Complete Private The Thing They Call Unsolvable

[Hanno Futaba]

"Ready." At @Amy's confirmation, Hanno responded. His gaze lingered on Ghast as the man gave it to the large 'golem' that was with him before escorting them into that strange realm.

The place was surrounded by Zalra crystals. In fact, that camp was essentially carved and sculpted on it. But the fact it was there was intriguing. Have Amy's family never noticed them until they showed up? Hanno couldn't help but feel even more bothered about the situation, with a suspicious feeling tingling the back of his mind.

He wanted to talk so many things with his fellow Faerin, but they had to leave that place before they could say anything to each other.

Placing a hand over hers, he said without hiding his voice. "Just let me know when we need to go, we don't want to be too late for the hunt." They couldn't show any weakness there, so it was better to set some obvious time limit so it wouldn't look too weird for them wanting to leave in case stuff became too uncomfortable.

The man that escorted them either didn't hear or didn't care, as he showed zero reaction.

Hanno could only hope he wasn't being too silly.

---

As they moved deeper into the camp, what was a strange sight turned into something even more bizarre. It was common sense for one to avoid contact with the Zalrisis, but what occurred when one saw someone completely surrounding them with it?

It was a strange sight, even more strange for those with magical eyes.

A large hall filled with the crystals created an area with a silhouette that resembled a throne. Sitting by this throne, another silhouette caught their attention. It was a faerin woman— to Hanno, a lady with her body and clothes covered with crystals... To Amy, an unthinkable sight.

A thick layer of Zalrisis surrounded this silhouette, but what was insane was the fact this Zalrisis didn't sink into the woman's body. Instead, it remained on a surface level, touching skin and tissue... But never flesh.

In the core of the woman, her heart was pulsating slowly, far slower than a heart should. At every pulse, another magical wave washed inside of her body, running through veins and spreading across her flesh and organs, outlined by the magical gaze.

"My... What an endearing couple of poor nomads... Huhuhu..."

"How could you be so... Unwelcoming to them..? They look just like how you used to be... Heh!"

She hummed, lowering her gaze to the guard that kept kneeling respectfully, along with the large golem that accompanied him.


Her voice tingled like echoing windchimes, and Hanno was finally able to notice that inside her mouth there was still flesh rather than crystals.

"You said you have your way on rituals... Yes..?"

 

[Amy]

The more they walked, the worse Amy felt... This entire place was pure heresy... All those magical sources... All of them were Zalrea's crystals?

Amy wanted to destroy this whole place. She would do it if she had the means to... Sadly, she was not powerful enough to do that. She did not have the power to protect even herself, never mind her family... She could just hang on, walking with Hanno, hoping for a miracle.

Hanno then brought up a hunt... A lie. There was no hunt to be held. But she could understand the idea behind it, "Understood." Was her single word reply.

---

... What was the being in front of her?

At first she thought it was just some broken crystals... But it talks? It's a person?

A person obviously corrupted by Zalrisis, yet that somehow has stopped it from spreading too much further?

Blasted cultists... Taking Zalrea's blessings onto their own bodies. Trying to coexist with them instead of destroy them.

Amy's anger was visibly shown in the strength she held her cane with... But this was not the time nor place to let the anger show.

Besides... She truly knew nothing of rituals.

"I see magic." Amy stated plainly, trying to control herself to not show the anger in her voice, "I can see if something is looking like it will go haywire. If the flow of mana looks wrong." This whole place was wrong. This whole place was a gigantic cancerous cell that is helping spread the infection across Zalra.

She really wished she could do something... Anything to get rid of their entire existence. To bury this whole place underground, never to be seen again.

But all she could do, was hold her cane with enough strength to hurt her hand... She was as powerless as always... Especially because this being seemed to be able to do some form of long-distance communication when considering the guard's reaction, and how she seemed to know the lie Amy spouted to the guard... Doing anything here would be tantamount to suicide.

