I still think my microphone is way too loud, so I'll just have to keep tweaking it. Anyway there was a lot of dialogue and cutscenes in this part, at one point I even comment on it and show my frustration. I manage to complete some side quests and progress the story ever so slightly, albeit not by much. We do get some information about a MYSTERIOUS ENEMY lurking in the forest, though we aren't given any context as to who or what this group/thing is. The party is growing stronger though, and I'm slowly learning the mechanics of the game, it does feel like it's taking me a lot longer than I thought.