For a long moment, H'aanit couldn't bring herself to do anything other than just stare. She knew what she was seeing, but her mind was racing to the point that she didn't want to register it. Z'aanta remained unmoving, and his entire body was covered in a gentle glaze of dark gray stone. H'aanit didn't realize that she was saying his name until she was dashing over to him, her body moving without any permission from her mind. She had managed to remain rather calm during the battle with the Lord of the Forest, but any lingering traces of adrenaline crashed into one another relentlessly as soon as she recognized what was unfolding before her.

Z'aanta had been turned to stone.

Z'aanta was standing tall and proud, and his hand was locked firmly on his bow. It looked as if the last thing he had done was release an arrow, his expression stoic as could be. It was the most serious H'aanit had ever seen him, and she felt cold fear rush through her body like a tidal wave attempting to drag her down to the seafloor.

"Master..." H'aanit whispered again after she was able to bring herself back to earth. She reached out carefully to brush her fingers across his arm just to prove to herself that she was seeing the truth. Z'aanta's body was cold and smooth the same way that stone normally was, and if there was even the slightest trace of doubt in her mind, it was gone as she pulled her fingers away. "But frozen... Petrified in stone! What unholy thing happened here?!"

Before the other travelers had the chance to respond to H'aanit's answerless inquiry, Hägen let out another growl, this time turning to face away from Z'aanta. H'aanit frowned before her eyes went wide with recognition. Hägen was watching a nearby tree trunk, and at the center of the wood, H'aanit could see something she recognized all too well. It was enough to make her stomach flip once again. "Another of Master's arrows," she whispered as her hand instinctively drifted to where she had put away Z'aanta's last arrow in her bag. She shook off her fear as quickly as she could before starting to approach the tree trunk. Once she was beside the tree, she turned to face Z'aanta once again and noticed his drawn bow. "Did this fate befall him even as he drew his bow?"

H'aanit yanked the arrow out of the tree, and Tressa let out a gasp as she pointed to it with one hand. "What's that on the arrow?" she asked, her head tilting to the side slightly.

At those words, H'aanit's gaze dropped to the shaft of the arrow, a her frown deepening and spreading across her features. "There is a note tied to the shaft," she murmured. She immediately unraveled the small piece of string that was keeping the rolled-up piece of paper connected to the arrow. Upon closer examination, she realized that the string had come from Z'aanta's shirt, likely the closest thing he had access to in order to tie down the note to the arrow.

H'aanit tucked the arrow away in her bag as she unraveled the note in full. The writing across the surface of the parchment was most certainly Z'aanta's familiar script, hasty but still elegant. She swallowed dryly before preparing herself for the long read ahead:

"To whomever readest this...

Like as not, thou foundest this next to a stone figure. That is me, the hunter Z'aanta, in the flesh-ah, so to speake. I was commissioned by the Knights Ardante to hunten the beast they callen Redeye, a beast that hath left me in this unfortunate state. Among Redeye's formidable powers is the ability to petrify. Already, my feet hath turned to solid rock. I have but a short time to penne this message before the curse overtaketh me completely. In a village called Stillsnow, there is a seer by the name of Susanna. Surely she shall knoweth what to don about this petrification. It is a faint hope but the only one that remaineth to me. This beast cannot be allowed to runnen amok. It is far too dangerous, too savage. Praye helpeth me. Not for my sake, but for the innocents who will die if this creature is not putten down."

For a long time, all H'aanit could do was stare down at the note. All of a sudden, everything made so much sense. Z'aanta had never come back home because he had been turned to stone by Redeye's power. He had come here many times to try and hunt the beast, but it escaped before he was able to defeat it, and in its wake, Redeye had left behind a statue of the one H'aanit cared for most. "Master..." she whispered tenderly, her hands starting to shake from overwhelming shock. With that she, swallowed back her anxieties and continued to read, knowing that she wouldn't be able to escape the truth forever.

"And H'aanit, if thou art reading this-praye forgivest this old man for not keeping his promise."

