"Now you know..." He frowns at the board. "I think you checkmate in three."

"No, you can head me off over here -"

"Ah, yes, and then—"

"Anyway, I'm uncertain what feedback I was asking for, really. I feel as though someone, somewhere is making a mistake, but I can't tell how to make the pieces fit."

"I'm afraid I don't know either." Blai turns out to have mate in six.

"Anyhow, my apologies for the rambling."

New game?

Always.

A week later, the troops from Manus arrive. They set up in the shadow of the south wall, in a building block hastily repaired after they were purchased for cheap by the city in the wake of the attack. A hundred soldiers to the four thousand Guardsmen in the city.

The Lieutenant coming in to speak to the City Council is a bit of an event, but it's the shipment of stone, wood and steel they're escorting that has the citizenry grudgingly grateful for their arrival. For the relatively minimal damage the city suffered, spring still has supplies stretched thin.

Second day of their arrival, Blai gets a letter in the mail.

Select,

I hear the arrivals from Manus and the Watch will be patrolling the walls and the waters around Liscor and the dungeon rift. Monster activity is particularly dangerous this time of the year, even before the dungeon was unearthed. They will find a need to call upon your healing services sooner or later, so you may wish to ration some of your spells until later hours of the day; I am sure our visitors will pay well.

Ferris

He moves the noon channel to one-thirty and the evening channel similarly later and, yeah, rations spells a little, presumably he's exhausted most of the interest in Lesser Restoration and Remove Blindness/Deafness within Liscor anyway.

And in spring nobody's traveling from other cities, yes. He does get some of the visiting soldiers dropping in to Lesser Restore away some of their old pains, when they hear about it.

Three days later, a short Gnoll boy in a hat comes knocking urgently on his door. He says one of the Manus guys got stung by something on patrol, and they're not sure if he's poisoned or what, but they don't want to move him and he's in the soldiers' barracks—

"- well, I don't have anything for poison today, but I can come deal with the sting for my going rate -"

"Of course. Do you know the way—I can take you—"

"It will probably be faster if you show me."

He will lead the way, then.

The requisitioned barracks is immediately identifiable a street away by the coat of arms hanging off a bracket and the paint job matching the red detailing on the visiting soldiers' armor he's seen. The whole building is a bit of a slapdash on the decor, but sturdy and a marked step up from its neighbors, which have seen better days (i.e. three weeks ago). There are two guards keeping watch by the door, who nod to him when they approach.

"He's just inside," says the closer guard, waving them in.

There is, in fact, a Gnoll looking rather sickly in a cot a few rooms in, with blood-soaked bandages wrapped around his side. A [Healer] is filling out a form. They glance up at Blai as he comes in.

"Blood-thinning venom, looks like," they explain. "Healing potion isn't closing the wound well."

"For my going rate, yes?"

"Yes, for—are you going to try [Restoration]?"

"I was going to close the wound with a Cure first and then you can buy a Lesser Restoration at second circle rates if that doesn't work, okay?"

"Sure." And he confirms the going price, just to be sure.

Yup, it is posted by his door and is up to date.

"Cure Light Wounds."

The injured Gnoll looks immediately better. The [Healer] squints at the bandages, mutters something, and undoes them.

"That worked." They sound a hint surprised. "Let me write a receipt and you can get your gold." Scribble scribble, sign?

"Thank you. Anything else while I'm here?"

Someone knocks on the open door, coughing.

"The First Lieutenant wants to see you, er, Select?"

"Of course," says Blai, blinking in in a nonplussedly polite fashion. He follows the someone.

The Lieutenant is a stodgy-looking Drake decked out in armor, sitting behind a desk covered in maps and document. He casts a glance at Blai and puts away some of the papers as he enters.

"Select Artigas. I'm told you're to meet the prisoner."

He doesn't know how much this guy is cleared to know!! "Oh? Where would I go to do that?"

He scowls at Blai.

"I don't want to know what's going on. Sergeant Renss will show you to her and  stay outside while you talk. The building's warded and the walls are good but if you yell loud enough we'll hear, so keep your voice down if you're talking about anything classified. You have two hours."