Origin of the Medicine

Origin of the Medicine is the first mission in Natasha's Companion Mission chain. It is part of the Slices of Life Before the Furnace chapter that takes place on Jarilo-VI.
==Acquisition==
After reaching Trailblaze Level 20 and completing Trailblaze Mission Trial of the Equilibrium: Part One, read the message from Oleg.
==Steps==
#Go to the clinic and talk to Natasha
#Talk to the first patient who skipped the follow-up visit
#Talk to the second patient who skipped the follow-up visit
#Talk to the third patient who skipped the follow-up visit
#Report or Go
#*If "Let's investigate the wonder medicine address first" was selected: Go to Rivet Town to track down the "wonder medicine"
#*If "Let's report to Natasha first" was selected, skips to: Report or found to Natasha
#Talk to the patients in the clinic
#Talk to Natasha about your thoughts on this matter
#Find the victim of the "wonder medicine"
#Talk to Natasha
#Go to Rivet Town to track down the "wonder medicine"
#Go to the location where the mutual aid society stores the wonder medicine
#Go back to the clinic and talk to Natasha
==Dialogue==
===Receive a message from Oleg===
:
===Go to the clinic and talk to Natasha===
;(Talk to Natasha)
: Need any help, Dr. Natasha?
:Natasha: You came at a good time, (Trailblazer), there is something you can help me with.
:Natasha: According to my patient records, there are a few that haven't come for their follow-up visits. It happens from time to time, but never as regularly as this. I'm a bit concerned...
:Natasha: Have you heard of the Complex Illness Mutual Aid Society?
: Sounds like a charitable organization.
: Sounds suspicious...
::Natasha: Mm, I agree.
:Natasha: Generally speaking, mutual aid societies like these allow patients to share their experiences and support each other. It's a way of countering all the negative emotional effects of being ill... But there might be more to this society than that.
:Natasha: I've got a few patients who've started refusing treatment since joining the society... It certainly makes you wonder.
:Natasha: The most suspicious part is that no matter how much I ask, no one's ever willing to tell me anything about it... and that's where you might be able to help.
: Got it, you want me to go undercover.
::Natasha: ...It sounds dangerous, but what I want you to do is actually very simple. Investigate this so-called "Mutual Aid Society" and find out what exactly they're up to.
: Do I need to be ill before I can make inquiries?
::Natasha: ...That won't be necessary, but it will help if you pretend to be a patient. Help me investigate this so-called "Mutual Aid Society" and find out exactly what they're up to.
: What should I do?
::Natasha: Hmm... Pretend to be a patient. Help me investigate this so-called "Mutual Aid Society" and find out exactly what they're up to.
:Natasha: If I find out they're preventing me from doing my job... or if they're bringing harm to my patients... I won't just sit on the sidelines.
:Natasha: Can I entrust you with this task, (Trailblazer)?
: No problem, leave it with me.
: Have I ever refused you?
:Natasha: You're as considerate as always, (Trailblazer).
:Natasha: This little clinic has huge numbers of patients to deal with every day... If I didn't have you here to help me out, I wouldn't be able to focus on giving them quality care.
:Natasha: Good luck, (Trailblazer). I'll be sure to thank you properly when you're back.
===Talk to the first patient who skipped the follow-up visit===
;(Talk to the first patient)
:Depressed Patient: You... I've seen you at the clinic. You run errands for Natasha, right?
: Well, there goes my cover...
::Depressed Patient: ...Your cover? What are you talking about?
: Uh... Who's Natasha?
::Depressed Patient: ...Don't play dumb. I might be sick but my eyes still work.
:Depressed Patient: *sigh* Let me guess, Natasha wants you to persuade me to go back for a follow-up visit, right?
:Depressed Patient: *sigh* ...What's the use? I'm terminal. Life'll be over before I know it.
: Was that Natasha's diagnosis?
:Depressed Patient: Of course not, I read it in a book.
:Depressed Patient: Every book I read has descriptions that match my symptoms exactly... I can diagnose myself with a dozen incurable diseases before I get halfway through.
:Depressed Patient: For people in my situation, a follow-up visit is just a waste of time and money... not to mention medicine.
: Are you serious?
: ...
: Soooo nothing to do with you joining the mutual aid society then?
::Depressed Patient: Mutual aid what now? What are you talking about?
