& waits beside the descending roots, her pearlescent skin reflecting the poisoned glow below. Santana has stayed behind at the guild, leaving her as Stella;)'s only companion.
&
I have sensed the blight for days, crawling through every pattern beneath these roots. I could not safely approach it alone.
Below, the heartwood answers with slow crystalline creaks. Each sound travels through the sapphire roots like a warning, though the immediate danger briefly holds.
&
My innate magic can guide you through the living pattern. It will not command the forest, but it may show us where the poison bends the melody.
A faint shimmer gathers around &'s small hands, pearly threads reaching toward the stair without touching it. The poisoned light recoils, then pulses again beneath the bark.
&
If the blight recognizes her magic first, I may not be able to shield either of us.
The roots remain open. Far below, something gives a final resonant groan, and the upside-down doll's-eye flowers tremble at the stairhead as & waits for Stella;).
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the forest's heartwood
✓ Quest Accepted
Reject &'s offer.