The palace of Marsalim only grew more impressive the closer H'aanit got. 

The castle seemed to grow as she drew ever nearer to it, and by the time she arrived at the front gate, she had to crane her neck to even have a chance of seeing the tallest tower. The people of Marsalim had worked hard to create such a feat of architecture; the castle alone seemed to be larger than the entirety of S'warkii. It was probably bigger than towns like Wispermill and Everhold too. H'aanit never would have imagined such massive buildings could exist, much less that people would live in them. She had learned so much since leaving S'warkii, and she had experienced even more. 

Eliza had clearly come here many times. She did not stop once to stare at the towering statues or the armed guards littering the halls of the castle. Regardless of how exhausted she was, Eliza was on a mission, and she refused to let anything stop her from completing it. H'aanit kept an eye on her throughout her journey deeper into the castle, and she hoped that would be enough to keep Eliza's spirits strong for just a short while longer. After all, it only took a simple glance from the other travelers to reassure H'aanit, and she could only hope she had that impact on others too. 

The king of Marsalim stood in the throne room on the others side of an arch guarded by four armed guards. The soldiers parted their spears as soon as they recognized Eliza and Raaf, and the leader of the Knights Ardante nodded to them gratefully. H'aanit followed her lead, and something like anxiety welled deep in her stomach. Marsalim found new ways to amaze her without even meaning to, and the massive number of guards in the castle was yet another impressive feat to the sheltered huntress. She almost thought there were more guards in the palace than there were people in S'warkii, and she hadn't even seen all of them given how many had gone out to fight Redeye. 

King Khalim was exchanging hushed, anxious words with a girl at his side. She looked almost identical to him, and H'aanit could only assume that she was his daughter. Both of them straightened out and went silent when they noticed Eliza and Raaf had arrived. The king's gaze caught on Raaf specifically. "I am most pleased to see you return safe, Captain," Khalim began. 

"I fear there is no pleasure in it for me, Your Highness," Raaf muttered bitterly. "I fled like a coward."

Khalim's head bowed in grief, and he fought to maintain some degree of strength on his features. "You did your duty, Captain," he replied. "Without you to bring word of what happened, we would all be doomed. Now, we would hear your report."

Raaf nodded, only caught off guard by Khalim's kindness for a split second. "By your life, Your Highness." The king stepped down the stairs just in front of his throne, and his daughter followed him faithfully. Despite being royalty, they stood on the same level as the travelers, Eliza, and Raaf. That simple gesture was enough for H'aanit to respect him; she couldn't say she knew much of royalty, but she knew of the wars others fought in the name of status and coin. Khalim did not care in the slightest for the ceremony surrounding his position. He simply wished to speak with his people as his equals, and if he had to step down from his pedestal to do so, then he would do it. It was no wonder the people had come to admire him so greatly. There were few kings in the world who would have been willing to do such a thing, and yet, Khalim hadn't hesitated once. 

Raaf forced himself to breathe for a few long moments before he started to explain. "There were packs of monsters roaming in the vicinity of the ruins. The men fought bravely and succeeded in culling their numbers. Emboldened, we dared to venture into the ruins themselves." The king nodded to encourage him to continue, and Raaf's eyes fell shut as if he was forcing himself to replay the scene in his mind. "'Twas there that red-eyed beast came upon us... A ferocious creature of a size and strength I've not seen. But that was not the worst of it, oh no... Any soldier that met its blood-red gaze was turned to stone. Living statues insensible to all around them..."

Khalim thought of all Raaf had said for a long moment before he let out a heavy sigh of his own. He was every bit as tired as the people of Marsalim were. Redeye was wearing them all down, and there was only so much even a king could do to hide his despair. "Tell me one thing, Captain... Did these men fight bravely to the end?"

Raaf's eyes went wide with shock before he remembered himself and nodded. "Every one."

Khalim's face softened with a light smile. "I see. That will be all, Captain." He turned away to look out the window just behind the throne, and his daughter watched him silently but dutifully. Raaf nodded and moved to retreat from the throne room, but the sound of Khalim's voice made him pause. "However, this battle is not over. Our fallen men must be avenged."

