At the third day mark they were already at the barrier between themselves and the 4th sector, they had taken very short breaks this time since they had no choice.
Their marker for the right turn was Rio's sword that they had staked to the ground beside the riverside, another one of Dan's ideas.
An uneventful ride it would seem as they crossed into the guard settlement, it was to the ease of their mind since they could only worry about one problem — the lack of food.
Their food supplies were mixtures of bread, dried meat and dried fruits, they had reduced consumption to one meal per day and even then it was exhausted.
Their water reserves were nearly dry as well since they now had to treat the horses to water from theirs, they were in a tough spot.
Following the riverside of the 4th sector was a choice but it would be a dangerous move with the current state it was in, in a weird twist the area outside of the empire was safer than itself made even more evident to them sooner.
Soon later they had reached Mjiormire and coursed through easily with the help of the map they had charted, upon reaching the end of the town they chose to rest for the sake of the horses.
—
"Two hours maximum!" Heimer clapped softly to affirm his words.
"Poor horses, I doubt they'll live long after this, they've done well to not break down.
Working at maximum capacity for so long." Gustev creeped closer to Heimer, he looked worn out
[Cough! Cough!] "Haha…I might not live long either." Gustev said cheerfully.
His voice did not reach Heimer whom was sitting with his back rested on one of the trees.
He kicked on Heimer's leg to alert him.
"Huh! What is it!" Heimer was startled scanning is surroundings haphazardly.
"How unlike you." Gustev said.
Heimer followed the voice and looked; his face calmed and he used his palm to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
"Oh Gustev...Sorry, got carried away there." he sighed. "So many things to think about, so many things that we can't overlook.
For all this armour may take away, there's a lot that remains." He was worn out mentally.
"You need this rest more than the horses, and I'll have to say…I don't think that you can doesn't mean you should." Gustev said.
"How so?" Heimer responded.
"You haven't slept for more than a week Heim, it's getting to you." Gustev slowly rested his back on a tree. "Just because you don't feel tired, it doesn't mean you're alright."
"Your words don't stray from the truth, and truthfully I've had similar thoughts myself." Heimer replied with a stroke on his beard.
"Then we should increase the time for rest by an hour, you need it." Gustev advised.
"This is not the time to be falling into temptations or desires, we'll slowly die if we waste needless time." Heimer replied. "And definitely not now when out goal is close-by."
"By close-by you mean that two days long…" the realisation hit Gustev right then. "... hahahaha how could I forget, I must be growing more senile.
Since we've mapped the route, there's no longer a need to heed to it."
Heimer nodded "Yes we'll be making use of the military path."
Heimlich walked in on them.
"Anything unusual going on?" Heimer asked him.
"Thankfully not sir, although it's still bad news we're out of water." Heimlich said.
"I expected this to happen sooner, and what of Leo?" Heimer asked.
"He's still asleep, we know he's breathing though." Heimlich replied.
"Not again." Said Heimer.
"Again? Has it happened before?" Heimlich asked with Gustev picking interest as well.
"Yes, when Ren picked him up from the frontlines." Heimlich looked at Lana who was having a smoke. "Back then he slept for three weeks."
"So he was the one that took Ren out of battle that day…a survivor from the fourth sector, what a tough one.
So it'll be three weeks till he's up?" Heimer asked.
"It's unsure, we don't know and can't tell." Heimer replied.
"Alright sir." Heimlich saluted and turned around to head back.
"Hey Lich boy, I told you to not let that girl smoke are you letting her off?
Take it away from her." Heimer said.
"Oh- yes, I'll be on it." Heimlich said.
Gustev smiled as Heimlich walked away. "You're still overprotective of your sister as much as ever." Gustev snickered.
"I just fear for her wellbeing, that stuff's poison you know, she's smart so she should know as well.
I just worry a lot about her, at least Ren doesn't give me much trouble and he's younger, not by much but still surprised he'd need less of my worry." said Heimer.
"You don't think life without his father made him that way?" Gustev asked.
"That might be the case, his father was in the army during his birth, his mother passed on early…oh Shanti what a woman she was.." Heimer looked down.
[Cough cough] Gustev coughed once again.
"Are you alright?" Heimer asked.
"Yes yes, don't worry about me I have more questions to ask.
And what of the grey boy, do you worry about him too?" Gustev asked.
"Of course I do, I treat him like my own; like a second son if I ever had one." Heimer said with an endearing smile on his face. "I was hardly there for Ren due to me joining the army, I'd have to be here for him."
Heimer and Gustev kept on conversing to the deep of the day.
—
Time passed quickly, two hours came as quickly as it was proclaimed and they set off once again.
They headed eastwards to the mountains, through the forest that surrounded the town at the edge, soon after they found themselves at the mountain path.
The journey to the third sector that would have taken days due to the ruins of the towns in their path was shortened to less than a day, and even at that time; Leo was still asleep.