I should've run away the moment they spotted me, I thought as our small group made our way back to the main tunnels according to my [Tattered Map].

The village guards surrounded me, two in front and one behind. Their formation protected me from the monsters but prevented my escape. They also added me to their party—a 'Contract of Binding’ called it. Most support spells only worked on party mates or allies like fellow members of a guild.

It couldn’t be more evident that I was on a branching path, another possible choice, in the 'Bawu Zombie Outbreak' story.

The village guards were the good guys in this scenario, and I was given the opportunity to interact with them—the opportunity to rat out Potion Brewer Bawu.

What if I confessed that I had information about the source of the crazed and diseased monsters? I'd show the guards Healer Gula's letter and lead them to Bawu's hideout.

If I did that, I'd gain great standing in our village for helping solve this issue and possibly averting an even bigger crisis of whatever Bawu had cooked up spreading through our population. They'd build statues in my honor, sing songs about my deeds, and tell younglings the tales of Herald Stone, the Zombie Outbreak Stopper.

Hmm…the Pandemic Preventer? The Great Whistleblower?

But I'd be giving up my connection with Healer Gula. And I wouldn't be able to learn potion-making skills from Bawu. As much as I hated to say this, Luds believed that skills obtained from her were good as he made them a core part of his build. He might be an asshole, but he did know how to play the game.

Weighing the absolute values of benefits alone, being the 'good guy' was the better choice.

Improved relationships with the entire village would greatly help with the main quest I had been woefully ignoring for a long time.

[ Quest: The Uncertain Search - Gaining Knowledge I ]

At the behest of Chief Nogras of Kurghal Village, you swear to scour every corner of the mountain to find other Mardukryon tribes that survived the Great Quake. In this monumental task, knowledge of the unknown is required lest your search be for naught. Learn about the history of the Mardukryons from the villagers.

Furthermore, if I was well-liked in Kurghal Village, I could capitalize on that to gradually convince the people that we should use the knowledge of our ancestors and study the Ancestral Flame Arts. Mehubanarath would be delighted if I succeeded. Who knew, perhaps the village relearning the old ways was a vital part of progressing the Mardukryon storyline?

It might even lead to a solution on how to leave this mountain.

On the other hand, there were hints that Gula and Bawu had secrets relating to the Ancestral Flame Arts, specifically the Aritu Form Ocadule, that gave me healing skills. I could also learn specific skills from them. But that didn't necessarily mean they were the best. It was usual for players to find better and stronger options later in an RPG—such games were built on progression.

Choices, choices, choices... Good or evil?

Moral alignment didn’t matter for Herald Stone. I was always on the right side of history.

Our party of four fought many Blighted mobs—okay, it was only the guards doing the fighting.

More than half of the monsters were kinds I hadn't seen before, all more than level twenty. I didn't meet any monster that had a higher level than me when I was alone. The system must be adjusting my encounters to the strength of our party.

A [Lvl 26 Blighted Golden Borpillar] drilled out of the ground and waved its segmented body at us like it was saying 'hi.’ But because of its size, it slammed against the walls of the tunnels, causing minor tremors. It was twice as large as a normal Borpillar, its growth explained by the golden crystals embedded into its body, giving it mystical energy.

Another Golden Borpillar appeared, this time bursting out of the ceiling. It showered its fellow monster with a bunch of rocks. The two of them blocked our path.

"Prepare for battle,' said the leader. He and the guard beside him used their buffs, their spears coated with golden light.

A dome of transparent blue film covered our group. Checking behind me, it was the last guard who cast some AoE protection spell. His humongous shield glowed blue with a circle of magic runes rotating around it.

"This adds health and armor to the party?" I surmised while examining my attributes. Was this a Hunter-Warrior skill? This seemed like a good skill to have.

The monsters flung the upper portions of their body forward to smash us. They bounced off the side of the blue dome, indicating that it didn't only give buffs but was also a barrier.

The two guards in front attacked with their spears, thrusting and stabbing at the giant thrashing insects, while the guy at the back used ranged skills, shooting gusts of wind over my head. I cast [Gnawing Rot] at the Golden Borpillars, discovering that it only affected the one on the ground. The Borpillar hanging from the ceiling didn't seem to have its defenses reduced by my debuff.

"Good work, youngling," the lead guard said. "You have bravery coursing through your veins."

"And greatness and kindness," I said as I tried to put [Gnawing Rot] on the ceiling and failed, "among other traits and virtues."

"But do stay behind us so we can keep you safe."

"Leave the actual fighting to us," said the other guard. "You are too young and inexperienced to handle beasts of this strength." He was probably referring to my low level.

