[SP-F1]Secret Medicine of the Forest [Calyx] (COMPLETE)

[Calyx 0]

[Right Nepent's turn]

The left Nepent's vines only managed to grab air, as they shot past Calyx when he stumbled trying to hit the right Nepent. Now it was the right Nepent's turn to try its hand at vengeance, as it went after Calyx again.

Battle dice 2

Right Nepent attacks for 0 damage

Calyx health: 9/13

Left Nepent: 2/2

Rare Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Right Nepent: 2/2

[Calyx 0]

[Calyx's turn]

Not needing to block either plant this time, Calyx was able to take a moment and correctly position his sword on his right side to begin the sequence of having the System guide his blade in a sword slash. He waited the half a moment for the sword to begin glowing, and then let the System guide it toward the plant on the right.

Battle dice 10

Calyx attacks for 2 damage

Calyx health: 9/13

Left Nepent: 2/2

Rare Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Right Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Loot roll 20

Item: Kaeseras (Greatsword): +1 to crit range

[Calyx 0]

[Nepent's turn]

Calyx's glowing blade hit the Nepent dead-on and flew clean through it, shattering the creature just like its friend. This time, the left and only remaining Nepent didn't wince at the death of its kin and give Calyx time for another attack; it simply sent its thorny vines flying in his direction again, desperately trying to fight off the malicious intruder.

Battle dice 2

Nepent attacks for 0 damage

Calyx health: 9/13

Left Nepent: 2/2

Rare Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Right Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

[Calyx 0]

[Calyx's turn]

Calyx had been hit by these annoying little plants too many times now to not be paying careful attention. With the second Nepent obliterated, he only had to focus his attention on the one remaining enemy, and he easily dodged its next attack. He followed through with his sword skill and used the momentum to carry his sword up and above his head, where he paused momentarily until he felt the hum of the sword beginning the activation of its next ability.

Battle dice 6

Calyx attacks for 1 damage

Calyx health: 9/13

Left Nepent: 1/2

Rare Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Right Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

[Calyx 0]

[Nepent's turn]

The plant-like creature tried to dodge Calyx's attack, but rooted as it was, it only managed to move sideways enough to keep from being rent in two. The glowing sword connected with one of the Nepent's leafy arms, and the damage was done. Not finished yet, the plant thrust another set of vines at its attacker in a last-ditch effort to stay alive.

Battle dice 6

Nepent attacks for 1 damage

Calyx health: 8/13

Left Nepent: 1/2

Rare Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Right Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

[Calyx 0]

[Calyx's turn]

The final Nepent managed to get its vines around Calyx's legs again, although not as tightly this time before he shook them loose. Nearly tasting his victory, Calyx hacked his battered, rusty sword at the plant one last time, hoping this strike would finish the job.

Battle dice 9

Calyx attacks for 2 damage

Calyx health: 8/13

Left Nepent: -1/2 (DEFEATED)

Rare Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Right Nepent: 0/2 (DEFEATED)

Loot dice 13

Item: Basic Light Shield (Good Quality)

[Calyx 0]

Calyx bore down on the final Nepent, striking its middle and bending it into an unnaturally sharp angle. The creature remained still for a brief moment, and then shattered into pieces like the other two. Calyx heard yet another *ping* from his HUD, and returned his sword to its place at his side to inspect his inventory. "Yes! Thank Kayaba that Little Nepent dropped its ; I'd have hated to have had to try to find another one of those things... Ooh, and a shield. And..."

[Calyx 0]

Calyx stared at his inventory for a moment, trying to contain himself. "A stat bonus greatsword!!! YESSSSSS. I've been wanting one of those for my build..." He hastily equipped his new shield and resolved to have an appraiser tell him about his new sword when he got back to town. Having found what he came for, Calyx saw nothing else to be done here, and made his way back out of the forest, yet again, to bring the doctor the ingredient he needed.

[Calyx 0]

In short order, Calyx had returned to Starting City and had made his way back to the house where he had left the little girl and her parents. He opened the front door, and as he walked in, he saw the worried looks on the adults' faces wash beneath a wave of relief. "You've returned!", the woman cried excitedly. "Thank the maker...", Tony muttered in a relieved tone that showed more vulnerability than most people would have thought him capable of. "Where's the doctor?", Calyx asked nonchalantly.

[Calyx 0]

"He had other patients to attend to,", the woman said. "But he said if you came back, you'd be able to find him at his clinic on the other side of town. Here, I'll mark it on your map." Tony's wife walked over to Calyx and held her palm out toward his chest. Calyx heard a *plink* and saw a location notification appear on his HUD. "Okay, I'll be right back with your daughter's potion.", Calyx said. "Oh, thank you! You truly are an angel, young man." Calyx couldn't help but smile seeing the look of hope and relief on the woman's face.

