We walked down the hill towards our next goal, if which I did not know much of. I should mention again that this is a deep forest, which I would later learn is Selvendys, meaning we'd be going through a fairly dark understory for most of our journey. We passed quite a few monsters on the way; we slew some of them but left others alone to conserve our energy. Some of the highlights included armoured orcs, mutant arachnids, and a few giga-wasps, the last of which I definitely wouldn't want to get stung by.
I also got to see more of Philia's abilities in battle, and I've got to say that she's a natural at this sort of thing. She seems to know precisely when and where to strike and with what ability. We synchronized poorly at first, but we quickly became more fluid with our combined assaults when we learned to cover each other's weaknesses.
Me - (Man, I am so lucky to be fighting alongside such a beautiful woman)
I would constantly think that to myself whenever I wasn't focused on clearing monsters or trying not to ram my head against a tree. However, I knew that saying this sort of thing out loud at this point would only mean negative repercussions; just ask how Kirito did with his words. As such, I think I should get to know her a bit more before I give her these sorts of compliments.
We eventually reached the entrance of a cavern. I've seen a few of those in Aincrad before, and they tend to be the entrances of dungeons. Philia soon spoke up.
Philia - If we can get through the forest on the other side of this cave, we should reach an area of the same design.
Me - Noted. Now let's be careful not to trip or experience any nasty surprises while we get through there.
Philia - Got it.
We entered the cave, and as expected, it was pretty dark indeed. Luckily, I came in with a high night vision skill, meaning I could see quite well in the dark. Philia, on the other hand, didn't seem to have such skill, as she stayed very close to me the entire time, even taking my hand at times. She'd probably be very embarrassed once we get out, but as long as I don't bring it up, I should be okay.
We eventually exited the cave after thankfully encountering no enemies. We made our way to a clearing devoid of any monsters and stopped for a break.
Philia - Say, Will? Do you remember how you came here?
Me - Hm... The last I remember, I was walking through town, minding my own business, when I was suddenly enveloped in light. The next thing I knew, I was in here, in this area that we know almost nothing about. In a way, it's kind of like using a corridor crystal; only it happened against your will.
Philia - Sudden teleportation? Weird... I had the same sort of thing happen to me. There is one crucial difference, though... The symbol on your hand...
Me - I take it that you don't have one.
Philia - Nope. And I haven't seen any other player with it either.
Me - Interesting... could this mean there are other players in here?
Philia - Yes.
I kind of felt somewhat broken inside when she said this; several or maybe even hundreds of lost souls like her could potentially be stuck in here, and we'd have no way of knowing. Then again, they could just be AI that doesn't have much in the way of wanting to get out of here. However, Philia may have soon confirmed my latter suspicion.
Philia - But there seems to be something strange about them.
Me - Really? How so?
Philia - I think it'd be better to see for yourself.
YOU ARE READING
The Hollow Swordsman
ActionArc 1 - Hollow With only 25 floors remaining in the floating castle of Aincrad, Wilhelm, also known as Will, suddenly finds himself in an unknown area normally sealed off to players known as the Hollow Area. In doing so, he meets a girl named Philia...
