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Caster didn't know what to think, now. He'd never believed in any gods, excepting perhaps the Void, but that wasn't a god, really. That was the supreme consciousness that existed within all things. The collective will of the universe. And even his faith in that wasn't terribly strong. He certainly didn't consider himself nearly as fanatical as many of his peers and subordinates.

But if this Tower was real, then perhaps so was Malast.

Ugh. He felt too old to be taking up a new belief system. Even if this Malast was real and everything he said turned out to be true, Caster would probably just... shrug, at this point. To be genuinely moved, Caster felt like he'd have to be shown something so utterly spectacular that it defied his own capacity for imagination.

Boy, these stairs were taking a while. The long trek through the Storm hadn't exactly been a picnic, and without a reaper to pep him back up, he was beginning to feel the familiar and unwelcome touch of fatigue. From the sound of the slowing footsteps over his head, Paulie was feeling it, too.

Without warning, the Tower shook violently, and light filled his vision for a moment, blinding him. The booming crash of thunder that he'd heard a hundred times before arrived again, louder than ever this time.

Disorientation held onto him for a few moments longer, but his passive soul defenses were enough to keep him steady. Lightning had just struck the building, he was fairly sure.

His ears were still ringing as he continued the climb, so he couldn't hear Paulie's footsteps anymore. Therefore, he was surprised when he reached the next floor and found Paulie crumpled over.

Hmm.

Still had a pulse. Still breathing. Just unconscious, probably. Might have been blinded or had his ear drums ruptured, though. Or both.

Caster tried to slap him awake, but the kid wasn't moving.

Wonderful.