... It was truly frustrating.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The way the crystalized woman spoke made Hanno frown. It wasn't too different from seeing someone being driven to an anomalous behavior caused by dissonance. At the same time, there was a hint of worry. Why she was allowing herself to be embraced by the Zalrisis? She didn't seem fully infected, still, she surrounded herself with it as if it was something normal and desirable.

Still, he allowed @Amy to do the talking. After all, Hanno had nothing he could offer to the lady that would make them open up.

notice that inside her mouth there was still flesh rather than crystals.

"Seeing if anything is going haywire... Perhaps you may find a problem that we don't know that exists~"

The woman stood up from her throne, and crystals platforms grew out of the ground to give her stepping stones until she reached the eye level of the two 'guests'.

"Fairly ironic coming from someone with those eyes."

She provoked, offering a hand. Hanno's eyebrow twitched slightly as he scowled at the words that were uncalled for.

"Come with me, my guard will take care of the cute knight you have with you~"

"I will go with her." Hanno responded firmly, not budging from letting Amy go.

"Jealous much~? I don't plan to steal your friend~"

"My job is to take care of her, so I don't think I can let you have her." He shrugged with a defiant grin.

"Huhuhu, alright, alright. So overprotective... Just don't get on our way then."

The last sentence came out blunt and with a glimpse of venom in her voice.

Turning around, she guided them through a hallway—

"Now... You two, altruistic fellows... I'm sure you didn't come here to give your help for free... Right? What exactly are you looking for..?"

 

[Amy]

Each second she stayed in this room disgusted Amy more... Each move of the thing in front of her... The fact her steps seemed to summon more of Zalrea's blessings only angered her more and more.

"Ironic indeed, that the eyes taken away by Zalrea are now being used for her sake." Amy replied without bothering to hide the venom in her voice.

It wasn't ironic though, it was simply frustrating. Frustrating that she had to go along with the whims of this monstrosity instead of smashing its face in.

And when the thing said she should separate herself from Hanno, Amy instantly held on to him more tightly than she already was. There was no need for Amy to say anything though, Hanno had already said enough... Besides, it was probably a better idea to let Hanno do the talking, than to let Amy speak her mind about how she would never let herself be left alone with those monstrous puppets of Zalrea... It probably wouldn't end well for her if she did, but it was also hard to control her tongue right now, so it was better to say nothing.

So... With the talking done, Amy started following the thing while still holding on tightly to Hanno... Each hit of her cane against the ground sounded wrong though. Everything about this place was wrong... It was just wrong, wrong and wrong. How could a place like this even exist?

Still... They finally had something. Far more than Amy had hoped for when they started this trip, "Freedom." She instantly replied to the thing's question, "Stop pursuing my family. Don't try to extort us, and let us go our separate ways."

Truthfully, that wasn't nearly enough for Amy... She wouldn't be happy until those beings were completely destroyed... But family came first. Family always came first. This was no time to be greedy.

The only important thing was to get those monsters to stop pursuing them... Then maybe... Maybe in the future... Maybe something could be done about them.

Perhaps with Hanno vouching for the danger posed by these monsters, then those useless Starcalled might finally make a move and do something for her family... How aggravating. She still had to rely on them after all. She still had to pray to lady Rhiannon in hopes of her helping the Starcalled realize what their duty here in Arcia was.

... But first, she had to pray that she and Hanno could leave this place in one piece. The other prayers would come later.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno returned the tightness of @Amy's hold with a reassuring squeeze, glancing at her with a small, gentle smile. He knew she probably couldn't see it, but he hoped his emotions would somehow be able to calm her down. However, it wasn't possible for his emotions to show anything but annoyance at the crystal lady that guided them. The lack of empathy, the outright provocation, the more it all happened, Hanno lost even more the hope of it all being a big misunderstanding.

He still hoped for a non-violent, solution, but...

"Freedom? Huhu... Huhuhu... Huhuhuhahahahahaha!"

The crystal lady cackled, like someone that had heard the best joke of their life, even slowing her steps and trying to recover herself.

Hanno frowned. "What's wrong? Sounds reasonable, no?"