:Depressed Patient: ...What else is there to say. Natasha was seeing me free of charge. She said I could keep a tab running for as long as I liked, then pay it back when I had the opportunity... I guess I'm too proud.
: Money's one thing, but life...
::Depressed Patient: You think I need you to tell me? Don't try and persuade me, I've already thought this through...
: Appearances are more important than life, I feel you.
::Depressed Patient: ...Are you making fun of me? Have at it, you won't change my mind.
:Depressed Patient: *sigh* ...Dr. Vache never charged me anything either. Natasha's great, but Vache was always my number one...
: Who's Dr. Vache?
::Depressed Patient: Natasha's brother? They both used to practice medicine back in Rivet Town.
::Depressed Patient: I heard he was a top student from the Overworld medical academy — Belobog's main hospital wanted him. I've no idea what convinced him to set up down here... a kind heart, maybe.
: Free medical care? I don't believe it...
::Depressed Patient: What do you mean? Dr. Vache was a people's doctor — he handed out free medicine. He even followed up with detailed questions on how we felt.
::Depressed Patient: The Underworld is always short on medical resources — they say that Dr. Vache made all his own medicine himself.
: Why don't you go to him anymore?
:Depressed Patient: You think I don't want to? I heard that he... passed away.
:Depressed Patient: Uh... I should keep my voice down. Don't go telling anyone else about this next bit...
: I won't.
:Depressed Patient: I heard that Natasha had something to do with Dr. Vache's death. They say she was jealous that her brother had stolen her patients, so she...
: And you believe that?
::Depressed Patient: Agh, it's just something people were saying... I don't think Dr. Natasha could do something like that.
: It's not impossible...
::Depressed Patient: ...Hey, it's just a rumor. Don't take my word for it.
:Depressed Patient: *sigh* Forget I said anything. Since Dr. Natasha sent you over specially, I'll do her a favor.
:Depressed Patient: I'll go to the clinic for my follow-up a little later. Bye for now...
----
;(Immediately after dialogue ends)
:(Trailblazer): (Avoiding a follow-up visit due to money issues...)
:(Trailblazer): (I should find another patient to talk to...)
===Talk to the second patient who skipped the follow-up visit===
;(Talk to the second patient)
:Elderly Patient: ...What was that? You'll have to be louder! My ears aren't what they used to be — everything's muffled.
: I wanted to ask why you're not going for your follow-up visit.
:Elderly Patient: Hah? Follow-up visit? Is that what you're asking about?
:Elderly Patient: *sigh* Natasha's a wonderful girl. She always gives me a thorough checkup...
:Elderly Patient: But at this age, it's rather a lot to bear. Even if they could cure me, I'm sure I wouldn't be around for long. I don't want to waste anyone's time...
: There's no time wasted where health is concerned, right?
::Elderly Patient: Not for youngsters like yourself. When you get to my time of life, good health is a bit of a luxury I'm afraid.
: You should listen to Dr. Natasha.
::Elderly Patient: That girl's always trying to get me to take my medicine on time. *sigh* I know her heart's in the right place...
:Elderly Patient: My husband had the same illness as me, but he never touched the medicine. He wanted to make sure I had enough.
:Elderly Patient: Then one day, he said he needed to take care of some things at the mine. He never came back...
:Elderly Patient: He was forever saying he wanted to go before I did. Hehe... Selfish old fool...
:Elderly Patient: I miss him. Now that he's gone, who cares how long I stick around?
: I'm sure he's up there caring right now.
::Elderly Patient: ...Do you think so? Wouldn't he want me to hurry up and join him...?
::Elderly Patient: Hmph... Kids today don't give up easily.
: Dr. Natasha cares.
::Elderly Patient: ...You're not wrong, I suppose. That girl certainly spares me no effort, but I always feel like I'm a burden to her...
: I care.
::Elderly Patient: You don't give up easily, do you? Still... you're full of kind words.
:Elderly Patient: Okay, you win. It's off for another follow-up visit with Dr. Natasha, I suppose...
:Elderly Patient: Mm? Did you want to say something else? My ears are terrible...
: Have you heard of the mutual aid society?
:Elderly Patient: Virtual who?
: Mutual aid society!
:Elderly Patient: Alright, I heard you! Do you have to shout? ...No, I've never heard of any mutual aid society...
