Part 39: Have You Hugged a Tree Today?

Chapter 18: Have You Hugged a Tree Today?


Well, that sure is a bag of magic earth. Now what? Hm, wasn’t there something I was procrastinating on? Oh yeah; the dervish!


Thanks, but I already got that info from Keapon.


Alright crazy old dude, so what’s all this fuss about?
To the west of Shapier and north of here stands a puzzle. Five W’s.
What?
It is said that man is like a caged beast. And a beast is like a rumor—it is best to dispel it early. Harik knows the way, and I know the where.
The where?
The where is five skareen lengths to the west of Shapier and but two skareen lengths north of here. (In other words, go five left of Shapier and three down.)
Wait, but who’s there?
That is why you must solve the puzzle. Knowing Who will help you find out Why.
Why what?
That is the heart of the puzzle. Harik may help you free the frozen heart from the body of the beast.
I knew you’d be obtuse when I came here, but I still need a straight answer.
If not soon, then never.
Just tell me what you’re talking about, damn it!
I have answered the five W’s. You know now all you need.
Gaaah! Fine, I’ll just follow the directions and figure out the rest on my own.


What the heck are you? Some sort of snake rat?


Whoa! I should have known better than to…to…

*A closer look at the monster shows that it is fierce indeed, although obviously weakened by lack of food and water. It will not survive much longer. Its eyes catch yours, and you can’t seem to look away. Huge eyes, burning eyes that see your very soul. You seem to hear in your mind the words, “Come closer, much closer. Come closer and release me, free me. Come closer and trust me. Look into my eyes and trust me.*

Okay, weird beast…let me get the door…



Apparently, that’s blood. Nike needs more iron in his diet.



Wait, no way I’m opening that cage! I should tell Aziza about this.


…which is why I figured I’d come to you. That dervish was no help at all.
I’m glad you did. There must be some form of magical protection around the cage if I could not detect it. It is clear that a powerful magic user intends the creature to die. The beast is probably enchanted. You will need a dispel potion to find its true form.
Dispel…oh yeah, I was making one for Harik, wasn’t I? And I needed…hey, that reminds me, did I ever get the thing I needed for the whole tree bit?
You have. Allow me to continue the tale.


Let me remind you that this is the conversation where the hero gets to speak for once. The hero’s dialogue is not different from the game’s until the end of the story.

As I was saying before, there are three things you must give her to save her soul: a gift of Kindness, a gift of Magic, and a gift of Love. The gift of Kindness is simple. It is only what you would give to someone who has been in the desert far too long. You must then tell her about yourself, remind her what it is to be human. Your words are as important as the gift, for they give meaning to the act. The gift of Magic is the gift of sacrifice. The gift must be something you gained through hardship and from aiding others. It must also be something from which a plant can gain strength. Tell her then how you got the gift and why. You will be reminding her of why she became a healer. The last gift again is simple, a mere gesture of affection. Remind her that there are still people in the world who care about others. There is only one thing you need to say to her now, to remind her who she is. Her name is Julanar, “Flower of the Pomegranate.” When you have done this, your part in her tale will be complete. Julanar will not be able to walk this land as a human woman until another frees her with the power of True Love, but you can at least free her spirit by giving her these gifts.
Right. What’s a pomegranate?
You will find her within a day’s ride to the east, at the base of the mountains. May you heal the healer, Nike von Slartibartfast.


Julanar

This looks like the place. So, gift of Kindness, gift of Kindness…a rock?




Nah, that’d never work. Well, from personal experience, I’d have to say that water is the thing I’d like after a desert walk.


Now, about myself…well, according to my mom, it all started when she bet my dad he couldn’t pick up one of the tavern wenches. Those days, she pretended to have a full beard, and…

*Hours Pass*


…Of course, Mom told me it wasn’t my fault, but I always knew that Snickers wouldn’t have run off if I had just been on time with her meal. Poor Snickers…

*More Hours Pass*


…and you’re not the only tree lady I’ve dealt with, either. There was a dryad in Spielburg, though she was fairly slimmer than you. Not that round hips are a bad thing, mind…

*Even More Hours Pass*


…which brings me back to you. I’m hoping for a Fruit of Compassion, so I got you some water, since you’re probably thirsty. I—hey, you’ve turned around! Alright, so what was the next thing? Right, gift of Magic.


*The Elemental Earth seems to sparkle a bit in the light as it settles down into the soil around the plant.*

This is some magic dirt which used to be an earth elemental. Did I mention the elementals? They’ve been harassing Shapier on a fairly regular basis. At first I didn’t want to deal with them. I wanted to be a Hero so I could rest on my laurels, you know? But Rakeesh has a bad leg, and Uhura has some kind of phobia, so I ended up having to do it all myself. And it turns out that it’s not so bad! All I had to do was spray the fire elemental with some water, throw dirt at the air, and chuck some powder at the earth. Third guy looked pretty mean, though. Plus all the Katta were scared of it. Is this what it means to be a hero? To have no sense of proportion?


Oh hey, nice leaves. Now what was the third gift? Oh yeah, Love. Well, I just met you, so I hope this is enough.



One last thing: your name is Julanar.



Thanks, Julie. You’re the best.


Hey, Harik, I got the fruit.
Sorry, did you say something? I was distracted.
I said I got the Fruit of Compassion for you. You can make the dispel potion now.
Really? Excellent, just give me a moment…There. I do for you what I would not for another. This is a gift for all you have done for the city. I have made up three potions from what you gave me. Remember to have the victim drink the potion in order to break the spell. You will also need to remember to add a freshly collected sample of the victim’s hair before the victim drinks it. Now, please excuse me. I really must get back to my work.
Great, thanks for the freebie. How come it’s so limited, though? The last dispel potion I used worked just by chucking it at the victim, and didn’t need any hair at all.
Excuse me, did you say something? I was working.
Never mind.


You probably won’t let me near you unless you’re distracted, so here, have some meat from my rations.


Excellent. Now to get some hair…



Hey, you thirsty? Have some of this.


*The beast laps greedily at the potion.*





I know not who you are, or why you saved me, but you are a fool if you expect to be rewarded for it. I am Al Scurva, an apprentice sorcerer. My former master, Ad Avis, transformed me into that monster and left me to die. He will be most displeased that I am still alive. If he manages to throw a spell at you, you will either be his willing servant or else be transformed into a creature most resembling your soul. There is some major ritual magic he has planned for when the moon arises between the Scorpion’s claws and the Dragon’s teeth. If he succeeds in this it would be best not to be in this land. I certainly will not be. Just remember, Ad Avis, awaits you in Rasier.


So, potion one gets me a beautiful blonde, and potion two gets me a loud-mouthed, ungrateful apprentice sorcerer. I guess one out of two isn’t too bad.

The remake rather insists on making you see the beast before starting the dispel potion business. As long as you know where it is, you can see it at any time, though, so it's not that problematic.


[MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER DIMENSION…]


This sequence is fighter exclusive.

This note was left for you.

*You read the crumpled paper with the nearly illegible scrawl. “If you know what’s good for you, you will obey orders. We will leave them here. If you don’t follow them, you’ll be sorry. We’ll be watching you.*

Dark conspiracies ordering me around? I love an excuse to start busting heads!