Scenario:Shao - Line between Good and Evil

Line between Good and Evil

The crew helps an old woman who is being hounded by debt collectors due to her expensive medical bills. Shao says her medicine is ineffective and too expensive. The crew gathers ingredients for Shao so he can make medicine for her that actually works.

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Shao: There you go. Please take these before you go to sleep, preferably with a drink of hot water if you can.

Townswoman: Thank you.

Shao: And what can I do for you, good sir?

Elderly Citizen: My left arm has become very stiff. I can barely move it.

Shao: Let me take a look.

The crew has dropped anchor on a certain island, and Shao wastes no time setting up shop in town as he often does.

Shao: These herbs should do the trick. And try to keep that arm warm.

Elderly Citizen: I see, thank you so much.

Shao: Yes, take care now.

Vyrn: Hey there, Shao!

Shao: Hm? What seems to be the matter?

Vyrn: "What's the matter," he says. We've been lookin' for you.

Shao: Ah, well, I do beg your pardon then. What can I do for you?

Lyria: Oh, we're not on an errand or anything. We just didn't know where you'd gone to.

Vyrn: What are you doing selling stuff in a back-alley like this? The main street is way busier.

Shao: I'm a wandering peddler, and I'm still a newcomer to this town. The main street is just a little too—

???: Why you! Get out, this instant!

An angry shout rings out from a short distance away.

Vyrn: Whoa! What was that?

Lyria: Uh-oh! Sounds like trouble... We should go look!

Shao: Here we go again... I can't decide whether you guys are busybodies or simply too goody-goody.

Shaking his head, Shao follows after the crew.

???: Look here, is this all you've got for us today? This won't do at all. You got that, crone!

Old Woman: Please! Forgive me.

Two men are bullying an old woman outside a tiny house.

Lyria: Oh! Those men are taking money from that woman!

Shao: Judging from the tenor of their conversation, I'd say those two are debt collectors.

Debt Collector 1: Hey, how long are you planning on making us wait for our money? Huh?

Old Woman: I'll definitely have it ready next time...

Vyrn: Um, shouldn't we stop them or something?

Shao: Meddling in the affairs of people you don't even know is most certainly a symptom of being a busybody.

Lyria: B-but we can't ignore an elderly lady being spoken to like that!

Vyrn: Yeah, what she said! Time to take out the trash.

Vyrn: Hey, you two! Is that any way to speak to your elders?

Debt Collector 2: Huh? What's it to you! This ain't got nothin' to do with you, so butt out!

Old Woman: Wait! Let's all calm down. I'll have the money ready next time, so please leave it at that.

Debt Collector 2: Humph. Fine, we'll come back tomorrow to check! Don't go takin' off anywhere!

Pushing past the old woman, the two debt collectors skulk off.

Old Woman: Sigh... That was close.
Cough, cough...

Lyria: Are you feeling okay? Hang in there!

The old woman falls to her knees in a coughing fit, and Lyria rushes to her side.

Old Woman: Huff... Huff... Cough... I'm used to it...

Vyrn: Hey, don't push yourself! (Captain), let's carry her back inside her house!

Old Woman: I'm so sorry to cause so much trouble for you...

Vyrn: Don't mention it! But who were those guys?

Old Woman: Well...

The old woman explains that she has been suffering from her illness for a long time and has to constantly take medicine.

Her medical bills piled up and she has to borrow money to pay them.

Vyrn: I see... So that's why those debt collectors were barging in on you.

Shao: Say, madam. That medicine you're using—who are you getting it from?

Old Woman: Those men are handling the arrangements.

Shao: ...

Lyria: Oh? Are they apothecaries?

Old Woman: Well, they... I mean, it's very important medicine that isn't available anywhere else, so...

Shao: Can I see that medicine?

Old Woman: Sure, here it is.

Shao examines the medicine while analyzing the old woman's condition.

Shao: ...

Vyrn: What's up? Something wrong with her medicine?

Shao: Mm-hm. You could take this medicine for months and never get any better.

Lyria: Gosh! Isn't there something we can do?

Shao: I can prescribe a different medicine. It will be a whole lot cheaper than this one too.

Old Woman: Are you a healer? If you could do that for me, I'd be so grateful.

Shao: I'll see to it. I need to gather ingredients for the medicine, so relax until I return.

By Shao's instructions, the crew arrives at a forest near the town.

Vyrn: So we should take out the monsters around here, right?

Shao: Please do. I'll need those ingredients to make the medicine.

Lyria: Look, over there! Are those the monsters you mean?

Shao: Ah, there they are. Okay, (Captain), do your thing.

Line between Good and Evil: Scene 2

When the crew pay a visit to the old woman the next day, her neighbor informs them that she passed away peacefully from the final medicine Shao had given her. Before the crew can ask Shao what he did, the debt collectors show up again.

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Vyrn: All right! That's all of them!

Lyria: Good. We should get back to that woman's house right away.

Shao: Just a moment. Could you guys return to the Grandcypher first for me?

Vyrn: Huh? How come?

