I'm pretty sure that If I hadn't moved during the short rush she went through (packing bags, scavenging the tent, etc.), she would have left me on that rock. Luckily, she noticed me just as she was about to leave.

She didn't look too amused at the thought of carrying me everywhere.

“Can you walk self?...”

She muttered almost inaudible.

Walk? I haven't done that in days. Or weeks. Actually, I can't remember.

Her question intrigued me.

And so, I attempted to walk. I let eight short roots to extend on each side of my pot and touch the rock.

I pushed down with equal strength on each root and felt weightless for a minute. Had I not gotten used to operating more than two roots, I would have failed before even lifting myself up.

I looked sort of like some strange combination of a spider and an octopus.

I started using the roots like a spiders legs and succeeded in moving about in a circle on the rock. However, I feared to descend it.

What if my pretty pot crashed into a thousand pieces?

Pleadingly, I looked at Hans. At first, she stared at me with slight fear twisting her face, but after noticing my almost puppy-like actions, she approached me.

Her slender hands took hold of the pot and I was promptly lifted to the ground.

Joyously, I ran about. I was overjoyed at the sudden feeling of running. It had been so long, I had almost forgotten.

Hans simply observed me, in the same manner, a mother would observe her child.

- Root Control has reached Lv.3. -

In fact, every now and then, I could catch a faint smile.

Soon, I was short of my non-existent breath, and I turned to her.

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I nodded.

She giggled.

I think our relationship may be improving.

Sadly, when I approached nonchalantly, she jumped slightly and made a “hii” sound.

Am I that scary? Actually, yes, I am.

I look like a weird spider, and it looks even worse when I run. No wonder.

I sighed internally and chose to instead carefully approach her. She didn't run away, so I guess it isn't too bad.

Her sword hung unceremoniously from her hip, and on her back hung the sack. I wished I could have helped, but I was far too weak for that.

Instead, I crawled/walked/scuttled beside her.

The scenery never shifted.

We walked through plains, and plains, and plains, and plains. At-least that was during the night.

As the sun rose on our backs, we noticed how the plains opened up to a small road. We followed the road for a fair bit until we noticed the plains turn into crops of all different kinds.

Potato-bushes and their red, poisonous berries, golden wheat the same colour and texture as blond hair and some sort of tall, green stem upon which large, blue fruits grew were the majority of the crops. I could also see all sorts of other things, but most were completely unknown to me. While I wasn't looking, I noticed how Hans stuffed her face with the blue fruits.

It was a strange sight, but I imagine it must have come from her belief that my flower was also my eye.

As we walked along the road, I noticed it getting bigger, wider and more well used. It began as a small path rather then a road, but soon it was a full-on road. There was no asphalt, but it was covered by, strangely enough, clay. It was easy to walk on, but my mind kept wondering where in the word one could get this amount of clay, why it was used as a road instead of pottery, and how in the world it was heated to this solid form.

Sadly, I couldn't ask Hans due to my mute-ness. If only I could be a human again...

- … -

= … =

...what?

- Nothing. -

= N-, nothing at all. Nope. =

...suspicious...

Despite my suspicions, I put the matter to the side in favour of the sight which presented itself in the light of the midday sun.

A city towered before us.