The very next morning Kotori and Amelie began to follow Mari and the other warriors to an area in the forest.
They walked for several miles and by the time they reach the dungeon, it was already midday.
It was a dungeon unlike any that Kotori had seen in video games.
They reached a small forest clearing and then stopped.
"Why are we stopping," Amelie asked
"We've arrived," Mari said curtly
[This is a dungeon?] Kotori thought
The clearing they were in looked like any other clearing they had passed through.
Mari turned towards them and said
"Your job today is to survive."
[Survive?]
At that moment Kotori heard a massive roar in the distance
Mari once again gave a devilish smile.
"Zenobia should be leading it over. She should be here soon. I would recommend you run"
[Run?]
Kotori and Amelie's face paled as they heard the sound of thundering footsteps get closer.
"We'll be back in three days to pick you up!"
Mari gave another smile and quickly ran off leaping away like a gazelle.
Amelie and Kotori stood there in surprise at the sudden bombshell that was dropped on them.
They looked at each other while the sounds of footsteps got closer. They heard a rustling in the bush and Zenobia bounded past them. She gave a quick nod and also ran off like Mari
Soon they saw a huge lizard-like figure showing up. Its eyes were red and filled with bloodlust, it looked like a spikier T-rex and in any other situation would've looked quite comedic as it loped through the forest towards Kotori and Amelie.
"Status!" Kotori quickly shouted
King Lizard
Race: [Dungeon beast] Age: 0
HP: 102
Mana: 0
Agility: 24
Strength: 68
Defense: 36
Karma: [N/A]
Skills: None
Traits: None
[These stats are no joke]
The King lizard was not able to use magic but its stats were much higher than Kotori's
Upon seeing the beast Kotori and Amelie began to run like their life depended on it. They didn't know what direction they were running in but all they could do was pick the direction that would give them the farthest distance from the monster.
Normally, the lizard beast would've been able to catch up to them easily but on account of the fact they were in a forest, it had to slow itself down tremendously.
[Still, why would a beast like this be in a forest.]
Amelie and Kotori kept running. They tried many different ways of getting away from the beast.
From trying to split up to even Kotori ordering Shu to throw dirt at the King lizard's face.
There were several close calls. When the Lizard got close enough to try and snap at Kotori and Amelie thanks to Mari's training they were able to get away with a few scratches
[Still isn't this a little ridiculous] Kotori though
She knew that Mari was a ruthless trainer but even this felt like she was going a little far. This lizard wasn't something that Amelie and her could handle alone.
They had been running for the better part of the hour before Amelie finally panted
"We.. gotta... Shake... It off our trail"
Kotori nodded they would both be caught at this rate
Amelie then said
"I'll distract it you run in another direction"
[What! That's suicide]
"Look… I know… it sounds stupid... But if I can get on a tree the stupid lizard will give up. Plus you're a kid you must be getting tired right?"
She flashed a smile
[tsch don't try and look so cool after you came up with such a dangerous plan] Kotori thought
Kotori remember back to their first meeting when she made Amelie fall out of a tree
Kotori quickly split off from Amelie. The lizard seems indecisive on who to follow but decided to follow Amelie after she threw a few sticks at it. As the beast lumbered off in Amelie's direction, Kotori kept running in the opposite direction.
When she confirmed the lizard was not nearby. She finally relaxed for a bit and hid inside the knotted roots of a large tree and took a well-deserved break.
Soon the night grew late and Kotori began to worry for Amelie. When the Lizard began roaming around the area again she could only hope that Amelie had gotten away and now the lizard was just hanging out.
As Kotori slept that night she could only sleep in short bursts. The sound of the lumbering lizard keeping her up and unable to sleep deeply. The slightest sound would wake her
[Well this sucks.] Kotori thought as the sun began to turn to the morning.
Shu had been masking her scent by covering the tree root with dirt but still, Kotori had another day to hide, and she didn't have any supplies. Her stomach rumbled and signaled to Kotori that she needed to eat. Of course, she could just ignore it, but if the lizard caught her again while she was weak from not eating Kotori was unsure if she would be able to run away. Another issue was water her small water skin was now empty and Kotori was beginning to get a headache from the lack of it.
Kotori decided that she had to move and find something to eat and drink even if it meant running from the lizard