How Many Giants Do You Have To Stand On The Shoulders Of To Change A Light Bulb?

There are many signs that Uta is out of her strange mood, the most important of which is that the laboratories are not seized based purely on far too frequent inspiration, and the clinic has less... ahem... 'outcomes of runaway clinical trials on Adventurers' showing up for medical assistance. Normalcy and organization are back to their pre-strange-mood levels -- whatever they may have been.

One thing that might remind the Doctor of such times is that Uta, shortly after the events mentioned, asked for an appointment to present her findings, and, apparently, ask something else.

That day may have come.

What is a day, really? Life is a twilight of fleeting life and little deaths and the only way to keep time is the procession of a blazing globe of superheated gas across the sky, but even that is in question sometimes.

But the doctor is actually in today. He's been absent pretty frequently in recent days, whether because he's managing several aspects of the war or because he's off on a certain machine-infested island doing his best luddite impression. But no, he is here today, and just as well, because he needs to ask Uta something too.

"Come in," the doctor calls when Uta arrives, his office as tidy and well-kept as ever. A cup of freshly poured coffee steams gently atop a porcelein saucer. It's a creamy, caramel color. "Please, have a seat. I've heard rumors that you may have a successful project to report?"

Uta steps into the office, carrying a jar and a bottle in a small wooden box, held with both hands, notably kept out of her inventory.

"I do," the spriggan confirms, still professional as usual, but giving vague hint of reverence. It's not every day you get to do something like this in front of a luminary of the field like Doctor Prophylaxis. Who also happens to technically be your part-time boss.

She takes a seat as offered, box placed neatly on her knees, and then notices the coffee. "Yes. That... project regarding the development of anesthetics I am sure you are... ah... well aware of." She lifts her box, places it on the surface next to the coffe, and takes the cup in her hands, taking the time to enjoy its warmth. "Before we even begin, I would like to apologize for the obsessive behaviour that characterized me in the last weeks. I... was not being myself," she mumbles. "Or, well, maybe I was being myself too much. Which, you know, means-" Pause. Sip. "I have developed two forms of working anesthetics," she states. Change of subject! "A jar of topical anesthetic," and she points at the corresponding item as she mentions it, "plus an ingestible painkiller. As you are so well aware that you could probably teach me all about it, the neurophysiological mechanisms which underlie anesthetics are the same that enable painkillers, so it was not a big step from one to the other."

"Oh don't worry about it, Strange Moods are what they are. It's not as though we can do much about them other than to provide treatment and support," at least, not until they can learn more about what actually causes them. If they can determine the cause, it may be possible to treat them more effectively-- but given that they seem associated with major advances, both personally and for the world at large, that may not be the best idea. "I'm glad to see that your hard work has borne fruit. We adventurers might not suffer pain all too frequently-- outside of very unusual and very dangerous circumstances-- but Landers are not nearly so lucky."

And it's not as though they won't encounter those unusual circumstances in the future. It's actually likely they'll become more common as time goes on, if certain narrative trends are followed.

"I'm actually interested in another application of anaesthetics, if you're willing to help me. I'd like to develop a more effective tranquilizer, something that will let us disable and capture Palace Landers more efficiently. I've got a few rudimentary versions, but nothing quite as elegant as the ones you've developed." In other words, what he's got is basically taking a sledgehammer to the problem. The doctor takes a sip from his own coffee, then adds: "Something I could put into a syringe or a dart, to launch at targets from afar would be ideal. So it'd have to be some kind of intravenous version."

"I agree with you Doctor," Uta begins. "I think the Landers could benefit greatly from this development. I am considering a cycle of conferences and workshops to spread this knowledge among the healers of Yamato. Another possible edge of our peopole against the invaders."

Uta listens with attention at the Doctor's proposal. She goes silent, and rubs her chin. "Hmmm. Many of my... ah... surprise clinical trials were done with intravenous solutions, so part of the groundwork, one could argue, has been done already. And I -have- started the development of combat techniques which utilize such preparations." She makes a bit of an embarrassed face, "Although it's mostly at melee range for now. Stab people with a syringe. Shooting tranquilizer darts might be next." After a moment of silence, she straightens her back with excitement, "But I can show you what I have so far. It might be a starting point for future progressions- Oh, which reminds me."

