In the heart of the forest, where the trees stood thick and silent, only the hooting of owls echoed through the night. Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly, and a patch of earth began to shift.
With a low grinding sound, a hidden tunnel creaked open.
A figure emerged, cloaked in dirt and urgency. He stepped aside and pulled another up behind him, then another. One by one, dozens then hundreds of people began to climb out of the hidden passage.
"Form a perimeter around this region. Be alert for any monsters lurking nearby!" an old man barked, his voice steady and commanding despite the chaos.
He was the mayor.
"Alia! Set up the barrier quickly, before night creatures catch our scent!"
A young woman nodded and raised her staff, chanting softly as a glowing bubble formed in the air, making a dome like shaped that cover all of people there.
