Ritzy and Gerhart walked until they found something they could use as shelter from the rain for a longer rest that would let them last until they crossed the Chitron border. Walking through the rain was only mildly inconvenient and unpleasant. It was bearable. But sleeping in it would drain all their heat and energy. So, it was something they had to avoid at all costs if they wanted to cross through the forest.

But the rain wasn’t all bad since it helped cover their tracks. It also made it more strenuous for their pursuers to catch up since they, just like Ritzy and Gerhart, would have to be careful of the wetness and chill that the rain brought.

However, compared to Ritzy and Gerhart, their pursuers would undoubtedly be better trained and equipped to handle the rain and the forest. So, even if the rain washed away most of their tracks, Ritzy and Gerhart would still have to be on the move and only rest as little as they absolutely needed before continuing.

The cover Ritzy and Gerhart stumbled upon wasn’t anything extravagant or luxurious. It was a pair of sturdy and tall trees that had fallen and been uprooted. The branching and almost solid blankets of roots and the dirt in the gaps of those roots created a small roof that, when supplemented with a flimsy wall of branches, provided enough cover for Ritzy and Gerhart to sleep under.

As soon as they decided on a shelter, Ritzy unsummoned Mognog’s Deathbed. Mognog was once again startled by the sudden change in perception as surroundings changed in less time than it took to blink, at least for him. But he was prepared this time, so he didn’t cause a ruckus and just silently took in his surroundings.

Mognog quickly realized that Ritzy and Gerhart were going to take a slightly more substantial rest under the uprooted trees, which he understood. If they hadn’t taken any rest since the time Ritzy unsummoned his Deathbed and they talked about how Deathbed might work, they would have walked for a long time without stopping. They deserved and needed to sleep.

Mognog watched in silence as Ritzy and Gerhart secured their shelter and settled in. Both of them were too tired to talk about anything. So, even before they let their eyes close, they had already started resting.

The last thing they did was to put Mognog in a place where he could both watch over Ritzy and Gerhart’s sleeping figures and watch their surroundings. The uprooted trees limited Mognog’s sight in one direction, but Ritzy and Gerhart were also safe from that direction. It was just that if someone or something came from there, they wouldn’t be discovered until they were right next to Ritzy or Gerhart unless they made a sound.

It was risky taking a nap in the middle of the forest with a single stationary skull acting as a guard. But it was a risk they had to take.

Besides, there hadn’t been many signs of wild animals roving through the forest right in the middle of the pouring rain. It could be that the rain was just erasing the animals’ and monsters’ tracks. It could also be because they were lucky and simply hadn’t run into anything that would seek them harm.

Whatever the case was, Ritzy and Gerhart hadn’t run into anything dangerous yet. And they hoped it would continue like that until they left the forest. Hopefully, even after that, since it would be easier crossing into Chitron then.

They were weak, tired, and pursued by Baron Michmond’s men, even if they had yet to see any traces of that. The last thing they needed was for the beings in the wild to come after them as well.

However, as soon as their heads hit the makeshift pillows of leather bags, Ritzy’s and Gerhart’s worries were covered by a dreamless sleep that was as close to death a human could come without being at risk of dying.

Mognog whistled to wake Ritzy and Gerhart with a little less conspicuous method than shouting. Well, he tried. He hadn’t quite gotten the hang of how to whistle without lips or a tongue. So, he resorted to using his voice.

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“Kiddo! Gerhart!”

Understandably, neither Ritzy nor Gerhart moved. Sleep and exhaustion still had a tight grasp on both of them.

“Wake up!”

Mognog continued whisper-shouting while inwardly lamenting his lack of a body. It would be a lot stealthier and easier to wake the two kids if he had at least arms to shake them with.

Thankfully, Ritzy and Gerhart were still subconsciously aware of the situation they were in. So, once Mognog had prodded their minds with his words a few more times, they stirred.

Both of them groaned as they sat up and forced themselves to continue until they were standing. Gerhart began stretching to soften his cold, stiff, and aching limbs and muscles. Ritzy was smart enough to copy him, even if he wanted just to sit there and think about nothing as he let his brain accept reality and wake up.

After marching through the forest as they had done, their bodies were more than a little worn, and their bellies were beyond empty. Thankfully, they were too tired and exhausted to really feel the depths of their hunger, so they could ignore that aspect of their suffering and power on while looking for things to eat along the way.

“Tall guy, how do you know you’re keeping direction?”

Before they could set off and Ritzy could Deathbed him, Mognog decided to ask something he had realized once he noticed how Gerhart wasn’t carrying a compass.

Advanced Rangers and, in general, anyone with powerful enough mana usually didn’t have to rely on compasses since they had their own senses and could stay true to their designated direction without aid as long as they weren’t in a special environment. But Gerhart wasn’t at that level.

Gerhart answered without looking at Mognog.

“I’m just looking at which side of the trees the moss grows, where the anthills are, and so on. Tricks like that help me in the right direction.”

“I see. smart.”

The trio grew silent before Ritzy used some of the mana he had recovered under the night to Deathbed Mognog, and he and Gerhart resumed their march.

Without Mognog watching over them, Ritzy and Gerhart had to take care of themselves and each other.

Ritzy felt like he had a sheet of glass between himself and his body, as if there were a disconnect brought by the fatigue that put him in a spectating position. While he watched, his body moved on its own by remembering the movements of yesterday and replicating them out of habit.

The accumulated exhaustion also made it feel like his thoughts were trudging forward through mud, much like his body was doing.

That was why it took a while for him to notice that he wasn’t the only one watching what he was doing. Ritzy didn’t know if Gerhart hadn’t noticed it because whatever was following them followed only him specifically or because he was busy keeping track of where they were going.

Maybe he had noticed but pretended not to lure the thing out and catch it off guard.

Deciding that would be their only chance to reverse the situation and go from prey to hunter, Ritzy also pretended like nothing, despite the feeling of something stalking him.

Surprisingly enough, Ritzy could feel some of the tiredness affecting his senses get pushed to the side as a fear for his life crept in and gave him a steady supply of adrenaline.

Maybe because it could smell it or because it sensed that Ritzy had noticed it, whatever it was disappeared deeper into the forest following a brief rustling of leaves.

Gerhart looked up at that and peered into the woods with a worried frown for a few moments before he glanced at Ritzy, who was too tired and tense to do anything but shrug until Gerhart asked him something.

“Did you see anything, Ritzy?”

“Yep.”

Gerhart’s frown deepened, and Ritzy realized he hadn’t noticed something was hanging around them, watching them.

“...what did you see?”

“Well, I didn’t see anything per se. I only felt something lurking around us and watching us– watching me.”

“...okay. Wake Mognog if it comes back.”

Ritzy nodded, and they continued moving.

Unsummoning Mognog’s Deathbed would both alert Gerhart that the something that had shown an interest in them was back and let Mognog help them should they need it.

Ritzy and Gerhart couldn’t help but be a little more tense as they proceeded onward, even if it only sapped their stamina faster. Knowing that there was something in the forest that had shown an interest in them, whether it was just Ritzy or not, made them aware of the fact that they were not alone, even if they hadn’t stumbled upon traces of other living creatures.

Their luck in avoiding encounters with the wildlife of Banta Forest might be running out.