Pursuit of the Sun 1.2

"The craftsman coughed up 35 coppers. Not bad, but... you could say it's half the price of the one... the one I unlocked in the academy this morning. And this commoner is a lucky guy. Out of four tries, he pulled one poker and two full houses. What are the odds... Yes, yes... sleight of hand and nothing else..."

- Yeah, guys... with luck like yours, I have nothing to do here...

He walks over to Arno.

—That is truly so. Combat and drinking are the first and last things that smooth out our useless shells. Let's do it now.

He fought... but the enemy immediately went for the kill! It was unfair! Ottar would have lost like that... several times!

– The chances weren't great there... that creature would have finished me off, and the investigation would have ended in nothing, – Ottar shrugged. – But your idea, master, is excellent! The only healthy people in the village are children and the healer. The elder looked not as bad as the others, but advised me to run. That's not like a monster. And everyone advised me, actually. The carpenter's apprentice and the hunter were the first to get infected. All three, including the carpenter, are bedridden. I also saw some woman who asked for help carrying water... the conversation with her was the most meaningless of all. If you think about it, no one seems more suspicious than anyone else... but the monster knew where I was staying and came shortly after dark. He was clearly watching me.

The elder, the healer, the woman with the bucket of water... where does the confidence come from that the monster is one of them? In theory, he could have set up a lair even in the forest, not far from the village.