"My dear, sweet, lovely child. Since when you are bound? I have not imprisoned you... Even more, if you desire to leave right now, you can, and I won't lay a finger in a single strand of hair of each of you."

She turned around, with her cherry, maniac voice lowering to a menacing, calm one, that exhaled passive aggressive threat.

"You can leave. Go beyond and away from here. Out of these frozen lands, even. If you don't like the Zalra that blessed your eyes, you should just be gone from here. You've always had this freedom. You stay here... Because you want to."

Hanno stood next to Amy, though with a foot ahead, in case the crystal woman decided to do more than just verbal threats. "It isn't as easy as you try to make it sound." He scoffed.

 

[Amy]

Hanno returning the squeeze was reassuring... It was nice to have him here at least.

... Amy hoped Ghast was alright though. They would need to grab it back before they left.

... And now the monster was laughing. Laughing at Amy's request... She trembled. She trembled with rage at the monster's laugher... She truly wished for nothing more than the power to bury this whole place deep under the ground... Alas, lady Rhiannon had not granted her this kind of power, so Amy could do nothing in this situation... Or in any other.

The abomination continued talking. Obvious mockery that pretended to not understand what Amy was saying.

Amy took a deep breath... "Of course... Zalrea's puppets would never have let go of any potential future puppets..." Her family... "You tell us to flee and abandon our home, the one place we can be free in, if we want to get away from you cursed monsters..." Amy held her cane tightly, "It isn't enough to take away our lives and our sanity, now you also want to take away our home..." Tears of anger left her eye sockets...

"Why pretend you're willing to negotiate only to insult us like that!?" Amy didn't remember the last time she shouted at someone, "There's a reason you let us in, isn't there!? There's something you want from us! Then give me what I fucking want instead of moving on with those stupid games!"

It was so damn frustrating... Big words for a powerless person. Shouting at someone who could, most likely, easily end her life... But what else was Amy even supposed to do at this point?

She was just so tired... So tired of staying still amidst these abominations... She just wanted to end it all. In whatever way possible.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The passive aggressive expression of the crystal lady faded as @Amy spoke her heart out, the calm mask fell as she gritted her teeth, the one thing that still looked remotely human, along with her eyes.

"Insult? How dare you... I've only ever told you that you can leave if you want. Your stubborn kind has no use for Zalrea!"

She hissed, with her hand reaching for Amy's face, only to be interrupted by Hanno's tight grip on the crystal lady's forearm. The faerin gritted his teeth, in both anger and resolve, pushing away the arm of the woman, that had faint crack on it. An eerie cyan fog escaped from the gaps of the crack, but so it escaped from Hanno's hand, that now had a bleeding, burn wound on the palm of his hand.

"I told you can't have her." He huffed, with a defiant grin covering his lips.

The woman looked shocked, horrified, taking a firm grip on the arm that was briefly cracked with a tight hold.

"Y... You..!"

Amy would be able to notice something strange along with the mist, as it escaped outside, it also delved inside of the crystal carapace, creeping into it, with the zalrisis spreading inside of the carapace, but also leaking outside.

"YOU!"

The lady shrieked, leaping at Hanno and catching the knight by surprise, that pushed Amy to the side before he was struck, being knocked several meters away as he rolled and tried to recover his stance.

 

[Amy]

Amy wanted to scream back at the monster, to keep on shouting all her frustrations at it, but there was no time for that.

Suddenly, the flow of magic shifted. Suddenly, the thing was closer to her... It was terrifying. Was this how Amy's life was ending?

Except... It didn't end. The thing stopped, and Hanno's magic was stopping it...

Amy was trembling. She suddenly didn't know what to do. All anger evaporated and was filled in by fear... They had to run. They couldn't stay here anymore.

Amy's thoughts were interrupted by that rare thing she was still very unused to... Her sight. Magic was leaking from the abomination... Infiltrating it... And leaking outside too...

Amy managed to shout, "Stay away from the arm!" was it an arm? Amy wasn't sure. It probably was an arm... And it was leaking. And that leak must be dangerous. There was something seriously wrong happening here.