H'aanit stepped toward Khalim's back. "Begging Your Highness' leave... We can doen better than revenge. If the beast Redeye itself is slain, your men will be released from its curse."

Khalim whirled to face H'aanit in shock, and Raaf staggered backward with one hand raised to cover his mouth. "Is this true?!" he demanded. 

Khalim was considerably less prone to optimism, and fresh grief rose in his eyes. Beside him, his daughter covered her mouth with her own hands before looking up to her father for any guidance he was able to provide her. "But you heard for yourself," Khalim reminded H'aanit. "This fiend wields terrible powers. What hope have we of slaying it when a single glance invites certain doom?"

"My friends and I can protecten ourselves from the petrification," H'aanit explained. "By your leave, we shall fighten the beast alone." Behind her, she felt all of the travelers stand up a little bit straighter to try and prove however they could to Khalim that they knew what they were doing. It was a tiny gesture, but they were willing to do whatever they needed to in order to confirm their resolve. 

Khalim remained uncertain though, and his eyes went dark as he met H'aanit's gaze for the first time since the conversation began. "Can you defeat it?" 

H'aanit's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to believe she would be able to win, but she still feared what might happen if she failed... Even so, H'aanit had learned to persevere in the face of all hardship. Z'aanta had taught her well, and she remembered every lesson he had ever shared with her. So long as she drew breath, she would be able to keep fighting, and she intended to do just that. H'aanit may have feared Redeye, but that terror was simply a reason to fight harder than ever before. "I swearen on my life," H'aanit assured Khalim, and she found herself daring to believe it. "I will bringen the beast down and freen your men from its baleful curse."

Khalim considered her words for a long moment before he took a few steps closer to her. "What is your name, girl?"

Much to her own surprise, H'aanit did not back down beneath his inquisitive gaze. At the end of the day, kings were men too, and when she looked into Khalim's eyes, she saw a human, not a ruler. "I am called H'aanit."

Khalim nodded, repeating the name under his breath. "H'aanit... I see the glitter of steel in your eyes. Resolve and strength in equal measure. Each time a menace has been visited upon this realm of mine, a hero with the same steel in their eye has stepped forward to save it. This time, you will be that hero for us."

H'aanit's chest fluttered with pride, and she nodded solemnly. She had trained for this battle her entire life. She refused to back down now. Redeye would be the hardest foe she ever faced, but H'aanit was determined to win against it. She had come this far, and she would not let a dread beast stop her path to the future now. By the time the sun set, H'aanit would emerge from the Grimsand Ruins victorious, and Redeye would be left to surrender to the land in her wake. She would make sure of it. 

Raaf took a step toward Khalim, new inspiration and confidence in his eyes. "By your leave, I shall take the rest of the men and drive off the monsters outside the ruins."

"The Knights Ardante shall sally with you," Eliza chimed in, looking stronger than she had all day. 

"We shall escort H'aanit safely to the entrance!" Raaf declared, sinking into a combative stance. 

Khalim nodded. "Very good." He turned and placed his hand on H'aanit's shoulder, and she felt her eyes widen ever so slightly. "H'aanit. Slay this beast and return safely to us."

H'aanit remained still for a flicker of an instant before nodding. "I shall."

Eliza was the first to walk away, and Raaf followed her moments later. They led the way out of the throne room and down the stairs to a strategy room on the first floor of the castle. A few members of the city guard were gathered there, though all of them stepped aside upon realizing Eliza and Raaf had arrived. Eliza looked down at the map the city guard had been using with a relieved smile. "We may yet succeed... Now we have the might of a whole city behind us," Eliza said. 

H'aanit nodded. "King Khalim is a forthright man. He looked me square in the eye and entrusted me with the future of his realm. It is the mark of a great leader to haven the courage to maken difficult decisions."

"Courage?" Eliza echoed. "Nay... Wisdom, I say. The wisdom to look into a young woman's heart and see the strength and resolve within."

"Lowly hunter though I am... These are good people with a good king," H'aanit murmured. "They deserven my help as much as anyone in this world."

"Out here in the desert, people must work hard to savor every drop of water they find," Eliza went on. "They learn that they must work together and share their fortunes and burdens alike. They must trust each other and work as one... Or die. The harsh sands have shaped them into loyal, generous, and honest folk."

