier. "Here it is," she said, raising a thin flask that contained sparkling blue liquid.

Then she returned to the catatonic Balasi sitting on the floor of her store behind the display table full of various kinds of medicines. She tipped Balasi's head back and poured the potion, possibly made by her sister, into his mouth.

"Is he going to be fine now?" I thought of poking him but stopped myself.

Healer Gula pried Balasi's eyes to check them, then she waved her staff again, no doubt casting some other spell, before proclaiming, "A shadow's notch, and he'll happily trot with his four hooves on the snow."

"A shadow's notch? What the hell is that? Do you use a sundial for—no, wait." I shook my head. I shouldn't get distracted. There was an opportunity here that I could seize. "Healer Gula, the Borple laced with the substance that affected Balasi could affect other Mardukryons in the tunnels.”

She placed a finger on her mouth and shushed me. She walked away from Balasi and gestured for me to come so we could talk without anyone overhearing us.

“Shouldn't we do something about it?" I told her.

"I suppose we should..." She heaved a deep sigh, the swaying beads draping down her horns made sounds like a wind chime.

"You mentioned that this was caused by a potion made by your sister, Bawu?"

"That is only a suspicion. I hope I am mistaken."

"But you're not mistaken," I insisted. "The fact that the blue potion you used worked on Balasi is proof of that. Did Bawu make that blue potion as well?"

"The truth is staring straight at me, yet I still refuse to accept it." Healer Gula's ashy shoulders slumped down. "My sister is conducting experiments again, dangerous ones at that." She disapprovingly shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? If she continues..."

"We should tell her to stop," I insisted. "And also find a way to kill the contaminated monsters cavorting in the tunnels." Cavorting? It sounded funny. I heard that word used once and decided to use it myself now. I opened my WeeCee, which was hooked up to this AU-VR Helm, to check the dictionary to see if I was using the word correctly.

"Youngling, you are right. But I can't do it on my own. My frail and aged body won't permit me to traverse the arduous lengths of the tunnels to find and talk to her, much more eliminate the subjects of her experiments."

"Let's see, 'cavorting' means 'excitedly jump or dance.’ I was using it right—wait, what are we talking about again?" I raised my hand as if volunteering to answer a question in class. "I will go, Healer Gula. You can write a message to your sister. I will deliver it to her and clean the tunnels of evidence of her experiments."

"I am concerned about you meeting her, youngling," she said. "Her reaction to sensing the mysterious yet familiar energy you radiate, I cannot predict."

I rolled my two upper eyes in exasperation while keeping the lower pair on her. She went on to deliver the lines she had said so many times to evade my efforts in convincing her to let me my Bawu. I was certain I had almost memorized them by now.

"But there is no other option," I said after she finished her lengthy speech. "If we don't do anything, other Mardukryons will be in danger. And your sister will be arrested if the village guards find her. Chief Nogras will definitely put her in prison." Which isn't such a bad place, I added in my head. I might try to rent a cell to be my office if that is possible.

"Your words ring true. Given my sister's past...actions...and her current seemingly unrepentant acts, the Chief will not be as forgiving as to turn a blind eye towards her for my sake."

"Someone needs to meet her," I said. "It can't be you, and you can't tell the other Mardukryons. Otherwise, they'll know what Bawu is up to this time. Only I can do it."

"I know I am wrong to protect Bawu," Healer Gula said. "Nonetheless...she is my sister. I have no other family."

"Family comes first," I agreed.

"Likewise, I know I am also wrong to send you, a youngling, to brave the dangers of the tunnels to meet her. However, I have no one else to turn to."

I thumped my chest armor with my fist. "You can count on me. The whole world can count on me."

"Heed my words, youngling." Healer Gula held up her thin index finger as she came closer. "My sister should not discover your secrets that I, myself, did not attempt to pry from you. Hold it close to your heart...and keep it burning pure." That last line hinted that she knew about my Ancestral Flame shenanigans with Mehubanarath but chose not to inquire about it, perhaps to keep the Big M safe. "Promise me that."

"I promise." And I also promise to break this promise.

"I will give you an amulet to shield your heart from my sister's scrying eyes. You must not show her anything that might make her suspicious."

"I promise," I repeated. Remove the amulet and then use [Healing Touch] in front of Potion Brewer Bawu, got it.

[ Received: Healer Gula's Handwritten Letter to Potion Brewer Bawu ]

[ Received: Notched Frostore Amulet ]

“A nifty item,” I said.

Notched Frostore Amulet | Item Level: 10
Rare | Amulet 
  50 Magic Resilience
--------------------
  +15% Water Resistance
  - 6% Chance to Freeze and Freeze Duration

[ Quest: Meeting the Mad Brewer ]

Following Healer Gula's instructions, carefully navigate the tunnels to find her sister, Potion Brewer Bawu. Deliver Gula's letter without fail to stop Bawu's experiments and prevent more Mardukryon injuries.

Requirements: Wear the [Notched Frostore Amuelet] when meeting Bawu.
Do not invite any suspicion of your Ancestral Flames.

Mad Brewer? I wondered what Bawu would say about getting called that. I noted the quest's requirements; not following them would result in failure. A conundrum was before me.

I hadn't failed any quest in Mother Core Online; the uncompleted ones on my quest list were awaiting my very divided attention. Herald Stone did not fail—put an asterisk to that, leading to a lengthy fine print—but this time, I wanted to fail this quest intentionally.

Good or bad, an exciting path would certainly emerge if Bawu knew about my Ancestral Flame Arts. Gula's constant warnings were an indication of that.

But where did that leave the unfailing greatness of Herald Stone?

I got it!

I intended to fail this quest. If I failed, that meant my plan succeeded, and I didn't actually fail!

But there was a possible hitch to my plan. Disobeying Healer Gula's instructions would deteriorate my relationship with her, and I wasn't sure if the trade-off was worth it. I didn't know what I could gain from revealing my secret to Bawu. A gamble, then.

"I trust you with this," Healer Gula said.

"You can count on me," I said as I accepted the quest. The quickest way to gain an advantage was to gamble...it was also the fastest way to lose.

---

 

"It looks like I shouldn't go through here." I was standing in front of the main entrance to the tunnels, but my updated [Tattered Map] showed a different area. "Was that way open before?" It must be a newly unlocked area for me.

After a minute or so of traversing a rocky path, I found a different entrance concealed by a thick growth of vines. It was almost like a cliché secret path behind a waterfall, but a curtain of vegetation hid it instead of water. I had a torch ready as I entered the tunnels to begin my exploration.

I prepared myself for long stretches of bland nothingness, but I had barely walked ten meters when a [Lvl 13 Blighted Borple] clambered out of a large crack in the walls. It was alone, unlike the other Borples I had encountered before that traveled in groups. And, as its name suggested, it looked like it was past its expiration date, looking like a zombified version of the angry mushroom folk.

"Blighted, huh?" I cast my [Greater Pyro Shell] just in case. I waved my torch at it. "Are you scared of fire like the—Woah!"

It ambled forward with a burst of speed and punched my leg.

[ Status|Blighted Degeneration: Reduce Health Regeneration by 20% for 30 seconds ]

"Divine dung! What the hell is this?"