The group ran out a door and through a long corridor that eventually opened to the outside world. They were in a grassy area, with a nearby cave, and trees dotted here and there. Logan wanted to ask where they are, but he found that the urgency of the situation dictated that he should not let his love for geographical trivia overcome him at this time. Juice Lulu and Yuna broke out ahead of the group.
"Everyone... Look!" Yuna stretched out her arm to the distance, pointing with her fingers on the end.
"Oh no..." Juice Lulu splashed, "Sin has sent demons to kill us..."
Sure enough, demons could be spotted in the distance where Yuna's arm-fingers directed. Viscious, awful beasts with horns and purple fur. Auron drew his sword and commanded the others to draw their weapons.
"Stacie. Pawnman. Get Logan out of here." Auron swerved his limp arm over as if trying to point at the cave with it, "Take him in there. That cave will take you to the next True Heart charge location. We shall fend off the demons out here."
"Okay..." Pawnman sighed.
"DAMMIT PAWNMAN! YOU BETTER NOT LET US GET HIT!" Stacie screamed.
"FINE." Pawnman said sternly.
"Pawn? Pawn? What's wrong? What's wrong, Pawnman?"
Pawnman didn't respond. He simply began towards the cave.
"Pawnman! What!? What'd I do!? Pawn... FINE! FINE! Just sulk." Stacie followed him.
Logan who had stood half frightened by the scene he just observed, half intrigued by their location, snapped back into focus and followed them, wringing his hands worriedly.
"Oh, I do so hope we do not die!" Logan pleaded with the fates.
The group entered the cave. Around them were strange sights and smells that assaulted their senses savagely. Damp walls and strange crystalline growth provided an atmosphere of odd mysticism. Even more perterbing, the lack of monsters - not a single one in sight. This was quite alright by Logan's assessment. He would rather gaze into the dazzling crystals than into the mangled maw of a miserable monster or frightening face of a fanged foe.
They seemed to travel for hours, when, in fact, it had been mere minutes. But the crystals seemed to play tricks on them all, distorting time and space within all their perceptions. Luckily, the deception was simply in their heads, and not a horrific wizard playing awful pranks on their poor souls. Though this thought plagued Logan, it was soon dispelled upon the discovery of a source of light from above, and a ladder leading to what could only be assumed as freedom.
"It's about time Pawnman! GOD! I was getting tired of walking. Why did you even make us come this way!?" Stacie's anger continued as a beleaguered Pawnman lead them up the ladder.
"This seemed... far too... easy, sir." Logan said, slipping in parts of his speech between Stacie's shouts.
Pawnman's head had finally made it above ground, where he stopped, "Um..." he muttered, "Well, the good news is that we're here..."
"What IS it, Pawnman!? God dammit all!!! MOVE!!!"
But Pawnman did not hear her command, for a voice that was able to silence even Stacie's was announcing to them an ominous threat: "YOU WILL NEVER RESTORE THE TRUE HEARTS."
The beast that stood before them was twenty feet tall, with unconcerned eyes, the shape of a mushroom, and a heart of evil. Logan could sense this within the tunnel, "Eep!"
Pawnman sighed and lept out of the cave, sword drawn. He lunged towards the mushroom man, slashing at what he'd hoped would be flesh as tender as a typical fungus. He was disappointed. The blade scuffed the stalk, which seemed the consistancy of a spongy bone, still somewhat malleable, but mostly rigid.
"Blast." Pawnman cursed, spitting, "This foul beast is quite firm. It seems it'll take many jerks to blow this beast!"
"What the fuck does that even mean!?" Stacie hissed at Pawnman. As far as Logan could tell, this was the closest to support that Stacie had offered unto Pawnman. She climbed out of the hole, her short legs kicking about, brushing mud all over Logan's gentle face, "Dammit, Pawnman, if I have to do ANYTHING in this battle, you're gonna wish I hadn't."
"I know." Pawnman replied, as he dodged a wicked thrust from the tip from the mushroom's cap, "Now shut up and take care. This thing emits some sort of webbing from it's cap. We don't want to get caught up in it."
