Swamped

You decide that a change of subject is in order.

"So, uh, what do you think of Mudviper? We caught her back at base, and I heard some rumors. She seemed tough."

He stops for a moment. Seems he wasn't expecting the question.

"You caught her? How? She's just about the best we've got. Smart, too. Only reason she's not on the command council is that Mantis wants an odd number to avoid ties, and there's no one else who comes close. How the hell did you catch her?"

"We were lucky, I suppose," you say. "I was able to catch her squad by surprise while they were already in a fight. And they were outnumbered to begin with."

"You... no way, I can't believe it. A newmuck ambushed Mudviper? Come on." Then he pauses. "Wait, is... is that how you lost your arm?"

You shake your head.

"That was the rain."

His mouth hangs open, though you note his grip hasn't loosened.

"You mean, you survived..."

"Right out the base door. They pulled me in before things could get any worse."

He's getting a thoughtful look in his eyes. It suddenly strikes you - he said he was here due to gambling debts. As a gambler, he's probably got a lot of superstitions.

And now here you're telling him that you survived a rainspawn attack, and managed to surprise one of the Marshguards' best soldiers. He's probably thinking of you as some kind of lucky charm now.

Unfortunately, this realization has only strengthened his grip. You try intentionally falling in hopes of pulling him down, but he's quick to lift you up again. It seems you may have caused yourself a new problem.

What are you going to do now?