Die. Respawn. Repeat.

"Don't let that get to the Hand!" I call out.

I dash forward as I speak. Guard must have reached the same conclusion a second before I did, because he's already moving, determination blazing in his optic. He yanks on the chain, dragging the Hand toward us and away from that storm of incoming Firmament; at the same time, Ahkelios flies up into the air, his blade shining with another one of his sword skills.

He slashes, creating a rift in the air that barrels forward and slices through the corrupted Firmament. It hangs in the air for a moment, and for a split second, I think it works—but then it simply gathers itself together again and flows onward, untouched.

Ahkelios lets out a growl of frustration. I call out to him even as I charge toward the Hand. "Use my skills!"

There's a burst of intent through the link between us. In a single moment, Ahkelios and I agree on a plan, and that plan crystallizes into action. Ahkelios draws on a combination of Crystallized Barrier and Firmament Control, creating a scattered array in the sky to stop the progress of that corrupted Firmament. In the meantime, I grab the Hand and throw, lifting it clean off the ground and tossing it further in Guard's direction.

It screeches in protest, of course. The noise is a shrill scream that cuts through the air and makes me wince. "You struggle for nothing!" it seethes. "For nothing! You struggle to save a thing that deserves no pity!"

I am so very sick of hearing this. "Gheraa deserves a second chance," I snap. "And you aren't going to stop me from giving it to him."

It's the wrong thing to say, apparently. The Hand doubles its efforts to break free, straining against Guard's chains and making him grunt with exertion as he pours in Firmament to try to keep it down.

Even with his enormous reserves, there's only so much he can channel at any one time.