"Eep!" Logan cried, as he scrambled out of the cave, just in time, as the mushroom monster's thrust had just crashed into the tunnel, filling it with it's might, before collapsing it with it's awesome power, "This is not my heart-dream... Why can I not get an umbrella!?" Logan nearly began to weep.
Pawnman took advantage of the beast's distraction. When it had lunged downward, part of it's armor had receded near it's cap, leaving open a damp exposed layer. As it came back out, Pawnman cut at the now sagging armor, removing it completely, "There. Now I have a place to aim."
"Pawnman, you jerk. Now I have to do something. You're gonna pay for this later." Stacie took out her trusty viola and began to play it furiously, musical notes materializing and soaring towards the mushroom monster's now exposed head. The notes exploded, dealing minimal damage, "Why do I have to do everything around here!?"
Logan's eyes were flooded with tears, but that was not the reason his thought process had phased away from the battle. His mind, you see, had turned, yet again, to the beauty with the pure white hair. His angelic visage flooded Logan's mind. Logan recalled the brief smile the mystery man had flashed. What bliss it had been, for that one second, to be in the presence of such a smile. He imagined the man's smile blooming into a flower, and from the flower came the man's arms. His arms wrapped tenderly around Logan, as he sunk into ecstacy.
Unfortunately, it was time for action, and Stacie had to pull Logan out of his dream, "LOGAN! YOUR BONER IS SHOWING!"
"Eep!" Logan cried as he looked down. His boner, indeed, was showing. He had never been so embarrased in his life. What mortified him further was knowing what had caused his erotic distraction was the very being they were working to destroy.
Pawnman struck the beast with another swipe of his sword, but could not react in time to avoid the blow the mushroom monster delivered to him. He flew straight into Stacie, knocking them both over.
"Dammit Pawnman! What the hell are you doing!?" Stacie blared.
"Logan." Pawnman ordered, "Use the Heart Socket."
"But..." Logan hesitated, partially due to fear, partially due to the only half-limp penis awkwardly sitting in his khakis.
"Now." Pawnman yelled.
Logan pulled out the Heart Socket and thrust it forward with one hand. He used the other to cover his eyes. The red light shone out, as it had before, this time enveloping Stacie and Pawnman. Their constitutions soon returned to them.
"Wow. It's like Logan's red heart can gradually heal wounds." Stacie exposited.
"Lucky for us. Not for you." Pawnman said, delivering an uncharacteristically wry line to the naughty fungus. He lept forward, sword extending from his head, and delivered a diagonal head blow unto the cap of the mushroom. It spewed out red and white liquids before becoming engulfed in an orange light and fading out of existance.
At the ground where the mushroom had been, a pedestal now stood, glowing a gentle orange color. The three exchanged a look, and nodded. Logan approached the pedestal, Heart Socket still in hand. Once he stood directly in front of it, he felt fortified with a warm force inside of him. He glanced at his pants to assure no embarrasing indentation had occured. It had not. This was the power of the True Heart.
"Logan..." A raspy voice whispered, hissingly wisp-like, "You have found ways to overcome the False Heart beast and release the True Heart's beautiful power. Now you must claim the power for your Heart Socket. Hold it in your hands and say these words..." The sentence was inaudable, but Logan clearly understood.
Logan clasped the Heart Socket in his hands, forcing it in front of him. Then, with the most commanding tone he could muster, shouted out, "TRUE HEART! TRUE HEART! FULL OF GRACE! GIVE MY SOCKET A BIG KISS ON IT'S FACE!"
A light shone from the pedestal, temporarily blinding everyone around. When the light subsided, Logan's Heart Socket now glowed orange around the the center of red, "I've done it! I've saved a True Heart!" He cried out.
Stacie and Pawnman ran up to Logan and congratulated him. He smiled and thanked them on the outside, but his inner-self was once again wrapped around the memories of the one he loved. Wait... Did he just say love? Could it be? He hardly knew the man. But... It felt... No. He had to press onward. This was no time to be letting his boners get the best of him.
"So, what do we do now that the tunnel's collapsed?" Stacie wondered aloud, "We need to find a way back." She turned, violently, to Pawnman, "And by we I mean YOU!"
Pawnman sighed, "FINE."
They set off to find their way to safety.
"But where will we find safety?" Logan wondered, worriedly.
"Dream Town." Pawnman replied.