Chapter 16: Vol.1 Part. 16

Luna and Jannet were still out and about in the Deep Forest, moving on the muddy ground. Their shoes were wet, and all their pants were dirty. A cold wind made the bushes rustle. They had been on the road for several hours now, and at some point, they came across a marsh-like body of water. They went straight into the cold and damp climate because Luna trusted her instincts so much.

It was not uncommon for Jannet to get caught on a root under the mud and fall. Her clothes were already soggy and heavy from the many falls. Luna was a bit confused that Jannet had walked into the muddy forest without saying a word. She was glad they hadn't encountered any monsters since and only took short breaks in between to eat something.

'Well, if you could call it food,' thought Luna; it was some fish from the swamp that Luna forced Jannet to prepare and cook herself. It was the first time Jannet had killed a fish, and she became very pale as a result.

Now they had been traveling in this muddy and cold area for several hours, and Luna noticed that Jannet was at the end of her strength. Luna had continued to motivate her the whole time, but slowly it was over for her. Luna wouldn't be shocked if Jannet's body ached from head to toe. 

"I am sorry, Luna, but I can't continue. Everything hurts, and I can't even breathe properly anymore." It took Jannet a while to say that. She was pale like a sheet. Luna could tell by her face.

"Fine, we will rest for today. Get on the roots; in the meantime, I am going to construct a platform out of stone."

Luna spent the rest of the day constructing a platform on the roots, which they could eventually cook and sleep later. Lucky for them, the trees reached high into the sky and had roots that could fit a human on them. Night had fallen, and the air was unnaturally humid. Since Jannet was still shaking like an eel, Luna took care of the fire first. It wasn't long before a flame was burning, illuminating the area. Lianas hung from the trees like snakes, moving erratically in the wind, and large roots shot out of the swamp.

Jannet flinched at any distant sound and frantically searched all directions. 'How much longer can she withstand?' Luna often asked herself this question as she repeatedly pushed Jannet over her breaking point. She had to be mentally and physically worn out by this point.

All of this was unfamiliar ground for Jannet. Luna tried to keep the emotional strain on Jannet as minimal as possible, but she was unsure if this worked. Luna was trying to make sure Jannet would be able to take care of herself in the future. Could she grow from these new experiences, or would she break down at some point? Luna had no idea; only time could tell.

While the fire was crackling, Jannet had already curled up in her cloak, using the leaves of the demon plants as a pillow. However, it appeared that showing her how to survive in the wildness was working because Jannet voluntarily used the severed head of the rose demon as a pillow without needing to be instructed to do so by Luna. This brought a warm smile to Luna's face, which Jannet sadly missed.

Jannet would need a lot of sleep today if she wanted to survive Luna's program planned for tomorrow. Luna knew that Jannet couldn't keep up with her physically. She was surprised at how long she could keep up in the end. 'Maybe it has something to do with her altered body?' she often thought to herself. The side effects of the fever she had suffered from the day before should have been a major hindrance. Nonetheless, Luna had collected plants along the way that improved natural regeneration. She had to do something to keep Janney's feet from becoming swollen and inflamed from the constant moisture.

"Hey, Jannet. Take off your shoes and rub this on your feet." Luna said in a commanding tone. Jannet obeyed without asking questions and began treating her feet. Luna hoped that the cream would mostly heal her feet by tomorrow. They weren't too far from the edge of the forest anymore. Also, she didn't want to stay in one place for too long. Who knows what else might be lurking in the swamp?

"Will you get us anything to eat today; I could use a little something?" asked Jannet, still fixated on her feet. "Except for one fruit, I won't be able to offer you anything. The smell could attract beasts, and I don't feel like changing the environment spontaneously," explained Luna. Due to the fog, she simply had too little visibility to be able to assess whether it was safe to eat there. They had to choose between a good night's sleep and a hot meal right now. The way Jannet looked at the moment, she wouldn't be able to move if they ate a warm dinner and thus attracted monsters. So Luna decided to just get a good night's sleep tonight.

From Jannet's face, Luna could read how terrible she found that idea. For now, she had had to be satisfied with some fruits. After the small lunch, Jannet made herself comfortable in bed. She used the petals she had brought with her as a mat and the rose head as a pillow. She snuggled up in her bed with the coat as a blanket and fell asleep very quickly with a peaceful smile.

"Today, she almost didn't think about her family at all," Luna thought aloud. "The day was probably just too exhausting for her to have time for other things." She looked up at the sky covered with branches and leaves. "Maybe it's better that way."

 

***

 

Luna awoke numerous times throughout the night, but they were virtually all false alarms. The wind shook the trees, causing the rotten wood to groan The only other time was when a giant dragon-like beast with dead trunks and leaves slowly passed beneath their spot beneath cracking timber and moaning logs. Massive amounts of muck were stirred up with each stride.

Luna disregarded the thought that it might be a dragon. Simply put, the body was too tiny. Even though it stood 10 meters tall, it was still little when compared to a real dragon.

It was probably just a swampy crocodile. But Luna knew that when such monstrosities roamed these waters, they had to be a lot more cautious. From her point of view, the situation wasn't terrible. The only problem is that Jannet can't use magic yet, so she couldn't defend herself should they be attacked by such beasts. Her lightning arrows would probably not be able to penetrate the skin.

They'd have to be undercover and quiet tomorrow. While she guessed that the beasts had poor perceptions, she didn't want to push her luck either. It stayed silent for the rest of the night, and nothing woke her up.

The first rays of light somehow made it through the dense foliage of the trees. It didn't take long for Luna to wake up. She still had dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep over the past few days. She had a very sensitive sleep and was roused by almost anything that could be dangerous. Still slightly sleepy, she sat up and shook Jannet's shoulder.

