(Yeah, that's what he was thinking as well.)

Rissyl plays different, in this variant. He's more defensive—not reactive, but in the sense that he sets up a very strong defense, all while lining up his ducks to make shrewd, targeted strikes when he finds a gap. It's very tactical, but in a style that rhymes more with a real combat engagement than, well, a game where each player takes turns making exactly one move on a square grid.

Still, it makes itself work. When the stars align, Rissyl is playing at a notably higher level then his previous games.

Blai actually really likes thinking about chess in terms of a combat engagement, even though, of course, it is obvious to everyone that real life combat is not turn-based at all; the style suits him fine and he does have twenty years of off-and-on-again genuine combat experience.

Rissyl takes the first game, and Blai takes the second. They're more evenly matched now; possibly Rissyl has the edge, but they're learning as they go. It really is almost like a different variant, in that—there's an invisible dimension of gameplay in the set up and execution of Skill-enhanced plays, and it changes the landscape of advantage and disadvantage, and enables strategies and counter-strategies that might not be viable in a game not thus influenced.

It's not as much excitement as an actual variant, it's more like a personal style, but it's still a chess game and it's good.

Time runs out quickly. Imiss tells everyone to finish up their games when it's almost time to close up.

And he's got a channel to go do.

The chamber is set up for him again by the time he gets there. Same receptionist as earlier; they greet him by name.

Everybody on time or does he need to wait for stragglers?

He's good!

Poof!

Another hundred happy customers!

Excellent. And he's done for the day and should head back for the inn, where he will have to pay for dinner since he spent his third circle slot curing blindness.

Innkeeper asks if he's probably not going to do the dinner thing again? It's fine if so; she just needs to calibrate ingredient stock.

Apologetic headshake.

Alright, she'll leave him to his dinner, then.

He pays for it, and the room, and, bracing himself a bit, goes to bed.

[Cleric Level 4!]

[Skill – Prayer Obtained!]

- what, can he do the spell Prayer an extra time or something - can he try that right now -

Nah.

...

Okay. Maybe it will be vanishingly subtle like the improved channeling thing. He goes to sleep.

In the morning, when he prays for his spells, there seems to be a new mental action he can take!

..........poke.

It is sort of like a button he can hold down while he's praying.

...It doesn't do anything.

Or, well, it feels like doing something—maybe a sort of warmth—but doesn't have any apparent mechanical effect.

Iomedae please indicate it to me if this is bad in some way but all my information suggests that the local Skill arrangement is upside.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