----
;(Immediately after dialogue ends)
:(Trailblazer): (Avoiding a follow-up visit due to her husband...)
:(Trailblazer): (I should find another patient to talk to...)
===Talk to the third patient who skipped the follow-up visit ===
;(Talk to the third patient)
:Suspicious Patient: Why haven't I gone for my follow-up visit... Are you a patient too, or did Dr. Natasha send you over?
: What makes you say that?
::Suspicious Patient: Who else would care about people like me?
: You're pretty sharp.
::Suspicious Patient: Hah, you should head on back then. Thank Dr. Natasha for her concern.
:Suspicious Patient: I don't need Dr. Natasha's help now. Tell her to save her worries and medicine for other people.
: Did you have a dispute with her?
::Suspicious Patient: A dispute? No, no, she's the only kindhearted doctor in the Underworld.
::Suspicious Patient: I just don't really approve of her methods, that's all. Too idealistic, and no real efficacy...
: I'm through seeing her too...
::Suspicious Patient: Huh? So you had a dispute with her?
::Suspicious Patient: ...She's the only kindhearted doctor in the Underworld. I just don't really approve of her methods, that's all. Too idealistic, and no real efficacy...
:Suspicious Patient: She tries to save everyone, which means she can't save anyone... In the end, it's the patients who suffer, and she just tires herself out.
:Suspicious Patient: Miners like me don't have time for lengthy treatments... If I can't take something and get right back to work, I may as well lie down and wait for death to come knocking...
:Suspicious Patient: Did you know Dr. Vache? His wonder medicine is cheap and the results are immediate. You just need to be willing to... take a little risk.
: "Risk"?
:Suspicious Patient: Dr. Vache's medicine is... different. Lots of people make a full recovery after taking it... but some get worse, and the unlucky ones check out early.
:Suspicious Patient: Even knowing the risk, most people fought tooth and nail to get a hold of the medicine. You know why?
: They're willing to gamble with their life...
::Suspicious Patient: Hmph, you're smarter than you look.
: I've no idea.
::Suspicious Patient: Hmph... you've clearly never been in really dire straits.
:Suspicious Patient: When life forces you to the edge, you'll throw yourself at any opportunity... even if it means risking it all.
:Suspicious Patient: For people like us, a slow and tortuous treatment is the same as a death sentence. If it's between that and a quick result, we'll take the latter.
:Suspicious Patient: Ahem, forget it. Why am I telling you all this? Dr. Vache is dead, anyway...
: Where can I go to get this wonder medicine?
: What if I told you I agreed with you?
:Suspicious Patient: Hah, what, now you're interested in the wonder medicine?
:Suspicious Patient: Listen up... the Complex Illness Mutual Aid Society is still selling that medicine... I can tell you where they trade, but there's a rule...
:Suspicious Patient: ...You must not tell any of this to Dr. Natasha, you hear? If you break the rule, you'll face the consequences!
:Suspicious Patient: Here, take this, it's the address. A final warning — do not reveal this information to Natasha!
----
;(Immediately after dialogue ends)
:(Trailblazer): (I know where to find the wonder medicine. What should I do next...?)
:(Trailblazer): (That patient didn't want me to tell Natasha about this... Should I listen to him?)
: Let's tell Natasha first.
: Let's investigate the wonder medicine address first.
----
===Talk to the patients in the clinic===
;(Talk to Emotional Patient)
:Emotional Patient: The medicine Vache left behind? That stuff... Can you even call it medicine?
:Emotional Patient: I know Dr. Natasha's here, but I have to tell it like it is... Vache had zero medical ethics — he didn't deserve the title "doctor."
:Emotional Patient: He may have had the capability, but he didn't use it to help anyone... Whenever I went to see him, he never even asked about my illness! He just prescribed me his so-called "wonder medicine..."
:Emotional Patient: If it were you, would you have taken that medicine?
----
;(Talk to Calm Patient)
:Calm Patient: Some people say that Dr. Vache was a saint who came from the Overworld to help those in need... I don't buy it.
:Calm Patient: "People's doctor..." That's just what people who've bought into the myth like to say. Vache used to distribute free medicine all the time, but, uh... he couldn't have cared less about the people taking the medicine...
