Talk:Riko/@comment-124.106.91.194-20180215024242/@comment-25955276-20180215052112

"Though the Abyss is riddled with countless dangers and hazards, one of the greatest challenges facing delvers is, in fact, the ascent from it. This is due to a phenomenon called the Curse of the Abyss. The term refers to a series of symptoms that manifest upon ascending while inside the abyss, with its more scientific name being "Strains of Ascension". The effects of the curse manifest after ascending around 10 meters within the Abyss, and there's no way to avoid it through conventional means. The Curse affects all living things, however the creatures that inhabit the abyss have developed ways to sense its flow and avoid it.

The deeper one delves, the more severe the symptoms are, ranging from dizziness and nausea to intense pain throughout the body, loss of senses and even death. This makes the return trip from the Abyss extremely difficult, and it is not uncommon for delvers to perish on the way up. Particularly, the curse of the 6th Layer("loss of humanity or death") makes the return journey physically impossible for humans."

Thus, Riko is unable to return to Orth, as that requires ascending the Abyss. Ascending the Abyss would kill her.