H'aanit continued to stare at the letter as she read the final line. Tears were starting to fog her vision, and yet, she did not move to wipe them away. She could count the number of times she had cried on one hand. She had never been the type to be moved by emotions to such a dramatic degree, but despite it all, she couldn't bring herself to stop her tears as she once again rolled Z'aanta's words over in her head. "The old fool," she whispered. "Even as he was turning to stone..."

H'aanit could feel the eyes of the rest of the travelers on her, but she couldn't bring herself to read the note aloud, knowing that it was only going to break her even more than it already had. Luckily for her, she was given a reason to focus on something else when Hägen stepped towards her with fierce determination in his eyes. Everything about his gaze told H'aanit that he knew where he belonged. No matter what, Hägen was meant to be at Z'aanta's side. He had guided H'aanit this far, but this was where they would be parting ways.

H'aanit nodded her understanding. "So thou wilt stayen and watchest over him," H'aanit said simply. Hägen nodded in return, and H'aanit's eyes dropped to the page pressed firmly between her fingers. She knew realistically that she would have to put it away soon to ensure that nothing happened to damage it, but for the time being, she needed to keep the page in her hands. She needed the memory of Z'aanta to be as close to her as possible, and that meant holding onto the paper as long as she could manage. H'aanit did her best to shove her quiet emotions aside for a moment though, knowing what had to be done. She looked firmly yet gently down to Hägen before continuing to speak. "That is good."

Linde stepped closer to H'aanit, silently asking her mistress what they would be doing next. For H'aanit, the way forward was clear as could be. "I will seeke out this seer Susanna... And praye she knoweth a way to break the curse," she announced. Linde and Hägen both understood her words easily, and the latter curled around Z'aanta defensively.

H'aanit finally managed to pull herself away from the tree trunk to walk in the direction of the forest's exit. She paused along the way though, turning to face Z'aanta with an expression that screamed of her sealed grief. "Fearest not, Master. We will saven you-of this I sweare," H'aanit said softly. She had never meant any words as much as then, and she knew nothing would ever compare to this again either.

And with that, she sighed carefully to steady herself before walking out of the Spectrewood and leaving Z'aanta and Hägen behind.

On the way out of the forest, none of the members of the group could bring themselves to say a word. H'aanit knew why they were all silent; they didn't want to have to face the reality of what they had seen. Freeing Z'aanta wasn't going to be easy even if they had an idea of what to do next, and that didn't even factor in the idea that they would have to fight Redeye one day. There was no way for the beast to be allowed to roam freely given all that it was capable of, and Z'aanta had said as much. No matter how they looked at it, Redeye was all that rested in their future if they continued down their path.

H'aanit was taking it the hardest. She had managed to persuade herself to put the note away, knowing that her desperate gripping at the page wasn't going to bring Z'aanta back to consciousness, but she had replaced it one of his arrows. She had held them countless times over the course of her time as his apprentice, but it all felt different this time. The arrow felt heavier, and she couldn't help but feel as if its weight was dragging her down to hell while simultaneously pushing her to keep moving forwards.

The next step was clear as could be, at least for now. She was going to have to tell Natalia about all that she had learned. Afterwards, H'aanit could plan what she would be doing next. Susanna was waiting in Stillsnow, and that meant that they would be able to travel to her whenever they so chose. After all, the Warp Staff more than allowed for it, and the gift from Alephan was certainly going to save them a lot of time in transit. Still, H'aanit had no idea if she was going to be ready to face Susanna yet. Something about her still felt nauseated by all that she had learned that day, and she had no idea how she was supposed to push through it.

"Your master is an impressive man."

H'aanit hadn't even noticed Olberic was beside her until he spoke, and she perked up at his words. As soon as he recognized that she was listening, he continued. "It is in our most trying moments that our true character is revealed. Your master refused to yield, even as his limbs turned to solid stone. There are few with the wits to know what must be done at such a time, and fewer still with the composure to act upon it," he explained. "Through his courage, he instilled in you the gift of hope. If that is not greatness, then I know not what is."