:Calm Patient: The hard truth is that we were just his test subjects. It didn't matter if the medicine worked or not. What mattered was having a constant stream of willing lab rats...
:Calm Patient: ...Of course, I can't control what anyone else thinks. That's just how I see it.
===Talk to Natasha about your thoughts on this matter===
;(Talk to Natasha)
: I'm finished talking with patients.
:Natasha: ...I still haven't worked out how to convey it to you, the issues surrounding Vache. My relationship with him... the things he's done in the Underworld... it's a long story.
:Natasha: I'm guessing you've heard a lot of different opinions on Vache. What do you make of him, (Trailblazer)?
: I think he was a doctor with zero medical ethics.
: It's tough for me to say.
: I think he's insane.
::Natasha: I see... I can understand that.
:Natasha: (Trailblazer), I want you to go and visit another patient — a victim of the wonder medicine... I want you to see the real consequences of abusing that medicine.
:Natasha: Once you've understood her situation, come back and tell me what you think. After that... I want to ask for your help again.
===Find the victim of the "wonder medicine"===
;(Talk to Lonely Woman)
:Lonely Woman: ...
:Lonely Woman: ...Who are you...?
: I'm a friend of Dr. Natasha.
: I'm a... miracle doctor from beyond the sky.
:Lonely Woman: ...Who? And... who am I?
: You haven't introduced yourself yet.
: You're one of Dr. Natasha's patients, don't you remember?
: ...
:Lonely Woman: ..Where's my husband... and where's my child...?
:Lonely Woman: ...Wh—Where are they? You... you know where they are, right?
: I'm afraid not. Are you okay?
: Try and stay calm...
:Lonely Woman: ...You don't know... they don't know... nobody knows...
:Lonely Woman: Where... Wh—Where did they go...
: ...
:???: Come over here, child. It's best to leave that poor lady in peace. Let me explain...
----
;(Subsequent dialogue)
:Kind Old Lady: That poor, poor lady... Both her husband and child became ill and passed away.
: They must have been seriously ill...
::Kind Old Lady: *sigh* ...Not terribly serious. But they needed to get treatment every now and then, which did impact their livelihood.
: And that made her become like this?
::Kind Old Lady: Yes... Before her family passed away, she was a carefree young woman.
:Kind Old Lady: Her husband and child caught a mysterious illness. The symptoms weren't grave, but their livelihood was certainly impacted.
:Kind Old Lady: In order to try and rid themselves of the ailment once and for all, they bought some kind of "wonder medicine..." Who would've thought their condition would deteriorate so rapidly after they began using it.
:Kind Old Lady: The two began to suffer terribly, such that death became a blessing... It wasn't long before they departed this world, one after the other.
:Kind Old Lady: From that moment on, oh she became as you see her now. If Dr. Natasha hadn't taken her under her wing... *sigh* Well it doesn't bear thinking about.
: It just sounds like poison...
::Kind Old Lady: And yet what more could've been done? They were warned about the medicine. They were told about the risks... They chose to roll the dice.
: They were unlucky...
::Kind Old Lady: Just unlucky? As far as I'm concerned, those medicine dealers are making money for murder in broad daylight... Who would sell such a thing to the sick?
:Kind Old Lady: *sigh* Talking about it tires me out. At least my husband and I are able to help her where we can. I just hope that one day she can lead a normal life again...
----
;(Optional: Talk to Restless Patient standing next to Lonely Woman)
:Restless Patient: What's wrong with her? Isn't it obvious? Her family were the victims of improper medical treatment, then she had a nervous breakdown...
:Restless Patient: *sigh* Oh sister, sometimes there just isn't a cure...
:Restless Patient: That Dr. Vache wasn't human... he was a devil in a doctor's coat!
:Restless Patient: I told her so many times not to believe in that medicine, but she...
: ...I heard that Vache died?
:Restless Patient: Yeah... But don't think for a second he was any better than those medicine dealers at the mutual aid society. He was worse than they could ever aspire to be!
:Restless Patient: At least the mutual aid society doesn't hide the risk from the buyers. Vache gave that poison away to everyone for free... even the elderly and the children...
:Restless Patient: Argh, I hate them! I hate them all! How could they do this to my sister...
===Talk to Natasha===
;(Talk to Natasha)
: I'm back.
