Chapter 13 A Series of Fortunate Events Victory
After resting Judge Strauss and the children updated Captain Widdershins about the capture of the leaders of the fire-starting side and asked what his goal currently was. The captain was quite ecstatic about the capture and explained that they had been searching for the sugar bowl, but it was no longer as important to find now. Since the whole point of finding it was for its use against the fire-starting side, now though the only need to find it was to make sure the contents were properly contained. Judge Strauss asked, "What are the contents of the sugar bowl? In all the notes Quigley has deciphered the contents are never actually explained, they just hint that it is important." The Captain said, "It's a poison most foul that must be contained. Aye, it was developed by Gregor Anwhistle to use against the Fire-Starting side of V.F.D., but he died in the fire that occurred in Anwhistle Aquatics before it could be tested. Aye I aim to make sure that the contents never get used for it is a most cruel weapon to use in any conflict and should never have been created. Aye, our problems should have been met head on before all these tragedies could occur. Aye we could have done great things." Fiona walked in and announced that Phil had finished making breakfast.
After finishing the meal Captain Widdershins assigned the children tasks, Sunny and Isadora would assist Phil in cleaning the dishes and sorting the kitchen, Duncan would assist the Captain and Judge go over the collection of diving suits to make sure they were still seaworthy, Klaus and Quigley would go over the tidal charts to track down the sugar bowl, and Violet and Fiona would work on repairing the telegram device and if they were successful double check that the sonar device was still in working order. While helping Phil clean Sunny began to show more interest in examining the food ingredients often asking what dish Phil used them in. Violet and Fiona discussed heir interest in particular boys while finding out that the telegram device had just needed to have some wires replaced. While they replaced the wiring they discussed their plans about courting their love interests and shared advice about the pitfalls involving their guardians. Klaus and Quigley were both sneezing periodically as they went over the supposed trajectory of the sugar bowl and tracked where the tides would have sent it discovering that it probably ended up in the Gorgonian Grotto, which is located near Anwhistle Aquatics raising some alarm bells in the children's minds. The Captain showed Judge Strauss and Duncan what to check for on a diving suit for wear and tear and to make sure all the appropriate seals were in good working condition.
Once they all completed their assignments they met up and shared their experiences and findings. Upon hearing where the sugar bowl may have appeared Captain Widdershins exclaimed, "Aye, of course it would end up there right back where it came from it did go. Aye, I would wash my hands of it if I had the choice, but he who hesitates is lost, so we shall head there and make sure the contents of the sugar bowl and the grotto shall never endanger the world again. Aye, let us away." Judge Strauss exchanged glances with the children and seeing that they had determined expressions turned to the Captain and agreed to go with him to the grotto. While on the way to the grotto the children were taught how to maintain a submarine, how to navigate in the ocean using tidal charts and the stars, basic nautical terms, and how to use the diving suits. Fiona became part of the group and started to grow closer with Klaus as they researched the Gorgonian Grotto in the library of mycological textbooks her mother had left behind. Finally Fiona and Klaus discover the information about the Gorgonian Grotto. It is a cone-shaped cave which houses a rare species of poisonous mushroom, the Medusoid Mycelium. It waxes and wanes periodically, but when waxing - as a poet says in the text, "A single spore has such grim power. That you may die within the hour." Apparently the Grotto is so remote that it acts as a quarantine for the Medusoid Mycelium which would otherwise be unstoppable, although Fiona suspects there is an antidote, otherwise how would there be any records of the spore and a description of the grotto.
After sharing their discovery with the rest of the children Fiona decided to reveal her current family situation to the rest of the children. Fiona tells them that her real father left when Fiona was small, and she has a brother named Fernald who has been missing for many years which happened right at the same time that her mother died. Captain Widdershins claims her mother died in a manatee accident, although this may be untrue since manatee's aren't known for their aggression. The Baudelaire and Quagmire children share their own stories of grief and share speculation as to what happened, thinking that it definitely was V.F.D. related because so far most every tragedy they hear about and have experienced are usually related in some way to that organization. After spending some time in contemplation the children notify Judge Strauss about the coming danger and that was when they arrived at the grotto. The Captain discovers that he and Phil are much too large to fit into the tunnel leading into the grotto and that he only has so many diving suits that will fit smaller individuals so he sends Fiona, Klaus, Violet, Duncan, and Judge Strauss into the grotto to try to find the sugar bowl.
