His illness had interrupted his grand plans to heed the Tulmhainar's final suggestion and lead a group to end the danger of the plants in the Spire's basement. They had gone ahead without him, a situation he both understood and yet found incredibly frustrating, the twisting tendrils of shadow in his soul hissing anger into his veins at the slightest opportunity. True, he had let them all down. True, they had every reason to chose not to follow him, now or in the future...
But still, it galled.
He needed to go down again, to see what had been wrought... but the corruption in his blood had left him cautious of the consequences of his actions. The portal in the basement was a temptation, and one he regretted sharing with those he had intended to lead down there now. With the Blight loose among humans, he did not think it wise to go much farther than they already had. Not until they had found a cure - and, just as importantly, the cause, to make sure it wouldn't follow them out of their gods-given cage.
But was there more than just a portal in the Spire? There had been a Tulmhainar, after all. What else might lie within it? The plants might not have been the cause of the blight, but that didn't mean all hope was lost. Ludo had said that they would watch the bard, and perhaps inadvertently given him fresh courage to fight both his own illness, and for the souls of those within the Hollowed Grounds. He could not simply give up and wait to die - or change.
He had askedSamuel to meet him here, on this chilly Leafchange evening, hurrying to the shelter the Spire offered from a blustering wind and an approaching autumn storm. Not quite Loreseeker business - not, while Amalia still led the Guild - but one friend asking another for help on a mission of exploration. Jigano ducked into the open doorway, pushing his hood back to let Isuma burrow out from underneath his hair. He ignored the way his hands shook, almost used to their palsied tremble by now. In one hand he carried a white lantern, with a flame that seemed to burn without fuel, and in the other he leaned on a staff, an affectation from his Silversmith disguise that he had kept when his fever had left him weak. His strength had mostly returned, but he found the smooth wood comforting when he could no longer be certain of his aim with his rapier. A rope and his usual bag of medical supplies and waterskin completed his preparations. He didn't expect them to do much besides walking and poking about... but it didn't hurt to be prepared when the place they'd be poking about had once housed and imprisoned a goddess, and killed at least two men before them.
"Sam?" he called out, looking around in case the redhead had made it to the Spire before he had.
But still, it galled.
He needed to go down again, to see what had been wrought... but the corruption in his blood had left him cautious of the consequences of his actions. The portal in the basement was a temptation, and one he regretted sharing with those he had intended to lead down there now. With the Blight loose among humans, he did not think it wise to go much farther than they already had. Not until they had found a cure - and, just as importantly, the cause, to make sure it wouldn't follow them out of their gods-given cage.
But was there more than just a portal in the Spire? There had been a Tulmhainar, after all. What else might lie within it? The plants might not have been the cause of the blight, but that didn't mean all hope was lost. Ludo had said that they would watch the bard, and perhaps inadvertently given him fresh courage to fight both his own illness, and for the souls of those within the Hollowed Grounds. He could not simply give up and wait to die - or change.
He had asked
"Sam?" he called out, looking around in case the redhead had made it to the Spire before he had.