[Calyx 0]

In a few moments, Calyx had crossed through the heart of the city and found his way to the building the woman had marked on his map. He opened the door beneath the the large red + symbol, and entered the house. Looking at some shelves of books on the left wall of the house stood the doctor from before, carefully scanning the titles of the volumes to reinsert the one in his hand into its proper place. As he slid the book onto the shelf and turned around, the man saw Calyx standing by the doorway. "Oh, you're back!", the doctor remarked. "Come in, come in."

[Calyx 0]

Calyx walked over to the doctor and pulled up his inventory to retrieve the . "I've got the ovule. If you want to mix up the potion, i'll run it back over the the girl's house." The doctor eyed Calyx for a long moment. "Tell you what. You look like a smart lad. I'll give you a few hundred Col to just give me the ovule and be on your way." "And then you'll take it to the family's house later? I can wait a while, or come back if it'll take some time, or...?"

[Calyx 0]

The doctor sighed and mumbled to himself, "Maybe not so smart as I thought..." Calyx was puzzled."Huh?" "I'm not going to take it to the house.", the doctor explained. "I don't even plan on making the potion. Do you know how much these ovules are going for on floor five? I'll make a killing selling it instead. And I'm willing to cut you in on it." "What? No! Just make the potion like we agreed, and I'll be on my way..." "Fine.", the doctor said.

[Calyx 0]

"Half.", the doctor said. "Half? Half what?" "I'll give you half of what I make on the ovule; that's at least 1500 Col." That was a lot of money. And Calyx had just been thinking about how these were just programs, and that there wasn't really any reason to care about the little girl... "No. Make the potion. We both have a promise to keep.", Calyx finally said. "What promise? I didn't make any promise. I told them there weren't any ingredients available, and there aren't. I never said why."

[Calyx 0]

"Just make it.", Calyx said finally. The doctor put his hands in the air, "Fine, fine, no need to be pushy. One potion, coming up." The doctor took the ovule from Calyx's inventory and walked over the the counter nearby that was covered in various alchemical materials. He started grabbing and mixing things, and within a few moments, he turned back around to Calyx holding a bottle of light purple liquid. "Here you go; hope it's worth it."

[Calyx 0]

Calyx's eyes narrowed at the doctor, "If this doesn't work..." "It will. I know enough not to try to dupe a man with the combat skills I clearly lack." The doctor turned back to a pile of books on a nearby chair, seeming to have forgotten Calyx was in the room. Calyx eyed him suspiciously for a moment, and then turned and left the house. As he headed back toward the little girl and her family, he couldn't help but wonder about why he had just done what he had.

[Calyx 0]

Walking back to the family's house, Calyx tried to solve the riddle of his own actions. He knew these "people" were just programs, and that this whole thing was just a quest to gain... something. Col, or experience, or an item, or something; he wasn't sure what yet, but there must be something at the end of this proverbial road. Unless that money the doctor had offered him was the quest reward, and he had just failed... But even so, he may not get anything from giving the potion to the girl, and he knew he would be okay with that. The mere act of helping these people was a reward in and of itself, which vexed him all the more. This was a game; the whole thing was just one giant optimization problem for building the best character to reach the end of the game the fastest, and yet... he still couldn't stop himself from wanting to help these characters he met. Taking the doctor's money almost certainly would have been the more optimal choice, but Calyx came to the realization that even though this was a game, the way you played it still mattered. How you choose to behave defines who you are; whether your actions affect real lives or digital ones.

[Calyx 0]

Calyx walked into the shop one last time, now carrying the elixir that was to be the small girl's salvation. Her parents looked overjoyed as Calyx crossed the room and knelt next to the girl's cot to administer the cure. He uncorked the bottle and held the girl's jaw open as he slowly poured the purple liquid into her mouth. As he tipped out the last of the bottle's contents, the fragile girl took one last swallow, and then slowly opened her eyes. A weak smile made its way across her face, and her parents immediately swooped in to nearly hug her back to death. Calyx stood and backed away a bit to give the family a moment together, and eventually Tony stood and walked over to him.

[Calyx 0]

"I can't thank you enough for what you've done for our daughter.", Tony said through glassy eyes. Calyx was just happy he got to see the family reunited again. "Yeah, don't mention it. Glad I could help." "There must be some way we can repay you, something we can do... Fighting your way through the forest to recover those ingredients can't have been easy." Calyx tried to wave away the man's offer. "Nah, it wasn't that bad." Tony glanced down at Calyx's rusty starter sword, "Ugh. Especially with that... How did you even manage? Here, I know something I can give you that you surely need..."

[Calyx 0]

Tony walked over toward the a wall, which Calyx noticed for the first time was covered in weapons. Somehow he had managed not to realize that he was in a blacksmith's shop all this time. Tony pulled a weapon down from its place hanging in the center of the west wall, prominently displayed amongst all the other weapons. He turned and presented it to Calyx, "This is my most recent creation, and the finest blade I've forged yet. I'd like you to have it. So you don't have to carry around that sorry excuse for a sword, of course."