:Natasha: Did you speak to her, (Trailblazer)?
:Natasha: By the look on your face... I'm assuming you've come to understand the wonder medicine all too well.
: The people selling that stuff are devils.
: Those medicine dealers prey on our weaknesses...
:Natasha: ...
:Natasha: Be it Vache or the mutual aid society — forces like that can take full advantage of the... the typical Underworld state of mind.
:Natasha: Let me tell you a story, (Trailblazer).
:Natasha: There was once a brilliant Overworld doctor with unmatched pharmaceutical skill.
:Natasha: The doctor was set on developing a medicine that would steel the human body against the cold. He named his research project "Blizzard Immunity."
:Natasha: But his research met with obstruction time and time again, the biggest factor being a lack of test subjects. Tampering with the human immune system carries huge risk, and nobody in the Overworld was willing to submit themselves to such experiments.
:Natasha: As such, the doctor got in touch with his sister in the Underworld... claiming that he wanted to support the medical effort below ground.
: ...
: And then...
:Natasha: ...Naturally, his sister was overjoyed. After all, as far as medicine was concerned, her brother had always been the standard she'd strived to attain.
:Natasha: She brought her brother underground and entrusted him with her clinic and laboratory...
:Natasha: ...I think you know what comes next.
: I'm sorry that I doubted you before...
: It's hard to believe he was your brother...
:Natasha: Issuing free medicine to the needy was just Vache's way of conducting experiments on his test subjects.
:Natasha: On some level, his reagents were able to alleviate the patients' suffering... but nothing more. They would forget their pain for a while, and neglect their regular treatment plans...
:Natasha: The result... patients with mild illness would attribute their recovery to the so-called wonder medicine, while patients with serious illness would quickly deteriorate... and sometimes die.
:Natasha: I cannot accept that their fate was simply the result of misfortune or risk, (Trailblazer). No true doctor would accept that.
:Natasha: That's why I want you to help me recover all the wonder medicine. Are you willing to take on this assignment?
: Somebody has to do the right thing.
: Not my preferred course of action, but...
::Natasha: ...But it's impossible to sit on the sidelines, right?
:Natasha: Thank you, (Trailblazer).
:Natasha: This will be hard for the people that have come to rely on the wonder medicine... but it's up to us to remove this false hope.
:Natasha: You mustn't hesitate — recover every last reagent that Vache left behind. I'll take responsibility for the consequences — don't worry about that.
:Natasha: Go, (Trailblazer). I'll be waiting for the good news.
===Go to Rivet Town to track down the "wonder medicine"===
;(Approach the marked area)
:Alert Vagrant: Stop right there! No one's allowed up ahead!
: Hand over the wonder medicine.
::Alert Vagrant: Oh-ho! Playing the hero, are we? Is this a stick-up?
::Alert Vagrant: You're that clinic woman's lackey, aren't you. Did you think the mutual aid society didn't have its own intel?
: I'm here to buy.
::Alert Vagrant: Who are you trying to kid? You're that clinic woman's lackey. Did you think the mutual aid society didn't have its own intel?
: I'm just taking a walk...
::Alert Vagrant: In the Fragmentum? Gimme a break!
::Alert Vagrant: You're that clinic woman's lackey, aren't you. Did you think the mutual aid society didn't have its own intel?
:Alert Vagrant: She's after our medicine and sent you here to smash the place, right?
:Alert Vagrant: Men, look lively and send this idiot packing already!
;(Enter battle)
===Go to the location where the mutual aid society stores the wonder medicine===
;(Investigate the boxes)
:The old box has some medicine labeled with experiment numbers. This must be the wonder medicine the mutual aid society was talking about.
:You suddenly hear footsteps behind you...
:Society President: ...Well, look who we have here. Your reputation precedes you, outsider... I didn't take you for a bandit and a thief!
: Who are you?
: I'm just passing through.
::Society President: Oh, just passing through... And our guards decided to just beat themselves into submission, I suppose?
:Society President: You listen here — I'm the president of the Complex Illness Mutual Aid Society. The medicine we hold here is lifeblood for many of our members. Are you sure you want to deprive them of that?
:Society President: Those poor patients... Along comes a life-saving wonder medicine, only to be snatched away by a shameless bandit like you...
:Society President: The Underworld is full of sickness... What would happen if we left it all to that clinic to treat?