"That may be, but I can support you." I cast [Healing Touch] on them.

The Blighted Golden Borpillars spat acid at the guards that penetrated the blue shield, damaging them and inflicting some poison status. Whether I'd eventually choose the good or the evil path, I decided to act nicely toward these guys.

"Our gratitude to you, youngling."

"The guards need promising healers like you."

Having successfully vanquished the monsters, our party leader pointed his spear down the tunnel. "Onwards! We must get this youngling to safety. The situation is becoming direr every passing moment."

Turning left into a wider tunnel, the leader held up his hand. Our group halted.

There was the familiar rumble of the earth, signaling more monsters tunneling out. The guards assumed their fighting stances and cast their buffs. They warned me again to stay back as the blue dome covered us.

Leaving this place was tedious, but I was gaining Essence and Gli from all the monsters these guards killed, even if reduced by the level gap penalty. Gaining something without lifting a finger delighted me. It was like I was leeching these guards for free.

Three purple worms crawled out of the walls, one bursting upward from the ground, and two more dropped from the ceiling.

These Spite Maggroths, each the width of a Swineling but stretched to about three meters in length, opened their circular gaping mouth with several rows of serrated teeth. They were level twenty-seven, but I didn’t think they’d pose a problem for my village guard pets.

However, there was something wrong with them. Or, rather, not wrong.

"They're not afflicted by the strange curse," I pointed out, using the term the guards had used earlier to refer to Bawu's chemicals.

"Your observation is correct, youngling," said the leader.

"Why are Spite Maggroths revealing themselves?" asked the guard behind me. "Their kind is rarely seen in these tunnels, content of living in the solitude of darkness."

"They may be running away from something," guessed the guard to my right.

"Escaping from something?" I muttered. If that wasn't a foreshadowing, then call me a box. A more significant threat was coming, I was sure of it. We had to fight these worms to get out of the way.

The Spite Maggroths crawled on the ground with incredible speed, contracting their bodies, anchoring their spiked behinds on the ground, and then shooting forward like a spring. It would have been comical to watch if they didn't move extremely fast. This was downright terrifying and disgusting.

The guards kept them at bay, poking them with their spears.

I went forward to cast [Withering Brand] on one of the Spite Maggroths.

Lvl. 6 Withering Brand: A long-forgotten incantation that targets an enemy with a curse, reducing its Movement Speed, Attack Power, and Magic Power by 30%.
  Cost: 75 Energy
  Duration: 15 Seconds
  Cooldown: 7 Seconds

The guard beside me held out his arm to stop me. "Youngling, retreat! You should stay under the barrier.”

"Just trying to help more," I said. Not that they needed help. The guards were in no danger from the worms even without my debuff. “I'm sure they won't reach me with you, brave guards, protecting me."

"We must keep you in the center, for we'll never know if an enemy might surprise us."

Eventually, the guards finished off the Sprite Maggroths. Essence and Gli flowed to me.

[ Unlocked: Aritu Form Ocadule Rank to 3 ]

Awesome! I wondered what my new skill would be. The Aritu Form Ocadule specialized in healing, buffs, and shields. Seeing the barrier cast by the village guard, I also wanted something like it.

[ Aritu Ancestral Flame Form ]
Mardukryon Ocadule | Epic Quality

Practitioners of the Aritu Form are foremost in maintaining the purity of their Ancestral Flame. They have dedicated themselves to healing arts and barrier techniques that ensure the survival of the herd. Selfless and courageous, their Ancestral Flame resonates with others, allowing the transfer of life force to rejuvenate and bolster the strength and vitality of all allies.

(Requirement: Unarmed State; Non-Mardukryon Races will use Energy instead of Ancestral Shroud.)

Unfortunately, the skill given by the third Rank of my Aritu Form Ocadule was yet another healing skill. Well, not exactly…

Lvl. 1 Penitent Fortune Healing: Concentrating on a penitent prayer to the ancestors slows your movement (-15% Movement Speed) and reaction speed (-30 Evasion Rating). But in return, good fortune showered upon you by the ancestors allows you to perform healing feats beyond your skills. When using [Healing Touch], there is a 20% chance to cast it twice on the same target. (Heal over Time buff does not stack for a target.) If it does, generate +1 additional Rejuvenation Charge.
  Requires: Healing Touch Lvl. 3
  Duration: 6 Seconds
  Cooldown: 12 Seconds

That penalty! Movement speed was important for a tank. Evasion, not so much; I wasn’t an evasion tank anyway. But the reduction in movement speed just negated my [Boots of Swiftness]. I supposed I could use this if I were standing still, like when facetanking a bunch of monsters or a boss. But did the benefits outweigh the penalty?