"Then it would behoven me ill to leten them down," H'aanit concluded with a smile. "'Tis as Master always sayeth... 'Betrayst not the trust of others, lest thou betrayst thine own honor.'"

Eliza smiled, bittersweet reminiscence of Z'aanta flashing through her gaze. "Wise words." She looked up at H'aanit, seeming to see traces of Z'aanta in H'aanit too. "Prevail, and you will save not only your master, but a king and his people."

"I will not resten until Redeye has been slain," H'aanit vowed. "I swearen."

Raaf looked down at the map before him, and Eliza nodded in his direction. "The battle will not be an easy one. Make any final preparations you need to now. Once you feel ready, we will march out," Eliza told H'aanit. "Captain Raaf and I will come up with a strategy for finding you a path to the ruins until then."

"Of course," H'aanit nodded. She led the rest of the travelers out of the room before glancing over at each of them. "Dost thou needen anything before we seten out?"

"I want to grab a few more medicinal herbs before we leave," Alfyn chimed in. "I have a pretty good stock, but I would rather be safe than sorry."

"We can try to grow some for ourselves using the magic we learned from Dohter," Primrose suggested. "If we could grow flowers before, then we should be able to grow herbs too."

"Then let's head outside and do it," Tressa nodded, and she made for the door at once. "Though I would love to look around this castle one day. I don't think I've ever seen a building this massive."

"It would be nice to study it for as long as we can spare the time," Cyrus agreed. "Perhaps we can ask the king if he would be kind enough to allow us to look around his castle after we have defeated Redeye."

H'aanit smiled gently at the conversation unfolding around her, but her grin slipped away when she caught a glimpse of Olberic out of the corner of her eye. "Thou lookest deep in thought," H'aanit remarked softly. "Art thou alright?"

Olberic snapped out of his thoughts instantly. "My apologies H'aanit. Seeing the king... It reminded me of days gone by. He has the same look about him as King Alfred, the last king of Hornburg."

H'aanit raised an eyebrow. "What manner of look is that?"

"The demeanor of a man who looks you straight in the eye and speaks the plain and honest truth," Olberic explained. "A man who believes in himself and the words he speaks, and because he believes in them, others can too without fear of betrayal."

H'aanit nodded. "I see... I too had the same feeling about the king." After a moment's pause, she ventured to smile once again. "I believen the king of Hornburg was a great man. I wish I could have met him."

Olberic smiled despite himself. "I know you would have admired him just as he would have admired you... But we should not worry ourselves with the past now. We have a quest to finish before the day is done."

"Of course." H'aanit couldn't help but be proud of Olberic for being willing to move on from discussion of Hornburg so easily. She knew how painful it was for him to remember the past he had lost the day Hornburg fell, but he there he stood, facing the future with a smile on his face. He never would have been able to do such a thing when their journey began. They had all come a long way as not only combatants but as people, and H'aanit couldn't have asked for anything greater. 

The travelers settled down near a small patch of sand not far from the castle, and Alfyn, Primrose, Cyrus, and Tressa immediately took to trying to nurse a few herbs to life between the dunes. The rest of the group watched on quietly, and Therion came to stand just beside H'aanit. She knew to expect him to speak even before she glanced in his direction, and sure enough, he filled the silence seconds later. "'Betrayst not the trust of others,' eh?" Therion asked softly. 

H'aanit nodded resolutely. "First and foremost, I hunten Redeye to saven my master from his fate... But I also will to helpen the people of this land." She clenched her fingers into a tight fist. "I cannot afford to fail. My quarry must be slain. My honor as a hunter demandeth it."

Therion snorted, and she could hear a smile creeping into his voice. "When I set my sights on my quarry, I'm as dogged as you... Different sort of quarry though."

"Thou speakest of thievery," H'aanit concluded. 

Once again, Therion laughed into his scarf. "Doesn't sit right with you, does it?"

"If thou choosest to taken pride in thy work, I shall not tellen thee that thou art wrong," H'aanit told him. "Thou has much to be proud of."

Therion's cheeks went warm beneath the cover of his scarf. "Choose to take pride? That's an interesting way to put it."

