Shadow's Search for Healing

After Shadow had updated Cressida Kroft on the potential of a brewing outbreak of disease, he hurried back north across town again. He knew that Wren's Wand of Remove Disease only had two charges left, and he worried that that wouldn't be nearly enough. He hoped that his old friend the Professor might be able to hook him up with more.

When Shadow arrived at The Gilded Orrery, the door was locked and a CLOSED sign hung in the window. But he could see the Professor moving around inside, so he knocked, and kept knocking until and angry-looking Professor came to the window, fingers hooked and ready to cast. When he recognized Shadow, he examined him closely through the glass for a long minute. “Cough for me,” he commanded through the closed door.

“Do I have to drop my pants and turn my head, too?” Shadow grumbled.

“Couldn’t hurt,” the Professor grinned. “But seriously – cough.”

Shadow did, a demure cough that didn’t sound like his lungs were full of blood. Satisfied, the Professor unlocked the door and let him in, locking it securely behind him. “I suspect I know why you’re here, so make it quick. I need to be on my way.”

“I’m looking for a Wand of Remove Disease,” Shadow said hopefully.

“You and half the city,” the Professor snorted. “I actually did have one, but I sold it this morning to a fellow from the Church of Abadar. Only had 30 charges on it, but I sold it for 12,000 sails, more than it normally would have cost fully charged.” As he spoke, he was busy clearing items out of the shop’s counters and packing them into metal strongboxes.

Shadow gulped – he’d had no idea it would cost that much. “But I’d think the Church would already have plenty of healing wands.”

“You would think that, wouldn’t you. It would be the prudent thing to do, against a situation like we find ourselves in today. But it costs money to make a wand, and time, and why spend all that on something that’s just going to gather dust on a shelf? They’ve got clerics who can cast that spell every day – I’m sure they did a cost-benefit analysis and decided there just wasn’t a profit in making wands. Oh, I’m sure they’ve got a couple, but nowhere near enough to stop the spread of a plague. If they did, they wouldn’t have been so desperate to buy mine.”

“But I’m sure they’re making more, aren’t they?”

“Probably. But a wand like that? It probably takes a good 12 days to make one, and when you’re done, you can cure 50 people. But how many people will be sick by then in a city this size? Hundreds? Thousands? How many will die in the meantime?” He snapped the lid shut on another strongbox and cast a quick spell of some sort on it.

“What about a Potion of Remove Disease,” Shadow asked, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

The Professor turned, and put both hands on Shadow’s shoulders. “I’ve only got one of those left, and I’m saving it for myself. I like you, kid, but not enough to die for you. This time tomorrow, I’m going to be sipping ouzo on a beach in Andoran. My advice is to get as far away from Korvosa as you can, before it’s too late.”