It was dark by the time the bard walked slowly through the Settlement, heart heavy and steps dragging at the news he carried. Dirt stained his clothes and smudged his face, though he had paused to wash his arms in the Oasis on the way back when he had finally given up digging. He leaned heavily on the staff he now often used, and the trembling of his fingers might have been from exhaustion, or grief, or any number of things.
He turned his face away from lanterns lit for late-night shoppers, feeling Isuma trembling inside his shirt, where the bedraggled gryphlet had finally retreated when he had given up hope and stumbled away from the pit he had dug. A pit to nowhere, a monument to another failure, but he had tried anyways, even if in the end it had come to nothing.
He hesitated before the door to the Monster Hunter's Guild, knowing there would be cold welcome within even before he told the King what had happened, but he hadn't heard of any other place to take his tale, and he had no desire to return to the Launceleyn Manor.
Taking a deep breath, he finally pushed open the portal and stepped within, eyes still red and raw with grief. "Is Ronin here?" he called, a courteous tone marred by the roughness of his voice.
He turned his face away from lanterns lit for late-night shoppers, feeling Isuma trembling inside his shirt, where the bedraggled gryphlet had finally retreated when he had given up hope and stumbled away from the pit he had dug. A pit to nowhere, a monument to another failure, but he had tried anyways, even if in the end it had come to nothing.
He hesitated before the door to the Monster Hunter's Guild, knowing there would be cold welcome within even before he told the King what had happened, but he hadn't heard of any other place to take his tale, and he had no desire to return to the Launceleyn Manor.
Taking a deep breath, he finally pushed open the portal and stepped within, eyes still red and raw with grief. "Is Ronin here?" he called, a courteous tone marred by the roughness of his voice.
