The Gamer's POV-Chapter 186: Home of the Hollow Ones [2]

While in the misty marshland, it was hard for the cadets to tell what time of the day it was exactly. The sky above just maintained its greenish tint, refusing to brighten or dim, leaving them in a perpetual state of twilight.

By now, all the parties had gone their separate ways. Aurora’s and Cedric’s party too had begun quietly heading northwest toward the breach in the walls that Uriel had mentioned.

Along the way, Dion walked up to Evelyn and tapped her on the back, drawing her attention.

"Here, take this," he said as he handed her a bottle filled with a thick, dark liquid.

Evelyn arched a brow at first. Then her nose wrinkled slightly as she caught the scent, and she reached out and took the bottle. "Blood?"

Dion smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I figured you’d need a lot."

Evelyn stared at the bottle for a second, and then a smile began to form on her face. She nudged him with her elbow and teased, "Dion, look at you being all considerate."

Dion’s pale face flushed a deep red.

Just like every other cadet of both parties, both Dion and Evelyn were wearing their regalias. However, it was not an exaggeration to say that Dion had the most unorthodox regalia that anyone could come across.

His armor looked like it was made of animal skin, specifically, the skin of a leopard. It had leopard spots visible across the surface, and draped over the armor was a white chiton with red and golden embroidery along the edges.

On his head, a small, beautiful crown made of ivy leaves rested comfortably. And his spear was topped with a pine cone and wrapped in the same ivy leaves.

When Cedric first saw his regalia, he couldn’t help but think that it looked like more of a costume for a frat party than a suit of armor.

As for Evelyn, her regalia gave off a more darker vibe. Her body was encased in sleek, midnight-black plate armor. The chest-plate was elegantly contoured, featuring a high, pointed collar that framed her face like the wings of a bat. Draped from her pauldrons was a tattered, blood-red cape that trailed behind her, and her legs were encased in form-fitting greaves that tapered down to pointed, iron-shod boots.

When Cedric studied her, he noticed that after putting on her regalia, her skin seemed to become even more paler and a natural dark shadow clung to her lower eyes lids.

Anyway, their regalia aside, Cedric’s gaze shifted from them to Audrey, who walked a few meters away by herself. She kept clutching her bow so tightly, and seemed to be lost in her head.

Cedric walked over to her, then he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Audrey flinched and immediately turned around, but when she saw him, she exhaled and looked away.

"You good?" Cedric asked after walking beside her for a few seconds.

She looked at him and bit her lip, then asked, "Can I be honest?"

Cedric nodded.

After a moment, Audrey shook her head and muttered in a quiet voice. "I’m scared, Cedric."

For a moment, it was quiet between them, then she added, "I’m an archer, and... my bonded ability is flight."

Cedric looked away, then he sighed.

He could understand what she meant by that. Many archers weren’t that good in close combat. They usually fought from far away, and for someone like Audrey who flew, the sky was her only protection.

However, the problem now was that they were on their way to an underground complex where her flight would be useless and she would be trapped in tight spaces with the enemy.

Talk about the ultimate disadvantage.

Well, to be honest, even Cedric was scared for her. He knew a fair bit about the hollow ones. They were known as the protectors of this realm and were the most dangerous beings in the realm... with the exception of those in grade three, of course.

The hollow ones were excellent combatants and were masters of almost all forms of weapons and fighting styles, almost as if they were created for the sole purpose of war.

So yes, Cedric was worried for Audrey.

However, he couldn’t tolerate her being like this because her dwelling on her fear was a recipe for disaster.

Cedric stopped walking and looked her dead in the eye, then his expression hardened.

"Get it together, Audrey," he said without any hint of sympathy in his voice.

Audrey stopped too and her trembling eyes stared into his.

Cedric continued. "It’s fine to be scared. That’s just adrenaline trying to get you ready. The main thing, though, is to not let fear take away your focus. If you can’t fly, find a way to compensate for it. And don’t settle on the fact that you’re just an archer. Archers can be dangerous too."

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "If you act like you’re already dead, then you might as well be.

Audrey’s grip tightened around her bow, then she tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. The shaking in her hands didn’t stop completely, but the look in her eyes sharpened.

Cedric then turned back toward the path and muttered, "Come on."

Both of them continued walking on, catching up to the others.

A few hours of trudging through the sludge passed and slowly, the mist that was veiling the landscape began to thin. After an hour or so, the cadets began to smell smoke in the air.

It was then that Aurora halted and muttered into her whisperscript, "We have arrived at the home of the hollow ones."

Everyone halted and then her voice grew even more quiet. "In a few hundred meters, we shall encounter their outer defenses." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The outer defenses of the hollow ones were moving statues that killed anything that they saw moving.

"Once we run into the statues, try to avoid moving within their line of sight," Aurora explained.

Everyone turned to look at each other and swallowed. Then, the group continued on even more cautiously than before.