She sips her coffee, and takes a few moments to consider the next words. "I... was offered a quest to become a Moonlight Doctor. I have accepted it." Quick sip. "And I think I might need some help in learning more about Those Who Came Before Me, so I can follow in their footsteps." A longer sip. "It's embarrassing how little I know about the Lore of Healing in this world, and how little leads I have on it..."

"Oh, wonderful!" Prophylaxis nods, actually very much aware of the fact that Uta has been going around shanking people with needles in the past little while. "That will be a great help. I've had some success with my own tranquilizers, but the Palace Landers have a policy of choosing death before capture, so something more effective would help reduce mortality rates," he sips slowly from his cup, savoring the rich, bittersweet flavor. "I look forward to seeing your notes, then."

And then, Uta poses her question. Prophylaxis leans back for a long moment to gather his thoughts. Then: "Mmmn. I had very much the same problem. Your quest will probably be easier than mine, though. When I had to look, we were so unpopular among the Landers outside the tower that few would even give me the light of day." And that's... admittedly, probably still very much the case. But he has other trees to bark up, these days. "My advice would be to look into the history of the Landers. Find times and places where massive advances in medical technology were necessary, or plumb the depths of the world and uncover some truly ancient technologies, as I did with my crystal-based medicines. With your talents as a loremaster, you may have even more options available."

"Of course," he shrugs, "I'm always willing to offer my own advice if you're having a hard time choosing between the options you uncover."

"Believe me, I am well aware of how tricky getting the Landers to share knowledge can be," Uta mumbles, hands on her cup as she looks into the dark depths of the beverage. "That's pretty much the whole reason I started the whole public library project. Hell hath no fury like a peeved off book nerd."

"These are excellent suggestions," Uta remarks at the doctor's advice, scribbling down the potential courses of action holding her fountain pen with one hand while she sips her coffee with the other. "I knew you would have some pointers. I clearly remember you mentioning something about an early Moonlight Pharmacist creating the Healing Potion, so, I gathered, you must have studied the medical history of Alba. Which would be compatible with such quests being simliar in structure."

"Loremastering could come in handy indeed, but as said in the past, it usually involves having at least a valid idea of what event one is interested in uncovering, and your pointers might be useful here."

"I certainly hope I will find enough options to need your assistance in picking. I would call it a success to find just one that qualifies me for this quest...", she comments. "I... I am not sure how exacting the Beautiful Goddess, or whoever is giving these quests is, is in determining what qualifies and what not."

At that point, Uta takes the last sip of coffee, and places down the cup.

"Mmmm, if this only your first quest in the line, then it should be relatively simple. The healing potion discovery was something that I had to do a considerable amount of digging for, and I have a feeling that it only really 'completes' after you discover physical evidence for whatever it is you're looking for. For example, I've always known how to make a basic healing potion, but it wasn't until I found one of the original copies of the recipe that the quest was considered complete. Likewise, for my first quest, I had to discover an ancient medical facility, again 'physical proof.' So that might be key."

Or it might not be! The goddesses don't exactly publish a manual for this sort of thing.

"For the first quest, I think you just need to find something that a Moonlight Pharmacist or other accomplished doctor from a past age completed. Given your kingdom and species..." Prophylaxis taps thoughtfully at his chin, "I'd suggest talking to the people of Eastal; the sylphs and the pookas likely have the most relevant present-day lore, though the gnomes also have a history of living isolated underground. They all have a number of ruins hidden in the forests that have been lost to time and history. One of them might yet hide a long forgotten advancement in medicine. You could also try to speak to the spriggans around Tolbana and Carmina Gadelica. They survived on their own, isolated from and discriminated against by all of the other races, for years. Surely they are likely to know of the location of long-lost lore that you might be able to uncover."

Advice! And a path forward. It's not a sure thing, but it's better than going in blind, certainly.