:Society President: My mutual aid society has relieved that doctor of patients at the end of the road. Shouldn't she be thanking me?
: Natasha would never give up on a patient...
: ...And she'd never work with an impostor like you!
:Society President: Hmm. Seems like you are quite bent on dismantling our operations, aren't you?
:Society President: Fine, seeing as you came all this way, it'd be rude not to give you the opportunity!
:Society President: Men, seize the medicine thief!
;(Enter battle)
----
;(After the battle)
:Society President: Blast it... What did we ever do to you? Why are you taking away our money-maker!?
:Natasha: "...Money-maker"?
:Natasha: So you admit it, then? You're not in this to save lives. You're in it to get rich.
;(Fade to black)
;(Natasha appears)
:Society President: Wh—What are you doing here? Ugh, as if we didn't have enough trouble already...
:Natasha: ...Selling fake medicine with false kindness. You should have expected trouble to find you sooner or later.
:Natasha: I have a responsibility to protect the well-being of my patients... or to put it another way: I must eradicate any and all threats to them.
:Society President: You... You can't save everyone! The Underworld is teeming with sickness... how could you possibly pull it off!
:Natasha: You're right, I can't save everyone alone... but if I must, I would sacrifice food and sleep to treat them.
:Natasha: The debt that Vache owes to the Underworld rests with me. All I can do is help everyone to the best of my ability... to the very end.
:Society President: Ugh...
:Society President: Ugh... So stubborn... In that sense, you're no different from your crazy brother.
:Natasha: ...I'll take that as a compliment.
:Natasha: Thank you, (Trailblazer). Your actions today have saved many Underworld families.
:Natasha: I'll find a way to dispose of Vache's leftover reagents. Next time the "Mutual Aid Society" wants to whip up a quack cure? They'll be out of luck.
:Natasha: Let's go back to town. I still owe those patients an explanation...
===Go back to the clinic and talk to Natasha===
;(Enter Natasha's Clinic)
:(Trailblazer): (It looks like the patients have surrounded Natasha? Let's hear what they're saying...)
:Suspicious Patient: ...What are you saying, doctor? The wonder medicine is out of supply?
:Natasha: Correct. That medicine is a wolf in sheep's clothing — Wildfire has cut off the supply chain.
:Natasha: Your ailments need rational, scientific treatment. Relying on pseudo-medicines will only worsen your condition...
:Suspicious Patient: Hmph, rational and scientific, huh...? The way I see it, you're just jealous you lost your patients.
:Elderly Patient: H—How dare you speak to Dr. Natasha like that! Where are your manners...
:Suspicious Patient: ...Ma'am, please think for a moment. How can you still be siding with her? That wonder medicine was working fine for us, and now it's gone because she wants it to be? How can she—
:Natasha: I understand your anger, but as your doctor, I ask you to trust my judgment.
:Natasha: I will find a way to access more medical resources and help you through your struggles. If I must, I'll get help from the surface...
:Suspicious Patient: The surface... Hmph, I almost forgot that you were an Overworld big shot.
:Elderly Patient: Have some respect for Dr. Natasha...
:Suspicious Patient: Tsk, if it's respect she wants, she better find a replacement for the wonder medicine, fast! If not, I'll tell everyone about how she set up Dr. Vache.
:Suspicious Patient: I'm out of here!
:Natasha: ...
----
;(Talk to Natasha)
: Nat...
:Natasha: Oh... (Trailblazer), you're here. I apologize, that must have made for uncomfortable viewing.
: Are you okay?
::Natasha: Mm... I'm okay. If I were in his shoes, I may well have had the same reaction. Now I need to focus on treating the patients, and dispelling their doubts.
: I'd like to straighten out that loudmouth myself!
::Natasha: Don't let your emotions get the better of you. If I were in his shoes, I might well have had the same reaction. Now I need to focus on treating the patients, and dispelling their doubts.
:Natasha: ...Let's leave it for now. I'll feel a lot better once I've gotten rid of this mess that Vache left us.
:Natasha: ...Now's as good a time as any to tell you Vache's whole story.
:Natasha: If there's anything you want to know, don't hesitate to ask.
: Was he your biological brother?
::Natasha: No... but I used to think we were so close that we may as well have been...
