Chapter 2: Dwarf Woodlands

James finds himself in a forest road with nothing but trees and bushes around, "Well this isn't all that bad. But I wish I knew where I was."

Before he could get an answer for himself, he was attacked by a Heartless that vaguely resembled the shadow, except it wore baggy green clothes and had an obnoxiously large nose. James stared at it for a moment, "Well that's certainly... a thing." He then summoned his Keyblade, Starlight, "But it won't be for long!" After defeating it, and a few other shadows, he crosses a bridge and soon finds himself in large field of flowers.

Upon reaching the flowers, four shadows surrounded him. James dropped to his battle stance, "These things really don't quit." He said before quickly defeating them.

Once he defeats them, he sees a short man wearing a red button up shirt and belt with brown trousers. On the man's head, was a simple brown cap that would be found in a mediaeval village. His beard was short, thin, and white with a pair of glasses resting on his nose. The short man looked at Jim with surprise, "Why, why, who are you?" He asks, "I was standin' right over there, and I saw you use that key of yours to get rid of those teachers-uh, creatures."

James holds up Starlight, "Have those monsters been causing trouble lately?"

The man hangs his head, "They've been nothin' but bubbles-uh-uh troubles." He then jolts himself back upright, "Oh, dear, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Doc."

James smiles, "Name's James, but you can call me Jim."

Doc nods, "Me and my friends smirk in the twine-uh, work in the mine." He tells James, "Today was just a plain ol' day until those-those monsters sprung up outta nowhere. We all ran out to chase 'em away, but no one's come back."

James' eyes widened, "You guys got separated?" He asks.

Doc nods, "Oh, where could they have gone?"

James grips his Keyblade tighter, "Don't worry. I'll find them for you." He tells him.

Doc smiles at the Keyblade wielder, "I should thank my muddy jars-uh, lucky stars you showed up! I didn't know what to do. I was sure I was done for!"

James smiles back, "No worries. We'll find your friends. Just leave the Heartless to me." Doc nods and guides James through the woodland.

Doc leads James through, what he called, the Dark Forest. Doc pointed down along the path, "The mine's through the forest. We can't be too careful with those pesky monsters around!" He says.

James nods, "Don't worry. When a fight break outs, get behind me and take cover. I'll deal with the Heartless."

Doc looks behind him towards James and smiles, "I sure feel safe with you here, Jim."

James smiles back, "Anytime." James' comment, however, was made too true when a tall, armored Heartless appeared. It had sword blades where its hands would be. James entered his battle stance, "Speak of the devil!" He says as he charges.

The Heartless swings its blades horizontally toward James. He slides underneath them and performs an upward vertical slash to parry before smashing it a few feet away. He then pointed the tip of his Keyblade at the Heartless, "Fire!" He shouts. A small fireball shot from the tip and exploded upon contact with its target, slaying the Heartless. A few skirmishes later, and they arrived at a modest cottage standing in a clearing. However, it was currently surrounded by many Heartless, led by a large, fat, and heavily armored one.

"Jiminy crickets!" Doc exclaims, "I thought I'd stop by our cottage first, but we have unexpected visitors!" He tries to rush into the cottage, but a flying yellow Heartless shoots a bolt of lightning at Doc's feet, forcing him to a halt, "We gotta do somethin' before they dash our gnome-uh, smash our home to smithereens!"

James summons Starlight, "Don't worry, I'll clear them out!" He says.

After slashing through the smaller Heartless with ease, James swung his Keyblade at the Large Body, only for his attack to bounce off without a scratch. The Heartless attempts to slam its hand down at James, but he side-steps to the right to evade. He then strikes a heavy blow to the monster's back, sending it rolling a little ways, before finishing it with a Blizzard.

James recalled his Keyblade and smiled towards Doc, "Ok, that's all of them." He says happily.

Doc jumped for joy at his new friend, "You sure showed them! And our cottage looks just dandy." He says before eyeing the cottage curiously, "I'm gonna pake a teak- uh, take a peek inside to see if anyone's come home." James nods and watches his new friend walk inside.

