Cedric's POV

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The early morning sun flickered through the gaps of the leaves of the massive tree in the center that had shadowed the entire clearing, making the ground look like a shifting mosaic of light.

Many of the small parties of cadets around had already risen and had began to go about their morning routines.

My party too had risen really early and had gone to the open space in the tents area that Ino had marked yesterday to start building the shelter.

Without wasting any time, I opened my inventory atop the designated spot and emptied all the wood we had found and collected back at the grail river, including the large raft we had made back then.

It was enough to at least make a sturdy half-cabin shelter.

I also emptied some fabrics that I had brought from the bastion to serve as partitions and a makeshift roof.

Once that was done, both dominants and bonds in my party then quickly got to work.

While we were busy working on the shelter, there were a lot of cadets who stared in amazement, likely wondering where we had managed to get all these resources from.

This was because, despite the fact that we were all residing in the middle of a forest, we could not cut any of the numerous trees around us for wood.

Attempting to cut any of the red and white trees in the puppeteer's grove would instantly turn the offender into a tree themselves.

In order to get wood, cadets had to travel to a different territory altogether, after which they would have to find a way to safely transport the lumber back to the grove. It was a risky ordeal, which explained why so many cadets were simply lying on the open ground around the campground. If they were going to take the risk of venturing into another territory, most would rather do it for food than for wood to build a shelter.

It was times like this that made me really grateful for my attribute. It would have been really difficult to transport such a massive haul of lumber manually across territories, let alone keep it hidden from those who might try to steal it before we could even get back to the safety of the grove.

I wasn't only grateful for my attribute, I was also grateful for my party members. Truth be told, I've been very lucky to end up with a party of dominants with fairly strong abilities. None of them were lackeys and despite the fact that we were not many, they were capable of defending this shelter, at least from the other small parties around.

…It took us almost a full day to completely finish the half-walled shelter. The lodge we built had a small open space right after the entrance for a general area, while further back, it was roughly partitioned into smaller rooms.

It was surprisingly spacious for something we had thrown together in a day, and the fabrics from the bastion which acted as curtains, did a decent job of making the partitioned areas feel private.

When we were done we were all completely exhausted. We quickly made a fire at the entrance and unlike yesterday, this time Ino cooked enough rabbits for everyone to have a proper meal.

The meal was had inside the shelter in the general area that was lit up by oil lamps in places.

As everyone were eating and chatting amongst themselves, Ino said something important that caught all our attention:

"I asked around yesterday and discovered that the most influential party in the grove is Princess Aurora's party. I heard there's almost a hundred members in her party… and all are either knights from the royal family or scions from the noblest of families."

"That's expected…" Evelyn muttered, tearing off a piece of the roasted rabbit. As she stuffed the meat into her mouth, she looked over at Ino and spoke with her face still full, "Let me guess, they are the arbiters right?"

Ino nodded.

The Arbiters was a title given to the most influential party in the grove. It meant they held the authority to call for meetings at any time with the leaders of all the other parties to decide on matters concerning the grove.

Ino looked to the group and continued. "While we were away, I heard the Arbiters called a meeting to decide the date for the conquest of the Red Bridge. Since it was determined that this lunar eclipse's red bridge won't fully mature until after the fifth month, everyone voted to set the date of the conquest for two months from now."

"Fair…" Dion said. "I guess two months is enough time for those who are still alive and yet to reach the grove to arrive."

Ino nodded. "It's also enough time for us to get ourselves ready."

Audrey lowered her eyes and after a few seconds, spoke in a low, somber tone. "Honestly, I don't think there is any form of preparation we could do to actually get ourselves 'ready.'"

Everyone stopped chewing and looked at Audrey.

She sighed and added, "I have a feeling… things are going to be more than just tough. Things might not end well for us."

Celeste looked to her and muttered sheepishly, "Hey… don't jinx it."

Audrey forced a weak smile. "I'm not trying to, but… it's the Home of the Sculpted Ones."

Just like that, the mood had slowly begun to shift. The initial relief of arriving at the grove, having a meal and a roof over their heads was being replaced by the weight of what was coming.

Evelyn wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tried to dispel the heavy atmosphere. "There's a lot of strong parties and a lot of strong dominants in this lunar eclipse. Have a little faith, Audrey. We will destroy the bridge." She smiled and added, "Have a little more faith in our party too. We will survive, just like we always have…"

Evelyn's words seemed to have a positive effect on not just Audrey, but even the other party members. The heavy mood lifted slightly, and smiles, though forced, began to form on their faces. Everyone continued eating and quickly changed the topic, and soon the room was filled with the sounds of casual conversation again.

However, while the others dissolved into a different topic, I grew lost in my own thoughts. I was really bothered, to be honest, and my unease had only intensified. I looked to my side and pulled up my stats.

~~~~~~~~ Character Profile ~~~~~~~~

Character Name: [Cedric Anele Martini]

Age: [17]

Level: [12]

Grade: [2]

Element: [Darkness]

Exclusive Class: [Gamer]

Exclusive Class Attribute: [Gamer Privileges]

Bond Name: [Aika Soryu]

Bonded Ability: [Chrysalis]

Exclusive Skill: [Flames of decay - Lv2], [One with the Ravens - Lv1]

EXP: [6,230 / 10,000]

Karma points: [N1,375 / P410]

~~~~~~ ============== ~~~~~~

'Would we really survive? …Would I survive?'

I knew the Home of the Sculpted Ones better than anyone here, and right now, my stats were severely lacking for that kind of place.

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