"Didn't you hear me, uncle?" Sharulrath demanded. He stepped forward and placed his palm on the barrier. "Buvalu attacked this youngling. And it was right after he had courageously completed the task I set for him. I was going to check up on how he was doing when I found him on the forest floor, near death."

"You should not have laid your hands on my student," Mehubanarath shot back. "After all these years, I finally found a suitable candidate to carry on the knowledge of our ancestors, painfully reconstituted after untold centuries. But now—"

"I think Luds and many others also know about the Ancestral Flame Arts," I said with a shrug.

"—that hope is once again turned into a distant dream," he finished. Bowing his head in disappointment, his shoulders slumped down. The rings on his tusk rattled.

"What was I supposed to do?" asked his nephew. "Leave him to die? I didn't have enough time to come here and call for you. I administered to him the healing arts of our people—"

"And that most certainly tainted his Ancestral Flames!"

"Again, I ask of you, Uncle Mehu." Sharulrath slammed his palm on the barrier to emphasize his point. “Should have I left him to die?"

"Yeah, you dick," I muttered. "You don't even care for your subordinate's well-being." The elder Mardukryon reminded me of my old bosses—plural—especially those I had when I worked at supermarkets. That was when I promised myself I'd be a great boss if ever I'd own a business. And I did—Herald Stone is great!

But enough of those memories. What should I do now? Was this the end of my journey in learning the Ancestral Flame Arts?

"The ancestors would provide a way to save him," said Mehubanarath, facing away from us, probably knowing how bullshit of an explanation he gave. "The Venerable Bull God’s divine intervention—"

"Your hugeness, sir," I loudly interjected. From previous experience, I deduced I had to speak up to influence NPC conversations. I couldn't simply stand here and do nothing as if I was clicking the 'next' button like the RPGs of old. No dialogue options were going to show up; I had to make my own. "What if your nephew is the divine intervention sent by the Bull God?”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps this was all fated?” I said. “Could it be that the great ancestors guided him to save me? Wasn’t it also fate that I became your student?"

"That may be..." Mehubanarath slowly said. I hoped my arguments were correct. He stroked his horns as he pondered my words. "My nephew finding you after such a terrible fate had befallen you might be the will of our ancestors."

"Yes, uncle," said Sharulrath. "I felt promptings in my heart to find the youngling even if I know I should not make contact with him. Lo and behold, immediate help was needed for he was at death's door." Apparently, he was on my side now. I did complete his tasks, proving myself to him. In some way, it could be viewed he was partially responsible for my safety. I wasn't sure of the Mardukryon liability laws.

"What he says is true," I said. "If Sharulrath didn't arrive when he did, I wouldn't be a youngling anymore...I'd be a deadling." I snorted as I tried to hold back laughter at my stupid pun. Herald Stone, Stand-Up Comedian.

"Be that as it may," the Big M boomed, raising a finger at us. "You were exposed to the energies of this mountain. That is an unchanging fact."

"Ah, can't argue with that one." I also stroked my horn to think, copying his mannerisms. It was surprisingly comforting to do it.

Sharulrath turned to me wearing as friendly and apologetic an expression as a Mardukryon could have. "There is no talking sense into him. I will accompany you to the village. We'll have Healer Gula take a look at you." He began walking away as he beckoned me to follow.

"Wait," I said. "Is there no way to purify myself?"

"Begone," the Big M said with a dismissive wave of his hands. "Return to the village, youngling. I was right from the start that you should be with our people."

"I was exposed for only a short while," I insisted. "Maybe I don't need a hundred years of isolation like you did. I truly want to learn and preserve the Ancestral Flame Arts."

"Return when you have come of age as a full-fledged adult. By then, you can weigh your experience living in the village with the hardships of hermitship."

"Come, youngling," Sharulrath said. He pawed the ground with his hoof to show impatience. "It is clear Uncle Mehu will not change his mind.”

"No, no, no," I said. "I'm not going to give up on this." This wasn't the time to think like a box. What were my options?

Should I just ask Luds what to do next? He was most likely using a build with an Unarmed State given all the flasks he carried—Mehubanarath's Ocadule should be the reason for that. But Luds and the other Contractors only had the basic form of the Ancestral Flames Ocadule. After this length of time playing, he would've ditched such a weak Ocadule for a stronger one.

Unless...he was able to continue the quest.

No, that's not the way. If I left now to find him, I would effectively quit this quest.

