At last, Mary had found something rare and fabled... A quest where social interaction wasn’t necessary! Mr. Saton, the nice owner of Mag Drug Magic Shop, had given her a basket and a list of herbs required for his latest potion. The instructions were met with eager nodding and soon she was off. She was simply overjoyed to finally put her herbology classes to a good use. Brewing potions had never been her strong point, but gathering she could handle. Humming an eerie tune, she headed to the nearby forest.

First on the list was... Ah, curly fern. The creepy mage knew it was a common herb around these parts. Liked... Moist environments, yes? Simple enough. Coming up a tiny stream flowing through the forest, she peered around carefully. Within moments she noticed some telltale curly leaves which gave the herb its name. Crouching down, she carefully plucked about half a basket of them. Better to have too many than not enough, right?

Onto the second herb... Blue lichen was somewhat rare, no? Pondering and wondering, the ghoulish specter snuck further into the forest. Her eyes swept the surroundings carefully. Most lichen species grew on rotting wood... Which meant... Her keen gaze stopped onto a fallen tree. It was covered in mushrooms and moss, showing how life sprung from death. Such breathtaking beauty... Circling around it revealed some blue lichen too. More ingredients for her slowly filling basket. She didn’t even notice the time passing before it was already getting dark.

The third herb had Mary squinting for a moment. Red leafed vine... She racked her brain, trying to remember her studies. Flashes from the lessons flowed through her mind. Ah yes... It preferred dim environments and grew commonly on the biggest trees of the forest. Following that line of thinking, she ventured even deeper into the grim forest. Slowly the light grew scarcer and shadows darker. Coming up to a towering tree, she gazed up at the branches. Ah, just as she had recalled. The only problem now was actually getting a piece. Physical tasks had never been her strong point, no... Fortunately some of the vines were long enough to nearly sweep the ground. After several minutes of tugging, she managed to rip off a portion.

Finally the ghastly gatherer returned to the quaint magic shop. Proudly she presented her findings. The old merchant scratched his beard and inspected the herbs. With a pleased mutter, he snatched the whole basket and hurried to the back room. Soon a faint bubbling sound trailed through the silence. Strange scents drifted in the air. Before long the brewer emerged with a vial of glowing, blue liquid. He insisted the gatherer get the first sip of the fresh batch, a little extra reward. Hesitantly she agreed. Her nose wrinkled at the bitter taste... But the effects were immediate. A refreshing sensation of power filled her veins. It felt... wonderful. As a dangerously sharp smile spread across her features, the shopkeeper briefly wondered if he had accidentally just empowered a serial killer... Welp, too late now. The job was done.

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