Magic Messenger Claudie

The magician sings to herself as she harvest plants.

"Dragonroot, it cures a cough... and thistle-leaf the flu... if you want to make the bleeding stop... it's pignose grass for you..." As she sings, she harvests more quickly, and her voice raises in pitch.

You listen, transfixed by the strange song.

You tap the magician on her shoulder, and she jumps in fright.

"Wah! Miracle Child protect me! Monsters and ghosts, go away! Don't eat me, I don't taste good!" Her voice is piercing.

You hastily apologize for your actions, and explain the grave situation Wulu is in.

Claudie places a hand over her heart, visibly shaken, "What the... you gave me such a fright! Wait, did you say Wulu's hurt?"

You explain the nature of Wulu's injuries.

"Hmm... So, Wulu was injured by Mystic Reapers." Claudie ponders for a moment, then continues.

"Injuries caused by Mystic Reapers aren't deep, but they contain a paralytic toxin. That's probably why she can't move her foot."

"I need to create an antidote to the poison. I have all of the basic ingredients, but I still need a Harrier Heart and Snowy Highland Owl Claws. Please help me collect these two ingredients."

"I'm a big fan of Wulu."

"Wulu has been an outstanding Magic Messenger since she was small. Even Dean Edward has praised her fighting skills."

"Because of this, she joined the village attack force at a very young age and was forced to face all sorts of terrible monsters. She'd often return home with all sorts of injuries."

"All I can do for her is create a potent magic potion to heal her wounds. I guess that's why I've put all my energy into studying medicinal herbs and potions."

"You're back so soon. Did you find all the ingredients?"

You give the Harrier Heart and Snowy Highland Owl Claws to Claudie.

Claudie is stirring a dark, messy substance in a pot, and tosses your ingredients in.

"A little more... just a little bit more..." She is intensely focused on her task.

The liquid inside the pot boils violently and emits a puff of unpleasant smoke. The medicine is ready.

Claudie tries a bit of the potion.

"Ugh..." An expression of disgust appears on her face. "It doesn't taste right. It should be... a little sweeter."

You decide to take her word for it, as the potion doesn't look very appetizing.

"It needs a batch of Holy Water Crystals to balance it out. Unfortunately, those crystals were stolen by the Robu Bandits when they raided the village."

"You'll have to defeat the Robu Bandits to get the Holy Water Crystals and complete the potion."

"Hey, one more thing..." Claudie lowers her voice and you draw near, trying to catch what she has to say.

"Well... it's nothing really..." Claudie's cheeks turn slightly red. "If possible, try not to mess up the Robu Hidden Bandit's face, he's actually kind of cute. Heehee..."

You roll your eyes at Claudie's request, and decide you'll do what you have to do.

"You're back! Give the crystals to me."

You hand the crystals to Claudie.

She throws the crystals into the cauldron, mumbling something under her breath. A puff of white smoke suddenly rises, and the potion inside the cauldron turns into a translucent solution.

"Yes, it's done!" Claudie cheers loudly, the large spoon in her hand almost hitting your head.

You stare at the clear liquid in the cauldron, and decide that making potions is not a very exact science.

Claudie pours the potion into a small glass bottle.

"There, give that to Wulu, quickly! The toxin from Mystic Reapers isn't lethal, but it will still make you feel pretty bad."

"I'll have to clean this up, or the fire will attract monsters. If you can, come back after giving Wulu the potion!"

"Go away! Don't eat my herbs!" Claudie hits the Highland Falcon repeatedly with her wooden spoon.

"Squawk!" The falcon falls to the ground, senseless.

It seems that Claudie is better at hand-to-hand combat than attack magic...

You tell Claudie about Wulu's recovery, including how she jumped up and down from the spiciness.

"It's not my fault potions taste like they do," Claudie explains, tearfully. "It was spicy because of the dragonroot grass, which helps with circulation and detox. I was worried about her, so I put a little too much in..."

"She'll definitely try to beat me up next time we spar..."

"By the way, %n%, do you know anything about the Felissan?"

You tell Claudie that you don't know about the Felissan.

"They're a race native to this land, and they believe in the Miracle Child, just like us. I have a Felissan friend named Kui Wright. It's a long journey to Optima. You can rest at her house."

"Just tell her you're a friend of Claudie's."

"Wow! Are you a traveler? What are you doing all alone out here in the middle of nowhere?
"Where is it you're headed off to?"

Claudie seems delighted to able to talk to you.

"The next part of the journey will be challenging!
The path ahead is swarming with bandits and giant birds!"

"Perhaps you'd like to try my latest batch of fortification potion?
I guarantee that once you've taken it, you'll be able to keep going day and night. No sleep needed.
With energy like that, you should be able to make quick work of the enemy!"

You quickly toss away the flask that the magic messenger hands you.

"Hey! Why did you throw that away? I hadn't finished drinking it!
That was a new brew of mine!"

"So you want a Runestone for your investigation? Hmm...
Let me take a look at the materials you've brought along with you." Claudie purses her lips
reproachfully.

"You have just enough materials. I'll get to work straight away!"

She plucks out a few vials and conducts a series of tests
before mixing the materials with a liquid catalyst.

Smoke rises from the mouth of the vial as the contents solidify.
Unceremoniously, she tips a lump of matter into your hands.

"Well, this experiment really does win awards for boredom. How can I be creative
with a recipe that's set in stone! If you
had other materials, I'd be able to show you something really special!"

You're suddenly struck by the realization of how far Alchemy has come in the last few years.

"Actually I know that person you mentioned. Huh?
Why didn't you tell me a little earlier? You were too eager to get me to make the Runestone, weren't you!"

"He looked a little dangerous, so I tagged him with
a magic marker. If he approaches the village, we'll spot him
a mile off."

"I can sense that he's to the north of us... ah!
Isn't that the Felissan village?"

"Go pull the guy out of bed! But the two of you will probably start
fighting in the middle of the village, won't you? Take an Ancient Highland Hawk Egg by way of apology!
Relations between Optima and Felissans have been tense recently.
We can't afford to have any more misunderstandings!"