"Pride is a choice," H'aanit reiterated. "Thou can be proud of thy deeds or not."

"Now there's something no one can steal... Another person's pride," Therion remarked. He looked up and studied H'aanit for a long moment, his expression softening. "I'm glad to see that you can still have faith in people after everything we went through. I... I know that Miguel's betrayal rattled you back in Saintsbridge."

H'aanit held back a wince. There was a man she would much rather forget, though she should have expected Miguel to be mentioned again eventually. "It did," H'aanit admitted. "But I believen that a single man--much less a man like him--is not deserving of complete control over my trust in others. I will continuen to place my faith in others for as long as I drawen breath. Miguel cannot stoppen that in life or death."

Therion's smile grew ever so slightly. "I wish I could have thought about it that way after everything that happened with Darius," he confessed. "But I suppose it's better late than never. We got there in the end... Even if it took a hell of a lot longer than we would have liked."

H'aanit nodded, but before she could offer a response, Tressa let out a cry of triumph. Nearby, Ophilia clapped her hands together excitedly. H'aanit recognized the herbs in Tressa's hand as some of the medicinal plants native to the Riverlands. Dohter's nature magic truly was an incredible thing. H'aanit doubted she ever would have been able to imagine plants like that growing in the Sunlands without it. 

"Before we leave town, we should make another oasis," Tressa told Ophilia as she pushed herself to her feet. She brushed the sand from her dress and passed the herbs over to Alfyn where he tucked them into his bag. "I think the people of Marsalim would appreciate it."

"After we stop Redeye, we can figure something out," Ophilia agreed with a nod. Her eyes shone like steel when she turned to face the rest of the group, and H'aanit found herself agreeing with Khalim when he spoke of determination in the eyes of a hero. She could see it in all of her friends' eyes even though they were there on business for her journey. "But first, we have a monster to slay."

The travelers wasted no time in making their way back to the castle of Marsalim. Eliza and Raaf had come up with a strategy by the time they returned, and Eliza finally looked truly at peace when she glanced up to see H'aanit standing in the doorway of the room. "Have you made your preparations?" Eliza asked, and H'aanit nodded proudly. Eliza's smile deepened, and she started toward the door for herself. "Then let's get started."

~~~~~

The first thing H'aanit noticed when she set foot on the path leading to the Grimsand Ruins was how out of balance the desert felt. 

H'aanit had grown to understand the homeostasis of the land as one of the hunters of the Darkwood. It was a precursor to communicating with and harnessing the power of beasts. Z'aanta, for all his overactivity and dramatics, knew how to teach her what mattered most. The two had meditated in the woods until H'aanit could say with certainty that she could feel the pulse of the forest as easily as her own. She knew what balance felt like, and from there, she knew how to put an end to anything that dared to disturbance. 

But the disorder in the sands near the Grimsand Ruins was unlike anything H'aanit had ever felt before. She remembered feeling unsettled when she chased after the ghisarma so many. months ago. She had been unnerved when she noticed that no beasts hid in the hollow shrine Mattias was using for his ritual. This was far beyond the disturbance in both of those areas, and it felt as if even the very sand was out of its element. There were countless monsters roaming the sands because Redeye had driven them out of their home, but they were not made for the open sky. They had hidden in the cave because it was all they knew, and now, they were lashing out from fear and a desire to find a new place to belong. By extension, the monsters were placing the people of Marsalim in danger, but they were only acting out of line because Redeye had driven them out of their homes to begin with. 

The combined forces of the Knights Ardante and the Marsalim city guard formed an impressive army, but H'aanit could feel the losses they had suffered to Redeye. Countless soldiers from both Marsalim and the rest of Orsterra had fallen to stone beneath the beast's crimson gaze, and their phantoms seemed to haunt all those who were daring to take up arms against the rogue beasts now. This was not simply a matter of justice; the fighters left behind were chasing revenge, and if they could not find it in Redeye, then they would exact their rage against the beasts that had come to place the nearby city in such grave danger. 

"Shoulder to shoulder, men!" Raaf demanded, and the soldiers of Marsalim gladly fell into place in between Knights Ardante. Silver and scarlet armor glimmered side by side, and blades of all shapes and sizes pointed at the horde to come. "Herd them in!"

Swords and spears flashed as the combined army rushed forward as one. In a matter of seconds, the starting promises of a path to the cave had opened, but it was still too small of a gap for the travelers to rush through. "Hold nothing back!" Eliza demanded. "We fight as one!" 

Eliza was a terror on the battlefield, easily fending off five monsters at once. In a matter of seconds, she had deepened the path leading to the cave. Eliza threw a glance over her shoulder at the knights immediately behind her. "Knights Ardante!" she continued. "Form a cordon around H'aanit!"

Eliza's selected warriors followed her lead in an instant, and she led the charge. The travelers readied their weapons, but they already knew they would not be doing much in the battle to come. Eliza had told them before they set out that they needed to conserve their strength for the battle against Redeye. The beast would not be an easy foe to best, and they would only stand a chance if they reserved as much energy as they could. The Knights Ardante and Marsalim city guard would handle everything in the push up to the ruins. 

"With me!" Raaf called to his own elite squad. "We'll carve a path through to the ruins!" Raaf and the remainder of his regiment fought with a force unlike anything H'aanit had ever seen. She had never seen a military of a major city fighting in a setting like this, and she could see how the city guard of Marsalim had grown to be so strong. The soldiers worked in perfect tandem with each other, and they easily opened an even greater gap between the ranks of scorpions and snakes guarding the entrance to the cave. 

Eliza's blade flashed three times more in the sunlight before the path to the cave appeared in full. "The way is open!" she shouted. "Godspeed, H'aanit! Take care, and may your arrows fly true!" 

H'aanit only spared Eliza one nod before she took off toward the arch of stone leading into the cave. "I shall returnen at once!" she called out, but she never got confirmation if Eliza heard her or not. Another wave of monsters was descending upon the Knights Ardante, and Eliza rushed off to meet them with a fierce yell and a swing of her sword. 

Raaf surged toward the monsters as well, and the rest of the men in his regiment followed suit. "As one, men!" he declared. "For Marsalim!" 

"For Marsalim!" the rest of his men chorused, and the battle began anew. 