::Natasha: I actually grew up in the orphanage. It wasn't until I was adopted by an Overworld family that life changed for me.
::Natasha: My adoptive mother always saw me as her own flesh and blood, and Vache loved me like a sister... that is, while we were still young.
::Natasha: My adoptive parents belonged to a prominent medical family — as kids, we were exposed to all kinds of medical texts. When we were older, both of us got straight into Belobog's medical school. We were on a path into the medical profession.
: What kind of person was Vache?
::Natasha: He was gentle and introverted. But when it came to work he could be absurdly obsessive... like a completely different person.
::Natasha: Whenever I made a mistake in an experiment, he'd bite my head off... and then a while later, he'd apologize and comfort me. He was conflicted in that way.
: So you knew this medicine was his work?
::Natasha: I didn't know he had leftover reagents in Rivet Town. I was shocked when you told me.
::Natasha: If you fail to make a clean break with the past, the past creeps up on you...
: Did he...really pass away?
:Natasha: *sigh* That's a long story... Ever since he was little, Vache had always wanted to develop a medicine called "Blizzard Immunity."
:Natasha: He saw the human body's vulnerability to cold as a disease, and wanted to cure it so that humanity could survive the Eternal Freeze. If he succeeded, people would be able to leave Belobog and rebuild their homes in the Snow Plains.
: Do you share his vision?
::Natasha: To be honest, I never understood how he'd achieve that "Blizzard Immunity." But I do admire that vision and perseverance... I always chose to believe him, ever since I was a kid.
: (Brief silence)
::Natasha: I do admire his vision and perseverance, even though "Blizzard Immunity" always seemed unachievable to me.
:Natasha: I knew his research in the Overworld wasn't going well. I used to write to him and ask him to come down and stay with the kids in the orphanage for a while. I thought it might help take his mind off his research.
:Natasha: But I was too young to know what long-term frustration could do to a person. It changed him in a terrible way...
: Changed him...?
:Natasha: During his stay in the Underworld, he met patients affected by Fragmentum corrosion with mild symptoms. Compared with non-patients, their bodies reacted differently to hot and cold. And that fascinated Vache.
:Natasha: He began to simulate mild Fragmentum corrosion, thinking that it could lead to breakthroughs in developing Blizzard Immunity.
:Natasha: Those reagents of his aren't cure-alls for critical illness — that doesn't exist. Vache made the reagents to mitigate the suffering of his patients in the short term — a convenient way for him to observe changes in his test subjects.
:Natasha: But behind my back, he had been doling out the reagents to residents who were kept in the dark. When it finally struck me that something was wrong, his terrible research had already turned him into... into a madman.
: He'd lost his last shred of humanity...
::Natasha: Indeed... and it all happened under my nose. How ridiculous — my judgment was clouded by trust in a loved one...
: Did nothing seem strange to you all that time?
::Natasha: I trusted Vache with all my heart. Funny, isn't it? And pathetic.
:Natasha: When his experiments were exposed, I spent a long time with Oleg discussing how to handle the aftermath.
:Natasha: This was shortly before the Underworld was sealed off — there were hardly any Silvermane Guards remaining. We spent ages trying to find a way to handle Vache.
:Natasha: In the end, Oleg suggested that we banish him and permanently deny him access to the Underworld.
:Natasha: Had his victims found out the truth, Vache would've been torn to pieces by furious Underworlders. I was young and weak at the time — Oleg must have worried about how I'd react to such a scenario, or he wouldn't have suggested banishment.
: Banishment isn't a particularly harsh punishment...
::Natasha: *sigh* Looking back, it wasn't. He deserved much worse...
: You two did the right thing.
::Natasha: ...I hope so. The day I learned the truth was the day I no longer recognized my brother.
:Natasha: Oleg and I took Vache to the Overworld. He made his final request to us: to take him outside the city to the Snow Plains he'd always wanted to conquer.
:Natasha: His figure gradually disappeared into the snow curtain... I've been telling myself that Vache is dead ever since.
:Natasha: Forgive me, (Trailblazer), I'm not good at telling stories. Vache was a terrible brother and a worse doctor... That's all you need to know.
:Natasha: Let's call it a day. Thank you for cleaning up the mess my brother left behind. Here — for your trouble.
;(Complete)
==Other Languages==
== Change History ==