H'aanit didn't know how to respond to that for a long moment, so she simply smiled gently as she looked down to the arrow in her fingers. All of a sudden, the tidal wave of emotions from when she had found Z'aanta rose once more, this time threatening to knock her to her knees and then some. She refused to let this show though, instead simply sighing carefully. "Truth be told, I have ne'er heard such praise bestowed upon him," H'aanit muttered. She thought that Z'aanta more than deserved it though. Even with all of his flaws, he was still the man that she admired most in this world, and the last thing she wanted was for him to suffer as long as there was something she could do about it. He was still her father, loath as she was to admit it now that he was temporarily gone, and she loved him with everything she had.

Olberic smiled at her words, and she could tell that he knew everything she was feeling and then some. Neither one of them were the sort to speak frankly about their emotions, but they still knew how to help one another in their own special ways. "I look forward to the day that the three of us can sit down and share a drink," he told her, everything about the idea as gentle as it was perfect.

H'aanit snickered at that once again with a shake of her head, and all of a sudden, it felt like everything might be alright despite the persistent weight pressing down on her chest. "Best not. Thou should knowest that he turneth most tedious when the mead starteth flowing," she told Olberic. She had more than enough experience with Z'aanta both in this way and every other, and she laughed as she continued to elaborate and dispel Olberic's confusion. "Endless tall tales of the beasts he hath hunted, each repeated thrice for good measure."

Olberic let out a laugh of his own at that. "I see. Perhaps just soup and barley tea then," he proposed instead. Something told H'aanit that he wasn't going to be backing down from the subject until he had been granted at least something that would guarantee a conversation with H'aanit and Z'aanta after all this was over, though she wasn't objecting to that in the slightest. She wanted all of the travelers to have the chance to meet Z'aanta one day. She was sure that he would love all of them and be proud of the new team that H'aanit had found for herself.

"That soundeth incredible," H'aanit murmured to Olberic. She was quiet for a long moment before she glanced up to meet his gaze, smiling more than she thought possible after all that she had seen that day. "I thanke thee, Olberic."

He bowed his head in a careful nod. "You have nothing to thank me for," he assured her, though H'aanit couldn't help the gratitude that rushed through her core. She wasn't sure how she was going to pull this off, but she was going to do her best to try. Z'aanta wouldn't be left alone to suffer forever as long as she had something to say about it. This wouldn't be a journey she endured on her own either. The rest of the group would be there for her every step of the path, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

H'aanit felt something brush against her leg, and she glanced down to see Linde was clinging tightly against her body. She smiled at the sight, knowing that her snow leopard was trying to cheer her up. Linde was grieving in her own way too, no doubt fully aware of the severity of the situation, but she was still doing what she could to help her partner. H'aanit reached one hand down to stroke gently at the top of Linde's head, relishing in the soft warmth that met her fingers. Linde purred and leaned a little bit closer against H'aanit's body. The huntress merely smiled to herself, glad that she had such an incredible team to rely on.

All too soon, the party arrived outside Natalia's home in the valleys of Stonegard. H'aanit swallowed dryly before reaching out to knock, knowing that she wouldn't be able to run from this forever. Natalia had to know what was going on after all that she had done to help both Z'aanta and his apprentice up to this point, though H'aanit had no idea how she was going to say it. Then again, she supposed that planning an explanation wouldn't do her much good in the long run; the second she started talking, it was all going to be thrown aside in favor of the raw, overwhelming sensations that came with all that she had seen that day and was bound to see again as the pursuit of Redeye and Z'aanta's freedom continued.

Natalia came to the door a few moments after H'aanit knocked, a frown on her face. Her expression lit up as soon as she realized who her guest was, and she stepped aside to allow H'aanit to enter her home. "Oh, there ye are, dear! Well? Did ye find him?" she asked.

