It occurs to you that while you heard the lightning, you don’t know what – or who – it hit. That could be important in determining what they’re trying to do.
You worry you might find a recently-killed body, but fortunately you don’t find any. What you do find is a charred wheelbarrow.
There’s a little bit of mana root inside, some of it turned to ash. Perhaps they delivered the bulk of it? You can see footprints nearby, so whoever was carting this around took off in a hurry.
Now you wonder if this is somehow automatic. An enchanted object in the tower that’s set to strike plant matter mixed with ether. It’s certainly an odd coincidence.
But then another bolt strikes not far away. And it makes clear to you that the lightning is being controlled actively.
It’s chasing that lizard!