Hunger

In Karst Cave a man hangs upside down, bound and twisted like a cocoon. He takes you for "Lord Eckhart" and asks whether you will lead him to the great existence. He raves about a dream in which monkeys drive a carriage and force food into his mouth, and he wants to taste one thing again: a glowing delicacy.

Walkthrough#

1. Find the Luminous Delicacy (log 21102). Hear him out (the "..." reply) and the line starts (flag 75022). The delicacy is a Glimmering Pink Bud (key item 10041, "a pink bud glimmering in a beam of light"). There are two in the cave (pickups 7008 and 7031), and you can carry at most two.
2. Satisfy the man hanging upside-down (log 21103). The log step appears the first time you pick one up (flag 72305). Return and choose "Give it Glimmering Pink Bud". He swallows it with great joy but is still hungry.
3. Bring the second bud and feed him again. He says he can see the light even though "the monkeys took his eyes". That completes the line (flag 75035).

Answering "Sorry..." when he asks for the bud only gets a muttered "could it only exist in my dream?".

What happens next#

The data has no direct reward for the hand-in. The cocoon effect object that holds him (StoryEffect 21) is switched off by flag 74001, which is set the next time you rest at one of five altars in Karst Cave after finishing the line (rule: Side Quests#Hidden mechanics). At that moment:

• a Little Giant enemy (story monster 7079, levels 18 / 50 / 68 / 80 for journeys 1 to 4; see Little Giant) takes his place, and
• two Shriveled Holy Fruit (consumable 20028, "Gain a Shield for 1 minute") become pick-up-able at the spot (pickup 7064).

So the "awful horrors" the log text wonders about are real. The line does not say whether the man himself becomes the monster (inferred from the effect being hidden and the enemy appearing in his place).

Hidden mechanics#

• You must have both buds. The second feeding is only offered after both pickup flags (72008 and 72031) and the first feeding flag (75028) are set; one bud alone cannot finish the line. The first feeding consumes one bud (flag 75028 deletes one 10041) and the final one consumes another (flag 75035).
• The rest trigger is a separate step. Reaching the five altars with the line finished and resting at one sets 74001; skipping altars means the cocoon stays.
• New Game Plus: the buds are GamePlusRemove key items; every flag resets on a new journey (New Game Plus#What carries over and what is removed).

Sources#

• UIQuest 21101-21103; StoryQuest 75022 (start), 72305 (first bud), 72008 / 72031 (bud pickups), 75028 (feed #1, delete 10041), 75035 (feed #2, delete 10041), 95071 (Witness), 74001 (rest flag).
• StorySave ids 14-18 (story 7, save ids 1-5, show 75035, complete 74001); StoryItem 7008, 7031, 7064; StoryEffect 21; StoryMonster 7079 (show 74001, Level_1..4 18 / 50 / 68 / 80); ItemData 10041, 20028.
• StoryDialog story 7, ids 71184-71194, 72193-73193; code controller/controllerstorymode.lua:8553-8566.
• See Side Quests.