Dukiel and Julius looked at each other, the despair in their eyes mirroring their realization that they were screwed. They were lost in a forest they had never been before. It was starting to rain. They had already wasted three out of the fourteen days they had to find the camp.
They would be lucky if they ever got out of the forest at all or even saw another living person before they died.
But Dukiel and Julius couldn't blame Zach, only each other and themselves. They knew Zach hadn't even heard of a sense of direction. They had helped him walk from the classroom to the cafeteria multiple times already.
Yet neither of them had thought to take the lead. They had just followed behind the S-rank with the highest grades in class.
Was that it? Was it some kind of natural law about balance? Zach excelled at everything and to balance it out, he couldn't find his way.
Dukiel and Julius lamented how much sense it made. It was better than Zach being perfect in every aspect other than his personality, at least usually. Right now, Dukiel and Julius wouldn't have minded if Zach's sense of direction was perfect, as well.
"...I guess I'll take the lead. Give me the map and compass. I'll try to find out where we are."
Julius sighed before stopping Zach from walking in front again. He wasn't contributing with anything else, whether it be on his own or with his familiar. Dukiel's Sentinel was scanning their surroundings for threats, and Yanael cooked and kept watch during the nights. She also pitched the tent and carried all the equipment.
Julius' Mannequin was busy enough trying to keep up and not get stuck in the vegetation or protruding roots.
However, he hadn't used either a compass or a map before.
"Duke, maybe you can take the lead while I study the map and look for shelter or higher ground." Julius had already buried his head in the map as he stepped aside and let Dukiel walk in the front.
"Sure."
"And Zach…Don't wander off."
"What do you think of me?"
"I think you might get distracted and wander off."
"Rude. I at least know how to follow you guys."
Julius looked up after Zach's audacious statement and stared at Zach for a moment before turning to Dukiel.
"Should we just tie ourselves together with a rope?"
"Honestly? That doesn't sound like a bad idea."
"Good. Let's do it."
Zach made a show of protesting since it was a blatant insult to his character. There was no way he was so bad that they needed to tie him to them with a rope. But he only made a show of protesting since, deep down, he was aware of his own poor sense of direction.
He hadn't noticed it when he lived at the mansion. But that only spoke about how bad it was.
Besides, Yanael was the one carrying the rope. If Zach really didn't want to, Dukiel and Julius couldn't force it.
After a few minutes, the tied-together trio started walking again. Dukiel's eyes wandered around the forest, which was quickly growing darker, looking for a place where they could seek shelter from the rain. While doing so, he also made sure to choose paths and animal trails that led upward.
It looked like Dukiel's prediction about the rain lasting four hours was worryingly accurate. Even in the late afternoon, the rain made no signs of stopping or running out of water. If anything, the clouds only grew in size and darkness.
It would be a long night.
It was a long night.
None of the three young men wanted to stop for the night and try to set up camp when it was still pouring down. Light streams had already formed on the ground from all the water coming down. If they didn't find someplace higher up, they could wake up in the middle of a lake if they were unlucky. And that's if they woke up at all without drowning in their sleep.
That probably wouldn't happen, thanks to the familiars. But Zach and the others wanted a place to sleep where they could rest. It would be even better if they had shelter to dry themselves and their clothes.
Fortunately, Dukiel was a much better guide than Zach, not that it was difficult.
Still, thanks to always looking for the path leading upward, Dukiel led the group to a hilly area. The ground was wet mud mixed with roots, bushes, and sticks, which made it difficult to climb without slipping.
But the rope worked wonders, and the group continued upward and forward until they found a mountain range.
They hadn't seen it before, even when the weather was clear. Granted, the trees had been in the way. Regardless, they had walked a fair distance and were exhausted and tired to the point they couldn't be bothered to untie themselves. Someone had secured the rope tightly.
However, they got out of their soaked clothes and hung them up inside a cavern they found on the mountainside.
They were dead tired and wetter than fish. But they were also hungry. Unfortunately, it was impossible to start a fire. So, they made do with simple snacks and soggy bread. It was a depressing meal and one of the worst things Zach had eaten, but it filled their stomachs nonetheless.
Surprisingly, Zach was too tired and hungry to complain, and he was the first to fall asleep, though the difference was only a few seconds.
He went out like a light before even lying down. The others went out as soon as they laid their heads down. The main source of this difference was the fact that Zach hugged Yanael for warmth. Dukiel and Julius cuddled up to each other for warmth.
The two would have complained more than they did if they could get their teeth to stop clattering.
Like so, the three youngsters fell asleep, blissfully unaware of how deep the cavern they found was and what lay hidden inside the mountain.