H'aanit hesitated before nodding. "We did. However..." The story tumbled out freely from there, and H'aanit felt like she was more along for the ride than anything else. The longer she spoke, the more Natalia's expression shifted to complete ghastly horror. She didn't know what to say about any of this, and she looked paler than ever before.

By the time H'aanit had finished speaking, Natalia's hand was pressed firmly over her mouth. "The beast turned him to stone?!" she cried out, unable to restrain her surprise any longer than she already had.

H'aanit nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes," she replied simply, wishing that she had something more optimistic to say about all of this. It was better than Z'aanta being dead, but the situation still felt strangely hopeless in a thousand different ways. At this point, H'aanit's hopes were being placed solely on the shoulders of the mysterious woman named Susanna that Z'aanta had mentioned in his letter, and H'aanit could only hope that he was right in saying that she would know what to do. If Susanna didn't have an answer...

Well, H'aanit didn't want to think about that outcome, so she simply pushed her train of thought as far away from it as possible.

H'aanit continued carefully, her fingers squeezing into a fist that seemed ready to destroy everything that even dared to get in her way. "I doe not yet knowe how we can bringe him back, but I will finden a way," she assured Natalia with a quiet yet firm voice. She shook her head before her fingers instinctively drifted to Z'aanta's note where it was tucked away in her bag. "I will begine by finding the seer called Susanna." Hopelessness was starting to rise in her chest once again, but H'aanit did what she could to beat it back with all the force she could muster. "In hunting, thou must never abandonst the chase. Master taught me this. If I am to truly callen myself his prentice... I must see this hunt through to the very end."

Natalia nodded at that. "Indeed..." she murmured, though anybody could see clearly that her thoughts were not entirely with the present. H'aanit tilted her head to the side ever so slightly to try and tease the truth out of her, and Natalia snapped almost immediately. She let out a small chuckle with a careful shake of her head. "It's a queer thing... You and Z'aanta are different in so many ways... Yet at times like these, yer eyes glitter in the same way. Ye both have the same steel inside ye when ye set yer mind to somethin'."

H'aanit allowed her fingers to drift back to her sides, and for a long time, she was still and silent, unsure as to what could even be said in response to that. She was honored to hear that she had such an important and striking thing in common with Z'aanta, but it caught her by surprise in ways she never expected regardless. "Is that so?" she finally decided to ask, refusing to let the silence close in around her for too much longer than it already had. Silence meant that she was left alone with her own thoughts, and that was the last thing she wanted in light of what had happened that day.

Natalia nodded once again, and her laughter seemed to open itself up once she realized that she couldn't hide it any longer. "Aye, I reckon it is. Almost like father an' daughter, one might say," she said kindly.

Before H'aanit had the chance to say anything in response to that, a knock came at the door. She frowned and glanced over to Natalia. The woman rose from where she had been sitting across the room to move to the door. "Now who could that be?" she muttered. She glanced over to H'aanit a moment later, an apologetic smile on her face. "If ye'll excuse me..." Natalia opened the door before stepping out a moment later, leaving the wood cracked ever so slightly in her wake.

H'aanit glanced over to the other travelers where they were gathered elsewhere in the area, silently asking if any of them knew what was happening. She was ultimately met with confused eyes and a chorus of shrugs, and H'aanit could only assume that they were just as lost about this as she was. Then again, she supposed that she would be getting the answer she sought soon enough.

Beside her, Linde let out a small purr and leaned against H'aanit while staring at the door. That left only one conclusion for the huntress, and she quirked an eyebrow up as she glanced down to her partner. "Someone thou knowest, girl?" H'aanit asked of Linde softly.

Linde never got the chance to communicate her thoughts to H'aanit though. The door opened, and Natalia walked inside with another woman hot on her heels. Eliza Woodward followed Natalia inside, her silver and lavender armor gleaming in the firelight of the small home. Eliza smiled as she approached Linde, reaching one hand out to the snow leopard. "I thought I recognized that mewl," Eliza murmured to Linde. The leopard curled against Eliza's fingers affectionately, welcoming all the attention she was getting without missing a beat.

