Leaf's explanation of the ranch goes as follows:
Behemoth ranch is run by three brothers, Heimlich, the oldest. Known for his confidence and warm demeanour. Mager, a gluttonous, greedy pig that feasts to no end. And Horst, who's known for his laziness in managing farm animals.
The whole of the ranch used to be a tourist attraction famed for its wide range of food offered, but after the fog spread, the ranch was one of the first to crumble.
"So what's the state of the ranch now?"
Leaf stretches her head out from atop Undead's helm, straining her ears to listen to the voice of the wind. Undead wanders in the general direction Leaf pointed earlier, the constant jostles causing Leaf to tumble forward, falling off his head.
Flying back up onto it with a pout, she flies ahead, staying a few paces in front. Grumbling under her breath, she shoots a glare over her shoulder.
"Tch, no regard for a lady. Figure out the state of the ranch by yourself. Hmph"
Weaving between the trees, Undead is left alone to stew in his thoughts. The screeching of his armour as he walks scaring off nearby birds.
No matter, Undead has the general understanding of the ranch, and considering it was mainly animals there, the amount of demon beasts should be low.
Walking in silence, Undead doesn't stray from his path, wondering now to whatever direction Leaf pointed in previously.
——
When the sun sets and rises around three times does Undead finally see the exit to the forest, however, he does not rush out. Instead he rips off a sturdy branch and tosses it out of the forest, watching.
Leaf, not even sure what she's watching, floats back over to Undead's side, unnoticed. "Why… what was the point?"
Undead doesn't respond, bringing a finger to his mouth, telling her to shush. With a huff, Leaf turns her head away, but she still stays quiet nonetheless. Watching where the branch landed, boredom can't help but creep into her mind. Just when she's about to complain, Undead suddenly stands and walks forward.
"Checking for enemies." Undead pauses, thinking about his hopeless death against the helkaiser. "You can never be too cautious."
"Too cautious? You might as well map out the whole territory at the rate you're going!"
Brushing off Leaf's complaints, Undead walks forward for about half a day, the sun now reaching its peak. Just ahead, a road springs into vision, leading north instead of east where he was heading.
Glancing at Leaf, she can't help but break into a cold sweat. "Y-you can't blame this on me! You must've gotten lost in the forest and headed in the wrong direction!"
Frantically making excuses, Undead coldly cuts her off. "Because you left me alone for three days. Wasting both our time." Ignoring her once more, not wanting to talk to her for now, he follows the road east.
A few more hours of walking and only then is the ranch barely visible. At this distance, only a massive gate dressed up cartoonishly can be seen, bearing the words 'Behemoth Ranch" across it.
"Undead, can you smell it? The scent of adventure, food, and luxury now await!" Giddy, Leaf rushes ahead. Just as she's about to pass through the gate.
Swish!
The wind parts as an arrow slices through, narrowly missing Leaf's body. Freezing midair, not even a second passes and she's back behind Undead's back.
"Hey… so you do remember that you're my stead and all…" Voice trembling, she forces a sly grin, although her pale face won't let her. "Why don't you go first? I mean, the food is calling you."
"Wait." Picking up a nearby rock, he throws it past the gate. And as expected, an arrow pierces through it. A being slowly approaches from afar, stopping about 50 feet away. An arrow drawn, ready to shoot if they get too close.
A person with the upper body of a human and a lower body of a horse? What is that? Leaf, trembling from behind, notices Undead's hesitation.
"That thing isn't human. It's a demon beast constructed of fog and soul." Leaf's usually cheery tone is now one of dread and fear. No longer teasing Undead as before.
Drawing his dulled blade, Undead readies himself. "Can it be killed?"
"Yeah, but it's not worth the effort most of the time. They disappear when killed so you can't loot the corpse, and they're wayyyy stronger than normal beasts."
"So I can kill it? Okay, I've heard enough. Leaf, boost me."
Leaving those words behind, Undead charges forward. Leaf, on the other hand, is utterly confused by what he means. All she can do is shoot wind blasts. It's hopeless!
Arrow's screamed through the air, each one faster than the other. Undead raises his arm to shield himself. Metal rings and sparks fly. Following from a distance, Leaf extends her tiny hands, flicking bursts of winds that shatter the arrow's path.
Arrow after arrow thuds into the dirt — each a heartbeat away from piercing him. With a quick burst of speed, Undead closes the distance, swinging horizontally across.
clang!
Metal meets metal as the demon beast draws a hidden dagger, blocking Undead's strike, retreating a few steps. Knocking an arrow onto its bow, it releases. But Undead reacts ahead of time, dodging. Instead of his head, his shoulder is now pierced.
swallowing the groan about to escape his mouth, he signals for Leaf to sneak up from the side, shooting a bullet of wind at the beast. However, due to the distance, it only causes it to lose balance.
Taking this chance, Undead switches to his non-injured left hand and dashes forward, plunging his sword into the beast's abdomen.
But if it's from his less dominant arm or the beast's natural instincts causing it to dodge backwards, maybe both, the cut is shallow. In one swift motion, the beast plunges the dagger into a gap in Undead's armour. Stagnant blood gushes out of his side.
Undead's head wretches back as he stifles a scream, doing it with such force his helmet's visor swings open, revealing his face. Using this, he bites down on the hand that stabbed him, clenching his jaw as the taste of liquid ash spreads through his mouth.
Spitting it out, the beast stumbles back, dropping its bow in agony. Leaf takes advantage of this gap and appears right in front of their face, pointing their finger in their mouth and shooting a bullet of wind.
Splat!
The wet sound of flesh hitting dirt echoes out, what looks to be brains, eyes and teeth scatter across the ground, slowly dissipating into a vapor-like substance. Seeping into the land.
Adrenaline wearing off, Undead's legs go weak as he falls face first into the ground. With pure grit, he stays awake, putting pressure on his wound, doubling over as he waits for the pain to fade. And surprisingly, it does!
Actually, it fades too fast. Raising his head, Undead looks around and sees a stunned Leaf staring at him.
"Undead… What are you?"