Underhero: Enter The Dungeon

Chapter 2: A Whole New World

Mouse walked for sometime, unsure of where their path leads. They didn't notice at first, but the trees some how look taller. Granted, they've always been the smallest in the Masked army. Walking on all fours is quite the new experience for them, the leaves crunching under their paws, kicking the tiny pebbles, and their tail swishing this way and that. Grey birds flew over head Some with colorful feathery masks and the others had more dull colors.

Paws tired after walking, Mouse lays down in a bush. Setting their hilt friend against the fluffy tail.

"Good night Mouse." Elizabeth said. "We have a lot of searching to do. Search for food, a water source, and way back home. But that Last one is going to take longer than a day, than a week... Months even."

"Good night, Ellie..." Mouse said quietly. The two shut their eyes and went to sleep.

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Mouse found them in the white void again. They looked around in search of... Anything! At the moment, Mouse could only hear their own footsteps and their own heartbeat. Until they heard faint voices... calling for them!

"..."

"..........."

".........Mo..........."

"................ouse..."

"...........Mouse..."

"Princess?! Mr. Stitches?! Bella?!" Mouse coughed after shouting that. They weren't used to shouting like that. Their ears perked up when they heard their name being called. Mouse ran as fast as they could towards the sound. As soon as Mouse reached the princess, the floor shattered from underneath them, causing them to fall into complete blackness.

Puzzleman emerges from the darkness, making the masked child's blood cold as ice. They tried reaching for Elizabeth, but the hilt wasn't there! The dice overlord can only laugh at the poor kid's fear and terror, then clasped his hands together.

"NO-!"

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"NO!" Mouse wakes up with stiff muscles and a puffy tail.

Their shout startled Elizabeth awake. "What happened?! Are we in danger?!"

Once they got their senses back, they sat up and stretched. "Nightmare. Sorry I scared you." They signed.

"At least we're safe." She wanted to ask about the nightmare, but decided to leave them be. Equipping their bag to their body, and tucking Elizabeth in the straps, they walk out of the bush they were sleeping.

Upon walking their first few steps out of the bush, Mouse felt a familiar pain, that soon turned into grumbling coming from their stomach.

"We should find you something to eat. I don't want your stomach grumbling all day." The hilt muttered worriedly. "There should be a lot more than what we found in that void."

A little more walking, and Mouse finds a bright red apple hanging off one of the trees. They whacked the tree with their paws, to no effect. That worked with the peppers back home, The masked child thought to themself. They looked at their paw, remembering that they can retract their claws. Mouse decides jumps with their claws out, clinging on to the tree trunk.

"Well don't stop now, keep climbing until you reach the branch with the apple on it." Ellie said. Mouse slowly climbed up, nervous with every inch up. "And remember not to look down." After she said that, Mouse REALLY wanted to look down. Gulping a hard lump in their throat in fear. Being brave, Mouse climbed up until they reached the first branch. Mouse focused on the apple sitting on the end of the branch.

The Eevee reached out to the apple, and grabs it! Pulling it of the branch, and took a bite of the juicy apple. As they ate, Mouse watch the wild monsters around them. Birds teaching their chicks to fly, and deer hopping around the trees. When Mouse was done, they threw the apple core away.

This world is very different than the one they were used to. Mouse climbs down the tree, and walks up to a slow moving river, and saw their reflection in the water. Gently petting their long pointed ears. Pulling up their mask, they could see their fluffy face. Dark brown fur with light tan markings. For all their young life, Mouse has never had a reason to take off their mask back at the castle.

Mouse heard growling coming from behind them. They looked around, and saw a pack of angry dogs. The largest one walked right up to Mouse, making them shrink in fear.

"You drinking from the Mightyena's river, small fry?" He growled. Frightened, they shake their head no. In response, Mouse gets harshly shoved to to the ground. "First you steal food from our territory, now you want to drink from our river? You better be ready to pay, brat!"

"Hey! Careful you magot-headed brute!" Elizabeth shouted. "This kid is very tiny, and you shoving down like that could really do some internal damage!" Elizabeth snapped.

The Mightyena snarled at the insult, but got confused at where the voice came from, until he saw Ellie. "What's this?" He asked, nudging Elizabeth out a little, grabbing her.

"Let me go!" The hilt snapped.

"Ellie!" Mouse tried to get up, but a massive paw pushed the Eevee back down. And there was pleasure making it hard for Mouse to breathe.

"If we get rid of this Eevee kid, we can sell their stuff to those civilized suckers!" The leader grinned.

Suddenly, the Mightyena leader grew sleepy, dropping Ellie and releasing Mouse, soon the rest of the pack fell asleep with him. Quickly, Mouse grabbed her and hid her away in their bag. They were about to run off when the duo heard a voice.

"This way! My matcha powder can keep down for so long, this way!" Mouse had no other option, but to trust this stranger. A floating tea caddy hovered to Mouse and tapped their shoulder, making them jump. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do it to you. But if you want to live and keep your thing, please follow me before those mutts wake up!" The Pulchageist lead the duo away from the sleeping pack, and right to safety.