And I shouldn't put my trust in the lying clown. I could feel it in my horns that he'd teach me the wrong steps—assuming he'd even agree to share information—to make fun of me. I could picture that he’d make me beg for help. Relying on him was thinking like a box when the answer should be inside me.

"What are you waiting for, youngling?" Mehubanarath said.

I stared at him and thought, What are you waiting for?

If the quest was supposedly over, then this barrier should be opaque similar to what happened when he kicked me out the first time. It's not over yet, was the only conclusion I could draw. Something else needed to be done here. It was a choice between staying to discover what it was or following Sharulrath to the village and giving up.

A couple of plans were formulated in my mind.

First, I tried to cast [Healing Touch] on the Big M. During his demonstration of the three Ancestral Art Ocadules options, he did cast an Aritu skill on me. I should be able to do the same. If he thought I was tainted, how about I taint him—just kidding. My true intention was to show him through my spell that my Ancestral Flame remained pure. And I was certain it did—the game wouldn't delete the Aritu Form Ocadule from my Akashic Configuration, would it?

Unfortunately, the pinkish wall separating us could block spells, including non-harmful ones. There was a slight shimmer on its surface each time I cast [Healing Touch] in Mehubanarath's direction.

For my backup plan, I cast [Healing Touch] on myself. "Mehubanarath!" I called out to him. "Witness my pure Ancestral Flames!" It wasn't as impactful as targeting him with it, but I hoped it would be sufficient. "If my Ancestral Flames were tainted by the energies of the mountain, then I wouldn't be able to do this."

"Your swift mastery of the Aritu Form of Ancestral Flame manipulation is remarkable," he said. "And even more so your continued ability to use what I had taught you. Nonetheless, in due time, your Ancestral Flames' purity will fade and you won’t be able to perform the Ancestral Flame Arts."

This was it. The answer!

The game system wasn't going to take back a reward it had already given for completing a quest. No matter this talk of purity. And what was this quest line again? Wasn’t the whole theme of this story to prove myself?

“Your hugeness, sir,” I said. “I’ll return to Kurghal Village, but I’ll also continue to practice the Aritu Form. Let me prove to you that my Ancestral Flame will remain pure while living with our people."

"Impossible, I tell you!" he exclaimed. "I could not perform the secret arts of our ancestors until a hundred years of isolation have passed."

That's because you're not Herald Stone, I snarkily thought. My actual reply was, "I might be able to find a way to do it. If your goal is to revive the lost knowledge of our people, you can't hide here forever. What will you do if you pass away? That knowledge would die here with you."

"The ancestors will intervene again and send me another student."

"And then you'll isolate yourselves from the village?" I said. "What if Buvalu comes again? This is not the way to revive the Ancestral Flame Arts."

"It is the only way! The Ancestral Flame cannot remain pure if it is affected by the emanations of the heart of the mountain. The ancestors will provide a way for the propagation of their reconstituted knowledge."

"As the ancestors led a student to you," Sharulrath said, returning to the barrier to join the conversation, "as they have led me to save this youngling, they are showing you a new path." I became assured I made the right choice when he spoke again. "Uncle Mehu, open your heart to the voice of our forefathers. Listen to this youngling."

Yes, listen to the Great Herald Stone, you overcooked brisket. Next, just like Mehubanarath asked his nephew what proof he wanted for me to be his student, I now asked him, "What proof do you want me to show that I can live with our people while keeping my Ancestral Flame pure?"

"This is a simple matter, Uncle Mehu. Let the youngling return to show you his success. If he fails, then think of him no more. The ancestors will decide whether to grant him their blessing or not."

"Then shall it be," Mehubanarath rumbled. He stretched his hand in my direction and declared. “Show your resolve, show your purity, show to me that I am wrong. Return when the ancestors’ whisperings direct your path!”

[ Quest: Proving Your Worth! Again! And Again!]

Convince Mehubanarath, the keeper of the arts of Ancestral Flame manipulation, that he made the right choice in picking you as his student and that you can keep your Ancestral Flame burning strong and pure despite living in Kurghal Village. Return to him after sufficient time had passed to show him your growth and that you remain worthy.

Unlock five (5) skills in your Ancestral Flame Form Ocadule.

“That’s the task?” I said, almost laughing out loud. It was more a time gate-keeping instead of an actual task. It would take a while to accomplish, but if I continued grinding, it was a done deal.

“We shall meet again!” And the barrier turned opaque.