The outer zone held steady for just four minutes before Robert decided to venture deeper into the forest.
Just four minutes spent wandering along the edge of the forest—where the trees are spaced out enough to let beams of sunlight filter through the canopy and the ground is mostly free from the tangled roots that take over deeper inside. Here, the wildlife is limited to the subtle movements of beasts that have figured out how to stick close to the forest's edge, avoiding the more inhospitable areas further in.
Rank One territory. The kind of ground where a pair could collect cores steadily and safely and finish three days with a respectable but unremarkable score.
He stopped walking. Sai stopped two steps behind him without being told to.