Shao: The old woman is sick. It's not good to have so many people intruding on her home.

Lyria: Oh, okay. That makes sense.

Shao: Furthermore, formula mixing requires my full attention, and the chatter would only be a distraction.

Vyrn: Bah! So that's your game!

Lyria: Now, now, Vyrn. Let's go back to the Grandcypher with (Captain).

(Captain) and company head back to the Grandcypher, while Shao heads to the old woman's home alone.

The following day...

Lyria: Hello! Miss? Are you in?

(Captain) and the crew have come to check on the woman's recovery.

Vyrn: Hm? There's no answer. Did she go out?

Shao: ...

A man pokes his head out from the window of the neighboring house.

Neighbor: Hm? Are you friends of the woman next door?

Lyria: Yes! We came to see how her recovery was coming along!

Neighbor: Ah, well, I'm sorry to tell you this but... she passed away yesterday evening.

Vyrn: What!

Lyria: Oh, how sad! Yesterday she seemed so chatty...

Neighbor: If it's any solace, she passed away peacefully. She'd faced nothing but hardships as of late, so I guess she finally found release.

Lyria: Sniff... That's so sad. I really thought Shao's medicine would help...

Neighbor: Oh, are you the medicine man? She wanted to thank you.

Shao: Did she now...

Neighbor: You were the one who gave her the final dosage, weren't you?

Vyrn: Final dosage? What does he mean?

Shao: Actually it's not exactly something I want to get in to...

Vyrn: Why not? Just explain it and it'll be fine!

The crew tries to press Shao for answers but is interrupted.

Debt Collector 1: Hey, you old bag! Open up!

The debt collectors from yesterday have returned.

Debt Collector 2: You got our money ready for us?

Vyrn: C-cut it out, would ya? She passed away last night.

Debt Collector 2: Huh? She kicked the bucket? That's the oldest trick in the book!

Debt Collector 1: I bet that moocher's just hiding in there! Come on, we're going in!

Neighbor: No! Stop that at once! Stop that, I say!

Shao: Sigh... (Captain), let's quiet things down, shall we? You know what I mean.

Line between Good and Evil: Scene 3

Realizing that the old woman's illness is incurable, Shao gives her medicine meant to bring an end to her suffering. He asks to be banished from the crew if they disagree with his actions; the crew insists that he keep traveling with them so that they have more time to reach an answer.

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Debt Collector 2: Curses... We'll be back, you'll see! You haven't seen the last of us!

Lyria: Whew. I think we showed them.

Vyrn: We sure did! Now where were we, Medicine Man?

Vyrn: Is it possible the medicine you made for her caused her to...

Shao: You've got the right idea. My medicine was only meant to ease her pain.

Lyria: So you knew...

Shao: Her illness had already advanced to the end-stage. All I could give her was something to temporarily ease her pain.

Shao: The medicine she had been taking was actually poisonous. Keeping her ill was a way for those men to extort money from her.

Lyria: That's so horrible...

Shao: Quite right. She suffered from needless debt and illness for the longest time.

Vyrn: But still you could've... There had to be a way...

Shao: I'm a healer, not an omnipotent god with the power to cure everything.

Shao: Given her options, I came up with the best prescription I could think of.

Shao: Or are you saying she should've continued living in suffering?

Shao: "I know you're not getting better, and your debts keep piling up, but try to do your best." Is that it?

Shao's voice sounds unusually cold, and the crew falls silent.

Lyria: ...

Vyrn: ...

Amid the brooding silence, Shao's expression suddenly loosens, and his usual smile returns.

Shao: I suppose it's not about which opinion is right and which is wrong.

Shao: I've seen a fair share of death in my time, and I believe this was the best course of action.

Shao: Everyone has their own opinions of course. I'm not trying to persuade you to accept mine.

Shao: If you consider me a murderer and want me out of the crew, I won't protest.

Vyrn: Hold on a minute! No one's accusing you of that!

Shao: Then can you accept what I did?

Vyrn: Er, I mean...

Lyria: Um... Before we go any further, can we see the old woman one last time?

Neighbor: Yes, of course. You're welcome to pay your respects.

The crew enters the house and approaches the bed where the woman lies.

Lyria can't take her eyes off the woman's face, which seems so peaceful one could mistake her for simply being asleep.

Lyria: Sniff... It's always sad to see someone go, whatever the reason.

Lyria: But her last words were "thank you"?

Neighbor: Yes. She was really grateful for what you did for her.

Lyria: ...

Lyria: Um, Shao?

Lyria lifts her head and fixes Shao with an intense gaze.

Lyria: I don't have an answer for you yet. So can I make it my homework assignment?

Shao: Homework?

Lyria: Yep! Keep traveling with us. That way I can think some more about what you said.

Vyrn: That's not a bad idea. I'm sure (Captain) agrees.

Shao: Sigh... What a bunch of softies...

Shao: Very well then. Let us journey together a while longer.

Shao has presented the crew with something difficult to ponder.

By the time they arrive at an answer, they may finally discover the truth hidden behind Shao's smile.