No time to say anything else. Amy suddenly felt herself being pushed away. Her back hit a wall, and the sound of something else colliding echoed in her ears.

The monster's magic was still in front of her... Where was Hanno's though? She couldn't see it.

Amy panicked... He couldn't be gone, could he? She wasn't alone here now, was she? He wasn't... He wasn't a step closer to being just like Amy, was he...?

... The fright gave way to anger once more... "Bring him back!" She exclaimed as she channeled as much energy as she could before firing a beam of Astramancy in the direction of the monster's magic, "Bring them all back!" Hanno, her husband, her child... Each member of her family that she had lost to Zalrea... As tears continue going down Amy's face, all she could do, was wish for their return, even now that they're all long gone.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno and the crystal lady rolled down the ground, with the strange mist starting to crystalize everything on its path. It felt dangerous, and Hanno held his breath. If his skin was crystalized somehow, it was probably easier to solve if this thing entered his lungs and started crystalizing him inside out.

"Grh..!" Hanno grunted trying to wrestle against the crystal lady, but she was much more tenacious and stronger than he expected. @Amy's voice caught his attention, and he glanced at her for a moment, noticing the beam of Astramancy coming at their direction. Hanno took the opportunity and used all his strength to push the lady at the direction of the beam, that blasted against her and knocked both her and Hanno away, rolling at different directions.

"Aarh... Aaaah?!" Her eyes trembled, noticing that the mist was spreading and was crystalizing her surroundings and... Even herself! "Aaaah! AAAAAAAAAARHH!" Her horrified shriek echoed as she panicked.

"My lady!"

The guard with the golem appeared after the loud sounds of battle and screams, being met with the conflict scene. Noticing the situation of the crystal lady, his eyes widened.

"Damn it, what hap..." He glared at the two for a moment, but wasted no time with them, gesturing for his golem to do the job of killing both of the insolent faerins before rushing toward the crystal lady himself.

Hanno grunted, getting back on his foot to rush toward Amy. "Ames, are you alright?!" He yelled, trying to get to her, only for the giant golem to interrupt them with a slam coming from upwards, crashing against the ground to break and shake it, making Hanno stumble and fall face first close to Amy.

 

[Amy]

The monster screamed... Was it working? Amy hoped it was, because she knew she couldn't keep this up for long before she ran out of stamina.

Then a new voice joined the fray... Amy recognized it. That was bad... Another monster was coming, and Amy had no idea of how she was supposed to handle it.

Should I just run? Where though... How? Was there any hope of escaping this place without Hanno? Amy didn't feel like there was...

Suddenly another voice though... "Hanno!" He was alive...! Thank you, lady Rhiannon... She prayed before answering, "S-somehow-!"

Then, Amy heard a loud noise; The ground shook; Amy lost her balance and concentration, her beam faded and she fell on her butt. This is bad... She needed time to get up on her own, time that they didn't have.

She finally turned in the direction of the voices... Hanno's magic was still surrounding him. She hoped he was okay, but she couldn't really tell... And then the big humanoid magic source appeared too... It was moving in their direction... It terrified Amy, "G-get away!"

She tried channeling her magic again... She tried breaking the ground below the large magic source. To make it fall below them... Was there a lower floor to fall into though? Or was Amy's magic just going to dig deep into the earth in futile hopes of making a big enough hole to hold that thing into it?

Amy prayed that it was enough... Because her breath was getting heavy... She didn't think she would be able to use magic for much longer.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno was happy to see some hope in @Amy as she realized he was still alive, but the golem's approach left little to no time for him to lift his own hopes too. Crashing near Amy face planting the crystalized ground was surely painful, but he was quick to recover, with Amy's destructive spell opening a wide crevice on the ground.

There was nothing under it, but the wide gap created by the crevice was exactly what was needed to interrupt the golem, that once again charged at them. The leg of the golem sank into the crevice, and what was a charge turned into a stumble.