"Eliza!" H'aanit greeted in shock. "What art thou doing here?" She didn't know where exactly she expected Eliza to be, but she certainly hadn't anticipated seeing the famed leader of the Knights Ardante in the valleys of Stonegard. Then again, H'aanit wasn't complaining. It was always nice to be able to see an old friend again.

Eliza continued to stroke gently at Linde's head as she glanced over to H'aanit. "We had no word from Z'aanta for weeks. I came to find him," she explained simply. "In his most recent missive, he said he was coming to this town in pursuit of the beast."

H'aanit nodded. "'Twas the last I heard from him as well," she murmured, though she supposed that wasn't exactly true anymore now that she had the arrow note tucked away in her bag.

H'aanit's worry must have been written on her face, as Eliza's expression went solemn as soon as she recognized that something was wrong. Her gaze drifted briefly over to the rest of the travelers where they were standing nearby before she looked to H'aanit once again. "Whatever has happened here? You must tell me all you know," Eliza instructed solemnly.

And just like that, H'aanit was wrapped up into telling the story once again, though she seemed to lose more of her optimism each time she detailed what had happened to Z'aanta. As was to be expected, Eliza's face slowly lost its color from pure shock, and by the time H'aanit was finished speaking, Eliza barely seemed to be focusing on what was happening around her. In fact, H'aanit didn't think she had ever seen the knight looking so crestfallen and worried in all their years of knowing each other.

"Gods a'mercy, for a hunter of Z'aanta's skill to succumb..." Eliza murmured when she was finally able to persuade herself to speak once more.

"I would hear all thou knowest of this Redeye," H'aanit told her firmly. If this beast had managed to bring Z'aanta to his knees through petrification, then it had to be stopped as soon as possible. H'aanit didn't know how much of a chance she stood against it, but she still had to try.

Eliza nodded, though everything about her was still rattled and uncertain from hearing of Z'aanta's fate. "I fear I know very little... Nothing, even," she admitted. "The Knights Ardante simply bid me hire Z'aanta. They told me nothing more. But it is clear they must have known the danger."

"Then why send one man to face the monster alone?" Natalia interjected. She was clearly stressed as well, and her voice threatened to crack under its own weight the longer she spoke.

H'aanit shook her head. "Not just any man."

"So great was the peril, they could to turn to no one else," Eliza murmured with a nod of recognition. "On the hunt, no one could match his speed, his guile... If they had sent a regiment with him, he would have squandered his strength just to keep them alive. Or so they said..."

H'aanit nodded her agreement. "It is true. Our village wanteth not for skilled hunters, but even the best of them would only geten in his way," she pointed out. "The Knights' judgement was correct."

"But even so..." Natalia murmured as she turned away, anxiety written all over her face. She attempted to speak a few more times, but each desire to say something fell short.

Eliza's posture relaxed in understanding. "It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, yes?" Natalia nodded. "It is the same for me. By sending one man alone, we declared to the world our own weakness. Now, it falls to me to hunt Redeye in Z'aanta's stead." Eliza turned to face H'aanit a moment later, her expression grim. "H'aanit, you have another duty. You must go and find this seer."

H'aanit nodded. "Yes. It was Master's last command before the curse overtook him. I will finde the means to free him of it-I must." From beside her, Linde's eyes gleamed with determination, the snow leopard's silent way of saying that she would be fighting at H'aanit's side to the bitter end.

Natalia glanced between Eliza and H'aanit before a small smile began to creep across her face. The gesture was filled with sadness and bitter nostalgia, but she pressed on regardless. "Z'aanta's lucky to have such capable friends," she murmured.

Eliza shook her head. "My skill in the hunt is hardly the measure of his. But he needs me, and I will do what I can," she explained simply. "Countless times, Z'aanta has lent me his strength and courage. Now it is time to give some of mine." She moved towards the door, glancing to H'aanit as she did so. "I shall send word if I learn more of this Redeye." With that, Eliza bowed her head carefully and left the building behind.

