It worked. Jigano could scarcely believe that it worked, but when the book shrunk down again he surrendered it to Amalia while he shifted back to tend to his leg, for once heedless of his audience. Kiada had claimed the staff and he was not so injured that he would waste its magic yet, using a roll of bandages to slow the bleeding and wrap the wounds cleanly closed while books were returned and escapes were contemplated.
"We were so busy going forwards and studying the pictures on the one wall that we might have missed a cave entrance hidden by shadows and angling back on the other wall," he offered, nodding to Deimos. "I don't think the books want to leave. The other book disappeared... hopefully it will make its way back to the shelf before we return. But given the lesson I just learned, I don't think we should annoy them further." He shrugged, offering Amalia a wry smile and a pulse of humor in spite of the pain of his injuries. They weren't as deep as he had feared, but they were still thoroughly unpleasant. He started to stitch his bag back together roughly with suturing thread, using swift, broad strokes, just enough to hold his supplies back inside it, before he scooped up his lantern and began to hobble after the General.
It didn't stop him from taking a lingering, longing glance behind, of course. He would be back here again, come hell or high water. But next time he would be better prepared.
Then it was making one more attempt to go back into the tunnel and try to find a way out.
Jigano wraps up his leg with bandages, stitches his bag roughly back together just enough to hold things inside for a little while, and then picks up his lantern and hobbles after Deimos, trying for the tunnel once more and searching for an alternate route away from it. (If this is too many actions for the time allotted, I will edit it)
"We were so busy going forwards and studying the pictures on the one wall that we might have missed a cave entrance hidden by shadows and angling back on the other wall," he offered, nodding to Deimos. "I don't think the books want to leave. The other book disappeared... hopefully it will make its way back to the shelf before we return. But given the lesson I just learned, I don't think we should annoy them further." He shrugged, offering Amalia a wry smile and a pulse of humor in spite of the pain of his injuries. They weren't as deep as he had feared, but they were still thoroughly unpleasant. He started to stitch his bag back together roughly with suturing thread, using swift, broad strokes, just enough to hold his supplies back inside it, before he scooped up his lantern and began to hobble after the General.
It didn't stop him from taking a lingering, longing glance behind, of course. He would be back here again, come hell or high water. But next time he would be better prepared.
Then it was making one more attempt to go back into the tunnel and try to find a way out.
Jigano wraps up his leg with bandages, stitches his bag roughly back together just enough to hold things inside for a little while, and then picks up his lantern and hobbles after Deimos, trying for the tunnel once more and searching for an alternate route away from it. (If this is too many actions for the time allotted, I will edit it)
