Time skip to bridge that leads to city of tears
Your pov
"Thank goodness the bridges are still open." It was a miracle that they were open. I thought the king closed the three bridges to avoid the infection getting to the heart of hollow nest, the city of tears.
A all to familiar scoff comes from behind me. "Why are you so relieved?" With out a word I pick up a near by rock and toss it into the acidic water below us.
With a sizzling hiss the water melted down the rock till nothing was left. Tiso visibly grimaced at the sound. "That answer your question? Besides if you look up you'll see a nightmare."
I didnt need to look back to see if he looked up or not. I just want to to get through this place. Some quick foot steps from behind signaled he had stoped while I had continued walking.
"A dead end? Some kindom's heart this is" Instead of responding to his rude comment I leap up and begin crawling through a tunnel in the roof.
"We dont have the defenders crest so we go this way." After a few jumps tiso follows up.
After evading a few more vines we drop down onthe other side of the door.
"How do you know of that tunnel?" I look over at tiso slightly suprised. He didn't strike me as a observation bug.
"Well I grew up here. I used to sneak out of the city with a few friends to play hide and seek." Yet again he scoffs. What is with this guy? "Why did you play?" Wait what?
"Tiso would you repeat that again?" I asked not believing my hearing. "So your growing deaf now? I said why did you play." He says a slight growl in his tone. Yet it faltered slightly when he repeated himself.
"Tiso" I paused deciding not to ask. Letting out a small sigh I begin to answer his question.
"We played for fun. My question is why you didnt think that. Like we were kids its only natural to want to do everything in our power to have fun."
I glance back seeing him raise a finger in protest before putting it back down. I shake my head slightly seeing that my subtle question will go unanswered. My gaze then targets the path ahead of me.
Not long after that conversation my mind was buzzing with questions. In turn failing to notice the explosive bat thing peering at me from the ceiling.
A loud screech came from directly above me. I wip my head up just in time to see the belfly's wings spread wide exposing it's explosive belly. What is that?
The next thing I know I was on the ground. The creature's head tinking as it bounces slight across the ground. Behind me tiso layed hovering over me, panting slight from a adrenalin rush.
He saved me? Why? We been nothing but pricks to each other. As I was caught in my thoughts he shuffled off from over me to stare at the creature's head.
It's wings having been destroyed from exploading on the ground. The infection it had scattered around the area of impact. Looking oddly similar to a murder mystery scene if the body was lost but the decapitated head was left behind.
"Why did you help me?" My quizzical gaze turned to tiso. He tenses up opening and closing his mouth trying to find a answer or a excuse.
after a couple minutes he stands up. "Consider dept paid." This only raised more questions. Choosing to shove them away I stand up to follow after him. As he had begun walking off.
Through out the tunnel were a couple of husks which were swiftly taken care of.
Thing were relatively peacefully as something had killed the gaurds that most likely paced the entry. My body relaxed walking through the familiar tunnel.
It was a false sense of safety. The various masked bodies that was scattered about the place. It was rather ironic how these masks became socially required and ended up useless.
The masks were made to first of help protect our minds from HER. They made the glowing orange of the infection obvious.
Now that I thought about it tiso came to this kingdom for the collosium. He was bound to have heard about the infection as well. So why didnt he have a mask?
Did he think he was above the infection? The light that swallows one's mind? Was he not aware of it? No if news about the collosium spread outside of hollownest surely news of the infection did as well.
So why didnt he? Is it normal where he's from not to have a mask? Why am I question it so much? Because I've seen bugs go there. They all wore masks.
"And why are you staring at me?" With a small jump my attention is fully on him. I was staring?
"No I wasn't!" His eyes narrow at me. And now being stupidly aware of the lack of a mask, caused me to watch his eye lids lower. This had also made you realize his eyes were a bright white. A little like the-
"I can tell your lying" he seemed to be searching the holes of your mask. Probably glare directly into your eyes.
Did it bother him, that he couldn't see my eyes? Or was he truely just annoyed by the fact he can't use a basic intimidation technique?
Either way he was staring directly at me. Trying to get me to admit. But I wasn't tryin to stare. Wait why do I care so much about wether or not he wears a mask?
No that's a stupid question. My gaze trails up towards the roof, now avoiding his gaze as I try to simply block thoughts of her out of my mind.
Tiso on the other hand was getting tired of waiting for a answer. "Are you going to answer or not?" I turn back to him.
"No" He seems taken aback as I had up until now answered any questions he had asked me. After a second of though with some yelling from tiso I decide against my previous answer. As curiosity for my previous questions about his lack of a mask had poped back into my head.
"Fine just stop yelling." After a second or two he goes quiet crossing his arms. "It's because I realized you aren't wearing a mask."
By now we had made it to the bench near the window that over looked the city. I walked over and staired out. Down bellow various husks wandered. But from this far away they looked normal to you. Like they weren't infected. Like home.
"Why does not having a mask have such a interest from you?" I look over my shoulder. He was sitring on the bench sharpening th blades that hide inside his shield. A impressive weapon really. Both defence and attack, that acted like a boomerage when thrown.
"Have you not noticed tiso? Literally everyone here in hollownest wears a mask. Since you heard of the collosium I can only assume you knew about the infection as well."
I turn back to the window. Knowing he was listening. "I guess it's odd. Heh, my whole life bugs have worn masks. Even those that went to the collosium had masks. So ehen it occuered to me that you didnt have one I subconsciously started staring"
I glance back to see him still sharpening his shield. So I sat down and stared out the window. A sad smile forcing its way to my lips. "That all?"
Tiso's reply had caught me off gaurd. He wasn't nagging me or pushing the topic further. I turn around now facing him. "What do you mean thats all?"
He scoffs "Why does this entire kingdom wear masks?" Oh, I how do I put it?
"The simplest way to put it is that it has two functions. The first being to help block out the infection. The second is to identify someone with the infection."
"A example of a infected would be the husks. Their eyes are glowing orange. While someone thats not infected can't have their eyes be seen, like me."
His face shifts to various emotions most annoyance. Till it settles on one that almost boastful. A expression he often held.
I wonder if he fakes his confidence? "So everyone at the collosium are cowards!" What ever he said after that was far to muffled for me to hear.
"Mind speaking up, tiso." I hop to my feet landing with and thud "and I can garantee you not everyone in this kingdom are cowards!"
His eyes narrow. "Name 3 warriors then." Ha! This guy thinks I dont know 3 names of the knights. He's about to eat his own words! "I can do better. I can name 5! There's the mighty hedgemold, fierce draya, kindly isma, mysterious ze'mer, and loyal ogrim!"
A smile creeps onto my face, as he now puts a extreme amount of focus on sharpening his sheild. I slide back toward the window and simply enjoy the sound of the water hitting the glass.
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Finally done. I'm sorry for taking so long to get this out. The moment I said I'll post at least once a month I had extreme writers block. Anyways enjoy the chapter.