Speed is of the essence

"There's no time to waste," Venus thought to herself, taking to the road again. Her quick pace rapidly left the scene of the battle behind.

As she hurried along, she again found her focus falling more on the road ahead than on her surrounding. Her feet had thankfully fallen numb, which helped her keep her speed up. An hour passed, then two, her pace never slowing, even as exhaustion ate at the edges of her consciousness.

Another hour passed before Venus finally slowed, her legs too tired to maintain the pace she had set. Even with all her training, and fit as she was, two battles and hours of walking had taken it's toll on her body. Stumbling slightly, her exhausted mind vaguely noted the normal sounds of a forest had returned, and the sky had turned slightly gray, signifying the coming dawn.

Shaking her head, Venus staggered off the road, working her way into the forest a bit, then searched for a good spot to rest. Finding a suitable spot beneath a few fallen trees, she crawled into the gap beneath them, lowering the branches behind her. In the pitch-black beneath the trees, she felt camouflaged enough to sleep, and sleep she did.

Several hours later, Venus awoke, glad she hadn't been disturbed. Groaning at the stiffness in her joints, she slowly eased her way out from under the trees, emerging into the now-sunlit forest. She stood and stretched, wincing as her feet reminded her of just how abused they were.

As she reached for her pack, Venus gave herself and her meager kit a once-over. Her shirt was ruined, large swathes of smooth skin showing through the tattered fabric. Her sword was thankfully in good shape, though she'd definitely have to knock a few dings out once she had the supplies to sharpen the blade again. Her pack had several deep gouges in the leather, but thankfully nothing else had been lost. Amazingly enough, she escaped that fight unscathed.

After a light breakfast, Venus headed towards the road, figuring she'd make the last of the trip to Namina in the relative safety of daylight. As she set foot on the road, however, she couldn't help but think something was off.

After a moment, it hit her. She could see the forest thinning to the north. Namina wasn't north of the forest she was in.

"Shit!" Venus wasn't given to swearing, but this definitely called for it. In the darkness, she had accidentally walked by the turnoff to Namina, and the pace she had maintained had put her a good way north of where she wanted to be. She knew there was another town north of her, one that was much closer than Namina now. Then again, Namina was the nearest Guild headquarters, and she probably should go back and report on the necromancer.