The 5 get into the diving suits and after exiting the submarine through the diving exit they make their way towards the entrance of the grotto. The walls and floor of the conical entrance to the grotto are covered in mosaics depicting noble events in the history of V.F.D., as well as portraits of famous writers, artists, scientists, musicians, philosophers, and chefs who inspired the members. Above this area, various Vertical Flame Diversions and other secret passageways lead up to destination unknown. Although since it's near the former marine research center, Anwhistle Aquatics, they probably go there. Once they move through the narrow entrance the gentle current eventually washes them up on a beach, contained within a narrow room with smooth tile walls, and covered with various flotsam and jetsam. On this beach, there are three floor lamps, each with a letter on their shades to spell V.F.D. The third lamp, displaying the letter D, has burnt out. Violet found that the cave had a pumping machine that could once drain the entire grotto or flood it with seawater in a matter of minutes, but this device is now rusted, leaving the entrance to the grotto completely submerged in seawater. The lighting system in the entrance is also nonfunctional leaving them to use the flashlights that they came with. After checking the air to see if it was breathable they took off the diving suits and began exploring the rest of the cave searching for the sugar bowl or any hints as to where to find it.
As they go further into the cave they see signs that someone once stayed there with various piles of food, newspaper clippings, and little knickknacks of undetermined use. Klaus found a poetry book titled Versed Furtive Disclosure and begins going through it to see if it relates to V.F.D. Duncan found a letter to the now deceased Gregor Anwhistle from Kit Snicket. It seemed that Gregor was going to use the mushroom to poison the enemies of V.F.D. While Kit was working on a way to dilute the poison, in a factory in Lousy Lane, but Gregor insisted on cultivating them as they were in the Grotto. The mushrooms apparently poisoned the entire Aquatics center. The children and Judge Strauss contemplated for a while how everything links together. Duncan then found a Daily Punctilio article written by Jacques Snicket, it was called Verifying Fernald's Defection and claimed that Anwhistle Aquatics was burned down by Fernald. Upon hearing that Fiona was devastated because it meant that her brother was a murderer and an arsonist. Judge Strauss pointed out that the article in question may be misleading and it would be better to get more information from other people before coming to a conclusion because anything V.F.D. related has been made complicated with too many codes, disguises, and lies to be the truth. In fact based on what they've heard Captain Widdershins say about Anwhistle Aquatics and what the letter said about the it being filled with poison maybe Gregor died to the spores and Fernald burned the place down to prevent the spread since the Medusoid Mycelium spreads very fast and is uncontrollable.
Fiona calmed down after hearing that and gave a shriek noticing that the beach was covered in growing spores turning into the Medusoid Mycelium. Upon seeing that the children and Judge Strauss made their way to a corner where the spores didn't seem to go or grow. While they waited for the fungus to wane they discussed the probable contents of the bowl and the need to prevent it from being unleashed. They came to an agreement that once the fungus waned that they would gather all the debris that could burn and set fire to it in the hopes of ridding the world of the danger of the Medusoid Mycelium spores being unleashed. They figured that the heat from the burning material would kill most of the spores. They were doing this even though it appeared that the fungus couldn't go through salt water since the cave system seems to keep the fungus quarantined because if one person wanted to use it then someone else would too. As the fungus began to wane they gathered the various things that could burn and laid it around the beach and began to move any non burnables to the corner where the fungus didn't go. Violet checked to see if amongst the the debris was anything she could use to repair the flood mechanism. Unfortunately she didn't find anything to use, so once the rest of them were done Judge Strauss lit the pile on fire with the flare that was part of the dive suit equipment. They then proceeded to make their way back into the water to get back to the Queequeg.
Klaus had put the V.F.D. book into his suit, while Fiona took the letter and article in her suit and away they went through the water. As they neared the exit of the grotto Judge Strauss noticed that she seemed to have the spores growing in her suit. 'Hmm seems that one of us was destined to get infected, luckily I know the cure, but should let the children figure it out. They're smart enough to figure it out especially since Klaus was able to read the book further and we are unlikely to be interrupted. When they got into the Queequeg Judge Strauss notified the children that she seems to have been infected and that she will remain in quarantine till they figure it out. Klaus immediately cracked open the V.F.D. book and called Quigley to help him figure out if there was any secret codes in the book. Fiona went to go over her textbooks in case she had missed anything and the rest of the children began to request that the Captain take them back to the city. Captain Widdershins grumbled about the curse of the poison and proceeded to take them to the city.