~~~~~

H'aanit and the rest of the travelers did not stop running until they arrived in the Grimsand Ruins. The caves were every bit as big as they needed to be to house so many monsters, and H'aanit found herself sighing at the sight of the ruins. They were graceful and tranquil... Too much so. Redeye was not there in the immediate area, but he was waiting deeper within, and he was the reason for the quiet. A place like this should not have been so perfectly silent, and yet, there it was. 

"Redeye hideth in here..." H'aanit murmured. She reached for her bow, pulling it free on instinct even without nocking any arrows. "A grim pall hangeth in the air... Danger lurketh ahead though we cannot seen its form yet. Leten us treaden carefully here."

"We can do this," Alfyn began as the travelers started their trek into the caves. "We can't let those men's sacrifices be in vain. We'll slay that red-eyed fiend once and for all. We have to."

"Such is mine intention," H'aanit hummed. "But we must treaden with care... I sensen a terrible presence like nothing I have felt afore. This Redeye... It is sickening in a way no words can describe."

"Yeah... I can feel it too," Alfyn admitted as he reached for his axe. "But that's all the more reason for us to push through and win this battle. We've come too far to fail now... We're this close to savin' your master. We just need to do it."

H'aanit nodded. "Just so... And when this is over, we shall celebraten in every way we can." Her heart skipped a beat. If we surviven this, her mind supplied, but H'aanit didn't listen to it. One way or another, she would win this battle. She had to. 

"We deserve to all drink together," Alfyn agreed. There was something shaky about his voice, like he was talking solely for the sake of keeping his mind off all that he knew was lurking within the cave. H'aanit couldn't blame him for it in the slightest. "Your master can join us too if he'd like."

H'aanit couldn't help but smile at that. Z'aanta would never say no to a round of spirits. He would not care for the reason as much as the fact that he would be able to indulge in his favorite ale. H'aanit had grown used to chastising him for the bad habit over the years, but she couldn't help making an exception for such a crucial time. "He would liken that," H'aanit whispered. "I will maken sure to introduce all of thou to him. I am certain he will appreciaten each and every one of thou."