The large frame of the golem slowly fell toward them, with Hanno's narrowed eyes opening so widely they almost jumped out of their sockets. "Damn it, hold on, Ames!" He snatched Amy out of the ground, hooking his arms in a bridal carry to escape the falling golem in the last second. The impact almost made Hanno lose his footing, but between a stumble and another, he recovered his balance to rush away. "Nice catch, now let's get outta here, things are getting messy..." Hanno huffed with a concerned glance slipping over his shoulder, watching the crystal lady and her lackey.

"I... You... YOU! I WON'T LET YOU..!" Her eyes quivered as crystalized tears ran down her cheeks. "I won't... I WON'T DIE ALONE, I won't..." Her voice was shaky.

The crystals around her trembled, and then had a growth spurt that engulfed half of her lackey.

"No..! MY LADY, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" He pleaded, struggling to try to escape the crystal bindings.

"I can't... I WON'T!" Her voice was filled with despair and fear. "I won't go alone... WE ARE ALL GOING TO BECOME ONE WITH ZALREA!" She cried.

Crystals erupted from the ground, finding their way toward Hanno and Amy. The faerin knight gritted his teeth, trying to speed up as much as he could while trying to carry Amy out of that predicament both found themselves in, but the crystals were catching up.

 

[Amy]

Amy wasn't quite sure of what was happening that made Hanno panic, but she saw the large magical locus quickly approaching them, and that was more than enough to make her heed his command and held on tightly to him and her cane as he started carrying her.

The impact came shortly after, the loud sound was scary, and she was worried that Hanno might drop her, but somehow he kept steady as he spoke about getting out of here... Amy gladly nodded to his words, as she wanted nothing more than that, but... Something important came to her mind, "Ghast!" They couldn't retreat without the shield... She didn't fully understand it, but she knew that it was important to Hanno... Just like how her cane was important to her. They couldn't leave without it.

Then, the monster started speaking... Amy could not believe her ears, "Dying? The monster is dying?" What did that mean? Amy saw the magic infiltrate it... But that magic was... "Zalrisis?" Things were happening too quickly. Amy couldn't see what was happening with the magic while being carried by Hanno, but she could hear large sounds coming from behind her, as well as the shouts from the both the man and the monster, and the words started making sense... "Y-you think of becoming one with your cursed goddess as death!? T-that's pure blasphemy! You're truly nothing more than a monster! A blasphemous disgusting monster who deserves to be buried in all those crystals!" Amy had no fondness for Zalrea and would gladly sing in happiness if all traces of her disappeared from Arcia... But that didn't mean that she was okay with open blasphemy towards one's patron deity! Even if that deity was Zalrea herself...!

Still, they had more pressing issues than dealing with a blasphemous monster... Namely, that the sounds were getting louder, and even with Hanno blocking her view, Amy was still seeing some large magic chunks rising up to the sky here and there...

He'll have to figure out a way to get Ghast quickly... Amy took a deep breath, and hugged Hanno with all her might, "Don't let go of me!" As Amy shouted that, she summoned two translucent white wings out of her back. Her heart was beating quickly. Her body was in pain as she drained her own life force to start flying.

Where to? She didn't know, she moved them in the same direction Hanno was moving, but she knew it was hardly a good idea to fly around blindly... At most, she could avoid any crystals like this, at least, "Tell me where to go!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno heard @Amy's call for his shield and he simply grinned. If he knew Ghast well, she was probably already on her way, but she would need a little of a hint to where to go. First they needed to leave there, and Hanno was focused on keeping up the pace of his run.

Amy's retort to the crystal lady's blasphemous words was intriguing for Hanno, but he could understand where she was coming from. It seemed like she had more respect for Zalrea than her own cult had... Though in this case, it probably wasn't a cult. It was just a selfish person taking advantage of something that turned all this area into a wasteland of deadly crystals.

The crystal lady shrieked in a mix of hatred, fear and panic, while her lackey slipped one last panicked yell before he was engulfed by the crystals. Her face remained out of the crystal as she struggled, glaring intently at the duo that was escaping, but eventually even her eyes faded.

However, the crystals continued to chase them down, and when Amy took the lead, Hanno was caught by surprise. They lifted off the ground, and he could feel just how fast Amy's heart was beating. Despite all that, she was still taking initiative. 'So much for someone who thinks she can't do anything.'

"I'm on it! Keep going, to the left!" He went on, holding onto the tight hug and hinting Amy where to go with his words and nudges. The crystals were no longer catching them up, and with the gap between them finally increasing, Hanno could finally whistle.

The sound of something heavy approching suddenly could be heard, and then, the shield appeared rolling like a wheel to keep up with their pace. "Hey Ghast, just keep following us!" He said, letting Amy lead them out of that crystal structure, that would soon become a crystal prison for the blasphemous villain.

 

[Amy]

Hanno's lack of reaction in response to Ghast was worrisome, but they did not have time to waste, so Amy just kept on flying.

The yells were behind her, so Amy probably hadn't diverted from the course too much, which was a relief... It was certainly a blessing that there were so many reference points she could use to maintain her flight somewhat steady... How ridiculous... Zalrea's own crystals being a blessing for lady Rhiannon's servant...? I must be going mad to think of this as a blessing. This was just luck.

She tried to not think too much about it and focused on following Hanno's instructions instead. One turn at a time, the sound of the crystals rising from the earth was slowly growing more distant.

I pray we can reach safety soon... The pain was getting worse... But Amy didn't know where would be safe, nor did she know who else was in this mad accursed encampment, so... She couldn't stop just yet. She just had to keep going.

Then, Hanno finally called for Ghast and... "Huh?" Wait, Ghast can follow us?

Amy managed to hear an unusual sound going after them, alright... She knew that the shield could react to words to some extent, but this was well beyond what she expected.

Not to mention that Ghast escaped the grasp of the man that went after them at some point, it seems... A truly smart shield that one is... Amy wondered if she would ever understand what kind of magic empowered it... Well, Hanno would tell it if he felt like it was something that would help them, she figured, so it was probably not something she needed to know.

Leaving those thoughts at that, Amy focused on the present situation... She was flying the fastest she could to try escaping from this cursed place... And the farther she got from it, the worse would her notion of direction and distance from the ground become...

"Where..." Her voice was weaker than she thought it would be, and her ragged breathing didn't make talking any easier... Still, she forced herself to speak... "When... How do I land?" She truly prayed that safety wasn't much farther ahead.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

@Amy's surprise was understandable, and Hanno was sure she had a lot of questions now. Which at this point, sharing a considerable amounts of near-death experiences together, it probably meant they had bond enough for him to let her know about it all.

But that would be a thing for later!

Flying, especially as fast as Amy was doing, was certainly a fast way to burn all your mana. Hanno was grateful that she went that far for their safety, but at that point it would be a little too dangerous to let her do the landing. "Probably slow down on the mana—" He suggested at first, and then added: "Leave it to me and Ghast now, we are already in a safe spot, thanks to you." He reassured.

Whenever Amy allowed, Hanno would open his own mana wings, holding the embrace a bit longer as they floated down to where Ghast stopped to cushion their landing and hold them with her tentacles. With both of them finally safe and sound on the ground, Hanno carefully released Amy, kneeling and taking a peek on the surroundings to make sure they were actually safe before sighing and stepping out of Ghast, gently taking Amy's hand to help her up.

"How are you feeling, buddy? Can you stand?" He asked.

 

[Amy]

Hanno did not notice that she wasn't burning just mana there... Perhaps it was for the best. Amy decided to not mention it.

"Alright, I will count on the two of you." What exactly was Ghast going to do about it was... Something that Amy couldn't really imagine.

Still, she stopped her magic and allowed Hanno to take control of their flight... It wasn't enough to make the pain subside, but at least it would stop it from getting any worse... Healing it would take actual rest, time... And maybe some food, though it wasn't the time for her to eat again, so that would have to wait.

