It was a new day.
The ancient trees of the forest towered toward the sky, their trunks so thick that several grown men linking their arms together would not be enough to encircle even one. Their branches intertwined high above, weaving together into an immense green canopy that denied almost every ray of sunlight passage.
Only thin shafts of pale light occasionally slipped through the countless gaps, illuminating the drifting pollen and dust before disappearing again.
The air was damp, carrying the scent of wet bark, moss and rich soil that had gone undisturbed for decades. Thick vines hung between branches like abandoned ropes while enormous roots twisted across the ground, rising and sinking back beneath the earth.
Strange fungi glowed all manner of strange colors beneath fallen logs. Shrubs taller than a man rustled now and then due to the wind struggling to find a path through the dense vegetation.
The forest was beautiful. To the untrained eye, every direction looked exactly the same, making it one of the easiest places to disappear forever in. That was part of what made it so dangerous.
Rhos was crouched with one knee touching the ground while his palm rested flat against the damp soil as his eyes stayed shut.
He took measured breaths, letting the world around him expand. His awareness spread through the surrounding forest like an invisible circle.
This allowed countless streams of information to pour into his mind. Like the vibration of insects tunneling beneath the ground, the gentle sway of branches, the footsteps of grazing animals and the slow movements of vines searching for another surface to latch onto.
Using his heightened awareness, Rhos was gradually able to piece together a map of everything around him.
Unfortunately, the limit to this was only five kilometers.
Under normal circumstances, his perception could stretch farther than that, but this forest was too dense, everything within it was like an obstacle of a maze. Separating harmless life from actual danger required an enormous amount of concentration.
But this did not trouble him that much. The information he could decipher was enough for him to identify unstable terrain, avoid wild animal nests and notice the patches of carnivorous vegetation lying in wait beneath innocent looking bushes.
After several minutes, Rhos finally opened his eyes.
"We’re clear"
Standing a few paces behind him, Leopard Cat Nimra nodded in confirmation.
"Nothing unusual on my end"
She answered before making another careful sweep of the surroundings.
"I don’t smell anything unusual. Well... unless we’re counting the many animals and living plants around us. Apart from that, nothing else stands out"
Ever since leaving the giant tree, the two of them had settled into a dynamic. While Rhos focused on charting their route, Nimra had the task of monitoring anything dangerous that tried to come close.
Among the two of them, her Leopard Cat Patron Spirit granted her sharper senses over shorter distances. She was far better suited for detecting sudden movements while he concentrated elsewhere.
As Prey and Predator, they both covered each other’s weaknesses.
Nimra folded her arms and let out a loud breath.
"Not that it matters. That mutt slipped past a whole Division with better senses than you and me"
For a drawn out moment, neither of them said a word. What she just said right now was precisely what troubled Rhos ever since they made their route.
Being hunted by something stronger than you was terrifying, yes, but it was a lot worse being hunted by something you cannot perceive.
’You might as well be a dead man walking at that point’
He sighed quietly before pushing himself to his feet. He could not refute her words or offer her any kind of assurance, so the best thing to do right now was to keep moving forward.
There was no point in dwelling on something he couldn’t understand.
"I’ve mapped out the safest route. The river didn’t carry us as far as I expected. We’re still south of the Elderwood Biome. I’d suggest we go up stream the river but that way we would be offering ourselves to that monster. So we have to take the long way around..."
He pointed deeper into the forest.
"If we keep heading south east for another few hours, we’ll avoid the marshland. After that we’ll cut through a rocky ridge where large animals rarely pass. Assuming nothing unexpected happens..."
He stood up straight and shrugged.
"... we should reach the outer patrol boundary sometime tomorrow"
If they are fortunate enough to make it that far, then they are bound to run into one of the Ranger Divisions.
"T-Tomorrow?"
Nimra looked visibly distressed by that statement, but Rhos did not give her the chance to complain when he started walking.
He walked at a pace suitable to conserve strength while remaining ready to sprint at any moment. This was why despite having walked for a while now he did not feel the slightest fatigued.
"Hey, wait!"
Nimra chased after him, nearly tripping over a root.
"Hold on a second! We’ve been walking for nearly an hour now, how are you so sure you’re even going the right way? Are you forgetting you ended up getting chased by a giant spider and nearly became its lunch the last time you wandered on your own?"
Rhos did not slow down, continuing at the same pace.
"Forget all of that. I always know where I’m going"
Walking side by side with him, she looked at him with a deadpan expression.
"...Is that really your answer?"
"Will you just trust me on this? When it comes to survival, I know my stuff. My Patron Spirit isn’t just about hearing better or seeing farther"
He tapped the side of his head.
"I’ve got something like... a compass"
"A compass?"
"I don’t know how else to explain it exactly, but when I need to go somewhere, I instinctively know the direction that will get me there while avoiding the worst dangers, provided I’ve been to that place before"
While he prided himself on that trait, Nimra looked utterly unconvinced, which annoyed him a great deal.
"...Red Deer"
Rhos clicked his tongue as he began to walk even faster, breaking away from his normal survival pacing.
"Tch. Do whatever you want. You can choose to follow me or wait to die by that Wrath’s blood"
Nimra looked at the winding forest ahead and the red haired young man in front of her leading the way. She had her doubts but after everything that had happened, she did not have much of a choice, especially not in this treacherous place.
Against all common sense, she pursed her lips before chasing after him again.
"Fine! If this gets me killed, I’ll hunt you as a Wrath!"
Rhos sighed in his heart.
’Idiot. If anyone has a better chance at survival between the two of us...It’s you. Me as a Wrath is what you need to be on the lookout for’
With that thought, the two continued to venture deeper into the seemingly endless forest.