"Hey, wake up; we should keep going." Jannet slowly woke up and looked into the forest.

"Shall we eat something first?" she asked with a rumbling stomach.

"Later, we'll switch locations first, just in case something picked up on our scent overnight."

Luna turned and looked into the distance. But even after her eyes turned purple, she couldn't see any danger. They had to be careful; the fog was really dense today, and even with her enhanced eyes, she could barely see into the distance.

"How are your feet? Can you walk again?" If everything proceeded according to plan, they might be able to leave the forest today. But that all depended on Jannet.

"Feels good so far," she replied.

"All right, pack everything in your bag and get ready to hike, but make sure you follow me closely." Luna hopped off the large root they had been sleeping on and landed with a loud splash on the muddy ground. Jannet followed her and would have almost lost her balance if Luna hadn't held her. It didn't take long for their shoes to get soaked in the mud.

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As Luna had said, after almost half an hour, they stopped to have something to eat. The food smelled good and briefly masked the disgusting smell of the swamp. Luna wanted to leave the swamp as soon as possible, as her nose was getting numb from the stench. Jannet, on the other hand, only had tears from the smell, but it didn't seem to be as bad as Luna's.

It wasn't uncommon for them to go into hiding when an enormous beast appeared out of nowhere. Luna maneuvered them through the forest. As soon as her enchanted eyes spotted animal tracks, she changed direction slightly and tried to gain distance. However, that didn't always work. They had to hide in bushes at times to avoid the immense creatures. Luna still wasn't sure if her regular arrows could pierce the tough skin of such a monster. A big spell like the one she used to save Hjalmarr's group would work, but did she have the minutes when they would be spotted? She didn't know.

"How do you know when a new monster shows up, and we need to hide?" Jannet asked curiously.

"I keep an eye on my surroundings."

"But I do the same," Jannet exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"Of course, but the difference is our experience. A driving instructor is much better at reacting to situations than you are in your first driving lesson, isn't it?" answered Luna. She felt proud that Jannet tried to learn so much from her.

"It's not the same."

"I know, but it should only show that you simply don't have the experience to be able to react to certain situations."

Suddenly, Luna pointed in a direction to their left. "What do you see there?" she asked with a devilish grin on her face. Jannet squinted her eyes and looked in the direction shown, but even after a minute, no answer came from her.

"What do I know what to look for? There's nothing there," she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in defeat.

Luna chuckled softly. In her opinion, Jannet became more and more childish. Perhaps due to the mana transformation? Nonetheless, she went on with her lesson.

"Take a closer look at the ground; if you pay close attention, you can see footprints there, and since we don't know how close the cattle might be, we just avoid the tracks completely."

Jannet still tried to see any tracks, and Luna noticed from her expression that it didn't work as intended. Luna walked on, and after a short while, she heard the rustling as Jannet tried to catch up to her.

"Just out of curiosity, what creatures have you met?"

"Hard question. The most interesting ones should be dragons, beholders, and hydras. But I think the most eventful was the encounter with the Grim Reaper," Luna replied while shrugging her shoulders.

"You have met death personally," she yelled as her eyes nearly popped out.

"He probably wasn't, but I swear he looked just like the Grim Reaper."

Luna heard a loud smack behind her and only saw how Jannet had a hand on her face, which will certainly leave a red mark.

"Oh man, why did I believe you for even a moment?"

Luna pulled Jannet behind one of the big roots as she saw something big in the distance. Jannet looked around the corner curiously, but Luna pulled her right back behind the root. She waited until Jannet looked her way and then held her finger to her mouth. It was a giant ogre, one of the worst things they could meet. Unfortunately, Luna could not make out the sex in the dark. If it is a male ogre, the situation could become really disgusting as they lose their composure at the sight of the female sex. Of course, the situation is reversed when dealing with a female ogre.

With heavy steps that shook the ground around him, the ogre slowly but surely walked towards the tree behind which Luna and Jannet were hiding. Luna pressed against the tree and motioned for Jannet to do the same. The ground vibrated more and more as the ogre approached. Luna held Jannet by the hand and slowly pulled her in the opposite direction the ogre was walking. She could feel the cold sweat on Jannet's hand, but right now, there wasn't time to dilly-dally. Pressed tight against the bark, they stayed out of the ogre's field of vision.

It took a while, and Luna only looked around the root again when she was sure the ogre was far away; she could still easily see the outlines, which were already swallowed up by the fog. Luna looked back at Jannet, who appeared paralyzed with fear. 'Hopefully, she gets used to the sight soon,' thought Luna.

"We can go further. I can already see light ahead, so the forest should be over soon." Luna said and could see Jannet's facial color return instantly.

"Wow, I know you want to get out of the forest, but do you have to behave like a flower that wants to photosynthesize?" Jannet just looked annoyed in Luna's direction. 

They continued walking in the direction Luna had pointed. The forest was slowly getting lighter, and the end was already in sight. A fresh wind blew through them as the two left the Rotten Forest. Luna looked silly as Jannet threw herself onto the green grass and began to roll around in it like a child. It was significantly warmer than in the forest, which was primarily due to the sun's rays.

"When you're done, I'd like to find a water source to clean up. I don't feel like walking around in muddy clothes and shoes all day," said Luna. Her nose was still numb from the stench, and it would remain this way as long as she wore muddy clothes.

"Do you know where there is a river or a pond?" asked Jannet as she lay on her burrow in the grass. 

"No, we're trying to find out now." 

Now that the infection was behind them, they would have to head northwest to get to Human City. In front of them was a big pampa. Having left the swamp behind, they were finally able to move faster. The only thing that worried Luna was that the infection was outrunning them and cutting off the path once more.

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