"All the more reason for us to see this through then," Ophilia smiled wearily. She gripped as tightly as she could at her staff, trying to seem stronger than she felt, but H'aanit did not call her on it. They were all terrified, but they were there anyway, and that was a measure of strength unlike any other. "We can do this. We must."

H'aanit nodded to herself. "Yes... We must."

Primrose's fingers wound into H'aanit's grasp again moments later, and the huntress looked down with a soft gasp. Primrose was every bit as afraid as she was, but she hid it behind a smile that H'aanit wished she could bring herself to share. "Say, H'aanit..." Primrose began, her voice soft enough to be out of the earshot of the other travelers despite how close together they all were. "Once we've rescued your master, perhaps we could go traveling together."

H'aanit's eyes widened. "Why the sudden invitation?"

"I think we could use the time off... Time where we're not worried about the end of the world," Primrose replied with an easy shrug. "We would need a bit of time to look back at our old lives, but... After we have made peace with where we came from, I think we could learn more from the open road. Besides, if we were together..." Primrose leaned in like she was going to kiss H'aanit on the cheek, but she opted instead to whisper, "I could protect you."

H'aanit let out a soft laugh. "Dost thou not mean I could protecten thee?"

"I don't mean from beast and fiends and the like," Primrose told her. "I'm talking about scoundrels: men with smooth tongues and sharp wits. You may be good with the bow, but when it comes to men, you're a babe in the woods."

H'aanit's mind found its way back to Stillsnow and the conversations she and Primrose had shared there. If those discussions had taught her anything, it was that H'aanit had a long way to go before she could ever hope to understand men... Though she supposed she did not need to. Primrose was the only person she could ever need to understand in such a way, and they loved each other more than anything.

And yet, now that H'aanit saw the flirtation for what it was, she could not dare to refuse it. "Perhaps thou speakest the truth," she relented. "We shall consideren it after we surviven this... And we will surviven it."

Primrose smiled, and at last,  H'aanit knew what the whispering had been for. Primrose was trying to cheer her up the best way she knew how, and it had worked perfectly. H'aanit fell for Primrose's charms the same way she always did, but she couldn't have asked for a better outcome. She felt stronger now than she had ever since the subject of defeating Redeye first came up, and H'aanit was determined to follow that strength to the bitter end. 

The travelers stopped at the entrance of a cave leading deeper still into the ruins. The foreboding air around them only seemed to redouble its intensity, threatening to suffocate them then and there... But they could not back down now. Their instincts told them that they would find Redeye ahead, and they would not surrender after coming this far. They were ready. All that remained was to slay the beast once and for all. 

"Art thou ready?" H'aanit questioned, glancing around to the rest of the travelers. Despite their reservations or fears, they all nodded, holding their weapons at the ready for the battle ahead. H'aanit's heart skipped one last beat, and she looked back to the cave ahead. "Then so am I."

And with that, they descended into the home of the beast. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's getting tense now!

I really love the way this chapter turned out. Just... Wow. I love it. I haven't written H'aanit like this in a long time, and I forgot how much I love writing her. She feels like the perfect character to follow throughout all of this even when you ignore the fact that this is her chapter. I just adore her. What a great character. Agh. 

I don't have all that much to say about this chapter, but I have three small details I want to highlight. First, Khalim's daughter was mentioned! I'm not including the side quests about Gloria from the game, but I wanted to at least give her a cameo here since it only makes sense that she would be mentioned, you know? Second, I want to talk about the Primrose and H'aanit banter in this chapter. I love it in the game, and it's one of my favorite banters, but it unfortunately doesn't work here without being tweaked a little because of how deep their relationship has become. I adapted it as much as I could while keeping the spirit of it the same, but I wanted to point it out because of how much I love it as a banter. Lastly, the line from right before H'aanit led the travelers into the ruins is based on one of her battle entry quotes ("If thou art ready, then so am I"). There are a lot of tiny things in this chapter that I really like, and I had to give them at least a bit of attention here. 

Next time, we're going to get into the thick of it... The battle with Redeye. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital