Hartlief/Stories
A sudden stomachache downs Alk, but a little help from pharmacist Hartlief gets him back up on his feet. Hearing she's being driven out of town by land sharks, Alk offers Hartlief a new home.
Alk: Ah... Suddenly, I... I don't feel so good...
Alk: Ungh...
???: Excuse me, are you okay?
???: He was clutching his stomach... Here, drink this.
Alk: Gulp—Blegh!
???: It's quite bitter, isn't it? You did a very good job. Good boy!
Alk: Cough— ...Huh?
Alk: My stomachache is gone! I feel better! I feel better than ever!
???: I'm glad that did the trick.
Alk: Wow, I'm just brimming with energy!
Alk: Thank you so much for the medicine! Are you a doctor?
???: Ahaha, slow down, now. You still need to get some rest.
Hartlief: My name's Hartlief. I'm a... or well, I WAS a pharmacist here in Palpebra.
Alk: Wow, a pharmacist? That's amazing! How can I repay you for—
Loud Thug: PEEEE-YEW, somethin' stinks! Oh, YOU'RE still here?
Whiny Thug: We don't need no stinky bumpkins here in the city! Why don't you crawl on back to your smelly old hovel?
Loud Thug: Oh, right! You ain't got no hovel no more cause us upstandin' citizens "cleaned up" that stinkin' garden a yours! Gwehahaha!
Hartlief: Th-those herbs were for m-medicinal purposes...
Whiny Thug: Boo hoo hoo, thowse herbs wewre fowr mwedicinal puwposes! Bahahaha!
Alk: Leave her alone!
Whiny Thug: Oh? What're you gonna do 'bout it Big Boy?
Alk: Just who do you think you are?!
Hartlief: Don't you dare...
Whiny Thug: Huh?
Hartlief: DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY PATIENT!
Loud Thug: Cough—Bleeegh! The hell did that quack put in my mouth?! Ughh...
Loud Thug: M-My mouff feelvs numm...
Hartlief: Medical-grade laxatives.
Loud Thug: Lax— Ungh, I, I gotta go!
Loud Thug: You, you'll pay for thisss!
Hartlief: No, YOU'LL pay for what you've done! How DARE you hit a patient—a poor, innocent patient!
Hartlief: ...I'm sorry you got dragged into this. The laxatives I gave those thugs should also put them to sleep, so you're safe now.
Alk: I, I see. Sure wouldn't wanna be them... I'm sorry I wasn't more help.
Hartlief: Don't you worry now. I'm glad you stuck up for me.
Hartlief: You should stay away from those thugs though. No thanks to them, I'll be moving out of town.
Alk: You're moving? I can't imagine what they must've done...
Hartlief: They're land sharks. They've been trying to drive me off so they can take my garden.
Hartlief: Or at least, what WAS my garden. And it was such a good plot, too...
Hartlief: But well, I'm glad I could help you before taking off. Nice to end on a high note. You take care now.
Alk: Oh, um, hold on! I might know a good place for a new herb garden!
Hartlief: What is this place?
Alk: Another world—one full of nature as far as the eye can see. I thought maybe you could find enough herbs here to start a new garden.
Hartlief: Well, I'll be! These are so rare I've only seen them in textbooks!
Hartlief: Yes... Yes, I should have everything I need to start a new garden—an even BETTER garden.
Hartlief: I'll be able to do so much more for my patien—Huh? Why are you laughing?
Alk: Ahaha, sorry. It's just... your smile is infectious. No pun intended.
Alk: We're in a whole different WORLD and you're happy as a clam just looking at herbs.
Hartlief: Oh! Oooh no, that's embarrassing…
Alk: It's fine. I'm glad I could help make you feel better. I guess we're even now?
Hartlief: Yes, I feel much better! This was just the cure I needed!
Alk and the crew come down with a strange cold, which Hartlief concocts a cure for. In light of the incident, Hartlief resolves to combat the physical stresses of cross-world travel.
Alk: Dinner's ready!
Stella: A-Atchoo!
Nimbus: Hey, you okay there? You've been sneezin' all da-a-atchoo!
Light: Quiet, you two. My head is pounding...
Stella: You two appear to be unwell. —Cough, cough.
Alk: Even Stella's got a cold... That's pretty unusual.
Alk: Oh, I know!
Hartlief: Let's see... Cough syrup, pain relievers, antiemetics for nausea, poultices... I'm all done on my end, Alk!
Alk: I'm all done too! I've got egg drop soup and some pudding— with a hearty dollop of honey! This should be easy on the stomach.
Alk: You, uh, sure made a LOT of medicine. If this stuff doesn't do the trick, I don't know what will.
Hartlief: Better to have it and not need it. Thank you for letting me use your kitchen, by the way.
Alk: Don't worry about it! If anything, we should be thanking you for going to all this trouble for us.
Hartlief: It's no trouble! This is my job, after all.
Alk: It's weird that they all suddenly got sick at the same time. I wonder if they picked up a cold somewhere.
Hartlief: The symptoms are similar, but the medicine they took earlier would've taken care of a cold by now.
Hartlief: For now, all we can do is try to alleviate their symptoms while I work on a cure.
Alk: Okay. Guess that means I'll have to keep making light, healthy meals to tide them over.
Hartlief: What about you, Alk? How are you holding up?
Alk: To be honest, I've been feeling a little light-headed my... self...
Hartlief: Alk?!
Hartlief: (Populations develop different immunities, so international travelers risk catching and spreading otherwise benign diseases.)
Hartlief: (Now if we consider that Alk and the others regularly travel to other WORLDS, then...)
Hartlief: I think I've got it!
Hartlief: There!
Alk: Thank you so much, Hartlief. Everyone's looking a lot better.
Hartlief: For now, yes, but... As I explained to you earlier—
Alk: Travel across worlds has medical risks, right?
Alk: The example in the book was pretty scary, huh?
Hartlief: Yes. Luckily, we managed to nip whatever you had in the bud, but it got me thinking.
Hartlief: Naturally, the book doesn't account for travel across worlds, but it's a miracle you haven't experienced anything worse than a cold.
Hartlief: I'm sorry... I don't mean to sound pessimistic. I hope I'm just jumping to conclusions.
Alk: No, don't apologize! It's important research, and it definitely paid off— everyone's right as rain thanks to you.
Hartlief: Y-you're right. Thank you, Alk.
Alk: You've been working non-stop, so it's about time you got some rest. I'll go whip up some dinner.
Hartlief: (Stay positive, Hartlief. There's plenty I can do! For starters, I can write down a recipe for the medicine I made earlier.)
Hartlief: (I should also build up my stock of generic medications like pain relievers and antidotes.)
Hartlief: (Rather than mope about what COULD happen, I have to focus on making sure nothing DOES happen.)
Hartlief: (And cross-world travel has lots of GOOD potential too! With the World Flipper and experienced companions, I might finally find it—)
Hartlief: (Panaceum Kardifolia... The herb fabled to cure ANY ailment, and the "heart leaf" that inspired my name.)
Hartlief: (If I put my mind to it, I can cure anything too! I just know it!)