As time went on, the team had been walking for what felt like hours with little to no time to rest. Calliope gave a few pages to the twins along the way, greatly improving their energy. But Oliver still looked tired.
A small feeling of sadness hit Colton whenever he saw Oliver struggling to keep up with his sister and Calliope.
Their journey seemed to be endless, seeing the same lines of books with different colored covers.
But the pages helped as Colton continued moving forward, barely getting a sweat while his legs continued moving forward, not riddled with pains or aches like he expected.
Along the way, Colton found himself walking side by side with Oliver. He looked far less tired than earlier in the cathedral, but it was very noticeable to Colton that he looked exhausted, as if he would collapse to the ground any second now.
With each step he took a deep breath, using his staff to just keep him standing straight.
After a few minutes, Oliver started muttering something under his breath.
"Keep moving…Keep moving…"
As he was muttering, he turned his head to Colton, sensing his gaze on him.
"I apologize Colton, even with the page Miss Calliope gave, it seems my constant tiredness is still here." He chuckled. With nothing else going on, Colton decided to maybe strike a conversation. He was curious about what happened with them in the cathedral anyway.
"You guys take a whole lot of damage. From that weird ritual to all the sudden fighting for our lives in some tunnel and then this. Those small naps in that vault place barely did anything." He spoke.
"What did you see in that ritual?" Oliver's eyes widened a little, as if afraid or forgotten about it.
"Well, like what my sister said. Just peaceful feeling stuff. But after that, it felt as if every part of my body began to ache. Then the pain seemed to slow down. And after that, it all stopped, like nothing happened." Oliver responded.
As he continued talking, his voice deepened, trying to remember each detail of it.
As they walked on, he looked down at his hand. A small flicker of blue fizzled on the palm of his hand.
"What is that?"
"Well, it's supposed to be that gift thing the statue gave us. From the knowledge i got, it's supposed to be some kind of protection shield. I can't really remember what it was specifically. Barrier of sorts probably." After speaking, he let out a deep yawn.
"We could have used it in the tunnel." Marcus suddenly joined into the conversation, now walking next to the two.
"Yeah, sorry. Maybe later on when I catch more sleep." Oliver replied. Expecting his sister to call him back to the front, Oliver quickly moved back to the front.
"Say Colton." Marcus still walked next to Colton, not done talking.
"You like those types of weapons?" He asked, placing his hand on the warhammer on his back. Colton was surprised by the question, but answered easily.
"I fought with warhammers for a long time before this. Why?"
"Well, you look too comfy with such a large weapon. That and you were carrying one when we first got here."
"What about you? You like larger swords?" Marcus laughed at the question.
"Indeed i do, if you work in the mercenary companies these things will be your guardian angel." He took out his weapon, holding it with both his hands, showing it to Colton.
"Long reach with minimal weight. Able to take down a bunch without having to get close." He explained. His tone seemed to change, likely due to the topic being something he loves.
"How long have you used those weapons for?"
"Years, ever since I left the army and became a for hire. Used the coin I had left to get a weapon like this…Until it was destroyed when we arrived. Luckily though this is a good replacement." He responded, looking at his blade for a long while before placing it on his back again.
"But yeah, used this thing for a long time, more reserved for more experienced mercenaries though."
"Why didn't you stay in the army?" Marcus scoffed at the question.
"Eh, I never liked takin orders much. And the pay wasn't good. Once I realized I was surviving too long in the army, I just left and did a few jobs before settling in some mercenary companies."
"What army were you a part of?"
"Ah, the Yoliran army." Marcus responded.
The Yolirans were a kingdom far from Colton's, a militaristic kingdom, they were a good source of mercenaries and a sought after ally by many nations around it for their skill in combat and strategy.
"The army was neat, but it was too strict. Luckily a mercenary job was the second best option for a soldier. Helped that I already had experience." He continued.
"You liked being a mercenary?" Colton questioned.
"Are you kidding? I loved it! Gold was easy to get, the only problem was whether the job would be fun or not." He replied, getting into a happier mood than earlier.
"If I could ask. What did you normally do in those jobs?" Celestine joined in, interested in the topic of mercenaries.
"Well, normally we kill anyone that the client points at. Either that or protection, getting stuff back, heck sometimes I was tasked with just climbing and going to certain areas to map out." Celestine listened intently, wishing to remember each word from Marcus' mouth.
"You also did exploration jobs?"
"One of em was just climbing a mountain to map out a route for a client. Those types of jobs are more low risk."
"Sounds fun." Soon, the two started talking to each other. Leaving Colton to walk silently again.
The walk went on, as they descended further though, Colton felt an odd feeling of unease. Is it the constant books? The distance? He did not know.
On their way forward, Oliver began to lag behind his sister and Calliope. Even when tired, he still wished to continue with the group.
Soon, the two looked at each other again. In a bid to try and stay awake or focus himself, Oliver began to talk with Colton.
"Say, I wanna ask. You lived outside the walls right?" Colton nodded.
"How was it like living there?" After he asked, Colton began to remember his home again.
"It was a mining town. Loud but calm, beautiful but also murky at the same time." He replied.
"Sounds far better than the cathedral. Everyday it was worship and chanting, the rest of the day was reading from the libraries." He let out another yawn, becoming more tired as time went on.
"How was sleeping there? In your home."
"At night things are sometimes still loud. But it always felt more calming, seeing the stars and trees. Sleep felt far better after a day of working." Colton replied.
"Must have been nice. I couldn't even remember the last time I had a good sleep." Oliver chuckled.
"In the cathedral it was always work. Never had a single day where I could sleep fairly. My sister got used to it though. Can't say the same for me." As he continued talking, his body looked more limp.
Clarissa turned around, noticing her brother was away from the group, she approached him, ready to bring him back to the front.
But as her hand neared Oliver, he suddenly collapsed. Clarissa managed to hold onto him, setting him down.
"Just as I anticipated. I suggested we take another resting period." Clarissa chastised Calliope, standing over the two.
"Apologies, I expected for the page to provide a better amount of energy." She looked up at the other members of the team.
"We shall take a rest for now until Oliver manages to gain enough energy to continue on." Once she was done talking, everyone settled down on different parts of the pathway.
Colton looked around. Even after moving for what felt like an hour or more they were still walking in between the same bookshelves.
The twins sat near Colton. Clarissa was busy with helping her brother get some rest while the other members of the group either talked or stayed silent.
Calliope checked in with the twins, checking on Oliver's condition.
Clarissa was visibly muttering beneath her breath, most likely words of annoyance. Even if she was an authority figure, she seemed to be more different when it involved her brother.
Colton's mind began to wander, this time remembering his home again. From being a simple miner to becoming a warden and explorer of this bizarre place.
The team continued resting, longer than usual, mostly focused on trying to let Oliver gain energy.
He lay flat on the ground, heavily exhausted from healing and walking.
On the other end, the other 3 sat quietly near each other, checking on their weapons to pass the time.
Soon, his mind began to remember the cathedral again, especially the tunnels.
At this point Colton only hoped that they could survive and continue moving forward, hoping to not face a similar battle like earlier.