Less then 10 minutes later was when Klaus found the lines, "Is dilution simple? But of course! Just one small dose of root of horse." Sunny immediately figures out that means horseradish and calls the name out and the children rush to the kitchen to find it. They spend some time searching and find one root left as well as a small container of wasabi, which is in the same root family they make their way to Judge Strauss and hand it to her in the air lock. She shuts the door and removes the suit and eats a bite of the horseradish root and some spoonfuls of wasabi to be careful. Not the most enjoyable, but better to be safe than sorry. It wasn't immediate, but the spores not only stopped growing, but began to recede as time went by. Judge Strauss then checked her suit and clothes to see if any spores were growing in her suit as well, seeing none she breathed a sigh of relief. Now that the danger was over Judge Strauss was let back into the submarine and they proceeded to head back to where they were picked up. They held a small celebration for Judge Strauss' quick recovery and Violet's 16th birthday.
On the way back Fiona questioned Captain Widdershins about her brother Fernald's involvement with the fire at Anwhistle Aquatics. After a pause where Fiona pulled out the letter and newspaper clipping showing that she knew something. He took a deep breath and replied, "Aye, He who hesitates is lost indeed. I knew this day would come, but had hoped it never would. Aye, it was a bad night Fernald your brother had gave me access into the Anwhistle Aquatics to try once again to convince Gregor to cease the research of that poison and to get rid of it. Aye, we only wanted to do this because your mother hadn't discovered the cure for it yet, and since she died the likelihood of a cure was low to nonexistent due to Fernald being unable to continue her research. Aye, it was too dangerous so we decided it must be disposed of, so we waited for Gregor to leave and proceeded to burn the building down. Aye, having done our part we began to leave when Gregor came back and ran into the building, the blasted fool that he was. Fernald Tried to go into the building after Gregor, but the doorway collapsed onto his hands and I spent some time freeing him. Aye, it was terrible, so I took him to the hospital and made my way back to the Queequeg." Fiona exclaimed, "Then my brother isn't a killer and only joined the fire-starters because of a misunderstanding. Also why did only he get blamed for the fire? What about my mother, what happened to her?"
Captain Widdershins explained that he had been convinced by other V.F.D. firefighters to lie by omission so as to make sure that Fiona would have at least one relative free to take care of her and since Fernald had been massively injured it fell upon him to make sure she was raised safely. Since that night he decided that V.F.D. had hurt his family enough and he would make certain Fiona would never become involved in it. After saying that he gazed at her sadly, sighed, and explained that her mother had really died in a manatee accident. The accident had occurred as they had been transporting a manatee to a veterinarian for care after a mishap involving a speedboat, when the lines holding the manatee broke and it fell onto her mother crushing her to death. The manatee had also died due to the additional injuries of being dropped. There was a moment of shocked silence then Fiona burst into tears and ran out of the room. Klaus ran after her to make certain she would be alright.
Judge Strauss sighed and asked, "Was the manatee V.F.D. related as well?" Captain Widdershins sighed, "Aye, it were a specially trained V.F.D. manatee delivering messages back and forth across the waves. Aye, I believe the speedboat hitting it had been caused a fire-starter. Aye, I be done talking now and want to be left alone." Before leaving Judge Strauss said, "I believe Gregor survived the fire since there were V.F.D. shafts in the grotto, so in that respects your son Fernald didn't kill anyone. No idea where Gregor Anwhistle is, but it looks like he learned something because he left a V.F.D. notebook that contained a hint to the cure for the poison. Remember a family can recover from many things as long as you're willing to put in the effort. As you keep putting it, he who hesitates is lost. You may need to rest a bit, but do remember to get back up and reach out to your children." The rest of the kids walk out of the dining room and proceed to go rest.
