Although this was only a spur of the Ambrisset Mountains, the terrain was still rugged, with mountain ranges stretching for over a hundred miles.
Perhaps because adventurers had scavenged the area countless times, there were few monsters in the forest. Even spotting a wild animal now and then counted as lucky.
Renard followed the three of them through the dense woods, but they didn't even see a single native along the way.
As dusk fell, Miss Heidi suddenly stopped and looked ahead. She took out the map and studied it for a long while before saying, "We're still twenty miles from Palm Mountain."
She looked frustrated. She hadn't expected the Shadow Tiger to have been driven so far away.
Miss Heidi issued her order in a tone that brooked no argument: "We'll make camp here and rest. We'll set out again at dawn."
Colliver and Fat Henry had no objections. Renard, naturally, was even more compliant. He was the youngest and weakest of the four, so the tasks of pitching the tent and cooking fell entirely to him.
He had made plenty of preparations for this and had even practiced, but the results still left much to be desired.
The tent stood crooked, though at least it wouldn't collapse. The meat was charred on the outside and raw within, though it wasn't likely to poison anyone.
When Renard handed the food to the others, Colliver and Fat Henry made it clear they'd rather starve than eat it, while Miss Heidi tactfully said she wasn't hungry.
If he hadn't seen her secretly nibbling at the jerky and white bread she'd brought, he might have believed her.
As Renard ate jerky, he chuckled to himself. If I didn't do this, I'd probably end up doing all the odd jobs.
Night deepened, and