Mortis searched the Adventurer's Guild task list in vain for a task he could complete on short notice. Therefore, he decided to go to the temple to pick up Helga. He was not particularly welcome there, but Helga was warmly received. While Mortis waited, he again noticed Luxia's movement as she moved among the praying worshippers. A grin flitted across his face, for the change the system had made to Helga would surely surprise Luxia. Instead of just improving Helga, the system had perfectly reshaped her values. Helga now possessed high intelligence and mana, while her agility had been slightly increased to allow her to dodge better in critical moments.
When Helga finally left the temple, she wore a new robe in white and silver, instead of the usual gold. This robe she had received as a gift from the goddess, and it gave her attributes like intelligence +3 and mana +5. Helga joyfully rushed towards Mortis, spinning in circles to show off her new robe, almost as if she had just gone on a shopping spree. "You look beautiful in it. It really suits you," Mortis remarked, which made Helga blush. She thanked him for the compliment with a kiss on his cheek.
Helga explained that the robe was a gift from the goddess and the color was chosen to better match his equipment. Before the conversation could deepen, however, Helga was surrounded by other priests. She urgently needed to attend a meeting with Hans and other more senior priests. Helga asked Mortis if he could pick her up tonight, since the meeting would probably take a while. Mortis nodded in agreement, said goodbye to Helga, and headed back to the guild. If he had the day to himself, he would try to complete a quest.
At the Adventurer's Guild, Mortis finally decided on the quest "Escorting the Herb Witch." Reading the name of the client, Marlene, he couldn't help but grin. After all, it had been she who had taught him all about herbs and light alchemy.
Marlene was surprised to see Mortis at the guild so early in the morning, especially since his training had just been completed. Mortis presented his medallion to explain that he was here for their mission. She was pleased to see him, as it was always better to have a trusted companion by one's side. So they equipped themselves, tied a shield to the door of the guild, and set off together in an easterly direction.
The further they entered the forest, the denser the vegetation became, and the sounds of nature grew louder. Despite the potential dangers of wild animals and magical creatures, they had been lucky so far, encountering only smaller creatures while the larger ones ignored them.
After about an hour, they reached a small hill that marked the beginning of a mountain range. Marlene asked if they wanted to go into the mountains. Mortis reminded her that winterkorn only grew in colder mountain regions. She agreed, and they began climbing up the trail.
The climb was slower for Mortis than for Marlene, but he enjoyed the hike and resisted the temptation to unceremoniously pick up the witch and go faster. They hiked up the mountain for two more hours, gathering numerous herbs along the way. Marlene became so engrossed in her work that she was barely responsive and left no plant unattended.
While Mortis enjoyed the view, an uneasy feeling came over him. Did he sense undead or ghosts nearby? Suddenly, he noticed Marlene speeding up and heading toward a nearby cave. Mortis ran after her, caught up with her, and stopped her. "You can't just walk into a cave without me checking first," he admonished her.
Marlene apologized and explained that she had discovered a rare herb, cave flax. Mortis relented and let her go ahead while he set out to check the cave. At first, the darkness did not allow him to see anything important, either living creatures or objects. But the further he went into the cave, the more he felt an eerie presence. His hair stood up, and he was convinced that something threatening was hiding in the dark.
Mortis' main task was to protect Marlene, but before he could even think about which danger had priority, the witch had already entered the cave. Marlene seemed not to be afraid, but to be joyfully moving forward into the darkness to find more herbs. A behavior that almost drove Mortis crazy. Finally, he decided to go into the cave as well, since he could not stop Marlene anyway and she would go to the end of the cave to gather herbs.
The cave turned out not to be a dungeon, but a dark tunnel. Thanks to his ability to see in the darkness, Mortis could perceive everything. No sooner had he gained enough distance from the entrance cave than a large spider suddenly fell from the ceiling.
Mortis tried to finish the spider off with one blow, but the animal was surprisingly agile. It managed to dodge his attack, but was still hit by the force and lost two legs. The spider let out a shrill scream and attacked again, crawling along the wall towards Mortis.
Again Mortis tried to hit the spider, but this time with more patience. As it came closer, he split it in half with a well-aimed blow. But instead of rejoicing, he noticed the spider's piercing scream and realized that it was not out of pain, but meant as a signal to other spiders.
The spirit Mortis was able to summon created a cold mist that slowed the attacking spiders and restricted their movements. While they were trapped, Mortis used his abilities to strike down the spiders in a flurry of blows. The mist and his spirit helped him cope with the onslaught.
After the spiders were defeated, he used his spirit to hunt down and destroy the remaining spiders. When he returned, the cave was lit up by a small fireball that Marlene had summoned.
Marlene was excited that they had found cave spiders. She hoped they were able to dissect the bodies so that the venom glands and other valuable parts remained undamaged. Claws and teeth would also sell well. Mortis confessed that he had no idea how to dissect such creatures. Marlene laughed and explained that she would show him how. Dissecting animals and insects was tedious, but it made the most money. These skills would also help Mortis save money, as he wanted to strive for financial stability in the future, especially for when Helga could no longer travel.
Mortis continued his work and eventually sensed the spirit's presence nearby. His spirit led him to a huge spider that was almost three meters tall.