They finally reach the city and upon exiting the submarine see the hook handed man standing there at the docks of Briny Beach, just waiting there for them. Apparently Fiona had sent out a message on the telegraph device to V.F.D. about her brothers innocence and to please contact him. Upon seeing the hook handed man Fiona proceeded to hug him exclaiming that her brother Fernald was back. Captain Widddershins stepped out of the submarine and onto dry land for the first time in years, went forward and awkwardly apologized for leaving Fernald in such a bad situation. The awkwardness spread and Fernald still hugging his sister looked at the Captain and stated, "People aren't either wicked or noble. They're like a chef's salad, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict. You may have done wrong by me giving me sole blame for the fire we set, but you did it for the right reason of taking care of Fiona. I'll forgive you when you can forgive me for my mistakes, until then let's work on catching up." With that they stepped into the submarine in an awkward way. Klaus called out that he would stay in contact with Fiona and said that once WITI was setup that they were invited to teach and/or learn there.
Feeling tired they made their way to the headquarters to clean up. Once they made it there Judge Strauss sent two people to pick up the van that had been left in the Mortmain Mountains. The children agreed that they would continue with the quest later. Now it was time to rest.
[Ding destroyed the last vestiges of the Medusoid Mycelium achievement unlocked Fungicide +3 Charisma, gain skills Disease Resistance I, Gardening I, and Poison Resistance I, +150 Karma. For reuniting the Widdershins family gain +2 Charisma, the skill Sailing I and Mycology I. +27 Karma Essence of Medusoid Mycelium absorbed gain +5 to constitution gain perk Medusoid Mycelium overwrites Fungalmorph, The perk allows user to digest any organic matter for every bit of it's nutrients, and a 5% increase in passive recovery speed from injuries and sickness. Karma already added into achievement.]
'Hmm this means the sugar bowl is gone or doesn't contain the Medusoid Mycelium, Status'
User 01010111
Age 63 Level 40 (exp 11300/40000)
Condition: Normal
Stats
Strength 40H>41H
Dexterity 62H>63H
Constitution 82H>87H
Intelligence 63H>64H
Wisdom 59H>60H
Charisma 24H>29H
Skills
Acting F, Basic Languages C, Body Language E+, Camouflage F+, Camping J, Car Mechanics H+, Cartography H, Cleaning G+, Cold Resistance F+, Cooking G+, Cryptography H, Digging F, Dive D, Driving G+, Enhanced Hearing D, Enhanced Smell C, Enhanced Swimming C, Enhanced Touch F, Enhanced Vision E, Fire Resistance I, Fist Fighting F+, Gem Craft I+, Heat Resistance G, Herpetology G+, Hypnotism H+, Night Vision H, Maintenance F, Mathematics F+, Marine Martial Arts H+, Medicine F+, Parallel Thinking F, Shooting G, Surgery H+, Taming I, Teaching I+, Volleyball G, Woodcraft I+, Writing I+, New Skills (Disease Resistance I, Gardening I, Mycology I, Poison Resistance I, and Sailing I)
Perks
Ambidextrous, Bookworm, Contortionist, Eidetic Memory, Entomorph: (Fall Armyworm), Fashion Sense, Jurisprudence, Lachrymose Leech, Leadership, Medusoid Mycelium, Plantamorph: (Elm, Evergreen), Pupa, Snow Gnat, Stoic, Uncommon Physical Growth, Zoomorph: (Anchovy, Bass, Blue Wildebeest, Camel, Carp, Chicken, Crow, Cow, Crab, Deer, Eel, Goat, Goose, Hare, Horse, Impala, Kangaroo, Llama, Lobster, Mackerel, Mole, Mouse, Mussel, Octopus, Oyster, Pig, Pigeon, Possom, Prawn, Rabbit, Raccoon, Rat, Reindeer, Salmon, Sardine, Seagull, Sheep, Shrimp, Squid, Trout, Tuna, Turkey, Vole, Zebra), World Compass
Corpse Absorption Progress
Ant (.07931), Aphid (.00256), Bedbug (.00073), Bee (.00504), Centipede (.00014), Cockroach (.00724), Dandelion (.00027), Earwigs (.00085), Flea (.00045), Fly (.11811), Ivy (.069), Jellyfish (.00022), Lice (.00055), Mosquito (.07903), Moth (.00168), Pill Bug (.00188), Slug (.000503), Spider (.00058), Wasp (.03211), Worm (.00064)
Abilities:Tutorial Pocket. Sealed (Diagnose H+, Flight G+, Ink Squirt, Mild Poison Bite, Rally, Photosynthesis)
Achievements: Family Man, For The Family!, Fungicide, Globetrotter, Survivor
Karma: 800 Total Positive