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Chapter 2: Dungeon in the Forest

They had entered a deep forest. A mystical aura seemed to surround the place. Twigs and leaves crunched under their feet. Fish swam around in the nearby stream. It all seemed so peaceful. But then, a Nighttooth hopped out! It was a horrible creature, with purple and red scales, and fangs as sharp as knives! It focused its inky black eyes on Lilia and leaped out to bite her! She screamed as its fangs sank into her leg. Surprisingly, Evren drew his wand and shouted "CLOUDCOOLER BEAM!" A bright blue light shot out of his wand and hit the Nighttooth, freezing it. He crouched down next to Lilia and quietly asked "Are... you... okay?". "My leg... I can't stand..." she responded.

Suddenly, some strange words crossed Evren's mind. "S-Suprashio!" he called out while pointing his wand at Lilia. A white mist flowed from his wand, reaching the bite mark on Lilia's leg. It began to circle around it, and when it lifted, the wound was completely gone. It was then that Lilia had begun to see Evren in a whole new light. She had always thought of him as just her friend, but now that he had saved her, her feelings towards him were starting to change...

"Th-Thank you..." Lilia said to Evren, blushing. Suddenly, Destry and Echo called out to them. Evren and Lilia ran towards them. "I think we've found the first dungeon!" Destry exclaimed. They all followed Destry until they reached a large hole in the ground. Cautiously, they all jumped down the hole. They hit the ground with a thud. Everything was pitch black at first, but then several floating orbs began to glow. The room became illuminated, and they could see everything. The walls and floors were dirt, and there was what looked looked like a tunnel to the next room on the wall. They all crawled through the tunnel, only to come face to face with some monsters! There was an entire group of the eyeball-tailed creatures that they had encountered earlier!

This time, however, they were even more fearsome than before! They had 3 blood red eyes on their heads, and on the tip of each monster's tail were two eyeballs, both differently colored. A strangely colored liquid dripped from each of their gaping mouths. The party drew their weapons, and prepared to fight. Echo tried shooting the eyeballs with her arrows, but they didn't pop this time! Lilia and Evren tried using their Sunfire and Cloudcooler Beams, and they seemed to stun the monsters.

Suddenly, Destry got an idea! He turned to Echo and told her "Let's slice off their tails with our weapons!". Echo nodded in agreement while reaching for her dagger. Together, they began to attack the monsters. As soon as the tails were removed, the monsters disappeared, leaving behind more Quills. That brief feeling of power flowed through them yet again, then disappeared. Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the room, causing everyone to shiver. Lilia spotted another tunnel, and they went through it. The next room was a lot different than the others.

There were two emerald-green doors to the north of the room, with a large bejeweled lock between the two handles. On the floor, there was a large square hole, with several wooden floor tiles scattered around it. On each tile was a strange symbol, possibly a letter. Destry's face lit up when he saw the tiles. "Remember when I memorized the ancient Dosnatian alphabet when it was leaked before the game released? And how you all made fun of me? Well prepare to eat your words!" he said excitedly. He began to match up the tiles until they formed three words. The lock on the doors began to shake until it broke off. The great doors opened to reveal a dark room. "What did it say anyway?" asked Echo. "Prepare To Fight." answered Destry. "Ominous." replied Echo. Cautiously, the party headed through the door. Evren seemed very nervous. The room was pitch black. The cold wind returned, but blew stronger this time. Evren grabbed Lilia's hand in fear.

The room began to light up, revealing a large shadow on the floor. The shadow began to rise up and writhe around. It began to change into a great beast, with sharp scales, a pair of disgusting, lifeless eyes, and a humongous tail, with a cluster of eyeballs on the very tip. The Phasemorph. One of the Demon King's many underlings, it was meant to take over the region of Arkku.

The party was frozen in fear. They couldn't possibly beat it! But they had to fight. The Phasemorph gave a mighty roar, and the battle began. Destry drew his sword, and called out for Evren to use the Cloudcooler Beam. The spell froze The Phasemorph in place, leaving it vulnerable to attacks. Destry began to slash at the mass of eyeballs on its tail, and popped them all. The Phasemorph unfroze and reverted back to its shadowy form. It grew sharp spikes all over its tail, and the mass of eyeballs was back, but larger this time. And it wasn't going down without a fight.

The Phasemorph swung its large tail at the party, causing several of its spikes to be lodged in their arms and legs. Evren drew his wand and shouted "SUPRASHIO!". The white mist swirled around the party, and when it lifted, everyone's wounds were gone! Lilia aimed a Sunfire Beam at The Phasemorph's eyes, stunning it. Echo took out her bow and arrow, and shot at several of the eyeballs, popping them. They each took a turn popping several of the eyeballs, until The Phasemorph began to make a sound like none of them had ever heard before! It was a sound of anguish, of defeat. The Phasemorph disappeared with a large poof, leaving behind a ton of Quills. The exit of the dungeon was revealed. It was a large tunnel made of moss. As the party began to leave the dungeon, they felt even more powerful than before! The tunnel led them to the beginning of the forest they had found the dungeon in.

As they climbed out, the tunnel closed up. They began to head back to Stathmore Village. The woman who had given Destry the map was waiting for them. She lay a shaky hand on Destry's shoulder. "They're gone now. They're gone now. Thank... you..." she said. "Please... take... this..." she said as she handed Destry four strange amulets. "You are all worthy... for the Foresight..." she said to them as she began to walk back to her house. They began to put on the amulets.

People began to open their doors and leave their homes. Arkku was safe again, all thanks to them! The party waved goodbye to the people of Stathmore Village as they left. Destry pulled out their map, and looked for a way to the next region, Chiaya. There was a path to there south from where they were now, so they headed there.