After breakfast, Deventh, Anna, and Jessa moved on to the infirmary while Lydie went ahead to meet up with Tatsidi. In stark contrast to the previous day, the infirmary welcomed them with light and liveliness. Despite being claimed by cobwebs the day before, the fireplace now crackled with a welcoming warmth. From the back room resounded the clinking and patting of alchemy vessels. The laughter and indistinct prattle stopped only when the footsteps of the three guests caused the old wooden floor to creak.

A pair of hobbling footsteps thundered their way to the threshold to greet them. The old man's smile beamed and forced his eyes into slits.

"Good morning! Aurelio and I were just starting to get along after a bit of a rough start. Do come in and see him, he's eager to thank his rescuers." The three followed his beckon to the back room.

The young man sat upright on his bed, his entire torso and both arms wrapped in bandages. In his hand he held an empty potion bottle with the last few drops of a wine-red liquid circling the bottom. Dark circles still drooped beneath his hazel eyes, but he was undeniably alert. His face, which had been almost bluish with pallor, reclaimed its light tan color. Among all these improvements, however, he seemed quite dazed. This prompted Anna to give the potion bottle, and the doctor, a curious glance.

"It's not alcohol." The doctor leaned in to whisper his assurance as if reading her mind. "Calming potion. But don’t tell him that."

Relieved, Anna clasped her hands together and greeted the patient.

"We're glad to see you survived the night, Aurelio. My name is Anna, and I'm part of the adventuring guild known as Valorforge." After introducing the others, she said, "We found you and others attacked and left on the side of the road. Would you be able to tell us what happened?"

"Well, I can barely remember a damned thing of it, but—" Aurelio paused his thought with a drawn-out belch, “Thank you for saving me. You're adventurers, right?" The three nodded in response. Aurelio swirled the ring of liquid in his bottle as he spoke, his words slurred and slow.

"This is... Awkward, since I know you've already saved my life, but... Could I ask you to do something else for me?" The end of his sentence was little more than a squeak as he shrunk back. The guild leaders quickly exchanged glances. Of the two, Deventh spoke first.

"What is it?"

"There's someone I was coming to visit in Kho'Gul. A lovely little Dronvar woman who works at Graystone. Her name is Velaiah. Perhaps you might be able to help me?" An uncomfortable silence tailed his question before Anna pressed on.

"I believe we asked what happened. Before you ask us any more favors, you owe us at least that information."

"Right. 'Who attacked you?' 'What did you see?' 'Were they wearing dark, woolen robes and matching pewter amulets with unidentifiable Lus'rakian engravings?'" Aurelio paused. "Well, they weren't. And I've no idea who they were. All I know is that there were at least a dozen of them, faces covered, dressed like rogues in fitted leathers. They were dragging people off, but where to, I'm not sure. The storm was too harsh to tell. Those who tried to fight them were toasted with lightning magic or bashed with axes. Not sure how I was taken down, but I might've gotten both."

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"We suspected much the same," said Anna.

"How many others were on board with you?" Deventh asked. "And what brought you on the path through Grimros?"

"There might have been about ten of us, but I didn't bother to count. Never crossed my mind that we'd need to be accounted for. As for the others, I can't speak for them, but I was headed here to visit some family in Brinas and make amends with my lady friend on my way through." Aurelio grinned, his brows slightly elevated. Deventh kept his stern, piercing gaze on his glossy eyes.

"What is it you do for a living?" A more casual inflection crept into Deventh's tone, inciting a momentary look of bewilderment from Aurelio.

"Much the same as your guild, most likely." A relaxed familiarity took over him. "I travel Esyrene seeking adventure and fortune."

"Sounds like quite the life," said Deventh. "Having a home to return to after a long journey is a fortune in itself. You must know the area well, then?"

"Of course. Hard not to be familiar with one's surroundings when getting home means wedging yourself into a corner at the furthest edge of the continent."

"Aye, that's true. Where were you headed back from, then? Anywhere particularly thrilling? Exotic? Any interesting jobs you took on?"

Jessa watched their mundane conversation unfold and found herself lost in confusion as she looked up at a stone-faced Anna. With her arms crossed and her head facing forward, the stern cleric looked down with only her eyes to acknowledge her. Her gaze suggested not to interfere. Once they had reached a mutual understanding, Jessa's curiosity grew as the conversation continued.

"I was visiting Drondaris," Aurelio said, letting another belch escape from the pit of his stomach. "As much as they dislike foreigners, they also dislike having to do any sort of work for themselves, so there's a lot of it to be had. The women, though..." He smirked and nodded, rubbing his hands together as he gave Deventh a knowing look.

"Indeed," Deventh humored him, the corners of his lips twitching ever so slightly. "You've come a long way, then. Is it safe to assume you stopped over in Ravengarde?"

"Yes. Didn't stay long though, I caught the first public cart out as soon as I got there. It was well past midnight, but I was more than eager to get the last leg of the trip over with. Nothing terribly interesting to see there anyway." He let out a good-humored chuckle as he tipped his bottle back and tilted his head to catch the last drop on his tongue.

Deventh allowed a pause to linger in the air for a moment before responding, ready to conclude the conversation.

"Right, well, the very same, we shouldn't tarry here much longer. It is good to see you're in high spirits."

"It has been a pleasure," Aurelio said as he incautiously tossed his bottle onto the floor. A sly grin crept onto his face. "Thank you again for saving my life. Perhaps now that we're friends, you can talk to Velaiah for me. Just tell her to come and visit me."

“Perhaps if we happen to find ourselves at… Graystone, was it?” asked Deventh, figuring it safest to feign ignorance. Aurelio nodded, and after a round of farewells, the doctor saw them to the exit. Before they set out on the road, Deventh's contemplative expression caught Anna's attention.

“Public carts don’t run through Ravengarde at night, do they?" the Helbrund asked.

"No," said Deventh, sliding his mask up over his face. "They don't."