Either way, as they descended, it finally dawned on Amy that things were getting back to normal... That she was once again unsure of what lay ahead of her. She was once again in a world filled with darkness... She never thought that she would find comfort in that, but right now, it was exactly what she needed.

Eventually, they reached the soil and... Well, she could see some movement grabbing them, and she did recognize the touch... "Thank you, Ghast." Although was Ghast this big before? Big enough to get them both while they landed?

Well... Ghast was friendly, so it didn't fundamentally matter. Whatever magic it had within it was useful to Hanno, and that plenty.

After being safely put on the ground, Amy stayed in place... Her breathing was still ragged, she was still in pain, she was still dead tired... And she felt her whole body start trembling... Tension was finally leaving her, and all that fear was coming right back, together with a strong wave of relief.

No... You can't calm down now... You can't. Not until you get back home safely... Zalra is not a place that forgives those who relax too soon. Amy told herself, but her body wasn't listening... Tears left her eye sockets and she didn't have the strength to stop them, "We survived... We're... We're alive." It probably wasn't a feeling that Hanno could relate to, but it was probably something he could still understand... After all, he was one of the few Starcalled that actually helped her family. He wouldn't do that if he had no understanding of the meaning of life.

So, Amy took a deep breath and replied to him, "I can... I can try standing." The feeling part was left unanswered, she figured it was unnecessary.

Amy held on to Hanno's hand tightly to get up. She used both him and her cane as support to get on her feet again... Her legs were still shaking, but... "I can probably walk... With help." She wished she didn't need to add the last part, but Amy had learned to listen to her own body over the years here in Zalra... This was not the moment to be prideful.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

@Amy's condition was certainly concerning. Did she really spend that much mana? She was nearly fainting. Then again, it has been a lot of tension, and the spells she sent out were nothing short of powerful. If she was one that wasn't used to fight, that could take quite a toll.

"We are alive, yeah! And they are gone for good. Good news to bring home!" Hanno cheered on, trying to lift her spirits as well. "Of course, just don't push yourself too hard." He glanced back at the crystal structure again, wary of anything that could follow up their successful escape. That woman was a maniac, filled with hatred, but all in all, determination. It felt like her spirit would escape from the crystalized debris to haunt them if she could muster it.

He offered his arm, figuring it would be more stable than simply a hand to help her to walk, while Ghast hopped on Hanno's back, almost as if attaching herself onto his back.

"Let's take it slow, alright? If you feel it is being too much, let me know." He told her, and started to carefully take the first steps toward Amy's home.

 

[Amy]

Gone for good... It was certainly nice to hear those words... It's not like Zalrea's threats were ever far from Amy's family, but at least they would be free of threats that consciously hunted them with this.

... They ended up never learning what that monster was trying to accomplish with its ritual though, nor did they learn why it continued to hunt Amy's family... But well, Amy just heaved a sigh of relief after thinking this far. She no longer needed to know any of that, after all, "Good news indeed." She muttered.

Amy chuckled a bit when Hanno told her to not push herself too far though, "A bit too late to say that."

... Laughing hurt... Well, everything hurts right now. I will just have to deal with it.

Amy held onto Hanno's arm as she saw his mana move closer to her... "Slow is... Not ideal here... But perhaps necessary now." She acquiesced, "I'll tell you if I need more help."

So, they walked; the long way home was luckily free of threats. And eventually, they came back to Amy's family.

There were no wounds in Amy's body, but the way she was walking was enough to make it obvious that she was hurt...

As such, Amy was not surprised when she heard a familiar voice shout her name, nor was she surprised with the hug that came shortly after, "I'm back, mother... I'm alive." She muttered as tears once again fell freely from her eye sockets.

She managed to avoid telling Hanno about using life force to power her flight, but Amy doubted that she would be able to keep that from her mother-in-law... She was probably not going to be allowed to leave camp again any time soon.

... Well, her family was safe now, so nothing else mattered. Staying in camp was exactly what Amy currently desired.

Thank you for your guidance and protection, lady Rhiannon. She silently prayed before being brought back inside, so that they could talk about what happened in the monster's camp.

@Hanno Futaba