H'aanit watched her go with a sigh on her lips. She knew what had to be done next. She had to prepare to find the seer known as Susanna and figure out what she had to say about Z'aanta's current status. It wasn't going to be easy, but when was anything simple these days?

Fearen not, Master... I will save thee. I promise.

The day seemed to pass by H'aanit in an effortless haze after that, both all too painfully close to her and strangely faraway from her mind's focus. She and the rest of the travelers bid Natalia farewell for the day before going their separate ways for the day. They had finished their business in Stonegard much faster than expected, but they had already paid for a room at the inn, and getting on the road to Saintsbridge would hardly be effective given what had happened that day. They all needed a break whether they wanted to admit it or not.

H'aanit took to the edges of Stonegard overlooking the Spectrewood. She stood in front of the collapsed path that had caused her such grief earlier in the day, and all of that felt so distant all of a sudden, as if she had come across this obstacle a year ago rather than a few mere hours prior. Nothing about the situation felt real even though she knew that it all had to be.

H'aanit knew little about petrification as much as she hated to say it. She had never even thought such a thing to be possible. Stories of old had mentioned it, yes, but she thought they were merely tales of fancy rather than facts retold for younger generations. She had no idea how long this Redeye had existed or what its purpose was, but she was confident that it was going to be the cause of countless issues if she did not find a way to interfere. Even if Eliza was taking up the brunt of the hunt for the time being, H'aanit knew that she would not be able to stay away forever.

H'aanit sighed as brushed her fingers against the rocks blocking the path to the Spectrewood. Now that she had some time to think and process all that was happening, her chest was starting to feel empty, as if somebody had hollowed it out without bothering to offer her mercy along the way. H'aanit hated the sensation with every fiber of her being even though she knew that there would be no escape, not until Z'aanta was freed of Redeye's curse.

It still felt unbelievable to her. She had seen the truth of Z'aanta's status with her own two eyes, but she still didn't want to believe any of it. How could the strongest hunter in all of Orsterra fall so easily to Redeye? It had been so simple for the beast to destroy everything that Z'aanta had ever known, and H'aanit was still carrying the weight of the fallout. She felt as if Z'aanta's statue was continuing to hold her down, almost as if it wanted to drag her into the earth and keep her there forever.

H'aanit shook her head as soon as she was able to focus herself once again. She heard a small purr, and she glanced down to see Linde nuzzling up against her side. Before H'aanit could say for sure what she was doing, she slid down to the ground and leaned her back against the rocks behind her. She stared up at the grayed sky overhead, wondering if everyone else felt as if the world was trying to smother them when they encountered such hardship.

No rains were set to fall that day, and H'aanit could feel it, but that did not stop liquid from welling up in her own eyes. Tears rained down on her fingers as Linde pressed herself as close to her mistress as she could. H'aanit stroked gently at Linde, finally releasing the tears she had been holding back so firmly earlier in the day.

H'aanit had no idea how many times she had cried in her life, but somehow, this time felt the darkest of all.

Emotional destruction? Just a little bit.

I really loved writing this story for all of its emotional beats, and just... Wow. I'm really liking the portrayal of H'aanit I have going right now. She's a stoic character, but that doesn't mean she's entirely immune to emotions. Poor girl has been through a lot this chapter, and she's still got a lot waiting for her in the next few chapters of hers.

I don't think there's all that much to say about this chapter that hasn't already been said, but... Wow. I'm having a lot more fun with this part of the game than I thought I would. I suppose that having all of the characters here to play around with while ignoring the restrictions of the game's freedom makes that a lot easier. Who knew? Speaking of the characters, we're going to be seeing a lot more of their interactions in response to Z'aanta over the next few chapters.

Until then though, I'm going to leave things off here. We'll pick up next time with the fallout of all that's happened over the last chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Until then, feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital