Veyra and Hollow, who had no idea what I had been saying to myself until then, were both taken aback, almost as if they’d heard me screaming out loud just then.

  “Atlas, what’s so amazing?”

  “I’m glad…you are…pleased.”

  Both of them had their attention fixed on me and reached out with telepathy.

  Wait, could you hear me just now? I could have sworn I said it to myself… I suppose I don’t have as great a handle on this new skill as I thought I did. I smiled. Hold on a second, you both heard it? At the same time?

  As far as I knew, telepathy only worked on a single target at a time. The system didn’t mention anything about using it on two people at once, and I’m sure Veyra would have done that already if she knew she could.

  Oracle, what’s the deal?

  {Skill can only be used on a single target without the skill , but can be broadcast to multiple users of the same skill at once}

  I see… so in other words, as long as everyone has the skill, we can keep a line open for everyone to talk through. Hey, not bad! If that’s the case, let’s open this up as a group conversation.

  I had gotten a little distracted by things and strayed away from my main goal. Using the new information I had, I sent my thoughts through our telepathic connection and spoke freely.

  Can everyone hear me? I asked hesitantly.

  “Yes.”

  “I can hear…”

  Both Veyra's and Hollow’s voices entered my mind at once, and I felt a bit better about our future while traveling together. With communication established, I wanted to talk about strategy.

  Veyra, I’d like Hollow to be traveling with us for the foreseeable future while he gets stronger. Is that fine with you?

  She nodded gleefully at Hollow's side profile, all while bringing herself a bit closer to him. He barely reacted and kept his attention on me.

  “Happy to have him!” The ends of her pointed ears sprang to attention.

  R-right… Well, Hollow, you’re a bit lower leveled than the two of us, so I’ll be taking on the front lines while Veyra mans the rear. Since you’re using a sword, how about you finish off the wounded monsters I take care of?

  Hollow nearly jumped forward in protest, “I…stand…your side!” It came out less like a request and more like begging.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  At the end of the day, he felt more like a little brother, so I didn’t have the stomach to tell him no. There was a bit of silence while I thought it over, but I ultimately caved and said he could.

  Fine, but if at any point your Unyielding Stance skill activates, you have to retreat, alright?

  It was my one requirement for letting him fight so close to the front lines. One that I wouldn’t budge on. Handling Veyra’s safety was one thing, but I had only just met Hollow and already felt responsible for him; I couldn’t let him die on my watch.

  “Thank you…master.” He brought one hand to the upper left of his chestplate and bowed slightly forward.

  Once again, I think he was taking things a little far with the knight act, but I let it slide.

  Alright then, we’ve got our formation sorted. So first things first, let’s get some proper rest, and we’ll start again in the morning.

  Taking the evening to rest, Veyra returned to the village, and I stayed with Hollow out in the forest. I doubted he’d be allowed to enter the human area, even though he technically wasn’t a monster, but it turns out spirits weren’t liked as much either in small villages like that.

  My usual routine at night was to experiment with my skills or, at the very least, go through some of the books I had in my collection. With Hollow there as well, it felt a little strange to leave him to his own devices, so I thought I’d strike up some conversation.

  …what could I even talk to him about? I racked my brain, but once I looked over at Hollow's frozen stature. I was sure anything would be better than silence.

  I decided to go with the first thing that came to mind.

  (So, Hollow, do spirits have to sleep like how humans do?)

  He shook his head to gesture ‘no’ and then promptly returned to his silent gaze at me. It was a little creepy how he stood there like a statue, never speaking. I got the creeps just staring back, and somehow the silence was way louder than ever before!

  (O-oh…is that so! Well, I don’t sleep much either, being a Golem and all. Ha-ha-ha…)

  “I see.” He answered, completely disinterested.

  Should I give up on trying to make small talk? I just wish there was something else we could do to pass the time. I contemplated working in silence when my attention fell on Hollow's sword. Hey, that might not be a bad idea.

  We were in a reasonably remote area of the forest, with enough space to move around and plenty of tall trees for cover. It made the perfect spot to spar and practice our techniques and abilities.

  (Hollow, use your sword and come at me with everything you have.)

  “...Master?”

  Hollow offered a confused head tilt, but seeing my determined gaze, he must have gotten the picture. I brought my gloating arms up to my side, poised to strike. That was my best way of showing I was serious; I just hoped he’d go along with it.

  (There’s no point trying to pass the time with chatting. We’re both fighters, right? I need to know what you’re capable of–)

  Before I had the chance to finish my thought with telepathy, Hollows brandished his sword in my direction. His footwork was slow, but the threat of a sword headed straight for me was suddenly a little scary.

  I cast one of my arms to block it, and the blade bounced back. Hollow pivoted on his heels, and for a moment, he looked as though he would fall, but managed to keep himself up with the sword.

  He’s not very strong. He’s not fast at all, but why… Why do I feel nervous when he attacks me?