No sooner than when the door closed, did several more Heartless appear. James dipped into a wider stance, "You guys want another round, do ya?" He says as he summons his Keyblade once more, "Bring it!"

After killing several Shadows and dwarf-ish Heartless, he spotted Chirithy deeper in the forest and recalled his Keyblade as he approached, "Hey Chirithy!" He says as he waves.

Chirithy waves back, "You seem to be doing alright!" He said cheerfully. Chirithy then looked downward, "I can't say the same for the green person you were talking to. He looked pretty worried."

James nodded, "Yeah. He got separated from his friends when the Heartless attacked. I've been trying to help Doc find them."

Chirithy tilted his head for a moment before straightening it again, "I see. I'll leave ya to it then. Good luck Jim!" James smiles and waves his friend goodbye before heading back towards the cottage.

James saw Doc standing outside the door, "What's wrong? Did ya find anyone?" He asks.

Doc looked up, "Oh, am I glad to see you! And-uh, to answer your question, no. The cottage was empty, so I went to check the mine. But another of those crying jeepers-uh, giant creatures showed up again!" He exclaimed.

James was stunned, "Giant creature? Like the one from Daybreak Town?" He thought to himself for a moment.

"I ran as soon as I saw it," Doc continued, "but that solves nuthin'. Could you get rid of him like you did the other one?"

James nodded, "Just lead the way. I'll take care of it!" Doc nodded with a smile as the two ran towards the mine.

They arrived at the entrance, they found it was being blocked by a Large Body Heartless. Having already discovered its weakness, James defeated this one more swiftly than he did the previous one. James smirked as his Keyblade vanished, "That takes care of the roadblock." He says.

Doc chuckles, "I'm righty-uh, lighty-uh, mighty grateful for your help Jim!"

James shakes his head, "My pleasure. Now let's head in and find your other friends."

Doc nods happily, "Maybe the others are back at work." He ponders aloud.

They searched through the mine, and quickly found another Dwarf. This one looking similar to Doc, but without the glasses and had a large smile on his face. Doc jumps, "There you are, Happy!" He says as he walks up to him.

Happy turns to see Doc and replies, "Why, if it ain't Doc! What's wrong? You sure look frazzled." He says.

Doc nods quickly, "Well, a horse- uh, of course! I didn't know where you'd gone!" He says loudly.

Happy tilts his head, his smile never wavering, "Gosh, that all? The mine car broke down and there ain't no other way of getting' back."

Doc let out a breath, "Well, I'm just grateful you're alright." He then looks around, "But where are the rest of the men? Are they around here?"

Happy tilts his head again, "I thought they were with you." He replies. Doc sighs, "Oh dear me... who- uh, where could they have gone?" He asks.

James places his hand on Doc's shoulder, "Don't worry about it. We haven't seen anything down this deep except for him." He says, gesturing to Happy, "I'm sure the others are down here somewhere safe and sound."

Doc smiles, "You're right. Thank you for your help, Jim! I never woulda found Happy here without you."

Happy nods, "You're the one who helped Doc? Gosh, I'm mighty grateful, friend."

James lets out a small laugh, "My pleasure. Just call me Jim."

Happy's smile widens, "Now don't you worry, me and Doc will take it from here."

Doc smiles up at James again, "Good muck- uh, I mean luck with everything."

James nods, "You too, Doc. I hope you find the others soon." And with that, Happy and Doc went off to search for the other dwarves.

Chirithy appeared behind James, "Looks like another satisfied customer!" He says happily.

James laughs, "Don't ya mean my first satisfied customer?" He jokes.

Chirithy laughs as well, "Time to see if you can put your powers to use elsewhere. I'm sure there's someone somewhere who needs help." James nods and uses his Keyblade to open a new gate. He walks through without hesitation.

Ready to face what the next world has in store for him.

(A/N: That's it for this chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Lemme know how I'm doing with a Review! Also, be sure to follow this story so you can read the newest chapters as soon as they get posted. Until next time!)