They quickly tried to clean themselves from all the leaves at least a bit and headed out a bit further away from gates in hopes of getting a few berries and a good amount of EXP.

"So, we for how long do we plan to walk?" Asked Shizu after only 2 minutes, but already bored.

"Until we see more bushes than just two or three on the side of the streets. Then we can crawl inside these again." Kyaga pointed on the bushes that were obviously the same as the ones earlier. "Or until we see the berries obviously."

Shizu sighed with a grumpy look on her face and looked in the distance. "Hey, guys!" She suddenly said excitedly. "Do you see that?" She pointed on something in the distance on top of what you could only describe as a small mound of earth. The only one in their whole field of vision. It was greenish and when you squint it could really well be mistaken as a berry bush. "I bet it's a bush!" She followed up.

"Uhh, Shizu I thi-" Itaka tried to correct her but she was already running.

Kyaga sighed. "Just let her see herself."

"Ok, ok." Itaka looked over to her again. "Why is she like this today?"

"Like what?" Asked Kyaga.

"So doubtful and scared or whatever of everything."

"Seems like we're trapped here I guess." Kyaga now looked over to her again, as she came to an abrupt stop. "I really don't know how I can stay so relatively calm either, to be honest. I have the feeling I should be much more scared."

Shizu, who now stood only a few meters away from the small hill turned around again. "Okay, guys. It's only one of these stupid bushes from ear-" Shizu got cut off by the ground suddenly shaking and crumbling right behind her. "Whoa!" She stumbled a bit from left to right before falling and turning around to see what was happening.

Some kind of ground monster seemed to slowly appear behind her and slowly crawl out of the hill. Or more like... It was actually was the hill! With the bush right on top of its head!

"Oh shit! We're coming Shizu!" Yelled Kyaga before placing his right hand on the grip of his sword, hanging on the left side of his belt and running over to her together with Itaka.

"What the hell is this!?" Asked Itaka. "So close to the gates? This really can't be!"

"Well, at least we know now why the old didn't want to go here on his own." Responded Kyaga.

The two were still a few meters away from Shizuka and the monster when it finally was completely out of the ground, leaving a giant hole, where there was the hill just a few seconds ago. It looked like a giant, 4 meter high, root braided together to a humanoid looking something. It had two arms, two legs, a face, some green, red and orange leaves basically everywhere and, of course, the bush on his head.