Riko

"Riko"

- I want to become a white whistle soon so I can catch up to my mother...and explore the places she went.

Riko is a 12 year old orphan from the town at the edge of the Abyss, Orth. She's the only child of the delver, "Lyza the Annihilator". When she was two, her mother went missing during an expedition to the bottom of the Abyss, and since her father had died before she was even born, she was left under the care of the Belchero Orphanage.

Her dream is to become a white whistle, a legendary type of cave raider, and explore the depths of the abyss in order to learn its many secrets.

Appearance
Riko is a short girl with a plain face, green eyes, and long blonde hair styled in two ponytails. She gained a prominent scar on her left arm after the failed amputation. She usually wears the equipment typical to delvers, and always wears glasses but in times of need she has a strap on.

Personality
Riko is a good-natured, joyful and energetic child. She has a quick and inquisitive mind, gathering and properly organizing all the information available on the subjects that interest her. For the team, she is the unbreaking force of enthusiasm in the mist of their constant hardships.

The abyss excites her to no end. Growing up, she diligently studied to become a Delver like her mother was, enchanted by its mysteries and secrets. By the age of twelve she had become an apprentice delver with the right to explore the shallowest level of the Abyss on her own.

Compared to Reg, she is fragile and not much of a brawler, but her ability to keep a cool head under pressure to make rational decisions allows her to tackle the Abyss, even without assistance from the team.

Her priorities are her own wants, so she has made and suffered from rash actions. She also can make a delicious meal out of anything, is willing to eat disgusting food, and has no sense of personal space.

History
When her mother had just become pregnant with her, she was ordered to lead an an exploration squad to retrieve a Greater Relic from the fourth layer, the "Unheard Bell". The expedition was long and bloody, with many confrontations with delvers from other nations which resulted in the deaths of many members of the platoon, including Lyza's husband Torka. Eventually, Riko was born in the depths of the abyss near the end of the mission after the decimated group had obtained the relic. It all took a turn for the worst when Riko was stillborn, throwing Lyza into a strong depression. Lyza's mentor Ozen was so annoyed at the dead child for having sent Lyza into such a state and delaying their mission to retrieve the Unheard Bell that she shoved Riko's corpse in the Curse-Warding Box, so Ozen wouldn't have to deal with it. However, much to everybody's surprise, sounds starting coming from within the box, and when it was opened Riko was revealed to be alive. Having confirmed her newborn's resurrection, Lyza helped Ozen carry the extremely heavy Curse-Warding Box from the 4th layer up to the Seeker Camp. Riko was brought to the surface, where she lived a healthy childhood in Lyza's care and in the care of Jiruo when Lyza was not around.

Riko's identity as the daughter of Lyza the Annihilator was kept secret due to her mother having many potential enemies that could threaten her. When she was 2 years old, her mother descended on her "Final Dive" towards the 6th Layer, and Riko was taken by the Belchero Orphanage under the care of Lyza's apprentice Jiruo.

Orth Arc
While exploring and delving at the first layer, Riko is being chased by a Scarlet Maw, when a beam of energy hits it and chases it away. Wondering who saved her, Riko followed the wreckage from the beam to its source, where she found an unconscious Reg. Upon further inspection, Riko realized he was not human, and with the help of Natt she brought Reg back to Belchero Orphanage. There she studied and took notes on Reg's body, and was able to wake him up using a jolt of electricity. She gives Reg a name, helps him settle in at the orphanage, and tells him about Orth and The Abyss.

During the Resurrection Festival, a celebration to returning delvers, Habolg returns from the abyss with the white whistle that belonged to Riko's mother, Lyza, along with some of Lyza's notes from her delving experiences. While Riko and Reg look through them, they notice one of them contains a sketch of a figure that looks like a silhouette similar to Reg, along with a note reading "I'll be waiting at the bottom of the abyss." After discussing it with Nat and Shiggy, Riko and Reg decide to leave Orth and go to the bottom of the abyss on their own. The two take a few days to prepare, then leave the orphanage in the middle of the night. When they reach the Wharf district, a part of Orth that dips into the abyss, Riko and Reg say their final goodbyes to Natt and Shiggy, and begin their descent towards the bottom.

Descent to the Abyss Arc
After the said goodbyes from Riko and Reg to Natt and Shiggy, Riko and Reg finally descended and landed somewhere in the first layer of the Abyss with a depth of 820 meters. While they are finished eating their breakfast, Riko received a red slip which was a warning from Jiruo with the quote "I'll depart at dawn to capture you" which Riko rushed and packed her things with Reg's help and leave the premise. While they're going further on descending to the Abyss, they met a Silkfang behind their back, however Riko and Reg escaped from its territory while defending themselves. In the midst of the 1st layer, they saw the 2nd layer of the Abyss; Reg suddenly heard his own voice, something about his past and later, he accompanied Riko for a short break. While they took a conversation, Reg saw a delver above the boulders and follows their trail while they rushed to escape and hide. Reg defended Riko and met a black whistle delver Habolg, moreover, Habolg was impressed for Riko's quickness. Habolg's main objective was to met Reg, as Natt and Shiggy told him to meet the two. Instead of taking them back to Orth, he offered to escort them to the Seeker Camp; which Riko had declined the offer. He then gave Riko a warning about Ozen, some medicine, and other supplies, and let them go.

Shortly after descending to the Abyss, Riko and Reg meet a corpse weeper on the second layer after being fooled by its cries, which mimic it's victim's cries of pain and fear. While observing it, they are ambushed by a colony of corpse weepers, and one of them snatches Riko. While Riko struggles initially, she loses consciousness due to the strain of ascension. Reg, unsure of what to do, recalls his memory of using the Incinerator to save Riko from the scarlet maw. Instinctively, he raises his arm and fires his Incinerator, obliterating the colony of corpse weepers and saving Riko from being fed to the corpse weeper's young.

Abilities
Riko's obsession with the Abyss lead her to read about it extensively. She has a lot of general knowledge about each layer and its creatures and plants. She has memorized almost all known artifacts and their functions. She is a quick learner and experienced delver who knows many survival tips. She can cook food with a great taste, even with unfamiliar ingredients found deep within the abyss.

Trivia

 * Riko is the only known person to be in possession of two White Whistles.
 * She is the only known White Whistle who is not officially recognized by Orth or the delver's headquarters, due to the fact that she was only a Red Whistle when she started her journey. As she can never return to Orth, her White Whistle will never be officially catalogued, unless a witness travels up to Orth and reports it.
 * She is the only known White Whistle to skip every other stage of progression in Whistle advancement and is likely the only Delver to ever receive this rank while still a child, outstripping Lyza who received it while a young adult.
 * She is the only known living being who was resurrected by the Curse-Warding Box and hasn't died shortly after, although, her lifespan may be limited.
 * Her desire to explore the Abyss may be partially from the Curse-Warding Box, as all life resurrected by it instinctively seek the centre of the Abyss
 * She has experienced every curse up to layer 5.
 * Riko is a name of Japanese origin, it means Son of Jasmine. Curiously, the Resilience Flower has many similarities to the Jasmine Flower.